Chapter 99 - Overwhelmed

Hundreds of reanimated monsters filled hub. Death rabbits destroyed buildings, crushing stalls to bits. Merchandise and rubble were scattered everywhere from the destruction. Ether sticks were walking around, lazily attacking anything nearby. Surge hounds chased nimrods in packs, killing stragglers. Clawed spiders pillaged anything that was left behind.

Screams sounded from all around. Nimrods ran, only to be killed by surge hounds. Some fought back in a futile attempt to stay afoot. Nimrods with three hundred ether couldn’t stand a chance against anything but the ether sticks. Even then they struggled.

Guards with runeswords were the only ones standing a chance. Four guards surrounded a death rabbit. One of them poked the rabbit in the back. This enraged the monster; the rabbit swung wide, landing a clean hit on one of the guards.

The guard was blown back, sword dropping from his arms. He collapsed and didn’t get up. An ether stick crushed his head in.

The monsters had gained strength. Ordinary death rabbits wouldn’t have posed a problem to someone with a runesword. These monsters wielded a lot more ether. They were powered up by the presence of their leader.

The Twilight Shaman commanded its army from the very centre of the hub, while fighting five Stewards at once. The green flames of its ethereal robe had grown blindingly bright. The Twilight Shaman seemed to suck all light from its surroundings, turning Zand into a dark facility of rubble. The boss didn’t seem even slightly troubled as it defended against the Stewards all at once.

They were all lesser Stewards, wielding runeswords and bows. Vivi spotted Beligar, but Uundref and Wheryn were missing.

The five Stewards didn’t stand a chance. Any attempt they made at attacking was immediately pushed back by the green flames. Getting close to the Twilight Shaman with swords was nearly impossible.

Ranged attacks weren’t much better. The archer Steward shot an ethereal arrow. The Twilight Shaman grabbed the arrow mid-air, then threw it back at the Steward. He attempted to dodge, but could only save his vitals. The arrow landed in his left shoulder. A gaping hole was left behind. The arrow pierced right through, exploding the Steward’s shoulder.

My nix sword would help, Vivi thought. With a shockwave powered by a nix rune, the green flames would be pushed off. The boss wouldn’t be able to block blows from a nix sword.

The Stewards didn’t have such a weapon. They were forced back. Beligar carried the archer and jumped to safety. The rest of the Stewards dispersed as well, realizing their attempts were futile.

The Twilight Shaman didn’t chase. It calmly floated in the middle of the hub as its monsters destroyed buildings, reaping nimrods and guards alike. Anything that fought back was being destroyed.

Nimrods were rushing into the dungeon: the only section of Zand that wasn’t overrun. Vivi stepped out of the way, letting nimrods escape. Two nimrods with stolen runeswords were protecting the entrance, killing any monsters that tried to enter. Their reserves were growing as they cut monsters down.

Vivi stood with Aang, hoping that the leader would know what to do. Aang was as baffled by the situation as her. What was there to do at this point? Everyone’s minds were focused on survival.

“I don’t see Wheryn or Uundref,” Aang said. “The plan must have been a success.”

I don’t see anyone else either, Vivi thought. The place was a total chaos. Somehow, Vivi had a bad feeling about this.

“Ivwi!” a voice called from the right. Eem ran beside the hardstone wall, being chased by a surge hound.

Vivi’s heart dropped. Immediately, she reached beneath her raincoat and discreetly summoned her dark mithril greatsword. On low ether counts, the sword looked like an ordinary dark sword. Vivi cut down the surge hound.

Eem jumped to her arms.

“Eem?” Vivi asked. “Is something wrong?”

Eem nodded repeatedly. “Ohan, Awwy, Eenn!” She flailed her hands in a mad panic.

This was bad. Vivi knew Eem enough to know she wouldn’t act like this for no reason. Something had happened to the others. Eem had mentioned all of their names.

“Where are they?” Vivi asked.

Eem pointed toward the northern hardstone wall, where most staff rooms were. The area was relatively calm with only a few surge hounds and an ether stick fighting guards.

“Eem, lead us to them!” Vivi said. She lifted the fiend on her back and ran for the direction Eem had pointed at.

Aang clicked his tongue behind her. Vivi knew he hated hasty decisions. But this time, Aang seemed to agree with Vivi’s assessment. He left Lydi with Rosa and Patwyn and told them to keep her safe. Trusting Lydi to them was probably safer than dragging an injured person to danger.

Vivi nearly slipped on her own feet as she ran. The fresh ether gave her power to keep standing, but the foundation beneath—her muscles and joints—was collapsing. She grimaced, begging her body to survive for an hour longer.

“Mmh, mmm!” Eem said, desperately trying to say something. She pointed at a small stall, built entirely of hardstone, in the shadowed corner of Zand. The stall was marked as strictly staff only. It was a break room of sorts. Guards regularly loiter in the area. Nimrods knew not to get near.

“They’re in there?” Vivi asked.

Eem nodded, making more affirming noises.

Two guards with runeswords were stationed at the entrance. They appeared determined. Even while monsters killed their peers in the distance, the two guards wouldn’t budge, keen to defend what was supposedly just a break room.

Vivi considered her options, wondering how she should get in. She was strong enough to defeat guards. Their attention was taken by the monsters. Neither would be ready if Vivi decided to ambush them from the side. But was it wise to fight them?

Before Vivi could come to a decision, Aang raised his sword and attacked. The guards flinched, quickly filling their runeswords with ether. It was too late; Aang’s attack crushed them both, snapping their swords. Zand’s guards were far weaker than the skeletons they’d just fought.

Their deaths were far more visceral. Blood sprayed in an arch as Aang’s crush sword devoured their bodies, cutting both guards in half. Vivi felt sick, but only for a moment. Her friends were in danger. She couldn’t hesitate now.

With the guards dead, Aang searched their pockets, then unlocked the hardstone door. They entered the stall.

The stall, it turned out, was not just a break room. A long stairway led underground, lit with ether-powered lamps. Aang frowned at whatever was below. With his sword up, he descended the first step, ready for ambushes.

A long hallway, surprisingly well decorated, welcomed them. The brick flooring was covered in a blue carpet. Lighter shades formed patterns on the otherwise dark fabric, though it had all faded from years of use. The walls were lined with paintings and text. The text transformed to a form Vivi could understand as Lucius translated what was written. A painting depicting a mountain landscape had text underneath that said, “Climb the mountain and ascend to Zand.”

Vivi ignored the rest of the paintings, focusing on advancing. They passed door after door. Aang peeked into the first room. It was a meeting room of sorts, or perhaps just a break room. There were ice boxes to keep food in, and more decorations, paintings, and other ordinary items. Half-empty mugs were left on the large table. The room was totally unoccupied.

“Mm, mm!” Eem said, pointing further ahead in the hallway. She flailed her arms, hoping to get attention.

Aang sped up the pace, ignoring the rest of the doors in the hallways, whatever they may have led to. They followed Eem’s directions.

At the back of the hallway was another heavy door, which Aang had to cut down with his sword, followed by a stairway. They descended quickly.

The stairway led them to a prison.

The comfy break rooms and doors on the sides of the hallway turned to iron bars. The pretty carpets and inspirational posters were gone. A cold and dark brick pathway was left, surrounded by lifeless cells.

“Ven, Alisa, Rohan?” Aang called. “Anyone here?”

A cough sounded from the back of the prison. “Here…” It was Ven’s voice.

Aang and Vivi ran over. Ven was chained up on a chair, blindfolded and devoid of ether. His shoulder was wrapped. But he didn't appear to be at risk of dying. Aang immediately cut down the steel bars and asked, “What happened?”

“Plan failed,” Ven said. “Uundref was too strong, and the Stewards knew of our ambush. Either Grenall betrayed us, or we screwed up somewhere. I can’t tell.”

“Let me get you out of there,” Aang said. “We cleared the dungeon. Where’s Uundref now? The rest of everyone?”

“Alisa and Rohan are probably in the prison somewhere,” Ven said. “Uundref took our weapons and left to defend Zand. He’ll be coming back. He knows Vivi is an inside-carving runesmith now.”

Aang clicked his tongue. “That’s a problem.”

As Aang freed Ven, cutting the blindfolds off, Eem hopped off of Vivi’s back and ran to another cell, pointing. Vivi followed. Alisa and Rohan were there, both passed out and tied to chairs.

They were safe. Thank the gods. But something was wrong. Uundref had supposedly gone to defend Zand. The Steward was nowhere to be seen. Lucius? Vivi asked. Don’t you think it was way too easy to get down here?

Suddenly, a spectral portal appeared beneath Vivi’s feet.