Purple magic spread through the air. It rippled, and people shouted.

“Mages at the ready!” Simon bellowed from atop the fort walls. He looked at the distant reinforcements, and the magic washed over the group of Shorove reinforcements, his reinforcements. Should I have stayed with them?

Stones erupted, clipping and throwing soldiers. Fire exploded. Steam billowed, and screams ripped through the air.

Peering into the wreckage, Simon grimaced. “Where is their cover, magus?” he shouted at the distant tower. No response came back. “Answer me!” he barked.

A mage poked his head out. “The magus is dead. Their void mage got him.”

Simon glowered. A rank B mage, dead. Useless, the lot of them. He turned and looked at what remained of his supplies.

Dying soldiers littered the ground. The supplies wagons smoldered.

Simon ripped his helmet off and walked down the stairs. It never fails. All the competent soldiers are at the other forts. Kicking a rock, he walked into the barracks. “What the condemnation is happening? They needed cover. Cover!” he bellowed.

“We warned their majesties that we were dealing with a void mage,” a haggard captain replied. He leaned against the table and ran his hands through the hair. “Welcome to the front.”

“I’m to be addressed as my duke or sir!” Simon bellowed. He looked around the group. “Where are the assassins? I need that Void Mage dead yesterday.”

“Dead,” a bald woman said, reaching for a mug of ale. “The mage has guards, good ones.” She took a drink.

“Sir,” the haggard captain added.

“Right. Sorry,” the woman replied.

Simon rubbed his brow. I’m going to kill them. His rage burned through him. “We lost at least half of the group and all the supplies.”

“Welcome to the pit, sir,” a man said, sitting at the table with a thump. He looked at the map and frowned. “How’s our cover, Luz?” He looked at the bald woman.

“Shit, Vlad,” Luz replied. She nursed her ale. “Their night crew had mana, real mana. It’s been a slog to get this much. Half our mages are still trying to sleep.”

Simon shook his head and looked at the map. We have them surrounded. We are stronger. He studied. We’re a little too close for supplies. That’s a problem. “We need to tunnel out supply chains.”

“No,” Vlad said sternly. “Their scouts will see the tunnels, and they’ll collapse them,” the man said, shaking his head. He studied the noble. “Duke Simon, I’m unsure what you know. But this is the truth. That Void Mage is at least tier-C and capable of some psionic storm that will kill you if you don’t get out of it. She killed that useless recruit who tried to bluff. We need the real ones, or else we are doomed.”

“And pray to the gods that she stops sending that assassin of hers,” the haggard captain said, sitting up. “He keeps murdering people through—” Blood oozed from his ears and nose. He coughed blood and slumped onto the table.

Simon spun and looked around.

“Condemnation!” Luz erupted. “Kill that fucking assassin now!” she shouted.

What? Simon studied the C-tier man who were now lying in a pool of his blood. He studied the man’s head and found no wounds. She did this? How? He growled. Wait. No. He spun toward Luz. “Assassin?”

Luz’s eyes blazed. “There’s some horrible S-tier assassin. He’s using conjured weapons. The ethereal blades are by far the worst.”

“What about Danger Sense? What about blocking them?” Simon asked with a growing frown.

“He’s an S-tier assassin! The blade is only a small part of the problem.” Luz turned back to the soldiers. A string of shouting rose through the ranks, and bowstrings thrummed.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“At least that will end him,” Simon said, listening to the noise.

Luz spun and shook her head. “You really have no clue. That monster becomes incorporeal. He’s like a wraith. I watched him take a dozen arrows, and he still showed up fifteen minutes later.” She huffed. “I’m sure you’re on his list.”

Simon frowned at her. Insubordinate, useless garbage.

“Danger sense doesn’t work here either,” Vlad said. “It detects hostile intent and actions. Everything is hostile right now.”

“How do you avoid it?” Simon asked. “There has to be a way.”

“You watch for attacks and react fast. Really fast. Otherwise, you get a more specialized skill.” Vlad sighed. “Now, how about getting us a Void Mage? A skilled one.”

Simon frowned and turned back toward the captain. “We only have three of those in the entire kingdom, and we sent you the only recruit. That’s why the king sent me. All our intelligence says the same thing. You should be winning.”

“Did that intelligence include information about a Void Mage?” Vlad asked. “Or an S-tier assassin that can throw his knives through a wall?”

“You have scouts that should be able to handle that.”

“They died.”

Simon reached up and massaged his brow. “So, you’ve lost our scouts, our void mage recruit, and you have the audacity to ask for more?”

“I’m telling you—“

“No,” Simon stood. “No. I’ve had enough. You will address me as ‘sir,” and you will stop with this incompetence. Who’s in charge of the mages? I want that fort broken by tonight.”

“Luz, sir.” Vlad gestured.

Simon stomped across the room. Gods, what a mess. “Luz, I need to speak with our mages. And I need a coordinated barrage.”

Luz sighed and shook her head. “Their Void is awake.”

“Good.” Simon glared at her and followed her to a makeshift building. Walking up the stone steps, he looked at the shoddy room. Mages were slumped and meditating on benches. A hall folded back and forth out to the rampart.

Following it, he found a group of mages just outside the door.

“…I’m not doing it. She’ll murder me. You do it.”

“No way. She’s getting better.” The mage looked down at the corpse of another mage.

Simon did the same, looking down at the body. Blood oozed from his ears, nose, and eyes. “Just cast it and drop control.”

The mage frowned and looked over. He looked over at Luz. “Is he serious?”

“No. If they drop control, it’ll just explode after three seconds,” Luz said, frowning.

“So aim it and be done. I expect you to start barraging that wall and fort now. We’re ending this today.” Simon smiled and pulled a small device out of his pocket. “Get ready to defend and attack,” he ordered.

Placing the device up to his lips, he spoke. “Void Mage!” he said, his voice reverberating like a ringing bell. “We have you surrounded. Surrender now and join our ranks if you wish to live. There will be no other offer!” The sound carried across the way. He smiled and then frowned. A wave of purple lightning shot toward him.

The mages fled, running into the bunker. Whistles rang through the air. Clouds formed above them, and Simon raced after them. Cowardly mages. He entered the bunker and felt the void magic wash over him. Feels so strange. His skin tingled, and nothing else happened as it faded.

Thunder boomed. A wave of heat blasted through the fort, and the ground shook. A low roar filled the air as stone slammed on stone.

“Rotate bunkers!” Luz barked, racing down the steps. Everyone followed.

Simon begrudgingly did the same, chasing after them. “We need to fight back!” A growing pressure hit his mind, and strange blue lightning crackled through the air, sparking from nothing to nothing. He grimaced at the growing pressure. The condemnation is this? Walking out into the yard, he shook his head and watched the blue lightning crackle without a sound. Reaching up, he wiped a smear of blood from his nose.

“Abandon the fort!” Vlad bellowed.

Soldiers streamed out of the back entrance. Simon ran after them, blood dripping from his nose.

Running out of the fort, he turned around and looked at it. The strange lightning crackled everywhere. He reached up and wiped his nose. The condemnation is this?

“Gather!” Vlad bellowed.

“Blockade, now!” Luz yelled.

Simon looked up and saw swirling clouds. Stone engulfed them, forming a makeshift bunker. Thunder boomed, and the structure shook. Stone slammed into it with a growing fury.

Gods, am I going to die? Simon looked at the shaking structure. “Where is our support?”

“Nullified by that mage,” a soldier said, shaking his head. “She’s a monster.”

“But we have more mages, better mages,” Simon pressed.

“If they get sleep, sure. That’s why they’re attacking with everything now.” The soldier looked up at the cracking stone. Dust swirled down.

Mages flooded magic back into repairing the stone.

“Make a door so we can see the fort!” Vlad bellowed.

A door started to form, and the entire structure washed away, vanishing into the web of purple that spiraled through the group. The air ignited, and Simon’s armor glowed.

Running from the burning disaster, he raced forward with several others. Lightning chained through the group, and he burned stamina, feeding it into his ability. The pain vanished, and his wounds healed.

Nearby soldiers screamed. Several fell, and Simon ran toward the other fort, burning stamina rapidly to push himself faster and faster. Fire soared inward. Water shot up and then slammed back down, knocking soldiers over. The air behind him ignited. Heat flooded across him, and an arrow slammed into his armor.

Shit! Simon looked at the distant fort and swallowed. I’m going to die.

[Unless you surrender. ~Logic]

“Yes! Please, yes!” Simon ran towards his allies in the distant fort.

[That means you run to them. ~Logic]

Simon grimaced and turned. Then he ran toward his captors.