Pitched Battle

Warriors of Transcendence, Part 48

Only a few Transparent Ones remained on the eastern slopes of the Land of the Northern Forests. The Storm Dancers did not come to their assistance because they could not afford, under any circumstances, to leave their watch over the southern slopes. However, in their place came several Warriors of Transcendence, joined by Mahn who had undergone a swift training in the Tunnels of Time. This small troop spread out among the trees overlooking the border of the White Desert and the Lowlands, waiting.

There was no need for scouts to inform them of what was to come, since their enemies were audible, even from a distance. Thousands of human soldiers, mainly from the Base Level, were advancing from the Towered City, to the beat of a deafening drum. The warriors moved north, towards the more distant slopes, where the trees were sparse. Their intention was to invade the forests and encircle the Transparent Ones who had conquered the Southern Slopes from behind. The soldiers moved in disorder, waving their swords in the air, grunting and rumbling, trusting in their great number. The rear guard was composed of small groups of trained soldiers from the Mercury Level, sapphire flames etched upon their uniforms. They advanced silently and in an orderly fashion.

As the rude, rambunctious voices approached the outskirts of the forest, the Warriors of Transcendence rushed towards them. At first they pretended to be villagers armed with swords; they waved their weapons and engaged in fierce battles, slaying many men. But then the leather clad, shaven-headed soldiers outnumbered the Warriors of Transcendence, surrounding them like a pack of hungry wolves preparing to attack an easy kill. The circle of warriors tightened around the ten Warriors of Transcendence, each with a drawn sword, cries of battle upon their lips. And then, for just a moment, it was silent. Just as the Warriors of the Tower planned their final attack, the Warriors of Transcendence began to transcend. At first their dance was slow and gentle, as if they were preparing for death and parting from the world. But then their movements became circular and more rapid, until each of the Warriors of Transcendence spun around in place, kicking up dust in the process, thereby concealing themselves from the enemy.

“Kill them! Now!” ordered one of the Tower commanders.

The sword -carrying soldiers burst forth with all their might, but the Warriors of Transcendence performed their duties well. No one was able to invade the perimeter of their strength, and their swords repelled all who approached them. But still the men of the Tower did not retreat. Wave after wave of warriors trekked over the bodies of their comrades, and with the sound of drumming and high pitched shrieks, continued to attack.

When the Warriors of Transcendence sensed that they were no longer moving forward and their men were weakening, they retreated slightly, in an attempt to search for their enemy’s weak spots. The warriors ceased to dance, and the Soldiers of the Tower interpreted their rest as surrender. Six of the Tower Warriors advanced in a crescent formation.

“Their dances will be of no use to them when faced with the WireArchers,” thought the furious Tower soldiers, but just then something occurred that shook their confidence: The Warriors of Transcendence formed a circle, and one of the warriors began to move his hands gently through mid-air, as though tracing the form of a wave. The earth below the Tower Warriors simultaneously began to move accordingly, causing them all to fall to the ground. Before they could recover, a second Warrior of Transcendence reached out his hand, clenched it into a fist and moved it through mid-air, as though he were squashing something. Immediately, the six WireArchers collided together, as though a great gust of wind crushed and squeezed their bodies almost to death.

Terror enveloped the Tower Warriors and they retreated. A third Warrior of Transcendence reached out his hand, as though collecting their terror and transforming it into a thick rope. The imaginary rope grew longer as the warrior began to wave it above the heads of thousands of his enemies. The force of the pull transformed their terror into paralysis and they became helpless. Thousands of warriors tossed their weapons and escaped in every direction; their weakened legs carrying them, falling and trampling over one another, shrieking and crying as though they had witnessed the most horrifying sight. This was caused by their fear alone, which each and every Warrior of Transcendence amplified and intensified. The strength of a thousand soldiers was destroyed, and only two hundred of them managed to retreat and escape to the Towered City. Among the Warriors of Transcendence, not a soul was harmed.

Mahn’s participation in the battle was a gamble that ended with a miracle. In a creek, hidden from all eyes, he encountered a Warrior from the Base Level. As the soldier approached him, Mahn recognized him as Elassar, the Inviewer from the Tower who had pursued him, intending to kill him. Mahn pulled out the short sword hidden within the folds of his cape, but Elassar was faster, knocking Mahn’s weapon out of his hand and onto the rocks. Elassar pointed his sharpened sword towards Mahn’s neck, and Mahn was certain that his end was near.

“Ha! Who do we have here? It is Mahn, the new friend of the golden rats! What a rare coincidence!” mocked Elassar. “It was precisely you whom I was searching for, and I am not alone! Every Warrior from the Tower is searching for you and for the prisoner you kidnapped! Do you know what punishment awaits you for such a foolish deed?” Mahn did not speak. Battle cries were heard from nearby, and he wondered if any of his fellow warriors would take notice of his absence and come to his aid.

“Your warriors pose no threat to us,” continued Elassar, “and if you haven’t noticed- only Warriors from the Base Level and a few Warriors from the Mercury Level were sent here.”

“Warriors from the Base Level, warriors from the Mercury Level …”These words reminded Mahn of his days in the Tower and elicited mixed feelings of paralyzing fear and familiar distant memories.

“That is to say,” Mahn’s enemy summarized victoriously, “that the Emperors do not deem it necessary to send out soldiers from the upper levels. This ridiculous uprising of yours, headed by the Master of Transcendence, is about to end!”

Mahn was astonished by the ease with which Elassar uttered the name that was not to be spoken, and this heightened his anxiety. Had something changed since his escape? Had the strength of the Emperors intensified so greatly that they no longer feared the Master of Transcendence?

“They are well- spoken, aren’t they?” Elassar suddenly asked in a soft voice, “They told you the forces of good are fighting the forces of evil, and about the Master of Transcendence who would come to your aid at any moment, and you- innocent Mahn, believed their tales! Do you really believe that he needs you? You are but a lowly Man, who until yesterday served in the Emperors’ City and today you are a rookie, still unprepared, fighting on the edge of the Warrior’s troops. He surely knows everything about you, your identity, and your actions. What is his real opinion of you?” The battle cries grew distant and then faded away, and Elassar’s sword was still aimed at Mahn’s throat. Strangely enough, Mahn was not troubled by its presence. Elassar’s words were true, thought Mahn. But so were the words of the Warriors of Transcendence. But if the Master of Transcendence was right, and the words of the Emperors are a lie, then what importance does Mahn have? Why would anyone care for him?

“Your betrayal of the Emperors was a choice worse than death, but you still have the ability to make amends and atone for your transgressions. There is forgiveness and pardoning in the Tower.”

Forgiveness and pardoning in the Tower…these words nibbled at Mahn’s brain like ravenous ants.

“As for the rest of the rats, their end is near! Behind the misleading trick executed by the armies of the Base Level awaits a small surprise. Your choice is the following,” said Elassar. “Either I kill you here and now, or you return to us, but not with me. You shall remain here, among your new friends, and supply us with information regarding their plans. We will find a way to contact you. But if you betray us again,” he said sternly, “we have methods to extract payment from you, far beyond the strength of my sword.”

Mahn recalled the Southern Mines and the man responsible for the Essence Department, and his stomach churned. What threat was Elassar referring to?  Would he be turned into a stone in the wall? This was impossible, the wall had just collapsed and crumbled to the ground! A crimson-yellow colored brick flashed across his eyes, imprisoned, begging…and a terrible rage filled him. Even if he were to remain in the final row of warriors, even if he would forever be unimportant, worthless, of low status, he would never return to serve the Men of the Tower! The Master of Transcendence mends the destruction of the Emperors, and he, Mahn, was devoted to him- Always!

Mahn quickly rolled aside, and scrambled towards his fallen sword. In the flash of an eye, Elassar missed his chance to react, and Mahn overpowered him.  He fled the scene as Elassar’s body fell to the ground.

When Mahn returned to the battlefield, he noticed that the situation had changed.  The Soldiers of the Tower were gone and the Warriors of Transcendence encircled the Lowland borders, gathering apparel and possessions lost by the retreating Tower Warriors.  It seemed as though the battle had been won, but just then a cluster of darkened clouds began rolling in from the distant horizon, moving towards them. The Warriors of Transcendence quickly became alert. They spread out among the trees in the slopes and watched. On the edges of the approaching clouds, blurry figures were visible, clad in black capes. As they approached, it became apparent that the cloud was indeed composed of these creatures. Their slow movement created a feeling of fatigue and sleepiness in the warriors, but they were not fearful of the Cloud Shadows. As their visibility became blurred, it became clear that the Shadow ‘wall’ concealed other forces, advancing behind it. The attack of the Base Level armies was but a preliminary trick aimed at weakening them. The real battle was only now about to begin. Convinced of the intensity of the force about to strike, the Warriors of Transcendence entered within a protective circle etched in the sand and waited. When the cloud was close enough to touch, swarms of Shadows of Fire emerged from within. Burning and revolving in the fire, initially red and then blue, their movements were fast and sharp, and their flames heated the air.

A sudden intense heat was felt. Mahn felt his throat tighten as he gazed, terror stricken, at the ring of blue fire tightening around the circle of warriors. The Warriors of Transcendence entered within themselves, ignoring the flames. They were protected for now, but the path to the Land of the Northern Forests remained exposed. Many forces swiftly made their way towards the slopes. Although the Emperors’ strategies were deliberately and meticulously planned, they had neglected one important detail: The Essence of Soul Concentration!

A subtle howl rolled down from the mountain tops, as though voiced by myriads of mouths, screaming into the valley with all of their might. The trees in the slopes swayed uneasily as strong gusts of wind cast terror upon them. Warriors from the Solar Level, climbing up the slopes, slowed their pace, and they summoned each other to gather, in an attempt to understand what was transpiring. The blue ring of fire around the Warriors of Transcendence weakened slightly.

The howl grew louder, and the gusts of wind became a great storm. Despite their fierce power, the Soul Essences treated the forest trees with great tenderness. Although they were blown in all directions, no tree was uprooted.  The Soul Essences were familiar with the pain of the uprooted, and despite their raging fury, they were cautious of harming defenseless beings. The Warriors of Transcendence watched in awe. A strong wind now struck the heavy, black clouds, and shrieks and cries emerged from within them. The Shadows of Fire persisted and refused to relinquish their victims in the ring of fire, but the Warriors of Transcendence already knew that the Master of Transcendence had come to their aid. A strong wind circled around the ring of fire, striking the Shadows with great force. As the Soul Essences howled loudly, pure silver swords, clear as a tear, emerged from within the wind. The myriads of swords struck the flames in an all-consuming force. A short time had passed from the time the howls were first heard on the mountain tops and the strike of death by the silver sword. On the border between the White Desert and the Green Lowlands, all that remained were countless heaps of blackened ash.                                 

To be continued.

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