Four people, even four mages, was not generally considered to be a significant fighting force. But once Dominic handed out the mana revolvers to everyone, he knew that the odds would change in their favour.

Gone was the disadvantage of the mages, in that they were mostly helpless once they ran out of mana.

Instead, they only dropped down to the level of an elite warrior, and could continue firing indefinitely, as their mana regeneration would easily cover the cost of reloading the pistols as fast as they could fire.

Or, it should.

"Sorry that I don’t have more weapons made with mana regeneration on hit. I didn’t think about the need for them when I was making this batch. I simply focused on the damage output, as the added fire damage makes for incredible pistols.

Nearly as good as adding a [Firebolt] spell to the shot. Better if the one using it isn’t a strong mage.

But in the hands of the Duskblade Sect, they’re not quite the right tool for the job. More mana regeneration allows for more fireballs and chain lightning spells, which cause far more destruction than a few bullets." Dominic explained as he led the group forward into battle.

"I’m sure that we can get past our disappointment. These guns are still pretty good, and I’ve never been one to complain about more firepower on a mission." The shorter of the mages replied with a smile.

The taller man tilted his chin into the distance in front of them. "We’re behind. I can sense the battle ahead of us, where the Paladins are fighting something.

It feels more bestial, but I can’t tell what it is from here.

If we’re going to meet them at the centre, where all the armies will meet, we need to get a move on."

Dominic increased their pace for a few minutes, then slowed again as he found their next target.

"Lady and Gentlemen, it looks like we’re in luck." He announced.

They had found a camp full of Iron Shell Scorpions, a creature native to the deserts of Axbridge. Though, calling it a camp was pushing the boundaries of the definition. There was a single tent, with a mage inside. But the rest was just a collection of shallow burrows, where the scorpions had dug themselves into the ground to escape the heat of the afternoon sun.

That left their back shells exposed, but regulated their temperatures well. It also caused many travellers to mistake them for rocks in the desert, and mistakenly assume that a nest of scorpions was actually solid ground, where they might be able to dig for water.

It would be the last mistake that they ever made.

But everyone in Dominic’s group was well aware of that particular trap, and the fact that the scorpions were a level fifteen monster with a weak spot beside the base of its neck.

The neck itself was armoured, as was the head. But as they grew, the armour on their back left a gap that those with exceptional skill, or good enough ranged weapons, could exploit.

"Well, at least it’s not something we’ve never seen before. Is everyone ready?" Dominic asked.

"We are. Let’s get this done and catch up to the group. Amie, you’re in charge of the mage and the portal beacon." The taller mage, who seemed to be the senior member of the Sect among them, agreed.

They rushed forward, getting into pistol range before they started to attack, while Dominic circled to their right, so he could get a good shot at the monsters that went for the others.

However, that plan was doomed to failure.

As soon as he separated from the group, all of the scorpions turned to face him, hissing menacingly at the newfound threat. They didn’t understand magic, or guns. But they did understand that Dragonkin were a threat, while humans were food.

They spread out to attack, keeping their heads low to protect their vulnerable points from direct attack, but the change in angle made the neck joint clearly visible to the others.

The mages began to shoot, with the high-level weapons easily penetrating the soft spots, and cracking hard chitin where the shots landed off target. But the Scorpions didn’t stop, and they raised their tails, preparing to ambush Dominic as soon as they could surround him.

Dominic retreated slowly as he fired, using [Arcane Blast] to injure the scorpions and buy him time for the others to work.

The new pistols were unfamiliar in the hands of the mages at first, but they were all trained assassins, and it only took a few shots for their aim to adjust, causing fatal strikes every few shots.

Dominic sensed a powerful wave of magic in the distance, and then heard a single gunshot.

That was a good sign.

By the logic of hunters, one shot was a kill, two might be a kill, and three or more meant that something had gone horribly wrong. Amie was powerful, so she was unlikely to lose an engagement before she could fire twice, especially with a pistol in each hand. So, that one shot should be the end of the enemy mage.

A scorpion tail slammed into Dominic’s [Area Barrier] as he moved again, trying to get a shot in on the attackers. Then, another, and another.

That was the end of his defensive spell, and Dominic was left scrambling for a few seconds before he could get another off. But it was enough time for the mages to complete their work, and only the two scorpions closest to Dominic remained.

He rolled to the left and fired up into the weakened joint where one of his prior shots had missed, and black blood poured from the armoured neck of the scorpion, which retreated in agony, looking for hot sand to plug the wound.

But they were in long grass, and the creature had no knowledge of slowing blood loss in this unfamiliar environment.

A shot from behind broke the creature’s tail stinger off, and Amie happily pocketed the deadly venom sac. Those sold for good money, but they were also a key ingredient of many concoctions made by the Duskblade Sect.

"The nest is clear. There was only one apprentice mage with these monsters, I think that they might be focusing their remaining numbers on the more valuable targets." She explained.

"Then we need to get to them before the units without mages do. Loot up, and let’s go.

Someone does have a big bag of looting, right? Because my storage items don’t have enough space to be collecting large monster body parts all day." Dominic asked.

"We have you covered, Your Grace. Storage Items are a speciality of the Sect, you know."