Chapter 7: The High Mage

My incentive for willingly taking part in my own demise was simple; the younger members of the clan would be spared, including my son. They would live out their days in subservience to Chissler, taught to fight and kill anyone he disapproved of, especially Elementals. Of course, that would include our fellow Mystics, but for Chissler, I doubt he considered it much of a distinction.

Erica knew that this would all go to hell because of those bungling Fire Elementals. She just knew it. If it wasn’t for that vision she got while she was with the Water Ministry, she never would have condoned this operation, let alone taken part in it.

Complaining now would be about as useful as spitting in the sea. No use dwelling on it I suppose. It’s like dad used to say. ‘Know when to kill so that others more deserving may live’. And it looks like there’s plenty of killing that needs doing with these devil-worshipping idiots!

As guards and Mages attacked her, she didn’t block. Instead, she flowed, her cyan cape and braided hair flourishing behind her with her movements. Many Elementals were good at dodging, but none to the degree that Erica could. The Wielder had made a choice a long time ago when she discovered her Psionic Ability. She could have honed it to be used to peer into the distant future as many Seers did. That would relegate her to sitting behind a desk and sending reports to advise Sorric on logistics and state issues that could affect the Water Ministry’s politics. Not a bad job by any means, and one that did afford influence over the Water Ministry and the Wielder Council itself. In fact, those with long-term clairvoyance were often highly sought-after advisors to high-ranking officials, senators, and merchants. As her mother had always tried to tell her, Elementals were more than just warriors. Many only worked normal jobs, and many could still become impactful, even with the growing Anti-Elemental sentiment. Her brother could be the fighter while she could be the influencer. But then, Erica had asked the question, ‘why couldn’t she be both’?

And so, Erica made the decision that not many with clairvoyance did. With the special training offered by the Angelic Prophets who first discovered clairvoyance, she honed her future sight specifically for fighting. This diminished her ability to see into the far future like other Seers could, but gave her so much more in the midst of battle. And now that she was a Wielder, one of the most influential positions in the entire Empire, her mother could hardly fault her for a lack of political acumen.

To Erica’s eyes, when she used her battle-sight as she liked to call it, there appeared to be two sets of everything and everyone. Each set of images were always nearly touching, but one set preceded the first while the other followed quickly behind, like a recording slightly out of sync with the live feed. At first, it was difficult to distinguish the real-time image from the future image, but Erica had learned that the future image was just a little fuzzier than the real one. Because the future image was not reality yet, but rather only a possible reality, it didn’t have the substance that the real-time image possessed. If she touched the future image, her hand would pass right through it like a ghost. As things stood, she could see up to a second into the future of any given object or person. She could see more if she focused on a single target, but that could prove hazardous with this many opponents to worry about.

Occasionally, there appeared a divergent set with multiple images that indicated many possible actions, but that occurred only when dealing with particularly crafty opponents who could flow between actions effortlessly without thought. She had dealt with opponents like that rarely, even more rarely, those who used clairvoyance in battle the way she did. She’d faced a few Mystics who could, but none who were as skilled as her. In fact, the most difficult opponent she ever faced was one who couldn’t use clairvoyance as a weapon, so she never allowed herself to grow overconfident or indolent, even with her unique abilities. Plus, she had to use the technique sparingly as it consumed an inordinate amount of psions and left her with painful migraines afterwards, ones that many Healing Elementals had told her could prove fatal if she overdid it. For that reason, Erica had learned not to become too reliant on her battle-sight, training her combat abilities as well until she was almost the equal of her brother, discounting his enhanced constitution.

As she dashed at a group of guards flanking either side of a Mage, she easily avoided the possible futures in which their laser bullets hit as the future of each energy blast was plainly visible to her. With the battle-sight came the innate ability to process information faster. Most Elementals had fast enough reflexes to avoid fire from bullets and energy blasts, but not many could run straight into the line of fire like Erica could at point-blank range and come out completely unscathed.

The armed guardsmen drew back in panic, and the Mage drew forward, unleashing that strange Shadow Elemency from his black spike in waves of shadowy tentacles. She had a more difficult time interpreting the future of Shadow Elemency, but she could plainly see the Mage’s own physical gestures as he moved his staff to control the shadowy appendages like whips, so Erica easily avoided his attacks until he was in range. A good thing she had her battle-sight to help her avoid the shadows, since everything that touched the Shadow Elemency vanished completely as if banished from existence. The shadows left huge gashes in the floor and ceiling, as well as sizeable chunks out of one of the guards that got too close. The guard stared down at a stomach that was no longer there before crumpling into two neat pieces. Erica wasn’t sure if her own Psionic Armor could stand up to an assault of Shadow Elemency, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to stand still to find out.

The hooded Mage backed away as she advanced on him. She couldn’t see him through the white mask he wore, but his posture seemed confident as he prepared another slash of Shadow Elemency. Too bad he wouldn’t last long enough to know that he should be terrified. The title, Wave Crasher, could be misleading to her other talents. He had already been in range of her Psionic Weapon a while back, but she wanted to get the guards behind him too.

Erica brandished her weapons like daggers in front of her as if to throw them. The Mage summoned some kind of shield made of Shadow Elemency to his other hand, but he had misinterpreted her weapon choice. Though her Psionic Weapons did have blades for close-quarters combat, they were not daggers. Two long whips made out of pure blue and green energy sprang from the opposite ends of the blades. Each whip was about six feet in length, but she could augment that to twenty feet if she wished. Realizing his mistake too late, the Mage was cut to pieces without even managing to block one of her Psionic Whips. Her weaves of Psionic Energy that comprised her blue and green streams could cut just as easily as any blade. However, they posed no harm to her personally as she coiled them around her armored arms, springing into her next attack that took out the retreating guards.

“Stay on my tale, boys, and pick off any stragglers I miss,” she commanded to the troop of half-a-dozen Water Elementals behind her.

She didn’t wait for acknowledgment as she dashed into the fray, her Psionic Whips carving a path of beauty and death as she spun through enemy fire. Her movements acted for both defense and offense as each move took her out of the trajectory of energy bolts while allowing her to maneuver her whips in front of her, cutting through Mages almost as easily as the guards. Any guards she happened to miss were cut down by her troops. They even helped clear the way for her, shooting out spurts of water and ice to confuse the enemies in her path, making them even easier to cut down with her spinning whips.

She appreciated the efforts of her men, but it was hardly worth it. Seeing how things were going now, these Mages weren’t anything to write home about. Sure, their Shadow Elemency was formidable, but power alone could hardly stack up to superior military proficiency and the tactics of her troops. She spared only a few glances, but aside from the few fatalities they had suffered in the beginning of the fight, her troops had accorded themselves well. And why shouldn’t they? She had trained most of the men selected for this mission. They were not ones to cave just because of a few crazy cultists. Even the Fire Elementals held their own. Although, even if she was speaking from personal bias, she doubted they’d take down as many enemies as her own troops.

She was just thinking of a nice cutting remark aimed at Eramar, or even better, at that sultry Victor, when the unthinkable happened. Acting automatically as her opponents had yet to show any real resistance, she was in the process of disarming a group of three guards, slashing at the rifles before finishing them off. As the last of their weapons dropped, one raised his hands as if in a gesture of surrender. She was just about to tell her men behind her to take them into custody when from the guard’s hands sprung one of those black spikes that the Mages used. Even with her clairvoyance, she couldn’t jump past fast enough to keep from getting slashed across her belly. Her armor absorbed most of the damage, but she still felt a stinging pain to her abdomen. Those damnable black spikes imbued with Shadow Elemency were difficult to see with her battle-sight, almost as if partially hidden from the future.

Even as she jumped back, one of her troops was beheaded by the black spike as the Mage finished his swing. The Water Elemental’s helmeted head spun through midair, his blue eyes wide with surprise through the lenses. His name was Thadacus. He just got married barely a year ago, and his wife was expecting. He had been an earnest Third, if not the brightest. But still, as stalwart and brave as any Grunt she had trained.

Another for the log, thought Erica angrily as she sliced the Mage disguised as a guard in half with a twist of her wrist.

The Mage was cut from the left shoulder to the right hip. He fell to the ground soundlessly only to reveal the other two guards raising their hands as well, black flecks appearing at their fingertips. By the build-up of black orbs in their hands, they were charging up their Shadow Elemency for a powerful long-range attack that would take her and her troops with her. Erica could see the impending doom unfold before her eyes. Time seemed to slow as she perceived the future and current events simultaneously. Sometimes, there occurred future events that were written in stone, that couldn’t be avoided no matter what she did. The Mages were going to fire. There was nothing she could do to stop them. She could not bring her whip around fast enough and she could not use Water Elemency fast enough. They had already been in the midst of firing even before she realized that they were Mages. She could try to dodge, but they were attacking at two different angles at the same time in a way that would make it near impossible with her already slowed by their dead friend’s attack. They had been watching her. They knew the weakness of her abilities. They were better than she gave them credit for. How do you kill someone that can see the future? Make a future they can’t avoid?

Even if she could avoid it, dodging like a coward would only leave her troops behind her to die. She had never been one to save her own skin by sacrificing her men ... men that she had cultivated and fought with for years. Every Elemental was prepared for death, especially those who had attained longevity and lived past what was considered normal for humans.

I’ve lived long enough. I’m ready. I just ... Damn it! I just wish I could’ve figured out what Victor’s codename was! Erica had no idea why that should be the last thought in her head.

Just before the Mages unleashed their evil attack, something smashed into them. A giant something. It looked like a log, a big, red log. Whatever it was, it smashed both Mages flat into the wall like they were pancakes.

The large something withdrew, and Erica realized in astonishment that it was a clawed, armored hand the size of a tree. Feeling her jaw go slack, she traced the giant hand to its source. Victor Harock had grown. Although, grown was an understatement. He was the size of a house as he stood in the center of the battlefield, his car-sized boots crushing several guards and Mages beneath his armored heels. His suit and golden cape had grown with him, but that was unsurprising considering that Psionic Weaponry was attuned to its user’s abilities. She wondered if he had used the rare Expansion Ability of Physical Types to turn himself into a Giant, but then she realized it went deeper than that. He was hunched over, his arms elongated and now sporting claws. His legs looked stouter and his feet, though still armored, now seemed to have ape-like toes. He even had a tail, though that was also covered in armor. He was using shapeshifting to turn himself into a giant monkey creature rather akin to the ancient fable of King Kong, just one with claws and Psionic Armor.

In one monstrous arm, Victor clutched the prisoners to his bosom, all of them screaming and holding their heads like they wanted to pretend it was all a bad dream. Whether they lived through this or not, they were going to need therapy either here or in the afterlife.

And here I was thinking he was a Physical-Type like my brother. That crafty flame head fooled me again.

Despite herself, Erica started grinning from ear to ear. “That moniker of yours, Wielder Harock. It wouldn’t happen to be Bigfoot, would it?”

“I told you,” he said gruffly into the comm system as he lowered the screaming hostages gently to the ground to an unoccupied corner of the arena. “I don’t have one, at least not officially.”

He ignored the rain of gunfire from the guards who shot at his back, their laser bolts little more than mosquito bites against his enlarged size and armor. A troop of Fire Elementals pressed down hard on any Mage that even looked in his direction, so they had no chance to fire their all-consuming Shadow Elemency. With the loving care of a father seeing to an infant, Victor bunched the victims together tightly and then drew a circle on the ceiling above them with his giant finger. The metallic surface melted from his touch, dripping downward in pools of liquid metal until the screaming prisoners were obscured from view. The melted metal fell perfectly where Harock intended it, not dripping close enough to harm any of the noncombatants. He waved his hand over the fall of liquid metal, and it solidified instantly, creating a barrier of metal between the prisoners and the continuing skirmish. From the holes left in gaps between the recently melted and solidified metal barrier, Erica could see the prisoners were still crying from within, but otherwise remained unharmed.

Erica laughed at the ingenious use of Fire Elemency, but then winced as the pain in her midsection throbbed violently. Black bubbles and putrid smoke sizzled from the wound as if the blade was still slicing through her armor. With a grunt, Erica accepted a Sun Gem from one of her subordinates and slammed it into the wound. Using a Sun Gem for medicinal purposes was not unheard of, but most preferred a Medical Elemental since Sun Gems offered only temporary respite, and not a solution for most serious injuries. Erica ignored the pain as she felt the laceration closing, a noise like sizzling bacon coming from the wound as the smell of burning flesh filled her nostrils. Her Psionic Armor had already regrown over the gash in her middle as if it had never suffered any damage, and she felt instant relief as her armor’s automatic healing systems further mitigated the damage. She quickly nodded to her troops that she would be alright and gestured for them to move forward ahead of her. Most did, but a few stayed behind to look after her as she knew they would.

She was just about to get back to the battle when she noticed a Mage shake off his Elemental pursuer and take aim at Victor’s helmeted head from his blind spot.

“Harock!” she screamed, praying that he would know what she meant.

In the blink of an eye, Victor was his normal size again, allowing him to avoid the blast of Shadow Elemency that had been aimed at his head. After shrinking, he leapt towards his assailant and attacked viciously with his spear that suddenly appeared in his hands. She saw his legs briefly change shape, going from human legs to a shape similar to that of a kangaroo, which allowed him to jump ahead at even faster speeds than a normal Elemental. While in midair, his legs reshaped to human legs, his armor changing shape with them as well. That explained the mystery of how he was able to fool her into thinking he was a Physical-Type like her brother.

The Mage that attacked Victor was impaled through his facemask by the spear point, but the Fire Wielder was already moving on to other targets before the man’s body hit the ground. Victor’s spear work was beautiful, but even more dazzling was the red glowing ribbon attached to the blade. The ribbon glowed brightly with red energy, rippling like a snake made of flame and causing as much damage as the blade itself as it spun about, slashing in a similar fashion as Erica’s whips. Even stranger was the fact that the ribbon seemed to be getting smaller, receding as if burned up with every passing second. It happened slowly, but with Erica’s sharp eyes, she could see that the ribbon was shrinking in size. When the ribbon vanished completely, Victor would thrust his spear forward, and a powerful explosion would follow, scattering enemies in all directions with smoke and flames. Then the ribbon would appear again, only to recede slowly. Erica wondered how many times Victor could use that explosion attack.

Erica was about to send Water Elementals to look after the prisoners, but her men were already one step ahead of her. Two men in blue armor jumped in front of the screaming hostages, raising their hands and erecting walls of water to add to their protection. A good thing, too, as several stray laser shots bounced off the water barriers. Erica was proud to know that her and her brother’s beliefs had been successfully passed on to the next generation. The Water Ministry was considered the most compassionate to the Pureskins for a reason. It was an Elemental’s duty to protect those who were powerless, and none took this duty more seriously than those who followed the way of Water.

A familiar battle cry suddenly rang in her ears. Erica caught sight of her brother on the balcony above hers moving like a blur with enhanced speed through the ranks of the guards and Mages. Some of the guards he fought turned out to be Mages like the ones that fooled her, but Robert was too quick for them as his large scythe cut them down with startling swiftness before they could use Shadow Elemency. At the speed he was going, the idiot probably didn’t even see that some of the guards were Mages. He might get himself killed if Erica didn’t reign him in.

She gave a quick assessment of the battlefield, realizing that things were going well. As Eramar had predicted, Shadow Elemency seemed to cancel out their long-ranged element-based attacks. However, when the Elementals dodged the blasts to get in close, they simply cut down the Mages before they could even use their powers. It seemed that the Mages lacked the military training of the Ministry. Many of the Mages’ attacks didn’t have the precision to deal with disciplined Elementals who were superbly skilled in dodging by using their superhuman agility. In those cases, it didn’t matter that the Mages had access to a power that could not be blocked if they couldn’t hit their targets. It looked like some Elementals were flying as they jumped insane distances to avoid both blasts of shadows and laser fire which left countless holes sizzling through the metal walls.

It doesn’t look like I have much time left before the battle is over, thought Erica dejectedly to herself. I have to find a way to irrefutably save Victor’s life if I’m to retain any dignity after this is over! And then he’s going to tell me what his blasted nickname is!

As Erica set off after her brother, she even thought she could picture exactly how she was going to save Victor, and the look on his face was going to be priceless. As clear as any vision of the future, the fantasy came and went.

The High Mage proved a difficult duelist, but Eramar reasoned that he just about had the man’s style figured out to a tee. Within the next round of parries and counterstrokes, he’d be in the perfect position to finish the man off, and he wouldn’t have to get too flashy to do it. The High Mage and Eramar sparred back and forth as the battle raged around them.