Quiet Courage

14

"Battle mages to the forefront! We need some counter explosions pronto!" shouted the acting commander. Charna was forced to do double duty, shield the encampment from the continually launching bombs and launch some well-calculated counter explosions as well. It was a lot, even for her, and Kain could see sweat along her brow.

"I have the shields, you go focus on the explosions. We need blasts with your kind of power to back them if we want to do any damage." Kain offered. Charna shook her head.

"The shields really aren't taking much, its just handling all the trajectory that's wearing me out. You have to disassemble and reassemble the spells each time." The bombs launchings were so erratic that the shield mages couldn't keep large enough shields to be effective. So they were waiting for the bombs to launch and then constructing a shield in their trajectory to catch the blast. "We'll have the other battle mages get some of the lesser blasts in while I work on a bigger, well calculated blast." She gritted her teeth as she erected a shield a moment too late and felt the blast knock her back. "I will need you to handle my share when I launch the spell though." She told him.

"Not a problem." Kain said, cocking a grin. It was gone in a second though as he dealt with two large bombs at once. High above the forming line of defense Air Elementals in their ethereal form caught advancing bombs and tossed them back at their assailants. Screams from both sides tore at the air. Behind Kain a bomb squeezed through the defending line and exploded onto the forming ground troops behind him. The blast from the thundercoal, for that was what the generals had started calling the bombs for the black dust they left behind, thrust him onto his stomach. The ringing in his ears was bad enough for him to pause and cast a quick healing rune on himself. As the sounds of battle returned to him foremost were the moans and cries of the injured before him.

The blast had left a hole in the earth, the ring of wounded and bodies thickening from the impact zone. Kain felt his stomach lurch and clutched at it a moment. But then the echo of a launching trebuchet bounded off the valley walls, and his attention was whipped to the sky above the advancing Crown. He caught the flying bomb in his sights and traced a fast shield spell in the air in front of him. Blazing blue glyphs formed in the air in front of him as he traced his fingers through the air, spelling out his magics intent and purpose.

The bomb slowed in midair, but instead of exploding like its compatriots it bounced off of Kain's newly erected shield. It lost momentum and reverberated back, falling onto the front lines of the Crown troops below it. This time it did erupt in a concussive blast, sending a shockwave back into Kain's smirking face.

"Nice," Charna said with only a touch of irony, and turned back to the complex spell structure that glowed before her. She tutted a moment at it before reaching forward and tweaking the curl of one particularly complicated glyph. "I'm ready with a blast Kain!" She shouted. Behind them the lines of the rebel soldiers were reaching their finish. Kain nodded at Charna and motioned her to hold her spell. Across the valley below them he could see the Crown troops forming up for a rush at the now battered ruins.

It was about to begin then, Kain thought grimly and turned to the generals and warlords that had amassed behind him.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he called as he turned, clutching at the sword-hilt on his hip. "It would seem the Crown has finally come to us. We knew this day would come. Wait for my motion to advance. May the Gods be with us today and grant us a great victory the likes of which Sundast hasn't seen in centuries." The men and women of his command nodded and turned to relay their orders to their troops. Kain turned back to the advancing army before his home and watched as they began preparations to advance. The men in blue banged their swords angrily on their shields, thousands of amassed troops attempting to scare this last stronghold of magic within the borders of Sundast. Kain only grit his teeth and waited, his men and women silent at his back.