by Han Yang
“I don’t get the reference,” Jenovene said, glancing around in an attempt to figure out what the hell was going on.
Thrum!
A thousand drums sounded across the city.
As thunderous and sudden as they were, the sounds stopped.
“I’m going to be late. She knows why,” I said.
We figured it was best to act outside the throne room. Everything up to that point had been stalling the delegation from seeing my main army leaving out the north gate - also a ruse. As soon as the delegation was tucked inside the keep, my troops had headed out to assemble on the north side of the city.
Nee smirked and said, “I told you, Lady Jenovene. The King had other orders. The prisoners will relinquish their valuables or die trying to hold them.”
“What is going on?” Jenovene asked, shifting between Nee and me.
I pointed to General Ike who accepted his helmet from a squire. He snapped the chin strap on and painfully smiled at his wife.
“I compartmentalize. Do not take this as a slight, Jenovene. Yesterday, we received a message from the Podoni Empire. What did that message state?” I asked.
Jenovene glanced at the Duchess and her daughters. “It is unsavory and not befitting of the current company.”
“I’d like to hear what it said. It might explain what the six hells is going on,” Duchess Nomi said.
“The message said simply ‘Die.’ It was written in blood,” Jenovene said with a sigh. “It was delivered by a griffin rider wearing Podoni colors and with a signet seal of your empire.”
“Well, you are warring with our allies,” Countess Carlina said with a scoff. “So what if you were told you would be squashed like an insect under boot. You’re pathetic.”
I frowned and tucked my lips inwardly as if I were sad to hear this.
“When we captured your army, I left the bulk of my goblin forces in the Coorg Woods. Those goblins did the unthinkable. They raced out of the woods for the north. A horde of goblins sacked Devono's Outpost as of an hour ago,” I said with a chuckle. “The goblins are rutting in the streets. Podoni streets.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Duchess Nomi said.
Famo and my banyous marched out of the western gate, their formation tight and orderly. The platforms created shadows across the land and their might loomed large. They put on quite the show.
“You will find fifteen thousand troops outside our walls. We are invading the north. You see, a friend of mine stopped by before I could get to sleep last night. He gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Twenty Zorta per captured Podoni man, woman, and child,” I said.
“The Jeer! You’re dealing with the coalition. You will die for this!” Duchess Nomi shouted.
“You see, there’s something I can’t agree on. I won’t.” A different squire handed me the reins of a fresh horse. I stuck a foot in the stirrup and vaulted onto the back. “Duchess Nomi, your empire already said I would die. For generations your empire treated the Garo Region as inferior scum. I’m a general King. I take what I want. Your empire should realize the moment they sent me a message to die, I’d take it personally.”
“Devono is an outpost of a thousand, a farming area, nothing more,” Duchess Nomi said as if trying to shrug off the loss.
“I’m afraid you underestimate us,” I told her and turned my horse. “I’ve sent my goblin army towards Karack Hold, and the thirty thousand who live there will be no match against my army.”
“You surely jest,” Countess Carlina blurted.
My pretend guard removed their hood and walked forward.
The women sneered at the sight of the harpy. “I am Ambassador Petrion.” He pointed to the sky where a cloud grew larger and larger, heading directly towards us. “That is a hundred thousand harpies flying to remove the prisoners our trading partner has captured.”
You could see the proverbial gut punch roil through Duchess Nomi. “Are you going to break the yellow and hold me here?”
“Heavens no,” I said in a sassy manner. “I’ll have my guards ensure you leave our walls safely.”
“We will honor the yellow up to your border, more than is required,” Ambassador Petrion said.
“So that’s it,” Countess Carlina said. “You poke the largest army in the region when another is sailing this way. Insanity.”
“Karr, sound the bugle for me, invite my new friends,” I said to my newest squire.
A loud blare of a horn had us plugging our ears.
Four immense dragons flew out of the city wearing the colors of the Garo Region. Two glistened red with their scales vibrant in the midday sun. The yellow dragon was the smallest, a lightning dragon. The largest pink dragon landed a few feet from me. She could ensnare a wide swath with her entrapment magic. They all were marvelous, and the only reason I had accepted the white the night before.
“Ha, you can’t convert dragons against their will. Neat trick. Did you promise them extra food? Or maybe you gave them goblins to eat live? They love that,” Countess Carlina said.
Her mother folded her arms and tapped a foot impatiently. “You vex me.”
“I wish I could control them, but I cannot,” I said. Not yet. Mom wasn’t powerful enough to tame the beasts. One day she would be. “They go to Jeer. A million Zorta each. You will pay double to get them back.”
Duchess Nomi stormed off, not saying another word. I watched her entourage flee with her. My guards escorted them toward their griffins in the stable, and I grinned at their backsides.
“I think you upset her,” Jenovene said. I went to apologize, and she spoke before I could. “I get it. I understand all of it. I’m proud of you, Damien.”
“Uh, thanks, I think,” I said hesitantly. “That was sincere? Right?”
Ike snickered. “It was.”
“I will rule with Cecil, Nee, and our Queen,” Jenovene said. “You played her like a fiddle. Ah… It is refreshing to win.”
“Yes, yes it is,” Petrion said. “Good luck at the battle for Karack Hold.”
“I’m already inside the city, they don’t know it yet. I need…” I checked my upgrade sheet.
Necromancer Level 10 -} Necromancer Level 11 = 90,000 Zorta. You have insufficient Zorta to perform this upgrade.
I checked my stats.
Name: Damien Moonguard
Race: Human
Affiliation: Ostriva
Zorta: 11787.001
Shared Zorta: 8787.001
Nordan Score: 0
Ostriva Score: 133,774
Location: Moonguard City
Magic Type: Healer
Healer Level: 16
Magic Type 2: Necromancer
Necromancy Level: 10
Necromancer Minions: 21,000/21,000
Necromancer General Level: 4
Necromancer General Mana: 225/225
Shared Mana: 400
Necromancer General Permissions: All
Fighting Level: Honed
Mana: 500/500
Mana Recharge: 14
Strength: 15
Stamina: 15
Dexterity: 15
Constitution: 18
Willpower: 18
Cultivation: 40
Intelligence: 40
Wisdom: 40
Charisma: 30
Tracking: 13
Endurance: 15
Perception: 21
Burst: 15
Reflex: 15
Healing: 15
Melee Combat: 15
Aim: 6
Hunger: 1
Thirst: 1
Aging: 59 years until death.
“Ha! I upgraded my fighting. Whatever the hell ‘honed’ means,” I said.
“It means you’ve been taking Asha’s lessons seriously,” Ike said.
I shrugged. “Yeah, I added more to my core stats too. Back to what I was getting at. I need a hundred thousand Zorta.”
Nee glanced at the harpy who bobbed his head indifferently. That wasn’t a good sign.
“Before you get upset, we honor our deals,” Petrion said. “There’s a high level beastmaster in our flock who can move the dragons. Once they are safe and inside our territory, we will bring your Zorta in a day or two. Getting that amount takes time and moving it is tricky.”
“I’m surprised the dragons even listened to our call,” I said.
“Their riders are out here. Simple, really. Converting them won’t happen. They absolutely won’t accept a rider they don’t want unless we had a tamer, which, alas, we do not,” Petrion said.
“I’m happy we could deal,” I said with palms up. “Someone has to trust to make a transaction complete. Since I’m the new guy, I’ll take the risk. I see this helping both sides, though.”
“Yes, it is mutually beneficial. You remove the human prisoners and dragons to an area out of Podoni reach. The Podoni prisoners get to go home for a cost. We get prisoners back we want and earn some Zorta. The only one who loses is the Podoni treasury which is vast,” Petrion said, tucking his arms behind his back.
“Have your flock swing by Devono's Outpost for more prisoners. Petrion.” I paused to ensure I had his attention. “I’m stopping after Karack Hold.”
The message was simple and clear. I was trusting him. If he crossed me, my army would be free to turn on him and his coalition.
“I wish you luck, King Moonguard. Lady Nee, if you would be so kind as to help me organize these prisoners in an orderly fashion,” Petrion said.
I turned to Ike who kissed his wife goodbye. “You ready?”
“I am,” he replied, and we rode into the city.
“Wait!” Jenovene said. “Karack Hold is that way.” She pointed north.
I smirked, Ike chuckled, and she all but stomped a foot.
“Where are you two going?” Jenovene asked, hands planted firmly on her hips.
“To victory,” Ike said.
“Letting King Lin go led to some wonderful revelations. Did you know my room has a secret door?” I asked.
Jenovene frowned and said, “Yeah, of course.”
“I had Jorma scout the way. Funny thing about that. There was a torture chamber in this tiny, out of the way alcove among the cliffs. I thought nothing of it first. Then I learned that dungeon chains can be used for secret doors. Secret doors that lead to…”
CHAPTER 9
Karack Hold
“I hate this feeling,” Tarla said.
I grunted in agreement. We were stuffed in a general church, and the claustrophobia was setting in. We had restored the building that rested in the heart of Karack Hold. The church had a dangerous lean, busted windows, and a nest of rats when we found it.
Bell managed the prompt on the podium and had invested a few hundred Zorta to fix the issues. A few locals noticed when the building was upgraded to gain a portal.
Random folks knocked on the door, and Bell replied that a new god was moving in. She acted as if she were a simple priestess who reveled in her god and that a reveal would come soon. The curious visitors bought this, happy to hear the news.
With the portal installed, the magic decreased our size so we could fit. On a whim, I tried to activate it. It didn’t flair to life, because the city limit was reached already, but it did trigger the magic that let us overcrowd the church.
I was almost certain the gods didn’t intend for us to utilize the rules this way. The fact Caitlyn was here meant we were likely not breaking any rules.
Caitlyn said, “Well, I think it is rather fitting. How ironic, really.”
I knew what she meant. The gloomy cave that King Lin used to escape held a torture room. That room held chains that triggered a private door. We followed a long tunnel that led to an abandoned church which was smack dab in the middle of an enemy city.
At some point, in the distant past, a high priest had fled to escape persecution after his god made promises he never delivered on. The church was abandoned and condemned, left to rot as time passed.
The tunnel was never discovered, except by us, and that was an accident. The secret door literally opened beneath the statue of the old god who this church used to be dedicated to.
“I can’t believe you can preach, get rewards, and vanish without punishment,” Bell scoffed.
“There clearly was a punishment. Losing a church hurts, and the devotion hurts so much more. Garmoth was narrow sighted. I guess that can be expected from a cyclops god. Get it?” Caitlyn laughed.
I shook my head at the lame pun. “You sure there is no limit on how many people we can fit in here?”
“No limit. You keep coming in, and you keep getting smaller. The problem will be opening that -” Caitlyn kept talking but her words cut out.
I caught her trying to glance at the door when poof, she vanished.
“Shit,” I grumbled. “We’re going to have to make a team effort to get that door open.”
We all stood at barely a few inches. All of us were condensed in size so thousands of us would fit into the building. I glanced around, looking for Leor. I found Deston instead reading a message.
“Hey, what’s that say?” I asked.
“Fernando said the enemy is leaving the city to retake Devono's Outpost. He estimates the force at fifteen thousand infantry, archers, and cavalry. No siege to move fast. Our goblin army is fleeing while they give chase. The estimate is that our goblins should make it inside Moonguard City here soon. The banyous and siege weapons are retreating, and the enemy is reacting as expected,” Deston said.
“They fell for it. Unbelievable,” Bell said.
Tarla shrugged and said, “Damien concocts some decent plans. But what would we have done?”
“Reacted the same way. If Devono’s Outpost was our holding, and a small army of humans captured it, we would seek to recapture the settlement and be cautious doing so. We would take overwhelming odds while ensuring no ambush nails us,” I said.
“So… What you’re saying is... we will be filling in our secret door after this is done?” Tarla asked.
“Uh, yeah, for sure. Famo has his dwarves with hollow sense magic hard at work trying to find others. If there are secret rooms and tunnels, we’ll find them,” I said.
“Are you wanting to reply to Fernando?” Deston asked.
“Hold Moonguard City at all costs,” I said. “I doubt they do anything other than turn around once we reveal ourselves. However, those are my orders. Hold the city.”
“Are we ready?” Cecil asked.
“Yeah, I think we are,” I said.
I ordered waroni to scale the wooden door. The tiny minions were humorous to see against the massive door. They reminded me of my green toy soldiers from my childhood. Except with claws, no flesh, and a bunch of weapons.
The first few reached the handle bar and jumped to ply the door open. Two fell right away, unable to dislodge the handle. Cecil spun black magic, consuming mana to fix their injuries.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Open up. In the name of Duke Hardrin, we demand to know why a new portal was opened without the permit paid,” the authoritative voice said from outside. “You can enter the active rotation just like everyone else on the adventuring circuit.”
I glanced around to see if anyone else knew what he meant. It probably was the Duke using the second portal as a buy a week slot. It would turn the churches into businesses.
If the portal went to a desert with nothing, the Duke still got paid, and he kept the other portal for himself. At least that is what I figured. It all came down to Zorta.
I couldn’t help myself. “How much is the tax?”
“It’s a permit, not a tax.”
“The money goes to the crown. Unbelievable for you to call it anything but a tax. You charge me to use my church, then it's a tax,” I quibbled.
I heard him grab the door in anger.
“Sir, I’m just doing my job. I don’t want any trouble. Pay the fine, do your preachin’, and I do my errands.” I heard the soft thud of his head hitting th
e door in frustration. “What are you doing in there? Please don’t make me break down the door.”
“Oh, you know, trying to take over the world. Kidding. That was a joke. I'm a priest after all, so I’m praying to my god!” I shouted. “In Caitlyn’s name, I grant thee this magnificent shithole of a church.”
Tarla rolled her eyes while Bell snickered.
“Listen, the Duke is very understanding of his religions. You have to register. It's actually not that expensive, and he has been seeking a new priest to take over this church. It's been vacant for decades. The last one left because… it’s complicated,” the man said, clearly just doing his job.
I felt bad for him. He sounded like the type of guy whose family loved him, he hated his job, but he needed to feed his family. I inwardly groaned at what I had to say next.
“Alright, I have some gold. Zorta too. The door handle is jammed a bit. Give me a hand opening it,” I said.
The handle rotated down, and a sudden evening glow slowly filled the church. Thousands of miniature soldiers burst from the door and stormed out.
A growing waroni grabbed the poor guard and smashed his face into the wall. He’d live, but he would awake as a prisoner. I didn’t give it a second thought as I let the tide carry me out.
The screams. Humans shrieking in fright with terror as my forces spread out rapidly.
I could hear people terrified, crying out for all sorts of miracles or rescue that never arrived. My orders were to kill everyone with a weapon who had it drawn. The rest were to be disarmed and bound. We needed prisoners. Prisoners would fuel our defenses and preparations. The bonus to capturing everyone was all the rope we had recently acquired had been converted into ready-made wrist restraints.
I found myself swept out of the church, and the magic converted me instantly. Across the street, a priest stood outside the doors of another general church.
The man’s face was awash in terror and he trembled at the fact I focused on him. My guards rushed in front of me, scooped him off his feet, and dragged him into his church.
“Howdy,” I said with a smile. “Who’s your god?”
