Transcendence?

by Andur

  But their advance halts several times, as a few mages crumble under the onslaught of projectiles. It took them an hour to bring a group of magicians forward, which could finally create a barrier to withstand our attacks.

  Magical warfare changes the art of war completely. Everything adds up to who has the strongest barrier. Normal soldiers who advance without the protection of a mage are dead meat. For the moment we are pressuring them, so they can't counter-attack with offensive magic of their own.

  But this situation can't keep on forever. I am sure that they are currently chasing their mages to the front lines. Once they have gathered enough people to erect satisfying barriers, they will start to cast fireballs and other spells at us.

  Fireballs are the standard offensive spell among magic practitioners. But there are other possibilities, like mind magic. Something which can be countered only by my parents. I think that I could fend off a spell on myself, but I couldn't do anything to help anyone else.

  “I think it's time for us to blow up the first part of the road. It will slow their advance and it will be hard for the mages to keep up their barriers once they have to climb over rocks, instead of leisurely walking on a road.” Den mutters to himself.

  I smile at him. “I will leave that decision to you. I will go and take a look at how my parents are doing with their protection spell in the meantime.”

  Den nods and I turn to search for my parents. Probably they are in their tent.

  *BOOOM*

  An explosion shakes the ground and I take a look back. A huge fountain of debris erupted at our targeted spot. Den gave the command to blow one of the mana bombs, which made a sizeable piece of the road hard to pass. I don't pay it any heed and stroll forward.

  Arriving at the tent of my parents, I take a look inside and find them kneeling on the ground while working on a huge magical protection circle. “You are hard at work as I see.”

  “We may be able to ward us against mind magic, but there is no chance to stop them forever.” Idala whines while scribbling another set of runes with paint on the stony ground.

  “Like your mother said, the situation looks dire! We should start to think about retreat.” Arduin is sitting in the centre of the circle to handle the area protection spell.

  “How long do you think you can keep going? And where is Sera? Shouldn't she be here?” I look around.

  “She left with her two bodyguards to get something. We are a little occupied at the moment, so we couldn't stop her!” My mother has a few tears in her face while saying so. “Who in his right mind takes a child to a battlefield!”

  “~It's okay.~ I am back already.” I turn and see Sera with two guards. Both guards are carrying big glass crystals and some other junk. I think Ascathon uses them to supply his devices?

  What is she thinking? Running off alone through the camp? Even if she had the guards with her! “What are you thinking to run off like that? Your body is too weak in case something happens!” I rebuke her.

  “~Helping.~ Okay! You place four mana cores around the circle and connect them with the cables. And you help me to adjust the fifth one.” She starts to give orders to the guards.

  “What's that going to become?” I arch an eyebrow at Sera and the guards.

  Sera looks up while instructing the guard to cut open some wires around the fifth core and connecting cables to it. “~Just a little power boost for grandpa.~”

  “I already tried to use those things! It's impossible to handle such a complicated spell and draw mana at the same time!” My father snaps.

  “... That cable there and it's done. That's why I am adjusting them a little. For easy use. Good work. Now place it beside grandpa and be careful not to damage the circle.” She toddles after the guard, who follows her orders and leaves the circle afterwards.

  She pulls a set of needles from her pocket and attaches them to the five cables, which were freshly attached to the mana core.

  “Sera? Why do you know so much about Ascathon's machines.” I grind my teeth. This is bugging me a little! My daughter is becoming similar to her father! That's a no go!

  “~One year of sitting on his lap, three hours a day and watching him doing his work.~ I would be brain-dead if I hadn't learned at least some things.” She steps in front of Arduin who has a worried expression.

  “What do you intend to do with those needles!?” His voice became a little shrill.

  *Ziizzzllee*

  Sera tests two needles by holding them closer together and a blue arc of energy starts to dance between them. The tent is a little dim and the blue light creates an undesirable expression on my daughters face.

  “I am just combining daddy's technology with mom's medical knowledge about pressure points. Be brave! This will hurt. ~Just a little …~” And in the next second, she stabs a needle into each leg of my kneeling father.

  “OW! Why so deep!?” He winces in pain, but he can't move because he has to keep the magic going.

  Three more needles follow. Each close to the central nerves of the body. Then Sera faces the core and turns the power higher. “~How is it?~”

  Arduin forces a smile on his face. “Better, but I feel like a pincushion!”

  Sera raises her hands. “~Muahaha. It's cool to have a mad scientist and a witch as parents!~”

  … I have to do something about this child! …

  52 - A battle without resistance.

  Arcane Academy, Eastern Planes

  Jazira, The Immortal Empress

  “Advance my troops! The victory will be ours! ~Nyahahaha!~”

  “Please try to moderate yourself. The people will start to have strange thoughts.” Tjena rebukes me with a faint smile.

  I regain my composure and watch the Gate spewing out my warriors. Operation ~Sneak Attack~ was a full success! The plan was to use our access to the Academy's gate-network in order to relocate our troops directly into the Academy.

  Normally nobody would think of using a Gate to move armies. That's because you would have to leave everything behind which is bigger than a man. And Gates can be easily shut down if there is an enemy attack coming through them.

  Of course the Academy took precautions against such an invasion, but they didn't put me into the equation. According to our plan, I stepped through the Gate to the Academy and disabled the guards on the other side immediately with a barrier.

  Then my troops followed in rows of two while silently running through the Gate. Everyone was instructed to keep silent as long as possible.

  We are playing our ace in hope to conquer the institution which controls the most valuable military asset on this continent. “If this works out, the fight for world dominance should be almost over.”

  Tjena pulls a grimace. “What about this Ascathon? Don't you think that somebody who is able to play with the bodies of others like marionettes, is a serious danger.”

  “One thing at a time Tjena. Don't be so moody, he let you go after all. So we should at least be able to work out an agreement.” I cross my arms in front of my chest.

  “If you say so, it doesn't change the fact that I feel a little raped.” She looks down at her legs.

  “It was your own fault. And I even healed your legs for this campaign. You are lucky. I would have waited for them to heal on their own otherwise.” I turn and start walking towards one of my generals.

  “Her highness is wise and righteous.” Tjena's voice is a little sarcastic, but I forgive her.

  The general of this campaign looks up as I approach him. “My Empress?”

  “I think we have enough people on this side of the Gate. Please continue the offensive in a more aggressive manner. It would be bad if we were caught on the wrong foot.” I want to be at the vital spots of the city before anyone has an idea that we are attacking.

  “The objectives haven't changed?” The general asks.

  I nod. “The most important targets are the headquarters of the Inquisition and the capture of Headmaster Sagittarius … ~alive~.�
�

  The general nods and starts to give orders to his men.

  I smile at Tjena and start walking down the street, while placing my hands behind my back. “It should be easy to capture Sagittarius. He is surely sleeping safe and sound in his bed.”

  “There is still the question why you want him alive?” Tjena makes a point.

  “Aaah. This old story. You see, about two hundred years ago … don't look at me like that, I know that you weren't born by that time … I infiltrated the Academy. To get access to their Gates. I spent about thirty years here.” I muse about the past for a second and continue.

  “During that time Sagittarius courted me. ~Ah, he was so nice!~ He was in the prime of his time and I will never forget that bashful smile on his face.” I place a hand on each cheek and smile. Then my sight falls on Tjena, who looks shocked.

  “You had an affair with the enemy!” She calls out and looks around fast. Seems like nobody heard her.

  “Well. It lasted as long as it lasted. And he wasn't the headmaster of the Academy at that time. We parted when he found out about my true identity. I had to depart suddenly. Of course they tried to find out what I did here during those thirty years. But I guess they wouldn't know about everything I found out or did, even if they had kept proper records.”

  *VROOOOM*

  Suddenly a pillar of fire erupts a few buildings down the street. It climbs a hundred metres up into the sky before finally dispersing. I snap my fingers. “Aw. Damn! They woke Sagittarius up! I told them to be as silent as possible.”

  Tjena's eyes widen at the view in front of us. “I have never seen such a huge fire tornado spell!”

  This awakens old memories. “~Ahahaha.~ The good old Sagittarius. That's like I know him! You can go and deal with some small fry Tjena. I will take care of Sagittarius.”

  I invoke a levitation spell before Tjena has a chance to answer and jump. The spell transforms my light jump into a long parabolic flight. The end of my jump places me perfectly on Sagittarius's estate.

  The old man is standing between the remains of his house and a few of my soldiers are lying here and there in all sorts of positions. Sagittarius is wearing a fluffy nightgown and has a jelly bag cap on his head. “I see, you are still wearing that tawdry stuff to sleep. It amazes me that it didn't disperse to dust during the years …”

  He turns around and looks at me. “YOU!”

  “~Yes!~ I personally came to greet you! And I brought my army too.” I clap my hands while walking closer.

  “I see that! Stop wreaking havoc in my city!” He screams at me and starts to search through the rubble.

  “But the one who created this destruction was you. My men have orders to bring you quietly to me. I am trying to do this as peacefully as possible.”

  He pulls his cane out of a pile of bricks and wood. “I don't care! Stay on your own continent! Why do you have to bother my peaceful life as the headmaster!”

  The sounds of explosions start to erupt around us as the fight for the city starts. My army was well instructed to strike at everything that could organize a mentionable defence. “You became even grumpier since our last time. Waking you up from your sleep was never a good idea.”

  “I have a right to be angry!” He thrusts a hand at me and a shower of icicles shoots in my direction.

  A wave of my hand melts the icicles away like they never existed. Then I am suddenly lifted from the ground by an invisible force and slammed into the remains of a close wall. The wall breaks down on top of me and I am buried under rubble. No harm done. I formed a barrier about one centimetre above my skin.

  I will let him vent his anger until he is tired. The bricks are easy to shove aside because the pile above me isn't very high.

  Sagittarius assists me by blowing everything away with an air fist spell. I cling to the ground in order to not share the same fate. “You are overdoing it a little old man!”

  “I am overdoing nothing! I doubt that I even scratched you until now!” He strikes his hand towards the ground and I feel like the gravity just increased tenfold as I am pressed to the ground!

  “How do you like that!? I designed this spell especially to bypass the barrier defence of an immortal.” He starts grinning.

  Okay. I think I may not be able to keep taking all the hits. “Sagittarius … you are making me mad. Do you really think that this much could hold me down?”

  I release my power and a wave of pure mana erupts from my body, blowing Sagittarius and the last remains of his house away. After getting up, I follow the old archmage.

  “Sagittarius? Where are you hiding? I am sure you aren't defeated just because I showed you my whole glory.” I skip a little while walking into the darkness of the night. Away from the lights on the street.

  “Sagittarius?” Did I blow him too far? It would be a pain to search for him. The sounds of battle are drawing closer while I look around and I see some frightened civilians running on the street.

  Then the night is torn apart by arcs of lightning. I find Sagittarius standing about ten metres to my side while throwing thunder bolts at me. But all of them bend shortly before reaching me. The air is reeking of ozone.

  “~Hahaha.~ Such a basic mistake. You got the wrong polarity on your spell.” I point a finger at Sagittarius. “Please don't die, it's hard to control this.”

  A flash of white light tears through Sagittarius and destroys a few buildings behind him. I am actually quite happy with the collateral damage. I managed to cast the spell without obliterating a huge part of the city.

  But Sagittarius' body simply vanishes. I look around to find out what happened.

  “That was just a distraction!” A voice comes from directly behind me and a lightning strike hits my position, directly from the sky.

  My shield wavers a little, but it's fine. I sigh. “It's okay. You have proven that you are strong.” I wave my hand and the image of Sagittarius disperses.

  “You shouldn't fight it Sagittarius. It's actually very hard for me to control my power. So it would be nice if you don't push me over the edge and I end up ~obliterating~ your city.”

  “It's infuriating to be defeated by someone like you! You have no control over your magic! You just use raw power and that's it!” Sagittarius appears three metres in front of me.

  “~You are too harsh!~ My barrier is very good! And I am handicapped by my mana pool. In order to cast a neat little spell like you, I need to manage to pick up a grain of sand on a beach between two fingers. And that without picking up any other grains with it.” I wriggle my body a little.

  “Urgh. I give up. Not even my gravity magic worked.” Sagittarius sits down on the ground while the sounds of battle around us are getting quieter.

  Suddenly Tjena appears beside me and kneels down. “My Empress, the city fell with almost no resistance! We are busy with cleaning up the last defenders.”

  “Already!?” I call out in amazement.

  “We found almost no military personnel here. There were just a few at the headquarters of the Inquisition.” Tjena answers.

  I look towards Sagittarius, who looks grumpily to the ground. Then he starts to mumble. “That stupid Norent Grant took almost all of our experienced forces to assist the campaign against Sarn. I warned him! But he paid no heed. Babbled something about the will of the gods and that Phenex wouldn't be able to attack anyway!”

  It takes me a second to think about the implications.

  “~Good for us.~”

  “Bad for Sarn!”

  53 - Free fall.

  Norfolk, Sarn-Valley, Southern Col

  Ascathon

  It took us a little longer than expected to defeat the enemy fleet, but we haven't lost a single ship in return. Three of our ships are badly damaged, but they are still able to drop their mana bombs on the enemy.

  The fleet from the Nation of Mist gave up and turned to sail home when we had reduced their numbers to eight ships. Or the reason was that we destroyed their command vessel. P
robably we did them a favour by eliminating that slimy rat of a Sky General.

  I didn't bother to hunt them down and set our course back to Sarn. Right now I am looking down on the ground to identify some landmarks. It's a good feeling to have solid ground under my ship. At least we won't drown in case of a crash-landing.

  The mountain in front of us should be the right one. We just have to circle around it to get our first view on the southern pass-road.

  “Sir! We established a connection with the defenders of the Southern Col.” An officer calls for me from the bridge. I nod and head back inside.

  [….chrr... are under heavy attack!]

  One of the younger officers is trying to adjust the communication device to get a better signal. He is doing what the handbook says, but it's clear to me that he has no feeling for the device.

  “I will do that.” I inform him and he steps aside. A few quick adjustments on the regulator solve the problem and I press the button for sending.

  “Den, is that you? We are close, you don't have to hold out for long.”

  [Good to hear from you. We will hold, but the problem isn't us. Our scouts found out that the enemy has a group of about five thousand soldiers trying to bypass us. They are on their way to one of the Eastern Cols.]

  I purse my lips and press the button again. “That's no problem. We will split the fleet to go after them.” Then I take a look at the captain who listened to my conversation.

  He turns to one of his officers. “Three undamaged ships. They have to follow the mountain-range further towards the Eastern Col.”

  [It would be nice if you came sooner than later. Apparently the mages of the Inquisition are also here. They are protecting the foot soldiers from Mislow with barriers while they attempt to overrun us. We already stopped two attempts, but our ammunition for the railguns is running out!]

  I smirk. “Then you have to return to old, proved methods and slay them by hand!”

  [ … As you command. Wouldn't be bad to reduce their numbers tho … ]