Isekai Magus: A LitRPG Progression Saga

by Han Yang

  I glanced around, not finding the enemy chieftain. I figured he was dead from Sprinkles’ explosion.

  Whatever orc had assumed command saw the banner. In the orc ranks, the white for retreat was raised. It was as if the collective enemy army sighed in relief.

  Slight problem for them, though. I didn’t call my attack off. Sure, I didn’t advance my troops, but my minions continued to kill the enemy as they tried to leave the muck filled grounds. To be fair, a lot of the orcs engaged in combat didn’t abate their attacks either.

  The retreat would cost the orcs, and I tempted fate with my actions.

  I raised another two hundred dead, only increasing the size of our victory. When the enemy retreated into the jungle, I saw the swarm of dragons divert, heading back north. So ended the Battle of Muddy Fields.

  I glanced over the carnage, seeing Mini continue to kill the wounded or those stuck in the mud. I paced in agitation, the reality of the cost of this victory set in. I didn’t want to accept that my greatest asset had died.

  My reaper cleared his throat, pointing to the littered dead.

  “Soon.” I said, and he nodded.

  “Outstanding victory,” Asha commented.

  “I know,” I said dryly.

  “There’ll be other cyclops, though he was large and mighty. Rest in pieces, you ugly idiot,” Tarla said in a supportive tease.

  Her banter hit the spot. I proceeded to laugh while holding back my sadness.

  “How will we clear roads?” Famo asked, arriving at our command group.

  I sighed and said, “We will persist, no matter what. But… I may have a plan or two in the works. Excellent shooting, Famo.”

  “Many levels were gained today, and our prowess grows,” Famo said, and I nodded.

  “Asha, go collect the rest of the orbs and then Tarla will ensure each group gets their due pay,” I ordered, and the elva nodded, calling over Charlie who trampled a dead orc for fun.

  “You did well, even if you lost Sprinkles,” Famo said in a stern manner.

  “Six hells, I worked my ass off to get him to this point, but it was either him eating thousands of spells or us losing most of our army and probably only winning because of me. I… I have regrets,” I admitted.

  “You crafty human, we love you,” Nee shouted from the main army, heading toward us.

  “The goblins certainly appreciate the sacrifice,” Tarla said with a snicker.

  “They’re our true might. None will see it, but I did. Even if we lost three quarters of them to magic, they would have carried the day, over orcs no less. I can only imagine how many will join us now,” I said.

  Nee arrived with a hearty laugh and said, “The troll city at our back sent a message, realizing the outcome before the orcs did. The orcs were blinded by greed. It's always about wealth to them whereas goblins like me just want family. Moonguard is the best family in the world.”

  I grabbed the parchment, unrolling it to read out loud, “We made a mistake. Please accept a bribe to not siege our city.”

  I snorted then laughed.

  “They were expecting you to lose and forget they killed me. I’ll send one of my husbands with an empty wagon. He’ll demand food, coin, and Zorta,” Nee said proudly.

  “I want the ballista they have on their walls, at least three of them and a few hundred bolts,” I said.

  “Cyclops hunting?” Famo asked.

  “Something like that. We’re heading north of the road the second this field solidifies. I want geomancers using Zorta to refill their magic and make us a road out,” I ordered.

  Yermica and Nee, bowed, leaving to carry out my orders.

  “Where to, Boss?” Famo asked.

  Tarla kissed my cheek and said, “To the cavern of doom. Assuming the minotaurs don’t intercede.”

  I pulled her in tight before surprising her. I tossed her over my shoulder, heading for our carriage. The fighting was over, and I wanted to lavish my lovely Tarla with love instead of moping about Sprinkles.

  CHAPTER 64

  Quari Jungle

  “Absolutely not,” Ambassador Treolina said with folded arms. The female minotaur saw my desire to quibble, heading off a chain of conversation by stating, “Hydra lake is a preserve, an intentional preserve. We’re not idiots. In fact, we’re smarter than humans, and your discovery irritates me on a personal level. As you saw, feeding the lake provides excessive gains, and if you saw raw Zorta for the taking, you merely missed the collection that would have come soon after.”

  I let out a long “Ah…”

  My plans to reap hydra were foiled, and a valuable lesson had been bestowed upon me. When you make a farm, the bigger the better.

  “And trading within your city?” Nick asked. “We could use supplies for our growing army.”

  “As if this rabble is actually your army. Koor is off limits. Torro’s request. Get the six hells out of our jungle and be happy the minotaur army is not assembling to crush your pathetic force,” Ambassador Treolina said, hopping onto a hairless mammoth.

  The massive duo casually returned to the rest of the hostile delegation.

  “So friendly,” I said.

  “I heard that,” Ambassador Treolina said, turning her mount. She gazed at me over her shoulder, raising her voice to be clear. “If you leave the road for anything besides to kill the spider blight, you’ll die. I’m not sure what you said to impress War Chief Torro. I do know you have idiot humans bribing us to kill you which only makes me hate you slightly less. His recommendation, and Prince Tao’s pleading, was enough to sway our council to let you freely pass. This is your last warning.”

  She left, her escort flanking her sides. The smaller minotaurs rode massive jungle cats, and I grew envious. This had clearly been a show of force, and the message was received.

  I deflated, turning to face Nick. “Welcome back.”

  “Yeah, this council is smart. They are amassing their forces even if they’re saying we’re fine. We don’t want to mess with that, and I recommend doing what you did to the human army; getting ahead of them and staying there,” Nick recommended.

  “Yeah, yeah, I get it. I literally traded for two ballista, taking the reduced amount instead of supplies for our growing army,” I said and then thumbed across the river. “And I can’t add the naga forces to ours. Or trade for more wagons, tents, and… I need to stop complaining. Sorry, still salty over Sprinkles’ sudden sacrifice - so, so sad.”

  “Surprised you managed that one without twisting your tongue,” Nick said.

  “His tongue is very agile,” Tarla said, and I coughed, blushing intensely. “Ha! I knew that would get you to smile. Cheer up, Damien. We persist.”

  I sighed, shaking my head at the silliness. They were clearly trying to cheer me up.

  “Alright, let’s go fight this Archa Queen. We need all the Z we can get,” I said, heading to my carriage.

  Nee dipped her head, her yellow eyes shining with happiness. “You heard the Necro Lord, we march to war!”

  A drum thrummed loudly, and the snap of reins spoke of the caravan getting underway. I rocked the carriage, stepping up the ladder. The sounds of groaning from the top of the vehicle left me snickering.

  Fresh goblin recruits were being overfed and stuffed anywhere we could put them. Nee guaranteed they’d be harmless, and I trusted every goblin in our camp. Yermica assured me the new troll recruits were isolated in the camp and given a week to join the tribe or leave.

  I found Zhogath snoring on my bed and couldn’t help but chuckle. When Tarla bolted the door, she kicked the dragon off his comfy perch.

  Tarla’s sly grin and mischievous sparkling eyes hinted at a bedroom adventure. The insatiable woman was everything I could have imagined in a partner. Our lips locked in a long and fiery kiss.

  My roaming hands traced the hourglass figure, landing on her juicy booty. When I struggled with her robes, my growing lust was dashed by a knock on the door.

  She planted a loving k
iss on my cheek, and I headed for my spot at the command table. Tarla unbolted the door to find Nick asking to come in. The minotaur barely fit in the carriage, squeezing in. Large was obviously subjective.

  He set a book down on the table, taking a seat.

  “They let you go shopping,” I said.

  He nodded with and smiled, his small horns appeared to have been cleaned recently. If I were to guess, he was treated nicely during his visit in Koor.

  “I have never hidden what I am to you. I’m a friend and deciding to join your side instead of the mercenaries that joined the large army has paid dividends. Father will be proud. Extremely so. I’ve earned status in Koor, and I found this.” His large nubbed finger tapped on the book he set on the command table.

  When he spun the spine to reveal the name, I blurted, “Damn.”

  The Six Gods and The Creator: A Multiverse Origins Tale

  “You listen well,” I said, and he pulled out another book, wagging it in front of him. “And that is?”

  “This is my notes, Asha’s notes, and even some tidbits from Caitlyn herself. Parnic left me a copy of his meeting before he departed. Some minotaurs crave battle, others crave Zorta, some crave making heirs, and then the weirdos like me thrive for knowledge,” Nick said, tucking his book away and into his vest.

  “Is this a gift or a loaner?” I asked.

  “Gift. My copy is in my saddle. Once we reach the plains, we turn south, correct?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  Tarla finished grabbing her supplies for making a hat, taking her seat. “Oh, are you finally going to tell us your plan?”

  “I had every right to keep things…” the snap of reins and the lurching jostle of the carriage told me we were underway. “…secret. When we’re parallel to Stri, I take it you’d like to go home?”

  Nick inclined his head in a slow single nod. “The reality is that your strategy was easy to predict. Go away from the humans, gain power, and then rescue your High Priestess.”

  “Ah, we turn south for where?” Tarla asked, focusing on her sewing.

  How she managed to thread a needle while the carriage moved was beyond me. The woman was gifted in unique ways. She was the true treasure of Nordan.

  “Tarb. We go to conquer Tarb. At least that was my plan. I also thought reaching necromancer six would be twenty-five thousand minions unlocked,” I said with a sour grunt, tapping my fingers on the table in frustration.

  “So, you want to continue with the plan?” Tarla asked with a raised brow of interest.

  “Well, with a few diversions. We will continue to amass an army even if they’re skeletal. Ah, that reminds me, let me see…”

  I checked my upgrades and smirked.

  Necromancer Level 6 -} Necromancer Level 7 = 35,000 Zorta

  “Thirty-five thousand Zorta to get to necromancer seven,” I said with a sigh. “Not the worst.”

  “You’ll just need to use your advantages wisely,” Nick said.

  Tarla added a puckering, “Yup.”

  “I agree. The winter snows coming soon should help,” I said, grabbing the book. “No point in getting too far ahead of ourselves. Would Stri be willing to trade?”

  “Stri is two weeks from the great plains, but yes, they most certainly would welcome gold, metal, and meat.” He snickered, likely figuring out a part of my plan. “Will I be doing the trading?”

  I nodded with a smirk. Tarla rolled her eyes, and I said, “All will be revealed in due time.”

  “I’ll buy you a map for after, but you will cut through the valley between Karn and Fraunt. That is where the savannah type landscape meets the grasslands. Then you turn for Tarb or get off early and take the old miners’ road,” Nick said.

  “Again, we’re getting ahead of ourselves,” I said.

  “You think we’ll catch Toneba and the infantry before they return?” Tarla asked.

  I shrugged. “I’m not sure. This army now has an extra thousand plus goblins and trolls. We have an extra five hundred minions too, and I plan to increase that number before the big battle. I’m fully aware that Toneba will be raising a larger cavalry force to find me, but yes, if we catch him in the middle of winter unaware, we may free Bell,” I said with a sigh.

  Tarla frowned, not loving the idea. “I miss Seqa. So, we crush Toneba and maybe even kill Tao and his mount? Then what? Do we live in Tarb? They’ll fight us until we are ejected. If I was King Karn, I’d never let you hold that city.”

  “I… I don’t know, my love. I wish I had a perfect answer, but I do not. Nick, this Archa Queen, why has she persisted to this point?” I asked.

  “The effort is not worth the reward. The spiders in the blight emit a mist that’s a slow toxin. Stay too long and you wake up in a web. Common strategy is that you go in, clear a bit, retreat to heal and get fresh air, and then repeat. All the while the spiders are nearly worthless, and the queen herself isn’t something grand. The webbing is useless, and the spider parts hold almost no value,” he said.

  “And an army of undead?” I asked.

  “I would say to send your scouts and human knights forward. Earn the few hundred Zorta and make the Koor council happy. Because they can and will hunt you down if you piss them off, and that means you need to limit how much your cats harvest,” Nick said.

  I nodded sadly.

  “Tell Asha to come visit. Looks like I’ll be taking a human skeleton to visit these blighted woods.” I tapped the book. “Thanks again for this, I appreciate the thought, and this seems like a good read. Someone at least knew how many gods there were, so it might be prudent.”

  “I can summarize. The six planets are from six universes, and the six original gods were lost. They found each other through a portal link based on gravities between suns and planets. Any thoughts?” Nick asked.

  “Might make more sense than everything being in the same universe. I’ll ask Caitlyn at the next church I build and will try to send you a report on her reply. I’ll also read this in more detail myself,” I said.

  He smiled, patting the table in thanks before he left the carriage.

  I watched him as he managed to get out of the moving vehicle without issue, the door hanging open. Asha rode Charlie over, hopping off the mount and running into the carriage. When he closed the door, he handed me a piece of paper.

  “Nee’s report,” he said. “I scouted the area. We’re being followed from a distance and my scouts are being penned in.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t even release the cats and Zhogath is snoring under the table. We shouldn’t hit many snags on our way to the plains,” I said, handing Tarla the report.

  “It is a quality road. Did you need anything else besides the report?” Asha asked.

  “I want to work on my sword and lancing skills while in skeleton form of a human. Send the human knights, and the mount-less matogators to wherever this Archa Queen is. I’ll join you when you arrive, and we’ll cleanse the forest with free labor,” I told him.

  “Thank you for your tireless work Asha,” Tarla said, dismissing him.

  She handed me the report back, both of us watching him exit.

  I unrolled the parchment and frowned. “This can’t be right.”

  “I trust Nee. Even if this seems off, I believe it to be real.”

  Tribe Head Count

  2372 Goblins

  833 Baby Trolls

  411 Trolls

  12 Hounds

  122 Young Hounds

  A lot of minions and they won’t stop for me to count.

  Segregated arrivals were given 1 week to assimilate

  Trolls - 629

  Supplies:

  4 wagons of frozen meat.

  1 wagon of vegetables.

  1 wagon of fruit.

  If you need an order list for trading, we need more items to make winter clothing, and supplies to build our huts atop matogators. Or wagons.

  Yermica and I suggest converting the matogator scouts into mobile homes and having the human
minions scout. If you need me, I’ll be processing the handouts from the battle in the treasury wagon.

  “The segregated trolls must be from the city and whatever of the retreating force that defected. I would have to assume a lot of the trolls wouldn’t want to continue north with a broken army,” I said.

  “You realize what this means right?” Tarla asked.

  I nocked. “We’re going to have a whole lot of goblins to feed, but a whole lot of spell casters.”

  “That and we’re going to slow down without wagons,” Tarla said.

  “Shit. Logistics.” I sighed. “We have no one to trade, no smelter to convert our metal, and will be on the move. I guess trading with Stri will be that much more important. I fear we’ll pick up even more goblins as we exit this jungle.”

  Tarla smiled. “Not the worst problem to have, and we have spare mounts. We just need to build some wagons. Maybe Famo can.”

  “I’ll convert the matogator scouts after the Archa Queen. Oh, or... Remember that shitty two horse platform we built? Alright, no sense in always worrying. We can always make do. Now, my lovely lady, if you’ll excuse me, I have some combat training to perform.”

  I kissed her cheek then headed to the bed.

  ∞∞∞

  Riding a horse while being a skeleton required a different kind of focus. I trotted my undead stallion ahead of our caravan with Asha and the other skeletons. We didn’t stop for two days, charging hard for the blighted zone.

  I wasn’t surprised when we traveled past big groups of goblins using the road to find us.

  I didn’t need to guess. I knew I was a goblin lord more than a necro lord at that point. When I would dive back to my real body, it became evident that the caravan was going too slow. All reports pointed to a horde of goblins descending to serve the champion of Caitlyn.

  I even got a letter from the minotaurs telling me to return their escaped slaves. I had told them to come and tell me which ones were missing and never received a reply.

  Nee bragged that all the arrivals were here for a few reasons. Partly because she was a goblin ogre, giving off a rich scent and the other part was the power. The army’s scent wafted might. Apparently, when you mixed all the things going on in our camp, the Moonguard Tribe was a goblin mecca of sorts.