Reincarnated! A Tale of the Sorceress Amaya

The dwarven army did not raid or loot as we marched through the Empire. Thanks to storage artefacts we carried a lot of supplies with us. There would be no need to take any food from villagers.

The soldiers guarding the border were still incompetent. They were utterly surprised by the army in front of them and simply surrendered. Iris spent a lot of time complaining about them and made no attempt to recruit them.

We marched for four days until we saw the city of Heliar. It was in a grassy plain next to a river. A large Inquisition army was besieging it. The city had big stone walls, probably fortified by magic. I could see some damage but there was no breach, yet. Trebuchets were shooting glowing rocks at the wall.

While they continued their siege it was obvious that our army had been spotted. The enemy was gathering their troops to meet us.

I was standing on a small hill watching from a few kilometres away. Lucy and Iris were next to me.

“How will this battle work? Both armies form up in front of each other and then they charge?” I asked.

“Battles with powerful individuals such as yourself are messy.” Iris said. “Sometimes the armies charge and the elites watch. They hope that their enemy wastes spells on regular soldiers giving them an advantage. Sometimes they immediately engage and try to overwhelm the enemy. There are no set rules, it comes down to the individuals. Most of the time the regular armies just fight normally and hope that their own elites are going to protect them.”

“Do you have any personal experience with such battles?” Lucy asked.

“Not on that scale.” Iris said. “I fought some raiding orks. They had shamans who wielded magic but the imperial mages were able to counter them. Really high level spells are rarely seen on the battlefield. There has not been a major war in my lifetime.”

We watched a bit longer until we were called to the war council. A tent had been set up where the battle plan was crafted.

“This is going to be our first engagement.” Dalroc said. “We are treating this like a normal imperial army but keep in mind the Inquisition might have some surprises for us. General Bodil.” He motioned for her to step forward.

“The attack on the palace showed modifications to their troops. We do not know how widespread they are. Further, we know they illegally acquired a lot of rare metals from our nation. Expect their elite warriors to be well equipped.”

Bodil placed a hand drawn map on the table.

“We are going to come in from the south west. The Iron Legion will hold the centre while the Rangers protect our flanks. The mage division will focus on protection. We will not deploy any artillery this time. Since we are facing a lot of unknowns the Adamantium Guard will be held in reserve. Now for our heavy hitters…” He looked at me.

“I can summon a storm on top of the enemies. It will keep their mages busy defending them from lightning strikes. And I would be willing to join your troops at the front.” I said.

“I am going to be with Amaya.” Lucy announced.

“Me too! This will be amazing! So much slaughter!” Shani was clearly excited.

“I shall stay with the reserve, for now.” Lilith announced. “It will allow me to observe the battle and react to where I am needed. It will also discourage an attack on our command tent. But I will provide a squad of succubi to bolster the mages.”

“Iris, stay with the commanders. You can give them advice if needed. I trust your judgement, if you think joining the fray is the right move go for it.” I told her.

“Yes, my lady.”

“Lily, I suspect you would like to be at the front?” I asked.

“Yes, my lady. I would like to fight by your side.” Lily answered.

“Ok. The four of us can do a lot of damage. We will certainly soften them up and force their elites to act. Or run.” I said.

“Thank you.” Bodil said. “That should minimise our losses. And we will still have lady Lilith in reserve if she is needed. That way we can react quickly if they have any surprises planned.”

“We do not have any contact with the defenders.” Dalroc said. “They could hit the Inquisition from behind but it is more likely that they will watch and wait.”

Once the meeting was over the army got into formation. The Iron Legion were heavily armoured dwarves. They wore a set of plate armour, a shield, a spear and an axe as a sidearm. There were twenty thousand of them.

Behind them were the mages. About 500 of them. Most would only be capable of tier two spells. Their focus was protection. They might also work together on a ritual to empower the troops.

On the flanks we had the rangers. They wore chainmail and carried two handed axes. We did not have any cavalry with us. I did not see any archers either.

“Why are there no archers?” I wondered.

“Dwarves use them rarely. They do have crossbow divisions but mostly to defend their keeps. In an open battle they are known for artillery. Dwarves have some frightening weapons.” Lily answered.

“Bodil said they are not using them here. Maybe I should have asked why.” I mused.

“I suspect because you are their artillery here. They will conserve their ammunition. This is only the opening battle and not the largest army we will face.” Lily said.

“Good! More for us!” Shani said with a huge grin.

“How many enemies are we facing?” Lucy asked.

“Hard to say. There should be at least 50 000” Lily answered.

“I am gonna get sooo much blood! This is a great day!” Shani cheered.

I was not sharing her enthusiasm. But the Inquisition had started this war. It was time to show them what an archfey could do. I closed my eyes and focused on my aura. I had to make certain it did not hurt our own troops. When I opened them again they were glowing purple. Dark clouds filled the sky but there was no rain yet.

“Let’s go.” I said.