Revenge of the Sorcerer King 3 - 25

Good Morning folks! Sorry no DR chapters. My family lost a Pupper that had been with the family for sixteen years. I just didn't feel like writing the last couple days. Revenge is finished and pre-scheduled along with the next couple Annihilations and Azaria. I'll be trying to make it up either today or Friday, but I will for sure be uploading Monday and Wednesday next week. Thanks for bearing with me. Hard to believe it is April already. 

Chapter 25

Oberon

Three days was a long time for a marching army under normal circumstances. For an army of undead it was more of just an inconvenience. They didn’t need to eat, nor did they tire. They only thing slowing them down was the sun at the peak of the day when the storm was at its weakest.

My magic would get weaker inside the mountains and it would take even longer for us to cross the obstacle. I wasn’t expecting any resistance but as Helena mentioned, the orcs might give us trouble. Personally, I felt anyone stupid enough to challenge a force of seventy thousand undead would simply be crushed underfoot before I even noticed them.

Alessa slipped in through the open window of the carriage. “What are you reading now?”

“Just another history book. My friends sure went out of their way to make sure the world went to shit after I was gone.”

The girl laughed. “They likely weren’t used to making their own decisions. You tend to like to take charge. I’m sure you were much the same back then.”

I glanced outside as I considered it. She might have a point. When I was alive, I was so driven to unite the races to end all the wars and suffering that I might not have paid much attention to the things going on around me. Too busy looking at the goal in the distance. Or the beautiful women that were sent to me, I added to the thought with a chuckle.

“Did you need something from me?” I asked shaking away the memories.

“We’re about to enter the mountain pass. While we’ve found traces of scouts, it doesn’t look like they are going to be challenging us.” She shrugged like it wouldn’t mean much. After the last couple of battles, it was easy to see how she would get used to just walking over everyone.

“That is good news. We need to get to the dungeon quickly.” It would be good to get Mercy back, but I would like to gain a few levels as well. Dungeons were the best from what I’ve found. If only the dungeon back in Mayhem was a little more developed, we might have been able to reach even higher levels before we left the country. “Your girls going to run point?”

“Yes. I was about to go join them.”

I nodded seriously. “Make sure you stay close to the main force. We can’t afford for you to get separate from us in here.”

The Ketheria mountains were large and extensive and that was a thousand years ago. I could only imagine how much it might have changed during that time. Not only naturally, but with monsters doing their best to make traps, or hide their lairs. One could disappear for weeks if not months if they got lost up here.

“I know. I’ve been having Deldrach teach me about better ways to scout. They might have been crushed, but they were still the best adventurers in the entire Kalia lordship.”

“That is excellent. It is always good to learn. Especially from enemies that gave you trouble.”

Alessa chuckled with her fangs poking out. “My thoughts exactly. You should see his face when I order him to teach me. He gets so pissed off.”

“Hilarious. I will have to drop in on one of your sessions before he grows used to it.”

“Sure, sure.”

Alessa left after that. Her energy was much calmer the last couple days, but from what I heard she was close to letting sloth overtake her now. I still wasn’t sure if there was something with her body, or it was just her mind was very susceptible to the sins. Helena had never heard of anything like it, and while I was going through everything the mage’s tower from the Kalia Capital had to offer, there was nothing.

The only clue to something even remotely similar was Maya, who had an exaggerated Wrath sin. It was all a mystery. Maya claimed that she returned to her right mind, but was that truly the case. Of course, she was already like this when we met her. She was the only Maya that we knew.

“Friends with a monster,” I mumbled.

“That is your entire thing this time around right,” Helena commented as she phased into being in the carriage.

“Maybe, but I only like monsters that I can control.”

“What can we truly control?” she asked with a slow shake of her head.

“Everything if we have enough power,” I replied seriously. “What do you want?”

Helena grew serious and leaned forward. “I have bad news.”

“Oh? Did the other lordships already start moving?” I asked with a grin. I was hoping the lords would do something serious like pool all their people together. Undead excelled at turning large armies into their allies. It would also serve to level me considerably with such a large scale battle.

“There is that, but more immediate problem. The minions I summoned for you to play around with couldn’t make it through the mountains. Something is preventing passage.”

“What do you mean, couldn’t make it through?” I asked much more serious. Anything preventing me from reaching the Wandering Dungeon had to be removed. Be it an enemy or a mountain.

“They encountered a mist. I can still feel the link with them, but its as if it is buried. I can’t communicate with them anymore.”

“So they are still alive and lost by the sounds of it.”

“Yes. They aren’t exactly the strongest among my Familia, but they’re not by any means weak. Whatever is blocking the route is of considerable strength.”

“If we were to avoid it and take the alternative route, it would be what, a month in travel time?” I had looked over the maps since coming back to life, but there were still a lot of subtle things that could change travel time. For instance, there were at least two cities on the route with plenty of towns and villages to make it a nightmare on time. An army of undead don’t exactly march unhindered in most cases.

“More like three or four. All the northern lordships have a near direct access to that route. Even if we make it through all of them, there is no telling what the state of your army will be in.”

“My thoughts exactly. We gave them such a rude awakening. They’ll be wanting to get rid of us to go back to sleep as soon as they can.”

I leaned back and looked out the window toward the mountain. Sure enough, I spotted wisps of clouds that were coming from the area of the pass and further in. Without prior warning, it would have been easy to over look the magical barrier. “Who would have the resources to do…” I shook my head as the answer came to me. “The orcs. Those damn nature lovers.”

“Figures that the utmost perversion of nature walking through their front yard wasn’t going to go unnoticed.”

I narrowed my eyes at the cliffs. The grey stone that looked like no mortal hands had touched it. “It is almost as if I’m being challenged.”

Helena hid her face behind her fan, but not before I spotted her grin. “Who wouldn’t want to challenge the World’s Curse. They would be able to say they were the most powerful in the world.”

“Very well then. Challenge accepted!” I pointed my hand outside the carriage at the grey walls. With a thought, a dozen fireballs flew from my palm into the cliff face in the distance and sent several tones of stone flying and falling through the air with the sound of a loud explosion. I was sure the sound would echo throughout the mountain.

I couldn’t help it and started laughing at the destruction. Come what will. I will beat whatever comes at me into submission with the sheer power of my magic.

Alessa

Leaving Oberon, I made my way to the back of the marching army instead of the front. Marching a small distance down wind from the undead where some of Familia with several dozen carriages. Servants controlled the carts, while ghouls protected them from monsters or Oberon’s undead. Only a few of my vampires were back here.

“Sarius.”

The large man appeared in front of me as soon as I called his name. “Yes, my lady?”

I looked around, pleased that even though he disliked this job he was still doing his best to make sure it ran smoothly. “Have your seconds take over here. I want you to accompany me into the mountain at my side.”

Excitement flashed across his face. Sarius hated guard duty. I had told him I would make it up to him. He was a good hunter from his time as a mortal. He would be good at tracking anything that might think to ambush us in the mountain. “As you command!”

“Before we head up, I want… bring me ten this time.”

“Are you sure, my lady?” he asked nervously. “Last time there was barely anything left of them.”

“Tell that to my stomach. I have a nice new curse that makes things hard for me.”

“At this rate, we’re going to have to get you some trolls.”

I wrinkled my nose at the thought. Troll stench was supposedly so strong that you could detect it from a few kilometers away. “Why?”

“They have almost vampire level, no, even greater regenerative abilities. You could drink them dry in the morning and be able to enjoy a full course in the evening.”

“I see. That has some merit. I do admit that I felt bad about consuming so many of them, but there is an almost burning pain in my stomach.”

“I understand. For now, I’ll fetch the ones that look like they can survive you.”

“Thank you, Sarius.”

He had a good grasp of the stock that we had with us and soon returned with ten men and women that had lived very cushy lives before being captured by this army of the damned. All but one had a dead look on their faces, and the one that didn’t have a dead look was missing a few screws.

She was exposing her chest and neck trying to get Sarius to bite her. She looked flushed and in good health for a prisoner. Her hair was and face almost glowed as she came closer. A pleasant scent started to fill the air as well. It didn’t take me long to find it was coming from her.

Sarius held her back with a hand. I could have sworn she was trying to cut her wrist. “She’s addicted and thus makes a very enthusiastic volunteer. She even gained a skill. Increased Blood Production.”

“The drinking process does have a very pleasurable feeling,” I commented watching the girl try ever harder to get Sarius to drink from her.

“Indeed. I’ll make sure this one stays ready for your use.”

“That will probably be best.” With how much blood I needed to consume just to hold the burning sensation away, it was getting harder to control myself around the captives.

“Bite me! Fuck me! I don’t care just let me feel it! The pleasure!” The woman started screaming other more suggestive ideas when it was obvious that Sarius wasn’t going to bite her.

“She’s your partner today,” he said pushing her to me. She latched her arms around my waist and rubbed against me. Somehow she had managed to completely disrobe.

“Hurry! Hurry!” she begged even starting to cry.

“I don’t like being ordered around, but since you insist.” I reached down and grabbed her by the neck to bring her to my mouth. The hints of various bites marked showed. I dragged my fangs against her skin not quite breaking it yet. She shuddered before she pissed herself. She was lucky she missed me, or I would have thrown her across the field.

I extended my fangs a bit further than bite down. I had drank a lot of blood since becoming a vampire, probably much more than I actually needed to, but I enjoyed it. This girl’s blood was delicious. Almost like it was made for vampires. I drained her until she stopped moving and stopped before she would have become a ghoul.

Pulling her away, her face was blue from my grip, but she looked like she was in bliss. I dropped her to the ground and looked to Sarius. “Find someone that can inspect status. There is something wrong with this.”

“I knew you would think so,” he said as he pulled a sheet of parchment from his pocket. “There is a mortal that was desperate to survive and reveal he has the appraisal skill. This is her status.

Name: Nakie Floa

Age: 19

Race: Human

Level:23

[Sexual Maneuvering: Adept] [Mood Reader: Expert] [Increased Blood Production: Novice] …

Sin: [Pride: 7%] [Greed: 39%] [Lust: 85%] [Envy: 3%] [Gluttony: 15%] [Wrath: 54%] [Sloth: 17%]

Curses: Vampire’s Siren

Boons:

Judging from the status, this woman was obviously a night worker. I had nothing against them, since they served to maintain order by relieving stress of adventurers and soldiers alike. From her lust sin, she appeared to quite enjoy her job.

“A curse. I wonder how it is caused,” I commented handing the sheet back to him.

“I have a theory, but so far nothing has come of it.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, she has been bitten by over thirty vampires. Most would become a ghoul or servant by that point, but she has managed to avoid that.”

“Interesting. We’ll need to test that out when we get the chance.” If we could make more of these that would serve us well since we wouldn’t have to guard them so strictly. Just from what I saw it looked like they would go crazy if one of us didn’t bite them eventually.

“I already have a few that have been bitten over fifteen times. I was making sure to prevent any of the newborns from getting carried away. My second is aware and will continue the test.”

“You’re making me want to leave you here,” I said with a chuckle as I cleaned my mouth and turned to the rest. “Next time, tell me so I don’t eat dessert first.”

“My apologies. She gets a little… self-damaging if she is in close proximity of vampires.”

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