Phoenix shook his head, heading over to the control panel. The sound of thunder and flashes of light intruded from the gaping hole in the War Towers wall, and the ringing of alarm bells. Distant shouts and commands drifted up from the road below. The entire town was a scurry of activity, but it was the face of Kal-Tel-Yek that dominated the scene. Remembering what Yvonne had shown him, he brought up the map and strategic display.
“Isabel, look. That must be the Hags entire army, there to the west in the trees. Is there a way to get in contact with Captain Susan?”
Isabel didn’t answer immediately, instead bringing out a crystal strung on a bronze chain around her neck. She held it for a moment until it started to glow, then spoke a hasty report. “There, the Captain will know what has happened. Our job now is to get the War Tower online, without access to Tul’s Star, we are doomed." She sounded calm and reasonable, but her gaze was intense and Phoenix could sense her desperation.
“She didn’t get a chance to authorize me. Yvonne I mean.” Phoenix said, avoiding looking at the crumpled form of the Magus. “Certainly there has to be an emergency protocol, right? Some way to request access?”
Isabel was shaking her head, then paused. “Nothing local, but if you can contact Empire Tower Control in the capital…”
“This is Guardian. War Shield is failing. Command authorization required.” The spirit’s monotone description of the dire straits that they were in interrupted their deliberations.
“Guardian! Contact Empire Tower Control!” Phoenix called out.
—
Empire Tower Control
Magus Astra
—
Empire Tower Control was an impressive structure set in it’s own tower in the middle of the capital city of Tul’Lia. Fifteen stories tall, it contained all the administrative and command needs of the city, and served as a focal point for the military might of the two dozen scattered settlements and colonies that made up the latest wave of expansion of the grandly named Empire of Tul’Lia.
Magus Astra was seated in level 12, a mostly open floor of the tower with two dozen fellow Magi. Each was responsible for one of the War Towers scattered amongst the colonies, as well as one of the towers that guarded the capital itself. Her cushion was not doing a good job protecting her from the hard stone of the raised dais that she and the others sat on, and that combined with the boredom made her distracted. So it was a shock when the tower Guardian contacted her mentally.
“Captain, I am receiving a message from Tower 23. Emergency authorization request. I don’t recognize the sender however.” Magus Astra called out, quickly arranging herself into a professional military posture and concentrating on her task.
Captain Victoria strode over from the command table, close enough so they wouldn’t have to shout at each other and disturb the rest of the hall. “Who is stationed out there?”
“Magus Yvonne, Captain, according to the records. No history of communication from her on file however. Captain, I just finished receiving a status report from the Tower Guardian. War Shield was activated under reflex protocols approximately four minutes ago, and is already near failure. The Guardian doesn’t recognize what is attacking.”
Victoria frowned. This was all very irregular, but then again, one didn’t get this position by being unable to adapt to changing circumstances and insufficient information. Clenching her fist, she nodded to herself.
“Grant emergency authorization, under my authority. Page! Message for the General. With my compliments, Tower 23 is under attack by unknown forces and all previous command authorizations are not available. I have granted emergency authorization to Tower resources. As it pleases the General, requesting her presence. Message ends, go now.” Returning her attention to the Magus, she continued. “Magus, see if you can transfer the strategic situation to our command table here, the General will want to know what is going on.”
—
Tower 23
Phoenix
—
“Emergency Authorization has been granted.” The Tower Guardian pronounced, and Phoenix gave a deep sigh of relief. He brought up the status of the tower resources he now had access to. Four long crystals extended the length of the tower. Two of them showed full and undamaged, one was empty but functional, and the fourth was a black mark in the diagram. Glancing at the hole in the wall, he could only assume that the crystal had been destroyed in the attack by Kal-Tel-Yek. While he did that, the figures in the display flashed, drawing his attention.
The great mass of red blobs that demarcated the enemy force had moved out of the trees and into contact with the walls of the town. This created a reasonably diffuse field of enemies, stretching as it did from wall to woods, red blobs on both sides of the road. The Guardian could not differentiate between what kind of enemy was what, at least not yet, so Phoenix would be just guessing if he tried to target something critical.
Green triangles showed the arrayed defensive forces. The gate house was occupied by a tightly grouped squad, and a little message written over their icon described them as Guard Squad 1. So the Captain had deployed her best to the wall. In addition, a slightly less organized mass stretched to either side along the wall itself, the militia forces lined up there presumably. Another mass of militia stood just inside the gate itself, on Lumber-Way, and a green starburst was with them. Focusing in close, Phoenix was pleased to see Celeste’s name appear, along with a little window that showed a view of Lady Celeste.
She was bedecked in her armor, glowing brightly with some kind of internal divine light. Her helmet was under her armpit, and her blonde hair streamed out behind her as she thrust her sword into the air. She had just finished giving some kind of inspiring speech to the militia forces, Phoenix only just had time to see her don her helmet and turn towards the gate when the Guardian distracted him again.
“Alert. Tier Three Demonic presence detected on approach to Lumber Gate. Warning, War Shield has failed.”
“Guardian, can you recharge the War Shield?” Phoenix asked.
“Recharging War Shield from Tower Reserves. Tower Reserves… at…” The Guardian seemed confused, but Phoenix could see one of the remaining crystals empty out and the War Shield reappeared once more outside.
Phoenix was faced with several choices now. Or should he say, he was faced with several targets. Kal-Tel-Yek was an obvious one, given the damage the goddess could do both to the War Shield and the tower itself. If he could identify the Hags in the mass of the enemy army, that would be an immediate priority target. And whatever this tier three demon was sounded bad as well. Phoenix strongly suspected that he had exactly one shot, the remaining filled crystal. That made his decision a bit more straightforward, if not any emotionally easier.
He brought up the table panel that represented the fire command, and addressed the Guardian, reading from the script on the tablet in front of him.
“Empire Tower Control, this is Tower Twenty Three. Adjust Fire. Tower Twenty Three Direction. End.”
The Guardian paused, and then Phoenix felt the feathery light touch of another mind on his. He felt rather than heard the response, repeating back his statement word for word.
Tower Twenty Three, Empire Tower Control. Adjust Fire, Tower Twenty Three Direction.
Focusing the tower's sensor window over Kal-Tel-Yek, he could see a faint halo of light surrounding her rather insubstantial form.
“One Spirit Goddess, in open, requesting Star Strike, on my command. End.”
Kal-Tel-Yek must have been able to sense something, as it ceased hammering on the War Shield, and began shifting about in the clouds above the tower. Phoenix did his best to keep the sensor window highlighting her, tracking the goddess as she moved about.
“Empire Tower Control, Tower 23. Fire.”
—
Outside Town 23
Wicked Tselyth
—
Wicked Tselyth watched the lumbering bulk of her Cazakodemon as it headed for the gate. The succubus had finally signaled success in taking out the operators for the War Tower, so the time was ripe for the assault. Previous scouting had shown that the town only had the two women who could control the tower, and without access to the towers firepower, this was going to be a simple mop up.
There was a brilliant blast of light, followed by a roar and the panicked screams of the goblins around her. A molten shaft of light burned its way into her vision, striking one of the hills to the north and shaving the top clean off.
“That came from Tul’s Star!” screamed Calamiss, mouth agape and one clawed hand pointing at Kal-Tel-Yek. The jumped up spirit was frantically dodging in the air, the clouds that covered her curling around a gaping hole where the beam had gone.
“That Tower is operational!” Maldred casually backhanded one of the screaming goblins as it bumped into her, cratering the poor girl's skull and hurtling her into her fellows. “Tselyth, what is going on!?”
Tselyth recovered rapidly from her shock. They must be using emergency protocols, but the tower would still be limited to what was in its reserves. These mewling worms were no good in close order, disciplined fighting, but it was better for them to mob up against the walls than be blown to pieces by Tul’s Star!
“Get everyone to the walls! The walls you scrotum guzzling syphilitic goats!” Tselyth lifted a goblin in each hand and threw them towards the town's walls. “You two, the tower must be under emergency control. But they won’t be able to recharge it without a Master tier! And they won’t shoot their own walls either, so get everyone close!”
—
Tower 23
Phoenix
—
“Splash.” Phoenix confirmed to Empire Tower Control.
Phoenix messed with the tower controls once more, bringing up the now empty cluster of crystals. While the magic pool points demand of something like that Star Strike were far far beyond the abilities of any one Magus, the guidance system was a bit closer to reach. Forty points, to charge a crystal. With the stolen power of the demons buffing his own magic pool, he just barely had enough.
The tower drained him in a great rush, and he almost collapsed to the ground as his knees went weak. Gasping and sweating, he eyed the tower status again. One crystal charged…
—
Magic Pool: 2 (42) [respiration halted, draw breath 7 per activation]
—
It was going to take him a minute or so to recover his own reserves enough to do that again, and he wasn’t entirely sure he had a minute or so.
“Empire Tower Control. Tower Twenty Three. Fire for Effect. Tower Twenty Three Direction. End.”
—
Empire Tower Control
Captain Victoria
—
Captain Victoria bit her lip. Whoever was in that tower was brand new to this, so she was going to have to deviate a little from protocol. Just as she was about to give the order, another page ran up.
“Compliments to the Captain from General Arc. Scrambled the men to charge the Star, the on call priestesses will be on station in ten minutes. Three more shots before hitting the reserve limit, do not breach the reserve limit without my order.”
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Well that confirms it.
“Magus Astra, we have three more shots. Notify Tower 23 that we advise switching to Ripple fire. Star Strike is probably overkill for anything that could be there.”
—
Tower 23
Phoenix
—
Tower 23, Empire Tower Control. Advise three more shots available, advise Ripple fire, acknowledge.
Phoenix nodded to himself, three shots was more than the power he had available in the Tower crystals anyway, so the limit barely mattered. He was having a hard time tracking Kal-Tel-Yek, but the clarity from his Fires of Mentality had detected a pattern.
“Guardian, bring up the details on Ripple Fire please.”
The Guardian displayed the user manual for Ripple Fire. It would divide each Star Strike into a burst of five smaller blasts, which he could individually track. With that spread, two or three should land.
“Empire Tower Control. Tower 23. Acknowledge three shots available. Fire For Effect, Ripple Fire, Tower 23 Direction.”
Tower 23. Empire Tower Control. Fire for Effect, Request Ripple Fire, Tower 23 Direction
“Standby Empire Tower Control.” Phoenix waited for his moment.
“Fire”
—
Outside Tower 23
Wicked Tselyth
—
Tselyth was cloaked in feathers now, having taken the form of a vulture and launched herself into the sky. The majority of the goblins were fleeing towards the town’s walls now, dying under the combined fire of the filthy guard’s crossbows and the grunt’s javelins. Fortunately, those simpering useless twats were more scared of Maldred than they were of being blown up or punctured. Calamiss had the orc war ladies back behind the mass of goblin flesh, safely out of range. If only they could get them inside the walls! Their superior mobility and their short bows would butcher the defenders without the benefit of stone in the way.
Well, all was not lost. As she thought it, the Cazakodemon ended its deceptively ponderous charge into the town’s wooden gate. The impact was tremendous, and everyone could hear the cracking of the wood as the blow nearly destroyed the gate in one attack.
Just then, multiple glowing motes of divine fire streamed in from over the horizon. The first missed Kal-Tel-Yek, hitting the woods behind Tselyth and setting them ablaze. Another smashed into the goddess, reflected off Kal-Tel-Yek’s Ward to blast the overtaxed War Shield, causing it to light up an ominous red, near failure. The remaining three struck home cleanly, blasting bright azure shards of spiritual energy off the goddesses being. A immense howl was torn from Kal-Tel-Yek’s core, and she faded from existence, banished or destroyed Tselyth couldn’t tell.
Well, win some, lose some I see. Two war shields, two shots, that tower has to be exhausted now. Without the Master Magus, that’s it. Now we just have to get inside and this is a win.
—
Tower 23
Phoenix
—
“Splash. Target destroyed. End.”
Isabel gestured for his attention, and Phoenix pulled himself out of the command interface.
“Look, the Lumbar-Way gate. That demon is nearly through.”
Phoenix focused in to where Lady Celeste was standing beside the besieged structure of the Lumbar-Way gate. Splinters of wood lay at her feet and a deep crack had appeared, stressing the bands of bronze holding the gate together. It wasn’t going to last long.
“Standby Empire Tower Control.” He told the Guardian, then turned to Isabel.
“The tower is empty. I recharged it once, but it's going to take me too long to get enough points to charge it again. I have a big favor to ask.”
“You can Draw.” Isabel muttered, staring at Phoenix doubtfully.
“Look, I get that there is a history around the ability, but right now, it is our best chance of all living through the next hour.” Phoenix pleaded.
“This must be why you don’t look gift horses in the mouth. When needs must. What do you need us to do?” Isabel finally responded.
“Form a circle holding hands with me. It won’t hurt, split five ways everyone should be able to give an equal share without any harm.”
The guards did as instructed, and Phoenix began. It was going to be tricky. Drawing Breath could kill them if he overdid it, but Drawing Earth could sever their connection to Magic entirely. He trusted their toughness and physicality over his ability to be careful with their spirits. Draw Breath it was then.
He started with just a trickle of power, trying not to pay attention to the little window showing the events at the gatehouse.
—
Town 23 Gatehouse
Lady Celeste
—
Celeste watched the gate, letting her faith calm her racing mind. The militia behind her were going to be useless in this fight. A Cazakodemon would ignore any unenhanced blow, and none of the militia had spells or abilities that could enchant their weapons. They were strong, yes, but strength wasn’t enough. Captain Susan was busy keeping the goblins off the walls, as any breach would let the orc warg riders inside, which would be a disaster.
And the report from the tower of Magus Yvonne’s death meant there were going to be no more Star Strikes to assist. What it all came down to was she was the only thing standing between this siege monster and the entire town being overrun. She whispered a silent prayer to Lia, and then with the tip of her sword, etched a line in front of her. Putting her toe to that line, she set her shield.
Let faith be my shield.
Divine Essence Reinforcement Granted.
“Open the gate!” She shouted up at the gatehouse.
This far, and no further. There was no other option she could accept.
Two brave militia women pulled the bars off the gate just before the next impact from the demon landed. The force of the blow flung the gate open wide, flinging women and material aside, bracketing the monster in the mouth of the gatehouse.
The demon’s head brushed the ceiling of the gatehouse. Curled horns wrapped around its skull to jut out like tusks near its jaw. The image of a spider sprang to mind when staring at that skull, horns complimented by grasping mandibles and poisonous fangs and eight black soulless eyes. A bull-like neck connected that hideous feature to the rest of the body, which was glossy smooth and resembled red marble, etched rather than formed of tissue and muscle, or so it would seem. The shoulder joints were a complicated mess, four powerful arms stretching out to end in pincers, each wickedly strong. All supported by legs as thick as tree trunks, feet ending in three toes with a deadly hooked talon on the heel. It was a purpose bred machine of war, and it knew neither fear of nor pity for the glowing figure standing in its way.
Celeste took the first blow on her shield, the overhand smash nearly driving her to her knees and the force cracking the cobblestone of the street. She didn’t retreat. One leg back in a solid stance, she absorbed the force of the blow. The demon roared and put all four limbs on one of the gate doors, flexing hard and tearing it from the hinges. Like a tremendous club, the Cazakodemon swung the dismembered door down on Celeste, only to watch in rage as the door broke in half against her shield. One piece spun into the crowd of militia behind her, sprawling them like bowling pins, breaking bones and scattering them.
Her sword left a burning gash which sprayed crimson molten rock. The Cazakodemon’s responded with blows that thrashed her armor, glittering motes of light and hairline cracks forming. She still didn’t back up. While two taloned hands pounded on her helmet and pauldrons, the other two locked themselves around her waist, and heaved.
Let faith be my anchor, embrace me, mother!
Mother Holds Her Children Granted.
Strain as it might, the demon could not lift her feet off the ground. The planet itself held her close, Celeste’s power calling out to the physical incarnation of her goddess to hold her in place. No matter how the Cazakodemon strained, it could not lift her or shove her from her chosen ground. With it distracted by trying to fling her aside, it was temporarily still. A hail of javelins bounced off its hide from the militia women, a brave but fruitless attempt at helping Celeste. Meanwhile, Celeste took careful aim at the wrist of one of the grasping claws, and with a mighty blow, pierced through the joint. With a twist, she was able to tear the hand off completely, wrenching a scream of pain and rage out of her opponent.
Letting her go, the demon returned to trading blows with her, three crushing hammer blows of its claws against her one return cut or stab.
Divine Essence Reinforcement is failing.
The voice in her mind warned her, just as blood found its way from a newly formed gash in her forehead where a dent in her helmet had torn the flesh. The dripping crimson liquid stained her hauberk, and the monster's eyes lit with bloodlust at the sight. But now she knew where it was weak. The points of flexibility lacked the ridgid stone like plates that made it nearly impervious to harm. Wrists, elbows, back of knees, armpits, neck.
The demon had her shield in one pincer, her leg in another, and while she hacked at its wrist it bent down and engulfed her head in its fetid mouth. The mandibles and pincers and fangs all scrabbled against her plate, seeking any gap to penetrate and poison her body, while the air was sucked from her lungs by the stench. She gave up on saving the shield, releasing it so she could use both hands to stab upwards into the monstrous neck of the beast. It howled, a sound like a thunderclap that set her ears ringing. One leg bent, and her knee came down, but she held herself to the line she had drawn. Not one step back.
Divine Essence Reinforcement has failed.
With the sword wedged into the thing's neck, she sawed away, hoping to find something vital. Crouched over as it was, it tried to pull away, all the while hammering her with its taloned limbs. Celeste’s vision was starting to dim, more blows flexing through the magic of her armor to leave fractured ribs, another head wound, a broken collar bone.
Faith is my strength.
Divine Might Granted.
The militia, frozen in fear by the conflict they were witnessing, gasped as one. Great wings of light sprung from Lady Celeste’s back, shining gold and white. Celeste had her left arm around the back of the demon’s head now, holding it close against her as she carved deeper and deeper into its throat with her sword. Finally, she struck something important, and with a great crack and then tearing sound, her sword tip emerged from the back of the Cazakodemon’s skull.
The ground shook as the Cazakodemon fell to its knees and started to thrash in its death throes. It took all her newly enhanced strength to fling the thing back against the gatehouse wall, where it lay twitching and jerking in death. Blood had pooled in her left boot, and she could feel one of her ribs poking out from her side, having torn free of her flesh. She glanced down. Her boot foot still toed the line.
Not one centimeter back.
Over the corpse of the Cazakodemon, Celeste saw a vulture wing down to land at the other end of the tunnel through the gate house. With a grisly tearing sound, it transformed into the shape of a Hag. She recognized this one from her brief reconnoiter earlier in the week. She had been harassed by the thing until finally managing to break contact after two days. Its green toothy maw grinned ear to ear.
“Well, sweetums, we are all very impressed with you. You lot have been a right pain in my arse, but if you get down on your knees and start begging, I might kill you quick rather than real slow, hmmm?”
“If you think you can kill me, I invite you to learn how wrong you are.” Celeste replied, raising to her feet once more and pointing her sword at the Hags eyes.
The Hag cackled, gleeful and cruel in turns. “Who are you posing for, you pathetic teat suckler. Your warshield is about to fail, your gate is sundered, and your tower has exhausted its power and has no one to charge it back up. This fight is done. All you get to pick is how many unbroken bones you have left that I can use to pick my teeth with!”
Behind her, the orc war riders started their charge towards the gate.
—
Tower 23
Phoenix
—
“Empire Tower Control. Tower Twenty Three. New Target, Goblin Infantry, Orc Cavalry. In the open. Fire for Effect, Ripple Fire Spread.”
This was a risk, for sure. Phoenix knew he couldn’t hit the hag standing at the gate. However, if enough of the troops were killed…
Tower Twenty Three, Empire Tower Control. New Target, Goblin Infantry, Orc Cavalry. In the open. Fire for Effect, Ripple Fire Spread.
“Empire Tower Control, Tower Twenty Three. Polar 270, 550 meters”
Tower Twenty Three, those coordinates are on your defensive perimeter, please confirm.
“Empire Tower Control, confirm on defensive perimeter.”
Tower Twenty Three. Polar 270, 550 meters. Danger Close. May Lia protect.
May she protect indeed.
“Empire Tower Control, Danger Close. Fire!”
—
Town 23 Gatehouse
Wicked Tselyth
—
Tselyth could almost feel the satisfying crunch of that Paladin’s bones. True, she had lost nearly all her demons on this caper, no lie that was going to take a while to recover from. But it would all work out now, in the end. Kill this silly bint, watch the orcs sweep the soldiers aside and off the walls, and it would all be pillaging and slaving and feasting. A line of drool escaped her lips to trail to the ground at the thought, which she ignored. Flexing her claws, she took a step forward, to end this farce.
The first explosion was shockingly close. Her feet felt it first, the ground heaving under her, before a second later the air too slammed into her back and the pressure wave screamed in her ears. She was too tough and too strong to be thrown about like a doll, but the same was not true of the massed troops behind her. Dozens of goblins, orcs, and wargs were tossed into the air. Tselyth turned just in time to see the next impact, directly behind the first. Like the beat of an impossibly large drum, each impact shook her bones through the earth, slammed her skull through the air. Just as implacable, each blow killed her troops, turning her carefully cultivated power and crafty plans into bloody pieces of gore flung into the sky along with the rock and earth.
The goblins went mad with fear and the pounding explosions. Those that survived scattering in every direction, just trying to escape. The orcs might have fared better, if they had not congregated on the road for their charge at the gate. Packed together as they were, none escaped the barrage. As the explosion tossed stone and such came raining back down in a horrid mockery of rain, Tselyth spied the torn body of Jo-Rok-Ult, and the awkward remains of Calamiss. Both lay still on the cratered road, as the dirt from above covered them.
She enhanced her eyes, and turned to stare at the War Tower. She could just make out, at that distance, the dim figures of women in the top floor. She imagined she could hear them ordering a follow up shot to that last barrage. Were she in their boots, she would vaporize this entire gate house to kill a Hag of her standing.
“Well, dearie, I’ll tell you what. I know when I am beat.” Tselyth turned her gaze to look at the paladin, who also stood, despite the great cloud of dust and repeated shock waves channeled through the tunnel of the gatehouse. An impressive creature, no doubt. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about me. I’ll be back, sooner than you think and stronger than you fear, count on it.”
And with that, she took to the skies.