Stone Raiders' Return (Emerilia Book 6)

by Michael Chatfield

The army had been reduced by half; the shock of it all was getting to the survivors. They stopped trying to gain access to the palace and instead moved to escape.

  The Stone Raiders cut down all who tried to escape their wrath.

  Dave’s bombs broke any large formations that seemed to pull themselves together, wiping out thousands every second.

  Some of the soldiers escaped, but most couldn’t even get close to the Stone Raiders’ parties as they used ranged attacks to kill them.

  Chapter 27: Head of the Beast

  Esamael looked up as a scream came from near the front of the manor that he and his commanders had taken over.

  More yells could be heard through the house. Soldiers and guards pulled their weapons free, ready to deal with whatever came their way.

  Undead rushed through the door. Those who had been guarding the manor were now attacking their leaders and friends.

  Weapons clashed as the room seemed to darken.

  Esamael had his sword out, backing into a corner in case anything made it through his people.

  “Hello, Lord Esamael.” A man’s voice came from behind Esamael.

  Startled and scared, Esamael turned around, swinging wildly where he heard the voice coming from. Pain tore through his arm. He heard his sword go flying as his entire being seemed to be trying to tear itself apart.

  He looked at a hooded man, holding two wicked curved daggers. Blood dripped from them as Esamael’s arm landed on the floor.

  He started to scream as he dropped to the floor. Blood flowed from his wound.

  “You’ll make a nice present,” the man said, a cold smile on his face.

  “The army has come apart. They’re trying to flee in every direction. We’ve got people out hunting them down,” someone else said to the shadowy man.

  “Good. Get his arm sealed up and bring him,” the obvious leader said.

  “Who are you?” Lord Esamael demanded. His blood loss made him feel cold and woozy.

  “I’m Josh Giles.” The man pushed his hood back and looked down calmly at the recent amputee. His aura flared out.

  Cold fear ran through Esamael as a wet spot spread through his pants.

  “Whoops.” Josh suppressed his aura.

  Someone touched Esamael’s shoulder, making his body go slack. He was still conscious but he couldn’t talk or move as he was picked up and carried out of his command post.

  ***

  Sigaird looked out over his royal palace’s walls. The area around the base of the walls and for four hundred meters out was a barren landscape.

  Esamael’s soldiers lay dead or dying. The few who had surrendered had been quickly secured and stripped of their weapons and armor. The Stone Raiders had them grouped together, already moving them in small groups toward the teleport pad.

  Sigaird was in a state of shock. The ground showed signs of the massive magical spells that had been called from the heavens or the depths of Emerilia.

  The Stone Raiders were an oddity. They had come in, destroying a force five hundred times their own strength. Their spells and fighting abilities were on another scale.

  The army had been broken and fled where they could, lest they be cut down, or surrendered.

  What are they going to do with all of those prisoners?

  There were nearly a hundred times more soldiers and mages who had surrendered to the Stone Raiders, but none of them thought about trying to attack their new captors.

  None of the Player guilds had ever accepted those who surrendered and then taken them from a battlefield. Most had sold them off as indentured servants to other kingdoms.

  They had set rates and wages by the mage’s college so that they could buy their freedom once again. It was the best way to deal with thousands of battle-trained people.

  “My king, a group of Stone Raiders are approaching the royal palace. It seems that they are interested in talking.” An aide broke Sigaird out of his thoughts.

  “I will greet them. Make sure no one does anything to anger them,” Sigaird said.

  “Yes, my king.” The aide bowed to Sigaird before running off to see his orders were carried out.

  Sigaird checked his gear and then started to walk for the main gates. He didn’t want to keep the Stone Raiders waiting.

  It didn’t take long for Sigaird to reach the gate. His mind worked over reasons that they might want to meet with him, his anxiety and fear building in his gut.

  These people had defended their home, breached a city and then destroyed another army in the same night. Thank the gods I listened to Merguine.

  The gates swung open as Sigaird approached. His guards made sure to surround their king, their hands resting on their weapons.

  Even though they were hidden in their armor, Sigaird knew that they were similarly nervous.

  He made it out of the last gate. The drawbridge lowered to reveal eleven people.

  Two Dwarves, a Dwarf Halfling, a High Elf, a Beast Kin, four Humans, a man made of metal, and a Half-Elf looked at him.

  Sigaird quickly used his Analyze skill.

  Malsour, one of the Humans, had eyes of obsidian black. Josh, another Human, was wreathed in shadows. Deia, the Half-Elf, and Induca, one of the female Humans, floated lightly in the air. Their eyes seemed to glow with inner Fire.

  Lox and Gurren, the full Dwarves, had the kind of confidence that only came with battle-hardened veterans, their looks showing that they thought little of Sigaird’s protection detail. The other Human woman, Esa, held herself like one of Sigaird’s knights, her entire posture showing she was dangerous.

  A wolf Beast Kin watched everything with mild interest. Her body language showed that she was unworried by the whole situation.

  Anna’kal

  Beast Kin

  Level 294

  Sigaird quickly looked away, scared of offending the high-leveled woman.

  The High Elf, Suzy, stood there with a glowing staff. The air distorted around her, the only sign that her creations were around.

  Sigaird swallowed hard, wondering how many were floating around, invisible to his eyes. His eyes moved to the last person of the party.

  David Grahslagg, the master of magical coding and Dwarven Master Smith.

  Spheres with runes on their surfaces and soul gems floated around him lazily. Cold sweat ran down Sigaird’s spine. He was looking at the famed Party Zero, and their guild leader Josh Giles and his newest lieutenant, Esa.

  “Guildmaster Giles, it is an honor and a privilege to meet you.” Sigaird pushed forward despite his anxiety as he bowed slightly to the man who had saved possibly his own life and that of his retainers.

  “It’s good to finally meet the master of the lands that one of my guild halls rests upon. And please, call me Josh.” Josh gave a slight smile, but there was still steel in his eyes.

  He’s not a man to be crossed.

  “Very well, Josh. I do not know how I can possibly repay you. You’ve done me a great service, not only with the information you have supplied me with, but the defense of my city and preventing further loss of life,” Sigaird said gravely.

  Josh’s face was unreadable for a few seconds. “I have an idea of how to repay not only for our actions in defeating Esamael’s forces, but also removing certain elements that were working against the crown,” Josh said in a measured tone.

  “If it is within my power, I will do it,” Sigaird said, his voice confident and reassuring. He had disregarded them earlier, but now, after seeing them, he wanted nothing more than to be on amicable terms. He had watched the recordings from his animal-possessing mages and observed the way that they fought with their allies.

  They were a force for change, bringing many groups together in the shape of an alliance never seen before.

  Josh nodded. His expression gave nothing away. He opened his interface and sent a message to Sigaird.

  He opened the message, taking in a sharp breath. The document provided asked for an incredible amount of gold, or different raw m
aterials.

  The sum was so large that it would be felt across Gudalo. To Sigaird, there was no choice.

  “I cannot do this immediately. If I can be given some time, I can do this in monthly installments, if that works for you?” Sigaird looked to Josh.

  Josh’s features broke out into a smile. “Oh, that will work fine. Would you be willing to sign an oath to agree to further discussions?”

  Sigaird smiled. The document had been a test.

  Smart one, this—see how far he can push and then backing off. He wanted to see if I would keep to my word. I didn’t think that he would be so reasonable, especially with the treatment he had in Selhi.

  “I swear on my life and on my kingdom that we will meet to discuss terms of payment for your aid. Within two weeks?” Sigaird looked to Josh.

  “I agree that we will meet in two weeks to discuss the terms of payment for our services,” Josh agreed, holding out a hand to Sigaird.

  You have made a binding oath

  You and Josh Giles have made a binding oath to meet to discuss terms of payment for the Stone Raiders, within two weeks.

  “As a gesture of goodwill, I think this will do nicely.” Josh glanced to the High Elf. She looked to Josh and then back to Sigaird. Nothing seemed to happen for a few moments until a person came flying through the air landed next to Josh.

  Sigaird looked at the man once known as Lord Esamael.

  “Thank you.” Sigaird waved his guards forward. They grabbed the man, the air-distorting creation disconnecting from his back and flying off.

  “He has a paralyzing spell on him. It will wear off in three hours,” Josh informed Sigaird.

  “I was wondering what you would do with those who surrendered to you?” Sigaird asked.

  “There’s always a use for mages and laborers. I know that Devil’s Crater is about to go into their growing season and Terra is going to need a large workforce to grow,” Josh said.

  “Terra?” Sigaird asked, confused.

  “Ah, our main guild hall. We should meet there for our meeting in two weeks. I will send someone to collect you and guide you to the city. It’s linked via the teleport pads.” Josh smiled.

  Sigaird had even more questions, but he pushed them to the side. “Thank you again for everything. I look forward to our meeting in two weeks.”

  “See you later!” Josh turned with a wave.

  Sigaird watched the legendary figures of the Stone Raiders leaving. He let out a shaky breath, remembering the levels that he had been able to see in their statuses.

  Level 294! That Beast Kin was scary powerful. Even though the others didn’t have as high of an overall level as her, their presence was almost as suffocating.

  He turned and his guards followed him back into the royal palace. His face hardened.

  Esamael would be the first to face justice. Then, he would take the Stone Raiders’ information, uprooting those who tried to turn traitor. Only once all of those dissident powers were removed could he continue his talks with the southern races.

  It was time to unite Gudalo. With the Stone Raiders’ support and the Lady of Air’s guidance, he felt that it would be but a matter of time.

  In one move, he would cut away the negative forces on Gudalo, to bring about an age of peace and unity.

  ***

  “I’m not sure how I feel about this,” Josh muttered as the party walked through Haugr, passing groups of soldiers who had surrendered and were being watched by Stone Raiders.

  “If we were to leave them here, then they would be executed for treason. Most of them were raised up into this way of living. Lord Esamael gave most of them a home and purpose. Others, he gave gold and made promises. If we kill everyone we fight, then they’ll fight to the last man instead of surrendering. People who think that they’re going to die anyway are much scarier than people who think they can escape,” Anna said.

  “I just don’t like the idea of having indentured servants all over Terra.” Josh sighed.

  “It is an acceptable way to try to get them to do something useful with their lives. With Esamael’s army destroyed, it’s possible that they will find a new path for their lives, leaving behind their hatred and actually working for something they want. They will be fed and clothed as per their contract. If we can’t look after them, then the mage’s guild and college will make use of them, as specified in the war agreements,” Anna said.

  “This isn’t Earth. Rules are different here,” Dave said from where he walked.

  “Mage overseers coming in,” Deia said.

  Lox spat on the ground. “Damn overseers—always watching, never lifting a finger until after the fact.”

  A group of five mages came to stand in front of the party. The Stone Raiders around them started to look in their direction, ready for another fight if it came to it.

  “Hello Party Zero, Guildmaster Giles, and Guild Lieutenant Esa.” A man nodded to them all. “I am Overseer Rendar. I was assigned to watch over this battle. As per the war agreements, I saw that you fought along the pre-set guidelines. I ask what you are doing with the wounded you transported through the teleport pad and those who have surrendered to you.”

  “Don’t like to mince words, huh?” Josh said, feeling tired from constantly fighting. Only now was the moon being replaced by the rising sun as he rubbed his face.

  “Ugh, I need a shower,” he muttered, focusing back on Rendar. “We’re healing all those who were wounded in battle, something that we picked up from back on Earth. No matter the person, they’re treated the same with medical aid. As for the prisoners, I have been told that we will be making them indentured servants. The mages can take away their binding oath seeing as Esamael is dead. We have quite a number of prisoners, so we might have too many for our upcoming projects.”

  Dave cleared his throat and looked to Josh.

  “If we have any people we don’t need and can’t support, we will send them your way,” Josh said.

  “Where are you taking them? If at all possible, we would like to see where they are being held,” Rendar asked respectfully.

  “We’re taking them to Terra. Once we get things figured out, we’ll start moving them to different locations. I don’t want to have them all in one place. Doing so could give rise to different ideas,” Josh said darkly. He did not like having all of these people under his command. If he messed up, then they could die. “I would welcome for you to join us. We will probably need some help in seeing if we can improve the facilities that we have.”

  “Certainly. My other overseers are interested to talk to the king as well as some of the prisoners and look into different issues we’ve had reported to us. I can accompany you back to this Terra, if that is okay with you?” Rendar asked.

  “Certainly. I don’t see any reason why we can’t leave now.” Josh looked to the rest of the party. They agreed with his assessment. They were all looking forward to getting back to their apartments for a shower, food, and sleep.

  “One moment while I confer with my fellow overseers,” Rendar said.

  “We’ll be at the teleport pad,” Josh said.

  Rendar nodded and turned to his people.

  The party continued onward as Josh found an invite to Party Zero’s party chat. “What, don’t trust people to not listen in?” Josh grinned.

  “A bit of paranoia is always good.” Dave smiled back.

  “So is a good jug of ale!” Gurren added.

  “As well as some big juicy boar ribs!” Lox said.

  “So, what were you hinting at us needing all that labor for?” Josh asked.

  “Well, for increasing the size of Terra as well as building other facilities. We’ve grown a lot in a few months, but there’s a limited number of us. Not many of us are going to want to look over the greenhouses, the different facilities we have as well as the expansions for Terra. I think that with magic, those indentured servants won’t be hard to keep an eye on.” Dave looked to Lox, Gurren, and Anna.

  “The b
inding is very powerful. They are allowed to defend themselves and there are conditions that the mages will be alerted to if they are treated badly. It was made so that people would come to know those who they were fighting. If you know your enemy, you come to understand him—then it’s harder to raise your sword against another potential enemy,” Lox said.

  “Seems the mages are more devious than I thought,” Josh said, feeling relieved. He had lost POEs to these soldiers and he, in turn, had killed off their friends, people they had come to see as brothers and sisters.

  I wonder who this is going to be harder on, us or them? Josh continued his walk, absently watching as the people of Haugr started to leave their homes, looking at the damage of the battle.

  ***

  Rendar felt apprehensive as he walked to the teleport pad. These Stone Raiders—they’re much stronger than I thought they would be.

  “Everything good?” Josh asked as he arrived. The rest of the party that had been with him had already moved through the teleport pad. There were Stone Raiders and Haugr guards in the area, with a constant stream of prisoners moving through the teleport pad.

  “Yes, preparations have been made. I am ready to visit this Terra.” Rendar smiled, confused by the odd name for the unknown location.

  “Good.” Josh smiled and walked through the teleport pad’s event horizon. Rendar followed.

  They exited the teleport pad and came out inside a large building. A control room looked at the teleport pad; Aleph automatons stood around the room like statues. Rendar would have thought of them as statues if not for the faint Mana signatures.

  “Follow me.” Josh took them through a doorway opposite to the one that captives were being guided through.

  They passed large rooms. In some, there were supplies. In others, wounded were being seen to before being whisked off.

  It took a few minutes before they were outside the building. Rendar’s eyes went wide as he looked upon Terra. The sprawling city rose around him. Buildings of stone and metal as well as soul gem constructs dotted the skyline. A light source made it seem like day within the cylindrical city.