Elsewhere

Duke’s messages when he woke up were unusual for sure.

*** So, you are stepping out on us and dealing with the local gods, huh? You think they can help you more than we have already helped you? Or can help you in the future? Be careful where your loyalties lie, seedling.

Despite that small transgression, you are preparing well for what is coming, at least in the short term. Even with some interference, you managed to increase a number of Abilities and we’ll get into that shortly but what you have finally done is tap into that experience-farm shuffling your way. You managed to kill close to 11,000 undead of varying levels and types. You even managed to kill one champion-tier in the group. Your net experience gain is 468,592, bringing you up to level 94 and gaining 60 new Characteristic Points to spend.

Your biggest boost in Ability is in LIGHTNING, even if you got some outside help, you managed to push it to Practiced 35. You had other gains but just dealing with influence who should know their place is too much for me right now. Ugh. So annoying. You want to know what changed? Look at your own sheet.

***

Duke shook his head and put his points into Psyche, finally pushing his maximum Mana above 500,000. At least that’s something. Wonder what the deal is with whoever is behind the messages. They don’t seem to like the local gods much. Should I try and keep my distance from them? Fuck it. I have more pressing things to worry about. Let’s get those refugees inside the walls. With that thought, Duke activated CLEANSE and RESTORE as usual, but pushing 50,000 Mana into each to give Sam an additional boost.

“Sam, how are you coming with the ‘death level’?”

Sam appeared on cue and smiled. “It will be ready today. Want to send the new recruits through it?”

“New recruits? What new…no, I do not want to send the refugees through the fucking death level! What the fuck, man?”

“Hey, a dungeon’s got to try. I figured since they weren’t brought here by you, you could spare a few of them for your friend and all.” Sam put on his best puppy dog face.

“Oh, that is super-creepy dude. I’m going somewhere else.” Duke TELEPORTED out of the Inn, deciding to take a tour of the defenses.

As soon as Duke appeared outside the Inn, he noticed that there was a sizable throng of people moving about at various tasks. He took a moment to take it all in and the realization finally sunk in that he was responsible for all of them. They had put their trust in him as their leader and ultimately, their protector. The thought rocked him to his core, bringing a wave of nausea to the surface.

He stepped aside and leaned up against the wall of the Inn, waiting for the sensation to pass. It did not take long, but it was not something he was used to feeling. It left him unbalanced and off-guard. So much so, he did not even notice Axis walk right up to him.

“Hello Duke. Glad I finally caught up to you. You are a rather hard man to keep track of, you know.”

“I’d say that’s by design to keep our enemies from being able to lock me down, but it’s really just because I’m so busy. But not too busy for you. What can I do for you, Axis?”

“Do for me? You have already done more for me than any mortal man I know. You freed both me and my family. I could ask no more of you.”

Duke carefully examined Axis’ body language and began to understand what was really being asked. “But you feel that you cannot sit idly by while a threat looms over this community?”

“Indeed, Duke, I cannot. I am a man who thrives while doing not while waiting. What is it that I can do that would help? I know that killing the enemy when they arrive is the least of it but what can I do now, before that time comes?”

“Your timing is remarkably good. I am about to head out and help the refugees get here faster. I’m going to start with the ones furthest out and work towards our walls. The ones furthest out are in the most danger from the horde and I could use someone to help make sure the horde doesn’t catch up to the likely exhausted refugees lagging at the back of the pack. They have no idea that safety is waiting for them so this will be a delicate operation.”

“Then I am your lycanthrope. When do we leave?” Axis’ entire body perked up with prospect of action.

“Now is good for me. How about you?” Duke smiled.

Axis pulled an oversized axe from his back and grinned. “Now is the best time.”

Duke grinned. ”Then let us be off. Hang on to me for a bit, we are going to have to fly as I’m not entirely sure where the edge of the horde is now and where the tail of the refugees is either.” He grabbed Axis and activated TELEPORTATION. The pair appeared in the air over where Duke had estimated the edge of the horde to be.

Below the pair, they could see exhausted people stumbling along a muddy, trodden path through the forest, desperately trying to stay ahead of the approaching undead. There was maybe 100 meters separating the two groups despite all the damage Duke had done to the leading edge of the horde already.

“I have already blasted the leading edge of the horde a few times, but they just keep coming. I guess that just really is their thing. Can you keep them off the people while I try to get the refugees moved to safety. If we work from the back to the front, we’ll save the most lives.”

“Sounds like a plan. Drop me down by the horde and go help the people. Don’t worry about me, I will just tear my way though whatever comes.” Axis replied.

Duke flew them down, dropping Axis near the horde before flying over to the refugees. When he landed, the noise startled the ones struggling in the back. Shrieks of terror greeted him before they saw he wasn’t one of the undead.

“Easy now. I’m here to get you all to safety. I’ll take you to the Lake Front Inn, where you can rest in safety. I’m Duke, by the way.”

Fear and exhaustion clearly shown behind their eyes, but Duke’s Psyche pushed soothing energy into his words. They visibly calmed but still looked exhausted. Duke smiled his most reassuring smile.

“Everyone gather around me. I’m going to use some magic to get you to safety.” Duke tried his hardest to not listen to the sounds of Axis tearing through the undead behind him. It was difficult and from the looks that were passing over his shoulder, he could tell that the crowd was becoming disturbed with what they could see.

Duke only waited for the immediate group to gather before TELEPORTING them to the Inn at a pre-designated spot where there would be soldiers there to guide them to the separate entrance. He quickly moved up to the next group of refugees, repeating his speech and then TELEPORTING them to safety. This continued as he moved his way through the refugees.

After the twentieth group he sent over, he had just taken flight and was TELEPORTING groups without warning. He knew it would cause confusion and maybe some panic, but he just didn’t care anymore. He wanted the field cleared so that they could start really hitting the undead before they reached the walls. He trusted the strength of their defenses, but the undead army was still at least one hundred thousand strong and numbers like those would wash over the walls like an ocean wave hitting the beach.

It took most of the day to move the crowd of refugees, but Duke was glad that he had pushed it. Even though he sowed panic amongst the crowd as he TELEPORTED them without warning, the result was that the forest was clear for the thirty kilometers or so from the undead to the walls. By Duke’s estimation, that gave them four or five days before the shambling mass reached them. He hoped it would be enough.

When Duke arrived to retrieve Axis, he was stunned at what he saw. The man had transformed at some point and was tearing through the undead with his claws, his axe being lost somewhere. The werewolf was virtually buried in the undead as they swarmed over him, yet he continued to fight on. Duke didn’t hesitate to TELEPORT Axis out of the fray, placing the werewolf a good 50 meters away from himself as he wasn’t sure how Axis would react.

The intense red eyes of the werewolf fixed Duke with a stare. Duke felt his MENTAL FORTITUDE kick in as the glare clawed towards his primal fight or flight instinct with an overwhelming push towards flight. Duke felt himself take a step backwards before his own resolve set in and he held his ground. The gaze held for a few seconds more before it waned, and Axis transformed back to his human self.

Duke jogged over to Axis to make sure the man was alright. “That’s quite the stare you have there. I could see it unnerving most people.”

Axis smiled. “Yes, it’s quite handy when I want to intimidate someone, but it does have a tendency to come out when I get more than a bit agitated. Effective way to get people to back off but I really wish there was some way to control it. It doesn’t do shit to the mindless undead either.”

“You can’t control it at all? It just links to your emotional state and that’s that?” Duke asked.

“I have control over it but it takes concentration so I tend to keep out of too many social situations where it might be a problem.” Axis admitted. He gestured towards the approaching horde. “I’m sure I killed hundreds of those things, but it doesn’t seem to have made a difference. How are we going to stop them all?”

“I’m working on it. I have killed tens of thousands of them, but there seems to be more in that mass than when they started so they are getting new undead somewhere or finding a way to revive the ones we kill. I’m not sure which it is but what I’m going to try next should make any I kill stay dead. At least from this attack.”

Axis raised an eyebrow. “What are you going to do?”

“Blast them with enough power to atomize a good chunk. If that works, I’ll do it again. It’s going to wreak havoc on the countryside, but I figure the horde has already done that. You might want to get back to the Inn as I’m not entirely sure how big a blast radius this is going to have.” Duke warned.

Axis smiled. “Give me a hand getting back there?”

“Yes. I’m going back myself to check in on things before I give this a try. I don’t want to surprise everyone too much and cause a panic. I am sure there is enough of a panic from all the people I TELEPORTED into the compound without warning. No need to make it worse.”

Duke brought them back to the Inn and was greeted by crowds of people being herded into the Inn’s “Refugee Entrance” by soldiers. There were clearly some that weren’t happy about how they got to the compound, but it didn’t take much more than being asked if they wanted to be sent back to get them to settle down. Duke decided he needed to do something about it.

He rose into the air over the throng and addressed the crowd. “Hello everyone. I am Duke, and I am the one who brought you all here. Inside the Inn is safety and a warm meal. It is a magical construct so there is room for all inside. I am sure that some of you are wondering how and why I brought you here and that is understandable. The simple reason is that seeing you fall to the undead horde was not something my conscience would allow. If I can prevent loss of life on that scale, I am going to do so. I am not Chopie, the undead king. So, please head inside and enjoy our hospitality. I am off to fight the horde.”

Duke TELEPORTED to the side, near the regular entrance to the Inn where his group had formed up. “Hey everyone. Did you miss me?”

Aurelia smiled warmly but was interrupted by Baslin. “Is that all the refugees? Is the approach clear of the innocent?” He was clearly excited about something, but Duke had no idea what it could be.

Duke responded somewhat taken off-balance. “Um, yes. I got all the refugees here. What are you so excited about?”

In response, Baslin produced a thin stone tablet with interconnected golden runes inscribed all over it. There was a single empty socket in the middle of the tablet. He smiled wildly and excitedly handed Duke a similarly-inscribed gem the size of a walnut. “If you please, do me the honor of activating the magical defenses.”

“Magical defenses? I hadn’t realized they would be this elaborate to turn on. What can we expect when they are activated?” Duke asked, slightly concerned with what Baslin had created.

“Oh, not to worry. As long as no one goes for a stroll out there, everything will be fine.” Baslin reported happily.

“I’m going to need a bit more information than that.” Duke answered, his concern rising.

“Well, I have built a series of magical devices implanted in the ground in expanding rings that will trigger when something puts weight on them. They have various effects, but it will be spectacular when they go off.” Baslin clasped his hands and did a small hop of joy.

“You built a fucking minefield!” Duke exclaimed, exasperated.

“I don’t know what a minefield is, but from context, I am going to say yes. Isn’t it great?” Baslin beamed.

After a momentarily monumental struggle, Duke got his emotions in check, deciding to get facts before leaping to further conclusions. “Can you turn them off?”

“Of course, I can turn them off. What else do you think the tablet is for?” Baslin paused momentarily. “You really thought I had thousands of magical traps placed around our home and I couldn’t control them?”

Duke answered, a bit chagrined. “Yes, that’s exactly what I was afraid of. It basically happened in my world. They were placed and turned on and then those who did so forgot exactly where they were or didn’t care. You know who wound up finding most of them before concerted efforts to remove them took place?” Duke didn’t wait for a response. “Children. Children found them, leaving them maimed or dead. It was horrible.”

Everyone looked shaken at what Duke had shared. Aurelia was the first to speak. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but your world sounds terrible.”

Duke nodded. “In some places and at some times, it was. There were some horrific things done when the wrong people got into power in certain places, but do you have any idea how many former citizens of the kingdom are part of the approaching undead army? That’s just the first evil leader I have run into in this world that made that happen. This world has more than its share of terror.”

Duke continued. “Speaking of which, hold off on activating the magical traps until the horde is much closer. I am heading out to see if I can erase a good chunk of the army. Do you have any way to get a message to everyone out here at once?”

Baslin smiled. “I do have a mass message spell that would work for that. It’s one of the spells that I converted into the base enchantment on the Headbands of Communication that you love destroying so much.”

Duke winced and then smiled. “Yes, I am hard on magical equipment. I’m really surprised that I actually have any left at this point. But that is beside the point. When I send you the whisper, Baslin, I need you to tell everyone to face the Inn. Anyone facing towards the horde is likely to be blinded when this goes off. Everybody should also be braced for a shockwave. In fact, Grat, get everyone out of the towers for this. You may need to rebuild them. On second thought, get everyone inside the Inn. It’s the safest place. I’m going to be kilometers away, but I really don’t know for sure how big a blast this is going to be, so make sure everyone is safe in the Inn, OK?”

“I’m bringing my scouts in and then I’m going into the Inn.” Elaine responded.

“I’ll give everyone a half hour to get prepared but then I’m headed out to obliterate the undead. Make sure you are all safe.” Duke smiled at the group, showing more confidence than he really felt as he lifted off into the air.

As he rose above the Inn’s area, he saw his friends scrambling to get everyone to safety, the vast majority were headed into the Inn. He saw a lone figure standing on top of the Inn, waving at him to try and get his attention. That’s Sam. What’s going on. Duke TELEPORTED to Sam’s side.

“What’s up, Sam?”

“There are enemies among the new arrivals.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. How many, and what are they?” Duke threw his hands up in frustration.

“I have counted sixty-seven that I can detect. There may be more. They are all undead of some form or another.”

“OK, kick them out and I’ll have them taken care of.” Duke sighed.

“I can’t do that, Duke. They are intermingled with the regular people. I would have to turn the area hostile to kick them out and I don’t think you want the rest of the people to die. Or, if you do, that would be easy. I could use them all as a test run of the killer level. Yeah. Let’s do that!”

“Dammit, Sam, no. Do not. I repeat do not do that. We will take care of them.”

“Fine.” Sam’s disappointment was wildly evident. “You are going to have to let me kill someone soon. And I’m not joking about that. If I don’t kill someone soon, I will get hungry, and you don’t want that.”

“I have no idea what you mean by that, but you’ll get a meal soon. I’m sure of it. Now, excuse me. I have some shit to take care of.” Duke TELEPORTED down to Baslin.

“Baslin, there are undead hiding amongst the newcomers. Would you mind stepping in there and doing the whole ‘freeze undead’ thing?” He didn’t wait for an answer before TELEPORTING to Aurelia.

Aurelia was standing alone, reading a notification by Duke’s guess. He appeared without warning and began to speak. “Hey, gorgeous. There are undead hiding among the newcomers. Baslin is going to go freeze them up. You mind having a bunch of your troops jump in there and wipe the fuckers out?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer before giving her a hot kiss and TELEPORTING back into the air to prepare for his next event. She stared into the sky with a smile on her face for a long moment before rounding up three full companies of nearby soldiers to take care of the infiltrators.