by Aaron Oster
“Please, enlighten me,” Morgan said, crossing his arms.
“You seem to be under the assumption that you’ll need to bring Sarah back before the heads of the races meet for the plan to work.”
“I don’t?” he asked, feeling a bit hopeful.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to bring Sarah back before then. It was just that traveling all the way back to the Five Kingdoms and restoring her to her body would eat up almost all of his remaining time if he did it right now. If it wasn’t integral to the plan, then he could bring her back when this was all over.
“Not at all!” Gold replied. “All you’re going to have to do is evolve, kill a goddess, and then go crash a party! But I suppose you’ll want to focus on the evolving thing first. Am I right?”
Gold slapped a hand down on his shoulder, and Morgan felt the world bend around them as the man pulled them through space.
No, he thought. It wasn’t so much pulling, as it was combining two sections of the world, then stepping through them. So, in essence, all Gold was really doing was walking through a doorway, which would explain why he needed to move at all to make it work. At least, that was what Morgan thought.
The world rearranged itself suddenly, and Morgan’s brain caught up to his body. They were standing in midair before the largest tree Morgan had ever seen. It was massive, towering thousands of feet into the sky, its branches reaching outward and seeming to blanket the entire world in its shade.
Yet, at the same time, the tree didn’t seem to be there at all, which was extremely confusing to his senses. His eyes told him nothing was there, while his spirit told him it was.
“Quite the sight, isn’t it?” Gold said, watching as Morgan took it in.
“What exactly is this place?” Morgan asked, looking around in confusion.
“Let’s just say that this is a convergence point of sorts. Kind of a place where the world draws its power and spreads it throughout the planet. It does more than just that, but I’m afraid that’s all I can tell you. But that’s beside the point. Right here and now, you need to face yourself and fix that little squabble you’ve got going on. So, go on and call him out. It’s about time the two of you had a talk.”
49
Magma, the leader of his small band of mercenaries, breathed out a long breath as their ship finally set anchor off the shore of the eastern-most kingdom of the human continent. They’d run into a storm between Faeland and the massive rift between their continents, resulting in their getting blown completely off-course. As a result, their trip took twice as long as it was supposed to, and he was just itching to get off this damned boat and get this job started.
“Have we made contact with the attacking force?” he asked as the ship’s captain walked over to him. “I want off this boat, and I want to leave now.”
“It’s a ship, not a boat,” the captain said icily. “And yes, we’ve made contact with the captain of the attacking force in what is known as the South Kingdom. He will have the Tunnel Gate prepared on his end in five minutes.”
“Finally!”
Magma turned to see his four companions striding onto the deck, each with a single pack slung over their shoulders and looking about as ready as he felt to get off this tub. The one who’d spoken, Finra, was his second-in-command. She was an elf who wore far too little clothing and had an attitude that would make most men run for the hills as soon as they got to know her.
“I see that you’ve all neglected to wear your uniforms again,” Magma noted sourly.
“We’re not in some official army or anything,” Wilbur, an undersized troll, said while fingering the tip of a dagger. “Why the hell should we bother with uniforms?”
“So that everyone knows who we are,” Magma said, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. “If people don’t know who we are, we don’t get any more business, and in case you’ve all forgotten, that’s what this is!”
“Keep your pants on,” Finra said, pulling an armband from the pocket of her very short and very tight pants. “See, now everyone will know who we are.”
Magma watched as the others in his little mercenary crew did the same and, once again, resisted the urge to sigh.
“I guess that’s good enough,” he muttered, turning away from them.
It wasn’t the sleek and expensive matching uniforms he’d had custom made for them all, but at least people would recognize the symbol emblazoned on the bands. It wasn’t anything fancy, just an image of a fist clutching a severed head. But it definitely got the message across.
He watched his crew stretching, noting that while they seemed relaxed and carefree, they were as eager as he was to get off this boat and onto dry land.
“The commander of the land force is ready for you,” the captain said, walking over to him.
“Finally,” Magma said, repeating Finra’s earlier sentiment. “Come on, you lot, time to get off this boat!” he called, extending the ring and threading his mana through it.
“It’s a ship! How many times do I have to tell you that?” the captain snapped.
A circular hole opened in space, the air warping inward and narrowing slightly as the tunnel was formed.
“Ladies first,” Finra said, gesturing to the other three in their group.
None of them argued, filing through the tunnel one after the next.
“See you on the return trip, captain,” she said, throwing the captain of the ship a wink and causing the man to shudder.
“I would prefer it if you didn’t bring that psychotic elf back with you if I’m perfectly honest,” the captain said after she was gone.
Magma let out a snort of laughter as he stepped toward the open portal.
“Don’t blame me for getting into bed with her. If I were you, I’d be long gone by the time we’re ready to make the return trip. She gets easily bored with the men in her life, and when she’s done with them, she has a certain ritual to assure they never forget her,” he said, making a snipping motion with his fingers.
The captain visibly gulped as Magma disappeared into the swirling light of the tunnel, and he was sure they’d have a new captain with a new ship for their return trip. It would probably be a female captain if this one spoke back in the ports of the Arcane Kingdom – not that it would do them any good. Finra didn’t discriminate. She liked to sleep with and torture everyone.
Magma stepped out through the other side of the portal, finding himself at the center of a camp. It was set up on relatively flat ground, with a hill sloping upward. At the top, he could see the base of a mountain, in which was nestled a small bunker. He could see why it would be so hard to crack, what with how it was built and all. But with this many powerful fighters, he shouldn’t have even had to come here.
“Look who I found!” Finra said cheerily.
“Let go of me this instant!” an indignant voice all but shrieked.
The elf came around one of the nearby tents, hauling a gnome by the ear. She was flanked by the others in his group, and they were closely followed by a half-dozen Cultists, all bearing the mark of Strangler. Magma would personally never throw in his lot with this bunch, mainly because they agreed to enslave themselves to someone else. He believed in no higher power and worked only for those who could afford his services.
“You’re the commander of these forces?” Magma asked as Finra held a knife up to his throat.
“Yes, I am!” the man yelled. “So, tell this bitch to unhand me!”
Magma gave her a nod, and rolling her eyes, Finra released the man. The gnome staggered away, rubbing at his throat and glaring at them all.
“Is this how you treat your new commander?” he demanded. “By attacking him the moment you arrive?”
“Let’s get one thing straight here, commander,” Magma said, drawing a small-bladed knife from his belt and picking at his nails. “We were sent here to clean up your mess. In fact, we’re here a few days later than expected, and still, the elf queen lives. So, care to explain what happened?”
T
he commander glared at him for a moment longer, but when Finra began playing with her dagger, he swallowed nervously and began to talk.
“They’ve managed to dig themselves in pretty deep. We’ve tried breaching the bunker multiple times a day, expending precious resources to do so. But, as you can see, it’s well-built. There’s also someone in there who can manipulate stone, and they’ve constantly been repairing the structure whenever it’s been damaged.”
“That would be the elf queen,” Finra said, playing with her knife. “She can manipulate stone like no other.”
Ignoring the interruption, Magma continued with his questioning.
“Who else is in there with her?” he asked, already figuring how much extra power they’d need to blow this thing open.
“Three others,” the commander replied. “All are humans, as far as we can tell. There’s a spatial manipulator, a fire user, and a third we don’t really know much about. They all seem to be highly skilled and powerful fighters. The spatial manipulator even managed to get her hands on our mana cannon, so we—”
“They what?!” Magma exclaimed, feeling a sense of excitement creep into his voice.
The mana cannon had been a weapon that the gnomes had been developing for a while. All of the hardware had been built by the dwarves, as far as he knew, but powering the weapon had been the gnomes' responsibility, and they did not like to share. If he could get his hands on a weapon like that, the demand for his services would skyrocket.
“Yes, I know it’s bad,” the commander said, mistaking his enthusiasm for anger. “But they won’t be able to use it without several high-ranked mages, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Oh, I’m sure there isn’t,” Magma said, turning on the man and giving him a wide grin. “We’ll make certain that the cannon makes its way into the right hands once this mission is over. Wilbur!” he snapped. “Go gather the men. We’re making our assault within the hour!”
The commander jumped as he began barking orders. Then, his shock began to wear off, and anger inevitably took its place.
“You can’t just march in here and start ordering my men around,” he began.
“Finra,” Magma said, already turning away from the incompetent commander.
There was a shriek of pain, followed by a giggle from the woman, as he made his way toward the commander’s tent, followed closely by his other men. He was sure word would get around quickly that he’d killed their commander, but these men owed their loyalty to the gnomes and Strangler, not him.
They’d received orders in advance not to interfere with him and his company.
“This place is disgusting,” Magma muttered, looking around the cluttered living space the commander had been using.
“Why don’t we hang this in here?” Finra asked, marching in with the commander’s severed head swinging by her side. “Might liven the place up a bit.”
“I know our symbol is a severed head and all, but can you please stop tracking blood all over the place?” Magma asked with a sigh. “It’s messy enough in here as it is.”
“But you wanted his head, right?” Finra asked, waving the thing around and splattering blood everywhere.
“No,” Magma said, still doing his best to maintain his calm. “The gnome Council wanted him killed. We don’t need his actual head.”
“The rabble is preparing as we speak and will be ready in an hour,” Wilbur said, entering the tent and nearly bowling Finra over.
“Hey, watch it!” the elf complained as the head fell to the ground. “You’ll ruin our present to the gnome Council!”
“We’re only after one prize here, and it isn’t severed heads,” Magma said, gesturing for Wilbur to close the tent flaps. “There’s a gnomish mana cannon up for grabs, and we’re going to make sure that we’re the ones to leave it intact. Is that understood?”
The others nodded, their expressions now serious. Eccentric and strange they might be, but they were the best of the best when it came time to fighting. The bunker would fall tonight, and with it, the end of this mission and their part in this stupid war.
Magma had enjoyed getting as much money from the gnomes as he could, but once they had that mana cannon, their services would be in much higher demand among the humans. He would still kill the elf queen as his contract stipulated – he had a reputation to uphold – but when she was dead, he would be switching sides.
After all, he thought, hiding a grin. There’s nothing more profitable than selling your services to the enemy!
50
“Are you sure you can’t get that thing to work?” Katherine asked, not for the first time.
Beatrice just glared at her instead of answering, then went back to staring at the walls. Their food had officially run out, and they were low on water. While they could survive just fine for a few more weeks, Elyssa could not.
She lay on the couch, her face pale and eyes closed. The only sign that she was still among the living was the shallow rise and fall of her chest and the way her eyelids twitched every time a blast hit the walls.
Katherine wasn’t doing too well herself either. Without proper care and the numerous injuries she’d taken during their attack on the cannon, she could barely stand. There were several broken bones, deep bruising, and burns all over her body. And, while none of the many cuts she’d received were becoming infected, she wasn’t enjoying the pain.
Hilda hovered over Elyssa, giving her what little water they had while trying to keep the wounds as clean as she could. When last she’d seen them, they’d been angry and red, and the foul odor coming from the wound spoke of things Katherine would rather not think about. She doubted Elyssa would survive another twenty-four hours without a healer, let alone make it another few weeks.
Over their stay here, her dislike for the elf had waned, and grudging respect had taken its place. Anyone who had the strength and fortitude to keep them alive as long as she had, all while enduring that level of pain, was deserving of such respect, even if Katherine didn’t like what it meant for her relationship with Morgan.
She hid a wince as her arm throbbed, glad for the pain for once, as it turned her mind away from dark thoughts about the man she loved. She hoped, more than anything, that he was still among the living. She was looking toward her fellow prisoners, wondering if they’d make it out of here alive, when the first attack hit.
Elyssa screamed as the bunker shook, her entire body locking up and her eyes going wide. The scream sent chills down Katherine’s spine, and even as the elf woman screamed, another massive explosion rocked the bunker. Elyssa’s voice cracked then, and the woman slumped back onto the couch, her body going limp.
Katherine was on her feet in an instant, then almost immediately fell as pain wracked her entire body.
“Is she okay?” Beatrice asked, moving over to check on her.
“She’s breathing,” Hilda said, pressing her ear to Elyssa’s chest. “But just barely. Whatever is attacking the bunker must finally have overwhelmed what little strength she had left. I’m afraid we’re out of time.”
As though to punctuate her words, another blast rocked the bunker, and this time, small cracks appeared in the walls. With Elyssa lying in an unconscious heap and barely clinging on to life, it didn’t repair itself this time.
“Looks like we’re in for it now,” Katherine said grimly. “You still sure about the cannon now?” she asked, looking at Beatrice from the corner of her eye.
“That’s still a no,” she replied, though this time, there was far less heat in her voice.
Another blast sent cracks spreading over the walls, and now more than ever, they were all reminded of just how much Elyssa had been doing to keep them safe and sealed in. Katherine estimated perhaps an hour before this bunker fell completely, which was exactly how long they’d have lasted without Elyssa’s constant maintenance.
If they somehow made it out of this alive, she would let the elf know how grateful she truly was. Whether it was her fault that th
ey were trapped here or not, and even if she were to blame for Morgan’s disappearance, she’d kept them safe at the expense of her health. Now, she was on the brink of death, taking along with her the only chance of having peace with Faeland they had.
“We need to make sure she gets out of here alive,” Katherine said. “I’m open to any and all suggestions.”
“Afraid I’ve got nothing,” Beatrice said with a shrug. “As far as I can see, this is where we make a brave – but ultimately pointless – last stand.”
“There might be something we can do,” Hilda said, thinking for a moment. “It was something Elyssa and I had talked about at length but didn’t want to consider because it was too risky.”
“Well, if we’re ever going to try a ‘too risky’ plan, I think now’s the time,” Beatrice said.
“Let’s hear it,” Katherine said. “We’re kind of short on time.”
Again, as though to punctuate her point, the entire bunker shook under the force of another attack, and Katherine had to revise her opinion on how long this place would last.
“Since this bunker was built with the intention of just being a viewing area within the proximity of the Pinnacle King fight, a back door was never built. But what if we were to create one?”
“You mean tunneling out of here?” Katherine asked. “I thought that was impossible, due to the way the structure was built.”
If they started digging, it would compromise the building's integrity, only making it easier for the enemy to get inside.
“Not if we dig through the mountain,” Hilda replied, pointing to the far wall. “Elyssa didn’t want to do it because digging an improper tunnel could cause the entire thing to come down on top of us. But with our chances of survival as low as they are right now…” she trailed off, leaving everyone to think about what she’d said.
“How big of a risk are we talking here?” Katherine finally asked.
“About a ninety-five percent chance of a collapse,” Hilda said. “And that would have been with Elyssa’s help.”
