12-76. Seething Resentment
“Remove that thing from my presence!” spat Nico Song, his fists clutched in frustration. When the necromancer didn’t respond quickly enough, he aimed a backhand at the pitiful man. The elder, little more than skin and bones, went sprawling to the ground, where he remained for a few moments. With a tired sigh, Nico rolled his eyes and ordered another underling to drag the offender from the cabin. As they complied with his orders, he paced back and forth, annoyance beyond anything he’d felt in years dancing in his mind.
Then, someone barged into the cabin. Nico looked up, ready to issue a scathing reprimand that died in his throat the second he realized who’d come. The dwarf wasn’t particularly impressive looking. Like all of his kind, he was short, broad-shouldered, and hirsute. But Nico could feel the power within him.
Greffyn Cornelius was quite adept at constraining his own ethera, which he managed with an iron will. However, on a world as newly integrated as Earth, he couldn’t hide what he was – a demi-god. A being so far beyond Nico’s own comparatively meager power that he could squish the entirety of Heaven’s Bastion like they were nothing more than annoying insects.
When the dwarf’s underling had visited Hong Kong, that was what everyone expected. That they’d come bearing an offer of an alliance – serving up Ironshore in the process – was more than just a surprise. It was a godsend of good fortune.
And yet, Tianwei Song had refused. He’d called their plan dishonorable. And what’s more, he’d later revealed to Nico that he had plans to forge an alliance with a host of Earth-bound forces, including the Conclave and the Consortium run by Atticus Ariti.
It was galling to even consider.
After all, those organizations were friendly with Elijah Hart. A man who’d been a thorn in Heaven’s Bastion’s side since the very beginning. Without him, they would have risen to prominence, not least because they would have avoided entering the Primal Realm before they were truly ready to defeat it.
He’d probably known they were ill-prepared to conquer it, and he’d used that to hold a debt over their head. Thankfully, the people of Heaven’s Bastion saw things properly. They understood that the outsider had manipulated events and put them all in danger.
Nico had made certain that was the case.
What’s more, he had also spent the past years training incessantly and forging new alliances with the necromancers around Hong Kong. Because he knew something his grandfather did not – those people had power. They had their uses. Ignoring that was tantamount to simply giving up.
And Nico was no quitter.
Not unless it was the right move, at least. That was something his sister had never understood. Sometimes, there was no winning. Only salvaging what one could in the hopes of coming out the other side better than before.
That wasn’t the case with the Green Mountain Mining Guild, whose terms had been quite favorable. All it cost was a little manpower, and Heaven’s Bastion would gain control of Ironshore. Certainly, they’d still need to deal with Elijah Hart, but Nico had plans for that. After all, so long as they didn’t invade his grove, he had no reason to consider them enemies.
And even if he was angry about Ironshore – against all reason – Nico had an ace in the hole. Sadie would make him see the benefits of an alliance. Or failing that, of keeping the peace. Because the reality was that Ironshore was destined to fall, one way or another. The demi-god could bring it to its knees without breaking a sweat. He’d only included Heaven’s Bastion because he couldn’t remain on the planet after Ironshore fell. The Green Mountain Mining Guild needed a steward, and Nico had graciously accepted their offer.
It was the first thing that had gone truly right since he had helped conquer the Desolate Reach. Since then, he’d experienced a series of setbacks, mostly with his grandfather. Or rather, the old man’s inability to cede any of his authority to Nico. Did it matter that he was so much stronger than his grandfather? Not to Song Tianwei. He still treated Nico like a child.
Things would have been different if Sadie hadn’t abandoned them.
They would have long since taken their rightful place atop the world’s hierarchy. Likely, the Primal Realms would have already been conquered, and the threat of excisement would have long since been overcome.
But no.
She chose the outsider. The disrespectful Druid who’d somehow weaseled his way into her bed.
It had taken Nico a while to come to terms with the fact that she wasn’t coming back, but when he’d realized that he was in it alone, he had taken action accordingly. He’d built his own forces, ensuring that they were loyal to him first, then Heaven’s Bastion. He had fostered alliances with the necromancers and made certain that they knew they were the weaker party.
They knew their place now.
They knew they served him, that they were allowed to exist because they were useful. The second that changed, they would be executed. Nico had spent quite some time hammering that point home, but in the end, he was successful.
Now, they would help him take the crown jewel of the world for his own. Once Ironshore was in his hands, he would return to Hong Kong the conquering hero. His grandfather would finally see his worth, and together, they would forge a new path for Earth. One where they were allied with the powerful Green Mountain Mining Guild.
It would all work out. He just knew it would.
But first, he needed to come through with the all-important victory he’d promised Greffyn Cornelius. To that end, he faced the dwarven demi-god and bowed. “Welcome, honored guest.”
“Why have we not taken the city yet?” the dwarf asked, his voice even but containing a tinge of annoyance that Nico only recognized due to his long training as a negotiator. After all, he’d been tapped to step into a leadership role within his grandfather’s company, and the only reason he hadn’t was because the world had transformed so dramatically. Either way, he had learned enough to know precisely how to deal with people like Greffyn Cornelius.
“The entire city is ringed with traps. We are working through them,” Nico answered, not bothering to mention that their way of doing so was to send wave after wave of undead creatures toward the city walls in the hopes of running the traps out of power. So far, it hadn’t worked, but it was better than sending less replaceable troops. They’d made that mistake in the beginning, and it had resulted in the loss of nearly five thousand soldiers, all in the space of ten minutes.
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“Work faster. The Druid may return at any moment.”
“You do not fear him.”
“I fear what I do not understand,” Cornelius responded without an ounce of shame. “Druids do not leave their groves, and yet he does. Druids do not fight unless someone attacks them. Yet, he does. Druids are nurturers and healers, not vicious killers who destroy whole cities. Of course I fear him. He is an anomaly, and one with considerable power. Fear is the appropriate response.”
“I do not like that word.”
“Fear is not weakness,” Cornelius stated. “But call it caution if it makes you feel better. It doesn’t matter. The city must fall before he returns.”
“Surely you can defeat him.”
“Likely, that is true. However, the resultant battle would almost assuredly ruin the entire region. This city is only as valuable as it is because of that grove,” he said, pointing in the appropriate direction. “If the Druid dies, it loses its power. The ethera in the atmosphere will diffuse, and we will have done all of this for no reason.”
Nico didn’t necessarily believe that. All reports suggested that Elijah Hart had raised a few other Druids. Doubtless, they could maintain the grove. And if they couldn’t? So what? Ironshore would still be valuable, if only for its reputation, which was what mattered more than anything else.
But it wasn’t as if he was in a position to argue with Cornelius.
So, he just nodded, saying, “I see. My apologies for questioning you.”
“Apologies are unnecessary. I prefer action. Tell me how you intend to overcome the city’s defenses.”
Nico resisted the urge to sigh. Or to lash out at the disrespect. Instead, he explained the battle plan to Cornelius. As he did so, the dwarf simply nodded along. He didn’t offer any real input. Not surprising, considering he wanted to keep his people’s participation to a minimum.
According to him, they’d already done their part by sowing chaos within the city. Most of his agents had escaped, but the damage they’d done was enough to cripple the city’s ability to withstand a siege. Whole storehouses had been destroyed, and one of his saboteurs had even managed to wound the mayor.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t made it out – one of only a couple of casualties they’d suffered.
In addition, they had killed quite a few of the city’s legionnaires in their barracks. Nico hoped – no, he knew – it would be enough. It had to be. Otherwise, his gambit would blow up in his face.
And he’d worked too hard to ensure that wouldn’t happen.
“How long?” asked Cornelius.
“I can’t predict that. Weeks. Perhaps months.”
“You have one month. If this is not finished by then, we will take the city ourselves. I don’t think I need to remind you that doing so will annul the contract,” he stated. “I’m certain there are others who would act as stewards on behalf of the Green Mountain Mining Guild.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“That remains to be seen,” Cornelius pointed out. “In the meantime, if you require our expertise, you know where to find us.”
Without further conversation, the dwarf turned and left the cabin. For his part, Nico remained in place for a few more moments as he stared at the gently swinging door. Then, once he was certain Cornelius was gone, he vented his frustration by grabbing the door and slamming it as hard as he could. Over and over until the wood shattered and it fell free of its hinges.
Once it had been reduced to splinters, he took a few deep breaths, straightened his askew tunic, then slicked back his hair. Another breath, and he opened his eyes, ready to do what was necessary. He immediately saw one of his underlings, who he ordered, “Fix the door. And make certain that it closes properly. Shoddy workmanship will not be tolerated from Heaven’s Bastion’s members.”
The servant nodded enthusiastically, then raced away, presumably to find someone to fulfil Nico’s orders. In the meantime, he looked around at the camp. It was a haphazard mess of multicolored tents. Those belonging to Heaven’s Bastion’s inner members were pristine white with gold trim, and they’d been arrayed in a neat circle surrounding the cabin Nico had had built. However, the rest were arrayed without rhyme or reason, the often-cheap tents being plopped down wherever their owners found an open spot.
He ground his teeth at the lack of discipline. Someone would need to take care of that.
He pushed forward, passing the inner lines of white tents and plunging ahead into the camp itself. The second he passed the ephemeral line of the scent array, he was assailed by the smells of a working camp. The most prevalent was smoke from the many cooking fires, but he also smelled myriad other odors ranging from cooking meat, human sweat, and, of course, waste.
Someone had dug the latrines in the wrong place again.
As he progressed through the camp, the members of his army scurried out of his way. Nico took it as a display of respect that they were so averse to garnering his attention. They knew their place. After all, his displeasure would not only cause social issues, but in the aftermath of battle, it could mean the difference between their wounds being healed or left to fester.
As was proper. The power of life and death was the prerogative of a true Healer.
Soon, he reached the outskirts, but he didn’t stop there. Instead, he turned down a familiar path that cut through the surrounding forest, eventually smelling a new odor – death. It wasn’t decay – not exactly – but it wasn’t far off. It was like visiting a morgue. While the bodies weren’t rotting, they left an unmistakable stench with which Nico had grown unfortunately familiar.
He found the necromancer camp after a couple more minutes.
In some ways, it appeared no different from the Heaven’s Bastion encampment. The tents were a little better organized, but the layout was similar enough. However, the difference lay in the denizens.
Necromancers, by default, looked malnourished. Someone had tried to explain that the constant exposure to death-flavored ethera robbed them of vitality, but in truth, Nico had scarcely paid attention to that explanation. It didn’t matter to him. What did matter were their minions.
Hulking creatures compiled from dozens of disparate bodies waded through the camp, working as menial laborers. Other undead monsters drilled with weapons while still others were given life by the camp’s mages. Most were meant as simple fodder, but there were a few more powerful creatures among them. The ones that had been forged by Fleshwrights and other specialized classes and given traits that pushed their attributes into a new category.
Those were the true danger.
The other undead were little more than nuisances, even to someone like Nico who eschewed combat at all costs.
His nose wrinkled, as much from the smell as from the displayed death, but he pushed through the camp nonetheless. Eventually, he arrived at his destination and entered the command tent. It was much larger than all the others, though it had been sewn from leather whose origin Nico did not want to contemplate.
He found the man he sought inside.
“We need to pick up the pace,” he said without preamble.
The necromancer inside was, for all intents and purposes, Nico’s counterpart among his people. His power was not in raising or maintaining the dead. Rather, he was a pure Sorcerer who specialized in death magic. That alone made him dangerous. His high level and cultivation truly set him apart.
“Hello to you as well,” the man said, his voice like two tombstones grinding together.
“There is no time for niceties, Lau Hoi-Yan.”
“I disagree,” the man said, rising. He was thin to the point of emaciation, and his deep-set eyes gave his face a skull-like appearance that only accentuated his deathly look. “There is always time to be polite.”
“This is serious. We have a month,” Nico said. “If we don’t take the city by then, we void the contract. You know what that means.”
“I signed no contract,” Lau Hoi-Yan stated.
“I did. And you work for me.”
He grinned, revealing a blindingly white smile. “So I do. Fear not, little prince. We shall conquer the city within the time frame. I have a plan.”
Nico ignored the moniker Lau Hoi-Yan had given him. Instead, he said, “Tell me.”
And he did. By the time he’d finished, Nico was nodding along and smiling. If they played it right, things could work out very, very well.