Zultar was lounging on a cushioned seat on top of the keep’s tower as Darkfall flew in. He must have cast the fly spell after sending Azura into the mists. Not that it mattered. The mages were frantically working on the mana cannon after a small mishap. Zultar leaned back grabbing a grape from a bowl that Hamal held as Tabatha cooled him with a fan. Gerald… well he was a bear-kin he just stood there looking imposing. An easy task.
“Is everything ready?” Darkfall asked as he strode toward the mana cannon’s firing mechanism. Zultar tossed a grape into his mouth as he watched. His part would come soon enough.
“General Darkfall we received the beacon from the Magebane a minute ago. We immediately began charging the weapon when… err a small mishap occurred,” a simpering mage said.
“A mishap?” Darkfall’s word held equal amounts of disbelief and anger.
“Well you see there was a buildup of dust on one of the crystal relays that caused it to fracture when the mana began channeling. We are getting a replacement.”
Zultar carefully avoided looking at Hamal. The rat-kin was good.
“How soon until we're ready to fire?” Darkfall sighed.
“Around ten minutes or so,” the mage said.
“Very well. Inform me when everything is ready.”
Darkfall looked around and spotting Zultar headed toward him.
“Raphael I see you made yourself comfortable.”
“Yes very much so,” Zultar agreed. “Once I cast my spells I’m afraid comfort will be difficult for me for some time. One must live when they can.”
Darkfall chuckled as he took a seat next to him.
“True enough.”
“Is everything alright over there? I must admit I know nothing of such weaponry beyond how impressive it is.”
“It’s fine. Small mishaps like this are not uncommon. Channeling such large amounts of mana requires perfect alignment of mana crystals. A much harder tasks than it sounds. It doesn’t take much to cause problems."
“Pity,” Zultar said.
“No matter. The mana cannon takes some time to fully charge. The odds that the Magebane would've been in the area were remote. If anything it’s better this way. Let the elves deal with it.”
“Along with my kin.”
“Of course. When will you empower them? It won’t be long now.”
Zultar rubbed his chin like he was deep in thought. “I rather wait till the Magebane exits the mists. The strain the augmentations take on my kin is extreme. I rather limit the time it's active. I believe the elven commander will signal me when they're ready.”
The doors to the balcony flew open as a mage rushed in holding a large crystal. Zultar admired the crystalize mana as the mage technicians got to work.
“Well if you excuse me Raphael I have work to oversee,” Darkfall said getting up. Zultar gave him a nod as he ate another grape. A glance toward the door showed more cultivators filing in disguised as staff. Hamal had really been efficient in his activities over the past few days. The kin brought in refreshments to the mages who barely gave them a glance. A pity that after today such dismissal of kin would never happen again. As the mages slotted the replacement crystal Zultar looked toward the wall of mists.
Be safe, Zultar thought as he ate another grape.
Loric ground his teeth as the elves waited at the base camp. All his yelling and threats were as useful as a kin in an enchanting contest. There could only be one reason for that. The council had planned on betraying his daughter all along. That included his father. Intellectually he understood their position. Azura had clearly sided with her own kind over the mages. So they decided to strike first. No matter how much he understood, it did nothing to dull his feelings. The rage he felt was nearly overwhelming. If he wasn’t magically neutralized he’d killed them all. Or at least tried to.
He debated at yelling more when the mana cannon fired. An iridescent beam of decimation shot just over the landscape. The ground was seared in its passage like it had been cooked for hours. The mists parted as the beam entered. A moment later the earth violently shook. A massive explosion could been seen through the tunnel created by the attack before the mists fell in upon the opening.
“Azura…” Loric swayed on his feet. They hadn’t waited till she was cleared before they attacked. Did they get her too? Did she escape? Why wasn’t she out yet? Despair engulfed Loric as the elves moved forward waiting.
“Gods below!” Azura shouted as the distant explosion rocked her. She would have fell if her ki steps made that practically impossible. The creature she just killed began rolling away from the force of the blast. Quickly she finished draining the blood. Then separated out the corruption or she supposed the eldritch energy. So much had changed in the last hour that she could hardly believe it. She had found one of the big secrets to her blood ki. Even bigger she discovered that the mists were the work of intelligent beings that could match her in power. No matter how she looked at it, Fortunia was doomed. Perhaps it was for the best that the mages planned to betray her. Otherwise she might be compelled to fight with them.
With an ample supply of blood and her ki mostly refreshed she ran out of the mists. Right into a mass of elves. Despite the fact she had been expecting them the number of elves was still surprising.
“Azure Magebane,” an elf said coming forward. He looked somewhat familiar. In his right hand he held a rather impressive spear that pulsed with magic.
“I am Sylvar a representative of the Elven lord Mistveil. You are to surrender yourself to us to answer for the crimes you have committed against the elven people!”
Azura didn’t answer instead looked at the forces against her. To her right were around two dozen elves all had weapons and armor that were clearly magical. Ahead were roughly another dozen or so. To her left were closer to a hundred along with the kin. For a second she wondered at the strange formation before it came clear. They didn’t know where she would emerged. They had to guess based on where the mana cannon blast came from. That made sense.
“What crimes are those?” Azura asked as more elves fanned to her right reinforcing the weaker forces there.
“What crimes!?” Sylvar said aghast. “You have killed our people and crippled our representative!”
“Oh, those crimes,” Azura said in her most annoying voice. “I didn’t think those counted. You know, because they were all sadistic assholes.”
The elf spluttered in rage. Before he could go on Azura continued. “Besides you can’t do anything. I have amnesty from Deepmere.”
“Our actions have nothing to do with Deepmere. Now kneel and place your head on the ground!”
“You pathetic mages,” Azura said shaking her head sadly. “Fine! I was willing to cooperate with you all, but you’ve made my choice clear.”
Her next words rang across the plain amplified by ki. “BEHOLD THE TRUE POWER OF A CULTIVATOR!” With those words she burned another piece of ki. The elves wanted to fight, fine! She would literally make them pay in blood.
Loric watched helplessly as the elves began surrounding his daughter. It didn’t surprise him that the elf were trying to take her prisoner. They would want to interrogate her for the secrets of her power.
“Run!” Loric shouted but it was drowned out by his daughters own words.
“BEHOLD THE TRUE POWER OF A CULTIVATOR!” The words seemed to reverberate in his very bones. Then Azura burst into flames the color of blood. Magically speaking there was nothing there. At least nothing he could sense. But all his other senses seemed to scream at him. The ground trembled beneath his daughter reaching all the way to where he stood. Even the air rippled, crying out in pain.
What was this!? That was when his daughter swiped her hand at the elves rushing at her from the right. Lines of burning blood flew out from the strange sanguine sphere floating behind her. The elves fell apart. All of them. Elves, more than a century old, using body magic spells he couldn’t fathom collapsed into multiple pieces. Then the trees behind them did likewise. The bloody lines continued to do the work of army of woodcutters as they disappeared into the distance. The elves rushing from the left halted at the complete loss at over thirty elves in an instant.
“Gods above…” Loric whispered. He had been worried for his daughter… now he was more worried that she would leave no one alive.
Elise was held firm by the elf behind her. His grip dropped from her when the elves died. Now free, she could have easily fled or at least kicked him in the family jewels. Yet both of them were so shocked that they just stood there. The elves were dead. Well, mostly. A few screamed and cried. They futilely tried to place missing limbs back if they had the attached arms to do so. Most were in too many pieces to attempt the futile act.
Elise gaze turned back to her sister. Her bloody aura tore at the world around her, like it was too great to be contained. This was her sister’s true power? How could anything be that strong? Her sister raised her hand and everyone flinched. She expected another wave of destruction. Instead the blood from the fallen elves was being sucked out. Flows of crimson funneled into the bloody sphere behind her. Was that it? Was her sister practicing some unknown blood magic art? If that was true why wasn’t there any magical traces?
“Do you want to surrender?” Azura asked calmly as she walked toward the rest of them.
The ground trembled beneath Sylvar at the kin steps as she walked toward him. That was good. It hid his own trembles of fear. The elves were slain. Elite mages all of them killed like a fish on a chopping block. There could be no doubt. The Azure Magebane was a monster. He suspected that much when she had taken his hand a year ago. Much of the time since was spent recovering after it was regrown. When he had heard about the plan to capture the Magebane he jumped at the chance. He told himself this time would be different. It was indeed different. She was stronger. So much stronger.
“Raise the signal! Everyone attack!” Sylvar shouted. He couldn’t keep the panic from his voice. A large pillar of light plunged straight into the darkening sky. Then the elves unleashed all they had. It was futile against the Magebane. Shields of blood pooled from the sphere behind her, making an impenetrable wall that blocked every spell.
This was bad. The mana cannon had sucked all the ambient mana from the area. Their mana recovery was nonexistent. At least it appeared that the Magebane’s aura was mostly spent, her crimson haze fading. What little comfort that was.
Sylvar quickly ate a mana pellet. The kin would have to hold her off. She might be hesitant to attack her own kind. That was when he noticed the elves behind him had stopped attacking. He turned dreading what he might see. The kin controlled by the mage Raphael were attacking, but not at the Magebane. The kin tossed elves around like toys. Their punches knocked his elven mages dozen of yards away. Such strength! It was almost like… He turned to see the Magebane right next to him.
“I’ve been busy,” she said casually.
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Gods above, Sylvar thought with a chill.
Was she creating more kin like her? It couldn’t be. It looked like she was going to say something else, but that was when the mists parted. A horde of twisted monstrosities descend on them. The pair look at each other for a brief instant. In unison they turned their fight forgotten. Now they fought against a much greater foe.
Zultar yawned as Hamal pass around a selection of wines to the mages from his personal stock. It was exceptionally strong. A few of the mages were already tipsy. Lightweights. Nearly a half dozen mages worked on powering down the mana cannon and doing status checks. The others were watching over the wall at the distant wall of mist.
Then it happened. A bright pillar of light shone brightly in the rapidly darkening sky.
“There’s the signal,” Darkfall said. “Raphael please power up your kin.”
Zultar got to his feet activating his staff which did little more than partially blind all those nearby with its intense light. He began his nonsense spell chants.
“MASS GREATER STRENGTH!” He faked a stumble as if drained.
“MASS GREATER HASTE!” He hoped his shouting covered the thuds from behind him.
“MASS STEEL BODY!” He bellowed at the top of his lungs as more light spilled from his staff.
“MASS COMMAND MESSAGE! Destroy the Magebane!” He put a final blinding burst of light into his staff which even affected himself. Once his vision cleared he turned. All the mages were down. Most were dead. Darkfall was still alive although he was clearly unconscious.
“I can’t believe that worked,” Zultar said.
“I can’t believe you made me fan you!” Tabatha said angrily tossing the offending fan off the keep. She stamped her paws giving him an aggrieved expression.
Zultar gave a weak shrug. It had been Hamal’s suggestion.
“Yeah Zultar that was pretty sexist there,” Hamal said.
You rat bastard…
“Come on,” Gerald said hefting Darkfall. “We better get in position.”
Zultar grumbled as other cultivators joined them. They had a job to do.
Gwen had a job to do. This was just extra. Her job, and the others not securing the General, was to ensure the gate stayed opened. That was all. She had time. Gwen smiled down at the mage she had lured out behind the stable. He would have been screaming if she hadn’t crushed his lower jaw. He would be running if his knees weren’t at angles no function body should have. He would have pissed himself if his privates weren’t smashed beyond recognition. Well in all fairness he had pissed anyways although it was thoroughly mixed with blood so it was hard to tell.
“I’m so sorry Philip our playtime is over,” Gwen gave him a light slap across the face. The mage didn’t react.
“Oh don’t you fret! I’ll be just fine. You’re so cute for worrying about my safety. What a little soldier you are!” She then gazed at the ruined mess between his legs.
“Was,” Gwen shrugged then slammed her fist into his face. His skull collapsed spraying brains on the wall. That had been so satisfying. She wanted more. At least when the Magebane returned she would be able to kill again. Too bad that it would have to be quick.
Gwen cleaned her hands on the dead mages clothes and skipped out of the dark alley. She whistled a happy tune as she went toward the gate. Today was going to be a good day.
The elves were not having a good day. Perhaps that explained what happened next. Perhaps it was the sight of Azura killing their fellow elves in a single attack. Or it was the kin turning on them. Or it could have been the rather massive horde of abominations charging them. It could have been any of these things. Loric wasn’t sure, neither was the elf holding him hostage. Either way, the elf panicked. The blade that entered his back was sharp enough to cut a falling leaf. It met little resistance. It was hard to say if Loric or the elf was more surprised. Loric however felt his legs go weak. An incredible heat on his back made him wonder if there was some sort of weak fire enchantment but the cold that permeated his fingers suggested otherwise. The elf let him go. The elf stared at his bloody hands in shock before dropping the dagger and fleeing. The elf didn’t run in any logical direction. His instincts told him to go for the forest. Unfortunately for him that only delayed his capture and eventually corruption. None of that mattered to Loric as he lay dying, his blood pooling around him.
“FATHER!” Elise cried out running toward him. Her own elf didn’t stop her. Instead he just looked around in confusion. The elves were dying. Either to the kin or to the corrupted beasts. It was a mess. The human mages made things worse as the base camp erupted into chaos. They had been idle as the elves had their little drama. Now spells flew almost at random hitting anything that moved. Elves, kin, or mist creatures, all suffered equally.
“HEAL!” Elise chanted as soon as she reached his side. He felt the magic but it wasn’t enough. The blade had hit his mana pool. It would take at least a greater heal spell to slow the damage. He reached for his daughter. There was so much he wanted to say, but the abominations were nearing now. She had to run. Before he could tell her such a white fur kin was next to her scooping him up.
“Move!” The kin shouted. His vision was a bit blurry but he swore she looked familiar. Loric turned to look around as the kin ran, Elise trailing after. Beyond the impressive speed the kin was making everything else was a disaster. The kin were rather organized. At least someone was. They moved in groups of three to four making their way back to base camp. They seemed to be avoiding most of the fighting now as spells struck the more obvious threats. Loric searched for his other daughter. There. In the distance she battling three mist creatures that could've previously been human. The force from their battle flung debris everywhere as Azura’s blue hair whipped around her.
I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there for you. Loric thought. He turned to look at his attempted rescuer. He knew there was no hope for himself. He couldn’t even raise his arms. Perhaps the kin could save Elise instead. That was when he recognize her.
“Coralline,” Loric whispered.
“Shut up,” Coralline snapped. “You have to save your strength.” Were those tears in her eyes? Did she still care after all these years? Even after he’d failed her.
Away from the carnage she set him down behind the mage base camp lines. Elise panted as she caught up.
“Father you’re going to be okay.”
Loric shook his head as his vision began to darken.
“I’m sorry Elise,” Loric said voice his growing quieter with each word. “I won’t be there for you.”
Elise eyes teared up as her words broke. “Damn it! Don’t talk like that!”
“Coralline,” Loric said his voice now only a whisper. “Please tell our daughter that I’m sorry I failed her. Tell her… I love her.”
“Loric,” Coralline said her voice a choked sob. Elise turned to Coralline and then to Loric understanding blooming in her eyes.
“I was… really bad… at the whole… parenting thing…” Loric said before his vision failed. The sounds of fighting grew distant, then were gone. He had a single moment of complete nothingness before his heart gave its final beat. His last breath wasn’t a long dramatic exhale but a short sputter that stopped all too soon. Loric died held by those he loved. In that way he was lucky. The others taken by the mists were far less fortunate.
Azura slammed a ki reinforced fist into the Eldrich Lord’s crab like face. The Lord went flying. Before she could follow up a second Lord launched an eldritch blast at her that she used the last of her blood to form a shield absorbing the attack. Then a third flew above her with bone wings. The bony structure was instead was infused with eldritch power forming a layer like skin. That one launched a brilliant lance of eldritch energy straight down on her. Azura reinforced her left hand as much as she could catching the attack which detonated on contact. Azura grunted in pain, her palm bloody, the flesh charred. That attack was unlike the others. It was more destructive in nature that corruption. This was confirmed as her body had only to break down a small amount of eldritch energy. So they were adapting already. Not good. Before she could do anything the first Lord was back. Azura snarled and leaped away slamming her ki reinforce palms together. The shock-wave knocked the flyer away and stumbled the other two. She landed near several corpses of several elves. A quick pull from their blood left her with a small sanguine sphere. She mixed her own life fluid in from her injured hand as Azura charged it with ki. She sent the blood strike at a Lord who got an eldritch barrier up in time to block the attack. Regardless the explosion knocked him back several steps.
This was bad. Out here she was stronger than them. But three against one quickly made that advantage worthless. Left with little choice Azura retreated farther and farther away from the mists. The Eldritch Lords slowed their pursuit. Their distant source of power causing hesitation. That cost them. A timely barrage from the mage base camp engulfed the trio. It did little damage. Like her they were incredible durable. However the distraction it provided was all she needed. Azura sped forward before the dust settled. The crab like Eldritch Lords eyes stalks went wide. He made a reflexive strike at her. Azura caught the blow. She then pivoted tossing the Lord with all her strength over her shoulder. There was resistance. Much like her they had some way to root themselves in place. However, they were weaker here. She wasn’t. The toss threw the creature a good distance away, in the opposite direction of the mists right into the mage’s base camp. The Lord shrieked in what she could only guess was fear. The mages unleashed everything on him. The massing horde of creatures suddenly surged forward not bothering to attack any mages in their way. Their only goal was the base camp.
Azura turned back to the other two who were already a good distance back toward the mists. She nodded in satisfaction. She quickly joined the fray killing two massive creatures before they could harass the mages further. A quick pull on their blood gave her another large floating sphere. This one was tinged with corruption but she had no time to filter right now. Mages were dying. That wasn’t really an issue as far she was concerned. Killing the Lord was. With a ki infused leap Azura landed atop the Lord her fists swinging.
This is an utter cluster fuck, Sylvar thought as his Greater Forcebolt shattered a mist creature’s carapace. He then quickly downed another mana pellet grimacing. The mana pellets were great for quickly restoring mana but the toxic side effects of too many would soon leave him incapacitated. That would mean his death. Not taking one would also mean that. Damn, how had everything gone so wrong? They were supposed to be taking the Magebane, although that quickly became impossible even before the mist creatures came. That was the other thing. It was obvious now. The mists were not a random force of nature. This was an invasion that was disguised as a natural phenomenon.
A bolt of corruption came from a twisted elf shaped figure blasting into a Dageth mage next to him. The man shrieked before going down unconscious. Sylvar grimaced as he grabbed his enchanted spear raising it high to plunge it into the man’s chest. Better dead than corrupted. Before he could drive the point home the down the mage slid out of reach. The act was clearly not from the unconscious mage. Instead it must be those five elven shaped creatures guiding the horde. A fellow mage launched a fireball at the tightly clustered group only to have a barrier disperse it. They were as skilled as any elf. He was just glad he wasn’t facing the ones the Magebane fought.
Sylvar glanced at the unconscious mage as his body continue to drag along on the ground. The force pulling on him continued until the man was inside the mists. The goal of these creatures was clear. They were recruiting. All around him mages were falling. Only the kin were relatively safe. They'd started falling back as soon as the horde appeared.
Sylvar wanted to call them cowards, but he understood. They were surrounded by enemies. The elves and mages had just betrayed their leader. It wasn’t their fight. At least the Magebane was still attacking. Sylvar shuddered both at the power of the Magebane and at those creatures she battled. It was clear now. They were severely out classed. Suddenly the crab shaped creature the Magebane had been battling landed in the middle of the camp. The power of the creature was overwhelming like a dragon looming over him. Yet the creature was hurt. Tainted blood flowed from numerous cracks on its shell. Sylvar wasn’t sure but he thought he saw panic in its eye stalks. The nearest mages both elves and regularly station mages unleashed a massive barrage on the creature. Before the attacks landed a corrupted shield surrounded the creature deflecting all attacks.
“You think to kill an Eldritch Lord!? You disgusting creatures!” The creature shrieked which promptly froze all the nearby mages.
Gods above… It spoke. Sylvar was too stunned to stop the creatures as it made a dash back toward the mists. It made it four steps when a metaphorical boulder in the shape of a half cat-kin landed atop it, driving it to the ground. A geyser of debris erupted from the impact. Sylvar shielded his eyes. Once the dust cleared, he saw Magebane sitting atop the creature her fists blurring up and down as she pummeled the creature. The ground trembled from the force of the impacts. She was like a large bully mercilessly pummeling a smaller child. This action didn’t go unnoticed. The mists beasts around them screeched in fury trying to reach her. They were too late. In ten seconds the crab like creatures head fractured. Another five it broke. A final blow demolished its head. Blood so tainted with corruption it was luminescent green spilled out pooling around the corpse. Sylvar was glad that the mists were so far away. Without the mists as a carrier the corruption couldn’t travel.
An ear splitting shriek of denial emerged from all around as the monsters wailed. It had the opposite effect he wanted. They went berserk tearing into the nearest mages with no regards to their own safety. Death was everywhere and it was coming for him. He knew that now. The Magebane seemed to reach the same conclusion. She fled toward the rest of her kin back towards Fortunia. That seemed like a really good idea.
“Retreat!” He called. The diminished mages and elves all began casting hurried spells as the horde continue onward. But the number of spells was minimal. Their power was gone. Most couldn’t even use Haste or other movement techniques to escape the death looming around them. Damn that cannon!
“GREATER HASTE,” Sylvar chanted as he left the others behind his mana nearing depletion once more. Three of the hundred plus elves he had brought were with him. Only three… If he was lucky he wouldn’t be exiled as soon as he reported in. There were a dozen other mages from Dageth running with him. Even less of the local Deepmere forces. How could things get any worse? That was when the earth trembled. The shaking was so violent that he lost his footing. A glance behind showed the mists rushing forwards engulfing those left behind. Oh… that was how.
Coralline had no time to sort out her feelings. The mists were coming like a tidal wave. In all their planning this had never been considered. She scooped Loric’s body before pushing the girl onward.
“Run!” She shouted before following her own advice. She would sort her feelings after she wasn’t in immediate peril. Soon she was joined by the other cultivators.
“Anyone missing?” Alenina shouted. Coralline had often wondered why people said that. How could anyone really know in the confusion? She supposed it was more show them that someone was in charge than anything else.
Predictably no one said anything as the rest joined them. An azure streaked ahead before turning back to them. A wave of relief nearly made her tumble. Azura was there. She was rather battered, which was extremely worrying. If anything could do that much damage to her then this was far more dangerous than she had suspected. She pointed at them apparently doing a rough head count as they rushed past her. Azura paused when she looked at her mother and to the burden she carried. A complicated expression crossed her face before she moved on.
Poor girl. She lost the father she never had a chance to have. They’d have a long chat after they were safe, along with ear rubs. Elise weeping didn’t make things any easier. At least the girl was still smart enough to keep moving, even if slowly.
“Keep going!” Azura shouted. “Leave no kin behind!”
With that they outpaced the mists back toward Fortunia.