novelraw B3 Chapter 77:Putting on a Show
B3 Chapter 77:Putting on a Show
B3 Chapter 77:Putting on a Show
The wind tore at Marcus’s clothes and hair as they galloped away from the ongoing conflict. He consciously focused on activating [Illusory Domain] to no effect. Not that he expected one yet. Given the kind of range they'd seen on this field last time, he suspected that it would be a bit longer yet until they found its edge.
They were moving fast—surprisingly so. Even without skills, Gerald the horse moved with an alacrity and speed that seemed impossible. Yet another bit of evidence that Neptune's blessing had done more than expected.
Suddenly, a small globe of fireflies burst into existence around them. Abel immediately brought the horse to a skidding halt. The animal seemed to dance momentarily, pivoting with impossible grace on its front legs before firmly planting all four of its hooves into the loamy soil below. It went from full speed to a dead stop in only a handful of paces, leaving only a few short furrows in its wake.
How exactly the horse had managed such a feat—while also allowing himself and Abel to keep their balance—was a question for another day. Right now, Marcus was working on borrowed time. Assuming his idea even worked, of course.
He leaped down from the saddle and turned back the way they came, expanding the globe of fireflies as he moved. The little motes of golden light hovered about him in a sparkling cloud. It only took a moment before he saw what he'd been looking for. The edge of the globe suddenly disappeared, as though it had collided with a wall. Or been swallowed up by an invisible field.
He grimaced. That did not bode well. A few more illusions sent into the affected area confirmed it. Even skills activated outside of the field were rendered useless once they went inside. That meant no singing at the top of his lungs to assist from halfway across the battlefield. Nor could the elven legionnaires simply retreat outside of the field and fire empowered projectiles inside.
The realization instantly neutered most of Marcus’s plans. But there was still one more thing he could try. One more test that may well let him turn the tide.
He tugged his spellbook from its place at his side and quickly flipped through. Making sure that he stood outside of the field, Marcus triggered [Spellcraft] and began to read one of the simpler spells inscribed within. A basic magic missile.
A ball of glowing purple energy shot forth from his extended hand. Marcus held his breath as it zoomed through the fluttering fireflies, approaching the edge of the invisible wall—
—Then sailed through, careening into the distance.
The missile traveled another hundred yards or so before fizzling out. The spell wasn’t known for its incredible range. Yet Marcus grinned. It worked. Spells still worked.
That, he could work with.
“Abel,” Marcus called over his shoulder, already rifling through the book once more. “I have an idea. It's dangerous. But if it works, it could save a lot of legionaries.”
“I'll do it.” The boy instantly agreed.
Marcus gave his squire a serious look. “Are you certain? I do not ask this lightly, nor is it an exaggeration to say that you'll be in more peril than any situation we've faced this far. I would not ask such a thing of you if I could think of another solution.”
Abel gulped, but nodded resolutely. “I'm sure, milord. All I've wanted to do is help protect people. I can't turn my back on that now.”
Marcus nodded. If he had more time, he would have spent it making sure that the boy was completely aware of what he was agreeing to. But they simply didn't have that luxury. This was the best option he could think of on the fly.
He took a deep breath. Without another word, Marcus began casting. The words flowed off his tongue like sweet syrup, thick and heavy with the power imbued within the page. Carefully, he recited the incantation until the effect snapped into being.
Several thin plates of ice coalesced from the air around Abel. They spread out to float around him in a semi-transparent shell, swirling about as the boy flinched back with surprise.
“[Aegis of Ice].” Marcus quickly explained. “Anyone who tries to hit you will be blasted with frost and frozen in place. You can also detonate the plates manually by flicking them, though that should be unnecessary.”
He then proceeded to layer two more [Aegis of Ice] spells onto his squire, as well as a half dozen quick defensive spells. His performance-related skills guided his casting, working with him to ensure that each syllable was precise and measured for maximum effect. If he was going to send the boy into danger, he would do so knowing that he'd afforded him every protection possible. After a moment's thought, Marcus cast his last [Aegis of Ice] and a few more defensive buffs on the horse.
When he finished, Marcus physically felt the lightening of his pockets. Using such an assortment of valuable spells was akin to slicing a hole in them and simply watching the gold drain out like water. He couldn't help but keep a running tally of this little plan’s cost as each spell burned away.
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One thing was certain. After all this was over, he would be presenting the Legion with quite a hefty bill. Even if he had to take the matter up with Tiberius himself.
He flipped to the last spell he needed—an illusion spell, one he'd reserved for use in a particularly special performance. It was quite redundant now, given the superiority of [Illusory Domain]. But right now, he was glad to have kept it around.
Marcus sucked in a breath. “I'm going to cast a [Greater Illusion] on you. When I do, you're going to charge straight at the orcs and send them fleeing for their lives. All right?”
Abel nodded, steeling himself. He leaned close to his mount’s neck and got ready as Marcus found the page. “Whatever you do, don't stop moving. Even if they attack you, you'll be able to leave them in your dust. If [Aegis of Ice] runs out and you have too many on your tail, retreat back to me. I'll handle them.”
He delivered the last line with utter confidence. While he didn't have any spells capable of decimating an entire orc horde, he was far from useless. Especially if they'd lost some of the toughness associated with their battle rage. He'd just tack on a few extra expenses for Rome to reimburse him for.
Without any further delay, he began casting. Already, they'd wasted too much time. He could see the battle devolving in the distance as the orcs found chinks in the Legion’s armor and forced their way through.
As the incantation reached its end, Marcus focused on [Illusory Domain]. An explosion of earth and stone erupted skyward. The gaping maw of the Promethean Worm appeared, its massive body writhing into the air with silent fury as its teeth gnashed hungrily.
To Abel's credit, he didn't flee. He did stare at the sight with wide-eyed astonishment, though. Marcus could feel his fear as it arched back toward the ground, slithering across it like some massive unholy snake. As his skill-based illusion overlapped with the boy's form, Marcus finished the incantation and replaced it with a [Greater Illusion] anchored to his horse.
“Go!”
They didn't have to be told twice. The “worm” rushed forward toward the enemy, long body trailing behind like a windsock. He supported the illusion with sprays of shifting earth and rumbling as far as he could, shooting a small purple flare into the sky in hopes of giving the Legionnaires some warning about the ruse. Then he crossed his fingers and prayed a little prayer. Hopefully, it would be enough.
Fortunately, the worm’s appearance had indeed drawn more than a few eyes—both from the orcs and the Legionnaires. And without the battle lust spurring the orcs on in a suicidal charge, they were once more able to feel fear. Fear that Abel took full advantage of.
His squire barrelled toward a section of the battle where the orcs had actually managed to break through. The very sight of it was enough to send a significant portion of the enemy stumbling back in fear. Those who bravely moved to face down the impossible opponent found themselves disappearing down its maw as they were swallowed whole. Marcus didn’t see them again.
He let out a small sigh of relief. Given that the worm was still moving, it seemed that his defensive spells were doing their job. He just hoped that the “eaten” orcs remained frozen long enough to really sell the illusion.
In all honesty, he’d half expected them to grow wise to his ploy. Perhaps this cataclysmic worm was really some ally of theirs, such that betrayal was borderline inconceivable. Maybe the whole illusion would make no sense. But no such realization seemed to dawn on them. Thankfully, even without rage clouding their minds, orcs weren’t known to be the most intelligent race. Though to be fair, Marcus rather doubted his own ability to think rationally in the face of something like that as well.
The Legionnaires took advantage of the confusion in the enemy’s ranks. They were already repositioning into a more defensible location and falling back to some of the fortifications they’d already erected. For the most part, they seemed to ignore the worm. Whether that was because Abel was too busy chasing the orcs, they’d seen Marcus’s flare, or simply noticing the eerie silence and lack of dirt sprayed about in the illusion’s wake, he wasn’t sure. But he was grateful.
Marcus kept a thumb in one of his more potent offensive spells as he continued flipping through again. Even if he couldn’t reach the enemy from this range, that didn’t mean he had to stand here twiddling his thumbs. Especially since this was only a stopgap. The illusion wouldn’t last forever, and neither would the rest of the spells. Even with Abel being careful about only going after isolated orcs, [Aegis of Ice] only had so many charges. Which meant that he had to dig into his admittedly voluminous sleeves for tricks once more.
He felt his stamina draining further as he continued to cast a few message spells, the pages of his grimoire folding into paper birds that took flight—even if they drew mana from within their inscriptions, using [Spellcraft] still wasn’t free. They shot toward the officers and centurions on the field to inform them of Marcus’s plans. Thankfully, the distraction seemed to have afforded them enough time to regain a tenuous grip on the situation. But how long that would last, he didn’t know. Which meant they needed to get help.
Marcus expanded his illusory fireflies to signal exactly where the skill inactivation field ended. Stretching his domain this wide, even with such a simple illusion, caused his stamina to dip even faster. He watched as elven archers and Legionnaires rushed toward the fireflies to prepare some countermeasures of their own. Before long, the form of the worm began to flicker and fade, prompting Abel to beat a hasty retreat toward his mentor. The illusion disappeared altogether when he was halfway there, a field of orcs frozen in its wake. Their brethren roared in outrage at the deception.
The boy and his horse were both panting by the time he reached Marcus. But there was no time to waste. He sang an [Inspirational Song] for the pair, reaching up to swing onto the back of the horse as it approached. “Good job, Abel. That was excellent. Now. Let’s keep moving.”
The boy straightened with pride. “Where to?”
Marcus pointed. “To Novara. We need to find those reinforcements and tell them to hurry their asses up.”
They began riding once again, setting off as fast as Gerald could carry them—which was quite considerable, now that its skills were back. They had managed to avoid complete disaster. Still, Marcus knew they weren’t out of the woods. The surprise attack had turned the camp into a battlefield, and he wasn’t sure how many men and supplies were lost in the ensuing fight. Nor how many more would be.
How long could they hold out for? He didn’t know. But if there really were half mages among those reinforcements, then they couldn’t get there soon enough.