Chapter 19: Siege

"Wave One has deployed! Stand by, Wave Two!"

"Form up! We'll be departing soon!"

Illagers scurried to take their positions around the patrol captains, who'd been barking orders for at least ten minutes straight. Weapons had to be sharpened, enchantments prepared, and arrows stocked up. The ravagers, in their pens, were being saddled and roused for a good, old-fashioned pillaging. It was a typical raid setup: the evokers had announced a bad omen would be brought to a town soon, and the Illagers scrambled to arm themselves for what was to come.

Typical for them, maybe. But one member of the crowd was a different case.

"You there! Witch!" one vindicator snapped. "You'll be with us, as part of Wave Three. I don't know what you think you're worth, but the chiefs say you volunteered to tag along. Just pull your weight, and then you can run back to whatever shack you came from."

Varris held in a sigh. "Yes, yes, I understand. I'll keep you youngsters alive."

"Hmph!"

She was indeed a witch, a villager ostracized from society for dabbling in the darker arts of potion-brewing. Varris, and those like her, tended to live alone in the wilderness, where they could practice their craft undisturbed. Most witches were all too eager to lend their assistance to Illagers during raids, throwing in their lot with fellow exiles.

Most witches.

"Just sit back and let them do their thing," she told herself. "Do the bare minimum, then I can go home and never have to see any of them again."

"This is my first raid!" Varris heard a nearby pillager excitedly tell one of his cohorts. "But there are so many of us here. Are they always this big?"

"Not usually. Someone must've triggered several bad omens at once, if a raid party this large is required."

"Heh. Suckers. Where are we going, anyway?"

"Luxmouth. Ever-Glowing, they call it. Just stick with me, kid; my axe has killed many a villager. You'll get to see a professional at work."

"Hee hee! There'll be no light for them now!

She looked around. The group she'd been assigned to consisted of a dozen Illagers, wielding crossbows and axes. The party overall was more like an army; there had to be well over two hundred raiders around the outpost, still waiting to be teleported onto the scene. A few other witches were dotted about the crowds, but none were part of Varris' team.

There was a purple, and another cluster of Illagers disappeared.

"Wave Two has deployed!" someone yelled from the tower. "Stand by, Wave Three!"

It was almost time. The old witch adjusted her hat, holding a splash potion of healing ready. She'd never been in a raid in her 45 years, and the thought of combat made her nervous.

"Just sit back…" Varris repeated in her head.

Worst came to worst, she could use the magic from that odd sphere she'd found to defend herself.

"Wave Three, deploying!"

The world around her disappeared. Time to get it over with.

Luxmouth's festive mood had soured within minutes, and Felix watched helplessly as confusion ran rampant. Citizens scrambled to lock down their stores or barricade themselves in their homes. The word "raid" came up every few seconds from the clusters of passing troops, and he realized which direction they were running.

"They're all going for the village districts, aren't they?" Blake asked, sounding uneasy.

Both their eyes widened.

"Lady Celia!" Felix exclaimed. "She and the Duke haven't returned to the inner city yet, or we would've seen their escort!"

"You mean… she's still out there…?"

"Attention!"

The shout had come from one of the guards, fully decked out in diamond armor. What civilians weren't fleeing in a panic stopped to listen.

"Luxmouth's outer district is experiencing an Illager raid," he announced. "The militia is mobilizing to fight off the attackers, but if anyone is able to fight or provide additional support, your assistance would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise, keep yourselves safe and do not leave your homes until the all clear is given. The defensive force is assembling in front of the city district's wall. Join us there, and we will head to battle as soon as we are prepared. Spread the word!"

Without waiting for a response, he turned and continued up the street to join the defenders. Assorted people began to arm themselves with whatever weapons they had, following him.

"We've got to do something." Blake said.

"Right. Let's go-"

"Hold on just a second."

They both paused mid-step, turning to Emily. She looked pale, but had her arms crossed and was frowning at them.

"You think I'll just let you wander into a raid?"

Felix gave his sister a pleading look. "We can help, Em! We know how to fight; Blake's taught me a lot!"

"None of us will be able to do anything like this," she said.

"I won't just sit here twiddling my thumbs," Blake shot back. "Not if Celia's in trouble-"

He cut himself short. Felix glanced between them as a look of confusion crossed Blake's face.

"…wait, what do you mean?" he asked.

Emily smirked and nodded down another street. "We need to get some supplies first. C'mon, I know a shortcut back to the shop." She broke into a sprint, nearly leaving them in the dust. "The Silverhands have faithfully served Luxmouth for generations!" she yelled over her shoulder as Felix and Blake did their best to keep up. "No way are we leaving anyone from House Lumis in danger!"

"We'll need swords, armor, and food," Felix said. "Blake, let's put our rewards to good use!"

"Sounds good to me!"

They navigated the backroads, passing scores more townsfolk who raced about in confused terror. Luxmouth had endured small raids before, but the sheer fright which had gripped the city suggested the current attack was a whole different beast.

"But why now? Why today, of all days? Did the guards just miss someone?"

Felix grit his teeth. There was no time to be caught up on questions; Celia's safety came first.

The three made it to the shop and immediately set about gathering whatever ores were handy from the crafting room.

"Diamond armor would be great!" Blake shouted from somewhere in the back, while Felix rummaged through chest after chest.

"Do we have enough diamonds for it?" Felix asked.

"I'm not finding any more over here. Emily?"

"Got nothing! We're even short on iron- the orders over the last few days have damn near cleaned us out!"

They convened in the crafting station, tossing their collective materials onto the floor. Thirty-two diamonds, two and a quarter stacks of iron ingots, enough gunpowder and sand for just one TNT block, were what they had to work with. They had plenty of wood for weapon handles, but armor was a trickier issue.

"A full set of armor takes 24 ores," Felix said, "but we've only got enough diamonds to fully suit up one of us. Would it be better to divide them between everyone instead, or focus our defense on one person?"

"You're better with an axe, but that also makes you slower. Maybe you'd be better off with the stronger armor in case you get targeted. On the other hand, if I'm gonna be out front first then maybe I should be able to take more hits. But we also have to consider what we'll be fighting with…"

He couldn't say he'd missed Blake's "analytical" half-muttering to himself, but Felix certainly appreciated the amount of thought he put into the upcoming fight. Personally, he was too jumpy to exercise the same consideration.

"We don't have a lot of time," Emily reasoned, "let's just split up the armor and use the rest of the diamonds for our weapons."

After some deliberation, they decided on each making a diamond chestplate and using iron for the rest of their armor. Blake and Emily each used two of the remaining diamonds for swords, while Felix used three for an axe.

"Guess we're all set." Blake said as he slipped on his helmet.

"Just a sec," replied Emily, tearing up one of the floorboards to reveal a chest. She opened the lid and withdrew a crossbow and several fireworks. "Ah, perfect. Been saving this for emergencies."

"I didn't even know you had that," Felix gawked.

"Figured it'd come in handy eventually. Okay, let's roll!"

"Hold the line! Don't let any of them near the Duke or Countess!"

"Stand your ground, men! Reinforcements are on the way!"

"Another group, coming in from the left!"

The battle raged. Celia, feeling nothing short of useless, stood back-to-back with her father in the center of the noble escort. The raid she'd escaped two weeks earlier seemed trivial in comparison to the utter onslaught of Illagers appearing within Luxmouth's walls. Worse still, these raiders appeared more intelligent; the initial wave of crossbowmen had targeted their poor horses first, leaving their group effectively stranded in the middle of the outer district. Unable to flee, the knights had formed a defensive perimeter in the hope that help would arrive from the city proper soon. What guards and golems were on patrol nearby had joined the fray themselves, but weren't able to break through the Illager squadrons to clear an escape route.

She looked wherever she could for some way, any way to contribute, but being stuck in the middle of a tight circle of knights left her without many options. Frustrated, Celia turned to her father for advice.

"Stay close to me," was all he would say, a solemn determination etched into his face. Whether he was as terrified internally as her, she couldn't tell, but on the outside at least he appeared unnaturally calm. Screams and battle cries and clashes of metal barraged her ears from all sides, but her father remained steadfast.

Celia's foot bumped against something as the group edged its way up the street, away from the encroaching Illager horde. She glanced at the ground, and almost managed a smile.

"A sword!"

Even if the guards wouldn't let her fight so long as they could remain standing, she at least wanted a weapon in hand. She held it tight, trying to calm her trembling arms. The dirtied blade had seen action already, and her stomach clenched at the thought of whatever fate its previous wielder met. They had passed more than a few bodies on their slow retreat already; some Illagers, some not.

"Ahahaha! Kill 'em all!"

"This is our time now!"

"No mercy! Take everything that isn't tied down!"

With every successive horn blow, the raiders became even more aggressive. The bodyguards were putting up a valiant defense against them, but it was only so long before the constant barrage would wear down their equipment.

One knight in diamond armor collapsed behind Celia, having been tackled by a vindicator. She yelped and cut down the attacker with a quick slash. A twang sounded, and she brought up her sword to narrowly parry the incoming arrow. An Illager wielding a crossbow had noticed the brief gap in the soldiers' ranks and tried to take advantage of it. His effort foiled, she watched him snarl and fall back to look for easier prey.

"Thanks, Countess," the fallen knight said, hastily getting back up to resume his defense.

There was a sharp tug on her shoulder. Celia nearly fell against the Duke's side.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine. I blocked the arrow, and it fell on the ground without hurting anyone."

He nodded, approval in his eyes for a split second. "Sharp reflexes. Good."

"If only I still had the Fire Core," she said, shooting her gaze every which way in case she had to tag in for another knight. "I could put a stop to this!"

Whether it was the truth or not, she wasn't certain. Celia didn't have experience fighting with a Genesis Core the way Blake did, but she needed some confidence she could make a difference.

"INCOMING!"

She stumbled again when the ground shook. Her eyes landed on the source of a heavy tromping, and she froze. A pair of ravagers, enormous beasts of burden for the Illagers, were charging right at them. The knights directly in their paths shuffled nervously and tried to form a barrier with their shields, bracing themselves. All around, the other raiders had backed off with vicious sneers and chortles.

"They'll crush us if we don't move!" the Duke shouted. "SPREAD OUT!"

The circle broke apart, knights and nobles alike scrambling to get clear of the ravagers. Though they managed to avoid the initial charge without casualties, they now stood with no defensive line and with a pair of monsters right in their midst.

Celia wound up with only a pair of soldiers at her side, the three of them together facing down twice as many foes as they were forced away from the rest of the group. For a moment before the vindicators charged, she thought back to the great tree and her first battle with Felix and Blake. She recalled their narrow escape from the raid on the island. But there would be no distractions for her enemies that night. Now, she had to win.

Her blade rose and fell to deflect the incoming axe swings. Slow and clumsy as the vindicators were, she couldn't directly block their wild smashes lest her arms suffer their full force. One of them brought his axe down, but she stepped back in time for it to harmlessly crash into the ground. A stab was all it took to dispatch him. The victory was a small one; for every attacker that fell, another would take his place.

"We'll cover you, Lady Celia! You have to run!" one of the soldiers yelled.

She looked back. They stood in roughly the center of the village district, with still a ways to go until she reached the city district wall. Illagers swarmed everywhere, tearing up crops, destroying property, and chasing down the terrified citizens as they fled to their homes. Escaping would mean getting around them all, a difficult prospect even if she hadn't been cut off from her main force of bodyguards.

Speaking of whom, the diamond-armored knights had rallied around the Duke, who'd taken up a blade and joined the battle himself. Celia hadn't ever seen him fight before, but swordsmanship training was customary for House Lumis, and she realized the desperateness of the situation had pushed him to action. A growing number of dead vindicators lay at his feet, with even the ranged attackers beginning to show reluctance at drawing his ire. Her father shouted command after command, organizing the guards as the ravagers charged again.

"Is this the same person I've known all my life…?"

But she couldn't return to his side. Effective as his orders seemed in sparking morale for the knights, there were just too many Illagers between them.

He seemed to realize this as well. Their eyes met for a second which lasted an eternity, and Celia knew what he was telling her. She could do no more good there, fighting a losing battle of attrition.

"Get to the Duke if you can," she said to the pair of guards with her. "Defend him, and defend the civilians. I will return with our reinforcements, but you have to hold out."

"Understood. Go, and be safe!"

With that she broke away from them in a sprint, trying to find the safest way back to inner Luxmouth. Illagers of all varieties were everywhere, and she thanked her lucky stars she hadn't encountered an evoker just yet. As much as it pained her to leave the citizens in peril, she knew she couldn't fend off the raid as she was.

"So many must see me, their countess, fleeing from the battle… I will make it up to them all. I WILL!"

She spotted a narrow alley between two houses along a side path, where the fighting seemed less intense, and ran down it. Only one pillager was there, shakily aiming at something behind one of the buildings with his crossbow. Celia didn't give him the chance to attack and stabbed the raider from behind. She rounded the corner, intent on reassuring whatever villager he'd planned to shoot that everything would be okay.

Her surprise couldn't be understated when she instead came across the gruesome sight of at least a dozen Illagers' miserable forms, crumpled against the walls and in the dirt. Their wounds, slashes and bruises alike, appeared to have been viciously dealt, and several of their limbs looked suspiciously like they were facing the wrong direction. Others simply lacked them, or even heads.

Curiously, she couldn't see corpses of any other kind within the bloodbath. No villagers or humans, not even any animals or iron golem parts. The houses at least didn't seem to have been broken into, but whoever had killed the raiders had already left.

"The guards must have taken action quickly here…"

Celia continued onward, keeping to the less active paths between buildings to slip past the majority of the raid. She could see the inner wall several chunks away, its gates all shut tight with guards patrolling the top and loosing arrows at any Illagers who got too close. Celia took cover behind a square of houses around a well, where the fighting appeared to have recently blown through. One of the homes had its windows broken and arrows protruding from its door, but there was no time to check on the residents. That could come when the raid was repelled.

"I'll get through here and make a dash for the inner district. The guards will see me coming."

She slipped between two of the houses and made to pass by the well. A second later she was on the ground, a splitting pain on her head and something wet dripping down the back of her neck.

"Well, look at this! A runner thought she'd hide out here, and give us the slip!"

Celia blinked, desperately trying to get the stars and tears out of her eyes. Her hand found the iron blade's hilt, and she staggered to her feet to find a vindicator and a pillager leering at her after their ambush. The former seemed to have bashed her with the flat edge of his axe's head, not content to kill her immediately.

"What's your kill count, friend?" the vindicator asked.

"Four villagers so far. Not bad for my first time, huh?" cackled the pillager.

She knew she was too dizzy to stand her ground, but she kept the sword raised. This was not to be the end.

The vindicator clicked his tongue. "Not bad, not bad. Why don't you take this one? Look at her, she can't even look straight at us. Easy pickings."

"Hee hee… I'd love to."

Giggling to himself, the crossbowman stepped very close to her and raised his weapon. A poor choice- even in her disoriented state, Celia wasn't entirely helpless. Her blade moved, and he recoiled with a deep cut in his forearm.

"You got cocky," the vindicator said as impassively as he would discuss the weather. He made no attempt to attack her himself. "You have a ranged weapon, newbie. Use it at range."

"Ugh… it really hurts… where's that damned witch?! I need a healing poti-"

Now furious at the two, so casual in their crime against Luxmouth they were using it as a learning experience, Celia threw herself at the wounded pillager with a scream. He hadn't backed away enough to be out of her reach, and he collapsed with another gash in his chest. The vindicator barely reacted.

"Hmph. That idiot wasn't cut out for this after all. Okay, girlie, I guess I'll put you down myself."

Her thrust at him was easily knocked aside by his axe, and for her trouble she received a punch to the face. Already dazed from the first blow, she only had more trouble seeing him through a fresh wave of tears. Her face stung, her head throbbed, and she knew how dire the situation was, but she couldn't give up. She leveled her sword and took a step back, trying to find better footing.

"What's the matter? Have you realized you're about to die yet?"

The gray blur in front of her swung low. She stepped back in time to avoid losing a leg from the knee down, but the axe's head managed to cut into her calf. Unable to support herself from the pain, Celia stumbled as the Illager swung again, this time aiming for her neck.

Her drop saved her life, however, as by falling onto one knee she'd inadvertently dodged the attack. The startled vindicator's momentum carried his weapon clear over her head and past her, leaving him vulnerable. Celia capitalized by stabbing him from below, and he fell alongside his cohort.

"Good… riddance…"

She wiped the tears away and tried to stand. Putting any amount of pressure on her injured leg was agonizing, and her head wound left her dizzy.

"Where'd you two go-"

The old-sounding woman who'd called out came around the corner of another house and stopped short at the sight of her handiwork. Celia's reaction undulated from relief to see she wasn't an Illager, then confusion at her purple robe and black hat, then fright when it occurred to her she was facing down a witch.

"G-get away from me…" she hissed, hardly able to stand up straight.

She tried to adopt a defensive stance again, but her leg refused to cooperate. Though Celia wasn't much of a medical specialist, she felt fairly certain she was losing more blood than was safe. And without good footing, she realized she was helpless to fight another ranged enemy at any distance. The witch stared, holding a splash potion withdrawn from somewhere in her robes.

Her eyes squeezed shut as the splash potion hit the ground by her feet. Magic fumes rose, swirling around her and seeping into Celia's body. She held her breath, waiting for the pain of a potion of harming to set in. Never having experienced one before, she could only imagine-

Strange. It didn't seem to be harming her. On the contrary, her injuries were healing. Her vision cleared up, and even her head wound vanished altogether. Still clutching her sword, she gave the witch a perplexed stare.

"…I didn't see you," she said, shuffling past the well without looking at Celia again. "Never wanted anything to do with this…"

Though she was wary of what the raider could have been up to, she decided she wouldn't waste time asking. Healed up and ready to keep moving, she stole a glance at the last stretch of plains to the inner wall.

She gulped. There was no cover, and a squadron of Illagers stood between her and safety. It would be impossible to sneak around them, yet if Celia stayed put more raiders might find her. Ravagers had taken to charging headfirst into the two gates, flanked by eager vindicators and pillagers. The archers atop the wall put up a valiant effort to stop the breach, but their arrows barely fazed the thick-hided beasts. Counterattacks from the pillagers soon forced them to retreat altogether.

"The gates won't hold forever. I have no choice but to distract them… but what would hold their attention?"

Celia didn't have any items which would be effective against a large group of mobs. With no other options, she decided to take the most reckless course of action. She stepped out from her hiding place and strolled toward them with a shout.

"HEY, UGLIES! Looking for me?!"

She liked to think such improper language was generally beneath her, but the situation was dire. At least it worked; several of the Illagers turned to glare at her. The ravagers continued battering the gates- she needed to do more.

"Who are you supposed to be?" one of them yelled back. "You're not running in fright; think you're some kind of hero?"

"I am Countess Celia Lumis, next in line to lead this city!" she declared, putting on the most bombastic tone she could. It came a bit easier to her than she would have admitted. "And I have struck down scores of you monsters! Why, I personally possessed the bad omen which called all of you here tonight!"

That did the trick. A vindicator in the middle of the party signaled for the ravagers to stop, and all of the Illagers faced her.

"Is that true?" she heard one ask. "Where's an evoker, we need 'em to confirm it. There's no way this scrawny brat could kill one of us."

"Don't believe me? Ha! Underestimating me will be your last mistake. Your evil deeds end here, at my hands!"

A beat passed.

"Tell you what, we'll break into the inner city and get our retribution in a minute," one of the pillagers announced. "First, let's teach the girl a lesson. Sic her!"

The ravagers roared and stomped toward Celia. She'd expected this to happen, but it occurred to her she didn't know what to do now. There was nowhere to run, and she certainly couldn't take on all of them.

"Did I just doom myself?"

She snarled. Fine, at least she would go down fighting, in defense of her city. Maybe her distraction could give the guards a few precious seconds to rally for a counterattack.

"Forgive me, Father… I will give Mother your regards."

Celia stood her ground, hoping she'd at least be able to weaken one of the ravagers. The cluster of enemies was just over a chunk away.

Something flew into their midst from the top of the wall, and exploded with a shower of colorful sparks. The ravagers stumbled and fell; the Illagers were launched in every direction. Only one very confused vindicator escaped the blast, but he was downed a moment later by an arrow.

"I see the Countess! She's on the other side of the raiders!"

"For Luxmouth! CHARGE!"

The gates flew open. Given cover by the archers returning to their positions atop the wall, a line of guards, golems, mounted knights, armed civilians, wolves, everyone poured into the village district. A horn blasted nearby, and another wave of Illagers appeared, but this time they were met head-on by the influx of fighters and were driven away from the gates.

Reinforcements had arrived.

Felix would have to thank Blake for training him again after the fighting was over. Without it, he might not have lasted beyond his first minute in such a large-scale battle, but as it was he'd already clashed with and defeated a pair of vindicators singlehandedly. His new diamond axe definitely played a role in the victory, but overall he felt confident enough to hold his own.

Speaking of Blake, he'd just charged and taken down an evoker before any vexes could be spawned. Felix ran to join him, flinching as an arrow clanged against his chestplate. He was startled but unharmed, and shooting a glare at the offending Illager caused him to back away in apprehension before retreating outright.

"You okay?" asked Blake.

"I'm fine thanks to the diamond. It could've been ugly if we'd made iron chestplates."

"Heads up, another group's coming from the right!" yelled a nearby armed citizen.

They were being rushed down by five vindicators who'd just appeared. Felix and Blake prepared to defend, but there was no need. A firework rocket soared into their midst and exploded, throwing them to the ground where they were easily finished off.

"She's a good shot," Blake said.

Felix looked to the wall, at the top of which Emily had joined the militia archers and civilian volunteers. She waved at him, then loaded another firework into her crossbow.

"Surprisingly so…"

"Hey! Celia's over there!"

He whipped around to see the Countess facing down one of the ravagers. The Illagers and the second beast had reformed their line and were blocking most of the defenders from reaching her, but they could get there first.

"I still have the TNT block I made," Felix told Blake as they ran around the periphery of the melee. "Think it'd clear out the attackers?"

"Save it! It might be more useful later, if we're dealing with more Illagers at once."

Blake's diamond sword flashed, taking down an unsuspecting pillager as they passed by while barely breaking flow. Soon enough they were right behind the ravager as it stomped toward Celia.

Felix found himself rushing at it with a fervor even he didn't recognize. His axe bit into its leg, and the beast broke off its charge with a thrash. Blake was on it next, stabbing its side with all the force he could muster. With every blow its attention swapped between them, confusing the ravager until Celia joined the fray and jabbed into its face with her blade. Striking its head together, they were able to put it down for good.

"Felix… Blake…!"

"Are you hurt, Lady Celia?" he asked her. She didn't look it- actually, she looked overjoyed to see them- but he wasn't going to assume.

"I'm okay! And I'm so glad to see you both!"

The reunion was interrupted when the rest of their backup swarmed the Countess.

"You must get to safety, Lady Celia!" one knight urged. "We'll escort you to the palace!"

"Don't worry about me! The Duke is further ahead and needs help, so hurry to his aid, all of you!" she ordered.

Most of them didn't look pleased to leave her out in the open, but they did as told and stormed onward. Felix turned to follow, only to feel a tug on his shoulder.

"Hold on! I believe we can put a stop to this much sooner if we use the Genesis Cores," Celia explained to him and Blake. "They should still be in the palace, but I have the authority to retrieve them."

She offered a bashful smile. "Forgive me, but could I ask for your help one more time?"

"I am at your service," Felix replied.

"Sure thing," added Blake, "I'll help however I can. After all the running we did two weeks ago, I'm ready to win for once."

Celia blinked. "You made that connection too?"

"Yeah. Even when Ray screwed everything up for the Usurpation, we still had no choice but to run. Nothing's gonna distract the bad guys for us this time, right?"

Blake chuckled, but his expression changed after only a second. He looked more thoughtful- then concerned.

"…a thought occurs. Who brought a bad omen into the village?"

"We have not been able to identify the victim," said Celia. "But it hardly matters, does it?"

"Maybe not. But… well, what if this time, we're the ones being distracted? What if the Usurpation's behind it?"

The worry was evident in Blake's voice. Celia paced back and forth, a hand over her mouth.

"No… there's no way they'd think to do something like this unless… unless the Usurpers we faced escaped and passed the idea onto their superiors…!"

She rounded on them both, eyes wide. "We have to get to the palace NOW!"