(A/N): Glastheim held out for a month before it fell. Another thing, the stuff that happened in Salendriel and Abraxil's encounter will be in one of Tom Valor's fic so don't flame me for making an abrupt change.

Chapter 11: Soldiers of Stardust

A goat-demon readied his colossal scythe and roared into the night skies. Abraxil Sovivor approached the demon. This was what he brought into the world through the waygate he created.

"Kill them all, Baphomet."

The goat-demon Baphomet licked his fangs and watched the surviving lord knights take a defensive stance. They were no match for a demon this powerful.

…………………………………

Kael withdrew his sword from a skeleton general's skull. Suddenly a dagger sliced through his arm. The raydric-knight reeled backward and lunged at the attacker: a soldier skeleton.

'Just too many of them. We're getting swamped here…'

The raydric-knight raised his two-handed sword and prepared for a strike needed for a Bowling Bash. He swung his sword at the skeletal warrior, sending it flying backward and crashing unto a group of floating corpses wearing scarlet robes.

Beside him, the knight of heaven Ixyll was impaling every undead that got in his charge. So far, the Knights of Heaven had been slaughtering a large number of undead already. The raydrics on the other hand, are being picked off.

………………………………….

From the watchtowers above, hunters were desperately firing on the archer skeletons and wraiths. Kathris had just launched a large bolt on a wraith. The bolt buried deep inside the floating corpse's torso, exploding upon contact and leaving bloody shreds falling like leaves on the ground.

The huntress loaded her enormous crossbow again and aimed at a khalitzburg that had just arrived out of nowhere.

"Kathris!"

All the hunters and huntresses turned to see who had called to their substitute commander.

The red-haired huntress stared at the lord knight with a confused look and walked closer to him.

"Lord Knight Necron. What are you doing…"

"Where are the others? They must be warned!"

Kathris turned her head behind her. A hunter that was sniping at the archer skeletons suddenly fell on the ground with several arrows on his face.

"The others are still in the suburbs while others were ambushed. The forces must be rallied."

Necron's eyes narrowed.

"And Farina? Where is she?"

"In the inn west of here. She'll be safe along with the novices we saved."

"No!"

The lord knight backed away.

"I must go! Hordes of undead have breached the defense line and are coming from the west!"

Kathris gave him a quick kiss before he turned to leave. Necron seemed to wonder why she can still do that at a time like this.

"Commander!"

"Ah…y-yes!"

The red-haired huntress rushed to her position. A new wave of enemies had arrived. This time, small knife-wielding goat-like beasts, and some hulking bull-creatures carrying huge hammers, the minoruses.

……………………………………

"Go back to where you came from!"

Farina hurled a hydrobolic acid bottle at the khalitzburg that was nearing her. Learning how to throw explosives was the first thing the merchant learned when she studied to become an alchemist.

The glass shattered against the skeletal monster's archaic armor and splattered the dangerous liquid on it. The khalitzburg seemed to smoke for a moment then continued its pace.

Farina held her two-handed axe tightly but she knew that she wasn't going to last any longer than the mutilated novices that were scattered all over the room.

The merchant hurled an explosive called Molotov cocktail at the khalitzburg. The bottle exploded on the skeleton's skull, setting it on fire but the khalitzburg was undaunted.

'Oh no…'

Suddenly, she heard a loud slashing sound from behind the skeleton. The khalitzburg let out a hoarse roar before collapsing into a pile of bones and rusted armor. A lord knight positioned his fingers on his right hand for a thrust then plunged it down on the khalitzburg's skull.

Farina thought it was impossible to do that but then she realized that this lord knight's arm was rebuilt by a creator.

"Get out of here. There's blood everywhere."

The merchant nodded and followed Necron outside. There was no way she was going to cower inside a room full of blood and dismembered parts everywhere.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm going to rally the Glastheimian forces that aren't mobile right now. If you want, you could follow me."

Farina readied another explosive device when they heard something smash outside the inn doors. Necron ignored the sound and placed a hand on the doorknob. That was when the inn's roof collapsed.

'What the…'

The lord knight slammed his right hand at the door which collapsed and pushed Farina out. A large hammer stuck out of the hole in the ceiling which belonged to a minorus.

Necron rushed out to meet the bull-like creature. He had fought with them long ago but he wasn't alone back then. This time, all he had was a merchant who was cowering behind him.

'You can at least stay away or go find Kael…'

"Lord Knight, he's moving!"

A hammer was brought down on him, only to be blocked by the zweihander. Necron skidded backward due to the force of the minorus but a Molotov cocktail broke on its head and set its hide on fire.

'For once, she was useful. I might find time for her to be alchemist…'

The lord knight charged and lashed at the bull-creature's leg. Necron turned and swung his sword from below, ripping the monster's lower hide open, making droplets of blood drip on his armor.

The minorus roared furiously before the zweihander cut up its other leg, causing it to fall.

"Farina, fire away."

The merchant lit up three more explosives and dropped them on the injured monster, igniting it in flames. Necron stepped backward and watched as the minorus was burned down. Suddenly, he felt something in his side. The armor had long tears in them and there was blood spilling from it.

All of a sudden, it became painful. Farina fumbled for something in her bag then took out a slim bottle of white potion.

"Kael says you always get yourself hurt. This is my own brand of potion I practiced so hard to make."

Necron used the potion while Farina placed some bandages soaked with green potion on his side. The pain was gone almost instantly.

'She is fit to become an alchemist. With my rank, I could make sure and Kael will likely thank me for that.'

…………………………………

"Keep away!"

Kael's sword sent a soldier skeleton's skull flying. The skeletal warrior was going to pounce on a wounded raydric.

"Raydric Commander, we need to regroup!"

The raydric-knight wiped away some blood from his face with his hand then rallied his remaining soldiers into their standards. The Knights of Heaven were called for a skirmish somewhere else in the city and the raydric divisions were being swamped easily.

"Rally! Hold them back while Lord Knight Necron summons reinforcements!"

Suddenly, a large, bloody hammer fell on his sub-commander, sending bloody fleshy parts flying around them.

The wielder of the hammer, a red-skinned minorus called a majoruros, withdrew it and swung it at the fleeing raydrics to its left, knocking them all off the ground.

In the air, several more wraiths were hovering around and fishing off some careless archers with their enormous jaws.

Kael leapt backward and signaled his men to follow him.

"Anyone from the other division, not from mine?"

"No sir. Only our division is left with not even half of what he had. The other divisions were completely destroyed."

The raydric-knight scanned his surroundings. Everyone in his division was gathered around him. All the other raydrics were nothing but dead remains and bloody shreds. More of the hammer-wielding bull-creatures and wraiths surrounded them.

"Is there no end to this?"

One of his surviving lieutenants moved his horse closer to his. The raydric looked exhausted and full of excitement.

"Commander, I had the count. Twelve raydrics and two raydric-knights. We can't outrun them in this state. What are your orders?"

Kael raised his sword. There was no way he was going to fall without a good fight.

"Majority of minoruses to the east. We strike there. By our number we could take down…half of them before we fall."

His raydrics lined up before him. This was going to be their final stand.

"For the glory of Glastheim!"

Kael charged, followed by his division. The minoruses in front of them roared in chorus then charged at them.

The raydric-knight kept his sword in the air and found the nearest minorus. His broad sword exploded with flames as the blade struck the bull-creature's hide. In return, the minorus raised its hammer for a killing strike. This was going to be the end…