Battle On All Fronts

In the capital city of the Calidor Empire, activity buzzed around the command centers as senior officers gave orders to the city defenders who launched attacks against the attackers outside the city walls. So far, things were going supremely well; only a small number of the city defenders had been brought down by stray fire or spells. Out in the streets, soldiers stood in battle formations ready to fight in the event of a breach of the city walls. They were expecting at some point for the attackers to charge forward with ballista, battering rams or even magical spells to breach the walls, but so far none had attempted to do so. No one wanted to say it, but everyone was thinking it... it's almost too easy... what was going on?

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Masako moved through the stone passages like a wraith leading through the dungeons. She knew the mages of the castle liked their seclusion and were in the lower levels adjacent to the dungeons. The sentries that patrolled the corridors leading to the entrance were on alert, but they were no match for the power of the soul sword and her skills as she dispatched them with ruthless and silent efficiency.

The final barrier however was out of her hands, so she motioned her team of mages forward. The barrier was an enchanted passage, secured with a mystic lock that would resist any physical assault. Once the spell was unlocked, the team entered the central chamber as the mages present all turned in surprise, having believed themselves secure this far inside the castle. Taking advantage of their hesitation, Masako swung her sword wide, sending out a lethal wave of magical energy that killed the mages in front of her before they could summon a defense.

"Take control of the portals," Masako ordered her team. "Once we have their network, contact our forces outside and inform them that the backdoor is open and ready for them to invade!"

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Akiko held the reins tight as the wyvern's powerful wings flapped beneath her, leading the flight of twenty in tight formation behind her as Fort Aetheria came up in the distant horizon. Riding behind her, Keiko was finishing the last of her calculations with a magnifying gemstone in hand, as other mages in their group pooled their energies, following her lead.

In the middle of the flying formation, Lady Amberbrooke gave the signal as all the other mages began casting, sending waves of energies to a jeweled staff she had prepared. Once the energies were ready, they were released forward where Keiko waited with her final formula established into her focusing crystal. Akiko and Keiko both spared a momentary glance to one another... it all came down to this...

The synchronized spell energies unleashed a ball of black light that seemingly consumed the flight, vanishing into the night sky, only for the wyvern to reappear riderless a moment later. In the distance on Fort Aetheria's lowest platform, the combined force of Akiko, Keiko, Amberbrooke, a team of mages and warriors all took a moment to orient themselves, while at the same time giving a moment of relief that their desperate gamble had apparently succeeded. OK, the first miracle worked!

"You all know what to do!" Akiko ordered. "Everyone stays tight and works our way to the magic center of the fortress. Warriors, form a protective detail around our mages until we get there. That takes top priority over any other target. Once that's been taken down and this fortress no longer has its primary weapon, see if you can compromise the fort's ability to fly. If we can bring it back to the ground, controlled or not, the troops onboard this base won't matter."

The group moved as one and were immediately challenged by enemy soldiers. Akiko took point with two of her allies guarding her flanks, allowing her to maintain her focus on a single opponent at a time. Directly behind her, she felt the hum of magical energy flickering against her body, providing additional protections as they had in several battles.

Three corridors of fighting finally paid off as the group arrived at the large central chamber. Akiko directed the mages to focus on sealing the exits once they were all inside; they would need some time to accomplish their goals.  This fight had to be won with the numbers they brought, and they could not allow any more reinforcements from the rest of the base.

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"My Lord, we have a problem!" the officer called out. "Our forces down in the lower decks have reported that we've been boarded by hostile forces! They've made their way into the central crystal chamber and are fighting our mages!"

The Emperor seethed. "How did they get in?" He shook his head. "Never mind, send all available forces to deal with them immediately. Have wyvern patrols find any supporting forces... there must be a main force that would follow up this small unit's strike. Have our external assault teams ready to respond!"

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The brigade commander outside the capital that had been besieging the city was beginning to worry about the plan. The past hour, they had maintained their presence, mostly in the form of volleys of incendiary arrows and magics against the defenders and guardhouses but were told not to bother attempting to attack the walls or gates themselves directly. Doing so, they had kept their casualties light, but they were burning through supplies for what appeared to be a pointless exercise.

However just then, a set of shimmering portals opened among the middle of their group. The soldiers looked at one another, then to their officers for clarification. This must be it, the brigade officer realized, so he ordered his first company to line up and proceed to enter by ranks. If this was what he suspected, then this fight was about to change completely from an outdoor siege to something completely different.

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"Akiko, we have a problem!" Keiko shouted.

Akiko ran up to Keiko, having been working on securing the doors to the crystal chamber. Outside, they could hear the sounds of soldiers gathering; it would only be a matter of time before they forced their way in. But apparently, more bad news needed to be addressed. "What's wrong?"

"The primary weapon artifact is beyond our ability to destroy," Amberbrooke shook her head, "at least within the timeframe and resources we evidently have. Even the few mages that weren't killed in our assault are claiming this was created to be indestructible by conventional means."

Akiko cursed with frustration. They didn't have time to debate and only seconds before they were overrun. They had hoped to destroy the crystal then portal out, but evidently that was going to be a failure. She then had a flash of inspiration, "If we can't destroy it, can you guys use it? Make it cast its energy?"

Keiko, Amberbrooke and the other mages all looked on with surprise. "M-maybe, but why? What's our target?"

"No target," Akiko suggested. "Just let the power build nonstop and don't give it anywhere to go. You told me mana was raw energy, and crystals were the lens that focused the energy and gave it direction. What if you pulled all that power, but gave it nowhere to go?"

"That... might work... but..." Amberbrooke answered hesitantly.

"But...?"

"Mana doesn't just sit by itself," Keiko explained. "It needs willpower to summon, shape and if need be, hold it in place. For what you're suggesting, even after we cast the ritual spell, assuming we even can, given that most of us have never had ritual practice, someone would have to be around to maintain the spell or it would just fizzle out," she concluded with a knowing glance at the pounding door that their soldiers were doing everything to hold back.

One of you would have to stay... Akiko realized.