Dawn came quicker than I would have liked. It felt like I hardly got any sleep at all, but today was somewhat nerve-wracking in its own way. I was about to see if my gamble would pay off by giving the gold to Chloe, and getting my things back and all the money I had before. Optimistically, it would, but you can never know the outcomes of decisions like this. She hates humans and would have every reason not to bother taking my generosity and running.

Thankfully, since yesterday wasn't a total loss, I still had more than enough for a while. Two hundred coins can go a long way, so long as I budget correctly and stay active.

Well, more like one hundred eighty now… Actually, scratch that.

"You guys got any fruit? Apples or something?" I asked on my way out of the inn. Needless to say, they did, and I was walking out with a red apple, a rabbit haunch for Rex, and one hundred seventy-two coins in my pocket. Still, it was a decent amount for the next few days for essentials at least.

"Alright bud, let's see if Chloe shows up with my things."

With that said, we left for the square we had left Chloe at, and for some strange reason I had a bad feeling about today. The clouds were gray and heavy, which made it look like it was going to rain. Now, I'm not really a superstitious person, but even I can tell a bad omen when I see one.

Still, bad omen or not, I've got things to do today.

After I arrived at the square, I frowned at the fact I couldn't see Chloe around. I decided I'd wait a few minutes before writing her off as a thief and going about the more important thing I had to do today, namely trying to see if I can warn Alicia of the attack before it happens. I may not be an expert in the subject of warfare, but I'm fairly certain that if they lose the element of surprise, their entire plan is a bit fucked, isn't it?

… Why do I feel like I've said that before?

Anyway, I hung around the square with Rex for a bit, and after about half an hour of waiting, I decided it was time to call it quits.

"Well, boy, it seems like she took our money and left…" I told him, sighing heavily afterwards. "Can't say I didn't see it coming. She hates us… Well, me at least."

"Ahem," I heard from behind. When I turned around, I saw the two Elves, both covered in cloaks, standing just behind me. "I may hate you, but I don't like leaving debts unpaid, especially to a human," Chloe said, holding out my satchel for me. "I replaced the strap. It should be a bit harder for you to lose now," she added as I took it.

With a nod, I gave a simple thanks as I slung it over my opposite shoulder, letting the replaced strap wrap around my torso. "I didn't expect to see both of you though; figured you would have kept Olga far away from me," I stated, earning a glare from Chloe.

The Dark Queen nodded. "Chloe tried to prevent me from coming on this little… errand. I decided otherwise." She paused for a moment, considering her next words. "You've had ample opportunity to exploit us, or worse; and even after Chloe had stolen from you, you saw fit to give more. I will admit, it is a… curious choice, to have given us aid in return for nothing but that which was yours, in opposition to all you had to gain should you have betrayed your word and taken Chloe prisoner, or even followed her straight to me."

"I already told her, I have more important concerns than you at the moment."

"And she relayed such."

With a snap of her fingers, Chloe presented a small notebook. "This war, however… If what you say is true, it is as much a threat to me, whether I escape this kingdom or not."

While she spoke, I took the notebook and opened it up. As I read through the contents, I couldn't help but feel a bit confused. The names were clearly in a language I didn't understand, probably Elvish, but what are these?

"A list of all the magical artifacts, alchemical formulas, and research material I can recall being in my tower at the time of my capture," Olga answered my unasked question.

"Not that I am ungrateful, but how's this going to help?"

Her eyes closed, and she let out a sigh of annoyance, like she was dealing with an idiot who asks too many questions. "I will keep it simple: These items were constructed by my people with special tasks and purposes in mind for their use." She gracefully took the notebook from my hand and flipped through a few pages to a picture of a potion. "This is an elixir that can change a living creature into one from a different species."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why would you make that?"

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "It was not me who had done it, but one of the Dark Elves that had come to the surface a millennium ago," she clarified. "It was before we learned how to create Golems, when we needed to create a creature deadlier than its brothers, but subservient to us. Now, while it is useless to my people, it is now in the hands of the human who now lives in my Citadel." She closed it and handed it back to me. "I do not need to explain to you why it is a danger for it to be in his possession."

Ah.

"I'll see if I can't get someone to start working on an anti-serum," I told her, as I took it back from her. For a moment when I grabbed it, some static jumped from my finger to hers. She quickly pulled the finger away, and stared at it with wide eyes.

I knew just how much of a surprise a static shock can be, but when I opened my mouth to apologize, Chloe spoke up. "See that you do, and develop countermeasures for the rest of the items in this book," she told me, tapping the notebook for emphasis.

But something still struck me as odd. "Why would you give me this though? Aren't you worried I could become a danger to your people?"

The Half-Elf looked at me like I was an annoying child. "I doubt you could be any more dangerous with them than the person who now has them."

… Okay, yeah, it was kinda dumb for me to ask that.

"Well, thank you. I'll put this to good use." I assured them as I put it in my satchel; and how nice it was to have it again. "So, what's your plan now?"

Chloe opted to answer this time.

"I don't believe that's any concern of yours."

And by 'answer' I mean completely avoid the question.

To be fair, though, it wasn't. I've washed my hands of them.

"Well, alright then." I said, about to walk away. "Would you at least let me walk you out?" I offered. While they were no longer my concern, I figured I could at least give them the courtesy of walking them out the gates. My parents raised me with some manners, at least.

The Dark Queen's Knight narrowed her gaze at me. "Do not mistake my Lady's pragmatism for friendship. If we must walk these human lands, we would do so knowing that the conflict that's going to arise doesn't end with the complete subjugation of our gender."

Ah well, I tried.

"If you're sure."

But as I turned to leave, I felt the faintest of touches on my senses.

"Hold a moment," Olga told me. I turned back around and saw her casting a small spell at me, examining it with an incredulous expression.

"That's not possible," she muttered in disbelief… but at what?

"My Lady?" Chloe asked, seemingly just as confused as I was.

The Dark Queen's amber eye looked up at me. "How have you done this?" she asked. "Your magical reserves have grown since we last met, and by no small amount either." Her words were almost accusatory. "I felt it when our hands touched… They have grown larger… How have you done this?"

Had it?

Well, I guess, otherwise she wouldn't have said so. But how could it have…?

"Ah…" I realized. "Well, you see. I killed a Dragon and ate its soul."

Yeah, that gets about the exact reaction you would expect. Clearly disbelieving looks came from them, as if they were trying to say 'are you joking?' without words. A part of me understood the reason for it, simply because it sounds downright made up.

At the same time, though, they did see a Dragon Priest… maybe the reality of that hadn't set in yet?

"You expect us to believe that, human?" Chloe asked rhetorically.

What else could I do but shrug my shoulders? "That's what happened. Believe me or not, I don't really care, since you're going to be leaving all the same."

She, as one would expect, took on a look of irritation. "Good, because I don't believe you."

Her Queen, however, remained quiet while Chloe and I argued; I could see the metaphorical gears spinning in her head.

She raised her hand to quiet Chloe, and said, "Be it a lie or the truth, there is no denying that he has somehow performed what I, and many others, consider an impossible feat. While I loathe to ask this of any creature, especially a human, I need to learn how you did it."

She took a step forward. "You gave me and Chloe our freedom, correct?" she asked, to which I responded with a mere nod. "Then, with that freedom, I shall offer you an accord."

Chloe's eyes widened. "Lady Olga! You mustn't!" she protested, but was quickly cowed by the flat looks both me and her mistress gave her.

Queen Discordia briefly shook her head, "As I was saying, I shall offer you an accord. I have seen how you learn magic, and how you use it, but I have also noticed your lack of finesse, of instruction. I shall teach you myself, in return for being allowed to study your mana. Whether you told the truth or lied, I will be able to learn how you managed it by simply observing and occasionally examining you and your magic."

She was offering to teach me? "How would your instruction be any different from how I have learned spells before?" I asked her, and I saw a small, almost smug smile tug at her lips.

"What I can teach is more than a simple spell book can offer. While there are some Dark Elves that have written down our spells for humans to use, those are only the most basic of spells my people have come up with." Her voice was dripping with pride as she recalled her own people's prowess, or at least I assumed she was. "Even among my own people, I am a master of the Destructive Arts," she boasted… but at the same time, it didn't sound like an exaggeration; more like she was stating a fact.

But while it was a… generous offer for someone like her, I couldn't help but ask, "Not that I'm declining, but why would you offer that to me? I thought knowledge like that would be a closely guarded secret, wouldn't it?"

Her face turned neutral again. "There are many things about my people that I will carry to my grave, none of which I would tell you willingly, but in this instance, my own knowledge is the only thing of value that I can trade with you in this regard. What money we have is needed for supplies and necessities. We have no belongings to exchange, nor do we have anything else to offer you," she explained. "If we did, then I would have offered it, but seeing as we do not, and I have no interest in wasting time trying to negotiate with nothing."

Putting a hand on my chin, I tried my best to weigh the pros and cons of an agreement like this.

On one hand, I require every advantage I can get against Vault, and having an actual magic teacher might prove beneficial in the future, depending on how and what she teaches me. I haven't seen her truly fight just yet, maybe a spell here or there, but nothing too fancy or masterful. But if she has more up her sleeve, I can only benefit from this.

On the other, though, this is suspicious as all hell. As far as I'm aware, they don't like humans… at all. It probably wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that if they could get rid of all humans, or at least men, they would do so in a heartbeat. Even if they have a reason to work with me, could I trust them? I already made a mistake by letting Kin have my blood for his research, but could I afford to make that mistake again?

"Well, I-"

My train of thought was broken by the sound of a horn, so loud and deafening that it overtook any and all other sounds. For a moment, I wondered what it was, but only for a moment. I saw the guards on the street all begin heading towards the source of the noise. I was only getting a bit better with my sense of direction, but I'm pretty sure they're headed to the Eastern Gate, if I'm not mistaken.

"What was that?!" Chloe asked, alarmed, looking at me with an almost accusatory expression. "Is this a trap?!" she demanded, as if she were expecting me to betray them. I suppressed the urge to be sarcastic, instead opting to remain as focused as I could.

"No, it's not a trap. It's an attack."

I could only hope that maybe this was just a normal raid. As horrible as that sounds, I still need time to warn Alicia, and try to undo the Black Dogs' plan, whatever it may be. My memories of the OVA's second episode are a bit lacking, but what I do recall is that somehow they managed to open the fort up thanks to Beardsley, although I am not sure how exactly… Episode two wasn't exactly one I enjoyed too much.

I saw the look of worry that crossed Chloe's face, and while it was brief, I could tell Olga had a similar feeling. Given what I knew about them, it's no surprise that the idea of an army that wants to turn every woman into a slave would give them that kind of reaction. "Is it those vile humans that stole my Lady's Citadel?" she asked with barely contained worry; not for herself, I'm sure, but for her Queen.

I shook my head. "I don't know, I hope not, but you never know." I threw on my helmet. "Go to the inner fortress, you both should be safe there. I'll do my best to see if I can't put an end to this fight, then we can continue negotiating our agreement." I told them before rushing off with Rex by my side.

All the while I was hoping and praying that it wasn't the Black Dogs, I just knew I wouldn't be that lucky. It was something of a gut feeling, but one that wouldn't go away no matter how much I wanted it to. Despite the bad feeling I got, as I ascended the stairs leading high onto the outer wall, I found myself looking at a damning sight.

Archers were firing arrows, cannons, and everything they could throw at the monsters down below, but it all proved less than lethal, being treated as nothing more than inconveniences by the beasts below. And while they set up their battlements and siege weapons, I noticed human men begin to filter out with their own bows and arrows from the forest and into the fields.

With the Black Dogs' involvement confirmed, I tried my best to hold in my anxiety and nervousness. This was too soon. I had expected them to have taken a lot more time to get ready for an attack, not just a few days after Vault conquered the Black Citadel. Inwardly cursing at myself and them, I noticed something that struck me as odd.

"I expected more…" I mumbled to myself, earning a curious look from the knight standing next to me. To my surprise, it was a man, not a woman.

"You were expecting this?" he asked, shooting me an accusatory glare while nocking another arrow and firing at the massing horde below. Before I could answer, I saw an arrow strike him right through the neck, eliciting a mortifying moment of shock for me as I watched him slowly stumble backwards and fall to the ground, dead.

For a few moments, I could only stare in shock at how fast he died. Then again, I guess the Black Dogs don't exactly care if they kill a man or not, when their objective is to pillage, conquer, and rape women and children. I grabbed his bow and quiver, figuring now might as well be as good a time as any to practice archery. While I have magic, it doesn't exactly have the range for a battle like this, and there is also the fact that things like an ice spike tend to stand out more than an arrow.

I took a deep breath, nocked an arrow, pulled back the bowstring and peeked out to fire, and… watched as the arrow just fell to the ground, not even packing enough velocity to kill anything.

I couldn't help but blink a bit before trying again. Yep, it's official, I don't know how to use a bow correctly.

A groan escaped my mouth as I just threw the bow over my shoulder. Next thing I need to learn that isn't magic, it's how to use a bow right.

Speaking of magic, I began calling Ice Spikes into my hands, and decided that while they were very noticeable projectiles, they were still projectiles. It's not like I can just ask the knights to let me use a cannon, since I would be even more clueless than with the bow!

As such, I just fired spike after spike out at the amassing army. I saw two large creatures, not ogres, not trolls, or Orcs, but something a bit bigger and five times as mean looking. Both were carrying giant hammers, which in actuality looked closer to anvils on sticks.

It only took a moment to realize they were making a bee-line directly for the GATES!

"SOMEONE AIM A CANNON AT THE TWO WALKING BATTERING RAMS PLEASE!" I cried out, firing spike after spike at them. Unfortunately, while they were big enough targets for me to hit easily, they weren't at all being deterred by the spikes I hit them with. I was almost impressed by that, until one of the spikes I threw nailed one of them directly in the knee, causing them to drop quite suddenly.

Thankfully, the one I struck in the knee remained still long enough for one of the knights up on the wall to aim a cannon at and fire. It was a beautiful sight to watch something so big and mean end up gibbed by a cannonball. Thankfully, with the first one down, I was able to concentrate on the other, pelting spike after spike at it until I actually managed to get a lucky shot and actually got one stuck in its ear.

I couldn't stop myself from cringing at the sight of a spike of ice halfway into its ear, and being a major pain. As odd as it's going to sound, I think I might have preferred if I hit it anywhere else, but the ear. Still, it got results, as much as I was surprised to admit it, because it more or less went a little nuts trying to remove the spike just a few inches from poking its brain. It swung its massive hammer around aimlessly in a panicked state, hitting other monsters and Black Dogs in the process, which resulted in them being torn apart by their very allies to end its rampage.

Hmmm… Maybe I ought to ask Olga if she could teach me something like a Berserk spell, something to turn the Black Dogs' monsters against them, even if temporarily.

With the immediate threat of the gates being breached taken care of for now, I got to throwing more spells at anyone I could see. By the time I saw one of their cannons being loaded and aimed, it was already too late for me to do anything.

"REX! MOVE!" I shouted at the dog, hoping he would avoid the worst of the damage.

*BANG*

I only heard the sound of it being fired before I found myself blasted off the wall and down to the city.

Some part of me ought to consider the fact I survived the landing to be lucky, seeing as I fell off a wall that stood taller than most of the four storied buildings within the city. However, I felt like anything but that, seeing as I damn near broke my back clipping the edge of one and slammed my torso on a wooden awning, breaking it and crashing into the hard stonework of the road.

I wasn't sure how long I laid there. My mind sort of blanked as I focused my efforts on using the Healing spell on myself, doing my absolute best to close any and all wounds and bruises I received during the fall, and hopefully mending the bones that felt broken. Thankfully, I found myself taking no small amount of comfort in the fact that Rex managed to avoid being blown off the wall.

He came to me, and after giving me a few sniffs, he stood guard beside me and waited for all my wounds to finish healing.

"Rex, you're a good boy."

He really was.

I healed myself to the point I could move without pain or endangering myself, but that was still a painful experience. Thankfully, though, I managed to at least stop the Black Dogs from getting in for now. At the very least, if we can hold them here long enough for Ur to arrive, things might just be okay-

*KA-BOOM!*

My eyes widened in shock as I looked in the direction of one of the loudest explosions I ever had the unfortunate pleasure of hearing. Something was happening at the northern gate, but…

A horrifying realization set in as I finally connected the dots as to what felt wrong about this attack. It wasn't one, not really: it was a diversion, leading all the knights and defenders over to one gate, leaving another almost completely undefended, and completely exposed to whatever they needed to do to get in.

My feet began moving on their own, carrying me to the main street of the northern gate with Rex by my side. But when I arrived, my eyes widened as I witnessed the Black Dogs' Plan in full swing.

The gate was totally destroyed, the rubble and ruins of the once tall and proud gate scattered along the street and holes in the buildings surrounding it. There were only a few guards around, dazed and trying to help people hurt by the blast. But what I saw past the ruins of the gate was damning.

Emerging from the treeline were men and monsters; no formation, no true order, but beasts one and all about to swarm into the fortress like locusts, ready to ravage and destroy everything in their path.

"MOVE!" I shouted at the people still standing around confused and afraid. "RETREAT INTO THE INNER FORTRESS NOW, NOW, NOW!" As I charged to the gate, I saw a few people wise up and begin retreating deeper, but for those that didn't…

It happened so fast.

The first few men to enter charged at me first, and fell just as fast. But what are three or four when compared to the horde that almost instantly began spreading out and causing chaos and anarchy?

The bravest of them committed suicide by my hand. A single swing of my battleaxe nearly took their heads, or delivered deep unamendable cuts into their bodies, while Rex sank his teeth into others, giving me enough time to split them in two. But so many more chose to go elsewhere, and the screams of women being violated, and the cries of anguish for being helpless while they watched their brothers, fathers, sons, and anyone else who opposed this horde die, would haunt me for the rest of my days.

I tried to help who I could… God, I did.

But no matter how many I chased down and killed, no matter how many I tried to save, there were a great many more who suffered because I was not strong enough to take on an army, not on my own.

Eventually, Rex and I had to retreat. Hundreds poured into the fortress, and I couldn't stay to fight, not against so many on my own and in such an open area.

All I could do as I retreated was pray that I could still save those that could be saved, that I could somehow drive off the Black Dogs… but seeing this carnage in person, I could only wonder how anyone, ANYONE, could even support a force such as this. It made me sick, it made me angry…

I ran back to where I had left the Dark Elves behind. The fact that they weren't here flooded my mind with worries and anxiety that my shortsightedness might have put them in harm's way.

Thankfully, or maybe not, I found the area I left them in to be vacant, save for a few knights fighting and more civilians running to the Inner Fortress. I could only hope that that is where Olga and Chloe ran off. But how will I find them in an entire city…!

Wait a minute!

I reached into one of my pockets and took out Chloe's glove and Olga's sleeve. I had forgotten to give these back, and maybe that was for the best.

"Hopefully this still works," I muttered to myself, holding them both out for Rex to sniff. "Come on Rex, don't let me down," I encouraged him as he began getting the scent. I needed to find them before something bad happened. Before I do anything else, I just need to make sure they are safe.

Rex picked up the scent and ran off, with me following behind. On our way, I stopped a few times to try to help some people get away from the Black Dogs and their army of Monsters. I used my sword as he led me through the city, since it was faster than the battleaxe, and stabbing and cutting was far easier with the sword than an axe. But for every one person I saved, how many more was I damning by going after Olga and Chloe?

I didn't want to think about it…

So instead, I focused on following Rex and helping who I saw. My free hand took on the Ice Spike spell, and every so often I would fire a few spears of ice to either help someone or kill a Black Dog, but even just doing that felt like I was doing woefully little.

"STAY BACK! PLEASE!" I heard a woman as I passed an alleyway. I slowed to a stop as I looked into it, and every sense I had suddenly dulled as I took in the sight before my eyes: dozens of women, clothes torn and crying, being raped by men and monsters alike… no, just monsters. Vault's men weren't people….

"Yeah! Suck it!"

"Cry more for me!"

"God damn, your pussy is so tight!"

"I love your tits, so soft!"

My vision blurred for a few moments, and all I could do was let out the loudest battle cry I had ever yelled into the air…

"RAAAAAHHHHH!" I screamed as I charged headfirst into them, my vision turning red with rage and hatred as I mercilessly cut them down before they even had the chance to try to fight back. Fire, ice, lightning, and steel were all that I needed to deal swift and terrible deaths to those things.

Their cries of ecstasy soon turned into cries of terror.

I killed them…

I killed them all…

Not just the men, but the monsters as well…

They were nothing but animals… So I slaughtered them like animals.

I hate them.

"J-James?" I heard Chloe say/ask from behind me. She and Olga stood at the entryway of the alleyway, thankfully showing no signs that they were any worse for wear and that no Black Dogs got to them, which I took great relief in.

"Did you do this?" she asked, looking at the carnage I left in my wake. To be fair, I could hardly believe I had done this either. But I couldn't say I wasn't proud of my work, as gruesome as it was.

Blood covered most of my armor. Thankfully none got inside, but the dark iron plate was now painted crimson. I stood in a puddle of blood surrounded by the corpses of a dozen men with their pants down and at least half a dozen more monsters, all slowly fading back to darkness. Some men had their crotches burned to cinders, a few others had theirs taken by frostbite, and another had electrical burns covering his face. And those were the ones that could be identified as having met their end by magic. Others were lying dead in puddles of blood, deep cuts running up and down their lightly armored bodies, a neck slashed deep enough to damn near decapitate, another had their gut split open and their innards falling out.

Nothing less than they deserved.

"Are you okay?" I asked, while I may be ignoring Chloe and Olga for the moment, I had to make sure the people that were unfortunate victims of the Black Dogs were alright.

"My… M-my husband… t-they…" a woman with purple hair began to say, but I crouched down to their level. "How c-could anyone d-do this?" she stutteringly asked, but I could only close my eyes and shake my head.

The others mumbled their own anguish, barely speaking above a whisper. No one should have suffered this… I should have been better, tried harder to save them, to warn them.

This… This was my fault. If I had done something better, maybe done more, than maybe…

I don't know.

"Come on, I'll get you all somewhere safe," I told them, carefully easing them up. "There should be a place safer deeper in the fortress, I'll escort you all there." Slowly, they all began standing, and I led them back out of the alley. "Lady Olga, Chloe, you two come too. I won't leave you out here to fend for yourselves if I can help it."

"Very well," the Dark Queen accepted. "Chloe, stay close."

Chloe nodded. "I'll keep you safe, my Lady."

That reminds me.

"Speaking of safety," I said, reaching into the satchel and taking out the Dragon Priest's staff. This may be a bad idea, giving the powerful sorceress a weapon, but frankly, I think our goals of surviving and repelling this invasion line up nicely. "Queen Discordia, you think you can use this?" I asked, handing the object over to her. For a moment, she inspected it and nodded quickly.

"Yes, I believe this will serve me well for now," she said, a fireball forming at the tip, ready to be fired.

"Alright, keep close and keep your eyes out. We're going to be attracting a lot of attention," I told them, before looking back at the group. "Alright, we need to move. Follow me, and keep your eyes open. I don't want anyone who isn't a knight, me, or these two Dark Elves getting close." I told the group. Some looked at each other, whispering about how Dark Elves were helping them, but that didn't matter so much, as I was more focused on leading them somewhere safe.

There had to be a place… right?

The massive group I had gathered was led through the city, but I also learned a very important lesson while we fought our way deeper in: Olga is a terror when she has magic.

Chloe and I dealt with the men, usually small groups at a time that met their ends so quickly, it was barely worth mentioning. Like, these were a bunch of green soldiers, just charging in and hoping for the best. They were reckless, but numerous, trying to beat us with sheer numbers.

Combined, we proved to be an effective pair. She was quick and lethal, while I was a bit more like a juggernaut, mostly because my armor was sheer iron plate, and that made me a bit harder to beat with sheer numbers, since I could endure more than your average knight.

But Olga?

That staff showed me just how dangerous she was with magic at her disposal… or at least, gave me a taste of what she could do with a simple fireball spell.

A large group of Ogres approached us, and while we got ready to deal with it, Olga stepped forward, staff charged and ready to fire. Only, she elected to show me what mastery with a simple spell looked like. The fire that formed at the tip wasn't launched as a single projectile, but with a wave of the staff, it split into three smaller projectiles that struck the first three directly in the chest.

I had to shield my face with a hand, the fire and light produced a little too close to actually see right. When the smoke cleared, three pairs of legs fell to the ground, their torsos completely missing. I was amazed for a moment, but then I saw the two that were behind them.

Bone fragments and burns covered their bodies. I thought for a few moments that perhaps they were still going to attack us, but Olga continued to approach them, and they fell backwards on their asses and backed up, clearly terrified.

"But… How?!" one of them asked, "You dried up! You had nothing left!"

The entire time Olga looked cold, stoic and almost terrifying. The tip of the staff ignited again, and she aimed it right between them.

"Wait, wait!" the other cried out. "We'll serve you! If we had known you still had power, Your Majesty, we would've-"

It never got to finish before they both were destroyed in a fiery explosion.

"Impudent beasts. I was fooled once by your pathetic groveling and begging," she spoke quietly. "You've leeched off of me long enough. Never again."

"Lady Olga…" Chloe muttered as she watched as her Queen walked past the corpses as if they were nothing more than trash on the street.

She then stopped briefly to glance back. "While I understand you are in awe, I believe it would be wise if we kept moving," she stated, before continuing forward. Chloe quickly ran to her side, followed by me taking up the rear with the group of women between us.

While we fought to get deeper in, repelling the stray Dog, and Olga reducing most big monsters we encountered into fine red mists or thoroughly charred corpses, I couldn't help but feel a small and fragile hope that maybe we could actually do this. Olga was making good use of the staff I gave her; even if she wasn't at her full power, even just this is already giving me a good feeling, and Chloe is in less danger of being overwhelmed because I'm here, and the space is too wide and open to truly overrun.

As we turned a corner, I saw what looked like a makeshift barricade, made out of bags, boxes, and a lot of other things; some spike traps, a small archer perch, and a knight yelling as they tried their hardest to repel the Black Dogs trying to breach in. I was worried it was going to force me and Chloe to face them, leaving the rear of the group unguarded, but I saw Olga charge up another Fireball, followed by a simple, "Begone."

The following explosion was enough to leave a bunch of destroyed bodies and half-burned corpses in its wake, and those who didn't die found themselves executed by Chloe with a cold efficiency. It served as a sobering reminder that they had no value for human life in general. Olga didn't care about the mutilation of the bodies, or the smell of burning flesh. She simply approached the gate and commanded, "Let us in."

The knights at the barricade sat there for a few minutes, talking among themselves, before one of them began shifting one part of the barricade to provide a narrow passage inside.

"Just who are you?" I heard one of them ask as Olga strode inside with Chloe following close behind, but they never got their answer, as their attention soon shifted from the beautiful and dangerous Dark Elf sorceress to the group of refugees and victims of the Black Dogs' treachery.

I followed them in, and helped re-seal the barricade. "Thanks," I told the lady knight, watching her take deep breaths and slowly slump against the crates that served as another portion of the barrier. Now that we were somewhat safe, I had to get a better idea of the situation.

"Do you know who's in charge?" I asked. If anyone knew how bad it was, it'd be them.

The woman slowly raised her hand. "I… I am," she said weakly. Clearly, the fight was already taking a toll… but it had only gone on for at least thirty minutes or so. "Carol, Carol Dogoodle," she introduced, offering her hand for a shake.

"So, how bad is it looking?" I asked. There was no sugar coating the question: We were doing bad, and I mean BAD. Black Dogs had a penchant for destruction, and I could see smoke rising from other parts of the fortress. Fires, rape, murder, pillaging… it was all on the table for these beasts.

Carol let her head drop. "I wish I could say we are doing alright… but we're not. Much of our city guard is stuck fighting in the streets, we're evacuating what people we can to the inner walls, but…" she trailed off. "The inner fortress is more fortified, sure, but if we lose that, then we lose the city and everyone in it."

I looked back at all the guards trying to help the women we brought. I already failed them once, I won't do it again.

"Who are they?" Carol asked, pointing a finger at Olga and Chloe, who were more or less waiting to be escorted to the inner fortress with the rest of the women.

"Friends, you don't need to worry about them." I don't think it would be a wise decision to go advertising that these were the people they blamed a centuries-long conflict on, but that's just me. Carol for her part seemed to accept that, even though I could tell she wanted to pry.

"What can I do to help?" I asked. While I might not be able to do much, I wasn't going to stand idly by while waiting for the opportunity to stop Alicia from making the single biggest military blunder in this world's recorded history.

Carol shook her head. "Not much I am afraid," she stated. "We just need to hold out here until one of Lady Arcturus's Knights of Iris can come to collect these women."

Alright, well, that's something at least. Holding the barricade shouldn't be too tough, especially with a magic powerhouse.

"Anything else?" Surely there was more that I could do than just sitting here with a thumb up my ass. Carol looked up at me and for a moment glanced back at the women grouped up and waiting for an escort to the inner fortress.

"That depends…" she said, before leaning close. "How much would it cost for you to go and find my mom and sister?" she asked, her voice quiet and fragile. "I can't leave my post to go looking for them… but you aren't a guard or a knight. You can go, can't you? Whatever you want, I'll pay…" She leaned even closer. "I'll even lay with you if that is what you want, but please… I beg of you, find them."

I couldn't help but look shocked by the last offer.

Did she… Did she think that…

… No.

I shook those damn intrusive thoughts out of my head and nodded. "Keep your money, just tell me where I can find them." I didn't want to take money from people who would undoubtedly need it a hell of a lot more than I would.

I could see her face light up at my rejection of payment. "They're on Flavia Street, it's a big house, can't miss it." She pulled me to the edge of the barricade and pointed down the street. You'll need to take the first left and follow the road down three blocks, before making a right and heading down Beardsley Avenue." That bastard has a street named after himself? "Then when you reach the restaurant with the big sign, you'll take a right, and then on your first left will be Flavia Street."

"Okay, so left, forward for three blocks, right down the avenue, right at the restaurant, then the first left, is that right?" I asked for confirmation.

The knight (or maybe knightess?) gave me a nod. "Yeah, that's right. Please find them if you can and bring them here."

Okay, looking for people while I wait for some Knights to pick up these refugees… "Alright, but first I need to talk to my friends real fast."

Carol let out a small "Please hurry," and I couldn't find myself arguing against her.

I approached the two Elves, who were trying very, very hard not to draw attention to themselves.

"Keep away from Lady Olga, all of you!" Chloe angrily barked at the knights who had come over to check on them.

Like I said, trying very hard.

"Olga, Chloe, I need to talk to you both for a second," I told them, gently pushing my way past the small crowd of knights gathered around them. "I'm going to need you both to stay here and make sure this little outpost doesn't fall while I am gone." I told them.

"What?!" Chloe asked, outraged. "You expect us to defend these Humans?!"

"I expect you to look out for your own interests," I stated calmly. There was no way in hell I'd be able to convince them to protect these people, but… I believe I've got a better way to convince them. "This outpost is one of the few things standing between you and safety. If it falls, no one will escort you or your Queen to the inner fortress, which hasn't been breached yet." I saw her look away in thought. "How long do you think you can survive against an entire horde alone?" I asked pointedly, causing Chloe to growl.

Olga's expression remained stoic and cold, but nonetheless nodded her own head. "He is right. In this instance, making sure these humans don't get overrun by enemy forces and our own survival are a common goal." She looked over at Chloe, "We shall remain, but only until we are to be escorted to the inner fortress."

"Alright, so long as you two keep this place secure, at least until they are safe, then that's fine," I told them. "Olga, you keep an eye out for monsters or groups, blow them away. Don't waste any time on small fries, they belong to Chloe."

Olga gave me a flat look through her regal stoicism. "Our goals may align for now, do not presume you can give me orders."

I shook my head. "Fine, whatever. Just make sure no monster or Dog gets in," I told them before heading back to the barricade. Rex made sure to follow me, as we jumped over it and began following the directions we had been given. With any luck, we might be able to rescue some more people along the way.

First was the left turn at the end of the street, and then the three blocks down this way. On our way there, I found little in the way of enemies, probably because most people this deep wouldn't have gotten caught in the initial attack, able to retreat to the inner fortress quicker than most. But that didn't mean Black Dogs weren't around. The few I did see as we ran down the street were just… lighting buildings of fire by throwing torches through windows, stealing valuables, and being general bandits.

Needless to say, I put a stop to their looting and arson where I could. But it was just another reminder that I could not fail again. When I get back to Celestine, I'm going to tell them everything I can, see if I can't preempt the betrayal of Grave, or anyone else. Maybe then the losses won't be so severe.

I took my next turn and found the buildings on fire. Smoke rising from this area was thick and heavy, and so many people were just having an orgy in the streets with the burning homes and businesses as the mood lighting… I couldn't let this stand.

"RRAAGGHHH!"

I swung my axe, taking the lives of rapists and monsters alike. It got lodged in the body of a particularly mean looking ogre, though, so I grabbed a mace off the ground and began bashing their heads open.

Maybe I have been desensitized to it by this point, but bashing people's skulls open didn't elicit much disgust or revulsion from me despite the more brutal wounds it left compared to an axe or sword. Still, though, despite temporarily losing my axe, I found I enjoyed bashing their brains in, despite how macabre that sounds.

However, I pulled my thoughts out of my own internal reflections to address the group of victims all sort of sitting around crying. It pained my heart to see them like this, and as much as I would have liked to lead them straight to the outpost to await an escort with the others I had rescued, I still had a job to do.

Should I put faith in them to be able to get to the outpost safely? Or do I leave them and go look for Carol's missing mother and sister? I took a deep breath, steeling myself for giving orders that may well be a mistake.

"Can you all walk?" I asked, gazing around at them, and saw a few nods and heard a few affirmatives. "Good. Back the way I came is an outpost of knights, it's down that way. You take a left, go down three blocks, then a right, and you should find them, do you understand?"

I was met with a chorus of nods and women saying they understood, and slowly, one by one began walking down the street, following my directions to safety.

To be honest, I wasn't sure about this, leaving them to fend for themselves like that, but… I… I needed to find everyone I could, and I couldn't spare the time to go and escort every one of them back. Otherwise, I'm condemning more people by being slow, or at least that's how I saw it.

I continued to follow Carol's directions, and found more people who, like the group before, I rescued and gave them directions to reach safety. I prayed they all could make it back safe, but right now I had to focus on getting as many people as possible. I didn't have time to babysit them all.

Eventually, I arrived at a large manor house, and if Carol's instructions were correct, this was the place where her mom and sister were. I didn't like to entertain the idea, but looking at the house, I couldn't help but frown as I noticed the signs of breaking in. I opened the door when I heard crying coming from an open window, and it sounded young… too young.

I made a quick detour into the building; from the sounds of the crying, it was coming from the second floor. I wasted no time racing up the stairs and homing in on the sounds, bursting through a slightly ajar door and…

The disgust and revulsion I felt from the sight of an old man with his pants off, trying to hold down a young girl, probably not even ten years old, ignited an almost inhuman rage within me.

"Wha- HEY!" he cried out before I grabbed him roughly by the neck and lifted him up with one hand, squeezing down on his windpipe as hard as I could.

"YOU SICK BASTARD!"

I threw him against the windowsill, and for a brief moment, I didn't care about collateral damage. Feoh would need repairs anyway, this was just another one.

"FUS RO!"

Maybe it was overkill to use a Shout… actually, you know what? No, it wasn't.

As the old bastard was launched out of the building, I realized something: I hadn't actually used a Shout against a person before, and using it against this man gave me a very good idea as to how powerful the Unrelenting Force shout really was.

He flew out a window, and as his body soared through the air, the sheer speed and pressure of the Shout tore him apart before he even hit the building across the street. It tore an entire wall down, ripped the old pedophile to shreds, and carried his parts so far and fast that he was reduced to nothing more than a red, chunky stain. I was momentarily stunned at the sight.

If that was what two words did to someone… What would all three do?

But I could ponder that later. I turned around and saw that little girl staring up at me with tears in her eyes, and looking… looking betrayed.

I slowly lowered myself to her level. "Are you alright?" I asked, trying to make my voice as soothing and comforting as I could manage. "Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head. "No… I'm…" She hesitated. "I'm alright…" Her voice was soft and fragile, and heartbreaking to hear. "Wha… What was that?" Her tone bore the same awe and fear one would have when looking upon God and realizing He was angry. Her face matched her tone, and I couldn't help but realize what I had inadvertently shown a child in my anger.

While I thought of something to tell her, I grabbed a blanket from the bed next to her that hadn't been caught in the Shout, and carefully draped it around her shoulders. "That…" I hesitated, trying to think of a way to explain it to a child. "… Was the wrath of a dragon," I told her. "I am related to them in a way, so I can call upon their power… and they are outraged at the situation."

I know it wasn't exactly correct, but did it really matter what I told her?

"Do you know where your mama is? I'll get both you and her safe."

"Mommy had business in the inner fortress this morning… She left me home by myself because I'm a big girl," she told me, and I felt a weight being lifted off my shoulders, even if a small one.

Nodding "Okay, well come on, I'll make sure you get somewhere safe. Your sister is worried about you."

The little girl's eyes widened. "You know Carol?!" she excitedly asked.

I gave her a small thumbs up. "Yep, now let's get going. It's not safe here." I offered a hand, letting her reach out and take it. Once I was sure she was ready to go, I pulled her up and slung her over my back. "It'll be faster like this, hang on tight and let me know if you feel like you're going to slip."

I hopped out of the newly opened up wall and landed in the small yard, before taking off back to the outpost, retracing my steps that led me here. Thankfully the trip back was uneventful, aside from a few bold Black Dogs, but they were dealt with quickly. On a side note, magic ice spikes are wonderful for distant targets. A lot of those that tried to kill me ended up dead because they were wearing little to no armor. Not that I am complaining about that; if they're going to be so kind as to expose themselves like that, I won't complain.

On our way back though, I couldn't help but let my mind wander a little… how many children like this little girl here were being attacked by pedophiles, or worse, just because they couldn't get away…?

It weighed on me; how many more people are suffering because I failed to act in time? I'm not even sure I want to know the real number, not even an estimate, because I'm not sure if I could handle knowing I failed that many people.

My thoughts drifted back to the task at hand as I returned to the outpost and found…

Well, to put simply, it looked like a massacre.

Black Dogs were littering the street: cut throats, burns and lost limbs, arrows sticking out of their bodies strewn on the ground; there was no avoiding stepping over the corpses, and the fact that it stretched all the way down the street just before the turn was a testament to how many men tried to get to the defenseless women.

"BETHANY!" I heard Carol call out as the crates moved to give me a clear pathway in. As soon as the way was clear, we entered the safe zone.

"CAROL!" The girl on my back yelled out as she jumped off me and ran towards her sister. They shared a deep and loving hug that made me feel good for having helped.

While they reunited, I looked over towards the survivors I had gathered on my way to the little girl, now named Bethany. I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as I realized that some of them were new faces, from those groups I trusted to get back on their own.

I searched the crowd for Olga and Chloe, finding them both sitting calmly by a table, and I actually did a bit of a double take at what I saw. Olga was being served by some of the knights; a cup of tea in her hands, a soft seat covering, and another one was fanning her with what I could only assume was a paper fan. Chloe, on the other hand, was trying to do a small Q&A session with the female knights, who all looked like they were listening with rapt attention.

"What the hell did I miss?" I asked aloud, getting a small glance from Olga.

"We defended this outpost," she replied simply. "Groups of those human mercenaries and monsters followed a few surviving groups that came here, and we dealt with them," she continued, taking a small sip from the cup in her hand. "After the extermination, a small group of Ogres and a Troll, these…" She hesitated for a moment as she tried to think of a word for the surrounding women, but eventually gave up and simply continued. "They recognized me as a sorceress and began tending to me in a fashion I am not opposed to."

"Lady Olga is amazing. She turned those Creatures of Darkness to ashes without even breaking a sweat!" one of the women near her exclaimed, followed by more and more talking among themselves at the stunning magic she displayed.

A part of me was a bit dumbstruck by this. "Huh," I exclaimed a bit quietly. "And Chloe?" I asked, looking in her direction.

"She managed to impress them with her swordsmanship," Olga stated calmly, raising the cup to her lips and gently sipping it. "She was efficient, quick, and most importantly, lethal. They wanted some advice, so that they may hold out better when we depart."

Best leave her to it then. I took a seat opposite of Olga, and waited. A part of me knew I should go out again, but at the same time, my biggest priority right now isn't just saving people… I mean, it is and isn't.

I need to get to Alicia Arcturus, and if my knowledge is at least somewhat accurate, she'll be somewhere in the inner fortress, at least in theory. Stopping her from surrendering and buying the time for the reinforcements from Ur to arrive will save more people than if I don't, and just run around gathering people up… or at least, that's what I am telling myself. Seeing this destruction and ruin left by Vault and his Black Dogs has left me feeling remarkably-

"Everyone!" a new feminine voice called out from the opposite direction of the barricade. "We've come to escort you all to the inner fortress, this district is lost. We're going to get you all out, understand?" she told everyone. Rather quickly, all the survivors we found began getting lined up and escorted away quickly by knights in gold and silver, who I assumed were the so-called 'Knights of Iris'.

Olga and Chloe were part of the last group, along with me and other women, but I couldn't help stopping dead in my tracks when I saw the woman who would be escorting us.

She was a blonde girl with lavender eyes; on the shorter side, an inch or two shorter than Chloe, while I'd say about four inches shorter than Olga. She wore silver pauldrons, with matching bracers and greaves. Her skirt was dual layered, the under layer a white transparent cloth underneath a noble blue skirt with gold trimming, and a bra made of the same material.

There was no mistaking it: This was Alicia Arcturus, Shield Princess of Feoh… and the one who would damn the entirety of Eostia because of her bleeding heart. "Don't worry, I'll keep you all safe. Just follow me, and I'll make sure of it," she told us in a voice that held an assurance and compassion that I hadn't expected from her.

Her eyes locked with mine for a moment, and even underneath my helmet I could tell we were staring at each other. I felt my throat suddenly dry and found myself thankful that my face was currently covered, because I couldn't help but look at her with some degree of mesmerization.

Alicia was a beautiful woman, and while not as downright sexy as Olga and Chloe, or as radiant as Celestine, she had that kind of beauty you would see in the most popular girl in school, the one who had top marks, was super popular, and was well on her way to becoming Valedictorian.

When I finally broke eye contact and shook myself free of my momentary awe, I heard Olga beside me mutter. "Good. Chloe, come. We are leaving," she told her knight, prompting the Half-Elf to break free of her own group to join her. For a moment, I saw Alicia eye them and felt a stab of nervousness as she spied them as they joined the group, but thankfully nothing came of it.

"Alright, we are moving out; everyone stay close, we'll keep you all safe," she told the women as her knights began shepherding them to the inner fortress. "You," she addressed me with a pointed finger. "You don't look like one of Feoh's Guard, or a knight of any kind." She observed, her eyes inspected me for a few moments. "Are you a sellsword, by any chance?"

"I…guess?" I answered a bit hesitantly, more due to the fact that I was a bit surprised by her speaking to me so suddenly. I thought I would have to fight for her attention, but this was a welcome change of pace. Anything that lets me get close enough to stop her from making the single dumbest decision in the history of this entire world.

The princess nodded. "Alright, consider yourself hired," she told me, which again caught me a bit off guard. I expected to be met with suspicion, or perhaps hostility, given that I was a man. But I guess I can sort of understand why she wouldn't be picky about her allies, given the situation. I'm here and not being hostile, so in her eyes that was good enough.

"We'll figure out how much you are owed after we survive this attack. Until then, you are under my direct command, are we clear?" she said in a tone that left no room for arguing. I guess that is to be expected, since she's a commander, after all… I think.

I straightened my back, stomped a foot and threw up a salute. "Yes Ma'am. Come on Rex, let's go," I said, calling the good boy over.

"Alright, everyone, let's get moving!" she ordered, and much to my surprise, her knights led the survivors through the city and back to the inner walls of the fortress with a calm and focused stride that made me somewhat confused. This was the same person that would surrender her entire fortress for the sake of a few people, right?

Despite being attacked by some opportunistic vultures, I didn't need to fight, nor did anyone else, since the ones who tried to fight us tended to be too few in number to be much of a threat. A few men thought they could get away with snagging someone and met their end quickly, while others didn't even make it that far. I hated it, but at the same time, the fact that there were so few this deep probably meant they were more focused on the ones who couldn't get away in time. After all, those who had the chance to escape to the inner fortress probably did the instant the wall was breached.

"Damn it…" I heard Alicia mutter as we escorted the group through the city's residential district. "What kind of people would betray their own kind like this?"

"The absolute worst," I answered. "My name is James, James Hind," I then introduced myself.

Alicia smiled warmly at me. "Good to meet you Hind, I am Princess Alicia Arcturus. You may address me in whatever way suits you, so long as you follow my command and continue to aid in the defense of the fortress," she told me, glad to know I had permission to call her what I wanted.

I gave her a nod. "Alright then, boss."

While we moved through the city, we heard some of the women in our group start talking to each other.

"He was a beast, a monster in human form! He ripped those men to shreds, almost as if he was butchering vermin!"

"That sorceress is amazing, she destroyed those Aberrants like she was squishing bugs!"

"Did you see the blond-haired one? I swear she moved as fast as the wind itself!"

Alicia leaned over. "You seem to have left an impression on them."

"I was just trying to help, just as the Dark Elves were, and just as you are."

"A humble mercenary. I'm surprised. Most other sellswords I meet tend to boast about their deeds."

"Well, good thing I'm not really a sellsword or mercenary then," I corrected. "I'm more of an adventurer, I'd say."

Alicia raised an eyebrow. "What's the difference?"

"Well, a merc would only help if they get paid. I will help, and then find payment afterwards."

"All the same, I appreciate your assistance. Currently, we are gathering everyone we can to make a stand at the inner fortress. Ideally, we can hold them there for a few more hours while we wait for reinforcements to arrive."

I nodded, a small knowing smile found its way across my lips. "So long as you don't make any dumb decisions, we'll be just fine." I couldn't help but add that last bit, knowing she would probably still try to surrender when the nuns are getting….

Oh fuck, Sister Marie!

"How soon can we get to the Inner Fortress?" I asked quickly. I wouldn't let Marie get raped if I can stop it. I don't know where she is, but I do know where she's going to be, and that's being used as a hostage to force Alicia to surrender. And I'm not planning on allowing that, but the sooner I get them out of that situation, the better.

"We'll reach it soon, don't worry," Alicia told me. She was trying to keep me calm, but I could hear the desperation in her voice. I frowned, but accepting the answer was the only thing I could do right now besides guarding the women.

That being said, when we finally arrived to our destination, it seemed much more in line with what one would expect from a fortress. The bulwarks were high, the walls were thick, the gates were heavy and ready to withstand punishment for hours if need be… It was clear to me that they could have realistically held out if they didn't surrender, and hopefully they won't this time around.

Once we were in, the gates closed behind us to prevent any monsters or Black Dogs from following us inside. I felt a brief moment of relief that we managed to get so many here… but that relief was quickly replaced with grief when I realized that these were some of the only people to be safely evacuated to the inner fortress.

However, Olga and Chloe were stopped by Alicia. "Wait a moment…" she said, "You two have been of incredible value in keeping those women safe. If you don't mind me asking, would you be willing to provide more support in this battle?"

Honestly, I had been expecting her to try to arrest them or something, not ask them for help. Olga remained silent for a few moments. "Why should I?" she asked. "I believe I have done enough. Unless you believe your own forces are insufficient at repelling these invaders, I see no need to provide any more assistance." Her tone was matter-of-fact, and I couldn't help but frown. Now that she was safe, there was no reason for her or Chloe to help.

The blonde princess frowned. "I see." She looked down in thought. "Is there any way I could convince you to provide aid?" she asked, her tone sounding a bit more desperate.

Queen Discordia pondered that for a few moments. "I believe that, were the situation dire enough, I could be persuaded to offer assistance. As it stands, I see no need to put myself at risk for you humans," she finally stated, keeping her face stoic and her tone cold.

I saw Alicia open her mouth to make another offer, only for an explosion to rock the area. No one needed to say what had happened, because we all already knew what had begun: the siege of the inner fortress.

"Damn it!" Alicia cursed. "EVERYONE, TO YOUR POSITIONS! I WANT REPORTS ON EVERY SIDE OF THE FORTRESS EVERY TEN MINUTES!" she called out as she ran to join her knights at the top of the walls.

I glanced over at Olga and Chloe, who had taken a seat over in a small and quiet corner. "You really don't want to help?" I asked as I approached.

Chloe eyed me strangely. "Be thankful we did anything for your kind at all. If it were up to me, we would never have gotten involved," she told me. "Who does that girl think she is, asking my Queen for help?" The Half-Elf grumbled, looking away.

"She is someone who wants to save her people," I told them. It was a little strange to defend someone I didn't really know, but I do know that she isn't bad… maybe a bit naive, and doesn't think ahead, but not bad.

The Dark Queen glanced at me. "But they are not my people," she told me straight. "Had I not had a reason to defend your people before, I wouldn't have. Do not mistake my actions as some benevolence to your kind, I was simply looking out for my own interests."

"Spare me the excuses," I told her flatly. "We both know you're not so stupid to see that this situation is bad."

"Don't you talk to her like-"

"Shut it," I interrupted Chloe. "Our backs are against the wall here, you know it and I know it. The walls won't hold forever, not with how much they will be focusing on breaking them down. Regardless of your reasoning, we need your power if we're going to have any hope of holding out long enough for the reinforcements to arrive. Unless you want to take the gamble that those gates can hold for a few more hours?" I asked rhetorically as the gates in question were struck with a massive force.

Olga closed her eyes, thinking for a few moments about my words. "Tell me something, human," she looked at me with her normal unreadable stoic glare. "Why do you wish for me to fight your battles? Have I not done enough? Have I not given you more than your people deserve from me?"

I shook my head. "Because our battles are the same, even if you don't quite get that fact yet." I gestured to everyone else fighting. "This isn't about your race or past. This is about the future of your gender, as stupid as it sounds. Vault wants the complete subjugation of every woman in the world, be them Human, Halfling, High Elf, Half-Elf, or Dark Elf."

"I am aware of that-" she started to say.

"Really? Because how you are acting isn't really telling me that." That earned a death glare from Chloe, which was promptly ignored. "This fight is just as much yours as it's theirs, and the only way we have more than a sliver of a chance of winning is if everyone does their part. Otherwise, I would recommend preparing for a new life as a sex slave."

For a moment, Chloe looked ready to attack me for what I had said, but her expression slowly morphed, looking around as if what I had just told her was some kind of revelation. "I would rather die before seeing my Lady enslaved by anyone…" she spoke quietly. "If it is for her… I will fight. But make no mistake; I'm not doing this for you humans, or women, but for my Queen."

Olga remained quiet, silently thinking on my words, even though I had already made a point similar to this before. The difference then was that the battle was far away, something that one could run from… Now, however, it was right in her lap. She looked at the knights and refugees surrounding us, the gate, Chloe, and lastly her own lap.

"… Very well," she said finally. "Much as I am loath to admit it, your words contain some degree of truth." She looked back up at me. "I will offer what I can, but no more than necessary. However, I would like to take a few moments to rest while I can. While I have not used any of my own reserves, using magic the way I did was taxing on my person."

"So you'll help us?"

The Dark Queen nodded. "Yes, but only because I have no other options. It would not serve me to allow this city to fall."

I nodded, smiling underneath my helmet. "Good. Rex," I addressed the dog next to me. "Stay with these two. I'll go tell Princess Arcturus that you'll help, and we'll figure out how from there."

Making my way up the walls, I found the situation to be direr than I thought. The main force had managed to reach the inner wall and had begun their siege, arrows and cannonballs striking the high wall and flying overhead. It didn't take long to find Alicia, barking orders at her soldiers.

"We need more men to the east! Send some soldiers over! Carry the wounded inside!" her clear and courageous voice echoed across the walls, even as flaming arrows flew her by.

Despite the overwhelming disadvantage we had on the Black Dogs, Alicia's skillful commanding of her troops had them continue to fight with their moral intact despite the impossible odds they were faced with. I saw her open her mouth to give more orders, or maybe moral support, and decided it best to talk now while I could.

"Lady Alicia, I need to talk to you."

"Hind," she greeted, turning towards me. "I need you to-"

I raised a hand to interrupt her. "I managed to convince the Dark Elves to help…"

Her expression changed. "What?" she asked, disbelief dripping off her voice.

"I had-"

I got cut off when another knight ran towards Alicia, was panting from the run. "Miss Alicia…!" she addressed the Princess Knight with urgency. "They've captured the Holy Women!"

Alicia looked at the messenger with wide eyes, shocked by what she had been told. While it may have been to her, I was all too familiar with their methods to feel anything other than disgust.

"Unbelievable… Do they not even have the honor to treat their prisoners of war properly?!"

With that, she pushed past the messenger and ran along the wall, with me following her very close behind. This was it, I'm sure.

"Miss Alicia! Wait! It's dangerous over there!" One of her knights called out to her, but she ignored it and leaned over the battlements… then fell silent, stunned by the sight.

"Wh… What is the meaning of this?!" she cried out as she looked down at a sorry sight of nuns being pilloried and subjected to a horrible treatment by monsters. Already, the familiar chill of Ice Spike began radiating out of my palms.

"Princess Alicia… Ha…"

Beasts crawled all over them. None had been penetrated yet, but they were clearly being molested. If I had to guess why they had been holding off, unlike so many of their allies, was because they were going to pull on Alicia's heart strings by making her watch helpless as they got raped.

However, there was one thing they didn't account for in their plans.

Before even another sound was uttered by those present, I raised my hand and fired the spell I had been preparing, causing everyone to jump in alarm at the magic being cast, none more than the Ghoul that was currently licking Sister Marie's neck, as it found out what it is like to have an Ice Spike stab directly through its hardened junk that was an oh so wonderfully tempting target that I just couldn't resist.

"AAAHAHAHAAH!" it cried out as it dropped off Marie and began stumbling and falling over in pain. As I shot another spike to finally silence it, the rest of the Ghouls scattered into cover.

With them gone, I began focusing fire on the Trolls holding the women captive. They were more than willing to use them as human shields to get me to stop, but that was good for me, because it meant none of them could actually make a move on the nuns, unless they wanted to expose themselves.

"What was that?!" Alicia exclaimed, staring at me with eyes wide in shock and awe.

I only looked at her out of the corner of my eye. "Nuns first, questions later," I replied simply, firing a few more spikes to dissuade any of the bastards from attacking the nuns. My actions were twofold here; one was that I wasn't going to just sit up here and watch when I had the ability to intervene, and what better way to prevent Alicia from surrendering than simply keeping them from even suggesting it?

Alicia took a moment to register what I had told her, but when she did, she didn't waste a second. "I need some volunteers!" Alicia called out to her troops and left me there, staring down at the group of Ghouls and Trolls. We were stalemated, but my aim was good, and none of the Ghouls could make a move without me shooting at them.

"So you must be James Hind, eh?!" the Greater Ghoul called out. He was a little bigger than the other little red skinned freaks, but ultimately would die just as easily. "People haven't stopped talking about you since you left!" It called out from behind its cover. "How you're a damn coward and a fool for going against Vault!"

I didn't really want to humor it, but figured I might as well keep it talking while I waited for Alicia to grab the nuns. "I'll give it to you that I am a fool, but a coward?!" I yelled back. "That's a funny way to describe me, seeing as I'm not the one hiding! Unless you want to prove me wrong and step out!"

The Ghoul laughed. "Like we're gonna-" He was interrupted when one of his minions stepped out of cover, and promptly got pinned to the wall. "I'm not gonna fall for that!" it corrected. "Now, where's that damn Princess?! I know she was up there just a second ago!"

"I told her I got the situation under control, and that she had more pressing concerns elsewhere!" I lied. "After all, none of you can actually do anything, so long as I stay here ready to give you the worst case of brain freeze you've ever felt!"

"… The fuck's brain freeze?!"

I opened my mouth to answer… But how do you explain brain freeze to someone who probably didn't know about frozen treats like that?

"What's brain freeze?" one of the knights behind me asked, equally puzzled.

Regardless, I was saved when I saw Alicia and a few knights enter the small clearing, the whole situation erupting from there.

"CHARGE!" Alicia cried out as they began rushing the Monsters, and for a good moment I was caught off guard as to their skill. Alicia may not be forethinking, but I did find myself impressed with her combat ability.

I began providing cover fire while Alicia and her troops dodged and weaved through the Trolls and Ghouls, almost as if they were dancing. But when they swung their swords, they did show they were more than simple pretty faces.

I couldn't help but feel a small sense of catharsis as Alicia decapitated the Greater Ghoul and split its body in two.

… Crisis averted.

I watched as the nuns were escorted back inside, making sure to keep a careful eye on the area in case more enemies arrived, but found myself thankful when none came. Alicia was soon out of sight, and I was forced to move with her, to keep the monsters away from them, or at least give warning. It happened a few times, but Alicia proved to be more competent than I had given her credit for in a fight. Despite their attempts to collect the Princess Knight, none managed to capture her on her way back into the inner fortress.

As they arrived at a specific part of the wall, the men up here lowered a ladder down. Obviously, the nuns came up first, followed by the knights, and Alicia herself. Everything was going smoothly… too smoothly.

"Something's wrong," I couldn't help but say aloud, my voice too quiet to be heard over the sounds of battle.

After the women began getting escorted back inside, another knight ran up to Alicia, and I watched her face morph from determined to shocked, and alarmed. With an audible growl, she began barking orders at everyone again, pulling the ladder up and sending the troops to go and help other parts of the inner fortress. She conspicuously left me out of her orders.

"Hind." She sounded serious, "Hind, you said you got the Dark Elves to help, right?" I nodded. "Then you and them are coming with me," she ordered, but her tone put me on guard… was she going to try and-

"Prim is missing!"

I felt my blood run cold.

"What?"

The Princess Knight spoke with barely contained rage. "Someone in the guard detail I left behind was sighted escorting her out of the keep and into the city! I have to go find her, but all my troops are needed here. The only people I can spare are you and the Dark Elves!"

Fuck…

"Okay, do you have anything we can use to find her? My dog is fantastic at finding people based on scent."

Alicia shook her head. "No, but we might find something where she was last seen." Damn, this wasn't good, but at least the biggest crisis was prevented. Now we just need to get Prim, and bunker down here-

"DOVAHKIIN!"

Oh, you've got to be fuckin' shitting me…


Special Thanks to LittleWhiteMouse for proofreading this Chapter.

I am so sorry this took so long.

Honestly, I never meant for it to take as long as it did but… let's just say my original interpretation of events was a bit… flawed. I was on track to complete it, but due to the fact that the original plan was incorrect, as well as the first revision, I had to completely tear down a lot of this chapter and remake it. I tried preserving what I could, but I unfortunately couldn't do it for all of it. A lot of the chapter had to be erased and rebuilt and I am sorry that it took so long to do.

You'll also notice that I went above the previously set 6k word limit, and that was more because I didn't want to split the battle of Feoh into more than 2 parts. So… sorry about the word wall. I promise that chapters that aren't so… critical to the plot will be smaller.

Also: H-O-L-Y S-H-I-T! We have reached 900 Favorites and are now over 1100 Follows!

Never in my life did I really expect this, it is so humbling and I am so thankful for all of the support you guys have offered this fic. I cannot tell you how much it means to me.

Now, I feel the need to inform you all ahead of time but after the next chapter Dovah vs Dogs will go on something of a little schedule change. Ideally I can still pump out a single chapter every month with only 6k words, but thats being optimistic. The reason for this is because I will be working on a new story for my friend and editor Little White Mouse. Its because of him that Dovah Vs Dogs has gotten this far and I feel I owe it to him to give his idea a try. So when that comes out I would like as many of you to give it a read, give it a little feedback and maybe if you like it a favorite and a follow.