Death Knight Box Set Books 1-5: A humorous power fantasy series

by Michael Chatfield

  The Guardians stood in the breach, creating a bulwark against the Drafeng army. They had been able to create a short wall to fight from; all of the archers now wielded spears to push the Drafeng from their walls.

  The Guardians’ attacks, imbued with their flames, lit up the bat- tlefield from time to time. The arrowhead of the United Army were as a knife in the Drafeng’s back. Spells fell from the skies; cutting snow, meteors, lighting, hellfire, and starlight fell upon the Drafeng, reaping countless lives. Spears, quagmires, curses, demons, sum- moned beasts, and golems rose from the ground.

  They were a grinder: the magical types hit those at range; the archers, weaponeers, and grenadiers killing those at mid-range while

  the melee types finished off those who reached their in- domitable ad- vancing steel wall.

  Buffs supported them and curses weakened the enemy.

  The formations shifted, rotating out the third group of fighters. The formation rippled as the changes were offset from one another. Even those in reserve would do all they could to break the Drafeng.

  “Come on!” Jaxus yelled, willing the United Army for- ward.

  He didn’t know how it started, but those at the edges of the Drafeng army leaked away at the sides of Skalafell. It was a small trickle, a few Drafeng running at first; then others started to join. The chaotic beasts started to follow, turning into a full rout.

  The army pressed forward, keeping the pressure up, but there were no more who were rushing to attack the walls.

  They were broken against the Skalafell city walls, scattering and fleeing to the east.

  The defenders continued to hold until all of the Drafeng were fleeing.

  Horns sounded out with new orders. This battle was over, but the war hadn’t ended.

  Chapter: A Lich’s Duty

  Claire did her best to keep Anthony at arm’s length. Being around him made it hard for her to keep her emotions in check.

  She wanted to reach out, hold him and hug him, tell him what her plan was, tell him that it was what she needed to do.

  She sprinkled sand on the letter she had written. It adhered to the ink, speeding up the drying process.

  With a flick of her hand, she removed the sand and the letter rested on the table. She looked at it. The cold words couldn’t ex- press all that she felt.

  “It will have to do.” Claire looked at the dagger that was to her side. Runes had been carved into the metal to create a powerful en- chantment.

  With a sigh, she stood, grabbing the knife and tucking it up in- to her sleeve. “Okay.” She shook herself and then headed out of the room.

  She went through the halls. Anthony was outside of Shiv- ernsin. The soldiers had been put to work, carving out small trench- es in the ground to slow the Drafeng.

  He seemed to sense her and looked up from his work, waving

  to

  her.

  “Are you okay?” Anthony looked at her with worried eyes as he wrapped his hands around hers.

  She let go of her nervousness and hugged him, resting her face

  against his cold breastplate. “I will be. Come, I need to show you something.”

  “Okay,” Anthony said.

  She felt a pang of guilt and sweetness at how he trusted her com- pletely. She led him into Shivernsin, down to the lower floors to a supply warehouse filled with food and other goods.

  382

  “What is it?” Anthony said.

  140

  “We need to wake up the Guardians,” Claire said.

  “That would be nice. Though, when I went there, I didn’t sense any fluctuations of mana. It’s as you said—it looks like they can’t be woken up,” Anthony said.

  “I think that I might be part of the problem,” Claire said. Anthony cocked his head to the side.

  “You see, I raised everyone from the dead. I bound their souls to their bodies. I am their necromancer. They obey my commands. I created an enchantment over the area that would take my mana and wake the others, working around the sentence that I was given. The problem is that I am still controlling them. I can’t release them.” Claire’s head dropped.

  “If we can’t wake them, we’ll find a way.” Anthony’s armored hand pushed her hood back and then tucked her hair behind her

  ear.

  Claire would have been crying if not for her lich form. “I found a way,” she said in a low voice.

  “What was that?”

  She activated the formation that she had hidden in the ware- house.

  Chains grew out of the ground and wrapped around Anthony. He was stunned for a second and looked at Claire, not fighting back out of trust of her.

  “Claire?”

  “There is a way to wake them up. If they don’t have a necro- mancer controlling them, if they are directly injected with mana to power their bodies, then they should wake up.”

  The chains wrapped around Anthony’s limbs, holding him in place.

  “Claire! What are you thinking of doing?” Anthony started to struggle.

  “For them to live...I can’t.” Claire looked at Anthony, her eyes filled with love. “We have only been reunited. I wish more than

  anything that we could spend eternity together. But we made an oath—we would defend the people of Dena, even if it meant our deaths.”

  She stepped forward and touched Anthony’s breastplate. The hidden formations activated and his breastplate fell off, revealing his ribcage and her beating heart in his chest.

  She pulled out the dagger. “With this, the formation in the dag- ger resonates with the formation that is in the mausoleum. With my death, all of my power will be injected into the Guardians.”

  “No! Claire! We can find another way.” Anthony’s voice deep- ened as he used all of his strength. She had contained his familiars but he channeled their frantic power into his body, struggling against the chains. Some broke but were reformed quickly.

  “Anthony, I love you, now and always,” Claire said. Determina- tion and a feeling of peace filled her as she stabbed forward.

  “Claire!” Anthony’s cry tore at her heart but she was resolute.

  White tattoos ignited across Anthony’s chest. A wave of force threw the boxes and crates around them flying. Claire covered her face as she was pushed backward.

  She looked over and saw a small person in mid-air, standing in front of Anthony. Her little wings on her back fluttered peacefully but there was an irate look on her face.

  “Claire Elizabeth Rockton!” the small fairy called out, tapping her foot on the air.

  “Wendy, I need to!” Claire said.

  “What if it fails, you foolish child? Do you think that my An- tho- ny will be able to deal with it? Do you think that I will forgive the girl I allowed to date my boy?”

  Wendy shot forward in a flash of light. Claire couldn’t even fol- low her; she felt a flick on her head. The familiar feeling made her

  recoil and she held her head. She felt a tug in her hand but the blade was in Wendy’s grip already.

  “Penelope, if you will, child?”

  Penelope superimposed through the chains. Her phoenix wings and her head burned through the chains as she let out a breath of fire, melting and destroying the dagger.

  Anthony let out a cry as he broke the chains. They fell to the ground and he dropped to his feet.

  “Claire, I want them back as bad as you, but with your death, do you think that they would accept coming back on those terms?” An- thony asked.

  “We need them. Our forces are stretched thin. We barely have enough people in the fortresses around the basin. There are chaotic beasts running free across Dena. We cleared out many of the door- ways but not all of them. Adventuring teams are now clearing them as we fight here in the north, in Cheon, and the east of Selenus. We have no more reserves. If we want more fighters, we need to pull from one of the other armies,” Claire yelled.

  “You think that killing yourself will allow them to wake up?” An- other flick l
anded on Claire’s head as Wendy hovered in mid- air, her eyes glowing white.

  Hands on her hips, Wendy continued. “I thought that I taught you better than that, Miss Rockton. They just need something to jolt their souls into action—simple necromancy! Now, what that might be I don’t know, but magic won’t wake them up. That was how An- thony woke up. He had the most amount of mana in him, yes, but when he heard someone in danger, that caused him to get up and save Aila, not her necromantic spell. I will not have my daughter-in- law killing herself for some half-baked plan! Come here! It is time to go over your magical lessons.”

  “Wen—ah!” Claire cried out as Wendy twisted her ear and pulled her backward.

  Anthony grabbed his breastplate and reconnected it. Wendy stopped dragging Claire, as if remembering something.

  “Say you’re sorry and hug!” Wendy said. “Ma!” Anthony said. “If you were in her shoes, you would have done the same, you

  two headstrong fools.” Wendy sighed, releasing Claire.

  “Anthony, I...” Claire felt her heart breaking, seeing him like this; with him knowing her plan, she couldn’t help but squirm.

  Anthony shook his head, gritting his teeth and walked over, hug- ging her. “Never do that again! I...I need you.”

  Claire hung on to him like a life raft. Everything wasn’t okay, but she felt as if it would be with enough time.

  Then there was Wendy there, watching the two of them. She looked to be just a young teenager, but she was a world fairy. Fairies were formed by the power of Dena and the people, the cognizant parts of Dena. They grew up similar to elementals but very few of them gained consciousness. Wendy had found a young boy aban- doned in the woods, his past unknown. He was sickly and weak. She had begrudgingly cared for him in the beginning, looked after him and raised him.

  For years, he lived in the forest, knowing the beasts of the forests, other world fairies, clan spirits who would come to pay

  their respects.

  She had been his mother, though she would never admit it, and his first familiar, to protect him through what came.

  She had been the one to teach Claire about the mystical arts, her teacher and mother-in-law.

  Claire yelped as Wendy pulled on her ear.

  “What made my student think of such a stupid plot! Did you re- ally think that shoddy formation would allow all of the power to be transformed! Where did your plot come from to release them from their bond?” Wendy berated Claire as she quickly dragged her out of the room by her ear.

  Claire felt a panic rising from deep within, memories of her “studying sessions” with Wendy when she had done something stu- pid.

  “It’s good to see you, Ma,” Anthony said.

  Claire saw Wendy’s smile and the way her eyes shone, before she quickly covered her expression with a scowl.

  “Who are you calling Ma! I’m too young! Only seven millen- nia I am—I’m your cute younger sister! It is my duty to make sure my big brother has a suitable wife!”

  Anthony coughed out a laugh.

  Claire felt a pressure lift from her heart at that laugh. If he could laugh, then maybe he would be able to forgive her for what she had tried to do.

  ***

  General Fysher stood on the wall. At his hand was his familiar; formed from green jade-like power, the elemental looked similar to an eel.

  There was an intelligence in her eyes as she looked over the bat- tlefield and looked to Fysher.

  “Since we have been fighting against the Drafeng, you and the other familiars have been lending humans greater strength, as if you were holding back before. More powerful familiars have bonded to humans as well,” Fysher muttered.

  “Many saw us as slaves, not as companions. Only the weakest were willing to be treated that way so that they might experience the world. We do not want to fight the other races. We are friends with the clan spirits. The elementals are our cousins. We saw what

  the hu- mans did, what they were becoming. Do you remember when we met?”

  “I was a young boy, lived by the sea. I went out to help my father with the boats and fish. There was a storm, and I fell into the sea. You

  came from the depths, I thought I was delirious when I saw you. For two days, I was able to float there until you made a con- tract with me. With your power, I was able to join the military and you helped me to become the man I am today,” Fysher said.

  Only lords and ladies had last names among the humans. Gen- er- al Hugo had taken the name Fysher to remember where he had come from.

  Julie, his familiar, sighed. “What is wrong?” Fysher asked. “Still you are that young boy.” She turned and looked to him.

  “I didn’t care if you joined the army, or if you remained a fisher all of your life—I would have stuck by you. The things you did in the army, the things that you looked away from...” She turned her gaze back over the wall.

  The words she left unsaid pulled on Fysher’s heart and he looked down, ashamed.

  “At least now you have a chance to fight for the people of Dena, instead of the whims of a power-hungry emperor and a corrupt Church of Light. Maybe there is hope for you, for Dena yet.”

  “Maybe it’s not too late for me to put down this armor after this all and fish once again. I’ve had enough of leading men and women to their deaths, now knowing that it was all at the whim of a greater enemy. What was I doing but making it easier for the enemy to at- tack?”

  Julie looked at Hugo. “Ah, there might be hope for you yet, lit- tle Hugo.”

  The two of them shared a smile, partners for decades, the divide that had separated them, weakening.

  “Drafeng on the horizon!” an elf called out across the wall. The reports were confirmed and horns that made the moun-

  tains shake were used for the first time in centuries. The work crews out- side of Shivernsin were reorganized and withdrew into the strong-

  hold as the lifts within Shivernsin were cleared and units got into their armor and machines, readying their weapons. Civilians were lowered to the lower levels while the ready military units were raised up, moving from the stronghold to the walls.

  Units that were in the warm huts along the wall checked on the siege weaponry, the ballistas, and cannons.

  Shivernsin started to come alive. The human and beast kin armies that had turned into the Combined Army were pushed to the side, watchers.

  Gheta took command of them while Fysher remained on the wall, where different generals filed in. He would be the liaison with the Combined Army.

  The different groups were in their positions and ready within ten minutes.

  After twenty minutes, they went to half strength; an hour, a quarter strength. But they remained in position.

  Time passed slowly as the Drafeng didn’t seem to be advancing quickly.

  Anthony walked into the room. Everyone turned to him as he became the center of attention in the room.

  “Looks like they’ve stopped,” Logan Icearm said. “They’re making defenses,” Anthony said.

  “Why would they do that?” Logan asked.

  “You’re thinking of them like beasts. The Drafeng are smart. If they hold a position opposite us, then the area behind them they can fill in with conversion towers and queens instead of being blocked up in the Northern Basin. They can birth ten times as many chaotic beasts if they push right out to the fortresses.

  “Don’t forget that all of the Drafeng can also take on a ranged form. They can run up, attack us with their beams and then run

  back again, weaken us over time. We’ll be in a lot of danger if they take their time,” Anthony said.

  They took another hour but then the Drafeng army settled down. They were well out of range of any kind of long-range spells or bombardments.

  The chaotic beasts were in formations ahead of the Drafeng, who got to work, quickly erecting crystal walls across the pass. They built barracks and places to rest, taking their time to make a camp that covered the pass. Some advanced and c
reated a new forward wall.

  And on the first day, they created a camp.

  Looking out at the enemy, General Fysher felt that this battle would be unlike any of the battles he had been through to destroy a doorway.

  Chapter: Battle on Three Fronts

  Skalafell was in bad condition, but its people were rallying. The Black Scarves and the city leadership worked hand in hand with one another to help the people.

  The human army had pushed forward, trailing after the rear of the Drafeng army that were fleeing to the east.

  Half of the beast kin army from the north supported them with half of the United Army. Healers and medics from all of the armies had been left behind to care for the people of Skalafell. All of the healers had to make oaths to the Order of Light, which bound them to give the best care they were possible of to heal people. Ce- cilia had tested it out first, and the binding oath from the Order of Light still worked.

  Damien looked up from the rubble he was clearing. The build- ing had been torn apart by the Drafeng blast that had opened Skalafell’s wall.

  “Need a drink?” Ubi, a large man from the bear kin and one of the three Black Scarves leaders in Skalafell asked, holding out a can- teen as he sat on some rubble.