Battle

Through the fathomless darkness of the night sky, bending concentrations of light arced from one point to another, propelled with reverberant, sharp sounds towards the gargantuan silhouettes lingering upon a faraway hilltop. From even the relative safety of the evacuee camp, Lotte and Yula could hear the discordant screams of soldiers numbering in the thousands. Anti-matter magic was exceptionally powerful, but also difficult to learn. Only a handful of sorcerers--those assigned to the Anti-Demon Leagues included, had the intelligence and patience necessary to master it. By carefully manipulating magic particles, it was possible to create unstoppable beams capable of disintegrating whatever they touched. Losing even a fraction of one's concentration during an anti-matter incantation could result in the beams dispersing before they found their mark, or prematurely splitting into uncontrollable bursts of molecules, more often than not maiming or killing the caster.

They were the perfect offence against Demons--the sheer toughness of their hides couldn't resist such a fundamental 'undoing' of matter. Aimed correctly, the magic could sever or outright destroy their limbs, inhibiting a Demon's ability to fight considerably. The strategy's only limiting factor was the sheer time required to cast such spells, and the lack of experts capable of invoking them. Thankfully, King Granda's decision to head the Anti-Demon Leagues with talented sorcerers proved to be a wise one when the weakness was discovered following the release of Aelf'ahlnohma's archives to humankind.

For the attackers, it was difficult to say for certain just how effective the barrage was. The sorcerers responsible for aiming the bombardment couldn't distract themselves from incanting to confirm successful hits, and so Sending Stones had been distributed to a handful of scouts stationed on Gria's walls--so-called 'spotters' whose duty it was to survey the battlefield from a distance and convey targeting information to the sorcerers.

Perhaps even more essential to the defence of Gria were the actions of the Anti-Demon Leagues, who had successfully moved forward to encircle the Demon group. Stricken with the ominous blue glow that had appeared moments prior, only a moment of confusion was suffered before marching resumed. The sheer size of that army, which consisted of just under 20,000 soldiers, made it a simple matter to encircle the relatively small group of Demons. As expected, the Hounds--whose single-minded aggression saw them flying towards the Leagues as they approached, struggled to contest with the sheer number of men, especially since they had adopted a loose formation which allowed for more space to evade the creatures.

But even so, the unfettered savagery of those Demons made them difficult to approach. The defining aspect of their strength--which is to say, the toughness of their hides, was a two-fold defence. Not only did their iron skin deflect or outright repel traditional weaponry, but the size of their bodies made even effective strikes unlikely to cause damage. The new weapons entrusted to the Anti-Demon Leagues, smithed from a powerful iron-carbon alloy, were both sharp and durable enough to overcome the Demons' defences, but rarely cut deep enough to inflict mortal wounds. With that said, the Leagues had not been ordered to vanquish the Demons directly, but to distract them while anti-matter magic did the job.

Magic circles could only feed the barrage of spells for so long, however. The paltry single-layer circles were the first to fade, and the dual-layers shortly after. Fortunately, the most powerful barrages originating from larger circles were also the most enduring. Listening carefully to the chatter of spotters over their Sending Stones, the sorcerers minutely altered the specifics of their continuous incantations to change the trajectories of those anti-matter spears, adjusting to the rapidly-changing positions of Demons engaged with the Leagues. For the first modern application of such a strategy, a tremendous amount of cooperation was evident between all members involved. It was a testament to just how important the battle truly was--if Tor's largest city was incapable of repelling at least 100 Demons, there would be no hope for surviving future encounters.

The anti-matter barrage fell indiscriminately, cutting through Demons and soldiers alike. The sight of endless lights careening through the night sky brought to mind images of the traditional fireworks festivals of Anjima. With no conscious understanding of targets, the spears continued ceaselessly into the earth, creating wide clusters of perforated soil. This didn't come as a surprise to those soldiers--they had chosen to march with full knowledge of just how much danger they were putting themselves in. Contrary to despair, a brilliant glimmer of hope blossomed among them as they witnessed the first Demon falling to the barrage of anti-matter beams.

The mere act of fighting back against an invincible enemy rallied the Leagues into redoubling their efforts keeping the Demons at bay. As Hounds and scythe-handed Abominations rampaged through swathes of men, another line would approach from the encircling backlog of soldiers eager to join the fight. Demons who were immobilised by the magical attack, such as by having their limbs severed, nonetheless continued to thrash around violently as soldiers scrambled to avoid their gaping jaws. For those entangled in battle, it was a sea of chaos--myriad screams and yells combining with the harsh sound of metal against iron flesh, a cacophony of crystalline shimmers accompanying the rain of magical spears boring holes into whatever, or whomever, they touched.

No, it wasn't a war--not in the manner humanity understood it. It was more like a hunt. A hunt to put down savage beasts threatening the safety of common folk. And underneath the blood-studded fury of that battle, it was understood by all involved that there would be no time for celebration or ceremony afterwards. The Elven archives had only confirmed what they all knew to be true--that a mere 100 Demons was only scraping the surface of a fully-realised Demon Age. Even those free from the influence of such horrors; the countries of Anjima, Fleecia and Khazman, had already begun to prepare for the coming war that would surely overcome the entire world.

How many Demons stood, when the final magical circle had been expended? With only torch-bearers lighting the battlefield, it was difficult to say for certain, but shortly before Lotte's group had finished their barrage, a strange kind of silence had fallen upon the horizon. No longer did the otherworldly roars of those creatures pierce through the night, and no longer did the indiscriminate chattering of spotters fill the sorcerers' Sending Stones. A cautious feeling--hope tempered with a severe disbelief, filled Lotte's heart as the minutes ticked on.

"The…" A hesitant voice followed out from his Sending Stone, "The Demons are defeated!"

Even when spoken with such confidence, there were only a handful of people who responded to the report with cheers. As similar conclusions were drawn by battlement scouts overlooking the scene, Lotte found himself releasing a breath he'd been holding onto for far too long.

"We… we did it." From his side, Yula marvelled at the announcement, "We actually won…"

"Yes. But, this isn't the time for celebration." He replied, "You may think of soldiers as the types to revel in every victory, but the truth is that most of them are veterans. They understand the nature of war. This was only the first battle of many to come, and most likely the easiest, as well."

"But… we were able to fight back, weren't we?" Yula frowned, "That much is worth something, at the very least."

"Somehow, I still have a bad feeling, even now that the worst of it is over…" Lotte muttered, "What was that light earlier? It didn't seem to do any damage, but I could feel the heat from here… where did it originate from, and what was its purpose?"

"In any case, we should send sorcerers out as soon as possible to heal the wounded." Yula advised, "I'll round up the commanders and report the situation. You should inform His Majesty, Lotte."

"Right." Nodding, he put the thought behind him, "Make sure to document everyone who was injured or killed in the battle. We'll need information on just how effective human soldiers are at facing down Demons if we're going to stand a chance in this war."

Fear continued to grip the scattered population of Gria. The city's streets, blocked by innumerable, homeless evacuees made it seem as if a festival of some sort was going on. It was agreed upon that as few commoners as possible should bear witness to the Demon group in the interest of avoiding mass hysteria. Public knowledge about the encroaching Demon Age was still somewhat limited, even to the humans who had been displaced from their homes without explanation. But, unaware of the dark days before them, an atmosphere of worry had nonetheless gripped the city.

"Your Majesty…" Lotte panted as he reached the battlements, where both King Granda and Queen Larion stood, "I'm sure you've heard, but on all accounts, it appears as if we've emerged victorious."

"-Thanks in no small part to the sorcery of you and your comrades, Sir Lotte." The King answered, "It is a momentous night, but we cannot allow victory to blind us to the future. These Demons yet live, albeit barely, and we must coordinate efforts to have their 'corpses' disposed of before they are able to reanimate."

"Of course. I've instructed Lady Yula to tend to our wounded."

"Excellent." King Granda praised, turning his gaze towards Larion, "Your Majesty, I believe you had something you wished to discuss with Sir Lotte?"

"Yes." Nodding her head, the Queen of Elves began, "Regarding the blue hemisphere of light which appeared moments before the Leagues engaged with the Demons…"

"Ah, that was also something I was wondering about, Your Majesty." Lotte lowered his head before the monarch, "Is it something you recognised?"

It wouldn't have been an exaggeration to claim that the expression on Larion's face was one of utter defeat. It was the visage of someone who had just seen an army vanquished, despite the fact that humankind had emerged victorious. Her silence couldn't help but put Lotte on edge.

"Sir Lotte… it is imperative that those soldiers are not allowed back into the city."

"Wh-" A number of gasps beside his own could be heard, "What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

"Those soldiers…"

As she placed a hand to her chest, an air of confusion suddenly eliminated the concept of rank amongst those who stood upon the battlements, with Lotte, King Branda and the spotter scouts exchanging worried glances.

"It pains me to say, but…" Larion grimaced, "...They are already dead."