The Creeping Death wasted no time in sending out an opening shot. He cast a few balls of water at the enemy army, they flew comparatively slowly, up and out, each about six feet in diameter. That wasn't small by any means, but it wasn't enough to drown an enemy armor. He expected more from an [Archmage's] opening salvo, and he was a bit surprised that an [Archmage of the Creeping Death] would use water magic.Brin wasn't naive enough to assume that the balls of water was all there was to it. He had to be missing something. The Arcaenean army apparently agreed, because they scattered to avoid the balls of water where they landed as if they were made of burning plasma.The water splashed down, and at first Brin couldn't help but think it really had been ordinary water. But then, something came out of it, like a faint shadow covering the land. The undead near any down water balls paid it no heed, but the one that had landed among a human army produced a violent reaction. The Arcaenean soldiers panicked, fighting each other with shoves and fists to get away from the spreading... something.Brin frowned and flew his Invisible Eye closer until he saw it."I can't believe it. And he's on our side?""What's wrong?" asked Cid.Everything was wrong. Writhing little legs, buzzing wings, scurrying, flying, biting monstrosities. The pools of splashed water were producing an endless supply of insects."The [Archmage of the Creeping Death] is a bug mage!" Brin said."That's correct," said Cid, as if he didn't really understand why Brin would be so outraged.He had to admit that after all the disgusting things he'd seen today, bugs weren't really at the top of the list. But it was just one more thing heaped on top of the stinking pile. For as gross as it was to have bugs as allies, the enemy had it worse. It was quickly apparent that several were deadly venomous and the Arcaenean soldiers nearest to the splashdowns were (...)