"I appreciate your desire to help, but this is not the best battlefield for it," said Jessica. Exasperated, yet appreciative of Motoyasu.
She'd expected some desire to help from him, but his fervour had caught her off guard.
They stood on the border wall. The fortress having been subtly modified by herself to have slightly better defences. It was as safe as any position could be and if the demi-humans from Siltvelt and Q'ten Lo were wise, they would play the defensive game. Of course, this whole mess might have been distractions, which was precisely why she wanted Motoyasu and Itsuki back in the capital.
"Malty, please." said Motoyasu, "We can help. These bastards want to kill or enslave us all and you're the one who said that they have strange magics that will make Heroes almost useless. Fighting them without our help is dangerous."
Itsuki, who had been stuck staring at Gaelion's massive form who barely fit into the fortress, took the moment to speak, "I must concede," he said, "Princess, our help could be the critical variable between victory and defeat."
"I agree with you both," said Malty, "Your incredible skill and power cannot be denied. Your help would be immensely valuable, but that is precisely why I need you in the capital. This whole thing could be a distraction, and if it is, you're the only ones who would be able to protect the people there."
Motoyasu mumbled to himself. Itsuki was more analytic, "You suspect that entire armies are being used as a distraction," he said with a frown.
"We're dealing with nations," reminded Jessica, glad he was taking this seriously, "They have people to spare and with Q'ten Lo's support the battles will not be as one-sided as I'd hoped. I cannot guess how likely my suspicions are to be true, but it is possible. Not to mention we've made several internal enemies thanks to our abolition of the slave trade. They will seek any opportunity to rise."
Itsuki nodded slowly, "That's not the only thing is it," he said after a moment, "You want to make sure that we're alive to keep everyone that we rescued safely if you die."
Jessica smirked, "Yes." she admitted, surprising herself by how true the statement was. She didn't expect to die, not truly, but if she did then she'd prefer that her country wasn't reduced to ruin or torn apart by warring factions.
These two Heroes and the armies they could create would go a long way to ensure that even without her guidance.
Itsuki took the news with a grim nod. The raids she'd sent him on had worked. He was wiser, colder and yet more compassionate. All traits made him more predictable and guided his craving to be a Hero in a favourable manner.
Motoyasu wasn't as calm.
"Malty," he said, "If you could die then we have to stay here!"
Jessica was glad that a wind barrier and simple distance shielded their conversation from the others in the fortress. Morale would have plummeted if she revealed that death was likely.
"What about Priam, Azure and so many others whom we are responsible for?" she asked. Motoyasu flinched. Jessica reached out and placed a hand on his cheek, "I'm glad to have your concern, but they need our help. Plus, this is just a contingency, if everything goes wrong. If I can't win, retreat or at least make them run, only then will it be a problem."
Motoyasu nodded. Convinced, but unhappy. Jessica glanced at Itsuki who gave her a solemn nod, "I'll do everything I can to protect the capital," he said.
"Thank you," said Jessica, "I know that this is not your country or your world. I won't forget what you're doing for my people."
Itsuki looked a little offended, "Justice doesn't care about something like that," he said, firm and for the first time looking like a Hero rather than a teenaged brat with too much power.
"I'm grateful for your help nonetheless," she said before speaking to Motoyasu, "Stay safe, don't be reckless and listen to Cromwell and the commanders. Make your final judgments, but trust their word when it comes to warfare."
Both Heroes nodded. It took a handful of minutes to see them warped back to the capital.
Jessica reached out with her senses to study the four army groups she'd set up for this assault. Most were in position, but they would only move after Jessica and Gaelion tested some tactics out during the first assault.
Raphtalia would be with them, but only as a scout.
It was odd, but despite the clear danger of the Hero negating weapons and barriers, there was a burst of excitement and fear that she was enjoying.
Foolish, but undeniable.
When had she started to crave a fight? When had slaughters become dull?
Jessica took a deep breath as she stepped towards Gaelion who was speaking to Wyndia. Her magic surged in tune with her breath. The soldiers around the room flinched as her mana eclipsed their total output within an instant. The pressure she was exerting had all of them, even the Fortress commander stare at her with wary eyes.
"Gaelion," she said, her voice echoing around the large room, "It's time."
"Are they visible?" asked Malty. They were close to the barrier, high in the air, but close. Raphtalia found it easy to see, but Gaelion and Malty were struggling.
"Around 400 people. Most are combat-ready. There is a large tree in the middle with pink coloured leaves and flowers," Raphtalia confirmed again, "They don't seem to be aware of us."
Gaelion was only invisible thanks to Raphtalia's illusion. Something Malty had insisted that Raphtalia cast. It had been a struggle. Gaelion was massive, resistant to magic and only willing to accept such an action because he respected Malty. His sub-conscious lack of respect for Raphtalia had made her fail twice and even now she feared her veil failing.
Malty frowned and raised her Cane before closing her eyes and focusing, "...I can tell that there is something there now." she said, frustrated, "but even that is by observing the alteration in the Dragon Veins' power. Quite the barrier. Do you have any idea why you can see through it so well? The anti-Hero, it might be, but even Gaelion and my soldiers struggled."
Raphtalia shook her head. Malty nodded slowly, but both women shared a look filled with annoyance. This was critical information. It might be her greater affinity for illusions. But while Malty's soldiers were weak that didn't explain their absolute failure. Malty had told them about its existence. They should have been able to find it. Instead, they were dependent on Raphtalia.
Malty had warned Raphtalia of the dangers. There could be barriers that even Raphtalia couldn't detect. Or worse, there could be bases inside Melromarc's borders. Both were terrifying possibilities that would lead to hundreds, if not thousands suffering.
And they had no counter. This mission was first and foremost about information gathering.
Malty pulled out hundreds of fist-sized seeds from her Cane. The winds ensured that they floated around the Princess. Even the air stirred up by Gaelion left the seeds unmoved. Raphtalia eyed them suspiciously. She'd seen how dangerous these innocent looking things were. Malty had repurposed them to feed the entire capital and thousands of towns and villages. The Princess had also warped them into weapons. The plants produced poisons so lethal that entire mountains were depopulated in seconds.
"Be prepared," she warned Gaelion and Raphtalia.
The demi-human nodded. The Dragon said nothing.
Raphtalia didn't miss him flying away from the barrier's location.
A burst of air pushed the seeds around the barrier. Raphtalia was responsible for making sure that none of the seeds hit the barrier. They did not want to give the sentries or the barrier sensors a reason to be wary.
As expected the seeds hit the ground nearly a kilometre from the barriers. A glance at the army group confirmed a lack of reaction. Raphtalia nodded at Malty who's Cane began to glow.
There was no visible change, but Raphtalia knew that beneath the Earth the bio-plant was growing rapidly. It took only a minute for the army group to start moving into action.
"Malty," she said, heart, beating rapidly. She drew her Sword even though they were kilometres above their enemies. "They're active!"
"Thank you," said the Princess politely, but the wild smile on her face gave away her emotions. Malty looked positively evil.
She was excited.
Raphtalia found something inside her relax. Malty wouldn't have been having fun if this was going poorly.
The ground erupted.
There was no other word for it. The barrier and the entire area around it were consumed by a massive forest of vines. It took less than a second for the area to go from a grassland to an eldritch forest. Clouds of multicoloured gases filled the space and soon her view of everything inside the barrier and the ground itself was gone.
Malty raised her Cane above her head and began to chant, "I, the source of all power, command the Four Winds. Let the breath of life be taken from all who oppose me. All Drifa Air Zero."
The movement of the air would have been impossible to see, but the ever-expanding clouds of poison made it possible to see how the fresh air was being snatched away. The tainted air near and within the barrier was untouched. There was a small tornado that stopped it from escaping the area, but the remaining air was pulled away.
Suffocation or Poison.
Two cruel choices.
Pity surged as she realized that Malty had overestimated their enemy. Their barrier was clearly powerful if it managed to block Malty's senses, but that had been their main advantage. The poor fools had written their own death warrant by forcing Malty to go to extremes. The poisons would scar their lungs, burn out their eyeballs and melt their flesh. It was fast-acting and capable of turning a level 40 into a miserable pile of flesh in seconds.
Raphtalia wanted to pray for them, but it was a struggle to know what to pray to when she'd learned that Heroes weren't Gods.
"Get ready," said Malty, "The barrier expanded. I lost control over my Wind Barrier."
Raphtalia raised her blade. She frowned when she realized that they were descending towards the Vine Forest.
A firestorm from Malty cleared the plants moment before they landed. Raphtalia almost gagged at the smell before a blast of air made it easy to breathe. The Princess waved her Cane and the plants grew around them.
A draconic roar distracted her study of the Princess. The massive explosion she heard a moment later stunned her. The ground was shaking and her ears were ringing.
A pulse of healing from Malty turned her attention to the Princess. "The poison clouds and the vines closest to the barrier were both flammable. I asked Gaelion to attack," she said, almost absentmindedly while staring at the wall of vines. The darkness of the plant chamber she had created failing to bother her.
Raphtalia created a small Light Ball to see and said, "The barrier?" she asked.
"It's down. The explosion took it out. I suspect that some traces still exist, there are some areas I can't sense, but most of the targets are dead. Your level should be proof of that." said Malty with a smirk. "As expected, while it can disrupt by direct attacks, it fails to stop anything I indirect that I up. My buffs on Gaelion were crippled. His attack was fueled only by his level and the power he drew from the Dragon Veins."
Raphtalia nodded, noted that she'd gone from level 72 to 80 in one moment and winced at the sound of a second explosion.
Malty didn't look happy. "Gaelion is retreating as ordered," she said, "Something I couldn't sense managed to damage him."
The Princess glanced at the plants which began to writhe and shift. "More poison," she explained, while a pathway opened up taking them underground, "I'm asking Gaelion to set it off."
Raphtalia and Malty ran through the tunnel that plants had created. It should have been suffocating, but the tunnel was well lit, walled with wood and the air was fresh. The demi-human found it hard to believe the Princess had to have created it during the attack.
The entire tunnel shook as a muffled 'boom!' filled the air. It was followed by smaller blasts. Gaelion was still doing his job. Raphtalia noted her level rise. Grim satisfaction filled her.
They were winning.
The Princess stopped.
"We have to get up there," said Malty, "Raphtalia. Focus on the barrier source. It's above us and I'll send you right next to it. Destroy it, but leave enough for me to absorb later. Then return and help me and Gaelion with the last survivors."
Worry filled her. Raphtalia nodded. Her duty was critical. Should she fail, both Malty and Gaelion would be vulnerable. "I'll do it," she promised.
Malty gave her a brief smile before sending a massive airburst that tore through the vine wall. It pushed and shredded the soil. Then, created an expanding vertical tunnel that spilt sunlight into the cavern.
Raphtalia began to float under Malty's power.
"Good luck," she heard as she zoomed along the dark tunnel with her eyes closed as dirt and dust struck her. Raphtalia took slow breaths and gripped her sword tightly. It took no time at all for Malty's words to reach her again, "You're almost there."
The racoon-demi-human opened her eyes as she burst into a scene that looked like hell.
The grass that should have been there having been reduced to ash. There were dozens - no, hundreds - of broken bodies that looked to have been melted scattered around the area. The pungent smell was sickly sweet and Raphtalia didn't know how she wasn't vomiting.
Yet, the pink tree was alive. Not well, it was badly burned in some areas, and the beautiful pink colour was tainted by sickening purple and dull yellow in other sections, but it lived through the assault that had slaughtered hundreds.
Dangerous, yet beautiful.
Raphtalia found the survivors easily enough. Gaelion's firestorms, the massive swarm of vines that were growing around them and being destroyed in cycles was hard to miss. What surprised her the most was how strong the two of them were. Most of them were kneeling inside a small partially opaque barrier. They looked exhausted, but not unwell, while the two demi-humans outside the barrier were a blur of movement. They were tearing through the plant matter, blocking Gaelion's massive attacks and dispersing the poison with gouts of fire and blasts of wind.
It stunned her to realize that their stats had to be better than the Spear Hero's given how she couldn't see them clearly. Their pink coloured weapons, which matched the tree near her, probably had something to do with it.
Raphtalia raised her sword and darted towards the barrier anchoring tree. A moment of resistance was there when she passed some sort of shield around it, but she went through with no trouble.
A single strike was all it took to take it down.
She didn't stop until it had been shredded.
The barrier around the exhausted majority vanished the moment she was done. The two powerful demi-humans, one a wolf and the other a rabbit type turned to her while their brethren collapsed as poison filled their space.
The poison clouds around them disrupted her view of them, but their shock, which morphed into rage, was easy to see.
A massive firestorm emerged around them from underground. The poison lingering around fueled it. The two demi-humans vanished from sight for a moment before they tore through the inferno with nothing more than burns. They had their comrades in hand and they tossed them out of the inferno before fully escaping its expanding grasp.
Their efforts were meaningless.
Raphtalia dashed towards the badly burnt, poisoned and brutalized majority that the two demi-humans had thrown. She only hesitated for a moment at their groaning forms before stabbing down. Blood sprayed as she pierced their hearts or throats or skulls.
They died within seconds.
The two survivors stared at her as the firestorm dissipated without warning. They looked exhausted. The rabbit demi-human, whom Raphtalia just noted was female, struggle to stay standing. Gaelion landed a moment later.
His roar left them shaking.
The ground began to heat up around them, the soil was charred and soon was white-hot as fumes rose and were dispersed swiftly.
Malty rose out of the molten earth looking pristine. Her hair was dancing like a living flame.
Raphtalia was relieved. The other two living demi-humans looked terrified for a moment before regaining their composure.
The Wolf glared at her, but the Rabbit couldn't muster the energy to do the same. The incredible heat which was filling the area ensured that.
Malty flicked her wrist. A small fireball slammed into the wolf demi-human.
The fire vanished a moment later showing him untouched.
Raphtalia darted towards Malty and took her position in front of her. Her sword raised and ready for battle against an enemy that was immune to her direct attacks.
"Relax," said the Princess, with a relaxed tone, "Their weapons are powerful, but only supply a direct defence against Heroes. You and Gaelion can kill them effortlessly now that their barrier is down and the people supplying the stat boost are dead."
"Traitor," said the Wolf. Raphtalia was taken aback. He was looking straight at her, "How dare you discard Q'ten Lo's sacred duty! Lady Makina was correct to send us here."
A weak jab with her elbow into his rib by the rabbit demi-human silenced him from saying more.
Raphtalia didn't turn her eyes from her enemies, but questions had risen again.
Was this related to why only she could see through the barriers?
"Air Zero," muttered the Princess, but before it could take hold, the suffocating demi-humans exploded. Nothing but ashes remained.
Raphtalia leveled up twice.
"Wonderful," said Malty with a frown as she glared at the site of the suicide. The weapons they'd had were also ruined. "Let's clean up. We have another half dozen targets to attack."
Raphtalia nodded slowly, her eyes still on the remains of the Wolf.
Malty noticed, "We'll find out what we can from the others," she said, pointing in the direction of the next target.
Raphtalia shook her head. Malty placed a hand on her shoulder.
The Princess dragged the remains of the survivors and the pink plant towards herself. She shaped the air and the vines instead of bothering to walk towards them.
"We'll deal with it," promised Malty.
Raphtalia nodded. Wondering if her past would bring more trouble to her friend. The things that the wolf demi-human had said were worrying. Had Q'ten Lo attacked Melromarc because of her?
Questions that she should have asked her parents or Sadeena filled her mind.
A victory, she thought, glancing at the ruined enemy camp. One that left far too many questions unanswered.
Raphtalia mustered her determination.
There were thousands of people in the other camps and millions in Siltvelt.
They only needed one of them to talk.
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