Whatever the "battlefield reporter" Sai En could see, Murphy could see too—and even more clearly than the players.
His other pair of eyes constantly roamed the skies, watching everything that happened across the land. Even when Wolfsbane invaded Scarlet Castle, the eyes of the Ravenous Night remained fixed on Murphy's territory.
In fact, Murphy had noticed the gnolls' movements the moment they stirred in the Andmar Hills.
That gnoll warlord, Lord Kenport Bonechewer, seemed to understand the art of war. Wolfsbane had attacked just last night, and he could be sure Scarlet Castle had suffered damage. Now was the perfect time to launch an all-out assault.
In a sense, Kenport's strategy was entirely correct.
If Murphy's followers had truly been brave warriors recruited locally, the chaos of last night would have had a major impact on Scarlet Castle's defenses at this critical juncture. It might even have triggered an irreversible rout.
Fortunately, Murphy's warriors had three lives apiece, so the vampire lord wasn't particularly worried about the decisive battle ahead.
It would take the players another two days and nights to respawn. But honestly, with their current numbers, they couldn't play any decisive role in a battle on this scale.
At least on the main battlefield, the players weren't yet a reliable, resilient force.
Murphy and Triss both understood this. They hadn't halted their preparations just because the players had been wiped out. At that moment, the important members of Murphy's faction had gathered at the Adventurers' Guild camp in the ruined inner city of Scarlet Castle.
A huge, diamond-shaped psionic object sat before them. It looked like a crystal-clear natural gemstone, carved into an intricate shape with hundreds of facets.
But on closer inspection, each facet was etched with complicated psionic runes. As Triss moved her Serenade scepter, the