Touch of Fate 187 A Thorough Analysis

He was still operating out of his office in the Magic Department, but the growing number of issues that were cropping up meant that he would soon have to move to the office Alexander had been setting up in city hall. It was designed to be more approachable and organized, with subsidiary offices set aside for his staff, which he really needed to work on identifying sometime soon. Yet another project that was going to take him awhile to complete.

Sighing, he sat back down, and resumed planning for the city's defense. While Alexander had already laid out most of it, there were some details that had become uncertain after a large portion of the city's leadership was assassinated. He was now trying to refine the plan to the best of his ability, but one aspect kept bothering him. How to best make use of his student?

He could easily become a terror on the battlefield, engaging in hit and run tactics from the back of his dragon mount, harrying the enemy along the fringes of their formation, where the concentration of mages capable of defending against him was the lowest. He figured that this would work for a while, until they found some sort of countermeasure. Emmanuel was also concerned about putting the young man in a situation where he would be forced to slaughter helpless soldiers from a distance. That would be trying enough for veterans, let alone a teenager.

Alternatively, he could be sent to disrupt the Tennundian supply lines, hopefully shortening the length of the siege. While there were certainly alternatives that they could make use of, especially if they were willing to start pillaging the surrounding countryside, this would probably me the most effective use he could be put to. Except….

Emmanuel hated to admit it, but the boy was a more accomplished mage than nearly everyone in his faculty. There were a mere handful of mages in the city he could imagine outperforming the youth, and even then, it be mostly due to skill and experience. Few people on this continent could match his raw power, even if he hadn't quite learned how to make use of it yet.

With the incredible importance of mages during wartime, and the rather extreme shortage of them faced by Almirn's defenders, could he really afford to send one of his most potent assets on such a mission?

He briefly glanced at the scrying mirror he had set up on his desk, noting that Mike and the watch captain were now negotiating with a man that looked suspiciously like the Tennundian Duke. Unfortunately, the artifact lacked the ability to transmit sound, and could only provide a slightly blurry image of the target. Higher end models did exist, but since the method of creating these types of items was one of the greatest secrets of the Mage's Guild, he was stuck with this old device he'd scrounged out of the University's storage facility. So limited were its functions that he actually required a small piece of the target (in this case hair) in order to get anything at all.

The last real option, and the one he would probably end up pursuing, would be to keep the youth in reserve as a reactionary force. With his speed and freedom of movement, Mike could respond quickly to emergencies throughout the battlefield.

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[That would probably be for the best. We have enough soldiers through the levy to man the walls, and if I allocate them carefully, we should have enough mages to cover most eventualities, but we'd be stretched thin. That reminds me, I need to check on the results of the recruitment drive through the Adventurer's Guild…]

He was distracted by a sudden burst of motion on the scrying mirror, as Mike made his escape in his usual flashy manner.

[Looks like negotiations have failed. I'm not surprised, but it's still a bit disappointing….] His mind went blank after witnessing what happened next.

For a second, Emmanuel couldn't believe what he was seeing. His student, who had only spent a few weeks studying basic level Elemental Magic broke out a spell that hadn't been seen in centuries, conjuring an actual meteorite and throwing it at the Tennundian encampment.

An arcane spatial distortion was able to deflect the hurtling chunk of rock, proving that the enemy had an accomplished mage in their ranks, but even then it was only able to alter the course slightly, redirecting it to the northeast. There was a flash, and the scrying mirror's connection was cut-off by the ensuing waves of force. In the distance, he heard the thunderous explosion as the building shook, bits of dust falling from the ceiling.

He took a moment to rub his forehead, once again recalling why so much of Alexander's guidance was related to dealing with the 'Dragonknight.' Sighing, Emmanuel scrapped his first two plans. The youth would definitely have to be a reserve force. With that level of power, they couldn't afford to use him in any other capacity.

What was troubling was the presence of a mage among the Tennundians that was able to accomplish that particular stunt. While it was something that Emmanuel himself would have been capable of, that an Arcane Magic user would have that level of control over spatial magic was problematic. It meant that they would need to be cautious of infiltrators brought over the wall through teleportation.

While the University itself had countermeasures for such a thing, the city as a whole was too vast to protect in any reliable manner.

The door opened and Mike walked in with the unconscious watch captain slung over his shoulders. Dropping his burden unceremoniously on the floor, he closed the door and took a seat with a sigh of his own.

"That went poorly." His student commented while letting his disguise drop.

"I gathered as much from the explosion. Did you learn anything of interest?"

Mike frowned in thought. "The army is effectively being commanded by the Duke himself, and he seems to have a rather intense hatred for this country."

"That would make sense considering his personal history. He's lost a few family members to conflicts with Almir." Emmanuel replied with a nod.

"That said, I think the Marshal that's actually in charge of the army is sympathetic to a negotiated peace, but is currently unwilling to entertain the idea of removing the Duke from power." Mike gave him a serious look. "He's going to be a tough one to beat, especially with the quality of his staff officers."

"Yes, I caught some of the conflict," He mentioned while motioning at the mirror which was still displaying the swirling gray mist that functioned as its standby mode, "Assuming they represent the cream of the Tennundian crop, so to speak, then we should be able to hold out so long as we avoid long duration engagements."

The idiom he actually used was more closely related to distilled liquor, and the small portion of any given batch that was of a specific purity, but Mike's Communication Magic translated it in a manner that made sense based on its intended meaning.

"There were two other things of note. Much like you suspected, they weren't aware of Alexander's death. Although I suppose that could simply be excellent acting."

"That lines up with what little I've been able to track down about her kind. In the history books, there are a few references to deadly assassins capable of becoming immaterial at will."

"Oh?"

"There have been at least six instances where they have shown up in the last three hundred years, each targeting key leaders of nations or organizations. While this wouldn't normally be enough to narrow down a source, it can be extrapolated from the context of their most active period." Emmanuel commented while browsing through the report he'd had compiled on the subject.

Mike frowned, possibly guessing the answer.

"Five of the six incidents took place during the War of Bones, in which the Necrocracy of Lacot faced off against the allied might of Inland Sea Region. Their targets ranged from generals to religious leaders to merchants, but each of them had something in common. They were all providing some form of assistance to the war effort, and their resulting deaths led to major disruptions for the living side."

"So we can safely assume that Lacot is behind this?" Mike asked quizzically, "Seems a little strange for them to be getting involved in a regional war, though."

"It's a bit more complicated than that. The sixth incident, which took place nearly 80 years after the war, claimed the unlife of Drakus Steelbeard, one of the Archlich's most accomplished generals. Whether this was an internal conflict among the upper echelons of Lacot, the actions of a lone renegade, or simply because the Necrocracy doesn't have a monopoly on these assassins, is up for debate." Emmanuel replied while taking a sip of his now cold tea.

[What I wouldn't give for a stiff drink right about now.]

Mike seemed to be catching on. "So, while it's probable that Lacot is involved, it can't be definitively proven, and therefore we should remain on guard for other factions seeking our demise, just in case."

"Correct. Thankfully, we can probably assume that there are some rather harsh restrictions on employing these assassins, since they were only seen infrequently. In fact, it may possible there is only one at any given time. We should hope ourselves that lucky, I would hate to imagine what handful, let alone an army of those things would be capable of."

His student fell silent for a few moments, before speaking again. "On that note, I saw no signs of orcs."

"That would make sense. According to my sources, (gods, do I feel awkward saying that), both orc tribes are currently camped to the far northeast along with a small Tennundian force. It would look like they are seeking to delay our relief until the main army can capture the city. Although, considering who the commander of that relief is, I can't imagine them buying much time at all."

The Serpent of Almir was said to be personally leading the coalition force, and the Tennundians would be fools to underestimate the foremost military mind of the current era.

"Not in the face!" Captain Henry screamed suddenly as he shot to his feet, having only just regained consciousness. He looked around in confusion, "Um, where am I?"

Laughing, Emmanuel explained the Watch Captain's circumstances while Mike snuck out, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

That meeting had given him much to think about, but he has more questions than answers at this point.

[Uh, Boss, there's something I think you need to be aware of.]

Mike stopped short in the hallway outside of Emmanuel's office, as he received a mental message from his newest familiar.

[What's going on?]

[Well, it's that beastman you've had me following. It seems like he's gotten himself involved with a few of the local gangs.]

Frowning, Mike thought back [Is he trouble?]

[Not exactly…..He's kind of…uh, this is hard to explain….he kind of became their leader.]

[Huh?]

Chapter end