by Jeff Inlo
He believed simple orders would give his soldiers a hold on reality in the face of unreal circumstances. As the guard signaled the instructions to the other towers, Klusac turned his attention back to the delver.
"Alright, how do we fight this?"
Ryson recalled the day he encountered an animated corpse in Dark Spruce Forest. It was the same day he met Lief Woodson, the first elf he ever saw. Lief understood the threat of magic before anyone else, and he was prepared to face it. The elf had revealed what was necessary to the delver, and Ryson repeated the knowledge.
"I was told you either have to remove the magic, or damage the corpses enough so they can no longer move."
"So if we open fire with our arrows, they should fall... even though they're already dead?"
"It won't be that easy. You can't just shoot them through the heart or the head and expect them to die. Like you said, They're already dead. You have to do enough damage so the magic has no way to animate the body. Cut off the limbs, crush the bodies; it's got to be more extensive than a few arrows into the chest."
Klusac took a brief moment to review the legion of undead surrounding his town, bashing on Burbon's wall. There were thousands of corpses, and there weren't enough arrows to do the kind of damage necessary to stop them all. To inflict the kind of bodily destruction required to end the threat, his soldiers would have to use swords and cudgels. That meant face-to-face confrontation, not firing bows from the battlements.
"Will they tire?" the captain asked.
"No."
"Then we shouldn't wait. Time is on their side, not ours."
The delver couldn't argue with that sentiment, but he also understood the captain's intentions. Ryson was uncertain of success. Rushing headlong into battle against an army of undead foes seemed more like desperation than wise tactics.
"Do you really think it's a good idea to go out there?" the delver wondered.
"I'd rather not, but what choice do I have?"
"We could wait them out."
The captain shook his head. He meant what he said about time. It was a disadvantage in several regards.
"Listen to that noise," Klusac directed, as he nodded to the undead pounding against the wall. "Even if the wall holds indefinitely, how long do you think it will take before the citizens start to panic? Word is going to spread we're surrounded by moving corpses. Eventually, someone is going to lose control and try to escape. Too many try it and we have a problem. Besides that, do you think those corpses are just going to get bored and give up... walk back into the forest?"
"No, but the magic will eventually wear out. It won't just go on forever."
"Do you know how long that will take?"
"I can't say," Ryson answered honestly.
"Then it seems like the best alternative is to hit them now. They don't seem to move too quickly."
"They are ponderous, but they can show spurts of quickness. At least the one I faced did. It actually was able to grab me."
The warning did not sway Klusac's intentions. He faced a tireless menace and an expanding danger. It was not a battle that would be easily won, but if his soldiers moved with precision, he believed they could clear part of the wall quickly. Once his soldiers saw that their enemy had weaknesses they could exploit, they would rise to the occasion. Raising his soldiers confidence against such a foe was just as important as clearing the ghouls from the wall.
"Infantry with shields and spears," the captain responded. "No cavalry, the horses may get spooked. We hit them at one gate with a phalanx formation. Once we clear enough ground, we open a small corridor in the formation and a second line of soldiers will be waiting with maces and swords to decimate the ones we let through."
Klusac was about to give the order to deploy, but based on Ryson's expression, he decided to hold off and give the delver one last chance to offer another solution.
"You have more information on this than I do," the captain admitted. "If what you say is correct, I believe my soldiers can handle this, clear them away from the wall, but if you have a better idea, now's the time."
As Klusac waited, Ryson considered the alternatives. It was either cause great damage or remove the magic. Removing the magic would take a spell of significant power. If Enin had been there, it would be a simple matter for the great wizard. Unfortunately, Enin wasn't there, and so Ryson was about to give in, but then he remembered why the undead were probably attacking in the first place.
"Neltus!"
"Excuse me?" Klusac questioned.
"Neltus. We put him to use for us. He uses red magic, casts spells with power over the land. Maybe he can swallow up the corpses in the ground, bury them so deep they can't get out. Since he's here, let's have him help us!"
Klusac didn't know Neltus for long, but it was long enough to realize he didn't like the wizard... or trust him, but he believed Neltus owed Burbon. If the town was offering him sanctuary, the wizard would have to pull his weight. If he didn't, then it would be time for him to go anyway.
The captain could not be sure about the wizard's powers, but it wouldn't hurt to give him a chance. He could allow the wizard a first strike and then follow up with an attack of his own if the red magic failed.
"Go get him," Klusac agreed.
Ryson leapt out of the tower, slid down the ladder, and then raced toward the Borderline Inn. He found Neltus alone, standing behind the bar, helping himself to an ale.
"Everybody left," Neltus claimed, "so I helped myself."
"Everyone was ordered to their homes," Ryson explained in a frustrated tone.
"This is my home... at least a temporary one."
Neltus began to drink, but Ryson grabbed his arm to stop him.
"You can finish that later," the delver ordered. "We need you now!"
"Me? For what?"
"Don't you know what's going on?"
Neltus nodded.
"I admit I cast a small sight spell. I have to say I was curious. Like I said, everybody left. I wondered about that. Took a look for myself. You have a bunch of corpses surrounding the town. Not a pretty sight."
"No it's not, and you're going to help get rid of them."
"Can't do that," Neltus stated calmly but firmly.
"What do you mean you can't? Your magic is pretty strong. There must be some kind of spell you could cast."
"Oh, there's plenty of spells I could use. Best course would be to cast a decay spell on them. Their bodies have already started to rot away, basically they're all turning to soil, and that means I have power over them. All I have to do is speed up the process and turn them to dust."
"Great! Then let's do it."
"Ryson, Ryson, Ryson, you know this isn't about the undead. This is about me and Reiculf."
"Which is why we have to clear out these corpses," the delver demanded.
"You think this is all there is? There's going to be more. There has to be. This is Reiculf we're talking about. He's hoping to force me out into the open, waste my magic on the easy stuff. Then I'll be helpless."
Neltus' selfishness was not a surprise, but his willingness to allow others to fight for his survival left the delver cold.
"So you'll just let the town suffer so you can live?"
Neltus took no insult from the claim. If anything, he understood it all too well.
"Wasn't that basically Ansas' plan?" the wizard asked. "You make it sound like this is a surprise to you. Nonsense. You were there. You heard what the sorcerer said. Don't tell me you didn't think about it."
Ryson wanted to argue, but he couldn't. He had heard the plan. The sorcerer didn't want to just separate Reiculf's targets, he wanted them placed in areas where they could be watched, areas where there would be confusion if there was an attack. Ansas never said it outright, but the sorcerer was willing to sacrifice all of the people in Burbon to keep Neltus safe. The delver probably knew that from the beginning, but wouldn't allow the thought to come to the surface.
Neltus could see the angui
sh in Ryson's face and actually felt sympathy for the delver.
"Don't let it upset you. It's not like he's got any great plans for me. I'm bait. Nothing more and nothing less. I've understood that from the start. I was put here to draw one of Reiculf's pawns out into the open. Looks like I've done that. Hey, if it wasn't for that, Ansas would have just advised you to kill me. That would have been the easiest way to keep me out of Reiculf's hands."
"Kill you?"
"Absolutely. If I couldn't be of any use, the safest play is to just remove me completely. That way Reiculf would never be able to get his hands on me."
"But Ansas would have known we would have never allowed that. I would have stopped him, so would have Enin."
"You think Ansas cares what you, or Enin, would allow? He'll do what needs to be done. Ansas sees this as a game, one epic challenge. I know him well enough to figure that out. He's playing against the greatest threat anyone could come up with in Reiculf. This is Ansas' dream come true."
"And you just played along?"
"What else was I supposed to do? Reiculf wants me. This is the only hope I have. And if I had to be honest, I'd rather be dead than end up like Scheff or Macheve. I went to Enin because I was desperate. I never thought Ansas would end up being the one I'd have to depend on, but that's what I've got."
Ryson's thoughts swirled in confusion, but as he tried to clear his head, he heard the crashing thuds against the town wall and smelled the ghastly stench flowing through the streets and seeping into the tavern. It didn't matter what Ansas wanted, or what Neltus thought. Saving Burbon was the priority for the delver.
"I don't care if Ansas thinks this is a game. We have to deal with what's outside our walls right here and now! You have to forget about Ansas—and Reiculf—and help us out."
"Sorry, but I can't. If you didn't like the plan, then you should have said something sooner. If I do something stupid now, it will ruin the whole strategy. There's only one thing..."
Neltus stopped in mid-sentence and appeared to gaze off into the distance. He shook his head and his expression revealed pure distress.
"What's wrong?" Ryson demanded.
"I still have my sight spell working in the background, but I moved it further into the forest. I have to go."
"Go? What do you mean you have to go? You can't go!"
"I'm afraid I'm under orders, just like you. When things get too serious, I was told to teleport to Connel and report to Ansas. You've got an undead thrastil coming toward you. That's serious enough for me."
The warning took Ryson by surprise. A living thrastil was devastating enough. An undead one, pressed onward by the will of Reiculf, that would be too much for any of them.
Chapter 14
"Let's go into the study," Enin recommended.
"But he is in the study," Holli protested, referring to the sorcerer.
She did not wish to argue with her mentor, but they were alone at the moment, and Holli preferred to keep it that way. She had seen and heard discomforting news, and she believed Enin needed to consider the information before revealing critical details to Ansas.
The wizard, however, viewed the sorcerer as an integral part of their defenses. He couldn't expect Ansas to offer a compelling strategy if he was kept in the dark.
"And he should hear this as well," Enin replied.
"I think you should hear it first. Then, you can decide what he should know. This involves more than just Reiculf, it deals with the security of Connel."
"I understand your concerns, but he has to hear it all. We can't deny his ability to think like the enemy, and if we are to expect him to offer sound advice, we can't limit his knowledge of important events."
Enin quickly walked toward his study and opened the door before Holli could object further. He found Ansas where he had left him, reading old books on various legends and magically dictating notes. The sorcerer believed scribbling ink on paper was beneath him, so he directed his magical energies to write out his ideas as he spoke them aloud.
"That is what got us into trouble in the first place," Enin remarked as he nodded to the parchments filled with Ansas' thoughts and inspirations. "You wrote down your ideas, and Reiculf got a hold of them."
Always ready for a fight and never willing to concede failure, the sorcerer scoffed at the accusation.
"I believe what actually caused this particular problem was your decision to send the serp council to Demonspawn," Ansas countered bluntly. "Reiculf would have never obtained my notes if Macheve did not enter his domain."
"The daokiln was already aware of the serps before I sent them anywhere," Enin responded. "The council had taken control of several dieruhnes, and one returned to Demonspawn to alert its masters, including Reiculf. The daokiln would have gone after the council on his own."
"And who was responsible for that? I believe it was Jure who allowed the dieruhne to return to its birthplace. A very poor decision. I would have obliterated the demon."
"We can argue about blame later," Enin offered, hoping to redirect the conversation down a more productive avenue. "Holli has returned from her scout and has valuable information for us."
Ansas closed the book in his hands and looked expectantly to the elf.
"Well?" the sorcerer stated impatiently.
Holli said nothing. Instead, she waited for Enin to instruct her to proceed. When the wizard took a seat behind his desk and motioned for Holli to start, only then did she begin her report.
"The information I have retrieved comes mostly from reports from town guards investigating recent incidents outside and around the city. I was only able to scout some of the southern farms, but once I confirmed certain information, I returned immediately to Connel."
"What did you see?" Ansas demanded.
Holli did not appreciate taking orders from the sorcerer, but she responded to Enin's nod to continue.
"I witnessed two inferns incinerating fields."
"Gnafil?"
"No, I have not encountered these particular inferns before."
"Ah well," Ansas allowed. "I should have known it would not be that easy. Still, it is a clear indication."
"They're burning crops?" Enin asked, focusing on the damage being caused by the two unknown half-demons.
"Yes. The two fields contained spinach and cabbage... planted late in the growing season. The burns were intense and controlled. Little smoke could be seen. I advised the farmers to stay indoors to avoid injury."
"And how does this correspond to other incidents investigated by the town guard?" Ansas asked, coldly calculating the news in regard to his own concerns and not those of peasants working in the fields.
"Reports have come in from all around Connel. Inferns have been spotted incinerating food supplies, both in the fields and in storage facilities."
"Were there obvious signs of destruction that could be seen from Connel?" the sorcerer challenged.
"No. As in the fires I witnessed, the flames were tightly controlled and there was very little smoke from the burn. The inferns are using intense demon fire to instantly incinerate their targets. There is only smoldering ruins remaining."
"But this is happening in fields and farms all around the city, correct?"
"Yes. Wheat fields to the north, recently sown for the dormant season, have been severely scorched. Storehouses and barns to the east and west have been destroyed. Fields with crops not yet harvested in the south have been decimated."
"If there was little smoke, what caused the guards to investigate these matters?"
"Reports from the farmers. Most did not dare confront the inferns once they witnessed their powers. They came to the city for aid."
"Do you think this is all the work of the two inferns you witnessed, or are there more?"
"I do not believe the two I saw could have reached so many different locations in such a short amount of time. I believe there are more, but probably not many.
"Interesting," Ansas allowed.
"Int
eresting?" Enin repeated, slightly irritated by the sorcerer's callousness. "You find it interesting that inferns are destroying Connel's food supply?"
The city's resources were of no concern to the sorcerer. Ansas examined the information from the only viewpoint that mattered... gaining an advantage over Reiculf.
"I find the manner in which they are doing it extremely important," Ansas responded, but then the sorcerer turned to Holli. "How quickly are these inferns moving?"
"Not very," Holli admitted. "They seem to be very patient. While they have certainly caused damage, they have not yet caused a significant reduction in the overall food stocks, at least not yet."
"And what is your assessment of these raids?" the sorcerer asked with obvious curiosity over the elf's opinion.
"It's a controlled move to create more uncertainty than panic."
"Of course it is. It's not meant to get everyone's attention. Just ours."
"So how do you suggest we respond," Enin asked of the sorcerer.
The inferns and their actions meant little to the sorcerer beyond revealing Reiculf's strategy. To Ansas, there was only one obvious course of action.
"We don't respond at all."
"No response?" Enin remarked, obviously surprised by the sorcerer's lack of concern.
"None."
"So we just let them burn our crops?"
Ansas was not surprised by Enin's reaction. He found it almost amusing. While keeping the larger struggle in focus, he decided to entertain himself by pressing Enin for further proof of the wizard's foolishness.
"What do you suggest?" Ansas challenged.
"Let's go out there and stop them. Inferns are nothing more than a minor inconvenience... to either of us."
"Idiocy," Ansas grumbled with a shake of his head.
"I would not consider it in the same regard," Enin remarked. "The inferns are dangerous and they are intent on causing damage. It may not be significant, but it can not be ignored."
"And what about you, elf, do you see why I consider such plans as idiocy?" Ansas wondered as he stared into the face of the elf guard.
Holli refused to answer, but Enin pressed her to respond.
