Chương 494: The Battle of Death March (1, 2)
Ladies and Gentlemen! I, Don (aka Ahmed), am happy to be with you for another year. Happy 2020 everyone and my God Bless your days with Love and Peace. May we have another successful year and continue this novel that got too long (way too long for what I was planning for, actually out of hands! lolz!). With the Volume ending at the end of the "Battle of Death March" arc, I feel fulfilled and satisfied saying that this fan-fiction is my life's finest work and I am proud of the monster I created!
Love you all! Say hey to your mamas! And enjoy the chapter!
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(Part 1)
Meanwhile in the camp of the HoonDing Alliance.
"High Mage Krilon have left once again? This is the first attack we launch at the Worm Cult and we need him here."
"Agreed. This is a matter of absolute importance."
In the commander's camp, the Lords of the Alliance were in a dispute regarding Jon's actions and sudden disappearance. They boasted of their power and courage but when it came to the first Assault on the Worm Cult in an open field, they all kept complaining.
"Silence!" Kareem spoke in a threatening tone.
The Prince who was but a young commander on a force of a thousand men is now leading the biggest military force in Hammerfell all because of the assistance of one man because the High Mage of the Alliance was Krilon who is said to be the Court Wizard of Stros M'kai. It upset many people for sure but no mage could take Jon's position so far and those who tried to sway Jon to their side were kicked out of his room.
The funniest story was when that lady from a certain background tried to seduce Jon so he spent the night with her and once she woke up, she found that Jon had moved his tent and left her with a mattress… naked.
No one wanted to mess with Jon after that incident and Kareem's position was very much fortified yet after the late events where Jon had to go on errands of his own, those lords tried hard to criticize and overstep Kareem's leadership. However, Kareem wasn't that weak or easy to bully.
He displayed his skill in both commanding and power just to scare those power-seeking lords by dueling one of the best swordsmen in the alliance and making him eat dirt. Not just that, the Minotaur, that is rumored to be the familiar of the High Mage Krilon, is following Kareem day in and day out.
Thus after reaching the size of 20'000 men and receiving volunteers from all parts of Hammerfell. The leader of this glorious "Make Way" was undoubtedly Kareem.
And today was the first open battle against evil.
The Worm Cult has taken note of the actions of Kareem and finally hoarded it undead in an open field near the Alik'r Desert. Their goal was one thing and one thing only and that is to prevent the Alliance from coming out of the desert then push them in the Dead Sand Region. For that, the Worm Cult has spared the largest force of Undead known in the Fourth Era, a 100'000 undead creatures.
If not to be present now, where in Oblivion did the High Mage Krilon go?
The fact that the Alliance is awakening the Wards was kept a secret from the Lords. Only a select few knew it and that was because of the spies that work with the Worm Cult.
Just this morning three spies attacked Isha alone and two thieves attempted to steal the [Spear of Bitter Mercy].
This only meant one thing.
"I know we are five times less than the undead horde but the situation is not bad at all. The Cult is desperate to take us out. They can't risk fighting us in an Urban Field so they picked the desert where we can't face the Charge of the dead… or so they think." Kareem said.
"What do you have in mind, Commander?" Asked one of the Lords loyal to Kareem.
"Simple, we have our own fort." Kareem announced flat and simple.
Most of the Lords were not aware of any fortress on the edge of the desert but if that was the case then it is a welcome change.
"And where is that fort, commander?"
"Here."
Kareem pointed at a certain place on the central map. The Lords looked at it then began murmuring.
"That is but a rocky valley and stone formations, my Lord."
"Indeed. It is all we need to make a stand. We can drop the rocky pillars atop the valley to prevent the undead from charging. We will take the high grounds to the back and the sides leaving the dead just this area to come at us. We don't want to make it so hard for them to fight against us so they come instead of circling around us and attacking the defenseless cities to force us out so we will have to trade some disadvantages that we can deal with later on."
"How to deal with an advantage we give up on?" Asked a Lord.
"By traps. Strangely, High Mage Krilon sounded excited whenever the subject of traps was involved so he must have prepared something good… I guess. Either way, we are expecting our allies from Sentinel to join us. I've talked with King Abbas and we have 5000 Soldiers by tomorrow as reinforcements. Also, the Citadel of Ebonarm is with us so there is nothing to fear in the Alik'r."
The battle plan was laid out and the Lords knew their positions. It seemed hopeful but it was the best they could come up with.
As the Lords cleared out to prepare the troops to march before the light of dawn, Isha and two other women entered Kareem's camp.
"War Chief Laila! Battlelord Nagla and Isha as well! How can I help?" Kareem greeted them personally right away.
The War Chief of the Citadel of Ebonarm was known as Laila, a fierce woman whose face was always hidden under a mask for some reason. The mask was that of an angry lion which gave her a fearsome appearance. Sadly, that woman was injured at the first confrontation with Zain at the Ansei Pyramid thus she was being supported by her sister, Battlelord Nagla.
"Lord Kareem, the Citadel of Ebonarm will be at the forefront of the battle this morning." War Chief Laila said.
Kareem felt troubled by her notification. The Citadel is not a part of the Alliance so he can't order them around but they are valuable assets and strong fighters. Having them at the front is bad for the overall strategy. If he is to choose, he would place them as the hidden trump card that will hack through the enemy and strike the heart of its formation.
"May I know the reason?" Kareem asked.
The three women seemed troubled by his question but Isha answered right away.
"This fight is a personal one for the Citadel. My brother Zain or whatever evil inhabits his body and uses his weapon and skills is our problem to deal with. We shall take the blame for…"
Kareem shook his head and interrupted her.
"No one is blaming the Citadel for the matter of your brother, Isha. We are thankful enough that you showed up to save Stros M'kai alongside Krilon and the others, more to that, not only your brother's body what was taken by the cul, the Valley of Blades reported that Necromancers has taken over their ancestral tombs and stole the honored dead, many places reported the same. This is a tragedy we share and nothing to blame the Citadel on."
Kareem tried to convince them to go back to the formation he prepared but they were fixed on that suicidal position.
In the end, it was War Chief Laila who would lead the assault and Kareem who would lead the defense. A reckless strategy but seemed rather appealing once laid down.
Before the first light of dawn, the HoonDing Alliance was already in the formation and marching towards the rocky valley where the battle shall take place.
Opposite to them, a black cloud of deadly fumes was gathering thickly from the direction of Hegathe. It was an evil accumulation of the "Soul Snare" spell and corrupted Undead Magicka.
On the mountains, Kareem observed the situation with a grim face.
"This is worse than I thought. If that cloud lands on us, we are doomed." He concluded.
Let alone the foul nature of the spell that can make people lose their sense of direction, this cloud carried an exceptionally powerful poison that normal warriors won't even withstand.
If the sky was the problem then the battle layout would go into chaos. The plan of today can't face a single problem else the Alliance will get annihilated even before Krilon arrives.
"Leave that to me." And here when someone offered help with the coming problem.
Kareem looked to discover that it is Myr, the most mysterious being in this place. Kareem was an open-minded person enough to accept the Altmer Twins Mirren and Miranda in Stros M'kai unlike the other Crowns who don't withstand Elves but Myr was an entirely new thing that Kareem couldn't help but put a psychological barrier against. Still, in his time of need, Kareem had to show some trust to an ally capable enough to wield an Ansei Ward just like him.
"Alright." Kareem replied.
Myr didn't show much emotion other than his tranquil face. He would smile from time to time but right now, he was just calm and collected facing the dark fume cloud in the sky. He watched it approach as he was standing on a high peak and readying himself to react at the best timing.
Meanwhile, Kareem returned to the strategy of the fight.
Under the cloud of poisonous fumes, there was a horde of undead monstrosities marching on the dry plains outside the Alik'r Desert. They stopped not far from the rocky valley Kareem and his Alliance were fortifying and the dark cloud stopped with them.
"They are recalculating their options." Kareem said.
"Do you want me to lure them?" Jax, who was tasked with guarding Kareem, asked.
"Let's not frighten them just yet."
Kareem's idea was to make them draw closer until he is confident enough to show the true fangs of his strategy. It is useless no matter how many undead he kills without killing the Necromancers but killing enough undead to expose the Necromancers in the core of the formation and swoop them in a fast attack in the principle of his actions but first, the Necromancers must believe that the HoonDing Alliance is fearful to face them in an open field so they had to take shelter in a valley with a dead end… which was in fact true. A single mistake means that the Undead will swarm from one direction and the Alliance will be trapped like a fish in a bucket.
**********
(Part 2)
From the point of view of the Worm Cult, this was the case but…
"It is too ridiculous! The Alliance that we had a hard time planting spies in is now making such a mistake. I'm not buying it." Said a Worm Knights.
"Hmph! They are ought to be scared. Maybe that boy commander has a good head on his shoulders but the Lords with him all value their lives. Their only chance was to stop our charge and counter us with a charge of their own but that is impossible right now. They are doomed because of their fear." Said a Worm Necromancer.
"I still don't buy it. Our people in Sentinel reported the appearance of the Mage Krilon and the Commander Kareem in the King's Palace. If what we think is true, then they should be trying to awaken the Ansei Wards, not fight us like that." Retorted the Worm Knight.
"Believe it or not, when people are desperate, they tend to get stupid." Opposed the Worm Necromancer.
The two were senior commanders in the Worm Cult and their power and strategy were invaluable to the leader of Cult who is leading this horde personally.
"Shut up, both of you." He spoke once.
"Grand Anchorite!" "Master Almion!"
Both the Worm Knight and Necromancer bowed to the man called Grand Anchorite Almion, the acting leader of the Worm Cult in the Fourth Era and one of the most notorious Arch Wizards on Tamriel. More to that, looking at his staff that is moving the Black Cloud above the Undead Horde, there was no mistake that this being is no longer a Human. Some would mistake him for a Lich judging by his old appearance but the yellow gleam of his eyes exposed him as a Vampire… an Ancient Altmer Vampire.
"Bonecrafter Bobrak!" Called the Altmer Vampire.
"Yes, Grand Anchorite." Knelt the Worm Knight removing his helm to show his identity as an Orc.
"Iceheart!" Called the Altmer Vampire once again.
"Your orders, Master." Knelt the Worm Necromancer pushing back her hood to show her identity as a Nord who is going through the process of Lichdom.
"We are not letting those Mortal fools think they have a chance more than they already had." Said the Altmer Vampire, "No matter what trick they play, what magic they have, what swords they pull; we are here to annihilate them and show the world that we can't be trifled with anymore. The Worm God wills it so we are victorious no matter what."
He said and stood of his throne fixed on a carriage pulled by twenty slaves.
The vampire smiled revealing his black teeth and old face. He was drunk with the blood of many children that he personally sought after in Hegathe.
In his feeling of victory, he looked left and right, forward and backward to see nothing but a sea of undead of all sorts of shapes and kinds.
"Such a power is a blessing by the Worm God, how can we be defeated?"
He looked upward to see the dark cloud and raised his staff.
"Such a spell, the [Stench of a Thousand Corpses], is a gift from the Worm God, how can we be defeated?"
He looked down to see the human slaves he gathered to pull his carriage like animals. Those who died along the way were reanimated to join the horde and another living was placed to pull the carriage instead of the dead.
"Such power is a right over the living granted by the Worm God, how can we be defeated?"
He was drunk in all and every aspect of power. His arrogance knew no bounds and he felt like there is no entity above him in the world other than the King of Worms who blessed and gifted him for many years.
"Children, have faith."
These were the last words of arrogance said by the Grand Anchorite of the Worm Cult.
"Master is great. I feel ashamed!" Necromancer Iceheart groveled at the feet of her master.
"Indeed. We were short-sighted." Worm Knight Bobrak bowed further, "Lady Iceheart and I will commence the attack right away."
The zealous nature of Grand Anchorite Almion and his apprentice Iceheart was a thorn to the side of Worm Knight Bobrak for ages. He may be from a different Worm Cell but the two cells were always ranked first and second. He can say whatever he wants about the others but in terms of power, the Cell of Anchorite Almion and Iceheart was something that can overpower a nation.
Still, he had to use the tricks up his sleeve to make sure this attack works. If the Alliance was a tough nail to crack, then he must attack swiftly and end the threat right away. He can never forgive what happened to Dalilah who fell at the siege of Rihad.
"One last thing, Grand Anchorite. Is the Blessed One going to join us?" Worm Knight Babrak asked.
"Blasphemous! The Blessed One is preparing for the most important event this wretched world will witness. You dare interrupt him?" Necromancer Iceheart cried.
"No! I do not!" Babrok raised his hands hastily.
"Calm down, Iceheart. Bobrak is right." Anchorite Almion spoke.
"Yes, Master."
"Bobrak, it's a great gift from the Worm God to have a great strategist like you in our ranks yet we are not using this gift this soon. You tend to think too much and we are in no danger anyway. The Blessed One is indeed our best card and every time he moves, we are granted an easy victory. Think of how we overtook the West of Hammerfell in less than five days."
Anchorite Almion swayed in his large robes feeling the blessing of his deity.
"But we can't rely on just the blessings, my son. We must get our hands dirty and make our way through the enemy to pave a hard-earned road with skulls and bones. The Blessed One shall not be disrupted now that we got the woman he wants. He shall have a day to rest and wait for tomorrow. The Ship will arrive and the Incarnation will be complete."
Anchorite Almion raised his arms announcing the coming of their savior and messiah.
"Thank you for the enlightenment, Grand Anchorite." Babrok knelt once again in front of Almion.
Despite the fact that they were outnumbering the enemy 5 to 1, the Cult decided that the brute force is enough to wipe out the resistance of the puny mortals. Such a force they had taken the best of their judgment and led them exactly where Kareem wanted.
The Dead Marched forward.
"It is happening." Myr spoke.
Kareem narrowed his eyes and made sure everything was in place.
The valley had low grounds at the front, rocky sides with tall naturally formed rock pillars, and a high end. The Main Force was gathered in the lowest part of the valley which is the center led by War Chief Laila, the Archers were on the high sides and the mages on the high mountain in the back as well as Kareem and Myr.
Once the dead started to swarm towards the valley, the Main Force started to retreat backward even more opening a lot of space from the mouth of the valley. Meanwhile, the Core of the Cult's Force which had Anchorite Almion leading it started to advance furthermore to deliver the dark cloud of death, the spell called [The Stench of a Thousand Corpses]. The main goal was to overwhelm the living by that deadly cloud and take them in one go.
"It is time." Kareem gave a signal.
Right at once, all the traps at the mouth of the valley were activated the moment most of the undead vanguard was there.
*Crack!* *CRaaRACK!* *CRACK!*
The rocky sides of the valley started to give a frightening sound. The archers fixed there were retreating fast using ropes there tied each other with.
The situation was obvious. Those archers weren't archers at all but rather Alteration Mages. Using the map drawn by High Wizard Krilon, the valley was being disintegrated from the sides systematically for the past five hours until it became like mush waiting to be pushed. A strong tonal wave through the rocks created by a Scroll he left behind took care of it all.
The Rocky Pillars on the front sides of the valley were falling one after the other to the mouth of the valley. The sheer force of the fall was obliterating enough to devastate the best Flesh Atronachs unleashed by the Worm Cult. The Bone Centipedes, the Shambles, the Zombies; nothing was left standing taking out half of the vanguard. This alone was equal to the force of the HoonDing Alliance in number.
Kareem's first move was wild and strong boosting all the morals with a grand cheer.
"YEAH!"
"HoonDing! Prince Kareem!"
"Make Way!"
The Redguards were moved by the sound of the rocks falling as if the drums of war were not enough to move them. The strong wave of high morals hit the Worm Cultists badly and made them feel feeble in front of a strong organized army.
"Dammit! Those ants think they can stop us? Hmph! Take this!"
The Grand Anchorite was infuriated by the useless resistance that barely scratched the surface of his army taking out the cannon fodder. He waved his staff wildly and made the [Stench of a Thousand Corpses] cloud advance further at the valley.
"Shit! Light Wards!" Kareem shouted for the Healers to unleash their Wards.
Sadly, under the [Soul Snare] spell, the grey skies made it impossible for the Sun spells to overtake the Undeath spells. The Wards proved useless from the get-go.
Kareem held his [Ansei Ward] sword and was about to use it but a hand stopped him.
"I said leave that to me."
Myr was still there standing calmly.
"What will you do? Whatever it is, do it fast."
"Alright."
The Ehlnofey Aldemr wasn't in a hurry as his foresight granted him the ability to assess the situation profoundly. Once the dark cloud of deathly fumes was about to obliterate the living, Myr started to move.
He had the equipment of both Mirren and Miranda on him; the [Ice Blade of the Monarch], the [Bow of Shadow], the [Ring of Khajiiti], the [Ring of Phynaster], the [Warlock's Ring], but most importantly the [Flask of Lillandril].
His overall Speed and Magic Resistance were buffed insanely. One second he was there, the next he was jumping high in the air facing the dark cloud.
"What is he doing?"
At the center of everyone's attention from the Alliance to the Cult, Myr was making a bold move. With one hand, he was facing the dark cloud with the bow of shadow and with the other, he was notching and arrow.
The arrow looked normal but there was something mounted on it that didn't look like an arrow tip at all.
It was the [Flask of Lillandril]. Myr was shooting it at the Dark Cloud.
———————————
[Flask of Lillandril] <Elven>
- Magic Absorb
- Magic Reflect
———————————
The Ultimate Anti-Magic weapon that was given to the Altmer Twins was now being shot like a missile at that cloud.
In the eyes of the Altmer, Grand Anchorite Almion, a dangerous sense of disaster made him freeze.
"No! Stop!"
Yet no words can stop an arrow that was shot.
The arrow carrying the [Flask of Lillandril] entered the [Stench of a Thousand Corpses] spell and the work of wonder happened.
No matter how fast the arrow advanced, it was sweeping the cloud.
"NO!"
No matter how much the Anchorite screamed.
"YES!"
And no matter how much Kareem shouted.
The Flask of Lillandril absorbed the dark cloud in one go.
The pain of having his Magicka getting deprived on a massive scale made Anchorite Almion fall on his knees and wither in pain.
"Stop that! Bring it to me!" He pointed at the arrow flying in the sky carrying the [Flask of Lillandril] and the Forbidden level spell inside it.
"On it!" Iceheart raced to the sky carrying her staff and pulling the arrow towards herself to steal the flask but Myr didn't leave things to the chance. With a twist of his finger, the arrow reversed its direction in the sky and flew towards him.
"Incredible!" Say what you want about Altmer or Aldmer, Kareem was Myr's biggest fan right now.
The arrow returned and the [Flask of Lillandril] was back at Myr's hand.
"USELESS!" Almion cussed at Iceheart.
Anchorite Almion lost all control he has over the runes of the spell ultimately losing the trump card that was gifted to him by Mannimarco. For a zealot, there is no greater shame.
"Hahaha! This is an incredible day, my friends. Today, we witnessed the fall of the foul spell brewed by the Cult and now, we take their heads as trophies. On me!"
At the Forefront of the Alliance's Formation, War Chief Laila shouted under her mask raising her spear. Despite the injury, the fierce woman was going for a bloody battle in the best form.
"Citadel! Follow the War Chief. We Make Way together!" Isha rallied the Martial Adepts of the Citadel following after the War Chief and the Battlelords.
"Raise our banners high! We march into victory!" Kareem raised the [Soul Sword] and the [Ansei Ward] together making the armor Jon linked to those weapons radiate like the second coming of Pelinal Whitestrake.
The "Battle of Death March" has officially begun.
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