The Adventurer

Easthaven. The last bastion of Revallia in the east. This town was simultaneously bursting with human activity yet was always enveloped in a sense of calm and tranquil. All of that was gone now. A grand army choked its streets. Songs of religious praise filled its air. The Adventurer's Guild convened in another meeting.

"So, it has begun," Erich said. His expression was impossible to read. The sparks of emotions ignited brightly in the meeting room. Though most were sombre, a few were absolutely furious.

"Well, they're morons," Alexis said. She was, of course, in the angry camp.

"Do we have any information about the elven resistance?" Dorothy asked, her normally calm voice shrill.

"Yes. I managed to briefly pierce through their obscurement a few days ago," Guildmaster Erika said. Some whistled in awe. Even Alexis seemed impressed. "They've mustered an army of sixty thousand to defend their capital, Ters Vitoria, and more troops are being mobilized from their northern counties."

A magical map projection shone brightly in the middle of the room. "They're gathering forces in Ters Pantrasia as well—around fifty thousand or so. Also, there are around ten thousand in scattered formation. Their mages are definitely on the ready as well, since they immediately increased their defences after I pierced it. Their fleets are also mobilizing, but I don't expect them to matter much."

"What about the drow?" one Adventurer asked.

"They've been moving some troops to the border but so far no significant movement."

"The Schauffenbergs kept their word, didn't they?" I muttered.

"Of course they did," Alexis muttered back.

"Elven northern reinforcements would number around thirty thousand to one hundred thousand, depending on how commited they are to stopping the invasion."

"Damn, those are some bad odds," Alexis quipped, though in her tone I could decipher that she truly wished to say to the King,

take that, moron!

"Well, we need to think of contigencies

in case

the elves win and then attack us," Guildmaster Erika said. "I've drafted a plan, so listen well ...."

It would be impossible for us to simply evacuate Easthaven—that would be tantamount to abandon the many villages and civilians that would be victims. Furthermore, Easthaven was

home

. How could one abandon one's own home without a fight? Even more, Guildmaster Erika opined that we needed to put up at least a show of resistance to dissuade further elven attacks. So a plan had to be drafted: a stand at Easthaven to purchase time for civilians to evacuate.

"You can't do this!"

Hearing that cry, the entire Guild rushed out. A dozen members of the Slaver's Guild were arguing with Imperial Agents, priests, and knights. "Guildmaster Steven," Guildmaster Erika greeted a bulky man standing rather aghast. "What is going on here?"

"Guildmaster Erika," he spoke. "They took away Alissa."

"Alissa? Alissa

von Schauffenberg

?" Alexis asked. The man nodded.

"Brilliant, they've undone all my work," Alexis cursed under her breath. Alexis and I went to the gates while the Adventurers scattered. We crouched on the roof of some tall house.

King Verence IV was young. He had ascended the throne but a few years ago following the (supposedly natural) death of his father, King Verence III. The regal king made an impassioned speech. "This land is ours! Go forth, recover it from those thieves and banish them from the land ...."

The vanguard marched out eight abreast. Heavily armored knights on horseback, then infantrymen. Imperial Mages followed. Banners were flung high and songs were sung.

The Second Sylvan War had begun.

The following weeks were tense. The Adventurer's Guild wanted at least half of its members present in Easthaven at all times, so Ariel, Ursa, and I switched places every few days. King Verence IV took residence in the mayoral office, forcing Mayor Sombart, ruler of Easthaven, to take temporary refugee in a tower near the Slaver's Guild.

The Adventurer's Guild, naturally, was privy to the war's proceeds. House von Schauffenberg had sent a strongly worded letter demanding Alissa's return. When the demand was rejected, a squad of Shades was sent to retrieve her, making a mockery of the Imperial Guard that was supposed to hold her hostage.

It was pure chance that Erich and I were patrolling the outer gates when the Shades bolted past the city walls with Alissa. Neither of us made any effort to stop them. "You see those markings on their neck, Darryl?" Erich asked casually.

"It's midnight with no moon, Erich," I said.

"Ah. Apologies," he said. "But they do have markings. They're Shade Ascendants, not mere Shades. I fear what this means for us all."

"Shade Ascendants?"

"Yes. Powerful Shades who had undergone a special ritual. They're quite formidable, as you just saw. If you were to fight one of them, the odds would be roughly even, I think." Erich tilted his head. In darkness I couldn't see well, but there indeed were some markings on his neck.

That night, another letter was left.

You shall pay.

Written in elvish and complete with the seal of House von Schauffenberg, there was no doubt who sent the letter.

Early on in the war, small groups of chained elven prisoners-of-war were sent back to Easthaven; the Slaver's Guild refused to process them as slaves. Yet, as the war progressed, it looked like more and more wounded men were what returned, not spoils. A month after the war—so about three weeks after Alissa's escape—some upheaval happened in Easthaven itself.

The vast supply depots that lied just outside Easthaven had been a hit with a spell. Its magical defences were breached almost effortlessly and the grains and other foodstuffs inside became rotten or otherwise inedible. "A modified necromantic spell," Alexis said to me. "This isn't elven magic."

"Drow magic?"

Alexis nodded grimly. "It's a ritual curse, a specialty of the drow."

"Can we do anything about it?"

"With ritual curses, the casters can reverse it. But for us, it'll probably take at least months to figure it a reverse spell," Alexis said. "This isn't good. If they can destroy food supplies and farmlands like this, everyone in Revallia would starve ...." Her words trailed ominously.

The final blow came in the form of a special 'envoy'. It was Saint Tiara, naked and with insults branded all over her flesh. White sperm flowed out of the Saint's vagina and anus. The Saint herself looked brain-dead, convulsing randomly. Occasionally, she would blabber some incomprehensible words. Alongside her was a general whose face betrayed a maelstrom of emotions. One branding on her stomach shook the hearts of many.

We are coming.

King Verence IV and his Imperial Guard immediately rushed to the town hall. All knelt, except for the Adventurers (read: Guildmaster Erika, Alexis, and I). "Your Majesty, there is no disguising this terrible defeat. Our entire force has been wiped out or captured without being able to inflict much damage."

"Outrageous!" King Verence IV shouted, his voice shaking, "I sent a army hundred thousand strong. How could we lose?" The general was also shaking.

"Your Majesty, their numbers were greater and they knew the terrain far better. Their mages also used spells far stronger than ours. Furthermore, supplies have been very scarce and we were not able to forage."

There was a stunned silence. The young king seemed unable to comprehend the terrible defeat he had suffered. Guildmaster Erika and Alexis looked at each other and for the first time I saw genuine worry in Alexis' eyes. What broke the silence was Saint Tiara, who began masturbating and moaning. Two guards dragged her away, her blank expression the stuff of horror.

King Verence had turned his back and was about to leave when who else but Alexis shouted. "Where are you going?"

"To Revallia City," his head of Imperial Guard said. "Your Majesty, let us leave soon ...."

Alexis was beyond furious. "Abandoning your own people,

Your Majesty

?" she mocked.

King Verence IV and his Guard did not answer. Half an hour later, they had fled to the relative safety of the capital, Revallia City. The very next day, reports of elven scouts raiding the isolated, defenceless villages near the border had arrived by the dozens and then hundreds. The day after that, a wave of refugees from the eastern fringes of the Kingdom arrived en masse.

Panic would have seized the city, but Mayor Sombart—a short, overweight man—was able to restore order. "People of Easthaven, I request that you remain calm," he said in the town hall. "Guildmaster Erika, if you will."

Guildmaster Erika stepped on the elevated platform. Previously, her face had been one of worry, but now it had become one of a fiery, impassionated leader. "I am Guildmaster Erika of the Adventurer's Guild. From now on, I would ask you to gather your belongings and prepare to evacuate to the west. We will begin evacuation tomorrow morning. Don't worry, but be quick. The Adventurer's Guild will protect you and defend the city until all of you have evacuated."

I understood the strategy—Easthaven and the Adventurer's Guild would be a dangerous threat to the elven counterattack. While they spend time fighting us, the civilians would have enough time to escape.

"I'm not doing that!" an elderly farmer shouted suddenly. I recognised him—Margot from Monica's village. "I'm not running away while you die for my safety! I'm fighting with you!" He raised his rusty pitchfork.

A chorus of agreement burst in unison. "Very well," Guildmaster Erika said. "All children and elderly, as well those infirm and sick, will be evacuated. The rest can stay if they wish."

I couldn't help but wonder if she had planned this in advance. Nonetheless, it was necessary. Around 22,000 men would defend Easthaven, including four hundred Adventurers—a mere third of the Guild's full strength. The evacuation was relatively smooth—as smooth as transporting hundreds of thousands of people could be, anyway. Monica, Ursa, and Ariel arrived from Freywind Hamlet. Emergency food and weapon depots deep beneath Easthaven were opened. These were under the Adventurer's Guild and the Slaver's Guild's joint ownership.

Most of those evacuated brought little with them: just food from the food depots, some clothing, some coins, and perhaps a family possession or two. Yet there was one extremely annoying man—Ronald. His wagons of expensive silk took extremely long to sort out. "Thank you, Adventurer," he said with a flat smile, his eyes still glancing at Ursa occasionally. "It is rare to find one with such concern for the mercantile class ...."

"Quickly," I said. "There are still people after you."

Monica was disgusted when I told her the story. "Should've just burned those damn silk and said it was an accident," she cursed. "Damn that bastard, I hope he gets killed soon."

Delaying action it may be, but the defence of Easthaven was no half-hearted measure. I sent my token back to Al-Jins, requesting military aid. Guildmaster Erika stood atop Easthaven's tallest building.

A great surge of power burst from her palms. In an instant, a powerful magical barrier was raised. Moments later, hundreds of what would be the masterpiece of a lesser barrier mage were erected. There was a goddamn good reason she was the Guildmaster, even with the likes of Erich and Alexis around. She would go to rest for quite some time.

Not everything was going well though. Alexis and Erich were organizing the hastily assembled army: a hodge-podge of city guards, villagers, remnants of the King's army that managed to escape, and mercenaries. "This isn't an army," Alexis grumbled. "You can't give a paintbrush to a man and call him an artist, nor can you give a spear to a man and call him a soldier."

Erich wore his classic mild expression. "Even the worst artist can splash some paint on a canvas. Even the worst soldier can shove a sharpened stick." That same day I went to my post—for now I was in the back lines, sending letters to request aid and organizing reports from scouts.

The Battle of Easthaven, as it would later be called, began three days after the news. "They've sent an army to fight us head-on," wrote one scout in his report, "also, a secondary army have been sent to the north."

Another scout reported, "orc and human bandits in the north are taking advantage of the situation to raid the northwest. Further Revallian reinforcements very unlikely."

The first salvo of the battle came in the form of a flurry of gigantic fireballs. The shields that Guildmaster Erika erected held firm, the tongues of fire dying before its might. Then the army of elves came.

At this point I was stationed on the walls with Erich. The elven army chanted loudly. "Revenge, revenge, revenge," Erich helpfully translated.

"This isn't going to end prettily, is it?"

"I'm afraid not."

The second wave came in the form of a dozen hulking treants. Massive trees animated with magic shambled forward. Archers loosed their arrows, but arrows could not hope to pierce thick wood. "They can't pierce the barrier with magic, so they're trying to go all physical, huh?" Erich muttered. His eyes glowed. Magical barriers were much weaker against physical threats, but surely Guildmaster Erika's insanely powerful shields could stand?

Erich's hand raised up. Two of the treants turned upon the others. A thin golden mist circled those two.

"Mages!" Guildmaster Erika's amplified voice boomed. "Except for the two, fire upon the treant's chests!"

I gathered up the grey light, my new weapon.

It was Alexis who fired first; a massive torrent of black fire burned away one of the treant's barkskin, revealing a purple gem underneath. A beam of grey light exited my palms, stripping away another's armor. Erich's treants rushed forward, their giant arms tearing off the gems.

As the battle mages of Easthaven followed suit, ballistas fired at the vulnerable gems, crushing them and rendering the treants inert.

"Erich! Darryl!" Alexis teleported next to me. "They're trying to cut off our line of retreat! Come with me!"

She teleported both of us to the rear. Gigantic eagles soared in the blue sky, their screeches sending the refugees into a spiraling panic. "You lot calm down and keep on walking!" Alexis shouted. Black lightning sprouted from her palms. One of the eagles and its rider crashed down.

The eagle was brought back to life by Alexis. "Get on!" she called me. The bloody eagle screeched weakly.

"Did you just use necro—"

"Get on the fucking eagle, Darryl!"

Soaring high up in the sky, Alexis and I immediately came under fire of blue arcane blasts by elven mages on eagles. The two of us fired back. Soon, a chorus of arcane bolts, black thunder, and grey light bloomed on the battlefield.

Suddenly, a burst of wind nearly blasted us off the eagle. A flying ship appeared on the horizon and another flock of giant eagles arrived. "Fuck, air cannons on a giant ship?" Alexis cursed. Another blast of wind nearly tore apart our eagle.

Alexis hopped off the eagle into the

air

. "Alexis!" I screamed.

A blinding flash later, Alexis had transformed into a giant black dragon. She teleported me down to the ground. Erich had just finished beating back the elvish forces—around him were corpses of elves, satyrs, and centaurs. He himself didn't even have a scratch.

Up in the air, the dragon Alexis battled the titanic battleship. Her twin horns generated powerful black lightning, frying off a good half dozen giant eagles. She charged right at the flying battleship. It fired its cannons, generating a windstorm that temporarily forced Alexis back. From her mouth, she fired a beam of black flame at the battleship, whose shield could only last so long against such an onslaught.

A figure moving quickly in the air intervened on the battleship's behalf. "Alaya von Schauffenberg ...," Erich muttered. He was contemplating aiding Alexis when both sides broke off fighting. The battleship and the remaining eagles quickly retreated.

Alexis returned to the ground a little wounded. "Let's return to Easthaven," she said.

Night had fallen. The elvish encampment seemed to have almost doubled in size. Lizard lancers, iron golems, and air cannons were paraded brazenly—an army of drow had arrived. Alexis and I were on the watch out.

"This isn't good," Alexis muttered as she watched another squadron of lizard lancers prancing around. "Alaya von Schauffenberg is here. That means her personal army is also here. And her personal army is probably as strong as the drow royal army."

"You can defeat her ... right?"

"Darryl, the amount of people I'm scared of can be counted on the fingers of a chopped hand," Alexis boasted. "But Alaya is quite a beast. If she can get in a couple clean punches powered with her lust magic, I'm dead meat."

"Facing lust mages, you've got to wear them down from the distance. Throw fireballs, lightning, ice, whatever, just make sure they don't get to fight you close quarters."

"I'd be more concerned about the fact that we're now even more outnumbered than now," I said. Alexis nodded.

"Master! Are you alright?"

Ursa and Ariel came to my side. "I'm fine," I said. "Both of you?"

"We didn't see any action today," Ariel said, almost disappointed.

"Which is a good thing," Ursa added. She sounded a little uncomfortable. "From the perspective that we need to get people out, this is very good."

"What about the evacuation?" I asked.

"It's going well enough," Ariel said. "But all that is left are the very weak, old, sick, or infirm. I expect things to go much harder from now on. Though, it seemed like they haven't commited much of their army."

"They don't intend to and they don't need to," Alexis said. "Once their northern army finishes their task, they'll swing south and overwhelm us with sheer numbers. And I'll be surprised if they aren't sending in a small squad to infiltrate Revallia City."

Erich arrived a few moments later.

"So much carnage for nothing," he said. "I didn't think they'd even attempt to attack civilians. Regular soldiers perhaps, but for even Shades to partake ... how low have the standard fallen."

Erich shook his head. "Have they forgotten what was taught in Ters Pantrasia? Honor, honor! We had a 50-page thick book on conduct ...," he lamented.

"I'm sorry, Sir Erich," Ariel said. "But elven Shades have always been trained in the capital, Ters Vitoria, no?"

"Slip of the tongue," he said. "Oh, and Alexis. Guildmaster Erika asked for you."

"Of course she did. Alright, come on. Let's go." Alexis and Erich left.

"This has to be the stupidest war I've ever seen," Ariel said. "So please don't die, Master."

"He won't. He slew a demon Lord, do you think he's going to die easily?" Ursa said.

"That was just luck," I said. It really was just luck. If I hadn't had the resolve to stay alive and unlock my power, I shuddered to think what would have happened. "The same goes to you two. I don't want to lose either of you. On that note, where is Monica?"

"She's organizing supplies," Ariel said. I nodded solemnly.

For two weeks there was somewhat of a lull in the fighting. Skirmishes broke out around Easthaven as elven forces attempted to surround it and Easthaven's defenders sortied out to stop it. A group of Shade Ascendants managed to bypass Guildmaster Erika's barrier to try and assassinate her, but was repelled by Alexis, Dolores, and Erich. At this point, almost all of the civilians had been evacuated. The Adventurer's Guild had lost almost a hundred members, half of them dead and the other half severely injured and evacuated. Easthaven was down to twelve thousand soldiers.

The sixteenth day of the Battle of Easthaven opened with another salvo of fireballs. A giant obelisk was brought to the battle. "What is that?" Ursa mused. Ursa, Ariel, and I were guarding Guildmaster Erika's personal office, from which she directed the battle and strengthened the barriers.