Chapter 141 – Guild Battle

Chapter 141 – Guild Battle

The meeting was going as planned, and Trey shoved the large door to the dining area open while walking in with his entourage in tow. As usual, partially eaten bodies of gagged slaves that were still alive had been strapped to the stone tables as their blood washed down into the central stone drain in the middle of the room. Servants bustled about carrying plates of meats from different races, and unfortunately there were even a few children there… the children being fed on was particularly disgusting to Trey, and it even made him angry upon seeing it.

Lanterns had been hung along the walls and ceiling, and a new chandelier made from diamonds hung overhead to reflect brilliantly along the otherwise bloody dining room. As usual, the eloquently dressed and raven haired Lady Okt was on her comfy throne drinking spiced wine and laughing with her husband while her husband stood up and told jokes to the rest of the room before the serious matters were attended to.

But the heads of the Okt household were not alone.

Tenke and Furdom were both there too, the first vampires Trey’d met and the ones that’d been responsible for bringing him into the fold.  Furdom was there, as well, a worried and confused expression of disbelief playing across his face as his eyes settled on the three naked women that’d once been slaves… but were now not only vampires, but had somehow ascended into purebloods - a feat that had not been seen for millennia.

There were also a number of the house guards, many dozen coven members, and the main attraction was a new slave being stripped down and chained to a spinning table for the next round of throwing daggers by that male servant brat that’d been disgusted with Trey for not wanting to try infant a while back.  Another nearby server also looked up from where he was binding the little girl of maybe 5 years old to a table, and frowned upon seeing them enter unannounced.  There was already a little boy, dead on the table that Lord Okt had been picking a finger off of as they entered, and he popped it into his mouth with a crunch as he furrowed his brows.

Trey’s rage only built.

“You are late… Trey…” Lady Okt muttered with a goblet of spiced blood in her hand, the ornate red dress she wore crumpling as she leaned forward with just as much confusion as Kagdor.  “Did… did you bring new guests?”

“You do not recognize me, mistress?” Rusoe asked with a grin and mock curiosity.  “All those beatings, whippings, and feedings… I thought you’d certainly know my face by now.”

The room went silent, and all eyes turned on them.

Lady Okt’s eyebrows raised upon hearing the girl’s voice, and her mouth opened in disbelief just as Kagdor’s had done not long ago.  “Rusoe?  It is you after all… but you’ve been… changed…”

The door behind Trey opened again, and this time Ezdeath walked in.  The succubus warrior was decked out in her full set of hadean armor, a thing of legend with Eleknar’s heir plastered across the front of the cloth hung around her hips and over the platemail.  Next came in atharost, then Rivia, then Sithis, and finally Juila in all her height and glory as she dropped a limp form of one of the guards to the floor with a thud.

“Master…” Juila whispered in Trey’s ear with an eagerness to her voice, cracking her knuckles as she did.  “Let me take them all!  I can do it by myself!”

Trey gave Juila a sickly smile, but otherwise ignored the request.  He couldn’t play around here, not with all that was at stake.

Meanwhile the vampires, as pale as they were, grew paler… and began to step back as they saw the demons enter in.

“Do you remember…” Nothel began, stepping over the corpse of the vampire Juila had dropped.  “The day that you took me, Lady Okt?”

The matriarch shared a very concerned and startled look with her husband – who was at a loss for words at this strange appearance, but she failed to reply due to the obvious shock she was in at seeing such creatures inside her home.  She was literally speechless, and her mouth hung slightly agape at the sight before her.

“I remember.” Nothel stated sourly, her new and improved features contorting into fury as her hands extended into claws.  Her fangs were bared, and her blood red eyes widened.  “The day you murdered my husband and children was the day I lost everything dear to me… all those years ago… but things have changed.  This city will fall… and soon… and when it is done, I want you to know now that it will be me that feeds on your corpse, Lady Okt.”

She pointed a quivering finger at the matriarch, a single tear trickling down her otherwise perfect, bright white face under the shadow of her brunette locks.  “When Trey has no more need of you and your husband, I will be the one to eat both of you… and it will be slow.”

The little girl who’d been chained to the table was still stuck there, inbetween the two groups, and she began to quiver and cry.

Lord Okt stood up, drawing out a sword from beside the throne and baring his fangs as the vampires beside him acted similarly with weapons of their own or magics that they summoned.  “I do not understand what is going on here, but demons are not allowed in this sacred city!  When Aktovan finds out about this, you will all be purged back to the hells from whence you came!”

Trey’s features began to change.  First he grinned, then his shape-shifted face turned back to his normal one - exposing him for the man that’d appeared in the vision across Nagochus when he’d killed Vorganoth’s wielder.  Then his eyes began to glow a bright red at the pupils.  The white sclera turned pitch black, and horns began to protrude out from his forehead.  The tail erupted next, as did the four new spider legs from his back, and his human features dissolved with a devil’s face replacing them in an unflinching smile of lipless dagger-like teeth.  Pulling down his shirt, he showed the vampires the amulet Ezdeath had taken… and with his other hand he summoned Talsh’Noc’Un in a brilliant bath of black and crimson flames.

“I find that doubtful, little vampire.  Oh… and Kagdor… don’t worry, you’re not on the chopping block today.”

As screams began to echo around the house, no doubt the work of Trey’s other allies, the room erupted into action in a blur of magics, bodies, metal and screams.

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[As guild leader for The Cult of Elekir, you have been selected for an experimental test for the All Spirit’s new and upcoming Guild Battles. Please wait as potential incentives are calculated.]

Trey blinked the light out of his eyes, finding himself in a white abyss with only Talsh’Noc’Un and the clothes he had on. None of his friends or allies were with him, and the vampires were also gone.

What the fuck?

Eleknar was also present, and the symbiote hissed his reluctance and disgust as he saw through his host’s eyes. ‘Wretched All Spirit… always screwing with my life.’

Another hologram appeared in front of him soon thereafter, and he scratched his head then rubbed at his red eyes to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating as his greatsword hissed in thought.

[This is a mandatory test, your choice on the matter is not of relevance. However, incentives to undertake this event have been prepared for each side of this conflict as compensation for your cooperation.

The compensation is as follows: 20 ascension stones for the winning side, granting massive power gains, leveling and evolutions for any who have them applied.

In the upcoming patch with the merging of worlds into the Labyrinth, guilds will be a prime pillar of new functions available to the various races. Guild Battle events will be one of these functions.

In short, Guild Battles are instance events that transport both sides of a guild into an alternate plane of existence with various types of battle fields on display. Normally these events would be set up in tournament fashion every year for the cosmos to watch, with non-permanent deaths, and they would not be mandatory. However as the need for data is pressing, that is not the case in this circumstance. All deaths will be normalized with those who have fallen in battle dying back on Nagochus after the event ends.

With The Cult of Elekir already being registered as an official guild by the All Spirit’s standards, the allies you have brought with you in trying to assume control over House Okt will also be placed on your side when the Guild Battle commences. This namely includes the vetteresie warriors that your cousin, Carol, brought with her – as well as the other members outside your immediate vicinity: Yastiel and Lueth of the vetteresies. However, all of House Okt outside the coven compound will also be brought in.

On the opposite side of the field, your opponent will be House Okt. Because you are the offensive force and they are the defensive force, this particular Guild Battle will be in the form of what is called: “Siege.” In the “Siege” format, the defenders will be given the opportunity to hold a fortress that you must take by securing the throne room or killing all enemies within a given time of 7 days condensed format that lead to a 1 second window of real-time. Failing to do this will result in the defenders winning, and all of the remaining offensive members dying.

Given your circumstances and intentions, it is known to the All Spirit that you may not want to kill all of House Okt if you succeed in your task of conquering their fortress.  After capturing the throne room, you will be given the option of either executing the defenders or enslaving them on a person by person basis within the normal format and template of minionization.

Of note, you will also be able to spend points on siege equipment up to a certain extent – just as the defenders may spend their own points in this battle on various upgrades concerning the fortress. As of now, Lord and Lady Okt are already undertaking this as you read.

The map you will be undertaking this battle on is called ‘Grasslands.’

House Okt: 727 members including thralls and slave warriors

The Cult of Elekir: 205 members including minions

Power Balance Calculator has The Cult of Elekir as the favored victor, and therefore will distribute more modification points to House Okt.

Modification Points distributed: 100 to The Cult of Elekir, and 200 to House Okt

Please choose from a list of siege equipment to buy from prior to the battle. You may not gain access to what the other side is spending their own points on, but you are now being given a preview of the fortress you are supposed to take prior to any modifications that House Okt may buy.]

A vision of a sprawling grasslands under a midsummer’s day came into view in front of Trey, and he raised a curious eyebrow while finding he could rotate the picture at will like a 3-dimensional object. In the middle of the grasslands, there was a fortress likely standing equal to that of ancient European castle walls at 40 or 50 feet.

It was pretty simple in design, with battlements and walkways easily visible. There were six towers along the walls – one at each of the four corners of the square fortress with two more towers overlooking the gate. The fortress was placed up on a slightly elevated hill, and it sat across from another and larger hill in the distance that had a little icon with the words ‘Your Starting Point’ written on it.

Within the four walls of the fortress there was a keep that stood a good twenty feet taller than the outside walls, and there was a flat rooftop with more battlements along the edges for defenders to fire from.

Then a list appeared, and as promised – a number of different siege weapons were available for him to buy with his given points.

[Please note before selecting your siege weapons that the walls of the keep have a base level enchantment, making them sturdier than normal stone. The same can be said for the gate. All siege equipment bought will be brought to your starting point where an encampment with food and supplies will also be waiting for you.

Current amount of modification points: 100

Options for available purchase:

- Basic Siege Tower: 10 Points

- Improved Siege Tower: 20 Points

- Exalted Siege Tower: 30 Points

- Basic Battering Ram: 5 Points

- Gnomish Battery Charged Ram: 15 Points

- Basic Trebuchet: 15 Points

- Enchanted Trebuchet: 40 Points

- Basic Scorpion: 5 Points

- Lightning Charged Scorpion: 25 Points

- Plasma Barrier: 50 Points

- Siege Ladders x10: 5 Points

- Buster Bombs x10: 5 Points]

Trey hummed lightly to himself, taking this situation at face value given the ridiculousness of his even being here, and went over each of the options in turn. Selecting them gave a 3D blueprint of what they looked like as well as details, which were quite helpful in making his decision.

The basic siege towers were just that – stout towering wooden constructions that he’d expect out of any fantasy novel or movie. The improved siege towers had metal plating along the sides with an enchantment to make them sturdier, and the exalted versions actually had blaster cannons along the top with barriers built into them to keep enemy fire at bay as long as their mana cores remained charged.

The gnomish battering ram was pretty cool, actually being made of metal with a battery on the underside to charge it as it hammered the ram away. It also only required one person to man it, who would sit in a cockpit in the middle under an armored latch and control it like a slow-moving car.

The enchanted trebuchet fired balls of arcane fire that exploded on impact.

The lightning scorpions launched enormous bolts infused with lightning.

The plasma barrier was actually unique in that it was very large and could cover the entire encampment, and it could be moved as the army marched onwards too. As long as the stone remained intact and charged, it would buffer any enemy assaults from above while marching towards the gates.

The siege ladders were self-explanatory, and the buster bombs were each about the size of a bowling ball and meant to level the foundation of the fortress at key segments or help break down the gate.

Groaning and looking to Talsh’Noc’Un – who just gave him a sword’s version of a huff – Trey shook his head. “I have no idea what to pick!”

“Don’t… ask me…” Talshy stated in its usual phantasmal voice. “I just… smack things…”

Chuckling at the comment Trey nodded in confirmation and shrugged, then selected what the hoped to be best. Silently wishing that vetteresie general Yastiel was here to guide him, he immediately found the armored, pretty elf floating beside him a moment later.

“Oh.” Trey stated, taken aback that she’d just blipped into existence before she oriented herself to him.

She immediately pointed to the list, face stern. “We’re all watching, I’m glad you summoned me.  I could be of help here.”

“I didn’t realize that I could summon you.”

She bowed her head and saluted. “Well you did. So respectfully, and as an officer to her new liege, may I make the request to pick for you?”

“Go right ahead.”

He shoved the hologram over her way, and she accepted it with a gracious nod of approval.

“I assume your minions have a lot of magical firepower?”

He nodded.

She hummed to herself in thought, rubbing her chin with a green tinted gauntlet hand as she did. “Very well. We should have air superiority too, given you have numerous minions that can fly.”

Trey cocked his head to the side. Nothel, Osi and Rusoe he was going to keep in the back lines if possible as they were in powerful bodies, but had little to no fighting experience. They’d have to be trained first before being thrown into the thick of it. Ezdeath, Piggy, Sithis, Atharost and Atharost’s familiar Boxamoth the flame serpent could all fly. Not only that, but they were all incredibly dangerous… and Trey could send them in as a unit to fight alongside one another if need be.

“I’m selecting the enchanted trebuchet twice for 80 points and using the remaining 20 points for 40 siege ladders. Is this acceptable?” The elf turned to glance at Trey, who nodded in turn before she selected her options.

Then another notification appeared.

[Battle is now commencing. Be advised again, you have 7 days to complete this mission and capture the throne room. If you fail, everyone on the offensive side that remains post battle time limit will die. Good luck.]

Soft rays of sunlight warmed his skin with a gentle breeze tugging at his locks of chestnut hair. Trey found himself overlooking the grasslands from a perch on top of his starting point on the hill, staring out at the fortress in the distance as the flapping of flags and ruffling of tents behind him was heard. Aside from the red colored tents scattered along the hill with various members of his team scattered about, there were also two very large trebuchets stationed on either side of the hill facing forwards and a number of very long ladders with hooks at their ends pilled off to one side.

The fortress itself was much different than the base model that’d been pictured. Instead of six towers – there were eight, with two more additional ones being added on to either side of the central keep. Spires of lightning were condensing above each of the towers, forming defensive collections of mana that no doubt would spell a bad time for anyone trying to get in.

The gate had also been reinforced with a shimmering barrier of yellow light along the front of it, and a couple of gilded, sleek mana cannons could be seen from along the battlements at intervals.

Trey felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Yastiel. She’d removed her helmet and let her long brown hair flow out in the breeze behind her, with Lueth – her subordinate officer, standing beside her. “I was not expecting to fight along side you so soon.”

“TREY!” the familiar voice of Carol shrieked out and Trey had to fight the urge to roll his eyes before turning around.

She was accompanied by her princess friend Silvara, and the two vetteresie warriors both looked furious as they approached his standing point. Coming up to him and jabbing a finger into his chest, she hissed with venom in her words. “This was NOT the deal! We were supposed to have a covert operation, NOT A SIEGE! We are outnumbered by over 3 to 1 you FUCKING moron!”

Trey slapped her hand away with a snort, then looked back over the gathered forces coming out of the encampment. There was his regular party with the demonic minions, Taen’s small legion of zombies as well as not one – but three hulking flesh golems with two new ones on either side of Butcher. Maltetious was there, as were her other two champions – Michael and Chris, and the rest of the guild was there too. Then there were well over a hundred vetteresie warriors in green tinted armor that stood watching the conflict between his cousin and himself… and Trey suddenly realized that they would one day be ruled by him.

Not by Carol.

And if he let Carol get away with treating him like this in front of his subordinates, would he be respected at all in the future?

“LISTEN TO ME, TWIRP!” his furious cousin screamed, spitting into his face as she talked to the look of bafflement Yastiel showed a few feet away. “WE COULD DIE HERE, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!?”

Trey slammed the back of his palm into her face, spinning her around and knocking her to the ground with the violent slap that left her stunned. He watched her in silence as she coughed and began to get to her feet, before he placed his own foot on her neck and leaned in.

“Shut… the fuck… up…” He said, loud enough for the others around him to hear. Carol’s large blue eyes were wide in shock, and she was choking while trying to remove his foot from her windpipe and swatting at his legs with increasing anger.

He just let her do it, pressing in further to crush her neck even more as she spasmed under his weight. Silvara nearby drew a sword and lunged, but she was quickly restrained by a chaos-infused chain that launched itself from up above in the air and dragged her upwards – screaming as she went while getting shocked and burned by the volatile mana.

Eventually he let his foot off Carol’s neck, and she quickly removed her green, winged helmet to clutch at her throat – gasping and pushing her blonde hair out of her eyes while continuing to gasp over and over again with her forehead against the ground.

Silvara continued to struggle and began screaming in pain as Trey’s magic coursed across her body, the princess flailing and kicking – though Trey wasn’t entirely sure if that was her own action or if it was her muscles spasming from the black lightning.

He let the princess drop with a thud a moment later, letting her metal-encased body slam into the ground where it continued to twitch as he sighed deeply and straightened up. The pulsing amulet along his chest, Dadik’s Heart, shifted between red and blue light as he looked around under two demonic horns at the populace of his people.

His… people.

“I’ll say this only once.” Trey loudly stated, kicking Carol in the gut and roughly sending her sprawling with the wind knocked out of her even though she had armor to blunt the blow. “My cousin thinks that because she was top dog back on Earth, where we come from, that she is going to remain that way. However, despite what she may have told you, that is not the case. I will not be disrespected like this again. I’ll let it go this time, but the next time… if there is a next time… and the punishment will be much more permanent. Even if that means that I kill all of you with her and leave your bodies with the corpses of the vampires after I take that fortress in the days to come. I would appreciate your cooperation, I will reward your cooperation, and I want to be your friend. But remember, your numen made a pact with Alkir so that you all would serve me and help me in my rise to power. If you aren’t here for that, then what the fuck are you here for?”

None of the vetteresie warriors moved, and a couple of them glanced at one another as Rivia and Ezdeath shared a malicious grin with one another. Atharost and Napoleon looked on with respect, and Sithis grunted his approval too.

“We are going to take that fortress…” Trey started to say – before stopping and catching himself gaping at Izumi and Telipe. The two of them were in a fucking mech after all – a twenty foot mech with what looked to be gatling guns on two sides, a sniper cannon on the back, a plasma sword, and a mana barrier that flickered about it like a forcefield.

He cleared his throat, tearing his eyes off the two women as Izumi waved excitedly and Telipe avoided eye contact. “We are going to take that fortress with or without you, but I hope that it is with you. I also want to personally thank Yastiel and Lueth for the kind words that they shared with me over the past few days, and hope that relations with the rest of you can go as smoothly as it has gone with them.”