NOVEL NEXT 77
“Drag those still screaming! Leave those that can’t scream anymore, they can’t be healed in time.” Lak issued her commands to her shamans and the Eonir under her command. Discarding an empty spell slot plate and equipping new ones before casting another spear of light at the gathering Daemonettes using the largest warp stone from the plate. Banishing half a dozen of them with the blinding flash but more pour out from the realm tear above endlessly. She has prepared each shaman with 3 spell slots plates each but found out that if they wear more than one plate, the warp stone goes erratic making the spell cast go wild and mutate the wearer more quickly than before. This just began to happen just before this battle and not when testing along with mother and therefore Lak not yet reported as she thinks it might be just a mistake in making the plates or other mistake. But even the ones made by Mother now show similar problems and she doesn't know why. This forces her and her shaman to make separate stockpiles of spell slots plates across their line for the shamans to go and pick after they exhaust their spells. Her shamans can make do without them but the advantage of quickly casting spells is second to none in terms of spellcasting as it skips the channeling part that takes significantly longer unlike Mother.
Another batch of 2 dozen Eonir Elves have their eyes sufficiently healed and are now taking up arms under her command. Reinforcing her own Eonir troops and reducing the burden to the shamans and the spellsinger who falls back and focusing on the second task Lak gave them. Which is making a totem of light magic to weaken and ward of the daemons. Her war party is the nearest to the city. This is because right after the protective veil Mother made for the blinding flash of magic, the Eonir broke ranks and moved forward to save their kin. Forcing her war party to also rush forward. While this allows her to save most of the Eonirs, this also makes her war party the primary target of the Daemonettes and most of the lesser daemons. She didn’t care much about the former since that is what she wants and the latter will happen anyway. But her war party consists of the least number of frontliners which results in significant casualties among her war party. Since the day she decided to save the Eonir back at the edge of Laurelorn, she has become the one responsible for the Eonir elves within the herd. But she will punish the Eonir’s insolence later for daring to move without her command.
“Get the totems ready! Faster!” Lak commands again.
“The totems are ready. But that light- “ One of the beastmen shaman, with 8 eyes on the left side of her head tries to object before quickly silenced by a growl from Lak. Many are still scared of the magic that destroys the Eonir’s barrier and rotting the Eonir’s eyes.
“A magic of that size requires a long time to prepare. Now get to it.” The shaman quickly left to raise the totems as Lak already previously commanded. Lak’s patience has been constantly grinded thin. From the Eonir moving without her command,the shaman’s fear and objections, and the Eonir spellslingers refusing to use the spell slots plates at all. The last one she can understand as over usage have made many of the shamans mutate quickly and extensively to the point that many are incapacitated. Regardless, after this is over, she will ask her brother on how to command properly.
Then Lak finally saw the totems raised in a circular manner from the front line to the back. Realizing even her own spell slots have been used up, she channels magic and chants the old way. On the west side of the city, a new light barrier was erected. She just hopes her reasoning is that the blinding magic that eats the eyes of those that sees them really requires a long time to prepare. The barrier of light might not be as strong as the one protecting the Eonir city. But passing through the barrier will significantly slow and weaken any daemons attempting to do so while outright banishing weaker ones.
“How many are left?” Lak ask the nearest person which is the Eonir captain she saved
“Less than half of your shamans. Most of the beastmen warriors are also gone. The frontline is held mostly by our forestborn kin.” He reports.
Lak can only grit her teeth in rage hearing the report. The golden beastmen are powerful yes but still they can lose if swarmed by daemons. Lak reassesses her situation as she finally has time. At the very least, the real casualty of her shamans are less than a quarter as most are simply mutated to be unable to cast spells and fight properly. Nothing she and Mal couldn’t reverse. A few that died mutated so horribly that they are just one step less on becoming a Chaos Spawn or exploding after being turned into a blob of flesh filled with caustic blood.
“I have warned you against using those warp stones.” The captain starts as he saw Lak eyeing the mutated shamans.
“Do not test my patience. Without those, there will be even less of your kind we saved. And don’t forget your kind broke ranks and rushed forward on your own.” Lak growled back and silenced the captain.
“I placed you in command of your people, control them properly or I will be the least of you and your people's concern.” She warned the second time as she started to have regrets saving the elves. Not one of these Eonir warriors can replace a dead golden beastmen warrior and frankly, after teaching magic, the spellslingers have started to wear out their usefulness. Returning to reassess the situation, the stock of spell slots plates are almost gone with many piles of metal plates with empty sockets near every group of shamans that now maintain the totems. Calculating on the risk, she wondered whether it would be wise to send Eonir runners back to her main camp outside the forest to get more spell slots plates. They can at least run faster on the forest’s uneven grounds and she can’t spare any more beastmen to leave the frontline. Though that might be the least of her concern.
“My-my. What do we have here?” A sultry voice of a mature woman rings within her head. Followed by the deafening sound of metal scratching metal before stopping. Just beyond the barrier, is the veiled Keeper of Secret, its massive claws peek through its cloak and once again presses the barrier. Producing more of the torturous sound as it sends shivers to everyone that hears.
