chapter 17

The army of the dead marched west, a relentless tide of reanimated corpses and wraiths. Andries and his mutants walked alongside them, careful to stay within the protective radius of the necromancer device's influence. At one point, a half-undead mutant strayed too far and was immediately attacked by wraiths, halting their assault only when the mutant scrambled back closer to Andries. After that, Andries made sure to remain centrally positioned among his riders.

Looking back, Andries saw the portal remained open, shifting from one dark world to another. From these worlds, monsters and horrible creatures occasionally emerged, though they were too distant for Andries to discern their exact forms. These creatures, no matter how powerful or scary, avoided the army of the dead.

The army marched tirelessly, and as they advanced, Andries felt a mental connection reaching out to him. He connected back, recognizing Eldrin's presence.

"Andries! What happened?!" Eldrin's voice echoed in his mind.

"You felt it, didn't you?" Andries responded.

"Yes, I'm sure every mage on the continent felt it. What was it?" Eldrin demanded.

"That was me," Andries said, a hint of pride in his voice. "I activated the device and instead of merely feeding the energy to the bodies, I used hemokinesis to direct some energy into the blood on the ground. The blood then started pulling energy directly from the negative energy plane, wraiths felt that energy and started to push the fabric of reality from their side. With how much energy was in the air and the wraiths pushing a crack in reality appeared that turned to a portal."

"What do you mean by a crack in reality?" Eldrin asked, his tone sharp.

"I mean exactly that," Andries said, glancing back at the portal, which seemed slightly weaker now. "A giant portal opened, and it's still open. Wraiths came out initially, but now it's other creatures."

"What kinds of creatures?" Eldrin inquired.

"I don't know, they're too far away to see clearly," Andries replied.

"How could something like this even happen?!" Eldrin's frustration was palpable.

"It was a combination of my device, a lot of blood, and probably the immense suffering that had taken place there," Andries explained. "The wraiths were eager to return, so I guess they pushed back from the other side, helping to create this crack."

"Tell me more when you learn more about this," Eldrin urged.

"Don't worry, I plan on doing it again," Andries said. "Now that I know it's possible, I'll do it the right way next time."

"Please don't. This could harm Temaria, they are our allies in this war." Eldrin cautioned.

"How will this harm Temaria?" Andries asked, perplexed. "The Temarian army isn't here and wouldn't come here. Their villages are destroyed, so none of these monsters will harm them. But if monsters cross the river, Nilfgaard will have problems."

"And what if the monsters move into our areas?" Eldrin pressed.

"Then we'll gain better mutations," Andries said. "But don't worry, I won't do it again just yet. I need to deal with Nilfgaard first."

"Right. Please be careful. This magic is unknown to us." Eldrin said, his concern evident.

"I will. Goodbye," Andries said, ending the connection.

The undead army continued its march, slow but unyielding. They moved through the night without rest, stopping only when Andries needed to. The wraiths floated around aimlessly during these pauses, their presence adding an eerie atmosphere to the relentless advance.

The undead army marched for about a day and a half until they reached Dillingen, only to find that it had fallen to the Nilfgaardians. The black and gold flags of Nilfgaard fluttered over the town, and workers were busily constructing a bridge to the other side of the river.

At first, the soldiers and workers mistook the approaching undead army for reinforcements. However, the sight of the wraiths quickly shattered that illusion. Panic ensued and the Nilfgaardian forces abandoned their posts, fleeing in all directions.

Andries led his group in pursuit, but the fleeing Nilfgaardians outpaced the lumbering horde of undead. Nevertheless, he pressed on, following the trail left by the Nilfgaardian army. Occasionally, he spotted scouts from afar, but paid them little mind.

It soon became clear why the scouts were present. They had alerted the main Nilfgaardian force in the area and before Andries reached the crossroads, a well-organized Nilfgaardian army of twenty thousand soldiers was marching back toward them. Though his undead army was outnumbered four to one, Andries remained unfazed. The fear in the Nilfgaardian ranks was palpable and he intended to exploit it to weaken their forces.

Andries and his mutants rode to a nearby hill, giving the order for the undead to charge. The horde advanced in eerie silence, the rhythmic thudding of their footsteps the only sound. The wraiths followed, gliding forward to meet the Nilfgaardian soldiers.

As the two forces clashed, arrows rained down on the undead. Few found their mark, as only headshots could incapacitate the undead and those were difficult to achieve. Fire spells cast by Nilfgaardian mages turned some of the undead into flaming monstrosities, but had little overall effect.

The first line of Nilfgaardian soldiers broke almost immediately, terror overcoming their discipline. They retreated, only to be pushed back by the lines behind them. The undead pressed on, tearing into the panicked soldiers, who fell in droves. The undead used weapons, teeth, claws and everything the could get to kill their enemies.

The subsequent lines of soldiers fared little better but eventually their resolve crumbling under the relentless assault. Andries watched as the wraiths swarmed the area where the mages had been casting spells, silencing them permanently.

The Nilfgaardian cavalry attempted to flank the undead, charging from both sides. They had some initial success, using their mobility to their advantage. However, the fearless undead soon began pulling cavalrymen from their saddles. Encouraged by the cavalry's efforts, the infantry regained some courage and started to push back the undead.

Seeing the tide turning, Andries cast an illusion dome around himself and his riders, concealing them from the enemy's sight. The Nilfgaardian soldiers gained the upper hand against the flesh-and-bone undead, but the wraiths remained an insurmountable problem. With the mages dead and a shortage of silver weapons, the army struggled against the ethereal attackers.

Andries commanded the wraiths to flank the Nilfgaardian army. The wraiths swiftly complied, gliding around the main force and launching a devastating assault from the rear. The soldiers helplessly watched as the wraiths moved to the back of the army. The sudden attack from behind caused chaos, as the soldiers found themselves caught between the relentless undead and the deadly wraiths.

The Nilfgaardians fought bravely but were overwhelmed by the combined assault. The wraiths tore through their ranks and the undead continued their grim advance. Andries watched from his concealed position, knowing that the Nilfgaardian army was facing a nightmare they had not been prepared for.

The Nilfgaardian cavalry broke off and started to retreat. The remaining soldiers fought on desperately, but they were soon overwhelmed by the relentless undead. Andries watched from his concealed position as the undead army tore through the soldiers, leaving no one alive. The Nilfgaardian force that had attempted to reclaim the area was completely annihilated.

Andries ordered the undead soldiers to step away from the corpses strewn across the ground. Using his device, he drew the necromantic energy from their blood, recharging the crystal and allowing the remaining energy to return to the Negative Energy Realm. As the necromantic energy was siphoned away, the undead soldiers collapsed, leaving only the wraiths behind, who now flew around aimlessly without any control.

Keeping the device active to maintain the protective dome of undead energy around himself and his group, Andries led them away from the battlefield. They traveled north, away from the main road, and set up camp. That night, they ate the last of the smoked horse meat and finally rested after staying awake for nearly two days.

The next morning, they were forced to forage for food, gathering plants here and there. While the half-undead were satiated, Andries found himself still hungry. After their makeshift breakfast, they rode back to the battlefield, where the wraiths were still active, hovering ominously over the site of the massacre.

Determined to communicate their victory, Andries decided to contact Eldrin mentally. Casting a spell to amplify his mental powers, he reached out through the Ether and soon found Eldrin.

"Eldrin, can you hear me?" Andries called out.

A moment later, he felt Eldrin's presence, accompanied by a hint of irritation. "Andries, don't you think it's a little early for talks? I haven't even had breakfast this morning."

"I didn't have breakfast either," Andries replied. "The thing is, I managed to kill the Nilfgaardians. The twenty thousand soldier army that left the main force to attack these Verden is done for."

"You killed all of them?" Eldrin asked, surprised.

"No, the undead did," Andries clarified. "The wraiths that emerged from the other side were amazing. They couldn't be hurt easily, so they ripped through the army. The Nilfgaardian soldiers were not prepared for this and they were all killed."

"Amazing," Eldrin said, sounding impressed. "I expected the army to be weakened so we could contact Verden to send their raiders to the area, but now we can tell them we destroyed the Nilfgaardian army that was coming toward them."

"Don't tell them about the undead, and make sure they understand we can't do the same to the main Nilfgaardian army," Andries warned.

"Of course, we don't want them to expect too much from us," Eldrin agreed.

"Listen, I plan on leaving soon. Do you want to contact the Verden officials?" Andries asked.

"Yes, but first tell me where the battle took place," Eldrin requested.

"Northwest of Dillingen," Andries replied. "There are still hundreds of wraiths flying here."

"The wraiths, can you get rid of them?" Eldrin inquired.

"No, they're just flying around," Andries said.

"I will say that was the side effect of us casting powerful spells there," Eldrin suggested. "If you want, you can come back, or you can do the thing you did last time and see if you can create another portal like that."

"Nah, I'm tired," Andries said with a sigh. "I want to get back home and make another device. I want to use this device to create another portal like that, but this time I want to do it right. Maybe I can even find a way to stabilize the portal."

"Contact us when you find the Nilfgaardian supply camp," Eldrin instructed. "I'll send Draugor and a group of mutant soldiers to act like they were part of the army that destroyed the Nilfgaardians coming this way."

"Good idea," Andries agreed.

"And remember, Andries, be careful about that portal," Eldrin cautioned. "I don't know how you did it, but it was not a normal spell. We don't want it to cause problems for us."

"I'll remember that. Goodbye," Andries said, ending the connection.

Andries, feeling the gnawing hunger, urged his group to move quickly. They rode for most of the day, scanning the barren land for anything edible. The area was desolate—no animals, no plants suitable for consumption. As night fell, they rested with empty stomachs while their horses gnawed at the bark of nearby trees. The next morning, their search for food proved futile once again. They had to move a lot slower so they could try to find food.

Determined to reach Verden, they pressed on until they spotted a camp in the distance. As they approached, it became clear that the camp had been attacked. The attackers, they realized, were mutants from their own nation.

When they neared the camp, several mutants called out Andries's name. Draugor, clad in full plate armor with two massive swords at his side and a spear in his hand, rode out to meet them. His face was bloodied, but he was smiling.

"Andries!" Draugor shouted as he approached. "It's good to see you alive and unharmed. How did the battle go? I heard you managed to kill all of the Nilfgaardians who decided to come our way."

"It's good to see you too." Andries replied with a smile. "The Nilfgaardians tried to meet us on the battlefield, but they were too afraid to fight against an army of the dead. The first two lines fell while trying to flee. Then there were the wraiths, they couldn't be easily harmed. I ordered them to flank the enemy, and we crushed them from both sides."

"Amazing," Draugor said, impressed. "We moved as soon as Eldrin contacted us. He used a megascope to teleport us to the other side of the river. He managed to send about fifty of us before he had to shut it down for recharging. We are to meet Temarian and Verden officials at the bridge, they were informed of the event by Eldrin. We attacked this camp some time ago and just finished securing the last of the prisoners."

"How many did you lose?" Andries inquired.

"We lost six men." Draugor replied. "We captured twenty prisoners and are preparing to move the supplies and the prisoners. We'll have to give half of it to Verden and Temaria as taxes, but that's fine. We destroyed twenty thousand Nilfgaardians and only lost six." He then noticed the group behind Andries was one short. "Seven, I see you lost one of your own."

"Yeah, that happened." Andries acknowledged. "By the way, do you have anything to eat? We haven't eaten anything for the past day."

"Oh, we've got plenty of food." Draugor said with a grin.

"Lead the way." Andries said.

Draugor led Andries inside the camp, where the mutants erupted in cheers for his victory. Draugor sent scouts to check the battlefield where Andries had decimated the Nilfgaardians, while Andries and his group took the opportunity to rest.

Andries was given cheese, sausage, and some water. He ate hungrily, grateful for the sustenance, while his half-undead companions ate normally. They stayed there for a long while, waiting for the scouts to return.

Before sundown, the scouts came back, having moved quickly without needing to stop to search for food. They reported that the area was swarming with wraiths and other monsters, but the body count confirmed that this was the army sent to invade Verden.

The group rested that night and set out again the next morning. Using Nilfgaardian mules and their own horses, they pulled the supply wagons toward the bridge. Although they were somewhat exposed due to the large number of supplies and the relatively small number of mutants, they managed to move along the road.

As they neared the bridge, they encountered soldiers and officers from both Verden and Temaria.

"HALT!" one of the officers shouted. "Who goes there?! What brings you here?!"

"We are of the mutant army!" Draugor shouted back. "We have with us Andries the sorcerer. Our army took the long road around to Temaria and ambushed the Nilfgaard. The Nilfgaardian army that was marching this way is no more."

"You and this few people destroyed an army?" the Temarian officer asked incredulously.

"No, the rest stayed to fight." Draugor replied. "They will return by going north and taking the long road again. We came back with supplies and our sorcerers who needed rest."

"Are those Nilfgaardian supplies?" the Verden officer asked.

"Yes, they are." Draugor said. "We were hoping to donate half of the supplies to the officials of the two northern kingdoms. Our mages contacted them, and they are to meet us here."

"We would be happy to take it from you." the officer said.

"We prefer to wait for the officials to arrive." Andries interjected.

The officers argued a little, but Draugor stood firm. Andries, uninterested in the details, trusted Draugor's judgment and waited patiently.

After a long wait, soldiers approached from both directions—Temarians from behind and Verdanians from the other side of the bridge. The officers of the two armies rode up to the mutant group.

Draugor dismounted from one of the wagons and went to meet them. After a brief discussion, he pointed at Andries, and they walked toward him.

Andries got off the wagon, ready to talk, when the Verden officer suddenly began shaking his hand vigorously.

"My lord, it is a pleasure to meet you." the Verden officer said. "I have heard of your valor and magic at Sodden. Your man also told us that you led the army against the Nilfgaardians marching our way. You have saved Verden and weakened the Nilfgaardian army immensely."

"I must thank you as well." the Temarian officer said. "My scouts saw the battlefield, it looked horrifying. Monsters roamed the area, and there were hundreds of wraiths. Was that your doing?"

"No, that wasn't us." Andries replied. "We did attack the Nilfgaardian army and killed them, but something else happened. The Nilfgaardians killed so many people that their wraiths returning caused a crack in reality. That crack is now sending monsters into our world. We had to get our main army out of that area as quickly as possible."

The officers exchanged worried glances. The Verden officer spoke up first. "This crack... how dangerous is it? Can it be closed?"

"I don't know." Andries admitted. "We need to study it more. For now, our priority was to stop the Nilfgaardians and secure these supplies."

As Andries conversed with the officers, the Temarian officer inquired, "About your army. Where did they go? Did they go to help with the main battles?"

"Those are secrets we cannot share." Andries replied firmly. "Those secrets are the reason we managed to destroy an army twenty times the size of our current one."

"I understand." the officer said, "but we hope you use these secrets more against Nilfgaard."

"Don't worry, we will." Andries assured him.

The Verden officer then spoke up, "Your man said you are giving us half of these supplies as tax, is that true?"

"Yes, you should talk to Draugor." Andries said. "I am really tired and want to have some rest, so if you don't mind."

"Wait, before you go." the Temarian officer interjected. "The prisoners, what are you going to do with them? Are you going to give them to us?"

"No, they are test subjects." Andries stated. "We are testing weapons, spells and poisons on them. We will take them with us if you don't mind."

"That is a little inhumane." the Temarian officer said.

"Shut your trap." the Verden officer snapped. "You can do whatever you want with them. I will try to see if we can send our prisoners to you. These bastards don't deserve to live. You can do whatever you want with them."

"Thank you, I appreciate that." Andries replied.

Andries returned to the wagon and closed his eyes to rest. Umbra was beside him as always, and from time to time, he would look around with his eyes.

The soldiers took note of what the mutants had and took half of the supplies. The group was then allowed to pass through the bridge and head back toward the mutant town. They moved slowly, camping near the river for the night before continuing in the morning.

Upon their arrival, they were greeted by a cheering crowd. Word of Andries's victory had spread, and the townspeople were jubilant. Flowers were thrown over their heads, and guards kept the civilians away from the caravan.

Andries felt uneasy with all the attention. Too many eyes staring at him bothered him, even if it was in celebration. He kept his eyes down until they reached the mansion, where he saw the other three members of the council waiting.

"Andries! Are you all right?" Vesperia shouted, rushing to him to check if he was unharmed.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Andries said. "I let most of the fighting to the undead and stayed back and watched."

"I heard you created a magical calamity. Is that true?" Seraphina asked with a smile.

"I did." Andries confirmed.

"Hah, nice one." Seraphina said.

"I have contacted the leaders of Temaria and Verden. They are both happy to hear what happened." Eldrin said.

"Come on, Eldrin, the kid just destroyed an army." Seraphina said. "That means a party or rest, not more work."

"No, that was just a small victory." Andries said. "Tell me, Eldrin, what happened. Did the kings try to contact us?"

"They did." Eldrin replied. "Their sorcerers contacted us and actually want to meet the council. As you instructed, I named the council, all five of us, as the leadership. I hope that is all right."

"No, that is good." Andries said. "I am going to say it right now, I don't know how to talk to kings, so I'll leave the talking to you."

"We should all have a gathering before meeting the kings." Eldrin suggested. "It wouldn't be any time soon so we will have time to prepare a feast."

"Yeah, call me when we want to have that gathering." Andries said. "Right now, I want to go and see Mathies and Felix."

Eldrin nodded, and the rest of the council began to get to work. Andries made his way inside the mansion, asking around for Mathies. He was told that Mathies was in Andries's room with Felix.

With his half-undead entourage trailing behind, Andries approached his room. He ordered the half-undead to wait outside and then opened the door. Inside, he saw Mathies on the ground, gently sobbing, with Felix beside him.

"Hey buddy, why are you sad?" Andries asked with a smile.

Mathies jumped to his feet and rushed to Andries, lifting him up and swinging him around in joy. Felix, wary of being stepped on, kept his distance.

"Okay buddy, I missed you too." Andries said. "Can you put me down? I can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry." Mathies said, setting him down. "I thought you left me. I was sad, very sad. Don't do that."

"I'm sorry you thought that," Andries said. "I would never leave you, buddy. We just have to teach you how to ride a horse so this can never happen again."

Felix took that moment to run to Andries. He picked up the cat and gently rubbed his head and chin, causing Felix to purr contentedly.

"Yes, Seraphina teach me." Mathies said, nodding. "She said I am a slow learner, but I will learn. You will take me with you everywhere."

"Yes, I will." Andries affirmed. "Hey, have you been eating well while I wasn't here?"

"I did. Eating made me less sad." Mathies replied.

"Sorry you went through that." Andries said. "Now that I am here, you will train daily to get better at riding a horse. I don't want to leave you behind again. You will also work with weapons because they are usually better than using just your hands."

Mathies nodded, his eyes bright with determination. Andries then spent his time chatting about random things with Mathies. Mathies was thrilled to have Andries back and Andries felt a profound sense of comfort having both Mathies and Felix by his side again.

Mathies and Felix stayed with Andries everywhere he went, almost afraid he would leave them again. Andries had no problem letting them stay with him, except when he needed to relieve himself or bathe.

Andries left the political matters to the rest of the council, focusing instead on his lab work and mutations. He resumed using his potions, this time adding a few drops of mutagen agents from different powerful monster mutagens they had collected. The potions worked slowly on his body, but he was patient.

Time seemed to crawl by. Andries worked tirelessly in the lab on his new device and occasionally joined his bodyguards and some mutants in hit-and-run attacks on the Nilfgaardian armies. These attacks targeted small camps and supply lines, avoiding the use of large undead forces.

The damage inflicted on Nilfgaard allowed Temeria and Verden to send armies from the east, cutting off Nilfgaardian supplies to soldiers in Temerian territory. Meanwhile, in the east, Nilfgaard had captured Lyria, Rivia had surrendered, and Vengerberg was under siege. The elves had established the kingdom of Dol Blathanna, ruled by Francesca Findabair, an elven sorceress.

Redania was mobilizing its armies but withheld significant forces as King Vizimir II had been assassinated, leaving the kingdom under the young Radovid V, with Sigismund Dijkstra acting as regent. Dijkstra faced his own challenges, necessitating careful preparation. Kaedwen joined the war effort, sending riders to aid Temeria and Aedirn while keeping the bulk of their army ready for a decisive battle against Nilfgaard.

One day, while Andries was working late in the lab on Umbra's blood, Mathies napped in a corner, and Umbra stood watch beside him. Andries was deep in his work when he felt a sharp pain in his side.

Umbra acted swiftly, grabbing someone behind Andries and sending a large amount of psionic energy into the man's head, causing it to explode. Andries realized there was a knife stuck in his ribs. Turning around, he saw three masked figures at the doorway.

"Mathies, get up. We have guests." Andries said.

He pointed his open hand toward his metal staff and used psionic telekinesis to summon it. He tried to cast a spell but found his connection to magic severed, the dagger in his rib was made of Dimeritium. He could still use psionic abilities but no magic as long as the dagger was lodged in him.

One assassin rushed toward Andries, throwing two daggers. Andries blocked them with his staff, then moved forward with incredible speed, striking the assassin's knee and then crushing his head with the staff.

The other two assassins tried to throw daggers, but Mathies was on them. He grabbed both, slamming their heads together with enough force to knock them out but not kill them. He ripped the head off one, but Andries stopped him before he killed the last.

Andries pulled the dagger from his ribs, feeling the flow of chaos return. He used his blood to write sigils on the forehead of the surviving assassin, amplifying his mental power with a spell to extract information.

The assassin revealed that he had been sent by Emhyr var Emreis, the leader of Nilfgaard, who had noted Andries's victories and dispatched assassins to kill him. The knowledge that assassins were after him didn't scare Andries, it filled him with joy. His life was becoming more interesting.