Year 2000 AGS Underhaven Calendar
*3:45 Earth. Friday.
"Do not fear, white flame legion. We might be only 300 strong, but we are the best among our clan's 1st legion. Handpicked by Elder Michael, the champion of Templars, himself! Listen to my orders, and we will gain victory!" Natasha looked at her soldiers sincerely, believing they had a chance of winning amid the massive enemy forces advancing towards them. "Laios, guard the flank, make sure our soldiers are not attacked from behind!" Natasha said to Laios, now with him, some of the blue lightning soldiers from the 4 entrances.
"Legion commander, the 4 entrances have been informed, but it seems transmission was nullified to the farther areas. We can't contact the tribal order armies in the convergence plains." Magna is now with her legion commander, defending the Mantle. "It is okay, where is the order of mantle's bulwark?" Natasha looked at her back for a moment and asked, confused. "They have been seen unconscious near the walls. We do not know how the rune-artillery hit them since their ice is as hard as steel." Magna looked at Natasha, looking somewhat downcast.
"Are you afraid of dying?" Natasha asked Magna straightforwardly, which surprised her. "No… Commander… It's just…" Magna, confused, said pale, fairly believing in her mind that she would die today. "Do not fret. As long as I am here. You will not die. As for the rest of you!" Natasha calmed Magna, and when she saw the soldiers listening, she faced them and shouted the comforting phrase to them all.
"Legion commander, we, the order of the prescient eye, are here to help. We currently have Perfect Precision Tribe soldiers stationed away from the mortar fire. It seems to have soul-damaging mortar rounds, as we have seen in the opening volley earlier." An order from the minor tribes informed Natasha, since they had seen what happened earlier. "Okay. Make sure to position yourselves away from mortar fire but close enough to snipe with your crossbow at their mages. Don't go to the defense towers for now." Natasha looked at the incoming enemy and said. "Now go! Magna, protect them. Take a squad of 10 with you." "Yes, legion commander." Magna nodded her head and ran, directing the snipers where to go in the back.
"Defensive anchors! Prepare for impact! Begin abyssal anchor defense!" Natasha shouted loudly while keeping an eye on the charging Neo-Illumina army bearing down on them.
"Yes, legion commander!" the white flame soldiers replied while they condensed the dark martial energy directly into their skeleton and muscles to exponentially increase their physical density. Thus, hardening their body into an immovable object.
CLASH! THUD! CLANG! The two opposing forces clashed. The Templars from defending, while the Domcreans from charging.
"Mana users! Singularity orbs!" As Natasha ordered. "Yes, commander!" The Templars shouted in unison and threw pitch-black dark orbs made from mana. The orbs rapidly absorbed surrounding heat and matter, then generated a sudden, crushing gravitational pull. "Light martial energy users!!!" Natasha shouted as the enemy was gravitationally pinned. "Yes, commander!" The rear rank of Templars unleashes pure Light energy.
A sudden, blinding CRACK! shattered the enemy front lines, followed instantly by a high-pitched, endless EEEEEEEE! that swallowed every other sound in the room from the enemy's perspective. The devastating magical flashbang seared through the enemies' retinas and shattered their equilibrium with a concussive shockwave.
"Now! Eclipse weave and advance!" Natasha's shout reverberated on the battlefield. In the exact millisecond the enemy is blinded and deafened, the frontline Templars executed the Eclipse Weave. They instantly dropped their heavy, dark martial energy, shedding their slow, immovable mass, and shifted entirely to light martial energy, triggering a Photonic Surge. This forcefully accelerated the templar's nervous systems and muscle fibers, transforming them from an impenetrable wall into a blur of blinding speed.
Utilizing this hyper-acceleration, they delivered lightning-fast, fatal sword swings into the helpless enemy formation, cutting through them to pieces. Dragons, dragonoids, domcreans, and the rest were helpless against the Templar's sudden attacks.
"Templar scums die!" "Glory to Domcrea!" "You will all die today!" Three domcreans carrying their longswords attacked Natasha. CLANG! The three looked surprised. She didn't bother to look. Without turning around, she raised her left hand using her gladius behind her back, effortlessly parrying the hidden strike with a crisp, resonant CLANG!
"Not yet, fools with too much ambition," Natasha remarked as she leaped forward into a seamless somersault. At the peak of her arc, she flashed her swords outward, striking both flanking enemies in a single, fluid motion.
Natasha looked at her sides. Some of the domcreans ran away, trembling as their three commanders died in an instant. As the enemy fled, she unleashed a fierce, wordless yell, her chest heaving as she pumped her bloody bastard sword into the air. "YAAAH!" Natasha shouted.
The rest of the soldiers shouted in unison. "The princess of the white flames is with us! GLORY TO THE MAKERS!"
"Those that remain are looking disoriented. It was all accurate. Be prepared, Natasha," Daniel spoke. Natasha looked dead serious to Daniel, breathing heavily, and then nodded lightly.
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*1 and ½ hours before.
"Hey Equirel. Why are you up so early in the morning?" Tamael called out on Equirel as he rode his radiant stag. "What do you mean by getting up so early? Here you are riding your sister's mount so early in the morning." Equirel said, seeing Tamael up so early in the morning as well. "Huh! Can't you see? I am carrying my sister's things. They were ordered to station there earlier than usual. My parents told me to bring her some of her favorite food. Since she ran there so early." Tamael pointed at the panniers of his radiant stag. "Why so many then?" Equirel scratched his head a bit and then continued to say, "You know my mother was so weird earlier. You will go to the mantle right? Can I join?" Equirel approached Tamael and pointed to an available seat. "Sure, nothing bad's going to happen right. I mean, it's Friday already, and everything's okay so far."
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*3:55 Earth. Friday
"What do you mean the first wave was annihilated? There were only 300 of them!" Catalyst was shouting at the remnants of the first wave that attacked the Mantle. "Lady Catalyst, we have succeeded on the 4 entrances. We have totally destroyed the defenders there. Only the mantle held out." Her soldier told her, confused. "You do not know of the plan, you dimwit! The mantle is the primary target. The Supreme Leader's plan is based on the Mantle's total weakening." Catalyst continued shouting at her soldier. "Settle down, Catalyst. The plan was to weaken, and we have weakened the other 4 entrances. We can now focus our forces on the Mantle and make the documented declaration." Cipher soothed Catalyst while looking at the projected map right in front of them. "If we transferred some of the forces from here and then let the rest encircle them. It is basically game over. And it is still Earth. The reinforcements will arrive still later at 12:00 Full-moon. We have much time." Cipher said as he moved the projected images of the battle plan into one that he was thinking of.
"The problem is that those who retreated from the 4 entrances went to the Mantle for refuge. It would even be more difficult to attack them without risking the safety of Supreme Leader Apex." Catalyst smashed the table where the projections are being shown. "Calm down, Catalyst. We are to show our superiority, aren't we? What better approach than to show how Neo-Illumina's supreme match with Templar's supreme? Natasha of the white flames. Truly annoying." Apex suddenly stood up from his seat. "Prepare the generals and enforcers. We will attack at once."
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*4:03 Earth. Friday.
"We have slowed their advance," Laios stated as they are formulating their own battle plan in the war room of the mantle. "Yes, but more is to come. They are most likely to maneuver outside the 4 entrances and encircle us in the Mantle, while their main force will strike here in the front." Daniel stated as he moved projected images on the war table. "Indeed. We are in trouble." Laios analyzed Daniel's words and agreed, punching his arm on the column just enough to lash out his frustration. "How in the heavens were they able to reach the stronghold without being noticed. And why are the communications down?" Laios continued.
"Possibly EMP. I heard the white elves were developing that technology. But they were not finished, from what I remembered." Natasha added while seated at one of the chairs, spinning her gladius. "Let us think of the 'how they managed to get here' when the battle's over and think of 'how are we going to solve this'," Daniel said while looking down at the war table. "We have an ace. And it's the greatest tactician in all of Underhaven." Daniel continued. "By the way, why is he not here yet?" Laios commented in frustration. "Brother, wait, he knows what he is doing. In the meantime, let us prepare his entrance so that it will be grand. I bet these punks don't know what they're getting into."
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*Back to 3:30 Earth.
"We're near the mantle, Equirel," Tamael informed Equirel at his back. "Damn. Why is it so long? From what I remember, we can get here in 30 to 40 minutes." Equirel complained to Tamael. "Huh? You know this is a radiant stag, right? Anything faster and our destination is to the hospital, not to the mantle." "I know. I know. Sorry." "You know, for having an incredibly smart dad, you are incredibly dumb sometimes." "Hey. This is the first time I am riding this thing. Mom won't allow me. And from our time riding, everything seems to be stable." "That is because I am trying my hardest for it to be stable. By the Makers!" "Okay. Okay. I understand." Equirel replied. "You two boys seem to be lost or something." Someone made the radiant stag halt, interrupting the two kids. "You managed to get yourselves into a warzone." Elder Abaddel continued.
"Elder Abaddel. We are sorry. We are just supposed to deliver some food to my sister in the Mantle!" Tamael bowed his head respectfully every time he spoke. "You might be Magna's brother. And you, you are Daniel's son. Am I right?"
BOOM! BOOM!
"Ey. What was that?" Equirel shouted. "The wrong time, in the wrong place. The hits just keep on coming." Elder Abaddel facepalmed and looked at the two boys. "Come here. I'll take you someplace safe."
"What's happening, Elder?" Tamael asked. "Nothing much. We are just under attack." Elder Abaddel replied as he tried to calm the radiant stag and direct it to a safe place. "I thought Elders are high and mighty, you are Elder Abaddel, right, or are you his son or something?" Equirel added. "Sigh. You are indeed talking to the high and mighty Elder Abaddel kid." Elder Abaddel sarcastically replied and continued, "Here we are. Get down and go inside. Don't ever come out unless I come back and make you come out. Do you understand?" Elder Abaddel warned them sternly, his face filled with deep dread. "Yes, Elder."
"I mean it. This place is surrounded by protective runes. No one can detect your presence here, and it will alarm me if someone's breaking in. You are safe here."
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*4:15 Earth. Friday.
"Are they surrounded?" Apex asked Catalyst. "Yes, they are."
"Templars. How hilarious. The mighty and greedy Templars that deem themselves unconquerable are now looking fragile and weak before me. How did it come to this?" Apex made a speech as he walked in front of his main army of enforcers, together with his generals.
"Hahahahaha." Daniel laughed in front of the Templar defense. "You jest. Ambition has its limits. And its limits you will realize today!" He added as he clapped his hands and made a thumbs-down gesture after his reply.
"Ahh, Daniel, the great seer, you are here today. I see the reason for our difficulty. What does fate say about your fate now?" Apex turned to Daniel and mocked him while pinching his nose and making a hand wave gesture, "The Fate sure loves me as much as they say. He has given you to fall by my hands today." Daniel mockingly replied, looking straight at Apex's eyes. "Then let's see which one of us falls." Apex, with a hint of fury building up on his face, said. "All of you attack!" Apex gave the order.