Stormforge (Rise To Omniscience Book 5)

by Aaron Oster

  As soon as Katherine heard that, a panicked look crossed her face, then, without warning, she took a running leap and vaulted over the parapet, dropping like a stone to the ground below. As soon as she hit, she was off like an arrow, dashing towards the palace at breakneck speed. Everyone gathered there watched her go in confusion, not entirely sure what to make of that. Everyone but Morgan.

  “Was it something I said?” Fuza asked, turning to Morgan with a worried look.

  “It’s fine, Fuza,” Morgan said, patting the general on his shoulder. “Probably just went to get washed up. We do have guests arriving soon, and she is still a Queen.”

  Sarah bumped his shoulder then and motioned towards the palace with her head.

  “Speaking of which,” Morgan continued. “I should probably go and freshen up myself. I’ll see you later, General.”

  Fuza nodded as Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck and he took off. Only once they were out over the city did Sarah speak.

  “So, what exactly did you find in Katherine’s safe, other than the cores?”

  Morgan felt his heart skip a beat but forced himself to remain calm. There was no way she could know what he’d seen, so he just had to remain cool.

  “Like I said, I didn’t see anything.”

  “Fine then, don’t tell me,” Sarah replied. “It’ll be more fun wheedling it out from you anyway.”

  41

  Morgan was emerging from the bathroom in his suite, hair still damp, and a towel wrapped around his waist when someone began banging on the door. Before he could ask who it was, the door was thrown open and Katherine, now dressed in more casual clothing – which for her was a sleeveless silk shirt with a plunging neckline and a pair of pants so tight they looked to be painted on – came barging in.

  He could tell it was serious the moment she began talking, as the first words out of her mouth weren’t overtly sexual.

  “We’ve just received some seriously bad news. Put something on. I don’t care what. we’re needed in the meeting room, now.”

  Morgan nodded, moving quickly to grab a robe and throw it over his shoulders. Katherine had already opened a portal – it seemed they were working again – by the time he returned. Not asking any questions, he stepped straight through it and into the overcrowded room. Everyone in command, from the lowest-ranking corporal to the generals, were all in attendance.

  At least half were out of their uniforms, and some, like him, were even dressed in robes and looked to be freshly out of a bath or sauna. Sarah came rushing over, even as Katherine came through the portal and closed it behind her.

  “What’s going on?” Morgan whispered as the Queen moved to the head table to address the room at large.

  “No idea,” Sarah replied.

  She, too, was draped in a robe, her long red hair falling in loose waves down her back.

  “Well, I guess we’re about to find out,” he said as the room quieted down.

  “It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you all that City Twelve had fallen,” Katherine’s voice rang out.

  Though it was already silent before she’d begun to speak, the quiet now seemed almost deathly.

  “Just eight minutes ago, a runner came into the city to deliver the bad news. It seems that the attack here earlier today was a simple distraction. Arnold was spotted heading into the palace, along with Shane, the King of the West. From this, we can conclude that the Pinnacle King and the West Kingdom are now in league, which was how they were able to get around our defenses and attack unexpectedly.

  “Now, I realize that as the one who ordered nearly all the forces of City Twelve here, that the blame lies with me. Supplies will now be more difficult to come by and the walls facing the West must be quickly shored-up. Come dawn, we will likely be facing an assault from both sides. This seems to be it, the final battle we’ve been expecting.

  “It’s not all bad news. Through great effort and personal risk, Morgan has managed to secure an alliance with both the East and Central Kingdoms. We received a report roughly six hours ago that they’d crossed into the North, so we can be expecting them to arrive shortly. The influx of fresh fighters will give us a far better chance at succeeding, and at the end of it all, the North may very well stand victorious.”

  Katherine lapsed into silence here, making sure to look around the room at the collection of grim faces.

  “Make no mistake. This will be the fight of our lives. We are all that remains of what was once a proud kingdom, and when this is all over, we will have to rebuild from scratch. It will not be easy, but as the ruler of this once-proud nation, I promise you this: Each and every one of your sacrifices will not be in vain.

  “When we come out of this, I will personally reward each and every one of you. For all the families that have lost loved ones in this war, and for every soldier who had died, we will persevere. None of you nor your families will want for anything as long as you live. Over the years, the royal family has amassed a vast sum of wealth, and seeing as so many of you are no longer among us, we can well-afford to be generous.

  “Now go and tell your men, tell their families, and their children. Bring all who cannot fight here, as it is the safest place in the city. There is nowhere else to run now. We are all that is left. So, raise your weapons and prepare for the final showdown!”

  By the end, Katherine’s voice had risen to a near shout, and when she finished, the room was filled with the cheers of men and women who knew they were going into a battle they likely would not survive. However, the promise of wealth seemed more than enough to bolster their spirits. So, even as the commanders of their depleted forces moved to obey, they each took a moment to stop and bow before their Queen.

  The only ones who remained were Katherine’s generals, as well as Morgan and Sarah. She had maintained a strong front the entire time, and as soon as the doors closed, Katherine allowed her knees to buckle and sank into her chair.

  “How bad is it, really?” Morgan asked as their small group closed in to speak in quiet undertones.

  After a speech like that, it would be counterproductive if anyone were to overhear.

  “Scouts estimate over a million monsters coming from both the east and west,” Katherine replied.

  “So, Octagon really is fielding his entire army,” Morgan said grimly.

  “So it seems,” Katherine said with a sigh.

  “Do you think we can really fight off over two million monsters?” Bell asked, her face looking pallid, even in the warm light of the lamps.

  “If I’m being honest,” Katherine replied grimly. “No, I don’t. Even with the reinforcements from Herald and Le’vine, we’d still be outnumbered at least two to one. In a chaotic battle like this one, we won’t be able to watch our dead either, so they’ll be rising up by the thousands to fight against us. And then, there’s still the Pinnacle King himself to deal with.”

  “What you’re saying is that we’re screwed,” Sarah said in a flat tone.

  “Come on, Sarah, don’t give me that!” Katherine said in annoyance. “We both saw the Pinnacle King firsthand. He’s a monster the likes of which we’ve never faced before. Even Morgan couldn’t kill him!”

  “Is that true?” Fuza asked.

  He, unlike the others, seemed oddly calm. In his hand, he clutched a small wooden board and pen, likely taking notes and trying to devise some sort of strategy that would see them through this mess.

  “It’s true that I can’t kill him,” Morgan replied, remembering well the Pinnacle King’s awesome power. “But I have it on good authority that we might not need to.”

  This got everyone’s attention, and Morgan suddenly found himself under the scrutiny of every eye in the room.

  “Explain,” Katherine said, with just a hint of hope in her voice.

  “When I…left the East Kingdom, I took a short detour to the Ruined City in the West. While there, I met someone, another god I believe, though I’ve never seen him before.”

  “You n
ever mentioned any of this before,” Katherine said.

  “That’s because I hadn’t finished piecing together everything he’d said,” Morgan replied. “He told me that the Pinnacle King was too strong to be killed, but that there is a way to beat him. There is a script in his lair, one that kept him locked up all these years. If we can infuse the script with reiki, we can lock him up once more. I can do it, but I’ll need people who can hold him off in the meantime.”

  “Exactly how long will something like this take, and is this new god even trustworthy?” Katherine asked. “They haven’t exactly been friendly in the past.”

  “I’m fairly confident he can be trusted,” Morgan replied. “While I was there, he helped me work some things out. He gave me some insight into myself, something that I’d been lacking for quite some time. Ever since Dabu…Anyway, he helped me when I really needed it, so I’m confident we can trust what he’s said.

  “As for how long it’ll take…” Morgan shrugged. “No clue.”

  “How would any of us even be able to hold off a monster like that?” Sarah asked. “Even if it’s just for a few minutes, I doubt any number of us could do it.”

  Once again, Morgan shook his head.

  “I’m not so sure about that. While we were facing him, I sensed something strange. In addition to reiki, I felt both mana and chi in his core. And when I examined him with my Aura Sense, I found out that his ability was like mine before I became a supermage. He had both the super and mage abilities, but not the combination. This leads me to believe that he either hasn’t had the chance to combine them yet or can’t.”

  “But what does that mean for us?” Katherine asked.

  “What it means,” Morgan said, “is that his reiki, the energy that gives me my awesome power, is limited to what he himself can create. That means that while we’ll be facing a powerful beast that can’t be killed, his attacks likely won’t be as devastating as we expect. Now, don’t get me wrong, if anyone comes along with me, they will be facing mortal danger.

  “I won’t sugarcoat it. Everyone, I included, may not come back from this alive. But this may be our only chance to put him down and end the war. With the Pinnacle King locked away, his forces will fall and there will no longer be an army to face. Should the West try and capitalize on their downfall, we’ll have the might of both the East and Central Kingdoms on our side, which should be more than enough to push them back.

  “My source also told me that the South is likely a lost cause, meaning they’ve probably joined up with the Pinnacle King as well. However, knowing their ruler, she’s less likely to launch an attack should the Pinnacle King lose. So, what do you all think?”

  “I think we don’t really have much choice,” Katherine replied. “The problem will be finding fighters willing to go through with it.”

  “We would also not be able to spare too many of the powerful fighters, as they’ll be needed here,” Fuza added. “Arnold will likely be leading the charge this time and bringing with him all of the Pinnacle King’s top fighters. Estimates have him to be nearly as strong, if not stronger than you, Your Majesty, which means you will be needed here.”

  “I have to agree with Fuza on that front,” Katherine replied. “Much as I’d love to join this expedition to death, I have to stay here. I have a feeling that Herald and Le’vine will refuse to go as well. A leader’s place on the battlefield is with their troops, and if any of us go, it will cost us morale.”

  “The East has plenty of powerful fighters, as does the Central,” Morgan said. “If I’ve gauged Octagon’s power correctly, we’ll need at least twenty fighters over rank 39. I wouldn’t ask anyone under that to come along, as they’ll be killed on the spot.”

  “That is an extremely sizable military force you’re asking for, Morgan. Why should we send so many of our powerful fighters to die?”

  Everyone turned at the sound of the unfamiliar voice to see Le’vine, the Queen of the East, leaning against the doorframe. Shadowing her was Herald, the King of the Central Kingdom, and at their sides, stood Hilda and a man Morgan didn’t recognize.

  “When did you get here?” Morgan asked, wondering how much of their conversation they’d overheard.

  “Just a few minutes ago,” Le’vine replied with a careless wave of her hand. “Regardless, we saw the forces moving as we were approaching the walls. It’s clearly bad. The only question is, how bad?”

  Morgan once again launched into an explanation of their plan that would hopefully put an end to all of this. As he spoke, he couldn’t help but notice Katherine and Le’vine exchanging small sidelong glares and had to wonder at their relationship. The fact that they were willing to put aside their differences, whatever they were, showcased how truly serious this was.

  “I see,” Herald said as Morgan finished up with all he’d learned. “If this god of whom you speak truly believes that the only way to defeat the Pinnacle King is to seal him away, then we must heed his advice. The words of gods must not be ignored, as they know far more than us mere mortals. The duty of my Kingdom has been to keep the peace, by any means necessary, and if that means sacrificing our strongest fighters, then so be it.”

  “Will they even want to go along with you on this?” Le’vine asked dubiously. “Because I’m sure that mine won’t.”

  “I’ll go,” Hilda immediately said, stepping forward.

  “No,” Both Le’vine and Morgan said at the same time, much to everyone’s surprise.

  When Hilda quirked an eyebrow, Morgan was quick to explain.

  “A fighter of your caliber belongs here, beside her ruler. Le’vine will be in great danger during this battle from enemy commanders, and if she falls, it’ll be a huge blow to morale. The same can be said of your aide, King Herald. And I know Katherine will be keeping either Fuza or Bell by her side as well.”

  Both Katherine and Herald inclined their heads, in agreement with him.

  “But we have plenty of powerful fighters,” Hilda objected. “Any of them could —”

  “The fighters that are going along with him will likely die,” Le’vine said, cutting her off. “Think of the aftermath of this battle. We might need to defend ourselves from our neighbors in the South, or fight the pirates constantly plaguing our shores. It will take quite some time to bring new soldiers up to the level of power of the ones we lost, and in the meantime, we’ll need the strongest to hold the burden of the entire Kingdom.”

  Hilda’s shoulders slumped then, and she gave a small nod. Clearly, she’d wanted to go along, and though Morgan would have loved to have someone as powerful as her with him, she would be needed here.

  “I will gather those I believe can do well and speak with them,” Le’vine said, now that the matter had been settled.

  “As will I,” Herald said with a small nod.

  “Then we will reconvene here in an hour. In the meantime, if any of you have those suited to strengthen fortifications, send them to the walls to help. We’re building them both up, though the focus needs to be on the West, where our defenses are weakest.”

  The other rulers nodded, and just like that, the meeting was over. Everyone had their assigned tasks, and Morgan had to go back to his suite and try to lay out a plan of attack. The end had truly come, this was the final showdown.

  42

  Morgan sat in his room, Sarah leaning against his shoulder, as the two of them perused over a map. He was now dressed in a new set of armor, this one covered in glittering white scales and thick fur. There were a pair of hooks on the shoulders where he could attach a cloak and thin gloves attached to the sleeves. He’d gone through so many sets of armor in the past couple of months that they’d really started to blend together. However, this one really stood out, due to the high quality and the absurdly expensive materials woven throughout.

  The scales had come from a beast that was immune to the cold. It had been an arctic snake, something that Morgan thought didn’t exist, with chi-infused adamantine woven throughout. The armor
conformed nicely to his body, leaving plenty of room for ease of movement, as well as provided warmth against the bitter cold they’d be facing.

  Sarah was similarly adorned, though Morgan was less than happy she was coming. They’d argued about it for the better part of an hour, before being forced to break to reconvene their meeting. Nineteen supers and mages would be coming along to help combat the Pinnacle King, and Morgan had gotten to know each and every one of them, memorizing their names. They would all likely die in this venture, yet they were willing to take the risk, either for their country, families, or the betterment of humankind.

  A platform was being constructed for Morgan to be able to transport all of them. He had no limit to what he could carry, but it would have been difficult for all of them to be hanging off him while he flew, so this was the best solution. Afterwards, they returned to his suite to begin arguing some more. And, after another hour, Sarah’s stubbornness had finally won out. After that, she’d drawn up a map of the inside of Octagon’s fortress, drawing as best she could from memory.

  The one thing Morgan needed to be done above all was the throne room, where Sarah sketched out the gigantic slab in the corner with all of the shattered chains.

  “If I’m guessing correctly, this is where we’ll need to force him before we can lock him down,” Morgan said, tapping the icy slab. “Once he’s on there and the scripts are powered-up, they’ll bind him tight and cut off his power.”

  “The question is, how do we force him there if he knows what we’re doing?” Sarah asked, snuggling a bit closer to him.

  Morgan had to resist the urge to smile at feeling her so close. They’d gone through a seriously rough patch in their relationship, but after his return, things seemed to be smoothing out. Perhaps the time away had been just what they’d needed, though he’d really rather this mission not be happening right after their reconciliation.

  “We’ll need to keep him too distracted to notice anything, I guess,” Morgan replied thoughtfully. “What kinds of abilities are we working with again?”