An hour of waiting later we hear screams and shouting, frantic movement of people and head back outside. People running about, buckets being moved as they’re filled with water and rushed off. We follow the movement to find the building with the local barracks and armory up in flames; the doors sealed shut as there’s still a pounding on them from the inside. Around the building I see some that are using magic to repeatedly conjure up water and douse the flames with. Nearly all of the populace set on taking care of the fire my mind went to something else.

“we need to find the guard captain.”

[morgan] “what you think he isn’t- ohh, right… wouldn’t that mean she’s here though?”

“maybe, maybe not. I think having some answers would be good though.”

[morgan] “alright I’m with you on it, should I ride or?”

“wouldn’t riding attract attention?”

[morgan] “alright let’s go then.”

With that we were off, rushing to find where the guard captain was. Checking around the barracks to start. We searched but couldn’t find the human. While there were some flames that would leap out to other roofs they didn’t live long as they’d take priority and be put out before they could grow. Over the next hour we watched the whole structure burn down, the doors we’re not pounded on for all that long.

[morgan] “how many guards are around?”

[townsfolk] “what why?” “not many that’s for sure.” “we need to dig graves not gather guards.”

“the town may be in danger.”

[morgan] “we hope it isn’t but just in case, as hands of the hidden monarch we need to know how many can fight.”

The townsfolk all murmur and mutter and eventually we find out that there are ten guards and five more people that can be ready to fight. Two mages that didn’t expend all of their capabilities fighting the fire, with low end spells. One had a magic missile they could use once like morgan and the other could make an illusory sound.

“less than twenty.”

[morgan] “yeah, that’s what we got.”

“each one of those things can probably take on five people each.”

[morgan] “then let’s hope there’s three or less of them.”

“what’s the largest building that can be defended in the city?”

[guard] “one of the gatehouses could work.”

[morgan] “we could put all the townsfolk in a single gatehouse?”

[guard] “no, definitely not.”

[morgan] “any building we could protect everyone in?”

There was a long pause. Then a younger guard spoke up.

[young guard] “… the mausoleum would work.”

[guard] “uh, that’s… ohh I don’t like it but he’s right, there’s enough space in those depths to pack everyone in… plus the passageways are narrow enough that two or three men could block off attackers.”

“would we have to worry about it getting burned down?”

[morgan] “doubt it”

[guard] “no, it’s underground… which makes me nervous about using it, a lot of people in a tight underground space can be dangerous”

“… did you not ventilate it?”

[morgan] “not for a mausoleum… let’s see where this is, no other buildings would do?”

There’s no reply from the guards or anyone else in our makeshift fighting force. We find the mausoleum with the entrance built into a hill near the wall sitting on a rise of the land. Cut stone with a solid wooden door. I would have to crouch a bit to walk inside the space, it was not appealing. I was asking myself if this was worthwhile, if fighting for others I didn’t really know was a worthwhile use of my life. I pondered it all over as we waited, as we hoped and eventually had the fears of the night return. The tall human shaped creatures landing on the wall, it looked like there was… fifteen? Definitely more than ten to my eyes, and now we could see they were green. Skin warty and bumpy, looking like a thick animal hide as they held their curved blades that glinted in the light. We heard the screams of panic as the monsters leaped down into the city. They’d come from all sides, we made certain to get to the mausoleum entrance. Soon we were calling the townsfolk to use, ushering them into the dark depths of this buried stone structure.

[morgan] “mages with a guard each on the sides of the entrance! The rest of you get these people in the tomb!”

“why hasn’t the monarch sent us help?”

[morgan] “I’m sure he will, we just have to survive alright.”

“this is going very poorly”

[morgan] “you think this is bad? Try living under slavers two feet taller than you.”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“morgan you know our odds.”

[morgan] “I’ve lived through worse now stop being such a kitten, we’ll survive.”

I was surprised, she genuinely seemed to believe what she said. I focused on the task at hand, working to get people into the dark safety we’d make for them. Whether it was a good or bad idea to do this, to be risking my life for others we couldn’t run now so I was stuck with this situation, all I could do was put everything I had into its success. We only got about fifteen minutes before the first of these long-limbed green skin creatures arrived. It’s blade like a crescent signaling our final sunset. Two guards charged it as morgan fired off a magic missile. The missiles hurt it and the guards landed their attacks, at first I was surprised then I realized it didn’t try to dodge. They pulled back their weapons, and it swung, the guard on its right was cut through at the waist and rolled away in two directions. The wounds on the monster I saw seal up, skin growing back as if there had never been a cut.

“everybody in! Into the mausoleum now!”

[morgan] “w-what? We can fight one of them!”

“NO! EVERYONE IN!”

There’s a panic as we pull back, we’ve gotten tens of people in, not hundreds or the low thousands a town like this would have. Screams fill the air in the background though I didn’t really notice at the time. Morgan and I get in followed by the two other mages and then the eight remaining guards as the other that had charged occupied the monster to give us time. He’d been impaled on the end of its blade for his troubles… why were they all so willing to throw their lives away?

[morgan] “we could fight one of them and get more people in.”

“no, our attacks aren’t doing lasting damage. They just heal up from any cuts, didn’t you notice it?”

[morgan] “n-no… so all of our hits aren’t doing any good?”

“pretty much.”

[morgan] “shit. damn it!”

“you’re sure that we’ll have help?”

[morgan] “yeah it’s just when.”

“alright… Guards, we have forces of the monarch on the way! Our task here is simply survival, just keep any monster at bay and we’ll all get through this!”

The first monster comes in, fortunately it’s so large that the tunnel can only fit the one stooping creature. I launch my blasts at it; the guards had formed up so the two sword wielders were in front with the spear points from their comrades were jutting out over their shoulders. They attacked in a unison of four men as I blasted. Despite this our right-hand swordsman took one of the monsters heavy swings to his shield, the shield being cut into where his hand was now bisected. He was yanked forward when the monster tried to pull its blade out. It let go of the blade and grabbed him instead and started smashing him against the wall. Blood soon bursting out as the sound of flesh and bone breaking could be heard.

“BLIND IT!”

I roared out, glad the translation was worked on as rigorously as we had. By blast hit its head but the spearmen found their targets, both eyes pierced by their weapons. It squealed out a roar of pain as its head reared back and the left swordsman rushed up; he hacked and frantically cut at its neck. In seconds it was decapitated. Then just as I was hoping we’d have a moment of victory another curved blade slashed out, cutting the brave human in half while pinning him against the wall. This second monster left the blade and grabbed the now disarmed spearmen. One in each hand it lifted them up. Despite one getting out his blade and stabbing at it there was no change in his fate as the both of them were thrown onto the spears of their, friends? Coworkers? Family?

It pulled the blade out of the wall with a jerk of its arm and cut through the line of spearmen impaling their allies. It’s blade catching on our left hand defenders shield while cutting off the man's arm and into his torso. The monster pulled back and grabbed its felled allies blade still stuck in the shield. It pulls and takes the shield with the arm from the fallen defender. I certainly had no idea what to do, I was looking at starting my second life soon, as much as I could keep firing off my blasts they would only hurt and not stop these monsters. The only thing that had worked was decapitation, and we were not having much luck with that tactic. My heart beat like a battle drum, the flow of blood entering my hearing as it raised its arm and swung...