Wizard's Tower - Arc 3 - Chapter 52

As the land the city rested on began to rise, I slowly floated over to the courtyard the spread from the gatehouse between the second and third rings. Along the battlements and towers, I could see cheers erupt from those fighting as the hydra began slipping and falling back. Soldiers and mages ran forward from the various buildings in the city to climb the walls and see what was occurring – or perhaps to make one last strike.

I didn’t float there for long, though, as I was certain the magic users in the city could feel the source of the spell raising it. They would arrive soon, and I hadn’t considered changing into pants. The courtyard had once been an epitome of cleanliness and style. The colored cobblestones had been a small map of the city itself, well-trimmed bushes and flowers had rested in raised planter beds at the hair edges, the gates had been of steel plated in silver, and the guards had worn finely polished enchanted armors. Banners for the various noble houses had been hung from the walls to either side of the gate. That was how I remembered it. 

Now, the cobblestone was more smeared muck than picture, many of those bushes had been burnt or chopped down. The banners were still present, but they hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. The once fine silk, enchanted to be stronger than iron, now had algae or moss growing on top. I could see moths or butterflies nesting within. The guards at the guardhouse had tripled in number, and looked a bit cruder than the tight discipline I remembered. Several times I felt their eyes peeking out at me, but I ignored it.

It wasn’t long before the first of the mages arrived. A teacher from the Arcanum who had advanced to the 4th Tier class of [Hydrabane Magus]. As more and more entered the courtyard, I could see that she wasn’t the only one. As more arrived, they formed groups that chattered amongst themselves and hurled insults at one another. Some groups, such as those from various academies, I recognized. Others were completely unknown to me. 

When I felt that most mages had arrived, and one or two start to slip away due to impatience, I tapped the end of my staff on the ground and let loose an illusionary thunderclap. It was something that even a 2nd Tier mage would recognize, if they had a mentor. Not just a call to attention, but also a signal that meant the beginning of a lecture. 

“Attend me,” I called, letting a small spell spread my voice over the crowd. 

The meeting of the mages in Sena City didn’t go as well as I would have hoped. I had hoped that raising the plateau and saving them all from the ongoing battle against the Pestilence would have endeared some kind of reasonability amongst those present, but that was a hope dashed quickly. 

For the better part of the rest of the day, I watched them argue with each other over their various ideologies for the future. None of the instructors from the Arcanum, though they were present, were able to do more than support me with their own small faction. Alred’s recruitment of their former students positioned the academy poorly amongst the rest. It was only through the combined threats from myself, one of Alred’s gatekeepers, and the Baker’s Guild that I was able to piece together some semblance of a plan for the defense of the various plateaus and the rescue of dwarven clans.

Even worse, the various heads of the noble houses arrived in the afternoon to witness the true level of pettiness and bickering that we magic users were capable of reaching. I met the eyes of Duke Laxtoni once as we greeted each other, but I couldn’t meet them again afterward. It was a shameful event, to be sure, and one I held no patience for with the prospect of Lilly’s safety weighing on my mind. 

I think the biggest factor in securing their agreement was when the head of some minor baronial house asked me how much of the farmlands around Sena City had been saved. Of course, the answer was none of them. Those lands were chewed through by the Pestilence, and everyone standing in the square knew it. That the fear of starving to death outweighed any gratitude for saving them from being eaten themselves was disappointing, to say the least. 

It was late into the afternoon when I departed the meeting. I made certain that those present reached agreement on protecting the lands and offering refuge to any who called for it. Yet, when the conversation turned to a squabbling auction of plateaus, marriages, compensation, and trade agreements amongst those present, I couldn’t find the strength to will to remain. I’d done my part, and should anyone think they could claim the rights to my tower and lands I would see a definitive end to the matter. 

Ignoring any cries and pleas for assistance, I flew westward from the city in haste, stopping only once at the crumbling walls that marked the edge of the city to don a pair of pants. It was a tiny bit embarrassing to have forgotten to do so as I departed, and could only hope those present would not be inclined to discuss my oversight. The guards along the walls certainly avoided the topic.

The sun shone brightly as I flew, but it wasn’t a pleasant thing. The light revealed the masses of squirming hydra devouring the countryside below me. I scowled as I watched the uncountable numbers of the things gnashing at anything that wasn’t one of their own. 

When I had first seen the ocean of hydra in the canyon, I had known that it was an insurmountable foe. Had I known that those I saw were only the first of many to emerge from the depths under the world, there were many things I would have done differently. 

I also noticed that the further west I traveled, the less of them I saw. I wasn’t certain if it was because they were coming from the ocean or if the ground between the surface and underworld was thinner along the coast, but it gave me hope against the fear of finding the new king’s army shattered and hearing news of Lilly’s death. 

For a child that had only lived with me for but a handful of years, I found that I had grown attached to her. More than even Walker or Kine, her youthful and inquisitive mind had wormed its way into my heart, and I knew now that just as desperate as she had been to have a father, I had been as desperate to allow myself human contact. 

It was to the north of my tower, about halfway between it and Goldcastle that I found them. The great trees of the forest still stood in part, though I spotted the Pestilence chewing through wood and leaves like leeches on a great body. To the northwest, great spikes of death crystal rose above the horizon like the ribcage of some fallen beast. My tower was easily visible from the ground here, having been raised high up on a plateau. Sunlight reflected off moonstone in the center like a jewel at the top of a crown.

The army, though, wasn’t doing well. Three snapping [Lesser Hydra] and an [Armored Hydra] had surrounded it, and the soldiers and knights weren’t prepared to fight such monstrosities. I spotted Lilly, wearing a thick gown of dark green in the center, holding on to the arm of a man in shining golden armor that could only be the king. Spearman and archers tried to hold the beasts at bay, while mages' spells crashed into the bodies. 

As I watched, I realized I was wrong in my assessment. I had thought they weren’t doing well, but the army was holding its own. Ten thousand men formed an admirable force, and I could see the bodies of dead hydra along the path the army had traveled. The difficulty it faced now wasn’t the [Lesser Hydra] but the armored one. It crashed through walls of spearmen and ignored volleys of arrows in pursuit of a cavalry force that rode in circles around it. 

Again, I found myself with a tough decision. I could join the battle to fight the Pestilence with them, though I had no confidence they wouldn’t turn on me as soon as victory was in sight. I could raise a plateau underneath them to prevent more hydra from joining—hydra I could see coming, attracted to the noise. I could leave them to their fate, and pluck Lilly from their midst, saving her from whatever vile schemes the crown was using her for. I could… I stopped myself. 

Even if the army turned on me, even if they held Lilly hostage to my surrender, how could I allow so many men and women to die? Every tough choice I’d made in the past, treating lives as numbers, was something I’d heavily regretted. Others were better suited for such decisions than I. I had the power to save these people, and I would.

With careful aim, I cast a heavy bolt of lightning at the [Armored Hydra]. It wasn’t enough to kill it, but it would stun in for a while. Long enough for me to establish the borders for the plateau spell and raise the lands under the army. As soon as I finished casting the spell, pushing the speed of it higher than what might be safe for buildings, I returned my attention to the battle. 

The shaking ground didn’t do well for many, and the hydra took advantage of that to break through the ranks of fallen spearman. Their serpentine forms almost seemed gleeful at the sprawled forms beneath them. It made for an unusual image. when I cast my fire blades and the heads fell to the ground, their mouths open in some parody of a smile. The fire blades weren’t strong enough to slay the [Armored Hydra], but between it and the stunning lightning I had cast, it wasn’t doing well. 

Once the height of the plateau was raised enough that other hydra wouldn’t be able to reach, I slowed it so the shaking would stop. As soldiers and mages stood to their feet and saw one foe remaining, they began to attack so ferociously that I had to look away. I knew the anger one could hold against an enemy that killed a comrade. 

I saw Lilly and the king staring up at me as I floated above the army, though their expressions were indecipherable. I couldn’t hold back my smile at seeing the young lady, though I did consider my next step. If I flew low enough to speak with them, I could easily become a target or fall for some trap. I could raise a smaller pillar of stone with just Lilly, something high enough that I could whisk her away, but there was an entire army here not far from my tower. The geomancers in the mage corps would have no problems creating a ramp down. If they were had enough time, they might even create a bridge from this plateau to my own.

This close to my tower I would be able to pull on the reserves of mana from it. Even the king’s army wouldn’t be able to break my wards here, not without hammering at them for a day or more. I didn’t fear the army itself. Yet, what if they brought some ancient artifact? A weapon I had no defense against? I could see a spear resting against the king’s shoulder, something that looked speciously like one.  

I wouldn’t go into such a meeting unprepared. I covered myself with an illusion of… myself, and then cast an invisibility spell. In this way, I would be able to step aside from an attack and none would see me move—hopefully. I reached out with [Earth Manipulation], and raised the stone around Lilly and the King, lifting the pair the height of five men over their army. Should it be a trap and the army prepared to attack, I doubted they would risk their king being caught in the crossfire. 

I slowly lowered myself to the edge of the pillar and stepped down onto it. My flight spell was still ready, and another was prepared to be cast on Lilly so I could simply grab her hand and pull her away if needed. 

And despite all my preparations, I was unprepared for Lilly flinging herself from the King’s side to grasp me in a great hug.

“Daddy! I brought you an army!”