The sight of the men fighting his puppets was surprising for the dark mage. Two giant men stood head and shoulders above the men raised to fight for him. Their power was overwhelming, even for the dead who no longer worried over pulling muscles or getting injured.
Garosh was supposed to be dead. He had seen Kolban rip his magic from the man and leave him for dead. Lanquer had told them that he would take care of the giant, so that the emperor wouldn't have to kill someone who was like family to him.
"Door," Palose called the portal spell like a battle mage, but it wasn't near him or his puppets. The glowing doorway was large and set behind the giants and their soldiers backing them as they fought.
Out of the gate two armored viles were summoned by their master. He had left them on the battlefield knowing that they would barely fit through the many halls that they would need to go through to reach Kolban. Dwarfing the giants, the two monsters struck the rear of their line. Men were tossed aside and their cries distracted the giants in the center of the fray.
Gerid turned as if the weapons held by the puppets didn't matter. A blade cut into his arm and was ignored as he spotted the greater threat. Exchanging words with Garosh and those around him; the immortal pulled away revealing blood running down his arm from the wound. He roared his challenge as he rushed to battle the armored viles.
Thinking the man insane, since he didn't know that he was an immortal, Palose watched as the silver haired giant struck the first vile. The creature's armor held making the blade carom off of it uselessly, but the giant knew the sword well. His first attack failed but he slashed twice more before the vile could force him back.
Trapped between his forces, they had nowhere to go. Gerid stabbed the vile plunging the blade into the massive puppet. If Palose had been closer, he would have heard the snap of the blade as it caught in the folds between the thick armor plates of the monster's natural armor. Claws sunk into his shoulders, but the immortal took the remains of his sword and cut deeply into the right wrist of the vile nearly cutting it off in a single mighty blow.
The giant pulled away from the claws as the undead vile pulled back from the man's powerful attack. Then Gerid surprised those watching and the creature he was fighting. He rolled to the side having assessed the situation. Taking a second sword from a sheath on his back, the immortal plunged his new weapon upwards into the monster's armpit trying to cut his way through the shoulder. Back armor stopped the momentum and the giant withdrew the sword even as the monster's arm swung uselessly.
Showing amazing agility, Gerid took the creature's back stepping up its leg like a stair. The sword plunged into the neck severing the spinal cord with the mighty shove. Cut off from the rest of its body, the puppet vile collapsed as the magic had no connection between head and body.
The attack had been so quick, that the second armored vile had only attacked one of the smaller men that appeared to lack armor. One of the Grimnal's people from his island, the rune warrior did his best to dodge and used his defensive runes to keep him alive as the sharp, powerful claws struck him even so.
Surprised to see the first armored vile destroyed so quickly Palose reopened a gate against the wall. The second armored vile slipped through disappearing as a second gate cut off the puppets from the giants' and their men. Unable to break through the back of the portal, Palose reopened the doorway further down the hall. Cutting off the men between the two sides of the gates, the dark mage sent his puppets through followed by his wraiths.
Last to use his portal, the dark mage crossed to the other end of the hall. They were now closer to the emperor than these dangerous men. Palose left up the gates trapping the men for several minutes before dropping the barriers. Far away from their threat, Palose took out a handful of food and drink to resupply as he continued towards the throne room.
Sebastian summoned light to strike the dark cloud masking the emperor. He thought maybe it was the same magic which absorbed the elements. Perhaps removing it would weaken the Dark One.
The light was stopped by several elemental shields. Warlocks covered for their master as the Dark One readied another powerful blast of his magic. It was the same attack as before and equally powerful.
"Shields," the owl called using the power of the earth. Like a hundred panes of blue, glowing glass, battle mage shields littered the air causing his allies to pause. It was only a moment before the blast of pure magic crashed into the lightweight shields bursting them like bubbles floating in the air.
By the time the magic broke through them all, his friends were able to weather the storm easily. The shields had reduced the power of the blast with each wave of blue. Sebastian knew that he couldn't hope to match the emperor's power, but he could use his mind to minimize the destruction.
"Are you all right, Sebastian?" Ashleen questioned feeling his use of magic. The shields looked like they should have used much of his reserves, but they weren't individually strong or meant to last. He felt the drain, but the earth continued to feed his staff and runes.
He nodded. "It was better than my rune shield. That took too much magic and health. The mage shields are easier to make, even if I need a lot of them to resist his power."
Forced into support of the wizards fighting in the front line with dragon magic, Sebastian wondered at the twist in this battle.
"Did you leave your gate open?" she asked feeling his power behind her.
"More wizards and mages will come in a minute if it remains up. We'll have reinforcements and no one can come from that way for now," he informed the girl waiting for the next need of his power.
Darius suddenly moved closer. His grandsons were fighting as if possessed. They had fought in the duels of Winter's Edge and never looked this good. He wondered if they had held back or simply were fighting with their all because of what was at stake. The mar'goyn'lya and che'ther maintained their support from the right of the human dragon mages as well.
Cheleya had recovered to use her alteration magic and other spells while her father and Kel'lor protected her with their magic and strength. With dragon magic and spells he was used to from the wizards of Southwall, the group continued to fend off the Dark One's men.
"Sebastian, we need to try to make the Dark One use more of his power," the immortal wizard stated quickly.
Glancing to the man in surprise, Sebastian asked, "What do you mean? We are barely surviving those attacks."
Darius nodded, but reminded him, "Garosh told us that he changed bodies. He's being careless in his use of power as if he just wants to bully us out of this room, but I've noticed a change to his aura when he does. It feels... off."
If he was closer, the mage thought that his healing magic might be able to see what Darius was talking about; but in the midst of battle and creating the barriers that the Dark One was smiting, the owl had missed what the high wizard had seen.
"I'll do what I can, but I know everyone else is as well, sir," Sebastian replied before firing off another blast of light. "These warlocks keep protecting him making it hard to do more."
"Just try," Darius said moving back towards his grandsons.
The room shook with magic. Sounds of exploding stone and spells countering more spells were almost deafening.
Ashleen sent a shockwave of lightning cascading along the floor. Even with their black armor, the enemy was thrown back. The soles of their boots hadn't been as well protected and many of the guards didn't get back up, but before he could celebrate the side doors opened up.
The feeling of death made the healer blanch. More than a score of dead soldiers swept in from the right, while archers walked in from the left.
"Archers on our left!" he warned quickly in case the others had missed the threat. Elias and Darterian threw their spells at the men while the remainder of the elven wizards brought by Darius continued to assist the immortal in his direct attack on the shadow.
A dark spell rippled along the floor. Several guards he had thought to be dead suddenly stood to rej
oin the fight.
He knew that it was necromancy and saw Palose near the doorway. Dark magic radiated from the former battle mage and he knew who was behind the sickening spell.
Palose could see him to and the dark mage frowned. The mizard radiated magic as strong as a powerful wizard now. He was even more powerful than the brief time he had seen him last. How his power had grown was beyond him and his senses were too dulled by the spells being traded between the two lines to try to figure it out.
The floor between Palose and the dragon mages looked like mud now. Cheleya's transformation magic had altered the upper layer of the stone floor. Soldiers slipped and now so did the puppets. It was a debilitating barrier between the two forces.
Forced to exchange spells, the mud served to keep the guards from fighting well. Dragon mage spells knocked them back or killed the men in black armor almost casually as they all concentrated on getting past the magic of the warlocks and resisted the Dark One's attacks.
A new gate opened beside the mar'goyn'lya, Kel'lor, and the remaining armored vile jumped in unaffected by the change of scenery since Palose acted as its senses for a moment.
The mar'goyn'lya met the monster with his iron mace and dragon magic. Though the gargoyle was pushed back in the initial charge, the two were nearly evenly matched. Sebastian was forced to keep his attention on striking at the warlocks guarding the emperor, even though his wish to fight Palose was substantial. The dark mage was constantly getting in his way and his new magic made him a major threat as well.
Arrows flew even after some of the men were killed by the wizards. Mage shields were cast by Sebastian forming a canopy of shade to block the projectiles. He felt the Dark One ready another attack.
"Shields," the owl ordered adding to the barriers between them as he shifted the rest in the air. Another attack of primal power tore through the blue shields, but his allies took the remaining damage and continued to return fire.
More magical auras suddenly appeared behind them. Two giants were with them and he heard a voice ask almost jokingly, "Do you need help?"
Chapter 35- High Wizard's Gamble
Two large men entered the room flanked by warlocks, rune warriors and wizards. Gerid held a large, black shield. His swords broken, one of the enemy's treated swords was jammed into a sheath that fit it poorly while a black mace once wielded by a troll sat gripped in his right hand.
"Sorry, it took us so long, but we had to take the scenic route," the Grimnal stated moving to the left. His eyes locked with the archers even as he noticed the oddly churning floor to the right. Undead soldiers and the mage he had spotted earlier were already there, and must have found a more direct path to the side door of the throne room.
Darius seemed equally ready to banter words and he greeted the men, "Well, we left you enough to make up for it."
The rumbling voice of the Dark One roared, "And the one called Grimnal is here as well? You're free of that island and yet you think to squander your freedom by dying at my hand here."
"I've lived long enough to know a blow hard when I hear one. We'll see just who dies today. Your extra lives are up. No more bodies are lying around to slip into, Kolban," the giant proclaimed using the ancient name of his enemy.
"We shall see. Now let's see if you can die!"
His words signaled a renewed attack. Sebastian and Darius did what they could to deflect multiple blasts of magic. They couldn't keep up with the repeated attacks entirely. Embrell and Martina were knocked flat, but the new reinforcements moved into their places absorbing more spells as they traded their own.
Sebastian sank to a knee shaking his head. Too much magic had flowed out of him trying to absorb even more power thrown at them. Ashleen's hands held his shoulders and he felt her magic adding to his. Lightning tingled along his skin, even as the owl searched his waist for more food. He was drained. To go on like he had, the mage was likely to become sick like he had trying to do too much in the wizards' tournament.
Luckily, their reinforcements were enough to buy him time to recover. More men and women were coming through the door. His gate had been open too long and more back up had come to help from Hala. Even tired and spent, Sebastian maintained his gate. To win, they would need even more, he thought exhaustedly.
Ashleen cast a shield in front of them protecting him from attack and the girl asked in his ear, "Do you need to pull back? You've done so much already. If you keep it up, you'll burn out."
"I'm all right for now," the mage said not truly sure that he was. It was hard to tell what he had left, since the earth filled him even when he was empty of magic. The runes would help, but for how long and when would he become just magic to burn away?
The food and drink would help, but it took time to recover properly. With the Dark One still throwing out powerful spells, he might not have the time. He had protected everyone. Was not using destructive magic, but protecting the others helping him to survive? After a point, magic was magic and would harm his body even if it wasn't aging him prematurely.
Ashleen's magic told her a different story. She could see his need to stop, but he was stubborn. Adding her power to his could only do so much. He needed to rest. Even a full wizard would have been exhausted using his magic to the degree that he had fighting the Dark One. His shields had stopped most of the magic directly multiple times and there had to be limits even using the power of the earth and his runes, she knew.
As he stood up, Sebastian was surprised that he wasn't dizzy. It had been one of the signs that he had pushed too far, but that and diminished vision were the final tells before he would collapse.
Ashleen pulled at him trying to make him retreat to at least try and recover a bit.
He looked at the smaller blonde looking up at him with worried blue eyes. "I need to..." the mage began.
Shaking her head, the wilder ordered, "You need to pull back and let the others do this. If you let go of the power you are holding, I am afraid that you will collapse. If you don't, it is going to kill you, Sebastian!"
Her magic had dimmed in the fight as well. Like him, the girl had pushed herself to the limit. The energy spread to him left the flow of power from the earth a trickle compared to normal. Ashleen naturally pulled from the ground until she no longer could. It was the warning built into the wilder's body apparently.
If she was exhausted, Sebastian knew that he must be as well. He had been fighting off and on for at least an hour. Now this fight against the Dark One pushed him to a point where he should never go. He let her pull him back to the doors. The mage held his gate and when more wizards came through to see them, they served as warning to the others.
Darius watched Ashleen pull Sebastian away. The mage's magic still felt strong, but it was written on his face. Using the earth was a cheat and could keep a wizard strong until they burned away. It was an ugly sight.
He had been there when a wizard, aged from use of the staff and earth, had been turned into a withered old man. Some couldn't live without the power and refused to take what had happened to them. A last pull from a staff would kill them burning their bodies away releasing the last of their magic. It was a suicidal path.
If Ashleen could temper the mage's inclination to use the magic, perhaps he would live to a ripe old age instead.
His thoughts returned to the battle inside the room. Their reinforcements were well timed. The initial group that had come with Sebastian was worn down except for Magnus. His power level was greater than the others or he had managed to use them to a degree to extend his ability to stay in the fight.
Other wizards took their places using rune shields, night shields and any other magic they had at hand to stop the attacks of the emperor. A front line protected the others giving up their strength to let the others push the warlocks and Dark One. Darius had helped and held a staff to the ground. Like Sebastian, the immortal wizard used the earth to feed his power. Unlike the boy, his body renewed itself when he should already be dead from exhaustion.
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Grabbing Magnus as he let another take his place in the line, Darius asked, "What do you have left?"
Questioning the man's intent, the fire wizard replied, "I can fight awhile longer. What do you need?"
"We need to force the Dark One to use up his power. I am hoping that his new body won't be able to take the strain. Maybe he is mortal now."
The high wizard looked away to see Gerid tearing into the archers and other guards on the left. Cheleya looked to be conserving her power as well on the right with the other wizards from her city holding on for now. They fought the undead soldiers, but her muddy ground made it easy to defend.
"We can unite for a more powerful spell," Magnus suggested drawing the wizard's eyes back to him.
"Join with those attacking the warlocks. Use your power to make him defend or make the warlocks burn out trying to keep you from hitting him," Darius ordered before moving to the other side of the center formation of wizards.
"Cheleya, can you become a dragon once again and use your dragon breath on the emperor?"
The pretty, little, blonde haired girl exuded a sweet scent that made anyone near her feel protective and loving towards her. It belied the ferocious spirit she had in that slight frame.
Her eyes looked determined and the dragoness replied, "I can do it maybe one more time, but if he hits me like that I might not have a chance. I am a big target as a true dragon."
Her father Darterian placed his hand on her shoulder. "We can protect you for a moment or two. Do what you need to do."
Darius received her nod and added, "Wait for our distraction to attack him."
With everything in place, the high wizard looked across at the dark shadow. A few more warlocks had come to protect their master, but their ranks had been reduced as well. Both sides were now fighting a battle of attrition with only the Dark One seeming like an inexhaustible center of power.
Battle Mage Visions (A Tale of Alus Book 12) Page 50
