Chương 96: Chapter 95. Force lift

Reaching the core room and destroying the dungeon core was their warband's objective, but reaching it with half the warband dead would make that hard to achieve. Rayne kept his eyes on the two thorn bears across the bridge as that thought settled in his mind. Fighting them head-on here would be costly. It wasn't that they couldn't win. They had taken down stonefur bears with fewer men before. But this wasn't an open field. This was a narrow bridge over a drop with boulders scattered across the enemy's side.

And as he looked at the bears, Captain Edran began giving more information on them. According to him, thorn bears were known to use terrain and throw whatever they could grab at enemies. Their claws also carried poison and more often than not, it could paralyze a man, especially if he had low Vitality. That alone made fighting them worse. Rayne watched the bears for a few seconds longer, then lowered his gaze to the drop below the bridge. Jagged rocks waited beneath. However, it wasn't a sheer vertical fall either.

There were slanted sections of stone. Areas that could be reached with a controlled descent. There were also larger holes in the ground on the other side of the drop. Maybe entrances to move deeper into the level. The drop was certainly connected to the lower level, maybe even the last one. The more he thought about it, the more his plan solidified. Finally, he turned and looked straight at Captain Edran.

"We don't need to cross the bridge, Captain. I think I have a way forward," Rayne said quietly. The captain glanced at him.

"What do you mean? Do you have a plan?" Rayne nodded and began explaining, pointing toward the drop. A few nearby soldiers leaned in to listen. He spoke calmly, walking through it step by step. The more he explained, the more faces turned toward them. Out of everyone, Varrick's expression grew sour. When he finished outlining the core of the plan, Captain Edran shifted his gaze to Varrick. Rayne also looked at him since the plan needed him the most. Varrick immediately frowned.

"You're crazy if you think a [Force Shield] can work like that," he said flatly.

"We can't use them as lifts." Rayne shook his head at once.

"That's not what I'm planning." He pointed down again.

"We have ropes. I don't think they are long enough to descend fully. But we don't need to. We only need a controlled drop." Varrick narrowed his eyes.

"We create the shield below the ledge," Rayne continued.

"Far enough down to shorten the fall. Soldiers jump onto it. It stops their momentum. Then they jump again to the next natural foothold." He traced the imagined path through the air with his finger.

"We repeat it. One person at a time. Maybe two if they are light. It will take time, but it's better than crossing the bridge. If the necromancer put the bears there, he surely planned something with the bridge." Silence immediately followed his words, but none of them disagreed. Though, a few soldiers exchanged uncertain looks. Varrick folded his arms.

"You're underestimating the strain," he said.

"The farther my shield is from me, the harder it is to sustain. I won't be able to keep it up for more than a few seconds per soldier once they step on it." Rayne nodded.

"We don't need long. Just enough to break the fall." Varrick still didn't look convinced. His brows remained furrowed, gaze flicking between the drop and the distant thorn bears as if weighing which was worse. Captain Edran stepped closer and put a firm hand on his shoulder.

"We can try with one soldier," he said calmly.

"If it works, we will continue. If not, we rethink. Is that acceptable?" Varrick held his gaze for a moment, then exhaled through his nose.

"Yeah. I've recovered enough mana." That was all the confirmation needed. Preparations began immediately. Scouts moved to unpack ropes from their kits. Just as Rayne had predicted, they weren't long enough to cover the entire drop. They were meant for shorter descents, not such large cliffs since they hadn't expected to encounter them. The larger ropes were probably with the main army. But they would do. One of the thicker ropes was looped around a heavy boulder near the ledge and secured tightly.

Several men tugged on it to test the stability before stepping aside. Heins was chosen first to go. The man looked less than thrilled. He understood why he had been picked. He was among the shortest and lightest in the warband. He also likely had decent stats and if the shield failed, he had a good chance of surviving the fall. Still, being the first test subject of an unproven method wasn't something anyone volunteered for. Heins obliged without complaint, though.

He wrapped the rope around his torso and secured it firmly. Varrick stepped closer to the edge and began forming his [Force Shield]. It shimmered into existence roughly seventy percent down the cliff, hovering in the open air. It was smaller than his usual ones, but thicker at the base. The rope barely reached that far, stretching taut, but it should be enough.

"Don't step on it for longer than ten seconds," Varrick warned. Heins swallowed and began lowering himself down slowly. Every soldier watched him move down. Beside Rayne, Nate grinned.

"Wanna make a bet?" Rayne didn't even look at him.

"I told you not to bet on other people's misfortune."

"A bet is a bet," Nate shrugged lightly.

"I've even bet on some of you not coming back from the dungeon with all your limbs intact." This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. That made the entire party turn toward him. Even Jason, standing slightly behind, raised a brow.

"You bet on our deaths? And with whom?"

"Not deaths," Nate corrected quickly.

"Disability. I win even if you get patched up later with potions." He shrugged again.

"You won't realize how many support soldiers in camp love gambling. Bastards have nothing else to do." Kesh stared at him flatly.

"You're truly a piece of shit." Nate only smiled wider, eyes returning to Heins descending toward the glowing shield. Rayne ignored the talk and shifted his full attention to Heins. The man was already halfway down the cliff, boots braced against the uneven stone as he controlled his descent. His movements were slower than Rayne expected, but steady. And surprisingly, he didn't look panicked. The rope creaked slightly as it stretched under his weight. Below him, the [Force Shield] shimmered faintly in the open air.

"Ten seconds," Varrick reminded again from above. Heins reached the final stretch of rope. He paused there for a breath, then carefully loosened the knot around his waist. For a second, he was suspended, then he let go. He dropped the short distance and landed squarely on the shield. The barrier rippled violently at the impact. A faint wave spread outward across its translucent surface, but it held. Heins sucked in a sharp breath and everyone above leaned forward slightly as the man looked down.

There wasn't much distance left now. Maybe two body lengths. The stone below was slanted but manageable. Without wasting time, Heins bent his knees and jumped again. He hit the slanted rock hard, boots sliding. For a moment it looked like he might lose balance, but he tucked and rolled, shoulder scraping against gravel before coming to a stop. Silence hung for half a heartbeat. Then Heins pushed himself upright. He dusted off his armor, glanced around once, then looked up at the ledge. He raised a hand and nodded.

A quiet exhale passed through the warband. A few men even allowed small smiles. The experiment had worked, and if everything went right, they would be able to avoid a fight. Captain Edran turned to Varrick.

"Can you go on?" Varrick didn't answer immediately. His focus remained on the hovering shield, eyes narrowed as he seemed to gauge the strain. After a few seconds, he replied, "I can maintain this for around twenty minutes before I'll need to replenish my mana." He paused before adding, "We can get half the men down in that time." Captain Edran nodded, then turned toward the others.

"Start moving. Make sure you don't strain the shield too much. One squad at a time." As the captain ordered, squads lined up at the cliff. One by one, they repeated the process. Rope around waist. Controlled descent. Release. Drop onto the shield. Immediate jump to the slope below. It wasn't always graceful. Some landed harder than others. One even slipped and nearly slid sideways before regaining balance. But none fell outright or injured themselves.

Rayne's gaze kept flicking between the descending men and the far side of the cavern. Throughout the descent, the thorn bears hadn't moved. They still slept soundly, but he wondered how long that would last. Even Casper and Captain Edran kept their eyes on the bears. After twenty minutes, more than half the warband had reached the lower ground. A small group had already formed up beside Heins, securing the landing area and scanning for threats. Up on the ledge, Varrick's face had grown noticeably paler.

Sweat gathered at his brows, and Rayne could tell he had spent a lot of mana trying to keep the shield floating. Rayne was about to tell him to take a rest when Varrick reached to his belt, pulled free a small purple vial, and downed it in one motion. Within seconds, some of the strain left his expression. The shield below even rippled less when the next soldier stepped on it. It was a mana potion, he guessed. And one probably far more potent than the ones the army issued for mages and spellswords.

He had seen Casper having them, but had never tasted one. With his mana replenished, more soldiers easily moved down until finally, it was time for Axel's warband. Hobbs, Axel, and a few others went first until finally it was his party's turn. Captain Edran gestured to him to go first. He immediately stepped forward and Jason helped him bind the rope tightly around his torso. The knot was secure within seconds and Rayne walked to the edge of the ledge and looked down. Behind him, Varrick spoke.

"I won't be doing anything to kill you. So just relax." Rayne glanced back at him.

"Hope not." Varrick gave a faint smile.

"There's no honor in that." Rayne didn't reply. He turned and began lowering himself down. The rope slid steadily through his grip. His boots pressed against the rock, controlling the descent just like the others had done. The ground rose slowly toward him, and beneath him, the [Force Shield] shimmered faintly.

"Ten seconds," Varrick called again. Rayne reached the end of the rope and hovered briefly above the shield. He loosened the knot and let himself drop. He landed squarely. The shield rippled outward in thick waves, but it held firm. Rayne didn't waste a breath. He bent his knees and jumped again, landing on the slanted stone below. He slid, controlled, then pushed off and landed cleanly on the ground without needing to roll before taking a sigh of relief. It went better than he expected.

As he straightened and moved toward the rest of the soldiers, Heins stepped forward and patted his shoulder.

"That was clean." Rayne only nodded, eyes already lifting upward. More of his party came down in the next two minutes. Nate went after him, then Bran, and then Kesh. John was next, and he saw him binding the rope around himself and moving down. By now, most of the warband had gathered on the lower ground. Scouts were already spreading out cautiously, checking the nearby openings. Rayne let out a slow breath, finally feeling like they would be able to move without getting into any trouble.

But just as that thought entered his mind, a strange sound cut through the air. His ears caught it before he consciously registered it. The next second, a sharp ringing filled his mind and he froze. His senses stretched outward violently, as if something had pulled at them, and his mind only told him one thing. Danger. Rayne understood what was going on. His newest skill had flared up.

Rayne's head immediately snapped toward the far side of the cavern and the very next second, a low, deep growl rolled across the chamber. Every soldier around him stiffened.

"John!" Rayne shouted instantly. John was still only halfway down, descending toward the shield. He froze mid-air, eyes wide at the scream.

"Drop!" Rayne roared.

"I'll catch you!" Without hesitation, John untied himself and fell. He smashed into the shield. It flickered violently, nearly collapsing, but it absorbed enough of the impact. Rayne was already moving. The shield vanished just as John fell the remaining distance. Rayne stepped forward and caught him, the impact almost driving him down to the ground. John landed on top of him but regained balance quickly as Rayne held him steady. Just then, another growl echoed. Rayne looked up just in time to see it.

One of the thorn bears had launched itself into the air, its massive body clearing the ground as it attempted to cover the entire gap in a single leap. For a heartbeat, it looked like it would make it and smash right into the remaining soldiers on the ledge. Then a blazing blast of fire slammed into its side midair. The explosion sent it spinning violently. The bear crashed into the side of the wall with a thunderous impact and then slid down, landing right before the soldiers on the ground.

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