A Relatively Powerful Mage

Zhaire stared at the black blade and gauntlet. He wasn’t sure if he was developing a new sense, but the items seemed to radiate evil. Perhaps it was just because he knew how insidious of a weapon it truly was.

“We shouldn’t use it, because we are better than that. It doesn’t matter what the Chixel do,” Emelia argued, rehashing the same argument they had already had several times.

“So, we just let them use it on us? Because if we don’t stop them, everyone in Celestia is going to be slaughtered by those blades,” Veronica countered.

“It’s not like your boyfriend had any issues using one of those weapons,” Teresa said.

“He regrets having ever used it,” Emelia pointed out.

“So why don’t we ask him what we should do now?” Teresa asked. They both knew he would be for using any weapon they could get their hands on. He had sold the dagger because he thought it was no longer needed.

“Enough,” Zhaire said, having grown irritated. He could see both sides of the argument, but going in circles wasn’t going to solve anything. They needed to make a decision now or they wouldn’t get deployed in time. When there was silence he continued, “I don’t like using this weapon either, it's despicable and the world would be a better place if all of these were destroyed. However, we can’t allow ourselves to be seen as weak, or we’ll never survive. We can debate morality after we establish ourselves as something not to be fucked with.”

Zhaire could tell Emelia wasn’t convinced, but she didn’t argue further. Zhaire grasped the blade and gauntlet, shuddering slightly as he picked it up. He presented it to Teresa, who was the best candidate to use the weapon, given that he and Jenson couldn’t physically get their hands in the gauntlet. She seemed to have no compunction about taking the weapon, which concerned Zhaire, but he didn’t say anything. She gave the sword a few practice swings, feeling out the weight and balance of the unfamiliar sword. Despite her being some distance away, everyone flinched away from the insidious weapon.

With the decision made they quickly packed up camp, likely for the last time. No one said anything as they made their way into position. Zhaire held the walkie-talkie, waiting for the command to go in. The wait dragged on, feeling like an entire day despite only being a couple of hours. When the crackly voice came onto the walkie-talkie, Zhaire gave the signal.

They had positioned themselves only a few hundred meters from the rear of the main camp of the army, which was situated at the base of the mountain trails leading up to Celestia. Despite the current assault kilometers away near the plateau, there were still several hundred Chixel throughout the camp. This included the support staff and the wounded, but that still left well over a hundred soldiers nearby. Despite this, Zhaire charged.

He rode atop Orion, the mighty Starseeker galloping directly towards the center of the enemy's camp, trampling any Chixel who didn’t get out of its way in time. Some Chixel managed to jump out of the path of the powerful beast only to be cut down by Zhaire's glaive. However, despite the shocking nature of the attack, Zhaire didn’t manage many killing blows, his range of motion was limited by not having a saddle, and he used his core to stay atop Orion more than striking. It did draw the attention of the camp, causing many soldiers to rush to the battlefield, forming a line as opposed to the normal skirmishing formations the Chixel favored.

Zhaire broke the attack off, gently nudging the Starseeker aside before the mass of the defenders could arrest their momentum. They wheeled about and continued attacking those who had yet to properly join the formation. He continued his harassment, despite many of the skirmishers hurling javelins with Olympian-level accuracy. Fortunately, his armor, both natural and crafted, along with fast movement, prevented him from sustaining serious injuries. Despite this, both he and Orion accumulated several cuts from the sheer volume of projectiles sent their way. However, Zhaire and Orion were far from the only threat the camp had to deal with as several of the skirmishers fell to the ground, an arrow protruding from their chest as Jenson picked them off with sniper-like precision and power.

With a large group of soldiers gathered, and the majority of the skirmishers either dead or retreated, the battle had reached a stalemate. Zhaire could continue harassing them with a low risk of serious injury, but his team would run out of resources long before they made a significant dent in the enemy's force. Realizing this, Zhaire whistled and pointed at the large block of assembled soldiers that held the camp's perimeter.

The soldiers, which had been packed tight to prevent a Starseeker charge, were suddenly thrown about like bowling pins. Most fell to the ground, only a few confused soldiers near the edge of the blast still standing, with most having suffered non-fatal injuries. Veronica had used her telekinetic ability, sending a pulse of force into their ranks. While she could have made the force sharper to inflict more damage, her abilities were most mana-efficient when she didn’t shape it, just sending a wide blast of force. However, it still had the desired effect of dispersing their formation.

Zhaire charged toward the open gap, making toward the center of the camp. He wasn’t alone, Teresa blurred forward, moving only slightly slower than Orion. She had managed to kill a few of the skirmishers and the cloudy gemstone glowed with the souls of her victims. She moved fluidly, cutting through her Chixel opponents like a farmer reaping a field. Many didn’t even put up a fight, too terrified of the black blade she wielded. Behind them, Jenson sprinted to join the melee, having already fired the last of his limited arrows. The normally implacable Chixel wavered, as an unnatural sense of dread enveloped them. It wasn’t enough to completely break their spirits, but it did give them pause and lessened their effectiveness.

Zhaire continued to push through the line of defenders, and he began to think they would actually manage to make their way to the captives that were held at the center of the camp. Unfortunately, the sheer number of opponents began to halt their momentum, and the trio of fighters were forced to defend themselves as their opponents attempted to flank and surround them. He noticed Teresa taking wounds that normally would have seriously hampered her, only to keep fighting. Shots rang out as the mages used the last of their bullets to keep from being overwhelmed as their mana was taxed to their limits. Zhaire lost track of everything as he was thrown from Orion, as the Starseeker frantically kicked and stomped at Chixel who threatened to overwhelm them. Zhaire hit the ground hard, losing his breath but not breaking anything thanks to his improved body.

Swarms of opponents rushed in on him now that he was in a compromised position. Zhaire eventually managed to regain his footing, though he took several deeper wounds in the process. The horde pressed in on him, not giving him room to wield his longer weapon, forcing him to switch to his short sword. He activated his Frenzy skill, giving him the surge in power he needed to regain some chance at counter-attacking. That’s when he saw a black sword slashing towards him. He narrowly managed to avoid the blow, blocking it with his short sword. They continued exchanging blows, the press of common soldier forgotten as Zhaire diverted all his attention to the enemy in front of him. Despite the creature landing shallow cuts on him as they clashed, Zhaire smiled down at the Inquisitor. He didn't need to win he just needed to hold out long enough.

Sylvi shouted orders as the Chixel began their assault on the final choke point. After the first assault, the Chixel had started using enhanced wood that was stronger and fire resistant, preventing them from destroying the bridge with a fireball, a shaped boulder from an earth mage, or a conventional explosive created by Caroline. However, those attacks were still effective on the soldiers attempting to cross, killing scores of them, with the last few dying from well-shot arrows. However, despite the immense casualties sustained, the Chixel kept coming.

On the other side of the bridge, Sylvi could see the Inquisitor, decked out in heavy armor and wielding their signature black blade. Their retinue of Blackguards stood around them protectively, making the Inquisitor an impossible target for all but the most accurate sharpshooters, of which none of them qualified. Despite being able to single-handedly break through Celestia’s defenders, the Inquisitor stood back, watching dispassionately. They seemed content to let their brethren be slaughtered. While the inquisitor’s inaction gave them a slim chance, it was still looking grim. Their supply of ammo, both bullets and arrows, was stretched thin. At this rate, they wouldn’t last long against the onslaught of Chixel recklessly throwing themselves at the defenders.

Sylvi did her best with the limited ammo, sending powerful arrows into any Chixel that managed to cross. Eventually, the defenders ran out of resources, both ammo and mana for spells, and the Chixel continued their advance. The battle changed from a one-sided slaughter to a brutal conflict over a few square meters at the end of the bridge. With the tide of battle turning, the Inquisitor finally decided to act, moving lazily, as if this fight were a chore that it could barely be bothered with.

The defenders had done all they could. With the inquisitor entering the fray, the barely trained conscripts would be slaughtered in droves. They didn’t have the Chixel’s callous disregard for their own lives, they would break and run. Fortunately, Sylvi didn’t expect them to stand up to the soul-devouring Inquisitor. She pushed her way to the front of the line, standing on the edge of the bridge. She created an umbral mist around herself, obscuring the area where she was and momentarily halting the advancing army on the bridge. She grabbed the utility knife and flipped it open. Cringing, she shouted, “Dimensional blade,” and a thin black edge extended just past the physical blade. She ran the knife through the near impervious wood of the bridge, slicing through with no resistance. It took several passes for the small blade to completely collapse the bridge, but it eventually fell.

The bridge collapsed completely, tumbling down nearly fifty meters before crashing into a small shelf below. Over a dozen Chixel screamed as they plummeted to their deaths Despite her high agility, Sylvi almost fell forward as the majority of her weight was leaning forward as she completed the cuts with no resistance. Fortunately, the Umbral Shroud had started to disperse, and Caroline was able to grab her and pull her back to secure footing. They collapsed to the ground, Sylvi on top of the more slight Caroline. Sylvi couldn't help it, she laughed at the absurdity of them still being alive. Caroline gave her a perplexed look, then started laughing too.

The Inquisitor stared balefully at them, and for a moment Sylvi wondered if they would jump the gap themselves. It was slightly further than the Olympic long jump record, and this inquisitor seemed disinclined to put themselves in harm's way. The powerful Chixel seemed to come to the same conclusion, hissing and walking away from the chasm. Sylvi couldn’t help it, she taunted the creature, despite them not knowing their language. She stuck her middle finger out and jeered as they retreated. She only hoped she had done enough to keep this force occupied.