We're nearing the end... I promise...
Chapter Thirty-Five
"When the… what… stop?" Barradin asked.
"The cannons." The messenger repeated, merely a boy barely past his early teens. "Those things on the wall. You're to charge when they stop firing."
"Cannons, eh?" The Warmaster said. "All right then, about time we make our move." He took a deep breath, then bellowed as loud as he could, "Pass the word. When this infernal hellfire stops, we make our charge!"
The order slowly worked its way to the ranks, from the Ascalonian army to the Mron pride on the right flank, and the dwarven regiment to the left. Through the smoke and dust, Barradin began to see the outlines of Charr successfully navigating the barrage, and tightened his grip on his hammer. It likely wouldn't be long now.
Cynn also was starting to get a little anxious. About time they actually got to do something. "You ready, monk?" She asked Mhenlo, who was standing behind her, then remembered that she was supposed to be angry with him. "Not that it matters, of course."
"Of course it doesn't." Mhenlo answered, "But I'm ready at any rate."
Aiden had been at work preparing arrows that he figured he'd need, and making sure that there weren't any rocks imbedded in his boots that might interfere with his footing, so he had a reason to pretend not to pay attention to the childish banter that was about to erupt. Some things just never seem to change… even if you've seen each other naked, he guessed.
"Hmph!" Cynn huffed. "You better be. I trust personal issues won't interfere with your divine purpose."
"If you need mending, I will provide it as always." Mhenlo answered calmly. "My feelings have not changed."
"Keep dreaming, little boy."
Fortunately, their dialogue was stopped not by noise, but by silence. The cannons that had been erupting destruction from the top of the wall went silent, and Barradin raised his hammer with one loud bellow, signaling for the allied troops to begin their charge into the battlefield.
Now, Cynn had figured she was pretty fast. Not sprinting fast like Devona, but the girl could run pretty quickly. At least, up until the Mron clan blew by in a flurry of feline activity like she had been standing still. The cat people had fallen to their hands and feet, chewing up distance like a pack of wolves on a fresh kill.
They crashed into the Charr lines like storm waves off a dockside, erupting into a flourish of violent activity with such pure ferocity that on their own they had completely halted the front flank of the Charr. And once the humans arrived, the push was actually being countered… and once the Dwarven regiments reached the line… it looked like the rout was on.
Nonetheless, the feral army did eventually stall the push, and their numbers again began to assert their control. Barradin saw the turning of the tide, but then again, he had been expecting it. Brave and strategic as he was, he knew they would not be able to sustain their charge against an enemy that still looked to outnumber them twice over.
He also noticed that the Charr flank had split, and a second front was forming to the east, hoping to take the allied forces from the side. Nonetheless, his charge had done what he had set out to accomplish… forcing back the Charr into the cannon zone… where no doubt Coran would unleash another barrage of destruction upon the Charr hoping to cut down the retreating allies.
"All units, fall back!" The Warmaster cried. "Fall back to the wall and regroup!"
To his immense relief, he discovered that even the Mron were obeying his orders, and the allied line receded from the battle line, turning full and making as quick of haste as they could back towards the wall. As expected the Charr charged forward, but not before the allies had managed to gain the slight clearance Coran would need to safely fire the cannons... assuming Coran was tactical enough to understand the feint… but he saw no reason to think why his king couldn't put it all together.
Barradin was so immensely pleased with himself that he didn't even realize that two people were no longer right next to him…
Barradin had been right, as Coran almost immediately saw Barradin's plan even before the Duke called the retreat.
Picking up his horn, he called out, "All units! Reload with solid shot, three-quarter charges! Firing leaders; prepare solutions and fire when ready!"
With that said, Coran dropped his horn again and began making his calculations. "Vertical angle… thirty-five degrees! Lateral angle… ninety-six degrees!"
Making one more sweep with his telescopic lens to wait for the Charr to be in optimal range, spying a heavy clump of foes forming in his vision that he was targeting, he ordered, "Team One… ready…"
Then, he spotted why the Charr in that area were clumping, and the telescopic lens nearly fell out of his hand. He quickly gathered up his horn, and brought it to his lips to quickly order a cease fire… but before the words even came out, the roar of cannon fire from Yuu's section drowned him out. By the time he was able to call out the order, both of Yuu and Grazz's first team had delivered their deadly payload.
"Come on, you filthy, stinky scrapings off a Titan's foot!" Cynn shouted, seemingly oblivious to Barradin's call for retreat. She punctuated her exclamation with a ball of fire, then a burst of flame as two Charr sought to flank her.
A third foe's axe bit into her shoulder, but before the elementalist could even cry out in pain, the wound closed with a gentle, soothing phantom touch and wisps of bright blue energy.
"Cynn, we're supposed to fall back!" Mhenlo yelled over the sounds of battle.
"Yeah, I know… ever heard of covering the retreat?" She responded loudly.
"Barradin has several specialists no doubt more capable for that task." The monk answered, with a hand on her shoulder.
She shrugged him off then turned on him with an angry glare, momentarily forgetting the Charr. "Are you saying I'm not capable?"
"No, I am not… I am saying you have far greater uses than possibly throwing your life away in a potentially needless effort."
She blind cast an Immolate spell that set a potential attacker ablaze, and sending the Charr stumbling harmlessly aside with an inhuman wail. "Were you planning to be so demanding and dominating if we were ever married?" She snarled.
"Merely being assertive. I thought that was what you wanted."
"Well, I don't!" She shouted back. "If I choose to kill myself, then that is my choice."
"While that's wonderful, I intend to make sure that you choose not to, at least not today." Again, he grabbed her, this time by the arm, and this time gave her a rather forceful pull. She was so astonished by the action that she initially didn't fight it, allowing him to pull her a handful of feet before she started fighting back.
"I said let me go!" She screamed, pulling away and rearing back to slap him when the unholy roar of the cannons interrupted their spat. Mhenlo's eyes bulged in fear, as he instinctively knew somehow that the two of them were pretty much right in the middle of the area of effect.
While he didn't have much knowledge in protective prayers… he did know one… that should hopefully shield one of them from the coming storm of destruction.
Cynn saw her body become enclosed in a form fitting sheath of light blue energy, not even a split second before the ground around her erupted upwards with violent fury. She closed her eyes and dropped to her knees through the deafening explosions of impact.
Surprisingly, after the first blasts, the firing again stopped, rather than the prolonged barrage she had been expecting. "Whew… nice job, monk… let's get going before they unload that Grenth-spawned death again."
But when she turned to where Mhenlo was supposed to be, he wasn't there. Her lips went slack as she came to realize what had happened… he couldn't… no, he's not that stupid… but damnit, he is that damned selfless…
Then she found him, sprawled twenty feet in front of her, face down on the broken, blackened earth. As she dashed closer, the color of fresh blood became visible, staining into the monk's normally impeccably white clothing.
"No… no… no…" Cynn repeated before dropped down beside Mhenlo and rolling him over. His eyes were closed, and his face and head covered in deep cuts and gashes. His clothing and rest of his body carried similar tears. While he obviously hadn't absorbed the worst of the attack… it had been enough… to…
"No!" The elementalist cried out to the heavens, clutching her wounded friend and ally into her chest and stomach, not caring at all that he was bleeding on her… her vanity completely cast aside by her grief. "Someone! Anyone! I need a monk here… please!"