Just as Haddock landed with a group of unfamiliar individuals, Wizarding units and civil guards fought a gruelling battle. Three layers of Barricades were raised—heaps of spiked boxes, two layers of steel walls with mana-powered cannons and flamethrowers, and fields of barbwire netting between the barriers in an all-out effort to retard the deceased's progress. Military knights clad in steel armour and kilts served as the auxiliary defences on the frontline, with their great shields becoming rows of steel effigies and forming a man-made hallway to let the civilians evacuate while civil guards with their long-barreled rifles clustered between the shield hedges, raining lead havoc upon the undead.
“Your Honour, Grand Magus!” A wizard approached Haddock, his gaze falling upon Donar Crimsonmane who stood beside Haddock. “You bring Lord Donar? And who are these young ones?"
A couple of gentle taps for the lad's shoulder. “I will explain everything. Please gather the rest of the mages!” Haddock responded.
Inside the ravaged room of what was once a grocer, the wizards assembled a war conference. The Vice Grand Magus, Bartholomew Strongbark, was also in attendance, and his wide-set eyes had such a dexterous instinct that he managed to spot Alicia standing behind Donar in just one blink. Such ability was trained during his experience battling the elusive, whether they were men or not-men.
“Without diminishing my respect,” Strongbark somewhat bowed to Donar, “Why do you bring this Crimsonmane lass, Haddock? Surely you do not expect her to aid us!"
Haddock did not answer him, but one could tell how excited his countenance was.
And the dumbfounded Strongbark hated Haddock's excited means like it was bound to ill portents. “Shall this stripling aid us? And here I thought I held the mantle of callousness.”
“She won’t take up position afore the battle's vanguard, Barthie,” said Haddock. “I gave up the Arcane sphere to her—”
“You do what?”
“Oh, you heard me well. Regardless, The Divine Will appoints her to be the wielder of its might. She stands as our foremost to bestow Arcane blessings upon others.”
“Ascetic’s Whisper, of course.” Strongbark clapped his forehead while shaking his head. "Did it never occur to you to seek the aid of the Roman Celestian monks, recognised by Arcane likewise, rather than turning to her?"
The mages exchange hushed words with their fellow about the Grand Magus’ decision. An air of doubt enveloped the forlorn shop.
“We cannot tarry for another eternity to await the monks' aid. I know well you are still reluctant to the girl you deem ‘blasphemer of the mystic arts.” The Grand Magus then rested his hands on the table. “But your treatment is unfair. The magistrates of the Magisterium brimmed with malice because a Magicless lass obtained the paramount power in the universe. They forgot Arcane is not earned. It is a grace. Arcane itself chooses Alicia as its true wielder. Not those judges who rot in the ground now, not Barthie, not every single one of you… not even me. What matters if she is not a true witch? What avails it? Do you doubt the Divine will? Would you rather have your kin become the flesh-eating fleshes than ally with a pure Arcane wielder?”
Silence enveloped them all.
"Does the Avatar of Khaos possess more faith in their idol than each and every one of you?" the Grand Magus pressed.
“Our life and death are only to unite with the Silent Divine!” They all cried in harmony.
"Then cast aside your vile thoughts, damn it! Rejoice, for the Silent Divine provides its boon to Camelot. Receive its blessing!”
Those who initially muttered in uncertainty, cheering on the Grand Magus’ encouraging speech (Bartholomew excepted. His bitter visage was perennial). As Haddock granted her a slight nod, Alicia constrained her sentiments. Perhaps it was time for her to retract the words that the Grand Magus was an incompetent freak.
Bartholomew Strongbark spoke up once again. “So, what do you have in mind?”
“Alicia shall provide you with the small blessings from the pure Arcane. The civil guards and knights outside shall receive it, too,” uttered Haddock. “Use that divine gift to swiftly repulse the army of the dead.”
Haddock slowly twirled his wand, unleashing a cascade of shimmering golden stardust that coalesced into a map illustrating their current battle.
"We must press forward until they are cornered within the necropolis of Oldcastle Hill, where they rightfully belong." Haddock magnified the location of the graveyard in question. “Agosh has installed for himself the three dimension-ripping totems to raise the dead, even opening a pathway for the restless from the realm of Hades to the mortals'. Alicia, I assign you, along with your family and friends, the task of destroying those totems using your might. Meanwhile, I and the rest shall distract Agosh Grendi’s attention. Solely concentrate on destroying the totems until they are one with the earth. Do not let that mad mage shift your focus!”
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A question occurred to Alicia. “When will we purify him, then?”
“After you’re done destroying the totems. Wait for us to take down the mage. Your time will come after Agosh is sealed,” Haddock assured her. "I believe that covers everything. If any of you have questions, now is the time to ask."
All troops undertook their duty.
Haddock shouted their shibboleth, “May the Silent Divine grants Eternal Peace to us all!”
They let out the same cry and then went out to help the Magicless guards who were busy crushing the fierce skulls.
Bartholomew walked past Alicia, saying, “That mad Grand Magus is influenced by your mother to place faith in you. So you better don’t jeopardise this mission!”
“I-I’ll do my best!” Alicia, still intimidated by the imposing figure of Bartholomew, answered while looking down.
They all waited in anticipation for Alicia to bestow her blessings. It was surely odd that the people who once scorned her now relied on her for their very lives. Alicia could not hold her grudge anymore, for, at the time, they shared a common adversary.
“You hear that, Orb? They believe in us,” Alicia whispered to Orb. "Lend them your strength; help us defeat that wicked necromancer!"
A gentle response by Orb. As Alicia and Orb synchronised, mystical ley lines emerged from Orb, serving as a wellspring of power that interconnected everyone present. Wizards with their wands, soldiers with their rifles and shields, Nadine with her crossbow, and Gilmore with nothing but his bare hands. The ecstasy flourished amidst them all. Their bodies radiated a beautiful azure glow, unburdened and revitalised. Optimism had risen. They are ready to recoup their land from the invaders from Hades.
Just before the fight, Gilmore realised something. “Hold yer horses, I dinnae have a weapon. Nadine, gimme yer knife.”
“Are you mad? Go ask the soldiers over there!”
Gilmore smacked his lips. He re-entered the ramshackle shop earlier and came out with a round-headed hammer—the common apparatus for the throwing sport at the highland games.
“Can you bring that scout knife you touted a lot next time?”
“No need, Nadine! With intuition and teaching fae my Da, I can turn anything into a weapon, even this round hammer!” Gilmore proclaimed with a big, proud smile.
The talk between Nadine and Gilmore was cut short when hundreds of roars pierced their ears.
A new swarm of diverse corpses clamoured while rushing towards the warriors, mistaking them for prey. Too bad they should have been more discerning than that.
Aloud, Haddock shouted:
“Return them to Hades!”
With war cries reverberating throughout Eidyn, the hovering wizards with wands showered them with the Arcane volley. Even those flying undead could not escape the magic spells. It was effortless indeed, for the walking carcasses became ashes in a blink of an eye, unlike before when they clung to life until their bodies were completely obliterated. A single exposure to Arcane was all it took to erase them from existence. The soldiers did not want to lose from their magic peers either. They scoured for corpses in every corner, mercilessly slaying them as if carrying out genocide. A fair, justified genocide. Even the blows of their slender guns were deadlier than their own being! Donar, Leith, and the other wizards soared through the air along with the incoming flying ships, slaughtering the undead masquerading for avians and dragons, while Gilmore and Nadine, accompanied by an elite group of wizards, led Alicia towards the Oldcastle cemetery.
Gilmore was resembling a fairytale knight swinging his hammer. He even grew complacent and went ahead of the other units just to throw blows at the corpses’ skulls. Nadine and Alicia joined in, their projectiles finding their mark as the undead leapt from buildings and pounce on them. Nadine found no need for arrows anymore, as small blue Arcane rounds had taken their place, capable of transforming and replenishing without end.
“You know, with your power, we can do this together, over and over,” said Nadine.
“This is fun! My adrenaline is racing! I cannae stop Alica, help!” shouted Gilmore, as he kept hammering the poor bodies as if crushing stones. Either he was joking or really asking for help.
“It’s a wee of fun fighting with you pals, perhaps,” replied Alicia. “But I don’t want this to happen again! You know how tiring it is to get the Orb’s might out for you!”
Gilmore became more and more violent as he spun his hammer on the spot and crushed the undead’s jaw before it soared through the air. And because Arcane was coursing through that blunt weapon, it released a shock wave that swept across the battlefield, obliterating the lifeless horrors and reducing them to chunks of putrid flesh! The blast, however, was not without consequences. The shockwave also toppled some of the human fighters, breaking their formation and wasting a precious lucky token. Though it was a minor setback compared to the utter destruction wrought upon the undead.
The personnel glanced at the puerile Big Yin.
“Gilmore!” His two best friends scolded him.
“S-sorry. I’ll take my hammer.”
Gilmore immediately stretched out his hand, hoping the round hammer would return to his stout hand. Nothing ever came but more walking cadavers!
“Haw, how come didnae my hammer come? It should be possible with Arcane might, should it not?” Gilmore asked, confused.
“Who said Arcane could make you like that?” Nadine is still busy shooting Arcane from her crossbow.
“You’re not ‘Donar’ with Mjöllnir, Gilmore! Stop messing about!” This time, Alicia expressed her annoyance, until she suddenly warned him again, “Gilmore, watch out!”
Two strange double-headed undead with raucous noises approached the lad, appearing to be gnarly and barely without skin. With bloodied teeth, they intended to rip Gilmore’s nose and cheeks out. Startled, Gilmore shrieked while pushing them away with his glowing blue fists. The deformed, mutated corpses were abruptly flung far away and exploded near the abandoned black carriage, littering the shiny carriage with a mass of blackened, mushy carrion organs.
“I see noo, Arcane gave me super strength! Yasss!”
Nadine replied, “Och, glad you understand now, bampot! But don’t get excited just yet. There’s aye a lot ahead!”
“But I dinnae want to lose my beloved hammer. Alicia, Nadine, escort me tae get it!”
“Ugh, Gilmore, Ye're a wee scunner!” Alicia raged.
Fierce battles between humans and the undead continued throughout the city until they succeeded in pushing the death army closer to the Oldcastle Hill cemetery. []