Quest The Tides of the Dead

[Talus]

The Great Fortress city of Vel Anir had not known fear for three hundred years. It had been centuries since the alarm bells rang. Lifetimes since the thunderous sound of warning filled the air and the war banners were released. The echo of them had almost been forgotten, their sound a mystery that most citizens seemed to not even recognize.

Until voices shattered their illusions.

"TO THE WALLS!"

"ENEMIES AT THE GATES!"

"TO YOUR HOMES!"

The voices thundered and echoed, repeating again and again as the Anirian Guard streamed from their barracks and climbed the towering fortress that was Vel Anir's walls. They fell into formation as they had been trained to do, spears, bows, and swords in hand as they peered down at what befell their great city. On their way most had called it a joke, a jest, a drill if anything.

Yet as they came to stand behind the parapets they understood.

Before them they saw a massive black tide, an ocean of rabid corpses flanked by thousands of Black Armored centurions. They stood innumerable, countless. Most of their number raised on the old battlefields that Vel Anir itself had wrought. Great towers and siege works were held among their ranks, figures of black cloaks shrouded among the numbers of the dead.

They stood, unwavering, watching, massed in the great fields that surrounded the Fortress city. A huge cloak of mist wound around them, a shroud of shadows that had carried them for miles unseen.

The Black Tide stood before Vel Anir, the sound of guttural deathly moans echoing into the air as they waited. Fear flowed through the streets of Vel Anir, the alarms ringing, the city walls pouring with them. Great banners fluttered in the winds, a taunt that the undead cared so very little for. Time seemed to stand still, and then slowly the tide began to move forward.

Talus scrambled up the steps of the wall as fast as he could go. His boots thundered as he rushed, up the ancient tower. There were no guardsmen who got in his way, no civilians who were milling about. He had managed to make it here from the central city almost in the blink of an eye,

It had been three hundred years since someone had threatened Vel Anir, three hundred years since an army had marched on the Great Walls. Despite that though it seemed that the people did not forget, that memories of their time in the Guard and the training that had been instilled held true even now. Vel Anir was quiet, but it would soon be wrought with fire and blood.

"Major."

Thawne greeted him a quick salute as he finally reached the top of the wall. "Kyslith?"

The word was bitten off quick. Kyslith was a city to the north, an ancient threat that had once fought a war with Vel Anir and Elbion. The city of the black, fueled by necromancy and undeath like no other place upon Arethil. Weeks ago there had been a rumor, an investigation by Zana and General Blackforge.

The Houses had not listened, but the Guard had prepared as much as it could. Thawne had nodded his head, though in truth the response was no longer required. The sound of the alarm bells still rang, even as the dark tide of undead began to scramble forward.

"Find any Dreadlord in the city, call on every House Guard, drag the fucking nobles themselves to the wall if you have to." His lips thinned to a scowl. "Ready the Trebuchet and range on those towers. Fire at the black cloaks...if You can find them."

The lieuetenant gave a quick nod, and then rushed down the wall to spread Talus' commands.

Ravens had already been sent to the armies of the West and the south, a call for reinforcements. It would take them days to muster their forces and return, but Talus had little other choice but to wait. The Army of the North had to remain on the border with the Empire, and the East...the East was already here.

It was they who would be tested.

Talus stood firm atop the walls, watching the growing tide below. Guttural groans of the undead seemed to resound as they marched forward towards the wall, and then from their siege works black archs of energy resounded, thundering through the air as they smashed into Vel Anir's great walls.​

 

[Zana]

Run...
​

Zana woke with a start on her bunk covered in sweat. The Dead Kings eyes bore into her waking sight like it had in her dreams and it took a few terror filled breaths to realise she was no longer in that inky keep. The sounds of other Luana Dreadlords milling about with a buzz of activity registered a moment later and Zana let out a breath of relief. Slowly the Second Level Dreadlord swung her legs over the side and ran a hand through her half undone braid. She felt like shit. The majority of her House had recently returned from a mission to the West and had only got back to the city in the pink-tinged hours of the early morning. She had been too tired to go to her own home and had found an empty bunk in her old barracks and crashed there. Risky but necessary.

"What's going on?" she croaked, stopped, and cleared her throat with a grimace. One of the younger Dreadlords - a Fourth Level Empath - passed her his canteen. She took a thankful sip.

"The alarm's blaring, enemies at the gate. Archon Krushev has ordered us all to muster," Zana blinked. "They're saying it's the dead," he laughed and shook his head then wandered off. She did not share his mirth. A sickening feeling welled up inside of her and she grabbed her armour, sword and shield and was squeezing her way through the assembled unit a moment later. A commander called to her but she paid no heed to it and took the steps up to the nearest section of wall to see for herself.

RUN.
​

Pain laced through her skull as the voice bounced around inside her skull. She hissed out a breath and clutched at her skull, almost going to her knees with the agony of it. It was them. Zana had never really felt fear in her life when it came to battles; she had killed and come close to death on numerous accounts and never battered an eyelid. But that had been the indoctrination of the Academy. A school that took children and broken them down only to build them back up into unfeeling, uncaring, compliant soldiers. Even after her conditioning had broke she had held on to that arrogance and fearlessness of death but that had been before she had entered that Keep. Before she had seen the twisted magic that these people used.

"ZANA, THAT WAS AN ORDER."

She wrenched her gaze back from the rows of corpses to the Archon below. His face was a scarlet red and his fingers crackled with the white fire that was his element to control.

"Sorry, Sir," Zana threw a glance once more. "Sir I have seen these before," but she couldn't tell him about the Keep. Her lips pressed together as she descended the stairs. "When the Guard called on us to relieve the siege. There were these creatures there, controlled by mages. Kill the mage and a group of the dead die," he seemed momentarily mollified with the information but the hard glare didn't lessen.

"Fall back in with the cavalry unit, you will ride with the others. A spear into their hearts - it will give the people courage," and then he turned on his heel and strode off.

A spear into the middle of a massacre more like, Zana thought bitterly but she didn't argue. Her salute was resolute and then she set off for the stables.

 

[Landon]

Landon was at his commander's side. A weary sigh to the dreadlord. To Talus.

"Ah fuk," the guardsman muttered. His black quiver was full. Longbow strung around one armored shoulder. "I really hoped we wouldn't see this lot again." This was worse than that one time. The time no one else in the guard dared speak of when they'd all nearly died. When Talus' babe of a girlfriend...no wife, had saved their sorry arses.

"If we survive this, you're buying the drinks after, mate."

His eyes scanned the tide of black even as the walls began to shudder and crumble down the line. He was looking for the godsdamned mages who were controlling these things. No doubt they'd be cloaked and protected in magic.

"Orders sir?"

Talus knew he'd ride into that black sea if he ordered him to.

 

[Talus]

Talus drew in a breath.

They had fought these things before. They had seen what these creatures could do, what they were capable of. They knew how to fight them and they knew what their weakness was. Fingers tightened as he looked around at the sea of black in front of him.

Talus didn't know how they had gotten so close, didn't know how they had drawn through the patrols and marched across the lands.

He was not aware that these dead did not come from somewhere else, did not know that they had been raised on the lands of Vel Anir itself. All he knew was there was a plague upon his city, a wave of death that represented more than he could ever have guessed. Goosebumps ran over his flesh as the echoes of death reached his ears.

Landon's voice was almost drowned out. "Spread the word."

As Talus spoke the walls beneath him shook. Strange black arcs crashed against the fortress of Vel Anir, clashing into the stone and shaking the very foundations. Teeth set for a few seconds, his tomach dorpping as he looked out and watched what was coming for them.

"Tell them to look for the cloaks. Magic of area only." Anything else would be useless.

Head shook as he gathered himself.

"TREBUCHET'S TARGET THOSE TOWERS!" It would be too late he knew. There was too many of them. Too many ladders, too many towers, but they had to try. "LET THEM COME TO US!"

Slowly he stepped over to Landon. "Get to the gate. Seal it. No one rides out. No one gets it. They do not breach it.'

The Major hissed.

"Understood." He didn't care if it the gate ever opened again. The dead would not walk into Vel Anir.

They would have to climb.

 

[Zana]

"CAVAAALLLLRRRRY, MOUNT!"

The command rang out across the courtyard and 300 Luana Dreadlord's mounted in one swift movement. The clatter of armour and the sighing of leather was a song Zana had heard numerous times before yet this time it filled her with dread. Zandor frisked sideways two paces before she brought the dun gelding under control. She could feel his anxiety beneath her thighs and see it by the way his nostrils flared. This many horses, this many people, combined with the noises outside the wall of inhumane creatures snarling and clawing at the wall caused even the sturdy war horses to roll their eyes until the whites glistened.

"Easy boy," she ran a hand along the horses neck whilst her eyes scanned the ranks. This was no measly summoning. The Archon had assembled 300 Dreadlords none of whom were lower than a level two and even then only those on the cusp of a Level One. Her lips pressed into a thin line. This was going to be bloody.

"PRE-PARE TO ADVANCE, CAVALRY WALK MARCH!"

With a lurch the regiment moved forward.

The people of Vel'Anir cheered as the Luana cavalry rode past with their banners flapping in the breeze. A few of them threw flowers under their hooves and others waved from the windows. The Dreadlords of course reacted to none of it. Their eyes were trained forward, their faces blank, and she could feel the tingle of magic in the air as they readied themselves for battle. It wasn't long before they rounded the corner to the large boulevad that led to the main gates. It seemed they were not the only House to send out their Cavalry; Virak, Prian, Sirl, Banick...

The leaders of each regiment were arguing with some poor Guard at the front.

 

[Raveus]

Raveus eagerly scrambled up the cold stone steps overlooking the battlefield below. There was a short moment of pause as he struggled to process what was in front of him. What seemed to stretch towards the horizon, all bleeding together, was an army of the undead. It melded together, an inky black mass of moans that reached inside his brain and clawed. Siege towers easily extending to the sky, reaching the heights of the walls he stood on. Dots of fire, catapults, monsters of nightmares, and an infinity of undead soldiers stand with in breachable distance of Vel Anir.

Vel Anir responded in kind, it seemed every fighting able body was here to give their lives. Several Dreadlords and guards filled the castle walls, and below waited the Calvary of every house. It was a fight for their lives, it seemed, and Vel Anir was ready to give it her all. Orders were barked, often drowned out by the deathly screams below. Sounds of magic crashing against stone, firing trebuchets, horses protests, metal against metal filled his ears as the situation was explained to him by a guards men. Raveus responded in kind with an affirmative nod as he walked closer to castle walls, gauging the distance between the black tide, as they warriors were calling it, and the castle doors.

The situation was bleak. As fabled as the Vel Anir Calvary was, he was sure sending the riders out against the current number would only mean sacrificial deaths. To make matters worse, the black tide was prepared, numerous gate rams could be spotted, and undead with ladders were inching closer. Upon inspection there was movement in the towers as the undead fighters were preparing to board the castle walls. The situation wasn’t doomed, however. It would be a fight of their lives, but Raveus’s specialty would be able to grant Vel Anir with some grace room. He was not called the Explosion mage of Piran for no reason afterall. With the army being already dead, Raveus had no qualms of going all out and ignoring weight of taking lives on his conscience. “Very well.” He said. He turned to face the trebuchet operators behind him and called out. “Aim for the towers I target!” He called out, casting a hand out. “We do not fall here! Vel Anir will fight to the last body alive!” He paused to turn around and gaze upon the black tide. “Fortunately… It wont come to that.”

His hand swept over the battle field, as he concentrated on the towers beneath him. There was a subtle change in the air. A magical buzz that those were sensitive to it could feel. At first the groaning of the dead became mixed with a slight high pitched ring. It procced to gradually grow as sound of air being sucked into a vortex filled the area. Then the night was alight with fire. Several towers in front of Raveus suddenly exploded with flames and smoke. The thudding booms of each blast filled the chilling air. Large plumes of smoke raised from the impact. Some of the towers fell immediately. Those that didn’t, the raging fires consumed the structural integrity of the tower and collapsed with time. A few of the towers remained relatively undamged, the magical blast missing them. However, the impact of the concussive air caused some structural damage and the trebuchets made quick effort to fire at the weak spots, and they too fell, collapsing onto the army below.

There was small celebrations as cheers and horrahs filled the air, but Raveus remained unsatisfied. He paused shortly, focusing his attention to his head and eyesight. He didn’t feel faint, and there was no ringing in his head. While the situation seemed to brighten, it would only be a temporary fleeting moment of positivity. Raveus would soon exhaust his self, and only manage to dent the numbers of the black tide. He resolved his self to target key figures; Siege towers, battering rams, necromancer groups. This would be his effort, his last stand. On the verge of blacking out, and no sooner, would he resort to the rapier strapped to his waist and fight till he could no more. His mind went to his sister, Milla, who he had lost in the chaos of the invasion. He walked to the edge of the castle walls, and thrust his hand. Instantaneously an explosion hit the group of the undead, preparing a battering ram. With a slow wave of his hand at the base of the black tide almost at the walls, explosions blasted the undead, sending groups flying and scars on the earth. Another wave, another couple blasts.

His head began to fill with a constant ring, and he knew was almost exhausted. He focused the castle doors, and summoned the strength to release a couple more blasts, hoping to clear room for the Calvary to advance. The fight was far from over, and still a losing fight, outside the castle walls, but perhaps he would be surprised.

 

[Milla]

When Milla saw the towers combust she knew her brother was at work. The ground shook with each explosion. There were piercing sounds from every direction. The cheers from the people of Vel Anir, various shouted commands, and the eerie cry of the undead. She sprinted up the stairs to the wall, nearly losing her footing when another explosion rocked the ground. Once she was atop the wall, she glanced out at the waves of the undead, she could not see an end to them.



She stepped to the edge of the wall and looked down. The air was thick with smoke as the flame from the towers grew tall, but she could see that the army had ladders. They were prepared to climb.


As if on cue, to her left, a group of the undead slammed their ladders against the wall and were hastily climbing, screeching with sounds no living being could make. Milla ran until she was directly above of them, and sent down a wall of magic, knocking them to the ground with harsh crunching sounds. She heard two more ladders hit the wall from her right, and then a few more from her left. She shot out wall after wall of force fields down the walls, knocking the ladders and creatures to the ground. Stalling them, but not killing them.

 

[Landon]

Talus

Landon straightened and saluted to his friend. With a sharp whistle a contingent of his guard fell into line. Shoving through growing and nearly panicked crowds as they made way for Landon and his small cadre. Got to the wall just in time as trumpets sounded and there were all those fuking house banners and colors.

Dreadlords that would gladly skin him alive with probably just a thought.

Landon remained in front of those closed gate doors, arms crossed. Holding his ground. And his men did the same even with everyone barking at him.

"Under orders. We hold these gates closed. No one goes in or out."

Those very gates bulged and seemed to tremble behind him.

Nine levels of hell, he did not have time to be playing diplomat or messenger right now. Syb would understand the absolute pain he was in. Pale eyes looked beyond the heads that crowded around and shouted at him, catching a glimpse of Talus' girl and that fine piece of ass.

The head of Virak looked like they were about to nail Landon to the very gates he and his men blocked.

"The fuking hell. Go talk to the major if you have a problem with it. I've got my orders and I intend to keep them. This gate is under city guard jurisdiction. Your houses have no power here."

Bold words that he might be hanged for later.

 

[Talus]

The battle was setting it's own pace now.

It was something he had learned about Kyslith during the last battle, when they had assaulted the walls of a city that most thought to be a fortress. Vel Anir was more so of course, defended by the army of the West, kept together by hundreds of Dreadlords and Houseguard.

Yet the tide of undead seemed almost endless, and for every life that the Guard lost...the enemy gained a soldier.

The grim reality of that was not lost at him, even as he saw the Siege towers explode and the ladders thrown off the wall. Talus remained back, knowing that his own magics would not be of assistance until they fell upon the defenders truly. "AIM FOR THE BLACK CLOAKS!"

He called to the archers above the cacophony of noise.

"NOT THE GHOULS! THE CLOAKS!" It was those men robed in black that controlled the army, that held the puppet strings. The more they slaughtered the better they would fare. He glanced over the wall for a second, then peered back.

His eyes flickered over one of the Dreadlords. He saw Raveus sway, his hand just above the gates. Talus reached out, grabbing the man by the shoulder.

He pulled him back only slightly, drawing him in just enough so that his voice would be heard. "The men in black robes."

Talus called out to him, shifting the other man and pointing to one of the figures down below. The man was half hidden among a stream of undead, tucked between armored ghouls and a siege tower.

"Kill them." He offered. "Every one is fifty of the ghouls."

It was the only way they would win.

Landon | Zana | Milla

 

[Zana]

"Zana," Archon Kaian's voice despite never raising to a shout still echoed back over the ranks clear as day. Clear enough for her to hear it and wince. The Dreadlord to her right gave her a sympathetic look of sorts and moved her horse out of the way to allow her to escape the tight formation the cavalry held. Like a tide the gap she left behind her was filled in once more and when she cast a glance over her shoulder as she trotted down the column, she couldn't make out where she had been at all. Just another faceless suit of armour.

Grimacing she spurred her horse into a lazy canter until she reached the front of the Luana block where Archon Kaian sat proud upon his muscled white steed. The horse stomped and snorted, eyes rolling wildly at every shout and blast beyond the walls. Zana's own mount danced on the spot but he soon quietened under the pressure of her legs. With a sinking heart she realised it was not just one Archon Luana had dragged out for the occasion but two.

"Archon Gracelyn tells me you have been working with the guard," he said it with such a sneer Zana was amazed it didn't show on his face. She also highly doubted that Grace had told him; there was no way Kaian would not know about Zana's extra curricula activities. "Why don't you go and try to convince the gallant knight to move aside."

"Yes sir," Zana offered up a salute before wheeling her horse around and heading through the throng of Dreadlords towards Landon. As she drew closer the door bowed inwards and a tiny crack appeared in one of the boards. She grimaced and then pulled her horse up short beside one of her husbands oldest friends. "You should open the gate," her gaze wandered over the door before back to Landon. "It is going to break, opening it might give us a second of advantage," in their shock at there being no resistance the Dreadlords could play their advantage.

 

[Raveus]

Raveus head revolved with a blur. The inky blackness of the tide melded and morphed below him, the echos and howl of the damned clawing their way into his head. His hand was held out, summoning some of the last bit of strength he had left. His eyes narrowed, zeroing in before he was pulled aside by his shoulder. “Aye.” He responded in kind. He turned on his heel watching the man storm off barking orders. Raveus fixed his gaze upon the black tide, fighting the urge to regurgitate his dinner as the dark shapes began to take form. The seconds passed by as he slowly made out the figures in the darkness. The cloaked puppeteers stood mostly apart, however, there was a slim chance of hope.

Hidden in the tide, he could make out a small formation of the cloaked enemies. He saw them surrounded, blending with the monstrosities around them. Their glowing red eyes pierced the battle field and burrowed their way into his soul. He could feel their energy, feeding off the fear of the city. By the man’s math, one was to amount to fifty of the tide. If his calculations were correct… It could be enough for a foothold in the battle. Once the math was final, Raveus felt the pressure. He felt sick to his stomach due to his repeated use of his magic, but also determined. It was an impossible feat to take the entire formation, and entire stretched row of the cloaked necromancers. But the he saw the ladders bounce off Vel Anir’s walls as soon as them made contact. His mind screamed his sister’s name.

He searched desperately for her. He screamed her name, holding his head from the pain. He broke formation, bumping into armored soldiers and aiming bows. He was pushed around, pain in his shoulder from every shove and strike among the crowded castle walls. He screamed her name, only for it to be drowned out in the chaos. This was getting nowhere, he thought. He screamed out in a mixture of pain and anger as a though overcame him. He gazed above them, high above the towers and banners. The stars beamed down, tiny little holes in sky as his idea made him sick. His arm reached out above, out stretched to sky above. He focused his magic to the tip of his finger tips. It started as a small spark. Flittering and sputtering out. He pushed through the pain, continuing to feed as much power as he could.

The sky above them rained ash as a thunderous boom filled the cold night. She had to know he thought through his blinding headache. Milla had to know. There was absolutely no reason for him to fire a blast into the sky. She had to know he was signaling to her. He put trust into his sister as he turned to face the battle field. He searched the small sea of peering red eyes as he ignored the jeering and shouting from his compatriots. His next blast would be weak. It wouldn’t matter, as his sister would bounce his blast around the fields, expanding its range. The blast would be enough to take out the wretched fiends, and then some. It would be difficult for her as well, he was sure. But he knew should cast the fields. She was already scanning the black tide, anticipating his magic. He shot his arm forward, bracing his shoulder for the recoil. It started as a small hum but then encompassed his whole body as it shot forward. Dots filled his vision in its entirety. His hearing only became a buzzing ring, but he trusted in Milla. The last sound he could hear was the excited cheering from those closest to him, before his eyes closed and he hit the ground.

 

[Milla]

Milla’s eyes scanned the crowd of undead, her lip curling in disgust. Their numbers seemed endless. Their screeches of determination echoed up the wall to where she stood. As she continued to push down the ladders with her powers, there was a large explosion overhead. She struggled to regain her balance from the shockwave of the blast.



An overhead explosion, why would Raveus waste his magic? She thought. Then it occurred to her, it was a signal.



Another explosion rocked the wall, but this time it was casted outward. Milla reacted instantly, throwing out a force field to catch the explosion. Her hands outstretched and contorted uncomfortably as she held the blast within her force field. The explosion expanding her force field and wrenching at her magic. She desperately scanned the field of undead, searching for Raveus’ intended target. Her ears rang with the effort it took to maintain her magic.



She strained to keep her grip on the explosion, her hands twisting under its weight. Out of her peripheral vision she spotted a cloak amongst the armor, moving differently than the other uncloaked creatures. Once she spotted one it was easier for her to make out the others. There were several she could reach herself, but if Raveus was still upon the wall then his power could not reach them. This was his intention for alerting her.



She propelled the explosion forward into the first cloaked figure. Once the explosion touched the ground the wall shook again with its blast. She quickly ricocheted the remaining blast towards the second and third figure before her force field dissipated. The explosion cracked and boomed, the undead howling as the flames encompassed them. Her stomach lurched, and her eardrums felt as though they would burst, but it was not in vain. She saw clusters of the undead crumple and fall, leaving a wide opening directly in front of the door.

 

[Landon]

A bloody Archon. More than one. And all these dreadlords. Even the guards under his own command shifted nervously. To their credit, they held their positions with the enemy at their back and the monsters at their front. A lesser guard would've wetted themselves by now.

Landon's jaw clenched but there was an underlying sense of amusement hidden in his light eyes. Only seemed to spark and warm as he saw Zana come closer. Gaze lifted to her. He could see why his friend had risked everything for her. And the secrets he kept could get them both hanged faster than an intake of breath.

There was a rumble as the ground shook outside the gates. Booms in the skies. The sudden pressure on the door ceased. Landon frowned and opened his lips to reply to Zana sitting atop her stead when the ground shook violently beneath them and there was a louder rumble. Down around where Zana had just ridden from, there was an explosion of earth and dirt and a plume of dust and debris as a section of that calvary disappeared into the earth itself and undead began to stream up.

They'd somehow managed to tunnel beneath the great city, the mages controlling them able to open a doorway no one was prepared for.

Landon was moving, a new order and call blasting from his lips. "PROTECT THE CIVILIANS! GET THEM OUT OF HERE."

The dreadlords? They could damn well handle themselves. Landon already had an arrow on his bow and it sailed through the air to bury the pointed head into one of the undead clawing its way out from the underground tunnels and newly blasted hole in the earth. It nearly had its hands on a cowering woman, trying to get free from rubble pinning her to the ground.

There were just...too many of them.

 

[Talus]

The dead were wiped away.

It was a beautiful, almost heartwarming sight. A few cheers went up, some of the soldiers letting out their adulation as they saw the work of the two Dreadlords. It was a sign that there was a chance, that the magic of Vel Anir could overcome the tide of dead.

All of it was wiped away when the earth shook.

Talus turned around to see now just one hole form within the earth, but a dozen. The ground collapsed, the pristine streets of the Fortress city falling away to reveal massive tunnels. His lips thinned, and he half turned to realize that the tide of undead beyond the walls was a mere distraction.

They had never intended to scale the ladder, had never intended to break through the gates. They had driven themselves through the earth and entered the city from underneath. A task that must have taken time, days even.

Fingers tightened as he drew his sword. "KEEP THEM OFF THE WALLS!"

He called as he began to bound down the stairs, knowing the true battle would not be within the city itself.

The tide had come through, and now a plague of death would spread through Vel Anir.

 

[Zana]

The scent of magic filled the air as Dreadlords flung their gifts across the rift to stop as many soldiers falling in to the maws of death as possible. It was a testament to the skills of the mages that they only lost a few into the dark pit that had opened under their feet, but that was where the usefulness of their magic stopped. It wasn't long before they found out for themselves that their gifts were ineffective against the dead themselves.

Why didn't I see that coming?

Zana's teeth ground together in frustration as her magic once again left her on the backfoot. She watched Landon stride off to give orders to his men, watched as the Archon's of her house reared and wheeled about to try and regain their sense of order, watched too as the dead clawed their way out with their inhuman speed. At her back the noise outside the gates had disappeared no doubt due to the efforts of the dreadlords aiming attacks beyond the walls. She only hoped they could hold them off so they were not fighting on two fronts now.

Putting two fingers in her mouth she gave a shrill whistle.

A silvery grey blur hurtled from the shadows where he had been waiting and dived on the first of the undead he met. The direwolf tore through bone and putrid flesh with a snarl then pounced on top of another, keeping close at all times to his mistress. With her flank protected for the moment Zana closed her eyes and took a breath, tentatively pulling on the new found magic she could feel burning inside of her.

 

[Raveus]

Raveus hit the cold stone floor with a thud. His closed eyes prevented him feeling dizzy, though the pounding headache certainly didn’t help. Cheers erupted from the wall, he had hoped the plan worked, he didn’t Milla for one second. He almost didn’t mind not being caught as he collapsed. Sooner rather than later he would be pulled aside and pulled to a medical tent, and he cursed himself for not being able to see the battle through. However, it wasn’t time for self reflection… It was time for rest. Through howling moans of the dead and the deafening cheers, Raveus exhaustion over took him. He felt through his closed eye lids a weight that grew every second. His mind began to dull, his body relaxed as the cold grasp of sleep began to over take him through the shrill shrieks from inside the castle walls.

The sound entered his ears, yet didn’t register on a conscience level for a few brief seconds. His mind wondered what had happened to the booming cheers, yet maybe he had hallucinated it, it wouldn’t be the first time, after all. The weapon he was trained to be fought the sleep that was wretching over him. A battle of being awake and falling asleep over came him in a silent struggle until he was wretched awake. His eyes shot open to see his sister’s familiar face, eyes wide in horror. “What’s wrong?” Raveus immediately asked, his body already fighting to regain conscience. He struggled to pick him self up before Milla lifted him to his knees, Raveus stumbling before finding his balance. She quickly filled him in, a quick look over the wall was all he needed. The dead had tunneled under.

A giant hole rested in front of the gate, dead pooling out like ants disturbed from with in their hill. Raveus’s mind went into overdrive, his brain reacting quicker than his mouth could speak. They clawed their way onto the broken stone, using the mass of unending numbers to climb their way out. They spilled out in droves, attacking with no hesitation. The situation was pretty grim. “Milla.” He said, grasping his sister’s shoulders. “It pains me to say this.” He felt his eyes run hot, even thinking his current thoughts, much less speaking them. “There’s nothing we can do to help them down there.” His eyes began to water, cursing him self at his weakness. “I wont be able to use my magic, Milla, out strength will be needed up hear to prevent them from climbing over the walls. If they begin a two front battle, it’s all over.” He said gravely. Milla nodded along, her eyes fierce with determination.

He turned on his heels, shouting to the limits of his voice could reach, the few soldiers that could hear him turned to him as he commanded with authority. “Aye! We still stand! Vel Anir does not fall here! Her walls have been breached but we do not quit till we all lay on the ground!” He turned, grabbing soldiers and looking into their eyes as he spoke. “The tide creeps up our walls! If they breach us then our time has come! Archers!” He commanded. On cue, bows drew aim, the sound of tense strings cutting the air. “Rain hell from above! Slow their approach! Make no mistake, they will board our wall!” He shouted. He turned to the soldiers closest to the stairs. “Men, you will guard these stairs with your life, do not lot them flank us from behind!” He shouted. They clambered away, barking to spread the word at every entrance to the wall. Raveus turned towards the tide. “Every man will prepare them selves to fight the dead that dare challange the brave men and woman of Vel Anir!” He turned to his sister, colliding into her, his voice on her ears. “Sister.” He whispered with affection. “I know your strength is wanning, but I beg you to knock the ladders down as they come. Grappling hooks too. I will fight with you once we become overwhelmed.” He brought his uninjured arm around her back and squeezing her into him in a long embrace. He softly kissed her on the cheek before facing the trebuchets. “Fire!”

 

[Milla]

The cries of the undead bled into the cries of Vel Anir. Milla turned to see the Fortress city in total chaos, imploding in on itself. She blinked her eyes and shook her head, trying to make sense of what she saw as the ground opened up. She turned back at the continuous sea of undead outside the wall. They were surrounded. What they thought was a battle was now an invasion, and one they were unprepared for.



Orders were shouted in every direction.



“Hold the wall!”

“They’ve breached!”

“Man your stations!”



Curses and shouts she couldn’t make sense of. She found Raveus, struggling to regain consciousness. The blasts overextended his magic, Milla realized. She yanked him to his feet. He yelled encouragement to the fellow soldiers, and asked Milla to continue her approach. He was right, if we on the wall couldn’t be the barrier between the attack outside, and the underground tunnels—Milla shook off the thought and nodded to her brother’s orders. She grabbed his shoulder hard, “We need you awake for the rest of the battle, aye?” before turning away from him.



She sent wall after wall of her force fields to knock down the ladders, or any creatures attempting to climb. Her attempts merely hurled the undead to the ground, not doing much more than slowing them, but it was something. She searched the field for more cloaks, as she spotted them, she called out to the archer’s, “There! The Robes!” When their arrows flew in the direction of the cloaked puppeteers, Milla sent a smooth wave guiding them to their intended target. As each robed figure fell, groups of undead collapsed in response, puppets without strings.

 

[Landon]

Landon could almost feel the shift and build of magic at his back. A quick, wary glance to Zana.

"Had to bring the pooch, did yah?" He grunted as he threw a dagger into the throat of an undead that was about to feast upon a screaming woman.

"Go lass!" The knight bellowed even as the dreadlords around him failed to stop the tide of the undead streaming from that opening in the ground. They definitely put a dent in it but there was just so many of these damn bodies.

He felt a sharp slice along his exposed back and grunted as an undead fell on him from behind. Landon twisted, bringing another dagger from his belt to his hand as he tried to keep the thing from twisting the blade further in his back.

"Grey!" Hoping the wolf dog would give him a furry hand.

 

[Talus]

The Dreadlords ran themselves regged. Ladders were tossed back, fire bloomed, and it was obvious that their magics were having an effect. The Undead had seemed endless, yet as more of the robed figures fell the mass of corpses began to thin.

The Black Tide beyond the wall began to slow, their will not broken, but their numbers not as insurmountable as they had seemed. Yet their march continued. Ever forward. Ever pressing.

From among them rose something else. It stirred through the earth, grasped and grappled from beneath the corpses that had already fallen. A massive hulk of bone, rotted corpses, and sinew. A huge Flesh golem pulled itself from within the army of darkness, rising to it's feet and standing as tall as the Siege Towers.

It loomed for a moment, and then charged towards the walls where Milla and Raveus stood.

Chaos began to bloom within the city walls.

The undead seemed to swarm like termites, rushing through the streets even as the Guard turned to cut them down. Some carried torches, throwing them atop the great Anirian banners. Others ripped at stone, and some threw themselves at doors in attempts to get inside wherever they could.

There was no rhyme of reason to it, no strategy beyond destruction. Those undead that had come through the tunnels did not seem to be a cohesive force, but rather more like a tidal wave. They were there to slaughter and destroy.

Nothing more.

Talus rushed down the steps, his sword drawn and quickly swiping through the armor of the nearest ghoul.

His body was a blur of motion, figure snapping in and out of view as he phase walked through the crowd of undead. He was a beautiful symphony of blade-work, carving through his enemies and leaving a trail of dismembered corpses.

Quickly he made his way into the streets, reaching one of the plateaus where another Dreadlord stood. His hand closed into a fist, the earth suddenly coming up in a spike to impale one of the ghouls that had gotten too close. "Irid! I need you."

The man hesitated for a moment, then nodded and quickly rushed after Talus.

 

[Zana]

Landon was Pack, so Grey did not hesitate to come to his aid. He threw his weight against one of the ghouls that was pressing in on him and tore through the beasts mouldy fresh with a snarl before pressing on and on. Though always he kept an eye on Zana, ready to protect his mistress if something got too close. But for some reason, the ghouls seemed... afraid to get to close to her.

Zana had no idea what magic it was she was calling on, all she knew was that it was not her own and it was old. So old it made her bones ache as it pulsed through her veins like icy water. It took time to fill herself with it but when she finally slid from her horses back and opened her eyes they were a brilliant, vibrant white. Gazing into them was almost as painful as looking directly as the midday sun. Wearily the creatures moved away from her and then they began to flee like ants. Zana walked calmly, however, as though she had all the time in the world.

Eventually she snapped out a hand and grabbed one of the undead with her bare hand about its throat. The thing writhed and howled, scrambling to get away as she calmly pressed two fingers to the beasts forehead. It's wails turned into an ear splintering screech as white light poured out of its eyes, mouth, and every little hole in its crumbling body. But where she did it to one, those near the group of robed figures that had come out of the tunnels, would also notice one of them illuminated with the same light. With its hood thrown back it revealed a skeleton-like man. His body was so thin that his skin pulled tight across the bones and gave them a fragile, almost sorrowful look.

Its screech filled the night air, rising to a fever pitch, before exploding outwards in a spray of sinew, bone, and pitiful flesh.

As with the others, when the hooded figure died the wave of dead under his control also suddenly died.

The thing that had been in Zana's hands dissipated into dust and calmly she strode off after another.

 

[Raveus]

The eerie cries of the dead still filled the warm night air. Armor clanked against chest plates, causing countless metal rings. Swords clashed against bone and flesh from below the walls, the sound of blood and screams creating a haunting chorus. If Raveus concentrated he could hear the whooshing sound of Milla’s force fields bouncing around the castle walls, knocking ladders off of the wall. The tide will climb over, it’s only a matter of time. Raveus thought intensely. He peered over the black tide, his gaze glancing over the wave of dead seemingly off into the horizon. He tuned on his heel and examined the battle field below. The dead poured out from the tunnel, spilling out into a disorganized mess. They scrambled up and scattered, creating chaos.

His attention was suddenly wrought from the massacre below to the army outside the walls. It was hard to pinpoint at first, but it was the sound. Gnashing teeth and bone wracking against bone filled his sensitive ears. The tide closest to the wall had stopped their progress to thud their weapons into the ground in a rhythmic nature. The tide of the dead suddenly had formed an opening far off into the horizon. It was oddly shaped and didn’t recognize anything in particular but it made Raveus’s hair stand on the back of his neck. As it grew and morphed, slow and deadening realization struck him. He turned his back, barking orders. “Hold the wall!” He yelled, as object had began to take shape. A massive titan, a golem, made of transfigured flesh, muscle, and bone stood amongst the rank of the dead. It roared among it’s completion, it’s howl deafening in his ears.

Milla appeared at his side, “How long do you need?” Was all she asked. His head still ached, and he could feel the exhaustion in his body. He had trained past his limits for this exact reason. He turned to her, admiring her fierce gaze as she stared down the golem. “Twenty minutes.” He responded. Milla stayed motionless before nodding. Her hands shot forward in a surprise attack, and the golem had stopped in it’s tracks. He focused his sight, zeroing in on the flesh enity. He could see Milla’s tell tale sign of a force field, a slight shimmer in the air. He turned to protest, but before he could she visibly flinched and let out an annoyed sigh. “Milla, you can’t hold that back, it’s too large.” Raveus tried to persuade his sister, but it was no use, her hands were already out, the golem had stopped in its tracks.

Sweat began to bead on Milla’s forehead. Her fingers twisted and contorted as she tried to hold back a golems might. She leaned into the air, bracing her body with her legs. The golem roared, fighting Milla’s magic. It raised a giant meaty hand into the air and brought it down, shattering Milla’s field. There was an abrupt shrill yell from Milla. Wordlessly, her arms shot forwards. Her eyes furrowed forward, she screamed in frustration as she pushed forwards against the titan. Her feet began to slide backwords as the golem pushed with his own might against the shield. With a shove, the field was broken once more. “Milla, stop this!” He yelled. He rushed forwards, pinning her arms against her body. She shook her arms free and shoved him across the shoulders. She shot her arm forward and Raveus was sent flying back.

He landed hard against the cool stone of the castle walls. His head rang softly as he struggled to lift him self off the floor. Milla flat against a wall, her legs burrowing into the ground as she fought to hold the titan back. She yelled with frustration, her eyes filled with rage and a killing intent. A look he had seen to many times. It pained him deeply to see his sister so willing to destroy her self. She screamed in pain as her nose began to slowly drip blood, her fingers were dark with bruises. Her shoulder was threating to pop loose and Raveus’s eyes saw red. He quickly scoured the area, running towards the nearest trebuchet. “Take down the golem!” He ordered.

“Denied, sir.” The man operating machine replied. Raveus eyes furrowed in anger. “The towers sir. They have almost reached the gate.” Milla’s scream filled the air, her shoulder dislocated from the rebound of her magic. Raveus’s hands reached out and grabbed the man by his collar, quickly sweeping his leg to knock him off balance. It wasn’t a struggle to drag the man to the edge of the wall holding over, the tide wailing from below.

“You will not disobey a direct order!” He screamed, shoveing the man in a threating gesture. “Aim for the fucking golem, or I will feed you to the tide my self!” He roared, bringing the man back onto the wall. There was no pang of guilt, no sadness, no shame as he gazed on the titan. Milla had resorted to her basic instincts. Fight and kill, it was all she could understand at this point. His heart broke as he watched her tear her self apart. “All towers, aim for the golem!”

 

[Milla]

Milla yelled out in frustration as she struggled to maintain her force field around the golem, it broke through each of her efforts. She hardly heard her brother yelling commands behind her. She only paid him any mind when he interfered with her line of sight. She casted him back with a harmless blast, and she returned her focus to the screeching monster. Her hands wrenched one way and then the other. With each swipe of the golem’s limbs the forcefield broke and disintegrated. She felt each impact in her chest.



She sucked in a rushed breath, pressing forward until she was nearly on the edge of the wall. Her arms held out as far as she could reach them, her fingers warped with the weight of her magic. She pressed her feet into the stone floor and engulfed the beast in a canopy of condensed magic, allowing her force field to fall upon the being like a net. The golem fell to the earth beneath her magic, howling out sounds that ran shivers down Milla’s spine. Curses and angry growls escaped her lips as pain ripped through her muscles. Her body shook with the force, but she held steady, the golem secured. It took every ounce of her focus to maintain the blanket of magic that pinned the monster to the ground.



The stones beneath her feet trembled with the battle that was taking place inside the city. The remaining army of undead shrieked below her, their vile moans echoing up the wall. Ladders slamming into the walls once more. There were far less of them, but their attempts at climbing were no longer suppressed by Milla’s force fields, as she now consumed herself in her task of confining the golem.

 

[Landon]

"Good boy," Landon grunted as he inhaled a painful intake of air. Eyes widened as the undead around him suddenly turned to ash. Gaze snapped to Zana as he lumbered to a stand.

"Fuk me," he muttered and reached behind his back, steeling himself to yank out the knife the undead had stuck there before Grey came along. With a grunt of pain and effort, he pulled it out.

"Medic," he yelled, keeping his hand pressed to the spot to keep more blood from leaking out. The other hand never dropped the dagger he clutched. Ready to use it if the surviving undead came his way. But Zana had bought them all a brief reprieve.

 

[Talus]

The golem seemed to shudder as the first of the Trebuchet's massive stones hurled into it, their aim assisted by Milla's force fields.

A loud slam echoed out over the battlefield, then another, then another. It seemed almost thunderous as the creature was pelted again and again by the great stones. Pieces of it's flesh were torn and ripped off, sent sundering onto the ground.

The sound of crunching bones seemed almost thunderous.

Then one of the stones struck the creatures legs. It arched perfectly, striking just as it's knee and sending a horrendous noise clattering up through the air. The golem almost seemed to flinch. It's arm reaching up to tear at the wall as the great creature began to fall towards the ground.

It's hand desperately reached, attempting to keep itself tumbling completely to the ground. It's palm flittered over the wall, extending to grasp just where Raveus stood.


Talus meanwhile was rushing with his friend.

He phase-walked quickly, his unseen sword cutting through armor and dismembering the tumbling corpses as he lead the Other Dreadlord towards one of the breaches. Dead ghouls were left in his wake, tumbling and broken things.

"Here!" The young man called as they reached one of the holes.

Some of the dead were still crawling forth, moving like a tide of hungry termites desperate for their next meal. "SEAL IT!"

The other Dreadlord didn't need a second command, didn't even need the first.

His hand shifted, and then suddenly the earth violently shook as the ground began to collapse in on itself and the hold sink into a great tide. More of the street fell apart, but the hold was sealed.

Now they just had to do the same a dozen times over.

 

[Zana]

Where Zana walked the dead fled.

Other Dreadlords called out to her as she moved slowly through the crowd as though taking a walk in the meadow on a leisurely stroll but she heard none of them, did not stray from her path as she caught one after the other of the mindless beasts and sent them back to the gods only knew where. The only indicator of her path was the brilliant flashes of white that burst from the streets of Vel'Anir along with this hideous blood-curdling screams.

Grey was torn between Landon and Zana, running back and forth between the pair like a faithful herding dog, keeping off any of the dead who strayed a bit too close to either of them. He was panting, maw slick with blood, but he showed no signs of tiredness.

With their combined efforts the tide, eventually, became a slow trickle through the hole at the gate and one of the other Dreadlords was able to seal the giant chasm shut. Zana had been standing nearer its edge but as the threat vanished, with it so did that odd magic that had run through her veins.

With a noise her eyes suddenly rolled back and she collapsed.