Sorcerer… Cyborg???

Chapter 179: Slate and Shale

Those of the Nighthawks that had not slipped into buildings or into the sewers that ran under the city, followed the Arena fighters, melding into the crowd of mismatched individuals. With no uniform and no commonality signifying them, it was easy for the Nighthawks to slip into the fringes.

The fighters dismissed them as enthusiastic civilians, while the civilians who trailed after the mass of fighters marching toward the dock dismissed them as fighters, and so the Nighthawks melded seamlessly with the Arena fighters.

While the fighters marched toward the docks, the Imperial forces had begun to form some semblance of a resistance.

The harbor was a 'U' shape, the wreckage of the towers where the Ursten forces had landed at the tip of the 'U' shape. Now, Jeremiah had decided to hold the Ursten forces at the choke point where each side of the 'U' joined the center, to minimize the numerical advantage of the Ursten forces.

Here the soldiers had formed up, spears pointed out toward the advancing Ursten forces, and as they came into formation and the confused mess that the docks had become gained some semblance of organization, the Imperial Mages showed themselves on the right side of the 'U'.

The first move they made was raising the ground below the Imperial forces, giving them the height advantage. Unfortunately for the Imperials, Slate and Shale, the twin Earth Mages that led the Mage Unit after Balmin's death, had already joined the rapidly advancing Ursten forces. 

In the long campaign they had fought, beginning with beating back the Kalun invasion all that time ago, the chubby twins had transformed into a pair of stout men. They both  wore the hardy leather robes of a battlemage, and their pale blonde hair had grown into a shaggy mop top each of their heads. Slate now had a nasty burn that extended from the lower half of his left cheek down towards his torso, which was thanks to an errant fireball during an exhausting face off with a powerful Fire Mage during the conquest of Kalun. 

The raised ground was immediately thrust back down, Slate and Shale forcing the ground down even further than it previously was, driving it so low that the water within the harbor began to pour onto the stone.

The Imperial Earth Mages struggled against Shale and Slate, but the twins, working in unison, had far more control over the Earth Element Mana in the area, and the power of the barely Intermediate Level Mages on the Imperial's side was nowhere near theirs.

That was not to say that the Empire lacked powerful Mages, no, the Empire had two powerful Mage units, but like so many of the Empire's soldiers, they were a part of the Storm generals' armies, and so had also gone north.

"Ice Mages! Now!" Slate and Shale barked out, and the water that had spilled onto the lowered ground beneath the feet of the Imperial soldiers suddenly froze.

The soldiers were left completely trapped, their legs locked within the ice, and the Ursten forces rapidly bearing down on them.

The soldiers desperately slashed at the ice frozen around their legs, and a few escaped, but by now the full force of the Ursten Army was slamming into them.

They fought desperately, but were no match against the Ursten forces, who were able to move freely and attack as they willed. 

On the far side of the harbor though, the Ursten fr4oces were slowly being driven back, a few Imperial Mages posted on the other side successful in gaining the terrain advantage and beating the invading Ursten forces back.

"Mage Unit! Long Range casters attack the other side of the harbor! Short range casters, continue supporting the troops ahead." Shale and Slate noticed the Ursten forces falling back across the harbor and immediately barked out a command.

Spears of ice formed in the air above the Mage Unit, joined by numerous fireballs, and attacks of almost every element imaginable. With the added members from the Southern Tribes, Tam's Mage Unit had truly become a force to be reckoned with.

The projectiles were launched, arcing across the harbor, a rain of multi elemental destruction coming down upon the advancing Imperial Soldiers, who yelled in terror.

But the Imperial Mages posted on the other side of the harbor were able to defend against the attack, shields of earth formed around the soldiers, as well as massive sheets of Ice that rose up.

It seemed that on the left side of the harbor, the Imperial forces would continue to have the advantage, while on the right side of the harbor, the Imperial soldiers were almost completely overrun by the Ursten forces. 

The battlefield was quickly devolved into an absolute mess of spells, attacks and screaming. Men and women fell on every side, falling to magical projectiles, sword, spear and concealed attack alike.

Meanwhile, loud booms continued to ring out from above the battlefield, where the glowing Emperor faced off against the hawk shape of Tam, taking on powerful attack after attack, the Emperor's enormous mana reserves the only thing allowing him to continue fighting on.

Anteris tore his eyes away from the battle unfolding in the skies above, his shoulder had been bandaged, and a new breastplate had been brought out from the ship's hold.

Once again geared for battle, Anteris took up his halberd, his torn expression concealed by his squarish helmet. Today, he had to set his pride as a Warrior aside for the bigger picture, while Tam fought above, he would carry out the conquest below.

"With me, men! How long has it been since we've had a good rumble!" Anteris bellowed out, rousing his personal guard who had been listless aboard his flagship ever since he had been injured. 

"Aye, capitain!" Hearing Anteris' familiar battle cry, his men felt as though they were back raiding just another coastal town, not going into battle against the mighty Empire.

They all roared together, rousing their spirits, as they hopped over the side, into the waiting rowboat.

It was time for Anteris to rejoin the battle.