"They have gathered reinforcements from a hidden Synner school in the North, as I'm sure you're already aware. However, instead of taking a conventional approach, they've decided to split into two groups, one below ground and one above," Irun replied, causing his new master to tilt his head in minor confusion. "Strange. They would have sent out ri-..." the Masked One cut himself off as he heard Kimzul call out to him. "They're coming, lord!" he shouted from atop the wall.
There they are, the mage smiled wickedly.
The Masked One levitated himself and Irun to the top of the wall to observe the attackers' approach. They saw a group of horsemen descending the same path Irun had taken a few short minutes before. He cast more violet tendrils to open the gates again, raising his hand to summon glicks and ochelons to fight the riders. The horde left the gates screeching and bellowing as they always did whenever they moved in for a kill, and they watched the riders off in the distance get into their formation.
"They are no match for such a horde, great one," Kimzul said. Irun looked at the tall, armored person towering over him. "Forgive me, master, but who or what the fuck is this thing?" he asked, but the Masked One didn't turn to face him; instead, he gazed at the charging creatures. "He is my new servant. Once a member of the Church, he has seen the error of his ways and pledged his service to me, just as you have done from the Synners," he replied.
So, a choir boy gets a fancy suit of armor? That's fair, Irun mentally scoffed in confusion.
The Masked One turned to face him so quickly that it startled Irun. "I hope you know I can hear your thoughts, Irun," he snarled. "I-I apologize, master. I meant no disrespect," Irun stuttered, frozen in place. "I could have decided to let that ochelon kill you, even after all your service to me. You want armor of your own? Here, take it, you little ingrate," the Masked one said.
Irun knew he was angry, but began to feel the cloud of mana enveloping him. The violet mana solidified into the same type of armor as Kimzul's, but it was far less intricate and glorious, leaving more than a few spaces open for a possible attack.
"You already know how to fight, so I don't have to give you as much protection. You ought to thank me for not transmuting you into some sort of giant prick with legs and an anus for a mouth," the Masked One growled, causing Irun to swallow dryly. "Thank you, master," he said humbly as the Masked One turned to watch the battle that began to rage in the distance.
Arrows flew through the air at Garret's command and struck their targets with superb accuracy and precision. Irun, too, was observing the battle carefully, but his master seemed oddly satisfied with the result so far. "You said there was a second force coming from below?" he asked.
"Y-Yes, master. There's a passage that begins from far outside the castle and leads directly beneath the city itself. Something of old elvish make, but I didn't stick around long enough to know where it would eventually lead. I needed to get away while I still had the chance to, after all," he said shakily, getting a grunt of understanding from the mage.
"It's a shame I'm only hearing of this right now, Irun Mothac. It seems you may have committed a potentially fatal mistake to our plans," the Masked One sighed. "I-I didn't know until we arrived there, master. If I had, I would have warned you, but by the time I realized what was happening, I knew that was when I had to escape," Irun stammered.
"This is not good news, indeed. There must be countless entrances and exits to this underground passage strewn about the city," the Masked One said grimly, briefly glazing over the city's rooftops. "We must be on our guard for any sign of movement that isn't one of the creatures below. It doesn't seem like they will follow their usual convention of attacking at dawn, so be prepared for a night raid," he continued.
"What do you want me to do when they arrive, master?" he asked after a short pause, watching the battle in the distance, which was coming to an end. "I will send a small portion of the horde to support you when the time comes to fight against your old comrades. Are you prepared to do what's necessary, Irun?" the Masked One asked coldly, but Irun struggled to understand the true depth of his master's question.
I've always known that one day it might come to this, he thought.
"I don't have much of a choice, master. I've never really fit in with any of them, or, at least, I don't think I ever did. I've always felt more estranged around them than anything else, master," Irun replied, noticing that saying it aloud gave him a small portion of relief.
"That's… not at all what I asked. Does that mean you're willing to fight them? It's a simple yes or no question," The Masked One said, dumbfounded by the answer. "I-I think I'll be alright, master," Irun replied after a few moments of consideration. "I pray you do not hesitate like that when you meet them in battle," the mage said, observing his demeanor and scoffing behind his mask, barely audible to Irun's ears.
"Very well, then. You will be the vanguard of the force that I will send to draw them out of their newfound hiding holes," he said. Irun nodded, then realized it was stupid to do so, since his master wasn't even looking at him.
"Where should I start, master?" he asked. "If what you say about the underground passage is true, and their secondary force is coming from the north, I'd tell you to begin somewhere on the northern side of the palace itself. If you have a better idea of where they might come from, I advise you to take this with you," the Masked One said, pulling a crystal from one of the pouches in his cloak and throwing it over his shoulder for Irun to catch.
He nearly let it drop as it fell from the air, but managed to recover it without any visible damage. "You must go; now," the mage ordered, prompting Irun to leave without another word. He eyeballed the crystal for a moment, realizing he knew nothing about how it should be used. The Masked One also realized it and cast a spell of violet mana into it.
Irun was taken aback by the sudden glow of the crystal and felt the ground beneath his feet begin to rumble. "Do not allow anything to destroy it," the Masked One said cautiously. "If any harm should come to it, the monsters around you may very well turn on you or each other, as is their natural way of doing things," he continued, getting another nod from Irun Irun, still feeling the ground beneath his feet tremble.
The screeching, cackling monsters came en masse towards him. He drew his sword, more out of habit than anything else, at the sight of them. They stopped a few meters away from him, as though awaiting orders. He observed them closely. He had never seen these creatures at such a close range, other than when they attempted to disembowel him.
"Damn glicks," he said quietly, as their jagged teeth and scales flared at the sight of him. He turned his back on them, making his way towards the northern end of the palace with the small horde following closely behind him. The sun was setting on the distant horizon, and they were all now in the shadow of the great wall that had failed to keep the creatures at bay. The houses shook as they passed each one, the smell of the rotting flesh of the people who had lived in them filling the air quickly.
Did I really make the right choice here? I mean, my mother died as a synner, and a damned good one at that. I don't think I've lived up to her reputation, but I'm fucking trying my best, he thought as they went past the derelict houses.
Not much of a choice left but to follow through, I suppose. Gods fucking damn it all, I don't want to die, but I have to go through with this. Mother, have mercy on me when I see you again, he thought, kicking himself for his choice.
He led his small band of grotesque creatures to the general area of the northern gate and waited for those moving between the trees to begin their assault.
And so it begins, he thought.