"This, no, what is this?" Count Graham, frozen like a wax figure, barely moved his lips.
A low gasp broke the silence monts later. "D-Dragon Slayer!"
Ian lowered his gaze, his golden-ringed eyes scanning the speaker. It was the red-bearded dwarf, his expression as though his eyes might pop out. As their eyes t, Corvo visibly trembled, his beard quivering as if shocked.
The Count, blinking in confusion, looked down at Corvo. "Dragon Slay…er?" His tone suggested he was hearing the term for the first ti. Preoccupied with the city's administration, the Count was clearly out of touch with the stories circulating within the walls.
"Him." Corvo turned his head toward the Count, his voice uncharacteristically unsteady for a dwarf. "He's the one, the great—the Great Platinum Dragon’s!"
"Superhuman… of the North!"
Gasps rippled through the gathered crowd as the realization struck ho.
"No way. It's him?"
"He's been with us this whole ti?"
A faint but deliberate cough interrupted the growing whispers.
"Everyone." A clear voice carried through the air. Lucia stepped forward through the crowd with her chin slightly raised. "Allow to formally introduce him once again. Standing before you is—"
"Now's not the ti for that, Lucy," Ian interrupted.
"Tir—What?" Lucia faltered, her widened eyes darting to Ian in disbelief.
"The Wanderers are focusing their full strength on one location. The tremors are coming from the cave where the groundwater flows," Ian explained, letting out a faint chuckle as he dismissed the Platinum Barrier.
"I can sense the state of the Mantra circuit. It's overheating from the edges inward. It's holding for now, but not for long."
In other words, there is no ti for a long-winded introduction.
Adding this thought silently, Ian turned back to the Count and gestured with his chin. "So let's get moving. Your Excellency, please oversee the evacuation of non-combatants to the inner city. I'll handle the battle."
"Ah, understood!" The Count hesitated briefly before bowing slightly and turning around.
Grabbing the shoulders of the still-stunned officials, he turned them around and led them toward the townspeople.
"As I said earlier, all non-combatants follow imdiately. Now!" His steps were a little unsteady, but his voice carried firm authority.
"You're staying here." Ian shifted his eyes slightly to the side, a smirk playing at one corner of his lips as he spoke. "Diana."
The masked platinum-haired woman, who had naturally begun following the Count, froze like a statue. In the anti, the woman, children, and other townspeople continually glanced at Ian before slowly turning away.
A strange silence settled over the area in less than a minute. Ian's face, once touched with a faint smile, was now expressionless as he surveyed those who remained.
Lucia wore a slightly displeased expression, while the orcs had their mouths ajar in rare surprise. Diana looked away uncomfortably, and the newly arrived ard guards stood uneasily. The humans and fairies swallowed nervously, while the dwarves stared at Ian with fiery determination.
"Enough people to hold the inner stronghold entrance," Ian said in an even tone, his golden eyes sweeping over the group. "You got five minutes. Fully arm yourselves and gather on the top floor."
A few widened their eyes in surprise, and Lucia hesitantly asked, "What are you planning to do?"
Ian’s reply ca in a calm, unshaken voice. "We're going to lure them all in."
***
Whoosh, swoosh!
Skeletons with glowing turquoise eyes shot through the wide, sprawling cave like cannonballs. Beyond them, two massive undead creatures stood side by side, hurling smaller skeletons toward the barriers ahead like weapons.
Boom! Boom, boom!
Golden lightning bolts rained down in quick succession from the Mantra circuits on the cavern ceiling. The flying skeletons caught in the strikes shattered into pieces in midair.
Screech!
Yet the number of skeletons flying like cannonballs showed no sign of decreasing. The two massive undead, constructed from troll bones, continued their chanical assault without pause.
Crash! Thud—
Not the lightning destroyed all the undead. Occasionally, one would reach the golden barrier standing before the wall at the far end of the cavern. Still, the results remained unchanged.
Boom—
Skeletons that struck the barrier exploded in bursts of turquoise light. The barrier flickered dangerously, scattering shards of bone and magical residue across the cave floor. Shattered and broken bones of all kinds lay piled high on the cave floor.
Above the surging wave of undead, spectral wraiths with glowing turquoise bodies circled and scread their banshee-like cries. Far in the back, laughter echoed, bright and gleeful. It was no surprise.
Boom! Boom, boom! Crash—
The unending barrage of skeletons was yielding results. Three layers of barriers had already shattered, and the fourth and final barrier was barely holding on.
Crackle... Crackle…
Golden sparks flickered across the Mantra circuits covering the ceiling of the cave. The circuits extending further along the edges had already overheated and stopped functioning entirely.
The undead, advancing step by step with each failure of the defenses, now stood only about twenty paces from the last barrier.
Boom—
Another skeleton slamd into the barrier and exploded.
Clang! Rumble...
The walls beyond the barrier split apart, and the protective shield embedded within the cavern walls completely receded into the rock.
Boom! Crackle—
A series of explosions followed, shattering the last remnants of the barrier. Two skeletons soared through the now-exposed passage and landed on the floor beyond.
Crash.
The skeletons tumbled across the ground, their bones scattering noisily before they clumsily picked themselves up. They exchanged bewildered glances, seemingly confused about why the defensive magic had stopped functioning.
Hiss—
The Mantra circuits along the walls and ceiling dimd, their light flickering faintly, as if about to extinguish entirely. The faint, unstable glow traced the circuits lining the exposed passageway. The skeletons peered into the passage ahead, then turned back to look at their comrades. Silence held for only a mont.
Click-click-click-click! Screech—
The undead scattered throughout the cave began clicking their jaws and shaking their shoulders in excitent. The specters swirling above let out piercing wails, and from the distance ca a burst of shrill, cackling laughter that echoed through the cavern.
Dozens, then hundreds, of glowing turquoise wraiths surged forward, darting across the rows of undead like a howling storm. The wraiths plunged into the piles of bones littering the cavern floor as if sucked into them.
Clatter—Clatter—
Amid the bone heaps, turquoise energy surged, and hundreds of skulls rose to the surface. Many were missing jaws or scorched black, but as long as their forms were intact, they absorbed magic and returned to life.
Clink—Clank—Clink—
In the blind of an eye, new undead rose.
So had two heads, others four legs. So lacked torsos but had six-bladed arms, while others were nothing but upper bodies stitched together into grotesque forms. The missing pieces had fused into whatever configurations were possible.
Clack—Clack—
Despite their disfigured forms, the undead paid no mind, imdiately lurching toward the passage.
Clatter—Clatter—
Behind them, the spectral army followed, their shoulders bouncing rhythmically and jaws clicking in excitent as turquoise energy rippled across their ethereal forms.
Even for larger creatures like ogres and troll-sized undead, the narrow passage was no obstacle. They folded and contorted their bones unnaturally, squeezing through without hesitation.
Splash—Splash—
Groundwater, breaking through the rocky floor, flowed as the passage narrowed briefly before gradually widening again. Before long, the vanguard of the undead erged from the tunnel into open space.
Clack-clack-clack! Squish-splash!
The massive underground cavern lay before them, well-lit enough that there was no difficulty discerning the surroundings. This was thanks to the faint, golden light flickering weakly from the densely packed Mantra circuits lining the walls and ceiling.
Of course, the undead didn't need light to see—they could navigate even pitch-black darkness as if it were broad daylight. A mont of cautious movent followed as they scanned their surroundings.
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
Then, like a swarm of ants, the undead surged forward toward the city. In an instant, the lowest floor was overrun. The stream of undead pouring from the passage showed no sign of stopping, and the turquoise tide quickly began flooding the city.
There was nothing to halt their advance. All of the city’s forces were gathered at the uppermost level. They had assembled before the entrance to the inner stronghold, which jutted from the wall like a temple.
Dwarves wielding axes and hamrs, humans clutching spears, and orcs gripping poleaxes stood tightly packed in a semicircle. On the rooftops of nearby buildings, archers—human and fairy—crouched in readiness. They all held their positions, weapons raised, and mouths firmly shut.
At the very edge of the uppermost stairway, a lone human stood, overlooking the horde of undead flooding the city. His dim golden eyes glead faintly, and in each hand, he loosely gripped a dagger and a longsword.
Screech!
The specters circling above the city let out haunting wails as they spotted the defenders. Their mocking cries ridiculed the pitifully small force of fewer than a hundred soldiers.
Clack, clack—
The undead did not imdiately storm the top floor. Instead, they spread out, filling every corner of the city below. In re minutes, the entire city, except for the topmost floor, was overflowing with undead.
Clatter, clatter—
The remaining undead crowded together on the lower floor, packed so densely they resembled a solid mass. The city now writhed with turquoise energy as their magic surged and pulsed.
Clink—Clank—
A knight clad in full plate armor stepped out of the passage. Its greatsword, chipped and jagged, was gripped tightly in both hands. From behind the visor of its helt, cyan light flickered ominously.
Beside the knight appeared a fairy undead, cloaked in a red hooded mantle and wielding a bow made of bone. Following them, a massive undead almost twice in size clad in crimson armor entered. Horns jutted out from either side of its skull, and skeletal wings stretched from its back—it was a reanimated demon. Unlike the other undead, their glowing eyes reflected clear intelligence.
They surveyed the sea of undead below before stepping back to stand side by side.
Clop, clop, clop—
Finally, two ghostly horses entered the cavern. Their translucent bodies shimred like mist, and their skeletal fras glowed faintly. Longhorns jutted from their foreheads, and their empty eye sockets pulsed with turquoise energy.
Rattle, rattle—
The ghostly horses pulled bone-crafted carriages, their elongated, narrow forms adjusting seamlessly to the passage's dinsions. As they exited the open chamber, the carriages expanded to full width.
Piled high atop the carriages were mountains of skulls—those of civilized races, demons, monsters, and beasts alike. Despite their height, not a single scull tumbled to the ground.
Rattle, rattle, rattle—
As the carriages resud their natural forms, the mountain of skulls shifted and flowed like a living entity. From within, a massive throne, molded entirely from the skulls, took shape.
Seated atop it, as if rising from the depths of the skulls, was a lich. His skeletal form leaned back casually against the massive throne. He was none other than Carmiel, the leader of the Wanderers.
Ssshhhh...
His deep blue cloak shimred with an eerie sheen, and in his left hand rested a long staff seemingly carved from bone, its tip adorned with an enormous goat's skull. Around his neck, a thick golden necklace held a large, ominous dark-green gemstone that pulsed with ominous magic.
From beneath his hood, a ghostly gray mist swirled;
within it, ghostly cyan eyes and a mouth flickered into view.
As his gaze locked onto the lone figure standing at the top of the city's staircase, a broad turquoise grin spread across his ghostly face.
"Hahahaha—hahaha—!" His laughter echoed throughout the city, reverberating off the walls of the cavern.
In response, the undead below began clicking their jaws, and the specters wailed, their screams carrying a mocking tone.
"Yes! This is it! This is how it should be!" His voice, layered with both high and low tones, rang out in exhilaration. "At last, the response I've been craving! This—this is the true delight of wandering!"
As the lieutenants ca to a halt, the ghostly horses shifted their positions. Yet, the bone throne atop the carriage spontaneously repositioned, keeping Carmiel oriented toward the city.
"It's only the second stronghold I've visited, yet it already brings such joy and fulfillnt. The last one, Untalon, was so dreadfully dull." Clicking his jaw as if laughing, Carmiel's glowing turquoise eyes surveyed the cavern.
"Those fools either took their own lives or fled in panic. But behold!" Carmiel raised his skeletal hands toward the topmost level of the city. "Such grand resolve. Such noble defiance in the face of death! This is the spectacle I've sought from a stronghold. A sight that only your kinds, not demons or beasts, could provide!"
Although his voice resounded throughout the city, silence was his only response.
Carmiel smiled as if he didn’t mind in the slightest. "I have no doubt many of you are worthy of joining my troupe. So of you, perhaps, may even rise beyond the ranks of re mbers. Especially—" His flickering turquoise gaze settled on the lone figure halfway up the staircase leading to the topmost level.
The man stood clad in shimring silver armor, a dagger gripped in his left hand and a gleaming white longsword in his right. His faintly glowing golden eyes stared down at Carmiel, unblinking.
"You. You were the first to notice the rookies I sent in secret. There's sothing special about you. I like you. Quite unexpected." The turquoise lips within the mist curled into a grin. "This, too, is one of the joys of wandering. You never know what delightful surprises await."
Clack, clack—
The ghostly horses halted at the rearmost lines of the undead horde. That was when Ian's lips curled faintly into a smirk.
"I find this surprising, too," Ian said, his voice calm yet resonant, carrying far into the cavern.
Carmiel's gaze snapped to him, his spectral face montarily widening in astonishnt. "You've chosen to reply! So, what surprises you?"
"I figured a lunatic like you wouldn't attack right away, just to toy with us." His golden eyes bore into Carmiel's flickering, mist-like face as he continued, "But I didn’t expect you to step right in and start rambling yourself. Even knowing this is the heart of a dragon’s nest."
"Ah, hahahaha—Kahahaha!" Carmiel's eyes, wide with surprise, suddenly sparkled with amusent as he erupted into hearty laughter—a genuine, gleeful sound. "To think you'd give such entertainnt! Well, yes. But you see, it seems the dragon's spells have run their course. It happened faster than I expected, I'll admit. But still."
Carmiel's voice dropped into a conspiratorial tone as if sharing a great secret. "You see, I'm a mage. That ans I already know you guys here can’t control the Mantra circuits of this place. You all can’t do anything but watch the circuits hurl aningless spells. After all, this city wasn't built for you all."
Leaning back on his throne, he raised his skeletal hands in a shrug. "Your attempt to intimidate was splendid. You're growing more likable by the mont."
"Glad to hear it. The feeling's mutual—you're smarter than I expected," Ian replied with a matching smirk."Thanks to that, I won’t have to lift a finger."
In the next instant, a golden wave of energy erupted from Ian's body.
Fwoosh!
A golden hexagonal pattern unfurled from the back of Ian’s left hand, where he gripped his dagger. Then, golden light rippled outward from above his head, surging through the underground cavern.
Carmiel's glowing turquoise eyes widened in disbelief. "What is this? A dragon? An Agent of the dragon?"
Ian's smile deepened further. "You certainly know a lot."
Right then, the Mantra circuits spanning the ceiling flared to life, flickering with a dazzling golden radiance.
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