Alice and Isabella both hopped up to rush to Alaster, but both were reprimanded by their mothers and told to sit down once more. Iris had more self-control, but it was obvious that she was glad he was there.

Alaster had actually only ever met the City Lord’s wife a few times. She was a homely woman. She was pretty, but she would blend into a crowd quite easily. Which Alaster suspected was the point. The woman was the spy master of Onigas. Though most of her network was spread throughout the other Nations.

Alaster only knew that because the City Lord had let it slip during that morning’s meeting. It wasn’t really a secret, just not something meant to be publicized. However, since her daughters had been born, she had taken a step back and focused more on her family. Though she still had control over her network.

The City Lord took his spot at the head of the table with Lord Siphas on his right and his wife on his left. Lady Siphas was beside her husband with Isabella next to her. Iris was next to her mother with Alice on the other side. But as Alaster walked to the other end table, across from the City Lord, he spotted Iris subtlety switch seats with her sister.

Much like the Siphas Family meals, the breakfast was quite relaxed, with everyone grabbing what they wanted before passing it off to the next person. In just a few minutes, Alaster’s plate was filled with various foods.

The City Lord chuckled, “You know Alaster, we might be under siege, but there is still enough for seconds. You don’t have to balance all that on one plate.”

Alaster scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as everyone turned to face him.

“Sorry. It’s just been a while since I’ve had options.”

Iris tilted her head at him, “What do you mean?”

“Well, since I left Onigas, I have just been travelling around, killing Monsters, Conquering Dungeons, and the like. None of that allowed me to really eat anything more than meat roasted over a campfire.”

“That must have been hard.” Iris sympathized.

“It wasn’t all that bad. Lost count of how many times I almost died though.” Alaster joked with a grin.

Iris threw a roll at him, which he caught with in his mouth, his thanks muffled.

Everyone laughed and the rest of the meal was spent in pleasant company and conversation.

Just as Alaster finished eating the doors burst open.

Alaster spun around, his Pact Armor and Halberd quickly melding around him as he pointed his weapon towards the intruder.

The Messenger abruptly halted, slipping on the polished marble of the dining hall.

“Do try not to maim my Messengers. What is it?” The City Lord asked the young man.

The Messenger hesitated, looking up at the armored giant that had suddenly appeared before him. Staring into the lightly glowing green eyes, it was like he was staring into the eyes of Death himself.

“Spit it out boy!” Lord Siphas shouted.

“Ah! Uhh,” The Messenger rushed to his feet and bowed, “The Tarians are readying their troops in what General Martalis believes is another attack.”

“Hmm. They reacted quicker than I thought. Nothing we can do about it now. Alaster, you should get to your Section.”

Iris watched as Alaster dismissed his Halberd and gave a lazy salute before he vanished, leaving a small skeleton in his place.

The Night Child hopped across the floor until it reached Iris where it jumped onto the table and sat down on its hunches, reminiscent of an owl.

“Uhh, what is this thing?”

* * * * *

Alaster appeared in the room allotted to him by the City Lord. He had left a the bladeless Night Child there to monitor the room, but it had just been in range of the twenty meter limit of [Swap].

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

He could have just walked out of the room, but now that he knew there were Tarian Assassins within the city walls, he wanted to leave a Night Child with all three of the Noble Girls, but he had not yet made three Night Children.

Alaster did not doubt the ability of their Guards, but it still put him at ease to have one of his Minions there monitoring them.

‘I should work on making smaller Minions. That way they’ll be harder to spot and easier to move around.’ Alaster thought to himself as he jumped out of the window.

It was only the second story and while that was still a dangerous height for many Adepts, for others, it was easy. And Alaster wasn’t an Adept anymore. He landed lightly and immediately set out at a light jog, opening his Domain and allowing the Stallion out.

In just a few moments, Alaster turned the corner of the Castle and came into view of the gate.

“Open the gate!” Alaster ordered, jumping onto the Skeletal Stallion without stopping.

The Guards rushed to obey. They had already received word of the attack and expected that some within the Estate would be rushing about.

Alaster galloped past. Unlike a living horse, his steed didn’t need any rest or warmup. Alaster blurred past the gates and down the streets of the Noble District.

He quickly came into view of the District’s Gates. They were closed. But Alaster didn’t stop. Instead, he opened his Domain to drop his second and last Night Child into his gauntleted hand. He didn’t care to aim, just someone over the wall.

Air whistled through the Child’s bones as it soared.

Alaster activated [Swap] again, costing five hundred Mana because ten minutes had yet to pass since the first use.

[Soul Domain] opened in front of the Stallion as Alaster vanished from its saddle.

Alaster appeared three meters midair on the other side of the gate. Domain opened once more, and Alaster landed in the saddle of his stallion once more.

The entire movement was smooth, and he didn’t slow down. Alaster knew that he had only been capable of that due to his Dexterity Bonus improving his control over his own body.

Behind him, the guards at the gate weren’t sure what to do. Should they give chase? Should they report it? In the end, they just left it alone. There were much bigger things to worry about during a siege.

The Military District’s gate was already open as a long column of soldiers marched through. They parted to allow Alaster through, likely just assuming he was an officer, even if they didn’t know who he was. Nonetheless, Alaster was grateful.

He galloped alongside the column. The citizens watched their protectors march towards their defense with pride, raising the morale of the city. As he passed them, they watched him go with surprise and wonder. A few likely recognized him from the fight that very morning. And now, they saw him riding towards the wall.

The faces of the soldiers were grim and tired. By now, every one of them had seen firsthand the horrors that awaited them at the walls. Yet still they marched. What else could they do?

One more gate and he was in the slums. Alaster found it strangely ironic that despite being the poorest and most destitute of citizens, their proximity to the wall had prevented any attacks to reach them. They all either hit the wall, or soared over.

When Alaster finally reached the towers, Alaster jumped off the Stallion, the portal to his Domain swallowing it. This close to the wall, it was pure chaos. Yet regardless of where all the people were moving, it was all gradually making its way up the towers.

Soldiers marched up the stairs. Engineers rushed to finished their last repairs. Carriers loaded the cranes to bring supplies to the battlements. Officers were yelling out orders. And flatbed carts were stored near the cranes with blood stained blankets ready for the bodies that would inevitably come.

Alaster decided to forgo the crowded towers and instead hitched a ride on one of the cranes. It was obvious he was not supposed to do that, but in his armor, none dared to approach to tell him so.

He stepped off as workers moved forward to unload the crane, clearly more worried about not being ready than they were of him. The battlements were just as busy.

Jogging to this Section over the Outer Gate, everyone tried to clear a path for him. Something that was not easy considering how crowded it was and how large he was. In several areas, Alaster had to turn sideways.

But despite all the hassle, in just a few minutes, Alaster was where he was supposed to be. And what a sight it was.

The ten squads, one hundred men, were stationed there. Just in case Alaster was not able to return before a conflict began. They stood in neat offset lines, watching the enemy beyond the walls.

The officer in charge of the hundred walked over, “Greetings sir, we have been tasked to support you in defending this Section of wall.”

“Appreciated, but unnessessary. If you must, then support me from the Inner Wall. Any thing living that is on this Section when the fighting starts wont be for long. If you are not suited to Inner Wall support, go reinforce another Section.”

To his credit, the man did not even flinch, “Understood. Alright men, we are moving out!”

As one, they turned on their heels and formed an orderly column. They marched across the bridge and soon blended into the rest of the chaos.

Alaster turned to look out over the battlements.

‘That certainly makes me feel small.’

The Tarians had previously dug trenches and bulwarks, which helped mask their true numbers. Now, they were in formations in front of their defenses and preparing to march. Their might was on display, and it made Alaster’s heart beat in his ears.

‘Calm down Alaster. You don’t have to kill all of them. You only have to kill the ones that attack this Section. You aren’t fighting alone, nor are the people you are fighting with incompetent. They know what they are doing. Hundreds of those Soldiers won’t even make it to the wall.’ Sedall attempted to calm his host.

It worked, for the most part.

Alaster took a deep breath and opened his Domain, allowing his Undead to march out and take their positions. Even more were summoned. And when the battle began, his Legion would quickly build in strength. But something was missing.

‘What am I forgetting?’

Alaster thought for several minutes as he watched the Tarians gather.

‘Shit! I forgot the Dread Knight!’

In his haste to get to the wall, he had forgotten his newest Minion in the Dining Hall.

‘Oops?’