March of The Dead (MotD)

Alaster glanced around the room the City Lord had offered. For an intended prison cell, it was quite large. Ten feet cubed. But the stonework was smooth and level, so Alaster had no complaints.

Or at least, Belgroth did not.

There were empty sconces on either side of the room, and with the servant taking the torch with them as they left, Alaster was left in pitch blackness, not that this bothered him. He had long since grown more comfortable in the dark than he felt in the light.

And darkness covered him like a cool and comforting blanket, welcoming him home.

But he also felt an internal darkness stir.

'If this works, and I am gone, you will have to deal with the Anti System alone. Will you be able to?' Belgroth asked, he had never been a fan of the System, but the Anti System unnerved him.

'I'll manage. It's like an unruly child, all it needs is some discipline. Let's begin.'

'Tap into that forgotten Earth Magic of yours and carve into the stone exactly three centimeters deep in an S shape.' Belgroth began, as his host worked, he spoke again, 'How exactly do you plan discipline a collection of Nanobots?'

Alaster finished his work before he responded, 'By refusing to use it if it doesn't obey. Think of it like grounding a child.'

'And you think that will work on a machine that is older than any Human Kingdom in known History? Now follow this pattern exactly at two centimeters.' Belgroth asked, overlaying a faint design in Alaster's left eye.

'Since when can you do this?'

'Don't know, maybe always? I just figured it out shortly after the Invasion began. After being able to possess your Minions, however briefly, I was curious what else I could do. There just hasn't been a need before now, and this is as bright as I can make it. Now back to my question.'

'Yes, I think it will work because it already has. It still throws temper tantrums usually in places of heightened System Activity, but for the most part, it has calmed down. It desires to be used more than anything, so by refusing to do so unless it obeys, it's like taking away candy from a baby.'

'That's a mean analogy.'

'But it applies.' Alaster said snugly, continuing to follow the outline Belgroth displayed in his eye.

'And what of the Black Legion, that's what you called it, right?'

'What about it?'

'Oh please, we both felt its power. Just one hundred are so powerful they could raze this city to ruins, and you have a thousand. Why haven't you used them?'

'Because the System specifically asked me not to. But mainly because we both felt their power. There has not yet been a need to use them. Best keep them hidden as a trump card.'

'Alaster, you are currently in a city under siege. What other time would you use them?'

'If they breach the walls. Or if they get too many reinforcements. Besides, I have the Native Undead that could help. Already, the Ghouls have done an excellent job demoralizing the Coalition, even if the soldiers they kill are few in the grand scheme of things.'

'Yeah, that's another thing. Might I say that I don't like that you set Ghouls upon my people?'

Alaster shrugged, 'They should have stayed away from my home. Besides, all is fair in love and war, right?'

'No! I hate that Human saying. All is fair? In love of all things? What a ridiculous saying.'

'Ok, maybe I went a bit far with the Ghouls eating Coalition Soldiers alive, but the sooner they give up leave, the sooner the war ends, which will save significantly more lives.'

'So in your mind, eating people alive will save lives? Your thinking is very twisted. A little deeper on that flourish.'

Alaster went back and fixed the error, 'Its worked so far.'

'Barely. I am still wrapping my head around how you survived that first year we were together. You either have to be the luckiest, or unluckiest person in the world.'

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Alaster shrugged, 'How lucky can I be? I'm stuck in the middle of a war, in a damp cellar, trying to pry a parasite out of my head.'

'How rude! A parasite doesn't give anything in return.'

The two continued to talk about various topics for several hours before the preparations were complete.

'You should get roses! Line the streets with them.' Belgroth exclaimed.

'Bel, we are getting married in a warzone.'

'That's your own fault.'

'Yes, I know, but that still doesn't change the fact that we are being constantly bombarded. Now back to the matter at hand. Take a good look at it. Is it done?'

'So boring,' Belgroth sighed before going silent, studying the intricate Rune Carving that spanned the entire floor and even the lower parts of the walls, 'Yes, its perfect.'

'So what now?'

'Stand in the middle, in that little empty spot, place your hand on the ground, and slowly begin feeding Magic into the Runes. The Ritual will take care of everything else; you just have to feed it. As you feed it, and we can see that everything is working as it should, you will gradually being increasing the Mana Flow.'

'How likely is this to blow up in my face?'

Belgroth did not answer.

'Belgroth.'

'Well, with all Rituals there is a possibility, and I have never seen a Ritual so complex. But you should be durable enough to survive…maybe.'

'Are you kidding me?'

'About the explosion, no. About the risk of dying from it? Depends? The possibility of an explosion is incredibly low already. And you are extremely durable. Don't worry about it. If something does happen, I will be able to see it quick enough to warn you. You'll probably be able to see when something wrong happens, even if you don't know what.'

'What a great vote of confidence.' Alaster said sarcastically, yet still he moved to stand where Belgroth highlighted.

'Just how much Mana will this require?' Alaster asked, putting his open palm on the smooth stone.

'How much Mana can you hold in your Pool?'

'The last I checked, before the System stopped responding to me, was roughly five thousand. I imagine its gone up significantly since then, especially with all the death going on.'

'And to humans, in regards to the System, how large is that?' Belgroth asked, having very little reference point since his people never regulated amounts of Mana to numbers.

'A large amount for an Expert would be around two thousand. For a Master? Maybe three and a half?'

'Well, using that very basic reference, I would suspect around one hundred and eighty thousand Mana to be pumped into this Ritual.'

Alaster flinched, 'That much Mana could flatten the city if it was all released.'

'And poison the ground and water for several centuries. My people wouldn't use something like this as a weapon even in this war.'

'Yet we are doing it to get you a body.'

'Yep, as the Mana reaches critical levels, the Ritual will automatically pull me from your soul. This shouldn't hurt either of us since I am going willingly and won't fight back. It should feel like a wet and slimy eel being slowly pulled from around your neck. Uncomfortable, but not painful.

After that, the Mana you are fueling the Ritual, which is being stored in the Runes themselves, should begin to empty, even as you continue feeding it, and all this Mana will gradually condense, forming my body, using my Soul as a blueprint.

So the body it creates should be exactly what my body was like before it disintegrated, without any scars or other injuries.

When the Ritual is finished, the Runes will all crumble into dust. It might take a moment for me to come to my senses, so please don't do anything or try slapping me awake. It's been a few centuries sense I had a body, controlling your Minions for seconds at a time doesn't count.

But that should be it.'

'And during this time, the Coalition will feel the high Mana Concentration and will likely attack hard, thinking we are doing something against them, and I won't be on the walls to help in the defense.' Alaster droned, not at all happy about that aspect.

'That sounds about right.'

'I need to consolidate power before then. Give me a moment to talk to Fenrir, Vivian, and Lezrum. We'll wait until they are in formation atop the walls.'

'Good plan.'

* * * * *

Fenrir stood atop the Outer Wall staring at the Coalition Camp. His force of three thousand Skeletal Wolfmen stood behind him in neat formation. Vivian sat atop a box behind the Inner Wall with her horde of flying fodder. They flocked around her like crows.

Lezrum stood atop the Inner Wall, waiting to summon his hordes of Undead, ready to bolster the ranks of the Living Soldiers.

The Soldiers had been warned that there would be a high Mana Concentration situated below the Castle, and would likely cause the Coalition to attack harder than they have before. They stood, armed and ready amid their cracked walls and crumbling towers, ready to defend their ruined and burning city.

Lord Siphas stood ready amid his Personal Guard, as did most of the Nobles that remained in the city. As he looked around at the mighty force assembled, both atop the walls and in the bailees in between the walls, as well as the Horde of Undead yet to be summoned, he was hard pressed to imagine such a force falling.

But he was a historian and records keeper. He knew better than most that such forces, and ones much stronger, have collapsed and broke.

Alaster hovered his hand over the stone. He closed his eyes and saw through a Shadow's as it watched over his Sister and Fiancée. Despite his pleading, they had refused to simply hide in the Castle. They insisted that if he refused to allow them to fight, that they would help out in one of the Field Hospitals.

Arthur had suffered the same struggle, and had only barely managed to convince the pregnant Astrid to do the same. It was for that reason, that Alaster had summoned his full force of Undead Guardians to protect that particular Hospital.

Five hundred bulky and heavily armored Undead armed with massive shields stood around the entrance of the Underground Hospital, ready to put themselves between the Humans inside, and the Demons outside.

Alaster hoped they would be bored.

He lowered his hand to the stone and began to channel Mana.

'Lets begin.'