“This may be our best chance. We give them time to get out of the city, but then we strike,” he said.
Sthuza paid for their drinks, then they split into pairs to track the patrol and keep watch on the gatehouse.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Gabriel and Reyna met up with his bonded an hour later.
“You were correct, Master, there are far fewer guards than I expected to find. The main gate is manned by only two soldiers, both of whom wore gambeson and mail. The baron’s family has indeed fallen hard from the last time I traveled through the city,” Sthuza said.
Reyna flashed the gorgon a strange look but kept her mouth shut.
“Yeah, I’m still surprised that he’d send out the full-strength patrol after how many he lost in the dungeon,” Gabriel said. “We watched all twelve of them march out the east gate.”
“That crusty shit-stain screwed up big time lowering his guard. I can’t wait to get my claws into his flesh. I’m going to make that pig squeal for hours before I kill him,” Reyna all but snarled.
Gabriel glanced at the petite hellion, then over to his Prime.
‘Yes, Master. We will need to keep a careful watch on her. We cannot afford to let her indulge her revenge too long. But I may have something that could work for her.’
What’s that?
‘When you mentioned how Estrial and her party treated you, I decided to prepare a special punishment for them. When we defeat them, my plan is to trap each of their souls in S-Crystals.’
But they don’t work on most humanoids.
‘Ah, but these do. They are a dungeoncrafted version of the S-Crystals that summoners use to house monsters. Unfortunately, I only have four, and Lady Merideva is nowhere near ready to produce more. They are harder to create than a Domain Crystal. If I offer one to Miss Reyna, we would have to let one of the adventurers avoid their just punishment.’
Gabriel thought back to the elf and her fellow adventurers. White-hot fury welled up at the thought of Estrial, and it burned even brighter when he recalled the spiteful twins. But Torrik hadn’t mocked Gabriel during the event. He was the only one who had seemed conflicted.
The dwarf, Torrik, he didn’t torment me. I can still see the look of disgust in his eyes at the way the twins treated me. If we spare him, we could steal the baron’s soul and let Reyna get the closure she needs without delaying our quest.
‘Yes, that would work, Master. So long as you are willing to let the bearded one escape with a single death, I will arrange for one of the crystals to be ready for the baron.’
Do you have to do something to prepare them?
Gabriel was more than a little surprised at that idea. S-Crystals created a small pocket of space, much like a dimensional bag, that was formed from the Astral Realm. When used on a viable target, their soul could be entombed within the crystal.
The S-Crystals he knew of were ranked according to tier. Other than that, their only variable was whether they had been used on a soul or not. Higher quality ones allowed more powerful souls to be bound to them and provided more luxurious habitats within them.
He’d even heard that the rarest allowed the owner to travel inside the crystal and interact with the soul entombed within. But, given that even the cheapest ones had been far beyond his means before becoming a Dungeon Master, he hadn’t researched any details.
‘These crystals must be prepared for the type and power range of the soul to capture. If set to the wrong type, it might capture only a portion or even fail outright. Given their rarity and the fact that we can ill afford to leave Lady Merideva’s Domain for long, I do not wish to make a mistake.’
Thanks. If we’re going to punish anyone, that asshole noble should be right there at the top of the list. All of this, my expulsion and everything since then, was because of his greed.
“Are you two done playing mind-footsy yet?” Reyna asked.
Gabriel snorted at her words and glanced toward his Prime. The dark blush on Sthuza’s cheeks as she glared at the werebadger caused him to laugh. “Yeah, we’re done. Sthuza has a way to let you give the baron the punishment he so richly deserves while not delaying our hunt.”
Reyna spared the gorgon the briefest glance before she turned her suspicious gaze back to Gabriel. “Really? You lot better not be getting my hopes up without finishing the job. Imma be all kinds of pissed if any of you screw this up for me. I can’t wait to peel his skin off.”
Before either of his bonded could reply, Gabriel brushed Cindra’s bond with a soothing mental caress. He framed a more detailed thought for Sthuza.
Relax, Reyna’s not threatening me. She’s just scared of betrayal. It’ll be fine.
He turned his focus back to Reyna. “Yes, really. Sthuza brought a crystal that will trap the baron’s soul when he dies. Once we do that, you’ll have plenty of time to punish him at your leisure. As an added bonus, it should prevent him from being resurrected—if he has any Divine Favors stashed away.”
That put a smile on the petite lycan’s face. “In that case, we can do it your way. But I still want to hit him before we go chasing your ex-girlfriend. And I’m gonna make that putrid ass-gobbler suffer before we kill him.”
“Do not doubt, Miss Reyna. Master gave you his word that we would deal with this ignoble nuisance before we leave the city. He will not go back on it.”
“Yeah, Baron threatened Pack. Never leave a danger alive to strike when we turn our backs,” Cindra chimed in, and Gabriel couldn’t help but smile at the larger woman’s intensity.
Reyna switched her glare to each of them but finally nodded and sighed. “Okay. So, when are we going to attack? I can’t wait much longer.” As if to emphasize her point, the werebadger all but vibrated in her eagerness.
“That is what we reconvened to discuss,” Sthuza replied. “And I agree with Master that we should strike now. The fact that the baron dispatched that patrol makes this too good of an opportunity to pass up.”
They continued to discuss the number of guards they’d each spotted, both patrolling the city and the ones stationed in and around the castle.
“That makes our best estimate at thirty to thirty-five guards. We only saw two mages, but it is a safe bet that there will be at least a few more stationed within the keep itself,” Sthuza said in summation of their reports.
“I know that seems like a lot, but remember, we killed over thirty when Kelith attacked. Plus, I might have an idea on how to swing things heavily in our favor,” Gabriel said.
“Oh, you do more than just serve as a pretty fucktoy for these two?” Reyna asked, then turned to snarl at Cindra when the larger woman growled. “Hey, I said he was pretty, right?”
The hellhound scrunched her nose and glared at Reyna for several seconds, then flashed a broad smile and nodded. “Packmaster best male ever. Cindra can’t wait for the next mating time.”
Reyna leaned back and swallowed, then nodded slowly. “Yeah… right, good for you,” she said, then turned back toward Gabriel. “So anyway, you had a plan?”
He grinned and nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t see either of the mages, but I bet the one in the blue-and-silver robes is High Wizard Tobias Falken. He’s not an adventurer, but he’s probably the strongest mage in the city. I’d rather not face him in a spell duel if we can help it.”
“Is he part of the baron’s guard detachment? If so, I struggle to see how we could take him out without him fighting back,” Sthuza said.
“I doubt we could sneak up on him. He’d probably have too many defenses against stealth anyway, at least anything we could manage. No, my idea is that we rush the gate guards and put the whole place on alert,” Gabriel said, and he couldn’t hold back a smug grin at the bewildered looks on the faces of his companions.
“While I admire your confidence in our success, Master, I do not believe it wise to give the defenders a chance to consolidate. Our best chance at victory will be to take them out piecemeal. Just as we did with the ones that tried to steal Lady Meridev
a.”
Gabriel chuckled. “Ah, but the best thing is that Tobias’ tower is connected to the guard’s barracks. I remember Kelith mentioning that the old mage spends all of his time in his study researching magic. Except for the half-hour or so in which he restores the spells he casts for the baron each day.”
“I’m with rat-breath over there, how does him holing up with all the off-duty guards help us?” Reyna asked.
“It lets us know exactly where he and most of the guards will be. While I have my doubts about facing him in a spell duel, I bet I have enough raw power now to overwhelm him with a surprise attack.”
“Kelith’s Fireball spell?” Sthuza asked as a look of comprehension crossed her face. She giggled, then nodded. “Of course, Cindra is all but immune to even the hottest of flames. She could serve as bait to draw their attention while you prepare a single spell to defeat his shields. Everyone would be too busy with her to interfere with your work.”
“Exactly,” he said, then looked to his taller bonded. “I don’t like the idea of risking you. This will be dangerous, but with my buffs and Sthuza attacking from range, I know you can handle them long enough for me to pull off an enhanced spell.”
“Why are you so sure you can take out this asshole if he’s such a badass mage?”
“Because the type of shield he’ll erect when he hears the alarm won’t be well-suited to handling the sort of attack I have planned. We’re talking a fire spell powerful enough to incinerate anything flammable. He’ll survive the initial blast, but I doubt he’ll be ready to deal with the scorching air and ash.
“Once the guards are all dead, and Tobias is distracted by the threat of more magic, Cindra will be perfectly positioned to finish him.”
“So I get to kill the bad mage?” the hellhound asked.
“Yep. Think you can handle it?” Gabriel replied as he flashed her a cocky grin.
Cindra beamed at him and bounced on her toes as she nodded. “Definitely, Packmaster!”
“Good. This should allow us to eliminate the majority of the defenders all at once. After that, we can take our time going room to room inside the keep and hunt down Baron Alberik. Sound good?”
Gabriel looked at each of them in turn and smiled when they all nodded.
“Yes, Master. And I believe I have the perfect potion to help Cindra buy the time you need.”
“Great. Then let’s get ready and watch for the guard shift.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Gabriel and his companions set up around the corner from the castle gate. It was easy to watch as the guards processed the handful of visitors that entered or exited the baron’s estate. The two men in mail hauberks were the only ones in sight.
Imposing twin towers flanked a massive portcullis. Designed to let archers punish anyone attempting to assault the castle, they wouldn’t be an issue once Gabriel, Reyna, and his bonded got through the gate.
If we do this right, they won’t have time to get anyone up there. The only way in or out is through the barracks we’re going to strike. Assuming we can get in before they drop the portcullis.
That was the only sticking point in his plan. If he had more time, and knew more glyphs, he could likely blast his way through the thick wooden doors and the massive steel portcullis.
“I still wish we could find another way past the gate, Master. If they have the time to drop the portcullis, we have no way to breach it.”
Cindra might be able to cut through it eventually, but that would give the city watch time to come down on us.
Gabriel had the strangest certainty about their attack. He felt an overwhelming confidence that they would pull it off, and he decided to trust his instincts. “Yeah, but I’ve got a good feeling about this plan. It sounds a little weird, but I know this is the best way to do it. We’ll succeed, and then we move straight for the barracks.”
Probably another aspect of being a DM.
‘I do not know, Master. But I trust you and will follow your lead.’
He flashed a sincere smile at his Prime, then checked on the other two women. Cindra had the biggest grin he’d ever seen and was bouncing in place. Sthuza had taken her aside for a bit and must have said something that had the hellhound even more eager than usual.
To prepare for the fight, he wove an Armor Reinforcement spell on Cindra but left it dormant.
Once activated, that should protect her long enough for me to blast the guards.
It was equally obvious that Reyna was at least as ready to rumble as the larger monster girl. But where the hellhound’s expression made him smile, Reyna’s rage-twisted face unsettled Gabriel more than he wanted to admit.
The petite werebadger hadn’t explained why she wanted the baron so badly. All Reyna had shared with them was that he’d done something, and she needed to make him pay. Given the rumors about the baron, Gabriel could only imagine the man had done something truly awful to someone Reyna cared about.
This isn’t just about revenge. Eliminating the baron will protect Meri, and that’s the important thing. Plus, there’s no telling how many people we’ll save from future abuse at the bastard’s hands.
‘I must confess I care little what happens to the people up here, but you are correct, Master. This gets justice for the wrongs he committed against you, and it protects Lady Merideva. We should also try to learn if he has shared her secret with anyone else.’
Yeah, afterward. Right now, we focus on killing everyone that gets in our way.
Just as they’d expected, a pair of fresh guards switched places with the two men, and Gabriel waited until the relieved soldiers disappeared down the main street before he signaled for Cindra to go.
The late afternoon sun slowly dipped toward the city wall, and the new guards settled into the small outpost beside the main gate. Since the castle held the city’s governmental offices, the fortified entrance was left open during the day. If he and his bonded waited too much longer, the guards would seal the gate for the night, and they would have to wait until the next day.
This is it. It’ll work. I know it will.
‘Do not worry about us, Master. I will watch over them while you prepare the spell.’
Gabriel worked to keep his mind calm as they approached. The gatehouse had magical sensors set up to detect any active spells that got too close to the gate. He didn’t think it would pick up the dormant defense spell he’d placed on Cindra.
The mana it leaks shouldn’t be a problem. Hopefully, they won’t pick up Sthuza’s disguise either.
One of the guards called out in a high-pitched, weak voice, “Ah, and what business do you three ladies have with Baron Alberik this late at night?”
“We have news from the Guild about the baron’s son,” Sthuza replied. Gabriel couldn’t see from where he hid behind Cindra, but he heard both men swear and shift at her words.
“Even if you’re from the Guild, you’ll be having to submit to a search,” the other man said.
Again that fiery rage washed over Gabriel at the blatant lust in the guard’s voice. He clenched the hilt of his sword and bit his lip to suppress the urge to rush the man.
‘Calm yourself, Master. These deplorable wretches will not live long enough to do anything more than leer at us. Focus your fury and be ready for the next phase. We are all counting on your magic to even the odds.’
Gabriel blew out a long breath and nodded to himself.
Thanks.
Sthuza sent him a feeling of smug pleasure and then said something else to the guard. Gabriel didn’t pay attention. Instead, he focused on the new glyphs in his mind once more.
Before Merideva saved him, he would never have suggested such a risky plan. Not only were his bonded counting on him to deliver a massive attack spell in the heat of combat, but the spell used glyphs that he’d only studied for one day. Most mages spent months or even years researching a new spell before attempting to use it.
I can do it. Something happened when Meri made me her DM. I memor
ized those glyphs in a fraction of the time I spent learning previous ones.
A bellow from Cindra signaled that the time for waiting was over.
Gabriel shook his head to clear the ringing caused by her roar and stepped to the side to look past the hellhound.
He spotted Reyna in midair and mid-shift. Her cute face was set in a snarling grimace of rage as she leapt at the leftmost guard. Thick fur sprouted from her skin, and she grew several inches just in time to smash into the unprepared guardsman.
The short man’s sword was still sheathed, leaving him defenseless for her attack. Snarling, she rode him down to the ground.
He screamed, but Reyna snapped forward and ripped his face off. She pulled back and ruined bits of flesh hung from her fanged maw.
I think I’m actually getting used to that kind of sight now.
Gabriel shook the thought away and triggered the latent spell on Cindra. He felt a slight strain as the magical defense activated. Then he turned his attention to his task and started to gather the sizable amount of mana the Fireball would require.
A major part of spellcasting was readying the mana and putting it into the spell construct. But with the ability to split his focus, Gabriel was able to harness the mana as he rushed into the castle. He didn’t want to risk that an alert guard might trigger the portcullis and seal them out.
Sthuza pulled her bow from the smallest pouch on her belt, then stepped over to his side. “I think the fuzzheads have these two under control, Master. Let us get into position for your spell.”
He grinned at her and jogged into the baron’s castle while Cindra attacked the standing guard.
“What kind of mon—” the man started to yell, but he had to drop to the ground when Cindra whipped her greatsword around.
The guard fell forward, but rolled to his left and dodged her follow-up strike. He continued the move and leapt back to his feet.
It was obvious the man stood no chance of survival against Cindra alone. Instead of even drawing the longsword at his hip, he spun on his heels and raced toward the gatehouse.
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