The Darkness of Old; The Ancient Crown; The Winged One

by Hans Bezdek

  "Outside of that, it's going to come down to who fights better," shrugged Nicole.

  I wasn't thrilled that we didn't have many advantages, but maybe those Zorikium arrows would help turn this fight around. Things certainly weren't going to be able to get any worse, at least.

  A man entered the room, flanked by two more. Laurinaitis looked scared while everyone else smiled at the newcomers. Our luck kept improving.

  "Did you have any problems getting here, Antonius?" I asked.

  "None at all," he said. "I spoke one of the survivors before I came here. It sounds like it had been close to a massacre."

  "I-It was," nodded Laurinaitis. "It w-was the worst thing I-I've ever witnessed."

  "Things are gonna get a whole lot worse before they get better," said Antonius. "You've got to push it all down and get through it."

  "That seems healthy," mumbled Dhot.

  Laurinaitis seemed surprised that the other dragon wasn't scolding him for screwing up.

  "I-I'll do my best," he said.

  "You can all rest upstairs, if you wish," said Nicole. "There should be more than enough rooms. If anything happens while we sleep, my men will notify us at once."

  "I think I may just take you up on that," said Laurinaitis, happy to be away from Antonius at once. The gold dragon didn't waste time with goodbyes and hurried up the stairs.

  Antonius turned to me. "I heard you were the one that saved him."

  "I am," I admitted. "He wasn't in a good state of mind, so I had to do what I had to do."

  "I'm not sure if saving Laurinaitis was the best move, but I'm glad that The Republic can count on you," said Antonius.

  "Thanks," I said. "I think...?"

  "It's going to be a long night," he continued, slapping me roughly on the shoulder. "And it sounds like you've done more than your fair share today. It'd be best if you and your friends got some rest. You're going to need it."

  I had a suspicion he was right about that.

  Chapter 15

  I stumbled forward, catching myself before running into a rocky surface. I looked to my left and right, surprised to see a large, gray wall of unrefined stone. It was mostly dark, the only source of light coming from behind me. Turning to face it, I realized I was in a large cave. A fire was going in the middle of it, with a large bed and dresser to the left of it. Not normal.

  The only thing less normal was the figure on the other side of the fire with his back to me. An old man dressed in a pineapple pressed shirt, too tight shorts, and sandals with socks on was picking up small rocks and moving them back and forth. He'd wait a few seconds after shifting them, then shake his head and move them back.

  "I just can't seem to get this right," he sighed. "It's not really working with the room."

  "Uh... Great Oracle?" I asked. "Is that you?"

  The old man turned around with a start. He placed a hand over his chest and shook his head. "Reimar! You must be careful sneaking up on an old man like that! Ulrich might think I'm dead, but it wouldn't do either of us any good if I really was, now would it?"

  "You're the one who summoned me here," I grumbled, slightly agitated. While my actual body was still sleeping, I never really felt fully rested after one of our dream sessions. On the eve of a big battle, I could've done without this.

  "Yes, but you certainly take your time getting here," nodded the Great Oracle. "I assumed I had some time for some redecorating. Roxbury has been hard at work digging out this cave, but he's left a bit to be desired on the interior design front."

  "Where are we?" I asked, glancing around.

  "My new center of operations," he smiled.

  "No, I got that," I said. "Although truth be told, it's got nothing on your last one. You couldn't really beat the lookout over Durnskeep."

  "It was nice, wasn't it," said the Great Oracle, looking off as he fondly remembered his old home. Too bad he wouldn't be going back there any time soon, if ever.

  "You can go back there if we beat Ulrich, right?" I asked.

  "That's the plan," he nodded, breaking off his reminiscing. "I'm under some mountains in Brumark, I'm afraid I can't tell you anything more precise."

  "You still don't trust me..." I said quietly, feeling hurt. I thought after all that happened in Jiezvall we would've been past any concerns he still had with me.

  "Oh, that's not it at all!" chuckled the Great Oracle. "It's just that Roxbury won't give me any details. He's afraid that Ulrich could figure out where we are again if word gets out. Since Roxbury is the only one that knows the exact location of where we are, there's nothing to worry about if the Dar'Ka come to realize I'm not quite as dead as they thought I was."

  "Makes sense, I guess," I shrugged, feeling slightly better. My calmness shifted to anger. "Speaking of not trusting, what's the deal with you not telling us about Varinia?!"

  "Ah, that," said the Great Oracle.

  "Everything's a mess because of her!" I continued. "If you could've given us the head's up about her, we could've captured or killed her a long time ago!"

  "I wish I could have, but it's not that simple," he explained. "It's not as if I know everything about everyone in Yaerna, Reimar. I can only speak to you what has been revealed to me. I didn't realize who Varinia really was until right before you found out. There was no time to warn you."

  I crossed my arms. "Well, you should invest in better foresight, or however else it is that you can see the future."

  "I wish that were possible," chuckled the Great Oracle.

  "We're going to have some serious problems with this battle," I said. "I assume that's why you called me here? To give me some sort of warning about how hard it's going to be?"

  He waited for me to continue without giving me a hint if I was right or not. Figures.

  "The black and reds are either at the same numbers as our gold and silvers now, or even higher," I reasoned. "The Greeners shouldn't be too much of a problem, but they can be sneaky sometimes. Who knows how many they'll attack us with the next time. I doubt it'll be the same number that attacked the eastern gate yesterday."

  "All reasonable things to expect," he nodded.

  "If Beatrix can summon more of those fire elementals that'll surely help," I continued. "I'll have to fight with the dragons and hope it's enough. Maybe the Deathbringers will arrive in time to help, too."

  "You think the Deathbringers are on their way?" asked the Great Oracle, raising an eyebrow.

  "Of course," I shrugged. "The Republic of Hur needs them. They're loyal to a fault."

  "And who is the one who told them to head for Vorova?" he asked. "Was it Laurinaitis?"

  "No, it was Varin... oh."

  My spirits dropped as I realized the Deathbringers weren't coming at all. Varinia would've never actually sent them to the front line, they'd be far too likely to wreak havoc on the Dar'Ka, regardless of goblin, orc, or dragon. She either never told them to come, or she sent them as far away as possible. How could I have still believed they'd be coming to our aid?

  "Another area that Varinia has damaged the Collective's efforts," nodded the Great Oracle knowingly. "She has proven to be a very effective agent for Ulrich, far more than anyone else. It should be assumed that anything The Republic has, the Dar'Ka knows about it."

  "You're right," I groaned, rubbing my hands over my face. "I should've known all along that Laurinaitis would be my downfall. The stupid gold doesn't even have the decency to be in his right state of mind as we fight to our deaths. At least berating him for letting a black dragon sneak into his ranks would've been slightly amusing. But now he's all emotional and having an existential crisis. Perhaps it'd be funnier in a different light, but not this one."

  "That's an interesting take," said the Great Oracle, looking at me with growing concern. The man walked over and sat down on his bed. "While I understand your displeasure with Laurinaitis, you should understand that this isn't entirely his fault. He wasn't even responsible for her being elected. She tricked everyone in The Re
public, not to mention you and your friends."

  He was right, but that didn't mean I had to admit it or hate Laurinaitis any less. The guy was still a jerk. On top of that, the one time his obnoxious overconfidence could've come in handy, he decides to have a breakdown.

  "This battle will prove difficult for the forces of Yaerna," continued the man. "It's important that you take whatever help you're offered, even if you think you'd do better without it."

  "Trust me, I'll take whatever I can get," I laughed. "I'm not exactly in a position to be choosy, am I?"

  "You aren't," he agreed.

  "Will Ulrich be joining this fight?" I asked. "Or the Dar'Ka that were with him in Jiezvall?"

  "Thankfully, no," he smiled. "That was partially why I summoned you here. Ulrich has returned to Ra'Chok, and is recuperating along with the rest of his army. As he does so, he will be traveling around that island to gather more and more of the black and reds. If we wait too long, he'll be too strong to stand up against when he returns to the mainland."

  "He's going to leave Ra'Chok defenseless?" I asked, surprised. That didn't seem very wise.

  "The black and red dragons believe they should control all of Yaerna," said the Great Oracle. "If they believe they can take the mainland by sacrificing their island, they'll do so."

  "But we could take over their home while they're gone," I said, thinking through the options. "That might hurt their morale, or cause their forces to split in order to come back and deal with it."

  "That's not what would happen," said the Great Oracle, his tone very serious. "He would return with his full army and wipe the Collective off the face of Yaerna. There would be hardly any resistance left after that, and the Dar'Ka would quickly begin their terrible rule."

  "Sounds fun," I said dryly. "What's the alternative, then? If they're going to be able to kill us no matter what we do, then should we just run away and hide?"

  "Many of the black and reds follow Ulrich simply because he has the ancient crown," explained the old man. "However, not all of them do."

  I recalled our fight on the outskirts of Durnskeep with one that didn't. An odd time when Ulrich actually teamed up with me, and I had done what I could to block that memory out.

  "Ulrich will be able to convince the remaining dragons to follow after him if you wait too long," continued the Great Oracle. "If, however, you bring the fight to Ra'Chok, there's a chance that the combined armies of Yaerna could defeat the Dar'Ka."

  "So we'll need to fight them on their home turf," I said, not thrilled with the prospect. I knew we'd eventually have to do it if we wanted to win the war, but I had been putting it off. Ra'Chok wasn't a place you went too lightly.

  "This is all assuming you survive today, of course," he concluded. "And that's no guarantee."

  "You're always so uplifting to talk to, do you know that?"

  The Great Oracle laughed at that and stood up. "I wish I could be of more help to you in either fight, but I've given you all that I can. It's up to you to use the tools at your disposal."

  "That sounded oddly cryptic," I said, eyeing him curiously.

  "Do you think they call me the Great Oracle for nothing?"

  "Good point," I conceded.

  "Now, it's time for you to go," said the Great Oracle.

  "Already?" I asked. It hadn't felt like a particularly long chat.

  "I'm afraid so. I hope that you'll accept any help you'll get in this upcoming battle. You'll need it."

  My eyes shot open, and I was back in Vorova. I looked over toward the window and saw that it was still pitch black out. That wasn't a good sign.

  There was a quick knock on my door, and then it opened.

  "They're coming," said Nicole, a strained look on her face as she leaned in. "You should get to the wall while I wake the others."

  "Which part of the wall?" I asked.

  "It doesn't matter," she said, leaving.

  That sounded ominous.

  After grabbing my things, I hurried down the steps and out of the building. Dwarves and humans were running as quickly as they could through the streets, many of them heading to the gates or up the steps to the wall. I ran up to the nearest stairs and reached the top of the wall, looking out as the men and women around me knocked their bows.

  Bright fires were all around the open battlefield as far as I could see. The fires connected in a circle around the city, slowly making their way closer and closer. The Greeners had definitely gotten reinforcements, along with the giant siege machines I had seen in Jiezvall and the Palace. It looked like they had no intention of making this easy for us and sticking to one part of the city.

  "That's a lot of Greeners," marveled Beatrix as she and the others joined me on the wall.

  "Quite a bit more than earlier," nodded Cassandra.

  "L-Loads m-more!" whimpered Braun.

  I looked down at the quivering dwarf.

  "Braun," I said quietly.

  "A-Aye?"

  "Let’s use that special rock of yours."

  "Maha!" laughed Dhot. "About time!"

  Chapter 16

  Arrows filled the night sky as the Collective shot at the approaching Greeners. The creatures that were hit let out cries as the others pushed past or over them. I noticed more than one unlucky goblin wounded by an arrow get finished off by its own siege machine.

  "Only use standard arrows!" Cassandra shouted at our section of the wall. She had borrowed a bow and was firing out at the Greeners with everyone else. "We need to save as many of the scale piercing ones as we can for when the black and reds come!"

  Wave after wave of arrows were shot out at the Greeners, but still the circle tightened around Vorova. It was just a matter of time before they'd be knocking on our wall. To make it a bit more difficult for them, I summoned some magic into my hands. When it was ready, a ball of flame appeared. Noticing one of the siege weapons to our right getting a little too close for comfort, I chucked the fireball at it.

  The fireball connected with the base of the machine. Almost immediately, the fire spread up and back, engulfing the whole thing in bright flames. The Greeners that had been pushing it quickly backed off, looking around frantically for how to fix it.

  "Nice shot!" said Beatrix.

  Admittedly, I had been aiming for the top of the machine. I'd take it, though.

  "Are you going to summon any more of those fire elementals?" I asked. "They'd be able to take out those machines without a problem."

  "I've got to wait until they're closer," explained the summoner. "I can only summon creatures within a certain distance of myself. If I summon them right now, the Greeners would be able to kill them before they got anywhere close. It'd be a waste."

  "Ya can summon fire creatures?" asked Braun, his dark side very interested.

  "Of course," said Beatrix, confused. "You've seen me summon before."

  "Braun suffers from some occasional memory gaps," I said, deciding it wasn't worth the explanation. "You might need to fill him in from time to ti-"

  Bang!

  The three of us and those around us jumped away from the sound. It sounded like a bomb had just gone off among us. Could the Dar'Ka have planted one on the walls without us knowing? I wouldn't have put it past Varinia...

  "Maha!"

  Dhot stood in the middle of the space everyone cleared, holding a long metal and wooden barrel. The contraption was nearly half as tall as he was, and several times as long. He rested the end of the barrel on the wall, the Great Oracle's looking glass mounted on the top of it. The goblin was grinning ear to ear as he moved the barrel from left to right, then pulled the trigger.

  Bang!

  "Oi! What in the world is that blasted thing!" demanded Braun. "Or is this somethin I should already know about?"

  "It's new to us, too," said Beatrix, staring in awe at Dhot's weapon.

  "It's my greatest invention!" giggled Dhot with delight and a touch of insanity. "It can fire a round further than anything recorded, and should
be able to hurt even a dragon! Finished it while everyone else was sleeping. I call it... Helga."

  "What an elegant name," I said, glancing at Cassandra. The elf was too busy staring at Helga with concern to catch my look.

  "Are you sure it's safe?" she asked.

  "As sure as I am of any of my inventions," smiled the goblin proudly.

  "So not very, eh?" asked Braun.

  Dhot moved the barrel to the right while watching us, not bothering to look down the scope. "There's a troll next to one of the siege machines directly in front of us. See him?"

  I spotted the troll, a particularly ugly and large one covered with thick armor. "Yeah, what about him?"

  There was another bang, and a second later the troll dropped.

  "Maha! Headshot!" squealed Dhot. "I love how it's hooked up to my Goggles! Let's me see your faces while also the enemy's!"

  "Please make sure you never mix the two up," said Cassandra, picking her bow back up and searching for her next target.

  The Greeners began firing back at the defenders, launching a variety of arrows, stones, and javelins up at us. The wall proved to be too high for most of the stones and javelins, but the arrows reached an occasional target. I began hearing dwarves and humans cry out in pain and surprise, but wherever they fell back, another took their place. Everyone knew that this was a fight for their lives. If Vorova fell, everyone in it would die.

  I launched a few more fireballs at the siege weapons closest to us. I missed a few times, hurting my ego, but managed to set another two of them on fire. Braun was going to work, too, launching out balls of dark energy. These exploded on contact, taking out clusters of Greeners that stood too close together. The dwarf had a wicked grin on his face as he unloaded dark ball after dark ball. It was always a little shocking to see the darker side of Braun in action after only interacting with the light side for a few days.

  The Greener circle inevitably closed in on the wall, the cries of success and excitement coming shortly before the banging of the siege weapons. Since none of the machines made it to our side of the wall, our group left the Vorovan defenders to pick off what was left and rushed down the steps. We ran for the nearest gate to our north, knowing that they hadn't done nearly as much damage as we had.