Chương 479: BECMI Chapter 478 – The Week of No Magic

This is Lady Edge speaking to the Marked across the world." Heads turned at the very unexpected voice resounding confidently through their heads. The Markspace, and the Buffs the Marks provided, had faded suddenly, exactly as happened on the Day of No Magic that signaled the end of the year and its darkest day." The Immortal Thaum has triggered the Core of All Magic and attacked Delpha with a monstrous magic-devouring attack, precipitating a worldwide assault on the manafield exactly like a Day of No Magic."

You are immediately directed to prepare to defend yourselves physically. If possible, you are to remove yourself from situations where hostile agents may attempt to attack you while you are weak. This is especially true for all Elves, as you are now feeling the crippling weakness of a low magic environment and will be seen as opportunistic prey by many." You have full permission to use technological items during this time to defend yourselves.

Note that magical Arms and Armor will still function at this time, but spellcasting will be impossible. You are to use technology to substitute for the lack of magic if it is needed." Yes, now is the time to use those hold-out grenades, those compact blasters, and those prismatic swords. Your lives are more important than secrecy, so if you have to use them and make them think you still have magic, use them!"

Remember that basic alchemical devices will also still work, so do not feel reluctant to expend them as well!" If you can remove yourself from a hostile area, do so with all speed. We do not know how long this No Magic will last." I cannot hear any of you. I can broadcast to you all using the power of my Staff, but that is it. I will keep all of you notified of what we learn of importance."

If you are in the Inner Domain of a Pyramid, or within ten miles of one, the issue of weakness from lack of magic should be minimized. I regret that not everyone can withdraw to such places, but we have borders that must be protected." All elves in dangerous areas should immediately withdraw to defensive positions. Lean on our dwarven allies, this is their moment to shine. This is especially true in the Bleaklands, where the nifloids may realize our weakness and mobilize their own attacks."

Expect that radicals who hate magic may act against you if you are a spellcaster. I trust you have been improving your Weapon Mastery for this reason!" There will be a great deal of chaos, especially if you are in an area that uses Charmed, leashed, or magically-controlled creatures, who are now free of will and likely quite irate. You are about to learn why smart wizards have strong warriors as allies!"

I have extremely limited knowledge of what is happening, and the speed and ease with which I can move around is quite hampered. Do not expect that I can come to your rescue if something happens!" All Eismark military forces should be at the ready and prepared to move out if there is need! Potential horde attacks on our borders are not merely likely, they are nearly a certainty!" Forsaken, you are now the main defense against raiding magically flying creatures. Show them you are dangerous."

Good luck and godspeed all. I will relate more news as I learn more."

I raised my head to look up at the Illusion that covered my personal base of Innspot in the Bleaklands, one long reinforced with Immortal Power from Dread. I couldn't spellcast at all without Immortal Power accompanying the attempt, attuning it to higher levels of the Sublime Chord and allowing it to overcome the No Magic limitation, a trick I'd used to get through the last few Days of No Magic without much interruption in my schedule.

More pointedly, the Time Portal was shut during the Days, and so it was also closed now. Duum and Cirru were both with me, both of them feeling drained and nauseous at the lack of magic in the air, akin to sucking on empty, dry air bereft of life and feeling. They couldn't alter form, either, although they still retained enough personal magic to fly, a point which was important at this time.

Although they felt like crap, a lot of magical monsters, dragons included, knew that civilized nations lost their spellcasters at this time, and for the latter, their breath weapon and wings worked just fine, even if they couldn't Cast spells themselves. It was a good time to go raiding, not having to worry about wizards picking them off with magic! Now they just had to worry about being picked off by slugthrowers, laser beams, and plasma bursts, at least by our forces. This story has been stolen from Royal Road.

If you read it on Amazon, please report it The penalty for Mana Weakness was -4 to Strength, cutting raw muscle power nearly in half. Combined with losing Mark Buffs, it totally and completely changed the nature of a fight for elves, who not only lost their spellcasting, but were enfeebled at the same time! I was physically strong enough that it didn't matter to me, Inherents from Wishcrafting basically canceling out the penalty and leaving me slightly stronger than a mortal elfin.

My Girdle of Giant Power that looked like a stylish black and red silk sash still worked, too. Innspot was still concealed, nothing had spotted it after I reinforced the Permanent Illusion with Immortal Power, something I did every No Magic Day. It would be fine for the future.

About me were several Sims with their Alter Selves also sustained by Immortal Power, a dozen or so adventurers and Vanguards caught between deployments, the small clan of dwarves who dwelled in the cavern and basically maintained Cirru's cave here, too, and the logistics staff who ran the Mirror that was now also off-line, meaning everyone was stranded here.

"Your orders, Lady Edge?" Captain Marrkur asked, saluting me precisely. The dwarf both lived here and was on the logistics team, enjoying the job of dispatching skilled warriors to fight threats all over the world, even joining in on Dispatch Teams if it was warranted.

"No Magic doesn't affect the inside of the Inn. We will have no supply problems regardless of how long we wait," I reminded all of them, visibly relaxing a few of them.

"That being said, it is nigh useless for me to remain here. Disk usage is absolutely minimal because they won't lock and follow, and stick only inches above the ground. If we're going anywhere, it's by machine, beast, or by foot.

"Cirru, is that strafing rig of yours ready to go?" I asked her calmly.

"Master Confers was doing the last fittings!" she replied promptly, looking to the dwarven smith making the harness.

"First priority!" I stated, pointing at Confers, and without another word he slapped those around him and headed off to the forge, dropping any other duty. Cirru paced along after them.

"Rangers and Warders, you probably remember your Masspacks will not shrink anything right now, and anything you take out can't be put back in. Do you have technological backup?" I asked them directly. Lieutenant Wallen and Ranger Karista looked around, the latter looking somewhat under the weather.

"Sidearms and some alchemicals, nothing important," the brown-haired and hazel-eyed officer from Federyn stated quickly. Karista glanced at her Daisho partner and the other Daisho team there.

"We can add prismatic swords to that, they've come in handy in tight quarters," she told us quickly, shaking off her lethargy grimly.

"Captain Marrkur, escort them to the armory to be kitted out. You will be trading cold missile weapons for rifles and firearms, and all issued at least two grenades. Send someone to get the two Mules in storage fired up to haul supplies. Spread between kinetics and energy weapons, put magical missile Weapons and any ammo on the Mules to save weight.

"My goal is to head overland to Moorveig Fortress, assess the situation there, and potentially move out to the border of Erendyl, which I suspect is going to be receiving a horde attack shortly."

"We have a gyro we can raise out of storage, Lady Edge!" the Captain informed me quickly.

"You will keep that for personal defense of Innspot if required, get it ready to deploy. Get on coms and make sure we still have radio contact where needed. I suspect the gunwings are going to be very busy for a time, and it is a long way to fly to relieve us if needed."

"Myself, Mistress?" Duum asked politely. He looked a little peaked, but ready to do his part.

"I want us underway to the fort shortly, and I don't want you seen flying around in the day. We can't make you Invisible for any more than an hour with a Potion, so you will wait until the sun is down and darkness falls to join me, then fly on ahead. It will also give the guard team another defender until the gyro is fully equipped and ready to go.

"I will hit the supplies and get the rations ready. Let's move!"

Not everyone had Rings of Sustenance, but it was the single most common magical item among the martial set of the Eismark. People only avoided it until they realized they could still eat potentially huge amounts of their favorite foods, they just didn't HAVE to. That being said, it was good to have backup supplies, and, well, elven rations and trailbread were by far the best!

"Lady Edge, got Grandmaster Sama for you," the smooth voice of Sergeant Nasha came out of my rather large earring, which wasn't a gold-laced ruby-studded accouterment to my ear at all, actually.

"I'm good, put her through. Hey, Sama. How flat did it all catch you?" I asked her as prepared rolls were stuffed with nuts and dried meat and alchemical goodies, before being rolled into the thin strips of the trail bread.

"I'm in the bloody Eisholds. Teuthonics were making a major push and I came in to help shut down their air support. Now their air support is all grounded, and we're organizing a push to flame the lot of them. With no Casting they are meat on the hook," her voice replied to me, relayed across the miles. The Teuthonic Order had a LOT of clerics of Tenya, even after everything she had done.

Actually, with Thanatos exposed and his twisting of doctrine with him, the Order was actually starting to reform, and the views of the supremacist-minded Angru with it. Still battle-hungry idiots, however, and spoiling to get back at the Eisholds for kicking them out.

"How about our Air Fleet?" I had to ask.

"Briggs is fielding most of those. We're lucky the gunwings and gyros can fly without any magical support, and the anti-grav and Boulder Lift combined were enough to get all the carriers down safely, although not necessarily in safe areas." She paused tellingly.

"Of course, the rail guns and missile launchers work just fine, as do the laser rifles." Meaning someone had taken a run or two at the downed ships and likely paid for it with their lives. Too bad, so sad.

"I'm going to head overland with the dispatch forces for Moorveig, while the rest hold Innspot. I've got potential Teleportation if needed, but naturally I have limited information on which to act. We've got enough Bouncers high enough we should have no problems with radio contact, particularly if Cirru gets up there on overwatch." The relay devices were up at 50, 000 feet, using anti-grav backed up by levitation. Normally they'd be Invisible, but they'd be deploying stealth fields now instead.

Not quite as effective up close, but the number of things that were likely to encounter them ten miles above the ground was pretty small…

"You got that list of Emertaltan Rangers?" Sama asked me leadingly.

"Yes. Want me to contact and warn them?"

"Please. They are allies, and the Angru loathe them."

"As soon as we're done, then…"