In a small room inside the barracks, Johann, King of Valcreim, sat in front of several figures, furiously yelling and hitting a tiny table in the center with both palms. “How the hell could this happen?! What were our damn look-outs doing?!”

“Don’t curse in front of the Apostle of Light, My lord,” Irma, the High Priestess, said sternly while adjusting her half-rim glasses. Severe wrinkles formed around her lips. “Our Holy Eminence is a messenger of God, be mindful of what you say.”

Johann glanced at the holy man. His pupil-less eyes made it difficult to read his expression. “Whatever,” Johann muttered.

“These are difficult and stressful times, High Priestess, it’s understandable to be so agitated,” Sebastian spoke with a low voice.

Everyone’s sight was set on the Apostle, except for Joseph’s, who only glanced at him. The man in front of everyone was just an afterimage, a powerless and defenseless residual being. He had been left behind by the original to discuss ‘such trivial matters’, as he had said before returning to the holy land.

Trivial, eh? Joseph thought, sitting in a crate behind Thomas.

“As I was saying,” King Johann said, leering at the War Council. “How did we let this happen?! If it wasn’t for Sebastian, everyone—”

“Everyone here would be joining the Necromancer’s army.” Spencer, the summoner, interrupted the monarch. Some of the faces around him gave him looks of contempt.

“You shouldn’t be so sure of that,” Colonel Rhino said through his thick mustache. “We could keep fighting even if half the wall was destroyed.”

“Sure,” Spencer sneered. “We can keep fighting until every man, woman, and child perishes. But at least we all would get the honor of dying a warrior’s death, right?” Spencer’s facial expressions left Rhino speechless and flustered. “Let’s be real people, the battle isn’t over. It’s only a matter of time before that alleged Death Commander, The Red Grudge, comes back with an even bigger army.”

“Red Scourge,” Paladin Thomas corrected, half-smiling. “That’s how he called himself.” He was standing beside the apostle in a straight posture, yet did not reach his height.

“That’s the name! Thank you, Dove, that’ll help us save more lives next time.” Spencer lifted his arms and snorted loudly. Irma immediately cleared her throat, disturbed after hearing the surname. “What I’m trying to say is,” Spencer continued, “it doesn’t matter how or if they breached our frontiers. We should be thinking and prioritizing how to defend ourselves now. Because, you know, there’s a bigger breach right now. Literally.”

“I’m sure this will disappoint you, Archmage,” Thomas started speaking with a condescending voice, “but I’m with the King on this one. We should solve this enigma as soon as possible if we wish to remain in this world for a little longer.”

“He’s saying you’re being too pessimistic, Charmer.” Boldo, leader of the Elemental Division said to the sarcastic Archmage, chuckling.

Before the outspoken mage could open his mouth to reply, Stein, Commander of the Royal Guard pointed towards his face. “Save your brilliant comebacks for later! Let the King speak.” His sharp nose was way up, displaying his wide-open nostrils.

The monarch regained his composure and prepared to speak. “Focus, people!” Johann said. “How could the enemy appear at our door unnoticed? Was someone not doing their work?” He glared at the only representative of the United Freedom Army in the room.

Colonel Rhino lifted his mustache. The Eagle flag was proudly nailed on the wall behind him. “My lord, if you’re implying that the UFA was responsible for this…”

“It’s obvious what happened back there,” Maya, leader of the Marksmen division, said, crossing her arms. Her long reddish ponytail was resting on her right shoulder. “The enemy was already inside our territory.”

“Impossible,” Stein and Rhino replied at the same time. “Even if they had traveled underground we would have detected them,” Rhino said.

“We have Pride Mountain at our back, and no teleportation spell is capable of deploying such a large army that quickly,” added Stein. His face was turning red and a vein was visibly pulsing on his forehead. “So tell me, where could the enemy be hiding all this time, Miss Maya?”

The woman shifted her view towards the ceiling, annoying Stein even more. She drew her bow and arrow and directed it upwards, provoking looks of alarm on everyone’s faces. “Excuse me, sir, but I’m afraid that this conversation is no longer private,” she whispered. Each person in the room was a heavily trained fighter, and they immediately took defensive stances. “Show yourself at once!”

A silhouette jumped down from the ceiling into a corner engulfed in shadows. “You were warned to show yourself!” Stein demanded with a broken voice, hand on the hilt of his sword. A single black-clawed foot slowly came out of the shadows, followed by a left arm, raised in the air. Out of the darkness came Candice, holding something with her left arm. “Don’t take another step!” Stein cried.

“Do I look like a corpse to you?” Candice frowned, scrutinizing everyone in the room until her gaze landed on Joseph.

“Lower your bow, Maya,” Joseph came forward. “Before you is a noble warrior that assisted in defending our kingdom. Her name is Candice, and I can vouch for her.”

“She’s also an uninvited guest,” King Johann said, clenching his jaw. “Sir Stein, seize her.”

“Are you afraid of a pint-sized Jinga, my lord?” Spencer quickly replied, sneering. “She came here, unarmed, despite knowing that the finest warriors in the kingdom were gathered in this room, she must have some sort of reason, even if all she wants is to leave this world a little sooner. Right, little miss?” He smirked at her, who quickly approached him and sucker-punched him in the nose. “Goddamnit, brat!”

“That’s for throwing me into the air like a toy!”

“Spencer mistreating a lady? Why am I not surprised?” Maya said, putting away her bow. Boldo burst out laughing. Colonel Rhino put away his finger from the trigger and Irma rushed to nurse the mage, while Paladin Thomas put a hand over his mouth to hide his giggling.

“Hey, Jinga!” Stein started shouting, spitting with every word. “If you came here looking for trouble—”

“The guards didn’t let me in,” she interrupted before throwing something into the council’s table. Some covered their noses once the smell hit them.

“What the hell is that thing?” Stein cried.

“That thing was flying in circles above one of the nuns’ houses, the one closer to downtown,” Candice said, glancing at Irma, who looked back perplexed.

“The Holy Mercy Church? Are you sure?” the old lady said, and abruptly stopped treating Spencer’s minor injury.

“Care to explain what it is, and its importance?” Rhino bluntly asked, trying to make out the shape from his place.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

In front of them was a black bird as big as an eagle. “It’s a Familiar,” Spencer muttered. He rose and flipped the animal upside down to show its beak and broken neck.

“Not everyone here is familiar with the term” Boldo spoke, getting closer. He knew what the word meant, but he would not miss the chance to beat Spencer at wordplay.

“It’s an animal who serves a mage,” Spencer explained aloud while extending one hand. “Do any of the soldiers here have a knife?” Maya took a small blade from her belt, and after handing it to the mage, he started tearing the animal's flesh apart.

“Do you have to do that right now?” Stein said, repulsed.

“And what does it do?” Colonel Rhino approached first, intrigued, while the rest followed.

“Well, you can force him to do anything,” Spencer said, while the rib cage opened with a crunching sound. “You can get into its head and see through its eyes. Like one of your top-of-the-line surveillance cameras, but alive.” The mage introduced his fingers into the bird and reached for its heart. Spencer pulled out a tiny gray gemstone and offered it to Rhino, who took it with a handkerchief, fascinated. “That’s its power source. It might be just mid-level magic, but it's extremely useful,” Spencer continued. “Good thing our magic interceptors caught this thing, it would’ve been a disaster if it wasn’t for our High Priestess... That’s what I would be saying if she had done her damn job correctly! So what gives, Irma?! Why was this forsaken beast running wild inside our territory?!”

“I assure you, Archmage,” Irma raised her voice, indignantly, “that every gargoyle in the city is active and functioning accordingly. No one without a permission card can perform magic inside our walls.”

Candice immediately thought of the ID card inside her pockets and thanked her Guild Master for giving it to her legally.

“There’s no room for doubt now, we must have an intruder then!” Boldo suggested, flustering Rhino.

“The UFA was in charge of the entrance, sir! Everyone here is witness that our troops didn’t falter at the sight of danger!”

“A traitor among our people then!” Stein cried out. “Is that what you’re suggesting?! You should think carefully about your next words, sir.”

Candice grunted where she stood. The bickering was becoming unbearable. Before she could yell out, the Apostle took the word, silencing everyone with a calm, deep voice. “Miss Candice, is there other information that you would like to share with us?”

She regained her composure. “The bird stinks,” Candice stated firmly, “and so do they. Before the Black Tide arrived, I could already smell them from afar. It was a damp stench.” She got close to the table and pushed the familiar away. Traces of blood were left on the map below it. In it was displayed the kingdom of Valcreimand its frontiers. “The smell came from this direction. They were hiding in this swamp. I’m sure of it.”

Everyone remained silent, staring at the signaled spot, the Swamp of Sorrows. Their focus shifted towards the northeast. Adjacent to the swamp was the Eagles headquarters, known as Station One.

Maya was the first to speak. “That reaffirms my theory. They were right next to us all along, there’s no doubt about it.”

“The hell there isn’t!” Stein hit the table with a fist. “The UFA’s base has been standing next to that swamp for two months now!”

“An active army of such size can’t pass undetected, especially that close to us,” Rhino added.

Maya stepped back, shrugging. “There’s only one possibility remaining. The enemy was already there long before the UFA moved in.”

A dead silence covered the room.

“That still doesn't explain how,” replied Rhino.

“There were…” Paladin Joseph stuttered, before clearing his throat. “There were sightings of Reptals from the old kingdom of Roth among the undead.”

Everyone in the room, except for Candice and The Apostle, glanced at Spencer, who pretended not to notice while checking the map.

“Now things are beginning to make sense,” King Johann finally said, running his hand through his scalp, tired.

“Now that we know where the enemy might be hiding, we can settle this argument,” Spencer tapped the map, seeming calmer than before. “Alright, you guys won me over, we should take the offensive as soon as possible.”

“That was the plan before knowing that the enemy was so close to this city,” Paladin Thomas said, crossing his arms. “The Red Scourge could be regrouping his forces as we speak. Prioritizing the repair of the wall is a must.”

“So now you understand what I was trying to say. But you don’t see the opportunity we have in front of us. We struck gold, we can take care of our problem from the root!” Spencer smirked.

Thomas clenched his jaw and walked towards him with closed fists. “Is all of this a game to you, Archmage? You were eager to toughen our defenses minutes ago. You know how important that is.”

“If this is a game, I’d like to win by earning it. I won’t sit and take punches, hoping for a miracle, when I know I could be taking action.” Spencer gazed at the paladin’s eyes in defiance, then he turned to the rest of the council. “That’s why I propose to sneak into the necromancer's territory and assassinate the son of a bitch.”

“You mocked the girl for recklessly risking her life, said she was committing suicide.” Stein sneered. “But it seems you’ll be beating her to the punch! There must be thousands of undead between our doors and the Swamp of Sorrows, you said you didn’t believe in miracles, but that would take more than that!”

Spencer cleared his throat. “That’s why the plan is to get to a safe zone on Valcreim’s outskirts. I can safely teleport us there, but I’ll need a small group of volunteers, preferably from Artheos’s Church, for… purifying purposes.”

“Any member of the Church would be eager to die on duty, but there are better ways to serve God. probably know there are less painful ways to do it,” Thomas chuckled before turning around, stumbling into Paladin Joseph's concerned look.

“I volunteer for the mission,” Joseph said quietly at first, then kneeled in front of the Apostle. “I would like to help the Archmage with everything I can.”

“Paladin!” Stein cried. “Do you believe in this madman’s words?! What he’s proposing is absurd!” Stein gazed at Spencer, who turned his head away from it. “His thirst for revenge against the Tide has clouded his mind, most of the casualties were his fellow mages, after all.”

“He only stated that he wants to assassinate the Red Scourge,” Joseph replied, head hunched. “He never said anything about fighting the Black Tide. That would be madness.”

The aura of impending doom around them started to dwindle, turning into slight hope. Spencer laughed from his place. “The team is starting to take shape. Whoever comes with us, I’ll assure you, we’ll move like the breeze!”

Thomas looked towards Joseph, slightly worried.

“Understood. You have my blessing,” St. Sebastian spoke, making it official.

“Thank you, Holiness.” Joseph bowed his head. “In the name of our God Artheos, Lord of Light, I will not fail.”

“Not only would we be avenging our mages, but this also should be the perfect opportunity to avenge the people of Roth. Right, Archmage?” Sebastian said, staring blankly at him.

Spencer’s smile faded. “That’s not our objective here.”

Stein glanced at Rhino, who was looking at the map, absent.

“I believe in your confidence, Archmage. Let’s see if your instincts are as sharp as your tongue,” King Johann said, turning to Irma. “High Priestess, do you think you could assist us with one of your novitiates?”

“Of course, my lord. I’ll ask—” She cleared her throat. “The Church of the Holy Mercy will provide any help necessary.”

“Well,” Colonel Rhino shook his head. “Never say that the UFA doesn’t play along. I have a Black Ops team ready to deploy at any time. Count on them.”

“Wow! To think I was feeling like an idiot just minutes ago, right, Dove?” Spencer said, turning to Thomas, who remained quiet. “We’ll need every bit of help we can get, so what do you say, Maya? We could use someone who excels in stealth.”

Everyone in the room was in high spirits, but Candice felt sick. She wanted to say something, but she couldn’t find the right moment and the right words to say it. The fur in her back was standing like thorns, while her lower claws were scratching the floor.

Joseph looked at her, with his gentle, tired silver eyes.

It was all she needed.

“I’ll take her place!” Candice shouted.