Chapter 16: Second assault on Feoh: Part 2

The battle had been going on for more than twelve hours. About three-fourths of the city was overrun by the enemy and slowly turning to rubble. Here and there columns of smoke billowed into the sky, and in some places there were fires. For many kilometers around, the clang of weapons and a multi-voiced chorus of cries for help, foul voice, groans and howls of the wounded and dying could be heard. In the light of the twilight that had already set in, the picture that an outside observer might have seen looked eerie and apocalyptic. Hordes of ruthless cutthroats attacked the defenders on all fronts, and only the gods know what it took to keep the latter from fleeing or surrendering to the victors.

Could it be that the fact that their families and their beloved goddess, Lady Celestina, were hiding in the castle behind their backs, gave them the motivation to tear up and not feel sorry for themselves, but to fight to the death? Could it be that their morale was boosted by the fact that they had on their side a strong as twenty men, a tireless as a minotaur, and an incredibly deadly foreigner who, flashing an unnatural blue light from his eyes, mowed down enemies in packs, and wherever he passed, nothing but dead bodies were left?

No one can say for sure. But the fact remains.

They are still fighting.

 

Alicia.

A sword with a wet crunch pierces the chin of an orc trying to get over the barricade, and deciding that a frail girl in armor is an easy target for killing. A fatal mistake made before him by a couple dozen other scum who decided to come to her town today, thinking they could do whatever they wanted and get away with it. With exactly the same sound the blade left the flesh, opening the way for the stream of blood to gush out of the wound, and the enemy, still not realizing that he was already dead, blinked his eyes a couple of times stupidly and gurgled something unintelligible with his fangy mouth, collapsed backwards and fell from almost two meters height into a pile of bodies of the same idiots who dared to underestimate the warrior. Nearby shook off the body of the little demon with her spear, Vivian, her faithful helper and friend whom they had met in one of the many skirmishes that occurred throughout the city.

The place of the slain enemy was immediately attempted by another. This time, for a change, a man in recognizable Black Dog armor. True, this one had lost his helmet and shield somewhere and was left with only an axe in his hands, which left him unable to defend himself from the jab of a spear in the neck made by the maiden knight. Now he was no longer in a position to fight. The bastard fell and tried to crawl away, dropping his weapon and clutching the point of impact with his hands. You don't even have to kill him. You don't live long with that kind of damage. Unless you're possessed by a demon, of course.

Oh, yes. That was a conversation the princess would probably never forget. When a man loses his head and gets up a minute later, and turns into something unknowable and starts tearing people apart, that's a picture you can't get out of your mind. While Mistress Celestina was fixing the girl's broken bone in the infirmary, Olga Discordia had time to briefly explain to her what these creatures were like, How thankful Alicia was at that moment that this woman was on their side. Also, that Kay was on their side. Oh, how she wished she could go back a few weeks, and kick herself badly for not wanting to use his advice on setting up the city's defenses. After all, everything he said back then works just fine. How many enemies had died from constant bombardment from rooftops and windows, trapped, or stuck in barricades like the one Alicia was now honored to be in, I couldn't count. It's frightening to imagine what would have happened if it hadn't been for all this, and if Beasley had opened the gates to Volta's goons, as he had planned...

She glanced at Vivian and gave her a disgruntled look for having taken her opponent, then she gripped her sword more tightly and concentrated on what was going on ahead. There, shielded by shields, the Black Hounds were advancing on them. A favorite tactic of these bastards is to let the poorly organized meat in front of them in order to hit the experienced warriors with a strong fist. They've used that tactic against Theo's defenders more than once today. And used it quite successfully.

When they stopped within two dozen paces of the barricade, the mercenary formation parted and crossbowmen with already loaded weapons stepped forward.

"Watch out!" - The blonde yelled at the top of her lungs, crouching down to cover her head with her shield, which was rattled by two bolts whose tips jutted out right in front of her eyes, nearly scratching her face.

Taking advantage of the allies' hiding behind cover, the enemies darted forward and repeated the procedure from ten paces. And this time their volley was accompanied by cries of pain from the soldiers of the garrison. At such a close distance to defend against a crossbow bolt without good armor or a strong shield is very problematic. Unfortunately, both were sorely lacking. Another dash by the Hounds was interrupted by stones and darts suddenly striking them from above, immediately halting the advance. The fighters on the rooftops adjacent to the road blocked by the Princess' squad finally received new ammunition. The good news. The enemy would have to cross the barricade to get to them, and until that happens, they can fire at the enemy from a safe distance with impunity.

However, after suffering their first losses, the mercenaries were not confused and did not stop completely. It took them time to regroup and raise their shields, thus shielding themselves from the falling shells from above. Every second of delay paid with blood, but in the end they were able to change formation and moved forward, overcoming the last meters that separated them from Alicia's squad.

She let the long spear past her, and the blonde pressed it against the edge of the barricade with the edge of her shield, cutting off the tip, while the soldier beside her swung a powerful vertical strike with the chain on a long shaft right on the head of the thug below. It was a masterstroke: The enemy's helmet crumpled like a canned food, splattering blood and brains from it. But the fighter's luck ended when a crossbow bolt plunged into his chest up to the feathering. Dropping his weapon and grabbing the shaft with his hands, the soldier fell sideways onto Alicia, goggling his eyes and gulping for air. She swayed under the weight of his body, gritting her teeth in frustration, and pushed the fallen warrior aside.

Only to straighten up and see a dozen ogres with huge clubs, accompanied by smaller beasts, emerge from around the bend ahead. They looked even more frightening than usual against the glow of the fires in the evening twilight. And their appearance did not bode well.

The situation was threatening to turn from grave to catastrophic. Ogres have thick skin, capable of holding arrows and stones, and their endurance is such that even multiple wounds from swords and spears, they can long ignore and fight as a wounded.

If they are allowed close, they will tear apart the not very strong wooden fortification in a few minutes, and then this street will become one big grave for Alicia and everyone who is here with her. There was only one way to avoid such a scenario, and the girl could only hope that HE wasn't busy somewhere else right now and could come to the rescue.

"It's Alicia, the shopping district, need help!" - Stepping back and making sure another soldier had taken her place, the Princess reached for the communication device inserted in her ear that Kay had shared before it all began - They've brought ten ogres here, we can't handle it!

Alicia waited with bated breath for someone to answer. A second, a second, a third... that brief interval of time seemed like an eternity to her. But then, the artifact hissed briefly and sounded a voice that made her heart feel better:

"Copy that. On my way." - Just five words. It was enough to give Kei hope. As she looked around at her men and saw the tension and fear on the tired faces of the brave men and women, Alicia hurried to share hope with them as well:

"Help is coming!" - She shouted loudly, taking her place at the front again. - "Hold position!"

The fear of Feoh's warriors of the monsters receded slightly, giving way to a grim determination to hold out until reinforcements arrived. That should be enough for a while, and then... either Kay would make it in time, or they'd have to retreat in a hurry. Or die.

The disturbing fire from the rooftops had little effect on the speed with which the ogres approached the barricade. Much more of a problem for them were the mercenaries who had been piled in front of them and had to be literally shoved aside to make way for them. The defenders grew more anxious by the minute. The mere sight of the ugly monsters made their stomachs tremble. And the mercenaries added fuel to the fire, killing or wounding everyone they could get their hands on. Things got bad when the gunners were out of ammunition again, and the enemy was free to pounce on the fortress with twice the force, but soon the ogres broke through the men and came within striking distance. Not all of them. Two did find their deaths, catching as much iron dropped from the rooftops as even their powerful bodies could bear. But it was a drop in the ocean. Alicia was well aware that enough was left to leave not a splinter of the barricade.

"Where are you...?" - She whispered through her lips before the first bludgeon smashed into the wooden side of the structure, splintering part of it.

The defenders fought fiercely and even managed to kill three more of the creatures, but by then the structure was strewn with holes that smaller foes could poke into. Miraculously, the girl herself escaped the fate of being nailed by a massive log. Right in front of her, one girl did not receive such a gift in the side. Neither the shield nor the armor helped.

For a moment it seemed that that was it, now the enemies were going to break through, they would either kill them all, or worse, take them alive for their pleasures. The screams of the captive women warriors being raped could be heard from the center of the city even here, and Alicia's blood ran cold in her veins at the fleeting thought of the possibility of being in their shoes...

Suddenly, a blurry silhouette flashed beside the girl, flying out from behind her at breakneck speed and blowing the head off one of the ogres. Leaping from one monster to the next, Kei, and it couldn't have been anyone else but him, killed them with surprising ease. The movements were so swift that the eye could not catch them. But the results of his actions were plain to see: a minute and all the ogres were dead, but the alien from another world was in no hurry to leave, taking on the regular soldiers, slaughtering them like cattle.

Seeing the rampage before their eyes, the surviving defenders united in a militant cry and rushed forward to join the slaughter of demobilized foes. Alicia herself succumbed to this mad impulse, breaking into the crowd and killing the shivers and scum, sometimes stabbing them in the back in a very un-chivalrous way. Nearby, Vivian did exactly the same, managing not to get hurt in the fight.

Soon, it was over. The remnants of the enemy squad hastily retreated, leaving the defenders alone in a street littered with corpses. Trying to regain her breath, Alicia glanced around the men, looking for one in particular. And she found one. It was impossible to mistake him for anyone else. He looked at her with his glowing eyes and smiled, then winked and ran somewhere else, disappearing among the streets of Feoh.

"You owe me a favor." - Suddenly there was an earpiece, and the girl's face lit up with a stupid, inappropriate smile.

Yes, she is. And she would return the favor with all her might. Just to get through today.

 

Chloe

While the fierce battle was raging outside, in the castle one young, but more than many experienced, dark elf was languishing in idleness, languishing with a thirst for action.

Chloe was worried. Not for herself. And certainly not for all these people around her, she didn't care about them. On the contrary, the townspeople who lacked space in the castle dungeons irritated the blonde to the teeth with their grumbling and stupid requests, or even, godspeed, demands. What demands could there be in time of war? And then there were the looks she was given - a mixture of apprehension and contempt, though sometimes there were grateful and sometimes interested...with an all too familiar interest, from some individuals. Idiots, even at a time like this, did not change their disgusting nature. She just wanted to unload the shotgun's ammunition into this crowd of pigs, but the promise not to do anything stupid, made to Mistress was stronger than the intolerance to humans of one blond elfish woman. Yes, Chloe hated humans. Some more, some less, but all... except one. And it was for him that the elf was truly worried. After all, he was fighting for them now, putting himself in danger. And even the strength he had shown before was not reassuring.

The girl was simply torn with internal contradictions. Between the desire to go out to help Kay and the duty of serving Mistress Olga. But she knew she couldn't. Her job was to guard the Queen, especially now that the plan was nearing its final stage, and Mistress was shut in a small room, working the magic that would bring them victory today. So no one should disturb her, and Chloe will see to it.

One good thing - the sudden itching all over her body and the constant feeling of hunger disappeared, and the stubborn scar in her lower abdomen no longer makes her uncomfortable and does not hurt at night.

Still, she longed to go out and stand beside someone who was the second living being in the whole world, who accepted her as she was and whom she could trust unconditionally.

A choice without a choice, in its essence. And this depressed the girl no less than those animals around her, and than the moans of the wounded coming from the infirmary on the lower floor.

Reflection did not distract the blonde from her main task. She adjusted the sling on her belt with the two crooked daggers, gripped the weapon Kay had entrusted to her more tightly and watched her surroundings, not letting anyone within ten meters of the door behind where her mistress worked.

Well... almost not anyone.

One annoying wench she had to tolerate close by, because Kay and Mistress Olga had asked for it. Otherwise, Chloe wouldn't let that fool anywhere near her ever in her life. The young elf was struck by the stupid stubbornness with which she defended her cronies, when even a child could see who they were. And her unsubstantiated accusations and claims toward her and her Mistress savior were infuriating. And when the truth finally penetrated her little brain, the remnants of reason seemed to weed out of there, otherwise Chloe could not explain how this redhead had the conscience to cry on Kay's vest as if nothing had happened!

When she handed Maya over to Celestine, Chloe thought that she had got rid of her, but a couple of hours ago she was surprised to find her sitting next to her, looking extremely pathetic. Tearful face, disheveled hair, and fresh bandages on the place of abrasions and bruises.

Chloe wanted to quip or make a cruel joke, but in all the time they had been together, the elf had never uttered a word, speaking strictly on the matter at hand. Something inside kept the sneer at bay.

Probably the memories of the little broken girl, locked in the cellars of Mendeville Manor.

So Chloe tried not to notice the annoying gnat flickering before her eyes, but every time she bumped into the girl, she felt a bizarre mixture of pity and dislike. And that feeling didn't really appeal to the young dark elf. So much so that she wanted to do something about it, just to get rid of the irritant. One way or another.

"Hey!" she called loudly to the distressed woman, an irritated look on her face. She didn't have to try, for the blonde was really not in the best of moods. - "Why are you still sitting here?"

- "What?"

- "I said, why aren't you back on the battlefield yet, like your friend? You're not wounded, your arms and legs are still with you, so what's the matter?"

- "You don't understand."

"Don't understand what?" - The dark elf-woman arched an eyebrow. - "That a sissy like you calls herself a warrior? No, I don't." - She hovered over the girl and continued to reprimand her. - "But I understand that I could be in the streets now, if it were not for the order of Mistress. And you sit there smearing snot all over your face while your comrades lay down their lives."

Maya gasped rapidly and wandered her gaze around the room. The girl did not understand why it happened that way. Chloe's words echoed painfully in the soul of the swordswoman, who did not realize why she acted this way.

- "Your friend broke her leg, but returned to the fight as soon as the fracture was healed. A man who owes you nothing but constant recriminations saved you and is now doing your job while you're making yourself out to be a victim of tragedy here. Surely you got into this order of yours deservedly, and not for the pretty eyes? I just don't see myself as someone who deserves to be in it."

"Fuck you!" - Maya shouted, unable to withstand the accusations in her direction, and was immediately slapped in the face by Chloe.

"Calm down and listen to me." - The elfess hovered over the shrunken after the blow warrior and slowly minted words. - You're going to stop winding your snot on your fist and feeling sorry for yourself. Then pick up your sword," - the blonde tapped her index finger on the sword sheath hanging on the mercenary's belt, - "and finally show why you are a warrior, and not a snot-filled princess who has crumbled the picture of the world." - Chloe sat down across from her and smirked understandingly. - "Believe me, shit happens, and I understand that, but don't you think it only happens to you. I've been through it too, so I know what I'm talking about." - The dark elf ruffled Maia's hair and smiled. - "If they betrayed you, then they weren't worthy of your trust. Find someone you can trust again without looking back."

"I already found..." - Maya murmured, wiping away the tears in her eyes and sniffling her nose.

Chloe's monologue, especially its end, helped her make peace with herself. There was still a long way to go before she finally found peace, but the beginning had been made.

"And as for the traitors..." - The blonde lovingly stroked the barrel of her shotgun. - "I think we should show them how wrong they were."

Suddenly footsteps were heard from around the corner, and a short time later a group of soldiers emerged from around the corner, behaving rather strangely. The elven girl became alert and prepared to repel the attack, just in case. The girl's nerves were already shaken by recent events, and now her paranoia was literally howling, hinting that something wasn't right.

The men stopped, circling the two girls in a semicircle. One of them stepped forward, not at all afraid of the dark elf in front of him. He didn't care about the strange thing in her hands. He thought the boys could handle the little brat and her friend.

"Well, well, well..." - The man grinned crookedly and played with the dagger in his hand. - "What luck, two juicy pieces of meat in our hands at once..."

The comment of the now certain enemy found support among the others, eliciting raucous laughter from his cronies.

"What on earth are you doing here?" - Chloe asked menacingly, removing the shotgun from her belt and demonstratively jerking the bolt, which with a loud click put a cartridge in the chamber.

"Me and the guys thought it over and decided the town was doomed anyway. I figured we'd have to adjust somehow, and a tribute in the form of a major elven whore to the Black Dog commander would be a great start to a new life!" - The man laughed at the end, and the crowd behind him cheered their unspoken leader on in unison. - "And two more in addition to her are quite a good increase in our chances!"

Chloe only snorted at these words. Finally there were those on whom she could fully express her stress. Perhaps the girl was even glad that they appeared now

"I see." - She grinned wickedly, then drew her gun and squeezed the trigger. The clang of the gunshot was painful in the ears, but she had been used to it since her training with Kay. - "So you've decided to die."

Startled by the loud sound, the crowd recoiled to the sides, eyeing the fallen body of the ringleader, whose head was a bloody mess. A second later the stupor passed and a dozen men rushed forward, swinging their weapons, eager to keep their distance and punish the offender, who turned out to be a sorceress.

New shots filled the corridor. Their sound reverberated through the walls, reverberating for hundreds of meters around the castle, announcing to the inhabitants that the battle had begun here as well. The traitors fell one by one, but the distance was initially too short to kill them all. The last two still managed to get within attacking distance. Chloe took the blow of the first on the body of the weapon, and the second...

Ddidn't have time to do anything, having received a blade in the stomach of Maya who jumped up from the floor. With the second sword, the redheaded mercenary with a swing blew the traitor's head off and immediately switched to the remaining, which had already managed to understand the depth of the asshole, in which he was and, pushing Chloe, tried to escape. His path ended very quickly: with a deft movement Maya cut the tendon on his right leg, driving a second blade to the hilt in the fugitive's side. She lowered his body to the floor, yanked the weapon from his flesh, and wiped the blood from his blade on the dead man's clothes.

"I see you're beginning to show." - The blonde commented on the action, reloading the shotgun.

"Yes." - The mercenary nodded, glancing toward where the traitors had come from. - "Seems to me they're attacked not just us. Will you stay here?"

- "I still have to guard Mistress Olga. So, yes, I will stay."

"Then I'll go to the infirmary. If they didn't act alone, this will be the first place where the attack will happen." - Satisfied with the answer, said Maya, and without saying goodbye, hurried to leave the elven girl.

After seeing the girl off, Chloe frowned at the corpses and replaced the shotgun with a dagger. She had to do quite a bloody job, separating the heads from the dead bodies, because Mistress had explained what would happen if she did not...

 

A few more hours later

Night has passed and the sky is slowly beginning to lighten. The last couple of hours have been relatively quiet; even monsters tend to get tired after nearly twenty-four hours of continuous fighting. Never mind the humans.

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Surviving defenders took advantage of the lull to flee the ravaged streets of Feoh. Over the drawbridge, the only one separating Alicia's castle from the rest of the city, they retreated to take up the last line of defense. The droopy, weary faces of the people who passed me clearly showed the traces of exhaustion, and doom. Of the uninitiated in the plan, and such were almost all of them, it was as if a rod had been taken out. They had fought bravely, but even with my help they could only hold off the enemy, not win. And now they thought that the castle walls would be their final battlefield. No one panicked about it, though. Even the green newcomers - yesterday's townsfolk and peasants from the surrounding villages - had had time to gain experience and retain a vestige of determination to do their own thing to the end.

Here, in one of the groups, flocking from the remnants of our occupied territories, I saw a familiar face. Her hair, once blonde in color, was now stiff, clotted in places by the dust that covered it, mixed with sweat and blood. The capillaries and the gigantic bags under her eyes made her look like a dead man who had risen from the dead by an evil will of the unknown necromancer.

"Kay..." - Alicia paused beside me, suppressing a yawn and stretching her pale lips into a faint smile. - "It's good to see you in one piece."

"You don't look so good." - I smiled back at her and ran my hand lightly over her head. - "But I'm glad you haven't lost any of your limbs since the last time I saw you."

The princess grimaced slightly at that, and then with a nod of her head indicated to Vivian and Claire, her bodyguard knights, who had combined the remnants of their units into one during the battle and had accompanied Alicia the entire time, to lead the men to the castle themselves. The women nodded silently in response and set about executing.

"I wasn't quite sure what had happened, but was everything all right in the castle?" - When she was alone with me, the Princess asked, somewhat worriedly. - "I heard on the wireless that there was a fight, and I'm worried about Prim."

"Your sister is okay. Maya and Chloe have sorted everything out." - I Answered her, calming her already frayed nerves. - "If you want details, a bunch of idiots decided we were all screwed and were going to change their shoes on the move, turning the girls over to Vult. Some attacked the hospital, some tried to get Olga. Fortunately, they were quickly outgunned, and almost none of our people were hurt.

"Is that so? Good." - Hearing the answer, the girl covered her eyes and took a deep breath. One less thing to worry about - her beloved sister was safe, and the trouble had passed her by. When it happened, Alicia was in the battle and listened to the negotiations half-heartedly, extracting from the phrases only the most important. And still she was eaten up by anxiety for her own blood.

This was a case worth dwelling on. A group of marginalized people from a chilce of townspeople and a small number of soldiers of the garrison, totaling about forty snouts, sensed the smell of trouble and decided to attach themselves to, as they thought, the winners. They could do no better than to try and capture the key individuals without whom the defenses would quickly collapse. Why none of them could match their strength against the more than two hundred heavily armed knights guarding the castle is probably known only to Megamind. You know, the clever man with the blue head from one cartoon. But that's not a fact. In general, what they hoped for, it is not clear, not otherwise, how the fear has struck in the head and pushed the morons on an idiotic act. Everything ended as stupidly as it began. Most of the "revolutionaries" unsuccessfully hammered into the infirmary, which upset such behavior of subjects Celestine covered with impenetrable shield, showing her strength and why they call her the reincarnation of the goddess. And so they fiddled until they were overrun by a band of knights led by an enraged Maya, who had time to recover from her shock and was rushing into battle like a fury.

A smaller part, about ten men, managed to figure out where Olga was sitting and went to capture her. And they had a good chance, with only little Chloe guarding her, if it weren't for one thing. Our girl had my shotgun, and oh, how glad I was that I did not take it, when I ran out of ammunition on my pistol and riffle.

As a result - fifty dead traitors, and a dozen of ours, and as many wounded. So that is the story.

One of the "heroines of the day," by the way, is now standing on the castle wall, devouring me and the princess with her eyes. She looks more chipper than Alicia, after all, spent half the battle in the castle coming to her senses, but when she came out, began to make up for lost time with triple enthusiasm. It feels as if she were desperately trying to get my approval. How can I put it... I have no direct evidence, of course, but the constant questioning glances like "See? I'm good, too!" suggesting that something's not right. But I can't think about that right now...

- [She wants to mate with you, Carrier.]

...so Maya's behavior is... what?

- [Martha, the joke was bad timing.]

[This is no joke, Carrier. For some reason you don't know how to read a woman's reaction to you, even though you have all the means to do so.] - To say that I was stunned by this news was an outrageous lie. I was just so fucked up. -[By the way, an individual named Alicia is also sexually attracted to you...]

And indeed, if you turn on your brain and analyze the girls' behavior lately, especially the blonde princess, you get an interesting picture... which makes me feel good, but it also makes me scared at the same time.

[Goddamn tin... Wised up on my head.] - I muttered mentally, pushing Martha's words further into my head. At least, because we're fighting a war here, not a demographic issue, and the problems of our relationship should be solved much later, when everything is settled. And also because I have a suspicion that some mature woman with bronze skin and long pointy ears will twist my head off for such pranks, and no superhuman power will help.

"Is something wrong?" - While I was digesting the "interesting information," something must have been on my face that Alicia could see. When I turned my attention to the girl, I looked more closely and actually noticed her atypical reaction to my presence, manifesting itself even when her body shows clear signs of exhaustion.

"No, it's okay." - I hasten to hide my embarrassment from the princess with a shrug and decide to send her away under plausible pretext. - "And you should go and get some rest before it starts again..."

And I gently nudged the girl in the back toward the gate. She didn't resist, finding my words reasonable. Only a strange look at me before she left, leaving me alone with my own thoughts and one electronic disturber of peace of mind.

 

***

The clock built into the interface reads 6:03 local time. It's almost an hour since the last living person on our side left the half-destroyed city. Morning had already taken its course, illuminating the still pale rays of sunlight on the war-torn city. It was the time Vult had wrenched out to interrupt the rest of his goons and lead them out to the castle walls.

Standing atop the massive gatehouse, I could clearly see the square in front of the walls of the Princess's residence gradually filling with mercenaries and all sorts of monsters. And so it was until there was no room at all. We and the crowd were separated not only by high stone walls, but also by a wide moat of water, so the enemy was in no hurry to attack.

Maya and Alicia were watching next to me. The girls had time to put themselves in relative order: the golden hair of one no longer looked like a crow's nest, though it gave a certain slovenliness, and the armor was cleaned, though not to a shine. The second had a new breastplate instead of the old and looked fresher on the whole. We had nothing to say now, so we just stared in silence at the living mass beneath our feet. When all the space in front of us was no longer breathless, the movement of opponents stopped, and everyone froze in anticipation of ... something.

For what, it became clear when a man in a long cloak, steel breastplate and plated gauntlets stepped forward from the crowd. His arms gleamed with his bare biceps, and a broad two-handed sword dangled from his back. A cocky grin played across his gruff face. For the first time since I'd been here, I'd seen the leader of the whole gang, Vult. Someone next to me gritted their teeth loudly. When I turned around at the sound, I could see the range of emotions playing on Maya's face. None of them were positive. I could hear a low growl through her thinly drawn lips, her fists clenched until their knuckles cracked and whitened, and a look so hateful that even an idiot could see that there were no positive feelings there anymore.

Vult noticed her, too. He gave her only a brief glance, though, focusing all his attention on the other man - me. He stepped forward even more, and stopped at the edge of the ditch, without taking his eyes off me, he said. - "So this is what the guy my men are scared shitless of looks like."

The voice was just like its owner-just as gruff and confident. He gave the impression of being a serious and dangerous man. He was, in fact, but I had long since formed my own opinion of the Black Dog commander. And when I decided to voice it, I couldn't help smiling. - "So this is what an asshole looks like who can't communicate with women?"

"Good joke. Appreciated." - Vult gave me a little pucker, looking up at me. - "You made me angry, I won't hide it. First you helped a couple of whores get away with a fair punishment, and then you were a real pain in the ass all day yesterday."

"I tried very hard, thank you." - I put the emphasis on that last word to make the other person even angrier.

- "But I'm a very forgiving person. I'm willing to let it go if you do something for me."

"Yeah? So what do you want?" - Raising my right eyebrow, I look at the leader of the black dog, waiting for his brilliant idea.

"Open the gate. You're obviously not stupid, and you know how it ends. You did a good job, but you can't win." - He turned and pointed behind him, pointing to his own men, then looked at me, and continued in a confident tone, tryin to get me by striking a more pompous pose and extending his right hand in an enticing gesture. - "Let us into the castle so no one gets hurt, and you can take your rightful place among the Black Dogs. How would you like a place at my right hand? Not bad as one of the commanders of the strongest army in the world, huh?"

I seriously doubt he'd really let me live after I'd screwed him over a few times. Though, considering how dashingly he'd shoehorned himself in not too long ago, anything is possible. After all, I fit perfectly into the definition of a "real man," for whose benefit he was supposedly trying. But it just so happens that I've screwed over his pie buddy, and now this kind of offer is nothing more than an attempt to divorce him.

- [Fucking up.]

- [Confirmed, the probability of fuck-ups is close to a hundred percent.]

"How did you..." - Hearing what her former friend was saying made Maya boil over. Halfway out of her sword sheath, she tilted her body for a tug and took a step forward, but was caught by my waist.

Standing next to her, Alicia glared frowned at Vult, sizzling him with lilac eyes, and reacted to her friend's prank only by shifting her pupils in her direction for a second. The girl was very reserved, and she trusted me to lead the conversation.

"Join the army of a man who starts a campaign of conquest just to get fucked? Do I look like someone who has a problem with women?" - I smile snidely, trying to drive this asshole even harder, while simultaneously holding the redheaded warrior woman down. Otherwise she might jump off the wall and rush off to kill her former love. - "And this empire of lust of yours? Is this a fucking joke, or what? What are you, 12 years old? I've only read about that shit in books for retarded kids! And you expect me to believe you ain't gonna hurt nobody here?"

"So Discordia got herself a personal dog, brainwashed it, and now it only yaps when her owner says so." - Vult grimaced and spat profusely at his feet. - "And Celestine, too, was on to something, I see. What else would I expect from those bitches?"

There was the sound of envy in his voice. He interpreted my words about the women in his own way, judging the position Maya and I were in, the princess standing so close together, and the reddening of both girls' cheeks when they realized what he meant.

"There he goes again, talking about the same thing." - I whispered quietly in Maya's ear. - "He really has a problem with that, doesn't he?"

Naturally, "quietly" means at the top of your voice. So that everyone around me could hear.

"He hadn't noticed me before..." - The girl had calmed down by this point, but she didn't remove my hand, seeming to enjoy the contact with me. It made my gesture look intimate, and that was reflected in her face. - "even though I wasn't hiding my feelings at all."

- "How could you fall in love with such a dick?"

- "I don't know..."

"What did they promise you? Money, power? Maybe land and a title? Or their cunts?" - The mercenary, meanwhile, continued to rant. - "So you'd get it all for free if you joined me!"

A wave of laughter rippled through the crowd of his henchmen. They liked the joke so much, I wondered if they had any brains at all.

- "But now it's too late." - He finished his threat. - "You don't know what we're fighting for, and you'll die for it."

"Oh, of course, you are so misunderstood!" - I cover my mouth with my free hand in feigned surprise. - "You are all underestimated, deprived, and in general!" - I describe a big semicircle with the same limb, demonstrating the size of this "in general". - "Bullshit! I asked around, and found out how much money you made working for Celestine. Enough for you and even your grandchildren, though I don't think you'll ever have any. Except your new friends in the depths of your shithole have offered a lot more. So I'm thinking." - Tossing a pebble underfoot with my boot and kicking it in his direction. - "How much did the demons price your ass? Be a friend and tell me, huh?"

My last words struck a nerve with Volt. His anger was visible to the naked eye: his eye twitched and his jaw clenched tight until his teeth gnashed. I'm sure he didn't yell, drooling from his mouth, just because he would have embarrassed himself in front of his men by falling for my provocations. So he silently played with his cheeks and gave me a look that promised a brutal reprisal.

"Will you stand there with your tongue hanging out?" - He spat out, having controlled his anger. - "Or do you want to come down here and prove you're not an empty-nester?"

Oh, no. I didn't want to go head-to-head with his sidekick, remembering what a freak Hicks had turned into. My ass knew there would be no fair kumite, and I'd expect a stab in the back from one of the suckers. Given Vult's possible power, which is not much less than mine, it would be stupid and dangerous to go along with it. I just can't take that risk.

"Everybody get ready! I'm starting." - Olga's voice in my earpiece sounded like a thunderbolt, making the girls beside me startle, and sparing me the dubious pleasure of continuing the dialogue with this clown.

An invisible wave, like a bone-chilling wind, blew out of the castle and into the city. Everyone, from the nuns to the last devil in the enemy army, felt it.

"What kind of shit was that?!" - Walt jerked his shoulders, as if shaking off his stupor, and stared at me in confusion. He'd forgotten all about the summons he'd issued to me when he'd smelled trouble.

"That shit means you're fucked up.: - Changing my expression to one of seriousness. The jokes are over. - "Have you seen Dawn of the Dead, Vult?"

He didn't catch the reference, of course, but he got it right, his eyes widening in shock at what was about to happen. - "Discordia..."

"You'll see it now." - I give him a final hum, let Maya go, and turn to Alicia. - "It's time."

The blonde nodded curtly and, inhaling deeply, commanded loudly. - "Burn it up!"

Obeying the order, the soldiers lit torches all along the wall and began throwing them into the moat, in which a combustible mixture was poured over the water. Soon, in addition to the stone wall, a second wall of fire grew around the castle. Its purpose was one thing: to fence off the defenders from what would happen below.

And that's where Chaos had already begun. Through the columns of acrid black smoke, you could see our enemies scurrying, driven by the shouts of Bolt and the other commanders. But it was too late to do anything serious.

The wave of magic that Olga had triggered with the special rune circle had caught a dozen more like it within the city, and even a couple outside the city, triggering a backlash. Their purpose was to gather the energy released by death and store it in themselves until, at the right moment, a spell would be cast, releasing all the accumulated power to channel it into the dead bodies with which all of Feo was now piled high.

It took the queen almost a month to work on this grandiose ritual-that is, all the time we've been here. More than a dozen times I had to drain my reserve completely, sharing mana with her, and the woman worked herself to the bone. But the result was worth it. Knowing the location of the battle ahead of time, she was able to take full advantage of its brutal fruits.

Celestine and the other girls, hearing about it for the first time, were strongly against it. The three of us barely managed to convince them that this was the only way we would have a chance of victory. That was why no one else was privy to the idea, for superstitious people simply would not allow something like this to happen.

In the meantime, the dead began to rise one by one, immediately lunging at the first survivors, who were either monsters or Volt's mercenaries. The streets of Feo were in chaos, as the battle had drawn more than half of the enemy army into the city and spread out through its many streets and houses, where they were caught unawares by their former enemies and allies, who had risen again to quench their eternal thirst for the flesh of the living. They knew no pain or fear, and to kill one would require a great deal of effort, for killing one who was already dead was a non-trivial task.

Given the number of corpses, exceeding several thousand, and the "supplies" of the local cemetery, it is safe to give up on the invasion.

"I can't believe we agreed to this..." - Alicia whispered, swallowing a tight lump of saliva. - "I hope it's not for nothing."

"It is definately ot for nothing." - I cheered, using my eyes to see what was going on. I couldn't see through the fire and the mass of living enemy men made it hard to use the scope, but even so I could see the panic of the black dogs.

I was impressed. I had seen sectarians, aliens, and ugly hybrids of the former and the latter, but the undead were new to me. I had never thought it possible, but here they were, the living dead in all their hideous glory.

"And how long would it last?" - I looked into my eyes, and Maya asked me nervously.

"Olga said that the energy is enough for two days." - I answered, catching Alicia's questioning glance. - "That should be enough time to disperse the enemy army and drive them back to where they came from. All we have to do is go out and finish off the survivors."

"Well..." - The answer didn't make the redhead particularly happy. - "Let's go. I don't feel comfortable being so close to all this... stuff."

"I agree." - Her friend encouraged her.

I shrugged, finding their request fair, and headed for the stairs.

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