“Lovely—always wanted to fight zombies!” Dwayne growled, dispensing with another two soldiers and a mage who got too close for his liking.
“Well, I personally love zombies and it looks like it’s about time we started welcoming this little army to our humble abode. Wake up, minions!” Jason, who was with Dwayne, laughed as magic started to flow out of Jason and into the dead that covered the ground.
He didn’t, however, raise any of the allies who had fallen. It was seen as a big sign of disrespect by most POEs to do that.
The once-dead soldiers started to rise; their fellows cut them down here and there. They didn’t seem to hesitate at all in killing their allies.
Must be that berserker spell they’re under, Dwayne thought disapprovingly.
It blunted the mind and the tactics of the soldiers, though it did keep them in the battle and fighting with everything they had.
“Support has arrived,” Josh said over the guild chat.
Summoners and necromancers were muttering out spells or moving their hands as fighting seemed to break out in the rear ranks of Loughbreck’s formations.
Dwayne watched as a bone juggernaut charged out of the night and right into the rear of the attacking army. Without their barriers, the juggernaut simply crushed or impaled anything that was in its path with the bone spikes across its body.
“Now, we can have a real fight! Oh, I missed you two, skeletoraus,” Jason said, as if he were greeting his household cat.
Dwayne glanced back, seeing Jason sniff slightly in emotion as he fondly patted what looked like two skeleton dinosaurs.
“Fucking necros,” Dwayne mumbled. His distraction allowed three fighters in close to him. These ones were harder than before. Dwayne’s Strength was more than theirs but his Agility only slightly so. Facing three of them with less Strength but nearly the same Agility was proving to be difficult.
“Help!” Dwayne called out.
A mage in the group sent out lightning, making the three shake with the electricity running through their bodies.
Dwayne cut them down, thankful he had leather bindings on his sword so he didn’t turn into a lightning rod as well.
The battle was turning, but Loughbreck’s soldiers didn’t know it, their minds warped by the spell placed upon them.
We’re just going to have to take them all out. Dwayne yelled out and charged a few feet forward. He shield bashed, killing one outright and made the others stumble behind them as he turned in a circle. His blade cleaved through anything in his range.
“Worth every damn copper!” Dwayne brought his sword down in a powerful blow, nearly cleaving his opponent in two.
It was taking time, but they were pushing through the attacking enemies.
Dwayne pulled back a bit. Moving forward without support was a good and easy way to die.
***
Suzy linked herself to her creations. They were running mainly on autopilot, using her imprinted Willpower to guide them as they surged out of the darkness and into the rear lines of the attackers. As the Stone Raiders had teleported from Terra to Verlun, their creations had been sent over drop pads that had been placed by Josh’s stealthy types.
They’d come out behind Loughbreck’s army, moving forward to enclose the army.
Now, their trap slammed shut as nearly seven and a half thousand creations, summoned creatures, elementals, zombies, skeleton creations, and various other minions rushed out of the fields around Verlun and right into the back of Loughbreck’s army.
Loughbreck’s army started to turn just as the minion army ran through their lines.
It was chaos, pure and simple. The attackers were caught off guard and charging forward. Many were simply cut down, not knowing what was behind them.
Suzy commanded her Air creations forward, dropping off minions in packs. They were all controlled by one master, essentially creating a basic hive mind. Without needing to communicate to one another, their masters gave orders and they all worked to carry it out.
So, while Loughbreck and his people were trying to turn their army to face the new threat, the minions were compact fighting units in complete understanding of not only what they were doing but also what every other creation under their master was doing.
Suzy thought about ordering them more, telling them specific targets to hit, but there was little need. They anticipated her orders and threw themselves into the battle with everything they had.
Suzy looked to Dave, who peered over the battlefield. His face was covered, but she could see a line running down his forehead. His gray eyes seemed to smoke slightly as he surveyed the battlefield.
She didn’t know what had happened to him, but his power seemed to have multiplied. He hovered with her Air creations. His spheres had sprouted blades and spun at incredible speeds, turning anything that was within fifteen feet of him into a blenderized pulp.
His eyes locked onto something. A spear appeared from above and slammed into the ground. The Mana construct failed, exploding as raw Mana escaped.
Suzy ducked. Dust and debris showered down on the party as a twenty-meter-wide hole was left behind.
“They’re preparing another grand working.” Dave’s eyes tracked something as spears started to fall from the sky and opened holes in the enemy’s lines, following a mage who was charging forward, holding a glowing crystal in their hands as they ran. Runed armor covered them as the air around them shimmered with a powerful barrier.
Dave let out an annoyed noise as spears formed faster and faster, falling from above.
“Bring everything we have down onto that running mage! They have a grand working!” Deia yelled over the guild chat.
Destruction rained down on the mage, but they continued to run. Their barrier faltered as they charged forward, not caring for the destruction all around them.
An ominous feeling filled Suzy’s stomach.
Dave let out an angry yell. “Cover me; I need to get to that grand working!”
“On Dave!” Deia called.
The entire party started forward at a walk, then a jog, and then a full-out run. Spears of metal flew through the air; darklings tripped those in their path. Fire elementals dropped from the sky, screeching as fire flew from their mouths and hands.
Anna, sheathed in wind armor, sent out wide Air blades, throwing people back or cutting through their armor. Lox, Gurren, and Steve finished off anything that wasn’t felled by magical attacks. Deia called up her nearly invisible flame spell; anything they hit exploded. Suzy cast buffing magic, increasing their speed and reaction time.
Bands appeared on all of their arms. Suzy looked up to Dave as time seemed to slow, but her reactions stayed the same.
She pulled creations from her storage bag. The Air, Water, and Fire creations watched the sides and rear, keeping Suzy updated with any incoming threats.
Mages started to send their magic at Party Zero. A soul gem hovered above them all; a Mana barrier appeared just feet above it, enclosing the entire party.
The soul gem started to dim with the increasing hits.
***
Loughbreck cried out, using his pole-arm to tear apart another Air creation as his war cat shook an Earth creation down to its components.
The battle had finally reached him. His rear ranks were caught in a fight with the minion army while his front ranks continued to charge into the Stone Raiders and their allies.
“Find us a way to get out of here!” Loughbreck said. He might have won against just the Stone Raiders and their allies, but against this minion army as well, he knew that his army would more than likely fall.
He guided his war cat with his feet, pushing her onward. His advisors and commanders who weren’t under the mind magic fought alongside him. They knew what was coming and they were looking to save themselves.
The berserk soldiers and mages were acting as a great distraction, throwing themselves into the enemy. Flames burst out from the mage commander, taking out a large group of minions.
Seeing an opening, Loughbreck squeezed his war cat with his legs. The creature raced forward, running over anything that lay in its way. The rest of the commanders followed, breaking free of the army and the few ranks of the minion army to charge away from Verlun.
Loughbreck sat down in his saddle, riding his war cat, watching the rest of his leaders all around him as they tried to get every last bit of speed from their mounts. Loughbreck noticed the seer stone in his hand. He looked at it. The mage who had been sent with the grand working was charging through the lines. There was no need for them to slow as attacks dropped on them from above, killing everything around them.
His eyes shifted to a commotion coming through the ranks. A party of seven charged through Loughbreck’s lines as if they weren’t there, solely focused on the mage carrying the grand working.
The mages focused on the party, sending in their attacks. A barrier appeared as they continued their headlong charge.
The Stone Raider who had destroyed the portals to the shade realm surged forward. He slammed his shield into the mage charging forward with the grand working in their hands and tossed them to the side. Before they had time to recover, he finished them off with a glowing sword.
The surrounding forces charged through the path of carnage left by the mage’s and his party’s passing.
There were seventy thousand of the attackers left, under a fourth of what Loughbreck had started out with.
The mages had spent nearly all of their Mana. Still, the Dwarven artillery kept firing. The allies were now taking back the ground inside the fortress that was pitted and broken through spells and near misses.
Bodies covered the ground as minions moved to the breaches, stopping any of the soldiers from escaping.
The Stone Raiders fought like the possessed. Loughbreck had never seen anything like it. All of those grand workings, all of that preparation and hard work, and his army hadn’t been able to get past them.
They were supposed to have been some minor obstacle, but instead they had gutted his army.
Loughbreck looked to his interface as the mind magic grand working came to an end. As the spells counter hit zero, some people continued to fight. However, others dropped to the ground, screaming and crying.
The defenders seemed to slow their advance.
He didn’t know which group started first, but his once proud and confident army started to surrender.
Slowly, the defenders stopped their fighting, grouping together, wary of some sort of ruse.
Loughbreck knew it was no ruse. They had been ready to flee nearly an hour ago. Now, with the passing of the mind magic and their numbers a third of when they had wanted to flee, there was no hope left in them. They were broken.
He threw away the seer stone; none of the command group said a word as they raced into the night and away from Verlun.
Chapter 25: Other Side of the Coin
“My king!” An aide ducked as another spell hit the royal palace’s Mana barrier. The sky was alight with magical forces being thrown back and forth by the mages in the palace, as well as Lord Esamael’s mages.
“What?” the king asked. His guards all wore their matching enchanted Mithril armor, looking at the aide and for any other possible threats. Sneaking an assassin in the midst of a battle was not an unheard of tactic.
“One of the scouts took a look at Verlun. It looks like a massive battle was fought there and a fortress grew out of the ground!” the aide said.
Sigaird tilted his helmeted head to the side, looking at the incoming chat request. He took it.
“King Sigaird, this is Lucy Vernia, lieutenant of the Stone Raiders. I was wondering how your night was going?” The woman sounded completely at ease.
“What do you want and why are you calling? I have better things to do,” Sigaird hissed.
“We’re going to have to talk about that temper of yours,” Lucy tutted.
Sigaird turned beet-red with anger and considered disconnecting. He very nearly did before Lucy spoke up again.
“Tell General Tortessin to prepare his people to assault Emaren. We’ll allow your people entry, not because we like you any more than Esamael, but just because he attacked us. See you soon, sweetie.” Lucy cut the channel, leaving Sigaird in a state of confusion.
“My king?” the aide asked.
“The Stone Raiders survived and they’re making a move.” Sigaird turned and continued his march down the corridor. His guards moved around him.
“Find me Lady Merguine,” Sigaird said to one of his closest guards. The man nodded and headed off at a speed that belied the heavy armor he wore.
Sigaird opened up a new voice chat with General Tortessin.
“General, something is going to happen to Emaren in the near future. Be ready for whatever happens. Remind your people to not attack any Stone Raiders they see unless they are provoked. Be ready for an opening,” Sigaird said before the general could even say hello.
“Yes, my king,” Tortessin said.
“Good man.” Sigaird closed the channel. Looking up, he saw the guard returning from a side corridor. Merguine and her own guards followed.
“Merguine,” Sigaird said.
“Have you seen what happened at Verlun?” Merguine hissed as she fell into step with him. No longer did she wear her dress, but heavily enchanted steel-plated leather armor. Sigaird was more used to this appearance.
“What?” Sigaird asked.
“They were attacked with nearly two hundred and ninety thousand trained troops, the best that Emaren had, buffed, with mobile barriers and no less than four grand workings. Esamael’s army used three of the workings, one a Water spirit creator, the other opening doorways to the shade realm, and the last some potent mind magic to get their forces to fight without regret or pause.” She shook her head in anger. “Turned them all into berserkers. They were about to use a fourth when they were hit in the rear by the Stone Raiders’ minions. They captured the grand working and the survivors surrendered.
“Now, all of the Stone Raiders are gathering at the teleport pad while their allies care for the wounded and get those who surrendered divested of their weapons.”
Sigaird’s face turned grim. With that many soldiers, the leader must have had the leadership class. It would only make sense, boosting their combat abilities before all the rest of the extras that the force seemed to have at their disposal.
“Seems that they were the sleeping Dragon you were talking about,” Sigaird admitted.
“Now, we just have to see what happens with waking a Dragon,” Merguine said, not sounding pleased at all with the result.
***
Lord Esamael slammed his hand into the table, breaking it apart as the seer stone he had been watching fell to the floor.
The entire house that Lord Esamael’s ally owned and they were using as a command post for the battle in Haugr went silent. Generals, commander’s aides, and guards looked away as Esamael beat the table into submission.
“That fucking idiot! I want Loughbreck and all his commanders captured alive so that I might show them what happens to those who fail me! How could he lose against such a measly guild!”
No one chose to voice how that measly guild had been supported by more Dwarven Warclans than seen in the last century, as well as the support of three legendary groups that had stepped out of history back onto Emerilia.
“I want an update on our forces!” Esamael barked.
“The forces in Emaren are under heavy siege by General Tortessin’s forces. With the barriers, runed walls, and forces there, we can hold the city for another two weeks. Here in Haugr, we have moved through the trading district and are now progressing through the noble housing district. Our mages are now in range of the palace and are using long-range spells to stop any outgoing magic from the palace.
“We have had heavy fighting on the streets with various different groups, from citizens of Haugr, to adventurers and guards. The northern army is on its way, b
ut it will take a number of days.
“Our forces should be ready to assault the palace within four hours. We have secured the southern, western, and northern walls and are pushing to take over the eastern walls,” the aide rushed to say, calming Lord Esamael somewhat.
“What of the city rune?” He looked to a different aide.
“Our enchanters believe that they can switch it from the Haugr city guard to our own forces in just a few hours,” the aide snapped off.
“Make sure they don’t screw it up,” Esamael growled.
“Yes, my lord.” The aide bowed deeply.
Esamael growled, dismissing the man.
***
“Everyone knows what they’re doing?” Josh yelled, looking out over the Stone Raiders gathered below.
A cheer rose from their throats. Their allies had offered to come with them, but Joshua had declined. They had stood together at Verlun, showing that they might be one guild but they had a lot of allies. Now, it was time to show them what they could do when they weren’t worrying about defending one location, when they were the hunters.
“Dave, open that teleport pad!” Josh yelled.
The Stone Raiders ran forward in their parties. The teleport pad’s runes activated, showing a city being bombarded.
Josh fell in with his Stone Raiders. He dove into the shadows, coming out behind the guards who were around the teleport pad. They were watching the supply wagons that were going through the event horizon instead of being there to fight. Josh cut down three of them before they had time to scream.
Arrows and magic leapt free of the Stone Raiders, killing anything in their path. The guards might be bolstered by the city’s runes, but they were goddamn Stone Raiders. What’s a bolstered guard compared to a three-hundred-year-old Lich, or a horde of Creatures of Power with a god commanding them?
Party Zero stepped through the teleport pad and rushed toward the nearest wall.
Stone Raiders' Return (Emerilia Book 6) Page 28
