Sorry it's taken so long to update, been busy with other stories and life in general. But here I am with another chapter!

Chapter Eight: Ice and Fire

Continent of Lanis, Barrow Village, November 27th, 501 A.E.

Home to approximately eight hundred souls, Barrow Village sat two days West of the Holy City, Lanill. Settled on the banks of a small tributary near one of the many forests, the collection of homes and shops were covered in a light snow, adding to their picturesque appearance.

Numerous farms stretched across frozen fields, the crops long since harvested for the winter months as the local farmers kept a wary eye on their livestock.

A vast majority of the villagers were inside their homes, the recent attacks by dire wolves injuring several…a problem that was about to be rectified in the nearby forest.

"HYAAA!" Swinging her sharpened blade, Akame sliced the lunging wolf in mid air, the beast's maw open to show grisly, yellowed teeth. Cutting through the fur and flesh, the creature gave a yelp, falling to the forest floor. The crimson eyes faded, the life blood seeping from the hostile creature as Mei and Akira breathed heavily nearby, the two heroes spattered with wolf blood and some light scratches.

"I think that's the last of them" Akira uttered with another labored breath. Wiping his sword on some snow, it stained red as a small pack of the monster's laid about the forest floor. Steam rose from the freshly spilled blood of the dire wolves, mixing with the scent of copper.

"Yeah. I don't hear any more" Mei agreed, the young blonde woman clutching her magic staff. Having used a fireball, she had landed the first strike, charring one of the deadly creatures.

Sheathing her own sword, Akame panned her gaze as a few experience points flittered to her body, adding to her current level.

"That's still really odd" Feeling the battle experience add to her own, Akame swiveled her head toward the nearby village glimpsed through the bare trees. "We'll check the area for any more, then report to the village chief. Not too bad for our first adventure quest" Allowing herself a small smile, the raven beauty watched as Mei pumped her fist.

"Yeah! It was tough, but we're really heroes! I bet we'll be famous and fighting demons in no time!" Grinning at the victory, the magic user basked in their first completed job.

"I wouldn't say heroes just yet, but I believe we will advance far more rapidly in terms of skill and battle sense by doing this instead of staying at the church. Now come, we must ensure the job is complete" Marching in the direction the wolves had come from, the young hero's boots crunched against the snow, each intent of completing the vital task.

Still, Akame knew that compared to the tenth hero, she had done nothing of note yet. "Just you wait, Bisca. I'll prove my worth for the people's faith in us"

Growling came from the forest ahead, along with four pairs of red, crimson eyes that burned like coal among the snow and ice covered branches.

"Heh. Guess we didn't get them all" Pulling his blade, Akira gave a battle roar as the first Dire wolf broke cover and rushed past numerous trees. "Let's go!"

With that, the trio waged battle once more amongst the frost and ice of Barrow Forest.

Fort Banar, 118 miles from the Brassil Border

Snow and ice covered the old fort, its ramparts and towers a near shimmer of frozen water, hanging icicles and reflective surfaces.

Built upon a minor hill and flanked by a near frozen river, the fort of stone overlooked the homes and businesses of the small city. Originally built to protect the nearby lands from raiding nomads, the fortress had fallen into disrepair over decades, leaving the garrison a mere shell of its former self. While technically still functioning, the troops inside had long been used to hunt down local monsters and hostile wildlife on orders of the local baron.

By no means a cruel or violent man, Baron Von Torvuld had done his best to protect the town and his subjects to the best of his ability. Unfortunately, Fort Banar had been beset by heinous fiends, something the average soldier could not handle…which had resulted in dozens of deaths the week prior as the vile creatures ravaged the nearby town. Cutting down soldier and citizen alike, the fiends had been vicious in their bloody rampage before taking over the small bastion.

So fearful of the monsters that had invaded their fortress, none of the townsfolk even dared to step outside during the day, let alone night to work the nearby forest for timber.

Nothing moved, only the falling of frozen flakes that drifted down between the buildings.

Harsh shrieks rose from the stone fortress, echoing out of the numerous archer windows of the battlements as several icicles fell from the harsh, nightmarish sound.

Dia Stormclaw breathed hard, her breath a storm of frost among the frozen hallways. Clutching her gnarled oaken staff as she took cover behind a pillar coated in reflective ice, she tried to calm her frayed nerves. Taking another sharp intake of frozen air, Dia peeked around the curved support pillar of the room.

It was completely covered in ice, the unfortunate frozen souls of several soldiers standing erect in random locations around the room. Most were in the middle of combat swings, their swords a serene blue of steel as the men's faces contorted in a frozen fate of horror.

None moved, their deaths days old as the walls seemed to twinkle like stars under the filtered sunlight the danced through the covered windows nearby.

"SSSHHHHRIIIIEEEKKKK!"

"Shut the fuck up you Ice Hag!" Bisca roared as she swung into the open from a nearby pillar, the lancer rifle covered in bits of frost. Firing, a stream of bullets snapped through the horribly cold air, almost slicing the silence of the hall. Several managed to strike the monster in mid air, tumbling the vile, ancient hag to the frozen floor as it let out a painful scream from the physical wound that ruined its shoulder.

"DIE FOUL BEAST!" Jumping into the fray from behind an over turned table, Celeste swung her Holy Battle Axe, the curved blade pulsing with light in the presence of evil. Cutting downward, she cleaved the blade into the Ice Hag's stomach, the spatter of blue tinted blood flinging across her armor.

"TWO LEFT!" Bisca roared out as she retook her position barely in time.

Another Ice Hag shrieked, blowing a cone of frozen ice at Bisca's cover that rapidly built up in a fresh mound of crystallized ice.

But Bisca had already ran, sprinting to the next column as the Hag gave chase, spewing its deadly ice breath at the green haired gun mage.

Swerving left and in a crouch along the wall of the rectangular room, Bisca could feel deadly ice growing behind her from the Hag, but she kept running toward the next pillar.

A frozen body of a man stood in her path, his face a torment of his last moments. Pushing through, the corpse shattered, littering hard chunks to strike the floor as she slid into cover behind the pillar.

The Ice Hag swerved away in a spin, avoiding a collision with the supporting pillar before hovering near the ceiling with her fellow monster.

Both were grotesque, ancient women, their skin a sickly blue while their hair ended in ragged strands of gray. Yellowed eyes of rage peered from sunken sockets, the skin of their cheeks hollowed out to resemble a skeletal visage. Sharpened claws extended from their hands, each tip dripping with the tiniest fringes of ice as they cackled and hovered. Clothed in ratty rags that resembled rotting, burlap sacks, both monsters unleashed an ear piercing bellow.

"SHHHHRRRIIIIEKKKKK!"

"AHHH! MY EARS!" Vera screamed from nearby, the elf clutching them for a moment as the sound reverberated off the frozen walls of the main hall. Doing her best to ignore the horrible sound that was akin to nails carving through steel, the dark elf gripped her duo of swords, each shimmering with fire and ice as she hid behind the local lord's throne.

"FIRE BALL!" Emerging from her own cover, Dia launched a fresh magic attack, the searing ball of fire rushing upward to the duo of Ice Hags as her magic power took another dip toward depletion. It struck the second one, burning the sickly frozen skin as the first avoided it to unleash another deadly ice attack at the feline mage.

Ducking back behind the pillar, Dia then ran to the next as the clawed swipe of the Hag cut a furrow where she had just been standing.

Thunderous gunfire echoed, the flashes illuminating along the sheening walls as Bisca targeted the wounded Hag. Bullets punched through the guts, blowing the monster to the floor as it let out a pitiful shriek after flying through a frozen man, shattering the corpse into a million pieces. Struggling to stand, it was already too late for the creature.

"DIE, YOU OLD BITCH!" Revving up her lancer, the gun mage brought the spinning teeth down at the shoulder, cutting through with a scream of tearing flesh. Bluish gore spattered across Bisca's armor, a slew of chunks and skin ripped apart as she cut through to the groin. A few lingering splashes landed on her chin and cheeks, coating her features in blue gore as she kicked the body away with a heavy boot.

"Bisca! Behind you!" Vera shouted as she emerged, the elf running fast and low past several pillars and ice covered tables. Trying to angle herself, she ran along the wall for a moment, then jumped toward the last Ice Hag as her friend turned.

Bisca rolled to the left at the last moment, a cone of deadly ice spearing where she had stood. Almost slipping, she tumbled over a table, shattering two more seated men into shards of remains.

Vera managed to wound the beast in mid air over the course of those few seconds, her heated fire blade carving along the monster's back.

Screaming in agony, the Hag backhanded Vera, sending her flying through another frozen body to slide along the length of the hall to the half frozen entrance.

Groaning from the hit, Vera struggled to stand as the Ice Hag screamed, the old woman flying fast near the ceiling covered in hanging icicles. Approaching within fifteen feet of Vera, the monster brandished its deadly claws, each a knife to slice into flesh.

A single gunshot rang out, exploding the Ice Hag's head in a gruesome burst of bone and gore. Still flying forward, the corpse landed on Vera, pinning her to the floor as spurts of blue blood flowed from the open neck. Pouring over the elf, an extra pressurized spurt of blood landed across her face and mouth.

"EWW! EWW! Some got in my mouth! Get it off!" Struggling, Vera rolled the body away, then spat out the blood.

"It's not that bad" Striding up with her longshot, Bisca worked the bolt, sending the lone casing flying in a spin before reloading.

"I GOT ICE HAG BLOOD IN MY MOUTH! Don't say it's not bad!" Struggling not to break down, Vera felt a gauntleted hand rest upon her shoulder.

"Technically, they were Bheur Hags" Dia pointed out with a smile as her tail twitched then wrapped around her cloak.

"I don't care! Still gross and nasty!"

"Fear not my valuable companion. The mission is complete. We eliminated the nest of monsters and hopefully, returned a sense of normality to the people of Fort Banar" Smiling, Celeste hefted her axe over her shoulder, the holy weapon still dripping with Hag gore as her blonde locks seemed to radiate serenity.

"Easy for you to say Celeste, You didn't get covered in it" Spitting again, Vera shuddered as floating numbers flowed toward Bisca and Celeste for the kills.

A few points went to Dia and Vera for assists, putting both females closer to level twenty.

"Ugh…I just want a warm bath…" Wiping more of the gore from her features, Vera knew it should be expected at this point. "And you're still comfortable being covered in blood! WHY!?"

Bisca shrugged, not caring in the slightest about the question. "First we report to the Baron at the inn. Hopefully with the monsters gone, the ice will start to dissipate" Shaking her head, the whole job had been a pain in the ass in Bisca's opinion.

The Fortress had been infested with nearly a dozen of the damn things….and the sound…

"Like Wretches…they sound just like wretches" Gripping her rifle, Bisca felt her fingers tense, but began to relax as the enemy was gone. She didn't have an episode, but next time? Who knew what the next battle would bring.

Dispelling the thoughts, Bisca simply walked past her team, heading toward the exit and nearby town.


The local inn was rowdy, bustling with the baron's assistants, guards and family along with several of the more prominent citizens of the town.

Filling the main hall of the establishment, the dour, fearful mood had rapidly dissipated with the return of Bisca and her comrades.

Hefty with a jovial smile, Von Torvuld was wrapped in a cloak of heavy furs with underlaying clothing matching his station and wealth. By no means on the same level as kings or queens, he did command dominion over the area. Stretching out both his hands, he grasps Bisca's right palm, eagerly shaking it with a warm grin.

"Thank you, brave heroes! We were helpless against those foul creatures that killed so many and took our bastion!" Pulling her arm upward in a pose, Baron Von Torvuld stood next to Bisca as he faced the crowd gathered in the hall. "THREE CHEERS FOR BISCA AND THE EMERALD RANGERS!"

Citizens and guards alike let out brays of cheer, the sound ripping through the structure like thunder.

Still dripping with Hag blood and bits of gore, Bisca felt very uneasy from this attention, but remained calm as several droplets of gore slid down her armor.

"It was a tough battle, but we killed those old hags!" Vera boasted, the Dark elf giving a short laugh despite her state of filth and leather armor covered in more chunks of viscera.

"Tell me hero Bisca, how may we repay you for your deed?" Knowing it had not been an official quest when the group entered the town the day before, Von Torvuld had already promised a monetary reward, but the speed of the victory had surprised him.

Bisca took a moment, staring past the Baron to his wife and three children nearby, each well mannered and healthy.

"We could use some supplies for our journey to Jarrenburgh along with a hot meal" Looking down at herself, then Vera and her two other friends, she wiped a few streaks of blue blood from her chin. "A hot bath or sauna would be nice too"

"Of course! Of course! Servants, please attend to our saviors needs and have the cooks prepare a feast!" Laughing jovially, the Baron was in high spirits. Yes, people had died, but it could have been so much worse. Fortune had smiled on him and the town when these four arrived yesterday morning.

Watching the four heroic women being escorted by several of the servants, he returned to his seat, surrounded by his family with relief filling their hearts.

Vera lowered herself into the heated pool of water, the spring at the back of the inn fed by underground heat. Fully nude, the water slid past her full breasts, rising to her shoulders as she sat on a stone shelf with the steam of heat rising. Silver hair floated around her like sunlight, the strands bobbing along the soft ripples.

"Ahhhh….I needed this" Looking at her three friends, they too had shed their clothing, the gear stored within Dia's bag of holding. Resting nearby, the small brown sac looked like nothing, but contained so much of what they needed to survive these harsh northern lands.

"I know, those Bheur Hags were nasty…all those people, frozen to death" Dia added with a tone of somber sorrow, the black mage trying to forget those remains.

"We did what we could" Bisca shrugged as she leaned back, her hefty bosom floating beneath the heated water from buoyancy. Sighing, she had to agree with Vera…they had needed a bath, especially after nearly a week and a half on the road, camping and living in their sleeping bags at night while on the lookout for monsters, bandits or other threats.

As if reading her thoughts, Celeste dipped her head below the water, rising as her blonde locks clung to her head and draped down her shoulders as she sat straight, showing off the tops of her full breasts. "This bath is quite refreshing. I don't know about all of you, but I was starting to stink" Wryly grinning, the holy knight enjoyed the heat working against her sore muscles.

"Ugh, I know. I could smell you all" Dia teased with a small chuckle.

"It happens. Especially with how far we've traveled" Sinking below the water level to wash her own hair, Bisca disappeared beneath the surface, only to re-emerge moments later. The green locks clung to her head, hiding the majority of the old scar that ran the length of her skull.

"I ran through people today. Frozen to death by aberrations" Running a few fingers along the scar tissue, Bisca hardened her heart once more. "They were already dead. And you survived. That's what matters. Surviving and finding a way home"

Images of her old guild…friends and family flashed, a stream of memories that raced before her mind's eye. Then the images changed to blood…screaming and suffering under orbital fire that scorched the land.

Suddenly standing after a sharp intake of breath, Bisca stood in full view as water cascaded down her fit and toned form. "I'm going to clean my armor and weapons. We leave early tomorrow so minimize your alcohol"

"Bisca? We just got into this spring heated bath. Surely you could stay a few more minutes? Plus, they're gonna have a feast for us" Vera tried to say, but the gun mage was already stepping out onto the stone, her light swaying steps taking her to her discarded equipment.

Sure, the Baron had given them a room, but no way did Bisca trust any of them not to steal her unique weapons and equipment.

All it would take is one greedy little asshole to ruin her chances.

"Have them bring it to the room. I have to reload my magazines anyway" Scowling as she reached into the bag, Bisca pulled out her underlaying clothes and rapidly dressed.

"Are you alright Miss Bisca? We could certainly use the rest of the day to relax" Celeste added, the blonde watching as the team leader left each of the women's garments in a pile nearby.

Bisca stiffened, the memories of running through charred, ashen remains of people a distinct parallel with what happened today. "Except it was ice instead of fire… I'm fine" Voice cold, she left through the nearby doorway, taking the valuable bag of holding with her to their room on the third floor.

"You aren't fine…" Dia whispered, each of the remaining three women knowing that despite her bravery and skill with war, Bisca was hardly okay.

Celeste frowned, the holy knight feeling the damper of the mood. "We must continue to support the hero in her journey to reunite with the other heroes. Only with the defeat of the demon king can she hope to return home. I'm sure that the mission so far has been taxing on her as well so we must continue to stand by her…even if she lies about her current state"

"If you say so. I'm sure those monsters didn't help" Giving another sigh, Vera leaned her head back against the stone, letting the heated water attempt to wash away the fatigue and grime of their journey so far…

December 2nd 68 miles from Jarrenburgh

After departing Fort Banar the previous week, Bisca and her team had made sizable gains on their journey as the weather kept cold, but clear and crisp along the main road to the border city of Jarrenburgh. Monsters had been present, but low level threats for the most part. A few goblins, dire wolves and a group of ice spiders had been dealt with, the monsters hardly a threat for the four women with minimal numbers.

Entering one of the many forests early this morning after a hasty breakfast in a small village that barely could count a dozen homes, the storm had descended like god's wrath before noon.

Temperatures had plummeted, a biting cold that only added to the misery.

Gale force winds of ice and snow scraped through the forest, the sub zero temperatures harsh in their ferocity across the terrain of rising hills and ice covered trees.

The main road was gone, covered completely by drifts of snow that seemed to accumulate every hour in this hellish blizzard that screamed with wails of ferocity. Visibility was almost zero, the sheer wall of white blowing in every direction.

"BISCA! WE NEED SHELTER!" Vera shouted, her voice barely heard among the howling storm. Bracing herself against a tree covered in ice, she was thankful for the warm weather clothing, winter hat and gloves despite how cold her face felt.

"I KNOW! JUST DON'T LOSE SIGHT OF EACH OTHER!" Shouting back, Bisca leaned forward, trying to shield her eyes from the flying frost while holding onto her precious hat. Looking to her left and right, Celeste and Dia were still nearby, practically in arms reach. Extending a hand to the holy knight, Bisca had no desire to have one of them get lost and die from exposure.

A grasping gauntleted hand gripped back, the blonde gripping tight as the four women formed a link through the blizzard wracked forest.

"WHICH WAY!? I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING!" Bellowing the words, Dia had already tried to use fire magic to guide them, but it was like throwing a match into a snowdrift…completely pointless. Grasping Celeste's hand, she only felt herself being pulled forward as Vera grabbed her own, the dark elf completing the line of struggle.

"IF WE CAN FIND A PL—"

None of them saw the sudden drop off, as the group had wandered completely away from the road into the wilderness of the forest.

Tumbling over the edge, Bisca barely had time to tuck and roll as she helplessly fell down the embankment toward the rushing river of floating ice and chilled waters. Plunging in, the water was like a shocking slap to her face as the gun mage barely broke the surface.

"AhhH!" Spluttering, Celeste scrambled to stay afloat, her gauntleted hands trying to find purchase on a passing piece of ice. "MISS BISCA!" Spotting her charge and mission, the holy knight tried to swim toward the green haired woman…who still had her hat by some miracle.

"JUST KEEP ABOVE WATER!" Screaming back, Bisca rushed downstream as Vera and Dia plunged in by the same tumble.

Vera screamed from the shock, the dark elf spluttering and trying to stay above the rushing water.

"VERA!" Grasping onto her friend, Dia floated and bobbed with the silver haired sword user, all four women helpless against the current that swiftly tumbled and swerved. Twisting at a bend, the water speed increased as the angle of the banks dipped lower.

Spluttering the deadly cold water, Celeste's eyes widened as the approaching waterfall quickly arrived.

"AHHHHhhhh!" Rushing over the edge, the adventures fell to the next level of the river, rushing further downstream as the ice flows and frothing liquid spewed a mist of ice among the raging storm that blanketed the land…

Bisca collided with something metal, the woman barely conscious as the freezing temperatures made her numb. Gripping the object, she found it to be some sort of gate partially ruined by rust and neglect. Peering upward as she coughed and shivered, an archway of stone covered in algae opened to the darkness beyond, the river slowly ebbing into the gloom.

Watching Vera, Dia and Celeste float by, none of the women were moving as the water had slowed to a far more manageable level.

"Gotta get out of this water…" Swimming in haste after the trio, they floated into the darkness toward what looked like some underground dock that lined the right side of the stoneworked tunnel.

A rotting boat barely floated, the vessel not even worthy of existence as it bobbed next to a half sunk pier.

Vera thudded against the dock wall first, the elf clearly unconscious.

Grasping the edge, Bisca cursed as her body screamed for warmth. "Dammit…DAMMIT!" Climbing onto the dock itself, the stonework was covered in more moss and dust as silence loomed, the only echoes coming from the churning water pushing toward a distant exit. "None of you annoying bitches are dying today!" Grasping Vera by the arm, Bisca pulled her onto the dock platform, then did the same with the others.

Instantly shivering from the hypothermic dip in the river, the gun mage looked around hastily, finding a lone staircase to the left past several supporting archways of stone. Not having a desire to explore nor leave the others, Bisca's teeth chattered as her gaze fell on a half rotted door of wood toward the right.

She moved instantly, kicking it open as several boards flew away into the room.

It looked like an old store room, both sides lined with dust covered barrels and crates. A few rats scurried, the frightened squeaks fading as the rodents scampered into a wall hole. Cobwebs flowed downward from the ceiling, a thickness of strands barely seen as Bisca swished her hand through the material, ruining the spiderwebs.

"This will have to do" Chattering some more, Bisca knew she needed to get out of her soaked clothes.

But first the others. Dragging them to the room, she quickly began stripping them of everything. Dumping the soaked clothes, armor and weapons in the corner for now, she retrieved the sleeping bags from Dia's bag of holding with shivering haste.

Struggling with Vera, Bisca cursed as she slid the now nude elf into the bag. "Damn…fat titted elf…" Feeling herself getting colder, she hadn't stripped yet, just gathering the three in a rough semicircle.

Gathering the broken wood of the now shattered door, Bisca got their fire kit out of the bag, the magical item protecting all objects inside.

The fire would have been easier to start if her hands weren't shaking so damn much. But she succeeded after a minute, the tiny blaze instantly biting back at the cold air around them all as the small magic fire stone sparked the gathered kindling.

"Good…fire" Stripping rapidly herself, Bisca had to discard everything to the floor, her shirt, pants and undergarments a sopping mess of freezing liquid and soaked materials. Shivering again, she got her own bag out, wrapping herself in it as she huddled close to the flame that had grown in intensity.

"Damn…damn that fucking storm" Chattering again, she could see the others breathing, but knew they needed to warm and rest. She just hoped it wasn't too late.

Dust rained down from above, a sprinkling of dirt from the ceiling of stone as something made a soft thud above them and their pitiful fire.

Instantly shooting her gaze upward, Bisca doubted whomever or whatever was up there would be accommodating. Grasping her lancer in a swift bolt of movement, she checked the weapon and turned toward the open doorway, the entrance the only viable path.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

More dust fell, a rain of powder that filtered onto the woman's hat like gray rain.

The thudding footsteps retreated, disappearing for the moment, letting Bisca unleash a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Moving closer to the fire around her partially drowned and frozen allies, she tried to force herself to get warmer as she continued to look upward.

"I doubt it's human"

Her fingers burned, the frostbite in her digits a hellish pin of needles. Flexing the digits then rubbing her toes, she tried to get the blood flowing as she kept herself wrapped in the sleeping bag as the fire blazed and popped in an endless dance of light.


An hour passed. Then another. A tense, silent flow of time that allowed Bisca to think…to peer into those dancing flames with her rifle clutched to her bosom wrapped in that vital sleeping bag that slowly returned heat to her body.

All she could see was the flames of war…the screams of the dying and floating ash and embers from her homeworld.

The reddish flames only reminded her of blood and horror, the small pops a comparison to gunfire as she breathed deeply, her rifle clutched tightly.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

More dust and dirt rained down, some of it falling into the diminishing fire that snapped and popped. Standing up slowly, Bisca stood nude and tall, her chest heaving in the low light that danced and jinked along the walls.

"Grragghhh"

It was a voice of sorts, the sound like a whisper of nails and death from above.

"Hostile"

That's the first thing Bisca thought as she took a few silent steps toward Dia's bag. Pulling out some spare, dry clothes, she rapidly dressed before equipping her armor once more.

She was still damn cold, but with the others still unconscious and a potential monster just above them, Bisca had to deal with it. If it discovered those three, it would no doubt kill them.

Throwing a few more broken pieces of wood onto the fire, it crackled and popped, flinging a few embers onto the stone floor nearby.

Crouching down next to Vera, the elf had stopped shivering, the color returning to her face as she slept.

"I'll protect you all…" Whispering those words, Bisca knew without these three…she was alone. They were…friends.

Even if she was a half crazed bitch half the time.

Standing up, Bisca pressed the lancer rifle to her shoulder and left the room, stepping toward the lone staircase as the slowly flowing river rolled by past the half sunken boat and dock.

Taking the first step, she kept the rifle trained before her, pressing tightly against the wall.

It was a circular staircase, wrapping upward as more cobwebs lingered across the entire width like a blanket of strands. Pushing through as some collected against her armor, face and hair, Bisca remained silent as those thudding steps diminished.

Reaching the top step, part of the archway had collapsed, a pile of stone that led to a hallway traveling left and right. Crouching low, she passed underneath the ruin, her steps silent before stopping beneath the half collapsed archway. Peering left, it led into further darkened ruins, the passage a tomb. Turning her head the other way, the right path led straight to a window a hundred feet away, the collapse of neglect opening the gap to the winter outside.

Snow filtered in, slow and lazy as pale sunlight poured shafts onto the falling flakes.

Bisca went right, taking slow steps as more snow filtered inward.

Stopping, the end of the hall actually was a T-intersection, paths leading left and right.

She went left, stopping as rotting tapestries hung between more open windows, the coverings of glass long gone.

A skeletal body slumped against the wall near a side room, the rusting equipment suggesting a soldier. A helmet sagged against the skull, dipping toward the ribcage as more cobwebs covered the body.

Grunting, hateful voices came from the nearby room, their tone a scratch of gravel among fits of horrible laughter.

She kept silent, taking a bare glimpse around the corner before snapping her head back.

Orcs. Pale, nasty, yellowed eyed orcs with swirling tattoos, combat leathers and pitted swords and clubs eating some sort of meat.

One of them laughed, using a meat cleaver to cut a large piece of flesh from the dead animal, the sharpened teeth rapidly chewing as blood dripped down his chin.

"Grubs…" Her eyes hardened, Bisca immediately finding the connection as she broke cover. "GRUBS!" Snarling with hate, she opened fire, the lancer spitting a stream of rounds into the room. Tacking from left to right among a thunder of spent brass, bullets stitched into the four monsters, cutting them down in an instant as blood spattered the walls.

Bays of anger, snarls and battle cries came from around Bisca, but she didn't seem to care now that she knew what the threat was. Leaving the room and broken bodies, she ran down the hallway past open windows, the snow still filtering in.

"SHE FLESH!" An orc pointed from the end of the hall, the beast pointing a short sword as a jawbone hung around his neck.

Eight more of the vile creatures hooted and brayed, the orcs charging forward into battle against the human food.

Bisca walked slowly, firing short, controlled bursts into the first four that dropped without fanfare, their twisted bodies a broken ruin in mere eyeblink.

"I'll Peel your flesh, human!" Roaring, jawbone orc charged, his rage compelling him forward.

Bisca only saw red, the abomination raising its sword in a wide arc as her mind only saw the war and the locust killing and butchering.

"DIE LOCUST!" Revving up her chainsaw, the screaming teeth met the orc's blade, slewing a hail of sparks. DDIIIIIEEEEE!" Fueled by rage, Bisca pushed forward, overwhelming the orc before sawing through the collarbone and into the beast's innards. Gore and muscle sprayed, coating her armor and leg greaves as the body came apart. More spatters struck her chin and cheeks, coating them in disgusting warmth.

"S…Strong Magic!" Taking a wary step backward, the last three orcs held a moment of fear, but not for long.

"Monsters…" Shooting one in the throat, Bisca pivoted her stance and blew off the upper head of the second, spattering the last in chunks of viscera.

"Raaghh!" Deciding to charge, the gun mage simply shot the eighth orc in the kneecap, shattering the bone. Stumbling forward with a scream, the monster tried to crawl away, only for Bisca to step on its back, her lancer chainsaw giving a slow rumble. Plunging the bayonet through the leather, the teeth ripped and shredded flesh, spraying more gore around the screaming monster.

Yanking the rifle free with a spurt of blood, Bisca rapidly reloaded as more baying snarls came from the next corner, her mind only registering the presence of monsters.

Taking the turn, she stood in the open of the hallway as jumping shadows loomed closer from the depths of darkness.

A slew of orcs were rushing toward battle, each equipped with clubs, axes and swords of poor quality. Ramshackle armor and patched leathers adorned each, but Bisca didn't care as she summoned a magical mulcher, the weapon glowing green with power as she held it with both gloved hands.

"Filth…"

Heart beating like a drum in her ears as the walls dripped red with blood, Bisca unleashed her magic, the cold and dusty air suddenly filled with stabbing bolts of light. Burning through the first rank of charging orcs, flesh burned and cauterized from the passage, ripping through the monsters as they screamed and howled in rage and pain.

"Die…All of you are going to die" Voice hauntingly low, Bisca marched forward, her face only illuminated by the flash of the magical weapon in her hands.

She cut a swath of death through the orcs, a marching fire of deadly green magic that ripped from side to side across the width of the hall. Stinking flesh burned, the vile odor a hell of death and maimed limbs.

A few of the orcs still lived, but they were short for the world as more snarls and howls of rage came from the path she had previously emerged from.

"HUMAN IN FORT! SKIN FLESH AND EAT!"

Bisca didn't even hear their taunts, she merely stepped over the pile of corpses, taking the time to crush the skull of one still living orc. Brain spattered her boots, but she didn't notice as she marched forward toward a large archway missing its doors, the shadows only illuminated by the glow of her magical weapon.

The orcs rounded the corner where she had been just a minute ago, a snarling hate filled mass that sprinted with an eager hunger to kill the intruder.

Rusting blades of pitted metal reflected low light, matching the ugliness of the inhuman monsters.

Spinning on her boot heel, Bisca used more of her magic, the pulsing, burning light a harsh staccato that ripped through the cold air of this desolate fortress.

Orcs fell in twisted, maimed piles of flesh, the magically powered bullets burning skin, sundering organs and ripping limbs from their owners.

Two of the beasts were literally chopped in half at the midsection, the leather armor doing nothing to prevent their doom as entrails spilled, causing another orc to slip on the slick meat that steamed.

"YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" Pushing further magic that practically screamed in a harsh whine, the mulcher was a burning emerald light that tacked back and forth, killing the second group with finality.

Silence filled the hallway, the biting cold washing over the piles of corpses that littered the hallway as a pitiful few grasped and crawled, only to die from the shock and blood loss.

Breathing deeply as her rage seemed to subside, Bisca re-equipped her lancer rifle, the weapon's bayonet still covered in gore.

Thud. Thud. THUDTHUDTHUD!

Heavy footfalls came somewhere in this abandoned castle, each footfall a vibration that shook the nearby dust free as it rained down.

A rotting tapestry fell nearby, the cloth covering numerous corpses.

"GRAAAAHHHHH! SMELL HUMAN!"

The roar shook Bisca to her bones, the voice laced with anger, hate, and…hunger.

"Shit" Uttering the simple curse, Bisca sprinted through the archway as those hungry footsteps seemingly came from everywhere at once.

Bare illumination plunged Bisca into darkness, the only light a soft azure blue that came from her armor. Running along the length past old paintings of lords and nobles, she accidentally kicked some old bones at the end of the passage that was lit with shafts of pouring light.

Halting as she raised her rifle, Bisca had entered the main hall, her gaze taking in all details in mere moments.

Cold, harsh sunlight poured down from a large hole in the roof along with falling flakes of snow, the frozen water eventually settling on piles of fallen stone from the collapse. A chandelier with long dead magical stones embedded in the dust covered brass groaned with light swings, the supporting chains squeaking with rust as flakes continued to fall toward an abandoned throne sitting on an elevated platform of stone. Two separate staircases wrapped upward in a curved twist near the throne, each lining the left and right side of the hall. The light fell upon the stone steps, highlighting each particle of dust as more snow drifted down from the ragged hole in the roof.

Across from her was an identical hallway, the path a shadow of darkness that led presumably, in a circular path around this structure.

Glancing toward the opposite end, the large, castle doors were partially open, letting in more of the hated cold as ice and snow sealed the entrance partially shut, leaving nothing buy a wall of blue ice.

Of course, the worst thing was the piles of bones piled near the base of several pillars. Most appeared human, but Bisca could see a few skulls of orcs, possible dwarves or even demi-humans among the picked over remains. Obviously, the bleached remains of deer and other wildlife were present, meaning the orcs had been hunting anything and anyone they could feast upon.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

"Damn, where the hell is it?" Asking herself, the green haired gun mage didn't have time to dwell on those ominous steps that seemed to fill the castle.

Moving along the left row of supporting pillars, Bisca made her way to the nearby staircase as the cold air made her remember how damn exhausted she was.

"I really need to rest soon, today has been a shit day"

Kicking a few gnawed bones with her boot near the bottom step of the stairs, Bisca ignored the noise, figuring she had already been way too damn loud.

More orcish snarls and taunts came from the balcony across the room along with thudding bootsteps, the monsters taking positions among the railing and banisters of stone from a superior firing position.

"HUMAN! PEEL HER FLESH!"

One pointed, the creature armed with a crossbow before unleashing the bolt with half a dozen others, the deadly shafts embedding in the wall and floor near Bisca's feet. A few careened off the stone banister, the metal tips leaving gouges as she climbed to the second floor with extreme haste.

A second salvo of crossbow bolts sliced through the frozen air, skidding off the railing section as Bisca took hasty cover. A few more bolts sparked across the stone floor near her feet, the spent shaft sliding harmlessly toward the nearby wall after losing momentum.

Popping up, Bisca glanced across the chasm of the hall, her gaze falling on nearly a dozen orcs that had taken up positions along the balcony across from her. It did wrap around near the castle doors, an obvious avenue of attack as a few monsters started to move to kill her.

"Fucking assholes!"

She fired her lancer, the bullets ripping across the desolate shafts of light in a brilliant flash of illumination and noise.

Two orcs dropped like rotting bags of shit, neither making it halfway to the lone woman. Leaving her cover, Bisca sprinted to the next stone section while switching to her longshot.

A bolt twanged, flying mere inches above her head before embedding itself in the nearby wall. Popping up, Bisca rapidly acquired her target and fired, filling the grand hall with a fresh, thunderous crack of noise and stenches of gunpowder.

Exploding gore and cranium shards marked the death of the crossbolt orc, but most had decided to sprint along the U-shaped balcony, their hunger for woman flesh spurning them on.

Working the bolt, a spent casing spun in the low light as Bisca reacquired a second orc target that ran near the front of the pack, the beast covered in hard leathers and adorned with battle trinkets.

She dropped him, the rifle round boring through the neck as he passed the halfway point to her position. Weapon clattering away, the other orcs simply increased their pace, running full bore as the new leader screamed with frothing rage.

"KILL HER!"

"Dumbasses don't know when to give up" Cursing their animalistic stupidity, Bisca went back to her lancer and sprinted toward a fallen pillar that crossed the balcony path leading to a partial collapse at the nearby edge. Covered in frost and ice, the block was the perfect position as she crouched with her rifle resting on the frozen block of stone.

The remaining orcs were charging, braying with hunger as their pitted, rusting weapons of cleavers, machetes and haphazard blades seemed to dance under the few shafts of winter sunlight.

"Fuckin grubs" Bisca fired into the front ranks as they approached in a mass assault, killing four in the initial burst as her rifle spat death and twirling cartridges. Screams came from another three wounded, the monsters grasping at fresh wounds that leaked crimson onto the frost covered walkway as their bodies tumbled.

Heavy vibrations came from her left, the footfalls shaking ice and dust loose from the hanging icicles of the ceiling. Glancing at the source, Bisca's eyes momentarily widened as the behemoth of an ogre stood in the hallway opening beneath the far balcony. Grasping a large club, the towering beast of twelve feet wore nothing but a simple cloth around its fat belly, covering its genitals. Glowering its beady, yellow eyes at Bisca, the gray skinned abomination covered in pitted scars and numerous battle wounds from fights in the past opened its mouth, showing a mangled maw of deadly teeth.

"RRROOOOOOAAARRGHH!"

"Shit"

Barely getting the word out, the ogre charged across the hall, already raising its club to bring it down on Bisca's elevated position. Vaulting over the block of cover, Bisca sprinted toward the last orcs as the large club swung down, destroying the balcony where she had just been. Pieces of ruined stonework and dust billowed outward, the noise a hell of calamity.

"Fucking monsters! JUST DIE ALREADY!" Firing from the hip, Bisca wounded three more of the remaining orcs, leaving just two standing there.

One raised its crossbow, the gnarled weapon firing at the charging human. The bolt slammed into the upper breastplate near the left shoulder, twanging as it stopped halfway through the armor. Struggling to reload a fresh bolt, the other orc charged, swinging its ugly chopper at the woman.

Bisca barely felt the blow, her rage and anger pushing a fresh thudding of adrenaline, fear and blood through her body. Charging forward as the ogre roared behind her, Bisca only saw monsters and war. Revving up her lancer blade, the teeth spun in a high scream as they collided with the falling blade of the second orc.

Leaning forward as a slew of sparks erupted from the clashing weapons, the orc squinted its beady, yellow eyes at Bisca.

"Human flesh…"

"Locust…" Snarling the name of her hated enemy, Bisca pushed more rage and fury into her lancer, the weapon quickly embedding and slicing through the orc in a spew of gore and crimson ichor that splattered her armor.

"DIE GRUB!" Running the last orc through the stomach as it tried to reach for a sheathed dagger, the monster screamed as more steaming ichor and shredded meat slew across the balcony flooring and the enraged gunmage as more floating experience points ticked and flowed into her body.

"MMMEAAT! RAGGH!" Angered from the failed strike, the ogre had turned, marching toward the front end of the hall and it's frozen over doors to the outside world. Raising its large club, it tried to reach Bisca, but she was already running as the large weapon crashed into the balcony edge, crumbling more of the ancient stonework in a rain of material.

Of course, she didn't see an ogre, only an enraged Berserker.

Fire licked at her vision, a pulsing red of ash and screams that howled around her. Summoning a magical flamethrower, Bisca made it to the balcony staircase as the ogre stomped forward, its large visage a nightmare of muscle and violence.

Swinging in a wide arc that knocked over the ancient throne and rattling several piles of bones, Bisca ducked, the weapon barely clearing above her as the air whistled. Running to her left as the large behemoth overextended, she leveled the magical weapon that glowed a harsh green.

"Burn…you monster" Magical fire erupted from the nozzle, a green tempest of flame to wash over the abomination. Flames licked and flared, a deadly stream that cut and crackled through the center of the abandoned hall. Flaring past several piles of bones and detritus of the fallen hall, the green flames of Bisca's magic fell upon the vile beast.

"RRRARRGH!" Bellowing rage and agony accompanied the magical fire licking at its flesh, only pushing the ogre to re-swing in an awkward backhand.

It collided with Bisca, a hard, titanic blow that flung her into a nearby pillar with a horrifying crack of collision. Falling into a pile of discarded bones, Bisca stood, her battle rage pushing the pain to the side as the ogre stomped forward and grasped her by the waist. With a tight grip, the snarling beast grinned even as fire ate at his grayed skin and old scars of war.

"Feast…" Opening his maw, the ogre showed off yellowed, nasty teeth, the smell like a rancid sewer.

Pulling her boltok from her holster before the Ogre's grip fully tightened, Bisca gasped as her back and body flared with exhaustion, hunger and the after effects of nearly freezing to death. But all those facts were secondary as her mind still reeled in the rage and anger of battle.

"DIE YOU FUCKING GRUB!" Pointing the heavy revolver into the ogre's mouth that wanted to bite her head off, Bisca fired. The slug tore into the soft roof of the mouth, traveling into the brain pain, burrowing a furrow of damage through the brain matter of the grotesquely shaped skull.

"DIE! DIE! DIE!" Howling each curse with a pull of the trigger, the heavy magnum rounds reduced the ogre's throat and brain stem to a spattered paste as the last two rounds flew out the top of its head in an explosion of ruined bone fragments.

Maybe it was a muscle spasm.

Maybe it was the last conscious act of the beast.

But either way, it threw Bisca across the hall toward the ruined throne. Colliding with the cracked back of the chair, the gunmage spun off into the nearby banister of the stone stairs, her body taking more bruises before she fell upon a pile of picked over bones and skulls.

Groaning heavily as she tried to pick herself up, Bisca saw the ogre fall, its head a ruin as its skin burned, flooding the hall with a vile stench. Collapsing with a heavy thud near its large weapon, the beast went still as darkness began to encroach on the emerald haired hero.

As always, a flow of experience points floated, the numbers a soft ticking for Bisca as she struggled to stay awake.

"Fu…fuck this pl.."

Falling unconscious on a pile of old bones, nothing moved as snowfall drifted through the ruined roof, the flakes a soft descent among a hall of dead monsters, ash, and blood.

Several hours later…nightfall.

Low embers barely gave off any illumination in the darkness, the fire stone having depleted its energy stores among the charred remains of wooden planks.

Vera Twinblade gasped, suddenly awakening and trying to sit up, only to find herself constrained in her sleeping bag. Rolling onto her side, she coughed and managed to wiggle free as the cold air gave a horrid chill. Mind reeling from her last memories, the white haired dark elf hastily looked around as Celeste and Dia started to move.

"W…where are we?" Dia asked with a cough. "The last thing I remember…"

"Was falling into the river" Celeste finished, the blonde looking down at her very nude body still partially hidden in the sleeping bag.

"All I remember was cold and almost drowning" Looking around the small room, Vera found their equipment and belongings, the clothes appearing to have dried. Looking around once more, the beautiful elf noticed the lack of a fourth member.

"Did Bisca save us?"

"I think she did. We were wrapped in warmth and out of the water, which would have killed us all. She even got us out of our soaked garments which could have killed us anyway" Kicking the pile of ashen remains, Dia knew the crabby team leader had somehow managed to stay awake and save their lives. Frowning, the black mage eyed the camp with growing worry. "She must have been exhausted and suffering from frostbite…so where is she?"

"Some of her clothes are here, along with her sleeping bag" Celeste concluded with observation. Standing up, the holy knight felt the immediate cold of the tiny room, hastening her desire to dress.

"Then where did she go? I don't think she would just leave us alone unconscious in an old room" Dia finished as the cute cat wizard began to get dressed with practiced efficiency.

"Magic fire stone is burnt out" Vera added as the elf crouched on her haunches, the demi-human once again in clothes and her equipment. Sheathed blades hung from her hips along with her leather armor, the material still slick with condensation.

"She can't be far. Maybe she was just getting some food?" Pouring a small amount of magic into her staff, the magic stone at the tip glowed bright, illuminating the tiny room as Dia stepped past the threshold. "A dock. Sunken boat, too" She informed, the pulsing light showing off a myriad tangle of ice, dust and rushing water that sloshed down the low tunnel to the far exit several hundred feet away.

"There's a staircase" Cocking her head, Celeste took the first steps past as several disturbed cobwebs hung.

Each foot fall felt like an echo, the three women moving in silence to the upper floor. Passing beneath the crumbling archway of the stairwell, the group halted as nothing seemed to move with the exception of howling wind from beyond the walls. Dust and more crumbling stone covered the floor, the blocks long covered in cobwebs.

"This way" Celeste ordered, the blonde knight turning to their immediate right as she eyed a gaping hole at the end of the darkened hallway. Moving swiftly, the holy knight reached the end of the hall, finding that it turned into another T-intersection among whistling wind and billowing snow that gushed in like waves.

Approaching the wound in the wall, Celeste peered outside, finding nothing but more ruins of some long abandoned village nestled against the fortress walls. Pale moonlight cascaded off piles of snow and ice, reflective in serenity before she pulled her head back from the biting wind of swirling snow.

Something sparkled off the ground, glinting like gold among the harsh cold of the winter night. More fluttering snow was filtering through the window, but it was light.

Vera stooped down, picking up the gold object and subsequently cursed at the bad news.

"This is one of Bisca's bullet casings" Frowning as more worry grasped the party, Vera turned toward the nearest doorway as piles of the spent brass littered the desolate floor near a slumped skeleton. Stepping in with a tight grip on her fire sword, the blade glowed a light red as heat emanated.

Slumped orc bodies lay at the table, their eyes dimmed among the deer meat still spread across the rickety surface. All had been shot, the visible wounds having seeped blood that was starting to freeze.

Vera looked at the pile of spent brass on the floor, her fear and worry rising. "Don't tell me she fought these creatures alone?"

"Knowing Miss Bisca, she did. Look. More bodies" Pointing with a gauntleted finger to the end of the current hall past numerous open windows, the blonde pulled her holy axe as she ran in a hurry.

"A lot of bodies" Dia whispered, the feline using the glowing orb to illuminate the scene of carnage. Gulping, most had been shot, others ripped apart in a ripping of flesh that decorated the nearby walls. Stepping cautiously over the first mangled corpses, Dia swiveled her gaze, her purple hair fluttering in a flow.

"By Lanis…how many did she kill?" Celeste added, the knight eyeing piles of orcish dead that populated the hallway. Rendered weapons…the stink of loosened bowels and death only added to the bloody scene.

"Knowing her, probably the entire orc population of this castle" Vera muttered as she stepped in something gooey and soft. Scrunching up her face as her boot came away with strands of bloody ichor, she dragged the boot across the chest of an orc, the monster missing an arm. "Let's follow the carnage. I'm sure Bisca will be at the end of it"

Walking to avoid the scattered bodies and splintered limbs of the dead, the trio moved into the darkness, the only light courteous of Dia.

The females entered the grand hall, avoiding a pile of fallen rubble that partially blocked the large doorway. Taking in the darkened room with a practiced assessment, the trio instantly identified the fallen ogre, the body half charred and missing part of its head as the cone of light cast itself on the dead monster.

"Definitely Miss Bisca. Defeating an ogre singlehandedly is the mark of a true hero" Praising her comrade, Celeste looked around, the darkness thick like a tomb beyond their circle of light. Looking up, she could see ice collected around the gap of the roof, but clouds had blocked the moons in the last few minutes.

"Ugh…"

Celeste and the rest immediately turned, readying their weapons while slowly approaching the source.

A shadow moved near the throne, the throating groan emanating once more.

Dia pushed more magic into the light orb, extending the limits to rush over the destruction.

There sat Bisca, the woman slowly sitting up with a gnarled arrow sticking out from her armor. Gore, fluids and other elements coated her boots, greaves and chestplate, creating a checkboard of spatter that ended near her chin. Grasping her head, the greenette squinted, then wiped off the flecks of gore near her lips.

"MISS BISCA! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Sprinting, the holy knight was too overjoyed to be halted as she wrapped the hero in a hug. Practically slamming the woman's head to her own chest piece, Celeste was bubbling with energy. "I can't believe you cleared a whole orc nest by yourself! And killed an ogre! Truly the mark of a hero!"

"What did I say about hugging me?" Mumbling the words, Bisca felt the knight grip tighter.

"And you saved our lives by pulling us from the river!"

Wriggling free after pushing her palm against the knight's face, Bisca slowly stood, the woman favoring her side. Stepping forward, she limped, the pain of being thrown against a stone column still harsh.

"Are you alright?" Vera asked, the elf looking at her friend who slowly limped forward, the grimace of pain a fresh tapestry.

"I've been better. Please tell me you have some hot food? Or at least found a bed that isn't a pile of bones?"

"We can look for one of the bedrooms of this old castle then make some dinner" Dia said simply as their party leader looked down, and unceremoniously pulled the arrow from her armor with annoyance.

"Damn orcs…bastards were everywhere" Muttering, Bisca limped forward, only to be assisted by Vera after a moment.

"Come on, you need to rest and recover" Smiling, the dark elf walked in step with Bisca, the party leader relenting to the assistance of her friend as they left the hall in search of a room to properly camp.

December 5th, 501 H.E.

Standing in her nudity among the old bedroom of the long forgotten king or lord, Bisca stood in front of a cracked mirror, the surface wiped of grime as she slowly twisted, showing off her feminine curves to the silent air.

It was warm, a small fire crackling in the fireplace of the spacious room despite the disrepair and rotting furniture that surrounded the group. Sunlight poured in through the windows, the tinted glass somehow still intact as it bathed the room in oranges and reds with the coming morning.

Bisca tenderly touched the dark bruises along her left side, the discolored skin wrapping around to the small of her back. Giving a soft hiss, Bisca could already tell some of the pain was diminishing as her body healed.

Of course, the assistance of some healing ointments had helped since none of them knew actual healing magic.

"Really could use Wendy right about now" Muttering, Bisca moved to a nearby table, grasping more of the healing medicine and some bandages. Applying the stinking ointment and wrapping her midsection in the material, Bisca quickly dressed as her friends did the same about the room.

"You know we would've helped you kill them all, right?" Vera lectured, the dark elf tightening her leather armor over her sizable bosom before pulling on her boots.

"All of you were half frozen and unconscious. The orcs could have discovered us all so it was better to attack and draw them away from you three. Besides, a few bruises are hardly noteworthy at this point" Responding easily, the gun mage began to armor up, the motions still hurting, but manageable.

"I wonder if there's a reward for killing them?" Dia idly wondered, the cat mage pulling a plain, green shirt over her own double D's. Hugging nicely, she soon slid over the mithril chainmail, the wonderous armor showing a soft sheen in the sunlight before donning her black mage cloak and pointed hat.

Bisca shrugged. "Maybe? Maybe not? I'm more concerned of where the hell we are" Staring idly out the nearby window, all Bisca could see were the snow covered ruins of the nearby town below. The river bisected the fallen settlement, carving across the land after leaving the tunnel that cut below the small castle.

"We'll just find a road and keep heading East. Hopefully without fighting any more orcs. Yuck" Grousing, Vera had no desire to face those monsters.

"I recall you not doing anything to kill any of them. In fact, I had to wrestle you into your sleeping bag and your massive tits didn't help"

"You know damn well we're the same size, Bisca!" Pouting, Vera turned away as she fastened her belt and swords, the weapons clasped tight to each hip.

"Sure" Showing the ghost of a smirk, the greenette revved her lancer, the chainsaw efficiently rumbling. Nodding in approval now that the gunk and strands of flesh had been removed after a thorough cleaning, Bisca gave one last inspection of her other weapons, fully loading each for the next fight as the rest of the party made their last minute preparations for travel.

Waning sunlight bled red across the horizon, the approaching dusk of night blurring the sky in a tapestry of vibrant colors that filtered through the sparse forest. Snow twinkled, the blanket of white undisturbed along both sides of the country road as pine trees sagged with weight upon their brances.

Having found the sign of civilization hours before after leaving the crumbling castle and abandoned town, the four women had struck Eastward, following several horse and wagon tracks in the hopes of finding some sort of settlement before nightfall.

Distant wolf howls echoed through the woods, a mournful cry as more of the night encroached with each passing step.

Bisca wore an annoyed scowl, the gunmage keeping her rifle gripped tightly to her chestplate. Sure, nothing had attacked them, but for all she knew, they were being watched by more orcs. Shifting her gaze to a brief flash of movement, she caught the signs of a fleeing rabbit, the small animal disappearing beneath some brush. "Dammit. How far did we get carried in that damn river?"

"Probably miles off course" Dia answered with a simple shrug.

"I'd have to agree with that assessment. This has seriously impeded our journey to Jarrenburgh and the border" Celeste offered, the blonde knight walking confidently behind the hero.

"Thank you for stating the obvious" Bisca added with another annoyed twang of sarcasm as the road began to bend, slowly curving to the left around some low hills.

"You're welcome, Miss Bisca" Smiling, Celeste was still in a chipper mood even as more dusk fell, the sky starting to sprinkle with stars.

Thick rows of trees covered the low hills, the density of the forest hiding countless creatures as night fully fell. Finally turning past the bend in the country road, the four halted in their tracks.

Glowing embers of fire licked a distant valley several miles away, the acrid smoke mixing in with the night as it rose swiftly into the darkness. At the current distance details were minimal, but all of them could easily assume some calamity had befallen the town barely visible among the conflagration.

"Ohhh…that better not be the next town! I really want to drink at the bar!" Vera exclaimed with a low shout of annoyance.

"Last time you almost took off all your clothes" Dia added with a blank look, the purple haired cat woman studying her friend.

"I don't remember that" Vera replied much too quickly with an added wave of her hand for emphasis.

"Enough. We should assist if only for the reason to find out where we are. Move your asses and be careful on approach. Monsters could be the cause" Rechecking her rifle in a practiced motion, the gunmage nodded then started to double time down the road, the flare of fire in the distance a beacon among the silent night.

Following in hurried steps along the rutted road, the party advanced toward the destruction as the two moons rose into the velvet sky.

Walking quickly for over an hour, the Emerald Rangers stopped at the treeline of the clearing, the four taking a moment to assess the situation unfolding a few hundred yards beyond.

A small river came from the north, cutting into the city and no doubt feeding the nearby farmland in warmer months. Several farms stood scattered about the area, but most sat beyond the city if Bisca had to guess. The main road was better maintained this close to the city, but that was a minor detail as several bodies littered the road, their flesh frozen and mangled among pools of freezing crimson. A few orange tinted spider-like creatures rested dead near the humanoid corpses along the road, most punctured by numerous arrows that burned the hairy flesh.

Casting her gaze to the city gate itself, the heavy doors were splintered and broken, the remains a flare of charred wood and embers that was spreading within to the city itself. Yells and screams came from within, the shouts of men and women mixing with terror.

It was all Bisca needed to see.

"Looks like spiders" Standing up, she immediately broke cover and started to hustle toward the main gate.

"Great. More spiders" Grousing, Vera still remembered the first job with Bisca and those damn, disgusting creatures in that sewer. Shivering, but not from the cold, Vera vowed to kill them all for being so vile and gross.

Passing under the burning gate, Bisca flinched as a wave of embers exploded from a nearby guard hut, the stench inside indicating a corpse burning. Raising her rifle as more screams and sounds of battle came from the center of the city, she broke into a run, crouching low while passing more corpses of fallen humans and other races killed by the monsters.

"Bisca! What's the plan!?" Shouting as another flare of fire erupted from a burning house nearby, Vera tried not to think of the charred corpse laying in the doorway, the blackened figure unrecognizable. Moving closer to her friend, the four ran down the main road toward the river and the sounds of battle.

"Save who we can and kill the monsters" Huffing from light exertion, the women ran faster, the air filled with smoke and ash that flicked among the dead.

Thud thud thud thud

A trio of screams came from a narrow alley, the passage choked with smoke and ash while flickering embers floated.

Pausing at the corner of the alley, Bisca swung out with her rifle raised as more screams erupted from the smoke.

"HELP US! PLEASE!" A slim, demi-human bear woman ran with a child in her arms, closely followed by a human male in winter attire. Her cloak was covered in dust, ash and spatters of blood, the fabric flailing behind her as the family fled down the narrow passage. Almost tripping over a fallen corpse in the alleyway, the trio screamed as a monster thudded along the cobblestone path, the appearance a fresh nightmare.

Covered in lines of red along its thorax and bulbous body, the spider was nearly six feet long with a dozen beady eyes of insidious black and tufts of disgusting, haggard hair. Supported by three pairs of legs, the creature stopped over the fallen corpse before opening a maw of deadly teeth. With a flicker of light at the back of its insectile throat, the beast lobbed a shot of globulous, liquid fire at the fleeing citizens.

"GET DOWN!" Barking the order, Bisca immediately fired as the flinging orb of sticky spider fuel splattered upon the brick nearby. Ignoring the splash of fire, her lancer thundered a stream of heavy rounds into the face of the fire spider. Bulbous eyes were ruined, bursting with each bullet that slew through the beast's head. Screaming in a death spasm, the spider flung its appendages in a frenzy as ooze leaked from the wounds, some of it unignited fuel that splattered the ground.

Charging forward, Bisca revved up her lancer chainsaw, the blades howling for flesh. "DIE YOU MONSTER!" Bringing the weapon down, it cut through hairy flesh and hide, spewing a fresh gore of insectile spatter against Bisca. Carving through the creature's head and eyes, the pulpy flesh covered her armor in a fresh coating of orangish bile.

Slowly turning toward the cowering family, she wiped some of the flecks from her mouth. "Are you alright?"

"Y…yes. Thank you!" The man uttered, the young wife and child still shaking.

"Try to find a safe place to hide. We'll deal with the rest"

Leaving the alleyway as the family scurried into a relatively unharmed shop, Bisca spat spider gore from her mouth.

Vera looked at her friend, slowly shaking her head among the flaring embers of burning buildings. "Seriously Bisca. Can't you go one battle without getting covered in blood and guts?"

"It was necessary"

"What? No, you could have shot…nevermind" Waving her hand in dismissal, the dark elf simply unsheathed her swords, the blades a glow of ice and fire.

"Dia, use your water magic and start dousing these flames. Celeste, you support her and make sure she doesn't get attacked. Myself and Vera will advance to the main concentration of monsters"

Celeste pursed her lips, the holy knight not liking the idea of splitting up. But with the roaring flames engulfing several buildings or whole neighborhoods, she knew it was the right call.

Giving a low bow, Celeste gripped her holy axe as her blonde hair fluttered among flowing embers. "Very well. We will endeavor to save the city"

"Don't worry! We got this! Water Wave!" Raising her magical staff, the stone glowed as the attractive cat woman summoned a fresh spell to douse the closest fire engulfing a building.

But Bisca and Vera were already running toward the center of the city, the rush of flowing water, insectile screams, and battle mixing into one cacophony.

Slowing her pace as the roar of fighting grew louder along with those awful spider screams, Bisca halted half a block away, her gaze falling on several of the creatures trying to cross the bridge at the river's edge. Taking cover behind an overturned wagon with two dead horses still attached to the harness, she studied the monsters as another tried to cross the stone span, only to be stuck down by a hail of arrows from the other side.

The dying spider screamed as three men rushed up with spears and stuck the beast, skewering its underbelly. Ripping the soft flesh, entrails and orangish fluid sprayed out, the men giving a war cry before falling back beyond the bridge to their comrades.

Ducking into a two story bar at the right hand corner of the intersection, the lobby held several dead patrons, along with two killed spiders that had been hacked by a very brave dwarven cook. The Dwarf was dead, but his actions were readable as he still clutched a heavy meat cleaver in his hand.

"So how you want to do this?"

Glancing out the nearby window that had been smashed to ruin, Bisca then looked at the broken doorway they had just entered.

The fire spiders were still distracted, lobbing fireballs at the far side of the river, each side at a stalemate.

Making a snap decision, Bisca moved toward the stairs, passing a dead older woman that was covered in horrific burns and missing an arm.

"Upstairs. I'll start sniping them and you make sure none reach us"

"That sounds like I'll get covered in spider guts or burned!"

"Hopefully just the former. You can always take a bath in the river" Reaching the first room, Bisca stepped over more scorched remains as a small pile of embers tried to mature into a fresh fire, the stink a horrid hell to both women's senses.

"That sounds like a terrible idea" Shuddering at the thought of dipping into that frozen tempest of water, Vera instead tried to barricade the doorway with furniture as Bisca set up at the window.

Resting her longshot on the windowsill, Bisca breathed in the harsh, cold air of winter. With night fallen, this would be difficult in normal circumstances but the numerous fires around the small city gave her quite the view of targets.

Peering through the scope, the greenette went still as more of the spider's lobbed fireballs at the line of city guards across the river.

"Your lives are mine to take" Whispering the words to herself, she fired at the rearmost spider.

The report blasted through the room, a flash of light sending the single round into the bulbous thorax of a fire spider. Blowing through the hairy flesh, the round burrowed through the insect, taking out one leg upon exiting the beast. Orange gore exploded from the wound, a spatter that seemed to glow among the moonlight and raging fires.

Working the bolt as the empty brass tumbled away, Bisca recentered on the next beast and fired again, killing the monster in equal violence.

Realizing they were being attacked from behind, two of the arachnids turned toward the bar, their beady eyes almost boring on the gun mage. "Get ready Vera! They know we're here!"

"Already!? Dammit, use your magic guns on them before they get up here!"

Bisca realized that would have been the logical thing to do as she scowled. "Shit, your right" Forming a mulcher machine gun with a flurry of her hands and pulsing increase of her magic, she rested the barrel on the sill, the weapon a glow of green.

Two of the spiders entered the building through the ruined doorway, but most were still distracted by the humans across the river.

"Deal with the two coming Vera! I'll get the rest!" Using more of her magic, Bisca unleashed the first bursts of green tinted light into the horde of spiders along the riverbank. The strength of each magical bullet was not in doubt, cutting through spider flesh, disgusting hair, and insectile bodies in a slew of slaughter.

"I'd rather not!" Vera exclaimed as the first lob of fire came from the hallway. "DAMMIT! THIS SUCKS!" Bringing her ice sword down as the first monster appeared in the furniture choked doorway, the blade sunk deep into several eyes.

Screaming as eyeball fluid flew, some of the gore splattered across Vera's cheek in a pressurized burst.

"GROSS! I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN! YOU STUPID SPIDER!" Swinging again in more disgust than rage, Vera's ice blade dug deeper, spreading a deadly cold of ice across the beast's face. "DIE FOR BEING A SPIDER!" Using her other blade of flame, she stabbed the insect in the mouth, the sharp blade slicing deep into its throat. Pulling the weapons free, Vera rolled out of the way as the second spider climbed over its dead comrade, trying to enter the room among the clutter of furniture.

Slipping on some flesh remains, Vera hit the floor hard, her chin no doubt taking some cuts. Rolling over as the spider used its extra legs to climb past the barricade, the beast appeared above the dark elf, its red lines a grotesque mixture among its straggly hair. Planting its legs on both sides of the female, the eyes of darkness bore downward as a thin line of droll left its maw of teeth.

"Bisca! Help!"

"Busy killing the rest, Vera!" The pulse of magic bullets increased, each flash a bloom of green that reflected off the walls of the room, dousing each in a strobe of emerald light.

"AuuughH!" Barely managing to block the attacking mouth with her ice blade, Vera held the spider at bay with gritted teeth and straining muscles as more of the sickly drool dripped onto the elf. "Yarggh!" Raising her fire blade in an awkward stab, Vera embedded it into the side of the thorax.

Screaming like an insect, the monster reared back, the agony unimaginable for the beast.

Seeing her chance, Vera gripped her frost covered blade and stabbed upward, running the tip along the underside of the beast.

"Oh no…"

The flesh ripped open from the blade wound, unleashing a pile of arachnid entrails and orange gore upon the elf, dousing her head to toe in gore before the monster collapsed in death. "Not again!" Trying to escape the weight of the beast's corpse, Vera felt a gloved hand grip her own, pulling her from the fallen beast.

"You're a mess" Bisca commented, the gun mage ignoring the flow of experience points that slowly ticked toward both females.

Vera wiped at her face, her dark, smooth skin completely covered in orange spider guts and gore. "I…I want a bath. And a drink… and a soft bed…" Nearly crying, the bust dark elf could feel some of the disgusting gore slide between her breasts. "It's everywhere Bisca! Everywhere! I can feel it in my pants!"

"You act like you're the only one covered in spider guts" pointing at herself, some orange spider gore slipped down Bisca's chestpiece into a nasty pile at her feet. Several more rivulets of the vile concoction slowly slid down her abdomen, the hard material a decoration of horror and flung entrails.

"Yeah, well you seem to enjoy bathing in it every chance you get…AH! Some got in my mouth!" Spitting, Vera nearly vomited as she tried to remove the nasty concoction.

Bisca tried to avert her gaze, but the small giggle betrayed her.

"Don't laugh!"

"I didn't" Trying to hide the small grin, Bisca moved past the gore covered elf, a few snickers escaping. "Come on, let's find the others and hopefully the leader of this town" Flinging away the ruins of the barricade, Bisca left the room with a confident swagger of her hips.

"I swear! The next time we deal with spiders, Dia or Celeste can get covered in spider guts!" Marching after her friend, the elf wiped more of the disgusting entrails and viscous liquid from her lips.

Upon leaving the small bar, Bisca and Vera were greeted by several guards and presumed nobles of the small city, each armed with sword, bow or spear. More townspeople stood behind them, many of them hacking the beasts with clubs and knives, their anger and fury needing an outlet.

A few of the giant spiders still twitched in the middle of the intersection, but the anguished cries of the townspeople rapidly drowned out the feeble screams of the fallen beasts.

Standing among the dead horde of insects, a guard in light plate armor approached, his grip still tight on the blade. With a thick beard and a face showing a harsh life behind the sword, the black haired main with the first whisps of gray in his beard stopped, his caution warranted.

"Are you responsible for these dead beasts?"

Bisca cradled her rifle, pointing it at the ground in a light defensive stance. Still unsure, she scanned the locals, finding a nominal mix of demi-humans, dwarves and regular humans.

Echoing footsteps approached from the main road, revealing a gore splattered Celeste resting her large axe over her shoulder. Accompanied by Dia, the black mage was completely devoid of any insect remains as she gripped her magical staff among the dying fires and swirling smoke.

"That is the tenth hero, Bisca Mulan. Her deeds led to the eradication of such evil in your city" Setting her heavy weapon upon the cobble stone road with the blade resting on the smooth stone, she gripped the handle as a few embers floated past the blonde woman to land upon her plated armor. "We are the Emerald Rangers! Your city is saved from those hideous beasts!"

"And I quenched the rampaging fires!" Grinning with a pumped fist, Dia held her staff aloft as her black mage cloak fluttered in unison with her purple hair. Swishing her tail, it jinked and twirled, adding to her cuteness.

"I killed two myself! Look at me covered in spider guts!" Almost crying, Vera tried to look sexy while flaunting her curves, but just came off as a messy blob.

The captain nodded, his thick beard flecked with unknown fluids as he slowly regarded the scene of the deceased monsters. "I've heard the name…yes…Bisca Mulan and the Emerald Rangers…" Turning, he regarded a well dressed man, no doubt the local lord or baron of this city….despite his short stature. "My lord, I believe these are the same women that freed Fort Banar of those Ice Hags a mere week ago. We received several merchants from that city yesterday, claiming of how mighty the hero was in quelling those monsters as well"

Bisca interrupted, cocking a thumb Westward. "Well, if your naming accomplishments, I killed that ogre and all those orcs in that abandoned fortress a few days ago. We rested there until this morning as I recovered from injures then set out toward here…wherever here is?" Looking about as the stars burned above, she was surprised as the guard captain ran forth, clasping her hand in a vice grip with excitement in his eyes.

"Truly! The orcs and that monstrous beast at Dungar Keep are dead! The bane of our livestock, farms and trade! So many of our brave men and women have tried to slay that vile abomination, yet so few returned alive!"

Bisca slowly withdrew her hand, her head nodding. "It's dead. All of them" Scratching the back of her head, the gunmage was uncomfortable as more citizens murmured and talked with excitement.

"If that's the truth, then let us give you a warm meal, bedding, and a place to bathe. For the liberators of Dungar Keep and the saviors of Farrowburgh!" Preening with excitement, the short lord turned as his reddish cloak rustled in the cold winter air. "Captain Torrenson! Take some men and confirm the elimination of those orcs! Make sure no more take up residence! We will regain that lost city after years of fear and bloodshed! The rest of you, sweep the city for survivors!"

"Of course, Lord Farquad!" Bowing, the guard captain gathered a dozen men and women, an assorted lot of warriors to check the validity of Bisca's claim.

"Even if you lie about the ogre, you still killed those spider's so I'll invite you as my guests for the night" Smiling, the short man twirled his mustache. "Of course, if you did lie about the orcs, we will expel you from Farrowburgh immediately. I have no place for freeloaders or those taking undue credit"

"Fair enough" Glancing at the smoldering portion of the city, Bisca frowned then looked at the short noble in a pointed hat. "We'll sweep the city and guard the gate until repairs are made. The risk of attack is too high at the moment to relax in a noble's home" Turning, Bisca flicked her wrist, a strand of orange droplets flinging to the ground while joining her team, the twin moons of night bathing the city in a swirl of reds, darkness and harsh greens…

December 7th, 501 H.A. The Brassil Coast, near the port city of Grendahl

Assembling the large force of ships, craft and troops had taken several months, but with heavy winter setting in across the planet, military actions of both the humans, demi-humans, and demons slowed down to a crawl…especially near the city of Kia on the Drannel continent.

But with that slowing of combat, a new front was needed…specifically on the Basill landmass with its patchwork of countries, kingdoms and city states that fed the human armies with supplies, troops, and weapons.

Spraying, chilled ocean water kicked up against the bow of the demonic flagship, its gnarled wood a twisted testament to the kind of craftsmen used. Un-elegant and flying dark, ominous flags, the banner of the Demon king fluttered in the mild wind.

First Queen Hazil Jazrith brushed several scarlet locks of hair away, the demon female raising a spyglass to her yellow eye. Ignoring another spray of ocean water that landed upon her heaving bosom of purple flesh, her gaze fell upon the port city of this human country.

Spires of several tall buildings could be seen, no doubt noble homes or belonging to merchant houses that sat among the crowded streets of the port city. The harbor was clogged with shipping, the masts of vessels from not only Lanis and Oceaven, but nearby countries to the south filling the harbor.

Retracting the scope, Hazil knew that this attack was merely a sideshow…a way to advert attention from the main war on the continent. Nonetheless, she was proud to serve her king and lover in this military endeavor.

Taking a full minute to assess the armada of troop ships around her, she did feel a slight pang of regret for the low demons, orcs, goblins and war-pigs that were to assault this city and surrounding landscape.

"In the long run, they'll be exterminated, sub class troops unfit for the main war under my king" Thinking of the unknown hero that activated the god's blessing, Hazil distinctly hoped the honor fell to her to strike the human down.

Of course, that lost hero could be anywhere on this continent, potentially dead already. Scoffing, Hazil folded her arms beneath her dark, leather armor, pushing up her large breasts that drew a few stares from nearby naval demons manning the flagship. "I hope the honor of battle falls to me and me alone. Striking down one of those summoned heroes will be easy, but fulfilling"

Her lord and king had told her of the hero summoning, how the last era had brought unknown humans to Enterra…and how weak they were at the start. He had killed several, the weak fools led by a prideful man that didn't know his limitations. Unfortunately for the demon king and his forces, the rest of the heroes had survived, training and gaining power to face him in that final battle.

"But it's only been half a year. At best, the average hero will only be able to face down some dire wolves or a few orcs. None can face the power of a full demon, let alone the first queen" Smirking smugly to herself, Hazil wondered what type of weakling the hero was.

"My queen, the ships and troops are ready to invade. We simply await your order" Bowing, the demon captain of the vessel showed the proper respect, his gray hued skin marred with scars.

"Of course" Unfurling her magical, demonic wings, the radiant queen rose above the ship, the sunlight of winter beaming down on the hundreds of vessels carrying thousands of troops to bring war to Basill. Hair fluttering like crimson blood, Hazil spread her hands as she gathered magic energy in her palms.

"WARRIORS OF THE DEMON KING! TODAY WILL SEE YOUR EFFORTS SOAKED IN GLORY AND CONQUEST! GO FORTH AND CONQUER! KILL AND PILLAGE THE SHORES OF HUMANITY! BRING HONOR TO OUR LORD! NOW…ATTACK!" Slamming her wrists together while cupping her hands, Hazil fused the two magical spells into one, the crackling energy of the purple ball popping and hissing as it grew to the size of a large ball. "FOR THE DEMON RACE!" Unleashing the spell at the harbor, the attack bore through a dozen ships before finally detonating at the sea wall. Exploding in a cone of vile heat, it consumed dozens of dockworkers in a flash of light, their screams rapidly silenced as the Port of Grendahl screamed at the coming invasion of demons and monsters.

The beasts landed within the hour, spreading into the city to enact bloodshed and death upon the inhabitants as locals fled for their lives with screams of fright and terror.

City guards and the local noble's forces tried to stem the tide of war-pigs, demons, and goblins, but the numbers simply overwhelmed the soldiers, hacking the humans to pieces in the streets before moving onto shocked locals.

Of course, the few female guards ran upon sight of goblins, the ferocious little beasts eyeing them with vile lust. Not caring about the citizens nor the local government, those guards quickly fled with refugees, leaving those behind to die under the demon king's sword.

Taking a roost upon a taller building, Hazil watched with grotesque queasiness as several goblins dragged some prostitutes from a brothel, the vile little things barely containing themselves before stripping the screaming females of their clothes.

In a way, Hazil wanted to stop the disgusting beasts as a female, but knew in their current frenzy, the goblins could easily turn against her forces. Sure, she could kill those below, but it would only create greater problems in the coming days and weeks.

"NOOOOO! STOPPP! AUUGHHHH!"

Hazil turned away from the screams of the whores, fluttering her wings to rise above the port city as the stench of blood became too much. Floating above the maelstrom of violence and flaring fires, Queen Jazrith turned her attention Westward, knowing that one of the heroes could lay in that direction.

Flying slowly over the enflamed city under the darkness of night and glowing twin moons, Hazil suddenly smirked, her wings halting in mid flight above the refugee column. Screams erupted below, but the demon ignored the pathetic rabble as an idea formed. "Why go searching for the hero? They're a hero. Of course they'll come and fight the demon king's army no matter their failings" But then her grin faltered, Hazil realizing the full extent of this continent.

"I need information" Swooping down to the refugee column, citizens screamed as she landed before them, her power and strength making dozens cower. Tracking her yellow eyes over several, she approached a brunette woman in guard armor, the plate spattered with blood.

"S…stay back!" Raising a short sword, the guard trembled, her voice barely a crack of fear as civilians simply fled with screams, embarking into the nearby farmland and wilderness of a nearby forest.

"Give me information, and you will live to see tomorrow. Now give me a map of the region" Extending her hand, Hazil expected compliance as the guard shook…then stumbled backwards onto her toned ass.

Resting a hand on her chin, Hazil was curious as she crouched down, looking at the guard with slight interest. "Did humans go deaf in the last few centuries? I was a mere child during the last demon war, but I do remember your species being far braver and stronger"

The guard gulped, trying to backpedal. Bumping into an abandoned wagon, she seemingly crawled up the side before turning, ripping into the cargo, her motions frantic. Gasping in amazement after a minute, the brunette guard turned, holding out several scrolls.

"MAPS! Maps of the whole region! Here, take them!" Practically flinging the parchment, the guard fled past the demon queen, her fear palpable as Grendahl burned behind her.

Picking the rolls of paper up, Hazil unfurled them, her smile growing. Numerous cities and towns dotted the landscape, some minor…some not. Either way, if she caused enough carnage and damage, the hero was sure to arrive to vainly attempt to stop her.

Turning her own gaze to the burning city, Queen Jazrith cocked her head as the first flecks of snow fell. "I wonder how long it will take the countries of this land to destroy my forces? No matter as long as the hero falls" Shrugging, she unfurled her wings once more, seeking out her commanders to plan the attacks for the coming days and weeks.

December 18th, 501 H.A. Jarrenburg, the Border of Brasill

The walled city of trade and commerce loomed ahead, its size bursting at nearly eighty thousand souls. A natural hub for commerce, the center of the city itself was built upon a light plateau wedged between two mountains and rolling hills. A hiway cut beneath the weight of those Eastern peaks, dug long ago by dwarven miners seeking riches. Leading toward the country of Brasill, the important hiway was actively patrolled and guarded, the government of Jarrenburg not wanting to risk monster or bandit attacks to ruin their prosperity.

To the direct West of the city, farmland and forest stretched to some rising hills and smaller mountains, many of whom were populated by mining companies. While mostly iron ore, some soft metals and jewels were dug by the dwarves and hardy men, feeding numerous smiths inside the city of trade.

Walking slowly among several oxen carts, wagons, and foot traffic, the four women approached the walled city after nearly two weeks on the road.

The journey had been populated by danger after saving Farrowburgh, a near constant vigilance against bandits, several wandering ice hags, a slew of hob-goblins, and the skeletal remains of murdered travelers seeking to enact revenge on the living.

The skeletons had been dealt with just the day prior, and now Vera hummed happily in unison with Dia, the two women tapping the floating information screens only they could perceive.

"Another level up! Level Twenty Two I have arrived!" Clutching her fist in victory, Vera checked over her upgraded stats, her humming infectious to the feline black mage.

"You're falling behind, Vera! Level Twenty four! Must because I set all those skeletons on fire" Smugly smiling, the purple haired female sent the screen away with a whisper of words.

"Hey! I killed one of those Hob-goblin's, remember? Cut him in half with my twinblades of Fire and Ice" Jabbing herself in the chest, the dark elf was all smiles.

Celeste Brightwood cocked her head, studying Bisca who walked in silence. "Miss Bisca, have you advanced in skill and strength? Because of the harsh journey and several evil monsters that needed slaying, I have advanced to level twenty six"

Bisca looked over her shoulder, eyeing the knight from the corner of her eye. "You know I hate this leveling crap. The sound, the flying points…all of it. So fucking stupid"

Celeste stayed silent, staring at the hero while maintaining a steady pace to the city gates.

Bisca could feel the stare, the intensity from the three boring into her back. "Fine!" Throwing up her gloved hands, she gave in. "I'm level fifty four now! Killing all those orcs, spiders, and those Ice hags at that abandoned windmill farm were enough to achieve two new levels! Happy now!?" Grousing, she didn't bother to look at her friends.

"As expected of the hero. Your strength continues to climb for the eventual fight against the demon king"

"Whatever" Bisca relented, the gun mage just happy to finally reach the next point in her journey.

Approaching the main gate, the women eyed the few guards, the men's brows furrowed beneath helmets. They looked afraid, their eyes betraying an underlaying stress.

"Hey guard? What's wrong?" Vera inquired, the busty elf sidling up to the young man in studded leather and armored gauntlets, practically pushing her chest against his.

He wasn't fazed by the beauty at all, his voice a nervous crack. "Haven't you h..heard? Demons invaded the coastal cities. Port Grendahl fell in the first day, then Krintel to the south, and finally Torgo last week. We've been taking in refugees and the stories get worse and worse by the day. If I were you, I'd turn around and leave before those demons come marching through the Jarren Tunnel" Stepping away from the elf, the man waved the next trade wagon through, his worry in check as the flow of people didn't seem to end.

"Miss Bisca. Did you hear? We sh—"

Bisca cut off Celeste, her mood instantly souring upon the morbid news. "I heard. Let's find the adventure guild. I'm sure they're forming a response to this latest shitshow" Staring stoically at the nearby mountains that rose into ice capped peaks to the East, Bisca sighed as the party began to move through the city. Knowing full well they would be facing the demons soon, the emerald haired woman simply cursed within her mind at the coming violence.

"Dammit"

So, that should be a good stopping point for Bisca and company! Took way longer to write than expected, but that's the nature of summer. Busy with work, overtime, short staffed, and trying to enjoy the nice weather before fall rears its ugly head again.

I'll probably hit Rising next, but as always, my writing is very slow during the summer months.

Anyway, hope you all enjoy!

TheHappy