Maik looked around at the beaten and battered remnants of their forces and was relieved to see both James and Eugene among those still standing, even if both clearly sported injuries from the battle. In total 9 out of the original 19 of the armed guards that Zolinski had brought were still standing but 4 of them stayed behind to guard the wounded. so it was 5 guards the 6 Chi soldiers still standing, including both Leavery and Stevens who would advance. On top of that both Leavery and one of the students lacked the use of their left arm, a bullet wound in Leavery's case and it looked like the other guys was broken at the elbow, but they were both still on their feet and ready to kick some more ass. The medical staff were tending to the wounded but Maik only had time to pilfer the barbell quarterstaff before Leavery, the squad leader, started issuing orders to get them reorganized.

Leavery made a command decision when he saw the lilin picking up such a heavy weapon. "Daley ! You still have enough juice to power skills ?" An affirmative was fallowed by Maik letting the Squad leader know that they still have 633 calories of Chi left. "Good enough. Now drop that fucking thing and grab the vest and the gun Kevin was using. He no longer has need of them." Kevin was the one fatality from among the enlightened. Bullet though the head. Leavery continued on without pause. "You and Stevens have point. James, Help Daley get his gear situated. Stevens. How are we on replenishing ammo ?" Upon reflection Maik realized that they had spent over 700 calories of Chi in the last fight so they needed to be more careful in this fight, but another look at Keven reminded the lilin not to be stingy either.

Like a true professional the school resource officer was proving that not every rent-a-cop was an empty badge as he looked up from were he was already working on that very task. Unfortunately the man was shaking his big black bald head at the Squad leader. "Not good coach. We didn't have much for spare ammo for the guns we came with. Were borrowing the guns that our friends brought and reloading the clips but these rifles aren't the best choice for close quarters, not while indoors. I would feel better with more hand guns."

In the end they scrounged up enough ammo for everybody to have 1 rifle with 2 clips each and a semi automatic hand guns with 10 rounds each. Maik still brought the claw hammer for a back up melee weapon and wasn't the only one with that idea. They advanced and upon closer inspection Maik realized that the fence was a hastily erected affair that only spanned the width of the opening between two tree lines that the road leading up to the school ran through.

As soon as they started making their way over the collapsed fence a small group of the attackers came out from behind the cover of an old passenger van that was parked off the side of the road and none of them looked normal. Three were 6 of them in total, 2 of them were dressed up in... very colorful garb. Some parts were reflective and all of the ensemble was in bright neon colors, while the other 4 were decked out in tactical gear. That was odd enough but the strangest thing was how they emerged along with a cloud of glittering smoke and then a couple of the tactical guys turned to the side to look away from their group before opening fire wile the other just stood there.

Maik and several others opened fire even before Stevens called out. "Covering fire !" But something was wrong. None of the figured were going down and there were no muzzle flashes coming from that direction despite people on their side clearly getting hit.

Leavery called for a retreat after the 6th man got hit. "Fall back." The group pulled back behind the cover of the tree line that bordered the school grounds, dragging their wounded along. Thankfully the armor had prevented any fatalities but leg wounds had taken another 2 of the allies number out of the fight, A Chi soldier and a guard. Leavery was as furious as he was dumbfounded. "The fuck happened back there ?"

Zak blurted out the most preposterous thing. "Smoke and mirrors probably." And everyone looked at him with strange expressions for a moment. Maik's eyes went wide as realization hit and he wasn't the only one.

Stevens summed up everyone thoughts perfectly. "Man are you suggesting they have a mother fucking illusionist skills over there ? And we just wasted all that ammo on fucking projections ? FFFUUUUCK !"

Zak just laughed and shrugged. "I mean, hehh hehh, magics a thing now right. So why not ?"

The squad leader, Leavery, turns to Maik. "What do you think ?" Sense the lilin was their main source for Chi skills.

The Chi instructor take a deep breath while shaking their head. "I'm not totally sure how it would work. I mean, I just threw together a new skill for infusing an Item with Chi on the way over but I haven't even thought about bending or refracting light."

Leavery points at Maik. "Refracting." Then at Zak. "Smoke and mirrors." He addresses the whole group while the two wounded are pulled back by the medical staff. "Now that I think about it that cloud came out from behind a van. A van with windows and I could swear that there were people behind those windows and flashing coming from the broken windows of that very same van." He starts nodding, a plan clearly forming behind his eyes. "Alright here's the play. Stevens. Take Maik, Jones and Zack. Move into the tree line over there and advance under cover until you can flank them but expect more of these bastards to be in the bush waiting for you. The rest of us are going to circle around the other way and we'll pincer these bastards. got it ?"

There were nod and grim faces all around, including an almost whimper from Jones. Well Jones does have 5 bullet impacts in his vest and several other injuries on top of that. The guys a fucking magnet for enemy fire and now hes on our fire team. Great. Focus. We can shoot the enemy while they shoot at him.

They started moving into the over grown foliage of the tree line and Stevens instructs Maik to hold up a fist when he senses any of the enemy ahead of them. Apparently Stevens had been advised about Maik's Chi sight skill and how it could be mixed with aura projection. It wasn't long before Maik sensed a group of 3 up ahead and held up the fist followed by 3 fingers and then pointing in their direction. The 3 members of the Neon Lights hiding in the thick tree line would have been in the perfect spot to flank their group, had they kept advancing with the intent to flack those behind the van. Stevens motions for them to start pulling back and moving more to the right so that they can come up behind and flack the flankers that were aiming to flack Maik's fire team as they moved to flack the van. A lot of flanking going on around here. Focus.

But as soon as they had committed to the new maneuver an unknown and hostile auric effect washed over the lilin the 3 targets started casually advancing on the fire teams position. Maik just turned, aimed, started firing in the direction of the closest target and the rest of the fire team followed suit. This caught one of the 3 totally off guard and far enough out in the open that he took 5 or 7 rounds in rapid succession before going down. The other 2 had moved with more caution and one ducked behind cover so they could start returning fire while the third dove for the ground to get as close as possible, a gust of air flowed out from the prone figure and over the whole area that Maik's fire team occupied. What followed was the strangest auric effect Maik had ever experienced.

Balance faltered and all colors became far more vibrant. Maik pushed out their own aura to try and block out this new auric effect but the lilin had never attempted such a thing before and this auric effect was seriously fucking with Maik's mind. Someone to the lilins right was screaming and it took the Chi instructor a moment to realize it was Jones, furiously pulling at his armor to get it off. Just then another round struck his vest and the thing looked like it was just about done for, but it still held as the panicking Chi soldier fell backwards. No time for panicking. Add the effects of Calm and Focus to the auric effect and blanket everybody. Understood.

While Maik could not combat the effects of the other practitioners auric effect, they could help keep the lilin and their allies calm and focused. After spreading out the auric effect Maik felt much more clear headed, even though balance was hard and there were giant ants running up Maik's legs, biting them along the way. The pain wasn't all that bad really. Just strong enough to give someone the impression that lots of little somethings were trying to eat them. Still, it wasn't enough to drive panic into the lilin tone as they shouted out in a firm but drunken slurred speech. "Its illusion. Not real. Fight it and attack." A round struck Maik's armor on the edge of the plate, just below the right shoulder, spinning them around to flop down to the ground. Maik almost lost control of the auric effect but all other Chi skills had been ignored in favor of keeping that one up and the lilin maintained it at the cost of all else.

By the time the lilin had pushed them self back up someone... Stevens had rushed the enemy shooter and unloaded at point blank while the guy was focused on taking Maik down. Suddenly the auric effect warping Maik's mind weakened greatly but in the same instant Stevens started roaring in pain, grasping his head and then fell to his knees. Zack leaped towards the final of the three targets. He was one of the strange ones with the bright neon colored clothes though now he sported streaks of crimson as the young man blasted round after round into the illusionist until the body lay unmoving and the lingering effects of his attack had mostly warn off.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

They regrouped to realized that the other group must have started engaging the enemy as well, judging by the sound of gunfire to the south and Maik hoped that it was the van they were fighting and not another flanking group like this one. Jones was clearly shaken. "What the hell man. Isn't magic resistance supposed to protect us from shit like this ?"

Maik was thoughtful as he answered sense most eyes drifted to the lilin with curious looks. "I think it did. I felt an initial attack and they were advanced pretty casually, at first. I think they expected the first auric effect to work and when it didn't this guy.." Maik points to the colorful one. "Brought out the big guns and put everything he had into getting past our defenses by brute forcing it on the second attack after we opened up on them."

Stevens was breathing hard but quickly moved to look each of the fire team members deep in the eyes before nodding and then sharing his assessment. "That gust of wind was probably laced with something too. All of your pupils are dilated like you were just dosed with something."

Zak chuckled and Maik was getting that feeling that the guy just found most things that caused people stress to just be funny at this point. "Hehh HehHehh. Is that what the tingly feeling is ? And here I was worried I might be going into shock or something."

Stevens gives him a look but then snaps a command. "Enough chatter. Change out clips and lets move. There's still more bad guys to take down today. Maik. You still good for taking point ?"

The lilin checks their reserves. 408 calories of Chi left. FUCK ! Yeah, were running kind of empty here. Fuck it. Maik takes a couple deep breaths, firms their resolve and nods before taking point again. They didn't meet any further resistance and actually had a pleasant surprise when the found that there were only 3 targets at the van. It would seem that they split up in anticipation of our flanking maneuver. Sucks to be them then. Agreed.

Stevens had advanced right beside Maik but it was clear that that last mental attack had done a number on him by how much effort he was putting into keeping his footing in the dense underbrush. Once they spotted the enemy though, Stevens, the fire team leader ordered Maik to protect them from another mind attack like before, but Maik had to clarify the situation for the big guy with a shake of the head. "Sorry sir but I can't counter the effects. What I did back there was help everybody stay calm and focused so that they didn't panic. I can't actually stop the illusions."

Stevens frown only deepened but he hoisted his rifle, looked the others in the eyes, nodded and proclaimed. "It'll have to do. We take these guys prisoner, if we can. We move fast and hit hard but if they resist, put them down." The other nod and in the next moment the fire team poured out of the tree line towards the targets rear.

They didn't even realize they had been flanked until the colorful ones sensed their approach with his aura, but by then the fire team was within spitting distance at just 40 feet (12 meters). As soon as there was any hint that the 3 even suspected that the fire team was advancing on them the resource officer began roaring commands. "DOWN ! ON THE GROUND ! NOW !" One of the tactical guys spun his weapon around, or started to but the concentrated fire of 4 rifles ended the spin half way in a fraction of a second, blood splattering the colorful garb of the guy standing next to him. A wave of hostile auric effect washed over the group and Stevens roars another order. "LEGS." Everyone understand the order and just takes the legs out from under both of the remaining targets with massed fire. No gust of wind or heavy mental attacks followed. Just the wailing cries of the two crippled and obviously dying members of the Neon Lights as they rapidly bled out from so many gun shot wounds to all of their legs.

Maik was running on pure adrenaline and not much else by the time the two groups had recombined. Stevens gave Leavery and quick play by play and then they set their sights on the school itself. Unfortunately things had gone quiet on up there. Leavery did his best to rally the troops for another push. "Alright men. There are children up there that need saving and ..."

The speech was interrupted by the one Congressional Militia members still in the fight after Leavery's group had been hit with a mental attack by the trio at the van, the other 3 were still either unconscious or delirious. "Actually, we moved all of the children out of the school and into the houses within the gated community across the street the day before yesterday. Its just that the facilities of the church and the school building on this hill made for a convenient base of operations. We do have quite a few personnel stationed up there, as well as many supplies but the children are safe."

The news took the majority of the wind out of the mans sails, as was evident by how his raised arm flopped back down to his side. Not just him but the whole groups seemed to have lost their steam. It was one thing to wade into battle and brutally kill other human beings because they were attacking children and another thing to commit the same gruesome acts to protect some.... stuff. Replaceable things. Still the Squad leader wasn't willing to just go home. Not after the price they had already paid. "... Alright then. We fall back to the convoy and recover. Maybe clear some of these logs so we can drive some vehicles up this road. Inspect the van and the bodies, take everything of value. Stevens. Your fire team is on guard duty wile the rest of us handle the clean up. Move people."

It was like they hit pay dirt. Each of the tactical guys had 5 clips each for their rifles and there was a case and a half of spare ammo in the van to refill those clips. AR15 Carbines, Stevens called them but Maik hadn't really been a gun guy before magic was a thing. All Maik had owned was a lever action smith & Wesson and a 9mm hand gun, though those were back at home in the family gun cabinet.

The mayor didn't look to happy when they returned to the convoy and a quiet but clearly heated discussion started up between Leavery and the older man. The once again soldier wasn't alone though. He had brought Maik and 5 Chi conscripts over, to match the number of able bodied guards the mayor still had. It was more of a stand off than a meeting by the feel of it, with Leavery starting things off. "We need intel on whats going on in there. By the time we fought through the ambush they had set up things had gone quiet on the hill."

Zolinski was ready to spit venom by how angry he sounded. "Damn it man..." Tears well in eyes the were unaccustomed to such a show of emotion before the mayor went on. "The last transmission we received was a chaotic mess, full of horrid screams about all sorts of... nonsense. They actually claimed the shadows had come to life and were attacking them. We need to go in there and get my people out. While there's still time."

Leavery briefed the Mayor on what had happened during the ambush and Maik was called upon to demonstrate an auric effect, as well as to act as there expert on how these skills might work and how effective they might be. The lilin started by describing what the mood altering abilities they received from the 4th tier special trait supernatural charisma was capable of. Then sighting the example of when Maik influenced Stacy to overcome her worry about magic becoming a thing. Followed by Comparing how the Neon Lights mental skill was different. "Now, unlike my mental skill that influences ones mood and alters how they feel about one thing or another, the skill we ran into from the Neon Lights seems to induce hallucinations and render the effected disoriented. Now that we know what to expect it will be much easier to guard against, like the difference between being sucker punched and knowing the strike is coming. Unfortunately my Aura wasn't able to block out the effect and the best I could do was alter everyone mood to help keep us calm while illusory giant insects started eating us."

The Chi instructors analysis was backed up by those of the mayors guards who had been hit with such an attack, especially sense the one who had weathered it far better than any of his fellows freely admitted to having had a hobby of playing D&D before magic was a thing. He stated he was always wary of mental magic. "Nothing, and I mean nothing fucks over a low level guard, like me, than the right mental spell, like sleep for example. One moment your alert and the next your slumped on the floor..."

The mayor had heard enough. "We get it Sam, thank you. So what do we do now ? Radio them and see if they have any demands ?"

Leavery didn't miss a beat, as if he had already thought of that question. "If it buys us time. From Maik's explanation they have ways to get past even our magic resistance skill and that such attacks can affect a wide area. Plus the closer to empty one is on Chi the more susceptible they are to such intrusive Chi attacks. If they have already dug in up there than we need to recover. These lads aren't soldiers. Their conscripts at best. I wouldn't have lead them against such a force except I thought that the children were still in the school." The squad leader levels a pointed stare at the mayor on that last statement but the older man holds that stare without flinching.

"We didn't plan on your boys entering the fight and certainly had no idea they were going to hit our command center. Things just happened so quickly." Personally Maik thought there had been plenty of time on the drive over to expound upon such crucial details but then maybe the mayor just thought that because he hadn't become and enlightened yet. To the lilins eyes the man was just... slow. He talked slow, moved slow, thought slow. Come to think of it. It wasn't just the mayor but all of his guards too. Not just their reaction times in the previous battles but the speed that they talked, moved and reacted were all... slow. It was like when Maik would sometime adjust the speed of video on ME-tube to speed it up or, in this case, slow it down. It was hard to tell just how much slower they were but this was something Maik would have to look into later. At the moment the lilin was going over the notifications from the battle.

Tier 4 skill advanced - Chi sight - Intermediate

Tier 3 skill advanced - Magic resistance minor - Capable

Tier 3 skill advanced - Bio chemistry - Intermediate

Tier 5 special trait advanced - Flesh molding - Capable

(NEWS UPDATE ! Please read the pre or post chapter author notes.)