Dark shrouded figures shambled into the a.s.sault, resistant to their weapons and capable of soaking up insane amounts of damage. Her forces slogged through the creatures, slowing down to tear them apart. Nasty work but necessary. They'd lost several guards earlier when they'd left the figures for dead only to see them rise up and shred their forces. Alexis' voice was hoa.r.s.e from screaming orders and bolstering the troops morale. Luckily no one had broken in the face of Demonic creatures. If one faced horrors in their own town, they'd do their best to purge the threat.

Much of the town seemed to believe in that precept, arming themselves and joining the battle. Unfortunately the town had exploded with skirmishes wherever she looked. Reports were coming in that entire districts had erupted in violence as hidden gang members and Demonic ent.i.ties revealed themselves. n.o.bles, soldiers, Dragon Lords and who knew what else were tearing through the streets of Konstanz to join her forces as more creatures surged from the enemy headquarters. Demons did that to people. They may hate each other or constantly fight but in the face of Demonic corruption, they'd band together faster than anyone believed possible.

Nikolai's message had been to meet at point orange, one of the prearranged locations along their path of advance which could serve as landmarks. Elya glared at the lopsided pub which was supposed to be their meeting point. The Silver Serpent's defensive efforts were terrible. Until now. A trench cut through the street, lined with stakes and buffered by a wooden palisade bristling with weapons and enemies. Mercenaries lined the makes.h.i.+ft wall, experienced soldiers anchoring the defence and guiding the screaming criminals that provided the line soldiers for their bosses. Her efforts to send troops around or through the surrounding buildings were thwarted at every turn. It appeared her enemies concentrated their forces along a ring that centred on their headquarters, densely occupying buildings and streets to block all avenues of advance. If she ordered a charge, Elya was sure the a.s.sault would succeed but at the cost of dozens of her soldiers.

The dark clouds forming around the headquarters terrified her, memories of Nostrum's tower churning within. Drawing her blade she prepared to lead the attack, her abilities would limit the damage on the a.s.sault force. A little. The surrounding buildings were filled to the brim with archers and crossbowmen, prepared to shred any attackers so her efforts would have little impact.

"… wait… Khan… attack…" Jarek's voice crackled in her ear and she glanced up at the eye which materialised nearby. Shaking her head and pointing to indicate she didn't understand.

"… Khan about… attack…"

She waved to acknowledge the message and glanced towards the tower, searching for a sign of the magical barrage Nikolai was preparing.

The wind howled, and she glanced up, almost dropping her sword at the sight of her fiancée hovering above her head. Even at this distance she saw the cold, dispa.s.sionate eyes so unlike his regular self. Pulses of light flashed from Nezgrom and Elya s.h.i.+vered at the sight, remembering Sieradz, the city that faced the wrath of the Empire in the form of its greatest magical weapon, the Celestial Thunder. Elya's cape whipped around her in the rising air currents and she spotted Nikolai's gesture to find protection from his attack.

A common hand signal for Mages attached to the Ministry of War.

A terrifying signal, indicating the release of great powers.

"Take cover!" She screamed and flung her body behind the parapet of the roof she stood on, s.h.i.+elding her head with trembling arms.

Screams of wind tore over her head, slas.h.i.+ng into the palisade with terrifying force. Her body trembled under the impacts, feeling each strike pa.s.s from head to toe. Even though the barrage only lasted a few moments, it felt like an eternity, and she was helpless in the face of such might. Dragonslayers had great powers and vitality but confronting a long range barrage like this, not much could survive.

Silence descended for a moment, like the world s.h.i.+ed away from the violence that just descended. Now that the attack was complete, Elya peeked over the parapet and surveyed the devastation.

The wooden palisade was just gone. Disintegrated under the barrage, the men and women guarding it turned to dust. The surrounding buildings lay shattered, agonised moans and shrieks of horror rising from the rubble, injured enemy forces stumbling from the wreckage. Shaky guards moving to arrest whoever remained and slipping past the damage to press deeper into Silver Serpent territory. A subdued Alexis trotted behind the lead elements, helmet swaying side to side in a bid to a.s.sess the damage.

A whisper of sound behind her signalled Nikolai's descent and Ely spun to face him, eyes wavering at the sight of the War Mage. His body sparked with residual power and bursts of magical force spun within his pupils, burning in a glorious rage. She felt like she was facing an ancient beast and her hand slid along her sword hilt, trying to get a better grip. Nikolai observed the effects of his attack, indifferent to the terrorised screams that carried to them over the wind. Seemingly satisfied, the light swirling within Nezgrom flickered for a moment, dimming instantly and he blinked, a soft smile appearing as the magic faded.

"Thought you needed help." He quipped, moving to join her.

"It was timely." She agreed. Drops of sweat flowed down her face, the presence of so much magic brought back terrifying memories. Removing her helmet, Elya wiped the sweat away with her cape and took a sip of water from the waterskin tied at her belt.

"What's wrong with your voice?" Nikolai frowned, scrutinising her figure in search of the problem.

"Voice? Nothing. Everything's fine."

"You're sort of hissing."

"Oh! That." She ran her tongue over the gap in her teeth. "One of my teeth was knocked loose by those Battle Mages. Not sure when, but some time during later fights it fell out." She shrugged, it was a little concerning but invisible unless someone dug through her mouth.

Nikolai's hand darted for her face and caught by surprise she latched onto his wrist, holding him in place.

"What are you doing?" glaring at his innocent expression she spat to the side. Not very feminine, but the rising dust coated the inside of her mouth and in a fight it was better to be at ease than to look pretty.

"Checking the damage." He remarked trying to get his hand back.

"It's fine Nikolai. We've spent long enough here as it is. Those clouds concern me."

He muttered but retracted his hand, mumbling about punishments, vengeance and searching for her missing tooth of all things!

"Focus!" she chided, poking his cheek to make him pay attention.

Blinking at the contact, he grinned a little but led the way to follow her forces advance.

With a War Mage to a.s.sist her forces, they were able to make quick progress. If a building was filled with enemy soldiers, he'd chant some spells and in a few minutes it would collapse. The almost indestructible creatures, which Nikolai called Corrupted, fell apart once they were injured now that he followed up with powerful magical pulses of light. In short order they stood before the headquarters, her reinforced troops morale boosted by the powerful War Mage. Whatever few Dragon Lords arrived, arrayed themselves around Nikolai like bodyguards.

Craters littered the street, a black armoured figure standing dejected to one side, observing the headquarters. The fighting was dying out as the gang members retreated into the building. Corrupted still manifested from the black clouds, almost unlimited in number, continuously shambling into her troops and being destroyed. Nikolai stood off to one side trying to find a 'way through the clouds without vaporizing half the city.'

His words.

Elya strode along the line of makes.h.i.+ft soldiers, joining combat whenever necessary to keep the Corrupted from overwhelming them. Flickers of dark fire swirled through the clouds and Elya raised her sword when she sensed danger, catching a stream of flame on the enchanted blade deflecting the surprise attack into the air. A horrendous screech issued from within the clouds, setting her teeth on edge and a swirling vortex of power slid out to face her. It seethed with rage and frustration spinning at angles Elya found impossible, her mind unable to process the things existence. Its emotions spilled out in waves that were almost tangible and she gripped her weapon tightly in the face of such an unknown creature.

It issued a string of words in a language she couldn't understand but she felt her mind drifting, confusion spreading as she tried to maintain her grip on reality. It spoke once more and Elya almost sat down on the ground, waves of fatigue rocking her body. Guards and Knights surrounding her collapsed unable to withstand the pressure of the creatures words.

A gentle hand rested on her shoulder and calm words in a language very similar to the creatures sprung from Nikolai's lips, warmth and clarity returning to her mind. Her surroundings swayed slightly once she was back in control but sensed danger emanating from the headquarters.

"I'll deal with this one. It's not my style to stand so close to my enemies but a warp-lich isn't something to take lightly." Nikolai declared, and the creature released a series of screaming hisses in defiance. He spun his staff sending waves of air in every direction, flaring to life with light and magic, so bright it was blinding. "You handle the snake."

"What snake?" Elya called, sliding away from her fiancée by his magic.

Rumbles echoed throughout the street and a sense that something was trapped beneath her feet overwhelmed Elya. The town convulsed, and she stumbled, kneeling with a hand pressed against the cobblestone to maintain her balance. Soldiers around her sprawled to the ground, unable to withstand the force. Nikolai stood at ease, unaffected by the surrounding destruction, bright eyes locked on the swirling vortex he called a warp-lich hovering before them. She'd never heard of the term but liches were supposed to be powerful undead Mages. Dangerous ones. Adding warp as a prefix only made the situation more ominous.

Screams resounded from the headquarters and Elya whipped her head to stare in fear as the building exploded. The dark clouds swirling around the structure burst and a coiling mottled black snake rampaged out of the rubble, flinging stone, gla.s.s and wood in every direction as it heaved itself from its residence.

"That snake." Nikolai shouted, crouching a little in a strange stance that Elya didn't recognise. Chanting and waving Nezgrom at his enemy, Nikolai sent dazzling blasts of lightning arcing towards the creature. It managed to defend with a s.h.i.+mmering black s.h.i.+eld, deflecting the attacks into the road, tearing scorch marks across the already wrecked street. With a flicker the area erupted in waves of powerful magic, walls of flame and sheets of ice slas.h.i.+ng in from every direction.

Elya's heart froze at the sight, fear for Nikolai's well-being gripping her. He seemed so delicate all the time, and she worried this close combat could hurt him badly. Unfortunately the forces being unleashed made any attempt by her worthless. Closing her eyes for a moment she drew a deep shuddering breath, striving to calm her mind.

He'd entrusted her with a task.

The snake towered before Elya, multi-faceted eyes staring down at her forces, a glimmer of inhuman intelligence s.h.i.+mmering deep within. Elya rubbed her scar as she furiously considered her options. She might be able to cause damage to the beast but she was drained from the constant combat.

She needed a helper.

A flash of light caught her attention, and she focused on the black armoured Captain Chen laboriously swinging his lance around.

Thunder Lancers were formed to defeat these sorts of nightmarish horrors.

Perfect.

Breaking into a run she gathered all the crossbowmen on her path to Chen.

They weren't even married yet, and he had her fighting beastly snakes and Demonic horrors. At least her married life would be interesting. Elya grinned at the thought, breathing heavily and pondered the ma.s.sive snake as it curled around another building, tongue flickering and tail darting out to send anyone nearby flying. Maybe they could use its head as a centrepiece for the wedding. Aunt Natalia and her mother would find the idea abhorrent but having a creature she killed with her husband headlining the party seemed sort of appropriate.

It was a wedding between a Mage and Dragonslayer after all.