by Han Yang
I inhaled the deep scents of nasty lizards, managing to stay on my feet across the blood slicked corpses. After going up and over a tree trunk, I spied a corner opening that my minions jumped out of and instantly realized we were tiny.
The framing appeared massive in its scope and dread enveloped me.
“There must be two thousand gators under us,” I muttered in dismay. “Nothing’s been moving since last night…”
“Wait here, Boss,” Asha said, jumping through the opening. “By the great tree.”
Asha never cursed.
“That’s not good,” Tarla said with concern.
“All I see is dead gators, and I feel incredibly small. None of the minions have died yet at least,” I said.
“Come on out Boss,” Asha said confidently. “It’ll be okay with time. I think.”
I exited the opening in the top right corner of the door frame. When I did, I stepped on a mountain of gator bodies that clogged this section of the street. This variation was expanded and massive in size compared to my height. The magic of the church, finding the space to increase their size.
Taking a step of faith, I left the church with trepidation.
A purple film of magic covered the area. Sprinkles, Mini, and then Tarla and I disappeared in a purple blast, expanding to our full heights.
Kelsy exited behind me, asking the obvious question, “Where is everyone?”
The city was abandoned in a unique way. It was completely void of people but filled with items from the island. I huffed, disappointed when I didn’t see Nee, Bell, or anyone.
“The enemy would have left scouts or doors open,” Asha said from a nearby roof.
I glanced around, expecting at least one or two survivors to come out and tell me what had happened. Instead, I saw the scattered remains of the dead gators, small animals, and island kills.
“Boss, Lumpy is clawing at the door to the farm we raided, the one Tela owned, and the goblins are making into their goblin forest,” Asha said.
Sprinkles walked over to the expansion doors that were barred shut. Mini beat him to the wheel, spinning up the portcullis. The cyclops would have struggled with the lever, but the big lug hunched awkwardly to fit inside the dome.
A creak and a loud clang told me the portcullis was up. A few seconds later, they started to pry the doors open.
I raced down the street, my sword out of its sheath and at the ready.
As the doors groaned, resisting the efforts to peel them back, a surge of goblins, trolls, and dwarves stormed our position. They were furious and shocked to see me. Their snarling rage abated when they realized we weren’t whatever threat they anticipated.
“I told ya!” Nee sassed from the back of the soldiers. My goblin queen strode confidently to the front of the pack, standing beside a warrior dwarf. “Ya shoulda killed that wicked spider bitch.”
I frowned, inhaled deeply, and then grunted in disappointment.
“What happened?” I asked in a deflated tone.
One of the dwarves, Krona if I remembered her name right, stepped forward and said, “Nessio held a celebration, one to help transition her power and unite our people. She called those who were loyal to her, for years without issue mind you, to her estate. She invited Bell and the Kercy fellow too. Even had them take those fancy Clydesdales with them.”
“Kerny,” I corrected him.
“Yah, that fellow. Well, the thirty or so of them celebrated while we worked tirelessly to shift the meat, hide, and such down into the lower expansion for a deep freeze. The whole day yesterday they celebrated.
“This was uncommon, yeah, diabolical no. Most of us went to bed figuring it was just a good time that we weren’t invited to, and they carried on. In the morning, those who weren’t gagged and tossed into the new goblin city were forced out of their homes at sword point. By red eyed thralls,” Krona said.
I sheathed my swords and held palms up in confusion. “So, you’re saying, thirty something dwarves with red eyes pushed a thousand of you through that door and locked it?”
Nee cleared her throat. “Boss, you’re missing some facts. Nessio’s drinks were laced with her milk, and Lady Bell was among those with red eyes. She’s a thrall now, and when we had the chance to fight back, we didn’t. No one has died yet, not that we know of at least.”
Karno grumbled and muttered. “Uh… Boss, it gets worse. Nessio has a secret exit in her estate that goes two directions; one to Selma and one to the Seqa Valley. She could be in the valley or deep in the mines.
“To make matters worse. Well, as of a few hours ago, Selma’s forces are diggin’ new tunnels to attack from. We count four tremor spots. We’ve got at best, a month, and likely, only a week.”
The report hung heavy in the air. The situation was dire, but we had two forces coming and thankfully time to react.
“Every second counts,” I whispered to myself, finding a calm. “This is bullshit and Nessio will pay,” I said with the cool voice of a killer, letting them know I was upset but in control. “Sprinkles, clear the church’s exit. Mini, help Nee and Karno open the main gates to the valley. The rest of my minions help the city prepare to leave for the surface.”
“But she could be in the depths of the mountain,” Tarla said with frustration.
“Yup, but I can’t march Sprinkles and my gators through reinforced section after section. Not when our enemy in the valley only needs to break down two doors. I love Bell like a sister, but I’m special,” I admitted.
“What do you mean?” Nee asked.
“I can bring Bell back if she is dead. However, I figure she’s alive and well. My guess is that she is with Toneba and the Prince as an extortion measure,” I said.
“They’ll not extort her, instead keeping her enthralled and away from helping you. At the same time, we can’t take the fight to them,” Asha said, huffing in annoyance at the situation.
I smirked and said, “We’ve lost thirty dwarves and our high priestess. We can and will recover. I have a plan, now go stand inside the goblin area. Actually... Everyone,” I shouted so those who watched in the back could hear me. “Prepare for a hard march. Load up the wagons, set the rams to pull, and saddle the horses. Most importantly, stay away from the gator bodies, we’re going to be raising the dead.”
“Gate to the top is open!” Karno shouted.
I turned to Delsy. “Raise your max then meet me out front,” I ordered.
The hybrid woman neared, grabbing my sleeve and pulling me down to whisper, “You’re leaving Seqa?”
“Likely,” I admitted.
“I’ll help you fight, but then I want to start my own city. I don’t want to fight with you. Can we reach an agreement as friends?” my fellow necromancer asked in a hushed tone.
“You want to rule Seqa if I leave or find an expansion if I return?” I whispered. She nodded. “I’ll support you in your own holding if we come back.”
“Deal.”
The woman left. Tarla raised an eyebrow. I shrugged, knowing the two of us had come to a mutual understanding. She would have to strike out on her own soon, and instead of betraying me, we would work to make that happen.
“Head to our estate and pack our things for the road,” I told Tarla. Her eyes widened and she pouted. “Yes, only the essentials. Sorry, my love.”
“But the baby stuff,” Tarla pouted.
“It will be here when we return, or if not, that stuff can be purchased again. There’s trunks full of Z in that church somewhere,” I reminded her.
She stomped off, not loving my decision. I glanced around, seeing everyone hard at work to prepare for our departure, everyone except for me.
My plan, the simple concept in my head, would require a lot of work, but for now, hiding in the mountain with two foes closing in on us was simply too much. Our situation allowed us to react. I knew I needed to become proactive in the fight and stop just reacting.
I went to the side of a warehouse and found a ladder. I climbe
d up, arriving at the top of the building that overlooked the church.
My efforts to wound and kill gators on the final day ended up being extremely effective - apparent by the thousands of dead matogators with shining orbs over their corpses.
After taking a comfy seat, I glanced down and into the church.
“Halt work around the church,” I commanded.
Sprinkles, Mini, and the lidka paused their removals, leaving the area to help with other work.
I started with a shout. “A necromancer defends life, exploiting the environment to protect their family. A necromancer defends life, exploiting the environment to protect their family. A necromancer defends life, exploiting the environment to protect their family.” I ended with a whisper.
I pulled into my center, finding my core brimming with power. I let the energy flow through me, telling the blossoming spell what I desired.
Give me minions!
The magic erupted out of me, angrily dominating the area. I had killed most of the gators, and when my presence battled their orbs, they welcomed the chance to serve me. I felt the few who resisted buckle under my domination spell.
Their orbs fractured, leaving the corpses to become untethered and ripe for claiming.
You have connected to 1913 Matogator, 419 Arvenia Molluscs, 17 sparrows, and 4 rabbits. You have only 1453 slots available (ALL) has been removed. Would you like to claim (GROUP) (SINGLE)
Interesting that the clam things could be minions. I was a bit frustrated that the stuff we sent through late in the evening remained unclaimed. Oh, well. More work to deal with later.
I selected GROUP, marking the matogators as green and the other creatures as red. A few hundred faded to black, a number likely over my allotted minion count.
You selected to claim 1453 Matogators as minions. Consume 47591.890 Zorta to summon these creatures as minions of the undead. Confirm (YES) - (NO)
I let out a low whistle. I’d almost underestimated how much I would need. This would leave me investing the last seven and a half thousand into upgrades. Holy shit did necromancy get expensive.
“Last warning! Vacate the church area and back up!” I shouted as loud as I could.
The area was already clear, no one moving other than to take a few additional steps back. I noticed an already swirling excess of magic on my left. Ah, Delsy had succeeded in converting a minion.
I waited for her conversion to complete before I selected yes, curious as to what would happen.
I immediately regretted my decision.
My reaper, the faceless demon with his big scythe…
The freaky being slithered out of my chest until he floated in the air before me. The transition horrified me, and his faceless grin sent my hairs to standing.
“The fuck?” I blurted.
“Don’t change who you are because I hide inside you now. I’m your block and your minion, when you reach Magus - which won’t happen for a while,” the reaper said in a frightening tone.
“What level?” I asked.
“When you reach it, you’ll know,” he replied, uncaring that he disappointed me. “I’ll ruin everything in the church. I can’t avoid it. The rest of the orbs will go to me. I suggest separating those you want to raise from the others.”
I widened my eyes in shock. That would be a few hundred gators at thirty plus per… I glanced over my shoulder, seeing the goblin expansion was a hive of activity. Everyone was loading wagons with guards setting up in case Selma’s troops came forward.
The massive gates to the upper landing and shipping area were strewn wide open. Asha led the rams, pausing on their trip to connect to the wagons. I was the hold up.
“My Z in the trunks will be safe?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Do it,” I said.
The reaper jumped off the rooftop, gliding in a gradual descent. A massive, single hand reached up and out of the stone flooring, sweeping through the church. Inside the giant hand, thousands of souls fought for flesh.
The tearing, ripping, and slurping noises rattled my nerves.
The reaper spread his arms, craned his neck back, and moaned in ecstasy.
I fidgeted at the awkward outburst, disliking this outcome.
When he finished, he inhaled deeply, soaring into my chest to vanish. At least he returned rapidly to my core.
My minions poured out of the church door. They left tiny little skeletons that blossomed into monstrous creations the second they had free space.
“Out the main gates,” I commanded.
I saw Delsy working on claiming another matogator, likely not realizing I had left her likely short of her promised minions. I sighed, knowing we’d kill centaurs or something else for her. I just hoped all would be forgiven. I didn’t need, nor did I want, to fight my protégé.
The minions continued to exit the church, growing. Their steady stream was akin to ants leaving a nest but not in a single file. Deciding to see how much Zorta I invested into my next upgrade to save time, I opened my upgrades.
Necromancer Level 5 -} Necromancer Level 6 = 21,172.003 Zorta. (YES) or (NO)
Interesting. I really wondered what the next step was. I couldn’t imagine I’d go from 1,500 to 15,000 minions. Plus, I had those odd champion numbers. I checked my stats since I had finally leveled everything I could as of that morning.
Name: Damien Moonguard
Race: Human
Affiliation: Nordan
Zorta: 7277.558
Nordan Score: 21,415,101
Ostriva Score: 949,620
Location: Kalo Island
Magic Type: Healer
Healer Level: 12
Magic Type 2: Necromancer
Necromancy Level: 5
Necromancer Minions: 1500/1500
Fighting Level: Decent
Mana: 225/225
Mana Recharge: 8
Strength: 15
Stamina: 14
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 16
Willpower: 14
Cultivation: 19
Intelligence: 34
Wisdom: 34
Charisma: 30
Tracking: 13
Endurance: 15
Perception: 19
Burst: 14
Reflex: 12
Healing: 11
Melee Combat: 11
Aim: 6
Hunger: 3
Thirst: 4
Aging: 59 years until death.
“Whatcha doing?” Delsy asked.
“Blame the reaper, not me. I promise consuming the others wasn’t intentional, and we will get you some centaurs in the valley. Also, I’m sorry,” I said.
“Uh… I was going to say the matogators are too hard to claim, and we’re clearly on the go,” Delsy said and smiled. “Eager to keep me happy, are ya?”
“Yeah, I never wanted Nessio to betray us, so I figure I’ll just bribe you. Necromancers need all the friends they can get,” I admitted.
“Damien… thanks. You’re a standup guy and indeed, a friend. You’re a shitty instructor, but you’re a friend,” she teased, heading for her home in Seqa.
I left the rooftop, tromping down the ladder then into Caitlyn’s church. Delsy didn’t follow me, but Mini did. He guarded the door as I went to the altar.
Taking a knee before Caitlyn’s shrine, I said, “I’d like to withdraw my Zorta from the treasury.”
Four bags appeared beside me, materializing in a mist of pink. No comment. No Caitlyn. Just bags of Z deposited in an instant.
Odd.
“I need to rebuild this church. This city will fall, and this church will be razed,” I said.
An orb sparkled into creation, coming to float in front of me. The pink and purple ball of energy vibrated like an audio visualizer back on earth.
“There is no current threat to the church. Therefore, you can extract fifty percent of Zorta invested. Would you like to continue? (YES) - (NO)” the disembodied voice said.
“Can
I revive Bell?” I asked.
“No.”
Good, she’s alive then.
“Will reverting the church negatively affect Bell?” I asked.
“No.”
“Will reverting the church negatively affect Caitlyn?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“How big of a donation will offset the negative effect?” I asked.
“Five thousand Zorta. The church is worth more as others use it.”
I thought I was talking to one of the six. It certainly wasn’t Caitlyn. I nodded in understanding and said, “Revert the church to a plain warehouse and keep the Zorta for Caitlyn. Let her know I will build her a new church soon.”
“Understood.”
The orb vanished. A second later, lidka skeletons trooped in, securing my treasury. Between the chests, the sacks, and the donations I handed out for people to hide, we had at least twenty thousand Z to use as a safety net.
I patted a random lidka on the back, figuring Caitlyn had to be busy with her new champion. I decided to not fret over her sudden absence, heading to my estate to help my lovely Tarla prepare to leave.
The trip required some reflection, and I couldn’t help but be disappointed by Nessio’s betrayal. I had been wrong to trust her. At the same time, she was innocent until she acted in deceit. Killing my friends because they might betray me wasn't me.
I shook my head free of the thoughts. I had bigger issues - like how to keep over a thousand of my people safe against two armies.
INTERMISSION 2
Ikara Valley
Toneba
Toneba wore a ragged cloak, the holes letting in the blistering wind. The palms above him smacked in anger as the storm intensified. He soaked in the pain of whipping rain, letting it help him through the numbness.
His nights remained haunted, the images of a ruined Tarb recurrently visiting him even during the day. Yet again, he flashed back, eyes glazing over.
The bodies of soldiers hung from the walls. Their flesh remained charred, signs of gnawing from the centaurs and minotaurs clear as day. The birds pecked at the corpses, devouring everything left behind.