Draven made another leap backwards, enticing the spectre to move into the spot where he stood, the spot where Zion was about to hit with his blade...
----
(Sorry MotD, I meant Cyber Wolf, who mentioned that his character couldn't fly)
"Ha!"
Jayce thrust both hands forward. Although he appeared calm and unmoving for the last several minutes, he was actually storing vast amounts of dark energy within-- which he tapped into...
Instantly the area around him became black as night. The darkness met the impending blast of intense cold halfway. The bright blue light of the spell was absorbed into the blackness past this halfway point, the end effect being a large wall of solid ice several feet thick in between the two warriors.
Jayce lowered his arms, surprised at the amount of energy he had to put in blocking the attack. This was no ordinary human...
From behind the wall of ice, the Aritan could hear the scraping sound of a large sword being drawn...
----
(Gah, sorry. Then obviously the holes in the ship would not sink it, since it floats in the air above the water, heh...)
"What insolence! Is someone fighting atop our Emperor's vessel?"
"Yes... it seems Master Genma is taking care of him, madam..."
The front of the great black vessel opened, slowly, leaving a mouth gaping several hundreds of feet wide and over a thousand tall... The 'door' swung down, becoming a colossal ramp which lead downwards to the beach below.
*Cue slow-paced imperial theme music*
Neptra was first, followed by a meek lieutenant.
"Who?"
"He resembles one of Draven's commanders, one called from the other side, madam..."
"Draven has much trouble with traitors... it's not our concern, our orders are different."
Hundreds upon hundreds of warriors began to march out of the gargantuan vessel...
Neptra and the lieutenant continued in front, the meek subordinate looking up to the sky.
"What is that, madam?"
"Those surrounding us... they're trying to cast a spell on the entire island."
"... Can they?"
"The island spans 50 or 60 miles north to south. They'll need several thousand mages, which I belive they have. However, unless they are all high wizards, which is impossible, the spell will take many hours."
"What are your orders, madam?"
"Wait here and ready the troops while I create a hole."
"Alone?"
"Of course. You forget they surround us by sea-- my terrain. Also, they are preoccupied with their spells. If they wish to repel an attack, they have to stop casting. The more who stop casting, the weaker the spell... Finally, look at the origins of the beams of light. Many are coming from one point, some space, then another, and so on. There are several on a boat, and the boats are spaced far apart to surround the island. I simply need to take out a few boats."
She continued,
"That's where you come in. When you see a hole in the barrier formed. Assemble a force and break though to the outside with our small ships. They should be extremely easy to destroy since they are spread so far apart. Not many will be able to come to each other?s aid, especially the ones situated clear on the other side of the island. Once they are annihilated, we will decide whether we need to send for reinforcements to prevent further annoyances..."
"Genius, madam..."
"It's my job."
She smiled and dove into the waves, heading westward under the water...
The forces endlessly poured out of the ship, marching row by row. Eventually the southern tip of the island was covered by the mass of warriors...
The troops of the great black vessel are as follows:
5,000 SOLDIERS
The soldiers are the basic infantry unit, equipped with a light sword and light armor. Their training is not that great, so they are not much of a threat to experienced warriors. However, they can be a problem in large numbers...
1,000 DARK KNIGHTS
The dark knights are much more heavily equipped than the common soldier. Most carry a large axe or halberd. All are wrapped in thick black armor. They are more skilled than a common soldier, yet their speed lacks.
2,000 WYVERN RIDERS (and their wyverns)
The basic aerial unit. The rider is lightly equipped. The wyverns vary in elemental properties. In addition to their razor sharp claws, most can unleash an acid attack, while others breathe flame or even ice. Unfortunately, the wyverns are weak against lighting and wind while flying.
500 DARK WYVERN RIDERS
The elites of the sky. The riders are the same, but the wyverns are of a stronger variation. They can repel most elemental attacks, their only real effective weakness being piercing their underbelly with a sharp weapon.
1,000 MAGES
The mages attack with low power elemental attacks. Individually more dangerous than the soldier, they can be very deadly in large numbers. Their armor is usally very light however, so a physical weapon can be very damaging, if the enemy can get close, that is.
500 DEFENDER MAGES
Mages that specialize in creating barriers and repelling attacks. This is the Dark Empire replacement for the white mage, since the impurity of most of their souls prevent them from performing effective healing spells. Regardless, a few hundred defenders can protect an entire army from the elements rather effectively. The only drawback, obviously is that the other soldiers cannot attack while the barriers are up.
TOTAL: 10,000 warriors
