by Dawn Chapman
I wasn’t sure where I was best to stand, or how to tackle anything, but I guess I didn’t really need to know. Maroc and Koth both took immediate charge and were giving out orders within their ranks. This seemed to turn the tide at the wall, and with Akillia and Jessica hitting so many from the top, there was less and less chance of anything getting near me. I felt useless.
It was a waiting game I guess, but one I knew wouldn’t last forever. There had to be something else we could do, or maybe something I could do.
“Maroc,” I said. “Who’s leading this rebellion. Sekora wasn’t it?”
Koth was the one who stopped with the commands and looked toward me. “Sekora’s the one hiding in the shadows. At the back, there…” Pointing to a slightly darker shadow in the distance.
I could see something small, but she had a powerful aura too. Necromancer for sure. I shivered. Dead anything terrified me. But I was in their lands, their home, so I had to accept it.
“Koth, can you take her out, if we hold the line?”
“You’re asking me to kill her?” He looked at me, thought for a while. He then straightened up. “It would finally stop the conflict. Yes, I could.”
The shimmer of something surrounding my vision enlightened me to something else going on down here. There were other people?
This was the first time I’ve ever in my life seen a map that overlaid my view. There were several major blips that stayed dark, and then there was something else. I paused to get a closer look and was quite surprised. The tags on here now gave me pause for many a thought. They were visitor tags.
What?
I saw three spots where darkness turned to a green blimp. I jumped back to the party chat.
Akillia, I said. There are people down there. Do you have any idea who?
What? No clue at all, sorry.
I turned to Jessica. How can there be other players here?
Is there any way I can get a message to them?
Akillia shook her head. Doubt it.
Then we all got a notification.
QUEST UPDATE
YOU MUST RESCUE THE THREE HUMANS IN THE DARKLANDS
Koth reached into his pocket and pulled out something. “This will allow you in amongst the dead so that you can limit her minions and take out as many as possible. If you can get to them, you might be able to save them.”
I swallowed and looked to the others. Koth didn’t need to say anything else. But I took the parcel—no, a scroll, and instantly got a ping.
YOU’VE BEEN GIFTED, EROL’S SCROLL. IT WILL MASK YOU FROM SIGHT ONCE CAST FOR A MAX OF FORTY MINUTES.
I looked at the distance I had to cross to get to them. Err, yeah, it might take me forty minutes to get over there. Especially weaving through the creatures that mulled about. I mean I would be invisible, not indestructible. I didn’t want them lashing out even the once.
So, I started my descent. Akillia called out, but I didn’t have time to answer with anything vocal. I quickly brought up Jessica’s chat.
Me: Give me as much back up as you can, if you can see me.
Akillia: I will do my best.
Jessica: We both will.
I stood atop the wall and looked down. There was no easy way to get there. I would have to either take a rope or jump.
Jessica: Take the left wall there’s less of them there, and there are enough ledges I think you can get a hold of and scale down without the need of breaking bones.
I followed her direction, and sure enough, this was a much easier way down.
I tucked my daggers back away, sucked in a breath, then lowered myself over the side.
I wasn’t activating the scroll until I was somewhere I really needed it. The further away from the main keep I could get, the better. It, however, wasn’t long before I had several beady eyes and chomping jaws heading my way. I mean I could easily take a few zombies or dead critters wanting to eat, but after seeing the sheer number of things out here, I reached back inside my jacket for the scroll.
My eyes scanned over it quickly, the language nothing I understood. I tried to activate it with reading. It wasn’t working. I tried again as more and more creatures headed my way.
Jessica: Crumple the damned thing already!
Shit. Was that how I did this? Quickly, I crumpled the scroll, and a soft glow encompassed my hands and then spread up my arm. I saw the darkness dip around me, almost like a fog had coated everything, and I could see where I wanted to go, to where I must go, and the easiest way. The creatures which had locked onto me, moved away, their focus back on the people beyond the walls. This was difficult for me. I guessed the only living things that were really there were Jessica and Akillia. The thought worried me. What would they do to them if they got in?
I looked to where Sekora’s dot was, in red, and then to the green blips. Akillia and the others were a good distraction.
In amongst the bodies of the undead, I could easily kill them off. But why kill them. Maybe I could learn something about how they fought or… well, just about anything.
And no sooner had I seemed to mention fighting these things in my own head did the shimmering green energy around me fade. Had I turned the damned thing off already?
But no, I was used to seeing through it. I laughed and continued to make my way past the walking and stumbling creatures. I bumped into one and managed to strike out at it and knock it out of the way before it realised what I was. This time, I picked up my pace to try to reach the green blips before they did something stupid.
As I managed to get nearer. I could make out the sounds of their fighting, and they really were fighting—for their lives.
After all, Kamaal said no one that came down here made it back out, so something bad was going to happen here, and I knew they were clueless.
When I managed to get a better look, I saw them. Two guys and one woman. She was easy, the smaller of the three, but she was still pretty much giving everything she had to fight off the undead.
I moved in closer and could see the actual sweat off her brow as she cast spell after spell. She had melee skills to fall back on, but her energy levels were flagging that she was exhausted.
The guys were doing much better, one with a two-handed sword and the other with some kind of metallic weapon that shot tiny pellets. I’d seen these before, briefly. At the moment, I hung back. Not scared, but curious.
As the fight started to take a better turn, the guy with the metal weapon took a critical hit. He went down on his knees. Both the people with him were soon at his side. They were struggling and outnumbered. I knew if I made my presence known, the spell would be broken, and the creatures would also see me as a target. Would that be enough? Could I save these three?
I drew my daggers once more and moved to where I thought I might help and not hinder them. I had no clue as to their relationship or reasons, but the fact was, I wasn’t letting them be overrun with the enemy.
Me: I need as much back up as you can get me when I come out of the spell all hell’s going to break loose over here.
Akillia: Wilco
As a rather ugly critter headed on over, I focused all I had and made a beeline for it. There was something needed in here. I had to get out. I slid the blade under his chin and slit his throat. The blood wasn’t thick, and it wasn’t anything I could see past. There it flowed out and down and then hit the floor. With the blood came a disturbing level of screams and moans, though. My green haze faded, and I saw all the undead eyes around me notice my sudden presence. I was outed.
The three people before me turned to glance in my direction with a what-the-fuck kind of moment, and I wanted to say something, anything that would help them see I was on the right side.
I could only point at the creatures and mouth the words, “We need to go, like now.”
They understood this, and they moved to flank around me, and do their best. Together, as a stronger four-man team, we started to see a way out of the mess. I, of course, also had Jessica and Ak
illia out on the main house walls doing their utmost best to protect us.
I thought with the extra energy and back up we had, there was hope.
The woman was so weak, I actually reached into my bag and pulled out one of my potions. “Here, you need to drink this.”
When the woman took it, I saw in her eyes something else. Worry. She wasn’t so sure about it, but she also didn’t want to die. If she was a Visitor, I wondered why. She would just respawn, right?
As the slashing and dodging were going on, she managed to get in closer to me, and she shouted at me above the noise. “Who are you?”
I didn’t know how to tell her, or more likely, what to tell her, so I told the truth, “I’m Maddie Vies, Queen of the Tromoal and ruler of the skies, who are you?”
“I’m...” she stalled in what she was saying, and she smiled at me, “I’m more than just a Visitor. I’m looking for someone specific. Do you think you can get us into the keep so we can find him?”
“Who are you looking for?” I managed to stab out at the creature that was hitting us.
“My friend. He came down here for a quest.” The woman looked at me as the guys kept fighting. They were fighting for their lives because of what was going on around them, and of course, around us. This was tough going.
“Where do we need to be going,” the guy to my right asked.
I wasn’t sure where I needed to be, or where was best for any of us, but it also wasn’t going to be heading toward the main house again. In fact, I knew we didn’t stand any chance by heading back. We needed to find out where the best place was, and to go there, with no remorse. I moved to take the lead, and I pushed them onward, toward a better place where we could all hope to survive.
They moved with me. They were adept at fighting even in their weakened state. The closer we got to getting out of here, the better it was, and I wanted to save them, now more than ever.
Chapter 31
I pushed on through the monsters slashing and grabbing a few as I moved away from the horde. We needed to really push forward, and as a small team, that’s what we did.
Akillia: We’re moving along the wall, following. Don’t worry.
Me: I can’t help it. Get us out of here.
I glanced to where Sekora was. Koth and her were now in full hand to hand combat. I wished I could have stayed around to watch, but as they fought, her concentration on her minions was waning. Our best time to escape was now.
I pointed to the far side of the Main House walls and shouted above the noise, “Head that way!”
They glanced to where I pointed, and all of us moved as one. We would be back inside in no time at this rate. The creatures were now fleeing as Akillia’s blasting arrows were tearing them up. It also seemed half the armoury from the keep was with her, as hundreds littered the sky with the undead around us.
I grinned as I took the head off a skeleton and stomped on its bones. Behind me, there were horrific clashes and flashes of immense light. The sheer power Koth and Sekora were throwing around was nothing to trifle with and almost in league with what I’d seen Kamaal and Gestal use when they were at blows.
For a moment, I really wondered what it would be like to be that powerful. I glanced down at my ring, and to the new friends, I had made. Maybe to them I already was powerful. I just didn’t understand how much so.
You are very powerful Maddie. You just don’t know how to use it all yet.
Dalfol?
I’m never far from your mind or your heart.
I felt the emotion there, and almost stumbled over bones from a critter the young woman had killed.
The walls loomed in closer. We were almost there, but getting up them while defending ourselves might be a problem.
I needn’t have worried, though. Enough rope dropped down to us, accompanied by enough firepower from Akillia and Jessica, so we had the time.
However, the young girl stared at me. I noticed her health once again.
VISITOR – HEALTH 10%
She didn’t have the energy or stamina left to climb.
Me: Jessica we need another way to get her off the ground, can you do anything?
I looked up into the vast distance of the walls fo the keep. I couldn’t see them but hoped they could do something for her.
Jessica: Tell her not to panic. I think I can do this.
Me: Think? I hope so…
I glanced behind me, indicating for the guys to climb. They hesitated because their friend was clearly not going to be able to do it.
Their hesitation and the fact Akillia’s fire had stopped drew the attention of the minions back toward us. I swallowed.
Me: Hurry! Jessica!
There was no answer, but the cold wind enveloping us caught my breath. I pointed to the ropes and screamed at them as I grabbed hold of one. “Climb now!”
Both the guys sheathed their weapons and started the assent. I did so too, without looking back. Either Jessica’s plan would work, or their friend was about to get eaten by a thousand hungry critters.
One hand after the other, I hauled myself back up the rope. This was damned hard because I was also exhausted. I could see the top of the wall, and Jessica stood aloft with the intensity of a pure mage shining off her and her glittering jewels. She brought such brightness to the dark here that I almost had to look away. Swirling her hands around and around, the winds seemed to gather, and she lifted into the air.
The next second, I felt warmth beneath me and rising, the hot updraft blowing me with it. I gripped tight to the rope as I was bounced about.
But I saw the young girl had been launched into the air, and as much as I could believe, Akillia leapt from her spot, caught her mid-air, and with their combined weight in the opposite direction, they both hurtled to the floor of the keep.
I bounced twice against the wall and waited for the winds to die down again before I finished the climb. Jessica and Akillia were both back to fighting from the wall by the time I got to my feet.
I looked to where Koth and the necromancer were still dancing in a battle now which was going to be to the death.
Maroc walked toward us. “She’s weak enough. He will not let her come back to do this another day. She made her decision to try to overthrow my father.”
I watched as Koth spun around her, sliced out, and she took a deep hit. She went down, and he didn’t hesitate.
It was as if I was right there with him when he said it. “You have crossed that place where you may never return, and I as second in command of the dark lord take your life so they can heal.”
I wondered what he meant, but as I looked to the battlefield, I saw all the wounded for what they were—on the verge of death too.
With his sword hand raised, it turned blood red. Maroc took hold of my shoulder, turning me away. “Those of innocence do not need to watch this.”
And I looked up into his eyes as I saw from within them the deed of Koth taking the necromancers life. The red flash enveloped all, and I felt something else. Euphoria.
“What was that?” I asked Maroc.
His now blood red eyes met mine. “That was the life force of one of the councils passing on her knowledge to her siblings and those she led to wrongdoing.”
“She was your sister?” I grasped onto him tight, almost seeing the real pain inside his eyes.
“What?” Jessica overheard this and was straight by his side. “You’re fucking kidding me. Was there no other way?” As much as I respected the Visitors levels and learning capabilities, she had no idea who she was throwing insults at.
I moved to intercept her venomous words instead of letting his wrath toward her show.
“Hey,” I said, “he’s just lost his sister. Back off.”
But the whirlwind of a youngster pushed past me. “No, no you can’t just give up on family like that! No matter how bad they are.” And she properly whacked him.
Maroc’s anger reached out, grabbing onto the young girl, lifting her up so that she wa
s face to face with him. Surprising enough, and although I flinched, Jessica didn’t.
“You have no idea what I feel,” he said, “or what we just did as a family.”
Jessica reached out, placed both hands to the side of his large face, and I could read how hurt she was here in the tears that graced her cheeks. “Then tell me.”
I could see so much going on between them that I had to look away. He was obviously besotted with her and instantly calmed down, lowering his voice to whispers as he talked about his family.
I moved away from them, leaving her in his hands. She was in no physical danger from someone so in love.
I moved to the young woman I’d just saved and kneeled beside her. Akillia was giving her some healing potions and bandaging her wounds. The two men stood nearby, watching out to the battlefield, talking in their native language. I noted the colour of their skin, the way they stood. Military men for sure, well trained and close.
“Your name?” I asked the woman.
“It’s Clarice,” she replied.
“What were you looking for down here again?”
“A friend, but I fear we lost him a long time ago.”
“Maybe Koth will have an answer for you.”
She cocked her head at me, the same time Akillia pulled on a bandage, and she winced. “I don’t understand?”
“Koth is the demon lord’s second in command, and he just killed his daughter, so if there’s someone down here who shouldn’t be, I’m sure he’d know.”
“Ahh,” she nodded, then she called to the two guys. “Roel, Michal.”
The two men looked to her and moved away from the wall. Michal nodded at me as he knelt beside Clarice. “Doing better?”
She nodded at him, and he leaned in to kiss the side of her cheek. I felt myself flush. What was with all the show of affection lately. That flush turned to a pang of jealousy as I thought of what I was missing. Alex.
Michal coughed and looked to Akillia. “Thank you, Princess of Earthlight.”
She smiled. “Akillia, please.”