A Relatively Powerful Mage

Imri and his team made their way through the camp. They could still hear the sounds of fighting nearby, accented by the occasional screech from the nearly unkillable Drake. There were signs of destruction everywhere, tents shorn to rubble, bloody churned ground with the occasional remains of a half-eaten Chixel. Imri began to worry that his ploy had been too effective, that he had unwittingly killed the captives by unleashing an unstable killing machine.

Fortunately, the Drake appeared to be in no hurry, and as they moved further in there were fewer signs of havoc. Imri suspected the lazy beast had probably satiated itself on dozens of Chixel, and probably would have contented itself going back to sunbathing if the Chixel would simply leave it alone. Fortunately, panicked Chixel did not stop to question whether it was a good idea to poke the giant-flying-crocodile, and it continued to be a great distraction.

Imri and his team didn’t move through the camp entirely unnoticed, encountering the occasional patrol by happenstance. On such occasions, Imri wouldn’t hesitate to unleash a Spatial Compression, targeting the center mass of the first Chixel. Space compressed inward, and the Chixel was hit with the force of two oncoming cars in a head-on collision, with them in between. Needless to say, the force was excessive, completely crushing most of their internal organs as their body imploded. Was it a bit excessive and not the most efficient use of his mana? Perhaps, however, using wanton displays of power emboldened his team while completely demoralizing his opponents. Neither group needed to know that he was almost completely spent as the over-channel debuff started to affect him. It started at low severity, giving him a small penalty to mana efficiency and slowing draining his stamina. However, with a few more spells within a short amount of time, he would be completely spent.

The camp changed from tents to a large supply depot, with the rings of wagons nearby. Imri spotted the larger wagons with slits for air, the wagons where people were being held like cattle. A dozen Chixel guarded the supplies and prisoners with fervorous attention. A pair of the guards were better armed than the rest. Fortunately, they carried normal weapons, not the black of soul-stealing weapons, making it likely they were Blackguards and not full Inquisitors. Near the center of the formation, flanked by the two Blackguards, stood a figure Imri immediately recognized, Rhesk with their slightly darkened scales. They looked haggard, their eyes glazed and unfocused, seemingly unconcerned with the invaders in front of them.

These soldiers were the elites of the Chixel army, or at least the most disciplined. Where they had been able to overwhelm every other opponent with quick and brutal efficiency, this group did not flinch as Imri tore apart one of the two Blackguards with a Spatial Compression. To make matters worse, Imri’s air of infallibility cracked as he stumbled slightly from the effects of the over-channel debuff as it intensified. While his team might prevail without him against two-to-one odds, those weren’t odds Imri could gamble on. Using the last of his available mana, Imri pushed himself to the limit. He cast Time Dilation on himself at 15%, meaning for 1.15 seconds that passed for him, only 1 second passed for everyone else. Chixel who had been sprinting just a moment before now seemed to be moving at a steady jog.

Imri pulled out his handgun which only contained a single magazine of ammo. He needed to make every shot matter. Fortunately, between the Time Dilation effect and the Chixel having not adapted to modern weaponry, it was an easy shooting gallery. Imri took his time sighting down each shot in quick succession. He aimed center mass with each shot, trusting that it would at least incapacitate his opponents. With deadly precision, each bullet found its target, and the battle was over before it even began.

Imri collapsed to the ground, gasping for air as the effects of the over-channel now started to feel like he was constantly sprinting. His team finished the fight quickly, dispatching the last of the opponents that had survived the deadly salvo, leaving only Rhesk standing. The Chixel mage made no move, seemingly entirely indifferent to the slaughter of their retinue.

A pair of soldiers, a man and a woman, rushed to Imri’s side, helping him to his feet. Imri briefly entered into meditation, feeling the increased regeneration combat the steady amount of fatigue he was accumulating. The increased mana regeneration also helped slowly bring down the intensity of the debuff, until it was at a sustainable level. Even if Imri had any more mana, he definitely wouldn’t be casting another spell for at least a couple of hours.

His team wasn’t idle while he was meditating. Once they realized he just needed a minute to catch his breath, they went about completing the mission. They secured Rhesk, though they currently didn’t have a way to effectively restrain the mage from casting. Fortunately, the Chixel Seer seemed disinterested in putting up a fight. They complied with the rough treatment they were given as they were slammed to the ground, like an overzealous arrest. No one would have any sympathy for the mage, even if they hadn’t meant to cause them harm they were indirectly responsible for several deaths and an even greater amount of suffering. They were quickly disarmed, a soldier taking one of the black daggers similar to what Imri had acquired from the Soul Priest.

From there the team had a pair of individuals responsible for sabotaging the supply depot. They quickly looted a few packs of useful-looking mundane items, though much of it was exotic items and foodstuffs that no one felt comfortable eating. After the quick rundown, explosives were fastened throughout the perimeter of the depot. Caroline had warned them the resulting explosion would be substantial and had instructed them to get at least a hundred meters away before detonating the device. To that end, she had worked with Sylvi, who had seen her fair share of IEDs in her deployments, and with a woman who had been an electrical engineer before the integration. Together, the three women had created a remote detonation device linked to a previously useless smartphone. Imri had even helped with the coding of the detonation program. The result was something far safer than the crude converted fireworks they had originally been using.

Simultaneously, another pair worked on freeing the prisoners, who were in the wagons nearby. Based on the size of the cattle-like wagons, they had originally estimated a few dozen captives had been dragged to the battlefield. They quickly had to revise that estimate, as it was clear they had vastly overestimated the room each human being would have been given. They had been stuffed into a small cube-like cell that made PETA ads look humane. Each of the people they rescued was filthy and emaciated. Many of them could barely walk, let alone anything resembling fighting. There were also far more people than they originally estimated, almost fifty of them. A few of the cages were also empty, the silent implication hanging heavy in the air. Many of them shot hateful glares at the lone surviving Chixel.

Once the team had finished rigging the explosives, they shifted to helping with humanitarian efforts, passing out food and blankets from the raided supply depot. Most of the victims were still in shock, a few numbly ate and drank as items were passed out. Only a resolute few said anything, and even that was little more than a meek and raspy ‘Thank you’.

“This one is sorry, Imri Padar,” Rhesk said, unable to meet Imri’s eyes.

“That’s all you have to say for yourself, you’re sorry!” Imri shouted in outrage after he had been helped to his feet.

“This one does not know what else to say,” The defeated mage said.

“Look at how you treated my people. Can you honestly tell me this is alright,” Imri said, motioning to some of the victims who couldn’t even walk.

“This is the very thing I fought against. This abhorrent treatment of other species is why this one protested, it is why this one is considered radical. However, this one could not let Ettes be sacrificed, forever prevented from re-entering the great cycle.”

“So it’s alright to sacrifice others to save your mate?” Imri asked.

“This one did not know what else to do. Would you not do the same to save Emelia’s soul?” Rhesk asked. Imri was about to say he would never do anything like this but stopped himself. Was that true? What wouldn’t he be willing to do?

“I would have found another way,” Imri said lamely.

“If there was no other way?” Rhesk pressed.

“I still can’t forgive what you did,” Imri said, deflecting the question.

“That is understandable, this one does not seek forgiveness. This one does not excuse these actions and fully expects to pay the ultimate price for such transgressions. However, this one has a request,” Rhesk explained.

“You’re in no position to be making any request,” Imri said sharply.

Rhesk ignored Imri’s dismissal and continued. “This one urges Imri not to let hatred towards the Chixel blind them. Though few Chixel are willing to admit this, it is known that the Azala are stronger. Especially after this defeat, it is clear that we will not prevail in a two-pronged war. For all this world's sake, do not let the Azala gain a foothold.”

“I’ll do what’s best for humanity,” Imri said resolutely, not willing to commit to a course of action at this moment. Even if he agreed with Rhesk, and he did to a degree, he wouldn’t have given the Seer the satisfaction of knowing. With nothing left to be said, the defeated Chixel lowered their head exposing their neck. Imri didn’t hesitate, ending their life with a clean decapitation from his machete. Killing his once ally brought him no satisfaction. It did bring some measure of closure to the prisoners who had witnessed the ultimate evil act of soul sacrifice. Whatever their reasons, Imri could never forgive that.

Zhaire stood, breathing heavily as all his resources were nearly empty. He was surrounded by a field of bodies, almost all of them Chixel. Many of the dead had their souls destroyed, ripped from existence by their own dark blades. They had anticipated the arrival of the Inquisitor and had effectively countered them. Antonio had been able to subvert their mind, making them mad and think that allies were enemies. The Inquisitor had gone on a rampage, killing well over a dozen Chixel before being killed by their allies.

The advanced team hadn’t escaped without a loss of their own. Jenson had been overwhelmed by the onslaught of opponents, not being the monstrous melee fighters that Zhaire or an enchanted Teresa were. The twins stood further back, breathing heavily with numerous cuts and bruises etched across their bodies, but none overly serious. They held their heads and stumbled walking, clearly suffering from the effects of over-using their mana. Teresa had numerous wounds that appeared severe but was still standing thanks to the enchanted gauntlet powered by the souls of the Chixels she had slaughtered. Emelia, who had desperately been trying to heal Jenson, gave up. She was visibly distraught and barely holding it together as tears streamed down her face.

Without warning, Teresa collapsed to the ground, completely limp as the effects of the enchantment wore off. Zhaire stared in disbelief as Emelia rushed towards her, using the last of her mana to attempt to revitalize the overexerted woman. Zhaire knew it hadn’t worked when the visibly distraught Emelia, who had barely been holding herself together, started wailing in anguish.

Zhaire was numb, completely shocked at what he had just witnessed. He wasn’t sure when he had grown close to Teresa, or when he started considering her more than a booty call. They hadn’t started as anything more, but it had slowly grown over time without either of them realizing it. How could she just be gone like that? One moment she had been fine, the next she had died instantly. He directed his wrath towards the Chixel who still swarmed nearby, though they had retreated somewhat. He wanted to charge back in, to slaughter every one of the lizards. Unfortunately, his body couldn’t follow his heart, he had no more to give.

“Come here, you fucking cowards. Come fight me,” Zhaire shouted at them as he took an unsteady step forward. He needed to keep going, to keep fighting. Somehow, he found himself collapsing to his knees on the ground that had become muddy with blood. Tears streamed down his face unbidden.