First, the Void Spell condensed the humidity in the cave into a layer of frost that covered living, undead, and constructs alike. It also weakened Lith further, but he didn’t care, knowing what was about to happen.
The temperature dropped by dozens of degrees, sapping the heat of humans and beasts. At the same time, the cold sealed the joints of the armor of the undead and hindered their movements.
At that point, the water comprising the ice instantly broke down into oxygen and hydrogen.
The cold wave of Frost Fire turned into heat that set off the flammable gases into a ground-shaking explosion. The blast caught the Dread Knights by surprise and with the floor slippery from the ice, they were sent tumbling like everyone else.
Strider too lost his footing, but it wasn’t his formation to be destroyed nor was his accumulated power to be neutralized. The Dread Knights cursed as they jumped back on their mounts while the Zouwu took deep breaths with Invigoration.
The world energy in the cave was thin, but still enough to heal most of his wounds and partly replenish his strength whereas the blood cores of the undead would remain weakened until they preyed on a suitable source of life force.
‘Thanks, Solus!’ Lith and Ryka said in unison.
The flames turned humans and beasts into ashes that the Titania assimilated as fertilizer, fueling the recovery abilities typical of her race. The Tiamat, instead, called the heat wave upon himself, neutralizing the cold and returning to the peak of his strength.
The hot air didn’t bother him while human and beast mages felt their lungs burning and interrupted their casting, gasping to breathe.
“Enough with this madness! We have no reason to fight.” A painfully familiar black-clad figure walked through the metal gate of the fortress. “All troops stand down. Saving your comrades and retrieving the Golems is your top priority.”
Lith took a deep breath, ready to hurl insults and Void Flames at the thief when his Tiamat Eyes pierced through the darkness and chaos of battle.
The man walking toward him was indeed wearing a black armor, but it was made of Adamant, not Darwen. He held a staff made of a mystical wood, but even at first glance, it was something from a Fae.
Lith could see the life force of the person in front of him with Life Vision, there was no cloaking effect or any attempt at deception. The undead kept his hands raised, showing no sign of hostility or casting spells silently.
“Who the heck are you and why did you attack us?” Lith asked.
‘I can use this time to use Invigoration and complete Ruin.’ He actually thought.
“Those are supposed to be my questions, except for the fact that only a fool wouldn’t recognize the Supreme Magus of Garlen.” The undead said, knowing that the title applied solely to the Kingdom but hoping that flattery would help.
“You guys killed our soldiers and destroyed our golems. You have infiltrated our home and you dare ask us questions?”
“When you put it that way, it sort of makes sense.” Lith said but kept casting the Blade Spell. “Sort of. Who are you and what are you doing here?”
“My name is Erslan Bhaz, a Blood Warlock. I’m the King of the Dawn Court and the current leader of the Courts Alliance. I live here.” The undead waved at the fortress. “Now it’s my turn to ask questions. Why did you and your associates come here and disturb our peace?”
“We are here on Council business.” Strider pulled his Hand of Fate badge out, making many inside and outside the fortress curse. “We are looking for the following missing Forgemasters. Their names are…”
The Zouwu read the names out loud one by one, each followed by the circumstances of their disappearance, making the Dawn King slap his forehead in frustration.
“We need to know if you have taken any of these Council members hostage and wh-”
“You idiots!” Erslan roared, cutting Strider short. “What kind of genius is such a moron to not prepare a cover story for their absence? I’m surprised it took the Council so long to find us, you filthy…”
The Dawn King had lived long and traveled many places.
He had learned many insults and on that day he used them all to describe what he thought of the Awakened Forgemasters, their ancestors, and the most likely creatures with which they had to have mated to spawn such foolish descendants.
Lith took a few notes and finished weaving Ruin while he was at it. Yet he doubted he needed the Blade Spell anymore.
“We are keeping no one hostage.” Erslan threw his staff on the ground in frustration and raked his hand through his thick black hair. “We hired those idiots. Why do you think we paid them in advance and bought so many materials from them?
“We needed their services.”
“For what purpose?” Lith asked.
“You are going to like the answer.” The Dawn King raised his gaze to meet the Tiamat’s. “All that you’ve seen today, every construct you have destroyed, has been created to kill that fucker of Meln Narchat, the self-proclaimed Dead King.
“Or, as we call him, the Incontinent King.” A snap of the Blood Warlock’s fingers conjured a few sequences from the video released by Thrud about Orpal’s capture.
It contained every instance he had begged, cried, and groveled at Thrud’s feet for his life. Orpal would often shamelessly lose control of his bladder and bowels, either out of terror or in the attempt to arouse compassion.
Back then, Orpal had not considered it a good idea so much as the only card he could play. His desperation move had backfired during and after its execution. Thrud only felt more disgust at him and her rage grew at the idea that Jormun had died because of a vermin like the Dead King.
After her death, those scenes had destroyed everything that Orpal had achieved after unifying the Undead Courts under his rule and killing many powerful mages of the Kingdom, like Mirim Distar and Kryshna Manohar.
Even now, after months had passed, the video was still a hit.
Some people used it for drinking games, taking a shot every time Orpal wetted himself. Others just spat at his name and used his story as a cautionary tale for unruly children who instead of improving themselves just envied their betters.
“Not that I don’t enjoy the show, but I know the ending.” Lith dispelled the hologram with a wave of his hand. “What do you mean, hired to kill Meln? How?”
“We would be more comfortable inside.” Erslan said, receiving a mildly amused stare in return. “Or we can just continue standing here where you can see there is no trap or ambush ready to spring.” He sighed.
“Cyrra, bring those idiots out!”
A couple of minutes later, a shuffling of feet announced the arrival of the missing Forgemasters. They were all present and apparently in excellent health. Their auras were vibrant and strong, with just a tinge of embarrassment.
The woman walking in front of them wore a black suit of armor identical to Erslan’s and wielded a glaive.
