Discordant Note | TBATE

Chapter 21: Acidbeam

The sentry peered around, inspecting the outside of the mana barrier. "The remnants of the beastward are keeping them at bay," he said, adjusting his coat. "See the black smog? That's what's keeping these bastards from swarming us all at once. They have to attack us at range, at least until the beastwards wear off," he exhaled shakily.

Several of the other men, mage and not, were panicking within the small bubble we found ourselves in. One man just sat on the ground, staring at the melted bodies of his fellow workers with an empty expression. Another was screaming incoherently, the buzzing infecting his ears and mind.

"Enough!" Vaelum shouted, cutting through the growing fear. "We're going to make it through this. The beastwards will dissipate in a little under five minutes. We've got until then to formulate a plan!"

His proclamation was punctuated by another rain of acid, attacking the shield's barrier in a deluge. I noticed a few beads of sweat on her face this time as she struggled to maintain the defensive perimeter. "That's all well and good," the mage said breathily, "But I'm not sure I can hold for five minutes!"

I grit my teeth as the green shower ate through an ice shield a ways away from me, killing the mage supporting it and dooming the few surviving men underneath to a grisly death. I clenched my fist as I watched, feeling helpless from my inability to act.

Vaelum was looking at the sky with a twist to his face. "We need to break through all at once," he said, a bit of confidence returning to his voice. "These hornets must be a different nest than the one we destroyed. If we can get far enough away from wherever their queen is, we'll be safe," he said, a gleam of hope in his eyes. "The hornets take a few seconds to gather mana between each attack. There's a window there."

He returned his attention to our small group. There were seven of us in total: him, the shield, the sentry, three non-mages, and me. I didn't know what plan the man would make, but I hoped it would get us through safely.

The spear-wielding striker looked at the other groups holding out under the intermittent torrents of acid. From what I could see, there were several small pockets of people huddling under different elemental shields.

Vaelum surveyed our own forces, then turned to me. "We need to get the others out there to group together with us," he said. "And they won't be able to hear us over this incessant buzzing. We need to send people over, and there are only two mages who can cross the distance between us and the groups fast enough."

The unspoken message passed between us. Vaelum didn't trust me enough to ask outright.

"I'll do what I can," I said, turning to one of the more distant groups. The shield in that group held a dome of metal over his head, protecting a couple more people who huddled around them. But unlike the other shields, this one didn't protect the sides. The green liquid that the hornets fired was beginning to pool on the ground, and it was only a matter of time before it crept under their dome.

"I'll gather those two," I said, pointing toward my selections. From what I had seen, I was probably faster than Vaelum, so it was a wiser option to take the longer distances. As the latest barrage of acid missiles fizzled out, I added one more sentence. "My name is Dusk."

I rocketed past the white shield, keeping an eye on the black quivering dome that surrounded the nest. Mana pumped through my legs in time with bursts of telekinesis, rocketing me across the forest floor as fast as lightning. I skidded to a halt under the metal dome, causing the mage to jump in surprise. The few men he was protecting–both non-mages–scooted back in surprise, nearly edging outside their protection.

The only light they had was a dismal lighting artifact clipped to the shield's belt like a lantern. It must have seemed like I had appeared out of nowhere. I could only see because of the mana reinforcing my eyes, so a shield that wasn't specialized in body enhancement would've barely had time to react to my arrival.