Blade(Part 4): Midnight

Chapter 18: Maisa

Araxes, Rhazaan, Drogbel, Polarpi, and Aos soared through the air as they flew towards the Furnace. Hours were spent for the armies of Azia, Acran, and Aetherian to march before the mesa, and by nightfall, the allied army surrounded it. Heavy opposition was met from Aziz's soldiers, and both armies clashed with their spears, swords, and shields. Just before the allies began to march, Marcus flew ahead at low altitude, finding the secret way beyond the barrier in order to free the other New Ones. The enemy army didn't seem to notice him, otherwise there would be even more resistance from Aziz's forces. Maisa could see the battle below her, from the back of Drogbel. The fighting was intense, with the soldiers on both sides ripping each other to pieces. The dragons flew over the battle, with their priority being the shield-generating towers that surrounded the Furnace. Drogbel carried Anorae, Cytheris, Maisa, and Isylinor in front of one, blasting a wave of force at the stationary cannons positioned around its foundation, and completely destroying them before they could fire at the Great Dragon. Anorae then flew Drogbel above the base of the tower, and as they passed over it, Maisa and Isylinor jumped off.

"So, we darken these three towers, and the barrier falls?" asked Maisa.

"Right," Isylinor answered. "So, let's move quickly." They both entered through a doorway at the base of the tower as Anorae kept Aziz's army at bay on Drogbel. A dozen of Aziz's soldiers were beyond the doorway. Half of them were spearmen, and the others were swordsmen.

"Kill them!" their red-armored officer roared. Isylinor drew his trident, while Maisa drew her two sickles. As three of the swordsmen charged at her, she hurled one of the sickles at him, sticking it into the front of his skull, then pulled it back by its chain and swung it at the second one, while she sank her other sickle into the third swordsman's neck. Three of the spearmen then charged at her, while the others were attacking Isylinor. Maisa parried a thrust from one with one of her sickles before taking his head off with the other one, then she grabbed the spear of the second one and swung it at him and the third soldier. The spearhead went through both of their helmets, and they dropped to the ground. Maisa then looked to Isylinor, seeing that the soldiers attacking him were also dead.

"So, where's the generator?" Maisa wondered.

"I'm guessing up there," said Isylinor, pointing through a pane of glass above them, with a control panel against the wall. A gravity lift was against the wall of the base of the tower that was at the bottom of a shaft that seemed to stretch all the way to the floor above them. Both Maisa and Isylinor stepped in it, and they were carried through the shaft, towards the top floor that held the control panel. As they were being lifted up, though, they began to sense a strong, powerful aura of darkness. Maisa had little doubt of what it was.

"A Shadow," she warned.

"I know," Isylinor agreed. "Hopefully, one that hasn't been resurrected." When they reached the top of the shaft, and the glass floor of the top of the tower, they both pointed their weapons forward and stepped off the platform. They looked along every inch under the ceiling, and through the glass that was under their feet. Suddenly, a shout came from above them as a black-armored child crashed against the glass with an enormous two-handed greatsword for a dark aura blade. He was an Aggressor class Shadow, and was undoubtedly incredibly powerful, but Maisa wouldn't be intimidated by him. She quickly threw one of her sickles at him, which bounced off of his dark aura shield before he threw both Maisa and Isylinor into the wall adjacent to the gravity lift with a powerful dark aura blast.

"Come on," Maisa groaned, pulling the sickle she threw back into her hand. Isylinor rose to his feet, then charged at the Shadow with his trident forward. The Shadow deflected his thrust with his dark aura blade, then Isylinor warped behind him and swung his trident at him. The trident bounced off of the Shadow's dark aura shield, and he was knocked to the ground. When Isylinor stood above him to impale the Shadow on his trident, the Shadow threw him into the wall with a dark aura blast and raised his greatsword before him. Maisa threw one of her sickles at the Shadow before he could attack Isylinor. The small blade went through his dark aura shield and caught him by the arm. Maisa then jerked on the sickle's chain, pulling the Shadow away from Isylinor, and towards her. The Shadow then launched himself into the air with a dark aura blast from both of his feet and raised his black greatsword above his head. Maisa formed a Rao glyph in her hand and blasted a lightning bolt at him before he could swing his dark aura blade, sending him into the wall. Before he hit the wall, a red light surrounded him before he warped away, and Maisa heard him shouting behind him. She quickly turned around to see the Shadow swinging his dark aura blade at him. Maisa quickly parried his attack with one of her sickles before swinging the other one at him. The Shadow caught her arm with his armor-plated hand, then threw her to the ground with all his strength. Before the Shadow could bring his greatsword down on her, the three spikes of Isylinor's trident suddenly sprouted from his chest. The weapon punched right through his dark aura shield, and through his black Aggressor armor. Blood splashed from the Shadow's mouth as he looked down to the spikes that ran through his chest with dread. Maisa could sense his fear turning to anger as the Shadow turned around with what little strength he had left and swung his greatsword at Isylinor. His dark aura blade went straight through the Fury's aura shield, and through his armor, and the side of his abdomen. Maisa felt his light go out, and then the Shadow's darkness fade as he collapsed to the ground, lifeless. Isylinor was dead. Maisa wanted to mourn him, but she reminded herself of why she was here. She went to the control panel of the shield generator and pressed a large, glowing button in its center. A metal panel behind it then raised to show the mesa through the window, and the shield-generating tower deactivated.

"Xyhra," Maisa reported, through her radio. "I deactivated the first shield generator."

"Good," said Xyhra. "We're waiting for Dameon and Matilda's teams. You head outside and wait for Queen Anorae to pick you up."

"I will," said Maisa, and she cut their transmission. She went back towards the gravity lift, bending down beside Isylinor's body. He was Alexius' brother, and also Marcus'. Now, Maisa would have to explain to the latter how he was killed, but he must have felt his light go out as well.

"I'm sorry, Isylinor," Maisa sighed. She gently closed the epsilon warrior's eyes with her fingers, then went down the gravity lift. She and Marcus would return to the tower to retrieve his body once the battle was over.