Author's note: Thanks for your patience. Chapter 27 should be published sooner after this one, so you won't have to wait long to see how this battle ends.
All characters are over the age of 18. Comments and feedback are welcome, enjoy!
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Chapter 26: "The Army of Five": Part 1
In an open field not far from Janazheim, an intense beam of white energy was launched into the sky, parting the atmosphere. Trista was panting heavily, holding her staff in front of her.
"Incredible!" Samora clapped her hands. "I have never seen anyone release so much energy all at once! That much holy magic would eviscerate Dred in an instant!"
"I've done it..." Trista wiped sweat from her forehead. "I have surpassed where I was before Dred took control over my mind. It's all thanks to you!" She threw herself at her training partner, hugging her tightly. Samora returned the hug.
"Hey, I should be thanking YOU! Because of our training, I am now stronger than Father was in his prime. At last, I am worthy of being his successor!" The witch complemented the younger woman. "You are the truly amazing one here, Trista. I may have surpassed Father, but you have soared beyond us both. I challenge anyone to find a mage in all of Elistria more powerful than you are!" She thought to herself.
"I'm glad I could be a good partner for you!"
"You are like your brother in many ways."
Trista pulled away. "What do you mean?"
"Like Tiafell, you share your life energy with those you make love to, unlike most succubae who steal it from others. Basically, you are sharing your strength with us, making our training even more effective." Samora explained.
"I... had no idea..." Tears streamed from Trista's eyes. "I'm so happy that I'm useful to you."
"You're more than useful, you're valuable!" Samora wiped her partner's tears away. "It's not your ability to strengthen us that makes you valuable, it's your loving nature. You are as sweet and kind-hearted as your brother, our dark world needs more people like that."
Trista melted into Samora's touch. "Speaking Tiafell, he and the others are there now, right?"
"Yes, they should be. I hope things are going well, I fear they will be forced to win King Escandar's approval through battle. They could even be fighting him and his Elite Royal Guard as we speak."
"They'll do it, I have faith in my brother and his friends!"
"So do I, honey. But they face an uphill battle. 'The Army of Five' have successfully fended off many Adruian soldiers by themselves every time they have tried to invade Gashua. King Escandar himself is known as the mightiest warrior in the kingdom, being the strongest of the five. He is undefeated in battle, even in sparring."
"You said so yourself, the point is to prove their resolve, not win. They'll do it!" Trista affirmed.
"You're right." Samora nodded. "Come on, we should get going."
"Alright!"
The two women's staves disappeared as they walked back to Ember. They mounted the witch's stead and continued their journey to Janazheim, the castle and the city's walls were visible in the distance.
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With Vasati's command, the exhibition match between Tiafell and his friends, and 'The Army of Five', began. Except for the mages, both sides charged toward each other, battle cries ringing out through the arena. Loud clashes of wood were heard in unison, with Nadia and Oletta engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
"Damn he's strong!" Tiafell thought as he pressed his weapon against the King's. "It feels like I'm up against an entire group!!"
"I should have crushed this scrawny, girly elf with my first strike, yet he's holding me back!!" King Escandar observed, shocked by the display of strength from the much smaller fighter. The two combatants continued to push against each other, neither of them gaining ground.
Meanwhile, the amazonian duo of Brion and Kanah met with the lancer Rhydra and her partner Serin. Rhydra blocked Kanah's axe while Serin parried Brion's claymore with her own.
"You two are definitely not amateurs, let's see how well your training holds up against us!" Rhydra taunted.
"Oh, don't worry, we'll teach you to never underestimate Steelweld!" Kanah roared, pulling her axe away for another attack.
Nadia and Oletta exchanged punches and kicks, all of which were blocked. They locked hands in a power struggle.
"You haven't been knocked on your ass yet, nice!" Oletta smirked.
"Oh chica, I'm not even beginning to get started!" Nadia grinned.
Hinako, who had not engaged Cirris and Mirya, sat on her staff, floating.
"We should relocate, don't want the others getting caught in our crossfire." The Oriental mage suggested.
"Fine with me." Cirris answered.
"Agreed, I think that is for the best." Mirya nodded. The mage twins mounted their staves and followed Hinako to an area dozens of yards away from the others.
"This will do." Hinako dismounted her staff, with her opponents doing the same. "Now, show me how much of your grandfather's talent you two have inherited. Hold nothing back, your lives may depend on it!"
"Very well!" Cirris was the first to launch an attack. He gathered energy into a ball above his staff, then hurled it. The ball separated into several smaller ones. Hinako dodged all of them gracefully, sending out ice crystals at Cirris, who swatted them away with his wooden sword. She felt wind blowing around her and noticed the orbs were coming back, being carried by the current. Mirya was holding her staff out to control the wind. Their opponent launched herself upward to avoid the impact of the orbs colliding, which created a small explosion.
"Not too shabby. Allow me to show you the proper way to use that technique." Floating in the air, Hinako raised her staff and launched a torrent of energy orbs that were like Cirris'. Mirya raised her hand, summoning a wall of earth out of the ground to shield them. The orbs hit the wall with tremendous force.
"The wall isn't going to hold for long, even if we reinforce it. Our best bet will be to conceal our movements somehow!" Cirris was watching Hinako closely.
"I have an idea!" Mirya spread the dust from the explosions over their fighting area. She then created barriers around herself and her brother so their breathing and vision would not be affected by the dust cloud, it also concealed their presence. "I think it's best we separate; she could take us both out at once if we stay together!"
"Good thinking, Sis, give her more targets to worry about. Let's go!" The twins ran off in opposite directions just as the wall crumbled. Though unable to see them, Hinako realized they had moved from behind cover.
"Hm, I cannot sense them. What are they planning?" She scattered her attack over the entire area rather than focusing on a single point.
"Damn, she certainly isn't making it easy for us." Cirris growled. "Luckily for us, she won't see this coming!" A flaming rock emerged from the dust below, speeding toward Hinako. She darted out of its path.
"Ha! Gave yourself away!!" The elite mage cast lightning from her hand down to the origin of the rock, only to hit the ground. Raising an eyebrow, she turned and saw several of the same objects homing in on her, which she expertly dodged.
"Are you even trying? A novice wouldn't be hit by these! I know the grandchildren of Marlon can do better than this!" She had become annoyed; it was too easy for her. Cirris flew upward, facing her. "It seems as though the smoke obscured your vision as well, were you hoping to hit me without being able to see?" Hinako scolded him.
"Who said we were trying to hit you?" Cirris pointed at the rocks, revealing to his opponent that she was surrounded. "Try to escape THIS!"
The male twin swiped his staff, which directed every flaming rock to fly forward. All of them collided onto Hinako at once with a deafening boom, trapping her in a tomb of molten stone. The encased mage was helpless, crashing onto the ground. A pillar of flames rose into the sky, raining tiny burning pebbles across the area. Cirris touched down next to his sister who cleared the smoke away.
"Did we go too far?" Mirya was concerned they had seriously injured her or worse.
"They say Hinako is 'The Modern Day Marlon', we've only pissed her off if anything. Let's take this time to plan our next move." Cirris and Mirya bought themselves time to rest and come up with a new strategy, knowing their opponent could counter-attack at any moment.
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Brion and Kanah blocked and parried the strikes of Serin and Rhydra while launching their own. Their elite opponents were fantastic fighters and had the edge on them, but the warriors of Steelweld were determined to stay in the battle.
During one melee, Rhydra thrusted her javelin at Brion, only to have it struck downward by Kanah's axe. Her cousin moved in to land a hit on the ebony warrior but was forced to jump back when Serin swiped at him, narrowly missing his face. He tried to counter but was blocked by Rhydra. The two amazonian cousins jumped back again to regroup.
"Shit, they really DO work well together!" Kanah growled.
"Stay focused, we must continue to observe them and find an opening." Brion told her quietly.
"You can watch us all you want, but whatever you come up with won't matter with your slow speed and reflexes." Serin warned.
"I know fighters trained by Lady Cleyene herself can do better than this! Come, try again!" Rhydra chided them.
Brion and Kanah glanced at each other, whispered a single word, then rushed to Serin and Rhydra, who raised their weapons in response. When they were within striking range, the younger battlers converged on Serin, choosing to double team her.
"Divide and conquer? A wise move, under normal circumstances." Rhydra thought to herself.
