***Tirnanog, Jeng, The Forest***

***Astra***

Two days after receiving our new mission, we found ourselves at the borderlands between Jeng's forest and the vast desert which led into Thich territory.

Crossing the desert by foot was a recipe for very unpleasant suicide, but it didn’t stop the Thich from flying in small raiding parties via airship and with their strange flying mounts. Until now, I had believed the Aerie were the only ones who managed to tame animals like the drakes. This was no longer the case.

As I understood it, Thich's homelands were located on a high plateau of limestone. Aeons of rain and strong temperature shifts had created a wasteland of white, rocky cliffs and caverns in the ground. In certain areas the limestone was riddled with cracks, creating a surreal landscape which forced people to take a jump every few metres or they would fall into an uncharted underground cave system.

The rain season washed out the fertile soil which was then carried into Jeng's forest basin, explaining the forest's verdant growth. The water ultimately gathered at the swamp region further towards the coast and was drained into the sea.

The borderlands between the forest and this rocky karst were a small strip of grassland and bushes where enough water and soil were kept to support smaller flora.

A day before starting our mission, we met up with Elijah and Linda Northroute, the two Caravaners who we had gotten acquainted with during our saherna trip to Hochberg. To my frustration, Elijah and Magnus had bumped fists like old friends while my greeting with Linda was a little more reserved. Normally, I was the people-person between the two of us.

Then again, Magnus and Elijah seemed to be cut from the same cloth, so maybe their becoming easy friends shouldn't be too surprising.

Meanwhile, things weren't so good between Linda and me. The two of us had gotten off on the wrong foot and while I came to acknowledge Linda's behaviour for just wanting to protect her people, I still didn't like the woman.

Nonetheless, it was surprising to find the two Caravaners joining our cause, given how reluctant their people had been to interfere in this war.

So since we had nothing better to do at the moment than to stand on guard, Elijah was explaining the sudden shift in his family's policy – everything was about the family with the Caravaners.

“Normally the families wouldn't move a finger to interfere in clan politics,” Elijah explained. “What do we care about one trading partner feuding with another? Taking sides would only threaten our way of life if the other side decided to stop dealing with us. But we got to talk with the Southpaths since the all-out attack on Jeng was launched. The destruction of Jeng's mother tree essentially brought all trading to a stop. The Southpaths can no longer rely on Jeng's hospitality when they visit the forest.”

The gigantic man waved his hand. “So, even if we want to stay out of this conflict, one of the families was already caught up in it. If the Thich are willing to go as far as they did, then there is no reason to assume they wouldn't move against the Caravaners as a whole once it is convenient. Many regard the Caravaners as one of the great clans, but the truth is that we are far from wielding the same power. The families are spread out over a vast area, while the clans have their strongholds.”

I nodded to myself. The Southpaths were in charge of trading between Jeng and Hochberg and they had gotten caught up in the attack on Jeng. It was a sufficient reason for Eliah's people to rethink their stance. In a way, the Thich's declaration of war had helped us.

“So you decided no matter what comes out of this big family meeting of yours, the Northroutes would stand against the Thich?” Magnus concluded after listening to Elijah's drawn-out explanation.

“And the Southpaths,” Elijah added sagely. “Sadly, I can't tell for certain what the other families will do. They may be compromised since the Eastways should have told us something about Thich's plans. It is hard to believe an assault on this scale could be organized without them noticing.”

Since the two men were busy talking about politics, I turned my attention to Linda and the fifth member of our little party, priestess Maria. The psychic sat hunched with her back against the rocky cliff on which we had chosen to camp. The forest was just a few dozen metres behind us and in front of us lay one of the smaller clan settlements, a small, medieval-looking castle with a star-shaped layout.

With her knees drawn up to her chest and a frightened expression, Maria looked miserable.

“I still don't get why they sent you on this mission,” I commented with a deadpan expression while eyeing the priestess in her ill-fitting iobeetle armour which looked like a hand-me-down from a relative. Which was the predominant way of how non-warrior types got their hands on such equipment.

Leaving the question of why she got assigned to this mission.

Did the church still have it out for her because of the incident with Magnus?

My parents had only pulled a few strings to make the issue of him hitting a priestess disappear, but I guessed having a preacher known to use her psychic abilities to 'convert' new followers had the potential to become a very ugly affair. So maybe the church’s higher-ups were still punishing Maria by giving her these assignments.

“Right?” Maria complained. “I am supposed to help troubled people see Gaia's light! Curse high priestess Innanah for having me take that field course years ago. There should be a statutory period of limitation for stuff like that!”

Linda chuckled. “Her only job is to be our sensor. Nobody asks her to fight, so I think it is fine.”

I shifted on my rock, deliberating whether I should object to Linda's lax attitude. If Mary had certified survival training, then she was a useful resource. A waste to allow her to rot away behind the walls of the church. On the other hand, the woman was so whiny, that it grated on my nerves. And if it was true that she had gotten her certification years ago and never stepped outside the central cavern since then... well...

But if I started an argument this early in our assignment, my already strained relationship with Linda might suffer. Maybe we would be spending a few days out here.

“Why don't we go over the plan again?” I suggested. “Maybe Mary just needs something to distract herself from her thoughts.”

The Thich scouts were reported to be a group of approximately eight people running interference for a raiding party of a hundred. They had been slowly moving southwards through the borderlands, hitting smaller clans on their way.

Clans just like the Tomiris who owned the castle we were watching. They were a little, isolated group, so it wasn’t wrong to regard them as their own people, but since they were living at the edge of Jeng’s territory they had strong ties with what they regarded as their extended kin. A few warriors with Jeng mutations were enough to open the gates for us.

It was unclear whether the Thich were launching their attacks just to sow chaos or whether they were hunting for more slaves and warriors to draft into their troops. When the Thich had started their campaign against Jeng, they bypassed and ignored the smaller clans, apparently deeming them irrelevant. But now Thich had decided to catch up on what they missed out on.

Of the eight Thich scouts, only three or four were reported to be at our level.

The two speedsters were an obvious threat that Magnus and I would have to take care of. Furthermore, there were two fairly quick strength-type warriors whose skills had raised concerns in earlier engagements. The rest of the scouting party was reported to be quick on their feet and above-average warriors, but nothing on the same level as a juggernaut.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

All in all, the Thich's scouting group was put together primarily with mobility in mind.

It was our job to engage them and as soon as they were distracted, Maria would call for the support of five drake riders who were lying in wait within the walls of the castle.

Linda and Elijah were fairly powerful warriors, and while they might not be the fastest, Elijah had already demonstrated that their Precognition was on another level. I had no doubts they would be able to hold their own against a backstabby speedster. Anyway, their primary purpose was to take care of the other two warriors and survive till the drakeriders joined the fight.

It wasn’t like command hadn’t tried to hunt the Thich with more conventional means, but so far they had successfully evaded our riders.

Hence Magnus and I would have to take care of their speedsters. If we were successful, there was a not insignificant chance of eliminating the whole scouting party once the drakeriders came into play. Without their scouts, the Thich raiding party would run blindly into the 150 men and women who were hiding inside the castle together with its inhabitants.

Vanya wasn’t a hundred per cent certain with her prediction, but the matriarch gave it a nine out of ten chance that this castle would be their next goal. If the Thich would not show up, we would get movement orders to another likely target.

I watched silently as Magnus began to boast about his new armour. Recently, he had been forced to wear a replacement breastplate during our diplomatic mission to meet with Ancient Balthasar. But elder Gilbert had worked overtime to forge a sufficient substitute for the destroyed piece. Not only was it all new and polished, but it also provided a few new hidden tricks. Sadly, Magnus didn’t want to spoil the surprise till Gilbert could make a second one for me.

We waited till late in the evening until we began packing up the camp to retreat into the castle for the night. There was no point in taking the risk of camping outside when a perfectly fortified abode was just a few hundred metres away.

Maria stiffened suddenly and pointed at the grassy hills in the direction of the desert. “Something is coming. I can feel it.”

I dropped my backpack and stood together with the others to watch the grassland between the castle and the desert.

It took a few seconds of anxious waiting before two blurry streaks of movement came over a hill’s crest, followed by a group of riders on strange hound-like creatures.

“Finally! I will take the lead!” Elijah swung his gauntleted fists and jumped, his inhuman strength taking him high up into the air and towards the incoming Thich.

Maria let out a small whimper and dropped her gear before running towards a small crevice to hide – something we had previously agreed upon since the psychic and sensor had zero combat abilities. She would use the UI to alert the drakeriders while we gave our best to pin down the speedsters who likely intended to launch a probing attack on the settlement.

It was their standard tactic, reported by a few survivors of earlier attacks.

The speedsters would go in quickly and harass the guards on watch while their compatriots approached on foot or with their mounts. Depending on how the situation developed, the Thich would do as much damage as possible until someone with sufficient power to repel them showed up. An hour or two after they retreated the main raiding party would arrive and lay waste to the settlement.

Under normal circumstances, an hour was not enough time to call for help, but this time reinforcements were already here.

So far, there had been only one case in which the Thich decided against attacking because the settlement had a few excellent warriors protecting it. It was likely the raid had decided afterwards they didn’t have the necessary skills at hand to force an outcome in their favour.

Linda cursed and launched herself after her overeager partner. The two were funny pair with the gigantic Elijah and the much smaller Linda right next to him.

Magnus shouldered his spetum and closed the faceplate of his helmet, the light in his eyes lighting up the four vision slits from within. “Do you want the one to the left or the one to the right?”

“The right one looks like the woman of the pair. I will take her,” I said after squinting my eyes at the two speedsters who were checking out the grassland for traps to allow their comrades safe passage. “I wouldn’t want you to be tempted upon meeting another woman who can match your speed.”

“Remember to use the UI if there is trouble,” Magnus said with a jovial undertone in his voice. “And I would never be tempted after having met a temptress like you.”

I used one of my javelins to bump him in the armour, or at least I tried to. “Watch out for yourself. Maybe I will have to come running to save your sorry ass.”

“Watch it!” Magnus dodged quickly. “No scratches on my new gear!”

I rolled my eyes and put on my helmet. “Good luck.”

“Look out for yourself.” He flash-stepped, shooting towards his target like a bullet.

I did so too, but at a higher angle while I unfolded my filaments. With my armour on, I could glide just well enough to hold my height.

With four flash steps, I was above my target who ogled me with a surprised expression but I didn’t allow the human-looking woman much time to think. Channelling power, I unleashed a lightning strike at her position, grounding it out against the earth.

But the violet-skinned woman evaded in the blink of an eye, turning into a blur of movement.

“Are you trying to impersonate some kind of Lovecraftian angel?” a voice said from behind me.

One of my sub-personalities took over, moving my armour plates just a centimetre or two before something struck me in the back of my hip, right where a gap between my breastplate and the leggings was supposed to be. It should be protected by the tasset, but my Precognition had screamed bloody murder, forcing me to react.

My filaments moved as I turned, aiming an assortment of javelins at the woman who had somehow gotten behind me.

In my peripheral vision, I could see her dodge all of them, somehow controlling her orientation in mid-air with rapid movements. Stabbing at me a second time, I barely dodged the tip of a pointy implement which scratched across my helmet, leaving a deep groove on my upper left vision slit. Only Gilbert’s compound design prevented it from shattering.

My hand shot out and grasped the weapon to electrocute it while I stabbed at her in an attempt to return the favour. But just as I made contact, feeling the tip of my spear meet resistance, she blurred away.

Her weapon was ripped out of my hand, causing sparks to fly as we separated.

Aiming my palm at the blur of movement that was my opponent, I shot a ball of plasma to gain some time to think.

Understanding your opponent’s abilities was important, but I had to admit I was at an impasse. This woman wasn’t relying on the same application of electromagnetic principles as Magnus and I.

Yet she was keeping up with me, easily so.

My Precognition tingled and I turned, parrying her weapon just in time to divert a blow which was aimed at another weakly protected spot on my shoulder.

This time I could see it. Her weapon held great similarity with the rapiers which I had trained with before I abandoned the idea. But unlike a rapier, this was just a white spike with a basket grip. It looked like an oversized needle.

The woman grinned before we separated once more, her dark leather armour flapping in the wind. Did her wearing only light armour mean she didn't have a lot of strength?

“A speedster tank! What bullshit will you weaklings come up with next?” she complained. “But no matter. You may be fast, but you are no match for a Thich. This world is ours!”

She blurred again.

And I flash-stepped, aiming for the spot she was in just a moment ago.

To an outsider, it must have appeared as if we simply traded places.

The woman frowned when I wasn’t where she expected me to be and turned in mid-air by rotating one of her feet. It looked strange in my altered perception, but it undeniably worked for her.

“Okay, I admit that you are fast, but all you have are short bursts of speed.”

I clenched my teeth in silent frustration at her casual banter.

Then she blurred again and all I could do was dodge and parry where I could and rely on my armour where I could not. Not only was my opponent able to withstand the charges of electricity I unleashed when she got close, but her weapon was not conductive, allowing her to poke at me with abandon.

Worse, I was feeling like I was slowly falling behind as she ramped up the speed.

And I still didn’t understand the source of her ability as the crazy bitch began laughing.

Was I going to die here?

The thought involuntarily crept up on me as I missed another parry and had to rely on my armour instead.

No!

I had trained for this with my parents and with Magnus. There was no reason to just roll over and die! I closed my primary eyes and relied solely on Second Sight and Precognition. Since my normal eyes could not make out much more than a blur anyway, they were useless in this fight.

Relying on my sub-personalities to take action when necessary, I concentrated on the feeling of Precognition, the slight tingle all over my body which announced an attack before it was coming.

Parry, dodge, block.

There was only so much I could do as my opponent’s weapon was seemingly everywhere and nowhere all at once.

I had to go deeper... anticipate an attack to create an opening.

Something pierced the back of my knee, where the armour was weak out of necessity.

My spear separated empty air and my head rocked to the side as the woman’s needle struck me.

Once more sparks flew as the strange weapon scraped over my armour.

I couldn’t do it!

I was going to die!

‘What are doing, fool!’, something screamed from deep within me and an icy, emotionless coldness overcame me. ‘If you keep going like this, we are going to die!’

Something tore at me from within. Or rather... not something... but another me.

It felt like I was being yanked out of the driver’s seat of my own body by one of my sub-identities. I wanted to scream in pure horror, not understanding what was happening, but the emotionless me forced me down, taking sole control of the situation, and forcing all emotion away. The other me was cold, logical, and willing to do anything to survive.

What was this other me thinking to take control like that!? How was this possible?

‘If you are outmatched, you have to take extraordinary measures. When fighting a superior opponent you have to decide how far you are willing to go to bridge the gap. Because sometimes, combat with your life on the line is not decided by skill or abilities. It is decided by who is willing to pay the higher price!’