Scepter

Part 33

In the dark night, layers of clouds churned, alternating between shades of gray and black. Large clusters of clouds gathered, forming a huge vortex over Lacerena, as if to swallow everyone within.

However, no one had the time to look up and observe this eerie phenomenon. Everyone was shaken by the situation before them, even the mages, whose faces gradually showed signs of fear or despair.

Lacerena boasted a considerable number of mages, with dozens gathered here for defense at the moment. The majority were low-level mages, with many apprentices among them. Intermediate mages were few, and high-level ones even fewer.

Tannis wasn't holed up in the town hall; he was personally on the battlefield, running back and forth on the walls. While this city official might possess some talent, he clearly wasn't adept at commanding in battle.

The mages were deployed by him across the walls, using their respective spells to attack the undead below and assist the soldiers and swordsmen. However, the anticipated display of formidable power didn't materialize, instead revealing numerous issues.

Firstly, there was chaotic command. Due to the diverse talents of the mages—water, fire, earth, and wind—various elemental spells clashed. When water mages cast water balls downward, fire mages simultaneously attacked the undead with fireballs, resulting in mutual cancellation and significantly reduced effectiveness. Additionally, some earth mages employed sinkhole spells, attempting to trap the undead, but with limited success. The undead, devoid of normal human perception, continued to climb out of the holes, and excessive use of such spells risked destabilizing the wall's foundation.

Tannis was evidently at a loss amidst the chaos. The mages' inherent sense of superiority, coupled with the absence of a highly respected and powerful figure, left the situation uncontrollable. While Tannis was the city lord, he wasn't a mage himself. The deputy, Baron Lein, was a mage, but lacked sufficient prestige.

The chaotic scene turned the mages, who could have wielded great power, into a disorganized force. Each acted individually, although their common goal was to repel the undead, inadvertently hindering each other's efforts.

"...Hill, Your Excellency!" The plump city lord hurried over, his face a mix of sweat and grime, too preoccupied to clean up. "Many of our people are injured. Lord Chris said you're a priest and asked me to bring you here to help! You can be a great help, right?"

"Pardon me," Yannick replied, "but I believe it's necessary to summon Chris here now. The situation is too chaotic. Look, how can water mages and fire mages be arranged together?"

Tannis sighed. "There's no choice. Initially, they were assigned different positions, but with the increasing number of those cursed undead, positions need to be adjusted on the fly. This is what you see now! I also hope Lord Chris can come over; with his prestige and ability, he can certainly command this situation. But he's currently busy concocting magic potions. Without those potions, the injured warriors might soon become our enemies!"

Lein rushed over, his face feigning composure to maintain morale. To avoid alarming the others, he approached Tannis and whispered, "There seems to be a problem with the magic teleportation array. Lord Fane hasn't arrived yet!"

A look of apocalyptic dread washed over Tannis's chubby face. "We're finished!"

It wasn't the first time Yannick had heard this name. Still, he continued what he wanted to say: "I can heal them, but I'm just one person. And I believe it's more important now to let the mages attack according to their abilities and specialties. It would be more effective that way; otherwise, they'll exhaust themselves over time!"

Tannis couldn't conceal his despair, nodding despondently. "Of course, of course, I understand. But please, help heal them quickly!"

Though Yannick sensed the perfunctory tone, he had no time to argue now.