Chapter 130: Nova Tactics (1/2)

“[Elemental Burst],” Manling Victor cast spells on his master with his scythe, geared up for war, “[Veran’s Acid Mantle], [Delayed Hasten]...”

Your [Fire], [Water], [Earth], and [Wind] attacks will be greatly strengthened for half an hour. You will receive the benefits of a [Hasten] spell within ten minutes. You gained immunity to [Acid] for one hour and will inflict [Acid] damage on physical contact.

“Are you done?” King Wotan asked, surrounded by his Valkyrie flock. He had been watching Vainqueur and his minions buffing themselves for almost half an hour.

“Soon,” Vainqueur replied after Manling Victor cast his final spell, checking on his new potential class combination.

[Fisher King]: The legendary incarnation of a nation, its people, its land, its joys, and sorrows. Specialties: Monster Creation, Geomancy magic, and Leadership. Major growths in HP, SP, Vitality, and Charisma. Perks affected: [Monster Husbandry].

Good. If it had affected prized Perks like [Geomancy], he would have refused the fusion. Vainqueur gave his blessing to this combination, having the feeling that it would be his last class upgrade.

Choice registered. Your [Dungeon Breeder] and [Geomancer] fused into [Fisher King].

[Monster Husbandry] changed to [Genius Loci]. [Genius Loci]: You are intimately familiar with the region you rule, allowing you to intuitively sense disasters befalling it. Additionally, all your stats are raised by one stage when you fight within your nation’s borders.

“You’re sure you don’t want to go warn Gardemagne first?” Manling Victor asked Knight Kia, who had insisted on joining the battle.

“I want to see this gate for myself,” the [Paladin] replied, finishing activating her own Perks. “And if Odieuse is there, you will need all the help you can get. You all remember the ambush raid strategy? Is everyone immune to fire and acid?”

Vainqueur nodded. After the last disastrous battle with Odieuse, his minions had developed a strategy to corner the fairies and prevent them from escaping. Trap the enemy, change the field, go straight for the commander. Manling Victor’s mightiest spell would signal the beginning of the attack.

This time, no more playing around.

“You ride Gorynych, I ride Noirceur,” Manling Victor said while mounting his nightmare horse. “I switched my [Black Horseman]’s mounts, tested the potential synergies with Your Majesty’s [Rabbit Plague], and I forewarned everyone with [Scarlet Study]. They’re ready.”

“Aww, but Gorynych wanted to show master his new [Ranger] perks,” the Zmey complained, as the [Paladin] climbed on his back. “Kia is nice, but she is not master!”

Vainqueur was somewhat happy that his chief of staff had seen the unnatural error in trying to ride a Zmey, but clearly Knight Kia would remain knee-deep in sin. “Open the gate, Dragonbane,” Vainqueur all but ordered the fomor lord, before drawing upon the power of the land. “[Nature Wonder].”

His body brightened, as natural energy moved from the soil to his limbs.

All your stats have been raised by two stages. Your [Unstable Magic] condition has been fully lifted.

“I take no orders from anyone,” Wotan replied, but did open a giant-sized fairy ring, large enough for the group. “Move forward, Knightsbane. I will close the march.”

Vainqueur went first, preparing himself to unleash a torrent of dragonfire at the first sign of attack, while Manling Victor and Knight Kia followed on their respective mounts. King Wotan and his servants went last.

In an instant, the dragon left the borders of his empire, for the heart of the Dark Forest.

Even under the morning sun, the area felt gloomy and darkened, the foliage so dense that even sunlight struggled to break through. The grass beneath his claws was poisonous weeds, and red-eyed, carnivorous trees glared at the manlings present with hunger. However, Vainqueur’s mere presence caused them to subtly back away in fear.

Before them stood a throne of blackened wood and thorns, which smelled of the vile, half-Furibon fairy, and enormous gates of stone. Vainqueur immediately recognized them as fomorian design and Mag Mell’s vile work.

As he closed the march with his own soldiers, King Wotan closed the fairy ring behind him. He then hit the ground with his spear, a thunderous sound echoing across the forest. Birds flew in all directions, and the woods turned eerily silent.

A new fairy ring opened in front of the group, a pied piper made of wood stepping through, backed by two metal giants. The two machines immediately reminded Vainqueur of the tinfoil golem he had scrapped in the Winter Kingdoms. These ones, however, were streamlined, nimble metal knights with wings, swords of light, and cannon shields. The fairies had painted them with silver and gold as if to mock the very essence of a hoard; each machine could match Vainqueur himself in size.

As for the piper, the emperor would recognize this dragon-killer anywhere.

Mell Lin.

Mell “Hamelin” Lin

Soulcrested Fomor (Fairy/Plant)

Level: 50 (Eldritch Piper 25/Necromancer 15/Verminlord 10)

Strong against: All status ailments, Critical Hits, Necromancy, Sound, Disease, Fairy, Plant, Darkness, Poison, Insta-death, Physical attacks.

Weak against: Fairyslayer, Plantslayer, Dragon, Fire, Starmetal.

The vicious and cowardly Piper of Hamelin, brother of Mell Odieuse, and the source of the fairy plague scourging the continent. His music can raise the dead, unleash plagues, and summon monsters; tried to have both you and Vainqueur assassinated on dozens of occasions, and now keenly aware that his much more dangerous sister’s patience with his failures is running out. What this bad seed lacks in bravery, he more than makes up in cunning and weediness.

Get it? Bad seed, weediness? Because he’s half [Plant]!

A [Bard] promotion with some nasty [Performances], good spellcasting, summoning capabilities… but easily exploitable vulnerabilities. Victor frowned, however, as his gaze turned to the golems next. As he had worried, the last one had been a mere prototype. How many could the fomors field?

“Where is Odieuse?” Wotan asked, glancing down at the monstrous piper with contempt.

“She is busy planning the lesser races’ annihilation, and sent me instead to take your tribute.” The pied piper glared at Vainqueur. “Why is he still alive? Don’t tell me that you wish to kill him before my eyes, the warrior way?”

“Odieuse asked that I bring his head to her. Since you represent her, I did.”

The pied piper seemed truly shocked by this response, as if the idea of Wotan turning against him was unthinkable. “You betrayed the master race?”

“I did not betray myself,” Wotan replied with aloof disdain. “I fulfilled my oath.”

“Then you know the consequences.” The piper glared at Wotan, the atmosphere even tenser than before. “Your kingdom will burn for this. Only if you kill them now, will my sister overlook this treachery.”

“I welcome her challenge,” the fomor lord replied, unconcerned, before opening a portal of his own. “But I do not believe you will live long enough to threaten me. War does beget war. Let us return to Asgard, my Valkyries.”

The shieldmaidens nodded, most of them crossing the portal. “Farewell, Knightsbane,” Wotan said, a last nod at Vainqueur.

The dragon grumbled but returned the gesture. The fomor lord vanished and collapsed the fairy ring behind, leaving the two groups to stare at one another.

“I do not understand him,” the pied piper said, “Why court death for principles? Even with a soul, this is beyond me.”

And to punctuate his words, he immediately attempted to open a fairy ring and escape.

“[Glitzy Theater]!” Vainqueur snarled, an immense cage of golden energy covering most of the forest like a dome.

Bump.

Mell Lin hit his face against his own portal, unable to cross it. He touched it with his hand, before suddenly realizing that [Glitzy Theater] prevented him from running away. “Oh,” he said, before turning to face the group. “You truly wish to fight good ol’ Hamelin?”

“You say this as if we should be afraid of a battle,” Vainqueur taunted him. “You, cowardly rat, spent years trying to avoid one.”

“Maybe, but you know what they say Knightsbane.” Mell Lin brought out his pipe to his lips, ready to play a melody. “A cornered rat will bite a cat. I thought our friendly warning last night would have taught you that.”

“Not only do you threaten entire nations with bombs best left in storage, but you are the source of the plague scouring the continent,” Kia realized, her gaze turning to hard steel. “You are not going anywhere.”

“The plague… one of my best ideas, won’t you agree? I wonder how many tears were shed this year.”

The knight raised her sword, only for the two golems to shield the fomor, the atmosphere growing even more electric. Victor quickly scanned them.

Talos Titan

Advanced Talos Golem (Artificial/Fairy)

Strengths and weaknesses variable (depends on [Barrier Change]).

The finalized version of the Talos golem, Mell Odieuse’s chosen soldiers and instruments of destruction. These relentless automatons have their souls and free-will suppressed because of Odieuse’s trust issues. These killing machines can inflict [Dragonslayer] damage, shift their weaknesses to adapt to any current threat, fly, and are equipped with magically-enhanced Earth weaponry.

You aren’t dealing with the average mooks anymore.

“Your Majesty, they’re even more powerful than the one we fought in the Winter Kingdoms,” Victor warned Vainqueur. While the plan called for them to target the piper first and they had gained forty or so levels since they fought the prototype, these two golems couldn’t be underestimated.

“Golems designed to kill, well, everything,” Mell Lin mused. “But mostly dragons. We have thousands of them waiting in Prydain.”

“A million of them would not protect you from me,” Vainqueur warned, more focused than Victor had ever seen him. Yet both groups maintained a tense stand-off, unsure who would make the first move.

“If we fight here, the Earthgate will not survive.” The piper channeled magic through his fingers. “Watch what you’re missing out on.”

While Victor raised his scythe and almost gave away the signal, the giant stone gates slowly opened.

Instead of showing the rest of the dark forest behind, the area beyond the threshold was awfully familiar, Victor having seen it in pictures. A vast touristic landscape under a grey sky, covered by a circle of huge, druidic stones. The vision flickered in and out of existence, as if the world beyond the portal was a mere illusion.

“Stonehenge,” Knight Kia said, just as astonished as Victor himself.

“You came from this place, didn’t you?” Mell Lin asked. “You can return. Your loved ones are waiting for you on the other side.”

“I only see a circle of stones,” Manling Victor deadpanned. “I had a course on [Evil Temptation] you know, you get passing grades.”

“Are you sure, manling?”

The picture of Stonehenge shifted, the open field of nature replaced with a familiar apartment.

Victor’s eyes snapped wide open, as a familiar couple of humans came into sight. After almost a decade spent in Outremonde, both in and out of Scholomance, he had almost forgotten how they looked. The long brown hair and that motherly face, turning strict whenever she pushed him to study; this stern-looking man whose Uncle Ben-like lessons his son had always pretended to hear, without ever following them.

They were cooking the same way they always did, as if he had never left.

“Mom?” Victor blurted out. “Dad?”

“You see, I have been researching both of you, Bekele, Dalton. While opening the gate is draining, we can see anything through just fine.” Hamelin gave them a nasty smirk. “And I know where your families live.”

Mell Lin waved his hand, and the portal split in two, a second vision coexisting with a reminder of Victor’s own life. Kia froze, as a Morgan Freeman lookalike appeared beyond the portal, teaching a five years old child how to fish.

“Your mother died of grief, Bekele,” Mell Lin taunted the [Paladin]. “She blamed herself for your death. Because she let you date that stupid boy. As for your father, your death took something that never came back. Look at him, struggling to fill the void with a new family, a new child… don’t you feel sad watching this?”

“Shut up,” Kia replied, her hold over her sword tightening dangerously. “You think you can scare us by threatening them?”

“Oh, far from it. No, I reveal this to you as a peace offering. If you let me go without a fight, I will open the door for you and let you join them. Not a bad deal, eh?”

“Do not listen to his lies, minions,” Vainqueur said, tensing like a leopard ready to pounce on its prey, but still waiting for Victor’s signal. “His promises are naught but cruel jests.”

“I am genuine in my kindness,” Mell Lin argued with a soft, honeyed tone. “Why won’t you return to a pointless, normal life and leave us Outremonde natives to fight our own wars? Walk away. Return to your loved ones.”

Victor instantly noticed something odd in the fairy’s wording.

Intelligence check successful.

“You said normal life,” the [Reaper] said, guessing what he meant. “The System doesn’t fully work on the other side. We are powerless there.”

“You overestimate yourselves,” Mell Lin mocked them, toying with his pipe. “You are always powerless. My sister cannot be defeated, you know that. Resistance is pointless.”

“Big words, from cowards who ran away to escape me every time we fought,” Vainqueur replied, unimpressed.

So of course, when he saw his argument didn’t work, the piper immediately aimed for the heart. “Are you truly so cruel as to let your own blood suffer in ignorance of your survival?” he said, looking especially at Kia. “The people of this world do not need you… but the ones beyond this portal do. Are you that selfish?”

Victor knew, in his head and in his heart, that the fomor was toying with them, preying on their emotional weaknesses. But while he had always thought that he had moved on, the sight of his parents alive and well made the Vizier hesitate.

They looked so close, and yet so far away.