I was back in the air the following morning with a small group of scouts from Curia. We investigated outlying towns on the way West, but it was much the same wherever we went. Everyone had already evacuated toward Curia, or they were all dead, considering the sight of carnage, burnt-down buildings, and rotting corpses.

We never did see any white-robed assailants lying around in wait. They must have all fled deeper into the territory or into the woods by now. We went village by village, burning the dead in their entirety. If the undead were truly coming, then the last thing we needed was for them to get free fuel for their assault. Either way, It wasn’t until almost nightfall that something out of the ordinary appeared. On the main road, a single horse rider was going full tilt while being chased by a handful of small…somethings?

I focused mana into my Dragon eye, and my vision expanded all the way to the floor. I could make out the frantic man with a blood-drained face desperately spurring his tired horse into action. Trailing behind them, just at their heels, were what could only be described as about a dozen giant, rotting, grotesque rats. They were almost the size of wolves, and their hair was mangy and their skin rotting from gaping wounds dotting their bodies. Chunks of flesh were hanging on by a thread as they ran across the road at terrifying speeds.

“Land the Gryphons! Kill the monsters and save the man!” I ordered.

I slipped out of my saddle and let myself plummet to the earth as it was much faster than letting the Gryphons land. The ground was rapidly approaching, and my stomach lurched as gravity pulled me back. My descent slowed, and I landed deftly on the stone road. The horse rider panicked and jerked his horse by the reins. The horse flung itself to the side, probably from exhaustion, and crumpled to the ground, sending the rider flying off into the air, landing somewhere else.

That was not my intention, but…hopefully, he survives.

Regardless, I had more pressing matters. I dipped my mind into my Spatial Ring and summoned my spear from thin air. The black and silver blade pierced through the air and straight into the stomach of the charging monstrosity as it let out a shrill screech. I grimaced at the putrid rotting smell that assaulted my nose, and with the beast still skewered, I whipped it around and sent it flying into the pack.

I just wanted to incinerate them with fire magic and be done, but that, unfortunately, wasn’t an option. I needed at least one of them still alive…well, moving at least so I couldn’t just burn the whole lot of them. Mana surged through my body as I sprinted forward and swept my spear, bisecting three of the creatures in one go. These monsters weren’t particularly strong, but they were fast.

Two of the creatures mindlessly lept at me, but two spikes of earth broke through the road and impaled them in the air. The others had managed to squirm away from the first corpse I sent flying, and they crawled toward me with their own shrill shrieks and chattering teeth. It seemed that I had broken their bones so they couldn’t move properly.

As I moved closer, they tried to approach me, gnashing their teeth at me. The closer I got to those creatures, the more hideous they became. I thrust my spear down into their bodies, but with a single stab, the creatures continued to writhe around, screaming and trying to bite me. I realized that the others I had impaled through the chest with magic continued to move.

I ignored the rancid smell of rotting flesh and stabbed the creature again in the chest, but it continued moving, screaming at me the entire time. So, I stabbed it again, and again, and again. But it just wouldn’t die.

What the hell is this thing? At least when I destroyed the skeletons in the Iron Citadel, they mostly stayed dead, except when the Lich was involved.

I finally decided to stab the creature in the skull. Its body rattled as a foul smell seeped out from its blackened, thick blood. That finally silenced it for good. It seemed for fleshy corpses, you have to crush their brains to kill them. I suppose that aligns with what I know from Deguzman’s book.

“S—Sir, are you alright?” a scout asked, running up behind me.

The scout flinched as the suspended rotting rat nipped toward him, but I just nodded and told him, “Make sure that rider is safe and treat him. We’ll be bringing him back with us immediately.”

“Ah—yes, Sir. What about the rest of these… monsters?” he questioned.

“I need proof of what’s going on in the West, and these creatures will do just that,” I said.

The scout gave me a dubious look, but I waved him away. I walked over to a still-moving rat and tried to force them into my Spatial Ring, but to no avail. It seemed the undead were not considered corpses, at least as far as the ring was concerned. So I tried with the one that was completely deceased, and sure enough, it disappeared and registered as being inside my ring.

I’m not sure I understand the reasoning behind this, but…nothing I can do about it.

I took the rest of the rats and, using earth magic, I moved them into a pile. The creatures squirmed and screeched, but eventually, I had them all together. With magic, I created a stone box to trap them, and with spikes of earth, I impaled the creatures to keep them stationary during the flight. I even added a little handle for the Gryphons to hold onto during flight.

With that, we flew back to Curia.

—

“Duke Godwin, it’s a pleasure. Thank you for meeting me so early in the morning,” I said with a short bow.

The young boy let out a long yawn and meekly nodded his head. It was clear that I had woken him up as I immediately sought an audience the moment I returned to Curia. It wasn’t exactly the most formal thing for me to do, but formalities could come after we had saved the city.

People needed to know just how real the threat was.

“I’m told this was such an urgent request that it could not wait. What is it, Sir Shadowheart?” Sir Blackwood said, not bothering to hide his irritation.

I motioned for the butlers and maids to stretch the thick cloth wide so as to cover the floor. I didn’t want to ruin the Duke’s carpet forever.

I reached into my Spatial Ring, and the corpse of the rotting rat materialized from thin air. The smell was horrendous, and its effect was immediate. People covered their mouths, and others retched on the floor.

Oops. So much for saving the carpet.

The young Duke looked mortified as his previous drowsiness evaporated into thin air. I thought he would scream, but he was either too afraid or bit his tongue. Only Sir Blackwood looked on with a twisted, disgusted face.

“This creature, along with a few others I captured alive, were chasing a man to the brink of death. They were moving rotting corpses and this one I stabbed multiple times in the chest before crushing its brain, finally killing it. It is undoubtedly a risen undead animal,” I said sternly.

“It’s a Giant Field Rat. A rather common monster in these parts that plagues farmers. They rarely attack people and are skittish in nature, only ever eating crops…chasing down a man on a horse is not typical behavior,” Sir Blackwood said gravely.

“And they sure don’t look like that,” he added with closed eyes.

“I haven’t spoken with the survivor, but judging by his armor, he appears to be a High Elf border soldier. He was grievously injured, and I have a healer looking to him now,” I said.

“We haven’t received any updates from the Western border in over a week…” Sir Blackwood added.

“Then it is all but confirmed. The undead have broken free from the Iron Citadel, crushed the border forces, and spread wide, consuming all the villages and towns. Their first target will undoubtedly be Curia,” I said.

Sir Blackwood closed his eyes, and the young Duke kept his eyes closed and mouth covered. Sir Blackwood looked down at the young boy with a saddened look and strode toward me. He gave the corpse a disgusted glance before looking me in the eyes. He was only a little shorter than me, but his dark brown eyes observed me cautiously before closing.

The old knight knelt down on a knee and bowed his head. “As the acting Governor-General of this city, we humbly request your assistance, Sir Shadowheart. We will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of Curia and her citizens. Please guide us to victory as you did with the Dragon. The city of Curia pledges her loyalty to you and the crown,” he said.

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“Your loyalty was never questioned, but I thank you for your pledge anyway, even though it’s unnecessary. I told you I won’t be leading anyone. Just continue as you were told yesterday and await War God Vasquez’s arrival. I only came here today to reaffirm and show you what we are up against. The threat of undead is real, and if we are not on the same page, then Curia will only be the first major casualty of this fight,” I said, guiding the old knight to stand.

“I may be a knight, but only under Princess Arene. You still outrank me, Governor-General,” I added.

The old knight chuckled bitterly. “I don’t believe ranks matter at this time. I’ll see to it that everything is handled until the arrival of Lord Vasquez.”

—

“How is he?” I asked Sylvia.

She looked at the man lying on the bed and then back to me. “His wounds only looked bad on the surface because of the festering infection, but he did lose quite a bit of blood. He’ll live and wake up in time,” she said confidently.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have time for him to rest. I need to hear what he has to say. Can you wake him by force?” I asked.

Sylvia’s face twisted into concern, but she nodded slowly. “Yes, I think I can wake him.”

Sylvia summoned her sword from her ring and poked the man in the arm. Blood dripped down the blade, and suddenly, he burst awake with a gasp. He madly looked around in confusion, his chest heaving up and down.

“A—ahh…” he mumbled.

I held out a cup of water, and without hesitation, he snatched it from my hand and greedily drank the entire cup, spilling most of it on his clothes. After a few moments of deep breathing, he looked at me with more clear eyes.

“May—may I have some more water?” he requested hesitantly, holding the cup out.

I obliged and filled the cup for him again. This time, he was much more composed and drank the water like a normal person. We gave him a few more moments to collect himself before he asked us, “Where am I?”

“We brought you to Curia. You were being chased by those monsters,” I said.

“Yes…yes, that’s right…Curia…so I made it?” he asked, sounding unsure.

“Yes, you did well making it this far. What’s your name?” Sylvia asked.

“Shael…my name is Shael,” he answered.

“Shael, where are you from? Are you a border guard?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yes…I was stationed at Fort Wallsend along the Iron Citadel.”

“Then tell me everything that happened, Shael,” I said.

Shael’s face morphed into one of panic as he launched into a babble of barely coherent words. “The undead—Sir! The undead! They broke through the lines! The entire dungeon shook! It was a massive wave! They even came from the front, meaning other entrances compromised it—”

Sylvia held up a hand and smiled softly. “Relax, Shael. Take a deep breath. You are safe here.”

Shael took some deep breaths and nodded to himself. “The undead…they attacked us from both sides…there were skeletons, rotting beasts, even Dread Knights, and a Lich…we were overrun in a matter of moments,” he recounted after a time.

“How did you break through? Is the fort still standing?” I asked.

Shael shook his head in defeat. “The mages…they broke through the lines. Me and some others managed to use the horses to get away, but…we were chased down. I think…I’m the only one that made it out.”

“I see…then rest, Shael. We’ll need everyone’s strength soon,” I said, nodding at Sylvia.

Shael looked confused for a moment, but he suddenly fainted and dropped onto the bed. Sylvia stared at the floor in silence before she said, “It’s really happening then? The Moon Mother was right.”

“Yes…it’s all but confirmed now. The undead are coming.”

—

The next few days were spent in preparation. Squeaks, Padraic, and their team went across the entire city collecting anything made of metal, from household goods to the nails holding doors, windows, and homes together. Naturally, people didn’t take this too kindly, but with the authority of the Duke and a team of hired adventurers to protect the workers, it went as smoothly as it could.

Discontent and frustration were at an all-time high. Martial law was essentially in effect in Curia, so the populace was mostly pacified for the time being. I had a plan to change people’s outlook on things, but that would come in the next day or so after things had properly begun.

In the meantime, Squeaks had requisitioned all the working forges and set to work creating weapons. The first batch was completed, and I requested to take a look at them. Squeaks had opted to make molds of single-handed war hammers. They offered both a blunt and stabbing end and, for the most part, could be used with little to no training.

They were crude hunks of metal made of scrap iron and other metals, but they would serve their purpose in the coming battle. Squeaks also fashioned primitive spearheads to be attached to scrapwood, but the wood was in high demand, and we couldn’t forcefully deconstruct every home in Curia so we used what we could.

It was also good to know that not all the weapon storages in the city were compromised. As reported, many of the guard houses were ransacked and burnt down during the uprising, but many still remained; of course, not nearly enough to outfit the entire fighting population of the city.

Arrows were another contentious weapon. They also required metal and wood in large quantities, and the stockpiles were mostly drained by the guards and soldiers protecting the city. Even so, we agreed to do what we could with our dwindling supplies. We could only hope that War God Vasquez’s troops also brought plenty of supplies of their own to offset any issues.

Work on the wall was…struggling, to say the least. There were many contending ideas to fix it, but we opted to construct rudimentary frames and fill them with mortar. Rubble would be added and stacked at the front of the wall for an extra layer of defense, which required the labor of the refugees and civilians.

According to Varnir and Cerila, the orders for labor were not well received at first. But thanks to the extra food supplies we brought with Sylvia’s massive Spatial Ring and her healing the wounded and sick, it was a quick turnaround, and those capable of work did so. Even so, with no promise of compensation and the city's current state, it would only be a matter of time before grievances boiled over.

But I figured what I had planned would, at the very least, band people together…or crush their spirits. But I was counting on support to uplift the people, which is why I was doing it now.

—

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Varnir questioned hesitantly.

“It’s going to do something,” I said.

“I—that does not inspire confidence at all, Kaladin. Aren’t the people going to give up and run away if they know the truth?” Varnir mumbled.

“Maybe. But once they realize there is nowhere to run, it won’t be a problem. And those planning to do so have already moved on to the capital,” I countered.

“True…but I can’t imagine this going well…” Varnir said with a deep sigh.

“Fear of an impending doom may break people…but it also gives them a sense of camaraderie…to weather the storm. It’s Human nature to fight against the cruelty of their situation to the bitter end,” I offered.

Varnir shook his head, then finally shrugged. “Maybe. I didn’t know you were so optimistic about this kind of stuff. Where is this confidence coming from exactly?”

“…let’s just say I know a thing or two about the spirit of the people,” I said, dodging the question.

The clamor of the city was at a fever pitch. We couldn’t fit the entire population of Curia, but enough were present to make an impact, especially when word would spread like wildfire. People lined the walls on the city’s Eastern side, and those on the ground stood atop earthen mounds surrounding a makeshift pit. It was a mixture of civilians, guards, soldiers, and refugees, well into the thousands.

Not everyone had a perfect view, but it would have to do…

"You’re all up. You don’t have to make it a show. Let it sink in for a few moments, then slay the creatures. Make sure you crush their heads and make a display of that. It will be important for the future,” I said, turning to my group of friends.

Cerila, Sylvia, Varnir, and Tsarra gave me firm nods and made a semi-circle around a stone block in the middle of the pit. With their movements, the crowd went silent and watched the four of them hesitantly. I waved my hand, and the earthen box crumbled.

The screeches of the giant rats filled the air, and the stench began to roll out amongst those closest. The first moments were filled with shocked gasps and screams of panic as the wrenching started. The beaten and bloodied moving corpses crawled and writhed toward the closest people.

“The un—undead?”

“Monsters!”

“It! It can’t be!”

The voices of concerned civilians swept through the massive crowd in a panic as the realization began to settle in. Cerila was the first to move as she crushed the rat monster’s head in with the crude weapons made by Squeaks. Varnir stabbed a rat multiple times, and people heaved and shouted as it continued to screech and move. The rest of the monsters were quickly dispatched in short order by Tsarra’s magic and Sylvia’s sword.

Panic rose through the crowds as people started to push each other to get away, but their shouts and panic were dashed by a different kind of screech. Everyone looked up as the sky became dotted with black dots. They flew low over the crowd as they arrived: the royal Gryphon Knights of Luminar. And that was also when those in higher positions noticed the blob marching along the road from the capital.

Prince Xander was on a splendid white horse in golden armor. Beside him was War God Vasquez in his pitch-black Mythril armor, his double-bladed war axe on his back. Even Baron Carbo, Baron Felix, and Count Gavia were present wearing splendid armor fitting of nobles.

They sure know how to make an entrance. I’m glad they contacted us beforehand and agreed to the plan.

They will be the hope amongst despair.