Leo and Dalen didn’t waste any time and started running toward the nearest gate with Melisia close behind them. The smoke only grew worse and as they drew closer to the walls of the city a barely visible barrier became visible. Leo swung his sword through it as they passed and it met no resistance.
Melisia’s eyes flashed blue for a few seconds before fading back to normal, “It's a barrier to keep people in, not out. We should have no trouble getting in the gate assuming it's open.”
Leo nodded and dashed ahead, his superior attributes on display once again. Dalen followed as best he could but his burns were still an obstacle though a mix of worry and anger drove him forward. Two bombs appeared in either hand as he ran, a Big Boy for a lot of damage at once and a Smoke Bomb in case went to shit more than they already had. Dalen had time to restock a little in between vats of healing and mana potions but not enough to be reckless.
Leo of course made it around the corner near the gate first and by the look on his face, he saw nothing good. When Dalen caught up, he understood. The large city gates were wide open and hundreds of people were pressing up against the near-invisible barrier to the outside. Men, women, and children screamed as behind the crowd of fleeing people ranks of soldiers hacked their way through what little resistance could stand against them while other soldiers in black robes or dark chainmail dragged people away.
Dalen’s chest tightened with disgust, “What the fuck are they doing?! These are empire people!”
Leo spat to the side and his sword burst into flame, a darker shade of orange than Dalen was used to, “They are targeting Earae worshippers. I can see several dryads among those trying to escape. Melisia, can we bring down the barrier?”
Melisia’s eyes became azure orbs once more and she scanned the barrier once more. After a moment she shook her head, “Not from outside. I can’t see many threads but I believe they have done something similar to what they did at The Vault, inverting the city’s defenses somehow.”
Dalen cursed, “Then there’s nothing we can do? Fucking Dhinir! Why are they doing this?”
The others didn’t have an answer for him so Dalen dropped the topic, “Fuck it. Why doesn’t matter, we can figure that out later. How are we getting in? The gate is definitely the worst option.”
Even as he spoke another volley of deadly tore through the air to crash down somewhere on the other side of the city making Dalen tense. They had been expecting resistance but nothing like this. They needed to get Kal out and get the fuck out of here.
Leo turned to Melisia, “You said the defenses are inverted, right? Can we go over the wall?” Melisia nodded and began to speak but before she could Leo through her over his shoulder, “I can get us up there,” Without another word he leaped into the air almost twenty feet, catching a gap in the wall and throwing himself up the rest of the way.
He dropped Melisia off at the top before returning to do the same with Dalen. Being carried like a child did nothing for Dalen’s pride but he was glad he didn’t have to climb the wall himself, he didn’t have the agility for it. Now atop the city’s walls, the three of them got their first true glimpse of the chaos overrunning Serpent’s Rest.
Serpent’s Rest was small for the capital of a kingdom, being not much larger than Farninghold. From the look of it, the city was split into three main districts. One was full of utilitarian buildings of stark stone and dark alleys. Opposite the first was a district of winding streets and gardens. Houses were spread in a far less efficient manner as if to fit into the natural flow of the terrain instead of dominating it. Dalen might have thought it was quite beautiful if it wasn’t on fire.
Hundreds of feet worth of buildings, gardens, and houses burned with a mix of gold, red, and green-black flames. It was from there that most of the fleeing civilians ran toward the gates only to be cornered and dragged away. From the city walls, they could see they were being taken to the monolithic tower at the center of the city.
Dalen pointed at it, “Who’s tower is that? Uton’s?” Dalen didn’t really need to ask; black was kind of Uton’s thing at least from what Dalen had seen of his worshippers.
“Can you feel that?” Leo asked, ignoring Dalen’s question, “From the tower?”
Dalen tried to ignore the burning city and the people running from their lives from empire forces and focus on the black tower. Doing so wasn’t easy but it didn’t take Dalen long to know what Leo meant. Looking at the tower sent the barest of chills down his spine. It was barely noticeable with all the fighting and chaos below them but it was a feeling he knew well, “Kal’s in there.”
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Dalen was sure of it but it had to be the better part of a mile away, “Is it stronger than before? I didn’t feel it at The Vault.”
Leo shook his head and rolled his shoulders but Dalen noticed a slight shiver in the man, “No, just different. Before it was colder. I don’t think the skill is active.”
That was a small relief but there was still the problem of getting to and into the tower. A single grand entrance was visible from the wall and the tower’s walls were devoid of any kind of windows or balconies. The entrance itself was partially obscured by the smoke and ranks of people but from what he could see of it the building was of a similar style to The Vault and Elandria’s ruins. He had seen The Fifth and Seventh Towers before and only now realized the resemblance to The Vault.
“Well, we can only hope he doesn’t need to use it again-” A shout from far below startled Dalen from his words and the three of them looked down at the source of the shout. It had come from a nearby building wreathed in flames and they weren’t the only ones to hear the shout. A unit of thirty empire soldiers was returning from the black tower and their leader, a Berserker, stopped at the sound and his men began to spread out. That was their first mistake. The instant the soldier's broke formation a pulse of translucent green mana flooded through the area and vines as thick as Dalen’s thigh burst from the ground to snatch them up. A few managed to hack down the vines before they were grappled but over a dozen weren’t that lucky. The vines constricted first, killing several from the sheer strength of the vine and those who withstood the pressure died shortly after as the vines sprouted hand-long thorns.
The Berserker roared and easily battered the vines down. The vines vanished as quickly as they came but, in their wake, an unholy barrage of arrows spewed from every window and alley in the street. Faster than Dalen could count, the remaining empire soldiers fell to the arrows.
Once the last of the soldiers breathed their last breath a dozen light-footed shapes darted from the houses and alleys and began retrieving arrows from the dead.
Dalen turned back to the others, “Reckon they will help us?” Before the others could answer him, a large owl came out of nowhere and landed beside him, its wide eyes piercing his and its head tilted to one side.
[Owl 109]
Dalen had identified it by reflex and when he saw its level he shouted and stumbled backward, “What in the fuck!?” He almost threw the smoke bomb, not that he thought it would do any good.
Leo raised his sword in response but then the owl’s feathers flashed brilliant green and fell away. When the light faded a man standing at what had to be close to seven feet looked down at Dalen with a frown. He was wearing an earthy brown robe with green trim and several necklaces of simple string adorned with feathers, teeth, bones, and even a few simple twigs. His face was lined with age and his eyes were verdant green. Not only was the man tall but his frame was packed with even more muscle than Leo’s.
[Iladrian Wildtouched | War Druid 109 | Elf]
The War Druid’s gaze snapped between the three of them and he didn’t seem to care about Leo’s raised sword in the least, “You are of The Order of The Crimson Dawn?” His voice was even deeper than Dalen was expecting from the giant of a man.
Since no one else wanted to jump in, Dalen answered, “Our relationship with The Order is complicated. Who are you?” Behind him, Melisia made a nervous noise but Dalen was too focused on the War Druid in front of him to translate.
Iladrian’s eyes focused on Dalen, “I am Iladrian, Prophet and War leader of Earae.”
“Well… Shit,” Dalen took the fact the man hadn’t tried to kill them already as a good sign but Iladrian’s demeanor was hard to read, “It’s an honor to meet you. No fancy title for me I’m sorry to say. Look, we are here to get to that tower and rescue a friend.”
Iladrian’s head tilted to the side strangely reminiscent of the owl he had been only moments ago, “You seek Kalum Lesta. Then you are fortunate,” The War Druid turned and gestured sharply with his left hand. Below the archers vanished into the surrounding alley, “I move to strike at The Third Tower and retrieve a person of importance. You will follow.”
Dalen was knocked off balance by Iladrian’s direct way of speech. He wasn’t at all like Captain Elken, the Blade Singer, “Wait, shouldn’t you be searching for a way to break the barrier?”
Iladrian’s face didn’t change at all but his eyes darkened, “Impossible. The barrier is invulnerable for twenty-four hours after activation. None will leave before then.”
“So what? Everyone out there is screwed then? Why are they doing this?” Dalen growled.
“Why is not for mortal men to know. The gods bid it, so it is so,” Iladrian leaped from the wall to the city street, “We leave for battle. Follow or do not. I care little,” The War Druid barely had to raise his voice for it to be heard clearly even over all the other chaos nearby.
Dalen looked to Leo and Melisia, “Well? Do we go with him?”
Melisia looked less than sure but Leo shrugged and nodded, “He did not seem the type to lie and doubt see us finding another chance to get close to the tower,” Leo tightened his grip on his sword, “Besides I’m sure he could have killed me easily if he desired it.”
That was a sobering thought, “Alright fine but even with this lot I don’t see us getting anywhere near the entrance, let alone inside. Let’s go.”
The three of them followed The War Druid and his small force throughout the city, dispatching every unit of empire soldiers they came across as well as picking up any usable fighters along the way. Iladrian fought with a mix of brutal summoning of vines and thorns and barrages from his archers. Dalen, Melisia, and Leo fought as well but with the incredibly smooth and ruthless tactics of the Sceleti archers and their druid leader there was little left to deal with. Instead, Dalen focused on distributing some mana potions between skirmishes while Melisia focused on healing.
Leo did as he always did. He burned things, after seeing what he was capable of Iladrian used Leo’s waves of flame as a secondary open after his vines. It was effective. Very effective. Each unit killed brought them one street closer to their goal and with each street the chill in Dalen's heart deepened.