Waters of Aqnis, Second Story of Nypre

Chapter 19

Nypre, Deren, Jordan, Norris, and Lina all ducked down within the tall grass to the side of the dock. The grass, mixed with the dark night, was enough to give even Norris cover. There were three siege weapons, the same weapons that destroyed the ship they rode in on. It was up to them to disable those machinations before the fleet arrived.

"Any ideas?" Deren asked, looking to the others.

"If we're going to pull this off, we need a distraction." Jordan suggested. "Nypre, is there something you can do?"

"Not without putting myself in extreme danger." Nypre said.

"We're going to be in danger regardless." Jordan countered. Nypre didn't like where he was going with this. Fortunately, another option appeared. With a loud chain of splashes the ocean water erupted into a large spout shooting upwards.

"Water magic, prepare the weapons!" Nypre heard one of the soldiers shout. Two of them ran towards the closest siege weapon to the spout of water, aiming it carefully. Before they could fire, a large surge of water overwhelmed it and the soldiers, killing them and destroying the machine.

"It must be Meni." Jordan thought out loud. "We should assist her." The rest of the group nodded quickly in agreement. After a quick instruction by Norris, telling Lina to stay there hidden in the grass, the four men charged weapons drawn.

Despite their quick loud movements, the enemy paid no attention to Nypre and the others. The soldiers focused entirely on the large spout of water that shot out from the surface. Crossbow bolts flew, cutting into and through the spout. Nypre knew he had to disrupt those arrows.

"Wonik-e-ti!" He shouted, creating a long curved wall of wind by spreading his energy outwards, circling around the spout perfectly. He grabbed the crossbow bolts in the air, turned them back at their owners, and returned fire. The bolts flew wildly back towards the dock. It was impossible to aim the bolts, given how many there were, but it bought Meni enough time to continue her destruction.

Large spears of ice shot outwards from the spout and rained down upon the docks. A couple of soldiers were impaled, but the spell was inaccurate and only meant to put them on the defensive. With a loud clang, Norris, Deren, and Jordan had reached the frontlines, Nypre just behind them.

The soldiers engaged in combat, their swords clashing. Given the finesse the three fought with, the poorly trained soldiers stood no chance. One by one they fell. It wasn't long before the remaining soldiers on the docks began to run.

"Nypre, don't let them escape, they'll warn the others and reinforce this area before the fleet arrives!" Jordan ordered.

"Understood." Nypre replied, he ran forward, towards the road leading out of the docks. There weren't many soldiers left, and most were injured. A couple of quick lightning spells took out any that managed to escape the area. Nypre wanted to feel bad for killing the soldiers who ran in fear, but no guilt came to him. Jordan was right. If any escaped the dock would be reinforced, likely with the true strength of Falkner's army, the mechanical soldiers.

In order to chase the soldiers, Nypre had to run fairly far away from the others. By the time he returned, the docks were in ruins. The siege weapons were destroyed by the torrential waters. The only thing left of Falkner's forces lay spewed through the stony wharf. Deren, Jordan, and Norris stood together looking out over the water. The large pillar of water still stood strong, but did not continue its attack. From it the water split, and a ramp of glistening ice formed leading from the center to the dock.

Maryine walked slowly down the ramp, glowing with a strange blue light. Nypre could feel the magic emanating off of her, it was unlike anything he had ever seen or heard about. She walked slowly down the ramp of ice, looking as if she was in a trance. When her bare feet touched the stony dock, she collapsed forward, the ramp of ice disappearing and the spout of water falling apart with a large splash. The glow that surrounded her faded slowly, returning her to normal. She looked to be in a peaceful sleep.