Tearha: The Number 139

Chapter Thirty-Six: Planet Breaker

"Hold!" Luce shouted, her throat coarsening from giving directions. She was taught to shout from her lungs when commanding troops during her time as a Titan Hunter, but she had never gotten that trick down pat.

They had rode out into the field and intercepted the golems' path and were faced with them from running distance as night engulged them.

Once more, she yelled, "Ice over!"

The two hydromancers ran forward towards the pair of towering golems, circuits on their arms glowing bright teal. Buoyant snowfall had carpeted the ground in a thin cotton fluff of white, kicked up by the charging rangers in puffs as if dandelion seeds bursting into flight. Light from the stars in the night sky glittered in slight reflection over evening dew. With sweeps of their arms, the hydromancers froze the stretch of ground before the golems in a cold snap.

With each earth pounding, ground shaking, ice shattering steps, the golems made their way across the land, breaking apart the frostbitten ground with ease. When all eight of their feet are on the patch of ice, Luce gave the attacking order.

"Cover them!"

Misti and her partner terramancer pulled at the earth, their circuits glowing a dark brown in the black night. With forced jabs at the empty air, large chunks of dirt flew to and slapped themselves over the body of the respectively targeted golems as extra layers of earthen armour. A sole aeromancer stood between the two Titans. With channelled wind, she summoned a spiralling up-draft of strong tornading current.

"Fire!"

She raised her rifle, and joined by the line of rangers with high impact weapons of hand cannons and grenade launchers, fired away. They aimed low as their shots angled upwards from the aeromancer's gale, curving through the air. The two pyromancers joined the assault with high explosive fireballs that soared and curved towards their targets, lighting up their surrounding like tiny Twins. The spells hit after the initial firing squad, exploding into dispersing embers and sparks.

Dust cleared, flames vanished, and the night returned to a beating peace drummed by the steps of the siege golems. Knocked off the path of ice from the heavy bombardment, the golems continued their undaunted march as if they had simply been slightly pushed by a passer-by on the streets.

"Luce!" Misti approached with heavy pants. "I don't think we're going to make it."

The leader of the Titan Rangers looked back towards the town, glowing lamps and torches dotting the stretch. The builders of the earth wall was reinforcing the far end of the town, doing their best to secure the last few buildings in the way.

Luce said, "We're almost there."

They had been repeating the freezing and pushing process for three hours, executing the manoeuvre over a couple dozen times, moving just a dozen steps westward each attempt. They had pushed the Titan's two third the way out of the path of the town.

"Just a little more and we can clear the outskirts."

Misti argued, "But the mages are tired." She pointed to the worn out rangers, some bent over against their knees.

The golems were stalking past them. The longer they rested, the less time they had to continue the push and less effective each of their hits were at angling them away. Luce stepped up before her team and the pyromancers intuitively produced two floating balls of flames as sources of light, casting flickers across her face; Shines off her golden hair; Glitters off her sweat.

"We are Titan Rangers. We swore that we would protect the sanctity of life, especially those of Titans, the ones who can protect themselves." She held the barrel of her rifle and forcefully jabbed the butt into the ground for emphasis. "But what is the point of protecting just a segment of life?"