Ben finally opened his eyes as the light from the explosion started to fade. The sky above was filled with streaks and waves of golden magic where small speckles glistened like the northern lights. His chest thumped like a machine gun, and his muscles ached with unbearable pain. It took a few moments for him to muster the strength to stumble to his feet. Glancing around, he noticed the others were also in the same flabbergasted state.

  Alfred patted Ben on the back. “That wasn’t bad for a plan you devised on the spot. Looks like it did the job and saved everyone’s hide.”

  Ben scratched his head. “Hey, be careful, mate. My back still hurts from that magic overload. Honestly, these last-minute plans are becoming the norm with me these days.”

  Le’Vieux scoffed. “The battles for Robynhill may be over, but the danger at the Chateau remains. Hauxwell, over there, looks like he’s seen better days, so let’s focus on getting him back to good health before anything else.”

  Hauxwell was lying on the ground, making small, slow movements and croakily breathing. Upon close inspection, it was revealed he was still conscious.

  “Are you alright there?” Le’Vieux asked, kneeling beside his old friend.

  Hauxwell groaned a scoff before struggling to clear his throat of whatever phlegm had gathered there. After a few weak coughs, he gave a broken reply. “Barely hanging on here, skipper. My entire body feels like it fell off a cliff and rolled through endless thorns. I don't think I’ll be able to move like this.”

  Le’Vieux nodded with a grin. “Guess what? It’s your lucky day. And you know what I’m known for.” He removed a couple of health potions from his inventory and used his teeth to remove the corks. Slowly, he poured them down Hauxwell’s throat.

  It had taken some time for the potions to do their thing, and before long, Hauxwell was back to his feet. His back was bent, stumbling over with each step, and he walked like a dog with three legs. “It’ll take more than a couple of potions to recover.”

  Le’Vieux was glancing at the sky. “You’re in even more luck than. All of us are in a bit of a state from all this, so I will order everyone to return to Robynhill and rest tonight. It’ll give us a chance to rest, recover, and prepare for the upcoming battle for the Chateau.”

  It was safe to say everyone agreed with that before they returned to Robynhill.

  Most of the evening had been spent sleeping and restoring their energy levels. Ben had taken some time to regenerate, which felt harder and took longer due to the strain he had suffered boosting Hauxwell. Finally, he repaired and refueled his van before hitting the sack.

  Ben was abruptly awoken before the first light and was ordered to make way for the command tent.

  Once there, Ben noticed the others of high rank were present, and Le’Vieux patiently waited for the stragglers to arrive.

  Le’Vieux glanced around, ensuring all were present before clearing his throat and speaking. “Last night, Quicksilver sent a few of his warriors on a scouting quest to the Chateau. While under the cover of darkness and camouflage, using their fairy magic, they gathered some details about what we would face today.” He then motioned to the fairy commander.

  Quicksilver stepped forward. “Most of the enemy were defeated at this fortification. However, they kept a few of their forces back to protect the castle. Those forces no longer resemble humans as the infection in their bodies has evolved to take a new, much stronger form to protect their master, who is getting larger and consumes more energy.”

  “Did you’re scouts manage to figure out how strong those creatures are while they were there?” Le’Vieux asked.

  “Stronger than the infected knights but weaker than the crazy one, your man Hauxwell fought on the main road. The big one’s power is overwhelming and difficult to overcome.” Quicksilver explained.

  Le’Vieux nodded. “We appreciate the bravery of your warriors. Will you and your people join us in the Chateau battle? This battle will be hard; we could do it with all the available hands.”

  Quicksilver put his hand to his chest and bowed. “These monstrosities have reigned terror upon my people and subjected them to an almost near miss with extinction. My warriors and I are at your command for the good of all living peoples of Great Malle.”

  “Once this is over, you have my word that compared to the past, relations between our two peoples will be in a more positive light,” Le’Vieux explained before glancing around the others. “This is the final battle against the enemy here in Meso. If we take the Chateau, we will win. I want the soldiers to stay here and keep this village guarded. All knights and mages must prepare themselves and form into elite battle formations within the hour. Quicksilver will lead his warriors the way he sees fit. The siege of Chateau Meso will begin shortly. Is that understood?”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  There were no disagreements, and everyone nodded before things got hectic in the camp. Within the hour, Le’Vieux was mounted upon his horse at the front, with Ben sitting in the driver's seat nearby. Behind him were the other commanders and knights of high rank, Alfred, Hauxwell, and Jerry included. The fairies were all airborne, with Quicksilver leading them.

  Le’Vieux pointed his sword at the gate, “Raise it! Knights of the Hollow Moon, Elite warriors of the fairy clans, advance!”

  Ben had stopped at the peak of the hill on the main road to the Chateau. Looking down, he could see the Chateau, albeit covered in a shroud of darkness, as the violent, stormy clouds above it were still in full effect. Vast amounts of electricity were shooting down, hitting the peaks of the towers, and even an unnatural mist that more resembled a locust swarm.

  The minute outlines of creatures could be seen roaming the area, even as far out as the remains of Dimiwood. As much as Ben squinted, he couldn’t exactly see any details.

  Jerry momentarily climbed atop the van, looking glass in hand, while Le’Vieux positioned his horse near the driver's side door before waiting for a response.

  “I can see around two dozen enemies down there. They appear to be scattered and look like they could easily surround us. Using my archer sight skill, there appears to be more within the walls of the Chateau; however, many are in the obscured areas.” Jerry explained before hopping down and passing the glass to Le’Vieux.

  After a moment, Le’Vieux shook his head. “This isn’t good. We must figure out how to take those creatures out and siege the Chateau without engines.” He turned to Ben, “You’re the one who comes up with last-minute plans. Do you have any ideas in mind?”

  Ben let out a sigh before spending a few minutes going over a few ideas. “Hmm, I think I have something that could work, but I’ll need someone ballsy to bait them together and bring them towards us.”

  Le’Vieux shrugged before giving a stern frown. “I see what you’re getting at with that. It will help us eliminate most of them, but I don’t see how it’ll help us siege the Chateau.”

  A wide grin filled Ben’s face. “Oh, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. Just wait and see.”

  Ben sped down the cobbles. The latest upgrades had worked wonders, making it feel like he was gliding across a surface that was as flat as a pancake. The additional Armor plating he had upgraded and its additional weight fortified his confidence.

  A small group of fairies was heading in his direction, and within moments, they whizzed above the van. The enemies huddled up like sardines in a tin and stampeded towards the van. These new variants were quadrupedal with long, extended torsos, which made them look like centaurs. Their skin was pitch-black as if every inch of their bodies absorbed the surrounding light, and whatever they touched seemed to decay instantly.

  Seeing them made Ben sick, and he knew he needed to remove as many of them as possible lest his friends suffer severe casualties. As he was a dozen meters away, Ben pressed the gas pedal down. The first enemies he crashed into were crushed with their goo, splattering the front and sides of the van.

  Flicking the switch, Ben cleared the windscreen while continuing to crush the enemies ahead. Curious to see what the [Exponential Mass] skill would do, he activated it.

  The next enemies he contacted were decimated and launched like cannonballs, running on rocket fuel. Like ragdolls, they spun, hitting the other enemies behind them with such force their body parts were dismembered or, worse, turned into dark mist.

  As Ben approached the Chateau, the last few remaining enemies were flung into its stone walls, some even hitting the wooden gates. The stone palisades at the front were soon covered in the decaying mixture, and the wooden gate slowly fizzled away with a hissing smoke—it was like a strong acid had been poured all over it.

  [+1800XP. +36MP.]

  [You are now Level 10: +2 Skill points available.]

  [A stat boost is now available.]

  [Order of the Hollow Moon (Faction): You have been promoted to Knight Lieutenant I.]

  [Mechanical Mage Class is now Level 3: New skills and abilities are now available.]

  Luckily, the van's Armor plating held up to the corrosive effects of the black goo, but the rest of the main path wasn’t as lucky, as deep creators began to melt through the cobbles. Ben felt a wave of worry for his comrades and wondered if they were doing all right. Looking back through the side mirrors, he saw them marching through the treeline, avoiding the damaged areas while burning all that remained of the creatures.

  Ben sighed in relief as a ton of pressure was lifted from his shoulders. Most arrived without much damage to their bodies. Soon, they had all gathered near the van parked just before the bridge across the river, where a few empty stone dwellings were situated.

  Le’Vieux galloped his horse towards the driver's side window. “That was some great work running them over before damaging their walls with that black goo. We were able to take the remaining ones out on the way here. A few of my knights were hurt and have already been sent back to receive medical aid. The real battle will begin when that gate melts, so prepare yourself.” He twisted his neck and looked like he was about to start yelling orders when he was interrupted.

  The Chateau’s walls shook and rumbled, and bits of stone and rocks fell into the river below. The dark aura surrounding the fortified structure began to get denser before it saturated the entire structure.

  Ben couldn’t see what was happening, but suddenly, a loud crashing sound shook the air, followed by the cracking and splintering of wood. A plethora of demonic red eyes emerged from the other side before the gigantic outline of a disfigured head appeared over the palisades of the Chateau.

  What! They’ve got a fricking titan!

  “Damn it!” Le’Vieux cursed before yelling, “Everyone, get into defensive formations.”