for a full barrier breach, but he decided to forcefully strike the Urshkaar spellweaver’s head and render him unconsciousness or stun him with a partial breach and his notable strength. The rune released and Gideon coordinated the strike using his enhanced strength, and the Urshkaar wizard fell, stunned. Gideon rapidly moved back as one of the Charachau headed toward him. As he was moving, Gideon also saw some of the townsfolk, those who had appeared as rangers or wardens. They were closing the distance to take aim with arrows or spellweaves.
Karth was generating a powerful sphere that appeared blue white, and waves of coldness emanated from it. He said a word and the Charachau moved back to the gateway. Several arrows from the rangers, most enchanted with deadly energies, stuck him or his barrier, but he continued to hold his spellweave. Gideon watched as Karth began to weave a complex spell combining several elements including air, water, earth, and perhaps aether. Gideon had not experienced or sensed such power since the last time he had crossed the path of the Valharri High Lord Valestran.
Ragan was tossing a Charachau that was larger than him into the air and belted another away with a strong martial kick, while he guided his elementals. “No! He’s generating the ‘Heart of Winter.’ Gideon, run as fast as you can toward the wardens; tell them to leave NOW!”
“Ragan, I have not been able to counter spell the weave he is building,” said Anila. “I should have used something similar on him earlier before your arrival.” The last few Darkspawn were released and guided by the other archmaster toward the portal, even though a few wanted to fight.
“This could be painful,” Ragan stated to no one in particular, “Anila, you should leave to warn and set protective wards for the others.” Karth was about to release the extremely powerful spellweave. Ragan called to his remaining elementals to protect themselves and they returned to the aether.
Tauri Anila moved backward as she saw the Urshkaar were gathering their wounded and moving toward the gateway. She released one spellweave she had prepared earlier and directed it at Karth. She had tried a temporal halt but it was minimally effective and only slowed him briefly. Using those few moments, she used additional energy to forcefully teleport the distance to where Gideon, the rangers, and warders were. She then set and raised a dome barrier around the group to defend against Karth’s powerful spellweave. “Hopefully this will work,” she said. “I have not had sufficient time to prepare a better defense.” Gideon looked up and saw Captain Ross’ ship in the sky approaching the area.
Karth’s spell detonated near Ragan, a huge blue-white explosion followed by a harsh freezing wind that froze the ground and crystallized water droplets out of the moist air. The wave of energy reached Gideon and the others, and even through the barrier, Gideon felt the icy cold of winter. The effect spread for at least a mile in all directions from the point of impact. As Gideon looked around, he saw that some of the men appeared to develop a rime of frost. Even the Wayfarer was affected in the sky.
When it cleared, Karth and most of his allies were gone. Only two Charachau who evidently were too injured to get to the gate remained, and they appeared flash frozen. A few minutes later, Anlia allowed him to go, after verifying it was safe. Gideon went to where Ragan was standing almost like a statue. He was rimed in a frost. He looked at Gideon, moving very slowly as a glow radiated around him.
“If I was not an Erradan, I would be frozen solid,” Ragan said. “I sense Osric and master Earendar may need our help. They are losing their battle. Get on board Wayfarer; I wanted to absorb some of the energy so you and the others would be minimally affected. I will join you in a few moments once I heal myself.” Gideon looked closely; everything radiated cold, especially the ground. He headed toward the skyship and, by the time he climbed up the boarding ladder, Anila the Indigo had evidently already used a spellweave to move nearer to Tauri Osric. Once Ragan was aboard, the Wayfarer moved rapidly at top speed to where Osric the Green was last reported.
While Gideon was on the bridge of the Wayfarer, he heard Captain Ross say, “Place the charged crystals in the lance cannons if we’re up against a similar level of magical energy. As I have recently witnessed, we will need to soften up the enemy with several salvos.” He looked on the deck and noticed that Ragan now appeared to be healed. He recalled that Ragan could take a good beating; he was one of the indigent powers after all.
The scene upon his arrival was different. He could see that master Earendar was severely injured, as an Alor would not be taken down that easily. At one time, Gideon would not have been able to far see before he had been transformed back to having Elven eyes after his great aunt Faiella removed a spellweave that kept him safe, but had made him essentially human and restricted his senses.
One of Captain Ross’ crew who was a master spellweaver tried to teleport to help the Tyl instructor off the battle area, but she could not work her spellweave past the interdicting teleport wardings. Ragan noticed and was about to teleport. “Gideon, help me get master Earendar back to safety. I will create a temporary portal, and you and I can travel where he is on the ground. Then you carry him and take the portal back before it closes.” Gideon nodded and watched as Ragan spent tremendous energy to open a portal, using his incredible spellweaving skills and excess power to make a short local breach.
“Tauri Ragan, we need to leave here soon; the energies of the Vale of Crystal will begin to affect us,” Ross said.
“Once you have master Earendar back, send that salvo of cannon fire you have prepared at the enemy, then retreat,” Ragan said, as the portal began to open and he motioned Gideon to join him at the aperture.
“Aye, it will be done,” Captain Ross said.
When Ragan and Gideon arrived at the exit aperture of Ragan’s portal near the fallen elf Earendar, they could see several Darkspawn and demons moving about the area. A few Darkspawn were already down, probably having been defeated by Earendar or Tauri Osric. The enemy forces were not as organized as the other group. Evidently, a few remaining elementals that Earendar had summoned were guarding him, but they allowed Ragan to approach. Ragan hesitated when he saw the damage to the trees and ground and looked at the perpetrators as if seeing evil ghosts or an abomination.
Gideon could see Osric grappling with Darkspawn, and Anila was having problems battling some kind of greenish tentacled entity that radiated Unlife. Gideon shivered. He had never liked the things of the Unlife. Once, not that long ago, he had been severely injured by a deadly toxin deliverer by the Unlife, manifesting as tentacles from the ground in the Misty Marsh of Urzan. When Gideon looked up close, his magical sight saw masking spells over the Darkspawn. Anila was not faring much better against that undead creature than she had against the Valharri Karth. The thing seemed to be a spellweaver, as well, and had just released a devastating burst of pure essence energy entwined with unlife in a fashion Gideon had not previously seen. The attack was effective against Anila, and she was forced back. In the distance, Gideon saw there were strange creatures that were not Darkspawn, guiding the recently uncrystallized Darkspawn through a gateway.
“Galvarex...and Neston. How can it be?” Ragan said, in as despondent a voice as Gideon had ever heard him voice. He then looked over at Gideon. “Get our friend master Earendar to safety,” his voice now edged with concern.
Gideon noticed the Alor master was injured but communicating with the three greater elementals that were guarding him. As Gideon approached, they moved slightly away. “Master Earendar, I will help you to the gateway aperture,” Gideon said.
“Yes, it is best I leave. I spent a great deal of energy dealing with foes who should not be.” Gideon saw a look of distaste on master Earendar’s usually happy face. As Earendar got up, he made a spellweave that created a floating creature-sized hand that moved and grasped the Darkspawn heading toward them. Not far behind was another Darkspawn, which lumbered forward and attacked. It reminded Gideon of a Chaos beast that he had fought about a year before. Gideon struck the creature with his enchanted blades, fighting with long sword in one and katana in the other. He used another martial arts maneuver that one of his mentors, Gil Gallow, had taught him during one of the renowned ranger’s visits to Tyl University. It was more of an enhanced strike using a martial arts maneuver and a spellweave to cause a brief paralysis after being struck