Centurions of the Eastern Frontier

A Quick Robbery

The nightmare took over in an instant as it always did. Megara struggled to take control and return to the meaningless fantasy of a normal dream. But that didn't happen, she still hadn't mastered taking control of nightmares. Well, hadn't mastered taking control of this nightmare. Others she could change with little effort and return to a peaceful sleep. Livia said it was because this nightmare was based on a real event, and those are harder to control. Megara had a different theory as to why she couldn't stop these images from flowing.

It was five years ago and the garrison was under attack. There were too many of them and they had arrived too quickly. A bunch of bandit clans from the waste shouldn't have been able to move through the frontier without notice. There had been no doubt that the Eldon's would seek retribution, but they should have had time to prepare. Most of the covens were still being recalled from patrols.

Megara's coven had been clearing trees just north of the garrison when they were hit. They would have been overrun if Sergeant Dardanous hadn't pulled them together into a retreating line. Even then the bandits spells tore through her coven. Megara and the other Telekinetic Natel Wattin broke apart what spells they could but there were too many of them.

The controlled retreat was headed for the main gates but they were cut off by a second bandit group assaulting there. From what she could see, some of them had breached the walls. As Dardanous turned their retreat toward the smaller northern gate, Natal began to lag in her spells. Megara looked toward her and saw the terror in her eyes. A type of terror they had been warned about in the academy.

The slack in telekinesis protecting them had an immediate impact. An explosion sent Megara flying into the garrison walls. Stars filled her vision as a warmth trickled down the side of her face. As she regained her senses, she saw her coven down all around her. Injured or dead, she couldn't tell. The garrison healers would be able to help them, even the recently dead could be brought back but that would only happen if they won.

Natel's screams pulled her attention from the carnage. Her friend stood as bandits swarmed their position. Magic pulsed off of her as she underwent what all mages of the legion had been warned about. The extreme mental stress had broken something inside Natel as the apotheosis took her over.

She raked her arm in front of her so hard that bones broke. The wave of telekinesis rippled out, throwing back and shredding the on coming bandits. It also tore apart some of their own that were on the ground. The mangled bodies would be near impossible to bring back to life. Still filled with the overwhelming power and a useless arm at her side Natel thrust her other arm forward, her joints over extending from the force of her magic.

The ground tore apart in a cone extending from her all the way to the tree line over 100 meters away. Even with both hands useless she still screamed. Hand movements helped control the flow of magic but weren't necessary. Pulses of chaotic energy burst out of her, striking widely among friend and foe. Stone work fell around her as some of Natel's blasts hit the walls above her. A fear was overtaking Megara, not just of her friend losing herself to her magic, she felt the precipice that Natel had fallen over, just a little bit ahead within her mind.

It was terrifying and alluring. If she stepped off, the pain would be gone. The horror of what she was seeing and the wounds to her body would be nothing compared to what awaited her. The instructors at the academy hadn't conveyed the temptation that came just before an apotheosis. How could you convey the extremes before her? Her mind knew for certain the joy and terror that awaited, if only she took that step.

The ending of Natel's rampage came suddenly and brought Megara back a little. She was still at her breaking point, but her training kept her from falling over, but oh how she wanted that bliss of power rushing through her. Her eyes focused on Natel's headless body. Someone had ended the process, had stopped her from being complete was all Megara could think. The carnage her friend had caused didn't matter, there was a truth behind her rage, a beauty that was just there for the taking.