Chapter 48: Fight Against the Earth Mage Part 2

Charon watched the hammer fall, knowing that his death was coming, but refusing to welcome it all the same. ’Do your worst!’ His robes jerked him to the side, narrowly missing the strike as the weapon smashed into the ground. Seizing the opportunity, he jabbed his dagger forward, cutting a deep furrow into the mage’s arm. The man hissed as steel cut through flesh, his hand swinging out to backhand Charon. Expecting the blow, as it was the same one he used against his summon earlier, Charon allowed himself to fall forward, avoiding the attack and thrusting his dagger into the mage’s calf. The man screamed, stomping his feet down and crushing Charon’s hand. His own cry burst from his mouth, his eyes watering as bones were crunched under the weight of his boot. A kick to the ribs sent him skidding away, his back slamming into one of the spikes with a sickening thwack. He groaned and subconsciously wrapped his arms around himself, willing the pain to go away, but knowing it wouldn’t until the fight was over. Opening his eyes, he saw Emerius pushing himself off of a spike, giving himself a single moment of solid footing before flying through the air to slash down at the mage. He brought his hammer up to block both blades with the shaft, but had nothing left to stop the swordsman’s feet as he plowed into his chest. The mage was thrown into the sludge he had created, Emerius standing on top of him. He shoved his blades down, trying to force his way through the hammer and into the man below, but he lacked the raw strength. With a shove, Emerius was staggered back, barely maintaining his grip on his swords. A bloody fist slammed into the ground as more spikes shot up, followed by the sludge getting thicker. One grew near Emerius, allowing him to place one foot on the side to propel himself at the mage once again. His blades lashed out, ready to strike, when another spike rose between them. He flailed to dodge it, veering to the side and landing near the mage’s feet. With a pained grunt, the man reached down and grabbed the back of Emerius’ robe, yanking him up and holding him in the air. "Now what are you gonna-" His words were cut short as the twin shortswords shot forward, but then something unusual happened. Brown sparks erupted from the mage’s chest, as a thick chestplate materialized, stopping the attack. He threw a punch to the gut, Emerius unable to cover himself as the blow landed. "Yeah, that’s what I thought. First you, then the rat over there. Weak little shits don’t know how to fight-" A torrent of blood began to spill from his neck as his head fell forward, his mouth still open. The grip weakened, allowing Emerius to drop to the rapidly hardening stone. As the body fell forward, an armored skeleton stood behind him, his blade smeared in vital fluid. He turned to his master and knelt, the other skeletons repeating the action as Charon stood and shambled over. A surge of energy filled him, similar to the one he felt when killing the ratlings, but much more intense. ’I must have ranked up again. Maybe more than one rank, even.’ With a sneer, he kicked the corpse in the chest. "That guy talks too much." Emerius gave a half-hearted chuckle that slowly grew into a boisterous full-body laugh. "Yeah, I was just about to say the same." Offering his friend a hand, Charon pulled him to his feet. They glanced around, looking at all the chaos and destruction. "What rank was that guy?" Emerius shook his head, a frown on his lips. "I do not know. Either Acolyte or Apprentice. He knew a lot of spells. I counted four, but it could have been five. Another few ranks and our relics would not have been able to harm him at all." It was a sobering thought to consider the fact that their enemies could be completely immune to their weapons. "I’m glad this guy wasn’t. We need to keep moving, the battle has probably grown close to the city center." Emerius nodded before moving down the street. Charon paused for a moment before following. Reaching down, he grabbed the warhammer and lifted it with both hands, groaning with the effort. One of his rank-and-file skeletons stepped forward, sheathing its sword and taking the offered weapon. ’It’ll be more useful in his hands than mine. This way we can break down a door, or just hit someone really really hard.’ Chuckling at his own joke, he gripped his pained ribs and walked behind Emerius. His summons followed close behind, a total of thirty-eight infantry and the leader. They formed four even rows of nine, with the extra two flanking their commander. It was quite the sight to see, the battalion of undead marching in unison. Emerius gave him a look as he caught up, his gaze momentarily lingering on the horde following them. "I was not aware you had the ability to summon and control so many." Charon shrugged. "I don’t think I have a limit to the amount of summons I can have, but it was draining to summon so many at once. I think that’s the weakness." Emerius scoffed. "That is not a real weakness. Most Novice summoners are lucky to be able to control ten summons, and here you are with thirty-nine. Once we get back to the Noctis Vrex, your trials will be very easy to pass." Charon just grinned, the academy far from his mind. ’The trials don’t matter here. If I continue to collect and summon souls, I could build my own army! I could take the fight to the Elves myself, conquering and burning their worlds for what they did to mine!’ In less than an hour, he had managed to build himself a sizable force, and that would only continue with the battles to come. The duo continued down the roads, following the twists and turns as they came. The sound of explosions grew louder as they approached the center of town, as well as the laser fire. A second noise came soon after. It sounded like a sustained beam, but faint and frazzled, like TV static. Charon’s eyebrows knitted together as he tried to figure out what it was. Emerius noticed the look and explained. "A Graviton Lance. It is rare technology, even by Imperial standards. It alters the power of gravity on a localized scale, eradicating everything the ray touches. Anyone short of the Mage rank stands no chance of surviving contact." Rubbing his chin, an errant thought occurred to Charon. "What about a Colossus Machine? Could one of those survive a Graviton Lance?" Emerius nodded. "The shield generators alone could repel sustained Graviton fire for days, not to mention the inner wards, enchantments, and metals used in the frame itself. Very few things in the galaxy can destroy a Colossus. It is why they are so feared, and consequently, hard to construct." Charon grew quiet while he mulled over the new information, possibilities appearing in his mind. ’What would it be like to command one of those machines? You’d be akin to a god, unstoppable until you met a similar being. The pilots must be incredibly impressive people.’ A smile split his face. ’This is the realm of the strongest souls. Perhaps I’ll meet a few pilots while I’m here.’ He frowned. ’But they wouldn’t remember being a pilot. I guess I’ll need to settle for talking to some of the pilots at the Fort, or one captured from the Claytons.’ Emerius tapped him on the shoulder and gestured towards a tall building to their right. It rose multiple stories high, with windows lining the monotone gray walls. A wooden door was near them, slightly ajar. "We should climb up there and get a better view." Agreeing with the idea, Charon instructed the leader and two skeletons to enter the building first and climb the stairs, with a second group of five following them as reinforcements. The others were ordered to remain at the bottom to defend against anyone who tried to follow them. After waiting a moment and receiving no indication of combat, Charon entered the building, Emerius close on his heels. In the very center was a tall, winding staircase, leading all the way to the roof. They took it without speaking, their breathing soon coming in heavy as the day’s exhaustion set in. ’I’m going to eat and sleep for days after this.’ Once they made it to the top, a small door greeted them, opening outwards. Stepping through, Charon mentally noted his eight summons standing on the edge of the stone surface, a short railing keeping them from falling off. The air was cool, but not unpleasant, chilling Charon’s skin and fluttering his dark hair. His attention was focused elsewhere, however, as tall plumes of smoke trailed into the sky. From their vantage point, they could see that the Mages of the Fort had nearly reached the central building, a large palace fortified with metal sheets. Hundreds of men manned its walls, their laser guns lighting up bright red every time they fired. Robed men were intermixed among their ranks, unleashing elemental destruction everywhere they looked. Emerius extended his hand and pointed near the back of the palace. "That’s where we can sneak in. I have not used my ability yet, so I can assassinate any guards while you join me inside. From there, we can find officers, supplies, or whatever else that is helping make this defense possible, and destroy it." Charon nodded and shot his friend a wry grin. "Sounds like a plan."