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The Harbinger
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Things have been going poorly, and the Harbinger would bet all its mana on that Fate spell being the culprit. When it first washed over it and the Maw, the Harbinger was concerned, and that concern only grew as nothing continued to happen. It hasn’t seen Fate workings in… so very long, but it remembers that the more subtle a work, the more dangerous.
Then the surface dwellers made their move. It had to be the surfacers, who else would attack the Maw like this? The Harbinger actually felt the Maw using the rockslides as scouts was clever, at least until they were all destroyed by the tunnelers of the surface. Once the wyrms and basilisks became known, it was easy to explain what destroyed them.
It wasn’t happy news, but it did at least explain. Wyrms also explained how the surfacers were able to turn the ambushes around on the least and lessers. That particular failing galled the Harbinger. Either the surface dwellers were much stronger than expected, or the Fate spell had something to do with it. The least, backed by a lesser, should have been organized and clever enough to obliterate a dozen or more surfacers! Yet even the modularity of the lessers didn’t seem to slow down their opponents for long.
The Harbinger blames the invaders being well prepared for the unexpected difficulties. Blades really only slow down the lessers, as the severed segments can still mentally link together and guide the least. But their foes were clever and changed from metallic blades to more crude crushing and impaling weapons, things that can be made without metal. Standards could have withstood such an improvised change of attacks, but the lessers seemed like they could only be crushed and stabbed to uselessness.
And speaking of useless, the emancipated enclaves could only dream of merely being useless in this fight! No, so many of the dwellers are actively helping the attackers! Even with the clergy moving in force, the tide of numbers is turning against the Harbinger and the Maw. Only now are they close enough for the Harbinger to guide the least, now they’re close to breaching the temple complex.
But as it loses more and more least to the attackers, the Harbinger grows more and more concerned. It segments its mind, leaving the portion with the bond to worry, and freeing most of itself to consider what to actually do.
The surfacers are strong, even stronger than in the battle on the surface! Could they actually be victorious? The notion should be ludicrous, but with the Maw’s forces consistently being pushed back, it’s not outside the realm of possibility. And, loath as the Harbinger is to put that possibility on the table, it must acknowledge it and be prepared.
It can’t fall here. If the Maw is subsumed, the Harbinger would be destroyed along with it. It must prepare to escape, but the options for escape are dwindling rapidly. And if it faces that lich once again… escape will not be an option. And if it stays here, it will very likely face the lich. Information is difficult to obtain, but a strong group of scions is not easy to hide.
Which isn’t to say it’s impossible. The invaders have somehow gotten three scions to the entrance of the complex without being spotted, and the lich is among them. There is also an odd earth elemental with a hat and axe, and a quatl that positively radiates mana. The Harbinger just hopes if the winged serpent is a conduit, it will be low on mana after that Fate working earlier.
More invaders are gathering there, too, though it’s difficult to get scouts in the area, and they’re still too far away for the Harbinger to be able to get much of a read on them yet. More information won’t help the harbinger at this point, however. That lich obliterated it on the surface, and the Harbinger very much doubts a second fight would go any better for it. If they move in, the Harbinger will need to mo-
Its thoughts are interrupted by abject panic from the Maw, and a hammerblow of mana ordering it to protect its core. That’s what it’s pretending to do right now! What is it so… where is the Redcap? It can usually feel that smug scion through their mutual bond with the Maw, but its not reacting properly. It’s almost as if… oh.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
The Redcap has been defeated and is respawning. Was it the lich?! No… the lich is still outside, as far as the scouts can tell. That must mean the surfacers were able to sneak even more strong scions into the enclave to kill the Redcap. It’s no longer possible the Maw will be subsumed, but likely. That changes things, almost as much as the group outside the temple complex making their move.
The Harbinger’s course is clear. It extrudes a thin part of itself near the core as the rest heaves forward.
Seal the Core Chamber, it orders the gathered priests, even moving some of its mass to help close the thick metal doors. It’s not a perfect seal, but the Harbinger can fix that with its own mass. And none too soon, as the Harbinger can feel another significant working of mana beginning. But, instead of Fate this time, it’s… Thunder?
A simple series of notes seems to come from every surface outside the Core Chamber, impossible to ignore as they set the tempo for the battle through the complex. Heavy beats soon follow, the entire complex seeming to vibrate at the whim of whatever enemy scion is doing this. The Harbinger fears it may be too late, that the entire complex may collapse, but the rumblings don’t seek to tear the complex asunder.
A harsher melody barges into the budding song, and the Harbinger finally realizes it is a song. A Bardic working? With the power behind the music, the Harbinger can only imagine how the enemy scions are wreaking havoc through the complex. It can feel them getting closer, but once it springs its plan, it should be well able to handle the lich and its companions.
It shields the minds of the nearby clergy as the harsh notes continue to build, and is glad it did as a thrum of intent bears down through the music. Say Your Prayers, Little One, a challenge, a declaration of how feeble the faith of the Maw’s followers are. Even the Harbinger is surprised at the weight of the intent. It’s not enough to break its protection, but it is enough to make the Harbinger worry that, perhaps, the lich is not the only powerful scion coming for it.
It bolsters the will of the clergy as they call on their faith, preparing their most potent spells to unleash on the invaders when they show their faces. It’s no longer a question of if, but that realization doesn’t phase the priesthood of the Maw. The High Priest stands tall, chanting in defiance of the imposing music.
The Harbinger maneuvers tentacles into position to lash at anything that comes through the door to the Sanctum. The song continues to build as the scions get closer, promising doom and despair for the Maw and its forces. The Harbinger is surprised once again as it’s forced to allow some of the intent through the shielding of the clergy, so it can keep enough energy for itself.
If it gets much stronger, the Harbinger will have to make its move earlier than it wishes. The music reaches a crescendo as the doors are flung open. For a terrible moment, The Harbinger and the clergy can see what they are up against. The lich has strange wrappings on its fists now, its staff laying on the floor at its feet, along with its black robe. It has something between its teeth, and bright shorts around its hips. One fist is forward, as if the lich had simply punched the doors open! If it weren’t for the intense magical energy around it, the Harbinger would think it a different scion, but it will never forget that signature.
Behind it, a long silver serpent floats, iridescent wings spread wide as it gazes into the room. Where the lich’s energy is complex, the Serpent’s is like an ocean. The Harbinger suspects it doesn’t have as much mana at it could have, but it still has the undeniable feel of a Conduit.
Behind them both is the earth elemental scion and the source of the intense song. Lightning flashes around its strange hat, and it holds the axe oddly. It’s some kind of instrument, from what the Harbinger can tell of how it’s holding the device.
Then the moment is gone, and the spells fly and tentacles lash. Iron teeth, steel biting jaws, howls of hunger, dissolving acid, and more descend on the trio of scions. Lightning and thunder flare, fire and ice erupt, and raw telekinetic might meet the incoming onslaught. The variety of affinities is more than enough to dismantle each varied attack. The Harbinger can even feel its tentacles being parried somehow, but its attention is elsewhere.
As it is, there is no defeating those scions. Even its plan contains some risk in fighting those three, but it has little other option. In the worst case, it should at least be able to force its way past them and flee with only a wounded pride to show for it. Confusion comes through the bond with the Maw before the Harbinger grins with many mouths and finally ends the charade.
Abandon Dungeon? Y/N?
The Maw’s alarm is cut off as the connection is severed. The Harbinger, now an invader instead of a scion, engulfs the Maw’s core.