The Pillar of Enera

[Book II Chapter 91] ROSE: The Knights of Oranda

------------------------------------------------

We must be reaching the end soon, Rose told herself as crimson fireballs sailed towards them from all directions. The artillery fire had only intensified as they’d made their way deeper into the field of graves, forcing them to pick up their pace.

Zentrias and Natali at the front blasting a path through the undead while Dawn and Lonar raised ice and rock walls to block off large packs of skeletons. Although this formation had brought them this far, the situation had turned dire.

The number of mounted undead galloping in pursuit continued to grow. No matter how fast they moved, this spectral cavalry could not be shook off, especially since they were criss-crossing the blade-covered hills to avoid the shadows. At first, Cindy and Noor had held them at bay by knocking down those that got near. Now, even with Carol helping them, they were constantly on the verge of being overwhelmed.

“There’s another one.” Natali called out.

Into the darkness ahead, Rose spotted a skull the size of elephant carried by a hundred spidery, bony legs. It turned towards them and the fire inside of its mouth glowed brighter and brighter.

No, you don’t. Rose finished her spell circle, and a crimson fireball struck the abomination. She watched it flail wildly as the flames wracked its body. A direct hit from one of those undead artillery would be lethal. As it was hard to dodge them up close, it was her job to shut them down.

“Rose, we’re going to need your help.” Carol said somberly.

Rose glanced back to see a dozen riders bearing down on them, with several dozen more catching up.

“One more to that side.” Natali shouted.

Muttering curses, Rose quickly finished a spell circle then turned back to their pursuers. However, before she could do anything, a flurry of golden spears flew over her head to impale skeletal steeds.

“It’s a knight of Oranda.” Zentrias cried out, smiling. On the ridge of a distant hill stood a woman in golden armor.

No idea what she’s doing out here, but she sure is a welcome sight. Reinvigorated, they powered onward, and, several minutes later, their new ally had led them to a strip of land devoid of weapons. Sensing the comfort of a sanctified ground where everyone collapsed.

“The name’s Valrie Belmon, knight of Oranda.” The woman announced. “Congratulations on making it this far.”

After a brief introduction, Zentrias asked if she was by herself.

Valrie shook her head. “This floor has four boss arenas, and we split up to cover each of them. When I saw the artillery fire, I came out to lend a hand.”

“If you’re waiting for the group from the White Mountain,” Zentris said, “They had message for you: ‘sorry we couldn’t make it’.”

“Is that so…” Valrie scowled. “What happened?”

“They ran into a changeling and lost their youngest member.” Zentrias revealed. “Which is why I propose you team up with us instead.”

Valrie reflected before nodding. “That appears our best course of action.” She summoned three armored golden fairies to fetch her squad members. “We’ll tackle the nearest boss as soon as they’ve joined us.”

“Shouldn’t we rest up first?” Rose objected.

“I received a report that Stannis Gilron passed by an hour ago.” Valrie stated. “There’s no time to waste.”

“I’m surprised you split up ahead of that group’s arrival.” Zentrias commented. “Strikes me as foolish.”

Valrie shrugged. “With the artillery fire warning us of anyone’s approach, it’s simple enough to avoid danger.”

“What are we facing?” Cindy asked.

“An unholy paladin.” Valrie answered.

There was an audible silence. “Doesn’t that make it more important than ever to be in top shape?”

Valrie shook her head. “My squad is rested, and we’ll be doing the heavy lifting. The only one we require help from is Cindy Roland. The rest of you can take care of the steed.”

Dawn raised her hand. “Could you tell us more about this unholy paladin? Some of us aren’t experts in this field.”

“They’re immortal-level undead with tough armor who wield offensive magics and curses. The most troublesome is the wide negation aura which surrounds them. Not only does it cancel summoned constructs in a fraction of a second, continuous exposure will induce transience sickness. Fighting them is a race against the clock.“

Rose pursed her lips. Negation was the more potent version of necromancy’s canceling magic. It erode the existence of anything it touched, eventually erasing it entirely. Just like making something permanent takes a colossal amount of energy, so to does deleting something. That’s why it’s rarely used in battle except to dispel enemy magic.

“So you need my lightning.” Cindy chimed in.

“Exactly.” Valrie agreed. “Only instantaneous attacks are fast enough to overcome the negation.”

A second knight of Oranda arrived. He and Valrie took Cindy aside to discuss strategy. Dawn took the opportunity to approach Carol.

“Anything more to share?” She asked.

“Not much.” Carol answered. “Their sin is fervor, and they’ll only retreat from battle if ordered by a standard bearer, which isn’t useful at all in this case.”

The field of graves continued on the other side of the sanctified grounds, and all the blades were angled towards a large chasm. Valrie led them to the edge.

The rock beneath their feet went down two dozen feet and then gave way to open space. Half a mile further down, a weapon-covered hill next to a cliff was lit by a setting sun. At the top stood a figure sitting on an armored steed.

“Everyone prepared?” Valrie asked.

“Wait!” Rose interjected. “If we’re to work together, could you share your battle plan?” She hated not knowing what was happening.

“Fine.” Valrie sighed. “When the unholy paladin charges us, Cindy will halt it’s movement with a burst of lighting, and Ezekiel here will knock it down.” She gesture towards the tallest knight with wild brown hair and jade eyes.

“Once the horseman is dismounted, it’s steed will transform into a dozen armored undead. The rest of you will be responsible for this lot while we handle its rider.”

“This is an immortal-level opponent.” Carol said. “Are you certain dealing with it alone is the best approach?”

“Yes, we’re best suited to this task as golden weapons are resistant to negation.” Valrie declared. “Besides, we are the knights of Oranda. This is what we specialize in. Some lighting bolts from Cindy is all the support we require.”

“Worry not,” Ezekiel added. “As the Chaos knight’s fifth apprentice, I swear we’ll fell this foul champion.”

They jumped and landed at the foot of the hill. From above, the paladin stared down at them, its glowing blue eyes filled with hatred and disdain. Gray robes lined with black covered its dark armor.

Even from this distance, Rose felt its corrosive presence wearing away at her. She summoned fire and grimaced watching the flames vanish as soon as they left her hand. It’ll be tough fighting like this.

“There’s a weak spot on its chest.” Zentrias observed. “I can shatter its armor if I strike there.”

At this comment, the knights looked at each other. “That could be useful.” Valrie said. “You’re with our group.”

Issuing a ghastly whinny, the skeletal horse rushed forward, and the unholy paladin raised its sword and shield. The pair was yards away when Cindy unleashed a blazing lightning strike, causing both to flinch. Taking advantage of the opening, Ezekiel leapt at blinding speed and smashed his war hammer into the rider, sending the undead flying far back.

From that point on, Rose was no longer able to observe. This was because the skeletal steed had deformed into a twirling black mass from which eleven armored warriors emerged, each brandishing grimsteel weapons.

Facing these enemies was far more challenging than it should‘ve been. Not only was their stamina depleted, the oppressive negation weighed down on them. Without fire or summons, Carol and Rose had lost most of their offensive power and were forced into hand to hand combat with grimsteel daggers. Dawn also struggled, engaging her foes without her ice armor while briefly conjuring ice swords to parry.

Thankfully, Cindy’s comrades were faring better. Noor was displaying his prowness as a samurai, landing blow after blow. With her agility and enchanted short sword, Natali was doing almost as well. As for Lonar, the monk was the star of the show, completely unaffected by the negation. With him tackling four opponents by himself, the rest of them managed to persevere.

Just as they were running low on the energy, golden blades impaled their opponents to the ground. “Good job.” Valrie said. “We’ll take it from here.”

With a surge of relief, Rose joined Cindy and Zentrias. “How did it go on your side?” She asked.

“Surprisingly smoothly.” Cindy answered. “The knights succeeded in immobilizing the paladin, allowing Zentrias to pulverize its armor. From there, they never gave it a chance to recover. It was pretty one-sided.”

When the knight had finished and walked over, Zentrias spoke out. “I believe it’s finally time for a well-earned rest.” Rose agreed whole-heartedly. She was feeling the effects of her exposure to the negation and judged it’d require half a day to wear off.

“No,” Valrie countered. “We press on.” Before anyone could object, she brought out a wish seed. “Let everyone be refreshed.”

Rose’s fatigue, both physical and mental, melted away. She was elated by the experience. If a wish seed can do this much, then a miracle can definitely help Roxanne.

“Was it worth wasting such a treasure?” Zentrias protested, pained.

“Remember we’re in a high-stakes race.” Valrie said. “I suspect the next floor is the last, and this will give us a head-start over Stannis’s group.”

They entered the doorway which had opened in the cliff and gazed out on the next area. A thick dust storm raged over a fractured landscape of floating rocks. Within this pitch blackness, they could barely make out a spider-web of enclosed passageways connecting geometric buildings. Loud clanging assaulted them as the winds hurled boulders into the metallic structures.

“We’ve reached Ground zero.” Zentrias said softly. “The end is near.”