Phoenix Phire 439 Decisive Move

The skinny fire mage laughed and wiped the side of her face. "Rand was right. They sell a lot of tack in Zags." (Note: Tack is gear a.s.sociated with riding horses. Saddles, bridles, etc.)

Darsi watched the interaction with interest. She knew that Rand was the person Nix hired to take care of his horses. "We should report our findings to Nix immediately. I can do it in guild chat."

Ducky shook her head. "Fey will be heading that way in a few minutes. She will brief him."

Fey nodded in agreement. "I picked up a few things for the ranch. I'll be ready to go as soon as you give me the details."

A few minutes later, Fey exited the Inn, her path away from the front door caused her to b.u.mp into someone on the boardwalk. A brown-haired woman with a handful of packages stumbled backward into the dark street. The skinny teen caught her one hand and kept her from falling. "I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

"It's my fault; I should have made two trips." Cadie picked up half of the packages and headed toward her wagon; her first road trip gave her a better idea of what she needed to take on the caravan.

Fey picked up the remaining packages and followed. "You are part of the caravan that came in today?"

Cadie glanced over her shoulder and nodded. "We got lucky; we were nearly ambushed by rebel forces." The young woman pursed her lips while she stacked her items on the flatbed of the wagon. She had almost become one of the statistics. A frown played on her lips; she didn't want to lose this character. Without a doubt, it was her dream job.

Fey handed Cadie the packages one by one. Her sharp eyes noticed the shotgun strapped over the woman's shoulder. "I'm Fey. I'm a member of the guild that uncovered the ambush today."

Cadie froze in place for a moment. Fey... Did Hara ever mention someone called that? "You are? Our Caravan Leader said a man named Nix warned him. It was his group that scared the rebels off!"

The silver-haired mage smiled at the mention of the Inferno Leader's name. "I am one of Nix's Spirit Companions. I will pa.s.s on your thanks."

Cadie's pretty face split into a wide grin. "Thank you. My name is Cadie, by the way."

Fey walked toward the center of the street and then morphed into her drakon form, her silver eyes glanced at the shocked caravan guard. "That's a pretty name. Let's be friends."

[You have received a friend request from Fey the Silver.]

Cadie accepted the request, s.h.i.+elding her eyes slightly when the silver drakon leaped into the air. Fey circled overhead once and then headed toward Belatora.

*******************

Gideon s.h.i.+vered slightly, his sharp eyes watching the Ice throne. He was sitting in his room at the Emerald Salamander. The Pathfinders were watching over his body while he inhabited the Mud Encased Rat minion. The quiet solitude of the Ice throne was interrupted a moment later when she returned with a small group.

"He has been spotted in Belatora; there has been a disturbance." The man who spoke was human, he wore short sleeves in the frigid room, a sure sign that he possessed the ice element.

The woman he addressed was beyond beautiful. Gideon s.h.i.+vered slightly, being a female in real life made her well aware of how men would look at the Ice Queen.

"Tell Remis; she may kill him if there's an opportunity." Khione walked slowly to her throne and sat down. "Nix would only be in Belatora for his own gain. At this point, my plans for Mid-Spire are intact."

The man bowed and left the room. A moment later, Gideon sat upright in bed. "s.h.i.+t... We have to warn Nix."

****************

Nix summoned Nightmare and then mounted, with a wave of his hand, he produced a [Black Ice Halberd]. The rest of the group quickly followed suit, except for Ronnie. She summoned her Rock Golem and took a seat on its wide shoulders.

/Alpha: Wind: What's the plan?

/Alpha: Nix: The old standby.

/Alpha: Ronnie: Diplomacy?

/Alpha: Nix: Yep.

Nix watched as the horses approached; they stopped when they were about five meters away. The horses were mostly sleek brown, but there were a few blacks in the group; every one of them looked fast.

The large armored figure at the front of the column pulled off a helm and shook loose her long blonde hair. She placed the helm carefully on her pommel while scanning the group in front of her. "I'm General Remis, the Martial Authority in Dhou."

Nix smiled politely, letting the Black Halberd rest casually on his shoulder. "I'm Pon, the Magnificent."

The woman stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to continue. She frowned when he didn't. "What's the disturbance here?"

Nix shrugged slightly. "Not really sure, we only just arrived. Although I did manage to save this town."

Bali nodded in agreement from her mountain pony. "Just arrived."

A clear orb of water floated in front of Nix, with a wave of his hand he sent it toward the pile of glowing embers that used to be the city jail. A large cloud of smoke burst upward as the fire hissed in protest. "I'm a Water Mage; somehow, I kept the flames from spreading."

"What happened to your face?" General Remis's blue eyes narrowed, a perfectly manicured hand pointed at Bali, there was a clear imprint of a hand on the dha.s.si ranger's pale cheek.

Bali shrugged slightly, deliberately looking embarra.s.sed. "It's a birthmark. I'm known as Bali, the Hand."

/Alpha: Ronnie: A sword user with a manicure? Who does that woman's nails?

Nix felt a breech opening nearby. He peered over one shoulder as Mai, Jiggs, Roto, Paco, and Nebs stepped through. He could also feel the presence of a dragon on the other end; it was definitely Tai'Qui.

/Alliance: Commander Nix: Trouble?

/Alliance: Mai: Remis is one of Khione's minions.

/Alliance: Nix: Thanks for the intel. Move to one side and prepare to engage.

Nix watched as Pathfinder split into two groups, each taking a side of the street. Nebs winked at him and flashed a pretty smile. Although she basically ran Ionova for him, Nebs was also a top-end healer.

/Alpha: Nix: Remis is Khione's minion. Best if we kill her now.

/Alpha: Wind: Plan?

/Alpha: Nix: You hold her, she's a tank with low dps. The rest of us will wipe out her support.

/Alliance: Nix: Focus on her companions.

Nix has cast [Scorched Earth Mire][Fire Storm][Elemental Napalm: Ice Flames].

Triple combination Successful.

The troops behind Remis became bogged down in the mud, while flaming rain fell from the sky. A large sphere of blue flaming gel flew from Nix's hands and slammed into the middle of the formation. The gel stuck to everything, burning through both armor and skin. An instant later, the screams of soldiers and horses filled the night air.

Wind kicked his heels into the flank of his mount, causing the mare to burst forward. He deliberately rammed the huge War Mount that Remis was riding. Although her horse was much larger than his, it staggered to one side, causing Remis to tilt precariously in the saddle. The Gemini Thief stood in the saddle and leaped at General Remis, his blade scored a deep stab to her neck, causing her to fall heavily onto the cobblestone street with a loud crash.

Wind has unlocked his bloodline. [First Form: Stealth Archon].

Transparent wings burst from the Gemini Thief's back; as soon as they appeared, he vanished from sight.

General Remis roared in rage and rolled to her feet, an impressive effort considering she was wearing a hundred pounds of armor. She covered the deep wound in her neck with her free hand while looking around for a target. "Where are you!!"

A slash appeared across her face, causing her to step backward. A moment later, a second cut appeared across the front of her neck. Panic showed in her eyes when she equipped her s.h.i.+eld and held it out in front of her. Without warning a dozen strands of emerald flame wrapped around her, an instant later, she was struck in her chest.

Wind has landed a mortal strike.

Wind's dagger flipped out and dug into the General's right eye. He felt frost instantly shoot up his arm. Screaming in agony, he forced the dagger deeper as half of his body turned to ice. The sound of cracking filled the air as his arms snapped off, and he fell forward onto Khione's Minion.

[General Remis has been slain.]