Guilds at War: The LitRPG Saga Continues

by C. J. Carella

  A handful of dead Legionnaires had already risen independently, but they found themselves surrounded by skeletons who were now loyal to Hawke. The hostiles were cut down in a matter of seconds by his new followers. Hundreds, thousands of bodies rose out of the earth, their bony hands clutching rusty weapons. For two hours, they would follow his orders. That wasn’t enough time to do any good, however; marching them to the Herders would eat most of it. Using them in that way wasn’t his intention. He just wanted to keep them under control while he completed the next phase of the plan.

  Hawke walked through the ranks of the skeleton army, skirting around the huge shapes of Lords of Bones, monsters made by dozens of human corpses fused together into a hideous whole. It took him a couple of minutes to find the Undead he wanted, a figure riding a skeletal horse, the only Undead there that looked much like he had in life, except for the spectral glow around him:

  Legate General Marcus Agustino Pertinax (Undead)

  Level 13 Wraith High Lord (Elite)

  Health 2,600 Mana 3100 Endurance 2,600

  The commander of the doomed legions looked at him with pure hatred in its eyes, and Hawke sensed that it was fighting the spell. It might be strong enough to break free, if given enough time. Hawke didn’t intend to wait that long. He cast Communion, imbuing the Mind spell with Death magic, and touched the mind of the wraith.

  You have made mental contact with an Undead mind.

  Marcus Agustino Pertinax has initiated Undead Possession!

  The raging spirit tried to take over Hawke’s body, using the Mind link as an infection vector. It wasn’t much of a contest, however, not with his higher level and abilities even before adding his Title bonuses. After failing miserably, the spectral commander was reduced to glaring at its tormentor like a caged animal. Hawke delved deeper into its mind. Unlike regular zombies, Marcus and his troops hadn’t lost their souls. They were still there, bound to their unmarked graves, somewhat like the Troggs he had met beneath Akila, except in this case it had been involuntary, the result of a curse their demonic tormentors inflicted on them as a final insult. That made them the worst kind of Undead, because their bound souls prevented their permanent destruction. You could kill them, but their bodies would eventually reform in the burial ground, waiting for the chance to be unleashed again.

  Through the mental connection, Hawke watched Marcus lead his troops to disaster. The Legate wasn’t an evil man, but his arrogance and overconfidence had doomed him. He had launched an attack on a demon army without properly scouting the area, which would have revealed that his command was hopelessly outnumbered. His forces had been surrounded and forced into the valley, packed so tightly together that most of the troops couldn’t fight back. Then the demons had methodically slaughtered them like so many penned sheep. Marcus had been plucked from his horse by a flying horror and torn apart as he watched his men die below him.

  All that anger and terror were fresh in the wraith’s mind, as if no time had passed since those terrible moments. Marcus’ soul was continually reliving the moment of his death, twisting his mind until nothing remained but desperate rage and the desire to destroy. Hawke pushed deeper, hoping there was something left of the man, until he found it, a tiny remnant of humanity that had been dwindling over the centuries. One day, it would go out completely. Or it would have, if Hawke hadn’t reached it.

  I have come to free you.

  A burst of hope exploded from the trapped soul, and for a moment the suffering stopped, sending a wave of relief so powerful that it staggered Hawke. As it turned out, ending someone’s misery was a wonderful thing. He knew that he was doing something necessary, but he hadn’t realized it could actually bring him joy.

  March forth one last time, and you will be released from this hell.

  A magical contract was forged in a matter of seconds. The conditions were simple, but the cost would be steep. As the army of Undead stood silently around him, Hawke summoned the Celestial Mana Node Seed he had received for saving Akila, and placed it at the ley line junction. Then he used Chaos Funnel to feed it Mana until it blossomed, taking care to purify the energy before letting it flow from him to the Node.

  You have accessed: Level 10 Mana Node (Celestial). You have the following choices:

  Leave Mana Node alone: No risk or reward. Y/N

  Claim Mana Node: +2,500 Experience, +1,000 Mana as long as you are within 1 mile/level from the Node. Y/N

  Destroy Mana Node: +5,000 Experience, +10 Spirit. Y/N

  Absorb Mana Node, gaining six new Celestial spells, +500 permanent Mana pool increase. Y/N

  Level ten? Hawke was surprised by that. The Seeds he had found before had all been first level constructs. He hadn’t known they could start out higher than that. The powerful new Node wasn’t part of the Domain yet, but he would change that as soon as he made a deal with the Evergreen Circle. He claimed the Node.

  The Celestial Node will Sanctify the Hazard Zone in 12 hours, destroying the curse binding the souls to this place. The bodies must be given a proper burial within a week to make the hallowing process permanent.

  You got yourself a deal. He would dig the graves himself if he had to, although he could probably round up a bunch of ‘volunteers’ from the troops gathering up south of here. It wasn’t the kind of work the Eternals and guards had come here to do, but it would be as valuable and less risky than fighting to the death.

  For breaking the Legions’ Curse, you have earned 4,800 XP (from the Triune Goddesses bonus, 600 diverted towards Leadership; 600 diverted towards Node Mastery

  For Claiming the Celestial Node (Level 10), you have earned 1,000 XP towards Node Mastery.

  You have gained +200 Reputation with Triune Goddesses, +100 Reputation with Olympian Pantheon, +50 Reputation with the Grim Reaper.

  You have earned a new title: Curse-Breaker. While this title is active, you will gain a +25% bonus to resist, counteract or dispel curses from all schools of magic.

  You have earned +75 Global Renown. Current Global Renown: 775 (Famed)

  Current XP/Next Level: 149,492/150,000. Leadership XP/Next Level: 61,686/75,000

  Current Node Mastery XP/Next Level: 30,218/35,000. Current Guild XP/Next Level: 6,403/7,500

  A wave of blue light washed over the Undead army. When it dissipated, the skeletons remained, but they no longer remained unnaturally still. Even at rest, they stood like a group of living humans would, shifting their weight from one foot to another, looking around, checking their gear. They were no longer mindless, but understood that they would march off to fight one last time, after which they would finally find peace. For the first time since their deaths, they would be fighting for themselves. The glowing eye sockets on the skulls of the dead shifted from greenish purple to blue, the dark blue of Soul magic.

  I’m going to have to learn that Force at some point, Hawke told himself as he saw the change in the Undead. They had become spirits of righteous vengeance rather than destruction.

  And now it’s time to teach those bastards not to mess with the Lord of the Dead.

  The Nerf Herders’ Last Stand, Part One

  “Getting misty all of a sudden,” Naruto commented.

  Kaiser Wrecker grunted in agreement. Something was up, and the Whisperer agreed.

  The small army had been riding hard. They all had elite mounts, either from drops they had earned in dungeon crawls and raids in the Malleum Mallum, summons from the Herders with the right spells and abilities, or purchases from the Exotic Items Emporium. They had been worth the trouble and expense, though: the guild could move at the speed of a galloping horse, even on lousy roads. At that rate, they would reach Orom sometime in the afternoon. ‘Get there firstest with the mostest,’ in the immortal words of Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest.

  The trouble and expense to get those mounts had paid off. He himself rode a level 14 Elemental Steed, a horse-shaped beast who shared qualities from all the classical elements, including steamy legs combining Air and
Water, a powerful and sturdy body of Earth, and the capability to exhale Fire for a good 30 damage per level. There were two other Elemental Steeds among the group, along with a variety of other beasts: three Golem Warhorses, tireless constructs made of animated clay; a dozen Dire Wolves they had taken from a band of Orcs in the course of a dangerous but profitable series of quests; and a Lesser War Mammoth that towered over the rest of the group and carried five Herders on a howdah on its back, all of them armed with rifles. The rest were an assortment of magical horses, not quite as useful, but able to keep up, which was all that mattered. The Herders mostly fought on foot, although if it came to it, some of the mounts would join the other pets and summons in combat.

  All things considered, things could be worse. They had a huge head start, so Akila’s authorities wouldn’t catch up for at least a couple of days, assuming they wanted to bother chasing his guild. If all went according to plan, he would soon have a secure, defensible base. The crafters he’d brought along would start mass-producing simple versions of the magic rifles. If they could make enough ‘trade muskets’ to equip a sepoy army, the Herders might be able to hold off anything the city sent after him. If that didn’t work, they would burn the place down and move on. The Herders were destined for great things, well beyond the Common Realm. He was going to drag these miserable worlds into modernity if he had to kill half of their inhabitants to do so.

  Change is Chaos, and Chaos is change, the Whisperer told him. You are its agent. But danger approaches. Beware!

  The mist was moving with unnatural swiftness. Visibility dropped dramatically, forcing the riders to slow down, then stop.

  “Now what?” Amelia Blueflame grumbled, reigning in her Royal Raptor. The bizarre bird, a combo of a peacock and an emu, with a bit of eagle mixed in and the ability to spit lightning bolts, chirped nervously at the approaching fog bank.

  Behind Kaiser, Rowena whimpered in panic. He had tied her to the saddle like a bedroll and she normally knew better than to make noise, but the mist wasn’t normal; he could sense it was infused with some kind of fear effect. It was too weak to bother him and most of the Herders, but lowbies like Rowena weren’t immune.

  “Quiet down or I’ll keep you in restraints all night,” he growled at her before turning to his troops. “All right, we passed a hill about two hundred yards back. We’ll fall back and set up a defensive perimeter there.”

  As everybody scrambled to obey, a notification appeared:

  AN AREA EVENT HAS BEGUN!

  THE LEGIONS’ LAST BATTLE (LEVEL 13 EVENT)

  Many centuries ago, two legions of the Onyx Empire were ambushed by demons and massacred to the last man. Now, Lord of the Dead Hawke Lightseeker has reached the unmarked graves of those valiant soldiers and freed their souls, on the condition that they fight one last time and destroy his enemies!

  For six hours, the Undead Legion will be unleashed against you. If you survive, you will gain great rewards.

  Event Rewards for every Phase Completed: 250 Experience per level of the participant. 5 gold per level of the participant. One Enchanted Quality item of the appropriate class and level. Additional prizes will be awarded based on your contributions.

  Phase One Will Begin in Five Minutes.

  Best of luck!

  How? How did he do this?

  He has the favor of many Makers and gods, the Whisperer replied in an almost mocking tone.

  Kaiser wanted to scream in sheer frustration, but he kept his cool. He had to if he and his gang were going to survive what was about to happen.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Death-Dealer shouted as the fog enveloped them.

  * * *

  Phase One was bad.

  Hundreds of thirteenth-level skeletons came rushing out of the mist, attacking the dug-up Herders from every direction. The Eternals had made their stand on top of the hill, stacking logs and setting up firing lanes for their ranged specialists. Kaiser had stood on the front line, unlimbering his black blade. Sanginaris not only greatly enhanced his physical and mental Attributes but also absorbed Mana from any target he struck. Anyone killed by the sword also increased his own Mana pool permanently, the amount determined by the level of the victim. The weapon also enhanced any spells he cast while holding it, imbuing them with Chaos and Death energies. Too bad that the latter would be useless against their current enemies.

  The Nerf Herders had no Priests or Paladins, either, which meant they didn’t have access to the most effective anti-Undead spells. A few of their spellcasters knew Life magic, so their healing spells doubled as offensive ones against the animated corpses coming their way, but most of their power would be needed to keep the rest of the guild alive. Those deficiencies proved deadly when the marching legion reached their position.

  As the mass of monsters surged forward, spells rose from behind the barricades and landed among the serried ranks of Legionnaires like so many artillery shells. Charging monsters fell by the dozens, by the hundreds. They marched through exploding fireballs only to be crushed by falling boulders or blasted to pieces by lightning bolts. The Undead were decimated but kept coming. Their Elemental Resistance was high enough that it took a lot of power to bring them down. When the skeletons got within sixty feet of the barricades, they threw hundreds of javelins at the Herders. Most hit nothing, or bounced harmlessly off their targets’ armor or energy barriers, but the rest wounded several targets before the Legionnaires closed in.

  Tanks and combat-intensive pets met the skeletons with blades, claws, and close-range spells. Kaiser greeted half a dozen attackers with a Cleaving Blow that destroyed three of them. He cast Doom Spears a moment later; the flying trio of Chaos missiles finished off the rest. A new enemy tried to stab him with a rusty short sword, but a swipe from Kaiser’s Soul Drinker took care of it. His Mana pool was permanently increased by 78 points, which he could use, since there were dozens more behind the ones he had destroyed. Kaiser growled and threw a Fireball at the rushing monsters, close enough for him to feel its heat.

  Behind him, his select riflemen fired at the massed attackers as fast as they could work their bolt or lever actions. Against these enemies, the new weapons weren’t very effective, except for the special munitions that triggered an area-effect spell at the point of impact. Those did great, but they had only a dozen of those per gun, after which they might as well go back to their bows and crossbows.

  For several minutes, the Undead pressed on, storming the Herders’ positions and crowding around the hill. When they were packed up tight, Kaiser sent the order. Time to really thin out the herd.

  Aristobulus stood up and cast a Major Firestorm spell. A spinning flame flew over the barricades and expanded into a hundred-foot radius circle filled with destructive flames. Hundreds of skeletons dropped, and many others were severely damaged. Kaiser smiled. Ari was a whiner, but his magic should take care of their little Undead problem all by itself.

  A moment later, the wizard’s head seemed to explode like an overripe melon. The gunshot that had killed him echoed through the mist.

  “Sniper!” Spectre shouted, reloading his Dragunov and looking for a target.

  He found none. The fog was hampering their magical sights and detect spells, but it wasn’t bothering Hawke at all. Why would it? He had created the mist. Now I have a machine gun. Ho, ho, ho. The mocking words burned in Kaiser’s mind as he made sure his personal defenses were up. Even a direct hit with a Dragunov wouldn’t take him out. Aristobulus had forgotten to refresh his Air Dome, the idiot, relying on his Mana Shield to protect him. Moron. The only good news was that Hawke only had nine rounds left for the Dragunov and twelve for the Roland.

  The dumb bastard would respawn back at the Nerf Herder compound, where the Imperial authorities were waiting. If he was lucky, he’d be killed out of hand. If not, he would receive the full measure of what the locals called justice. It’d be an ugly way to go, and they would execute him as many times as they had to. All the Nerf Herders were on the same boa
t, except for Kaiser. He had made damned sure his own respawn was somewhere nobody knew about. If he went down, it would almost be a relief. Losing everything would almost be a fair price to be rid of all the imbeciles he’d gathered around himself like so many barnacles. They had screwed up his plans. Maybe starting over from scratch would be for the better.

  Losing Aristobulus, the highest-level wizard in the Herders, was just the beginning. More shots came out of the mist. Death-Dealer took a bullet to the neck, a critical hit that zeroed out his Health before the healers could get to him. His body toppled and disappeared a few seconds later. Even worse, the threat of the sniper made the Herders hesitate, and the charging skeletons took advantage of it. They almost broke through the lines several times, and were only stopped by the use of devices or high-energy spells.

  By the time Phase One was over, three Herders were down, Aristobulus, Death-Dealer, and Bobo the Shaman, one of the handful of healers in the party. The bastard had shot a couple others, but hadn’t managed to kill them before they could be healed. Kaiser remembered that Hawke had said he knew how to shoot. That had put him in the favored list. Too bad he’d turned out to be a problem rather than a solution.

  Phase One Completed

  Skeletons Destroyed: 1,500/1,500

  No more attackers came out of the mist; the Herders had made it through the first onslaught. Huddling behind cover in case Hawke decided to keep shooting, the survivors drank potions and checked their gear. A couple of Herders had leveled up – or would, after the Event was over. Kaiser checked the Party Interface. Other than the poor bastards Hawke had taken out, everyone was in good shape. Physically, that was. Their morale was down in the gutter.