Mana Soul: Chapter 67 - The Enemy - Dagan

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A chorus of a million souls singing in harmony echoed from the grand temple and washed over the surrounding city. It was almost impossible to tell, but Dagan knew it as fact that each passing second sent another willing supplicant to the waiting embrace of the one true Goddess, Tiamat. As each soul was claimed, and their voice forever silenced, another supplicant would join the chorus.

To offer themselves to the Goddess was considered the highest honour a civilian could aspire to. It also guaranteed forgiveness of all debts and wrongdoing. So it was not uncommon for prisoners of the Black Fortress to request forgiveness for their crimes through supplication.

Dagan set these thoughts aside as he continued on foot across the grand promenade and toward the Grand Temple of War. The monuments of glory loomed imposingly in the distance as the heels of Dagan’s boots rang in perfect time with the Chorus of Supplication.

The elite soldiers standing guard outside of the Grand Temple’s primary entrance stared back at Dagan through the dark crystal slits in their statuesque helmets. Similar to Dagan’s own, the armour worn by the elite soldiers were slightly more advanced and held larger supplies of mana in reserve.

Dagan passed without challenge, his credentials no doubt having been pulled and cross referenced the moment he approached the entrance.

The entry hall of the temple was adorned with intricately carved murals, inlaid with silver and gold. The murals depicted epic battles of ages gone by, the destruction of the false gods and triumphs of the one true goddess, Tiamat.

Thousands of worlds had been conquered, spreading Tiamat’s empire across the vast emptiness of the void and purifying reality for her faithful followers.

Dagan had personally served in several purges and by chance witnessed battle between Tiamat’s divine children and the false gods of a dying world. The destruction and devastation had been on a scale Dagan had never seen before or since. An entire continent had shook with the force of their blows, and the mountains had toppled into the rising sea.

A tall youth in traditional vestments approached Dagan from the shadows of a nearby alcove. The copper dragon used to fasten his robe over his shoulder marked the young man as a novitiate. Novitiates ranked the lowest amongst the priesthood, yet even the most junior amongst them commanded unquestioning respect and authority from the likes of Dagan.

“Commander, the high priest, Hashut, is expecting you,” the novitiate stated coolly, “You will follow me.”

“As you will,” Dagan replied without thinking. He had served long enough that such responses were second nature to him.

Dagan made sure to keep his attention firmly fixed on the novitiate while they navigated the maze-like interior of the temple.

All members of the priesthood had private chambers within the temple to which they belonged. The higher the priest’s rank, the more expansive their chambers would be. Even a novitiate would have apartments comparable to those enjoyed by Dagan’s superiors.

Their journey eventually came to an end in high priest Hashut’s receiving room. Opulently furnished and decorated, each item bore a small semblance of the high priest’s individual style and tastes but ultimately reflected more or less the same aesthetic as the other furnishings of the temple.

Thick obsidian doors on the far side of the receiving room marked the entrance to the high priest’s personal quarters and living space. Possessing hundreds of multilayered mana constructs, the doors themselves were no doubt one of the strongest structures inside of the entire temple.

Dagan knew little of the inner workings of the priesthood, but one of the duties of those dedicated to the Temple of War was the final preparation of armaments and support equipment. Naturally, the priests turned their talents to most items within their vicinity, whether it was for practice or prudence was unclear.

His carapace, the official designation for assault armour, and all of his weaponry had been layered with mana constructs within the halls of the Temple of War.

The novitate watched Dagan in silence, making no attempt at conversation or pleasantries to pass the time. Such activities were, after all, forbidden within the sacred grounds of a temple.

An indeterminate amount of time later, the large obsidian doors parted and revealed a large man adorned in lavish robes. A platinum icon of the goddess was prominently displayed over his heart, and the onyx jewels that served as its eyes seemed to bore into Dagan’s soul with a sentience all its own.

“You are dismissed, novitiate,” the high priest tented his fingers and gave the novitiate a small, nearly imperceivable, bow.

The novitiate returned the gesture, only with far more deference, and then left without saying a word.

The high priest, Hashut, turned his full attention toward Dagan, “Commander, you have been selected to take hostile action against a world presenting unanticipated resistance.”

It was not an altogether unfamiliar situation. Some societies put up stronger resistance than others and required a little push to allow the beasts of the goddess to fulfil their purpose.

“You will lead three Spears to the world in question, identify-” The high priest paused and stared through Dagan’s visor and into his eyes, “You believe three Spears is excessive?” Hashut asked with a hint of annoyance.

“No, high priest, I would not dare,” Dagan answered in a carefully measured tone that expressed deference but not outright submission.

Hashut continued to stare at Dagan for the better part of a minute before seeming to come to a decision. “The world in question was on schedule to fall, in its entirety, three days from now. The latest reports hold to a similar consensus, and have maintained this consensus for an entire cycle.”

“What?!” Dagan immediately recognised his error in speaking out of turn and bowed his head in apology.

“Yes, that is an acceptable response, given the circumstances,” Hashut agreed sourly, “Experienced Scryers noted sufficient daily progress to warrant continued observation but little more. However, sixty days have passed since any meaningful progress has been made, and the council has decided that direct action is now warranted.”

Dagan’s mind was a blur of activity as he tried to reconcile the reality against the high priest’s words. Attrition was the beasts' specialty. Once their march had begun in earnest, they were as unstoppable as a tidal wave.

“You are to take three Spears, identify the source of the resistance and eliminate them,” Hashut stated with barely suppressed fury, “I know that this need not be said, but I shall say it all the same. Failure is not an option. You will return victorious, commander, or not at all. Am I understood?”

Dagan squared his shoulders and matched the gaze of the high priest, “Understood, high priest.”

“May the goddess deem you fit for the task. A novitiate will see you out of the temple,” high priest Hashut declared before turning his back on Dagan and disappearing beyond the obsidian doors.

Dagan felt a rush of excitement and dread as he contemplated his latest assignment. Although no foe had ever truly been worthy of him, Dagan felt a sense of uneasiness he had never felt before. To stall the beasts of the goddess was utterly unprecedented.

A novitate, different from the first, led Dagan out of the temple.

Dagan used the communicator in his helmet to call Sargon and Ashur, his trusted seconds. Providing them only a location so they could meet in person, Dagan began making his own way to the mustering grounds in the shadow of the planar bridge.

Even now, on the eve of their great triumph, the mustering grounds were a hive of activity.

Dagan’s position as a commander allowed him free access through the mustering grounds, and his mandate from the high priest Hashut had already been disseminated to those responsible for organising his expedition.

As such, it came as little surprise to Dagan when he was directed toward the staging area where his soldiers and assault craft were being prepared.

Updating the meeting location for Ashur and Sargon took only a few moments and gave Dagan time to oversee some of the preparations himself. It was just as well, since Dagan had never commanded more than a single Spear at any given time throughout his twenty years of service to the goddess.

A single Spear was already twice the size of the Dagger assault craft and held a crew of fifteen soldiers in addition to the navigator. However, each of the three Spears assigned to Dagan’s command had been allocated twice the normal complement of soldiers,resulting in ninety soldiers under his immediate command.

The Dagger was limited to only a pair of light shard launchers beneath the main body of the vessel. The Spear was a different animal altogether. If the Dagger was the scout then the Spear was the soldier. Heavily armoured and sporting seven independent light shard launchers and a single heavy shard launcher, the Spear was a brutal machine of war.

Dagan was tempted to believe that deploying three Spears was a severe overestimation of the savages’ capabilities. Then again, no one had ever put up such a defiant defence, and Dagan was not nearly foolish enough to allow himself to question a high priest.

“Dagan! Brother! It is good to see you!” Sargon’s rich musical voice echoed through Dagan’s communicator as both Sargon and Ashur emerged from behind a stack of supply crates.

They were both armoured in the same carapace as Dagan, bearing the same rank of commander in their own right, but several years his junior.

“Are we going to war brother?!” Ashur cackled while motioning to the Spears and soldiers moving about the immediate area.

Dagan felt his worries fade at the sight of his brothers in arms, “As you say, Ashur, we go to war!”

“Yes!” Ashur pumped his fists and then smashed them together in a show of exaggerated aggression.

“Another chance to prove ourselves in the eyes of the goddess?!” Sargon exclaimed with glee, “Brother! You are too kind to us!”

Dagan embraced Sargon and Ashur each in turn, pressing the forehead of his carapace armour against theirs as a sign of utmost respect.

“I will take the lead command,” Dagan stated as a matter of course, “In my absence Sargon is my second, agreed?”

“Agreed,” Sargon and Ashur replied in near unison. They all knew that Sargon was the better commander between the two of them, which suited Ashur’s bloodlust just fine.

“What is our mission?” Sargon asked curiously, making sure to limit his words to just the three of them.

Dagan hesitated.

“You’re not one to be easily intimidated,” Ashur murmured with rising interest, “This must be good.”

“One of the worlds under the dominion of the false gods has stalled the beasts of the goddess,” Dagan replied reluctantly.

“This is true?” Sargon asked before quickly rallying, “Of course it must be true. I do not doubt your word Dagan. All the same, it is difficult to believe that the savages are capable of a feat we would likely struggle to emulate in their place.”

“They must be cheating,” Ashur interjected spitefully, “I would wager my life, if it did not belong to the goddess, that those curs are somehow intervening on their behalf.”

“The brokers are no more,” Dagan replied, “I was there when the survivors were executed.”

“Weak and treacherous curs,” Ashur amended.

“Don’t forget faithless,” Sargon added in clear agreement, “I heard that they fell to infighting over the declaration of dissolving their cadre. Is that true?”

Dagan shrugged, “It was unclear, but we made sure no one survived. Their structures were reduced to dust and the surrounding land laid waste. Warleader Radam took no risks and allowed no opportunities for escape.”

“Better than they deserved,” Ashur sneered, “I would have made it nice and slow. Reminded them that heresy and godlessness have consequences!”

“I would have liked to see their faces at the end,” Sargon agreed with dark amusement.

“The mission comes first,” Dagan reminded them, although he was inclined to agree.

After assigning Ashur and Sargon to command the two other Spears, Dagan entered the Spear that would serve as their flagship.

Slightly larger than the other two Spears, the flagship had a long profile and was structurally similar to the head of a large spear. The fins running along either side of the craft were involved in making the Spear faster as well as allowing for greater manoeuvrability than the large size of the craft would otherwise allow.

The interior held multiple stations that allowed soldiers assigned to those stations to control the weapons mounted on the hull's exterior. A large galley provided both a mustering area for deployment through large hatch doors on either side of the craft, and a resting area in cargo netting hammocks that could be deployed from and mounted on the interior walls.

The fore of the Spear was reserved for the navigator and the core that powered and animated the craft and its many supporting functions. Provided the Spear’s mana reserves held, the core was capable of purifying the air, water, food and bodies of Dagan and his crew.

The aft was largely reserved for light supplies that were not otherwise stowed away in the central interior. In a pinch, it could be fitted to allow for additional crew, and indeed it had been. A small number of medical supplies had been left anchored to the interior, but most of the space had been converted to allow for the same bedding afforded in the central interior.

With deployment awaiting final approval, many of the soldiers pulled out the bottom most beds and used them as seating so they would not earn a reprimand for delaying the expedition's departure. The remaining soldiers, those who had sufficient seniority, had claimed control over mounted weapons and had strapped themselves into the special chairs connected to the mounted weapons.

Dagan could have claimed one of the mounted weapons for his own, but resisted the temptation. He had been chosen to lead, any glory earned by those under his command would be his as well.

Dagan’s navigator issued an alert informing them that departure protocols were underway. A suitable bridge would soon be established, so Dagan had little else to do besides wait.

Dagan was the mission’s senior commander, but the navigators were technically in charge until the Spears arrived in hostile territory. It was a necessary division of authority to ensure the more zealous commanders obeyed the procedures that allowed the planar bridges to function efficiently.

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With a faint jolt, the Spear lurched into motion.

Although he could not see it, Dagan knew that the Spear was idling toward the departure area. Activating the traction enchantment and partial locking enchantments in his armour allowed Dagan to remain upright and continue walking about the central space with little difficulty. The small amounts of mana lost by activating the enchantments was replenished almost instantly from the Spear’s reserves.

It was somewhat wasteful to expend mana when he could have just as easily taken a seat alongside his soldiers. However, Dagan had appearances to maintain. The enchantments that allowed him continued freedom of movement took years to master. By demonstrating his mastery in front of his men, Dagan was showing them that he had earned his position through merit and that they could trust him.

Dagan had met and served under several commanders who he had found lacking. Dagan had challenged and slain those he was able but made many enemies in the process. The more entrenched commanders were not happy about losing their wastrel sons in honour duels. Dagan considered their animosity a sign of their own incompetence.

If they had raised and groomed their sons to be worthy commanders, their sons would not have died.

Dagan felt no remorse whatsoever and met every subsequent challenge as a matter of principle.

With the great work of the goddess so close to completion, there had been an upsurge in political intrigue and politically motivated promotions. Dagan was keenly aware of what they were doing and why.

They no doubt believed that the true danger was gone and that they could carve out additional influence by worming their undeserving offspring into the ranks of the priesthoods and legion.

Dagan had found an ally in the entrenched members of the senior priesthood of the temple of war.

Overseeing the legion was one of the responsibilities of the temple of war. Incompetent commanders reflected poorly upon the temple and its sacred duties. So it was common for Dagan to be assigned or assigned to those the temple deemed unworthy.

Looking through the crystal pane of his helmet, Dagan identified six such individuals amongst his assigned soldiers. He would ensure none of them returned alive.

For all the politicking of the senior commanders, they could not promote one another’s progeny without said progeny first seeing combat.

The Spear gained speed and signalled their imminent departure.

Moments later, Dagan felt a brief moment of inertia that was quickly dismissed as they finished crossing the first planar bridge.

As a matter of security, they would pass through several planar bridges before arriving at their destination. Such procedures had been vital during the early years but had become an observation of tradition rather than a belief that the enemies of the goddess could strike back at them.

“Commander Dagan, we have arrived. What are your orders?” The Navigator asked dutifully, signalling the official shift in authority.

“Coordinate with the other Navigators and pulse the manasphere to locate the primary concentration of savages,” Dagan ordered.

It was standard procedure and provided a trustworthy source of intelligence.

A planar bridge could have allowed them to skip this step altogether, depositing them exactly where they were needed. However, such a tactic was lazy and those who indulge in taking shortcuts were all too often responsible for risking mission objectives.

“Commander, primary concentration levels are divided between two locations,” the Navigator stated with a slight hesitance.

Dagan’s helmet projected a spectral image depicting the landmass below them, highlighting the presence of the savages in a red haze.

Just as the Navigator had said, the savages were concentrated almost exclusively in two locations. The larger concentration was in the mountains on the north eastern periphery of the continent, and the second was located in the far south.

Tiny pockets of resistance speckled the continent, but were of no true concern. The goddess would take them soon enough.

“Inform commander Ashur and commander Sargon to investigate the concentration in the north east, while we investigate the concentration to the south,” Dagan ordered, “They are to observe for a full day before engaging the savages. Shrouds of deception are to be maintained at all times.”

“As you command, commander,” the Navigator replied obediently.

A few moments later, Dagan experienced a mild jolt as the Spear took on sudden speed.

“You are giving us the larger prize brother?” Sargon asked through their private communications.

“Dagan just wants to show off his prowess!” Ashur interjected excitedly, “Our target is the larger, but his force is half ours in turn!”

Dagan smiled. He had no desire for personal accomplishments. His true reasons for sending both Sargon and Ashur lay in their respective virtues as commanders. They shored up one another's weaknesses and enhanced one another’s strengths. From a senior commander’s perspective, it made the most sense to have Ashur and Sargon pair up while Dagan himself operated alone.

In the absolute worst case scenario, Dagan would continue to observe his target and wait for Sargon and Ashur to reinforce him. There was no need for taking pointless risks.

“I expect nothing but perfection,” Dagan replied happily, “So do our goddess proud.”

“For Tiamat!” Sargon and Ashur replied in unison before falling silent.

Provided it was only required to move in a straight line, a Spear was capable of moving at extreme speeds. Of course, this was also assuming it had sufficient mana reserves to do so.

It took only a few hours to reach their destination and the Navigator wasted no time in establishing a circling observation patrol pattern above the target.

The first few passes provided only rudimentary details of the terrain and largest buildings. However, each pass provided greater detail and accuracy as well as marking each living target below them.

The default distance made the projected illusory image somewhat useless. However, using a special crystal panel on the side of his helmet allowed Dagan to interact with the image as he saw fit.

Increasing the magnification of the image a hundred fold, Dagan warily scanned the fortified city of stone beneath them. Possessing decades of experience, it didn’t take Dagan long to recognise the primary mustering points for the enemy’s soldiers. Those who shone the brightest presented the greatest threat, possessing pale imitations of the goddess’ true gifts.

When Dagan ordered the attack to begin, those would be the ones he would target first. Without them, the defences would fail.

Dagan had witnessed it many times before and would witness it again soon enough.

Dagan encouraged the soldiers beneath his command to investigate the city as he had done. There was a reason this world had delayed the inevitable as long as it had, and Dagan would find it.

As the hours passed by, Dagan’s confusion only continued to grow.

The defenders were nothing special and their fortifications were steadily accruing minor damage under the continuous assault made by the beasts of the goddess. All the same, their lines continued to hold firm.

“Commander! I believe I have found something!” A junior soldier called out dutifully.

Dagan made his way over to the soldier and placed his hand on the younger man’s shoulder to synchronise their armour. “Show me,” Dagan ordered while keeping a firm lid on his mounting expectations.

After a moment, Dagan’s perception of the fortified city shifted to a location a short distance from the walls.

A small cadre of soldiers fought back to back against the endless tide.

Dagan could tell just by looking at them that the soldiers had a cohesion and coordination that could only be accomplished through years of bloody fighting at one another’s side.

No matter the beast, the soldiers dispatched it within moments, allways moving, allways...hunting...

Dagan began to recognise the pattern.

The soldiers were always on the move, striking where the beasts were strongest. Tirelessly butchering everything in their path with speed and precision.

“When did you discover them?” Dagan asked curiously while marking the young soldier for a merit. If he earned three, then Dagan would learn his name.

“I first sighted them amidst the chaos almost an hour ago, commander,” the young soldier replied diligently, “I kept expecting them to retreat and recuperate, but they have not done so.”

“You were right to bring this to my attention, good job,” Dagan complimented before severing the connection and following the movements of the soldiers independently.

Another hour passed and the enemy soldiers still showed no signs of tiring. However, the soldiers retreated a short while later and were replaced by another group.

Following the retreating soldiers, it came as little surprise to Dagan that the soldiers took shelter and recuperated in the same barracks close to the wall. However, after observing the same group at rest for two hours, Dagan was perplexed when the soldiers sallied out into the melee and replaced their replacements.

The cycle continued twice more before Dagan felt confident that he had identified the cause for the invasion’s stalled progress. The savages had to have somehow developed a means to rapidly recuperate the mana of their champions.

It could not be allowed to continue.

Dagan contacted Sargon and Ashur with the news and was unsettled to learn that three groups were operating in the east. He became even more unsettled when a dedicated search revealed as many in the fortified city below them.

All in all, it meant each of the two cities had roughly thirty of the champions constantly being cycled into the field for their defence.

Dagan’s soldiers all had the gifts of the Goddess, granting them incredible speed, agility, durability or strength according to their personal affinity. Their abilities were enhanced further by their armour, elevating even the most junior amongst their ranks to a level of strength that could go toe to toe with the strongest champions the savages had to offer.

Or so Dagan had originally believed.

The longer he observed the movements and actions of the special champions, the more he began to doubt his soldiers’ ability to fight them on an even footing, let alone a position of dominance he had enjoyed up until this point.

“Requesting permission to end the observation period and move on to coordinated strikes,” Sargon requested dourly.

Dagan considered the request for a long minute before making up his mind, “Delay for a night assault,” he ordered.

“As you command,” Sargon acknowledged before growing silent again. No doubt informing his soldiers of their change in plans.

“Navigator, take us to the eastern concentration of savages,” Dagan ordered while doing his best to keep his nervousness from his voice.

“Acknowledged, commander,” the Navigator replied and began drifting the Spear away from the southern city.

In the face of the new threat, Dagan didn’t want to take any chances. Concentrating his forces was the right decision.

After rejoining Ashur and Sargon, Dagan began laying out an assault plan.

Given the strength of the targets, Dagan didn’t want to take any chances. They would wait until the savages’ champions swapped places and then have the Spears to loose volleys of concentrated fire upon one of the barracks they were using to recuperate.

Should the volleys prove effective, they would then exterminate the remaining champions by the same means.

Dagan doubted the champions would be nearly as susceptible after the initial ambush, so a battle on the ground was likely inevitable. The Spears only had so much mana and would be needed to take them all home again after fulfilling their mission.

Dagan’s planning was interrupted by his Navigator.

“Hostile entity approaching!” The Navigator warned, drawing Dagan’s view of the battlefield outward until it registered a large and intense cluster of mana approaching the city. “Performing concentrated identification analysis!”

The amorphous blob was five times the size of a Spear, but as the concentrated identification analysis took effect, Dagan was left confused rather than afraid.

“Is that a flying water vessel?” Dagan muttered incredulously, refusing to believe what he was seeing.

A large primitive wooden seafaring vessel was floating through the air beneath what Dagan could only assume was some sort of artificial bladder. Ponderously slow, the airborne vessel took several moments to make its final approach toward the city, during which time Dagan was even more confused to learn that it appeared to be completely bereft of identifiable weapons.

The haphazardly enchanted exterior of the vessel made it impossible to scan its interior. However, Dagan was put at ease when the vessel began lowering what looked like foodstuffs to the city below.

No doubt, a small enclave of savages were continuing to farm and extract resources in some largely inaccessible region of the continent, and the vessel was their means of avoiding the malicious attention of the beasts below.

“What are your orders, commander?” The Navigator asked nervously.

“Continue circling the city and maintain formation, the vessel is no threat to us,” Dagan sneered.

True enough, the vessel made no signs of having noticed their presence and further scans and observation confirmed it had no weapons of note affixed to it. The crew carried primitive projectile weapons, but the manasteel hulls of the Spears had nothing to worry from such barbarous technology.

The vessel continued unloading supplies well into the evening, giving Dagan less cause for concern as time wore on. There was simply no way weapons could be concealed within the vessel when so much space had been dedicated to cargo.

It was almost nightfall when the vessel finished unloading its cargo and began to depart. Most likely in an attempt to stay out of reach of the beasts, the vessel began climbing in altitude while angling toward the south east.

The vessel’s trajectory and slow speed happened to place it in the path of Sargon’s Spear.

Worried that Sargon might attack the vessel or otherwise reveal their presence prematurely, Dagan was relieved when Sargon’s Spear stopped in its tracks instead of attempting a deliberate collision.

Dagan’s relief quickly turned to panic as warning sigils flared inside of his helmet.

Sargon’s Spear was under attack.

“Enemy vessel has launched unknown projectiles against Uruk seven!” Dagan’s Navigator announced in shock, “Damage critical...Navigator slain...”

Dagan watched in horror as Sargon’s Spear tumbled out of the sky and toward the ground below.

“Visual confirmation, enemy vessel possesses large siege weaponry below decks...” The Navigator continued in incredulous fury.

“ENGAGING!” Ashur roared and a half second later Dagan’s vision of the battlefield was blurred as concentrated shards of mana lanced into and across the enemy vessel.

“ENGAGE!” Dagan repeated hoarsely while silently cursing himself for his complacency. Dagan now realised that he should have moved against the enemy vessel from the very beginning.

There was another bright flash as Sargon’s Spear, the Uruk seven, struck the ground and its manasteel hull attempted to absorb the impact.

The volleys of weaponised mana continued raking the enemy vessel as Dagan and Ashur’s Spears moved into optimal firing positions and bringing more of their mounted weapons to bear.

“Sargon reporting in!” Sargon croaked, “Three of my cadre are dead *cough* and four more are wounded. Ugh...they...the savages...they hit us with solid projectiles?...I heard them clattering against the hull...Gah!...Then they started ripping through it like leather!...” There was an indistinct scream in the background and the chatter of close proximity shard rifles. “They are boarding us!” There was a wet crunch and more frantic shard rifle chattering, “Not human...” Sargon gasped in a rasping gurgle, “Not-” There was another wet crunch and Sargon’s communication died.

“ASHUR! SEARCH AND RESCUE! NOW!” Dagan ordered despite knowing Sargon was very likely already dead, “ENGAGE THE SELF DESTRUCT!”

A wordless howl returned through the communicator as Ashur’s Spear disengaged and began descending toward the ground.

“Navigator?!” Dagan snarled, “What is the status of the enemy vessel?!”

“Shard launchers have inflicted minimal damage...” The Navigator croaked, “Two enemy casualties confirmed...”

“What?!...” Dagan felt a fleeting moment of hopelessness before regaining control of himself, “And the damage to the vessel?...”

“No damage...” The Navigator replied almost in a whisper.

“ENGAGING CHAMPIONS!” Ashur roared before closing their communication link.

Dagan looked down with a dragonseye perspective of the battle below and his knees very nearly buckled.

Ashur had deployed all of his soldiers except for those manning the mounted guns and was locked in a brutal melee against five champions with five more rapidly closing in fast. The shard launchers mounted on Ashur’s Spear were raining down a hail of weaponised mana against the approaching champions. However, despite their complete lack of cover, the champions just seemed to ignore the mana shards outright and continued charging toward Ashur’s soldiers.

Then, without warning, the approaching warriors changed targets, sprinting for the Spear instead of the soldiers. One by one, the champions launched themselves into the air with superhuman strength and toward the rapidly retreating Spear.

Despite their strength and speed, it wasn’t enough for the champions to close the distance. Until they took a hold of one of their own and launched him mid air toward the Spear with renewed speed.

Dagan watched in horror as the champion connected with the Navigators chamber at the head of the Spear. Despite appearing to have failed in penetrating the Navigator’s chamber, the Champion’s presence alone seemed to have panicked the Navigator.

The Spear began tumbling from the sky and toward the ground.

“Communications lost with Lagash three...” Dagan’s Navigator announced in anguish, “Commander, we must retreat!”

“I wont!-” Dagan’s words were cut short as Ashur’s Spear, Lagash three, exploded moments before striking the ground.

The champion who had clung aboard until that moment was thrown a great distance and crashed into the fortified wall of the city with enough force to penetrate the thick walls and demolish a string of buildings.

Before Dagan could react, a second explosion below them. Not nearly as potent as the first, the second explosion still managed to knock down the remnants of Ashur’s soldiers and the champions they were desperately trying to fend off moments before.

The champions regained their feet in moments and executed Ashur’s men with ruthless efficiency.

“Retreat...” Dagan croaked in shock.

Without warning, the Spear began pivoting hard away from the slowly approaching enemy vessel.

“Maximum speed! Brace yourselves!” The Navigator warned in an almost hysteric panic.

Dagan only managed to take a single step before being launched toward the rear of the Spear as it took on what felt like its top speed in a matter of moments.

Slowed by his magnetised connection to the floor, and protected by his armour, Dagan only avoided injury by channelling his mana and losing almost a quarter of it in the process.

“Activate the recall beacon!” Dagan snarled, “The temple must learn of this!”