Aedhira flew out of the Extraction vessel like a bullet, then careened downwards following the two moronic troopers that had leaped out from said vessel. In the distance, far below him, on the GROUND, were 3 industrial-looking, hovering boxes-
No, buses....bus-looking, and bus sized...things? A hover bus of some kind? He wasn't familiar with what he was looking at, or rather, unsuccessfully squinting at since looking at them from so high up resulted in some, rather blurry and useless images, despite his enhanced....'everything'.
[Sire, shall I suggest 'zooming in'?]
"I can do that?"
[Of course you can, It'd be idiotic if you didn't]
'Did he just call me an idiot?' he wondered.
"How do I do that then?"
[I cannot be entirely sure...however, the Archives possess records of avian Bonds, in which they speak of visualization. The general consensus is to imagine them 'bigger', at least in your line of sight. However, I do recommend putting this off until we are in a less volatile area-]
"Oh please, you can't just suggest 'zooming in' out of the blue and not expect me to try it"
[Sire, it is ill advised to use untested abilities in such a situation-]
"Argos, a wise man once said, 'those test their limits are fated to never grow', and I vehemently agree!" he said, as he sped down even more, approaching the onyx silhouettes of the two troopers who'd failed to understand what the word 'follow 'meant.
[Sire! I do not believe that phrase was meant to be for such situations! And where have you heard of this wise man, you're mind is less than a week old!]
Aedhira ignored the nagging of the AI within him, and focused himself.
Visualize.
He stared at the tiny figures of the convoy below. Visualize.
'Visualize' he told himself. To make them bigger, to see further. To see more.
And very suddenly, he did.
A bit too well.
So well, he'd zeroed in on a small pebble on the ground. Where exactly on the ground? He...didn't know. Where ever he look, he just saw ground. Lots, and LOTS pale-purple ground. In fact, all he saw was GROUND.
"TOO MUCH, TOO MUCH, ZOOM OUT!"
He couldn't zoom out.
Then, he began to panic. Flailing his arms around, hoping it'd do something, anything. And it did.
He spun out of control. Violently.
He barreled downwards, except now, he saw brief flashes of the ground and the starry sky, switching between each other intermittently.
[I cannot help but say, I told you so]
"SHUT UP!! AND HELP ME FIX THIS!" He yelled.
In another brief flash, he saw the panicked face of a young girl, no older than ten, who was pressed against the window of one of the hover buses. Her wide, terrified eyes met his for a split second, and the overwhelming sense of her fear and desperation hit him like a physical blow. Aedhira's heart clenched. He couldn't fail her or the others.
"Argos, how do I control the zoom?" he asked quickly, struggling to steady his mind.
[Visualize the zooming out process, Sire. You must control the intensity of your focus.]
Taking a deep breath, Aedhira forced himself to relax and imagined the view pulling back, the detailed image of the girl's face retreating into a broader perspective of the convoy. Now he could see the full extent of the Fyrrath assault. Dozens of the creatures swarmed around the convoy, their dark forms illuminated intermittently by flashes of lightning from the storm on the distance. The defenders were making a valiant effort, but they were heavily outnumbered and barely holding their ground.
*BOOM*BOOM*
He saw directly ahead of him, or rather, under him.
The two troopers had already reached the ground, making an explosive entrance, engaging the Fyrraths with precision and efficiency. Their firearms unleashed a torrent of energy pulses, cutting down the creatures with mechanical accuracy. However, the swarm was vast, not as large as the one he'd come from witnessing, but still problematic.
Yet the troopers could only cover so much ground.
'It's not enough...Too many people, and not enough bodies to protect them. Two troopers just aren't enough, can I-'
[No, you cannot Sire. Your current mana output will not be able to support anymore than this]
"Then just dismiss some at the Fortress! Surely they don't need all 120 of them!"
[Perhaps, but you must have SEEN the aforementioned soldiers, before being able to recall them]
"DAMNIT! PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE ARGOS, IF I DON'T DO ANYTHING, THEY WILL DIE!"
[...]
"ARGOS!"
[I will not raise your output, it is too dangerous to do so, you do not have enough control over your Mana, let alone the Ether]
"WHA-"
[However, your soldiers aren't your only trick in the hat]
"I'm not ready to wield any of the other runes, you told me that yourself!"
[That, I did, but what about your other rune?]
"Armaspace? No more soldiers...you mean the weaponry?"
[Affirmative]
"But I can't strike them with a blade from this far!"
[Who said anything about a blade?]
"What are yo-"
His eyes widened, then pressed back in frustration, in light of his...stupidity? No, his ignorance. There was no rule that limited the armaments within his strange rune. And worse, he, in his mad dash to the outpost, had forgotten to check the specifics.
He pushed his mind within himself, where his 'heart' resided along with his runes. He viewed his [Armaspace] rune, the strangest in his collection. The one that sounded, felt the most artificial among them. Then he peered INTO it.
Many different images flashed in his minds. Too many to count, too many to keep track of.
Soldiers of the Aes. Troopers, tankers, the airborne and the earthbornes. SO many of them...yet that wasn't what he sought. No, he looked further.
Weapons.
Blades.
Daggers.
Bows, Guns, and even Staves.
"NO, THIS ISN'T IT!"
He kept searching, frantically and haphazardly. He contin-
'There'
He looked at the rune again. The he willed .
He GRIPED and then squeezed .
The rune was set aflame.
Aedhira's descent slowed to crawl through the air. Then to a complete halt as his Impulse jets stabilized his altitude, a flame blazing at his back. He held out his hands to his sides as squares of pure white carved themselves into the space once more.
"[ARMALOAD- ARTILLERY RHAU1]!" - (RHAU --> Repulsion HoverLift Artillery Unit)
The moment Aedhira called upon the rune, the air around him rippled with a tangible, electrifying energy. He felt a surge of power coursing through his veins, like a dam breaking free and releasing a torrent. The rune responded to his will, and from the squares of pure white, the artillery began to materialize.
Massive cannons, sleek and menacing, emerged from the ether, floating steadily on repulsion hover-lifts. The RHAU1 units were a marvel of his arsenal, designed for high-impact, long-range bombardment. They hovered, humming with a deep, resonant thrum that sent vibrations through the air.
Aedhira's vision zoomed out once more, and he saw the full scale of the battlefield below him. The two troopers were holding their ground, but the Fyrrath creatures were relentless, their dark forms swarming like a malevolent tide. The defenders' line was buckling, teetering on the edge of collapse.
Aedhira focused on the artillery units, directing them with his mind. He targeted the densest clusters of Fyrraths, aiming to disrupt their assault and buy the defenders some precious time. The cannons whirred as they aligned with their targets, and Aedhira felt a pulse of satisfaction.
"BEGIN BOMBARDMENT!" he commanded, his voice echoing through the night.
The RHAU1 units unleashed a barrage of energy blasts, each shot a blinding lance of light that streaked towards the ground. The impact was immediate and devastating. The energy pulses struck the Fyrrath swarms with explosive force, scattering their ranks and leaving smoldering craters in their wake. The creatures screeched in agony, their cries piercing the chaos.
The defenders seized the opportunity, rallying and pushing back against the disoriented Fyrraths. Aedhira continued to direct the artillery, maintaining a steady stream of fire to keep the pressure on. His mind raced, assessing the battlefield and adjusting his strategy on the fly.
He couldn't help but glance at the hover buses again. Through the smoke and flashes of combat, he saw the young girl still pressed against the window, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and hope. Aedhira's heart ached, but he steeled himself. He had to focus. He couldn't afford any mistakes.
[Sire, the artillery is effective, but the Fyrrath numbers are too great. We need to create a breach in their lines,] Argos advised, the AI's tone measured and urgent.
Aedhira scanned the battlefield, his mind racing through potential strategies. The RHAU1 units continued their relentless bombardment, but the Fyrrath horde seemed endless. He had to create a decisive breach, a momentary lapse in their assault that the defenders could exploit to turn the tide.
"Argos, what's the most efficient way to break their lines?" he asked, his voice tense but controlled.
[Direct a concentrated bombardment at a single point, Sire. Target the Fyrrath command unit if you can identify it. They often gather around a leader.]
Aedhira nodded, squinting through the chaos below. His vision, still enhanced from earlier, focused on the swarm, searching for any sign of a command unit. Then he saw it—a larger, more imposing Fyrrath, surrounded by a cluster of smaller ones, directing their movements with fierce, guttural cries.
"There!" Aedhira said, his eyes locking onto the target. "Direct all firepower on that one!"
The RHAU1 units adjusted their aim, the cannons swiveling to lock onto the designated Fyrrath. Aedhira took a deep breath, steadying himself. This had to be precise.
"FIRE!" he commanded, his voice cutting through the din of battle.
The cannons unleashed a concentrated salvo, a torrent of energy blasts converging on the Fyrrath leader. The impact was cataclysmic. The creature was obliterated in an instant, reduced to a smoking crater. The surrounding Fyrrath were thrown into disarray, their cohesion shattered by the sudden loss of their leader.
The defenders, seizing the moment, surged forward with renewed vigor. They pressed their advantage, cutting through the disoriented Fyrrath with grim determination. The line began to push forward, reclaiming lost ground and driving the creatures back.
Aedhira felt a surge of hope. The tide was turning, but the battle was far from over. He directed the RHAU1 units to maintain their bombardment, supporting the defenders' advance. His eyes scanned the battlefield, ever vigilant for new threats.
Through the haze of combat, he saw the hover buses beginning to move, their engines whirring to life. The civilians inside, including the young girl, watched with bated breath as the defenders cleared a path for their escape.
Aedhira's heart pounded. They were so close. He couldn't let up now.
"Argos, status on the Fyrrath reinforcements?" he asked, his mind still sharp despite the strain.
[Scanning, Sire. There appear to be additional waves approaching from the east. They will be here within minutes.]
Aedhira let out a censored curse under his breath. "We need to buy more time. Suggestions?"
Yet just after he'd said it, a glint passed through his eyes. A gambit. "Or we make sure the reinforcements don't arrive at all"
Aedhira's mind raced, the chaos of battle creating a symphony of desperation and determination. He looked to the east, where the reinforcements would soon emerge. His heart pounded, the gravity of the situation pressing down on him. He knew he had to act quickly and decisively. His eyes darted back to the artillery units floating beside him, their hum a steady reminder of the power he wielded.
"Argos, give me a tactical map of the area," Aedhira commanded, his voice steely.
[Displaying map now, Sire.]
A holographic projection appeared before him, showing the terrain around the battlefield. He saw the path the Fyrrath reinforcements would likely take, a narrow canyon that funneled into the main battleground. It was the perfect choke point.
"We need to collapse that canyon," Aedhira said, a plan forming in his mind. "If we can create a landslide, we can block their advance."
[An ambitious plan, Sire, but it could work. However, you'll need to be precise. The bombardment must be focused to destabilize the right section of the canyon.]
Aedhira nodded, his resolve hardening. "I can do it. I just need to get closer."
[Be cautious, Sire. The Fyrrath won't let you approach unchallenged.]
He took a deep breath, feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. He looked down at the battlefield, at the defenders fighting with all their might, and at the civilians huddled in the hover buses. Failure was not an option.
Activating his Impulse jets, Aedhira surged forward, cutting through the air like a meteor. The ground blurred beneath him as he accelerated, aiming for the canyon's edge. The wind roared in his ears, and the sky was a blur of colors. He could feel the heat of the battlefield behind him, but his focus was unbreakable.
As he approached the canyon, the first signs of the Fyrrath reinforcements came into view—dark shapes moving in the shadows, their eyes glowing with malevolent intent. He didn't have much time. He had to act fast.
Hovering above the canyon, Aedhira summoned the RHAU1 units to his side. The massive cannons hovered, their barrels glowing with accumulated energy. He surveyed the canyon walls, looking for the weakest points, the places where a well-placed shot could trigger a collapse.
"Target the eastern wall, midway up," Aedhira instructed. "Concentrate all firepower there."
The artillery units adjusted their aim, locking onto the designated point. Aedhira felt a surge of adrenaline, his senses sharpening. This had to work.
It had to.
"FIRE!" he commanded, his voice ringing with authority.
The cannons unleashed a barrage of energy blasts, the air around them crackling with power. The beams struck the canyon wall with explosive force, sending shockwaves through the rock. The ground trembled, and Aedhira held his breath, watching intently.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with a thunderous roar, the wall began to crumble. Massive boulders broke free, cascading down in a deadly avalanche. The ground shook violently as the landslide gained momentum, the rocks crashing into the canyon floor with a deafening cacophony.
The Fyrrath reinforcements, caught in the path of the landslide, were thrown into chaos. Their advance was halted as they struggled to navigate the treacherous terrain. Aedhira's plan was working—the canyon was being sealed off, cutting off the reinforcements from the main battle.
Aedhira exhaled, relief washing over him. He turned his attention back to the battlefield, where the defenders were gaining ground. The hover buses were moving steadily, their engines roaring as they began their escape. The young girl's face flashed in his mind, her wide eyes filled with a mix of fear and hope.
"We've bought them some time," Aedhira said, his voice determined. "Now let's finish this."
He directed the RHAU1 units to continue their bombardment, supporting the defenders as they pushed back the remaining Fyrrath. The air was filled with the sound of energy blasts and the cries of battle, but Aedhira felt a renewed sense of purpose. The tide was turning.
"Troopers, advance and secure the area!" Aedhira commanded through his comms link.
The two troopers responded immediately, charging forward with renewed vigor. They cut through the remaining Fyrraths with brutal efficiency, their weapons a blur of deadly precision. The defenders followed suit, pouring through the breach and pushing the creatures back.
Aedhira descended further, his eyes locked on the hover buses. He had to get closer, to ensure their safety. The artillery units continued their barrage, providing cover and suppressing the Fyrrath reinforcements. As he neared the ground, he saw the young girl again, her expression now one of awe and relief.
With a final, powerful thrust from his Impulse jets, Aedhira landed amidst the defenders. The ground shook beneath him, and he quickly assessed the situation. The Fyrraths were retreating, their ranks shattered by the combined assault. The defenders were exhausted but victorious, their faces marked by a mix of relief and grim determination.
Aedhira approached the hover buses, his eyes scanning for any signs of injury or distress. The young girl stepped out, her gaze fixed on him. She hesitated for a moment before running towards him, her small frame trembling.
"Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the fading sounds of battle.
Aedhira knelt down, his expression softening. "You're safe now. We'll get you all to safety."
The girl nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. Aedhira stood, turning his attention to the defenders and the remaining civilians. They had won this battle, but the war was far from over. The Fyrraths were relentless, and he knew they would return.
He KNEW this. And those he'd saved knew it better.
But for now, they had a moment of respite. Aedhira took a deep breath, his mind already racing with plans and strategies. He looked towards the sky above, and inky black void, with sputters of light sprinkled all over. It was beautiful, a sight he hadn't admired, at least not properly, since the first time he'd taken a step outside within Fort Blanche.
He took another glance at the Carriages, the people within and out. The extraction vessels, Carriers he'd decided to call them , since it was a mouthful otherwise, descended slowly. These people had been condemned to death. If he weren't here.
If. But that wasn't so.
'Not today'