Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 11

Nova heard, "I can send the message inside. If it is received is another matter."

Nova looked over the scrying, "No guards on any shelters. I will unlock and open them up to stay open. Give him a few surprises anyway. I will also be making a lava trip or two to put over the throne room. If I am away from this console you be my eyes and watch his shelter and alert me, Varus'Nor."

Goldeagle looked at her, "Not going to leave me much of a Palace."

Nova looked at him, "If he is a champion for a demon what kind of damage is that going to cause?"

He turned white, "I will do the lava. You get back here. This is your show."

---

Corellon smiled, "We did not need to warn her. She came to that conclusion on her own. Though she does not know which one."

'The One' looked at him, "True. She is a smart and cautious one. You went to extremes to build her that way, but she has a good chance of succeeding if she remains patient. Her life beyond this is difficult to predict.

The sides are balanced at the moment, depending on what the other does. No Solar can interfere in this battle. Your champion has to be the one to handle the problem. The only way to save your people in this world. I am watching both sides closely on this one."

---

Nova thought, "I want this displayed and heard in the throne room around the Capital as big as practical. Then smaller ones every three hundred feet in all directions as far as we can go over elven land."

Nova heard Varus'Nor, "The northern lands would not be covered or the battlefield but you have just about everywhere else within 30 miles."

Nova got everyone in position.

Nova opened it up, "I am Novella'Silver 'Nova' Silvertree, Champion of Corellon Larethian. I did not die in the war. I went on a mission for Corellon Larethian that took 5 years to train for. To infiltrate this flying Keep. Now known as Nova Base. I recovered my family blade as well as the other 11 held by this monster. The Gods chose the wielders.

Last night if you witnessed our light show you will know that we are no longer 12 Moon Blades, not 14 Moon Blades. We are now at 15 Moon Blades as the Gods have added another. Corellon Larethian also crowned a new King.

King Monnius Goldeagle and holder of his family Blade. This new blade is significant but I will not ask you to take my word for it. Corellon Larethian left a message for all of you."

Nova pressed the red crystal. They watched the water explode up.

---

King Goleagle had just finished sacrificing the remains of his own family as they exited the secure shelter he threw a death field repeatedly. None of the casters could cast anything as Correlon had stripped them of abilities for following this wretched King.

He saw the message and heard from Abraxus, "You have your army that will likely turn on you after seeing this, if not already. Get the Gates up in the throne room and pray to me she opens your secure shelter to get to your final sacrifice before you die. You stand-alone now. Your power will be immense, or it will be nothing."

---

Nova looked at Monnius, "Two loads and back here and into the shower in my quarters." He nodded. Nova teleported out to the upper shelter, "Open portal set all access to only the blade wielder. Drop wall and drop blades. She teleported to the fourth floor, "Open portal activate security, lock it out to only me. Keep it open. She saw all of the dead bodies of Goldeagle family members and guards."

She teleported back and watched him come in with the second load, "Give him teleporter access."

He was gone, "Close it." she heard him sizzling. She watched the monitors. She thought, "What in the fuck is that?"

Nova heard from the Lady of Dreams, "Those are gates to the Abyss. More precisely they are gates waiting to be opened."

Nova thought, "Fuck, I hate being right."

Nova went to the vault and grabbed 12 portable holes. "Seal vaults."

Nova found her Patron, "I want you to gather all of those not in this fight and take them back to House Silvertree. Take these with you. Plus, this bag. Get that bag into a secure location, it has the other two portable displays for Gods' Eyes in them. Those are a trust for the family if this all goes sideways."

He looked at Nova, "Why do you say that now?"

Nova told him, "We have five gate locations to the Abyss in the fucking throne room."

He nodded his understanding.

Nova looked around, "If you are here to fight, come with me. My students follow my Patron, this is beyond your abilities. They know you exist and why."

They nodded and went to her Patron. She went down, "Open vaults. Pull every piece of armor and weapons we have in these vaults. That includes the staves. If there is gear better than what you are wearing then swap out! For everything else ensure it is tagged to what it is and get it into the portal. Let me know when it is full floor to ceiling. Drop lower shield."

Nova had 24 caster teleport into the keep with the Commander in the pasture. Nova looked at him, "Commander with me, Casters that just arrived if you are here to help then help them and help yourselves to the gear only. Only what you will use. Tag what you leave behind if swapping gear. The rest goes to the portal room. King Goldeagle with me. Other blade wielders and relic owners help to distribute and monitor. Seal portal 17-22. 9 and 13. Only money in those vaults."

She walked up to the command center. "Those are five gate locations in the throne room."

He shook his head, "Our guys are not geared for that kind of fight."

Nova nodded, "That is why I dropped the lower shield, we are loading up the portal room with every piece of gear we got. At least most of it. When we do this, I will need 20 of your best casters on the roof. Five gate means we have at least five summoners in there. Potentially anyway."

Nova handed him a portable hole, "Army back pay General! I need those casters countering spells against those summoners. Get geared, we will meet you on the ground. I will lower the force wall so you can bring in the rest of our army to get geared up."

He nodded and went to the vaults. Nova looked at Goldealge, "This is so fucking bad."

He nodded, "It will be an epic battle or over quickly somehow."

Nova looked at the display. "They want their ground. The rest of your house looked to be slaughtered in the fourth floor War Room. Along with the guards. He was probably screwed if his family did not follow his deity but defend the crown.

They would have been unable to defend themselves from whatever attack he unleashed. The Pretender or the small group who follows his new master, if any. We should get more clerics from the local church."

Nova handed him a crystal, "Take two of our clerics, including your wife. They cannot cast against you. Take our blade singers and a couple of our mages. See what you can scrounge up. Here is my communication crystal. Then the Academy. This will take a few hours."

He nodded, "I will get with our Army General and get an honor guard as well."

Nova chuckled and nodded, "Much needed promotion for him. Better to be safe."

Nova walked down to see how things were going. Nova looked at the General getting geared up, "I thought it was about time you got that promotion, General."

He chuckled, "What does that make you?"

Nova smiled, "Field Marshal, Leader of the resistance to aid in the installation of our new King and council of 14 now. All blade holders who are adults sit on that council and we make sure the responses are measured. The expenditure for big things is in the best interest of the people. Our swords; all 15 will keep each of us from getting corrupted or kill us themselves."

He nodded. Nova's crystal went off, "Ready to teleport out."

Goldeagle called out, "Blocker off. Go. Blocker on."

New Moon came back, "Almost full."

Nova pointed, "Leave a spot for the general to get gear distribution going and get pay in their hands. Nothing boosts morale like getting paid, right."

He nodded, "I will let him know there is no shortage of coin for our army."

Nova smiled, "Let them know that ever one who fights if they live or die, will get a 100,000 in gold each. Ensure all next of kin information is up-to-date."

He laughed, "Did that yesterday."

She thought, "That ought to clear a vault or two up here."

Nova heard the Lady of Dreams laugh, "Maybe two. Glad to see you using every resource."

Nova looked at them "Until it comes back, stage it for going in." The crystal buzzed. She pulled it out and it was Godleagle, "They are being reluctant."

Nova smiled, "Then conscript them, your Majesty. I just told the General that everyone who fights gets 100,000 gold pieces if they live or not. He knows I have that and more."

Nova walked back to the prison section. She walked around, "We just punched a few holes in the Palace roof. What we found with our Overwatch is five gate locations ready to activate. Wonder what kind of creature from the Abyss he made a deal with. Explains why he sold the swords. Get them as far away before his master or masters enter this world. You worked to support the extermination of the elven people. It is looking bad for you and your families."

Nova went back to the control room where Nearon was with his wife.

Nova asked, "You two get geared up yet? The vaults are open for gear."

Nearon looked at Nova, "I am sorry for giving you such a hard time."

Nova pointed. "Five gates, one for every year I was gone. The number is not lost on me. I care for you both; I just know I will never marry. Unless that is what Charlus was there to talk about. Lower force field off. I will be right back."

Nova teleported down near the shelter, "Get your men inside the shield. I want to put that force wall back up as soon as possible. Here is a crystal contact me when it is done."

He nodded, "Your portal is emptied."

Nova got into it and took it back to the ship, "START LOADING!"

---

Abraxus sent his champion a message, "She opened the portal! She made a mistake. Seize the opportunity as she is outfitting your army to be her army!"

The corrupted King teleported up to his shelter.

---

Nova went back to the control room. Nova watched the activity and saw someone teleported up to the secure shelter for the royal family. She zoomed in on high detail as he walked inside.

She teleported down, "Seal portal!"

---

Abraxus was pissed. The sacrifice would not work in that shielded shelter. The elven gods had claimed it as an elven relic last night using the power from all of the relics sacrificed. Deals were made with 'The One' and other races to get their relics returned.

They had to find them on the Astral plane and they could not use them on this world ever again as part of the deal Correlon struck. Correlon had outplayed him in this regard and now his champion was trapped in that shelter and cut off from him at the moment. He now knew the shelter was a prison to his champion unless he set someone to change this champion's mind.

---

King Brathium Goldeagle looked at his wife and Nanny. He disintegrated the nanny, "In the name of Abraxus your spirit belongs to him. He turned to his wife, "You, my bitch of a wife, I have something special planned for you. His arms turned into scaly claws and he started ripping her apart and eating her while she screamed at him.

He thought, "Does this please you Lord Abraxus." He got no response. He looked back and the portal was sealed. He finished eating his fill from his wife, he had eaten many of his children from the bards he took this way as well. Sacrificing them and digesting the bodies to gain power. He always got an answer, but not this time.

He did that often while they were in the middle of giving birth. He had one final price to pay but he would have to get out of here first. He started casting hexes and such onto the children he had left. Once they entered the material plane they would be sacrificed automatically. He had some combat spells left, and a teleportation circle left. He just needed the door opened.

---

Nova went back to the Keep. She looked at the display, "General I am closing that force field in ten seconds!"

She thought, "Close force wall."

She contacted Goldeagle, "A Gate went active! I trapped the King in his shelter, you coming back now or going into hiding at House Silvertree?"

She heard him groan, "Open up."

She dropped the blocker, He had 80 who teleported inside. "Blocker on. Raise the lower shield!"

She felt the keep shake, "Seal outer doors." She pulled up a crystal, "General something just hit the Keep. Did you see it?"

He responded, "Some kind of demon looks to have landed on your keep and is trapped inside your shields now. How did it get in?"

Nova looked over, "Getting the King back with another 80 assorted battle clerics and battlemages."

The general sighed, "It seems to be waiting for something."

Nova thought, "More like someone."

Nova sighed, "Describe it."

He chuckled, "It is a succubus. A rather large one."

Nova looked around, "Blade wielders to the courtyard. Wait at the door for it."

Nova teleported outside the shield. She started banging against the outside shield trying to get to Nova. Nova moved away, "Lower and bring up the force wall for two seconds. NOW!"

Nova dimension doored beyond Overwatch and activated fly on the armor. She tried getting into Nova's mind but was shut out. She teleported to Nova. Nova dimension doored to the other side of Overwatch. She flew right at Nova. Into the minefield of wards.

She set off 8 of them and 3 did the damage. The last ward killed her and disintegrated her body which returned to the abyss. Nova dimension doored to the army, "Lower the force wall NOW!" She stepped through to a round of applause.

---

Lord Abraxus sighed, "I will not waste resources on him in this. He gets my payment or he dies. I need this champion captured and the succubus could not get into her mind. She was completely shielded. I sense Corellon's handy work in this effort."

He heard from 'The One,' "He absorbed a lot of magical energy from capturing that base. You gave him an attractive target, to try and lock his relics away. He made deals for some relics. Everything he did was within the rules. This will be a champion on champion battle and she knows nothing of you.

Corellon kept your name out of it. She is driven by instinct, that restricts what you can do. She has the advantage at the moment. We will see how this power play works out for you as these champions face off against each other. He fails and you are barred from accessing this world, even when it falls into the Abyss in the future."

---

Nova called out, "Get to work that was a baby. She was targeting me. Probably because I cut off the corrupted King. Their favorite sacrifices are babies. I am sure he gave up his wife as part of a deal in the works and his children."

Nova called the portal and went back up.

Nova called out, "Get it loaded again."

Nova went to the control room and looked around. "We are down to four gates. None have gone active. I remembered the planning for the assault. Figured she could help with clearing the wards off that rock, Senna."

Senna smiled, "You did not even have to summon it, the King did..or his sponsor."

Nova looked at King Goldeagle, "We need one-person monitoring, everyone else helping get gear from the vault and into the portal."

Nova went down, "Close 14-16."

They spent another three hours loading up the vaults, 50 people loading, and 50 unloading gear. Nova called out, "Seal all vaults."

She called down as she sent the portal, "You have 95% of the gear. I pulled several Psion only items to distribute to the psion communities."

He responded, "We have just about everyone in new gear. Fuck that is some massive horde you pulled in."

Nova nodded, "I know. I outfitted an army with it."

The General called out, "We have it empty again."

Nova recalled it, "Keep getting them outfitted. Let me know when we can send it to pick up excess gear." Nova pulled up House Silvertree and it looked fine.

Nova went down and took the gate to House Silvertree, "Portal open, blades deactivate, wall down." She walked inside. "Portal closed. Security blades activate. Security wall up."

She walked over to the Patron, "The trust and my bag. We got the King trapped in his shelter and four gates remaining. We are working on distributing gear to the army from the vaults."

He handed her the items. He looked at Nova, "What are you going to do with those?"

Nova pointed, "Secure them, make some journal entries just in case."

Nova left two portable holes behind. "The King is done and he is just seeing how many he can take with him."

He asked, "Explain."

Nova looked at him, "He has killed off everyone in the Palace. There is nobody alive in there! He likely sacrificed them all. He sacrificed his own family in the War Room, Just outside of it. His extended family and guards. We are seeing nobody in the Palace. His wife and children were likely in that shelter. They sent a succubus and their favored sacrifice is children."

She went into the blade wielders home. She secured 9 of the 10. She left one on the bed. She secured her journal and the blade wielders journal.

Nova called out, "Add Nearon to access." she walked out. "I left another on my bed and added Nearon to the list. The others are stored for the next wielder if needed. I do not plan on dying but when dealing with demons best to be prepared."

He nodded, "Good luck."

Nova called out, "Close portal, security wall down, blades deactivate." She stepped outside. "Security wall up portal open. Security blades activate. Close portal."

She arrived back and went to the control room, "Where are we at?"

He looked at Nova, "They have some gear to send back up."

Nova sent the portal down. "Next?"

He chuckled, "They appear to be doing nothing but waiting." Nova kicked it up into high definition.

She looked, "I am still not seeing anyone in there. The King likely killed them all. I think he sacrificed everyone in the Palace Else they escaped. Saves you from having to kill off the rest of your house potentially."

He shook his head, "What do you want to do?"

She pointed, "Grab a teleport blocker, I need those casters with the telekinesis. I need to capture him alive and get him to confess his crimes and figure out what he paid his master."

He nodded, "All right. I am going as is Silver Moon."

Nova pulled out magic suppression manacles She called down, "I am bringing the lower shield back on-line. Have casters go to the roof and check for any wards. I want those gate locations destroyed. We are going for the King's secure shelter. Activate the lower dragon shield on full. I want this place evacuated just in case."

He nodded and they cleared everyone out. They took the portal across. She sent it away and turned on the teleport blocker. She looked, "Wall of force and nobody attacks him directly except me. Get the crown off of his head. And wall him inside!"

They cast one. "Portal open" Nova stood in front.

King Brathium attempted to teleport out and wasted it as they had a blocker going on the other side. He disintegrated the wall as he needed to get out of the shelter. But was still further back as he had tried to draw them in as he went out.

---

The wall was disintegrated. The other two knocked his crown off. She commanded. "Sleep." As she stepped inside. Another put another wall up.

He resisted and hit her with a disintegration.

She tried again, "Sleep."

He fell to the ground asleep with two crying infants. She walked further inside. She manacled his hands together, "Check for other children."