The rumblings of the catapult’s wheels and massive frames created an echo across the countryside and many stopped talking in mid-conversation, curious as to what was the cause. Eventually, the entire student body became frozen in fear.
“Who’s the best we’ve got?” Remi asked as the small army approached.
“Me,” Olivia said. “And to be honest, I’m sure that’s enough.”
There were a dozen Langorans, but the army was mostly made of Cimmerians hidden under massive armor. There were hundreds of them, and at least a dozen catapults, each of them carrying a boulder that was as big as six people. There was also a separate compartment underneath each raised catapult, where more boulders were stored.
“The Langorans have to go first!” Olivia shouted. “They’ve got to be the ones loading the catapults.”
“I didn’t think it would come to this,” Kace whispered. Remi looked at him and saw his face turning pale. She knew he wasn’t ready for this. Few of them had been prepared, and she wasn’t sure if she was included in that number.
“Of course James leaves now,” a student muttered and Olivia turned around to slap him across the face. The student yelped and grabbed his cheek.
“It doesn’t matter,” Olivia snapped at him. “What if James and the others were dead?! We’d still have to handle this ourselves. Now stop whining and tell everyone to prepare for war. Someone needs to head to Cirrus and tell the King’s officials of what’s happening here.”
Before a number of hands could go up she chose someone and the chosen one left the walkway happily, heading straight for the western tower.
“You can’t keep us here,” another student replied. “We’re leaving.”
“You can’t be serious!” Remi exclaimed as she glanced over at Kace. She knew he was on the verge of losing it.
“This isn’t our fight,” Berto shouted from within the slowly dispersing crowd. “We didn’t sign up for this.”
“Then what did you sign up for?!” Olivia shouted. “Cowards! I thought we were Sages!”
“We already died once,” Berto said. “I’m not going through that again. Kace, are you coming?”
Kace’s lips quivered as they stammered over a reply, but in the end, his eyes fell upon Remi. He shook his head. “I’m not,” he said to Remi. “I’m staying right here with you.”
She couldn’t lie. She wanted to kiss him in that moment.
“I’m sorry,” Berto cried out as he began taking his place in the crowd, all of them scurrying for the exit.
“I could kill them all,” Olivia muttered. “If I had the time and energy to spare.”
“COVER!” someone shouted, and the first boulder crashed through the west tower, taking several escaping students with it. The Academy sounded like it exploded as another boulder hit the west tower right after the first, sending the platform leading to the ground into a spiral.
“That’s not good,” Kace said, wiping the sweat from his face. “If we lose the east tower’s exit platform, we won’t be able to leave.”
“They want us to head for the exits,” Olivia said. “But it’s not like we can just wait here until they run out of boulders either…what I wouldn’t give for a manifestation right about now.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Remi asked as a third boulder whizzed over their heads. The Sage Academy had nothing they could fire back with and the Cimmerians knew it.
“They’re coming!” a student screamed as a dozen Cimmerians crawled into one of the catapults and were subsequently launched toward the Academy. As they neared, they released grappling hooks from their hands and lodged them into the sides of the wall, using the momentum to swing themselves back toward the Sage Academy’s floating walls. They landed on the walkways and unsheathed their swords, ready to slay as many Sages as possible.
“Watch out!” Olivia shouted, but her warning was muffled by the sound of another boulder hitting the walkway behind her. It had only hit the bottom half, but it was enough to knock her off her feet.
The students not paying attention didn’t even see two Cimmerians land on top of a couple of their comrades and began slashing at the crowd. Since so many were trying to make it to the exit, it was difficult to get out of the way of their enemies’ blades.
“Spread out!” Remi shouted as she tried to work her way through the crowd to get to the Cimmerians. Other waves were coming by the second, landing on all points of the walkway. The Cimmerians weren’t that tough, but because they were so condensed, there was little room for the young Sages to swing their eidolons and vanquish their foes.
“Remi, watch out!” Kace shouted as he leapt onto a Cimmerian that had landed behind her. She ducked and narrowly dodged a swing at her head. She kicked at the Cimmerian’s shielded legs but he didn’t budge. The Cimmerian lifted his arms and tried to grab Kace, but Kace was relentless. He ripped the helmet off of the guard’s head and then took one of the scythes sticking out of his forearm and plunged it into the Cimmerian’s neck, killing him instantly.
The guard fell onto his stomach and Kace rolled off, ready to take on the next attacker, but he didn’t get a chance. A large boulder plowed into his legs and subsequently the floor underneath his feet, sending him crashing to the meadow below with the debris.
Remi screamed in rage as the Academy groaned over the uneven structure, but somehow it was still maintaining its place in the air.
Remi ran to the side of the walkway and looked over, trying to see where Kace landed, but she couldn’t see much with the Academy still crumbling apart underneath, causing a cloud of smoke and soot to fly up in her face. She coughed and bumped into a Cimmerian that had just finished stabbing another student. She took out her eidolon and sliced right through him. More Cimmerians were leaping onto the walkway and there wasn’t enough room to continue such a battle.
Yet the students were fighting back. Seeing that there was no escape but through their enemy, they began unsheathing their eidolons and giving it all they had. Remi still didn’t know how they were going to take down the catapults though, and it was only a matter of time before they took out the Academy completely.
“We have to retreat,” Remi shouted to Olivia. “Or we’re going to be hit too!”
“Head to the east tower!” she shouted as she clashed blades with another Cimmerian. “Spread the word along. That’s where we’re headed!”
“What’s happening here?” Eckard groaned, showing up completely naked.
“What happened to you?” Olivia shouted and he covered his privates with his hands.
“Someone stole my bathrobe.”
“Well, at least grab a weapon, you fool!”
“STOP!” a gruff voice bellowed, piercing through the battlefield. Many stopped fighting on both sides, and they all looked up toward the east tower where a gigantic, muscular man in ripped shorts and large boots stood. Standing on the top of the tower with his massive bare chest glistening in the sun, he glanced down at all of them with contempt.
“There will be no more boulders thrown for now,” he declared. “But only if Remi comes with us.”
“I’m what you want?” she shouted, pushing a student aside. “That’s why you’re here?”
“No,” he said. “We are here to take down the Academy, but retrieving you is a most exhilarating bonus. Still, there doesn’t have to be as much bloodshed if you quietly surrender.”
“I can’t believe that you would just leave us all alive.”
“You will have to trust me.”
“Never!” Olivia shouted. “We’re going to see this through to the end!”
“Then we will force you to surrender.” He reached behind his back and produced a folded sword. He stretched his hand out to the right and it snapped outward. As he began breathing heavily, the sword began to glow a bright red and expand in size until it was as large as one of his arms. “This is no ordinary sword,” he roared. “And you will soon find out why.”
“Can you please put pants
on?” Olivia whispered to Eckard. “I can’t concentrate while you’re standing around like that.”
The giant Cimmerian pointed the sword directly at the center of the walkway and suddenly a beam of energy shot out from the tip, nearly obliterating the ground beneath them and causing a giant hole to appear. Remi pushed Olivia out of the way as Eckard shrieked in horror.
“Move!” Olivia shouted, pushing Remi back. “We have to get to that tower!”
“How?” Eckard gasped, looking up at the monster above them, already warming up his sword and beginning to summon another beam to take them all out. Remi glanced back at where the last energy beam had hit. Though the Academy was still standing, there was a great expanse between the two towers and there were still Cimmerians being catapulted onto the walkway. The students were losing quickly and retreat was the only option she could foresee. But still…
“You guys go,” Remi said as the second energy beam fired off behind them, killing both Sage and Cimmerian in its path. “I’ll handle him.”
“He can’t have you,” Olivia replied. “You know that. You sure you can beat him?”
“I don’t know about beating him,” she said honestly, “but I can certainly distract him.”
“If that’s what you’re up to then I want to try something myself.”
“We don’t have time to break down a plan,” Remi said, ducking just as a Cimmerian tried to tackle her from behind. Olivia punched him in the face and then threw him over the edge of the walkway. “And I don’t…I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
“That sword has to be one of the Sorcerer’s weapons that they made for Cimmerian,” Olivia replied, shutting up Remi completely.
“You mean…”
“Yes. If we can take it, then we can find another one of the weapons in human form. That’s how they found you.”
“I can try,” Remi said, but Olivia shook her head.
“Not by yourself. The Academy is already lost…but that doesn’t mean the whole day has to suck.”
“Your lead,” Remi replied, in awe over how Olivia had figured out a way for them to get retribution. Though she still wasn’t sure if she could trust her, she couldn’t deny that she was a great ally to have around.
“Eckard, please get the heck out of here,” Olivia groaned. She didn’t need to tell him twice. He began running for the East tower just as the monster above them watched him with raised eyebrows. It must have been a sight to see a naked Sage running around the battlefield.
“Over here!” Olivia shouted as she ran toward the east tower and leapt diagonally to the right. To Remi’s surprise, she began running up the wall straight for their enemy. Remi was frozen in curiosity as she watched and soon she realized how Olivia was able to accomplish such a feat. She was literally heating up her boots to the point of melting, and they were sticking to the stone wall so tight that she was able to stay upright for a half second. If Olivia lost her momentum at all, she would fall to her death.
And yet, she took the risk. She ignored the dangers in order to engage her enemy for the greater good. Where was the unsure and terrified girl from a few months ago?
Olivia reached the top of the tower and rolled onto her side as her enemy brought the red sword down upon her. Olivia blocked the bow with a red sword of her own, glowing hot from the energy she infused within it. She grit her teeth and shot her head to the side, looking over at Remi who was still standing in place.
Remi woke up and began running forward, confused by Olivia’s strange gesture.
She trusted me, she thought to herself. She put herself in danger with the hopes that I would assist. She couldn’t know for sure what I would do…or if I would leave her to fend for herself.
Remi leapt up to the tower and high over the head of their enemy, ready to bring down her eidolon onto his head. Their enemy grunted and stepped back, removing the weight of his blade from Olivia’s sword. Olivia jumped up to her feet as Remi landed gracefully, allowing her white Sage robes to envelop her.
“Come with me,” he said.
Remi scoffed at his request. “And live a life of experimentation and bondage? No thank you.”
“You misunderstand. None of that will happen. If you join Cimmerian willingly, you will be treated like a queen. With your assistance, we can overthrow the evils of Paragon. You are not an object to us.”
“Neither am I to Paragon,” she said.
“How can you say that? Have your really fallen for such lies? Think about it. How are you regarded? Why are you protected? It’s only because of the value you give them in the future, not because of who you are. We came here to destroy the Sage Academy not you. We didn’t even know you were here. But now you are free to choose your fate.”
“All those students you killed…you think we’ll just let that go?”
“They were casualties of war, and there will be many more. Once Paragon decides to counterattack, that’s when the real battle will begin.”
“It’s like you want that,” Olivia said. “Why goad them?” She glanced behind her for a second to look at the battlefield on the walkway below. It appeared to be at an impasse for now. Both Sage and Cimmerian were exhausted, and listening to the dialogue above as they waited for the next bout.
“If only you know the truth,” he said, smiling wide. His white small fangs shining in the sunlight. “Come with me, and you will learn of it.”
“No,” Remi said, shaking her head. “I won’t consort with murderers.”
“So sad,” he sighed as he grit his teeth and lunged forward. His red sword was glowing so bright, it nearly blinded her and Olivia. Remi ran forward and slid under his legs, extending her eidolon upwards. He leapt out of the way of her attack but the eidolon still managed to nick his inner thigh. Olivia swung at his arm and he flipped the sword around to block her attempt, using his massive strength to push her backwards. She nearly stumbled off the edge of the roof.
“Got you!” Remi yelled as she jumped on top of the man’s shoulders and grab his eyes with both hands, pulling at his neck and forcing him to crane his head back—precious seconds needed for Olivia to recover and retaliate. But to Remi’s shock, she didn’t try to attack their foe. Instead she ran straight into the enemy’s blade, forcing it into her right side.
Remi’s eyes widened as Olivia took another step forward, jamming the blade even further in. Olivia then groaned as she raised her sword high, infusing it with as much heat as possible. It grew so hot that her hands began to sizzle around the hilt but she felt no pain from it. The sword in her side was more than sufficient.
Olivia brought her blade down and cut the enemy’s red sword in half, causing her to stumble once more. But this time, she couldn’t regain her balance in time. She fell backwards off the roof, tumbling down to the walkway below. But Remi couldn’t see if she was okay. Her enemy had regained his composure and had now reached up to grab her shoulders. He pulled her off of him and held her in front of him while she squirmed upside down.
Remi tried to rip herself from his grip but she couldn’t pour any of her energy into her arms, even though she still had a substantial supply. She couldn’t even summon an eidolon from them.
An idea popped into her head and she got ready to summon an eidolon from her legs when her captor launched her off of the Sage Academy entirely. Seconds later, all that was around her was sky.
It was the most terrified she had ever been in her life.
Because almost instantly, she felt death wrap its frostbitten fingers around her throat.
There was nothing but the wind roaring past her ears. She couldn’t smell anything. She couldn’t regain her balance as she flailed her arms, and she could barely see a thing. There were only blocks and blots of colors. Greens and browns and dots of blues and yellows from the flowers below. They were getting clearer as she approached the ground, but that only made her mind shriek even more on the inside. The end was near, and there was no one coming to save her. She couldn’t even hear the fig
hting above her anymore.
But then again…why did she need someone to save her?
When did she ever need saving?
I have to do this myself! Her mind screamed as she kicked her legs and waved her arms, trying her best to slow her descent. It helped a little, but not enough to matter. Remi groaned and thought frantically. How was she going to get out of this? She couldn’t manifest. Her eidolon might help but by how much? She could extend it. Would that work?
Remi summoned her eidolon out of her shoulder and reached out to grab it with her right hand but missed. She performed the action again and retrieved it. Trying to fight against the relative tornado around her, she put the hilt to her stomach and willed the blade to extend but it didn’t do a thing.
“No,” she whispered, remembering that what she summoned was what she got unless she put it up against her natural skin and infused more power within it. She grunted in frustration and put the eidolon up against her leg, pouring enough energy into it to cause it to grow out to several yards in length. It might work, but it was still going to hurt.
She put the hilt back to her stomach and made sure the eidolon was under her. A few seconds passed and the tip of the blade slammed into the ground below, and subsequently, the hilt jammed into her stomach. The wind was knocked out of her as she rolled off of it, falling toward the ground with her back facing the grass. Her eyes barely fluttered as she forced herself to roll over in the air and then extend her left arm out.
Her fingers shattered against the ground on impact, and the shockwave reverberated throughout her entire body. Feeling as if it was all in slow motion, her arm was crushed until her face and the rest of her body finally made contact. Her face slammed into the dirt and bounced. It felt like her skin had broken open and her body was still in shock. She dared not to try to move it.
But she was alive. She breathed heavily into the clumps of grass tickling her eyes and scratching against her cheeks. Now that the shock of the situation was over, the pain was beginning to arrive. Her legs and right arm were fine as far as she could tell, but she feared for her body internally. Her sickness had seemed to all but disappear since she arrived in Paragon but that didn’t mean it was gone. Dormant and waiting for the opportunity to flare back up, she feared that it would overtake her at this very moment, when there was nothing she could do to fight it back.
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