Aaron faced three Phaerimm elders alone. His Chaos magic, with its corrosive energy, made them wary enough to hold off on Magic Drain and counter his spells head-on instead. But the rest of the Salian Shogunate army was in trouble.
"Fall back! Fall back!!!"
Shrill cries rang out one after another throughout the Shogunate army. Having just stormed into Teshwave, the soldiers discovered that they had encountered an enemy they could not fight!
Phaerimm!
The creatures, which looked like the shabby cloth sacks mothers used to carry vegetables, began a massacre the instant they appeared. Their four arms sliced through the toughest armor with ease. They drained away the magical protection Aaron had bestowed, returning dozens upon hundreds of arcane rays.
The successive explosions and deaths did not frighten the Shogunate soldiers at first. The warriors of the Shepherd Legion charged bravely ahead, trying to drive their halberds into the monsters. Yet every soldier who approached a Phaerimm faced the legendary abomination's charms and mind control. These did not always succeed, but controlling even half the soldiers was enough. The traitors would take care of the rest.
Musket volleys were blocked by Walls of Force, melee attacks failed, and magic was devoured. Instead, they faced their former comrades and the monsters' destructive magical beams. After suffering considerable casualties, the soldiers finally received Aaron's order to retreat.
Damn it! Damn it!
Maximian, commander of the central army, roared again and again. He knelt beside his favorite elven warhorse. Aaron's cousin held his beloved mount, Grassrunner, tight and pressed desperately against its wound, but blood still seeped between his fingers.
Just moments ago, Maximian had personally led the Forge Knights into Teshwave. Victory had seemed within reach, only for him to run straight into a Phaerimm. The creature immediately took control of