Revenge of the Sorcerer King 3-29

Good Morning Folks!

Chapter 29

Oberon

I kneeled on the outcropping overlooking the orc town, city? Whatever it was classified as, I was about to burn it to the ground. The town was composed of a large amount of stone huts that had hides of various monsters covering them. There were also a large number of caves along the edges that likely held a number of orcs.

In the center directly in front of a large hut that was easily a few stories tall, burned a large bonfire with several orcs tied to posts surrounding it. An intricate magic circle was carved into the ground that had blood flowing through it from the bodies that were tied up. Classic ritualistic magic. They might be naturalists, but that didn’t mean they were kind or peaceful.

Sitting in a throne made from skulls and trees between the fire and large hut was an orc at least three times the size of the others. His armor appeared to be made from bones and trees as well. A large sword rested against his throne that basically radiated mana as a physical force.

I narrowed my eyes at the weapon. If my memory served me right that belonged to my old orc ally, Magra. He hailed from the southern continent, so it was a little strange spotting that here. Focusing my glare on the face of the orc I tried to find a resemblance, but my memory didn’t want to provide me those details. I would have to just pry the answers from him once I drove me sword through his chest.

From the actions of the orcs, large humanoids that possessed green skin and tusks, they were well aware that we were nearby. A wall of foot soldier like orcs surrounded the town with shields, swords, and spears. Shamans lined up behind them casting spells and enchantments to increase their strength.

“Well we can’t let that continue,” I said standing up drawing Promise and pointing it toward the gathered orcs. “End’s Bombardment!” Magic constructs formed covering the air above the outcropping. Stone spears wrapped in black hellfire emerged before they began raining down on the orcs.

The orcs had enough skill to switch from enchantments to barriers before the spears crashed into the arrangement. The barrier lasted for a good ten seconds before cracks started to form. I waved forward and the undead behind me started charging over the outcropping into the small field that surrounded the orc town.

Roaring, moaning, and all sorts of other sounds came from the horde as the crashed into the barrier. It was already breaking from my spell and the additional stress from the undead pushed it past its limit. The barrier shattered and the undead wave crashed into the wall of orcs.

Blood, both rotted and fresh, gore, bones, and all manner of body parts went flying as the two forces crashed into each other. The orcs were high level. I easily saw that when they held out against the pure onslaught of the undead. Most of the undead in my army ranged between level one fifty and three hundred and the orcs were handling them.

That’s not to say the undead didn’t take the orcs down with them. There were close to four or five thousand orcs, that I had counted so far. About every ten undead managed to take down an orc. It was not a math problem that I enjoyed. The giant orc that sat in the center of the town hadn’t even moved yet.

I rolled my shoulders and jumped down into the sea of undead. My guardian undead joined me, staying close enough to assist me in the need arouse. Walking slowly more because I was a king and kings didn’t run, I eventually made it to the front line. The orcs nearest me roared in my face, standing a good head or two taller.

I grinned and moved Promise, a blade made of energy whipped out and cut the three nearest orcs in half. They still lived as I stepped on their screaming torso. Spears and swords came at me from every angle as the orcs saw that I was a bigger threat. I countered and parried the loose attacks, easily driving my sword through hearts and lungs before they even got near anything vital for me.

Soon, I was in the thick of it, and every slash of my sword dropped an orc to the ground. With my left hand, I wielded magic to a deadly result. Spells of all manner crashed out around me, the gentlest of them cutting an orc in half with a blade made from wind. I was a whirlwind of destruction and I was having the best time of it.

More orcs screams sounded as the higher level undead finally joined in. The Calamity Icon melted everything around her with her death magic. The orcs literally rotted before her eyes. Yunio, the wraith, weaved in and between the orcs, a pass of her thin sword resulting in a spray of blood and a head or limb sent flying. Lenora was much more blunt using a tremendous explosions of ice to kill dozens of orcs at once.

This was turning into a good day. I thought as I skrewed an orc with Promise. The blade drank his mana then demanded more. A loud boom sounded to the side of the field and I spotted a giant almost deer shaped figure rising from the undead. I soon realized it was Alessa as her link was still established with me.

The form didn’t stay deer like for long as the head soon changed and tentacles burst from the body. They crashed down like water crushing undead and orc alike. Soon everything within a hundred meters of the girl was no longer moving. I ordered the undead to go around her, as I sensed that she had tipped one of the sins again. I would have to hope she calmed down before the end of the battle.

Alessa

A few minutes before Oberon started the battle, I was laying down trying to recover. I felt… strange. In my unconscious and hurting state, I had drank most of Jecht and Jade’s blood. I had talked to Helena about drinking vampire blood before and while she said it could be done, she didn’t recommend it. The blood was like eating a super fatty meal and you felt sluggish for a long time afterward.

At least that was what she said I was supposed to feel. However, I felt fine, on the blood front at least. My body was still recovering from the wounds of the fall. What was the strange feeling I was getting then? That was the problem, I couldn’t figure it out.

The sound of metal and clacking of bones sounded the start of the battle. I sat up and moved almost with the flow toward the battle. I was almost to the front line when I just didn’t feel like moving forward any more. I dropped to the ground and turned to look at the sky. Maybe I should transform. My phoenix form would be useful.

I started to process and something else took over. Sadly, I didn’t even care to fight it. I was already in my new form when I belatedly realized what had happened. The vampire blood had maxed out my sloth. Ironically, while I wasn’t completely driving the show anymore, the sloth sin apparently didn’t care enough to drive me from my body like Wrath and Gluttony.

Watching, I found I was some sort of giant dear, at least that was what I thought it was until my head literally exploded into hundreds of tentacles that started crushing anything that came near me. Even after the area was clear, I found it extremely hard to want to move forward toward the orcs.

“Are we just going to stand here?” I asked, trying not to yawn. I felt sluggish and the battlefield seemed to be distant. As if I was looking at it through a long tube.

“Bored. Tired,” the sin answered in reply.

“Then why take over my body?” I shot back irritated that I was becoming some sort of ride for the sins.

“Comfortable. Feels good.”

“Is that so?!” I screamed in my head trying to channel a bit of rage. “Then give me back control!” I pictured the reigns of a carriage and yanked them from the invisible hands. The battle returned around me along with the sensation of the body that Sloth had been driving until now. Luckily, I had been there, and I knew how to use the tentacles even if I had never had an appendage like that before.

The new form was sluggish by design however, and each step forward took a lot of concentration and effort. I still managed to get the new body moving and soon I was back at the front lines. The undead and orcs were trading about ten for one, but the liches had started raising the dead orcs to join the fight. It would only be a matter of time now. That was always the danger of fighting the undead.

There was a sudden tremendous pain from my side as a crescent line of energy cut into me. The force even managed to knock my massive form over. I looked around and saw that the large orc that had been sitting this entire time was stalking towards me with a sword that was so large even he had to drag it behind him.

I controlled my tentacles to twisted and lurch their way to attack him, but he was skilled and dodged or countered all of them. He even managed to slice a few of them into pieces. I needed more if I was going to overwhelm him and only the tentacles of this form moved with any speed.

Triggered by the thought, my back burst as hundreds more of the tentacles rushed at the foe. This time he had to at least stop as he fought them off. I winced as he cut through the tentacles, however dulled my sense of pain was, the cuts were still painful.

“It is not nice to pick on a lady,” Oberon said from the side. The large orc turned as he cut the last of my tentacles.

“Lady or not, I kill monsters,” the giant orc replied with out emotion.

“She isn’t a monster. I am,” Oberon replied unleashing every ounce of his pent up auras. He had gotten a lot stronger since the last time I had felt him do that. It was almost like Death himself was standing across from me.

“Truly, I have never felt such evil. Fine then monster! I Orc God-king Nag. Grand Son of Magra the First God-King, shall end you here and now.”

“Aren’t you a little far from home, little boy?” Oberon asked with a tone I had never heard before. No, I might have heard it once. When he talked about Lucifer. The already thick aura of death thickened even further until an image of a skeleton holding a scale and a scythe seemed super imposed over his body. “You will wish you never said that name in front of me.”

I attempted to stand, but the affects of Sloth were still strong. I couldn’t even dismiss the transformation quickly. It looked like I might be reduced to a bystander for this fight.

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