Day 157 / Missing

"What are you two planning on doing after the crusade? Stay with the army?"

As he and his friends sat down to eat breakfast the next day, Garret broached that subject. Both Eric and Aisha shook their heads.

"No, we're planning on settling down."

"Oh? Where abouts?"

Eric nodded back in the direction of their homeland.

"Probably in that village on the plains. Or the port city we're after. Whichever seems nicer."

"Ah,… how are you going to manage that?"

"Well, when the last crusade returned, it rewarded its soldiers by helping them settle and retrain into whatever profession they wanted. Hopefully we'll get something similar. After all the work we've put in, we fuckin' deserve it."

"Sounds nice... So you're going to become a…?"

"Brewer."

Garret couldn't help but smile. Given Eric's penchant for alcohol, that should have been his first guess.

"… Or maybe a baker. I've always wanted to learn how to make bread."

Nudging his partner with a grin, Eric continued.

"I'll give you one guess what Aisha's going to be."

"Some kind of performer."

Aisha dropped her mouth open, in mock shock.

"Wow, how did you know?!"

Taking the ribbing in stride, Garret smiled and shrugged.

"Must have gotten lucky."

She'd probably have an easy time of things. At least her skills transferred well, so there was no need for retraining there.

"So what brought this up all of a sudden? Planning something, Garret?"

At Eric's question, he shook his head.

"Nothing specific… just thinking of the future."

"Ah, well knock it off! Talkin' about that during a crusade is bad luck!"

The soldier winked and chuckled to himself.

"Though, I think we're long past the point of being cursed, so let's keep going. What's your plan, Annika?"

"Oh, I don't know~… I'll probably have to settle down and work a boring guard job to support my dead-beat boyfriend until he can find employment.~"

"Oi!"

The group shared a laugh over the jab, but she quickly amended her statement with a serious answer.

"I'm thinkin' one of those forest villages back in Naton would be nice. I'm strong enough to get an outdoorsy job as a woodcutter or something. What do you think, Garret? Wanna come with?"

To be honest, he had had his fill of forests… that was where his first 'failure' had happened, and he doubted the anxiety from having to constantly be on guard for monster attacks would ever truly leave him, but…

"Why not. Sounds peaceful."

He'd dragged Annika into a lot of unpleasant business in this crusade, but she seemed like she'd still be perfectly fine with working a military job. If she was abandoning that for his sake, the least he could do was let her pick their town. Whatever problems they'd face there, they'd face them together.

"You know Garret, with magic so cool, you could make ends meet by opening a school!~ Naton doesn't have many sorcerers, so we always need good instructors for the few that are born. You could probably set up just about anywhere, and they'd come to you."

Aisha chimed in with a rhyme and an idea that was not half bad. As he picked away at his food, Garret mulled it over. Ordinarily, he'd have hated the idea of standing at the front of a class, teaching people, but… He had been getting used to commanding positions through his forced appointments as a squad leader. Maybe he could make something of it.

"That actually might work. Thanks for the tip, Aisha."

"No problem!"

It was certainly less violent than working as a guard or soldier…

Day 158

Another day, another patrol. Oddly without a ranger, that afternoon Garret was put in charge of another scouting team and sent into the woods. With no formal experience, he tried to follow Rick's example, keeping everyone low, and occasionally disappearing on his own to check the path ahead (it took a lot of convincing to get Annika on board with that), but in all honesty, he was fumbling in the dark here. Once or twice, he made a good call, spotting a grizzly or amazoness before they themselves were noticed, but that wasn't always the case. Once, when he was by himself, he'd focused so hard on surveying the ground that he was completely caught off guard by a fairy, who whistled a tune from above him.

Perched on a branch directly overhead, she made a playful show of bouncing a chestnut off his head, then flew away, giggling. Thankfully, she didn't seem in the mood to attack, so Garret didn't bother wasting a spell. Instead, he focused on calming his heart from that start and thanking his Goddess it wasn't something nastier. Yes, he was going to be exceptionally happy once they were finished with endless, corrupted forests…

They returned from their mission that evening, thankfully, with no casualties. The same could not be said for the other scouting groups. Almost half of them had taken significant losses and been forced to flee. A couple hadn't returned at all. As they handed in their report on the upcoming terrain and possible monster ambushes, Garret and Annika heard someone call their names from behind. When they turned around, they found Rick, also having just returned from a mission.

"I see the two of you have been doing well, even in my absence. Wanna get some food?"

With no reason to turn him down, the two agreed and made their way over to one of the mess tents.

The shaded portion of the forest they were in got even darker once they stepped under the tent's canopy, necessitating the use of candles or small lanterns. While Garret and Annika waited in line for food, Rick secured them a table, and after a bit of shuffling around the crowded mess area, the three of them eventually sat down to eat.

"So how are you guys doing?"

"Great! Garret's been leading scouting parties, and we haven't lost a single person!"

"That's more because we haven't had to fight anything yet…"

"Hey, discretion is the better part of valour. There's nothing wrong with being sneaky."

Garret shrugged as Rick remarked on that. He thought it was more luck than anything else, since he still had no idea how to command a scouting team, nor did he know how to move them (or himself) silently.

"To be honest, I don't think we were particularly good stealth…"

Then again, he did have a specialist on that topic sitting right in front of him. After taking a few bites of his stew, only visible thanks to a single candle that light the darkness, he decided to ask.

"Would you mind giving me some tips?"

Rick's face lit up when he was asked that.

"Of course! After we eat, I can even show you some practical tricks in the bush!"

"Sounds good. Thanks."

Without waiting, Rick launched into a detailed explanation about the intricacies of scout tactics, completely neglecting his food as he did. The man's enthusiasm (and abundance of knowledge) was welcome, but also somewhat surprising. Just about every question Garret had, he was able to answer quickly and accurately, without pause. Either he really enjoyed sharing his knowledge, or he'd been preparing for this. Maybe he'd been instructing other soldiers beforehand?

One hour of 'lectures' quickly turned into two, then three as he dragged Garret and Annika into the bush to teach them the basics of movement. A quieter way of walking, a technique for moving through the vegetation without disturbing it… though a single session would not a ranger make, the skills he taught could help even if not executed perfectly. Eventually though, once it started to get really dark, the trio headed back to camp.

"There. That should help you not die."

"Hopefully..."

"Thank ya' for the lessons, Rick. We'll put 'em to good use."

"Yeah, thanks."

The ranger smiled and gave the two a 'thumbs-up'.

"No problem, guys."

The group walked in silence for a bit, before Rick broke it with a question.

"Oh, by the way, how are you two doing? Like… really doing?"

"Hm?"

"I'm just checkin' in. The crusade's been going on for almost half a year now, some people are starting to get worn down."

"I bet…"

Garret related to that a bit too much.

"It's been a long crusade, but I'm managing. Garret?"

When his partner bounced the question to him, he shrugged, then lied. Unlike with a Valkyrie, he didn't have to worry about Rick sniffing out his true feelings. Only Annika knew those…

"I'm ok. Doin' just fine, but thanks for the concern, Rick."

Their friend paused after hearing that, but a moment later, gave a cheerful reply.

"Glad to hear it. What are y'all planning on doing once this is over?"

"Isn't talking about that bad luck?"

Rick smiled and waved away the banter.

"I place no stock in luck."

"Fair enough."

When Garret and Annika repeated their answers, he nodded approvingly.

"Sounds like y'all have it figured out. I've gotta ask, though, have either of you considered staying with the army? Annika, you'd make squad-leader in no time, and Garret, the men already love you. You'd be a shoo-in as an officer."

He didn't even want to think about that…

"Nah, I think I've had enough sleepin' in the dirt for a lifetime."

Annika's reasoning, while not the full story, gave the two men a chuckle. That was something just about every soldier could relate to.

"Same. It's been interesting, but we've done our duty. Besides, Naton needs teachers for what few sorcerers there are."

"I'm kinda surprised you won't be returning to Northreach."

In response to that, Annika made an exaggerated show of shivering.

"I think we're both happy to be out of the cold. After 20-some years of ice and snow, we're due for a change."

"Oh, really? You don't like it? I loved the snow when I was assigned to northern nations."

Garret was about to ask about his prior travels, but before he could, Rick decided he should extol the virtues of military life.

"You know, you really should consider sticking with the army, even if it's just working for the city defense. With your reputation and what you've done, you could have a very promising military career ahead of you. Think about it! An officer's life means better quarters, less danger, more pay, better food, the list goes on!"

Garret nodded along politely, pretending to consider it, but he'd already made up his mind. He doubted he'd be comfortable with the sorts of orders he'd have to give, even if he wasn't the one carrying them out.

"Thanks, Rick, but we're pretty set on this."

"Sure, of course. Just don't be hasty, that's all I'm saying."

Unfortunately, Rick was oddly persistent about this topic over the next few days, seemingly badgering Garret about it whenever he had the opportunity. Though Garret was happy for the scouting advice he got as part of their chats, the man's insistence on trying to convince him to reenlist was starting to get annoying. Especially when he tried to use Garret's past deeds as motivation.

"I mean really, you'd be the perfect fit. You saved a whole bunch of soldiers back in the spider nest, you've got that sense of empathy and duty to your comrades an officer needs. I'm sure the men would be ecstatic to have someone who'd prioritize their safety as a leader, unlike some of the other career officers I've seen."

"Rick. Drop it. I'm not joining the army, and you're not taking 'no' for an answer."

The rebuke came a little harsher than he intended, but maybe that was ok. It seemed like Rick finally got the message.

"Right… Sorry. I fixate on things."

"Well let it go."

"Yeah… I'm a military man so I'll be staying in, but if its not for you, I guess it's not for you."

He seemed a little sad admitting that, but Garret didn't let it tempt him. A half dozen scouting missions, many resulting in what he had now begun to feel were unjustified killings, had cemented his decision. He had to get out of here.

"Really, you like this kind of life?"

Rick raised a finger and corrected his question.

"It's not about what I enjoy, Garret, I think I already told you I actually hate this... But as they say, the path to heaven runs through miles of hell. This is about bringing glory to our Goddess, The Order, and all mankind."

He smiled.

"In that order, of course."

Hearing the man's devotion to his ideals, Garret suddenly felt a little inadequate. Unlike him, Rick wasn't letting his feelings drive him out of the army.

"I wish I had that much conviction…"

"Well you've had enough to do greater deeds than I."

"I guess."

Day 164

"Hey Annika, can I borrow you for a mission? I'll give you back when I'm done."

"Rick, ya already know the answer to that."

Unfortunately, while Rick had stopped pestering Garret about his future plans, his meddling didn't end. Instead of bothering him, he had made a habit of trying to drag Annika with him on his own scouting missions. They were down a man one day, his assigned partner was incompatible another, he was escorting some… less than competent folks and needed someone good, the excuses were vast and varied, but Annika always shot them down.

"You tryin' to flirt with my partner, Rick? That's not nice."

Though he was mostly joking (the man's persistence made his motives a bit suspect), Rick flailed, waving his hands.

"No, no! Sorry, I can't help that I've been getting shit assignments back-to-back for the last week. And we did so well together last time, I was just-"

"Last time, Garret nearly died. I've gotta stick around to protect this sorry excuse for a soldier."

Annika grinned and elbowed Garret jokingly, but the force behind her first few words betrayed a conviction that was extremely serious.

"Sorry, Rick, we're not splittin' up again. Every time we do, something goes to shit."

Garret had hoped the man would drop it when she said that, but like the many times before, he kept at it.

"Well you can't blame everything on that. Besides, you might have gotten infected too, and what good would that have-"

"Gods above, Rick, you're acting like a damn monster. Will you ever take 'no' for an answer?"

That comment struck Rick hard, and he had to pause a moment to process it, before angrily responding 'I'm not a monster!'. When he composed himself, he just sighed, look at Garret, then at Annika, and walked away.

"Good luck, you two…"

When they were alone, Garret shook his head, exasperated.

"What's gotten into him?"

Annika was likewise confused.

"I don't know… He wasn't always like this, right?"

"No…"

"Strange."

Truthfully, Garret didn't know why he was so insistent. Though the crusade was still sending groups out, all of their missions had been cancelled, delayed, or rerouted over the past few days. Why make such a fuss over something that was likely to be reorganized at the last minute?

When Garret and Annika arrived at their rally point, they found that, like before, this mission had been altered too. Unlike previous ones, though, rather than being cancelled or rerouted, this operation seemed to have been massively expanded in scope. Instead of the ten or so different scouting groups that their crusade usually sent out, the area was absolutely packed with dozens of them, and the sizes of each had been expanded. What was going on? That question was answered when Lukas and Brynhild arrived to speak to them.

"Good morning ladies. Gentlemen. I hope you all are well rested, because we've got a lot of work ahead of us. We're a day or two from a port-city – our new goal, since the first was destroyed."

Lukas glanced at Garret as he said that, though he didn't seem angry or annoyed. Far behind them, a massive column of smoke rose from the ever-burning ruins of Hafe – a new, semi-permanent landmark they'd been using to navigate. … Yeah… that had complicated their plans.

"I'll be honest with you. This is the furthest we've gotten into the demon realm in centuries. Our maps are incomplete, our intelligence is lacking, and we just don't know what we'll find in this next town. That's why we've been losing scouts. That's why so many of you have been called forth today. Ms. Vlack? If you would?"

The wizard to his left spent a moment chanting a complex incantation, and glowing blue magescript appeared in the air. The writing twisted and warped as it formed contours and labels, eventually displaying a (very patchy) map of the surrounding area. In its center was an inlet with a dot at the end, marking the city they were advancing on.

"Siegfried's Landing, here, is our goal. Your sergeants and officers will give you your updated scouting routes, but the general plan is to survey a wide arc around it, and get as much information about the city and surrounding area as possible. Again, I stress – we don't know what you'll find there. Stay vigilant. If something seems strange, if you spot anything unusual or dangerous, don't hesitate to run. Just get back here and tell us what you saw. Understood?"

After a murmur of agreement, he nodded.

"Good. Then, good luck everyone, and may the Goddess be with you."

The magical map stayed in the air for a bit longer, and Garret took a few minutes to study it. They had a long walk ahead of them, but at least the weather seemed like it'd hold. They'd had sun and clear skies for the last few days, and today seemed to be no exception.

"Everyone, stay down and stay quiet…"

Following their orders to be cautious a bit too dutifully, Garret crept his group through the forest at a sluggish but near silent pace. Rick's lessons had seemingly paid off, and though they occasionally heard shouts or sounds of combat in the distance as other, more advanced groups were found and attacked, their squad continued their slow but steady motion unmolested. As they moved, Garret paid a lot of attention to the surrounding trees and ground. If they were walking into another matango village, he was determined to spot the signs before it was too late.

Thankfully, he only saw a handful of non-matango mushrooms scattered here and there, as they walked. There was no sign of anything particularly infectious or dangerous amongst the plant life, but he did notice that, the further they went, the more lush the environment became. Even beyond the supernatural beauty of the demon realm at large, here, the moss and grass were softer underfoot, bushes became thicker with deep green leaves, and the flowers and fruits in the canopy grew even more vibrant.

"A powerful monster, or a lot of smaller ones… or both."

Garret's thoughts drifted back to the first time they'd spotted something like this, which lead to them fighting an entire army. This wasn't a good sign… but it wasn't grounds for retreat yet, either. Of course there would be lots of monsters in a town, with demonic energy levels to match. Nothing unusual there. He shivered as a sudden gust of cold wind blew past him. The sky had been clear when they'd left, he hoped there wasn't a storm blowing in.

A strange encounter with a plant mamono slowed them down a little, but not enough to completely derail their plans. The wool-covered girl, sitting in the center of what looked like a big glob of jelly, was emitting a sweet fragrance that entranced half of their scouting group. Garret managed to hold onto his reason, having gotten used to this type of attack from repeated exposure, and Annika managed to catch the rest of their soldiers before they could make their way to her.

The woman was a problem, Garret thought, but she wasn't threatening enough to waste a spell on. She, unlike an alraune, didn't seem to have control over her roots, so the main crusade could deal with this. Turning away, Garret helped Annika with pulling their entranced soldiers out of danger and forcing his group to continue on. As they left, a rain drop landed on him, shortly followed by a few more, and the forest around them began to darken. Shit… this was going to be unpleasant.

… Or was it?

When they stepped into a clearing, Garret looked to the sky and found that, despite the darkness, gusts of wind, and occasional smatterings of rain, the cerulean expanse above them was perfectly clear. With not a cloud to be found, he wondered if the rain had gone as quickly as it blew in? Another drop hit him, nearly dead in the eye. … No, evidently not.

Utterly confused, he looked around. Such strange weather… and the area was still darker than when they'd set off. Something wasn't right here.

"Lets go a little further... But keep. An eye. Out."

If something was going on, they had to be careful… who knew what was in store?

The atmosphere got progressively darker as they crept through the forest, and the previously intermittent rains gradually coalesced into a proper downpour. At least here, under the dense canopy, the trees provided them with a bit of shelter, despite blocking their view of the sky.

In the distance, they heard the war-horns of the crusade – something must have attacked it. Though that worried him, Garret didn't let the thought affect their mission. If it was a small attack, their hero and the mass number of troops there could handle it, and if it was large enough to pose a serious threat, his presence wouldn't make a difference. … Not that they'd be able to get back in time anyways.

When they found their way into another, larger clearing, Garret looked up to check the weather and was once again confused by the presence of the clear blue sky, despite the ongoing downpour. Annika, however, picked out the detail he'd missed.

"Garret… Where's the sun?"

That question was a cause for concern, and he frantically looked around. It was just after noon, the sun should have been right above them. Instead, there was nothing… only endless blue.

"… That's not right…"

Behind them, the booming of spells and continuing war horns signaled that the main portion of the crusade was still in combat. Were the two related? Garret racked his brain to think of what could possibly link the two, but came up with nothing. Maybe a proper wizard would know, but there was nothing he'd been taught that helped here. … Then again, this was so far out of the ordinary that it was possible even they would be dumbfounded.

"I think this qualifies as 'somethin' strange'…"

Garret agreed, but some of their group did not.

"Ok, so the sky is blue… that's strange, but shouldn't we keep going?"

"Yeah, we haven't gotten anywhere close to the town yet."

He quickly overruled them, not wanting to press his luck, marching into an unknown anomaly.

"It could be a sign of something dangerous. I'm calling it here, we're heading back. Maybe the officers will know more."

Unfortunately, one of his swordsmen was a bit bloodthirsty and far more headstrong than Garret. He stepped forward and challenged the command.

"With respect, Mr. Fax, how dangerous could it be? Whatever it is, it's only affecting the sky. It hasn't done anything around us, and we still need to get information for The Order."

They didn't get it… of course they didn't, they hadn't received any formal magical education. Garret sighed.

"You're right, currently it's not dangerous, but-"

Forcing his will by pulling rank wasn't Garret's way. He barely had the confidence to command, much less try to overpower other opinions. Instead, he'd rather get them to understand, and was about to give a quick lecture about the dangers of weird magic anomalies, when he was interrupted by a bolt of divine energy.

The lightning blast shot from the crusade, over their heads, arcing towards the sky and… piercing through it? The scouting group, Garret included, were left puzzled as the bolt suddenly disappeared, leaving what looked like a dark grey hole in the blue. A few seconds later, they had their answer. Cracks splintered out from the 'hole', racing towards the horizon. Once they reached it, the 'sky' shattered, revealing a massive thunderstorm, the dim, previously hidden sun, and hundreds of flying mamono dive bombing the crusade and anyone they could find.

"… But that is…"

Garret was left standing there for a solid minute, jaw dropped open. An illusion?! That covered the entire sky?! He could only stare in awe. The incredible magical prowess, not to mention the absurd amount of energy it would have taken was beyond anything he'd ever seen. Maybe their hero splitting the mountain, but…

"Succubi!"

Annika's shout snapped him out of his admiration. While most of the airborne mamono were focused on the main crusade, handfuls of succubi here and there dove into the trees to attack the other scouts… and four of them were coming this way.

"Shit… Everyone! Back to the forest! We're retreating!"

Icy fear shot through Garret as he and the soldiers ran. He'd gotten stronger over the months since the village, but had no confidence in being able to fight his way out of this one. One proper succubus was bad enough, but four was a total non-starter. Glancing to his left and right, he did a quick tally on their air-defense. Tobias and Eku, the Stillbrook spearmen he'd rescued long ago, were the only protection they had. The rest were sword or axe-men, so besides him, they had no way of striking back.

The trees, which Garret had hoped would shelter them from the coming monsters, did a reasonably good job, but not enough to stop their general location from being tracked. Somehow, no matter how quietly or carefully they moved, their group was always found and forced to scatter as the mamono dove through the canopy like kingfishers, trying to snatch one of their number. They had several close calls, with sword or spearmen diving out of the way when they heard the crack of branches above them, but it was only a matter of time until one got caught.

A woman, perhaps fatigued from their mad scramble through the brush, was a bit too slow. In the blink of an eye, a beautiful, curvy succubus crashed through the canopy, tackling her to the ground. Seemingly unconcerned by the spears and swords that were drawn and pointed at her, she made a playful show of tossing her blue hair back, then winking and blowing a kiss to the group. Before they could reach her, she wrapped her arms around her stunned victim, and launched herself back into the sky with a powerful flap of her wings. Once clear, she headed back towards Siegfried's Landing.

The partner of the kidnapped woman yelled and tried to run after her, but was immediately taken down by one of his fellow soldiers.

"Don't be a fool! There's nothing you can do!"

One of the woman shouted that to him as he was dragged away by the rest of the group who were, understandably, not thrilled at the idea of standing still any longer.

"We'll come back for her! When the crusade takes the town, we'll rescue her!"

Trying to calm him down, Garret shouted his own words of encouragement, and prayed this particular soldier hadn't been with the group that attacked the village on the plains. They'd seen there that succubi could turn people in less than an hour. Deep down, Garret knew he there was no saving her.

Emboldened by the snatching of one soldier, the attacks on their party became more and more frequent as the three remaining monsters dove again and again into the trees. With hours of hiking left to go, there was no way they'd make it back without losing more. Wracking his brain, Garret tried to think of a solution. If he could get a few good spells in, maybe he could convince them they weren't worth attacking… With no other options presenting themselves, when Garret spotted a small clearing, he ordered his soldiers towards it.

"There! Everyone, into the clearing! Defensive formation, I've got an idea!"

Succubi were always protected by powerful wards, but that made them overconfident… if he could force his way through them, he might be able to kill one and scare the rest off.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Garret…"

As the group surrounded him and succubi darted through the sky, Garret nodded, then steeled himself. He mentally calculated how much energy he'd need, then drained the entire reserve from his crystal to produce a brilliant, crackling spear of white flame.

… That wasn't enough…

He channeled yet more of his own energy into it, and the spear elongated, glowing even brighter. He held the spell as he looked for his target, tracked it, then threw the it with all his might.

With so much power contained within that bolt, Garret's spell spent almost no time fighting against the wards of his targeted succubus. He felt the sudden rush of energy out of it as the spell worked to overcome the magical barrier, but a split second later, there was a concussive retort and the ward shattered. He wished he could have seen the look on that monster's face.

In the split second between the ward failing and the impact of the spell, the succubus twisted, trying to dodge at the last minute. That motion might have saved her life, but the spear was moving too quickly for her to avoid it cutting through her breast, her arm, and blasting off a wing, before flying into the distance. Seriously wounded, she plummeted into the forest, crashing through the branches.

Garret took a deep breath, then willed another spear into existence. This was dangerous… the succubi would know just as well as he did that he'd expended what should have been a lethal amount of energy. Any powerful mage would have been able to do that once. He had make them think he could do it twice... Or more.

Pushing his hold on the magic to the limit of his abilities, Garret reshaped his second spear, hollowing its core and expanding it to the same size as his first. Once he'd stoked it to white-hot temperatures, he sent it flying towards his second target. While it looked the part, this one had nowhere near as much energy invested in it as the first, so it would quickly fail if it hit a ward. Thankfully, the succubus didn't take her chances. She dove down into the trees before the spell could hit.

With most of his energy burnt, Garret started to collapse from fatigue, only to be caught by Annika.

"Garret!"

"I'm… I'm fine! … I can take it!"

Forcing himself to focus, Garret glared into the sky and tried to hold himself upright. The third succubus had stopped, hovering in midair, seemingly taken aback by him casting those two (one) ultra-powerful spells in quick succession.

A flame ignited over Garret's hand, and another spear was summoned into being.

Seeing him preparing yet another spell without pause, the monster fell for Garret's bluff, and quickly retreated. She flew back to help her wounded comrade, and disappeared into the wood.

"Oh… Ok… We're safe for now… Now, everyone… everyone… get to…"

Having overexerted himself once again, he crumpled, relying fully on Annika's support. With their leader down, she took over command, and ordered everyone back into the forest.

Garret faded in and out of consciousness during their trip back to The Order. There was a line, beyond which his energy expenditures would become lethal, and he had walked it far too finely for his liking. At least he wouldn't be visiting their Goddess this time, though. … But maybe that wouldn't have been so bad. He had a lot of questions for her.

As they moved, he tried to stand on his own, but Garret mostly found himself being dragged, arms draped over Annika's and another swordsman's shoulder. He passed out and fell back into unconsciousness, only to be suddenly awoken an hour later when he was thrown to the ground. He tried to push himself upright, but lacked the energy to hold himself up, and was forced to lay there in a crumpled heap as shouts and sounds of combat came from all around him. Eventually, someone picked him up and began to drag him again, but Garret didn't have the energy to look. Had they won? Had they lost? Was anyone injured? He didn't know, but he didn't have the time to think about that. A few seconds later, he'd faded out again.

BOOM!

As they approached the army of the crusade, Garret was jolted back to reality by an explosion that showered him with dirt and elicited startled cries from everyone in their group. Having recovered just enough to lift his head, he looked around and found himself standing in the middle of an absolute wasteland. Trees and grass had been disintegrated, scouring the area down to bare earth, and craters and crevices dotted the landscape. Looking at this now, he'd never have guessed it had once been a dense forest.

With a glance upwards, he discovered the cause of this. Like the clash of armies on the border of the demon realm, here too, their hero and Valkyrie were engaged in an aerial duel with some sort of powerful monster. The powers displayed here, though, made that fight look like child's play. The spells here were bigger, the impacts, louder, and the destruction to the environment, easily twice or thrice as widespread as before.

The collateral damage was so great, Lukas and Brynhild were forced to overextend, moving far away from the crusade for it's own protection… but that left the common soldiery at the mercy of swarms of succubi. Despite The Order's best efforts, they only had marginal difficulty picking off soldiers here and there, flying their captives back towards the town. Things looked grim, and it pained Garret that he couldn't do anything to help, but… well… he couldn't even keep himself awake, let alone fight. As their group made a mad dash across the wasteland, dodging spells and succubi all the way, his consciousness fled him, one final time.

Day 165

Garret awoke around noon the next day, having slept almost twenty four hours. Pushing himself from a strange cot and crawling out of the unfamiliar, damaged tent, he forced himself to move. He had to find his soldiers and learn what happened, no matter how weak he felt.

As he trudged through the camp, Garret surveyed the destruction. It had been set up haphazardly, with tents and sleeping areas crammed between craters, and judging by the extensive damage done to… just about everything, their supply wagons must have been hit. Around him, other soldiers scurried to and fro, though in far fewer number than Garret was used to. Was it because of the terrain? Had most been sent out on missions? Or had they taken horrific casualties? It didn't take a pessimist to see that the final option was the most likely…

In the sky above them, a bolt of light darted around – Brynhild, no doubt keeping a watchful eye over the crusade and surrounding area. At least she was here, and her presence seemed to bring comfort to the soldiers, who occasionally cast quick glances up for reassurance.

"Hey! Fax! Over here!"

As he approached the frontline, Garret was greeted by name as Tobias waved him over. Stationed as guards, a portion of his scouting team were sitting on the remains of rocks or tree stumps at the camp's perimeter.

"How are you doin', man? Rested up, now?"

He shook his head.

"Not nearly enough… Where's the rest of our squad?"

Tobias shrugged.

"You're looking at it."

The man's partner, Eku, and another pair of swordsmen, bloodied, dirtied, and exhausted, were all that remained.

"Shit… I'm sorry I couldn't do more…"

Though everyone was in low spirits, with most more focused on staring at the dirt than keeping watch, one of them spoke a few words of encouragement.

"Don't apologize. Without your little show, none of us would have made it back."

Maybe… Garret tried to think of it that way, but his relief was short-lived. As he tallied the number unaccounted for, he came to a horrifying realization: Annika was missing.

Author's Notes: And now it's time to leave the story on a cliff-hanger and disappear for the next six months~.

Just joking of course. I know how much everyone loves to be left hanging, so I'll do my best to hurry the next chapter along. I'm going to be really busy with work as my company prepares for a tradeshow we're attending, but that also means I'll be riding the rails a lot. I can write on the trains, so hopefully I can make progress working like that.

I got a review a few chapters ago that suggested The Order was too OP, and I hope that this chapter, showing them get, well, not completely destroyed, but severely weakened, helps to mitigate a bit of that. They aren't unstoppable, but I wanted to show the horrors of The Order's success (slaughter of innocent monsters, children, etc.) through Garret's eyes at the start. Now that I've done enough of that, I can start to show them fail a bit. Granted, I can only pull off the whole 'The Order gets slaughtered' thing once (maybe twice) before them continuing becomes unbelievable. When deep in the demon realm, one has to ask where they'd get the reinforcements. That aside, the crusade is almost at its goal, so one way or another it's wrapping up. That gives me a little more flexibility for what I can do.

I purposefully didn't go into detail here about how Annika went missing here, that'll come in a chapter or two. I'm planning on telling it with a perspective shift, so I didn't want to go over the same events twice. Seemed boring.

Alright, with that I'm done here. Thanks again for reading, and…

Until next time, Sayonara!