Enemies. My head snaps up, staring off toward the forest.
"Aria?"
No, they might not be enemies. Ally rail units from somewhere else? Another city maybe?
They're definitely enemies.
My thoughts race. What do I do? What can I do?
I can't fight them. But I have to protect the people. How can I do that without fighting?
"Aria."
Maybe they aren't here to fight?
They're sneaking toward town through the forest, traveling quickly and quietly, watching their surroundings to avoid being spotted. That's exactly how they taught us to do a sneak attack!
I half rise from my chair. I have to do something. "But..." What do I do? How can I possibly help?
There's no way I can fight myself. Who can...? Other rail units of course, I have to warn them. They have to get rail units to... the West Gate. That's where they'll arrive on their current path.
"Aria!"
"Eh?!" I finally react to Eryk calling my name. He's staring at me because I'm shaking uncontrollably, half up out of my chair.
"What's wrong?"
"Uhh..." I have no way of answering. I have to get to the rail units, I have to warn them.
But what about the people? There are tons of people around the west gate like Minarike and... and Marrianne. My blood runs cold. No, I don't know if she's at work. But if she is... The stables are directly next to the gate, there's no way they'll survive a battle.
There's a term... evacuate. Come on, training!
Right, in case of an enemy attack, the citizens are supposed to evacuate the area, my training says. The guards should be able to do that, right?
I know what I have to do. Warn the rail units, the guards, and Minarike.
"But... I can't..." I mutter. There's no way I can do all three. I call Chisa, high overhead. She sights their position, judging by their speed... Less than half a bell. More like a quarter. There's no time.
"I have to..." I stare forward, through the confused Eryk, my hands waving helplessly, mind grinding. Priorities conflicting.
I have to protect the people, they need to evacuate. I have to protect the town, the rail units need to be warned.
I can't do both.
Then my eyes lock on the pen in Eryk's hand.
I can do both.
A deep breath fills my lungs. The shaking calms a little. I have a plan. Stop freaking out and do it!
"Eryk, I need something to write with! A - One of those wood block things!" I practically shout at him. My trembling hands grab at my ingots. I start generating mana. Fire, earth, lightning, some air.
It takes him a moment, blinking and dumbfounded, but then he does as I ask. He grabs a wood block from among his shelves and a pen and ink. "But Aria, you can't actually write, can you?"
"I..." I stop. I... can write a little. Is it enough? Frantically digging through the words I know, there is sort of a way to express it... I think. "I think so."
I grab the pen with my left hand, dipping into the ink bottle, and start to draw. It's sloppy, I've never used a pen before. My hands are still shaking. Doesn't matter. I sketch just a couple lines, a few flicks to make parts that look like the gates. Anyone familiar with the layout of the town should recognize the overly-simplified drawing of the walls and the gates. I put a big, wobbly circle around the west gate, just running the pen around it repeatedly.
Now for the warning... I glance up, seeing Eryk watching me. He... definitely can't watch this part. "Eryk... please don't look," I ask shakily, my heart sinking. I'm slowly realizing that there's no way I can possibly explain any of this.
Doesn't matter. Deal with it later. He frowns, but gives a nod before turning away.
Going back to the warning message, I dig through my words. I don't know 'west' or 'gate' yet. No 'enemy,' 'fight,' or 'attack,' either... 'Danger?' That works, so I write it down below the picture. Then 'rail.' But I don't know 'unit.' I hastily sketch a divine gear. It's rough, a circle with another circle and the parts sticking off of it. But absolutely recognizable to anyone who's seen it.
I look at the warning message. A map of the town with the west gate clearly marked, 'danger,' 'rail,' and a picture of a divine gear. Maybe not a totally clear message, but I think it gets the point across. Something dangerous is going to happen at the west gate, involving rail units and divine gears.
I grab my stuff and shoot to my feet. Just writing this took too long, nearly nine ticks.
"Aria?" Eryk asks, glancing back at me.
"Sorry Eryk, I have to go right now." I'm already walking toward the door. Following my thoughts from earlier, Chisa just arrived over the refinery, her circling descent putting her nearly in position.
Synchronizing our movement, I rush out of Eryk's office and down the hall. "Aria?!" he calls after me. I go out the front door, into the street, and hesitate for just a moment, spreading my feet slightly. Then we're lined up. Jumping just a bit, I pitch the wooden block as high into the air as I can, straight upward. Then I turn and dash down the street, while Chisa lines up with the wooden block, snatching it out of the air above the refinery, and banking off toward the northeast district.
----------------------------------------
I run. I dash past the midday crowds on Main Street, allowing my mana boosted abilities to carry me as fast as possible. It normally takes a bell to walk across town. I have a fraction of that before the enemies reach the gate. The guards will need time to evacuate everyone.
Chisa makes it before I do, her wings carrying her faster than my short legs ever could. She swoops low, aiming for the high windows at the back wall of the rail unit building, open in the summer. Skimming past the side of the building, she flings the wooden block from her claws, down through the window. There's a loud clatter inside and a few raised voices before she pulls too far away to hear any more.
Beating her wings to gain altitude again, I desperately wrack my head for anything else.
Effy, Chisa suggests, already starting to look for her. Of course, Effy should be in town, she can get there faster than the other rail units!
I keep up my mad dash while Chisa starts searching. Buildings and people fly by. I almost trip a few times where the cobblestones are uneven, but catch myself, sometimes bumping into people in my rush, but there's no time for apologies. I keep going. The earth lets me bound far faster than I normally could, while the fire and lightning keep me from overworking my lungs and muscles, the air allowing me to react to anything unexpected much faster. This is where using all of the mana types really shines.
It takes about a fifty ticks to make it to the market, leaving me only a hundred more. I hear a whistle, calling rail units for battle. They got my message! I can't slow down. Another handful ticks to reach the garrison. I burst through the door, eyes flying around the room. I don't have time for the surprised guards, rushing straight to Frank where he stands near the back of the building.
"Frank!" I grab at the bottom of his chest armor, practically trying to drag him down to my level so I can lower my voice. My sense of reason and need for secrecy is finally starting to push to the front of my mind again, barely audible over my pounding heart and screaming danger.
"Whuh?!" He's blinking at me rapidly.
I get him to crouch to my height and hiss at him. "You have to evacuate everyone around the West Gate. Right now."
"Aria, what are you-"
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"There's no time!"
"Calm down, explain." He puts a hand on my head soothingly, but I smack it away.
"I don't-" I stop myself when it finally hits me. The captain of the guard is not going to do something like this just because I tell him it's important. Not without more information. What can I tell him? I don't have time to figure that out. "Bromunst rail units are about to attack the West Gate."
His mouth falls open.
"You have to evacuate the area!" I urge him.
"How do you..."
"I know things! You know I know things!" You're wasting too much time! I barely keep myself from saying the last part aloud. And shaking him. "You have one sixth of a bell before they reach the gate."
"Wha?!" The gasp is his only reply. I spin to leave, but he grabs my arm. "Where are you going?" he asks.
"I have to warn Minarike." And Marrianne. I pull my arm from his grasp and rush out of the building again. I hear Frank start to shout orders before the door swings shut behind me. Thirty six ticks, I have sixty four left...
Another mad dash down Main Street costs me most of my remaining time. I run so hard that I my breath comes heavy, muscles burning, even with the mana. "Chisa, where's Effy?!" I ask silently. More from stress than anything, I already know that she can't find her. She's searched all over the northeast district already and is starting to scan the northwest district now. She isn't back with the other rail units right now, is she?
When I'm halfway to the gate, Chisa finally spots Effy. She is in the northwest district! I leave it to Chisa to direct her as fast as possible toward the stables while I push myself to run even harder.
Nineteen ticks left... I think to myself as the stables come into sight. I crash through the door without hesitation.
"Minarike!" I force myself not to shout in the small office, but my voice still comes out too loud. Her dark blue hair jerks as she jumps up from her seat at her desk, head snapping over to me.
"Aria? Don't scare me like that!" she starts to take a scolding tone.
"You have to evacuate. Get as far from the West Gate as possible," I tell her.
"What are you talking about?" she tilts her head.
"This area isn't safe! You have to get out of here!" Seventeen ticks left.
"You aren't making any sense!" she puts her hands on her hips and glares down at me with a frown. I kick myself. I'm getting ahead of myself again. I'm freaking out too much. It's not like Frank, there is no reason for her to listen to me, she hardly knows me!
"I don't have time to convince you!" I'm saying my thoughts aloud at this point. Her expression doesn't change. I'm already out of time. How far can she even run before they reach the gate? Is there anything I can do to protect her?!
Yes, yes there is.
Straightening up, I take a deep, shuddering breath. I channel my mark.
"Minarike, take your employees and evacuate away from the West Gate as quickly as possible," I command.
Her mouth works for a moment, eyes wide. Then she bows. "O-of course," she stammers slightly in her response. I turn, feeling Reena's alarm just as I let my mark fade. I rush back outside. Fourteen ticks, I need to get away from the gate myself, and there's still Effy...
I take stock of the situation, splitting my attention to both Maven and Chisa at the same time. The enemies are slowing slightly as they reach the edge of the forest. The hesitation might buy us just a bit more time. Still, it's dangerous. I tell Maven and the others to get away too, this whole area is about to turn into a battlefield.
As for Chisa, she's directing Effy down the northwestern shopping street at a breakneck pace, leaning forward over and over again to urge her on. Around both her and me, the crowds of people near the gate are quickly rushing away, the shouts of guards causing everyone to flee. I turn, hardly taking more than a few steps before the crowds disperse away around me. Chisa takes off again to get a better view of the situation, just as Effy breaks from the crowd and we spot each other.
From just above, Chisa sees that most of the direct surroundings have been evacuated, people quickly making their way up any nearby roads to put distance between them and the gate. Then I run into Effy, our hands coming up. She grabs my shoulders as I start to speak rapidly, my words clipped and running together to the point that there isn't even enough information to explain the situation. Every single instant matters.
"Enemies attacking West Gate there's no time."
Her eyes twitch, just a fraction wider. "I don't have enough mana." I draw in a sharp breath, that's right. She only had three thousand five hundred mana left. Nowhere near enough for this.
"Take mine." I set my jaw, closing my eyes and preparing myself. This is going to be bad. I can only hold four and three quarters at once. I can't do it the proper, slow way like yesterday. She needs the mana. All of it, right now.
I grab my well, and I pull. I pull everything. The entire world seems to vanish from around me as every sense is totally overwhelmed all at once. I do my best to contain the flood. Direct it. Endless quantities of mana shredding every last bit of my consciousness away. The only thing that cuts through the pain are those ever-present ticks. Tick... tick. I cut the flow when I hit bottom. No more than a few drops remain, but that's fine. As long as Effy has enough to fight.
When I finally stop, a mere two ticks later, I realize that I was screaming through the pain, my whole body doubled over with her hands on my shoulders the only thing holding me steady. I let my voice die out. As soon as I'm done, Effy releases me and rushes toward the gate as fast as she can.
I feel destroyed. No strength remains, and I fall face-first into the ground. No no no, I can't just lie here, this area isn't safe! But I can hardly even move my arms, they mostly just flop around when I try. I really wrecked myself doing that, didn't I? There's no way I'm getting out of here...
"Aria!" Is that Eryk's voice?
"Wunay!" Marrianne?!
The next thing I know, hands are turning me over. Eryk and Marrianne are both crouched above me. How? Why? They both saw?!
"C-come on, you'll be fine, right?" Eryk asks shakily. Arms slide under me, trembling and totally drenched in sweat. They... aren't Eryk's? No... I roll my head to the side a little, realizing John is here too.
"No, it's not safe..." I murmur, looking back at Eryk. They can't be here! That makes Eryk glance around, the empty street, people running away in the distance.
"Shit, come on!" he urges, him and John kick up to their feet. Eryk spins, muttering, "doctor," under his breath, but Effy is standing there, before the West Gate, a blaze of color frantically throwing dozens of divine arms out in all directions around her. Glowing shields stack upon shields as they wind up and around. I can see the stars on them despite my hazy vision. We are way too close.
Then Eryk turns again, dashing away into the northwest district, and John follows behind. "Wait!" Marrianne calls, running after them. We don't get far before I hear the explosions echo from the gate, one after another. Rapid fire, a mixture of high and low pitches, shrill metallic clangs mixing in. Roars of wind and flame. The ground shakes, sending everyone stumbling as they charge through the narrow streets. John hits a wall hard, shifting me so I don't take any of the impact. There's a ring as something deflects, then that whole building explodes. Bits of debris rain down around us, John shielding me from the worst of it. We're in range of the battle and Eryk doesn't know this district, he's not going to get us out of here fast enough!
But there isn't anything I can do. I don't know it either and I can hardly even move.
No, Chisa can still navigate from above. She pulls away from the fighting with its massive multicolor explosions, to turn her gaze on us below. Eryk is scanning rapidly back and forth as he runs. But before I can try to help, John dodges a falling door. It crashes into a nearby wall, tearing a hole through even as it shreds itself into tiny wooden shrapnel. In the next moment he rushes forward to take the lead, shouting, "Follow me!" Does he know the area?
He knows it well enough to get us back out of the northwest district at least, back onto Main Street, with Effy at our backs. As long as her shields stand between them and the enemies, they'll be safe...
They run and run and run. I can feel John shaking, his breath ragged. Where his sleeves touch the skin of my arm, I can feel that they are completely soaked, his hands too. The deafening explosions continue, the intensity picking up even further, actually growing louder even as we put more distance between us.
Chisa swings back to keep an eye on the battle. She stays extremely high up and far away to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, but she can still see well enough to mostly tell what's happening.
Effy is fighting with everything she has, a brilliant glow of multicolor lights spreading from her with dozens of shields dancing around as flurries of enemy weapons and spells come flying. The gate is already gone, the surrounding walls demolished, along with any nearby buildings. There is no trace of Minarike's stables. Despite her best efforts, every building within two blocks has taken at least a few hits, the wooden structures shredded apart like they hardly existed. A few are on fire. The attackers remain under the cover of the forest though, not moving up to enter the town.
Further flashes go off as a rolling mass of fires explode against her shields one after another, but they hold. Stronger attacks start to come out, a giant ray of burning heat encircling the area, but she dispels it, the spell shattering into dots of vanishing red. When waves of projectiles erupt from the tree line, the shield wall shuffles rapidly, mirrors darting forward to catch them and redirect them back at the attackers. It takes a big chunk out of the wall, but her constant summoning fills in the hole quickly, even as further attacks continue to rain down on her.
Distant movement draws Chisa's attention away from the battle. The other rail units are finally approaching, moving at incredible speed, easily leaping across the rooftops of the northwest district to head straight for the sounds of battle.
Then a slew of red lances fly out. Effy pulls the shields aside, allowing them to pass so they can crash one after another into the massive tower shield in her hands and shatter on impact. They shove her backward, nearly out of her glowing circle of power. She slams her wall back in place, rushing back into position while the next wave of attacks land against it.
But our allies start to arrive, a couple throwing up shields alongside Effy, while others dart out through the rubble to go after the invaders. When no more attacks pour out of the woods, Chisa drops to a slightly lower altitude so she can see better. The glow of empowering lights vanishes from around Effy, and she collapses. The backlash after using Preta. She won't be doing anything anytime soon. It was a good plan though, to hold them back long enough for reinforcements to arrive. I'm just glad she's fine...
I hear a few more shrieks of weapons, spells, and other armaments going off in the distance, but the battle has moved out of town and away from anything important. Chisa pulls away, heading toward the east side of town, looking over the people, scattered all through the streets, their everyday lives completely wrecked. Those houses and shops, all gone. Where are those people going to live now? How long will it take to rebuild?
At least no one was hurt. The guards got them to evacuate in time. One thing I can be thankful for...