The Starry Skies of Darkaan (Realm of Arkon Book 6)

by G. Akella

  The sounds of battle returned to my consciousness at that instant. Arvid barking orders, soldiers swearing, metal clanging—all these things blended together into a concert of truly demonic music.

  Running over to the cerrath as it was trying to get back up, I drove the tip of my sword into its eye-socket. Roaring with pain, the undead beast jerked its head sharply, and now it was my turn to go puddle-diving. I could only blind the mob partially, but that was better than nothing. Why did that stupid things aggro on me, anyway? The defending troops had already taken off nearly half its HP! Or was it linked to the reapings somehow?

  "Krian! Where are you?" I could hear notes of panic in Vaessa's voice, having already recovered.

  "One hundred yards out of the gates! The reapings are done!" I shot back, trying to decide on my next move.

  I couldn't take down a level 400 boss singlehandedly, but the beast would only need to catch me a few times. Praise Hart, the skeletons didn't seem at all interested in my humble person—the level difference wasn't big enough. And those that might have been interested due to proximity had gone the way of the reapings.

  I Jumped thirty yards closer to the gates, used a healing potion, then turned back to the cerrath, now back on its feet, and raised my shield. As the reptile rushed at me, a three-foot-long bolt struck the ground at its feet while another plunged right into its chest. Raising thanks to the gunner, I dodged its next attack. A flash behind me took the monster's health down one quarter. I glimpsed Vaessa's lithe figure appear on the wall. The magus raised one hand, and no less than fifty skeletons crowding the gates came crumbling to the ground.

  "We're coming, prince!" Kan's calm voice the jump in my XP bar signaled the demise of his cerrath. Mine, however, was still breathing... Not for long! The wounded monster began to turn laboriously... and then it leapt! Clearing thirty yards in an instant, the multi-ton carcass came crashing down on top of my raised shield. An inhuman pain shot through my back. Quickly downing a healing potion to little effect, I managed to evade the mighty strike of those huge yellow claws yet again. Then I Jumped over to the bolt sticking out of the ground, slipped Ruination into inventory, pulled the projectile out of the soil, and spun around to face the cerrath.

  There was new commotion at the gates, as the skeletons pressing the defenders were almost literally knocked back like bowling pegs. Emerging through the gap, a duo of bone dragons, Kan, Reece, Raena, and dozens of surviving soldiers were suddenly running my way.

  "Laetan! Laetan!" With those cries, a company of mounted knights emerged from the corner tower and raced along the wall, mowing down tarrying skeletal archers.

  They're not going to make it in time... None of them. But that's OK.

  The three-foot-long rod in my hand felt like a dart. Now, I was no ballista, but given my strength star, it didn't really matter. Besides, the enchantment cast on the rod would be triggered at any impact with undead flesh.

  "Come at me, bitch!"

  The bolt impaled the charging beast's thigh. Rolling away from yet another attack, I sprang up to my feet and started walking toward my people, without bothering to turn around.

  You have gained a level! Current level: 247.

  You have 2 talent points to allocate.

  Class bonus: +1 to intellect; +1 to spirit.

  You have 6 stat points to allocate.

  We probably wouldn't be able to loot the sucker, but I surely didn't mind all that XP!

  Seeing that their help was no longer needed, the soldiers turned back around and hurried to mop up the remaining skeletons. Even now, the undead were pushing to scale the fort's wall with maniacal tenacity.

  "I see you're considering becoming a druid, dar?" Reece flashed a big grin, glancing from the carcass of the expired reptile to the improvised meadow that had appeared at the site of the reapings' demise. "What are these trees, anyway?"

  "And what do you care about trees? You still haven't availed yourself of a banjo!" Kan chuckled in turn.

  "Hilarious..." the mage shook his head somberly, but then couldn't resist and burst out laughing.

  "You alive?" Vaessa gave me a gentle push in the side with her fist. "I can't wait to hear how you handled those rea... Whoa." The magus' eyes fell on the blot left behind by Chaos. "Tell me, dar, just how many more bloody surprises am I to expect from you?" She shook her head with disbelief, then started toward the ground deformed by the magic.

  Oh, that's anyone's guess. With a shrug, I and the others followed after her. As we walked, a series of exuberant cries rang out from the direction of Dorca. Victory!

  "This is... unstable ice!" Raena exclaimed just ahead. Producing a small matte case from her bag, the girl emptied it of some greenish powder and started packing it with yellow shards strewn over the molten sand. Moreover, she was actively trying to collect the smallest pieces, ignoring the larger ones that, despite the scorching sun overhead, seemed to be in no hurry to thaw.

  Unstable ice? Was it some kind of rare alchemical reagent? But then why wasn't Vaessa reacting to it in any way?

  "And why are you two just standing there? Are you alchemists or what?!" the young woman looked up from her task, as if reading my mind, peering incredulously from Reece to his auntie.

  "Probably because neither of us have a titanium case," the demoness explained calmly, examining the bark of one of those trees of mysterious origin. "Besides, I don't think this is the last time we'll see this ice. With what we've come to expect from our prince, I expect we'll be turning up our noses at flakes off Velial's own rear end before the fortnight is done..."

  Hmm... I didn't know about flakes, that that comment reminded me of a story from my youth. I was sixteen-years-old when Max came over with a large chunk of dry ice, the kind used for storage of ice cream in thermal containers. Now, I didn't have any actual ice cream, which rarely lasted long in our house. The ice itself, however, ended up being surprisingly fun, oozing milky white bubbles when placed in a cup of water. We also learned that tossing its pieces into a bottle of water and corking it resulted in a kind of ballistics test site. Unsurprisingly, my parents came out unimpressed by our intrepid experiments. The bottle left a deep gash on my forearm after exploding, and Max's sharpshooting knocked my grandmother's classic vase off the top shelf. And though my parents bought whatever lazy excuse I'd offered regarding the arm, the ruse with the vase was uncovered that very evening when Max, ever the bloody boy scout, called my parents and fessed up to everything. He'd been afraid that I'd get in trouble, apparently... Except if he'd only kept his mouth shut, there wouldn't be any trouble! It wasn't like anybody ever remembered that stupid vase again...

  Hearing the rattle of hooves on pavement and the clangor of metal, I turned around. Ah, here comes the local baron! I was actually pretty impressed—it hadn't even been half an hour, which meant he must've rushed to our aid without any hesitation. And he'd been smart about it, too—waiting for the lagging infantry and only then smashing into the rear of the skeletons bearing down on Dorca. Whereas he could have easily looked the other way and let the fort burn. Then again... No, he couldn't have.

  The soldier leading the cavalcade dismounted his horse, removed his helm and passed it to his squire, ordered Arvid and the two knights on either side of him to wait there, and started toward us in a measured, confident gait.

  Looking no older than twenty, the young man sported short red hair, a pug nose and puffy lips. And yet, the local ruler made for an imposing sight. As tall as Kan and clad in full plate that glinted with silver, his cheeks bore two lieutenant stripes. The lightning god's Order wasn't known for cronyism, which meant this youth's achievements had to have been considerable to have merited becoming an officer.

  Halting directly across from me, the baron put his hand on the hilt of his horns, grabbing the proverbial bull by the horns.

  "Prince! Mistress! Earls! I am Baron Daenic Laetan, and I welcome you in my lands! Furthermore, I hereby swear with my soldiers as witnesses that from this day on, you
and your companions will always find protection and shelter here!"

  The lad shifted from foot to foot, and then added in a softer tone.

  "I don't know what business brings you to Borderlands, but it wouldn't surprise me if the lightning god himself sent you here to our aid, brother."

  Your reputation has increased! The human race is neutral to you.

  Your reputation has increased! Residents of Laetan Barony relate to you with respect.

  Your reputation has increased! Baron Daenic Laetan is friendly to you.

  Your reputation has increased! Arvid, centurion of Laetan Barony's first century, is friendly to you.

  You've completed the quest: Saving Dorca.

  You have gained a level! Current level: 248.

  You have 3 talent points to allocate.

  Class bonus: +1 to intellect; +1 to spirit.

  You have 9 stat points to allocate.

  You've learned a unique skill: Vanquishing Death.

  ……………………………………………………………………………………….

  You have gained a level!

  You have gained a level! Current level: 250.

  You have 5 talent points to allocate.

  Class bonus: +1 to intellect; +1 to spirit.

  You have 15 stat points to allocate.

  You've acquired the skill: Vanquishing Death.

  Primordial Chaos duly rewards the feats of its adherents.

  From here on, all damage dealt to undead and other creatures from the Gray Frontier is increased by 20%.

  If only I knew who it was that had sent me here, I thought to myself while reading the system message, then added out loud:

  "Happy to help, brother. I don't think you need to worry about evacuating anyone anymore. The disavowed are dead, and the undead, as far as I'm aware, is firmly bound to the borders."

  "I know," the baron took a step back and gave an inviting gesture. "Will you do me the honor of dining with me? A courier is already on his way to the castle with orders for the chef." He looked at the dragons lounging nearby and smiled. "I do hope these wondrous creatures like beef?"

  "I'm sorry, baron, but I fear we've already overextended our stay here in the Borderlands. Would you update me quickly on what's happening in Erantia?"

  "I'm sorry, too, brother, but I understand," he sighed, his expression becoming contemplative. "Vaedarr... According to Liana's priests that had visited the castle recently, strange things are afoot in the capital. Thousands of people that had supposedly arrived from some other world. One day the bas-relief in Myrt's temple simply crumbled, and the city guards report seeing a giant black hound at night in the central square. Some seers also speak of a great host advancing on Erantia from the depths of Darkaan." At that, Daenic gave a shrug and a chuckle. "Now, you can believe what you want, brother. But if you ask me, those monks are hitting the bottle a bit too hard in between services. Or maybe they're just gossiping from sheer boredom."

  "Well, the one thing I surely don't believe is talk of a black hound in the night," I returned his smile. "For the simple reason that all hounds are black in the night. Unless, of course, they are white..."

  And then there was darkness...

  Chapter 8

  Northwestern Darkaan; Helstaad, Southern border of Argun Mortuary, zone level 232.

  "We never did grab lunch," Reece announced, his voice tinged with remorse. "But don't you worry, uncle. As soon as we get back, we'll hit up that inn of yours! Right after we send Raena off to pick some more icicles—or maybe mushrooms this time? Anyway, she'll get busy while we go knock back a few, and maybe get busy ourselves with a few tavern wenches, eh? I saw a few cuties in that crowd..."

  "What would I want with flowers? And besides, I took a liking to that blue-eyed baron," the sorceress parried in a caustic tone. "So, you can pick your own mushrooms, with or without the booze and your wenches..."

  "Will you two ever grow up?" Kan grunted as he examined carefully the slanted gravestones and the skeletons roving amid the trees. "It'll be dark here soon, prince," the warrior turned to me, apparently satisfied with his inspection, and motioned at the moon's nascent silhouette. "I propose we camp here for the night. I doubt that those stiffs over there will go anywhere till morning."

  "Agreed," I nodded, looking behind me at the barren land stretching all the way to the horizon. "Not much for us to do at a graveyard at night. My gut tells me we'll see plenty of it, anyway."

  "But... This is Helstaad!" Vaessa exhaled in awe.

  She squeezed between me and Kan, and walked ten paces toward the graveyard. "My father had told me so much about it, but I'd never dreamed of ever actually seeing it!"

  "Your childhood dreams sure are strange, auntie, and—" Reece began to speak, but I wasn't going to have any more of that.

  "Put a sock in it! Reece, Raena, not another word! Vaessa, secure the perimeter. Kan and I are going to gather firewood. After we've built a fire and eaten, you can tell us all about the hellhole we've ended up in this time."

  I was getting pretty freaking tired of bland fast food. With a sigh, I looked from the pot boiling over the fire to the sandwich in my hand. Roast boar meat with herbs that tasted almost like parsley. It wasn't terrible or anything, but simply plain, having nowhere near the juicy flavor of the Big Mac from my youth. Unfortunately, eating well was extremely difficult in the field, as cooking consumed entirely too much time which could otherwise be spent on sleep. Oh, and you needed to know how to cook, too. In our party, the best cook was yours truly with a whopping twelve Cooking skill! In other words, while I could be expected to roast some meat over coals, it was in everybody's interest to keep me "out of the kitchen." In my past life I could barely make myself eggs sunny side up, which had been a source of constant nagging for my ex-wife. I even tried my best to learn to cook, or at least pretended to. What would happen were I to actually cook up something tasty? Only more nagging to get back to the kitchen! And to that I say, hard pass! So, a month and dozens of kilos of wasted foodstuffs later, she finally left me alone. And in this world, I simply had no time for cooking. Nor the desire, to be perfectly honest. Thankfully, in Arkon brewing tea pertained not to Cooking, but to Alchemy. Reece had been spoiling me silly with incredible tea he would brew every time we pitched camp. It was unlike any tea I'd ever tasted, as if brewed by a tea master from a small Chinese village in the Middle Ages. I took another sour look at the sandwich in my hand, sighed and stashed it into inventory. What I wouldn't give for some french fries or rhubarb pie! Alas, neither plant was native to Craedia. I should remember to pick up some seeds in Karn. No, I still wasn't some kind of progressor, but merely a man who was sick of eating nothing but bread, meat and herbs.

  "Helstaad..." Sitting across from me, Vaessa put her mug on the ground, took out an elegant bone pipe and lit up, then continued.

  "The human kingdom of Erantia was formed nearly four thousand years ago, but that doesn't mean there weren't any humans on Karn already. In fact, there were numerous fiefdoms who kept warring—with the orcs, as well as amongst themselves. The chroniclers refer to these as the Dark Centuries. Too little information has passed to us, but I know this for a fact: Helstaad predated the formation of Erantia. I don't know who was buried there before, but Erast the Great—the first human emperor—ordered that all his subjects be put to rest there. For nearly fifteen hundred years Myrt's priests would send the dead here via portals, handing them over to the Mistress' servants..."

  "Why go through all that trouble?" I asked, so surprised that my hand froze in midair, holding the burning branch that was supposed to light my pipe. "Dragging dead people across the entire country?"

  "What ruler in their right mind would tolerate military forces of a potential adversary on their territory?" Vaessa asked me with equal measure of surprise. "Orcs and demons both burn our dead, and the cemeteries you've seen hold only their ashes, which nobody could ever raise. For the elves, as far as I know, the Great Forest destr
oys any undead that stirs on its territory. And both drow and dwarves dump their dead into deep mines. Just try to imagine how many undead can be amassed at a simple village graveyard over a thousand years!"

  "Oh yeah, it's all perfectly logical," I nodded, thinking to myself that some fantasy writers back on Earth would do well to consider such nuances when penning their oeuvres.

  "But that's not the only reason. People believed that the border between Karn and the Gray Frontier runs through Helstaad. And that here the souls of the buried had an easier time reaching my Mistress' chambers."

  "Is that true?" Raena, who had been listening intently, inquired of the demoness.

  "I don't know," the magus took a sip from her mug, then cast a contemplative gaze at the graveyard lying a few hundred paces to our right. "All I know is that size-wise Helstaad is no smaller than Callehzia and Xantarra combined, and that it was named after Hel, a companion of Celphata, who was entrusted with keeping order over these lands."

  Sure, why not throw some Norse mythology into the mix? I chuckled to myself. Here she is, doing her duty, while her daddy is chasing after the Avengers on the visor screens back home, and always ending up the loser despite all his cunning.

  "Was?" Reece accentuated the syllable, visibly burning with curiosity. Truly, the mage was ready to listen to myths and fables for hours on end.

  "Yes, was," the demoness took a long drag, then exhaled the smoke with satisfaction. "She is no longer around. Three and a half thousand years ago a university of dark magic and necromancy was founded, the only one in all of Karn. Ahn Kulad, it was called. And even after Darkaan pushed back the borders of its neighboring kingdoms, people kept burying their dead here, and the university kept training the Mistress' adherents. Everything ended during the Chaos War. Most of the university's alumni perished in Fertan Valley after Syrat's army hit the human legions in a treacherous flank attack, and the link to the rest was suddenly severed. Hel disappeared as well... It's reasonable to assume that some of those who had perished or gone missing were our kin as well, but neither my father nor I have ever managed to locate them."