Revenge of the Sorcerer King 38

Chapter 38

Oberon

We left the Gallery, which I found out was the name of the place shortly after we got back on the street. This city has thoroughly irritated me. I felt it needed to be taught a lesson. I knew Alessa was in full agreement, by the way her feet were sinking into the ground as she walked. She was having trouble controlling her anger, not that I blamed her. 

Just to be on the safe side we browsed a few of the high end shops that would be frequented by nobles. I wanted to make sure that anyone watching knew we had money to spend. That would be the easiest way to blend in with this level of society. When it was getting close to mid-day, we headed back to the inn.

The outing was mostly quiet by this point. None of us could muster the energy to comment on something we saw. Ted was probably the least affected by the situation, but he seemed to know better than to open his mouth. Had to give the man credit for being able to read the room. It was more often a talent rather than a skill. 

Once we were back in the inn, we all went to my room. We grabbed Saruis on the way, didn’t want him to feel left out. Besides, he might have some insights we could use for the coming plan. As if on que, Helena materialized from the darkness once the door shut behind us. 

“Where have you been?” I asked with a hint of annoyance leaking into my tone. 

“Not to worry. I was minding my manners. I have been around quite a long time after all,” she said checking her nails, which I noticed were much neater than the last time I saw her. 

“Manners, I bet.” 

“A girl has needs,” she replied with a flippant hand wave.

“As long as you’re actually going to help with the coming night,” I said with a growl. I didn’t have any authority over this blasted woman. She served Siateth.

“Of course! I live to cause chaos and murder, and judging by the aura of you two had while you walked through the town, I have a feeling there is going to be plenty to go around,” Helena said with a feral grin. 

“Excellent. I have a very simple plan. We’ll head into the slums and change them all to undead. I feel bad about this method but frankly this entire city deserves to burn. Once the inside of the city is in chaos, we’ll have the undead rush the city. We’ll need to make sure the gate is comprised beforehand, wouldn’t want the poor undead outside to miss out on all the fun.”

“Sounds risky. If the city guard catches on a moment too soon, we’ll be forced to flee,” Helena said tapping the table with her finger. 

“Not to mention the nobles are cowards. They’ll seal the inner walls faster than a poor man snatches a gold coin off the ground.” Ted added.

“I believe we have the prefect person to make the gates are a non-issue,” I said looking over to Helena. 

“You really are going to need to start paying me,” Helena said with a grin. 

“But you enjoy it so much,” I said.

“Don’t start sweet talking me,” Helena said with a playful smile.

The rest of the day passed as we planned the attack. It was a bold and very risky undertaking, but I felt we had a good chance to have it go down. Since we were going for destruction, we didn’t have to worry about the amount of damage we caused. Once night set in we went to do our assigned jobs. 

~~~~

Alessa went off towards the noble district. She was out backup incase something held up Helena disrupting the gates. Helena faded into darkness like normal while Ted and I headed for the deeper parts of the slums. After a few streets, we stopped seeing even the seedy guards that patrolled. 

Right as we came to the center of the slums. The local gang emerged from the shadows as if on que. We were quickly surrounded by at least twenty people. Ted and I came to a stop taking in the sight. 

“Hey Old man. Wandered a bit off the beaten street?” The head bandit said with a grin as he tapped his sword on his shoulder. 

“My dear man. Do you do this with every person that walks down these deary streets?” I asked.

The man’s grin became a frown. “Get them,” he shouted. Six of the men rushed us, I grinned in response as I drew Promise. 

I looked to Ted that was wearing Gordo, “time for some fun,” I said. I wanted to keep the flashy spells until later. I parried the three swords that descended down. The blades they used were so poor quality that Promise sliced through them. The looks of surprised only lasted a second before I brought Promise around cutting their necks with a spary of blood from each. 

The thugs that went for Ted we repelled as Grodo brought his fists down on their skulls. Their heads were crushed into their chest. The surrounding thugs grew quiet at their comrades deaths. 

“Is that it? Surely, there is someone a bit stronger?” I asked to the group. They started to back away slowly. It looked like it was taking everything they had not to bolt. “Really? Fine then.” I pointed Promise at the corpses and channeled my magic. The corpses exploded and rose. That’s when the screaming started. 

Everyone turned and ran as fast as they could. I ordered my undead to charge after them. The next hour was a bloodbath as the streets began to run red with blood. The number of undead grew steadily as I walked behind the growing horde raising the dead. The miasma thickened by the minute. Eventually the dead would start to rise by themselves. 

“It is a fine night. Don’t you agree Theodore?” 

“Indeed. I can’t wait to see this scene in my city,” Ted said from next to me. “I do think we’ve caused quite a scene however.”

“Then its time for us to head to the noble section,” I said sheathing Promise. 

Alessa

I thought the beginning of the night would pass the fastest but standing in an alley in the noble section turned out to the longest time. Oberon told me to wait until it was good and chaotic before I tried to do anything. The first half of the hour was quiet. The few people I saw on the streets were unhurried as they went about their business. 

I stood in the alley kicking lose stones down the shadowed way. Finally, after almost forty minutes the situation changed. Guards rushed by heading towards the gate of the district. I stood back since my job was to make sure my mother got out even if Oberon was unable to reach the noble district for some reason. 

“Undead! Undead in the slums! They’re sealing the gates!” a messenger shouted as he ran by.  

I peeked out of the alley and saw smoke billowing from the lower section of the city. I muttered the spell that Helena taught me early today and a coat of shadow wrapped around me. I snuck down the alleys until I was next to the Gallery. There were still guards posted but they were looking around nervously. 

I stood at the corner waiting for an opportunity to rush inside the building when there was a large explosion from the district’s gate. It was powerful enough to throw debris all the way over here. The guards couldn’t handle it and took off. They were obviously sheep in wolves’ clothing. 

I grinned and made my way over to the door. There were still women in the windowed rooms. It appeared they were locked in. The door was locked but I was able to force it easier than I expected. Inside there was a strange mixture of silence and noise. The hallway was eerily quiet but rooms that held women there was a banging from the doors. 

I maintained my shadow magic even though I could feel my mana draining. I was knew to the spell so it drained faster than if I had practiced for a few days. The building shook as another explosion rocked the city. I wasn’t sure if it was Helena or Oberon but they were sure enjoying themselves. 

It didn’t take me long to reach the floor my mother was being held on. When I peeked around the corner, I noticed that a man was forcing her out of the room. He was surrounded by four guards that were glancing around nervously. Judging by the man’s outfit, he was either the Lord or a noble close in rank to him. 

The rage I had been holding back all day flooded over. I kicked off the ground, forming a crater in the process, and shot down the passage. The guard that saw me didn’t even get a chance to retaliate before I slammed into him fist first. I felt his chest collapse under my blow, and he was thrown into the guard next to him. They both crashed against the wall and fell to a crumpled mess.

“Who the hell are you!?” the noble shouted as she drew his saber.

“Your worst nightmare,” I said with a growl. Mana burst around my gauntlets, my anger clearly on display as it jerked and spasmed. The noble made a foul grin and mana lined his saber. 

“You don’t know what you’re up against,” the noble said coldly. His form blurred as he shot towards me saber leading the way. I wasn’t in the mood for playing games. I let him come and he buried his saber through my stomach. He grinned at his apparent victory, that was until I brought my mana fueled fist down shattering his skull. His body fell back almost in slow motion. 

“Neither do you,” I said while pulling his saber from my stomach. I grunted from the pain but my anger was letting me ignore it for the most part. 

I turned to deal with the last two guards but they were already dead. My mother had grabbed the sword from one of the men I had taken down at the beginning. I never knew my mother had such skill. 

“Thank you stranger. Are you sure you want to be helping me though? I am one of the Family. I’ll be hunted no matter where I go,” my mother said as she cleaned the blade on one of the men’s shirts. I couldn’t help but notice how practiced she was at the motion. 

“That’s mean calling your daughter a stranger,” I said with only a small wince from the pain.

“Alessa? Is it really you?” she said as she reached up to take my helmet off. I beat her to it and showed her my face. It was the first time we’d seen each other in seven years. “You’ve become even more beautiful.” 

“Mom,” I said, my voice cracking as I fought back my emotions. I reached forward and hugged her. I was almost the same height as her now. 

“Careful. I see that its not just your beauty that’s improved,” my mother said with a cringe as I squeezed her a bit too hard. 

“I have so much to tell you,” I said then the building shook with enough force to cause pieces of the wall to chip off. “But it can wait until later.” I grabbed her hand and started to pull her along.

“Wait! We need to take these women with us. They’ll be left here to die if we don’t,” mother said trying to pull us to a stop.

I paused and looked around. The women that early today had looked like pieces of art lining the walls we huddled in corners with their arms over their heads. The commoner girl that was with mother was staring right at us from her own cell where I guessed they moved her after we left. 

One of the strangest things I’d ever felt happened. Anger surged to the surface at the actions of the men responsible while pity for the women rivaled it just as strongly. I ground my teeth then nodded. I would have to think of a way to explain this to Oberon and Helena later. I didn’t want them to come with us without knowing what they were getting into though.

Turning back to the five dead bodies, I channeled my mana into the spell Oberon taught me almost two months ago. With a burst the bodies rose one after the other. When all five were standing in a line behind me I turned to the women. “Those that want to live can come with us. Everything you see happening in the city is our doing. Please remember that as you follow us. If you want to die with the people that captured and used you, then be my guest.”