I maintained the slow, unaffected strut until all four of us broke line of sight, disappearing behind the ruins walls. Then I scooped up Annette and broke into a sprint, Alten and Sera flanking on either side. We had perhaps a half hour before the regint finished their selections and advanced. Less, if they were organized about it. Banking on less, we moved as quickly as possible, dashing inside the shelled out temple wed previously scouted and selected as our operating base.
Then, I began stripping off the high steel armor, tossing it onto the ground as I went, replacing it with banded leather pieces.
Pity, Sera said, doing the sa. I know its ridiculous, but I feel a hell of a lot safer with tal strapped to than leather.
Too heavy, Alten grunted. Cant hit and run if you can barely run.
At least you get armor, Annette said, shedding her bright dress for a dark slip. I know were trying to get them to see as a non-combatant, but Im feeling incredibly exposed at the mont.
Vogrin, movent? I asked.
He reappeared, hovering before , looking beyond a wall towards sothing unseen. Feedback from my constructs is facing so interference. Salven and Aetheryas banners are still making their selection. Mari and Zin have finished their selections and are headed towards the ruins. They do not appear to be coordinating. As you predicted, this has turned into a race to the prize.
Good. I smiled viciously. Theyd bought our show at the base camp and taken the bait.
Wait. Vogrin hesitated. Zins banner has stopped. Theyre returning to base camp.
What, why?
I cannot be certain from this distance, but it looks like troops from the infernals banner are calling them back.
Salven. I knew he was going to be a problem.
Dammit. Sera leaned her head back. So much for taking half of them off the board in one fell swoop.
Mari? I asked Vogrin, gripping the top of a pew until my fingers turned white.
They are also being called back but they do not seem to be listening. If anything, theyve picked up speed. Vogrin chuckled. So desperate to prove her worth. That insect you placed in her ear is most certainly bearing fruit.
The plan had been to create a crossfire with the early arrivals and turn as many of them as we could in the chaos. But if we could secure an entire regint in one fell swoopespecially one made up of the best lee fighters in the regintthat could possibly be better. Which side?
South, Vogrin confird.
I glanced at Annette. Up for the bridge?
Annettes face was pale, but her green eyes radiated with excitent. I can do it.
Sure youre not gonna get in your head about it, like the first few tis? Sera muttered.
I can do it, Annette reiterated, staring at with conviction.
It was a big play so early in the skirmish. But that was the only way this was going to work. If we chipped away at them, eventually the numbers would turn against us.
I made a snap decision and scooped Annette up, blowing through the derelict doors, putting a small amount of mana through the inscriptions on my legs and racing down the main street, leaping over detritus and keeping an eye out for vines or anything else that could trip up. I glanced over my shoulder. Sera and Alten were falling behind, but that was fine. We needed to get there first. Tell again, I huffed, What do you do if you get caught out?
Annette looked away.
Annette.
Surrender, she said finally.
Thank you, I said. She was unard, and I didnt think the soldiers Cephur personally vetted would go out of their way to hurt an unard child, but there was a chance theyd eventually figure out what she was doing. Her sticking it out wasnt worth it if things took a turn and it cost her life.
I approached the south entrance at a breakneck pace, racing against ti. If Maris banner breached the sightline of the crumbling wall to the east before Annette got the illusion in place this wouldnt work. I could hear them over the pounding of my heart, as I dropped into the reservoir at full speed, using my inscriptions to cushion my landing, putting Annette down, quickly planting four small sparks at either side of the reservoir.
Maris banner approached from outside, Alten and Seras from the right.
There was a flare of mana as Annette reached up with both hands. A crumbling, decrepit bridge slowly phased into existence. She held it, monitoring the structure as she moved well clear of it and wedged herself into an alcove, phasing into the stone.
The sound of marching ceased. Sera and Altens distant sprinting continued growing closer.
Co on. Co on. Buy it.
Charge! Mari scread. I pumped a fist, falling into a crouch as the sound of marching bootsteps escalated into a roar as n in armor rushed toward the bridge.
Hold, I whispered to Annette.
The din of boots grew tantalizingly close. I nearly gave the signal as Mari crossed the bridge, two-handed axe held over her head, a battle cry ripping from her throat.
Hold
Two soldiers crossed ahead of the others.
A little longer
Then a mass of bodies pushing tightly inward began to cross. I waited until the n at the front were in mid-step over the bridge before I raised my fist and threw it down. Now.
All at once, the bridge disappeared. The soldiers crossing it fell, even more pushed in by those behind them. But they were piling up too quickly. It was both a tactical problem and a humanitarian one, as those at the bottom would begin to be crushed, and those at the top could easily breach the gap to the other side.
I shot forward, ascending the pile, jumping off breastplates and shoulders, planting sparks on every blue ribbon in my view before I leapt over them and landed on the other side of the empty reservoir.
Right here! I roared, pounding my chest.
The soldiers in the pile recognized , their faces twisting in anger and stunned expressions fading as they struggled to free themselves, many toward the top and the middle of the cluster succeeding in pulling themselves free and rushing toward . I drew my blade, pushing the first ones sword aside and snatching his ribbon free. He froze, aware of what had happened but uncertain how to proceed.
Fight! I spun him around and kicked him in the back, sending him stumbling towards his previous allies.
He was still stunned and disoriented, and they tore his orange ribbon free easily enough. But my greater efforts were working. The n in the pile were pulling themselves free, others still spilling over the top.
There were too many advancing on now for to handle.
But I didnt have to.
I skipped backward past the sparks Id planted, connecting a line of fire on either side and feeding mana into them, watching in grim satisfaction as the walls of fire trapped the fallen soldiers in the reservoir.
A single spark shot from my hand, trailing up the wall of the reservoir and over the side the soldiers had co from. I maneuvered sightlessly, the sa way Id repaired the dinsion gate, propelling it as close to the far wall as I could.
I looked at the spark, and let the fire in my hand consu until there was nothing but black and the distant bead of violet fire.
With great effort, I pushed myself through the void and reconstructed, snapping back into consciousness, nauseated and off-balance, behind the group of a dozen or so soldiers still left on the other side of the bridge. Alten was fighting two soldiers that had crossed, while my sister dueled with Mari.
Focus.
I moved close, snatching five ribbons free before the others noticed, and scread for the orange ribbons to fight. Despite their clear displeasure, they were well trained and turned on their companions. Swords clanged off shields as they struggled for purchase, armored gauntlets grasping for ribbons.
I stayed long enough to skew the odds in their favor, then leapt back over to the city side, grabbing the sword arm of Altens remaining opponent long enough for him to snatch the ribbon free.
He nodded at , then turned toward Sera. Mari was pushing her back, moving far quicker than she should have been. And she wasnt going for Seras ribbon. The brutal, two-handed swings of her broadaxe werent ant to injure. They were ant to kill.
Want her legs or torso? Alten asked, wincing as Sera ducked under a blistering horizontal strike.
Legs. I sprinted down the line of the reservoir while Alten stayed static, poised and ready, until I had an angle perpendicular to his. I paused for a mont, just long enough to confirm he was ready, then sprinted directly at Maris back. She must have sensed because she spun, braided ponytail whipping around as she roared in a scream of fury.
I dropped at the last mont, avoiding any early signal that would have likely earned an axe to the face and kicked at her knees, just as Alten smashed into her from the side, bringing Mari crashing into the ground.
Sera approached, blue ribbon held in her hand. I looked down at the lieutenants waist to check, seeing only orange. Sera had already grabbed it before we tackled her. Sera thrust the ribbon in Maris face as Alten held her by the shoulders. Yieldand tell your n to stand down. Youre one of ours now.
Mari thrust her head forward, spitting in Seras eye, then smiled with bloody teeth. Might as well slit my throat here. Took fifteen years to get what I earned. No way in hell Im giving it up to so spoiled brat.
There was a tense silence as Sera crouched down. She was furious, but I felt a swell of pride as she buried it, looking at for confirmation.
I nodded.
The banner will remain yours.
What? Mari looked between all three of us.
The rumor you were told was bullshit, Mari, I confird. On my honor as crown Prince of Silodan. We have no intention of taking your banner away from you. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a soldier beginning to crawl out from the pit, waited until the blue ribbon on his waist was visible, then hit him with a bolt of compressed air, knocking him back in.
Then whose banner are you taking? Mari growled. Just because it aint mine and the others are prissy bitches doesnt an they didnt earn it.
No ones, Sera said If we win this, Cairns creating a fifth banner. Volunteers and the dregs. Anyone who isnt a good fit in their current structure.
Finally, Maris struggling seed to slow, and her eyes gained a sharp clarity, the berserker rage slowly filtering out of her. It was all bullshit.
Yes.
But not the drinks at the end.
Alten chuckled. Definitely not.
There was a long silence as she absorbed that. I yield.
We let her up, and the large woman walked to the reservoir, screaming for her n to stop. They listened, and within a few minutes they were organized again, though the two-thirds of her number that remained looked understandably cowed.
Vogrin popped into existence. The other banners are organized and moving now. Safe to say they heard the racket.
I swore. How long?
Atheryas banner is fragnting into pairs, spreading out along the treeline, Vogrin said, then squinted, the fabric that covered his eyes crinkling. Salven and Zin are marching in tandem, approaching the south and east, respectively.
Checking to see what happened to Mari. I rubbed my forehead. In a way it was good, because theyd effectively lost the initiative. But they were being more cautious, which was less than ideal.
What about ? Mari asked. Her expression was still a little wild, but shed organized the rest of her troops and approached with approximately eighty n in tow.
Backup. I gave a quick run-down of our plan, then stopped. Is Salven as good as I think he is?
Mari growled. Better. More tricks than a Panthanian brothel. Disciplined. Plenty of expertise to back it up. But Atheryas going to be our biggest problem once her people get vantages. Thwip thwip thwip til the sun sets.
So Zin first?
Mari nodded. We rush it. Batter him down, bend him over and tear as many ribbons as we can before cover becos a problem. See that sword of his?
When I said that I did, she continued. Hes fast with it, with strength to match. The man is, hands down, the best one-on-many fighter Ive ever seen. Knocks arrows out of the air like its nothing. Struggles one-on-one if you can match his speed or batter him with power, but if you try that and dont end it fast enough, hell use the swords range to his advantage.
Magic?
Air. Keeps it close range, but hes unnaturally fast with it.
I was beginning to understand why Cephur picked her. Despite her brash, savage deanor, she could be a pragmatist when the things she cared about werent under threat. And when they were, she was ready to die for them. She was being far more upfront with information than Id expected her to be.
Sera, youre with . Annette, you good on mana? I was getting increasingly worried about Atheryas banner getting too comfortable. My younger sister nodded, though she looked a bit frazzled as she approached. I leaned down and whispered: You okay? Guessing it was as chaotic down there as it was up here.
Fine, she said, blinking several tis. Just a little more intense than I imagined. And hot. Really hot.
Whats with the princess? Mari asked. Thought you dragging her into this was a little weird, but couldnt put my finger on why.
There wasnt really any harm in telling her. If they were going to be my regint, they were going to know, eventually. I shrugged. Annette did the bridge.
Maris eyes imdiately narrowed as she stared down my sister. I was about to divert attention by saying it was my idea, before Mari extended a slow fist towards Annette and held it out. Well played.
Annette, completely caught off guard, tentatively returned the gesture, bumping the side of Maris fist with hers. Well fought.
Mari nodded stoically before she turned to . What now?
Got any spare helts lying around? I asked.
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