The Three Dark Angels

During the Magi invasion of Xerxes, the Magi only sent six of the eleven Class One across the desert. Only the Grand Dragoon and the four Masters of the Magi remained behind in Magi lands while the six aides lead the campaign against Xerxes.

And Johnson bitterly remembered the two Class One that were his main arch enemies as he first led his troops into the worst defeat of his career.

Master Yusep, and Mastery Ulysses.

For the first three years, these two haunted Johnson and his efforts, and even though Johnson had scored victories against them, they made sure those victories came at high prices. It was only part way into the third year that Johnson finally got one of them, Master Yusep, and it would take another two years before Master Ulysses finally fell in battle. And during that time, hundreds of thousands died at their hands.

And now he was up against three more.

Around fifteen minutes later, as Johnson was scanning through the videos taken by the Bat on one of three flat screens displayed before him, the call from SCAS came.

"I just finished watching the videos. Who are those three?" General Hagee, also know as Supreme Commander Allied Forces South, SCAS for short, asked General Johnson.

"That is perhaps the greatest problem I have. I have no idea who these three are. I had even thought of the possibility of them being one of the current Class One Magi in disguise, but that doesn't hold up. I have three unidentified Class One Magi here in the north."

General Hagee's deep sigh followed. "So I see. And here we were under the impression that there were only five left. Now three more just pop out of nowhere?"

"The attacks by the Class One threw off all of my time tables by at least twenty four to thirty six hours or more. I've had to shift my entire landing site to Oceana for obvious reasons. However, the most important question I have on my mind is have you encountered any unidentified Class One?"

General Hagee shook his head. "No. No Class One has jumped on our smoke screens and decoys, and the main landing forces on the wings have only been harassed to this point. They're probably waiting for us to strike first before they decide how to respond. But now I have the same concern you do. If another three more show up..."

"We already are up against more Class One Magi now than we were ten years ago when the war first started, in which there were six total. And that didn't include both the Grand Dragoon nor the Masters of the Magi. With these three included, that would make the count here on this side of the Pangea a total of eight Class One Magi. Even if you take the crippled Rubadron away, that still makes it seven total."

General Hagee cursed under his breath, though Johnson didn't know for certain what word was spoken, Johnson had a good idea of what it was.

"Six of those bastards ruined over half of my homeland, and now here we are against eight, excuse me, seven, and here they have the World Gates and shields to boot...well, we have already crossed the desert, so there is no turning back. I will inform you if there are any other unidentified Class One Magi, though that will be difficult considering we are already expecting most of them to come to us once the real attack of the Nekropolis fields gets under way around two hours from now. Thank you for the heads up, and good luck to both of us. I must go."

"Good hunting." General Johnson answered as General Hagee disconnected.

Eight Class One Magi. Johnson whispered a quiet prayer to the Supreme One that that number does not rise any higher.

Date: Maius 28, Year 2032 of the Second Age
Time: 9:13 AM Local Time
Location: 63 miles east of Nekropolis
Operation Landfall: T-plus 6 hours 13 minutes


The Fields of Life


A prayer to the fields of Nekropolis, the lands that give life.
By Vahn Duress


O great and mighty Dragons,
you have blessed us the greatest gift possible, the gift of life.
And it is here in this sacred land that we pay the greatest homage to the dead.
Death is not the end, but the beginning.
We accept death as a part of the great Cycle of Life.
As the soul rises from the flesh to follow the Dragons,
the flesh must return to the soil from whence it came,
the last and greatest gift the dead can give to the living.
We embrace their journey,
and pray that the flesh left behind is reborn into new form that can provide life.
It is our honor to care for the land where the flesh of the dead remain,
And we give thanks to their gifts.
Mighty Dragons and Great Ancestors,
we pray that your gifts are fruitful,
and that you continue to guide us in our journey of life.



Johannas Rockster could recite that prayer in her sleep. For her entire life, the great fields of Nekropolis have been her home. The prayer for the fields, the morning prayer, the afternoon prayer, the evening prayer. The endless hours of work and care that she had poured into the fields of Nekropolis, feeling as though she was forever a part of the land.

Johannas herself has spent countless hours witnessing the small miracles of life and nature. The sun as it rose first thing in the morning, the warm rays of the sun bringing a new beginning with them, a welcome relief from the cold night. (Except in the summer, and the burning heat that accompanied the sun.)

Johannas had also watched the sun fall many times in her life, the lasting rays of light that would fade away as day magically turned into night, and the stars that replace the blue sky as the darkness settled in and the solitude the night brought with it.

These fields were her home, and even when she wandered out into the fields alone the countless times that she did, either to think, to cry, to celebrate, or to just simply relax, Johannas Rockster had never felt truly alone when in the fields. In fact, she saw these fields more as her home than any other place in Magicka.

The thousands of square miles which stretched all around Nekropolis, it was by far the most fertile and fruitful soil in all of Magicka, and by far the primary food source for all who lived on the western half of the pangea. (According to Tech reports, the fields of Nekropolis account for approximately seventy five to eighty percent of Magi food production, and is why it is the primary target of Allied Forces South.)

Yet now, instead of comfort, these fields now give her a feeling of terror. These fields, her home, her life up until now, they were the target of the enemy. Those monsters across the desert intended to turn the vast fields of life into a wasteland of death and destruction.

When she had first come down here, before everything began unfolding at around three this morning, Johannas had held a feeling of pride that she would help protect these fields from the weak-bloods.

That's all they are really, in Johannas Rockster's eyes. Weak-bloods. Weak-blooded cowards who would rather target these beautiful fields then try to fight the Magi head on. (Ironically, most of the Tech world thinks the same thing of the Magi, who could only fight a war by using hit and run strikes.) Johannas had prepared herself well for when they would come. She had prepared herself to defend these vast fields with her life.

Or so she thought.

So far, nothing has panned out the way she thought it would have. Awakening to the sound of explosions, the first feeling she felt was one of pure terror, and prematurely began her final prayer as she realized that the explosions weren't near her, but were very close by.

The town of Sanguine.

She ran outside the shack she had been placed in, her roommate Helaena already outside staring in the direction of the town. Once Johannas stepped outside, she had thought that the entire world around her was burning.

The sky was glowing with a dark orange hue, creepily mixing in the pure black sky, any and all stars now blotted out completely, and with waves of gray smoke pouring into the black.

The burning fires that were consuming Sanguine were unmistakable. No trees, fields, or even the smoke could hide the raging flames, flames that felt as though they had emerged from the deepest pits of the Abyss itself.

And all Johannas could do was stare at the fire and smoke, aghast at the power and terror that the Tech weapons had brought.

FUCK!!

Johannas' eyes turned away from the flames as she put her head on a swivel, half expecting the enemy to have completely surrounded her and ready to kill her in moments, ending her story right here.

But that wasn't the case. In fact, the enemy was nowhere to be seen, and Johannas realized that what she had been witnessing is merely a small demonstration of the power of the weak-bloods.

Weak-blood my ass, Johannas scoffed to herself.