by Han Yang
The human and orc aerial units had already turned back, and a minotaur party was arriving to inspect the damage at the bridge.
From what I could tell, they weren’t coming for my army. At least for the moment. The orcs would have to not only fix the bridge but answer to some angry minotaurs.
I flew the last bit up the river until I dove back into my body, sitting up so fast I hit my head on the war table.
“I’m never going into water again,” I whispered.
“What is it?” Tarla asked. “You were saying shit out loud a lot, to the point I tried to stir you. Is everything okay?”
“Thanks for the concern and for giving up,” I said. “Come, I want to tell everyone at the same time.”
I exited the carriage, shouting for a council meeting.
Within a few minutes, my leaders surrounded me.
“I jumped into the river with Sprinkles. The plank decking, wooden club, and shield made of planks caused me to essentially float at least twenty miles until I hit the main road. I killed some advanced scouts, blew up a bridge, and oh… Prince Tao and his magus are flying with the orc units, hunting Sprinkles,” I said.
“That’s it?” Tarla asked dryly.
“Not exactly.” I winced. “I actually escaped the Prince and the others by going back into the water. Sprinkles is injured, and I need to get closer to heal him. Not sure how close. The minotaurs are pissed about their bridge. There’s a lake that’s jammed with giant crabs that feed large hydras. Sprinkles is on the other side of that lake and trapped for now with only one leg.”
Nee huffed, “Why are the minions going crazy to knock down trees?”
“They must have sensed my concern and are preparing for an aerial attack. Or because crossing the river isn’t an option until we recover Sprinkles. Oh, and the ten goblins who used to shield him are drowned. We might be able to find their orbs unclaimed and revive them,” I said.
“What’s the plan, Boss?” Asha asked, noting my rambling but lack of orders.
“We have to charge north, cover twenty miles, fight off eight magus, and a party of orc scouts - and then repair Sprinkles,” I said in despair.
“To the rams,” Asha cried out. “Cavalry skeletons form up. Group at the back of the formation. Hurry up.”
Tarla grabbed my arm and said, “Damien, think about this. In four days, this orc army will pass. You can send Asha and a few quick units to harass the orc scouts and recover the dead. Move the whole army when you move. Do they think he still lives?”
“No, but if we fight, I’d need to repair him.”
She shook her head. “Damien, we can fight and win without the cyclops. You’re powerful, and I have a hunch that the orc army is eager to move north and not tangle with an assembled army that has no retreat option.”
I nodded, seeing her rationale. “I really don’t want an enemy at our front and our back.”
Famo cleared his throat. “We can go a few hundred feet into the fields and stay out of the troll’s range. We can rip trees down and stick them behind us, creating a wall behind and clearing up front. If we start now, that’s a big difference then trying to build a bridge or trying to find another clearing on the other side of the road toward Sprinkles.”
“It's a wonderful thing that skeletons never tire,” I said with a long exhale. “Objections?”
Heads shook all around.
“May I take a hundred cavalry to recover the goblins and kill the enemy scouts?” Asha asked.
I hesitated, his stern expression telling me he really wanted that many.
“After the road, on this side of the river, there will be a tree in the silty bank. Go a few hundred feet into the jungle. Most of the goblins didn’t get through the canopy,” I said then sighed. “Do not fight the minotaurs.”
“I’ll recover those we can. The other goblins will smell them. And Sprinkles?” he asked.
“We leave him cowering in the jungle until the orc army passes or an opportunity arises for me to hobble him. He’s pretty banged up, but he’s decently hidden,” I said, clasping his forearm.
He gave me a manly nod, releasing my forearm. I watched him run for Charlie while the other troops designated as scouts condensed near the trail of mounts. The gators didn’t have huts atop them, instead using simple saddles.
Mounted trolls hurried to join Asha. I watched them thunder off, Tarla tucking her arm into mine.
“Come lover, we have a jungle to move,” Tarla said.
“Right after I level up to necromancer six,” I proclaimed.
Her audible gasp amused me.
If I had to fight my way out of the jungle, I was going to do it by raising the dead as they fell. I felt the motivation to win surge through me, sending goosebumps through my skin.
“I’m coming to rescue you, Bell. I just hope I’m not too late,” I whispered into the air.
CHAPTER 62
Quari Jungle
“A spy?” I asked with furled brows. I glanced around, noting that the bright day had started to transition with light clouds and a fall breeze. “Everyone is a troll or goblin. I’m not sure who’d spy for humans. Well, besides Nick, but we know he’s spying indirectly.”
Nee pointed to a small hovel near the back of the clearing. The structure was simplistic, having three walls and a roof. The structure was stationary, though, and when we installed an altar, it errored.
“The church won’t activate no matter what I try. The prompt repeats that hostile forces are too near. To me that means we have a spy because the range of a basic church is relatively small,” Nee said and then shifted to thumb the troll city. “That’s not the problem.”
Yermica rubbed her tummy, the baby bump bothering her. She let out a muffled belch and said, “Sorry. It’s not a goblin. We’ve already killed a half dozen of the hundreds that have trickled in.”
“Wait… What?” I asked.
The way I understood their system was that the goblins would be happy around happy. So far it had been about survival with them, not deception or nefarious actions. Their society certainly was unique.
Nee fidgeted, looking to Tarla for help.
“Goblins can smell. If they’re happy, they produce x. If they are hostile, they emit, y. You can’t fake the literal funk,” Tarla said, tossing her hair into a tight ponytail. “We’ve been killing the spies from the troll city and using the Z to restore our reserves.”
“Don’t get me started on that,” I grumbled, trying hard to stay calm. “Fine, you’re killing goblin spies in cold blood. I don’t care. How the hell do we determine which trolls are good?”
“Once they fit and are loyal, they’ll have Moonguard or of tribe Moonguard as their surname,” Yermica said, and I nodded. “We have to trust them to start.”
“Alright, inspect every troll. Once you have a group of loyalists, start working over the others,” I said.
“And those who haven’t converted yet?” Yermica asked in a haughty tone.
I held my head high even though my heart ached.
“Convert to Caitlyn or they’re to be removed,” I ordered.
“Killed or outcast? Outcast is preferred and will actually convert more than executing will,” Yermica told me.
“Really? Seems odd, but I’ll trust you. Find me the spy,” I commanded.
Nee and Yermica left my inner circle to carry out my orders. My revived guards parted, not letting anyone close. Their armor and weapon deterred most of the curious goblins and trolls. Since we entered the jungle, an increasing number of goblins arrived to join our camp.
The Necro Lord had garnered a lot of attention among the new arrivals. I was unique in how I treated beings that most Ostriva leaders used as fodder. This led to curious goblins passing between tasks to steal passing glances.
I scanned the growing clearing, wondering when my scouts would reappear from their latest foray. Asha’s adventure to the shoreline resulted in him returning with nine of the eleven goblins, and we used all o
ur revivals to pick them up.
Nee didn’t let me apologize even if I felt bad. I had drowned them, and they were shocked that I used an expensive cool-down on simple goblins. That… that right there was part of why I was loved. Those goblins stayed on the outside of my guards, ready to protect me, now that Sprinkles was missing.
A few positive things happened. Because of goblin traps, our cat army grew by three and they were reaping the benefits of the jungle. Yesterday alone my army earned more than a thousand Z, and the number of dead animals was staggering. Apparently, the canopy up top, and the jungle itself was loaded with life.
Once the caravan managed to leave the tree line - occupying the field - we had enough space to start ripping down trees with matogators using ropes. The goblin crews efficiently used the skeleton power, resulting in the jungle being reduced constantly.
A large wall of debris formed between us and the trolls. The pile continued to grow day and night, widening the opening, and leaving me somewhat confident the enemy city at our back would struggle to reach us.
We built a church, and I was desperate to talk to Caitlyn.
Which led to my negatives.
I sighed looking at my stats.
Name: Damien Moonguard
Race: Human
Affiliation: Nordan
Zorta: 127.501
Nordan Score: 21,519,101
Ostriva Score: 1,049,620
Location: Quari Jungle
Magic Type: Healer
Healer Level: 12
Magic Type 2: Necromancer
Necromancy Level: 6
Necromancer Minions: 1505/2750
Fighting Level: Decent
Mana: 270/270
Mana Recharge: 8
Strength: 15
Stamina: 14
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 16
Willpower: 14
Cultivation: 19
Intelligence: 34
Wisdom: 34
Charisma: 30
Tracking: 13
Endurance: 15
Perception: 19
Burst: 14
Reflex: 12
Healing: 11
Melee Combat: 11
Aim: 6
Hunger: 3
Thirst: 4
Aging: 59 years until death.
I had gained less minions from level five to six, than I had from four to five. I fumed at the huge investment gone to waste. Twenty-five thousand Z was monumental and simply not worth it.
I could have been on a beach with Tarla, washing down my guilt of leaving these fine folks behind with strawberry margaritas. I hadn’t even found a place to call home here either.
Being the avid reader that I was, I knew the trapped on a new world adventurer tended to connect with his new home. I had and had not. Mainly, there were about twenty people I needed to revive and Bell to rescue.
Assuming she wasn’t dead, of course.
Which led to the church not working and for me to find out. I wanted someone to shout at, and at the moment, a hostile force was preventing that.
A commotion broke out and Mini dragged a female troll toward me easily. She fought his immense arms without any success.
“Let go of me this instant,” the female shouted.
I frowned, turning my head in confusion. While I didn’t recognize the voice, the tone and inflection spoke of a scorned woman -as in a human.
“This one won’t show her full stats, just her points,” Nee said. “All the other trolls either left or stayed, but they all showed their entire information.”
“It's because I’m a human,” the female troll all but hissed.
I tilted my head in confusion and then blurted, “Bell changed you.”
The female troll sealed her lips. I reached down to the dagger on my belt. The blade shone in the sunlight, reflecting into her eyes.
Not my finest moment, but I stabbed the restrained woman in the guts.
She gasped, shocked and horrified.
“You stabbed me. The demon stabbed me,” she repeated a dozen times.
I yanked the blade out and healed her.
“Oh, you’re repaying the torture,” the woman said, spitting on me.
“Maybe this escalated quicker than it needed to. I wanted to send a clear message. I mean business. Now, why are you here? And tell me about Bell,” I said.
“Go to hell, strivian demon. Arax’s faithful will -”
I drove the blade into her heart, yanking it out rapidly. I then slid the honed edge across her throat for certainty. Tarla gasped, Nee snickered, and I walked into the church, tapping the altar.
Are you wanting to create a church? (YES) - (NO)
I selected yes.
Say the name of the god you want to worship.
“Caitlyn Moonguard,” I whispered, cleaning the blood off the blade with a rag from inside my armor.
Confirm. You wish to create a church for Caitlyn Moonguard. (YES) - (NO)
I confirmed yes. The stick figure we’d taken out of her church in Seqa came to life. My sigh of relief was short lived as Caitlyn only grew to half her size by the time I was interrupted.
“Boss!” Asha called out from the front of the small building.
“Of course,” I muttered. “Calm and quiet, then chaos.”
“About damn time,” Caitlyn said rudely.
She finished arriving in her full human form, scanning the pitiful church. Her sour look told me she was unimpressed.
“What is it, Asha? I’m busy,” I shouted.
“The minotaur delegation is here,” Asha shouted back.
“Stall them, and you should hide Mini,” Nick said from the doorway. “Hi Caitlyn.”
“Hello youngling, what do you want?” Caitlyn asked the minotaur who blinked at her without an answer. “I hate it when they get shell shocked. Do a goddess a favor. Go please the delegation. I need to speak to my champion.”
Nick nodded, finding his senses before he left.
“Can I revive Bell?” I asked, getting to the point.
“No,” Caitlyn said.
“Did you or Arax punish my level six advancement?” I asked, folding my arms.
She shook her head. “Everything works on rules. There are necromancy rules and ladders, even for champions. No, I cannot tell you about them.”
“Harvish was new to this world, and he commanded legions,” I scoffed in disappointment.
“Harvish?” Caitlyn asked.
“Night elf, or dark elf, necromancer. Fought right after the cataclysm.”
Caitlyn huffed, “Let me check the library.”
Her eyes glazed over, and her rigid structure concerned me. This… this meant she was in two places at once. I ran a hand over her delicate face. She wore a nice summer dress that exposed ample cleavage and would be terribly cold outside the church.
Caitlyn was barefoot with a tattoo of six planets on her calf.
Interesting. Maybe the gods were always in a duplicate mode when they visited.
I meandered to the door, seeing a dozen large minotaurs storming over.
“They look mad,” Caitlyn said, stating the obvious. “Watch this.”
She swiped a hand across the doorway. A second later, the minotaurs walked into a glass wall. They proceeded to bounce around, realizing they were boxed.
“Not helping,” I commented.
She snickered, ignoring my concern. “Harvish Neolin. A dark elf who arrived on Nordan Prime as a necromancer, by chance. He was actually a crypt keeper on Ostriva, as in he made the dead happy by ensuring their graves weren’t robbed.
“He arrived during the mists, and during that year transition, he learned about his newfound magic of necromancy. The lonely crypt guard only wanted to be left alone. After the mists, humans raided his outpost, killing nine of his ten minions. He fled, working to raise the dead as he went. Eventually, he reached ten minions again and then earned enough Zorta to become a necromancer four and earned a hundred mini
ons.
“The local human lord received scout reports and then crushed Harvish with at least five thousand mounted knights. It wasn’t a real fight. There were no legions, and you confound me by sourcing him,” Caitlyn admitted.
It was my turn to shake my head with a chuckle. “The victors write the history books. They wrote the battle to be a massive ordeal with the outcome on a razor’s edge.”
She shook her head. “Oh…” Caitlyn said, understanding my frustration. “You weren’t cheated or punished. And even though there are six worlds, and six old gods, it doesn’t mean anything for leveling. Your levels cost a lot, and to be fair, 1250 troops is a whole lot of troops. You’re supposed to hit a point where leveling slows and means something. Else everyone would be gods.”
“I need to free Bell, though. To do that I need an army,” I grumbled.
“You have one, but I cannot advise you on how best to use it. I can thank you for donating the Zorta to me,” Caitlyn said, unboxing the minotaurs.
She brimmed with power, daring them to near her church. The minotaurs finally figured out what she was, deciding to calmly retreat. They argued with Nick, pointing to Mini, but he calmed them by saying something I couldn't hear.
With the distraction fading away, I glanced at Caitlyn again. “What about Nim?”
“A true believer, and never gave up. Ten thousand Zorta and she’s yours. Try not to take too long,” Caitlyn said.
“How much for Tarla and I to go to Earth?” I asked.
She winced, tapping a foot against the bare soil. “The pits are filling up on Earth quickly, and your parents may be lost forever.” She paused, turning to her left. Caitlyn barely whispered, “That hardly revealed much. Fine, fine. I’ll shut up.”
This second bit clearly wasn’t directed at me. I also was able to deduce her meaning with ease, which likely got her into trouble.
“What’s the cost for me to view Earth but not return?” I asked.
“To what, see a picture of my home?” Caitlyn asked.
“I don’t know. I figured we could fly around as spirits,” I said with a shrug.
“I’ll get back to you. You want to pay to visit Earth as a spirit only, no interaction,” Caitlyn said, telling more than asking. I nodded. “The window for your parents' rescue is fading.”
