AGNOMAKHOS
by Ulquiorra9000
Chapter 15
"Capture, but not kill? You sure about this, kid?"
Lakram frowned as he and Alex led a large group of red-robed rebels down an abandoned street in war-torn Meletis. The both of them could hear the din of battle everywhere, but they ignored it as they argued on what to do next.
Alex returned Lakram's glare, wishing that he could see the other man's eyes. "Look, it's the council that's corrupted. They control the Reverent Army, especially Perisophia. There's some assholes in the Army like Kulla, but the others are just following orders. They don't have to die."
"Really." Lakram made a doubtful noise. "You're defending the same people who threw you in prison? Never thought I'd hear that."
"Well..." Alex hesitated. On one level, many Army leaders were just doing their job. Jaina and Olivia, for example, didn't seem to find him guilty. They had been strong-armed into convicting Alex by the council's will, and Valerie had theorized that some unknown presence or power was influencing the council. What could it be? Alex intended to smash through the Army and kick down the council's front door to find out.
Alex swallowed. "The council's the real enemy. We capture them, and this is over. The Army officers will see the error of their ways."
"They'd better, 'cause I'm not risking my life for some noble cause," Lakram reminded him as they rounded a corner. "I'll do anything to fulfill my contract to Valerie. She didn't say nothin' about sparing lives or teaching moral lessons."
"Then we can capture a colonel and get them to talk," Alex insisted. "We'll make them useful. II'm sure you can think of a way how."
A twisted grin crossed Lakram's face. "I'm sure of it, too." Then, he stopped. "They're coming," he hissed.
Alex held up a hand to halt his fellows. He and nearly seventy rebels stood in the street, weapons and spells at the ready. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, two platoons came marching around the corner up ahead, shields up and spears and swords poised. Two captains and a colonel led them, and Alex realized what he was up against.
"It's Third Battalion!" Alex warned the others. "Third Battalion is known for its even mix of magic and weapons. Be careful."
"We've got it," a mage assured Alex. He was one of at least twenty mages in the group, and right now, red and white mana crackled and sizzled in his hands.
"What about the colonel? What can she do?" Lakram asked as the Army platoons drew nearer.
Alex studied the colonel. "That's Pierra. She's blessed by Thassa and can use wind magic, including flight. She's a tough one." He was chilled by the sight: normally patient and kind, Pierra now had a look of grim determination. Her wavy blond hair fluttered in a breeze and her hands were clenched into fists.
"You can take her on. I'm no good at dueling," Lakram told Alex. His usual toothy grin crossed his face and he took a few coins out of his pocket. "I'll scatter the rest to even the odds. Then, you go in there and finish them."
Anxiety squirmed in Alex's gut. "Okay." This was his first time fighting the Reverent Army head-on, and he would battle Pierra to the death, unlike when he had dueled Kulla. Alex had never seen Pierra in combat, only heard about her prowess from others. If any of it was true, gods watch over me!
"Ready... march!" Pierra shouted to her men. The captains gestured, and the platoons stalked toward the waiting rebels, spears upheld and battle-magic at the ready. As she walked, Pierra raised her arms and swathed herself in a vortex of fluid blue mana. Alex felt his hairs stand up at the sheer volume of mana, easily as much as Kulla. The mana coalesced at Pierra's shoulders and solidified into two massive, bird-like wings, complete with feathers, infused with Thassa's magic.
"Now comes the fun part," Lakram cackled. He sprang into motion, sprinting in an erratic pattern to throw off any incoming magical attacks. The hoplites slowed down, unsure what to do about one crazed man.
BOOM! Alex only saw a flash of movement before a fireball blasted the hoplites out of formation, tossing a few writhing men into the air. Lakram had casually tossed a coin at them, infused with his vicious red mana. And now the Army knew that he meant business.
"Destroy him!" Pierra shieked, pointing at Lakram. At her words, the hoplites charged and the battle-wise mages conjured jets of hardened water with their blue mana. They hurled their water at Lakram, hoping to skewer him.
Lakram was faster. Showing remarkable agility, he leaped to the side and scampered out of harm's way. The water jets slammed into the empty street one by one, spraying water droplets and shattered bricks everywhere. Then, Lakram hurled another coin at the incoming phalanx formations.
This time, the Army was ready. As one, the hoplites ducked behind their round shields and the mages threw up barriers of white mana. Two more explosions bathed the hoplites in flame, but the barriers and shields buffered them from the worst of it. The hoplites pushed through the flame and smoke, their formation unbroken.
Lakram hurried back to friendly lines. "Attack en masse," he told them. "I'll slip behind their defenses and blow them to bits."
Alex was ready. With a yell, he charged and led the rebels across the street to greet the hoplites. His courage was infectious; the rebels cried out as one and crashed down on the hoplites, sword crossing sword, spell against spell. Alex's ears rang as offensive spells clashed with defensive enchantments, the combined lights nearly blinding him. I can't lose focus. I've got a job to do!
Shielded by a friendly mage's barrier, Alex broke out of the melee, flaming fists at the ready. He found Pierra standing there, arms folded.
"I can't believe this, Alex," she said, clearly disappointed. "You joined those lunatics?"
"They freed me from prison," Alex told her. "Civilian prison, Pierra! Something is very wrong here, and it's all the council's fault. They're being corrupted by something, and they shut me away to keep anyone else from turning on them."
Pierra raised her eyebrows. "That's pretty bold of you, Alex. I wasn't entirely convinced of your guilt at your court martial, but if you raise your hand against me, I'll change my mind."
"You're a reasonable woman," Alex urged her. "Pierra, you're not like Kulla and the others. Come back with me, and we can end the war quickly and expose the council! We could use your power."
Alex didn't really expect that to work, but he had to try. He watched in dismay as Pierra shook her head. "Not an option, Alex," she told him. "If you really want a fight, then you'll get it."
"Fine." Baring his teeth, Alex remembered all the reasons he was here: Kulla's stubborn arrogance, Jaina's helplessness, the city hall demonstration, the council's twisted ways... it all angered him, and he let the rage course through his mind. He let out a yell as his red mana exploded outward, enveloping him in flames from head to foot. Not even his academy training had taken him this far; his passion and defiance against the injustice of it all drove him to new heights. Righteous fury, that's what it is!
Alex pushed off with his left foot and sprang at the waiting Pierra. He drew back his left fist and channeled his red mana there, and the flames swelled into a raging fireball. With a heave, Alex threw his fist at Pierra's head with all his might.
Pierra's wings snapped out in a blast of wind. Alex stumbled as a sheer wall of air countered his fist, and the flames scattered everywhere like confetti. Then, Pierra pumped her wings and took flight, rising higher with each flap. As she went, more winds issued from her wings, surrounding Alex with a dervish and blocking all escape. Alex couldn't even see or hear the rest of the battle from here.
The colonel wasn't done yet. She flapped her right wing, and this time, the wind coalesced into three jets of air that raged toward Alex. The jets whirled as they went, spinning faster with each passing second.
Alex panicked. If those hit me, they'll shred me! He leaped out of the way just in time; one whirling jet slammed into the street right next to him, and the sheer force tossed him aside like a rag doll. Before Alex could land and recover, the other two jets curved through the air and raced toward him.
Something occured to Alex. Hot air rises! If I bring the heat... Desperate, Alex squirmed into position in midair and released a wide swath of heat everywhere in front of him. His arms ached from the exertion, but he didn't let up. This was his only chance!
It worked. The air jets, suddenly superheated, lost coherence and shot upward and out of harm's way. They broke apart into harmless drafts of hot air.
"Not bad, kid," Pierra called down. "Let's see you try that again."
With renewed confidence, Alex landed gracefully and glared up at Pierra. "Come down here and find out!"
"I'm fine up here." This time, Pierra started flying laps around Alex, staying well out of reach. She channeled more blue mana to her wings and released more whirling air jets, and the jets scattered in all different directions. They snaked around the battlefield for a few seconds, then shot toward Alex at different angles.
Alex saw one jet coming right for his face and released a blast of flames to negate the air at the last second. Blue and red mana exploded in midair, releasing a spray of sparks and static electricity. Now that Alex was ready for them, he could counter them point-blank, given enough time. I can do this!
But there were more. Alex yelped as another jet narrowly missed him, and he gasped in pain as the whirling air tore into his robes, then into his leather armor and flesh. Blood seeped into his robes and he pressed a hand to the wound. That much from just a scrape... Pierra really meant to kill him!
So be it.
Enraged by the glancing hit, Alex summoned another burst of red mana and propelled himself to the side with a jet of hot air. One of Pierra's air jets whirled past, and other came rushing at him from behind. Quickly, Alex waved a hand and diverted the jet with more hot air. Just like before, the jet shot upward and lost coherence.
Still, Alex couldn't win just by dodging and blocking. I've to to reach her! I think I need a cushion of hot air. If those jets can rise, so can I. Alex glanced up at his airborne opponent. If he could hit her, she might lose control of the surrounding dervish, and Lakram could help out. It was worth a shot!
Fast as he could, Alex pumped his fists in the air, releasing mini-fireballs everywhere. Pierra weaved among them and knocked others aside with her wings, then launched three more whirling jets.
That's it! If I time this just right... Alex watched the jets scream toward him, his heart racing. The air deafened him as the jets drew closer...
With another surge of superheated air, Alex sent the jets upwards, and this time, he blasted fire from his feet to fling himself onto one of them. His stomach squirmed and wind howled in his ears, but he felt himself rise, and elation filled him. The air jet carried him up, closer and closer to Pierra, before it started to lose coherence. Alex knew that he had just one chance.
"Raaaaaah!" Summoning the rest of his mana, Alex summoned a great cone of flame and blasted Pierra with it. The colonel shielded herself with her wings, but even then, the flames clearly had an effect. Pierra was knocked way off course, and she lost control of her winds. The large dervish dispersed, and Alex could now clearly see the battle around him. The hoplites and rebels were still evenly-matched, but if Pierra was captured, the day was his!
Alex felt his mana growing weak as he guided himself down with controlled bursts of mana. He tumbled to the street, aching all over. His wound throbbed and his head felt light; fighting a colonel was no mean feat, but his improvisation was worth it; Pierra fluttered to the ground, charred all over. Her wings looked limp and feeble.
"How dare you, boy," she snarled, her blond hair damp with sweat. She stalked toward him, flooding more blue mana into her wings.
Alex stared in dismay. I thought she was done for! But clearly, Pierra had more power in her, and Alex was tapped out. If Pierra summoned another attack...
Just as Pierra raised her left wing to attack, however, something small and red bounced off her nose. "What the...?" Pierra jerked back, blinking in surprise. Then she saw the mana-infused coin floating in midair, and her expression changed to shock.
Alex sank to his knees and covered his face just in time. An earth-shuddering explosion tore through the very air, and Alex didn't dare look until a few seconds later. Lakram stood between Alex and Pierra, a smug look on his face. Pierra, meanwhile, stared back in shock and fury. Her right wing had been torn off, and she clutched her left arm at the elbow; it looked broken. And based on her ragged breathing, some ribs may have broken, too.
"Retreat!" she shouted at her men. "Fall back to Fifth Battalion!"
Alex didn't know where Fifth Battalion was, but if Pierra was on the run, and that was good enough for him. With those injuries, she'd be out of comission for weeks. Maybe the war could be won before then!
Lakram made to draw another coin from his pocket, but before he could, Pierra flapped her left wing in defiance. Air jets whirled everywhere, covering the platoons' escape. The rebels ducked and cowered behind their mages' shields as Pierra's jets came crashing down on them. By the time the dust settled, the rebels held the street alone.
"Whew." Alex wearily got to his feet, his head aching. His legs felt watery.
"Damn it! She got away!" Lakram snarled, stomping a foot. "That bitch!"
"Relax. With those wounds, she'll be out of the fight for weeks," Alex told him, voicing his earlier thoughts. There was more than one way to cripple the enemy, after all. "If Valerie can launch her final assault on the city hall before then, Pierra won't be a factor."
Lakram ground his teeth together. "I guess. But damn, it would have been great to bring that colonel's head back to Valerie. What a trophy it would make!"
Alex merely shrugged and fell back with the others back toward friendly territory. By the sound of it, the ambush mission was nearing its completion. The Reverent Army wasn't going to fall today; Valerie just wanted to knock some of the Army's leaders out of comission to make the final battle easier. When Valerie's mysterious "project" was completed, then the final assault could begin.
Alex couldn't wait.