Nameless was surprised when he discovered that Karl had several valuable items. The trio may not have packed supplies or camping gear, but the Ooraki did manage to bring mana crystals for enchanting, as well as some gadgets. One item was the Far Seeing Tube. This was a tube with two lenses attached on either end and when one looked through one side, their vision would be magnified through the other. With the Far Seeing Tube, the group could spy on the Caizene demons from a distance as the creatures invaded the small town. This allowed Nameless to save his armor magic.
ARMOR: MAGIC REMAINING 20.50%
MAGIC LEVELS ARE CRITICALLY LOW! ARMOR HAS BEEN SET TO LOW MAGIC MODE.
He was happy to note that his magic levels had not changed much while operating in Low Magic Mode, and he was confident that he could fight so long as his armor was not pierced. Nameless was learning more about his situation. The armor encased the magic that gave him abilities and kept his existence. Tears in the armor would cause the magic to leak out, and repairs to the armor would also cost precious magic. Unfortunately, the Caizene were supernaturally strong and armed with spears.
POLE-ARM WEAPONS
SPEARS ARE THE OLDEST AND ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE POLE-ARM WEAPONS EVER INVENTED. OVER TIME POLE-ARMS HAVE VARIED IN DESIGN RANGING FROM HALBERDS, BARDICHES, AND GLAIVES. THE ALTERATIONS WERE MADE IN RESPONSE TO ADVANCES AND CHANGES IN BODY ARMOR.
POLE-ARMS OFFER THE WIELDER VERSATILITY TO ALLOW FOR SLASHING, BLUDGEONING AND PIERCING ATTACKS. IN ADDITION, A SKILLED USER CAN GENERATE MOMENTUM AND LEVERAGE TO EASILY OVERPOWER OPPONENTS ARMED WITH SMALLER MELEE WEAPONS SUCH AS BATTLEAXES, MACES, AND SWORDS. THIS INCLUDES DANE AXES! ARMOR, EVEN PLATE ARMOR LIKE THE ONE YOU ARE WEARING, CAN BE PENETRATED BY POLE-ARMS, ESPECIALLY FROM SPEARS WHICH PRIMARILY UTILIZE PIERCING ATTACKS. THIS CAN REDUCE YOUR ARMOR MAGIC TO ZERO, AND YOU WILL PERISH. MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU WOULD FAIL YOUR QUEST TO SAVE THE GIFTED ONE!
If Nameless had eyes, he would have rolled them from the message. He was well aware of the danger he was in. Was his armor being witty? Or was his armor channeling messages from the mysterious unknown power that summoned him? So many questions! Nameless shook his great helm. He had no time to dwell on that, as he needed to focus on the upcoming battle.
The screams from the villagers were unsettling to the others. Well, mainly Karl and Elora. The half-orc's knuckles squeezed the sledgehammer in anticipation and a desire to defend the village. Elora hugged her chalkboard tightly. It was clear the two were eager and afraid of the upcoming battle. Zel, on the other hand, was looking at their nails and looked bored.
"If we wait any longer, there won't be a village to save," growled Karl.
"Or any defenders to aid us," Elora added.
A town guard wearing padded armor was impaled by a Caizene's spear. The demon flew away before the other guards could attack, their comrade dying in a pool of their own blood, joining a half dozen other dead townsfolk. Nameless continued to study the fighting below and nodded his great helm.
The four were on the side of the road hiding behind shrubs and a tree. The road was to their right and sloped slightly downwards toward a small town. Some buildings were on fire as Caizene demons flew above like hungry vultures over a dying man in the desert. The town's defenders began fortifying the most prominent building that Nameless guessed to be the town hall. The demons had fewer targets as much of the population fled into the hall. This caused the attackers to clump in the air above the town's largest and most secure building to organize a final assault. This was what Nameless was waiting for.
"It is time," the knight said.
Elora closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. After a short moment, she opened them and began chanting while drawing on her board. Beside them on the road the air shimmered as an illusion of a squad of six Legionnaires formed. They stood in two rows of three with the front armed with short spears and tower shields. The rear row consisted of three battlemages in thick red robes over padded armor and armored caps on their heads. Nameless was impressed with the level of detail. He could see the soldiers' chests moving as they breathed, and their eyes occasionally blinked like real people.
The knight took up position in front of the Legionnaires. "Have them advance," he ordered.
Elora looked pale as her body and mind strained under the magic, but she was not at her limit yet. Her face grimaced under the exertion as she chanted silently. Her next spell created sound as Elora willed the illusion to move forward. Armor rattling could be heard, and she had the infantry soldiers bang their short spears against their shields. The sounds alerted the Caizene, and Nameless could see that town's defenders become reinvigorated by the appearance of the Legion.
"Zel!" The knight hissed.
The necromancer looked up, startled. "Oh," they said and rose quickly to their feet to run behind Elora's illusionary battlemages.
The illusionary squad, Zel and Nameless, were halfway to the town when the Caizene shifted their attention from the defenders to the new threat. The demons outnumbered the soldiers and felt confident to engage.
"Mages Attack!" Nameless said, acting his part of a templar.
The knight was a little worried that his and Zel's garments did not match the Legion's, and this would cause the Caizene to question their illusion. But he recalled that the demons were not very smart. If the mercenaries were here, they would have been able to see through the ruse.
Elora gritted her teeth as she willed the battlemages to launch fire spells. The shadow mage closed her eyes and chanted quietly. The illusory fire magic made sizzling sounds as they whooshed toward the flying attackers.
The demons easily dodged the fake fire attacks. Nameless was concerned that the illusion's lack of heat would alert the monsters to their trickery. So he had Zel launch actual fire attacks. To their luck, the necromancer was able to hit one demon as it tried to dodge an illusory spell. The creature shrieked as it crashed to the ground in a smoldering heap.
"Yes!" Exclaimed Zel.
The death of their comrade caused the remaining demons to pause and hover in the air as illusionary fire attacks whizzed around them. They swerved and dodged, and Zel continued to launch real fire attacks but could not hit a second demon. The demons hesitated when one screeched a command, and the Caizene flew away.
"They are retreating!" Exclaimed Zel.
Nameless could hear Karl and Elora run up to them. The demons grew smaller and smaller as they flew toward a rocky hilltop.
Nameless shook his head. "They will regroup and return at nightfall."
"How do you know that?" Asked Karl.
The knight pointed. "They flew toward the hills where they have perfect visibility of the road. Demons are cunning, they want us to feel safe, and they know that if we try to head to Tameal, we'll be vulnerable out in the open."
Several guards approached from the town, and they were led by a man with a thick greybeard.
"Hail Legionnaires!" The bearded man greeted.
The townsfolk were startled when Elora dropped the illusion. She gasped and slumped over as if a great weight had been removed from her shoulders. Zel also needed to lean and rest.
"We apologize for the illusion, but we felt it was necessary to trick the Demons," Nameless explained.
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The bearded man nodded with an "aye." The older man's bushy grey eyebrows narrowed as he studied the group. The town's guards continued to keep their hands near their weapons. Nameless felt that the situation was growing tense.
"We are students of the Academy, and we come from Sinora. We have news," Elora said, her voice clear and commanding.
The bearded man nodded, and he crossed his thick arms.
"I am Elora; these are my companions, Nameless, Karl, and Zel."
"Greetings, I am Ned. Mayor of our small town of Wingleton."
"Charmed," Zel said with a stifled yawn. They wouldn't admit that the fire magic they summoned earlier had taxed their strength.
"What of your news?" Asked Ned.
Elora explained how Zaverick's coup had started with the central city and how the prince had enlisted the aid of the Forgotten Ones and the Caizene Demons.
Ned's eyes went wide, and he shook his head. "I don't understand. How could the city have fallen so easily?"
"The Prince did a surprise assault from inside the city," Karl answered.
"That cunning coward!" Ned snapped.
By now, a crowd of townspeople had gathered around. Wingleton was small. Nameless guessed maybe five hundred souls and an additional fifty or so in the surrounding countryside. The knowledge that came from deep within his psyche informed him that the town would have at least fifty guards and since it was inside the Imperium, there would be no garrison of troops. More than half the guards were killed by the Caizene attack, and there were at least twenty of the demons that flew away. Nameless's past knowledge also told him that Prince Zaverick's army would be marching through this town in less than a week.
"You need to order an evacuation," the knight stated.
Ned looked at Nameless as if seeing the knight for the first time. The mayor's eyes squinted, and he asked, "who are you, sir knight? And why do you not show yourself?"
The great helm tilted at the question. Nameless did not know how to respond.
Elora was quick thinking, and she interjected, "it is because his face is horribly disfigured."
"What's your name?" The mayor persisted.
The question caused the knight's head to ache as he tried to search his memories for his name. For who he was. The fog of his mind was too thick to penetrate, making him dizzy with the effort.
"Nameless. He has taken a vow to atone for his sins that he dares not mention. To shed his dark past, he has donned the black armor and given up his name. He saved us at Sinora, and we, members of the esteemed Academy, will vouch for him," Elora answered.
She was a talented speaker as her voice carried outwards through the crowd. Nameless couldn't detect magic being used, but did she cast a spell? Or was this traditional diplomacy? He wondered.
Ned placed a scarred hand on Nameless's armored shoulder and said, "we all have regret in our past. It takes a brave soul to atone for them."
"Sir, the people want to know what we should do," a grizzled town guard asked the mayor.
Ned rubbed his face with a sigh and answered, "we can not be certain that Zaverick succeeded in Sinora. We will need to send riders out to confirm if his army will move onwards. In the meantime, we will also need to fortify our defenses in case those blasted monsters return."
The guard nodded and departed with the orders.
Karl and Elora exchanged glances. The elf said, "but Mr. Mayor, you heard our tale. Your people are not safe here."
"It is no easy task to ask the people of this town to uproot their lives based upon a tale from strangers. We have lived here for generations. Please, no offense. We appreciate your aid earlier. But a knight that won't show his face, and you used Shadow Magic earlier," Ned replied with a shake of his head. His face resolved in his decision.
There were startled screams that came from the crowd. Nameless and the others looked up, their hands going toward their weapons. The townspeople scattered in a panic as a few town guards stumbled back in fear. Walking through the parting sea of panicked townspeople, was Zel and a zombie Caizene. Was that possible? Nameless wondered.
The Caizene had scorched flesh and a shattered rib cage from its lethal fall. The bones protruded through its burnt skin. It hissed and growled with memories of its past self, but Zel appeared to have it under control. The pale necromancer looked even paler with bags under their pupilless black eyes. Nameless knew the risk the mage was taking to attempt to reanimate a demon. The difficulty of such a spell had to have been immense, especially for an apprentice mage. The knight wondered if Zel had doomed themselves to insanity and death by attempting such a bold feat.
"Necromancy has many uses. The way it works is that I tapped into residual soul energy. Do not worry. What you see before you is not a Caizene, but my zombie here does have some of its memories," Zel said. Their typical deep lisp had an additional screech to it.
Zel's eyes scanned the crowd with a wide and disturbing grin on their pale face. The necromancer looked at their zombie and ordered it to speak.
The creature shuddered, hissed, and howled. Zel stared intently at their creation with a grimace that marked their struggle of wills. Finally, in a guttural voice, the demon zombie hissed, "our orderssss were to ssssecure the roadssss. Prevent newssss from sssspreading."
"Why?" Demanded Zel.
"To prepare for the invasssssion…" the demon shuddered and then stood complacent.
"That is all it knows. Do not worry yourselves. It is under my complete control now. Again, I will remind you all it is no longer a Caizene. It is simply a corpse reanimated with residual soul energy."
"Zel? Have you gone too far?" Elora asked, worry on her face.
Karl gripped his sledgehammer as his eyes narrowed at his classmate.
Zel snorted, "if I have given myself over to the taint, do you honestly believe I would answer you? Do not be absurd!"
Nameless, holding his Dane axe, stepped forward. Several town guards readied their weapons as well.
"What? Do you attend to slay me? I have done no wrong. In fact, I aided in your miserable town's defense. I alone killed the single Caizene that tricked them into fleeing. Elora's illusion, admittedly impressive, would not have held if not for I!" Zel screeched, spittle flying from her mouth.
"This magic is evil," Ned stated.
"It is misunderstood!" Cried the necromancer.
Elora approached her classmate and placed a soft hand on their shoulder. Zel snarled at Elora but did not resist their support. Karl put down his sledgehammer and also went to his classmate.
"You are pushing up on your limit, and you need to steady yourself," Elora said, her voice soothing.
"You don't think I know that!" Snapped Zel. The necromancer glared at the townspeople and growled, "these people are making it hard for me."
Karl placed firm hands on his classmate and gently guided them away. Zel complied and rested their head, with disheveled dark hair, on the Oorkai's lean shoulder. Karl led them away, and Elora stood in front of the mayor and his guards with her hands raised.
"Magic is dangerous, and our friend needs time to recover," the elf said.
"That is dark magic!" A guard cried.
"It's misunderstood!" Retorted Zel as they were escorted away.
Nameless stood next to Elora, placing his considerable frame between the guards and the departing Academy students. The mayor sighed and rubbed his face.
"Let them be," he ordered his guards. Weapons were lowered, and townspeople gave the necromancer and the half-orc a wide berth.
"You now have evidence that your people are in danger here," Nameless stated. His voice echoed through his great helm.
"You saw the demons fly into the hills. If we were to travel the open road, my people would be slaughtered," responded Ned.
"Then we organize a force to go into the hills and eliminate the demons," Nameless said.
Ned scoffed, "that is no small task, and it is even not the hardest part of what you ask for. I can not mobilize this entire town to evacuate. Like I said earlier. This is our home for generations, and many will not leave."
"Give them a choice. At least tell them their options," Elora recommended.
"Aye," Ned replied and turned to a guard. "Spread the word that we will have a meeting in the hall tonight," he ordered, and the man departed.
Nameless told Elora to go join her classmates and get some rest. The blond elf nodded and left, leaving the mayor and the knight alone.
"You served?" The knight asked.
"I did. Fought in that blasted war against the Wasteland, and we stopped them just outside Sinora. The goblins did something out there that caused the gods to leave us. It has been hell, but we managed, and this town was lucky to never see fighting. Until now, I suppose," Ned said with a sad shake of his grey-haired head.
Nameless placed a gauntleted hand on the mayor's shoulder. "Do not despair. We have two Academy trained mages and one enchanter. I'm sure your town has resourceful people as well, and we can figure something out."
"Aye, if the gods can still hear us. Let's hope."