The group rearranged their formation and began their march down the hallway. Ruckanos saw nothing but a sunlit field of flowers beyond the end of the tunnel. Had this been a normal Tower, he might have thought it suspicious, or possibly a rest zone. With this Tower…he guessed the imposter just put a random field of flowers haphazardly, wasting an entire room choice on what was likely a useless decoration of a room.
But then, the captain stopped. Ruckanos only heard a light buzzing noise before the captain shouted.
“Brace!”
The lead guards raised their shields just as five bees flew down in front of the entrance, larger than any bee Ruckanos had ever seen, as large as his hand even. They did not make their way inside the tunnels, but hovered in place and swung their abdomens forward. A cone of liquid shot from each bee.
Thanks to the captain’s quick reaction, most of the liquid splashed against the guards’ metal shields. However, some flew past and landed on one of the guard’s face. For a moment, he just dabbed at his face.
And then he started screaming. The captain motioned and the other guards pulled him off the line to the few mages who knew a bit of healing magic. One of the mages managed to retaliate with a quick fireball but the bees flew away from the entrance long before it arrived. As soon as the danger had passed, the bees returned and launched another spray. One guard lifted his shield high to protect his face and got his legs drenched. He lasted a moment longer before the poison sunk into his clothes, and then he started screaming too.
The captain motioned forward.
“Move out!”
The guards began a brisk march forward while the mages tried to cover them. The bee monsters were too quick and too far away, but the spells at least bought them some time.
“Halt!”
The captain suddenly called out but one guard, focused on the bees ahead, didn’t catch the command and stumbled into a Pit Trap. He fell with a shout…and then Ruckanos heard one of those honey traps activate.
Really? The imposter put a honey trap at the bottom of the pit? Why?
The guards could do nothing but wait and endure the toxic sprays as two of the mages formed another bridge across the pit…two because one got caught by the sprays mid-spell.
Once it finally finished, the captain pointed his sword forward.
“Charge!”
The men rushed forward before they lost their nerve. Ruckanos ran with confidence, pushing the mages around him to do the same. They had been surprised, for sure, and had taken shocking casualties from a mere handful of bees. But what was any of that before the will of the gods? A couple of bee monsters would not stop him from grasping his destiny…
Then, Ruckanos and the mages stepped out of the tunnel and into a flower field. Ruckanos was hit with a wall of sound, a cacophony of buzzing noises that nearly drowned out the captain’s shouts. His eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped as he saw the sight beyond.
He knew now how this incompetent imposter had survived. He knew now who or what had carried the imposter through.
Because all around him, in the skies and on the ground, in every direction, was a countless number of bees.
“Fall back!”
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The captain’s shout shocked Ruckanos out of his haze. He was about to object when a guard grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back. The captain and the front guards slowly walked backwards with their shields up, warding off a group of bees that dove down on them. The captain’s sword flashed and three of the monsters fell, but the other guards could not strike quickly enough to counter. Still, they managed to pull back into the tunnels.
“Captain, what are you doing?”
The captain didn’t even look at him, keeping his eyes on the tunnel ahead.
“Commander, retreat is our only option here. The Tower Lord is already hostile and we do not have the numbers to push through. We will not survive if we push forward. I am not sure we can even safely retreat if they push the issue.”
Ruckanos scowled.
“Retreat is not an option, captain.”
The front guards had to lift their shields to block another spray.
“And what would you have us do, Commander? We die if we push forward.”
“We die if we leave, too! Do you think help is coming for us, commander? Do you think we’re going to find supplies and safe haven here? Do you think the Conclave will simply let us go even if we survive until they arrive? No, captain, our only options here are victory or death. The gods led us here, so there must be a way!”
The captain grimaced while Ruckanos glanced around.
“Why not the wyverns?”
The captain shook his head.
“The skies are full of them, they’ll never get aloft.”
Ruckanos rubbed his chin.
“What about the mages? We cast a grand fireball to punch a hole and then fly through.”
“That…”
The captain paused.
“…they clearly avoid danger so…it might actually work. If we can get the wyverns out of these tunnels and airborne.”
For a brief moment he turned and looked Ruckanos in the eye.
“We’re going to take casualties, though, and we’ll have an angry bee army on our tail. If we do this, we will not be able to retreat. There will be no going back.”
Ruckanos narrowed his gaze.
“There never was.”
The captain nodded and began to bark his orders.
“You four, and you two mages, with me. Everyone else, saddle up and prepare your mounts as best you can. You will not have long.”
On the captain’s orders, one of the mages on the ground created a powerful gust of wind down the tunnel. The toxic spraying bees showed up once more but were blown off course when they tried to approach the entrance. Ruckanos and the others tried to climb onto their wyverns as best they could. He had to lay flat to avoid bumping his head on the roof of the tunnel, but he managed to strap in as securely as possible.
The captain then nodded and gave the order. He and the frontline guards with him rushed forward with their shields up while the two mages followed. The guards held their shields to ward off another dive attempt by the bees while the mages quickly cast their spell. A sphere of winds wrapped around the tunnel entrance, warding off the bees. The spraying ones attacked again but the toxic spray was blown away before it landed.
The wyverns then crawled out one by one, digging their claws into the dirt to push through the wind. The wyvern-mounted mages then assembled around Ruckanos. They all lifted their hands and spoke as one.
“God of Fire, hear our plea. Let your fires rage and light our path. Let our enemies burn in the blaze of your inferno, let nothing remain but ash and smoke.”
A magic circle of red light formed in the air above all of them. A massive ball of fire began to form in the air, flickering in the heavy winds around them. The captain nodded at the two mages with him and they dropped their wind spell. The bees began to dive immediately but they were too late. A grand fireball had formed and now shot into the sky. Sweat dripped down Ruckanos’s face from the heat, even at this distance, but he smiled as the fireball soared.
He grasped the reigns and dug into his saddle. In but a moment, the fireball would explode and the sky would turn from black and yellow to red and orange. They would have but a moment then to fly while the fire dissipated.
But, once they did, Ruckanos doubted bees of this size could keep pace with a wyvern in flight. They would push past this army and move to confront the imposter directly. He knew that whatever the odds, the gods willed his victory. It would work. He knew it would work.
Then, victory would be…
At that moment, they heard a growling noise, like the grunts of a bear. A small but bright blue ball of fire flew out of nowhere and slammed right into the grand fireball, sinking within it. For a moment, Ruckanos thought he had imagined it.
And then the fireball exploded. A curtain of blue extended out across the sky and engulfed the red flames, redirecting them to the sides…or down. Ruckanos ducked as tongues of fire fell from the sky. One of the mages was caught, screaming as he and his wyvern burst into flames.
Ruckanos’s eyes widened. Further across the field, he saw a group of bestial subhumans approaching, their leader wrapped in bright flames. While above, the bees buzzed angrily. And there were no longer flames nor winds to stop them.