It took us an hour to go transport back to Last Port and buy the two horses that Kasidy and Renfry wanted. But in the end, they each had something that was good for them. Then we were off with Irwin driving the wagon and the three of us riding.

I had passed my short bow over to Irwin along with the arrows so that he could fight at range. He told me that he had no need for a lance on a horse that wasn’t trained as it would turn too soon. Kasidy wasn’t super happy about being on a horse but seemed to handle it well. Her new raiment came with riding boots, and so that helped keep her in place on the saddle as well.

I pointed off northwest and said. “So Blink is that way. I don’t know what the roads look like between here and there. My thoughts are that we keep on the king’s road until we can turn off to the west. Renfry scout for us and let us know when that’s coming.”

Renfry slammed his fist to his shoulder and headed off. As soon as the man’s butt hit his saddle, he turned from the easy-going revenant we had gotten to know into a hardened lancer. His face was set, and he was serious. It was honestly a sight to behold.

Irwin also seemed to change. Most of the time, he was nervous, but now he was watching me for the signal to go. When I pointed, he flicked his wrists, and the wagon started to move out. He seemed more at ease with reins in his hands.

It was about an hour up the road that there was a turnoff. Renfry guided us off the road, and we headed more westbound. Renfry took off in front, scouting out with me riding just in front of the wagon and to the left. Kasidy was off to the right of the wagon and behind slightly.

I checked where Blink was and said. “Blink’s stopped moving. I still can’t reach out to her to find out what’s going on.”

Renfry swung back into our view and raised his hand up for us to slow. Then he came down to us. “My lord, it looks like we are now in the area that the lich has patrolled. I spotted a group of five undead standing guard up ahead.”

Kasidy reined in her horse next to me. “More zombie orcs?”

Renfry shook his head. “Not all of them, it appeared to be a mixed guard. There were two zombie orcs, two hell dogss of some type and what appeared to be a skeletal mage.”

I nodded slowly. “Did they spot you?”

He shook his head again. “Not that I could tell if they did then they didn’t move. That’s the other thing they are just standing there, in the open.”

“Well, we could try to go around but that would be leaving a known enemy at our rear and I don’t think that’s a great idea.” I said.

Renfry and Irwin nodded. Then Renfry said. “How would you like us to attack?”

I was taken aback for just a moment. I knew that I had stepped into the leadership role because I was the marquess, and they were pledged to me. In the Tower, it was one thing to be in charge since we were testing out Renfry and Kasidy’s skills. Yet, I hadn’t fully thought that I would be in charge of battles like this.

Renfry had more experience in group fighting since I normally was just fighting for my life. I rarely attacked, but when I did, I was always alone, and I just reacted. I looked at the other three and thought through the problem. While Renfry might have more combat experience that was with the Lancers, which we weren’t. Even his horse hadn’t been trained for battle, which meant that she wouldn’t want to make a charge.

I looked over at Renfry. “Okay, so we are going to need to dismount for this fight I thing. The horses aren’t trained war horses and they aren’t armored. We don’t want to close in with them and get them hurt. Our targets being undead means that our arrows won’t be as effective.”

My lancer nodded as I looked over at Kasidy and Irwin. “We are going to have Renfry in front with me supporting just behind. Kasidy, I need you to buff everyone with your stamina song. Irwin you are our healer but I would like to see how your flame works against those skeletons. I want you to take the ones on the right first thing.”

I started to dismount. “I’m going to hold the middle with my standard. Once I place it I’ll move to the left side and fight from there.”

Renfry asked. “Can you exit your standard once it is placed?”

I shrugged, “I don’t know. I haven’t tried but, we are going to find out. Kasidy and Irwin are the most needed inside the dome. SO… once we engage I’ll plant the standard and then try to exit to the left side while Irwin attacks the right and Renfry holds them in the middle. My first target unless Irwin gets them is going to be the caster. Any questions?”

Everyone shook their heads and got down. We tied our horses’ leads to the wagon and moved up and over the rise. Just like Renfry had said, the five undead were waiting in the middle of the road. They were arrayed like a pentagon, with the two fighters being the bottom, the hell dogs being the left and right points, and the mage being the top point.

We formed up and started to walk forward. For me, this was an odd experience. In the past, when I fought undead, they didn’t just let me approach. They would charge almost as soon as they saw me. However, this group just stood there. When we were about 20 feet away, I noticed there was a sign on the right side of the road. It wasn’t standing up anymore, but it looked like it had been knocked down, yet I could still see writing.

I asked. “Can any of you read that sign on the right?”

Renfry nodded. “It says ‘go away, you’ve been warned.’”

I laughed. “Let’s do this Irwin you’re up. When you are in range let us know.”

A few steps later, Irwin said. “I have range on the front row.”

We kept going, and then he said. “I can hit the mage from here, but just barely.”

I smiled and said. “Renfry let’s stop.”

We were now ten feet from the zombie orcs. They were just standing there, each of them had a club resting on their shoulder. Behind them were the dogs sitting up on their haunches. If we didn’t have the standard, I would be worried about them flanking us. As it was, I knew that we could finish them off. The mage was standing in the back with both arms raised and a wand in each hand.

I activated the standard and slammed the tip into the ground. “Let’s do this.”

Irwin spun up his flame jet as our first attack. As soon as his spell went active and billowed out, the hell dogs broke. I thought that they were flankers, but they weren’t. They were messengers. One went right, and the other left as fast as they could. The two fighters charged forward and bounced off the stone air.

Irwin’s flame jet caught the rightmost zombie as it blocked his attack on the mage with its whole body. Renfry stepped out of the dome slightly to the left to engage the other orc. Kasidy’s song hit, giving us the stamina boost that I knew Renfry would need.

For the first time, I stepped out of my dome while it was active. I didn’t know if I would be able to pass back into it, but I knew I needed to finish off the mage. Irwin’s strike seemed to have done some damage before the orc stepped in, but not enough to keep it from casting.

The skeletal mage sent streaming out its right wand a bolt of lightning. I watched as the lightning hit the dome and danced across it. For the first time, I saw what the outside of the dome looked like. Where the bolt hit and danced, white octagon tiles appeared, absorbing the damage.

I didn’t know how long the dome would hold out against that type of attack. The lightning only lasted for a second when the mage switched to his other wand. I raced forward with my sword out to engage, not wanting to give him time to attack again.

Right as I got to him, I saw magic fly from his wand. There was a giant crash from behind me, but I didn’t turn to see what had happened. I brought my sword down and removed his right hand at the forearm. The increased damage to the undead that my sword had since leveling proved its worth as the blade cut through the skeleton’s bones.

I pivoted as I passed behind the mage and spun. My target seemed not to care that I was behind it as it just stood in place. I knew it was waiting for the spell to go through cool down on the wand. So I dropped my blade down and across its left shoulder. The blade shattered the bones as it passed through them. The fire damage that the flame jet had caused and the burn damage from my sword was too much for him.

I looked up from the crumpled mage and saw that Irwin had dropped the zombie that blocked his flame jet. Renfry had finished his as well and was in the process of pulling the soul fragments out from the two zombies.

I sheathed my sword and walked back. As I got up to the dome, I tried to pass through but felt the air harden in front of my hand. I pushed harder and still couldn’t go through. I was hoping that since I was the one that planted the standard, I would be able to retrieve it, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

I smiled and nodded to Irwin. “Good job with the flame jet if the fighter hadn’t move in the way I think you would have downed the mage in another second or so. Kasidy can you pull the standard up and then lay it down. It should turn it off then.”

She nodded and pulled it free from the ground. Then as she laid it on the ground, the dome vanished. I walked in and grabbed the standard, and looked both ways. I wanted to know where the dogs had gone. I felt like they were telling other clusters of undead we were here.

I shrugged. “Okay we don’t know what the dogs are doing so let’s plan for the worst. Loot what we have here and then let’s go back to the wagon. If we get attacked while moving we’ll do the same thing. Dismount, plant the standard and engage. Kasidy I am going to need you to handle the standard as you won’t be leaving. Irwin how are you on mana?”

I tossed the standard over to Kasidy as I walked the few steps back to the mage. As I grabbed the two wands, Irwin answered. “I didn’t use that much past the first casting. I should be good for a while.”

Renfry stepped up next to me and reached out to the mage pulling on the pile of bones. I asked him, “they taste better?”

He smiled and nodded. “The ones in the dungeon are empty and almost bitter. These while small are sweet like drops of honey.”

As we headed back to the wagon, I looked at the two wands.

Wand of Lightning

Level 5 lightning bolt.

Cast time 2 seconds

Uses 1/3

Earth Spike wand

Level 1 earth spike

Cast time 3 seconds

Uses 4/5

I smiled at my new wands. While they weren’t much right now, they would be once I got done with them. Adding cores would remove the use problems and then also let them get stronger. It would be something that I needed to do soon.

As we got up to the horses, they were visibly upset, stamping their feet and looking around. Renfry spun and cursed. I followed his gaze and saw the hell dogs. They had left like I thought to get reinforcements.

* * *