Chapter 93

Chapter 93

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The Skies Above Medea Island, Medea Island, The Kalenic Sea

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Despite the genuine danger, Kata couldn't help but laugh as she dodged and weaved past and around bolts of spellfire. The sense of freedom that flight brought; what Wave had shown her... It filled her entire being. Her wings didn't need to flap, as they were more akin to a manifestation of a permanent enchantment, one etched into her very bones. She still needed to twist and move them to turn, though. Thankfully, it took little more than a thought to make them move, giving her unparalleled maneuverability.

The Bahrain soldier on her tail didn't have it as easy. The fire magic blasting from his feet propelled him, stabilized and guided by smaller jets from his hands. She could see that, though he was obviously practiced at this, he had to focus more on flying than she did.

And she used that to her advantage. The mage had trouble turning quickly, relying on wide, arcing turns. The mage spat fireballs from his mouth since his hands were occupied. But that method meant he had an enormous weak spot: directly behind him. Kata's far more agile flight meant she could turn on a dime, which let her easily dodge and weave.

Wait. What's a dime? She shook her head. Not important. The Bahrain mage was close behind her, going full speed. Time to implement her plan. Kata rose quickly, bleeding her speed as fast as she could, and the mage blew past her. She caught a glimpse of surprise on his face as he tracked her.

She raised her hands and sped up again, now the one chasing him. Lightning spat from her fingertips, most of which the mage could dodge or bounce off a shimmering shield. Using magic like this was hard! She was far more used to aiming with a bow. She wasn't used to it.

The mage's fire jets abruptly cut out, and he fell through the sky, disappearing into a puffy cloud. Kata scanned the clouds but didn't follow him in. She had an advantage in the open air, but inside a cloud was an entirely different kettle of fish.

Kata cried out, a white-hot spike of pain digging into her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder as her flight faltered, catching sight of the Bahrain mage wielding a vicious dagger. His expression was even more so. If this was two weeks ago, she'd be dead.

But she was so much more.

She caught her fall, ethereal wings spread and hand raised to her shoulder. She hovered, facing the man who was looking confused. She removed her hand, glowing green as it was, and dismissed the healing spell. She brought the other hand around, spell already charging. The lightning bolt flashed, grazing the mage, who'd juked to the side.

He launched skyward, the flames flaring from his feet briefly turning blue. Kata followed. They ascended, trading spells as the clouds fell away around them. Soon, they were in the open sky, a sea of clouds stretching from horizon to horizon. Above them, the sun burned like an eye.

The man looked simultaneously empowered and weakened. His breathing was labored, but his fire was blue. Kata knew it was more dangerous than orange fire, but she wasn't sure why. Kata felt her reserves of Air, Fire, and Light mana soaring, which made sense to her. Striking before the mage had the chance, Light burst from Kata's eyes in coherent beams, a dozen times as powerful as that Phenoc guilder. Bertram, she thought his name was. The rays instantly crossed the distance to the mage, and the mage's cloak fell away as she blinked away. Had she finally overloaded the item's capacity?

The mage stopped ascending, and Kata soon reached him. They floated there for a moment, just staring at each other. The mage's gaze was calculating, no doubt trying to think of a way to defeat her, just as she was doing to him. All was still.

"What are you?" The Bahrain man finally spoke, breaking the silence. Kata blinked. She... understood that? She was sure she didn't learn the Bahrain language.

"The Voice of The Creator, Medea, The Dungeon of Medea Island," she replied in the same language. There was another moment of silence. "And you?"

"Izza Adar, High Archon of Fire, Advisor to the Emperor," the mage, Izza, answered. "The dungeon fights for the Phenoc?"

"The Creator fights for the Island. The land is part of Him, and He has deigned to defend the ants on his skin." Kata replied, internally surprised at how... evangelical she was being. Perhaps the Children had rubbed off on her more than she'd thought. Though, playing a character, tricking people she used to know... It was fun.

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The Dungeon, Medea Island, The Kalenic Sea

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It was trivial to heal Skitters and Baastet once they were brought into the dungeon, leaving only an hour later to join the cleanup on the beach. Skitters-Across-The-Sand proved helpful there, using her claws and broad back to clear the bodies quickly and efficiently. Swipes emerged from the dungeon within a few hours to claim Shimmerscale and his gear.

The guilders knew that some of my monsters came back when they died, but this undeniable example seemed to shake a few of them. More than they already were that is. If I had to judge, the general attitude of the Island's residents was... tired. Many had seen their friends, brothers, and fathers die. To see one of my Children die, then just... come back? I wasn't sure what they were thinking. The range of expressions and attitudes was too broad to narrow anything down.

As the shadows lengthened and the sun set, the first of my reinforcements reached the surface.

I gave plenty of warning this time, and no one freaked out when a column of monsters streamed from the dungeon's entrance. First, a couple hundred crabs briefly emerged, quickly scuttling below the waves. I could have let them out of one of my underwater tunnel entrances, but I wanted my allies to be aware of my monsters so they could plan around them.

I just let the fish into the ocean through the small tunnels, though. I couldn't exactly walk them through the front door, after all. I hadn't done it for the initial invasion, but if they tried again... I was pulling out all the stops.

The Kobolds emerged after sunset; The Warriors, Hunters, and Shaman connected to Respawn crystals only. Didn't want anyone to die permanently if I could avoid it. The Rats caused a bit more fuss, but their seeming docility reassured many. The rat's sheer numbers alarmed them quite a bit more. These monsters I hid in the forest since I planned to have them stream out to catch the invaders by surprise.

The Court's emergence sent more shockwaves through the crowd than I was expecting.

The Potentium golem's power boost made mere Spirits seem like beings, two entire evolutions above them: Elementals. The fact that Three 'Elementals' emerged, along with several of their more unique court members, provoked widespread disbelief. The Stone, Darkness and Metal-Fire Elementals were given a wide berth.

I wondered why they were so surprised but realized Layla must have been more sparing with information on floors yet to be widely accessed. Few made it past Mushu, and fewer still pushed through the rats. Only Platinums had made it to the Fifth so far. Golds stuck on the Ratten Warren were far more numerous.

The Drake-kin brought a wave of 'there's more of him!?' It was funny, to be honest. Mushu was like a wall to many guilders. The fact that there was an entire race of creatures like him, and he wasn't a unique existence... I saw despair in the eyes of some.

By the time the sun rose, the Lord, Layla, and myself, through Kata, had hammered out a plan. We knew they'd not stop trying since their taking of this Island had to be vital to their strategy. Its discovery and colonization were two of the primary reasons their invasion was even possible! So, we would be the rock the Bahrain would dash themselves upon.

Again and again, no matter how hard they hit us, they'd lose. We didn't have to win. We just had to not lose enough for the Phenoc Fleets to show up.

Then, as we were finishing up, a runner burst into the war room with urgent news. It'd come in on a messenger hawk I'd noticed earlier but left alone when it wasn't flying toward the invaders. I'd even stopped the Bahrain from shooting it down.

The news... threw our entire strategy out the window.

The King of the Phenoc Kingdom was dead, along with his entire family, and the kingdom was shattering into its constituents.

Well, Shit.

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