Much less attention, as it had immediately become obvious when they crested the hill to find that the cavalry riflemen were running a hit-and-run campaign against hundreds of Minotaurs, while what looked like a small city worth of gnolls were engaged with the Royal Guards.

The Royal Guard had chosen a ravine to fight in, with the cavalry taking the high ground to defend them from above.

That meant that the gnolls could only attack in smaller groups, giving the paladins time to recover, cycle front guards, and heal. An exceptional combat tactic, as long as the cavalry kept the top of the ravine clear of enemies.

But that didn’t look like it was going to be the case for long, as there were simply too many of the monsters for the cavalry to deal with, and more were coming out of a group of tents in the distance every second.

That made it easy to find the portal beacon, but also much more difficult to actually do anything about it.

Knowing that it was there was one thing, but getting through five thousand human sized monsters with basic weapons proficiency to get to it was something else entirely.

Fortunately, the gnolls weren’t known to have shamans or other magic users among their ranks.

They did exist, but they were so rare that it was more of a historical footnote, than the sign of a large group, the way that it was with Goblins.

"Should we go for the portal, or aid the cavalry?" Amie whispered as she put the borrowed rifle away and switched to pistols.

The one full sized pistol looked odd in her hand, but Dominic knew that the mana regeneration was key to keeping up in a long battle, and they were going to need fireballs to make this an even fight.

Once they got back, he was building that directly into some rifles. Fireball and mana regeneration on hit. It wouldn’t be easy to do, but it just might be the perfect weapon for defending against large groups of monsters.

"Let’s move closer to the front of the fight. Not straight for the portal, it’s better if we can thin out the horde as it approaches, instead of leaving them on the other side of the portal for someone else to deal with.

But scattering fireballs through the horde will give the force a break.

Do they have one of your mages with them?" Dominic replied.

Amie closed her eyes, using her mana sense to try to find other mages.

"Yes, there are five of them with the Paladins. She has more than just her own Paladins with her, there are thirty of them. So, I think that she might have both Princes with her." Amie informed him a few seconds later.

"It’s a shame that the second Prince isn’t here. He would enjoy a good fight and new magic users to talk to. But if they have five mages and thirty Paladins, they should be alright in the valley for now.

It’s better that we work on keeping the horde from overrunning the cavalry position and gaining the high ground. Gnolls are known to use arrows and thrown spears, which would be a nightmare for a force in the valley." Dominic replied.

"You know, you’re just as much of a slave driver in combat as you are at the forge. One fight a day is usually all that anyone volunteers for, even if they’re greedy and want to gather all the wealth they can." She joked.

"It’s not just about the money. You can’t forget the fame, the glory, and that uniquely peaceful feeling of getting to sleep in your own bed without fearing that your spouse will murder you in your sleep for not helping."

The men of the Cavalry Regiment thought that they were insane, the way that they were laughing as they charged into battle. But the four pistols hurling fireballs into the gnolls were devastating.

Gnolls were not particularly strong, level four or five on average, similar to a Hobgoblin in combat effectiveness, but less brute strength and more agility and intelligence.

Still, to charge at them like that, relying on magic to keep you safe, knowing that it was a limited resource, was insane.

However, Dominic only used fireballs with one pistol, and he was using [Arcane Blast] with the other, for the additional mana and healing. He was in no danger of running out, even if he had to use internal mana for the fireballs, while he could use external for the Arcane Blast without losing attack speed.

Amie knew from experience that she was going to have enough mana to keep reloading and firing the pistols even when she ran low on it and had to slow down the fireballs.

But gunshots alone would be enough to deter the monsters when they were coming from such a powerful mana revolver.

"Move back as we shoot, it will pull them out into a line, and make it easier for the cavalry to deal with them." Amie instructed as their [Fireballs] blasted huge gaps in the advancing gnoll formation.

"Got it. Spread them out and then move forward toward the portal. It should pull the whole group apart, and reduce the number going down into the ravine.

She can’t get mad at me for going after the loot if she knows that I did my best to make her day easier, right?"

Dominic’s eyes glowed gold as the bloodlust of a dragon kin rose to the surface, and he didn’t even notice that his fangs were beginning to extend.

"She will definitely be pleased to know. I just wish that I could keep up the number of spells that you use." Amie agreed.

"We can work on that when we get back. I have some other good ideas as well. I think that the town of Wistover needs a water park. It’s already raining, we might as well give the kids somewhere to play in the water." Dominic laughed.

Amie frowned. It wasn’t raining.

No, dammit. There it was, the first few drops were falling. Dominic must have smelled the rain before it began.