by Han Yang
I closed my eyes, focused on my spells for claiming the dead, and added domination to the casting.
Nim shouted, “It’s urgent, I only -”
“Get her out of here and lock her into her carriage,” Tarla commanded.
Air sucked out of my lungs, and a moment later, I became weightless. A force flung me off my banyou, and I grunted in shock at being in free fall.
I didn’t hear a boom, or feel the fiery heat of an explosion.
The realization that Nim had betrayed us right in the heat of the battle hit hard. I… Toneba was craftier than I gave him credit for.
I glanced around, seeing Tarla a few feet away. My lovely redhead cartwheeled in panic as she descended. I was forced to make the tough choice.
You have cast constant regeneration on yourself. Confirm (YES) - (NO) - Yes
Powerful green magic burst out of my body, and I glowed with a neon tinge.
I crashed into the snow right in the middle of matogators fighting humans. An orange blade nicked the gator, turning it into dust, and the platform on its back crashed down.
Agony racked my body as bones snapped and the magic quickly popped them back into place. I tumbled into the fallen matogator hut, crashing through wood.
Goblins and my minions raced to get in front of me.
I raised myself on an elbow, the magic continuing to repair my damage.
The enemy shouted, and fresh soldiers slammed against my lines. But they didn’t hold a cohesive formation. It wasn’t Prince Tao marching rows of soldiers in lock step. No. Instead, I saw a massive rabble that clashed against our solid lines.
The pushing from both sides grew intense as we had more time to exit the outpost, and the lagging enemy caught up to those eager for blood. The din of battle grew louder, and I focused on my immediate area.
Snap!
Catapults and bolt launchers released from behind.
Magic rippled and repeated waves of explosive energy coated me in cold air. The battle between weak mages was in full force. The humans, whomever they were, didn’t crack our shielding while our goblins blasted magic through their defenses.
The only advantage the enemy had were those damn orange blades.
My troops brought me Tarla, dropping her battered body at my feet.
Oh, poor Tarla. Her face was melted by some unknown magic, her legs were broken, and her chest heaved with labored breaths.
I focused on her and cast, “Heal other.”
The magic connected us with an intensity I’d never experienced before. She smiled, as the pain numbed and her body knitted itself back together. I swooned, feeling the mana draining from me until I neared exhaustion.
You are in danger of canceling your constant regeneration. Recharge mana from 12/350 to 350/350 for .091 Zorta. Confirm (YES) - (NO) - Yes
My connection to Tarla ended with her capable of standing. The magic of the battle turned the blizzard into a brightening evening. Continued explosions rocked the air and flashed
I was close to the fighting and had my constant healing applied. Taking the initiative, I ran to fill a gap in the lidka, centaur, goblin, and troll shield wall. The matogators stayed back, allowing the riders to rain their ranged weapon into the humans from above.
My body shivered involuntarily from the freezing snow, fighting my inputs to snatch a shield and sword off a dead human.
I checked my minion count before heading into the thick of things.
Minions 4774/8000
You have connected to 212 humans, 47 goblins, and 3 trolls. Your desire to claim only is accepted. Consume 1010.028 Zorta to claim 272 beings as minions. This will earn Ostriva and Nordan Points. Confirm (YES) - (NO)
Somewhere from above, my reaper darkened the sky. Thunderous booms startled the humans not accustomed to undead magic.
A rain of reapers descended onto the battlefield and ghoulish hands rose seconds later. I was shocked when a section of flying ghouls landed onto my damaged banyou.
Then it dawned on me. Nim was converting into a minion.
Not letting it bog me down, I ran forward for an orange sword wielder.
This female warrior wore fine armor, shouting for the demons to be cleansed. I watched her hammering blows against our shield line. The lidka she fought was quick enough to adjust his shield in time, preventing her enchanted blade from carving into his skeletal structure.
I dove between his legs, slid between the shield-line, and jabbed into her inner thigh.
I yanked the blade free, and she staggered. A green healing spell washed over her. My eyes traced the spell back to its caster, finding none other than Toneba himself.
The man shouted, “For Arax! Cleanse the unholy!”
Shit.
Not wasting a second, I retreated.
The throng of his army surged forward, proceeding to hide him from view. I knew I could charge forward like the hero in the movies. Sure, I would overextend, but I might win the day while slaying in a circle around me.
Instead, I decided to retreat and lure him to me by casting.
I stepped back from the front lines that were buckling under the continued assault. An explosion of magic blew up a matogator on my left. In front of me, an orange blade bit into a goblin, parting the arm from the body with a sizzle.
My conjuring magic increased, and I used my ability to heal minions, knowing it would cycle out an immense amount of power.
The black magic burst out of me, darkening my area with a billowing cloud of void magic.
Bone zoomed toward injured minions, their broken frames repairing quickly while giving my position away.
I walked backwards, hearing, “The Demon Lord is nigh. Charge this way! Charge this way!”
The front ranks buckled under the sudden pressure, and a tide of humans surged into the gap. The orange blades condensed, smashing further into centaurs and lidka.
“Reform the line! Let them in! Reserves to me!” I bellowed.
Battle cries encouraged the enemy. They recklessly pushed deeper. The problem for Toneba was clear to see.
His army was a mob, and not everyone ran into the breach with him. I wasn’t sure how, but I could feel the undead were still fresh. While I was losing troops, I didn’t notice their resolve breaking.
Quite the opposite.
My minions allowed the trailing end of the incursion to continue until it waned. They then smashed the thinning enemy, reforming the shield wall slowly as they tried to close the gap. Reinforcements and those in deeper ranks turned to flank the incoming troops.
My plan was working. As the front line’s pressure lessened from allowing some to enter our ranks, the minions, goblins, trolls, and even arriving korb cut off the crazed humans.
When the front line reformed, a few hundred humans found themselves cut off.
“Come out and fight me you coward!” Toneba cried out, some special type of mage enhancing his voice. “I see you lurking behind your troops.”
I stayed where I was, letting my army encompass me.
“Fight me you coward!” he shouted again.
“Where’s Bell?” I shouted back.
“In Tarb, never to return to your side,” he said, using his mage's magic to lift his voice.
I huffed, knowing he likely told the truth.
“Your tunnel mission failed. Nim failed, and you failed, Arax. You should have just left me alone,” I shouted over the fighting.
My troops didn’t stop to let us chat. They compressed the human pocket within our battle lines. Additional reserves arrived. Every second that ticked by, orange swords fell, and the human circle shrank.
Goblins rained bolts from banyous and atop matogators.
The human shields flickered from the onslaught of spells until a cloud crack rippled through the air.
“Why must you always be the tactician? Fight me as it should be!” Toneba cried out.
I shook my head with a snicker.
Tarla brewed a spell, patiently letting it co
ndense.
“Try to kill him,” I ordered.
Tarla’s phoenix burst from her chest, joining the condensing ball of fire in her hands. The spell ripped over the battlefield, illuminating the blizzard into daylight. The magical creation soared high then arched down in a steep dive.
I watched, seeing only glimpses of Toneba from between the fighting.
He shined golden, levitating until all I could see was him cresting over the battlefield.
The phoenix slammed into a divinity shield or some sort of arcane bubble. After the fiery explosion, Toneba’s nose dripped blood. His face said it all, that wasn’t enough, but it hurt.
Crossbows pinged off his shield, and he grinned mischievously.
I saw him glance down at me in disdain.
Toneba chanted, “Cleanse the filth, only the holy shall remain. Cleanse the filth, only the holy shall remain. Cleanse the filth, only the holy shall remain.”
A blinding white light erupted from the champion, and I felt incredible pain. I stared down in horror as green magic popped welts and boils, repairing my flesh. All around me, both sides writhed in agony.
“This cannot be,” Toneba exclaimed. “No! Arax promised it would not hurt the faithful. NOOOOOOOO!”
I shuddered, feeling whole again.
My minions were the first to rise. The damage was evident as blotches on their bones, but it didn’t cause them pain. They were the undead and when they rose, they quickly chopped down the humans and pushed forward.
“No!” Toneba shouted in dismay.
A weak pulse of energy shot out of him, healing only a few of his guards. The effort keeled him over, and he fell.
“You never leveled your healing past five did you?” I asked with a cackle.
He eyed me with disdain. “I have Arax on my side. Why does placating to this false system matter?”
I snickered, loving the exchange. “You’re the first boss, and I’m the idiot who did all the side quests. You’re nothing, Toneba. I can heal everyone like this,” I said, snapping my fingers. “All because I leveled. I played into the system. I turned into the champion my goddess created.”
Toneba huffed in agitation, not liking that his nearest guards clashed blades against towering lidka. A skilled swordsman sliced three likda to dust with fluid motions. The man was a clear master, but a crossbow bolt sunk into his neck, felling him.
The guards thinned, falling from the onslaught of my encroaching minions.
Toneba must have restored his mana because a new wave of green magic burst forth, healing his closest protectors before it reached its limits.
“Pitiful.” I sneered.
I knew it was over. The moment he downed his own troops with a magic he thought his humans would be holy enough to ignore, the tide had gone from desperate, to doomed.
“Surrender,” I said, striding forward.
An arcane bolt formed on his fingers, and he staggered, hitting mana exhaustion again.
“You never leveled. Your mana is pathetic,” I taunted.
Undead troops continued to slaughter humans who cried out in paint from the spell.
“You never fought me, man to demon,” Toneba said, seething with rage.
Lidka carved up the soldiers who rose from his healing. The slaughter from my minions was in full effect as I saw swords slice down, ending over extended humans.
“Advance! Advance!” I bellowed.
The enemy was barely standing or rolling in pain. The moment the shield lines parted into a counter charge, and the towering undead pushed against untrained humans, it was a massacre. The undead centaurs broke ranks, furthering the rout.
A bolt of white magic lanced in a direct line for my body. I spun, feeling the searing intensity of his spell rent the air. The spell inched by me and lifted for the outpost.
My goblins and trolls suffered right along with the humans. The arcane magic from Toneba’s magus spells took its toll. I held in my magic, not wanting to unleash Fountain of Youth until more of the humans died.
Healers on both sides were slowly fixing some of the damage Toneba had produced while I waited. I did manage to repair Tarla again.
She stood, preparing a fireball that I had her put away.
“Surrender,” I commanded.
I reached to within a dozen feet then bent down, seeing a troll in horrific pain. I picked up the crossbow, noting the loaded bolt.
“I’ll never -”
I raised the crossbow and fired.
Snap!
Thunk!
The bolt ripped into his guts and splattered out the back of Toneba. He staggered, quickly recharging his mana to heal himself.
My minions hacked, stabbed, and slashed the last of his guards. A fraction of a second later, a hundred lidka swarmed him.
He blasted a half-dozen of my minions before the diving blades of my troops sunk into his body.
His dying words were, “This isn’t fair. You should have fought me on -”
A lidka’s cross swing parted his head from his body.
“War is not fair, Toneba. The stories may have the enemy commanders dueling, but I’m partial to winning. You over extended, never trained, and were… I’m talking to a corpse. Kinda my point, though,” I said, agreeing with myself.
I closed my eyes, focused on his orb, and commanded it to respond. Toneba’s greatest flaw was that he was a pacifist. He never leveled or progressed to be a mighty champion. Even when given the strength of a god, he failed in his task of becoming great.
The resistance from his orb was pitiful, and I quickly overpowered his defenses.
Resurrect Toneba Arax (YES) or (NO) - Selecting (NO) will incur Ostriva points. - NO
Claim or Consume - Consume
Consume 10,000 Zorta (YES) - (NO). Warning a champion that is consumed can never be brought back. - Yes
“His orb is gone! You got the hundred thousand Z!” Tarla exclaimed.
I shook my head, the sound of his army still being slaughtered haunted me as the fading cries for mercy pierced the night.
“Ten thousand. A lot for a single man, but not what we were hoping for,” I said.
A goblin runner approached and said, “Nee is requesting orders and a healer.” The goblin pointed toward the city.
“Have the living consolidate back into the tents. I’m going to max out my undead and then finish this army,” I said. “And the healing is not needed. Because -”
I summoned my mana into a brewing point, bringing for the forth my once a month healing spell. The charging power condensed, brightening the area around my body in a green glow.
WHOOSH! The magic burst out of me in a wave, instantly repairing every living being and restoring them to a prime age.
Your once-a-month casting of ‘Fountain of Youth’ has been consumed. Recharges in 29 days 23 hours and 59 minutes.
“So, you wish for all the living to return for the evening?” the goblin asked, wanting confirmation.
I nodded and said, “Everyone is to get warm. The undead will clean the field and secure the enemy camp.”
He sprinted away to carry out my orders.
“You’re going to kill all the humans?” Tarla asked.
“Yes and no. Yes to all the humans who are trying to flee. If they make it to their camp and disarm, then sure, I’ll let them live. These soldiers would have done the same to us if not worse. I’m still going to steal their supplies, but yes. These Arax faithful will get added to my army because I upgraded my necromancy,” I said with a smile. “Eight thousand. Our army will grow today, and I still feel pitiful compared to Torro or Hartinger. Oh, and the reaper told me to keep going until I hit level ten. Nothing like a sprinkle of foreshadowing to encourage you.”
I gazed down at her and expected pushback. Instead, she fidgeted with a guilty look and said, “Can I kill Nim if she still lives?”
My brows raised in shock. I was glad she didn’t fight me over not granting mercy to those who fled. But this was a surpri
se. I rubbed my numbing arms, walking over to a glowing orange blade.
“Nim’s dead. I made her a minion during a mass revival. I’ll find a use for her and get some answers. Speaking of which...”
You have connected to 2071 humans, 47 goblins, and 3 trolls. Your desire to claim only is accepted. Consume 8333.121 Zorta to claim 2121 beings as minions. This will earn Ostriva and Nordan Points. Confirm (YES) - (NO) - Yes
My reaper brewed a thick cloud of ghouls, using souls like rain to strip the flesh. We watched in awe as new minions joined the ranks, uncertain of what came next. A lot of the humans glanced around in confusion.
“All human minions suppress memories. All minions, kill every human outside their camp. Spare none,” I commanded.
I handed the blade to Tarla who inspected it. “I wonder what we do with them,” she said with a shiver.
I watched her toss the blade down with disgust, the weapon slicing into the compacted snow.
“Come,” I ordered, heading to my banyou that was already lumbering for the enemy base to the north.
My guards followed me, keeping up as we left the scattered dead. I arrived onto the back ramp, walking up the incline. When I reached the platform, I found a youthful looking Nee beside the fire. Her yellow eyes glared at me with anger.
“That bitch,” Nee grumbled. “You revived her from the pits of hell, and she blew us up. I’m venting, and you didn’t know, but we should have known. At least Tarla was onto her. She used a bloody energy bomb. ”
I frowned and asked, “A what?” I sat beside her at the fire. “And sorry, I knew her and figured she was just suffering from something we call PTSD on Earth.”
“She needed to suffer… Apology accepted, but from now on, we all get our orbs inspected. Now, as to the device she used. There are a thousand types of magic in Nordan. So far, we only have the major ones in our army with a few exceptions.
“Vial mages are thought of as little more than creating containers. They’re rare but not necromancer rare. If these mages invest a lot of mana and time, they can create energy containers. Basically, that Nim whore was a wind mage.
