136: Counterstrike (Patreon)

“We have incoming!” Badal shouted over the wind as they soared above Kin’jal territory. Clouds obscured the moonlight, darkening their surroundings, and Vir wondered how the pilot flew the Acira without Prana Vision.

“What’s wrong?” Vir asked.

“Aciras on our tail.”

“Kin’jal?”

“Likely.”

“Why? I thought you said they were expecting us.”

“They are! Doesn’t mean they won’t pick off as many of us as they can.”

Great.

Vir supposed it made sense. Kin’jal had to have a plausible alibi in case they ever got flak for allowing the Order to steal their demon prisoners. If they injure or kill some raiders, they can at least claim they did everything they could.

“Kin’jal combat air patrols operate in groups of three! Keep your eyes peeled. We’re moving to engage.”

“Engage? How?”

As far as Vir knew, Avira lacked offensive capabilities of any kind, and none of the Order raiders were mejai.

Badal retrieved a crossbow from a holster down by his ankles. “Can you use one of these?”

Vir nodded. Riyan had trained him in a variety of weapons. While he’d spent little time on bows, crossbows were far easier to operate.

Badal handed Vir the weapon and retrieved another, which he loaded up.

“Fire on my mark. Aim to harass, not kill.”

Vir kept his eyes peeled for any sign of other Acira, but all he saw were the ones behind him—the other Pagan Order Acira.

It was only when Arc, Ember, and Wind Blade spells hurled from the clouds and the pilot threw the avian beast into a dive that Vir spied them. Though Prana Vision’s resolution was poor at long distances, Acira were large beasts. The signature grew brighter and brighter as they approached, and Vir locked on with his crossbow’s sights.

Vir dug his boots into his stirrups as their Acira rolled to avoid their enemy’s spells. It wasn’t just them, either—several Acira dove, while the ones not being targeted climbed, seeking higher vantages from which to bombard the enemy.

The pilot juked the beast, narrowly dodging an Ember spell. An enemy Acira emerged from the clouds on a collision course.

“We’re going to crash!” Vir yelled.

“We won’t. Hold your fire,” Badal ordered.

Vir couldn’t have shot even if he wanted to. Maintaining a lock on another moving target proved far more difficult than Vir imagined. Though he tried to compensate for the movement of their Acira, his aim was thrown off whenever the beast flapped its great wings, buffeting the riders.

The enemy drew closer, and Vir braced for a midair collision. Even if he had to bail, Light Step would soften his blow. He’d grab Badal before jumping off, but the pilot would have to fend for himself.

Vir made to unhitch himself when a rain of arrows descended upon their enemy like a cloud, forcing the opposing Acira to spiral into a dive.

“Brace yourselves!” the pilot shouted, diving after them without even a moment’s pause.

Their Acira folded its wings, plummeting at an incredible rate that made Vir’s dinner threaten to come back up. Never in his life did he imagine a beast traveling so fast. The wind, which was loud before, deafened him, blowing his cheeks back, and it took all he had just to keep his eyes open.

No wonder the pilot’s wearing goggles.

It was terrifying… but if he was honest, also a little fun.

He really knows what he’s doing, Vir thought with a pang of envy. He wanted to be the one executing death-defying stunts in midair.

A wild grin crept up on his face, and Vir thought he could get used to the thrill of flight.

Their enemy, perhaps assuming the Order demons weren’t that crazy, opted for a saner, safer dive. The distance between them rapidly closed, as did the ground, which rushed up under them. Vir didn’t think they’d catch their prey before they crashed.

“Fire!” Badal ordered, and Vir immediately complied.

Badal’s crossbow bolt shot forth, but a last-minute juke by the opponent’s pilot set it sailing harmlessly by.

Vir’s aim, however, was true, and his bolt sank into the rump of the Acira. His attack was followed by four more bolts from the others, one of which clipped the beast’s wing, causing it to screech in pain and abort its dive.

“Were you aiming to hit its vitals?” Badal asked, panicking slightly.

“Definitely not. I just can’t aim that well when we’re moving so fast.”

The demon nodded. “It should be fine. This one is retreating. Two more to go.”

An Acira tumbled from the sky, and Vir watched with horror as it plummeted lower and lower… and crashed with a sickening thud.

Badal looked on with concern, worrying it might have been an enemy Acira.

It was worse—it’d been one of theirs.

“Ally down. Descend and secure a perimeter!” Badal ordered the pilot, signaling nearby Acira to do the same. “We’re going in.”

With two enemies still in the air, half the Order Acira remained airborne to pursue them. The Order had the benefit of numbers, but Kin’jal had mejai aboard and had to mind where they shot, lest they land a lethal blow.

It was the only reason the Kin’jal Acira even stood a chance. They knew the Order wouldn’t harm them.

“The Acira’s dead,” Vir shouted as they descended. Prana Vision showed no life at all from the beast. “Too far to tell if anyone’s still alive.”

Vir unhitched and jumped off, Light Stepping to absorb his impact before Leaping to their downed ally.

It was a gruesome sight. The Acira’s head had hit the ground first, and its neck was clearly broken. It lay upside down, pinning the Order demons under it.

They’re alive! Vir thought, rushing up to them. Alive, but unconscious. He couldn’t be sure how bad their injuries were until they’d been freed, but Vir didn’t worry himself with things he couldn’t control. Instead, he got to work, cutting the rope that bound the riders to their dead beast.

Badal landed and came running over. Vir hailed him, but stopped when he saw a jet of red fall from the sky.

“Badal, dodge!” Vir roared, pointing up.

Badal reacted instantly, hurling himself aside and diving into a roll, just as the Ember spell landed, setting the tall reeds nearby ablaze.

Vir pushed against the Acira with all the  force he could muster, even Empowering his arms and using Leap, but the beast simply wouldn’t budge. Vir could hardly believe such a heavy animal could lift itself off the ground.

A rod of ice plunged into the ground a few paces away, forcing Vir to scan the skies for more.

The Ember spell from earlier acted like a beacon, lighting up the downed Acira, and more Ember and Icicle spells quickly rained down. Whoever the Kin’jal pilot was, he was doing a great job of avoiding the dozen Order Acira who heckled him, providing his mejai ample opportunity to rain fire on them from above.

Ice and Fire magic not only had the longest range of the orb-based affinities, when fired this way, they could be launched from miles above. Gravity pulled them down, drastically boosting their range.

Only the mist that blanketed the ground helped to shroud them, but with fire blazing, that advantage was lost.

“Help me push it off,” Vir shouted as Badal finally arrived at his position, hunkering next to the Acira and putting a finger to each of the downed demons’ necks.

“The pilot’s dead. The other rider is still alive, but barely. He will not survive long.”

One by one, Order Acira touched down, dropping off more raiders before immediately taking off, though Vir barely noticed. There was something about Badal’s tone that knotted him with worry.

Vir stared at the gray demon. “What are you saying? We can save him!”

Badal returned Vir’s gaze. “We have no mejai, Vir. Our healing can’t mend broken bones and clot large wounds like orbs can. I’m afraid he will die.”

No way. Just because they didn’t have healing magic?

“You’re not even going to try to save him?”

An Ember spell crashed into the ground, just a single pace away from another Acira as it dropped off a demon. The Acira panicked, veering to the side, but the pilot took to the air just in time, aborting his landing.

“Look around you. This is a battlefield. How many lives would you have me risk to save a brother with a mortal wound?”

That’s…

Badal grasped Vir’s shoulder. “It is a commander’s duty to make the tough choices. To decide who lives and who must die. My duty, and I do not bear it lightly. I swear to you, our brother’s sacrifice will be remembered.”

Order Acira were already taking to the skies, narrowly avoiding bombardment spells that continued to rain from above.

Badal brought a whistle to his mouth and blew three times, piercing the night with a high pitched screech.

An Acira descended moments later through the mist, and Badal scrambled on the instant it touched the ground.

Vir Leaped aboard, barely staying on his saddle as the Acira took off.

The aerial bombardment broke off as both Kin’jal Acira landed beside the one Badal had just abandoned.

Ordinarily, it would be a supremely foolish tactical decision to land when their enemies circled the skies in such numbers, but the Kin’jals knew they wouldn’t be touched.

“They’ll confiscate anything of value and burn the rest,” Badal said softly. “Let’s go.”

The Order Aciras rejoined their Delta V formation, this time with one fewer Acira to their number.

So this is what war looks like, Vir thought as they flew the rest of the way, his mind lingering on the demon they’d just abandoned. Tough choices indeed. Could I ever make such a hard call so easily?

Vir wondered what thoughts ran through Badal’s mind. Did he grieve for his fallen friends? Or had he done this so many times that it no longer bothered him?

“We have arrived,” Badal called, ordering the pilot to set the Acira down. The  layer of mist from earlier covered the ground here as well, reducing visibility to near-nothingness. Perfect conditions for approaching unseen.

The great beast beat the wind and touched down in the golden plains that ringed the garrison fortress. They landed out of sight, but not so far that the demons would be unable to reach it.

“Best of luck, brothers,” the pilot said, clasping Vir and Badal’s arms before they debarked.

“And to you,” Vir murmured back.

Then the others arrived.

Vir heard the raiding force before he saw them; the sound of dozens of Acira’s wings beating heavily to slow their speed was truly something to behold.

The force was so great, they dispersed the mist, creating a small pocket of visibility.

Vir had expected them to land, but none did. Their warriors jumped off when they were a few paces off the ground, reminding Vir of the Altani elite soldiers who’d rappelled off their skyships in Daha.

Who’d win, I wonder. The Order’s Demons? Or the Altani?

He didn’t need to think long. While demons possessed superior physiques to humans, the Altani’s mejai advantage was insurmountable. Vir hoped the Order never went to war with them.

Or Kin’jal, Vir thought, sneaking a glance at the castle. The Balarian Warriors’ sheer numbers would overwhelm the Order in an instant.

“Any concerns, raise them now,” Badal said, addressing his troops.

Silence was their only reply.

“Then you have your missions. Execute.”

The Balindam and Tash squads broke off without a word, disappearing into the mist like ghosts.

“That just leaves us,” Badal said. “You have free reign on this one, Vir. Show us what you can do.”

“I will.”

Vir wasn’t flustered. The opposite, in fact. It was night. The ground was rich with prana and he was acting alone on a mission to save innocent demons.

An inner warmth filled him, like an untameable fire that burned with confidence and hope.

A wraith of the night, Vir Leaped into the mist, disappearing from sight and sound. Aboard the Acira, he’d been a useless bystander. But as a demon of shadows, this was his element.

Let’s go save some lives.