TS6 - Chapter 7

"Even so, why are there so few soldiers?" Thorn asked, his brow furrowing to match Keely's.

The head of the temple flashed a disgusted look as she shook her head. "The peace of the last 400 years has worn away some of the higher ranks' common sense. The money that should have gone into maintaining the army has been pocketed, leading to our current crisis."

"Well, whatever the reason for being stuck in this situation, we'll just have to work on getting unstuck. How many 10th tier enemies did you say there were?"

"Close to thirty," Keely replied. "The Dragon Guard is a powerful force made up of true dragonkin. They're commanded by Quetzalten, a condensation level warrior. The only saving grace is that they don't have someone in the eruption level."

"What about us?” Thorn asked. “What kind of forces do we have?"

"We have less than ten dispersion level warriors," Keely replied, "and though Orson is close to the condensation stage, he isn't there yet."

"So what you mean to say is we're in a lot of trouble," Mina quipped.

"That is indeed what I mean to say," Keely replied, her expression serious. "I'd tell you to run, but there isn't time, as the army has already deployed scouts all around the city."

"Well, just tell us what we need to do," Thorn said.

"Thank you. I'll have you deploy with the temple's forces at the main gate. The dragonkin are notoriously proud and will likely launch their attack there. It's going to be a brutally tough fight, but our hope is to hold out long enough for the capital to send reinforcements."

"And how long would that take?" Mina asked.

"Entirely too long," Keely replied. "It could be as long as a day, and in the meantime, we'll be outnumbered twenty to one."

Following Keely's direction, Thorn and Mina headed for the city's main gate. When they arrived, they saw a group of temple warriors standing on the wall above it, chatting quietly as they watched for the enemy to appear. When Thorn walked up the stairs to the top of the wall, one of them stepped forward and saluted.

"You must be Ascendant Thorn. Master Keely said you would be coming. You’re welcome to wait here with us."

“Thanks,” Thorn said, glancing at the group of temple warriors.

Looking around, Thorn didn't see any other Ascendants, causing him to frown. Everyone here was in the ninth tier, making him wonder where the city's tenth-tier fighters were.

It wasn't long before they arrived, half of them wearing the armor of the city guard, and the others dressed in the robes of the temple. The two different groups didn't mix, choosing to stand in separate locations on top of the city wall, making it clear to Thorn that the fight was going to be much harder than he thought.

As Thorn was about to head over to the Temple of Man's side to introduce himself to the other warriors, Keely and Orson arrived, and at the same time, a ferocious-sounding trumpet blast rang across the mountain. Tiny dots appeared in the distance, rapidly growing bigger as the Dragonkin army approached.

It was an impressive affair, with columns of soldiers a hundred across and two hundred deep. There were five of these columns, twisting like snakes as they made their way through the mountainous terrain. A large group of one thousand soldiers, dressed in regal bronze armor, decorated with dragon scales and dragon helms, marched at the front, carrying an imposing air that pressed down on the defenders of the city.

A single figure sat on a large palanquin, carried by a dozen burly soldiers. Unlike the rest, who were dressed in armor, the woman who sat on the platform was dressed in colorful silk, as if she was going to a party. Glancing at Orson, he saw that the governor's eyes were fixed on her, even at a tremendous distance.

When the enemy finally arrived in front of the city, the woman called for the entire formation to halt. An officer ran out from among the heavily armored Dragonkin to shout up towards those on the city wall.

"Quetzalten the Fair has come to take possession of your city, under the orders of her master, Maserrek. Surrender now and you may yet live, if you prove useful to our master. If you do not, we will tear through your walls, slaughtering all those who resist, and binding the rest in chain."

As his words ended, the dragon army let out a massive shout, their voices creating an almost physical force that pummeled the ears and hearts of the defenders. The sound echoed over the mountains, until Orson, furious, let out a shout of his own, helping alleviate some of the pressure.

"How dare you," he thundered. "You come into our land unprovoked, and simply think you can steal our city without repercussion? If you do not turn around and leave right now, we will dye the rocks red with your blood."

Slowly standing from her platform, Quetzalten spread her arms and two large dragon wings unfolded from her back. With a heavy flap, she shot into the air, hovering across from Orson.

"Are you sure you want to do this, old man?"

“I'm sure, Hag."

"Very well. Then why waste any time," Quetzalten said, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

Before she could give the command to attack, however, Orson had already begun to move. Launching himself from the top of the wall, he rose into the air to meet her, a bright flaming sword appearing in his hands as he swung it down at her with all of his might.

She spun the gaudy clothing that covered her, transforming it into hundreds of strips of cloth, one of which snapped out to try and block Orson's blow. A sound like a slab of metal being dragged across the floor rang out as the two condensation stage fighters clashed.

Below, Dragonkin let out a loud roar and charged forward, throwing themselves against the city's defenses. Immediately, the defenders sprang into action, responding with arrows and crossbow bolts, as well as unleashing wide-scale spells and other defensive emplacements.

Mina and Thorn didn't join them, simply observing the battle along with the members of the temple. It wasn't that Thorn didn't want to fight, but rather he was currently under Keely's command, and she had not yet given the order. That earned him an appreciative look from the head of the temple.

The defensive plan called for keeping the Temple of Man's forces in reserve, at least until the Dragon Guard moved out, but it quickly became apparent that they would have to step in sooner, as the hundred thousand lesser dragonkin swarmed the city.

Hearing the creak of wood, Thorn saw two massive structures being rapidly constructed from pieces that the enemy army had brought along. Spells and arrows flew as the attackers attempted to scale the walls, using ladders, ropes, and some even by directly climbing up them. The defenders responded by hacking apart the ropes and ladders, and using spears to push the climbing attackers back down the wall. Even though the fight had only started, it was fierce, and blood flowed freely.

The lesser dragonkin warriors were fearless, throwing themselves against the city's defenses without an ounce of hesitation, while the defenders carried an air of desperation as they fought to keep their city safe.

Overhead, the air crackled with power as Orson and Quetzalten hurled themselves against one another. Though he was standing on the battlements in the midst of the fighting, Thorn paid no attention to the lesser dragonkin swarming the city wall. Instead, 100% of his focus was on Quetzalten.

Though she was dressed in silk, her power made the silk harder than any metal, while simultaneously allowing it to retain its flexibility. She wielded it like an incredibly versatile whip, using it to tangle Orson and keep him off balance. The governor wielded his giant sword with ferocious speed, each of his strikes tearing apart the air as he tried to pin her down, but the dragonkin fluttered this way and that, borrowing the fierce air currents to dodge out of the way of each of his strikes.

Though Orson was obviously powerful, and gave off an aura that even Thorn found intimidating, he couldn't so much as touch the edge of Quetzalten's clothing. Thorn could sense Keely growing nervous. Watching them from down below, Mina let out a long breath and glanced over at Thorn.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"I think they're both very powerful," Thorn replied. "And a fight against either of them would be very tough."

Hearing his words, Keely looked at him in disbelief, while Mina grinned.

"Well, that takes a weight off my mind," Mina said.

A loud roar shook the air as Orson raised his sword high above his head, concentrating the flames until they burned white-hot. Seeing the flames change color, Quetzalten's smile grew mocking.

"It doesn't matter how powerful your attack is if it can't hit me," she said.

"Come and fight me directly," Orson snarled, "instead of running like a coward."

"But then you’d be dead. We can’t have that, since it will be so much fun to let you see your city slaughtered," she said.

With a growl, Orson launched his attack, slashing down with his sword and unleashing a wave of flame that filled the air between him and Quetzalten. She reached out and tapped the air in front of her, causing all of the flames rolling towards her to suddenly split into millions of streamers that flowed around her, before exploding behind her.

Orson immediately followed up his chop with a wicked slash, intending to cut her from hip to shoulder. But once again, the colorful clothing she wore got in the way, slapping his blade off course, even as her sleeve spun into a fine point that she stabbed towards him. Coolly lifting the hilt of his sword, he blocked the attack as both fighters kicked at each other. Their feet met with a boom that shook the air, causing many below to stagger.  Launched backwards by their mutual kick, Orson forcefully stopped himself and gave chase, as Quetzalten mocked him from a distance. Watching from down below, Thorn's brow slowly furrowed.

"I thought they would be more flashy," he said, causing Keely to look at him in confusion. "The condensation stage fights, I mean. I thought it would be more explosive."

"If it was, we'd all be dead," Keely said. "They're holding back to avoid obliterating their own forces. But as soon as the fight gets serious, that's not going to be the case anymore."

"If the difference is that great, wouldn't it mean that they could just wipe us all out?" Mina asked.

"In theory, yes," Keely admitted. "But if they did, then they'd have to worry about the Arbiter."

Hearing of the mysterious figure once more, Thorn was going to ask Keely more but just then, the ground rumbled, and the twenty-five strong Dragon Guard unit launched themselves into the air, heading for the city wall.

"It's time to fight!" Keely roared, light beginning to spill from her eyes and hands. Around her, the warriors of the temple let out a loud shout that was soon echoed by the defenders. As the Dragonkin raced forward, picking up speed, they began to shine with a glittering golden light that coalesced above their heads, forming the shape of a massive scale.

Holding her dagger in one hand and wand in the other, Mina began murmuring under her breath, a steady torrent of arcane words flowing out to fix themselves in the air. Thorn joined her, holding his staff in one hand, his other stretched out as he manipulated the mana around him.

"You know, it's probably time you upgraded your weapon again," Eve remarked, flying above Thorn's head. He ignored her, keeping his concentration on the spell he was casting, even as the Dragon Guard got closer.

Knowing there would be no match, the ninth-tier fighters along the wall began to fall back, as did the ninth-tier lesser Dragonkin who had been assaulting the wall. Each one of the twenty-five Dragonkin coming towards the city possessed a domain of their own, and these domains now overlapped, transforming into a dragon scale that radiated a suppressive aura.

Hearing Keely cursing under her breath, Thorn glanced at Mina to check if she was ready. A moment later, she finished her spell, nodded at him, and thrust out her dagger. The change was immediate, as a massive swell of moisture gathered together above the city, transforming into a huge ice blade that chopped down towards the enemy formation.

Against a single opponent in the tenth-tier, Mina's attack was something to be feared. Against a dozen, even, it might have been able to do some damage. But against the twenty-five Dragon Guard, with their overlapping domains, it seemed a bit like attempting to stop a charging bull with a snowball. The best she could hope for was annoying it further.

All that changed, however, when Thorn condensed his domain, activating the ancient runes he had cast, and reached up, grasping the air as if taking control of the blade. The ancient runes blurred as they shot into the massive ice blade, imprinting themselves inside of it, and boosting its strength to an unfathomable degree.

Letting out a long breath, Thorn gripped the air tightly with his hands, and took a single step forward, bringing his hands down at the same time, as if slashing an invisible enemy in front of him. The massive ice sword fell, screaming through the air, leaving ribbons of purple void energy in its wake as it hacked down on the enemy formation.

The shift had happened so quickly that the Dragon Guard barely had time to respond. What had been less than a nuisance to them had suddenly transformed into a deadly weapon, forcing them to fuse their domains together to try and defend against it. Now that mana concentrated, forming what looked like a large dragon scale above the formation, shielding them from the icy chill.

With a crack that silenced the battlefield, the massive icy sword slammed into the dragon scale, which held for a moment, before the ancient runes that were carved into it pulsed once more, and a long purple crack appeared on the scale. A moment later, it shattered, and the charge of the Dragon Guard was stopped cold.

With a boom that shook the heavens, the sword continued to fall, slamming into the formation below the scale and scattering the Dragon Guard across the battlefield. A dozen of them were wounded, though none killed. But to Thorn and Mina, that didn't matter. They had already succeeded in what they were trying to do, shattering the powerful Dragon Guard formation that Keely had been so worried about.

Up above in the sky, the fight between Orson and Quetzalten had been derailed by the sight of the huge ice sword. Her expression ugly, Quetzalten glared down at the city, unsure what she had just witnessed. Orson's confusion was no less, as he had never imagined that Ascendant Thorn and his attendant possessed so much power.