Astraea: The Journey of Magic

That morning, within the main command camp, Ozlo sat in the seat of honor at the table, maps and reports scattered in front of him. All sorts of details had come in, and things had gotten hectic. The situation had rapidly evolved, and now he was looking at the numbers their forces had, and the numbers of the forces that were marching towards the city.

"To think this many Goblins had gathered secretly. Including a lot of high ranking ones they had been hiding, the enemy this time is clever. At the very least we are dealing with a Goblin Lord, but I don't think he has been crowned yet. No, that will likely happen if he manages to even do significant damage to the city. That would be an issue, and yet..."

He looked at the other report. At the same time, movement was detected and dark energy was coming from the Cursed Forest to the south, near where Amyris had found Kuroki. That was in no way a coincidence, and if Ozlo had to guess, it was some sort of deception. However, if it was actually being triggered to pincer attack them, then that would be an issue. As such, the few S-Rank and above people they had available would need to be ready to deal with that. The Guildmaster had to even take the lead on that defense, so all authority had officially been transfered to Ozlo.

But it meant that he couldn't count on any of them being there from the start. He hadn't anyways, but it would have been nice. Besides, even with this situation, sending S-Ranks to fight Goblins, even a Goblin Lord, would have caused people to question the Adventurer's Guild. That said, he still had a few A-Ranks, as well as a good number of Bs, Cs, and Ds, as well as anyone who was still able to fight from the Goblin Subjugation Forces of the past few days.

However, when he heard that there might be as many as ten thousand, Ozlo became concerned.

This might be brutal. And supposedly some Wyverns might be migrating this way at the same time, so I need to keep some of my familiars stationed elsewhere. This is a clear move to tie me down. Could they be targeting my life? Or just want to keep me busy as they went after the Starfallen? Perhaps both.

It was at times like this he wished he had more reliable people around him. The Vice Guildmaster was busy dealing with the city defenses against attacks from the sewers. The Guildmaster was in the south, ready to intercept any catastrophic events there. ANd now Ozlo was covering this line of defense. The entire guild management was out in force.

Separated and distracted. Thankfully I accounted for this, but this is still bad.

The enemy was playing a lot of cards that Ozlo didn't think they would have. This was an unusual amount of resources to be dedicating to this. Still, Ozlo wasn't the type to just give up or despair.

"Fine then, they want a fight. They will get one" Ozlo said, as he looked at the field. Due to the tall grass, they couldn't rely on calvary too much so it might allow the Goblins to ambush them. In fact, the knights had provided almost no horses at all. Thankfully, Valiance wasn't able to interfere much anymore, since the City's lord was now concerned far more about the situation. Ozlo wasn't sure if he would call the lord a good person, but they weren't trashscum like Valiance. That said, they played the game rather well. But at the same time, it was also the lord of a frontier city. Needless to say, he understood large scale battle and threats like this. But they were fighting in a field and a forest with uneven paths and short enemies. Against this group of monsters, it was deemed calvary wouldn't be able to help as much.

Thats probably true, but it might be nice to have as an option just in case.

"The Goblins will be arriving shortly sir" Kylia mentioned to him, helping to organize the papers better.

"Kylia, thank you. However, I need you elsewhere today".

"Elsewhere?"

"I need you to bring me the head of the Goblin Lord. Thats about the only way you can reduce my paperwork woes right now".

"So I take it you want me to go and rampage then?" he asked, his peaceful and handsome face shifting to the expression of a hungry predator.

Ozlo nodded. "The Goblin Lord will be your responsibility. I will need the A-Ranks for something else, and I can't use that yet. Besides, my opponent has already been chosen I believe, though I know not if she will truly come or not".

"She?"

"Pay no mind to it".

"Sir, this is someone who intends to take your life. I think its not the time to hold back".

"Unfortunately, my position prevents me from sharing this with you. Just know that I should be more then capable of defending myself from her".

"...I don't like it".

"Then hurry and kill the Goblin Lord and rush back to my side".

"I will do just that then".

Kylia set off, apparently not intending to waste a single moment. Ozlo just had a wry smile on his face.

"What a dependable assistant I have. Now then, this is a foe who bested the legendary Anna and even gave the Guildmaster a run for his money. Will I be her bane, or will she be mine? Only time will tell now".

He moved some pieces around, and formulated a strategy.

"Of course. That is it. Let us start the battle with that. I suppose its about time I taught them something as well".

Coming up with his plan, he went into the back, into a personal room. Two servants were there, and they immediately began to undress him from his typical work clothes, and then dress him and have him fitted into some armor. It was light armor, made of specially processed materials, and was his combat gear. His normal clothes actually were sturdy enough to be used in combat as well, but these were specially made and enchanted by Ellie.

It consisted of a thick brown vest and a white short sleeve shirt, with padded shoulders. His pants had two parts as well, the more comfortable and shock absorbing under armor, and the hardened yet still shock absorbing grieves. There were short pants though, stopping just halfway inbetween his knee and his ankle. They were black and very official looking.

The materials used looked glossy and had scales to them, and as one might guess, it was indeed made with dragon materials his familiars had willingly provided. No harm came to them to get this, these were things they molted and discarded. The boots and socks that were put on, and even the underwear that he switched to, were all specially prepared as well. The boots were thick brown boots, and the socks were nice and comfortable and would absorb all sorts of shock and walking.

With this, he was now in his battle gear. The only odd thing is that he still wore his glasses. He would wear them even into battle.

"Now then, lets go and take the initiative".

Declaring that, he stepped out of his personal room and out of the tent, summoning his familiar to fly into the sky and watch the battle. He was sure the enemy expected him to take to the sky, but it was still far better then remaining on the ground, and his own plans involved being in the air as well.

Even as all these different plots loomed over the battlefield, Ozlo would not be intimidated so easily nor would he let the enemy keep the initiative.

No, he decided to do something unexpected.

At the same time, Kuroki’s group were sitting on a picnic blanket in a clearing. Well, he called it a clearing, but in truth there were many other G, F, and E ranked adventures doing the same thing.

Right now they were surrounded by reliable and dependable D and C ranked adventurers who were keeping watch, as well as some knights. They were allowing the younger, less experienced adventurers a chance to rest and cool their nerves right before the fighting, letting them be at their peak. That said, aside from their shoes and for many their socks, which were off because they were on a picnic blanket, they were otherwise fully armored and equipped. So it almost looked like the resting area before some large scale LARP or cosplay contest.

Riku looked around. “There really are a lot of people here”.

”And this isn’t even everyone. There are those who can’t participate, or those guarding the sewer exits, not to mention the groups at the other camps”.

There were three camps, the same ones from the beginning. Ozlo was in the main camp, organizing and preparing. That was main command. But all three also functioned as medical treatment areas, and had some basic defenses set up. Between that and the guards, any goblin detachment that made it there would be dispatched quickly unless it had sufficient strength.

Their party was part of the main camp’s force, directly under Ozlo. The right flank was under the command of the Vice Captain of the Brigade of the Silver Wind and A-Rank adventurer Selina Markius.

As for the left flank, Valiance had almost ended up in command. He originally tried for Ozlo’s position but was rejected, and then he got assigned to the left flank. He would have been in charge, except that someone with more military experience interjected and took command instead. Kuroki wasn’t sure who it was, but he had been in the command tent a few times and Ozlo looked relieved when he spoke up.

Still, things didn't go as Valiance wanted, but Kuroki was still concerned. They were still in separate groups, but something about this felt concerning. Was he really thwarted? Or was this all part of some grander scheme?

Unfortunately, Amyris had been busy that morning, so Kuroki was unable to ask him about it.

It was then, as they were consideirng things, that an announcement came overhead.

"The general will be taking the initiative! Everyone, prepare to sortie! I repeat, prepare to sortie!"

Everyone started pulling on their socks and shoes and such, and then got up and quickly packed the picnic blankets away. At the same time, a small dragon flew overhead, but then two larger summoning gates appeared next to it, and two proper adult sized dragons flew out of it. They rained fire down upon the forest, aiming at the corrupted areas or otherwise somehow making their fires selectively burn things. In an instant the entire forest was engulfed in fire, and the screams of the goblins could be heard. It was only moments later that they frantastically charged out of the forest, clearly still sticking with the assault, but some also clearly fleeing the fire. Furthermore, their formations were already breaking up, which gave those in the front a bit of advantage against the numbers they held.

Watching all this from a distance, the Devil clicked her tongue.

"Seriously? All out from the start? My time to attack is already being shortened, and this is only going to get worse as it goes on. Did he see through my plan and take this measure to ruin it?"

She needed her distraction to be long enough to find the right opening, but this looked like she was going to miss her chance entirely.

He took initiative to ruin my timetable. I knew he wouldn't just sit still, but to think he would go so far as to use Dragonfyre on the forest. But weirdly...it doesn't seem to be spreading to other trees, just monsters. Can he control what all that dragonfyre burns and doesn't burn? Thats not something you can just power through, just how much control does he possess?

In truth, she hadn't thought much of him. Of all the ones she was wary of, he seemed like the least powerful. But he was still someone who commanded dragons, so she had been wary of him and acknowledged his strength still.

But if he was willing to use this as an opening shot, just how much did he have in reserve.

This could be an intimidation tactic, but...no, not yet. I shouldn't assume this is a bluff I can take advantage of. Still, I do have that card to play.

She had many cards to play in truth, but the one she was thinking of at the moment was a rather insideous one.

At the same time, Kuroki's group was now ready to sortie. They had already gone to the bathroom and emptied their bladders not even an hour ago, they had rested properly and ensured they were at max stamina and magical energy. They had practiced a bit, worked on developing new moves and techniques and spells. Their party was now ready for what was ahead.

They had even visited Anna's Petrified Self, and asked her to wish them luck, even through they knew she couldn't hear them. Still, they took a stone shard they found nearby, a product of some previous attempt by Amyris to free her no doubt, for good luck. Kuroki was keeping it in his pocket, as if to say that she was helping them.

Goblins had begun rushing out in droves, and the adventurers and knights on the front line were already engaging them. The goblins had been made to run and panic, their formations falling apart, but they had not fallen apart completely. Hobgoblins seemed to be able to rally those nearby to them and reform, causing strain on the adventurers. Not to mention the goblins rushing past individually clearly were zealous and would kill or even just injure them in exchange for their own lives, believing their backs were against the wall.

The situation was better then if the Goblins had stayed in formation, and it accelerated events. But this did not mean the victor was already determined. Since their overwhelmingly powerful forces were in the south, safeguarding against the Cataclysm Beast, it was possible for them to lose in the north. Especially if the enemy pulled out a major surprise. In fact, the wyverns were already a concern. They were considered to be about C to B Rank, depending on the age and species. That had forced some of their adventurers of equivalent rank to go and deal with them, and Ozlo had sent a familiar that way as well.

Ozlo pulled back to the rear, apparently not pushing it any more. If he did, he might steal too much credit away from other adventurers, and perhaps he was worried about a forest fire. His fire did seem weirdly controlled and wasn't spreading to anything but the monsters after all.

It was then that a group of goblins broke through and made it towards where they were. Goblin groups were breaking through other areas too, using the tall grass as a bit of cover but also just the sheer numbers. The battle lines had been breached, but otherwise seemed to hold on some level. They had not totally broken.

The first group that dealt with the goblins that breached was Soaring Shield. They quickly used their shields to bash the goblins that charged at them, defending against the attacks while even doing some damage and disorienting them. They even seemed to push them back to reform the defensive wall for this area, but then two Hobs and several more advanced goblins came charging in.

The next to move was the Deep Dashers, who rushed in to engage them. They had reacted instantly, but had let Soaring Shield take the first group so they could react to the goblins who reacted to Soaring Shield, covering them while throwing off any response with a sudden flank attack thanks to their speed. It was truly impressive, incredibly commendable work.

But then, that was when a new group of Goblins rode out. Yes, that is right, rode out. Riding what appeared to be something that appeared like a wolf but had a stature and shape a bit more like a big in terms of body type, Goblins came charging out of the forest.

These things are fast! They should have made it here first...unless...

Kuroki quickly used wind magic to project his voice, enhancing it for all to here.

"Warg Riders have just arrived! I repeat, Warg Riders have just arrived! The Goblins are not panicking as much as they appear, this is an organized battleplan!"

Getting his warning out, the adventurers braced themselves and their expressions became more serious as they noticed the Warg Riders. They all knew enough to know that if they had truly been in a full on panic, the Warg Riders with their speed would have reached them first. In other words, the enemy's plan had accelerated, but it had not been shattered yet. And they had fallen for the ruse.

Goblins were pouring in all over. Two tried to go after Kuroki, to silence the messenger. Riku however cut off their heads immediately, while Ryuu and Kaede covered the flanks.

"I am going all out as well! Keep covering me!" Kuroki said, as he raised several pillars of ice from the ground, creating what appeared to be stepping platforms. Kuroki ran up the pillars of ice, ascending higher into the sky. The Goblin archers tried to hit him, but Kaede jumped up and deflected them while Riku targeted the archers close by.

Meanwhile, before Kuroki had started chanting even when he had been making the pillars.

"A Shattering Storm Gathers Upon Us. Let these cold winds take all that there is, and form an strike of hundreds of spears. Divide them further, and shock the world with a snap of your fingers. A gathering of ice, and sleet of storms".

Even as he neared the top, he was still chanting. Magical power was already swirling around him, as the pillars behind him shattered and flew into the air.

"From my sky, I see below. Across this battlefield I will make it snow. This frozen sky, charged and ready. For now I shall hold it steady. I bring forth the frozen tempest, which will annihilate all who dare step upon thsi battlefield of mine!"

He then jumped off from the last pillar, right into the air several dozen meters above the battlefield.

"Wraith of the Frozen Tempest!"

The ice that had followed him all formed sharp shards of ice, as if hundreds of daggers were behind him. As he seemed to float there, he unleashed his magic. These ice shards rained down upon the battlefield, aimed at the area where the Goblins and Wargs were advancing forward. Many of them were able to dodge, having seen him and realized an attack was coming. But the blades of ice seemed to rain down everywhere, and it was impossible to dodge them all. Especially the Wargs, being larger then Goblins, were hit far more easily.

Not only that, but each shard of ice that hit the ground then froze it, making slippery patches in various areas. If someone got hit in an arm or leg, they themselves might get entirely frozen and still die even if it was a non-lethal wound. This spell, Kuroki's most powerful spell that he had in his arsenal, was not actually his. Amyris taught him this one last night, just for this occasion. Admittedly, it took all of his control to use. The spell used a lot of mana, and had the weakness that the caster had to remain in place while it was going on. This resulted in Kuroki floating in the air like that as he was casting it and while it was playing out. He wasn't quite skilled or advanced enough to learn flight magic yet, although he was told it would be soon at his rate.

Still, the effect on the battlefield was clear. A large amount of goblins all perished, making their numbers easier on them. In truth, had those warg riders made it, their lines could have collapsed. This was especially bad as they were the center army, so a collapse in any of their lines would undoubtly force the other sides to compensate to guard their flanks on both sides, weakening their own front lines. Even moreso if they sent any help to the front lines. If they were in the middle or endgame that would be one thing, but this was the very opening salvo. Furthermore, Ozlo couldn't do another attack like before since now the goblins were too close to the adventurers. Ozlo would never allow any friendly fire, although Kuroki thought he might make an exception if only Valiance was the one that got hit.

Either way, the battle was already turning a bit into a free for all. The lines were holding of course, but with all the panic and surprise of the wargs, many other goblins slipped through and there was fighting all around them. It was chaotic and messy, with goblin heads and blood everywhere. For the briefest of moments, the four of them felt like they were going to be sick, but then something seemed to wash over them. Their sickened feelings went away, and they Compliantly accepted it was necessary and right to kill their enemies, especially on the orders of their general, Ozlo.

Compliance again? It seems to be working even stronger then usual...it seems like this sort of battlefield situation fits perfectly for it. So perhaps we really were meant to be soldiers, compliantly obediant soldiers who killed their enemies, especially on command.

While taking in this information, Kuroki's spell stopped casting and he landed on the ground, as his party members circled around him. However, he wasn’t done yet. He might no longer be casting the spell, but that didn’t mean the spell was over. All the shards of ice were scattered around the Goblin’s side.

Kuroki snapped his fingers, and suddenly lightning arced from all the ice. In an instant, lightning pierced through countless goblins, reaping more lives and providing some relief for the frontline, who were able to use the time to deal with the goblins in front of them without fear of reinforcement. The battlefield became a brilliant array of lightning and sparks.

That said, the Goblins could no longer ignore Kuroki who had used such a spell. Ten goblins surrounded them, and it was clear they were targeting Kuroki who had just unleashed such a dangerous spell. In truth, Kuroki doubted he could cast that spell again for awhile, as he quickly took out a mana portion and downed the whole thing. If he recovered all his mana, that might help, and he could use it again, but by the time that happened the Goblins would be far too mixed in with the adventurers anyways.

Instead, he utilized his Water Puppetry Technique, and fought like that alongside the others. Ryuu unleashed his heroic aura, which seemed to startle and frighten enemies and rallied and motivated allies. Kaede watched for surprise attacks and rapidly defended against attacks, while Riku served as the main vanguard and attacked aggressively before the Goblins could make their move, leaving the defensive vanguard position to Ryuu. Riku cut through one while jumping up to avoid a sword slash. It was a perfect aerial swing, if one avoided that he didn't stick the landing and landed on his belly. Still, he recovered fast by pushing off the ground and landing on his feet, so it was clear he was practicing properly. He then used a Brilliant Flash to cut through two Goblins at once, swing in such a way to help improve the force of the swing. It was quite impressive, and he was able to do so with ease. Unfortunately, goblins attacked him right at the end, startling him a bit and causing him to trip on himself, resulting in him falling down and landing on his face, although his sword did end up accidentally stabbing another goblin as he did. Kaede and Ryuu were dealing with their own goblins, so Kuroki helped him out by shooting out two lightning bolts and flying both goblins. One died instantly, but the other was only stunned. Still, Riku was able to get back on his feet again, and cut it down before it recovered.

Kuroki meanwhile kept using his Water Puppetry technique as more goblins made their way. He grew out the ice under his feet, and then had various ice lances skewer from below. Another goblin got past Kaede and Ryuu and went for his head, but he moved his arm around to create a shield while his other hand seemed to go stiff, almost like it formed a blade. A blade of ice then emerged from the ground as he swung that arm, cutting through the Goblin. He saw the disgusting after effects, and nearly wanted to vomit and run away, but he Compliantly made himself get over it and all those emotions faded away. At least for the most part, as he could still feel some stress building. But it seemed like it was processing itself in the background as he fought.

Kuroki had never seen so much death before, but everyone else was fine, so he couldn't reveal that they were different also. That was what the enemy wanted after all. So he went with the Compliant Acceptance.

As they fought and grew accustomed to it, some of the younger G-Ranks were starting to get freaked out. Most were fine, this was probably normal and they spent countless months as adventurers first at least before this. They had already been hardened to some degree, unlike Silver Storm which was being made to Compliantly Accept it through a supernatural power different from magic.

That said, the battle was acquiring stress for everyone. They were fine now, since they had been resting right before the sortie to be in peak condition. But if it went on for too long, against an enemy with such overwhelming numbers and the stench of blood anywhere, experience or Compliance would not prevent them from building up stress, fatigue, and other negative things.

Dia looked over at Kuroki. "How is your mana?"

"Recovering! I wont be able to do that again for awhile, and by the time I can, they will be fully integrated among our own forces!"

"Understood! Can you support the far flank then? You should still be able to use smaller scale area of effect spells there, and they look like they got hit by four hob squads right from the start and need relief!"

"Got it! You keep Soaring Shields safe! Right now, you guys are the only mobile defense and offense that is working so well together!"

"Will do! Stay safe yourself. Consider this an order from your senior! You will not die, understood?"

The four of them nodded, no Compliance needed.

They rushed off towards the battlefield, but it looked like the Goblins did not intend to let them go so easily. Several of them came around to block their back, trying to drive a wedge between the flank and the center. And yet, that was when a young adventurer ran out into the group. He has deep blue hair and purple eyes, and had fox ears and a fox tail. He was wearing a blue cloak but the hood was down, as well as purple suspender shorts, a red short sleeve shirt, blue boots that looked almost like rainboots, and he had a Grimoire attached at his hip by a chain, just like Kuroki. He also had a Yo-Yo right next to it for some reason. He looked incredibly cute, despite being in a battlefield. He was also holding two daggers, and stabbed through two goblins as vines suddenly grew from the wounds and attacked nearby goblins. He stepped onto the ground, freezing it before skewering all the nearby enemies with ice spikes that shot out from the icy ground, just like Kuroki had done earlier.

They didn't recognize him, but he seemed to be helping them. He nodded towards Kuroki, and saw recognition in his eye. Recognition, and sadness.

That look...I have seen it before. A few times. He knows me. He knows what happened to me. And he regrets not being able to do anything about it. He is a Starfallen.

That said, they didn't have any time to talk.

"We will speak later. Can you cover our flank?"

"Mhm. Leave it to me" the boy said. The group ran past, as the boy proceeded to engage the goblins that tried to stop them and keep the two fronts divided. When one charged at him, he blatantly used a martial arts technique and looked like he was about to restrain the goblin, before stabbing it in the neck and moving on to the next target. Kuroki swore internally he recognized it, but it wasn't familiar to him, so it couldn't be from his father's dojo. He had every flip and restrain technique beaten into him, literally, so he would have recognized it instantly.

"Wait, Kuroki, do you know him?"

"Not that I know of...but he knows me, Riku" Kuroki replied, emphasizing it in a certain way to get the message across.

"I see...well then, for now, lets focus on the task ahead”.

They continued forward, leaving the fact they had encountered another Starfallen unexpectedly on the battlefield.

No, now that I think about it, there are a few other young looking F-Ranks that seem to be talented. I doubt they all are, but...could there be more Starfallen around us then we realized? Perhaps many are keeping to themselves to be safe. The corpses in the craters have probably been heard all around the kingdom by now, so its likely many of us are staying hidden to avoid being targeted.

While having such thoughts, another group tried to intercept them. This time it was two hobgoblins and five Goblin Soldiers. At least out here, it was a winnable fight, but it would take them awhile.

That was time they simply did not have too, as threats were coming from all around them. More goblins could end up joining the fray from behind to take advantage.

And yet, it was in that moment that he appeared. A lone adventurer, a young and handsome man in his mid to late twenties it seemed like, cutting through the two hobs in an instant. The other goblins were surprised, so Kuroki's group took advantage and attacked them before they could recover, eliminating four of the soldiers and leaving only one left. It tried to flee, but then another adventurer who was nearby cut its head off before rushing over to a different frontline.

"Thanks for the help, mister..."

"Kylia. My name is Kylia, B-Rank. Any chance you guys have seen the Goblin Lord yet?"

Kuroki shook his head at the handsome, tall man. He was objectively hot, but Kuroki also felt quite a bit of envy. He didn't have much of a height complex, since he had more or less accepted, he would always be short at this point. However, something about this man had reignited that long dead complex.

Is it because he is just so damn hot as well? While people always call me cute and adorable?! But wow, I have never seen someone so hot! I am not even into guys, but this guy makes me super envious! What the hell is this degree of hot tallness?!

Kylia seemed to realize what Kuroki was thinking, and chuckled. "Anyways, just be careful andm ake sure you come back alive, got it? That is an order. In the meantime, I need to make sure this Goblin Lord dies this battle, so our fearless general wont be in paperwork hell and can finally sleep properly".

"Ahhh....good luck then".

So he is loyal to Ozlo huh? He seems like a good guy...wait, so he is a hot, tall, good guy who supports his friends and works hard?! What the hell is this Superman?! This swimsuit model?! Ikeman?!?!

While Kuroki's thought process had gotten flustered and confused, they still chased towards the flank, arriving just in time to see various corpses from both sides around. A Hobgoblin which was far more armored then normal was there, and he knocked back a heavy shielder. It appeared this was where they were needed.

All the while, no one noticed small figures darting around in the tallgrass, secretly moving around with swiftness and fervor.