The Eldritch Realms Pt. 04

The magical fire in the lanterns flickered. The four lion statues came to life. Cassy immediately withdrew to safety. Agnes cast spheres of fire and spears of iron; Eliza harried her foe with thunderbolts; Nana duelled the lion with her claws.

The lion I faced leaped and I jumped out of the way. The wooden chest was destroyed and a thick, blackish mist burst out and conjoined with my blade. My blade rebelled, turning into a gargantuan snake. It wrapped itself unto the lion, immobilizing it.

"Grah!" I drove a massive lust bomb onto the lion's head, shattering it. The stone lion burst into a thousand pieces.

When I turned my head, everyone had dispatched the stone lions. I bent down to observe the snake. "You're... my sword?"

"Shshsh!"

Yeah, what did I expect. It seemed that the eldritch energy in the chest empowered my blade; I remembered that Karl's sword could do something similar. Perhaps I could ask him later.

I exerted my will and the snake turned back to a sword. "Alright, what's next?"

The hole left by the lions led us to the third--and presumably final--level. Now this was a proper treasure vault; a vast army of faceless humanoid war machines; piles of gold and silver; supplies that haven't rot (goddamn that preserverance spell must have been one hell of a spell!); an array of weapons.

I had the succubi cast powerful concealment charms on the vault. After a day's rest, we prepared for our trip to the Veya Islands. I left most valuable things I earned in the arena in the vault, bringing with us only food, medicine, and weapons.

"Everyone, we'll head to the Veya Harbor tomorrow. It's about two days' travel with our carriage through enemy domain--so we have to be careful. Once there, we'll steal one of the ships."

"Can anyone steer a ship?" Eliza asked.

"Ideally we'd hold a captain hostage and have them steer the ship for us," I said. "But Nana has basic skills on this."

We travelled with only our carriage this time. Two days later, we reached the port city. Abandoning the wagon, we entered the city.

It was a dying city; its buildings were dilapidated; its shops few; its homeless many. A young woman was holding a sign made out of cardboard: "A blowjob for a meal".

"You know, one of my teachers always said to look at the price of a blowjob--if it's worth fifteen meals, it's a prosperous town; if it's worth seven, it's an ordinary one; if it's worth one, it's an utter disaster."

"Would you like me to cast an illusionary spell, Master?" Agnes asked politely. "We may seem too posh. It might attract attention."

"Good idea. Do it, Agnes."

Agnes flicked her fingers. "Master... aren't we going to help them?" Cassy asked symphatetically as we passed the bazaar; there were very few merchants while the homeless and the poor littered the sideways.

"I know it's hard, Cassy, but we can't risk Eris' cultists find out we're here," I whispered.

"You're right."

An old lady approached us with a walking stick. "Hold," I ordered to Nana and my slaves, all of whom were ready to pull their weapons out. "... I know you. You're the one I met in the arena."

"The bazaar is hardly a good place to talk, isn't it? Come to my house."

We reluctantly followed the old bedlam to a small hovel; miserable, but somehow still better than the other houses. We sat on the dusty sofa. The old woman waved a wand made of rowan, encasing us in a silencing spell; now none outside may listen to our conversation.

"Well, well, well... this is the first time I've ever felt real hope in over a year," she said. "I'm Admiral Jean Mortier, commander of all of Yeva's naval assets and one of the few loyalists left."

"So you're loyal to the old nobility?" I asked.

"Well, whatever is left of it. The Duke and his family were killed in the final months of the war. I was working as a double agent and that was how I survived. Though recently, I've been under more scrunity."

"Hm, I see," I said. "How did you know me when we first met?"

"I have my own network of spies, of course. And that same network told me you've amassed quite an army. And that your sovereign is preparing an invasion against Eris."

"True on both counts."

"Well, I believe you'll need a ship to reach the Vayla Islands," she said. "The navy is nominally under Eris' men's control, but it's chock-full of loyalists. I will arrange an 'incident' so that you can take a ship. I'll also arrange a loyalist captain to guide you there."

"Tonight?"

"Tonight, if you wish. I'd say take the succubus with you and leave the rest behind. That way, you'll need only a very small ship."

I nodded a few times. Admiral Jean left her house. "Feel free to prepare here."

"I want to point out just how suspicious it is that she happened to be an admiral when we need a ship. You sure this isn't a trap, Robin?" Nana asked.

"You sure are paranoid, aren't you?" Agnes asked bluntly.

"Better stay paranoid and alive than relaxed and dead."

"Cassy, you should stay out of the way. Nana and Eliza, you two will provide long-range backup. Agnes, you'll be with me."

"Yes, Master!"

The night was cloudy; even the Moon could do little but offer a small light now and then. Agnes and I cloaked ourselves in black clothing. Admiral Jean--masquerading as a simple old woman--passed by us and winked her wrinkled eyes. We stood idly near the harbor.

BOOM! A fiery explosion occured. Eris' sailors ran like wild pigs to investigate. A cloaked figure harried us to a small ship. "To the Vayla Islands," I whispered.

"Don't worry, I know."

But when we arrived, a large fleet of Eris' had been besieging the Vayla Islands; ruined forts blew smoke to the air. "What is going on?" I asked.

"I have no idea," the captain replied. "But I'll do whatever I can to fulfil my duties to Admiral Jean."

"Use your human disguise," I instructed Agnes. The succubus nodded twice. The captain navigated carefully until we reached the coast.

"Watch out!" Agnes warned me, grabbing my hand and forcing me to duck. A hail of arrows came our way.

"Heah!" A storm of iron spears lacerated the cultist archers. I glanced and saw the cultists hopping from their ships. An assortment of warriors stood against them; the battle was joined. The loyalists made their stand atop a high plateau with a few of their remaining guardhouses and walls.

As the warriors of Eris began to scale the walls with ladders, Agnes and I leaped onto them. "Heah!" Agnes kicked one of the ladders down. I conjured a flock of blue birds, blinding the cultists. Loyalist bowmen rained destruction down.

"Who are you?" an elderly archer--their leader, I took it--asked.

"Admiral Jean sent me here, so to speak!" I replied. Rain began to fall and the air was scented with blood. "We speak later!"

A terrible noise was heard, like the distorted roar of a lion. A number of giant orcs, some seven metres tall, advanced from the back of the enemy line. "What the hell are those?" I gasped.

"Trolls!" the archer leader roared. "Aim for the trolls! Kill the trolls!"

Gathering my power in my palm, I slashed the air with a great shriek, beheading one of the hideous trolls with an invisible blade. "Master, can you buy me some time?" Agnes asked. I nodded. Even as the trolls were slowed down by arrows and javelins and the bodies of their fallen comrades unceremoniously thrown down, hordes of cultists still scaled up the walls.

Agnes chanted a few verses in an odd language. When she finished her incantations, two of the trolls groaned and turned their backs, ravaging their own allies. "Lust magic, I take it?"

"Yes."

"Aaah!"

I glanced in panic. In the fringe section of the walls a pair of trolls managed to breach in. "Shit!"

But from the far drums and horns were sounded. Flares were fired to the air. "It's the navy!" one man with a telescope shouted. Now the cultists and the orcs ran towards us not with zeal but panic as loyalist reinforcements stormed the battlefield; Eliza and Nana among them.

Fresh fervor filled our veins. The trolls were brought down with javelins and soldiers closed the breach with a shield wall. I unleashed a barrage of mana knives, enchanted by Agnes' fire. Soon the last of the enemy were pushed into a circle, harassed by arrows, impaled by spears, and, at last, defeated to the last man.

"Master!" Eliza called out. She and Nana were battered and exhausted, but mostly unhurt. While the loyalist dead were given a respectful mass burial (and the enemy dead given a disrespectful one) and the injured seeked the healers, Admiral Jean and I met the elderly archer in a tent.

"Jean, what are you doing? Do you think this is the right time to revolt?"

"Yes, Alexander. It is," Admiral Jean said. "Robin, I will have a word with Alexander privately."

"Very well."

Half an hour later, the duo went out. The old archer shook my hands. "Admiral Jean told me about your plan. You've gathered an army?"

"Five thousand war machines and six thousand succubi--the latter in the enemy's midst--and whatever your forces have."

"Count Alexander at your service, Lord. Let's retake Yeva."

"Let's."

Every component of my plan was complete.

Time to wage war!