New Horizons (Emerilia Book 4)

by Michael Chatfield

Alkao nodded and turned away from the elk Beast Kin. I wonder if he eats meat. Alkao pondered his options.

  “The going rate for the rare beasts we are killing in this area should help with the costs of foodstuffs. I will have a talk with Dave to see if he might have a way of making the greenhouses’ glass. We need more wood for heating the homes of the different settlements and the keeps. I want to get a group of our scouts watching the oncoming Demon Horde. As they grow closer, we will start using the new tactics we have learned. Any forces that are not working with the villagers to harvest will be sent out in patrols to familiarize themselves with the area, gather herbs and edibles as well as start to make traps for the oncoming soulless demons. I want the forests and plains filled with physical and magical traps. I know that we can get weapons from the trading terminal, but I want our blacksmiths working as hard as possible to make weapons and armor. We’re going to need our coin to buy foodstuffs.

  “We should also get different units patrolling the untamed areas of the crater, clearing out unwanted beasts and looking for dungeons. They can be a great source of resources, and we're going to need them soon. I will be leaving Devil’s Crater with the next batch of scouts to learn the area around the crater and about our enemy. I want every Beast Kin and Demon to know the terrain in and outside of the crater intimately,” Alkao’s eyes moved from the different generals in the room. “Some of you might be wondering why I am saying this to you all. In the coming months, we are going to face many hardships. We must work together, to know what one another is thinking, the various worries and issues of our people here. If we do not have enough food, then we will starve. If the army is not prepared, then we will die. We will survive together or die apart. Here in these coming months we can hammer out a home for our future generations or make it a pyre to the end of us all.”

  The room was quiet as hardened faces looked to Alkao, waiting and ready.

  He looked back at them, nodding as he saw a resilience in them that made him proud to sit at this table with them.

  Quest: Survival of the Fittest

  Together—the races of Demon and Beast Kin have worked together, making a foothold in Devil’s Crater. The Dark Lord who sends his Demon Horde, hardened by a long journey and countless fights, sends them unknowingly into your home.

  He wishes to use it to grow his forces stronger. Show him your newfound strength. Rise from the history books that you were cast into and LIVE!

  Requirements: Defeat the Demon Horde

  Failure: Death

  Rewards: 1,000,000 gold to the Devil Crater Treasury

  A collective gasp went through the room as people broke out into excited murmurs.

  Alkao pushed the quest notification aside slowly, relieved. His eyes latched onto Efri as he saw his brother waiting to be called upon.

  “What of the Stone Raiders?” Efri asked.

  Alkao snorted, remembering his conversation with Josh. “They will fight as long as we let them use Devil’s Crater later on when they do raids in the surrounding area,”

  “That’s it?” Malkur asked.

  “That’s it.”

  Kala, sitting in for an absent Anna, let out a chuckle.

  “Something you would like to share?” Lezar asked. The edge that might have been in his voice before he had started training with the Beast Kin was now replaced with dry humor as he had come to call many of them friends and learned from them.

  “They were excited to get that deal. To them, Ashal is the final frontier. A land filled with the best loot, the greatest raids, and the biggest opponents. They live to fight, not too unlike some people I know in this room. But unlike us, they can come back time and time again. They live for battle, to prove themselves. Of course, they would want to fight the soulless Demons—what self-respecting warrior wouldn’t want to put themselves up against an entire army of Creatures of Power? They’re excited to fight the soulless Demons and with our agreement, they get to be in the center of unknown and untamed lands of Ashal.”

  Alkao pursed his lips. He had not yet met the leader of the Stone Raiders in person. Anna seemed to have a great confidence in him. The way she talked of them was as if they were her equals. He had seen her training in the battlegrounds. He had matched blades with her.

  Any force that she saw as her equal was a scary thing indeed. Alkao only needed to think of how their fight had gone. It had felt as if she were testing him. Playing with him and testing him out. At no time did he feel that she was serious in it all.

  “The one piece of advice that Anna gave me concerning them was to not piss them off,” Kala said.

  “Anna has always given me sound advice.” Alkao met Kala’s eyes and nodded.

  The big bear let out a hot breath and nodded.

  “Well, we all have work to do and winter will not wait for us. I say we get back to work.” Alkao rose. The rest of the combined councils also rose.

  Alkao turned and made to leave the council chambers; his brothers followed him as he moved through the keep.

  First he would protect his home and destroy the abominations made from his blood and the Xelur. Then he would become strong enough to tear the Dark Lord and Lady of Light apart.

  Alkao’s eyes flashed red as he pulled back his lips into a hungry smile.

  ***

  “Where the hell are those bastards?” Gimel looked to the other guild members.

  They were in the city Verdul. It had been a rather quiet place compared to most of the other cities that were located around the Per’ush islands. They supplied food and clothes and lived comfortably in the Gudalo Kingdom that controlled the north of Gudalo. The south of Gudalo was held by Orcs, Gnomes, Elves, Human settlements, and Dragons. The mountain range that linked the Grorart and Brokohz Dwarven Mountains served to divide the major groups.

  Verdul was an interesting place, but it hadn’t been of that much interest until the Player’s guild called the Exdar’s Traders set up shop. They had proceeded to put in massive orders for food and clothing, and all manner of industrial items that swarmed into the city or out of the newly formed factories that the mages and technicians of the Per’ush islands ran. In return, they sold materials that no other Player trading guild could meet in Per’ush and few POE trading guilds could compete with.

  The overarching traders’ guild had been called in a few times to review their practices as POE traders saw competition and became scared. They had tried putting pressure on the Exdar’s from every angle.

  They were not simply protected by hired guards through the adventurer’s guild. Their guards were Stone Raiders themselves. Although the Stone Raiders’ main force had disappeared, the Exdar’s Traders had the largest group of them acting as guards.

  As the Exdar’s Traders’ influence had grown, the merchants not competing with the Exdar’s found business booming. Exdar’s bought more than any other guild, while selling all manner of loot. The mage’s guild and college had become one of their largest buyers of gear and rare items.

  “Boss, don’t you think it would be a bad idea to call them out, challenge them?” Penelope asked. “The last people who had a full-out fight with them were the PKP.”

  “We aren’t damned assassins and we’re not going to be challenging them to a fight in the streets or to the death. We’re challenging them with completing an A-class raid. If we can complete one faster than they can, then we can show everyone else that we’re the best,” Gimel said.

  “I’ve only heard some rumors about the PKP. What happened with them?” Jeremy looked up from his sausage and potatoes.

  “They attacked the Stone Raiders in Selhi’s Capital. It was a bloodbath. They killed POEs and Players alike—anyone they could. Heard that their leader Hevard even became a Champion of the Dark Lord.” Penelope shook her head. “Anyway, the PKP had around six hundred members in total. They brought around five hundred into the city to take on the hundred and fifty or so Stone Raiders. The Stone Raiders were able to defend themselves and push the PKP back
, but not before they placed a soul curse on them. Now, any member of the PKP who was there in Selhi Capital is marked. Always burning from the inside by fire. Some say that there is a tracking spell imbued right into their soul. Doesn’t really matter. What does is that right afterward, the Stone Raiders disappeared after they were chased out by Selhi Capital’s guard, the very people they fought beside and protected. While the main part of the guild is gone, there are Stone Raiders all over the place. Whenever they see a PKP who had been in Selhi, that PKP won’t have to wait long until they get the white screen of death. Even leaving the guild isn’t enough. It takes a full character reset, right back to zero, for you to remove the curse and get the Stone Raiders to leave you alone.”

  “So wait, where are the PKP now?” Jeremy asked.

  “The guild was disbanded. If there are any people who didn’t reset, I don’t know. The Stone Raiders killed about a thousand PKP every two weeks, sometimes killing the same Players repeatedly and even camping altars of Rebirth. Sometimes, the Stone Raiders would just appear in cities with teleport pads to kill them before leaving again.”

  “Wow, that is one hell of a story.” Jeremy snorted.

  “It ain’t no story,” Gimel said, stone-faced.

  “How do you know?” Jeremy asked.

  “I was there. When Fellox was just four parties, we were in Selhi Capital for the monster hunt. When we saw how the magistrate ran them out of town, we left. The monsters numbered in the thousands that year. Biggest season they saw in ten years. Many of the guilds and Player groups left, not caring about the bounty. There was fighting on the wall that year.” Gimel shook his head. “The Stone Raiders might have been at the peak and all mysterious, but they’re honorable rivals. I wouldn’t fight them head on. Though, I would challenge them. From the few beers I’ve had with Josh, he’d seem he’d welcome it more than anything.”

  “I hope they come back soon. I want to get back to raiding. I’ve been hearing that there are a few nice raiding spots down in south Gudalo,” Jeremy said with a pleased grin.

  “That’s the spirit.” Gimel laughed and clapped Jeremy on the shoulder.

  ***

  “How are our Creatures of Power doing?” the Dark Lord asked the bowing Boran-al.

  “The Demon Horde continues to march across Ashal, growing stronger as they kill one another and the beasts that they find in their path. By the time they reach Devil’s Crater, they will be the strongest fighting force in all of Emerilia and they can hunt through the dungeons there to further increase their fighting abilities,” Boran-al said into the floor.

  “The others?”

  “The Lich Lords have been sent out and the lower-leveled experiments. We have been having an issue. Our forces that were living in parts of the Aleph ruins that we located have been dying off. With the Aleph runes, we have been unable to view what is going on within their facilities.”

  “They were wiped out centuries ago. We saw to that—destroyed tens of their facilities, killed their rune-made master, Shard. What else could be down there?” The Dark Lord tapped his fingers against his throne.

  “It might be other beasts. The Dark is known to hold some of the highest-level creatures.” Sweat rolled down Boran-al’s back.

  “Well, they are just experiments. What of the portal guards?”

  Boran-al, relieved, continued on. “The portal guards have been increased. The Dark Elves, Champions, and Creatures of Power have done their best to keep the locations a secret.”

  Boran-al hid his shiver as he felt his master’s killing intent and hunger through his aura.

  “Good. Remind the Dark Elves to not fail me.”

  “Yes, master,” Boran-al said.

  “Your cultists might have died, but their sacrifice will serve to raise us to the top of the Pantheon and all of Emerilia.”

  “You honor me, master. I only wish that I could assist in tearing apart those who dare think the other Affinities as more powerful.” Boran-al looked up, his purple eyes flashing in anger.

  “Soon enough, I will call on you. Prepare yourself.”

  “Yes, master.” Boran-al once again bowed his head. The sigil around him flashed with black energy and shadows covered him. He disappeared from the great hall and reappeared in his experiment hall. Thousands of altars covered the room; the smell of rot, decay, and blood filled the air.

  Boran-al smiled, thinking of the damage that his creatures would wreak on the People of Emerilia. His purple eyes seemed to flicker and dance.

  “Those Elven mages thought that I was weak, that I was a blight on their race for being of a higher Affinity in Dark magics. They did not understand the power of it.” Boran-al’s face twisted into an ugly smile. “I will show them the true power of the Dark. I will rip down their homes. I will cast them out of their lands. I will kill their children, their loved ones, and I will end the Elven race, from Wood to High. I will watch them die, and when they have finally fallen to my hand, I will raise them as an army to kill their fellows.”

  Slightly crazed laughter left his lips. Dreams of death, pain, and servitude filled his mind.

  Chapter 5: Long Distance Conference

  “Hey, Bob. How’s things?” Dave asked as Bob connected to his Mirror of Communication. The two of them seemed to be sitting on Dave’s porch back in Cliff-Hill.

  “Not bad. I tried out those flasks you gave me a few months ago.” Bob looked out over the land surrounding Cliff-Hill, sitting in his usual chair.

  “How did it go?” Dave looked to him.

  “It was interesting. If I was to use the contents and then destroy it before they made it all the way through my body, then it was like nothing happened—it was pulled from me. It was why I had you make the water ones and I tested them out on a number of crops. I grew them and harvested them. If I destroyed the flask once they were harvested, then they dried up. It seems that only what is in the flask is destroyed when you destroy the flask. If you were to give it to a person and they drank it, they would be hydrated. When you break the flask and the contents have been drunk by someone, then at whatever stage the created elements are in, they start to decay rapidly. The protons and neutrons that make up the elements go haywire; they go through radioactive decay. A person would need a minor healing spell and they would be okay,” Bob said.

  “So, once the power source is gone, then the glue that holds the conjured elements together dissipates and they pass through millennia of radiation decay in minutes?” Dave asked.

  “Yeah, though it happens so fast that the nuclear decay of the elements is minimal.”

  “So, it’s not bad as long as they have a minor healing spell or some kind of potion to cleanse them of the effects of the rapid decay.” Dave tapped his lip in thought. “Okay, so, good for crops—not so good for people.”

  “Exactly—instant water at a moment’s notice, but only for the non-living.” Bob smiled.

  “Now, we just need to find a kind of crop that it would be okay for it to go dry on,” Dave said.

  “Nuts!” Bob declared, pointing his finger in the air.

  “Uh, what?”

  “Nuts, like peanuts, almonds…that sort of thing. They use a ton of water, but afterward if you were to take the water out, add a bit of salt, you’ve just got nuts still,” Bob said with a big smile.

  “So, just grow a ton of nut plants with flask water? Worth a try.” Dave nodded.

  “I gave it a go and it worked fine for me.” Bob pulled out a bag of different nuts from his bag of holding.

  Dave took some. “Taste fine to me.” Dave threw them back. “So, how are things going for you?”

  “Pretty boring right now. There’s little for me to do but to see what happens. I’ve played my hand and now we wait for the chips fall. In two or three months, the Demon Horde and the people at Devil’s Crater will clash. In a couple of months, the tournament hosted by the dwarves will begin. After that, it won’t be long until I have to start releasing the things I have locked up int
o events across Emerilia.” Bob frowned, his voice becoming serious.

  “These creatures are the kinds that would give an entire Jukal carrier trouble and I’m going to be releasing hundreds of them onto Emerilia. I’ve tried talking to the Emperor but he’s rather interested in it all. I haven’t even been allowed access to know what the Affinities Pantheon are making for their Creatures of Power or who their Champions are. I know that they have bolstered all of their ranks. Their Divine Mana wells are lower than I’ve ever seen them before. I don’t know what they have planned. Dark had to have been growing this new Demon Horde ever since the last one was supposedly destroyed. They’re not loyal, but they’re easy to lead and he’s made it impossible for them to even think of rebelling against him. Damned walking mindless slaves and they don’t know it.” Bob sighed and shook his head.

  “Well, I was one of those until you showed me the truth,” Dave said.

  They lapsed into silence for a while.

  “Do you ever regret it?” Bob asked.

  “What?”

  “Regret knowing that Earth was destroyed and that Emerilia is real?” Bob asked, a worried expression on his face as he studied Dave.

  “At times, yes, but not for the most part. I know what I am. I know why those things happened to me back on Earth. I have never felt more alive than I do right here. Sure, I built rockets and I sent people to Mars and around the Solar system. I loved it, but here, I get to find out new things every day. I’m not scared of being left alone. I know my friends are really there for me. I’m happy with what I have. Sure, it’s not as relaxing as I wanted it to be, but I wouldn’t have traded it for anything,” Dave smiled, Bob shook his head a small smile on his lips.

  Dave’s eyes looked out over the fields around Cliff-Hill. “Here, I am making a difference. It feels like this is where I am supposed to be. I want to tell the others about what is really going on, but I know I can’t. What was done to us was wrong. I know it wasn’t your fault. You were just trying to keep the Human race alive in some small way. You didn’t know we’d be turned into some mass entertainment with generation and generation killed off because the empire deemed it ‘fun.’ I don’t know what the future holds or what will happen by the end of it, though I can tell you I’m going to live it to the max and do what I want.”