Chương 175: The Forest Fortress

Xia, Leah, and Mason followed Fedora along the path, which was becoming increasingly marked by hoofprints and patches of blood. They could begin to hear the distant screams and the clash of swords.

"Where is the fighting?" Xia asked without slowing down.

"At the Forest Fortress" Fedora replied.

"It's the last real defensive stronghold before the capital. If it falls…the road to Virelia will be practically open". Mason studied the tracks on the ground, then turned his gaze toward Fedora.

"How did they already make it to the Forest Fortress?" Fedora clenched her jaw.

"They have more mages on their side, and above all, they possess seven swords with unique powers. Weapons capable of bringing the dead back to life…of setting entire areas ablaze…even of stopping time". Leah's eyes widened.

"They're the legendary swords…this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reclaim them".

"It's also the worst possible opportunity" Xia replied coldly.

"We'll be right in the heart of the war". Leah looked at her with determination.

"Felicity wouldn't back down. And neither will I". Xia did not answer. She simply continued walking. A few kilometers away, chaos reigned at the Forest Fortress. The fortress dominated the landscape like a gigantic stone carcass. Its walls were built from enormous blocks of gray brick, massive and uneven, blackened by smoke and flames. They must once have been imposing, but the battle had reduced them to a half-ruined structure.

Of the four towers that had once risen at the fortress's corners, only one remained standing. The other three had been reduced to piles of rubble: enormous sections of stone had collapsed outside the walls, burying soldiers and weapons beneath tons of debris. Deep cracks ran across the walls from one end to the other. In some places, entire sections had collapsed, leaving wide breaches through which the soldiers desperately tried to prevent the enemy from entering the fortress.

Outside the walls, the ground had become an enormous expanse of mud. Blood and earth had mixed together, forming a slippery, reddish surface littered with corpses. Some lay motionless, their armor shattered, while others slowly rose to their feet, dragging wounded limbs or still clutching their weapons. Coalition soldiers and soldiers of the kingdom fought relentlessly among the bodies. The screams of the wounded overlapped with the cries of battle. Swords clashed violently, producing an incessant metallic din.

Arrows streaked across the gloomy sky and buried themselves in the ground or in the soldiers' armor, while sudden explosions shook the walls. It was difficult even to tell friend from foe. The Forest Fortress no longer looked like a stronghold. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. It looked like the last fragment of a kingdom slowly being devoured by war.

Morvath advanced as the corpses of soldiers, enemies and allies alike, rose around him like zombies. Their bodies moved unnaturally, devoid of any will of their own, guided solely by the power of the legendary sword. He stopped beside Nikos, who was wielding the sword capable of summoning the dead and moving them like puppets.

"If you're tired, I can take it" Morvath said calmly.

"Those swords drain energy. Especially from humans". Nikos did not take his eyes off the battlefield.

"I'm fine, mage Morvath. I can handle it. You will be indispensable for using the dagger capable of stopping time. When the situation calls for it, you will use it". Morvath tilted his head slightly.

"And when would that situation be?" Nikos stroked his mustache.

"When things start going badly for us". Morvath surveyed the devastation around them.

"We're dominating. I doubt things will go badly".

"No" Nikos murmured.

"We cannot afford to underestimate them. Xarath may not have been their only ace up their sleeve. They could have another card to play, and if they do, we'll stop it before they can use it". Above the fortress's half-destroyed walls, a man pushed his way through the wounded soldiers. He had tanned skin, a sturdy build, and a shaved head. A deep wound tore across his abdomen, while half of his right ear had been severed. Blood ran down his side, but he continued moving with sheer determination.

"Soldiers!" The men turned around abruptly.

"Commander Reiter!"

"He's alive!" Commander Reiter had been responsible for stopping the other support squad. The Coalition had attempted to scale the walls with two squads that attacked them from behind. Captain Gavalis had stopped the squad on the left, while Commander Reiter had faced the one on the right. But the cannons and archers had not been enough. Both commanders had been forced to enter the battlefield and fight personally. Reiter had managed to survive, but by now he remained standing through sheer force of will.

"I'm barely alive. The others are dead or missing. I saw Captain Gavalis and several soldiers fleeing into the forest in the distance because they were being pursued by the enemy. I'm afraid she may have died as well" he said regretfully. A heavy silence fell over the group.

"Commander…what do we do now?" one of them asked. Reiter gritted his teeth.

"We will defend the fortress with our lives. And pray for a miracle. The cannons?"

"We only have a few crates of ammunition left".

"Then don't waste a single shot. Crossbowmen and archers: strike anyone who attempts to scale the walls. Cannoneers…I want you to blow up those damned corpses that keep getting back up. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Commander!" The orders were carried out immediately. A short distance away, a sorcerer with long black hair slicked back knelt in the mud. His eyes were completely black, save for his white pupils, narrow and elongated like those of a serpent. He rapidly traced several symbols with his hands, then plunged them into the earth. The ground trembled. Dozens of enormous white serpents emerged from the mud, sending clumps of earth flying as they hissed menacingly.

"Come on, my little ones…strangle and poison anyone you encounter". The creatures lunged into the fray. A soldier ran toward him.

"Korthiss! What the hell are you doing?! Those snakes will attack our own men too! The commander forbade you from summoning them!" Korthiss slowly turned around.

"We're losing and I'm supposed to hold back?" he hissed.

"Are you idiots? If we want to resist, sacrifices will be necessary. Even among our own ranks". He pointed toward the serpents devouring men indiscriminately.

"And besides, all you have to do is stay away from my little ones". Then he walked away toward the front lines. Korthiss was a mercenary mage who had agreed to work for the kingdom in exchange for money. He felt no attachment to his allies; all he cared about was killing the enemy, regardless of the means required to do so. A soldier lay on his back. A deep wound tore through his stomach, and his face had already gone pale. He raised a trembling hand toward the cloudy sky.

"I'm dying…damn it…". The sounds of battle reached him from far away now, as though he were submerged underwater. Around him, the others continued fighting and killing one another, completely unaware of his presence.

"It was obvious it would end like this…why did I think I could survive? Why did I believe I could be a hero…I should have listened to my Clara…" A broken breath.

"The only thing my children will have…is a dead father". His hand fell back into the mud. Around him, the war continued. Indifferent to every suffering and every hope.