James stood in the alleyway, his gaze moving to the smoke filled sky. It was slowly darkening, signifying to the man that night time was soon to approach.
“Are you ready?” Silas asked in a low voice.
James wiped the sweat from his brow before he placed the helmet on. “No killing. Not unless it is absolutely necessary,” he ordered. The orc nodded to the request, his hand signaling to the hidden orcs. Across from the alleyway was the town hall Falrick had designated as point three. Lumen soldiers stood guard, their blue and yellow tabards making them stand out in the slums. Archers and lookouts were perched on the building’s second story, their bows and glasses visible from afar.
Arrows shot out of nowhere, their tips hitting the men’s arms and legs. They were non lethal, however, as their needle-like tips were doused in modified sea-serpent venom. The diluted poison was enough to knock a grown man out, but not enough to kill him fully.
Some soldiers were still awake, a result of their gambesons and armor. Still, all the orcs needed to do was shoot them again. The soldiers below the lookouts would soon notice the commotion above them, but their attention would be short-lived. Orcs rushed out of nearby buildings and alleyways, their clubs knocking the men out in quick succession.
It all transpired in less than a minute, leaving the building undefended. Still, James would have to be naïve to believe the town hall had no more soldiers inside.
“Malik, it’s your turn,” he muttered. The necromancer stepped up, his hand carrying a purplish gem that glowed brightly. From what James was told, it was a soul gem, one that trapped the spirits of the deceased. Malik had siphoned said spirits from the dead soldiers at the harbor. James could only watch in disdain as the necromancer chanted and formed his runes.
Slowly, the gem brightened its glow. It soon leaked black smoke and wisps of energy, all of it compiling into the ground. James watched as the black fog formed and spread, its reach going out into the street. Twelve figures formed out of the fog, their bodies transparent and wispy at first. They reminded James of the mist clones Nathan used. They continued to grow and transform, soon developing bones and armor. In the end, despite being made up of black fog and purple wisps of magic, the specters resembled the soldiers and marauders from back in the harbor.
Well, they almost did. Their skulls were still visible, black wisps of smoke steaming from the bones and cracks. The only sense of life they had left were the purple pinpricks of light that stood in for the eyes.
“It’s a shame I couldn’t take all the Lumen soldiers’ soul. Delphine enchants all her believers against any form of dark magic,” Malik sighed.
James ignored him, his attention solely on the defiled spirits of the damned. “I’m sorry you’ve faced a terrible fate,” James muttered to the specters.
“Believe me, life in servitude is a better one than one in Helheim.” Malik chuckled. “Now, my draugr, are you ready for the next step in your plan?”
James nodded and stepped into the open street. He didn’t have to look to see Malik casting his specters forward. The abominable spirits grabbed at the Jarl, their ethereal hands cold to the touch and presence harrowing. They lifted him up and flew the blond man to the second floor of the building before they returned to Malik. James took a deep breath, his mind going to what Falrick and told him.
One of the earthlings was here. James knew it could be any of them, but he was betting it was Arthur. Iendis had told him that the man was a lumen apostle. James had no doubt that the Lumen kingdom was looking to retaliate for what James did. For his part in fracturing the ley lines and killing Gryff and Hugo. It made the man wonder if they were also looking to sink Vindis because of his connection to the Thieves Guild. Whatever the reason, he needed to stop it. If he could get the Lumen soldiers to focus on the marauders, he could change the course of this fight.
‘I need to speak with him, to stop this before it gets worse.’
James looked at Malik and Silas, who awaited his signal. What he was about to do was far from easing tensions, but it was needed so he could speak with the earth summoned man. James gave his signal, his hand swiping at the air. With that, the orc leader blew his horn, and the specters rushed to the building.
Gwenyth panted as she bandaged the last of her wounds. Marauders were getting bolder. Where she had initially expected them to come from the west, more had come from the north. They were planning to attack the center from all around, catching any hold up resistances off guard. The elf winced as she tied the bandage around her bleeding leg. She was good enough to kill scores of the bastards, but her skill wasn’t enough to hold off an ambush from all sides.
She was close to the slums, to where Arthur was holed up. The elf still didn’t know what to do or what to say. Yet she knew that this had to stop. The people of Vindis city weren’t the best of souls, but not even they deserved to be raided by the fucking Marauders of the North. The elf quickly pressed herself against the wall, her eyes watching armored soldiers running past. They were rushing off to the slums.
“Get to the base now!” An ethereal sounding voice shouted out. Gwenyth guessed it was coming from their spell crystals.
“We’re hurrying right now!” one soldier answered in a hurry, his gauntlet bringing the glowing crystal to his mouth.
“Hurry faster! We have invaders here! They’re trying to breach through the hall!”
Gwenyth caught the communications with her hearing. The elf blinked in surprise at what she heard. It sounded like the town hall was being invaded. Marauders were the first thing that came to mind, but even that seemed slim. Most of the marauders were in the north and western parts of the city. None had reached the inner slums yet. So why was the town hall being attacked?
The elf decided to find out for herself as she hurried to tail the running soldiers.
“Specters on the street! They’re protecting the damned orcs!” a soldier called out to the inside of the building.
Eilif sighed and looked back at where the courtyard was located, it was thankfully evacuated. The mage would have to take his magic to the safe room. As for the bounty hunter and the other soldiers, they were just fodder until Arthur could figure out what to do. The apostle wanted the bounty hunter to hold off the attackers until a proper counter attack was available.
Eilif peeked into the street, his gaze on the attacking orcs. They were loosing arrows at the soldiers, their marks hitting remarkably well.
“Looks like we’re dealing with much more competent orcs than the ones in the south,” the bounty hunter muttered to himself. He looked to the soldier next to him. “Hold them off, but don’t take the offensive.”
“What! Why?!”
“It’s an order,” Eilif simply said as he walked into the building.
He dug into his pockets, his gloved hand bringing out a spell crystal. While not connected to ley lines, crystal was still working thanks to the holy mage. While it won’t work for long, Eilif made the most of it.
“What’s the plan?” He asked the crystal.
“Gate runes won’t work if the ley lines are cut off. Without William, we’ll have to evacuate to the ship,” Arthur’s voice emanated from the magical tool.
“Marauders must have destroyed it by now. We left it in the northern harbor, remember?” Eilif reminded him.
“It’s hidden. I’ve made sure of it just in case,” Arthur assured.
Eilif chuckled. “You think of everything, don’t you, Clarke?”
“Just hold the fucking orcs off. I’ll get ready for the departure of the mages.”
“You should leave with them. Holter and Deimos are still in the city, but I can take care of them.”
“They are mine and mine alone. You just stay in the back line and support.”
With that, Arthur cut his communications. Eilif chuckled and tossed the crystal to the ground. He stomped on the magic tool, destroying it. It was going to be useless in a few minutes anyway.
James snuck through the building, his eyes peering into the rooms. No one. It was eerie in a sense, being alone in a place with little to no signs of life. He turned around in the hall he came from. Like before, not a single soul in sight.
‘James. Listen,’ Faust’s voice called out to the blond man. James closed his eyes, focusing on the ambience of the building. At first, he only heard the sounds of fighting outside and the banging of feet on the first floor.
However, the more he focused, the more sophisticated the sounds became. Slowly but surely, he focused on one particular voice amongst the shouts and screams.
“Squad Talon, move to the gold district! Meet up with Squad Raptor and regroup! Squads York, Arth, and Sol, come to base, now! We are under attack! Orcs and specters are outside! We need assistance now!”
“Communications,” James muttered. He had found it. The clan leader hurried to the stairs, his feet hopping over two steps at a time. He rushed to the door where the voice was coming from, his ears picking up more shouts.
“Arthur, we need to leave now! It is only a matter of time before they breach our defense!” James stopped in his tracks, his body tensing up at the name. He was only a couple of meters away from the two doors that led into a seemingly larger room. “Arthur! We can’t stay here any longer! We need to go, now!”
There it was again. The name of the second outlander. James swallowed before he took a step towards the doors. His left hand slowly went to his chest piece, where his blossom was hidden. He took one more peek. The black had stopped its spread. It now stayed at the halfway point. The blond man looked to the doors once more. He took a deep breath, his hand gently grabbing at the knob. James would need to be very careful of what he was going to say. If he messed this up, thousands of lives would be lost.
‘It’s now or never.’
With a deep breath, the man from earth stepped through the doors.
The room was spacious. There were no tables or chairs. Instead, there was a drawn runic circle on the ground, a large window behind it that allowed the bluish light of the two moons. The circle glowed with magical energy, its user standing at its center. It was a middle-aged man he had never seen before, his hood drawn back to showcase his balding head and overgrown goatee. James blinked at the sight of the lone man, his gaze surveying the room once more. The sorcerer was the only other person here.
James raised a hand, his mouth opening to say something. However, the sorcerer didn’t let him finish.
“Arcane Bolt!” The man’s fingers formed a rune, its magical energy sparking to life. James felt the world around him stop, his body turning hot as Faust forced him to dodge. The blond man fell to the ground just as a blue bolt of energy struck the doors behind him.
‘Move your ass, now!’ Faust shouted internally. James quickly sprang to his feet, avoiding another bolt of energy.
“Insolent bastard! Arcane Bolt!” The stranger formed the rune once more, firing the blue projectile at James.
James quickly unhitched his shield from his back, his arm bringing it up in time. The bolt collided with the wood, its strength almost bursting through. Thankfully, this piece of equipment was made of vern wood, a keepsake from Aldren’s armory. Still, the recoil was enough to make his arm numb. James pushed through regardless, heading his way to the frightened man.
“I come in peace! I’m not here to—!”
“Needle Shot!”
This time, a much sharper projectile flew at James. He blocked it with the shield, but the needle-like spell pierced through. It only made it halfway through the wood, but it was more than enough for James to seriously rethink his strategy.
“Carapace!” His physical casting made itself present, its warm touch wrapping around his body. Thinking of a quick plan, James rushed at the sorcerer. If he could incapacitate the man, he could explain to him his intentions and reasoning. That was the only way this could end peacefully.
James kept running at the man, despite the multiple needle shots hitting his shield and grazing his arm and armor. Still, he pressed on. He could deal with the wounds later. James would soon make it to the sorcerer in due time, his shield lowering at the last second. James reached for the spellcaster, his left hand reaching out to grab the man’s arms. He just needed to restrain him with his ice. Cuffs and shackles would do the trick.
“Summon I–”
The sorcerer, however, was quicker in thought. The spellcaster formed a rune, his hands glowing a bright white.
“Flare!”
In a moment’s notice, whiteness blinded James. He stumbled for a bit, his eyes quickly blinking.
“Arcane Bolt!” James clenched his jaw and dropped, his shield moving to protect every bit of his vitals. The bolt struck the top of his shield before it made contact with his helmet. The piece of armor flew off, leaving the dazed man with a concussion from the sheer recoil of it.
The flare spell was already wearing off, but the young Jarl could still see how the sorcerer formed another rune at him. James stared dumbly at the man’s glowing fingers, his eyes widening. His body suddenly tensed up, the taste of berries in his mouth soon being replaced by that of burnt wood. James flared with heat, his eyes burning as Faust forcefully took control of his body. The possessed man shoved the sorcerer’s hand out of the way, his right hand unsheathing his weapon.
James found himself rushing forth, his sword plunging into the man’s gut. It had all happened so fast, so suddenly, that James couldn’t even process it until the sorcerer grabbed at his collar.
“Oh fuck! Oh, shit!” James quickly dropped the sword, his hands moving to stem the bleeding wound.
‘I… I didn’t mean to. I just reacted.’
Faust’s words went unheard, as James was more focused on keeping the man alive.
“Dammit! Dammit!” He cursed, his hands only getting bloodier as he tried to apply pressure on the wound. It would be for naught. This man was as good as dead, no way to heal him without advanced potions or magic. So James tried the alternative.
“Tell me where he is! Arthur! Where is he?!”
His shouts did nothing to phase the dying sorcerer. He only looked at James, a small chuckle escaping his lips.
“What makes you think I’d talk?”
“You idiot! I’m trying to stop a fucking war here!” James shook the man, trying his best to keep him awake and conscious enough to talk. “Call the soldiers off! Help me stop the marauders!”
“Help you? You’re just as bad as them. You broke the holy laws of interference…”
“I know I fucked up, but I can help you guys seal the source to the fracture!”
The sorcerer raised an eyebrow, his face contorting into confusion and anger. “You fool…You don’t know, do you?”
“What are you talking about?” James furrowed his brow. He could feel his chest tighten at the tone of the man’s words. This wasn’t good.
“When you fractured the ley lines, where did you think it originated?” The sorcerer coughed blood. “It wasn’t the island, nor the shithole you were revived in.” The dying man grabbed at James’ collar, pulling him closer.
“The source is you. You are the source of the fracture. The only way to seal it is to kill you…” The spellcaster’s voice grew weaker with every word, his eyes slowly closing. “Arthur…he’s going to seal it. Do the world a favor…and let him kill you.”
With his dying breath, the sorcerer chuckled, his eyes soon losing their flicker. He stared up at the ceiling, his body going limp right after.
James stared at the corpse, his mind replaying the dead man’s words.
“The only way to seal it is to kill you.”
His mind went back to Gryff. To their fight. Back then, Gryff had knocked James out during their brawl and had even told him he was going to ’Deal with him later’.
He thought back to the abominations, to the carnage he had witnessed in its wake. The implications that it was doing the same to other islands. It was all his fault. His existence alone had caused so much death. Gryff had just wanted to save the ley lines. Arthur wanted to seal the source and avenge the Lumen Knight.
James remembered what Iendis had told him. What she had called him.
“Father was right about you. You are truly something different. Something that not even fate saw coming. True chaos.”
He had forgotten his place in the world. The reason behind his summoning. Why Iendis had brought him here in the first place. James was a pawn. A man from earth who never belonged here. Summoned by mad and conniving gods. It didn’t matter how good his intentions were or the feelings he had for this world. None of it ever mattered.
From the day he fell into those black waters and was brought to Azura, James was destined to doom it all to hell.
The blue glow around him suddenly changed in tone. The moonlight of the twin celestials suddenly turned into a dark red, showering the room in crimson. James slowly turned to the large window that showcased the night sky.
Anguish filled his soul as he was met with the sight of the Blood Moons, an omen that foretold bloodshed and death. He looked down at his stained hands and bloodied armor. In the red light, it looked as if they were covered in black tar. Like the darkness was consuming him. The otherworldly man clenched his shaking hands into fists before slamming them onto the bloodied ground.
In a moment of sheer despair and anger, James Holter screamed into the sky, until his lungs and throat went hoarse.
