A Relatively Powerful Mage

It took Imri a moment to register what the messenger had said.

“We need more information, who is attacking, and how bad is it?” Major Harper demanded.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know more than that,” the aide apologized.

“Thank you for informing us. Please provide us with an update when one is available,” Laura said, dismissing the man. The aide sprinted off just as quickly as he arrived.

“It’s the Azala,” Imri said confidently. Everyone nodded, agreeing with his assumption.

“Do you think it’s a coincidence that they’re attacking now? Or are they attacking because we are here?” Emelia asked.

“We might have spooked them into action by taking out the five infiltrators,” Imri said with a shrug.

“Or this could be an attack of opportunity. They could be trying to capture you,” Laura pointed out.

“Guessing isn’t going to solve anything; we need more information,” Major Harper said.

“The wraiths can be in the field in five minutes,” Sylvi said.

“Not yet. Let’s get more information from the locals first, but stay at heightened readiness. I want both units ready to deploy at a moment's notice,” the major ordered. The only response was a chorus of ‘sir, yes sir’ and salutes.

“Should we even help them? We could withhold our aid until they concede to our demands. That would be more effective than any threat we could have leveraged,” Laura suggested.

Imri thought about it, then shook his head. “We came here because we wanted them to cooperate in the upcoming conflict. It would be hypocritical of us to use that conflict as leverage,” he pointed out. No one argued that point.

“Do we have the ability to open a portal back to Celestia?” Major Harper asked.

Imri shook his head. “I don’t have enough mana, and Celestia doesn’t either. There also aren’t any beacons between; we’re stuck here for the time being,” he confirmed.

“Let’s see if our hosts need our assistance,” Laura said.

The Celestia delegation left as a group, heading down the hallway toward the barons' meeting area. As they drew closer, signs of frenetic activity became readily apparent. Imri restrained himself from using his Manifest Domain skill for the time being. Using it for a third time within the month would incur a twenty-minute cost just for activating the skill, and he was confident he would need it in the upcoming fight.

No one stopped them as they entered the makeshift headquarters. They practically reached the gathered barons before anyone challenged them, and even that was a tentative guard who couldn’t have done anything to stop them if they weren’t friendly.

“We have things under control; go back and wait to be summoned,” Burke sneered when he noticed their group.

“Don’t be an idiot. We definitely don’t have things under control,” Leslie countermanded her fellow baron.

“We’re happy to help if you can appraise us of the situation on the ground,” Major Harper offered.

“Have a look for yourself,” Dotson said, motioning toward a series of larger monitors. Each display was subdivided into smaller sections that were live feeds of the city.

It didn’t take Imri long to spot the invaders. Azala, in various states of transformation, roamed throughout the city in organized squads. Some resembled those he had fought in Minneapolis, seemingly mostly human, with the occasional growth or tentacle giving away their identity. They moved awkwardly as the integration process was not fully completed. Others were barely recognizable as former humans, a mass of writhing tentacles sprouting from seemingly random locations.

However, even the fully transformed humanoids were the least of their problems. There were several massive creatures the size of a small building. They resembled walking jungle vegetation, but instead of bark and vines, they had a chitinous exoskeleton and a mass of tentacles of varying sizes.

Hordes of people fled from the terrifying creatures in a chaotic wave. They panicked and attempted to leave the metropolis, creating bottlenecks at the various chokepoints that led out of the city. Imri watched in horror as people trampled over each other in a desperate attempt to escape. He morbidly wondered what would be the more significant cause of casualties, the Azala or the ensuing panic.

As Imri watched, he noticed various feeds cut off as the Azala destroyed the cameras tracking their movements. Eventually, all that remained were aerial views from what he assumed were drones.

“They aren’t going for any key strategic points, nor are they trying to inflict as much damage as possible,” Major Harper said as he watched the various feeds.

“They are converging on a location: here,” Dotson pointed out.

“Why would they be coming here? It is our makeshift HQ, but there are far easier targets for them to hit, including the Nexuses,” Major Harper mused.

“They're after me,” Imri said with certainty.

“I know you’re strong, but why would they launch an assault on a city just to go after one person?” Dotson asked.

“I took something their Queen was after. I can’t hide it, so they know I have it on me,” Imri explained, knowing that the energy billowing out of his Inner Domain would be visible for miles to those who knew to look.

“What is this item?” Dotson asked.

“It doesn’t matter. The important thing is that they can find me no matter where I go, and they won’t stop chasing me. That’s why I need to lead them away from the populated areas within the city,” Imri said.

“Absolutely not,” Emelia and Laura said at the same time.

“I couldn’t live with myself if I just sat here while there was something I could do to save thousands of lives. I’m not going to do anything reckless. I’ll lead them away from the city for a while, then come back through a portal,” Imri said.

“At least take a unit with you to watch your back,” Laura insisted.

“I’ll be faster on my own without worrying about keeping others safe,” Imri said truthfully.

‘Don’t forget your promise. You’re not allowed to die,’ Emelia sent through their telepathic connection. Before Imri could respond, she kissed him passionately, not caring about the large crowd in the conference room.

‘I promise,’ Imri sent back.

Imri held his hand out, palm down. A steady stream of firearms and ammunition spilled out of his Inner Domain and onto the conference room floor in a heap. He kept an assault rifle and pistol for himself, along with a decent supply of ammunition.

Before anyone else could try to dissuade him, he left with purposeful strides. While he didn’t have his domain active, he could still perfectly recall the building's layout. He moved towards the nearest exit and the converging Azala.

Sylvi watched as Emelia paced back and forth frantically. “We have to do something to help him,” Emelia declared for at least the third time since Imri had left as many minutes ago.

“We’re not going to sit on our hands, but we can’t rush out there after him; that would defeat the entire purpose of what he’s doing,” Sylvi pointed out.

After a few minutes of waiting, they noticed the shift. The swarm that had been heading inexorably towards them was now diverting its course. Sylvi could see the mixed emotions on Emelia’s face.

“They aren’t all chasing him. Some are splitting off and heading towards the Nexuses,” Coleman reported.

“How many?” Major Harper asked.

“Enough to be a problem,” Coleman said.

“We need to defend the Nexuses,” Pearson demanded.

“There aren’t enough of us to stop them if we split our reserves that many times. We need a better plan,” Major Harper said.

“You keep planning, I’m going to defend my Nexus,” Pearson declared.

The impulsive baron gathered his forces and left. Baron Burke also withdrew his soldiers. While Sylvi didn’t mind either of those two leaving, they had taken almost half of the personnel in the convention center. They would be stretched thin if more forces were deployed away from their HQ.

“How did this many Azala get into the city unnoticed? I understand the normal-sized ones, but the larger monstrosities aren’t exactly inconspicuous,” Major Harper pointed out.

“Does that even matter now?” Dotson asked.

“It might. They clearly have a base of operation somewhere in the city,” Major Harper said.

“I might be able to help with that. I have a list of locations that I thought were suspicious for one reason or another. I had assumed they were the other Barons’ activities, but if there is one that isn’t…” Baronesse Horn said.

“That sounds promising. Let's see this list,” Major Harper suggested.

“There’s one problem. I left that intel on a secure device that can’t be accessed remotely. We’ll need to retrieve it physically,” Baronesse Horn said.

“One of our units could retrieve the device,” Major Harper offered.

“Several security protocols are in place around my Nexus, so you’ll need me,” Baronesse Horn explained.

Sylvi noticed the major looking at her, and she gave a slight nod. While she wasn’t looking forward to escorting a civilian through a war zone, it was their most promising lead.

“A unit of wraiths can get you safely there, but you must listen to their commands,” Major Harper said.

When the baroness nodded, Sylvi began barking out orders. Everyone checked their kit before doing the same with their squadmate.

“We have extra firearms if you need one,” Horn offered, looking dubiously at the bows.

“Any of your soldiers get a trait improving their skill with a gun?” Sylvi asked while going through her final checks.

“No,” the baroness said, not needing to consider the question.

“That’s not the case for bows. Combine that with our crafters creating enhanced bows, and the bow is now the more powerful weapon,” Sylvi explained.

The baroness still seemed unconvinced, but she didn’t object further. Sylvi noticed that Ashlyn had helped herself to a pistol, and judging by how it was already tucked away, she had done so before the Baroness had made her offer. She smiled sheepishly when she noticed Sylvi’s glare but made no move to return the weapon.

“I’ll have a drone scouting ahead on your route. We already scoped it out, and a few Azala appear to be patrolling the area. However, the actual fighting will occur near the Nexus,” Coleman explained.

“Where is the Nexus?” Sylvi asked.

“It’s in my penthouse at the top of a high rise. It’s only a few blocks from here,” Horn explained.

“Let’s hope the elevators still work,” Ashlyn said wryly.

“They don’t; the power is out,” Coleman said, not taking his eyes off the drone feed.

“Great,” Ashlyn said sarcastically.

With their gear check done, they made their way out of the convention center. There were six wraiths in total, including Sylvi and Ashlyn. The other four members had been scouts and hunters who had recently gained their heritage evolution. Fortunately, they all knew what they were doing and listened to Sylvi’s orders.

They immediately encountered resistance as they exited the building. Several partially transformed Azala spotted them and charged without hesitation. Several arrows were loosed in an instant, striking vitals with unerring precision.

They were making quick work of their opponents, but Sylvi remained vigilant. That’s when she noticed something flying through the air towards them. “Take cover,” she shouted, following her own advice.

The wraiths dove behind abandoned cars as they heard the command. One soldier was slow on the uptake and was only partially behind the cover when the object struck. The projectile exploded on impact, spraying a clear liquid in every direction. Some of it landed on the exposed soldier, and a moment later, there was an audible sizzling noise as it began eating through whatever it came into contact with.

The struck soldier stared in disbelief as their armor dissolved, then started screaming as the acid made its way into their flesh. Sylvi rushed to their side, trying to wipe off any dangerous fluid.

“Can you keep going?” she asked him.

“I think so. It burns, but I can still fight,” he said.

Sylvi didn’t have time to doubt the soldier, as more shouts of incoming forced both of them back down. They ducked behind the car as more acidic bombs landed nearby. Unfortunately, the acid was powerful enough to begin breaking down the car quickly. They wouldn’t have cover for long.