Chapter 483 – Attack
Of all the cities and fortresses making up the Alfar domain their most important was Sostrad. This city, while not the largest, or even a central hub of commerce or defense, the various Alfar factions considered it sacred ground. Each Matron was sworn to protect the city in times of need, and it served as neutral ground for the Alfar during past internal wars. No Matron had ever violated its sanctity, cementing it as a symbol of their society since ancient times.
This was why the Iblis chose it as the target for their offensive. Any other target, even Matron Jysella’s stronghold of Eustis could be considered expendable by the Alfar. But not Sostrad. If it fell, it would break the spirit of their people and would most certainly cause revolts against the Matrons, whose control over the male population relied as much on fear as it did on reliability. Failing to protect their people’s most cherished place would shatter that.
With the assistance of the auto-mapper artifacts developed from Mage Wells’ example, the Iblis had already noted a large number of Alfar had moved from backline defensive locations. Some moving to frontline units and replacing troops that were pulled from there. With those troops vanishing from the map like many others had. In fact, the Iblis were currently unable to locate any of the most powerful of the Alfar Matrons.
Three SS Rank and dozens of S Rank opponents disappearing could only mean a few things. They were preparing a massive offensive, or they had prepared a deadly trap for the expedition.
The best way Visneer knew to avoid a trap, was to force his opponent to make a move they were not prepared for. He was certain that simply attacking in mass any of the frontline units or even the strongholds of the various Matrons would be accounted for by them. Such targets were obvious. The Alfar would either have planned ahead to retreat from them, leading the Iblis forces around by the nose, or have a more sinister plan to wipe out the attacking force.
This was why Sostrad was chosen as the target. The Alfar would never abandon the city, and they could never let it fall to the Iblis or let it be destroyed. The city was, of course, in the heart of the Alfar territory and well protected, but not as well protected as it had been a few days before.
Nearly half of the defenders from around Sostrad had disappeared, moved to reinforce other locations or moved to the Atlantis ruins in preparation of the ambush. This left it vulnerable, but still better defended than most of the other cities and strongholds of the Alfar. So, when the alert of an attack came, most of the citizens of Sostrad thought it was some sort of drill at first.
The Iblis Portals first opened high in the sky a dozen kilometers outside Sostrad. Spewing out flying warships that immediately began firing their magic cannons toward the city. With magic fire and lightning raining down on defensive locations, the Alfar of the city quickly realized that this was no drill and began seeking shelter.
After the Iblis forces were through the Portals they activated specially crafted massive spatial jamming artifacts. These artifacts not only blocked Portals, like the artifacts used to protect their cities, but all Spatial mana. The artifacts created an effect similar to a null zone, but since it was blocking the Spatial affinity, it did not form a barrier like must null zones did. What it did do, was block the use of spatial artifacts.
The Iblis had arrived prepared, ready for war. Their weapons and armor equipped, even making sure to have healing potions at the ready in pouches at their waist instead of stored safely in their spatial artifacts. With the surprise assault, they not only caught the Alfar off guard, but also with the majority of them having their artifacts trapped just out of reach. Worse still, with the exception of a few Alfar that were close to the arrival of the Iblis, most Alfar had not taken out even their offensive artifacts, choosing to move closer to the battle area before equipping them. Only once they arrived they found they could no longer access their equipment.
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After the initial shock wore off, defensive fire from Sostrad’s own magic cannons lashed out at the attacking Iblis, but a large number of the city’s fortifications had been destroyed in the first few moments. With each attack the defenders launched, the Iblis focused the cannons from their warships at the remaining defenses. In the first five minutes of the assault all of the static defenses on that side of the city had been silenced.
“Matron Jysella!” Cried a young male Alfar. He was a runner sent from the outer lines of the null zone where they had created a special communications pipeline to outside the ruins. As soon as the Alfar crossed into the domain spell of the Matrons he stumbled, not expecting the sudden oppressive feeling.
The Matrons and Mistresses relaxing in the protected area sneered as the male stumbled, offering only mockery at his misfortune. When the young male finally got to his feet and finished rushing to Matron Jysella he was out of breath and feeling the weight of the Matron’s mana pressing down on him.
“What is it, worm?” Matron Jysella demanded of the male.
“The Iblis have launched their assault.”
“Finally. I have been growing bored here. Where do they think we will rush off to, abandoning our ambush?”
“I do hope it is Eustis,” another Matron remarked. “It would serve you right, making us all come to this dreadful place for days. I would like to see you be forced to destroy your own home.”
“It doesn’t matter if it is or isn’t,” snapped Matron Jysella. “I secured all my valuables and keepsakes in spatial artifacts and had them sent to Sostrad for safe keeping. Even if Eustis is destroyed, I can rebuild it easily.”
The young male swallowed hard causing all the females around him to glare. Clearly he was nervous, and he should be, considering any of them could easily kill him if they felt disrespected, but they also felt he was nervous over something else.
“Well,” Matron Jysella prodded. “Are you going to tell us where the Iblis have attacked?”
“Sostrad.”
Matron Jysella lashed out at the male in anger, luckily another of the Matron’s shielded the messenger preventing him from being killed.
“This messenger has more to say I think,” Matron Ivette said, lowering the shield she had raised for the young male. “Do tell. What else has the message said?”
“The Iblis have attacked in force. It is believed to be their entire army. Scouts from the forward positions report that few Iblis remain at those positions. Before reports from Sostrad went silent…” the messenger went silent as all of the Matrons glared at him and he lost his ability to speak for a moment. “The last message received from the Sostrad defenses was that the northern defenses had been obliterated. A Spatial affinity null zone is in effect, preventing our forces from accessing most of their artifacts. Teams were attempting to move spatial artifacts out of the effect of the null zone to access weapon and defensive artifacts to bring back into the fight, but the defenders were greatly outnumbered.”
“Were their humans in this attack force?” Matron Jysella asked.
Sostrad could not be allowed to fall, but her concern was that the entire point of this attack was to draw their forces away from the seal. What better place to hit than the heart of the Alfar society. If Sostrad fell, so did the unity of the factions and hers would be the first to be set upon by the others, since this plan was her doing.
“There were numerous human mages present. All in A Rank, S Rank as well as an SS Rank mage.”
“We must go at once,” Matron Ivette said. “The null field prevents them from fleeing just as much as it prevents us from arriving swiftly. Sostrad cannot be allowed to fall.”
The other Matrons murmured their agreement with Ivette. Jysella may have been SS Rank, but so was Ivette. There was one other SS Rank Matron present, Matron Gwendolyn, and she appeared to be agreeing with the defending Sostrad as well, but before saying anything she looked to the Alfar who was sitting atop the seal they sought to protect.
There was only one voice that could outvote even all three of them and he had yet to make his thoughts known.