by Han Yang
I tried to find a place where I could make a difference and found myself unhappy with my choices. At least it was because we were winning.
I flew over the Podoni ships, seeing most of them littered with the dead.
Crossbows snapped from skeletons perched on the looming towers, the bolts raining into the defenders. The whole setup left the enemy without the ability to maneuver and the top deck extremely exposed.
A few ships managed to escape the onslaught, tossing bodies that fell to crossbows over the edge. Those captains impressed me because at any moment there should be -
Cecil raised the dead, adding to the chaos as the brooding clouds transitioned the day into darkness. A crack of lightning from the magic revealed a yellow flag from an extra-large ship.
I soared over to the section of sea where the Garo Region blockaded my port. The ship flying the flag was massive, and more importantly, trapped completely.
On the deck, ogres held a tight turtle formation. Silvery shields created impenetrable walls in a perfect square, and the enemy fought with precision. The enemy ogres even allowed my skeletons onto the deck unimpeded, not fazed by the raskers.
Every entry point into the main hold bore a crossbeam and arrow slots, keeping my troops out. Skeletons lay broken and scattered across the expansive deck. Their attacks gained no traction against the well-organized foes, and I was surprised the enemy flew the yellow.
I watched dozens of raskers skeletons clamor onto the upper deck. They charged with weapons at the ready as they tried to assault the formations.
“Thrust!” an ogre shouted.
Shields parted and spears shot forward, popping every skeleton but one. An ogre stepped forward and punted the last rasker hundreds of feet. At that moment, I grew jealous.
A lone rasker peeled itself off the deck, and I ordered it to retreat instead of charging to its death. The main ogre frowned at this unexpected move.
I paused every skeleton near this ship, diving into a rasker who stood isolated among giants. We synced quickly and I popped the skeleton's neck while swinging the arms to get a feel for the smaller body.
I stopped to scroll a message into the deck with the tip of my sword.
Parlay for you only.
I crashed my sword on my shield and pointed to the deck. The lone ogre walked away from the formation, not concerned by my skeleton.
“Parlay for us. We have three ships,” the ogre said.
I shrugged, carving a 3 into the deck.
“Terms of surrender?” the ogre asked.
1 year service.
“Mighty kind of you. You won’t live a year,” the ogre said with a grunt. “That means we won’t live a year. No deal.”
I pointed back to my scrawled message on his nice deck.
“I’m afraid, I can’t. How does gold or Zorta sound?” the ogre asked.
Ships. Metal. Walk home. No attack ever.
The ogre sighed, “I don’t think that is possible either. We cannot speak for our leader and his alliances. Any other offer?”
I stepped back and readied my sword. I didn’t need gold or Zorta. I needed bodies, and the thought of ogre skeletons made me salivate.
“A thousand Zorta,” the ogre offered.
I tilted my head back to laugh hard. In hindsight, dropping my guard proved fatal. The ogre tried to punt the rasker skeleton and instead blasted the bones to bits.
I watched the remains scatter across the deck, noting the ogres laughing at my minion's explosive demise.
With that minion dead, I dove down through the ship, the ocean, and into the cavern. We had a plan for breaking sieges on stubborn ships. One of the few people I told to prepare for this should be ready to help.
Count Maron stood in the center of the immense space underwater cavern where troops continued to run up spirals for the surface. The artificial light gleamed brightly, revealing a platform with five wagons behind Maron.
The gnome chatted with a female dwarf, and if I didn’t know any better, the duo was flirting while the battle raged above them.
I synced into a centaur skeleton.
I interrupted their fun when I tapped on the gnome's shoulder.
“Ah, you must be Damien. One moment,” Maron said.
He extended a charcoal pencil and pad.
I need something that goes boom.
“You're in luck. I received your note from Leor yesterday. I happened to have ran a trade while you were away to get some quality materials to make some boom powder.” He gestured me to a middle wagon. In the bed of the vehicle, a dozen caskets waited. “Take this keg, indent this lever, count to five, then boom,” Count Maron said.
I scooped up the keg, careful of where I grabbed it before awkwardly walking to the spires where the ogre ship found itself lodged.
I ran up two spires before finally finding the right one. I found a slight problem; half the ogres watched over the ship while the rest stripped down and dove into the water. Once they treaded water, the others lowered rowboats stuffed with their gear.
The plan wasn’t half bad; swim the rowboats to shore, ditch the ship, and live to see another day. They could probably even fight my matogators in the water, meaning I needed to act fast.
Thirty ogres clumped near the first rowboat directly below me. The ship sat in the water not far away. Two easy targets left me undecided until an ogre spotted me.
I indented the keg, counted to two, then dropped the device.
“Above us!”
A blue shield deflected the keg from dropping into water, and it tumbled only five feet below me. In that split second, I realized magic had created some part of the explosive device. The keg rolled against the spire where it lodged firmly. I hopped down, trying to -
KA-BOOM!
A massive ball of flame expanded and the minion died instantaneously.
I floated over the damage, seeing bits and clumps of stone rain down from the initial impact spot. The spire leaned, its support structure cracking under the pressure.
The gaping hole proved too much as gravity pulled the tower down.
Snap!
About fifty feet of stone tower teetered before entering a freefall. The circular structure dove right for the ship and the ogres.
The blue shield popped under the pressure. When the tower smacked into the ship, a huge crack erupted. The ship held, mostly because the water let it slide away from the tower.
As the ship crashed into an opposite tower, the ogres below swam in terror, trying to flee.
Splash!
I watched the water, feeling the tug of needing a body. A few ogres survived, and I sighed, knowing they were going to be tough to kill.
I soared back to my body on the balcony.
At the railing, my friends and family watched the carnage unfold. Jorma sat on Peth, Ike donned his helmet, and Nick leaned against his battleaxe. The minotaur studied the roof behind him as if something spooked him before shrugging with indifference.
A barking dog from the throne room caught everyone’s attention.
The second I propped myself up, I could feel eyes on me. The kind one felt when a lurker spied upon its prey.
“Get inside,” I ordered loudly.
“What is it?” Tarla asked.
Peth leaped off the balcony, taking to flight. The blue water dragon started hissing aggressively at an empty spot on the roof.
“Peth, what is it?” Jorma asked, her head whipping around the castle’s roof.
I couldn’t see whatever it was, but I could feel the lingering gaze burning into me.
“Danger!” I shouted.
This had the desired effect of forcing my entourage to react to a threat. I grabbed Tarla and rushed her toward the throne room. My peripheral caught the slightest of brown shimmering scales as a nature dragon dropped its cloak.
Ike shouted, “Void spells!”
Nick didn’t hesitate, unleashing a massive wave of rolling purple magic. I glanced over my shoulder to see
at least twenty nature dragons posturing in the city in key places.
“Ballistas!” Ike shouted.
The dragon from the roof lunged, aiming directly for Peth and Jorma. The sheer speed turned the dragon into nothing more than a big brown blur.
The massive maw of the brown dragon adjusted as the Peth shifted to avoid being caught.
I watched in horror as the back half of Peth vanished in an instant. The blue dragon plummeted down with Jorma screaming the whole way until a loud smack stopped her anguished cry.
The nature dragon’s head spun, firing a magical boulder through the balcony doors and into the throne room. The hasty shot careened high, bursting into the ceiling and sending rubble raining on my head.
While we scattered for cover, Nick sprinted across the balcony and heroically leaped for the dragon’s back.
His double headed axe glinted in the sun before slamming into the back of the dragon with a wet smack. The elven rider flung his camouflage cloak off, hurling a dagger.
Nick twisted his body, avoiding the blade. He left his axe lodged in the dragon’s back and tackled the rider. The two stayed in the saddle before vanishing from sight as the dragon flew away.
Across the city, stone orbs belched from dragon maws, smashing ballista emplacements. Troops shot arrows or flung spears, most deflecting off scales, but some caused anger from the mighty dragons.
Magic dazzled over the entire city as the new front for the war erupted into pitched battles. Dragons swooped down, using talons to clutch squads of trolls or humans manning battlements. Crews on the wall spun their siege engines, reacting smoothly to the sudden chaos. And I watched it all unravel in shock.
Snap!
Snap!
Snap!
Hundreds of thick bolts zipped towards dragons. The clouds overhead blotted the sun and let the magical illumination flash with a brilliance.
The enemy dragons finished their attack runs before taking to the sky. Bolts that went awry had their metal tips slam into the city structures, creating cracks louder than the dragons’ roars.
While I hoped the ballistae would down all the dragons, most of them twirled and banked out of the incoming fire. Loud shrieks of agony told me bolts cracked scales and sunk into flesh. I became enthralled with their death spirals until they disappeared.
I had to break myself from watching, racing through the throne room to find Jorma.
“Where are you going?” Tarla asked, yanking on my arm.
Her strong tug caused me to fall in a roll. “Dammit, woman. What was that for?”
“You’re a king, Damien. Jorma will be revived by your soldiers. The city needs you alive more than Jorma does,” Tarla said. “Focus on your minions.”
“Tarla, let me say this the best way I can. No.” I scampered to my feet. “I already mentally sent minions to carry her into the keep. I am not leaving the fortifications or our defenses. And for the record, I have been trying to be conservative with my risk.”
I picked up a run, and she caught up easily.
“Oh,” Tarla said. “I thought you were leaving the keep. I - I - I just worry. It wasn’t fun with you gone and me not knowing how you were doing.”
“I understand,” I said, entering the tight descending ramp. “The fact is that I’m always at risk. It’s not like this place is some insane defensive bastion. The damn dragons snuck by all my goblins I had on the roof.”
My hounds ran with us, not noticing assassins or baying at the shadows. The dragons eluded the dogs by staying on the roof. Either we had a spy, or the enemy had made some logical deductions.
“You think this was their plan?” Tarla asked.
“Darri was actually called Jasper, and yes. I think he came to distract me, or you, from the fact that this time he brought dragon assassins. Whatever signal he was meant to send likely never went off because I killed him. Screw that guy,” I said, arriving at the main floor of the keep.
A blast of golden light competed against a flare of green light. I instinctively threw up a forearm to cover my eyes from the intense illumination. My feet scuffed the floor, halting my run.
Before I could uncover my shielding, I heard, “By Caitlyn’s sweaty armpits. That flipping sucked.” I unshielded my eyes and Jorma shouted, “Look away.”
I huffed, realizing her clothes had been ruined during her death.
Tarla kissed my cheek and said, “I got this. Go be the winning king.”
One of the tallest hounds followed me up the staircase. I knew in the distance a battle still ensued with the outcome never in doubt. What piqued my interest was Nick flying away while fighting on a dragon’s back. He had probably overdone it a bit, but his leap over the balcony sure did look awesome.
When I arrived at the throne room, Ike blared a trumpet, warning the citizens to stay indoors. He stood proudly on the balcony, and I felt continuous waves of void magic pulsing through the city.
“Status?” I asked when he lowered the trumpet.
“Jorma?” Ike asked, and I gave him a warm smile with a thumbs up. “I don’t like that you told Leor and no one else.”
“Yeah, sorta. He was bringing me notes, and I needed the entire sea mapped out for Marbern. It was him or Jorma and he is faster. What did he say?” I asked.
“The enemy ships are either defeated or escaping. A few hundred ogres are swimming south, and Cecil withdrew the matogator attack against them,” Ike said.
I nodded in sad acceptance. “Damn close to perfect… Seen Nick?”
“He went down in the harbor. The splash was pretty epic, and Lero said he saw him swimming to shore. Get this. Leor said, ‘bigger to me,’” Ike said and we shared a chuckle.
Asha dropped down from the stone ledge, landing with a soft thump. “The roof’s clear. Not sure how they got in, but it is time for us to invest in some ward magic.”
“One thing at a time, my friend. We have a lot to go over and even if King Korbi has a perfect tailwind it will take him at least ten days to get here. I need to find Cecil and -” I paused, seeing a cyclops in the harbor. “Who’s that?”
“The hour or two I needed involved introducing you to Oreng and Lotus. I see he found the dead dragon. Do you want to convert or ransom them?” Asha asked.
“Ah, this is the one with the goblin girlfriend?” I asked, and he nodded.
“And the dragons?” Asha asked again.
“Uh… who would pay the ransom?” I asked.
Asha shrugged. “They’re nature dragons and valuable. It’d be sad to see them become skeletons. I think even the wurm lords would trade for them.”
“I’ll have Marbern build a pen somewhere, and we will keep them alive for now....after the pen is built.” I chuckled. “Marbern vanished before the dragons showed up, but should be around somewhere,” I said.
Cecil came in from the throne room. “You need to level, my King. Oh, and some more shared Zorta would be wonderful.”
I nodded, seeing a calm settling over the city. I huffed, my adrenaline slowly fading.
“Damien is fine in private settings,” I said, deciding to inspect my stats.
Name: Damien Moonguard
Race: Human
Affiliation: Nordan
Zorta: 255,173.289
Shared Zorta: 1,444.001
Nordan Score: 17,372,217
Ostriva Score: 21,553,774
Location: Moonguard City
Magic Type: Healer
Healer Level: 17
Magic Type 2: Necromancer
Necromancy Level: 15
Necromancer Minions: 49,227/50,000
Necromancer General Level: 8
Necromancer General Mana: 330/330
Shared Mana: 1500
Necromancer General Permissions: All
Fighting Level: Honed
Mana: 1400/1400
Mana Recharge: 15
Strength: 15
Stamina: 15
Dexterity: 15
Constitution: 18
Cultivation: 55
Intelligence: 43
Wisdom: 45
Charisma: 33
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.
“I purposely… let me see the costs required. I guess we spent more than I realized,” I said.
Necromancer Level 15 -} Necromancer Level 16 = 135,000 Zorta - (YES) - (NO) - Yes selected.
Necromancy Level: 16
Necromancer Minions: 49,227,788/60,000
Shared Zorta: 100,000.000
“And done,” I said with a sigh. “These are getting expensive.”
Cecil bowed, his merman fins extended in gratitude. “I could have collected the dead but figured you were flush with Zorta from your adventure - at least that is what the briefings said.”
“How did the sea battle turn out?”
“Many of the raskers were lost,” Cecil said. “They will need to be consumed or dropped, Lord Damien.”
“No, you were right to wait. I need to spend what excess I have before taking more for myself. So much to do, so little time,” I said.
Even the sounds of shuffling troops died down. Out to sea, on the northern horizon, a dozen ships rowed north, boosting the speed of their sails. The word would reach the Podoni Empire soon that the fleet sent to blockade my city had been defeated.
When I glanced south, even fewer ships limped home, their sails flat. The Garo Region had learned a hard lesson teaming up against me. Even though I had a million problems and issues to address, I couldn’t help but feel I should press my advantage.
The question was, where did I strike next?
CHAPTER 24
Moonguard City
“Famo, so good to see you,” I said to the surly dwarf.
He approached my throne and bent the knee, an unusual gesture for such a stalwart ally. I spent a few seconds inspecting his outfit. He wore fine robes with intricate designs, his beard was neatly trimmed and braided, and I couldn’t find a speck of dust on his hair or hands.
