TBATE Volume 7

by Divergence (epub)

  We made our way to Etistin Bay.

  The first thing we noticed was the temperature. As we got closer to the conjured field of snow and ice, I felt a biting chill permeating through my skin.

  Varay was truly on another level compared to the rest of the other lances. While I’d like to confidently say that I could beat Varay in a one-on-one battle, I couldn’t. While I had the advantage of being able to manipulate multiple elements and had Sylvia’s dragon will, they seemed like cheap parlor tricks in the face of the absolute power and control that Varay had.

  Even if I managed to beat her, I’d be lucky if I only lost an arm or a leg. But having her as an ally was incredibly reassuring.

  The two of us landed just on the threshold where the coastal beaches became ice—an odd sight to see. Here, it wasn’t only the temperature that had changed; the atmosphere from the infantry was tense and dark.

  Even with the captains shouting and trying to boost morale, I could almost see the weight of death that they carried on their shoulders. With eyes drawn towards me, I remained impassive, but my stomach churned, seeing the soldiers lined up front. With the weight of their own armor making them slouch forward and their gazes that held no hardness trained soldiers would have, it was easy to tell that many of them were civilians that had been called to arms.

  How many of these people staring at me would die, being the first to face the enemy lines? I tried not to dwell on it. I tried to bring back that detached, emotionless state I had relied so heavily on during my life as King Grey.

  I ignored the teens, some even younger than me, staring at me as I stood beside the large black dragon that towered over them.

  Sylvie and my presence did give many of the soldiers hope. I could hear whispers amongst each other of the good news that there were now two lances to fight by their side.

  “General Arthur, welcome.” The frigid smooth voice cut through the steam, and the silhouette of an armor-clad woman could be seen with billowing hair just past her shoulders.

  “General Varay,” I greeted with a genuine smile. The very presence of this lance seemed to shift the atmosphere. She carried herself lightly and elegantly like a gazelle but her gaze and poise spilled confidence.

  She stretched out her hand, making it a point to show our composure and leisure in front of the quadrants of infantry troops. I accepted her gesture and Sylvie, who remained in her draconic form, lowered her head to let Varay gently touch her snout.

  We walked together towards the back while the white-haired general explained the basic formations and maneuvering they had planned. Most of it I had already read about but it was another thing seeing the sheer size of the force that would be fighting on our side.

  The first line consisted of armed warriors serving as the first point of contact against the enemies. They would charge and do as much damage until given the signal to retreat behind the second line, who were composed of trained soldiers—a mixture of both regular warriors and augmenters.

  Finally making up the last of this first ‘wave’ was basically the barrier troops. These were the elite soldiers that were all augmenters, many of whom had elemental affinities.

  “There will be a gap of about thirty paces where the conjurers will make up the next line along with another line of barrier troops to fall back on,” Varay explained, gesturing to the armored mages donning staves.

  It was when we walked past the line of conjurers that I saw some familiar faces. One of which I wasn’t too fond of.

  Captain Auddyr, standing tall behind his troops consisting of elite augmenters. The captain that I had met back near the town of Slore when I was deployed on my first mission was wearing a conspicuously extravagant set of armor. The two of us exchanged glances and the only greeting I was shown as a slight bow before he turned back to his troops.

  The second familiar face was Madam Astera, the one and only head cook that I had sparred against in that very same mission. Appropriately, however, she was donned in armor and wore two longswords across her back with ease.

  Looking closer at her soldiers, I was able to make out a few of them underneath all of their armor as well. The girl that I remember as Nyphia and the bully of a soldier named Herrick, both of whom tried to best me in a duel but failed.

  There was a small sense of pleasure that I got from seeing their awestruck faces when our eyes met. Madam Astera, on the other hand, shot me a grin and mouthed the words, ‘looking good’ at me.

  I shot Nyphia and Herrick a playful wink, eliciting a blush from one and a visible shrinking of shoulders from the other, before moving on.

  We climbed the stone stairs that followed the steep incline of the terrain just east of Etistin Bay.

  This was another strategic advantage that our side held. The ascending elevation gave our archers and conjurers, that were able to cast at longer ranges, a field advantage without having to waste time and resources building platforms for them to shoot from. Walls for defense had been made by earth mages, and many of the archers were stringing their bows.

  We reached the top of the hill just in time for me to feel the first raindrop on my cheek. It only took a few seconds before a heavy downpour ensued. Sylvie was about to lift up a wing to shield us from the rain, but I stopped her.

  We’re all soldiers here. We’ll all fight under the rain together anyway, I said, my eyes focusing on the field of ice. Rain and fog impeded our vision, and the sound of our soldiers still marching towards the shore could be heard amidst heavy thrumming of rain.

  “We will stay behind for the first wave. Scryers will have eyes on the field and General Bairon will relay information on the enemy forces for us soon after,” General Varay said beside me. “There are additional forces that are on their way, some of whom are silver-core mages.”

  And so, we waited. I could feel the tension building and more than once I could hear a captain peptalking their troops.

  ‘The wait is more agonizing than I imagined,’ my bond sent, her bright hazel eyes trying to catch a glimpse of anything within the fog above the icefield.

  I nodded, barely restraining myself from flying over and breaking hell by myself. During this time, more and more troops arrived. Some were sent to either side of the bay in order to flank, while others remained back as reserve forces.

  It felt like hours had passed, all of us standing in the rain with white knuckles gripping our weapons.

  Finally the horn rang.

  I could see our men stiffen as the deep brassy note told them the enemies had landed.

  The second horn rang, and it was then that tense air dissipated followed by the mana-enforced roar of General Varay.

  “Charge!”

   

  Chapter 231: Following Orders

  The quiet yet palpable tension had dissipated, replaced by the guttural roars of our soldiers and the rumble of the earth as they charged forth with fervor.

  Even with all of my knowledge and experience in the battlefield, both in this life and the previous, my heart still quivered in excitement. 

  Sylvie felt it, and she was in a similar state as well. The rush of adrenaline leaking from her mixed alongside my own barely-contained anticipation as we gazed down at the approaching enemy forces. 

  We leaned forward, watching expectantly as our forces collided with theirs. Our front line was an organized wave of soldiers with allies ready to back them up and provide cover, but it was different on their side. 

  At first, it was hard to notice. The mist that had shrouded the battlefield obscured everyone from looking at fine details. 

  Even the scrys behind us were barely able to give us any news or readings aside from the fact that our enemy troops all wore little to no armor of various colors.  

  Despite knowing what was happening below, I couldn’t make out the clashes of metal and screams of soldiers from a distance. It was different. During battles on a scale this large, sounds weren’t as distinct. They sort of blended in toge
ther in such volume that tremors could be felt all the way up here. 

  Can you tell what’s going on? I asked Sylvie. 

  My bond responded by shaking her head. 

  I turned to Varay. “Maybe we should get rid of the mist, General. I can’t tell what’s going on down there.” 

  The white-haired ice mage refused. “We know what’s on their side. We have to keep them from knowing what’s on our side. Deviating from the plan at this stage is impossible. Wait for Bairon and the Council’s orders.” 

  I was irritated but held my tongue. She was right—and more than that, it wasn’t my place to make suggestions like this. I was the one that refused the position because I couldn’t handle the responsibility. Who was I to come here now and do as I please just because I felt uneasy?

  Choosing to trust Varay, Bairon, and the Council that were still receiving information realtime, I watched, waiting for my time to come.

  Flashes of light followed by a wave of cries and screams soon caught my attention. 

  It looks like the Alacryans have already sent in their mages, I conveyed to my bond.

  It was a little disconcerting that they’d deploy their mages so early on in the battle. However, I remembered what Agrona said about how Alacrya had so many more mages due to experiments that he had performed since generations before. 

  ‘Their mages seem to be spread out inconsistently, though,’ Sylvie pointed out. 

  She was right. There were areas on the field where flashes of magic were close together or clustered, while in other areas, there would be spells going off several dozens of yards away from one another. 

  Again, a sense of unease filled me, but I remained quiet, My eyes scanned across the battlefield through the shroud of steam emanating from the icy ground, trying to find any signs of a retainer or scythe. 

  Suddenly, shadows stretched above me. Looking up, I saw a fleet of mages riding on various winged mounts. 

  “The aerial fleets are here,” Varay announced as the dozen or so mages sailed overhead and into the battlefield. 

  There would be three main forces against the Alacryans during this battle. First were the infantry, responsible for making first contact and keeping a constant pressure forward, away from the Etistin Bay. Next were the aerial forces responsible for creating disarray to the Alacryan’s backline by dropping spells on them from above. Finally, there was us, the lances.

  The aerial forces lit up the foggy backdrop with their spells. One of them rained down motes of fire on the Alacryans while another utilized the mist itself and formed the water droplets into sharp icicles. 

  The cries and screams that were so jarring at first were beginning to blend in with the other background noises of battle. Seeing Varay’s gaze as she studied the battlefield intently, I could almost see the burdens of their deaths weighing down on her shoulders. 

  The battle continued for more than an hour before I finally lost it. 

  “General Varay. Let me go down there too,” I requested. 

  “No. It’s too soon,” she replied, still gazing down at the battlefield. “Wait until after the other infantry divisions flank from both sides. That’s when you’ll go down.”

  I was itching to go down there, to feel useful. After the recent battles and losses, I needed a win. 

  ‘It’s okay. We’ll have our time to contribute, Arthur,’ Sylvie comforted. ‘Besides, it looks like the tide of battle is in our favor.’ 

  This was true. I had to admit that for how little experience our side had with large-scale battles, we were holding up fairly well. I could make out the vague outlines of formations from where we were standing. With three lines that interchanged positions constantly to give each other a break, our forces were able to maintain their intensity.  

  Varay turned her piercing gaze to me. “You’ll go in and target only their powerful mages. You will only be in the field for an hour at a time.” 

  I nodded in understanding. Varay and I were the only white core mages on this side. I couldn’t be too tired in case a retainer or scythe—perhaps both—showed up. That was our most important duty.   

  “Get ready,” Varay instructed. 

  I hopped on top of Sylvie’s back, cladding myself in mana. 

  Another horn trumpeted out in the distance, followed by another one on the other side of the bay. 

  “Go!” Varay ordered. “And don’t die.” 

  I thought she was joking, but her severe expression said otherwise. Giving her a stern nod, Sylvie beat her powerful wings, sending gusts of wind below us. 

  The two of us stayed low, barely hovering over the next line of soldiers charging forward until the ground changed to snow. 

  Fight in human form and focus on helping our troops. I’ll handle picking off the Alacryan mages, I sent to my bond as I jumped off her back. 

  ‘Got it. I don’t sense any retainers or scythes, but be careful, Arthur. Always be careful,’ she replied before flying off to the side in her human form. 

  I landed hard on the icy ground, spurring a cloud of frost. Behind me, I could hear the thunder of armored boots as our augmenter troops charged forward into battle. 

  Ahead, I could already see our first wave of troops trying to withdraw. Much of the white field was covered in blood and corpses and only more would come as the battle progressed. 

  Withdrawing and imbuing Dawn’s Ballad in pale blue fire, I held my sword aloft for those behind me to see. 

  “For Dicathen!” I roared, charging forward alongside the line of battle mages clad in armor and mana. 

  Our strides kicked up more snow, obscuring our field of vision. Perhaps it was a good thing, since I wouldn’t be distracted by the sight of my allies dying in the distance.  

  On the other side were the Alacryans. Many of them were already bloody and sweaty from the wave before. It was odd seeing some soldiers clustered together while others were off by themselves. 

  There were no front lines, no division of forces to utilize their specialized magic like I had expected. 

  Casting aside my worries and doubts, I continued leading the charge with fervor, reinforcing confidence and morale into my comrades by cladding myself in lightning and fire. 

  The charge forward may have been an awe-inspiring sight, but the the clash was dreadful. I felt it just as much as I heard it. 

  Metal shrieked and rang while men screamed in pain. The faint hum of magic was always present as both sides took damage from one another. 

  The carefully formulated line consisting of augmenters quickly digressed into chaos amidst the snowy field. My first opponent fell instantaneously as he had approached, with a single slash from my sword. 

  The following enemy soldiers fell just as quickly under my attacks, but it wasn’t just me. The division of mages that had charged alongside me swiftly mowed down the average soldiers, a few only getting injured by the occasional lone mage that struck them by surprise. 

  I felt uneasy once more, but I pushed the feelings aside. Hesitation was useless in a battle like this. With Dawn’s Ballad in one hand and a spell always ready in the other, I left a trail of Alacryan corpses with every unabated step. 

  The first enemy mage that I found was by himself, surrounded by Dicathen soldiers on the ground. His shoulders were hunched forward and his entire body was terribly thin with a sickly pale tone. His hands were clad in tendrils of lightning. 

  Our eyes locked, and he peered into me like a starving wolf—desperate and deranged.  

  I abandoned my curiousness and rushed forward. He was an enemy I needed to kill. The more of them I killed, the more allies I saved.

  I swung my free hand, conjuring a blade of ice clad in lightning. With the addition of wind manipulation, the crescent cut through the enemy mage’s torso before he
even had a chance to strike me with his lightning whips. 

  Without batting an eye, I moved on to my next enemy. I tried to focus amidst the chaos of battle, tuning out the cries for help from allies and the high-pitched ring of metal on metal as weapons clashed. It was hard to ignore as enemy weapons cut through the flesh of our soldiers. Stains of pink from snow-mixed blood could be seen more often than white itself, and in some desperate places, the ground had turned into dark crimson. 

  Severed arms still clutching onto weapons, chopped off legs, and split-open heads littered the battlefield as I ran around, targeting the flashes of magic that appeared in the distance. 

  Had it not been for my previous life experiences, and the adrenaline coursing through my veins, I would’ve knelt down and retched on more than one occasion. 

  About an hour had passed, Sylvie and I regrouped and headed back to the camps where Varay waited. 

  I could feel the grief and horror emanating from my bond, and my state of mind wasn’t any better. The two of us were welcomed into the camps by soldiers applauding and cheering, but it only made it worse. Most of the same soldiers were injured, many unconscious. 

  I couldn’t help but think that, out of these dozens of soldiers, how many of their missing limbs had I run across out in this battlefield? 

  Medics ran around carrying supplies while the few emitters available in this particular camp were on the verge of backlash from overusing their mana. But despite all of the activity and noise around us, I felt like I was watching everything through a thick foggy lens. 

  “Good work,” Varay said, patting me on the back. 

  I mustered a nod before taking a seat below a tree on the far edge of the camp. Sylvie sat beside me and the two of us silently gathered ourselves. 

  I wasn’t tired. My mana reserves weren’t drained despite the near fifty mages I had killed in that hour. But my body still felt heavy. It wasn’t like fighting against the beast horde. These soldiers that I had killed were people—people that had families.