“We need to finish this task soon, then,” Becky said.
“Yup,” Alvin nodded. “Kuro, any ideas on how to better combat the necromancers?”
“I don’t know, Hero, sorry.”
“I have a couple of ideas, but it will cost a big chunk of XP and I should probably make sure I’m not going to destroy the town’s economy at the same time.”
“What did you have in mind?” Becky asked.
“Forest fire,” Alvin smiled.
Becky blinked and began to laugh, “You want to burn the forest down?”
“Why not?”
“It won’t burn,” Kuro added. “There have been attempts to burn the forest before. All the trees do is smolder, and the beasts of the forest come to defend it.”
“What were you using to burn it?” Alvin asked.
“Alcohol.”
“You don’t have napalm, or its homemade analogue: gasoline and Vaseline,” Alvin said.
“Napalm sticks to kids,” Becky snickered.
“And everything else,” Alvin smiled.
“Breakfast will be ready shortly,” Jarvis said from the kitchen. “I went with a much simpler meal this time. Biscuits and gravy with eggs; it will boost your resistance to necromantic magic.”
“That sounds helpful,” Alvin said.
“Could have used it yesterday,” Becky murmured.
“We didn’t know yesterday,” Kuro pointed out. “Even Wintersbreath hadn’t heard of that happening before. It might explain why none of the previous armies came back... killing one of them kills everything near them.”
“Let’s eat. We need to speak with the Matriarchs and Wintersbreath. I want to get this done soon. Hopefully the trees aren’t a big part of the local economy,” Alvin said.
“They aren’t. The Forest of Gold is, but that’s far to the north,” Kuro told them.
“Good to know,” Alvin grinned.
They finished their breakfast and left after saying their goodbyes to Jarvis. Taking just the Humvee, Alvin drove them to the manor where they were let inside by the gate guards. Wintersbreath was there to meet them, her face grim. “I sent word to the inn this morning. They said you didn’t reply.”
“We can’t get messages in our base,” Becky said simply. “What happened?”
“Early in the predawn hours, Melinaholt was completely destroyed. My scouts reported that the city was burned, with only the walls and manor left standing. The manor had been broken into and there were no bodies to be found,” Wintersbreath told them.
“Well, fuck,” Alvin sighed. “We need something the size of the army that was at the Gate. Do you have that many people?”
“I have that many left,” Wintersbreath frowned. “Do you mean to take them into the woods?”
“No, I mean for them to sift through the ashes,” Alvin told her, “and to protect us from any attacks.”
“The forest will not burn,” Wintersbreath told him firmly. “If it could, we would have done so a long time ago. If anyone tries to cut more than two trees in a single day, the beasts of the woods come to attack them.”
“We have a possible solution to that,” Alvin told her. “Come with us, please.”
Once everyone was in the Humvee, Alvin drove them to the forest’s edge. “Kuro, if you will?” Alvin said.
Opening the hatch, Kuro climbed into the gunner’s spot. Taking out the bottle that she had been given, she used a lighter to get the rag burning. She tossed the glass bottle at the closest tree, then dropped back inside the Humvee.
The bottle shattered against a tree, covering a large swath of bark with burning goo. The people in the Humvee watched, Wintersbreath’s lips curling in a sneer as she waited to tell them that it was useless, but the fire kept burning. After long seconds ticked by, her jaw dropped. “How?”
“Something developed during a war on our world,” Alvin said. “This is the cheap version, but it looks like it’ll do the job.” Alvin backed the Humvee away, watching the fire burn. “I’m going to burn the forest down. I need your people to make sure nothing really bad happens and to sift through the ashes afterwards. Can you get us more people?”
A screaming howl went up from the woods, sending shivers down all their spines. The burning tree grew brighter, then suddenly became a pyre of flame that stood out like a beacon in the morning light.
“Fucking shit, that was even more flammable than birch,” Alvin muttered.
“It’s like the thing had alcohol for sap,” Becky said, watching as the tree fell into the woods, still burning. “The bark is resistant to fire, but the interior isn’t?”
“The bark might act like a catalyst if you can get it to burn long enough,” Alvin said. “Either way, we can burn the forest to the ground, but it’s going to be supremely costly.”
“The Queen will gladly repay you if the Death Wood is destroyed,” Wintersbreath said softly, her eyes focused on the burning tree. “We’ve long waited and searched for a way to be rid of these woods so we can turn our full attention to the King.” Shaking her head, Wintersbreath’s eyes gleamed as they met Alvin’s. “I shall get you twice as many people, but it will take days. Can we start this today, while the others make their way here?”
“We’re going to. I don’t want to give them a chance to attack the town again. I kind of expect them to mass everything here for an attack today.”
“Return us to town, then. I must send messages and marshal the army,” Wintersbreath said.
~*~*~
Alvin chuckled as he purchased six flamethrowers, each filled with napalm. Becky and Kuro both grabbed one to put in the Humvee once they appeared. Pulling the other four out of the kiosk, Alvin grinned.
“Sir, you know that what you’re doing is probably... not intended,” Jarvis smiled faintly.
Alvin smirked, “I don’t see why not. After all, this is just a little different from how some people in rural communities burn off piles of brush.”
“I will take your word for it, sir.”
“I’m sure they knew this was coming,” Alvin mused.
“The flamethrower part, yes. Adding runes to them and changing the fuel in them in the store? Possibly not, sir.”
“Hero, we’re taking all of them, right?” Becky asked.
“Yes. Two for us and four for the Elves,” Alvin nodded.
“You really think this will work out?” Becky asked.
“Sure. These are military grade flamethrowers filled with napalm and with a reload option on them. We’ll drive up to the edge of the forest and spray it down, then drive along the tree line. Once we have the edge burning, we back off and see what happens.”
“You know we’re going to get attacked.”
“Yup, which is why you’re both going to have one and will be switching out. Even the undead things will burn and die from the napalm. I had the gunner’s hatch expanded, so you should be able to fit even with the canisters on.”
“This has to be the worst idea ever... but I love it,” Becky grinned.
“I just want to watch the world burn.”
“Not the whole world, I hope,” Kuro said from the garage door.
“It’s just a saying from Earth,” Alvin reassured her.
Kuro gave him a hesitant smile. “Thank you… for doing all of this for my people.”
“I’m doing this for us. The fact that it will help the Queen is incidental. I just want to soak her for all we can get before we set them up with access to the Earth store and leave.”
“I was afraid you would side with the King’s Elves when we came through the Gate,” Kuro admitted. “I’ve judged you badly from the very beginning, and…”
When she paused, Alvin waved her off. “It’s fine, Kuro. We’re all products of our history. Now let’s go burn this forest to the ground.”
Becky began to giggle, “Can you imagine the faces of the EPA if they could see what you’re about to do?”
“Or the environmental extremists,” Alvin chuckled.
“I’m probably about to wipe out a few species of bird, rodent, and beetle by doing this.”
“A whole ecosystem, forever changed,” Becky began to laugh. “Mankind really is the scourge of any planet they happen to be on.”
“I guess they were right all along,” Alvin laughed along with her. “Come on, nutjob. Let’s get this party started.”
“I have the marshmallows and chocolate,” Becky winked.
“S’mores by napalm… hmmm, probably unhealthy.”
“I’m sure it is, but the imagery was just too good to pass up.”
Kuro watched them, and a twinge of jealousy stabbed at her for a moment. “Hero, is there any way I can learn more of your culture, so I can understand more of this banter?”
Alvin frowned, “I don’t think so.”
“There might be, sir,” Jarvis said slowly. “I shall look into it while you have your fun. I have to ask though, why did you buy the hat?”
“Hat?” Becky asked.
Alvin pulled the Smokey Bear hat from his bag, placing it on his head. “Remember, only you can start forest fires.”
Blinking for a long second, Becky stared at him, then began to laugh. “Oh gods,” she managed between laughs, which got progressively louder. “You need to do that in just blue jeans and bare chested… or better yet, in a bear suit.”
Alvin chuckled, “Come on, Gothy. Wintersbreath is waiting for us to light her world up.”
“I already have my Elf,” Becky said as she wiped tears from her eyes. “I don’t need anyone else now. I’m perfectly happy with you and Mousie.”
Kuro blushed deeply, “Thank you, Gothy.”
“I’m happy too,” Alvin said, walking toward the garage. “No more dallying.”
“What about lollygagging?” Becky asked from behind him.
“Afterwards, you can celebrate that way,” Alvin said, not looking back.
“I’ll hold you to that promise, Hero.”
“I’m sure you will.”
When they got to the gate, Wintersbreath was waiting for them. The walls were lined with dark-skinned Elven women and men in armor. Parking next to Wintersbreath, Alvin got out and opened the back of the Humvee. “Just hold the walls for now. These four containers are for you, let me show you how to work them real fast.”
“Jezza, come collect these for your special squad,” Wintersbreath commanded a Sergeant nearby. Looking back at Alvin, she nodded. “You’re going to drive the length of the woods?”
“Yup, which means four hours until we’re back here, but you’ll see the fire before then.”
“This is a mad plan,” Wintersbreath said as Alvin closed the Humvee up. “It is, however, the best we can hope for with the aggression the outcasts are mustering.”
“Yup,” Alvin agreed, climbing the stairs with Wintersbreath. “Okay, so this is how these work…”
Once back in the Humvee, Alvin grinned, “I think she’s in love.”
“Wintersbreath?” Becky asked.
“Yeah, you should have seen her eyes during the demonstration,” Alvin chuckled. “You both ready for this?”
“Yes.”
“Of course,” Becky grinned.
“Make sure your gear is situated,” Alvin told them.
“We’re ready, Hero.”
“Okay,” Alvin said as he got the Humvee rolling. He nodded to the guards who had finally gotten the gates open for them.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Driving the length of the forest toward the mostly ruined town of Helinaholt, Alvin pulled out a few songs to listen to, each one earning laughter from Becky.
“Okay, okay, I get ‘Burn it to the Ground’ by Nickelback, ‘Light my Fire’ by the Doors, and ‘Fire’ by Hendrix, but ‘Fuel’ by Metallica? Really?”
“Well it is about fuel, and we’re going to be pumping a lot of it into the woods,” Alvin chuckled. “It’s not the best fit, but I find it amusing.”
“I loved the others, but that one is really borderline,” Becky told him.
“I’m holding the best one for later,” Alvin said with a sniff. “It’s going to be classic.”
“Tell me,” Becky said.
“No. If I tell you, it will ruin the moment,” Alvin said. “Humvee, play the first three songs in a loop. We need mood music for setting off armageddon.”
They reached the far end of the forest after a little over an hour, where Becky opened the gunner’s hatch and stood up. “Ready for the party, Hero.”
Turning the Humvee back toward Meiraholt, Alvin chuckled. “Well I’m not gonna get out and kick any tires, but feel free to light some fires, Gothy.”
Alvin let the Humvee creep along the tree line at an idle. When the first of the trees came even with the vehicle, Becky started hosing them with flaming napalm. When her flamethrower ran out of fuel, she dropped into the back seat and Kuro stood up in her place to set another swath of the forest alight.
Alvin waited for the attack, a knowing smirk on his lips. They had been burning trees for a few miles when a pack of grezles came lumbering out of the woods. “Gothy, twelve o’clock,” Alvin called up to her as he stopped the Humvee.
“On it,” Becky replied, standing up with a freshly reloaded flamethrower. At forty yards, the beasts learned that fire wasn’t their friend when the blast of napalm hit and stuck to them. Panicking, the coated, flaming beasts ran into the forest. “Thanks for helping,” Becky laughed as she turned her aim back to the trees.
“That was easier than I thought it was going to be,” Alvin mused. “Probably not used to fire that sticks. Oh, well, moving on.”
Several minutes later, a couple of giant birds came flying overhead. “Hero, there are conegs above us,” Kuro told him.
“What does that mean?” Alvin asked.
“They are large enough to carry a wagon off,” she said as she watched the birds circling them. “I think they are here for us.”
“Use the M240B, shoot them down,” Alvin told her.
The sound of the large gun filled the Humvee. Alvin stopped so he could look up and saw the two large birds now flying somewhat erratically. “Damn, I wish I had flak rounds for that gun,” Alvin sighed as he summoned his Type 56. Setting the brake, Alvin got out of the Humvee and aimed straight up.
The birds flew in directly over the Humvee as the M240B ran out of ammunition, which meant Kuro couldn’t fire at them anymore. Alvin fired off a quick triple tap, and one of the conegs let out a cry, folded its wings, and started dropping straight down.
“Hero, get back in here,” Becky yelled at him.
Not wasting time, Alvin was already moving, gun vanishing into his glove as he dove into the vehicle. Dropping the brake, he floored the accelerator. “Be ready,” he told Kuro.
The Humvee moved forward faster than the coneg was expecting, and it snapped its wings out to bank away from them. Kuro laid into it with the M240B, hitting the bird and pushing it down into the ground as one of its wings was all but shredded. She tracked the gun over, and the next three rounds pulverized its head.
“Hard turn,” Becky called out, having kept track of the other one.
Alvin didn’t ask and cut hard away from the forest. The bird just missed grabbing the Humvee, scraping the metal with its talons. The return fire from the M240B put it down in short order when it tried to flap away from them.
Alvin backtracked to the corpses so Becky could loot them. When she was finished, they went back to methodically burning the forest down.
“Most animals run from a forest fire, so why are we being attacked by bears and eagles?”
“Every forest has a heart,” Kuro explained. “The forest desires to survive as much as we do. Our stories say this one was dark even before the necromancers fled into it. Ever since then, it’s only gotten worse.”
“Hmm, interesting,” Alvin mused. “I wonder what kind of XP we’ll get for eradicating a forest heart?”
“I’m going to say a lot,” Becky chuckled.
“Probably,” Alvin agreed. “Ah, well. Back to work.” Alvin brought the Humvee back into line with the edge of the forest while Becky took position in the gunner’s nest and went back to spraying the trees down with napalm.
~*~*~
When they were returning to Meiraholt hours later, Alvin’s eyes narrowed. “Hang on, we’ve got trouble.”
Becky and Kuro both looked to the raging fire outside the walls of the city. “They got attacked,” Becky murmured.
Elven Accord Page 29
