Chronicles of the Exalted Sun Child

Book 13-21.1: Together

Roland Turner vi Ishodir was nervous being inside a foreign nation, even if it was one his forces were invading. He was only at the Magus level, after all, and any Bresian elite could take him easily if he were not constantly protected. For that matter, many opponents back home wouldn’t miss any vulnerabilities should he show any. Although grandfather was the pillar of the nation, Roland’s position wasn’t as steady. He was the emperor, but if he died or was captured, he could be easily replaced. He already knew where the backup clone was hidden, and since he wasn’t an Archmagus, that clone would be a different person with the same memories. A different Anima too, of course, but it would have the same bloodline, the same affinities, and practically the same skill.

He didn’t really want to know how many had come before him, though hopefully, the answer would be zero.

Well, he wouldn’t normally think of such things, but recent events and Gramps’s mental instability had pushed some things to light. He hadn’t even known about the clone until Gramps told him when he complained about the danger of going to the frontlines. Well, one of the frontlines. He was the emperor, after all, not a general.

Also, he wasn’t a fool. Clones only served as a second life if he had a Domain, or was half a step into getting one. He was far from that. He barely even formed his personal Truth! It might take a century or more to progress that far, and by then… gramps would either be dead or Ascended.

Either way, trouble would come. The Archmagus was the foundation of the Empire, and without him, just the Guardian alone would not be able to serve as a deterrent. Bresia had four Grand Magi, Xotha had Seven, though supposedly they were weak for their level. The hives up north were a mystery, and his intelligence service had not been able to infiltrate and give them the correct numbers. They really shouldn’t be focusing on Bresia since the republic was pretty pacifistic.

Goddess’ saggy melons! Those hives came out at the most inappropriate time!he volume of fire was large enough that some of them penetrated a little bit. Deep enough blows could hit the runescript circuitry that encompassed the internal workings of the Golem and damage it.

There were six barrels clumped together on the Steeld faces, and they fired consecutively rather than all at once. The Steelds were fifty abreast, and behind them were the regular cavalry. The Earth golems shot fist-sized stones at them, but most either bounced off the barriers or the metal armour of the vanguard. Well, the mammoth Steelds weren’t in a straight line, now that he had a better look. They were in a slight wedge. The Earth Golems focused on that one, but its armour and barrier lasted long enough to make contact.

Kaboom!

The mammoth Steeld slammed into the centre Golem and pushed it back. The Steeld was of the same size, but it probably outweighed the Golem eightfold. It managed to push the Golem back by several paces, then, the face guns retracted and an actual cannon popped out. It was a short and stubby one…

Boom!

The shell slammed into the Golem’s front, probably where the core was, and knocked it back. Roland looked at the damage and sighed. The cannon shell fired point-blank and cratered the Golem’s torso, but he saw that the Rider used their emergency barriers to ameliorate the blow. Plus, Roland was sure cannons delivered a stronger hit if they allowed the shell to travel a bit of distance. As it was, the stubby cannon had shattered from the backlash, and the Steeld’s head was also damaged a bit.

The other Steeld riders weren’t as foolish as the first and swapped out their bunched-up rifles for the cannon to fire them from a safer distance.

Or perhaps the point-blank attack was more effective since the Golems were forewarned? Either way, the barriers and Earthen shields defended against the assault handily, and the battle devolved into a furious melee.

Roland shook his head and looked at the other aspects of the battlefield. The Bresians had not stopped deploying, but he was sure it was due to desperation. The dome barrier was starting to waver.