The man next to me has a look of shock on his face. At the moment, I am sure that I have the same expression. Neither of us expected something like this.
I access the formation to see what damage has been done. (This is another use of the ironskin.) The damage to the wall by the spike is pretty minimal based on the damage I can observe. The ironskin has been breached in only a few limited locations. That doesn't make sense. The amount of mana that has been consumed is capable of causing much more damage. (That much mana is usually meant for seige magic.)
It takes me a few moments, but I realize what is going on. The spike of ice is solid enough for a beast to step on. It acts like a platform allowing the beasts to climb onto the wall. To conjure such a spike is certainly not going to be cheap.
I could try and kill the beasts climbing with my spears but it won't be enough. Leading this bunch of soldiers are two Ice Beasts. The have enough mana in them to match a troop leader. I can't be certain about this, though. Every moment the creatures mana fluctuates, sometimes seeming no better than an ordinary minion and sometimes, blazing like a tiny sun in my mana sense.
At the very least, I did not need to worry about them as my soldiers have entered into action already. They have already begun fighting the creatures and the minions that have climbed onto the spike.
They are not particularly successful, but they are doing something at the very least. I just stand there paralysed, unsure as to what I can do. I have a thousand plans going on in my head, each more unlikely than the other. The only thing that manages to break me out of my panic is the man next to me.
"Captain, would you focus on holding back the troop leaders? No matter what happens they cannot be allowed to reach the spike," he commands. As he does so, he points at the troop leader in the east. Right now, it is the closest to the spike.
"I can't do that. The damn creatures are too fast for me to strike them with my spear. Even when they are relatively stationary, attacking the walls, I did not really manage to hit them," I admit. As I do so, I am trying to get a good angle on the creatures. It is a futile act, though, with the creatures moving faster and faster, it becomes harder to aim at them. "There is something that I can do. It is not going to be pretty, though."
I begin by cycling all of my mana into my arms. I can feel the spear grow lighter in my hands. (This is purely mental, I assure you. Things made of mana weigh only as much as you believe that they should weigh.) I wait for a few moments and chuck the spear.
It flashes like a bolt of lightning as it streaks in the sky. The spear is not only flying due to my throw, but also due to the mana that I have given it. Before I know it, the spear had entered the troop leader's leg. (The one closest to the spike.)
The force of the strike is enough that it pins the creature to the ground. Just as the water spear is about to explode, the creature begins to breathe ice mana at it. There is too much water mana in the spear to freeze the bolt any time soon, but it is enough to prevent its explosion. The creature is trapped due to it.
I don't get to relax, though, as the other two beasts are already changing their direction. They are channeling their mana, creating a barrier as they run towards their trapped ally. Fuck, the enemies are now prepared for my spear. It won't be able to do as much damage.
I need to get rid of the trapped leader before the battle ends. The main problem with it is how much longer it takes to strengthen my arm with my vital mana. (I don't even want to speak about the pain.) Now, I will only be able to manage a shot like that every thirty seconds. As I have been speaking, I have been charging another spear to throw.
I can't shoot it any time soon, which is why I grasp a water spear with my other hand and throw it at the target. As the spear flies towards it, the trapped beast shoots a ball of ice mana at it, causing it to hit the ground next to it.
As I am doing this, the two troop leaders have reached the location of the trapped leader. I throw my spear, aiming it at the trapped leader.
I almost succeeded at catching it off-guard, too, if it were not for the third leader shooting an ice bolt. Picking up another spear, I throw it simply. This time I am aiming at the third leader. This doesn't strike true as it hits the ground beyond them. It still manages to push the creatures into a more panicked state as they look around warily for more strikes.
They have finally stopped trying to help their fellow leader. The creature is still trying to free itself by freezing and shattering the spear. It will happen eventually, but the hope for now is that it will hold for a while at least. The two leaders are now looking in my direction, waiting to intercept anything that I throw at them.
This time, I begin to charge up a spear, feeling my arm grow hotter. Strengthening yourself using mana like this tends to have limits. I am nowhere near my limit, but I can feel the prickling in my hand turn into a dull throb. As my mana finishes cycling, I throw my spear.
This time, I am aiming at the trapped beast. As expected, it causes the two beasts to enter into a panic as they try to blow away the spear. They do end up succeeding. With this, the creatures are completely focused on protecting their third teammate, though.
"The creatures cannot abandon one of their own now. The burden on them must be too great already," he speaks, almost as if he is reading my mind.
"Care to elaborate on that?" I ask the man, throwing another spear. The creature should be halfway through the spear. I guess I should switch my focus to trap another of those creatures. Not that it is likely to happen again.
"Let's speak about it some other time. We can't let the creatures climb the spike. Try to strike them when they are closer to the spike. They will be slowed down among their underlings," he replies. As he speaks, his panicked expression begins to morph into a calmer one. "The soldiers will be able to shatter the spike as long as the only thing fighting them is the weaker Ice Beasts."
"So, how long will that be taking?" I ask him.
"I have no way of knowing that. From this far away, I am not able to see beyond a few blobs," He replies. "Even with the spyglass, I can't see that far away now. You have my spyglass, you know."
Fuck, that was not a reply that I wanted to hear. I am able to look quite far with my mana sense. The only problem with it is that it gets vaguer the further I try to look. (I can tell that there are two leader level creature on the wall, but nothing beyond that.) I am able to sense the mana of the creatures attacking the wall even now. I can't make out anything more than that though.
There is a way for me to get more precise information. I can enhance my mana sense with my vital mana. The only problem in the process is the amount of information that I will have to deal with. Let's just say that it will lead to quite a few headaches.
Using the sensory formation is still a bit easier to do than enhancing my vital mana like this. Bracing myself, I do exactly that. The world suddenly takes on a new definition. It is almost like every different mana source in the area has taken on a new color. Thank the gods the mana sources here are so monotonous. Anywhere else, this would have made looking at the world a painful process. (It is why I tend to strengthen my mana sense so rarely.)
The soldiers stand out like a fire in the area surrounding us. I am not able to focus on them for long. Already, I can feel a dull throb in my head as my mana sense threatens to overwhelm me. I close my eyes to focus purely on my mana sense.
The main problem is all the ice mana in the place. It stands out like a blinding mirror, making it seem like the area is flooded with light. I force myself to focus on the soldiers. From this far it is hard to make out, but I am sure that one of the soldiers is pounding away at the Ice spike with his sword. It could also be a hammer though that doesn't matter. What matters is that they are breaking the damn thing.
They are not making too much progress with it. They have weakened the spike but they aren't just getting that many chances to hit the spike. The two injured leaders are always there, stopping the soldiers from doing anything. (which also means that the soldiers have managed to stop those two for now, as well.)
Stopping my mana from cycling, I can feel my head pounding. Forcing myself to think through it, I notice the damn beasts breaking through the spear trapping it. It is still limping, so that is a good thing at least. They have begun to run towards the spike now.
As they do so, though, I can feel a plan forming in my mind. I check my mana first to make sure that I have enough mana to pull off what I plan. I think it will be a bit less than needed, but I should be able to make it work. What can I do? Strengthening your body like this is pretty costly, and I am not a martial mage to be able to optimise it. They can fight like this for days at a time if need be.
Regardless, I dip both of my hands into the quiver and hold one spear in each hand. I have already begun to channel my mana into my arms. Meanwhile, the creatures have been making their way to the southern gate. By the time that I am done charging, the creatures have reached it.
"Strike them already, captain," Shamon speaks behind me. The man has begun to panic a bit.
"I have a plan, Shamon. Don't disturb me," I reply.
Even in the time it took me to speak, the three troop leaders had reached the gate. The limping leader and one of the other leaders are throwing ice bolts at the soldiers above them. The last leader is now climbing the spike. Fuck, I had wanted all three of them climbing the spike.
Taking a deep breath, I wait. Shamon has already entered into a panic, but I wait. If the man could, he would have slapped me. Let him. With how focused I am I will not notice it anyway. Finally, the creature is in position. I throw both of my spears at the creature at the same time. This I do just as the creature reaches the region where the soldiers had been trying to break the spike.
Both spears fly, reaching their targets in time. The first is aimed at the creature on the spike, which the creature dodges by jumping over it. The other is aimed at the spike below it. Normally, the spear would not be strong enough to break it but the soldiers have been hacking at it for a while. The spear explodes, pushing the spike to its breaking point.
The spike begins to crumble as the troop leader falls on it. Its weight is enough to collapse the weakened spike as the creature falls to its death, buried under tons of ice.
Even as this happens, Shamon stares at the wall with his spyglass. (When did the man get it back?) After all, plenty of the creatures have managed to get onto the wall. They could still be a threat if the soldiers are not able to hold them back.
"What in the hells is going on Shamon?" I ask (or scream) at the man.
My head is buzzing even as the pain in my hands has begun to overcome my thoughts. (Made worse by the feeling of nausea coming from nowhere and everywhere.)
"My lord, my soldiers are holding against the enemy," He begins, a rare undertone of fear in his voice. "They have managed to kill all the underlings already, but they are struggling against the troop leaders."
Even as the man says this I grab the spyglass from his hand as my vital mana goes into my eyes. The boost it provides to my senses is enough for me to vaguely make out what is happening. (Even with my enhancment, the creatures and men look like stick figures.)
Still, I am able to make out quite a few things as the men begin to dominate over the two leaders. It takes me a moment to figure out from where these two creatures have come from. After all, there is no way that there can be any more troop leaders. (Four troop leaders is already enough to attract the attention of the nobles out on the yearly hunt, you see.)
Turns out that I am mighty familiar with these two creatures. After all, I basically collapsed their houses on top of their heads. Fuck, to think that these two creatures managed to survive that. (Just how durable are these fucking creatures.)
It looks like they have not survived that without any damage, though. Even now, the creatures are struggling to hold against the five men teams that they are fighting with. Good, that means that I will be able to help them out. Even as I think this thought, the world begins to spin around me as I fall to the ground. I had forgotten about the injury on my leg.
The weird thing is that I can't feel the pain in my leg. (which has been a constant companion till now.) What the fuck is go....