Chapter 418: Defences in the Blizzard

"But the tunnels!" Alex’s voice rose. "I've have to get down there, my friends are—"

"Mr. Roth, we've already sent help to the excavation team," Watcher Shaw barked, not sparing the young wizard a glance as he strode through the raging blizzard, adjusting his scarf to shield his face. A line of Watchers followed close behind. “We don’t need—Hey you!” He pointed at a wind mage floating from a nearby doorway. "Yes, you! I want you on top of the keep! Cut this whiteout down; we can't defend a fortress if we can't see more than a foot in front of our own noses!"

"Yes, Watcher!" the wizard shouted above the howling wind and levitated toward the keep.

Watcher Shaw didn’t break stride. “As I was saying, the last thing we need is more people to rescue.”

"I can take care of myself, and I’ve got Claygon!" Alex pointed at the golem by his side. "We can get right—"

"I’m not losing track of students today because none of you’ll be running into tunnels half-mad, if I can help it." Watcher Shaw's voice cracked like a whip. "You want to help? Stay where we can keep track of you and go defend the castle so the excavation teams have a point to retreat to! Or get to the portal and evacuate, I don’t care which. I'm not letting anyone else into those tunnels and that's final; now, you do what’s proper and leave me be. I've got work to do."

With a single word of power, Watcher Shaw took to the air, disappearing into the wind and stinging snow with his Warrior-mages. The young Thameish wizard ground his teeth behind him, considering a way to get to the tunnels without being spotted by the Watchers. Theresa and the others were down there with those monsters. Worry tore through him as images of violence and death finding his friends in the dark plagued him.

But one thought kept rolling through his mind.

Last thing we need is more people to rescue, Watcher Shaw had said.

Alex knew he could handle himself, but—from what Gwyllain said—there was a strong chance he already knew what or who the Ravener-spawn were looking for.

Him…and Carey. They’d controlled dungeon cores, which might’ve put giant bullseyes on their backs. He moved closer to Claygon, wondering if a clawed monster was waiting to pounce on him in the blinding snow.

Watcher Shaw’s words repeated in his head. “Last thing the Watchers need is more people to rescue.”

‘And the last thing my friends need are more monsters to fight. If those things are trying to kill me and Carey and I run into a tunnel with them chasing me, I’ll bring them straight to my friends. No, the hell with that. It’s better if they come outside, we have more defences out here than underground.’

Wizards and warriors—looking like spectres in the whiteout—were moving into position throughout the courtyard, preparing for the monster attack.

Spells that raised and hardened snow into towers of ice were being cast. Wizards buried beneath mounds of white were casting ice spells that bonded sheet after sheet of ice as hard as diamond atop each other, creating bunkers where they could lie in wait, hidden from view. A group of flying mages soared overhead, leaving glowing glyphs of light in the air.

Alex recognized the deadly sigils: they were set to gently hover in the wind until a monster ventured too near, then they’d trigger, unleashing a storm of force magic that would pierce attackers, stopping them in-flight. And the glyphs weren’t the only deadly surprise waiting for the enemy.

Summoners had called on monsters, and wind mages were flying above the courtyard, shouting words of power, creating roaring winds that blew snow away from the castle. Their voices had gone hoarse from endless chanting, yet they persevered without pause or complaint; and for their efforts, the whiteout thinned in varied areas throughout the courtyard.

Earth mages chanted spells of earth movement, pushing their power into the ground. Through the snow beneath his feet, Alex felt a great struggle between the wizards' earth magic, and the intense source of dark mana below.

They were holding it back for now, but he knew that their efforts couldn’t last forever.

It was time for him to help.

"Right." He turned to Claygon now standing behind him, gripping his war-spear as the snow battered his broad, clay shoulders. "Let's not make things worse. Let's make it so our friends have somewhere safe to return to."

Biting down on his worry—and sending up a silent prayer to the Traveller to keep Theresa safe—Alex conjured his army.

He'd already conjured his defensive spells, eight Wizard's Hands and six forceballs; now it was time for summoned monsters. The first to answer were groups of water and ice elementals bubbling and crackling in the whiteout; they appeared at his call, greeted by biting snow pellets and frosty winds.

"Welcome back Bubbles," he said to the little water elemental, while it shuddered at the cold and bubbled indignantly. "I know it's cold, but, wait, I’ll get you something that’ll help. He sent six Wizards Hands to the stables where the Watchers’ mounts were sheltered, and they soon returned with chunks of salt from a salt lick. “Here, take this! It'll make you and our water elemental friends more comfortable. But don't spray it out. When you spray liquids out, you have to keep it in your bodies for it to work."

Alex explained. "It’s salt and it’ll lower your freezing point. Keep it inside you, and you'll be safer against the cold."

The water elementals gathered around him like excited children, all bubbling happily. Another time, he would've found their reactions cute. But right now, his time was limited.

"I'll give everyone directions in a second," he said to the water and ice elementals. "I just want you to know that we're about to be in for a rough fight, so I've gotta get more friends to help us."

Pouring himself back into summoning spells, he called for help from creatures best suited to the terrain.

Taraneas, resistant to cold, and able to bind enemies with their webbing. Earth elementals; they would dig through deep snow and the frozen ground below it and catch Ravener-spawn unawares. Air elementals would be flying by his side. Flicker dogs could teleport, flashing from visible to invisible and they could harass monsters bigger than themselves. Hellhounds would have the task of torching attackers, and hell-boars—also resistant to cold—could burn and crush them.

When Alex was finished summoning, a fearsome force surrounded him, one ready to fight and follow his commands.

"Alright," he brushed snow off his long hair and cloak when he finished the last spell. "Welcome back everyone.” He said to his summoned horde, switching extraplanar languages as he needed. “This time, the enemy’s in the ground below us, and we can use the terrain to our advantage. Air elementals, follow me and defend me as best you can.”

The air elementals exhaled sharp gusts in acknowledgement.

“Water and ice elementals,” he continued. “I want you to combine your power and quick-freeze anything threatening that’s coming up to the surface from below ground. Hell-boars and hellhounds, you work together; burn anything menacing. Earth elementals: I'd like three of you to stay over there with the aeld tree, your job is to defend it. The rest of you stay hidden in the earth and attack every monster you can. Anything trying to get to the surface gets stopped. Flicker-dogs, I want you hamstringing anything that walks or runs. Taraneas, bury yourselves in the snow and trap anything in your webbing that walks, crawls or flies. Does everyone understand?"

The summons answered in the many tongues of elementals, celestials and devils, then his army spread out, getting ready for the coming Ravener-spawn.

Alright," Alex’s breath misted in the air. "Potion time." He watched Claygon while he dug potions from his bag. "Hey buddy, if you want to finish forming your mind or start evolving or anything...now would be an awfully good time to do it."

Claygon merely stood at his side in silence, ready for his instructions.

There was no longer a spark of thought through his link with the golem.

"Well, that figures. If timing was a matter of convenience, then the Ravener-spawn would've attacked when Baelin was here," he cursed internally. "Still, thanks for showing me that there was something wrong with the aeld tree, Claygon. Between you, Gwyllain and the aeld, I had like three warnings even before the alarm went off..."

Alex paused as unwanted images of his friends dying horrid deaths took over his thoughts. He shook them away like dirty water. "...listen, I don't know if your mind can hear me right now, Claygon, but I want you to protect yourself. Like, absolutely protect me too, but look after yourself too. Don't go jumping in front of beams or anything like that. Seriously. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Claygon silently held his war-spear.

Alex sighed, patting his golem on his side. "Well, you're a good listener bud—"

The ground bucked beneath his feet. Another surge of dark mana shifted.

"They're pushing hard!" An earth mage cried through the storm. "Feels like they've turned all the ground down there into a dungeon! We're holding them back for now, but they're going to breach!"

"Jeffrey! Hines! Get those noncombatants back to Generasi!" Watcher Shaw shouted to two of his lieutenants. "I want them through that portal before we get a whiff of Ravener-spawn stink!"

"The noncombatants," Alex muttered. "Carey and Professor Jules would be among them. Good, I hope they get through the portal fast. The faster the better."

"Alex!" Isolde's voice reached him.

He turned to see the tall, dark-haired woman flying through the snow, an electric blue wind-and-rain shield protecting her face. "There you are, have you heard anything about the tunnels? About Svenia and Hogarth?"

"Not a single word," Alex said as she floated down beside him. "I take it you haven't heard anything either?"

"I just came from helping some of our research colleagues get to the teleportation circle, and there is still a lineup forming of people wanting to escape."

"Let’s hope that line moves fast. Are Carey and Professor Jules gone?"

"Carey is helping direct and organise people, and Professor Jules said she would not leave until all of her team had gone through." Isolde looked back toward the direction she’d come from. "It was hell trying to convince her not to stay behind to wait for the two of us."

"Yeah, that sounds like her," Alex said. "I wish I could go into the tunnels."

"As do I." Isolde looked down as the ground quietly rumbled. "As do I."

"Well, the best we can do is make sure everyone down there has a safe, Ravener-spawn free zone to come back to," he dug around in his bag. "Here, potions of haste, sensory enhancement and agility enhancement. They'll help you see a little farther and manoeuvre better in this snowstorm."

"Thank you," she said. "Ah, here."

She turned, casting a flight spell on Claygon. "There you go, Claygon. Now you can keep up with your father."

"Thanks," Alex drank potions of flight, haste, sensory enhancement, agility enhancement, and strength enhancement. He wiped the cold liquid from his lips as he and Isolde cast Orbs of Air over their heads. "Listen Isolde, take care of yourself. Seriously. This could be rough. There's a lot of mana moving around down there. Too much for one dungeon core, I’m thinking."

"I feel it," she looked up, frowning. "What of your tree?"

"I have earth elementals protecting it," he said. "That’s the best I can do. Hopefully, all that stuff about bringing fortune wherever it's planted is actually true. We could use some good fortune right now." Alex raised his hand, looking down at the wooden witch's ring on his finger. "And we could use some protection too."

Isolde was about to say something.

Then the earth bucked. Hard.

"They're pushing through!" An earth mage cried. "They'll be up here soon!"

"Everyone, get ready!" Watcher Shaw shouted. "You're all experienced enough to know what you're about. Fight to your strengths: remember the entries in the bestiaries and don't let yourself get buried by numbers!"

Another rumble ripped through the earth as the ground bucked again.

The dark mana raged, as energetic and chaotic as fire and a plague of locusts.

Earth mages screamed out spells all around, their voices carried by the wind.

Mana battled mana below their feet.

"May your Traveller bless you, Alex," Isolde whispered.

"And the Elements bless you, Isolde," he said in return.

There was another surge of dark mana so powerful, that it shook his mana senses; crackling like lightning. He and Isolde exchanged a nod. The mana merged beneath them into singular points of power, sharpening like a thrusting estoc sword ready to punch through armour.

Then the ground bucked once.

Then again.

Then it ruptured beneath their feet.