It was impossible to tell how the battle was going. Neither side appeared to be gaining ground, which Hump would typically say favoured Chosen, but they were outnumbered two-to-one, perhaps more, and the warlocks were on familiar ground. All that would change if reinforcements could come from above. To do that, Hump needed to find a location with space.
“How do you want to do this?” Owen asked.
“We head down that—”
An explosion ruined Hump’s plan before it had even finished forming. The Stone Wall he had erected over the left tunnel shattered in a great blast, stone and debris shooting out and slamming against Count Daston’s barrier with resounding thuds. From within, a squad of warlocks emerged, perhaps twenty in number. They moved into the main chamber, securing the left flank. From the mixture of dark battle robes and light armour, it was clear there were both wizards and martials amongst them. They were a well-formed squad: spellcasters, archers, sword wielding warriors, and a twin dagger assassin.
Around Hump, their own force responded, arrows, blessings, and magic aimed at the group. Hump added his own magic to the mix, sending Lava Coil tendrils sweeping outward with a great swing of his staff. Celaine was shooting at his side, while Lani tossed her spear.
Despite the bombardment, the warlocks defended efficiently. A practitioner with a Shield drew many of the physical attacks to him, absorbing the blows. One of the wizards raised another variation of Shield over the group, other wizards layering their own beneath to create a multi-layered dome. Rather than hold their position, the squad of warlocks advanced. Out of the corner of his eye, Hump saw the main warlock force at the centre of the chamber advancing too, pushing forward to draw fire and support the squad. They were trying something, only Hump hadn’t figured out what.
One of the warlock wizards swept their wand in a circle, their loud chant drawing Hump’s attention. He felt the powerful essence they wielded. Mist rose from the ground in white plumes, quickly covering the entire left flank. With that one spell, Hump’s vision of the ground was lost.
Hump sent an Essence Blast into the mist, trying to sweep it away but all he did was cause it to swirl. He tried a Fire Blast, illuminating the mist in an orange glow almost like lightning amongst the clouds, yet again, the result was the same. Nisha roared at his side, her dragon breath sweeping over the mist. All around the barrier, Chosen and practitioners attempted the same, yet the mist did not budge. Inside, Hump sensed magic at work, no doubt the warlocks still needed to raise defences. The mist protected the enemy from focused attacks, but Hump and the others had many other attacks that were nearly as dangerous.
Yet… there was a sinking feeling in his stomach. Something about this was very wrong. At the range they’d been fighting, neither side had made any progress. Their defensive abilities were too effective, leading to a battle of attrition. A battle the warlocks would not want—they had the advantage of numbers, and dragging this out would mean that the reinforcements from Elenvine would have more time to locate them. Even now, Hump could imagine them searching.
So what options did they have? Hump thought. What would I do if I was the warlocks?
The obvious issue was Count Daston’s barrier. Obscuring the battlefield like the warlocks had achieved a few things, but primarily it forced Hump’s force to advance if they wanted to do real damage… and it gave the enemy the cover they needed to get closer. At closer range, they could act directly against Count Daston’s barrier, utilising their most efficient spells or artifacts.
“Form barriers outside of the formation!” General Korteg roared over the explosions of magic. “I don’t want anyone getting to us through the mist. those with area attacks, I want you to hurl everything you have beyond this mist. Earth users, focus on keeping the roof above us intact. We can’t let it come down on our heads.”
It seemed General Korteg was well aware of the danger. That was good. Hump had his own task to focus on. The warlocks needed to end this quickly, but if Hump could speed up the arrival of their reinforcements, they could flip this entire battle on its head. He just needed to get out of this corner they were in first.
Members of the force quickly moved to accommodate the general’s orders. Owen, Bud, Dylan, Emilia, and Theodore all moved up to the edge of the barrier, prepared to face the attackers on the left. Bud formed a wall of Frostfire beyond the barrier, right in front of the location they had last seen the warlock squad approaching from the left. On the other flank, Len’s barriers formed layers of walls, blocking off the enemy approach.
Wanting to do the same on this side, Hump levelled his staff, calling on one of the most powerful spells he possessed. “Molten Pit.”
His essence surged, the ground rippled with his might, he felt the heat, and then suddenly something battered his intent aside. Only, the spell didn’t take form. An aura of power radiated ahead as a warlock manifested their soul, their power taking control of the essence around them, radiating intent. While he could still cast the spell, he couldn’t affect the area so far away. His own manifested soul wouldn’t be able to influence it. There were too many othermanifested souls amongst them. He considered using his own to fight back, but he was already tired. If he pushed himself now, he wouldn’t have the strength left for his actual task.
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He scanned the mist, trying to peer through it with Spirit Sight, but the essence in the room was far too chaotic for him to do anything. Behind him, he heard Marcela saying that she would do something about the mist. On the frontline, a dozen paces to Hump’s right, a group of Chosen sent out a wave of rolling fire, storm winds following behind it, sweeping the blaze forward in a great blast. Screams came from beyond the barrier.
“Those sounded close,” Celaine said.
“Sounded like we hit them,” Emilia said. “Close might work out in our favour.”
“Unless they have a way to bring Count Daston’s barrier blessing down,” Hump said.
“Hump, you were saying we need to head down that tunnel, correct?” Owen asked.
“That’s right,” Hump said to the hammer wielding warrior.
“We can’t just leave this flank,” Owen said, his voice commanding. “We take out the warlock squad ahead of us, and then we break through. Agreed?”
They couldn’t very well have a squad of warlocks on their flank. “Agreed,” Hump said.
Bud’s wall of ice was suddenly shattered, and even the mist dissipated for a few seconds. It was so fast, Hump had no idea what had caused it. There had been nothing, and then such a great blow of essence that had obliterated the knight’s blessing. Something emerged from the dispersed mist. Hump saw a strange, thick staff in one of their hands. Runes were carved up its length, and a focus crystal even larger than Hump’s glowed at the top, filled to the brim with magic. A chill went through Hump’s body. This was powerful—too powerful to ignore.
The mist closed in once more. The warlock carrying the weapon was coming closer. If that weapon struck the barrier, Hump had a terrible feeling even the count’s defences wouldn’t last long.
There was a flash of light and Hump glanced behind him, expecting the worst only to find Marcela to be the source. She stood surrounding in a dazzling display of water essence, power pouring from her in a flood. Her blessings surged around her, an aura of ocean blur forming waves in the air. Her eyes shone with that same light, bright and possessing endless depth. She bent her knees, hand going to the hilt of her sheathed sword. Suddenly, all that essence focused into the sheathed weapon, siphoned into it like a void had opened up within a lake. Light shone where the hilt met the top of the sheath, a line of bright, brilliant blue. Faster than Hump could follow, Marcela drew the blade and cut a great sweeping strike ahead of her.
Hump felt deadly intent for just a moment, and then the blessing passed him, sweeping through him as if he were incorporeal. Hump heard the rush of waves as it passed through everyone, a blade of pure, vibrant water. When it met the mist, it was swept back in one go. One moment, the white, opaque cloud obscured everything. The next, it was gone like a cloud blown away by a god.
The warlocks beyond the mist appeared shocked. Hump’s eyes went to the one with the weapon and he levelled his staff.
“Bring that one down, Celaine,” Hump said, preparing his own magic.
The warlock rushed forward, the rest of the warlock squad moving to protect them as they advanced on the barrier. Without hesitation, Bud stepped through Count Daston’s domain and out into the warlock stronghold, sword swinging, Frostfire raging from him in a blaze of glory. The world around him turned to ice. Crystal expanded over the floor, over the walls, seeping toward the warlocks.
Owen, Emilia, Dylan, Theodore rushed ahead at his sides, keeping the warlocks back and forcing the one with the artifact to retreat. Nearby, other Chosen loaned their aid. Nisha roared, fire pouring over them, but their defences held. These warlocks were incredibly skilled. Their Shield spells were impervious, or at least, it appeared that way. There were always weaknesses. When you couldn’t puncture the Shield, you target other places.
Gritting his teeth, Hump tried again, drawing on his familiar spells. Molten tendrils lashed out at the warlocks, slamming down on their defences. He could feel the strength behind each impact, and he hammered harder. Cracks formed, but a new Shield took its place, other warlocks stepping up to replace the falling spell.
Damn it, Hump thought. It was the same result across the battlefield. The enemy had the advantage of numbers, and they were using it to replenish their defences. This battle of attrition was not one Hump was confident they would win. Distance gave them too much time to react and figure out a way to defend.
For the first time, Hump saw a devastating flaw in his magic. His attacks relied on raw power and focused intent to break through defences, but against someone with comparable strength, it wasn’t enough. The warlocks were holding him at bay with their own spells, and when he broke through, more would take their places. He needed to be closer. Too close for them to react and build a defence. Close enough that his offensive spells were at full efficiency when they collided with enemy defences.
Fortunately, he wasn’t on his own. As he blasted the enemy blocking their way, Bud and the others were quickly closing the gap. Most terrifying of all was Owen, his giant hammer growing even larger as he held it high overhead. The warlocks stared up at it in shock as it descended. Most got out of the way. The few that remained in place, hiding beneath their spells, were crushed as easily as their magic. The sound of shattered glass and cries of pain filled Hump’s ears, and then the line was broken.
The warlock squad lost their coordination as their defences toppled. Isolated from each other, they were no match for Hump’s party members. Emilia chased them down with ease, using her speed to get to their rear then finding weaknesses with her rapier. Bud, Dylan, Owen, and Theodore advanced from the front, Celaine and Lani raining projectiles over their heads. Hump conserved his essence, watching for anyone that needed support, but it was unnecessary. The warlocks were killed easily. None escaped.
“Everyone ready?” Bud asked. The way to the tunnel was now clear.
“One second,” Hump said. He picked up the artifact the warlocks had with them. It seemed to be some sort of staff with a stored spell within—one with the power to shatter ward spells and blessings. He could use this. “Dylan, can you take this?”
The druid took it. “Do you know how it works?”
“Not exactly. But I suggest you don’t hit anything with it that you don’t want to blow up.” He turned to the others. “Let’s go.”