Jack grit his teeth as he watched Ozzy's death. His must trusted assassin falling to that nightmare of a creature sent shivers down his spine. Would this old silver knife really be enough?

Urging his bound familiar away, Jack continued to observe the skies with this copied ability [summon familiar] from a rogue wizard. He had the owl fly across the land, spying a multitude of horned goatmen herding away monsters in unusual quantity towards the mountains.

Beside the mountains raged a fire, but as long as that didn't spread too far that wasn't a concern of Jack's. what was however, was that his quarries had yet to realise they headed to wall of solid flame. While Jack liked the fact they were cut off from escape, the huge amount of monsters the fire was pushing away might cause his prey to be consumed by troll, goatman or some unnamed monster long before Jack could get to them.

And while Jack could do many things with his copied abilities, he couldn't interrogate the dead. Yet.

"Flower Knight, you are certain the forest will not seek to harm us?" Jack said as he pulled away from his connection to the summoned owl, finding himself once again on his requisitioned horse.

"Indeed Warden, the flowers whisper that this trail is safe for as long as I am present," the Flower Knight said smiling sweet as honey, flowers blooming as she passed. If he hadn't seen her butcher so many, Jack would have thought her some good-natured forest nymph with all that beauty that sprang up with every step. Beauty matched with heavenly features that had made her the mascot of Warden company, her fans amongst the company spreading amongst the townsfolk of Tariak too.

Behind them trailed the Warden Company in all its glory, along with a grand militia of the more devote townsfolk. All wanted this matter over with quickly, the many monsters infesting this forest a constant cause for anxiety as every bird call and broken twig sent a chorus of rasping steel sliding free.

Suddenly Trag the Stamper halted, and began sniffing the air. The troll chuckled to himself as he pulled his huge mace free.

"Prepare yourselves! My feet are about to be wet with blood!" Shields were raised just as barbed arrows were fired from unseen sources, the militiamen reacting too slowly were strewn with casualties in moments.

"Fight! For the Three show no mercy!" Jack roared as devil horned goatmen wielding spears tipped with hellfire and covered in heretical symbols bleated prayers to their own dark gods and charged from all sides.

Activating [blessing-light] Jack's longsword became bathed with holy light. After a [blessing - greater speed] and [blessing - Goldenheart] Jack both moved with the speed required to cut down three goatmen in a breath and filled the hearts of his followers with the courage to stand against the foe.

Blade filled with Devine fury, Jack danced his way through the goatmen ranks leaving a score of dead trailing behind him. Distantly, he saw the jet black horns of a goatman above that of the rest. This goatman was regal, with groomed dark fur, silver jewellery woven into warbraids and burning symbols made of hellfire dancing around his horns.

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Gesturing, the enemy leader sent in a pair of twitching goatmen covered in white cloth drenched in dark scriptures. As the pair built up speed red energy surged wildly across their limbs, becoming rapidly potent and unstable.

"Shoot them down - don't let those two hit the main line!" Jack roared, Trag roared as he charged the pair. The first was kicked back into the forest while the second was thrown into the goatmens' own ranks.

Soon after both exploded, crimson energy ripping apart the closest bodies and sucking them into the energy covered sacrifices. All that power then snapped to a point, and just as Jack thought all was well, the energy fluctuated and a crimson goatman appeared with demonic features.

Ink black claws, curled horns, too many teeth and tongues. The sacrifice that had been thrown into the jungle emerged similarly transformed if much smaller, the lack of kills having reduced the power of the transformation.

The first demonic goat man screamed at an inhuman pitch and dropped it's obsidian claws upon the first crusader brave enough to attack. The crusader had buffed his defense, and yet the obsidian blades pierced through his shield and ripped aside the mangled metal to the ground. In the next swipe it sent the crusaders head rolling while completely ignored the crusaders flaming sword that had been sunk into the creatures belly.

Howling it launched at another crusader - Jack cleaved it in two mid air, leaving the blazing remains to warp and twitch on the ground. The top half continued to crawl forward, snarling, until Jack split the demons head.

The other had a flower popping out its mouth, a violent sparky red, that the Flower Knight plucked. The instant the flower was picked the creature died, the chaotic demon flower added to the Flower Knight's mane.

A combination of discipline, reinforcements and Trag drove away the remaining enemy forces. Jack cut down what fleeing goatmen as he could, yet couldn't spy their leader amongst the fleeing enemy ranks.

"Form up, we continue immediately. These heretics will not slow this crusade down!"

But his men were rattled, and riddled with fresh wounded besides. Thankfully the priests could heal them quickly, but it would take time to replenish those blessings. If the enemy decided to ambush them again and again, Jack's forces would be slowly whittled down to nothing.

"Hurry with the blessings, I want this company moving. Now!" Rolling up his sleaves Jack joined the priests in aiding those with minor wounds, focusing on not letting the stress of an imminent attack wear away at him.

For his troops at least, Jack would continue to appear outwardly confident. Even if internally the organisation of these monsters terrified him. If they could learn from this attack too...

Jack shook his head of doubt and focused on what he could do in the moment.

No use worrying, when he had no choice but to plunge ever deeper into the monster infested forest.