Even as I maintained the draining song, my attention was fixed on the talking crystal beside me. The thief's whispered voice came through with perfect clarity, each word tight with tension. "First wave approaching the portal. About two hundred of them... different types... wait." He paused. "They've stopped about thirty metres from the portal." An unsettling silence filled the chamber, broken only by my continuous song. Through my narrow viewing slit, I could see the portal's surface rippling more erratically now as my song continued to drain its power. "Movement!" The thief's voice crackled with urgency. "A larger figure motioned to something and pointed to the portal—I can't see it, some kind of invisible—ah!"
Golden light flared as the chamber's wards triggered, revealing a grotesque, crystalline creature. Its angular form glinted like fractured glass, with jagged limbs that seemed to shift and refract light unnaturally. Embedded within its semi-transparent torso was a pulsing core of dark energy surrounded by intricate, glowing veins that flickered erratically. The creature's faceted head bore no eyes but radiated a menacing presence, its sharp edges catching the light as if perpetually on the verge of shattering and reforming.
"Archers, take it!" General Reed's command rang through the crystal, his tone a perfect blend of authority and urgency, underscoring the discipline and decisiveness that had earned him the unwavering respect of his troops. Every word carried the weight of experience, cutting through the chaos like a beacon of order amidst the storm. The twang of bowstrings echoed through the chamber, followed by the sound of shattering crystal. Multiple arrows found their mark before the creature could react.
The thief's voice crackled through my crystal with sudden urgency: "They're organizing—dozens of archers and spearmen forming ranks. Whatever's coming, it's going to be—" For a heartbeat, absolute silence—then a symphony of metallic impacts as weapons rained down onto the floor below my perch. I risked a glance downward, watching the growing pile of arrows and spears tumble and slide across the stone, their deadly purpose rendered useless by whatever force had stripped away their momentum.
"Interesting," Lady Moira's voice came through the crystal, thoughtful despite the chaos. "Everything freezes for a moment when it crosses over?"
The thief's voice came urgently through the crystal: "They're regrouping—bringing up their battlemages now. At least half a dozen of them forming a line." The air grew thick with the metallic tang of gathering magic. Though I couldn't see the spells themselves, their passage left ghostly echoes of light that painted shifting shadows below me. Each burst of arcane energy materialized in perfect stillness before dissipating like morning mist, their patterns dancing among the scattered weapons at my feet.
"The portal," Aldrich said in his crystal. "It must strip away all momentum when things cross through."
General Reed's gravelly voice added to our impromptu analysis: "We noticed the same effect when we rode our swift claws through. The beasts had to find their footing again on the other side—it was like starting from a complete standstill."
Another frozen burst of spell-light painted the floor below me in vivid purple before fading to nothing like all the others. Through my crystal, I heard the thief's wry chuckle. "They're still casting. Either they haven't figured it out yet, or they're too desperate to care. Wait—they're bringing up even more mages now..."
The thief's voice came urgently through my crystal once more: "Second wave of casters moving up now. The first group looks exhausted, but... wait. They're doing something different. Combining their efforts, maybe?"
I held my breath, pressed against the ancient stone as the metallic scent of magic grew stronger, almost overwhelming. The shadows below me shifted and swirled with new intensity, merging into a sustained glow that pulsed with ominous rhythm. It seemed to radiate a foreboding energy, as though heralding something immense and catastrophic, its presence building just beyond the veil of the portal. When it finally manifested through the portal, the spell hung there like a frozen star, bigger than before. Its purple-white radiance was so bright I had to look away, the arcane energy crackling with potential even in its suspended state. But like its smaller predecessors, the massive working succumbed to the portal's peculiar properties. The light fractured and dispersed, its remnants scattering across the fallen weapons like dying fireflies. In its wake, I caught the sharp, distinctive scent of burnt mana—the telltale sign of a spell that had consumed itself.
Through my crystal, I heard the thief draw in a sharp breath, about to report whatever our enemies planned next.
Battle Summary (First Wave)
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Total Killed: 25 Strain Marked
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12 killed by various traps
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8 killed by archer volleys
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5 killed by battle magi
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Notable Loot (To Be Cataloged):
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Various ritual-marked weapons
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Unknown biological components
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Glowing tattoo remnants
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Ceremonial armour pieces
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Through my crystal, the thief's voice remained taut with tension: "Second wave forming up... Two distinct groups this time. Those four-armed giants are positioning themselves behind what look like massive lion-creatures with glowing spines. They seem to be... coordinating? Much more disciplined than the last group."
Lady Moira's voice crackled through another crystal: "At least thirty total. Twenty of those quadrupedal beasts and ten of the four-armed ones. They're... waiting? Testing the air with vocalizations."
The lion-things were sending smaller creatures ahead, the thief reported, some kind of spark-furred wolves moving in pairs. Probing for traps, he'd guess. The four-armed ones were readying bows—multiple bows each. They were learning from the first wave's mistake. The chamber filled with strange harmonic tones as the beasts tested the space before them. Through the crystals, I heard the soft padding of their scout-creatures' paws, followed by the sharp snap of triggering traps. Each lost probe was met with more of those haunting tones, mapping the safe paths.
"General," the thief's voice carried newfound urgency, "they're creating a coordinated advance. The four-armed ones are going to provide covering fire while the lion-beasts—wait, something's wrong with their formations..."
Lady Moira cut in: "The portal's effect! The four-armed ones are struggling to coordinate their multiple weapons, and those beast-masters seem to lose their connection to their creatures. Their control is slipping!"
"Now, General!" the thief called out. "Before they can adapt!"
General Reed's command boomed through the crystals: "All units, concentrated fire! Don't let them establish a foothold!"
The chamber erupted with the symphony of battle—the twang of hundreds of bowstrings, the crackling roar of battle magic, and the chaos of uncontrolled beasts turning on their own masters. Through the crystals, I heard the distinctive sounds of bodies falling, the snap of remaining traps, and the increasingly desperate songs of the beast-masters trying to maintain control.
"The four-armed ones are trying to return fire," the thief reported, "but their aim is wild. They can't coordinate their multiple bows anymore. The beast-masters' creatures are running amok, setting off every trap in their path. It's slaughter..."
Battle Summary (Second Wave)
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Total Killed: 30
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20 Chord Raiders and their beasts
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10 Arbor Reach warriors
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Kills by Category:
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Friendly fire/loss of beast control: 8
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Trap activation: 12
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Archer volleys: 6
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
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Battle magic: 4
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Notable Loot (To Be Cataloged):
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Multiple weapon sets from four-armed warriors
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Beast control harnesses
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Exotic armour pieces
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Various beast-master implements
Through my crystal, the thief's voice had lost its usual composure: "Last wave incoming... gods, it's chaos already. Those floating orb-creatures are being pushed through first their war machines with them. The portal's space is forcing everything into a bottleneck. Their iron soldiers are trying to form a protective ring, but there's no room..."
Lady Moira's crystal pulsed with concern: "Multiple siege weapons materializing. The floating ones are struggling to control them after crossing. Like the others, their power seems diminished."
"Above!" The thief's warning crackled sharply. "Serpentine creatures breaking through the storm clouds, riders with lightning-marked skin. And... something else in the shadows near the ceiling. More of those four-armed ones, but different. They're... they're scaling the walls!"
General Reed's command cut through: "Archers! Mages! Priority on flying targets and wall-climbers. Light them up!"
The chamber filled with the distinctive whistle of arrows and the crackling discharge of battle magic. Through the crystals, I heard the heavy impact of bodies falling from height, followed by the bone-shaking rumble of siege engines trying to manoeuvre in too tight a space.
"Sir!" A mage captain's voice, tight with strain. "Lightning strikes from their riders! We've lost three on the north wall!"
The thief's reporting grew more urgent: "The floating ones are trying to bring their iron soldiers forward, but they're blocking their own siege weapons. Wait... crystalline creatures emerging now, dozens of them. They're attempting to climb the walls, but the wards are making them shine like beacons!"
Through the crystals, chaos unfolded in overlapping reports. The thief's voice rose with urgency: "First siege weapon just misfired! The floating ones can't maintain control—it's collapsing backward into their own lines!"
The sounds of grinding metal and splintering wood filled the chamber, punctuated by ethereal screams from the Drift Makers caught in their own machine's destruction. Lady Moira's analytical tone cut through: "The crystalline climbers are being picked off systematically. Our archers are—watch out!"
A thunderous crack split the air as lightning from a Storm Hunter found its mark. "Two more mages down on the east wall," someone reported grimly. "Three wounded."
Through my crystal network, the sound of an alien language filled my ears—harsh and musical all at once, like breaking glass being forged into words. The crystalline creatures' voices echoed off the chamber walls, their strange speech patterns making my chest vibrate with each syllable.
"They're shouting something," the thief reported, tension in his voice. "The crystal soldiers are trying to restore order. Getting more agitated by the second." He paused, listening. "Wait... yes, they're directing the troops to push forward, trying to clear the bottleneck at the portal. The commander is using smaller crystal creatures as runners. It must have ordered them to deal with the congestion."
I held my breath as alien voices echoed through the vast chamber, their strange language reverberating off the stone walls around me. From my position behind the portal stone, each crystalline word felt wrong somehow, twisting in my ears as if the very language itself rejected our world's rules. Their commanding tones grew more urgent, more demanding.
"It's not working," the thief whispered. "Whatever authority they had on the other side, it's slipping. The troops are ignoring them entirely and—there they go, straight into the—"
His words vanished beneath the thunderous cascade of traps triggering. Through my crystal, I heard those strange voices transform into something even more alien—screams that no human throat could produce. Their musical quality twisted into discord as chaos consumed their formations.
"General," the thief called out, "they're about to reach the corner. The remaining siege weapons are completely exposed, and... yes! Their iron soldiers are locking. The floating ones can't maintain control at this distance!"
Through the crystals, I heard the thief tracking their chaotic advance: "They're reaching the northern wall now, the full mass of them. The survivors are finally seeing our fortress to the east and—yes, some are turning, trying to regroup toward it..."
General Reed's voice remained steady, controlled. "Hold," he commanded as the enemy forces wavered between targets. Through my crystal, I could hear the tension in the chamber, the collective breath being held. "Wait for it..."
The thief's voice tightened: "They're completely exposed now, caught in the open between both positions. Perfect crossf—"
"Fortress range!" Reed's command cracked like thunder. "NOW!"
The sound that followed was unlike anything I'd heard before—not just the synchronized volley from the northern wall that had been harrying them throughout their advance, but the full fury of the fortress's eastern defenses joining the assault. Through my crystals, I heard the overlapping chorus of hundreds of bowstrings, the crackling roar of battle magic from two directions, all focused on the enemies caught in their killing ground.
The alien screams that followed were almost lost beneath the sound of that devastating barrage. The thief's voice carried a note of awe: "They're caught completely in the open. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The crystal soldiers are trying to reform their lines, but they're being torn apart from both sides..."
"NOW!" General Reed's command thundered through every crystal. "ALL MELEE UNITS CHARGE! CUT THEM DOWN!"
The chamber erupted with the sound of charging feet, war cries, and clashing steel. Through the crystals, the battle dissolved into chaos—the screech of tearing metal as iron soldiers were overwhelmed; the crystalline chiming of shattering crystal troops, the otherworldly keening of dying Drift Makers.
Battle Summary (Final Wave)
Drift Makers and constructs: 45
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15 Drift Makers
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20 Iron Golems
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10 Siege weapons destroyed
Storm Hunters and aerial forces: 25
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12 Storm Hunters and mounts
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8 Thunder Wyrm riders
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5 Elite wind commanders
Crystal Forces: 52
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35 Crystal soldiers
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8 Crystal battle-commanders
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9 Crystal siege specialists
Wall Climbers and Elite Units: 28
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8 Wall-scaling specialists
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12 Arbor Reach elite guards
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8 Chord Raider beast-command units
Allied Losses:
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5 mages (3 dead, 2 wounded)
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4 archers (2 dead, 2 wounded)
Notable Loot (To Be Cataloged):
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Siege weapon components
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Iron Golem remains
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Storm Hunter gear
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Crystal creature fragments
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Various exotic weapons and armour
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Multiple unknown magical artifacts
Through my crystal network, I heard the steady rhythm of our people working to restore order to the chamber, punctuated by the sound of healers tending to the wounded. The thief's voice came through, steady but exhausted: "The crystal commander's still there, and he's not alone. A cluster of those smaller crystalline officers around him, all of them watching. There's... yes, I can make out representatives from each of their forces too—one of those massive four-armed warriors, a beast-master with its spine still glowing, even one of those floating orb-creatures. They're all just... standing there, observing."
I felt my fingers tighten around my crystal as the thief continued: "The way they're positioned, the way they're studying our defenses... they're learning, General. Planning. Like this was just their first test."
The thought of those alien commanders analyzing our tactics, adapting their strategies, made my skin crawl. Through the network, I could almost feel the tension in everyone else who was listening. We'd won this battle, but those calculating figures on the other side of the portal were already preparing for the next one.
"With that many commanders grouped together," Lady Moira's voice carried a hint of temptation through the crystal, "perhaps we could—"
"But we'd have to cross the portal ourselves," General Reed cut in, his tone grim. "And on their side, their power isn't reduced. From what I could tell when we were over there, that may put some of them close to level 100." He paused, letting the implications sink in. "They'd wipe us out before we could even form ranks."
The casual mention of such power levels sent a chill through me. We'd barely handled their weakened forces—the thought of facing them at full strength was terrifying. I felt a chill at those words, imagining that crystalline figure analyzing our defenses, planning. Would the next wave be better prepared? The thought made my fingers tighten around my crystal.
General Reed's voice carried the weight of command, sharp with urgency: "Healers, focus on the injured with haste. Craftsmen, double your efforts to reset those defenses; we cannot afford even a moment of delay. We have perhaps two hours before their main force arrives." He paused, then added, "Double-check every ward. They'll have learned from this assault."
Through my crystal network, Lady Moira's practical wisdom cut through our speculation: "General, we need to blind their commander. Some kind of covering over the portal—they're watching our every move."
The general's response was immediate, his tone carrying the weight of someone who'd seen too many battles lost to enemy intelligence: "Get it done. Use the garrison banners if you must."
The rustle of heavy fabric filled the chamber, a sound that somehow felt more significant than it should have. Through my crystals, I heard the effort of soldiers raising what must have been massive banners, followed by the thief's welcome confirmation: "Their view is blocked, sir. They seem... agitated by it."
"Good." General Reed's voice carried that calm authority that had kept us alive through this mess. "I want eyes on the other side of that banner. Report any movement toward crossing, and especially when you spot their main army approaching."
There was a pause, then: "Sergeant Thane?"
"Sir?" Her response crackled through my crystal, still breathing hard from the recent fight.
"Position a melee force on our side of the banner. Choose your best. If anything tries to come through..."
"They won't get two steps, sir." The confidence in her voice was reassuring, though I noticed she was already calling out names through the crystal network, assembling a team of our most hardened veterans.
I gripped my crystal tighter, wondering what those alien commanders were planning behind our makeshift wall of fabric. The waiting, I decided, might be worse than the battle itself.
The sounds of preparation filled the chamber once more—the scrape of trap mechanisms being reset, the murmur of mages laying new wards, the confidence of veteran soldiers preparing for the next wave. Even without seeing it, I could feel the determination in every voice that came through the crystals.
"At least now we know what we're facing," someone muttered through the network.
I wasn't so sure. Something told me the crystal commander would have more surprises waiting. But for now, we had work to do, and not much time to do it in.