by Han Yang
Now that I was on the edge of the camp, I heard a scout rustling through the thick underbrush as they headed toward the water.
I backpedaled, sinking below the surface and extracting my sword.
The lidka was a female, and she stomped into the shallows to squat. I waited for her to start peeing to surge out of the depth. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she scrambled backwards, tripping until she fell on her ass.
A loud, shrill cry alerted the area, and she tried to reach her long dagger on her armored skirt. My blades sliced out, cutting deep into her neck.
The thick lidka hide prevented a severing of her head. Even though I didn’t decapitate her, she died quickly. I dove back into the depths then slowly walked to the other side of the river.
I fully intended to sacrifice this minion. Instead, I walked him onto the north shore, seeing at least a hundred lidka pointing me out. I twirled my blades before charging into the thick jungle.
The area erupted with magic, but I was long gone when the eruption of magic shredded the jungle.
I found a tall tree and perched my minion into it. If he died, it would likely be by the Prince or his griffin guard returning. I could also venture to the river to see how many bridges were assembled by the time my army arrived.
INTERMISSION 3
Ikara Valley
Toneba
A mix of emotions flooded Toneba. Hope faded into despair and finally shock set in.
He sat in the prisoners’ tent, his conversation with Bell interrupted by the dashing Prince spewing information at him so rapidly it took a moment to comprehend.
Toneba glanced at Bell who sipped her tea. He knew both him and the Prince had rotated from being harsh on Bell to treating her with dignity. In some ways, they’d converted her back to her humanity, and yet, they still failed to get her to worship Arax.
“Prince Tao, we shall talk of such matters in private,” Toneba said, his tone on edge.
“She’s chained to boulders and is guarded more than my father is,” Prince Tao said with a scoff and a flippant gesture.
Toneba shook his head in dismay. “Yes, but words carry more power than a blade at times.”
“Six hells, Toneba. No one cares if her words proved true,” Prince Tao scoffed, pacing the small tent. “And nobody flipping cares what she knows. She’s not going anywhere without my father’s approval. Not even you can claim to override his Majesty.”
Bell predicted that the demon was not actually running in fright but instead was amassing power. The war council had conceded she had a point. The part they had ignored, himself included, was when she predicted he would become strong enough to threaten not only the army but the entire kingdom.
Prince Tao knew to not underestimate the demon. He had spent his entire treasury bribing his way into the camps of the enemy. At first, Toneba figured him as a degenerate, a pathetic man willing to stoop to lows for that awful Z.
Most didn’t know that Toneba had never changed. Sure, he was reborn, and yes, he owed Arax everything. However, he still despised the mists and the Z system that followed them. He refused to accept his role in this new world as anything other than, defeating a foe he couldn’t reach, and reuniting with Mariee.
“Just so we are clear, you fled the lidka mercenary force because the undead spooked you?” Toneba asked.
The Prince stopped his pacing, fixating on Toneba. “You cower here in our army while I try to save the kingdom. You’re a fool, Toneba.”
“Says the man who spent his father’s -”
Crack!
Toneba staggered, falling to his knees. His vision filled with stars and his brain failed to catch on.
“Easy, my Prince. He doesn’t understand,” Bell pleaded. “He’s a simple healer thrust into a game of gods.”
“You’re right. Arax chose wrong, and I can only hope that when Toneba fails he will wisely elevate me to lead this quest. I never wavered. I never sat in a tent and dallied with prisoners. I went forth, struck the demon’s minions and turned friends into foes. Not all, but I did something, and you… you did nothing,” the Prince said.
“How dare you hit me?” Toneba blurted, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
“When I came in here, I told you the enemy was only ten days away and gaining on us. The minotaurs abandoned our cause, refusing to renew or trade further. The lidka march on a fragile promise, and this army is ragged from the jungle. We’re not winning, Toneba. So, I say again, what is your plan?”
Prince Toa was correct. He said the lidka marched to war, giving him hope. Then he mentioned that the lidka and centaurs might lose to the demon Damien because he had gained almost ten thousand goblins on top of his large skeleton army.
Toneba, of course, had no clue what to do. He was a docile healer, evident when he became hesitant to speak his mind after being struck but once. He saw the Prince seething with rage and needed to de-escalate the situation.
The problem for Toneba was that he had no leverage. Prince Tao was technically his greatest ally after Arax, and he had pushed the man too far.
“We must regroup,” Toneba said with conviction. “I can spread the word and perform healing miracles for donations to Arax. We can buy more armies, raise more troops, and there is a chance these armies defeat the defiler.”
“I haven’t lost faith in my god, Toneba. However, I’m going home to pray to Arax about replacing you. Armenia is in charge while I’m gone. He will be marching hard for Tarb. She…” Prince Tao pointed to Bell. “She may end up being the cost of peace. Keep her happy from here on. Father will happily spare her to the necromancer to preserve his kingdom.”
The Prince stormed out, his guards hot on his heels as he fled the tent area.
Bell snorted and said, “You’re but a fraction of the man Damien is. However, I have an offer. After the countless torture and endless nagging, I do have a secret, and this is the perfect time to reveal it. Your wife, the one you drone on and on about. Countess Mariee.”
“Countess?” Toneba blurted in shock.
“Here’s my offer. My bindings stay, but you bring me books and a proper blanket to fight the night's chill in return,” Bell said.
“You have my word.”
“Indeed,” Bell continued. “Your lost wife is a countess, a countess of Nara. She is but a month north. Will you run and hide in Tarb like a good little peasant? Or will you take your pitiful following and go north to reunite with your former wife? Either way, Damien will find me before he gives up. He may not be my lover, but he loves me more than you ever loved Mariee.”
Those words stung. Toneba had given up on finding Mariee when she faded. He retired to die old, alone, and poor. He knew Damien had only been on the hunt for a month, but to Bell, the fact that he spent years searching for Mariee meant little to her.
He left her tent, not giving her the satisfaction of an answer. When he strode around the camp, he did so as a young vibrant man of power, not as the hobbled archaic of Yew Wood. He glanced north toward Nara and sighed sadly.
The next series of steps led him to his private section of guards, those sworn to Arax above the kingdom. Some of the soldiers weren’t even from Karn. A few of them had come from Faunt or via portal.
He confidently strode into his tent. The captain of his guards, Perious, waited patiently at a desk. “Good news?” The handsome knight asked.
He was the son of a noble and a priest of Arax, his unwavering support meant everything to Toneba.
“My smile is fake and one of pain. No, the news is terrible. I love Arax, and I just realized I love him more than my wife. Immediately pick up the tents. We ride, and the others are to run for Conva,” Toneba said sternly.
“The Capital?” Perious asked in confusion.
“Yes, the demon is coming. If we don’t rally troops to reinforce Tarb, the northern kingdom will fall, again. Except, I think he’ll entrench himself, and in time, his magic will prevail until all is lost,” Toneba said in a somber tone.
“And the Head Priestess?”
“I will plead to the Prince to take her with him and imprison her in a Litroo tower. She is no longer safe here. He is but ten days away and his might grows and doesn’t dwindle,” Toneba said.
“We should have brought more troops,” Perious said, catching on.
“I know I’m not a general or great tactician, but those were my exact same thoughts. The only way to do so is to return to the King and beg for a stronger army while I rouse the commoners to help us,” Toneba said with an exasperated sigh.
“It's winter next week… no one fights in winter, not even the strivians,” Perious said with a frown.
“The undead can always fight. Day, night, rain, snow, or even in water. We’ve erred and this is our redeeming chance. If we fail to secure the north, I fear Arax will smite me,” Toneba said.
Perious gasped, biting his tongue from speaking freely.
When he calmed, he said, “I’ll ready the troops while you petition the Prince.”
“No petition or request. We were given Bell, not the Prince. We leave with her this evening in the dead of night,” Toneba said, crossing a line that would likely make or break his fate. “For Arax and removing the blight of Ostriva.”
“For Arax and removing the blight of Ostriva.”
CHAPTER 68
The Great Plains
“Sound the advance,” I said, pacing the decking from above the battlefield.
Our army stood arrayed for battle; a curve formation focused on the city and spread incredibly thin. The reason was magic. Yes, my flanks were exposed, but an enemy siege weapon or a sudden salvo of magic would only affect so many troops.
Our front line consisted of matogators, single units spaced out ten-feet apart. Goblins were sprinkled around the large skeletons, no rhyme or reason to their layout. We had needed a spot to put all the excess troops, so they spread out on our flanks.
Our center consisted of the might of my army and all our supplies wagons tucked in close. The banyous trudged forward. Half my skeletal knights were on our right, while Mini and the lidka were on the left. Under our feet rested the additional shield and absorption mages.
The strategy was simple: turn the field of battle into carnage and reap the rewards.
A few hours earlier, I had absorbed all our spare Zorta and was sitting at a little over thirty thousand Z, far more than I’d likely need unless I went up a tier.
My army shook the ground, moving forward. The enemy faltered, a hesitation running through them.
A trumpet sounded, countering our advance by bringing defenders up to platforms behind the wooden wall.
I stuck the spyglass to my eye, focusing on the centaurs. Their massive alpha continued to glance into the jungle.
“How did you know the lidka wouldn’t show?” Tarla asked suspiciously.
I smirked, avoiding answering for now. I turned to Nee.
“Sound the charge, no mercy, and I mean no mercy,” I said with a hollow tone.
Nee kicked a goblin with a warhorn carved out of bone. He jumped up, blowing with all his might into the instrument.
I watched the army surge forward. The awkward gait of the six legged banyou forced me to sit in the throne from up high. I contemplated putting Tarla in my lap, but if she fell, she’d snap a neck, and we were on a winning streak I’d rather avoid breaking.
“Boss, answer please,” Nee said, caving to desire.
I snickered, seeing the troops trampling the lovely fields. The centaurs broke, as expected. A few shot hasty spells or bows that failed to reach.
“The lidka were hired, and I found their army with a scout. They never connected the bridges to cross the river. The second the Prince fled their encampment they changed their efforts. My guess is they’ll show after the battle reaches a conclusion in an attempt to pick one side off. It’s what I’d do,” I said.
“Would have been nice if that was mentioned in the war briefing,” Tarla said.
I shrugged. “War is fluid, they could have easily crossed, and we’re suddenly not doing what we should be because I figured they gave up. We need to assume they’re coming on a northern flank, even if it's clear they aren't.”
“We’re almost in range,” Terron said. He was the dwarf Famo had assigned me so Famo could manage the siege. “Awaiting your command.”
“Sound the walk,” I ordered.
A different goblin blew a different horn, and it was as if our lines hit a wall. The mad dash became a casual walk.
A silence deafened the battlefield. The centaurs didn’t stop their hasty departure, deciding to flee in panic.
The sound of six snapping catapults broke the quiet.
“So much for awaiting my command,” I muttered, and Terron winced.
Rocks went high, their elevation propelling them farther than I expected. The enemy unleashed forty or fifty bolt throwers, all arcing short of our approaching formation.
“Sound halt! Pull in the flanks into reserves, set defensive barricades,” I ordered.
Matogators dragged sleds with wooden barricades, arranging themselves to set a perimeter.
I waited nervously for the initial salvo to land. I had to trust the dwarves that we had the right range. The rounds went long, too long, smashing homes on the south side of the river.
Two more snaps instantly reverberated over the area, the orc catapults joining the fight. These rounds came crashing down right into the front ranks of the enemy, crushing a few unlucky souls.
I poured power into my core, building up my domination spell in conjunction with my minion raising spell.
Famo beat a special war drum, coordinating his siege units.
The enemy rolled their bolt casters forward, desperate to reach us while they consolidated their defenses. The enemy palisade increasingly displayed lightly armored mages and archers.
I scoffed, not sure why they hadn't tossed in the towel yet.
Six more snaps rang out, the sounds lighter than before.
This round came crashing down on the road where the crews hurried the siege weapons forward. The spray of shrapnel told me more than a few weapons became rubble.
I ejected my spell, the might of the magic released a black wave that roared out angrily. My forces cheered at what was coming. They knew. The centaurs tensed. Whatever general had been stuck to die as the others waited in the south section never wavered.
You have connected to 8 centaurs beyond claim (Consume only), 42 centaurs, 14 gophers, 9 parrots, 8 rabbits, 3 mongoose (Consume or Claim). Would you like to Consume or Claim.
I shook my head, forgetting Lumpy was still hunting. I selected consume, then group, and then claimed the minor animals earning 44.212 Zorta. Two revives smashed down, raised the dead, and I grumbled.
I reached back out, selecting claim this time with my magic.
You have selected to raise 38 centaur minions for 152.292 Zorta. This will incur Nordan points. Do you confirm (YES) - (NO)
The reaper slid out of my chest, and I snatched his robe.
“Odd,” he said dryly. “You shouldn’t be able to touch me.”
“I want to instantly revive instead of constantly casting and navigating menus,” I told the faceless creation.
“I too wish to be a god,” he said with a scoff.
The reaper violently tugged himself free.
I had angered him, and he let the world know that a reaper was best kept happy with a tremendous outpouring of magic. Two more strikes of golden light connected to centaurs, the brightness fading as the rolling thunder of black magic consumed the daylight.
The constant boom and crackling of powerful magic roiling into the area caused the centaurs to glance up and into the brooding magic with apprehension. The swirl of reapers increased in number and speed. A few centaurs tried to hack their dead, standing too closed when the reapers descended.
Ghoulish hands reached up. Most of the nearby centaurs abandoned their defensive positions in fright. Those wh
o were wounded glowed green, magical healing repairing wounds.
Eight centaurs stood, their clean bones gleaming from the torches that had been lit by the defenders.
A dazzling display of charged centaur magic erupted.
“They’re so dead,” Tarla snickered.
Boom!
The air exploded with magic that vaporized the eight centaurs in a flash. A light breeze washed over us.
“Talk about overkill,” Nee grumbled.
“Yup, and now we just robbed them of vital mana.”
The double eruption of magic instantly caused a few things to happen.
I fought with the greedy centaurs over the rights to claim back the thirty something Zorta, astonished that my high cultivation was defeated on all but three of the dead.
From the southern city, shrill shrieks of terror rang loud, and I deduced what had happened. The first siege rounds had killed cowering centaurs who converted into the undead, turning on their former tribe. The eight were up front on the north side, and I had just unleashed thirty centaurs on the southern portion of the city.
The worst part from the cacophony of magic creating such a ruckus was that the lidka charged out, all on the southern side of the jungle. Their lead units arrived to a retreating centaur army, expecting the two sides to be tangled in a fight.
Based on how the charge stalled when the enemy commander had the full picture, I didn’t think it was a double-cross.
“Wait, nothing is happening,” Tarla said in confusion. “The northern army is staying, the southern force is falling back away from the lidka, and the lidka are just standing there like big, tall idiots.”
I watched the centaurs condensing as they retreated.
“Secure the defenses!” I shouted and waited. Our barricades were hoisted onto their sleds in short order. I commanded, “Advance, slowly.”
The horn blared, and the snap of the siege weapons sent more death toward the northern section of the city.
“We’re charging because the defenders will become penned if they don’t run now. With the southern forces fleeing, this is an easy call. Right now, a few dozen dead is nothing, but no one wants to lose. Hence, the lulls.” I pointed to the enemy siege weapons. “Those bolt casters will be in range to hit us, but the question is whether they will stay behind and die or flee.”
