“Do we have any idea how big their force is?” I asked. “Besides the fact that it’s going to be fucking huge.”
Sir Lucien stared off into the dark, eyes peeled for movement. “Well, Lord Blackfyre likely commands much of Lord Ephemera’s forces. I’d say the invading army could very well be ten thousand-strong.”
I remembered the sprawling hordes of undead that Lord Necromorph commanded in my first true battle. I shook my head. “Sir Lucien, I think we’ll be lucky if this army is only ten thousand-strong,” I said. “When we sneaked into Lord Necromorph’s keep, he had easily that number, if not more.”
“Mother Gaia, protect us,” Duke Gladios growled.
“We’ve already sent a raven to Silverton for aid,” Sir Lucien said. “I’m sure we’ll need it.”
With dawn still a long way off, there wasn’t much we could do except sit here and wait. The Lich Lord’s undead horde would be at an advantage, as they were stronger in the dark.
“And I’m not about to send my men out there, fighting blind,” Duke Gladios said. “Even armed with torches, they’d be lambs to the slaughter.”
I grit my teeth. “Fine, then,” I said. “We’ll hole up here until dawn.”
It killed me not to gather an advance force to ride out and meet the horde head-on, but I had to consider the common soldiers that would have gone with me. They didn’t have Soulguards or enchanted weapons, and we’d be vastly outnumbered. I couldn’t risk that many lives, especially when they’d be sorely needed for the city’s defense.
The only Homehold soldiers beyond the city gates were riders on the city’s fastest horses, serving as lookouts. A dangerous job, I thought, even if they were just supposed to come running back at the first sign of trouble.
There was still time before the horde arrived, so I hurried back to my bed chamber to check my supplies, among other things. Along the way, I stopped in the infirmary, where Sephara was working double-time to bring Pandora back to health.
“Sephara,” I said. “How’s she coming along?”
Sephara grit her teeth. “Not fast enough,” she said, frustrated. “I’d much rather have her up and healthy, so that the two of us could help defend the city.”
I touched her shoulder. “Don’t worry about that,” I said. “Just stick with Pandora. Keep her safe.”
“And Bella?” Sephara said.
“She’s in my bed chamber,” I said. “I gave her my Imperial agent ring to help defend herself, just in case any undead breach the castle.”
I noticed that, just off to the side of Pandora’s bed, Sephara had her spear resting against the wall. It was a relief to know that Pandora would be in good hands.
Suddenly, Sephara threw her arms around me. I held her tight and kissed her.
“Be careful, idiot Earthman,” she said.
The castle was crowded. Duke Gladios and Sir Lucien saw to it that the most vulnerable Homehold citizens were ushered into the secret passageways below the castle. They were safest there. Meanwhile, the various captains of the city guard were rounding up able-bodied citizens, basically anyone healthy enough to fight.
Robbin and Piper were, along with some other squires, hustling back and forth handing out silver longswords to as many soldiers as they could. However, they focused their efforts on the soldiers manning the battlements, along with the soldiers fortifying the city gates. The undead would be numerous, so the silver blades would be crucial in cutting down their numbers.
I ran into Therena in the duke’s chamber. She looked angry as she tried working her truth spell on Marcus, who was ball-gagged and strapped to his slab, as usual.
“How are you holding up?” I asked the beautiful high elf.
“Much better if I were allowed to aid in the city’s defenses, rather than toy with this traitorous idiot,” she answered with a grin.
For all of Therena’s haughtiness and the problems I’d had with her coming onto me, it was easy to forget that she was one of Duke Gladios’ most loyal followers. Plus, she was a damn powerful mage, and she was right, because her powers would be desperately missed on the front line.
However, getting the truth out of Marcus was just as crucial. There was no telling how many Imperial agents were hiding around Homehold.
I touched her hand gently and squeezed it. “Just keep this asshole alive,” I said. “That might turn out to be a tough job, so I’m glad I have you to do it.”
She grinned confidently. “Oh, if this bastard dies, it’ll be by my hand,” Therena said.
“Earthman!” Sephara shouted, back the way I came, just barely audible over the panicked foot traffic hustling through the castle.
I went running back to the infirmary, with the faintest hopes in my heart that Sephara had a breakthrough with Pandora.
But that wasn’t it.
She turned to me as I walked back inside. “You have to speak with Esmerelda,” she said.
“She contacted you?” I asked.
Sephara nodded. “Ciara must have made her aware that, when trying to contact you via telepathy, there’s a chance that you’ll fall unconscious. She contacted me first, to see if it was okay to try to speak with you.”
“Alright,” I said. “What should I do?”
“Hold on,” Sephara said.
She paused what she was doing with Pandora and closed her eyes. Her eyelids flickered as she reached out telepathically to Esmerelda. A moment later, her eyes shot back open. Just as she opened her eyes, I leaned against the wall, suddenly lightheaded.
This time, I was better prepared to travel to the ephemeral void.
As usual, it seemed that Ciara was the most efficient at connecting via telepathy, because as I wandered the watery void, I couldn’t see Esmerelda at all. There was only a faint flicker, with her voice echoing all around me.
“Earthman?” she called out.
“Esmerelda!” I answered. “I can’t see you.”
“That’s to be expected,” she said. “I’m not the most proficient telepath. But never mind that. I have crucial news for you about Lord Blackfyre’s attack.”
“Are there orcs?” I asked. “Sephara was able to cure them of Lord Necromorph’s brainwashing. They were a great help. If you could do the same to Blackfyre’s orcs –”
“An option that I already considered, Earthman,” Esmerelda said with disappointment in her voice. “However, it seems the Necromancer has figured out that trick. Before we arrived south of Homehold, Lord Blackfyre had all his orcs banished back to the Frozen Wastes, where they will help the Necromancer’s forces subjugate their own people. They were a comparatively small part of his forces, however.”
I grimaced. Even if there were only a few hundred orcs out of all those thousands, it would have been nice to have the help.
“Alright,” I said. “So he doesn’t have any orcs and neither will we. Are his forces on the move yet?”
“I’m imprisoned on the top level of the lich lord’s citadel, with a window nearby,” she said. “Though it's difficult in the dark, I can see the forces moving below me. They are on the move, albeit slowly. Lord Blackfyre has a massive army, but he doesn’t want to stretch it thin.”
I frowned. Though his army was moving slowly, that meant there wouldn’t be any weak points throughout their advance. When they eventually fell upon Homehold, they’d be doing so with discipline and in tight formation.
But despite the daunting numbers coming our way, there was one advantage I might have been able to use.
“Esmerelda,” I said, “what about Lord Blackfyre himself? If I can take him out, the bulk of his army dies, too. How can I get to him? Is he nearby, in the citadel?”
“Lord Blackfyre differs from his fellow lich lords,” Esmerelda said. “He’s not content to sit back in comfort while a battle rages outside his citadel. No, Earthman, I’m afraid Lord Blackfyre will be on the ground, overseeing his forces. There’s no telling where he’ll be at any given time.”
“Shit!” I said.
“This motherfucker’s smarter than Ephemera and Necromorph combined. It’s like he’s considered every possible advantage we could have had and neutralized it.”
“Yet the grim news doesn’t end there,” she went on. “Though I have yet to hear anything definitive, it seems to me that the Necromancer has further plans that he hasn’t yet revealed.”
“Well, I’d like nothing better than for that motherfucker to come onto the battlefield,” I said. “If I could just get to him, one-on-one, I might be able to end this before it starts.”
“I doubt he’d be so brash,” she answered. “But just keep the Dark King in the back of your mind. He may make an appearance.”
There was one option I’d been considering. A failsafe if shit got bad.
Despite Lord Blackfyre’s superior numbers, we had something they didn’t: The Storm Gem.
I could wield the gem then dash out to meet them, head-on, just on my own. Even using the gem as I had back in the Imperial City, I’d be able to slay a huge portion of Blackfyre’s army.
Via our telepathic connection, Esmerelda must have sensed this idea floating in my head. “Do no such thing, Earthman,” she said.
“Hey, I don’t plan on it,” I said. “But if it comes down to saving Homehold or sacrificing myself using the Storm Gem, well…the answer’s fairly obvious.”
Her voice took on a frustrated, yet terrified tone. “You committing suicide could save Homehold tonight, while dooming this realm in the future,” she said. “You must save the Storm Gem for your battle with the Dark King. He is the true target, Earthman. You mustn’t forget that.”
Her cold logic cut me right down to my core. I wasn’t afraid for my own life. Mostly, I was afraid of failing, because that would mean my Mananymphs would fall victim to the oncoming horde.
But at least now my path was clear.
“I won’t use the Storm Gem, then,” I said. “At least, not yet.”
Her voice fell to a mournful pitch. “I’m sorry to have only brought you bad news, Earthman,” she said. Only now did I note how beautiful her voice was. It had a low, sensual tone that somehow reminded me of honey rolling across the tongue.
I smiled. “It’s fine, Esmerelda,” I said. “This just means I’ll have to bust my ass harder than ever before. But don’t worry. Homehold will survive. Not only that, but I’ll be storming into that citadel to free you before you know it.”
The void started to come apart. Esmerelda called out to me, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. I blinked, then I was in my body again, resting against the wall in the infirmary.
My head was a little cloudy, but it wasn’t anywhere near as traumatic as my last telepathic vision. Within seconds, I felt like myself again.
“Bad news, I assume,” Sephara said.
I wrapped my arms around her waist and gave her a hasty kiss. “Nothing we can’t handle,” I said. “You take care of Pandora for me.”
“And you take care of yourself,” Sephara said, just before I started toward the door.
However, right before I could step back out into the mass frenzy in the hallway, a squat, bulbous soldier with an enclosed iron helm waddled into the doorway to block my exit.
“Don’t go heading out just yet, Gamelord!” One-Armed Rus said.
I hardly recognized him in his armor. It didn’t fit right, with his massive belly stretching the connecting parts of the breastplate. I couldn’t help but laugh. “Rusticus, I thought your soldiering days were over,” I said.
“Not this day, Earthlad!” he shouted. He had a thick backpack slung over one shoulder. In his good hand, he held a shield. For a weapon, he’d naturally be using the hammer on the stump of his severed arm. He saw me looking at the hammer and laughed. “Oh, this won’t be the first night I’ve had to crack a skull or two with ol’ faithful! Now here, I’ve brought something for you.”
“What is it?” I asked as he slung the backpack to me.
“Armor fit for a Champion running into battle, lad,” Rusticus said with some pride in his voice as I opened the backpack.
“Goddamn!” I shouted when I saw the emerald-colored glass armor within it.
It was a full suit of armor, at that, as beautiful as it was sturdy, and nearly as light as my leather armor.
GLASS BREASTPLATE
WEIGHT: 10 LBS
DURABILITY: 2000/2000
ENCHANTMENT: 0/100
GLASS GREAVES
WEIGHT: 8 LBS
DURABILITY: 2000/2000
ENCHANTMENT: 0/100
GLASS RIGHT GAUNTLET
WEIGHT: 5 LBS
DURABILITY: 1000/1000
ENCHANTMENT: 0/50
GLASS BOOTS
WEIGHT: 8 LBS
DURABILITY: 1500/1500
ENCHANTMENT: 0/50
GLASS HELM
WEIGHT: 2 LBS
DURABILITY: 2000/2000
ENCHANTMENT: 0/50
Quickly, I stripped out of my leather armor and tucked it away in the corner. The glass armor fit me perfectly, with only a limited reduction in mobility. That was a decent trade off, because it was far more durable than the leather armor.
“Rusticus, I can’t thank you enough,” I said.
“And there ain’t no need to, lad!” One-Armed Rus said. “Now, I’ll be seeing you in the fight to come!”
Chapter Seventeen
With my new armor and plenty of supplies packed, I was just about ready for the fight, except for one more preparation.
I still had skill points to burn. Now was as good a time as any to pick a few new perks.
I pulled up the skill tree in my Second Sight then scrolled through my available abilities. It sucked that I hadn’t learned destruction magic yet, but I had plenty of offensive options at my disposal.
MYSTICISM BOOST (3 SKILL POINTS REQUIRED)
EFFECT: CONSTANT USE
-MYSTICISM MAGIC +5
Hell yeah. It was an expensive perk, but I thought it was more than worth it. I parted with three skill points and saw my stats boost at once.
NEW SPELLS AVAILABLE!
TK FORCE BOMB
EFFECT: IMPACTS MULTIPLE RANGED TARGETS WITH TK BLAST BOOST
That would come in handy for dealing with clusters of enemies, and I knew there would be no shortage of those. But I kept scrolling, because I’d learned another spell along with it.
MINI-TELEPORT
EFFECT: TELEPORTS USER SHORT DISTANCES
Not exactly a god-tier spell, but it would come in handy if I found myself surrounded. I supposed the spell would only transport me a few yards in any direction, given how taxing a long-distance teleportation was, not to mention the level of skill required to cast a long-distance teleportation spell.
I wasn’t done with the skill tree. There was an ability that caught my eye.
HEAL ALLIES
EFFECT: MINOR HEALING FOR TARGETED ALLIES, 1O FT RANGE
Excellent! Not only would this give me the ability to heal friendly troops from a distance, but I could use it as an offensive option, as well, since healing spells caused damage to most undead.
Between the ranged healing spell and my improved telekinetic attacks, I’d be able to bolster the archers’ attacks with ranged spells.
I considered going back to the infirmary to borrow Pandora’s enchanted Hellfire ring, but I decided against it. If Sephara got her back on her feet before the battle was over, Pandora would need it for her part in the fight.
Now that I was ready, I ran out into the streets and made my way to the southern wall. The soldiers had their hands full simply directing traffic, as the mobs of frightened civilians were pushing and shoving their way into the castle.
I found Duke Gladios among the men on the southern wall with Sir Lucien barking orders at his side. The duke stared grimly out in the dark. When he saw me, he nodded out there. “They’re coming, Gamelord,” the duke said grimly.
I saw them, coming mostly in the dark, their movements illuminated by the bright
blue magical torches some of them carried. At the moment, they were still a good way’s off, but they’d be here soon.
It was difficult to grasp their true numbers from here. Still, with the blue lights glowing in the distance, it made the horde look like a flood of dark water, slowly creeping toward us.
Lines of archers three rows deep were preparing for the battle. Soldiers were loading stones into the trebuchets and soldiers with silver longswords stood behind the archers, awaiting the moment when the undead would inevitably come climbing up the wall.
From far down below the wall, I heard a familiar voice rise over all the others.
“Gamelord!”
Making her way up the wall was Felaxia, with her eight fellow blood mistresses behind her.
“Felaxia!” I said, overjoyed to have the mage joining us.
I’d barely seen her recently, as she’d been locked away, training the other blood mistresses in the magical arts. While she specialized in illusion magic, Felaxia knew a fair amount of destruction spells.
She came up beside me, looking out over the dark, torch-lit horde slowly lumbering toward the city. “We’re here to aid you with this wretched menace,” she said. “While I’ve focused training their skills with illusion magic, each of my fellow blood mistresses is capable of minor destruction spells.”
“Yes!” I said, pumping my fist.
“Good to see you, lady Felaxia!” Sir Lucien said. “Deploy your mistresses along the wall to aid the archers. Put a special focus on the area just above the gates.”
Felaxia nodded, with her hood pulled tight around her face. “I’ll help guard the gates myself,” she said.
The blood mistresses moved out, deploying at rough intervals along the wall, with two mistresses joining Felaxia above the gates. That was a crucial strength we had now, because the horde would no doubt try to breach the gates at some point.
“…contact, they’re here, contact!...”
The first rider was galloping back, shouting at the top of his lungs through the darkness. The others joined him a moment later.
Now that they were closer, their voices were clearer: “THE HORDE IS NEAR! PREPARE FOR THE HORDE!”
Monstergirl Quest Book Two Page 14
