Chapitre 495: The Battle of Death March (3, 4)
Guys, I am terribly sorry for taking some days off without further notice. The house was busy these past couples of days and my head wasn't functioning. I know we are at the end of the Volume and it is so rude to go on a break out of the blue but please, accept my apology. Sometimes the cat spirit possessing me demands a sudden break and takes a long nap. It is a wonder I still get votes and Patrons with my lazy attitude!
So, a double chapter!
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(Part 1)
"Blessed be the Alliance!"
"The Cult shall prevail!"
And the fight broke out.
The Cult amassed their undead minions to horde over the rubble of the fallen rocks but the Alliance was already prepared and secured the high ground and there where the clash happened.
"Secure every spot. Hold the formation tight. The large undead creatures are slower than the smaller ones, deal with them first." War Chief Laila stood in front of the lines followed by Nagla and Isha on her right and left.
"Master, we should take the fight to the heart of the enemy as fast as we can. Staying here for too long will cause our casualties to increase." Isha shouted as she broke five zombies with a swing of her spear.
"Going down there early is suicide!" Nagla disagreed.
"We have no choice! We can go forward then retreat under the cover of magic, else we are going to lose our position." War Chief Laila had the most experienced background in open battles so she came up with a solution right away.
"March forward! Take ground and make every strike count!" She shouted and advanced ahead spearheading the attack with her spear.
"""HUA!""" The Adepts of the Citadel had absolute trust in their War Chief and followed her lead.
Despite her previous injury, War Chief Laila combined her experience with tactics and acted as the figure who can boost the morales at the forefront of the army even though she wasn't able to exert her full power.
She decided to act flashy and be the center of attention just to give confidence to the Adepts even if it meant worsening her recovery. She aimed her spear forward and focused on its blade that started to give off a blue aura. From there, a strong force fortified her charge and added a strong wave of power to her attack.
[Annihilating Blade - Lightning Bird Spear]
A Martial Art of the spear recorded by the old Spear Masters of the First Era only a few could learn and less could master.
The attack opened a path through the enemy lines as the War Chief destroyed over thirty undead creatures in one strike.
"War Chief is amazing!"
"Follow the War Chief!"
The Adepts were maddened by seeing the amazing Martial Art and offered their lives to just keep up with their idol who is breaking the ranks so effortlessly.
"Elder sister, go easy on yourself!" Nagla ran after her and tried to talk some sense into her sister.
"If you want this to end early, hurry up and don't lag behind." The War Chief didn't seem to be willing to stop but rather, she seemed in a hurry.
"Dammit! Here I go." Nagla couldn't stop her sister so she decided to take some of the load.
She swung her spear in circles and jumped inside a gathering of the dead. Her swings were unnatural and caused every undead in the way to be torn apart just like that.
[Fanning Spear - Bloody Wolf Storm]
If the opponents were living people, one could have seen a storm of blood around Spear Battlelord Nagla. Unlike her sister who showed the Power of the Spear, she showed the Accuracy of the Spear.
"You two… amazing!" From behind, Isha watched the War Chief and her Master compete on who was destroying more undead, a strong urge grew within her to join the party as well.
"Here I come." She shouted and ran towards the enemies with fabulous footwork evading and attacking using the [Spear of Bitter Mercy].
[Ebonarm Spear - Dancing Demon Spear]
A Martial Art that is taught to all the Adepts of the Citadel of Ebonarm who use the spear but to maintain it and reach its peak was a deed impossible to achieve for most of the current and old generations. Isha execution can be described as flawless.
"This girl!"
The two masters of the spear who are War Chief Laila and Spear Battlelord Nagla couldn't help but admire the fine Battlelord they brought up. Isha was on her way to surpass all who came before her in the Citadel.
The attack was a huge success. Let alone Laila, Nagla and Isha who were the obvious spearhead; the other Adepts and Battlelords showed no less courage and overwhelmed the Undead in a glorious show of strength and courage but like all things, it had to come to an end.
When the warriors reached the lowest point of the rocky rubble, they had already suffered some losses even with the high ground advantage but as the advantage was lost, they were about to be overwhelmed with numbers.
"Retreat now! Mages! Attack!" Kareem issued his order for the frontal main force to retreat and the mages to cover them.
A barrage of Magic spells showered the gap between the Warriors and the Undead Creatures. The Healers were not only assigned for healing but also attacking with the Sun Spells despite how weakened they were.
A safe retreat was guaranteed except when it came to one place.
The right side of the army was completely covered by healers, the magic in that side only harmed the Undead and not the living. It is a good thing in most cases but the Worm Cult saw through such a weakness.
"There! Attack! Preach their lines!"
Worm Knight Bobrak, known as Bonecrafter Bobrak, was leading a force of Worm Knights and Worm Necromancers from the right side. He walked across the danger zone barely scratched by the Sun Spells and surprised the Citadel Warriors at the right flank.
"The Cultists have passed! To formation!"
The Battlelord responsible for the right flank ordered a textbook defensive formation and withstood the Worm Knight successfully.
"Haha! Fools!"
Bonecrafter Bobrak was smiling viciously seeing his plan actually working. He gave a signal to the necromancers following him and they all started summoning skeletons as fast as they could.
"Stop them!" The battlelord wanted to take action against the summons and overwhelm the Necromancers but soon, he realized where he was mistaken.
Not all the skeletons were made for battle, some were made to be destroyed and take the enemy with them.
"Shields!"
"Too late!"
Once the Skeletons and the Warriors clashed, those skeletons exploded violently in the faces of those warriors.
"AAAAH!"
"MY EYES!"
"HELP!"
It was a vicious move. The spell known as [Blastbones] would send a suicidal skeleton that would run at the enemies nimbly, even evading attacks and giving a chase to its target until it blasts in fragments into that enemy. Those fragments were small and sharp, their harm is beyond repair for most of these skeletons are either carrying Flame, Poison or Disease.
"You dirty Necromancers!" The battlelord was angered beyond sense and jumped off his place aiming to behead the necromancers hiding behind the worm knights.
"That's the spirit!"
Bonecrafter Bobrak faced the Battlelord and received his attack with a sudden [Bone Shield] that appeared out of nowhere resembling a ribcage carrying to skulls. The Battlelord's sword didn't even scratch the [Bone Shield].
With a swing of his hand, a Scythe appeared on Bobrak's hand and went effortlessly through the Battlelord's body.
"NO!" A shout was heard from nearby as the Battlelord's head rolled on the ground.
With his other hand, Bobrak cast a spell turning the headless body of the Battlelord into an Undead right away.
"Haha! Go get them!"
The dreadful situation inspired a lot of fear into the hearts of the warriors who were trying to avenge the Battlelord but soon after, a spear came flying blasting away the headless undead body of the Battlelord.
"Dirty Faithless Cultists!"
War Chief Laila seemed to have secured her front and left the leadership to Battlelord Nagla.
"Die!" Bobrak swung the [Death Scythe] once again at Laila who skillfully evaded and grasped some sand throwing it in Bobrak eyes.
"AH! Dirty!"
"Shut up and fight!"
Laila realized that she can't prolong the fight because of her injury so she had to end it as fast as she can. Her spear returned to her hand and she launched a second [Annihilating Blade - Lightning Bird Spear]. Bonecrafter Bobrak tried to block the attack with his [Bone Shield] but he couldn't even understand what happened next.
The spear of the War Chief shattered his shield to smithereens intending to take his arm.
"Dream on!" He abandoned his place and jumped away taking distance from the dangerous opponent he couldn't recognize.
This was surprising. As the Worm Anchorite of the Cell that was responsible for assassinations, he should know all the dangerous targets and the ones that are marked for death.
"War Chief! We're here to aid you."
Some of the Citadel Adepts joined the fray to ward off the Necromancers and the other Worm Knights from interfering with the War Chief's fight.
"The War Chief? How? You are supposed to be dead by now!"
"Heh! You think too highly of your Cult, Necromancer." Laila wasn't planning to waste more time and aimed for the Orc's neck.
Bobrak realized his situation wasn't favorable, surely the Masked Spearmaster was none other than the famous War Chief Laila, such a woman was one of the best Fighters around Tamriel, even he wasn't confident to face.
He tried to block the attack by using two [Bone Shields] at the same time but his movements were far slower than her even with her injury limiting her options.
'Impressive! Even the Blessed One couldn't kill her.'
Bobrak's options were running short but he is not an Anchorite for show, he had a trump card for those kinds of situations.
"GET OFF ME!"
The Orc shouted making his Magicka explode and transforming it hurriedly into a spell. Laila had to retreat and watch the Orc cast his big spell.
[Bone Goliath Transformation]
"This is bad!"
The spell only a Master Mage can cast and needs years upon years of Necromancy practices to master.
Bonecrafter Bobrak was known as the Bonecrafter for his peerless skill in such art so of course, he could cast [Bone Goliath Transformation]. The last time that spell appeared in public was during the Aftermath of the Battle of Forsworn Jon Dare when Arch Wizard Nurina used it to fight on equal terms with the Noble Vampire Lord, Harkon Volkihar. ("Bone Goliath Pic added to Discord and IG)
"Dammit! Retreat!"
From this point on, the fight was fated to turn ugly.
**********
(Part 2)
"Hya!"
"HAA!"
The two big shots of the Citadel and the Cult clashed in mortal combat. At the start of the fight, War Chief Laila was both faster and Stronger than Bonecrafter Bobrak but after the [Bone Goliath Transformation], he became superior in raw power and endurance. Harming him will prove to be a challenge right now.
A Bone Goliath lives up to its name, the mechanic of the spell works by incasing the Necromancer in an Undead specially fitted to cover them fully. This meant more than just protection for the [Bone Goliath] was an undead that has its own power and set of controls needing to take commands from its pilot, the Necromancer.
It can be described as a power armor of sorts. Very strong and durable, powered by Magicka, has its own set of attacks and supports all the Magicka and Combat skills of the Pilot.
For that, War Chief Laila resorted to her best Martial Skills aiming to crack that tough nut while Bonecrafter Bobrak resorted to conjuring two [Death Scythes] by both hands locking all the angles of retreating for the War Chief.
"Stupid!"
Comparing his brute force to her skill was a mistake. Her spear found its way to leave a large crack on the chest of the Bone Goliath then she escaped the range of the two [Death Scythes] by evading at no direction except forward.
"Grah!" Bonecrafter Bobrak felt the impact of the spear and took distance from the battlelord.
She is too dangerous for him to take on. Despite the fact that he managed to ambush the Citadel and kill a Battlelord, she managed to steal the momentum and take her Adepts to safety minimizing the loss to the minimum.
The goal of the Cult was to kill as many Citadel Warriors as fast as they could then Reanimate them into Undead to make them fight their fellow warriors. Aside from the psychological pressure that would accumulate on a person to beat down the corpse of his brothers and fellow warriors, the Cult had a final plan to use those fallen for an assault of a [Corpse Explosion] spell to fully break the first line of Defense for the HoonDing Alliance which is the whole Citadel of Ebonarm.
This carefully crafted plan went into absolute chaos now that the War Chief took action herself.
"We retreated!" A call came from the back of the Alliance lines calling the War Chief to retreat.
"Hehehe. Good!"
Laila knew her job was over and decided to cut the fight here.
"Stop where you are!" Bobrak couldn't afford to let his strong magic go to waste and wanted to stop Laila's retreat but she was still faster than he is.
"You won't go."
Desperate, Bobrak resorted to casting [Conjure Zombie Horse] a couple of times. The Zombie horses were strong and heavy which guaranteed they would withstand the attacks of the Alliance as he chases after War Chief Laila and so it happened.
The rubble high ground wasn't much of an obstacle to the Zombie Horses that pulled the Bone Goliath up.
"Commander! We can't afford to follow! We are losing numbers!" A Worm Knight called for Bobrak but the latter was too obsessed with killing the War Chief before anything else the plans would go to absolute chaos.
"Throw the rocks! Destroy the corpses!" At the top of the rubble mountain, Kareem was giving a series of orders to obstruct Bobrak and destroy any remaining corpse on the battlefield to avoid the Necromancers reanimating them.
"Dammit! Assist me here!" Bobrak found no escape but to call for help as he finally locked the escape route on Laila.
{Endure for a minute! I'm bringing help!} Necromancer Iceheart responded to his call.
Meanwhile, War Chief Laila was calculating her options.
"There is no escape, War Chief." Bobrak felt the victory will be assured as soon as he takes care of the strongest enemy that could even hold a whole flank on her own with an injury hindering her.
"Heh! You've got some guts following me here. Fine, show me what you got."
As an Orc, Bonecrafter Bobrak was not just some second grade-warrior, he was a great warrior so he could surely use that.
"HAA!"
With a loud shout, the Orc started to get empowered and break free from his shackles more and more.
[Berserk Rage], the racial power of Orcs.
Two [Death Scythes] formed on his hands as he waved them at Laila from the sides.
She nimbly jumped up and twisted her body with the spear attacking the Bone Goliath at its skull. A crack formed on the skull and some drops of blood appeared on the spear blade. A critical hit.
The War Chief felt her victory was assured but sadly, she celebrated too soon, a berserking Orc can't feel anything such as pain. Despite the crack on the skull, Bobrak used the chance of Laila not stabilizing herself mid-air and rammed her with his supposedly injured head.
"AH!"
The ram was too strong for Laila forcing her to retreat while the Orc tried to cease the chance using his superior Berserking state to attack her but she skillfully retreated.
"DIE!"
From behind, a bolt of unholy magic was shot at Laila's back hitting her without her noticing and causing her to fall short on evasion.
"WAR CHIEF!" Kareem was the closest to the scene and found himself jumping out of his post to defend the War Chief taking the second Magic bolt with the [Soul Sword].
"Annoying!" A Witch-like woman appeared in the sky, she was holding a staff and looked rather ugly. It was Iceheart.
A second solo fight started between Prince Kareem and Worm Necromancer Iceheart as Kareem jumped mid-air deflecting all the attacks skillfully and giving a serious chase to the witch.
"Isha! Assist the War Chief!" Kareem's voice vibrated over the battlefield alerting the other two fronts where Isha and Myr fought.
Isha looked at Nagla and the two nodded before Isha charging on a Storm Atronach across the battlefield.
Meanwhile, War Chief Laila was in quite a grim situation. After she was struck by the deadly bolt, she fell down and the Bone Goliath that is Bonecrafter Bobrak took the chance to engage with her in a devastating fight.
She managed to break his magic but she lost her spear, he tried to strangle her using her superior bruteness and she struggled with maintaining her situation from worsening.
"BREAK FOR ME!" The frenzied Orc shouted behind his skull protection and pinned Laila to the ground. As she clung into his arm, he bound her down hard then stepped on her causing her to cough out blood.
"War Chief!" Isha's voice was heard nearby but Laila was too weakened to respond.
Bobrak's hand was raised once again and two impactful punches landed on Laila's body. The last attack was when Bobrak raised his hand and conjured a [Bone Dagger].
"Die!"
The last attack wasn't missing Laila's heart by any chance and she felt death drawing nearer. In a moment of weakness, Laila gave up and closed her eyes but in the next, a slender ebony spear was piercing through the arm of the [Bone Goliath].
"Get off her!"
Bobrak staggered backward by Isha yet the berserking Orc soon regained his balance and looked at Isha. Despite the skull face, Isha could see the nasty smile under that skull as a horde of Necromancers, Worm Knights and Undead Creatures.
"Maiden of the Spear! It is you!" Bobrak figured out Isha's identity without much thinking.
"Son of a fucking bitch! I'll kill you. BOETHIAH!"
Isha called for her last resort power, the [Blessing of Boethiah - Desert Wrath]. The air around her started to burn on its own and a storm of sand formed as she charged like a loosen arrow at Bonecrafter Bobrak.
"GRAAHH!" The Orc called his remaining arm to call a [Bone Wall] from the ground to hinder Isha's advance but it was broken like a piece of biscuit.
"Shit!"
The spear's tip was already pressing at the chest of the Bone Goliath as Bobrak started retreating and Isha gave chase. The sandstorm she called around her destroyed each and every undead and worm cultist she passed across save for the ridiculously durable Bone Goliath that the [Spear of Bitter Mercy] was its only medicine.
"Die, you fucker!"
Isha shouted delivering all the power from her Aura to her Shoulders and Thighs as the spear tip sunk deeply in the Goliath then she started lifting him up on her spear.
Isha's strength reached an unimaginable realm when she was lifting the large Goliath up vertically then tossed him to the air.
She wasn't done! Oh! She was far from done. She jumped up after him with her spear aimed forward using what she knows about Magic to levitate for a few seconds while delivering an attack that would send the Bone Goliath up in the air more. All of those attacks were a martial skill known as [Annihilating Blade - Wolf Bite Spear].
The Bone Goliath began to disintegrate with each strike showing bloody spots of its owner's body being broken apart. An arm flew away, then a foot, then the whole leg, and finger were seen.
Screams!
Wails!
The Orc's pain must have accumulated for too long and his body was feeling it all in one go alongside Isha's relentless attacks.
"STOP! PLEASE! NO! HELP"
As all parts of the Bone Goliath were broken apart, the Orc was revealed to all who could see as body losing its limbs on a rabid rate.
Isha couldn't maintain her flight for too long and soon fell towards the slope of rubble but she safely landed. As for the Orc, he fell right after Isha with its hideous body bleeding like a slain pig. Once it was close to the ground, Isha met him with her spear.
*Slash*
The Speartip penetrated the head of the Orc from the neck going up through the skull and carrying it like a trophy.
"The Cult's Commander is dead!"
"Isha killed him! She killed him!"
"Rally the news! Aloud!"
All the Citadel Warriors cheered loudly to convey the news on all fronts. Isha slew a Cult Commander!
The impact of the news was obvious. The Worm Cultists were unable to advance further from the shock while the Warriors of the Citadel and the HoonDing Alliance turned into hungry wolves and rallied another charge against the Cultists and the Undead.
"Help! The War Chief is injured!" Isha destroyed the body of the Bobrak and ran to Laila supporting her away from the battle under the protection of some Battlelords.
Meanwhile in the sky.
"Hold that Witch!"
"HYA!"
Kareem and Jax were chasing after the Necromancer Iceheart.
"Hahaha! You won't catch me, pretty boy."
"Hmph!"
Jax snorted as he flipped his wings and blocked the escape path of Iceheart. She tried to evade left but his [Lava Whip] stopped her escape. Kareem had some control over the [Levitation] spell using his magic tools so he was able to keep up with Jax and Iceheart.
"Isha killed a Cult Commander!"
The loud cheer finally reached the ones battling in the skies. Iceheart froze in her place and looked where Bobrak was supposed to be. She took note of Isha holding the [Spear of Bitter Mercy] with Bobrak hung from the tip.
"… Impossible!"
"Hya!"
Iceheart had no time to rest as Kareem was swinging the [Soul Sword] at her.
"Piss off!"
She tried to get rid of him but Jax was waiting for her. His "Lava Whip" held her from her leg and pulled her down.
"Let go! I said let me go!"
The Witch was infuriated by the cooperation between Jax and Kareem so she had to get rid of Jax first. She aimed her hand and cast a dreadful spell towards him.
Jax had no time to evade as he was focused on holding the whip to prevent Iceheart from escaping. Once he saw the Spell approaching nearer, he almost lost focus but someone appeared in front of him to take the magic instead.
"Prince! No!"
It was Kareem. Once Jax saw Kareem in the line of danger, he remembered his Master's serious warning about protecting Kareem that had an "or else" following it. Sadly, Jax was too slow to help Kareem and the spell landed on him causing a dark explosion.
"Dammit!"
"Ahahaha!"
The Minotaur was shuddering from the thought that he failed to protect Kareem, on the other hand, Iceheart gave a Witch laugh for her flawless spell.
"Hmph! Celebrating too soon."
Yet all of a sudden, Kareem's voice sounded and the dark cloud was torn apart by a wave of shimmering light.
Kareem appeared in the most heroic appearance he may appear with. His armor was radiating and he was holding two swords, one was the [Soul Sword], the other was the [Ansei Ward].
Two voices sounded in his head, one was Prince A'tor and the other was Sword Saint Radan. To top it all, the armor that Jon gave him was ridiculously playing along.
———————————
[Royal Plate] <Elvensteel Set>
- Weapon Enchantment Imitation
———————————
The armor was a full plate yet simple, light and nearly crafted by Wulfur who was training on imitating the Elven Craftsmanship. Despite being kept in the corner as decoration, Jon had a devilish idea while training his Enchanting. The Enchantment, which required the whole set, can borrow power from a Weapon's Enchantment and reflect similar qualities on the whole armor. Its flaw was that it didn't work well with normal weapons and for such a complicated Enchantment, it was scripted using the Binary Method.
Combined with the [Soul Sword], the armor would give a Holy Aura and reflect the power of Prince A'tor but combining it with an [Ansei Ward], things took a rather ridiculous turn.
Somehow, the armor grew wings made of light swords with some sort of a melody or humming was heard in the surroundings as well. The world may have not seen such an image for ages but surely the blood of Redguards, descendants of the old Yukodans, realized what Kareem just looked like.
As he moved his swords, the melody around him started to intensify. The Tonal Law of the universe moved with his sword and a mystical wave of sword slash happened.
"Master! Save me!" Iceheart knew she was done for, all she could do is to call her Master, Grand Anchorite Almion.
"Stay your blade!" A voice came like thunder in the sky targeting Kareem but the melody around him protected him from all Tonal based attacks and he continued with the sword strike at Iceheart.
"Mortal, you dare defy me?"
Grand Anchorite Almion flew from his camp and targeted Kareem. A deviating power comparable to an Ancestor started to pressure Kareem and endangered him but suddenly, all the pressure was blocked by something. Meanwhile, Kareem's sword strike landed on Iceheart and broke her apart in a withering scream.
"Who are you? How can you stop me?" Grand Anchorite Almion couldn't believe that he was being stopped by an equal strength.
"Please refrain from resisting, I take no pleasure causing harm to another being." The figure that appeared in front of Almion spoke.
It was wearing some simple elven armor not even enchanted. Once it removed the helm, the face of an elf appeared. It was hard to distinguish what Elf that is yet from the looks of it, the Elf was too beautiful and charming. Could be an Altmer as they are the best looking ones but those pain in the ass Altmer are nothing but trouble and they can't give this peaceful feeling.
"What… what are you?" Almion directed a question to Myr with a shocked face.
Despite being equal to an Ancestor, Almion couldn't see through the Elf in front of him.
"Worry not! It shall be painless!"
And Myr raised the [Ansei Ward].
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Chapitre 496: The Battle of Death March (5, 6)
Notification: A new Chapter of "Beast of the Apocalypse" is published on Patreon FREE even for non-patrons!
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Almost forgot~... A Double Trouble Chapter!
~~~~~~~~~~
(Part 1)
Myr raised the Ansei Ward and a frightening power came from the blade. Myr didn't like talking too much or wasting time, so with a single swing, he created an energy blade attack with the Ansei Ward and launched it at Grand Anchorite Almion.
The Grand Anchorite who is also a Vampire didn't realize what kind of energy was that at first yet once he saw what the energy did the Undead Creatures between him and Myr, his ghost almost departed his body from the scare.
The Energy seemed harmless towards the Living but it broke the Undead apart. Just like the Sun Magic but more dreadful and destructive.
The Sun Magic is the closest element to Aetherius and a Source of Life. It can provide actual sunlight to any farm planted even under a mountain as long as the other elements are provided. Such an element is the bane of Undeath thus why the [Soul Snare] spell weakened such an element. Yet according to what Myr just used, he seemed to be unhindered by the [Soul Snare] spell to begin with.
The Grand Anchorite was forced to move off his place with a bitter face. It is safer not to block such a strike.
"So… you decided to prolong it. Very well."
On the other hand, Myr was displeased that his opponent took the negative choice that would lead to the suffering of the many.
In an instance, a cross slash came from Myr's direction aiming to cut the Ancient Vampire into four but the latter was alert and moved from the sky in the form of a swarm of bats.
"No matter what you are, you are no match for an Immortal!" Almion didn't just upset Myr but also bragged about his Vampirism which made Myr think for a while.
"You dare get distracted against me!" Seeing Myr unresponsive, the Vampire decided to turn the tide and rushed at Myr in an instant. Myr was not moving and got caught from the neck by the clutches of the vampire.
"Any last words, fool?"
"You just called yourself Immortal?" Uncaring about the Vampire's actions, Myr directed a question to the vampire.
"Indeed! Ahahaha, why? Are you interested in switching forces for immortality as well?" Almion raised Myr from the neck then pulled him closer, "You have a fine face? For an Elf, your blood is… your blood is…"
"My blood is what?"
"I… I am not quite sure… What are you?" Almion bared his fangs and as he brought his face closer to Myr's.
"What a shame! For a second, I thought you were onto something." Myr held the vampires are and twisted it removing the clutch of his neck effortlessly.
"SHAAA!" The Vampire hissed from the sudden shift of situation.
"Listen, undead. It is shameful to call yourself Immortal. It is a word that even I don't describe myself with." As soon as Myr's words were done, he swung the vampire like a toy and tossed him down like a falling meteor.
"Immortality may sound like the goal of many who practice the Arcane arts but Longevity is the best thing to achieve. Those who wish to cheat death crawl into the darkness of Undeath but that never makes you immortal. An Immortal is a being the defies the concept of death and transcends beyond the existence of the knowable. Unlike what most think, death is a blessing, an end, and rest to all suffering. Those who want to keep living must bear the consequences and they still won't be immortals, only long-livers. In your case, your longevity is based on the unholy concept of Undeath, the Light of Aetherius flowing through the sun is the secret of all life yet you, a being of the void still claim to be Immortal? The audacity! The nerve!"
As the dust settled, Myr finished the lesson of what it means to be an immortal meeting eye to eye with the Ancient Vampire whose rage was boiling to a critical point.
"YOU! DARE! LAY! A HAND! ON! ME?!"
The vampire's body was damaged beyond recognition but the undead are known to be resilient and tough to kill. The broken body of the Ancient Vampire started to gather from pieces to pieces forming itself organ by organ then limb by limb finally taking the form of a humanoid then covering itself with an aura of darkness to form a robe and a staff.
"Hmph! Alas, my words are wasted on the likes of you." Myr's head shook left and right in displeasure and disapproval.
"You will pay!"
The Vampire ignored Myr's monologue and recognized him as a tough opponent. In fact, Myr was a few levels above Jon in terms of raw mystical power. His powers as an Ehlnofey were the closest thing to divine thus making him the perfect bane to an Ancestor-level Ancient Vampire.
"You are but a talking walking corpse." Myr raised the [Ansei Ward] once again, "What is dead may never rise!"
A powerful clash of powerhouses happened in the sky above the armies of the living and the dead one with golden light and the other with dreadful darkness. The onlookers shuddered to the sight of the two powers that stole the spotlight in an instance.
Meanwhile, the fight between Kareem and Iceheart was turning into more of a fast chase.
"Don't run, scum."
"Master! Master! Save me!"
Kareem was rushing behind Iceheart who decided she is no match for the dangerously overpowered Prince who just grew wings. His majestic power cut through the ranks of the Undead horde as Iceheart ran left and right avoiding him and rallying the Undead puppets to distract him.
"I said… STOP!"
Kareem let out a rush of violent energy that destroyed a large Flesh Atronach, the same thing that appeared in front of his city less than a few days ago. The Prince's fast rise in power is indeed shocking but Kareem knew that he is borrowing the powers of Prince A'tor and the Sword Saint in the Ansei Ward thus he had to use it wisely.
"You will never catch me! You will never catch me! Ahahaha!"
Iceheart used her Lichdom powers to manipulate the army of the dead into a meat-shield for the aggressive Prince that is out for her head. Kareem spared no effort in destroying everything in his way.
"I'll catch you, you…" Kareem was infuriated by the shameful acts of Iceheart but a voice rang in his head.
{You mustn't let her pull you any further! You are being led to a trap.}
Sure enough, Kareem was in the middle of the enemy's force fighting alone with Undead coming from all directions.
"Dammit!"
Realizing the mess he's in, Kareem felt the need to retreat but it was rather hard to break through the lines of these undead. He decided to use the Wings he had to yet in the air, the enemies were more dangerous than the ones in the ground. The Undead army had wraiths and gargoyles that could fly and cast terrible curses.
"Hahaha! What is wrong, pretty boy? You want to retreat?" From nearly all around him, Kareem could hear the vile laughter of Iceheart who was celebrating her victory.
Surely he had more firepower enough to defeat her but she was more adapted with her powers and took the fight to a place where she can fully utilize all her skills. Kareem would break from the dead with brute power but she would lay traps to damage and exhaust him. The dead he fights would explode when they are too damaged to fight, the undead behind him are always more powerful than the ones ahead of him forcing him to go deeper into the army of the dead stranded from all aid. Iceheart was as crafty as she is powerful and Kareem was in real danger. What he didn't know that it wasn't only him but Iceheart also managed to trap Jax into the same exact situation both of them were waiting to get from the other.
Meanwhile, Myr and Almion were having a devastating fight high in the sky. Myr's powers were boundless compared to Almion but not infinite. On the other hand, Almion was killed over seven times already but would always regenerate from his remains and rise again.
"That's not possible!" Myr was taken aback by how much effort it took him to fight this undying thing.
"Hahaha! You see now, puny creature. I am an immortal! You can't harm me!"
Myr was by no means puny yet Almion was drunk in power. He can regenerate from a single drop of blood back into his full state further proving Myr's point of undeath. Yet what made Myr uneasy was how much energy this undead could muster. Almion too was terrified by Myr whose attacks would kill him without much resistance.
Almion's secret was simple and soon, Myr saw through it.
"You are not immortal but one is surely backing you, resurrecting you each time you are killed. Resurrection… I see, just like that girl. You are a prophet as well."
Myr's insight was right on point, Almion was indeed Mannimarco's prophet, the eyes and ears of the King of Worms in the mortal world exactly like Beth and Boethiah.
Myr adjusted his powers and readied himself to launch another attack but suddenly stopped and looked down at the battle between the living and the dead. With a smile, he launched a powerful attack towards Almion slow enough for the latter to dodge and powerful enough to land on the undead on the ground and wipe out a good chunk of them. Sure enough, it bought Jax enough time to escape the trap Iceheart has prepared and rush to join Kareem.
"Hateful! What are you plotting?" Almion noticed that the plan he came up with, to lock the powerhouses of the enemies in prolonged fights and drain them fast, was seen through.
"Heh! It seems we have reached a deadlock, undead. You can't harm me but I can harm you but you can keep me occupied. Still, that doesn't mean I can't keep you in check and ruin with you plans. After all, if there is no army of the dead, your petty Immortal won't be helping you that much."
Myr may appear as a pure and quite Elf but he is the origin of both Miranda and Mirren, two of the most dangerous assassins in Tamriel.
"Hateful! I will strike you down!"
Almion realized he can no longer rely on the support of the King of Worms and had to put effort to fight Myr, unfortunately for him, he is no match for Myr to begin with. Myr kept throwing attacks at the Undead army here and there while keeping Almion in check. Yet Myr's only worry was his reserve of energy that was running low faster than he hoped.
It was a race against time, Myr's Stamina and Magicka against the unending numbers of the Undead.
[A/n: Remember to put Paragraph comments on the spots you like, Rate and Comment on the Chapter]
**********
(Part 2)
At the same time, Jax has arrived to aid Kareem in the flashiest way possible.
"Prince! I am here to assist you!" He landed with his flaming wings burning any undead on his sides and his [Lava Whip] pulling a large Flesh Atronach down on tens of smaller undead turning them to fragments.
Jax and Kareem stood back to back ready to fight whatever creature come at them yet all of a sudden, aid came from the most unexpected places. Out of nowhere, Nine Iron Atronachs appeared and started to grind the undead around them like death machines.
"Those are!"
"Krilon's Atronachs?"
These nine Atronaches were the Golems created by Jon using the [Deadlands Hammer] when he arrived at the Citadel of Ebonarm.
This only meant one thing… their owner is not too far.
"What should we do?" Jax asked.
"Not die and kill as much as we can." Kareem was not waiting for a miracle to happen despite knowing that a change is coming soon, they just need to keep their stand on to lessen the load on those who are coming after them. While fighting, they have already formed a mound of corpses beneath them yet they can't stay longer in one place else Iceheart will make those corpses explode to harm them.
The best course of action was to leave the Nine Iron Atronachs to do whatever they are doing and seek out the strongest undead allowing the HoonDing Alliance and the Citadel of Ebonarm to have an easier time advancing forward and break the deadlock of the battle.
Indeed, the forces of the Alliance started advancing slowly and took the fight out of the valley to an open field. Soon enough, the plans were implemented and the diverse forces were deployed on an open field. The Hunding Chargers of Stros M'kai were back on their horses and launched a successful assault on the undead's left flank rendering them to Oblivion. The efforts of the heroes in the front started to bear its fruits.
"Iceheart! Release the hounds!" Almion was watching battle during his fight with Myr and realized the trouble he is in so he shouted for Iceheart to hasten the plans.
Soon enough, Iceheart, who was hiding somewhere in the army of the dead, started to conjure a different type of undead that resembled the Skinned Hounds of the Shivering Isles but on a zombified image. These hounds carried all sorts of poisons and infections making it dangerous to come into contact with them.
The hounds ran and started chasing the horses of the Hunding Chargers hunting a number of them as the other escaped within the range of the Magic Squad. Locking the Chargers away from the battle was the right step to take for the side of the Worm Cultists to make sure that the Necromancers in the core of the formation were safe from a sudden enemy charge.
But the Worm Cult has missed the one true enemy they should be most wary from.
Iceheart, who has retreated to the core of the formation alongside the other Worm Cultists, was sparing no effort into supporting the frontlines sending Necromancers and Worm Knights to stop the Alliance and the Citadel from advancing. Even after the fall of their strategies, Bonecrafter Bobrak, the Cult had many talents of strategy and trickery that can still lead this fight to a sure victory. Oblivion! The Cultists themselves were over 4000 gathered at various points and cells to control the battle without even engaging with the enemies.
Still, not all the plans were working right.
"Mother! Mother! Another seven were found dead!" The one who spoke to Iceheart was her daughter, Mina.
"I don't care about the losses or whatever crazy maniac launches a suicide attack and kill some! Master wants more cells to advance further into the fight and hold the key points. We need to trap those mortals back where they came from and seize the chance to take the high grounds from them."
Iceheart was pushing the plans forward no matter the losses.
"But mother, the enemies that launch suicidal attacks can't kill our ranks or reach this deep."
"Don't bother me with your duties! Protect the ranks and keep the pace, victory is within our grasps!" Iceheart brushed it off but soon, she felt the feedback of her undead thralls getting beaten by Kareem and Jax on a faster rate than before, "AAH! Those two are at it again! I have to go kill them personally."
As she flew out of the core Magical formation; her daughter Mina was the one to stand at the center of the Control Formation, Mina is not Iceheart's actual biological daughter but rather a child that was taken by force from her parents when she was but an infant then got raised with dozen others by Iceheart. Of course, Mina killed the other children to prove herself as the most fitting and loyal apprentice to Iceheart. An unholy cycle of mastering the undeath.
"Bring glory to the King of Worms! He who took us when the world rejected us and showed us power and purpose." Mina shouted.
"HAA!"
The Cultists shouted after her pouring their life energy into the control formation to give birth to more undead. Those who were not strong enough started crumbling and aging so fast as the formation ate them faster than they could maintain it.
"Find replacement to those faithless! We need more power to push forward!"
Much like her mother, Mina was cruel and unforgiving planning to take the world down with her for the glory of the King of Worms.
"Lady Mina! Lady Mina! Another cell was found dead!" Suddenly, a lieutenant of hers came running to deliver the news.
"Dammit! What was the pattern?" She asked.
"All are slashed cleanly into halves and one with a broken neck." The man said.
"Shit! It keeps happening. Replace me!"
She pulled the man in her position but for he was a knight with weak Magicka, the formation consumed him in a couple of seconds.
"Trash! Another one! Make it stable."
This formation was one large formation to control a whole army of undead. Because of the lack of resources once the HoonDing Alliance rose to power, the cult had no mortal sacrifices or young children to power it up so they gladly gave their lives to maintain it. All the citizens of Hegathe have either fled, converted to the faith of the Worm Cult or slaughtered so it was actually a desperate situation for the Worm Cult as well.
Yet right now, the reserve of 4000 cultists that were bought for the maintenance and the fighting was dwindling at an alarming rate. Mina found out about the killings that started happening exactly with the start of the battle. It is safe to say… or rather unsafe, that the rearguard of the undead force is completely crippled by now for the lack of the Worm Cells that control the massive force of this Dead Army.
She looked and looked but without any leads, no matter the enemy at work here, it is as if he is walking through the shadows. Every Worm Cell died with blade cuts but only one member that is usually a weaponless knight has his neck broken.
Why is it being dismissed? Why does everyone think that the Cult is fighting Martial Artists so it is natural that we lose some members to the suicidal attacks? The dead Worm Cells may be not of strategic value but losing them like that is alarming. Without them, the rearguard is moveless. Just some undead standing unless…
"Unless they are blocking us from retreat?" Mina thought, "But why would we retreat? We are winning this for sure. Who is this devil lurking among us?"
No way in Oblivion an enemy can be so skilled in infiltration to the point where even the Grand Anchorite is clueless of his whereabouts.
Mina looked up and saw the most powerful enemy battling the Grand Anchorite up in the skies but the Anchorite was holding well despite the enemy's action of smiting down the undead army whenever they get the chance.
"Can it be…"
As she was investigating, her eyes landed on the Worm Cell nearby. She watched for over ten minutes the scene of a Worm Knight looking for his sword but he can't find it yet he stumbles upon a strange black sword that was lying on the ground carelessly. He picks the sword and falls for its bewitching beauty then without care, he slashes a few times with a dumb smile killing all members of the worm cell he is leading.
A moment later, a black cat-like beast passes by and the man's head is twisted at the wrong direction. It all took a few seconds and a whole section of the army was crippled.
Yet she was unmoving… unresisting… unable to utter a word or raise a finger to point at what just happened.
She was not doing this on purpose but rather for the hand over her shoulder of a person standing on the other side of her. He wore a black cloak and resembles a cultist but a mask was covering his face.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" He asked.
"…" Unsure of when did this man get close to her or how was he even there made Mina speechless.
Amidst the chaos of the fight, no one cared who stood beside whom or who was who. Even in the back lines were the reinforcements were being rallied, everyone was too busy to notice anyone wearing the same color as them. As long as they are black mostly with a green skull on the robes, that's a fellow Worm Cultist.
But this man was not just blending in, Mina feared that if she took her eyes off him, he will disappear in the background with no way to find him again.
He aimed his other hand up and all of a sudden, the black blade that was just used to murder a whole Worm Cell flew right into his hand.
His hand on her shoulder snuck into her hood and touched her neck gently tickling the girl who was drenched in cold sweat. A strange crystal-like substance moved from his sleeve and came into contact with the girl's skin.
"Mina, my dear. I've been looking for you… for someone like you for some time. That's a nice bond you have with your Master. Master / Mother, I mean… I know too damn well what such a bond means because in my life, this is the most precious bond I have. And I know that such a bond will be the key to satisfy my blade. Sweet little, Mina. It is your turn."
And he put the blade into Mina's hands.
———————————
[Lust] <Sin>
- Metamorphosis
- Desire Inducement (Evolved from Truth Inducement)
———————————
[The Ebony Blade] <Daedric Artifact>
- Awakening 9/10
- Absorb Vitality
- Fortify Swordsmanship
———————————
[A/n: Remember to put Paragraph comments on the spots you like, Rate and Comment on the Chapter]
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L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS
El_Don
El_Don
Just thinking about something unrelated to this novel...
We have "Double Trouble" And "Triple Threat", right?
What is next?
I think "Wholesome Foursome" sounds nice!
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
200+ Classement
Power Stone 
29 Power
stone 
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