Minor Skirmish
Meanwhile, the werebats began patrolling the skies. At night, their ferocious natures become apparent. While Druella ordered them to keep an eye out for human activity, their poor discipline meant that they were focusing more on finding men who they can ravish.
Suddenly, they notice a camp fire not far from them. The werebats flew high over them, circling around the skies. Their enhanced night vision allowed them to make out details of the group. A caravan belonging to some merchant type men. Like a swarm of locusts, they rapidly descended upon the group. The humans didn't have a clue what hit them. The group broke into panicked chaos as men and women scattered, trying to either take cover or fight back.
Yet their attempts were futile, for all monster girls were given strength surpassing that of normal humans. Suddenly, a loud bang is heard before something punches through a werebats head, ripping open a huge chunk. The monster girl was killed instantly. Before her body could hit the ground and before the other werebats could respond, another werebat had her head blown open.
The werebats turned to see a cloaked figure, wielding a two flintlock pistols that spewed grey smoke. They could vaguely see that she had orange hair that spilled out of her hood and possessed dragonfly wings.
"Hey, stupid harlots," the figure said in an annoyed voice, "I have some questions I want to ask these gentlemen, so please fuck off."
A werebat hissed before attempting to lunge at her, but a musket shot put her down quickly. The other werebats tried to swarm towards her. In daylight, these werebats would have fled the mysterious (not really) figure. Yet at night, their vicious monster instincts are the ones in control.
"I figured as much," the figure sighed before she darted backwards and took off into the air.
The werebats attempted to follow her, but the figure was much faster than they are. She danced through the air on her dragonfly wings, easily evading the attacks of the werebats. The figure fired her pistols, which she then tossed towards the ground before pulling out new ones from under her cloak
Meanwhile, the werebats were confused by this strange (not really) individual. No creature native to this region of the Order Continent could move like this in the air, and this individual is no Valkyrie. Meanwhile, on the ground, the men and women jumped into their caravans and ordered their animals to move as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, in the air, the figure manages to shoot down another werebat.
"Who are you!?" bellowed a werebat as she attempted to swoop at her from behind.
The figure did an instant short distance teleport, though this time, she reappeared quite a distance from the flock of werebats.
"Across the millennia," the figure said, "I have gone by a myriad of names."
She takes aim and fires a pistol. The werebat she was aiming at missed, but another one was hit.
"And you are not worthy of uttering a single one of them!"
The werebats retreated hastily, recognizing that getting killed wasn't worth it. The figure landed back amongst the shocked people.
"Greetings, mortals," the figure said, "I rescued you because I have questions to ask."
"W-what do you want?" asked a man.
"I am looking for a soulless man," the figure replied, "he looks like he is from Zipangu and supposedly, he is travelling east."
"Soulless man?" the man replied, "Is it possible? That said, we haven't seen him."
"Damn it," the figure said, "well, time for me to go now."
She took off into the air before suddenly disappearing. Leaving the witnesses baffled at this strange display.
"Hey, look," a man said as he walked out from the cover he was hiding from, "this was the weapon she used."
The merchants leaned in to look. The weapon is a pistol that lacked external mechanisms. This indicated it was an internal ignition, magic primed weapon. Yet despite the elegant design, the weapon was shoddily made, using cheap metal. The merchants decided to take the gun with them to Lescatie.
Of course, Druella did not take the news well. A figure that massacred a bunch of werebats in their own element (night time) was one that threatened her plans. It could match the flying monster girls on the ground and in the air. The individual used a bow, though not with any proficiency. It certainly wasn't an angel or a Valkyrie.
"Damn it," Druella cursed, "could it have been a hero we do not know of? One who could use flying magic?"
The amazoness elder said, "Flying by magic is mastered by few, and I am pretty sure the werebats said the figure had dragonfly wings anyway."
"I waited this long to initiate my invasion," Druella said angrily, "and already it is starting to fall apart. It is unlikely that a monster girl has dragonfly wings. Hell, I don't even know what monster has wings like that, or why they would kill other monster girls with firearms."
"Perhaps it was a human," the elder wondered, "a werebat brought back a handgun, and apparently it was made by a guild in Welsple. A powerful human mage who could spawn a pair of dragonfly wings, perhaps."
"Argh!" Druella pulled at her hair, "I blame that soulless man for delaying my invasion. I let the Sabbath experiment with him for all the trouble he caused me."
The elder chuckled. Just then, Druella stopped pulling at her hair.
"Ah," she said, "Eliza is trying to communicate with me."
Druella then put her hand forward, summoning a black mass of energy. It swirled briefly before showing the face of Eliza, the lich. Surprisingly, there was distress upon the face of the undead monster.
"My, my," Druella said, her voice equal parts of jest and concern, "I don't think this is a social call. Is everything alright?"
Eliza replied, worry in her voice, "Lady Druella, I have moved to the graveyard that holds the soldiers and heroes who died in that plague a decade ago."
"Yes," Druella interrupted, "and when Lescatie's forces are drawn out by the multitude of diversions, the kunoichi will contact you. You are to raise the dead and use them to bolster the attack on Lescatie."
"That's the problem," Eliza said, "the detection ward that looks in the direction of my graveyard is suddenly strengthening."
A silence fell upon the group before Druella exclaimed, "WHAT!?"
"I-It's true," Eliza stammered, "it's seems as if Lescatie is getting around to reinforcing the detection wards that have fallen into disrepair."
"Damn it!" Druella shouted angrily, "If the wards are all repaired, we'll lose the element of surprise."
"It will be especially bad for me," Eliza said, "the zombies and bone golems I raise cannot launch fast attacks. To make matters worse, only a few of the corpses can be made into Wights."
Druella sighed, "For a while, I thought the Chief God succumbed to her injuries and that heaven cannot intervene anymore. Could I be wrong? First, that Gothian hero and his woman, then that flying musketeer, now the detection wards are being raised?"
But she finally calmed down.
"I have no choice, do I?" she asked, "We must accelerate the pace of the plan. Something I should have done long before now. Eliza, raise the bodies NOW. Then move them to a hidden, secluded spot, with a portal spell if necessary. Or cast some concealment spell to hide them."
"If I cast such spells of that caliber," Eliza said, "I will use large amounts of demonic energy. That will certainly attract attention."
"FOR FUCK SAKE!" Druella bellowed, "Raise those damned corpses and move them away! Have you forgotten we are launching several diversions? I am pretty sure those diversions will be more pressing than a bunch of zombies."
"F-Fine," Eliza pouted, "I'll do that."
The orb of black energy dissipated.
"I would advise against any rash action," the Amazoness elder warned, "but…when this much of the plan has fallen apart, what can we do?"
Druella did not reply.
The next day, Astramille woke up. As thanks for receiving shelter from local authorities, he helped Gali with preparing his medicine. Of course, he could only do this until the shop opened, because he would have to go back to hiding on the second floor. During the day, he planned his escape route.
Astramille decided that he will set out one of these nights. Although Yuriy and Eristia told him the authorities have lost interest in him, Astramille still believed that it would be better if he left Lescatie. He would be effective in nations more willing to listen. Like Welsple. Who knows, he might even catalyze an industrial revolution. Too bad he won't be the Nikola Tesla of this world. That guy was so far above Astramille in terms of brain power that the comparison isn't even funny.
That night, Yuriy returned to the apothecary to keep Gali informed on events. The trio sat in Astramille room, sipping tea and discussing the day's events.
"Have you heard?" he said, "There were major attacks on several villages and towns under Lescatie's protection. Aeris organized several units to counter attack and personally led the assault on Lekrahk. Many heroes were deployed, including Eristia."
"I see," Astramille nodded, "then this is the best time for me to leave. There are fewer soldiers in the city."
"But that means there will be more outside of Lescatie," Yuriy Gali, "wouldn't that mean the odds of you being spotted are much greater?"
Astramille grinned, "I know. I already have a response prepared. A masterful disguise, so good that it won't be seen through."
"Oh?" Yuriy seemed interested, "Care to explain?"
Astramille turned to Gali, "I noticed that you have a plague doctor outfit. I based my plans around utilizing that outfit."
"Ah," Gali rubbed his chin, "that outfit. You intend to wear it as a disguise?"
"Oh, no," Astramille's grin widened, "my disguise is far more elaborate than that."
Astramille began to explain. The hare-brained scheme involved an apothecary in a plague doctor outfit, a horse and cart, a coffin and a shitlord made up to look (and smell) like a corpse. The escape would be at night time. The idea was to have Gali transport him out of the Eastern Gate. He would tell the border guards that the coffin contained the body of a patient who died from a mysterious disease. A guard who insisted on opening the coffin will be hit in the face with the bad smells. This should deter them from asking more questions.
Gali and Yuriy were impressed by the elaborate plan. How the man manages to come up with the most insane and outlandish ideas are beyond their imagination. Is this something that is unique to Astramille? Or is it a trait that is widely shared by the humans of his world?
"It is unfortunate that you aren't staying," Gali sighed, "I can tell that you would be a valuable asset for this city, if not the entire world. I imagine that you would be able to improve many things, be it in the field of military, medicine, infrastructure and government. Indeed, Yuriy has told me that Wilmarina spoke about the weapons in your books. They sound nightmarish. Almost as nightmarish as the idea that you used them against fellow humans."
"People who hold power usually don't like change that reduces their power," Astramille replied, "and many of the changes that I can bring need them to voluntarily give up some of their power. As for using such weapons against each other, well, I'll just say my weren't created by a benevolent god. We came to be through a violent and chaotic evolutionary process."
A silence fell over the trio as they briefly imagined what Lescatie could achieve if Astramille remained and was allowed to have political influence. Indeed, he already did have some sway over the Lescatie elite. Father Noscim seemed to trust in him, and so did Princess Adelais.
"I'll wait for more news tomorrow," Astramille said, "and tomorrow night, I shall make my escape."
Meanwhile, Mimil was rightfully pissed off. She had paid through her nose to have Aeris use her precognition to find Astramille. It seemed as if she was close enough to grab Astramille. Then out of nowhere, all these monster attacks occurred and Lescatie is mobilizing to counterattack.
Mimil had asked Aeris to accompany the counter offensives, but Aeris glared at her and ordered her to speed up the repairs of Lescatie's detection wards. The little magical girl wanted to roll her eyes. She probably actually did, because Aeris ordered her to repair ALL of the wards. At least the princess was generous enough to increase financial support by squeezing the moneyed ones (virtually by the balls), digging into the wealth left behind by the dead rich people and by ordering other powerful mages to take part in the process.
Right now, she is the builders prepare the groundwork. Several other mages are present, along with Eva Mystia, a tactician belonging to Wilmarina's order. The group is situated in a battlement upon the Lescatie wall that overlooked the northern path that led towards Khrizno.
"Hey," Mimil said impatiently, "how long are you going to take?"
"Removing cemented stones bricks isn't easy," a builder replied, "hey, is it even necessary? Why so much preparation for a detection ward?"
Mimil nodded. The detection wards were laid down when Castor chose to make Lescatie a bastion of the Order of the Chief God. It was only in the recent decade or two that the nation transformed from a regular Gaulberian nation to a powerhouse that produced many heroes. The detection wards are a relic from the time when Lescatie was not as prominent in the world.
"Hey, Eva," Mimil said, "why did you tell me to repair the northern wards first? The eastern barriers have decayed the most."
To be honest, Mimil preferred to repair those wards, for Aeris's prophetic powers claimed that Astramille would most likely go out the eastern gate, so if Mimil stayed there, the odds of personally catching him are much greater. She knew that if she suddenly told the soldiers of Lescatie to keep an eye out for Gali and Astramille, the latter will almost certainly change his plans. Yet Eva said the northern wards are the most essential. The young man from the Mystia family is weak and effeminate, unlike his older brothers who became a powerful knight. That he was well educated in tactics and sorcery, or that he was in the hero order belonging to Wilmarina didn't garner any more respect.
"What are you doing now?" asked another mage.
"They are removing this section of the parapet and building a new one," Mimil replied, "according to my drawings. The new design will allow for artefacts that detect demonic energy deep inside the northern forests. I regard our northern defenses as the most vital."
Indeed, several more construction workers brought additional construction materials. Strangely, four of them carried a large dressing mirror set on top of an altar.
"What is that?" Eva frowned, "A mirror?"
"Indeed," Mimil smiled, "a mirror that has quite a few spells cast on it, allowing it to unveil monster sorcery. It was donated by Aeris, who received it as a gift from Talaram some years ago. Thanks to my upgrades, it is more than a mirror. It is a sensitive artefact that can detect demonic energy deep distances away. When activated, it will glow red if there is demonic energy in the direction it is facing."
She sighed, "But it will take a while to get everything in place. For starters, the gemstones I need for magic circuitry are yet to be crafted. I had requested them to be imported from Talaram, but that will take several days. Aeris practically told me to shove it with my 'absurd requests' and make do with what is available here."
Mimil looked at the builders, "This new sensor won't be operational for days, and hell if I know it will be ready in time. I heard that there are many monster attacks going on."
"What?" Eva looked shocked, "Already? I must go and prepare to lead counter strikes!"
"Forget it," Mimil shrugged, "Aeris and Adelais have already deployed. Merse and Wilmarina are also leading forces into the fray."
Eva frowned, "Indeed, those attacks could be diversions. Then we better stay behind. You know, so the monsters don't hit us while we're unguarded."
HELLO guys, I am back after beating writers block. After so long, the fall of Lescatie is finally beginning. The reason for the slow release is that it turns out Salvation, Fallen Knights of Lescatie is canon. If you remember a dozen or so chapters back where I wondered the revolver toting Western cowgirl hero Paula Tronmail was canon, well, she is. She will make an appearance in this story, but not yet. Wonder when the translation of the book will happen, because I need the page introducing her the most out of all the pages. If you have noticed, Kirche, a hero mentioned in the same book, has made her first appearance.
I got a profile on Monster Girl Redux to get the (admittedly wonky) translations for the Kenkou's books. Turns out Kirche wasn't a combat engineer. I made that mistake because on her profile were the kanji for "working soldier". I assume it meant combat engineer. Turned out she was actually an assassin who worked for the nobles. If a normal person fell in love with a hero or became the object of affections of a hero, Kirche assassinates them KGB style. But there is a twist in that I won't explain here. Regardless, I have changed my story, because assassin Kirche is more useful than sapper Kirche. Instead of Kirche repairing the northern wards, I have Mimil doing the work, while Eva (that feminine looking tactician who becomes an alp).