Jackal Among Snakes

Argrave was certainly no master of warfare. There was one thing that he understood very well, though, having once watched an entire one (1) video on Napoleon’s misadventures with the coalitions when he’d been bored, thus making him at least an expert in the field. Speed and maneuverability were incredibly important factors in any battle. Being able to reach a position, providing either timely reinforcement or carrying out a devastating blow to an undefended front, could often decide the fate of entire campaigns.

That was the crux of their defense strategy.

The benefit of being the defender was that one held a defensive position—the onus was on the other party to launch the attack. The castles and fortifications throughout Berendar could finally be put to good use. The primary instruction that Argrave had given each and all of the people throughout him domain was simply this: hold the line, and wait for relief. Argrave, and a few key other heavy-hitters, was that relief.

The hardest task didn’t rest on his shoulders, however. Elenore had expanded her network of mental connections to a vast degree to compensate for the loss of druidic magic. She was also supported by Lira, the goddess of connections. The two of them, together, received and processed communications from around the continent. They obtained reports, processed them, and gave judgment calls. It was unimaginably mentally taxing… yet Elenore was up to the task. Even someone as pretentious as Raven had acknowledged her genius.

And most importantly, Elenore could make the difficult calls without hesitating.

The first thirty seconds after everyone had departed was tense, and Argrave stared at Elenore as she listened to hundreds of voices in her head with some help from Lira. Finally, though, she opened her gray eyes, focused on Argrave, and gave the first command that ushered Argrave into non-stop battle.

“Reinforce Quadreign, immediately,” she said with certainty.

With a nod, Argrave called upon a blood echo that had been distributed long in advance. Ordinarily, maintaining an echo at such a long distance would be impossible—with sufficient focus, however, he could maintain countless in various different locations. He simply couldn’t employ them in the fight, lest that focus waver.

Argrave went from the pleasant warmness of Blackgard to the harsh cold of Quadreign in moments. Deafening noises and flashing lights disoriented him immediately, and he looked to the sky to see a power near equal to his own raging: the black flame of House Quadreign.

Hause’s ability had given Vasilisa of Quadreign the ability to wield her house’s purging flame as an extension of herself. All around, it raged defiantly against a swarm of insects of such scope that the sky itself had vanished. No more light reached the north—the only thing keeping this place illuminated was Quadreign’s black flame and the countless spells that ascended upward to fight the coming killers. The ground, too, was covered by bugs—centipedes, cockroaches, ants, all in such numbers they appeared to turn the ground into rolling waves of blacks and brown.

Vasilisa stood on the top of her family’s clock tower, wielding the flame as though she held two whips. She was frighteningly effective given how little time she’d had her power, yet the insects were so numerous she couldn’t keep them from entering the city. Already, entire houses were overrun, their inhabitants devoured in mere seconds. Argrave already stood amidst these swarms, protected only by Artur’s enchanted armor. Even wards broke in seconds before this insect tide.

“Elenore judged you’d need help,” came a voice from beside Argrave, and he turned his head to see Raven standing there. Any insects that came near him walked inside his body like they were welcome… and never came out, absorbed into his being.

“Trace the gods controlling the bugs using [Truesight]. They’re the key,” Argrave commanded quickly. “Then, help me kill them!”

it used too much of his blood—he only needed to kill bugs, not gods. With the criteria of something with a large area of effect that couldn’t kill people, yet could still reach the creatures worming their way through the ground or the smallest cracks, it didn’t take long for him to find what he needed. Invented by a jungle explorer tired of mosquitoes, this spell had already been intended for a similar scenario… though on

arms out. Two blood-infused pulses of electricity exploded outward, dispersing upon contact with either the ground or the

screams of pain as his electricity hit a great many citizens, but he considered that a good thing. Better they suffer some burns than die to hordes of bugs. After countless pulses

one,” Raven shouted. “I’ll expose

held his arms out, over a dozen mana ripples echoing from hands growing from his body before a tremendous burst of fire cleared a massive stretch of insects. There, Argrave saw a putrid-looking wasp with a swollen

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up past his shoulder exploded into gore, and in its place, a bolt of pure blood magic rose to the sky. Argrave screamed in agony as he manipulated it with his will, sending it hurtling after the god of insects. It was fast—with a flight pattern rather similar to

consumed the resulting spirits, vitality poured into Argrave, and his arm returned to him as quickly as it disappeared. This horde of insects, broken of their unifying force,

broken,” said Raven once there was quiet enough, stating the obvious. “But the

about that once we make sure there are years to

Argrave arrived atop the belltower, where she

anything more? Any

sister… my sister was out

of the Gray Owl, had toppled. Argrave couldn’t

have their lives in your hand. Remember that.” He looked to

he was reminded that this was the first of

he ducked low while looking about frantically. He moved to the window, seeing a huge beam of power leaving its mark in the sky. It seemed to have come from the Tower of the Gray

Ingo,” Elenore’s voice came weakly, and he looked at her to see her sweating a great deal. Lira looked similarly strained.

heart sunk—how many had

is dead, Hegazar lost his magic, and Vera and Artur are both out of commission for the rest of the fight. They preserved most of the Magisters of the Gray Owl. Raccomen’s portal was destroyed, too—it’ll be

inhaled deeply to swallow his shock,

Head to Jast—Mina and Anneliese are holding out as best they can, but Nikoletta’s force was routed, and it might be wiped out. Be aware—Mina’s illusion spells have become reality,

“Got it.” Argrave nodded.