Revenge of the Sorcerer King 3 - 1 (Patreon)

Book 3 - Upheaval 

Chapter 1

Oberon

Lifeforce rippled through the air as I absorbed the energy from the group of bandits around me. It was the third batch this week, not that I was minding. Once the humans were dead, I waved my hand and with a pulse of my own energy, the bodies started to twitch then shake harshly as they rose to their feet.

Helena moved up next to me on her Hell-horse, a beast that was wreathed in fire at the hooves. Shadows leaked from its eyes and nostrils. “Do you have a magnet?” she asked, her humor at the continued attacks obvious.

“Its been like this for as long as I could remember. Traveling was the worst until I made the Golden Throne. Even as a King I was attacked on my first trip to inspect the kingdom.”

“Oh. You’re being surprisingly honest today,” she said surprised.

“I’m just annoyed by the sun and don’t want to deal with you right now.” I directed the new undead to join the group in the back.

She glanced out from under her parasol, “I do have to agree with you there.”

We were traveling to the Kolia Lordship. It was the closest to the Wandering Labyrinth, even with the mountain range blocking the route. My goal was Mercy. It was the crucial part of any plans going forward. Plus, I owed Kolia some payback. For some people, they might turn the other cheek when hit. For me, I grabbed a club and beat them until they couldn’t remember their own name.

“Where’s Alessa?” I asked as we got back on the road.

“Scouting with her daylighters. When I take her to Hizin with me later, it is going to cause quite a stir,” Helena replied with a yawn.

“A new noble always causes a stir, be it mortal courts or the immortal.” I had raised through the ranks in a blood fashion and many people feared me. The lordship I was born in had been run down and the lord treated his people like slaves. When dozens of women in our village were taken, we could no longer stand by and watch.

No one expected a D rank adventurer to raise an army in the span of three months. That was a personal achievement I’d always been proud of. A month later of bloodshed and death, we’d finally killed the lord. Of course, I hadn’t expected to be thrust into the throne by my companions. That was the birth of Haven.

People that were oppressed fled to my kingdom. I accepted anyone and everyone. Haven’s population skyrocketed to the top of the continent in a matter of three years. Naturally, fear followed our lordship’s rise to power. The surrounding lordships declared war on us with the claim they were freeing their people. In other words, taking back their slaves.

A year later, Haven had successfully absorbed the three lordships making it the dominant power on the continent. Another year after that, I had decided to unite the people of the world. That would lead to ten years on the battlefield, and my eventually betrayal. Nonetheless, it was my path.

The procession continued on until the sun started to set. The undead were about a kilometer behind us. That allowed me to kill anything or anyone that might warn the villages and towns ahead about the marching undead army. My life sight and Helena’s ability to sense heat and blood allowed us to track just about everything in a kilometer radius. Not to mention, Alessa was going around.

“Walls,” Helena commented after a few hours of silence.

“What’s the name of the town?” I asked.

“Does it matter?” Helena retorted with a snort.

I laughed. “I suppose it doesn’t.” A red-armored body dropped from the trees nearby. “Alessa. I was wondering if you were going to come back today.”

“Was catching monsters and got carried away. My Familia is positioned around the town. I figured you were going to crush it.”

“Good. I’ll send out the divisions and surround it. Can’t have any rats getting away to warn their capital of the impending threat.” Not yet at least.

With a mental command, the undead army moved forward catching up with us then moving past us toward the walled town. Once they were largely in position, I drew promise and pointed it at the sky above the town. With a quick chant, a magic circle expanded over their town then seemingly nothing happened.

Of course, that was what it was supposed to do. It blocked any sort of magical sending. A few priest probably just got a nasty headache with their prayer rebounding on them. If only it stopped them from using holy magic as well.

“Time for a little Mayhem?” I asked looking at the two women. They both showed off their fangs before turning into shadows as they shot into the night.

Looking at the city, I contemplated how to start the night off. Aiming Promise at the closest gate, I focused my mana and used Battering Ram. A sphere of magical energy formed in front of my sword before it exploded toward the gate. In a matter of seconds, it slammed into the wooden gate turning the structure into splintered wood.

“Maybe a bit too much for a wooden wall,” I mumbled with a shrug. Adjusting my aim, I began sending fireballs into the town. As Alessa once experienced, my fireballs were much more destructive than a normal sorcerer. It might as well be a small meteor. Wherever my spells hit, exploded as they burst into flames.

I continued my one-man artillery into the night as my undead swarmed the town. Living shadows, the only indication of the vampires among our ranks as they hunted. In less than an hour, I was sure most of the living were no more.

Looking up at the sky, I cast my thoughts to the gods. “I hope you all are enjoying this.” With a smirk, I cracked the reigns of my mount and moved into the town. Time for some more undead.

Alessa

The rumbling of collapsing buildings sounded out around me. Oberon was showing off his ridiculous side again. Even towns had a small measure of magical protection and he was blasting through it with fireballs. Not to mention the spell that blocked magical contact outside the town. I had never heard of magic that could do that.

It didn’t matter though. I was more interested in the hunt. I wanted to defeat the strong people that refused to help me or even hunted me in the past. With a burst of shadow, I appeared in the middle of the adventurer’s guild. They hadn’t mobilized yet even with the screaming of the people around them.

“What do we have here?” I asked looking around at the gathered people. Probably some of the strongest in the town. “Cowards?”

“Look girl. We don’t get involved in wars between the lords,” A large brute of a man said hefting a large sword onto his shoulder.

“No. You all would rather hunt weak monsters and girls that have been cursed.” Rather than wait for their reply, I shot forward and plunged my hand through the large man’s chest. Yanking it out, I held the heart over my mouth as I drank the blood that poured out. He stared wide eyed, before he collapsed to back. “Well. I’m a monster. Hunt me!”

The two or three dozen people in the guild all drew their weapons before they rushed me. I concentrated and the red-ice gauntlets grew wicked spikes at the end. I didn’t even bother to block some of the attacks, they couldn’t hurt me. Bringing my fists around, I punched out, blowing limbs off with quick strikes.

The adventurers that could handle the pressure were only blown back, but in most cases the receiving party lost a limb. Screams and yells of pain made a nice symphony to the sprays of blood and bone shards. I exerted my mana over the blood in the air and pulled it all into orbs that began floating around me.

I felt a fluctuation of mana in the air and quickly brought my arms up in defense. Two fireballs and a blade made from wind slammed into me, the explosion of the three managing to push me back several paces. My red ice gauntlets possessed cracks showcasing that while it wasn’t enough to deal me any real damage, it was still a threat if I allowed it to continue.

I whipped my head around, my vision instantly locking onto the guilty individuals. I narrowed my eyes while I channeled my mana. The orbs elongated until they were spikes then streaked through the air to impale the mages. I greatsword slamming into my side didn’t let me revel in the easy kills.

Sailing through the air, I crashed into the wall. I almost made it into the next room. Gripping the edges of the crushed wall, I took in the newest enemy. An older man, he had to be in his fifty or sixties. He held a flaming sword almost as tall as he was.

“I’m not about to let a monster have free reign in my guild.”

Pulling myself free from the wall, I stood up and dusted my body off. He’d managed to cut through my ice armor and leave a gash on my waist, but it was already healing. I revealed my fangs with a grin. “This is more like it!”

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