The Gem Lords

The Battle of the Portal - Part 3

     The nearest ship was now close enough for the wizards standing on its deck to cast their spells directly at the Jules Verne, and a moment later the wall of force was ablaze with spell effects stopped short of their goal. Blossoming balls of flame washed waves of heat across the terrified defenders cowering on the walkway, and planes and needles of pure force shattered and splintered with a sound like breaking glass. Billowing clouds of poison gas drifted mere inches past Thomas's face, and he felt a slight tingle in his head as some faint residue of a Death spell managed to get through.

     One spell got through with its full force intact, though. A crackling bolt of electricity that struck the anti meteorite cladding and vaporised a large hole in it with a deafening thunderclap that hit the defenders like a physical blow.

     "Drass!" swore Saturn, and he abandoned a spell be was half way through casting in favour of a personal defensive shield, just in time as the Garusian wizards cast half a dozen more lightning bolts. Three of the bolts struck Saturn's shield and were turned aside by it, although the wizard was thrown backwards to crumple against the hull, dazed and bleeding. A fourth hit the ballista, shattering it to fragments and scattering its crew like ninepins, and the other two struck the unprotected hull, blasting more holes in the cladding. Inside the ship, a charge ran momentarily through the bare metal walls, giving several people minor shocks and burning hands and feet.

     As the Garusian wizards prepared to cast another salvo of spells, Saturn shouted at Clyder through the Farspeaking link. "Unseen armour! Quick!" Then he picked up one of the ballista bolts, grunting with the effort, and spoke the words that activated its dormant Fireball spell. He then cast a Teleportation spell on it and it vanished, reappearing instantly on the deck of the Garusian ship where it exploded in flame, scattering the crew and setting the sails and rigging aflame. Several Garusian wizards were killed outright, and the others turned their attentions to putting out the fire while the ship dropped back to make repairs. Three more ships were coming into range, though, and Saturn picked up another bolt.

     The Garusians had adapted their defences to counter this form of attack, though, and the second teleported bolt failed to penetrate its shields, exploding harmlessly beside it. The Jules Verne was turning, meanwhile, bringing the three undamaged ballistae to bear on their enemies while Borlin examined his men to assess their injuries and arranged their transportation to the infirmary. More lightning bolts were cast at them, but the Unseen Armour spell was in place now and none of the enemy spells got through.

     "It'll probably be transparent to other forms of attack, though," muttered Saturn under his breath, dabbing at the blood flowing from the cut on his forehead. "We may need the Globe of Invulnerability after all, but even that may not be a perfect defence against Rossemian magic." Also, he was the only one capable of casting that spell. He would have to leave the walkway and return to the bridge if he wanted to use it. "It won't come to that," he muttered, making Thomas glance at him nervously. "We can take them."

     The Tharian wizards cast their spells again, each at a different ship, but only one, cast by one of Braddle's bunkmates, got through. Simple firebolts, the simplest attack spell there was, but they slipped through the shields protecting the Garusian ships and struck one of the wizards, making him cry out in pain and stagger back with wisps of smoke rising from his chest. The other Tharian wizards lining the walkway also cast Firebolt spells, making use of the opening in the Garusian defences before they could close it, and Thomas killed two more wizards, while Saturn sent a veritable hail of the brilliant fiery missiles at the other ship, striking down half a dozen men. Conventional catapult stones and ballista bolts also flew back and forth between the two ships, but they were impotent against the magical defences of the warring ships. They wouldn't be of use unless the wizards on both sides ran out of spells at the same time, leaving the battle to be decided by conventional means. For the time being, this would be a battle of wizards.