The battle against the endless undead was entering its fourth hour, and Ethan was learning many lessons about the challenges of a marathon battle. At this point the courtyard surrounding Fort Dralis was littered with the remains of more undead than he could count. Some still died from bad throws, but the three gigas hurling them had clearly gotten the hang of things.
It had become clear that a true undead was somewhere on the opposite plateau, commanding the troops. Their assaults had grown progressively more organized and deadly, and had even used the bodies of other monsters as makeshift barricades of their own, protecting their ‘siege’ gigas. Since the other two had gotten into position, the supply of targets for Ethan had been never ending.
Assassinate! Ruinous energy erupted from his strike, and the monster that he refused to believe wasn’t a werewolf burst into a cloud of black shards. Ethan was a Fleeting Shadow again immediately, and a moment later two more of the werewolves were down. This meant he had a few seconds to recuperate, and took them gratefully.
He’d gotten used to relying almost exclusively on his Ruin Affinity, given that successful Assassinations would give him a burst of mana and stamina. It had helped him get much better at judging the kind of attacks that would be able to instantly kill a monster, as well as how to better aim and use those attacks to greater effect.
After looking on the bright side, it was time for another reality check.
Upon catching his breath, he jumped, then climbed the high walls to rejoin the group, grateful for the rare break. He quickly moved next to Cara, and charged a few arrows she’d left out for that purpose. “Any changes?” he asked, before downing some water from his inventory.
She released another arrow from bloody fingers, then shook her head. “Not really. We’re still alive. Valanor holds. The undead try something new every twenty minutes or so. Thus far, Selina has prevented their tricks from working.” Ethan raised an eyebrow at that, then ducked as Cara whipped around, shooting an arrow over his head.
He looked back to see that she’d killed a monster mid flight, and smiled at her gratefully. “Enjoy your break,” she said playfully, then turned back to the horde, her black braid almost hitting him, she moved so quickly.
Ethan went to Selina next, who looked tired but excited. “I understand you’re the hero of the day?” he said when she stepped back from the wall.
“Ethan! My shields bounce!” she said with undisguised joy.
“What?” he asked.
“Okay, they don’t bounce. You hit them, then you bounce. Well not you, you. Monsters you,” she said, eyes wide.
“Your brain is broken.”
She laughed while experimentally touching her head. “Maybe! But I’m also right! You see, I didn’t realize, but If I load up my shields with light before they’re struck, they make attacks rebound. Like a drum!”
“Okay, is that helpful?”
“Apparently! If someone just hits Val’s shield, he has to absorb the impact himself, but if they hit my shield, the force all turns back on them. And I can make them at an angle!”
“Is this a riddle?” he asked, too tired to guess her meaning.
“Just watch!” she said, pointing excitedly at a dawn rank gigas charging through the weaker undead with a club raised. The demon swung with all its considerable strength at Valanor, but the club crashed against a wall of light at the last second. Just as Selina had said, the club flew backward, smashing into a number of undead and spinning the gigas around in a confused circle.
The Rune Mage laughed maniacally at the sight. “That’s just one of the small ones. I’ve made some bigger monsters fall off the bridge entirely.”
“Damn, nice work Selina,” he noticed another dozen incoming projectiles, and quickly excused himself.
Ethan went back to the procedure that was becoming second nature at this point. He ducked into an alcove to become a Trick of the Light, then quickly scouted the latest group of monsters. There were a few wolves, several of something that looked a lot like Talia the rune jaguar, and a half dozen simiavus, the bird-apes he’d faced in the woods before awakening Deevee.
From here, he did his best to act before they could group up, which seemed to be some instinct they all possessed. He crept forward, and Assassinated his first target. The jaguar hadn’t even exploded before a second joined it, and the undead began searching with confused faces for the danger.
Ethan moved on to the next weakest, slowly taking them out one by one, until only four remained, these ones too strong to die so easily. There were three simiavus and one rune jaguar, and perhaps by some latent cunning they’d backed themselves into a corner, for protection. It amounted to little, as two Ethans dropped from the wall above, each striking with [Knife in the Dark].
Each strike had crippled a bird-ape, and they were Assassinated a heartbeat later. Two more stealth attacks followed, after which Ethan and his [Hydra’s Reflection] methodically took the last two monsters down with careful slashes. In moments they were just more piles of black shards.
“Something is happening,” Valanor’s voice said suddenly. Ethan quickly jumped and scrambled his way back up the wall and to his group, looking out over the sea of gray undead, now lit by the bright morning sun.
A quick glance confirmed that the Dusk rank warriors were still doing fine in their endless battle against the enemy. Savilar was currently in the gap, Gabriel swapped out for the Sun Familiar that was carving through the enemy with burning rays of sunlight. Valanor was actually standing on Toby’s broad, obsidian shoulders, looking outward at the horde.
Ethan followed his gaze, and let out a long breath when he saw what was happening. Two of the gigas had been dragged together, and had locked arms, obviously preparing to throw something large, and it was pretty clear what it was. There was a large undead waiting nearby, and it looked much like the smaller werewolves Ethan had faced, though much larger, and covered in ragged white robes.
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It glowed with the unmistakable brightness of the light. The never completely forgotten draw to claim the Throne rose up in Ethan, as the strange instinct told him that this beast promised power.
“That’s likely Dusk rank,” Valanor said. “We’ll need to work together to bring it down. Ethan, you and I–”
“Incoming!” Cara yelled, as a flood of larger undead suddenly revealed themselves. There were two lutumstriders, and three enormous gorilla-like monsters, all of which had somehow crawled their way forward unseen, only to stand and charge once they left the mass of smaller undead.
“Damn!” Valanor called, then leapt down. He hastily took Savilar’s spot, bracing his shield and summoning his warhammer. Selina was ready as well, and a shield of light burst into being. Cara had switched to more mana intensive arrows, while Savilar called upon his holy aura, then sent out blasts of burning energy at the charging undead.
Ethan was trying to decide how best to help, when the reality of the situation became clear. “This is just the distraction,” he muttered, then sprinted along the wall to get a clearer view of the strange giant werewolf, which had been blocked by the enormous charge of monsters.
Sure enough, the beast was now crouched in the massive locked hands of the twin gigas, preparing to be thrown. There were also dozens more smaller undead behind it, apparently waiting their turn. Ethan cursed again, trying to think how to use the courtyard below to his advantage against the tall creature. That exercise was proven academic when he saw what happened next.
The beast was hurled with remarkable strength, flying far higher than even the lesser monsters that had come before it. Ethan thought it might actually overshoot the courtyard and land outside the walls, until he realized it was aiming at the fort itself. Halfway through its journey the beast burst into flames, then the undead-fireball crashed through the stone wall of the keep. It left a massive, smoking hole in its wake.
Thus far they’d managed to keep the monsters out of the fort, but clearly that was no longer an option. Moments later Ethan saw more undead hurled through the air, clearly aimed at the new hole. Most slammed into the side and fell to their deaths, but many others made it through. They’d obviously realized their previous tactic wasn’t working, and now planned to fill the keep, making this a battle against superior numbers on two fronts.
We’ll see about that. “Valanor,” he called through the communication rune. “They’re in the keep, including the big one. I’m going inside, Cara will have to take out any that land in the courtyard. Good luck.” Without waiting for a reply he sent Deevee through a second story window, and appeared from a rift a moment later. He let the part of himself that was pure Hunter, driven by the instincts of his Familiars take over.
He let his senses stretch out, as his body relaxed. He fell into a natural crouch as he took in his Hunting grounds. The inside of the fort wasn’t specially prepared for any kind of clever defense, they’d simply stripped it of anything they could use, then sealed it up. That meant the dimly lit keep was little more than a dimly lit building full of shadows, echoes, and corners to hide in. That was fine by Ethan.
He was in the upper hallway that surrounded the odd, statue filled room, and he wasn’t alone. The soft sounds of feet slapping against stone alerted him to a group of wolves charging. His chain-sickle was out in a heartbeat, the weapon feeling increasingly natural in his hands since he’d begun training with it more actively.
The weighted end exploded forward to crack into the skull of one wolf, while the sickle slashed the throat of the next. That was a bad move against undead, but combat reflexes often happened faster than thought. Unbothered by its gaping throat, the wolf barreled into Ethan, who rolled backward with the momentum. Tomo was there suddenly, a swift slash severing the wolf’s spine as Ethan surged to his feet.
He nodded at the Familiar, before charging forward to dispatch the second undead. Tomo typically preferred to stay incorporeal, but Ethan could sense the drive toward the light tugging at his Familiar as well. “Power,” Ethan said simply, and the demon nodded.
“Do not let the light control you,” he cautioned. “It is a tool, nothing more. Your will must be strong.”
“Strong together,” he whispered, then raced off. He could hear the rest of the undead coming from the wing closer to the enemy army, and quickly formulated a plan. He glanced around, confirming that there were two spiraling stairwells down to the lower level, which were both quite narrow. The lower level also had a back section that would likewise serve his purpose.
He skidded to a halt in front of the large hallway leading to a massive hole in the wall, spotting the robe-covered werewolf immediately. It was impossible to miss, being tall enough to need to slouch even with the keep’s high ceilings. A dozen or more smaller undead surrounded it, and began to charge when the Dusk rank monster barked out strange sounds.
Ethan let them get closer, noting that the large werewolf appeared slower than the others, then darted for the stairs when the enemies were near. He quickly tapped the torch sconces lining the stairwell as he went down, then turned and fought, the undead piling up behind the lead simiavus. When they began climbing over one another to reach him, he suddenly jumped back, snapping his fingers dramatically.
The three sconces exploded as Ethan rolled onto the landing of the lower floor. The stairwell was destroyed, the undead burnt, crushed by falling stone, or both, and Ethan grinned as he began scrambling away again. As expected, more undead raced down the second stairwell moments later, the massive frame of the Dusk werewolf among them.
He ducked into the narrow halls that led to the large kitchen and barracks in the back of the fort. They were dark and cramped, but that was perfect for Ethan. He needed to take out the smaller undead without wasting too much mana, so he could turn his focus to the real threat.
When a group of the ape-birds charged into the hall, they were surprised by blades slashing at them from the ceiling. Ethan had become far more proficient at fighting from different angles using his climbing skills, especially since his Dawn rank body had nearly reached its maximum. From this angle he was easily able to strike at spines and stab into undead skulls, and the monsters died quickly.
When more came in from behind, they were met by Revan, who roared as he met their charge, slashing with poisoned claws and tearing undead flesh. Ethan and his Familiar fought a retreating battle, planning to exit from the other end of the hallways, but stopped when he saw an ominous glow coming from that direction.
Scrambling forward on all fours was the werewolf, once more covered in flames, and moving surprisingly quickly as it dragged itself with claws that pierced stone. Ethan and Revan suddenly had to switch tactics, and went from a tactical retreat to a desperate charge back through the wall of undead.
He didn’t have time to be careful. Claws raked at him, and teeth bit into tender flesh as he tried to escape the rush of fire and undeath. He tried Deevee, but several wolves immediately jumped on the delicate little hydra forcing Ethan to dismiss it. His dimensionally charged dagger did no better, intercepted only a few paces from where it was thrown.
In the end all he could do was run, trying to knock enemies aside and even using [Dimensional Mantle] to escape some of the stronger monsters. He hated feeling the intense mana drain, but didn’t have time to think about it as he felt the heat catching up to him. At last he burst out of the hall, the snarling, fiery wolf right behind, clearly not caring that it burned through its allies.
This time Deevee had a free path, and a quick rift bought him a little breathing room. Ethan charged back up the stairs to the second floor, hoping Cara had been right about the statue room. Thankfully the larger undead had burnt through most of its reinforcements, and Ethan was barely slowed as he made his way upward.
Glancing back, he saw the telltale glow of flames lighting the stairwell behind him, and quickly darted into the large, central room of the second floor. He stood in the open door, panting and waiting. All his human instincts chanted run, hide! But something else held him in place. The light comes! It is power, take it, take it, take it!
When the massive fiery wolf finally appeared, they locked eyes for a moment. The monster burned brightly, but somehow the light glowed brighter still. Power! Take it, take it, take it!
“Oh, I will,” he promised, grinning as his prey charged.