The First Cultivator

"This is a disaster," The Mage General announced three hours later to a round table of five other mages.

"The entire null infantry lost, and a third of the mages dead or taken," a man in a white robe said. "Disaster is too weak of a word."

"The nulls are unimportant. The mages, however, are quite a devastating blow," another mage said.

"It wasn't a complete loss," a spectacle mage in purple robes said. He stood up, his lilac hair falling in front of his face. "The tracking magic on the null infantry gave us an approximate generator location. I believe a ten-second firing should be sufficient to ensure its destruction."

"At least they were useful for something," the Mage General grumbled. "Fester, do you have the coordinates?"

"Naturally," the spectacle mage replied, pushing his glasses farther up his nose.

"Prepare the mana cannon for twelve-second sustained firing," the Mage General said.

A mummer ran through the other mages while Fester just hummed happily.

"General Darkfall, that would drain the area of mana for at least two to three weeks," the white robe mage complained.

"Better that than the city falling. If we destroy that generator, it would set back the spawn by months, possibly longer. We need the time to replenish our losses," Darkfall said.

"Yes, Mage General," The mages grumbled as they left for their assigned duties. None of them were enthused. Darkfall couldn't blame them. They couldn't refill their mana pools until the ambient mana was restored. They would almost be nulls themselves. Alone in the conference room, he got to his feet and straightened his uniform before leaving. He had to present the image of power even when he felt the opposite, especially then.

The walk to the mana cannon didn't take long. It rested at the top of the keep, after all. Where else would you station a massive weapon capable of destroying cities? As he exited onto the battlement, a feeling of awe overtook him. It did every time he saw the weapon. A gigantic diamond was the first impression everyone had upon laying eyes on the mana cannon. Of course, he knew that was an oversimplification, if somewhat accurate. The mana cannon was a massive crystal, but not a diamond. It was a rare form of quartz reinforced with magical energy. While not nearly as rare as diamonds, the quartz was purified and treated with mana. It was the work of a decade by highly trained mages. The crystal had several rings of gold woven into a complex pattern to help channel the massive amount of magic the weapon used. Already, Darkfall could feel the mana gathering spiraling along those golden inlays as it channeled deeper into the crystalline structure.

Fester was at the control panel, adjusting the coordinates for the attack. They would activate the weapon and then do a small sweep along the projected coordinates of the generator's location. Other mages were out relaying instructions to activate the mana collectors in the valley, which would act like a robust set of lungs drawing in the ambient mana to further fuel the cannon. The entire valley would be mana-poor afterward.

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"Are you sure you have the generator's location?"

"Approximately," Fester said. "As the nulls entered the mists, they traced the corruption tendrils back to the source. By following the infantry's path, we can get an approximate location for the source."

"Fine," Darkfall said, having stopped paying attention, but it wasn't like he had any better ideas.

"Is everything ready?"

"The collectors are ready and have begun drawing in ambient mana," Fester confirmed. "We need about ten more minutes."

The pair waited in silence. The Mage General nervously looked over his city as Fester happily made some minor adjustments. The gathered mana was enough to destroy the entire city five times over if they lost control.

"We're ready," Fester said.

"FIRE!" Mage General Darkfall yelled as he pointed toward the mist wall. He didn't have to yell, but it felt appropriate.

A high-pitched whine followed by a steady, deep reverberation that steadily increased in volume shook the keep. Darkfall kept his hand pointed, but felt awkward as nothing immediately happened.

"It takes a few minutes to fire once activated," Fester yelled over the tumultuous noise.

Darkfall lowered his hand. At least the sound prevented him from having to answer.

His embarrassment didn't last as the mana cannon grew so bright it was painful to look at. Suddenly, all light disappeared before a massive beam of iridescent power shot outward, eradicating everything in its path. The distant mist wall parted and continued to do so as the beam slowly shifted to the right, obliterating trees, spawn, and pretty much everything else. Seven seconds into the firing, a colossal explosion of greenish energy lit the night. It was so bright it even overpowered the mana cannon's beam. Darkfall smiled as the final seconds expired and the beam ended. They had done it.

"Good work," Darkfall said as he left the cheering group.

The Mage General, exhausted, went to his private chambers. A bath had been drawn for him hours earlier, but it sat cold and unappealing. Sighing, he went to the tub and used a heating spell to warm the water to an acceptable degree. Some luxuries he could live without, others not so much. He stripped before immersing himself in the water. The hot water soothed his aching body but did little for his mind. The ambient mana was gone, as he feared.

"Galina!" Darkfall shouted.

A timid badger-kin female stepped into the room, her eyes downcast. Her fur was black and white, matching her maid's uniform.

"My lord, how may I serve you?" she meekly asked.

"Have the servants prepare one of my special dishes."

"Yes, my lord."

She immediately left to follow instructions. Darkfall relaxed. At least the kin could be adequately trained. He didn't look forward to the next few weeks as the ambient mana gradually replenished. Fortunately, that wasn't the case for him. He had several pieces of preserved mana beast steaks with him. An anonymous hunter had been very busy in the mana forest outside the capital city in the last few years. Whomever the mage was, they must be exceptionally skilled. It was difficult killing a mana beast without destroying the flesh. Explosions and mana bolts tended to not leave many pieces intact. Now, he was glad that he had prepared so well in advance. They might have to procure a steady supply of the enhanced magical food to augment their mages if the spawn attacked. It was unlikely, as they couldn't survive long outside the mist. Certainly not long enough to siege Fortunia. Unless, of course, there was more than one mist generator.