|
Res'marth the Water Elf, Queen of Water Elves, Nagas and Merfolk in Lake Ovalna, Merida - Regia Confederation. Reached Immortality as Naga Goddess after her death. |
Meanwhile, the undead is camping – or rather, infesting –
the town of Ludl.
It looks like a ghost town now, with the air reeks of death, decay and filth.
One of the
Dark Generals, the black hooded lich roams around limply and slowly like a
rickety old fellow with the Viper Cane as a walking stick. No one can guess her
mood behind her simple white masque, but her behavior shows that she has never
been in a good mood, at least lately.
A winged,
single-horned and green-skinned demonic general comes and kneels before the
lich, reporting, ‘News from the front, Milady. The shades*) have spotted suspicious
activities on the plateau near the lake.’
The lich
responds with an eerie, deathly voice, ‘Reeeallyy?? What activitiesss are
thatt?’
(* Shades = Ghosts or wraiths that can render themselves
invisible, possessing no fighting power and serve as spies. Those who can
detect auras can detect them, though.
‘A lot of
people are making things with logs and ropes. Judging from their looks, they
must be the Allied Forces.’
‘What
thingsss??’
‘According
to the shades, it’s some kind of fence. Maybe they’re going to make a camp on
that plateau.’
‘I don’t
assksss for ‘maybeee’! Just tell meee what they ssseee!!!’
‘Uh, my
apologies, Milady. The spies went back just as they spotted the enemies, and
they saw nothing else significant.’
‘Veeryy
welll, theen. Sso, what about the reinforcementssss? Any newss?’
‘No,
Milady. There hasn’t any message from Kraal’Thragon and Castoria. I don’t think
they’re going to move anytime soon.’
Hearing
that, the lich suddenly grabs the demon by his throat, yelling, ‘For the last
timeee, I want you to REPORT, not to theeeenk, suggeest or eveen maybeesss. One
more timee, and I’ll crussshh your throat sso you won’t be able to utter
anotherr nonseense, you hearrr?’
‘Y-yes,
Milady, yes, I – I hear! I hear!’ Against his natur, the demon whimpers.
‘Any mooree
information?’
‘No,
Milady.’
‘Veeery
welll.... Now you teeelll all generalsss and troopsss to leave the city! We’ll
go to the plateau and strike the Alliance
hard before they…’
BBBRUMMLLL….!!!
Comes the
sound of rumbling water.
What, now? Oh, I see! The Alliance has been
working for some time and calculated the time before the shades know what
happened, came all the way here and relayed the report to the General.
I knew it, we should’ve occupied Icothl too, not Ludl only.
Now the only thing we can do is…
‘GET OUT OF HERE!! NOW!! Go South! Get to
the higher ground!’
No matter
how frequent she shouts, it’s still hard for the lich to direct all undead,
mindless, and beast-minded minions. They tend to get panicked and scatter
everywhere at the sign of danger. Only the demons, headless-men and the like
with intelligence follow the leaders to safety.
The water
comes like a tidal wave. BBRUSSSHH!!! Sweeping the things and beings on its
way. Even the river that runs outside Ludl can’t contain water that plentiful,
and the flood rises in the city until it reaches neck-height of average
grown-up men.
And the
surprises don’t end there. From the North comes the Allied Forces, sliding so
swiftly downhill with their rafts.
‘Down with
the Dark!’ Their war cries strike more panic into the already confused brutes.
To complete the mayhem, the griffin riders led by Cristophe sweep down and
sweep through the enemies like Wind Shear
(also known as Kamaitachi in
Shima Empire).
Seeing that,
the lich who stands on the tallest building on the south end of town clenches
her fist in disappointment.
Damn those Alliance scums! I’ve figured out their
tactic, but they outsmarted me by acting so quickly before I can avoid it! Now
I’ll show them my OWN tactic, taking out a Paladin or two like crushing a snake
on its heads, thus crushing their morale!
Suddenly, a voice startles her,
‘Zal’fira.’
The lich
turns everywhere, looking for the speaker.
‘Wwhoo’sss
thereee? Show yoursselfff!!’
‘I’m here,’
says a woman who now stands on the same building. It’s Carolyn the pink-haired
sorceress, ready with her magic trident Esthagar,
Aegis the thunder bird flying behind her. ‘It’s no use hiding behind your mask,
witch. I already recognized you from the style of your clothing, Omegron, Viper
Cane and the way you used it to manipulate minds and kill my friend’s husband,
Galvanir.’
‘Oh, the
foolish elf who danceeed likee a marionetteee before his insideees were torn
apart? Thaat wass quite a successsfulll tesst for my new spelll, Soul Marionation. Quite interesting, you
play with it and tear it down after you’re done. Perhappsss you want to try
BEING oneee?? An Marionato’me Tyral!’
The look on Carolyn’s face changes like a
lightning just struck her. Zal’fira’s fingers play like a puppeteer; Carol’s
arms move… and she breaks herself free from the spell!’
‘HEEAAAHHH!!’
Zal’fira is
taken aback, ‘WHAT?? It’s imposssibbleee!! I’ve designeed it so even theee Nervatr spell cannot repel it!’
‘You see,
witch,’ Carol responds calmly. ‘Everything is not always what you see or think.
The Nervatr Mind Shield on me has
worn off quite some time, and in me now lays a power you cannot comprehend.
It’s empowering my mind and my heart, a true magic that protects me from all
harm.’
‘What iss
that power do you speak of? I can’t understand it unless you tell mee.’
‘Now, now.
I’d be a fool if I tell you, but I’ll fill you in with a clue: If you had this
power a long time ago, you wouldn’t become a necromancess and a half-life lich,
a cursed being like you are now. This is the power only those who walk in the
light can have, and you are just too late for that. So, just forget about it
and continue our fight! Pyroagnios!’
‘An Nekraal’me Fyasch!’
Now Carolyn’s Fireblast is met with Zal’fira’s Dark Disintegration blast in a re-enactment of their impending duel
in Mount Hvalgarr *). The difference is, Carolyn
is a stronger person now, not depending on Aegis, her guardian spirit and her
long-lost lucky charm necklace. Her opponent, Zal’fira is now a lich, more
powerful yet more vulnerable in her accursed half-life as an undead. No longer
can she feel love, the truly most powerful source of strength and protection of
the Light Side.
As the
pressure goes on and on, it’s hard to know who’s the stronger one, until at one
time one of them can’t endure her spell any longer: It’s Carolyn!
Zal’fira
uses this momentum to add pressure on her spell, and KA-BLAAM!! The two powers
explode on impact point. Carol, the nearest to that point gets the full blow
and is thrown back quite a distance. The lich withdraws her spell and stands
with her face looking up and her hands stretching open, signifying victory.
(* See Book Two, Chapter Eight: Magicians and Dragons