Glass Arrow Rewritten

Chapter 4

            I was nervous. I had to send Vitreus to the flank and the vast mana approaching was easily a hundred if not two hundred soldiers. But the valley was what I chose. The valley I wouldn't have to be close. I wouldn't have to kill them with my own hands. The warm and thick liquid practically dripped from my hands as I sighed and pushed my hair back knowing it wasn't truly there.

        "Latro," I hummed, sitting on the edge of the valley staring down waiting for them to get closer. The figures standing around me waiting for their orders all turned towards me at the call. "No survivors," The farther they were the less I had to see.

         Without a need for anything else, they lept from the cliff completely uncaring for their forms. All breaking one way or another at the force but with a mere pull at my mana they were racing down the valley, my Custos by my side as I simply watched them until they were out of sight. I learned very quickly how well a valley echoed. Closing my eyes I reached into the blue mana line connected to my own, not daring to see through him but curious on how he was doing.

          Humming at the mix of emotions and intelligible thoughts, I learned that they had found him already. And that the numbers were about as much as here. A waiting game then. And wait I did. Watching and waiting as an almost surprising amount of soldiers had reached where I was in the valley, my Latros certainly busy further down. They chose to push forward rather than retreat.

          Watching from the corner of my eye as I drank another mana potion I ignored the burn in my stomach as soon they found where I was. Arrows raining from the sky in front of me. "Custos," I said raising my hand, only, I did not get the potion I expected to get. Custos dragging me by my wrist and quickly swallowing me as arrows soon struck us. The complaints rushing through my mana gave me a headache as every line was quick to scold me for my reckless placement.

        Flicking the shorter tail behind us I didn't comment, knowing I was probably going to lose if I argued. Crouching at the edge we didn't move, the arrows simply nicking us here and there but my mana had us regenerated before any harm could find me. They're using magic arrows. I supposed that makes sense, only magic could break a barrier but I didn't have one. The arrows were as effective as any other common arrow to me.

          I really didn't want to participate. I couldn't help but complain internally as I had hoped, even if unrealistically, that the Latros would be enough. My sigh turned into a groan as we rubbed the back of our head but stood up anyway. With one step over the edge, we were falling, heavy mana growing on our back as we landed far more gently than those before us.

         Our wings opened as the soldiers could only do as trained. Take a formation. Keep them at bay. Not even Averin would leave the valley open to enemies. It was a waiting game. And I had already been waiting. "Peccatrix," Calling the stag by its given name not needing to sacrifice my health for the blasted thing.

          A loud and sharp crackle in the air as lightning struck had left the fifty or so soldiers all the wearier but even still, they moved forward. Towards me. Don't think. It's you or them. That's it. Swallowing we pulled at the bow that had easily come to our call, shooting those closest as our wings disburst and we shot back.

        Shit, it's not enough. I can't break their barriers and strike them at the same time.

        Swinging the bow down with a heavy hand it took the shape of a sword, the lightning dancing around the blade as we dug our heels into the ground and shot forward. Don't think, just move. Raising it high as it hadn't even taken us a second to near them, we swung the blade down swiftly. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think. My mind played as we blocked the blade of a quick soldier, our tail locking around the neck of another.