Alton gasped for breath against the canyon wall. The Edorian assault was relentless, throwing bodies at the choke point and both canyon walls. He checked his timepiece and sighed. It was only barely past noon. Jonah was beside him, slumped down and eyes closed in meditation.

Nelson and Miser were both manning the choke point. Rest rotations had been abandoned in the face of constant combat. Four infantry were with them, the rest up top to support the others. Even the scouts were forced to fight to keep them from being overwhelmed. Alton hoped the Third Army was making progress. They wouldn’t last the night.

He heard more shouting from the end of the canyon and walked back to the line. More Edorians were shuffling in to prepare for another attack. The one in the lead was wearing intricate armor compared to the rest and Alton triggered his manasight for confirmation, an elite. Edoria was taking off the kids’ gloves.

“Elite in the canyon! Be on guard!” Alton shouted to both his team in the tunnel and the two archers close enough to hear him from the top.

He drew Fang and advanced to stand behind his shields. The alta stones on his belt were already drained, the reservoir of his sword was his last spare mana. Jonah didn’t stir behind him, and Alton left him to rest. By his count, more than a hundred foes had attempted the canyon in the daylight alone.

The lead Edorian drew a large sword that shone brightly with an orange glow. Alton knew right away he was infusing it, and the sword was built to handle it. He licked his lips greedily at finally finding a companion sword to Fang. His new style of dual wielding swords would let him move through common soldiers and mindless, near effortlessly.

“When they crash on the shields, that one is mine.” Alton said in a low voice and pointed out the elite.

Ten Edorians entered and advanced until only four could be seen. Alton could hear more fighting up top, but no shouts for help. He hoped they could hold for now. He couldn’t leave this fight. In his manasight, the four in the lead glowed brightly, centered around their cores. He studied the image for a few seconds before his blood ran cold. The sight and sensation reminded him of the Sapient capable of firing mana blasts.

“Brace for impact! Circulate with everything you have! Jonah, manasight on!” Alton shouted. The old man was up and behind him now.

Alton reached forward to the two shields and placed a hand on both, infusing rapidly from his own core. The ambient mana in the canyon trembled, and a powerful blast launched from the Edorians and crashed against the shield. Alton was thrown back with the others a few feet and landed in a scramble.

He shook his head clear and returned to his feet to find the Edorians charging their position. Arrows flew from above, but the thick armor deflected them without hassle. Alton worked his way in front of the downed shields and took a deep breath, centering himself for the fight to come. He drew deeply from Fang in the precious seconds he had left.

The first soldier led with a vicious downward swing and Alton parried it off to the side. The elite was fourth in the canyon, letting his lackeys take the initial assault. Alton pulled from his core and grinned when he felt it respond. The temperature around him dropped and time slowed as Alton elevated himself once again.

—

Jonah watched as the Edorians gathered a massive amount of mana between the four of them. This was the first display of this nature he was able to witness, and the scholarly side of his mind took over. He watched the mana exit the cores and flow through various exit points on each one’s body before joining before the lead soldier.

The elite in the lead seemed to gather the mana and then focused it outwards. Jonah was so consumed with watching he reacted too slow when it slammed into the shield. He was thrown back with the others from the resulting blast and smashed his head against the rock wall. He sat up dazed and confused with his manasight still active.

He turned and watched Alton stand before the four soldiers alone. Six more waited behind them for a chance to attack. His mind was slowed from the pain, dizziness wracked him despite him still sitting. Jonah felt himself dissociate the past and present, his overwhelmed mind focusing on the events prior to the blast. He watched again and again as the mana gathered around the soldiers and flowed outwards.

It ran against the popular theories from the academy. It was suspected that to cast mana outwards, one needed to channel it through a central exit point. This was not the case with the Edorians. The mana exited from a different place on each body. Was each individual unique in the location of this exit node? Did it even matter? Were they all above tier five?

Jonah’s mind eased back to the present, and he watched Alton block a swing from the first soldier. Alton was glowing in his manasight like a bonfire compared to small campfires from the others. Alton slipped under the guard of the soldier and stabbed him through his faceplate. It was luck that Jonah still had his manasight on and saw Alton pulse just a minuscule amount brighter.

It all clicked in Jonah’s mind and he felt clarity like he had never experienced before. He reached down to his core and found it half empty, but yearning for input. Guiding it like he would to circulate, he searched for any area that felt different. When infusing, one would feel a point that felt like a pulling motion against one’s core, tempting them to push more mana. He felt it now, pulsating powerfully right above his naval. He stood to fight alongside his oldest friend, once more into the fire.

—-

With a sudden flurry of motion, the Edorian elites lunged forward as one. Their blades flashed out in the confined space, limiting Altons’ movement. He met the onslaught with unwavering resolve and parried each blow in rapid succession. They joined in the ever deadly dance as Alton weaved through the attacks.

The narrow confines of the canyon had been distinctly in Alton’s advantage against common soldiers. Against these elites, it was proving to be neutral at best, a disadvantage at worst. He darted between the rocky outcroppings, using the natural barriers to prevent all three from attacking from the same direction. Feinting and mixing his attacks with false ones let him slowly gain the upper hand.

These may have been elites, but they still lacked in speed and strength compared to Alton. He sliced one across the hamstrings when his boot got caught against a rock. A swift kick to the knee joint left another limping. Alton took a rough blow to his back for the kick, but his armor held. He jumped back and left a soldier overextended, chopping down and through their arm.

Despite the skill and co-ordination shown by the elites, they found themselves overwhelmed against him. His anticipation of each strike and superior speed allowed him to whittle them down without surging. He reached out to his core and found it still well above half. His enemies were gradually being whittled down from four to one before the leader, whom cast the blast, joined the fight.

As soon as they met blades, Alton knew this was an evenly matched fight. The strength of the Edorian matched Altons, and both blades slapped away. Alton wasted no time and surged into his counter attack. He threw himself forward and ducked under the retaliating blow, punching up with his sword hilt. The hit landed against the soldier’s gut, but Alton traded an elbow down on his back for it.

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He jumped to the side to avoid the downswing and ripped out with Fang. A long slash mark scored against the Edorians helmet and left it misshaped against the eyes. Alton grunted in frustration and pushed more mana through Fang. The sword continued to glow brighter and brighter as it accepted the mana from Alton.

The Edorian elite stopped to take off his helmet, and Alton was stunned to see what looked like just a kid under it. He couldn’t have been older than his young wolves, already so powerful. Resisting distraction at his foe’s age, Alton launched himself forward with a furious attack combination. His mana was draining rapidly now. He needed to end this.

“Alton, down!” He heard Jonah shout, and years of following orders had him dropping to the ground.

His core rippled as he felt a large amount of mana pass over him. He craned his head up to see the elite take a mana blast to his chest. It exploded against him and threw him backwards into the canyon wall. Alton didn’t hesitate as he jumped up and closed the distance.

The soldier had time to raise his arm in a pitiful defense. Alton swiped it aside and stabbed down through the neck. He fell to his knees, gasping for air, and checked the canyon. The other six soldiers were advancing now to take the place of the fallen. Alton was about to turn to meet them when another mana blast rippled past him.

It detonated against the crowd. The result was a charnel house of body parts flung through the air. Alton looked back in shock to see Jonah standing in the canyon with his arms spread outwards, a smile on his face. The old man collapsed down to his knees and then fell forward on his face. Alton sprinted back to his friend and cradled his head in his arms.

His pulse was strong, and he was breathing. Jonah had launched the mana attacks! That meant he was right. Jonah was in the fifth tier now. He smiled at his friend and gratefully realized his two shields were back up and moving. He guessed it was less than a minute since the initial blast that felled them.

They shook off the disorientation and resumed their place at the choke point, shields up and ready. Alton breathed in and out, catching his breath and riding the emotions pouring from him. With a reliable way to advance through the tiers, he could forge his team into the deadliest weapon Agorra had. He gently sat Jonah off to the side against the wall and sent a soldier back to get Lews.

“Captain,” one of them called out.

Alton turned his head and saw Miser walking towards him with the fallen Edorian elites sword.

“Think this belongs to you now, sir,” Miser said with a smile.

“Finders keepers, eh?” Alton replied with a grin.

Alton checked with the archers posted up on the walls and got the all clear. No further combat up top and no Edorians coming down the canyon. He sank down next to Jonah and drank a health potion.

---

Lews hustled down the canyon to find his mentor, Jonah, and the captain leaning against the wall. Jonah was slumped against the wall with his chin resting on his chest. No wounds were obvious to Lews. Alton was covered in minor cuts and bruises, which wasn’t far from his captain’s natural state.

He kneeled down to attend to the captain, but he waved him away.

“Jonah, first,” the captain said in a tired voice.

Lews activated his manasight and probed Jonah’s body. He found no wounds that would explain his mentor’s condition on his body. When he reached the head, he found a likely concussion with small bleeding at the base of the brain. His teachings had not reached the level of the brain yet and he wasn’t confident in trying to heal it. The injury didn’t seem significant enough for him to warrant causing further damage.

He finished his inspection and wound nothing else outside of small scraps. The captain was satisfied and allowed Lews to heal him. He fixed up the minor cuts and wounds that adorned the captain’s arms and legs. A large bruise was forming on his back that he was also able to heal. His core was still nearly full, so he moved on to the common soldiers.

They had received a few nasty bruises and cuts during the course of the fight. Both of the shields were in good shape. Those two lugs were hard to damage. Lews finished up his duty and made to return when the captain reached out and stopped him.

“Check in up top. See what kind of shape everyone is in, report back to me,” Captain Alton said.

“Yes, sir,” Lews replied and left to make the arduous climb up.

---

Rico and Letty stood shoulder to shoulder and watched the fight down in the canyon. The Edorians had not attempted to retake the canyon walls since the last assault, giving the defenders time to rest and heal. The same could not be said for the forces down below. A few of the archers fired down on the heavily armored soldiers to little effect.

He felt emotionally burdened not being able to help Alton after being saved just a few minutes ago. His job was to hold this canyon wall, though he longed to join them below. Letty was leaning against him. Two health potions were required to smooth over the damage done. She was breathing heavily and wincing with every movement.

Rico saw Lews scramble up over the ledge and raised his arm to get his attention. He guided Letty over to a boulder and helped her sit down. Lews started tending to her wounds, so Rico walked back out to the edge to survey the remaining army. It was two hours past noon and the sun had just finished crossing overhead. There was still a long time left to hold before darkness fell again.

A flash of light caught Rico’s attention off to the side, well past the Edorian forces. He strained his eyes to see the source. It looked as if someone was flashing a…mirror? Rico turned to call one of the other scouts over and explained what he saw. The scout took a serious expression and called for their sergeant.

They stood there scanning the terrain for further sightings while trying to seem normal to the watching forces below. The flash occurred a few more times and Rico’s stomach sank at the sergeant’s reaction. More bad news was in order. He didn’t rush them as they deciphered the messages.

“Damn,” the sergeant whispered softly. He turned and looked at Rico, “the pass south of us has fallen. Enemy advances unmolested. Our backs are open to assault.”

Rico cursed and walked over to the edge where Alton was resting. “Send two scouts to confirm the pass has fallen. We need to know if we are about to get flanked. Report back when you have word.”

“I’ll go myself,” the sergeant said and jogged over to the ledge and began climbing down.

Rico debated his course of action. The scouts had no reason to lie and, if true, they may only have a few moments to prepare. He made his decision and stalked over to where Lews was healing Letty.

“Scouts report the south pass has fallen. The sergeant goes to confirm. I need to let Alton know. Be ready for anything.” Rico told them.

He received two panicked nods in return and Lews doubled down on his work to get Letty back to fighting shape. Rico rushed off to the edge of the canyon wall and climbed down as fast as he could. When he reached the ground, he sprinted through the riverbed to the canyon opening and up to the choke point.

“Sir!” He arrived out of breath before Alton.

“Rico, whats happened?” Alton asked.

“Scouts report that the south pass has fallen. I’ve sent for confirmation, but we need to assume we are at risk of a flanking force.” Rico reported.

“Damn it all. Prepare to retreat. We will try to hide among the caves and work our way back to Kitsu. Rico, carry Jonah back out of the pass to the field camp, let anyone you see know the danger.” Alton gave him his order.

Rico nodded and bent down to pick up the limp form of Jonah. He walked as fast as he could back to the field camp with his mind racing. The plan had worked well so far. They had held for almost a day. South pass had fielded twice as many soldiers with two skirmisher groups, two scout units and two infantry units. The difference was they didn’t have Alton.

Footsteps sounded behind him, and he turned to see the archers abandoning the cliff top. They began to rapidly break down the camp and prepare to move out. Amelia, Prian, Lews, and Letty were only a few moments behind. He scanned for Miser and Nelson, but they were still at the choke point with Alton. Keeping up appearances until the last moment, he assumed.

Letty was moving much easier now after the healing. Rico sat with his team to cycle and recover as much mana before moving, when a shout sounded from the valley behind them. The scout sergeant was returning at a full sprint. Rico’s heart dropped, as he knew the only reason it could be.

“Edorians marching this way. Hundreds, at least. We have half an hour or less. Where’s the captain?” The sergeant gasped out between breaths.

Rico jumped back up and took off down the canyon to warn Alton. When he reached the captain, he found him and the two shields propping up infantry shields to resemble a wall. It wouldn’t look the same as the tower shields from his team, but may fool the Edorians at a distance. He hastily repeated the report from the scout sergeant, and Alton swore.

“Back to the riverbed. Gather everyone up, Miser, Nelson, let’s go,” Alton ordered and then ran back through the canyon walls.

“Plans changed. We can’t retreat through a full army and we can’t hold this pass from both sides,” Alton said. His face was drawn in a grimace. “I only see one way any of us makes it out of these mountains alive. We have whittled away at the Edorians on the other side of the pass for a full day and killed many elites. We know they rely on mindless for shock troops. Prian, how many soldiers do you estimate remain?”

“Of the Edorians? More than a hundred, less than two. Of the mindless? Three or four hundred in that pen,” Prian answered with a shrug.

“Heres the plan.” Alton bent down and started drawing in the dry, dusty dirt.