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| ===Chapter 15 - ===
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| For centuries, southern mages have mocked the Hyperborean's Runic Magic as obsolete compared to Aura Magic.
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| Runic Magic had its advantages, sure. It allowed for the storage of ether from pre-cast spells through the use of runestones. Many rock minerals' crystal lattices had a low ether diffusion rate, making it possible to maintain hoards of prepared spells. This allowed anyone who knew the trigger conditions to activate Runic Magic in bulk -- an absolute quantitative advantage which the Hyperboreans exploited at every opportunity.
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| However, Runic Magic's inability to spontaneously cast and its need for a physical carrier drastically limited its use. For example, there was simply no northern equivalent of the ''Ether Seeker'' multipurpose counterspell. Nor could Hyperboreans weave layered defensive wards at different distances. Their inability to apply both defensive and antimagic spells at the same time without the opposing magical interference always left them vulnerable to Weichsel's superbly coordinated volleys.
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| But the manipulation of ether was as much a science as alchemy or metallurgy. Runic Magic would evolve with time just like any other technology in demand.
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| Hyperborean mages on the Frontier had recently developed the newest form of Runic Magic: spell runes which were limited by neither their location nor contact activation. These new runes had rudimentary awareness of their surroundings. They could move freely across any two-dimensional surface. They could even work in groups and follow complex instructions, such as "band together in a grid and discharge in a coordinated volley against massed enemy charge, delayed until the last moment so they cannot evade".
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| In essence, they were self-operated, ''automated'' spells that no longer required a human operator.
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| The proud Hyperborean mages of the newest generation called them "Living Runes".
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| The deafening thunder from the other side of Skywhale Polarlys left a buzz in Asgeirr Vintersvend's ears. But he paid it no mind as his cool Admiral Winter facade finally cracked open a broad, vengeful smirk:
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| "Where is your Holy Father now?"
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| <nowiki>----- * * * -----</nowiki>
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| "KAYETEN! I NEED A VOLLEY!"
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| Reynald accompanied his shout with a ''Telepathy'' burst. He doubted Kayeten could hear any better than his own ringing ears, and the recent magical discharge would surely distort his ungrounded telepathy. But even one syllable getting through might catch the Lieutenant's attention.
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| Surely enough, those faded-green eyes turned towards him with a confused look.
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| Reynald followed it with set of hand signals in glowing red: single raised finger, then extended palm, then two fingers pointing at the skywhale von Hammerstein and Ariadne charged towards.
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| It was a painstaking way of relaying such a simple message, but it was also necessary. Communications were the lifeblood of any military unit. Without coordination, even the best of effort would fall apart like sand.
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| The extremely bland-looking Lieutenant replied with a single nod, before raising his glove and chanting the opening to his spell.
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| He always began with ''Phalanx'' -- the key word of a spellstorm mage.
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| Dozens upon dozens of emerald lights sprang into existence, surrounding the Lieutenant like a glittering shroud. It was a humbling display of magic prowess that always left Reynald wondering how someone his own age could empower ''that many'' shots at once. But for now, he was just glad that the charging spell barrage was on his side.
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| Reynald then waved his light lance to gather the attention of his squad before pointing it at the Colonel's flag ahead.
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| "FOLLOW ME! CHARGE!"
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| It didn't matter that his squadmates were probably all deaf at the moment.
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| Correct protocols were simply too important to forgo at times like these.
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| Reynald watched through admiring eyes as Colonel von Hammerstein rushed through two lightning bolts, then charged his swordstaff blade into the chest of one Northmen officer on the skywhale's back. His gryphon tried to dig its claws into a nearly archer, but only struck wards and knocked the man away.
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| At that same moment, over a hundred rays from Kayeten and his 3rd Platoon raced in from behind. They rained onto the area surrounding the Colonel's landing, leaving him the lone visible figure in a sea of explosive mayhem.
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| Damage from a scattered elemental barrage was minimal against warded troops. The true purpose had been to suppress foes and buy time. Nevertheless Reynald knew the inspiring image was forever engraved into his memory, especially when von Hammerstein somehow speared the flagpole of his Black Dragon banner into the skywhale's armored back.
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| That was a tarnish that the Northmen would not permit.
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| A sergeant fifteen paces away gestured his men to attack through the lingering smoke. But before they could switch bows for swords and axes, Ariadne had dove into their group, pierced through the leader's wards, and skewered his torso with the lance form of her Manteuffel Sword.
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| Shrinking her weapon to its 'normal' size, she pulled the twin-bladed sword out of the corpse and hacked towards a nearby archer. But with the ''Smiting Catalyst Dispel'' spell on her weapon gone, she couldn't even crack through his outermost spellshield.
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| ''Use the--''
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| Reynald didn't even finish his thought when Ariadne drew a siphon with her other hand. Swinging it around from the left, she sent out a wave of liquid fire that instantly torched every surrounding foe.
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| Well... all except one. The last archer-turned-axeman was on the wrong side of her mount. So Ariadne urged Edelweiss to plow straight into him before trampling him underfoot. His wards and armor would ensure that his ribs stayed intact, but the hard impact would still stun him for a few precious seconds.
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| The white pegasus then broke into a gallop across the skywhale's back -- its rider immolating entire squads with bursts of hellish flames. Although her accuracy was terrible, even for someone new trying to use those siphons.
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| It took a closer look before Reynald realized that Ariadne worried over more than just the Northmen troops. There were glowing, palm-sized lights that collected into groups as they somehow moved across the skywhale's back. Reynald wasn't sure what they were -- but they looked way too similar to the magical anomaly that unleashed that devastating lightning barrage.
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| This time, Ariadne was taking no chances with them. Her flame jet reached out to torch anything that approached. Whenever it met one of those firefly-like swarms, the flames crackled and surged as though breaking another oil barrel.
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| But there were simply way too many foes...
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| A dispelling arrow shattered the last of her spellshields before bouncing off her spaulders. But the bodkin head that followed buried into her breastplate near the shoulders.
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| Reynald then winced as he watched Ariadne broke off the arrow shaft without even hesitating before tossing it aside.
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| He traced the attack back to an officer who directed another squad of archers for coordinated volleys. With not a second to waste, the redhead shouted "''Phantom Charge''". The ether of his mount ripped away to form a blazing spectral charger, which rammed straight into those archers and exploded in scorching fury.
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| Losing his steed left Reynald plummeting through the skies. But with less than fifty paces to go, he also didn't care.
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| "''Aura Burst!''" he called out as he tossed aside the cumbersome lance and drew his trusty dual kukris.
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| With another thought and a rush of ether, Reynald transmuted his entire body into an arcing bolt of lightning. He slammed straight into the archer group that had been trying to shoot his best friend's fiancée, imprinting one last chilling smirk into their startled eyes.
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| "''Catalyst Dispel Burst!''"
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| A wave of antimagic blasted away from Reynald in all directions, ripping away wards even as he leaped back into the air. The short redhead then spun his body like an axle shaft, slashing away at all sides with twin whirlwind blades.
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| His first rotation hardly cut into their chainmail. Most soldiers thought bigger weapons were better for a reason, after all.
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| But the second rotation rose higher to more vulnerable parts, and those viciously curved kukri blades easily tore out five throats.
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| [ It still didn't pierce the officer's thick chainmail coif. So Reynald kicked off one of the dying archers, flipped over his target, and rectified the problem by plunging two bloody blades into his enemy's face. ][ bit much? ]
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| <nowiki>----- * * * -----</nowiki>
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