The Machine God

Chapter 295

Warface

Alexander cleared the mountain peak and the sky opened up around him.

Both warships fired simultaneously.

He juked hard to the right. Twin beams of light sliced through the air where he’d been, close enough that the heat washed across his left side.

Metallokinesis kept the metal plates behind him, angled to catch the streams of magical fire coming from the pursuing wizards.

The plates were holding. Barely. Whatever these wizards were casting at them wasn’t the crude, scattershot elemental blasts he was now used to dodging. These attacks were precise and targeted specifically to eliminate his defenses, presumably to wear him down rather than going for the immediate win. Two of the plates were already dripping, their surfaces dissolving where the corrosive green energy touched. Others glowed white-hot from repeated fire bolts, already beginning to warp out of shape.

Alexander rolled under another volley from the warships.

The ships had held fire until their own people were clear. That was new. The last time he’d been chased through these mountains, the warships had fired through their own squads without hesitation for a chance at hitting him. These wizards were worth protecting. The Empire fought differently when its real soldiers were on the field.

If he’d been fighting what the Empire considered lowborn, that would make the wizards chasing him highborn. Some sort of noble caste. Maybe recalled from other gateways and defensive positions just for him.

Or because the Empire’s Grand Exodus was soon to begin.

The fortress appeared below. The mountainside fell away sharply, and there it was, sprawling across the rocky outcrop and the terrain beyond. The view from the surveillance drones hadn’t done it justice. They’d slapped concrete over everything, but unless the metal was gone completely, it wouldn’t matter. Still, it was almost an intimidating sight. Walls and towers and entrenched positions everywhere.

And outside, an army that had previously been hidden. Illusion magic.

Alexander’s eyes swept the slope. Five thousand at least, arranged in formations that stretched from the base of the fortress across the slope in every direction.

They’d been facing outward from the fortress. Anticipating his arrival.

Except now they were scrambling, as formations dissolved along with the illusions hiding them as entire units attempted to reorient. Officers screamed orders, clearly panicked, because whatever was happening inside the fortress was bad enough to demand the attention of the entire army.

More important even than stopping him.

Alexander laughed.

His friends hadn’t just arrived. They’d hit the fortress hard enough to make five thousand soldiers panic.

He zigzagged through the air, closing in on one of the warships, trying to draw them into firing on the wizards below.

Another notice pinged against his awareness. Talia. An invitation to the raid chat.

Alexander braced himself. Accepted the invite.

A cacophony of voices exploded across his mind.

“Rooke.”

“Oh my god, he’s actually alive.”

“You owe me fifty credits. Pay up.”

“Boss! We thought you were—”

“Wizard Heisting Service my ass! I’m going to kill him before the wizards do!”

“Glad to see you’re okay, old friend.”

“Can someone tell Annie to stop shouting? I can’t hear—”

“Is he fighting right now? He sounds like he’s fighting.”

“You absolute asshole, do you know how worried—”

“One month! One entire month, Alex.”

“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Mr. Rooke.”

“Comms discipline, everyone.”

“I told you he’d be fine. Nobody believed me.”

“Felix’s tail is wagging.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Status report when you can, Alexander.”

“I can’t believe he didn’t invite us on the wizard vacation.”

“He was just trying to avoid the paperwork from returning Dubai to Earth!”

“Enough!” Augustus said, cutting through the noise. “Clear the comms.” He waited a moment until the chatter died down. “Alex, can you reach the gateway?”

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“Not unchallenged. There are seven warships in the air, and you’re surrounded by an army roughly five thousand strong, led by at least one Divine. Maybe more. Everyone here has magic. And there’s a palace the size of a space station a few kilometers above the fortress. I think the Empress is aboard. She’s probably Tier 3.”

“Understood. We continue with the plan. Ground team secures the fortress. Flight team, you know what to do.”

Several voices responded, confirming the orders.

“Auggy,” Alexander said. “I need you to retrieve my suit and drones. They’re beneath the courtyard, in some underground chamber where the fortress’s enchantments are.”

“I’m on it. Just get here safely.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Alexander put on a burst of speed, flying up the side of the warship he’d targeted. The second warship’s turrets continued tracking him, but stopped firing.

The pursuing wizards were fast, faster than any he’d encountered, but his Metallokinesis-driven flight still outstripped theirs considerably. They’d taken Lirum’s enhanced flight and improved on it. Given that every one of them had it, he assumed it was going to be the baseline for these so-called elite.

He really needed to get his hands on one of their staves and spellbooks.

But that was a problem for later, when thousands of wizards weren’t bearing down on his friends.

Metallokinesis pulsed, and Alexander turned sharply, racing across the top of the warship. A second later, he touched down, boots scraping across the metal surface as he slid to a stop.

He could feel the combined Wills of over a hundred people pouring magic into the ship’s defenses, including a handful of weak Tier 2s.

Together, they were strong enough to challenge even his Domain. But that was all it was. A challenge. Pushback, causing a slight reduction in range. Already, everything metal beneath his feet was under his absolute control.

That was enough to let the rest of his power reach across the ship. They hadn’t yet learned to shield what was inside.

And that was a fatal mistake.

Alexander stomped.

Electrokinesis erupted from the point of contact, sparks dancing in the air, as current guided by his senses targeted everyone who opposed his control. Lightning erupted from corridor walls, floors, and ceilings. Bioelectrical signatures below his feet spiked with fear and panic as bodies convulsed, then dropped to the decks.

The magical defenses failed as the Wills powering them broke.

Metallokinesis flooded the hull in the same breath, warping the metal in a ripple as it flowed outward. The warship shuddered and began to turn, its nose swinging in a wide arc back toward the fortress and the army below.

Alexander reached out toward the second warship. It was several hundred meters away, well beyond his Domain’s range. His power touched the hull and pressed.

The magical defenses pushed back hard. The Wills of the crew aboard reinforced every ward and enchantment layered into the ship’s structure. They’d reacted fast, after seeing what he’d just done.

He pushed harder, and the defenses flexed, but they held.

The first of the pursuing wizards rose into view on the other side of the ship he was riding, followed by the next, and the next. They began firing immediately, spells streaking toward him.

Something hit him in the right side.

Alexander grunted, then shifted the defensive plates, arranging them so they overlapped and shielded against the oncoming fire.

He’d seen it this time. A flick of a wand, followed by a sudden strike to the ribs. Telekinesis, perhaps.

The metal plates defending him continued to break down under the onslaught as more wizards reached the ship then fanned out. They were burning through his supply.

Alexander glanced at Droney, hovering beside him. The little drone’s visor was aimed at the distant warship, as though it already knew.

“I need your help, buddy.” He scooped the drone up with his cybernetic hand. “Sorry to do this.”

He poured power into Droney. Animachina flooded through the bond, empowering the little drone with the Will of the Machine God. Metallokinesis physically reinforced its shell, locking its structure in place.

Droney beeped. Excited. Its visor shifted from blue to red.

Alexander laughed. He hadn’t known it could do that. “Exactly. Warface time.”

He cocked his arm back and threw.

Metallokinesis propelled the drone, a targeted burst of acceleration that multiplied the force of the throw tenfold. Droney tore through the air. A sonic boom cracked across the sky as the drone broke the sound barrier, crossing the distance to the second warship in a fraction of a second.

The impact punched Droney inches deep into the warship’s hull. Metal screamed and buckled around the embedded drone.

Alexander felt anticipation surge across the bond. Droney was in position. Lodged inside the ship’s outer plating.

“Soul Circuit.”

Lightning erupted from Droney’s chassis, channeled across the soul bond with no regard for range limitations. The current raced through the warship’s structure, and the crew never saw it coming.

Alexander felt their defenses waver. Then fracture. Metallokinesis slipped through and seized the second warship. Both belonged to him now, though he could feel the frantic attempts of the wizards within the ships trying to fight back against his control.

It was futile, though. His Will had been honed over a year of life-and-death encounters. Sharpened against enemies stronger and more experienced. Most of the wizards he’d faced since coming here had clearly never fought with their lives on the line.

Both warships accelerated hard.

A flicker of Metallokinesis pulled Droney free, and the drone raced back toward him, visor still burning red.

Alexander looked down the mountain at the formations scrambling across the slope. They were rapidly resolving from ants into detailed figures. Thousands of them. Most of them were probably conscripts. Or lowborn members of the Empire, who’d been handed a wand and told to stand in a line. They had families. Children who’d grow up without parents if he committed to this moment.

He knew what he was about to do. There was a cost.

One he was willing to pay.

He chose his people over these people. No matter the numbers.

But deep down, he knew part of him reveled at the fight. Even as the wizards atop the ship with him were trying to kill him, and those inside were trying to survive him, the strongest emotions he felt weren’t guilt or remorse at what was to come. They were there. Carefully controlled, and genuine, but they paled in comparison to the excitement of fighting for his life. The adrenaline pumping through his veins, right alongside the supernatural power enhancing his vision and his hearing and his sense of smell.

Ambition.

Somewhere on this battlefield, at least one other would understand. Artensah. He’d understand because he’d made the same choice at Harborhill. A city for a statement. Two Divines making decisions to kill thousands.

This was the beginning of the war between worlds, and it had begun with a city leveled on the Black Sea coast.

Only the two of them would ever truly know that.

Across from him, the wizards continued raining fire on his position. Another telekinetic strike slipped through a gap, connecting with his shoulder. Metallokinesis anchored him to the ship, and there he would remain until it was time to let go. But the wizards were struggling to maintain their footing as the warship angled downward sharply, forcing them to cling to the surface.

Several of them launched off, returning to flight. They tried to maneuver around his metal defenses, but it was too late.

Alexander clenched both fists.

And shoved.

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