Homecoming

--Gatix--

“They're here!” I crashed to the ground as something slammed into my chest. My armor absorbed most of the impact, but the mass of snapping teeth was worrisome. Pure luck allowed me to escape the first bite, but I managed to press my arm through the chomping jaw by the second. Metallic scratches filled my ears as I pulled the jaw closer and landed a punch with my free hand. Several teeth flew as the head snapped back, but the resulting roar and renewed scratches meant the fight was still on.

“Get it! Get it before-”

“What is going on here?” Ms. Queen yelled somewhere beside me.

“My... my Queen!” The gray blob on top of me stopped squirming as well.

“Unhand that man at once!”

“But, my Quee-”

“At once!” A reddish hand helped me to my feet after the gray blob moved to release me.

Standing up allowed a moment to absorb the scenery. Ms. Queen and I had emerged on a cliff with a large black castle visible in the distance. I could see flashes of its majesty, but the black smoke provoked a different set of emotions. Creatures of all shapes and sizes laid siege to the town, with various screeches and howls filling the air.

I doubted this was the homecoming Ms. Queen had been waiting for.

“Sondok, if I recall? What is going on here?” She asked the question I'd been thinking about as well.

“The dread knights, O' Queen!” The creature who stepped forward resembled an Earthen gargoyle, albeit with a more demonic head and more teeth. The one who attacked me looked the same, except blackish blood dripped from a hole in his pearly whites. The look he shot me had several meanings, all of which I understood. “They... they have returned!”

“Dread knights?” Ms. Queen gestured at me. “Do they look like him?”

“Very similar, my Queen, except they can't speak our tongue. We thought your companion was one who broke our perimeter.”

“The alchemist.” I turned to Ms. Queen. “He's here.”

“Yes.” Ms. Queen nodded in agreement. “Where did they come from?”

“Within the castle, two days ago. The guards stationed on the perimeter heard screaming from within the walls. They investigated, but the dread knights slew them and fled into the city. The city was swarmed before our forces could prepare. There were too many of them!”

“That means he summoned more. The bazaar contained three dozen at most.” Ms. Queen glanced at the city. “Sondok, have they managed to escape the city walls?”

“No, my Queen. A few have attempted to leave, but we managed to slay them. The city contains the bulk of their forces. Their goal seems to be delivering as much damage as possible.”

“No.” I caught Ms. Queen's attention with my disagreement. “The alchemist would give the command to kill, but his intentions would be something else. He'd use his tendrils to level the city if he wanted it gone.”

“A distraction, then.”

“He's probably here for some other reason. Letting the fake knights loose will draw all your forces there, giving him plenty of time to do what he came here for.”

“You think he's still here?”

“You said you've been at it for two days?” Sondok jerked back when I talked to him, but he managed to answer with a nod. “I don't know how big your castle is, but I'd have a hard time imagining enough forces for a multi-day assault would fit in there, especially if their tactics are search and destroy. He's probably holed up in the most defensible position you have, periodically summoning more as he does whatever he came here to do.”

“Defensible...” Ms. Queen's eyes widened. “The throne room!”

“Close to the center, if I had to guess?”

“And the best fortified. It's been designed as a defensible position should the city fall. It features only one entrance, and the corridors leading are too thin for an army to storm. But... it should be impossible! There are wards in place to prevent teleportation into any location within my castle walls.”

“We can figure that out afterward. The enemy is in there, and we must deal with it.”

“You're right. Sondok!”

“Yes, my Queen?”

“Spread the word. The enemies attacking you may resemble the dread knights but are summoned creatures by an alchemist of the Wolani Order. My companion and I have encountered them before. Their ferocity is great, but they are significantly weaker than their original counterparts.”

“Yes, my Queen! What are your orders?”

“To split into two groups! The faster among you are to help the city evacuate. Those who can fight are to stay and do so while the rest are to travel to Homolo or Wiperka. Send messengers to inform their leaders of the events. Our forces are to hold the perimeter around the city and eliminate any knights who may try to escape. We must contain the infestation here, or we risk the void breaking loose if they escape.”

“Yes, my Queen!”

“What about us?”

“We?” Ms. Queen stepped closer, taking a deep breath as a purple ball formed between her fingers. “We are going to strike at the heart of the problem...”