In the middle of the cemetery, a hill arose, with steep cliffs on one side and gentle slopes on the other. Above it stood an old, abandoned castle that sheltered all the tombstones beneath its earthen feet. No man dwelled in this ancient structure except for a figure, who was staring at the battle of the living against the dead behind the glassless stone window. Agosh Grendi had favoured the castle as a plotting ground all this time, though he was never a tenant. To see a blood-soaked scene as it was now did him a euphoric thrill in his heart. He felt his plan was going to crumble, yet he could not help but feel excited, for the chaos caused was still true. The morbid, wide grin persisted, undiminished by even an inch.
Agosh saw Alicia from a distance coming close. He chuckled, knowing she was the first cause his army of wandering corpses did not stand a chance. But at least the plan was not a complete failure.
Agosh took his sceptre. The skull on its tip gaped, its eyes flaming a sinister red. In an instant, all the undead, either crawling the ground or soaring through the air, were stupefied without the bother of gravity.
The troops of human beings halted their move for a moment as well, minds filled with confusion. The keen-eyed Strongbark saw a red shine behind the distant castle window. The sceptre of the necromancer.
“Look! That’s him!” Strongbark pointed with his wand.
“Then what are waiting for? We shall attack him at once!” said another wizard.
“Halt!” Haddock raised his hand. “No one is approaching him without order. It could be a trap.”
Whether it was a trap or not, calamity would still come. Agosh bellowed, again in his absurd tongue.
“Å̵̗̰̟̰͚̒͜s̶̨͇̉́̎̀̋̈́͑p̷̨͎͖̭̦̙͇͈̟̜̩͕̩̪͖̽̎̀i̵̫̠̯͇̒̅͒͜͠ŗ̴̮̗̣̺̲̦͓̀̋͗̈́̾͂̏̍̀̅̅̈́͠͠ỏ̸̧̪̮̘͖̖̈́̑t̶͇̼̘̞̰͇̟̘̼͉̭̤̰͈͛̾ͅh̸̨̡̦̳͎̞̙̪̥͇̝̰̍͑̈́͛͜ ̸̛̜̱̱̀̋̇̀̏̐̐̄͠͠H̴̹͚͓̯̮̟̭͎̠́ͅǫ̵̰̳̯̣̩͎̫̮̣͂̎̅̈́͒͛͛͆́̈́͋͛̏͝g̷̤͉͎̱̞̣̭͈͇͚̣͙̠̼̐̂͑̍̀̌̓̔͗̄̋̿̎͝͝o̸͚͊̔͊̈͋͒̿̈̊t̵̢̪̻̖̻̹̪̬̥̰̪̫͉̭̀̋͆̇͛͋̾̓̒ẖ̶̠̥̹̭̦̻̞̤͖̬̱̹̪̓̏̅̂ ̵̧̢̨̛̛̘̝̜̘̘̹͈͎͎̬̃͂̀̽͒̃̎̑͐̈́͘͜͝͝ṭ̷̨̠͍̳͙̙͗̉̚a̷̡͈̟̝̭͂̉̍̐r̸̢̮̥͓̫͓͍̻̖̠̳̽̃̅͊̃̈̊͜͜a̷͓̝̱̾͗͠z̶̡̞̰̦̖͕͕̰̲̹̬͔͌͜͝e̵̛̱̳̊̈̈̈́̌̃͌̀̽́̕ẍ̴͍̩̩͉͎̠̪͉̹͈͖́̋͒̔̚y̶̜̼͖̜̆͆̑͑̾́̅̈́̐̅̿͝͝ñ̵̨̝̼͙̩͂̏̇̇͘͝ͅͅx̸̦̯̟̺͚̮̫̤̒͐͌́͋̚t̵͖̖͍̝͇͉͔͈͇̥͆́̐̔̂͂͆͂͂́̓̅̈͊̃͜į̴̨̢͎͍͍̫̼͎͚̘́͂̿͆̐̌͑̑̂̍͜ś̷̨̪̤̱̪͙̪͖͋s̸̡̛͇̦̑̔ŷ̷̢̡̧̥̜̦̹͉̱̫̭̟͔͓̓̈̌̈́͒̐͌͝͠!̵̧̢̙̼̫̼̱̯̩͓̞̅͗̎͆̍̑̆̀̂̄̇͂̃͘͜͝ͅ ̶̡̢̢̱̬̖̘͍͚͎̭͖͉̳̠̂̈́̂͛̔̀̌͑͑̏͐͠͠M̷̨̠͖̣̫̭̱͙̪̗̯̖̭̗̱͋̍͑̒́͝ṷ̴̖̝͍̪̱̈́̍̀̆̿̂͝i̵̪̳̔̄̈̾̑̀x̴̪̍̆̉̇͌̕ȃ̷̧̖̪͇̟̜̩̺̜͍̽̾͋̇͜d̸̛̰͓̭͔̬̺̱̫̀̈́̀̀̀̑̉̈́̐̔̈̈͘͝l̷̹̻̙̃̈̓̑̈̒̀͗̈́͋̌͌̕ą̴̙̝̩̝̰͔̻̩̦̟̍̂̔̀f̷̺̺͇͑u̸̧̠͈͖̾̋̀̃̏̋̃̕͘͝w̷̠͇̬̻̞̮̺͕̹̟̼̭̃̐͜͜͜ö̸̟̯͑̈́̽̌̇̈́̕̚͘͝ë̴̛̖͖̰̫͇̭̺̭͕͙͕̩̲̪́̋́͆̅͑̽̈́͆͑͜͝i̵̤̺̞̙̦͉̬͔͓̞̲̰͍͓̔̇̽͆͆̂̍͠p̶̣͓͙̪̼̈́́̊͐̀̍͝ṟ̴̩̥̻͇̫̜̤̺̹̳̃̈̏͊̐̉̑͑͂͂̏̄̋̕̚͜ ̴͙͖͈̿́̀̈͋͐͛̈ͅg̸̞̭̭̤̘̹͕̥̳̜̖͚͕̲͒̋̒̿͑̈́̓͌̽̾͝͠h̷̢͇̭̓͐̄͐̎ţ̵̱͈̗̲̺̑̈́o̵̢̼̜̖̝̺͙͔̺̥̞̯̳̟̓̅͗̇̋́̋͑̍͐̚͠͝ͅz̷̳͍̝̝͈̫̐̇͛̔̿̉͛̈̒̑̈͝ḽ̸̛̏͒̀̒̐̏̋̐͆̕̕á̶̧̧̢͚̥̩̙̩̥͖̺͈͈̙̱̉̄̐̇̐a̶̡̨̛̤͖̱̤͚̤̓̋̀͠ͅȩ̸̪̀̽̏̍ẁ̶̡̭̐͌̏͗͐̈́́̇͘ȓ̷͔̘̥̹͓̝̾̽́̓̊̒́̋̉̚͜͝͝e̸̪̼̪̪̞͎͌͘͜͜ċ̶͚̀̅̌͗͛͂͐̔̀̃͛̕͝.̷̡̲̯̣͍͉̳̻̠͈͙̒̈́̓͒͌̌̂̎͌̚ͅb̷̢̨͓͇̹̙̹͍̼̜͔͌ẑ̴̳̈̂̊͋̉͂̊̇͆́̕͝≠̢̢̩͎̻̟̯̘̙͖̖̊͗̔̓̌͌̓]̵̟͖͚͌̊́̆̂̂́͘̕͘”̡̟̘̖̗͎̻͉̙̱͙̪
The undead turned their backs on them. They fled, converging upon a spot near the cliff. And there, those loathsome beings enacted a spectacle that defied the comprehension of the mortal troops, eliciting both awe and revulsion: the undead coalesced, fusing into one uncanny mass through a cacophony of embraces, pinches, grips, bites, and all manner of grotesque attachments. Their numbers swelled as more and more corpses from rifted dimensions poured in, slowly piecing together a behemoth of human flesh and bone, standing three stories building tall and contorted in the most nauseating ways imaginable.
A gargantuan creature of a lump of flesh, bones, and dismembered body parts with seven eyes.
“Oh, shite,” Leith muttered, frozen still in the shade of the giant undead pile.
“Yup. We're deid,” Gilmore chimed in with his eyes bulging in disbelief.
“Introducing, Leichenhaufen! This is a weaving artwork of Necromancy! How beautiful, isn’t it?” shouted Agosh Grendi in an out-of-place cheerful tone. “It will be even more beautiful when you join together with him!”
Agosh flew over to Leichenhaufen’s shoulder, then hurled insults at those looking from below. “Accept, accept, accept this honor!”
Eidyn’s earth shook as Leichenhaufen started running and swatted the less agile wizards away from it.
“You didn’t say we are about to face the walking piles of corpses, Grand Magus!” exclaimed the stilled Alicia as Haddock hastily approached her.
“What do you expect when facing a mage, Alicia?” Haddock retorted, “You’re fighting mages, not just a simple Protos particle addict. Here’s a new lesson for you: Always prepared for unexpected spells!”
The two watched the wizards and flying ships busy hailing Leichenhaufen with bursts of Arcane plasma. The volleys tore through the behemoth's flesh, sending chunks of putrid flesh raining down. Many corpses fell strewn, inheriting it with many holes. Of course, Agosh did not create Leichenhaufen to crumble with ease. As long as his totems kindled, thousand of fresh undead would come out and wriggle to take the place of their brothers in arms. Time was essential for them to patch all the holes.
“Yon giant can’t be destroyed before the three totems behind it are destroyed first, will it not?” Alicia gulped. “He won’t let us near them.”
“Then we'll have to improvise,” Haddock declared, “I’ll focus on distracting Agosh and that pile of rotten flesh. Keep your focus still on those totems, Alicia.”
Haddock gripped Alicia’s shoulder hard, “You may doubt in your mind, dear. But don’t make your body doubt too. Prove to them you are indeed the one chosen by the Arcane might!”
Alicia nodded determinedly, masking her fear with a steely resolve. Haddock gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder before soaring back into the sky.
Limb after limb of Leichenhaufen melted from the pure Arcane stabs. Both the wizards and the civil guards surrounded and tried to circle around the pile of walking corpses in order to unveil for the rest, the path to the three totems it guarded.
“Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic! Is that all you got with the pure Arcane? You guys are no better than that Crimsonmane bitch!” Agosh sneered at them behind the pile of squirming corpses like worms overheating. “Leichenhaufen, let them taste those pieces of meat they squandered!”
It seemed as though the pile of corpses had formed a gaping maw, unleashing a deluge of blackish-red mucus upon them. The noxious mixture, a cocktail of decayed organs and corrosive blood, rained down upon the front line, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. All the flying ships present fell. Those who were not quick enough to dodge the toxic stream were left limbless or dead melting in the corrosive bath.
Leichenhaufen shook his head, sending the foul stream splashing even wider, drenching the rear echelons. Chaos reigned as the troops scattered, desperate to escape the barrage. The smell of the mucus was also overpowering. A potent mix of decay and magic that stung their nostrils and clouded their senses.
And such overpowering stench managed to lay victims; that included Alicia as she crumpled to the ground. Though she had not lost consciousness, the smell was too much to bear. Her ears rang with a familiar sound, and her eyes felt sore despite her glasses still perched on her nose. She was unable to even lift her drooping arm to wipe away the tears.
“Alicia!” Donar and Leith landed.
Nadine and Gilmore also rushed to her “Oh no! Hold on, Alicia!”
With all the pleas not to submit to the darkness, they were no better than her. They attempted to cover their nose and mouth, yet the smell still entered and poisoned them as well.
“I… can’t see… my ears… the smell….” Nadine and the others coughed and fallen a stupor. But Alicia could not join them. No, she absolutely could not, for everyone depended on her. This was the moment they desperately needed Arcane to show its miracle! With the rest of her consciousness, Alicia built the holy force field, and the poisonous smell inside vanished right away.
“Not enough!” Alicia exerted her might even harder. She and Orb extended the force field’s coverage to almost a block!
“Everyone, get in here!” Alicia beckoned. Those who survived directly entered the enormous bunker, avoiding the more severe magic effect. Leichenhaufen spat out more liquid into the protective dome, which made Alicia feel the same agonising pain as before.
As much as she hated them, sighs and grimaces were her mortal enemies now. Or perhaps her eternal friend. Both manifestations were tears welling up from her eyes as she held back all the pangs and slashes.
But then her eyes captured how seriously injured most people were. Those who were so exhausted they could not even lift their wands. Her gaze was lacerated by a pair of regretful eyes. Worsened by the gazes of those still willing to fight but the toxic waste left them nearly paralysed. She saw a thousand and one meanings in the eyes of the partisans as they looked back at the girl.
Her whole body might be shattered formless. But not her pride. Not her brothers and sisters in arms. She was no longer upset about how not to die, but how to keep them safe, how to keep the city of Eidyn safe.
Alicia gritted her teeth. She let the friction of Khaos and Arcane destroyed her nerves with open arms.
Suddenly, Haddock, Bartholomew, and an air assault wizard unit entered the safe area. Bartholomew and the others were almost sprawled out and coughing. Haddock saw the quivering Alicia, waving his wand.
“Ianitor!”
Another layer of protection was created by Haddock’s Wizardry magic. Strengthened by the might of Arcane, his magic was no less potent against the exposure of the disgusting liquid. But constructing a shield one block wide with limited Arcane access was an impossible task for a long time.
“Those who can still raise their wands, use the Arcane might to create the protective magic!”
Arose the dozen of them. They lent their magic and cast the same spell.
"Alicia, enough," Haddock implored, as he saw her tireless efforts, "Stop torturing yourself, we can do it."
Alicia took his word for it, allowing her Arcane force field to dissipate and be replaced by the combined protective shield created by her fellow wielders. Exhausted, she crumbled to the ground, but the others were quick to catch her before she hit the rough stone beneath them. Haddock reached into his pocket, retrieving a small elixir bottle which he tossed to one of the witches to administer to Alicia.
“Alica, please, drink,” urged Haddock. With the help of another magician, she took a sip. Suddenly her face became sour and coughed as if she wanted to vomit.
“B-bitter….”
“I know it’s bitter indeed, but it’s a rare potion to recover your manna tenfold. It should’ve been used for the last moment, but considering we are in your great need, I think this is a good time to use it.”
As the potion took effect, Alicia slowly regained her strength and mobility. She sat up without the need for support. “If I h-have to guess, this must have your favourite stillmajik chamomile in it,” she mumbled with a tired frown.
A smile crossed Haddock’s face. “You almost made me think I was talking to your mother.”
Alicia finally got back on her feet although there was still slight tiredness that rebelled, forcing her to lie down.
“Many thanks for the help, Grand Magus,” said Alicia, “Now let’s heal the others with the potion!”
“Uh… not everyone gets the potion, kid. I told you it’s rare.”
“Wait, what do you mean?”
“Only my elite mages have it, along with the fewer ordinary ones. Each person only has one.”
“So the potion just now…? You…”
“Oh, don’t mind me, Miss Crimsonmane!” Haddock played strong in front of the girl, though he was indeed strong. “I barely drank my rations since the last magic war. They couldn’t have made me a Grand Magus if I couldn’t hold that much manna inside me!”
“I owe you a lot, Grand Magus!”
“You can pay it off by destroying those totems and then defeating that damned Agosh Grendi!” he replied excitedly. “Alright, another new plan, I guess! Since only a few could go on, some magicians including myself will have to release the protective magic and leave the rest in charge of it! My team and Barthie’s will again distract the creature. Alicia, you will fly with another unit, rush to the three totems, and destroy them immediately!”
“I… will ride a flying broomstick?”
“Of course. It’s about time a magus like you tried the broomstick, innit?”
“But I’m afraid of heights!”
“Is that so? What a shame! Do heights frighten you more than thousands of corpses piled up to form a seven-eyed giant?”
“Both!”
“Then you’re still flying, Alicia. I don’t want to know.”
“Oh, come on!” []
In the middle of the cemetery, a hill arose, with steep cliffs on one side and gentle slopes on the other. Above it stood an old, abandoned castle that sheltered all the tombstones beneath its earthen feet. No man dwelled in this ancient structure except for a figure, who was staring at the battle of the living against the dead behind the glassless stone window. Agosh Grendi had favoured the castle as a plotting ground all this time, though he was never a tenant. To see a blood-soaked scene as it was now did him a euphoric thrill in his heart. He felt his plan was going to crumble, yet he could not help but feel excited, for the chaos caused was still true. The morbid, wide grin persisted, undiminished by even an inch.
Agosh saw Alicia from a distance coming close. He chuckled, knowing she was the first cause his army of wandering corpses did not stand a chance. But at least the plan was not a complete failure.
Agosh took his sceptre. The skull on its tip gaped, its eyes flaming a sinister red. In an instant, all the undead, either crawling the ground or soaring through the air, were stupefied without the bother of gravity.
The troops of human beings halted their move for a moment as well, minds filled with confusion. The keen-eyed Strongbark saw a red shine behind the distant castle window. The sceptre of the necromancer.
“Look! That’s him!” Strongbark pointed with his wand.
“Then what are waiting for? We shall attack him at once!” said another wizard.
“Halt!” Haddock raised his hand. “No one is approaching him without order. It could be a trap.”
Whether it was a trap or not, calamity would still come. Agosh bellowed, again in his absurd tongue.
“Å̵̗̰̟̰͚̒͜s̶̨͇̉́̎̀̋̈́͑p̷̨͎͖̭̦̙͇͈̟̜̩͕̩̪͖̽̎̀i̵̫̠̯͇̒̅͒͜͠ŗ̴̮̗̣̺̲̦͓̀̋͗̈́̾͂̏̍̀̅̅̈́͠͠ỏ̸̧̪̮̘͖̖̈́̑t̶͇̼̘̞̰͇̟̘̼͉̭̤̰͈͛̾ͅh̸̨̡̦̳͎̞̙̪̥͇̝̰̍͑̈́͛͜ ̸̛̜̱̱̀̋̇̀̏̐̐̄͠͠H̴̹͚͓̯̮̟̭͎̠́ͅǫ̵̰̳̯̣̩͎̫̮̣͂̎̅̈́͒͛͛͆́̈́͋͛̏͝g̷̤͉͎̱̞̣̭͈͇͚̣͙̠̼̐̂͑̍̀̌̓̔͗̄̋̿̎͝͝o̸͚͊̔͊̈͋͒̿̈̊t̵̢̪̻̖̻̹̪̬̥̰̪̫͉̭̀̋͆̇͛͋̾̓̒ẖ̶̠̥̹̭̦̻̞̤͖̬̱̹̪̓̏̅̂ ̵̧̢̨̛̛̘̝̜̘̘̹͈͎͎̬̃͂̀̽͒̃̎̑͐̈́͘͜͝͝ṭ̷̨̠͍̳͙̙͗̉̚a̷̡͈̟̝̭͂̉̍̐r̸̢̮̥͓̫͓͍̻̖̠̳̽̃̅͊̃̈̊͜͜a̷͓̝̱̾͗͠z̶̡̞̰̦̖͕͕̰̲̹̬͔͌͜͝e̵̛̱̳̊̈̈̈́̌̃͌̀̽́̕ẍ̴͍̩̩͉͎̠̪͉̹͈͖́̋͒̔̚y̶̜̼͖̜̆͆̑͑̾́̅̈́̐̅̿͝͝ñ̵̨̝̼͙̩͂̏̇̇͘͝ͅͅx̸̦̯̟̺͚̮̫̤̒͐͌́͋̚t̵͖̖͍̝͇͉͔͈͇̥͆́̐̔̂͂͆͂͂́̓̅̈͊̃͜į̴̨̢͎͍͍̫̼͎͚̘́͂̿͆̐̌͑̑̂̍͜ś̷̨̪̤̱̪͙̪͖͋s̸̡̛͇̦̑̔ŷ̷̢̡̧̥̜̦̹͉̱̫̭̟͔͓̓̈̌̈́͒̐͌͝͠!̵̧̢̙̼̫̼̱̯̩͓̞̅͗̎͆̍̑̆̀̂̄̇͂̃͘͜͝ͅ ̶̡̢̢̱̬̖̘͍͚͎̭͖͉̳̠̂̈́̂͛̔̀̌͑͑̏͐͠͠M̷̨̠͖̣̫̭̱͙̪̗̯̖̭̗̱͋̍͑̒́͝ṷ̴̖̝͍̪̱̈́̍̀̆̿̂͝i̵̪̳̔̄̈̾̑̀x̴̪̍̆̉̇͌̕ȃ̷̧̖̪͇̟̜̩̺̜͍̽̾͋̇͜d̸̛̰͓̭͔̬̺̱̫̀̈́̀̀̀̑̉̈́̐̔̈̈͘͝l̷̹̻̙̃̈̓̑̈̒̀͗̈́͋̌͌̕ą̴̙̝̩̝̰͔̻̩̦̟̍̂̔̀f̷̺̺͇͑u̸̧̠͈͖̾̋̀̃̏̋̃̕͘͝w̷̠͇̬̻̞̮̺͕̹̟̼̭̃̐͜͜͜ö̸̟̯͑̈́̽̌̇̈́̕̚͘͝ë̴̛̖͖̰̫͇̭̺̭͕͙͕̩̲̪́̋́͆̅͑̽̈́͆͑͜͝i̵̤̺̞̙̦͉̬͔͓̞̲̰͍͓̔̇̽͆͆̂̍͠p̶̣͓͙̪̼̈́́̊͐̀̍͝ṟ̴̩̥̻͇̫̜̤̺̹̳̃̈̏͊̐̉̑͑͂͂̏̄̋̕̚͜ ̴͙͖͈̿́̀̈͋͐͛̈ͅg̸̞̭̭̤̘̹͕̥̳̜̖͚͕̲͒̋̒̿͑̈́̓͌̽̾͝͠h̷̢͇̭̓͐̄͐̎ţ̵̱͈̗̲̺̑̈́o̵̢̼̜̖̝̺͙͔̺̥̞̯̳̟̓̅͗̇̋́̋͑̍͐̚͠͝ͅz̷̳͍̝̝͈̫̐̇͛̔̿̉͛̈̒̑̈͝ḽ̸̛̏͒̀̒̐̏̋̐͆̕̕á̶̧̧̢͚̥̩̙̩̥͖̺͈͈̙̱̉̄̐̇̐a̶̡̨̛̤͖̱̤͚̤̓̋̀͠ͅȩ̸̪̀̽̏̍ẁ̶̡̭̐͌̏͗͐̈́́̇͘ȓ̷͔̘̥̹͓̝̾̽́̓̊̒́̋̉̚͜͝͝e̸̪̼̪̪̞͎͌͘͜͜ċ̶͚̀̅̌͗͛͂͐̔̀̃͛̕͝.̷̡̲̯̣͍͉̳̻̠͈͙̒̈́̓͒͌̌̂̎͌̚ͅb̷̢̨͓͇̹̙̹͍̼̜͔͌ẑ̴̳̈̂̊͋̉͂̊̇͆́̕͝≠̢̢̩͎̻̟̯̘̙͖̖̊͗̔̓̌͌̓]̵̟͖͚͌̊́̆̂̂́͘̕͘”̡̟̘̖̗͎̻͉̙̱͙̪
The undead turned their backs on them. They fled, converging upon a spot near the cliff. And there, those loathsome beings enacted a spectacle that defied the comprehension of the mortal troops, eliciting both awe and revulsion: the undead coalesced, fusing into one uncanny mass through a cacophony of embraces, pinches, grips, bites, and all manner of grotesque attachments. Their numbers swelled as more and more corpses from rifted dimensions poured in, slowly piecing together a behemoth of human flesh and bone, standing three stories building tall and contorted in the most nauseating ways imaginable.
A gargantuan creature of a lump of flesh, bones, and dismembered body parts with seven eyes.
“Oh, shite,” Leith muttered, frozen still in the shade of the giant undead pile.
“Yup. We're deid,” Gilmore chimed in with his eyes bulging in disbelief.
“Introducing, Leichenhaufen! This is a weaving artwork of Necromancy! How beautiful, isn’t it?” shouted Agosh Grendi in an out-of-place cheerful tone. “It will be even more beautiful when you join together with him!”
Agosh flew over to Leichenhaufen’s shoulder, then hurled insults at those looking from below. “Accept, accept, accept this honor!”
Eidyn’s earth shook as Leichenhaufen started running and swatted the less agile wizards away from it.
“You didn’t say we are about to face the walking piles of corpses, Grand Magus!” exclaimed the stilled Alicia as Haddock hastily approached her.
“What do you expect when facing a mage, Alicia?” Haddock retorted, “You’re fighting mages, not just a simple Protos particle addict. Here’s a new lesson for you: Always prepared for unexpected spells!”
The two watched the wizards and flying ships busy hailing Leichenhaufen with bursts of Arcane plasma. The volleys tore through the behemoth's flesh, sending chunks of putrid flesh raining down. Many corpses fell strewn, inheriting it with many holes. Of course, Agosh did not create Leichenhaufen to crumble with ease. As long as his totems kindled, thousand of fresh undead would come out and wriggle to take the place of their brothers in arms. Time was essential for them to patch all the holes.
“Yon giant can’t be destroyed before the three totems behind it are destroyed first, will it not?” Alicia gulped. “He won’t let us near them.”
“Then we'll have to improvise,” Haddock declared, “I’ll focus on distracting Agosh and that pile of rotten flesh. Keep your focus still on those totems, Alicia.”
Haddock gripped Alicia’s shoulder hard, “You may doubt in your mind, dear. But don’t make your body doubt too. Prove to them you are indeed the one chosen by the Arcane might!”
Alicia nodded determinedly, masking her fear with a steely resolve. Haddock gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder before soaring back into the sky.
Limb after limb of Leichenhaufen melted from the pure Arcane stabs. Both the wizards and the civil guards surrounded and tried to circle around the pile of walking corpses in order to unveil for the rest, the path to the three totems it guarded.
“Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic! Is that all you got with the pure Arcane? You guys are no better than that Crimsonmane bitch!” Agosh sneered at them behind the pile of squirming corpses like worms overheating. “Leichenhaufen, let them taste those pieces of meat they squandered!”
It seemed as though the pile of corpses had formed a gaping maw, unleashing a deluge of blackish-red mucus upon them. The noxious mixture, a cocktail of decayed organs and corrosive blood, rained down upon the front line, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. All the flying ships present fell. Those who were not quick enough to dodge the toxic stream were left limbless or dead melting in the corrosive bath.
Leichenhaufen shook his head, sending the foul stream splashing even wider, drenching the rear echelons. Chaos reigned as the troops scattered, desperate to escape the barrage. The smell of the mucus was also overpowering. A potent mix of decay and magic that stung their nostrils and clouded their senses.
And such overpowering stench managed to lay victims; that included Alicia as she crumpled to the ground. Though she had not lost consciousness, the smell was too much to bear. Her ears rang with a familiar sound, and her eyes felt sore despite her glasses still perched on her nose. She was unable to even lift her drooping arm to wipe away the tears.
“Alicia!” Donar and Leith landed.
Nadine and Gilmore also rushed to her “Oh no! Hold on, Alicia!”
With all the pleas not to submit to the darkness, they were no better than her. They attempted to cover their nose and mouth, yet the smell still entered and poisoned them as well.
“I… can’t see… my ears… the smell….” Nadine and the others coughed and fallen a stupor. But Alicia could not join them. No, she absolutely could not, for everyone depended on her. This was the moment they desperately needed Arcane to show its miracle! With the rest of her consciousness, Alicia built the holy force field, and the poisonous smell inside vanished right away.
“Not enough!” Alicia exerted her might even harder. She and Orb extended the force field’s coverage to almost a block!
“Everyone, get in here!” Alicia beckoned. Those who survived directly entered the enormous bunker, avoiding the more severe magic effect. Leichenhaufen spat out more liquid into the protective dome, which made Alicia feel the same agonising pain as before.
As much as she hated them, sighs and grimaces were her mortal enemies now. Or perhaps her eternal friend. Both manifestations were tears welling up from her eyes as she held back all the pangs and slashes.
But then her eyes captured how seriously injured most people were. Those who were so exhausted they could not even lift their wands. Her gaze was lacerated by a pair of regretful eyes. Worsened by the gazes of those still willing to fight but the toxic waste left them nearly paralysed. She saw a thousand and one meanings in the eyes of the partisans as they looked back at the girl.
Her whole body might be shattered formless. But not her pride. Not her brothers and sisters in arms. She was no longer upset about how not to die, but how to keep them safe, how to keep the city of Eidyn safe.
Alicia gritted her teeth. She let the friction of Khaos and Arcane destroyed her nerves with open arms.
Suddenly, Haddock, Bartholomew, and an air assault wizard unit entered the safe area. Bartholomew and the others were almost sprawled out and coughing. Haddock saw the quivering Alicia, waving his wand.
“Ianitor!”
Another layer of protection was created by Haddock’s Wizardry magic. Strengthened by the might of Arcane, his magic was no less potent against the exposure of the disgusting liquid. But constructing a shield one block wide with limited Arcane access was an impossible task for a long time.
“Those who can still raise their wands, use the Arcane might to create the protective magic!”
Arose the dozen of them. They lent their magic and cast the same spell.
"Alicia, enough," Haddock implored, as he saw her tireless efforts, "Stop torturing yourself, we can do it."
Alicia took his word for it, allowing her Arcane force field to dissipate and be replaced by the combined protective shield created by her fellow wielders. Exhausted, she crumbled to the ground, but the others were quick to catch her before she hit the rough stone beneath them. Haddock reached into his pocket, retrieving a small elixir bottle which he tossed to one of the witches to administer to Alicia.
“Alica, please, drink,” urged Haddock. With the help of another magician, she took a sip. Suddenly her face became sour and coughed as if she wanted to vomit.
“B-bitter….”
“I know it’s bitter indeed, but it’s a rare potion to recover your manna tenfold. It should’ve been used for the last moment, but considering we are in your great need, I think this is a good time to use it.”
As the potion took effect, Alicia slowly regained her strength and mobility. She sat up without the need for support. “If I h-have to guess, this must have your favourite stillmajik chamomile in it,” she mumbled with a tired frown.
A smile crossed Haddock’s face. “You almost made me think I was talking to your mother.”
Alicia finally got back on her feet although there was still slight tiredness that rebelled, forcing her to lie down.
“Many thanks for the help, Grand Magus,” said Alicia, “Now let’s heal the others with the potion!”
“Uh… not everyone gets the potion, kid. I told you it’s rare.”
“Wait, what do you mean?”
“Only my elite mages have it, along with the fewer ordinary ones. Each person only has one.”
“So the potion just now…? You…”
“Oh, don’t mind me, Miss Crimsonmane!” Haddock played strong in front of the girl, though he was indeed strong. “I barely drank my rations since the last magic war. They couldn’t have made me a Grand Magus if I couldn’t hold that much manna inside me!”
“I owe you a lot, Grand Magus!”
“You can pay it off by destroying those totems and then defeating that damned Agosh Grendi!” he replied excitedly. “Alright, another new plan, I guess! Since only a few could go on, some magicians including myself will have to release the protective magic and leave the rest in charge of it! My team and Barthie’s will again distract the creature. Alicia, you will fly with another unit, rush to the three totems, and destroy them immediately!”
“I… will ride a flying broomstick?”
“Of course. It’s about time a magus like you tried the broomstick, innit?”
“But I’m afraid of heights!”
“Is that so? What a shame! Do heights frighten you more than thousands of corpses piled up to form a seven-eyed giant?”
“Both!”
“Then you’re still flying, Alicia. I don’t want to know.”
“Oh, come on!” []
