Five Hours Prior
The command room the general had found within the walls of Hevaan was nothing more than the common area of a large tavern. Currently not in operation, as much of the city was empty, it sufficed to hold their number as they discussed the general's plan.
"And you think it will work?" Ondine asked.
"I do.” Vess stood tall, her body language betraying not a hint of unease or indecision. "We engage with the enemy on multiple fronts then dissolve into the jungle. They must continue to chase us without ti to think or regroup."
"You're talking about guerrilla tactics," Wendell said. After a few blank stares from the natives, the big Lizard scratched his jaw. "Hit and run. We confuse them with where we’ll strike and how many of us there are."
"That is the idea, yes. The thing we need to do is capture her attention and draw her out of hiding."
“You think she’s in the empire?” Archie asked.
“No. I believe she is to the south, where her stats and Skills aren’t hampered by Felix’s restrictions.”
No one needed to be told who “she” was, especially not Gabby.
"If we want to get Marzul's attention," Gabby said, stepping forward, "then we need to make her mad. She's proud, and she's quick to sadistic anger. More than anything, she wants her enemies to suffer. That ans we need to give her that opportunity.”
Shadow grimaced. “How are we going to do that without getting killed? Isn’t she a god now?"
“She wishes.” Gabby sneered upward, as if she could see the dark skies through the timber ceiling.
"It will be difficult," Vess admitted. "It will require all of you to work in small groups, and that ans more danger. This is not a safe plan. It cannot be, not if we intend to lure Marzul in. It is highly likely that she has fortified her position, so seeking her out directly would be catastrophic. If she has this many of the Dwarves and their Elentals enslaved, then there's no telling what other tricks she has up her sleeve. But we are not without information.”
The general gestured, and a woman with the badge of a captain stood forward. “Our scouts have returned from Elderthrone. Karys can sense the surge of Mana here through the Authority the Emperor vested in him—and it stops at the borders of Jaast. The dark skies are here alone, clearly delineated above our region. The Chancellor believes that the forr Hierophant’s powers can only extend so far before they weaken.” The captain cleared her throat. “He believes she is only half-Divine, at worst.”
"That makes sense," Elowen said. "If she is incorporating the core of Noctis, it is likely not an easy thing to master, even for a Paragon.”
“That's what we're countin’ on,” Evie said from where she lounged against the mantle. “Strugglin’ with the core, distracted, and enraged. Sounds good to .”
Harn grunted. “She’s strong, make no mistake about that, but she just had a moon dropped on her. She’s walkin’ wounded, that’s for certain.”
Vess tapped the map, rattling the wooden markers on it out of position. “She does not yet have her full powers, but our window of opportunity shrinks by the mont. Now is the ti to strike; so long as we choose the battlefield, we will not lose. Are you with ?”
Murmurs rippled around the room. It wasn’t indecision so much as fear that clutched their Spirits. Gabby couldn’t bla them, but she’d had enough of being afraid.
She stood up. “I am. Even if we have to march out into the jungle and drag Marzul here by the hair, I'll do it. The Hierophant—" Gabby spat on the ground. "Ocalla will pay for what she did to . That's all I want."
"And you'll have it," Vess said.
"I'm in, too," Harn added.
He was quickly followed by Evie, Wendell, Beef, and all the rest as they threw their voices into the plan. It was a raucous noise, chaos wielded against fear, and it worked. als were passed around and drinks followed after, food that had already been dispersed to their soldiers. The leaders spoke over the map, assessing positions among the teeming jungles.
Later, as the hubbub died down, and they all broke into their command units, Gabby found Vess sitting in one of the windows, legs curled under her on the bench as she stared out into the starless sky.
"Seems kind of personal."
Vess frowned. "What do you an?"
"Your rage.” Gabby stopped next to the window, but she couldn’t see the dark. She only saw her reflection. “Is it because of what happened in Amaranth?”
“No.”
Gabby’s attention shifted. Vess wasn’t staring at the night anymore, but her spear. “Marzul stole , clouded my Mind, and sold into slavery for the Pathless. That rage you have is too much like mine to be anything but personal. What happened?"
Vess smiled bitterly, and for the first ti, she t Gabby’s gaze. "She killed my mother."
Inwardly, Gabby bit back a curse. Of course, it would be sothing like that. "I'm sorry," she said aloud. "I didn't know."
"I did not, either. Not until Amaranth. The On Path, it—it showed many things. A connection to my mother I never thought I would have. A life I could have claid, had my choices been different. Infuriating,” she growled, her dark features pulling into a scowl. “Most of all, it showed the truth."
Gabby’s had been upsettingly similar. “How did it happen?”
Vess loosed a breath, but none of her tension vanished. If anything, her shoulders drew closer together. “My mother fought to protect people. It is the way of the Dragoons, to fight the monsters that threaten our communities. But she got in the way of the Hierophant, and the woman had her killed on trumped-up charges.”
Gabby ground her teeth.
“I only ever knew she’d fallen in battle. A noble death, my father told .” Vess grabbed her spear, inspecting the Dragon’s head worked into the shaft and blade. “Now I know the truth, and it burns , Gabby.”
“Have you talked to him about it?”
"No. There was nothing he could have done to stop it then. We were a cog in the Hierocracy’s Mana engine. Small. Replaceable.” She gripped the spear harder. “Perhaps, once this war is over I can speak on this, but…for now, there is only the fight. There is only Marzul.”
Gabby barked a laugh. “Damn right. Felix can fight the Ruin all he wants. I'm just here for the Hierophant."
Vess gave her a fierce grin. "I knew I liked you."
A blip of light caught Gabby's eye. Her hand had already pulled the dagger at her waist before she recognized the little Geist that ford at her side. “Ugh, you again.”
Vess sat up straight. “Knowledge. What is it?”
The construct stared between them, its flat silver eyes no more emotive than a rock. "I have news. The summary of your core spaces is done. As is a plan."
Vess swung her feet off the bench. "You an—?”
"Precisely what I say. Better yet, the Emperor has found a treasure trove of resources."
Gabby exchanged looks with the general. "What resources?"
The little mory construct ignored her. "I have already accessed them, with his permission, though it will take so ti to fully appreciate their majesty. Still, the Emperor wishes to progress.”
“Where is Felix?" Vess asked. Gabby was wondering the sa thing.
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"Well beyond your reach. You, however, are not beyond him. To that end, I have devised a training plan for each one of you.”
The Geist smiled, and Gabby nearly reached for her Brightblade. It was a hell of an expression. “And, I can assure you, none of you will like it."
Five Hours Later
"Okay, next up!” Beef called, and an Elental Risen tromped up to the side of the cliff. A slight headache had begun to form just behind his eyes, but he ignored it and drew on the entropic energy that filled the jungle. There was rot and death everywhere, even before he accessed the sheer violence enacted by the armies in the wilderness. His headache retreated beneath the balm of power. “Hurry, please!”
The Risen shuffled faster.
The night was dark, and visibility was low, but Beef hadn't needed much light to see by for quite a while now. None of the Unbound did, and only those below Journeyman ever struggled without a lantern or magelight. At least not the natural dark.
This wasn’t natural. The sky here was pitch black, layered with a thick power that Beef couldn't penetrate, no matter how hard he stared. It hung low, mingling with the clouds he could still see, turning them into a morass of gray lumps. Sotis tendrils of dark would even drift into the jungle below. There was no rhy or reason for the tendrils. They weren't violent, or even evidence of whatever power projected them. They were just…creepy.
A flush of power rolled through Beef as a notification pinged. His scattered Risen had killed more enemies. He checked the damage.
Your Risen Have Killed 322 Threats!
XP Earned!
The XP from his Risen was always diminished compared to what Beef could earn alone, but even a trickle ford a river eventually. The XP was incidental, anyway.
He needed Points.
You Have Ended Another 500 Threats!
100 Points Earned!
Beef grinned. Every enemy he killed counted, according to the Dual Quest he’d received from the Elders. He’d been racking up points all night.
Blood And Stone
As the last living Gigas and the heir of the Path of the Exulted King, the Elder of Aeonis have deed both Gabrielle Nevarre and Beefhamr worthy of their attention, but that is not enough to know the glory of their power.
You must earn that.
The Ruin has returned, and so must the old ways. By blood and stone, you two shall prove yourselves worthy.
Gather points to unlock bonuses.
Kill 100 Threats - 50 Points
Kill 500 Threats - 100 Points
Kill 10 Superior Threats - 500 Points
Kill 1 Supre Threat - 1000 Points
Unique Threats - ??? Points
Rewards (Beefhamr):
Increase Risen Control Maximum By 10 - 50 Points
Increase Speed And Durability Of Risen - 100 Points
Increase Authority - 1000 Points
Unlock mories For All Controlled Risen - 2000 Points
Rewards (Gabrielle Nevarre):
Increase Agility By 10 - 20 Points
Increase Endurance By 10 - 25 Points
Increase Strength By 10 - 50 Points
Enhance Racial Skill(s) - 500 Points
Increase Authority - 1000 Points
Beefhamr. He Who Would Be King. Gabrielle Nevarre. She Who Would Shield Us.
One fights at the head of an army of the dead. The other fights before the ghosts of her fallen Race. Champions without fanfare.
Prove your ttle.
Stand and fight.
Total Points: 100
His smile turned to a grimace. He’d also been spending them constantly, but he’d had little choice in their fight.
Risen Control Maximum Increased By 20!
Just like that, all 100 points vanished and a thread of power flowed through his core space. The enormous beetle inside his chest shuddered, pieces of the sprawling mansion on its back expanding as new roofs were added. Already he could feel space at the edge of his control, space where his Spirit could lift up the corpse of yet another Elental.
Hallow.
Already searching.
As much as he wanted to increase their speed and durability, or even unlock his Risen’s mories, sheer numbers mattered more than anything else in this fight. He was idly curious about what would happen when he finished the Quest—the Elders of Aeonis were giving him and Gabby quite a bit already. Was there a max amount of points they could earn? If not, that was insane, but Beef wasn’t about to look a gift Spirit Tree in the leaves, or however the saying went. For now, the extra boost was crazy helpful.
Elowen called from below. The Theron mage was down at the bottom of the chute, among a few Legionnaires and the remnants of his Risen ammunition. "Beef, is the chute ready?”
“Call it by the proper na!”
She groaned. “Is the Risen Railgun ready?”
Beef grinned, slapping the side of the enormous chitin-forged chute. "Oh yeah, it's ready. Patched up all the cracks."
They'd been using a combination of their Skills to deliver his Risen around the jungle. All part of Vess' plan, though this bit Beef had co up with himself. Elowen would throw them using her telekinesis magic, and Beef would provide the ammunition. And, of course, the railgun.
Distance was a bit hard to figure out at first, but the more Risen he sent into the jungle, the more vantage points he possessed. His network of Elentals was three hundred strong already, not including the smaller Risen he still had in reserve, bringing his total control limit up to five hundred and twenty. With that many eyes, he was getting very good at aiming, though their position helped.
They’d set the Risen Railgun up on a cliff, the height of which let gravity work in its favor instead of against it. At least, that’s what Elowen said. Beef didn't really understand the physics, just the parts where his Skills t reality. And his Skills were growing fast. Controlling the Risen, empowering them, and forging their defenses was getting a damn workout.
“Ugh.” That headache kept coming back. It had reached a point where it was almost always there, a low-powered twinge. Entropic energy harvested from his Risen’s kills helped, but it was a bandaid. “Focus, Beef.”
Knowledge's info had helped a ton and had him pushing well toward Grandmaster. But it was his Core Manifestation he was most excited about. "I think if we can manage to make a few more Risen, I might figure it out, Hallow.”
“I know you will, Beef. The Elentals are out in force, but they’ve grown wary of us now. Claiming more will be a challenge.” His armor flashed. “Speaking of: target at five o'clock. Dwarven battalion is reported."
Beef grunted and flared his control as three Risen Elentals on the Railgun platform were joined by two more. Entropic Paradigm blazed through him as the chute adjusted its trajectory, the Risen jostling into position before their Bodies were covered in a shell of thick chitin. A battalion ant at least two major Elentals, with seven of the Lesser as support. Five larger Risen should do the trick.
"Loaded!" Beef called to Elowen.
"Okay," the mage groaned. "Order Departs!" A halo of purple-gold Mana snapped around the chitin platform at the base of the Railgun before feeding into the inscribed slide. Force amplified, and the platform hurled upward at an angle.
“Deployed,” Hallow said. “Landing in approximately ten seconds.”
A ball at least forty feet in diater soared through the air, propelled by a trail of purple-gold. The first few tis they’d done this, Beef hadn’t used the shell—to disastrous results. Now, the projectile hit the distant jungle like a cannonball from hell, exploding into a plu of dirt, dust, and debris five hundred feet high.
Imdiately, there was a twinge in Beef’s gut, the first sign that his Risen had been injured. His energy was dwindling, but Hallow's attention healed them swiftly, even as the chitin shell dissolved.
They ca out swinging.
Corrupted Dwarves were crushed by enormous claws and heavy feet, their mounts broken by Mana-infused fists. Enemy Elentals charged them, but all five Risen moved at Beef’s command, plowing through one after the other.
Beef allowed Hallow to assu control of the group. They were already well in hand.
Vess had co up with the idea, and Gabby had refined it. The two of them were incredibly intelligent, especially when it ca to large-scale battles like this. Beef didn't know how they did it. Their job was to keep the Hierophant, Marzul–Beef corrected himself–on her toes. That was their job, his and Elowen's. By sending Risen out into the conflict zones, they created the illusion that they were omnipresent. They'd been at this for hours, though the Risen Railgun was a recent invention. Just so long as they don't find out where we're located, we'll be fine, he thought.
Your Risen Have Killed 54 Threats!
XP Earned!
It was one of many notifications flickering across Beef’s vision. The deaths increased every few minutes, as his scattered Risen did their work. Mostly it was the Dwarves—they were far squishier than the Elentals, especially the mages. But the Quest didn’t differentiate between any of them. That was saved for what the Elders called Superior, Supre, and Unique Threats. Whatever that ant.
If we could get our hands on a few of those, we’d be able to unlock the Risens’ mories in no ti.
Beef leaned against the Railgun, swiping through his notifications. His Risen had encountered six more groups in the jungle as they moved through and were busy laying the hurt on them. Points kept rolling in, and he grinned. “Elowen, you won’t believe—” His eyes widened. “Shit! Elowen!”
The Theron mage downed a Mana elixir with a grimace. “I need ten seconds!”
A Greater Elental dropped out of the sky, dark clouds partying around a burning shape bearing three necks and far too many wings. It scread. The sound of it was a wall of force, hitting Beef until he crashed into the Railgun’s supports, and Elowen was blasted off her feet, along with the entire cohort of Legionnaires.
The Greater Elental landed in the forest off the edge of the cliff in a bloom of insane heat and fla.
"Queenie!" Elowen spat through bloody teeth. "Air support!"
Beef hunkered down, enduring the blast of fire and superheated wind by slamming his hamr down. He looked up, through the blazing dust, only to find himself staring eye to eye with the Greater Elental.
It was standing on the ground. At the base of the cliff.
"Oh," Beef said, waving a little. "Hi there."
The Greater Fire Elental scread again, and this ti, liquid heat poured from its three mouths.
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