“Keep them off the walls!” a commander shouted.

The defenders around me dumped whatever they could over the wall, whether empty containers or pots of boiling liquids. All hands on deck were focused on repelling the new attack. Ghouls plummeted to their deaths as wind magic sent them back into the crawling horde. I conserved as much mana as possible and dropped rocks onto the climbing Ghouls, crushing their bodies and those below them. I also used the alchemical firebombs to wreak havoc on anything unlucky enough to be caught in the blast.

I was more or less holding on because I believed something bigger would follow the Ghoul attack. And if it came down to it, I may need all the mana I had. That meant I couldn’t entirely destroy the Ghouls, but that was fine, as I wasn’t alone.

We fought for an extended time before the full host of Ghouls moving through the horde made it to the wall. Before, there were only a few hundred Ghouls, which was easy enough for us to stop. But we had finally reached critical mass. The amount of undead had become unmanageable in a few sections of the walls that lacked proper mage support.

I rushed over just in time to catch the first few Ghouls clambering over the battlements. I sent two Ghouls back down the wall with a wide swing that cut them in half. Their exposed flesh and bone were no match for Squeak’s handiwork. The defenders gathered around each other and crushed the skulls of Ghouls with their hammers or stabbed them with spears.

However, the Ghouls started to gather on the walkways, and for every one I dispatched, another two would take their place. I was about to thrust my spear through a Ghoul’s chest when an arrow whizzed by and hit the Ghoul directly in the head, exploding it in a mist of rotting blood and bone. I checked over my shoulder, and saw the Wood Elf archer Leopold had brought along easily picking off Ghouls.

I clad my spear in mana which sprung forth a burning orange flame and rushed forward into a group that was about to get pincered on both sides. I sliced and thrust through the pack of Ghouls, and just before I reached the last one, I watched as something pierced through its chest and knocked it clean off its feet, as it flew off the wall with a roar.

A bellowing laugh went off, and a towering familiar face grinned at me. “Ah? Come to join us, have you!?” Agnar shouted.

“I thought you needed assistance…” I said as I looked beyond the man.

I watched as a True Beastmen ripped Ghouls apart with a massive war maul that looked tiny in his large hands. It was also the bear Beastmen that Leopold had in his service. The bear wore an entire set of Dwarven Steel armor, and with every swing of his weapon, he crushed Ghouls into bone meal.

Agnar just laughed as he extended his hand above his head. “Ol’ Shoy here has things handled by himself. We are just watching his back.”

“What are you doin—”

My words were cut short as a blue javelin flew through the air and landed perfectly in Agnar’s grip. With one great step, Agnar tensed his body and threw his weapon into another Ghoul, decimating it, only for it to return back to his hand.

“That’s handy…” I muttered as I swept a Ghoul off its legs, setting it on fire in the process.

“This cost me a fortune in The Dunes! A dungeon item of rare quality!” he said with a laugh.

Can I tell him he is a bit too cheerful for the situation at hand? Well…I haven’t known him long, but he just seems to be this way.

Together, our small squad cleared the walking path on this section of the walls and resecured a ballista that had been overrun; the crew, however, was unfortunately dead. The Ghouls were a far more dangerous foe than the flying undead that only claimed the lives of the unsuspecting. Their sharp claws made quick work of armor, and if an unskilled or, for that matter, weaponless defender got attacked, they were sure to perish.

But our victory was short-lived as more Ghouls swarmed our position. I held one side while Shoy handled the other. We continued to cut down the undead, and whenever a pile amounted, I burned their regenerating corpses to ash. As we were fighting, a new group had made their way up.

The small two-man team ripped through swarms of Ghouls in a flash. Martial Cloudsun and one of his men made short work of the creatures as they sliced them to bits. His twin sabers shined a bright blue from the cobalt, and for some reason, they almost seemed to be vibrating or perhaps violently shaking at a rapid speed.

So that’s what a High Elf Sentinel is capable of. I see their rank isn’t just for show, after all. They are indeed at the level of War Gods, as I guessed.

“More mages are being deployed! The Gryphon Knights will be airborne at any time! Hold the wall!” he yelled over the crowd and clamber of screams and fighting.

The defenders roared back in response, but something changed in the undead. A Ghoul that looked different from the others climbed over the wall a few feet from me, but instead of jumping at the defenders, it leaped straight off the wall toward the city. The creature looked..bloated, far more than the others that resembled people.

We watched in horror as the Ghoul suddenly exploded into a putrid green toxic cloud. The smell was immediate and somehow overpowered the oppressive stench of blood and decay that permeated the entire battle. And before we knew it, more and more of those bloated Ghouls were beginning to show themselves.

One of them jumped straight at me, and I worried about causing it to explode, so instead of piercing it with my spear, I opted to kick it directly in the chest. My foot was planted firmly in the chest of the lunging undead and I felt its ribs break as I kicked it back over the battlements. The Ghoul immediately exploded, and the force brought the noxious gas directly to me.

My eyes and throat burned, and I started to cough uncontrollably. I was yanked back by a strong hand, and Agnar shook me and asked, “Are you alright, boy?! Get up!”

One of the defenders actually splashed my face with water and I felt my breathing coming back as the burning subsided. But that was all, a minor remedy. My lungs still felt as if they were on fire but I shrugged Agnar off.

“I’m fine. We need to hold off til the reinforcement arrives,” I said gruffly, my voice sounding hoarse.

I gritted my teeth through the pain and fought off the Ghouls as they came toward us. I dumped more mana into spell cores, and flames burst forward. I made sure to target the bloated Ghouls first with magic. My fire consumed the undead, which exploded, but my flames also tore through the green haze.

After a few minutes, our stalwart defense was rewarded with the screech of incoming Gryphons. The knights soared through the air and launched their spells against the undead. Fireballs exploded against the dull stone wall and wiped away the Ghouls. A more armored Gryphon swooped down and let loose an enormous torrent of flames that engulfed dozens by the second.

We had finally pushed back the undead attack. But at what cost?

—

“This isn’t good at all,” Sylvia muttered as she finished healing me.

The burning in my lungs and the cough in my chest had disappeared entirely. I instantly felt better, but…

“Is it some kind of plague or something?” I asked her.

Sylvia nodded her head grimly. “It is. Some illness that sits in the lungs. I have no idea what happens if it progresses, but whatever it will be, it won’t be good,” she explained.

We looked out at the medical tents filled to the brim with the injured. The casualties were far higher than when flying undead attacked and left many people dead and more wounded. In addition to that, there was a new group of people who were coughing and undoubtedly infected with whatever the Ghouls were carrying.

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We had the light mages and Sylvia, who could heal people, but the problem lay within the number of people who were showing up. The toxic clouds had spread through the city, and it was almost certain that the amount of sick people would increase. And if whatever plague the undead were harboring could spread quickly via close contact and inhalation…then the numbers would skyrocket.

“The undead…they are going to wait to attack until the illnesses spread to more people,” I said.

Sylvia hummed to herself in agreeance and stood up. “I’ll be busy. So get some rest. You’ll probably have another shift this evening. Oh, and you wouldn’t happen to have any ways to help combat this?” she asked.

“Tell the healers and medical staff to wear masks that cover their noses and mouths. It’s probably the best thing they can do to lessen the chance of spreading outside of maintaining cleanliness,” I answered.

“Got it,” Sylvia said before going over to start helping others.

“Excuse me! Is it my turn now, miss? I did wait very patiently,” Agnar shouted from the bed beside me.

“Yes…yes…where did you find this guy again?” Sylvia mumbled to herself.

I didn’t really find him…he found me…

I heeded her advice and decided to distance myself from the sick and injured. Unlike getting over a typical illness, there is no guarantee that Sylvia can make my body produce antibodies to fight off another infection. I also had to wonder if light magic did the same.

Because if it didn’t, we would be in an eternal loop of people getting sick, being healed, and then getting sick again.

I opted to return to my room instead, but I ran into Bowen on the carriage ride back to the castle. “Are you feeling better?” I asked.

“Much better. I just needed a little bit of sleep. I’m sure in a few hours I’ll be back to normal again. But I heard a new type of undead showed up and may have started spreading an illness. Are you okay?” Bowen asked in return.

I nodded. “It is a nasty airborne illness that spreads from Ghouls exploding into toxic mist. It burned my lungs and immediately gave me an irritating and painful cough,” I answered.

Bowen rubbed his beard with a tired but pensive look. “Then it stands to reason the undead are going to use this illness to weaken us further before their assault. The biggest attack yet may be upon us,” he reasoned.

“I said the same thing. So far, we have done immense damage to them throughout the assault. Their numbers may be infinite in theory, but that only works if they can replenish their numbers with our dead. We have stayed on top of burning bodies so far and took limited damage to our mages through the sacrifices of the many,” I said.

“Indeed. The infinite undead may dwindle faster than expected, but I can’t say we are in a good spot, either. It’s only been a few days, and the horde still looks like it is bursting at the seams. I’d say we’ve truly killed less than half a million, and that’s being generous. The attack from the underground also claimed many lives,” Bowen deduced.

“I agree. It appears this next assault will be the tipping point. Whoever comes out on top may end up winning the entire battle,” I said.

Bowen nodded in agreement and crossed his arms as he stared out of the carriage’s window. I wasn’t sure if I was a good judge of these things, but I was more confident now that I had seen him.

“Did Sylvia manage to send you that message?” I questioned, breaking the silence.

Bowen nodded solemnly. “She did. I went ahead and agreed to it. After all, there aren’t many people that can do it. I knew the previous mage well; he was a close friend and a Grandmaster long before me.”

“That must be difficult. I’m sorry,” I said.

But before Bowen could speak again, I asked, “Would you have accepted the task of using the item if Sylvia hadn’t offered her services?”

Bowen let out a deep breath. It was just him and me in the carriage. He looked out again and said, “No, only if I was forced to do so. I’m a father of two children. Like I told you during our first meeting, my life isn’t just mine now. I have three people I need to think about. I can’t willingly sacrifice myself for heroics when I have the option to live. But…I also understand that if we were to lose this battle, then my family would be in imminent danger, and it may be a case where our children have no parents left. It was the most difficult decision to make. Surely you understand?”

“All too well. I never doubted that it would be a difficult choice. And honestly, I may have declined regardless if it were me,” I answered.

That’s right. Even if I had the power to use the item I would not do so. I already wasted a life in “sacrifice” for others I will never know. And I have no plans on losing this one. Perhaps if I wasn’t directly involved, or the people I was closest to weren’t, I would already be somewhere else in the world.

Bowen chuckled to himself. “Yes…many may call you a coward, that you lack honor, but I don’t think there is anything wrong with prioritizing your life and the life of your loved ones over dying. But that may be a conclusion only a man with a family can reach, as I’m sure if this was twenty years ago, I would have thought differently. However, oddly enough, I felt rather calm about everything when Sylvia said she would try to avoid the worst. I feel as if she can truly save me from death itself,” Bowen said.

That may just be what she does. No—

“She absolutely will,” I said firmly.

Bowen smiled softly. “Your confidence in her is truly astounding. One day soon, you will make a great husband. Although you practically already are one,” he said.

“I—that...—”

Bowen laughed again and waved his hand at me. “No need to answer that. I already know how you are, Kaladin. I was once in your position. Just take it all in stride, and I’m sure everything will be just fine. And besides, we have far more things to worry about.”

“Yes…that’s right,” I said somewhat flustered.

“Now, go get some rest. We still have much to get done in the coming days,” Bowen said.

—

After getting food and rest, I went to my evening shift on the wall and spent it the same as the last, just without any sudden surprises. The undead maintained their steady march as the defenders halted them. But over the course of that shift and into the following day, a new issue had indeed begun to rear its ugly head.

The disease brought on by the Ghouls was spreading quickly. So far, the disease had yet to turn deadly, and no lives had been claimed by it. But the debilitating cough and constant chest pain were causing problems. And it seemed as if the disease festered high-grade fevers with shortness of breath were the next symptoms.

Healers and Sylvia were forced to treat those with the worst symptoms to send them back out to the front, but no amount of magic could instantly bring those people back to optimal functions. Those with worse symptoms reported still being tired from the fever and shortness of breath, which made it difficult for them.

At the rate we were going, those with the second stage of symptoms would only rise, and as they were healed, people would naturally continue to develop more symptoms. And if there was a third stage beyond the second, then people may be out for a more extended period of time.

And to make matters even worse, the disease cared not who it infected. The mages we desperately tried to protect from the undead were not immune to the disease. We could only push them up the line to be cured as quickly as possible.

A quarantine zone had been set up at the city’s center to minimize the spread but it was all we could do. No natural remedy had been found as of yet, and even if there was one, it was unlikely we would have enough supplies to cure everyone.

Regardless, our marching orders have remained the same for the time being. I did my two shifts on the wall, returned home after each, and ended my day when I could. I had little time for socializing, and no meetings were called. That pattern continued on for another day, bringing the total days from the first infection to three.

And things had indeed gotten worse.

“We had our first causality from the Ghoul plague. An older woman died in her home,” Sylvia had told me over breakfast.

Our attempts to quarantine people and reduce the spread had failed. Which meant the disease was very infectious. The symptoms had not progressed yet, and the only reason that woman died was because no one knew. But that was where the good news ended, as the number of infected people grew exponentially.

“Then our guess that the undead are trying to wear us down is the right one. What of the healers? Are they also getting infected?” I asked.

“Yes…even with masks, I still have to heal over half the light mages before the end of the day. I’ve stayed on top of it for now, but I can’t get to enough people,” she grumbled.

“It’s not your fault. You are working harder than everyone, even forgoing rest,” I said.

“I know…it’s just…pissing me off that I can’t solve it. I wish I could send my blood into the air and cure everyone. But I always have to bite them…” she said.

“It’s fine. I have a feeling that very soon, the decisive battle is about to begin,” I said.

“Oh, and what makes you say that? Shouldn’t the undead wait a few more days?” Sylvia asked.

I pointed my spoon toward the encroaching person. “Because he is here for us.”

“Excuse me. I hate to interrupt your morning meal, but His Highness has summoned everyone,” Sir Blackwood said with a short bow.