From the author:Here we go at the blood bath. This chapter will be one of the most bloody ones, btw comment on chapters I am starting to lose my motivation :C

Chapter 13: Battles of the 9 armies part 1

[Carne Fortress]

-We are ready to march!- Somebody shouted. On the whole plains, the army of humans was ready to begin. The only thing they needed was the order of the highest authority in the kingdom. From the front, you could see rows of spearman soldiers dressed in simple leather armor. They were grouped around 10 000 men. Behind them, the cavalry was grouped and ready to start the push when they made a breakthrough. The horses were equipped with strong iron armor and leather blankets sewn in various patterns that represented status in the kingdom. The knights seated on those horses were equipped in full plate armor. There were no imperfections, and the armor was gleaming in the morning sun. All of them had lances held high. From the sides, they held their secondary weapons, swords designed to be used when fighting from horseback. They even had something that was new in those parts of the world - guns powered by powder. Unfortunately, all of them could only shoot one bullet because of the tedious reloading process.

There were around 50 knights like them. Leading them was a knight in the same armor with golden edges accenting the status of the leading knight. In truth, he wasn't a knight; he was Marquis Boullope. He had already closed his helmet and was fully immersed in the incoming battle. He closed his helmet because he was smart. The best moment to eliminate commanders of the army was always before the battle, so he left no chances for this to happen.

On the sides of the knight's formation were shield bearers. They were equipped in the same armor as the spearmen, but instead of spears, they held huge shields. Their role was to protect the archers positioned behind them. All of the archers had long-range bows designed for sniping the enemy from a safe distance, although the reloading process was very slow. Behind the archers, there were ballistas and catapults already loaded with ammunition. There were also lots of spare ammunition scattered around. If someone were to see the ballistas up close, they would notice inscriptions written in old draconic, not in the Re-Estize language. Additionally, the emblem of a dragon's head was prominently displayed, leaving no doubt about their allegiance.

Behind them all were healers already grouped in quick reaction teams to take everybody critically injured from the battlefield, but from the entire army, there was only one tent like that. It looked like everything was ready for a fight, up to the moment the Marquis came up on his horse, the crown prince of the kingdom, with a vicious grin. He had already seen what was hiding inside thanks to his telescope - beautiful elves. It would not be a problem to take one for personal enjoyment after the battle. Or would it? He waited for everyone to be ready. The enemy side was silent like a graveyard. Then he extended his hand and shouted, -Attack!-

And all of the army marched forward with slow steps and the banners extened to flap calmly with the wind. Then Marquis said quietly, "This is not what I was thinking would happen." He was worried. Undead always came down to attack first and without order, but they were waiting for something. Why aren't they jumping down or shouting like they always do? This unnerved him. The enemy was smarter than he had predicted, but he could not let go for now. "Archers at the ready!" he shouted and waited for the reaction. Nothing. Is this some joke or what? He could still see elder liches on the walls, but they were hiding behind obstacles. The more time he looked at all of this, the more stressed he became.

/Carne Fortress Supreme Being First Volunteer Army [SBFVA P.O.V]

On the walls behind the obstacles, death knights were standing in rows, ready to jump into the battlefield. They knew that from this height, they wouldn't sustain any damage. Elderliches and elves were chanting in a synchronized manner, using ritual magic. Two elves and one elder lich per Death Warrior were equipped with huge crossbows made from dark metal of unknown origin. Below them were baskets with arrows, which were the target of their rituals. They could only do this before the battle. The curses that are now applied to those arrows won't be there for long, so they did everything at the last minute.

Behind the walls, formations of skeleton archers were grouped together. Between these formations, elder liches in ragged clothes with voodoo symbols silently chanted in a loop. They held pulsing shields of negative energy above the archers to protect them from fire. Even further behind them, there were groups of undead birds of all kinds - crows, bluebirds, eagles, and many more of unknown origin. In front of them, a certain alchemist knelt on the floor, drooling, while holding a leather bag and reaching inside for something. Standing next to him was an elder lich wearing strange blue robes adorned with various animal pictures and golden edges. - Thanks to the supreme one, that he left us with this gift- the elder lich murmured in a nervous tick. Although all of them were undead, they were nervous as they were about to face an enemy whose power they could not discern, as their General had said.

Elder liches are calculating creatures, so when they cannot calculate something, they become frustrated. They see the world around them in patterns, where everything makes sense. For example, an apple drops from a tree once a day when the tree is bearing fruit. However, when the fruit does not fall one day, they want to calculate the reason behind it. This forces them into a loop of calculations, but most of the time, they would label the tree as inefficient and useless.

So basically, not being able to calculate and know every variable option for success, they consider themselves a failed existence. The only reason they are not a sobbing mess right now is that they are incapable of crying and have an inborn emotional suppression, and well, they would consider that action inefficient.

Nfirea finally found what he had been looking for and started tying splashing potions to the legs of birds so they can drop it on signal. He held them in his hands carefully; they are very violent and unstable. The whole concoction is buzzing with magical energy, and it even seems that the potion inside has its own currents.

The further behind the center of the fortress, there is the Night Lich Cabal, the same one that casts an anti-divination barrier inside. Just in front of the entrance, there is a Khajit giving orders to the elder liches who hold strange books. Before Khajit someone teleported without warning, there was no one else but Fluder Paradyne, still in his Theocracy caster robes. He held his hands behind his back, slightly slouching due to habit rather than old age. He is something more now, more powerful and sinister. From his helmet came a gurgling voice, -It seems our preparations are ready, my friend. It will be a great occasion indeed.- The sinister caster pointed at the newly constructed barn, from which the roaring of some beast could be heard. Khajit only shook his head, saying, -It is not an optimal solution. If we release it, there will be no corpses for us to use as anchors for summoning the undead.-They looked up at the sky and saw five flaming projectiles from the enemy's trebuchets. The projectiles flew and then stopped midway. Above them, two elderliches flew, holding elves on their arms. The elves casted their voodoo magic, and the projectiles suddenly dropped harmlessly on the ground, in a field of grass. Skeletons quickly arrived with buckets of water to extinguish the flames on the spot.

They heard explosions not far away and looked at the side from which the explosions were coming. Then, they only heard screams. -Looks like our trap has been sprung,- smirked Khajit, though nobody could see it.

/Re-Estize Kingdom Royal army/

Everything was going smoothly, but suddenly, as soon as they lowered their spears and prepared their ladders, a flock of birds flew high above them, splashing potions. The effects were catastrophic and varied: some melted into puddles of liquid, others turned into dried husks. Some soldiers rotted while still alive, while others inflated like balloons and exploded in a fountain of gore. Just when they thought it couldn't get any worse, the Death warriors revealed their enormous crossbows and started nailing humans to the ground like insects. These crossbows were more like smaller handheld ballistas than traditional crossbows. The situation quickly turned downhill, and their shields didn't offer much help. When the soldiers thought they could push their way through, they witnessed their friends' bodies shaking and exploding in a fountain of gore. Unlike those who died from the potions, these soldiers were cursing. Something burned their armor and skin, prompting them to quickly remove anything that had been sprayed with the cursed oozing substance.

Then came their response, and balistas on the far ends responded with fire. All soldiers cheered when both death warriors that were standing on the walls were launched back and landed behind the walls. If they could see what happened after the wall, they would be filled with dread. As soon as the death warriors fell on the ground, they picked themselves up like nothing happened. Elderlich was already casting [Open Wounds] on them, which would damage the living but heal the undead. The only thing left from the attack was a shattered iron clump that was before the real armor of the death warrior, so even his armor remained intact. When the ladders hit the walls and soldiers started climbing up, the Death knights took this as a clue and jumped down from the walls, tripping the ladders and making everyone fall down. They released a deafening roar and activated their most useful ability, [Hate]. Every soldier around who was fearing them jumped up and started attacking the death knights.

They, however, only defended themselves and started coming closer to the human camp, placing clumped up soldiers in the middle. The human cavalry took this as a sign to attack, and they came downhill rushing with their lances lowered, intending to attack. Marquis Boullope was sweating; that was not supposed to be like that. Where are those cursed adventurers? They were supposed to attack them from the flank. He charged with his men towards the towering monsters that roared with challenge, giving his battle cry of his own. Then he saw something on the monsters' faces - they were smirking with their tattered undead faces and mocking him with their eyes. Then one of them suddenly spoke in his raspy voice. "Turtle... formation..." it said with visible difficulty, and then all five death knights surrounded themselves with shields.

His eyes widened, and he smirked. -Well played... well played.- He didn't even have to see what was about to happen. First, his knights rammed into the death knight's shield, making him stumble a little. [Knight Charge], [Fortress], [Sense Weakness], [Dull Pain], [Heavy Fortress]. They shouted their martial arts for naught. They slammed into the death knights that rooted themselves to the ground, and they fell off their horses. Those monsters were immovable, like walls of stone.
Then a rain came, rain of rusted iron arrows. And dying screams continued.

/ Adventurer's guild army/-

-Why did I even agree to that? - said Peter. They had been walking through this forest for a good five minutes since the fighting started and they heard the first screams. Now, with the other adventurers, they were silently making their way through the forest. They looked around and saw those weird paladin adventurers cursing at each other with passion. The second team was called Rainbow, and there were five of them. The other four were nothing notable, but their leader was a towering figure with long blond hair. He had a focused expression on his face and didn't like this mission at all. He was Moknach, a mithril-ranked adventurer. He had already decided that as soon as the battle began, he would get cold feet and run as far away from this as possible. - We didn't agree to that. We can just do like Rainbow and escape when the battle seems impossible. He is mithril, you know. Baharuth isn't so far away. Besides, they have better paying jobs and a retirement program. - said Ninya, and they looked at him. - I heard so... - he said, flustered with red cheeks.-Do not believe everything people say, pal, or you will end up like we are right now- said Dyne, who was always silent but suddenly became very social. He looked around from time to time. -Something is not right. Besides, I feel a presence. But it isn't undead.- As soon as Dyne said that, they looked around carefully. Then they heard screams of other adventurers from behind them. All of them were on edge, and Ninya was already casting protective spells - [Reinforce Armor], [lesser magic shield]. He could not do much more to prepare, and they gritted their teeth hard. Then, from the bushes, came one of the adventurers from team Rainbow. He was covered in shallow cuts and bruises. They tensed, and Dyne came to him and healed him - [light healing]. He glowed light green and stopped bleeding, his wounds closed, but some bruises still remained.
-They are coming... the trees! Those were trees!- the adventurer spoke frantically and passed out. They looked at each other, while Lukrut watched and listened intently. They waited... and waited... and waited and then-Well guys it looks like we are cle...AAARGGGHHH!-As soon as Lukrut said that something catched him by his leg and lifted him to the air tossing him like some doll to the protruding rock.

It was roots, roots of the trees around them that came alive and attacked them. Before they knew it, a wall of roots and branches blocked all ways of escape, and the crowns of the trees were descending like a sinister trap in a devilish dungeon.

-I guess that's what they call a dance of death?- Dyne said while similing bitterly.

Then one of the walls isolating them exploded with bright light. They looked at the newcomers, who were the strange paladins from Argland Council State. They didn't pay unconscious Lukrut any mind and stepped on him while talking to themselves.

-I saw what I saw; they were using ritual magic and voodoo magic. If players were engaged here, it would look far more impressive. -The shortest and fattest-looking one said. -Yeah, there is nothing for us to do here. If another local night lich came from Katze Plains, there would be no danger and the natural equilibrium of the world would be managed. There is no need for intervention. This whole situation is only the dying thralls of a rotten kingdom. -The middle one spoke and scratched his helmet. -Well, if even you guys saw that, there is no reason for us to stay here and waste any more time. The local tyrant lord probably got enraged at the presence of undeath, and the actions of the kingdom's army didn't help at all. The situation will solve itself soon enough. -The tallest of them said. He was carrying an air of nobility with himself.

Swords of Darkness didn't know what to do with themselves. On one side, they were saved, but on the other, their saviors were discussing leaving hordes of undead to their own devices as if it were the most normal and sane thing to do. Lukrut woke up and looked around groggily. Dyne shook off his stupor and went up to cast [light healing] on Lukrut, who started looking less pale. Ninya was opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish, but the paladins didn't pay them any mind. The tallest of them shouted [Holy Blade Mega Impact], and an explosion of light erupted from the sword, clearing the path. Then, they left through the new hole in the wall, leaving them confused.

Then Ninya shouted, -That was one of the Swords of Darkness! The sword of one of the 13 heroes!- He squirmed like a fangirl at the sight of their idol, while the other just glared at him with a tired expression. -I'm not going to complain if somebody saved our lives, so we better get going. There is nothing we can do to defeat them like that. We should meet up with the army in the frontal assault and inform them of our failure.-Peter said, and they came together in formation with Lukrut in the middle that was still being carried by arm. Dyne magic was unfortunetly not strong enough to treat instantly shattered skull. Lukrut was trying to say something but couldn't then he pointed at the floor, then they saw, what happened to other adventurers.

This looked like some kind of battlefield in the middle of the forest, no, it was a massacre. Some of them were impaled from the torso and the roots were coming out of their mouths. Their eyes were red with red veins, and they died in horrible pain. The others looked like puddles of blood mixed with insides. That's all that was left of them. Even above in the crown of the trees, there were drippings of blood, creating a bloody rain above. They were frozen in place until one of the bodies fell from the trees and landed with an audible splat. Flies were already circling the corpses.
They quickly changed their minds and decided to go after the way that paladins made. That was it. The battle is already lost. They all decided, without a word to each other, that returning to E-Rantel was the only viable option.

The forest only responded with silence at their resolve and quick steps.

/Carne Fortress Marquis Boullope P.O.V/

He survived; he didn't know why that happened, but he survived somehow. All the plains around him were littered with arrows, and his men were reminding him of a stuffed porcupine that he had hung on a wall in his mansion. He reached out with his hand and started crawling, hand by hand. Then somebody reached for him. He wanted to scream and flail, but when he heard a familiar voice, he calmed down. He was held by his arms and legs by a group of four paladins. They were sprinting with their bulky armor and surrounded by death like it was nothing. He knew that in the hands of his new benefactors after the Empire's downfall, they were his safest option, so he drifted into unconsciousness.

/Carne Fortess SBFVA P.O.V/

-Why did you make them stop? It wasn't optimal.- The Elder Lich Commander asked the masked caster in Theocracy robes, who had put his hand on the crossbow of the Team Captain, who was about to give an order to the Death Warriors and then to the skeleton archers. The Elder Lich Commander was wearing simple dark robes with a red mask, grinning evilly. All of the commanding Elder Liches started wearing that to try to be similar to their master. Obviously, none of them did it trying to be like him because this would be blasphemy, trying to masquerade themselves as their god. So their robes had no gold accents or any other things; they were tar black and simple.

-Believe me, friend, the death of this lower life form wouldn't do us any good. It's better to observe them and learn about them. Those paladins right there were sent by none other than the Dragon Lords- said Fluder Paradyne while his bucket-like helmet was slipping again because of his tentacles that were crawling under it from time to time. When the Elder lich heard that, he was enveloped in an invisible green light that nobody could see but this Elder lich, and looked straight at the human turned heteromorph with his mask. -You will stand before the Supreme Being when it comes for you and answer for your actions. This one can guarantee you that.- the Elder lich said with nervously shaking fingers. Besides that, his posture was unfeeling and detached. If you didn't know where to look, you would think of him as an indifferent killing monster. But Elder liches were far from that. They could easily get frustrated, but they didn't show it with their words or posture. They were far too proud and dignified.

They looked again at the retreating Re-Estize royal army. They were retreating chaotically, leaving their war machines behind. Fluder was excited about that idea. Khajit would be happy about it too. They could use those machines against the kingdom when they inevitably returned. Fluder looked around at the damage that had been dealt. He thought that they hadn't lost anyone, but upon careful inspection, he saw a pile of dust where the death knight had been standing next to him. It appeared that when they were hit with a ballista bolt straight into the head, the death knight died instantly without activating his "one HP left" rule. Peculiar. Fluder looked again at the battlefield and focused his sight on the ballistas. -This is... very... very... interesting- he said. There was a strange glint in his bucket- like helmet that even the elder lich stared at Fluder as if he had lost all his marbles. Fluder raised his hands to the air, they were tentacles.

A powerful gust of wind blew from him, and then... slowly everything was encompassed in thick fog that was expanding, and expanding, and expanding...

/o/

[Katze Plains, nearby Re-Esitze border]

5 thousand men marched in silence with a clear purpose. They were all organized in strict rows of soldiers, their gleaming armor worth a small fortune clanking and clinking as they walked unimpeded. Their marching was so organized that when the army walked nearby, the earth started shaking. They were no other army but the Empire of Baharuth army. And the first thing they did was to secure the E-Rantel city fortress. This time, however, it was different. They didn't know why, but their messengers never returned from Re-Estize, as they did every time they came for the yearly war with the kingdom. Until they found out why, the whole kingdom was overrun by monsters and undead that infested the closest villages. Of course, the soldiers didn't need to know all of that. That was the job of General Natel Inyem Dale Carvain. He never really used his full name when talking to his soldiers; they just called him General Nat. He didn't like formalities or long speeches before the battle.

He was a man who liked to have his job done well, and he didn't stop at unnecessary things. But everything at this point was convenient, too convenient.

He could not shake the feeling that something was watching them, so he ordered a check to be done on his suspicions. A few times his scouts came back with nothing, but after a while he realized that spies did not necessarily have to be humanoid or even intelligent. He then ordered his crossbows to shoot down a bird on a nearby tree. His suspicions were confirmed when he discovered that the bird was not alive and its corpse was already rotten, releasing a putrid smell of death. And so it continued, they aimlessly shot at anything that came too close, and every time the animals turned out to be rotten. They even killed a squirrel that was nothing but a complete skeleton with red glowing eyes.

It all just felt wrong... like in some cheap theatre performance or in a horror book. They were having their supplies restocked sometimes by the caravan system of the Baharuth Imperial Merchant Agency, but the BIMA's didn't arrive for a few days straight. He felt like some trap had been slowly closing around their necks. They naturally took water out of the local river that ran next to the nearby road, but it was getting worse. The water was poisoned, not by corpses like he suspected, but by negative energy itself. He opened a map and checked what this river was crossing, and he found a certain village where all of this began. He knew about Point Zero, when Theocracy was still an open nation and not closed like it is now. They said there was a rush of negative energy from this place, and it was the root of all the problems that began. He was certain it was somehow linked to Dragon Lords, but he didn't have any proof.

And now he stands with a difficult choice. He was only a day away from the famous Carne Village. He could go there and see what is going on in person, but it was too risky. Whatever was hiding in there, it wasn't looking for good company and cold beer. Or... he could move back and return to the Emperor empty-handed. The mere thought of doing that was causing him to squirm, and he dropped his cigar from stress. It wasn't about the Emperor's reaction; he would understand him and agree with his expertise. It was about nobility and the army itself. They would not understand him; they would laugh at him and call him a stain on the Baharuth army's honor. He didn't care about that either, but it would close all doors of his career after his retirement from the army, and he would become a laughingstock. He had to, he had to go to that village.

Just looking around would not hurt, right? No, that was a stupid idea. He didn't have any guarantee that something would not crawl out of the forest, and even squirrels can kill an armored man if there are enough of them. The lone thought of countless squirrels running down the hill at his army and tearing them to shreds filled him with dread, and he shuddered. And it was equally ridiculous thought, but it could be real, nothing would surprise him at this point.
He was always sitting in his armored carriage, which from the outside appeared to be nothing more than a plain box of iron moved by iron wheels. However, it was far from ordinary. This carriage had been enchanted with the help of Fluder Paradyne and his pupils. The mere thought of the missing caster filled him with sorrow, not only for the man himself, but also for the Empire and its Emperor. To this day, nothing is certain, and Jircniv is purging anyone who dares to raise their head higher than they should, regardless of the reason. Poor boy, yes, his emperor was just a boy who had recently entered adulthood. Whether he wanted it or not, it was a fact. He was 22 years old, while the general was almost 55, so from his perspective, it seemed that way. With the disappearance of the most powerful caster that ever lived, he had lost half of the loyal nobility. It was disturbing. As he looked around his carriage, he couldn't help but notice how overly luxurious it was. He didn't like that. He was a simple man who preferred simple things. He was a soldier through and through. That's also why his soldiers respected him this much. He looked around at his folding table that he was using. On it was a map of Re-Estize, a magical lamp that looked like a glowing fairy, also a present from Jircniv. He didn't know where he found it, but it was something he acquired during a party where the completely drunk Emperor bought the entire stock of a merchant because he wasn't scared to talk to him. He smiled at the thought and looked at the side of the carriage. There were some shelves with his reports, battle maps, and archives that he fills after every battle. It was his treasure, his experience, and passion. He loved to try more outlandish ideas about the war, and many times it helped him when he was dealing with demi-human tribes from behind the empire borders.

- Elder lich! Flying from the east! - Farsight, the Scouting captain, shouted. He was always present on his moving tower, looking for danger with his Talent that allowed him to detect any magic fluctuations and see up to a mile away, at the cost of being completely blind... Blind? Yeah, although Farsight could see through his eyes, they were only useful because of his talent. He wore common knight armor of Baharuth, though "common" doesn't mean weak. He had snow-like hair and white eyes with red veins, which bulged out as always when he was using his talent. He jumped from the platform and landed with a forward flip, then stood up with a military salute. The General had already exited the carriage in a storm. - Entomb the shields! Archers, form groups of two! Head Mage, execute maneuver 6! - General shouted and ducked with Farsight behind the shields. Knights lifted their shields and slammed them into the ground with martial art [Heavy Fortress]. Archers hid in pairs behind the shielders. Mages, with the head mage from Arwintar Academy, activated their magic, creating [Wall of Protection from Arrows]. However, they were not using ritual magic of any kind. Without Fluder Paradyne, who was the only one that could do that, they lost that advantage, and his pupils were unable to replicate their master's technique. A certain magic caster clicked his tongue, hiding with [Invisibility] and casting spells on undead birds with his [Obey] spell and his new specialty [undead slave sight]. He was still an ant in comparison to his master, so his vision was rather limited and fuzzy when watching them. He was shaking his head with disappointment.-Gary would first cast a detection spell. This style of casting, could it be Rashia? Yes, it is definitely her.- Caster smiled, not in his creepy way, but with a warm smile of a teacher who is about to show a new lesson to a student. Though nobody could see that with his bucket-like helmet, only his yellow lifeless eyes were shining from within.-Show me how you grown young Rishia-Masked caster said to no one, tapping his helmet with his tentacle hand, making squishy sounds.

All units of the Baharuth Army turned into a circle with shields and magic barriers deployed. Spears and swords were protruding between the shields. The atmosphere was so thick that you could probably cut it with a sword. Eyes were darting around, banners were held upright, and silence reigned.

Inside General Natel Inyem Dale Carvain head...

Why aren't they attacking? It was a perfect ambush point, and we are now prepared with the barrier already deployed... maybe they wanted to rain us down with [Fireball]? No... they had a numerical advantage in casters... there were at least 10 elder liches with one leading... it's not what I envisioned. Undead always attacked the first thing they saw, regardless of the situation or intelligence, but these ones... they have a purpose to fulfill... but what? It seems my worst fears have come true and the night lich is leading a group of elder liches and other undead, but why did they just send out the majority of their forces flying by... or... or is this not even a small fragment of their power... no, if this were true, the entire humanity might be in danger, but why are they flying west? That doesn't make any sense... -No! We are idiots! They are flying towards Baharuth! They are about to invade our weakly guarded border! Fuck, what have I done?!-

/10 mintues prior to Baharuth Army Ambush.../

-And are you sure you can repel those forces alone, without major casualties, just by... scaring them?- asked Khajit, looking at the smiling humanoid octopus with lifeless eyes. Fluder's entire skin was pink from pride. According to his emotions, his skin changed colors, so he must be really proud of his plan and sure of its success.

-Oh, my dear friend, it seems like you have become too undead for your own good. You see, a mortal army needs to eat, sleep, guard, and formulate plans according to their enemy's strength. I personally know a few people in the army, how they think and operate. Not to mention my students, whom I would like to see alive. It would be a waste if they perished at our gates. In addition, our master has instructed us to stay low for now. After the stunt you pulled with Theocracy and abducting tax collectors, we are no longer hidden as well as before. I cannot maintain my fog any longer. Besides, fear is a powerful weapon indeed. Our master has taught us about that many times. Besides we do not need little Jir on our heads for now, he is very sensitive about some things and takes actions in a hurry without thinking when he is very stressed out, we need just show him the exit.-Octopus-like heteromorph said while rubbing his hands together, creating slippery sounds. The Overlord general grunted at that; he was still salty about his misinterpretation of orders, and armies knocking at their doorstep were not a welcome thing either. Now they were collecting the corpses of the surprisingly easily defeated army of Re-Estize. It looked like the peasant army wasn't trained in handling heavy weaponry in stressful situations, and the army wasn't quick to brawl either. Even before the Death knights' finishing move, they were dying like flies, being impaled by Death warriors' bolts left and right. Their equipment was certainly not theirs, though this didn't help them much. It was worrying; something was playing behind the curtains around them. They thought they alone played that game, but it looks like the world had taken them by surprise again.

But if the enemy's army was bigger and better trained, this could be much worse. And those damn potplants, he was sure they could get a good deal. Meanwhile, they weren't even worth talking to. The fortress they created was enough to hold them all back. Now he has a debt to pay on behalf of his master, sullying his name even further. He gritted his teeth and grabbed the table in rage, and green invisible light enveloped him. His swirling thoughts were extinguished by a wave of indifference he sighed tiredly. -I know Fluder, you have knowledge about the weakness of the living and knowledge about the enemy, but I am still worried. We can't mess this up.- The image of absolute demise was said with a shaky voice while being stared at by a curious octopus that was stroking his tentacle beard in contemplation. Then the braineater came out of his thoughts and looked out the fortress window at the thick fog that was seeping through it. -This is the last time I will apply my race ability before I need to rest. There is much we need to do. I hope negotiations with the soulless princess will be fruitful. Take care, Khajit [Greater Teleportation],- he said in a somber tone. After that, he disappeared, leaving the groaning undead from his mental strain.

/General Natel Inyem Dale Carvain/

They should be visible right now. Why is nobody attacking them? There is no ambush that he himself predicted. Everything was going smoothly as planned. The scouting tower was dismantled smoothly and the siege equipment was folded. They were all moving in quick march. Farsight and I were standing on the roof of my carriage to scout out dangers, but nothing was moving. At first, I thought they were about to attack our unguarded border and begin a massacre. Then it became apparent that the elder lich flying cabal was clearly keeping necessary distance to not be shot at and to not get us lost. Were they trying to lure us into a trap or anything else? That was becoming more annoying by the second. For a while, I thought it would be better to just send some scouts to deliver the message of the upcoming undead. But every time he tried that, scouts were being bombarded by fireballs as soon as they left formation. Gritting his teeth in frustration, there was nothing I could do more. We were marching and marching, all of us being kept on edge. With the shortage of upcoming supplies, we didn't have any choice but to rush to the border anyway, even without the elder lich threat. It was already dusk when we arrived at the border, completely drained and half dead from chasing the untiring threat.

-Halt!- I gave the command and hopped down from my armored carriage and came forward. The elder lich cabal was standing in front of my army in anticipation. I observed them with squinted eyes. Then, from nowhere, besides the leading elder lich, appeared a caster in theocracy caster robes. However, they were obsidian dark with crimson red accents to the clothing, a mockery of holy. What was more unsettling was what Farsight pointed out - this caster had tentacles coming out of their helmet and under their sleeves. Whatever it was, it clearly wasn't human. Then, the elder lich waved his hand in a fake-friendly manner and revealed some crystal on his palm. My eyes widened.
- BRACE YOURSELVES! - I screeched at the top of my lungs, and everybody stiffened. Shielders entombed their shields, archers readied their bows and ducked under shields, casters flew down to the ground and hid behind my carriage. And there was silence. Then we heard guttural laughter coming from the tentacle monster in theocracy caster robes. - Oh Nat... You wouldn't think we want to harm you in our first debut? Certainly, I wouldn't want to kill my only witness to my rise to power? - the monster asked in a knowing tone that was oddly familiar and struck an odd chord in my soul. It almost felt like... no... it can't be.

I slowly emerged from my position under the shields, my eyes widening. -Fluder... Is that you?- I whispered, almost in disbelief. Fluder nodded, lifting his helmet and revealing his true form. The sight of him was enough to make me feel nauseous, and I could see that some of my soldiers felt the same way. It was like an octopus from the far north had taken the place of a human head, with pinkish skin covered in various warts. The most unsettling part were his milky, lifeless eyes that seemed to penetrate our souls. Instead of a beard, there was a mass of tentacles. Despite the transformation, there was still a hint of the person Fluder once was. The monster scoffed, pretending to be annoyed. -How rude! This generation surely doesn't know how to respect their elders. And I was already about to show you my new magic trick, but you beat me to it. But before we start, Esmeralda, could you, my dear?- He started with his standard tired old man doing a lecture-type voice and then shifted to a soothing, almost gentle type voice while rotating his head towards the nearby elder lich. It nodded and broke the crystal, then the other elder liches disappeared.

My jaw was hanging agape; it was all a ruse! I should have known since there was always only a single spell coming in response to their attacks, and all the liches were behaving in perfect synchronization. I brushed it off as the undead thing and their artificial-like nature, but this was a spit in my face. They were behaving as if they already knew how I would respond, and now I know why it was that way. The monster shifted its posture and embraced an almost royal-like gesture and pose, then started speaking again. -You see, as a show of generosity and consideration for old good times, I decided to mercifully guide you all back home like good children you are. But I must warn you, if you come into my way once again, there will be no more pleasantries, and I will deal with you much harsher than this time or when Re-Estize arrived uninvited to our home. I wish you luck and a good night's rest in your future endeavors, General! The border is set like the previous duchy, so please leave because you are trespassing! Let this be until another time![Mass Teleportation]- He waved his tenteacle hands and vanished with remaining elder lich.

My fingers twitched and held in place. I already knew the outcomes of all of this, he had us before this all even started, was he planning this from the beginning?

-Umm general?- Farsight asked putting his hand on my shoulder.

-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!-

/o/

[Soresight Argland Council State No one P.O.V]

In the far edges of Argland Council State, there was a little village. It was the same as every other village around, but lately Soresight wasn't like other villages. In truth, it didn't exist at all. Among the ruins of this small village, there was a bloody battle. The intensity of the fighting had turned the earth into a plantless, bloody swamp, swarming with various creatures: undead, wolves, insects, and dying humans and demihumans all around. Somebody would think that the worst had happened and the world had gone mad. It would be true, but the battle is far from over. Tattered banners are floating through the wind, still proudly standing against the odds of this fierce battle that took place there. In the middle of this site, a ghoul aggressively munches on a dead human soldier with the theocracy symbol on his already rotting chestplate. But not from time, but from negative energy, suddenly the corpse jerks awake and bites in turn into the ghoul, which releases a loud shriek of surprise. And there is silence...Only ever progressing decay and undead cancer feasting on everything and bloating like cancer feasting even on each other. Some theorize that undeath reflects the doing of the living when they were alive. That's why undeath is sometimes cannibalizing on each other. But it's only masking a greater problem that long ago began on the infamous Katze Plains.

Then, shattering the silence, a lone arrow flew by and embedded in the newly reanimated corpse, splashing skull insides everywhere. Battle horns sounded again, and the battle started rekindling once more. From the fog, countless knights equipped in Dragon Paladin armor rushed, splatting against the mud in a desperate charge against someone that even they cannot see among this fog. It was a fight without a clear goal, purpose, and enemy in sight. This reality really sounds like a dream of a madman...

Or a nightmare...

From the other side of the ruins, the theocracy was beginning their own charge. Shrine maidens released cleansing magic barriers pulsing with light, shielding the upcoming troops from the undead sickness. Some reckless soldiers already had rotting feet, but there is no time to stop. They march among the endless mud, supposedly in the middle of a sunny day, but this foul fog is reaching high into the sky, dimming the light to a serious degree. They were marching forward with the most damaged soldier at the lead. He was already dead, but he didn't know it yet. Then shouts came from the left side of the column and everybody came to battle stances. -Bewilder Beast! Bewilder Beast! Get out of the way! Out of the way!- somebody screeched. And then rumbling came from all directions at once. The fog, like always, was obstructing the view. Between the slashes of [Fireball] of mages from the second centuria came a gruesome sight. There was a looming over them a gigantic shadow of a rhino-like creature with shorter back legs and longer, muscular front legs and a giant body. From its enormous head protruded a jagged horn that ended in a split. The beast was oddly silent, not releasing any sounds or any grunts of pain. The only thing that could be heard were spells and screaming mages. The image was unsettling in itself. They were already retreating, but it was already too late. The front limping soldier released a startled shriek before being impaled on the rhino-like creature's horn and shaken around like some gruesome decoration, splattering blood and insides everywhere. The creature had ruptured skin with pulsing black muscles that glowed with faint purple light between the lines of muscles that squirmed and jolted. The creature was, in truth, screaming constantly, but it had long lost its voice from screaming. It wasn't undead yet, but it wasn't alive either. It was suspended in delirium.

Inside the fog from time to time screaming contiuned along with constant stabbing, slashing, crunching and clashing of metal the battle was raging and ragin for days and days stright without end or resolve.