When Vault gave the word to move in, I expected something a bit more… organized, I guess? There were no groups, and we were simply forced to power through where the deadly miasma that surrounds the swamp was weakest.

That was the easy part of this long march though. The hard part was actually getting through the dense swampland, acting almost like a natural border between Dark Queen Olga Discordia and the rest of the world. What was worse was that the shield on my back was throwing off my balance a bit. I would have had it on my arm, but to navigate this damn swamp, I needed both hands free of constraints.

"Ugh…" I moaned as I climbed over a fallen over, rotted and moss covered log. "This sucks," I complained, before stumbling over an unseen stump.

Hicks was beside me. "I couldn't agree more," he agreed as he ducked under a warped tree branch. "But at least you had the foresight to wear a shirt. If I had known it was going to be this bad, I might have asked to borrow one," he said as he tried to brush some slimy stuff off his chest.

"Egh..." he made a disgusted noise. "Now I get why girls don't like it when I pull out." He tried to wipe his hand off on a tree, only to make another noise, as more of the substance gathered on his hands. I know his comment was probably made as a joke, but a part of me wondered if he was being serious.

"Hey, at least, Hicks..." Morgan said as he hurdled over a small river. "Once this is done, we get to clean up in a fine Dark Elf bath," he continued with exhausted laughter, Hicks joining in.

"Yeah, I hear theirs are among the best made..." he replied, grimacing as he began trekking through some muck. "Once we beat this bitch, I call first dibs on the bath," he said, before he found himself gagging from the smell. It was nasty from where I was standing, but I assume it is worse if you're wading through it.

I pushed a branch aside. "Are you guys talking about an actual bath or is this an euphemism going over my head?" I asked as I hopped over a hole in my direct path.

Kin saw fit to join us at that moment. "No, I believe they are being literal," the mage said as… electricity shot off of him every few moments. He seemed to have noticed my confusion and gave a brief explanation. "It is a spell meant to… dissuade small creatures from trying to attack me. It also works as an impressive insect repellent."

My only response was a little 'Huh…' before circling back to the other topic. "What's so special about a Dark Elf's Bath?" I asked.

Hicks was more than happy to explain. "The long answer involves much medical and magical mumbo-jumbo that I am sure four eyes there would love to go into detail on," he said, earning a glare from the mentioned mage. "The short answer is, it is considered to be one of the most relaxing and rejuvenating baths known to man. There is a spell in the water that destroys all dirt that enters it. I could hop into one covered in shit and all it would take is one dip to be fully clean again," he said as he waded out of the muck.

Yeah, he looked like he needed a bath.

I waved my hand in front of my nose. "Phew… yeah, you're gonna need that first," I said, half-way between a laugh and a gag.

Morgan noticed all the slime and grime Hicks was covered in and gave the scout a wide berth. "Let's not forget that a Dark Elf bath is also one of the most relaxing places to be. Or at least, that's how that fat little lard described it," he said, earning a confused glance from me, so he continued, "We only know of one, and it is currently in the ownership of one Michelle Pantielle. His father collects all things magical in nature, and unfortunately, they have the money to buy almost anything they want."

"So then how do you know it's a genuine Dark Elf one, and not something else he is passing as theirs?"

Kin spoke from behind me. "It was verified by another of their kind. From what I understand, they created it due to a lack of alternative methods to clean themselves off," he said as he vaulted over a log. "Not much is known about their societies, so we have to take what little we can... at least, until we can find their hideouts."

That didn't sound good.

"Are we looking for them?"

I heard a grunt from ahead. "No…" It was Vault. He had been halted by some heavy foliage, and had to cut it down. "Not yet anyways... RAGH!" He roared as he cleaved through heavy branches and other things blocking the route.

"I would love nothing more than to drag those whores out of their holes and show the world how they really are, but we have much more important things to worry about," he said. "Like the fact that the swamp isn't supposed to be empty like this."

Now that Vault mentions it, I had indeed noticed there was a surprising scarcity of activity from the supposed inhabitants of the area.

"You think they all gathered at the fortress?"

"Unlikely," Kin stated. "Monsters are not so organized. The most plausible scenario is they know that engaging us is suicide. And if there is one thing you can count on, is that they will always take the road of self-preservation when they know they cannot win a fight."

Morgan nodded. "Yep, for as strong as they are, they ain't too brave," he said as he sat down on a stump. "It's one of the reasons they prefer to go after women in a fight." He took out a canteen and took a quick drink. "They perceive ladies as the easier target to beat. It's one of the reasons why the ranks are so full of 'em too."

"What do you mean?"

Hicks was the one to answer. "Well, think about it. If they are gonna be after you anyways, you might as well know how to defend yourself in case you end up face to face with one." He said standing off to the side, and thankfully he was a bit harder to smell from over there.

"Most ladies are City Guards, you're never gonna see one as an actual soldier, because that's like saying 'Hey, I'm out, come and rape me!'" He had a shitty girl voice, I noticed. But the logic made sense, I suppose.

With the armor I had witnessed here... Yeah, a lady going out to fight is bound to get some unwanted attention. However, this gave me an excellent chance to ask a question that had plagued me for a while.

"Why do they dress so…" I paused as I struggled to find the right word. Thankfully Morgan, Hicks and Vault were more than willing to try and finish my question for me.

"Slutty?"

"Sexy?"

"Half naked?"

"Yeah, that." I rolled my eyes at their suggestions, but that was the general thing I was gonna ask anyways. Vault was the one to answer as he finished chopping through the brush.

"Well," he said with effort as he slashed one last time and began marching through the thick foliage. "It's due to the fact that most monsters prefer their captives as unharmed as possible. After all, they need them for babies," he stated as I followed him.

"They will always attempt to capture a woman. If they wear armor, then odds are they can take more punishment. So they don't have to try and restrict themselves when taking them down."

Hicks continued the answer. "Ironically, it's safer for them not to wear it. If they think they might risk a lady's ability to have their kids, they'll think twice about striking them anywhere. I've seen goblins take guys down by throwing a stone at their head, but never will they do the same to a woman. They will mainly try to grab ladies, and so most guards women need to be flexible enough to avoid that."

"So, what's stopping another kingdom from capitalizing on this... design flaw?"

The question had a double meaning. For one, it was a legitimate question. For two, maybe they'll clue me in on how they managed to defeat the knights of the castle.

Morgan laughed. "Ah… I can tell you're not from around here," he said with a smile. "The Kingdom of Eostia has good relations with the other nations. Eldonia, Kamia, Aurelia, all of them respect Celestine as a skilled diplomat, she has a habit of making peace everywhere she can." He hopped over another little hole. "It's thanks to their support that the kingdom has lasted so long against the bitch in the tower."

"But they have exhausted their own supplies keeping Eostia up," Vault told us. "They have had some issues lately, politics arguing that Eostia isn't trying to solve its issues, and is merely leeching off them and their supplies. A few decades ago, they all stopped supporting the kingdom."

Hmm… that makes the fact that everything is shitty make some more sense. "That doesn't actually answer my question though," I pointed out.

"Well then I'll keep it simple. Against monsters, that armor gives them an advantage. Against people though? I don't think they stand a chance," Kin stated plainly. "They have spent so long fighting this war against monsters that they have begun overspecializing in facing them, or at least defending against them."

I frowned. Maybe it's because I am from a normal world that I don't truly understand this one. Hentai Logic, I guess, is the rule around here, I shouldn't let myself be surprised by that. Even if they have justifications for their reasons, it doesn't make them good ones.

"Alright…" I said slowly, before Vault stopped ahead of us at a cliff-side.

Everyone else took a spot at his side, I apart from them, and simply took in the view.

In the distance was the Dark Citadel, standing tall and intimidating in the middle of the wasteland surrounding it. It stretched higher than any building I had ever seen, but then again, maybe that height was more intimidating because it was the only structure in the area.

This place… It will witness the end of one war… and the start of another.

With a few controlled breaths, I managed to steady my breathing. I had to be calm, focused, controlled, I had to be—

"ATTACK!"

Vault cried out that single command, and like the barbarians and savages they are, the Black Dogs poured out of the swamplands in droves. I noticed Vault and his top lieutenants jump down and race right to the front, leading the charge on this cursed place.

The main gates opened up and out of them charged a horde of monsters, but… Not nearly as many as I had imagined there would have been.

With a quick shake of my head, I shook myself from my thoughts and joined the charge. Being in the middle of this was kind of terrifying in its own way, because if I tripped or anything I knew I would be getting trampled. I ran as fast as possible, occasionally shoving people out of my way, trying to reach the front. As I arrived where the fighting was, I got front row tickets to see the Black Dogs in action.

Hicks was swift, practically dancing around the monsters he was fighting, a bunch of purple-colored Goblins, and many Ghouls. His every swing was quick and lethal, cutting off the monster's small arms, cutting their torsos in half, before beheading them.

Morgan was much the same, only his weapon of choice was actually a longsword, rather than two short swords. This let him get the larger targets Hicks wouldn't have been able to cut through.

Kin was casting magic from the back, sending several spells of different kinds at different monsters, from thrown Ice Spikes, bolts of Lightning, or even exploding Fireballs. He was probably the most destructive of the Black Dogs, seeing as he was throwing his spells at whatever monster he could see, it didn't matter if allies were close by, so long as he killed his target.

Then, there was Vault…

I hate to say it, but the guy was a beast in a fight. That greatsword on his back was not just for show, he swung it around a lot faster than he had the training weapon he used to teach me. He was taking on the biggest bastard out of all the Black Dogs, easily managing to slice through their flesh like a hot knife through butter.

Slicing them in half, then cutting their torso into a top and lower half, before ending with a beheading, all before the monster's body hit the ground properly. I was caught off guard with the speed and power he had, moving from one target to the next with hardly any wasted time. Practice didn't even come close to show me how strong he truly was.

It made me painfully aware how far I had to go to even have a chance against him.

However, in watching them work, I made the single, greatest mistake one can make on a battlefield: getting distracted.

I hadn't even realized a huge Orc was bearing down on me until its ugly pig face was close enough to me that I could smell its breath. I reached for my sword, but it was too late. It grabbed my arm and lifted me up, maybe aiming to stab me, throw me, or hell, maybe even tear my arm off. I wasn't about to let it do anything, so I built up fire in my hand, and began to immolate its face like I had done before.

I think I like doing that.

After it dropped me to grab at the burns on its face, I drew my sword and went on the attack. It was still blinded by recently having its eyes in close contact with fire, so I decided to go for a quick kill while I could.

I pointed my blade forward and thrust a single time, stabbing it straight between the ribs. It went in with little resistance, and slid out just as easily as it went in. Once I removed my sword, it fell backwards, dying a slow, agonizing death as it struggled to breathe through a punctured lung. Every breath was labored, and eventually it's chest stopped rising.

When I turned to find a new target, I noticed Vault carefully watching me. The hand on his chin and the small smile on his face were making me a bit uncomfortable.

Thankfully though, I didn't have time to worry about it. While I searched for a new enemy, I heard someone, I couldn't say who it was, call out, "WATCH OUT! GARGOYLES!"

I looked up once, and barely had time to react before a huge, flying creature tackled me. It had my sword hand pinned to the ground, and had its claws and teeth ready to slice me in two. I only managed to survive because I didn't need a weapon to get this thing off of me. As it came down, aiming to cut my neck open with its claws, I pushed my free hand forward up to its face and bathed it in fire.

It cried out, throwing its hands up to its face as it shrieked. I had taken that time to try and stand, but as soon as I got as far as sitting up, the Gargoyle's eyes, full of hatred, locked onto me. I found myself moving backwards as I stomped over to me, only stopping when my hand brushed against the handle of an axe.

It distracted me for a moment, and at that moment it planted its foot on my chest. In an act of pure instinct, I gripped the handle of the weapon, and planted the axe into its thigh with as much force as I could muster,

Once again, it let out a scream, before staring down at me with renewed anger, and was on top of me once more. But, rather than simply trying to cut my throat open, or bite my face off, it pushed me onto my back, standing on my forearm for a brief instant, before taking off from the ground with a mighty flap of its wings.

"WHOA WHOA WHOAA!" I yelled out as it began flying higher and higher. It had my arms pulled apart, I couldn't actually aim my magic at it like this. As it got higher and higher I found myself wondering if attacking it right now as a good idea at all. We were higher than I could survive, but it was only when I noticed what other Gargoyles were doing that I realized something needed to be done.

As it took me up, I spotted other people in the distance. I would have called them unfortunate, but everyone knows they deserve every death they get. They were lifted, just as I was, but then... They were dropped. The height would kill anyone, and I witnessed the results of the fall from my spot up here in the sky.

They splattered on touching the ground, nothing more than puddles of blood, bone and meat. I refused to let the same thing happen to myself. I had to think of a way to get it to do… something! Anything but dropping me from this height!

I couldn't use my sword, I didn't have the range to actually hit it. My hands wouldn't be able to hit its wings with any spells… what the fuck can I do here?!

Then I spotted it: the axe blade. I could hit that with a lightning spell… Not sure how effective it would be, but any idea was acceptable right now. For a fleeting moment, I felt my hand suddenly tense as electricity began coursing through it. It arced between my fingers as I felt it build before I finally aimed my palm at the blade, and fired.

The second the electricity touched the metal, the effect was damn near instantaneous. The monster roared in pain, and I would have too, if not for trying to concentrate on keeping the power on. Doing this wasn't my most desired option, but it was safe… relatively speaking, compared to anything else I could try to do.

I remember learning in school that an electric current can lock you in place: You can't let go because it's forcing your body to clench. I was hoping the same would apply in this situation, and to my luck (and pain) it worked.

Unfortunately for me though, I must have been shocking it for too long, because it had stopped flying. I had kept the power up to make sure it didn't let go, but that didn't stop it from falling, with me along for the ride. We fell towards the tower, and I felt my eyes go wide as I realized we weren't going to splatter on the ground: We were going to become a stain on the wall!

I cut the current and raised my arms to try to protect myself before we hit the wall, only to remember: It was holding me BECAUSE of the electricity! I slipped out of its grasp and fell. I thought I was going to die for a brief minute, and felt every ugly feeling of regret and sadness wash over me.

I had failed, hadn't I? There was going to be no noble quest, no saving the kingdom, no saving the world from monsters parading around in human skins. I was going to die, and no one would ever-

*CRASH*

….

"Ugh…."

I slowly stood up, the feeling of pain in my head deciding to make itself known, as I managed to sit upright. "Wha…" I stopped mid sentence as I slowly looked around the place I was.

"Where am I?"

Dark stonework, broken glass, black furniture, two torches on either side of the black and red bed…

Groaning, I reached into my satchel and pulled out a red bottle. One quick pull got the cork out, and I downed the entire thing in a few gulps. I closed my eyes as I let the potion do its work, the pain slowly fading away, and with it, the fog that clouded my thoughts.

"Okay…" I said slowly as I pulled myself up, using the black frame of the bed to help support myself as I finally stood up straight. I looked over the room again, and found I didn't miss much the first peek around. There was a black desk, a black chair with a red cushion, and a black dresser, but besides that, the room was as bare as I had originally guessed.

"How the hell did I end up here?" I asked myself as I looked over at the window. It was diamond-shaped, and broken. Angled slightly upward, but from the looks of it…

I must have crashed through it. I couldn't restrain the chuckle that left my mouth.

"Now… What are the odds of that?" I asked no one in particular, before turning my attention to the room itself. Besides the broken glass, it was pretty alright, all things considered. The bed was surprisingly soft, and the seat cushion was the same. Was this Olga's room? No, couldn't be, not fancy enough for a Queen.

Maybe Chloe's? But if that's the case, why is it so… empty? I would have thought she would have had more than just this… Hell, the dresser was empty when I checked it.

I don't believe this is her room, but if it's not either of theirs... Whose is it? Did more people live here than the Hentai showed? I hope not, that would make escaping a lot more complicated.

Seeing as I was alone, I figured I ought to crack open the Frostbite spell book and get it before fighting whatever is hiding in here. I wonder if this is how Bioshock protagonists feel whenever they get a new plasmid?

Anyways, one little magic download later I was ready to go. I grabbed my Shield off my back, strapped it to my arm Captain America-style, and slowly opened the door, barely wide enough to peek outside of it, and…

All I see is an empty hallway. Huh… Isn't this place supposed to be full of monsters? Where is everyone?

I left the room and checked up and down the hall. Nope, not a soul in sight, evil or otherwise. That's strange… Maybe they are all down fighting? Yeah… probably. But the better question is, how did they get down… And how do I get up? I loathed to start wandering without a map, but I guess I have no other option. I picked to go further down the hall, and began moving.

Thankfully, the absence of people allowed me to appreciate the architecture. It doesn't look too awfully unwelcoming if I had to say, and aesthetically pleasing to the eyes to boot. The black and red stonework, the smooth dark floorwork with the red carpet along the hallway and the slim torches all made for a pretty kick-ass looking place.

I can kinda understand why Vault chose to make this his main base of operations, even though the idea of understanding anything from that scum made me shiver uncomfortably.

But it was a bit… Minimalistic, if I do have to say. No art on the walls, or anything to help you identify where exactly you're going. The only reason I didn't end up going in a full circle was because on the third turn, I found a stairwell. It only took me one floor up, but still, progress is progress, no matter how little.

I ended up in another little living area, which struck me as odd... Why did Olga have so many rooms? Couldn't be for monsters, could they? No, I doubt it.

As I wandered the halls, I slowly found myself coming to the conclusion that I needed a map. This place, just like the White Citadel, was a god-damn maze. I was lucky I had Isaac as a guide, otherwise I never would have found my way. As luck would have it, though, I managed to exit the living quarters and found myself in… I am not sure what you would call it, to be honest. It was another hallway, that's for sure, but where it led, I didn't know.

Naturally, without many better options, I followed it. For a few minutes, I wondered where it would lead me. Unlike the White Citadel, this place wasn't exactly designed for human navigation. Maybe Dark Elves and Monsters have a special way of navigating long, dark hallways? I guess that would make sense in a strange way. Monsters live in caves, after all. Dark Elves, though... not sure.

I continued down the hall, and the one after, and the corridor that followed, until I reached a fork in the path. I took the right pathway, and found myself dreadfully lost again. With a sigh, I leaned against one of the walls and began pondering. Maybe I ought to double back and try and find another way? I mean I wandered for… God, I don't even know how long and haven't found anything. Maybe if I went down instead of up, I could find some other rou-

"Man-flesh! I smell MAN-FLESH!" I heard a deep, ugly-sounding voice come from down the hall. I glanced in the direction it came from, and watched as a group of three hulking creatures turned the corner. I recognized them as the same ones that rape Chloe in the animation… What were they, Ogres?

"There! There is man-flesh!"

You know? I figured I'd be more scared fighting monsters by myself a second time. After all, the first attempt didn't precisely go too awfully well, even if I managed to walk away alive. But that was before, when I was still new and unproven, this is now. It might not have been the longest gap, but a lot has changed, even if it doesn't feel like much time has passed.

"Alright…" I said slowly as I pushed myself off the wall and turned to face them, pulling out my Steel sword. "I'll make you fuckers a deal." I gave them each a look. "You tell me how to get to the top, and I won't kill you. Sounds good?"

I raised my sword and positioned my shield ready to block, and waited as they charged me. Thankfully, they were unarmed, probably because unlike me, their weapons would be too huge to swing in here without losing their effectiveness. The one in front attempted to hit me, but the punch thrown was as telegraphed as it was sluggish. Dodging it was an easy feat, especially after getting used to how swiftly Vault attacked during our training.

Before it could pull back its arm to throw another punch, I made a strong downward slash. It's arm was thicker than I had anticipated, and instead of cutting it off like I intended, I cleaved a fine, deep cut into the outstretched arm. I pulled my sword out of the cut as it pulled its hand back and roared in anger. Now, while it held its new bleeding wound, his friends tried to double-team me.

Thankfully, the corridor was still too tight for them to be effective at facing me. The second one charged me with his arms spread out, the third Ogre looked like he was going to try and catch me if I tried to slip behind the former. Luckily for me, I didn't need to do that, and instead swung in a wide horizontal arc, and managed to slice open its unprotected throat.

But unfortunately for me, I forgot one crucial detail: It was running at me. The beast's throat might have been split wider than the Grand Canyon, but that didn't stop its momentum. I realized this fact too late, and ended up being tackled by the body. Thankfully, it didn't die on me, and rolled off, making strangled gurgling noises as it held its neck with an expression of shock and fear.

As I stood back up, the two watched their companion die. Neither made any move to try and fight me again, nor did they go to help their dying kin.

"So..." I said slowly, getting their attention. "Who dies next?"

They took that as their cue to attack me again, but thanks to the practice Vault gave me, I was able to dodge their hits easily, especially since they were practically pushing each other out of the way to reach me. The wounded Ogre tried to grab a hold of me, but I learned from the last time it happened to never let them get away with it. It reached for me, one sidestep and another swing later, and I managed to cut its arm off… mostly.

In its pained throes, it managed to yank my sword away from me, as it was still stuck in the meat of its arm. The other one presumed this was an appropriate time to capitalize on my sudden disarmament, and began to attack without the worry of its companion getting in the way. Thankfully though, I know a shield can be as dangerous as any other weapon, Captain America proved that. I threw a punch at me, only for me to throw up my Shield just as it was about to hit me.

At the moment it did, I felt the ring on my finger pulsate with Magic, and it was followed by a howl of pain from the Ogre. I peeked past my shield and saw it holding its hand, but its knuckles were all kinds of fucked up. This made me smile. I began channeling magic into my hand as electricity, and let loose a small torrent, shocking the Ogre and stunning it. While it was vulnerable, I aimed a jab with my shield arm right at its throat, striking it as strongly as possible.

The edges of my shield, even as dull and blunt as they were, managed to break skin and cave in its larynx. It's hands reached for its neck as it collapsed onto its knees, trying its best to not suffocate. While I enjoyed watching it suffer and die, I had things to do. I raised my shield again and slammed it down onto the ogre's skull. That didn't kill it though, even if I could tell I cracked its skull, so I raised it again and slammed it down harder. I did this again, and again, and again, until finally it stopped moving.

Now… where did the third one run off to? By the looks of things, it ran away. Thankfully though, it was leaving an easy to follow trail of blood. It led down the hall, around the corner, and into the central area of the tower. I tracked the Ogre down to a place I could only call the Spine. It was a giant, hollow section of the tower. I looked down from the floor I was on, and saw hundreds of walkways on the lower floors, each leading from one side of the tower to the other.

I looked up and saw the same, but lights were hanging off the bottoms of the walkways, explaining the light without the normal torches. The structure was… odd. This wasn't built like anything I had seen before.

'Who the hell built this place?' I thought to myself.

It made me think of a dwarven city, with only it being above ground and not exactly as pleasant as a dwarf city would be. The entire place seemed sinister, which was fitting, I guess, for an evil queen.

I turned my attention back to the trail of blood, and found the bulky bastard crawling in the middle of the bridge connecting my side of the tower to the other. My sword was still lodged in its arm thankfully, and probably the only thing keeping the thing from bleeding out.

"Thanks for holding this for me," I said as I grabbed onto the handle and began to slowly drag it out of the Ogre's arm. It made a pained cry as I took it out and began wiping the blood off, but its pitiful whimpering was getting on my nerves as I did this.

So to shut it up, I kicked it, and watched as it rolled off the walkway. I peered over the edge and watched it slam into other bridges on its way down. Now that was music to my ears: listening to a monster's pained whimper slowly vanish as it falls to its death. A part of me was unhappy there wasn't anything to record it with, but I am sure I will have plenty of chances to hear it again.

In a weird way, I have to thank those Ogres for finding me. It would have taken me ages to find this area if one of them didn't politely show me the way. I took it slow, moving my way up the tower. I occasionally found a little Ghoul or Goblin, or even Ogre, but they didn't actually fight me.

The Goblins ran, the Ghouls I ended up more or less tossing off the bridges, and the Ogres weren't the brightest beasts I had ever fought. Maybe that was more me improving, but the point remains the same.

The way up however was a pain in the ass. I was exaggerating when I said I glanced down and saw hundreds of floors, but after moving up twenty myself, I began to wonder if I wasn't too far from the truth.

"Who…" I asked no one as I stopped in the middle of a bridge, hands on my knees. "Who the hell built it this high? 'Cause I want to beat your fucking ass."

As I took a few minutes to catch my breath, I reached into my satchel and took out one of the minor stamina potions I had. It tasted sour, and I couldn't help but shake my head and force it down my throat. For a few moments afterwards, I felt like I was going to vomit, but I did start to feel some of my energy come back. I didn't have a tone, but it was a start.

I began my trek up the stairs again and found myself exhausted five floors later.

"Whoever… designed this place… can literally bite my ass," I said between breaths as I gazed up and frowned. I still had a good few floors to go. I couldn't help but whine at the sight…

"Why couldn't you have just put in a damn elevator… or at least an escalator?" I complained before I began to continue my journey. This time though, I gave up on running and decided to only walk. It's not like Olga and Chloe are going anywhere, after all.

My pace was slower than I would have liked. I managed to climb an extra three floors before I had to take another break. I sat down on the edge of the walkway and laid back onto the dark smooth stone, and simply looked up at the remaining floor above me. When I get up there, I swear to God I'm going to slap them silly for making this damn place. I am not even joking.

I figured monsters would have been my biggest issue on the way to Olga and Chloe, but nope. The damn stairs are what's kicking my butt. It's pathetic, but true.

At least no one is here to witness me so defeated… right?

I rolled my head to the side and stared at the way I came, and saw no one. I rolled it to the other side and glanced around, and again not a single soul in sight.

...

Huh, usually when someone says at least no one is watching them, doesn't that usually mean someone is watching them?

... I let out a small laugh. What was I trying to do, invoke stereotypes? Well, since this was a hentai, I imagine at least some would apply… but maybe only the more perverted ones do.

For obvious reasons, of course.

After I felt sufficiently rested, I pushed myself back upright and stood up. Thankfully, I wasn't as fatigued from all that climbing as I had thought I was going to be. My exhaustion seems to have passed for the most part… Still, not gonna run the rest of the way up. I learned from last time that it'll only tire me out. And something tells me that I will need all the energy I can get if I was going to defeat them.

What struck me as odd, though, as I climbed these last few stairs, was the distinct absence of monsters between where I started and the top. I mean they were there, but not nearly as many as I expected for a Dark Queen of Evil. Maybe most of them were downstairs fighting Vault and the other Black Dogs? That was the only reason I could think of to explain why there were so few up here.

As I climbed the final set of stairs, I was greeted with two massive doors that I could only assume led to the throne room. I examined them for a moment and didn't notice any easy way to open them. There were no hinges, knobs, or levers to open them up, so I stood there and stared at it for a few moments, wondering how I was going to get this door open. I tried pushing it, slamming into it, shouting at it until it opened.

After exhausting all other options, I took a step back. There is no way they would make a door this monumental, only to have it not open. There must be a way, some sort of mechanism, password, or magical key…

I looked down at my hand and forced magic into it, creating the Sparks spell.

... I wonder.

Raising my hand, I fired a brief bolt of electricity, and much to my own relief, the door began to slowly, and loudly open up. So, magic-activated doors are a thing, huh? Good to know.

The throne room was immense, larger than I had anticipated, and a lot darker than I expected. The only torches in the room lit the path to the throne. It was so dark everywhere else that I couldn't even see the walls, or the ceiling. However, that was the least important aspect of the room.

The most important part of the room was sitting on the dark throne, and believe me when I say this: Animation and artwork don't do her justice, she was ten times more beautiful than I had believed her to be.

This was Olga Discordia, Dark Queen of the Northern Lands, and the first conquest of the sex empire. Her midnight black hair flowed downwards, I could see it spilling from the seat and continuing down to her heels. Her skin was a wonderful bronze color, like she had a full body tan. Her purple outfit was a strange combination of regal and sexy, loose and tight all at once. Her cape was separated into multiple smaller tails, rather than being one cloth, with the ends having a strange pattern I would assume made a full symbol when laid out.

The silver crown on her head was more detailed than the animation let on, with smaller patterns and engravings decorating it. The sleeve seemed to get looser as it got closer to the wrist, and yet was tight enough on her arm to not slide off. The same could be said with her… Corset, I guess? I didn't know how else to describe it, but it was loose enough on her that it didn't seem to support her breasts, yet tight enough to cling to her body as if they weren't merely pieces of cloth… or whatever they were made of.

Her body was, put simply, to die for: all curves, a flat stomach, thin waist, wide hips, plump thighs, large boobs (although, this close I could tell they were a bit smaller than Celestine's) that as I mentioned, were not supported by her attire. The most captivating part about her, though, were her eyes. While her hair did cover one, the one I could observe was as brilliant as Amber.

At the risk of sounding cliche, I couldn't help but find myself captivated by it.

It briefly made me wonder if every elf had eyes as magnificent as a gemstone, but I shook my head. I needed to focus, and get her out of here. Convince her to run, or something. I didn't dare march straight up to her, after all I doubt she would take too kindly to such an action, so I stood well away from her when I finally talked.

"Queen Discordia?"

From what I could tell from the animation, she was a very proud person… Not that we saw much of that before she broke, but still, I'd rather not try and piss her off. Something I noticed when I got closer, though, was that Chloe wasn't anywhere to be seen. Was she engaging the Black Dogs downstairs? I hope not, otherwise I am not sure what I was going to do.

The Dark Elf said nothing, barely even acknowledging that I was here by sparing me a very… disdainful gaze. A part of me wondered if I ought to get closer, and in a foolish move, I did. I approached her slowly, trying to make it look like I wasn't trying to rush her, or anything like that. I would rather avoid taking a lightning bolt to the face if I can help it, and given this armor… Yeah, something tells me lightning would be detrimental for my health.

"I need to talk to you," I told her urgently as I approached. "There isn't much time, but if you value your life, you need to leave." Olga didn't respond to me, almost as if she wasn't listening. "I am serious, the men who attacked are going to capture you if you don't escape while you can." Again, the Dark Elf had barely any reaction. I was about to insist again, only for her to speak instead.

"I will not flee from the likes of you, Human," she said. Her voice was monotone, regal, but not as condescending as I presumed she would have been. It sounded more as if she was stating fact rather than defiance.

As I opened my mouth to reply, I heard something behind me. Quick steps, like someone was sprinting towards me at a rapid speed. For a moment, I feared someone like Morgan or Hicks had got up here, since they were the fastest of the Black Dogs I knew of. Unfortunately, for me, it wasn't either of them.

"DIE!" shouted an angry, feminine voice. I barely caught them in my peripheral vision as I turned to face them. My instincts told me to block, so I raised the shield and leaned my head away from the incoming attack just enough that I barely managed to divert a blow that would have sliced my throat open.

For an instant, I felt an almost burning pain in my cheek as a slim, sharp blade cut it open. It wasn't deep enough to cut my cheek open, but it did slice through the skin.

There were only moments between that attack and her next one. Luckily, this time I wasn't caught by surprise and managed to actually cross swords with her. Our first strikes glided across each other, so did the second, third, and fourth attempted slashes, before finally managing a counter slash of my own. She dodged, of course, jumping back a surprising distance and avoiding even a scratch, and I got a good look at my would-be killer.

Her hair was a pale blonde. It almost made me think of a peeled banana, or cream. It was tied in a ponytail that extended well past her back, down to her calves. She had a dark brown cape hanging off of one shoulder, pinned to her navy blue, short sleeve jacket, and with a small thin chain connecting to a golden metal part on the other side of its collar.

Like Olga, she wore a strange type of corset, one that hugged her body tightly, and looked like it was made of a tougher material than Olga's. It was connected to her matching blue leggings, and looked almost like they were pulling them tight. What I found odd was that she wore an old looking pair of shoes and gloves. Both were brown, and looked well-worn, which was… strange, to say the least.

Her body, like Olga, was thin, but not nearly as buxom. Much leaner, though. Small muscle could be seen on the exposed parts of her body. Her biceps, forearms, stomach, and legs all had more strength than her size would lead you to believe. Her skin was a tad lighter than Olga, and while she lacked the same level of… growth, that did nothing to take away from her beauty.

Even though her ruby red eyes were staring at me with a hate that wasn't completely without reason, I had to admit it: Chloe was a beautiful woman, that was a plain fact.

I reached up and wiped the cut she left on my cheek. I didn't need to look at my hand to know that there was blood on it.

"Hell of a way to introduce yourself," I said quietly. A part of me wanted to be angry. After all, she just tried to kill me. However, in this regard, I can't say the attack is entirely unjustified, considering what I saw in the animation.

We began walking circles around each other. I made sure I was ready to raise my shield if she tried to rush me. "Human…" she growled out. "How dare you enter this palace!" Chloe stopped with her back towards Olga. "Your mere presence in this place is an insult, and yet you have the gall to even speak with Lady Olga?!" The Half Elf's expression went from suppressed anger to outright fury. "You Humans have no right to be here, let alone the right to approach her!" she shouted before she began her attack anew.

I will admit she was quick. A lot faster than the bandits I faced the other day, and the monsters before that. However, she was slower than Vault, even though it was simple practice. Her attacks came quickly, and I found myself focusing on avoiding her, rather than attempting to block.

"I'm trying to warn you, damn it!" I told her as we clashed blades.

"About what?!" she asked angrily. "The other Humans downstairs? You want us to surrender just because a few pathetic and worthless wastes of life are attacking?!"

A few more clashes occurred before we managed to lock blades. "Yes, actually, no!" I stumbled over my answer. "Yes, because the guys that are downstairs. No, I don't want you to surrender!" I clarified before pushing her off and back.

"You both need to leave while you can! If they capture you-" I was unable to finish before I had to block a fairly strong strike with my sword. I couldn't raise my shield in time to block it, so I had to deal with a briefly lost sword.

"I won't run from a damn human, no matter how many there are!" she told me in defiance. "I'll kill every last one of you before I ever let one of you lay a single hand on Lady Olga!"

Oh, Chloe, if only that were true.

I grunted as I had to block another strong attack. "There are too many to fight!" I countered. "Even if you can stop ten, there are twenty more ready to just run past you to get to your Queen!" That was an understatement, I realized. It was more like she could stop five while fifty-five got past her. "What do you think will happen if they reach her?!"

"Shut up!" The Half Elf barked as she began unleashing a flurry of blows. There were too many to block, and I took a few minor cuts along my biceps and chest area as a result. Thankfully, the iron held up, and she only managed to scratch the metal. I blocked every attack I could, hiding behind my shield in a way that almost made me feel like a coward.

But her attacks were rapid, erratic, wild even. I needed a way to get past her. I let her bash fruitlessly on the metal, waiting for that appropriate moment to lash out.

My main issue with this fight isn't that she is particularly skilled, or strong, but quicker than most other people, and I was trying to avoid a lethal blow. I don't want her dead if I can help it, but at the current rate I need to end it soon or something terrible will happen. If Vault comes up while these girls are up here, then they are as good as fucked, in both meanings of the word. I can't just stay on the defensive forever, though, I need to figure out how to beat her if I'm going to try and get Olga to leave.

When she took a break in her barrage, I forced magic into my hands, feeling the Frost spell start to form in my hand. If I'm going to win this fight, I need her to slow down. Unfortunately for me, I have to make do with the only spell I can think of to get her to cool off. It's not ideal, but nothing ever is. Building the Frost spell in my hand felt like I was grabbing an Ice cube right out of the freezer; cold, but not too cold to hold.

I took a deep breath. "Okay," I muttered to myself. "Time to cool you off."

Also, time for Ice puns. Yay.

I raised my arm and unleashed a jet of frigid cold air at the Half Elf. It was clear she was not expecting the sudden chill, and retreated behind a pillar. For a moment, I saw Olga's eyes widen at my attack, but she schooled her features quickly, unfortunately not quick enough to avoid my notice. While Chloe hissed at the sudden cold, I heard a quiet curse under her breath.

"Damn it," she said through chattering teeth. "What sort of trickery is this?!" Chloe called out from behind the pillar. "You do not have a spell tome. How did you do that?!"

As she said this, I reached down and got my sword back. "Tell you what, you agree to escape while you can, I'll answer that question," I answered.

"I am not running! Not from the likes of you, Human!" she spat, and I sighed heavily. If there is one thing I have to give her, she's stubborn, which is and isn't a good thing, because well, I NEED TO GET THEM TO GO. Her defiance was starting to annoy me now.

"Don't you get it?! There's an army coming up here that's too big for either of you to handle!" I yelled out. "Staying is a slow suicide, you have to leave before they finish climbing! Just save yourselves, both of you!"

Truthfully, a part of me wondered why I was arguing this with them. After all, their first instinct was to try and kill me, and they're being remarkably stubborn about staying.

No, what am I saying? I can't leave them to what Vault has in store. But how can I get them to leave when they clearly aren't going to at my insistence alone?

I let out a low growl as I came to a decision: If they wouldn't leave at my insistence, then I would have to beat them both. Maybe they'll try to save themselves once they know they are defeated?

"I don't care if there are ten of you, or a thousand! I won't let you lay a hand on Lady Olga!" Chloe declared again, before rushing me from behind the pillar.

Time to put Vault's training to the test.

Chloe charged me with a slash to my left, a swift one. I raised my shield and blocked it, letting it scratch the iron harmlessly. While she was preparing for her next swing, I started my own attack. I began swinging at her, taking care not to go for any lethal strikes, purposefully aiming for parts that were not vital.

She didn't seem to realize this, however, and did her best to avoid or meet my attacks. I managed to nick her a few times, making small, shallow cuts on her arms whenever she failed to get back quickly enough.

Something began occurring to me as we fought, though. She seemed out of her element now that she was forced onto the back foot. Chloe would try to find a way to strike back, but I would already force her to dodge again by the time she was going to retaliate.

"Enough!" Chloe cried out as she tried to stab me. However, I was running out of time and patience. If I don't end this soon, Vault will capture them, and then they are as good as dead.

As she thrust forward, I bashed her sword away with my shield. She hadn't been expecting that, and was left open. Now most people would call dropping my own sword a shit idea, and in most cases they would be right. But I don't want to cause any serious damage if I can avoid it, at least not with women. So I let my sword fall from my grasp, and while she was still recovering from my shield parry, I threw my palm up at her chin.

She made a strange noise as the heel of my palm smacked right on target. Chloe was off her feet for a second, before she fell with her back on the floor. I was worried for a moment that I had done some fatal damage, but the slow rise and fall of her chest alleviated these concerns.

"Why… you…!" Chloe quietly seethed from the ground. I took the moment she was down to get my sword off the floor.

While I bent over and wrapped my fingers around the hilt, Chloe had gotten up to her feet, with her free hand rubbing her chin.

"You damn human," she growled. "I won't let you lay a finger on Lady Olga!" she proclaimed, but between the two of us, it was clear who was winning.

That is, until she rushed me down. Something about her had changed: she was faster, hitting me harder, hell, even managing to land a few disorienting blows with her free hand. During her assault, she managed to cut the straps that held my shield to my arm, and left several nasty, deep cuts running the length of it.

"Damn!" I cried out in pain. Once the shield fell from my arm, I channeled magic into it, unleashing some more frigid wind on her relatively unprotected body.

Like before, she hissed and retreated behind cover. While she hid, I took the moment to heal the cuts she left on my arm. I let out relaxing breaths as the wounds closed, and I was no longer in danger of bleeding out. She left more on me than I thought she would have, but then again maybe she was trying to kill me via the thousand cut method. Once I was satisfied I got enough to be ready to fight again, Chloe ran out from behind her cover, and I was ready with another blast of icy winds.

To her credit, she struggled to power through it, but it was clear to me: Chloe did not like the cold.

As she got close, I made sure to parry, dodge and block her attacks as best I could, making sure she was hit with a steady stream of frosty air all the while. By the time I couldn't push out any more magic, Chloe was chilled enough to have slowed considerably. Even then, she was still trying to kill me. In a weird way, I had to respect the perseverance she had to still struggle.

Not that it mattered, as when she got close enough to try and attack me again, I batted her sword out of her hand and knocked her to the ground, putting a boot on her wrist and aiming the tip of my sword downward at her.

"You're done." I said, staring her hateful gaze down.

"What are you?!" The Half-Elf demanded.

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You… You should be dead by now! How are you still alive?!" Chloe asked as she struggled. "Those cuts I gave you should have killed you! Every time I punched you, your neck should have broken!" she yelled at me.

I blinked down at her, confused. She hit me hard, sure, but not nearly enough to break my neck. She cut me, but none of it was lethal.

"That's enough, Chloe." We both looked over at the seated Dark Elf, who was just sitting there, watching passively.

"B... But, Lady Olga-!"

The Dark Queen put her hand up to silence Chloe's protests. She then looked at me and said, "I will surrender." Her voice remained unchanged, and her expression remained still, yet underneath me, Chloe began struggling harder. She attempted to get her arm out from under my boot, and tried to bat away my sword, but it was no use.

"I can still fight!" Chloe claimed. However, Olga shook her head at the Half-Elf. Clearly, she was devoted, but unable to accept defeat with grace. It was… sad to me. Even though she was freezing, beaten, and pinned down, she struggled. Trying to get out from underneath my foot, trying to reach for her weapon, or hit me. Eventually though, she didn't have the energy to keep it up anymore.

Olga turned her gaze to me. "I knew the instant you invaded my Citadel that there was no escape," she said slowly, careful not to let any emotions slip out of her mouth or onto her face. "It was only a matter of time before you Humans came for me."

She closed her eyes and took a breath, as if readying herself for her next sentence. "Do what you must. I will not run nor hide. All I ask is that Chloe is to be kept with me," she said, keeping her head high, even though she just surrendered.

I blinked for a few seconds before taking my boot off of Chloe and turning to face the Dark Queen directly. "You know, you can leave if you want. So long as Vault doesn't know how you got out," I provided. Maybe they could leave, and I could avoid having to get them out myself?

The Dark Queen shook her head. "No, I cannot," she denied. "I will not run from Humans, or beasts. I am no coward," she told me. I found myself frowning. This was not what I had hoped to have to hear. Then again, I guess it means I'll have to go with Plan B… As soon as I figure out what Plan B is.

"Well…" I started to say. "I don't understand why you wouldn't want to save yourselves, but I can respect your choice to stand your ground in the face of defeat," I told her. For a fraction of a moment, she seemed surprised, but quickly schooled her features again. I only noticed because I was looking right at her. If I hadn't been, or had blinked when it happened, I would have missed it.

I reached for her staff and took it quietly. Olga didn't say a word as I shoved it into my satchel, nor did Chloe protest when I did the same with her sword. With both safe and secure in my bag, I realized something vitally important: I didn't know what to do now. Thankfully, I was… 'Saved' from having to explain that to Discordia as Vault, and the Black Dogs poured in soon afterwards.

He strode into the room as if he owned the place, only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw me standing there next to a downed Chloe, and an unarmed Olga.

"Holy shit, James!?" Vault called out with a quick approach. "Is that you?! I could have sworn you were dead when I saw that Gargoyle grab you!" His voice was jovial, but then took a turn for the creepy as he stared at Olga and Chloe. "Looks like you've been busy..." he said with a sinister smile.

Olga didn't even bother turning her head to face him, almost as if she didn't even acknowledge his existence.

"The Dark Queen has surrendered," I informed him. "Her only request was for her retainer to be allowed to stay with her."

Vault almost laughed. "I am sure we can manage that," he said with a smile before he barked an order. "I want ten of you to escort these bitches down to the dungeon we found." He glanced down at Chloe, noting her. "And get her in some chains. I don't want to risk her breaking out." His men nodded and began to move like clockwork, with the Dark Elves being escorted down to the prison.

I watched as Vault made a few long strides to the throne, and sat down in it. He looked positively evil as he leaned to the side, putting a fist against his cheek, and resting one leg on the other.

"You did good work today James," he said, smiling strangely at me. "I'll make sure you are rewarded well for your accomplishments today. Very, very well." That tone did not tell me good things, unfortunately.

All I could do was shrug my shoulders. "Just doing my job," I replied easily, earning a heart laugh from the King of Rape.

"If everyone shared your definition of 'Just doing their job', then this war would have ended centuries ago," he said, before calling out to all the men in the room. "VICTORY IS OURS!" he announced to the cheers of his men. "AND YOU KNOW HOW THE OLD SAYING GOES: TO THE VICTOR GO THE SPOILS! THIS CITADEL IS OURS!"

I lowered my head and trudged out of the throne room. I didn't know how long I had to figure out how to get out of here with the two Dark Elves, but I knew I had to do it fast. I need to steal them away before he can use them to attract more soldiers.

As I entered the Spine of the Citadel again, I looked over the edge and saw Olga and Chloe still being escorted down. For a brief moment, our eyes met. Chloe's were full of hatred, and Olga's of disdain…

With a sigh, I pinched the bridge of my nose, hopefully this doesn't cause any issues on the way out…

…. Oh, who am I kidding? Of course, it is.

Nothing is ever that easy.

Edited by LittleWhiteMouse

Howdy again, Doctor Dirtbag here with a brand-new chapter.

I want to say, sorry again for taking so long.

Anyways, this chapter has a lot of stuff that is sort of setting up for later. It also had a decent bit of stuff pushed into the next chapter simply because I didn't feel it fit right into this one. I wanted James, Chloe and Olga to have a real conversation at the end of the fic, but as I was writing it I… I guess I just didn't think it fit either Chloe or Olga's character to have a conversation right after surrender.

So the next one will probably have their first real talk, which is and isn't a pain in the ass for me because I need to try and make them seem like… NOT broken records, just repeating their hatred for Humans.

While I am sure this chapter isn't the best one I've put out I would like to know what you guys think of it.

Also, some of the older chapters are getting revisions. They aren't done quite yet, but I thought you should know about it.

That's all I got for now, so remember to follow, Favorite, leave a review telling me what you think or send me a message if you've got a question. And I'll see you guys in the next chapter!

One more thing: 384 Favorites & 514 Followers. Holy shit.

I never expected this many of you to like this story, I am humbled and honored to have so many of you supporting this. It means a lot more to me than you know.