His long life had led the Draugr to not believe in optimism, so he put in action all of his contingency plans and started to prepare for more.
‘It must be the humans’ work. Ever since the new batch of pests arrived, things have started to go wrong. I don’t know if the root of my problems is the human girl Marth was so eager to find or the Awakened the Night Court warned me about.
‘Luckily, I know how to throw them off their game and buy the time that I need to bring my plan to fruition.’ Erlik thought while activating his communication amulet.
His control over the Sapling was still rough, but after corrupting his latest dwelling for long enough, he was able to deactivate the arrays that covered the city within its area.
After his arrival to the Garlen continent, before he could enact his plan, Erlik had made contact with all the Undead Courts to find out which one of them would be the best partner.
He didn’t expect that the Dawn, Dusk, and Night Court would set aside their differences, agreeing to a common strategy. The Courts had been founded as a means for the undead to protect themselves from the persecution of the lesser races, but with security and time, they had started to yearn for more.
They had grown sick of hiding in the shadows and feed upon the scraps of society instead of being part of it. The undead migration had boosted their numbers, giving them the power that the Courts had always lacked.
The survivors from the Jiera continent were mostly powerful creatures that had the wisdom of centuries and the might of the relics they had accumulated during their long lives.
Veeza the Lich, who was currently battling with the Magic Empress, had shown them that even with all of its limitations, an undead army could take head-on one of the three great countries.
Yet it wasn’t something that even the Undead Courts could replicate. The only reason why the battle had lasted months instead of days was that unlike common undead, Liches had no fear of sunlight, no problem with solar cycles, and most importantly, they had no problems practicing Forgemastery or dimensional magic.
Veeza had erected several Gates before launching her attack, allowing her troops to move as fast as those of the Empire. When they were victorious, fresh troops would reinforce the offensive, allowing them to cut deep in the Empire and secure their hold.
When they were defeated, the undead could retreat quickly and safely, with the Lich herself covering her hordes. Veeza wasn’t afraid of dealing with a whole army by herself since no matter how many times they destroyed her, she always had a spare body at the ready.
Erlik’s plan was exactly what the Courts needed. With the plant folks’ Gate network, they too could fight with any opponent on equal grounds. They needed the Draugr because Jiera’s Liches had not left their homes.
Liches didn’t feed on the living, they only needed to keep their phylacteries safe. As for those of the Garlen continent, they had refused to help. Or better, that was the only explanation the Courts could think of.
None of the messengers of the Courts had returned undead to tell the tale. Disturbing a Lich during a critical phase of their research was a deadly feat, and Liches always thought of being in a critical phase of their research.
Approaching Veeza had proven to be pointless as well. She was willing to help, but only in exchange for their literal undying loyalty. She had devised slave rings that worked on undead and demanded to her servants to wear them.
The Courts wanted her as an ally, not as their master, so they had turned down her ‘generous’ offer. The act had enraged Veeza and left them Erlik as their only hope. He had contacts in all the three Courts, so it didn’t take him long to find the best man for the job at hand.
After the huge fiasco in Othre, Kaelan the vampire had lost everything because of Lith.
The death of his chosen, of Count Xolver, and his failure in the negotiations with the Griffon Kingdom, had led the Night Court to strip Kaelan of his rank, turning the centuries-old vampire into a social pariah.
After months of mockery and humiliation, he had abandoned the Court, becoming an Outcast. It was the only way to achieve his revenge without being restricted by the rules of undead society.
He had attempted for over a month to find Lith, but the task had proven to be a nightmare. Lith moved as fast and silent as a ghost. No matter how much Kaelan spent to corrupt his sources in the army, the Ranger was never where he was supposed to be.
The vampire had no idea that thanks to Solus’s new powers, the position Lith provided in his reports was purely nominal. He would have the army amulet scan a location in the north just to Warp with his tower back in the south of the Kingdom.
Infiltrating Belius had proved to be impossible. No matter how rich he was, the city’s security measures were so strict that he couldn’t get in. Among the city arrays, there was one able to detect the undead.
The Crown spared no expenses to keep the Courts out of nerve centers of the Kingdom. It made Kamila untouchable for him, just like the Queen’s Corps units outside Lith’s house made kidnapping a member of his family suicidal.
Kaelan could have killed one of them from a distance, but his thirst for revenge couldn’t be quenched by such an impersonal act. He wanted Lith to know who was the architect of his misery and why he was being punished.
“What do you want, Erlik?” Kaelan’s spite for the Draugr was only second to the one he held of the Courts.
“You’re already capable of staying awake during the day. Remarkable.” Erlik didn’t care for respect as long as the other party kept their end of the bargain. “Are you interested in regaining your position in the Night Court, if not in rising even higher?”
“What’s the deal?” Kaelan knew that Erlik had no authority in the Courts. He was their golden boy, but that was it. At least until his plan succeeded. After that, the Draugr would become a leading figure, if not the leader of all Courts.
Alas, between saying and doing, there were a lot of people to slaughter.
“My plan was going smoothly, but in the last few days, I’ve run into a few complications. I hoped you could help me deal with them.” Erlik explained to Kaelan his current situation.
“I need you to buy me just a few days. Past that point, unless the Council or a Guardian intervenes, the events that I’m going to set in motion will be impossible to stop.”
“How exactly am I supposed to do it? I can’t enter Laruel and even if I could, I couldn’t move as freely as your thralls and undead plants.” Kaelan replied.
“I don’t need you here. I need you to deal with those bothering me. No matter how powerful a warrior or how cunning their mind is, the heart will always be their weak point.
