With what precious time they had to prepare, Nameless went to work. He ordered Karl to enchant as many arrows and crossbow bolts as possible as range attacks will be what decide the outcome of this battle.

“Explosive?” Karl asked.

Nameless paused to think. It was about time and resources. With a regular enchantment, Karl could imbue many more arrows and bolts than if he used explosive runes. But this was likely the endgame.

“Yes,” the knight responded.

The polka-dotted Ooraki nodded and quickly went to work.

“Were your ghouls spotted?” Nameless asked Zel.

The necromancer smirked, “of course not! My Ghouls are very capable.”

Nameless grumbled. That didn’t help, but it was no use in pushing the necromancer further. He had to assume that they still had the advantage of surprise over Zaverick’s forces. He left Zel to their meditation and searched for Elora. He found the half-elf talking with Siv and the other shadow mages. Elora had her tablet out.

“Tell me some good news,” the knight asked.

“We can create a veil to hide us,” answered Elora.

“Will it be tasking?” Nameless said.

The last thing the knight wanted was for his mages to exhaust their magic before the actual fighting.

“We came up with a plan that would make it easy, but….” Elora began.

Nameless crossed his thick arms and tapped a foot.

“It will require all of us to be clumped together,” Siv completed the sentence.

The knight nodded. That was not bad. In addition to shadow magic and illusions, many of their fighters were also skilled in regular stealth.

“We do not need to use magic to veil our entire force. We can have some hide amongst the rocks with camouflage cloaks,” Nameless stated.

Siv said, “Snel had a suggestion.”

Elora scowled, but Nameless nodded for Siv to get the human.

Snel arrived holding what looked like a cloak made of interwoven grass. “We can use these to hide a portion of our forces within the field.”

“How many do you have?” Nameless asked.

“With the time that we have to prepare? We can have half a dozen more,” Snel replied.

The knight nodded with a wave, and Snel hurried off to make the preparations.

“How can I assist?” Milandra asked.

Nameless had forgotten about her. She has been quiet and did an excellent job of staying out of everyone’s way.

“Have you discovered any new abilities that can aid us in the coming fight?” He asked.

Milandra smiled but shook her head.

“In that case, find Elora and stay hidden. More importantly, stay alive.” Nameless said.

The silver-haired lady rubbed the knight’s shoulder and departed.

Nameless did some calculations. He had a fighting force of twenty, not including himself. Five shadow mages, one necromancer, two ghouls, and twelve members of the Order of Shaymus that were skilled in sword, stealth, and archery. One positive was that their range capability was very strong. With Karl’s explosive enchantments, they should be able to even out the battle field. Assuming that they prepare properly. Zaverick has a larger force and air superiority. Nameless knew he had a small window of opportunity for surprise that could turn the tides in their favor. However, if they mess up, then the fickle tides of luck will shift for the enemy. Nameless nodded. He had a plan and enough time to implement it before the fighting began.

LATER

ARMOR MAGIC REMAINING: 30.50%

Nameless crouched beside Elora, Zel, and Karl behind one of the dozen boulders that surrounded the steel doors that could only be opened by a servant of the gods with pure faith. The knight felt the tingling from Elora’s magical veil cover him and the others. Milandra was out of sight, which comforted the knight. They decided to split up the shadow mages so that each used their illusions to hide small clumps of warriors. Snel, plus a half dozen other archers, hid under their camouflage just outside the ring of stones. Ghoul One and Ghoul Two could consort their bodies in unnatural ways to hide under the boulders and out of view from above. Everything was set, and now all they could do was wait.

And wait, they did. Nameless kept a vigilant eye on the forest edge where Zaverick would approach from. Nameless had anticipated correctly what the war priest would do. The knight’s keen senses heard the enemy land in the forest to advance on foot to the edge of the clearing. Nameless knew that Zaverick would not commit his entire force to the air, and the war priest sent a small scouting party that flew across the clearing to circle above the rocks where the knight and his forces were hidden.

This was a pivotal moment. If they were not spotted, then the opportunity for success remains open. The giant canine-headed demons screeched loudly that, sent shivers among the hidden warriors below. Everyone held steady, and the monsters flew back to the edge of the forest to disappear behind the tree line. Nothing else happened.

“Do you see anything?” Nameless whispered.

Karl and Elora shook their heads, but Zel pointed a bony finger.

Emerging from the forest edge on flapping wings were Zaverick’s demon force. They flew toward the rocks and were spread out in a wide formation. The demons were huge, muscular, and carried heavy-bladed spears. Karl readied his crossbow, and Elora gripped her blades. It was just a few weeks earlier when they were barely able to take down one Greater Caizene. They each have improved tremendously in their craft and in combat. It remains to be seen if it would be enough to defeat the approaching force.

Flying just behind the demons was the prince himself. He soared on glowing wings that looked to be made of fire. He was a massive man, in full-plated armor and helmet similar to Nameless, except the prince’s armor was blood red. A curved two-handed ax was gripped in his gauntleted hands. They were halfway across the field when Nameless decided to spring the ambush. It was time to roll the dice and see what fate would bring.

“Fire!” Nameless shouted.

Popping out of invisibility and rising up from camouflage blankets, dozens of archers fired their bows and crossbows. The enchanted arrows exploded against an invisible barrier.

“Of course, they would have a magical protective shield,” Nameless grumbled.

“The barrier has shattered, have your archers fire again!” Zel cried.

Zaverick and his demons continued through the smoke.

“Again!” Roared Nameless.

The archers with bows were able to draw another arrow, load, and fire. The crossbow wielders needed to brace their weapons on the ground to pull back the drawstring. Without a protective barrier, the demons were struck, and their formation was broken as some fell from the sky, some swerved, and others dove. The fight was on!

“Elora, the archer illusion!” Nameless ordered.

The half-elf closed her eyes and moved her fingers while gripping her weapons. This was one of the illusions that they had planned where away from the ring of stones, more archers would appear to rise from camouflage to ready their bows. The misdirection worked as the demons threw their spears, and some dove to attack the phantasms. This trick brought crucial time for the archers to load their crossbows and launch a second volley.

Zaverick and his demon force were in disarray as another wave of enchanted arrows exploded into their ranks. Nameless was content to see several demons crash to the ground, never to rise again. The odds of winning were slowly tilting in their favor. If they could keep the demons confused longer for another volley.

“Siv!” The knight barked.

The goblin shadow mage crafted an illusion of more archers moving from behind the boulders to launch more phantasm arrows. This caused the demons to throw spears and dive to attack the new threat and expose their flanks for Zel to magical fire attacks. The rest of the monsters were able to land with heavy thuds among the stones. Their numbers diminished, and Nameless was out of tricks. This was it!

“Charge!” He boomed.

The knight, Karl, Elora, and the other warriors let out their battle cries and rushed the demons with their weapons drawn. Grass and dirt were churned from the ground as the two sides clashed against each other in a thunderous cacophony of clanging steel, howls of victory, and cries of defeat.

A hulking demon knocked away Siv’s two-handed sword and slammed the goblin against the stone with the butt end of its spear. Nameless intercepted the demon’s follow-up thrust with his obsidian sword and punched the monster with a gauntleted hand. The Caizene stumbled back, spitting out some teeth, and deflected a slash from Nameless with its spear. When the dark blade struck the weapon’s haft, Nameless quickly converted his slash into a thrust piercing the demon through the throat. Siv only had time to grunt out a quick “thanks” as three more demons charged them.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Across the field of battle, Zaverick yanked his bloodied ax out of the body of a goblin warrior and knocked another onto their back with a powerful kick. The war priest held up his free hand to summon up a shimmering red shield that disintegrated two incoming arrows. As the goblin archers were loading their bows, Zaverick hurled his two-handed ax across several meters before it fatally embedded itself into the chest of one archer. In a panic over seeing their colleague collapse dead beside them, the other archer fired their bow only to see their arrow bounce off the steel shoulder pauldron of the charging prince.

Nearby, a demon thrust a spear into an image of Elora that faded from view as the real Elora leaped and slashed the confused monster across its throat. Karl intercepted another demon’s spear, and the Ooraki activated the runes along his weapon to unleash lightning to shock his attacker and two other demons. As they were stunned, Elora stabbed one through the throat, and Karl hacked the head off another. The third recovered with a howl and slashed wildly. Elora ducked and cut the demon’s legs, and as it stumbled, Karl buried his ax into its skull.

Siv shadow phased away from the snapping jaws of an enraged Caizene just as Nameless sidestepped two swooping demons and twirled his blade with deadly grace. One of the demons fell to the ground without a head, and the other howled in pain as it stared widely at the bloody stump that used to be its right hand. Siv ended their screams with a thrust to the back of their neck as Nameless split the remaining demon’s skull in half with a downward chop of his obsidian sword.

As the battle raged around them, Elora and Karl paused to catch their breath amidst the smoke caused by Zel’s fire magic. Emerging from the haze was the red-armored body of Prince Zaverick. Elora’s eyes went wide, and Karl readied his ax. Without a preamble, the prince charged! Relying upon their hours of training and sparring, Karl and Elora sidestepped in opposite directions. Karl stomped the ground with a rune-covered boot causing the earth to shake, forcing the prince to halt their charge. Elora phased in and slashed at the gaps in the armor behind the knees, but her blades were intercepted by Zaverick’s ax. Elora was sent flying onto her back from a heavy booted kick.

Karl roared and chopped downwards. His attack was intercepted by the prince’s ax. Karl and Zaverick exchanged blows which resulted in Karl’s weapon being yanked into the air as the prince placed a booted foot behind Karl’s leg and shoulder tackled him to the ground. The prince caught Karl’s ax in mid-fall and studied it.

“This was my grandfather’s ax,” he said in a deep grating voice.

Karl frantically scurried on his butt away from the prince, who shrugged and raised the ax to bring down upon the enchanter’s skull. Karl was saved as fiery blasts exploded into Zaverick’s chest, forcing the prince to take a step back. The prince threw Karl’s ax, and it spun blade over haft with deadly accuracy toward the necromancer. Zel’s eyes went wide as they crossed their thin arms before them, but the edge never struck. It was intercepted with a loud thud by a leaping ghoul.

“Ghoul One!!!” Cried Zel.

The ghoul landed on their back with their eyes staring sightlessly up into the air. Ghoul Two howled and launched itself toward the prince, only to be struck down in mid-leap.

“You monster!!!” Zel screamed, spittle flying from their pale lips as they hurled fiery blast after fiery blast at the prince.

The war priest raised up his magical shimmering shield, but it was not enough to stop the furious barrage. The flames broke through the magical barrier and slammed into Zaverick, forcing the prominent prince to their knees. The fire in Zel’s hands faded as the necromancer screamed in agony, gripping their head. They used too much magic, and they fell to their knees as they attempted to fight off the insanity caused by the taint and too much mana flowing through their mind and body.

“Zel!” Elora, ignoring her own injuries, rushed over to soothe her friend.

The powerful magical assault had knocked the prince’s red helmet off, revealing a broad face with dark eyes and a thick square jaw. The prince’s long black hair fell widely around his face as he strolled over toward the group, and on the way, he yanked the ax free from Ghoul One’s inert body. The prince was forced to stop as he gritted his teeth from a crossbow thudding into his chest. Zaverick glared at Karl as the Ooraki frantically tried to load another bolt. In a blur of red armor, the prince rapidly closed the distance and painfully shouldered Karl onto his back. Karl was trapped on his back as the prince rested a heavy boot on his chest.

“Before I kill you, I request that you tell me how you came across my grandfather’s ax,” the prince asked, holding the ax blade over Karl’s head.

Karl gritted his teeth in pain as he was being crushed by the heavy foot. Elora crept silently behind the prince and lept, but her sword never found its mark. The prince dodged the slash and caught Elora in a vice-like grip by her throat, and lifted the elf into the air. She gasped and choked as she frantically slashed at his gauntlets with her dagger to no avail.

“The ax came from me,” Nameless said as he emerged into view.

Zaverick grinned at the knight before stomping on Karl’s chest causing the Ooraki to gasp out in pain. The prince casually tossed Elora aside to thud loudly into a stone. Nameless fumed at seeing his friends hurt, but the knight kept his calm as he readied his obsidian blade before him.

“My grandfather was a renowned ravager and favored by the God Ararax. His last adventure was decades ago, where he joined a group to defeat the Mad Mage,” Zaverick stated as he pointed his ax at the knight.

The prince continued, as the two warriors circled each other, “It has been said that the door to the Mad Mage’s chamber was guarded by a fearsome knight in black armor. Are you that very Black knight?”

Zaverick the Ravager? The name was familiar to Nameless. More accurately, it was familiar to who he was before Nameless. Before the Black Knight even. When he was Impetitus Caseo the Third, Templar to the Blue Flame. Fate is a funny thing.

“No words?” Zaverick asked.

The two continued to size each other up with their weapons held before them. They shuffled closer and mirrored each other’s steps. Both were waiting and observing. Finally, Nameless broke the tension with a thrust. Zaverick knocked the obsidian blade aside and countered with a downward chop, which Nameless parried, and the two simultaneously took a small retreating step back.

Zaverick grinned and raised his ax high and red energy emanated out from his body like a large flickering flame. With a bellow, the prince charged while chopping his ax downwards. Nameless sidestepped the blow, but before he could counter, the prince changed grips and slashed. The knight deflected the ax blade and turned his parry into a thrust that made sparks fly off the prince’s left pauldron. Zaverick shoved Nameless back and followed up with a wild slash that clipped the knight’s chest plate. Nameless was off-balanced, and Zaverick pressed aggressively forward.

Nameless saw an opportunity when one of Zaverick’s attacks went wide and dropped low to tackle the prince to the ground. Zaverick using his enhanced strength was able to lift the knight off, and the two rolled to their feet with their weapons held at the ready. The prince rushed forward with a howl, and Nameless was prepared. This time, instead of retreating, the knight closed the distance as he parried a powerful ax strike and shifted his wrists to smash the prince’s face with the pommel of his sword. Zaverick roared in a fury, with bloody spittle flying from his mouth. The prince surged forward. Recognizing that he could not match the war priest’s holy enhanced strength, Nameless circled away from the charge and aimed his blade at his opponent’s head. Nameless expected victory for the blow would be lethal, but instead, his obsidian blade bounced off a shimmering field of energy.

DIVINE ARMOR

ARARAX, THE GOD OF WAR, PROTECTS HIS FOLLOWERS WITH DIVINE ENERGY. THIS ENERGY CAN WITHSTAND MANY ATTACKS, BUT IT IS NOT INVINCIBLE. STRONG ENOUGH BLOWS CAN DESTROY THE BARRIER.

Determined, Nameless thrust his blade again as the prince swung their ax around. The knight’s sword shattered the divine armor and nicked Zaverick across his cheek, but the prince’s blow also landed heavily into the Nameless’s side, tearing through his armor.

ARMOR MAGIC REMAINING: 17.75%

Zaverick’s ax blade was stuck in Nameless’s side, and the knight did not waste this opportunity. He gripped his sword by the handle and the blade as if it was a spear and stabbed downwards into the prince’s neck. Blood geysered outwards as the war priest howled in pain and fell to one knee. Nameless was able to step back as the prince released his ax to hold his bleeding neck. The knight lifted his sword to end the fight, but at the last moment, he dove out of the way of a swooping Caizene demon. The prince’s ax was knocked loose from the roll and Nameless found himself facing a half dozen howling demons.

Zaverick cackled and clapped his gauntleted hands. “I applaud your skill! I have never been cut before, but this ends now.”

Nameless looked around and saw that his force was defeated. His allies lay on the ground, either dead or dying, but it was not without some success. The war priest’s demon force was also significantly diminished, but in the end, his soldiers were still standing.

But the battle was not over, Nameless was still standing, and Milandra was not captured. The knight assessed his situation. He was facing six greater Caizene demons, and even though the prince had healed his wounds, he looked pale and weak. Nameless gripped his sword and positioned himself with his back against a large stone. The demons closed in, howling and stabbing with a rageful fury that could only come from the pits of hell. Nameless parried and slashed back with his blade cutting deeply into a foe. A spear buried deep into his leg, and the knight stabbed another demon in the neck.

ARMOR MAGIC REMAINING: 10.75%

Two more demons rushed in, and Nameless dove in between them and slashed one across their leg. Another spear stabbed him in his back shoulder as Nameless spun to chop off the attacker’s hand.

ARMOR MAGIC REMAINING: 5.25%

Purple magic oozed out of the rents in his armor, and Nameless felt weak. His magic was fading, and he still had too many enemies to face. He had five demons left with two wounded but not enough to remove them as a threat.

“I will not be denied my victory and glory for Ararax!” Prince Zaverick growled with blood dripping from his face and neck.

ARMOR MAGIC REMAINING: 4.25%

More of Nameless’s magic oozed out from the spear in his leg. The knight yanked it free and hurled it at the Caizene with the wounded leg. The spear thudded into the creature’s chest, and it collapsed to the ground. Four demons, and the prince. The Caizene rushed in with spears stabbing. Nameless evaded, parried, and dove out of the way only to catch a glancing blow from Zaverick’s ax to his head. Nameless wobbled and fell.

ARMOR MAGIC REMAINING: 1.25%

GET UP! YOU MAY HAVE FORSAKEN ME, BUT YOU STILL HAVE MY GIFTS. THE POWER I HAVE GIVEN YOU, I CAN NOT TAKE BACK. IT IS A PART OF YOU. I AM A PART OF YOU, MY CHILD.

“I am not your child,” Nameless whispered as he frantically clambered to his feet to get away from the demons and the prince.

YOU MAY HATE ME, BUT YOU CAN NOT UNDO YOUR PAST. IT IS WHO YOU ARE. YOU WERE MY MOST GIFTED AND MOST FORMIDABLE TEMPLAR.

“Shut up!” Nameless growled.

His vision was blurry, but he still held his sword before him as the demons and the prince began to circle him. Any minute now and the fight would be lost.

I WILL NOT! YOU CAN HATE ME, AND I DO NOT CARE. HOWEVER, YOU AND I SHARE A COMMON PURPOSE NOW, AND THAT IS TO NOT LET ARARAX WIN!

“I rather die than accept your help,” Nameless stated as his enemies inched closer and closer.

CHILD! THAT IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU. YOU DO NOT NEED MY HELP. THE POWER HAS ALWAYS BEEN YOURS! A GIFT FROM ME THAT I CAN NOT TAKE BACK AND ONE THAT YOU CAN NOT DISOWN, FOR IT IS CONNECTED TO YOUR SOUL. REMEMBER WHO YOU WERE, TEMPLAR OF THE BLUE FLAME!

Zaverick and the demons surged forward. Nameless remembered and swung his sword to thrust into the ground.

“I AM NAMELESS!” He shouted, and a surge of blue flame erupted outwards from him.

The Caizene were incinerated and sent back to hell, leaving Prince Zaverick barely standing. The priest’s face was charred and bleeding as he fell to his knees.

“I…will…not…be…denied…” he gasped his last breath before falling face first to the dirt.

VERY GOOD! DESPITE YOUR ANGER TOWARD ME, WE ARE STILL INTERTWINED WITH EACH OTHER. REMEMBER WHAT I HAVE DONE TODAY.

Nameless was very weak and had smoke trailing off of his armor. He was confused at the message, until he heard a grating metallic sound. Looking up, he saw the giant steel doors slowly become open.