Bloodsworn

Chapter 2.43 The Risen

43.

Forms shambled around, hardly more than dots as Erak leaned over to look at them. Hundreds of them, covering the ground in locust-like swarms as they walked around the half destroyed suburb. It was the closest that Sword could get for the shuttles to land, the rest of the city was shrouded in a thick, unnatural mist. The breeze opened up channels in the mist, showing shadows of towers and domes, nothing more than hints of what lay beyond.

“I think the graves have opened up,” Sammus said dryly as he straightened his armor, tightening the straps to his breastplate as he looked down at the streams of black dots. Erak grunted in agreement before turning to look back at the shuttle bay. Hundreds of people were gathered around the single shuttle, formed tight, disciplined lines that would be able to quickly load into the shuttles.

His militia force that had been augmented by nearly an extra four hundred volunteers. All fresh recruits who had never once seen battle. They had endured Nevia and her veterans training for a week, but still green as grass. They’d die in large numbers if they were thrown into the milling mass below.

“I will clear the landing spot with Nevia’s team. Then my guard who will hold the landing zone. Sword’s engineers will follow behind them, then the next most trained group of the militia to reinforce the landing zone. Sammus, you will be in charge of that group,” Erak signed. The prince nodded, understanding the gravity of the detail. If they lost the landing zone, there would be no escape for the expedition.

“Pomp, call for Nevia and her veterans,” Erak ordered the dragon, turning to walk into the shuttle. The empty shuttle smelled of harsh cleaner and grease. The crew were finishing their work, going through the list with detailed efficiency.

Erak sat near the ramp so he could be the first one off. It took only a few minutes for Nevia and her platoon to board the shuttle. They sat quietly, the specialized squads sticking tight together as they all waited for the moment that the shuttle would begin its fall to earth.

His heart beat slow and steady, each pulse sending a lance of adrenaline through him as the shuttle’s engines fired to life. The ramp was kept open, cold air whipping through the holding bay in a scream that made talking impossible. It took only a few seconds to fall from the Sword to the ground as Erak tightened his grip on the hammer’s handle.

“LANDING!” the crew chief screamed, throwing his hand in a wheeling motion as dust billowed around the engines. Erak lunged free of his seating, flinging himself onto the ground before anyone else could even rise out of their seats. He hit the hard ground and looked around himself as he looked for his first foe.

Thick dust filled the air, making it impossible to see anything around himself. A shape blurred out of the dust, thin desiccated fingers scrabbled at Erak’s helm, grasping to wrap his fingers around Erak’s throat.

Metal met bone, snapping and breaking with ease as Erak’s single blow threw the figure back into the dust cloud, lost from view in an instant. Nevia’s soldiers poured out of the shuttle, covering his blindside as the shuttle rose up into the air and rocketed toward Sword’s bay, eager to refill its empty bay.

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With the heavy thrust of the engines gone the dust began to settle and Erak was able to clearly see the creatures milling around them. Pale blue light burned in their eyes as their wrinkled bodies all turned to face him.

Risen

A tortured spirit trapped inside of their original body, driven to rage and violence against those who live.

Risen lvl. 12

Risen lvl. 14

Risen lvl. 15

All around him he looked at the low ranking undead creatures and he couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Nothing here would challenge him.

Nevia swiped with her saber, a lazy stroke that took the head off of the closest of the risen. All around him her team slaughtered with ease, sending those old warriors back to their graves. Erak left the soldiers to their business, turning toward the mist shrouded city.

More shapes were coming out of the mist, scores of them, their burning blue eyes bright in the late afternoon sunlight. Erak absently swatted away one of the creeping risen, cracking it in half as it collapsed into a heap, body exploding from the force of the hammer blow. It looked up at him, still burning blue eyes glaring at him. Erak stomped its skull with the heel of his boot, bone cracking like dry sticks.

The blue fire flared around his foot harmlessly before launching itself in a meteor toward the sky. He finally got the alert for defeating the monster. Nevia looked over at broken body on the ground before barking out orders.

“Crush the skulls to finish them!” her voice rang out like thunder, thin tendrils of Essence leaking from her mouth as she spoke. Her soldiers followed their orders quickly, breaking apart the bodies in a flurry of strikes. More and more of the blue flame raced up and disappeared into the blue sky. Erak watched it for a moment before speaking to Pomp.

“Do you see where that is going?”

“No, but it doesn’t feel like it’s leaving. I shall investigate,” Pomp said, rising on Erak’s shoulder to throw himself into the air, wings flapping as he rose to soar away, following in the wake of the blue flames.

“Erak, new shuttle landing!” Nevia said, as her squads pushed forward to clear more space. Heat washed over the area as the dust flew up again in a blanketing cloud. More of his militia unloaded, quickly disembarking and forming a battle line facing the city. The shuttle rose up and disappeared a second later, the operation done smoothly enough that Erak felt a bit of satisfaction.

He looked over his warriors and unfurled his new aura. It was a blanket of power that connected him to each of the warriors on the field. Tethers that reached and bound them to each of them, pulses of connectedness that gave him an otherworldly ability to feel them on the field.

Erak staggered a step as he felt them, his world spinning as suddenly felt himself in forty places at once. The moment lasted only a second before it retreated, the strange otherworld connectedness faded, but he could still feel them on the field. Heads turned to peer at him and he felt a ripple of anger at them breaking discipline.

The thin tendril of Essence that connected him to those who had broken discipline thickened for a brief moment as his irritation touched them. They looked abashed as they turned back to look at the march of the undead. Their spears made quick work of the slow moving monsters, breaking their skulls easily enough to send a river of blue flame upward to the sky.

“Engineers coming down!” Nevia barked as more dust flared up into the sky. The engineers poured out, gathering behind the line of militia fighters as Nevia’s squads formed on the wings.

“Into the city!” Nevia barked. The militia started to march forward even as the shuttle rose up and went to gather the next wave. Erak looked over the broken, mummified remains all around him.

“Maybe something will be worth my time in the city.”