Metal Mage 13

by Eric Vall

  Pindor even explained the deteriorative nature of the Master’s rune and how this would affect his minions, and he gave explicit details about how to recognize the easier kills right off the bat. Then he strongly cautioned the knights against pursuing any mages alone, and he advised cornering them with no less than five men instead. This way, they’d likely overuse their magic trying to take out more than one opponent at once, and while he explained the most common attacks each type of mage would use against us, he gave the knights pointers on how to continue fighting while working to incapacitate the mage and take them down.

  I was grinning with pride as he moved on to the fighting styles of possessed elves, and I eyed the strict attention he had from his audience as I headed along the field again.

  Then I came to the furthest tent, and I ducked inside to find myself staring at a pair of perfectly honed and leather-clad legs.

  Cayla was bent over a map while Captain Huntley discussed a few tactics her army had been practicing, and a man from the Knights of Rainard was with them, while one elf stood slightly apart. The princess had two AR-15s strapped to her back while she propped one hand on her slender waist, and as I admired the flawless tuck and curve of her frame, it took everything I had not to grab her ass in both hands while I strolled up behind her.

  Then she glanced over and saw me, though, and the woman didn’t hesitate to jump into my arms and delve her tongue into my mouth.

  I stumbled back while I chuckled against her lips, and when she finally released me, her blue eyes raked over my armor as her cheeks turned pink.

  “Missed you, too,” I said with a grin.

  “You did not tell me you’d look this fantastic when you showed up,” the princess informed me. “How am I supposed to focus on blood when you’re all armored and covered in magazines and… gods, is that a rifle?”

  “Yep,” I chuckled. “Stan thought I could use one.”

  “I think you could use two,” Cayla purred.

  “I don’t know how,” I snorted. “As sexy as you are with two, have you considered the difficulty of reloads?”

  “Of course, I have,” the princess scoffed. “Watch.”

  Cayla gestured for the others to stand back a bit as she brought her rifles around, and she cracked a cocky grin when she had one in each hand. Then the princess sent one rifle swinging behind her back as she loaded a magazine in the blink of an eye, and by the time the rifle swung back around, she sent the other back as she reloaded the next. In seconds flat, she had two loaded rifles in hand, and the tent was silent while the captains and I just stared.

  “What do you think?” Cayla asked. “Fast enough?”

  The elven warrior looked deeply concerned as he stepped back a few paces.

  “Uh… ” I finally muttered, and I commanded myself not to get hard even though that was probably one of the sexiest things I’d ever seen the princess do. “We should … we should look at the map. And talk about a lot of other things that aren’t about how amazing that was.”

  “If you insist,” Cayla purred, and I gave a desperate nod as I dragged my eyes off her.

  Then I gruffly cleared my throat. “Where are we at?”

  “This is General Ralot of the Knights of Rainard,” Captain Huntley chuckled and gestured to the knight beside him. “He knows this area from a few battles over the years.”

  “Good to meet you,” I said as I shook the man’s hand.

  General Ralot was clearly a seasoned knight who must have been nearing his fifties, and his gray hair had a bluish tinge to it as he wore it in a tight knot at the back of his head. His eyes were so dark they looked black in this light, and his grip was calloused in my own from years of wielding a sword.

  “An honor to meet you, Defender Flynt,” General Ralot replied. “I was just recommending we avoid allowing the Master’s forces to reach the tree line since these woods have dense undergrowth with plenty of caves and ridges to use for cover. We’ll hang back from the markings you located at the center of the field, but there are a couple cellars left in the ruins of the field that are easily accessible as well. General Balmier offered to take a post on the old windmill for us, but I don’t believe she’d be safe--”

  “I’ll be just fine,” Cayla assured the general. “I can do more damage from a higher vantage point, and I’m not concerned about being found up there. The more attention I draw, the easier it’ll be for me to chip away at his numbers.”

  “Hold on,” I injected, “where are the cellars accessible from?”

  “The back side of the mill,” General Ralot answered.

  “And you’re certain the structure is sound?” I checked.

  “Yes, we’ve used both cellars as campsites in the past,” Ralot replied. “They’re large enough to house about fifty people each, though, and if the Master’s soldiers should hide out in there, General Balmier could be ambushed.”

  I grinned as Cayla rolled her eyes. “To be honest, there’s no chance that many soldiers would slip under her radar, but the cellars could be of use to us. We need a concealed area for our healer to tend to the wounded.”

  “Our men usually use the tents,” the general said as his dark gray eyebrows knitted together.

  “These tents will draw our enemies straight to them,” I told the man. “I don’t want to take that risk. With the cellars being below ground, and the entrance on the tree side, they’ll be less likely to draw as much attention.”

  “That would work well,” Cayla agreed. “I can make sure Shoshanne is able to do her work without anyone getting to her.”

  “I know you can,” I chuckled. “Plus, the injured troops will have a better chance at making it to her with you covering them from the mill. They can wait it out down there as well if Shoshanne’s at another tunnel.”

  General Ralot scruffed his beard as he considered this. “It’s rarely wise to put that many lives in the hands of one soldier.”

  “I would agree under most circumstances,” Captain Huntley admitted, “but you haven’t seen General Balmier use those weapons of hers yet. In this case, I think it’s best we leave as many lives in her hands as possible.”

  I was about to respond when the elven warrior from House Quyn stepped forward, and he addressed me without hostility as he spoke in a thick Elvish accent.

  “Miss Shoshanne is the healer you brought to Nalnora?” the elf asked.

  “Yes, and she has a healing staff Qiran bestowed on her,” I replied. “She’ll be coming and going throughout the attacks.”

  “This is a good plan,” the elf decided. “If my men need only to make it to these cellars, they will be able to recover quickly and continue their fight. Miss Shoshanne’s abilities are unparalleled, and I can vouch for the General’s skills from the battle at House Quyn. She used another weapon then, but she is highly effective.”

  “Thank you,” Cayla said as she lightly bowed her head.

  General Ralot nodded. “If you’re certain, then let’s arrange for the supplies to be transported to the cellars. I’ll let my men know to leave very few tents up.”

  “What about securing the old mill?” Captain Huntley asked. “Aren’t there mages who can alter stone?”

  “Defender Allen is a skilled Terra Mage,” I replied. “I’ll speak with him before I leave about maintaining the structure, but I’ll head over there now to check on the stability of the cellars in case they need reinforcing. One thing I wanted to mention, though, is the risk of your troops being branded during battle. I know the majority are heavily armored, but you should be wary of the mages who wield fire. The Master has been using them to heat his branding irons, and it only takes a few seconds of contact for the rune to effectively overpower the wearer, no matter where it’s placed.”

  General Ralot’s expression darkened, and the weathered lines of his face gathered into a soldier’s scowl.

  “I’ll alert my men,” the general growled. “These fire mages will be the first we take out.”

  “You’l
l have to beat me to them,” Cayla coolly informed the general, and as he chuckled with approval, I caught a competitive glint in his black eyes.

  “I’ll leave you all to your work,” I said with a smirk, and I shook hands with the three men before I left the tent with Cayla.

  “Could you help me move all my ammunition to the mill before you go?” the princess asked.

  “Sure thing,” I said as I glanced around the field. “It looks like Pindor’s really stepping up.”

  “He’s doing great,” Cayla assured me. “The moment we got off the train, he stopped moping and got to work. He reminds me a bit of you when he’s addressing a troop.”

  “I hope he’s not still pissed at me over that Mina situation,” I snorted.

  “I don’t think he is,” the princess said with a shrug. “He just cares a lot about her, but I’m on his side this time. Especially after Mina snuck onto our train and tried to set him on fire twice during the trip down.”

  My head whipped to the side. “She what?”

  “I know,” the princess muttered. “She was supposed to be stationed in Orebane with Aurora. I’ve been trying to track her down, but I haven’t had any luck. She’s sneaky for an Ignis Mage.”

  “Godsdamnit,” I sighed as we neared the ruins. “She can’t go against orders just because she’s pissed at her boyfriend. That’s taking things too far, and we have enough to focus on without some stalker Ignis Mage lighting my best Defenders on fire.”

  Cayla giggled as I headed beneath an old archway to check out the cellar, and I summoned my powers while I scanned the walls and ceiling for any weak points. It was structurally sound despite how rundown the place looked, though, and the next cellar over even had a table along one wall. I altered it a bit to move it to the height Shoshanne usually worked at, and after I carved out a large basin in two corners, I returned to higher ground so I could check on the mill next.

  The interior steps were mostly crumbled away, but once I restored them and climbed to the top, I could see the whole field from this vantage point, and since the old blades were completely tattered, nothing would obstruct Cayla’s aim.

  “This looks good,” I hollered down to Cayla. “Do you want me to raise the ledge so you have more cover?”

  “Yes, please!” Cayla called back. “My ammunition’s in the second tent over.”

  I nodded as I adjusted the crumbled ledge, and while I summoned the rockets, bazookas, magazines, and blades all up to the mill, I carefully arranged them along the circular walls for easy access.

  I was just finishing forming a small nook for daggers when I heard Cayla let out a furious curse, and a second later, someone screeched at the top of their lungs.

  “Slap me with that fire, and I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you ever do,” the princess growled, and my eyebrows shot up as I hurried down the steps.

  Then I found Mina cowering as Cayla kept her arm in a death grip, and I quickly joined them since the princess had a pistol in her other hand.

  “Woah… let’s put the gun down,” I suggested, but Cayla didn’t budge.

  “Mason, she tried to kill me!” Mina insisted.

  “You tried to set my best mage on fire,” I snorted. “Twice! And you’ve gone against direct orders, which is grounds for me to demote-- ”

  “Mason, I’ll handle this,” Cayla said icily, and she dragged the young mage around the edge of the ruins like a sack of laundry. “I’m going to make this simple for you, Mina. See that good-looking young man with the nice hair?”

  Mina nodded reluctantly as Cayla pointed to Pindor.

  “See the ninety armored knights hanging on his every word?” the princess continued, and this time, Mina’s nod was a little less snotty. “Those are the men Pindor will be leading for the rest of his life, and it says quite a lot that he’s rising to that challenge at the age of sixteen. The fact that those knights have been to more battles than he’s been alive for, and still consider him an adequate advisor for this mission says even more. Now, all of that considered, how mad are you really? Because I guarantee, if you keep behaving like this, Pindor will find himself another young lady just as kinky as you, but with a more endurable temper, to obsess over.”

  Mina flushed at the thought, and I kind of felt for her as her eyes brimmed with tears. Cayla really did know how to cut straight to the point, though, and I couldn’t deny, she’d hit on all the relevant ones pretty quickly.

  “But--” Mina tried, and Cayla shook her head in a way that made her look a lot like me.

  “Pindor could have told you about his title sooner, but he didn’t, probably because he was worried you’d think about him differently, and that was his decision to make,” the princess informed the mage. “Now, stop trying to stir up trouble in my platoon, or I will chain you to this mill, and you can just hope the Master’s minions don’t find you there before I let you down.”

  “Y-Yes, Your Highn--I mean, General!” Mina stammered. “I-I’ll be fine. I’m fine. Pindor’s good.”

  “Pindor’s great,” Cayla corrected.

  “Great,” Mina agreed. “He’s amazing, and wonderful, and totally allowed to share things with me when he feels ready.”

  “Good girl,” the princess replied.

  Then she pointed to the tents, and Mina scurried away without risking another glance back.

  “Damn,” I chuckled. “You settled that better than I ever could have. Pindor probably won’t have any trouble from Mina for the rest of their lives.”

  “We better not have any daughters,” Cayla muttered. “Girls are exhausting.”

  “I don’t know, I think you could handle it,” I teased as I pulled her into my arms. “If they’re anything like you, it’ll be awesome.”

  “No,” the princess laughed. “I want mini Masons running around killing our enemies’ children. That I can handle.”

  I furrowed my brow. “Okay, that sounds dark and more exhausting.”

  Cayla just shrugged without concern as I caught sight of Pindor heading over, and he was speaking with two knights from Rainard about a maneuver they’d used against a tribe of Zaeliks.

  The kid never made it to us, though, because Mina came sprinting out of a tent the second he passed, and she jumped into his arms so fast, he crashed to the ground with a heavy crunch of armor. The knights chuckled in approval as Mina desperately apologized and covered Pindor in about a hundred kisses, and then she started flat-out begging him to forgive her while he just groped her ass.

  “Those two are a hot mess,” Cayla muttered, and I sighed as I headed for Rammstein.

  “Do me a favor and talk to Pindor about manning this structure once Mina frees him,” I said. “I’ve gotta get up to Orebane, but we also need a Flumen Mage to fill the two cellar basins. Make sure they work it out so a fresh supply will keep cycling through. Then get Mina to line the walls with enough flames for Shoshanne to work by, and ask her to use the deeper red hue so the light doesn’t carry out through the entrance.”

  “Yes, sir,” Cayla purred as she watched me climb up onto Rammstein, and I caught her staring at my ass when I looked back down.

  “Focus on blood,” I reminded her.

  “Right!” the princess said as she blushed and looked away. “I’ll, uh… I’ll go do general stuff.”

  “That would be ideal,” I chuckled.

  “Good luck,” Cayla added, and her tone was softer than usual as she sent me a nervous smile.

  I winked. “Have fun up there.”

  Rammstein let out a metallic roar as he vaulted into the air, and I could hear the knights yelping as they whipped around like they were under attack. Cayla dutifully made her way to the tents as I gained altitude, and when I took a last look at the field, Mina still hadn’t let up on Pindor.

  I chuckled and shook my head as the metal dragon turned north, but then I furrowed my brow at what laid ahead of us.

  “Shit,” I muttered as I tightened my hold and braced myself.

  Only
an hour before, the skies had been clear in all directions, but dense black clouds had gathered over the peaks of the Draconis Mountains in too short a time.

  Even from this distance, I could tell a hell of a storm was brewing over in Orebane.

  Chapter 19

  Ice shards pelted my face as Rammstein barreled headlong into the clouds, and we were flying blind as sheets of snow and ice billowed around us.

  “Take us lower!” I hollered, and as the metal dragon dove, he rolled sideways to slip between two jagged peaks.

  We narrowly missed colliding with a perilous cliff as Rammstein tried to navigate through the storm, and his steel wings caught on the mountain’s edge to send an avalanche crashing into the abyss below us. Then we finally reached the end of a pass, and as the metal dragon soared out into the open, the winds came at us twice as strong off Rausch Loch.

  My pulse quickened as I squinted through the sheets of white for any signs of our troops, but the frozen lake and tundra was deserted for miles around. Then I realized this storm could have iced the tracks, and our troops may be barred from reaching the tunnels at all. So, I brought Rammstein back around as my eyes and lips began to freeze, and we flew against the wind while I summoned my Terra powers.

  Then I sent my magic through the mountainside and sifted along every ridge and valley wall, and just as Rammstein made to fly around the peak, I caught the presence of heavy footfalls.

  “Circle back!” I ordered as I feverishly scanned again.

  I followed the footfalls toward a larger group of ogres until I finally sensed a whole swarm of beings tucked behind the lowest ridges, and I steered Rammstein straight toward the ground as the winds picked up by another degree.

  Then the dragon bucked to avoid another collision, and we spiraled over the ridge to come in for a rocky landing on the other side.

  Snow sprayed up as Stan and I went flying, but the fresh snow caught our fall well enough. The little metal man was still clinging hard to the edge of my armor when I frantically checked on him, and then I hauled myself up out of the embankment as I listened for any signs of our army.