Death Knight Box Set

by Michael Chatfield

  “Might have been a really powerful and pissed-off necro,” Claire said from ahead.

  Tommie listened to every word. He had heard of this before in tales and legends. “What was it called?”

  “I’m not sure. Claire?” Damien looked ahead.

  “Ashmere, the gnome holy land,” Claire said.

  The hairs on the back of Tommie’s neck rose.

  “Ascen was a mix of Ashmere, from before, and central. This became the center of Dena and of the people. We created a capital here that had people from all races and all backgrounds. It rested on the bones of our ancestors. Wonder why there is a massive hill in the middle of an otherwise flat area?” Claire turned and looked at them. Her eyes fell on Tommie.

  “When Ashmere fell, the creations from the city tore through Dena. It took the people working together, the first time all of the races operated as one, to push back the machines, destroying them and cleansing Ashmere. They sealed the capital until the Guardians came across it, led by our ancestors. With the people of Dena, we created Ascen. I think that the first Guardian leader just forgot to add in the d to Ascend. That guy’s penmanship was horrible!”

  “He was half blind,” Claire said.

  “And probably half legible, in his mind. I swear, he had secretaries there to just decipher his words!”

  Claire built herself up and then let out a sigh. “Yeah, actually, that is probably true. We rarely get any normal people as the leader of the Guardians.” Claire shrugged.

  “Keeps it exciting, though! He might have been half blind but he kept on escaping his guards all the time and dressing up as a regular Guardian and taking on jobs all over the place.” Anthony laughed.

  “Well, he thought that others didn’t know who he was. Wasn’t really hard to track a battle scarred Dwarf bard with a mechanical fake eye. Bard’s have an almost impossible time keeping their mouths shut anyway. Trust me that eye wasn’t just for decoration, could see better than someone with four eyes.” Claire said.

  “What? No... Really?”

  “Gave the guards a few days off before they went to go and find him. Why do you think that he would be fighting off dragons, or an insurgency every time he went off? It was great for the random Guardian locations—had someone high powered to clear out the area. Set an example for the other Guardians to go out and clear the rosters in different faraway lands. You never noticed how they always mentioned the people who went to the frigid north, or the deserts and the crappy places to carry out their duties?” Claire asked.

  “Well, what about the time we went to the north to deal with that ice troll incident?”

  “Oh, I knew full well that it would get us on the board. You had been bugging me for months. They really did need our help and it would get you off my ass about getting on the board, because it was so damn cold up there.”

  “You used the board against me?” Anthony asked, aghast.

  “Ahh, they’re so cute when they’re dumb.” Claire pat his head and looked at Aila, who snorted. Damien looked away, coughing as he admired his landscape.

  Tommie cracked a smile, his eyes shining, excited to see Ashmere, a place of gnome legends.

  ***

  “Why are we going through the sewage pipe? Again?” Anthony complained.

  “This is not what I pictured.” Tommie looked at the pipe that connected to a river that ran into the big lake to the northeast of Ascen.

  “Well, come on,” Claire said. She used some magic to cut a lock and open the door.

  “Always into the pipes. Have to be all sneaky—never just go in through the front door,” Anthony complained to himself.

  Damien looked at Anthony and Tommie.

  “He had a bad time with a berg in Norland,” Tommie said. They had left their mounts in the forest. He checked his gear—his backpack of knickknacks and the short sword on his waist.

  “We don’t talk about that!” Anthony said as he reached the entrance to the pipe.

  “Keep it down,” Claire hissed and pushed him inside.

  “I couldn’t get the smell out of my clothes for a week,” Aila complained, following them.

  “You were also tied to the back of the ship—” Tommie cut his words off as he saw Aila’s hand on one of her blades, her eyes staring into his soul.

  “Yeah, that was the berg.”

  “Yes, it was.” Aila kept moving.

  “What happened on the ship?” Damien asked in a low voice as they entered the massive pipe.

  ***

  “Here we are.” Claire cut a hole in the side of the pipe with her magic. It fell away and dropped a few feet.

  She stepped out and dropped to the ground. Anthony went afterward and Aila followed. With her Night Vision, she could see every grisly detail of the pipe.

  As she got to the hole, she looked at the gnome capital.

  There were massive gears that had collapsed, falling on buildings and crushing them. Sections had been covered with dirt and debris, only a few sections she could see. There were large open areas where one could land or take off with their aerial beasts. Chimneys sprouted everywhere. Buildings seemed to look more like they were built around the giant capital turned machine. Like ants gathering around a clock and living inside it.

  Water wheels fanned out, a complicated system of water and steam pipes connecting the capital together and powering it.

  She stepped out of the pipe and looked over it all.

  The central building had been shattered. Now just a broken mess, massive metal supports pierced through the buildings, reaching up to support Ascen above.

  “It looks like some giant’s tomb,” Aila said.

  Claire used a Clean spell on everyone since they had forgotten the smell and their journey.

  Tommie looked at everything and anything, his mind trying hard to take it all in. “Those must have been enchanting workshops, and those were smithies. Those are runways! They must have had the famed aerial gliders of the gnomes here. It was a machine you could strap onto your back and it would allow you to fly through the skies for hours, reaching much farther than a mount. You would need to refuel and use a launcher or jump off a tall hill and you could just keep going.” Tommie looked around, just stunned and overwhelmed by it all.

  “Gnomes soaring the skies, dwarves working above ground, and beast kin working on enchantments—it was a place of wonder, science, and creativity pulled together,” Claire said in a soft voice.

  She pointed to the main building. “That’s where we need to go. It connects to the Guardian headquarters. There is no knowing which passages the Drafeng know about and not. Be ready for anything. We could meet with guards, chaotic beasts or even saints down here.”

  With that, she jumped down off the building, landing below.

  “Wee!” Anthony followed.

  “Quiet!” Claire hissed.

  Aila followed and Damien grabbed Tommie. Tommie closed his eyes against the wind, as Damien landed and put Tommie down.

  “Thank you,” Tommie said weakly.

  “No problem.” Damien held out a fist.

  Tommie hit it, a little too hard. It rang out and he bit his lip while shaking his hand.

  “Can you stop making noise?” Claire asked.

  “Sorry.” Damien put his hand behind his head awkwardly as Tommie jumped up and down, trying to stop himself from yelling at his badly bruised hand.

  “Come on,” Claire said with a defeated sigh, passing Anthony. “Stop teaching others your bad habits.”

  “Those habits were already there when I knew them!” Anthony replied and then hurried after her as they walked through the bones of Ashmere.

  ***

  General Fysher stood up as an official messenger stepped into the tent and held out a scroll for him.

  Fysher took the scroll and read the contents.

  I knew that the order was coming the entire time but it doesn’t make it any easier to read.

  “I acknowledge the emperor’s orders.”
>
  The messenger nodded and left the tent.

  “Raise the other generals. We are at war!” he said to the messengers in the tent.

  People ran out and jumped on their mounted beasts. Flags in the fortress were changed, sending messages to the other forts.

  Gates were sealed as soldiers grabbed their gear and pulled it on. They strapped swords to their hips and checked the bindings of their armor. Their familiars flashed with power. Long-range weaponry was checked and loaded. Military units moved out of their secondary forts that had been built just to hold them. They moved out to create a line, forming at the southeastern end of the line.

  In the north, cliffs exploded among the mountains. Ice and stone dropped into the passes, cutting off both sides as forces were moved to reinforce the passes that couldn’t be closed.

  Patrols were sent out in the south; navies left their harbors and unfurled their sails as their enchanted hulls carried them forward.

  At dawn tomorrow, the army of Radal would cross the line once again.

  Another messenger arrived and passed a message to General Fysher. As information came back in, the map started to change once again.

  The enemy started to react and move their own forces, ready to repel the humans.

  He took the message from the messenger. It was a small scroll from a messenger bird.

  Letanya arrived at Laisa. Hopefully we can use the war to hide what happens at Laisa. He let out a tired breath through his nose, feeling tired. It won’t be the last time I have to cover up the church’s culling.

  ***

  Todd was sharing a drink with Gunnar, Sofie, and Katrine. The trio had come down for some work, assisting the farmers in clearing more land and guarding caravans that moved through the Deepwood and the other villages.

  After the goblins had taken over, Laisa had undergone a change for the better.

  “Seems a lot lighter in here from when we arrived,” Sofie said, with a satisfied sigh.

  “Is that the drink talking?” Gunnar asked.

  “I run a fine establishment here, well-lit and airy!” Todd waved his finger at Gunnar before his mock serious expression turned into a smile.

  “I think that the people are happier. There are groups of different races working together. People were all grouped up—humans with humans, gnomes with gnomes and so on,” Katrine said.

  “And you thought that Anthony was a bad guy,” Gunnar said.

  “What am I supposed to expect with a passed-out elf and a knight standing over her?” Katrine said.

  “We did the right thing,” Sofie agreed.

  “He is a strange character, that Anthony, but means well,” Todd said. “I wonder where they are now.”

  “Your boy went off with them, right?”

  “Last I heard, they were going to the east. I hope that they didn’t get into trouble.” Todd sighed, worried as any father would be with his son gone for a long period of time, to lands unknown.

  A goblin ran into the tavern, huffing and puffing as she ran up to Todd and passed him a letter. “Gob!” She jumped up with the word before turning and running away again.

  Todd opened the letter. His hands shook and his face went paler. “The Church of Light is leading a group from the armies here!” He raised his voice so everyone could hear.

  “What are they coming here for?”

  “Are they coming to clear out all of the races except for the humans?”

  “Maybe they’re just looking for supplies?”

  “They have a war to fight—why are they sending people down here?”

  “I need to get to my family!”

  The room turned into chaos as the harmony from a moment before was ruined.

  “What will you do, Todd?” Katrine asked.

  “I...I’ll go to the Deepwood. I can live off the land for a bit there, wait for this to calm down.” Todd started to jolt into action. He had so many things he needed to do, he was met with indecision.

  “We’ll go with you,” Gunnar said.

  Sofie and Katrine looked over.

  “If the church is coming with the army, it likely means that they want to purge Laisa. There won’t be anyone but humans left alive and they will live like slaves for the church as they take over the city and bring in their believers.” He raised his voice so others could hear, increasing the panic and the people leaving the tavern.

  “Is that true?” Todd asked.

  “Yes. I’ve seen it happen before,” Gunnar said with a dark expression.

  “Okay, okay.” Todd, panicked, ran upstairs to grab supplies.

  “The army is only a few hours away!” someone yelled in the streets.

  Todd ran back downstairs. “I grabbed some food and clothes. Let’s go.”

  The other three had their gear all packed already and just pulled it onto their shoulders.

  Todd stood at the entrance, looking at his tavern and the spilled beer from those who had run out. He thought of the memories he had in this place. It was his home. He always imagined Tommie walking through the door and saying he was home, how happy he would be.

  Will it be here when I come back?

  Todd closed his eyes and turned, leaving the tavern.

  People were gathering caravans; the entire village was stirring. Most believed they were overacting—they were as far from the Church of Light as possible. Why would they care about their small village?

  People were fleeing to the east, west, and south.

  The guards left the doors wide open as people rushed out, creating streams of people.

  “I’ll get the mounts. Meet you at the wall!” Sofie yelled. She ran off, the fastest of their group.

  They continued toward the gate, pressing in with the other people—those with carriages, others with backpacks. Entire families, with screaming children and white-faced adults, moved through.

  Gunnar and Katrine protected the shorter Todd as they got out of the village and moved along the southern road.

  Sofie burst out of the gates with Gunnar and Katrine’s mounts. They were all ikas, large four-legged beasts that looked like a mix between a horse and a wolf. They could run for long distances and were nimble for their size. They rarely ran quickly but were tireless.

  “Todd, ride with me. I’m lighter than Gunnar. Gunnar, take his pack,” Katrine said.

  They reorganized their weight and got up onto their mounts quickly.

  Todd grabbed hold of Katrine’s waist, they had just gotten a short distance from the town. He looked behind; he could see a dust trail in the distance. Suddenly a person riding a horse appeared in the distance. Their bright-white armor was clear to see as lines of military horses and a number of others wearing the white armor of the Church of Light could be seen riding toward Laisa.

  The group split up, led by those white knights to intercept those fleeing the city.

  Todd watched as they moved as fast as the ikas would take them toward the Deepwood. He heard noise in the distance and he turned to see the people fleeing east fall to the ground ahead of the charge.

  Aerial familiars shone in the light, diving down and reaping lives, mixing in with the arrows that the mounted military personnel were shooting.

  The mounted army used their familiars, enhancing their bodies and using their ranged abilities, or materializing them and having them chase the fleeing people of Laisa down.

  Todd was stunned, his stomach gripped so tightly. He just didn’t—he couldn’t—believe what he was seeing.

  No, no—this can’t be true. This has to be an illusion, or I’m asleep and it’s a nightmare. They can’t be dead. No!

  As much as he raged against the truth, there it was in front of him.

  He couldn’t tear his eyes away.

  The main army rushed toward Laisa. The gates slammed shut.

  The guards on the wall, seeing their friends and family members get slaughtered, counter attacked, using their bows and their spears.

  Goblin explosives were tossed
out, killing members of the church and of the army. Laisa was fighting back against their attackers.

  A burst of golden light appeared around a woman, the woman who had been leading the army over the hill. A lance of power shot out from her hands, hitting a gate and causing it to explode. A hole opened in Laisa’s defenses.

  The defenders didn’t give up.

  Todd saw gnomes, goblins, and humans fighting together, against the Radal army and the Church of Light.

  Laisa grew distant as flashes of light and attacks could be seen within the walls of the village.

  “Stop in the name of the church!” a man yelled out, his voice increased by his familiar as he charged forth with his army.

  They had caught up with the southern escapees, who ran harder.

  The man shot out a blast of light. “Stop or be cleansed!”

  Some did stop, pleading for mercy.

  Todd wanted to yell out but he saw as a human family with two younglings, a mother, and a father were struck by horses, trampled.

  “Spies will not be tolerated.” The man from the Church of Light had a sense of gloating and Todd wanted to tear the man apart.

  The army seemed to be waiting as they drew and fired their arrows at those near them.

  Sick bastard. He just wanted to see whether people would stop, divide us.

  Arrows cut down people indiscriminately as familiars charged forth.

  A familiar jumped up and stuck its claws into the side of the ika Todd was riding. The sudden pain made the ika jolt to the side, startled.

  Todd kicked at the familiar’s face, hitting it a few times.

  The familiar growled and jumped up and bit into Todd’s leg making him cry out in pain.