We were in a hurry but we still took our time to prepare. Some things simply should never be rushed. Big magical rituals were one such a thing. It was not just the preparations for the ritual as well. The rest of the army had to properly dig in on the other side of the hill as well. The hill alone would hopefully provide enough cover but I wouldn't rely on it. Some digging was going on here with us as well. Some of the trolls of the Wall Breakers, assigned to our position for air defense, had brought some shovels and picks as well.

It was chaos but it was chaos with purpose. Fox holes or short trenches were being dug for everyone. A perimeter of sharpened stakes had been set up as well, to keep any ghouls the rangers might miss at a distance long enough so our guards could deal with them. A number of trees had been fashioned into much larger stakes as well. They should in theory be large, pointy and sturdy enough to keep a wyvern off us, at least for a little while. Or they could at least skewer the first of the flying lizards to drop in on us.

On the downside, the enemy had to be aware of our position by now. We were a little exposed on the hillside facing the enemy's stronghold after all. So far there had been no reaction though. The ghouls probably didn't care, mindlessly focusing on whichever other tasks they had been entrusted with. So far the wyvern had not ventured forth either. Maybe the ghoul king expected some kind of trap or he would rather fight us on his own terms on the ground he had prepared? Maybe the enemy assumed that we were just setting up a command position for the siege he expected? There simply was no telling and I really had no plans to ask either.

I had precious little time to worry about that anyway. Kaele and Tero were going over the details of the spell we would be casting together. Meteor Strike was more complex than anything I had ever cast and not just by a little either. I couldn't exactly practice now either, not without giving our plan away for good anyway. Thus the two had me memorize the spell matrix, adapted to the current circumstances by my brother only a little while ago while the others started digging our defenses, rehearsing it again and again.

I suspected that the rehearsals were not just for my benefit either. Both Kaele and Tero looked a little nervous and for good reason. Even the slightest mistake could yield catastrophic results. Damn, even if we did everything right it still could turn out bad for us. If we channeled too much Mana into the spell for example. We couldn't really hold back tough. If the spell wasn't powerful enough we probably wouldn't get a second chance. We simply would have to risk it and give our all. This was not the time for half measures.

Finally everything was done and everything was in place. A messenger from the army had let us know that they had holed up. Even the cavalry had withdrawn into the new fortified camp after one last sweep of the surroundings. Only the rangers were still out and about but they knew what was coming and how to tell when it was time to seek cover. Our guard stood at the ready with long lances, slings and javelins at hand. There was no more reason to wait any longer.

I looked at Tero and Kaele and cleared my throat to get their attention. They both nodded and we gathered at the very center of our fortified position. One of the trolls started beating a slow but steady rhythm on a makeshift drum. That wasn't exactly essential for cooperative casting but it would help us synchronize our efforts. For a few moments we just stood there, facing each other, matching our breathing to the rhythm of the drum. Then, at long last, Tero started counting down from three and as he reached zero we started building the spell matrix.

The innermost layer, the heart of it, specified the three of us as the casters. As soon as it was set in place I could feel the presence of the two others. Then we constructed the second layer. This one specified our roles. Tero would guide the spell. Kaele would stabilize it. And I would provide the majority of the power. The following layers specified, bit by bit, what the spell would do, how it would do it as well as where and when exactly.

What made things more complicated was, that we wouldn't take control of an existing meteor to call it down. That would in theory have been possible but we would have had to know where exactly it was and where it was moving. That would have been beyond tricky. Instead we conjured a piece of rock that would turn into a flaming meteor as it came crashing down on the target, which would be just a little beyond the castle and the wyvern nests at the heart of Gothol'uin.

And all the while, as the spell matrix was being constructed I already drew upon the ambient Mana to feed the spell. It wasn't long until it became obvious that the enemy must have noticed. For one the wyvern cried out. Yath'zur called our guards to attention as well but I didn't dare look up. On the other hand I could feel someone else attempt to disrupt our spell. An unwelcome presence tried to worm its way into our casting. Something that felt old, slimy and rotten.

I pulled in more Mana, like I had in my fight against the pale king. I pushed my limits and the sudden rush of power sent the unwelcome presence reeling. Before the intruder could regain their balance it was too late though. The spell matrix was finished and it was stable, despite the tremendous amount of power I was pouring into it. It was as if the world itself were vibrating with power as Kaele and Tero poured even more Mana into the spell, in addition to what I was already channeling.

The wyvern cried out again, closer this time, then silence fell for a brief moment. That was our cue. Tero triggered the spell and within the blink of an eye all the power we had gathered drained away. The next moment a deafening roar replaced the silence. It alone was powerful enough to send the approaching wyvern tumbling through the air. No one needed to say anything. We jumped into the fox holes and trenches we had prepared. Even as I did so as well, I could see how the clouds that had been covering the sky were blown away.

Then Kaele pulled me down. “Duck! Moron!”

I did duck. I closed my eyes and even covered them with an arm as I turned away slightly. I opened my mouth and then there was no more time to do anything.

The thing I had briefly glimpsed hurling down from the heavens above hit home. For a moment, probably no longer than the blink of an eye, the world was drowned out by a light brighter than anything I had ever witnessed. Not even my overpowered, makeshift light spell could compare. There was heat as well. Then came the sound. The earth did not so much shake as jump. I was almost thrown out of the hole I had been taking cover in.

Even as the unbelievable sound deafened me trees were knocked over all around us, if they weren't torn free of the ground and hurled dozens of paces away as a whole. At the same time earth and rock, sometimes flaming or downright liquefied, came raining down all around us. Then, eventually, silence fell again. I wasn't quite sure if it was real silence though or if I had just gone deaf for good.

Shakily I got back on my feet, pulling Kaele along, who in turn pulled Tero upright. All aruond us others started moving again as well. I couldn't tell if it was everyone though. I couldn't even tell anymore where everyone should have been. It was utter and total chaos. Finally I managed to orient myself in the direction where the city had been. So did some of the others.

My heart missed a beat. I had no eyes for what was left of the enemy's stronghold or its army. My eyes were focused entirely upon the mushroom shaped cloud that was rising into an otherwise bright blue sky. “Maidens, preserve us.” That was all I could mumble as a flood of fuzzy memories threatened to drown me.

Only as someone else shook my shoulder was I able to shake them off again. I could smell smoke. Of course. Fire raining down on a forest that had just been reduced to so much kindling. We had to get out of here. I looked around at the others. Most of them seemed as shaken as I felt. I had to get my act together! “Gather up! Make sure no one gets left behind! Check all the trenches and fox holes! Make sure none collapsed on anyone! We have to leave! We have to get out of the forest!”