TS6 - Chapter 9

It had been some time since he had used his strength to its limit, and now, as his muscles tightened, he let out a low shout that caused ancient runes to manifest around his arms and legs, each flashing with power as they drastically increased his strength. His awareness told him that there were hundreds of lesser dragonkin in the tower already, and as his shout faded, he heaved, his body straining as he lifted the tower into the air.

The earth under him began to crack as the weight of the tower hammered him down, but his feet were anchored to the earth, and he borrowed strength from it, lifting the tower clear off the ground before shifting his weight and smashing it down next to him.

A few hundred feet away, Akira, who had grown massive once more, slammed into the bottom of the other tower, her claws raking through the lowest layer and completely obliterating two of the walls. Barely a beat behind, Mina sent a gust of frozen air gushing into the hole Akira had just created, and with a crackling sound, the wood from which the tower was constructed abruptly expanded as all of the moisture it contained froze solid, rupturing the tightly constructed levels.

By this time, the dragonkin army had recognized what was going on, and had begun to surge towards them. As soon as they saw Thorn emerging from the wreckage of the first tower, however, a deep fear seemed to overtake them, and the charge began to slow.

On the other side, Akira had finished demolishing the base floor, and the top half of the second tower tumbled to the ground, where it shattered into pieces, slaying all of the lesser dragonkin who had been inside of it in the process.

There was a terrible yell of anger as Quetzalten charged out of her tent, her eyes raking over the devastation, until she locked on to Thorn. Almost too quickly for anyone to react, she was in front of him, hundreds of strips of bright cloth stabbing towards him.

"Don't let them escape," she screamed, her words carrying heavy power that forced the dragonkin into action.

Though it would have been simple enough for Thorn to grab the other two and leave, he couldn't avoid the sense of anticipation that filled him as he saw Quetzalten charging toward him. Though she was in the condensation stage, and clearly more powerful than almost anyone Thorn had run across, he couldn't help but wonder how he measured up. Mina and Akira had already begun to retreat, but Thorn hesitated.

"How much energy do you have, Eve?"

"We should be able to go a few rounds," Eve replied, her voice filled with grim excitement.

With a low laugh, Thorn took a step forward and gathered his strength before unleashing a punch toward the incoming dragonkin general. Even as he completed his punch, Thorn could feel the change in his body as his domain activated once more. It came with a sense of clarity that washed over him, transforming the way he saw the world around him. He felt the subtle shifts in his body as his muscles made minute adjustments to better utilize his power.

Just before he and Quetzalten clashed, a silent explosion of energy rushed from his fist, forming a solid wall of force that slammed into the dragonkin, causing her eyes to widen in shock. The hundreds of streamers that surrounded her drilled into the force Thorn unleashed, chipping away at it as Quetzalten transformed her attack into a desperate defense. Thorn's foot landed on the ground, and his body twisted, putting more power behind his punches, until Quetzalten was forced to retreat. Yet even as she flew back, Thorn gave chase, his halberd appearing in his hands as he hacked at her neck.

When she tried to dodge away, the butt-end of his weapon spun around, clipping her waist with enough force to send her tumbling. Even when she righted herself and tried to slip back, Thorn's Titan steps kept pace, leaving her shocked at his speed and agility. She had assumed with his size that the Titan would be slow, but he seemed to have complete freedom of movement. In only a few seconds, they had switched position a dozen times.

Furious, Quetzalten sent out a blast of power, driving Thorn to retreat, even as she obliterated dozens of lesser dragonkin who had been too close. Since they were in the middle of the dragonkin camp, Thorn didn't care one bit and continued to pressure her, hacking at her with his halberd, and chasing after her as she danced around the battlefield.

Quetzalten's fury continued to grow until it manifested in a dreadful haze around her. Realizing that she was about to unleash a terrible attack, Thorn took a step forward, but instead of appearing next to Quetzalten, his body flashed backward, appearing almost a hundred feet away. Without wasting even a second, he turned and fled, rapidly appearing on the city wall once again, and leaving Quetzalten with nowhere to vent her full-powered strike.

With a scream of fury, she unleashed it into the air, causing thousands of strands of wind to tear apart the sky above the dragonkin camp. From the safety of the wall, Thorn watched it carefully, his mind analyzing the movement of each one of the deadly strands of wind. This wasn't the first time he had seen Quetzalten use this power, and it brought a grave expression to his face. Had he been caught by it, he would have been hard-pressed to defend himself.

Quetzalten's abilities seemed to have something to do with dividing, and her domain allowed her to split the world up into distinct pieces that could then be wrapped around her, either avoiding her completely or being used against her opponents. Mina and Akira had long since made it back to the wall, and as the defenders watched Quetzalten rampaging in the distance, they couldn't help but let out a loud cheer.

"Well, that was fun," Mina said, grinning, "but I don't think it'll work again."

"No, I don't think so either," Thorn replied, "but at least we got the siege towers down."

It was clear that not a single member of the dragonkin army had anticipated an attack from the city, which had contributed greatly to Thorn and Mina's efforts. That wouldn't be the case anymore, however, as the remaining dragon guard lined up to watch the city wall carefully. Over the next few hours, the defenders observed as the dragonkin army organized itself for its next attack.

By this point, all of those on the city wall knew that there was a second dragonkin force coming their direction, and when they arrived, it was in spectacular and intimidating fashion. Five hundred dragon guard came flying through the air, their auras mixing to form a heavy sense of suppression. At their head was a dragonkin with blue scales, across which tendrils of lightning occasionally crawled. He carried two axes with jagged blades and a haughty expression in his eyes that considered everyone to be beneath him, including Quetzalten.

Quetzalten rose to meet him, and it was clear from the way she bristled that this new condensation stage dragonkin didn't have anything nice to say. After speaking with Quetzalten for a moment, he floated forward toward the city, his eyes jumping back and forth between Orson and Thorn, who were standing next to each other. Whether because he didn't want to waste time, or because he didn't feel like they were worth his attention, he didn't speak and simply stared at them.

"That's Moriphon. He's got an incredibly dangerous lightning domain," General Orson said quietly.

"If you want to keep fighting against Quetzalten, I'll take him," Thorn replied. "I know a thing or two about lightning myself."

General Orson, who had clearly expected to have to fight against Moriphon, looked gratified, if slightly worried, but noticing the confident expression on Thorn's face, he nodded.

"Mina, Akira, you guys are going to have a tough battle," Thorn said. "I'll do what I can to help, but this is going to be rough."

The dragonkin force facing the city now held an overwhelming advantage. With two condensation stage dragonkin, 500 dragon guard in the dispersion stage, and close to 90,000 9th tier soldiers, they completely dwarfed the defenders. The only saving grace was the city wall and the magical defenses that it held. Still, Thorn knew that it would be a miracle for the defenses to hold out for an hour, let alone the indeterminate amount of time necessary before reinforcements arrived.

The one thing that gave him hope was that as he had begun to dredge into the 10th tier power he wielded, he was realizing that its depths were far greater than he had ever imagined. According to what his grandfather, Urmag’Tal, had explained to him, he was in the nebula stage, drawing in power to fill the growing star in his chest. This was the stage in which he was to light the star forming inside of him. And yet, as he tapped into the power it contained, it seemed far greater, astronomically so, than those around him in the dispersion stage of the 10th tier.

Thorn was beginning to realize just how different of a platform he was playing on, and rather than confining himself to the same sort of power level held by those around him, he was determined to use this battle to come to a true understanding of his strength. There was a long, loud blast as the horns of the Dragonkin army sounded, and with a roar, they began to surge forward.

"Good luck," Thorn said to Mina and Akira, before stepping up onto the edge of the city wall and launching himself into the air, his halberd held tightly in his hand.

As he rose, Orson flew beside him, and soon they faced the two Dragonkin generals, even while the battle began to rage below them. Ignoring the hate-filled glare Quetzalten was sending in his direction, Thorn looked at Moriphon and smiled confidently.

"What do you say we go a couple of rounds?"

"A couple of rounds? I'll only need one to end your pathetic little life."

"Okay, first of all," Thorn said, holding up his hand, "I'm at least two feet taller than you. There's nothing little about me. And plus, it'll be really embarrassing if you can't even last a single round."

Even as Moriphon opened his mouth to reply, Thorn had already crossed the distance between them, his left fist slamming into Moriphon's face. It was only a quick jab, but the power it contained still sent Moriphon flying back through the air.

Governor Orson laughed with delight as he pulled out his sword and rushed Quetzalten, intending to tie her up, despite the fact that he knew he was outmatched. Stabilizing himself in the air, Moriphon let out a furious roar, his voice shaking the air and causing thick clouds to begin rolling in the sky above. As they darkened, Thorn could smell the scent of a thunderstorm beginning to manifest. Thick, jagged lightning arced around Moriphon, jumping between his axes and spreading to fill his domain.

"I'll kill you," Moriphon screamed as he shot forward, intending to drown Thorn in a sea of lightning. Even as it surrounded him, Thorn struck out with his halberd, tearing a path straight through it as his own domain activated. Shrouded in a united force, the blade of his halberd cut the lightning apart, forming a thick gash in Moriphon's domain. Dodging past one of the axes that fell towards his shoulder, Thorn used the butt of his halberd to block the other, knocking it aside even as he stabbed at Moriphon with the end of his weapon. There was a crackle of thunder as Moriphon switched positions with one of the lightning bolts in his domain and launched another attack that slammed into Thorn's back, leaving a deep gouge in his armor and sending him tumbling forward.

As Thorn stabilized himself and turned, Moriphon's expression grew ugly. The lightning that should have been cooking Thorn to a crisp instead danced across his body, not harming him in the least. At the same time, Moriphon's attack, delivered with every ounce of his considerable strength, hadn't even managed to make it through Thorn's armor. A terrible feeling began to settle in the dragonkin's mind, but before he could truly grasp it, Thorn had already attacked.

With every wave of his halberd, Moriphon's domain was torn, and Thorn moved through the lightning unhindered, with a speed that defied imagination. One of Moriphon's greatest advantages was his ability to switch positions with any of the lightning in his domain, allowing him to move faster than light itself. Yet Thorn was hardly a step slower, and seemed to have an instinctive understanding of where Moriphon was going to appear. Whenever the dragonkin would try to shift positions, Thorn was inevitably there, waiting with a fierce attack.

Less than a minute into the fight, Moriphon had already been forced into a desperate defense, doing everything he could to survive as Thorn hunted him ruthlessly across the sky. Worse still, Thorn seemed to be getting faster and stronger, his strikes more decisive. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Moriphon let out a terrible roar, unleashing every ounce of his power. As he did, his domain rapidly shrank around him, condensing into his body. The wings, which extended from his back, transformed into pure lightning that extended down his arms, infusing his axes with a fearsome glow.

Thorn could sense the danger, but his mind, operating with cold efficiency, didn't seem to care, and he launched himself into battle with not an ounce of hesitation. His halberd met the lightning-covered axes, sending sparks flying and showering the ground beneath them with lightning bolts that tore apart everything they touched. Quetzalten and Governor Orson, who had been fighting nearby, rapidly distanced themselves, even as Thorn and Moriphon slammed together.

Up until this point, Moriphon had not been using the true condensation stage power he possessed, but now his domain had condensed into its purest form. The lightning, which once danced harmlessly across Thorn's skin, began to leave burns, and his axes, hacking at Thorn's heavy armor, began to break through. Thorn's strikes were no less vicious, and left multiple long wounds across the dragonkin's unbelievably tough body.

Even as they fought, the battle below was reaching a desperate state. The defenders on the wall were doing their best to fight against the overwhelming number of enemies, but the dragon guard, who had attacked en masse, had already seized a foothold on the wall, and were slowly beginning to expand it outward.

Realizing that even if Thorn won his battle up in the air, the city might not survive until then, Mina and Akira exchanged glances. Mina, who was also in the dispersion stage, had powerful ice magic, but without Thorn's support, it wasn't enough to deal with the hundreds of dragon guard enemies. She was doing her best, unleashing massive waves of ice and freezing air to try and stymie the attack, but she simply couldn't cast her spells fast enough to stop the enemy.