A Soldier's Life - 447 - (edited 8-31-25 +150 words)

Chapter 447:

“How? This is Sanctuary!” a Sentinel listening in exclaimed.

“The dead would be inside the wards; they do not need to pass through the wards. The High Sentinel was pressed too hard and forced to retreat too quickly. This was likely the plan all along, and we failed to see it,” Lepidus said flatly.

“The defenders are nearing exhaustion, and some are close to being burnt,” Jalorien said worryingly and turned and called for over a dozen fresh Sentinels to go and reinforce below.

“How did you know the Emperor was in Sanctuary?” I asked Lepidus skeptically.

It was the Castilian who answered before Lepidus. “Lepidus can sense undead. And some undead are familiar to him.” Lepidus confirmed with a nod, but it still made me wary as the distance to the fighting below us was quite a distance away. Lepidus had mentioned to me that he was also monitoring the wards.

Lepidus spoke. “I believe that is why they were upset that the dungeon was destroyed. The Emperor can only raise maybe a hundred lesser ghouls in a day. With the dungeon, he could have doubled that number.” I knew there was greater aetheric density in a dungeons because of their proximity to ley lines. Powerful mages also had techniques to enhance their channeling of aether further. The lich would still need to convert the aether into nether essence for his necromancy.

“They will use the undead soulless to set off our defenses and advance. If they reach the Repository, there will be too many pathways up to defend effectively,” Jalorien muttered in thought. The Repository was the hollow central core of Sanctuary. It contained dozens upon dozens of floors of artifacts, books, and vaults of protected information. The Sentinels had very little time to move important artifacts while preparing defenses. If they reached the Repository, they could destroy an incomprehensible amount of unique knowledge. The Repository started on the thirteenth level of the Sanctuary.

“How far have they climbed, and are they raiding the warehouses?” I asked.

“The fighting is in a lull, but our forces are currently setting defenses on the ninth level as of an hour ago. They did break into a few warehouses, but the explosive wards set on the doors have dissuaded them from opening more,” Jalorien said remorsefully.

I made a tough decision and started producing racks upon racks of the aether restorative, only keeping ten for myself. “Get these in the hands of those who can best use them,” I said. Seeing the questioning look from the Castellan, I explained. “These are the lesser aether restoratives.” His eyes widened in realization, but he just nodded and called six runners to deliver them below, calling out six different defense positions.

With a lull as the enemy regrouped, Blaze went to take a nap, and I took the chance to check on Evie. I found her sleeping in hastily arranged bunks in the common room next to the kitchens. The kitchens were still bustling with constant activity as they prepared meals for everyone defending their home. The elven children here were all armed with daggers and short blades, if they were strong enough. Despite their exhaustion, the mood was upbeat as they worked under the guidance of three matriarchal elves and one male dwarf.

I sat down in a chair at the head of Evie’s bunk and rested my hand on her head. She stirred and looked up sleepily. “Is it over?”

“Today’s fighting is. The next round will begin tonight,” I told her. “So far we are winning,” I offered with a forced smile. There was too much noise to sleep and I was not willing to take an oblivion pill. Even with the ring of sustenance, I still needed a few hours every day. “I am going to get some rest with the amulet. If something happens, can you wake me?”

“Can I join you?” she asked eagerly, becoming more awake.

“No, I need you to wake me if something happens,” I replied. She looked disappointed but nodded and settled her head back into the griffin down pillow. I got comfortable in the chair, and cupped the amulet in my hand within easy reach of Evie.

I entered the dreamscape and seriously considered imprinting the dimension door spell form. I knew I could do it without much effort. I was thinking of ways it could be used to help in defense. But in the end, I decided its usefulness would be minimal. I decided I just wanted to rest with Oscar in my lap. The constructs seemed to understand my intent, and Konstantin held them back so they didn’t bother me as I made my way to the recliner. The recliner Evie had created was next to mine, along with the book she had been reading. I almost willed it back to its place on the shelves, but paused.

It was the compiled book on the First Legion, including Lepidus’s journals. How far did she get? She couldn’t have gotten too far, or she would have had questions for me. The journal clearly detailed that there was a way back to Earth. If she had read about it, I was certain she would have asked me questions about it—or maybe she was waiting for the right time too.

I made the decision and purged all entries about the World Gates and the First Legions’ success in opening a gate back to Earth from the entire dreamscape library. It was best not to get her hopes up on something that could never happen. It would allow demons to pass not just to Desia, but also to Earth. Rather than putting the book back in place, I intentionally misplaced it on a different shelf so I would know if Evie perused it again. Maybe when she was older, and could understand, I would explain it to her.

I quickly got agitated doing nothing but stroking Oscar in my lap. I opted to spend a few hours continuing to read what I had collected on the Brotherhood of Mitzra and the Nashasari race.

The serpent men viewed all other races as inferior. They practiced ritual sacrifice and sometimes ate the flesh of their enemies. The females were generally larger than the males, but the males were more physically strong for mating purposes. Their society relied heavily on physical dominance, which was beneficial because it meant their leaders didn't always need to be intelligent.

Generally, the different Brotherhood sects fought amongst themselves, and only when a truly dominant leader rose would the Nashasari unite. When this happened, they inevitably formed armies and invaded the other continents. It appeared to be an endless cycle in the histories. The one curious note in the writings was that one scholar thought the Nashasari were native to Desia, meaning the world gates and Titans did not bring them here.

I closed the book and exited the dreamscape. I found the room less chaotic when I woke. Evie was still sleeping, with my hand resting on her head and her arms wrapped around my forearm. I gently removed my arm, left a snack on her pillow, and went outside to find it late in the afternoon, maybe five hours till sunset. The ground rumbled softly under my feet, reminding me there was still a battle being fought far below. I was walking to check on Blaze when a familiar voice stopped me.

“Seeker Eryk, good to see you alive,” Baelira shouted and quickly closed with me. The elf’s hair was tangled, and blood splatter coated her robes and armor. She looked even worse than after our time in the dungeon.

“You as well. How is the fighting below?” I asked.

“As well as can be expected. Almost three thousand soulless dead and less than a hundred Sentinels. I heard the battle on the plateau was a success as well, with you doing more than your fair share?” she asked with a grim smile.

“I did what I could, but the consensus is that it was just the beginning. Evie is there,” I pointed at the building I just left. “And I am going to check on Blaze.”

“I just have four hours to rest and eat before I have to descend the east stairwell,” the elf said while cleaning her face with a dirty rag. “I wouldn’t mind spending it with a friend.” I winced because I sensed something beneath her words and hopeful smile. I discarded it, as I knew the stress and adrenaline of battle did things to your psyche. It was probably me misinterpreting her body language.

“I can cook up something for both of us, after I check on Blaze,” I said, leading the way back to our residence. I roused the weary-eyed Blaze with a hard shake. “Time to eat.” He cursed me under his breath, accidentally calling me Delmar for waking him so abruptly, but came down to the kitchens.

Our larder had been pillaged, but I found some salted pork and rice to cook. We were the only three in the kitchens as I cooked and Blaze retold the battle against the ghoul bats and gargoyles. He made me sound much more heroic than I actually was. Then Baelira told us about the battle that was taking place below.

“We thought we were prepared for anything, but we didn’t expect magic that could blast through stone outer walls with such ease. Fenlorian quickly adapted, withdrawing everyone up one level, but it let them burn the ships. The only Brotherhood ship that tried to sail into the cavern was sunk when hundreds of flasks of alchemist’s acid rained down from the trap. We had hoped to catch more than one ship, but they were too cautious. The soulless on that ship were in chainmail and all drowned. Most of the Nashasari died in the water from the acid, but that was our only easy victory.” She paused to drink and eat a portion of the meal.

“There were a large number of traps that they triggered on the lowest level. But the soulless and Nashasari congregated at the docks. I was told they tried to enter the dungeon, and the Nashasari leader, a big female, went berserk and killed half a dozen soulless when she found out the dungeon was destroyed,” she smirked happily at those words.

“Did you hear anything about the lich Emperor?” I interrupted.

“There were no undead on any of the ships. Only soulless and Nashasari,” Baelira said. “After the dungeon, the soulless rushed the stairwells en masse. They breached our lines twice with the help of magic, but we regrouped and easily pushed them back.”

“How did you lose so many Sentinels then?” Blaze asked, pushing away his empty plate.

Baelira grimaced. “They were too willing to die and advance at all costs. Eventually, they triggered all our traps, and Fenlorian decided we needed to slow their advance to set more traps. The west stairs were briefly overrun on the fifth level, which was the worst of it. Some thirty Sentinels died there to hold the line so they couldn’t pour into the upper levels and attack others from behind. The soulless are just so willing to throw their lives away. It is almost like they are mindless undead themselves.”

“And you have not seen any undead?” I questioned.

“No, the wards would crippled them,” she said confidently.

“Lepidus said the Lich Emperor is inside the Sanctuary,” I told her truthfully.

She clearly had not been told by the stunned look on her face, but she quickly put the pieces together. “The Nashasari must have destroyed the wards for him to enter…and the dead soulless…” color drained from her face. “I should head back down.”

“Rest,” I said, grabbing her wrist. She clearly needed it. “Lepidus thinks he can only raise about one hundred ghouls a day.”

“Then those dead ghouls could be raised again into skeletons…” she said in horror.

“The good news is Lepidus thinks the Emperor is the only undead lord allied with the Brotherhood.” She looked doubtful at my words, as it didn’t make any sense to me either.

Baelira relaxed after a moment. “I wanted to ask you something important. A favor.”

I thought, here it comes. It was strange to realize that the elf before me appeared younger than I am, yet she was old enough to be my grandmother. It probably wouldn’t hurt to agree, but I knew the guilt would nag at me. At this rate, I might never see Raelia again, and this could be a distraction for both of us. I churned the impure thoughts quickly in my head before speaking. “I will listen to your request, but maybe it is not the best time for such things,” I said, trying to sound empathetic. Blaze raised an eyebrow at me.

Baelira looked a little confused but continued. “If we survive, and the Salty Widow returns, I want to leave Sanctuary. Can you introduce me to Elaro Morlamin in Gramney?”

“Uh, yes. I can do that,” I said slowly. Baelira’s parents were actually refugees from Milvanoris, and I had told her about Elaro.

The elf woman smiled, stood, and gave me an awkward hug as I was seated. “I should get below,” she said, leaving with purpose. Blaze looked amused as he had clearly been reading my thoughts somehow.

“What is so funny?” I said forcefully, my face likely slightly red. “Sunset is just a few hours away. We should head back to our blind.”

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