Chapter 29: The Invasion
Today was Saturday and the academy field grounds was buzzing with different happy faces.
It was one of the days students did not have classes. Today was for sports day, especially the Sky-Stone Relay, which everyone loved to watch every saturday.
Reynold sat on the stone bleachers stretching his body with eyes fixed on the big main training field. Next to him, Gwyn was jumping on the edge of her seat with her eyes glued to the center of the field.
"You have to admit, Reynold, this is better than being stuck in your dorm room," Gwyn said, elbowing him lightly. She wore a simple white top, her hair pulled back in a loose braid.
Reynold groan lightly as he was scanning the colorful banners and the buzz of activity.
The Sky-Stone Relay was not only a game but also a field work between the rider and magic users in form of a sport. It was more a fast-paced and multi-stage event that makes the riders to rely on Magic Users, and Magic Users must rely on rider speed.
"It’s a good sport," Reynold nodded, trying to sound bored. Gwyn basically forced him to come watch the match.
The objective of the game was simple, get a grapefruit-sized, mana-resistant shadow-iron orb from the center of the field into the opposing team’s goal, the Mage Arcana Well. Each team had one Rider and Dragon pair and two Mages.
Right now, the field was filled with the voices of the Year One Cheerleading Squads, their coordinated chants trying to drown out the low rumble of the dragons waiting patiently in the Dragon-Lift Zones.
Gwyn pointed excitedly. "Look, Nyx is on the Azure Team! Come on, Azure!"
Reynold’s eyes, however, were not on the game right now. He shifted his gaze to the far corner of the field, near the wall was Nymeria, next to her was Professor Valerius. The professor who had cleared him at the trial ground. It look like Valerius was giving her an instruction.
The starting horn blew, it was a deep bellow sound.
Two Mages which were the Strikers, immediately bent their hands to the heavy Stone and immediately invisible forces slammed into the orb, trying to lift it. The grass below the Stone started to get dry and cracked under the pressure of the concentrated mana.
A Striker from the Cobalt Team who is thin and a tall Fourth-Year got the slight advantage. His partner(Protector) who is the second magic user immediately threw up a shinning dome of amber light, forcing the Azure Striker to redirect her spell just to crack the shield.
The Cobalt Striker’s Stone rise three feet off the ground, moving quickly, but then the Azure Protector which is Nyx,.was also fast. She stomped her foot, and a thin, serpentine tendril of earth erupted from the turf, snapping the Cobalt Striker’s ankles.
The Striker yelped, losing focus, and the Stone slammed back to the ground.
"Get up, you idiot!" Gwyn yelled, jumping up and down.
As the two Mage teams scrambled to regain control of the orb, a sound that was not the cheerful yells and chants of the students sounded in the open field.
Snap. Snap.
Two dark streaks which were like bolts of shadow hit the field.
The crowd’s cheering instantly died. The field became very silent.
Reynold’s head snapped up. On the field, the Rider of the Cobalt Team who was just preparing for his dragon to dive was slumped forward on his mount. An arrow was buried deep in his chest. The second arrow that was feathered with black crow-like feathers, was also buried deep in the dragon’s body.
The dragon let out a heart-wrenching wail of pain as the wings collapsing as it and the Rider crashed heavily into the ground. The boy was dead instantly.
Everyone gasped as they moved back from the field, their cheerful chant was instantly replaced by fear. Reynold stood to his feet as coldness washed over him.
Then, a big raptor fly into the arena, letting out a shriek that sounded like grinding metal.
"A Skreel!" someone screamed from the crowd.
"The Aetherclaws are here!" another voice shouted, followed by the cursing of a nearby Cadet. "How the hell did they breach the academy Wards?"
Professor Valerius, his face was filled with terror as he turned around, grabbing Nymeria’s arm.
"Nymeria, take all year one Cadets to safety! Take them to the Mage Tower now!" His eyes darted finding a particular person, before his voice dropped to a low snarl meant only for Nymeria to hear. "Do not let the Starweaver boy leave your sight!"
Nymeria gave a quick nod and rushed toward the bleachers where the first years cadets were standing in confusion and fear.
Valerius turned back to the remaining Cadets. His voice was sounding like it was amplified by a booming deep resonance spell that filled the environmen. "YEAR ONE CADETS, GO WITH NYMERIA! EVERYONE ELSE, TAKE FORMATIONS IN FIVE."
The field was now a chaotic and Iron Talons—the Aetherclaw foot soldiers, were already inside the field. There are clad in black, lightweight armor—and their monstrous, their Skreel were flying into the fieldto
.
Nymeria reached the bleachers and started helping the terrified Year Ones, both Riders and Mages, toward the tall white building of the Magic user Academy building. She was very quick with it and shoving them, her loud voice was directing them.
Her eyes scanned the crowd, and when they landed on Reynold, who was still standing without moving but just staring at the big field, she rushed toward him. Gwyn, shaking, was already trying to pull Reynold away.
Nymeria grabbed Reynold’s arm, her grip surprisingly strong, and hauled him forward.
"Move, Starweaver! Now!"
Reynold resisted, balancing his feet. His eyes were wide and was fixed on the field where Valerius and the remaining Cadets were starting to form a defensive line.
"I have to help!" he insisted, his heart pounding against his ribs. He wanted to go out there and join the line.
Nymeria did not let go of his. She leaned in, her voice low and furious. "You may be the best Cadet in your set, but you are no match for trained Aetherclaws. If you want to help, then help me keep your fellow Cadets safe!"
Reynold’s eyea finally shifted from the field. He looked at Nymeria’s pale face, then at the crowd of first years cadets running for their lives, and finally at Gwyn, who was crying silently but still pulling at his sleeve. He nodded once, shoving down the urge to rush into the field.
"Go! Go!"
They joined the other year Ones, rushing toward the Magic-User building.
A deafening roar sounded in the sky and Reynold looked up. It was the Headmaster and his big charcoal-grey dragon. The dragon flew past Reynold and students and into the center of the Iron Talons formation and then breathe fire on them. The fight had just begun.
But as Reynold glanced back, his blood ran cold. Sets of Iron Talons had managed to broken away from the main field and was coming toward them and their bows arrows already drawn.
"Dammit! Keep running!" Reynold yelled.
Arrows, tipped with venom-green paint, was already flying towards them.
Nymeria did not was fasr as she flung out her hand and shinning silver-blue shield of pure mana materialized instantly in front of them. The arrows hit the shield, and with a grunt of effort, Nymeria pushed her magic, and it did not just to block the arrows but it redirected the arrows back. The arrows shot back, punching into the chests and necks of the charging Iron Talons. Ten men dropped dead.
But there were too many. Another dozen men were closing fast on them. Nymeria slowed, turning her back to the running Cadets.
"We won’t make it to the main entrance in time," she muttered, her face grim. She pulled a small, silver nameplate from her pocket and throw it into Reynold’s hand.
"Take them. Keep running. The last building before the Headmaster’s Tower. Place this on the wall, a door will open. Get inside and seal it immediately just like how you opened it.."
Reynold did not take the plate. "What are you doing?"
"I’m buying you time," she said. "I will hold them off as long as I can."
"Then I’m staying." He grabbed the nameplate, pushing it into Gwyn’s shaking hand instead. "Gwyn, take them. Go! Don’t look back."
Gwyn’s lips trembled. She wanted to argue but there was no point arguing. "Just be safe and come back in one piece," she muttered then turned and ran, pulling the terrified students along with her.
Nymeria looked at Reynold, then back at the fast approaching Iron Talons. "Can you use a sword?"
"Yes."
Nymeria nodded. The Iron Talons released another volley of arrows. This time, Nymeria caught the volley with a surge of energy, twisting her wrist, and sending them back like a vengeful swarm. Several more Talons fell.
Using a burst of telekinetic magic, she ripped a curved sword from the hand of a fallen Talon near the sidelines and sent it spinning end-over-end toward Reynold.
"Careful. The blade is made with a slow-acting paralysis venom. Only touch the handle."
Reynold caught the sword’s wooden handle. It was a little too heavy for him.
Nymeria dropped to a knee, placing her palms flat on the ground. She was not looking at the Iron Talons; she was looking down snd concentrating.
Her lips were moving in a quick, silent incantation. She was drawing power from the earth. The air around her started to grew still and a deep, low hum vibrated up through the ground. The earth was answering her call.
A second later, as the Iron Talons charged within fifty yards, the ground under them buckled. Huge, jagged spikes of granite and rock that were thick as a man’s torso, erupted from the earth in a violent rushing wave. The first rank of Talons were thrown violently into the air.
Nymeria slumped slightly, her face suddenly pale, the concentration lines around her eyes were deep. She was drawing too much. She tried to raise her hands again, but her muscles spasmed.
"Stop! You drawing more than your body can handle!" Reynold shouted, grabbing her shoulder.
"More are coming!" she insisted, fighting his grip.
A fresh wave of arrows arced toward them. Reynold did not bother to think. He spun the heavy, curved blade in his hand like he was a practiced dancer, flinging the deadly venom-tipped arrows back toward their senders. He managed to deflect two back, but the third slammed harmlessly into the earth shield Nymeria had desperately summoned.
Before the last of the deflected arrows could find the target, they were now surrounded. More Iron Talonshad were closed in circle, blocking any path that Nymeria and Reynold can not escape.
They put away their bows as they drew their long serrated black blades.
Reynold and Nymeria backed up until their shoulders brushed. Their hands unconsciously reached out and touched each other, interlocking their fingers in a desperate grip. They were at the disadvantage here Their breathing was becoming fast. They were utterly outnumbered.
Then, a sound that was different from the Iron Talons sounded in the air.
ROAAAR! ROAAAR! ROAAAR!
The sound was terrifying.
The circle of Iron Talons instinctively looked up. Giant shadows fell over the courtyard.
Three dragons and it was nothing like the raptor-like Skreel, but real dragons were flying towards them.
Black, dark red and brown. Reynold stared at the dragons with a shock expression. They were the dragons from his dream.