Problems

"Shieldwall!!" Nero shouted out loudly and the troops around him formed up an orderly line of defense with their tower shields. Right behind them, spearmen placed spears over their comrade's shoulders and heads to brace the impending assault at their front.

A huge wave of what one could call grotesque-looking creatures assaulted that line of defense. It was the so-called Darkspawn They collided with the shields hard but luckily the defense was strong enough to hold.

The swords of the shield bearers started puncturing the Darkspawn that were close enough to get stabbed and lucky enough not to have been pierced by the spears beforehand.

Nero heard low growls and cries from above. Shadows started to land behind the defense line. Before he could utter another order he slashed his sword around horizontally and cut two tall thin creatures in half that ended up dead on the ground.

"Shrieker!" Nero collected mana around his free left hand and summoned a ghostly glaive in it that he slammed into the ground.

A mist of energy traveled out from the point of impact and the small particles slowly lay down on cloaked enemies, revealing them sneaking around.

The soldiers that stood right behind the spearmen and looking to their backside immediately started acting and attacking their enemy once they could see them.

Nero used that strategy especially for enemies that were of a stealthy nature. They were a true pest for a good defense.

"Archers! Light them up!" Nero made the next command while slicing through the many different Darkspawn that sneaked about. There were mostly Shrieks and Genlocks but also some Hurlocks in the bunch.

Each monster representing the corrupt counterpart of an Elf, Dwarf, and Human respectively.

The arrows started to fly from the backline much further away from them. Past their location towards the front. Landing there on the enemy one by one and killing dozens.

But even with that, the numbers dwindled slowly.

"Commander! Ogre incoming!!", shouted a soldier that had some view over the bridge in front of them.

It was a huge boulder of a monster running past its brethren. Either squashing or pushing them aside without any care in the world.

It's massive horns and bodybuild told stories of its inhuman strength.

Nero also saw that and smirked. "So the fun is starting, is it?" He didn't seem to be fazed that much and even smirked.

With a sprint forward he soon jumped and became a blue spectral mist. His battle cry resounded like a banshees vail calling the death of his enemies, encouraging his own men. For they knew when they heard that, the Darkspawn would soon be no more.

Clad in the ghostly blue energy Nero landed right in the middle of his enemies. The resulting shockwave pushed most of them away and he started slicing and dicing. His ghostly figure was blinking from one cut head to the next.

The Darkspawn could not even react fast enough and some were even overcome with terror, fleeing back.

But it didn't stop there and Nero soon arrived in front of the ogre that had its focus a long time on him already and tried to smash him to the ground.

Nero only evaded and used the arm from the ogre as a pivot to jump and land on its head.

His blade rapidly sank with its tip into the backside of its neck right into the spine, destroying it in the process.

To make it complete and infuse even more terror into these creatures that knew no mercy themselves. It was only normal that when he pulled his sword out that he sliced it around. Only to rip it right off the ogre's shoulders.

The head landed on the ground with a dead expression of shock still lingering on the face of the ogre. The body also collapsed right after Nero jumped from it and landed on the ground.

The surrounding Darkspawn all seemed to hesitate for a second and that gave Nero who was covered by a massive amount of blood enough time to smirk and sheat his blade.

Seeing that, the Darkspawn all got brave again. But that was only to be caught off guard and being sliced apart by the spectral glaive that Nero now used to decimate the numbers of enemies in masses.

Being killed so efficiently the Darkspawn soon started running and fleeing back to the other side of the bridge and back deeper into the Deep Roads.

When Nero saw how the enemies started fleeing and now only a hunt for the stragglers was initiated he smiled.

Today they won a very important victory. It was a chokehold in their defenses of the deep roads. It has now been a few months since they started exploring the deep roads and they finally had mapped out most of it to this point.

It took a while to have explored any nook and cranny that could be exploited by the Darkspawn and other creatures, but it was worth it.

For they found out only this single large bridge connected them further into the deep roads. And the dwarves that Nero hired for stone masoning were already busy fortifying all places so there would be no unexpected visit from Darkspawn from below.

Meaning only this one path was their way up. And luckily there was a massive door on each side of the bridge that could be used as a defensive point.

Nero already started reconstruction of the dwarven town that was just behind the door on their side. It would serve as an outpost where armed men would stay vigilant and fight bravely against any incoming threat from the deep roads.

Effectively protecting the people in the city that were right at the entrance of these deep roads. And the city consisted mostly of the families of the soldiers. That made it even more important to the Silver Hand Mercenaries.

Feeling no presence of enemies any longer Nero sighed out and turned his wraith mode off. His spectral body turned back to normal.

Placing a hand at his neck he let it crack softly. The relief he felt from that let him sigh out again. "Man, using this power is still taxing."

Celebrimbor that heard that also appeared and watched Nero. "If you don't get used to it soon, then it could spell your end." His comment forbodes ill will.

Nero looked at the wraith. "What do you want to tell me?"

Celebrimbor walked to the edge of the bridge to look down the chasm beneath the bridge. One could see very far below a lot of flames and light. Massive amounts of Darkspawn gathering around and traveling in those tunnels below.

"If that is the number of enemies you will face, then you will fall...You should know that" Celebrimbor sounded solemn and looked back at Nero after saying his mind.

Nero also looked down and could see the massive amount of soldiers the Darkspawn had. They were like freaking rabbits multiplying nonstop. With just his own soldiers, there was just no way to stop that.

Even with his powers he would at some point collapse in exhaustion and die.

Looking at the wraith again Nero frowned. He already guessed where that conversation would lead. "So what? Are you suggesting what I think you are?"

Celebrimbor stayed silent for a short moment before he talked again."There is no other way. Only with the full power of the ring will you raise an army strong enough to defeat them. You need to use domination."

"Never!" Nero was now outraged hearing him word his thoughts. "I would never again sacrifice the sanity of either me or my comrades to this cursed ring. You should very well know that, Celebrimbor. Don't ever mention that to me again."

"Look around you! Your soldiers barely are holding against those numbers you just now faced! And the illness of the taint is slowly killing them. How many wounded and sick do you have now while conquering this little Thaig? A few 100? How many already died? Obviously more than that. Are you suggesting you let them all die fighting without hope?"

Nero frowned and pointed at Celebrimbor. "Stop. Right. There. You are not someone that can preach to me what value my soldiers have."

"You are being naive. Now that the power is without harm, you are still hesitant because of what once was...Suit yourself. You will realize how this will be for naught." Celebrimbor said those last words before he disappeared.

"Tsk..." Just when he vanished another person came to Nero.

"My lord, we got an urgent letter from Highever," Syllia noted and handed him the letter.

Nero took it and ran through its content. What was written in it made him frown even more.

"What? We just secured this and now I have another problem arriving...I will leave immediately. Tell Wallace he should proceed with fortifying this location...And I hope our efforts in producing a cure for the taint are not in vain..."

That one reason, the taint. It was the very reason why Nero was already fighting with the thought of using the ring.

His soldiers were ill and suffering from the illness, but Nero still kept his strong will. To the point that it may already seem stubborn.

He wanted to at least try it the normal way with strong alchemy. There should be a way to help them.

"Yes, my lord. Also, the Dalish would want a meeting with you, if possible." Syllia confirmed his words and then also gave him another piece of information.

"Is that so? Thanks for informing me. I will see to it if I get this solved first. Let's go and get some deserved fresh air again."