Right now, every minute the Nalheim waited, they were getting organized and the Nerhoun started to recover their Mana so that they might be able to once again provide support to the Nalheim forces.
“How long will it take for the Nalheim to reach the second eastern castle?” Josh asked the command post.
“Put it at about an hour, maybe an hour and a half. The distance between the two is much farther than Goblin Mountain to the first castle and there aren’t a bunch of traps in the way,” Lucy said.
“We need something to take out those Nerhouns. If the Nalheim are left out in the open and without the overhead protection, we can rain hell down on them with artillery,” the dwarven artillery commander added.
“I’ll make a call and see if I can pull something together.” Josh opened up a private chat.
“Josh?” Deia answered.
“Deia, if you and Party Zero were to go all out, could you take out those two remaining Nerhoun?” Josh asked.
“We could. If Induca or Malsour were to reveal their true nature, then they could deal with them,” Deia said.
“Are you sure?” Josh asked, holding on the hope that Deia blessed him with.
“I’m sure.” Deia’s voice was unwavering.
“Okay, well, if they need to get away from the battle to change then they should go for it. We need to get rid of those Nerhoun as soon as they come out of the protection of the eastern castle. I will get the DCA and the aerial forces at our disposal to assist them,” Josh said.
“Okay, I’ll let them know what’s going on and then let you know what their plan is.”
“Thank you, Deia.” Josh closed the channel. Party Zero was the trump card of the Stone Raiders. Both Malsour and Induca’s repressed power as dragons made them fiercely powerful contestants who could compete one-on-one with the Nerhoun.
Having them appear might allow people to draw the conclusion that they were the same dragons as the two who were at Boran-al’s Citadel.
Some might think that they had the two as allies of some kind; a few might even figure out that they were Malsour and Induca or infer that the Stone Raiders were in an alliance with the dragons on Emerilia.
Got to pick which cards to use and when. We can’t give all of our tricks away right now. If we do, then the people we’re going to be going up against in the future will have an advantage over us. Although the Pantheon is quiet now, it’s clear that the current state of things won’t last for too long.
***
Ursk looked over the growing runes and magical runes that covered the inside of the defenses around the spawn point.
“Are you sure about this?” Ursk’s brother asked from his side, his voice low so that no others could hear them.
Weakness in an orc tribe was stomped out quickly. Second-guessing one’s decisions wasn’t allowed. However, Ursk wasn’t just a simple orc.
Although he might be headstrong and wouldn’t back down from a decision, once he had made it, he kept to it. If he might have doubts, he only revealed it to those who he had absolute trust in.
“I’m not sure about it completely, but we’ve been given a chance here, one to increase our strength. Right now we are creating a republic of Gudalo that will see that our future generations will have chances that we can’t even think about.
“With this larger strength behind us, then the other tribes and the other people who are becoming a part of this republic will treat us with a greater respect and be willing to negotiate with us as equals,” Ursk said.
Ursk’s brother nodded. He knew how Ursk saw the republic of Gudalo as a path toward a greater future for the tribe.
“Leader Ursk!” a gnome called out from atop of a blue-bellied snake.
“Report,” Ursk said to the gnome scout.
“We have a party of summoners moving through the forest to our position. They have a large group of fighters with them. Seems that they were sent by the Terra Alliance and have people from the Gudalo republic committee with them.” The gnome sounded confused by the last bits, but being a good scout, he knew not to leave out even the least significant detail.
Ursk looked to his brother thoughtfully before he looked to the gnome. “Go have one of the leaders meet with them. I will make my way over there to talk to them,” Ursk said.
“Yes, Leader!” The gnome’s snake turned and rushed off at speed through the swamp’s mud and stagnant water.
Ursk took a moment to check his screen.
Spawn Point (Orcish Swamplands)
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
2
15
31
34
He didn’t let his inner fears show as he walked confidently through his lands and toward where the group from the alliance was. As he got closer, he was surprised with the numbers that had assembled. The orcs never banded together for anything other than random beast attacks.
Otherwise, alliances were based on trade, not mutual defense. This was something that Ursk was looking forward to from the republic: a fighting force that would reinforce his tribe if it was needed in a time of war.
Still, although that was a future hope of his, he hadn’t expected the alliance to do anything more than the soul gem construct around the spawn point. Even that, he could tell, took up a lot of precious resources that the various gnome and orc tribes within the swamps wouldn’t be willing to give up to another tribe that they barely knew.
So when Ursk saw nearly ten thousand soldiers from different races riding atop of beasts that Ursk hadn’t even heard of, his footsteps almost faltered. He quickly moved to where the leader of his scouts was conversing with a woman wearing robes that only allowed someone to see her eyes.
“Tribe Leader Ursk.” The woman tilted her head in respect to Ursk.
He bowed his head to her as well, sensing the power that seemed to fill the air around this woman. He used his analysis on the woman by reflex.
Heroiu’quing
Human
Level 429
“My lady, I have heard that you have come on behalf of the Terra Alliance,” Ursk said, in his most respectful tone. He was Level 357, the highest in all of his tribe, but this lady was nearly a hundred levels stronger than him.
The difference was immense. If she wanted to, Ursk didn’t doubt that she could easily kill Ursk. He sensed that she was smiling before she continued onward to talk.
“Indeed, I was sent by the alliance. You can call me Quing. I am in charge of the group behind me. There are a number of summoners as well as beast tamers with my group. We were sent in order to help you with capturing and controlling the blood reevers that are supposed to be leaving the spawn point within your tribe lands.”
Ursk looked to the people with their different animals. He realized that there were many more animals than there were people. With his instincts built up from a life of fighting, he saw a fierce intelligence in the eyes of those creatures as well as a strength born through their own power.
Animals were much easier to deal with when trying to estimate their power. Sentient races could hide their levels and their abilities through a number of ways; the creatures of Emerilia freely displayed their strength in order to scare off other predators or creatures that moved in on their territory.
To tame such powerful beasts not only required someone to be strong, it also meant that they were incredibly good at creating soul binding contracts that worked. These creatures wouldn’t be subdued by anything but masterful beast tamers.
The stronger and stranger creatures glowed with magical auras or a strangeness that didn’t seem to be associated with Emerilia; their soul binding masters gave off an even stronger aura. They had not only ripped open a passageway between realms, but afterward they had the strength and luck to soul bind these creatures to themselves.
Ursk hid his amazement and his jealousy well as he smiled to Quing. “We welcome any aid that you and your people might be able to
provide.” Ursk didn’t have to force a smile as he felt a weight being lifted from his body with the arrival of this force.
They didn’t need fighters, but people who could give them a higher chance of coming to make soul binding contracts with the blood reevers—they would be of greater aid.
***
Within Pandora’s box, underneath a dust-covered tarp, a faint glow started to become brighter and brighter.
The room was filled with parts, soul gems, and sheets of runes. An interface that had been stuck to the wall showed an image of a roughly humanoid-looking creature covered in runes.
The air in the room was disturbed as a soul gem construct reached up from the floor underneath the tarp. The crystal grew, magical coding so packed together it looked like runic lines followed its growth.
It disappeared under the covering. A moment later, it stopped growing and power started to surge through the runes. More and more runic line covered crystals grew from the floor, all reaching up under the tarp and surging with power as they connected with whatever lay underneath.
The soul gem floor lit up with power underneath the tarp that was being tossed around with the powerful movement of Mana. There was a muffled noise from under the tarp as the light in the room continued to grow as the tarp tightened over what lay underneath.
“Blergh, aurgh, hremm!” came from under the tarp. “Elll ruck.” A dejected noise followed shortly afterward. It sounded as if someone was trying to talk with a mouth full of marshmallows.
If Dave and Malsour had been in the room, they would have been alarmed at the amount of power that was being funneled into whatever lay under the tarp. Something pushed up against the tarp, raising it, to show a massive rune-covered table with something growing on top of it.
Suddenly, a half-formed hand made of soul gem grasped at the tarp. The hand took a few tries before its fumbling efforts resulted in it actually grabbing the tarp. The hand pulled on the tarp as the upper half of a man also made from soul gems sat up.
“Daddy’s ho— Seriously, fuck off, tarp! Making this a pain in the ass, man!” the glowing soul gem man yelled. He only had one hand and was fighting the tarp still secured around the table.
The soul gem man fought with the tarp for a solid ten minutes before he let out a frustrated sigh and lay back down. “Would’ve been more epic if someone was here to see it,” the man muttered.
He was fully formed from soul gems. Motes of light and power flooded through his body.
“Well, the Black Knight from Monty Python has nothing on me!” the man said. “Or was it the Green Knight? Hmm, I hope this whole growing a body thing isn’t too slow.”
The man tapped his half-formed finger against the table he was lying on. It was covered in magical coding as well as circuits and was formed from a soul gem construct. It was currently alight with power that was draining into the man, growing his missing limbs and half-formed body, bones of steel, veins of runic lines, muscles and body of soul gem crystal.
As time went on, all of these parts and the creation’s facial features started to become more defined.
“Hah! It worked! This one’s for the people who thought I could never pull myself together!” The man chuckled to himself before he let out a sigh. “Hope I’m not too late for the second fight.”
Chapter 18: A Test of Will and Steel
After fifteen hours, Eastern Castle One’s Mana barrier started to show fluctuations from the impacts by the dwarven artillery. It was immediately reported to the commanders of the alliance.
More shells were used and people were raised to alert as it was confirmed. The eastern castle now under the Nalheim control was no longer invulnerable.
They hadn’t looked to repair the different parts of the castle at all. Instead, they had created siege weapons and were readying them within the castle, facing the walls that they would have to pass through to reach the second eastern castle.
In the fifteen hours the Terra Alliance had sent out the DCA and rangers into the dead ground between the two castles, they had been busy laying down all manner of traps. If they killed the Nalheim or slowed them in any way, then it would have been a good use of time.
Malsour and Induca were off within the Northwood. None of the creatures that called this area home had remained. As they sensed the power that had been unleashed in the fight for the first castle, they had all fled. Anything that tried to get close to Induca and Malsour were overwhelmed by their auras.
The Nalheim continued to make their siege weaponry from their conquest points.
“They must be getting more, or they got a bonus for taking the castle,” Malsour said.
“I think it was a bonus for getting the castle. If it was a constant over time benefit, then I don’t think that they’d have so many siege weapons as they do now.” Induca looked over the battlefield.
They were perched on two massive trees in the Northwood. With their incredible eyesight, racial abilities, and spells, they could easily see what was happening at the eastern castle.
Malsour made a noise of agreement.
The two of them lapsed into silence as the dwarven artillery’s tempo picked up as they peppered the Mana barrier with multiple impacts, taking down its strength. The three remaining Nerhoun floated into a formation above the castle, clearly readying themselves for the fight that was to come.
“Can’t believe that he’s gone,” Induca said.
“Me either,” Malsour said. Neither of them looked to the other. Even as they were hurting, now was not the time to grieve.
Induca’s eyes narrowed as her body started to grow larger. Scales spread across her body; her eyes turned into vertical slits as she transformed into her dragon form. “This is for Steve,” she said, her voice powerful enough to make animals in the immediate area cower in fear, hoping to be just looked over.
Malsour shook his head from side to side as he, too, grew into his dragon form. He was much larger than Induca and gave off an ancient and wise aura. His black scales shone in the cold early morning light. “The Mana barrier has failed,” Malsour said. His deep voice passed to Induca’s ears as he spread his wings out.
“Time to hunt,” Induca said. The two of them flapped their wings, slowly rising straight up into the sky, their eyes focused on the Nerhoun who were now holding up Mana barriers around themselves and their fighters below.
The Nerhoun’s tentacles whipped out, destroying the eastern wall that blocked their ground forces from the land between them and the next castle.
Scouts observed as the dismounted Nalheim moved forward, their spears once again unleashing their disrupting attack. The distorted blasts tore through the dust thrown up by the wall, striking the interior of the citadel and those unlucky few that lay in the path of the blasts.
The Nerhoun marched through the rubble clearing it out of the way for the war lizards. The war lizards moved in groups, towing siege weaponry.
From the dust and debris, siege towers and trebuchets started to appear as the Nalheim once again started to march. There were almost two hundred thousand Nalheim who marched, rode, or flew into the skies, under the protection of the Nerhouns.
Artillery shells were changed out to the limited reserves of the more powerful plasma cannon grand working rounds.
With the Nerhoun unable to switch out, they could do little but try to take down the attacks with their tentacles and disrupting attacks.
The second eastern castle had received the majority of the plasma grand working shells. With only a small distance between the Nerhoun and the second eastern castle, they had less time to react to try to block the shells before they hit their Mana barriers.
The dwarven artillery crews worked as if they were part of the gun that was under their control, mechanically loading, sighting, and firing their weapons before repeating the process over again.
Halos appeared around the guns repeatedly. All of the guns were ripple firing, so that there were constantly shells filling the skies.
The Nalheim took twenty minutes to leave the first eastern castle. A few had been hurt by the traps left behind but the majority were fine as they began to march as one toward the second eastern castle. The Nalheim’s pace was quick as they would make it to the second castle’s walls within an hour.
“They’re clear of the first castle,” Malkur reported to Deia.
She waved her hand to Party Zero and the forces behind them. They were nearly all made up of POE forces.
The teleport pad activated ahead of them.
“Move!” Deia yelled. Party Zero led the way back into Eastern Castle One.
They exited into a pile of rubble. The inner castle was barely standing: the tower had fallen over, smashing against one of the outer walls; debris littered the inner area of the castle while the circular castle base was open to the sky and looked as if it couldn’t be saved. The walls had collapsed in places while there were holes in other areas.
Where the Nalheim had left, the wall was nothing but powder. Paths for the weapons moving through had been barely cleared.
Party Zero looked to a fifteen-meter-deep hole not too far from where the castle’s ono lay. They didn’t pause as they started to run over the rubble, getting higher and higher until they stood on the rubble of what had been an outer wall and looked at the Nalheim moving for the second castle.
Around them, the wall started to recover. Sections of the rubble moved with a black aura of a Dark mage around them as they shifted together like a game of Tetris, fusing into one wall and sliding into place with the wall.
Across Eastern Castle One, Dark mages used the rubble to repair the outer wall facing the Nalheim. Dwarven engineers cleared out different areas around the inner courtyard of the castle; others checked on the weapons in the castle as well as searched for possible resources to use and check the damage.
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