Reviled sat at the table across from Skivret. They were looking at the map of the sewers with wooden pieces marking the other wererat camps with reports next to it. Skivret twisted his whiskers in frustration as he looked at the reports.
“We do not want to fight a war on two fronts,” Reviled said.
“Then what do you suggest?” Skivret said, “My brothers are gathering all of their forces at Camp Dethkret,” he pointed to a camp that sat beyond their territory.
“This is your war,” Reviled said, “We’ll leave this to you to figure out, but we will help should you need it.”
Skivret scratched his snout, “I’ll need as many undead as you can create,” he said, “Also, do you have any spells that can create barriers?”
“Yes,”
Skivret taps on the map that’s as far away from the enemy camp but at the edge of their territory, “Then let’s head out as soon as possible,”
Olmret sat on his plush chair looking down at the reports provided by his scouts. His brothers, Dolbret and Uhlgret, sat on pillows at his feet, each looking nervous. They were concerned about the soldiers getting restless outside.
“How have we not found Skivret’s camp?” Olmret said glaring at his brothers.
“We’ve searched everywhere we could,” Dolbret said, “The only place left is the monster’s territory.”
Olmret scratched the area around his missing ears, “Damn coward hiding behind that abomination.”
“But we need to do something,” Uhlgret said, “We can’t keep the soldiers at the ready forever.”
“Then we should just spread through that part of the sewer,” Olmret said crushing the report, “We can’t let the fear of the monster keep us from crushing that red-eye bastard.”
“Sire!” a scout rushed in, “We found the enemy camp!”
“About time,” Olmret said taking the report, “Where is it?”
“It’s on the other side of the sewers, just within the monster’s territory.”
Dolbret scratched his ear but stopped when he noticed Olmret’s scowl, “How did our scouts get past the undead?”
The scout bowed, “There weren’t any,” he said, “When we were scouting the area, we saw the monster leaving the camp, but it looked severely damaged.”
Olmret laughed, “The monster’s leaving that albino to fend for himself,” he said, “Gather the men, we’re moving out!”
The camp came to life as the soldiers rushed around getting ready. Olmret stood at the head of the column with his brothers and led the two hundred soldiers out. They ran through the sewer tunnels on all fours. The sewer rats scattered in terror at the echoing stampede of the army. The army skirted around the edge of the monster’s territory. The army slowed and started sneaking to Skivret’s camp. They stopped with the camp walls barely in sight.
“What’s the plan brother?” Dolbret said.
“We’re going to split our forces,” Olmret said, “Uhlgret will take a third of our forces and take them to the other side of the camp that way they have no place to escape to. Then we’ll break through the wall and slaughter them,” Hatred filled his eyes, “Leave Skivret for me though.”
“Understood,” they both said.
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Dolbret sat at the front of his forces, seventy-five soldiers waiting for the order to charge. He was waiting for the signal from his brother so that he could charge the wall. He scratched his ears as he looked around. He didn’t like the idea of running into Decker’s monster, even if it was badly hurt. A horn sounded from the other end causing Dolbret to sigh.
“Charge!”
The soldiers rushed past him. Arrows flew out from the gaps in the misshapen wall, but the soldiers in front blocked them with their wooden shields. The soldiers reached the wall, and they started cutting the ropes on both ends of a small section. The ropes snapped under the pressure of the storming soldiers, and the wall fell into the camp. Dolbret charged in with the rest of his soldiers. He pushed his way through the soldiers and stopped when he reached the front.
A hundred-fifty soldiers stared in disbelief. There were no tents. No enemy soldiers. No signs of life. The camp was completely empty save for bones and the single platform standing in the center of the camp. Dolbret squeaked in terror.
“Good, everyone’s here,” the monster said looking down on them, “Now we can have some fun.”
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The monster raised its right hand, and a clap of thunder caused the soldiers to flinch. A wall of transparent shadow surrounded the camp walls. A dark red fog of magical energy fell from the monster’s raised hand and coalesced around their feet.
Dolbret shook himself, “Shoot it down!” His orders roused the nearby soldiers.
The soldiers nearby raised their bows. The soldier next to Dolbret cried out in pain as a spear shot out of the fog. A dozen more spears shot out of the fog striking down more soldiers, and from the red mist rose an army of skeletal soldiers. Screams echoed through camp as the skeletons struck out at the wererat army.
Fear ran down Dolbret’s spine. He turned to run but something grabbed his leg. One of his dead soldiers jumped out of the fog and bit into his leg. Dolbret screamed as he drew his sword and cut off the zombies head. Blood gushed out of the wound as he limped to the wall. More zombies rose up joining the skeletons in the fight.
Dolbret reached the wall but was stopped by the magical barrier. He saw Olmret staring at him in horror, and he slammed his fist into the barrier screaming at his brother for help. A shriek paralyzed him. Dolbret couldn’t move, but he felt the claws dig into his face and the teeth sink into his neck. Pulled to the ground, Dolbret couldn’t even scream as his flesh was torn away. The searing pain was the last thing he remembered.
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Olmret couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Two-thirds of his forces sat on the other end of the magical barrier dying. He watched his brother be torn apart by the undead. He took a step back as blood flew through the barrier and splattered onto the stone at his feet. Olmret couldn’t take his eyes off the slaughter in front of him, but then a pair of blazing red orbs drew his attention. He couldn’t hold back the whimper that escaped his throat.
The monster stalked towards the barrier, crushing bone and flesh underneath its clawed feet. The zombies rushed forward consuming the mangled remains of the dead. Despite the obvious signs of damage, Olmret couldn’t help but tremble at the sight of the monster, especially with the undead lumbering around it. The monster stood there, staring down at the remaining army.
“Where’s your courage prince?” the monster said cackling at them, “You proclaimed yourself the future rat king, and yet, you hid yourself away while your brothers died.” Its echoing laughter caused Olmret’s heckles to raise as he looked at the ground. “Look at us!” Its shout caused him to flinch and step back, “Pathetic, at least Skivret had the fortitude to look us in the eye.”
Olmret clenched his fists, “I’m…better than…him,” he said to the floor.
“No, you’re not,” the monster said, its laugh coming out as a high-pitched hiss, “Skivret has proven himself to be your superior time, and time again. He proved himself by outsmarting us when we first met. He faced and overcame his own weakness when Nimble was captured,” the monster’s voice turned cold, “He showed sound judgement in defeating you. You, Olmret, are a failure. A pathetic creature desperately trying to hold onto what little you have left.”
“I’m not pathetic,” Olmret said still not looking up.
The monster stepped back from the barrier and gestured for him to approach, “Then come and fight us,” Olmret stood still, “Or are you too scared,” it laughed at him again. The laughter pierced Olmret’s ego, and he fled down the tunnel. “Keep running coward!” The monster’s laughter chased Olmret.
Olmret and his men retreated down the tunnels. Fear clung tightly. They were in such a rush to make it to the nearest camp that they nearly ran into the wooden wall blocking their path.
“Where’d this come from?” Olmret said staring at the wall.
“Should we cut it down?” a soldier said.
“We don’t have time,” Olmret said looking back the way they came. Fear that the monster would release the undead, he started down the side branch, “This way!”
Olmret kept his head on a swivel. The sewers that he called home now felt foreign to him. He flinched at every sound and screamed when he passed the shadow of a rat. This was all the monster’s fault, and that filthy albino. They came to another four-way intersection, but two of the tunnels were blocked with wooden walls. He took the left tunnel, fully aware that it was taking him deeper into the monster’s territory. Where are these damn walls coming from?
An intersecting tunnel appeared and Olmret turned down the right passage. Something caught his attention, and he threw himself to the ground. Olmret heard his soldiers scream. Skivret and a dozen of him soldiers sat down the left tunnel, firing volley after volley of arrows into Olmret’s retreating force. Olmret jumped forward avoiding another arrow and continued to run down the tunnel. The dying scream of his soldiers followed close behind.
“Where are you going brother!” Skivret’s taunt echoed off the walls.
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Skivret watched as Olmret disappeared into the darkness. His forces finished off the last of Olmret’s soldiers as they tried to claw their way down the tunnel. Everything had gone according to plan.
“Gather everything you can from the dead,” Skivret said, “Hurry, we don’t have much time. We need to meet up with the rest of our forces at Camp Dethkret.” He turned down the tunnel, “I’m going to check on master Reviled. I’ll be back shortly.”
Skivret rushed down the tunnels. Their ambush wasn’t that far from the false camp they had quickly built. A shadowy barrier stood around the wooden walls, but the single opening allowed him to see the carnage inside.
Skivret swallowed back the vomit trying to rise, but the thick stench of death made it difficult to fight back. Blood splattered the wood and stones. A group of zombies stood by the opening, and he watched in disgust as they cannibalized each other. One zombie was being torn apart limb from limb as the others ate it.
“Excellent work Skivret,” Reviled’s voice drew him back, “Your plan was flawless.”
“T-thank you master,” Skivret said tearing his sight away from the undead, “It’s time to start phase two. Will you be joining us?”
“Unlikely,” Reviled said, “Killing Field will be active for a few more hours, and we don’t have control over these undead, so the barrier needs to stay active.”
“They aren’t under your control?”
Reviled turned to the lumbering zombies, “It’s part of the spell. It’s useful in creating mass numbers of undead without needing the caster to maintain the spell, but the downside is that the undead are most likely to target the caster as well.”
“Why aren’t they targeting you?” Skivret said watching the zombies ignore the metallic monster.
“Because we aren’t living, in the regular sense of the word,” Reviled chuckled, “No matter, we’ll stay here until the spell wears off. The last thing we need is an army of the undead wandering through the sewers unchecked.”
“Then I’ll meet up with Nimble,” Skivret said, “We need to start phase two before Olmret can send word for reinforcements.” He turned and ran down the passage.
“Good luck!”