Chapter 361 - Nightmare Bulwark (Patreon)

This chapter ended up being a long one, so I still owe you one. I'll be aiming to write an entire chapter tomorrow but we'll see if it happens lol. Super pleased with how this chapter turned out though. Ended up being my favourite to write in a while, so hope you like it!

The losses were devastating. Hump saw the regiments swallowed up with his own eyes, but still there was a part of him that dare to…

No, Hump told himself. Hope isn’t the answer. Reality is what it is. People die, and no amount of hope or blind faith would change that.

He watched as the army fled beneath the great wall. The red stone darkened into flesh. Arms stretched from the wall, reaching out a dozen paces and snatching any soldier that was too slow to escape, dragging their desperately flaying forms back to gaping mouths. The wounds across its body repaired, its fallen pieces sucked back into itself and knitted back into one whole. Essence soared across the entirety of the living wall, so rich with chaos that it was blinding to Hump’s Spirit Sight. This was the might of the dungeon core.

From the army, Chosen rushed forward to support, led by Count Daston. The count himself formed a great barrier over the army, protecting from the projectiles that still rained down upon the routing force. Others worked around him to provide support, while Chosen of Emirai and others with healing made their way to the wounded, helping to stabilise them even as they were dragged back to the army.

But the wall had already consumed many. The screams of those taken within its bodies didn’t stop. Their agonised echoes filled the world around Hump, as if sounding in his ear. Minutes passed. Hump’s hand tightened on his staff, his heart racing at the sound of such agony. He imagined people dissolving within the stomach of the hulking beast that surrounded the citadel, or trapped in a dark place with no escape as air slowly ran out. Whether an auditory illusion created by the wall, or magically amplified screams of those dying within, Hump did not know. Either way, it served its purpose.

The army’s morale was devastated in one fell swoop. Hump turned from the hundreds of fleeing soldiers to the army that watched on—on their faces he saw shock and terror.

Nishari pressed up against Hump’s leg, the warmth of her body a small comfort when exposed to such horror. From her, Hump sensed confusion and fear. She did not understand what had just happened, only that it was terrible.

***

Marcela appeared exhausted when she staggered toward Hump and the others at the siege assembly point. Her once polished armour was now tarnished with dust and dirt, and streaks of grime marred her weary face. Dark brown hair, mattered with sweat, hung in a dishevelled ponytail down to her lower back. Len was with her, the Sorcerer walking with his head held high in contrast to the downcast soldiers of the army. Hump wondered what the man was truly thinking, but he supposed that the Chosen had their own job to do. If morale was to recover, they needed to be strong.

Hump stood from where he had been keeping watch—they’d been on guard duty ever since the attack. There were fears that the demons might try to catch them while they were weakened, but as of yet, the afternoon had been uneventful. Approaching with his party, Hump moved out of earshot of the engineers that were busy repairing the damage to their mighty equipment. At his side, Nisha tilted her eyes and stared at the living wall around the citadel. Hump saw tiny shapes moving upon its battlements and thought he heard the mocking laughter of demons.

“The total tally was six hundred casualties,” Marcela said quietly. “Of which, two-hundred and forty-three were killed. Fifty-two of which were Chosen.”

“Fifty-two?” Emilia murmured in disbelief.

“Gods help us.” Dylan covered his mouth with a hand and shook his head. “May their souls find peace.”

“They will find peace when the demons are destroyed,” Bud snarled. “Such evil cannot be allowed to persist.”

“It won’t be.” Marcela’s blue eyes met Bud’s, and Hump saw a burning resolution in them.

“How did this happen?” Celaine asked. “How were we so uninformed about the wall?”

Marcela gave a helpless shrug. “Demons are well-known for their trickery. It seems in our arrogance we forgot that.”

“A lesson I’m sure they were more than happy to remind us of,” Hump said. “What will happen now? This attack proved that there is much left in their defence. And the demons are yet to reveal their full strength. I counted five greater demons along the walls today. Countless more must be within the walls.”

“The siege begins anew,” Marcela said. “General Korteg is preparing a strategy as we speak. I’ve been summoned to a meeting shortly where I hope to learn more about what comes next.”

“You’ll keep us informed?” Hump asked.

Marcela smiled. “Of course.”

***

The sky was darkening to the blood-red colour that it took on come nightfall when word from Marcela came, requesting Hump and his party attend one of the command tents. Together, Hump and the others waited for her outside.

It was not long before Marcela arrived, her father, Count Daston, also with her. With no use for armour, the man was dressed in a long military coat that draped down to his knees. It was a pale grey and carried the sigil of Avaroth on its back and chest. Soldiers stepped forward and bowed or saluted the man as he passed. He returned the formality with easy chatter or his own nodded greetings. A retinue of six Chosen arrived with him—four were heavily armoured, wearing tabards reflecting their gods, while the other two wore the robes of a spellcaster or healer.

Stepping into the tent, Count Daston greeted Hump and his party by name and had them sit around a table to the side of the large tent. Servants arrived quickly, bringing bottles of wine and water, along with fine glasses. Bowls of fruit arrived, and platters of cold meat. The kind of dishes Hump would expect to find in a good restaurant rather than a dungeon. Nobles just had things different, especially those as wealthy and powerful as Count Daston.

He glanced around at the others in the room curiously. The count’s retinue stood by watchfully.

“There are fears that the demons will try to take me out,” Count Daston explained. He chuckled. “Sir Jeric here insists a guard is on me at all times, despite my protests that I would make for a poor target.”

Marcela was sat beside him. “Poor target or not, it is for the best, father.” She placed a hand on his forearm, squeezing gently.

“Yes, well, it would not do for me to ignore both my daughter and my advisors, would it now?” he smiled at her softly, placing his other hand on top of hers. Then as if suddenly remembered, he gestured toward the drinks on the table. “Please, help yourselves to anything you wish for. The fruits are freshly sources—or as fresh as one can get in here. They arrived today.”

Hump poured himself a glass of wine and took a round piece of sausage from the platter. Quickly, conversation moved on to the reason they were called there.

“I thought it best that I speak with you personally, Wizard Humphrey, regarding the matter of the assault to come,” Count Daston said.

The eyes of Hump’s party fell on Hump.

“Me specifically, sir?”

The man nodded. “Yes. We have a method to penetrate the living wall, an one crucial element requires the use of earth magic. In our army, we currently have only four Chosen of Osidium who have reached the fifth circle, one of which is Lady Fentris Stone.”

Hump had heard of her. He wasn’t sure there was anybody in Alveron that had not. She was a Knight of Osidium that had reached the sixth circle.

“As for practitioners,” Count Daston continued, “Lady Anara informs me that you are now a Rank 5 wizard as of your battle against the imp lord’s force. This makes you one of the most powerful earth wielders available to us. Even with the five of you, it may not be enough to execute the intended strategy, but it is the only tried and tested method that we have.”

Hump drew in a deep breath, feeling a sudden weight on his shoulders. He felt the loss of Soren once more. The metal Sorcerer would have been invaluable right now.

Leaning forward in his chair, Hump rested his chin in his hands. “Tell me more about this strategy.”

“The strategy employs a technique that was utilised during the raids on the Hell Pit.”

Count Daston held up a hand, gesturing with his fingers. A man in his retinue stepped forward and handed him a thick, leatherbound tome. The count opened it to a marked page and placed a paperweight on each of the corners to prop it open. Inside, Hump saw an illustration of a fortress surrounded by a pale red wall with arms, mouths, and eyes covering its surface. Across from the image was a page of hand drawn writing titled: Assault of the Nightmare Bulwark.

Count Daston gently placed a large finger upon the page. “One level of the dungeon possessed a wall that is described and drawn just like the one we face now. Although none alive today have witnessed the technique firsthand, we have an account that details its use. To pass it, earth wielders worked in tandem with a team of destruction specialists. The offensive team would burrow through the wall, while the earth wielders created a tunnel that prevented the wall from healing the damage. Using the tunnel, the force successfully breached the wall and captured the fortification.”

The fact that the legendary dungeon had yet to be conquered did not exactly inspire much confidence in Hump.

Marcela lent forward. “Can you do it, Hump?”

Hump gazed at the page, considering the method described. For him to prevent such healing, a few ideas sprung to mind. Stonewall was the obvious choice, though he would need to cast it in a way that did not obstruct the passage. Transform Earth would likely be too weak, unless he was able to utilise Spell Sculpting in a way that increased its power to match that of a higher tier spell. Then if both of those methods failed, he could perhaps use lava to coat the wall and prevent its healing in that way.

“Probably,” Hump said.

“This is ridiculous,” one of Count Daston’s retinue said. “He is just a boy wizard. You ask too much of him.”

She was an old woman, carrying a staff that marked her as a spellcaster. From the sigil on her chest—angel wings on either side of a sceptre—Hump knew her to be a Chosen of Lady Light.

Count Daston held up a hand, silencing her. “We have discussed alternatives, Heather. Both General Korteg and I believe this to be our best way forward.”

Hump glanced at the old woman. “I have never attempted magic like this before, and I am unfamiliar with demonic walls and their healing capabilities, so forgive my uncertainty.”

The woman frowned but turned away from his eyes.

Count Daston gave a hint of a smile. “Wizard Humphrey, we already have our answers from the others. Now we need yours.”

“If there are five of us working together, I believe I can do my share. Such coordination is not something that can be achieved without practice though. We will need to practice. And this won’t work if the magical barrier over the citadel is still in place either.”

“Fentris came to the same conclusion,” Count Daston said. “The barrier can be dealt with as it was today. We will begin the bombardment anew and bring down the magical protections once more.”

They went into the details of the assault. Those participating in the attack would be divided into four groups. The first group would defend against enemy projectiles, the second—of which Bud and the others would be a part of—would run interference against the living wall’s and enemy counter attacks, the third’s task was to tunnel through the living wall with magic, while the fourth would consist of earth wielders that would create obstructions within the wall to keep it from healing. That was where Hump would be.

Hump felt the weight of his role truly settle in. “So, we’re to attack a single location?”

“That’s right,” Count Daston confirmed. “We lost many in today’s attack, but it was not in vain. The breach has not healed entirely, and we succeeded in destroying much of the east fortifications. That weakness will be where we focus our strength.”

Hump considered the plan bleakly. Of all the tasks that could be asked of him, this was the kind he liked the least. He would be on the front lines of a battle and the target of almost every demon upon the walls, not the mention the wall itself. They continued their discussion of strategy for a while longer, and Count Daston him told him more about the other earth wielders that he would be working with. Come tomorrow, he would be transported by a Chosen of Vesta to an open area that was away from the front lines. There, the five of them would train together.

“To assist with your attempt, I have something for you,” Count Daston said.

The man reached behind him and another of his retinue handed him a box that he then placed on the table before Hump. Hump opened it curiously, finding an amulet inside with an opal that he immediately recognised as similar to his Osidium Opal Ring. It was a deep, dark blue, and shone with specks of bronze light within like stars at twilight. Unlike his own ring though, flakes of red shimmered within too, flickering as if tiny fires were trapped inside.

Hump couldn’t take his eyes from the sparkling gemstone. “If you’re trying to use gifts to sway me, I have already agreed to help.”

The count chuckled. “As much as it is a gift, I have procured similar amulets for the others of your number. As I’m sure you’re aware, the Osidium Opal comes from Sheercliff. Unlike your rings, however, the opals used in the making of these amulets is of the highest quality. Each are individually known with their own unique properties. Yours is the Earthheart Opal, and possesses the might of the earth, as well as the fire that dwells at its core. Marcela informs me that it would be best suited to you.”

Hump’s eyes widened. “This must be priceless.”

“A small price to pay if it means we can defeat the Infernal Halls,” Count Daston said. “Already it has proved itself to be even greater a dungeon than we predicted. Given time, Fort Nordric could fall to it just as so many cities have fallen to dungeons before. We stand at the precipice of a great threat. If we fail, the Fallen Lands will likely claim all the lands of Nordric and Yore. There is no price too great. You will be key to this attack—key to keeping that wall from swallowing up our army. The amulet is irrelevant. I need you to wield its strength, so take it. Take it and help us claim the demon citadel and destroy the very core of this foul world.”

Hump took a deep breath, his heart hammering in his chest. Anticipation, fear, and uncertainty filled him, but he took the amulet and placed it around his neck, the opal falling in place just above the old man’s adventurers medallion.

Immediately, he sensed the strength of the amulet. A warm, pulsating energy radiated from within, coursing through his veins and intertwining with his own magic. The earth beat beneath his feet, the heat and power within calling to him, even in this foreign world. He felt the subtle shifts beneath him—the vibration of buried stones, the hidden flow of underground fire. A newfound clarity sharpened his senses, allowing him to perceive its essence in a way that only focus and Spirit Sight had allowed him to before. Its intent was clear to him, and it was as if he could simply reach out and touch it, and all its power would be his.

“My stores are open to all of you,” Count Daston said, addressing the rest of Hump’s party too. “Armour, arrows, weapons—anything that’s damaged will be replaced. Anything that will help is yours to have. Wizard Humphrey will be key to defending the wall, but he will be the focus of every enemy out there. Protect him well.”

“You need not even say it,” Bud said, saluting with a fist to his heart. “I will be his shield. We all will be.”

The rest of Hump’s party gave their affirmations, and Hump couldn’t help but smile. At the same time, that weight on him increase. The danger of this mission couldn’t be ignored… for all of them. He glanced at Celaine who gave him a reassuring smile. They knew the risks, and they had agreed without hesitation anyway.

Now he simply had to deliver.