“You should probably wait to start shooting until we get into the outpost.”
“Alright.”
I nodded at Vetsmon’s words and relaxed. We were fast approaching the outpost and I could already feel the Scourge Tide in the distance.
“Prepare for contact!”
The driver shouted, Umara rising from my embrace and sticking her head out through the top hatch.
Since she was a warlock, she could launch ranged spells, ones that didn’t produce as much noise as I did. We didn’t need to attract more attention than we already would, so for the sake of the entire convoy I refrained.
I watched Umara’s robes shift as she waved her arms and cast spells. Recently she had been eager to exercise her magic due to her new enlightenment. She would always come to me with new spells and new ideas, pulling on my knowledge to try and create more devastating magic.
We had discussed quite a lot, and although I could only ever inspire her with my knowledge, she was really good at taking it and making something new.
Not to mention that she had her mother, who herself contained vast knowledge of all kinds of spells. And she was more equipped than I to help directly, so Umara had more than enough to keep her occupied for months.
Now, she could unleash her power without restraint. Sieges were unique in that you didn’t have to worry about friendly fire like during other missions working with your squad. It was really a contest to see who could do the most widespread damage.
I could hear the explosions from outside the car, including the whistling from Umara’s own spells as she launched them into the hordes.
This went on for several minutes until at one point, I felt the car roll onto a paved road.
“Disembark!”
The driver shouted, prompting us all to rush out.
I helped Umara down, letting the others go first before the two of us jumped out together.
Our CO spoke to another commander as we all grabbed our gear. After a bit of shouting, he turned back to us.
“Platoon 8, listen up! All Warlocks and ranged fighters, follow Captain Osen up the walls! All Knights, follow me to the gates! Move out!”
“Over here!”
We were waved over, my squad splitting up as Umara and I followed the Captain up the walls.
The battle was ongoing. There was no time to waste as we hurried up the stairs. Those of us from the Magisterium, including two warlocks from the other Elite squad, were kept together and assigned a northeastern position.
Our designation was Section 13 of the wall, and there was an officer giving firing commands to all the warlocks in intervals. After all, they couldn’t be expected to cast spells continuously for an entire day. Longevity was important. This was a battle of attrition.
“Section 8! Prepare to fire!”
The officer shouted not long after we arrived. Umara planted her staff and prepared six different spells. I could feel the mana radiate from her body.
Since we were up in the walls and there was enough going on, I didn’t particularly need any noise canceling from her. Besides, I wouldn’t hamper her excitement anyway by asking her to do something so mundane.
I propped my gun up on the wall after setting up my portable seat in front of a crenel. Up above us was a roof protecting our heads, and it did its job well as dozens of volleys of elemental projectiles sailed toward us from within the hordes.
I let out a long breath. The siege here was actually bigger than the one that hit Calatrop base, and the most powerful beasts were not mere Authority 5’s. I could spot what seemed like 100 huge beasts. All of them were at least Authority 5, with some feeling like Authority 6.
And there were others in the midst of the horde that moved with erratic steps, traversing the distance to the walls so fast that I could’ve sworn they were flying.
“FIRE!”
I heard the shout, and all of the warlocks beside me let loose their spells.
Umara’s spells kicked up the wind while other spells radiated heat. Fireballs and spikes of rock all flew into the hordes before us.
And Umara’s spells weren’t meant for attacking, but supporting the spells of others.
Fireballs exploded, releasing plumes of fire. And Umara’s bolts of air exploded within those fires, expanding them, spreading them and feeding them fuel.
The explosions turned into wildfires as they spread across dozens of beasts, scorching their fur and meat, causing the horde to go rabid in pain. A portion of the oncoming Tide was stunted as the magical fire burned some of the weaker beasts to ashes and melted the hides of the stronger ones.
Umara was already Authority 5 herself, and with her enlightenment, she could fight well above her level. And in the crowd of warlocks atop the walls there were some with Authority 6 and 7 strength launching devastating area spells.
There were thousands of beasts rushing forward, threatening to topple the walls and overrun this outpost. Each spell didn't seem like it did much as when one died, another simply came to take its place.
But nobody here was going to roll over and become monster food. I assumed that this place had defended itself more than once before against Tides, so I simply buckled in and did what I could.
I targeted anything large and strong. While the memories I received from the Springfield were brief, it was more than enough to understand how to wield this weapon properly.
I selected one with a ladder sight, adjusting the zero to 100 yards before taking aim.
After the warlocks fired their spells, I fired my own.
*BOOM*
The explosion shook the battlefield as the empowered 30-06 sailed toward a large beast about 200 yards away.
The round disappeared into its body, causing it to scream and buckle toward one side.
*BOOM*
I fired again, finishing it off on the floor.
And right as I pulled the bolt, I heard a shout.
“Holy shit! What was that?! You!”
“It’s my weapon.”
I responded to the officer who came pointing at me.
I explained to him that I was a ranged summoner and that my weapons were loud, but effective. After he got over his surprise, he just waved and walked away. So I went back to shooting.
Unlike the warlocks, I didn’t expend so much energy each time I shot a bullet. I could shoot for hours without rest, even if I didn’t always operate at peak strength.
Well, I knew myself best, and I was curious to find where my limits lay. During my last siege battle, it took me almost a day to kill over a dozen Authority 5 beasts. And now, I just killed one without breaking a sweat.
Seriously, these guns were too good at this.
Pulling a portable chair out and getting comfortable, I zoned in and went to town.
*Crack!*
“Shit!”
I suddenly ducked as a piece of shrapnel bounced off the wall next to my head.
I then felt a hand smack me.
“Put on your hood!”
“I know, I know.”
I smiled at Umara and tapped the band around my neck. Given a second or two, a hood had bloomed over my head and a mask covered my face.
Taking a deep breath rejuvenated my body with energy. Shockingly, this mask was even more effective than the last one. Perhaps it had been upgraded a bit when the crystal and enchantments were moved over.
Another plus was how the hood didn’t narrow my field of view. It almost looked like it wasn’t there at all, but I could clearly feel it.
I also closed my coat, engaging its fullest protection measures before settling in once more.
*BANG*
My gloved fingers continuously racked the bolt with every round fired. Stripper clips would appear in my hand whenever I went through all the ammo in the internal magazine, making reloads fast and easy.
The magazine could only fit five rounds, so reloads were frequent. But as I fired more, I became more in tune with the weapon. I developed a rhythm, moving fast but not faster than the gun would allow me.
I remembered a saying.
Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.
Rushing something only leads to mistakes, which slows you down even more than if you simply did it properly the first time.
Although I treated this weapon a certain way according to the memories I gained, I also noticed how the weapon was rather perfectly made.
For one, it wasn’t worn and old. In the case of my Remington-Lee scoped rifle, I had gone through hundreds, potentially thousands of rounds and never oiled nor cleaned it. And when a gun wasn’t being taken care of, it would let you know by jamming up. I’ve personally encountered cases with rifles on Earth where a bolt simply wouldn’t move, a clear case of forgetting to oil it up.
But I never encountered any of those imperfections. The guns I used all worked perfectly, giving me the most ideal performance they were meant to give.
Every pull of the bolt was smooth, every stripper clip slotted in perfectly, every pull of the trigger was crisp, and every bullet looked fresh off the assembly line.
Although all summons were from other worlds, perhaps they weren’t directly pulled from those worlds. They were spirits, so maybe they were simply embodiments of those weapons, mimicking them.
My mind drifted as I sat there for a few hours.
Umara was there with me, looking down at me sitting comfortably.
I could feel her gaze after the third hour passed. It grew stronger with every passing minute, only drifting when she was called to fire more spells.
At some point, I had to zone back out and check on her.
“Are you okay?”
“...”
She stared at me without responding, glancing down at my legs.
I looked down with her, seeing nothing particularly out of the ordinary.
When I looked back up at her, I sat there in thought for several seconds, wondering what the hell she wanted.
Until she finally let out a huff and pulled my arm out of the way, taking a seat in my lap.
“Oh. You could’ve just said something.”
“I’m tired.”
“Eh, so am I. Hopefully we won’t have to be up here for much longer.”
I mumbled and shifted our bodies, allowing her to use one of my knees as a chair while still being able to shoot.
We were like that for another hour. Whenever she was called on, Umara would just extend her arm and fire a few spells from her palm. Since I didn't move from my little seat, she didn't have to either. Compared to all the other warlocks, we were rather comfortable
Still, as I watched her fire her spells, I got curious.
If I was correct, mana circulated through the cardiovascular system in warlocks, meaning that spells were often cast from the body, mostly the palm. However, Umara told me that warlocks with fine control over their Aura could use it as a medium as well. This was primarily how they cast multiple spells around their body, like Umara who cast six at once earlier.
It was like Aura was an extension of the body.
“Wait.”
I froze a bit.
An extension of the body, huh?
Knights, who used Vigor, being able to extend their Vigor beyond their body to attack something at a range.
Warlocks, casting spells by extending Mana beyond their body, forming spells in the air, allowing them to form more than one or two at a time.
A Summoner like myself, who extended Psyka beyond the body to trace out formations.
All of these things were facilitated by Aura. The three magical energies, that were normally contained within the body, could be brought beyond it with Aura.
That meant Aura was, almost literally, an extension of body parts. But not physical body parts.
The Mind. The Body. The Spirit.
Psyka, Vigor, and Mana.
Something clicked for me, causing me to look over at Umara.
And, somehow, I reached out and felt her.
“Hm?!”
She turned to me confusedly.
I could feel surprise, embarrassment, a tinge of excitement, and stress.
When she looked at me, I could feel her curiosity as her Aura touched my own, as if they were our hands. She couldn't control hers, like she was fumbling around in the dark. But with me there, she had something to feel for.
Before, using Aura around other people made it feel like I could do everything short of reading their thoughts. I could feel and read their emotions, even predict their future actions within the next few moments, like I was sensing their subconscious.
But now, looking at Umara, I could feel her so much deeper.
I could feel her mind directly, her emotions feeding into my own Aura, and all of the subconscious thoughts rambling about inside her head.
And she could feel me too. She could only read what I gave to her, but she still felt it, like I was inside her brain.
We sat there for almost a minute, even disregarding the shout of the officer who commanded us to fire.
And, with a thought, I spoke.
Not physically, but with my mind.
(Can you hear me?)
(Yes!)
“Yes!”
She spoke out loud, but I could pick up her voice within her own mind.
My eyes widened.
Was this telepathy?
“You should probably wait to start shooting until we get into the outpost.”
“Alright.”
I nodded at Vetsmon’s words and relaxed. We were fast approaching the outpost and I could already feel the Scourge Tide in the distance.
“Prepare for contact!”
The driver shouted, Umara rising from my embrace and sticking her head out through the top hatch.
Since she was a warlock, she could launch ranged spells, ones that didn’t produce as much noise as I did. We didn’t need to attract more attention than we already would, so for the sake of the entire convoy I refrained.
I watched Umara’s robes shift as she waved her arms and cast spells. Recently she had been eager to exercise her magic due to her new enlightenment. She would always come to me with new spells and new ideas, pulling on my knowledge to try and create more devastating magic.
We had discussed quite a lot, and although I could only ever inspire her with my knowledge, she was really good at taking it and making something new.
Not to mention that she had her mother, who herself contained vast knowledge of all kinds of spells. And she was more equipped than I to help directly, so Umara had more than enough to keep her occupied for months.
Now, she could unleash her power without restraint. Sieges were unique in that you didn’t have to worry about friendly fire like during other missions working with your squad. It was really a contest to see who could do the most widespread damage.
I could hear the explosions from outside the car, including the whistling from Umara’s own spells as she launched them into the hordes.
This went on for several minutes until at one point, I felt the car roll onto a paved road.
“Disembark!”
The driver shouted, prompting us all to rush out.
I helped Umara down, letting the others go first before the two of us jumped out together.
Our CO spoke to another commander as we all grabbed our gear. After a bit of shouting, he turned back to us.
“Platoon 8, listen up! All Warlocks and ranged fighters, follow Captain Osen up the walls! All Knights, follow me to the gates! Move out!”
“Over here!”
We were waved over, my squad splitting up as Umara and I followed the Captain up the walls.
The battle was ongoing. There was no time to waste as we hurried up the stairs. Those of us from the Magisterium, including two warlocks from the other Elite squad, were kept together and assigned a northeastern position.
Our designation was Section 13 of the wall, and there was an officer giving firing commands to all the warlocks in intervals. After all, they couldn’t be expected to cast spells continuously for an entire day. Longevity was important. This was a battle of attrition.
“Section 8! Prepare to fire!”
The officer shouted not long after we arrived. Umara planted her staff and prepared six different spells. I could feel the mana radiate from her body.
Since we were up in the walls and there was enough going on, I didn’t particularly need any noise canceling from her. Besides, I wouldn’t hamper her excitement anyway by asking her to do something so mundane.
I propped my gun up on the wall after setting up my portable seat in front of a crenel. Up above us was a roof protecting our heads, and it did its job well as dozens of volleys of elemental projectiles sailed toward us from within the hordes.
I let out a long breath. The siege here was actually bigger than the one that hit Calatrop base, and the most powerful beasts were not mere Authority 5’s. I could spot what seemed like 100 huge beasts. All of them were at least Authority 5, with some feeling like Authority 6.
And there were others in the midst of the horde that moved with erratic steps, traversing the distance to the walls so fast that I could’ve sworn they were flying.
“FIRE!”
I heard the shout, and all of the warlocks beside me let loose their spells.
Umara’s spells kicked up the wind while other spells radiated heat. Fireballs and spikes of rock all flew into the hordes before us.
And Umara’s spells weren’t meant for attacking, but supporting the spells of others.
Fireballs exploded, releasing plumes of fire. And Umara’s bolts of air exploded within those fires, expanding them, spreading them and feeding them fuel.
The explosions turned into wildfires as they spread across dozens of beasts, scorching their fur and meat, causing the horde to go rabid in pain. A portion of the oncoming Tide was stunted as the magical fire burned some of the weaker beasts to ashes and melted the hides of the stronger ones.
Umara was already Authority 5 herself, and with her enlightenment, she could fight well above her level. And in the crowd of warlocks atop the walls there were some with Authority 6 and 7 strength launching devastating area spells.
There were thousands of beasts rushing forward, threatening to topple the walls and overrun this outpost. Each spell didn't seem like it did much as when one died, another simply came to take its place.
But nobody here was going to roll over and become monster food. I assumed that this place had defended itself more than once before against Tides, so I simply buckled in and did what I could.
I targeted anything large and strong. While the memories I received from the Springfield were brief, it was more than enough to understand how to wield this weapon properly.
I selected one with a ladder sight, adjusting the zero to 100 yards before taking aim.
After the warlocks fired their spells, I fired my own.
*BOOM*
The explosion shook the battlefield as the empowered 30-06 sailed toward a large beast about 200 yards away.
The round disappeared into its body, causing it to scream and buckle toward one side.
*BOOM*
I fired again, finishing it off on the floor.
And right as I pulled the bolt, I heard a shout.
“Holy shit! What was that?! You!”
“It’s my weapon.”
I responded to the officer who came pointing at me.
I explained to him that I was a ranged summoner and that my weapons were loud, but effective. After he got over his surprise, he just waved and walked away. So I went back to shooting.
Unlike the warlocks, I didn’t expend so much energy each time I shot a bullet. I could shoot for hours without rest, even if I didn’t always operate at peak strength.
Well, I knew myself best, and I was curious to find where my limits lay. During my last siege battle, it took me almost a day to kill over a dozen Authority 5 beasts. And now, I just killed one without breaking a sweat.
Seriously, these guns were too good at this.
Pulling a portable chair out and getting comfortable, I zoned in and went to town.
*Crack!*
“Shit!”
I suddenly ducked as a piece of shrapnel bounced off the wall next to my head.
I then felt a hand smack me.
“Put on your hood!”
“I know, I know.”
I smiled at Umara and tapped the band around my neck. Given a second or two, a hood had bloomed over my head and a mask covered my face.
Taking a deep breath rejuvenated my body with energy. Shockingly, this mask was even more effective than the last one. Perhaps it had been upgraded a bit when the crystal and enchantments were moved over.
Another plus was how the hood didn’t narrow my field of view. It almost looked like it wasn’t there at all, but I could clearly feel it.
I also closed my coat, engaging its fullest protection measures before settling in once more.
*BANG*
My gloved fingers continuously racked the bolt with every round fired. Stripper clips would appear in my hand whenever I went through all the ammo in the internal magazine, making reloads fast and easy.
The magazine could only fit five rounds, so reloads were frequent. But as I fired more, I became more in tune with the weapon. I developed a rhythm, moving fast but not faster than the gun would allow me.
I remembered a saying.
Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.
Rushing something only leads to mistakes, which slows you down even more than if you simply did it properly the first time.
Although I treated this weapon a certain way according to the memories I gained, I also noticed how the weapon was rather perfectly made.
For one, it wasn’t worn and old. In the case of my Remington-Lee scoped rifle, I had gone through hundreds, potentially thousands of rounds and never oiled nor cleaned it. And when a gun wasn’t being taken care of, it would let you know by jamming up. I’ve personally encountered cases with rifles on Earth where a bolt simply wouldn’t move, a clear case of forgetting to oil it up.
But I never encountered any of those imperfections. The guns I used all worked perfectly, giving me the most ideal performance they were meant to give.
Every pull of the bolt was smooth, every stripper clip slotted in perfectly, every pull of the trigger was crisp, and every bullet looked fresh off the assembly line.
Although all summons were from other worlds, perhaps they weren’t directly pulled from those worlds. They were spirits, so maybe they were simply embodiments of those weapons, mimicking them.
My mind drifted as I sat there for a few hours.
Umara was there with me, looking down at me sitting comfortably.
I could feel her gaze after the third hour passed. It grew stronger with every passing minute, only drifting when she was called to fire more spells.
At some point, I had to zone back out and check on her.
“Are you okay?”
“...”
She stared at me without responding, glancing down at my legs.
I looked down with her, seeing nothing particularly out of the ordinary.
When I looked back up at her, I sat there in thought for several seconds, wondering what the hell she wanted.
Until she finally let out a huff and pulled my arm out of the way, taking a seat in my lap.
“Oh. You could’ve just said something.”
“I’m tired.”
“Eh, so am I. Hopefully we won’t have to be up here for much longer.”
I mumbled and shifted our bodies, allowing her to use one of my knees as a chair while still being able to shoot.
We were like that for another hour. Whenever she was called on, Umara would just extend her arm and fire a few spells from her palm. Since I didn't move from my little seat, she didn't have to either. Compared to all the other warlocks, we were rather comfortable
Still, as I watched her fire her spells, I got curious.
If I was correct, mana circulated through the cardiovascular system in warlocks, meaning that spells were often cast from the body, mostly the palm. However, Umara told me that warlocks with fine control over their Aura could use it as a medium as well. This was primarily how they cast multiple spells around their body, like Umara who cast six at once earlier.
It was like Aura was an extension of the body.
“Wait.”
I froze a bit.
An extension of the body, huh?
Knights, who used Vigor, being able to extend their Vigor beyond their body to attack something at a range.
Warlocks, casting spells by extending Mana beyond their body, forming spells in the air, allowing them to form more than one or two at a time.
A Summoner like myself, who extended Psyka beyond the body to trace out formations.
All of these things were facilitated by Aura. The three magical energies, that were normally contained within the body, could be brought beyond it with Aura.
That meant Aura was, almost literally, an extension of body parts. But not physical body parts.
The Mind. The Body. The Spirit.
Psyka, Vigor, and Mana.
Something clicked for me, causing me to look over at Umara.
And, somehow, I reached out and felt her.
“Hm?!”
She turned to me confusedly.
I could feel surprise, embarrassment, a tinge of excitement, and stress.
When she looked at me, I could feel her curiosity as her Aura touched my own, as if they were our hands. She couldn't control hers, like she was fumbling around in the dark. But with me there, she had something to feel for.
Before, using Aura around other people made it feel like I could do everything short of reading their thoughts. I could feel and read their emotions, even predict their future actions within the next few moments, like I was sensing their subconscious.
But now, looking at Umara, I could feel her so much deeper.
I could feel her mind directly, her emotions feeding into my own Aura, and all of the subconscious thoughts rambling about inside her head.
And she could feel me too. She could only read what I gave to her, but she still felt it, like I was inside her brain.
We sat there for almost a minute, even disregarding the shout of the officer who commanded us to fire.
And, with a thought, I spoke.
Not physically, but with my mind.
(Can you hear me?)
(Yes!)
“Yes!”
She spoke out loud, but I could pick up her voice within her own mind.
My eyes widened.
Was this telepathy?
