Chapter 77 - The Fall of Kroton (Patreon)

Gilly shifted in her seat as everyone turned toward her. Arien waited, trying not to look as eager as he felt. Her wild temperament had not diminished much over the years, but she had learned to be a little more careful about what she said and did.

“I’m not sure I should tell this story,” she admitted. “Dad could probably get into trouble.”

“We won’t tell anyone,” Reyna assured her, glancing around the table. “Right?”

“Of course,” Pori said. “It stays between us.”

Gilly still looked unconvinced. “He only told me because I kept bothering him about it. I don’t think he expected me to repeat any of it.”

“Then don’t,” Pori said. “Not if you’re uncomfortable.”

Gilly was silent for a few seconds before exhaling. “No, it’s fine. Just... none of this leaves the table.”

Nobody objected.

“Alright, then. Though I might get some details wrong, and he probably only told me part of what happened anyway. That’s just how he is.”

"Wait, let me order another round and some food first. Don't start without me," Matt said, quickly jumping to his feet and hurrying away from the table.

"Uh, Gilly, just out of curiosity," Will suddenly interjected. "Your father is Kevin Sunderhall, right?"

“That’s right.” She nodded. “The most talented Battle Mage of his generation.” She smiled briefly, then looked down at her glass.

"I heard he competed in the Portal Tournament," Will said.

"He did. But he never wanted to tell me anything about it. Said he didn't want to spoil the surprise. As if I'd ever have a chance to participate."

“Gilly, what have we said about always expecting the worst?” Madri asked.

Arien glanced at her. Madri rarely joined conversations unless the subject involved artifacts or something she considered important. With her thick curly hair and the stack of books that seemed to follow her everywhere, she usually preferred listening. Considering both her parents were Inventors, her obsession with artifacts was hardly surprising.

“I’m back,” Matt announced as he dropped into his chair. “The story!”

“Alright, alright,” Gilly laughed. "Anyway, Dad happened to be near Jakar when his team received a message from the Guild ordering them to head for the border and report to one of the brigades stationed there. Everyone in his Ten is Platinum-ranked, so they rode hard for nearly half a day, worrying more about the horses than their own comfort.

"When they arrived at the brigade's camp the following day, they immediately knew something was wrong. The soldiers were quiet. They had their equipment packed and ready to move at a moment's notice, which meant a battle was expected.

"In the command tent they learned that the problem wasn't a Spill, but a raid from Tyranny. That was much worse news. The colonel told them he was only waiting for authorization to launch operations across the border.

"As for Dad's Ten, the colonel admitted he had no idea why the Guild had sent them, but said they were welcome to remain in camp. 

“The next morning they were summoned back to the command tent. The officers were furious, and the colonel told them that new orders had arrived during the night.

“By direct command of the King, the army was to secure the border but under no circumstances cross it. Dad’s Ten, however, had been ordered into Tyranny to verify reports that Kroton was dead.

“That was when Dad understood why everyone was so angry. News of the massacres had already spread through the brigade, and many of the soldiers came from the region. Some had friends or relatives among the dead and missing.

“The colonel still had his orders. He sent the brigade out to secure the area and hunt down any raiders who remained on the Wyndorian side, while Dad’s Ten headed for the border. In that part of the country, the border runs through the Seltric Forest, they were able to slip across without much difficulty and soon found themselves inside Tyranny.”

Gilly paused to take a drink before continuing.

"Wait a second," Sebastian suddenly said. "I thought Tyranny was just as isolated as Loraine. How could they simply ride across the border?"

"Apparently, it wasn't difficult to slip across the border in the past, since it was never guarded along its entire length," Pori answered for Gilly. "Once inside the country, however, any outsider discovered near a village or town immediately became the target of a manhunt. What happened to them afterward, nobody knows.”

"Pori is right," Reyna confirmed. "There are accounts from merchants, smugglers, and other daredevils who managed to return. They all reported hostility and suspicion from every inhabitant they encountered. But go on, Gilly."

“Dad said that after they had traveled several hours deeper into the country, they came across the first villages, but all of them had been abandoned. Doors stood open, tools had been left where people dropped them, and in some houses food still sat spoiled on the tables. Their Tracker, Santi, claimed the villages had been evacuated weeks earlier and in great haste.

“They rode until evening before finding fresh tracks left by a small group. Santi had no trouble following them after dark, and a few hours later they caught up with nearly a dozen Krotonians camped at the edge of a forest.

“The group appeared to be ordinary civilians. No sentries had been posted, and only one man was still awake, watching the fire.

"The Ten surrounded them easily and cut off every avenue of escape, but Dad decided to approach with two Warriors and try talking first. They announced themselves loudly and walked to within a few meters of the campfire. The man grabbed a long staff and woke the others.

"Nobody in the Ten spoke their language, but eventually they managed to communicate. They learned that this was one of many groups of internal refugees trying to reach the southern part of the country, where it was supposedly safer.

"Most importantly, they confirmed that Kroton was dead and that the country was now ruled by various factions recruited from bandits, the army, the secret police, and the nobility. They left the refugees and continued onward."

“But why?” Leli asked. “They confirmed Kroton was dead. They could’ve gone back.”

Sebastian leaned toward her. “Remember when Master Terynheim assigned us those five books about unstructured mana in naval battles?”

“Yes?”

"And remember when Arien got scolded for reading only one of the books, the one arguing that using it was pointless?"

"Hey!" Arien protested. "She assigned us five books in a single week! I had other things to do. How was I supposed to know that every author had a completely different opinion that contradicted all the others?"

Leli laughed. “Alright, I get it. They couldn’t report to the Guild and the King based on what one group of refugees told them. So what happened next?”

"They continued toward Tyranny's capital, Termina. Along the way they encountered several more refugee groups and quite a few inhabited villages, but nobody knew anything more. What surprised them was how quickly the country had descended into anarchy. Practically nobody stopped them. There were no soldiers and no law enforcement. They came across several bands of raiders, but either avoided or eliminated them. It took them nearly a week to reach the outskirts of the capital, mostly because of the number of gangs they had to hide from due to their size or strength.

“Dad said that the closer they got to the capital, the stranger he began to feel. The air seemed heavier, and even breathing felt slightly uncomfortable. The entire Ten noticed it, though the mages experienced it most strongly.

"They reached the vicinity of Termina at night, feeling as though the very sky wanted to crush them. They made camp with a clear view of the city's dark walls. The city itself was shrouded in darkness. Only a few clusters of lights suggested that anyone still lived there. They made camp under concealment spells with a clear view of the walls and waited for dawn.

“Before sunrise, they heard weapons clashing and people screaming nearby.

"Santi went to investigate and returned a few minutes later, reporting that a group of refugees was being attacked by eight bandits. After a brief discussion, they decided to intervene, hoping one side or the other could tell them more about the situation in the city. They attacked from behind, catching the bandits completely off guard while they were busy tying up prisoners. Only two bandits were left alive for questioning. The refugees, still in shock from the brief battle that had left two of their men dead, weren't very helpful.

“One of the surviving bandits turned out to be far more useful than they expected. He was a minor nobleman, had served in Kroton’s secret service, and spoke High Arintha.

“They decided to take him back alive for questioning. From him, they learned that Kroton had fought a mysterious mage above the capital. According to the stories spreading through the city, the battle released so much mana that people were collapsing in the streets.

“Kroton supposedly specialized in Death Magic, and some of his spells killed thousands of people across the capital.

"The nobleman himself had been too busy fleeing the city to witness the battle directly. All he knew was that it lasted for many hours. He was already several kilometers outside Termina when his entire group suddenly felt the air become lighter. They concluded the battle must have ended. He hadn't seen it himself, but according to the residents who remained behind, Kroton had won."

“But whatever victory Kroton had won didn’t last long. Shortly afterward, more figures appeared in the sky. The accounts disagreed on how many, anywhere from four to ten.

“Kroton tried to retreat, but they attacked him. The power of the spells unleashed was so immense that half the capital was wiped from the face of the earth. Literally.

“The Ten didn’t believe that part until dawn. Once there was enough light to see properly, they circled around the city and found an enormous crater cutting through the walls and entire districts. It was several kilometers across and dozens of meters deep. Loose stones still occasionally broke free from the shattered edges and disappeared into the water below.”

Gilly paused. For a few seconds, only the faint music from downstairs and the clink of glasses beyond Pori’s silence spell filled the gap.

“Dad said the destruction was terrible, but the mana frightened him more.

“At the center of the crater, mana of every imaginable Aspect swirled together in a chaotic vortex. It pulsed in a way that not only caused the discomfort the mages had felt ever since entering Tyranny, but actively interfered with their spells. They had to focus intensely just to avoid ruining even simple spells. Dad said he had never seen anything like it.

"With the confirmation they had been sent to obtain, they turned around and began the journey back to Wyndor. Dad said that was the real reason the army never invaded Tyranny afterward. The country itself was already collapsing, and Wyndor probably could have occupied part of it.

“The problem was that nobody knew who had killed Kroton, what they wanted, or whether they were still there. After seeing what had happened to Termina, nobody wanted to risk drawing Wyndor into a war with mages capable of destroying half a city.”

Bonus chapter tomorrow at the usual time! Have a great weekend!

P.S. I’ll be posting a few more characters with descriptions soon. They should come in handy for keeping track of who’s who during the trip to Reznan Forest.

I’m also thinking about adding a small character cheat sheet to the chapters themselves. What do you think?