“It all sounds brilliant to me, tiny Champion!” Greenbeard said. “The forest folk look forward to smashing the Empire with you, lad!”
Though a sizable chunk of Corvus Gavrus’ cottage had been destroyed in my duel with the Emperor, the cottage was secure enough to provide sleeping space for everyone. After we devoured Robbin and Piper’s abundant dinner, we all had some ale and a nip of wine before spreading out our bedrolls.
As the night grew dark and we all blew out our candles, I found that I was almost too excited to sleep.
Until the Mananymphs joined me, anyway.
They came one-by-one, with Pandora coming first. She nestled against me, soft and warm.
Bella came next, purring as she curled up next to me, then Esmerelda slipped under the blankets with me, as well.
“Oh hell, make some room,” Sephara said, then slid under the blankets and crawled up my torso, before finally pushing her head up from the blankets, staring right into my eyes with a big smirk on her face. “Don’t let this go to your head, Earthman,” she said, then kissed me on the nose mere seconds before I fell into a satisfyingly comfortable sleep.
*****
In the middle of the night, I felt her calling out to me.
“…earthman…”
Her voice filtered through the ephemeral ether that stretched across the vast distance between us. As I roused from my sleep, from the void of slumber into the watery void of Ciara’s telepathy, I couldn’t deny that I felt a certain hesitation.
“…just me…no ambush…”
While a surprise attack from the Emperor himself would have been cataclysmic, the genuine vulnerability in Ciara’s voice made answering her call well worth the risk. I willfully fell into her void, toward the rippling light at the center of it, toward the sound of her voice.
“Ciara?” I called out, my voice echoing in the dark.
Then I saw her, through the watery layer, on her hands and knees within her prison, with that awful shackle still around her neck. She was just barely visible, with only the faintest bit of candlelight with her to illuminate her features.
She offered me the weakest, faintest smile when she saw me. “Gamelord, how I’ve missed you…”
It stung my heart to see her in such a weak condition. Simply reaching out to me telepathically must have been incredibly difficult for her, yet somehow, she managed to keep that smile on her face, however weak, however faint.
I stepped closer to the watery portal. I knew that reaching through it would damage me greatly, but I was ready to take a chance.
“Ciara, my restoration powers have grown a lot,” I pleaded. “Please, let me try to cast a healing spell on you.”
Slowly, she shook her head. “It would do no good, Champion,” she said. “I’m stricken with ailments no healing spell could ever hope to alleviate, not even if cast by a restoration master like yourself.”
My heart was jackhammering in my chest. I could feel my blood beginning to boil within my veins. I was clenching my teeth in anger so hard that I was shocked I didn’t crush a molar or two.
“Tell me what he’s doing to you,” I said.
Though weak, her smile grew sharper, more defiant. “The Emperor fears you, Gamelord,” Ciara said. “Though I’d been under his control, I was faintly conscious during his battle with you, and I was able to see quite a bit of it.”
I frowned. “Then you know how close we came to losing Pandora,” I said, the pain from that dreadful incident still heavy in my heart, regardless of the fact that we were able to revive her. “And you saw how close I came to having that fucker ram his sword through my heart.”
With great effort, she waved me off, but even this small movement seemed to cause her agony. “The Emperor is a being of incredible power,” Ciara said. “His might dwarfs even that of the Necromancer, back when he still drew breath. In his long, long, wicked life, the Emperor has never known defeat. Not until he went up against you. You’re the first being, mortal or otherwise, to stand against him and live to speak of it.”
Yeah, well that was cold comfort. I might have managed to back him off for a bit, but the truth of the matter remained that, as I was now, I had no hope of defeating the Emperor in a straight-up fight.
“Ciara, I used the full power of the Spirit Stone against him,” I said. “And I just barely managed to harm him. I don’t know where to find another stone or another gem. And, even if I did, I’ve already seen that he can take the brunt of extreme power and still be able to walk away from it.”
This was very, very true. It was a truth that had been hiding in the back of my head. Though I was excited to route the Empire in our upcoming battle, I still harbored intense dread, because winning battles against the Imperial Legion was meaningless if I couldn’t figure out a way to kill the Emperor.
However, Ciara’s strained smile heartened me. “You asked what the Emperor is doing to me,” she went on. “Gamelord, now that he fears you so much, he’s decided to rip much of my power away for his own uses, more than he ever has before.”
“To do what?” I asked.
“To make a deal with some of the most dangerous beings who’ve ever drawn breath,” she said. “Using my powers of transcendence and telepathy, he’s reached out, well past the corporeal realms of man and mer. Out in those ephemeral wastelands dwell hideous beings who, long ago, were cast out of Paradise by Mother Gaia herself.”
Oh, great. The Emperor would be employing yet another number of overpowered critters that I’d have to kill. By the sound of Ciara’s voice, I knew that these guys, whoever they were, were going to be far more powerful than the Necromancer’s lich lords.
“They call themselves the Order of the Righteous Seraphs,” she went on. “Back at the dawn of man and mer, these seraphs insisted that Mother Gaia was mistaken in creating the denizens of this realm. They thought only seraphs were pure enough to populate the world.”
I grunted out a bitter chuckle. “I think I know where this is going,” I said. “We have a similar legend back where I come from.”
“When Mother Gaia refused to listen to their concerns, the seraphs attempted to overthrow her,” Ciara said. “It set Paradise ablaze, with seraphs fighting seraphs, and Mother Gaia’s heart was so heavy that she turned away from the battle. However, she eventually discovered that these hateful seraphs could never be redeemed. With much regret, she cast them out of Paradise, into a void of nothing, where they’ve been imprisoned ever since.”
“Yeah, until the Emperor stole your transcendence powers, I assume,” I said.
“That’s right,” Ciara said. “Over the long years, these wicked seraphs have grown even more powerful through their hatred. Some have died off – by each other’s hands, of course, as they are otherwise immortal – but despite their small number, these foes will be dedicated to the Emperor’s cause.”
I frowned. “And I’m guessing there’s no way of convincing them not to join up with the Emperor,” I said.
She shook her head. “Not a chance,” she said. “Once the Emperor frees them, they’ll no doubt pledge their undying support to him. Gamelord, I’m beginning to fear that this realm may not be enough for the Emperor. I fear he wants more.”
“How much more could he possibly want?” I asked.
“The heart of Mother Gaia herself,” Ciara stated plainly. “He may want to crush Paradise in his fist. And the worst part is the Emperor truly believes in his own divinity. No part of him considers his actions wicked. Corrupt as his nature seems to us, the Emperor’s heart is pure.”
“And that makes him downright fucking dangerous,” I said. “But Ciara, how can I kill him without another Gaia Stone or Gaia Gem? With the war about to break out, I don’t have time to go searching around the realm for one.”
Her face softened, as if she had temporary relief from all her pain. “Don’t worry about that, Gamelord,” she said. “Though he’s siphoned off much of my power, a Mananymph’s heart is a boundless well of mana, a w
ell that not even the Emperor could touch. Using that, I’ll get you another stone or gem. Just give me time.”
“How much time, specifically?” I said. “Because the sooner I can get the means to kill this motherfucker, the better.”
“This is difficult to say,” Ciara said. “Sadly, this is not a precise process. However, I’m certain that I’ll be able to give you this gift by the time your forces are ready to storm the gates of the Imperial City. Go now, Gamelord. You have a war to win.”
*****
I woke up just before dawn, with the sky just now taking on a purple hue, hinting at sunlight. Out in the dark, I heard the sound of boots crunching in the soil. I sat up, grinning, because I knew exactly who was coming.
Layla emerged from the gloom bearing a torch. The flickering firelight made her elfin features look like a figure in a dream. She ran to me once I got to my feet and we embraced, long and tight.
“It pains me to admit how much I’ve missed you,” Layla whispered, though we’d seen each other just days ago.
I gave her a kiss and enjoyed the taste of her mouth. “Well, from here on out, we’re going to be marching side by side.”
Behind her, there were roughly two-hundred wood elves, all dressed for battle. All of these fighters were capable of switching between archery and melee. Some wore the green, forest-forged light armor that Layla preferred. Others wore heavier armor, built with the golden tree sap that they used to forge their amber blades.
“Hingar’s leading the bulk of our forces toward the southern pass,” Layla said. “But I wanted to link up with you and my sisters, just in case you stumble upon any Imperials.”
I jerked my finger to Erhoff and his men, who were quickly beginning to wake up. “The only Imperials we’ve seen so far have pledged themselves to us,” I said. “But I appreciate the help, regardless.”
One by one, the Mananymphs rose up from our bedroll. Sephara came trudging over, rubbing the sleep crust from her eyes. Without a word, she marched up to the closet wood elf warrior who was armed with an amber-tipped spear.
She quickly yanked the spear from the elf’s grip. “I’ll be using this,” she said flatly. “I broke mine.”
The wood elf glared at Sephara, then turned to Layla. “Councilwoman Layla?” he asked. “Are all of your sisters this rude?”
“Nope, just me,” Sephara said, then patted the warrior on the cheek. “Now who’s brewing coffee? War is tiring work, especially when the idiot Earthman insists on waging it so early.”
All the wood elves looked at me curiously, raising their eyebrows and cocking their heads.
I sighed.
“Everyone, that’s Sephara,” I said. “Somehow, I came to love her despite her manners. You’re not required to do the same.”
Chapter Seventeen
We linked up with Hingar and the rest of the Woodhaven army just as they began their short trek through the southern pass in the Grey Wolf Mountains. Just the sight of the massive force brought a smile to my face.
The wood elves marched in lockstep, bearing bows and swords and spears. Some wore that light armor, others wore amber armor, and many wore a combination of both. We joined their ranks and rode at the front with Hingar. He grinned then clapped me on the shoulder.
“Today, we join one another to smash this damn Empire!” Hingar said. Behind him, the wood elves gave a shout.
We weren’t even halfway through the barren southern pass when the towering siege vehicles grew visible in the distance. They were definitely large enough to reach the Homehold city battlements, and thick with Darkwood oak that could certainly stand up to any number of arrows, and probably a healthy bit of destruction magic, as well.
Along with those siege towers were plenty more wood elf warriors. By the time we joined them just outside of the southern pass, I realized that the Woodhaven army was at least ten-thousand strong.
And that was just the beginning of it.
We made the rounds with Hingar, thanking the various divisions of wood elves for coming to our aid. Just as we were finishing this, the sound of thundering horses rang out from the plains to the south.
A sudden wave of unease rolled over the Woodhaven army as they looked southward. At first, it appeared as though a massive dust cloud was blowing across the plain. Only as the massive black war horses drew closer did it become apparent that the cloud was merely dust being kicked up by the horses’ massive hoofs.
It was like a growing black wave of water topped with purple breakers as the orc warriors clad in purplish orcish armor came bounding toward us. Now, the wood elves were really threatening to piss their pants
“Don’t fear them!” I shouted out to the massive army, and Hingar ordered his officers to spread the word to those who were out of earshot. “The orcs are friendly! They’ve come to join us!”
Though the Woodhaven army had already known this, the common bigotry and fear toward the orcish people had bled into much of the Empire. This was unfortunate, because otherwise decent folk around the Empire had been fed lies about the nature of the orcs, mostly by the Empire, fueling the bigotry.
As the orcish legions drew closer, I made out the mighty Gorrok riding at the head of his army. The orcs behind him gave the illusion of a massive wall of orcish armor and muscle. There must have been fifteen-thousand of them, possibly more. To show the wood elves that they had nothing to fear from the orcs, I sprinted out to meet Gorrok alone.
He jumped off his warhorse, laughing as we embraced. At my back, the wood elves were no doubt shocked by the sight of the show of warmth from the vicious-looking orc warlord.
“Gorrok, it’s been too long!” I said as I gave him a friendly hug.
He snatched the enchanted orcish war axe from my back, inspected it, then let out a belly laugh. “Leave it to an Earthman to make a deadly axe that much deadlier!” he said, then handed the axe back to me. “Earthman, I’m honored to be at your side.”
The other orcs came rumbling around us on their huge warhorses. One of Gorrok’s captains rode up next, with a rider-less horse coming up behind him.
“This is for you, Earthman!” the captain said.
“Surely, you’ve learned how to ride by now?” Gorrok said with a smirk.
“Not quite,” I said, but then I remembered the spell I’d learned when I unlocked green magic.
The warhorses were aggressive and not at all easy to tame, but I pulled up my ally beast spell and decided to try it out. The huge horse huffed and bucked as I approached it, but as I cast that green magic spell for the first time, I immediately noticed something strange about the horse.
Well, it was something strange between us. As I cast the spell on the horse, I realized that I could feel the horse’s emotions.
More than that, I realized that the horse could sense mine.
I smiled at the horse. “Hey buddy, I’m a friend,” I said to the horse, hoping that it could decipher the meaning of my words.
And it turned out that was just the case.
The horse stopped huffing. Now, it lowered its head to let me rub its nose. I laughed. “That’s right, do you mind letting me onto your back, buddy?” I asked.
The horse let out a friendly huff then bent down, offering me its saddle.
I climbed on top of it and took the reins, hoping that the horse wouldn’t toss me off its back. “I’m new to this, pal,” I said to the horse. “So help me out, will ya?”
The horse neighed and began to trot with me on top of him, and I laughed when I saw the look of shock on Pandora’s face.
“Faster, buddy!” I shouted, and then the horse took off, back toward Pandora and the other Mananymphs, with the orcs following behind me.
“Well look at that, the Earthman has finally learned how to ride a horse!” Pandora said.
As I rode past her, she hopped upon the saddle with me, wrapping her arms around my waist.
“This is something new,” I said to her.
She kissed my cheek. “I kne
w you’d learn to ride eventually,” she said. “Even if you’re cheating with that green magic.”
“Hey, if it works, it works,” I said, then came to a stop and turned back to the gathering forces behind us.
Two armies, wood elves and orcs. Though there was a slight air of unease between the two, I could already see that they’d be warming up to each other soon. I made the warhorse trot toward them.
“Warriors of Woodhaven, warriors of the Southern Mountains, and proud men of the Red-Hand Legionnaires!” I shouted. “Today, we unite to oppose an Empire that would seek to be the death of us all!”
The armies, wood elves and orcs alike, then broke out into a battle roar.
“They want to keep us all divided!” I continued. “Rebels, orcs, wood elves, Imperials…none of that shit matters to me! I’m here with you today to free this realm from injustice, and that starts now!”
From the crowd, a huge, deafening cheer broke out, then I drew my amber longsword and pointed it north.
“Follow me, friends!” I shouted. “It’s time for war!”
*****
The excitement continued buzzing through our forces, even though we had a two-day march to Homehold. Still, I knew we’d be facing resistance soon enough. Pandora and I rode at the front of our caravan. (I had to recast the ally beast spell every half an hour, however. My riding skills amounted to shit without me being able to communicate with the horse telepathically.)
Pandora pulled out her looking glass and studied the horizon. She grimaced. “We’re coming up on the southernmost Homehold garrison,” she said. “It’s buzzing with movement.”
“What do they have waiting for us?” I asked.
“From what I can see, there are several hundred legionnaires,” she said.
“The garrison isn’t big enough for a force that large,” I said.
“No, it isn’t,” she said. “But they’ve fortified the garrison with a large wooden wall. I’m guessing the legionnaires have been sleeping outside the garrison, yet within the protective walls outside of it.”
“Well shit, they must see us coming,” I said.
Monstergirl Quest Book Three Page 13
