Chapter 190: Whitefall XLIV

Chapter 190: Whitefall XLIV

Rock, Zin called out cautiously from our left, close to the front line of his soldiers. They were a more varied group compared to Maris, maintaining a more difficult formation to crack. Spear-wielding shield wall in the front, general infantry in the middle, and mages in the rear.

Stone, Mari called back, completing the pass phrase. She turned her head and spit on the ground, holding back to speak with him as the rest of her formation marched on beside her. As they were approaching from our left side, Maris ribbons were hidden from view.

Saw more than a few of ours coming out, Zin said, approaching slowly. He was around twenty span away when he stopped. Maybe he sensed something, or maybe he was just cautious. Trouble?

Mari nodded, leaning to peer down the road in the direction her troops were marching. Chickenshit ambush. Slammed us with magic from a distance and burned away the ribbons. Only time we saw em, they ran that way.

Zin nodded. Time to brew a bit of their own medicine. Still, he didnt move.

Mari wasnt a natural liar, and it showed in her fidgeting and discomfort. A bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. Didnt see em cross over to the east side. Take the road to your left and we can probably pincer them.

If he agreed, it would take them further from Salven and give us more time to deal with them.

Zins dark eyes narrowed. Mari. Why are you standing that way

From my hiding place, hidden behind the crumbling building to Maris right, I reached out to my nascent sparks and ignited the bundles of black powder on either side, setting off a chain of loud and disorienting explosions, one after another, and sent a huge amount of small rocks and bits of shrapnel flying around.

The result was an attack thatwhile harmlessseemed like it was coming from everywhere. Zins soldiers spun to either side of the street, trying to catch sight of the unseen source.

Simultaneously, Maris infantry switched direction toward Zin, feeding into the main road from either side. Mari led the charge, axe held over her head as I kept pace directly behind her, hand on the back of her armor.

Through the gap between Maris helmet and her shoulder armor, I saw the realization hit Zin before anyone else. He turnedpresumably to scream for his troops to retreat. I blew the last charge of black powder closest to the street, buying us a few more seconds as the sound of the explosion scrambled Zins voice. A chunk of rock pinged off Maris shoulder, close to my hand, and she flinched but continued to charge, raising her axe above her head as she approached range.

I slapped her shoulder, giving her the signal, and she dropped to one knee, holding her axe directly above her head and bracing the head with one hand.

I leapt over her, kicking off the flat of the axe and flying through the air, diving directly for Zin. His eyes widened, and he drew the longsword, sending dual crescents of air in my path.

Prefers close range. I thought, correcting Maris estimation. More than capable of long if the situation calls for it.

Without a better option, I cast a static aegis beneath my feet and awkwardly launched off it, landing better on the second and redirecting my plunge toward Zin. The dark elf flicked his blade back, then forward again, launching another crescent of air directly at the single ribbon on my hip.

I channeled mana into my sword, setting it ablaze, raising the temperature hot enough that the blade glowed white, then cleaved through the crescent, splitting it in two and passing through it harmlessly, finally landing and pirouetting to hide the weapon switch, my sword sizzling in its scabbard as I drew my lowhil sword breaker.

Zin reacted on instinct to parry a sword that wasnt there, and found his blade pinned to the stone instead, wedged tightly between the tongs of the breaker.

You grab the tiger by the tail, boy He cut off mid-hiss as I coldcocked him, driving my demonic arm into the side of his helmet, ringing like a gong, offering a silent apology as he slipped to the ground, eyes unfocused and dazed.

I tore his blue ribbon from his hip right before a blunt arrow smashed into my collarbone with enough force to spin me around. It had come from straight on, the bowman that fired it hidden in the Everwood brush behind the wall. I threw back my head, directing my voice so it carried but didnt give Annettes location away. COVER!

I held out my left arm and allowed the demonic transformation to recede, running mana through a new inscription, standing firm as the arrows plummeted towards me. Wispy tendrilsalmost invisiblesnaked the arrows out of the air, stopping them mid-flight a span from me. I didnt have to imagine how it looked from their perspective. In one of my early loops, Id seen one of Thoths associates do much the same. I knew firsthand how oppressive it was.

I slowly rotated the arrows, then flung them back toward the hill. A couple spun, catching the air wrong and falling short. But most of them flew true, slamming through the greenery and out of sight.

There was a quiet moment, where nothing happened. Then, almost palpably furious, the return volley beganone wave after another, staggered this time, so I couldnt grab them all at once.

I didnt bother trying the same trick, instead dealing with the arrows the old-fashioned way, tracking them and moving out of the way, dancing from cover to cover as they pinged off the surroundings harmlessly.

The shots finally stopped.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Annette take form, slipping out from the wall, panting, the patterning that camouflaged her fading away. With the archers dealt with, I jogged over to her. Finally ran out?

Annette nodded, breathing hard. Was using more than I thought.

You did great. I gently reached down and plucked the orange ribbon from her waist. Head back to the base camp. Keep your hands up so no one gets any ideas.

My sister froze, her eyes locked onto a man lying supine on the ground. When I looked closer, with growing alarm I realized why. One of Zins soldiers was grasping at his throat, face slowly turning blue. I pulled the dwarven flare from my satchel and tilted it, firing it towards the south to communicate my intended path.

Vogrin? I shouted.

He appeared beside me, shifting slower now. The construct use was adding up. He was running out of mana. Which meant I was too.

Yes? Vogrin asked.

I reached down and slung the man over my shoulder by his arm. Unless Maya comes around the corner right now, hes not gonna make it if we wait for the support banner. Tell Alten to protect SeraI hesitatedand tell Sera she has command.

Vogrin raised an eyebrow. Are you certain?

If I was going to trust her with her own banner, that trust had to start somewhere. I nodded.

Your will be done. Vogrin propelled himself across the battlefield toward Sera.

I fully charged the inscriptions on my legs, back straining as I sprinted down the street and around the corner. My path took me past Salvens men. I nearly went around, but my instinct told me considering my cargo, he wouldnt interfere. Several started toward me, as if to intercept, when Salven held up a fist. I felt him watching me as I sprinted through the ruined street, praying my mana didnt run out before I made it back.

***

Maya met me halfway and took the wounded soldier off my hands. The mans windpipe was damaged, but it was nothing she couldnt heal. When I returned, vision graying at the fringes, Salven was still there, standing in the same spot. Hed sent his troops away, presumably toward the still-raging battle, and waited for me, alone, spear and buckler held loosely in his hands.

So, he said, giving his spear an idle spin. We finally have a moment alone.