Bound and Broken: An Isekai Adventure Dark Fantasy (Melas Book 1)

by V. A. Lewis

  So a second Fireball struck it. Then a third. A fourth. And it continued, finally until the gates blew open. Its wood burned and splintered. The metal bent and collapsed on itself.

  The soldiers of Fort Conon were scrambling for battle. The guards on the walls were waiting in anticipation. Their bows drawn, swords ready. Some even had guns prepared and aimed in the direction of the blasts.

  But no army appeared.

  Instead, from the nearby trees, arrows flew by the dozens. They came from from behind the bushes, in between the branches, curving around impossible corners, piercing through shields— through armor. Like it was made of nothing.

  "Look out—" one of the guards cried.

  But he was cut off. An arrow was sticking out the side of his head. He collapsed, weakly grasping at the wound as he slowly died. As soldiers perished around him. As the fortress fell.

  The explosions resounded throughout the night with sounds of screaming and shouting accompanying it as the assault started. And that was the signal to move.

  Karna did not say anything. He knew the plan. And so did his men. So there was no verbal command. There was only a nod of the head. A movement of the hand. And they were off.

  They stalked through the shadows, sprinting past the trees, charging at the walls of the fortress. But there was no fighting here. And neither was there a gate to breach. There was just a wall.

  A tall wall. One which most people would not be able to climb. But this group of individuals were not most people.

  They were Goblins. And in addition to being short and having incredibly rough skin, they had strong legs too. That was how they could move so quickly. That was how they could scale a fort’s walls with few problems.

  So as the guards abandoned their post, and went to assist their comrades at the main gate, the Goblins did exactly that.

  Karna leapt up the wall without a problem. He landed silently on his two feet, and almost as quietly, Ihsan came up right next to him. They were followed by two dozen other Goblins. Not all of them could cover such a distance in one jump, but they helped each other make it.

  The lead Goblin peeked over the walls and saw figures gathering at the courtyard. They were all armed. Ready for combat in mere minutes. But that was not all of the soldiers. They were far too few. So he ignored them.

  He turned to the Goblin at his elbow.

  "You know what to do," he spoke quietly.

  Ihsan nodded. He took off, followed by five other Goblins. They split off into two groups. One stayed along the walls, and the other went down. But both made their way away from the fighting— from the battle at the front gates.

  Karna and his group of Goblins made their way down the stairwell. They waited as a dozen guards ran past, before continuing deeper into the fort.

  They snuck past a training area and into a hallway, where the loud footsteps of heavy boots were all they could hear. They avoided the sound of marching soldiers, and proceeded down a side passage. A small group of soldiers were passing through. No more than half a dozen.

  This time, Karna acted. He drew his bow quickly as they rounded the corner. Arrow already nocked, he loosed straight at the foremost soldier.

  "What the—"

  The arrow went straight through his open mouth, and he was silenced in an instant. His companions followed quickly after, as the Goblins silently disposed of the group.

  "Lock their bodies in that room. Quickly. The armory is up ahead," Karna ordered his men. They efficiently did as they were told, and in a minute, they were moving again.

  The door to the armory swung open, as soldiers went in and out in a hurry. Most of them were still struggling to equip their gear, woken by the alarm from half an hour ago. They froze as they saw the figures appear.

  There were just over a dozen of them. Small figures, dressed in concealing clothes. They came with their bows and short swords. Outnumbered more than three-to-one.

  But the soldiers were not prepared. They were armed with weapons, but not fully ready for a fight. For battle. And especially for what came next.

  Arrows pierced through steel. The soldiers charged, but were met by the swift Goblins. The Goblins easily dodged their swings, cutting and stabbing at the soldiers of the fortress.

  A loud voice rallied the soldiers.

  "To me, men! Regroup and fight back!"

  Soldiers began retreating. Not because they were losing. But they were giving way for… gunfire.

  Bolts of energy flashed past the large hall. They were not the most accurate shots, and the Goblins were quick. They evaded most of the bullets. Or, most of them did.

  Karna blocked two shots, dodging a third. He ducked behind a pillar, as the suppressing fire forced the Goblins back. He watched a Goblin dodging as many bullets as he could. But there were too many.

  One struck the Goblin in the leg, and he fell. And that was it for him. The gunfire struck him down as he dropped. Dead.

  Karna’s eyes flickered. He saw the large soldier… a Lieutenant? He did not know military ranks all that well. But he was a leader. Just like me, Karna thought.

  He raised his shortsword. It was a regular weapon— he had given his personal dagger to Melas. This one was unenchanted. But it did not matter. Not with what he was going to do with it.

  He aimed his sword at the enemy leader, and shouted to his men.

  "Kill him."

  ***

  I stood, waiting. There was nothing for me to do; or at least, nothing for me to do right now. I was just standing with Gerritt. No one else was with us.

  Well, there were a lot of undead.

  Dozens of animals and some monsters surrounded us. They were the rotting corpses of whatever creature Gerritt could find and raise to use for this siege. Other than that, we were alone.

  They smelled terrible, as usual. Although the smell got kind of bearable after a while— in the sense that I was no longer choking with each breath. But maybe I was just nervous. Perhaps that was why the stench of death did not bother me as much as it should. Because there was something far more important in my mind. And that was fighting.

  I was going to help Gerritt take the gates on the northeastern side of the wall. Victor was assaulting the southwestern entrance with most of the Goblins, while Karna went in with a small group to strike the vulnerable and still ill-equipped soldiers. Ihsan was supposed to open the gates for us while that happened so we could send the undead in.

  Other than that, Gerritt and I were not supposed to do much. Our job was to simply split up the forces— a false attack in a way. Not that there was no threat from these undead; they could very well kill dozens of armed guards. But by coming last, the soldiers would panic, thinking we were the main threat. And they would be even more disorganized that way.

  An attack from three directions. The front, the inside, and the back. The question was: who would they focus on defending from the most?

  Naturally it would be the front; but once we hit them from behind, they would think the frontal assault was nothing more than a diversion. Try and protect their flank, thus exposing their main line of defense.

  It was a simple strategy. But it should work nonetheless.

  And my job was just as simple— just send some spells flying now and then. To bring attention to us, while Gerritt protects me.

  Yet I was still shaking. It was not all fear; I was pretty sure I was going to come out just fine. It was senseless trepidation. The one that came from knowing you were doing something important— that was how I felt.

  It had probably been less than half an hour since I heard the first blast from the Fireball spell. But to me, it felt like I had been waiting for days. Finally, I saw the gates move.

  The massive double doors slowly swung open. A few figures waited for us at the walls. I turned to Gerritt. He was dressed in full plate mail, complete with a helmet and all. He nodded, as he closed the visor.

  "It’s time, Melas. Stay close to me and you’ll be safe."

 
I made a sound in agreement. Then the first group of undead sprinted down the road. They charged into the fortress. Through the open gates. And straight into battle.

  I could hear the tide of the battle immediately shift; the soldiers were shocked by the sudden new enemies. A second wave of undead went forward. Then a third.

  I walked alongside Gerritt and a few undead towards the fort. We entered it, and I saw Ihsan waiting there for us. A few guards lay dead at his feet.

  "Sorry for the wait," he said, gesturing at the bodies lying on the ground. "More soldiers than we thought there would be. Had to take care of them."

  "Hrmph, perhaps they received more troops since we scouted them. No matter. This only helps us more."

  Gerritt raised a hand, and a small magic circle flashed in the air. Then, larger versions of the same magic circle appeared around the dead bodies. I thought I could see tiny invisible strings weaving into them. And after half a minute of casting the spell, the dead finally became undead.

  The lifeless guards picked themselves up, body still half limp as they moved. A dim green glow was emitted from their eyes, as they picked up weapons and awaited orders. I did not think a verbal or physical cue was wholly necessary, but the Orc pointed at the battle regardless.

  "Go," he ordered. "Slay my enemies or force them to surrender. Do not let them escape."

  The undead obeyed. They charged into the battlefield, swinging their weapons lamely and possibly ineffectively. They did not sprint. These were zombies— weak ones at that. If the Necromancer wanted to make them stronger, it would have taken more time; but that was not needed. These were meant to be fodder.

  And I guess I am too.

  I took a deep breath. I briefly glanced at Gerritt, who seemed busy controlling his undead. Then I looked at Ihsan— he was firing arrows alongside a few other Goblins. Time to pull my own weight.

  I raised a hand. I felt the spell forming. The mana in the world around me was gathering. Then sparks appeared. The embers quickly took the shape of arrows.

  I conjured up the hail of Fire Arrows and sent it sailing across the battlefield. Soldiers raised their shields to block the attack with little issue, but were immediately pressed by the undead swinging wildly at them.

  I watched as one of the flaming arrows struck the side of a soldier. The man recoiled in pain, clutching at his wound. It was not a fatal wound— his armor took most of the damage. But it still gave an opening.

  An undead bear-like creature smashed his head in and I winced.

  Yet, I did not let up. I clasped the dagger on my right hand tightly as I continued sending dozens of fiery projectiles into the ranks of soldiers. They were being pushed back and they were also outnumbered.

  I saw groups of soldiers rushing from the other side of the fort to reinforce their rear. They clashed into the undead’s side, cutting them down— barely struggling with the reanimated monsters.

  I was about to hurl some spells at them, when from the corner of my eye I saw a flash of light. A bolt of energy flew across the battlefield. And it was going straight at me.

  I ducked to the side in a panic, almost falling as I did. The bullet barely whizzed by me. That was close. I steadied myself, looking back up—

  And more bolts of energy were flying in my direction. I backed up, and erected a magical barrier in front of me. The gunshots impacted the Force Shield, forming small cracks with each hit.

  I clenched my teeth, as I readied for a counterattack. The barrier was not going to last more than ten seconds. I had to start moving once it broke— getting ready to strike back with something big.

  But the most powerful spell I knew currently was not enough to take them all out. Perhaps a snare? That could cover enough area to hit multiple of them at once. But did it even go that far?

  I did not have time to think. I prepared to cast a spell and held it at the tip of both my hands, ready for the moment my barrier broke. Magic Missile it is, I decided out of necessity.

  The cracks grew larger on the translucent blue shield, forming almost a spider web shape on its surface. Finally, after another bolt of energy struck it, it shattered. I stepped to the side—

  And a wall of earth rose up in front of me.

  I blinked.

  "Huh—"

  Then I felt it. The mana from the ground being pulled. I spun to my right, and saw rock and dirt flying through the air, forming a spear right next to Gerritt.

  "I told you, you’ll be safe with me," he said, and I thought I could see him smiling gently at me.

  Then the large projectile launched forward. Into the direction of the gunmen. I heard shouts, and a loud impact. The gunfire stopped momentarily.

  I peeked over the corner of the earthen wall. The soldiers were not all dead. Only one or two died, the rest were injured. But they were thrown into disarray.

  "Finish them off," the Dark Commander’s voice boomed past me.

  I turned to my left, and I saw Ihsan nodding alongside the other Goblins. They loosed their arrows at the enemies trying to get back up. Forcing them down. And killing any who tried to reach for their rifles.

  I watched as the soldiers realized their ranged troops had fallen. As they were overwhelmed by the undead and projectiles. They began to retreat, pulling back to the inside of the fort.

  I stepped around the barrier protruding out of the ground, and surveyed the battlefield. Then I exhaled deeply. "Thanks," I said. "You saved my life."

  Gerritt shook his head, but still focused on the fighting. "You did a good job, Melas," he remarked. "It’s because of your help, we’ve secured the outside faster than we planned."

  I looked at all the dead bodies. Mostly Human, only some Goblins, and a lot of undead. Then I murmured an agreement and changed the subject. "I didn’t know you could also do Geomancy. I thought you were just a Necromancer?"

  "Hrmph, that is correct." He nodded. "But I’ve lived a long time, and studied magic for most of it. While I can do some earth magic, my list of spells in that field is far more limited than in Necromancy. If I were more talented, perhaps I could expand on it more. But alas, I am not."

  "Don’t say that! You can raise a hundred undead by yourself, and control them all at once. And that earth spell— the one that shot like a ballista bolt— I saw Victor use it before. That’s pretty powerful!"

  The large man laughed, then placed a hand on my head. "You flatter me, Melas. I am grateful to hear that from one as prodigious as you."

  "I am not a prod—" I bit my tongue, remembering what Ihsan said about Goblins. I was not sure if the same applied to Orcs, but I decided not to say anything. "Really. You just saved my life!"

  "Indeed," Gerritt said. "But the battle is not over. Now we have to take the inside. Although, Karna’s group should be making its way out now. To regroup with us."

  "They went to attack the armory, right?" I asked for confirmation.

  "Yes. In the western wing of the fort. They were supposed to disrupt movement inside, before quickly finding their way back out," he replied.

  "Do you…" I hesitated. I stared at the fighting, making its way into the stone and brick structure. "Do you think something went wrong?"

  "Worry not, Melas. We have contingencies in place. Karna should have barricaded himself off in a room if they found themselves surrounded."

  "But—" I was halfway speaking, when I saw figures bursting out of the fortress.

  About a dozen Goblins ran out of a side entrance. They were covered in grime and gore, and the lines of undead parted to let them through as they made their way to us. I sighed in relief, as I began searching for the familiar Goblin—

  But he was not there.

  "Where’s Karna?" I asked the nearest Goblin, as he slumped over in exhaustion.

  The Goblin was still catching his breath, but I was already asking the question again. "Where’s Karna—"

  "Calm down, Melas." Gerritt pulled me back gently, and faced the group of Goblins. "Report. Where’s your leader?"


  A Goblin lifted a hand, pointing it back in the direction where they came from. "In… there…" He paused to inhale deeply. Then continued, "We were overwhelmed. They managed to organize themselves quicker than we anticipated. They tried to cut off our escape. He stayed back with a few others to hold them off— so we could get out."

  "Hrmph—"

  "Is he alive?" I spoke over the Dark Commander.

  The Goblin nodded. "Last I saw? Yes. They were outnumbered. Tried leading them into a chokepoint to hold them off. But there was this big guy. Incredibly strong, and he led the soldiers well. Took out three of us by himself."

  I froze. The Orc was just listening. He spoke seriously, but without a hint of panic in his voice. "I see."

  "What do we do, Gerritt? We have to help him!" I said in a panicked voice.

  "I know, Melas. But we can’t just send them back in." He gestured at the group of Goblins. "They’re too tired for that."

  "But—" I was cut off again.

  A Goblin strolled up to us from the side; a different Goblin. One that was less dirty and less tired. It was Ihsan.

  "I can do it," he said.

  The Dark Commander only thought it over for a moment. "Very well. But just extract Karna and whoever is with him to a safe spot. Don’t try anything foolish."

  Ihsan grinned. "Well, I am generally foolish. The only exception being when it comes to my life. So that sounds good to me."

  The two began discussing over what to do. Who he was going to go in with. And other quick strategies. I closed my eyes for a moment. Then I spoke up.

  "Let me go with you."

  "What?" the two exclaimed at the same time. I explained myself.

  "I haven’t done much. And I’m less helpful once inside— my spells would hit as many allies as enemies in a large battle in an enclosed space. So it’s better if I go with a smaller group."

  Gerritt sighed, while Ihsan stared at me incredulously.

  "Please," I pleaded.

  And after a moment of consideration, they acquiesced.