"Sir a mage was spotted in the battlefield in the North border."
One of his sergeants rushed into his tent as Eric, also known as the Wetherland Duke of the North, he sat on a small makeshift stool with his head down.
Eric had just sat down. Barely arrived to take a break as he just pushed back his West flank. He had a healer slowly closing one of his arms wounds he looked up.
Eric looked at the solider if not being able to understand none of the words that came out of his mouth.
"A mage?"
He asked in an incredulous tone looking at one of his soldiers standing rim rod stiff and he tried as best to not look at his superior face slowly turn from confusion to something even worst.
When the magic tower sent him a letter asking for cooperation in joining the campaign, he assumed it was joke. But sure enough it was a genuine seal of the tower. A much as he wanted to discredit it, he made his subordinate send a reply curtly accepting the offer in what he assumes would be wasted efforts in even reply. His experience with the magic tower being limited but enough to know they did whatever they please.
At last, throughout the last couple of days he waited but they never replied.
But now that they did, it him wholeheartedly regret it. One mage...one measly mage! Ridiculous!
Jerking his head up in anger and he gritting his teeth. Eric swung on to his mount. Bastards! He seethed, turning his horse, he hurried in the direction of the battlefield.
A mage. One measly mage!
No, what showed up was a problem! They sent him a problem he was going to have to fix after.
The magic tower had kept their word but what slowly started as disbelieving became pure anger. Those bastards.
His solider already aware of his dark mood had already concluded his thought as well. The magic tower wasn't prone to help so hopefully they got their in time to reduce the damage.
Mages usually were an oddity to outsiders that didn't understand them. While some humans held extraordinary power like "aura" or "magic". Mages were classified in a league of their own, being able to possess both attributes.
They were closer to demigods with amount of power they held or in reality could hold after the first mage was ever discovered.
Marlin Merzhin.
He later became the founding father of the Magic Tower and the beginning of Empire's history.
So far Eric himself has learnt how mages thrown the world into chaos with just their existence. The power of both attributes manifest early on in childhood.
His seen how other nation have used children mages as soldier and seen how later on they could raised to become corrupted individuals.
That's why the Magic Tower stands. To protect the Empire.
Eric also believed there was another reason why they made the tower. It was to balance the power they held. The tower has always been separated from government, military and temple. Either way, everyone preferred it that way. Keeping their hands in their own pockets.
"Make sure to spread out and cover those wounded."
Horus his lieutenant yelled as his squad trailed behind them as they raced to cliffs edge.
New mages were prone to panic and could end up hurting those surrounding them. They were dangerous plain a simple.
But to let one loose on his man!! Erics anger rose as he pulled the reign on his horse. The animal lifted in front hoofs and tossed its head with the pressured restrained halting his movements
Eric brows furrowed as his eyes searched the chaos below. He just froze for several moment til someone spoke.
"Sir?"
Behind him Issacs voice asked in question to why his superior wasn't moving beyond this point. Eric presumed it was because Issac himself hasn't seen the picture below. While he, himself were just as much dumbfounded.
"This isn't possible."
"Sir how would you like to proceed?" Horus also in shock asked.
Quickly putting his thoughts into place, he watched as the rain above extinguish the fire below. His eye scrunching in disbelieve.
"Move the barriers further out and tend to the injured."
Jerking the bridle his eyes already honing on his target.
The lone mage that stood like a statue with monster carcass surrounding him.
Eric sat across from his "guests" quietly watching them as they also probably were gauging him and his men. He had at-least twenty men on hight alert outside and his most trusted inside. His been waiting for reinforcement from the Coves out east from where they were now for quite sometime.
He would have never imagined the help he receive to have come from the most unexpected place.
The Magic Tower.
Something was defiantly wrong.
In front of him was no other than the Master of the Tower Leonard Illion Reeve himself. While two other individuals stood behind him, which he assumed were his subordinate. He couldn't make out who they were as they wore cloaks to hid their faces.
"What do I owe the pleasure of your services?"
Eric asked his voice cold as his body already tense and ready to move if given the provocation. He watch the long silver hair man in front of him face devoid of emotion. Mages were like that. Expressionless.
Eric didn't mind it though, mages were ruled by emotion. The more they expressed the worst it could be for everyone surrounding them.
"Were here because your wife is going to die."
The master said as if discussing the weather.
On high alert now, Eric stood toppling backwards the chair he was just seated in.
What kind of joke was this!!?
Behind him his soldiers muttered curses and had their swords pointed at the mages. No one knew about his wife's illness beside the people behind him and a few trusted individuals. That was confidential information.
How the hell was that leaked?
Erics main reason to be fighting on the front lines was to save his wife.
"How the hell?"
Between clutch teeth. He wanted to attack them but he knew the causalities between the mages and his men were one sided. Especially the one to the left of the Master. What he saw on the battlefield wasn't normal. What his men couldn't do the small figure did it with out hesitation, and from what he saw he wasn't even tired out.
"We don't want any problems, we want to help you and your wife."
Eric scoffed at the idea. When the hell did they want to help anybody but them self? The mages and tower stood alone not interfering in war or politics of the Empire. Why now, also why him?