Awesome. It was just as strong as the invisibility ability I’d used from the skill tree, but it wasn’t limited to one use per day, which was critically important.
MINOR CAMOUFLAGE
EFFECT: CASTER CAMOUFLAGED FOR 120 SECONDS
Now that one was even better. Though camouflage wouldn’t make me completely disappear like the invisibility spell would, it would keep me well-hidden if I stayed careful. Plus, the effects wouldn’t end when I decided to attack.
MINOR MUTE MAGIC
EFFECT: MUTE MAGIC ON TARGET FOR 60 SECONDS
-LIMITED TO APPRENTICE-LEVEL MAGIC USERS
That one wasn’t bad, either. Though it wouldn’t be effective on more powerful spell casters, I could cast it successfully on apprentice liches and lower-level mages. Not exactly a god-tier spell, but one that I could be happy with.
Before I left, I took another look out the window, just so I could know what to expect out on the wall.
Things were, thankfully, quiet for the moment.
Bella’s illusion-born seraph cavalry had sent the invading horde into disarray, at least for now. As the lich lord was trying to round up his reinforcements, it gave the Homehold forces time to make repairs on the wall.
However, though the area right in front of the city was clear, I knew it wouldn’t stay that way. We’d been mistaken when we’d tried to estimate Lord Blackfyre’s forces. Most had thought he’d come in with a force ten-thousand strong.
I thought I’d been correct in saying that, no, he was more likely to come with twenty-thousand troops.
But from what I saw gathering in the distance, it appeared that Lord Blackfyre still had another fifteen or twenty thousand in reserve that we hadn’t even seen yet. That meant the grand total of his army was closer to thirty-five or forty thousand.
“Jesus,” I said under my breath.
Out by the wall, I saw Sephara tending to some wounded soldiers. I took off, knowing that she would be able to speed Bella’s recovery. Hopefully Sephara could get her back on her feet, because another seraph charge seemed to be our only hope for survival.
Chapter Twenty
I made another save point as I hurried out of the castle, back through the streets. Everyone was pitching in. Men and teenage boys who weren’t fit for military service had come out to help clear the undead corpses.
However, the civilian fighting force was getting ready, as well.
Duke Gladios and Sir Lucien had been hoping they wouldn’t have to deploy the civilians, but now, with our numbers thinned out from so many dead in battle, we had no choice.
I felt bad for them. Men and boys who’d only received the most basic sword training were now being armed with the weapons pulled off the dead, and now they were being summoned to fight off a lich lord’s army.
Of course, without them, we’d never have enough manpower to defend the city. But even with them, I didn’t like our chances.
Again and again, every small victory had only staved off our inexorable defeat.
When I found Sephara, she was covered in blood. I gasped when I saw that, but she assured me that it wasn’t hers.
She kissed me desperately. “Earthman…so many dead…so many that I couldn’t help…”
I held her close. “You’ve done your best,” I said. “Take pride in that. But now I need you to help someone else.”
“Bella, right?” she asked.
I nodded. “Creating that angel army knocked her out pretty badly,” I said. “Sephara, you need to get her back on her feet again. If she can’t create another army…”
Bella kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll do what I can,” she said. “But Earthman, even if I focus all my power on her, I don’t know if I’ll be able to get her back on her feet in time.”
“Just do the best you can,” I said.
Sephara nodded and took off, yet my heart was growing heavy. Things weren’t looking good. I wished like hell that I could wield the Storm Gem, but with the amount of power I’d need from the gem to destroy this horde, I’d probably kill myself before I could slay a single skeleton.
Duke Gladios, Sir Lucien, and Pandora were standing atop the wall, watching as Lord Blackfyre’s forces consolidated south of the city.
Duke Gladios looked ten years older than he had the last time I’d seen him. His gray beard had gone white as snow. “Gamelord,” he said, nodding to me. He made sure no other soldiers were in earshot. “I fear we may lose the city soon.”
“Aye,” Sir Lucien said. “There’s no chance that we’ll survive the next siege.”
“I trust you sent Sephara to tend to Bella?” Pandora asked.
“I did,” I said. “But Sephara isn’t confident that she can heal up Bella sufficiently enough to create another seraph army before the next attack.”
I’d brought some extra restore mana potions with me from my bed chamber. I stared at the distant army as I drank one. Above them, Lord Blackfyre was coasting through the air on his wyvern.
“That fucker,” I said. “No matter what we do, he’s just going to swoop in and obliterate the gates again the first chance he gets.”
“Aye,” the duke said. “He’ll do as he did before, waiting until we’re overwhelmed before attacking again. There’s no way to keep enough archers handy to bring that wyvern down.”
Pandora nodded. “And he won’t get close enough for either of us to use our telekinesis to reach him.”
I shook my head. “Well, we’ll have to do our best,” I said. “Pandora, we can remain atop the gates, see if we can bring his wyvern down the next time he swoops for an attack.”
She didn’t seem happy with the option, but there was nothing else we could do.
Sir Lucien looked grim. “Duke Gladios, I don’t see why the Silverton forces should commit suicide by standing here with us.” He looked back at the remaining Homehold soldiers. The ones that weren’t actively bleeding were still exhausted. Fighting had begun well before dawn, and now it was nearing noon. Sir Lucien turned back to the growing horde. “I recommend we ask Duke Elfblood to take her forces home and bring our refugees along with them, as they’ll offer at least some protection from the undead.”
Duke Gladios grunted. “The undead will just run them down,” he said.
“Yeah,” I answered, but I understood what Lucien was saying. “But not if everyone fit to fight stays here. We could hold them here long enough so that everyone could evacuate, and Duke Elfblood will still have enough manpower to defend her city.”
“Aye,” Duke Gladios said with a mournful tone. “Regrettably, I agree with your assessment, Gamelord.”
“What of the civilians drafted into military service?” I asked.
The duke’s face remained grim and cheerless, resigned to our fate. “Poor bastards won’t last an hour during the next attack,” he said. Then, to Sir Lucien: “Give each man and boy the option to stay if he’d prefer to die with us today. Whoever chooses to leave can do so without dishonor. I see no reason to tear families apart for a lost cause.”
Sir Lucien nodded. “I’ll give the order,” he said, then went down to talk to his captains.
Only then did we see that Duke Gretchen Elfblood had been nearby. She’d been monstrous in the last fight, and her ornate silver armor was still covered with ghoul blood.
“Did I hear that right?” she said. “Duke Gladios, me and my soldiers are more than willing to stand with you until the end.”
“And I know that, and I’m honored by that,” Duke Gladios said. “But I’m beholden to the most vulnerable of my citizens, Gretchen. You’d honor me even more by accepting them in Silverton.”
“Without question,” Duke Elfblood said. She stared off at the horde gathering on the horizon. “But may I ask why you stubborn fools didn’t flee this city when I sent that raven?”
Duke Gladios and I looked at each other, confused. “Raven?” I asked.
“Aye, we received no raven,” Duke Gladios said.
Duke Elfblood cocked an eyebrow. “
Well I sent one, damn near a full day ago,” she said. “My informant among the Necromancer’s forces warned me of the attack. I sent the bird the moment I heard.”
A look of shock slowly spread across Duke Gladios’ face.
“Duke Gladios,” I said, “who receives the ravens here in Homehold?”
Duke Gladios turned ominously toward the castle. “That would be Therena, Earthman,” Duke Gladios said. I could tell exactly what the duke was thinking, but the inner struggle was evident in his eyes. He didn’t want to believe it.
“I’m sure there’s an explanation,” Duke Elfblood said. “Though I’ve never cared much for her, Therena has been a friend to Homehold since I was a girl.”
“Aye,” Duke Gladios said. I noticed that his hand was resting on the hilt of his sword. “Earthman, Pandora, come with me to my chambers. I’d like to have a word with my old friend Therena.”
I didn’t even want to entertain the notion. The idea that Therena had been the Imperial agent all this time made my stomach twist into knots.
Our questions were all but answered when we arrived in Duke Gladios’ chambers. Therena had been left alone with Marcus during the battle. The traitor was dead now, still lashed onto his slab, yet with a silver dagger lodged in his throat.
In all the frantic confusion during the battle, no one had bothered to enter the duke’s chambers, not with the fight going on in the streets.
Pandora frowned as she inspected the body. “The blood’s mostly gone dry,” she said. “It’s likely he’s been dead for hours.”
If we had any doubts, they quickly vanished when Robbin and Piper entered the chamber. Duke Gladios had sent them to Therena’s keep to look for evidence. Well, they had all the evidence we needed.
The raven from Homehold. It was dead. And the small slat attached to the bird’s ankle was empty, with no sign of the note that Duke Elfblood had sent.
“Her chambers smelled of burnt parchment,” Robbin said nervously.
“Aye, and I found ashes upon the floor by her desk,” Piper went on.
Duke Gladios’ hand shot to his chest, as if he were suffering a literal heartbreak. “So she killed the bird, hid it, and burned the warning,” he said through clenched teeth. “She must have fled during the battle.”
“But even if she’s an Imperial loyalist, why not inform Homehold of the coming attack?” Pandora asked. “What does the Empire stand to gain from all this death, from an entire city being overrun and destroyed?”
“Because he fears us now,” I said. “He’d rather sacrifice the heart of the rebellion to the Necromancer’s forces than attempt to reign us in.”
“This is a betrayal beyond measure,” Duke Gladios said. “No doubt, Therena has sent word to the Emperor about your Storm Gem, Gamelord. I suspect that was the moment he decided it was easier to have Homehold crushed under a wave of ghouls. You’re right. He does indeed fear us, but that has only made the wretched old despot more dangerous.”
I shook my head. “He’s a fucking psychopath,” I said. “And now I’m even more pissed that I didn’t just gun right for him when we were in the Imperial City.”
Pandora wiped Marcus’ blood from her leather gloves. “We can deal with the Emperor in due time,” she said. “I fear that we’ll be doing that quicker than we might assume. However, we have to deal with Lord Blackfyre and the Dark King first.”
Almost on cue, that was the moment I noticed the rippling shadows growing on the wall behind us. The very same shadows we’d seen in Aegis Winterhollow’s keep, and I realized at once that he had come to visit.
Everyone drew their swords, except for me. I knew this was just an astral projection, and not the Necromancer himself. “It’s okay,” I said. “It’s an illusion.”
The sound of wicked, guttural laughter ran out through the chamber as the Necromancer’s image stepped out of the pooling shadow. I’d forgotten how big he was, a towering figure in his intimidating demonic armor.
He stepped out, staring directly at me, with magical plumes of smoke wafting up from his hateful red gaze.
“Ah, the newest Failed Champion doesn’t even get down on his knees to greet his king,” the Necromancer said.
“I’d never bow to you, motherfucker,” I said.
“You might yet, Earthman,” the Necromancer said as he towered over us.
“You’d have to kill me,” I growled.
“That can be arranged,” he said. “Surely, you realize the coming battle is one that you cannot win.”
I had to resist grinning, because the fact that the Necromancer had even deigned to visit us told me otherwise.
Though the odds of us winning the coming battle were likely laughably tiny, the Necromancer wouldn’t have come here if he was truly confident in the victory.
“Tell me, your highness,” I said, “why do you grace us with your presence, you fucking bitch?”
He laughed a humorless laugh. “You think I’m a monster,” he said. “Yet I’m no more monstrous than your Emperor. I might be less of a monster, come to think of it.”
“You two would be neck-and-neck in that regard,” I answered.
“Yet he’d never come to you to give you his terms,” the Dark King said. “And that’s what I’m here to do. We can end this foolish skirmish, Earthman.”
“Somehow I doubt it,” I answered.
“You’re a great warrior, no doubt about that,” the Necromancer said. “I’m shocked at how well Homehold has been able to defend itself, and surely they’d have been overrun if not for your assistance.”
“Stop kissing my ass and spit out whatever bullshit you’ve come to tell me,” I answered, because I was getting tired of this motherfucker’s voice.
He laughed his dark laughter, and his blazing red eyes never wavered from mine. “I want my Mananymphs back, Earthman,” he said.
“No chance,” I spat back at him.
“Because of you, I’ve lost nearly half my forces,” the Necromancer explained. “While I have more than enough to destroy Homehold and then Silverton, that would invite a direct confrontation with the Emperor’s forces. While I’d likely win, I’d rather not risk even the smallest chance of failure. Return the Mananymphs to me and the siege of Homehold will end in an instant. I’ll call my forces home to the Frozen Wastes.”
I laughed in his face. “First of all, hell no. But even if I were dumb and cruel enough to accept those terms, you’d only come back after restocking your army. I’m not cruel and I’m certainly not an idiot.”
“Well, of course I’d return,” the Dark King laughed. “I will conquer this realm, Earthman. But the civilians of Homehold and then Silverton would know peace for just a while longer. They can flee north, where my war won’t reach them for some time.”
“I’d rather just kill you,” I said.
Though his demonic helm was closed and I couldn’t see his face, I could tell that the bastard was smiling in amusement.
“You know that you can’t,” he answered. “Yes, even with the Storm Gem at your disposal, you know that you can’t defeat me.”
“I don’t know about that, your highness,” I said.
“Surely, you’ve heard about your predecessor. Mighty as she’d been, and armed with a Gaia Stone, she’d only been able to stave off the inevitable. Use that bauble on me, Earthman, and you might delay my ultimate victory. But you will die in the process.”
Though I tried not to show it, I knew the motherfucker was right. Even hitting him full-blast with the Storm Gem probably wouldn’t be enough to kill him, though it could certainly kill me.
If only there were a way for me to become a god-tier player, just for a few minutes so I could blast him with the Storm Gem, then live long enough to ensure that I’d finished the job.
Wait.
Record scratch.
So much had been going on lately that I’d forgotten all about it. I did have something that would turn me into a god-tier player, if only for a limited time.
&n
bsp; The Fang of Aegis Winterhollow. It was still tucked away in my pack. Pricking myself with it would give me the powers of a vampire lord, if only temporarily.
I smiled at the Necromancer. “I’m willing to die for my cause,” I said, preferring to keep my potential vampiric advantage close to the vest. “You better be ready to die for yours, motherfucker.”
The Dark King chuckled as he made his way back to his shadow portal, still rippling across the wall.
“You’re a stubborn one, Earthman,” he said. “If you manage to survive the battle with Lord Blackfyre, I’ll enjoy ripping your innards out, all while I make you live long enough to enjoy every second of it.”
Then he stepped into the shadows and he was gone.
Chapter Twenty-One
DAYFIRE LONGSWORD
WEIGHT: 8 LBS
DURABILITY: 800/4000
CHARGE: 10/2000
Shit. I took one look at the stats and I was glad we had a lull in the combat. Earlier, I’d been too tweaked on my own adrenaline to take a moment to check the weapon’s status.
With One-Armed Rusticus gone, I’d have to get one of the apprentices to attempt to fix my weapon for me. Though Rusticus had taught me some knowledge about armoring, the weapon was far too banged up for me to tend to it myself.
The same went for my glass armor breastplate.
GLASS BREASTPLATE
WEIGHT: 10 LBS
DURABILITY: 650/2000
ENCHANTMENT: 0/100
While my other bits of glass armor had been roughed up a bit, it was nothing serious, nothing that I couldn’t handle with my own set of hammer and tongs. Though the armorer apprentices were busy as hell, Duke Gladios himself had two of them tend to my sword and breastplate.
I followed them down to the armory. While they worked, I did what I could to patch up my less-damaged pieces of armor.
ARMORER SKILL INCREASED +2
I made a save point just as the apprentices were finishing with the Dayfire blade and the glass breastplate. Though it had been a pain in the ass to pause and get my weapons and armor fixed, it had at least given me a half-hour or so where I could forget about Therena’s betrayal.
Monstergirl Quest Book Two Page 17