When the first wave of mindless was killed off, Alton had Nelson switch to the lead attacker with Jonah for the next wave. He refused to explain why when questioned, and just stared at Jonah when he complained. The second wave hit a few minutes later while Jonah was still grumbling about elder abuse.
Alton watched in silence with his manasight active and waited with held breath. If he was right, this was the key to everything. The mindless closed the gap and Nelson lopped a head clean off the shoulders and was rewarded by a wisp of mana trailing from the mindless back to Nelson’s core. The boy didn’t react, nor did Jonah, when the same happened to him. Alton held his tongue until the wave was over. Distractions were deadly against the fiends.
“Jonah,” Alton said and inclined his neck backwards.
“Alton, if you just wanted to know if I could still swing a sword, there are easier ways to test it.” Jonah griped and leaned on his knees to catch his breath.
“The life of a stuffy academic disagrees with you, friend. I remember when you could pace a fight while lecturing both sides to death.” Alton said with a grin.
“I can’t wait for you to get old, Alton.” Jonah replied and shook his head.
“Did you fight with manasight on?” Alton finally asked, the words bursting from his mouth.
“I did. Nothing out of the ordinary. The mindless don’t register and the shield’s circulation is weak, on the cusp of the third tier, I assume.” Jonah replied with a shrug.
“Jonah…I don’t know how to explain this, so just shut up and listen.” Alton said to forestall Jonah’s usual litany of questions.
“I don’t normally fight with manasight on as I find it distracting. When the first two circulators came down the canyon, it was still on as I killed the first. I watched as a wisp of mana trailed from the first one directly into my core. Something that I have never experienced before. At first I thought it was an attack or some sorts but my core reveals no changes or damages.” Alton explained.
“This may be tied to the fifth tier, then? Able to ‘harvest’ mana from a killed foe’s core?” Jonah mused.
“I watched it happen to you as well, Jonah. You and Nelson both.” Alton said.
Jonah looked stunned as he took in Alton’s words. He could see the older mans mind racing as he considered the implications. Jonah was one of the leading researchers on mana outside of the academies. One of the first to reach the fourth tier and stuck there ever since.
“This could change everything,” Jonah mumbled.
“Jonah, you are the closest person I know to breaking into the fifth tier. I want you to take the lead spot for the next wave of attacks. Land the killing blow on every mindless, we will funnel them to you. I will be there for backup if you need it. If we can push you to the fifth tier, we may yet survive this mission.” Alton said. “If this works, we can push the entire team forward.”
—-
Jonah grunted and tried to work the pain out of his stiff shoulders. Three move waves of mindless had attacked them in the canyon during the night. His body was unaccustomed to swinging the heavy sword for so long. He was grateful an uneasy peace had settled in as the Edorians waited for daylight before another assault.
Alton confirmed he had been draining mana from his foes, for lack of a better word. It puzzled Jonah that no one had observed this phenomenon before. Why was this not written and passed through the generations since it was common to be above the fifth tier? In that case, fighting and killing were surely not the only way. Crafters, shopkeepers, politicians, priests of all faiths had risen through the tiers in ages past.
His core felt full and alive. It roiled with anticipation at being used. Just infusing the mana lanterns gave Jonah a sense of euphoria he wasn’t expecting. He wished his colleagues from the academy were here to help him set up a study with proper parameters and measuring equipment. Alton’s team would have to do for test subjects.
Jonah closed his eyes and rested against the rock. It was going to be a long day once the Edorians woke up. They had to hold until the end of the next night to give the Third Army enough time to retreat. It would take everything they had once the Edorians assaulted in full.
—
“I don’t…I don’t understand, sir. You want me to fight the mindless in the gap alone?” Lews stammered out when Captain Alton gave him the assignment.
“Not alone, Lews, I just want you to be the one landing the killing blow. Think of it as a training exercise. We will be there to support you if trouble arises.” Alton replied with a confident smile.
—-
Alton huffed as he climbed over the last ledge and reached the top of the canyon. From this side, it was a perilous climb that he was only able to complete due to circulating. Any common soldier would never make it with the arrows and rocks his team would be using. He pulled himself over the edge and rolled onto his back.
“Captain.” One of the archers gave him a nod before turning back to survey the Edorian side of the pass.
The sun was breaking through the cloudy morning and washing the land in light. Alton joined his archers and his heart sank at the amount of Edorians assembled. Four sections of camp were set up, and he counted half a hundred or more fires. It looked like the count of one thousand wasn’t far off.
Off to the side was a large ramshackle pen that held hundreds of mindless. He could see Edorians patrolling the outside of the pen to prevent runners. The camp was coming alive and Alton knew today would be bloody. The command staff would try new tactics to get around the canyon. Amelia and Prian were off to the side in a cycling position, so Alton walked over to join them.
“Prian, is there any other way around this canyon we need to worry about?” Alton asked.
Prian opened his eyes at the unexpected voice, “no, no, sir. Not for a half dozen miles, at least according to the scouts. They can slip a few soldiers over, but not this many, and not without us noticing.” He stood and joined Alton.
Amelia broke out of her meditation and joined as well. He looked over the team assembled on top of the canyon. They looked physically tired, but every set of eyes he met burned with fire and steel. They would hold against everything short of an all out attack.
“Gather up. Have any of you manifested mana except Amelia and Prian?” He asked the group of ten.
No one answered. “Amelia, Prian, you are to land the killing blow on any mindless or circulators you come across. This is important. I don’t have time to explain it all, but I think it’s the key to advancing you past the fourth tier. Understood?” He asked.
They turned to look at each other and back at him. “Yes, sir,” they answered in unison.
“Good,” he focused on the archers, “don’t attack until they do. We are here to buy time above all else. If they attack, we answer.” Alton looked at each archer until he got a nod in confirmation.
“If anyone above your tier comes over that edge, you shout with everything you have for backup. It took me thirty seconds to get up here without surging. I could make it in ten if I had to. Do not engage alone if you can avoid it. Guard each other’s backs. Someone scan for arrows at all times. Don’t get caught watching the canyon and take an errant shot.” He finished.
Alton stepped to the far side and sprinted towards the gap. He surged through his legs at the last moment and jumped across to the other side. While he doubted his team could accomplish it, it was good to know that he could if he needed to. He walked up to Letty and Rico and repeated his instructions from earlier. Each archer acknowledged his command, both wolves agreeing as well, albeit with more visible confusion.
Alton finished his business and returned down to the choke point. He was just in time as several heavily armored Edorians started charging down the tunnel. These were holding torches despite the brightening light. Alton activated his manasight and watched as the four Edorians circulated.
“Tier three, by my guess. So it begins.” He said to no one in particular.
—-
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Nelson was the lead shield at the choke point for the first action of the day. The four Edorians charging at him were wearing thick armor the color of pure night. The captain behind him said they were tier three, which was Nelson’s current tier. He braced his shoulder against his modified shield and felt the mana thrum through it.
He had carved a small opening in the shield to let him see through it before they left camp. The smiths had helped him build mana circuits around it so that it wouldn’t be weakened by the modification. He felt much better being able to see the charge coming. He felt much worse the closer the charge got.
The lead Edorian slammed against him shoulder first and pushed him back a foot. Nelson felt the soldier behind him throw their weight into him and prevent him from sliding farther back. Swords hacked at his shield and snaked around trying to find purchase. He used the spear in his offhand to stab out and into the thigh of the closest soldier.
A shout of pain followed his spear when he circulated and ripped it back out. The barbs on the end of the strengthened shafts were nasty work. Nelson and the three infantrymen slowly whittled down the Edorians following the captains instructions to hit them low and save all the killing blows for Nelson and Jonah. It felt horrible to stab someone that was down and moaning like they were cattle for the slaughter. He focused on the impact he could have if he breached tier five like the captain…
—
Alton watched with satisfaction as his canyon group held off the first three waves of Edorians. The morning began with humans assaulting the choke hold rather than mindless. Decked in heavy armor with a variety of weapons to breach the shields of the Agorrans. Alton was able to hold himself in reserve and watch as mana flowed into Jonah and Nelson. Jonah had to be close. He knew it.
The smell of smoke suddenly filled the air and Alton realized the last group had set fire to the bodies cramping the tunnel. They intended to force them out by making it difficult to breathe. This worked both ways unless the Edorians planned to charge through the fire. Alton coughed and called for a quick retreat and brought everyone out of range of the smoke.
They regrouped at the mouth of the canyon and waited for the smoke to clear. Alton could see similar trails of smoke starting beyond the canyon. Edoria was obscuring their movements from the observers up top. It would be a stalemate in the canyon until both sides could breathe cleanly. Alton sent the team to swap out with the reserves except for Jonah, who stayed.
Alton realized his folly a moment later when an archer began shouting at him from the top. Mindless were being herded down the tunnel. The fiends wouldn’t care about the fire or smoke. They would attack without regard for the damage done to their own bodies. Edoria has just armed former human torches and set them in Alton’s direction.
“Up top, stay vigilant! Don’t waste arrows in the smoke!” Alton called out.
He ripped Fang from its sheath and joined Jonah at the mouth. The reserve group was still working through the loose footing of the riverbed. Only Miser could circulate and join them at any speed. Alton traded a glance with his old friend as they waited for the mindless to emerge. Alton really hated mindless.
The horde emerged a few moments later. Burning bodies streamed towards them like spectres out of a terrible nightmare. Alton circulated liberally to increase his movement and reaction speed. He wanted to kill without burning himself in the process. Time slowed down as Alton took a deep breath and counted to three.
One.
Two.
Three.
Alton surged and launched himself into the canyon. He hacked and slashed through the mushy corpses, meeting little resistance. He targeted the legs and torsos when he could, leaving the kills for Jonah. After the tenth burning body was sliced in half, Alton found himself facing Edorian heavy infantry. They used the mindless to move past the choke point. This area of the canyon was wide enough for six to stand shoulder to shoulder.
Jonah walked behind him and finished off each of the mindless. His team was behind Jonah and settling into a fighting formation. The sight of Jonah casually killing the mindless like a farmer pulling weeds seemed to disturb the Edorians. Alton didn’t give them time to steel their nerves and lashed out with Fang.
Fang rattled through the air as it impacted the heavy metal helmets. Alton infused mana threw his sword and watched the blinding glow force the Edorians to turn away. He took advantage of the distraction to press the first Edorian and hammer through his armor. It took four hits to get through and land a critical blow, but the soldier buckled once Fang sunk to its hilt in its gut.
Alton whipped Fang to the side and caught another under the arm. Fang lodged deeply in the armor. He surged again and pulled it back before balancing off one leg and kicking the soldier as hard as he could into the rock wall. Two down and four to go in the first group. He continued his relentless assault on the Edorians, taking full advantage of his heightened speed.
The soldiers were struggling to react in time. None of them were past the fifth tier and it showed clearly in the difference between them and Alton. He spun with Fang low and cut through the achilles while kicking a different soldier in the knee. Alton sprinted to the wall and jumped up, kicked off with one foot, and turned in the air to land behind them.
With him out of the way, his team advanced and forced a line. They fought in a well practiced formation as the role of shield and infantryman fought in similar ways. Jonah free lanced and finished the downed Edorians on the way. Alton sprinted forward to prevent the Edorians from controlling the choke point.
He met heavy resistance all the way through the canyon and left a trail of devastation in his wake. The Edorians were not sending their elites and Alton said a quick thanks to the Mad God for it. If a foe on the level of the one he had fought the week prior arrived, it would be a tough fight in these conditions. Even thinking of that fight sent a trill of excitement through Alton’s core.
When he reached the choke point, he found the bodies cleared and more common soldiers trying to force through. It was childs play for Alton to defeat the common soldiers in the tight space. The soldiers could not react in time for Altons’ speed. He stabbed, slashed, kicked and punched his way down the line until his team reached the choke point and set the shield wall.
Alton turned and dashed back to them, slipping through a gap they opened. He leaned against the wall and breathed heavily. His core was down to half. He tapped his belt alta stones. The team couldn’t afford Alton to run out of mana this early. He checked his timepiece, and it was only two hours past dawn. Ten more hours of daylight to go.
Miser and the rest were able to handle the common soldiers trying to push through while Alton recovered. Alton had a few small slashes that were bleeding, and his armor was ripped in a few places. He debated drinking a health potion but decided against it, Lews could patch him up for practice. He left Jonah in command with the communicator and walked back to the healer.
—-
Amelia watched the battle in the canyon with held breath. The move to smoke out the tunnel was a brilliant move from the enemy. As soon as Wolf team cleared out, the mindless were herded from the pen and released. They hit the choke point without a care despite half of them catching on fire.
She gasped when she could see through the thick smoke and saw Alton hacking them apart. He moved gracefully, avoiding getting burned or entangled with the corpses that were falling apart. Jonah walked behind him, finishing the ones he crippled instead of killing. Amelia wasn’t sure what Alton wanted with them landing the killing blows, but she trusted him implicitly.
The archer standing guard against arrows shouted out a warning and Amelia whipped her head around to watch a cascade of arrows fall towards her. It was easy for the two circulators to step aside from the scattered attack, but one archer took an arrow through the gut. She drug him over to the side and shouted for Lews to climb up if he could.
They returned fire on the archers and it was much easier to shoot down accurately than up. Ten archers died for every volley sent off the top. When the Edorians realized how bad the losses were, they backed the archers out of bow range. Amelia and the others spent the time trying to pick off the Edorians walking too close.
Rico and Letty were on the opposite side, doing the same thing. It was while her head was turned to see them she saw the Edorians scaling the wall, obscured by the smoke. She shouted out a warning to Rico and ran to the edge of her cliff. There were dozens of Edorians in climbing up with some near the top.
She rallied her troops to the edge and fired down at the climbers. Both sides of the canyon walls furiously attacked to keep the Edorians from gaining the ledge. Rocks were thrown or rolled off, quivers exhausted. It wasn’t enough as the first started trying to pull themselves over. Amelia took action and started cutting them down before they could defend.
The archers were all armed with short swords but far from experts at using them. She ordered them to remain back and fire at will. Prian was at her side as they fought the foes that successfully made the ledge. Amelia used every ounce of her skill as a blade to keep them from getting overwhelmed.
Ten bodies later, and they regained the advantage over the climbers. The Edorian commanders relinquished the attempt and Amelia breathed out in relief. Prian was breathing deeply at her side and bleeding from half a dozen wounds, as was she. A shout of pain sounded from across the canyon and she turned to see Rico surrounded over the downed form of Letty.
Without a thought, she screamed out for Alton and circulated through her legs, throwing herself over the gap. She landed roughly, scraping her knees through her pants, but keeping her sword. The closest Edorian failed to turn in time, and she impaled him through the midsection. The climbers couldn’t wear the same heavy armor as the soldiers down in the canyon.
The two former rivals found themselves fighting side by side against superior numbers and overwhelming odds. They united in mutual purpose to protect Letty, and Amelia felt the pull of combat settle over her mind. Her strength shined as she hammered through the defenses while Rico’s speed countered any defense they tried to muster.
Hearts racing, they stood shoulder to shoulder and faced down a growing number of foes. The clash of steel from below meshed with their own fight and drowned out any other sound to Amelia’s ear. They danced to the symphony of battle, two beings moving in perfect synchrony. Movements complementing each other as if they had battled together for years rather than months, an instinctive harmony of survival.
One of the archers arrived to pull Letty back out of harm’s way. Amelia lost her footing and took a vicious kick to the knee. She fell hard on the damaged knee and used her good leg to prop herself up and continue hacking at the growing crowd. Rico stepped forwards to cover her.
“Amelia! Get out of here!” Rico shouted, his voice thick with emotion.
“I’m not leaving you!” She roared back and hobbled back to her feet.
She flared out and pushed her circulation to a level she had never reached before. The battle raged on as even the common soldiers could trade blows with her now. Enough soldiers had made the ledge to surround them and Rico took a nasty slash to his back, breaking through his armor. She tried to compensate for him and took three hits in succession.
The captain appeared like a comet crashing from the sky. He moved through the soldiers like a leaf moves through air on the wind. Fang glowing a brilliant white as it hacked apart the former soldiers. It only took moments for Alton to finish off the rest and the archers were able to fire at will on the climbers. The Edorians abandoned the fight and drew back out of arrow range. They lived to fight for another hour.