Chapter 42: Meeting for the Last Offensive

We got back to Horgen after a few hours.

It didn't look as bad as I thought. The enemy's corpses piled up outside the walls of the fort. I could also see the bone behemoths had already been restored. They were roaming around, searching for enemies.

The only severe damage was to the gate, but repairs are ongoing.

I tried to look for Dolf, and I found him on top of the walls, supervising the repairs.

Idmon: "(t) Dolf!"

Dolf: "Ah! Lord Idmon!"

He jumped from the high wall and landed in front of me. I ordered the army behind me to help with the repairs and settle down inside the fort. A lot of them had damaged equipment, and they have to take care of that too.

Idmon: "(t) Dolf, what happened? How did you defeat all of these goblins? You barely had 500 men."

Dolf: "It was because we made good use of our Dwarven equipment and the defenses of the fort. We also made a lot of traps that slowed them down while we rained hell on them."

Idmon: "(t) You did great. Amazingly, you were also able to take down this many. Their bones would be a huge help for us."

Dolf: "It was a pleasure fighting side by side with your men. They followed my orders perfectly, and that's how we won the battle."

He was biting down on a behemoth steak while we were talking and gulping down ale.

It was at a later time that a soldier told me what happened. I was shocked and rendered speechless.

Dolf: "Ahhh, that was good. By the way, how was Gargan?"

Idmon: "(t) The siege was a success. The counterattack came right after the siege failed miserably, and we wiped them out. I believe the enemies don't have enough soldiers to mount another counterattack."

It wouldn't be surprising if they didn't have enough men to defend themselves.

They sent a vast army against us and lost all of them. That had to take a lot out of them.

After talking to Dolf, I went around the fort to check if everything was alright.

Skeleton Smith: "Oh. Good morning, Lord Idmon!"

Skeleton Mage: "Welcome back, Lord."

Dwarven Soldier: "How was the battle?"

A lot of guys from the fort welcomed me and asked me how I was doing. It was a new experience because, before, Bon and Lina were the only ones that I could talk to on my travels.

Skeleton Smith: "Lord Idmon! Care to take a look at the quality of these spears? We just made them today."

I checked the cart that had the spears. It was all excellent, and some of them are made of new materials.

Skeleton Smith: "We just found some new materials from the mines. They were deep in the mines, and because of that, the miners just found them today."

Idmon: "(t) What was it?"

Skeleton Smith: "It was Mythril, Lord."

It was a material better than steel. Good thing I sent some people to the mines.

In some of my discussions with Wargh, he briefly mentioned rare metals that used to exist in the Dwarven Kingdom.

Mythril was one of them. This discovery would improve our equipment significantly.

There were a lot of new things in the fort. The dwarves and skeleton dwarves were getting along much more than before.

You could see the Skeleton Dwarves cooking up the Behemoth steaks and others selling or repairing the Dwarves' equipment.

I don't know what money they use for buying and selling, but it looks like they use materials for trading.

Some were even brawling to test their strength. The skeletons were like a real army now.

Dwarven Soldier: "Lord Idmon! Join us! Hahaha! Drink and eat with us!"

The dwarves would eat and drink while the undead sang, danced, and fought with each other.

They invited me even though they already knew. Geez, what's with these people?

After telling them that I'd pass, Dolf and I went inside the castle in the fort.

Dolf: "By the way, Lord Idmon. Who's the new lady?"

Idmon: "(t), Huh? ... Ah! That's Lina."

He was referring to the newly evolved Lina that was floating behind me.

Idmon: "She got an evolution from the previous battle."

Dolf: "Wow. She's a pretty woman now."

Lina glared at him.

Dolf: "And a lot scarier than before."

Idmon: "(t) Now, Dolf. Give me a summary of the battle. I wanted to know more about that floating fortress."

He started telling me all about what happened.

Dolf: "So you see, I was watching the scenery on top of the castle in Warg when suddenly that floating fortress appeared."

After that, I was amazed that he made quick decisions. Warg was also retaken just a few hours ago, before we arrived.

Dolf: "And we are currently dismantling the floating fortress. We also put up a barricade on the river, so we don't need to worry. Unless it's as large as the one before."

Idmon: "(t) I see. It seems like everything is taken care of here. King Wargh and I were planning to pull out all the soldiers around here for one last offensive. We would target their remaining strongholds, all at the same time."

Dolf: "Woah. Is that possible?"

Idmon: "(t) It is. Their forces are a small number now. They won't have enough forces in their strongholds aside from the main one."

We would split up the army so that we could take them with one sweep. There were no survivors for the goblins this time.

Dolf: "Okay! Finally! I could see the goblins burning in hell already!"

Dolf was excited. They had been living in constant fear of the goblins overwhelming them. Now, they're the ones who are going to overcome them.

Idmon: "(t) Let's move out in a bit. We just have to spread the others to the other forts."

Dolf: "Got it!"

Dolf is quiet about it, but his aura is different now. It feels like he's a lot stronger now.

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I got outside the walls to give instructions to the mages who were currently raising the dead goblins.

I also gave them instructions to use the bones for summoning bone golems instead of raising the goblins themselves.

The Bone Golems would have more combat capability. The wizards can summon Bone Golems, and the mages would support them.

We also made good progress in increasing the number of skeleton trolls and bone ogres. We also have an army of skeleton hobgoblins.

Stolen story; please report.

The army is a lot stronger now. If the enemy commanders are weak, like the ones I've fought before, we are sure to win this war.

I walk around talking to the soldiers, giving them instructions, and sometimes guiding them through something.

It's a good feeling to help out my soldiers. It feels like we're finally doing something. I believe it won't be long before we find out our reason for existing.

We could have given up before, but we tenaciously fought back against fate. We are rebuilding our race.

While I was thinking about all that good stuff, I saw Lina supervising the mages.

Looking at her, she was like a strict mother. She would often shout when something was wrong, but she showed them the right way to do it after the shouting.

Sometimes she's just a rough and scary monster to everyone, as per the soldiers.

Dolf was still going around eating and drinking. He deserved to celebrate anyway. The battle that he won was a miracle. We don't have the leisure to recognize it.

We don't have much time to rest. We don't want the goblins to recover.

Once the repairs to the fort were over, I moved out of the area with all of my men. We got the forces from all three forts and headed straight to Gargan.

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We met up at the newly repaired Gargan.

It looks a lot better now. We removed the goblin houses and replaced the wooden parts of the fort with stone.

At the small castle inside, we discussed our plan for the final offensive to end the war.

Dwarven Advisor 1: "I'm telling you, King Wargh. We should strike them down right now. As one army!"

Dwarven Advisor 2: "That would be too dangerous! Let's split the army and try to gauge their remaining forces."

Dwarven Advisor 3: "Ssss... That's not even reasonable. We have a chance to end it now!"

The dwarven advisors, who rarely show up for battles, were all present now, trying to convince King Wargh.

Wargh: "Argh! Quiet, all of you. Now that our side has already given their opinions, let's hear some from Lord Idmon's side."

Idmon: "(t) I agree that we should take them down now. In one sweep. The plan is for us to split our forces and attack all of their remaining strongholds at the same time."

The advisors raged again. They debated the good and bad things about the plan, even though one of them proposed the same idea.

After an hour of them talking to themselves, King Wargh gave them the order to follow my plan.

There was a time when King Wargh would get irritated and shut them up by force, but I think he's too injured to do that.

I hate those guys in King Wargh's group.

I just know it. Those advisors are planning something.

While we're still here, I need to ask The Searcher a lot of things.

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Idmon: "(t)The Searcher, have you found out what class is, Lina?"

The Searcher: "Hmmm... about that. Her current class is Ice Witch. It was a class that only female ice mages could get. There are records of different races being able to take the class, but banshees are not one of them."

He explained to me that only those who engage in extensive ice magic and, with some effort, dark witchcraft practice could achieve this class.

This "Ice Witch" was not a class that a monster could get. But since a lot has changed since then, Lina was also a lot better than the previous banshees. This phenomenon could be the first.

The Searcher: "I recorded her class under Ice Witch. You can check her stats with me anytime."

Idmon: "I got it, but that can wait. I have another question for you."

The Searcher: "Go ahead, Lord Idmon."

Idmon: "(t) Can you read minds?"

The Searcher: "Mind reading... It's more advanced than mind control. The creatures that have those are vampires and alike. I don't have the skill. Sorry."

Idmon: "(t) It's okay. I'll ask for your honest opinion. Are the dwarven advisors planning something big for us?"

The Searcher: "I'm not quite sure; the only thing that I'm sure about is that the advisors don't like you. They fear that you may enslave their whole race."

Idmon: "Can you look into this?"

The Searcher: "Yes, Lord Idmon. Give me some time to investigate."

Idmon: "(t) That would be great."

I was about to ask what my current stats are, but I decided to do it later.

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(Mel POV)

Mel: "Yes! Finally, I'm evolving!"

It's been a long time since my last evolution. I wanted to get stronger quickly so I could help Milord and protect my friends.

Ran: "Calm down, Mel."

It was a soft voice.

Ran had to come closer to me and say that. Mag was busy helping with the summoning of Bone Golem, so it's just us.

Ran said that because he might use a spell and delay the evolution.

Mel: "Come on, Ran, give me a break. You also evolved a few days ago."

Ran was now a death deliverer. It was the ranged counterpart of a Dread Knight. She would shoot arrows that explode with dark energies and leave only skeletons in their wake.

Some would even fight for her when they became undead.

Now, the most important thing is that I'm about to become a Dread Knight!

Mel: "RAHHH!!!"

I shouted again in excitement. Soldiers around us would look at me and laugh.

Since Lord Idmon made me a commander for melee forces, I've spent more time with the soldiers and enjoyed being a commander.

I got to listen to their stories and how they ended up dead. It was a good experience since before we hardly had other people to talk to instead of Lord Idmon and Master Bon.

A blast of dark energy came out of me.

It's time!

The energies envelop me, and when they disappear, a taller and bulkier me is standing there.

My armor got an upgrade too. So, it's true that once you reach this class, you will get class-specific equipment.

And the weapon that I got from the class is a battle axe—one with black flames coming out of its tip.

Ran: "That's nice, Mel!"

In the loudest voice she could produce. However, it still sounded like a slightly louder whisper.

Mel: "Hehehe, now we would be even more useful to the Lord!"

After that, I tested out my new abilities by sparring with Ran.

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While I was waiting for the Dwarves to recover and repair their equipment, I observed my soldiers.

There was something different with the Skeleton Dwarves. Some would be bigger than the others, and when I asked them why,.

Skeleton Dwarves: "Lord Idmon, it's because some of us evolved into Skeleton Champions."

Idmon: "(t) Oh, you have classes too? I thought you would remain as skeleton dwarfs."

Skeleton Dwarves: "The searcher told us that our class wasn't Skeleton Dwarves in the first place. We were a mix of skeleton soldiers and skeleton warriors. We just had bonuses from our skills when we were alive. It's a good thing we retained some of the skills."

That's amazing. To think that even the reanimated dwarves have a chance at evolution is a great thing.

After that, I had Bon give out orders for a short speech. I need to clear up some information and also give my advisors adequate positions in the army.

All the soldiers under me gathered after 10 minutes.

Idmon: "(t) It seems like everyone is here. First of all, Bon, come up here."

I was standing on an improvised stage so that they could all see me.

Idmon: "It's weird for you guys to keep calling Bon Master Bon or Sir, so I decided to give him a title with which all of us can address him appropriately."

I had him stand near me.

Idmon: "(t) He shall be the Head Wizard of this army."

They clapped and cheered for Bon.

Soldiers: "Good job, Master Bon!"

Other soldiers: "Keep it up!"

It seems like he had some supporters in the audience. I also told the assembly that all mages and Mag will report directly to him starting now.

The next one would be Lina.

Idmon: "(t) Lina, come here."

She floated quickly to my side.

Idmon: "(t) Your title is Ice Witch, and you will be in charge of Ran's men."

Lina: "Yes, Milord!"

I thought it was weird to make her a general, so I just gave her a unique title.

Soldier: "Shouldn't it be Ice Queen?"

Everyone except me: "Hahahaha!"

The assembly was laughing hard. What's so funny about that?

Lina was quiet. I thought she would lash out at them because they teased her. Oh well.

Idmon: "(t) And Mel..."

Mel: "Yes, Lord!"

A very energetic Dread Knight kneels before me. This guy is way too enthusiastic.

Idmon: "You and your men would be reporting directly to me."

Mel: "Your wish is our command!"

Now we have that settled. I would split my army and attack three strongholds. King Wargh will also break his army into three with the commanders Master Urah and Granpa.

It would look like a wrong decision to send a Mage-only army to one of the strongholds, but the wizards and Bon can summon and command Bone Golems.

For the marksmen and archers, they have Lina slow down the enemies as they take them out of range.

And for the Warriors and Champions group, we have to force our way. Some of us can still use spells even though we're warrior types.

Now that we have everything in order, let's wait for King Wargh and finally end this war!

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We set out immediately after meeting up with King Wargh. We have six groups, and each of them has around 600 to 800 men.

They have six strongholds before their main base. We have to take out those six quickly before they get reinforcements.

Once our group got to our target stronghold, I was surprised.

Idmon: "(t) There's no one here?"

We looked around, and the fort looked like it had been abandoned in a hurry.

Idmon: "(t) Mel, go send out a messenger to the nearest group; check what's the current situation."

Mel: "Right away!"

After a few hours of waiting around in the fort, no traps or ambushes appeared. The messenger came back just now.

Mel: "Lord Idmon! It was the same with the other groups. They have successfully taken all of the strongholds without any opposition."

What could they be planning?

Idmon: "(t) Spread the word that we should move to phase two of the plan. Regroup with everyone in front of the main stronghold."

Mel: "Yes, Sir!"

Then he ran as fast as he could. Bon should give these guys horses too. I'll tell him that later.

We checked the fort for explosives, but it seems like they aren't going to blow up their fortifications to damage us.

The Dread Heroes were also a part of my group. They searched the surroundings, but there was no one there.

Hmm.

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(Blind Ones POV)

The king of the blind walks around his throne room, irritated.

Mysterious Man: "Has the Shadow General returned yet?"

Servant: "No, my king. There were no survivors in the battle for Gargan."

Mysterious Man: "Damn! How many men were we able to gather from the remaining strongholds?"

Servant: "We got around 40,000."

That's good enough. We have to set up our defenses and take them out here. It was wrong to try and defeat them with tricks. They beat every strategy that we use against them.

Argh! We should have taken them down with all our might. Now we only have half of the army that we used to command.

I looked around, and I still had my generals to fight those monsters. Their leaders are incredibly strong, but once they get taken out, their armies should scatter.

We have five generals inside the throne room.

One is Dark Axe, a monstrous guy who is wearing dark armor and wielding battle axes in each hand.

He wore dark element armor, so that should give him an advantage against the undead.

He is also the best in terms of strength, and because of that, there wouldn't be anyone in the undead army that is a match for him.

The second one is Death Arrow. He was a great archer before he was blinded. After he got blind, he was even better.

With improved senses, he could determine the position of the enemy just by the sounds they made, including breathing.

Each one of his arrows has enough force to cause instant death. That's how he got his name.

The third one is the ogre lord. Even though he is mind-controlled, the Ogre Lord is still a force to be reckoned with.

Being second only to Dark Axe in terms of strength, this guy can blast away boulders with his punches.

Being an ogre lord also granted him high resistance to slashing and piercing attacks because of his body fat. Blades and spears would sink into his fat and not cause any damage at all.

Fourth would be the Troll King. Another mind-controlled guy. This one is a quick monster. He was huge, but the way he moves makes you think otherwise. He would often beat up his enemies with fast attacks from his clubs.

His unique ability is his ultra-fast regeneration, which could heal his limbs a few seconds after they are severed. His skin is also resistant to magic attacks.

The last one would be Mind Master. He's the guy who is mind-controlling all of our goblin lackeys. The trolls and ogres too. He has his group of mind-controllers do this job.

His strength is simple. He can take control of an opponent. I have never seen anyone resist his power without a particular item.

Like the crown that prevents me from the effects of charm and mind control, even though the Mind Master could use his power to oust me out of my position, he hasn't done that.

His loyalty to me dates from way back, as we can still see. We were a generation that was born underground, but we weren't blind from birth.

Living in this darkness does all of that to you.

I know these generals still hide their strength from me. That makes me feel relieved. We should see these upstarts beg for their lives any day from now.

Servant: "My king, their army is already positioned outside. We should prepare for battle."

Mysterious Man: "Go, bring my generals there. Send them back to where they came from. If they prove too strong for that, just hold on for as long as you can."

If they defeat all of my armies, I still have one more trump card.

I go inside a hidden door in the throne room.

Inside that room lies an ancient treasure that has been passed down from generation to generation.

Mysterious man: "With this, I'll protect our people."