Regicide: The Dimensional Wars, Book 3, page 22
The door slid open quietly, and she entered a room with a dozen people holding knives.
“At ease. Just me.” She said, pulling her hood back to reveal her face.
“Do we have a new mission now that Arthur has returned?” One lady in the group asked.
“Kind of.” Dalia agreed. “I’m being sent to Seora to take over the governing body there. My mission is to subvert the leadership of the city to my control. I’d like to take two of you with me.”
Everyone fidgeted, and she could see they all fought back the urge to bombard her with requests to take them.
She had worked hard to cultivate this group of people. Each one of them was hand selected by her to become members of her shadow organization. Was damnably hard with the zealotry toward Arthur and Lianna here, not to mention that damnable blessing at the church. She still hated having to sneak into the building from alternate entrances.
“What about the rest of us who remain behind?” Asked one man.
“Your goals are to learn everything you can about the habits of the leadership in the city. Try to bribe as many people as you can to our side. I’m hoping Arthur makes this easy and gets himself killed fighting the Dark Elves. If that happens, your orders are to seize control of the city using any means necessary. Assassinations, bribes, brute force, I don’t care. I’ll be doing the same thing in Seora.”
Her gaze searched the crowd before she pointed at two different people. “Gallant and Jennie. Both of you have been to Seora, correct?”
“Yes,” they answered in unison.
“Good. You’ll accompany me. I want you both ready to leave in a day.” Dalia said.
She laid out the details for a few of her contingency plans before everyone discreetly left,
Getting closer to my goals.
Chapter 17
A Change in Tactics
“I don’t like this,” Samson grumbled.
Arthur scanned the force arrayed along the tree line. They stood in their standard formation with their large kite shields out front. Their archers remained still, with arrows on their bows in a relaxed position. Sparks of electricity and flickers of flame danced around the mages.
“I’m not fond of it either, but don’t know what else to do. They left us alone for a week now. Their reinforcements were here days ago, and they did nothing. They finally form up to attack. Maybe it’s time to push back and drive them off?” Arthur mused.
Samson looked up and down the walls at the arrayed defenders. Freshly made armor and weapons glinted in the midday sun. The entire guard force was now decked out in the best Magesteel armor available. The combined power and wealth represented on the wall alone was more than the entire kingdom had at its disposal. Arthur didn’t doubt the Dark Elves had a large contingent of enchanted weaponry, though.
The one benefit of the full force showing up had been the event trigger.
Attack on the City
Requirements: Participate in actions to directly or indirectly influence the outcome of the raid.
Rewards: 17,000 experience, 2 Talent Points
Description: A new raid has started near Alurian. Aid either side in the fight. If the side you assist survives the raid, you receive the rewards.
“I assume they have some kind of plan. Can’t think of any other reason they would wait so long to attack.”
“Unless they are just trying to pin us in and buy time?” Samson suggested.
Arthur thought about that before shaking his head. “I don’t think so. They have been largely unmolested. I don’t believe they weren’t prepared for this attack before they declared war. It also would be foolish for them to pin us in. Most of the countryside is still evacuated following the orc and goblin raids. If they tried to march on Seora, they are literately putting their back to us and making themselves susceptible to being flanked.”
“I guess we just wait and see,” Samson agreed before rolling his shoulders and twisting his neck from side to side in a light stretch.
Arthur spent time during the last week upgrading all of their weaponry and armor to Magesteel. Samson now wore a full set of plate Magesteel that was visibly identical to his last set. He even kept most of the enchantments from his previous set the same while adding in the shared damage absorption from the mail armor sets. Samson now had nearly forty percent more defense and a ton of extra effective health.
They arrayed their entire force in that line. I don’t see any hints of movement in the trees and nothing in the surrounding area. Calfuray sent to him.
Thanks Cal. Can you keep over-watch for me? I don’t plan on you engaging them unless necessary.
Sure. The little rat can come back down to assist in the fight.
Little rat! I swear one of these days I’m going to pay you back for these insults. Balair grumbled through their connection.
What are you going to do? Get drunk and pee on me too? Cal chuckled.
Balair, come down here and join me on the walls. Might need your help depending on what they decide.
Fine. Balair sent before his figure grew larger in the clear sky. The orange and red of his scales glittered in the daylight as he came to a smooth landing behind the wall. The scratching of claws on stone was audible as the drake climbed the staircase to take his place near them.
Arthur’s attention snapped back to the elves outside the city. Magic built in the air as he felt mana condensing near the enemy lines.
“Get ready. They are preparing something.” Arthur told Samson.
The paladin immediately passed the warning down the line and the soldiers all stood straighter, nervously squeezing the shafts of their spears or the hilts of their swords. Archers nocked arrows and laid them along their bows, ready to lift and loose.
The building power made Arthur nervous, and he began gathering his own mana. He wasn’t sure the goal of their spell, but if the amount of mana they used was this big, he wouldn’t have time to counter or negate any of the damage if he didn’t start gathering power early.
To his shock, the other casters on the wall mimicked his actions and built up their own power. The ambient mana energy that the forces emitted shimmered in the air like heat in a desert. It gave him hope to see them responding as they should. The heat pouring out of Allendria washed over him and warmed his skin as she gathered her energy.
The buildup of power abruptly ceased and Arthur watched with his breath held in anticipation.
Will it be a fireball? Do they plan on blasting the wall with lightning? Earth siege power? The many possibilities sped through his mind during that moment.
All at once, multiple spells zipped forward from the Dark Elven line.
“What the…” he breathed out as the action registered. Arthur felt the power in each spell and had to make a snap decision on which ones to fight against. His mind jumped from spell to spell.
Fireball, Ice Lance, Earthen Spikes, Shatter Stone, Magic Arrow, Crumble to Dust, and a host of others sped toward them. Arthur quickly picked out those that would deal the most damage to his people or his walls and launched his mana in return. He wrestled control of half a dozen of the spells. The conflict of his mana smothering them lasted only moments before each fizzled. Dozens more continued forward.
Arthur felt the other casters extend their mana and smother some of the other spells as well. Hopefully, they picked the best options to mitigate damage.
Chunks of ice splashed across the wall and the crenelations, sending shards ricocheting in every direction. An odd groan came from the gate and Arthur ran down part of the stairs to see what happened. The hinges holding the doors in place were now rusted and looked like a stiff breeze might break them loose.
Shaking his head, he ran back to the top of the wall as fire splashed and lightning sizzled along the walkway. Looking through the crenelations, he saw the Dark Elves approaching in their solid formation.
“Fine, two can play at that game,” Arthur said as he activated Dual Casting and built the power for Searing Beam in each hand. In true anime style, he placed both hands together and shot out a concentrated beam of power that would make Goku proud. It rushed across the open field and battered headfirst into one of the shield wielding defenders. The power barely slowed as the shield turned molten hot and the beam blasted a hole through the chest of the person behind it.
You dealt 450 HP damage to Dark Elven Defender with Concentrated Searing Beam.
Dark Elven Defender has died.
You gain 150 experience.
Hmm, it even recognized it as a concentrated spell instead of just two separate Searing Beams.
Arthur shook off the thought and started lobbing spells. Balls of ice and fire splashed into the attacking force that had now transitioned to a run. They were charging for the gatehouse and its damaged doors.
He kept pouring out spells as fast as he could conjure them. Shards of earth pelted into the enemies while he used his magic to make spikes appear from the ground and spear into their army. Their casters worked against him and tried to negate most of his attacks, but they didn’t have enough power to fight back.
His effectiveness waned as most of his spells went on cooldown. An arrow flashed through the space in front of him and splintered against his shoulder. The force of the projectile caused him to take a step back.
Dark Elf Ranger dealt 0 HP damage to you with Steel Arrow. (40 HP damage negated)
Arthur looked at his shoulder and saw the armor was completely unblemished. He smiled at the notification and made sure his visor was down and shut tight.
My armor can protect me from lots of damage, but not sure it will work if I get shot in the face.
He kept launching spells the minute they came off of cooldown, but it was inconsistent. Once again, he resolved to expand his selection of magic spells he could use to avoid this kind of scenario. Most of his normal spells ruptured armor and dealt small amounts of damage but weren’t lethal. The shields the Dark Elves carried were all battered and dented now from the onslaught but still serving their purpose.
The Dark Elves approached the gate, ready to bust through, when it surprised them and opened. Arthur heard the creak of the door and rushed down the stairs to see Samson standing in the doorway. Arthur sighed, jumped off the side of the stairs, and rolled to a standing position. He raced to the Paladin’s side and drew Ember while bringing a new Magesteel dagger into his offhand. Shadows danced along the wall, and Rayne emerged to stand with them. Arthur glanced backward to see Allendria and Vana both behind them and on the edge of the stairs covering their backs.
Arthur turned back to the attacking force and stepped forward.
“Tirithan. Call off this attack. You can’t beat us. I’d hate for your death to be a waste.” Arthur yelled over the battle.
“Tirithan no longer commands this force. I’m Indatha and I’ll be the end of you. Remember my name well for what little time you have left, human.” Someone in the back of the force called.
The elf commander called for a charge and Arthur stepped back into their line. The shields led the way, but Arthur didn’t care. He lobbed out a dual cast Fire Blast and both of the spells crossed the distance and exploded with an enormous boom, rattling the stone and causing bits of dust and debris to rain down.
“Arthur, we are in here too!” Rayne said.
No further conversation happened as the remaining fighters closed the distance. Arthur placed his dagger back in its sheath and reached forward with his empty hand. Latching onto the top edge of the shield in front of him, he pulled it forward, knocking the wielder off balance and causing them to stumble. He angled Ember around their side and slid the sword through their ribs under their arm. Warm blood ran down the blade and dripped from the guard as he pulled it free and pushed the fighter out of his way.
You dealt 250 HP Damage to Dark Elf Defender with Ember. (Critical Strike) (Fatal Blow)
Dark Elf Defender has died.
A sword slashed at his head and he ducked to the side before bringing his own weapon around in a backhanded slash. It clanged against the defender’s armor, but cut a deep rent through the breastplate. He parried the next attack from the random elf and used his strength to knock the fighter off balance. A blast of ice shattered against his chest, interrupting his follow up attack, and causing him to step backward.
Dark Elf Mage dealt 0 HP damage to you with Ice Shards. (58 HP damage negated)
The defender regained their stance and slashed forward again. This time, Arthur caught the blade on his own and held it while conjuring Searing Flame and blasting a beam of power through the unsuspecting mage.
You dealt 300 HP damage to Dark Elf Mage with Searing Beam. (Critical Hit) (Fatal Blow)
Dark Elf Mage has died.
The defender used his moment of distraction against him and disengaged from his blade, causing Arthur to stumble with the loss of force. The blade came back around, and Arthur lifted his arm to block his head. Metal met metal, and his arm smashed into the side of his helmet with the force of the attack. Arthur tried to shake his head clear as ringing dominated his senses. Another impact hit him in the side and he winced.
Dark Elf Defender dealt 0 HP damage to you with Steel Broadsword. (35 HP damage negated)
Dark Elf Defender dealt 0 HP damage to you with Steel Broadsword. (62 HP damage negated)
The ringing subsided and his vision cleared just in time to see the next attack coming for his head. He bent backward, and the blade passed in front of his face. Lunging forward, he tried to run the elf through with Ember. The fighter was formidable and pulled his shield over. The screech of metal sent a shiver down his spine as his blade skated across the shield. He continued forward to get inside the elf’s guard, drew his dagger, and stabbed. It sank into the soldier’s gut and the man doubled over.
You dealt 135 HP damage to Dark Elf Defender with Enchanted Magesteel Dagger. (Critical Hit)
With the elf out of the fight, Arthur swept a glance across the area. Rayne darted among the fighters in his shadow form. Wherever he went, Arthur saw deep puncture wounds leaking blood.
Samson stood toe to toe with a group of defenders. Each tried to push back at him with their shields, but his strength was more than they could handle. He used some enchantments in his armor to push back and turn the tide. Arthur averted his eyes when he saw the face on his shield burn with fire. Heat washed over his side as Divine Fury bathed the area with flame.
Elves writhed on the ground as the heat consumed their clothes and flesh. Their steel armor glowed red and continued to cook them after the fire ability completed. Arrows sunk into many of the unfortunate souls and stilled their thrashing.
Arthur spotted the grim look of finality on Vana’s face as she placed arrow after arrow to end the undue suffering. Allendria did her part and sent in Searing Beams and Flame Arrows to finish those she could.
Almost seems cruel with them already burning to death. Arthur mused.
“Dammit, Samson! Warn people if you plan on setting the whole place on fire. You’re almost as bad as Arthur.” Rayne yelled as he patted out a small flame on his cloak. The shadows of his ability retreated into himself and he looked slightly weaker. His ability taking its toll on him.
Arthur saw a line of fighters forming up just outside the gatehouse, presumably waiting for the heat to subside. Not wanting to get into another prolonged skirmish, he turned to Allendria.
“Go all out?” he asked.
She looked at the elves arrayed in formation and nodded in agreement. Fire swirled around her hands and Arthur shifted focus back to the attackers. He pulled on his own mana and began dual casting everything he could think of. Explosions from Fire Blast pushed the fighters out of ranks while he used the Fireball and Searing Beam spells to pick off some of their mages and ranged fighters. Spears of Earth launched forward, impaling rangers, and he sent spikes up through the ground, killing even more.
Allendria’s assault was no less impressive as she built her power into one large spell. Arthur felt the energy rolling off of her and turned to see everyone standing far behind her as fire swirled around her body. The flames grew hotter and even Arthur had to step away despite his fire protection being active. The power changed from a light orange to a deep red and slowly shifted into blue as the heat intensified. With a cry, Allendria pushed the power forward and a ten-foot-tall wall of blue fire rushed forward. When it cleared the gatehouse, it expanded to cover an area nearly eighty feet wide. The elves turned and ran, but most weren’t fast enough. The flames ate the distance until it passed over each person. Once touched by the flame, their skin and armor blackened and they fell to the ground, unmoving.
Allendria looked at him and grinned. “I think I win.”
Her knees wobbled, and Arthur dashed forward. He arrived just in time to catch her as she collapsed.
“You’re not supposed to burn yourself to the point of collapse. Still a battle happening.” Arthur whispered as he brushed the hair back from her face.
“After that spell, I doubt any of them are still interested in fighting today.” She mumbled.
Arthur turned and watched the raiding party retreat into the trees. A few of them dragged some of their wounded with them as they went. He looked back at Allendria and made sure she was seated and resting before standing up.
“Samson, order a force of rangers and shield bearing fighters to pursue and harass.” Arthur said.
“Are you certain?” Samson asked, glancing at Allendria.
“We don’t have any other option. We need them to retreat to their own capital. I don’t want them lingering in the area anymore. Make sure our fighters know they are not to engage in a full skirmish. Only hit-and-run tactics to keep them moving.”
Samson paused and didn’t say anything for a few moments.
“As much as is pains me, it must be done.” Allendria said.
