Ted marched at the head of the battlemages, his heart in his throat. A steady stream of injured dwarves headed in the opposite direction, back to the infirmary outside the keep.
Judging from the thickening smoke in the air, the dungeon spawn had broken through the gate. The new runes hadn’t held.
As they drew close, Ted pictured Luther in his mind, and cast a Telepathy/Target/Communicate spell. As the spell took hold, a mental presence brushed against his mind. Luther? I’ve got them.
Thoughts came back quickly, clearly from Luther, but devoid of any tone or emotion. Main gate. Come quickly.
A knot formed in Ted’s stomach. They weren’t far. Hold tight. He broke into a jog and a thunderous din rose behind him. Fake clanking from fake armor.
They rounded the corner of the street and the main gatehouse came into view. Or, rather, the twenty-foot-tall troll slamming its club down onto what little remained of the gatehouse.
A knot formed in Ted’s gut. A troll wouldn’t have been able to break through those runes by pure strength alone, magic had to be at play. Magic meant casters. Had the casters been dealt with already, or were they still out there, waiting for the right moment to strike?
A torrent of goblins and savage orcs flowed around the troll, feeding a brutal assault against a phalanx of dwarves blocking the street. The interlocked wall of shields and spears held on desperately, a last ditch barrier between the town and extermination.
A thin, inadequate line getting slowly but inevitably pushed back by an endless flood of dungeon spawn. The dead piled up in front of them, but the horde kept coming. Behind them, Luther, Zelig, and several of the other mages healed as best they could.
Pissing in the wind to prolong their deaths. Ted broke into a sprint.
Yana moved up alongside him, her “armor” clanking loudly. “Have them move aside.”
Ted pushed a message out to Luther. Part the battle line.
Luther yelled a command in Dwarvish. The phalanx split in two, each side swinging open in an ordered fashion, a gate formed of shield and spear. Green-skinned foes surged through the opening.
The battlemages formed into a chevron as wide as the gap, eight abreast, with Yana at the tip. Their illusions dropped away, and they charged, casting spells as they went.
Mana swirled around Yana and she cried out in Common, “In Marshal Ortwin’s memory!”
Adrenaline rushed through Ted, restoring his stamina. A few of the dwarven mages glanced in their direction, but none of the other soldiers flinched, their focus entirely on the dungeon spawn before them.
Ted glanced over his shoulder at the twenty-four robed battlemages in full charge. A wave of buffs enveloped them—Armor, Absorb, and an orange magic Ted didn’t recognize.
Maybe they stood a chance after all.
The formation stampeded around and ahead of him. The front row fired off a volley of firebolts, each shot incinerating a foe. A second volley from the second line rapidly followed, and then the third.
Yana leaped into the air. She spread her arms, and they turned to wings. Green scales spread across her skin as she grew. Golden magic swirled around her and she soared into the air, transforming into a flying beast.
Ted’s heart pounded. Yana the Dragon indeed.
The battlemage formation smashed straight through the dungeon spawn lines and kept going, a fist of magical death. Above, Yana strafed the encroaching horde with short, deadly bursts of fire.
Incredible. Surplus to requirement, Ted slowed to a walk and stood next to Luther, watching and learning. These were real experts at work.
A frost barrage froze the troll, swiftly followed by a blastbolt that shattered it into a million pieces. No wonder they hadn’t felt this would be a challenge.
The battlemages carried on past the gatehouse, spreading out as they slaughtered their way through the dungeon spawn army.
Luther barked out orders in Dwarvish before clapping Ted on the back. “Good job, lad.”
“Right.” Ted watched, unable to tear his eyes away, as Yana devoured a savage orc whole, wondering if that counted as cannibalism. “Surely they can’t keep this up.”
“Twenty-four Battlemages including a dragon? Wouldn’t bet against them.”
Luther barked out another series of orders in Dwarvish. Several of the dwarven mages broke off and headed for the burning, wrecked buildings close to the gate, while Luther went back to healing the reforming phalanx.
Bolts of fire, dark, and blast magic shot into the air at the far end of the cavern. The few that hit the dragon had no visible impact. Yana flapped her wings and dived, incinerating the enemy mages with her fiery breath.
Ted stared at the injured soldiers and bit his lip. “I can’t heal.”
Luther finished casting a healing touch and sighed. “We need a barricade.”
“Right.” A little ball of darkness gnawed at Ted’s insides. Something was wrong. “Have any of the other gates fallen under attack?”
Luther nodded somberly and moved on to healing the next soldier. “Small, probing attacks. This was the main thrust.”
“Any sign of our purple-eyed demon? Yana believes it might be the Transcendent Destroyer.”
Luther’s nostrils flared. “Yana? Yana the Dragon? That dragon?” He looked out upon the carnage being wrought and snorted. “How the wheel turns. No sign, for better or worse.”
Was the totem linked to its ability to manifest? Ted’s gut twisted. That they should be so lucky. Sealed or not, the evidence pointed to it being great at long-range Telepathy. If the Destroyer wasn’t overseeing the main attack, that would only be because its attention was elsewhere.
“I’m going to check something out,” Ted said. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Luther cocked his head, paused, and nodded. “Do as you see best, ally.”
“Stay safe.” Ted gathered his mana and cast Levitate. Maybe he was just being paranoid, unable to accept a win.
Maybe.
The stone dwarven buildings rushed past him as he hurtled toward the keep. This wasn’t a disorganized rabble. Whatever it might be, something or someone was guiding it. So why attack where the dwarves were strongest?
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Ted’s chest pulled tight. A good general would attack where the enemy was unprepared. The attacks on the gates would have drawn guards away from the keep.
Cut off the head, and the body would wither.
But why waste mages on a distraction? Mages strong enough to break through powerful runes were a strategic asset. Why waste them blowing up the main gate?
Unless the explosion itself had been a distraction.
Ted’s looked up at the ceiling, scanning it for damage. There! A small hole in the roof, big enough to drop troops through, and completely unwatched by the dwarves.
Runes supported and strengthened the roof. There was no way it had fallen through accidentally. They must have broken through at the same time as the explosion.
Ted recast Levitate and headed for the keep. If a strike force was already on its way there, there was no time to go back for Luther.
They broke through the cavern roof. I’m heading to the keep.
As he drew close, dwarven screams filled the air. Ted’s heart pounded in his chest. All these people, they didn’t deserve to die.
The entrance to the keep came into view, and his blood ran cold. The dwarven medics lay dead in the infirmary and two hulking, bare-chested orcs were making their way along the lines of beds, slaughtering the critically injured dwarves.
A third, less bulky orc stepped over the pile of dead soldiers at the base of the steps up. Its eyes glowed purple, that same terrifying shade of purple he’d seen before.
Dark magic swirled around its hands and it began its ascent. Five guards stood in its way. They glanced between each other, forlorn doom in their postures, all too aware that their heavy armor was useless again magic.
They didn’t stand a chance, but they held their ground, prepared to fight to the death.
Ted flew as fast as he could, but he was too far away to help. Too far away to do anything.
They charged the advancing orc. It lifted its hands and cast a spell. Dark magic yanked the soldiers into the air and stretched them out in X-shapes, helpless playthings suspended in the air.
The orc cackled as he ripped them apart limb by limb, savoring every moment of their torture.
Ted’s stomach lurched, threatening to vomit. With his levitate expiring, he set down just short of the infirmary beds.
The pair of orcs stopped their murderous rampage and turned on him, sneering as they advanced.
Savage Orc
Level: 15
HP: 335/335
Stamina: 217/330
MP: 175/175
Status:
Rage roared in Ted’s chest, demanding revenge. He quaffed a mana potion, tossed the bottle aside, and summoned a firebolt into each hand.
100 MP restored!
The orcs charged. Ted hurled both firebolts at the first, reducing it to a pile of screaming death. He pulled on his mana again, stepping backward as he poured the power into a Levitate bolt.
“Ratonaka!”
The spell quivered in his hands, narrowly avoiding an explosion. A solid white bolt shot out, striking the orc mere feet away. Force magic grabbed the orc, overpowered its resistance to magic, and hurled it up into the air.
Force magic skill increased 3 → 4!
It wouldn’t last long. Ted slung his bow from his back, nocked an arrow, and shot the foul creature.
58 piercing damage dealt!
The Levitate effect wavered and failed. Gravity reasserted itself, slamming the orc back down onto the ground, stunning it.
Ted closed to point blank range and shot it in the head, inflicting a critical.
Even crippled, it twitched on the ground, still clinging to life. Ted drew his falchion, roared, and hacked the bastard to death.
5,820 XP received!
Ted stabbed it one last time for good measure. Death was too good for scum like that.
He exhaled heavily, trying to calm that rage. It was a stupid, non-sentient dungeon spawn. The Destroyer, though? That son of a bitch was going to pay.
A blast rung out, accompanied by the screech of twisting metal. Ted glanced up just in time to see parts of the keep’s gate flying over his head.
The glowing-eyed orc swaggered inside, hurling bolts of dark magic in rapid succession.
It occurred to Ted that Ardic might not be the target after all. Bringing an army straight into the heart of the city would shatter its defense. Half the town would be dead before they could even discuss evacuation.
Ted downed another mana potion and sprinted up the steps. Either way, the Destroyer—or whatever it was—had to be stopped.
80 MP restored!
He reached the top and cast a powerful Absorb, praying it would be enough.
It wouldn't, but he damned well wasn't going to abandon them.
More blood-curdling screams came from inside, and he dashed through the shattered entrance.
The stench of blood hit him like a truck. Dwarven body parts were strewn across the floor. The door to the war council was gone, a pile of ash on the floor, and a female battle cry bellowed from inside.
Ted stepped into the council room, and his stomach lurched. Blood and guts covered the walls. At the far end of the room, Ardic cowered behind Steward Frieda. She snarled, holding up a battle-axe almost as large as her.
The orc turned its glowing purple eyes upon Ted and sneered. “Right on cue, the Hero arrives.”
It took everything Ted had not to charge straight in. Luther was on his way—stalling was the better plan. “Leave them alone.”
Savage Orc
Level: 19
HP: 305/305
Stamina: 251/280
MP: 340/340
Status: Possessed, Armor, Absorb
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 10
Endurance: 15
Intelligence: 25
Willpower: 18
Personality: 9
The possessed orc flicked its finger, lifting Frieda up into the air and stretching her out to breaking point. “Or what?”
How powerful was the orc’s Absorb? If Ted pushed his magic to the limit, could he break through it in a single spell?
The pit in Ted’s stomach doubted it. The orc had casually thrown around magic far beyond Ted’s most powerful spells. And now, in the middle of conquering a town, it had stopped for a chat. Hubris, sure, but you didn’t do that unless you were sure the ants couldn’t hurt you. “What do you want?”
It licked its lips and gleefully smiled. “You know my name; you know what I want. Utter my name, and I might let this one live long enough to watch her town die. I haven’t heard it in so long.”
Ted swallowed. The power. The purple eyes. Could it really be? “That sounds like a shitty deal.”
The Destroyer raised an eyebrow, and flicked his finger. Frieda’s arm jerked and she screamed in agony.
Pain stabbed at Ted’s heart. Once he did what the beast wanted, what was to stop him from doing it over and over?
Nothing. He’d never be free, no matter what he gave over.
Frieda strained and shook her head, a monumental effort for such a tiny movement. She wasn’t afraid to die.
Ted bit his lip. He needed leverage. Something that the Destroyer wanted. Maybe… He looked away and clenched his eyes shut. “Transcendent Destroyer! Just… please… let them go.”
“That wasn’t so hard, was it, Hero?”
Frieda collapsed to the floor with a thump. Ardic rushed to her side, checking she was okay.
“Look at me,” the Destroyer said. “Look at me!”
A force pulled open Ted’s eyes and forced him to look up at the glowing purple eyes. Each was a maelstrom of unrecognizable magic brimming with more than enough power to rip Ted apart.
What if the plan didn’t work? Ted clamped down on his thoughts. He had to focus. He had to remember what was important.
Ardic was a lord and Frieda was a woman. He had to save them both. They both had to be saved, no matter what. No matter what he had to give up to do so, they had to be saved.
Ted swallowed. Save them, no matter what. “I can lead you to the portal stone.”
That force yanked Ted forward and down onto his knees. The Destroyer gripped Ted’s hair, jerked back his head, and stared deeply into his eyes.
“You’re not like other Heroes, are you, Edwin Willaims? You’re like him.”
“Him?” Ted’s gut twisted. No, he had to focus. Saving Ardic and Frieda. That was all that mattered.
The Destroyer seized Ted’s throat and squeezed. “Go on. Blink out of existence, if you’re going to.”
Blink out of existence? Could he do that?
The orc’s claws dug into Ted’s neck.
Breaths refused to come. Ted flailed, but the orc’s grip only tightened. There was no way out, he knew that, tried so damned many times already.
Not that he would run now if he could. He had a duty. He had to protect Lord Tonvalbortdelan. He had to protect the steward.
No matter how long a shot, he had to keep them safe.
Mental intrusion detected.
“I thought not.” The Destroyer leaned in, its hot breath carrying the stench of death. “If you lie to me, I will torture you for a thousand years.”
The blood drained out of Ted’s face. Ardic. Frieda. He had to save them. “Let them go, and I’ll lead you to the portal stone.”
The beast’s eyes narrowed. It snarled and nodded.
An axe swung at the orcs head, only to glanced off the Armor Aegis. It turned and waved its hand, throwing Frieda back against the wall.
“Show me to the portal, and I will permit these worthless mortal vermin to persist a little longer.”
Ted swallowed. He wouldn’t get a better deal than that. Whatever he could do to save them, he had to do it. He couldn’t let the town’s lord die if he could help it. “Please, let them live.”
“Time ticks forward.” The son of a bitch clicked his fingers and a gut-wrenching snap rang out.
Frieda howled in pain and clutched her hand. Ted winced and looked away. He had to keep them safe. He couldn’t risk them. He had to give the beast what it wanted.
The Destroyer yanked Ted up from the floor and shoved him toward the door. “Lead on, before I lose my patience.”