He was highly confused as he continued to sense the large amounts of magic in the area, but just couldn't seem to figure out where it was originating from. There were many reasons he was there at the moment. The first was the extreme magical events that could be detected by every mage for miles around.

The second was the cohort that contact had been lost with, that had been sent to figure out what was happening. The third reason was he and his daughter were two of the best combat mages the Empire had access to.

So they were sent out with a contubernium of soldiers to figure out just what had been causing the disturbances in the first place. “What do you think we will find father? I'm betting on a wyvern that was nesting.” As he looked at her with a smile he said, “I doubt it unless the wyvern is older than the Empire itself we're gonna be looking at something else.”

He loved his daughter, having just turned twenty-two she had just finished her training in the magical arts, and already she was on a path to becoming even better than him at magic. “So a coven of witches, or a circle of mages?” He thought about it for a second before replying, “I very much doubt it. While a large amount of mages or witches have been known to cast spells of such magnitude before. Usually the effects are felt within a day of two not over a constant period like what we're seeing here.”

As his daughter fell into thought as they continued on their way he thought back to her thirteenth birthday when she first discovered her magic. It had been when he had been in the middle of meditating when he felt it, the spike of magic in the air as it rushed to a point before exploding outwards.

He had thought it an attack as he leapt to find his family only to see his daughter lifting her fork with telekinesis. “ dad-dad!” He broke out of his flashback to look at his daughter. “What is it?” She looked a little peeved at him, which he found unendingly precious, before responding. “I said, What if it's an apostle?” He felt himself seize up a bit at the name of those parasite spawn, but before his daughter could notice he put on a smile.

“If it is we will greet them with the respect that is due to their station. Though just for a thought exercise try to really think on what we could be dealing with.” With a nod she went back to thinking.

Just the thought of having to deal with a child parasite makes his stomach sick with the want to puke. It was one of the first things they learned when promoted to arch-wizard in the guild. The true nature of the gods most men worship. How they suck dry the souls of men and women, how they subtly influence people to become fantical of their worship of them, and how the magically inclined were some of the few who knew of the threat the god’s posed.

The second thing he learned was how to actively resist the influence the gods tried to exert over him and his own. It was one of the reasons he tried to be as close to his family as he could at all times.

He was knocked out of that line of thought by his daughter tapping his shoulder to get him to pay attention. “Since you have put down pretty much all my ideas, I would have to say the most likely thing we could be encountering is an ancient wizard who has woken up for a time and is letting himself loose before going to do whatever he likes for a bit.”

With a nod he responds. “Yes I could see that, though I have a feeling it may be something else I just can’t think of.” With a look of uncertainty they come upon the forest they felt the magical energies originating from.

With a flourish he brings the spell staff from out behind his back, and casts a few protection spells on himself and his daughter as the soldiers that escorted them continue forward. “Emilia stay behind me, and start scanning for any presences in the area so I can focus on tracking down the magical signature to its origin.”

With a barely perceptible nod she starts to silent cast detection spells as they continue towards the largest concentration of the magic. Then the smell of death and rot hits as they come out of the brush and come across the scene of a battle. He could sense the husks of the souls the gods must have gotten to as well as the spots the gods had simply consumed the whole thing.

As he takes the sight in, his daughter comes from behind him and spots the slaughter as well. As he looked at her he could see her face turn slightly green before she brought it back under control.

“Alright I’m going to use a location spell to try and figure out where the magic originates. Sergeant take your men and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary as I'm busy, and Emilia I need you to start casting protection spells on the good sergeant and his men.” With a nod from the sergeant as the soldiers got in position and a grunt from his daughter he started.

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As the soldiers got in position and the mages started casting I had the bunker take mana from the sentry guns on the first floor and send it towards the wards to supercharge them for the time. I would not have some mages from a society thousands of years behind the ulmish magically beat my defenses.

Of course it was right as the male mage started the spell that those fucking parasites started to batter on the wards as well, because of course the bastards use the most inopportune of times to try something.

As the bunker reroutes the mana from the guns to the wards I take a meditating position on the floor and pull out the reserves I had rekindled and waited to send them Into the wards along with the bunker to further supercharge the wards when it was needed.

This wasn’t going to be fun. I could tell from not just how thick the tendrils of the gods' influence was, but also from the amount of magic the man was loading his spell was. Why does the luck of an SI have to affect me as well?

God I hate being an SI like for real I’m positive there's some motherfuckers on spacebattles or sufficient velocity and laughing their ass off at my misfortune. Fuck you me, fuck you.