A Drink Before Battle [M/M] ✅

42: This Was Your Plan

A quick survey of the field showed Sevei that a few dozen of the Brinnish soldiers were now attacking both Valeskans and their own countrymen alike, breaking the formations on this side of the garden and sending the ranks into chaos.

"Does that bastard have any bottom line?" Sevei snarled.

"Apparently not," Yeresym answered. He grabbed at another Brinnish soldier taking a swing at a comrade and sent a short burst of energy into his back, knocking him out.

Sevei's eyes narrowed on him. Although Yeresym was taking it easy on these men, that bit of magic hadn't seemed as easy as Yeresym usually made it look.

"Hey," he said. "How are you holding up? If you get yourself drained again, we won't have Meira to heal you this time."

"I'm fine," Yeresym said coolly, throwing the sleeping man in his hands to another soldier to drag him away.

Sevei and the Brinnish General began barking orders to the surrounding troops, setting everyone the task of pushing the controlled soldiers towards Martial Alchemists, who would then stun them into unconsciousness. Sevei sheathed his sword and drew the small axe from his belt, using its blunt edge to beat Ghed's puppets back.

The Martials were still doing battle with the remaining Loranarian Alchemists, slowing the process, and fighting to subdue these soldiers took a lot more effort than just killing them would. Tempers were flaring amongst the troops. The struggle was wearing everyone thin, and the Valeskan soldiers inevitably began to look upon any of the Brins with suspicion.

Just as it seemed the entire joint army might turn against itself, a shaft of sparkling golden light arose from behind the lines, near the municipal house, and alighted on Balan Ghed.

With most of the controlled soldiers now immobilized, the troops looked up at the strange light in wonder. Ghed struck at it with a bolt of energy, but it passed through the light with no effect on it, blasting the chimney off a nearby house instead. He glared with malevolence down the swirling beam.

He coughed lightly, then abruptly dropped to the rooftop he'd been hovering over, stumbling as his feet struck the slate shingles and sent a few skittering over the eaves. He raised his hands and sent a steady stream of energy down into that beam of light, but it lacked the strength he'd had while demolishing the surrounding buildings.

Behind the back line, Meira and Thelan had successfully joined their talents to drain Master Ghed of his ethereal energy.

Sevei gave Yeresym a triumphant smile.

"It's working!" he said, barely containing his excitement. "Let's go!"

He began to pull Yeresym through the crowd toward the front line, but didn't make it far when a murmur went through the troops as a figure rose into the air and began to ascend through the brilliant golden light.

It was Meira. Her body floated limply, offering no resistance to whatever pulled her along. Her dark hair had come loose and it streamed behind her, tangling in her fluttering cloak, as she rose higher into the air.

"What... what is this?" Yeresym asked, his voice stricken with panic.

"I don't know," Sevei answered, equally bewildered. "This wasn't..."

As they looked on in disbelief, the green tint of Ghed's energy reached Meira through the golden light and twined around her. The light brightened, and Meira's form suddenly became transparent, seemingly made up of countless flecks of twinkling gold and silver that began to flow apart and disintegrate. The shaft of light faded away, leaving only a nebulous cloud of stardust that drifted away on the breeze.