Soul of the Warrior

"Run, run, run," Reivyn shouted.

The Conscripts didn't hesitate. They had enough experience with how Reivyn operated not to doubt him or the tone of his voice. The jogging pace everyone had been keeping for hours on end turned into an all-out sprint. Any semblance of keeping step to maintain the March Skill disappeared, but nobody cared.

The mercenaries did not follow. Reivyn had given them a different order. He had called to "get those men to the city." The lead platoon, led by Jekle, stepped to the side. The middle platoon did so as well as they continued to jog forward. They both waited to meet up with the rear platoons to form up their entire company across the highway.

The Conscripts continued to sprint to the city, but the Imperial Bodyguards stayed with Kefira. Kefira and everyone who had come with her stayed behind with Reivyn. Kefira motioned to the group of Mages to converge on their position.

"What's the big deal?" A voice Reivyn was beginning to associate with annoyance reached his ears. "It's just four people."

Oryin had a look of disdain on his face as he looked at Reivyn. The leader of the Imperial Bodyguards shared the same sentiment and had a skeptical look on his face.

"I'm sure he has a reasonable explanation for why he's taking those four people seriously," Kefira said. "He's the one with the experience, after all."

"Seems like he's making a big deal out of nothing, to me., I guess it's impressive that the invaders managed to slip some of their people this far behind the lines, but that just means they're good at infiltrating."

"I don't have time to explain things to a fool," Reivyn snapped. He turned his attention to the mercenaries. "Don't stop until you have to. We'll try other methods to stall them from reaching the city other than confronting them head on."

The mercenaries all had looks of fear on their faces, but it was accompanied by determination. Reivyn could almost feel their relief at his order to continue moving down the road. The officers turned them and put them back into a jog toward the city wall keeping themselves behind the Conscripts to carry out their mission of escorting them properly.

"I have an idea of how to stall them a bit, but I don't know how effective it will be or how long it will last," Reivyn said to Kefira. Reivyn and the others had continued jogging after the mercenary company as well, though he kept an eye on the progress of the four approaching enemies. The Mages and Imperial Bodyguards kept their horses apace, as well.

"What's your idea?" Kefira asked.

"So, you've been focusing your attention on shortening Space and punching through it with your experiments. Do you think you could do the opposite? Make a corridor on the road that is packed with more Space than is actually there?"

Kefira frowned as she thought about it.

"I believe so," she answered. "I haven't spent too much time on it, and it's not exactly purely the opposite of what I've been researching. I think I can apply some of the things I've figured out and the System assistance to accomplish something, though."

"I'll assist you," Reivyn said. "I have a lot of Mana and a Class Skill that affects it in a weird way. It should be able to help."

"Alright, let's link up." Kefira turned to the commander of the bodyguards. "Bring my horse over."

Her horse was led over, and she and Reivyn sprung up into it. Serilla, Teilon, and Kimberly retrieved their own horses, as well, and Refix hopped up to join Teilon on his. The other mercenaries were still on foot, but they were steadily moving closer and closer to the city.

Reivyn looked up as he placed his hands on Kefira's back. The four cloaked figures were closing in on them fast, and Reivyn injected his Mana into Kefira's core. He didn't hold anything back and dumped thousands of Mana into her core. Kefira grit her teeth and grabbed the necklace, pulling it off and stowing it away into her storage pouch. Reivyn felt her aura rocket up and solidify, reminding him of the time she had come to his rescue in the desert of Drallo.

"Is that necessary?" Reivyn asked.

"Absolutely," Kefira said. "I couldn't handle the Mana you put into my core without unlocking my soul. Don't worry. After reaching Tier 4, my body has grown stronger and it's much more capable of handling the strain. I imagine reaching Tier 5 or the next level of my Bloodline will fully cure my situation."

"Ok. Just focus on the task at hand and use as much of my Mana as you need."

"I can't believe this," Oryin said, shaking his head. "You're really going all out for four people? Just have the bodyguards charge them with a little backup from us. Bam. Problem solved."

"Shut your mouth, brat!" Refix commanded with a steely gaze. Oryin's body went stiff involuntarily. "You know nothing. Each one of those guys is a High Tier 5, possibly with Legendary Classes. The leader of the bodyguards is barely Tier 5 himself, and you're barely Tier 4. Even if there were a thousand more of you, you'd get annihilated in an instant. A certain level of quality can't be overcome with quantity.

"Stop adding to the problem and let them concentrate!"

Oryin sat in his saddle with a pale face. Refix's angry attention had put more strain on him than anything Reivyn had done to him over the past couple of days. The other Mages shifted about, sharing nervous glances with each other. The commander of the Imperial Bodyguards simply had a thoughtful look on his face and nodded at Refix's words.

At least he's professional and understands dad was giving an honest assessment and not insulting him, Reivyn thought. He didn't have to concentrate too much on his task. He was just pushing his Mana into Kefira's core. Kefira was the one who had to have her total focus on the task at hand.

The four enemies continued to close the distance, but it wasn't long before Reivyn noticed a shift in the ambient Mana. 99.99% of the ambient Mana was made of the four base Elements, but even they were getting affected by the influx of Space Mana into the area. Reivyn didn't understand the mechanism behind what Kefira was doing, and she probably didn't fully understand what the System was doing to assist her fully, either. The basic Elements were forming into complex chains of patterns, fusing with Kefira's Space Mana as she executed her Magic.

The Mana spread to encompass the entire width of the highway, extending several yards to either side to cover the area completely. The starting point of her Magic was anchored in place, and they continued to get further and further away as the horses carried them along, but Reivyn could still see and feel the field she was erecting expand toward the approaching enemies.

Either they didn't notice it, or they didn't think too much about what the purpose of the Mana was, assured in their own power, as they didn't alter their trajectory at all. The complex chains and Space Mana began to pull in more and more of the ambient Mana. The affects of whatever was pulling all the ambient Mana toward a central position behind the enemy lines had grown muted as they moved further away, but it was still there.

Kefira's Magic easily overpowered the pull of the ambient Mana and drew as much into itself as it could from all directions. Not only the ambient Mana in the Realm, but Reivyn could also sense that more and more Mana was being dragged from another source occupying a different Space. The curtain surrounding the Realm, isolating it from the outside universe, was supplying additional Space Mana.

The corridor Kefira created reached close to a hundred yards in length by the time the four cloaked figures ran into it. Their hubris caused them to get caught in the trap. They didn't slow down their movements at all, but now it looked like they were running in place.

They didn't do anything different for several moments, not realizing right away that Reivyn and his crew were now getting further away from than rather than closer. Once they did notice, though, Reivyn saw that their movements increased in speed dramatically. If they had moved at the pace that it looked like they were currently moving, Reivyn knew that they would have been able to close the gap within moments instead of minutes.

It didn't help them, though. They moved like they were caught in molasses. They were no longer running in place, but their advancement was like they were walking at a leisurely pace instead of the all-out run that they were obviously engaged in. The juxtaposition between their movements and pace was almost enough for Reivyn to crack a smile.

Kefira was panting, sweat streaming down her forehead as she maintained the elongated Space corridor.

"I can hold it for another couple minutes, at best," Kefira said between gritted teeth.

"That should be enough," Reivyn said. He turned to Refix. "Dad, get the company to run all out to the city. We should have enough time now. We'll follow right behind with a gallop."

Refix nodded and Teilon urged the horse forward to get closer to the mercenaries. Very quickly, the mercenaries went from a double-time jog to an all-out sprint like the Conscripts. They were mostly high-Tier 3 and low-Tier 4 Classers, though, so their Stats easily eclipsed anything the any of the Conscripts had. Their speed was magnitudes faster.

There had been enough time, though, for the Conscripts to get a decent enough lead that they would reach the gates of the city before the mercenaries did. Reivyn and the others urged their horses into a gallop, following behind the mercenaries. The speed of the mercenaries in an all-out sprint, not caring for the Stamina expenditure, was actually slightly faster than the galloping horses, but it wasn't enough that they pulled significantly away.

The Conscripts reached the gates, and the officers apparently said something to the guards. The main gates were opened wide. The Conscripts and the waiting civilians were all ushered into the city without any problems. The mercenary company quickly caught up, and the gates began to swing shut as Reivyn and the others rode their horses beyond the wall.

Kefira gave out a gasp as she collapsed forward on the horse. Reivyn could tell she lost her connection to the Space corridor she had built. It should last a few moments longer even without her actively holding it, but it wouldn't be for much longer. She panted for breath as Reivyn supported her from falling off the saddle.

"You did well," Reivyn said. "That was exactly what we needed."

"Hmph," Oryin simply snorted with derision.

Where does this guy get his confidence from? Reivyn wondered as he eyed the arrogant teenager. He quickly put him out of his thoughts, though. Now wasn't the time. They weren't out of danger, yet.

"Conscripts, head off to the barracks' immediately," Reivyn called out. "Our escort mission is complete. Those guys are still out there, though. You can find safety with the other soldiers.

"Mercenaries! We're done here. Rush to the teleport circle."

The officers in charge of the Conscripts didn't hesitate and immediately directed the Conscript companies down the side road by the wall. Jekle took charge of the mercenary company and had them double-time through the main streets of the capital city.

He didn't pay any mind to the pedestrians in the way. It was get out of the way, or get knocked aside. It only took a couple of civilians getting knocked to the ground and unceremoniously dumped to the side for everyone to get he picture. The streets cleared in front of the rushing soldiers.

"The right corridor won't be up," Refix advised. They continued to follow behind the mercenary company on horseback.

"I'm aware, dad, but I'm pretty sure those guys are here for us," Reivyn replied. "The city might be able to fend them off, but I'm not sure they can stop them."

As if to punctuate the point, Reivyn felt a tremendous gathering of Mana shortly before the world seemed to light up with an orange glow. A great explosion rang out, and Reivyn turned to look back at the gate where a tremendous Plasma Beam had melted the steel gates and continued to devastate the buildings immediately following.

Reivyn frowned as he saw that dozens of soldiers were incinerated in the super-heated beam, and a few civilians unlucky enough to be walking by at that exact moment didn't survive, either.

"Run, run! Don't stop," Reivyn shouted to the mercenaries.

Screams from the people sounded from all around. Pandemonium broke out as people fled every which way to get away from the attack. Soldiers rushed to the gate despite seeing their companions torched right before their eyes. Reivyn admired their courage.

"Can't you do something with your Qi?" Refix asked.

Reivyn shook his head.

"That was luck," he replied. "I haven't figured out how to actively use it properly, yet, and I'm afraid the damage will be done before my instincts kick in. I have it as an emergency, but it's not something I can call forth at will."

"Fair enough."

"REIVYN!" A booming voice cut through all the sound. "Where are you going, Reivyn? I see that you're little girlfriend is back. She has an open invitation, too. Come with us. We just want to... talk."

Another explosion accentuated the voice. Reivyn rolled his eyes before turning to face the commander of the Imperial Guards.

"Get Lady Kefira to the teleport circle," Reivyn Commanded. "Your mission will be complete once she's safely there."

"What? No!" Kefira shouted, turning in the saddle to look at Reivyn.

"Listen," Reivyn leaned forward and looked directly into her eyes. "Your abilities are going to be needed inside the Space corridor if we're going to get away. We're all counting on you. We can't have you wasting your Mana on helping the rest of us just get there only to get caught inside the corridor. I'm not sending you ahead to avoid the danger. You'r job is the most important one, but it has to be in the right place."

Kefira searched Reivyn's face for any trace of subterfuge. After not finding any, she leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

"Alright."

Reivyn hopped off his horse and drew the sword he had acquired from the company supplies. It wasn't a Mana Sword, so it wasn't specifically designed to facilitate Mana, but it was much higher quality material and make than his old sword. There wasn't a noticeable difference between the two. There was just a lack of sentimentality to using it.

Refix joined his son on the ground, and Reivyn was surprised to see Xudrid and Vyria enter his Divine Sense as they fell out of the formation to face the danger with them again. Teilon and Kimberly shared a look. They nodded to each other. Teilon hopped off of his horse, and Kimberly guided her's to join Kefira and Serilla as they raced ahead under the escort of the Imperial Bodyguards.

The five people shared a look between each other before turning to face the direction of the city gates. The four cloaked individuals were casually strolling through the streets toward them. The corpses of the soldiers who rushed to confront them and defend their city laid sprawled across the ground behind them. Fires licked the walls and surrounding buildings. The road was partially destroyed, and rubble had been tossed about everywhere.

Reivyn and the others brandished their weapons, Xudrid eschewing his spear and shield for simply holding his hands up. Reivyn wasn't concerned by his lack of weapons as he remembered what he had done with Gravity back in Piori.

"We admire your tenacity," one of the cloaked figures said, a smile visible under his hood. "One of the reasons you've been marked for priority education."

"Education?" Reivyn called out, raising an eyebrow.

The cloaked figure spread his arms wide.

"Come now. You don't think we're here for no reason, do you?" The man chuckled. "We have a grand undertaking. We're doing this for the benefit of all mankind in the Realm."

"Yeah, everyone but the local populations of the Regions your destroying," Reivyn replied sarcastically.

"Now that's where you're wrong," the cloaked figure shook a finger at Reivyn. "Even those that have been sacrificed for the greater good will benefit from our mission. It's not just the living flesh bags of the people we're liberating. The very souls of everyone will be freed. Alive... or dead."

The man spoke with passion. Reivyn knew that the man truly believed what he was saying. Reivyn adjusted his grip on his sword hilt, not faltering or being swayed by the man's words.

"I see you're skeptical. That's fine. Most people are before they know the truth. Come. Come with us and liberate your mind. We'll teach you the truths of the universe, and you'll willingly join our cause."

"Sorry, but I don't see what's so liberating about destroying the lives of countless millions of people," Reivyn retorted.

The cloaked figure shook his head.

"So short-sighted..."

"All right," the voice of another cloaked figure interrupted the first. A large, burly man stepped forward. He wasn't nearly as large as the giant they had first encountered, but he was still a full head and shoulders taller than Reivyn while being twice as wide. "We've tried your way. Now it's time to try mine."

The man punched his gauntleted fists together before suddenly sprinting forward. He lowered his shoulder and barreled into Reivyn, knocking him aside. Reivyn had properly defended himself against the sudden tackle, but there was just too much of a difference in Stats and mass. Reivyn's body slammed into Teilon standing next to him, and Refix's sword followed after, slashing into the man's back as he passed by.

The sword bounced off the man's back with a loud metallic clang. With his Divine Sense, Reivyn could see that the man was just as armored as the giant had been. The metal was a dark gray and blue with the colors fluidly shifting back and forth as he moved. The man had no weapons other than his metal-enclosed fists.

The burly man halted his forward momentum instantly and sprang back to the group. Reivyn and Teilon had been blasted to the side, so they were now behind the man as he confronted Refix and Vyria, Xudrid standing a little behind the two with his hands raised. Reivyn gained his feet and moved in to attack the man from behind, but his Danger Sense warned him away.

The other figures were just outside of his Divine Sense range, so he didn't see who cast the Spell, but Reivyn halted his steps at the warning only for a Plasma Beam to flash past where he would have stood. It was considerably toned down from when it had destroyed the city gates, but it would have been enough to overpower his defenses if he had tried to take it.

In the short pause that Reivyn halted himself and the Plasma Beam flashed by, Teilon took the opportunity to dash forward, hunched over to present a smaller target. His daggers flashed as he struck at where he expected seams in the enemies armor as he used his fists and Pugilist Skill to evenly fight against Refix and Vyria with their swords.

Reivyn was momentarily in awe of the man's fighting prowess. He could admit the man's mastery of the craft even though he was the opposition. The man moved with a fluid grace that belied the heavy armor he was wearing. He never overextended himself, and Reivyn couldn't see any openings presented to not only Refix and Vyria, but to Teilon as well, now that he had joined the fray.

There were no openings open to the three of them, but Reivyn was able to see something completely different.

Everything is a weapon.

Lines, circles, complex shapes and patterns all swam in his vision on the man's back. He instinctively understood what they all meant, and Reivyn acted on one immediately.

He used his obedience over Air Mana to remotely nudge Teilon's foot as he maneuvered around for another stab at a possible seam. Teilon tripped and crashed into the man's side from behind. The burly man had obviously been paying attention to Teilon's movements, and the unexpected tackle that even Teilon was unable to anticipate managed to throw the man off his stride. His arm involuntarily came up over Teilon's head, and Vyria's sword stabbed into the underside in that quick flash.

The sword didn't pierce too deeply into the man, but it was enough. He threw his head back and screamed in frustration and pain, not having expected it. He wasn't mentally prepared to get stabbed just below his armpit into his ribs. Refix took advantage of the man's distraction to smack him upside the head with his blade, ringing his bell.

The burly man collapsed to the ground from the blow, but Reivyn could tell he wasn't nearly down for the count. An arrow came screaming through the air at the others, preventing them from landing more blows, and a rush of Plasma Bolts peppered them, forcing them to activate their Mana and Qi Shield Skills. Teilon was the least accomplished with Mana, and the Bolts immediately melted through his Shield, but he had a solution to that. His body sunk into the ground, avoiding the rest of the projectiles.

Refix intercepted the arrow with his ethereal weapons, and Xudrid threw his hands out, crushing the fourth cloaked figure who had dashed forward with a wide scimitar to the ground. Reivyn quickly assessed the situation. They had gotten lucky with the pugilist engaging on his own, but now that all four of them were going to be coming for them, there was little hope that they would be able to prevail.

That wasn't the objective, though. They just needed to stall for time to allow Kefira and the rest to get to the teleport circle before disengaging and joining them.

Reivyn formed a link with the other four with his Mana. He was able to "see" Teilon underground with his Divine Sense as his friend repositioned to spring back up to the surface.

"Disperse!" He subvocalized. "Dad, you and the other two rush off that way. They want to capture you just as much as they want to capture me. Teilon, you come with me. We'll split up and divide their numbers. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll split up in a way we can take advantage of. Lead them through the city for a bit before heading to the teleport circle."

"All right," Refix replied with his own subvocalization. "You be safe out there."

"Will do."

Refix, Vyria, and Xudrid turned and sprinted down an alley to the side of the main road.

"Come back here!" The burly man shouted as he sprang to his feet and chased after them.

"Wait, idiot!" The first cloaked man, the archer, called out. The burly man ignored him as he disappeared behind the walls of the buildings. The archer paused for a second as he looked up at the sky. Reivyn could hear him sigh in exasperation with his Divine Sense.

"Come on!" Reivyn reached down into the ground, grabbing Teilon under his arm and hauled him back up to the surface. The two turned and sprinted off in the other direction.

They moved through the alley at breakneck speeds, and the last Reivyn saw of the other three cloaked figures in his Divine Sense showed them hesitating on which group to follow.

That should buy us at least a little time.