Time of Change (Emerilia Book 7)

by Michael Chatfield

  “We must not give Akatol any time to create spells. He is a master at spell formation. Given enough time and the resources, he is sure to make a barrier or realm that only he controls. Make sure that you don’t give him time to act,” Denur said to the others through their bond.

  They understood and agreed as they headed over Iska, banking slightly to bring them on a heading for Quindar and Fornau’s old lair.

  They didn’t teleport because power usage for such massive creatures over such a large distance would have been massive. Thus, they took to the skies, using the air currents that circulated around the sea between Ashal and Opheir in a counterclockwise motion.

  If they were to go straight, they wouldn’t have the aid of the wind and instead be fighting it the entire time, making them tired when they got to their destination.

  ***

  “Ah, dear wife—still she cannot see the issue with letting these creatures wander across Emerilia. We, who are stronger than the gods themselves, should be praised as such. I will show her and my family the way. Once I have cleansed Emerilia of all but the beasts, then we will be free,” Akatol said to himself.

  His tail connected the last circle around him. It had been written with the blood of his foes.

  Nearly a hundred bodies lay around him. Many were weak, but there had been some rare talents among them. Their power now flowed through him as he closed his eyes. Light started to gather in the lines around him. Growing in their brilliance, the power in the air seemed immeasurable.

  The bodies lay on their spikes, lighting up as power was pulled from them and into the vast magical circle.

  “It’s crude, but it will serve as a good test for things that are to come.” Akatol poured out his monstrous magical reserves.

  The air around him lit up with blue light. It flowed into the bloody spell formation. The light given off was visible from the entrance to the mountain.

  “Absolute domain,” Akatol called out. A flash of power rippled out from the mountain, spreading out over an area of ten kilometers wide in every direction.

  ***

  “No!” Denur raged, diving toward the mountain. She saw the pass of magic; a cold and familiar feeling ran through her scales. She had seen this working before.

  With her vision, she saw the magical forces finish, reaching outward. Then it seemed to recoil back inward.

  Everything that was within ten kilometers was stripped of water in seconds. Trees and plants crumbled. Creatures and people died. The ground collapsed and fell apart. The lake near the mountain drained, the creatures within it having all of the water within them forcibly removed.

  The water rushed toward the mountain, swirling into a sphere when it reached its top. All heat was quickly drained from it, turning it solid ice.

  Denur let out a screech, turning away from the scene in front of her while the rest of her family followed.

  “Mother, what do we do now?” Gelimah asked as they hovered in the air, watching the devastated area around the now ice-encapsulated mountain.

  “We watch, grow our strength and find a way into his ice palace,” Denur hissed.

  “What is the spell he used?” Renver asked.

  “It’s a mix between Total Domination and Ice Palace. He cast Total Domination to take control of the land, then ripped all of the water and Mana in the area toward himself, creating an ice palace. His domination will grow in power, making his palace stronger and stronger with each passing day,” Denur growled.

  “The Total Domination will also make it so that anyone who goes into its area of influence will not be able to draw upon Mana from the area they are in. You can only use the Mana reserves you have. Seeing as the ice palace would take all of our power reserves and quite a bit of Fire’s, anyone who broke through would then have to deal with Akatol, who will be rested and stronger than ever. Akatol gains strength as things are killed within his domain. He probably killed thousands of plants, animals, people—anything with a life-force, you get experience for killing. As his domain grows, so does his personal levels,” Gelimah said with clear frustration.

  All of the Dragons listened to him. He was one of the most knowledgeable; he and Malsour spent their lives learning and hiding from the world to understand the secrets of magic.

  “Five of you will stay here. We will have five Dragons nearby; more will stay at the edge of the Mithsia Mountains in case they are needed and we will hollow out a mountain at the edge of Egas Nation in case we need more people to help. I will tell Fire what happened,” Denur said.

  “We should seek Malsour’s council,” Gelimah admitted.

  Denur raised an eyebrow. Gelimah and Malsour were highly competitive with each other. Hearing Gelimah say that Malsour might know more than him was irregular.

  “He and Dave have been working on various projects. Malsour has tried to hide it, but I have seen his interest in multiple areas. It might be an idea to see what they think. They might have something that could help us,” Gelimah said.

  “It looks like you are finally growing up, my son,” Denur said with a slight smile.

  Gelimah snorted, hiding his embarrassment.

  “Once I talk to Fire, I will seek out Malsour,” Denur agreed.

  Chapter 6: Opening Terra

  “So, we’re agreed?” Josh looked to everyone who stood in the command center. Over the last two days, they had received information on the three creatures that had appeared in Emerilia, and they had planned out different ways to keep the guild entertained and working to get stronger.

  Now, they were dealing with their biggest issue: opening Terra.

  They had planned to do it in a few weeks, but with the sudden arrival of the three creatures from their imprisonment, it became clear that it would be better to do it sooner rather than later.

  Allies and other foreign powers had approached them, looking for an embassy in Terra. They also agreed to lend a portion of their forces if they were needed for the defenses of the other nations that were allied with the Stone Raiders.

  Some of them did not agree to this condition, and as such, Josh didn’t believe they should be given the opportunity of joining Terra.

  No one disagreed with what Josh was saying.

  “Lucy, see that the messages are sent out: Terra is open to those who have rented a place here. It’s time we brought this place alive.” Josh smiled.

  He wished that it was under a less tense circumstance, but needs must.

  “Can do.” Lucy opened her interface.

  The others seemed to breathe a sigh of relief; they were now committed.

  “Damn, it feels like we should be doing more,” Dwayne complained.

  “What are we going to do but make these creatures more powerful if we face them in our current state?” Kim asked.

  “I know, but damn, we’re the strongest guild in Emerilia and even with the other top four supporting us, we couldn’t take down these beasts. Hell, we don’t even know where two of them are at!” Dwayne rubbed his face and sat back in his chair.

  “Dwayne, this event isn’t going anywhere. We’re going to have plenty of fighting later on. Now is time to do some level grinding, get our gear sorted, get used to Terra and everything that’s going on. Sure, we’ve got some big threats lying around Emerilia, but unless they act, we get time to relax a bit. We’ve been fighting in the Aleph cities and facilities, then Devil’s Crater and we just showed Emerilia our power. I like fighting as much as the next person, but right now, it is time to take a bit of a break. We’ve got a few months until the events start opening up for real. We’re going to have raids going around the clock, parties out fighting and only logging off to sleep and eat and come back on.” Josh smiled to Dwayne.

  “Well, I can’t say that doesn’t sound like a hell of a lot of fun,” Cassie said.

  The other Stone Raiders agreed.

  “The developers say that this war could even change the way that Emerilia looks, so, might be worth checking out the sights you have
n’t seen already. They might get messed up,” Kim said.

  “Well, I do have some animes to catch up on, so that would be nice,” Dwayne admitted.

  “See! Wait, which animes are you watching?” Josh asked with a curious glance.

  “Annnd, we lost them.” Lucy shook her head with an amused smile on her face.

  The others chuckled as Lucy turned back to her interface. Her smile fell away.

  No one noticed it, but Lucy looked nervous and scared, as if she feared that something was going to go terribly wrong. She looked as if she was scared for the POEs who might fall in the face of the prisoners’ and Players’ actions.

  ***

  Kol walked through the teleport pad in Terra, turning and grumbling to those behind him. “Keep up, you lot.”

  The smiths of all races followed Kol as he led them out of the control room. They talked about the simple craftsmanship and the work that was around the control room. Their grumbles and complaints came to an end as they exited the control room and stepped out onto one of Terra’s main streets.

  They looked out over the spinning city.

  There was a simple park with a small pond in it. Glowing growing towers made of soul gems dotted the city space. Apartment buildings, looking like spokes in a wheel, reached across the empty space to touch opposite walls of the cylinder. Industrial plants were turning over here and there. People were moving into the city. It was slowly coming to life, but it was clearly not complete.

  Soul gem buildings were still growing here and there. In other places, Aleph automatons were making rooms, elevators, and all of the infrastructure that would be required.

  The buildings were of various sizes so that one wouldn’t feel contained or cramped. It truly was a growing city.

  Kol smiled proudly, thinking of all that Dave had done to make this sight a reality and proud of his grandson Gurren for being a part of the guild that called this achievement their home.

  “Hah! Never thought that seeing someone else’s work would shut you lot up! Wait until you see what Master Grahslagg has done for our smithy!” Kol called out, continuing on his way as the smiths talked among themselves.

  They moved through the streets, watching as a soul gem walkway grew between two buildings, meeting in the middle, hanging right over the main street where traders were already checking out potential storefronts.

  Kol laughed as he started to smell food already being cooked, demonstrating that Dave wasn’t the only entrepreneur of the lot.

  Down the street, the smiths talked excitedly about the soul gem buildings, comparing them to the soul gem building that was currently taking over the Devil’s Crater Smithy.

  Confusion could be seen across their faces as Kol stood before a six-story soul gem building.

  “Well, you going to stand there all day or are you going to get to know your new workplace a bit better?” Kol demanded, walking into the smithy while hiding his wide grin at the excited noises as the smiths rushed toward the smithy.

  ***

  Dave and Deia walked through Terra.

  “Feels like it was a lot quieter this morning,” Deia said to Dave as they walked down the main street. Where there had just been open windows and bare buildings, there were now people moving about. Traders were on the streets, marking out where they would put up their stalls and sell their wares. With this many Dwarves around, taverns were already opening their doors, unable or unwilling to waste the business.

  It was a busy atmosphere and a few people were frustrated, but for the most part, they were excited.

  The event had shaken some people who had seen the creatures emerge, but people being people, regardless of what sub-race they were, had adopted an out-of-sight, out-of-mind mentality. They didn’t think that the creatures that were currently hiding would ever come for them.

  Even though there were three extremely powerful creatures loose across Emerilia or hidden in it, Dave felt an odd calm. He knew that he should be freaking the hell out, but instead he was walking through Terra, looking at what he had created in just a few months, smiling as he saw the bustle of people moving into their homes.

  Among them, he saw the indentured prisoners were being moved through the city, broken up into smaller groups and given menial jobs. They had spent their whole lives training for war, but those skills didn’t necessarily translate into running a city. Until they proved their abilities and that they could be trusted, manual labor was their lot.

  “I think you might be right.” Dave saw Deia eyeing a stall that was roasting skewers of meat. “You want one?” Dave walked over to it, patting Deia’s hand that rested on his arm.

  “Maybe just one,” Deia admitted.

  Dave laughed, smelling the sweet and savory aroma coming from the street vendor stall.

  “Ah, customers! Could I interest you in some meat skewers or our other snacks?” The boy tending the stall smiled. He looked to be in his teens, but by his manners, he was well versed in how to operate the stall.

  “I’ll take three, please,” Dave said.

  “That will be three coppers, please,” the boy said.

  Dave pulled out the three coppers. The boy pulled three meat skewers, wrapping them and exchanging them for the money.

  “Have a nice day and we look forward to your return business!” the boy said with a big smile.

  Dave nodded to him and passed a skewer to Deia. She nibbled it as they walked the streets.

  The walkways above would provide even more room for people to sell their wares or advertise them. The city had been designed with visitors in mind, accommodating to the needs of those just passing through.

  People and supplies were flowing into the city. Already, Player and POE adventurers had come in and looked around. The idea of Terra was great; being able to go to a city that catered to the needs of adventurers had a big pull.

  “So, when will the first onos be installed?” Deia asked.

  “We’re going to start in a few days. We’ve got quests out for people to move drop pads into position within different cities. We’re targeting the different places within Ashal first. They have more goods of higher quality to move faster and with the cities’ limited room to grow crops, there is a real interest in not only our weapons, but our ability to supply food and crops,” Dave said.

  “Seems your inner businessman has come out.” Deia smiled at Dave.

  “That’s a nice way to say I’m nerding out slightly.” Dave leaned into her.

  She gave him a quick kiss, placing her head against his shoulder for a second before eyeing the second skewer he was holding.

  Silently, he handed it over.

  “I do wonder why I got that third skewer. It was as if I knew someone who couldn’t admit when they wanted more than one,” Dave pondered aloud.

  Deia hit Dave with the side of her hip playfully.

  They walked along for a while, talking about different things. Finally, Deia asked a question as they neared the smithy.

  “Do you think that your machines and creations can defeat the creatures that come out through the event?”

  “I don’t think that we can win with just them. Sure, there are some really powerful things that I’m working on and they could give us an advantage, but there are some that I’m hesitant to use,” Dave admitted.

  “Why?” Deia asked.

  “We’re limited in what we can do because of the Jukal. If we use something too powerful and it trips the Jukal AI, then they’re going to start looking more closely at us. If they do that, they might figure out that we’re not just playing their game.” Dave’s voice turned serious.

  “I know that you’re building some pretty powerful weapons and artifacts, but we use some pretty powerful magic that is comparable to what you are making,” Deia said, trying to reassure him.

  A heavy silence fell over them.

  “A brilliant man, one of the geniuses of Earth, once said when talking about the weapon of mass destruction he had made, that the proble
m laid in the heart of mankind. That, if he knew what he was building, what it was to become, he would have been a watchmaker. Right now, I’m making these things, saying that I need to break the Jukal’s control over our lives. I could go and pass out these weapons to people across Emerilia—a simple farmer with the strength to kill everything in five kilometers, or a person with twenty times their original power and without fear of dying. What will happen when Players find out that they’re not playing a game?” As Dave’s mind worked, his Intelligence took him to a dark place.

  Deia squeezed his arm to try and reassure him. “So, what will you do?” Deia asked, her voice low. She knew that leaving Dave to stew in his own thoughts would lead him down a sad path.

  “I will follow what countless Dwarven Master Smiths have done. I will create Weapons of Power, but I will make sure that they are limited in their number and that they are the ones to pick their users.”

  Deia took in a sharp breath. So far, Dave had made items that were comparable to Weapons of Power, but with one significant difference. Weapons of Power were not only created by a Dwarven Master Smith’s smithing art, they were combined with the soul of the master who created them. This meant a drastic increase of power in the weapons. It also added in a fail-safe that they wouldn’t work for someone who used the weapons for nefarious circumstances. Though the cost was not inconsiderable, it actually took a part of the Dwarven Master Smith’s soul, much like how a summoner made a contract with the creatures bound to them. The Weapons of Power exerted their own will to create contracts with those who might use them.

  Deia wanted to argue with him. Using part of his Willpower, his very soul—it was not a decision to take easily. From the look on his face, Deia knew that he had already made the decision and a part of her was proud of him. He was a brilliant man and the things that he was creating in Emerilia could bring wanton destruction. This was one way to safeguard the people of Emerilia and the future of the people.