Chương 58: A difference in power

Alex stood alone on the outer wall, boots planted against the rough stone as the wind dragged sand along the ground below. Highrocks rose around him in layered terraces carved into the mountain, narrow paths cutting between structures of stone and timber. Bridges stretched overhead, linking sections of the settlement like veins through the rock. From here, he could see the approach.

A winding stretch of desert broken by jagged rises and tight passes that funneled anything trying to reach them into predictable paths. It was why Highrocks had been such a sought-after settlement. And likely why the Broken Dawns held such massive sway over the first level. Behind him, the settlement was locked down. Every civilian had been pulled from the outer sections and forced into the guildhall. Anyone capable of holding a weapon had been handed one and told where to stand.

Initially it had come as a shock, when they learnt an entire army was arriving. It gave Alex pause. He couldn't help but fear the worst for the others. But Mia had reassured him, forcing him to focus on the immediate and not the unknown. So now, he had organized just over a thousand people, spread across the walls, the choke points, the elevated paths, and the narrow entries that led deeper into the settlement, all ready for the attack that was about to arrive.

Alex rolled his shoulders and flexed his hands, stretching his muscles for the fight that was to come. He stood by himself as people moved around him. Mia was nowhere in sight. She had said she would arrive when she was needed, which didn't help his nerves at all. Alex exhaled slowly, eyes scanning the horizon again, his heart beating like the drums of war. Then he saw them. They came over the dunes in a wide formation, but as they moved closer, the terrain forced them inward.

The natural funnels of the cliffside tightened their numbers, compressing them into the main approach that led toward Highrocks' lower entrance. There was an army. They looked worn, like they had just come from a battle. Some were visibly injured, but it still made Alex curse. The reports were true. He couldn't get the thought that his people had failed, and this was what remained of the Valkyries, coming to finish them off, out of his mind.

"Positions," he called, his voice carrying across the stone, inside he hoped his guild would listen. These were the people who didn't wish to fight, after all, and now they were left with no option. Thankfully, he could hear movement behind him. He took a glance. Archers raised bows along the upper ridges. And mages were stepping forward just as he had briefed everyone. The remaining force were spread along the wall and at the gates.

The army continued forward, spilling into the lower approach, their formation breaking slightly as the terrain forced them through tighter lines. Alex felt a tingle up his spine, just as he spotted an arrow flying his way. It cut through the air from up on a ridge. Alex's arm snapped up as he watched it approach. He backhanded the arrow out of the air. They would have to try far harder than that. As soon as that thought registered, the sky darkened.

Arrows rose from the lower approach, climbing toward the cliffs in thick volleys. Spells followed immediately after, fire, earth, wind and even water.

"Down!" someone shouted. The impacts hit a heartbeat later. Flames burst against the stone, heat washing across the wall as arrows slammed into unguarded people. Some glanced off armor, others found gaps. A mage to Alex's right staggered back as a shard of stone caught him across the shoulder. Alex didn't move, instead he called on his [Chaos Chains]. He felt the skill activate as they burst forward from his hands. When they reached four or so feet, he gripped them.

Feeling the familiar energy latch onto him as they manifested into reality. He flung his chains out and into the air, before twisting them, they spun through the air in front of him. Blocking and deflecting anything within range. When the volley ended, his chains receded. Alex looked to either side, taking in the damage.

"Return fire!" he roared, adrenaline pumping through his body like liquid fire. The response came instantly, the thought of not fighting back, completely abandoned. Arrows dropped from above, raining down into the compressed enemy force below. Mages unleashed their spells into the choke point, fire and stone tearing into the front lines where the terrain trapped them together. The desert erupted into chaos.

Sand blasted upward with every impact, the narrow approach turning into a killing zone as bodies began to fall. But the army didn't stop. They kept pushing through, as mages erected shields, while everyone else moved forward, forcing their way up the lower paths toward the settlement. Hooks flew upward, catching on ledges and railings. Fighters began scaling the rock face where they could, using the terrain just as much as his people were. Alex stepped forward psyching himself up and dropped from the wall.

His chains fired downward, anchoring into the stone as he descended fast, boots hitting the lower path hard enough to crack stone and blow up sand beneath him. Alex looked up, his long hair getting in the way for a moment. His chains shot forward, wrapping around someone's torso before yanking him in. The moment the distance closed, Alex's fist drove forward, ignition bursting on impact as he activated [Explosive Fist].

The strike landed and the poor man's body folded, thrown backward into the narrow path, crashing into those climbing up behind him and sending several tumbling back down the slope. Another attacker came from the side, blade raised. Alex stepped in, slipping inside the swing and driving a short, brutal punch into their ribs. The impact burst, lifting them off their feet and slamming them into the rock wall. Chains snapped out again, catching a third before they could climb over the edge.

Alex yanked hard, dragging them upward just enough to destabilize them before releasing. They fell, taking two others with them as they went. More enemies pushed up from below, forced into tight lines by the terrain. Above, arrows and spells continued to rain down, but it wasn't enough to stop the flow. Alex planted his feet in the center of the choke point, shoulders squared as his fists burned brighter. Something wasn't adding up though. The opposition was at a massive disadvantage. Even if they outnumbered them.

He pushed the thought away and focused on those in front of him. Every step forward from the enemy was met with force. Chains ripped them off balance. Explosive strikes broke their momentum. The narrow space worked in his favor, limiting how many could reach him at once. Alex slammed another opponent back and lifted his head, scanning through the chaos. Looking past the front line. He was missing something. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road.

Please report it. The feeling nagged at the back of his mind. A constant pressure, telling him something wasn't right. So when he felt the hair on his neck stand, he reacted immediately. He turned just in time to see a blade in motion towards his neck. Alex reacted on instinct. His chain snapped out, aiming to block the attack, but the blade adjusted mid-motion. The katana struck against his arm that he managed to lower, it scraped along his colossus armor.

The blade slipped along it before falling into the unguarded spot just below his bicep. The impact bit into his skin. Slicing along his arm. His other hand moved immediately. A chain snapped out and wrapped her wrist mid-motion. He yanked hard, his eyes widening in fright as he felt his arm numbing. The person was pulled forward and Alex stepped in to meet them, his fist already igniting as he drove it forward into their center.

The explosion burst on impact, forcing them back several steps as sand kicked up around them. They rolled to a stop, coming up in a spring, landing back on their feet, allowing him to get a look at his attacker. She was a short woman of Asian descent. Her hair was tied back in a bow, a katana raised in front of her, angling towards him. The blade caught the sunlight with a wet glint to it. Alex looked to his cut. It wasn't deep, he had managed to stop most of the force. But it stung something fierce.

"You're as strong as they say," she stated, her accent coming through. Around him the fighting continued. Though she paid no mind to it. Alex did however. And he had no time for small talk. He closed the distance again, chains lashing out in a tight, fast arc. They closed in on her, forcing her to push towards him, and not to the side. She narrowed her eyes and rushed at him. His fist lit with flame once more and he attacked head on. She brought her sword up to block.

His chain receded, wrapping over his knuckles, just as the two forces met. Her guard held, but the force drove her back again, her footing shifting this time as she slid through the sand. He stepped through the space, following immediately with a second strike, his body flowing through the motion with no wasted movement. His hand-to-hand skill carried him forward, linking each movement into the next without pause. She tried to slip inside his range again. Alex didn't let her.

His chain snapped down, catching her leg mid-step and disrupting her footing just enough. That was all he needed. His fist drove into her, forcing her back, and his next punch followed instantly, ignition bursting at close range. The explosion hit hard, lifting her slightly off the ground before she landed several feet away. Alex advanced again. One of his arms was feeling like lead. So he was forced to only control his chain from it and not attack. The katana must be poisonous, he realized.

He could feel it trying to spread, trying to dull his movements, but his body fought it, his core feeding him enough strength to push through and isolate the poison. She stood, spitting blood onto the ground and came again. Her blade flickered toward his side, then shifted mid-motion toward his neck. His chain snapped upward, catching the flat of her blade and redirecting it just enough to throw off the angle. At the same time, he stepped in, closing the gap fully and denying her space to move.

His elbow drove toward her. She twisted, taking it along her shoulder instead of clean, but it still forced her off-line. His knee followed immediately. She blocked it this time, bracing, but Alex didn't stop. His fist came down. The explosion forced her back again, her stance finally breaking as she slid across the sand before catching herself. They paused. Just for a moment. From their brief exchanges, he could tell he was more powerful. She likely knew it as well.

Still, she was breathing evenly, watching him as she stood. Alex rolled his shoulder slightly, chains coiling loosely at his sides as his fists burned steadily. He stepped forward again, intent on ending it. Then something smashed into him, there was no warning, no buildup, just a crushing force that hit like a truck. Alex was lifted clean off his feet before he could react. Before he even knew what was happening, he was thrown through the air, his side exploding in pain.

His body slammed into the stone wall behind him, the impact cracking rock and knocking the breath from his lungs as debris scattered around him. For a moment, the world tilted before snapping back into place. Alex pushed himself up, vision clearing just in time to see them both approaching. The woman moved lightly across the ground, measured and controlled. Beside her, a man stood. He was massive, muscles bulging underneath his loose clothing.

Each step shook the ground, heavy enough to grind sand and stone beneath his feet. The two-handed mace rested easily in his grip like it weighed nothing at all. Alex spat some blood to the side and steadied himself, rolling his shoulders. The odds had just shifted. Around him, the fight had fully erupted. Steel clashed in the narrow paths. Spells lit up the cliffs above. Bodies moved, fell, and were replaced just as quickly. The choke point had turned into a grind of constant motion and violence.

And yet, right here, it felt separate. Focused. Dangerous. Alex planted his feet again, chains coiling loosely at his sides as he watched them close the distance.

"You look like you could use a hand." The voice came from beside him. Alex didn't hear her arrive and didn't feel the shift. She was just there. Mia stood at his side, sword resting casually in her hand, her presence cutting through the chaos. Heat rolled off her in subtle waves, the air around her blade distorting slightly. She glanced at him, then back at the two approaching figures.

"You've done well. I can take it from here." Alex let out a short breath, tension easing just slightly. The man's deep voice rolled over the battlefield.

"So you live. That is truly unexpected." Alex shifted slightly away from Mia as her sword lit with fire that burned so hot it crystallized the sand.

"You'll come to regret fucking with my people," she stated, before the crystallized sand erupted beneath her and she shot forward so fast Alex couldn't keep track. —~~— Ethan slowed as he crested the dune, his boots grinding into the sand as his eyes swept over the ground ahead. Bodies lay scattered across the dunes, half-buried and twisted in unnatural ways. Limbs were torn, flesh greyed and brittle as if it had rotted before death. The air carried a faint, sour scent that clung to the back of his throat. Undead.

Ethan crouched beside one, brushing sand away from its arm. The skin flaked under his touch, breaking apart too easily.

"These weren't here before," Thane said from behind him.

"No," Ethan replied, standing again.

"They weren't. It seems luck may be on our side." His gaze shifted forward, scanning the terrain. The dunes ahead were carved up, a line of bodies leading to Highrocks.

"They've already been fighting. We might be able to surprise them from behind," Ethan muttered. Thane stepped up beside him, looking over the same ground.

"Let's pick up the pace." Ethan gave a small nod.

"Let's move," Thane said, already stepping forward again. The group followed without hesitation. They pushed through the dunes, the signs of conflict becoming more frequent the closer they got. More bodies littered the path, more disturbed ground, more scattered impacts where spells had struck. It wasn't a full battlefield, not like the one they had just left, but it told enough of a story. After a few more minutes, when they were at the foot of Highrocks, Ethan picked up a sound.

Faint at first, carried on the wind. It was the clash of steel, distant shouting, the sharp crack of spells hitting stone. His head tilted slightly as [Keen Sense] sharpened, pulling the sounds into focus.

"They've already started," someone behind him said. Ethan didn't respond. He was already moving faster. The dunes gave way to stone as Highrocks came into view, the cliffside settlement rising in jagged layers. Ethan stepped onto the stone and came to a stop, his eyes taking it all in. The lower passages were packed with bodies, both sides clashing in tight spaces where numbers barely mattered. Spells lit up the cliffs, fire and earth tearing into the walls and defenders alike.

Arrows fell from above while others climbed, forcing their way up toward the higher levels. Broken Dawns were holding, but only just.

"They're doing good," Thane said quietly.

"Let's join them," Ethan stated. He took a step forward, intent on moving in and finishing his oath. But he paused when he felt a massive surge of mana. Ethan felt it the same instant Thane did. Both of them turned without a word, eyes snapping toward the source. It came from deeper within the settlement, cutting through the noise of everything else. It was so intense, Ethan had no doubt who it was. A smile lit up his face as he put his helmet on. The power rolled over the entirety of Highrocks.

Powerful enough to make everything else feel small for a moment, even Ethan and his modicum of power. Ethan's breath slowed as he focused, tracking it through the chaos. Then he saw her. The Broken Dawns guildmaster stepped into view, her presence cutting through the battlefield with quiet authority. Her blade burned, flames trailing along its edge, the air around it distorting from the heat. She came to a stop in front of a massive brute of a man. He was dark-skinned. Towering over her.

A two-handed mace moving in half motion. Ethan's eyes narrowed as he took in the size of him, the weight of his presence even from a distance. But paused as he noticed he had missed the attack. Blood was flowing from his neck. The guildmaster turned her head, watching him. For a brief moment, nothing happened. Then his head slid from his shoulders. His body remained standing for a second longer before collapsing, the mace slipping from his grip and crashing into the stone.

The guildmaster's blade came to rest in front of her, flames still dancing along its length. Ethan stared for a moment longer before letting out a slow breath.

"Well," he muttered.

"They're fucked."