A Fractured Empire XIII

Lee did the unthinkable at Dauntless' Academy. He ran straight into the headmaster's office without any notice. If a person did this, they would have to face a severe punishment, but that was the last thing on Lee's mind.

Lord Kurtwell was shocked at first when Lee burst through the door, but soon understood the the situation. Something happened to those he sent out, or would soon befall them.

Lee was catching his breath as he ran here nonstop at his top speed. It drained him so much that his legs were visibly shaking. The effort it took to hold himself up was astronomical.

"What is it?"

Lord Kurtwell quickly asked the young knight, as he motioned for him to sit instead of stand.

"We ca..captured the gate... but then... a huge army appeared."

Lee found it hard to speak and had to catch his breath every few words due to the strain he put on himself.

"Why did you not close the gates? How many are there? Can they hold?"

Lord Kurtwell found himself asking many questions, but also wondering about his people. As knights, they were skilled fighters. One of them could best any normal citizen without even trying. However, even the most trained, and experienced would fall victim given the enemy had an overwhelming number.

Lee took a moment to calm himself so he could speak more clearly.

"Harald believes we can hold the line, but not for long. We need reinforcements or else the western gate is as good as gone. As for their numbers, there were too many to count. What I can tell you is that there was a dust storm large enough to reach the cities walls."

Lee said.

Lord Kurtwell grabbed his head and shook it. Where in Nessa's name was he going to get reinforcements from? Should he recall the students that were out in the city?

"Damnit!"

He shouted in frustration as his fist slammed against the desk.

Their numbers were thin and those that could fight were out searching for weapons to arm the others. If Harald's group fell, then any hope of protecting that gate was gone. Forget Lord Lezhalt's plan to save this city, Lord Kurtwell would not even be able to save himself.

As strong as he was, he was just one person. That meant very little in the grand scheme of things.

"We will recall all able-body knights and trainees, hell, even the staff will have to join in. With our forces facing this big of a threat, we cannot hold anything back. We need everyone, or we will be left with nothing."

Lord Kurtwell said as he made his choice.

Hopefully, those that were out in the city secured enough weapons that they could use.

An all too familiar mist swirled around in the air in front of him. He knew who this was, and wondered why he was being contacted now of all times. Still, Lord Kurtwell grabbed hold of the note that materialized and read it.

He couldn't help but smile. It seems that Nessa was really looking down upon them tonight. Lord Lezhalt was on his way, and would bring people to the western gate.

The note disappeared before he had the chance to reread the contents, and he felt like he missed something important. Lord Kurtwell could not help but ask himself what was the reason being Lord Lezhalt's choice to come here. There was nothing at the western gate, and from what he knew the lord's plan did not entail him being there.

Yeah, he definitely missed something in the note. He was originally upset due to being contacted when his men were in a tight spot, but after seeing the words 'Western gate' his thoughts shifted.

"What's with the face, headmaster?"

Lee asked.

"Nothing. Rest up and I'll order the call back, we will head out in twenty."

Lord Kurtwell said.

As Lee got up to leave, Julian entered the room. His face was a mess and so were his clothes, but Lord Kurtwell was used to this sight of the man. Especially after knowing him for so long.

"How'd the treatment go?"

Julian sighed and shook his head.

"Dead. They all died."

"Any more sighs of an outbreak?"

Julian shook his head once more.

"I still cannot confirm how this new strain works. I advise sending people out to fight, as if they do have it and die then that spells bad news for everyone."

"Well, we will just have to take that chance. The situation calls for all hands on deck, even yours."

Julian was taken back by that. He could not even recall the last time he fought.

Was things so bad that he had to take up a sword? What kind of rebels were they facing? If they were this powerful, why did the empire let them grow to this extent?

Seeing the look on Julian's face, Lord Kurtwell did not say anything. He knew that Julian would not fight his words, but the man was coming to terms with it in his own way.

"I guess we can try out this poison I managed to create."

"Poison?"

Julian nodded.

"I was searching for a cure, I tried various combinations but nothing seemed to work. One of my old experiments mixed in with a cure I failed to make creating something new. Naturally, I recreated it, then tested it out. It reacted differently than I had anticipated. Instead of fighting off the virus that Devil Dust inflicted on people, this new concoction I created did something else. It started to rip apart Linley's flesh at a rapid pace."

Lord Kurtwell's eyes grew large.

"What in Nessa's name did you do?"

"Instead of figuring out a potion that would cure everything, I believe I stumbled upon something that can kill anyone with a touch. I'm thinking of calling it Death's Embrace, because one touch and Linley was as good as dead."

Lord Kurtwell rubbed his chin in thought.

If what Julian said was true, then this definitely could not become public knowledge. If someone found out how to create this, they could kill anyone they wanted to. Lord Kurtwell had the notion to kill Julian right then and there, but that was just a passing thought. He could never do something like that to Julian.

"How much of it can you create?"

"With what we have left, I can fill up five vials. It is not airborne, or else i'd also be dead. But, as long as it comes into contact with a person's skin then we should be fine."

Lord Kurtwell had a sinister thought, but he was unsure if it was a viable option.

"Can you turn it into mist? Like, if the vial breaks, the contents within will create a mist that spreads out?"

Julian was silent for a second but then he nodded his head. In theory it was possible to turn any liquid into a mist, but at that point this creation of his would harm anyone in the vicinity. Be it friend or foe.

"Then do it."