Chapter 41: The Drowned Dead
You turn the possibilities over in your mind. You could fight, charge up the path right into those mages coming after you. You might even catch them by surprise but if they are as powerful as those signals they are emitting suggest then you will have a difficult time defeating them. There is also the force to your rear to consider, they could easily hit you while you battle their superiors.
No, fighting is out.
Then you have to run, simple as that.
Marshal all your forces for a breakthrough attack on the smaller group, or perhaps decapitate their leadership by targeting the enemy mages. You are not sure though whether you have time to succeed with either plan.
There is also Rand's tunnels, but no. You will not abandon your followers without a fight.
You mutter to yourself, "Fight or flee... maybe fight and flee..."
"What are you thinking Derry?" your wiry tactician asks from your side.
"What if we attack both groups," you reply with a subtle smile.
"That... that would be suicide," Rand replies as he edges towards his hole, "I am not going to stay here and die trapped between mages. Come with me, we can regroup, we can come up with a plan, we can-"
You stop him right there. From what you have been told of the man he is not a coward and the odds are admittedly stacked against you in a straight up fight.
Of course you have no intention to fight fair, "We are not using the tunnels. We are going to get out of this together."
Myora and the Captain nod, likely relieved that you do not intend to sacrifice them. Rand, however, does not let you say another word. He is gone in an instant, back into the darkness of the tunnels, racing from the light into the cold earth.
"Want me to send someone after him?" Myora asks, "The traditional penalty for desertion during battle is death."
She radiates hostility, most of it directed at the hole through which Rand made his escape.
Death, a high price to pay but then perhaps it is fitting. In any battle each soldier needs to know that their comrades are there for them until the bitter end. If loyalty will not suffice then fear may have to do in a pinch. Either way it is of little concern now.
Dismissively you gesture at the tunnel, "Let him go, we do not have the time or the people necessary to worry about him at the moment," you motion for your comrades to draw closer, "I have a idea, but I need a little help setting it up. I want to put our grenadiers to work mining the road, then..."
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You consider the enemy formation through your spyglass. It is nothing if not odd.
The ghôls form a tight line pressed shoulder to shoulder, five ranks deep. Before each ghôl in the front rank is an impressive metal shield buried in the dirt.
Behind them, wrapped in heavy cloaks stand nine figures. They feel identical though they clearly are not. Some are short, some are tall, some are lean, almost skeletal, while one is almost as wide as she is tall and you are fairly certain that one of them is a maul. In form they could not be more different but in action they appear identical.
"Decoys?" you mutter.
Thaïs at your side offers a suggestion, "Perhaps some sort of illusion similar to those used by Miosguinn?"
"Maybe," you focus in on the group, "Someone over there is definitely casting."
None of them seem to have their weapons ready from what you can tell and that makes you nervous. You are fairly certain that they are hiding something but you are not sure what.
You hate surprises, at least when they are directed your way, so naturally you resolve to uncover this mystery in the most direct way you know of.
You pick out the first ghôl in the line and you launch an assault his way. Your attack goes wide however, something or someone is shielding the minds of the ghôls thought they are not too terribly strong. It must be the enemy mage.
You could try to force your way through, fight both the ghôl and the mage at the same time and it would work eventually, but there is an easier way to do this.
"Thaïs," she gracefully turns her head as you call her name, "Care to help me interrogate one of our enemies."
She beams, "Certainly, which one did you have in mind?"
"Third from the right," you subtly gesture at the ghôl, best not to hit the same target twice, "When I attack the enemy mage is going to try and stop me, I want you to attack him or her and buy me time."
She nods and begins to focus.
Again you launch your assault, again the ghôl's mind collapses before you. You feel the enemy signal build, it comes for you again. This time your friend is waiting and she hammers it as you sift through the ghôl's recent memories for the information you require.
You are not gentle as you smash through the compartments of his mind. You rip and shred his mental landscape in search of the information you seek and you think you are closing in as one second passes into the next.
Something is wrong.
The signal Thaïs is fighting splits, first into two, then three, then six and finally nine. Nine incredibly weak signals. Each of the new signals would barely be worth your attention, such weak signals hardly even rate as actual talents, and yet you sense danger here. There is something else as well, something dark, watery, deep and eternally hungry.
The new signals lash out at your friend from every direction. They move in mesmerizing patterns, they split, they vanish, they fuse back together and launch a new attack from an unexpected quarter.
What is worse is that every time they strike her they attach the tiniest thread of a spell. You can only just perceive what they are doing. They are weaving a trap for her, trying to drag her mind away toward that hungry darkness. She is aware of this and tries to break away but they are all about her, she can not escape and you doubt you would be able to either if they had caught you in that trap.
Once while crossing the Cloudspine mountains years ago a summer storm had forced you, Henry and your caravan into a set of shallow caves. You waited out the storm there in complete safety and your guards kept away the beasts of the pass. The next morning as you sat on the lip of a nearby ridge and looked out over a wide valley you saw the most fascinating and saddening dance play out before you. An old bear beset by a pack of wolves, far more powerful than its foes it fell all the same to their coordinated attacks. A feint here, a bite there, they dragged it down to death. As your friend attempts to fight off the pack assailing her you once more see that bloody dance.
Thankfully she is not alone as that bear was, she has a friend in this and you will be damned if you will watch her fall. It takes everything the signals have to keep your friend contained, to drag her slowly towards the wet, looming darkness. You have a clear view of what they are doing and you intend to stop them.
You snatch up what little you can from your victim, a few words and imagines, then you launch yourself into a new offensive aimed at the little signals.
Together, in perfect harmony, they could just trap Thaïs, maybe they could even trap you, but the two of you together are far too much for them. They scatter as you move to strike them and your blows hit nothing but ether. Quickly you free your friend and cease casting.
"What?" she pants, "What was that?"
"I don't know," you give her a shoulder to lean on and a moment to recover.
You look out at your enemy, moving in perfect synchronicity. You think of Mazzarin, you think of Faceless, you think of Shiver, and slowly a dark thought comes to you "Maybe... he couldn't... did he?"
"We are running out of time here ladies," the Captain marches up to you with Myora close behind, "My chariots are ready."
"As are the infantry," Myora adds with that tone of cool professionalism you are becoming accustomed to.
"Good," you reply with a slight nod, "However we have a problem. Those ghôls in the front rank are chained together through magic and are concealing long spears. If we hit them with a cavalry charge we won't break through."
"Then we will load a few grenadiers onto the backs of the chariots and we will hit them with a few volleys to soften them up," the Captain answers undeterred.
Sadly there is more, with a sigh you continue, "The second rank also has heavy crossbows."
"What is a crossbow?" the Captain asks as Thaïs produces hers. He laughs, "My men are heavily armoured, if all they have are those little things then they will never injury us."
You shake your head, "Theirs are much larger. They will fire them using the first rank and their shields for cover. Hell, they will probably aim for your horses, they are not well armoured. They have done this before though not against chariots I think."
Myora stares at her feet, lost in thought as the Captain curses, "How in the hell did they get this sort of equipment! Armour! Shields! Now these, these crossbows!"
Thaïs provides the answer, "Our enemy has dwarves in his employ. Perhaps they are giving the ghôls this equipment or perhaps they have taught the tribes how to make them themselves."
"Well what are we going to do?" the Captain mutters in annoyance, quieted by the thought of dwarven traitors serving the Dark.
You think to yourself, now that is a good question and yours is not a military mind. You do not really know how to solve this.
It seems though that someone else does.
Myora begins firing off questions, "You said they have done this before? What were their targets?"
Your answer is quick and to the point, "Merchants, the odd militia."
"Good," she nods, "We can do this if they are not a veteran company. My infantry will go in first, stay behind with the chariots and wait for us to punch an opening."
She seems almost happy as she speaks, you feel compelled to comment on it, "You really enjoy this don't you?"
She gives you a wink, "It is what I live for," she turns to her assembled men, "It is time to show our new employers what Blackrock can do!"
They cheer as they from rank. Mauls to the front, humans to the rear, and the dwarves in the centre.
They advance with Myora at the heart of them.
The first volley hits them quickly enough. The heavy crossbows live up to your worst fears as dozens of bolts strike home with tremendous force.
Yet not a single maul falls.
They laugh in fact, howling at the tops of their lungs.
Those mauls with skin thicker than leather and heavy armour dozens of centimetres thick will not fall to a little arrow fire while the humans and dwarves behind them are safely sheltered.
The ghôls frantically reload their bows as the mercenaries begin to close.
The dwarves swing out from the center, splitting in half they advance on each wing as the mauls increase their pace.They break into a sprint, great shields and blades swinging through the air.
The ghôls are faced with a dilemma, strike the mauls with a close volley and attempt to break their charge and that of the human warriors behind them or focus on the grenadiers, each of which readies a cocktail for a devastating volley of their own.
The robbed figures do not know what to do. This is not a problem that magic can solve, at least not with you and your friend present to pressure them. They also have no mind for military matters, they freeze as Myora's soldiers hit them.
The heavy spears of the ghôls are of little use against the chopping blades of the mauls. The great warriors rend and break the spears by the score while the dwarves bombard the enemy, painting the path in blood and littering it with body parts.
What is left of the enemy force wavers, it is clear the ghôls want to flee but chained together as they are they must stand and fight. You need them to break as you are quickly running out of time.
The scene before you is controlled chaos, bodies flying and blades clashing. Above you the crows circle, flying back and forth from the battle to fort. None of them try to directly interfere though, perhaps they are concerned for their own welfare, Lyssa certainly seems to think that is the case.
You catch the back of a chariot and Thaïs quickly follows as the captain leads his men out. You have to get to those mages and deal with them quickly.
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The captain personally drives your chariot with skill and daring. He slips through a hole in the enemy's line with six chariots close behind.
As you approach the enemy mages you feel a small tug on your mind, the piece of the Watcher calls to you but the call is weak. Sealed within multiple boxes each with a different lock and key held by a different member of your group there is no way for anyone to get to the fragment bolted to the floor of the Captain's chariot. It is safe and so are you.
The cloaked mages howl together and begin casting as you approach. A bolt of pitch arcs from the fist of the closest mage. The mage aims for you but is far too slow and does not think to lead his target. Instead the bolt strikes the fourth chariot back but the result is still devastating. The bolt hits the chariot in the side and splatters the riders and horses. They scream together as they begin to dissolve and plummet over the side of the trail into the valley below.
The nine continue to cast, readying another bubbling bolt of black fluid but you have no intention of allowing them to cast unimpeded.
As you approach the group your chariots split. Your chariot swings to your left with two behind you as the other three chariots, including Thaïs', break right. Hopefully they will only be able to target one group at a time.
Four of the chariots loose a javelin, each striking a separate target in the torso or upper legs. Your opponents seem undeterred and barely register the projectiles lodged in their frames. They hurl another bolt of pitch completely missing their target as they coat the ground behind you. A pair of your allies are not so lucky as they race over the patch and their chariot begins to dissolve. Their horses' legs give out and melt away as their wheels buckle throwing the riders clear from the crashing chariot.
Having witnessed the punishment these things can take you decide not to take any chances. You launch a firebolt spell at the closest mage. The crimson bolt coils through the air between you. She watches it come, without fear or anger, she lets it strike her. Even as it consumes her, the flames shifting from red to harvest yellow, emerald green, then sky blue, she continues to cast. The blast knocks back her hood and the visage that greats you is horrific, bloated, rotten, dead. These mages are dead, merely a shell for something else. The idea worms its way through your mind as her flesh burns away, as her muscles are consumed, as her very bones are rendered to dust she merely continues with her spell.
Her ashes blow away in the wind as the mages ready another bolt.
You hold up a single hand with a single finger raised at your friend, you shout the word, "One!"
These things, whatever they are, are not people. They are tools and you will break them all, it is perhaps the closest thing to mercy you can do for them and if you can practice your magic while you do it then so much the better.
You are momentarily distracted by one great cry from above you. The crows, each and every crow from here to the fort, scream out in unison and begin to swirl high into the sky. Their combined mass casts a shadow over the sun. For a second you think they are massing for an attack but it is quite the opposite. Rather than attack, this great airborne army moves off to the northeast. They continue to scream as they go, fleeing as quickly as their wings will carry them. A curious occurrence to be sure.
You return your gaze to the battle just in time to catch a truly amazing sight.
Thaïs scores next, with a energon cube in hand she manages a greater energy bolt that catches a pair of mages on the far side of the pack from you. This is your first time seeing your friend's new spell and it is a thing to behold. It almost has a life of its own as it springs from her knife blade. It claws its way through the air, howling, screaming, diving at its target. Purple, sapphire, cobalt, the many strains of her spell loop around and through one another in a masterful dance as they crash into the pair with a tremendous boom. The bolt arcs between them as they are burnt away in moments.
She beams at you as her group passes near, "Two!" she shouts as she begins to weave another spell at an impossibly tiny little woman.
"Damn show-off," you mutter to yourself. You scan the group looking for a target and spot a set of three. The tall one, the round one, and an elderly one, bent by age. The tall one begins to conjure up another black blob. You wonder if perhaps that is the only spell this group knows that is suitable for offence. They certainly are not powerful or creative but they seem untiring and perhaps that is why they were sent to shadow you.
"Captain, bring us closer to that group," you point at the three.
"Your sure ma'am? They look like they are getting ready to fire!" he shouts back.
"That is what I am counting on!" you will show her how to improvise a spell! You know the basic theory she used to create 'Greater Energy Bolt' and you are fairly certain you can apply it here with firebolt but you also do not want to use up an energon cube like she did so you plan to do something just a little underhanded.
You prepare a Greater Firebolt spell and you wait, the spell perched at the tip of your staff. The plan is ingenious but simple.
Back during your rather suicidal assault against the Watcher's army outside the border fort you and your friend had each hit the same target with an elemental spell. The two spells had attempted to devour one another and did tremendous damage to the target.
This time, working from the same principles you intend to let your enemy's spell power your own. Just as the three cloaked figures are finishing their spell you hit it with your 'Greater Firebolt'. Your spell, much more powerful than theirs and desperate for energy quickly devours their spell and takes on some of its properties. It solidifies somewhat, tuning into a dark red paste that coats each of the three mages, painting every inch of them above the waist in a boiling hot magical concoction that quickly dissolves them into one large puddle of bubbling fluid. It also eats a two metre wide and one metre deep hole in the ground.
"That's four!" you shout to your friend as she watches, mouth agape.
She gives you a wink and proud smile as she blasts the legs from out of a tall, muscular mage and lets the chariot run over its head. Just to make sure it is dead she blasts it again reducing it to ash, "Four for me too!" she shouts.
The remaining mage, the maul, attempt to draw enough power to cast but is unable to and so changes tactics. With a surprising burst of speed it charges at your chariot and up ends it. You and the captain crash out into the dirt. You have the presence of mind to cast the Warrior's Mask on yourself as you roll clear of the wreckage. The Captain manages to land on his feet, "Must be part cat," you mutter.
The beast is quickly bearing down upon you when it is struck in the back with a blue bolt of electricity as your friend rushes by.
It turns to meet this new attack and you exploit the opening to hit it with another firebolt, then a third in rapid succession. You focus on the left side of its body and with you fourth bolt you manage to shave its arm clean off. The massive mound of rotten flesh crashes into the dirt with a resounding thud.
You are slowly wearing this thing down but you only have a few minutes left before your ambush party will come racing down the mountain. You need the enemy routing by the time they show up.
Thaïs coordinates her next shot to hit at the same time as yours. The swirling maelstrom of fire and lightning that is unleashed upon the maul as you hurl your spells is impressive. The dwarves continue to hurl javelins into the monstrosity as well and eventually its bloated body gives out and collapses in the dirt.
With the last mage dead the chains holding the ghôlish line together shatter and all resistance evaporates. The path is clear but you can feel two powerful signals racing down the mountain.
They can probably feel your success and are determined not to let you escape.
As the thought crosses you mind a deafening explosion rings out through the mountains.
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That strange little man and the mage left a few minutes ago.
The dwarves had done their work well. Giggling like children in the first days of spring, they loved their trade as surely as he loved his.
Now he just has to wait.
Just him and his prey.
Well, really just him, his prey, that young tracker and their driver but that does not sound half as good.
They are nervous.
He isn't.
This is not his first hunt.
It is not his first battle.
And if this is war, it is not his first either.
One of the men mentioned an archmage, said something about a Shade, meaning a dead archmage. Well if a guy wants to be technical an undead archmage.
Balor used them. Soulblighter used them. Some even say that Alric's buddy the Deceiver brought a few over to the Light during the last war.
Doesn't much matter really.
Neel has never fought an archmage. He has never fought a Shade either if that is really what is waiting for his arrows but he knows a little, he knows enough.
He knows it can be killed.
He knows that ordinary men like himself have done it in the past and will do it again.
He knows it is possible so he is going to try.
'Cause that fucker killed his friend and some things a man simply can not abide.
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He hovers along at top speed lost in his own thoughts, he will catch them, that much is certain but it is all so very dull.
This was meant to be an easy job.
Something he was forced to do as a way to make up for his last failure.
Failure.
Something he has not experienced in over five hundred years.
It has a curious taste to it. An interesting aroma but now that he has experienced it again, refreshed his memory so to speak, it too has grown stale.
Boredom.
Nothing is worse than boredom, not pain, not humiliation, not loss, nothing. Tastes like rotten eggs and it just sort of hangs in the back of your throat.
Yet he had to go and worse yet one of the 'master's' little flies insisted on coming along. As if the job was not easy enough they had to bring that experiment of theirs along as well. Why not simply send the entire bloody army and be done with it!
Annoyance.
Ah, annoyance. Better than nothing, tastes like sea salt and burns like mustard. Still, what he wants more than anything is to be surprised. It is so hard to surprise him that every time it happen it is to be cherished.
He was surprised when he discovered that those mages were present.
The crows told him quickly enough and he prepared for something glorious, like the last time they met. Alas they proved to be nothing but a disappointment. They took the bait just like the mercenaries would have and now they have lost their fort and soon they will lose their army and their lives. No, not their lives. They have talent and he will not see them become part of the 'master's' experiments. He will take them, he will bind them to himself and use them as he sees fit. A fitting fate for talented mages without cunning, they will become his tools in the world and they will love it, love him, like they all do.
Unfortunately that means he has to rush somewhat. He has mobilized his entourage and roused the Shade. First they will catch the lone signal on the cliffs, no doubt some sort of rearguard that has lost its nerve.
Well it will serve just as well as the other two.
Then he will descend on his pretty things and snatch them up. The experiment will probably fall to them but it is of little importance, perhaps that will encourage his 'master' to stop toying with that thing he created. If it-
Surprise.
It smells of roses and early morning dew.
It tastes like chocolate and cinnamon.
The arrow flies past him, past two of his men and hits the ground.
His eyes follow its flight, right to a satchel charge.
He grins.
Oh! These girls will be fun to play with!
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The entire ridge lights up.
A good chunk of it even rolls down the mountain side.
Neel shouts and pumps a fist in the air, "Well fuck me! I don't know if any of them were archmages or Shades or what-have-you but they are fucking dead now!"
The three soldiers cheer as the remains of the pursuing party rain down around them.
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"All of them?" you ask in disbelief.
Lyssa nods grinning from ear to ear, "Every last one," she just about shouts.
Myora is quick to caution you, "They may have left part of their force in the fort or they may have a larger force on the way to secure it given that they took pains not to damage it. It may be wiser to continue on to Mygard for the time being."
Berty chimes in, "If they establish themselves in these mountains the army may have a hell of a time dislodging them, Derry. We may be able to capitalize on this tremendous good luck if we can seize and hold the fort until reinforcements can arrive."
You consider your options.
1. There are a few ways you can play this:
A) Return to Myrgard. Without an enemy force in the area (that you know of) the trip should be relatively safe. Once you reach the city you can personally inform the King of what has happened or choose some other course of action.
B) Return to the Fort. You will have to be careful of any traps left by the enemy but your unexpected victory here might allow you to recapture your fort. If you do so you will: (B choices will be counted together with the most popular choice chosen should B win)
Warn the King (The King can send a large military force of Albrecht Guards but they will be the least well trained of your options and will take the second most time. You may be able to get him to give you some funds to help with the defence of the fort. Alternatively he can send a detachment from the Royal Army in his capacity as King. These soldiers will take longer to deploy as they require an order from the assembled Lords but they are also the best trained of your options. If the issue goes before the Lords and passes then you will also likely require funds to help hold the fort. Should the motion fail then you will have to try something else. Alternatively they may offer to buy the fort from you and turn it into a military outpost.)
i. You will send a message to the palace by chariot informing the King of what has happened and asking for House Albrecht reinforcements. This has the advantage of allowing you to get rid of the Watcher fragment in your possession should you so desire. (A simple yes/no on the stone with this option will suffice.)
ii. You will send a message to the palace by eagle informing the King of what has happened and asking for House Albrecht reinforcements. This is the quickest means of requesting help from the King but it will also deprive you of all your air recon capabilities.
iii. You will send a message to the palace by chariot informing the King of what has happened and asking for Royal Army reinforcements. This has the advantage of allowing you to get rid of the Watcher fragment in your possession should you so desire. (A simple yes/no on the stone with this option will suffice.)
iv. You will send a message to the palace by eagle informing the King of what has happened and asking for Royal Army reinforcements. This is the quickest means of requesting help from the King but it will also deprive you of all your air recon capabilities.
Ceannard and the Arrows (Ceannard can mobilize more quickly than anyone else and can keep what is going on a secret should you so desire. His men are well trained and about on par with Blackrock. He will expect to get paid of course.)
v. You will send a message to the Arrows by chariot to purchase Ceannard's help. This has the advantage of allowing you to get rid of the Watcher fragment in your possession (you can still send it on to the King) should you so desire. (A simple yes/no on the stone with this option will suffice.)
vi. You will send a message to the Arrows by eagle to purchase Ceannard's help. This is the quickest means of requesting help from the Arrows but it will also deprive you of all your air recon capabilities.
Your other Blackrock Mercenaries (Myora has offered to send an order to your Stoneheim branch requesting reinforcements should you desire. They can send half their force should you wish. It will take them some time to arrive but they are skilled warriors and it will allow to maintain control over the fort while also avoiding payment for mercenaries.)
vii. You will send a message to Stoneheim by chariot to request reinforcements from your Blackrock branch. This has the advantage of allowing you to get rid of the Watcher fragment in your possession (you can still send it on to the King) should you so desire. (A simple yes/no on the stone with this option will suffice.)
viii. You will send a message to the Arrows by eagle to request reinforcements from your Blackrock branch. This is the quickest means of requesting help from Stoneheim but it will also deprive you of all your air recon capabilities.
ix. You will simply hold the fort with what you have to hand. This is your business and you will deal with it yourself.
x. freeform: any combination of the above or something else entirely.
C) You will take control of fort and set charges to decrease its defensive capabilities. You will then return to the King.
D) Freeform