The Hedge Wizard

The dungeon air was thick with essence, and it would only grow denser now that the army had arrived. Hump struggled to turn his eyes away from the grand scene. From where he stood at the top of the steps that led down to the courtyard, he could see over the courtyard gatehouse to the scene beyond.

Soldiers came through the gates of the Infernal Halls and into the killbox, pouring in steadily, their armour and spears gleaming like morning sun in the divine light of the blessings that surrounded them. The ranks were well-organised, the men marching fearlessly in time with the beating drums, arrayed in mail and plate. Captains stood tall amongst the men, identifiable by the banner bearers at their side that proudly displayed the sigils of great noble families.

Behind the front ranks came the shrines to the gods—grand ceremonial platforms carried on the shoulders of four bearers. Lady Light’s was at the centre of it all, the figure of the goddess resplendent atop it. Her platform bore a statue crafted from pure white marble inlaid with gold and adorned with radiant essence stones, emanating an ethereal glow. Golden light rose in an aura around it, veiling the army in some sort of protective barrier. Spread out around it were more shrines: the grand shield of Avaroth, the sea serpent of Sumi, the living tree of Emirai, along with many more.

Hump’s eyes went to the defenders. Where before they had seemed focused and deadly, now they were a disorganised horde of orcs and demons struggling to band together. Orders were shouted and some semblance of a line was formed, but they were not the prepared force they had been thwarted Hump had looked down at the fort from the ridge. Their plans had been thwarted, and now fear had taken them. Hump saw it in the weakness in the grip on their weapons, and the way they stood poised to flee. Their traps were failing, the protective runes throughout the fort were disrupted, and now the army of Alveron surged forward like an unrelenting tide.

The soldiers cheered, empowered by divinity. The drums boomed, and Hump’s heart hammered with it, a thrill rushing through him. He had only heard stories of grand armies assaulting mighty dungeons—divine warriors on a holy crusade. Now he saw it for himself, and it was a sight to behold.

The first arrow of the defenders pierced the sky, shattering upon the divine defences over the army. More arrows followed from the walls, pouring in from both flanks only to disintegrate without piercing the defences. The magical projectiles soon followed, enchanted arrows, demonic spells, and a catapult hurling blazing rocks. As powerful as the defences of Alveron were, it was not enough to stop it all. Shields broke. Men flailed as fire engulfed them. Yet what few were lost were soon replaced by the constant stream of soldiers arriving through the gate.

“The first great battle has come!” Anara said. “May the gods be with you all. Merrick, I’ll be seeing you soon.”

“Gods bless you, Anara,” the marshall responded. “Give my best to Drexel.”

Anara launched herself into the air upon translucent wings, pink essence trailing her in a poisonous miasma, filling the air with a sweet scent. In the courtyard, the orcs closest to them collapsed in frenzied coughing. Above, Drexel and Gorvol fought in a furious battle. The flying minotaur was far more agile than anything its size should be, while the rogue, Drexel, did his best to dodge Gorvol’s giant axe.

“Marshall, I shall take the rest of our party back into the keep unless you require us elsewhere,” Theron, Anara’s blood tank, said. “We shall take it.”

Merrick nodded. “Best of luck, my friend.”

“And you, sir.”

With that, Theron left along with the other members of Anara’s party. They would secure their rear, which left only the foes in the courtyard and along the walls to be concerned about. Hundreds of orcs were beginning to notice them in the courtyard. Above, a particularly large orc was shouting orders and pointing at them. Celaine took aim and loosed an arrow, piercing it through its throat where it stood. The orc toppled from the gatehouse and crashed to the courtyard below. For a moment, the orcs stared at it in silence, then a furious roar went up amongst them and they turned, charging and hurling projectiles at Hump and the others.

A barrier erupted from Len’s wand, arrows cracking against its surface. A spear flew through the air, fast and fuelled by magic. It struck the barrier and left a scar on the surface. Hump followed it back to its source and saw a shaman in their ranks.

“We have their attention now,” Len said.

“Better that it’s on us.” one of the members of Marshall Merrick’s squad said with a grin. He was a short man carrying two daggers. “Their defences are failing. The army just needs time.”

“It is too early to celebrate now,” Merrick said. “The orcs are nothing but fodder. If my instincts are correct, the demons have yet to play their hand. For now, we must do what we can to weaken them. Ranged combatants, I want you to focus your attacks on Gorvol. You may not bring him down, but while he’s in the air you can buy Drexel and Anara time.”

Affirmations went up from the two squads. Celaine drew back an arrow, empowering it with Power Shot and loosing it into the sky. Hump didn’t even bother with his own magic. Rockshot would simply bounce off this foe’s skin at such a range, and he lacked the strength to release his more powerful spells, let alone White Flame. He couldn’t risk missing and wasting what reserves he had left.

“Marcela, take control of the courtyard,” Marshall Merrick said. “Don’t allow the orcs to establish a proper line of defence. I need someone to get onto the gatehouse and take out those towers, then get the portcullis open.”

“My party can do it,” Hump said. “Celaine can stay to help here.”

“I’ll go with them,” Lysandra, the woman that had approached Bud before, said.

Merrick nodded. “Then Eris, your party will come with me to the walls on the right. We need to take out those magic users. Those without party leaders, remain here and defend our ranged combatants.”

You stay here too, Nisha, Hump told the dragon. She gave him a sulky look from where she was slumped against his leg, but even her eyes seemed dull compared to normal. He could sense her exhaustion. We need you to look after Celaine, alright? I’ll be back soon.

At least here, she would be able to rest. Celaine would be able to look after her better than he could right now anyway. After a quick word with Celaine, he left, advancing toward the tower doors to the side of the portcullis. They met little resistance along the way. Little attention was given to them as the defenders of the fort focused their efforts on the encroaching army. Those that did meet them were only orcs. Bud and Emilia carved through them with ease, and soon they reached the portcullis.

“Do you think you could blast it open?” Emilia asked.

Hump glanced at the runes along the surface of its bars, essence still swimming within the small markings. Following the trail of essence, Hump’s eyes settled on the gatehouse above. “I doubt it. Those runes are still active, and they’re meant to hold back an army. It’s being powered from above.”

Emilia looked up at the battlements. Orcs loosed arrows into the army from a walkway over the gates. “It’s better this way. I bet the view is stunning from up there.”

Hump snorted. Dylan laughed and shook his head. Bud was focused only on the path ahead. He was first to reach the tower doors, opening them and leading the way inside.

“Dylan,” Bud said.

“I’ve got you.” Dylan’s blessings filled the small area at the base of the tower and Hump felt warmth rush through him.

“Hump, you hang back,” Bud said. “We’ll be able to handle most of this.”

“Do I look that tired?”

“You look ready to fall over,” Emilia said.

Hump frowned, not liking how obvious it was, but he gave them a nod. “I’ll back you up if you need it.”

They ascended the stairs with Bud in the lead. Just as they reached the top, a terrifying roar came from outside.

“More demons?” Hump asked.

Bud shook his head, a smile on his face. “That’s General Korteg.”

He pushed open the tower doors that led onto the battlements. Hump followed him through, finding the orcs staring down at the scene below, none the wiser to the intruders at their rear. Below, the red aura of Byzantius raged around General Korteg. Deep red fissures cracked in the air like fragments of glass. Through it, the eyes of the soldiers were now red, bright with the power of the war god.

Count Daston sprang forward ahead of everyone, leaping through the air, his fists clutching balls of silver fire. He fell upon the enemy ranks with a great boom, sending orcs and demons hurtling through the air and shattering the line.

General Korteg charged after him, a raging berserker roaring with the might of a dragon. Behind him, the steel-clad warriors followed, their feet beating the ground, adding to the drums of war. The enemy wailed and shouted as they fell, impaled upon spears and swords, trampled underfoot, or crushed by devastating powers. Swords clashed, shields shattered, and the sounds of battle came even to the gatehouse: screams of agony, the clang of metal, the hum of blessings. Hump’s eyes roamed it all. Men tore apart orcs with gloved hands, their weapons lost, while others carved through the enemy ranks with savage precision. It was chaos and brutality, a maelstrom of blood and steel.

Bud cleared his throat as the orc ahead of them prepared another arrow. There were over twenty of them on the tower with them, the stench of their unwashed bodies filling the air with foulness. A few of the orcs turned to face them, snarling and drawing the attention of the others.

“Let’s make this quick, boys,” Emilia said, swaying as she stepped forward, rapier at her side. “Looks like the rest of the army’s going to need these gates open sooner rather than later.”

Hump watched as the others made easy work of the orcs. Where they might have numbers, it meant little in the face of the speed and power that his party members possessed. They carved through the orcs with sickening efficiency, leaving the battlements covered in blood and bodies.

With the tower cleared, they made their way along the battlements toward the area above the portcullis. A wheel mechanism connected to it by chains. Dylan grabbed it and started to heave, shifting into his Aspect of the Bear form for the extra strength. The chains creaked, and the floor started to vibrate as the portcullis grated against the stone, raising upward. Shouts came from the far tower as more defenders rushed toward them. Hump levelled his staff toward them and used Transform Earth to pull apart the brickwork, barricading the way. An arrow shot at him, and Emilia swept it aside with her rapier before Hump had a chance to react.

“Now that’s not saving your strength,” Emilia said.

Hump snorted. “I can do this much at least.”

His eyes were drawn upward to the clash between Anara, Drexel, and Gorvol. Somehow, even against two Chosen, the Gatekeeper was holding strong. As powerful as it was, however, it was on the backfoot. And Hump knew that as soon as Anara slipped through the creature’s defences it would be over.

He frowned, noticing a shift in the red sky. Activating Spirit Sight, he saw a faint wind of essence swirling above, growing stronger and more turbulent by the second.

“What is it?” Bud asked.

“Something’s coming.” The essence swirled faster, the gentle breeze transforming into a violent storm. Power surged and crackled in the air.

Gorvol bellowed a thunderous roar, the very walls of the gatehouse trembling from the roar power contained within the sound. Orcs answered in kind, their fanatical cries filling the air with feverish intensity. Above, the sky was no longer empty. The storm of essence had dissipated, revealing a swarm of demons. Hump’s heart raced as he recognised the giant forms of mindeaters among them, just like the powerful creature they’d encountered in the dungeon node when he first arrived at Fort Nordric. There were other demons too—bat-like humanoids with clawed limbs, serpentine creatures twisting through the air, and beetles with grotesque human faces.

All at once, the demons plummeted from the sky. There was a deafening crash as they hit the ground, landing in the killbox and courtyard, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Emilia rushed to the walls, her eyes wide with alarm as she peered at the chaos below.

“They’re trying to get to Celaine and the others,” she shouted.

Dylan screamed as he heaved the portcullis the rest of the way up and fixed it in place. Sweat poured down his face, mingling with the grime of battle.

“We’re done here,” he yelled, his voice hoarse.

There was a bang above, and Hump looked up in time to see Anara hurtling to the ground, a grinning Gorvol watching her fall with satisfaction. Three more demons flew at its side, suspended in the air by magic like angels of death.