《The Third Spire》


 Chapter 1: Departure

    ¡°Hurry, Leanor, we¡¯ve gotta go!¡± yelled the wizard, carrying his most valuable tomes down his Tower. Descending from the third floor, where his wizardly studies and experiments were practiced, he handed the heavy books down to a servant. Not hearing the sound of his apprentice coming, he went back up the stone stairs, puffing in annoyance.


    ¡°Eeek! Master, wait-¡± She began saying when he caught a hold of her by the scruff of her gray robe, and started pulling the gaunt blonde girl down the tower.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had time enough to decide, and our carts are already encumbered, girl. I have a strong feeling that we should not tarry here any longer.¡±


    The raven-haired wizard kept it all business-like, but he felt a pang of loss as he made his way down the tower - his tower. Each block of stone carefully warded by his hand, and enchanted with his strongest enchantments. It truly was a work of love, but he was leaving all his lovely dark-wood lair behind him.


    The image many people had of wizards was that they were an arrogant breed of loner magicians that stayed isolated in their mighty towers, unconcerned with the affairs of others. People, unfortunately, weren¡¯t far from the mark on this one. Though other mages, like wandering mages and hedge witches were more involved with the common man, those of the Wizardly Order were extremely recluse. And for that, the wizard thought, they would all suffer.


    He exited his beloved tower to a cold night through the semi-open double doors, to meet with the rest of his entourage by the light of torches. There were a handful of servants, maids and footmen responsible for maintaining the property, four avowed warriors, responsible for security - never a bad idea, even with all the wards and spells around a tower, and a couple of hunters, all of them in his trust. They were gathered around two horse-pulled carts, bulging with supplies and the most valuable possessions of his hold, the horses shivering with the low temperature. Everyone looked expectantly at them as they finally left the four story-high building.


    Besides the common or normal people - the term used depending on if who was using it had magic or not, usually, stood a couple more of practitioners, his second and barely gifted apprentice, and his closest ally and neighbor, the hedge witch Lowa, wearing a number of cumbersome pelts in her small frame to keep the chill away.


    ¡°You took your time, Garner. I feel like there¡¯s a target on my back, sitting around here.¡± complained the elderly and slightly hunchback woman, her movement causing the many vials and potions she carry inside her cloak to clink, as they often did.


    ¡°Sorry, Lowa. Just give me another minute.¡± he answered, turning to his Tower and chanting to set all his traps in place.


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re going now.¡± He said decisively, walking onward without looking back, and making his people start following him, with a couple of servants jumping up on their seats and driving the carts.


    ¡°Master Garner,¡± one of his hunters approached him, riding a horse, and said tersely, ¡°we¡¯ll scout ahead for any signs of trouble.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I would cast a spell of a silence, but you-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t need it.¡± the woodsman ended the phrase sullenly, looking pointedly at him. Garner grinned, and the man left with his companion by his side. Prickly subordinates were the best fun.


    They took the main road for now, making good time in the paved path. The guards ringed the formation, a second line of protection besides the distant hunters that ranged on both sides of the road, making sure the woods were free of would-be ambushers. Still, Garner was glad that here, at least, workers still periodically cut down the bushes close to the road. No need to make it too easy for bandits.


    Though a wizard could call on great power, it was all moot if they got an arrow to the neck or a bullet before they started casting. That was one of the many reasons why wizards rarely bothered leaving their safe and guarded towers.


    Only the drivers were up on the carts, guiding the powerful beasts of burden. Even the elderly Lowa walked, showing no apparent difficulty. Though she was old, old enough that it showed, even with the magic running inside her, the witch was far from frail. As a hedge witch, her main occupations had been as a healer and midwife to all the neighboring villages. Dead gods, she had probably eased to life half the adult population living around her, and cured the other half from one illness or other.


    And still, she and I better run than expect any help from these folks in the coming days, Garner thought angrily, though he couldn¡¯t really blame most of the helpless villagers, some who would even want to help if they could. It hadn¡¯t began yet, but they both had seen the writing on the walls, and the glares upon their backs when they visited formerly friendly villages and towns - some of them believed the hateful rhetoric that was being spread against the Realm, even in nearby Arburgh, the biggest city in the region.


    A purge would come soon, and they couldn¡¯t stop it from Garner¡¯s Tower, a purge through the South targeting Wizards and any mages suspected to deal with them. The movement stirred from the central lands of the Realm, and the King hadn¡¯t done much to tamper it down as the influence of the Wizards had been long looked upon with displeasure by the royals, despite the Wizard¡¯s role in the funding of the Realm, many decades ago. Garner shook the heavy thoughts off his head for a moment, and payed attention to the apparently carefree conversation Lowa was having with his apprentices.


    ¡°Herblore, children, that¡¯s something you must learn! I know these stuffy indoor wizard-types don¡¯t like going out into the woods, but there¡¯s great power in nature, if you care to learn it.¡±


    Leanor glanced at her uncertainly, her short blond hair swaying slightly as she shook her head at the notion of going outdoors, but Tealdin drank every word Lowa said, his gray eyes not blinking as the witch lectured them. ¡°Truly, Elder? Could I do it?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Rituals and potion-making don¡¯t require great energy from practitioners themselves, Tealdin, but mostly from natural ingredients.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Maybe you could give me some lessons later, Elder¡­¡± He said, and Lowa happily agreed. The brown-haired boy looked at him inquiringly, and Garner nodded his agreement, making Tealdin smile. That was one of the traits that led him to accept the boy as an apprentice despite his meager magic potential - the hunger for all kinds of knowledge. Jack of all trades, and master of none, most mages muttered about apprentices such as the boy, but Garner saw it differently.


    Lowa, for example, had been a formidable mage, despite not having all the magical energy one could wish for, and she hadn¡¯t even focused on the kind of spells that were commonly understood as ¡°combat magic¡±. Sparring against her was a painful experience, and the elder used every trick in the book to make up for her physical condition in her advanced age nowadays. Garner himself had quite a few ares he¡¯d dabbled in besides his specialty, enchanting. Raw power was great, but versatility was a must, in his opinion.


    Garner was relieved that his apprentices seemed to be holding up just fine under the looming pressure of the revival of the old witch-hunts, a time when magic was not accepted and had been reviled and shunned. It was not that Lowa or the teenagers were unconcerned, for that would be foolish, but that tried to brush it off the best they could, and maintain conversation. Well, maybe Leanor wasn¡¯t. The girl did really have a one-track mind, and it rarely focused on anything but her studies.


    ¡°Master Garner.¡± his scarred chief warrior said as he approached him, towering over Garner¡¯s normal stature. Though the man¡¯s hair was beginning to thin and gray, he still had an intimidating muscular shape, and exerted still a sense of barely controlled violence. ¡°If you could please explain to me again why we¡¯re leaving our tower and heading to that abandoned relic¡­ If we expect violence, we should be fortifying it for a siege, not chancing it into the roads.¡±


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t care much for magic besides the one that you can swing your sword with, or the one you have to duck away from, but that old ¡®relic¡¯ is a powerful magical anchor and a pretty good fortification as well.¡± He replied to his avowed man, whose name was ¡®Chief¡¯. Well, it actually wasn¡¯t, but people who knew his actual name pretended otherwise.


    ¡°How so, Master?¡± the man continued doggedly demanding of his employer.


    I should have included a vow of blind obedience, Garner thought, huffing in mild annoyance. Even so, he explained, not without sarcasm, ¡°You know those stars ¡®thingies¡¯ wizards like so much, Chief? Yeah, they¡¯re pentagrams, forms specially attuned to magic. That tower is a part of a great pentagram that encompasses all of the Realm, and powers the banishment spell to this day. It¡¯ll help us a lot more than the other warriors you wanted us to wait for.¡±


    Chief grunted, not impressed with the information, and replied, ¡°If it¡¯s all the same to you, Master, I instructed them to head there too.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Chief. I won¡¯t deny that more warriors will be useful. The Third Spire is a lot bigger than our humble tower.¡±


    The truth was that Garner hoped fervently that more wizards would heed his warning and come to the old tower, but even his friends could be really stubborn about leaving their holds. The party continued on its way to the old tower while the practitioners talked about this and that, and the common folk huddled together. From time to time, the hunters returned to say the path was cleared. It was going to be a three days journey to the almost forgotten place of power.


    Though they tried to keep up a lively talk, everyone was tense. The apprentices didn¡¯t know exactly what was going on, but if it convinced two experienced mages to leave their homes and head for safety, it couldn¡¯t be any good. Leanor went closer to her colleague while the others talked about acquaintances, and asked, ¡°What do you know about it, Tealdin? Why have we departed in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°Leanor.¡± he greeted her, a bit uncomfortable with the sudden attention of the older apprentice, who usually ignored him and everything else completely if it wasn¡¯t related to her chosen field of magic - warding. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard the villagers talking? There was unrest in Lothar, and they blamed all their problems on the wizards. They are leading a purge.¡± He tried to explain, to clear the air of befuddlement the girl had since they left their Master¡¯s Tower. ¡°And the movement is rumored to have also shown strong anti-mage feeling. I heard there have even been some lynchings from mages not even close to the Wizardly Order¡­¡±


    She scowled at him, ¡°And what do we have to do with with these rioters, Tealdin?¡±.


    Tealdin shook his head in subtle reproach at her complete lack of knowledge of the affairs of common men, even though they were affecting them gravely. ¡°Well, Leanor, they are spearheaded by the Lotharians, who are pretty powerful. Lothar¡¯s close to the capital, and they have influence and power that reaches even backward lands like ours. Also, their technology can threaten even High Wizards, if they are not careful. Or say they say¡­¡±


    ¡°As if¡­¡± she muttered back. Leanor came from a family of wizards, and the notion of their complete superiority was impressed at her mind since a young age.


    Catching the last part of the discussion, Garner butted in, ¡°You would do well to heed what the common man is up to, girl. Many wizards and mages greater than us have found that prejudice can be lethal.¡± The girl in question snorted at him - not a very deferential apprentice at all. The Master and Tealdin, the sole apprentice dotted with any common sense, shared a long suffering look.


    The group carried on walking through the night nonstop, having eaten dinner before departing, but one of the servants, the majordomo, somehow managed to arrange a little snack for everyone on the way.


    ¡°And they call us mages, Romer! You make the real magic!¡± complimented Garner effusively, after being fed just as he was beginning to hunger. The low-key head of staff bowed in acknowledgment, and went back to walking with the other servants. The short man kept an iron grip on his underlings, demanding the best behavior and etiquette. No one complained, though, as Garner¡¯s generous wages made up for the strict discipline.


    After hours walking under the dark skies with only torch and moonlight, the scouts returned and told Garner and Lowa of a good clearing to make camp. After briefly conferring, the pair decided it was okay to rest there, as long as they posted a guard.


    The maids and footmen efficiently set up the camp under the keen eye of Romer, the majordomo, while the hunters started dressing a buck and a couple of rabbits they had hunted when the opportunity arose. The ancient Lowa easily lighted the fire with a practiced spell to smoke the meat, while Garner taught his wards the theory and practice of a spell to diffuse the smoke, pointing out its importance even if it was simple. They ate the roasted meat with chunks of hard-bread, and then gradually started retiring for the night.


    Dawn was almost arriving, and the servants had gone to sleep in their tents with the off-duty guards, when the mages¡¯ sleep was interrupted by the buzzing of many message spells. The apprentices awakened too and were overwhelmed by the sheer number of messages, and the speed they disgorged their contents. Most of them were codified. While the youngsters were confused, Garner and Lowa were uncommonly grim while reading and deciphering the messages.


    Soon, the entire camp got wind of what was going on, and everyone gathered around the two practitioners to learn what had happened. After the flood of message spells slowed down, they turned to their companions.


    ¡°It seems that all the Towers close to us, and many besides them, were attacked just now.¡± said Lowa, frowning. ¡°A fair number of wizards hasn¡¯t sent news of their situation. This might have been one of the bloodiest nights for your Order since I can remember. There are reports that practitioners not even associated with you, and even the barely gifted, have been set upon in some places.¡±


    ¡°Anti-wizard, or anti-magic?¡± mumbled Tealdin, worried about friends in Arburgh.


    Garner grimace widened as he received another magic pulse: the slight but unpleasant feedback of an alarm ward he¡¯d placed at his room in the tower. Grimacing, announced, ¡°Someone just broke intomy Tower.¡±

 Chapter 2: Plans and Scapegoats

    ¡°Skilled people,¡± Lowa suggested, as they talked about the people who broke into Garner¡¯s Tower, ¡°probably assassins. Likely they were hired to take out some of the Towers that aren¡¯t responding.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but Chief and I left some nasty surprises for them.¡± replied Garner, still angry about the invasion.


    Lowa chuckled darkly, however everyone else in the camp was still very alarmed by the news, none more so than the two apprentices, who fell themselves straight in the cross-hairs of the surging violence. Wizards were powerful in various kinds of ways, but assassins were experts in taking out from knights to mages, and only the very rich could afford their services, especially of the Order of Fidajin.


    ¡°My family¡¯s Tower?¡± Leanor worriedly asked.


    ¡°They¡¯ve sent messages. They failed to infiltrate the Tower, but they are under siege, lass. There¡¯s nothing we can do from here.¡± replied Lowa.


    ¡°They will hold for a long time, Leanor, the Towers aren¡¯t an easy thing to crack,¡± He added, to her benefit. As far as he could tell, many wandering practitioners were murdered, but few Towers had fallen. And those who did, were mostly betrayed by their servants from the inside, he decided not to tell them, though he couldn¡¯t help but glance at his own people.


    The servants mumbled between them, worried about their now dangerous relationship with a wizard, but a dark glare from the majordomo cut that particular crisis short. The Chief and his men nodded grimly at Garner, their oaths bound them to stay by his side anyway, but their support was appreciated. Some wizards preferred to keep retainers instead of avowed warriors, and some had payed dearly for that.


    ¡°How could they do it so fast, Master? Hit all those Towers? And what about ours?¡± Tealdin asked, his eyes boring into his Masters¡¯.


    ¡°They must have managed to delay the news of the revolution happening until most their soldiers were in position - I truly didn¡¯t expect it to happen so soon. I¡¯ve gotten a message from Lord Gilliam¡¯s mage that he¡¯s besieged at his castle after denying the Lotharian demands. Because of that conflict, our Tower is still mostly untouched.¡±


    Everyone couldn¡¯t happen but to be happy for the sharp foresight that Master Garner and Lowa showed. If they had kept at their routine, they would have been in a much more direr straits.


    ¡°And what can we do?¡± burst out one of his footman, his wide eyes showing the beginning of panic.


    ¡°We will do what we set out to do, good man. We¡¯ll journey to the Third Spire, fortify and repair it. We¡¯ll hole up there, and do our best to offer assistance to wizards and mages in need.¡±


    ¡°Master,¡± Tealdin interjected, ¡°Would anyone risk attacking and damaging one of the Spires?¡±


    Before he could answer, Leanor asked, chagrined, ¡°What do the Spires do again, Master?¡±


    Most of Garner¡¯s party, save Lowa and Tealdin, looked at him hoping to hear good news for once. He gave a pointed look to his ward, promising hours of lessons for his lack of basic historical knowledge. Lowa laughed at the master-student by-play. Clearing his throat, he turned his eyes back to his audience.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of the Elfey?¡± He began, receiving nods from all of those around him. The Elfey figured in most stories mothers told their children to make them behave, always involving gruesome ends to naughty children. ¡°The Spires are part of an ancient seal to keep the Elfey from our lands. There was a pretty big war when they were building them, and they held out against many sieges till all five of them were completed and they performed the banishment ritual.¡±


    ¡°A strong and proven fortification¡­¡± considered the Chief, liking their prospects better.


    But one of the maids nearly panicked, ¡°The Elfey?! They say they pass through the borders still, Master Garner!¡±


    ¡°Be quiet,¡± reprimanded Romer, the majordomo, ¡°Trust that Master Garner knows what he is doing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true it happens, girl, but rarely. The seal is getting old. But we have a lot more to worry about than the Elfey at the moment,¡± said Lowa.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Garner confirmed, ¡°And though I know you¡¯re all excited, I still have to ask you to try and sleep. It¡¯d be better to make good time today, it¡¯s best not to tempt fate.¡± The wizard shooed his people back into their tents, massaging his neck, stiff by the tension of the last days.


    But his hunters approached him before he could retire to his own tent. ¡°Master,¡± one of the two said as they approached. ¡°With what you¡¯ve just told us, we think it would be more prudent for one of us to range ahead tomorrow, and for the other one to lag a ways behind.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I trust your judgment,¡± Garner replied. And he also trusted that there were probably some people on their trail already. Most likely, only scouts, but you could never be too careful.


    ¡°We¡¯ll also set some more traps and alarms, Master,¡± the other one said.


    ¡°Yes, feel free to, though I¡¯ve also set some magical precautions.¡±


    With no one or nothing else to deal with, Garner tiredly looked for his tent, stepped carefully over his wards, and joined them in an uneasy sleep.


    ***


    At the same night that Garner lead his party out of his Tower in search of the safety of the Third Spire, a group of the Chief¡¯s companions were getting ready to head there after receiving the veteran''s message. They were to join Master Garner¡¯s band of warriors, maybe even take the vow if they liked what they saw. The Chief had warned that these were dangerous times for people affiliated with wizards and they should keep it quiet. But they were used to dangerous situations and so were confident, having faced a lot more dangerous opponents than a rabble of wizard-hating peasants.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Orwin and his companions, the fair-haired siblings Mons and Maia, had just packed their belongings in the tavern rooms they had been sleeping in, and gone downstairs to the cozy common area for dinner and a last drink before departing early on the next day. Behaving in public, the former soldiers were bearing only short or concealed weapons, and enjoying the crackling hearth¡¯s warmth. They heard the beginning of a tumult starting outside the tavern, but didn¡¯t pay it much heed, not even bothering to take a look out the windows at the dark streets, lighted only by scant torchlight.


    The warrior, scratching his almostbright bald head, was distracted briefly by the noises outsides, trying to make sense of them with the minimum amount of effort, as he didn¡¯t wish to get involved in whatever was going on. When he turned to his companions, he realized there still in the middle of the ceaseless bickering he¡¯d had to deal with for years now.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Maia, that serving-girl was looking at me!¡± his male companion argued, slapping the scuffed table for emphasis.


    ¡°You¡¯re dumb, Mons. She was just preoccupied with the disturbance outside.¡± His female companion replied, scoffing at her brother.


    ¡°Knock it off, you two.¡± Orwin interrupted, securing his keg of beer to avoid spilling if they decided to get more rowdy. ¡°I was wondering myself why things aren¡¯t calming down yet, it¡¯s been a while already.¡±


    The pair finally stopped arguing, and payed more attention to the noise. They noticed there was shouting, and it seemed closer to the tavern than before. The common area of the tavern had actually quite a lot less occupants than they were used to seeing. The balding and pot-bellied barkeeper cleaned glasses nervously with a rag, glancing at the door from time to time.


    ¡°Wait here.¡± Orwin oriented his companions, his heavy and wide frame making his stool creak as he rose to have a talk with the man about what the hells was happening on the village. They were staying on Green Knoll, a prosperous little village near Arburgh, not far from Master Garner¡¯s tower. ¡°Barkeep,¡± He called as he approached the bar, leaning his elbows on the wooden surface, ¡°Should we know something about what¡¯s going on?¡±


    The man looked at him nervously, checking on the rest of the patrons before setting the rag over his shoulder and leaning closer to him. ¡°What I¡¯ve heard is that a a lot of soldiers approached Lord Gilliam¡¯s keep down in Arburgh. Everyone is worried that there could be trouble¡­¡± the tavern¡¯s owner told him, raising his hands in helplessness.


    ¡°Trouble here?¡± Orwin frowned at the man. ¡°I thought this was a remote and peaceful land, what trouble could there be for your lord and you folk?¡±


    ¡°The Lotharian kind of trouble, soldier. They say wizards are betraying the Realm, and are hunting them. They have made a camp watching the city close to us.¡± Orwin nodded at the man¡¯s words, not bothering to correct him about being called a ¡®soldier¡¯. His soldiering days were done, but his posture would always mislead discerning eyes. He had to grimace at the news, though, it seemed the threat to Master Garner was graver than he had believed, and that put Orwin and his companions in a more danger too were they to be found.


    He could only hope the local lord resisted the Lotharian intrusion on his lands and their demands to give them time. Still, that situation would probably get nasty for Lord Gilliam¡¯s outlying villages like this one. The former soldier turned to the siblings and gestured for their room upstairs. Both of them nodded, a lot more serious now after hearing his talk with the barkeeper. He joined the pair upstairs, and they put on their armors, helping each other with the straps and buckles, and strapped their shields to their backs, weapons to their belts or on slings.


    Full of steel, some of it carrying some minor wards they had scrounged up money to pay wandering mages for, the group picked up their backpacks and went down again the creaky stairs. The few people still in the inn got out of the way of the intimidating group, and the barkeeper nodded farewell, a bit worried about losing the company of warriors in such a situation. As Mons approached the bar¡¯s door, it suddenly burst out inward, catching him squarely on the face, making him stagger back as a boy stormed into the establishment together with a cold draft of wind. Maia was furious, and decked the boy with a powerful hook to the side of the head before Orwin could react, knocking the boy to the ground.


    As she was readying a kick to the stunned boy, Orwin recognized him as the bar¡¯s stable-boy, and pulled her back. ¡°Take it easy, Maia, it was an accident.¡± He told her. As always, the reaction time of the archer surprised him, and that was one of the reasons she was terrific at her job. Orwin hoped never to give her a reason to shoot at his ass. Maia scowled at the scared boy laying at the ground, looking up at her, and turned back to her brother. Mons signaled he was alright, though his other hand was making pressure on his bleeding nose.


    ¡°What the fuck you thought you were doing, boy?¡± she asked, still angry.


    ¡°S-sorry, ma¡¯am! It¡¯s just that there¡¯s a mob forming, blaming the witch upstairs for our trouble!¡± the stable-boy reported, making the tavern-keeper pale. ¡°I think they will come here, or warn the Lotharian, boss!¡±


    ¡°Witch?¡± asked Orwin, frowning at the situation. ¡°Weren¡¯t they hunting wizards, what does a witch have to do with that?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t care, mister!¡± answered the boy.


    The barkeeper exited the bar, and stammered, ¡°Please, help her! The mage is staying here, and she has never hurt no one, mister soldier!¡±


    ¡°Witch or mage, we¡¯ll help her.¡± decided Orwin. He entered sergeant mode, and started organizing everything to avoid a disaster: ¡°Maia, go get her. Boy, fetch and ready our horses plus another one, if you have it. Mons, quit feeling sorry for yourself and go get our packs!¡±


    No one questioned him, and got right into executing his impromptu orders. The grateful barkeeper was confused when he threw him a couple of golden coins, and he had to clarify, ¡°For the extra horse.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± the man replied, throwing them back. ¡°Just make sure she¡¯s safe.¡±


    Even if a lot of these villagers were panicky sheep, ready to throw other people in harm¡¯s way to protect themselves, there were always a few worth their salt. Orwin nodded at the decent man, and exited the tavern to the cold night, helping the stable-boy to raise and strap one of the heavy bags Mons had brought down. The sound of a crowd moving was drawing closer, and the boy kept glancing nervously behind his shoulder until Orwin told him to get away from the tavern.


    As Mons got the last horse ready, Maia exited the tavern, pulling a disheveled and confused woman by the hand, and though it was dark, Orwin couldn¡¯t help but to notice how stunning the ¡®witch¡¯ was, with flowering black hair and blue eyes. He broke out of the (non magical) spell, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go witch, ride up.¡±


    ¡°Not a witch.¡± the woman replied automatically, as if she had to make that correction constantly, but Maia was already pushing her toward the new horse. Though annoyed, the woman accepted the help to get up on the saddle, clutching a bag with the meager belongings that she¡¯d managed to pack under Maia¡¯s urging.


    ¡°The name is Valena, and I have to th-¡± the not-witch began to tell them, when the baying of the panicked crowd seeing its scapegoat getting away reached them, making them turn and see dozens of pitchfork and scythe-wielding villagers charging towards them. The warriors jumped on their saddles with no need of Orwin commanding them.


    ¡°Follow us if you want to avoid a burning at the stake, Valena.¡± yelled Orwin over the howling mass, while the siblings traded a glance, communicating their feelings about it the way only twins could. ¡°Ride!¡±


    The foursome prodded theirs horses, and was soon galloping out Green Knoll and Arburgh, away from Lord Gilliam¡¯s impasse with the Lotharians, and towards the Third Spire and Master Garner¡¯s group. But a villager had left for the Lotharian¡¯s camp earlier, and trying to curry favor with the soldiers, he informed them about the presence of a witch in the tavern. A group of soldiers rode out from the camp to Green Knoll as Orwin¡¯s group departed. The frightened villagers who didn¡¯t run in panic at the arrival of the soldiers pointed out the direction the warriors and the ¡®witch¡¯ had left.


    The chase was on.

 Chapter 3: Sleep

    Garner¡¯s sleep was not restful at all. Besides the clarity brought by sleeping after dawn, wizards and mages in distress kept sending new messages that buzzed and shone, disturbing and waking him from time to time. His apprentices sleeping besides him suffered too, groaning as new messages arrived, until they decided to go to the servant¡¯s tent. It kept on until Lowa stuck her head into his tent, and announced that she would take care of it all, in exchange for riding and sleeping on the cart in the day¡¯s journey. That kind of attitude was what made him appreciate the old witch even more.


    After some hours of better sleep, Chief waked the camp up at the time they had agreed. Garner groaned and wondered how he had agreed with so short a rest, but though his mood was sour, he knew very well that they could only find a truly good sleep back into the Spire - after it was fortified and trapped to his standards, that was. The servants skilfully dismounted and folded the tents, while the others mostly tried to stay out of the way. As the wizard left his tent, Romer offered him and his apprentices breakfast in a tray.


    He smiled at the man and accepted it, sitting down out of the servant¡¯s way by Lowa¡¯s side. He greeted her, and the sleep-deprived witch grunted in response, before starting updating him on what the many messages had brought throughout his sleep.


    ¡°So, basically, Leanor¡¯s parents are safe, my Tower is still in one piece¡­ Lord Gilliam has tied up a good number of Lotharians besieging Arburgh, which means less soldiers hunting us and other practitioners,¡± He summarized her first reports, and then took a bite of his hard-bread.


    ¡°Yeah. Some Towers are ill-prepared to resist sieges - I mean, their food reserves¡­ Attacking them would probably be too costly. They are too far away for us to do anything about it, so let¡¯s focus on our situation for now: I have more good and bad news, I¡¯m afraid.¡± said Lowa, stretching her weary back.


    Garner raised an eyebrow at her, and she continued, ¡°The bad news: the Lotharians have gathered up the priests of the Order of Kalidor. The bastards are hammering the Towers to the south mostly, so we shouldn¡¯t cross them, I hope.¡±


    Wizards and mages rarely bothered with religion, but it powered another dangerous form of magic. It was hotly debated whether the priestly powers came from the Gods the priests believed in, or simply from latent magical potential that found a conduit on faith. Most Wizards disdained the idea of gods, but all of them were wary of the power of some Orders, that of Kalidor among them. There were peaceful Orders, and others that didn¡¯t mind the Wizardly Order and other mages. Others, like the priests of Kalidor, abhorred practitioners. Others like the Fidajin were neutral, but could be plied with gold, though they had a lot less priests.


    Grimacing,Garner agreed, ¡°Okay, that¡¯s pretty bad. The Lotharians have lots of soldiers, but they normally lack the means to match our magic. But the priests can nullify our attacks, at least¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the priests will be a pain. If it were up to me, I¡¯d gotten rid of those lunatics of Kalidor a long time ago,¡± She replied, remembering for a moment of bloody times passed by. ¡°And before I go to sleep like a log on the cart, the good news: a number of mages and a couple of wizards decided to accept our invitation and head to the Third Spire¡­¡±


    Tealdin and Leanor surreptitiously approached to hear the conversation - not that they needed to, as the older mages wouldn¡¯t have opposed their listening in to begin with. It was actually important for both of them to be well aware of the situation they were facing - especially for Leanor, who usually didn¡¯t get out of her room and studies, and barely maintained contact with human beings besides her master.


    Tealdin thought so, and complimented her after a dark glare from Romer made them get away from the wizard and the witch, ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re paying attention now, Leanor.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be daft, Tealdin, of course I would. Even my family is in jeopardy,¡± She replied, a bit offended by his implication.


    ¡°Is that so? Why, I imagined you wouldn¡¯t notice anything even if Master¡¯s Tower was burning around you,¡± He riposted, grinning at her.


    ¡°I would! Wouldn¡¯t I?¡± she paused to think, and wasn¡¯t so sure about that actually. Tealdin laughed at her, and she gave him an annoyed glare, which made him laugh harder. The dynamics of teasing, like many other social interactions, was still a bit beyond her.


    Chief joined the duo, catching their attention whistling. ¡°Come now, young wizardlings, I have some mundane skills to impart on you.¡±


    Leanor looked to the skies as if to ask why was she receiving such a gruesome punishment, and Tealdin groaned theatrically, despite finding such knowledge interesting, which made Chief grin if one were to look really hard. The avowed showed his Master¡¯s wards the rudiments of looking after their cart¡¯s horses, and then moved on to riding horses - there were four, two tied to the back of the carts by theirs leads, to the teenagers¡¯ chagrin. The other two were being used sporadically by the scouts.


    ¡°Remind me again why didn¡¯t Master buy us all riding horses, Chief?¡± asked Leanor, who was disgruntled to walk, being an accomplished rider, personally taught by her father. Tealdin, from humbler origins, had never rode a horse before.


    ¡°Master Garner, in his wiseness, opted to spend more money on things that would actually be useful once we¡¯re inside the Spire - supplies. More horses would take too much to care for, and it would be harder to hide our tracks. They would also serve no purpose if we were besieged¡­¡± He paused for a second, and added, ¡°Well, they would be used as meat, most likely.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Leanor looked a little rebellious at the notion of slaughtering and eating one of her mounts, while Tealdin nodded agreement. He had no experience riding horses, but eating them? Sure, their meat was cheap, and most people he knew ate it too. He¡¯d eaten a lot of more dubious and worse meats before, and was really satisfied with horse.


    ¡°Where did you eat it, Chief?¡± He asked.


    ¡°At one of the Atala?as, Tealdin. The Sea People sent a huge raiding party and they sieged us for more than a month. It was awful, but I was glad we didn¡¯t have to go for dogs, rats or even worse¡­¡± Tealdin pailed a bit at the unspoken possibility, but Leanor clearly didn¡¯t and had to ask, ignoring the boy¡¯s shaking head.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The dead, girly, the dead.¡± the man chuckled darkly. ¡°They say the Elfey love it, tastes just like pork.¡±


    ¡°Eeeew, Chief!¡± She complained, looking a little green around the gills.


    As the checking on the horses devolved to teasing and laughter, the servants under Romer finished breaking camp, and the trio caught the majordomo¡¯s attention as they were parked besides the horses. The man approached them and cleared his throat to catch their attention, and gave them a pointed look as they turned. The students - and even the warrior - sheepishly got out of the way. Though Chief towered over the short and slight majordomo, he knew not to mess with the one responsible for his food and tent.


    Lots of annoying little things happened to people who disturbed the man¡¯s sense of order and propriety - or commented on his height. Even Master Garner avoided teasing the man too much as his attention to the preferences of each person was a double edged blade - a great boon when the majordomo was trying to please the individual, and a constant nuisance when a person¡¯s stake was a little too rare, or a soup a little too salted, a wine a little too warm. Everything inside acceptable limits, of course. Romer would never be accused of impropriety, of course.


    The efficient little man rounded up everyone and everything, and bowed to his waiting Master. ¡°We¡¯re ready, sir.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s go, people. Two days to the Spire.¡±


    As the group resumed the journey, they took the same positions as last time, but Lowa slept on one of the carts. Master Garner walked with the Chief by his side, while the young ones conversed behind them. They were passing through the territories on the southern-west edge of the Realm, which was a lot less inhabited nowadays than before the Elfey Wars, that hit the region hard. The southern lands had never really recovered, and the north was a lot more populous and important in the grand scheme of things.


    As Garner had taught his apprentices, instead of making an effort to reoccupy the south and the borderlands, the kings and the nobles after the wars turned their gazes to the north, seeking valuable minerals and a passage through Yardam¡¯s Folly mountain range to the Northern Sea. Few people came to the south these days, most of them were migrants and veterans from the Atala?as in the far-east, where raiders and sea creatures took a heavy toll on the Realm each year.


    Though they were running, and eventual messages from other practitioners in trouble reached them still, the green plains and woods that grew around the road helped some of them take their minds off things. As they went further and further away from the center of power of the Realm, the woods seemed to get closer and closer to the road, with a lot less care for the pave maintenance noticeable as well.


    Master Garner walked ahead of his students and servants, Romer loyally right behind him in case he needed something. The useful man had already handed him his favorite walking-stick, which he happily used. Chief came from the woods ahead, changing places with one of his warriors for a bit, and started walking besides him.


    ¡°How are things, Chief?¡± Garner greeted.


    ¡°Alright. But how about what we talked yesterday?¡± Chief replied.


    ¡°About the second stop?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Master. The guard-post is isolated and they are Army - soldiers learn to appreciate mages, we should try recruiting them.¡±


    ¡°Do you think helping a friendly Wizard would trump their duties to guard the area?¡±


    ¡°The King may not raise a hand to help the Wizards, but he never acknowledged it was legal to strike you. They have a duty to protect the citizens of the Realm, and you are also one of them. And where better to protect from than one of the mighty Spires?¡±


    ¡°Very silver-tongued of you, Chief. Were you a soldier or a barrister?¡± He provoked, smiling.


    Chief laughed at the ribbing. ¡°Gods forbid. And protect us from those hustlers, almost as bad as bankers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you should see the interest rates they demanded of me when I borrowed to build the Tower, ten years ago. I finished paying it just the other year, and I could only afford four floors.¡± His smiled turned a bit yellow when he remembered his cherished Tower, now desecrated by Gods-know-who.


    The Chief didn¡¯t let him stew on it, though. ¡°I¡¯m still worried, Garner. Even if my friends join us, and the soldiers decide to go with us, we¡¯ll still be undermanned to protect a Tower as big as a Spire.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a fool, Chief. I¡¯ve done my tours on the Army as well. There¡¯s something you¡¯re not considering.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± He asked, skeptical.


    ¡°Golems, Chief. Not very versatile, it¡¯s true, but these ones are scary. Relics of the Elfey Wars, they can take a beating, and can be killing machines if used properly.¡±


    ¡°Relics. Are you sure you want to depend on that?¡±


    ¡°Believe me, these are master-crafts. A little maintenance, and they will be up and running.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. And what about our first stop?¡± Chief asked, shamelessly acting as if Garner had already agreed to the first one.


    Garner chuckled at the usual impertinence, Romer stared daggers at Chief, offended in his stead. ¡°The druids I mentioned? They¡¯ve sent me a message, they will met us at the road further on. Not very trusting of them, but what can you expect of reclusive and secretive people, eh?¡±


    ¡°Please let me know when they are approaching, or my men might be surprised and do something stupid.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no chance your men will see them coming. These are their woods, after all.¡±


    Chief grumbled at that, and went to check on other people in the group.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have a little lunch ready in a bit, Master,¡± said Romer, approaching him. The man was ever aware exactly when to feed his employer.


    ¡°Good!¡± Master Garner was an easily pleased man, and he brightened at that.

 Chapter 4: Puppies and Monsters

    ¡°Gods!¡± exclaimed Valena, interrupting an argument between the siblings. ¡°I almost wish you¡¯d left me back there.¡±


    While they grumbled, Orwin chuckled. ¡°You see, I have to hear this bickering all the time. It¡¯s a wonder they haven¡¯t driven me insane yet.¡±


    The group had rode through the night, though they had slowed from their breakneck speed when they got far away from Green Knoll and the camped army, so as not to kill the poor horses. Both the riders and the horses were tired, but they would only stop after they got closer to the woods, where they could camp out of sight. Maia swore she could see dust rising a ways back on the road, which meant pursuit. If the girl said she saw something, then Orwin damn well believed her, even if he couldn¡¯t see it. The archer¡¯s eyesight was astounding, and had saved their asses many times in the past.


    They had talked little, but Valena was proving herself to be a no-nonsense woman, and she took no shit from Mons or his sister. Their little posse used to have a mage, but they had eventually decided to part ways with the man after his drinking started impacting his ability. Orwin had almost died when one of the man¡¯s spell has misfired, hitting him instead of their enemy. Only luck and a providential arrow from Maia (as usual) had saved him that day, and their relationship had soured after that. He was starting to wonder about her. Their former companion had been a battle-mage, trained in the Army, but he didn¡¯t know Valena¡¯s area of expertise, or if it would match them. He decided to rectify that before their pursuers had a chance to reach them. It¡¯s always necessary to know your soldier¡¯s abilities, he reckoned.


    ¡°Say, Valena, I should¡¯ve asked before, but we were kind of busy, running for our lives. What kind of ¡®witch¡¯ or mage are you?¡±


    She looked a bit uncomfortable at the question, and the siblings started paying attention to the conversation.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to tell us, but it might be important. Can you fight?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can, but that¡¯s not my specialty¡­ You see, I¡¯m a necromancer¡­¡± she told them hesitantly.


    ¡°Ah.¡± He replied eloquently.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. If it bothers you¡­¡±


    Then, Mons barged into the conversation, as he often did, breaking the tension. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Val! You can have Maia¡¯s body when she dies! Maybe she¡¯ll be useful in the afterlife!¡±


    Naturally, that earned him a punch, a painful one - pulling a string left Maia with some wicked arm strength. ¡°You¡¯ll die earlier, meatshield.¡±


    Orwin couldn¡¯t help but to smile, as did Valena. ¡°It¡¯s ok, Valena. I¡¯m sorry for my reaction. I¡¯ve had some bad experiences with necromancers, that¡¯s all. But you seem to be a stand-up girl.¡± Her smile grew larger at him, and he turned his head to conceal his blushing.


    And then, she turned cheerfully to Mons, not forgetting his earlier presumption, ¡°If you cal me Val again, I¡¯ll bind your soul to a puppy, and give it to a bunch of five-years-old.¡±


    Mons sputtered, ¡°She can¡¯t do that, can she?!¡±


    The rest of them laughed - and Valena didn¡¯t care to answer him the truth.


    After a while, she said, ¡°But where are we going again? And why? I just followed you all in the chaos back there.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a long story,¡± said Orwin, starting to tell her their tale.


    ***


    Garner¡¯s Party


    Lowa joined him a couple of hours after launch, when she finally woke up. Garner walked besides her cart while she had her late dinner, some hard biscuits and a goblet of wine, and he updated her on the missives from their embattled practitioners across the Realm.


    ¡°So, we can expect these people to meet us at the Spire. Not many, but reliable.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hm.¡±


    ¡°As we feared, even mages not directly associated with us were attacked. The good news is that those who reached the Army¡¯s stations were protected, while the Cities¡¯ militias either protected them or joined the mobs.¡±


    After gulping a mouthful of wine, Lowa asked, ¡°So we can expect reluctant assistance from the Army? Maybe Chief¡¯s plan to visit the Outpost is really a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if we can rope them into it.¡±


    ¡°What about the Wizards in the North?¡± She inquired, not knowing well the complicated relations in the Wizardly Order.


    ¡°Well¡­ You know the ones up North are powerful and old, most are barely cognizant of the situation, or don¡¯t care much. But the Order is pressuring the King to act, without much success. Maybe a few Wizards will try to aid us, but they would have to pass through Lothar, who stirred the Purge in the first place. Too dangerous. We¡¯re on our own, mostly,¡± He said, grimacing.


    Fortunately, both of them had seen this situation coming, warned by friends and contacts in Lothar and other important cities. The Lotharian dinasty was the most powerful family in the south, but their clout didn¡¯t expand much North. Wizards who occupied themselves with grand projects, like the cure for aging or the philosopher¡¯s stone, could meet their ends because of plain and mundane politics. And the worst affected would be young wizards like Garner, who hadn¡¯t had time to strengthen their Towers, their bases of power. The only way out, as they could see it, was to gather wizards and mages alike in the Spire, a great defensive position.


    Another option, of course, would be to depart the Realm, passing the limits of the Spires into Elfey lands. By his research, Garner knew that the Elfey weren¡¯t all the monsters that the old tales described, but it was true that there were some deranged Warlocks, and their banishment wasn¡¯t without merit. The Elfey didn¡¯t care much for other people, and would rarely censure one of their own in a conflict with foreigners. The Realm, when it was young, had been an easy target for the worse individuals, as it magic couldn¡¯t match the strange ways of the Elfey. Ironically, the Wizardly Order was formed to learn and protect the Realm from that threat, and their banishing the Elfey freed the nobles to focus on other things - like hating those very same ¡®stuck-up¡¯ and ¡®worthless¡¯ wizards.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The young ones approached when they noticed Lowa was up, exchanging greetings.


    ¡°So, Master? Will it only be this boring road until we get there?¡± asked Tealdin.


    ¡°Yeah, when can I go back to studying wards, Master?¡± added Leanor.


    ¡°Well, I do hope it¡¯s mostly boring. Interesting things on the road can be pretty dangerous. But I think you two should practice fast casting while we¡¯re on the road. You can start with something simple.¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s important to improve your focus, Leanor. If we¡¯re attacked, you won¡¯t have time to carefully prepare a spell. Sometimes, casting a fast spell, even if it¡¯s not perfect, will make a difference.¡± Lowa said, anticipating the question that she saw almost bursting out of Leanor¡¯s lips.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a good speed with my fireball already, Master,¡± said Tealdin.


    ¡°Good, if a little cliche. Chief trained you with a sword a bit, didn¡¯t he? Ask Romer to get you one.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I can ward fast too, Master! Don¡¯t underestimate me,¡± Leanor added, her eyes glinting with competitiveness.


    ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll test you two on that boasts when we get to the Spire,¡± Garner placated them, and set a little challenge too.


    Lowa chuckled as the teenagers moved away, their heads full with the task. ¡°Did your Master teach you that?¡±


    ¡°No, I had to badger the hell out of him to learn anything. I¡¯m just acting like I wished he had, rather, like I think he should have.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least the old codger keeps you updated on the news from the Capital.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame it¡¯s almost always bad news.¡±


    The group kept on walking as the afternoon passed, and the woods started appearing a little more sinister, seeming as if choking the roadway. They started hearing the sounds of night critters, coming out of their holes, the forest seeming more alive than ever. The rangers returned, reporting that they had seen signs of some heavy and big-clawed creature ahead, and nothing very interesting behind them, no apparent signs of pursuit. From here on out, the scouts would proceed closer to the group. Far away from civilization, some nasty creatures and predators could thrive, ones that would make mincemeat out of a man walking alone. The magic pooled closer to the artificial border created by the Spire, and there could be some very weird mutations.


    These mutated animals, popularly known as magical beasts, could provide some really rare and powerful magical ingredients, important to alchemy in potion and poison making, an to ritual as magical fuel. It was not by happenstance that Garner employed two professional hunters of the highest level, though they came with their quirks - one was a mute, the other cranky as hell. Stashed in the carts were some useful potions and products made with the ingredients both men provided.


    It was quiet for a long while, only walking and the occasional meaningless conversation between Garner¡¯s party. People climbed the carts when they were in need of a little rest to keep going, and everything was going fine, until one of the hunters materialized out of the woods, running. ¡°Prepare yourselves! Wolves!¡±


    ¡°Why the hell are wolves attacking a group as large as ours when there¡¯s even still daylight?¡± wondered Gardner, as Chief bellowed instructions for the servants to gather the horses and climb the carts, and for his men to prepare themselves. Lowa palmed some vials out of her coat, while Leanor efficiently warded spears and shields the servants were retrieving from the carts to protect themselves with. With no time to take the yoke off the cart horses, the avowed warriors set themselves ahead of the animals, being trailed by both hunters, Garner and Tealdin, the young man carrying a sword on his hip, and a frown of anticipation on his brow.


    They started hearing the baying of wolves, and it wasn¡¯t long before they erupted out of the woods into the road. The hunters promptly released arrows they were pulling, downing one animal and injuring another. Tealdin made a fairly good effort with his fireball, burning a lump of wolves who scattered yipping at the fires. The warriors readied their shields and weapons - spears, sword and two-handed axe - but Garner felt something was off, and held his magic, as did Lowa hold her vials.


    The wolves didn¡¯t even look at the horses or the people, and kept on running to the other side of the woods, simply adjusting slightly their direction to avoid them. Then, the reason of the beast¡¯s panic showed itself: a humongous boar, almost as big as the horses, that was having its predator day with its wickedly large tusks. The enraged beast, bite-marks at its flanks, didn¡¯t even hesitate to gore the wolf that one of the hunters had injured, throwing the canine¡¯s shredded body violently at Chief¡¯s warrior, knocking two of them down.


    ¡°Magical beast!¡± warned Chief, sizing the creature up. The tusks looked damned sharp, and warded or no, he didn¡¯t rate his shield a good chance of withstanding it more than one hit.


    ¡°Hold your fire until the right time.¡± Garner warned the hunters before starting to chant, gathering energy.


    As the creature made to advance on them, Lowa let loose her vials, who broke on contact with the ground just ahead of the boar. A noxious smell rose into the air, and the beast took some steps back, trying to clear the awful substance out of its nostrils. ¡°Barrier, Leanor!¡± she cried.


    The blonde apprentice released the spell she¡¯d been readying, raising shield of energy before the warriors just in time to block a dozen jagged lances of air the creature threw from its tusks. The shock of the spell made her wince and her knees almost buckled up on the cart, blood seeping from her nose. The creature was enraged its lethal attack was blocked and started charging towards the warriors. Tealdin didn¡¯t need to be told to power up the barrier, though he was already sure the beast would break through it, causing him some painful and debilitating magical feedback.


    But Garner was ready before the boar hit, crying ¡°Clear the way!¡±, and releasing the spell as soon as his avowed got out of the way. A mighty lightning bolt hit the creature head-on, sizzling its skin as it cried in pain, before falling down completely paralyzed. Even so, the magical beast was huge, and must have been sponging magic for a long time, and both veterans knew it wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡°Charge!¡±, ¡°Attack¡±, cried Lowa and Garner to the warriors.


    The archers aimed for its eyes, firing as one. Tealdin drew his sword and joined them as they hurried to finish the beast before it could recover, struggling to pierce its thick hide. Swords and spears plunged in its body repeatedly, but it was one of Chief¡¯s might axe blow to its head that killed it, smashing its cranium and completely splashing everyone remotely nearby with gore.


    ¡°A hell of a magical beast.¡± declared Chief, satisfied. ¡°Haven¡¯t had a good scrap like this one in a long time.¡±


    As everyone started wounding down from the fight, Garner approached Tealdin, and patted his shoulder, as the boy shook the adrenaline off. ¡°You weren¡¯t lying about the fireball, good fighting.¡± Descending from the cart, Lowa praised Leanor as well, ¡°Good job, girl, your barrier was great. You saved the warriors from some nasty wounds.¡±


    As everyone gathered around the fallen beast¡¯s corpse, Romer said, ¡°Well, it seems we won¡¯t be needing for meat again in this journey. We will butcher the creature later, Master, but would you like to quiz the young ones on its magical parts before it?¡± Tealdin and Leanor groaned in dismay, shooting betrayed glances at the majordomo, who did not care at all.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let them skip it this time, Romer, but good thinking.¡±


    The kids breathed a sigh of relief at the close call. Romer was pure evil.


    The servants quickly made a roughshod sled to pull the creature, and set the riding horses to pull it. The group carried on with no further surprises until it got late and one of the hunters returned, reporting he had found a good spot for setting up camp. Some servants repeated their efficient process of making camp, while others helped the hunters to butcher the creature, setting aside the parts Lowa considered valuable. Soon, everyone was eating a perfectly roasted and spiced boar. Romer¡¯s cooking was incredible, as usual, and they could barely detect the gamey flavor of the meat. The second hunter arrived at the end of the meal, and was annoyed to have to rewarm his food. He reported to the group that he believed there were other people on the road, possibly following them.


    ¡°Hmmm. We¡¯ll see what we do about it tomorrow. Let¡¯s sleep now, we¡¯ll rise early again. Good night to you all.¡±


    The night-guard¡¯s shift was determined after some arguing, and the camp settled down for the night in the clearing.

 Chapter 5: Picnic

    Orwin¡¯s Party


    The four of them rode hard toward the Spire and Garner, but their pursuers gained on them steadily as the sunset approached. Everyone could see the trail of dust that rose as the Lotharians closed in on them. They had made a few short breaks, but it wasn¡¯t enough to rest, not even close.


    ¡°Hey, Val...¡± Mons started saying, but decided to save his soul from a gruesome fate when she shot him a dark look, ¡°...ena, can¡¯t you, you know, raise some zombies, skeletons or some spooky thing to scare those stubborn bastards away?¡±


    ¡°I could, but the undead only follow simple commands when I¡¯m far away from them.¡± She replied.


    ¡°A bit like you when I¡¯m not around.¡± chimed in Maia.


    Their horses were covered with sweat, wheezing with the effort of many hours being rode on non-stop, and the riders were beginning to tire as well. It amused Valena that the brothers could keep on trading barb regardless of their upcoming battle, but she still was scared. She was not a pushover, but she had a hard time imagining the group surviving a fight as outnumbered as they feared they were.


    While the rest of the group argued or looked back in worry, Orwin kept his head on the road, searching for signs of any (further) danger, as if things weren¡¯t bad enough. But this far west in the Realm you could never discount on an ugly surprise, be it magical beasts or mundane bandits. That was why he saw the lonely figure riding on the road ahead of them as they started descending a higher stretch of the road, three horses in tow. He whistled to catch his friends¡¯ attention and pointed to the loner.


    ¡®Shit, I don¡¯t wanna do anything bad, but those four horses would be our salvation right there.¡¯ He thought, loathing himself for thinking about harming a stranger, but he had before, as had the siblings. ¡®Needs must, unfortunately, but maybe the man will be smart and accept a generous offer for the animals.¡¯ He hoped.


    A quick look, and the siblings understood and agreed, after watching the silent exchange Valena caught on, but she was a bit uncertain about the whole thing, Orwin could notice. ¡®Oh, well, we¡¯ll talk about it when the time comes.¡¯


    After a while, the black-clad man noticed them, but he didn¡¯t force his pace. As they got closer, Orwin realized that the man didn¡¯t hold himself like a merchant, he was too confident for that, and he wasn¡¯t scared even as the group approached him and his horses.


    ¡°Ho, friend,¡± greeted Orwin, taking charge of the situation while the brothers kept a ways away, waiting for the outcome of the negotiation.


    ¡°Ho, travelers,¡± the man replied, looking Orwin into the eye calmly, ¡°what can I do for you?¡±


    The man was of an average height, shorter than Orwin, but his lithe form passed the idea of restrained violence, as did his eyes. Orwin was weary, but remained friendly, looking back at the raven-haired man with a nondescript face.


    ¡°Are you a horse merchant, by any chance?¡± He inquired. After the man shook his head, he carried on, ¡°Even so, maybe I could make an offer for your animals? Maybe a couple gold?¡±


    The man looked Orwin and his group over, and was clearly not impressed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I should, yours seem to be in a pitiful state. Why are you in a hurry?¡±


    Orwin breathed deeply, mastering his anger and haste, and replied honestly, for the most part, ¡°Lotharians on our trail, mister. I¡¯m not sure they will make an offer for your beasts, most likely you¡¯ll be out of horses and out of a purse, maybe even your life if you get stupid.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re the good guys?¡± the man sneered. ¡°You think I haven¡¯t seen your eyes the temptation to try and do the same?¡± He challenged, boldly.


    Orwin got serious, deadly serious, and put a hand on his weapon before answering, ¡°Why, you¡¯re any good with those knives you¡¯re palming, mister?¡±


    Valena was about to approach and try to defuse the impasse, but Mons held her arm, gesturing for calm. She couldn¡¯t see any reason why she shouldn¡¯t do something, but the unusually serious look on Mons¡¯ face stopped her.


    ¡°Fairly good, if I do say so myself.¡± replied the stranger, waiting for Orwin to make the first move.


    ¡°How much, rogue?¡± Orwin asked, taking the man by surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you, no. The horses stay with me.¡±


    ¡°I was not talking about the horses, mister. I¡¯m talking about the price to hire you.¡± The man looked dumbfounded at the sudden change of tack. ¡°If you have the guts to stand up to the four of us, you¡¯re either very skilled or very dumb, maybe both. So if you¡¯re spoiling for a fight, I¡¯ll even pay you to do it.¡±


    The man seemed confused for a while, but then he grinned. ¡°What the hells. Five gold.¡±


    ¡°Six, and we keep the extra horses.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± they both agreed, and shook on it.


    Valena looked on, astonished how Orwin had suddenly spun the situation on its head. ¡°It¡¯s what he does, damn scary.¡± commented Maia, grinning like her brother.


    ¡°We don¡¯t pay me enough if we have that kind of money lying around,¡± grumbled Mons as they closed in on their leader and new comrade ¨C temporarily at least. ¡°And what¡¯s your name then, you lunatic?¡±


    ¡°Rajpul¡± the man answered, looking at him strangely.


    ¡°Sure, new guy. I suggest we get a move on before they appear and attack us from the high ground.¡± Mons said, and rode ahead of the others, who followed him.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Rajpul, not-¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, new guy. Maybe after the fight.¡± Interrupted Maia. Orwin shrugged, and Valena shook her head, happy she didn¡¯t get that treatment too.


    They rode on for a little longer, until Mons declared, ¡°Hey, Orwin, that looks like a great place to have a picnic with our Lotharian friends.¡± It was a part of the road nearly overrun by the woods, right next to a little hill, and Orwin had to agree.


    ¡°Tie the horses into the woods. I know this will be rough, but we make our stand here. Let¡¯s get ready...¡±


    ***


    The Lotharian band pursuing them finally appeared on the hill where the group had met and recruited Rajpul, and they got their eyes on their prey as soon as they noticed the lit torches the foursome was carrying. Ten Lotharian soldiers, their red capes blowing behind them, a slightly overweight lordling and his household¡¯s sorcerer behind them, with a couple of young pages. They arrived in time to watch the alleged witch run for the forest, ignoring her comrade¡¯s cries to stop. Bloodthirstily, they smiled when the warriors turned back towards then, making clear they would make a stand even without the witch.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    The road was pretty banged up close to the warriors, probably why they decided to fight there. It could be murder on their horses, so they dismounted and left the animals in the care of the pages. The red-capes drew their weapons and smugly approached the warriors facing them, even as the third one, a female, silently turned back and ran away.


    ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± declared the arrogant lordling, ¡°you are outnumbered and tired. The witch has left you, but we¡¯ll catch her soon. Lay down your weapons, and we might let you go despite the everything.¡±


    ¡°The three of us will never-¡° Orwin started saying, but the lordling loudly cleared his throat and raised two fingers.


    ¡°The two of you, now.¡± He smiled darkly, expecting fear and an easy victory.


    Orwin looked back, and then to Mons. ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s right boss, and we cut our losses here...¡±


    The lordling¡¯s smile grew larger, as the two thick-headed warriors started arguing, it was clear that their moral was flagging now.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Mons¡­ You feel like surrendering?¡±


    ¡°To give up, you mean?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what the word means, Mons. I think so, at least¡­¡±


    The second man seemed to consider the proposal for a long while, but then his face cleared and he smiled, answering his friend, ¡°To Lotharian scum? Hells no!¡± He declared, and the pair drew their weapons and raised their shields.


    ¡°Oh, I think you made them angry-¡° Orwin started saying before he was blasted backwards by a thunderbolt from the sorceress, surviving only because of his warded shield ¨C a smart warrior never left home without one, though they were expensive and could only stand so much. Even though he blocked it, he felt some unpleasant electricity passing through the shield.


    ¡°Get them!¡± bellowed the infuriated lordling.¡±


    But then, there were three.


    Maia showed up again on the short hill behind the fighting and released an arrow with the utmost concentration. The sorceress fell down, gurgling and taking her hands to her neck fruitlessly, where Maia¡¯s arrow had unerringly struck. With one arrow, she cut down the Lotharian¡¯s meager magical support.


    The situation was still dire, but a little less so.


    However, the Lotharians approached in formation as Mons helped Orwin up, raising their shields to take Maia¡¯s chances of thinning their ranks further, and there was no doubt they would be overwhelmed by the five to one odds they were facing ¨C if you discounted the shrieking nobleman approaching, baying to avenge his expensive retainer¡¯s death ¨C his family¡¯s low status would go even lower if he didn¡¯t start getting successful about now. The soldiers closed in, but then there was a blur from the right side of the woods, and screaming as a man collapsed and other was knocked back.


    Then, there were four.


    A black-clad knife-wielding man jumped out of the woods, and started harassing the flank, striking and running when faced by more than one opponent. One of the soldiers turned to advance on the new foe, but his distraction was met hit with an arrow to the eye, making the man fall, completely limp. Gritting their teeth at the losses, the soldiers reached Orwin and Mons, who had to give ground to avoid being encircled, exchanging attacks and parries frenetically.


    Mons saw an opportunity when one of the Lotharians stumbled on the broken ground, and lunged, skewering the man¡¯s chest with his spear. But he was just a bit overextended after the opportunist attack, and couldn''t totally avoid a retaliatory spear to his side. The spear pierced his mail and opened a gash, and the warrior had to hunker down behind his shield for a while, blocking a handful of strikes before he got the pain under control. There was little Orwin could do to help him, but his sister started harassing more the ones had to surround him. Orwin received a shallow cut to the temple that hindered his vision, and Rajpul stabbed one enemy''s arm, but had his shoulder pierced in return.


    All of them were bleeding and hurt by now, and even the cowardly lordling was posed to join the fray.


    But then, there were nine.


    Valena had ran away at the beginning of the fight to deceive the enemy, following Orwin¡¯s sneaky plan, designed to make the red-capes overconfident. She returned as soon as the fight broke out, and observed from the trees with Rajpul. The rogue wasn¡¯t much for conversation, and so they watched in silence until the man mumbled a low prayer she couldn¡¯t quite hear, and joined the fight, whirling his daggers.


    The gruesome violence of the fighting, lives being taken right in front of her, terrified the mage, even if she was a mage of the dead. Never before she had fought for real, kill or be killed, as she would have to do now. But she steeled herself, ¡®I will not fail my friends now, not when they risked their lives to save me at Green Knoll¡­¡¯. Unseen, she advance through the dense woods carefully, afraid to blow their plan, but no soldier noticed the necromancer as she went back to the road, right next to where the sorceress had fallen.


    The pages started shouting, trying to warn the others, but no one heard them, and they started running towards Valena. She didn''t pay them any mind, and took advantage of the distraction of the soldiers, starting to chant and to pool her magic. She chanted, and the energy started heading into the body besides her, making a body move when it should never do so again. Valena raised the dead woman as a wight, an undead that retained some of its previous abilities, even though it took a lot out of her.


    The pages, young men in training under the lordling, reached her, but her wight sprung up, and attacked them, knocking one of them down with a swing of her staff. Valena left the two to her wight, and advanced on the battlefield as her comrades retreated, hounded by the Lotharians, closing in on the slain soldiers.


    Taxing herself heavily, she raised three more undead, another wight, and two shamblers. The pages were knocked out, and the wight rejoined her side, a growing number of undead around her, both wights carrying spears now, while the shamblers were armed only with their teeth, not possessing the wherewithal to use weapons. As her friends got on the verge of being overrun, Valena acted, willing her minions to attack with a pulse of magic.


    The undead surged behind the Lotharians, who were taken completely by surprise. The soldiers turned to meet the unexpected onslaught and were even more shaken to have to face their own dead comrades. Orwin and the others took the offensive, and sandwiched their enemies, trapping the Lotharians between the living and the dead. Even if their numbers were close to even now, their moral was not. The Lotharians started panicking, but they were surrounded.


    It was bloody work, but completely one-sided, with Orwin¡¯s group losing only one shambler. Soon, Valena was recovering her energy, absorbing everything released by the death throes of the soldiers. It didn¡¯t take long they were all crushed, being outflanked ant demoralized. The lordling saw that the tide had turned, and tried to make a break for it. Valena didn¡¯t let him, and one wight and a shambler bore the man down, holding the screaming man losing his nerve.


    Orwin¡¯s plan wasn¡¯t to merely survive, but to utterly crush their enemies, and acquire information in the bargain. ¡®What a terrifying man¡¯ She couldn''t help but to think.


    The fight over, everyone started gathering around the panicked lordling and the necromancer, some slower than the others. Valena ordered her free minions to stay away from the group, not knowing how the group would react to the undead. Mons was holding his side, Rajpul winced as his shoulder throbbed and Orwin was limping, a gash on his shin, only Maia was free of injury, walking with a spring on her step.


    ¡°That was fun! We should do it more often.¡± She declared, to a sour look of her brother. Orwin just shook his head, but Rajpul actually nodded.


    ¡°You can bound the man if you¡¯re feeling so smug, Maia. And you can shut up, lordling.¡± Said Orwin.


    ¡°Or I will kick you until you do.¡± added Mons, feeling helpful. He only had to do it twice.


    ¡°Here''s your money, Rajpul,¡± continued Orwin, throwing him a sack with the six coins agreed before.


    ¡°Thanks, it was fun. I¡¯ll stay until I see what this pig has to say, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t, Rajpul,¡± replied Mons, acknowledging the man finally.


    ¡°Come here, you oafs, let me take a look at those scratches.¡± said Valena to the three injured fighters.


    ¡°Oh, you know something about healing, Valena?¡± asked Maia, finishing to tie the now limp lordling below the two undead.


    ¡°I do. I once was a doctor¡¯s apprentice, that¡¯s where I fell in love with necromancy. I bet they don¡¯t tell you that that happens from time to time.¡± She answered as she started on Mons, the one with the worst injury.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought that doctors always became healers when they had aptitude for magic.¡± replied Maia, while Valena sewed the cut on her brother¡¯s side.


    ¡°Most do. But some just¡­ feel more connected with the dead bodies than the living ones. It¡¯s not a bad thing to repurpose dead creatures and enemies¡­¡±


    The group didn¡¯t notice at first, but they all relaxed after finally dealing with their pursuers at last. Rajpul rounded up some fine horses from the soldiers, and Orwin dragged the unconscious pages next to the lordling, tying them all together. The group got together to drag their enemy¡¯s corpses back into the woods, Valena saying that the animals could have them. After that, their fatigue finally got to them, the many hours of running and the fading adrenaline from the fight, and Orwin decided they should stop for a while. They made a haphazard camp a bit away from the road, leaving their prisoners under guard of the remaining undead. Rajpul decided to stay with them, for now, so they could interrogate the lordling the next day.


    Soon, everyone was deep asleep, only the prisoners remained awake, afraid of what tomorrow held for them.

 Chapter 6: Eccentricities

    The camp still slumbered as the morning arrived, only Chief and another warrior standing guard, tiredly observing the camp¡¯s perimeter in the clearing, standing up so they could both see behind the tents and stay awake. Even with one of the hunters patrolling the woods around the camp, and the duo inside it, they all failed to notice the appearance of the Druids. The handful of woods¡¯ mages seemed to blend with the trees whenever someone¡¯s eyes passed over them, and they calmly arrived, bringing baskets and bags bearing fruits and berries, seeds and hay.


    The forest¡¯s dwellers settled down right into the middle of the camp, around one of the previous night¡¯s campfires, and still no one¡¯s perception managed to dispel their potent natural capabilities of concealment. The horses didn¡¯t make a sound, as they didn¡¯t mind the presence of the strangers, neither did the other sounds of the forest abate - all the animals felt comfortable around the green-robed men and women. The Druids emanated a calming presence to animals and beasts, specially the leader of the Westernwoods¡¯ Commune. He was gnarled and ancient man, yearning for his old pipe he refused to light so they could fool the camp for a while longer. The man made Lowa seem like a spring chicken.


    To everyone¡¯s surprise, it was Romer who noticed the intruders first. The majordomo¡¯s reaction would become a motive of laughter for the days to come. He rose early, the first one to rise, and he promptly made himself presentable before leaving his tent. As always, Romer started the day checking the inventory, confirming everything was in good state, and nothing was missing. Following his routine, the still sleepy man automatically moved to get started on brewing the strong-flavored tea that his Master preferred, and making breakfast for the camp.


    But as he brewed the tea at one of the fire¡¯s, something started nagging his sense of propriety, and he stopped. Though the guards had passed right next to the sitting Druids many times, they hadn¡¯t seen anything unusual, unable to pierce the Druids¡¯ concealing veil. They actually saw everything, even stepped aside to avoid one of the sitting mages, but they didn¡¯t realize what they were seeing. Romer, however, had an impeccable sense of decorum, and something started bothering him greatly, making him stop. The majordomo focused, and his temple started throbbing with the effort, veins uncharacteristically appearing on his increasingly creased forehead.


    ¡°Would you please take your finger off the stew-pot?!¡± He asked angrily, almost shouting, as his mind finally broke the veil of concealment.


    ¡°Errr¡­¡± sputtered the young Druid caught in the act, as the majordomo started dressing him down. The guards came running and the camp stirred as the prim man started chastising the whole group - even the ancient Druid ended up being reprimanded by the time Garner and Lowa appeared. The whole camp woke, and people gathered around the commotion, watching from a safe distance, grinning and chuckling at the scene. It was good to see others getting on the bad side of the majordomo for a change.


    ¡°¡­and you, kind sir! I would expect better of a man of your wisdom, barging into camp unannounced? How could we be ready to receive you properly then, would you please tell me?¡± Romer finally ran out of steam, having to breath left after his long tirade. The whole camp started laughing while the Druids apologized for the inconvenience they had caused. Garner and Lowa laughed the hardest.


    ¡°Are you sure he isn¡¯t a magician, Garner?¡± She asked, still smiling, as the druids hurried away from the campfire and Romer started hastily directing his people to prepare breakfast, putting the woodsmen gifts to good use while on it.


    ¡°Sometimes I wonder.¡± He replied honestly. ¡°The man made Druids apologize for their lack of manners, for gods-sake.¡±


    As his two sleepy apprentices came to him, Garner, Lowa and the teenagers approached the still flummoxed Druids, followed by Chief. ¡°Greetings, honorable Druids. I see you¡¯ve incurred the wrath of my retainer. He¡¯s¡­ intense.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, master Garner, honorable elder, I¡¯m Gyojen, the leader of this commune. My people told me you wanted to have a talk about what¡¯s going on around the ¡®civilized¡¯ lands.¡± Said the elder, his distaste at ¡®civilization¡¯ clear by his tone.


    His followers, a mix of old and young persons hailing from a broad swathe of the Realm, nodded and mumbled their greetings. However, Garner knew they would likely keep silent for the rest of the conversation unless asked a question directly, in deference to their leader. The Druids were a lot more reverent than most. Maybe it¡¯s for the best. They can get pretty long-winded when they start talking about revering Nature.


    ¡°Yes, Elder, I am. Are you familiar with the Wizardly Order?¡± He had to ask. Some of these isolated practitioners could get really out of touch with civilization.


    ¡°Bah, young one! I was there when they activated the Spires! I saw them defeat the Elfey when I was just a small boy, still starting to commune with nature.¡± told them Gyojen, caressing his long white beard.


    Garner and Lowa were impressed and the apprentices even more so. The Dome had been raised almost a hundred years ago, delivering victory at the last of the Elfey wars. Now, the old Spires were shrouded in mystery and legend. To have seen such an important moment in the history of the Realm must have been awe-inspiring.


    ¡°Were the Elfey as terrible as the tales say?" asked Tealdin, breaking the moment of silence. The boy couldn¡¯t help himself, hearing a first hand report was a lot better than reading a heavily edited version version from a moldy old tome. Chief grunted as he foresaw a long answer coming, and sat himself at a nearby stool, scratching the back of his head.


    The druid thought ponderously before replying, ¡°Yes, and no, wizardling. They were people, like us, and they had their share of monsters, like us. Some people hated them for it ¨C I did when I was a boy and they told stories of atrocities ¨C but I¡¯m not so sure now, with the benefit of experience, that we would have done better were the roles reversed.¡±


    Tealdin listened attentive to the long and slow reply, but Leanor grumbled, earning a sharp glare from Garner, ¡°That¡¯s not what the books say.¡±


    Gyojen took no offense, and chuckled at her naivete. ¡°Girl, who do you think wrote those books? Or at least who paid for them? Don¡¯t believe everything you read. It could be argued that we have done far worse at the end of things, and to a lot of innocent Elfey¡­¡±


    ¡°Quiet now, kids. Let us old geezers talk about our more pressing business.¡± said Lowa when the elder¡¯s gaze wandered off, thinking about old times and old wrongs.


    ¡°Yes, you can grill Elder Gyojen for information if he decides to come with us, or later if you happen to visit his Commune.¡± complemented Garner. ¡°So, what do you have to say to our proposal, Elder?¡±


    Tealdin and even Leanor nodded gracefully at the dismissal, and kept their mouths shut from that moment on. At least, I¡¯ve managed to teach that, thought Garner.


    ¡°Thanks for the offer of shelter, Master Garner, but we will endure this situation at our commune. We are hidden and well-protected.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Lowa looked uncertain at the decision, as she heard it, and replied, ¡°Are you truly sure, Elder? If they find you, things will get ugly fast.¡±


    ¡°We know,¡± He acknowledged, ¡°but we can move faster than them in the woods. We¡¯ll run towards you, if we can, or even away-Dome, if we must.¡±


    The kids blanched at the notion, but Lowa and Garner just nodded at that. If there was someone who didn¡¯t care for the unnatural borders, it was the Druids. It was no surprise that they came and went away borders. ¡°Very well, we wish you luck.¡± said Garner. ¡°Is there anything you can help us with to prepare for the Lotharians?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll deliver some supplies to you later, and we can help you with information.¡± He answered. ¡°Report, Balmia.¡± commanded Elder Gyojen, turning to one of his subordinates who stepped forward, a woman with surprising green hair, and bright black eyes. She seemed young, but it was hard to tell if that impression was true by her confident demeanor.


    ¡°Sure, Elder. There are horseman on your trail.¡± Balmia said, talking in a lazy draw.


    ¡°We weren¡¯t expecting to be chased so early. Can you tell how many of them are there?¡±


    ¡°Yah. Only eight, and I don¡¯t think they are Lotharians either. Four of them reek of death, one of them of filthy magic, and the rest of fear.¡±


    The apprentices looked puzzled at that, but Lowa clarified it for them, ¡°Necromancy. Druids hate it, even though they share some blood rituals.¡±


    ¡°Allies or foes?¡± wondered Chief aloud, as he stopped picking his teeth, and thought about his friends.


    The explanation earned her irritated gazes from the Druids, but Balmia continued, unruffled: ¡°Allies, I think. They fought a larger group, took captives. I was impressed they won, actually, they were pretty outnumbered.¡±


    Chief had to smile at that, already believing it the handiwork of Orwin. Romer passed through the talking groups, offering skins of cold water taken from a nearby creak. The apprentices whispered to each other as they watched the talk, and the servants waited patiently around the campfire after raising camp and packing it tidily at the carriages.


    ¡°And ahead of us?¡± asked Chief, thinking about the dangerous beasts that could inhabit the woods.


    ¡°There¡¯s the fort a ways north of your path, as you probably know. We don¡¯t deal with them much, a prickly and insulting bunch. We¡¯ll free your way of most dangerous beasts, warrior, or at least give you forewarning.¡±


    Chief grunted pleased at that.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, basically.¡±


    ¡°Good intel.¡± commended Garner. ¡°And thank you for your kind offers. We¡¯ll rally wizards and mages to the Spire, and would be pleased if you could extend your good-will to them too, if it doesn¡¯t endanger you.¡±


    ¡°We shall.¡± promised Elder Gyojen. ¡°We¡¯ll take our leave now. Good luck in these troubled times, friends.¡±


    ¡°Thank you all. Count on us if you need help. Goodbye.¡±


    Everyone traded pleasantries, and the wood¡¯s mages left the clearing and the camping, fading back into their beloved forest. ¡°Goodbye, treehuggers!¡± Lowa added the old taunt, grinning mischievously. They heard receding laughs from the woods.


    ¡°Where to now, Master?¡± inquired Chief, still grinning, and everyone turned to Garner.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head to the fort then, that you so wanted so much to see. The guards don¡¯t seem like the most reliable people, but it will give time to your friends to reach us.¡± Garner decided. The wizard didn¡¯t believe anything too dangerous could be waiting for them into the Spire, but it was best not to tempt fate, and join with the other group before trying to enter it.


    ¡°Come on, north we go!¡± bellowed Chief, making the group move to head back to the road and carry on their journey.


    ***


    Orwin''s Group


    ¡°Wake up,¡± *THUD* ¡°I said wake up.¡±


    Finally, just before Mons gave the Lotharian noble a second kick to the stomach, the man stopped feigning sleep, and started slowly raising to his feet, groaning. The man¡¯s hands were still tied, and Mons decided to loosen the knot a little as they were starting to get a kind of funny color. Not that he particularly cared, but Orwin and Maia would berate him if he didn¡¯t take minimal care of his prisoners. Rules of war and all that, only this wasn¡¯t a proper war. He would bet that new guy ¨C Rajpul, that was ¨C wouldn¡¯t care much either.


    Mons ignored the trembling pages standing up next to the lordling, and turned to look at his people, around the campfire. Orwin was sharpening his bastard sword ¨C Mons never saw the point in swords, he rather liked the sharp point of his own spear ¨C while his sister was taking care of her bow, oiling it with some substance or other. She had tried to explain it to him some times, but he just kind of faded out in the middle of it. Boring. Most maintenance was, though he wasn¡¯t stupid to miss the importance of doing it anyway.


    Raj, as he had taken to calling the new guy, as it annoyed him, was eating the last of his breakfast slowly, with that frowned face of someone who was thinking deeply. Mons decided to help him out. He scooped a small rock from the floor and let it fly, hitting the new guy¡¯s forehead. He made a small fist pump, and silently cheered, Beat that, Maia!, completely ignoring Rajpul¡¯s scowl and the others¡¯ mild disapproval ¨C Maia always took one hand to her face when he did something cool, or both if it was a particularly good move. Orwin just shook his head, as always - he was no fun.


    ¡°Is he always like this?¡± Rajpul asked, frowning at the man.


    ¡°Unfortunately.¡± confirmed Orwin.


    ¡°You can see what I have to deal with all my life.¡± added Maia.


    ¡°Is he touched in the head?¡±


    ¡°Ouch, Raj! I¡¯ve got feelings, you know?¡± Mons said, feigning to be upset.


    The others just said, ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Quit slacking, you three, I want to reach that Third Tower sometimes this year.¡± He said, ignoring when someone corrected him. What kind of a stupid name was spire? If it looked like a tower, it was a godsdamned tower, in his opinion ¨C and that was the only one that mattered most of the time. ¡°Let¡¯s interrogate these fellows, and be done with them.¡±


    The prisoners gulped in fear, and Maia threw a rock at his head as he grinned at the reaction. He dodged, of course, Maia could never hit him. ¡°Stop tormenting them. We¡¯ll let them live, if they help us.¡± Mons nodded sagely, surprising his sister. She didn¡¯t caught on to his decision to interpret ¡°live¡± as leave. They could leave the camp, and die soon after. That was alright by him.


    It wasn¡¯t that Mons was a psychopath, he was just a little miffed at having to leave his fluffy mattress back into the inn at Arburgh and ride all that time. And all that fighting got his blood up, specially when they managed to cut him back into last night¡¯s fight. That self-important lordling had had the gall to ask for his surrender, of all things! Unforgivable, anyone should know that Mons never surrendered, and that if he did, it was a fake surrender, and you shouldn¡¯t be stupid to fall for it. Besides those two pages had even threatened Val¡­-ena.


    Thinking about her, he hadn¡¯t seen her for a while. ¡°Where¡¯s the mage, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Doing necromantic things to those dead bodies. She said we could get ahead with the interrogation.¡± replied Orwin.


    ¡°You would think that that girl would be less squeamish - she messes with dead bodies, after all.¡± added Maia.


    Rajpul didn¡¯t comment on it, but put his bowl aside and rose, starting to walk towards their captives. The duo set aside their weapons, and joined Rajpul and Mons around the prisoners.


    ¡°Well, who will we start with?¡± asked Mons, grinning maliciously.


    *


    *


    *


    Though they were ready to do horrific things with the lordling if necessary, the man broke easily, and saved himself a lot of pain, and the group some heavy consciences ¨C for those who could have them, anyhow. The man spilled everything he knew, some of it quite interesting. The pages probably wouldn¡¯t add much, and Orwin was loathsome to hurt boys who had little agency in who they ended up facing.


    Rajpul heard it all with a calculating look, and decided in the end that he would stay with the group a while longer. He¡¯d accompany them to the Spire. Now with valuable information for their future employer, the group put blindfold on the prisoners and spun them until they were unlikely to know which was the direction to head back to Arburgh. They left then, carrying on their path.


    *


    *


    They only had to stop Mons from heading back sneakily twice.

 Chapter 7: Wheels

    ¡°Shit.¡± Chief described the situation with his usual flair for accuracy.


    One of the cart¡¯s wheels had broken down as they treaded the mess roads toward the guard-post, and the servants were having a hell of a time trying to fix it. To make things worse, one of the hunters ranging ahead had returned running, an arrow shaft sticking out of his shoulder. So, now they were stuck, and there might be some bandits coming after them soon.


    ¡°Bandits or guards?¡± asked Garner as Lowa tended to the hunter¡¯s shoulder, the apprentices looking over her shoulder.


    ¡°Is there much of a difference by now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Chief. We won¡¯t put down the guards unless we have to. Bandits are another story¡­¡±


    ¡°What did they seem like to you, young man?¡± Lowa asked the injured as she finished bandaging the injury. Not that the man was young, but most people would be if the measuring stick was the witch¡¯s age.


    ¡°¡­¡± shrugged the mute hunter, regretting the movement as soon as he stretched his shoulder, pain flaring up in his member.


    ¡°Be still!¡± chided Lowa.


    ¡°Maybe you could cast something on the other hunter when he reports?¡± Chief asked, scratching his white-hair.


    ¡°Stealth? Maybe¡­¡±


    As the group talked, they were guarded by the avowed warriors, who held their shields tightly, weary of arrows striking suddenly from the trees. Romer¡¯s people were already armed, and up on the carts, stacking boxes to provide cover from arrow fire. This time, the Majordomo picked up a shortbow, which he promptly stringed.


    ¡°Master!¡± gasped Leanor suddenly, coming close to Garner and putting a hand on his arm. ¡°The outer alarms have fired! They are coming!¡±


    ¡°Get ready, people!¡± shouted Chief, warning his people and the others. Not wishing to become a pincushion, the veteran forsook his axe for a shield and sword combo this time.


    ¡°Leanor, ready a Barrier spell, Tealdin, watch the flanks.¡± oriented Garner before he started casting empowering spells at Chief and his men.


    Soon, they could see movement in the trees, though they never could quite pinpoint how many people were there. ¡°Hold your arrows till they show themselves¡± Chief instructed the ranged combatants of the group as Garner cast one last spell, on himself this time. The warriors were among the carts, one watching the back with Tealdin, and the others were up on the carts again.


    ¡°This is becoming a routine¡­¡± muttered Romer, bow and arrow in hands. Maybe he would ask that boorish Chief to train his maids and pages a bit. If Romer felt that it would benefit Garner, it could be really hard to stop the man from doing something.


    Garner boldly stepped out of cover, saying, ¡°Who goes there?¡±.


    The answer to his question were half a dozen arrows flying at his direction. Garner scowled at the response, as the projectiles met the invisible shield he¡¯d casted around him, making it glow red at each hit. Before he could say anything else, ice shards came hurtling out of the woods, his shield glowing brighter with the more powerful attack.


    ¡°That¡¯s not very polite of you.¡± reproached Garner. ¡°Does someone want to talk, or are you all too shy?¡±


    Attacks stopped coming, and everything was still for a minute before a man emerged from the woods, camouflaged with lot of hanging greenery stuck to his Army coat and helm, bearing the royal green-white sigil on his breastplate, the sword-and-staff. ¡°Wasn¡¯t the arrow warning enough? This is a restricted area. Piss. The. Hell. Off.¡± said the captain, glaring at the would-be trespassers behind his impressive mustache. The barely visible red sash on his arm denoted his rank.


    ¡°What exactly would we be trespassing on, captain?¡± asked the wizard.


    ¡°The Spire, of course. No one allowed, but royals and wizards.¡±


    ¡°If you had bothered to ask, you would have known I¡¯m a godsdamned wizard!¡± said Garner, getting uncharacteristically angry.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Godsdamned idiots!¡± bellowed Chief, lowering his shield and moving forward, glaring at the captain and the trees his men were concealed into. ¡°I should have known what kind of fuck-up they would send to this shitty post!¡± remarked the Chief, still pissed that one of his people - more or less, the hunters were quite an independent bunch ¨C could have died because these men¡¯s sheer stupidity and incapacity to do a simple task, like checking who the hells they were attacking.


    Though an angry Chief was a really intimidating figure, the captain was far from cowering. ¡°Sorry, I guess.¡± The man said, shrugging. ¡°Not many folk come by, I guess we never thought you wizard types would-¡± Chief gave no warning at all: one moment he was standing in front of the man, and on the other, the captain was down on the ground, nursing his jaw.


    The captain¡¯s men, about a dozen soldiers, came out of the woods, in a mixture of anger and embarrassment, not knowing how and if they should respond to the right cross their boss had received.


    ¡°I guess that was kind of called for.¡± said the captain, apparently not bearing a grudge after being decked out. His men lowered completely the weapons that had been slightly pointed out towards Garner¡¯s people. Chief continued scowling at the man, but made no further motion to hit him again. Garner shook his head, and offered a hand up to the man, in the spirit of cooperation, reining his anger.


    ¡°Okay. Now that that has been dealt with, can we have a serious conversation?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Follow us, we¡¯ll take you to one of our field camps. Let¡¯s go,¡± said the captain.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ***


    Garner, Chief, Lowa and the apprentices followed the soldiers to a simple camp, with easy access to a nearby creek and with some rudimentary shelter built between trees. There were a few supplies stored around it, with same mystery meat being smoked on one side, with a handful of civilians doing various tasks the soldiers were loathe to do, like washing and cleaning, cooking and foraging. While the soldiers dispersed throughout the camp, the group and the captain took their seats on wood stumps placed around the middle of the camp.


    ¡°We¡¯re here. Few people come to these parts - we haven¡¯t seen travelers for years. What brings you all here then, wizard, to the Spire?¡± asked the captain, clearly not a man acquainted with the normal exchange of pleasantries.


    ¡°Don¡¯t more wizards come visit the Spire?¡± asked Tealdin, surprised that the place wasn¡¯t swamped by wizards trying to learn from the advanced warding and spell-casting utilized on building the place. Leanor kind of stopped paying attention to the whole conversation as she imagined what kind of warding she could learn from studying the Spire - this trip might be a lot more useful than what she had originally thought it would be.


    ¡°No, boy. There are Spires that are really safe to visit, from what I heard. The Third Spire is far from safe.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, captain?¡± asked Garner, frowning. How come have I never heard of such a thing?


    ¡°The place is crowded with automatons, golems, and they are aggressive and territorial, wizard.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t the golems recognize you as a member of the Realm¡¯s Army?¡± asked Lowa, also puzzled at the news. This was a situation they really didn¡¯t need now, not when they had already invited various mages and wizards to shelter there from the Lotharian¡¯s purge.


    ¡°No, they don¡¯t. And my predecessor told me he only saw one wizard trying to enter the Spire. He died - spectacularly so.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to look into this, Garner, this is *bad*,¡± said Lowa, glancing worriedly at him.


    ¡°I know. We¡¯ll deal with it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the reason you need to go to that damned tower?¡± the captain brought them back to his original question.


    ¡°Ah, you might want to call your battle-mage to hear this,¡± said Lowa.


    ¡°I am the mage. The mage and the captain, yes I know,¡± the man said, anticipating Garner and Chief¡¯s comment that that was extremely unusual in the Army. For a long time, mages had been kept out of command when possible, allowing them to focus on their magical tasks.


    ¡°What the hell did you do to get this assignment?¡± interrupted Chief, even more curious now. ¡°Your equipment looks patched and second-hand, and I don¡¯t imagine that supplies arrive regularly, your people seem to have to look for themselves.¡±


    ¡°Not important.¡±


    ¡°Let it go, Chief,¡± said Garner, not curious about the man¡¯s secrets in light of what trouble they could be heading to. ¡°You should know, captain, that there¡¯s a purge going on, spurred by the Lotharians. They began targeting wizards, but we¡¯ve heard reports that they are not making a lot of effort differentiating between practitioners. Hedge witches, wandering mages¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. I do not care, they do not have permission to approach the Spire.¡±


    ¡°You might be biting more than you can chew, mage,¡± pointed out Chief.


    ¡°My name is Lamart, captain Lamart, and I¡¯m not a common mage.¡±


    ¡°What are you, sir?¡± asked Tealdin, intrigued.


    ¡°Warlock.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± The group intoned. That explained a lot of things. There were very few warlocks around the Realm, and that was for a simple reason: warlocks wielded the kind of magic only those of Elfey blood could use, and there were very few people with that blood left around the kingdom after the Spires were built and the banishment ritual done. Most of those had fled, as the ones that stayed got sicker and sicker until they nearly all died. Only a few of the hardiest mixed-bloods survived, and one of the captain¡¯s parents must have been one of them.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be very pleasant to be stationed around one of the Spires¡­¡± said Lowa, leadingly.


    ¡°No¡­ It pains me, and I¡¯m often distracted and with dark moods,¡± confirmed Lamart.


    ¡°So this is an even worse punishment than I thought,¡± concluded Chief.


    ¡°You could say that.¡±


    ¡°Very well, captain Lamart. I doubt you¡¯ll take me up on it, but we¡¯ll offer you refuge in the Spire if your clash with the Lotharians become more than you can handle,¡± said Gardner.


    ¡°Yeah, no, thanks. But I might send my people if it gets out of hand.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll look after them, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Would the Lotharians attack an Army unit?¡± asked Tealdin, surprised by the possibility.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the brass wouldn¡¯t mind too much if we were to disappear,¡± replied Lamart, ¡°only misfits and outcasts get sent here.


    ¡°And someone has to learn what happened for there be consequences for it, and I don¡¯t see the Lotharians letting anyone to tell the tale.¡± Pointed out Chief.


    ¡°We¡¯ll let your mages pass on your authority as a wizard, Master Garner. And we¡¯ll stop the Lotharians, or do the best we can to do so.¡± Declared Lamart, wrapping up the conversation.


    ¡°Thanks for your assistance, captain. We wish you luck.¡± Replied Garner, rising with the rest of his entourage.


    ¡°And for you as well, wizard. The Spire unsettles me, and it isn¡¯t only because of my blood. My men feel the same. There¡¯s something not right there.¡±


    They parted ways, and Garner¡¯s party went back to the rest of the group, rejoining the carts, the broken wheel already fixed somehow. They started to make their way towards the Spire again.


    ***


    Orwin¡¯s Party


    ¡°Why were you alone on the road with so many horses again, Raj? I think you were about to tell me the other day, and then we fell sleep. Come on, tell me,¡± Mons badgered the new guy.


    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t, and no, I won¡¯t. Please stop talking for one second,¡± replied the rogue. The warrior¡¯s inquisitiveness actually wasn¡¯t that bad for Raj, because if Mons did something, people in the group usually went out of their way to obstruct him. And so, no one questioned him, but Mons. And the man¡¯s focus was nearly non existent, he would soon change subject and start annoying someone else. But not quite now, it seemed.


    ¡°You kind of a horse thief, Raj? All secret-like with your black clothes, stealing people¡¯s mounts in the darkest of the night?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I will still your horses and leave you behind,¡± He riposted. Rajpul had decided to share his extra mounts after everything they had gone through the other night. It was not like their former owners would miss them, after all.


    Their group rode in a more sedate pace, taking breaks when they needed them. There was no particular rush now that their pursuers were gone, but they still made good time, changing mounts from time to time. In the afternoon, Maia came back from scouting out ahead. The archer said it was to make sure they were safe and on the right track, but Rajpul suspected she only wanted to get away from her ass of a brother for a while. He could sympathize.


    ¡°Hey, boss-man, there¡¯s a shit trail that goes north a bit ahead,¡± She said, motioning to Orwin. ¡°Seems like there¡¯s been recent activity there.¡±


    ¡°Eh, I¡¯m not sure we should head into a shitty trail. Let¡¯s just keep to the path we know will take us to the Spire, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I vote against it. Let¡¯s keep to the broken down road instead of the dirt path.¡± agreed Valena, a large bag full of bones now affixed to her horse¡¯s saddle.


    Mons and Rajpul just shrugged, and so the group carried on.


    ***


    A few hours later, Garner¡¯s people finally made it back from their detour to meet with the guards, everyone cursing the trail that had managed to break another cartwheel, delaying them. Orwin¡¯s group had passed them in the meantime, and was unwittingly going towards the dangers of the Third Spire.

 Chapter 8: Golems

    ¡°Where the fuck are these things coming from!¡± cursed Valena when another of her skeletons was destroyed, its bones scattered around the meadow.


    The answer was obvious, not that it made any better to the necromancer. The group was heavily engaged with nearly a dozen of dwarf wooden golems that were a lot more durable than they had the right to be. It was a pain to hit their mana crystals, which held the magical fuel that powered the automatons. The crystals were placed randomly on the creatures, and everyone was having a hell of a time destroying them. Most were on the backside of the creatures, which meant that Maia¡¯s bow was mostly useless. The archer had joined the melee, supporting her brother and Orwin.


    ¡°Yah!¡± shouted Orwin, piercing one of the golem¡¯s chest after several hits to the same area had weakened it. He luckily cut off its magical fuel, the creature¡¯s eyes, or the weird blue light that worked as them, fizzled out, and its movement stopped.


    The front-liners, though, were mostly just holding the golems back. The one doing the real damage was Rajpul, using his agility to dart in between the crude and mechanical attacks of the creatures and hitting their crystals. The group was steadily cutting down the golems, but they were tiring while the machines couldn¡¯t, ceaselessly trying to attack them. Valena¡¯s skeletons, though armed with looted weapons to complement their looted bones, were a really bad match against the golems¡¯ blunt-force attacks, using their arms. Mon target the joints with his spears, unbalancing and taking down the creatures, while Maia¡¯s hatchet kept him from being flanked and overwhelmed.


    Valena was even more frustrated because she couldn¡¯t raise the damned golems back, as the creatures were never living to begin with, they couldn¡¯t very well become undead. Maybe she could have bound a soul to one of them, letting it take control of the body, but that was something she preferred not to mess with. It was one of the reason¡¯s necromancers had such a bad rep, after all. Besides, it was really annoying to prepare a soul-trap to hold the souls when they really wanted to depart for wherever souls went to. It smacked of cruelty too, in her opinion.


    Everything was going alright, but in one of his attempts to go for the blindside of the golems, Rajpul was clocked by bad luck, and fell down stunned after the nasty hit. The group scrambled to get him back behind the lines, and Maia managed to drag him after the others distracted the automatons. After a long while, everything harder without Rajpul, they finished the last golem, and everyone released sighs of relief mixed with groans of exhaustion.


    ¡°How about we never do that again?¡± proposed Mons as he sat on the grass, sighing when he sat on a pointy bone fragment he then threw away. ¡°Those skeletons are annoying, necro-lady,¡± He complained.


    ¡°Get used to them,¡± She shrugged as she looked over Rajpul. ¡°You¡¯ll join them in time.¡±


    ¡°Gah¡­¡±


    There wasn¡¯t much Valena could do for the rogue now. He was still dazed, his eyes a bit unfocused and not really steady at his feet. Only time would heal a concussion such as that one, she knew from experience.


    ¡°I hate these damned things I can¡¯t take down with arrows,¡± Maia griped too.


    ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t me who created those damned things.¡± replied Orwin, shaking his bald head.


    They could already see their objective, the enormous Spire, when they had camped the other night. But they had never imagined it would be so difficult getting closer to it. First it had been one or two errant golems, but the number had grown steadily until they had had a hard time dealing with all the automatons.


    ¡°Are you sure the wizard came here?¡± asked Rajpul, a rare tone of anxiety on his voice.


    ¡°Yeah, the message was quite clear on the directions,¡± replied Orwin.


    ¡°Chief doesn¡¯t leave anything to chance in this kind of situation,¡± confirmed Maia.


    ¡°Of course he would invite us to this kind of shitty situation,¡± grumbled Mons.


    ¡°What did you say, boy?¡± a new voice shook the group out of their conversation. Their exhaustion had made them careless, and they never noticed the group approaching them from behind. And who, but Chief himself was standing behind Mons as he complained.


    ¡°Er..Ah..¡± mumbled the fair-headed warrior.


    ¡°Chief!¡± exclaimed Orwin and Maia, getting up on their feet and smiling at the old warhorse.


    ***


    There was no hugging - Chief didn¡¯t care for that, but everyone shook hands and smiled. The warriors also finally met their new employer, Master Garner, and his people.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the ones Chief told me about¡­ I thought there were only three of you, though?¡± asked Garner, counting the five of them - Rajpul was still a bit out of it and had to lay down for a bit.


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯ve picked some strays,¡± said Orwin, grinning at the elbow he expected, and received, to his side. Valena gave him an evil eye because of the comment - and because she had forgotten about his breastplate. ¡°Sorry, I tend to do that. The one out of it is Rajpul, we don¡¯t actually quite know a lot about him, but he¡¯s helped us a lot so far. This feisty one is¡­¡±


    ¡°Valena,¡± She said. ¡°I can introduce myself, Orwin, thank you. I¡¯m a former medical student¡­ and a necromancer,¡± Valena said, watching for the reactions of the wizard.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°I see,¡± said Garner, looking into her eyes, and seemingly trying to figure her out.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, girl,¡± said Lowa, not without kindness, ¡°I know your kind rarely are like they they say you are.¡±


    Valena nodded her thanks to the wise witch.


    ¡°We picked her up in Green Knoll, when the Lotharians were coming for Arburgh. We had to get her out of there in a hurry, and they followed us, but we dealt with it,¡± Orwin told the resume of their journey to their audience, the two mages, Chief and the apprentices.


    ¡°Damn the Lotharians. This will be war if it carries on like this¡­¡± commented Chief.


    ¡°Yes, my Order was caught by surprise, and they are on the back foot, but they will mount a response,¡± agreed Garner. ¡°Are you okay with joining this kind of fight?¡± he asked of the new additions to his party.


    ¡°We are, we knew what we were going into. It wouldn¡¯t be our first war,¡± replied Orwin.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see that I¡¯ve got many choices, they are coming for us all by the look of it, not only wizards.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. It was probably better you didn¡¯t stuck around to learn if that¡¯s the case,¡± replied the old witch. ¡°There are quite a few practitioners coming here, and we can make the Spire a stronghold to the mages¡¯ cause.¡±


    ¡°If we can reach that thing, that is,¡± added Orwin sourly, turning to glare at the big tower on the horizon.¡±


    ¡°We were warned it might not be simple¡­ Let¡¯s set your man on one of the carts, and talk about how we¡¯re going to deal with this situation¡­¡±


    ***


    ¡°Damn, that boy is fine looking,¡± commented Maia, looking Tealdin over as their leaders talked.


    ¡°Damn says I, Maia, you barely met the guy! And he must be like, ten years old or something,¡± complained her brother. Tealdin was, in fact, seventeen years old, while Leanor was fifteen.


    ¡°You¡¯re just jealous, Mons. No way he¡¯s more than three years younger than us,¡± She pointed out. The siblings had joined the Army at the minimum age required of fifteen years, and had already seen and done a lot of things in the four years since that most people would pale to imagine. They were, however, still young and immature - Mons specially. Orwin, quite a bit older, worked a bit like the father they never had. The twins had left behind them one crowded and strict orphanage and never had looked back.


    ¡°Hey, Maia¡­ Will we really have to swear a vow to this Garner fella?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s usually how it works. We vow our service, and get a home, food and laundry for the duration, besides some good money.¡±


    ¡°A home¡­¡± He mumbled, savoring that strange notion. They had never had a true home. The orphanage had been more like a prison, and the Army like a temporary thing, an inn where you had to pay you stay with back-breaking work and possible bowel-loosening fights, with vomit-inducing gore at the end of it. How would a true home feel like? Less shitting-yourself scared, and puking-your-guts-out disgusted, he would bet.


    ***


    ¡°Look, Tealdin. There¡¯s the Spire, finally!¡± said Leanor, unusually excited.


    ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t imagined the top would be crooked like that,¡± He commented, observing the beautiful stone that made the Spire¡¯s exterior a radiating blue. It was surprising that something so beautiful had been made in a time of war, he expected a drab gray exterior, as harsh as a fortress¡¯ fortification.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s probably ¡®crooked¡¯ to focus the ritual. I think every Spire must point to the same place.¡± The blonde girl reasoned.


    ¡°How tall do you think it is?¡±


    ¡°Very tall, it probably has many floors. But you know Towers can be really weird inside.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, space where there shouldn¡¯t be any¡­ Many surprising features inside.¡±


    ¡°My family¡¯s Tower was the best! In the underground there was a grotto with a little lake on it. Me and my sisters loved to dip¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so cool. Master¡¯s Tower was pretty simple, though¡­¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t have much time to build the really cool stuff.¡±


    The pair kept chatting as the strategy meeting was happening, and for once they didn¡¯t feel the need to join in, letting their imaginations soar on what Garner¡¯s Tower could have been, and what the Spire¡¯s floors would be like. It was a nice moment of bonding between the apprentices. But soon, the tactics for the upcoming fights to reach the Spire were defined, and most of the group¡¯s combatants started heading further towards the imposing Spire.


    ***


    Garner, Lowa, the apprentices, Chief and Orwin¡¯s group, minus the knocked out Rajpul and the ineffective Valena - whose eyes sparkled when she saw the carcass of the magical boar, were the ones they decided would clear the way to the Spire of the aggressive golems. The hunters and the other four avowed warriors stood behind, looking over the carts and the non-combatants, with orders to retreat and call for help in case of attack. Romer made sure to give every one going out a little sandwich or snack, as well as a full water-skin or canteen. The majordomo also promised that lanch would be ready when they got back, barring any special circumstance. By Orwin¡¯s smile, Garner figured the man could get used to that kind of efficiency.


    They formed up on the agreed positions, the four warriors ahead and mages behind. Not an amazing revolution that would rock the tactical world, that was sure. It was tried and true. But they agreed on organizing in two independent halves that could separate themselves if a fight called for it. The meadow they were on was mostly clear of trees, but the rest of the path to the Spire was covered with foliage and high grasses occulting possible aggressive automatons. They would just have to deal with it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, people. We¡¯ve got some animated pieces of shit do decommission!¡± declared Chief after receiving a nod from Garner. You just had to admit the man had a way with words, a true battlefield poet, a roving warrior-bard. Garner shook his head at the thoughts. He did really believe they wouldn¡¯t face anything that could stop them, but he decided to take captain Lamart¡¯s warning to heart and proceed cautiously.


    It didn¡¯t take long before they found their first opponents, some strange ceramic golems with three arms and three legs, horribly unbalanced. The warriors took care of it quick and efficiently, and Garner made sure to pay attention to the newcomers he was contemplating making a pact with. It wasn¡¯t impossible to break a pact if things went sour between a wizard and an avowed warrior, but it was pretty painful and debilitating. It was an ancient spell, created by wizard prodigies we would have loved to meet an equal of. But everyone said they didn¡¯t make it like them, anymore.


    ¡°That was easy!¡± said Mons, gleefully.


    ¡°You dumb fuck!¡± exclaimed his sister, punching him in the shoulder for jinxing the whole task.


    ¡°Are you two sure that that one hasn¡¯t a couple dozen screws loose in that head of his?¡± he asked skeptically.


    ¡°No comment,¡± said Chief, shaking his head.


    ¡°Yeah, but you won¡¯t find anyone more loyal once you earn it, Master Garner. They are good warriors,¡± promised Orwin confidently.


    ¡°Forward,¡± commanded Chief after everyone had a moment to study the deactivated golems.


    Things just got weirder and more dangerous from then on¡­

 Chapter 9: Synergy

    ¡°Scyther!¡± warned Mair, and Orwin dived to the ground, hugging it to avoid the insanely whirling blades that would make short work of his armor and flesh. The creature zipped by the warrior, and Lowa raised a stone barrier in front of her, and the orb-like golem crashed spectacularly on it as it tried to target her, breaking apart as all its momentum betrayed it. Leanor shot ice shards towards the whirling ¡®Spitter¡¯ golems, felling a bunch of them with each attack, but the remaining creatures retaliated, firing stone spikes that were blocked by her barrier.


    Alongside them, Chief struggled to hold back the fists of a ¡®Brawler¡¯ while Mons speared its side, trying to pierce its crystal. Tealdin was holding back a swarm of wooden ¡®Dwarf¡¯ golems by himself, sword and fire spells holding and deactivating the automatons. Garner was having a hard time trying to cut all the Scyther drones that noticed them and started advancing from a nearby hilltop, gaining dangerous speed. It was already past time to launch, but Garner would be surprised if they had made it a third of the way to the Spire.


    There were, thankfully, more useless and broken golems than functioning ones, but those that worked were often dangerous, or working in big numbers that made up for their lower offense. The Scythers in particularly were really, really dangerous. What a ruthless person would create such a kind of golem? It would be a threat to both friend and foe in combat, its only purpose as a undiscriminating killing machine. They kept at it until all the nearby golems were finished, and then everyone sagged, specially the apprentices.


    ¡°Hells, Lowa! There are so many of them that I¡¯m almost drained of energy!¡± complained Leanor.


    ¡°Maybe you should improve your mana recovery, don¡¯t you think?¡± countered the old witch, more physically tired than magically. Nowadays, young people said ¡®energy¡¯ this, ¡®energy¡¯ that, but on her time, they knew it as mana, and she rather preferred it, even though the Mana Tree theory had fallen from favor.


    ¡°These area spells, Master¡­ They are easy to cast, but they take so much energy¡­¡± Tealdin was saying on the other side of the field.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably overdoing it. Practice enough, and you¡¯ll get a knack for the bare minimum use of it to do what you need.¡±


    Chief stretched his sore soldiers, tired of having to hold back the Brawler. These drones hit like a horse if you let them windup their punches, and having gathered so, the veteran started interrupting their ¡®reloading¡¯ movements. It was better than getting punched, but damn, it sucked. Mons complained about a dent of a fist on his breastplate where he had gotten punched in an earlier fight, and Maia swore as one of her arrows broke when she tried to take it off a fallen Brawler.


    ¡°Okay, I thinks it¡¯s time we have launch,¡± declared Garner as he noticed the general bad mood of the group. He got mad when he was angry too, and these blasted golems trying to punch your head in surely didn¡¯t help with the bad mood. Romer surely had something excellent prepared already. His decision cheered his people up a bit, though they were anxious to get to the tower already.


    Chief approached him as the others got themselves in order to return, and asked, ¡°What do you think about our newcomers, Master?¡±


    ¡°Good, very good. That Orwin is a good leader, and very bold. The siblings seem to be natural fighters, and surprisingly reliable if you don¡¯t mind all the bickering.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that was my impression as well.¡±


    ¡°You trained Orwin well, Chief, and it seems he¡¯s gotten a knack for it too.¡±


    The Chief just praised the compliment away, and turned back to return to the others. Keeping an eye to see if they were being followed, or if they had missed a golem on their way, they returned to the carts to find Romer arguing with a green-haired Druid they had seen before.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, there¡¯s no need to feed me!¡± argued Balmia.


    ¡°It¡¯s called good manners, lady Balmia. You brought us all these fine ingredients and these hens, and we must give you something-¡± the majordomo pushed a plate to the woman¡¯s hands before he turned to see Garner and company arriving. ¡°Master Garner, launch shall be served now. Lady Balmia will join us,¡± He said incisively, pushing the grudging woman to the pots filled with delicious fare. There was boar - not surprisingly, there was still a lot of the magical beast¡¯s meat yet - prepared in two different ways, roasted and cooked, with wild vegetables and well-cooked rice, richly spiced.


    Everyone got a plate and formed an impromptu line, gorging themselves with the delicious food. Romer looked on pleased, offering water and refreshments to anyone with an empty cup. Balmia ate with them, after all, and had to agree that it would have been terrible to miss this masterly prepared meal. Druids usually ate things with a lot less attention to its preparation. Maybe having a halfway decent cook in the Commune would be revolutionary, started thinking Balmia.


    As they ate launch, Balmia noticed the sorry state everyone who had gone to clear the way was in, and asked:


    ¡°What the hells happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Golems, endless golems,¡± replied Maia, sitting besides her.


    ¡°They just don¡¯t know when to die,¡± grumbled Mons.


    ¡°They can¡¯t technically die, Mons, as they are not alive,¡± added Valena, pissed on her inability to help, and showing it.


    ¡°Er¡­ Who are you again?¡± asked the Druid, scratching her green-hair. ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing you the other time.¡±


    ¡°Ah, we weren¡¯t there. We were following them and just joined this morning,¡± explained Orwin.


    ¡°Hmmm, I think the others commented about you. You had a nasty fight before, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re not feeling so lucky right now,¡± confirmed Orwin.


    ¡°Tell me, how hard are these golems to beat? It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve had a proper fight¡­¡±


    ***


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    After everyone had their fill, the group took half an hour to unwind before going back to their task, this time with the addition of Valena and Balmia, who were surprisingly becoming fast friends despite the expected incompatibility between someone that venerated all living things, and the other whose trade run with the undead side of things. Valena had nearly ran out of energy trying to animate the boar¡¯s huge skeleton, but there it was, one of her most potent raised creatures. Now, she reckoned, she could be of some use to the upcoming fights.


    ¡°Won¡¯t your Commune get angry that you went and got involved in a fight side to side with a necromancer?¡± taunted Valena.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll just say you are a really puny one,¡± quipped the druid. They both looked at the undead boar, and laughed. Imposing in life, and imposing in death. It was a shame Valena couldn¡¯t control its magical affinity for now, leaving it only with physical attacks.


    ¡°Enough joking around, people, let¡¯s go!¡± said Chief, making the group climb the hill the Scythers had been rolling down from in the earlier fight. This time, thankfully, they weren¡¯t attacked by any more of the damned things.  Getting near the top, the veteran motioned for them to stop and turned to Maia, ¡°Peek over the hill stealth-like, archer, and give me some good news for once.¡±


    Giving a textbook salute, a fist to her padded jacket, Maia proceeded to take a look on things on the other side of the hill. She got in a prone position, and only raised the minimum necessary parts to accomplish her tasks, the top of her head barely visible but to very noticing eyes - and the golems, so far, were far from something that could spot her. Still, it paid to be careful. Maia remained in the position for a long while, frozen, until she decided she had seen enough, and slowly retreated from near the top of the hill.


    ¡°Report, warrior.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re screwed, Chief,¡± She replied.


    ¡°Can you be a little more specific?¡± questioned Garner.


    ¡°Yes, Master. There¡¯s another meadow like the last one, probably swarming with golems too, but it¡¯s hard to know how many.¡±


    ¡°Nothing unexpected then?¡± replied Tealdin, puzzled with the report.


    ¡°The problem is on the next hill, pretty close to the Spire itself. I saw an outline there for a moment, something standing on the top of the hill. It was huge. The size of that boar, and half again.¡±


    ¡°Aw, shit,¡± said Mons, and many of the others paled and groaned at the notion. The small golems were a pain already, a huge one could be really, really lethal.


    ¡°Just tell me its not a giant Scyther,¡± asked Orwin, his bald head sweating at the possibility. He had had to block one Scythe¡¯s blade earlier, and the thing¡¯s momentum had nearly wrenched out his sword from his hand, throwing him meters away with some impressive bruises.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t tell much, but I doubt it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll handle that when we get to it,¡± said Lowa, shrugging. ¡°We still have a lot of smaller golems until we can worry about the giant one.¡±


    ¡°I miss Master¡¯s Tower,¡± lamented Tealdin to the other apprentice, but Leanor was busy warding a small shield she¡¯d borrowed from the supplies, barely more than a buckler. Those damned Spitters made her want to hide behind a shield the size of Orwin, but she couldn¡¯t carry one of those. So this was her compromise. She was starting to get the hang of the Barrier spell, but Shield was still hard for her. Barrier was actually a more costly spell, but she got away with using it because of her considerable energy potential. Tealdin would probably have to learn the trick Shield first, and his Barrier might never have half the size of hers.


    ¡°Standing around complaining won¡¯t solve our problems. Remember we have guests incoming, so it would be real good to get our new house in order,¡± pointed out Garner. ¡°If the ¡®Giant¡¯ golem interferes, we up and run - in a different direction from our carts¡¯,¡± He instructed.


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan then. Move it, people, no slacking!¡± said Chief, always the slave driver.


    ***


    Sword and spell at hand, shield and Barrier at the ready, the group advanced, plowing through the automaton¡¯s resistance, even as the golems threw themselves in a frenzy to bar their way. Garner let loose unbridled lightning, Lowa lowered the ground and raised stone in providential moments, a talented display of geomancy, while Tealdin unleashed fireballs at clumps of enemies and Leanor froze the more dangerous opponents to the ground. Sword, spear and axe were methodically used, crippling and eliminating Brawler and Guard drones - the new type carrying two swords which it used with repeating patterns of attack.


    Thankfully, the Giant golem never made an appearance during the successive fights they had. At some point, they started passing through more and more of deactivated golems, seemingly without energy. Just to be safe, Garner asked them to carefully retrieve their mana crystals to make sure the automatons weren¡¯t just playing dead. Not that the automatons were intelligent, not really, but as they got closer and closer to the Spire, it became obvious that there was some kind of intelligence behind them now. The attacks became more coordinated, and they had a harder time advancing.


    If their opponent had decided to send the Giant golem while they were busy dealing with the hordes of its smaller brethren, they would have been royally screwed, but, for some reason, that had never happened.


    The group had become a lot more coordinated and increased their synergy, as they went. They had decided to establish a reserve in case they suddenly needed fresh combatants, and Valena and Balmia were the ones doing that role right now. They had switched with others as they had started tiring, allowing everyone to rest, and the group to gain confidence. Valena¡¯s boar had proved to be a lot more efficient than her other skeletons - its tusks could easily pierce an enemy, or sweep a whole group of them away, sending them tumbling backwards.


    After three hours of fighting, they noticed a flare lit by their rearguard.


    ¡°Shit! The carts!¡± exclaimed Garner.


    ¡°Back, back, go back! Hurry!¡± shouted Chief.


    Balmia and Valena each took a perch on the skeleton boar, and a pulse of will send the undead creature charging back to the camp, speeding away from the others. Garner decided to cast hastening spells even if he was weary from the high usage of energy during the protracted fighting. They crossed the hill and the meadows and arrived in time to see the boar smashing into the back of two dozen Dwarf golems. There was screaming and whinnying coming from the surrounded carts, and the warriors were fighting back to back against Guard golems, sporting injuries already.


    Romer and others were knocking down any golem that tried to climb the carts, even as the hunters tried to relieve the warriors with well-timed arrows. Even the concussed Rajpul was trying to help, though he was feeling really scatter-brained and feeling he had the dexterity of a particularly dim toddler, just waving sharp instruments. The riding horses were thankfully kept a ways away from the cart, and weren¡¯t being target, though one of their kind¡¯s cry of pain was making them uneasy.


    ¡°No area spells!¡± warned Lowa as Tealdin started casting a fireball he then let fizzle. ¡°Careful with friendly fire, kids!¡±


    The group attacked with a vengeance and dismantled the golems¡¯ attacking force, wiping every last one of them out, mana stones crushed into dust. Fighting with desperation to make sure no one of the rearguard fell took a heavy toll on them, even if they succeeded. Lowa and Valena rushed to look after a screaming page, his leg nearly cut off from a surprise attack by a Scyther. That same golem had also maimed one of the carts¡¯ horses.


    ¡°Shit!¡± exclaimed Garner looking over at the agonizing creature, two of its legs bearing severe cuts.


    ¡°Do you want me to sacrifice the poor fellow?¡± asked Orwin, looking with pity at the animal.


    ¡°Woah, hold your horses!¡± interrupted Balmia, standing next to Garner. ¡°And I mean it literally. I¡¯m a Druid, and excellent at healing animals. There¡¯s no need for it,¡± She said reproachfully at Orwin, who nonetheless was just relieved that he wouldn¡¯t have to put the poor thing down.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Come here, Mons, help me hold him - watch the hooves,¡± said Orwin, and Balmia then put a hand on the terrified animal¡¯s neck and started chanting.


    ¡°Okay, I think that was enough excitement for one day. Let¡¯s eat and make camp tonight, tomorrow we will face whatever we have to, and make our way to the Spire,¡± Garner said after all injured were being treated, man and animal alike.

 Chapter 10: Giant

    Though they made a fortified camp, Lowa raising berms of earth to serve as make-shift walls, there were no attacks in the night, and everyone managed to have a good night¡¯s sleep. Well-rested, they woke to the scents of Romer¡¯s breakfast and ate magnificently, the scrambled eggs provided by the hens brought by Balmia were a particular success. Though she was kind of pissed the birds were being kept in cages on the other day, they were left to roam in the walled camp now.


    ¡°Recovering mana? Well, Druids have a natural propensity to seek energies in the forest, we have to focus a little harder when outside, but¡­ It¡¯s just a matter of practice, you should make an effort to be always open, sponging the ambient mana as you expend yours,¡± she replied to Leanor¡¯s question on how she could improve. The girls were sitting on a little circle, plates held on their crossed legs or knees, the two of them and Valena, who seemed to be in a really bad mood.


    ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you today, Valena?¡± Balmia asked as she didn¡¯t offer any extra advice to the younger girl. Balmia had noticed that Valena was an extremely helpful person, always lending a hand when needed, which defied the common belief that necromancers were egotistical and self-centered.


    ¡°Ah, sorry. I¡¯m just really not used to sleeping on camp, like this. I¡¯ve always been more of a city girl. They do have mattresses there, would you believe it?¡±


    ¡°No use for a mattress. My teachers have always taught me that pain and physical discomfort means that your weakness is going away,¡± Balmia replied, deadpan. Leanor started laughing as Valena scowled at her new friend.


    On the other side of camp, the warriors sorter their equipments out and talked among themselves.


    ¡°What a boring night, Maia! No one even tried to kill us this time!¡± complained Mons.


    One of Garner¡¯s original avowed warriors looked surprised at them. ¡°Where the hell did you two come from?¡± the man asked, trying to adjust a splint on his arm, a memento from yesterday¡¯s fight.


    ¡°We were on the peace-force sent to Ghent,¡± replied Maia. Ghent was a formerly allied kingdom to the southeast of the Realm that had splintered, and the King had tried to stabilize the situation - a ruthless tribal war - by sending the Army down there. It had kind of worked - all the tribes got together to push back the foreign intruders, and the Army got its ass kicked back into the Realm. Then, the tribes promptly got back to warring between themselves, and the King just gave up on them.


    ¡°I think they got the meaning of the word wrong down there, new guy,¡± explained Mons. He then dismissed the guy¡¯s complaint, that funny fella thought that Mons was the new guy for some reason. That was simply not how it worked at all, but he would teach them that in time. These guys were hilarious. Maybe he would deign to remember their names one of these days.


    Tealdin was mistreating one of the camps walls with fire spells, trying to improve his accuracy and efficiency, while Garner observed and gave one occasional tip. Lowa was sitting nearby, using a mortar and pestle to prepare some more particular concoctions. The old witch hasn¡¯t used that many of hers, as most of them were better used against men and beasts, but she liked to have some variety in her cape slash arsenal. Rajpul was still out of it, and sleeping deeply. After everyone had a free hour after breakfast, Chief started calling everyone to the center of the camp, where Master Garner and Lowa would divulge their strategy.


    ¡°Gather around, people!¡±


    ¡°Coming, Chief, coming!¡± said Mons as he arrived, the last of the camp.


    ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s start. It seems we might have a dangerous golem to get rid of. I planned on taking all of our fighters, but you four were pretty battered yesterday,¡± Gardner said, pointing to his experienced people, all of them with bandages and other signs of injury. ¡°So, we¡¯ll let you guarding the camp - I hope it¡¯s not as eventful as it was yesterday, but you¡¯ll have the walls and a flare to call if you need us.¡±


    ¡°We liked very much what we saw yesterday with the main group,¡± Lowa took over, praising the apprentices and newcomers specially, smiling at each one ¡°but depending on the opponent, today might be a lot more deadly. Be on your toes, people!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± agreed Garner, ¡°before we attack, we¡¯ll send Maia scouting again. We¡¯ll be close by in case she needs support. After analyzing the golem, we¡¯ll decide on a plan of action. We head out in ten, gather your stuff and meet me by the exit.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Why do I get stuck with the shitty jobs,¡± wondered Maia aloud, though silently as she reached her chosen vantage point to observe the situation.


    ¡°Maybe because you don¡¯t know how to drag your feet. See, I¡¯m brilliant, but I don¡¯t show off, so I don¡¯t get those,¡± Mons answered his sisters¡¯ rhetorical question.


    ¡°You¡¯re standing right by my side, you dumb fuck. You are as far from brilliant as can be. And you also get the shitty jobs, but because people just want you go away,¡± Maia said, her comeback almost whispered as she got near the top of the hill. She silently told her brother to piss off and be silent, and made a ruder gesture when he was about to complain. Mons huffed in annoyance, muttering about his selfless solidarity, but shut up.


    Maia peeked over the top of the hill, and took some time before she could take her eyes out of the beautiful Spire. She almost swore as she realized there were two Giant golems in the field around the enormous magical tower. Huge creatures that seemed like giant walking plates of armor - not to far off from reality, actually - and both of them had large tree trunks as clubs. One of them, the most distant one from their position, was simply laying down and looking at the sky. Maybe he was deactivated? She wished - she could see small movements from the ¡®sleeping¡¯ golem. The other one was a lot angrier, moving from side to side, and from time to time, hitting the gate of the Spire with his weapon. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    What the hells?


    Weren¡¯t these golems supposed to come out from the Spire? Why was the automaton hitting its gate? Another mystery she wasn¡¯t particularly looking forward to discover. The thing was huge, it must have between 3 and 3,5 meters tall, and she didn¡¯t bother to estimate its weight - really fucking heavy, she¡¯d bet. The creature didn¡¯t see to be too dexterous, but one good hit could send her or her brother flying, with some broken ribs in the best-case scenario. The good news, the Giant was alone besides its sky-gazing brother. There were some broken pieces of other golems she could recognize - maybe the automaton was aggressive even to his ¡®kind¡¯?


    She observed until she was certain that she had see all the details she could. Then, the siblings went down the hill to where the rest of the group was waiting.


    Maia succinctly reported everything she had seen, and added, ¡°There¡¯s a huge crystal at its back. I think they¡¯ve gone for endurance this time to protect the mana crystal. Seemed like a bitch to break.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Maia, Mons. What do you think, people?¡± Garner asked, glancing at Lowa, Chief and Orwin specially.


    They got to planing.


    ***


    ¡°Hey, you angry and dumb bastard! Yeah, you - piece of worthless junk!¡± yellowed Mons from the top of the hill, accompanied by Chief and Orwin.


    The creature stopped bashing the gate and turned back to the trio, regarding them coldly. Mons was not intimidated at all, and kept an endless barrage of offenses and insults.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if that thing can understand anything, but your boy has a talent,¡± commented Chief.


    ¡°Tell me about it. I was really surprised he survived his first year in the Army, the boy¡¯s tongue is a lot more sharper than his brain,¡± replied Orwin.


    The thing seemingly got tired of all the insults hurled at it, and started ponderously moving towards them, starting to get some speed going. They readied themselves as the thing crossed the field, reaching the hill and starting to climb it. Round one of the plan was starting to work, they just needed all the other parts to do so too. It was not the biggest hill, and soon the creature was getting to the middle of it.


    ¡°Phase two,¡± said Chief.


    ¡°Phase two, for fucks sake!¡± yelled Mons, starting to realize that the creature might have understood him by the burning hatred in its red eye-like lights.


    ***


    As he heard the call to start the second part of the plan, Tealdin rose and released a huge firebolt towards the Golem. The creature¡¯s advance faltered, though it wasn¡¯t hurt, and it turned to watch the newest person on its most urgent execution at once list.


    ¡°Now!¡± cried the apprentice!


    Besides him, hiding in the small trench she¡¯d excavated stealthily with her earth magic, Lowa and Balmia rose and executed their part of the plan. Together, they encased the Giant¡¯s large legs with earth and stone, roots and vines to strengthen the prison. They kept on sending energy to their spells, doing their utmost to keep the creature pinned. It was too strong, however, and they knew they would be able to hold it for long.


    As the duo focused, Tealdin bellowed, ¡°NOW, MASTER!¡±


    ***


    On the other side of the hill, hidden in a trench much like the other, rose Garner, Leanor and Maia. With the enemy stuck, its back facing them, they had the opportunity to attack its mana crystal freely. They didn¡¯t hesitate, and started their attack. Maia enter rapid fire mode, releasing arrows as fast as she could, while Leanor started chanting a freezing spell at the automaton¡¯s core. Garner started focusing a lot of energy on one single attack he hoped would be devastating.


    Garner let loose his spell, a supercharged lightning bolt, and it barely nicked the golem¡¯s core, mostly making it even madder.


    ¡°Shit! Let¡¯s go, we have to distract it!¡± said Chief, running down the hill and being followed by the other two warriors.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get hit,¡± warned Orwin.


    ¡°Says the man with the bright bald target on his head,¡± quipped Mons.


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed you have very little worth protecting at yours, boy. Attack!¡±


    The warriors encircled the stuck golem, hitting its leg joints and making it focus on efforts on squashing them rather then getting free. The creature struck with wide swings that were too fast to make the warriors feel safe on the fight.


    Tealdin and the other attacking mages focused their attacks on the topmost parts of the body of the creature, avoiding hurling any magic too close to their comrades. The golem was slowly being worn down, and though everyone was weary of declaring victory so early, things were working out. The automaton perceived its efforts were being insufficient, though, and changed strategy. He was already stuck facing Tealdin, Balmia and Lowa, and so he focused energy on its make-shift weapon and hit the ground, sending a shock wave through the ground.


    The mages were thrown away be the force of the impact, flying and landing painfully, stunned and with their formation scattered. Without the strengthening, the Golem was able to break the material that was holding him in place, and things got a lot more dangerous suddenly.


    ¡°Mons, plan F!¡± ordered Romer as soon as it happened.


    ¡°Fuck, I hate plan F!¡± replied Mons as he started hurling insults again at the creature as he started running downhill. The creature didn¡¯t hesitate, and turned to follow it.


    ¡°NOW, Valena!¡± cried Chief.


    The woman appeared on top of the hill, and ordered her skeleton boar forward. The undead creature got its speed up, and smashed into the golems back, one of its tusks doing real damage to the core. And, fortunately to everyone - everyone but Mons, that was - the automaton toppled forward, falling on its front and starting to slide down the hill.


    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck!¡± cursed the blond-haired warrior as he ran to outdistance the incoming mass of the creature. He barely made it, tucking and rolling to safety right before the weight of the golem and undead boar plowed into him.


    ¡°After it!¡± ordered Garner, and everyone started running down towards the fallen creature, attacking when they could get a clear line of sight as the boar still tried to savage the creature. That impediment, though, was soon taken away as the Giant reached backwards and caught one of the boar¡¯s legs, and smashed it into the ground ahead of him, breaking the skeleton in many pieces.


    The Giant made it back up to his feet, but he was visibly weakened, and everyone started massing their attacks until the automaton¡¯s mana crystal finally broke, the combination of being frozen and set on fire repeatedly making it easier for one of Lowa¡¯s stone fists surging from the ground to break it.


    As they were about to celebrate, they noticed the other Giant, stepping forward towards the body of its ¡®brother¡¯.


    ¡°Oh, shit. Did we have a plan for that too?¡± complained Mons as everyone readied to face another of the troublesome creatures.

 Chapter 11: Surprises

    The group steeled themselves for a hard fight, though the warriors were fresh, the mages had already spent some meaningful mana. Gripping their weapons, and reading their spells, they waited for the Giant to act first. And waited. And kept waiting.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± asked Maia. ¡°Is it just gonna stand there looking at us?¡± she asked, almost disappointed.


    ¡°The last one understood Mons, didn¡¯t it?¡± pointed out Orwin.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try to be more civil this time, then,¡± said Chief, giving the young warrior a pointed look before he could open his big mouth.


    Garner stepped forward, and waved to the metal-armor automaton, ¡°Hello, Giant, I¡¯m Master Garner of the Wizardly Order.¡±


    Mons just shook his head at the ridiculous scene, and most of the others were a lot uncertain about that tack too.


    But the Giant waved back. It *waved* back, almost shyly.


    ¡°Are you going to attack us, like your friend?¡± Garner continued, asking as if he was speaking with a child.


    The creature shook its head vigorously, answering the question.


    ¡°So maybe you could lead us into the Spire?¡±


    The golem shrugged as if it was a silly request, turned and started walking toward the imposing tower like it was no big thing. Maybe it thought it was, for all they knew. But something was really off here, they hadn¡¯t forgotten Captain Lamart¡¯s tale of what happened to the last wizard to visit the Spire.


    ¡°Who the hell created this golem?¡± muttered Mons, looking it up an down, seeing some big dents on the creature¡¯s armor - Giant drone¡¯s fist-size. Were the damn things fighting before they got there?


    ¡°He¡¯s kind of cute,¡± opined Leanor, a spring on her step.


    ¡°Dude, didn¡¯t you say its friend was horrible and ugly?¡± replied Tealdin, scratching his head.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you anything, hmph.¡±


    ¡°Okaaay, then.¡±


    ¡°I thought this would be-¡± Mons began saying when he was slapped in the back of the head by Chief.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Chief warned before the audacious young man tempted fate again. Mons sulked the rest of the way to the Spire.


    ¡°Have you ever seen something like this, Lowa? Or heard about it, or read?¡± asked Garner, intrigued by the last couple of golems, the second one specially. Who created friendly golems?


    ¡°No. Both of those behaviors were weird. Golems are passionless things that just do their duty, but one was raving-mad, and the other seems to be shy now. There¡¯s really something very weird about this Spire.¡±


    Close besides the pair, Balmia and Valena walked side by side.


    ¡°Oh, this will be so interesting¡­¡± said Balmia, watching the approaching gate, a remarkable work of art chiseled on its stone, depicting the Lone Horseman, one of the five heroes of the Elfey Wars.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you needed to go back earlier, Balmia?¡± asked Valena, teasingly.


    ¡°Er¡­ Well¡­ I¡¯m sure they will get over my temporary absence - after some cursing and shouting.¡±


    The Giant golem arrived before the door, tried to push it open, but it didn¡¯t budge. He turned back to the group, shrugged and stepped away from the door. The mages crowded around the door, trying to understand the runes and wards carved masterfully among the Lone Horseman about to sound his Horn of Valor to summon the noblest knight-spirits to ride besides him and wipe out a monstrous Elfey warlock from the face of the Realm. Before they could analyze too much, the door started opening, and everyone stepped away from it, Valena dragging the curious apprentices.


    ¡°Beware!¡± She chided the teenagers. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should be warier about this tower? For some reason, she¡¯s surrounded by aggressive golems, but its gate opens as soon as we come in range.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t get more suspicious than that,¡± agreed Balmia, starting to put her green-hair in a pony-tail.


    ¡°They¡¯re right,¡± Garner said. ¡°Warriors, shield up and enter, slowly. We¡¯ll cast some defensive spells on you.¡±


    Every mage in the party that knew how casted a Barrier or Shield spell, and the ones that didn¡¯t, cast augmentation ones. Chief was in front, forming a wedge with Orwin and Mons behind him, shields up. Maia and the mages watched from the gateway. They could barely see anything, it seemed there was no source of light at all active at the tower. The warriors stepped into the Spire, accompanied by some mage-lights provided by Garner and Tealdin, but nothing visible happened, and the others followed them into the darkness. But suddenly, the red light of awakening golems appeared ahead of them, warning them to the danger, and the warriors successfully raised their shields to block the incoming barrage of crossbows¡¯ bolts.


    ¡°Damn!¡± cursed Garner as everyone started getting slowly pushed back, the line of shields retreating under heavy fire. But then, he remembered one strange rite he¡¯d seen once, when visiting another Spire, long ago, and tried his luck, shouting, ¡°I claim the stewardship of the Third Spire by my rights as a Master of the Wizardly Order!¡±


    Suddenly, the bolts stopped coming, and the archer golems powered down.


    ¡°It worked!¡± Tealdin observed, astonished.


    Everyone was still weary of further attacks, though, so they nearly all jumped or cursed when they head clapping coming out from the interior of the Spire, and magical torchlights started lighting, revealing the gargantuan entrance of the Spire, many stairways going to god knows where - everything made of a gleaming stone that lightly reflected the light. One phantasmagorical entity descended the central stairway, clapping its hands and grinning at them.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Shit, he does know how to make an entrance,¡± commented Orwin, impressed.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so happy you¡¯re not under duress, noble Stewart. I was ready to do my utmost to free you,¡± the entity told him, unconvincingly at the extreme with its wide smile, full of pointy teeth. It had the features of a young man, but there was something off about it, everyone of its translucent features was a little too sharp.


    ¡°That gut looks less trustworthy than me,¡± muttered Mons, being shushed by his sister.


    ¡°What the hell are you?¡± Garner asked the question everyone wanted to know.


    ¡°Why, wise Steward, don¡¯t you know of the Guardians of the Spires?¡±


    ¡°Explain,¡± said Garner imperiously, beginning to figure out the spirit¡¯s purpose - and its limitations.


    ¡°I hate when your kind to that,¡± the being of light said, gritting its teeth. So, it can¡¯t avoid direct questions, it¡¯s good to know that. ¡°I¡¯m-, or rather, I was a powerful Warlock until your predecessors felled me. They condemned me to eternal servitude as the Guardian for my ¡®crimes¡¯.¡±


    ¡°A godsdamned Elfey warlock of the old kind,¡± said Valena, disgusted. The creature just ignored her. And people talked about necromancers - the crazed Warlocks of old were so violent and insane that they decided to wipe out villages at cities at a passing whim. Those were real monsters.


    ¡°What are your duties as the Guardian?¡±


    ¡°I follow the sage Steward¡¯s command, protect the Spire from its enemies, and do the maintenance of the Spire.¡±


    ¡°And do you want to tell me what the hell were those golems all around you?¡± asked Chief, disliking the Guardian immediately. The creature ignored it.


    ¡°You¡¯ll answer my friends¡¯ requests. And you will warn me of anyone you detect entering the Spire, and ask my express approval to attack them,¡± commanded Garner, setting some ground rules.


    ¡°Very well. The last Steward told me to improve the Spire¡¯s defense while he was away. I chose to improve the golems¡¯ designs to do it, but it started getting a little too cluttered, so I just sent them their own way,¡± replied the ethereal Warlock, clearly not caring at all about the effects those golems could have had on anyone passing by.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take *any* proactive action without consulting me first. You will make the suggestions you imagine that could be helpful, though.¡±


    ¡°Your wish is my command,¡± said the specter sarcastically.


    ¡°Yes, it is. Is there any way to turn you off?¡±


    Scowling, it replied, ¡°Yes, you can put me on a dormant state. But that would be foolish as no one would warn you of the traps all around the Spire, or deactivate them for you and your allies.¡±


    ¡°You do care about something. It¡¯s good to know the right way to punish you.¡± Garner smiled, knowing that he won that round.


    The Guardian remained silent at that. Everyone was looking at the exchange with wide eyes, amazed at how fast Garner had taken to the role of the Stewart, putting the Guardian on its place.


    The clanking sound of the second Giant entering the entry hall made everyone turn back to look at it, and it froze like a kid caught doing something wrong.


    ¡°And what the hell is that thing?¡± Chief asked, scratching its beard. ¡°One of your brilliant new inventions, specter?¡±


    The Guardian sighed in defeat, and answered, ¡°I tried to fiddle with one Golem¡¯s personality, and I got that berserker that kept pounding on my gates since I expelled him from the Spire - really annoying. Then, I went the other way, and got something even worse - this useless one. It tried to keep hugging me, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with it.¡±


    There was a moment of silence as people tried to digest that information - the image of that big heavy and brute pile of walking armor trying to hug a living thing might have stuck on some of the listeners with a more proactive imagination. Nobody decided to ask follow-on questions to that, though, and there was a moment of silence before Lowa cleared her throat.


    ¡°Why would anyone put you as a Guardian? Eternal servitude as a punishment is well and good, but you¡¯re a clearly shitty host,¡± the old witch said, not mincing her words while she was getting dirt off her green robe, and smoothing its wrinkles. The shock wave had also done a number on her poor back, and she was supporting herself with her staff, using it like a cane. Walking was really painful.


    ¡°Probably because they needed to attune the Spires to the essence of my kind to successfully activate the banishment ritual.¡±


    Lowa frowned at learning that information, thinking about how ruthless the Wizardly Order had been to achieve its goal. ¡°Are there Guardians like you in every Spire?¡± She took over momentarily the investigation of the specter¡¯s knowledge from Garner, who watched on in silence.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how and why that knowledge would be hidden?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Speculate,¡± butted in Garner.


    ¡°Very well. They probably ordered the Guardians to not let anyone learn of their existence. The why would probably be because the Wizardly Order did everything in secret, not letting anyone into how they were banishing the Elfey.¡±


    ¡°Because if you learned that secret, of how to target specific mages and alike,¡± concluded Lowa, ¡°you could try to do much worse.¡±


    ¡°That seems a secret best left to rot,¡± Balmia opined, frowning at the possibilities.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± agreed Garner. ¡°Tell me, Guardian, are the bedrooms in this place in an acceptable state?¡±


    ¡°Yes, great Steward,¡± replied the creature seriously.


    ¡°I meant in an acceptable state to one of us, living folk.¡±


    ¡°It depends if you have allergy to dust, then.¡±


    It was time to get settled then - after they left Romer¡¯s crew give those rooms a good cleaning. ¡°Orwin, take the siblings and go bring the rest of our people here, please.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master Garner.¡±


    ¡°What facilities are in working order in the Spire, Guardian?¡± asked Lowa in the meantime.


    ¡°The kitchens, the prison, most bathrooms, the war-room and the messaging room - though both need a serious recharge, one of the golem factories - the berserker Giant trashed the other two.


    ¡°Are there any living or not creatures or things or anything, really, that may harm us on the Spire right now?¡± Garner continued.


    ¡°There are. The cats might, if you anger them - they are kind of territorial. Remarkable creatures, they remind me of myself in my living days, but in a really small scale.¡± Leanor looked delighted at learning that there were cats - they were the only creature she easily suffered to get in the way of her studies back at her family¡¯s Tower. Unfortunately for her, the Spire¡¯s cats were a lot more feral than what she was used to.


    ¡°Don¡¯t compare those beautiful creatures to your evil self,¡± reproached Balmia. The Guardian held back a smile as the group didn¡¯t realize he had answered the spirit of the question, but failed to mention anything other than the felines, that distracted them as he¡¯d hoped.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he got that one wrong, treehugger,¡± replied Valena, oblivious to the spirit¡¯s hidden mirth, as she reentered the hall, having left briefly to accompany Orwin and the others a bit along their way.


    ¡°Can you make sure none of my companions get hurt while exploring the Spire?¡± asked Garner.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do everything in my power, glorious Steward.¡± Master Garner gave him a suspicious look that let him known that the wizard would hold it personally accountable for anything that went wrong. Still, the Guardian got away with another win. It was two rounds to one if he were to count - and he most assuredly was, for the devilish thing guarded scores like nobody¡¯s business.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go to the message central, please come with me, Lowa, Chief can give you a hand to climb the stairs,¡± Garner said, noticing the witch¡¯s discomfort. ¡°The rest of you are free to explore, don¡¯t get yourselves in too much trouble,¡± He said to Valena, Balmia and the apprentices. ¡°Guardian, guide the others to the best bedrooms or lodgings when they arrive.¡±


    Every other relevant matter attended to, Garner started ascending the indicated stairs to the messaging room to discover what had happened in the South and in the Realm while they were making their way to the Spire.

 Chapter 12 K: Tainted

    Eager, the late boy and his younger brother took their seat at the small and packed amphitheater, brimming with like-minded boys and girls wearing a distinctive purple coat. At this isolated outpost, masterfully hidden in the mountains at the edge of the lawless Broken Land, they would have their first class about magic. They would study for years and years about the fascinating subject with one single purpose: to learn how to kill mages. The Order of Kalidor never forgot the reason why the powerful and ancient Kalidor Empire had been burned from the inside out, the mighty state¡¯s once thriving cities now ruins, its fertile lands now scorched husks.


    The world had gone on, but the most loyal survivors of the Empire swore never to forget, never to forgive. Kalidor, in its glory, had dedicated itself to the study of the most advanced magics, researches unlocking more and more of the secrets of mana. At the beginning, magic was used for the good of people, making the Empire flourish and expand, as it annexed its neighbors, among them the lands that would later splinter into the Realm to its east. Kalidor was for a golden age, without a doubt, the most powerful entity in the world.


    This, the boy had already known. His family was of the old stock, from the founders of the Empire, and they had never wavered from their conviction, even with all the difficulties they had faced. The Broken Lands were now ruled by countless petty warlords that endlessly squabbled to achieve slightly better positions in the arid wastelands that once were the proud heartland of Kalidor. Murder and mayhem all around them, they had survived by the strength of their will, like many of the others that were seated around the boys. The boy could taste the anxiety in the air, and there were a lot of quiet conversations going on.


    ¡°Erst,¡± his brother poked him, whispering, ¡°do you think this will take long?¡±


    Erst looked put out at his shorter brother that had the same red-colored hair as him, and whispered back, ¡°Don¡¯t embarrass us, Zai, come on. This is serious!¡±


    Zai grinned back mischievously, unrepentant. The boy didn¡¯t take anything seriously, and that preoccupied Erst, as it had their parents as well. The younger sibling was already ten years old, but he still hadn¡¯t acknowledge how important was their sacred duty to join and excel as members of the Order of Kalidor.


    The conversations came to an end as two paladins entered the room, positioning themselves to the sides of the door. The pair was followed by the Grandmaster of Kalidor, a raven-haired noble man that was one of the last of the bloodline, a man whose lineage hearkened back to Great Emperor August himself. They could see the man¡¯s importance by the way he carried himself alone, never mind the ceremonial white robe of the Order¡¯s Grandmaster he wore for the occasion. Proudly, the man walked to the small stage at the front of the amphitheater, sitting behind a beautiful mahogany table, the newest aspirants¡¯ eyes glued to him the whole time.


    ¡°Greetings, young kalidorans. You all know the reason we¡¯re gathered here today. This is the day you will make your first vow to join the Order of Kalidor. Can one of you remind us why?¡± the man asked kindly.


    A handful of boys and girls raised their hands, as they had been previously instructed to do - Erst among them. However, the Grandmaster chose a blonde boy, who swelled in pride as he answered, ¡°Because of the wizards and the warlocks, Grandmaster!¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I want the fundamental reason. You,¡± the Grandmaster picked another of the bolder kids that had raised their hands before.


    ¡°Magic, Grandmaster.¡±


    ¡°Yes, wise girl. What¡¯s the problem of magic?¡± He asked, gesturing for Erst to answer.


    ¡°It corrupts, Grandmaster. Always, sooner or later.¡± Erst spoke, conscious of everyone¡¯s eyes on him, but not letting himself be intimidated by the attention.


    ¡°Always, boy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Grandmaster. The Kalidor Empire, and many other before and after it.¡±


    ¡°Precisely,¡± the man said, slapping the table for emphasis. ¡°Magic is the root of the biggest disasters in the story of the world. Mages are corrupted, then their Orders are corrupted, and then tragedies ensue. You all know of this, you live in the ruins of the greatest Empire the world has even known. But even our forebearers¡¯s precautions weren¡¯t enough. And so, generations of Kalidorans have taken the vows you will intone this day, and given everything to avoid another one of these events.¡±


    Erst clenched his fists as he heard the impassioned speech, his anger stirring. They had all been taught that there was both good and bad in the world, but only one thing had dragged down the Kalidor Empire, and even older prominent civilizations before it - unfettered magic.


    ¡°One of you has pointed out the Warlocks and the Wizardly Order. But there¡¯s even more treacherous groups besides then. We will eradicate them, one by one. We are the descendants of Kalidor, and we will save the world, even if takes our lives, even if we have to do it as they all scream, curse and oppose us. This is what means to become a paladin of the Order of Kalidor. And I hope all of you live and pass through training to strengthen our Order and our sacred purpose,¡± the Grandmaster said, now inflaming their pride.


    ¡°Now, you¡¯ll say your vows. Raise your right hands, and repeat after me¡­¡±


    All the ones present stood in attention, or as close as they could get, and raised their hands as commanded. The paladins took their closed fists to their hearts. Even Zai did it, though he was picking his nose with his left hand. Erst¡¯s discreetly stepping on his foot made a stop to that, though his brother gave him a nasty look, silently plotting his revenge.


    Erst snapped back to the solemn moment when the Grandmaster began, ¡°We shall not fail again. We shall be the shield and the sword, the protectors and the avengers¡­¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    What a glorious first day, Erst thought as he recited the vow.


    ***


    At the next day, they began the first step of the training course. The aspirants were formed into a line, and one woman, covered from head to toe with white clothes, a red sash on her arm, looked them over.


    ¡°My name is Orsa, and I¡¯m a proud member of the Order, though the Order is not so proud of me. Do you know which unit I belong to?¡± asked the woman whose expressive brown eyes were nearly all they could see. If someone knew the answer to the question, they opted not to reveal the knowledge. Erst was confused at the introduction. His father had briefed him on a lot of things, but he¡¯d never mentioned people with this kind of uniform to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m from the Tainted, the magical arm of our Order.¡±


    Almost everyone was shocked - they had been taught to hate magic since they were young, how could the very Order that preached that teaching have mages in its ranks? Esrt¡¯s eyes hardened at the woman, while Zai just scratched his head after the revelation.


    The woman chuckled at their surprised and betrayed faces before continuing, ¡°Yes, I know. Magic is evil. That¡¯s true. But what magic also is, is damned powerful. Our paladins are mighty, but a treacherous mage could wipe out a squad, or lock himself in his Tower of power and laugh at us. That¡¯s why the Tainted exist.¡± She said, looking seriously into their eyes.


    ¡°We¡¯re damned for using magic, children. But we do for the good of the Order, and with plain conscience of our violations. The tainted are only allowed to act for a dozen years, and then we burn our mana channels so we can never wield it again. The Sealing, we call it. It¡¯s often fatal.¡±


    Wait, they are actually sacrificing themselves for our cause? , thought Erst, regretting his early judgment of Orsa.


    ¡°And the robes exist for a reason too. A tainted might be corrupted, even at the field of battle it has happened before. It will be your duty to put them down then. We use our robes so that our Kalidor brethren doesn¡¯t have to see our faces if that ever happens. Never forget that duty,¡± Orsa went on, not a speck of humor on the whole cavernous room they were in now. She started walking from side to side, natural holes in the top of the room worked as skylights, and beams of light reached down to the floor, where the Tainted Orsa treaded on them.


    ¡°We¡¯ll test you all for magical potential, and if you have it, we will have to have a serious conversation¡­¡±


    After the introduction, the testing began. Groups of five followed Orsa behind a curtain, and after a time, they came back. Sometimes less than five returned. The returning students were a lot more tight-lipped than Erst had been expecting.


    A long while passed until Erst and Zai were finally called forward with other boys. The brothers traded glances, Erst showing his worry, while Zai was pretty nonchalant about the whole thing. All the children sat on chairs as they were bid by Orsa, of the Tainted, at one side of the little room that had one canvas-enfolded enclosure at the other end. Orsa tiredly walked to the center of the room, and turned back to the soon to be tested aspirants.


    ¡°Which one of you would like to go ahead first?¡±


    ¡°I would!¡± declared Erst, before anyone had a chance to raise a hand. But he gulped as he realized that he actually wasn¡¯t looking forward to that, and so he decided to stall. ¡°But can you tell us a bit about the Tainted before, Miss Orsa?¡±


    ¡°Hm? You¡¯re the first one to ask, most just wanted to get the hells out of here as fast as they could,¡± She said approvingly, and Erst nodded as if that thought had never passed through his head. Zai badly disguised a giggle as a cough as he saw it ¨C he could see right through his brother.


    ¡°All the Aspirants have to go through the test, and if they are found to have the taint, or magical potential as the mages call it, they have to join the Tainted, or they are sealed. Trust me, you don¡¯t want to be sealed, it really shortens your lifespan.¡±


    ¡°Magical potential?¡± Zai asked, deciding to help his brother¡¯s delaying gambit, for a change.


    ¡°Yeah. Magical potential is what we call when someone has the means to accumulate mana on their bodies. Most people are inert to magic, it just passes through them like most living creatures - we call them normal. The damned mages have other terms, they call normal people demeaning things like ¡®ordies¡¯, ¡®lesser¡¯, ¡®normies¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Are there big differences between the strength of the Taint?¡± asked a girl of the group, emboldened by the brothers¡¯ questions.


    ¡°Yes, it varies depending on the number of Taint Points, or rather, Mana Ingress/Egress Points. Those terms are a mouthful, so people simply call them Mana or Taint Points. What these Points are, I won¡¯t reveal to you just now, there are plenty of theories. But you should know that there are different types of Mana Points, but that¡¯s not only what defines a mage or a tainted¡¯s strength ¨C the Mana Channels play a part there¡­¡±


    Even Erst¡¯s eyes were beginning to glaze over, and the tainted stopped when she realized that.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s enough information for now. You¡¯ll learn everything at the Academy, specially if I found you are to join the ranks of the Tainted.¡±


    This time, she didn¡¯t give an opportunity for volunteers, and she picked Erst to follow her into the enclosure.


    Shit, he silently cursed.


    On that sealed enclosure, the canvas-like material sewn around a mana reflective material that was often used to imprison and torture mages, she began testing the nervous boy. She was surprised to find a big number of Mana Points, and she got right onto the Awakening process, giving no warning beforehand. It was a good thing that the enclosure was warded against both magic and sound as well. The screaming would have frightened all the others.


    ***


    ¡°Damnation!¡± Zai yelled, pacing from one end of the room to the other after they were finally taken to their new quarters and left alone. The Awakening process had been very taxing to both brothers, and they had been stuck on the sickroom for almost a whole week.


    ¡°Calm down, brother, it¡¯s not that bad,¡± Erst told him, lying on his bunk. There were two of them on the cramped room they would have to share with another two of the tainted aspirants. The walls and ceiling were a badly smoothed mountain-rock. The Order of Kalidor didn¡¯t believe in cuddling its aspirants.


    ¡°Why should I calm down, Erst?! Did you hear what the healer said? They will train us on using magic, and discard us if we get too good at it!¡±


    ¡°Brother, how long do you expected to live if we became paladins? All of the work on the Order is dangerous, its only more obvious to you now. Besides, they can seal us if it gets to that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember what Orsa said? Sealing is also used as a form of torture against mages, the blocked mana will rot us from the inside!¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But we have a duty, brother.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll even have to use those damned robes!¡± cursed the youngest in anger.


    The usually calm and laid-back Zai punched a wall in frustration, earning cuts and scrapes for his trouble. From that moment on, it was clear to Zai that his and his brother¡¯s path would diverge from that moment on. The younger held nothing against the Order, but he was not devoted like the elder, and didn¡¯t believe he should be forced to suffer only because of the taint, of magic. Maybe they would never see eye-to-eye again on this matter.

 Chapter 13: Exploration

    As the group had gone farther and farther away from civilization, receiving message spells in the last days of their journey to the Spire had become harder. Messages got disrupted - if they even managed to reach them at all. So, the wizard and the witch had turned their ears away from the bad news that they would surely receive later. From the start of the journey, the plan had been to use the place where the two friends were now standing.


    There must have been twelve communication spheres around the room to allow the wizards of old that garrisoned the Spire to communicate with the Realm¡¯s armies and the other Spires. Each sphere had its own dedicated writing table or set of tables, but many of the specially-sculpted mana crystals were dark and din, fractured and spent. The spheres were built in pairs, forever linked, and when one of them was destroyed, the matching one ruptured. Only a third of the spheres when the pair made a cursory examination.


    But they weren¡¯t there for the communication spheres - they were there for the amplifier sphere. A lot rarer and more expensive than the former, the amp¡¯ sphere was a beacon to message spells casted in a radius around it, and they had the capacity to store the messages. It also boosted the message spells casted with its use. A truly useful resource, and one they could only be thankful that the remiss Guardian hadn¡¯t completely neglected, like he had some other facilities.


    ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t good,¡± said Garner after they had read a small fraction of the messages..


    ¡°Your talent for understating things is as fucking sharp as always,¡± she replied distractedly while she kept on reading.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t swear so much, Lowa, it¡¯s unbecoming of a lady of your age.¡±


    Lowa didn¡¯t bother to reply, just sending a rude gesture his way. Unfortunately, Lowa was pretty much correct. The situation had worsened considerably. Some places had started arresting all kinds of mages preventively to curry favor with the Lotharians, or with the argument of a protective custody. Wizards and mages hadn¡¯t simply gone with the flow, obviously. One irascible old wizard that was supposed to make his way to the Spire had been spotted and chased by a nearby city¡¯s guard and surrounded. The bodies were completely incinerated, and it had generated a big commotion, which meant more support for the Lotharian¡¯s Purge.


    A couple of magical craftspeople that would join them had completely stopped communication, which boded ill for their safety. Another Wizard had reported that his Tower was breached, the Order of Kalidor fanatics heavily engaged with his avowed warriors, sparing no one they came across. The woman¡¯s last report was that she was activating a self-destruct spell, vowing to take all of the attackers with her. Maybe some of her people had escaped, but Lowa and Garner thought it unlikely.


    Though these news of deaths and confrontations were grim, the news coming from Arburgh were worse. The city¡¯s lord had been betrayed or his city had been infiltrated, either way, the gates were opened from the inside, and Lotharian soldiers rushed forwards, occupying the main part of the city. The lord was holding on to his keep for now, but the besieger were ruthless, and it seemed to be a matter of time before Arburgh completely surrendered. With the biggest city in the far west defeated, the Lotharians could hunt wizards and their associates freely.


    Every stubborn wizard and mage with a brain worth a damn would probably come looking for the safety of the Spire, and right on their trail would be the Lotharian¡¯s troops. There were many, many Towers on the area, and most still stood, but they would be of little help. Garner had sought to create a refuge for wizards and other practitioners, but they would have to fight to protect it. The golems, of course, would be extremely helpful.


    ¡°Guardian,¡± he called, the spirit materializing his translucent body besides him in a moment¡¯s notice, ¡°tell me your inventory of golems, and your capacity to build and repair them.¡±


    ¡°There are sixteen Aerk¡¯var¡­¡± the Guardian began listing.


    ¡°A what?¡± Lowa interrupted.


    ¡°Aerk¡¯var? Those balls with scythes?¡± replied the Guardian, uncertainly.


    ¡°You mean the Scythers? That¡¯s their official name now,¡± commanded Garner.


    The spirit groaned at the new name, ¡°You have no knowledge of the Common tongue?¡±


    ¡°The common tongue is not common anymore. Let¡¯s fix those stupid names, describe the other types to us¡­¡± said Lowa.


    The Guardian groaned again, and the friends exchanged a grin. It seemed they had found another way to harass the unruly thing.


    ¡°I was so much happier when I was alone,¡± muttered the bound Warlock¡¯s spirit. But he hadn¡¯t, not really. Even murderous half-insane Elfey spirits needed some company from time to time. The new annoying residents helped him restore the parts of his minds that were beginning to fray, the ones that caused half of his experimental golems to be useless and broken junk. Still, he was far from being one hundred percent functional. Maybe when he was, he¡¯d be successful where he¡¯d failed before. After all, Captain Lamart¡¯s men hadn¡¯t been assigned to guard the Spire from people - but to prevent people from reaching the Spire¡­


    ***


    ¡°What the hells is this thing?¡± asked Tealdin, intrigued.


    The two apprentices had decided to descend to the depths of the Spire, as that creepy Guardian-thing had assured them that there was nothing that would harm them. Leanor wasn¡¯t so sure they she should trust anything that that thing had to say, but she relented after Tealdin insisted on going down. She hated heights, after all. The blonde would let others explore it the higher parts for her, if she could help it.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    They had explored the lower parts of the Spire, and discovered that there were three underground levels. The first one held servant¡¯s quarters and one huge kitchen. Tealdin had joked that they could have cooked for half the people in Arburgh if they needed, and she couldn¡¯t disagree looking at the size of the cauldrons spread through the kitchen. What they didn¡¯t realize is that each higher kitchen would be smaller, the rationale behind it being that if they needed to use the kitchens on the higher levels, a lot of people would be dead already. The apprentices were yet too naive to ever imagine such a callous calculus had oriented the plans for the ancient Tower.


    On the second floor there was a huge cellar, cold and dry, perfect to store various kinds of foodstuffs. The problem was that most of the things store there were already long rotten, and the nauseous stink made they descend to the third underground level in a hurry.


    The third floor was sectioned in two, though, one were small rooms - filled with dust like most places in the Spire. Leanor¡¯s mother would have died seeing so much filth accumulated, she had a bit of obsessed with cleanliness.


    ¡°What is behind that door?¡± asked Tealdin, whispering for some reason.


    Before answering, Leanor stopped to take a good look at it. It was a completely black metal door, and she could feel heavy magic emanating from it. What could there be in the last floor¡­


    ¡°Dungeon. That Guardian said there was a prison here.¡± she whispered back. ¡°Why are we whispering, Tealdin?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ There¡¯s something really off about here. Something making us feel wary for some reason, I think?¡± He said, looking at the raised hairs on one of his arms.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it remind you of that magical boar we found?¡± She asked, making the connection suddenly.


    ¡°Yes, but far, far worse than that.¡± He replied. ¡°Hey, Leanor, are you hearing what I¡¯m hearing?¡±


    ¡°No?¡± she replied, uncertain. But then she heard the sound, coming from the locked prison-gate - something massive stirring. ¡°Let¡¯s get the hell out of here, Tealdin,¡± She said, instinctively understanding that they be very quiet, least they wake whatever had been sleeping for close to a hundred years down here.


    Tealdin nodded slowly, and together they silently made their way back to the entry hall, feeling more and more pissed as they went. That damned spirit had tricked them, and things could have gone really wrong if whatever beast lurked there had awaken. For how long hadn¡¯t its magical prison been recharged, after all?


    ***


    Balmia and Valena, on the other hand, decided to explore upwards. Climbing a random set of long stairs they had picked, the fast friends talked, bantering and taunting each other occasionally.


    ¡°I wish that godsdamned golem hadn¡¯t smashed my boar apart¡­ He was the most powerful undead I have ever raised!¡±


    ¡°Ah, come on, Valena. You know that living creatures could never deal with live ones of the same power. Your little pig was just a distraction.¡±


    ¡°That true, Balmia? Where¡¯s your live boar then? You must be kind of shoddy for a Druid here around your Commune - I haven¡¯t seen a single familiar since I¡¯ve met you,¡± Valena ribbed back.


    ¡°I do have some good pets, you know. It¡¯s just we like birds around here, and they are often flying around because they can, or to scout out the forest when we ask them too.¡±


    ¡°Birds? Small, weak-boned, not that strong. Not worth for much, treehugger.¡±


    ¡°You say that because you¡¯ve never been hit by an enraged flock of birds. Talons, beaks, it¡¯s terrible.¡±


    The entire Spire¡¯s interior was made of that same nearly shiny stone, which matched real well with the magic-powered ensconced torches around. Though it was a bit on the dark-side, they could see perfectly well where they were stepping, and the stairs had beautifully decorated guardrails. The ones on the stairway they were in, coincidentally, had an eagle motif, gracefully swirling around it.¡±


    People said that the interior of a Tower could be wacky, and not really have a perfectly logical explanation, and the Spire was a prime example. Though they ascended for a long time, the stairway a comfortable caracole that hugged one of the Spire¡¯s wall, they had a hard time noticing when they could exit it for another floor. The floors they passed through were barely visible, and they needed to make an effort of will to cross through the opaque barrier that accompanied the stairs if they wanted to exit before reaching the top.


    The duo finally arrived at the end of the stairwell and found a ruined room, with an space open to the outdoor of the room. There were some trees one medium sized ledge that extended form the Tower¡¯s walls, and there were big trees on it. Inside, though, it seemed there had been cages and divided spaces.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± asked Valena, confused.


    ¡°I think I know,¡± smiled Balmia confidently, ¡°this was the Spire¡¯s Eyrie.¡±


    But then, it was Valena time to smile. ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, Druid, aren¡¯t those some big eagle bones? Maybe we can put your boast to test¡±


    ***


    Romer was nearly apoplectic, though the warriors would never guess looking at his impassive face. Layers of dust covered shelves and walls, cobwebs filling every nook and cranny, and a the air was barely breathable. Unacceptable. This isn''t just a daily chore, a routine task. This is war. Romer steeled himself for the arduous task. Master Garner, in his wisdom, had brought the right man for the job. It could take the rest of his life - hell, it could take his life! - but he would see this gigantic place swept clean of every and any smudge of dirt. When he was over with this place, it would be spotless.


    He looked to his superbly-trained cleaning crew, and they could see the fire on the dignified majordomo¡¯s eyes. They suppressed groans, for they had an idea of what herculean task they had ahead of them. ¡°Cleaning supplies,¡± said Romer with no apparent emphasis, but a maid and a groom hurried back to the horse-cart, stationed ahead of the doors.


    ***


    ¡°Hey, Guardian-demon-spirit-whatever,¡± Mons called impudently.


    ¡°What is it, foul human?¡± the Guardian said, appearing before the group of warriors.


    ¡°Do you have somewhere for us to stash the carts and the horses?¡± asked Orwin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother the Elfey, brother, I hear they take a secret pleasure to being treated politely, with that fancy old speech.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that right?¡± asked Mons. Even a reasonable linguist would have executed Maia on the spot if he were to know what kind of atrocities the Realm¡¯s language would suffer that day, just for shits and giggles. ¡°Well, m¡¯chap, if thy would kindly guide us?¡± He said, making language teachers around the land turn on their graves.


    ¡°Thee, if thee would,¡± the Guardian corrected, shaking his head sadly. ¡°Follow that ramp, and never call out to me again, *please*.¡±

 Chapter 14: Escalation

    Fervorous crowds rampaged through the ancient city of Lothar, ad hoc popular tribunals being formed, and promptly ordering the execution of mages, or people slightly suspected of possessing any magical capacity. Lord Favre, the ruler of the city in upheaval, looked on with no mercy on his eyes from the high walls of his manor. Favre had ordered the conscription of every magical user and the arrest and execution of all wizards in the city. He had been defied, mages avoiding his conscripters, and wizards fighting back against his men.


    Wrathful, Lord Favre had declared them all treasonous and subversives, and he¡¯d personally whipped his people into a frenzy, extolling them to free their noble Lothar of this filth with the most ancient of traditions - the burnings. Lothar¡¯s Lord was an avid historian, and he¡¯d read much of the times past. Times before the Elfey reached the Realm, and where their real enemies were something different. The Witching Order had been the power behind the Throne, its members having enthralled the nobility with their guiles and magic.


    The king was occupied, his treasury nearly emptied with misguided imperial endeavors in foreign lands, and the northern nobles were seizing the opportunity to push for independence, challenging royal authority. The king had called upon the Wizards, but the traitorous bastards had refused to take part in the brooding civil war that was surely coming. Thus, the Wizardly Order had overplayed its hand, as the Witches had before them, and lost favor. Lord Favre held no great love for the King, but he accepted the man¡¯s authority to a point. He had sent levies up north, and he would send more as requested, but his personal troops were his own. And they would purge the land out of Wizards while everyone else was busy fighting among themselves.


    ¡°Write that one¡¯s name,¡± said the lord to one of his aides when he spotted a particularly zealous man advocating for the burning of the suspects on one of the popular trials.


    ¡°In which list, milord?¡± inquired the aide. There were, after all, insane zealots that mixed the hate of Wizards with the hate for nobility, accusing Favre of being a Tyrant and of committing a host of crimes, like burning villages down unjustly. They were wrong, of course, it wasn¡¯t a crime since he was the Lord, and the burning had been only due punishment for avoiding taxes - how else could such a warning be given? One of the lists would be sent to his agents spread through the city that would make sure the people on it suffered unfortunate accidents or were the victims of common criminals. The other list was for recruitment purposes - zealots made impressive first-line troopers if you happened not to mind the occasional excess.


    Though Lothar was far from being one of the economical power-houses of the Realm, its slave-powered iron mines cheapened the cost of local weaponry and armors, and Favre could boast of one of the biggest personal armies among the most important lords of the land. He¡¯d already sent half of his red-caped soldiers westwards to start the Purge, under the command of his second-born and heir, Agor, battle-proven and a competent leader.


    Besides the expensive support of the Fidajin and Kalidor Orders¡¯ operatives he¡¯d hired, he would send freshly raised companies of soldiers to reinforce his son. The Wizard-Burners the new units were calling themselves, and the fanatics on the second list would form the cadre of non-commissioned officers of this unit, hopefully improving their moral when fighting against the Wizards.


    ¡°Keep watching for promising people, and warn me immediately if the crowds¡¯ mood starts changing,¡± Favre ordered as turned and headed back into his fortress. It was time to visit his wife, the damned murderer, and tell her of how his soldiers were purging the lands he could reach of wizard¡¯s corruption. Vengeance was what bound him. His son, Agor, would be his instrument.


    ***


    Lord Agor ordered a tent erected just behind arrow-range from Arburgh¡¯s keep, his personal mage squad raising Barriers in order to avoid any surprise attempt of the beleaguered city¡¯s Lord to assassinate him despite the clear proposal of parley. Not that Agor believed his opponent would do such a thing - the man was honorable to a fault, and his lack of guile had cost him the city¡¯s walls.


    The Purge was not a plan stirred up in a hurry by his father, but a long engineered plan that was held back until the perfect opportunity arose. As such, the man had planted a web of spies and collaborators throughout the area. The western Lord hadn¡¯t been prepared for treachery, and his guard had been back-stabbed and the gates opened. Agor¡¯s soldiers had taken Uthren and Westville already, the two other significant cities in the region besides Arburgh.


    Under the tent¡¯s shade, Agor had launch served, and ate calmly as he waited for Lord Arburgh to accept his proposal to hold negotiations. The man took two hours to leave his keep, riding out with a dozen outriders after the gate had been lowered down so he could cross the moat. Lord Arburgh was fat, far from the fit and dangerous knight he¡¯d been when he was younger. The man was known for his daring - one of his valiant acts had earned him his lordship - but now he just looked tired to Agor.


    They dismounted, and the local lord entered the shaded area of the tent while his escorts held position exactly like Agor¡¯s - close enough to intervene, not close enough to hear what was being discussed.


    ¡°Greetings, Lord Manwell,¡± Agor courteously said.


    ¡°Lotharian. What do you want?¡± the lord of Arburgh said, completely ignoring the usual pleasantries. He¡¯d never been known for his subtlety, after all.


    Agor actually preferred to skip all that meaningless talk too. ¡°I want your people neutralized while we do our duty, Lord Manwell.


    The man smiled dangerously, ¡°Feel free to take a crack at the keep. My men are spoiling for a fight after the trick you pulled.¡±


    The treachery with the gate, and the sudden entrance of Lotharian troops in the walled city had caused considerably less bloodshed than Agor had feared. Arburgh¡¯s soldiers were brave, but they had seen reason when they were completely cut off from their Lord and many had surrendered after a promise of fair treatment had been mande. I can only wish their Lord is as reasonable.


    ¡°I apologize, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    ¡°What did you mean then, Wizard Hunter?¡±


    Agor didn¡¯t appreciate the title too much - he bore no particular ill against the Wizardly Order, but he owed his undying loyalty to his father and sire, and that was why he followed his orders, trying his best to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. He knew the crime his mother had committed, but he wasn¡¯t going to personally blame all wizards for that.


    ¡°What I meant, lord, was that your soldiers cease to interfere with any activity in the area while I¡¯m here.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°A parole, you mean? And what about the prisoners you took?¡±


    ¡°We will give them back, unharmed,¡± He promised.


    ¡°You do know that I won¡¯t give up any of the practitioners under my command or protection, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I imagined. We¡¯re only hunting for wizards.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what it seems like to me. You¡¯ve been killing a lot of people, and there are very few wizards among them.¡±


    Agor grimaced, and replied, ¡°That¡¯s true, lord. Mistakes happen from time to time, but I¡¯m doing my best to stop excesses. I¡¯m trying to have suspect wizards arrest, so we can grant them a fair trial at a later date. Do we have a deal?¡±


    ¡°My wish, Lotharian, was to give you a bloody nose. To slaughter your zealot soldiers and stop your atrocities,¡± Lord Manwell said, with fire in his eyes for a moment, before shaking his head sadly, ¡°but I can¡¯t, maybe before, but certainly not after the treachery. So yes, Lord Agor, you have my word we won¡¯t interfere any longer after you leave Arburgh and give me back my people.¡±


    ¡°We will leave your city in two days, Lord Manwell. My people will comb the streets for hidden wizards, and I will punish anyone that causes your people undue harm.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not so bad for a Lotharian, it¡¯s a shame you¡¯re Favre¡¯s son. I never did like you father. I await your leaving of my city anxiously, but I wish for your defeat at the Wizards¡¯ hands even more so. Goodbye, Lord Agor,¡± said the man, getting away from the tent and mounting his horse.


    ¡°Goodbye, Lord Manwell - you made the right choice,¡± he called to the man¡¯s back.


    With this matter resolved, Agor could start sending soldiers after the wizards and mages who flew the coup. His reports all seemed to indicate that the majority of those were heading west, to the very border of the Realm. Unless there was something there that had been hidden for nearly twenty five years, they could only be heading to one place: the Third Spire.


    ¡°Captain,¡± Agor called one of his aides, ¡°send all the riders we can spare to apprehend or eliminate practitioners running west. We can¡¯t let them get too many reinforcements, the Spire itself will be a very had nut to crack.¡± As the man left running, he turned to another one, ¡°Lieutenant, make sure that word is sent to the leaders of the Kalidor and Fidajin, I¡¯ll need as many siege engines as they can spare, magical or not.¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t let his father and ruler down - Agor would rid the West of wizards for Lord Favre¡¯s sake, even if he didn¡¯t agree. It was duty, duty and love that bound him.


    ***


    Meanwhile, at the Westernwoods¡­


    The soldier saluted Captain Lamart, that was busy inspecting the hooves of his white riding mule, a wedding gift from his wife¡¯s wandering tribe, the Flumen. A Flumen and an Elfey, two kinds of outcasts together, what a blast it had been announcing the wedding to his superiors. The beast was ornery and aggressive, but the captain didn¡¯t seemed to mind, and looked after it carefully, doing everything personally in regards to the animal.


    ¡°Captain, it has began. Our lookouts have reported sighting lots of outriders. The Lotharians are starting to enter the Westernwood. Should we try to warn the Commune?¡±


    ¡°The damned Druids probably know better than we do about the incursions, sergeant. I would appreciate if they don¡¯t get too much in our way,¡± replied the distracted man, letting go of the mule¡¯s leg, and patting its head. ¡°We have to protect the fleeing wizards and mages the best we can. Dispatch the soldiers to shadow the most vulnerable ones. I¡¯ll be joining one of the ambushing groups.¡±


    ¡°There are many of them, Captain. Are you sure we should be getting mixed into this?¡± asked the soldier, shaking his head.


    ¡°Orders were clear - well, as clear as I interpret them to be. We¡¯ll fight. Send our non-combatants to the Retreat in the mountains with our pack-mules as soon as they are done organizing.¡±


    ¡°Understood, captain,¡± the soldier answered, taking a fist to his breastplate in salute. Lamart thought the sergeant a whiner, but the man usually got everyone moving after he had given his piece of mind.


    When the captain had been sent to this border some three years ago, a few months after his conspicuous marriage, he¡¯d been told his command would have four dozen soldiers. That had been a gross overestimation, and calling the state and readiness of the soldiers sorry would have been a gross understatement. Gross was something he thought a lot when he¡¯d arrived at the run-down little fort in the middle of the woods of nowhere. Lamart had brought with him the sergeant and a handful of soldiers he knew he could count on, and he had to build from there.


    They began instilling a sense of discipline, punishing the rabble Lamart had inherited command over when the previous captain had a falling out with the local druids, and had mysteriously disappeared. The worse of them, Lamart had gotten rid of with a simple expedient, sending them patrolling to the most dangerous areas of the forest, the kind frequently visited by magical beasts. The ones who hadn¡¯t died, had deserted or gotten with the program quickly. That ruthlessness was the reason that Lamart had advanced in the Army despite his heritage, and the reason few officers, superior or not, cared to insult him to his face.


    The captain left his mule to its own devices, and went to gather his equipment for the upcoming operations. Donned out in his worn but well cared-for armor, spear at hand and magical fuel at his belt, he exited his tent. Coming his way, he saw the read-headed woman he¡¯d come to love. He smiled slightly at her, and said ¡°Jeanne, you¡¯re with the supply train this time.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, Lamart D¡¯elfey.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, lieutenant¡± He said, laughing as she pushed him aside to get to their tent.


    ¡°Come back safe, you oaf,¡± She said, giving him a parting slap to the backside.


    ¡°Always do.¡±


    Jeanne would badger him when they got back together, but it would be a weight taken off his conscience if she wasn¡¯t involved in the fighting, selfish as it was of his part. If something were to happen to him, at least she would take care of their young daughter. His people wouldn¡¯t begrudge him that, he was sure, specially because he would be at the forefront of the heaviest fighting they could find. The Lotharians would probably discount his small force as a minor nuisance to crush at their leisure, but the captain was hoping to give them a disappointment, one bloody and horrific disappointment.


    The official numbers of soldiers under his command was four dozen and some auxiliaries, but reality was quite a bit different to the numbers in the paper. Lamart received only the money to cover the wages of the registered soldiers, but he had discovered something quite interesting after sending the troublemakers after magical beasts. He had ordered the damned patrols to bring back to the fort or to the camps any of the creatures they fell, in case they lived, so he could sate Jeanne¡¯s curiosity. They had discovered that the magical beasts¡¯ parts were damned lucrative, wizards and mages fell over themselves to buy the things.


    The orders to keep everybody away from the woods started looking a lot better by then - it meant they would have the monopoly in these parts. These regions were far away from the Realm, and the king¡¯s tax collectors never bothered inspecting the closed-of frontier, so he could get away without paying taxes. Lamart started recruiting and training people off the books, paying them with the money of his smuggling scheme. However, despite his ¡®extralegal¡¯ activities, Lamart considered himself and his people to be soldiers above all - only wealthy and business-minded soldiers. So, they would fight. Him, and his one hundred and twenty strong soldiers.


    The forest has huge, and provided richly for them, after all. They had had some conflicts with the druids over it, but Lamart had reached an agreement of a sustainable hunting quota with the elderly Giojen so the tree-huggers stop harassing his hunters. The captain had forgotten the misfortune of his predecessor, and kept always wary of the supposedly peaceful Commune, the closest neighboring village, if you could call them that. All of his soldiers partook in the hunts, and all of them partook in the coins. The fort nowadays looked more like a little village than anything else, with lots of dependents living in it.


    Walking through the camp, and nodding to his gearing up people, Lamart found the one he was looking for, sharpening his axe.


    ¡°Ramogal, you¡¯re with me,¡± He said, patting the veteran¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Sure, Lamart. Let¡¯s give them hell.¡±

 Chapter 15: Skirmishes v2

    After hearing all the messages stores in the Amplifier crystal, Lowa and Garner decided to interrogate the Guardian further, to see if they could learn if there was any other capacity of the incredible room and its crystals. Before calling the creature, though, they decided to have a little brainstorm about it.


    ¡°So, what do you think, Lowa?¡±


    ¡°That creature is dangerous, Garner, very dangerous. It¡¯s not wise to trust it in any particular form.¡±


    ¡°I know. If I had the time, I would investigate how to strengthen its bindings, but we have more pressing concerns¡­¡± lamented the wizard.


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve done a good job so far in questioning it, but¡­¡±


    It was at that moment when Tealdin and Leanor rushed into the room. They tried to talk, but had to take a moment to regain their breath while the adults exchanged a worried glance.


    ¡°What is it, boys?¡± asked Garner, already starting to recall who they could call to help. Inside the Spire, to his knowledge, were the four of them, the druid Balmia, the necromancer Valena - they had to look further into that one later, his four avowed warriors, the three new ones, and Romer and the servants, the latter of limited combat potential.


    ¡°Some-, something dangerous in the basement,¡± answered Leanor, with some difficulty.


    ¡°Catch your breathes, and give us the whole picture,¡± commanded Lowa.


    Tealdin did so, and started telling the tale of their frightening experience at the deepest level of the Spire.


    ¡°Gods, so there¡¯s still something dangerous at the Dungeon after all this time?¡± said Lowa.


    ¡°It seems so,¡± said Garner, frowning.


    ¡°What is it, Master?¡± asked the witch when she saw his expression.


    ¡°Guardian!¡± he bellowed, summoning the creature, ¡°I distinctly recall asking if there were dangerous creatures in the Spire. What is this about something in the Dungeon?¡±


    The creature¡¯s phantom form materialized before them, and the Guardian smoothed his face quickly, but Garner still saw the smirk that had been there. ¡°You did, illustrious Steward, and I replied truthfully.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s how you want to play it, foul creature?¡± asked Lowa, scowling at it.


    Leanor and Tealdin were interestedly watching the argument, though they decided to let the older practitioners deal with the scary Guardian. What were the chances that mere apprentices wouldn¡¯t be outwitted by the ancient and cunning spirit if Master Garner had already been fooled once.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean, hedge witch,¡± it replied, stressing that she was no true Witch as it knew them, ¡°I fulfilled my duties. You never asked me to list the creatures currently in the Spire.¡±


    ¡°I command you to answer the spirit of our questions as a common practitioner or soldier would understand it. I¡¯m sure you have that capacity. Deceive us again, and I¡¯ll deactivate you. You¡¯re of no use if you get in our way.¡±


    ¡°Very well, clever Steward,¡± it replied sullenly.


    ¡°Is there a risk of the creature breaking through its imprisonment?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but only if its provoked further. It¡¯s hibernating.¡±


    ¡°Tell Balmia and Chief right now that I want the path to the last floor sealed and guarded in any manner they can devise, Guardian. Warn me if someone tries to enter it.¡±


    The creature nodded its assent, and vanished for a little while before reappearing again at the same place. ¡°Your orders have been acknowledged by your people, prudent Steward.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a problem we¡¯ll have to look into later,¡± added Lowa. ¡°Warn us if the creature awakens or breaks free too, Guardian.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Lowa, nice catch.¡±


    While Tealdin was still watching the conversation, Leanor¡¯s focus had wandered as she started noticing the many crystals throughout the room, and she started trying to understand the wards placed on some of the receptacles and the crystals themselves.


    ¡°Master, this is fascinating! What is this room?¡± she said when there was a lull in the conversation, though it would probably be a coin toss if she had felt it, or the question just burst out at an opportune moment.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question, Leanor,¡± He said, turning to the shimmering Guardian. ¡°What is this room?¡±


    ¡°This room was often called as the ¡®messaging room¡¯, but it is formally the Vigilance and Communication Central¡­¡±


    ¡°Vigilance? What do you mean? We¡¯ve just understood used the Amplifier Crystal so far.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a Scrying Mirror there,¡± said the Guardian, pointed to a dusty corner where the mirror rested under an old tarp. Lowa and Garner¡¯s eyes widened at the revelation, and she started saying, ¡°If we can see what our enemies are doing¡­¡±


    ¡°I probably should warn you that most of the Transmitter Crystals around the area were destroyed by the Elfey during the wars, for obvious reasons.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why it was stored like that?¡± butted in Tealdin, while Leanor was already taking the tarp off it, and sneezing at the dust that rose from it. The Scrying Mirror was 1 meter wide, and two meters tall. It¡¯s frame was full of inscriptions - advanced wards, and now that they focused, they could feel the power coming from it. It was beautiful, and somehow it was spotless after all this time forgotten in a dusty corner.


    ¡°Yes, it has a really limited watching capacity now. It was of little use against the Elfey because they destroyed most of the western Crystals¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean that there are still Crystals transmitting form the east? From where everyone is coming toward us?¡± asked Garner, smiling.


    ¡°Some, great Steward, among the Westernwoods.¡±


    ¡°Very well, guide us through the activation of the Mirror, Guardian, let¡¯s see what¡¯s happening at the woods.¡±


    They expended almost an hour to reactive all the enchantments and repair faded wards, but they finally got it working. It was a remarkable magical device that somehow transmitted everything that was happening in an area, despite all the trees that would get in a normal person¡¯s view. It gave them an bird¡¯s-eye view, and they could move it a little. They started rotation through the still active Transmitters until they found something. Everyone¡¯s smiles of success from getting the Mirror to work faded as they started watching an ongoing battle at real-time.


    ***


    Lamart flinched when the Lotharian archer released the drawstring, but the panicked man''s shot went wild, and the captain managed to finish harnessing the death-energy from the fallen lotharian he was standing over, the man¡¯s dead body shriveling up quickly under the drain. The warlock quickly cast a mana bolt with the siphoned energy, without bothering to filter the chaotic magical mass made of mana and life energy, as warlocks traditionally fought. Lamart was looking straight into the wide eyes of the archer as his bolt punched through the man¡¯s chest, and then blew next to another Lotharian, sending both tumbling to the ground. Wasteful usually, but damn effective in scraps like this.


    Around him, his soldiers mopped up the last of the resistance, offering no quarter as they had no useful information. Days of observation had given them all the information they cared for at the moment. This was the time to hunt isolated patrols, and make them pay for entering Lamart¡¯s new home, and ignoring his significance. An expected shower of arrows, and a sudden reckless charge. It always worked.


    Ramogal approached him hobbling, the man''s leg was a scorched mess and had been paining him for a long time. The two soldiers ahead of him when the fire spell came had it worse, much worse. The unfortunate pair had been burned to cinders, even as the unexpected Lotharian mage overloaded himself with so much energy running through his system, and burst apart gorily. Damn newbies. Sometimes the reckless charging part didn¡¯t go as well as it could, it was true. But that had been back at the second ambush, and this was already the third one.


    The first ambush had went on without a hitch, but things had been downhill from there as the enemy''s patrols started being reinforced. Lamart had already lost a third of his original dozen, though he had fared better than the half squad that had joined him for this attack. The veteran in charge and his soldiers had been surprised by a lost Lotharian scouting group, and it had been a mutual slaughter from there on, the commanding officer striking a fatal blow to the lordling even as he suffered a mortal wound in return. The captain felt every loss, but his veterans, the ones that had chosen to join him in this supposedly shit-place, hurt even more so.


    The last of his soldiers returned from the outlying woods, painted red, and they all gathered on the road as he signaled them to.


    "No losses this time, captain," said Ramogal, soldiering on through the pain.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    They hadn¡¯t lost anyone in this fight, but there were quite a few new dents and slashes, and the soldiers were already hurt and tired from the constant attrition of fighting and running right after to set up the next ambush. They hadn''t even taken the time o bury the bodies, only dragging them away from the roads.


    "Yeah, good. But the plan''s not looking great. We might have taken four or five groups out, but we missed one."


    "They will hit the trailing wizard''s group," concluded his lieutenant, spitting on the roadside.


    "Yeah, we can''t reach them in time. They will have to fend for themselves. Maybe they will even do it, being wizards and all."


    "Doubt it, the man seemed to be almost kicking the bucket already by the reports. Maybe the Druids will help them?"


    His audience back at the Spire cursed and swore when they learned of that, though the soldiers were unaware they had an audience to begin with. Either way, there was nothing that either of the groups could do to help, though Garner¡¯s people might be able to see what was happening.


    "Damned treehuggers..." muttered the Captain, not expecting much of the woods¡¯ mages. Lamart couldn''t have done anything to save the wizards and mages that had been intercepted before reaching the Westernwood, but he''d expected to protect all that entered his domain. It stung his pride, and he felt that might become more often an occurrence than he would like these next days.


    "Take the half squad and go after them, Ramo. Escort them if they live, avenge them if they don''t. I''ll try to link up with the others and see what we can do when they send a second wave."


    ¡°Sure,¡± grunted his lieutenant, dissatisfied, ¡°We¡¯ll go right a-running.¡±


    Lamart couldn¡¯t fool the veteran soldier, that knew very well that he was being sent away with the most wounded soldiers of the group. His people exchanged silent farewells, and watched as the group slowly faded away in the woods.


    ¡°Enough standing around! Gather the supplies you can from the bodies, and let¡¯s go. We have a job to do, people!¡± Lamart barked, startling the melancholic group into action.


    ***


    ¡°Go back!¡± shouted Tealdin when his master passed through the correct Crystal¡¯s view in a hurry.


    ¡°There it is,¡± whispered Lowa, and the group began to silently watch the dire situation, now joined by Balmia and Valena, who¡¯d blocked the way to basement with vines, and let a couple of skeletons to guard it.


    ¡°Master, master! They are coming near us!¡± shouted the frightened apprentice to the nearly senile old wizard, shaking the man¡¯s sleeping form on the cart. Only five avowed warriors remained with them now, the other four had scrambled as soon as they found an opportunity - they knew the chances of the old wizard to remember to curse them as oathbreakers were smaller than dying at the swords of the Lotharians, the boy would bet. The remainders were old-timers, who wouldn¡¯t abandon their friend even if meant death. The warriors were looking pretty worried, if the apprentice was any judge of character.


    ¡°Ah, damnation!¡± cursed the apprentice as the wizard did not even stir. He¡¯d thought he¡¯d scored a great opportunity when the renowned old man had invited him to become an apprentice. Having contacts with wizards, even if he never became a full fledged one, could have been really lucrative for a business-minded individual such as he. But now it seemed that his greed would be his own undoing. Nobody would have guessed that it would be more dangerous to be an Wizard apprentice than a pickpocket.


    ¡°This is it!¡± he declared to the mounted guards looking at him. ¡°I will try my chances with the woods and magical beasts!¡±


    The wayward apprentice turned to run for his mare, but the nearby guard bended on the saddle to hold him by the cuff of the neck, and the boy lost his balance, falling down.


    ¡°Stay still, you idiot. You wouldn¡¯t last a day alone on this forest, and for some inscrutable reason the old man actually likes you, you worthless little thief,¡± the guard said tersely, pinning the fool to the ground with a dark stare.


    The venerable wizard Herok, though not a master, was renowned for his extreme magical potential and fire affinity. The ¡®Lava Wizard¡¯ was his moniker, and the old man could cast destructive fire magic on a whim. The problem was that Herok was just a little long on the tooth by now, and it was extremely hard to get the old man to focus on something. The wizard had lost his temper when people tried to apprehend them as they went to a town to search for the wayward apprentice, and had tired himself out.


    The boy looked to the guard like he was insane, and was about to start arguing when the four guards that he had believed to be deserters appeared riding hard back from a bend on the road, the lead one shouting, ¡°Hurry! They are right on our trails!¡±. But the guards didn¡¯t move, and shook their heads. The groups reunited and exchanged grim looks and nods before drawing their weapons, swords and lances, and lining behind old Herok¡¯s cart. The apprentice had gotten back up on his mare, but he was horrified and frozen when he saw their pursuers appearing, the lotharian riders¡¯ red capes billowing behind them. The attackers must have at least twice the number of defenders, but the leader of the guards ignored them for the moment, turning back to address the others.


    ¡°We might not be the Lone Horseman, lads, but we¡¯ll show our mettle! Charge, for Herok!¡±


    ¡°Brave bastards,¡± whispered Chief back at the Spire, as he too had joined the onlookers.


    Just as the guards began their charge, the apprentice could swear he heard the rumbling of thunder and the smell of smoke, even though the sky was clear. The guardians back at the Spire recognized the sound for what it was: a magical combat ongoing somewhere in the distance.


    The clash of charging cavalrymen was a brutal scene to behold. Screams and neighs, blood and death. A horse toppled when skewered by a lance and its rider fell under it and was crushed. A guard nearly flew from the saddle when he was unhorsed, and was trampled by the second line of the lotharians. One of the guards cut down his first opponent, but couldn¡¯t avoid a collision with the next one¡¯s horse, and they both went down. It all happened so fast to the apprentice¡¯s eyes. In a moment, all the guards but the one who had stopped him from running were dead or down. The survivor, his sword red, but bleeding from two gashes, turned back his horse, as did the lotharian riders who didn¡¯t hurry to apprehend the passed out Herok and the apprentice.


    Before he was tackled from his saddle, the apprentice witnessed the brave guard charging back, into impossible odds. The boy couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by the guards he had always despised. The old men had kept their oaths to the very end, and made a good showing, killing at least half a dozen of their enemies despite the difference in numbers. But the boy had other problems now. He was roughly held down and tied, and then they wrapped a magical shroud around him, cutting him off from the ambient mana. He would have laughed if he could, he didn¡¯t know enough to even inconvenience one of the lotharians.


    Herok could have beaten them. But the old wizard never wakened, and the apprentice knew that if their captors could drain his mana, the shroud would prevent even the Lava Wizard from doing anything. If the old man didn¡¯t awake soon, they were probably screwed. And it would be his fault, because he had been stubborn and had gone out against orders. The boy quietly cried into the shroud as he thrown on the back of a horse and taken away.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± said Garner as they watched the brave warriors¡¯ fall and the capture of their would-be allies.


    ¡°There were was a battle going on, let¡¯s see if they can reach Heark and his apprentice,¡± suggested Balmia, wondering if it were her people coming to the rescue. Everyone was in a bit of a funk after witnessing the second carnage, but the Scrying Mirror was almost addictive, they just couldn¡¯t stop watching. This might be a bit dangerous device after all.


    ***


    ¡°There!¡± said Valena, and they got back to silently watching another fight, the third one in the day they witnessed, though there had been a lot more skirmishes throughout the Westernwoods. Herok¡¯s apprentice truly hadn¡¯t been mistaken earlier when he thought he had heard thunder. Not far from where the old guards had met their ends, and their charges had been captured, another kind of fight was raging at that same moment. Two younger druids had rushed ahead of the elders, ignoring warnings as they tried to reach Herok¡¯s people and save them from their pursuers. However, they faced an unexpected difficulty - a trio of mercenary battle-mages specially sent by Lord Agor after they started losing contact with the first groups. And these mercs were experienced blood mages from Savlan, the far north of the Realm.


    The woodsmages siblings, Uri and Iuri, were gifted but green practitioners, even if they had great affinity with the Westernwood, being born and raised at the Commune by Druid parents. Actually, their stubbornness and affinity with the ambient were probably the only things preventing them from being outright defeated by their opponents.


    ¡°We must pass them, Iuri!¡± shouted the girl, jumping from branch to branch and occasionally swinging from stury vines.


    ¡°I¡¯m blasted trying, sis!¡± exclaimed the brother right before a blood-lance spell smashed into his protective bark-skin and sent him flying backwards. Uri¡¯s vines reached out to slow and soften his fall, but it still nearly made him loose his wind. The siblings¡¯ familiars, a wolf and a fox harried the mercenaries from behind, striking from the trees and fading back.


    The mercenaries advanced on the fallen Druid, but his sister shouted for help and Balmia¡¯s eagle swooped from the sky, raking one of the man¡¯s faces with its claws and stopping their advance momentarily. Rising from the ground, gritting his teeth at his scarred bark-armor and the pain from the hit, Iuri burned through a significant amount of his remaining mana to have a big sequoia attack with a heavy branch. The move caught the mercenaries by surprise, and one of them was struck straight on the chest, a sickening crushing sound ringing from the hit.


    The siblings were slightly shocked at the scene, and the still standing mercenaries moved unopposed to check on their comrade. Their look of rage confirmed that the damage was as serious as it sounded, and the mages started focusing a lot of mana rapidly, both of their energies swirling to one of them, crackling around her. Their familiars tried to pounce on the mages, but the electric energy gave them a jolt, and sent them scurrying back.


    ¡°Brother, look out!¡± screamed Uri as she tried to snap her brother out of it, swinging from a vine to his direction.


    She wasn¡¯t fast enough. A mighty lighting bolt hit Iuri head on, and the energy rebounded to Uri, both of them were sent crashing backwards away from the view of the mercenaries. The third mercenary made to pursue, but the second one put a hand upon his chest. The familiars gave up the fight and hurried in search of their missing partners.


    ¡°Enough,¡± the lead Savlan blood-mage announced. ¡°They are only kids, and we have to get out of here and find a healer fast,¡± she said, motioning for their fallen. They didn¡¯t care about the mission anymore at that point, but they had already achieved their purpose. Stabilizing their fading comrade on a hastily made stretch, they hurried back to one of the staging points.


    The forest mourned its guardians, the familiars whining at the unmoving bodies, and the eagle screaming mournfully. The Druids¡¯ wrath from the moment they found the young ones stirred the whole forest. Blood had been shed before, but not the Westernwood¡¯s blood. Now, the Commune and its home both lusted for revenge, and lotharian blood.


    Back at the Spire, Balmia cried as their point of view could barely show the bodies and the grieving familiars. Garner and Valena consoled her while Lowa cut off the Mirror¡¯s enchantments for the moment. Almost everyone at the room was close to tears and afraid. Some of the servants had fainted. Nearly everyone in the Spire had been there for the last battle, and it was a shock of reality to those who hadn¡¯t yet understood what they were going to suffer through in this Purge. The Lotharians were coming for them, and blood would be spilled one way or the other. Their blood. Their friends and comrades.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get everyone not necessary out of this room,¡± said Chief, starting to get a handle of the situation while Master Garner was occupied. ¡°Watching this Scrying Mirror is gruesome and terrible, but important for our survival. I propose that we let it active, and some of our warriors can keep a constant watch.¡±


    The truth was that many practitioners and civilians weren¡¯t ready to watch and deal with the butchery of combat they had witnessed, but the warriors had all lived through it, which was a lot worse than merely seeing it. Of course, it still took a toll, as it would in any normal human, but it was still easier for them.


    ¡°Okay, Chief, please establish a rotation of warriors to watch. Warn us if there¡¯s something important going on. We¡¯ll rest for a bit, and get back to readying the Spire for a Siege. Guardian, we¡¯ll need your advice for this. I don¡¯t think wizard-haters will have any sympathy for you, a former Elfey and a wizard-creation, so you¡¯d better truly help us this time.¡±


    Mourning and fearing, everyone dispersed.

 Chapter 16: Renegade

    Orwin nodded to the people, old and new, as he headed upwards to the newly dubbed ¡®Watch-room¡¯ to relieve Mons and Maia from Mirror-watching duty. The mood of the Spire had rebounded a bit after new arrivals started trickling in - a couple of wizards and their retinues, a pair of hedge witches, a handful of wandering mages and barely gifted, and even a renegade Paladin that was being interrogated by Master Garner and his two habitual advisers, Lowa and Chief. That must be a really interesting story as, as far as Orwin knew, the Order of Kalidor had positioned itself against the wizard, taking part in the Purge and bringing down a couple of Towers by itself already. Zealots were always terrifying opponents, as he well knew.


    He still couldn¡¯t wrap his head around the warped interior design of the Spire - nothing was as it seemed, and he would be perpetually lost if he couldn¡¯t bother the Spire¡¯s resident evil spirit for the way to his duties. The thing made his skin crawl, but at least it wasn¡¯t an imminent danger like the thing that someone had locked up in the Dungeon , and then decided to thoew away the key. The warrior¡¯s claustrophobia screamed just at the thought of passing through whatever that creature had experienced. For how long had that thing remained there, forgotten?


    The warrior had to stop climbing the stairs for a moment when he saw the bizarre scene. ¡°What the actual hell?¡± he said, mystified at what was going on. He had noticed that Master Garner¡¯s majordomo was a slave-driver, anyone could realize that if they took a moment to watch his staff efficient work, with no wasted movements or lazing about. Still¡­ This? The aggressive Giant drone that had been knocking at the door had been a terrifying opponent to fight since a single good strike of his could have killed a warrior. Now, its brother Golem was hunched, dusting off the walls with a ridiculously undersized feather-duster in its huge hands. Worse, someone had decided to tie a maid¡¯s headpiece on the top of its head. He was expecting weirdness when Chief invited him to work for a wizard, but not this much. Did the wizards influence people around them to have a weird behavior? That would explain a lot of things on his opinion.


    Breaking free of his light thoughts, he decided he should get back to the situation they were currently in, which was a lot darker, unfortunately. He did have a lot of experience in dire situations, though, many of the soldiers who fought in the Atala?as would find themselves right at home at the siege he was going to pass, he expected. Only it would be mostly waves of men and steel, rather than creatures and magic. And the situation might end positively for a change - which would never happen back at the deadly Watchtowers of the Sea, locked in a perennial struggle due to the Red Tide phenomenon.


    The stairs passed through the 3rd floor - or at least what he believed it to be - and there, the warrior found an argument to be taking place, two female practitioners arguing, Valena and Balmia, the green-haired Druid. That were two reasons to avoid getting involved in his opinion, and so he tried to keep ascending, but it wasn¡¯t to be.


    ¡°Hey, Orwin!¡± Valena, who had rode and fought with him on the way here, called him. ¡°Give me a hand here.¡±


    Scratching his head, his attempt to escape foiled, he said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°She wants to leave the Spire now, after everything that¡¯s happened!¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, Valena,¡± Balmia answered, exasperated. ¡°You¡¯ve seen it, we have rites to perform for the passing of the brothers. And then, vengeance.¡±


    Wincing at the reaction he expected, Orwin agreed, ¡°She¡¯s right, Valena. She needs to go to her Commune, her people, I think.¡±


    ¡°What?! But it¡¯s dangerous! The Lotharians are nearly here!¡±


    ¡°I know, but they are Druids, Valena. If they don¡¯t want to be found in their woods, no one will.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± agreed the druid, but Orwin received a wrathful look from his friend, and decided to try and even things out.


    ¡°Say, Balmia, I think the hunters were gearing up to go out again, why don¡¯t you take the two of them with you for her peace of mind?¡±


    ¡°Fine! But I¡¯m going now!¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­ I¡¯ll accompany you to the door, at least,¡± accepted the necromancer. She gave Orwin an uncertain glare, but then hurried after her quickly descending friend.


    ¡°That went well¡­¡± He grumbled before resuming his way up.


    Reaching the Watch-room, he knocked on the locked door, and Mons unbarred and opened it, swearing at the weight and at the bad state of repair of the hinges, before greeting him, ¡°Hey, old fart.¡±


    ¡°Hey, kids, anything interesting going on?¡± He said, flicking Mons¡¯ forehead painfully.


    Maia looked up from the chair she was sitting on and took her feet off the desk. ¡°There were a few brief clashes, but it looks like Lamart¡¯s men are exhausted. They¡¯re retreating away from us, to gods know where. The Druids haven¡¯t appeared again, I think they might be blocking our scrying, actually.¡±


    ¡°Tell me the Lotharians decided to fuck off to their boring city,¡± He jested.


    ¡°Nope, they¡¯re closer than ever. Still coming. Everything is written in the report,¡± She replied, showing him a worn notebook.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t let me write, Orwin,¡± Mons pouted ridiculously.


    ¡°That¡¯s because no one can decipher your scrawls, Mons. I swear I taught you better than that.¡±


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t-¡±,¡±Yes, you did,¡±, the brothers contradicted themselves, and he shook his head.


    ¡°Well, then, piss off, kids,¡± Orwin said, motioning them out. Relieved of duty, Maia rose, but the twins simultaneously turned back to the scrying mirror before departing. They could do some eery shit like that from time to time, but Orwin got used to it since he took them under his wing at their second battle at the Atala?as.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that we cleared that golem field,¡± murmured Maia as the trio watched some Lotharians scout moving through the woods.


    ¡°I think that there are more Golems out there than you¡¯re imagining, Maia. They are in a wide radius around the Spire, we just cut through a straight path.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°That freaking specter is spooky,¡± commented Mons.


    ¡°Yeah, so maybe you should stop taunting him? Anyway, Master Garner will try to take back control of the Golems so we can prepare a nasty defense. After he finishes interrogating the paladin that claims to have defected from the Order of Kalidor.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we could conceal them among the golems we destroyed?¡± suggested Maia.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s sneaky, I like it,¡± her brother beamed with approval.


    ¡°That¡¯s actually a pretty good idea, Maia. Let¡¯s suggest it when we get the ¡®war council¡¯ going.¡±


    ***


    After the siblings were relieved, they went to see someone they had been neglecting for a while because of the constantly pressing matters they had to attend to. They went to see Rajpul, who was nearly completely healed from the concussion that had scrambled his wires for the last few days. They still didn¡¯t know a lot about the mysterious rogue who they had met with several free mounts when they were in dire need of them, but fighting side to side created bonds surprisingly fast between warriors. The man hadn¡¯t needed to intervene on their behalf, but he¡¯d opted to do so repeatedly, and had gotten hurt when fighting the golems.


    ¡°Hey-a, stranger,¡± called out Mons as they reached one wide balcony up high in the Spire, full of plants grown wild during the long time without any kind of supervision. The page that had helped the rogue to climb the stairs was actually trying to trim the damned plants with a machete, though he was having a hell of a time. Rajpul, sitting on a small stool, turned his head and smiled a bit at them, though it was far from enthusiastic. Mons didn¡¯t remember him truly smiling anywhere besides the battles they had faced.


    ¡°Decided to check on the invalid, did you, charitable souls?¡± Rajpul replied.


    ¡°Yeah, we heard you were looking like shit, so we wanted to ask if we should start digging your grave already,¡± riposted Maia.


    ¡°So nice of you,¡± the rogue replied sarcastically.


    ¡°That¡¯s what friends are for!¡± added Mons cheerfully. A dark looked passed through Rajpul¡¯s face, and Maia elbowed her brother for his faux pas. Though it was not like he could have known it, right?


    ¡°Sorry about him, he¡¯s an idiot,¡± She said, scowling at her brother.


    ¡°No problem¡­¡±


    Trying to change the subject, Mons began, ¡°Say, Raj, happy you joined our band? Living the good life, with pretty maids looking after you just because you¡¯re clumsy and were whacked in the head?¡±


    Rajpul snorted at the nickname and the ribbing. ¡°Yeah, we go to the nicest places. An abandoned tower inhabited by an evil spirit and ready to be besieged. What a nice vacation.¡±


    ¡°Regretting it already?¡± asked Maia.


    ¡°No, actually¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you want us to take you to your horses, Raj? You must love them, having so many,¡± said Mons.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m sure that the majordomo¡¯s people are looking after him. The man¡¯s scarily competent.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve fought together, Rajpul, and we¡¯ll do it again it seems, but we barely know you,¡± began Maia.


    ¡°So we wanted to get to know you better, Raj,¡± completed Mons, producing a bottle of rum. ¡°Straight from the Atala?as,¡± He promised.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ nice of you,¡± he replied, accepting the bottle, breaking its seal and taking a swig. It went down his throat burning, and he felt like a mule had kicked his chest afterward. After coughing to the siblings¡¯ smile, he said, ¡°Why the hell would you drink that?¡±


    ¡°Reminds us of the good old days,¡± Maia said, spitting to the side and taking a drink of the foul alcohol that Rajpul passed to her.


    ¡°You¡¯re clearly not from around these parts, Raj. What can you tell us about your past that you won¡¯t have to cut our throats later for?¡±


    Rajpul chucked, and began, ¡°Well, I come from a land close to Savlan¡­¡±.


    The trio started trading stories, and later even Valena showed up, having wished farewell to her Druid friend. The group was nearly complete, missing only Orwin, but they talked and laughed like they hadn¡¯t done for a few days, sharing old tales.


    ***


    ¡°Tell us, paladin, what are you doing here?¡± said Garner.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be trying to storm this Spire, son of Kalidor?¡± added Lowa, looking at the grizzled man sternly.


    ¡°Master Garner, Ms. Lowa, I still believe the creed of my people. Unlimited magic brings unlimited ruination to everything it touches. It has happened to Kalidor, and many others before and after our Empire¡¯s time. But there¡¯s something wrong with my Order¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Sir Eisenwill?¡± asked Chief, positioned behind the paladin, at his blind spot. Though they were willing to hear the man out, they would never do so without taking precautions. The man sat facing the two practitioners, a table between them, and the avowed warrior stood some distance behind him, a heavy crossbow cocked and pointed at his back.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that the Wizardly Order is powerful, but I don¡¯t believe you¡¯ve reached nowhere near the level of magical corruption that would be required to declare the forced Extinction.¡±


    Garner snorted at that, it was funny how fanatics could say such a thing with a straight face. But although the man was a fanatic, he seemed honest and straightforward, maybe there was even a shred of common sense in him. It was not everyday that you met a renegade of the Order of Kalidor, their zealotry was infamous. It was true, though, that their paladins did a lot of good deeds when they weren¡¯t trying to extinguish one group of mages or other. That was why they had popular support throughout the Realm. Both Garner and Lowa had actually worked with Lance Eisenwill before.


    ¡°To align our noble Order with this political purge started by the Lotharians¡­ It goes against the heart of my creed. The Order of Kalidor should never let itself be guided by such interests, it should only safeguard civilization against another Ruination like our forebearers experienced. That was our vow.¡±


    ¡°We want to trust you, Lance. We actually like you, but you can imagine why it¡¯s hard, right?¡± said Lowa.


    ¡°I do, miss, I do. Still, I¡¯m here to sworn my sword at your service even in the face of my brothers in arms and faith.¡±


    ¡°We will accept it then, Lance - provisionally,¡± said Garner. ¡°You¡¯ll have to be watched until you¡¯ve truly proven yourself to us, okay?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s acceptable, Master Garner. And there¡¯s something all of you should know¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± they asked in unison.


    ¡°The Order of Kalidor helped to build the Spires. I have a nagging suspicion that they know secrets you might not about it. This will be a terrifyingly hard siege, mages.¡±


    The duo frowned their foreheads, and exchanged a worried glance.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see what we can extract from the Guardian,¡± replied Garner.


    ¡°Have you had the displeasure of meeting it yet, Lance?¡± asked Lowa.


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s the kind of monster your Order should be truly worried about,¡± remarked Chief, who did not let his guard down, even if though he trusted the earnest paladin.


    ¡°You can follow us then, Lance. We¡¯ll round up some golems.¡±


    The man looked at the suggestion askance, but rose from his seat with them even so. He had to fight with some of the golems before Garner had rode out to meet him, and the paladin couldn¡¯t say he had liked the creatures. Dangerous creation, that smelled of corruption. The Guardian was truly a dangerous being.


    Passing next to the renegade, the wizard opened the door and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, the lotharians aren¡¯t far now, and we still have to have our war council later.¡±


    Together, the foursome departed the Spire to do their task. The Guardian silently seethed at the new arrival. The Order of Kalidor were formidable opponents, and some of the main people responsible for his current state of imprisonment. The man¡¯s arrival didn¡¯t help any of his many plans, and neither would his comrades¡¯ upcoming siege.

 Chapter 17 K: Lessons

    ¡°Damned robe, I can¡¯t even feel the wind,¡± complained Zai to his brother, the siblings sitting on the edge of the observatory, legs dangling over the huge fall, gazing into the blue morning sky and the view. It was a hell of a view in fact, but the brothers were both preoccupied with different things, though they kept their usual banter with little thought about it needed.


    ¡°At least I don¡¯t have to look at your ugly face so often anymore,¡± Erst replied half-heartedly.


    ¡°You would be surprised if you could look into a mirror before it broke.¡±


    The clearing of a throat made them both turn and see Orsa, to whom they waved. ¡°Boys, being a Tainted is harsh, but it¡¯s still better than falling off a cliff, believe me.¡±


    Erst and Zai got up walked towards their new mentor, who put her hands on their shoulders and turned them back to the view. What a contrast it was, the wide mountains on one side, and the wide desolation of their homeland on the other one. Though they were up high, they could see the burned husk of a once mighty fortress of the Empire of Kalidor, a constant reminder of their past and their duty. From an Empire to a gathering of poor Oasis villages, ever fearing roving bandits, warlords, magical beasts and the many dangers left from the Fall of the Empire. After a moment of silence, the Tainted that had become a motherly figure for the two in the last couple of days, patted their shoulders.


    ¡°Boys, the Tainted that was coming to teach you hasn¡¯t made contact in three days. We believe that the Sleeping Horror must have attacked him and his escort¡­¡± said Orsa, shaking her head at the loss.


    ¡°The Sleeping Horror is real?!¡± asked Zai, his eyes widening at the revelation.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so, Zai. Most of them exist, or at least existed, though some tales are exaggerated.¡±


    Frowning, Erst asked, ¡°So who will teach us then, Orsa?¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± she smiled at the brothers, who answered in kind.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give us some pointers then?¡± asked Zai, grinning mischievously.


    ¡°So you want unfair advantages over your pairs?¡± She replied.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± He said, mockingly indignant, ¡°Everything I do, I do only for our noble Order!¡±


    Erst scoffed and slugged Zai¡¯s shoulder in reply, still unhappy at his brother¡¯s attitude about their sacred duty. Still, he kept himself shut and looked at Orsa expectantly. The Tainted shook her head at the antics, and gazed behind her shoulder to make sure no one was going to interrupt them at the observation post. They probably wouldn¡¯t, most of the aspirants were being worn down by incessant training, and the unfortunate Tainted aspirants were obliged to suffer through the Paladin aspirants¡¯ physically taxing training. The brothers only escaped because they still had this last day of leave after their suffering in the Activation.


    ¡°Well¡­ Everyone knows a little bit about mana, or magical energy, I suppose. It¡¯s a simple concept, though it has its complications, and there are a lot of theories about some of the more advanced ramifications¡­¡± Orsa was saying, when she felt Zai¡¯s magical energy stirring and stopped. ¡°Do not try to mess around with your mana before you receive specific orders to do so, Zai. They weren¡¯t kidding. The punishments are serious.¡±


    Chagrined, the boy grimaced and stopped, giving her a nod of assent.


    ¡°Mana is mana, then?¡± asked Erst, distinctly unimpressed.


    ¡°Yeah, young man. But there are different types of mana, with different affinities, though they can all be filtered eventually.¡±


    ¡°Elemental mana and so?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. And other more obscure types too¡­ The one I was meaning to tell you about is life mana, or death mana, depending on who you ask,¡± said the Tainted, stopping in expectation of another question, but the boys kept silent, awaiting her explanations. ¡°At the beginning of the training, you¡¯ll have to study a lot of magical history, and one of the most taught topics is The Witching Order. They were depraved on their research and use of life mana, wasting countless lives with their experiments and tests. Some of the Horrors are actually their creations.¡±


    ¡°How could they do something like that with life mana?¡± asked Erst, the brothers frowning as they tried to imagine it.


    ¡°Physical enhancements were the beginning and they weren¡¯t so bad. Then, the mages started working on mind enhancements and things started going downhill fast. That¡¯s when the Order started intervening, hunting them down and burning the worst of them at the stakes to make a point. Naturally, they didn¡¯t heed the warning, and started working in even more vile things - merging and fusing animals and magical beasts, and then people.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Zai incredulously questioned.


    ¡°Yeah. We declared the Extermination of their Order. The Witching Order then sent their most dangerous chimeras and deranged fused people to hunt for our home base.¡±


    ¡°How many years ago was this, Orsa?¡±


    ¡°A dozen decades ago or so, Zai. The Witching Order was based mostly on Savlan, and we destroyed them, though it was bloody a conflict. Some of their damned creatures hound the Wasted Lands still, though we have made efforts to locate and exterminate them many times. It¡¯s almost a mercy to them.¡±


    ¡°And what about death magic?¡± Erst said after he took some time digesting the information they had received so far.


    ¡°It can be a vile magic as well. All of the magical affinities can be used for evil, even elemental, and that¡¯s part of why we exist.


    ¡°Really? What great evil can elemental magic do, besides their obvious uses in combat?¡± asked Zai, still not quite buying everything the Order of Kalidor was selling to its newcomers.


    ¡°Do you know what a tsunami is, Zai?¡± she said, receiving a nod of confirmation. ¡°Hard to imagine here in the Wasted Lands, full of sand isn¡¯t it? Well, one ancient Tribe washed their neighbors off the map completely after they got all their water mages together. Another one caused a giant eruption that caused famine for¡­¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°You can tell us about that later, Orsa!¡± complained Erst. ¡°Please, tell us about death magic, don¡¯t let him get you sidetracked.¡±


    She chuckled at the boy¡¯s impudence, he would discover that their relationship as teacher-student would be quite different from this casual chat between friends. She rose her hands in surrender while Zai rolled his eyes at his brother.


    ¡°Okay. Our most recent case of life magic abuse would be the Elfey. They are a people situated mostly westwards of the Realm, though they are really disorganized. Besides neutral mana and any eventual mana with affinity someone might have, there¡¯s always life mana. It¡¯s what lay-folk would call life force, I think. Vitality.¡±


    ¡°Even animals and creatures have it then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Erst. It¡¯s a common kind of mana, but it¡¯s really hard to extract it from a living creature or people - thankfully. It¡¯s theorized that people with a strong enough focus or power of will are completely immune to it, according to some reports we¡¯ve heard from the Elfey Wars. The Warlocks - they are the Elfey¡¯s mage-cast - have some unique characteristics in dealing with magic, and the most relevant one is their ability to more easily harness life mana. They are absolutely terrifying opponents to face on the battlefield, as many mages and wizards of the Realm discovered back in the day.¡±


    ¡°You mean they get more powerful with each enemy they fell?¡± asked Zai, finally getting interest in the subject.


    ¡°Not per se, they can¡¯t really accumulate that much energy. But they can use it, and the faster they are, the bigger is the amount of mana they can ¡®steal¡¯ to cast a spell. Thankfully, their mana capacity is sub-par, that¡¯s why they haven¡¯t conquered the whole word.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s scary, but doesn¡¯t sound so bad,¡± pondered Zai.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not the truly bad part. They have a big facility in dealing with life mana, and so the most unscrupulous of their kind started practicing rituals with the life mana of sacrifices. And as it happens in every case, their mages started getting used to sacrifice people for the extra life mana we possess.¡±


    ¡°Did the Order wipe them out?¡± asked Erst.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, Erst. They weren¡¯t an organized group of evil magicians like we¡¯re used to fighting, and we didn¡¯t want to do a genocide. I believe that the Order was weakened from the war against the Witching Order as well. So, we helped the Realm and the Wizardly Order to repel and banish them from the Realms. We helped to build the Spires that powered the ritual.¡±


    ¡°Wizardly Order?¡± inquired Zai.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough history by now, boys. Even I am starting to get bored by it. You¡¯ll hear plenty of it from tomorrow on, don¡¯t you worry. More than you want to, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    The boys bugged her a little longer for more information, but she deflected them and soon left, claiming she had to prepare for the beginning of the classes on the following day. History wasn¡¯t looking quite the chore she imagined they would think, and the boy animatedly discussed everything she had told them.


    *


    *


    *


    Orsa had been right, the brothers agreed after history class. It seemed that all history class this period would be mind-numbingly boring. Their teacher had probably seen everything he was teaching the class about in person, because the man was probably a contemporary of the mummies he talked about, and had a similar appearance, gaunt, nearly all bones, and with a lingering smell of decay. The entire class had let out a sigh of relief when the man announced that his class was over.


    The brothers would be hard-pressed to answer if he asked what they thought about their classmates, and (hopefully) future colleagues in the Tainted. The aspirants were a taciturn lot, no one particularly happy about having being singled out because of their magic potential and taken to the less glorious side of the Order. Everyone dreamed about being a Paladin, wearing the iconic resplandecent white armor and charging valiantly at the face of their enemies. No one wanted to be the covered and masked sidekick that produced most of the Paladin¡¯s enchanted and warded equipment, and served as ranged support. And they were sidekicks with an expiration date to make things worse still.


    ¡°The Temptation¡± with a capital T was how most of the teachers began their classes, hammering the notion inside their heads that they must never give in, under risk of being sealed or expelled from the Order of Kalidor and hunted down. Even the damned foreign languages¡¯ teacher started his class saying it, and the annoying man had to say it in all the languages they would have to study. Erst payed the uttermost attention to everything that was said, while Zai was divided between sleeping and trying to carve his wooden table with a pocket knife. They had almost half a day of classes, and at least for now, most of them were the kind where their butts didn¡¯t leave the chairs.


    One of the rare and fortunate exceptions was the class after the language¡¯s teachers from what they had gathered. It was the magical instruction class, the one that Orsa herself was responsible for. After their teacher ended the introductory languages¡¯ class, Zai nearly jumped out of his chair, half-cheering. That earned him a dark look from the exiting teacher, but the boy pretended it had nothing to do with it, while Erst face-palmed. The man would mark his brother, and probably him as well, if he knew his luck. Still, he could agree with the feeling, though he was not stupid enough to show it. This would be the most interesting class of all.


    There must have been a couple dozen Tainted aspirants, and the group moved with uncommon enthusiasm through the mountain-fort to reach the courtyard where Orsa¡¯s class would happen. The sweaty and weary Paladin aspirants looked dumbfounded at the upbeat group when they crossed paths.


    ¡°While the sword-wavers are carrying heavy sacks of grain up and down the fort, we¡¯ll be learning magic!¡± exclaimed Zai to his brother, who merely grunted in reply, wanting to hide his own enthusiasm. Magic was one of the biggest problems in the world, but no one could say it wasn¡¯t interesting.


    They found Orsa seating on a bank, and she gestured for them to situate themselves likewise around her, and began a explanation much like the one she had given them before, though it was a lot more formal, and cited more theories and less interesting practical examples. All the students took notes attentively during half the class, until the Tainted clapped her hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for something truly interesting now. I¡¯ll check your affinities, and you have my permission to *cautiously* practice moving your mana in the meantime.¡±


    She began testing her students, jotting down on a notepad each of their affinities, and stopping occasionally to berate the more enthusiastic beginners. There were some completely unaligned and a few with more than one element. But most of them had only one and of the four classical elements, fire, water, earth and air. There were others with more uncommon ones, like ice, lightning, light (flesh would be the more technical name), and even a dark aligned one (there was no way that the Order would allow a necromancer, though, so that path was barred to the girl). The Tainted held off on telling them their affinities for now. She left the brothers¡¯ tests to the end of the class.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see, boys. We can begin with Erst.¡±


    The boy nodded, and approached, working hard to avoid trembling. The last time he¡¯d done something like that, Orsa had started the Activation, and he¡¯d suffered terribly. It was of no help that he hadn¡¯t seen any of the others having a bad reaction to Affinity Testing - he hadn¡¯t seen it happen in the other one either. Orsa put a hand on his shoulder and focused, starting a small chant. And then other. And another. It went on for quite some time.


    Luckily, he passed through no such a hardship this time. Still, Orsa opened her wide eyes after a while, and gestured for him to go and his brother to come near her. Zai went through the same process, but in his turn, she took even longer. After Zai¡¯s turn, Orsa looked a bit disappointed as she wrote down on his notepad. After a little while, she called an end to class. The Tainted didn¡¯t linger to talk with the brothers, though they were hopeful she would tell them something earlier.


    She sighed and talked to herself silently after she got away from the band of aspirants. One of them was impressive and uncommon, but the other one was really rare and dangerous. Mind. One of the most hated affinities, even more so than Death. Dying was awful, but losing your free will, that¡­ that was a nightmare. She would have to be very careful with that information.

 Chapter 18: War Council

    Tealdin and Leanor accompanied their seniors and the renegade paladin as the group went to try and re-capture the biggest number of released drones they could. Chief and another guard were, of course, ready with crossbows at the back of the group. The key to their task was the ¡®command stone¡¯, a stone engraved with the control runes of the golems that had been grudgingly provided by the Guardian. At the apprentices¡¯ backs, followed the gentle Giant golem that had taken a liking to Leanor. After some discussion, Master Garner had prevailed over Romer that a war-machine shouldn¡¯t be used as a maid or a page. Instead of a feather-duster, the construct now carried again the ¡®club¡¯ they had originally seen with him when they scouted out the Spire.


    ¡°What do you think about the paladin?¡± asked Leanor, curious, passing a hand through her short blond hair. She had lagged behind the group, pulling Tealdin back with her to ask the question. Leanor looked at the tall white-armored man¡¯s back as she asked her question. The man¡¯s face was badly scarred, and kept his black hair in a buzz cut .


    ¡°Seems like a nice guy. Besides, paladins are awesome!¡±


    She raised an eyebrow at him, ¡°Are they, really? Aren¡¯t they slaughtering wizards in this Purge, Tealdin? They destroyed two Towers already, it could have by my family¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Er-, sorry, you might be right. But when they are not trying to kill us, their people are really helpful to common people!¡±


    ¡°What are they, exactly? I feel magic around him, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a practitioner¡­¡±


    ¡°You know they abhor the excessive use of magic, right? Well, they use a lot of warded and enchanted items to fight wizards. They have a lot more protective magical items than Orwin and his people had, and they say a paladin is worth five warriors on the field.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame his people are coming to kill us then. Maybe I can take a look at his gear¡­¡±


    ¡°Aw, come on, Leanor, don¡¯t you think about anything else?¡±


    As the young ones walked behind and bickered, the gentle Giant following behind them like a puppy, the others talked of more serious matters while they reestablished control over the golems.


    ¡°You do know that one civilization fell in Ruination because of its excessive use of golems, don¡¯t you?¡± asked the renegade as he finished tagging a group of golems with the command stone. Every golem that they recovered, they sent to hold next to the gate of the Spire so they could be deployed quickly once their plans were made.


    ¡°Did they?¡± asked Lowa, stretching her weary bones.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. They tried to do something like the Guardian did with this giant piece of armor following us - dominating and affixing souls to the golems. From what you told me about the other Giant golem, you can imagine what happened when their stabilization wards broke.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lance. I intend to destroy most of these golems, right along with the lotharians that are coming for us. And, forgive my frankness, your people too if it comes to it.¡±


    ¡°I understand, though I do not like it. I don¡¯t believe many of my Order will come here anytime soon at least.¡±


    ¡°That sounds good for us, but why?¡± asked the raven-haired wizard as they searched for another group of golems.


    ¡°Our participation in this Purge, how I mentioned before, seems highly irregular. A lot of important members of the Order are deployed far away, even overseas.¡±


    The practitioners shook their head at that last information. Of course the zealots would brave the murderous sea voyages. A big number of ships never even survived their maiden voyages.


    ¡°Small favors,¡± commented Lowa sarcastically.


    ¡°I never thought I would see the Order of Kalidor fighting side by side with the Fidajin, to tell you the truth.¡±


    ¡°Fidajin?¡± both the paladin and Lowa asked, surprised.


    ¡°Come on, guys. Wizards can be a little dismissive of security measures, but the way they hit us right at the beginning reeks of infiltration and betrayal. I¡¯m sure they are involved.¡±


    Lowa cursed and Lance grimaced. The Fidajin were a secretive sect of thieves and killers for hire, famed to be extremely competent, and extremely expensive. They hailed from Savlan but offered their services throughout the world to the highest bidders.


    ¡°Do you really think that Lord Favre would have that kind of money to expend on this Purge? Even the Lord of Lothar¡¯s coffers must be suffering¡­¡± replied Lowa.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what is motivating him, but he¡¯s trying awful hard to crush us, wizards, and he doesn¡¯t look to worried about collateral damage, as all the other refugees here can attest.¡±


    ¡°That makes a sick kind of sense, but I still wish it isn¡¯t true.¡±


    ¡°Me neither,¡± said the renegade. ¡°It would be a bad moment in the history of my Order to work alongside people like that, Master Garner.¡±


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see.¡±


    After a couple of hours, the group turned back to the Spire in order to arrive at the agreed time of the ¡®war council¡¯.


    ***


    ¡°Thanks for joining us, everyone. We¡¯re here to discuss about our preparations to withstand the siege and to survive this Purge,¡± Garner commenced the meeting formally. Reunited in an old meeting room, cleaned and restored as much as feasible by Romer and his people, the leading wizards and mages that had joined them in the Spire stood around a big round table where the map of the region was spread open. On the map, red markers stood over and around occupied cities and destroyed or besieged Towers. There were a lot of red markers throughout this western region on the Realm, and many more were situated in the Westernwoods, closing in on them.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let my lead avowed warrior explain our martial strength, and Lowa to sum our estimated magical capacity.¡±


    ¡°Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. With the warriors brought by you, we have three scores of warriors ready to defend the Spire. Most of our gear has been enchanted and warded by a few of you, the magical craftspeople have my thanks,¡± Chief said, referring to the Enchanters and Warders by the collective term. The Warders, mages like Leanor, engraved or painted defensive wards on equipment while the Enchanters specialized in casting long lasting offensive spells, mostly. ¡°We will be heavily outnumbered, so our current idea is to focus mostly on plugging any gaps the Lotharians carve through our screens of golems.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re getting a little bit ahead of yourself there, Chief, but let me take my turn. We have twenty practitioners, twelve of which we can consider as main combatants, capable of engaging the enemy directly. The others can serve as support and mana providers for artillery spells or rituals, if we need them,¡± said Lowa, gesturing for Garner to take over the briefing again.


    ¡°I hope that everyone is with the amulets we¡¯ve distributed - they are the only things avoiding a lot of nasty traps from activating on you. Keep them well-hidden when the fighting starts so the enemy doesn¡¯t discover them easily,¡± He said, not needing to clarify in which scenario the enemy would have free access to their belongings - in case they were killed. ¡°Any questions so far?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I sure do. Who the seven hells put you in charge?¡± challenged one irascible and annoying young wizard, Master Wilhelm. The redheaded wizard was of noble birth and had a terrible reputation among the Wizardly Order, but they had to put up with him. Only half of the main wizards and mages reunited had the magical knowledge to be ranked as a Master, a title of the wizards only reached by those who could feel magical energy so precisely that it come close to being a ¡®magic sight¡¯. That ability usually made a practitioner a lot more dangerous as they could understand spells as they were being formed and react accordingly. Besides that combat advantage, the magical sight helped mages and wizards improve their own spells, eliminating inefficiencies and reducing their casting time.


    ¡°Guardian,¡± Garner called, though he was sure the creature had been spying on their meeting the entire time, ¡°who controls the Spire at the moment?¡±


    ¡°You do, sage Steward,¡± replied the spirit-creature as it materialized besides Garner.


    ¡°Hmpf¡­ Only because you were a coward and got here earlier.¡±


    Luckily, the man had virtually no support among the other practitioners who just looked at his failed power-grab with varying levels of disgust and reproach. Garner tried to smooth his expression and his tone, but he failed. One vein was pulsing on his forehead, and there was a dangerous edge in his reply, ¡°We need you in the defense, Master Wilhelm, but you¡¯re free to get away from the Spire as well. In fact, if you continue with your posture, I¡¯ll *personally* guide you to the exit.¡±


    The readheaded wizard sneered back at him, but fortunately managed to keep his mouth shut this time. The tense moment passed, and Garner breathed in deeply to control his anger before he continued, ¡°Guardian, please describe to them the numbers and types of golems we¡¯ve managed to gather.¡±


    The spirit dispassionately listed every construct that they had at their disposal to protect the Spire, though he left out the Giant one that was constantly following Leanor around, according to Garner¡¯s earlier instructions. Chief came forward again to discuss the deployment of the golems, and heard and replied to some suggestions mainly from other avowed warriors, and a mercenary leader.


    ¡°Moving on, we have to talk about the state of our supplies. In the last few days, our hunters have worked hard to acquire and prepare smoked and salted meat. We¡¯ve received valuable donations of supplies from the Druids as well. That¡¯s besides the supplies some of us brought from the get-go. I¡¯ve asked my majordomo, Romer, to inventory the supplies, and he has informed me that we have enough to last for three months, though it will be stretching it at the end.¡±


    ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯t come to that,¡± one wandering mage observed.


    ¡°Yeah, the king must intervene before then, this purge only damages the Realm!¡± commented other.


    ¡°That might be so, but I suggest you hope for the best, but expect the worst,¡± advised Lowa.


    ¡°And what about our allies, Master Garner?¡± one slim and petite wizard asked, Master Tara.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t expect help for a while, I¡¯m afraid,¡± said Garner.


    ¡°Captain Lamart¡¯s soldiers have bloodied the enemy, but they were hurt in the exchange too. The Captain seems to have been injured and they have temporarily retreated from what we could see in the Mirror,¡± informed Chief.


    ¡°The Druids are a different matter. We can¡¯t get in contact with them, they are shielding themselves from the Mirror somehow and are ignoring our messages. They are grieving for their lost little ones, and they will probably remain recluse for a while. But when they come back¡­ Their wrath will be impressive,¡± predicted Lowa.


    ¡°The Westernwoods are their place of power, after all. Even now, I think the Lotharians will have to deal with a very hostile forest. Its anger is nearly palpable,¡± agreed Garner.


    They interrogated the Guardian for any defensive capability of the Spire, and learned a great deal they could use in the upcoming struggle. The group kept on readying their plans for hours still.


    ***


    Valena, Tealdin and Leanor (and her constant shadow) were gathered at the Eyrie, the highest observation point of the whole Spire, and the apprentices observed the necromancer as she got ready to animate the skeleton she had found in her earlier exploration. She could bring creatures back a lot faster, like she had done before when fighting the Lotharians, but there were some differences between the situations. First, all the bodies had been fresh, that is, killed just before she cast her spell. They still had a substantial portion of their life mana, which allowed her to use this energy as fuel to cast a re-raise spell quickly. A skeleton was a different matter - it required that a necromancer cast a reanimation spell, a lot harder than the re-raise, requiring attention and patience. The re-raised creature could be very strong and durable if a necromancer imbued it with a lot of mana.


    The young ones kept silent so as not to disturb her, and alternated between watching her and the beautiful view. After half an hour of careful casting, Valena willed her energy forward and the bird skeleton started moving, surprising the other two.


    ¡°Hells, that¡¯s weird to watch,¡± commented Tealdin.


    Leanor looked into the bones a lot more attentively, smiling when she saw the wards she¡¯d carefully insculpted in the bones flare for a moment before subsiding. It was the first time she had tried, but she had successfully strengthened Valena¡¯s pet against both physical and magical attacks, if she hadn¡¯t gotten her runes mixed - she never did.


    ¡°Come here, beautiful,¡± Valena said, extending her arm, and the creature followed its master commands the best way it knew how, extending its bony wings and pushing itself off the ground and onto the offered arm.


    ¡°Do you think your spell will work?¡± asked Leanor, looking to the grinning raven-haired necromancer.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done it before, but it might be harder seeing from an eagle¡¯s point of view than usual¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me get something straight - you want to find your green-haired friend in the forest by looking from on high?¡± Tealdin asked skeptically.


    ¡°No one¡¯s forcing you to be here,¡± replied Leanor surly, making him raise his hands in surrender with a glare.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, my bad.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re looking for her bird, actually,¡± Valena replied to the untactful comment, letting it go. With a deep sigh, she let her skeletal bird fly, magic powering its flight and search for her grieving friend and her Commune.

 Chapter 19: Parley

    At the morning after the wizards and company¡¯s war council, it finally began. Hosts of red-caped soldiers encroaching on the Westernwoods came into naked view of the Spire, occupying the very same hill that Agor¡¯ people had when they arrived. Like the people before them, they too had been awed at the first sight of the Spire. But soon, without fanfare, various units began encircling the Third Spire at the behest of their commanders, and taking care of never coming close to the range of spells and projectiles. Their every step was accompanied by the guards on the Watch-room and reporter to everyone on the Spire. Weapons were sharpened, souls and minds were steeled. The Siege of the Spire began.


    The Lotharian camp was established between the two hills, with fortifications readied on the vantage points to discourage sallies and to forewarn the camp if they ever came to pass. Flags were plunged into the hill, the red banner of Lothar, a silver iron fist chief among them all, denoting the lead of Lothar¡¯s heir, Lord Agor. There were a lot of minor nobles among them and their various flags flew too. There were those who believed in the cause, those who wanted the opportunity to plunder, and those who were coerced. It didn¡¯t matter now that they come here, blood would be spilled either way.


    The Lotharians had born the brunt of the early days of the campaign, sending their men against Towers and cities, and their scouts to clash and chase away the Army unit guarding the region. But their sycophants and unwilling partners¡¯ warriors were the ones that suffered the most in the path through the Westernwood. Experienced hunters could swear they were the victims of ambushes, and many did not come back from their hunting and foraging. A surprising number of magical beasts rampaged through groups that got separated and lost in the woods. Even the trees and bushes seemed to give way unwillingly. Of course, these trials affected only a small fraction of the number of troops - hundreds of men marched onto the Spire and now laid siege to it.


    Up on the Spire, there were look-outs on both sides of the tall fortification. Many other people conglomerated on up high balconies to watch the beginning of it all. On one such veranda, Garner and most of the people who had arrived and cleared the way to the Spire with him were besides him. Assured Chief, reliable Orwin, mysterious Raj¡¯pul, brave siblings, loyal men-at-arms. All of these people had accepted to put themselves in harm¡¯s way in the defense of the wizards and other practitioners who looked for refuge here. There were also wise Lowa, inquisitive apprentices, and the earnest Valena. Serving them all drinks and snacks like it was an spectacle were Romer and his people, the servants, who also endangered themselves here to do their duties.


    ¡°This is it, people,¡± Garner said. ¡°This won¡¯t be easy, it will be brutal. But I believe that we can and that we will prevail,¡± He said, finishing his short speech as he looked everyone in the eye and tried to transmit courage.


    ¡°I believe you will,¡± agreed Sir Lance, the renegade paladin as he arrived on the balcony. ¡°We must be wary of the Spire - both its Guardian and its unassaibility - but we can do it, even against this host.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir Lance. And tonight, tonight we¡¯ll draw first blood,¡± Garner promised.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± most people answered back, the warriors mostly enthusiastic of the bunch by far.


    ¡°Master Garner. I do believe they intend to set a tent for a parlay in a while,¡± said Chief as he watched the movement of their enemy¡¯s troops and people.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it dangerous, Master? It might be a trap,¡± said Tealdin, uncertain after most people took the parlay in stride.


    ¡°It might, but we¡¯ll be prepared if that¡¯s the case. Lord Agor has a reputation as an honest and decent man, but there¡¯s not much decency involved in this whole Purge,¡± He reassured his apprentice. ¡°Sir Lance, if you would accompany us?¡± He asked as he started leaving the balcony, followed by Lowa and Chief.


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    After the elders and leaders went away, there were left Orwin and the greenest of the group - the apprentices and the young warriors, and the naive necromancer. There was silence for a while as they all turned back to watch the lotharian horde until Orwin shook his bald head, saying, ¡°It finally begins now.¡±


    ¡°You sound like you were actually looking forward to it,¡± Leanor raised an eyebrow, consternated at the emotion. Fighting golems had been bad enough, fighting people would utterly suck in her opinion. The only thing she wished was to study her books and magic in peace, but now here she was, next to a bloodthirsty warriors and clueless practitioners.


    ¡°Not really, Leanor-¡± the veteran started replying, but was swiftly interrupted by Maia.


    ¡°It¡¯s the wait that shakes you, Leanor. A battle is chaos and death, but when you¡¯re fighting, you¡¯re mostly too busy to be afraid. I know it doesn¡¯t make sense, but I agree that it¡¯s best to get it over with already.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± replied the bookworm apprentice.


    ¡°Have-, have you been in many battles like this?¡± asked Tealdin, hesitating as he looked over the red wave surrounding them.


    ¡°We¡¯ve fought in the Atala?as, we¡¯ve fought at the Ghent debacle, and Orwin probably many more than that. Fighting is a shit-your-pants experience, but it can also be exhilarating,¡± Mons said seriously to the brown-haired boy who nodded his thanks at the honesty.


    ¡°Wow, Orwin, when did he learn those big words? I think he just said a five-syllables word!¡± taunted his sister, making everyone chuckle and the mood to lighten a bit while they briefly exchanged their customary insults and banter back and forth. Valena grunted at them to shut up after a while.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer if you don¡¯t want to, but¡­ I wanted to know how was it? Not the Atala?as, everyone hears from those parts. About the Ghent campaign?¡±


    ¡°Well, the king declared we would be seen as liberators, but the tribes of Ghent saw it as an invasion. I don¡¯t know to this day if we were right, or if they were,¡± said Orwin, remembering some bad moments.


    ¡°Not that it makes a difference,¡± opined Maia. ¡°Once things went south¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but willing or not, we were the attackers there. Here, they have to come for us. Defending is so much easier¡­¡± added Mons.


    ¡°Boy, one day I will understand the reason why you repeatedly test fate,¡± grumbled back Orwin.


    ¡°They do say¡­ that the gods protect the drunk and the retards¡­ so maybe he¡¯s immune to it?¡± pondered Valena haltingly, causing another round of chuckles. The necromancer was completely drained, and she drank from a mana tonic prepared by Lowa. The warriors told some more tales from Ghent, but they didn¡¯t stretch it out, and soon they moved on to lighter topics.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ***


    The Lotharians took their time about it, making sure that their camp was all set and secure and that the far-most encircling siege groups had a rotation going on. It was already late afternoon by the time that Lord Agor ordered a white flag taken forward, and for his people to erect a tent, signaling his intent to parlay to the besieged. The Lotharian heir took his place on a table they had set while his bodyguards and advisors stood behind him. As the sun started setting, Garner rode out of the Spire with half a dozen companions in tow, the same number as Lord Agor¡¯ escorts. The tent was right between the space from the second hill to the gates of the Spire - nearly at spell range, and not far from the lotharians either.


    ¡°Master Garner,¡± greeted Lothar¡¯s heir neutrally, raising from his stool as the wizard and his people descended from their horses and walked towards him. The mounts were tied in a post helpfully planted on the ground by the besiegers.


    ¡°Lord Agor, I presume,¡± replied Garner, schooling his expression in the face of one of the men responsible for the death of many of his friends and acquaintances.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, Master Garner. I would like to finish this with the least amount of bloodshed possible.¡±


    ¡°Likewise,¡± the wizard answered, though he was quite sure that they had two very different ideas in mind.


    ¡°These are Lord Gaius and Vida Ferrer,¡± introduced the noble, signaling for both men to step forward, ¡°Two of my advisors and commanders.¡± The man ignored the rest of his party, but gazed onto Garner¡¯s followers, saying, ¡°And who might these be?¡±


    ¡°Lowa Darkmire, notorious hedge witch, alchemist and healer. Lance Eisenwill, paladin of Kalidor. Master Tara, wizard and battle-mage. Besides my esteemed warriors, of course,¡± He introduced. The choice of the third practitioner to follow him had been a big doubt, but they had settled for the short wizard for her experience and good temper - someone like Master Wilhelm would probably only make things harder than they had to be, while the others practitioners might not be up to the kind of problem that would arise if things went south.


    ¡°Charmed,¡± replied Agor, getting frowns and scowls in response.


    Sitting down on the stool reserved for him, being accompanied by his counterpart, Lothar said, ¡°You wanted to parley, lotharian. Say your piece, then.¡±


    ¡°Direct, I can appreciate that. Surrender, Master Garner. We¡¯ll have a trial for your Order¡¯s crimes, and we¡¯ll be lenient to the accessories of your crimes - even the mages.¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re being accused of crimes, Lord Agor, I would like to know the charges - and who gave you the authority to be judge, jury and executioner,¡± countered Garner, raising his eyebrows at being accused of crimes.


    ¡°Sedition and violation of the Statute of Magical Limitations.¡±


    ¡°Which clauses of the Statute, Lord Agor?¡±


    ¡°Brainwashing and Crimes against Humany, Mutagenics, wizard.¡±


    ¡°Mutagenics? I see¡­¡± replied Agor, not surprised that they would make up such serious accusations. Mutagenics was the attempt to fundamentally alter human beings through the use of magic, and it was a forbidden practice throughout the world because of the grave disasters that had taken place after earlier episodes.


    ¡°But you haven¡¯t answered the question completely, Lord Agor. Who gave you the authority to try and persecute them?¡± Lowa pressed the man. ¡°Who gave you the authority to kill and imprison other practitioners while you were at it, too?¡±


    ¡°The same Statute allows us to apprehend its violators, Elder. Collateral damage was unfortunate, but unavoidable.¡±


    Lowa was furious at the cynic answer? Unavoidable? They had whipped up the masses into a frenzy, and then let loose at the unsuspecting. And some of the ones who didn¡¯t believe their lies, acted the same way because of fear of retaliation by the invaders. The scene that Valena and the others had told her that happened in Green Knoll had repeated themselves in many other places. She had to force her hand away from a corrosive vial she was unconsciously reaching for in her coat slash alchemy deposit.


    ¡°It allows you to persecute people caught in the act, Lord Agor, not to launch an extermination campaign against your adversaries. I¡¯m sure none of the people in the Spire have done anything you claim, and that you have no proof of it.¡±


    As the lotharian lord opened his mouth to retort, Garner interrupted him, ¡°If that was all? You may leave now with your killers.¡±


    The man¡¯s companions scowled, and Lord Gaius raised a finger towards them, nearly shouting ¡°You think you¡¯ll get away this easy, wizard?! You¡¯ll pay for your crimes - in blood! One way or another.¡±


    ¡°Crimes, Lord Gaius? I¡¯ve seen no evidence of such crimes,¡± countered Lance.


    ¡°You must be insane, paladin! Siding up with these people against your own order, what the hells is wrong with you?!¡± the man accused aggressively.


    ¡°I fight for what I believe is right, I¡¯m not a puppet whose strings can be pulled at will, not even by the Order of Kalidor. What you have done so far confirms to me I¡¯m on the right side of this,¡± answered the renegade paladin calmly.


    The woman introduced as Vida Ferrer pulled the Lord back, ignoring his look of outrage at Lance, and in a more reasonable tone she said, ¡°He¡¯s a bit angry, never mind him. But, you know, Master Garner, Lord Agor¡¯ proposal is your best option. We¡¯ll bring you down anyway. The only difference is the people you¡¯ll be condemning to die besides you if you resist.¡±


    ¡°I think most would prefer to die fighting than to suffer through rigged trials,¡± Garner riposted.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you, Captain Vida,¡± Master Tara entered the argument, ¡°you¡¯re a competent mercenary. But this is a criminal campaign, and the King or the Wizardly Order will hold everyone responsible, even you and your sellswords.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s that chance,¡± admitted Vida, ¡°but I¡¯ve received some fairly reliable assurances that the Wizardly Order won¡¯t be in any state to pursue grudges, if it exists at all after this Purge.¡±


    There. The mercenary captain, a lot less preoccupied with the niceties and twisting of truth, said the word that they all knew truly defined everything that was happening. This was no misguide attempt to bring justice to a rogue Order, but an organized attempt to wipe out the wizards, though it was for reasons none of them could fathom.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure that you¡¯ll storm the Spire?¡± Tara asked skeptically, and the other woman nodded confidently. ¡°Let me rephrase: are you sure you can storm the Spire and do not break the Banishment Spell in the process?¡±, the wizard pressed, and the mercenary grunted, noncommittal.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be coming into an agreement if that¡¯s your stand. Do you have anything else to say?¡± said Garner.


    ¡°There¡¯s another thing, I¡¯m afraid,¡± said Lord Agor, setting everyone on Garner¡¯s side on edge, hands to their weapons or ready to cast spells. ¡°We¡¯ve apprehended several suspects on our way here, Master Garner. We¡¯ll start the trials tomorrow, and punishment will be swift if they are found to be guilty.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I had actually heard you were an honorable man, Lord Agor. What happened?¡± asked the wizard, gritting his teeth at the helpless situation.


    ¡°Duty.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve killed enough innocent people that you should start taking responsibility for your own acts already,¡± remarked Lowa, staring a hole through the man¡¯s head.¡±


    ¡°You might be right, Elder, but the fact stands. Will that make you reconsider, Master Garner?¡±


    ¡°No, lotharian, your threats won¡¯t be enough,¡± Garner said defiantly, though he wasn¡¯t looking forward to the consequences.


    ¡°Is there any way I might reasonably make you change your mind?¡±


    ¡°No. But I want to ask a last question: why is your father doing this, Agor? I just can¡¯t understand it.¡±


    ¡°His reasons are his own, I only follow his commands,¡± the man shrugged at his question.


    ¡°Madness. We¡¯re leaving,¡± said Garner decisively, tired of this fruitless verbal sparring.


    ¡°So this meeting comes to an end,¡± said Agor, and Garner¡¯s eyes widened at the intent he saw in the man¡¯s dark eyes.


    ¡°Trap!¡± he shouted, warning his people as all hells broke loose.

 Chapter 20: First Blood

    From every shred of information that Garner had gathered, Lord Agor seemed to be a perfectly honorable man until the day he started the Purge at his father¡¯s command, leading the murderous campaign against Wizards, as well as any unfortunate mage or practitioner that got in the way. An offer of Parley was a tradition as strong as offering food and drink to someone in your house-stead, people almost never broke it, and were reviled and shunned in those rare cases where they did. So, everything he knew indicated that there wouldn¡¯t be any foul play with the conversation. The white flags signaled a temporary truce and were as universal as gestures could get.


    But the wizard was no fool. He knew Manwell, the Lord of Arburgh, and the fortified city. There was only one way that he believed possible for the strong city to have been defeated this quickly - treachery. Reports on the early days of the Purge also talked about Towers and wizards falling because of completely unexpected treason. To top it all off was his strong suspicion that the Fidajin were involved in this campaign and all these acts he had noted as improbable. So, Garner hoped for the best, and expected the worse. His hopes were dashed when he saw that glint on the eye of Lord Agor, and though he noted that there was no satisfaction in those eyes, he didn¡¯t have time to care.


    ¡®Trap!¡± He warned as he stepped back without turning his back to his foes, his movement mirrored by the other two mages and Lance as they agreed before. The three warriors interposed themselves between the retreating wizards and the Lotharians, shields at the ready. The fast recognition of the trap by Garner and the frantic organized movements threw off the surprise attack. Not far from the tent they were retreating from, suddenly dozen rogues and wizards appeared right and left of their location - Garner would thought it to be a teleportation spell if he didn¡¯t know better. The rogues started pursuing them right away, weapons in hand, while the mages started casting.


    Lowa and Tara had already started casting their Barrier and Shield spells, and Garner was responsible for delaying the enemies, throwing a lighting bolt towards Lord Agor. However, the man held out his arm, and the energy seemed to flow into one of his rings even as the noble retreated. The lotharian soldiers released bolts that hit only the warriors¡¯ shields or Lowa¡¯s Shield, and then drew their weapons and charged forward, being joined by Captain Ferrer and Lord Gaius. The situation was getting dire to the wizard¡¯s people as they tried to enact a fighting retreat back to their horses. Their support at the Spire couldn¡¯t launch spells or projectiles in fear of hitting their own.


    Spells bombarded Tara¡¯s barrier and the wizard struggled to hold it together, though she had great mana capacity in her favor, besides the attacking mages being somewhat unskilled. Garner fired another lightning, this time towards Vida Ferrer, but the mercenary bashed it aside with her shield, deflecting it towards a soldier by her side, making him fall down, injured, stunned, and out of the fight. This was getting too common for Garner¡¯s liking. Lord Agor¡¯s escorts charged into the shield-line protecting them and weapons flashed forwards, every combatant struggling to break the formation apart.


    Vida Ferrer somehow managed to stab one of Chief¡¯s men with her rapier, making the man stumble back, unable to keep his shield up anymore after the hit. She didn¡¯t have the opportunity to explore the gap, though - Lance Eisenwill blew his opponent away with a vicious hammer swing to the chest, caving it in, and opposed her advance. A greatsword hammered Chief¡¯s shield, and the veteran stabbed back blindingly fast for the neck of the swordsman - Lord Gaius. Somehow, the man managed to evade most of the attack at the last second, moving even faster for a second. Still, a gash on the side of his neck, the man¡¯s impetus was considerably slowed, his hesitation clear at facing the dangerous old warrior.


    Arrows flew over their frontliners, searching for the practitioners at the back. Lowa¡¯s Shield deflected most of the projectiles, but one of them was enchanted and broke through, speeding towards Garner¡¯s face. At the last second, though, Garner shot lighting out of his mouth, knocking the projectile away in a show of skill. Few practitioners held out through the long and gruesome training to cast spells from new focus point on their bodies. Its versatility couldn¡¯t be overstated, as most people always expected a mage to cast from his dominant hand only.


    Garner grimaced at the close call and sent a fireball towards the group of ranged rogues he believed the attack had come from, giving the mages no time to try and shield the archers. The fireball burned and blew them away. Garner believed he had done the right thing to use his lesser Fire affinity, as everyone seemed to be ready for his main Lightning one. Still, the melee rogues started to envelop his people when he decided it was time and threw a fireball upwards, signaling for the contingency plan to be put into action. Looking worriedly from one of the Spire¡¯s balcony, Valena saw the flare and obeyed.


    ¡°Rise!¡± she cried, channeling all the mana she could borrow from the rich air around the Spire to finish the spell she¡¯d been preparing for the whole day.


    Skeletons rose from the ground all around Garner and his people, some of beasts, some of men. All of them had been buried in preparation of their enemy¡¯s arrival, though the original plan was to use them to raid the enemy¡¯s camp at night, or to try and disrupt one of their attacks on the Spire. Valena had suffered a great strain in maintaining so many of the creatures at the same time, but she had endured the whole day.


    The Skeletons weren¡¯t her most powerful minions by far, but the rogues in particular were ill suited to deal with them, wearing only light armor and wielding mostly cutting weapons. The attackers¡¯ hesitated, and it gave time for the risen creatures to dig themselves out and lock in on them. After a moment, the spell was broken, and the rogues charged the skeletons, who answered in kind. All hell broke loose, and without the cover of spells and projectiles, Ferrer and Gaius retreated instead of trying to face the whole attention of Garner, Lowa and Tara.


    The group mounted up and rode hard back to the Spire. Some of the rogues tried to foolishly pursue their quarry, but Maia¡¯s arrows put a quick end to that idea, killing one of them and hurting another. Lord Agor looked at everything in silence, and grimaced - both at what he had been forced to attempt to do, and at the escape of his opponent¡¯s despite it all. It had been wishful thinking that he could have just resolved everything in this opportunity. The heir knew he had to hurry and finish this resistance, the clock was ticking.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    *


    *


    *


    Lord Favre, Lothar


    ¡°Damnation!¡± swore Lord Favre, ruler of Lothar, as his son¡¯s message arrived at his richly furnished office. The attempt to decapitate the leadership of the wizards holding out in the Third Spire had failed, which probably meant that capturing the stronghold would take a lot longer. A lot of blood too, but he wasn¡¯t unduly concerned with that - he had a lot of bodies to throw at his enemies.


    ¡°I presumed it has failed, milord?¡± his majordomo and long-time adviser inquired.


    ¡°Yes, Vilnius, they escaped,¡± said the man, his head throbbing with a rising migraine.


    ¡°I see¡­ What are the consequences for our plans, milord?¡± the mustachioed majordomo asked, trying to distract him from his irritation. The man¡¯s startling white hair appearing to make him even more proper than when he¡¯d arrived to serve him, so many decades ago.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to divide the paladins. They will have to keep the communication of the besieged Tower¡¯s locked down with less men.¡±


    ¡°And what of the Wizard¡¯s political pressure, milord?¡±


    ¡°They had a meeting with the King yesterday, but He didn¡¯t show a great hurry to resolve the matter. According to my sources, he said he has more pressing matters, but that He will send me an invitation to discuss the matter sometime next week.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m a foreigner, milord, but why didn¡¯t the King react more harshly?¡±


    ¡°Well, he doesn¡¯t like the wizards, and he doesn¡¯t care much for the West either. It¡¯s a poor land, and he¡¯s been giving us mostly free reins in how to deal with the region,¡± he explained, trusting in his majordomo to brainstorm with him as once he¡¯d trusted his monstrous wife. His knucles were still hurt from his last visit to the filthy Dungeon where he was keeping her. The woman had the gall to mock him after everything she had done and he had lost control, hitting her until the prison guards managed to snap him out of it. It wouldn¡¯t be that easy to the bitch, he would truly make her suffer before he was done with her.


    ¡°Should I prepare for your trip to the capital, milord?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, Vilnius. I¡¯ll stall for as long as I can, claim I was sick.¡±


    ¡°Very intelligent, milord. But what about the wizards in areas free of the Purge, milord?¡±


    ¡°They are slow to react, and have difficulties in organizing and gathering their people. For all their reputation, I¡¯ve already had the worst of their lot taken care of quietly. If they attack Lothar, we¡¯ll prevail. If they try to rescue their comrades, we¡¯ll be the hammer to my son¡¯s anvil and crush them.¡±


    ¡°Very well, milord. But I¡¯m afraid I must look after the youngest, milord,¡± the majordomo said, bowing as he awaited the permission to leave.


    Favre nearly growled at the reminder. The noble still believed that the most merciful thing he could do to the infant was to put an end to it, but he simply couldn¡¯t do it, and he would never order one of his men to do that dark and extremely personal deed. ¡°You may go, Vilnius. Take care of it¡­¡±


    *


    *


    *


    The Spire


    Chief¡¯s wounded man didn¡¯t make it. The damned Vida Ferrer hit the man¡¯s artery, and he kept on his feet just enough to arrive back at the Spire and fall of his horse. None of the wizards or healers could do anything but say their sentiments to Garner and his avowed warriors. In what seemed like a lifetime of service to the wizard, never before had Chief lost one of his warriors in combat. The damned siege barely began, and one of his men already laid lifeless at the small a capel. After everyone who whished had said its farewells or prayed to one¡¯s gods, they would take the body to a cold chamber on the penultimate bottom floor, where he wouldn¡¯t decompose for months, hopefully.


    The veteran had agreed at the time that attending the Parley offer was the right choice, but goddamnit, it had been stupid in hindsight. What advantage could they have ever gained from attending it? Lord Agos hadn¡¯t let anything important slip, and they were down a good man to defend the Spire. If they hadn¡¯t been prepared, it could have all ended right then. Chief was mulling on such thoughts on a balcony when he felt a presence behind him, and looked back to see Raj¡¯pul behind him. He scowled at the foreign man, not in the mood to deal with him, who he didn¡¯t trust at all.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t like me much, Chief, but I¡¯ve come to wish you my condolences,¡± said the man, nodding respectfully.


    Chief measured the man¡¯s honesty in his eyes, and his anger subsided a little. ¡°Thanks, Raj¡¯pul, he was a good man.¡±


    The rogue joined him in the balcony then, after he didn¡¯t turn him away. The two stood silently looking at the movement of the lotharians at the distance for a long while as the sun started setting in the horizon and the temperature started lowering.


    ¡°How do you deal with it, Chief?¡± Raj¡¯pul broke the silence, his breath visible in the cold weather.


    Chief looked at him speculatively, ¡°It happens, rogue. We¡¯re warriors, it¡¯s a given we will not live forever.¡±


    Still, the warrior didn¡¯t press the man, and let him bring what was eating him at his own time. But he could see it, he had a lifetime of dealing with the aftermath of such situations after all, and he clearly wasn¡¯t the only one grieving at the moment.


    ¡°Before I met with the others, Chief,¡± the man got out, ¡°Don¡¯t ask me where, but I lost everyone¡­¡±


    Helping the man at least got the warriors out of his own dark thoughts, ¡°How?¡±. He didn¡¯t ask as the man had requested, but he could put two and two together: the man was clearly a rogue by the way he moved and fought, and he had been found on a road with many empty horses with a death wish¡­


    ¡°We got caught in the middle of it all,¡± Raj¡¯pul said, gesturing to the Spire and the army before them. ¡°We were good, very good, but our luck ran out. Only I made it out.¡±


    ¡°Survivor¡¯s guilty they call it, rogue. Almost every warrior feels it one time or another. My advice would be to give it time and keep your mind out of it, but I¡¯m sure our friends will help to keep you busy,¡± he said, grinning deprecatingly at the besiegers.


    ¡°You know, I wish they would. I have the urge to stab someone, many someones,¡± the man said, looking angrily at the people responsible for his current predicaments.


    ¡°So do I, Raj¡¯pul, so do I,¡± answered Chief, patting his sword¡¯s hilt as he thought of the mercenary captain who¡¯d slain his man. ¡°Tomorrow, tomorrow we¡¯ll have ample opportunity, I bet.¡±


    The two continued in companionable silence for a while before they retired and went to sleep, getting ready for the next¡¯s day challenges.

 Chapter 21: Unease

    Lotharians


    (Right After the Ambush at the Parley)


    ¡°That went well,¡± commented Vida Ferrer, cleaning the blood off her rapier after they had hastily vacated the tent where they had talked and fought with the Spire¡¯s new Steward. Looking back to the scene she saw the bodies of Lotharians and Fidajin alike scattered throughout the are the impromptu battlefield.


    ¡°Treacherous Wizard!¡± cursed Lord Gaius, waving his sword at the Spire, its beautiful blue form contrasting with the sundown.


    The mercenary captain snorted, looking at him sideways. ¡°It was we that broke the truce, Gaius,¡± she pointed out.


    ¡°Nothing more than they deserve for their crimes!¡± the man replied indignantly, making her shake her head at the man¡¯s capacity of justifying his own dishonorable acts.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, captain,¡± interjected Lord Agor as he approached the duo, having given the necessary orders to spread lies about what had just taken place to the camp, ¡°It¡¯s not how I enjoy to act, but this could have saved us from a lot of bloodshed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, now that you talk about it, I suspect you¡¯ll end up having to pay me the bonus we agreed. Maybe a lot more of them, even.¡±


    ¡°Were you that impressed, sellsword?¡± inquired Gaius, frowning at the thought of respecting their enemies - even though their sneak attack had just been rebuffed.


    ¡°You never said anything about necromancers,¡± she started counting out her fingers, ¡°those are as nasty as they come. There¡¯s also that rogue paladin, I sure wasn¡¯t expecting anything like that. Who knows what kind of dirty tricks the man has in store? Then, there were the warriors, they were far from pushovers, one of two could actually make me break a sweat. And that¡¯s just the enemies we¡¯ve met yet from the Spire, who are probably preparing a lot of ugly surprises for us in there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a-¡± Lord Gaius started saying before Vida rudely interrupted him, making him scowl.


    ¡°Hush, I¡¯m not done yet. There¡¯s still the Druids at our backs, too silent for my liking, and those annoying Realm¡¯s soldiers who bled our scouts the whole way in and then vanished.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty comprehensive summary, Vida,¡± replied the lotharian heir with mirth at the commoner¡¯s habitual impudence. If the woman hadn¡¯t beat the shit out of Gaius a dozen times at the sparring rings, he was sure his cousin would be choking her for the non-stop insults and slights she directed his way.


    ¡°Have I said something funny, *milord*?¡± she said, curtsying mockingly, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Rising, she looked him in the eyes before continuing, ¡°And you still haven¡¯t told me how we¡¯ll break in that damned Spire. The Elfey couldn¡¯t do it, but you¡¯re awful sure of your lordly self.¡±


    ¡°The day after tomorrow, you¡¯ll see.¡±


    The mercenary captain nearly growled at his non-chalant secret keeping. She turned around stiffly without asking his leave and started walking back to camp.


    ¡°You keep saying about the day after tomorrow, cousin. But what¡¯s our next step?¡± asked Gaius as he looked at the departing warrior¡¯s backside with appreciation.


    ¡°Tonight, the siege truly begins. We¡¯ll give them no rest, tire them out before we¡¯re ready to strike.¡±


    ¡°Good, good¡­ But tell me something, cousin. These Fidajin you¡¯ve hired didn¡¯t impress me at all today. I expected better of them, people always talk like they are the boogie men.¡±


    ¡°They did great things for our Purge already, cousin, like opening the gates of Arburgh and taking down some strong wizards. Master Garner predicted our attack somehow and took the wind from our sails completely. Besides, the rogues work better under the cover of the dark, and their best operatives are still a ways from here or occupied with other work.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Gaius. We¡¯ll have plenty to do tomorrow.¡±


    ***


    The Spire


    Many people were already high-strung in the Spire, the tension of the upcoming days weighing heavily on many, not only on the duo talking at a balcony upstairs. It hit specially hard the unblooded and the non combatants. Romer had naturally taken charge of any and all servants that had been brought to the Spire with another wizards, though there had been some grumblings he¡¯d promptly quashed. This was far from the kind of situation where servants should play their petty games of power and favor. The majordomo walked towards one of the kitchens, hearing loud sobbing and preoccupied conversations before he strode in.


    ¡°What is the commotion I¡¯ve been hearing about?¡± he asked firmly, making everyone turn to face him. Serving maids, cooks and dishwashers were all centered around a sobbing young redheaded girl, Dalia, one of his - Master Garner¡¯s people.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°We were talking about what may happen, and she broke into tears,¡± said one of the helpless cooks, shrugging his shoulders.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you once, and I¡¯ll tell you again, people. Trust in our wizards, trust in our warriors. Things might start looking bleak for a bit, but we are in one of the strongest fortifications ever built by the Realm. Not a single one of the Spires ever fell, and we won¡¯t be breaking this tradition now.¡±


    ¡°But Jeen just died today, Mr. Romer!,¡± Dalia protested vehemently, trying to dam the unending tears for a moment.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m afraid there will be many other deaths before this is over,¡± Romer said, not without sympathy.


    ¡°He bled out on the floor! I had to clean his blood!¡± the girl said before breaking into sobs again.


    The majordomo stared at her for a while, then rose and frowning he looked at the people around who avoided his eyes, shamefully. His slight frown could be translated as a normal person¡¯ bloodthirsty expression, and it deepened particularly when he caught the eye of the maid he¡¯d ordered to clean it all up. Oh, there would be a reckoning for this one, and everyone at the kitchen could realize that. Everyone but the brokenhearted Dalia.


    Smoothing his expression, the majordomo approached the girl and raised her from the stool she was sitting on. ¡°I will take her to her room, but I expect you to finish up the cleaning and go back to sleep as soon as you¡¯re done. We¡¯ll have a lot of work to do tomorrow, one way or the other.¡±


    ***


    The Spire was planned from the start as a fortification, a huge edifice built for war - to stand it, and to finish it. It was a functional building and as such, the first floors had no easy ways to access, full of arrowslits instead of proper windows. The higher floors had crenelated balconies where wizards and other spellcasters could sling their spells from, but even higher than that there were some luxurious and comfortable rooms with beautiful and large windows. Though Maia was an archer, she opted for the balconies instead of one of the arrowslits, for she was accompanied for her grim nighttime task.


    Though they had posted sentinels in the most vulnerable spots, the Guardian decided it was better to alert the Steward for one problem they hadn¡¯t been expecting so soon. Climbers, many, many climbers. Trying to once again catch the defenders by surprise, a surprisingly large number of rogues and soldiers had approached under the cover of the dark, like rats trying to find a way in to the cellar. The Spire was huge, and it was a pretty big risk that some of them might actually gain entrance uncontested.


    So, Garner had been woken up by the Elfey spirit, and he had recruited his three best archers to rid the Spire of the unwelcome people scaling its walls. On one side of the Spire his hunters shot dutifully with bow and crossbow, aided by Tara¡¯s apprentices, just in case, while on the other Maia did the deed, covered by his own apprentices.


    It was dark, the pale moonlight being of little help, and Maia was having a hard time noticing the black-clad climbers, but she had some help, thankfully.


    ¡°A ways to the left and a bit higher than last time, Tealdin,¡± she instructed, drawing her bowstring in anticipation.


    The sleepy boy focused and created a short-lived flame close to where she had desired. It was enough. She saw the panic on the wide eyes of the black-clad lotharian, who was trying to hammer a piton. She smoothly released the string, and her arrow flew true, hitting the man¡¯s chest and knocking him off the Spire to a long fall with a sudden stop.


    ¡°Ouch,¡± commented Tealdin as he heard the sound even from way down below.


    ¡°Yeah. If they manage to find some weak points to put those anchors, our lives will get a lot harder the following nights.¡±


    ¡°Are there any of them left?¡± asked Leanor, bleary-eyed and with a surprisingly tangled hair for how short it was. She was the designated defender, alternating between a Shield and a Barrier in case someone noticed where the arrows were coming from and decided to retaliate. Luckily, the darkness of the night worked both ways, and Maia had shot her arrows unmolested.


    ¡°Not on our side, I think? Hey, Guardian, are we clear?¡± she asked looking back to the inside of the Spire, and the nasty creature materialized in the empty air.


    ¡°No, you¡¯ve got them all. Nice shooting,¡± it said, smiling at her with sharp teeth before vanishing.


    ¡°Not creepy at all¡­¡± Maia grumbled.


    ¡°How many did you get?¡± Leanor asked, dropping the spell as they went back inside, where it wasn¡¯t as cold.


    ¡°Seven, I think. But they didn¡¯t look to be very experienced. I think this was a probe.¡±


    ¡°Throwing seven peoples¡¯ lives away just to test us?¡± asked Tealdin, surprised at the ruthlessness.


    ¡°You two don¡¯t get it yet¡­ They have the numbers, this was quite a cheap test. Lives can be extremely cheap on the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be horrified tomorrow, but for now I just want to sleep,¡± replied Leanor, as they went back to their rooms.


    ***


    The Spire''s Watch-room


    ¡°Is it over, Guardian?¡± asked Garner from the Watchroom, where he drank tea with Lowa, observing Mons trying his hardest not to doze off right next to his new boss.


    ¡°Yes, watchful Steward. The few who aren¡¯t dead are running back to their lines.¡±


    ¡°How many climbers did we have this night?¡± asked Lowa, taking a sip.


    ¡°Two dozen, witch.¡±


    ¡°Say, creature, you must be old. Did you actually meet any true witch?¡± the elder asked, glancing at the apparition.


    ¡°Yes. A mostly annoying Order. Killed a few people, and they sent battle Witches to take me down. I actually had to retreat, though I wouldn¡¯t have needed to if I was more experienced.¡±


    ¡°Truly? How were they like?¡± Garner inquired, scratching the stubble on his chin. Romer would be furious, but he had better things to do with his time. Like worrying, and asking irrelevant questions instead of going to sleep.


    ¡°They were¡­ Militant. A lot more belligerent than you, wizard lot. It¡¯s no wonder they run afoul of the cursed Paladins. They were truly dangerous.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Lowa had a good laugh at his expense.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can actually do anything more tonight. Are the Golems set up as I instructed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are. Unless you¡¯ve changed plans for the fifth time?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me sass, Spirit. You¡¯re too old and too ugly to pull it,¡± he riposted, making Lowa laugh again. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then. Warn me if anything important or dangerous happen, don¡¯t let our sentries sleep on the job.¡±


    ¡°I already miss the decades when I was alone¡­¡± the Spirit snarked at their backs, but they ignored it this time.

 Chapter 22: Probe

    Last night, the infiltrators had reached the Spire uncontested and made some headway before being shot off the walls. But the Spire was a mighty Tower, and even if it had fallen in disrepair and decay, it still had a few of the formidable defenses that had allowed its defenders to fend off even multiple warlocks working in tandem, coated in fresh sacrificial blood to bolster their power.


    Today, however, those defenses would likely see no use. The Lotharians made no serious move to commit to a head-on attack. Master Garner and Chief watched from a balcony, enjoying the slightly biting cold morning, tired of being cooped up in the Watch-room. Though the sun was being often blocked by clouds, its clarity bled through and allowed them visibility that hadn¡¯t been afforded by the previous night''s pale moonlight. Forming on the field before them was a small recon unit - well, small for the size of the besieging army. They had more people there than there were inside the whole Spire, if Chief was any judge.


    "Eighty?" he estimated, motioning his spear to encompass the formation.


    "I would say that was a little too much for a probing action, but fitting for a Spire, I guess," replied his boss.


    "Yes, but those are probably the least reliable bunch they could find," Chief observed, noticing the haphazard formation and its soldier''s varied, and mostly shoddy, equipment. Light troops and skirmishers bolstered by mediocre practitioner talent, he would wager. Just enough that their loss would barely sting if they were wiped out, but also enough that they could probably reach the Spire and report back if they didn''t face a serious opposition. Considering the small number of defenders, it was plain to see that they would use their wizards and mages sparingly, if it was possible.


    "What do you think, Chief?" the wizard asked, pensive.


    "I reckon that the ''full containment'' plan we talked about in the war council might be our best bet."


    Though the soon to be incoming enemies carried a battering ram, they were nothing but cannon fodder. There was no way they could break through the Spire''s heavy gate anytime soon even if the ram was properly enchanted, and Chief would bet that theirs wasn¡¯t. No sense in throwing expensive gear away after all. A Giant drone had been battering the gate for a while before the new tenants moved in, but it still held strong, with few scuff marks. Even if they hadn¡¯t witnessed that, Lord Agor was no fool and would assume its strength.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like that plan, Chief. Shouldn¡¯t we be keeping them *away* from the Spire?¡±


    ¡°Romer would be horrified at your lack of manners, Master. Is that how you want to receive our guests?¡± Chief quipped, getting a laugh out of Garner. He turned back to the Spire and gave his boss a sideways look.


    ¡°Go, Chief, go. Prepare them a reception that they never will forget.¡±


    *


    *


    *


    Captain ¡°Lucky¡± Ignavian did not like his nickname. After all, he was not a lucky man, not by far. Soldiers loved its irony, though, after he drunkenly told them his story years ago, and so the name stuck. All his life, he¡¯d been victim of circumstances he couldn¡¯t control, always at the most inoportune times. He had worked hard at the farm to earn money and propose to his childhood crush from the village ¨C his young brother proposed to her the same day that Ignavian got the damned ring. Bad luck. He¡¯d inherited the farm, though, thankfully.


    That was, until roving bandits decided to raid and raze it to the ground. Pretty bad luck. So, he¡¯d joined the ranks ofWestville''smilitia, working his way up to the rank of captain - a peaceful and cushy position. Until the Lotharians decided to drag them into this mess, that was, and he¡¯d been the one picked to lead the incompetent bunch they had been strong-armed into sending with the damned red-capes. Worse luck.


    At the Westernwood, cursed by annoying insects, the captain had been sent after the Army soldiers making a nuisance out of themselves, and he had even engaged their leader¡¯s group, somehow even wounding the man. Of course, Captain Lamart escaped, and it was all deemed his fault, so he couldn¡¯t boast about that. Now, to top it all off, he¡¯d been picked to lead the very first attack against the bloodsdamned Spire. No punishment at all, but a great honor. He was lazy, unlucky and cowardly, not stupid.


    ¡°You may go, Captain. Good hunting!¡± exclaimed Lord Gaius. He bowed to the man (so he could safely roll his eyes out of view), and motioned his men forward.


    Some of the soldiers were talking about how they would kick the wizards¡¯ asses, show the Lotharians how it was done and the like. Boasting and blustering made him roll his eyes again ¨C damn, that was becoming a habit. The ones who could rub two brain cell together were as enthusiastic as he was. Not that the officers assigned to this were in that category, with a single exception. His soldiers were a mess, his subordinates worthless.


    There were levies from the Western villages, former bandits and convicts spared their due hanging, a few of his militiamen from Westville, grim soldiers from Arburgh and the dredge of the lotharians¡¯ soldiery. Lieutenant Gander Arburgh lead the men and seemed to be an exceptional commander. What a waste. Not that the man had any favor to begin with, being forcefully ceded from his hometown like Ignavian himself, but he¡¯d been marked when he loudly complained about the ambush at the parley, and so here he was with his well equipped people ¨C a fortunate exception. The people from Arburgh had strong notions of honor.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    They started advancing through the green fields separating them from the Spire. The people upfront had shields, though of varying sizes and formats. It was not long before arrows started raining down on them, felling and wounding men around him.


    ¡°Keep your shields high! Mages, where are my bloodsdamned Shields and Barriers?¡± Ignavus bellowed, instructing his soldiers, and then at his assigned practitioners, glaring at the dozen of mages who belatedly started humming and making complex hand movements to cast their spells. It took a while, and more men died, though thankfully there weren¡¯t that many archers shooting at them.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t order us to,¡± muttered one of the mages petulantly.


    ¡°Are you fucking stupid? I thought it was pretty clear you should be ready, seeing as we¡¯re approaching a cursed fucking Spire!¡±


    Incompetence was one thing, he could sympathize with that, but stupidity got his blood up easily. His anger temporarily allowed him to forget his pants-pissing fear. But his worse fears never materialized, and only arrows kept falling, rarely making in through the Shield above and never through the shields below.


    As they got closer and closer, he finally allowed himself to think they were going to make it as far as the Spire, at least, though he was ready to be obliterated any time now. He was incredulous as they finally reached the gates, and his men whooped with glee. Some idiots fumbled the ram with their anxiety, and its wheels crushed feet, men screaming with the sudden pain and crippling.


    ¡°Godsdamned idiots!¡± Ignavus cursed, and them screamed at them furiously until slightly less dumber people got the ram back into position again. Some mages started fueling the enchantments as it swung backwards, readying for a blow.


    Everything about this was strange to Ignavus, but it wasn¡¯t like he had any other choice. Still, with his luck, he hadn¡¯t stopped waiting for the other shoe to drop. He was, then, dumfounded when the ram¡¯s might blow actually pushed the door several centimeters back. Had they¡­ forgotten to lock the gate? Everything inside was dark, though the sun¡¯s light started dispelling the darkness as they pushed back the doors, though there were was little he could see a part from shadows of stairs.


    ¡°Good job, Captain Lucky!¡± praised Lieutenant Gandra, approaching him as the ram again hit the gates, pushing them back. ¡°Maybe we should ready the push forward?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, send the lighter soldiers first with that annoying lieutenant, the one with the funny accent,¡± he replied, barely paying attention. A grim, very grim feeling had overcome him. Either this was a very lucky happening, or a terrible trap. His nickname, however, as he well knew, was ironic.


    Lieutenant Gandra reminded the advancing lieutenant to light torches, but the darkness proved to be unnatural, refusing to be dispersed by simples firelight. The fool advanced at the head of his men before the mages were even done casting their light spell, making Lucky shake his head at the foolishness.


    No arrow or spell descended on the fool, however. Warily, the entire group entered the place, looking all around them expectantly for the enemy. They didn¡¯t find any ¨C for now. There were stairs, lots of stairs that climbed upwards into the high ceiling, though it seemed to be disorderly. There was a strange statue standing next to the door, but Lucky had more to worry about now. All the Spire¡¯s magelights were unpowered, but the spells indicated that something was off about the situation.


    ¡°All right, ten of you and two mages, stay here with me. Lieutenants, divide the rest among you and search for the enemy. Gandra, your group guards the stairs of the second floor. Send a runner for us as soon as you engage the enemy. Godspeed to you all.¡±


    Besides that, he sent a runner back to the camp to warn the lotharians that the doors were wide open. For some reason, he was sure that wouldn¡¯t have the effect he desired. After some arguing and haggling, the lieutenants divided the men among them, keeping mostly to their original allegiances. Only the men of Arburgh had a completely original group, though.


    The former bandits decided to head down, figuring it had the least chance of finding enemies, and a reasonable one to get anything precious out of the officer¡¯s eyes. Instead, they found only wooden statues, and cursed, wondering what the hell was the place¡¯s fixation with the things. The second group, composed mostly of irregulars from small towns picked one of the stairs randomly, as did the third one, made up by and large of lotharians.


    Captain Lucky¡¯s group waited. After one hour without receiving a single communication, either a runner or a Message, he got even more worried, and started grumbling. And where the hell was the runner he¡¯d sent for the camp?


    ¡°I can go look for him, captain,¡± one of his men, from his city, volunteered when he overheard that last phrase.


    ¡°Oh, I said that out loud? That¡¯s a good idea, go.¡±


    The men went outside, but returned not soon after that.


    ¡°Is he coming back already?¡± he asked, surprised.


    ¡°I would say he isn¡¯t, captain, but I¡¯ve heard they got a necromancer around here¡­¡±


    Lucky swore and went to the door, seeing the same thing his man had. The messenger had been shot down by an arrow halfway ¨C no idea if he¡¯d been felled when going or returning. Either way, the Lotharians obviously must have seen him entering. The silence was fraying his nerves, and he went back inside. He asked his mages to send Messages. No one replied.


    ¡°Gather around me, people! Something isn¡¯t right, we¡¯re leaving!¡±


    That was when something behind him moved. Lucky turned back and the statue moved ¨C and kept moving. It unhurriedly closed the heavy doors as he and his dumbfounded people watched.


    That was when he heard noise coming from the stairs ¨C they were not his troops.


    ¡°Oh, Lucky my ass,¡± the captain swore.


    *


    *


    *


    A group led by Tara had been kept downstairs to make sure the imprisoned creature wasn¡¯t, accidentally or otherwise, released and to back up the Brawler golems if they had problems. Lowa directed the creatures, gazing at the main room through a porthole, on the second underground level. The golems had no problem at all.


    The would-be-raiders hadn¡¯t found a thing worth looking thus far, and decided to take a better look at the weird statues. They called for their unwilling mages to look for magical properties on the things. They never had a chance to warn the others. With Lowa¡¯s command, the Golems suddenly moved, and the practitioners were too surprised to dodge the lumbering fists. One was crushed to a pulp, the other was thrown away like a ragdoll, knocking down other bandits.


    She only lost a single golem to the last desperate bandit. She got all of them, the runners were captured by the golems she had left at the first underground level. She hadn¡¯t taken pleasure at the massacre, but she smiled and went down to let Tara know.


    *


    The second group reached the third floor and a host of varied and slightly defective golems fell upon them, killing and wounding many. The green villagers promptly panicked, running over the officer that demanded them to stand and fight. They were simple folk, so the warriors appeared and herded the survivors instead of simply slaughtering them all.


    *


    The lotharians picked the biggest stair, one that had exits only at the top of the Spire. They were met by a group a ways above them, of which the smiling Mons caught their attention the most, waving genially at them. Besides Mons, though, there were Scythers ¨C many of them. Wilhelm ordered them forwards. The weak of stomach had to look away from the result. Mons, he just whistled, surprised that some of the gore had nearly reached them. Wilhelm laughed at the carnage.


    Mons gave the man a worried glance, but he had to agree with one thing. It was way better when those things were on their side.


    *


    The Arburgh men at the second floor, though, had a different fate. The Guardian overheard their conversations and was forced to bring a fact to the Steward¡¯s notice, as he¡¯d been expressly ordered to tell him anything that might be helpful. Lieutenant Gandra¡¯s proud men would rather fight besides the defenders than against them. With the inside knowledge, Master Garner¡¯s recruitment pitch went off without a hitch. Well, besides the lotharian mage that tried to assassinate him when he realized the soldiers were turning coats. The second one was smarter, he raised his hands ¨C and he lived.