Chapter 621: Deep Winter War: Shapeshifter Vorn

Hoot's old face creased in a wide grin. "You look a bit better off than you did last time you were here."

Nix nodded in agreement. He glanced toward the middle of the lake where the floating city of Bachoni was located. Although the settlement wasn't within visual range, the glow of an anomaly hovered where he knew it to be. "Might have to rebuild the town when all this is done."

"It was an ugly place anyways." Hoot's old eyes glanced at the expanded anomaly that was clearly visible in the distance. "That light started expanding a few hours ago. Was that your doing?"

"Probably." Nix stared at the veil of light that extended upward toward the clouds and spanned the entire width of Lake Bachoni. "We'll rebuild everything that the Ice Goddess destroyed."

"Hmm." Hoot watched as the Inferno Leader activated his Archon bloodline and shot into the air without speaking further.

/Alpha: Pon: The curse is broken?

/Alpha: Nix: Sure as shit. Everyone on me, we're heading to the Titan Base Camp.

The cold of Everspire seemed substantially less brutal that than what Inferno had seen in Colonial and Oasis. Perhaps the Ice Goddess was weakening due to the efforts of the Alliance. Nix climbed to an altitude of a thousand meters before leveling off and scanning the horizon.

/Inferno: Jun Li: You close, Nix?

/Inferno: Nix: Yeah, Alpha is heading to base camp now.

/Inferno: Jun Li: Meet you there.

Pon whistled softly, a sound that was completely erased by the swirling winds. The vast expanse of snow and ice was darkened considerably by the army that was camped outside of the veil. "How many fighters do the Titans have?"

Nix banked slightly and started to descend toward the camp."More than thirty thousand, not counting the ones we helped evolve." The veil that acted as a barrier was semi-transparent. Forms could be seen moving on the other side, but the details remained a mystery.

Alpha landed near the central tent a few minutes later, each of them dropped their Archon forms immediately. A large perimeter of about thirty meters had been cleared out for a singular command tent. There were no guards posted outside the entrance, but perhaps that was a moot point since they were surrounded by an army.

The tent flap was pulled aside suddenly by an overly large hand. A mountain of a man walked out; his step was light and agile despite his enormous size. "Nix!"

Nix nodded at the Titan Warleader, who managed to cover the distance between them in two large strides. "We've come to the end."

Mortimus gripped the Inferno Leader's shoulder like he would a younger brother. "I heard about the Oasis raid. Those of us that are here will fight to the end. No matter the cost."

Nix nodded in agreement. "We need to put her down."

Jun Li arrived with the rest of the Inferno Officers a few minutes later. They followed the Titan Warleader back into the tent and took seats around the large fire at the center.

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A slender hand gripped the arm of the Ice Throne, Khione's crystal blue eyes stared at her remaining General. "The enemy forces have gathered?"

Vorn nodded his head. "We still outnumber them, but I believe when their reserves are brought in, we'll be evenly matched." Shapeshifter Vorn bowed his head slightly. Although his appearance was similar to that of an Ice Howler, his dark eyes brimmed with confidence. "Nix is a problem; I feel like we should concentrate on killing him."

The hand that gripped the throne relaxed and strummed playfully. "His death has already been foreseen. Fortunately for us, he cannot avoid this destiny."

Vorn considered her words. Unlike other Ice Howlers, his body was covered by a fine velvet-like blue fur. His slim appearance gave off a predatory type of pressure that made others avoid his gaze. "Because he is the Cora'Zai?"

Khione smiled slightly, her cold face taking on an astounding beauty before withdrawing back into frozen countenance. "Cora'Zai or if you want to believe the dragon version, DraCora'Zai. I will have to deal with him personally even if your army fails."

"When will you activate the mole?" Vorn had confidence in himself, but he also understood the strength of his opposition. Through a series of unforeseen events, one of Khione's people had found their way into the Gemini Temple, the holy ground that lay at the base of Inferno's strength.

"Not until Inferno's reserves are on the battlefield. With all of their fighters in Everspire, my spy will open a gate into Haven. At that point, you and your shifters will exit into Haven and raze it to the ground while our remaining forces continue to fight here."

"And the dragons?" Vorn was confident that he could deal with Haven's residual forces, but rumor said that three dragons now resided within the Inferno stronghold.

"Once the gate to Haven has been opened, I will leave the Everspire battlefield and kill those three pests." Khione's cold laugh echoed in her icy chambers. "Haven will become the new capital from which I will dominate the planes."

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Nix stood with Alpha in a small circle that included Morti, Ducky, and Soup. A second team consisting of Ronnie, Sharl, Chiba, Beta, and Donri sat nearby while listening to their conversation. This group of just over a dozen had a somewhat different mission than the rest. As soon as the Ice Goddess appeared on the battlefield, they would ignore fighting and kill Khione.

/Dagger: Sharl: Ronnie will be with the snipers until Khione is spotted; she will make the call one way or another.

/Dagger: Ronnie: Count on me!

The dark archer smiled brazenly at Nix. "Going to reward me if I kill Khione?"

"Sure," Nix laughed. They'd been together since the start; his soft spot for Ronnie was widely known.

A giant hud popped up with a holographic view of the battlefield. Nix stared at it for a long moment before dividing the groups into subdivisions. A moment later, a holo popped into view.

A familiar form saluted respectfully. "The forces of Mid-Everspire have gathered under one banner. We stand ready to fight."

"Chael?" Nix grinned at the ex-Inferno ranger. "The Four Corners have sent help?"

Chael nodded. "Our numbers are thin because of Deep Winter, a bit over five thousand fighters in our Legion."

"General Chael then... Stand by and thank you for the support."

The Dire Wolf that had been lingering near Alpha suddenly stood up, her ears pricked forward as she stared at the holo. Nansu had insisted on taking part in the battles with one of Nix's puppets. The lifestyle player wasn't a hardened veteran, but she wasn't running away from a fight. "Chael is coming," she muttered to herself while trying to calm her nerves.

******Author's Note*****

Chael and Nansu were a couple long before Inferno was formed. The ranger and the Alchemist parted ways after a "possessed" Chael tried to kill Nansu in Haven. Although the incident was defused by Nix, the pair were never able to put it behind them.

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[Your Allies have given you control of the battle and await deployment orders.]

Nix noted that none of the deployed Titan Clans were listed on his Breach Commander hud. They fell under the authority of Warleader Mortimus, the exception being the Titan Clans that Inferno had revived.

[Breach Commander Deployment Menu]

[Air Forces]

1) Fey

2) Muncie

3) Haven's Drake Squadron

4) Rhylia and the Arch Wing Division

6) Titan Hawk Clan

[Ranged Fighters]

1) Lamia Scorched Earth Acolytes

2) Inferno Ranger Company

3) Dhassi Ranged Fighters.

[Melee]

1) Lion Titan Clan

2) Scorpion Titan Clan

3) Tharaka and the Ashobel Clan

[Nether Allied Generals]

Leva the Fallen

Genta

Chog the Furious

Ro'Sinda

NyCyndor

[Miscellaneous Forces]

1) 1st Division Flame Knights of Solomon City

2) 1st Division Earth Knights of Houdinya City.

3) General Chael and the Mid-Spire Legion.

4) Nemesis Shi and the Haven Ice Acolytes.

/Inferno: Jun Li: We'll use the same setup from our Colonial Battle, plus the Pathfinder and Sand Killer groups. Here is the Raid Sheet.

Main Tank: Morti

Alt Tank: Sharl

2nd Alt Tank: Banz

[Alpha]

Nix: CC, Ranged/Melee DPS

Pon: Ranged DPS

Wind: Melee DPS

Semmi: Melee DPS

Fajii: Buffs, Melee DPS

[Bravo]

Sharl: Tank

Ronnie: Range DPS

Bali: Range DPS

Milat: Melee DPS

Nansu: Melee DPS

[Charlie]

Banz: Tank

Chiba: Melee DPS

Beta: Melee DPS

Rhylia: CC, Ranged Support

Zhava: Melee DPS

[Delta]

Jun Li: Off Tank/Melee DPS

Shae: Ranged DPS

Donri: Ranged DPS

Sila: CC/Melee DPS

Sasi: Melee DPS

[Pathfinder]

Gideon: DPS

Nebs: Heals

Roto: Range DPS

Jiggs: DPS

Paco: Tank

[Sand Killers]

Toxin: Tank

Brell: Shaman

Eri dale: Ranger

Corm: Javalier

Retric: Javalier

Ainsba: Sand Shadow

Dune: Sand Shadow

[Healer Protection Group]

Vooni: Tank, Melee DPS

Aja: Ranged/Melee DPS

Nunzo, Melee DPS

Omak: Ranged DPS

[Healers]

Tess

Gypsy

Pinky

Wylie

Saji

Nezbit

[Sniper Group]

Darsi

Moki

Dalton

Sorbie

/Breach Commander Nix: Give me a moment to organize the deployment. Going to bring the ground forces in and then hand you off to the other Breach Commanders.

/Breach Commander Mtui: Whenever you are ready.

Nix nodded to himself and brought up a holo image of the existing battlefield. Unfortunately, there was no real cover to speak of; they were fighting in the middle of Everspire's largest lake. A soft furred head pushed against his side; without pausing, he scratched the Slayer's ears. "You should be back in Oasis with the other Dhassi. Your people have lost enough today."

Del's blue eyes close while she purred happily. "I ordered Cora and most of the Dhassi to remain behind. But, since we are companions, I'll fight with you until the end."

"You're too stubborn." Nix left a hand on her soft head while arranging the allied forces. "Stay close to me today."

"Don't I always?"