Butcher's Graffiti

"Hey, hey! Careful with the toothpick. It"s a national treasure of dwarven craft, stupendously expensive for a stupid rod if you ask me. "

Phillis took the spear that Nikolai was grasping by the blade, he felt concerned for the precious weapon.

"It"s alright, he"s a friend." Amira called out at the high ceiling.

White little lights that turned out to be reflective eyes were observing the group in dead silence, skittering from time to time to adjust into more advantageous positions.

Nikolai recognized them, Warding Terans. They"re intelligent insects as big as dogs with metallic affinities and can become intangible at will. Highly skilled a.s.sa.s.sins selectively bred into becoming deadly, sentient manikins.

"How bad?"

Amira sighed. The man hadn"t changed even after all this years, consistent with his impatient att.i.tude.

She summoned Bastian, prompting the royal household to a.s.sist the unconscious guests into more gracious receptions and to provide medications when they awake. The butler had escorted Seffa to a room prepared for them beforehand.

To induce loss of consciousness through killing intent meant having to overload another persons sense of danger, causing their minds to virtually shutdown voluntary processes. As a result, one will experience nausea and severe headaches when they awake.

"You"ve made quite an impression with my Division Heads. It wouldn"t be an exaggeration to say you"ve etched fear back into their minds."

"How. Bad." he repeated. There was a tired look in his eyes as he pulled out his axe from the floor.

Phillis snickered. It isn"t everyday you see the most powerful and influential Empress in the continent of Verochka get pressured in her own throne.

"...the Outer City of Enkka. 2 days at best, tonight at worst. According to what High General Vladimir reported, it seems a Queen leads the Ghoul Swarm in a sort of hive mentality. Their immune to Elemental Arts but susceptible to Lightning and Life Arts.

Just like most Abyssal Fiends, bladed weapons are useless and their main a.r.s.enal consists of Chaos Arts. An individual ghoul is a little weaker than a Catergory 3 Magic Beast but the threat grows into a Level 6 Scenario by sheer numbers.

The Queen is estimatedly a Category 5 all on its own but I"ve yet to ascertain this cla.s.sification, there wasn"t much of an opportunity to inspect closer. That monster has its own telekenetic prowess that is able to block out my Clairvoyance, so keep that in mind.—"

"Wait. Pardon the interruption but, even if he starts traveling towards Enkka tonight, it"ll take a day at least." said Phillis as he lowered his gla.s.ses whilst inspecting the spear he"d taken.

"The Swarm is unpredictable. The enemy"s proven its intelligence back at Askal. I doubt they"d give us any chance to prepare, so the fiends will most probably arrive—"

"Your Majesty!" a panicked voice sounded throught Amira"s communications bracelet, interrupting the vampire"s interruption.

"I-It"s an emergency! Their here! The swarm is quickly approaching the City of Enkka! We"ve evacuated the citizens, however, there are still about a hundred troops stationed here and there isn"t enough horses to get everyone out! Please issue the order for retreat!!" the man"s voice was shaking as he delivered what he deemed the final moments of his life.

"Called it. Hehe." said Phillis, making Amira glare at him. The bloodsucker raised his hands in apology.

Amira clicked her tongue. The situation had gone from bad to dire with more lives at stake.

"I will...handle...this." Nikolai spoke up. He hadn"t slept for the past few days and was starting to get tired.

But he couldn"t bring himself to ignore those lives. He too was once a soldier, following orders even at his own risk.

"And how do you expect to reach Enkka in such a short of time? You gonna turn into a bat and fly?" retorted the sarcastic bat.

Nikolai snorted, grinning at Phillis like he was dumb. And of course, the prideful vampire felt offended being dissed by the ogre.

"Launch me."

.

News of the fallen Hovarin Kingdom striked fear in the multiple sovereigns all over the continent. The Ghoul Swarm was supposedly a minor threat that started in that kingdom"s proximity and was prematurely cla.s.sified as "Neutralized".

There are 5 universaly-used cla.s.sifications to a.s.sess an event"s threat level.

[Status: Undetermined]

This status applies to either newly discovered threats or events that have yet to be understood. At times, this cla.s.sification may prove to be the worst of the five.

[Status: Safe]

As the name states, this is for events that are deemed harmless or even sometimes beneficial to civilization.

[Status: Neutralized]

In other words, the threat has either been eliminated, contained, or determined to not pose any more harm to the kingdom and its citizens.

[Status: Malicious]

Deadly threats that have yet to be resolved. They require urgent attention and military supervision. Elimination is necessary.

[Status: Catastrophic]

Can range from Ancient Monsters to Deadly Plagues. Threats that may potentially lead to major casualties or pose serious danger to civilization itself. Very difficult to contain or neutralize.

The Ghoul threat jumped from Neutralized into Catastrophic status in just 4 days.

.

Officer Rovan Quill felt sick and was sweating bullets. He"d barely escaped the invasion in the Bordertown of Askal, but he"d brought with him the guilt of having survived despite the adversity. Many brave men stood and fell in battle while he fled like the coward that he"s always been.

A day had gone by since then and he"d kept consoling his ego with honeyed words. Covincing himself that he had the extremely important role of reporting the current happenings back to the higher-ups.

But now, things took a turn for the worse.

In the middle of the night, all the temporary camp set-ups in the Outer City of Enkka were alerted. The swarm was already here and there wasn"t enough transportation for them to use as escape. And like the final nail on their coffins, the Empress and ordered them on standby.

Even the strongest looking soldiers in the squadron was pale with fear and shaking in their boots. n.o.body was prepared to die.

In just 4 years into his career, Major Rodrick Weston was now having the dilemma of a lifetime. He could see the confusion and silent denial in the faces of his troops after they"d relayed the Crown"s orders.

He"d be lying to himself if he said he wasn"t terrified of the current situation but he couldn"t afford the luxury of selfishness when his commanding over a hundred men to their deaths.

Many mocked him for his age, saying that he wasn"t fit or was too young to lead such military force. But he isn"t the type of a man who avoids challenges. He is best regarded for his strong-willed character and commendable dedication.

"SOLDIERS OF THE EMPIRE!!

LIKE IT OR NOT, TODAY IS THE DAY WE DIE!! THE TIME TO LAY DOWN OUR WORTHLESS LIVES!

AND I DON"T CARE FOR WHOSE SAKE YA OFFER UP SUCH n.o.bLE GARBAGE!

FOR THE COUNTRY!?

FAMILY!?

n.o.bODY f.u.c.kING CARES!!!

YOU ARE SOLDIERS BORN TO DIE. WE ARE GONNA FACE THOSE c.u.n.tS WHO KILLED OUR COMRADES!!!

OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS DISGRACED AND DISHONORED BY SUCH ANIMALS!!

WHAT SAY YOU MEN!? ARE YA JUST GONNA LET THEM f.u.c.kING TRAMPLE OVER THE LIVES OF THOSE YOU SWORE AN OATH WITH!?

THOSE WE SWORE AN OATH WITH!!?

OR ARE YA GONNA GO OUT THERE SHOW THESE MISERABLE f.u.c.kS WHAT A REAL DEMON IS!!?

ANSWER ME, YA MAGGOTS!!"

"SIR, YES SIR!!!" they yelled in unison.

The thunderclouds roared and lightning flashed as drizzles began to dampen their torches. The strategy was to abandon the outer walls, keep the main gates opened, barricade the streets except for the main road, and for all the troops to erect total defense on the City Lord"s castle walls. This way, they wouldn"t have to face the ghouls directly and at least hold out for as long as they could.

The early attack on Askal was a blessing in disguise for them. There were unspent explosives and tons of oil sitting in the Enkka, ones that were supposed to have been shipped for the bordertown.

And while bladed weapons were largely ineffective in fighting against the ghouls, guns and cannons were another story. They have more than enough a.r.s.enal for a hundred-strong resistance. Some confidence returned to the soldiers and their spirits lifted after seeing the vast amount of ammunition.

u003c"...we might just pull this off."u003e were their thoughts.

"ATTENTION LADIES!!

IF WE MAKE IT THROUGH THIS ORDEAL AND GO HOME, I"M GONNA GET MARRIED AND YOU"RE ALL INVITED!

UNLIMITED BOOZE!!!!" announced Rodrick, followed by cheering and renewed determination.

The ground emitted a low rumble. Furniture and utensils were shaking. Distant screeches and bellows could be heard. Suddenly the hope that they had just regained seemed lost in the darkness of the night.

The torches on the outer walls flickered like stars and the quick flashes of lightning allowed them to view the vast, empty streets. Visibility was getting worse with the rain getting heavier. Their heartbeat got louder and louder, drowning out the sound of rainfall as they waited in antic.i.p.ation.

It was a surreal experience. The longer they lied in wait, stood in post, or maintained position, the more bizzare reality seemed to bend. The pressure was driving everyone insane, as if the air was getting thinner, their garments tightening, an unusually dry throat, or even seeing things moving in the corner of their eye.

"IGNITE THE OIL!!" the commander"s loud voice brought everyone back on alert.

Pairs of soldiers on each of the four corners of the castle walls dropped their torches, setting ablaze the oil that they had strategically bathed around the entire city. Citywide wildfire in the middle of a stormy night. The only places that weren"t burning was the castle and the main road from the east.

SHRIIEEKKIKIK

And there they were. A white swarm of crawling monstrosities climbing over the eastern walls and gate. Shrieks and sharp schreeches echoed as a few of the ghouls caught on fire and died.

"DO YOU SEE THIS BOYS!?

INFO SAID THESE FREAKS ARE IMMUNE TO FLAME ARTS!!

BULLs.h.i.t! ANYTHING"S TOASTY WITH ENOUGH FIRE!

HAAAHAHAHAH!!! NOW FIRE THOSE d.a.m.n CANNONS!" indeed, the fire was lit once more in the soldiers" eyes.

All the castle"s cannons were brought to the eastern front beforehand. He didn"t predict that the ghouls would certainly attack from the eastern gates, it was a gamble the commander decided to take in exchange for scorching the rest of the pa.s.sages.

Now they just have to hold till reinforcements arrive.

BOOM

Cannonfire sounded the night like the thunder above. The ghouls were blown to bits along with the eastern gates by three explosions. Flesh scattered and the horde was disoriented for a moment. The humans in the castle sounded their warcry.

Noticing the concentration of life in the castle"s direction, the ghouls began to sprint past their fallen brethren and straight for the fort. But halfway, bullets rained from above and slayed the incoming wave.

The soldiers were divided into three volleys, taking turns on firing, reloading, and aiming on a rhythmic pattern. It kept the monsters at bay well enough, but Rodrick knew that if they kept at this pace they"d run out of ammo before they knew it. They don"t even have any idea if reinforcements will arrive in time or at all.

"MAGES!!

THERE"S A s.h.i.tLOAD OF f.u.c.kING POTIONS IN THE STORAGE SO MAKE YOURSELVES USEFULL, YOU G.o.dd.a.m.n f.a.gGOTS!!

TENTACLES!! NOW!" he yelled as a group of ten or so military mages began to cast their spell.

Gigantic, earthen tentacles erupted from the ground, surrounding the main road and grabbing one ghoul after another, tossing them into the flames. This tactic whittled down their numbers into manageable amounts for the gunners.

But despite the successful resistance, the wave of these creatures endlessly poured in from the gates.

u003c"The reports mentioned that this swarm bordered the eight thousands. The G.o.ds help us if we could manage to hold till reinforcements arrive."u003e Rodrick prayed in silence as he loaded another bullet into the barrel.

The flames on the edge of the city was starting to die out and the weather wasn"t getting any better. The underlying sensation of inevitable doom p.r.i.c.kled their napes as the soldiers continued the gunning pattern like a countdown to their death.

.