Chapter 358: Battle for the Shard
The sight of Sari hugging Alverin’s leg drove a spike of fiery anger through me. The black tendrils of her slave crest were mixed with the shadows of a Heart Crest, practically smothering her soul beneath their combined weight. It hurt, watching her cling close to the king, looking at me with eyes filled with fear and disgust.
"Take them!" Bethiv commanded.
The Last Light Company sprang into action, collapsing in on us from all sides. I shrank against Fable’s side, feeling incredibly small against the tide of soldiers. We were a small party of fifth-level soldiers and adventurers, yet faced with a sixth-level threat leading a hundred fourth-level soldiers. Alverin himself, a seventh level, seemed content to watch the battle, but his presence was a looming threat that all but doused our hope.
"I’m sorry," Orion said sadly, lifting his sword. "I hope you’ll forgive me for what we’re about to do."
He met Bethiv mid-air, their swords scraping together in a storm of sparks and magic. Luxxa shouted a chant and summoned vines to impede our foes’ movement. Jenna did likewise, calling forth gales of wind to destabilize their advance. The strength of our enemies was much higher than the previous soldiers and guards we battled, lessening the impact of their magic, yet it allowed us to avoid being overwhelmed in the first instant.
"Luxxa, hold them off! Ranged target their mages, the rest of you try and break through to the Shard!" Orion shouted, grunting as he narrowly avoided a devastating strike from Bethiv. Their fight was far from even, but with my magic, he was managing to hold his own.
A hail of fire, sunlight, and lightning surged toward us from the back lines of the Last Light Company, enveloping us in a storm of death. Before the smoke had cleared, Gith and Jenna returned fire with much greater effect, dropping several mages before the melee soldiers had recovered. A few tried to erect barriers to protect themselves. But I dispelled them with a wave of my hand, breaking the defenses and disabling their mana for a short time.
"Xiviyah," Korra said, jumping back to me from the battle, "Can you break through? We’re not going to be able to hold them off for long. If that bastard for a king takes action..."
I nodded, sobering up at the thought. The battle had reached a delicate balance, a stalemate of sorts, but that only lasted as long as my wards did. The moment the onslaught of attacks depleted the Blade Ward, we would be quick to fall.