The alarming news from the Capital put everyone on their toes. The appearance of a Fell Dragon was a sign of the changing times and the terrible things to come.So far, Lord Sebastian had not received any new reports from Count Gressil, which meant that his forces had either not found anything interesting at the ruined shrine of Zepheroth or their attack had been thwarted by the cultists.The undead threat had become too great to ignore after the Dewdale infestation. And things became even more distressful after the wyvern sighting over Ashgrove.Everyone was now looking up to Lord Sebastian to decide what approach Aranor would adopt to deal with the undead threat.“Now that Magaravia’s concerns have been addressed, we should focus on our own town,” Lord Wilhelm said, breaking the tense silence in the room.Lord Sebastian nodded. “Since Jasenki and Iraka spotted an Undead Wyvern flying over Ashgrove, it is enough reason to believe the undead forces are growing stronger by the minute, a
The town guards were split into two groups. The crossbowmen were tasked with guarding the walls and manning the watch towers while the ones armed with swords and spears were sent on patrol duty.As the night drew its dark blanket over the skies of Aranor, the moon disappeared behind a veil of oppressive gray clouds, and the stars dimmed like dying fireflies.Lester was initially averse to the idea of sending his adventurers out at this late hour, but on Lord Wilhelm’s request, he made an exception, allowing the new recruits to carry out the task.The amateur adventurers had joined the guild with high hopes, but apart from participating in a few dungeon raids, they had never been permitted to do anything worth commending. Thus, when Lester ordered them to go on a scouting mission, they accepted without hesitation.The southern borders of Aranor were protected by the lofty green mountains, and the town’s eastern borders were guarded by the Soreta River. This left only the western and nor
The loud pealing of the brass bells warned the townsfolk and alerted all the Gunners and patrolling guards. People shut themselves up inside their homes, closing off all doors and windows.The merfolk followed their natural instincts and dived into the river to seek refuge in its murky depths. They deemed hiding inside the river a much safer option than cowering inside their shoddy bamboo huts.Meanwhile, the dwarves retreated deep inside the coal mines and barred the entrance with wooden planks. Ivan had already been preparing for such a situation for months by building underground tunnels through which they might escape in the event of an attack.Hearing the bells, Lord Sebastian ordered the Gunners to reinforce the northern and western gates. Aurelia climbed down from the watch tower and reported to her father at once.“What are your orders?” she asked.“We should focus purely on defense for now,” Lord Sebastian replied. “The walls of Aranor will hold against a few skeletons and ne
Lord Sebastian inhaled sharply and held his breath. He waited for the Slasher leading the charge to get close, and as soon as it was within range, he fired his weapon.Crack! Shriek!A plume of red smoke escaped from the enchanted musket’s muzzle as a burning phoenix screeched out of the gun and struck the Slasher, setting it ablaze. As the flames ravaged its body, it burned down to a lumpy mass of flesh and bones.“Mark! Pick your targets!” Lord Sebastian yelled out his command before reloading his rifle.Jasenki and Iraka obeyed at once, pulling back their triggers.Bang! Bang!The two enchanted bullets fired from their blunderbuss rifles struck the ground, exploding upon impact. Each blast took out over a dozen ghouls, ripping them to pieces and scattering their bloody limbs all over the road.Lord Sebastian noticed two more Slashers advancing down the road and quickly reloaded his gun with a different enchanted bullet. This time, he flew even higher into the sky before aiming for
Ezra could not believe what he was hearing. He knew that Ramel detested him with all his soul, but he never expected him to join hands with the Lord of Decay. “You look like you have seen a ghost, brother,” Ramel quipped, his voice dreary and cold. “You are a Romanov. How could you join the cultists,” Ezra retorted. “The people of Aranor think of you as a hero. You are the knight everyone used to look up to.”Ramel heaved a long sigh and looked up at the dark sky. “All those praises mean nothing to me. I now bask in the glory of the Lord of Decay. His light has freed me from my human limitations and exalted me to a new level.”“What about father? Do you think he will accept you into the family after he finds out what you have become?” Ezra asked.Ramel smiled at this remark. “Which father are you talking about? The one who threw me out of our house? Or is it the weak man who always prefers to bow his head to solve disputes? Perhaps you speak of that man who raised a pathetic orphan a
The situation looked dire for Ezra, but he wasn’t the same boy Ramel had tried to kill inside the training dungeon. He was a D-level Gunner now and had plenty of tricks up his sleeves.“Kill him!” Ramel commanded, pointing at Ezra.The Corrupted Spiderlings scampered across the road, but Ezra held his ground.“Let’s hope crafting you was worth the trouble.” Ezra pointed his weapon’s nozzle toward the enemy and pulled the trigger. The dragon’s eyes lit up as Ezra held the trigger down. Then suddenly, a torrent of searing red flames gushed out of the steel nozzle and flooded the road, setting the spiderlings ablaze.“I think I am in love with you!” Ezra moved forward, pushing the enemy back. The spiderlings tried to flank him from the sides, but he quickly turned his weapon around, re-directing the flame to cleanse his path.Ramel’s eyes widened in disbelief as he watched Ezra exterminate the swarm of Corrupted Spiderlings. It was all too easy for him since the cleansing flames spread a
Ramel’s hex distorted Ezra’s perception of reality, twisting his thoughts. His heart raced inside his chest, and his legs started shaking under him. He looked around him like a scared little hare, his eyes frantically searching for something.Everything had suddenly turned dark around Ezra. The trees and bushes had all disappeared, and the road in front of him was obscured by dense gray fog. “What is happening to me?” Ezra clutched at his chest, trying his best to calm his trembling nerves, but his heart kept thumping like a caged bird. He felt jittery all over, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop his body from twitching.Suddenly, Ezra heard the clopping of hooves in the distance, and he spun around sharply. A Centaur Brute emerged from the shadows, its eyes gleaming like blood-soaked rubies. Unlike the other Brutes Ezra had faced in the Starlight Forest, this one was armed with a spiky steel axe, and its chest was resplendent with claw marks.“Ezra Romanov!” the Brut
Ezra stood there all alone against an army of undead led by Ramel. But he knew he could obliterate the skeletal horde in the blink of an eye. The only thing that stopped him from attacking was the gun pointed at his father.Lord Wilhelm and his son were holding Lord Sebastian hostage, and Lester and his adventurers had their guns and crossbows pointed straight at Ezra.The only one Ezra could count on in such a situation was his sister. But she had been led far away from Aranor by the Headless Horsemen. Lord Wilhelm had carefully planned every single step, and now his deceptive schemes had finally come to fruition.“Give up now, brother,” Ramel spoke again, his lips curving into a sly grin and his eyes gleaming with a malicious delight. “There is no way you can win. Aranor’s fate has been sealed, but there is still time to save father.”“He is your father as well!” Ezra snapped back, turning the Shadow Cannon toward his brother. “Is this how you intend to repay him for raising you and