by Han Yang
The message was a map. Finally, I felt like the people of this world didn’t value a good map for some odd reason.
I patted Kerny’s back reassuringly, trying to calm his fears. My minions weren’t too far, and we hadn’t been followed. Unless there was a random bandit ambush, we would be fine.
We had only just left the main road between the four cities of Lind and Lasing. Additional rustling from the sides of our path caused me to worry. My minions weren’t making the noise which meant his concern had some merit.
“Come to me, all haste,” I said, my voice but a whisper in the wind.
The setting sun dragged on for much longer than I, or our attacker, anticipated. I adjusted my heavy armor, raising my shield and leveling my crossbow. I stared out, seeing nothing but trees, thick underbrush, and the changing foliage of fall.
“I know you’re out there,” I shouted, not caring in the slightest that I was lying.
It could be the heavy wind for all I knew and the forests were known to create noises. I had a feeling though, that odd sense of being watched.
We had two wagons, five mounts, four humans, and the jenix cats. Our heavily laden goods, traveling down an old trail in the evening, had likely seemed like a juicy target.
When the enemy refused to reveal themselves, I told Bell and Tarla, “Pick up and run.”
The snap of reins shot across the forest. The mares up front jolted the wagon forward. The Clydesdales complained but kept pace.
Our attackers, who apparently wanted to wait for night, suddenly had to make a hard decision. Run and reveal themselves or wait to attack us later that night when we camped.
I smirked, feeling we had won.
Crack!
The sudden noise ahead forced Bell to ease up on the reins. A large tree teetered and then crashed to the ground.
Thud.
The healthy branches caused the obstruction to bounce in place. The reality of our situation had only begun to sink in.
Twang!
An arrow whizzed out of the trees, sinking into Kerny’s thigh.
“Hells!” he cried.
A second projectile dove into his chest. He clutched the arrow, eyes widening as he gurgled blood before falling over.
Tarla unleashed a fireball, and I scampered into the wagon bed.
Thunk!
An arrow embedded into the wagon, missing me by inches. The chaos proceeded to only increase with the sounds of a man screaming in torment.
“Forget Dest. We got a healer,” an enemy leader shouted.
“Front drivers are dead,” a different voice bellowed.
“Hurry the fuck up,” I muttered to my minions.
I huffed, hating warfare because it never went as expected.
I had finally walked into an ambush. I grumbled, ashamed as I hid between the jenix cages. Tarla, Kerny, and Bell all died in the opening salvo, and I had no idea how long it would take for my minions to arrive.
So yeah, I cowered behind cover, trying to keep out of sight from the enemy archers.
“One of the riders is in the back of wagon two, Chief,” a human voice said.
While I hadn’t seen our attackers, it made sense for them to be human. Bows were probably hard for a tigran to fire.
A lot of things raced through my mind as I heard the crunch of approaching footsteps.
“You need to let them know you’re coming,” I whispered to my minions.
The sound of swords hitting shields reverberated through the woods, closer than I expected. I breathed in relief, knowing my attackers would be concerned.
I continued to hide, not risking my neck. Yeah, it was cowardly. The wagon’s frame protected me, and the enemy was unwilling to fire arrows into the potential loot.
“Uh… Chief,” a hesitant voice said. “We’ve been setup.”
Twang!
Snap!
My troops unleashed their crossbows, the bolts zipping across the small clearing, and into the enemy. The bandits scrambled, trying to adjust to the new threat that approached.
“Brace for a charge, find cover!” their Chief commanded.
Snapping branches and a whole lot of bushes rustled. An army approached, and I grinned in delight.
“The undead! Run!” a voice screamed in sheer panic.
“Hold the line. They’ll never tire and run us down,” the Chief cried out. “Fools! You -”
A blood curdling scream pierced the darkening forest. The best part was that it came from behind, indicating the death of someone who had fled first.
I scrambled out from the wagon bed, hearing my heavy infantry crashing through the underbrush. When I shimmied out of the wagon bed, I saw the coward had been forgotten about.
The enemy no longer approached the wagons. Instead, they shook in their boots. I spied a few forest rangers standing in shock while most fled for their lives.
Mini led the charge. The fearsome minotaur skeleton deflected or ignored the few arrows that tried to down him.
The lidka were not far behind, and the trolls completed the charge. I saw a few eyes dart to the leader, seeking guidance for how to avoid what was likely an inevitable death. The tide had turned in my favor, and I sneered at my stunned foe.
All the men froze at some point, shock setting in when they realized what was happening. The leader raised his weapon, ready to give a rallying cry.
Before he could utter a word, I leveled my crossbow.
Snap!
The bolt cracked through the back of his skull, ejecting out the front. His body teetered before crashing to the ground.
Mini reached the enemy first, cleaving a man in two. Twelve became ten in a fraction of a second. Crossbow bolts zoomed out of the forest. Dozens missed, but three found their targets.
Make that seven.
I yanked my sword free, scampering off the wagon and positioning for the inevitable.
A ranger turned, not willing to fight Mini in melee combat. He ran right into my waiting blade, piercing his neck and killing himself.
Asha arrived, free firing his bow, each shot a kill. He wisely only revealed himself when the fight was a foregone conclusion and the infantry arrived.
Mini ran down a fleeing human, using a swipe so powerful the poor man’s torso parted at the waist.
I could have granted quarter and told my minions to take prisoners.
Not for these bandits. They would die to the last.
I knelt, dragging the stained blade against the cloak of the ranger. With the final death creating an eerie silence, I tucked my sword into its home.
“Good job on staying alive, Damien,” Asha said, approaching from the dense forest.
I scoffed, unhappily. “I hid like a bitch. Charlie had more fighting than me,” I said, seeing the horse stomping a body. “Oye, Charlie, stop that. I may want to raise the dead.”
“Not that one,” Asha snickered with a headshake.
“Right. Minions. Remove this tree, loot the dead, someone scout for a camp, and then we need to get Bell and Kerny to healers in Seqa,” I ordered.
Walking to the front wagon, I saw Tarla near the wheel. An arrow was lodged in her shoulder blade. Based on her final resting place, she’d fallen off the driver’s bench, breaking her neck in the fall.
I sighed, closing my eyes to link to her orb.
Resurrect Tarla Moonguard (YES) or (NO) - Selecting (NO) will incur Ostriva points. Tarla is pregnant, the odds of saving her baby are 76%. This can be improved by leveling your healing.
And there it was.
My precautions during our lovemaking were irrelevant. Her stubborn desire for future children laid bare. I didn’t grow sad, instead smiling with joy.
I was on Nordan, not Earth. I was the champion of a god, not a regular guy trusting our precautions were enough.
Tarla was pregnant, and she had died. Thankfully, I could save her and the baby … maybe.
I knew the percentage of success was high, but I wished it were a hundred percent.
In this case, I knew Tarla wanted a baby. Her options were open to abort with herbs and potions. Instead, she talked with me, working a slow angle. The secret shopping for ‘you know what’ was baby items that were not so cleverly hidden in the back of the front wagon.
Those items were part of why I was in the second wagon. I didn’t mind listening to the young man pining over Bell. I understood her perfections were crafted by an actual goddess and her looks were enchanting.
I dropped my wandering thoughts and revived my lover.
The dark sky split, a golden beam crashing down until it smacked into Tarla. She glowed brightly, the arrow falling out of her back and her neck popping into place with a loud snap.
The magic ejected power in a circle of pushing air, creating a nice breeze over my heavy armor. As the light faded, Tarla stood there clutching her belly with concern.
She raced for me, leaping into my arms.
“Oh Damien, thank you,” she said, becoming a sobbing mess. She touched her belly. “He lives. Thank you, my Lord.”
I held her tenderly, not correcting her or even saying anything. I focused on just realizing how close I had come to losing her.
Time melded until the tree blocking the road was slowly inched out of the way with Mini pushing the large obstruction. A few minutes later, my living minions hopped into the driver seats of the wagons, ready to get our small caravan moving again.
I glanced down at the fourteen evenly laid out bodies of our ambushers. All their gear and valuables were already tossed into the back wagon. I had the Zorta to pick the rangers up, but I was nearing my current limit of fifty minions.
There always seemed to be a choose your own adventure type choice. In this case, I decided to play it safe. I would raise the dead then turn them to dust after our attack if I needed to. Best to have a bigger army at the start of a fight.
Hugging my lover extra tight, I kissed Tarla on the forehead.
“I need you to be strong,” I said in a soft, comforting voice.
The fiery redhead nodded, kissing my cheek in thanks.
“What do you need me to do?” she asked, her resolve firming.
“Lead the wagons to Seqa. Ensure Bell and Kerny get revived. Bell is the priority. Then beautify our estate while I go on this mission. I’ll expect a warm welcome home,” I said, kissing her cheek.
I handed her the bag with the five thousand Zorta in it. A minute later, the wagons left for the portal.
Charlie, my skeleton minions, and Asha stayed behind with me. I would plan while the others sent my lover and our supplies home.
Asha arrived, gazing over the bodies. “Got a dozen low tier horses and two fine stallions, but nothing close to Charlie.”
“Is the counter on the portal still zero?” I asked. He held up two fingers. “Interesting. What happened?”
“We dug up trees and some squirrels in a hollowed-out nest counted as portal crossings,” Asha said.
“Lessons. Every adventure teaches us lessons, a theme repeated over and over,” I said.
“In hindsight, allowing me to scout this route would have been prudent,” Asha said.
I stared at him flatly. “Your mission was to harvest the forest without leaving the portal. You’re the mission commander when I’m away, not the commoner. I just need more scouts.”
“Well, you got some right here.” He chuckled, kicking the corpse of the leader I had killed. “How was the city?” Asha asked.
“Netted five thousand Zorta already,” I said, and his eyebrows almost reached his white hairline.
I proceeded to fill him in on the situation, handing him the map. Not long after, my lidka walked over with our new horses. Each of them had saddles with light packs on their backs. The proper gear told me these humans hadn’t been poor folks acting out in desperation. They were semi-professional thieves who had finally picked the wrong fight.
“I’ll raise them. We’ll let our revived dwarves and trolls ride the mounts for now to secure the portal,” I said while Asha dug through the gear.
Before I started, I sat down, crossing my legs.
“Death is life, power creates opportunity. Death is life, power creates opportunity. Death is life, power creates opportunity,” I chanted.
I found the actual words matter far less than what the words did for me. The chanting honed my concentration, bringing a sharper tune to my aura.
I reached out, a powerful wave erupting from my being.
You have connected to 16 Humans, only 15 are claimable. Would you like to claim (ALL) (GROUP) (SINGLE)
Interesting. I selected GROUP.
2 of the humans are no longer claimable as they have left the area.
You have connected to 14 Humans, only 13 are claimable. Would you like to claim (ALL) (GROUP) (SINGLE)
I selected all.
You selected to claim 13 minions. Consume 51.882 Zorta to summon these creatures as minions of the undead. Confirm (YES) - (NO)
I confirmed yes, knowing the unfolding magic would likely be spotted from scouts in the area.
Crackling clouds of dark energy coalesced, forming a massive storm overhead. A darkening curtain blotted the bright moonlight, casting us in complete blackness. The flash of lightning revealed reapers falling from above.
Loud and hard impacts shook the ground until the area trembled with their might.
The reaper I had talked to before walked across the dead. Other reapers hoisted the bodies, flinging them hard against the forest floor. Hands shot up, consuming flesh with a hunger.
“There’s a spare corpse. Go ahead and claim the Zorta from the smushed foe,” I said, pointing at the body of the trampled human.
“Thanks,” the reaper said, tugging the orb into his hand. “Four Z added to your next level up. Good evening, Champion.”
“Good evening, Reaper,” I replied, and he did that odd transition into the depths again. Watching him sink into hard terrain never grew old.
Shuffling feet revealed thirteen new skeletons who were very confused, glancing around in shock that they lived again.
“Human minions, suppress memories,” I ordered.
Jark became a zombie, and I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Jark, unsuppress memories. Come over here. You were in charge of harvesting while I went into the city. Give me your report.”
“Thanks Boss. I really hate being out of control.” He glanced at the skeleton humans with a sad sigh. “Umm… we did a whole lot of digging. Forty-two of us working hard resulted in us extracting enough dirt to really start applying the Tela expansion. We even dug out three large trees. We had a squirrel problem, though, sorry.”
“I heard. Everything we do has a lesson. Even with the small error, good job. I need you and the other revived minions to mount up and protect the portal. Hopefully, we can raid before anyone comes to investigate the outburst of magic that happened here,” I said, patting him on the shoulder.
He ran off to grab one of the mounts, quickly taking to the saddle. Charlie trotted over to me, and I sighed. I guess I needed to ride the stallion since the Clydesdales were already through the portal.
Asha helped me into the stirrup. My armor was a blessing and a curse.
“Thoughts?” I asked my friend.
“Is the Zorta safe?” he asked.
“Yup. Tarla has the five thousand. The question is whether we go home, accepting the win here, and the free Z… or do we save the hybrid?” I muttered.
“She’s likely a champion,” Asha said.
I nodded and then tried my best to shrug. “I won’t kill her to go home. Everything I’ve done here, has been from a morally gray or skewed toward good. Killing her would take me to an evil level,” I said. I huffed and added, “But… my deal with Nettle is done. He paid me to listen, not on a promise to rescue the hybrid. I feel leaving would be perfectly fine.”
“In your eyes. You’ll be seen as evil for stealing by this Nettle and those he represents,” Asha commented, and I went
to quibble but shook my head instead.
“You’re likely right, even if I see it as listening to his proposal. Remember that book? The one from the dwarven necromancer?” I asked.
“Of course, I read it twice,” Asha said, mounting one of the new stallions. “What is your point?”
“That beastmasters can trade beasts,” I said.
Asha trotted his stallion over, and I glanced at my skeleton army that readied to leave the area.
“You’re thinking you can give her leveled minions during the portal missions?” Asha asked.
“We won’t know if we don’t try. Burning a monastery to the ground will be evil, though,” I replied, mulling over the options.
“Depending on the god, and who knows, maybe they have it upgraded. I haven’t experienced it, but Bell did say that her church would be a target for others,” Aska commented.
“Well, that seals the deal. Let’s learn what happens when you ransack a church. Hopefully, the monks just let us in,” I said, urging Charlie back toward Lind. “Follow us, my minions.”
The night sky shone bright, and then darkened sporadically during our rapid pace north. The overhead clouds moved fast with the stiff breeze.
My army and I left the cover of the forest a half hour later, skirting the main road for the farmlands. Within a few minutes, hawks spotted us, diverting to tell those they answered to.
Charlie shifted from a trot to a run, and Asha’s stallion kept pace. We thundered across the fields of barley, barreling for the monastery.
Right when I began to worry I should abandon the dangerous mission, the lights in the distance revealed an outpost.
Charlie huffed, loving being able to jump over irrigation ditches and destroy crops. I kept scanning the horizon, hoping we could outpace the reinforcements that were surely being roused to the rescue.
The distance closed. As we neared the low walled monastery, I felt a ward from an unknown force pushing me away. I frowned at this development, slowing Charlie.