Chapter 29: Vengeance
"So, how should we attack?" Said Tom to Joe.
All nine heroes were sat around a table on Blackheart's ship. They were preparing to invade the Raven Lord's land.
"Well, on paper anything would work since we can never really die, but this is the Raven Lord. He's quite cunning. And even so… I'm not a fan of ordering my friends to their deaths. For the sake of Li-Yen being the exception. So, I'll analyse this." Joe pulled up a sheet of paper and scrawled a quick map of Ravencourt.
"This is far from perfect, but where will The Raven Lord position his armies? There are only ten –nine of us, so we're going to have to be careful not to engage his forces anywhere that they have an advantage. Damn, Knives would have been invaluable here."
Sandy leaned over. "Perhaps here should be attacked? The thick woods would allow us to slip away from enemies and destroy the enemy army's formations."
Jack studied Joe's map "Let's attack here, through the village. Then the Raven Lord can't retaliate at full force or he'll destroy his own town."
Joe looked over his map. "I think we want to do a few things, and then we'll go with Sandy's plan. I don't really want to risk civilians. Firstly, we need this watch tower. Either destroy it or bring it under our control, but The Raven Lord mustn't be able to track our movements. Second, the town has been worked nearly to death by the Raven Lord, right?"
"Yes, all inhabitants are in poor health." Confirmed Autumn.
"Then we can hopefully neutralise them without a fight, or even putting any lives at risk. We just have to sabotage their weapon stores and the gatehouse of their walls, and they'll be locked inside. Autumn, are you capable of all that?"
"Yes."
"Okay then, the Raven Lord himself. He can fly, and he's proficient with his cane as a melee weapon while using feathers at range. But the chances are that he has more tricks up his sleeve. What might they be?"
Sung scratched his chin. "If he can transform himself to have wings, like Sandy does, then he can probably fully transform into a raven. We do not want him using that ability to escape."
"I… will stop him flying away." Said Kaladi "But… he might have ballista. Bows. Anti-air weapons. We should try and control them. They could be… useful against him."
Joe nodded "Yes, his army has a lot of bow users according to Jack. You'd be an easy target for them if we don't do something. But I didn't see any static defences while I was there before. Not even on the town walls, so I guess the Raven Lord must be afraid of us getting control of them. Any ideas on getting rid of the enemy bows when they arrive? Or even the enemy army in general?"
"That is my calling." Said Sung. "They pose no threat to me at all, I could survive their army attacking me for a long time. If they try to attack anyone but me, I'll cleave them apart. They will not escape."
"I shall aid you." Added Li-Yen. "My range will allow me to stay safe, and my magic will express my rage far better than any words. We can handle the army while you engage the lord. I'll leave the fine details to you."
A few more minutes of planning passed.
"Do we have any more to work out?" asked Joe "No? Then let's begin."
Autumn was warped into the Ravencourt by Joe, staying invisible. She listened carefully, and sent a psionic and then a magic signal to her allies to check they were there. "Autumn deployed. Respond."
"Joe here. Testing."
"This is Jack."
"Kaladi… here."
"Sandy, good luck."
"Li-Yen, ready to help."
Autumn moved quickly through the field. Ravencourt had changed since they were last here. The lands had previously been just a little sinister, but perfectly healthy forest. Now it was as if they were diseased, the leaves of trees drooping and the grass patchy. The air itself seemed stale. Previously Autumn would have noted it and continued, but with her newfound magical powers, she could sense, even as a novice that the area was suffering a terrible magical disruption.
The Watch Tower was the most crucial target of Autumn's attack. It would mean that the heroes had a vision advantage and more importantly, that whatever defences they encountered didn't. Autumn approached the altar. A few shadowy guards were standing around. Autumn slipped past unseen, and knelt on the altar. She focused on her links to Joe and Li-Yen. "How do I change the tower to our alignment?"
Li-Yen came through with a response "There should be some runes around the altar plate. Tap them, rotating clockwise and starting at north."
Autumn followed the instructions quickly, converting the tower to her side. She then looked around. If she couldn't see a way to keep it on her side, then she needed to disable it. She looked at the central rune. Of course. She pulled her gun and shot the rune three times. To her satisfaction, despite the rune splintering into pieces, the watchtower didn't deactivate. Autumn moved off quickly.
She slipped into the town easily, the walls meaning nothing when the doors were open. The town was affected by the magical disruption as well. It had never been a particularly clean and well-kept town, always mildewed and in need of more money and available workers to take care of itself, but now it was dying. Autumn could see the wooden beams of the buildings rotting, the once busy marketplace slowed to a crawl. It was as if the people in the town had lost the will to live. "Joe. I do not think the town poses a threat any longer."
"Are you absolutely sure? If we can spare them any trouble then that's great."
"Activity has declined by over ninety percent. The workforce appears to be in shambles. They will not be able to muster any resistance. You may order your invasion when ready." Replied Autumn.
Joe looked around the room. Seven heroes and a lord. "Autumn's given the word. We move now. Blackheart, if we fail… hang back, and try and work out what's happened before you go in. The Raven Lord will be expecting you to try and get in quickly."
"Aye, Joseph. Good luck, lubbers. Now get going." Replied Blackheart.
Eight heroes dropped into the thick woods of Ravencourt. The plan: Alert the Raven Lord's armies and draw them into here, and then lose them and attack The Raven Lord's mansion. Simple enough.
Sandy and Li-Yen handled the 'alert the enemy' part. A thunderstorm brewed overhead, crackling as Sandy in her dragon form circled the area, before landing. It would have been forgivable to think that they were mounting a full frontal assault.
The Raven Lord's armies responded instantly. The shades rose from the earth in front of the mansion and converged on the forest, moving incredibly fast. Sandy watched as the tides of darkness approached, and landed. "There are three main groups. Each of roughly four hundred fighters. Li-Yen, Sung. Do not allow them to surround you. We should move now, Joe."
"Yes. Autumn should be working on picking the mansion's lock as we speak. Li-Yen, help me warp the rest of us to the mansion." Said Joe, as he began to prepare his warp spell.
"Naturally. I'll see you later, Joe." Li-Yen added some extra power to the warp spell, and six of the heroes were whisked away.
The tides of darkness drew nearer. Sung watched as they ran through the forest, coming to his position quickly. He placed a hand upon Datrys, and slowly drew the blade, as if it weighed nothing. He roared, a battlecry for one person with the power of a thousand, and charged in.
Joe heard Sung's war cry at the mansion's doors. "He's engaged them. We should move in. Autumn, doors?"
Autumn opened the front door. "Done."
"Everyone, let's go. Stealth until detected. Then fight until they're dead. Cathori, wait out here. Come in through the wall once you see fighting." Joe ran in.
The mansion was brimming with traps. Most were mitigated by Autumn's scouting ahead, but a few particularly nasty ones slowed down the group. Jack nearly took a feather dart to the face when a portrait exploded into them. Still, the heroes burst into the ballroom unhurt and brandishing their weapons. The Raven Lord was standing in the centre, apparently not planning to hide. He simply looked out of the window.
"Raven Lord! We will have justice!" Said Joe.
The Raven Lord turned around slowly. "I'm the one who justice should be exacted upon? I, who acted only for the good of my fellows, by trying to eliminate a threat? I who-" He paid for his monologue dearly, as a bullet caught him in the heart. It didn't kill him, but he stepped back in pain, drawing his cane and spreading his wings.
"No mercy! Attack!" Shouted Joe.
Jack opened the fight. The Raven Lord parried the first three punches but the fourth caught him in the gut, moving him back. Sandy and Joe opened fire, the projectiles turning aside by the Raven Lord's magic and damaging the walls of the room.
The windows exploded as Cathori entered. The ballroom had a high ceiling, and the Firebird was able to fit inside. Cathori focused her flamethrowers on the Raven Lord, who tried to dodge out of the way, but the Gravekeeper's final vengeance came to bear in the form of the wound reopening on his stomach, slowing the lord and letting the flames wash over him. Still, he jumped to his feet and shot a burst of feathers at Joe, wounding him badly.
Tom had no plans to let that happen. Joe was healed in a flash, as Tom and Autumn drew thier handguns and blasted away, before Tom drew his generator and gave Jack the Supershield.
Jack went into overdrive, smashing the Raven Lord with a flurry of punches. The lord tried to backpedal and reorient himself, and Kaladi's acid flare doused him, corroding away his armour and skin. The zerg leapt over Jack's head as the Danger rush ended, and sunk fangs that were oozing mutagens into the Raven Lord's shoulder. He ripped himself off savagely, the fangs tearing into the lord before coming out.
Joe shot him with an ice bullet as he tried to stand again, and Cathori used her shrapnel at point-blank. The force of the attack threw The Raven Lord against the wall, where he collapsed in a heap.
Joe walked up to the fallen lord carefully. He was a mess, with wounds from all of the group's fighters. Frost coated his chest. Gunshots that hadn't been fully stopped by his magic barriers had left welts. He had burns all over his front from both flames and acid. Jack's punches had broken a few ribs. The bite was bubbling up. The sand had scraped his face raw.
And The Raven Lord couldn't force himself to his feet.
"Surrender. You're completely beaten. I know you killed me and enjoyed it, but I'll make this quick." Said Joe.
The Raven Lord laughed. A horrible, broken laugh, as shadows suddenly broke from the floor and engulfed him. "Not quick enough"
Sung was crushing the enemy army. He was gaining ground, as insane as the concept was. One being holding his own against an army. No, two beings. Li-Yen wasn't a frontline fighter, but she was the one handling the enemies that were trying to flank them, the one sniping the enemies with bows. She was making it possible, because she was forcing the enemies to come at Sung from the front. And then, all of a sudden, the army disappeared. Sung's swing hit air, and he looked forwards in bemusement. "Where have they gone?! Li-Yen, is this a trap?"
"No, they were recalled. That must mean… The Raven Lord is losing to the others. We ought to assist, I believe."
Joe fired into the shadows surrounding The Raven Lord, but it had no effect. Seeing this, he jumped back. "Everyone, get back! It might explode!" He shouted. It did not explode; at least not in an aggressive way. The ball of shadows burst, and the mansion crumbled around the group.
"Quick, the window!" Joe physically grabbed and threw Tom out of the window, since he was furthest from the exit, before making a beeline for the broken wall. The rest of the group followed quickly, and watched as the mansion went down, and a giant raven, wreathed in blue flames rose from the house. The skies darkened, as the bird screeched at the group.
Li-Yen and Sung appeared next to the group. Li-Yen looked up at the giant bird, and jumped to the side as a feather the size of her body impaled itself in the floor. "Is that… The Raven Lord?"
"Yes. But… How will we defeat him now? He's far out of reach…" Said Sung, still simmering with fury.
Joe looked to the two others. "Guys! We'll have to pull back if we can't get up there. Unless there's anything you two can do?"
Sung shook his head.
"Wait, I know what to do." Said Li-Yen. "Stand on the rubble. Most of it is a flat surface of some kind."
"Everyone, get onto the house's ruins! Li-Yen has a plan!" Shouted Joe. Everyone obeyed.
Li-Yen thrust her arms forwards, and the rubble levitated. All the broken parts of the house lifted from the floor, accelerating upwards.
Joe struggled to stay steady as the platform soared. It climbed fast, until it approached the Raven Lord's altitude. The Raven Lord didn't say anything, but was surprised to say the least. The rubble spread out to form a circle around the lord, and the fight began anew.
The Raven Lord's true form was not so easy as his regular self. Joe fired and reloaded as fast as his hands would allow, but to little effect. He sprinted to the left as a volley of feathers crashed into the platform, cutting through the bricks like butter.
Tom fired the removal cannon, and for a few moments the veil of blue fire was parted. For a few moments, Tom could see that the injuries the group had inflicted earlier had mostly carried over. The fire surged back, but not before a few attacks slipped through.
Cathori was having immense trouble with the Firebird, while it was a tough vehicle, it was not meant to be manoeuvred around small platforms. The mortar cannon's shot missed its target and sailed harmlessly into the abyss, and the flamethrowers were out of range. The Raven Lord took advantage of Cathori's attempts at getting nearer, and dived onto the platform, crushing it to dust in his talons. The Firebird fell away, Cathori inside, and smashed into the ground at terminal velocity, before dissolving.
Jack watched as the platform was destroyed, and seized his chance, running along parts of rubble and leaping just as he always had when it came to parkour. Before the Raven Lord could lift away from the crushed platform, Jack leapt onto his back, and started trying to bring him down. He pummelled at the lord's left wing with psionic force, seeing the feathers were already bare from earlier wounds. He couldn't break the bone, but he certainly got some attention.
Autumn wasn't able to deal enormous amounts of damage. A standard handgun is an incredibly deadly weapon, but it works on the principle that the bullets can't be stopped and then pass through the target, destroying it from the inside. Autumn's attacks were almost completely nullified by the magical protection on the Raven Lord, but they were still there, wherever they'd hurt most.
Sandy was the real threat. She'd opened the fight with normal sand attacks, but once at the full altitude, she'd shifted into her dragon form and taken to the skies. It was a dangerous aerial battle, and more than once Sandy was thankful for the sheer toughness of her hide. Feathers certainly hurt, but they couldn't quite get through her skin, and her armour outright stopped them. The Raven Lord dwarfed her for size though, and with one snap of his beak, Sandy felt a sharp pain, shooting through her right wing. It wasn't broken, but it was definitely not good and it burned with more pain than adrenaline could numb. Sprained. Sandy struggled back to a platform before shifting back, and throwing a sandstorm into the Raven Lord's eyes.
Kaladi came up behind Sandy, healing her. Sandy could feel a stiff ache in her back melt away, as Kaladi lauched himself into the skies. He weighed less than a quarter as much as Sandy's dragon form, and The Raven Lord could probably have swallowed him in one bite, but that would have required Kaladi not latching onto his face and spitting acid directly into an eye. The Raven Lord screeched in pain as his vision was burned away by the chemicals, and threw Kaladi into the air, discharging a volley of feathers that could have blotted out the sun, had the storms not been covering it already. Kaladi blinked out of the way, to Sung.
Sung felt the strength bonus, and used it well. The Raven Lord brought his wrath down, but every feather was met by the neo-steel of the Datrys, as he backed his way to Joe.
"Sung, I need to get on his back!"
As the volley ceased, Sung wasted no time hacking a section of the platform away, throwing it in The Raven Lord's general direction. "Go!"
Joe sprinted along the platform, leapt onto the chunk of platform, and The Raven Lord recoiled. A fully-healed Sandy came to the rescue, and as Joe had the sinking feeling as his target moved out of range, she moved her back in as a foothold, letting Joe make the jump onto The Raven Lord's back. He glowed a light blue, readying a spell.
"What are you doing!?" Shouted Tom, before jumping back as his platform was broken. There was nowhere to go but down.
"Tom!" Said Sandy, diving after him. A feather caught her in the back, piercing her scales and causing her to fall as well.
Everything was falling apart, but Joe came through as the Frost Nova completed. The Raven Lord had his entire back frozen, wings included, and began to fall. He did his best to take anyone still in the air with him, firing every feather he had and destroying more and more platforms, but Jack and Autumn darted around, Sung just barely avoiding a fall. Kaladi just flew.
Joe fell faster and faster, seeing Tom and Sandy impact and dissolve far below. His spell was wearing off quickly, but there comes a point where a body has too much inertia to stop. The Raven Lord twisted in the air, Joe holding on, trying his best to add the little bit of extra weight that might make the difference.
The Raven Lord spoke, and whether it was magic or just Joe's imagination, he could have sworn that the last words were clear. "A bitter end for a bitter life. No justice…"
Then they hit the ground, and died.
The platforms were lowered just a little too fast for it to feel safe, but the surviving four heroes were all still under the effects of adrenaline. Cathori was reforming just as they reached the ground. Li-Yen was shimmering dimly, as if she'd lost her energy.
"Okay, that's what it feels like dying. Better than the Raven Lord over there deserves." Cathori commented, climbing out of her mech.
Li-Yen collapsed. "I… don't feel well. Get me a healer, please!" She said to Cathori.
Tom answered the request, respawning just a little to the left of the Firebird. "I'm back! Who needs me?"
Cathori took him by the hand and pulled him to Li-Yen "She's collapsed. I know she'll respawn, but, uh, you'll save her right?"
Tom knelt, and experimentally cast his healing nanites onto Li-Yen. He'd been doubtful they could repair a miniature cosmos, but they got to work quickly, realigning galaxies and brightening stars. Li-Yen picked herself up quickly. "Thank you kindly. I… I believe my form deteriorates over time, since it lacks a proper binding charm. And it's too late to add one. Is it okay if you just heal me occasionally?"
Tom crossed his arms and smiled. "You don't need to ask. I'm a doctor and a friend, and it's my job as both to make sure you're okay."
The other four heroes walked over.
Sung looked to the sky. The clouds had stilled, although they weren't clearing, they weren't threatening. "It's over. All that's left now is to find our parents."
Jack looked at him sideways "What about Beleth? Or Nightshade? They're still dangerous."
Autumn decloaked. "The Raven Lord was, by all accounts, the driving force behind this. Without him to rally his allies, then it is probable they will surrender."
"That is good… We will survive. Now I will follow you to your… goal." Said Kaladi.
Sandy and Joe reformed. Sandy inspected herself "No creases? A good resurrection."
Joe looked at the corpse of The Raven Lord. It had not dissolved as his friends had. "He's gone. But… I don't feel satisfied. There's still a lot to do."
Tom patted him on the back "Yeah. We can't leave this town leaderless, and the Haunted Mines could still be enslaved. And… we should bury that. It's a health risk." He looked at the fallen raven.
"Agreed. Let's visit the town first. They must be terrified."
The town was not terrified. They were uncertain. As the nine heroes walked into the town, the residents were looking out of their buildings with curiosity more than fear. Joe looked around for any signs of danger, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Eventually, he came to the town square. He looked around. A lot of residents were carefully watching from afar. Joe stood in the centre, and faced them.
"People of Ravencourt. Your lord has been slain, and his war has been lost. We do not wish there to be anarchy here, but we must leave soon. I ask now, that if this town has a mayor, or a spokesperson of The Raven Lord, that they step forth!"
Joe waited a minute. A derelict old man in a robe stepped out of an allyway, and raised a hand. "There are no leaders in this town, young one. We thank you for freeing us, and beg for your grace's mercy." He knelt.
"We are not here to kill and destroy. We came to end a war of fourteen years. If your town is truly leaderless, then I must give you a task, brave man. I need you to find the person who would best lead this town. One who will guide and protect it through the turmoil ahead. I am sorry for inflicting this upon you, but there was no choice." Joe raised his voice "Citizens! Whoever this man chooses, I ask one thing of you. Work together selflessly, so that all of you might survive. I will return when I can, and help you rebuild." Joe walked away from the centre, to his waiting friends.
"Did I do that right? I hope they'll be okay…" Whispered Joe.
Sandy smiled "Don't be too worried. They have good access to resources, and without a war to drain them away, this town will have all it needs to flourish. I can already see you've changed its fate for the better."
The burial and short funeral of The Raven Lord was presided over by Autumn. It was as much for the Gravekeeper as the other lord. Li-Yen had carved out a comparatively shallow grave for the bird, and Jack and Cathori had shifted the broken form in.
"Here will rest The Raven Lord, true name unknown. In memory of our fallen ally, The Gravekeeper, we have chosen to give them a short funeral. The Raven Lord, leader of those against the heroes, betrayer of trust and former lord of Ravencourt. He slew the Gravekeeper six days ago.
The Gravekeeper, valued ally, and leader of the forces that wished to protect the heroes. Former lord of the Haunted Mines. He fell in battle defending his realm, six days ago. Does anyone wish to speak on the behalf of a fallen one?"
Everyone had lined up. Li-Yen went first. "On behalf of the Gravekeeper, I wish to express my thanks for his aid and devotion." She placed a wildflower on the mound of dirt.
Sandy walked forwards "I will never forget the lord that gave his life for us. May his rest be peaceful, and his tales be told gloriously."
Sung knelt at the grave "I apologise for my foolishness. It cost you dearly. Goodbye, brave friend."
Kaladi looked around "Survival is… fickle. I do not feel emotion as my family does. But… if they are sad, I will share that sadness."
Jack walked over "I… I'm so- so sorry!" He started crying, and fell to his knees. "I wish you were here." He forced himself to breathe, and left, tears wetting his shirt.
Cathori took her turn "You deserved better, Gravekeeper. We'll make sure your sacrifice isn't in vain, okay?"
Tom just looked at the large grave. "We would have died here if not for you. We'll do our best to see your memory never dies."
"On behalf of the Raven Lord… You acted to protect those you knew from a possible threat. It was a noble principle, and a shame that we had to be enemies. And Gravekeeper, I will swear to you. I will never let a war like this happen again. No matter what I must sacrifice. The realms will know peace for as long as I walk them." Said Joe.
"This concludes the service in memory of the two recently fallen lords. May they rest in peace." Closed Autumn.
Everyone was silent for a long time as they walked to the area Blackheart could pick them up. Eventually, Jack spoke. "Joe… why did you speak for The Raven Lord as well? He killed you."
Joe considered his answer for a while "Well… his last words were 'No justice…'. I suppose I felt sorry for him."
"Honourable." Remarked Sung. "My master often lectured on the values of forgiveness. But we should cheer up. A funeral provides closure. We ought to look ahead, to the future. Blackheart can send us to our parents now. Our dreams are within your reach."
"Thanks. I think I needed to hear that."
The group came up to a lake, where Blackheart's ghost ship was waiting. The captain himself put down the gangplank, and welcomed the others aboard with a grin. "Ye did it, lubbers! Ye ended the war!"
Everyone smiled. Autumn nodded "Yes. Have the other lords surrendered?"
"Aye, lass. Thanks to you lot. The rum's on me tonight. Don't tell your parents." Laughed Blackheart, as the ship began to sail.
Author's notes: And the war draws to a close. This story will be done soon, but there will be an epilogue. Next chapter will be the final confrontation.
AnonymousArchon: Very Convenient Story Magic is part of the fun of writing fanfiction. And you were indeed nearly right. As for Li-Yen, -1.5 isn't going to stop her being QM viable, regen globes alone can sustain her. The real problem is it means she accumulates damage from minions too easily, and poke ruins her. Lucio heals for 25 per second at level one, so he's actually one of the stronger choices to heal her, since she's exclusively backline.
Mpopl2: glad to hear it!
