TS6 - Chapter 8

With a laugh that contained a considerable amount of relief, Governor Orson lifted his sword and launched another attack against Quetzalten, forcing her to dodge. Down below, the Dragon Guard recovered quickly from the devastating spell that Mina had unleashed, rushing forward toward the wall. They were too close to reform the Dragon Scale formation, but that didn't mean they couldn't use their larger numbers to crush the defenders.

Yet even as they approached, they felt a chill rolling in from behind them, as Mina took control of the scattered shards of ice that dotted the battlefield, transforming them into deadly weapons that she hurled at the Dragon Guard.

"Activate the city's defenses!" Keely's shout was clear and echoed throughout the city.

A moment later, a deep hum rang out as the city's walls came to life. Thorn could feel the intense mana surging under his feet, filling all of the defenders with strength. Simultaneously, the large floating towers that hung above the city wall began to consolidate mana before unleashing blasts that crashed into the lesser dragonkin attacking the wall. Unfortunately, the 10th tier fighters didn't benefit from the enchantment woven along the city wall and a moment later, when they met the 25 true dragonkin, they were pushed back. Outnumbered almost three to one, the initial wave of fighting was made slightly easier as many of the dragonkin were distracted by Mina's follow-up attacks.

"Protect Mina," Thorn commanded Akira, who nodded and launched herself into the air.

She rapidly transformed into her massive form as she charged forward to meet the dragonkin rapidly approaching where Mina stood, sending out slashes of flame that forced the enemy to defend. Seeing that there were four dragonkin headed his direction, Thorn took a deep breath and summoned the blade at the end of his halberd.

Previously, he had woven the blade together using super condensed mana, but now he sent a thread of unified force, using the mixture of all four of the energies he controlled to create the blade as he readied himself to meet the enemy charge. The first dragonkin to reach him had a boiling domain that caused the temperature around him to rise drastically. His expression serene, Thorn stepped forward and chopped down with his halberd. His powerful blade completely ignored his enemy's domain as he tore the dragonkin apart with a slice that started at his opponent's neck and only exited his body at his thigh.

The strike was so fast, the dragonkin didn't even have time to scream before his body exploded in a cloud of gore. Moving too quickly to stop, the three dragonkin behind him could only try and attack even as Thorn took another step forward and reversed his strike. Two of the dragonkin managed to get their weapons in front of them to block the attack, but were sent tumbling backward, their domains shaking under the force of the strike. The third dragonkin didn't manage to get his weapon up in time, costing himself an arm that was sliced cleanly just above his elbow.

With a groan, he tried to retreat, but before he could, Thorn's halberd stabbed through his chest, destroying his heart. The attacks had come so swiftly that the others simply didn't know how to react, and before they could warn their companions, three more dragonkin pounced towards Thorn. Two of them carried fiery domains, while the third had an incredibly dense domain that added to his defense.

In a fraction of a second, Thorn had made his calculations, and two ancient runes crackled to life behind him. Rather than advancing into the enemy, he abruptly retreated, his titan steps allowing him to move freely around the battlefield. Even as he retreated, the ancient runes pulsed, and the dragonkin with a defensive domain found himself suddenly frozen in the air as the ancient runes began to strengthen his domain to the point where it became entirely immobile. Though the effect only lasted for a moment, it created a slight gap between the three dragonkin warriors allowing Thorn to take advantage of their separation. Blocking an attack from one of the dragonkin, Thorn's foot slammed into the other, sending him tumbling head over heels. Borrowing the force to spin around, he hacked out with his halberd, tearing through the dragonkin whose attack he had blocked, and ending his life instantly.

Even before he had shaken the blood from his weapon, Thorn planted his feet, lifted his halberd over his head, and let out a shout as he focused all of his power into a simple downward slash. The dragonkin who had been slowed down by the ancient runes had been forced to release his domain for a moment in order to free himself. Even now, as he surged forward, recondensing his domain around him, Thorn's halberd arrived above his head, falling like the wrath of an enraged deity onto his hard skull.

Though the dragonkin's domain was based around defense, Thorn's timing had been impeccable, landing in the brief moment right before the dragonkin's domain finished manifesting completely. It shattered the gathering power as it drove down into the dragonkin's skull, cleaving straight through his body. Yet even then, Thorn wasn't done, and as his halberd reached the stone wall, he was already moving, Titan Steps carrying him toward his next target.

Nearby, Akira and Mina were fighting furiously, a mixture of fire and ice tearing apart any dragonkin who got near. Between the three of them, they were taking on a full fifteen enemies, and though Mina and Akira didn't manage to kill their opponents quite as swiftly as Thorn was managing to, they had already eliminated two of them.

What should have been an easy win for the dragonkin quickly turned into a rout and the dragon guard tried to fall back, yet Thorn was having none of it. His expression was completely neutral as his mind operated with emotionless precision. Even while the dragon guard attempted to pull back, Thorn followed after them, appearing like a wraith next to each of his targets, his halberd tearing through them as if their defenses didn't even exist.

The power of unified force was simply too much for them to resist, and everywhere his blade went, blood splattered. There was no mercy in any of his movements, and one by one, the dragon guard fell. It wasn't until Quetzalten let out a shriek of rage and abandoned her fight with Governor Orson in the sky above that Thorn finally retreated to the city wall, leaving the six remaining dragon guard to flee back to their camp. The lesser dragonkin followed, pulling back like a wave returning to the sea.

"Ascendant Thorn," Keely said, excited beyond words.

She reached out to touch Thorn's arm, but before she could, Mina quickly restrained her.

"It's probably not a good idea to touch him," Mina said, her voice strangely grim.

It was only then that Keely noticed Thorn had glanced at her from the corner of his eyes as she had reached her hand out. When she met his completely emotionless gaze, her heart chilled, an unknown terror racing down her spine. Taking a deep breath, Thorn exhaled, and then slowly reached up to rub the back of his neck.

"Oof, that's pretty uncomfortable," he muttered.

"Back to normal?" Mina asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Thorn replied.

Ever since receiving a less-than-stellar assessment from Lyssia, the former elemental king who had served his grandfather, Thorn had been thinking about his fighting style. There had been a time, back in Angoril, when he had pursued a ruthless style of combat that took full advantage of his domain and its ability to process information, but he had abandoned that way of fighting, as even though it was incredibly effective, he found himself having trouble controlling it. Now however, he had determined not only to embrace it, but to master it, as it was truly his most powerful asset.

Looking at the dead dragon guards scattered across the top of the city wall, Thorn couldn't help but admit just how effective it was. He had been avoiding using it for combat since he didn’t really like what it did to him, but there was no denying that it allowed him to bring out his strength to a degree he couldn’t normally. Thorn's domain was a curious thing, as it created an area of absolute awareness, allowing him to perfectly predict every motion within its range, while also completely mastering his own strength, allowing him to direct it in the most optimal manner.

As he had grown stronger, his domain had grown stronger as well until it gave him an almost supernatural ability to not only read the flow of battle but actually predict it with a high degree of accuracy, and now that he had begun to power it with unified force, its effectiveness had grown explosively once more. And it wasn't just Thorn. Eve also seemed to have received an upgrade, drastically increasing her ability to process information. It was almost as if the two of them merged together, melding Eve's unrivaled intellect with Thorn's raw power.

"It's been a while since I've seen you do that," Mina said, a hint of wariness in her eyes as she stared at Thorn. "But it seems to be as effective as ever."

"More effective," Thorn said, directing his gaze out over the battlefield.

Before he could continue, Akira's large head pushed up against him, almost knocking him over. He could tell that his battle pet was worried so with a smile, Thorn stroked the soft fur on top of her head.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'm able to control it a lot better than when I was back in Angoril. I'm not foolish enough to think that I can control it completely, but at least I can turn it on and off without too much trouble. The only question is if Eve can handle it.”

A shimmer of black nanites rose above Thorn's shoulder, slowly forming into Eve's small figure.

"I'm fine," she said, her voice laced with exhaustion. "It just takes a lot out of me. Operating this way in the tenth tier is much more difficult than when we were in the ninth tier and below, but give me a little bit and I'll be fine."

Sensing a heavy presence coming towards them, Thorn dismissed Eve to go back and rest as he turned to face Governor Orson and Keely.

"That was impressive work, Ascendant," Orson said, his eyes gleaming with appreciation as he stared at Thorn. "I had no idea you were so strong."

With a half shrug, Thorn dodged the compliment, changing the subject as he gestured to the dragonkin army in the distance.

"Will they retreat?"

"Unfortunately, no," Orson said, his forehead furrowing. "Our scouts are reporting that there's a larger force on its way. We're likely in for a major fight. In fact, the Dragon Empire seems to be intent on taking our position, as they've dispatched close to 500 dragon guard to this location. We expect them to arrive in the next few hours. Even worse, there's going to be a second condensation stage dragonkin named Moriphon. He's as strong as Quetzalten or maybe even stronger, which will put us in a difficult position.”

“What about our reinforcements, when do they arrive?" Thorn asked.

"They should be arriving soon," Orson said, "but something about this whole situation stinks, and I have a feeling that we're going to be on our own for a while. While we have the opportunity, we'll regroup, reset our defenses, and hope that we can hold out."

Gazing out over the rocky ground between the city and the dragonkin army, Thorn pointed to two large wooden structures that had been built.

"Those look like siege weapons," he said.

"That's exactly what they are," Orson replied, leaning on the wall as he stared out at them. "They're designed to deal with our magical defenses. They are coated in an enchanted shielding that makes them completely immune to the mana blasts our towers unleash.”

“Then we should probably go destroy them," Thorn said.

"Ooh, I want to come," Akira chirped, sitting up on her hind legs and clapping her front paws together.

Orson glanced up at Akira, confused by her sudden enthusiasm, but Thorn slowly smiled.

"I think that's a great idea. Mina, what do you think? Should we go hunting?"

"Hold on," Governor Orson said, holding up his hands. "You don't mean to go out there right now, do you?"

"What better time?" Thorn replied with a smile. "They're about to get reinforcements in the next couple of hours, and so this is the weakest that they're going to be.”

“But leaving the city wall will put you in danger of being surrounded. And if Quetzalten attacks…"

Governor Orson trailed off as Thorn cracked his knuckles.

"I should be able to survive against Quetzalten for a little while, at least. Mina, the tower is immune to mana attacks. You going to be okay?"

"More than," Mina said. "I've got a couple tricks up my sleeves and as long as I hit it from the inside, I should be fine.”

“Then with your permission, Commander Keely, we're going to go destroy those two towers."

The head of the temple looked slightly panicked, as if she didn't know what to do, and when she glanced over at Governor Orson, he just shrugged. The two of them had just watched Thorn, Mina, and Akira completely dominate the Dragon Guard and it was clear that Ascendant Thorn and his attendants were much stronger than they first assumed. After staring at the governor for a moment, Keely suddenly laughed.

"It would be a huge help if you could eliminate those towers, Ascendant Thorn. Is there any way we can help?"

"Just get ready to defend against an attack when we come running back here," Thorn said. "Come on, let's go."

Rather than jump down from the wall, as the others expected, Thorn reached down and scooped up Mina, as Akira shrank and jumped to his other shoulder. His halberd tapped on the ground, and a doorway made of thick, dark yellow mana appeared in front of him. Flashing a smile at Keely, Thorn stepped through and was gone, appearing across the battlefield at the base of one of the towers.

"You two take the other one. I've got this one," Thorn said.

As Akira and Mina both launched themselves towards the other tower, Thorn flicked his wrist, putting his halberd away. The tower was easily twice as tall as the city wall, and was massive in size, formed of thick timbers, each almost a foot in diameter. It was over ten feet wide at the base, making it impossible for Thorn to wrap his hands around the sides, but that didn’t matter to Thorn.

Reaching out, Thorn grabbed the tower, his fingers sinking deep into the wood as he crouched slightly.