[ToM] The Third Battle

Lagi never really understood why people needed to announce their presence whenever they went anywhere. In a sense it kind of felt like Lagi was apart of some sort of diversion team, being as loud as they could and making as much noise as they could in order to keep the attention on themselves. However, it could just be the culture of tactics in general, it was still a war that they were fighting.

"Well, not really my war, but still..."

He had a job to do, and it wasn't the job of being a mercenary. The Rukh compass brought Lagi here, and it could be many reasons as to why. He didn't have to follow it, but when he did, Lagi could only guess what sort of desire he held within his heart that even he didn't realize.

Walking through the shallow river, water would splash around his legs as Lagi followed behind the head of the current leadership. Crawling deeper only put Lagi on edge a bit, not knowing what sort of guerilla tactics that the other army would throw at them. However, when it came to animals, Lagi was pretty sure that he could handle himself quite well.

As a matter of fact, Lagi might even be one of the few that wasn't even caught by surprise when he looked ahead towards the vines, but that was only because of his famed career of being a beast master. He could easily recognize that it was a beast of some sort, their breaking point was apparent in the eyes of the El Nagi. Lagi even knew what they were generally capable of, leaving him to easily make a quick judgment call duck out of the way of the creatures at A rank speeds.

Reaching behind for his duality scythe, every dodge was followed up by the decapitation of the reptilian creatures at A rank speeds with B rank strength, clearing somewhat of a path for those who went around his way.

"Well, that was interesting."

With Lagi now leading the head of the formation, it was apparent that there was much more to offer in this forest than Lagi originally thought.

Spoiler:

Vardreth began to hear reports from the front lines advising of difficulties in all field missions. The speed of these reports were almost as fast as it would have taken for the troops to even get in position. One of the intelligence providers began advising of the status of the ambushers. "Sir, our forces set up to ambush were caught just after they all got in place. The rain made vision of the distance poor, and there was a strange swarm of mosquitoes that were moving. At first the soldiers thought it was a group of bugs migrating, but it was soon discovered that they were a smoke screen for a group of magicians who used the time to cave the overhangs in on the stationed troops."

Vardreth narrowed his eyes at the report. "Casualties?" As he spoke, his hand made a signal. Benai appeared, seemingly walking out from within the shadows. Vardreth held his hand, palm up, and Benai responded by hovering his hand palm down. Slowly, Vardreth began giving orders out to the high ranking assassin. Order all stealth units to slay any beast that isn't accounted for. No beasts are allowed within eyesight of command. He recalled the talking cat that stood by Adrastos' side, and with the report of the enemy using bugs Vardreth assumed they must have beast tamers on their side.

Even as Vardreth was giving secret orders out to Benai, the soldier continued to report. "Yes, sir! Twenty soldiers dead, fifty wounded to varying extents. Of those fifty, thirty five are still capable of combat. The remaining thirty soldiers are providing cover fire while the wounded retreat back to command. The band still outnumbers the task force sent to foil the ambush." Just as the soldier finished reporting, he became startled as he noticed that at some point Benai had disappeared.

Vardreth nodded, recalling the information sent by another intelligence personnel. "We are switching our orders to battle drums." This would limit the complexity of the orders they could give, but Vardreth didn't want to overlook the possibility of spies.  The drums were made to send out a specific sound; the enemy would be unable to reproduce the same drums in a short amount of time, and even if they were they would need to decode what specific beats meant what kind of orders.

With that being said, he would have to deal with the traps regardless of switching to a more covert order system. "Have our soldiers be more careful when handling the traps. Regroup and work in units of nine. Each unit should keep a buddy system of 3 people working within a meter of each other, and the 3 groups keeping ten meters between each other. One ranged with a melee weapon to switch to if need be, one melee warrior with a shield and one who is equipped to deal with the traps. If anything new crops up, the officers on site should react to the best of their ability."

Vardreth called Zeriken over as well, providing orders to him just as he did Benai. Join the soldiers taking out the traps and provide support. If you can find the enemy magicians, take them out.

Vardreth didn't send additional support to the ambush forces returning from their spot. Instead, he stared at the map and decided on what kind of changes he wanted to make to the plan. He knew that the traps would be under control. So far the losses were acceptable, however the enemy forces catching him off guard frustrated him.

OOC:

There was a misunderstanding in size of troops in the previous post, so it had to be worked out behind the scenes. We'll consider 100 of Vardreth's troops left to ambush, while 100 left to check traps and 96 were busy setting up other plans. Vardreth's recruitment was approximately 2k soldiers back in a previous thread, in addition to the 100 he has with him. We still haven't worked out exactly how much space there is for soldiers to move through, so I'm unsure at this time how many are feasibly with me at this time. I was advised the main way into the ravine/swamp/cavern area is as wide as a football field.

Benai and Zeriken are both A-Tier, with Zeriken being A-Tier Magician and B-Tier Warrior and Benai being A-Tier Assassin and B-Tier warrior. Zeriken's magic types are as follows: Heat, Water, Light, Lightning, Strength, Life.

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The haggard woman took the kind magician’s words to heart. What kindness this woman showed. And for who? A harlot, a peasant woman forced to do unspeakable acts for men so that they could feel “empowered” for their battle. Fu clutched her body in shame. It was only this life she’s known. It was only this life that she’s ever felt worthy of having. Yet, the raven-haired magician gave her purpose, in her own way, that made her believe she was capable of doing something greater.

“Miss…” Fu began, turning to the magician. She would stop her sentence, as Noir began to speak to her. She felt it rude to interrupt, despite her having important information, but responded to her anyways. The words Noir spoke...she could relate. She was a slave as well! How lucky! “Lucky.” It was more she finally found a soul she could talk to...someone who would have empathy for her circumstances. “I am too far gone to have freedom, kind magician. This...this is where I receive penitence. My, um, my brother was but a boy...he was so very special. A truly perfect human being...he died several years ago. In this very house...as will I…” The words barely left Fu’s lips before she was struck with a solid shard of ice, piercing her heart. The life flickered from her eyes as she fell to the ground beside Noir. It was brief, but as she fell she mouthed an “I’m sorry” to the raven-haired magician, her lifeless body slowly beginning to rot there on the earthen floor.

“Beautiful script, no? I thought it was some of my best work! I had so very much wanted to disguise myself as a peasant slut to trick you, but the real thing was so much sweeter...” A thick, sultry voice quipped from the the direction of the house. In but an instant, the village itself disappeared, leaving only the same environment as the swampy forest Noir came from surrounding her. The woman’s stride gripped the ground, leaving a menacing burn into the earthen floor as she walked toward the raven-haired magician. Her entire presence was the face of intimidation. “Yaku, sweetie. Be a dear and say hello to our guest…”

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It didn't take long for every soldier to finish doing what they needed to do before they would begin to get in their formations if they were to go into this next battle. They followed the strategy that was given to them from their commanders with the utmost precision, it being a positive example towards the excellent training their commanders their individual commanders have given them this boosting the morale of some of the soldiers and definitely the commanders such as Baozhai. Whom was soon sitting tall atop her powerful, and someone  that was somewhat befitting of her personality of a sweet cute girl, a carnivorous, clever raptor. She raised her cavalier banner high into the sky as she let out her own cry to her soldiers.This entire moment of them all preparing to go to battle would raise the morale of their forces and give faith that they would be fine in the upcoming skirmish.

As they began to move out of the make shift camp and into their won units for the up coming attack, so they would preform the strategy as planned, and with the ability to adapt the maneuver depending on the situation that would be coming should they have planned correctly. Baozhai was leading her group of her forces while atop her raptor, still not brandishing a weapon, it still left an air of curiosity of how she planned on attacking while leading her portion of the charge, but who knew if she herself even planned on attacking in any sort of way, it truly was a random mystery of the battle field. As the soldiers marched and moved from their makeshift camp towards their destination of attack  they would talk among themselves, to distract themselves from the maddening sounds of them walking in order towards a dangerous and unpredictable enemy that had some unknown factors that they had no idea would affect the upcoming charge and eventual invasion of the fortress. It was soon that they began to notice that they were close to their destination and where they would begin to charge and surprise attack them, split their forces apart, and destroy them before tackling the issue of getting whatever was inside of the base and fighting whatever possible auxiliary forces that could be waiting inside the military structure. It was at this period of though among the forces that the sudden strategy of the enemy forces began to play out.

As the commanders marched their forces and prepared to begin the charge so they could take out the enemy force that was in sight, it was as predicated a defensive force, an infantry force, cavalry force, and a guy who was standing among large cannons and a few other mysterious tools, he seemed to be holding something in his hands as he was defending the fortress. The Lioness and Bhaozhai's forces would soon notices something coming from above, shots already fired by the cannon. The biggest and heart-racing fact being the ammunition was their forces, ambushing them from above. Soon enough before they could charge on the enemy forces they were rained down upon by cavaliers riding dire pangolins. They held pikes jabbing and attacking the forces with their weapons and beasts. As their forces were disrupted by the small regiment of pangolin cavaliers that from the forces they planned to charge on, the defensive and spear force while the main cavalry force, and infantry was protecting the fortress while the commander in the distance seemed to be preparing something for the upcoming battle once the Lioness would deal with the advance force that the mysterious commander had sent forward apparently

The attack on their forces had been sudden, it would be easy for one to wonder how the enemy forces had seen them coming like this, and being able to attack them with an aerial ambush so precisely. The most common thought that could be seen would be scouting, or the work of some magic tool. Hopefully the two commanders would be prepared. Bhaozhai being surprised, her beast bongo eating one of the enemy lancers before she moved over towards the lioness for some quick strategy with her ally. "Ay I think they sent these forces to dwindle down our forces a bit, they disrupted our strategy a bit, but what do you wanna do?"

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The snake’s jaws pried open with a threatening hiss, hunger and wrath flashing in its sunken, black eyes. But, with a slash of Lagi’s blade, the threat became no more. The serpent’s decapitated head was sent flying as its body was cleaved in two by the swift Beast Tamer. Its face would forever contain its angry expression as it hit the water with a large splash. As its lower half of the body dangled from the overhead branch, its upper half bobbed in the water before disappearing beneath the murky waters.

Lagi managed to escape the rather simple trap with no wounds, but some of his fellow soldiers weren’t as lucky. But, they had a job to finish, and with an order from Commander Xu, they continued with their march. The Beast Tamer would find himself in the most dangerous position as they walked. He was the “head” of the formation with the rest of his squad members. They were the most likeliest to trip any of the traps laid before them by Gao’s soldiers, but any sacrifices they made would keep the respectable commander alive for the upcoming battle.

As they delved deeper into the ravine, Lagi’s troop would find itself at the head of the troops by a couple paces. “Hey! You, wanna take a rest?” One of the soldiers would ask Lagi, stopping in the waters as he wiped his brow with the back of his hand. Another paused, glancing at the speaker before his attention landed on the tattooed man with an asking gaze. It wasn’t too bad of a place to take a breather, and who knew when they would get a chance like this.  While the swamp-like terrain was beginning to grow denser, there were natural ledges. They sat above the water, and it a couple were just big enough to sit on and hold his feet above the water. Some of the ledges were even shielded by the roots of trees that had grown over or through the earthen walls that surrounded them. Small objects left behind by Gao’s men floated on the shallow waters, and none of the vines seemed to hold any dangerous predators. There was no real urgency to their movement, seeing that even Commander Xu’s battalion would require a couple of minutes to catch up to them.

What they had with the snakes were a small sampling of what was to come before them, and the men who looked towards Lagi took this chance as a safe opportunity to prepare themselves mentally before they stepped into the true dangers of the ravine. It was true that they wanted to pause, but they had a sense about Lagi. The tattoos and the way he wielded Duality spoke of something beneath it to them, and it seemed like a good idea to the majority squad to respect Lagi’s decisions.

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Commander Liqin was a bit surprised for a bit after the words of the blonde commander's plan had sunk in and he had began to think about everything he just told him, and where he had just come from. After standing there for a moment he just shrugged and looked at him once again with a serious demeanor. "Well from what we saw while we were scouting their forces seem to be separated into three main groups." He said drawing lines in the air for a minute before thinking once again. "They were coming towards the fortress, but each smaller group taking their own path through the swamp." He said simply as he finished giving his report of what they had saw when they were out earlier. He stood there for a moment after finishing his report to let the commander take in everything he had just said, hoping that the commander's plan would work. As Liqin thought it over he shifted his wondering eyes looking around the base, and the environment thinking about everything that seemed to have happened to be the base and how the hiding actually looked from the outside. He idly nodded to himself thinking that it seemed to be a pretty decent job at trying to hide from the enemies.

By now all the soldiers were completely hidden in different spots throughout the camp, some were in the walls trying to stay quiet and standing tall with their weapons ready for whenever they would attack. While others hid behind objects trying to obscure themselves from as many places of vision as possible. It was quiet for sure and the people made sure not to move a bit. As from the viewpoint and mindset of the soldiers their lives and defense of this point relied on if this plan of hiding inside their own base and ambushing once they came to invade them and their base.

After the scout commander was done letting the blonde commander think to himself for a moment he began to shift his position, his calm and thoughtful demeanor unwavering as he let out a soft sigh and began to move forward a bit of himself."Well when they come to attack our base I will fight alongside you, after all I'd like to think that I'm pretty tough myself." He said with a light chuckle as he began to move and jumped up to the top of a building in the fort, hiding behind a chimney on the top of it. The placid silence that sat on the fort didn't last long however.  Soon enough a whistling sound could be heard in the air, and soon it became multiple whistling sounds, and then a flash, and then two, and then it was hard to count. It was a rain of what seemed to be fire, but as it hit the walls of the fort, and where the fire had damaged the fort, and the inside of the fort where people were hiding began to get hit with the sudden and devastating artillery that was firing down upon them. This time however the soldiers were quick to act due to them being wary and ready for when soldiers would attack their base. They quickly watched where the shots were falling and began to set up fortifications.

However the raining shots were still causing damage, and soon enough the walls began to crumble, and other buildings in the fort became damaged. A decent portion of the men and women in the base were a bit injured from the first round of artillery that had rained down atop them. In this chaos it wasn't until the enemy had began their siege had the situation unfolded. As the walls were fire damage had been earlier there were large gaps, or entire sections of the wall missing, and soon from three sides enemy fighters began to pour in. From atop the battlefield was awash with soldiers attacking on three sides, and a large swamp fire blocking the other. Plus there was still the threat of the artillery outside, the battle had began and the forces began to clash in and on the walls of the fort.

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The mysterious hooded figure and the two men continued to watch until the feed cut off, but not before hearing the last there was to be heard. The woman the click her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Gao’s men are barbarians to the core. Even if he’s just hired help, the young boy is a mirror image of the resurrected Gao Yuan Zu,” she said with a sneer slapped on the recently awakened former Emperor of Kou. As if the very name were poison on the tip of her tongue, she spat on the ground and crossed her arms. “No respect for any life, even that of animals… Despicable.” The fact that Vardreth’s men would slaughter animals, even if some weren’t under the control of beast tamers, showed that despite the youth of the mercenary commander, he was a cold-hearted soul with a black heart.

“We have no choice now,” the bald warrior grunted, his hand reaching back to the giant axe he wielded. “We have to fight head on. Take out the leaders overseeing each group.” The woman held up a hand, halting the eager warrior. “Patience. We must be careful now that we’ve lost our eyes and ears within their territory. The beats of drums will certainly be difficult, if not impossible, to decipher from the outside.” She sighed, a slender hand reaching up to her face shrouded under the hood as if to rub the bridge of her nose. “Perhaps we used the beasts too soon. We’ve lost our ability of surprise, but at least we managed to deal a small blow without losing too many casualties thus far. That can change however…”

The woman paced with her hands folded together behind her back. “We’ll send three forces: one shall go to the ambush site, the other the trap site, and finally their command post. Obviously, the battalion heading to their camp will be the largest due to our enemy having a heavier concentration of troops there. Kwan Yi!”

A young girl about nineteen years of age with wild, bright pink hair tied back into a ponytail bounded over. A tattoo covered her exposed right shoulder while a splendid, silk robe with floral patterns covered her left body, her breasts bound in bandages, though whether or not they covered wounds or were just used as a fashion device was unclear. A katana hung on her back, beneath a cape that draped down from her right shoulder.  “Yes, madam!” Kwan Yi chimed, her voice like tinkling bells. “You will head toward the location where the mercenaries are working on the traps.” The cloaked woman turned to the men. “Yazhu Zeng, you will head toward the ambush site with about sixty or so men while your brother, Yazhu Cheng, heads toward their camp. Expect heavy resistance in all locations and possible reinforcements. We must win this land for Emperor Yoshiro.”

The three nodded and then departed their separate ways, leaving the cloaked figure alone to pace more, worried about the outcome of this risky move.

Back in Gao Yuan Zu’s camp, General Chao paced impatiently. Unaccustomed to not fighting on the frontlines, he found his position to be boring, even more so since Vardreth decided to place his two thousand soldiers in a camp that only had provisions for about half that many to last a month or two. If General Chou did not do something soon, he was on the brink of snapping, but he planted his feet firm, still glaring at the map as the chaos outside ensued. The frequent twitch on his eyebrows, however, suggested the internal struggle the bloodthirsty general was going through would not be an easy battle to overcome, especially just by standing in his tent.

OOC Note:

Kwan Yi, a fanalis A-Tier Warrior and B-Tier Assassin, is heading to Benai with about thirty Fanalis troops.

Kwan Yi:

Yazhu Zeng, a human A-Tier Body Manipulator and B-Tier Warrior, is heading toward Zeriken  with about sixty troops.

Yazhu Zeng:

Yazhu Cheng, a human A-Tier Warrior and B-Tier Body Manipulator, is heading toward Vardreth at the command center.

Yazhu Cheng:

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Lagi continued to walk and looked on back to see that some of the men were starting to take a rest. Being called out about the probable option of resting a bit before continuing, Lagi would shake his head. "We don't rest, at least not here. We are the main scouts, getting rid of any and all obstacles, as well as looking for more secure places to rest easy. There should be a cave pathway that has purified river water or anything of the sort that could be a better place to rest than being out in the open. If such a place exists, id rather the element of surprise by finding such a place first than waste time and wait around. "

Of course, being one of the fingers of the dark hand, Lagi had the swagger of a crime boss or something of the sort to him. The word "no" wasn't usually uttered towards his direction, and whenever it did, he would have to resort to other means in order to get his way. Hopefully, these people would listen to him and continue forward.

"I don't mind splitting the group up. Those who feel like they aren't up to the task of keeping up with me, you are welcome to stay here until commander Xu shows up. Securing this area comes with the risk of an ambush, no matter how safe it seems. Be willing to risk it all on a five-minute nap if you want, but I'm going to keep moving. " Lagi would then continue on the path ahead, not caring on whether they followed or not.

The man waded through the water, panting, his face flushed. By now he knew he was far enough away from the enemy. The wet clothing on his body, the feel of water sloshing inside his footwear. The irritating feeling of mosquitoes constantly flying around. These were all thrown aside.

Jimo Lung, private in the Fang Mercenaries, auxiliary force; intelligence personnel. Jimo Lung took out a whistle, blowing upon it. A sound rung out in the area as a codded message was sent through the sound. Three minutes after, Jimo Lung heard the affirmation of his message. The tunnels, overhangs and passageways made it difficult to determine the origination of these sounds, however the frequency and relay of the sound itself matched the code the mercenaries used. This wasn't something the newly hired mercenaries in their group could perform, marking Jimo Lung as a core member of Fang Vardreth's elite forces.

Jimo Lung sat back down, recalling the sight of the bald-headed man leading a group of soldiers to Vardreth's camp. Knowing his work was done, Jimo Lung slinked off, hiding in a spot far from where his message was initially relayed. If luck had anything to say, Jimo Lung wouldn't have to worry about encountering another force while he kept his eyes open...

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The sounds of drums struck. It was hell in these swamps, and the enemy wasn't much better than a group of devils. The soldiers cursed under their breath even as they trudged forward, their words a mixture of fear and anger. Many had friends who just died moments ago, and others had friends who were severely wounded. Regardless, they all continued their retreat. Many swore at the cowardice of using magicians, ignoring the fact of their own ambush. Some swore at their commander, the man who ordered them out here in the first place.

There was a piercing sound that cut through the noise of the drums, almost like a whistle, yet these whistles meant nothing to the soldiers. A rumbling sound occurred, and all the soldiers fearfully looked up. "To the right! Shields up! Double time!" The soldiers quickly moved, brought their shields up and angled them to the side. This was now a practiced motion - what was normally used to defend against arrows was now being used to defend against the avalanches caused by the enemy magicians. The only thing that kept them going was the sound of the drums, telling them to retreat, telling them reinforcements were on the way.

Not everyone was strong enough. Not everyone could hold up under the continued barrage of earthen attacks. Ten more died, eight of which weren't wounded from previous exchanges. The Magicians and Beast Tamers did not dare to peek out of cover, aside from momentarily checking on the status of the soldiers. After the first time they had done so, the soldiers had taught them a lesson which resulted in casualties of their own. Even so, this only lessened the pressure they were under.

Sima Min, a young woman with nowhere else to go, had joined this mercenary group some time ago. A child who had escaped trafficking, there wasn't much she could do to survive. Nobody she knew to guide her. Joining a band of mercenaries was just about as good as anything else she could get, at that point in her life... Yet this battle frightened her - she never expected war to be like this. The cruelty of war began to sink in, mixing with the life she had lived up until now. One's self was not inherently evil, cruel or unforgiving. Oftentimes it took an environment, a series of events, a lifetime of experiences that taught one how to act.

Sima Min knew full well that to survive, she had to put herself first. Her strength, her status - all of these things needed to improve. I must get through this... Garner achievements... And obtain promotions. Her eyes held a steely glint as the group continued forging forward. An open area was up ahead, granting the soldiers a respite - this was one of the locations the enemy was originally going to be funneled from, into their ambush site, before everything went up in earth. Sima Min and the rest of the soldiers made their way to the center of this open area.

There were some trees without leaves here and there, but it would be much more difficult for a group of magicians and beast tamers to hide within this area. The water was waist deep, making for an uncomfortable trek. Immediately those who were too wounded to battle were gathered up in the center, which also had the highest ground. There, the water was only knee-deep. Some of the slightly wounded soldiers began providing more serious care where they could, but this battlefield care would only be so effective. It would help them survive until they got back to the base, but from there it would be up to their own force of magicians and alchemists to handle the wounds. They were unaware that soon a deadly task force would be upon them. Yet, if that task force arrived, they would be greeted by the sound of drums...

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Vardreth's headquarters had already moved, using the tunnel systems as cover. During this time, Vardreth was made aware of the logistics of their fortifications, and the size constraints. He quickly wrote new orders to his officers, advising a majority of them to protect and secure a supply chain, with another three hundred of them to build a fortification deeper into the ravine and to the side.

It wasn't log after that they heard the whistling in the air. Vardreth's eyebrows rose, a smile flickering across his face. "It looks like they've made a move. Let's rouse a few soldiers of our own!" The fortifications he had earlier ordered wasn't truly something that could be done in an hour or two, but if this battle were to last for a few days they would be well protected in that area. Setting up fortified scout posts would keep the issue of the ambush earlier from happening again. Once more, no animals that were within their ability to kill would be spared. The supply group would take the carcasses out of the swamp area and begin smoking the meats into jerkies, which they would then bring back for the soldiers to use as rations. It was a long-term setup that was planned, though Vardreth knew it may not have been necessary.

Keeping in mind the commander of Gao Yuan Zu's forces, who was itching to move out and fight, Vardreth made his way out of his command post and towards General Chao. Arriving outside of General Chao's place, Vardreth spoke loud enough for the General to hear him. "The enemy is approaching. Traps are being removed, however if you want to fight now and work your way to them then you can join me as I go to meet their forces!" Vardreth's offer was, in part, to release some of the pressure on his own troops and share the burden with General Chao. The other part, however, was to have this hot-headed commander in a place he could watch. Vardreth did not want such a man to be at his back, where he could suddenly find himself pinched and unable to retreat if need arose.

Regardless of General Chao's response, Vardreth would gather the soldiers necessary to meet his enemies. Thirty, if General Chao decided to join. Sixty, if General Chao decided to stay behind...

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Cao Biming was known for his dexterous ability. In truth, he wished to be an engineer. His talents were seen early on, his ability to learn the ins and outs of military equipment such as trebuchets, crossbows, ballista and the like marked him as a candidate for training in this aspect. Unfortunately there was never enough time. Regular drills still took precedent, and the military campaign to this point had not lasted long.

Cao Biming's talent soon became his curse. Knowing he was skilled, he was immediately elected as one of the individuals who would go out and take apart traps on the frontlines. He could only curse himself; a tall tree catches much wind. Luckily his group didn't make it to the frontlines until the second batch of orders came through. They rearranged themselves, and he quickly became well protected by two of his contemporaries. None of the groups of three were too close to each other, nor were they too far. The enemy magicians would need to spend much more effort in taking them out.

Cao Biming's group came across a trap, and the young soldier began working his way through it. He carefully traced its route, finding each interweaving connection. It wasn't impossible for any soldier to do this - even with magic, the intracy of a trap could only be so much with the amount of time given to set it up. The problem was how much time it took. Of those out there, Cao Biming's time could be considered fairly fast. It was at his third successful trap disarming that one of the nearby guards protecting him let out a shout. The shout was interrupted, and a gurgling was heard. Cao Biming looked up in shock only to see that soldier with an arrow through his throat. Terrified, Cao Biming looked to where that arrow came from. "Shit!" With just himself and the other shielded soldier in the near vicinity, Cao Biming knew that they were done for. Three magicians, two archers and two soldiers. One of the magicians raised their staff, a ball of cold-blue energy whizzing towards their location. Cao Biming wanted to duck, but he quickly realized the trajectory; the water itself!

Knowing there was no place to dodge, Cao Biming grit his teeth and closed his eyes. The feeling of cold ice encasing his legs suffused him. He then heard the 'twang' from an archer's crossbow and opened his eyes, regretting not having done so earlier. The bolt had just left the man's crossbow, aiming straight at Cao Biming. It was as if time stopped for the young military engineer. Death was staring him down the sight of a crossbow.

Suddenly a dense feeling filled the air. His throat tightened. The swamp area seemed stuffy and humid. There was a surreal sound of a sword exiting its sheath from behind him as the bolt moved forward. The bolt was almost at his eyes, yet a blade came down from behind his shoulder and to his right, bisecting the bolt in twain. A red ball of energy lay at the tip of that blade, with what seemed to be electricity crackling upon its exterior.

"Aberrant Magic: Gaia's Ruin! Life gives birth to wood. Wood supplements fire. Wind provides oxygen. Lightning infuses destruction. Strength compresses this energy, building pressure." A red-headed man had arrived at the front lines, just in time to provide support. A small, insignificant ball of magic flew forward at incredible speed to the grouped up enemies. This spell moved much faster than the bolt from before, arriving to the group before he even finished saying 'wood' the first time. In the end, it seemed his words were more of an explanation of the spell, rather than a component of the words he had to speak to the Rukh.

The devastation was what one could expect from aberrant magic. When the orb arrived at the group it imploded, the pressure having reached a critical level. The implosion created a fifteen meter diameter space of nothingness, destroying all life in the area. Nothing was safe from the attack. The water evaporated, the earth disintegrated, and those who were once living were now with the departed, not even an intact corpse to prove they, too, were once counted among the living.

Sharp whistles resounded throughout the air, soon followed by the sound of drums. Cao Biming stared at the red-headed man in a daze, even as the red headed man furrowed his brows with a look off in the distance. "S-sir... Thank you! For saving my life!" Clasping his hands in salute, he broke the man out of his reverie.

The newcomer was  not much older than Cao Biming, but Cao Biming definitely recognized who this individual was. The spellsword, Zeriken! "Don't worry about it... You heard the drums, too, right?" Not waiting for the answer, Zeriken pointed his blade towards one of the walls. "Wall of Flame!" As he spoke, he flipped his blade upward. A lash of flames swiftly left, burning deeply into the dirt above the water line. It was a line of demarcation, showing the shallowest location of where the trap-finding had been finished. Some groups were deeper than others, and it wouldn't do to run into traps at the early stages where others hadn't finished yet. "Everyone! You heard the drums! Retreat, regroup!" He was unsure why the order was given, only that they were to enter into a battle formation. Logically, it meant enemy forces would soon be encountered.

Zeriken was not a military commander. He had fought in wars before, under the guidance of Fang Mu, however his primary forte was in being singularly powerful. Fang Mu's credence was as such; to survive on your power alone. To destroy that which hinders your way. Zeriken was never capable of learning Fang Mu's full arts, having been born a magician, but the old man's style was ingrained within his very soul.

Zeriken was not intending to command them, leaving that job up to the ranking officer in the area. Instead, he was planning on dealing as much damage as possible. Surviving alone, if need be.

OOC:
Vardreth -
Magoi: 390/390
Stamina: 350/440

Zeriken used an A-Tier Aberrant Magic spell which incorporated life, wind, fire, lightning and strength.  He had been watching from an invisibility spell of his own, which was released when he attacked.

‘Freedom…’ Noir thought to herself as Fu mentioned about it, reminding herself that everything she did in the past was all for her freedom. She wanted to be free, unchained by anyone, not restricted by anything. Although her freedom had cost her some things…sometime she regret it but forced herself to enjoy the freedom that she earned from her hard work and sacrifice. Fu said that she was too far gone from freedom though, making the black haired magician tilted her head, wondering why one would say that and assumed it was hopelessness that made her think like that. Well, she was almost in the same situation before although she conquered it.

When Fu mentioned that her brother already died several years ago… Noir stopped herself from walking and started to think. She wondered if Fu was talking about another brother…. Or if that dead brother was truly the brother she mentioned from the beginning, the one she begged her to save, if it was the latter than this girl was not telling the truth... Which part of her words that were true after all… But before Noir could ask, she could feel the rukh sparks from behind Fu, but the speed of the spell was too fast and there was no way that Noir could parry it. A solid shard of ice pierced the girl’s heart, strangely ended her life as she said her last apology before her body rot as if she didn’t have soul since the beginning…a living dead.  

However Noir could feel it, the owner of the rukh… a pitch black one. Haku felt that Noir became tense and started to growl as well, knowing that they now have an enemy showing up but would stay defensive beside Noir as he waited for her command. A sultry voice appeared and suddenly everything around Noir, the building, the village… all of them was gone, disappeared in a thin air. A blood began to flow to the magician’s head, not because she was upset for Fu’s death, but more because of her incapability to even notice that this was all just an illusion. “….It seem fate is letting us to meet once again…” Noir spit a cursed word in a sarcastic way, knowing how much hatred that the former noblewoman had with ‘fate’.

There was no single tears, no devastation in Noir’s face as if Fu’s death didn’t mean anything for her. Part of it was true, upon realizing that Fu was none other than a puppet made by Lady Shousui, there was no empathy, no sadness of even anger inside her about Fu at all. One thing that made the black haired girl wondered was only the story of Fu life as that other kind of slave and how she felt about her brother. However Noir recalled when the former noblewoman said about it being a beautiful script, praising herself for the illusion that she made and it made the golden eyed girl sighed, pitying the bad script.

The information gained from scouting out the incoming enemy might have helped a little if the enemy wasn't so close already. A three prong strike by the sound of the split groups. Perhaps the two fires created earlier weren't meant to burn down the barracks and the armory, but instead used to create weak points in the fortress. However, almost no time was allotted to Zadi to reform any sort of counterattack against a three prong strike because the enemy was right at the blonde commander's doorstep! With how ruthless the artillery was bashing against the fortress, the hiding soldiers had no choice but to come out of hiding too soon. If they had stayed in hiding, then perhaps this three prong strike wouldn't be such a big deal.

"What a surprise, something else went wrong...what a fuckin' surprise. Not only did the enemy attack sooner than expected, but my troops didn't stay hidden like I asked them to so there's no point in even saying the key word!"

The formerly hidden troops would now attempt to attack their invaders, Yoshiro's army, in order to survive in this cruel joke of a war; problem after problem faced Zadi with no light in sight. The ever darkening tunnel of disasters was become cruelly endless; a fortress stupidly situated in a deep swamp, two fires destroying the barracks and armory, another fire which only seems to work one way, the enemy arriving with an immediate attack, and finally the blonde commander's troops did not stay hidden for an ambush against a three prong siege. All the blonde commander could do now was smash open the nearby crate containing all of his equipment and yell, "In case you didn't hear me or the artillery fire, SURPRISE!"

The fanalis would react quickly, giving out a command with her powerful voice. "Gather round them, circle around to restrict their movement . If we can surround them then we can get an advantage." She would lead the forces, making sure that they were able to gather around and prepare. She would stand with a strong posture and dominating presence. She would then face the lieutenant, preparing to give out her plans. They may have been surprised but they could use this to their advantage. "We need to use this chance to pierce their forces. Have the cavalry surround and choke out their forces. You and I can penetrate their forces and aim for their commanding officers. If we can cleave through their forces and get their commanding officers we can divert their attention and forces to increase chance of overall victory."

The white haired woman would stand amidst the forces. Maintaining order the warrior would direct the group to start surrounding and pushing ahead. She was walk in front of the forces waiting for Bhaozhai to join her. The fanalis would need the other female to be ready before it would be time to strike. With a heavy sigh she would keep steadfast. The big battle was going to be brought to life Combat was calling, the storm would rage on. It was time to show the world what she was capable off. It would be her first massive battle in a longtime, since she had claimed her djinn. She was nervous to show off her new strength. Yet it was her time to put this dog down for good.

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The good lady’s lips pursed as she heard the raven-haired magician utter the word “fate.” What cruelty to utter such a disgusting word. She walked closer to her guest, bringing with her death and decay in the ground as she conflated her importance. There was no denying the Lady Soushui possessed great magical strength--she was one of Kou’s most prized possessions, after all. Her hands moved up from her side onto her hips, clearly trying to accentuate certain areas of her body. Whether it was to seduce, or perhaps a feminine display of dominance, she stood in front of the raven-haired magician with the intention of intimidating this woman.

“Fate has nothing to do with it, girl. This is merely tying up loose ends…” She spat, circling the maiden before her. “I pity you, you know...so fair, so innocent, so disgustingly pure...men cloying to get in your good favor. Ugh, even “the good emperor” finds you fascinating...and yet, here I stand, a simple servant to this country.” The good lady fumed with jealous rage--her hand gripping her wand so tightly that her knuckles had no blood coursing through them. Whatever vendetta the mysterious woman had with Noir, it would end here, for better or worse. It seemed a fight was inevitable, but there was never anything straightforward about this woman. She wouldn’t submit herself to possible defeat if not for a good reason.

“Girl. Let’s strike a deal…” She whispered, having stopped circling her prey and instead whisked around behind her, her lips almost gently touching the magician’s ear. “Show me what you’re made of. If you can beat me, I’ll give you what you want. Whatever you want…”

If nothing else, this woman was a temptress, and a professional one at that. Her movements, the way she spoke, even the cadence of her voice-they were all reminiscent of an electric personality, unable to look away. Should Noir decide to take the woman up on this deal, there would surely be immense rewards, but to do battle with this woman...a dangerous feat indeed.

---

As the soldiers did their best to follow the lioness' command and take advantage on the ambush on them. They would struggle at first to surround the pangolins and get to the cavaliers that were on top of them. They would push into their trained formations, though albeit a bit roughly, and a bit improvised in some aspects. They weren't able to kill them all, but they were able to get these forces into a stalemate position so that way the other forces would be able to follow their orders and follow along with the upcoming plan. A few of the soldiers were a bit hesitant wondering if they would be able to pull of such an aggressive invasion and siege on their forces even though they had also just suffered from an ambush which had done a bit of damages to their forces. Not to mention the fact that they still had a few platoons to push through and then the commanders who were decently tough, it seemed there was two weaker ones, and then one other who seemed to be of incredible renown in Gao's Army, at least that is the rumor going around, no one knew the truth, at least until you fought him. Though the other two commanders weren't something to scoff at, they were all commanders who were prepared to fight and protect their post. Who knew how the battle would go once they met, and would exchange a conversation through blows, and clashing.

After a few moments though the soldiers would shift into their next position so that they would be able to continue their plans with the charge and split through the forces. They were a bit nervous, but soon after a moment of tension and haste the general gave the signal to march out. A lot of them knew that the choices made in this battle would mean alot if they would be able to make it inside this fort, it might be crucial to winning the war, or maybe that was only the thoughts that was inside the back of each soldier's mind. This could cause a bit of anxiety or weight on them. As the war drums played they began to march and charge, soon the first forces pushing through the enemies , and allowing them to split and close in on the first half of the forces. With the successful split they would continue to charge before they would notice a small halt in their plan, but one that looked like it wouldn't take the two commanders two long to get to their main goal.

The two commanders and the forces directly under their control had gotten close to the commanders, but first they would have to push past the surprisingly durable defense forces, mage group, and then the commanders direct forces. If the commanders used some of their direct forces, and skills they would probably be able to push pash towards the enemy commanders and their forces for the final battle before they would be able to push into the fortress faster than they would expect, but then again who knew how long the siege would go on. Soon enough as they would march forward a bit more they would see the silhouettes of the three commanders. One of them seemed to be a bigger man hunched over inspecting something, while the other two were obviously women holding bows and other weapons, more details would be visible once they would push past to the commander's forces. Only one with a dastardly mind could think of what plans the forces of Gao held.

"Hmm a lioness huh, ooh one with a snow pelt you say? well I think that she'll be fun to hunt." The husky voice said under the storm as he looked upon his equipment and listened to the report he had gotten from one of his scouts. In the blur he rubbed his chin and grunted before letting out a low and long chuckle, it seeming to be a signification he had a good thought, though about the way he spoke there seemed to be something peculiar about him, something sinister. "Or maybe I'll just cage her, get my own ll kitty to play with....."

---

There were questioning looks shared among the troop before they agreed to go along with the tattooed man. He did have a valid point, and even one brought up the possibility of getting in trouble for lying about. So, Lagi would find himself backed by the rest of his squad.

However, their progress would be slowed as the terrain grew tougher. The bed of the shallow river seemed to have become covered in even more muck, each footstep dragging through the mud as they tried to travel down the ravine. The waters had raised slightly to their knees and almost reaching their thighs. The trees were larger, their branches throwing a shade over them as the dim sky continued to pour down water. Their pace was, ultimately, slowed down, and it didn't take the men behind them to catch up. commander Xu's own battalion had sped up their speed as to be right on the heels of Lagi's own men.

"Damn our enemies! When the hell are they gonna stop being cowards and show up?!" A soldier demanded as he tugged his foot out of a sinkhole, his body wobbling as he grabbed onto the ravine wall for support. With an annoyed sigh, he pushed away and continued marching, his face pulled into an ugly scowl. His partner snorted in agreement as he used his blade to cut away a vine that was in his way, arms raised to avoid the slimy water they traversed through.

Another man opened his mouth to complain when he became caught by something in the water. When he tried to yank away, a line of wire was pulled taut. The soldier was unable to do anything for the wire snapped, followed by a click before hell was unleashed.

A pulse of magic raced out, only visible as distortions in the air to the eyes of Xu's men. The air was quickly filled by a billow of dust and the scream of men as the ravine wall to their right seemingly exploded. They were forced back by the initial "blast", shards of earth flying outwards from the explosion of magic. Those closest to the wall found themselves trapped beneath the rocks, their faces pushed into the waters as the heavy debris pressed down.

Lagi would find himself pinned as well, though relatively fine for now. The rock laying upon him will only sink further, pushing him deeper beneath the river's surface unless he managed to knock it off him or break it. If he were to get back to his feet, he would find that the rest of the troops were either in likewise conditions, worse, or simply dead. Some wandered away, their uniforms stained with dust and dirt. Others floundered beneath the water before going still. Many had their bodies pierced by pieces of the ravine wall or

Commander Xu himself was, thankfully alive, but not for long. The lower half of his body was trapped beneath an immense hunk of dirt, the man struggling to free himself. He was close to the wall, which had grown increasingly unstable due to the explosion. There were cracks, and several parts continued to collapse. It wouldn't be long before another hunk of earth dropped onto the commander, killing him and the moral of the now scattered army.

Notes:

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As the commander's words had rang out through the fort all of his soldier's had already began to fight with all that they could muster after all the disasters that had plagued the fort. As they climbed over the walls and began dropping down, it was seen that a few of the people fighting with polearms had been successful with fighting them off as they were coming down and after they landed. At each opening soldiers had gathered fighting trying to either impeded the progress of the other force, or to break into the fort. It was a sporadic fight with each small group of men improvising their own ways to take care of the enemies that were invading, or trying to. Each squadron having varying success rates, but it could be for sure that the men of the fort were not slacking in any sort of way when it came to the defense of their fortress. Some of them had believed in their commander and believed that the king candidate would come up with some strategy, some ability, or some kind of luck even that would help them in their misery. Who knew how the tide of the battle would turn out, despite the constant misfortunes against the commander it was too early to tell who would come out as the victors at the end of the day. Maybe Zadi could force them out and maybe go for a war of attrition, despite the weapons being destroyed the food storage had been saved by a soldier near it when it had caught fire. There were a variety of things that could be done.

Soon after the forces had begun invading over the walls there would be a cease of the artillery fire, for now at least. There was no telling if they were out, or if they were just stopping to save in case of later attacks. Soon Liqin would look to Zadi and look towards the walls were they were fighting and as they protected the walls, and tried to stop more people from getting in as another force took care of the interior force. Liqin would soon just nod to Zadi before he ran up the wall rather quickly, and began to run along the wall, just lightly pushing enemies out the way, them mysteriously falling over as he did so. After he had made a quick run around the walls helping out and positioning some of his scouts before coming back to Zadi panting a bit as he soon let out a soft sigh while lifting one finger to indicate he needed a second to catch his breath. "I couldn't see any details on their artillery, but I know for sure now that there are three enemy commanders out there who plan on attacking, and I am almost certain that one of them is a mage." He said quickly reporting to the ally commander before he began to fight once again, staying within earshot of Zadi so that way he would be able to move and help out if the other commander would need anything from him.

As the soldier's defended, one group near the wall had a decent strategy keeping people out of the fort. They had set up some ice spikes above the walls do to the one mage, and then with their tower shields made a wall to block the hole in the wall, keeping a hole so the spear-man could jab at any enemies trying to break through. There were a few other strategies, hard to tell which was the most effective, or maybe the commander would come up with a better strategy and hunker down to defend, or maybe even fight back against the sieging forces. However which way the battle would fall on the scale would end in the same result, one side winning a major victory while the other would face loss, and possibly death.

---

The sound of a whistle reverberated throughout the ravine, its shrill tone undetectable thanks to the rocks and cliffs it bounced across, however the oncoming forces of Yoshiro’s army heard and guessed its purpose. The alarm was to be expected though, especially since their opponents were none other than the Fang Mercenaries. Yoshiro’s forces pressed onward, but only Kwan Yi’s forces increased their pace, their footsteps sloshing in the shallow muddy water and yet still causing the ground to tremble ever so slightly, like an earthquake wishing to tear through the ravine and yet hesitating to do so. Within the group Kwan Yi, ran one man known for his incredible tracking and hunting skills to hunt down enemy scouts: Bai Xiang.

Bai Xiang was a young dedicated fanalis, sworn to serve Yoshiro no matter the cost, however his loyalty was not just some obligated duty as a soldier. Bai Xiang served out of gratitude toward Emperor Yoshiro because he no longer had to live the life of a slave like his ancestors before him. Now it was his turn to return the favor, even if it meant his life. However, in this time of civil war, he shivered, terrified. Bai Xiang never thought there’d be a war so soon when Yoshiro took the throne, but who would have thought the previous emperor would rise from the dead? The fanalis tracker sucked in a breath, his eyes flitting to Kwan Yi, his commander, who gave a reassuring smile.

Kwan Yi signaled a fanalis behind her, who grabbed a shofar from their belt and blew. The horn was a special shofar designed for Kwan Yi and her fanalis troops, not shrill like the whistle of the enemy, but a powerful bellowing war cry, announced the imminent arrival of reinforcements for the men and women at the ambush site as the fanalis pushed forward at full speed.

-----

The magicians beast tamers, and rangers at the ambush site internally rejoiced, feeling emboldened at the enemy’s retreat. They pressed forward, going after the retreating mercenaries, but still maintained vigilance. Before getting too close to the clearing where the enemy retreated, Yoshiro’s initial forces stopped. The torrential downpour made it difficult to see, but the beast tamers in the group, masters of swampland creatures, were perfect for this sort of terrain. Two tamers made a series of clicking sounds, which were orders for two large alligators to enter the swamp and attack anything that seemed suspicious underwater. At the same time, twenty rangers that sat by in the shadows keeping watch felt invigorated and let loose a barrage of arrows into the clearing, making sure to stay behind trees for cover as a precaution, as two other rangers made their way forward from either side, hoping to use the barrage of the other rangers as a diversion. That’s when the drums sounded...

---

While Yahzu Cheng and his men marched toward their target, General Chao breathed a sigh of relief at Vardreth’s information. Finally he was going to fight, but he couldn’t help but feel inferior to someone so young. After all, it was Vardreth who was ultimately leading this battle despite the general having more experience and being much older, and General Chou couldn’t help but feel a seething anger boiling deep within his chest. “I can’t have that brat taking all the glory,” he growled under his breath as he strapped his sword to his belt and put on his helmet.

When General Chao exited his tent, he commanded some of his soldiers to come along with him. “I can’t let you have all the fun, now can I?”

-----

Unfortunately, the location where traps were set had the most casualties for Yoshiro’s army out of the locations where Yoshiro’s forces first moved in. Those that survived the aberrant magic spread out to continue using their spells. The decimation was certainly terrifying to those that were out of range, and one woman was thankful to not be caught in such a blast. Her name was Sun Ping, a normal soldier whose only weapon was a sword. Witnessing the sheer power of that magician’s attack was enough for her to freeze in her place while her heart galloped out of her chest. She wished she was back at home with her love, but he was elsewhere, probably fighting in another battle or at best, safe in his tent as he awaited orders.

“Get back! He’s too much for us!” she cried, mustering up what little strength she could. They had to stand back and wait. A new enemy had appeared, one too strong for them to handle. Thankfully though, Yazhu Zeng arrived with his sixty men just then. The commander’s eyes shifted, noticing the giant area of destruction along with a few injured soldiers and a few still left to fight nearby. However, that wasn’t all. He watched as the enemy retreated after the dull boom of drums resounded throughout the ravine, much like the whistle before it was used as a signal. He held his own breath, now more cautious than ever before. Yazhu Zeng was not someone to blindly chase after the enemy, especially if there was such a powerful opponent.

“Get those injured to safety! Hurry but be careful!” Yazhu Zeng commanded, inciting a small handful of his men to rush to the injured soldiers and carry them back from the front lines.

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Not to say that Lagi made a bad choice, but it seemed like a waste of time to go on ahead if the commander was to catch up with them anyway because of the rough terrain. The fact that he was able to boast such a command over the forces was useful enough for Lagi. "Well, they caught up anyway, there is no real use in complaining about it. " It's a bit strange that the terrain was so against the forces at hand; Lagi would have figured that it would have been somewhat of a double-edged sword for those who were native to the country to maneuver around perfectly in it. Then again, it was a jungle, and it wasn't like Lagi was fighting with an army of beast tamers that have gotten used to the atmosphere that they were currently in. Either way, with the commander here, they had some tracks to make.

The walking was as eerie as it could be, the apparent aggravation and long silence of the jungle itself was a forewarning case. "Lagi sama...." Before Lagi even knew it, a small snapping sound equivalent to that of a wire tripping have effectively unleashed hell upon the group. Lagi was lucky, it would have been natural for him to get caught in the blast, but Orie kicked in, and her sense of forewarning was more than enough for Lagi to unconsciously dodge what he didn't even see coming. His movements almost seemed inhuman from how he maneuvered about during the duration of the explosion, combined with the additional A rank speed of moving faster than the explosion.

In the end, Lagi was the only person upright when the end of the explosion took place. Whistling a small tune, Lagi looked over to the carnage and wondered about the number of people that were still alive, to begin with. "General Xu?" Walking over to the trapped general at A rank speeds, Lagi would spit on his hands and rub them together before taking somewhat of a powerlifting stance and lift up the boulder with his B rank strength. From the way that he walked over and lifting the heavy rock, Lagi would strain a bit as he waited for the general to get away. He was quite careful, maintaining a specific balance of lifting up the rock in order to not cause some kind of disturbance or chain reaction to lead them to their deaths. "Hurry up, I'm stronger than I look, but I'd rather it not be a marathon."

Spoiler:

Noir looked straight to the former noblewoman who was walking towards her at the moment, observing her and wanting to know why she was here, leading her with an illusion. The woman could have lured Noir by herself without needing a puppet at all and there must be something that she was planning behind her action. Did she think that the black haired girl would feel something over the fake puppet? Yes she did feel something, a pity because Fu resembled her past self. But since it was a fake, there was no sadness, no urge to get revenge at all.

Shousui began to circle Noir, her gaze felt so cold as if it could freeze the black haired magician’s body. There was a hint of disgust in her words, the words that made Noir raised an eyebrow. “It was not true. Everything you said... was merely based on what you thought as you are not able to see the true me.” None of the words that escaped the woman’s lips was true for the young magician, she wasn’t fair, wasn’t innocent and she wasn’t even pure. She was only a filthy being who was lucky enough to get her own freedom with a price to pay. Her hands were drenched with a thick smell of blood, no matter how hard she washed them, a stench of it would still be there like a removable sin. “You were more than a simple servant to this country, but you reap what you sow the moment you gave in to the darkness.”

Strange... it felt like the former noblewoman wanted something from her. Lady Shousui should have known that Noir was not even as strong as her and the woman could have killed the black haired girl if she wanted since the beginning. But here she was, offering a deal to the young magician... a deal that sounded strange enough for Noir to decline. “What do you want? My power is nothing compared to yours and you should have known since the first time we met.” She lifted up her hand, enough for her to see the palm of her hand and she would stare at it. “Why do you think i would agree to take the deal? I dont want anything at the moment and if I do, perhaps a victory for the emperor and a peace for Kou. But why would someone like you grant me my wish.” She said as she locked her golden orbs to the woman’s eyes, wanting to know what her enemy was planning.

The artillery stopped though another problem popped up in place; three special enemies approached the fortress, one of which was likely a mage according to Liqin. Adding a mage into the mix was going to create more problems than artillery, so Zadi felt obligated to take care of this new problem while his own troops did what they could. However, only taking care of the mage and maybe the other two special threats wouldn't be enough to keep the fort from crumbling; Zadi would need to take down the artillery, too.

"Liqin! I'll take care of the new threats. I give full command of the troops to you!"

Zadi also didn't want to deal with commanding his troops during this chaos, not to mention the fortress' troops were doing just fine without Zadi, or so the situation would seem at the very least. One can only hope a pretty picture doesn't fall apart when you look away. Granted, the site of two sides struggling for control over a swamp fortress wasn't pretty. Anyway, Zadi sped off in the direction the artillery came from in an attempt to achieve three tasks; defeat the mage, destroy the artillery, and survive.

In order to get out of the fortress, Zadi would attempt to run up the non-broken section of the bombarded wall using his exceptional speed. Upon jumping down from the wall, the blonde commander didn't feel as though he had time to help the brave soldiers expertly defending the wall using a funneling system with the help of the fort's mages, so Zadi just held his tower shield in from of him and crashed through the enemy troops using his exceptional strength. Zadi didn't know how far away the mage or other special threats were from the fortress given how sharp Liqin's vision as a scout commander was, but as long as Zadi kept running in the direction of the artillery, the blonde commander ought to find his way.

Aaaah, damn...my kimono is gonna get swamp water all over it...

The fanalis would continue to push forward her forces with precision and control. There were inconveniences in it at first but it seemed like things were going according to plans. The main issue would be the main forces and their commanders. There was an obvious push back as they moved closer to the commanders. The forces seemed more like a living breathing obstruction. Yet, they would manage to pressure on, the forces trying to stay together. The lioness would signal to Baozhai, letting her know to stay close and press with her. The fanalis was indeed strong but it was reassuring to have another person of rank.

Leading with a great stride she would be like a pulling, guiding force for her group. Her keen eyes spotting the people in front of her. She gave a command, "Calvary keep pushing, make sure to avoid the rough terrain. Aim for their short ranged melee units. Archers aim for their weak points and move back slightly, and the rest get a shield wall up and pushing. Keep them pressured and trap while keeping us protected." This focus would force the commanders to try and engage or try to change position to adapt but leave their forces open. She would move closer to the small female warrior, trying to keep pace. she would then say huskily but loud enough for her to hear. "When they move in or even aim for us you and me try to get in close. We'll use our self as a distraction against their commanders. Both forces will need to make way most likely to avoid casualties. We cant let therm press past us, if we can pressure past we have our forces collapse inward and trap them. That part will change based on the situations adaptability."

Sima Ming and the others stood in a circular formation. The wounded in the center, with some shield-bearers to keep them safe, had only a small sliver of hope remaining to them. The sound of the enemy's advance rung throughout the swampland, a war-horn that was foreign to their training. The soldiers tightened their formation and stained their senses, keeping careful look out for any enemy forces.

Unknown to this group of soldiers, Benai hid himself against a tree just west of the soldiers. Under the guise of a make-shift ghillie suit, little could be naturally done to differentiate himself from a cluster of moss. Benai lay in wait, watching and planning his next move. His first set of targets would be the magicians who used strength magic to collapse earth on top of the soldiers. He had no knowledge that a powerful individual would soon be confronting their troops...

As he lay in wait, the enemy approached. Drumbeats reverberated throughout the area, letting the Fang Mercenaries at the entrance of the zone know to initiate their orders. Popping off the lid to the barrel, the four mercenaries began to swim away immediately. It was somewhat leisurely, as the drums would have only gone off when there was still a good distance between themselves and the enemy, thus giving them time to make their escape. Unfortunately they were unaware of the speed of the beasts that were brought along. The drumming only accounted for the speed of humans and fanalis, and the alligators moved at a much more rapid pace. The two alligators would swim through some strange substance and soon find two of the four mercenaries. Feeling the displacement of water behind them, one of the mercenaries turned and let out a muffled scream of terror.

These soldiers were numbered among the elite of Vardreth's mercenaries. They were from the unit of mercenaries his parents controlled. The fact that they were considered elite was not due to personal strength, but due to how much combat they had already gone through and how much training they had already taken. As such, when confronting something more powerful than himself and faster than himself, one of the two mercenaries immediately let their distress be known.

The rest of the mercenaries were too far to help each other out. With clenched teeth and furrowed brows, the two soldiers that were caught could only do their best to struggle in the jaws of the powerful creatures. Knowing their duty, they did their absolute best to hold off the creatures as long as they could, stalling them. The remaining Fang Mercenaries swam off at their fastest speed, taking separate routes of retreat.

The splashing, thrashing and sounds of agony of the two soldiers would not last long under the assault of the alligators, however the sounds would alert those who were still there. Concerned with the sounds, the soldiers steeled their mental state.

Once half of the enemy passed into the opening four arrows with strangely in-extinguishable flames fell onto the water. The arrows missed by a wide margin, as they did not seem to be aimed at the soldiers, though perhaps the thought of such terrible aim would have momentarily amused some of those who were looking. That amusement would soon be replaced as a large swath of fire quickly spread. This is what they had been preparing for - what was originally meant to be used upon the forces as a means to heard them was now used as a means to burn them.

Several of Yoshiro's forces had already passed through. While the fires did not reach them, an investigation would find that there was sticky, oily black substance upon their clothing. Those who were more attuned to the art of alchemy would know the product to be a substance that does not mix with water, rises to the top, and burns even when wet. Its effectiveness would be limited in a time when it was raining as much as it was, however the full extent of the damage would not be easily seen. Small stacks of wood, coated in this material, were lit up in the area. These piles of wood were stacked in several different locations, beneath overhangs that protected them from the rain. The smoke filled the air, the dry dead wood burning as fuel while the slightly wet and freshly chopped woods served to thicken the amount of smoke that went up.

Soon, another set of flames were released from the way they came, cutting off the retreat of those that had not yet passed into the clearing. A third to half would make it through, while a good portion would have been caught in the initial blaze from earlier, and the remaining would be stuck for a few moments, trapped before a raging blaze.

---

On the field of battle with Vardreth and General Cho, Vardreth chose to stand and command from the front. One sword was drawn in his right hand, Eir, while his left hand was free. Looking out to the front, Vardreth silently stood vigil. The mercenaries behind him had their blood boiling, itching for a fight just as General Cho did. In stark contrast, Vardreth's thoughts were colder. His interest in the fight itself was detached, primarily concerned about his overall losses versus the losses of the enemy. His intention here was to cause be around for the largest amount of destruction as soon as he could.

Vardreth narrowed his eyes, knowing his enemies would soon be here. His left hand went to the hilt of his other weapon, Desceld, and drew it as well.

---

The mercenaries that retreated before were drawing up into formation, tightening their battle capabilities. Zeriken was not planning on standing out like a sore thumb, either, using light magic to change his features as he disappeared into the sea of mercenaries. He would then slowly work his way to the second row from the front, keeping an eye on the flow of battle and preparing himself for retaliatory actions.

In the first place, he was not the commander of this field. That job fell upon another soldier on the battlefield. This man was shouting out orders, also using the time the opponents were gathering their wounded. Truthfully, wounding a soldier and making them incapable of combat was a superb tactic. It took another soldier to get them to safety, and then another individual to heal them. This was the important resource of manpower, and tying up enemies with extra work would lighten the load on those fighting at the front. Once the officer determined there was enough time spent for the enemy to be out of combat for as long of a period as possible, the officer gave orders to advance. A small contingent of ten archers followed behind the twenty soldiers, who slowly backed away from the trap area and towards a less open field. Their intention was to bottleneck their opponent and reduce possible pressure on their flanks.

Zeriken was keeping an eye out for magical interference, planning on countering any spells slung their way or sending a powerful blast of fire at an enemy that seemed particularly powerful. He would step up to the front lines at that time and confront the individual in a direct duel.

---

---

“Oh hush girl! You think too much! You...fascinate me…” The good lady explained, gleefully prancing around the raven-haired magician. She sized her up--there was an aura of confidence about the magician. Lady Shousui was reviled, yes, but impressed with the girl. Despite their mutual hostility toward each other, it could be understood there was a modicum of respect for one another--perhaps a bit one-sided on the good lady’s part, but yet she could not bring herself to harm her, not fatally, but would test her otherwise to make sure she was worthy. Worthy of what? Well, that remains to be seen. “Fine. Since you won’t take but a simple servant of Kou at her word...I’ll tell you. For a price…”

The good lady cackled and walked away from Noir, only to snap her fingers and morph the very landscape they stood upon. The scenery was grim...dark...foreign to both the land of Kou and the abandoned settlement they were currently in.

“This...this is my domain. Let us play a little game to start. If you find you’d like to go further, we shall.” The good lady grazed her hand in the atmosphere around her, revealing a peculiar staff, abominable in appearance and nature. She tapped it on the ground, only to summon a great wall of stone and fire encircling them. “I do hope you know I was not asking for your permission, girl!” The stone wall that encroached upon them exploded with impressive reverie. The good lady was no stranger to the joys of theatrics.

“You have questions, girl. I have answers. Meet my conditions and I’ll give you one. Satisfy me enough and…” The good lady explained, stroking her free hand through her hair as she flashed a mischievous smile. “...I’ll give you something valuable, and precious to me, in return. So--what say you girl? Did I persuade you?”

---

The air was heavy, the smell of sweat, adrenaline, and soon enough blood filled the noses of everyone on the battlefield. Soon after their forces clashed people began to fall and die, most likely the weakest of each sides forces. The sound of their bodies thumping against the firm ground fell on deaf ears as the sounds of screaming and warring could only be heard. Despite the overwhelming sounds of war, Bhaozai understood roughly what Merrze meant. She and her Reptilian mount would follow the lioness hastily, not engaging in conflict yet herself as to save her strength for when they made it to the big bad. She wasn't sure how they would do against the main forces, but she was confident with the aid of the fanalis they might be able to penetrate their exterior defenses. Both their forces were following commands as best they could, trying to ensure that their commanders and a few select of their forces would be able to get close to the main defense forces, otherwise known as the command force. Within the minds of the soldier's were a myriad of emotions, each one having thoughts about how this battle would turn out, for some this would be what cost them their life on this field. However, they were able to carry out their orders the best they could despite their clumsy execution of said plan.

After moments of pushing, evading, and splitting through the enemy forces Bhaozai, and Merrze would successfully make it towards the main command force. Each one of the three commanders seemed to have at least 1,000 men, and it seemed that each small army were veterans that have campaigned with their commanders over the years. Now that they were closer it could be seen that one commander was indeed a female archer, one who seemed to be a noble warrior. A member of a clan of warriors that served Gao in his reign, Commander Amano Kazuki of the Amano clan. The other female commander wasn't what she appeared to be from afar at all. She was a beautiful young woman, who stood there holding a massive polearm with what appeared to be heavyweights hanging at each end of the shaft. She stood there smiling, she had no real reason to be here, except that she had been paid by Gao and some of his supporters, a mercenary, the leader of a clan from the brutal mountains, Ping Liu.

Soon enough the most intimidating of the three commanders had become completely visible. A towering man dressed in ornate armor, and clothing, with what seemed to be weapons from the handles that were peaking out from their hiding place. He was a bit older than the other commanders, and he the most experienced of them. A man who knew Gao in his youth, and was known for his obsessions. Despite his gigantic physique, the commander was pure human, one that enjoyed capturing exotic animals and enslaving exotic people. He truly was a cruel man, whom when heard of a white-haired fanalis became enraptured, and desired to enslave the enemy commander. This intimidating figure was General Junjie.

The forces would follow their commander's wishes, each one following their individual commanders of the three was actually quite a feat of military training.They would begin to move in on Merrze and Bhaozai attacking their forces and them, but unlike the earlier skirmish these forces would prove difficult to push past and would require more effort from the two. All the while Junjie talked with his fellow commanders. "I wonder if we'll get to use the big guns."

Kazuki:

Ping:

General Junjie:

---

While Lagi was successful in saving the commander, but the man was still wounded by the heavy wall that was crushing him only moments earlier. The man barely managed to drag himself out from his precarious spot, his body trembling with the effort to move. Commander Xu grabbed onto a fallen piece of rock, using it to push himself up. However, the man almost collapsed, sitting on the rock as his fists clenched with pain.

The water around the commander's sitting rock leaked crimson and it quickly became obvious that the man wouldn't be able to walk properly for the rest of the battle the moment Xu tore off the armor protecting his legs. While one leg was relatively "fine", the other was completely crushed. A mess of muscle was all that could be seen, and in certain places, pale bone stained with blood was visible. It was no wonder why Commander Xu's body was trembling with pain and shock, why his eyes were slightly wide as his mind finally registered the wound.

With shaking hands, the man would tear off pieces of his tunic to hastily wrap around the crushed leg, the bow lopsided once he finished tying it off. Afterwards, a nearby branch was fished from the water before Xu got to his feet. His body leaned heavily against the branch, but for now, he managed to stay upright on his feet.

"T-thank you," Commander Xu mutter, voice raw with pain. With a sway, he took another step, the branch in his hand used as a walking stick in an attempt to keep himself up. His eyes lingered on Lagi for a moment before he glanced at the rest of the carnage. By now, the surviving forces dragged themselves into the open. Several were stumbling or limping, but their eyes turned hard with determination once they saw their standing leader.

But other men appeared in the dust as well. They jumped down from what remained of the ravine. The squadron of men was dressed in lightweight camouflage armor, backs covered in pelts of leaves to hide them from sight. Already, their weapons were drawn as they rushed at the wounded forces.

Two would rush in Lagi and Commander Xu's direction, caterwauling screams escaping them as they charged. One lunged at Lagi, swiftly swinging his sword in a vertical slash while his comrade aimed to impale the commander with the business end of his spear. The sound of clanging metal quickly filled the air as what remained of Xu's forces fought against the ambush, but it was joined by the hissing of fire moments later. From on top of the rocks, the form of a serpent made from fire lashed out, the nose heading at the powerful beast-tamer.

Enemies:

---

---

---

---

The battlefield was in pandemonium as all throughout the swamp the sounds of war, an brilliantly blind lights of the explosion, and magic of war, it painting a picture of discord and savagery. At the center of the fort Liqin was left alone to command all the troops of the fortress. The burden of command over a defense force against an overwhelmingly large besieging force, the odds were grim for Gao's forces on this battlefield, but as history has shown the battle isn't over until one force stands. With this thought and hope burning in his mind Liqin soon began his defense plan, one that may or may not work. Among Liqin's scouts a few of them happened to be magicians whom he knew, and hand-picked to help him out in various situations. After seeing the men of the fort use a myriad of strategies to push out the invaders he thought up a tactic that he was sure would be effective. Liqin fought off some of them as he made his way to his own mages, and began to see if there was any military engineers in the camp. Fortunately there was one who had been transferred to the camp to aid in the upcoming military campaign, or the one they might've had they not been ambushed by Yoshiro. The scout commander's plan was simple, have the forces fight back and try to push them out of the fort, and then while the artillery is down and the blonde commander attempts to disable it. Meanwhile the military engineer, the mages, and Liqin would attempt to repair the damage in the walls and then try to hunker down for the long fight.

Outside the hellish battlefield that was the fortress was a more harrowing sight for the Kimono-clad king vessel, the fire whirl had caused a multitude of explosions throughout the swamp after the flames hit the gas pockets. Within the time Zadi had given his plan to Liqin and had made it out of the fortress the inferno had spread in almost every direction, tree's blazing and fire blasting through the wind and landscape as the swamp fumes ignited. As he would move through the swamp it would become noticeable that enemies were still charging from their various directions, broken up until they got close to make traversing through the swamp easier, and make it harder to spot them coming. Falling on his ears would be the sounds of war-cries, destruction, and the three respective commanders and their forces making a ruckus from their locations. As Zadi went towards the direction of the artillery that had taken out the weak wall he would hear sounds of magic being casted.

It would take awhile, and Zadi would have to be careful to not be noticed by the rushing enemy reinforcements, who seemed to be using the chaos of the wild fire that devastated the swamp to make it through. In a hidden part of the swamp where the ground was higher than the water there was a makeshift base, they were moving constantly, and forces were charging out towards the fort, there was no sign of artillery when one looked at the camp. However, there was bright lights, and noises that seemed to be coming from the far end of the camp, most likely where the commander was. The besieging camp was in full-throttle, those who weren't invading were busy doing their job to try and make sure whatever other tricks they had up their sleeve would work.

Entering the command tent, which seemed to be rather luxurious in nature as obvious from its ornate appearance, was a man clad in armor befitting of a noble, a man from Kou who wore a silver circlet  and unfittingly for his heavy armor was the only weapon he held on him, his fan.He walked towards the table his raven black hair seemingly unaffected by the wind.His eyes were sharp, and his thin lips were curled into a fox-like grin as he read the papers on the map. No sound came from him, until he spoke to that of the other man in the room. It was one of the scouts from one of the other's commander's forces, and he had just brought the sweetest news to him. "Ooh, the commander of this fort has conquered a dungeon, this got more interesting than I had expected." He said before looking to the scout. "Go tell the others to continue with the plans." The scout would nod only giving his verbal confirmation  "Yes Lord Enlai."

Lord Enlai:

---

The muffled screams of the two men getting torn to shreds by the gators could be heard by Yoshiro’s army on the other side of the tree line, however they still hesitated to move forward. During their hesitation, the reinforcements arrived, the fanalis under Kwan Yi’s command, slowing to a halt where their allies were. “What’s the situation here?”

A young woman glanced at the young fanalis. “We took down a few of their forces, turning their own ambush against themselves, but then they retreated into the opening beyond these trees. We’d have no cover. This feels like a trap, like they’re… waiting for us almost…” The ranger’s hand shook as she held her bow, her eyes trying to peer through the rain. “I sent a couple of my alligators just in case there was anything under the water. Sure enough, there were at least two men, but we don’t know how many more lurk under that water or what they have planned once we cross.” As she finished speaking, the rain let up, dwindling in intensity to allow some visibility and expose a rather dark residue sitting atop the water’s surface.

Kwan Yi tilted her head curiously, eyeing the water. She had seen a similar sight before, and there was a scent that hung in the air, but perhaps it was just a trick of the light. “Maybe...” she mumbled. She wasn’t sure what was going on, or what to expect, but she was not going to send troops out in the open where the enemy had the advantage Waving forward a magician, she spoke, “I want you to create three half domes. It doesn’t matter what it’s made of, but make sure it’s at the very edge of the tree line. Got it?” The magician nodded and with another magician, they commanded the rukh to create a dome, just as they were ordered, once that was done, Kwan Yi continued. “All right. Out of my troops, ten of you will be behind those domes. One magician will be in each to keep up the structures, and five rangers in each. Beast tamers will scatter but remain just inside the treeline to avoid direct combat while still able to control your beasts, got it?”

There was a series of murmurs, but nobody objected. Once everyone was in position, Kwan Yi motioned for her forces to advance and the magicians to close off the back of the dome, while leaving five equally spaced openings on all sides for the rangers to shoot and keep an eye out for danger.
----
Yazhu Cheng arrived with his giant hammer in both hands, his beady eyes zeroed in on the general and the boy wielding a sword. The general look unhinged, as if he were about to snap, his eyes glossed over with the lust of blood. The anger could be easily manipulated, but the boy was different. He looked emotionless, a statue in a way. “You’re the leader of the army we saw earlier?” Cheng studied the boy, surprised by his age but also disappointed. He was the same age as Cheng’s son who also fought in this accursed war. It was a shame such a young man had so little life, which was a stark contrast to his own son.

“I suppose it doesn’t matter in the end. You are under the authority of that man, and therefore must be captured or killed,” he chuckled a bit. “Can’t say I’m not amused to see General Chou following this kid like a puppy. It’s sad to see how low you’ve sunk, but that’s what happens under Gao Yuan Zu: You go from a mighty general to a mercenary boy’s lapdog.”

General Chou clenched his fists so tight his knuckles turned ghostly white. His hands relaxed instantly, yet shook as he reached for his broadsword. “Shut up,” he growled. He glanced at the boy who stood beside him, feeling the words of his enemy to ring slightly true in his enraged inner turmoil. “This is a war. You waste your breath with idle chat.”

Yazhu Cheng stared absent-mindedly, but made no signs of attacking or advancing his troops. General Chou glowered. “If you won’t attack first, then I will! Charge!!” He roared, swinging his broadsword forward as a signal for his troops to attack. The general and his men ran forward, bellowing their war cries, without even waiting for Vardreth or his men to join or attempt to stop them.
----
Yazhu Zeng looked at the man who stepped forward. Obviously, he was the strongest out of them all, or perhaps he was just a stupid weakling that wanted to die. Either way, he was an enemy of Emperor Yoshiro, an obstacle that challenged the emperor’s rule. He clenched his fists as he walked forward as well. “All of this foolish bloodshed could have been avoided if Gao Yuan Zu stayed dead like a normal corpse. Now our country is in turmoil as sons kills their own fathers, and siblings slaughter each other. You have no business here other than money. You don’t care what happens to the women and children of our nation so long as you get paid in the end, don’t you?”

The commander cracked his neck and knuckles. “I won’t let anyone else die by your hands. It’s just you and me now.” He spit into the water, his eyes narrowed in on the magician. With no other words to say, he unsheathed two swords and charged, determined to win or lay his life down for his emperor.

---

---

It was safe to say that Lagi's immediate assistance was what secured the life of commander Xu, but it was pretty obvious that the crushing of the boulder took it's toll on the man. It was an elaborate trap, Lagi had to give Gao's people some credit for setting it up, taking a look at the carnage that unfolded. As Xu started to tend to himself, Lagi started to gather an idea as to how to help the wounded soldiers and Xu that managed to injure his leg. "Should I use it on them?" Of course, Lagi was speaking with Orie with his thoughts, and a feminine voice would reply as if she was a representation of her inner conscience. "You pity them greatly, even though you don't show it. Lagi sama, your emotions really do change in an instant, but from what I can tell, it might not be bad to assist them."

Lagi nodded his head, but before he could even achieve his original plan, the next few assailants came out of hiding in order to assault both Lagi and Xu. "An ambush?" Lagi was calm, knowing that the enemy was basically here to kill Xu.  Due to his reaction sense of danger and A tier speeds, Lagi Pulled Zou behind him and brought out Orie, activating his Zetal Domain. Due to Xu being a person of interest to protect, he not affected, but the appearance of orie brought about a freeform of manipulation for the legend beast.  She shined in a bright light to potentially blind the targets as her left wing extended and came up in some kind of upward swipe to intersect the attacker of Lagi first, dealing A tier ability damage to break through the weapon assault and cut down the man with the sword. At the same time, her prehentile tale extended and bit into the assailant for Zu to deal the same Kind of A tier ability damage.  

It was an effective use of an ability that Lagi had at his disposal, and the minute difference of the magician attacker was more than enough time for orie to position herself in order to knock it out of way and fully protect Lagi and Xu, which the clash itself would generate a small dust smog  of debris. However, lagi would use that as an effective distraction to toss about two kunai knives at A rank speeds with b rank strength in the direction of the magician.

Magoi 340/350

Spoiler:

The number of troops in Zadi's way thinned out and eventually gave the blonde warrior breathing room to camouflage himself among the lush swamp. However, doing so would mean sacrificing his clothing to the hiding powers of mud, sticks, and leaves, smearing the vibrantly colored clothing in all sorts of swampy materials. Staying hidden would also mean moving slower to the artillery, but probably pay off in the long run given the chance of a sneak attack!

So then, Zadi attempted to execute his camouflaging technique The Hidden Katydid for the purposes of stealth! Mud, sticks, and leaves were gathered in a haste as Zadi covered himself and his formerly pristine clothing and equipment with swampy camouflage. All that was left to do was sneak past the enemy soldiers and make way to the artillery.

Yup, my clothes are as dirty as I thought they'd be...well, if I can wash out blood, I can wash out swamp.

Using his exceptional speed once more, Zadi once again put his now bush-looking tower shield in front of him, only slowing down or stopping if enemy soldiers were nearby. The trek was tedious but well worth the stealthy approach once Zadi found out the artillery didn't exist; the magician spoken of by Liqin must have been the cause of the artillery, so now two birds were fused into one giving Zadi's future stone an easier target. Granted, a magician strong enough to launch artillery kilometers away with great force and accuracy would likely be more than he could handle on his own. Good thing Zadi was camouflaged, for now.

Hmmm, this place is too busy to just sneak in as a large, swampy bush. Too many eyes would be on me to move and stay hidden. I need to locate the magician from outside the camp before I think of anything else.

Zadi attempted to stay hidden as he circled around the busy enemy camp in order to find a structure resembling a command tent or something similar. If the magician responsible stopped firing artillery, the magician must have gotten tired and felt like resting while keeping command, if the magician was in command. A powerful magician such as this would likely be in charge, but regardless of Zadi's racing thoughts the command tent was found in the center of the camp, too far off for Zadi to successfully shoot a bolt without being noticed.

To fight fire with fire...

Zadi prepared two Smoked Shrimp landmines, one of which was placed on the west side of the camp while the other was placed on the east side of the camp. Zadi put extra effort into preparing both landmines, increasing the smokescreen radius of each by five meters. Once a landmine was placed, Zadi would stomp on it to create the smokescreen and rush to the other side of the camp while still attempting to maintain his camouflage. After both landmines were placed and detonated, Zadi would rush to the south of the camp and wait for the magician to come out, maybe. If the magician was called upon to stop either of the "fires" then at least enough soldiers would be distracted to give Zadi the chance to sneak into the camp to get closer to the command tent.

"Huff...huff...huff...this better work."

---

250 Magoi
240 Stamina (-10, -30|-10, -15|-5)

Tech(s):

Noir never expected to hear the former noblewoman to say that she fascinated her, she wondered in what way and thought that must be not in a good way after all. The sudden changes of behavior and voice tone confused the black haired girl, doubting any of the words that escaped Shousui’s lips as she couldn’t tell which words were the truth. Not only that, now the older woman was acting like she invited Noir to play a game, perhaps a deadly one if the younger magician could tell. The change of scenery definitely surprised Noir as she gripped her staff harder than before, her knuckles became white because of the pressure. Illusion might be what Shousui was really good at as the scenery felt so real, like it was not something that a low leveled mage could do. There was this uneasiness from the grim and dark scenery but it was fitting for the former noblewoman of Kou who pathetically became like this as she fell deeper into the pool of black rukh.

Haku quickly maneuvered his body to defensive mode when Shousui revealed a staff, standing bravely in front of Noir just in case Shousui would launch an attack. A wall of stone with fire encircling them appeared the moment Shousui tapped her staff to the ground and Noir was ready to defend herself by using one of her spells if needed. However harming Noir was not what the older women intended at that moment, she merely used it to make an explosion, a non harmful one it seemed and only act as a grand theatrical effect for what Shousui wanted to do next.

The older woman offered to answer any questions that Noir had, which the black haired girl thought could be great because there was actually a lot of things that she wanted to ask especially about the black rukh, Yakuroro as well as the magic that she used to kidnap her from Reim. They said curiosity might kill the cat, but who knew what was precious to the fallen magician herself? Unless Noir tried to find out by herself by agreeing to play in this sick game of the older woman. “Fine… I will play in your game…”

With a gallant stride she would make herself towards lead. Merrze pushed through enemy forces, carrying a stoic demeanor. She would start to resorting to quicker more violent jabs. The forces of Gao proved to be a challenge for them. They were tightly packed like a wall but were fluid in movement making it difficult for the fanalis' forces to pierce through. The white haired warrior, knowing she was better at hand to hand, drew her sword. She would need it in order to cleave through the enemy forces faster. It would be much easier to cut them down instead of trying to break them down. With a rallying cry the girl shouted, her words were the bells of war beginning to ring.

She made herself known on the battlefield, with the storm raging on around her. The goal was to become to the center of attention. She may have been one of the commanding officers, but there were so the fanalis had no fear. For in order for her to make her mark and dig into the enemy forces she would have to become a symbol, a symbol that would be the opposing commanders target. The troops followed like a razing swarm. Each warrior of different mind and goals, but together they worked in this madness. They were the shaft of the spear that helped them push through with great force. They were at a strategic disadvantage, but some of these people had fought for their freedoms before. And now they had to do it again. Their driving passion a fuel to maintain what they had acquired after working so hard. It was more than their lives at stake in every battle, but their hopes and the daily peace of what they loved about Kou. Merrze was here to fight to help those who stood for whats right, to make sure what so many had worked hard for wouldn't just die.

She scanned for the enemy commanders, as she moved among the battle field like a leaf in the wind. She would see imposing figures while keeping her allies in check. Looking for Baozhai, Merrze would give a signal. It was time for them to collapse and head for the bulls-eye. With the command Merrze would raise the warriors spirits of her forces and the allied forces. This right here was a statement of who she was and who was here to help win this war.

"We shall not falter, the mighty people of Kou and us of the Meridian Movement will fight to end the grasp of oppressors like you."

---

---

“Oh excellent!” Lady Shousui exclaimed, clapping her hands together in excitement. “I do love a good game! Oh dear, let’s see...how to start...how to start...ah! I have just the most wonderful idea! I always used to play this game with the little ingrates that would annoy me…” The good lady tapped her staff on the ground, conjuring majestic overgrowth from the magical environment she created for the two magicians. The roots and shrubbery growled as it contorted around them, lifting the Lady Shousui into a higher altitude while covering the entire area, leaving only clear, narrow paths for Noir to travel through.

“Don’t bother magicking your way out of this, girl--it will not have any effect here…” Lady Shousui explained, deigning to sit down on the large branch she perched upon. “This game is quite simple. All this? I’ll let you get further through my little maze if, and it’s a very big if darling, you can get out of this little labyrinth!”

Lady Shousui laughed as the greenery grew thick and dark, forming sharp thorns and snares as it blocked out the area around the raven-haired magician, leaving Noir in the midst of a pathway.

“A little girl stands in the middle of a shrouded wood--does she go north and trust basic instinct, or does she travel south, hoping she’ll find her way to her correct destination?” Lady Shousui’s voice boomed in the distance, seemingly coming from every direction around the raven-haired magician.

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The battlefield had become complete chaos after they had pushed through towards the main command force. The speeches were doing the best job they could in the midst of the battle, but the soldiers were indeed inspired and fighting their hearts out against Gao's forces. Merr's men would jab their weapons into the enemies as best they could, trying to whittle them down so the work their commanders needed to do would be able to go smoothly. The main command force had immediately converged on them soon after they had broken through, and even though the enemy commanders were only staring at them for the moment, they seemed to have something planned at least. IT wasn't long before Bhaozai also had to begin defending herself from the onslaught of enemies before them. It was indeed a chaotic battle and one that made the grunts who enjoyed fighting on each side begin to fill with vigor, though they were of course scattered and there was only a few on each side that were blood-thirsty fighters who only joined them in order to kill. THough soon enough the enemies began their counter strategy against the fanalis and her Kou companion.

Both the command force and the forces that were behind them began to encircle them. However, due to the fanalis' split strategy, they would have a harder time as they would have to push them inwards. They would have a small advantage defending as their ground was fairly easy to hold with their cavalry. Bhaozai was a bit impressed with what the enemies were doing, but soon enough began to focus more on defending once again. Her giant raptor-like beast reached over and chomped the head off one of the grunts, This made them step back a moment and reconsider on how to attack the mounted soldiers before they would once again continue their charge on them. The fanalis would soon find out as she came face to face with the enemies that the look on the enemies faces was a little off. It wasn't obvious but there was definitely something amiss here, though only the commanders themselves would know the details. All the while Ping and Kazuki would chat with one another while Junjie stared at the fanalis from across the battlefield his gaze piercing through the heavy air like a hot knife through the ice, and it would not falter, not even to blink.

One of the enemy grunts had the gall to charge forward with his spear to try and stab the fanalis, but before he could even get close jab forward a sharp blade suddenly burst from his face, having obviously been thrown from behind. Parts of the man's flesh and bone would splatter onto the fanalis before soon enough the Kou soldier's head was ripped off as the blade was pulled back, all the way across the battlefield back to Junjie. He through the head away before licking his chained blade and staring at the fanalis. He was making a message, the lioness was his.

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The troops sent to ambush Xu’s forces were not anticipating the a fighter such as Lagi. What they were expecting were men who were more or less crushed by their trap, reduced in numbers in morale along with an easy kill of their leader. When they saw him supported by a suspicious man covered in tattoos, they didn’t think much of it other than “alright, dispatch the guard and take him out”. But that was before that thing appeared. Seemingly exiting the tattooed man’s body was a black creature of some sort. Almost immediately it manifested into a terrifying goddess. The first thing to be noticed was the almost horrific face on its stomach, grinning a ghastly grimace. Then their eyes were attracted by the monotone face that occupied the creature’s tail as they realize that the creature lacked a mouth on its original face. The last remaining pieces of the image were the pair of wings that extended from the beast’s head along with the almost electric aura that surrounded it.

To say that the ambush troop were more apprehensive of their foe was an understatement, but they had a job. One that was expected to be carry out lest they be punished for a failure. So, the soldiers rushed ahead nevertheless. It would be unsurprising that the goddess-like creature that supported Lagi dispatched them with what seemed like relative ease. An aura of magoi surrounded the Beast-tamer, his beast, and his charge. One wing was brought down, disrupting an attack. The motion was quickly followed by a counter-attack that swiftly killed off the offender. The same fate would meet the other soldier who had rushed bull-headedly towards Xu.

By the time the sizzling roar of fire had approached Orie and her master, the legendary creature had already positioned herself. The magical attack would only result in billowing smug that would send wounded soldiers around Lagi spluttering and coughing, Xu joining in himself as his arm was raised to his mouth so he wouldn’t breath in the dust. The kunai knives that were sent towards the Magician would imbed themselves in the man’s Borg, sending spiral fractures throughout the golden orb before it shattered.

By the time the dust cleared, the Magician could barely be seen. His staff waved frantically, his lips moving at a fast pace as multicolored light surrounded his form, obscuring him from sight before he completely disappeared seconds later. Taking the coverage his spell offered, the foe would retreat from the battle site since it was clear that more men were needed for the confrontation.

Meanwhile, Xu was barely managing to hold himself up. His leg was a mangled mess due to his meeting with the bolder, and the water did nothing to assist him in the situation. His knuckles were white around the walking stick, and the commander’s hands shook despite his efforts to remain still. However, even as his body trembled, the man would call to his troops as he remained at Lagi’s side. In moments, the stragglers all appeared. It was obvious that they were hesitant to approach due to Orie’s appearance, and even Xu was nervous in the being’s presence. Nevertheless, the commander would draw them closer before continuing with their march.

”We’ll remain sitting ducks if we sit here. We must press forward,” was Xu’s comment as he used his walking stick to march forwards. His weary gaze fell back to Lagi, and already he looked ages older than he had first appeared back at the camp. As his gaze turned away, another explosion rocked the ravine. The sound of shifting earth and forest could be heard in the distance, followed the by cacophony of retreating birds and animals.

The explosion shook Xu’s army, each collectively raising their weapons as if they were about to fight off an attack. But none immediately revealed itself, and the ravine grew unnaturally quiet. But another noise that sent their hearts thumping could be heard. One that seemed as if some monstrous beast was dragging itself out of its burrow. A dastardly roar echoed in the air whilst powerful gusts of winds shook the trees.

In the moments leading to the roar, more soldiers banded under Gao revealed themselves. The most stand-out man was a small-time officer, separated from the others by his armor and stance. He had an uneasy look, as if he was privy to some of the information about the explosion and whatever the results of it were. But nevertheless, he raised his bow and fired two shots at Orie.

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Lord Enlai's camp was as well put together as a camp set by a meticulous commander could be, he set up a few guards all around the camp trying to ensure it would be hard to infiltrate or gain intel on. Though this would not halt Zadi's tactic it would create some interest. No one got a good glimpse, but a few solider's swore that they saw a bush create smoke before fleeing from the site.  They didn't address this since soon enough the camp was filled with rumors and there seemed to be two fires on two sides of the camp. However, the commander immediately recognized the similarities in what was happening at the moment and his own plan, except for the bush thing which made him wonder if there was someone with life magic helping out with this 'fire'. He wasn't sure who, but he was sure that whoever was the one that came up with this plan was someone who had been at the siege, or at least in the camp when his plan had been executed. Regardless, he immediately sent out a few squads to deal with the smokescreens.

Most of the men in Enlai's camp were confused as to what was happening at the moment, but regardless they listened to their commander's words. They followed his orders and began throwing water on the smoke, while also having a few weaker magicians in his forces use their wind magic to blow away the smoke that was beginning to cover a wide area. However, the wind magic of the grunts was so weak that it only lightly blew back the smoke while it continued to pull soldier's away from the middle of the camp. There was indeed a large tent, and what looked like to be a large crate that had already been opened. Though it was obviously closed once again, from the fact that even though the seal was broken, but it was now wrapped in chains with a lock keeping it in place. While two groups of soldiers had been dealing with the smoke another group seemed to be gearing up to leave camp and charge towards the fort. They were more heavily armored, and they also had a beast with them that looked like a large gorilla and was carrying another crate like the one that was outside of the command tent, how peculiar,

Inside the command tent Enlai sat at his command table, staring at the figures that represented the various forces and their commanders, along with their holdings. He hummed lightly and looked about as he thought to himself, He played around with his fan and kept quiet as he sat alone, quiet and in contemplation as to what his next move would be. This was a man who had earned his position for a reason, and he was keen on making sure that he never fell from that position, only rise. A man who's willing to do any and all things in order to accomplish their goals even if it meant to defy fate is a man who instills a healthy fear into the mind of most men.

Enlaid made one move as he stayed quiet, he moved a few forces forward on the map and then linked his fingers together and smirked rather maliciously, Before saying one thing to himself in his grand tent. "Good." And as he said these words a site only visible to a few would be shown, that of thousands of blackbirds pouring from the commander's tent and into the sky as a baleful cloud.

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(Vardreth has dropped from the battle, along with his DM. He will not receive any rewards, but he will not be punished in any manner either.)

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After the defeat of the guards, Lagi would take out his scythe and swipe at Xu, which looked kind of menacing and could seem like a cruel betrayal if it wasn't for the mercy ability that healed the wounds of Xu. " You should start to feel better, slowly but surely." With the healing magic of the scythe taking place, Xu would at least be at 85 percent and continue with the quick pace of traversing the forest. However, what threw Lagi off as they tried to continue moving was the estranged scream of a mysterious beast. It alarmed Lagi, making him fully aware of the threat level of the creature if it was able to catch his attention like that. "Though, maybe it would be better to avoid something of that caliber?" Orie was simply unbothered as she continued to pay attention to the area, first noticing that another battalion had shown up under Gao's banner. "Jynx sama.... " She said this in Lagi's head, causing him to give his attention to the incoming army and readied himself for an assault.

The arrows that were aimed at Orie were swiped away at A rank speeds with the duality Scythe with Lagi bearing B rank strength to back his swings. "Return!" Orie promptly vanished in the eyes of her peers, but in reality, she only reentered Lagi. In addition to that, with Lagi cutting and enchanting the jungle floor with duality, four 2 diameter wooden pillars covered in grass and roots sprout forth next to him.  After that, Lagi put a little more energy into his wood bullet pillar and sent the barrage of wood pillars at the offset captain,  with each wood pillar dealing C rank damage  for a grand total of A rank damage while it moves at B rank speeds.

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Spoiler:

Magoi 330/350
Stamina 405/430