They had gone to ban communication with the other mirror. Sato, thinking that it was possibly some kind of lead, took the “useless” information to Edwards, who had pored over it for hours and created the rod in Sato’s hands.
“That was when Edwards stormed out of the lab and demanded that we speak to you.” Sato finished off.
“What did you find?” Wong looked to Edwards.
“It works. This was not my first test. In others, I was seeing about the reactivity of the Jukal core to the various pieces of runes and formations. This was my first time making a full circuit, but it was more than I expected. The core even now is recharging by itself. Given enough time, we could upgrade our engines. Replace them with Jukal cores and these ‘soul gems’ to store their energy while they’re not in use. We could turn fuel costs right down. With the right runes, we could run weapons off a Jukal core. If we had people who were capable of doing the things those on Emerilia are, we could have people powering an entire warship from its shields to its weapons!” Edwards said.
Councilwoman Wong tapped her desk in thought, her face giving nothing away.
“Edwards, you will continue to test, but you will adhere to safety procedures. Sato, we will get these rumors of your dismissal removed. There has not been a discovery like this since the founding of this station. I want to have a compiled history of Emerilia as soon as possible and I want you to get back in contact with this ‘Dave’ once I clear up some issues with the higher military ranking personnel. Overlooking this was an oversight by them. We will not win this war by dismissing information, no matter how ridiculous it sounds,” Wong said.
“I can give you the history now. Dave sent it with his files; there are many of them, dealing with all manner of subjects,” Sato said. Even if he did get fired, he hoped that the information would be useful to Edwards and his people.
“Send it to me. I am interested in what our distant relatives have been up to,” Wong said.
“It will be done.” Hope rose in Sato’s chest.
“It is through actions and items like this that we will learn how to combat the Jukal Empire and make them pay for what they did to our race. Humanity does not forget.” Wong leaned forward, her eyes angry and filled with vitriol.
“Humanity does not forget,” Edwards and Sato said, the words ingrained in all surviving human’s minds. Seeing the videos and messages and going through the simulations of the fall of humanity was mandatory for all.
Trillions had died, and one day, the bill would be paid in full.
Chapter 23: Guests and Tables
Dave checked Steve over, looking for any damage that might be beyond his metal exterior. Instead, he was left with more questions. “Okay, what the hell is holding you together? I swear that I have never seen these metals before in my life.” Dave looked at the different metals that worked to make Steve what he was.
They had just five more minutes out of their thirty-minute break between waves and Dave couldn’t understand it.
“Well, I’ve got some platinum, titanium, even got some coolant in me. Not your everyday Emerilia items,” Steve said, as if he were talking about an odd leaf.
Dave stared at Steve blankly for a while.
“Earth to Dave—is everything okay in there, little guy?” Steve waved his hand in front of Dave’s face, not getting a response.
“Holy shit! I’m an idiot!” Dave slapped his forehead. “This is a planet, after all. It might have materials that are different and similar to what we have back on Earth, though in the end it is a planet. It has some of the same materials as Earth. Of course! Wow, I’ve been an idiot!”
“I could have told you that for free,” Steve said, still looking confused.
“I thought that all of those materials were out of our reach because Emerilia has been changed so much. While it has been changed a lot, there must be those trace elements here. If they aren’t, then we could synthesize them!” Dave was now up and pacing around.
“Dave, what are you talking about?” Deia asked.
“The periodic table! I thought that it would all be different here, but it isn’t! This is the real damned universe. Sure, there are metals that are used as weapons and that are used for making runes. There are so damned many more that we can make, though no one has thought about it. Well, other than the Aleph! Titanium, aluminum—fuck, we could even make tungsten!”
“Smaller words and more sense,” Deia said in a reassuring tone.
“Okay, I have been thinking that there are just eight metal materials in Emerilia. That might be true if this was a game, but it isn’t. This is a fucking planet. No matter how much the surface might be different from when Emerilia was made, below it, there has got to be other metals, other resources like what we have on Earth. The people of Emerilia dismissed them. They were given a list of materials, told how to use them and they’ve largely accepted it. The periodic table doesn’t just stop being a thing while we’re out here! This is huge!”
“Periodic table? You mean that chart of elements that make up all living things?” Deia sounded skeptical.
“Yeah. I was spouting all of that science, but I wasn’t ever thinking that it could be here! I was using techniques and practices from Earth, though I wasn’t making the jump to use their science as well. With the right process and methods, we could make dozens of different compounds and synthetic materials that would change anything. Think what it’d mean if the blacksmiths doubled or tripled the amount of materials they could work with. What if I could give them a process for automating the smelting and production of steel? No more looking for steel veins that the seeders have planted across Emerilia.” Dave shook his head, his mind becoming wild with his different ideas.
“Steve, can you link to Shard? I have a few questions for him.” Dave sat down and looked at the big behemoth.
“Yeah, sure,” Steve said.
***
Deia hadn’t seen Dave so unhappy with himself and also so completely excited, ever. He was an odd one, with such competing thoughts. He was also talking to Suzy, who was coordinating with Lucy and the Exdar’s Traders so Dave could pool more information.
All of it was put on pause as the next ranks of draugr and undead appeared.
Bone lords let out their pained bellows. They were made from skeletons of all different races, from animals to sentients. They had been pulled together into large humanoid-looking creatures, hefting all manner of weapons. They stood at the same height as Steve, something that the metal man was taking as a challenge. Their giant bodies of yellow-aged bones stomped among the draugr. Here and there, a draugr knight, lord, or magi were present. They had moved from just simple draugr fighters to their lords and magi, to the bone lords.
Something caught Deia’s eye: a new shape and an opening around a single figure in the middle of the undead.
“The hell is that?” She pointed at the creature.
It was made from bones; once rich clothes hung from it. Meat and whatever was left of the creature hung off it as it drifted over the ground, holding his skeletal hands together. Rings and necklaces adorned it. It wore a jewelry piece across its forehead, coming to a point between its eyes.
“Looks like a Lich. Didn’t think that they had them in here after fighting so many undead. Thankfully, we aren’t in its lair.” Anjold shivered. “Remember one time I was playing D and D, damned thing revived our tank and had him fighting us. Always have two fighters in your squad.” Anjold raised his voice to be heard. “Does anyone see its Dark phylactery?”
“What’s that?” Deia asked.
“Well, a Lich Lord has to have this thing that binds their soul to this plane instead of continuing on. They make a contract with someone; they give them a phylactery and usually some kind of great beast or person’s soul to bind them. They drink a poison with the sacrifice’s blood and get bound to the phylactery. To sustain themselves, they need to pull people into that same phylactery, eating their souls to sustain themselves. Dark little
bastards. Keep living so that they can keep up whatever Dark experiments they have going on.”
“Sounds lovely,” Anna said.
“Best part is that you need to destroy it, or else the Lich Lord will revive next to it within ten days. I don’t know if that is true in this game, but it was in D and D.” Anjold shrugged.
The first magical attacks were let loose. The draugr magi started up their defenses, shutting down the Stone Raider’s magical attacks and shielding their fellows who were charging ahead, coming through buildings, the roads, and any free path.
Deia checked her notifications.
Quest: Aleph Homecoming
You have arrived at an unknown Aleph City.
To return the city to the governing power of the Aleph, you must hold your position in the city for 20 waves.
Wave: 20 of 20
Attackers: 2,857/3,000
Rewards: ???
Josh’s people had been wearing down their numbers, but the stronger enemies working together made their work treacherous.
Deia drew her bow, releasing as soon as she’d pulled it back to its full length. Her arrow was one of dozens that reached out to hit the oncoming undead.
Spells were already being hurled into the middle of the undead. AOE blessings made the undead scream out as the healing spells tried to cleanse them of impurities, destroying their twisted souls and bodies.
The Stone Raiders’ necromancers and summoners used an idea they’d gained from the Boran-al cultists. Fallen undead that decorated the ground started to shiver, their soulless skeletons rising to their masters’ bidding. Those too badly injured to rise as skeletons were used as building blocks for various creatures. Bone tigers, knights, lords, and kings rose.
Jake cackled behind them, before falling into a coughing fit.
“Choke!” Steve yelled.
“Shut up, you tin can!” Jake yelled back from inside the tower.
The two had become solid friends. She didn’t know how he did it, but it seemed that being a joking idiot got you a number of friends.
Deia fired arrow after arrow, hitting anything that looked like a weakness.
Bones rose around her, coming together and growing into their forms. They hollered their defiance as their skeleton brethren stumbled forward.
Creation summoners were not about to be outdone. Their creatures formed in the air or rose from the ground. Water pooled from the atmosphere. Elementals formed graceful figures of every Affinity, waiting to face the enemy.
The Stone Raiders’ lines tripled.
Deia stood taller and fired as fast as possible, trying to take out as many draugr as possible before the Stone Raiders’ summoned and created forces clashed.
“This is the last round. Let’s go all out! Oh, and someone kill that damn Lich Lord! We’re searching for the damned ply-ca—whatever the hell it’s called,” Josh said.
Traps were activated; spells erupted among the oncoming undead. Spells overwhelmed the undead’s magi and defenses. They were holding off on the more powerful spells, knowing that the draugr would find it easier to pull them apart with the distance they would have to travel.
Deia watched with grim satisfaction as a draugr magi’s head snapped backward with the impact of her arrow.
“They’re in range!” Lucy yelled.
“Shields!” Dwayne barked.
“Move the creation division out!” Kim added.
From the bone lords to the lightning elementals, they surged forward.
Skeleton archers fired their arrows at the draugr. They weren’t as powerful, but any damage was good.
The elementals and Air creations did the most damage. They could move much faster than the other creations. Rushing through the draugr lines, they formed up, smashing into the lines before the heavier metal, Earth, Water, and undead creations could reach them.
Deia raised the shield she had been loaned as the draugr archers paused just as they got in range and formed up lines. Their military pasts had some impact over them as they fired and loosed arrows in lines, keeping up a constant barrage of arrows.
“I hate this shit,” Deia said as arrows started to hit all around her.
“Just hunker down and wait. Once the rest of the draugrs move past the archers, Josh and his people will quickly deal with them. Dave was able to make a few grenades that will help them,” Anna said.
“That’s what I get for grabbing more supplies—miss half of everything that happens out here.” Deia sighed.
Anna laughed as the arrows came down.
“What?” Deia asked.
“Well, it seems that you’re becoming a Player faster and faster. Talking in the middle of battle, not caring about the death literally raining down all around us. You’ll make a fine Player!”
“Thanks, Anna.” Deia sighed and rolled her eyes. “It’s weird. Once you do it, it just—makes things so much easier. Not worrying about death, just worrying about not having the best score or screwing over your buddies and not being there when they earn victory. It’s strange, but I can see why Players are so damned strong.”
“Today, we are expecting light showers of arrows, followed by a nice long fight of undead, and finally coming to the conclusion of finding a Lich Lord’s death box. Dwayne, care to make any comments on what we might expect tomorrow?” Steve asked.
“Thank you, Steve. After a heavy beating of Steve later tonight, we’ll be moving onward to clear skies and happy days of completing this city, followed shortly after by jumping right back into a cold front of doing it all over again!” Dwayne said.
The fighters snickered as they continued to get pelted with arrows.
“Reminds me of that whole ‘arrows will block out the sun, so we’ll fight in the shade,’” Anjold said.
“The lights aren’t even on in the rest of the city, dumbo!” Dave said.
“Oh, shut up, you know what I—ah shit! I just got one in the foot. See what happens when you start talking!” Anjold grumbled.
Deia would have chastised Dave for not respecting Anjold’s rank but it seemed that rank—although it was respected— was not like a military rank. Other than giving out orders sometimes, the rest of the Players knew what to do and were left on their own. Talking back and making jokes with their leaders was nearly constant.
“Fire in the hole, bitches!” Josh yelled.
Explosions rippled through the draugr’s ranks. Deia peeked over the barricade in front of her and quickly ducked back down.
“Giving that one a six,” Dwayne said.
“Maybe a four. Dave, need some more power in the fireworks next time!” Kim laughed.
“Oh, come on! That was a good one!” Josh complained.
“Undead within two hundred meters,” Lucy said.
“Spoilsport,” Josh muttered.
The arrows dropped away. Many of the archers were dead or falling to Josh’s lightning-fast attacks. His stealth types had perfected the art of killing draugr as fast as possible.
Deia was able to look out over the battlefield. There were arrows fucking everywhere. Deia looked to everyone’s shields. Most were dented and scratched; the weaker shields looked like pin cushions with all the arrows that had embedded themselves into the surface.
The Stone Raiders’-created forces were doing what they did best: raising chaos.
The elementals supported the creations that were fighting in groups in the middle of the draugrs. Draugr magi and summoned bone creatures were the main targets.
The Stone Raiders’ bone creations worked on lightning-fast runs, killing as many draugr and creatures as fast as possible, running through the edges. They didn’t want them to get stuck in case the undead mages wrested control of their beasts away from them.
Due to the undead mages’ proximity, and their Affinity, it had happened before where they had pulled control of an undead creation away from the Stone Raiders’ mages. It was why there weren’t many of the creatures but the ones on the battlefield were some of the m
ost powerful.
Deia dropped her shield and continued firing with her bow. It was hard to miss the undead at this range.
***
Dave fired arrow after arrow into the oncoming mass of creatures.
“Ready!” Anjold called out.
Dave saw Deia changing for her blades. Dave continued to fire until the draugr were just thirty meters away. Dave threw grenades into the draugr midst as traps held the undead at bay for a few scant minutes.
“Dave!” Deia called.
Dave turned; a plasma cannon appeared in her arms. Dave just had enough time to alter the spell with his own magic before it bellowed out.
The plasma round burned a hole in the undead’s lines, reaching into the middle before Deia ignited the second part of the spell.
Inside, a highly reactive substance formed, causing the plasma round to explode and flattening all the draugr within fifty meters of it. Two bone knights were dropped to the ground as well.
Any draugr knights were also killed within that fifty meters. Only magi with their Mana barriers up were left standing.
The opening was filled up by more undead rushing past.
Dave changed his rods to a sword and shield, checking the wave’s numbers.
Quest: Aleph Homecoming
You have arrived at an unknown Aleph City.
To return the city to the governing power of the Aleph, you must hold your position in the city for 20 waves.
Wave: 20 of 20
Attackers: 1,647/3,000
Rewards: ???
Their numbers were falling quickly but their headlong charge was about to get them through the tower’s magical shield. As soon as they did, then the melee fighters could get into the fray.
For The Guild (Emerilia Book 2) Page 29