A veil of ashen clouds had darkened the skies over Aranor and its adjoining areas, shading the midday sun and drenching the land in an unnatural darkness. Ezra looked up; expecting it to rain, but what fell from the dimly lit sky was a tarry black liquid. “What on earth is this?” he questioned, staring at the black droplets as they dripped from his open palm. “Ishani is crying. She knows her children are in grave peril,” the priestess proclaimed in a prophetic voice, her eyes staring blankly at the gathering clouds. “We must reach her shrine as soon as possible!” Aurelia picked Tanya up on her stallion and instructed the mercenaries to gather the supplies scattered on the road. “I am sorry we did not bring a carriage, my Lady. I actually had no idea you were going to be here,” Aurelia apologized as she turned her horse around and prepared to ride back to town. Ezra was about to climb onto the last horse when he spotted Gunther’s double-barreled rifle lying at the side of the r
Sister Nymeria accompanied Tanya to Ishani’s shrine, but Count Gressil was requested to stay back as they did not feel it was a good idea to allow non-believers in the Goddess’ presence.Even Aurelia was told to wait outside in the general prayer hall, and the only ones permitted to enter the inner sanctum were Sister Nymeria and Tanya. Inside the inner sanctum, the High Priest had his head bowed over the altar, and Ramel was nowhere to be found. “Father Varya, are you alright?” the priestess asked, touching him lightly on his shoulder. “What ails you?”The High Priest turned around with a jerk, his lifeless gray eyes staring into hers. “Sister…Nymeria. Welcome to the abode of our Goddess. You have traveled quite far. I hope this is your final destination.”Sister Nymeria stepped back, as a sense of uneasiness washed over her body. “You do not seem alright, Father. Where are the other priests?”“I instructed them to go to the neighboring villages and distribute alms to the poor. The
As the sun set upon the western horizon, casting its dying rays on Ishani’s shrine, Tanya opened her eyes in Sister Nymeria’s lap.“The Goddess is in pain. She has seen terrible things,” she spoke in a feeble voice. Her magic power had been drained by the ritual and she felt exhausted.Sister Nymeria slowly helped her to a bowl of cold water from the fountain of Erelor. She drank it in little fervent sips, and it gradually restored her strength.“You have strained yourself beyond your limits, my Lady. The Goddess spoke through you, but it took a great toll on your delicate body. You need to rest,” Sister Nymeria expressed her concern in a motherly voice, gently helping Tanya sit up straight.“How can I rest now that I know our people are in danger?” Tanya asked. “The dead will walk upon these blessed lands unless we find a way to stop Zepheroth’s chosen.”Despite Sister Nymeria’s several entreaties to rest a while, Tanya decided to meet with the four families first and disclose all th
The festivities continued outside while the nobles from the four great families returned to their lodgings to rest for a while and change into traditional attire for the midnight celebrations.As soon as they returned home, Aurelia went up to Ramel’s room to check on his health. She knocked thrice and was about turn the knob when one of the maids opened the door, allowing her to step inside.Ramel was lying on his bed with nothing but a loose silk robe on his bare body. He was sweating profusely and an old man was applying a yellow herbal paste to his chest and frequently wiping Ramel’s forehead with a moist towel soaked in the icy cold water from the fountain of Erelor.“What happened at the shrine? Did you see any—”Aurelia stopped midway as the old man turned around and looked at her. It was none other than Arch Maester Zang Wu Ling.“What on earth are you doing here? Who called you?” Aurelia asked, fixing her questioning gaze upon his face.Zang Wu turned away while mumbling, “I a
Jasenki did not return to his lodgings but went straight to the merchant’s guild to meet with Yarpin Dale and request him to procure enchanted bullets and firearms from his secret supplies and contacts.Meanwhile, Lord Sebastian decided to spend the night beside his ailing elder son.This left Ezra and Aurelia alone to discuss the upcoming hunt and make the necessary arrangements for tomorrow.Aurelia was firmly against Ezra’s idea of fighting the griffin alone. And if it were in her hand, she would have never allowed him to embark on such a perilous quest. But, Ezra had already raised the stakes to challenge Jasenki and there was no way for him to back out of this mess.“I don’t know what you were thinking, brother, but hunting a griffin all alone is a terrible idea. Most E-level Gunners would crap their pants just at the sight of that thing,” Aurelia began in an anxious tone, but it quickly changed to inquisitive. “I still can’t believe you killed a Behemoth. Maybe I am worrying too
At half past two, Ezra fell asleep. But instead of being able to relax, his mind receded into a dark abyss. He found himself going back over a hundred years in the past.Ezra’s face grimaced in pain as he started shaking on his bed. He tried to get up but felt as if someone was holding him down. Despite his best efforts he could neither scream nor open his eyes.In his vision, Ezra was teleported two hundred years ago. It was 1450, and the place in front of his eyes was the great plain of Zaraya. Ezra found himself standing on top of a plateau and watching a bloody battle unfold between the humans and the elves. King Rudeus Gerlaine’s infantry forces were getting slaughtered by the elven archers.The armored swordsmen were dying like flies as the ranged elven formations standing on the other side of the battlefield were raining volley after volley of fire arrows upon them.Realizing that his infantry was no match for the elves, King Rudeus finally decided to send out his heavy cavalr
Ezra woke up covered in sweat, but his right hand had stopped aching now. Even though he heard the trumpet signaling the start of the hunt, he did not get out of bed. He was still thinking about the dream he had just seen and wondered if it was really just a dream or had something more to it.Holding up his right hand, Ezra addressed Marlin. “I had a dream last night. You were in it and there was a great battle going on between the elves and humans.”Hearing that, Marlin’s cursed eye reappeared followed by his mouth. “That was not just a dream, my Lord. It was a glimpse of my past life. King Rudeus Gerlaine was able to defeat the elves after a long and bloody battle, and it was all thanks to my inventions. I was his best Gunsmith.”“I saw those Gunners unleashing lightning strikes and meteorites upon the battlefield. And I am pretty sure not even the most elite Archmage can rival their power. Those enchanted bullets completely turned the tides of the battle,” Ezra said.Marlin smiled
Jasenki climbed to the top of the tree by using a rope ladder and then carefully positioned himself inside the gunner’s nest. From here, he had a clear view of his surroundings, and the pine cones and needles offered just enough shade to hide him from preying eyes.The two hunters hired by Lord Wilhelm climbed onto the two watchtowers and prepared their compound crossbows. Loading steel-tipped bolts into their weapons, they waited patiently for the griffin to show up.If Lord Wilhelm had tried to hire any member of the adventurer’s guild for such a task, they would have declined the offer without a second thought. It was because every adventurer worth his coin knew that hunting a Fork-tailed Griffin was a perilous task, and violating the rules of Ishani’s hunt could get them imprisoned or even exiled from town.However, these two hunters had agreed to do the dirty work since they were mercenaries from the distant city of Nilfaria. Hence, the common laws of Aranor would not apply to th
The unexpected reinforcements from the East, coupled with the arrival of the Elementalists from the Mages’ College had saved Magaravia from certain doom. But Tanya knew that things were only going to get worse from here.The undead were known to be relentless attackers, and this defeat was nothing but a minor setback in their grand scheme of things. As long as the three necromancers were alive, they would stop at nothing to destroy the capital.However, Aurelia’s arrival ushered the hope of a new dawn amidst the dark storm clouds. Her reputation preceded her, and even in these dire times, people fondly remembered the girl from Aranor who had aced some of the toughest Gunner exams.As Aurelia set foot inside the capital, Princess Aleena rode out of the palace to greet her in person.“Lady Aurelia, I have heard so much about you. It is good to know that you are alive and well. We are forever indebted to you,” she spoke humbly and welcomed her with a smile. “If there is anything I can do
The gory past flashed before Ezra’s eyes, and he swore that he would never let it repeat. In a desperate bid to stop the demon, Ezra consumed all the three remaining Magic Restoration potions in his inventory in one go.This sudden influx of magic energy into his body caused his blood to thicken, and his heart started hammering inside his chest. For a second, Ezra turned blue, and the ends of his hair froze like icicles. “What the hell did you do that for? Consuming three potions in such quick succession is worse than drinking poison!” Marlin chastised him.But Ezra remained steadfast in his attempt to contain the magic surging inside his veins. His eyes widened, and he could feel his blood turn hot like liquid fire. Yet, he gritted his teeth and persevered, remembering what he was fighting for.[Magic Power Overcharged!][Current Magic Power: 9000%!]Ezra felt a rush of blood to his head as his eyes turned blue like dazzling sapphires, and the veins on his veins became visible like
The undead abominations resurrected with dark magic, continued marching toward Magaravia, led by the Behemoths. Servius chanted a spell to conjure Magic Towers around the city and fortified the dome of light to protect the populace.As the resurrected corpses rushed mindlessly toward the southern gate, the barrier pulsed, emitting a purification wave that annihilated their rotten bodies. The skeletons and ghouls fell in droves as they tried to storm the city, but the Behemoths persisted through it all.The Arcane Blasts emitted from the Magic Towers merely slowed the brutes, but they continued trudging along and advancing toward the wall. Ezra had two targets in sight: the Bone Dragons and the Tainted Behemoths. He knew he could not handle all of them alone, so he chose to rely on his newly tamed servants.“Take down those Behemoths,” he ordered the apparitions under his command.The Dark Wraiths and Withered Banshees obeyed at once and swooped down to tackle the lumbering giants.Th
Ezra loaded three different elements into each of his three Shadow Cannons and supercharged them with magic power. Their barrels glowed with different colors: the one in the middle turning red like a ruby, the one on the left chilly like a cold sapphire, and the one on the right vibrant white.“Time to repeat your lesson!” The Abyssal Demon shrieked, hurling the dark blades at Ezra.“Magic Surge!” Ezra shouted, activating a telekinetic blast that froze the magic blades and flung them away.The Abyssal Demon immediately used its trident to fire a black bolt at Ezra.It would have pulverized anyone else, but Ishani’s sacred relic cocooned him inside a shield of light, granting him complete immunity against the dark attack. Instead of striking him down, the bolt scattered into sparks of lightning, leaving him unharmed.Surprised by Ezra’s resilience, the Abyssal Demon stared at him in confusion. “How do you possess the strength to ward off my attacks? Who are you?”“My name is Ezra Roman
The Abyssal Demon spread its wings like a dragon, and a long black tongue slithered out of its toothy mouth like a viper. It held the trident like a spear and chuckled in a throaty voice.“Bow before the Lord of Decay, and I shall make your deaths quick and painless,” he hissed, fixing his smoldering gaze upon the city.Ezra snapped his fingers and summoned his Shadow Cannon. Pointing it at the demon, he retorted, “How about you go back inside the hole you crawled out of before I blow you to smithereens?”“I will smite you with the blade of darkness!” the demon glowered, its hoarse voice grating against the stale groaning of the undead lumbering toward the city.Tossing its trident in the air, the demon gathered its claw-like fingers to channel its dark energy into its palms. A malign black orb pulsing with corruption appeared between its palms, and the trident started spinning.Ezra took a shot with his sniper, but the abyssal trident conjured a dark barrier that absorbed the impact
“Pull back! Retreat to the walls!” Marquis Sullivan shouted, turning his stallion around and ordering his men to scatter.While Marquis Sullivan managed the Paladins, Marquis Desmond took charge of the infantry.“Move your legs! Double time it!” he yelled, riding alongside the halberdiers and swordsmen.The three Behemoths behind them continued their march, lumbering through the sea of rotten corpses and shattered skeletons. Marquis Sullivan’s heavily armored paladins were extremely effective at countering foot soldiers and unguarded archers, but the weight of their plate armor and double-handed weapons slowed them down considerably, making it difficult for them to engage in sustained fights.Thus, the swordsmen had been sent alongside the cavalry to protect them from flankers and continue the fight once the enemy’s frontline had been broken.It was a common strategy to let the heavy cavalry trample the enemy’s defenses, allowing the foot soldiers to follow as a clean-up crew and fini
The time for planning was long over. Ezra didn’t bother waiting for Sir Galahar or Servius to make their next move. He knew the Infernal Lich had the power to sway the odds in favor of the undead, the longer he stayed on the battlefield, so he set his eyes on the spellcaster straightaway.Unfurling the legendary scroll, Ezra whispered in a cold voice, “Activate Scroll: Eternal Hourglass!”As Ezra spoke those words, the letters inked on the scroll trickled down the paper like grains of sand, unleashing a wave of magic that stopped the attackers in their tracks, pausing the flow of time.“I never thought I would live to see such a spell with my own eyes,” Marlin spoke in a trembling voice as he beheld the impossible sight.The ghouls lay frozen like stuffed cadavers, their jaws open and their claws lifted in the air. The skeletons marching behind now looked like statues and the Infernal Lich was still in the middle of a spell, his hands wrapped around a swirling vortex of dark energy.As
Spotting an Infernal Lich on the battlefield was one of the worst things anyone could imagine while fighting an army of undead. Marlin knew this wasn’t a horde of mindless zombies, but an organized group of attackers.“What is an Infernal Lich?” Ezra questioned as Sir Galahar flew past him and landed atop the Tower of Justice.“An Infernal Lich is an undead sorcerer who has mastery over dark magic and is adept at necromancy as well. Unlike the Elder Lich, the Infernal Lich can travel between realms and even command troops from the void,” Marlin replied.While Ezra was surveying the situation from high up in the sky, Sir Galahar was organizing the soldiers of the Imperial Army into a battle formation as they marched down the streets armed with muskets and hand cannons.Since the Imperial Army could only be mobilized by the Crown, Princess Aleena had given the orders to get them battle-ready. And with Duke Carrington deposed of his authority, the rest of the nobles supported her decision
The tangled mass of crimson threads choked the city like corrupted blood vessels as they descended upon the guard towers and clogged their windows. They eventually spread across the streets, branching into root-like projections that suffocated the low-lying cottages and corner shops.Marlin’s cursed eye widened, and his chapped lips trembled as the bloody threads coiled around the children lying unconscious on the street and started wrapping them into cocoons.“We need to save them,” he urged. “That eye resists elemental damage. I have to get close,” Ezra replied before downing a healing potion and shooting up at full speed. He knew the only way he was going to destroy the eye was by using the divine scrolls, but for that, he needed to get within striking distance.While the demonic eye was engrossed in spreading its tainted roots across the city, Ezra soared through the skies and quickly closed the gap. But as he neared the eye, the dark clouds rumbled with thunder, and Spectral Wrai