The Adventurer Pt. 04

The obelisk glowed brightly, its shine rivalling the sunlight. A moment later, in eerie silence, Guildmaster Erika's barriers almost entirely collapsed. A shriek from her office prompted me to barge in. "Guildmaster!"

Guildmaster Erika was thrown off her chair, blood flowing out of her mouth. "I'm fine," she insisted, though her voice was weak. Alexis barged in.

"Erika! Damn it, don't die here!" Alexis immediately fed Guildmaster Erika some of her blood.

"I'm fine, Alexis, just—"

"They just shot your barrier with the combined strength of three hundred battle mages, don't lie to me," she said.

Guildmaster Erika was still chanting as Alexis scooped her up and took her to safety. I followed her. "We need to get her evacuated," Alexis insisted to me. "She's not going to die, but if she gets any more injuries, she's dead." Two Adventurers placed her in a medical wagon.

The chantings had finished. The barrier melted entirely and in its place a great thunderstorm. The gigantic obelisk had been toppled. "I entrust the rest to you, Alexis," Guildmaster Erika said as her wagon began to move.

"Sure," Alexis said. "That's what you do best."

Alexis' faced turned serious. We both went back to the Guildmaster's office. Alexis consulted a magical projection of Easthaven. Even without it, though, it was clear from the loud sounds outside that the elves were attacking en masse. "Darryl, take your team and defend the Slaver's Guild. Leave the rest to me."

In her eyes was a determined gleam. I nodded. "Trust me on this one," she said.

I took Ariel and Ursa and leaped into the chaotic fighting in the Slaver's Guild. Elves swarmed the compound from all sides. Order was lost almost as soon as we arrived. Ursa charged in first, her gigantic battle axe felling one centaur immediately. Clangs of blades filled the air. Ariel danced across the battlefield, fighting enemy Shades.

I fought the Shade Ascendant who led the elves. Our blades clashed fruitlessly, each parry more desperate, each thrust and slash sharper than the last. I sent out a beam of grey light, piercing his shoulder. He fell to his knees.

I dropped my guard for a second—and he unleashed a barrage of lightning at me. "Argh!" I groaned in pain. He stood up. This wasn't going to be over any time soon.

It was. He was so focused on me that he didn't realize a shadow sneaking up on him and chopping his head off. I thought it was Ariel—but it was another elf. "Silva!" Ariel roared. It looked like she would try and kill the latter.

Silva ignored her. "In the chaos of the war, the elves purged some of the Den's assets," Silva said, anticipating my question. "This is just payback."

"We don't need glorified thugs and their whores to help us," Ariel said. Her eyes emitted extreme hatred and disgust.

Silva, again, ignored her. She went on to battle the other elves. More Den-aligned soldiers arrived, but the elves and the drow were far more numerous. The drow brought their air cannons—large tubes of iron. "Fire!" Merciless blasts of wind shredded the allied ranks, paving the way for a charge by a herd of centaurs.

Just as the tide seemed unstoppable, a great sounding of horns emerged. The elves and the drow withdrew their forces from the Slaver's Guild. Without warning, Ariel, Ursa, and I were teleported onto the city walls facing the south.

Lines upon lines of armored men on foot, horseback, and camelback marched from the south. Tara and her army had arrived. They smashed into the elven ranks, pushing them back. I watched as the elves and drow retreated—Easthaven was saved, for now.

Without warning (again!) we were teleported, this time to the headquarters. "Darryl, prepare yourself, we're going to Revallia City in five minutes," Alexis said. "Dolores, I'm leaving things in your hand."

The old receptionist Dolores nodded. "What? What is going on?"

"There's trouble in Revallia City. The Imperial Guard's massacred and the royal family is besieged in their palace."

"I thought you don't like the royal family?"

"Yes, but it's not a matter of like or dislike. If they die now, everything will go to even worse chaos," she said. "The elves are reeling now, but they're going to receive reinforcements soon. This is the only time to act."

"It's going to take quite some time from Easthaven to Revallia City," I mused.

"Thanks for the boost, Dolores," Alexis said. The old receptionist only now made her power apparent. She was transferring some strength to Alexis, who probably had expended much of hers.

Dolores' staff glowed white, producing thin threads of pure gold. The threads aligned beautifully into a giant bird. "It won't last longer than eight hours," Dolores said. She cracked a smile. "Not that it would need to."

"Hop on, Darryl," Alexis ordered. "And take this."

She threw me a bag. It had black bread in it—a type of bread specifically produced for use in war. It was rock solid, but a slice could feed an entire family for a day. "Be careful, Master!" Ursa called.

Alexis and I hurried onto the giant bird. We flew away from the carnage of the Battle of Easthaven. The sky was no obstacle for the bird's speed. Three hours of staying very, very still took a toll on my back, though. "Look, there is a village!" Alexis shouted—shouting was the only way to ensure our voices were heard this high up. "It shouldn't be far from Revallia City, let's descend!"

"Okay!"

We descended, landing a good few dozen metres away from the village's outskirts. Alexis recovered immediately—my back felt like cracking. "Come on," she said. "We've gotta be quick, Darryl. A lot is on our shoulders."

I nodded twice. I used some of my lust energy to relieve the pain. We entered the village. The villagers were gathering. The village chief and some others were distributing tiny bits of food. Vast fields of farmland laid near the village—all of them had decayed into some sort of grey matter. "Our fields and food supply are destroyed by a strange spell," the village chief said to us. "This is all we have left. The other villages got hit too."

"Here, black bread—a slice enough to feed a family for a day, don't waste it." Alexis dumped around two dozen loaves from her magical bag.

"I'd want a bag like that," I said.

"Why don't you learn spatial magic yourself?" Alexis chuckled. "By the way, did you see anything suspicious around? What about Revallia City?"

"We don't know anything about the capital, but a few days ago a troupe of dark-skinned people passed by."

"Elongated ears and black purplish skin? Do they carry staves or something like that?"

"Yes to both counts."

"How many are there?"

"Around twenty or so."

Alexis nodded. We left the village. We weren't exactly running, but we were walking very quickly. We arrived at Revallia City to see the city in unmitigated chaos. Multiple fires had broken out. The stench of lust magic was thick in the air.

As we approached the city, a few naked men charged at us (almost comically, with their penises hanging). "Leave this to me," Alexis said, taking a step back.

She cut her own palm, making it bleed. She clasped her hand and chanted a short spell. The men were relieved of their curse. "Wait a minute!" Alexis roared as the men, understandably now ashamed, attempted to run. "What happened?"

"We don't know—it, it's just chaos, we just lost reason and then everyone too and there's a giant orgy—"

"A giant orgy?" Alexis muttered, her hand waving dismissing the men, who scattered to find clothing. "You know what I'm thinking, Darryl?"

"Alaya von Schauffenberg is behind this?"

"Ultimately yes, but the direct culprits are likely that coven of drow witches the villagers saw." We sneaked in to take a look. The city had descended into a haven of lust. Men and women, young and old, all took off their clothes and had sex with reckless abandon.

"I'm sensing a magical shield around the Imperial Palace," Alexis said. "I'll deal with the coven. Darryl, cover yourself in your lust aura and get the royal family out of here."

"Can't we do something about this right now?" I asked, exasperated. At least it seemed like the children were left alone. But if the lust curse intensified ....

"I can 'purify' the curse with blood magic, but I'll run out of blood before it's finished. It's best for me to kill the coven witches—that will lift the curse."

I nodded. I coated myself in my lust magic, enough to fool the masses. I headed straight for the Imperial Palace. It was quite difficult to navigate the city, but I made it by running on the roofs. The Imperial Palace was grander than anything I could ever imagined, but as I snuck in, I realized that even its formidable magical defences were failing. Maids and butlers and guards had succumbed, and the lavish halls of the palace were overran.

I could sense where the magical defences had stood and I followed it—eventually to the throne room that was locked. "Anyone inside?" I asked, knocking the door.

"Who is it?" a man's voice rang.

"I'm Darryl, an Adventurer. I was sent to rescue the royal family."

The door opened. I was met with a tall knight who reeled back a little (thank you, my red eyes!) before straightening himself. We shook hands. "Terry Oakwood, Duke of Oakwood," he said.

"Darryl," I said shortly. I glanced past him to see the royal family alive and well, if not scared.

"You said you were sent to rescue the royal family?"

"Yes," I said. "I can coat all of you in my lust aura, so they don't notice you. Then we can get out of the city."

"We have to walk?" one of the female royals asked.

"I'm afraid so, Your Majesty," Duke Oakwood said. "We can use the hidden tunnel. But what about the city itself?"

"Alexis is out to hunt down the coven of witches that is maintaining the curse. Once she does that, the curse will be lifted. But we can't take the risk—we need to get out now," I said.

If Alaya were around, she would probably be able to stalemate Alexis and stop her from achieving her goal, so I thought.

"Then what are you waiting for? Do it!" King Verence IV ordered.

I did as ordered, straining my lust magic to its limit. Duke Oakwood and I led the way as he uncovered a hidden tunnel beneath the throne. The royals consisted of the King, his twin cousins, and an uncle. The King and his cousins were in the middle, while the uncle—barely able to handle a blade, by the looks of him—guarded the back. The tunnel was well-lit and spacious.

"Why didn't you escape through this tunnel before?" I asked Duke Oakwood.

"The tunnel doesn't lead to outside Revallia City—well, almost, but not quite. Without your protection we'd be ambushed when we emerge from the other end of the tunnel."

We exited the tunnel, evaded a scant few orgies, and emerged intact. "Where do we go?" I asked.

"Your Majesty?" Duke Oakwood asked.

"Where's the closest major safe city?" the King asked.

"Probably Corncroft, Your Majesty, the capital of Duke Cornwallis' domain," Duke Oakwood said.

"Then we're off to—"

Out of nowhere, a chilling shriek silenced us. It was Alexis', and she was thrown from far away. Alaya von Schauffenberg followed. Alexis unleashed a barrage of black lightning, forcing Alaya to bunker down with a barrier.

"What are you doing here?" Alexis shouted. "Get out of the way!"

Alexis channeled a large amount of energy, blasting off Alaya's left arm. Red mist was left lingering. "Blood magic?" Alaya mused as her left arm regenerated with insane speed. "Bringing out the stronger cards in your pack now, aren't you?"

"Just matching yours," Alexis said. Duke Oakwood and the royals had already retreated quite far away.

"Thank you!" Duke Oakwood's loud voice echoed.

"We're evenly matched, aren't we?" Alaya said, twirling her quarterstaff. "This feeling is quite novel. I haven't found an equal in a very, very long time."

"Not anymore," I said, raising my sword.

Alaya relaxed her battle stance. "Until next time then," she said. "Oh, and I've had the witches stop the curse—though the damage is done, obviously. I'd say tell your boneheaded king to surrender, but if he were that smart, this war wouldn't happen at all."

Alaya withdrew. "Alexis, are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said. "Neither of us were really serious."

Given how blasting off an arm was not considered serious, I shuddered to think what would happen if those two fought without reservations. "Come on, let's find those royals before they get killed by a falling tree or something."

"Duke Oakwood is with them," I said.

"Oakwood? He isn't half bad as a noble, but he isn't exactly the best fighter around either."

Several hours passed as Alexis and I searched for Duke Oakwood and the royals. We met them in some random place in the middle of nowhere with several dozen men. "Oh, that's Cornwallis," Alexis pointed at a man who was talking to the King.

"Duke Cornwallis?"

"Yeah, sure, if you want to call him that. He's another one that's not bad. He's just tending to his domain and doing fuckall otherwise."

We arrived at the impromptu meeting place. "I believe we should capitulate and open negotiations," Duke Cornwallis said.

"How can you say that?" King Verence IV hissed angrily. "After the deaths of a hundred thousand men, how can we fly the white flag now?"

"Your Majesty, Easthaven is the only bastion of meaningful resistance remaining and it's slowly falling. The relief army assembled at Revallia City has been neutralized. We are already beaten, Your Majesty. For the sake of your subjects and yourself, I support Duke Cornwallis," Duke Oakwood said.

"We haven't deployed everyone yet. What about the troops from the northern lords?" King Verence IV insisted.

"The northeastern ones are being wiped out by another elven army, the northwestern ones are holding off raids from barbarian tribes and orcs," Duke Oakwood reported.

"Then what soldiers can we still mobilize?"

"Almost none, Your Majesty. Except for mercenaries," Duke Oakwood said.

"Your Majesty, our position is shaky, but in Easthaven the battle is still somewhat of a draw. If we open negotiations now, we can still receive acceptable terms."

King Verence IV shook his head. "What about the Church? They ought to still have some men. And also, if nothing else, we can stretch their supply lines--"

"Alright, listen here, you moron."

Alexis (of course) interfered. Her face was red with anger. "Do you have any idea what kind of devastation they've inflicted? Your hundred thousand soldiers are dead or captured. Tens of thousands more have been killed in Easthaven and the northern cities. They have spells that can wilt crops and spoil food. Your people are starving!"

Alexis caught her breath for a second. "The Church? Their Saint was beaten and raped to the point she was half-dead. Stretching their supply lines? What about your people who are on the way? They'll be enslaved and they will suffer!"

"How dare you!" the King was wroth.

"No, how dare you! A king is supposed to protect his people, not the other way round!"

"Alexis, please calm down," I said, patting her on the back.

"Your Majesty, the Adventurer may be very impudent, but her words are not wrong," Duke Cornwallis said.

The King sat in contemplation for a while. Finally, he took off his crown. "I understand," he growled. "We will surrender."

So ended this senseless war. Much blood has been spilt. Untold suffering had rolled over the entire kingdom. But it ended now.

Two months later, representatives of both sides met on the repaired Easthaven for negotiations. The signatories were the Kingdom of Revallia, the elven Kingdom of Aureate (which, according to Erich, translated into 'gold' or something like that), and the drow Kingdom of Stygia.

Revallia was represented by King Verence IV and a slew of nobility. The Adventurer's Guild was present, of course—Erika, Alexis, and I were there. The Church sent a few of their priests, to the jeer of the drow witches present. King Elhelm II represented Aureate and Alaya von Schauffenberg represented Stygia. Tara represented the Alliance of Free States.

In the sombre room, King Verence IV reluctantly signed the Treaty of Easthaven, which were drawn up by the victors. The treatise was as such, as read aloud by the scribe:

1. All signatories shall recognize the sovereignty of one another.
2. All signatories shall cease hostilities.
3. All signatories shall not, in the future, war upon one another.
4. All dead are to be honored.
5. The Kingdom of Revallia shall bear the responsibility of beginning the war and shall pay 15,000,000 gold coins in reparations to the Kingdom of Aureate and the Kingdom of Stygia each.
6. The Alliance of Free States shall not pay nor receive reparations.
7. These territories shall be ceded to the newly formed Duchy of Whitewood:

What followed was an unbelievably long list of cities, towns, and villages. From what I could decipher (by which I meant I asked Alexis and her map), Revallia's new borders would be roughly a straight line drawn from Stormport to Easthaven, then a straight line drawn from Easthaven to Frostford, a large city in the north.

1. The Duchy of Whitewood shall be an independent, neutral entity. Its neutrality is to be guaranteed by all signatories. The Duchy of Whitewood shall be co-ruled by two noblemen chosen by the Kingdom of Aureate and the Kingdom of Stygia each. It will pay a tribute of five percent of its produces to the aforementioned two kingdoms.

"Independent, neutral entity, my arse," Alexis muttered. "It's just a buffer puppet state."

1. All curses cast upon food supplies and farmlands shall be reversed in the spirit of maganimity.
2. Soldiers of the Alliance of Free States shall be given supplies and guaranteed safe passage to their homeland.
3. Further negotiations shall be done regarding the issue of prisoners of war.

The treaty was signed. On our way out of the building, Alaya and Alissa von Schauffenberg met Alexis and I.

"So, it is finally over," Alaya said. The drow twirled her quarterstaff.

"You sound almost disappointed," Alexis chuckled. "Maybe I should blast off your arm again."

Those two laughed as if they hadn't been trying to kill each other just a few months ago. "No hard feelings," Alaya said. "I can't just let my niece be captured without retaliation, can I?"

"Certainly," Alexis said, though her tone was somewhat bitter.

"Well, I'd like to tell you something." Alaya's voice suddenly became serious. "Just yesterday, my men discovered that some of my retainers had been consorting with demons and received kickbacks from them. Incidentally, those retainers are the ones pushing for war, even before Alissa's kidnapping."

"You don't need to act all subtle with me, I know what you mean," Alexis said. "I've been investigating on my side too."

Alaya nodded. "See you then."

"I'll be back at the Slaver's Guild," Alissa said.

"After all that?" I mused.

"I've got a contract, you know. See you, Darryl."

We parted ways. "You're saying that certain people in Revallia are bribed to support the war by the demons?"

"Exactly," Alexis said. "What did you think the reward I got from Al-Jins was? I asked them to keep tabs on things like that."

Alexis left and Monica, Ariel, Ursa arrived. "It's over, isn't it, Master?" Monica asked.

"It is," I said, sighing. "Come on, let's get back to Freywind Hamlet. We all need some rest."

"Ariel? Is that you?"

An elf approached us. Ariel shuddered. "Oh, fuck ...."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Aneris, Ariel's big sister," she said. "Can I speak with Ariel?"

"What do you want, Aneris?" Ariel asked. Her tone was weak.

"To bring bad news, I'm afraid. Father has cut you off the family tree."