Reborn: Flames of War

by D. W. Jackson

  Ash could clearly see the faces on the knights when they turned their heads to see an army of demons more than three times their size charging toward them.

  Just a few moments before the six hundred knights of the king were faced off against three hundred demons and were at a stalemate. Even though they had not received any damage, they had not given any either and now more than fifteen hundred more were charging them from the side. The knight commanders first thought was to retreat, but he quickly understood that it would only be a futile attempt.

  Unlike the previous attack, there was no need for Ash to lead the charge with their overwhelming numbers so he was positioned just slightly back from the front lines along with captain Calen. From where Ash was, he saw the knights turn to face the coming charge, but at the same time the front lines clashed the demon raiders who had only been defending before joined in the attack, hitting the knights from two sides at once.

  Ash felt the urge to be in the mist of the battle, but with almost four demons to every knight, it was hard to find an opponent as they were dropping faster than Ash could keep track of. Just as he thought he found an opponent to measure his blade against, a demon would move in and cut the knight down before Ash had the time to take more than two breaths.

  In what seemed like a blink of an eye, the battle was over and Ash was left to look over the carnage that had been left behind. The knights had been quickly overwhelmed, but that didn’t mean they went down without a fight. For every five knights that died, a demon had joined them in eternal slumber. It wasn’t a bad exchange, but given their large numbers, their losses should have been less. That just went to show how well trained the king’s knights were and how determined the men who wore that title were on living.

  “How did you find the battle?” Calen asked when he found Ash watching as the demons stacked the bodies of the fallen knights and demons to be burned.

  “Boring,” Ash said his voice showing his displeasure.

  Calen laughed and patted Ash on the back. “I know that the fight left a lot to be desired, but I hope that all the battles go as such. It is much better than having our bodies stacked on the pyre or stacking a mountain of our comrades upon it.

  “I guess that is true,” Ash said as he looked into the direction of the capital.

  “If you really wish for a fun battle then all you have to do is wait. I am sure this war will have enough fighting to keep you entertained.”

  “That is true,” Ash said. He didn’t know why, but the prospects of fighting on the battlefield filled him with excitement. “Shall we go say hi to the king?”

  “Let us,” Calen said laughing. “We don’t want him to think that we are impolite.”

  11-12

  After marching for a full day, the army took camp in a large open field, not caring who might see them. In truth, they wanted to be seen. They wanted the king and people in the capital to know what was coming. It didn’t matter, with less than a day’s notice, there was no way for the king to prepare an army large enough to deal with them when the bulk of his forces were in the south and east ends of the country.

  Just as before, his wives were like living statues while they marched, but once camp was set and they were alone with him in his tent they returned to their normal warm nature. That was except for Tolarea who kept up her military attitude ever since she was given control of the small unit of women. Then again, she was never the overly warm type to begin with.

  After a grand meal thanks to the village they had raided, Ash and his wives sat around his tent talking. Though the tent was large, it seemed almost cramped with everyone packed in it at once. It was not that they didn’t have their own tents, but that unless it was time to sleep, they preferred to spend their time in his. Once night had fully fallen, all but three of them would return to their private tents. One would share his bed while two others would keep watch. Ash had offered to take his turn on watch, but they refused saying that it would take the meaning out of the duty. Seeing no room to argue, Ash let it drop, though it felt as if he was doing that a lot more as of late.

  The next morning Ash felt a twinge of energy filling the air as the army marched toward the capital. When the large walls came into sight, that feeling became almost palpable.

  Ash marched alongside Calen once again though this time they had an extra guest. It was one of the young demons that had an ability to survey over long distances and he was currently watching the city walls and the movements of the forces within. Using a large hand mirror, the demon allowed Ash and Calen to see what he was viewing.

  Ash had figured it would be like looking through a telescope, but instead it was as if they were looking down on the city from the sky, but not as high as a bird. It was as if they were looking down from a tall balcony.

  Right now it was easy to see that the city was in a state of chaos. The citizens were hiding in their houses while the soldiers and knights were running along the top of the walls pointing toward their army. Ash couldn’t see the look on the soldiers faces, though he didn’t have to. Just from the movements, he could tell that it would be a look of fear.

  They army stopped their advance just out of bow and magic range. At this time, Ash took his place at the front of the army, standing in his best clothes as if he were dressed for a party and not a war. His armor was currently placed in inventory though his sword was still strapped to his side. The reason for this was because while he wore his armor, his wings could not be seen, though now they spread majestically behind him. When he had first come to this world, his wings were so small they couldn’t even move, but now he could use them to fly for almost a full hour before he began to falter.

  A young demoness with bright green hair and glowing yellow eyes walked up beside him and used her ability that would allow his voice to be heard throughout the entire city. It was an adaption of the banshee yell that had been developed to instill fear, so it worked for more than helping Ash to be heard. It also instilled a light feeling of dread on the listeners.

  “Hear me people of Heluria, I am Ash Hawkwing, the Maoh of the demons. I came to meet your king in order to pursue peace. For this, he sent two regiments of knights to attack me while on my journey here. After I entered the city, he dared to try and arrest me and finally he ordered my capture after inviting me to the palace. For this, both the Hawkwing kingdom and the demon kingdom have declared war upon Heluria. I have come here today, not to attack, but to let you know that at any time I wish, I could bring an army to your very doorstep. For your treatment of all the kin of Tamerial, we will destroy this kingdom and everyone who stands in our way. If the people of Heluria wish to avoid destruction, you must only deliver the head of your king to me and I will cease all attacks and we can discuss my demands for peace. Remember, as long as your king lives, this war will not end.”

  Once Ash finished speaking, the three mages who had reached over level sixty worked together to cast their strongest spell over the capital. A large fireball the size of a small house formed over the capital and slammed into the main commerce street. Ash had wanted to attack the palace, but it was too far. Even with all the mages working together, it still wouldn’t get much farther than it had. Even though the fireball had landed in a fairly open space, a few houses caught fire and instilled the desired effect on the populace.

  With a wave of Ash’s hand, the army turned and marched to the east in order to combine with the larger force that was making their way inland. It would be a long march and Ash had no doubt that they would be attacked many times along the way, but he would not leave the demons behind that he had called. Not to mention, Ash was looking forward to the coming battles. It was almost as if his blood was on fire just thinking about it.

  “My lord, are we not going to attack the city?” Calen asked with a furrowed brow as they marched away.

  “No,” Ash said shaking his head. “Attacking the city was only if we couldn’t escape. There is no way that we could easily take the walls and if we didn’t g
et through fast enough, reinforcements would come and we would soon find ourselves between a rock and a hard place. For now, we should get as far away from the palace as we can. Soon the king will call every soldier and knight he has to track us down and kill us before we can reach the main force.”

  “It is very unlikely that we will reach the main force and even if we do, we will only be a shadow of the strength that we have now,” Calen said shaking his head.

  “It will be hard, but we do have a way to get reinforcements, though they will be coming in slowly,” Ash said with a sly grin.

  “How is that my lord?” Calen asked.

  “The eagles,” Ash said. “Flying, it only takes six days to reach the border of the demon kingdom. The army is most likely closer though not by much. We can receive around thirty people every ten to twelve days.”

  “You are right, that is not much, but every able body will help,” Calen said agreeing. “We can also send back those who are no long able to fight. That will keep us from slowing down.”

  Calen pulled out a small map then looked to the sky. “Five weeks of marching to reach the border without stops. If we move to attack villages along the way to replenish our stocks, it could take twice as long. The main force is moving at a much slower pace, but if our luck holds, in a little under four weeks’ time we should meet up with them. We just have to hold out until then.”

  “We will,” Ash said smiling. “I don’t think the king knows our true strength. It will take him at least two weeks to understand his folly and by then we will be too far from his reach for him to do anything about it.”

  “Either way, I don’t think it will be a dull trip,” Ash added as he took one final look at the capital that was slowly drifting into the distance.

  Notes

  Notes

  Name: Ash

  Level: 41

  Experience needed for next level: ,912,230

  Race: Human/Demon 70/30

  Occupation: Intermediate Gambler

  Title: First Knight

  Blessings: Blessing of the Reaper

  HP: 1565/1565

  MP 1265/1265

  SP 296/296

  Strength: 79 (+10) (+2) (+1) (+10) (+10) (+220)

  Vitality: 82 (+3) (+228)

  Agility: 56 (+10) (+5) (+156)

  Stamina 77 (+5) (+214)

  Spirit 38 (+10) (+105)

  Intelligence: 67 (+186)

  Endurance: 40 (+10) (+1) (+2) (+10) (+111)

  Luck: 232 (+999) (+1)

  (Special Stats)

  Hardness: 1

  Soul MP: 2112

  Sun Mana: 568

  Abilities

  Passive:

  [Devil’s Luck: 500% bonus to luck.]

  [Fleet Foot: +10 to agility. Max]

  [Wolf Eyes: See in the dark. Level Max]

  [Mining: Ability to use a pick to extract ore from hidden locations. Able to tell where mining locations are located. Level 2- 23%]

  [Poison Resistance: level 2-81%: 10% poison resistance.]

  [Grave Domain: Damage resistance to whole body with the exception of the head increased by 10%.]

  [Spider Senses: able to detect prey that is up to three levels higher within a 200 foot radius. Able to sense hostile intent within a 100 foot radius. Level max%.]

  [Fire Resistance: 15% fire resistance. Level 3-32%.]

  [Natural Armor (small): When fighting your skin acts as a natural armor blocking 10% of physical damage. Level: max.]

  [Frost Resistance: 10% resistance to frost damage. Level 2-47%.]

  [Yeti Strength: +10 to strength. Level Max%.]

  [Electric Resistance: 5% resistance to energy attacks. Level 1-87%.]

  [Water Glide: When moving in water it flows naturally around you decreasing water resistance by 25%. Level max.]

  [Cloak of Shadows: When in a dark area cloak of shadows wraps you in shadows making it harder for you to be detected.]

  [Dragon Sight: You can see the magical flow of items and creatures]

  [Reaper’s Sight: people who have received the ire of the goddess will now appear with a small sickle above their head.]

  [Reaper’s Soul: after killing a person who has been marked by the goddess you will absorb a portion of their soul and receive any abilities they possess.]

  [Earth Affinity: cost of using earth related skills will be reduced by 14% and power of earth related skills will be boosted 7%. Level 3-96%.]

  [Mental Resist: 5% bonus when attacked by a mental attack. Level 1-48%]

  [Iron Stomach: for each ounce of iron you eat your strength will raise by 1 but at the same time your intelligence will be reduced by 1.]

  [Fire Affinity: cost of using fire related skills and abilities will be reduced by 10% and power of fire related skills and abilities will be boosted 5%. Level 1-73%.]

  [Blood Drain: ability to absorb 1% of a person’s experience by drinking their blood after their death.]

  [Heart of Stone: slowly absorbs the essence of the earth into your blood strengthening the body over time. Level max.]

  [Diamond Soul: Ability to convert MP into Soul MP. Ratio 100/1. Level 1-76%]

  [Poison Affinity: cost of using poison related skills and abilities will be reduced by 10% and power of fire related skills and abilities will be boosted 5%. Level 1-98%.]

  [Ogre’s Strength: +.1% to strength. Level- Max.]

  [Blood Strengthening: cost 10 vitality: gain 1 point in hardness. Level 1-0%.]

  [Light Shield: Cost ***Sun mana. Blocks attacks using the power of light energies.]

  [Sun Mana: For every one hour spent under the sun gain 1 sun mana.]

  [Echo Location: advanced hearing that allows you to the placement of people and items even in total darkness. Level max.]

  [Darkness Resistance: 5% reduction in damage from any sources using the darkness element. Level 1-30%.]

  [Darkness Affinity: cost of using darkness attribute skills or abilities will be reduced by 10%. Level 1-23%.]

  [Dark Soul: turn 100HP into soul MP.]

  [Bolstered Resilience: increase damage resistance by 5%. Level 1-51%.]

  Active:

  [Demon Absorption: Cost 25MP: Absorb defeated enemies to obtain skills. Level 4- 53%]

  [Bash: Cost 1SP: Slam into enemies with your body to do X10 damage. Level Max%]

  [Rabbit Punch: Cost 1Sp- Using feet or hands quickly lash out with a lighting quick attack. Level max.]

  [Stab: Cost 5 SP: Thrust forward with weapon (sword, spear.) level 3-8%]

  [Poison spit: Cost 5MP. Level Max%: Spit a corrosive poison that sticks to enemy doing 5 damage a second for ten seconds.]

  [Analyze Ability: Cost 5MP: Ability to see opponents name, level and skill as long as they are no more than 5 levels above you. Level max.]

  [Poison: Cost 10MP- ability to make a small amount of toxin that paralyzes. Can be placed on weapons.]

  [Sticky Thread: cost 15MP- shoot out a stream of sticky thread to trap opponents.]

  [Stealth: Cost 20 MP. Erase your presence from enemies any movement cancels the ability.]

  [Fire Ball: cost 10MP. Create two balls of fire and throw it at an enemy. Level 3-15%.]

  [Cone of Frost: Cost 15MP: send out a cone of frost freezing everything in its path. Causes 15 frost damage every second for eight seconds. Level 3-53%]

  [Crushing Blow: cost 5SP: strike with a hard blow bypassing 55% of opponent’s defense. Level 2-36%]

  [Shock Armor: cost 12MP. Covers a small area with electoral energy that will stun an opponent struck with it for two seconds. Level 2-11%.]

  [Shock Strike: cost 25MP. Hit an opponent with an energy attack that paralyses the part struck for seven minutes. Level 2-54%.]

  [Pounce: Cost 5SP jump straight forward with great speed doing 2x normal damage.]

  [Poison Vine Whip: Cost 40MP. Call a vine dripping with paralyzing poison to strike your opponent. Level 1-99%.]

  [Reaper’s Blessing: Cost 50MP- bless a weapon or item with the goddess’s power. Lasts for t
wenty-four hours.]

  [Sharp Strike: Cost 12SP- strike with a bladed weapon to deal 1.6 the normal damage. Increased chance for a critical strike. Level 2-2%]

  [Fire Lance: Cost 25MP- casts a long lance of fire. Level 2-18%]

  [Ice Spear: Cost 15MP- coat a weapon in ice giving it an added ice attribute to its attack. Level 1-72%.]

  [Ice Shield: Cost 20MP- created a shield of ice that can fend off attacks. Level 1-21%]

  [Lullaby of Subduction: Cost 20MP- chance to charm an enemy confusing them. A strike releases the confused state. Level 1-21%]

  [Death Wail: Cost 40MP- a loud wail that strikes at the mind of them enemy deal direct damage. Damage based off of spirit. Level 1-41%]

  [Shadow Whip: Cost 20MP, 5SP- attack with a whip made out of pure shadow that will follow the enemy wherever they try to run. Level 3-51%.]

  [Shimmer: Cost 10SP- surrounds the body with light making it hard to discern movement.]