Slytha looked at him curiously

“I am not familiar with that word in this context, but your tone implies you do not believe we can prevail over our enemies,” Slytha murmured the second half of her statement.

Calista reached out to hold John's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. Grounded in grim reality by her touch, John nodded.

“At a mere glance, our chances are not the best.” He held out hope that what he saw wasn't as bad as it looked.

The cliff that faced the city descended with a very gentle slope on its other side, a battlefield perched halfway up its length. A seemingly disorganized mass of red scaled Lizardmen held the high ground in defense of the city, encamped behind a line fortified by sandstone breastwork. A no-man's-land stretched 200 meters down to the front lines of five large platoons of dark gray scaled Lizardmen. The no-man's-land was riddled with circular impact marks made out of glass, likely where fireballs had landed.

The enemy platoons stood in marching formations 4 ranks long and 10 files wide, with gaps in between each group of soldiers. They made a rough semicircle out of their rectangular positions and seemed to be waiting for the signal to attack. Each platoon held a standard near the rear, though the symbols on them made no sense to John. An X, a circle, a square, a triangle, and a square within a circle within a triangle with an X through it.

What are they, playstation?

The circle and the square platoons stood on the outer edges of the formations. Circle was a cavalry, their soldiers riding raptor-like creatures and wielding long curved swords. Square was full of two-handed weapon wielding Lizardmen. Greatswords, warhammers, and battleaxes were held upright as the soldiers stood at attention.

The X and the triangle platoons stood on the inner edges of the formations. X was mixed, the first two ranks full of Lizardmen with body length shields and the last two ranks full of Lizardmen with bows. Triangle was full of Lizardmen that wielded swords and shields.

The central platoon, the concentric banner, was the most diverse. It had a rank of shields, a rank of dual wielded swords, a rank of dual wielded war axes, and a rank of Lizardmen in dark grey robes. A few meters behind the concentric platoon, five Lizardmen stood in a circle, seemingly discussing tactics.

“Slytha, isn't the enemy a bit… close?”

“My people have been at war for nearly an entire moon cycle; much ground has been lost. Now is our time of greatest need, and as Shihai wills it, we shall prevail with the aid of Her Flame.”

John nodded slowly. Ignis growled softly, sensing a fierce battle in the near future. John looked to Calista, gauging her reaction. She was as calm as the surface of a lake on a windless day, her eyes scanning the battlefield with a cold familiarity. John steeled his confidence before meeting Slytha's eyes. They burned with a passionate hope, faith in her deity, and faith in John. Or more accurately, faith in Ignis.

“As Shihai wills it, we will emerge victorious.”

Slytha grinned and continued to lead them to her people. The red scaled Lizardmen stood in defensive clusters of 5, with 25 total squads spread across the line. Each squad had one Lizardman armed with a bow, two armed with sword and shield, and two armed with spear and shield.

At least their parties are better balanced than the platoons of the enemy, each one can hold their own once surrounded no matter what kind of unit they're up against. Getting surrounded is almost a certainty considering how outnumbered they are.

The red scaled Lizardmen began to notice Ignis as Slytha led them ever closer. An excited chittering rose from among them, escalating to a roar of confidence as John, Ignis and Calista finally reached them. Ignis howled her arrival, her flames rising an extra foot higher. John smiled at his first summon, eagerly anticipating the oncoming battle despite the possible dangers. A ghost of a smile graced Calista's lips as she felt the hopeless spirits of the warriors take on a confidence only ardent passion could bring.

The gray scaled Lizardmen answered the red scaled battle cry with one of their own, though in their cry hissing was much more prominent than chittering. Ignis emerged from behind the breastwork to gekker at the enemy, her fiery hackles raised. The enemy’s hissing faltered and sputtered to an end as Ignis continued her savage challenge.

Slytha began to chitter to her people, her tone indicating a rousing speech. The raw energy, malice, and unbridled rage channeled into her words whipped the army into a frenzy. John equipped his cloak and pulled the spear of the Dryad out of his inventory. He looked at Calista. Her eyes burned with a determined energy, and she smiled at him. He smiled back, then turned to face the enemy.

Amelie stood in the center of her room, headphones covering her ears. She bobbed her head gently to the beat, her hips swaying ever so slightly side to side as she folded her laundry.

Laundry finished, she spun and danced a bit before walking out of her room and bumping into her roommate. She didn't scream this time, which was a huge improvement in Amelie's eyes. What she did do, though, was let loose a stream of curses that would have made a sailor blush.

“I'm sorry, I didn't know you were back yet.”

Layla started to laugh, shaking her head side to side in dismissal of Amelie's apology.

“It's fine, you just surprised me.”

Amelie smiled in relief before stepping into the bathroom, ending the encounter.

Layla's smile disappeared as soon as the door closed.

She's sweet, does John like sweet girls? Well, I can be sweet, I can be whatever he wants me to be as long as I'm his and he's mine.

Her mind buzzed with more thoughts than she knew what to do with. She walked absentmindedly to her room and collapsed onto her bed. Thinking of him brought a certain heat with it, the memory of his aura caressing her consciousness making her blush and pant. She stood abruptly and decided to pay him a visit, mentally scolding herself for not thinking of it sooner.

Now, just how slutty should I dress to steal his attention from the whore with the blue aura?

Ten red scaled Lizardmen squads marched out from behind the left side of the breastwork, while ten more marched out from behind the right. John, Ignis, and Calista made up their own squad, joining the remaining five squads in climbing over the breastwork and marching directly towards the enemy. Slytha stood behind the breastwork chanting in the center of a summoning circle carved out of glass, the runes beginning to glow a faint red. The gray scaled Lizardmen's numbers were a slight disadvantage of maneuverability in the limited space of the no-man's-land as John and his allies charged.

The circle platoon successfully flanked the ten squads headed in their direction on their raptor mounts, engaging seven of the ten. Fourteen sword Lizardmen formed a ring around fourteen spear Lizardmen with seven archer Lizardmen in the center. The spear Lizardmen stabbed at the raptors that got too close as the sword Lizardmen parried and blocked spear attacks from the mounted enemies. The archer Lizardmen shot into the fray with an accuracy that bordered on luck with how quickly their targets moved. The remaining three squads formed a phalanx, locking shields together and advancing towards the X platoon, their three archers taking cover as best they could behind the shield wall as they readied arrows to fire. The first two ranks of the X platoon formed a testudo and advanced to meet the phalanx, the ranks of archers taking aim and firing at the enemy.

The square and triangle platoons did not uphold any semblance of a formation as they broke ranks and charged the second set of ten squads of red scaled Lizardmen, forcing the squads to bunch together in a defensive circle. The archers in the center of the circular formation shot with unerring aim, their arrows piercing the hides of their enemies with every volley let loose. The warhammers of the square platoon slammed into the shields of the red scaled spear and sword Lizardmen, the clang of impact echoing far into the desert. The battleaxes and greatswords sliced through the air before they too met sonorous resistance in the solid defenses of their enemies. The quicker one handed swords of the triangle platoon had a much easier time getting past the red scales’ shields, though they were met instead by swords, spears, and arrows.

John's charge was met halfway by the concentric platoon. The ten files of the platoon broke into ten squads much like the ones formed by the red scaled Lizardmen. John's immediate allies engaged a squad each, squaring off in fierce exchanges of blows. The spear Lizardmen locked shields and stabbed at the shield Lizardmen while the sword Lizardmen dueled the dual wielding Lizardmen. The archer Lizardmen showcased surprising agility as they employed acrobatics to evade the blasts of blue energy shot by the robed Lizardmen.

The remaining five enemy squads joined forces to face John, Ignis, and Calista. The shield Lizardmen formed a phalanx to protect the mage Lizardmen as the dual wielding Lizardmen charged out from the sides of the shield wall. Ignis pounced over the shield wall and landed with two of the five mage Lizardmen under her paws.

****!
****!

John quirked an eyebrow at the new notification before turning his focus to the hulking creature storming towards him with two swords in its hands. Parkour activated and he slid in the sand under the first swing of a sword, bringing the spear up for a passing slice across his opponent's torso. The haft of the spear pressed against his ribs as the blade cut into the Lizardman's scales.

40 dmg (L1)

John transitioned into a crouch and readied a bolt to be cast with his left hand before using the momentum of his slide to stand and keep running. He shot a crackling ball of red sparks at the first Lizardman before pouncing forward to stab a second Lizardman.

40 dmg (L1)
crit! 80 dmg (L2)

He pulled the spear out of the second Lizardman and jumped over a low swing, transitioning into a handspring as he dodged the slash of another sword. He landed in a spray of sand surrounded by five dual sword wielding Lizardmen. He could hear Calista shouting in a language he didn't recognize as well as Ignis gekkering and roaring flames. He swung his spear in a wide arc as three Lizardmen tried to rush him.

glancing hit! 20 dmg (L3)
glancing hit! 10 dmg (L1)
40 dmg (L4)

He shot sparks from his off hand and flames from his right foot as he shoved the haft of his spear into the sand and vaulted over the first Lizardman, who was looking very weak. His sparks hit true as his flames propelled him out of the limited maneuverability of the circle the Lizardmen had made around him.

10 dmg (L1)
10 dmg(L1)
L1 defeated! (+50 exp)

100 damage to defeat the first enemy, let's see if they all have 100 hp

John readied to jab his spear into the next enemy, his flaming foot spraying glass beads behind him before he deactivated the spell. He was rushed by the second, third, and fourth Lizardmen, their swords swinging in a deadly dance of blades. He managed to slide under the first two swings of the second Lizardman, but was hit by the first swing of the third Lizardman and the second swing of the fourth Lizardman.

-10 hp
-10 hp

John rolled in the sand to avoid three more hits to his health bar, slicing at his enemies’ feet before standing again.

glancing hit! 10 dmg (L2)
glancing hit! 15 dmg (L3)

He stood facing three Lizardmen, breathing heavily as he anticipated their next attack.

crit! -50 hp

John gasped as he felt warm metal slice through his skin and nearly skewer his vital organs. The bloody tip of a blade protruded from the side of his stomach where he had been stabbed. He charged forward instinctively, ignoring the burning pain in his side as he let loose a stream of sparks from his left hand.

surprise crit! 20 dmg (L4)
10 dmg (L4)
glancing hit! 5 dmg (L4)
10 dmg (L4)
10 dmg (L4)

He slapped the fourth Lizardman with the haft of his spear before turning and stabbing the third Lizardman.

glancing hit! 20 dmg (L4)
L4 defeated! +50 exp
40 dmg (L3)

He jumped backwards, away from the second Lizardman's flurry of blows, and pivoted to face the fifth Lizardman. John readied a bolt in one hand as he hefted his spear above his head. He leapt towards the Lizardman, flames roaring to life at his feet to propel him higher. He snarled as he shoved his spear into the chest of the fifth Lizardman, stabbing the creature straight through its body as it had done to him.

crit! 80 dmg (L5)

The momentum of his leap made John crash into the Lizardman's bleeding chest, the bolt in his hand slapping against scales and dispersing with a comical zap sound.

40 dmg (L5)
L5 defeated! + 50 exp

John and the Lizardman's corpse both dropped into the sand. John tugged his spear out of the body and turned to see the remaining two Lizardmen already charging at him. He twirled the spear into a defensive position, blood spraying in a glittering arc under the oppressive glare of the desert sun. The third Lizardman reached John first, striking with a spinning slash of both swords that sprayed sand around its feet. John ducked under the first swing but was hit by the second.

-10 hp

John slashed at the Lizardman's arm as it pulled back to keep pressing its attack, earning a pained hiss and a slight retreat.

glancing hit! 20 dmg (L3)
-10 hp
glancing hit! -5 hp

John felt another blade slash across his back and swallowed a howl of pain as he fell to his knees to dodge the next attack. On the ground he swung the haft of his spear at the legs of the third Lizardman, knocking it over, before turning and stabbing the second Lizardman in the gut.

glancing hit! 5 dmg (L3)
40 dmg (L2)
L2 defeated! +50 exp!

Why the fuck won't this one die!?

John turned to face the third Lizardman and immediately twirled into a cartwheel to dodge another flurry of blows. He cast bolt in his left hand and the familiar crackle of red electricity formed a sphere in his palm. The third Lizardman hissed as it missed yet again, but did not relent in its furious ****. It stabbed at John again and again, but he hovered just out of reach as he stabbed his enemy over and over.

Elora stood in a room dominated by a huge table with a grid carved into its surface. There were no chairs around the table. Two opposing walls were covered in floor to ceiling bookshelves filled with hefty tomes. A third wall boasted a floor to ceiling digital screen, streaming four different video feeds. The fourth wall was bare save for a door.

She watched the video feed with rapt attention, analyzing the movements of trained warriors and utter novices alike. The top left was an aerial view of a battlefield, though it was pixelated. Little red squares faced off a mass of little grey ones as two orange triangles and a blue circle struggled to even the odds. A burgundy circle stood behind a black dotted line to the left of the screen while five black squares stood in a circle to the right.

The top right was a first person view of grey Lizardmen being slain by a spear and lightning wielder. The camera made frequent inversions and twists and bobs as the warrior clumsily just managed to hold his own.

The bottom left was a first person view of grey Lizardmen being hunted and destroyed by a giant fearsome predator made of flames. The camera made frequent bobs and shakes as the hunter masterfully pounced and savagely executed.

The bottom right was a first person view of grey Lizardmen being whipped by a graceful woman whose whips were made of streams of glowing water. The camera swooped and twirled incessantly as the woman danced with her enemies.

The top left screen started to flash red, displaying an emergency message.

50% hp
43% hp
36% hp
32% hp

“This isn't good.”

The circle platoon stopped circling the red Lizardmen after losing half of their soldiers, realizing that they had only defeated three of their enemies and that their strategy was not working. They entered a tactical retreat to circle around with a greater momentum and smash through the weak and tired defensive line of sword and spear Lizardmen. Seeing the new battle formation beginning to develop, the red scaled squads formed a phalanx to meet the oncoming charge.

The X platoon's tetsudo smashed through the tiny phalanx made by the remaining three squads with ease, bashing their enemies with their shields and creating stunned targets for their archer allies. After defeating their immediate adversaries, the X platoon pivoted towards the center of the battle where a giant creature made of fire devastated their ranks.

The square and triangle platoons were locked in fierce battle with the ten squads they met on the battlefield. The archers proved themselves a large advantage behind defensive lines and against greater numbers, though it was not long before defenses wavered and allowed the tide of the battle to turn. The square platoon broke through and began to dispatch the archers as the triangle platoon used this distraction to push their offense. One by one the red scaled warriors fell, earning glorious deaths and defeating many enemies. Ten square platoon and two triangle platoon warriors remained to oppose the fiery beast and its companions.

Calista sung the song of the tides as she spun round and round like a whirlpool in the sand, her whip leaving salted gashes in the hides of her enemies. The enemies of her master. They were too slow, too clumsy to land any hits on her, but she was too weak to defeat them quickly. Her main talent was in healing, she was not a warrior.

Ignis swiped her paw and in its wake followed **** and destruction. Ignis bit into her enemies and with her fiery jaws she took the lives of those who dared oppose her master. Mage Lizardmen blasted blue energy at her but the flames that roared forth from her maw consumed it. Sand was no more, there was only glass. She was the mighty Flame, and none could stand before her.

John was struggling. He had done over seven hundred damage to the last Lizardman before finally defeating it and receiving a measly 50 experience points. He had 20 health points left and 50 mana points. Calista was still surrounded, though Ignis had just finished ending the life of her final enemy. His allied squads had been wiped out on one side, and the other side seemed to be making a final stand against a cavalry charge. The enemies that had been fighting them were now marching towards Ignis and John. The squads that had charged next to John had survived mostly intact, though three spear wielding Lizardmen had fallen.

It was as the grey scaled Lizardmen began to taste victory that Slytha finished casting her spell.

The sky darkened, throwing the battlefield into an early twilight.