CHAPTER 9: DEAR FATE!
Year 2000 AGS Underhaven Calendar
"Elder Abaddel, I saw two flares that just shot up into the sky!" Tamael informed. "Yes, but what I am looking for is a blue flare. Those are not it." Elder Abaddel replied.
"Elder, how long do you plan to stay here? The Templars are almost getting wiped out!" Equirel said to Elder Abaddel, his voice low and trailing off at the end, showing his respect for the elder as well as panic for the safety of his parents. "Your dad and I created a plan, and that plan will not start until we see that blue flare as the signal." Elder Abaddel replied. "But I think it would not work, since they are about to get overwhelmed."
"The plan is the plan. One rule of war, kid. Keep your composure. Your mother is the best legion commander, and your father can see glimpses of the future. They would have made the signal earlier if they thought the plan would not push through." "But…" "Sit and observe. And when I leave here. Do not ever leave this place unless the enemies have spotted and begun chasing you. Or else I would let you taste the harsh law of military discipline at this age!" Elder Abaddel said his voice heavy and loud. He looked at the kids seriously, his red eyes brilliant and intimidating. The first time he showed his true colors. The feeling when you were in front of the elder Templars.
Both children felt chills run down their spines. Blood drained from their faces, then it turned white out of fear. "Yes, Elder." Both children answered immediately.
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"Two red flares spotted. This would be difficult!" Natasha said. "As planned, blue lightning, distract them. Prescient eye, snipe his guards. White flames, follow Daniel and me, we will strike him down." Natasha ordered.
"Once we begin, there is no turning back. All will die trying. No one is to retreat until the mission is over or we are all dead. Understood?" Daniel informed the special unit. "Yes, sir!" all the soldiers replied.
"Begin mission at once!" Natasha barked her order.
The blue lightning went out of the smokescreen first, attacking the remaining enforcers in front of them.
"There are still more of them here!" Enforcers shouted with the belief that the ones who had just come out were part of Laios' squad.
The blue lightning soldiers left a highly charged trail of Blue Lightning Martial Energy in their wake as they moved. Once they reached the bulk of the formation, they snapped the energy tether, causing the entire grid of lightning they had just wove through the enemy ranks to detonate simultaneously, instantly disintegrating the enemy formation's cohesion.
Then the prescient eye emerged from the smoke and aimed its crossbows at the enemies. Rather than aiming blindly, these snipers scanned the opposing Domcrean lines to detect the specific fractional light or dark energy within their targets. By identifying an enemy's weakest energy point, they shot their crossbow bolts into these microscopic vital weak points, resulting in an instant kill of Apex's guards.
"Prioritize the mages!" one of the prescient eye soldiers said to her partner.
Natasha, Daniel, and the rest of the special unit silently moved out of the smoke. "Cover yourselves with white flame martial energy!" Natasha ordered, and after she saw the soldiers, did. "Use light martial energy. Charge directly to Apex!" she shouted her next order.
The Templars channeled light energy directly through their nervous systems, forcefully accelerating their muscle fibers in a technique known as a Photonic Surge.
The primary advantage of this muscular acceleration is "blinding swiftness." It grants the user incredibly rapid footwork and speed. Their sword swings can become so fast that an average Templar can execute a three-strike combo in the time it takes an opponent to blink.
The major tactical downside to using Light Martial Energy is Hyper-Visibility. Because Light energy naturally expands and illuminates, surging this energy through the veins and muscles causes the Templar's physical body to glow brilliantly. This projected radiance completely ruins any chance of stealth, immediately painting the user as a highly visible, glowing target to everyone on the battlefield.
When Natasha, Daniel, and the Templars used the photonic surge. The rest of the enforcers detected them.
"Ambush! They are ambushing the Supreme! Inform Lady Catalyst. Now!" the enforcers shouted.
The special unit dashed as fast as they could towards Apex.
"Three guards. Might be multi-element users. Leave it to us. Daniel, go and eliminate Apex!" Natasha observed the situation, then her eyes became watery as she looked Daniel in the eyes.
"Yes." Daniel looked back at her eyes. Face resolute and then nodded.
---*
Laios, while distracting the rest of the enemies, turned back to where they had left. He saw the special unit initiating its attack. "Fate be with you, Natasha." He said to himself silently.
"Blue lightning! Continue attacking until they are all dead. Focus on aerial maneuvers. Do not let their blades hit you!" Laios yelled.
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*15 minutes before the special unit attack.
"We can't hold on much longer, captain!" a soldier informed Magna. "Just hold the line!" Magna said sweat coming down her face. The black smoke had already dissipated.
"White flame soldiers, continue using your martial energy in your weapons. It cancels out the weird coating in theirs!" Magna ordered. "Cinerary Apothecaries, continue coating with white flame mana the rest of the soldiers outside our clan!" She added.
"Give way. Give way to Lady Catalyst!" the enforcers shouted. The rest moved away from engagement and lined up behind.
"Who is in charge here?" Catalyst asked the Templars, who were in a circle formation, almost depleted and annihilated.
"And who might you be?" Magna replied. "I'm the one in charge of this current attack. Catalyst." Catalyst shouted. "And what do you want?" Magna spoke, looking tired, catching her breath. "I offer you a way to save your men." Catalyst smiled, knowing the templar captain was already near her limit. "Speak, then." Magna clung to the hope that was being given to her.
"I propose a duel. You and me, one on one. If you win, I will let you all leave alive. If I win, you would all surrender." Catalyst grinned. "None of them will get out of here alive," Catalyst said in her mind as she made an offer in order not to make the Templars more desperate in their defense.
"And how do I make sure your men will follow through once you are dead? Don't tell me you want to form a contract under the Maker's authority." Magna answered. "Hahaha. We don't believe in the Makers. So, you have no choice but to trust me. Either way, you all will still be defeated."
Lioel went to Magna. "I don't trust her." He whispered. "We still have no choice. It will delay them at least." Magna whispered in return.
"Okay, then. I accept. What are the rules of engagement?" Magna asked. "Simple, use everything in our means to win. Incapacity or Death." Catalyst replied. "Clear the front, then, I won't agree unless my men are the ones behind me," Magna stated her conditions. "Okay, then." Catalyst made a wide grin and looked to one of her enforcers.
"Clear the grounds!" the enforcers shouted.
"I really think this is a bad idea. We would all die faster without a leader." Lioel said to Magna. "Then, you be in charge if I die," Magna replied to him.
"Okay then." Lioel made a heavy sigh. "Make sure you win. It would give us an advantage also if you were to kill her."
---*
"In your positions!", an enforcer shouted
Magna inhaled deeply, letting the silence settle over her. Catalyst, seeing this, made her grin again.
Magna held her rapier, and she raised her hand near her right shoulder with the palm rotated outward/downward, and the blade pointed vertically, inviting Catalyst to lunge forward.
Catalyst, on the other hand, bowed and then placed her arming sword right in front of her body. But she did not attack.
Magna changed her stance, her sword right in front of her. Shen then tried to poke Catalyst since her rapier is longer than her enemy's.
Catalyst then sidestepped and moved diagonally. Trying to catch Magna's neck with her sword, but Magna moved back.
It is like a chess match. Each of them is trying to end the other with a single critical hit.
Magna then decided to target Catalyst's front leg but was deflected.
Catalyst then unexpectedly lunged forward, hit Magna's rapier downward, deflected her counterstrike, moved her sword overhead, then tried to slash Magna's body from neck to body. But Magna was able to dash backward to avoid it.
Each time their swords parry, black smoke appears, a unique effect that occurs when white flame users coat their swords with martial energy against the weird coating of the enforcers. Blue lightning users, on the other hand, cannot parry since the enemy swords just pass through them.
Magna saw an opening. She then lunged forward herself.
Magna then decided to use the photonic surge to strike her enemy with three attacks in the blink of an eye. Catalyst, on the other hand, smiled, "I have seen that already." She then suddenly dashed on the trailing left hand of Magna. Blocked one of her swings and punched her near the ribs with her off hand, her right hand.
Magna, to the surprise of all the Templars, began to cough with excruciating pain. Like she was dying from that single strike.
"Hahahaha!" Catalyst laughed. "Do you like it? We call it the phantom strike. You Templars are not the strongest now. Aren't you?"
Phantom strike is when a soul element user channels Martial Energy directly into the opponent's nervous system. The user inflicts excruciating, paralyzing pain without physically damaging flesh or bone. This was not known in Bastion until this moment.
Catalyst again grinned, satisfied, and was about to end her opponent when ---
"Lady Catalyst, the Templars staged an ambush towards Apex. They are so close already." The enforcer informed. "What?!" Catalyst exclaimed in surprise. She then looked at Magna. "Tsk. You are lucky, Templar. I will let my men handle you all then." Catalyst turned back and looked at her men. "What are you doing? Attack!" then ran back towards Apex.
"Defend Magna!" Lioel shouted. Most of the remaining white flame user templars rushed in front of her to stop the tide of the incoming Neo-Illumina enforcers.
Everything slowed down from Magna's perspective. Here she is in all fours, the veins in her temples are popping out, and she is coughing like she can't breathe.
Lioel and the rest of the white flame templars went to her front in a last attempt to defend. Each of them is falling one by one.
Magna looked to the ground, still coughing and gasping for breath, and prayed to the Fate. "Dear Fate, if you are there, please save us."
"Faster!" Magna suddenly heard shouts from the sky. She then saw bright starlights heading towards their direction. BOOM! Suddenly, the earth shakes as if something heavy has smashed the ground.
"Reinforcements!" one of the Templars shouted.
Four companies of the Lightspeed Clan. A thousand soldiers.