Carradine’s voice, amplified much as the King’s had been previously, shouted in frustration, “It matters not, we have you vastly outnumbered. Charge!”
Mother’s voice rose in counterpoint to the sisters’. A song of family torn asunder by strife, of hope for a reunion, and the joy of family finally coming together again reverberated in the air. The undead slowed, while the raid allies felt their spirits lighten as a buff enveloped them. The natives rose to their feet, readying themselves for the battle. The Two-souled had a buff called Family’s Love, which increased their stats by half and doubled their mana regeneration.
“For Stormguard, and the world!” the King cried out. “Hold the line— strike down the cultists and undead!”
Chapter Thirty-three
The Elves were the first to strike, their arrows arching through the still air. Hundreds of arrows that had been fired in unison rained down on the slowly advancing horde. As the distance between them closed, spells began to erupt along both sides, and healing spells were cast to try to undo the damage that was being inflicted.
“Summoners, bring forth your Imp Storms,” Roberto’s voice rang out over the field.
Alburet frowned. The battle was still well away from him, and his Imps would expend a good portion of their time just getting into range.
Karen’s shimmering form slid up next to Gerald and spoke softly. “Twenty stealthers are moving in on us. Four distinct groups; I think two of them are heading for the King and Roberto, another seems to be heading for us, and the last is heading for Mother.”
“We’ll break them from stealth,” Gerald told her. “Call out when each is close enough for Bob.”
“I’ll handle it,” Bob grinned above them as he and his two Copies got ready to Fire Burst when Karen called out.
“I’ll Leap at the fourth group,” Fluff added, her claws flexing.
“Aim for five feet behind the targets,” Karen said. “They are trying to time getting to their targets together. When I call out, Fluff go for the King. Bob, you got the other three.”
“Tiny, split for the separate groups once they are visible,” Gerald told the Destroyer Lord. “I’ll take the ones on the King.” Tiny gave him a nod, opting to remain silent so as to not tip their hand.
The group felt the tension start to build as the battle raged to the east. The rest of Alpha Company around them had missed out on the conversation and just looked at the battle with various degrees of wanting to go join.
“Now!” Karen shouted.
Fluff went Leaping over the head of the King, landing fifteen feet away from him. The moment her feet touched the ground, she spun in place using Whirlwind. Her claws came away bloody as she sliced into thin air.
Heads had started to turn toward her when three simultaneous Fire Bursts at different spots confused the groups surrounding the King. That confusion only increased when groups of Assassins appeared at each targeted spot.
Tiny, TJ, and TW all hit their respective groups with Savage Roar, making sure that they would be the ones to take full damage. Gerald Charged past the King, his shield slamming three of the Assassins in the face before he Ground Stomped to stun them all.
“Alpha Company, protect the King!” Gerald shouted.
The few guards nearby shifted more closely around the King and Roberto, forming an even tighter defensive wall as Alpha Company turned to assault the attackers. Alburet leapt into the air, followed by Stacia and her Copies, giving everyone more room to get to them.
Mother kept singing with Parsnew, but gave a nod of her head to Marysue when she turned to look her way. Marysue was the first one to see the crystal that one Assassin pulled from his belt.
“Al, stop him!” Marysue called out.
Hearing Marysue and seeing her point, Alburet didn’t hesitate, diving down at the group of Assassins. Not slowing, Alburet accepted the damage he was going to take. The Assassin was just bringing the crystal up and pointing it at Parsnew, who was standing beside Mother singing, when Alburet slammed into him and drove both of them into the hard-packed sand. The crystal went flying away from them and was snatched up by Deirdre.
“Kill the Demon Lord,” one of the Assassins near Alburet yelled as Alburet started to slam his fists into the man he had landed on.
Angels and Infernals surged over the Assassins nearest Alburet. While those men were being dealt with, with the rest of Alpha Company was rapidly killing the other three groups.
Tyr stood in the middle of the conflict, a grim look on his face. “Commander, can you still command from here?”
“My Captains will hold out until this is dealt with, Sire,” Roberto replied.
Two minutes later, the Assassins were all dead. The guards moved away enough for Roberto to be able to see the battle again. Taking stock of the situation, Roberto grimaced; the undead had reached the front lines and were starting to swing around the flanks.
“Alpha Company, the north flank is closer. Stop them from enclosing the edge,” Roberto ordered.
“Ironhand, you have the lead,” Gerald said. “Take the Guild and go.”
“On it,” Ironhand said as he whistled loudly. “Once more unto the breach! Save the northern flank.”
The bulk of Alpha Company headed to help the north edge of the fight, leaving just Gerald’s group behind. With the mass of people nearby heading away, Alburet was able to get a good look at the front.
“Damn, that looks messy,” Alburet muttered.
“Sire, the Assassins are ready to strike, but they won’t drop more than half of the casters. I’m going to order the Two-souled to push in and attack the rest, but we’ll lose a number of them this way.”
“We need them dealt with to regain air support,” Tyr said. “We’ll increase the rewards later. Do it.”
“Sire,” Gerald said, “I’ll lead my group into the fight. Since you have the Infernals and Angels here, I feel we can be of more use down there.”
“Go, Stoutheart. Order your Guild to focus on anyone with crystals.”
“Yes, Sire,” Gerald said. “Let’s go. We’ll link with Ironhand and push into the line.”
“Tiny, all of you are Marysue’s shields. Make sure she says safe; her healing and damage will prove key for us,” Alburet said as they jogged after Gerald.
“Yes, master,” Tiny rumbled.
“What do you want me to do?” Bob asked, flying just above their heads. “They’ll target me if I go high.”
“I want you to stay low, but BJ and BB should go high and be decoys. It’ll give away the positions of their crystals. Worry about evading more than attacking, but do what you can.”
“Me songs be useless, but I will be usin’ me blades,” Stacia said, drawing her two short blades with her Copies doing the same.
“Fine. Stay back with Tiny and help him keep Marysue safe.”
“We’ll be next to Gerald, cutting a path,” Fluff growled.
“A path of death,” Karen agreed.
“Ironhand,” Gerald called out as they closed the distance. “New orders. We push into them; find and kill the ones with crystal tipped staves.”
Throwing another trap into the horde, Ironhand looked back and grimaced. “Okay, but it’s going to be difficult. Alpha Company, follow Gerald. We’re going on the offensive!”
A few cheers drifted up as Gerald pushed his way to the front and into the line of undead. “Make them fear our name! We are Alpha Company!” he roared.
The other tanks in the Guild came up even with him, using their shields as a moving barrier to push into the undead, who hadn’t expected them to push an attack. “Alpha Company!” came the cry from over a hundred voices as the Guild was surrounded by the undead.
“Fearless,” Roberto commented as he watched them go. Brow scrunching, Roberto followed their progress for a moment. “The front line is the only resistance.”
Tyr looked where Roberto was and started to nod. “Order the troops to attack. Mother… damn, she’s singing.”
>
“I’m her aide, King Justiceson,” a Succubus said, coming to stand in front of the King. “What do you wish from us?”
“As soon as we push into them, I need you and the Angels to join the fight. The casters will be busy. A few of you will fall just as some of my men will, but we can crush them. The undead aren’t the real threats here. When you go in, focus on the casters.”
“If that is your order, Majesty,” the Succubus bowed her head, turning to a Seraphim who had stepped forward. “Well, Aria, shall we join this fight?”
“Yes, Stepha. We shall,” Aria replied as she floated into the air. “For Peace and Justice, we shall wipe these men and undead from the sands.”
A cheer from the Angels resounded as Cherubim and Seraphim took to the air at her words. Imps and Succubi followed suit, ready to follow Stepha into the battle.
“For the Dark Lord, we go to destroy these abominations!”
The sound of sand crunching under hooves and plated feet filled the air as Archangels and Destroyers marched forward, shoulder to shoulder. The black and red armor of the Destroyers was interspaced with white and gold of the Archangels. Both carried tower shields and wielded a variety of weapons.
“It makes me glad that the Dark Lord is on our side,” Ioaniss said softly as he watched the scene.
Alburet snarled as his flame-coated axe slammed into the undead that was trying to kill him. To his left, Karen was stabbing her own target and throwing out a Dagger Cloud every minute. Fluff was continuing to spin, her Whirlwind hitting every enemy near her. He didn’t know where the next caster was going to show up, only that Gerald was using BJ as a spotter to get them going in the right direction.
“Al, we need some room. Now’s the time,” Gerald said.
Nodding, Alburet summoned his Imp Storm, which was noticeably smaller than normal with all of his minions and Copies out. Still, the swarm of Imps giddily hammered Fire Burst after Fire Burst into the undead on Gerald, doing their best to avoid the black tendrils that shot out at them from among the undead horde.
“We’ve got… reinforcements?” Gerald began, switching tracks when over a hundred Cherubim went over his head. “This is our chance! Push!”
The sudden influx of air support caused the casters amid the undead to panic. They tried to hit any minion they could while the undead were ruthlessly being pounded on by those in the air.
Ioaniss watched, enraptured, as the Angels and Infernals got into the fight. “This must have been what it was like during the first revolt.”
“We need to do something about Andrea,” Tyr told Roberto. “If she can be neutralized, Parsnew and Mother can exert more influence for us.”
“She’s still a half mile behind the enemies and Carradine is beside her,” Roberto replied. “I am certain he plans to flee if we gain the upper hand.”
“Damn him,” Tyr snarled. “What can we do to keep him here so we can close the noose on him?”
“I can handle that,” Mother said as her song came to an end. “The buff will last for twelve minutes. I’ll be going with Parsnew to deal with her sister. I have a gift from the Dark Lord that will stop him from fleeing.” She smiled darkly, sparks glittering in her eyes.
“I would be grateful,” Tyr replied.
“Very well,” Mother smiled. “Parsnew, are you ready to break the corruption from your sister?”
Nodding, Parsnew lifted into the air, her voice still raised in counterpoint to Andrea’s.
“Very well. I shall make sure Carradine doesn’t flee, then I’ll come and assist you. I won’t be able to save her, but you can.” Mother began to lift into the air beside the Angel.
“We’ll get someone out to handle Carradine as soon as we can,” Roberto said as the two started to fly away.
The fight on the ground had started to swing in the allies’ favor, as the fearlessness of the Two-souled and the toll that the combined Angels and Infernals were taking stacked up. “Air superiority matters,” Karen laughed.
“We need to kill more of the casters,” Gerald said, looking for Bob to point them toward their next target. “Mother?”
The rest of the group looked up to see Parsnew and Mother fly over them. “We should go help them, Gerald,” Marysue said.
“Okay,” Gerald shouted. “Ironhand?”
“Behind you a bit,” came the reply.
“Lead the Guild to the rest of the casters. My group is heading through.”
“I’ll handle it,” Ironhand replied. “Leggy, give me the flare.”
An arrow of bright gold flew straight up, and everyone who could see it watched it while the glow lasted. During those few seconds, Ironhand relayed the order from Gerald.
“Who knew that Archers had a distract?” Alburet laughed when he was able to tear his eyes away.
Chapter Thirty-four
Andrea’s lips curled into a sneer as she watched her sister and Mother come closer. Bringing her song to an end, she floated higher into the sky. “Sister, why are you with that useless hanger on? She will only try to keep you chained to the false gods like she is.”
“Andrea, please... Peace misses you. She has been crying every day since you were taken,” Parsnew replied as she flew after her sister. “You know that what you are saying is wrong; those are the lies of Stein.”
“Lies? You dare speak of lies!? We’ve been told nothing but lies since we came into being… sister.” The last word dripped with hatred and scorn. “Peace and Justice have only told us lies since we opened our eyes. Stein has shown me the truth— the real truth of the world.”
“Listen to yourself,” Parsnew shouted. “You have been subjected to deceit. I will show you the truth so you might find the real you again.” Raising her voice, Parsnew sang a song of love, family, and acceptance.
Andrea’s eye twitched and she flew away from Parsnew, “Stop it! That song is a falsehood.”
“Damnable Angel,” Carradine hissed as he watched the sisters. “I’ll end this quickly.” Pulling a black crystal from his belt pouch, he aimed it at Parsnew.
“Oh no you don’t,” Mother said firmly. “You forgot about me, didn’t you?”
Carradine blinked when Mother snatched the crystal from his hand and dropped another at his feet. “What? How?”
“A song of my own,” Mother smiled, gliding away from Carradine as he drew a sword. “It makes anyone who hears it forget I was here. It’s a new song, so Stein probably hasn’t found a way to stop it yet.”
“I’ll deal with you, then make sure she stays enthralled,” Carradine snapped and stepped forward. His shadow crossed the gem that Mother had dropped and it flashed. White chains shot out of the ground and penetrated his shadow, appearing to pin it to the ground.
“Justice is upset that his lovely wife has been crying,” Mother smiled. “Now stay here. I’ll send people to deal with you in a moment.”
A scream of rage and pain came from Andrea as her hands pressed to her ears. “Stop it, stop it! You don’t know what you’re doing, sister.”
The song came to an end and Parsnew flew closer to Andrea. “I do. I want to save you from the evil that they have steeped you in. I want my sister to come home.”
“No!” Andrea snarled as a burst of oily blackness flashed out from her. The dress she had been wearing was now a shorter, sleeker dress that showed enough skin to be scandalous, but still concealed her assets. “You are flawed, sister! Look at you: still stuck in the same chaste mindset that we both had for ages.”
Parsnew tried to avoid the flash of energy from Andrea, but was caught in it. The oily blackness ate at her dress, and also at her resolve. What if she’s right, what if… No… No! I must help her. She needs me. Regaining her balance, she took a quick look at her once pristine dress to find it tattered, but still holding its shape.
“Let me show you what I’ve learned, sister,” Andrea snarled.
Parsnew blinked as Andrea was suddenly on top of her. Trying to defend herself but not hurt her siste
r was more difficult than she expected. “Stop. Andie, stop!”
Andrea snarled when her nickname was used. “Shut your mouth!” Screaming, she hooked her fingers into Parsnew’s wings and began to tear at them.
Tears welling up at the pain, Parsnew grabbed Andrea and folded her wings, plummeting them both to the ground. “Hurt me if you have to, Andie, but I’ll never stop loving you.”
Mother’s voice rose as the sisters fell from the sky, a song of acceptance and love for a wayward family member. The impact of the two bodies hitting the ground nearby staggered her, but she kept singing as the two sisters rolled in the sand.
Gerald was the first to break through the mass of undead, and he spun to help the others. Once the group was out of the mob, they sprinted for Carradine, who was attacking the chains that bound him in place. The impact of the two sisters hitting the ground made all of them slow for a moment. Mother waved them on and they left her to handle the sisters.
Gamer for Love (Alpha World Book 8) Page 31
