Awaken Online: Inferno (Tarot #3)

by Travis Bagwell

  “Damn it,” Finn muttered, his eyes skimming to the city’s walls as he tried to pick up on the demon’s location. He had to be visible if he was throwing around that kind of mana.

  But he didn’t see anything…

  Meanwhile, the hounds crashed into the line of the Infernal Guard. Julia’s forces held firm and refused to budge. They planted their feet in the wet sand, raising dense metal shields, blunting the hounds’ assault. However, the creatures flowed around them like water, and the second line of soldiers soon stepped forward, stabbing at the hounds with lances modeled closely after Julia’s. The metal-tipped spears pierced throats and major organs with each deft blow. Bright-orange blood soon coated the sands, sizzling along the wet ground.

  “Abbad, signal the Khamsin and fighters,” Finn said.

  The librarian nodded, motioning for another air mage to assume the channel on the protective bubble draped above them. Then he was casting again. A moment later, Abbad whispered instructions to the air mages stationed with their other forces.

  Finn saw the fighters and Khamsin move only moments later. The groups were each stationed further back in the storm, flanking Julia’s positions. Their protective shields winked out. Only moments later, those shimmering barriers reappeared, now only a few dozen yards away from the hounds. The fighters and Khamsin struck at the flanks of the hounds that were slowly encircling Julia’s group. The creatures never saw them coming, their hungry gaze fixated on the fire mana emanating from the Infernal Guard.

  The Khamsin blurred forward, leaving the protective barriers of air magic and letting the rain and wind wash over them. Their bodies transformed into a mixture of wind and water, their limbs materializing only long enough to send a blade ripping across a hound’s throat or cutting at the muscles of their legs. They struck with pinpoint precision and slaughtered more than a hundred of the creatures in an instant.

  The fighters weren’t to be outdone. They stayed under their protective shields, using their newly forged weapons to attack from a distance. Flashes of multi-colored light erupted along the hounds’ flanks – sharp ribbons of air mana and icy spears rocketing forward to sever limbs and cut into the fiery flesh of the hounds. The intense rain was subduing the creatures’ natural regeneration, and they were taking heavy losses. Hound after hound was cut down – the energy now flashing so erratically that Finn was having difficulty keeping track of the brawl taking place outside of Lahab.

  His gaze panned to the map floating beside him, watching as the red dots that denoted the hounds disappeared quite quickly. And yet… something felt off. Why was Bilel continuing to commit to this full-frontal charge? Especially after he had seen that the guard was a decoy. Unless this was a decoy of his own…

  Finn’s eyes darted to Kalisha. “Anything?” he barked, worry tinging his voice.

  The merchant began to shake her head… but then hesitated, eyes widening. “Northern flank,” she shouted over the boom of the storm. “Only a faint heat signature.”

  He looked toward that position, peeling back at the dense layers of water and air mana that comprised the storm and looking for some telltale sign that something was wrong.

  Then he saw it – just a faint glimmer of fire mana, seemingly suppressed by a heavy sheet of sapphire energy.

  Yet that didn’t look like normal rain. It was a patch of blue energy nearly a quarter-mile wide coming directly from the north and moving in a coordinated pattern.

  “Damn it,” Finn muttered, his brow furrowing.

  The shimmering barrier of water mana peeled away at the last moment, and the illusion dropped to reveal another massive pack of hounds barreling straight toward the mages’ flank. There was barely any time to react as the creatures launched themselves over the beetles that encircled the otherwise-unprotected mages stationed there. Claws and teeth ripped through their robes, blood sprayed the sands, and screams of pain added to the boom of thunder and the howling wind.

  “They’re butchering the earth mages,” Aerys said with a horrified expression. She whirled toward Finn. “You need to do something! Pull back the fighters to protect them!”

  “Just wait,” Finn grunted, his mouth pressed into a grim line.

  “If we wait, they’ll all be dead!” the Khamsin leader shouted back.

  “Things are not always as they seem,” Abbad murmured, his hand flicking at a display as he pulled up his raid menu and pivoted it toward Aerys. The icons for the mages were still glowing a vibrant green – indicating that they were alive.

  “How is that even—?”

  Aerys was cut off as the shimmering yellow barriers, the dark insects, and the bleeding earth mages abruptly disappeared. The illusion vanished, revealing only empty sand. In the same instant, glowing runes lit along the ground, shining with a brilliant sapphire energy so dense that Finn had to blink away the spots that were forming in his vision. Before the hounds could react, icy spikes launched from the ground, creating a field of jagged shards nearly a half-mile in diameter. Their fiery bodies were cut to ribbons in an instant, and their fire mana bled out into the ground, partially melting the dense ice.

  Silence descended upon their command group as everyone stared at their maps.

  The earth mages soon flickered into existence along the southern edge of the ice field. The illusions had faded as the water mages shifted their attention to activating their traps, the frozen ground now acting as a makeshift wall to prevent further surprise attacks from the north and helping to shelter the mages from the wind and rain.

  Finn could only hope that, somewhere, Bilel was screaming in rage, staring at the dead hounds that now littered the sands in horror.

  “We anticipated a surprise attack from our flanks – as well as the use of illusions,” Finn replied to the confusion in Aerys’ eyes. “As I said before, we’re not facing a normal man. Bilel has had centuries to study military strategy. The only way we’re going to win this war is to think three steps ahead.”

  “You could have simply told us the plan,” she growled, her hand drifting to her weapon.

  “You were told what you needed to know,” Finn bit back, his eyes flaring with anger. He didn’t need this – not right now. “Your responsibility was ensuring that your people were in position and ready to fight. And the bottom line is that we won this skirmish. Besides, we have more important matters to focus on right now.”

  Aerys visibly tamped down on her anger. “We will address this later then.”

  Finn just grunted noncommittally. If they managed to survive this, he would be more than happy to deal with a few hurt feelings. His eyes skimmed to the map that lingered beside him. The fighters and Khamsin had made short work of the hounds that had streamed out of the gate. The creatures’ bodies now littered the field in front of the city. Even more lay dead among the field of ice, with many of the hounds impaled by the spikes and suspended in midair.

  “We’ve lost 137 soldiers – primarily Khamsin and fighters. Our forces have killed roughly 36 hounds for every casualty,” Daniel chirped softly beside Finn’s ear. He winced. That was a proportionally large number of losses despite how many of the creatures they had slain. Bilel likely had many more hounds sheltered within Lahab’s walls.

  Finn’s gaze shifted to the dome that encircled the city. Apparently, the loss of the hounds had still had an effect. The fiery shield was flickering more erratically now, and it had become patchy, holes forming in the mana which let through the rain and wind. The fact that Bilel hadn’t released any more of the hounds was also telling. The demon had likely realized his own error.

  Finn could visualize what he must be thinking – the game board laid out before him. Bilel would turtle inside the city now, using the storm to help whittle down Finn’s forces and hoping the now-fragile shield encircling the city would be sufficient to stop them.

  The demon wasn’t wrong. The storm was growing in intensity, and the shimmering barrier of air above them was beginning to fluctuate and wane. Even the bulky bodies
of their mounts weren’t enough to block out the wind. As Finn looked on, more rain was making it past their barrier, spraying the soldiers lingering along the edges of the shield. They couldn’t survive out here for much longer.

  But the demon had underestimated Finn’s persistence… again.

  It was time for the next stage of their assault.

  Finn typed out one last message to Kyyle and Julia.

  “Alright, get ready to move!” Finn barked at the group around them. “We’re going to breach the city gates! Abbad, send orders to the other mage groups. Pull them up tight against our fighters, Khamsin, and Infernal Guard.”

  The former librarian didn’t bother to respond, casting over and over again as he sent instructions to the other air mages stationed throughout the army.

  Finn glanced at Kalisha. “Shift your mechanid scouts north and south along the walls. They should be hard to detect and able to weather the storm as it grows more violent. We need eyes on the other gates. I don’t want to be surprised by another group of hounds at our flank.” She frowned, but nodded, moving to follow his orders.

  A Khamsin soldier brought him his mount, placing his fist to his chest. Finn leapt up onto the beetle, the other members of their command group following his lead and staying well within the protective bubble of air mana. The other mage encampments around them were doing the same, the support forces preparing to ride.

  Finn’s eyes centered back on the city – past the mixture of Khamsin and fighters that were lined up across the sand, facing the gate that stood just behind that faded orange shield. This was it. They were all in now. And it was time to bring down that shield.

  “Knock, knock, asshole,” Finn grunted, his eyes flashing with a surge of fire mana.

  Chapter 40 - Breach

  Finn tugged at the wrap around his mouth and nose, pulling it loose and wringing out the water that soaked the cloth. Many more of the mages, fighters, and Khamsin around him were doing the same. They had gathered in front of the city’s northwestern gate, just inside the inner edge of the hurricane’s eye. Behind them, a wall of wind and water swirled.

  Lightning crackled through the air, striking the flickering orange dome that covered Lahab. Finn looked on silently as the mana fluctuated, hardening around the point of the strike before fading to a duller orange. The shield was waning. Without as many of the hounds funneling energy to that massive dome, it was slowly devolving into a patchwork of bright-orange panels, the energy flickering and flashing with each second that passed.

  And now it was time to take it out completely.

  “What’s the game plan here?” Julia grunted, jogging up to Finn. He could see Kyyle closing in as well, the rest of the command group gathering around.

  Finn spared a glance at his map, eyeing the clusters of multi-colored dots that denoted the different portions of their army. “First things first, we need to fortify this position.” His eyes flicked to Kyyle. “Kalisha has already sent mechanid scouts out into the storm, but I don’t want any surprises. Build us a rock wall to our rear, and then head back to me.”

  Kyyle gave a curt nod and promptly trotted off with Brock in tow, soon shouting orders at the cluster of earth mages that stood nearby. Within only moments, a massive earthen barrier was drifting up out of the sands, stretching into the air – putting a thick wall to their backs.

  That barrier would also sandwich the more vulnerable casters between the rock wall and the advance line of Khamsin, fighters, and Julia’s heavily armed troops. They needed to protect their mages. It was the casters that would be carrying these next few encounters – helping to counter whatever Bilel threw at them and protect their soldiers. Finn expected the demon was far from finished.

  Finn’s attention shifted back to Julia. “Your Infernal Guard will take the lead again. Line them up facing the gate and have your fire mages use this opportunity to regenerate their mana. They’re going to need to be topped off. Have the Khamsin and fighters flank you like before – that tactic worked well.”

  “Not going to do us much good with that shield still in place,” Julia replied, arching an eyebrow.

  “Don’t worry about that,” Finn said, a grim grin stretching his lips. “I plan to take care of the shield. Just be ready when it comes down.”

  “Got it,” she said, squeezing his hand before running to rejoin her heavily armed unit. The guard soon lined up in front of the flickering orange dome, the city’s sturdy stone gate looming just behind that veil of energy.

  Finn let out a sigh. He had barked orders with more confidence than he felt. An idea for how to take out that shield hovered at the edges of his mind – especially now that it had dwindled in power – but he expected the outcome was going to be… less than ideal. However, he had little choice. The energy coursing through the barrier was still far too great for Finn to absorb it himself.

  “I take it you will need my assistance with the shield,” Abbad said, his voice just barely carrying above the noise of the army, the howling wind, and the occasional boom of thunder.

  Finn met the librarian’s eyes, seeing an uncanny intelligence reflected there. It seemed that Abbad had already anticipated what he planned. “Yes. Line up your air mages at Kyyle’s wall, and station the water mages near them.”

  He tapped at his map, pinching and flicking until the display had shifted down into an isometric view. Another tap of his finger and he placed a yellow waypoint marker just to the west of the stone wall that was still creeping into the air at their backs. He shifted the map again, tilting it to the side. The marker hovered about thirty feet in the air, lingering above the stone wall that Kyyle’s mages were forming.

  “Have the water mages aimed at the waypoint marker,” Finn explained to Abbad. “That should be at the edge of their control range. The origin point needs to be within the storm and high enough above us to avoid the wall. I want them to seed that area with as much water and ice as possible. Wait sixty seconds, then have the air mages start channeling a gust of air toward the gate,” Finn explained.

  He spared a glance at the former librarian. “This isn’t a sustained current. I want a sudden and intense blast of air. Have them dump their mana as quickly as possible.” Abbad’s eyes widened at that statement.

  Then the librarian nodded, turning his attention to the nearby map. “And I’m sure you know that what you’re planning to do will have consequences…”

  Finn suppressed a grimace, closing his eyes. Yes. Yes, he was well aware.

  “What does he mean by consequences?” Aerys snapped from nearby.

  His eyes shot open, meeting the Khamsin leader’s demanding gaze. “We’re about to push a wall of wet, cold air and ice into the shield, using the storm to help bolster its strength. And it’s going to slam across the heads of our forces and strike a barrier formed entirely of fire mana. What do you think will happen?”

  Aerys just stared back, her brow furrowed and confusion shining in her eyes.

  “There isn’t time to debate,” Finn said, shaking his head. “You’re just going to have to trust me. This shouldn’t endanger our own people… much,” he added softly.

  “Make the call,” Finn ordered Abbad before Aerys could interject.

  They couldn’t afford to wait any longer. Bilel wouldn’t be content to just sit inside his city. The pieces were in play now, shifting across the gameboard. The demon had to know that they planned to breach his shield. And they couldn’t afford to give him time to retaliate or undermine Finn’s plan. From this point forward, they needed to keep up constant pressure and force the demon to take the defensive – to react instead of act.

  That’s how they would beat him at his own game.

  The librarian nodded, his fingers flashed, and he let out a whisper, speaking directly into the ear of every air and water mage on the field. The mages soon clustered along the western edge of the army, practically hugging the stone wall that now stretched from the sands. That barrier now towered nearly twenty feet above th
eir heads and protected them from the storm – allowing them to cast at the very edge of their control range, aiming for that telltale yellow waypoint marker.

  Finn just hoped it would be enough.

  “Sir, this plan…” Daniel whispered from his shoulder.

  A display flickered into existence beside Finn, showing a model of the projected current of cold, wet air that they were about to send rocketing into the fiery dome – the product of hundreds of mages acting in concert. The last time they had done something similar, they had accidentally created this massive hurricane. He closed his eyes to avoid seeing the result. He could already anticipate what was about to happen.

  “We have to take the risk,” Finn answered softly. “And the ensuing chaos will be both a blessing and a curse. The ambient mana should help obscure our movements inside the city and make it more difficult for Bilel to cast and direct the hounds.”

  “We’ll be walking into a hellscape…” the AI muttered.

  Finn winced but said nothing.

  That was a price he was willing to pay.

  “The mages are ready,” Abbad reported.

  Finn’s eyes flicked to his chat log. Kyyle had reported that the wall was complete, and he was having his mages focus on regenerating their mana. Julia had also reported in, letting Finn know her soldiers were standing ready.

  This was it. He just had to give the command.

  “Do it,” Finn ordered.

  Finn saw the surge of water mana long before he felt it, an enormous cloud of water and ice forming among the inner edge of the storm and growing in strength with each passing second. Many of the ice mages were freezing the rain that beat down upon the sands. Meanwhile, Kyyle was directing his earth mages to form a gravity well just below that mass of water and ice to keep it suspended above the top of the earthen wall.