"Queen Mirellia," said Prince Takt as he lounged on his throne. They could see the massive screen that displayed her capital in the distance. The illusion showed what mundane eyes failed to see. A series of barriers ready to act against aerial enemies. "Demand their surrender. Get those barriers down, now."
"As you say," she said with a nod, careful to ignore the spark of indignation that rose at his rudeness. Nellisen handed her a small round device and pointed at the switch on the side.
The airship fleet inched forward. It's speed enhanced by the level 100 pilots. There were hundreds of them, each carrying several hundred people, but she was uneasy. Two Heroes were defending her nation at her daughter's side. A daughter who had changed to the point of becoming unrecognizable.
And they were going to attack her.
The situation terrified Mirellia.
They knew so little, but she had no choice.
Mirellia stared at the capital for a long moment. This was her city. Her home and she was leading an army to conquer it.
It was necessary but costly.
House Melromarc would no longer rule the country. Oh, she would be Queen, but only in name. The Prince was sure to demand his price even though he had wrecked her plans.
It was her best option.
"Good people of Melromarc, I am Mirellia Melromarc, Your Queen," she said, turning to Nellisen at the lack of feedback. The dragon demi-human nodded with a smile. Mirellia continued, hoping they would hear her and accept the offer to surrender, "I have returned with valuable allies to defend us against Siltvelt and the Waves. The traitor has misled you. Open the gates, welcome us as the allies we are and none will be harmed-"
Mirellia flinched at the massive mana spike. Takt, Nellisen and almost every mana sensitive person in the airship stared at the screen. The barriers flared to full power. The Queen swallowed at the sheer power behind the defences. Acid seared her metaphysical senses. It was sickening.
Takt scoffed with a wide smile, "Not bad," he muttered, "This won't be boring after all."
Mirellia and Nellisen stared at the Prince. Both women shared an unsettled glance. Mirellia was glad that Takt was lazy enough to leave commanding the fleet to his harem.
Arrogance in a commander was lethal for the troops. Mirellia was grateful she was wearing her armour. Paltry protection or not, it was something.
She would need it.
Takt's smile didn't last long.
Dozens of thin beams shot out from the translucent red barrier. They were narrow, but they vaporized everything they touched. Worse, each time it made contact with an airship the beam seemed to divide. Their numbers were soon in the hundreds. Then, thousands and it kept increasing.
They were too small, too narrow to destroy the airships completely. Mirellia suspected that they weren't meant for large, hard targets.
Her daughter had done it for the Waves of Calamity.
Mirellia crushed the regret she felt. She would do her best to restore the defences. Her people would need it.
No. At this point denial was foolish. This wasn't her daughter. Too much was different.
What had the entity possessing her done? How had she managed to create such an aggressive barrier? Mirellia would almost consider it foolish if it wasn't working so well. The targeting was inaccurate. Many of the beams were missing, but the division upon contact ensured that the sky was full of rays.
Such a defence should have been expensive and inaccurate. Most defences used barriers to block attacks and used on ceremonial magic for the attack. That was an efficient strategy.
Somehow the Heroes and this new Cane Hero had managed to overcome the issue. It wasn't surprising that Hero's were breaking norms. Mirellia worried because they'd managed to do it in less than a month.
Takt might have been onto something. He wasn't driven by wisdom or information, but his reckless charge had some benefits.
Shaped fire mana.
It had to be. It had used Malty's affinity well. The attack had grounded a handful of airships. Takt's high-level soldiers who had been on it were likely to have survived the crash. As per the plans, they'd make their way to the designated attack locations near the capital on foot.
Her Knights and the soldiers that her allies had accompanied them would be dead. The crash was likely to have crushed or injured them.
Mirellia and Nellisen's careful planning had been worthwhile. If this was all Malty had, then victory was in her grasp.
The Queen scoffed at the silly thought. Victory was never simple.
There was more to come.
The barrier flickered. The colour changed. It took a white tinge with yellow sparks dancing across its immense surface. Mirellia had to blink the spots dancing in her eyes as massive bursts of lightning erupted.
Thunder boomed.
"Lightning," called out Nellisen, "Prepare the-"
She didn't have a chance to finish. Where the fire-based attack had been slow compared to the airships, this was swift.
The attack shattered the front lines. Lightning bolts shredded the airships with cruel ease. The sound of thunder filled the air. A bright white light replaced the illusions showing them the battlefield.
Mirellia's heart stopped when she saw the devastation.
Only smoking remnants of the airships remained. Dozens had been melted. Their crews had been fortunate. Mirellia was certain that they hadn't had much time to suffer.
The problem was that the front lines of the air fleet had mostly been her forces. A deliberate choice she had failed to oppose. A decision forced on her that they had suffered for. The Queen grimaced. Her allies would be far more reluctant to aid her after this. Failure had never been an option for this assault, but it Takt's reckless charge had made it more damaging.
Worse, his armies were safe in the back of the fleet.
"Nellisen," said Mirellia, wincing as another barrage of lightning struck the airships, "the defences are better than expected. I'd suggest a slower siege rather than a direct assault."
The woman frowned, and nodded, "Agreed," she said, "I suppose we should not underestimate the power of the Cane."
Mirellia's relief was not visible, or at least she hoped it wasn't obvious. Nellisen devotion to the Prince did not eliminate her skills as a tactician.
"No!" said the Prince, standing up and unravelling the whip before slamming it on the floor, "Send the elites forward. They can survive these petty attacks with no trouble."
Nellisen frowned, "Beloved," she said softly, "We know for certain that there are several layers left to contend with. It will be risky to-"
The Prince raised his hand and smirked confidently, "Not if you use your full power." he said, "Go on, Nellisen. You know you've been waiting for the right battle. Show them what it means to be a dragon!"
Mirellia could see the conflict. Pride versus Pragmatism.
She could also see the ultimate result.
"Understood," she said, striding forward to kiss the Prince. Nellisen barked out a series of commands to some airships and walked off. Takt sat back down on his throne, smug and proud. He was quick to command his elites to charge forward and support Nellisen.
Foolish. This was painful to watch, but the Queen said nothing.
Nellisen was a powerful asset, but one that belonged to Takt, her death would serve Mirellia. If the Prince was so willing to throw away his resources out of misplaced arrogance then she'd let him.
It would make her eventual counter-play easier to deal with.
They had yet to face a Hero from Malty's side. No spear, no bow, no Malty and none of the people she had empowered. A part of Malty's army would have exhausted themselves to fuel the barriers, but most would be ready for a fight.
It seemed fitting that this fool, who'd gotten her allies killed, would send one of his lovers to die.
Mirellia was certain that many more would die. She'd ensure that the blame would fall on the right targets if he lived.
Of course, it wasn't that simple.
The possibility of him failing was an issue. If Malty was there behind those walls, then his failure would be her death. If she and the Heroes weren't there, then Mirellia and her allies would suffer when they returned to take it back.
She hoped that her plans were working. Takt had forced her to rush them, but Malty should be at the border and the Shield Hero should be with her Shadows.
Mirellia had limited hope. Siltvelt's border assault, even with Q'ten Lo's unexpected support, was unlikely to work. It would be a decent distraction, but that was all it could be. Especially, if Malty had grown more powerful or raised a larger army.
It was a pity that she couldn't believe in either plan. Both the Shield Hero and this new Malty had made a habit out of defying her expectations.
The Shield had survived being hunted for 3 weeks. Malty had proven to be ruthless and competent in her own way. Reckless in the long run, but if her goal was merely to exploit Melromarc before leaving it to die...
Mirellia took a deep breath and studied the screen. She pushed away the regret as she glanced at the blackened, molten remains of the airships.
Many had died for her, because of the Prince and Malty.
It would be her duty to honour those deaths.
She focused her attention on the screen. It was a marvellous invention, but it's limitations were showing. As more and more airships were being grounded, the images shown were becoming less detailed.
It took her a moment to find the blurry image of Nellisen.
Mirellia was expecting a therianthrope transformation. She'd only heard about draconic variations of the ability, it was rare enough that even through the decades of War Siltvelt had only fielded a handful of such warriors.
She had not expected a massive dragon larger than the airship.
Most therianthrope transformations left the warrior at 2-3 times their baseline size.
This was absurd.
It was larger than any Dragon she'd seen before. Its wingspan was enough to make it seem overwhelming. Nellisen moved forward with her 20 airships and unleashed a stream of fire at the barriers.
The attack was colossal. It struck the crackling barrier and spread across its surface.
If that barrier failed, the wall behind it would melt, entire districts of her city would burn. Lightning sparked and interrupted her attack, but Mirellia could see the barrier waver.
This was more than a therianthrope transformation. Beast Transformation. It had to be. Something that was a hollow legend based on myth and lies.
Mirellia shook her head. She was living in a world full of living legends.
It was a pity that most were her enemies and the Sword Hero failed to live up to her expectations. She pushed sentiment to the side, but the cold calculation was not a relief.
Her chances of victory may have increased, but the underlying problems remained.
Malty had shattered any faith the nobility had in House Melromarc.
Worse, few would accept a ruler who led a foreign army to their city. The people would be furious. Many would refuse to kneel before one who set a Dragon on their city as long as they had an alternative.
Her people did. Malty's replacement was protecting them even now.
The lightning barrier crumbled, but not without one last attack.
Mirellia struggled to see. White spots filled her vision. The entire screen had turned white.
The after-effects were easy to see.
Most of Nellisen's escorting airships had been reduced to molten scrap.
A third barrier manifested, it was a classic defensive screen, but her attention wasn't on it.
The dragon's attack had worked.
Her city was on fire and the translucent barrier failed to hide it. The attack had melted the wall. It was still red hot. There hadn't been enough time for an evacuation. She couldn't see the corpses, but the blazing buildings promised thousands dead.
Another unnecessary sacrifice.
To her surprise. A wooden barrier rose. Its vines smothered some of the fire. A series of smaller domes, segmenting the city into smaller fortifications manifested. Absurd as it seemed, the wood resisted the flames.
Enchanted or alchemically modified wood. Either way, it was another demonstration of the preparations that Malty had ensured. It was proof again that this wasn't her daughter. That girl would have never thought to defend her people.
The airships were close enough to open fire with their guns. Their fire was continuous and fueled by the power of their high-level casters. Frankly, she was a little sceptical about the use of guns in war despite the Prince's insistence. Thankfully, he also had ceremonial magic bombarding the walls.
The barrier shattered moments after the attack started.
Another flickered into existence moments later, but the damage was done.
Wooden domes seemed to have resisted the attack but parts of them were shredded as the storm of gunfire struck. The walls were resistant and she could see the Knights moving about.
No, that wasn't a Knight.
"Focus on the eastern wall," she snapped, the three demi-humans managing the map turned to her, before looking to Takt for permission. The prince waved his hand. He was gleeful. A wide smile on his face as he watched her capital under attack.
That joy multiplied when he saw the Spear and Bow Heroes on the eastern wall.
Their weapons were glowing.
"Shoot at those fools," commanded the Prince, leering at the two Heroes.
"Yes, my Prince!" said the communications officer who was quick to pass the message to the front lines. The leftovers of what used to be the front anyway.
"They're going to attack," said Mirellia watching the Bow Hero slowly draw back his bow, the arrow shining with white light. The Spear Hero leaned backwards, using his weapon as a Javelin.
Takt smirked. "They won't be able to touch us or Nellisen." he said, leaning against his throne, "Stop worrying."
Mirellia glared at the screen instead of losing control and screaming at the fool.
Takt was stupid enough to underestimate them despite losing hundreds of his soldiers.
This was her greatest ally.
Resources that few others could match in the hands of an insane idiot. Every rumour she'd heard about the Prince had suggested that he was a genius. And he was, but only at inventing techniques and technologies. The young prince had granted Faubrey an immense advantage.
However, as a general? He was foolish and arrogant to the point that he made the previous Malty look humble.
They unleashed the Javelin and the Arrow at the same instant. Both attacks fused.
Mirellia swallowed.
It was all she had time to do.
The yellow lightning barrier returned without warning. It faded a moment later.
It did its duty.
It used the last dregs of its power to fuel the attack of the Heroes with a lightning affinity.
The light made the screen useless again. The entire airship was silent, but for the machinery humming in the background.
A pained roar was the first thing they heard.
The sight of Nellisen's mangled dragon form was what she saw after a long moment. Takt stood up incredulous at the falling form of his lover. She collapsed onto the ground from her aerial position near the walls. A huge part of her body was gone. The attack had torn her wings apart. The rest of her body was either bleeding or cauterized.
Pitiful whines escaped her snout. It was horrific to watch the Dragon flail around, tearing the ground around her to shreds. The grasslands already stained red.
One attack.
The mighty dragon was now a wounded animal.
"Healing, now!" commanded Mirellia. The communications officer looked between her and the frozen Takt before nodding and sending the commands out.
Ceremonial Class Magic users on her airship and, presumably on the others, started to chant.
Mirellia turned her attention to Takt after noting that Nellisen's injuries were being taken care of. She did not want to think about the possibility of the Heroes being able to do that again and again. The Legend of Amaya, a Spear Hero of centuries past, suggested that Heroes could raze entire cities to the ground.
If these two could do the same then they were doomed.
If Malty was there with them, then even retreating was not an option.
"She can regenerate," said Takt after noting her staring. He had returned to his throne. However, he was leaning forward, studying the recovering Nellisen. Soldiers from the nearby airships were swarming around her to defend her. "It'll be fine. Those two false Heroes will pay for this."
Mirellia filed away the term 'false Heroes'. "Prince Takt," she said, not flinching at his intent gaze, "I beg you to take part directly. It is the only way to ensure your victory."
His face twisted with indecision.
It didn't last long.
"You're right," he said, standing up and brandishing his Whip, "I'm the one who will stop these Heroes. Nellisen will be avenged!"
A roar went up in the airship. Mirellia only smiled at the fool as he arrogantly went into battle with only a thin fabric to shield him.
Level 200. She had to keep that in mind. This airship and the surrounding ones were the best equipped for battle. Better armour, higher-level soldiers and better weapons.
But it wouldn't matter in the face of another attack like that.
They needed to defeat the Heroes. The problem, of course, was that sieges favoured defenders. Only in the most extreme circumstances did that change. She'd hoped that the airships and Takt's absurdly powerful forces would be enough.
It hadn't been. Half of the fleet had been destroyed and they had little to show for it.
Nellisen might have been the game-changer. A massive, level-150 Dragon was a fearsome enemy indeed. One that could regenerate?
That would have been enough to ruin most armies.
It wasn't enough for this battle.
Takt might be what was needed. He could turn the tide of battle, or, he'd die.
Either would serve her well.
***************************** Please like if you enjoyed it. This was a struggle to write. How did I do?