Orrin watched the innumerable forces of the demon Horde approach from the south. Thousands of figures marched near the mountains, alongside wagons and horses. As the sun rose slowly into the sky, Orrin squinted against the first rays of light and reassessed his initial deduction. Those aren’t horses… those are monsters.

Some of the larger beasts pulled wagons or large contraptions on wheels. Demons sat astride the more ‘normal’ sized monsters but two colossal beings in the back carried full-sized houses on their backs. The Horde was still miles away but the smooth plains on this side of the Pass gave the people of Asmea ample time to watch and quiver in fear.

“The final count is just under seven thousand, not including the monsters they’ve tamed,” Daniel said from Orrin’s side. “I call dibs on taking down one of the big spider houses.”

Orrin’s best friend wore new gleaming armor supplied by the lords of Dey. His massive sword, Gertrude, rested on his back. His clean-shaven face and easy smile had been put to use over the last few days, dragged in front of every group of power in the world as a showpiece. They both stood on the Outer Wall, a new fortification built at the end of the Pass. If the Horde broke through these defenses, the army could retreat to the next. Even as they watched, additional fall-back positions were being erected closer to the city of Dey itself. The humans, orcs, dwarves, and elves of Asmea had worked tirelessly through the night and wouldn’t stop until the Horde was repelled or the demons killed everyone.

“Spider houses? You can see that far?” Orrin asked, his voice wooden. He was numb, letting [Mind Bastion] run to keep his voice from shaking.

Daniel shot a glance at Orrin and popped him on the back of the head with his open palm. “Stop doing that, it freaks me out.”

Orrin slowly turned [Mind Bastion] off as he rubbed his head. “Sorry. I’m stressed we didn’t do enough. We needed more time.”

Daniel stared at Orrin and slowly raised his hand to point at the masses beside and behind them. “We’ve got five thousand troops from Odrana and Dey, a thousand elves, and hundreds of orcs and dwarfs. There are more walls and barracks built into the path behind us than I even know about. You figured out a way to make everyone stronger. What more could we need?”

Orrin smiled ruefully. “I notice you didn’t mention yourself, [Hero].”

Daniel shrugged. “I don’t think I’m needed here. You made this possible. They don’t stand a chance at making it to Dey.”

Orrin turned red but kept his head up. He had spent the prior week making spell orbs and preparing in a hundred small ways. The little glass balls could store a spell for release by anyone. His specialty was stat buffs. He could cast spells that made a person stronger or quicker. He could also increase a mage’s mana pool or even the intensity of their magic. In a world where a person had a limited amount of magic they could cast a day, Orrin’s help increased the output of thousands of people by an unfathomable amount. His spell orbs were directly responsible for the Outer Wall and all the traps they’d built in the Pass.

His knowledge of the Pass was also second to none now. Lord Catanzano, one of the leaders of Dey, paid special mages called [Locationists] to teleport Orrin all over the Pass. Once he’d seen a location, he could return himself using [Teleport]. The Pass was an eighty-mile-long path through the mountains that separated civilization from the demon lands. It tapered from ten to fifteen miles wide at the ends, with a massive forty-mile wide section near the middle. The best [Locationsist] in Dey could travel to ten spots in one day by himself. Orrin used [Teleport] ten times before lunch, moving groups of people out to the Outer Wall and back.

Orrin reached up to touch his hair, missing the length. He’d not had it cut for months but Madi insisted he sit still for twenty minutes last night and let her hairstylist clean him up. He’d gone back to clip some additional ingredients from his penidrop mothershroom for potions. Just one potion, really. Early on in their adventure in Asmea, Orrin found a recipe for a potion that increased the regeneration rate of a person’s mana. He’d made as many as he could and started handing out single doses to the most powerful spell casters he could find.

“Madi should be here,” Daniel muttered darkly as they watched the human generals put in charge conferring with Leanthun. The beautiful elven man carried his Citrandish bow in one hand, while his khopesh and magical mace rested against either hip. “The humans are trying to boss the elves around again. I better go deal with this.”

Orrin watched Daniel move down the steps of the fortress. The mouth of the Pass was closed by the Outer Wall but a tower, rooms, and stone stairways along the southernmost part of the structure gave Orrin pause. This was nothing more than a fantasy castle. The battlements were wide enough for the elves to stand five men deep and shoot their arrows in volleys. Orrin was surprised at Daniel’s knowledge of siege warfare and the recommendations his friend had made. Roofless towers within sight of each other would give the illusion of entrances but each gate had no stairs leading up. Instead, a single [Earth Mage] could drop tons of stone down in a trapped chute while archers and mages sent arrows and spells flying from the top.

He leaned back and slid down the wall, checking his stats. He was ready and buffed with his daily [Utility Ward] but would need to top off his stats before any real battle began. Orrin kept one eye on Daniel as he yelled at the humans that the lords of Dey had given command to. The last time demons were this close, Daniel lost his senses and ran into danger. Half the reason Orrin was allowed to be on the front lines next to Daniel was to keep him from doing the same again.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

If it was up to the other leaders of Dey, Orrin would be locked in a room, churning out spell orbs for everyone to use… or in a few already-discovered cases, stolen for later resale. With the massive amount of [Increase Will] spell orbs that he’d created, Orrin knew someone would figure out his spell sooner rather than later. After his stint in the Sanerris School for Spells in Odrana, he knew how smart the people of this world could be when they wanted to be.

Twenty minutes later, a runner approached Daniel’s group and spoke with some of the attendants near the edge. Orrin raised an eyebrow when Leanthun turned and said something before pointing toward Orrin’s dark corner. As the dark-haired man made his way to Orrin, he recognized him. Dale, one of the [Locationists] that Silas had hired to ferry messages between the two ends of the Pass.

“Orrin, you’re needed in Dey. Lord Catanzano requests your immediate presence,” Dale informed him when he was close enough. “I can bring you back so you can conserve your mana.”

Orrin waved at Daniel and pointed two fingers at his wrist when his friend spared him a moment of his attention. Spare two minutes?

Daniel held up his hand to forestall whatever the younger general was saying. Orrin didn’t care enough to keep the different men’s names straight but this one was particularly annoying. Raymond Hayder wanted to rush the demons on the field and use Orrin’s spell orbs to rain hell from above with spells before swooping in for the kill. A decidedly insane way to get everyone killed.

“It’s over, Raymond. We have the high ground,” Orrin murmured to himself as Daniel jogged back to him.

“Excuse me? Did you say something?” Dale asked as Daniel closed the distance.

“Sorry, it was nonsense. Forget it.”

“What do you need?” Daniel demanded a minute later.

“Silas wants a word, I guess.” Orrin shrugged. “Want to come with?”

Daniel leaned over the edge of the crenelation and shook his head. “If they keep moving at this rate, we’ll have our first encounter within an hour. Is this necessary?”

“Dale? Did Silas say what this was about?” Orrin parroted Daniel’s annoyed tone but wagged his eyebrows in an exaggerated form so Dale knew he was playing.

“Lord Catanzano did not give me a reason but did say that it was an urgent matter. He doesn’t need the [Hero], though. I was told to bring Orrin back quickly.”

Orrin held Dale’s gaze as the man answered. When Silas had hired the man a few days ago, Orrin traveled the Pass with him. He’d been calm and without fear. Right now, he was sweating.

“I’ll go with you in a minute then, Dale,” Orrin said. “I just need to go tell the generals that I’ll be right back.”

“Orrin, we don’t have time—” Daniel started to argue.

“D, if Silas says it’s urgent, I should go,” Orrin interrupted his friend. “I’ll come with you to tell Leanthun he needs to keep Raymond from attacking.”

Daniel cocked his head but didn’t argue.

“Dale, wait here,” Orrin ordered and walked away, not looking back. Daniel followed.

“What’s going on?” Daniel whispered.

“Silas wouldn’t ask us to meet him without giving a reason. Dale wants to separate me from the group. The Hospital might be making a play or shit, it could even be Anabella.”

“She wasn’t executed?” Daniel nearly tripped in surprise. “Fuck.”

“I could be wrong,” Orrin conceded. “Silas could need me but he’d send Madi. She’s supposed to be here anyway by now.”

“What’s the plan?” Daniel’s fist clenched.

Orrin smiled at the instant trust of his best friend. “Leanthun has the teleport wards set up, right?”

Daniel nodded. “Yeah, but they haven’t activated them yet.”

Orrin turned and waved at Dale, who was still standing behind them undecided on if he should stay or hurry after them. “Tell him to get close to Dale and use one. If we can pin him down, we might have a chance to get some information from him. If he runs, we won’t know who sent him.”

“You’re sure?”

Orrin frowned. “No, but I’d rather tell him sorry than walk into another trap. He’s nervous and the man travels alone for a living. Something has him rattled.”

Orrin smiled and shook Leanthun’s hand while pointing at the young general. His words did not match his actions. “As soon as I return to that man, get someone sneaky over there as soon as possible and set up a teleport ward. Something is about to go down.”

“Why are you pointing at me? You might be in the [Hero]’s party but I’m—” Raymond started belligerently. Daniel cut him off. Orrin ignored the conversation and waited for Leanthun to nod slowly.

“It’ll be done. Don’t move too quickly. He appears to be ready to run.” The elf’s gaze flickered over Orrin’s shoulder for the barest of seconds. “I need ten seconds to get someone in place.”

Orrin nodded and raised his hand to Daniel for a high-five. “If I’m not back in twenty minutes, kill some demons for me,” he nearly shouted, trying to be overheard. “Silas better have a good reason for calling me away right before the fun starts.”

He made his way back to Dale, moving as slowly as he could without giving himself away. He counted to twenty in his head before he got close. “I can [Teleport] back if you want. You can save some mana.”

Orrin prayed that Dale would accept the offer. If they were truly going to Lord Catazano’s house, his base of operations, the saved spell would let Dale continue to work today.

“It’s fine, he’s at a different location with the other lords. You wouldn’t know where it is,” Dale said with a sigh of relief. He believed Orrin was coming with him. “Here. Accept my party invite.”

Orrin felt nothing different in the air but trusted Leanthun. “No, Dale. I’m not going anywhere with you. Tell me who really sent you.”

Dale didn’t wait. He blinked once, realizing his [Teleport] had failed. The man’s green eyes widened in fear but to his credit, he reacted quickly. Raising his hand toward Orrin, he cast a spell.

Orrin expected to be attacked. Dale was an adventurer at heart, someone who traveled to new places to see different sights. He had to have a way to defend himself. The wards that Orrin cast would protect him from nearly every type of damage but what he hadn’t expected was a simple [Wind] spell.

The air gathered and pushed into his chest. Orrin stumbled back, his knees buckled as he hit the edge of the wall, and he fell backward off a fifty-foot drop.