Ogre Tyrant

Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 45 – The meat grinder – Part Two

Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 45 - The meat grinder - Part Two

The outermost wall was lost. When the enemy realised they couldn’t take it, they resorted to making it completely inhospitable. Instead of boulders, the trebuchets and catapults launched burning pots of oil and tar.

As tenacious as the Asrusian soldiers and officers were, they weren’t suicidal. Unable to continue fighting while dying from smoke inhalation or burning alive, the majority of the soldiers retreated and were evacuated. The rest weren’t so lucky.

I had cleared my nose and mouth out with salinated water close to a dozen times and I still couldn’t get rid of the smell and taste of burning flesh and hair. I couldn’t eat or sleep, so I returned to the second wall to passively contribute to maintaining morale.

The winding path leading from the first gate to the second was littered with bodies. Most of the dead were Slaves, but some of the bodies belonged to imperial soldiers.

The enemy seemed to have concluded that throwing Slaves at the problem wasn't working. On the upside, the assaults against the city had slowed, becoming less frequent. Unfortunately, those same assaults were far more organised and better equipped. Even their Slaves were now given shields to increase their chances of reaching the next wall.

To a limited extent, the strategy was working. Arming the Slaves with shields had more than tripled the distance they cleared before succumbing to withering hails of arrows.

The design of the ramp tempted the invaders to attempt to take shortcuts by scaling the aggressive incline, but slowing for even a few moments at a time was a death sentence, and the shields of the Slaves provided no cover while they were struggling to keep their balance.

The Dominators were still in recovery from excessive consumption of Evolution Elixirs. Before blacking out from the alcohol, the Dominators managed to collectively seize control over close to a  thousand Slaves. I was still chewing willow bark to dull the pain.

Losing the outer wall had dealt a severe blow to Asrusian morale. The civilians were more terrified than ever and seemed to be on the verge of rioting in the streets. The military was a different beast altogether.

I had overheard more than one group of soldiers quietly complaining about the lengths being taken to save ‘the enemy’. Nadine had very nearly been assaulted by a grieving soldier before other soldiers had intervened to drag the offender away.

Nadine was just doing her best to preserve life, specifically human life, regardless of who they had been sworn to serve hours before. 

The Parole Officers were not faring much better. From the perspective of the soldiers, they were traitors. The majority of the rescued slaves were ethnically imperial, and someone seemed to be deliberately misleading the soldiers with stories of Asrusian soldiers being killed by those Slaves shortly before the Slaves were ‘forced’ to change sides.

Bizarrely, the monsters were given a free pass despite being many times more likely to have earned the enmity being leveled against the human Slaves. As best I could understand it, the liberated imperials were being judged guilty by association, and their role as unwilling Slaves was being deliberately ignored or downplayed by the rumour monger to incite chaos.

Fesk struck my breastplate with his fist and motioned towards the sky. #Enemy is above.#

I looked up into the night sky following the direction Fesk had indicated. Something large and dark was blotting out the stars and circling above the city. #I. See. It.# I signed back.

Fesk nodded and pointed towards the enemy camp. #Came from this.#

#Certain?# I signed hesitantly.

Fesk nodded determinedly, #Certain.#

Whatever it was, it was outside of my range of influence and too far away to see anything besides a dark vague outline.

#I see light.# Fesk signed urgently, pointing to the dark shape in the sky.

After staring for a few moments longer, I could see that Fesk was right. There was a small pinprick of light above the dark shape in the sky, but it disappeared shortly after I spotted it. As best I could figure, the dark shape was a tamed flying monster, and the person on top of it was human. Otherwise, there would be no reason for risking a light source since most humanoid monsters I had encountered could see in the dark to one degree or another.

“Can you see what the monster looks like?” I asked, too impatient to think of the signs required to articulate my concerns.

Fesk nodded.

“Can you draw it out on something? I doubt anyone besides us has even noticed it, and it might be important,” I explained sourly while continuing to track the flying monster with my eyes as it circled the city.

Fesk nodded again before hurrying towards a nearby brazier and retrieving a burnt piece of charcoal from the edge. Hurrying back, Fesk wasted no time in sketching out a crude depiction of the monster on the parapet.

Fesk was by no means an artist, his sketch was crude and the proportions seemed...off. However, each key feature of the monster was readily recognisable. It was some sort of giant bird of prey, an owl, as best I could tell.

“We need to find Gregory,” I announced and pointed towards the former nobles' district up the mountain while heading for the closest set of stairs.

With Ushu and Cooper recovering inside of the Labyrinth, I didn’t have much choice in how I would proceed up the mountain. So while I did my best to proceed on foot, Fesk ‘borrowed’ one of the carnivorous goats so he could keep up with me.

I tried to keep the giant owl in my sights, but it became difficult as I was forced to navigate the winding roads of the city. By the time I made it to the final district, I was thoroughly convinced that the rider was going to begin dropping burning jars of oil onto the city. 

Thankfully, they didn’t. However, by the time I reached the former adventurers guild building, the giant owl had disappeared while heading south-east of the city.

“I need to see Gregory, now!” I commanded the sentries outside before seeing myself into the building and heading for the former holding cells. It was the only room with any degree of privacy that I could fit inside of anymore.

The commanding officer of the sentries sent a runner that sprinted past me in the main hall before diverting along a different passageway.

The doors to the room had been replaced with a much larger singular iron-banded door. The guards posted in the corridor saluted as I passed them by but didn’t say a word. One of their faces was vaguely familiar, and while I could place a name to the face, it was only due to the nature of being the Tyrant, not because I remembered it of my own accord.

A pile of partially disassembled cages was stacked in one corner of the room. A range of pry bars, axes and large hammers were neatly laid out against the nearby wall. No doubt the Asrusians were recycling the materials to continue fuelling their war effort. The Hurst Labyrinth could supply a sizable amount of iron, but it required strong teams with the right equipment to destroy the wild monsters that dropped the iron bars upon their death. 

Fesk stared at the cages and curled his lips in contempt. He had yet to volunteer information regarding his life beneath the rule of the Liche, but it was obvious that there was more to it than I had originally expected.

“Majesty, you sent for me?” Gregory called out in greeting while closing the door.

“Fesk spotted a giant owl, a bird, with a rider flying above the city. He said it came from the direction of the imperial war camp, but I saw it fly off to the south-east while making my way here,” I explained tersely, hoping Gregory would be able to provide some answers.

Fesk had drawn another crude approximation of an owl while I was speaking, and Gregory grimaced.

“A Night Haunter, or an Evolution similar enough to it,” he explained with barely suppressed irritation, “A favourite reconnaissance Beast used by the core families of the confederacy. They were likely gathering information before sending the command to their hired muscle to let loose the Gnolls on the imperials. We have been feeding them false information using the communication devices seized from the Golden Boar leadership that fell in the Labyrinth. However, it has now been made clear that the confederacy is planning something else.”

“What do you mean?” I pressed, deeply concerned that things would somehow get worse.

Gregory took a moment to wet his lips with his tongue, “I can’t be absolutely certain, but I suspect the confederacy is going to attempt an ambush on the imperials, just not in the way we originally expected. A final accounting of the Slave collars from the Golden Boar camp, including those that had been in use, has been settled at two thousand and seventeen.”

“That would do some damage, but not as much as we thought,” I agreed before suddenly realising that there was a problem with our original assumption.

Gregory grimaced and nodded, no doubt assuming I had come to the same realisation that he had, “The imperials would have lost a few soldiers and Slaves, but they would have then seized control over the remaining Gnolls with comparatively little effort, and having left the ambush with more resources than they lost.”

“The Gnolls were never intended to ambush the imperials,” I agreed, “They were to ambush the remaining defenders of the city.”

Gregory nodded dourly, “I have received reports from our Rangers that enemy supply trains have been found already pillaged, and have not been able to determine who is responsible. We had believed that it may have been adventurers that had turned to banditry, but the Night Haunter changes things.”

“You think the confederacy is waiting for us to bloody up the imperials so they can ambush them from behind?” I guessed while wincing slightly. This intervention action was going to drag on much longer than I had originally expected.

“I believe so, Majesty,” Gregory agreed sourly, “The imperial expeditionary force is concentrated here outside of the city. If the confederates can hit them hard enough, the blow will signal the end of imperial involvement in the region. Allowing the confederates free rein to attack our cities at will with little to no fear of interference.” His eyes burned with anger and a profound weariness that transcended the need for sleep, “We may have to consider abandoning the city.”

The Confederates’ army wasn’t as large as the imperials, but it had far more professional soldiers than Slaves. In many respects, it represented a far greater danger to the city than the Imperials’ swarming tactics.

“Evacuating the civilians should be made a priority,” I agreed, “Starting with those in the lower district.”

Gregory nodded in agreement but remained silent. He was very likely going to receive a great deal of pushback from those living higher in the city. At least he wouldn’t need to deal with any nobles' interference through their influence. After all, there was only one noble house left in the city, and they were very much indebted to Gregory via proxy.

“Also, I think it might be best to try and think of a way we can bloody both our enemies at the same time. Ril can sever the connection to the Gateway, but it won’t be difficult for them to figure out what it does. Someone would have to be left behind to destroy it,” I cautioned with great reluctance, “Even then, they still might figure it out. It would be best not to lose the city at all. Even if it means losing thousands of our men...The moment they figure out that troops can be moved at will from one point to another, they will just divide their army and hit you hard in enough places that you can’t defend more than one or two without committing to an eventual defeat.”

Gregory’s shoulders slumped and he looked away with a dejected expression in his eyes, “I believe you are right, Majesty. The now tamed Labyrinths provide shelter for our people, and your presence bolsters the courage of the civilians and soldiers alike, but the Gateways are our most crucial advantage. If our enemies can confirm its existence, the war might very well be over, our kingdom lost.”

I shook my head and sighed. Gregory was definitely on my side, but I couldn’t help but think he was over-dramatising the fall of their kingdom. “What makes this a kingdom?” I asked patiently, “The land? The ruler? Its laws? Or its people?”

Gregory stiffened momentarily and then shifted uncomfortably, “I believe it is all of them, Majesty,” he replied hesitantly.

That was a good point, but not the one I was trying to make. “True, it is all of them, to one degree or another. But if we lost this city, and the people were taken. Do you think they would stop considering themselves as Asrusian?”

Gregory froze and blinked several times as he tried to come up with an answer.

“They have no land, they no longer have your laws or king to protect them, just themselves and one another,” I pressed on ruthlessly, “By ruling of your earlier statement, they would be vagabonds only, no longer entitled to the protection and attention of the king and laws of your ancestors, their rights to surviving property stripped and left bare for anyone to take. Abandoned by those they had once identified as his own people, because they are no longer Asrusian, and they no longer belong.”

Gregory winced, “I see your point, Majesty,” he conceded quietly, “Our kingdom is its people. So long as they endure, so too does the kingdom.”

I nodded with satisfaction. Of course, everything was far more complicated than that, but I wanted the civilians out of the city and harm's way. If the imperials and confederates wanted the city, they were going to need to pay for every stone in blood.

“There have been rumours spreading amongst the soldiers. Someone is trying to stir up trouble,” I commented, having very nearly forgotten my original intentions of warning Gregory, “Nadine was almost assaulted, and several of my Parole Officers have had to discipline soldiers attempting to assault former imperial Slaves being shepherded to the Labyrinth for potential recruitment.”

Gregory’s expression darkened, “I am aware of this problem, Majesty, and I am looking into it. I believe there may be imperial insurgents in the city. It was the primary reason I have been so reluctant in allowing the civilians into the Labyrinth thus far.”

“Wouldn’t taking the oaths prevent insurgents from being able to function effectively?” I asked, concerned by the news that there might be sleeper agents in the civilian population. 

“They should,” Gregory agreed reluctantly, “But oaths are not infallible, and an insurgent with a death wish might manage to communicate a message before succumbing to the effects of breaking their oath. The only way to control that risk is by adding additional oaths, which will slow evacuation efforts considerably. But I suppose we don’t have much choice.”

“I suppose you’re right,” I agreed with some dissatisfaction. The possibility of insurgents being allowed even adjacent access to Sanctuary was unnerving.

“There is something else, Majesty. I received a message forwarded from Sanctuary. The Alchemists believe they have discovered the means to create Healing and Rejuvenation potions,” Gregory’s spirits seemed to ease somewhat upon delivering the news.

“I can assume that Healing potions restore HP and magically heal injuries,” I stated warily, “But what do Rejuvenation potions do?”

Gregory managed to find the energy to smile, “They restore mana, Majesty,” he replied eagerly, “Production seems to have hit a bottleneck due to limited ingredients required for each potion, but their ability to create them at all is good news indeed.”

“They can restore mana?” I repeated in shock, “You are sure?”

Gregory nodded enthusiastically, “Indeed, Majesty. They are only the lesser variants of the potions, but they are certainly better than nothing at all.”

“Definitely,” I agreed, already in the process of drafting a separate quest for the Surgeons to allow them access to the new potions.

“You aren’t making them available to the rank and file, are you?” Gregory asked while giving me an appraising look.

“I’m not,” I confirmed, “Giving the Surgeons priority will save more lives.”

Gregory looked like he was about to argue, but he paused for a few moments and then slowly nodded in agreement, “You are probably correct Majesty. I defer to your judgement.”

This wouldn’t stop other soldiers from having access to the potions. It would just mean that they would need to go through the Surgeons, and I think that Gregory must have realised that on his own. If anything, it would make distributing the potions easier since the majority of redemption items for Surgeons were incredibly low cost when compared to those consumed by regular and specialised soldiers.

“The ingredient shortage, is it something your Regent can fix through trade? Or is this an issue of extreme rarity?” I asked, curious to determine if there was a way I could resolve the issue, or if it would just need to be left to someone else.

Gregory shifted a little uncomfortably, “I am not privy to the list of specific ingredients, but my understanding is that they are specialties of Sanctuary and are profoundly rare beyond its borders. Some of the ingredients might be available for sale, but not in the quantities we would require. Assuming we would be able to conduct the trade in the first place. Our former trade network is in shambles, and we cannot be sure who we can trust,” he explained with an exasperated sigh.

 

“It would have to be the mana flowers...” I muttered while trying to think of what was truly unique to Sanctuary. 

Gregory had clearly overheard me and didn’t seem to be at all surprised.

Fesk looked curious but remained still.

There was a relatively simple solution, but I wasn’t going to force the issue without the input of an expert.

*Tingling*

A tall lithe bodied woman with long flowing green grass-like hair and pale yellow-green skin appeared in the space between Gregory and Fesk. Wearing a wooden mask with stag-like antlers and thick segments of bark in place of body armour, I recognised Hana immediately, even without seeing her face.

“Tim?” Hana asked curiously, the mask somehow distorting her voice to sound ominous and ancient, “Just a moment,” Hana held up one hand to the mask and pressed her palm flat against it. The mask evaporated like water on hot pavement. “Is that better?” She asked somewhat sheepishly with her normal voice.

“You sound like yourself,” I corrected with a small smile, “That mask was interesting though.”

Hana shrugged, “It’s your ability, not mine,” she smiled briefly before looking around and taking note of the dismantled cages in the corner.

“Hana, is it possible to grow more Groves?” I asked respectfully, unsure of what to expect. Besides gathering and condensing mana, there wasn’t much more I knew about them.

Hana stiffened and turned back towards me while eyeing Gregory suspiciously, “It is possible,” she agreed hesitantly.

“But there is a problem?” I guessed.

Hana nodded, “A grove isn’t meant to be exclusive,” she explained patiently, “It is meant to be shared. The Grove draws mana from a large area, condensing it, making it easier to be absorbed. One Grove cannot exist in competition with another for long before the greater will starve the lesser into submission and entropy.”

“The Grove can grow larger?” I asked in surprise. I hadn’t been aware of that.

Hana nodded with a serious expression in her eyes, “The Grove in Sanctuary will grow over time on its own because it is mine. I am a part of it, and it is a part of me. As I grow, so will the Grove.”

Gregory’s eyes widened with shock, “You are the Dryad,” he whispered almost breathlessly.

Hana gave Gregory another critical glance before looking back at me again, “Why do you need more Groves?” She asked curiously, “Are the guardians not enough?” Hana was obviously unsure whether she could trust Gregory and probably Fesk as well, so she was being deliberately vague in avoiding mention of the Daemons and Angels guarding the Grove.

“The mana potions being made by the Alchemists, they are using mana flowers and the water from the well aren’t they?” I asked, rephrasing my answer in the form of a question that would likely allow her to arrive at the conclusion for herself.

“They do,” Hana agreed with a knowing smile on her lips, “And you wish to create more Groves to cultivate more flowers,” she nodded in understanding before slowly shaking her head, “Without a Dryad, or a sufficiently powerful and skilled Druid to tend to them, the flowers will not grow in the numbers you require.”

“I figured that might be the case,” I admitted. It was why I had summoned her rather than making promises to Gregory I knew I might not be able to honour.

“Honoured Dryad,” Gregory bowed and placed a hand over his heart, “You said the Grove will grow as you do. Does that mean the Grove would be able to grow if we provided you with the necessary resources?”

Hana looked sidelong at me with obvious uncertainty and hesitation in her almond-shaped eyes. No doubt unsure whether Gregory could be trusted.

I gave Hana a small nod and she grew visibly more relaxed.

“I would need powerful mana stones,” Hana admitted with slight hesitation, “Or many weak Elixirs. The weaker mana stones wouldn’t be worth the time it takes to consume them.”

Gregory mulled this information over before eventually coming to some sort of decision and nodding to himself. “My people would be willing to sacrifice a portion of our share of Evolution Elixir to provide for your growth and the growth of Sanctuary’s Grove. Assuming this offer is agreeable to you honoured Dryad?”

Hana coked her head slightly to one side while considering the offer before looking to me again for permission.

“It’s your deal to make, Hana. If you believe it is in your and Sanctuary’s best interests then I won’t interfere or second guess you,” I reassured her.

Hana nodded in thanks before turning back to Gregory, “We have a deal, and Tim will be our witness,” she added as a not too subtle threat.

Gregory bowed again, “I will make the arrangements. Thank you.” He saw himself out while pulling out his communication device.

“He was one of the Asrusians,” Hana guessed, stating the obvious.

“Yeah, one of the few with a direct line of communication with their regent, the man in charge of their people,” I added the extra explanation in case Hana wasn’t aware of what a regent was, as well as adding some additional context to his bargaining position.

Hana nodded slightly before focusing her attention on Fesk, “This is the mute,” she stated, “One of the Liche’s former minions.”

I nodded, “He is, and was.”

Hana seemed troubled by his presence, “I won't let my sister strike out on her own until I am certain she will be safe,” she insisted adamantly.

“I know,” I agreed supportively, “And I wouldn’t ask her to, or you for that matter. I summoned you so we could talk, not so I could issue commands. I wanted to learn more about our options, and you are the best expert we have on the subject.”

“Oh...” Hana looked a little embarrassed, “I mean, I knew you wouldn't, but still...”

“I never had any siblings, but she’s your sister, and I respect that relationship. Besides, she has been through enough,” I sighed, removing my helmet and running my free hand over my face to rub some feeling back into it.

Hana grew more embarrassed.

“How did you know Fesk was the mute?” I asked as a means of changing the subject.

Hana looked mildly surprised, “Oh, Qreet tells me just about everything she learns from her ‘explorations’ after our mediation sessions. I think she might be a few months from becoming an Arch Druid herself.”

Explorations was obviously referring to the integrated memories of Qreet’s experiences while summoned, but the news of Qreet approaching a Master tier Class through her own effort was huge. “Really?” It was impossible to keep the excitement from my voice.

Hana nodded enthusiastically, “She is very dedicated. If she wasn’t interrupted so often, she might have unlocked the Class already.”

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much that could be done about that. Qreet was the backbone of the Asrusian resettlement effort, although...That burden could be lessened significantly if one of the Daemons could learn the Earth Mage Class. With another Daemon providing the shelters and defensive walls, Qreet would only be needed for assisting with crops.

“Hana, when you return, or remember, whatever,”I waved my hand dismissively before pressing on, “Ask the Daemons if any of them would be interested in becoming an Earth Mage.”

Hana looked surprised for a moment and then nodded in agreement, “Alright. A couple of them are still uncertain of their path, so I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one of them considers it.”

“Here’s hoping,” I agreed just as Hana disappeared.

There would be little doubt that the army would be tripping over itself to summon a Daemon Earth Mage. Erecting a traditional defensive structure in a matter of moments was the sort of thing they were hoping for in training their own Earth Mages.

#Break is over.# I signed before leaving the room and heading towards the Labyrinth to fetch Ushu. He needed to be fed and watered before taking him through the city, so it was better to get started sooner rather than later. If Ushu was tired, he could just rest beside the wall.

Contrary to my expectations, Ushu was already awake. This saved some time as I was able to set out some food while a team of former Slaves assisted me in saddling him.

The walk back down to the warehouse and low-income district was almost entirely uneventful. Ushu was capable of being disconcertingly quiet when he had a mind to be, and without the allure of impressing a crowd, he apparently saw no need to be any louder than was necessary. It was oddly considerate of him, in a narcissistic self-serving sort of way.

Of course, Ushu’s behaviour changed quite dramatically once we reached the lower district. With so many soldiers moving about in spite of the late hour, Ushu had found his audience. 

Huffing in anticipation, Ushu lurched into a more dramatic and much louder stalking gate, hissing, growling and snapping his jaws to seize the attention of the soldiers as he passed them by. All of which was completely unnecessary since Ushu’s presence alone was more than enough to draw every eye in the vicinity.

Ushu didn’t stop preening once we reached the wall again, so I left the reins to Fesk so I could see if anything had changed in our absence. 

No man's land was just as it had been when we left. Some minor steps had been taken towards moving the enemy camp closer to the outermost walls, but that had stopped when the sun set. As much as the imperials relied upon Enslaved monsters, they did not make particularly efficient use of their natural advantages. No doubt unable to bring themselves to trust Slaves, the watch duties were reportedly held entirely by the human professional soldiers.

That was an opportunity.

I looked to the sky before turning my attention to one of the nearby soldiers, “You, Dennis, how far can you see beyond the wall?”

The soldier nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise, no doubt alarmed at how I knew his name without asking for it. “Uh, I um, I can see just past the first turn your lordship, Ah! I mean s-sir! Ah! I mean your Majesty!”

That was about the distance I figured, but it was good to have confirmation.

There was no real cover to be found in no man’s land, but Ushu’s natural stalking abilities might be enough to close the distance to the enemy camp without being spotted. Provided Ushu had some form of cover, such as the cover of night, he would be near invisible to his prey at certain distances.

Monsters with improved night vision would be able to see Ushu from a long way off, but the humans were a different story. I had been on the receiving end of his stalking abilities when I first encountered the Drakes in the Mournbrent Labyrinth. The mist had been all the Drakes had needed to launch devastating ambushes, so I was hoping the darkness would be enough against the imperial soldiers.

For what I was planning, I could have made the trip completely on my own, but that was a completely unacceptable level of risk. As is, the imperials had already learned about the Drakes when Cooper and Ushu had countered a formation of cavalry entering the outermost walls. However, it was unlikely that they had managed to erect sufficient defences so quickly in order to counter what I was planning.

Returning to Ushu, I drank several Elixirs to restore my mana. The mild buzz from the alcohol would pass within minutes, and I didn’t want to deplete the mana potions when they could do good elsewhere.

“Fesk, you are going to want at least a couple of spare shields, we are going on a raid,” I informed him while doing my best suppress a sudden surge of nervous energy.

Fesk looked quite surprised for a moment before nodding enthusiastically and tethering himself to the platform. A few moments later, a half dozen shields clattered onto the deck of the platform. Fesk mounted the shields on special hooks that would allow them to provide additional cover while not in use.  He already had his crossbow and a spare similarly mounted near the front of the platform along with quarrels of bolts arranged for easy access.

I spent a few moments replenishing my supply of javelins. Technically, they were spears by human standards. I also made sure to firmly strap my shield to my left arm. The raid was already risky enough and I didn’t want to chance getting struck through a gap in my armour.

Ushu would very likely be fine. He had a second set of eyelids that were both transparent and seemingly impervious to most mundane attacks. However, a javelin fired by a ballista at close range might do the trick, so I had no intention of giving the enemy time to mount a proper counterattack.

I leaned sideways in the saddle and pulled the reins to force Ushu to look at me, “You see us through this raid in one piece, I’ll make sure you get a special reward for your trouble,” I promised.

Ushu's large eye stared at me for a few moments before he dipped his head slightly to show he understood. Ushu huffed in irritation as I slackened the reins again. It was rather obvious that he didn’t like the fact that I could ‘manhandle’ him like that, but I wanted to be sure I had his attention, so it was an unfortunately unavoidable grievance. Besides, the brute would be more than happy once he was feasting on his rewards.

Without needing to be directed, Ushu began heading for the gate.

Opening the gate was a slow time-consuming process. In order not to give away what was happening, all braziers within a certain distance of the gate had to be extinguished, and the gate itself had to be opened in increments so anyone that happened to be watching from the enemy camp would be less likely to notice.

The outermost wall was still burning and curtained by smoke, so it was incredibly unlikely Ushu would be seen while descending the winding path.

Ushu was a deceptively stealthy beast for his size, and had no problems navigating the darkness.

“When we reach the camp, I want you to find the enemy commander's tent and take him out. You can kill any soldiers you see along the way, but leave the Slaves alone, understand?” I waited patiently for Ushu’s reply.

Close to a minute passed before Ushu huffed irritably and bobbed his head. He obviously wasn’t keen on the idea of discriminating target selection in the heat of battle.

“He will probably be in one of the biggest tents or buildings,” I added, “You know what those are?”

Ushu growled irritably and I decided to take that as a yes.

We made our approach so we would arrive at the left-most side of the enemy camp’s defences with the intention of continuing along those defences until Ushu could find a weak point and break through or climb over. I had seen several areas of their wall that looked weak enough for Ushu to break through, but I wouldn’t know for sure until we were much closer. For all I knew, those weak points might be deliberately staged that way to lure someone into a trap.

This was why my plan didn’t hinge upon successfully breaching the wall at all. Although, I would still very much prefer it if I could manage it.

As I had hoped, the human sentries posted along their makeshift wall showed no signs of having noticed Ushu’s presence, and the view afforded by the saddle gave me a decent layout of the camp.

As I somewhat expected to be the case, huge cages full of Slaves dominated the far ends of the camp with the professional army holding the centre. The camp itself was patrolled by small squads of soldiers. 

The imperials had boxed themselves in with earthworks and makeshift walls on all sides of their elongated encampment. This made it rather obvious that their commanders would most likely be in the dead centre of the encampment.

Unfortunately, that was where the wall was more fortified and had the most guards on watch.

Wooden palisades had been erected in front of their walls, most likely to prevent a cavalry charge or a concerted assault trying to break the siege. Unfortunately for the imperials, Ushu had no problems pushing through the gaps between the palisades. Moving too slowly and carefully to give the palisades the opportunity to cause him harm.

Without warning, Ushu took on a burst of speed, charging at a section of the earthworks. Despite the sudden increase in speed, Ushu remained relatively silent. Unfortunately, relatively silent was still more than loud enough for the closest sentries to notice the towering reptile bearing down on them.

With muted terror, the sentries scrambled away from the earthworks just in time to move out of reach of Ushu’s snapping jaws.

Huffing in irritation, Ushu scaled the earthworks with minimal effort, his sheer weight causing a collapse as his forelimbs clawed out huge chunks of the packed earth.

*BROOOT! BROOOT!!!*

 

We were already halfway through the enemy camp when the first official warning was given, and Ushu had already killed three dozen soldiers by trampling them in their sleep.

Cries of alarm were rising from all directions as the imperials slowly began to mobilise

It was already too late.

I gathered the lion's share of my mana and initiated the final step in my plan.

*Tingling* 

Another Drake materialised next to Ushu, his exact twin, the only difference being that the copy had no saddle and was armoured in ghost white steel plated barding.

Ushu and his copy stared at one another for a handful of heartbeats before determinedly ignoring one another.

With Ushu’s summoned projection now headed for the centre of the enemy encampment, I decided that it would be best to withdraw before the enemy could coordinate a counterattack or effective defence.

An arrow wreathed in crackling electricity glanced off of my shield, sending a small jolt of pain through my left arm and a series of minor spasms. Four more followed in rapid succession, rendering my left arm entirely numb.

Ushu made as if to change course, but I held tight to the reins and continued directing him to the eastern side of the camp.

Screams of terror echoed in our wake as Ushu’s projection reached the command tent.

Ushu roared in anger as a javelin smacked into his side, splintering as it expended its force against the thick iron plates of his barding. 

As we drew closer to the wall, a ballista crew ahead of us was desperately scrambling to winch the drawstring into place when one of their number caught a crossbow bolt to the neck.

Still holding the reins with my numb left hand, I hurled a javelin with my right. I missed the member of the ballista crew I had aimed at but impaled another soldier through the chest that had been rushing over to take the fallen crew member’s place.

A second crossbow bolt caught another crew member in the thigh, causing him to collapse to the ground and scream in agony.

Most of the soldiers streaming out of their tents were holding weapons, but almost none of them had armour on.

A third crossbow bolt struck a soldier in the eye, dropping him on the spot.

I threw another javelin, not really aiming at anyone in particular. I managed to impale one soldier through the stomach and a second through the thigh.

Ushu continued crushing soldiers underfoot and scything them down with his talons, taking the opportunity to snap up anyone slow enough to not get out of his way.

Just as we were clearing the earthworks, there was the screeching of metal as something hit me hard from my left side and nearly caused me to pitch out of the saddle. I nearly fell off a few moments later as Ushu leapt off the barrier and landed on the other side.

The persistent pain in my arm and the scraping and clattering sounds against my breastplate did not bode well, but I didn’t have the opportunity to stop and investigate. Staying in the saddle with only one good hand to keep hold of the reins was difficult enough already, and despite having lost ten HP during the raid, whatever was causing the pain didn’t seem particularly urgent. If it was, I was certain I would have the Bleeding Condition or something similar besides Lesser Paralysis...

*****

Lash did her best to stay calm and relaxed. It was a far more difficult prospect than she had initially expected. Unable to breathe water like her children, Lash was learning from Toofy and her Daughter Ril how to adapt to the water.

The first step was learning how to relax while underwater. Toofy had given Lash a hollow reed that allowed her to breathe without returning to the surface so Lash could acclimate to the feeling of being submerged in the water.

Although initially quite proud, Lash became thankful for the consideration as time wore on. At the very least, the reed gave her the opportunity to watch her children as they played with Ril in the deeper section of the large pool.

Not graceful by any stretch of the imagination, especially when compared to the aquatic Daemon, Suzy and Pete were nothing if not enthusiastic swimmers. Just as Ril had warned her, both of Lash’s children had a tendency to sink to the bottom whenever they stopped actively trying to catch Ril’s shimmering tail. It was in those moments that Lash was profoundly grateful that they could breathe water.

After a while, Pete kicked, squirmed and crawled his way over to Lash and nestled himself against her breast before taking a nap. Lash used her arm to support Pete and stop him from drifting away.

Toofy had joined the game with Ril and Suzy, propelling herself through the water with practised strokes of her arms and legs, all these while releasing a small stream of bubbles from nose or mouth. In direct contrast to her own children, Toofy seemed to float whenever she wasn’t actively making an effort to move towards the bottom of the large pool. She took advantage of this to quickly return to the surface every so often to breathe before descending into the depths again to rejoin the game.

Eventually, even Suzy grew tired and settled in alongside her brother.

Toofy and Ril returned to the surface and Lash moved far enough into the shallows to bring her head above the water, but keep the twins below. They seemed to prefer being wet, and Lash didn’t want to wake them when they were sleeping so peacefully.

Toofy looked quite tired herself, so Lash could only assume that moving through the water must require a great deal of strength and endurance. Lash had felt that herself to a certain degree, so she wondered if it would be able to serve as a substitute for at least some of her regular training exercises. Raising the twins was going to take up most of her time, so it would be a welcome advantage if it proved true.

Toofy’s other daughter, Net, was sitting in the shallowest section of the pool and seemed content with running her hands and fingers through the water and smelling the flowers that grew on top of the large flat leaves.

Lash felt sympathy for the poor child, and a deep seething hatred after learning that her blindness was the result of malicious violence, and not an accident. It was very likely that she would never be able to move beyond those shallows without her sister or mother by her side.

*Splash*

Lash turned around but saw no sign of Ril or Toofy, just ripples and a small wave of water.

Very abruptly, the water disappeared and Lash found herself sitting on a wet stone floor. Immediately looking down, Lash released a ragged sigh of relief upon finding Pete and Suzy were still both still held firmly in her arms,

Toofy was on her hands and knees a short distance away coughing up water onto the floor.

Net was waving her arms around herself in confusion, “What happened?!” She cried out with increasing panic, “Where are we?!”

Ril was laying flat on the ground, panting heavily as the plates on the side of her neck and chest fluttered feverishly for a few moments before snapping themselves shut. Ril’s pale scaly skin had become paler still, and her arms trembled as she attempted to push herself up into a sitting position.

Still hacking up water, Toofy doggedly crawled across the room to cradle Ril.

*Clang*

A cooking pot large enough to fit a Swamp Lurker appeared from nowhere and slammed into the ground beside Toofy and Ril, frightening Net and waking the twins.

Toofy heaved Ril up and into the cooking pot, dislodging a large amount of water in the process and spilling it across the floor. Toofy briefly flopped onto the floor in exhaustion before grunting something unintelligible and crawling over to Net, who seemed to be on the verge of tears.

Lash turned her attention to her own children, gently rocking them and making soothing noises in the hope that they would return to sleep. Both Suzy and Pete seemed determined to remain awake but thankfully seemed to be more excited than upset.

“Nnet is safe,” Toofy croaked while gently stroking Net’s hair, pressing her daughter’s head to her chest and hugging her tightly, “No be scared, Toofy here.”

Net hugged Toofy back and her trembling slowly began to lessen.

“Brrrrv!” Suzy exclaimed excitedly.

“Mbbbmbmm!” Pete agreed.

Both wins were flailing their chubby hands and arms towards the cloth curtain hanging over the door.

Momentarily dividing her attention, Lash was surprised to find she could hear footsteps headed in their direction. More than that, she could feel them through the floor. Lash released a sigh of relief and relaxed as she recognised who was approaching.

A large pale green hand pushed aside the curtain over the door and a few moments later Tim’s familiar thick browed face peered into the room. His eyes locked onto hers almost immediately, sparing a moment to flick down towards their children before releasing a deep sigh and heading inside.

Without saying a word, Tim spared a few moments to look over at the cooking pot and then at Ril and Net, before sitting down beside Lash and bodily pulling her onto his lap. Tim was trembling and Lash noticed a new pair of scars on his left arm as he embraced her and their children. “I was worried...I thought...I am just glad you are all safe...” Tim hugged them tighter, his trembling only intensifying with each passing moment. “Sanctuary was attacked,” he croaked with barely contained rage, “The Liche came for you and our children!”

Lash’s blood turned to ice water as Tim’s words settled into her mind. She still remembered the fear she had felt when in the Liche’s presence, the numbing entropy that had attacked her senses. Lash felt Suzy and Pete squirm as they tried to climb over her and towards Tim. The ice water in her veins evaporated and was replaced with whie hot rage. No one was going to harm her children! Not while Lash still drew breath!

Feeling a deep rumbling growl in Tim’s chest, Lash knew that he felt the same.