------

”We’re getting spread out too much! Regroup and gather back at point alpha!” Shaheera gave a hasty command through the enchanted earring that was connected to three other similar pieces of jewelry. He fingered the bauble while praising its usefulness in his mind. Karna had created them in her artisan classes, and the items had shown their usefulness several times already. Communications were a very important aspect of strategy after all.

"What's wrong?" Rein called out as he was the first to arrive at the meeting point.

“I feel like they’re trying to pull us apart and separate us. It’s better to stay together and not play their game. These people aren’t as easy to defeat as the other second-year groups we've faced before." Shaheera explained just as Karna also jumped down from a branch above them.

They were currently using one of the Academy's small forests for a Tactics and Combat exercise. This course was a little different from those they'd had before because it was more advanced and mostly had students from other years taking part. Only their group had been allowed to attend from year one, and the reason became obvious soon. The later years had spent a lot longer practicing these kinds of skills and had a lot more experience working as a group. Even if the group of first years was at the top of their year and extremely talented, these exercises were a lot more balanced and equal than when they fought the other first years.

“What did I miss?” Miralen asked with a cheery voice as she jogged out from between the trees. She of course seemed at home in a forest environment.

“I was just explaining to Rein that I think this is a tr…" Shaheera started to explain but was interrupted almost as soon as he started.

Karna seemed to cross the distance between her and Miralen in the blink of an eye and planted her fist in the elven girl’s belly with full power. The two boys could actually hear a crack of thunder and saw a small flash of lighting as the completely stunned elf was blasted through several nearby trees and slumped on the ground helpless. “What are you doing Karna?!” Rein shouted in panic and pointed his weapon at the not-so-small-anymore girl. Not that he was stupid enough to try using that weapon. it was just an instinctive response.

“That’s not Miralen. It wasn’t illusion magic either. A Changeling?” Karna asked with a curious voice while cracking her knuckles as she walked closer to the one she had just blasted away. "I don't think she's a second-year either, which is why I hit her so hard."

The being had already changed its appearance away from Miralen. Its form was shifting back and forth a bit, but the being now generally looked like a normal human. It was rather hard to tell though, as its form was in constant flux while it was busy trying to vomit out everything he or she had eaten and was already coming up empty. "You didn't need to hit me that hard." The being managed to croak out finally, after managing to get a bit of air into her lungs.

“Ah, but I was nice enough to hold back and everything. If I had been really serious, you’d have a fist-sized hole in your belly. That said, I don’t really appreciate it when someone tries to assume the form of one of my friends. I find attempts to steal someone’s identity, even for a short time, highly offensive.” Karna retorted with a dark voice that showed her clear intention to continue using violence on the other person.

“Duly noted.” The being that could now clearly be identified as female said.

Karna squatted next to the still-recovering Changeling, now radiating a bit of danger. "Besides, you're not a member of the squad we're supposed to be fighting either. I couldn't go too easy on someone who's a fourth-ranked warrior. Now, a quick explanation please, and make it fast so I don’t have to keep beating you, just to make sure you don’t become a threat.”

“And where’s Miralen?” Shaheera asked another important question. If this being had taken the elf’s place, then…

"What about me?" The Dark Elf girl asked as she seemed to arrive at the meeting point at the perfect timing without noticing anything was wrong. "Sorry, I'm late. I got delayed by one of their backliners. Incidentally, their team is now one backliner short.”

Karna took a hold of the Changeling’s throat and lifted her up into the air with one hand, seemingly effortlessly. She still wasn’t someone that could be considered tall, so she had to lift the taller Changeling above her head just to keep the being’s feet off the ground. "This one was about to explain why she had assumed your form.”

The Changeling tried to struggle against Karna’s grip and actually tied her legs around Karna’s arm in an attempt to gain leverage and struggle free of her grip. Not that it helped much. Karna stood firm and seemingly unaffected by the struggle. Instead, she channeled a bit of magic through her hand and the Changeling found herself being shocked by lightning. "Behave," Karna commanded. "I'm still acting polite all things considered, but my patience is wearing thin.” She squeezed a bit harder on the Changeling’s throat, now actually making it difficult to breathe.

“Fine! Fine! I’ll talk!” The Changeling croaked out, and Karna allowed her grip to loosen a bit, to allow her to breathe. Now she was mostly just holding the struggling being in place.

“I’m called Mint. I was sent here to make trouble for Karna. Those I work for aren't exactly fond of the fact that you turned them down." The Changeling explained and was rewarded by Karna dropping her on the ground rather unceremoniously.

“Wow, Karna. You were just a child only a few months ago, and you already have people propositioning to you?” Miralen teased a bit, though she was doing that partially to shake off the discomfort of someone taking her appearance and trying to use that against the group. She had not seen it, but she had picked up enough from context clues to know what was going on.

“She didn’t grow that much.” Rein grumbled. He disliked the fact that he couldn’t lord Karna’s short stature over her anymore.

“Yeah, she did.” Shaheera just bluntly corrected him. If Karna had looked like a child before, now she was more like a mid-teen.

"Yeah, she did." Rein quickly admitted with a defeated sigh. Thanks to cultivating, they were all developing faster than mortals of similar age, but Karna’s had all of them beat in that field as well, and she was also younger than them. Something they kept forgetting thanks to her maturity.

Karna decided wisely to ignore the by-play and addressed the Changeling instead. "Go back to your employers and give them a warning. I don't take well when people try to create trouble for me. I couldn't care less about their injured pride, however, I know this. A slightly bruised ego is not worth making potentially dangerous enemies. I'm also the vindictive type. These sorts of things are all fun and games until you start making real enemies, and I show no mercy to my enemies, no matter their background. Understood?”

“I’ll relay the message. They won’t be too happy about it though.” Mint replied honestly. She wasn’t personally invested in the whole thing, and Karna’s reaction to the situation wasn’t new to her. She’d been in similar situations before. That was the danger Changelings often ran into.

“Their happiness is not required. Only their compliance.” Karna said coldly. She knew they would not take the warning. Or at least not all of them would. Pride made people blind. Even she wasn’t immune to that sin. She’d need to make an example at least once. She just hoped the other party wasn’t stupid enough to force her to make multiple examples.

She waved to the rest of her team. “Now come on. We still have two more enemies to hunt down, and they seem to have been complicit in this. Let’s not be too gentle in showing our displeasure. Defeating them will make a stronger statement than ratting them out to the teachers.”

--------

“Good job!” Menkhaf patted her on the back, even surprising himself with the gesture. “Your new strength has really improved your crafting. It took you a bit of time to get used to it, but now you don’t have to strain yourself anymore, and the whole process feels more natural.”

‘He isn’t wrong.’ Karna thought to herself. Her motions became more natural as she got stronger. ‘And with the lessons advancing, I can finally start showing some of my real skills.’

It had been bugging her for a while now that she had to avoid using some of the tricks she’d learned in previous lives. Tricks that were not all that complicated, but vastly increased the quality of the final product and made the whole process easier. Something rather basic like refining the grain microstructure of the metal was something she wasn't allowed to do, simply because the lessons had not gone into such things yet. Finally, the teachers had started showing her methods that could affect such things, ranging from the smelting to the way she actually hammered and treated the metal, so she no longer needed to hold back on such basics. It had pained her to use the smith's hammer in ways that actually damaged the final product before this, but it would’ve been too obvious if she hadn’t made those errors. Making such errors went against her nature and pushed her towards revealing her true skills.

“So I hear the headmistress made some sort of an offer to you?” Menkhaf asked in a seemingly innocent voice.

“I believe she likely already informed you of the deal.” Karna smiled under the veil. The teacher was fishing for extra details. Then she frowned at the veil itself. The damn thing really got in the way in the forge. It would be good to get rid of it. She was planning on phasing the damn thing out in the next few weeks. Not while in public necessarily, but at least with her friends and while crafting.

"I suppose she did," Menkhaf admitted with a sigh. “She said we should teach you everything with no concern for the major you choose. An unusual order to say the least. Not the first time, but unusual.”

"The circumstances are unusual as well," Karna replied non-committaly.

Menkhaf seemed frustrated by something, scratching his beard furiously. “Just tell me. Are you really a Blessed Child? I can swear not to tell anyone. It’s just…sometimes it feels like I’m only pretending to teach you and you’re pretending to learn something you already know. It’s like I’m teaching someone who’s already a master, but is only holding back. It…makes me feel like we’re wasting time that we could be using for better things.”

Karna lifted an eyebrow at his directness and perceptivity. This was the second time this dwarven Artificer had impressed her with his acumen, the first time being during the affinity test. “You already know that Blessed Children can’t admit to being one. However, there is something you should test.”

“Which is?” Menkhaf asked eagerly.

“If you think you’re teaching something I’m already familiar with, then maybe test things out by teaching something more advanced next time. Let’s see how far and how fast we can push things.” Karna suggested with the same kind of faked innocence the teacher had used before.

---------

"They've come," Wolfgang said with a calm voice that betrayed no real surprise. He looked out at the horizon from the flagship of the 1st fleet stationed above the previous capital of the Sacred Dynasty.

“I suppose they couldn’t avoid at least making an attempt. They couldn’t let us have this place without a fight.” Arjuna replied, equally unruffled. The city had surrendered mostly peacefully as soon as it became clear that the Magocracy had no plans of just taking over everything. It also helped that the city was mostly empty even before they arrived.

“They certainly kept us waiting. I expected the Aegean Empire to be the first ones to take a crack at us, not the Saurians.” Duskclaw added.

“It’s because they wanted to bring their ground forces along. Unlike us, the lizards don’t have too many airships. They have many creatures that can fly at their command, but those tend to be too small and weak to stand up in a proper battle without support. On the other hand, their ground armies are quite strong, and our ground forces still haven’t reached the city. Not that it much matters with you here.” Wolfgang estimated the plans of the Saurian Kingdoms.

The Magocracy was taking its time to slowly conquer and absorb the territories of the previous Holy Kingdom in an attempt to avoid being stabbed in the back by rebellions and uprisings by the original populace. That meant that the only forces the Magocracy had in the city were the original three fleets of airships. A formidable force, but not exactly an optimal force for defending a large city. Airships were handy, but they didn't win large battles by themselves.

“We’re winning this easily, right?” Duskclaw could do the math as well, but she was still confident.

“We should be fine. There’s a reason the Saurian Kingdoms have never expanded beyond their current borders despite the power of their armies. I can sense only three rank eight beings among the entire army, and not a single one even at the beginning of ninth rank. With both me and Wolfgang here, this should not be a too difficult battle.” Arjuna said confidently.

He was the premier combat magus of the entire Magocracy and one of the, if not the most powerful combatant in the Higher Planes currently. Aside from the Emissaries of course. Wolfgang had also been sent to support him, and that pretty much decided this battle for good. High ranking individuals didn’t completely invalidate entire armies, as most armies had developed various tactics to deal with such individuals, but the power they could project could easily swing battles if they were not kept in check by other people of at least similar rank. Wolfgang would be able to deal with the three strongest individuals among the Saurians, which left Arjuna free to rain death and destruction on the enemy.

“I still don’t understand why the empire hasn’t attacked us yet.” Duskclaw returned to her earlier point. “They were the fastest to react after us, and they would actually have the strength to fight against us on a relatively equal footing. I hate to say it, but Ashanti might even be able to fight you master, even if he wouldn’t win.”

Arjuna loosened his shoulders a bit in preparation for the upcoming battle. "This isn't widely known yet, but the old fogies in the council finally had a good idea for once.”

“You do remember you’re on the council yourself, right?” Wolfgang asked rhetorically with a small lopsided smile.

Arjuna just ignored him. “They realized that this whole thing would turn into a mess if all four powers clashed openly, so they approached the High Elven Court for an official alliance. The whole thing isn’t official yet, as the details are still being hammered out, but there’s already an unofficial agreement in place. That has the empire getting jumpy, as the alliance between us and elves is more than enough to counter their forces rather decisively. The empire was leery of the elves alone, and seeing us getting involved…”

“And since the Saurian Kingdoms happen to hate the Aegeans after losing the Salanak Islands to the empire’s navy, Ashanti is a little short on ways to counter the alliance. Smart. On the other hand, the Saurians know our alliance isn’t really directed against them, so they’re free to test us out without being too worried about the elves getting involved. We might actually manage to divide the old Holy Kingdom without the whole mess turning into an all-out war.” Wolfgang nodded in understanding.

“Now you jinxed it.” Duskclaw gave a deep sigh.

Arjuna tapped his wrist, and a small communication sigil appeared above his sleeve. “Admiral, the enemy seems to have come with a significant number of flyers. Take the fleet higher, and let’s start harassing them. Just because we’re supposed to be defending a city, doesn’t mean we want to give up the high ground and our mobility advantage.”

"Yes, Grand Medjai." The voice of the female admiral acknowledged. In less than twenty seconds, the entirety of the three fleets was gaining altitude and flying directly towards the enemy. The fast ships crossed the distance quickly, and soon enough they could see details of their enemy.

"What the heck is that?" Wolfgang asked with a frown and pointed at the figure leading the army. There, a white-scaled Saurian warrior with a large spiky crest and a golden-colored armor sat astride a large beast that seemed to be all muscle and teeth. The beast was standing on two legs like a bird, but that's where the similarities ended. Its four limbs were all filled with hard muscle and scale, and it had a wide thick tail that balanced its heavily front-leaning upper body. It also had a huge maw much like the Saurians themselves, filled with razor-sharp teeth. It was also gigantic enough to bite one of the airships in two.

“You haven’t seen a Carnosaur before?” Duskclaw asked innocently. “Our tribes often run into them as we border the Jungles and volcanoes inhabited by the Saurian Kingdoms. They like to hunt anything lower than them in the food chain. Which means anything that moves. Or doesn’t.”

Wolfgang cleared his throat a bit. “I’ve heard the Saurians use beasts in war, but I’ve never actually fought them before, so…”

"Well, here's a bit of advice my father gave me way back when. Don't get bitten. Those things can easily bite through any armor, and even a high-ranking warrior like yourself would be ill-served by the experience. The power in their jaws is terrifying.” Duskclaw almost cracked a smile at her suggestion.

“Gee, thanks. That’s so helpful.” Wolfgang grumbled sarcastically. It was clear he’d have to deal with the damn beast, seeing as both the beast and the rider were among the three rank eight beings in the enemy army.

“You’re very welcome. Now how are we going to deal with all those flyers?” Duskclaw changed the topic. The enemy army was covered by thousands of small flying creatures ranging from those that were not much bigger than a normal bird, to flying lizards that were almost the size of the smallest airship in their fleet.

"Leave that up to me," Arjuna stated confidently. “Admiral, open fire. No need to waste a good advantage on faking negotiations that will fail anyway.”

“Opening fire.” The Admiral’s voice sounded again and soon enough thumping sounds could be heard as magical cannon began to unleash their deadly barrage at the army below. The three fleets moved into a formation where they could easily support each other while firing at the shield of energy that had suddenly sprung up to defend the troops below. At the same time, the mages below them started casting their spells, which were deflected by the protective magic surrounding the airships.

This was how most engagements began. The long-range asset of both groups would test the defenses of the opposing army. If one side spotted a potential weakness, then that would be exploited mercilessly, but most of the time such obvious weaknesses didn't materialize. In most cases, there were two options. Either the two forces would settle into a battle of attrition, or one side decided that they'd be better served by closing the distance and turning the whole thing into a melee. With one side of the current battle being entirely made of flying forces and the main force of the opposing army being on foot, the possibility of melee was rather limited.

Not that the Saurian would just stand there and take the punishment of course. They sent in their own flying forces at the airships, supported by their mages, while the warriors got into formations and combined their ki to launch attacks towards the ships above them. The methods varied based on the enemy, but the most common tactic was for a single squad or company to combine their ki, which was then channeled by the company’s commander into powerful attacks. Sometime when the enemy was especially powerful, entire regiments or even armies could combine their powers to strike with enough strength to even cause someone like Arjuna some issues. The effectiveness and efficiency of such attacks varied greatly on the army using the tactic, as well as the leader who had to channel all that power of course.

“Well, then. Let’s see what kind of damage we can cause.” Arjuna declared and suddenly the entire area seemed to be covered in shadows. It was time to remind the enemy why he was called the Shadow Weaver.

------

Tuc-mo’etzpec growled in anger as enormous maws made of shadow suddenly started descending from the skies. Numerous flying creatures seemingly created out of pure darkness also materialized out of nowhere. The pterodactyl riders of their army were good fliers and agilely tried to avoid the attacks, but the shadows seemed to have come alive and adjusted their path of attack when their targets dodged. Just to make things even more difficult, showers of shadowy spears seemed to appear almost at random from the sides of all the shadowy creatures, targeting and shooting down fliers that had managed to avoid the original attacks. It was raining death, and there was little they could do to avoid it.

Tuc-mo’etzpec had known this attack was foolish. They didn’t have the manpower to go against the elites of the Magocracy. A proper Saurian would gladly give their life for the nation, and none of the brave warriors fled despite the horrid situation. Yet just throwing their lives away was plain stupid. The Saurian Kingdoms didn’t lack for warriors, and they could always spawn more to replace those that had been lost, but the experience and training of the warriors that died would be lost and wasted.

A sudden sound of an appreciative whistle came from near Tuc-mo’etzpec. Since the Saurian didn’t have the mouth-shape for making that kind of sound, the sound must have come from an enemy, causing both Tuc-mo’etzpec and his trusty mount Deathfang to spin towards the source of the sound. They found a sloppily dressed human man with a sword tied to his hip standing nearby. The human seemed to be chewing on some kind of straw for some reason. “It seems old Arjuna went a bit overboard. I don’t think he needed to decimate most of your army, don’t you agree?” The man asked with a playful tone.

Tuc-mo’etzpec couldn’t properly sense the strength of the man for some reason, but his instincts told him that he should be afraid. Apparently, Deathfang agreed as the mount took several slow steps backwards. The man turned his eyes from the sky towards the two. “Oh, my apologies. How rude of me to ignore you like that. It seems it’s my duty to take care of you, and I can’t allow Arjuna to have all the fun.”

Before Tuc-mo’etzpec had a chance to respond, the man swung his hand towards the two, his fingers looking like claws. A blood-red palm made of pure ki was launched towards him, and the weight of the attack was pressing on Tuc-mo’etzpec like he was drowning. Quickly he activated the magical runes in his armor, drawing on the stored power within, and sent a shining orb of ki to meet the bloody-red hand. The two attacks collided in the air and the sudden burst of power buffeted everyone nearby, causing significant casualties to the surrounding troops, which was a problem as all of them were Saurians.

Tuc-mo’etzpec had stopped the attack, but the effort had drained most the power in his armor in one hit, and it was clear he was outmatched. Deathclaw agreed and suddenly turned tail to run away. “Hey! Don’t leave so soon! We just started!” The weird man shouted after the two, but apparently didn’t want to bother chasing.

No proper Saurian would shy away from giving their life for the nation, but throwing away lives was simply stupid. Sometimes discretion was better. Maybe they could return with more strength? Or maybe they could just not return and save their strength. They’d already benefitted from taking over parts of the Holy Kingdom after all…