1 Retreat
3rd December 2006
Saverin, Caleb, and Ee Geum stood, bracing themselves against a strong wind, on the final boat retreating across the river. The Great Exchange South was no longer an independent city, but the three comrades continued their fight along with a handful of other warriors on the small boat. Caleb concentrated on directing the actions of the death elemental he had conjured while Ee Geum worked to maintain control of his fire elemental.
The enemy, Sagek Kingdom soldiers, had defeated the Great Exchange South militia and wanted to dispatch the elementals quickly. Sparky and 5 other archers tried to strike down any wizards harnessing the light yellow aura of life magic or the light blue aura of water magic. Gusts of wind and the rocking boat made striking Sagek Kingdom soldiers down difficult as the enemies stood from 35-60 yards away. Saverin and his comrades stood behind a 5-man protective shield wall of Great Exchange militia.
Saverin smiled at the enemies’ poorly coordinated effort. They were slow to form shield walls around their mages and the enemy arrows and crossbow bolts thudded into the ship’s hull, bounced off the shields in front of him, or sailed overhead.
Saverin wondered how he would return to his home in the Great Exchange South after somehow extracting revenge upon the Sagek Kingdom. He didn’t allow tears that would blur his vision as he loosed an arrow that would miss its target. Saverin needed to clear his mind and find his aim.
The retreating boat was half way across the 50 yard wide river when a life spell felled Caleb’s death elemental. Saverin spotted three mages working with light blue aura, preparing ice spells to bring down Ee Geum’s fire elemental. The fire elemental charged one of these mages, making it more difficult for the other two Sagek Kingdom wizards to strike the fire elemental. The warriors surrounding the mage battled the fire elemental, giving Saverin the opening he needed. His next arrow struck the mage and ruined her spell.
60 seconds later, the fire elemental was defeated. Saverin and his retreating comrades were now only 10 yards from the shore of the Great Exchange North, 10 yards from the rest of the defeated Great Exchange militia. More archers now aimed their arrows toward the retreating boat. Several arrows struck militia fighters, but with some healing available once they reached the Great Exchange North no one in the last retreating boat visited Fate.
In all, 25 Great Exchange militia fighters had to sit down with Fate and 21 spirits were allowed to return home. Fate kept the other four in his Land of Whispers along with 10 of the 47 slain Sagek Kingdom soldiers. Tomorrow there would be funeral games.