by D. R. Rosier
It was a start, but they barely scratched the surface on tactics and what if scenarios when they stopped for the day. They also needed to start conscripting now and get the forts and other fortifications updated with their current soldiers, and enchanted with protections from their mages. Once they had that in hand, they could discuss more tactics.
They also needed to work out all the logistics on keeping that many soldiers fed, as well as sanitation and other facilities.
She threw herself into the work, and vowed the Jennesar would regret their invasion. She also took comfort in Mina, who always seemed to be at her side, and offered intelligent ideas softly and diffidently, as she wrangled with the heads of her military forces. It was going to be a long four to eight weeks, but they wanted to be ready in four at the latest, just in case. Regardless, Mina was a goddess send, and would keep her sane.
Chapter Twelve
A week later…
Carlton grinned as they lay down on one of the tavern roofs, just down the block from the temple district. He was relieved to find out the king and duke now knew of the coming invasion and were taking steps. Of course, it would all probably be for naught, since they still had no knowledge of the betrayal that was coming from within.
Still, all the activity due to the conscription and work on the forts in the valley, had meant they’d strolled right into Tenemin without a problem. He was rather impressed with the amount of work the princess and king’s second son had gotten done in just a week. The hardest thing about his plan had been the spell, which because of circumstances needed to have a very far detection radius. He’d figured it out though with a week on the road, and they were currently watching the clerics and paladins prepare for war and betrayal.
Bastards.
So far, they’d been watching for two hours, and his spell had only found five out of about sixty tested that didn’t have a loyalty spell. Diana had a parchment and ink out as he named names. Outside of the few new arrivals, he knew every cleric and paladin down there, since he’d commanded them all for so long. Still, the new arrivals weren’t a complication since the new arrivals all had the loyalty spell cast on them so far.
They were also taking note of which buildings those without spells lived in, and he wasn’t surprised that so far, they were all in the same one. Ennis had obviously made a point of separating his traitors from the ones faithful to the Nysten gods. Ennis would no doubt regret that decision, because it would make extracting them when the time came far easier than if they’d had to deal with mixed barracks. Still, Ennis wasn’t stupid, and he was sure the man had put at least a few spies in there with them to make sure they stayed in the dark until they got a sword in the back, so they’d have to identify those as well and deal with it during the extraction.
He was still working on a plan to do that, as he gave Diana a couple of more names for their list of the faithful. He was also considering speaking with the duke, but was tired of banging his head on that wall. Maybe, he’d just send the duke a letter on their way out of town?
Diana asked soberly, “Do you think Nysten is doomed to disappear from history?”
Carlton struggled to find a positive answer that was true, “I don’t know. I think Nysten is in for a very bad time, unless we get a miracle. At this point, we’re saving who we can so we can fight back from within.”
There was a petty part of him that just wanted to wash his hands of the whole thing. If the damned nobles wouldn’t even let him speak, then they earned the betrayal. It wasn’t his fault, or his problem anymore. Such thoughts made him feel guilty though, he’d do his best, but in the end, it wasn’t really up to him. That much was true. But he had to at least try, and keep trying.
Diana asked, “When will we move?”
He replied, “Soon, no more than a week. Sooner if we stop finding new people to rescue, and an opportunity presents itself.”
He turned and nodded, as Selwyn crawled out onto the roof with some food, trying to keep a low profile.
Selwyn said, “Cory should be out in a minute, he got a handful of silver for the horses, so we should be good.”
There was an abandoned farmhouse about fifteen miles east, that was their destination after they’d collected their brothers and sisters. They could forage the overgrown and abandoned fields for food, and there was a forest nearby for hunting. They wouldn’t have a problem surviving until they figured out exactly what their plan was. The only question was, what exactly was he going to say to get them to follow?
Chapter Thirteen
It’d been just a week since the rumors poured into my dungeon. The upcoming war with Jennesar was all the adventurers could talk about, and a strange thing happened. The foreign adventurers from other kingdoms hadn’t really changed, but the ones from Nysten had started to push harder and harder, and as a result I’d had more than my fair share of new life energies.
There’d been twenty-two deaths this week, just over three a day, which was about five times the usual amount. Humans were confusing. I mean, I got the emotions, I loved Ebony and Lila, and I got angry, and afraid. That wasn’t the problem. It was their motivations. I’d taken some risks, but otherwise I was content to grow as fast as possible until I could wreak my vengeance on my enemies. These humans though, were almost desperate to grow in power before the enemy arrived.
Granted, Jennesar’s arrival in the near future put a little urgency on me as well, I’d need to help in some way if I could, but then I was content to do so at my current power. Besides, now that they knew about it and were preparing, I probably wouldn’t have to get involved at all.
Perhaps it was time that made the difference? The humans had very little time, and each time they raised their power to a new classification that life was extended. Masters I’d learned, could live for hundreds of years, the most powerful of those perhaps a thousand years before they met their end. Still less than a normal elf’s lifespan, but better than a few paltry decades.
I suppose I shouldn’t complain, my large elemental stone was now hovering at about twenty five percent, I could even sense farther away, although not quite to the market yet.
Lila rushed into my mind, “Hi lover. I think I have what you need, although it just opens up a whole new slew of problems and questions.”
I felt amusement, and a surge of soft emotions for my beautiful angel. I had missed her, but at least we’d been able to meet in our minds a few times the last two weeks, since she’s been out of the home turf of the Jennesar church, she’d been able to find a safe place far more often.
“Enlighten me.”
Lila giggled, “Enlighten you? I adore you master. I’ve never heard you sounding so playful.”
It was true, I was still changing. Perhaps it was all the direct contact with mortals, especially now that I could see inside the tavern. I didn’t just see them as fighters seeking power anymore, they had real lives, loved and died, grieved and had joy. I supposed my intimate relationship with Ebony and Lila also had great effect, possibly even more than the humans.
“I think I’m excited because you’re almost done in that horrid land.”
Lila sighed wistfully, “It will be nice to be home, although I’m having fun messing with the humans. So right, whatever you do, don’t attack the Jennesar church, not directly anyway.”
“Umm, could you explain that please?”
That seemed horribly counterintuitive, weren’t they my enemy’s strongest bastion on this world?
Lila replied, “The peasants are extremely bitter about the councils, lawmen, taxes, and all that. But they have an odd affection for the church, if you attack it directly, they’ll all just pray harder. While the church has thousands, the peasants are hundreds of thousands.”
“I see, so what’s the alternative?”
Lila said, “You should have the council and lawmen removed, show the people a better way and a gentler hand. Less taxes, no torture for stupid laws that don’t make sense, a choice in who they worship, the choice to change
their jobs and better themselves. Then when the church hears about it, they’ll come running out to steal back all the newfound freedom and kill the townspeople’s new friends. Then you slap down the church, say they’re evil, give them an alternative god who won’t try and rule their lives by proxy, and move on to the next town.”
That sounded time consuming, of course I had nothing but time, as long as no one killed me. It also sounded suspiciously like an invasion.
“That sounds good, but we’d need to leave someone behind to maintain at least some order, and defend them from troops, church or otherwise, that will no doubt arrive to reclaim that town.”
Lila sighed, “Like I said, it makes things really complicated, and you’ll need help outside of Ebony and I to make that happen.”
The initial attack while I was there would be easy, I could use elementals, undead, or even demons to do most of the fighting. But those kinds of creatures couldn’t be left behind to defend the town, not without me there to control them. I’d need human allies of some kind.
So, I had the outline of a plan to get my revenge on my enemies, and my second problem was well in hand as Nysten mobilized, trained, and set up fortifications to the south. Granted, the plan for the first problem had a lot of holes in it, but it also meant Lila could come back, there was no reason for her to stay there anymore. The solutions to the problem with the barebones plan, wouldn’t be found in Jennesar. I also realized that although she’d probably pop in to say hi to Ebony, and to see my crystal in person, as an angel with a body she’d be bored to tears sitting on my crypt.
I sure as hell wouldn’t be doing that when I had a body.
“Love, how would you like to spend your time when you get back? I was thinking maybe you could do things around here, instead of being stuck in a dungeon room with a crypt?”
She giggled, “Of course, what did you have in mind?”
“Volunteer with the princess as an ally, make sure they’re ready for what Jennesar is bringing to the battle. I hear a lot of rumors, but no details really. Make sure her and her cousin have good intel on the Jennesar army. How many bowman, swords, pikes, mages, all that stuff. But I do want you to spend time here too, maybe at night when they sleep?”
She smirked, “Of course, but I’ll like visiting you a lot more when you have a body to visit. That mind thing works anywhere.”
“True. Your body is mine, and I can’t wait to claim it. Things are moving quickly, I don’t feel like it will be too much longer, though I can’t say why that is.”
I felt a thrill rush through her at my claim.
She replied, “Alright, I’ll see what I can do. I saved the princess’s life, so that should earn me at least a brief ear. I probably won’t have to work hard to convince her that I hate Jennesar either, since I killed five of their masters right in front of her.”
“Good luck. I’ll see you tonight?”
She said sultrily, “Count on it,” and withdrew from my mind, though I could still feel her presence as she teleported into Tenemin.
My mind drifted a bit, as I contemplated the new problem, while doing my duties with dungeon, gnome cavern, and experiments all at the same time. Sending Lila to the princess might have other long term impacts. I was going to need those human allies to make my plan in Jennesar work. Eventually I would be found out, so I’d need allies anyway, because I was sure I’d be making other enemies. Hopefully one of those enemies wouldn’t be the guild.
“Fuck!” April yelled, as an adept demon mage sent a spike of dark magic into Jeremy, and he fell over and started to shake.
I watched curiously, I thought they were being a bit brave hitting the adept level five enhanced demon level. But I also wouldn’t doubt April, it was Timothy and Selene that were a bit too weak for this level. They seemed to want to beat me very badly, and I had to give them credit, not many people had made it to my crystal’s level, the fifteenth level, not since I last expanded the dungeon. Just that scary Ember person, and her team that came back every time I grew.
April froze for a moment, as a large ten-foot warrior approached Jeremy’s downed body, while at the same time the demon mage started to cast again. Finally, she started casting with a determined look of concentration on her face, and I recognized the spell. Another of her tornados, and I wondered if it would be enough.
It didn’t attack the demons though, to my surprise, so much so that I laughed inside my mind when the tornado picked up Timothy’s body, then Selene who stood there mouth agape in shock, and then scooped up April as well.
The tornado then ran away, quickly tracing back through the four rooms they’d already beaten on the fifteenth, they’d been about halfway to my crystal’s resting place. The tornado dissipated, and they all fell to the ground in the safe teleport room. It was the first time I’d seen April’s party take any real damage, and I wondered again why the coming war pushed humans into doing stupid shit. They couldn’t fight better if they were dead. Obvious, I know, but it also seemed like they needed to know that.
The dark magic spike was eating and unraveling Timothy’s body, not to mention his armor. Selene was on her knees and crying, and April stepped up and smacked her across the face.
“Pull your shit together and heal him!”
Selene looked angry for a moment, but her face cleared and showed determination as she stared to cast. April sat and took his hand, but I don’t think he noticed, the pain had made him pass out minutes ago. Selene’s spell was cast, which wasn’t a healing spell, but it fought with the spike of dark magic. I was pretty sure she’d cast some advanced version of remove curse, and the two spells were fighting.
For a moment, I thought the curse would win, but then all at once the magic destabilized and collapsed. Then Selene cast a healing spell, which was much faster to cast, and his body slowly stopped bleeding, and his skin closed up. The armor was done for though.
He groaned and opened his eyes, “Anyone see the wagon that hit me?”
Selene glared at him, and then suddenly she was kissing him with passion.
Holy shit, I hadn’t seen that coming. I thought they were all just friends, and if Selene went for anyone it would have been April, since those two were always flirting.
April echoed my silent observation, ‘Holy shit, I didn’t see this coming.”
The kiss broke as Selene started to giggle against Timothy’s mouth.
Selene sat up and pushed her hair out of her eyes, “I guess the idiot grew on me.”
April snorted, “Obviously.”
Timothy sighed, “You talk too much,” and he pulled her down for more kissing. Apparently, he was of the same mind about Selene. Humans were so weird, I wondered how long they’d been ignoring their feelings.
Truthfully, I was also a little sorry Timothy lived, he had a huge life force. It wasn’t very often a high-level journeyman died, they were worth the same as about ten initiates, or five apprentices.
Ebony popped in, then flew over to and landed on the crypt, and my focus moved away from the dual affinity wielding mage, and the new couple. Ebony was far more important.
“Hey sexy, what have you been up to?”
Ebony smiled a little ruefully, “I’ve been at the crown city reading so many books, that I’ve been letting my normal duties slide. I’ve got a couple of surprises for you.”
“That sounds good, what are they?”
She held up a hand, and it had several different seeds in it. I understood what she meant before she spoke, one of her duties as my dungeon imp was to bring me new types of plants, animals, ores, gems, and other things for me to learn their pattern. Of course, knowledge was on that list too, so breaking into and absorbing a library for my knowledge was hardly slacking off on her duties.
“These are rare herbs, I pinched them from an herbalist garden on the side of the palace. You should grow these on the harder levels, it will bring a lot more people. These are the herbs and flowers that will create powerful healing, mana, stamin
a, and cure potions. All of those sell for ten gold or more a potion, so don’t make it too easy for them to get it.”
I nodded, “Yes sexy, and thanks. But please, consider knowledge part of your normal duties, you were hardly slacking and only doing as I asked.”
Ebony sighed and perhaps subconsciously caressed my crypt. I know that sounds wrong, but it was actually really cute, and hot in a way. It showed how much she cared about and craved me.
Ebony smiled coquettishly while she lay down on her side sexily, slowly caressing her leg as she bent her knee and posed alluringly, “There was one more surprise, if you have time for the spell I mean? I wanted to show you how much I love you master, and how happy I am to be yours.”
Far be it from me to deny my lady’s wishes. I realized in that moment just how bad I must have it for her, if I called a demoness a lady. My Ebony wasn’t evil though, perhaps mischievous and slightly amoral, but not the twisted evil of most demon kind. I cast the spell and followed it down the connection with my mind, it didn’t take me long to discover what her gift was about.
As usual, it was their minds I was in, so it always took me a moment to figure out what was what. As usual I was buck naked, as was my temptingly sexy little imp. What was different was she was on her knees between my legs, while I was slouched down on a very soft chair of some kind.
Ebony smiled softly, her beautiful soft brown eyes glittered with desire as she slowly licked me erect while her hands caressed my inner thighs teasingly with her long sharp nails. Her soft but firm breasts were pushed against my legs, and as I got harder, her hands moved closer to my balls, which made me get harder even faster as she licked me.
The most intense part was the way she looked up at me with blissful satisfaction in her eyes.
When I hardened fully, she finally took me into her soft warm wet mouth, and I groaned deeply as I stared down into her eyes. Then I felt her hands on me, one lower on my manhood, another palming my balls. I could swear a moment later her tail dug under me and it started to tease my taint and my butt crack.