‘I’ll set up a few arrays in case things go south.’ Raagu said. ‘My spells work best from a distance. Also, I’ll make sure Inxialot moves his bony ass.’
‘And I’ll hit fast and hard wherever I can do the most damage.’ Ilthin replied. ‘The lost city is the major threat but if we let the Black Tide through, we’ll have to split our focus into too many sides.’
The mind link was a quick way of communication so from the moment they crossed over Ilthin’s Steps and when they assigned roles, only a couple of seconds had passed.
Solus too used a mind link to explain to the members of the camp what was happening and what they had to look out for.
Farg deployed the DoLorean fleet that she had kept at the ready while the elves of Setraliie started to imbue their equipment with tier five spells.
‘Is there really nothing we could do?’ Kelia stared at the Eternal Fortress in a mix of helplessness and fear. Even from such a distance, the lost city was a dreadful existence that made her feel small and insignificant.
‘Sure, we can call upon Mother and run away.’ Dusk replied with a sigh.
‘Anything but that!’
‘There is one thing.’ The Red Sun replied.
Origin Flames would have been useless while Doom Tide would have made the fake mages useless. Life Maelstrom’s effects, however, depended solely on the person they were bestowed upon.
“Here. This should help.” Kelia pooled her mana with Dusk, allowing him to overcome Baba Yaga’s seal.
The crack in the enchantment closed almost immediately, but lasted enough to infuse Orion with a single bolt of Life Maelstrom.
He was no Awakened, but his bright violet mana core was as strong as any other and his equipment was one of the best in the camp. More importantly, Orion had become famous for teaching the late god of healing Blade Tier spells, something that only Rulers of the Flames were supposed to be able to do.
Even ancient beings like Raagu, Inxialot, and Ilthin lacked such ability and their destructive power paled in comparison to a single Blade Spell.
Orion wasn’t expecting anything like that and almost died for it.
The silver lightning empowered his body and mana core, making them both swell with power. He could feel his whole being burn as the impurities that kept his mana flow still were pulled with violence toward his core.
If not for Vastor taking care of fusing the impurities with his flesh and bones to make it impossible for Orion to Awaken by accident while practicing fusion magic, he would have died on the spot.
Luckily for him, the treatment resisted the effects of Life Maelstrom long enough for him to bridle its energy and suppress the mana flow it caused.
“Is everything alright?” Kelia wasn’t aware of Orion’s condition so him getting pale and showing shortness of breath instead of bursting with power was unexpected.
“Sure. I just need a second to catch my breath.” He replied while using an irregular breathing rhythm that Vastor had taught him in case Orion ever needed to disrupt his own mana. “How long do I have before Life Maelstrom wears off?”
“A few minutes tops.” Kelia said. “Depends on how fast you consume it.”
“Then I’d better get to work.” Orion nodded. “If the enemy comes too close, I would risk hitting our allies as well. Yet there’s a catch. A Blade Spell consumes a lot of mana and starting a fight exhausted is a terrible idea.
“Can you replenish my mana like Lith or my daughters would?” He knew about breathing techniques but feigned ignorance to not raise suspicions about his attempts to Awaken.
“Yeah, don’t worry. Even if my mana core is weaker than yours, Invigoration still works.”
“Excellent news.” Orion gritted his teeth into what he hoped looked like a smile in the attempt to suppress a violent spasm. “Follow me, then. Who knows, maybe you are talented enough to learn a thing or two about Blade Magic just by watching.”
‘What’s wrong with him?’ Kelia noticed the strain on Orion’s face as they walked toward the boundaries of the barriers.
‘I’m afraid you made a mistake.’ Dusk replied. ‘People with a powerful core like Orion die if Awakened. There’s a strong possibility that our Life Maelstrom is causing a small mana flow inside his body.
‘If Orion doesn’t get rid of it as soon as possible, his body might reach a point of no return.”
‘What?’ Kelia was shocked, feeling suddenly riddled with guilt. ‘Is there something we can do about it? Why didn’t you warn me?’
‘No, there’s nothing we can do. The slightest spell affecting his life force would compromise the frail balance that’s keeping him alive.’ Dusk replied. ‘I didn’t warn you because the chances of Awakening someone, even a violet core, just with Life Maelstrom are abysmal.
‘I’ve never seen it happening my whole life.’
Orion walked while chanting his spell and performing the hand signs for Elemental Sonata as fast as he could. He had devised it like a Mage Knight spell so it required only one hand and could be used while wielding a weapon.
Yet that would take more time than he had left. Vastor’s safety measures and Orion’s sheer willpower kept the Life Maelstrom away from his core but they didn’t make the experience any less painful.
Orion couldn’t afford to suppress the pain with darkness fusion since it was the only indicator of how he was holding out. Yet it was also so bad that his vision blurred and his head went dizzy from time to time.
He channeled his pain to speak and draw the runes faster, avoiding using true magic. It would have made things even faster but it was also likely to trigger the mana flow.
The moment he was done with the spell, he unsheathed his sword, Grimlock. It was the latest and probably his most powerful piece of the War series that he had crafted alone.
The blade drained part of the Life Maelstrom from Orion’s body even before he could think about it, relieving the pressure on his core and making him sigh in relief.
‘Damn, I’m a panicking idiot. I forgot that I could have infused my equipment to lessen the strain on my body. Thanks, little fellow.’ Orion thought and Grimlock emitted a soft hum, making him flinch in surprise.
‘Is this purring? After War and Skywarp, does Grimlock have some sort of sentience as well?’ The sword remained silent, just draining more Life Maelstrom and sharing it with the Featherwalker armor.
Orion shook his head and put his doubts on the back burner. For now.
He released the silver lightning slowly, pouring it into every piece of his equipment that carried a power core. The more he consumed the more his pain lessened but his mental strain was unchanged.
Instead of holding himself together, now Orion had to harmonize the mana contained in his equipment with that in his body. He had a limited grasp on mana flow, but since it was his mana and energy signature that the artifacts carried, they answered to his will.
