To M1-Astray Zero: You never told me you were a female. I managed to read your bio just yesterday. So, just finish Catherine Norixis first before starting another one. See you in Izlude on Saturday.
Chapter 12: Silver Reflection
"Lord Knight, this area is lost already."
A raydric noticed Necron practically crash into the assembly halls. The structure was surrounded by undead and the lord knight had the evidences that he was hacking through them before entering. He was covered in blood. Behind him, the gates were being battered by colossal hammers.
"Is everyone here?"
All the raydrics, raydric archers, along with non-raydric knights, wizards, and priests had gathered in that hall earlier when the battle standards were directed there.
All the commanders gave their salute. Necron took his place in front of them and waited impatiently for the gates to be completely knocked down by the minoruses outside.
"May fortune smile upon us, soldiers of Glastheim. Open the gates, now!"
As if on cue, the gates shattered and the hulking figures of the minoruses started to lumber towards them.
"For the glory of Glastheim!"
The raydrics raised battle cries and charged first. The knights and raydric archers followed.
Necron concentrated on a skill he learned as he charged outside. His zweihander started to course with golden energies. The lord knight swung the heavy sword at the nearest minorus. The black blade cut up the bull-creature's hide effectively down the lower front, knocking it backwards.
A huge hammer waved in front of him, barely missing him by inches. The lord knight raised his glowing black sword and slashed downward, hitting the next minorus in the left shoulder, cutting off its arm.
Soon, the night skies were ringing with the dying roars of minoruses and majoruroses. Necron smiled to himself and plunged his elunium arm straight into a collapsed minorus's chest, spouting out jets of blood from the wound.
From the corner of his eye, the lord knight saw raydrics being swept off the ground or pulverized by the bull-creatures' hammers. Necron rushed to their aid but that was when a majorus swung its hammer on him.
"Lord Knight, get away please!"
An explosive acid bottle flew above Necron and crashed on the majoruros's face, setting its hair on liquid fire. The lord knight sighed out of relief and waved his glowing black sword at the creature's red hide. The zweihander struck true, cleaving off the majoruros's' right leg; spraying more blood on his battered armor.
Behind him, Farina was desperately throwing acid bottles at the minoruses and wraiths while a green-haired lord knight was impaling any monster that got too near to the blonde merchant. This lord knight showed signs of nearly being hit by the merchant's crude throwing.
"Lord Knight Arkyhm? But what about Salendriel and the others?"
The green haired lord knight withdrew his lance from a minorus' chest then faced Necron with a forgiving look. Another explosive acid bottle flew past the younger lord knight's head, missing it barely by inches.
"Everyone else is dead and Salendriel along with a division of knights are holding back the newly summoned demon Baphomet."
"Baphomet?"
Necron ducked a blow from a minorus before sprinting close to Arkyhm.
"And you just left them there? To die?"
"No, he ordered me to go and assist you upon knowing that I'll die if I stayed with him."
"Um…Lord Knight?"
Farina nudged him on his arm then pointed to an archer behind her.
"He told me that Kael's division was wiped out and…and the enemy is mustering new forces in that area."
Necron looked at the archer which he knew almost instantly that was from Kathris' division. His clothes were tattered and were full of blood. If Kael's division was overrun then…
"7th Knight Division and 4th Priest Division, on me! The rest of you, hold the line until more reinforcements arrive."
The knights and priests flocked towards the lord knight. Their commanders had strapped battle standards to their mounts. Suddenly, a wraith crash-landed beside Farina. Arkyhm rushed to her and raised his spear…
……………………………………………….
'Necron…if you don't bring more troops here soon, I'll have your armored hide for a rug.'
Kathris clutched the wound in her leg. She had received a long and narrow cut from a soldier skeleton that she impaled a second later. There were no priests around and their only protection was the watchtower but the structure was knocked down by minoruses not long after all the raydrics were eradicated.
She and her division were forced to vacate the tower not long after.
A khalitzburg whirled its sword at one of Kathris's remaining hunters, cutting his body into two halves. The rest of the hunters had already run out of arrows and were being dispatched by dagger-wielding skeletons.
"Get inside somewhere, everyone! It's not worth dying here!"
Without warning, a blade cut up the huntress's upper back, gouging deep across it. She managed to catch a glimpse of a group of incoming knights before falling.
……………………………………….
Necron withdrew his zweihander from a minorus's chest sideward. The bull-creature's blood cascaded down its heavily built torso before it collapsed. Beside him, Arkyhm raised his lance and whirled it around him, sending numerous undead flying backwards. Since it was dark, the green-haired lord knight's spear nearly hit Necron's forehead.
"Watch where you swing that thing!"
"I'll be careful this time."
That was when a dreadful roaring sound filled the night skies then was drowned by the dying screams of at least a dozen soldiers and blades rending flesh.
"Farina, we need light! It's too dark! Now!"
Necron knew that fire was next to useless when used on the bull-creatures but it was the only way the merchant could help.
"Y-yes Lord Knight!"
From behind Necron, Farina hurled an explosive fire bottle at the source of the sound. The bottle hit something and broke, spreading burning volatile liquids on its contact.
"You! Fire doesn't hurt these…Never mind…"
The fires from the explosion were bright enough to reveal the surroundings. The screams came from a majoruros and a group of priests that were crushed by its hammer. Farina's explosive had stunned a minorus that was hit squarely in the face. The two lord knights had the look of relief after knowing that the merchant had hit her target without mistakes. In the dark, it was lethal to have an alchemist trainee throwing explosives wildly.
"Well, Lord Knight?"
Necron looked at the dark figure of Arkyhm.
"What do you suggest?"
"Go, Sir Lorthiras."
Necron ran towards the block where Kael's division was supposed to be assigned to. Arkyhm readied his lance and charged. The green-haired lord knight felt the blessing energies of holy magic as the priests endowed them on him.
The majoruros was quick to notice the lord knight and it swung its huge hammer at him. The colossal weapon smashed into an invisible barrier that surrounded the lord knight. Arkyhm pointed the oridecon tip of his lance at the red-skinned bull-creature's belly and lunged at it. The metal shaft buried deep into the tough hide. The green-haired lord knight drove it deeper and tilted it to destroy the important organs.
Not far away, Necron was almost at his destination but was continuously being intercepted by wraiths and skeletal warriors. His heavy black sword was already covered with rotting flesh and blood.
More undead were coming from all directions. Necron inhaled deeply and a nimbus of strange red energies covered him.
The zweihander that was still glowing with golden energies cleaved off a khalitzburg's body in half then impaled a minorus. The black blade then slashed through a swathe of skeletons.
Before the lord knight could regain his stance, warp portals popped out and brought in more undead that ranged from soldier skeletons to wraiths. Even desiccated corpses clad in scarlet clergy robes with wooden crosses arrived out of nowhere.
Necron held his zweihander tight. There were far too many than what he could handle. The lord knight had several deep wounds and scratches already and a little more would already finish him off. It was easier on his part to withdraw…
"No. I am a Lord Knight. I mustn't give up."
"We can take the rest, sir!"
The dark-haired lord knight looked behind him. Divisions of raydrics clad in armored robes alongside non-raydric knights had gathered behind him.
"The raydric-wizards. It's about time…"
The dark-haired lord knight signaled the charge. Spears of fire and ice rained down on the wraiths. The knights hacked their way across the skeletons and floating corpses.
Necron raised his zweihander for a killing stroke and swung it down on an injured minorus' head.
"Lord Knight Necron! We found the raydric division commander."
The dark-haired lord knight approached the one who called him. This was going to be quicker than he thought. The knight pointed to a raydric-knight that was being carried on a stretcher.
'Kael?'
"Well, Lord Knight?"
"And the sub-commander of the hunter division on this area?"
The knight looked around him. The undead were already retreating.
"All the commanding hunters except the Hunter Commander himself are alive. And the Raydric Commander…he just might make it."
Necron nearly let out a sign of relief. The red energies that covered him had dissipated already. Suddenly, a loud roaring sound rang all throughout the area.
"Lord Knight, khalitzburgs!"
The dark-haired lord knight stared in horror at the newcomers.
"No…these…aren't khalitzburgs."
Gigantic skeletal monstrosities were marching towards their position. They looked very much like khalitzburgs but they were a lot more terrifying. What even made them more horrid was the bright red hellfire that covered their armored skeletal bodies and warblades.
"Damn, this was uncalled for! Fall back!"
(A/N): This chapter was made to be shorter so that it won't make an abrupt change for the next chapter.
Some stuff:
Raydric-Wizards: Name says it all.
Raydric-Priests: Need I say more?
Red, Fiery Khalitzburg-like Thingies: Bone constructs made by Abraxil Sovivor. These khalitzburgs are twice the size of normal ones and are bathed in bright red hellfire. Tom Valor's property. No complaints to me.