Sorcerer… Cyborg???

Chapter 189: Kothar and Anteris

"Alright, Father. But I won't be able to be direct with him, otherwise I'll be recognized." Kothar had the ever present threat that Krieg posed at the forefront of his mind. 

"Don't worry, Kothar, I'm sure he'll be able to recognize you by your mana signature alone. And if not, then a few words about your initial visit to Newport would suffice." Tam explained, and then he returned to looking over the map of Aznur, deep in thought.

"Take care, my son." Tam said softly, watching with a concerned expression as Kothar walked out of the auction hall serving a headquarters, in disbelief at how quickly his son had grown. 

Kothar walked through the streets of Aznur, heading toward the Inner City.  The once polished and tidy city was a shell of its former self. 

Everywhere he looked, doors swung open, the buildings empty, their occupants having fled the city mere hours ago, as the Ursten forces had begun their assault on the city.

[Looks like we'll have to take the long way around.] Kothar said to Silane, as they came across a street that had been completely transformed by the Mage Unit.

Slate and Shale had shifted the earth, so that the ground was broken and uneven, rising and falling suddenly, forming mini cliffs and valleys. The buildings on either side. No empty of people, had been completely demolished, pushed over into the streets, making the street completely impassable.

[It seems to me that your father has no intention of occupying this city once he's conquered it.] Silane said to Kothar, a hint of disappointment in her voice. Since their days in the Alliance, Silane had been programmed to minimize waste, and it had carried over into her current personality, making her disapprove of wastage in any form.

[I notice you said 'once he's conquered the city' not 'if he conquers the city', are you that confident in the outcome of this battle.] Kothar asked as he turned away from yet another collapsed and broken street, surprised at Silane's confidence in the result of the battle, especially after her disapproval of the war effort in general.

[My personal feelings about this war aside, Kothar, I've come to recognize Tam as a competent commander, to say the least. Think of it this way, he ensured the bulk of the enemy's forces weren't in the city to defend it, and yet even on top of that, he had the Nighthawks placed in the city in advance, to take care of any unexpected situations.] Silane had sensed Kothar's thoughts about her disapproval. 

[A competent commander, huh? That's high praise coming from you! I think you only called me a competent commander a handful of times.] Kothar thought back to the battles where he had pulled victory from the very jaws of defeat, the few times when Silane had called him a good commander rather than a competent one.

As Kothar walked toward the wall, the vibrations shaking the city grew stronger and stronger, and the explosions that rang out at regular intervals grew in volume.

[There he is, still waging war against that wall.] Silane commented as Kothar walked on to the main street, which offered an unrestricted view to where Anteris stood, just off to the right of the gate in the wall.

Again and again, flames wrapped around Anteris, his red aura glowing within, the flames wrapping around his halberd, and then a massive pillar of flame being slammed into the wall, spreading out across the dome, warping it just the slightest every time.

Kothar covered his ears as he walked closer, the explosions were deafening, and he had to cast Lightning Aura in order to be able to walk comfortably forward.

Step by step, Kothar came closer and closer to Anteris. Anteris was no longer being selective in how his flames burned, and Kothar could feel the white hot heat of the flames even as he stood a hundred meters behind Anteris.

[Kothar, call out to him from here, you'll be putting yourself at risk if you walk any closer.] Silane, usually completely calm, sounded genuinely concerned. And it was for good reason, the buildings that Kothar walked by now were blackened and scorched, and the flagstones beneath his feet were beginning to crack from the heat.

Kothar sent more and more Lighting Element Mana to his Lightning Aura spell, the defense it provided was minimal, and as the heat grew stronger Kothar needed to use more and more mana to resist it.

Now only about ten meters away from Anteris, Kothar could smell the acrid smell of burning hair, it was of course his own. The heat was not unbearable, even with his defenses pushed to the limit as they were, the Lightning Element heavily favored offense, and it was a miracle that Kothar had walked so close to Anteris already.

"Duke Anteris! Come away from the wall, please!" Kothar decided to refer to Anteris by the title he had when they had first met.

Anteris did not respond, instead, sparks began to whirl around him once more as he appeared for yet another attack.

"Duke Anteris, I am sure Graffius will recover, and you're going to be needed in the coming battle. Please, Duke Anteris, we will need you at your full strength." Kothar continued to speak, even as the flames around Anteris grew stronger and stronger, causing Kothar's cloak to begin to smolder, and his armor turned uncomfortably hot.

[Kothar, stop! He cannot be reasoned with, you'll burn alive if he attacks the wall again!] Silane yelled, but Kothar ignored her, stepping closer and closer to the burning Duke.

"Duke Anteris, you refused to lend me your assistance the last time I came to your home! Please, do me a favor this time, and come away from the wall!" Kothar was yelling now, and he continued to step toward the Duke, even as the flames reached up toward the sky and Kothar's skin began to redden and blister.