The streets were eerily quiet. Only the sound of bells and leaves rustling in the wind could be heard. Max and Vel both expected screams and cries of pain but instead, the streets were empty. There were no puddles of blood or buildings on fire. There was only silence and for some reason that worried Max more.

Max, Emi, and Vel traversed the streets looking for people in need. It had long been decided that when the sacrifices went off, they would assist the citizens. Their first goal was to round up as many as they could on their way to the largest of the emergency clinics. Their second goal would be to stabilize as many as possible before regrouping with the others.

Bishop, Reep, and Clammy were tasked with defending the walls. This would primarily be Bishop, but the others would participate as well. Their goal was simple. Kill as many undead as possible while keeping an eye out for the soldiers. Until Mallor was spotted, their team would be defending the city.

Max’s team found their first survivor. He was pinned against the ground by a large chunk of a building. Instead of trying to lift the building off the man, Vel poured water into the ground around him. She manipulated it in such a way that the ground sunk. Max pulled him through the mud, out to safety. The man was wallowing in pain, but otherwise alright. It would take a while for magic to heal his bones, but he should be able to walk again.

Creating a sinkhole, huh? Max thought, theory crafting spells in his mind.

Vel carried the man in a bubble of water as they ran through the streets. The man had calmed down from the initial shock and Vel’s calming spell and soothing waters. They found another person a few dozen meters away. This person was dead. Max couldn’t even tell if it was an Elf, its body was too mangled by the explosion to be recognizable.

Max marked the location on his mini map and promised to come back when it was safe. Everyone deserves a burial. They had to turn down a street that led them away from the explosion, but closer to the clinic. Chunks of buildings, logs, and branches had crashed into roofs, creating large gaping holes into shops, restaurants, and homes. Many citizens were already assessing the danger while others kept a watchful eye on the streets.

It amazed Max how fast a community could come together in the time of crisis. People were helping their neighbors get out of the collapsed building, finding them a place to bunker down, and keeping an eye out for more dangers. Vel told a few injured Elves to follow them. They had gashes down their torsos and head but were able to walk. A few even carried more seriously injured Elves on their shoulders. Vel couldn’t carry much more weight.

They crossed another street, and the clinic came into view. It was a madhouse. The rather small building was being overrun with people. Hundreds approached, most of whom had treatable injuries. A few were laid on the ground with a piece of cloth over their eyes. For those, Max and Vel were too late. Other Elves were helping move patients, they followed the call of the Elves in uniforms with green slashes. Esmel’s healers.

Max had been prepared for this moment. He auto equipped a specially made mana regeneration robe. The robe itself was rather simple. It was primarily black with green slashes, signifying that Max was a healer. It also was created with Esmel’s best regeneration enchantment. Max didn’t know the going rate for such an article of clothing, but it had to be above 100 gold. Max glanced at Vel; she was already wearing her green slashed robes.

The clinic was hastily made from a small building. The building itself was nothing more than temporary storage for the real clinic, however. Large, multi-roomed tents were erected in the clearing in front of the building. Elves wearing red stripes continuously rushed from the tents into the building and back. Each time they would bring an item with them. Beds, tables, medical equipment, and potions were among the many items.

They entered the tent and got to work. Vel put the man down on a bed in the “stabilized” section. Her healing bubble that she transported him with had set his bones and stopped the internal bleeding. Vel could have focused on him more, but there were others that needed her help.

Max and Emi branched from Vel. They made sure to always be within a blink or two’s distance from her, however. A healer yelled Max instructions of who was the most injured. He went from table to table, briefly healing each occupant until he felt they were in a safe condition. A few injuries were bad enough that Max had to spike his spell with Divine.

Each time he did so, his exhaustion levels would skyrocket. Max felt the exchange was worth it, however. Vel quickly moved into the same pattern that Max was. Quick bursts of healing. Water healing spells shined in moments like this. They could provide emergency aid to so many, so quickly. Other schools of magic couldn't touch water’s potency.

A unit of soldiers eventually made themselves known. The crowd was already getting aggressive. The soldiers kept the peace and order. Max was honestly thankful. He had seen too many movies where doctors and hospitals were overrun.

Max finished up with a woman who was bleeding from her head and moved to another woman. Max instantly felt something was wrong. He slowly approached her and was able to identify her injury. Her eyes were staring straight ahead, she was unresponsive, and she had black dots behind her ears.

Max didn’t want to take any chances, he surrounded her in water causing a few of the nearby healers to become alert. By now, the healers in the clinic knew who he was. He was the one-armed Human that the city was talking about. Rumors spread about his importance in the defense of the city as well as the call to action he made at Honeygreen’s trunk.

“VEL!” Max yelled in her general direction.

Vel removed her eyes from the Elf she was currently working with and cursed.

“Dots?” She asked on her approach.

“Someone must have brought her to the clinic thinking she had a head injury.”

Vel nodded. “We have three options. First, we kill her and burn her body.”

A few of the healers and nearby patients gasped.

“Second, we have a few guards take her to the bank. And third, you try to use your new healing spell on her. Maybe you can remove whatever was done to her.”

Max nodded. “I’ll try.”

“Good choice.” Vel smiled.

Water wrapped around the woman. Healing properties and life force was added. He watched her body react, or rather, not react. Normally when Max healed someone, their muscles jumped, or their blood flowed smoother. Not this time, however. His spell simply did nothing, almost like she was already in perfect health. Max reached out with his Divine, adding a drop into the current. Nothing changed. He added a second drop, and a third, and a fourth. Nothing.

Max cut the spell, taking large gasps of air as he did so.

“My spell won’t heal her, I don’t think there is anything physically wrong with her.”

“That would make sense. I’ve seen something similar on a few slaves I treated a century or so ago. Their master kept them in pristine shape, but their minds were broken. Poor things…”

Max had questions, but now was not the time. “Guards then?”

“Right. She probably shouldn’t go to the bank, however. I don’t want to take the risk of the others escaping or exploding.” Max hadn’t considered that.

“Also [Arbor] Xylem is most likely not available to open the vault anyways.” Max added.

Vel clapped her hands and added mana to her voice. “Everyone listen up! Check behind everyone’s ears for black dots. We have already found one, meaning that there will be others. The dots signify they are living sacrifices.”

Gasps of shock filled the tent.

“That’s right, they might explode or worse. We need to get them off to a secure area before that happens. Get to checking!”

Healers, guards, and citizens rushed around the area checking everyone. Even the dead. For the time being, no others were found. The woman was being moved by a team of guards, who each had personal defense abilities. If something happened and the woman detonated, they would hopefully be able to protect themselves. It was decided for the woman to be taken as far as possible. There weren't many places to safely detonate a bomb inside the city, but there were a few barracks with underground reinforced cells. They could only hope that the walls would be thick enough.

Vel and Max got back to work. Even Emi was healing people where she could.

Battle raged around Esmel. Undead marched with mindless focus, creating an enemy that was void of all emotion. They did not feel pain. They did not fear. They did not know death, even though they themselves were dead. Their goal was simple. Kill everything in their path, for that was their master's wish.

Esmel’s guard population was never very large. Esmel, like many other Elven cities, was peaceful, at least compared to a city such as Salae or Lesterwood. There were no gangs, no serial killers, no bank robbers. Esmel was a city of export, the worst criminal organizations were smugglers. They were unprepared for what they currently faced.

The average guard was high tier one. There simply wasn’t much reason for their levels to be higher. There were monsters in the nearby forest, but nothing high leveled. The threat of the [Arbors] were enough to deter high level threats.

Bishop, Reep, and Clammy stood together high above the battlefield. Around them stood other [Archers] and [Artillery Mages]. The call for the first of many “Mana Eradication” was made by [Arbor] Dripleaf. The idea of eradication was simple. Every ranged mana user would spend their entire mana pool on the approaching horde. While their mana recovered, melee mana users and physical fighters would defend the barricades until the next cycle of eradication.

Undead gathered against the main barrier of the outer blockade. White light flashed when particularly strong undead beat against the magical wall. The undead acted like ants, crawling over each other trying to reach the top.

Unlike before, there were now more species of undead. Abominations were the most prevalent, other than the normal skeleton. They were a mosh-pot of humanoid and monster body parts all attached to a central mass. Extra heads and organs were able to be seen through stretched skin, creating a disturbing image. With all of the extra mass, they moved slowly. To an experienced fighter, they were simple but tanky targets. To the less inclined, they were an unstoppable force.

The next most often were knights. There are various types of knights, each with their own affinity or theme. Often called Death Knights, skeletons ride atop undead horses or other mounts. Before their deaths, knights were usually people of renown. Great adventures or honorable guards, dark magics were able to resurrect them with part of their memories. They remembered how to fight, how to lead, and how to kill.

Wraiths were rare, but not unseen. Similar to skeletal mages, Wraiths are able to use magic. Instead of sending fireballs or frost spikes, Wraiths possess. They seek the recently dead, forcing their souls into the empty vessel. If the reanimated body goes unnoticed, the Wraith will overload their host body with magic, creating wildly powerful spells. The body will be ruined in the process, but the Wraith will simply move on to the next one.

Revenants were the real threat. Within an army of this size, Bishop guessed there was going to be at least 7 Revenants. Each is unique and very rarely weak. Reported sightings have consisted of undead the size of buildings or swarms of flying heads. One such report even cited a Revenant as being a single skeleton with unmatchable swordsmanship. Cities have fallen due to one Revenant. Esmel would have to defend against many.

The first horn sounded, signaling for everyone to ready their spells. Mages of all kinds drew upon their respective affinities. Bows were drawn, catapults were locked, and storms were created. The barrier faded, unleashing the horde. A second horn sounded, and spells broke through the empty sky.

Hundreds of projectiles bombarded the oncoming wave of death. A horn sounded again, and a second volley of spells were launched. Craters formed, slowing the hordes' movements. Bodies began to pile up creating blockages. Skeletal mages took their shot, firing as many spells as they could before becoming targeted.

The horn rang again, the next volley was sent off. It rang again. And again. In total five volleys were sent out. The barrier slowly flicked back into existence while the physical reserved team moved into position. The horde was far off, but the undead that were still alive made it apparent that they simply did not care about most of their numbers falling. Instead, they charged with the utmost urgency.

While guards and soldiers fought the staggering undead, runners ran up and down the primary wall handing out mana potions. The barrier wouldn't be able to remain up for long periods of time. The resource cost was simply too high. Instead, the barrier would only be initiated for the first few minutes after a volley. It was inefficient, but if a Revenant appeared when most were out of mana, it would prove fatal to the first barricade.

Horns sounded in the distance signifying volleys for other blockades. Silent prayers went out to various Gods asking for protection, willpower, perseverance, hope, and most of all, for other barricades not to fall.

The girls looked out with bleak eyes. The destruction was evident, but the horde massing against the barrier was unsettling. While hoots and hollering sounded across the wall, an unstoppable feeling of dread slowly silenced the morale. All eyes watched as the number of undead grew. Hope was being crushed before their eyes.

Clammy and Reep wanted to leave. It was hopeless. The city was going to fall. Everyone was going to die. The only saving grace was that they were from Lesterwood. They could simply sneak away. They had no ties, they ha-

A devastating crack of lighting exploded from the sky with pin-point precision. A mass of flesh was ripped apart asunder from the inside-out by 300 million volts of electricity. Black smoke quickly raised from the charred remains of a Revenant.

“Morale Eater.” Bishop spit. “Always a joy.”

Clammy shivered, emotions flooding her body. “What is happening?”

“Everything is fine. You are in shock. Your body is reacting negatively to having all of your emotions taken forcefully.” Bishop said, eyeing Reep who seemed fine.

“Revenant?” Reep asked.

“A common one, actually. If I hadn't been on the lookout for it, who knows how much devastation it could have caused.”

“I wanted to walk into the horde…” Reep whispered.

Bishop nodded. “It feeds on positive emotions, amplifying negative ones. Suicides are common, but I think you need to have a talk with someone when we get back to Lesterwood. Especially since you seem perfectly fine.” Reep nodded.

Bishop turned back to Clammy. He expected her to remain out of commission for a few minutes longer. Usually, veterans are the first to wake up from emotional shock. They have the experience with mind altering magic and are able to recognize its effects. To Bishop’s surprise, Clammy was craving to fight. All past notions of shock were gone and, in its wake, stood a young warrior.

“Easy there. You will have your chance.” Bishop said. “You remember the plan right?”

“We wait here until a Revenant appears. We fight it while Reep provides covering fire.” Clammy said through gritted teeth.

“It’s going to be a tough fight…”

“I can handle it.”

“I have no doubt.”

A long slow horn sounded. The wall readied. The barrier fell and a second horn sounded. The cycle restarted.

The war room was silent other than an assistant reading a report. Since the sacrifices exploded the war room had been busy. Scouts and attendants continuously brought in new reports or expanded on orders. Every remaining [Arbor] were within their respective chairs but their vessels were different from their normal wooden figure. They each split their consciousness into multiple bodies in order to relay orders faster. Honeygreen sat on his throne in his primary body.

“A Revenant has already been killed by the Drake, Bishop and confirmed by Captain Loreen. It was typed in the mental deterioration category and left many of the novices in a state of shock. The second volley was significantly weaker because of this. The barrier is still standing, but the time in between each volley is having to be reduced. It is expected to remain up for four more volley cycles.”

“Have any more sacrifices been found?” Honeygreen asked.

“No sir. Only the one.” The assistant answered.

“Honeygreen, I think we shou-” [Arbor] Xylem began.

“No. Not yet. We have to trust in the barricades.”

“You know as well as I do that the longer you wait, the more will die.”

Honeygreen didn’t respond, but he didn’t need to. Each of the [Arbors] knew what Honeygreen was hesitating on. One of the reasons Elven cities are regarded as nigh impenetrable was that [Arbors] could expand their influence. They could easily defend against the horde of undead at their gates. But they themselves would be left defenseless. Mallor still hasn't shown himself, and that was what worried Honeygreen.

“Call for Max and Veline. They should still be at the clinic.” Honeygreen spoke quietly to an attendant.

The attendant nodded and ran out.