บท 557: Overhead
"Incoming!" Jaymes screamed in spite of being ordered to be quiet.
Gandr, who had relaxed for a moment to regain his strength, barely had time to lift his hands and reinforce the rocky shelter. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late.
The boulder hit the side of the structure and ruined its integrity once and for all. "Get out!" Gandr ordered.
Flinging Yumeto over his shoulder, Gandr used his free arm to make a small bubble of protection around the four humans as they fled. All got out just in time to see Taran pummel Alvar into the ground.
"No!" Aurora ran forward, unable to resist the compulsion to help her best friend's husband. Gandr was not fast enough to stop her as she raced forward.
Taran had hit the elf twice against his helmet before a rock hit him on the back, stinging one of his wings. The monster turned with a snarl only to realize that the person that had caused all his pain and misery was now before him.
Something about her presence soothed him enough for his pupils to lighten. His voice, though high and airy, was clearly that of the charming nobleman.
"At last Your Majesty, you have come to meet your fate. There is no Fate to save you today. I hope you are ready to die!" Taran took flight as the ground below him jutted out in jagged edges.
The spikes which were meant to impale the monster formed a protective barrier around Alvar's battered form. Having no weapon beyond her own fists, Aurora ran with all of her might.
But not quick enough. "The world is going to see you fall," Taran growled as he caught her up in his remaining talon.
"Let me go," Aurora screamed reflexively.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. That is exactly what I intend to do." Taran lifted the woman off of the ground, bolstered by a gust of wind from Gandr which came a moment too late.
With his remaining strength, the halfling launched one of the fallen boulders toward Taran like a catapult. Seeing the projectile, the abomination dangled the Empress in front of it before moving her and himself from the rock's path.
There was nothing more that Gandr could do. Sweat poured down his face. He could either keep fighting until he passed out and was no good to anyone, or try to get the humans with him to a new safe place.
"Come on!" He picked up Yumeto, whom he had flung on the ground and grabbed Jayme's hand.
"But the Empress!" Eliana's eyes swirled as tears streamed down her face.
"Will have to find another way. I promised to get you out of here." They looked at Taran, who was lifting Aurora ever higher as he screeched in glee.
When Eliana looked back to her group, the rest were already nearly at the tree line, and she was forced to follow. There was no good way to fix the problem without more people...or someone who was a very good shot.
----------------
Mairwen and Brinn were mowing down the enemy from above as best they could. But no matter how many went down, more took up their spots. The amount of abominations seemed unending.
Fortunately, it appeared that the enemy had left most all of its archers in Oblivion, for other than one or two stray arrows--which Mairwen quickly took care of when she discovered their source--there had only been no projectiles launched at her or the others in the trees. As for arrows, somehow the princess and others had not yet managed to run out despite their barrage.
That's not to say that it was easy. The arrows only worked at rather close range. This was something the troops had learned in the siege. From the wall, most of the arrows launched at the ground did not deeply penetrate the abominations' skin. Only those shot at close range or which manage to hit the tiny soft spots were effective in slowing down the monsters.
So Nurlan and the others kept having to draw the abominations toward the treeline if they hoped for any support from the archers. It was a dangerous tactical retreat each time, and sometimes the losses to gains were a very close call.
On top of this, the aerial assault was nonstop. While the number of flying creatures had finally stopped growing, they were devastating for the Imperial army. They could tear through the Imperial lines and then swoop off with one of the troops in their talons.
While the elven armor was durable enough to withstand the claws, it had no protection against being dropped from a great height. Brinn had saved as many as she could with her wind magic, but her supply was running low. A few had not been so lucky as to have her help as she was forced to reserve her energy.
Mairwen's calloused fingers began to split open with the repetitive motion, and her arm was on fire. She was used to practice where she could shoot in intervals, but this was no time for rest in battle. And there seemed no end in sight.
'Just keep going. Eira's out there fighting for her life. You cannot give up on her.' Mairwen calmed herself and steeled her nerves. The personal guard, having the most knowledge of the situation behind Nurlan, had headed up the regiment which arrived from the fort.
With her at the lead, they were charged with pinning down the abominations from the east while Devrim's group moved in from the west. Mairwen could not see her friend, but she believed her to still be alive. There was really no other option.
And if Eira was fighting for her life straining every muscle to its limit to defend Valiant, then Mairwen would press herself to the limit and push through the bloody blisters on her hand and shoulder which felt like it might come out of its socket.
"Princess!" Brinn pointed to the gathering swarm overhead. Leaving their prey on the ground behind, they were suddenly whipped into a frenzy.
They circled around a one-legged bat with a lone figure dangling from its taloned foot.
"Is that..." Brinn's eyes were sharp but she hoped they were deceiving her.
"MOTHER!" Mairwen screamed. She ran as far out as the branch would hold her and looked to the sky.
Below, Devrim had somehow seen it too. He missed blocking a hit across his helmet as he stared up in horror. Thankfully another soldier ran a sword through the attacker's neck before its next strike could land.
Coming back to himself, Devrim retreated quickly toward the tree and yelled up to his daughter. "Can you help her?"
"A regular arrow won't reach that height or distance!" Mairwen sighed. Even if it could, the power behind it having to travel so high would be greatly diminished by the distance and gravity's pull.
Behind the line of fighting, Devrim looked around for anything that could help. He picked up a broken spear. Its large head was arrowlike, but far more dense. He finished breaking the pole midway down the shaft and held it up.
"Launch this!" Tossing the spear straight up,
Devrim thrust the weapon towards his daughter.
She reached out her hand, her fingertips barely wrapping around the spear's shaft. There was no time to lose. The Empress was rising ever higher.
Mariwen pressed the splintered end of the wood into the bowstring. The rough surface began to fray the sturdy cord. The bow was not meant to shoot so large an arrow, nor was the spear meant to be launched in such a manner. But there was no other choice.
Straining against managing the long spear, Mairwen felt a pair of muscular arms overlay her own.
"My strength is yours. Just tell me when." Brinn helped pulled the string taut.
Nodding, Mairwen trained her gaze on the swarm of creatures overhead. It was a mass of bodies, and in the middle of it one woman was dangling helplessly. With each passing moment, the likelihood of her surviving the fall was growing smaller.
'Focus!' But where should the princess aim? Mairwen was unfamiliar with the anatomy of the flying creatures. She was still in the process of identifying their weak spots. One thing she did know, the skin of their wings was very thin.
Aiming, Mairwen gritted her teeth. It was now or never.
"On my mark. Ready. Set. Now!" Mairwen and Brinn released at the same moment. With all of the pent up tension in the bow combined with an extra burst of energy from Brinn's wind magic, the arrow shot through the air faster than a diving falcon.
The release was so violent that the ladies were thrown backwards from the branch. Brinn grabbed onto the limb at the last moment, to keep them both from plummeting to the ground.
"Did you get him?" The elf asked as she pushed her human companion back up onto heart perch.
Mairwen tried to scan the sky, but the battalion of bats was just too great.
"I hope so…"
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง