Another serpent had arrived, and Captain Blanc felt his face twitch as it loomed above and behind them.
He could see the head of the giant snake extending from the other side of a roof, its tongue tasting the air, and reptilian eyes locked on the retreating humans. Where the previous snake was blue beneath its scales, this one was a dark brown—akin to the muddy floor of a river or lake.
He inspected it.
Prince of Earth
“Well, fuck me sideways,” the man directly to Captain Blanc’s right, Jarvis, said.
“Look at the size of it! My ex-wife would have a field day with that fuckin’ thing,” the man on the other side of Jarvis, Dion, said, then looked past his companion, locking eyes with captain Blanc and looking sheepish. “Sorry, Captain.”
Captain Blanc barked out a laugh, the comment catching him off guard. The harshness and abruptness of the noise stung his dry throat, but he was grateful for it. “No need, Dion. Is your ex-wife a noncombatant, by any chance?”
The soldier looked at the captain quizzically. “That she is, in the very group behind us with her sister and parents.”
“Well then,” the Captain said, unable to hold back the mirth from his voice. “We’d better kill the fuckin’ thing and keep her safe, or she’ll never be able to enjoy anything of that size and shape again.”
Dion barked a laugh back and pulled his sword from his scabbard with his freehand.
“Aye, maybe I’ll make a gift of its corpse. She did always complain that I never brought her nice things…”
***
The creature ran as fast as it could on all four legs, unable to fight the compulsion of her leader, even if she had wanted to. She carried a distasteful burden; another creature of a disgusting species clung to her back like a spider.
Along with the creature came a package of sorts slung over her back. She was reminded of the squat, horse-like creatures she’d seen humans using to haul packs of supplies. There was a sickening smell radiating off of her cargo, and if not for the orders of her leader, she may long ago have cast aside the bags, if not outright attacked the vile creature riding her.
She knew, however, that this task was a means to an end, and she admitted to herself, with no small amount of self-disgust, that she would have bore the burden even if not ordered to do so. Somehow, her willing complicity in the action made it worse.
Around her, a dozen more of her kind carried similar monstrosities. Even if she didn’t already know their disposition on the matter, she’d be able to tell by their body language that they were just as displeased by the mission laid before them as she was.
She supposed she was lucky to be at the front; she got fresh air, rather than being at the back of the pack and being constantly assaulted by the offensive stench.
Choosing to focus on the destination rather than the task, she fixed her senses on the path before her, gaining a burst of speed as she picked up a potent scent of human. The sooner she delivered this offensive payload to the destination, the quicker she could instead make use of her vicious fangs and deadly claws to rend and tear. She resolved to do so to her heart’s content, deciding to bathe in the viscera of her leader’s enemies until none of the revolting smell of her current cargo remained.
The scent of human became even stronger as they followed the path laid by monsters before them, and she could tell that their target was not far off. She led their pack through the wide street, down twisting alleys, and out into a great empty square. There was a building in the middle of the square with some sort of contraption mounted to its roof.
There were no humans in sight, but the smell of human and monster was palpable in the air—almost too strong to follow the trail she had been. Scent was no longer necessary, however, as there was a trail of monster corpses and pieces to follow down the street to her left.
As the pack took off as one, what sounded like a chorus of human voices bellowed out from before them. Her body tensed, unable to stop her hackles from rising unconsciously as the cry of her kind’s old enemy washed over her.
She redoubled her speed and flexed her jaw as she ran, intent on taking part in the battle to come. She leaped over scores of bodies, following the trail of carnage like the tracks of a hunted beast until she turned a corner and caught sight of the battle.
There was a line of humans that were being pressed by all manner of creatures. The humans held up their tortoise-shells made of wood and metal, but even their hard defenses were starting to bend and crack under the overwhelming onslaught of creatures.
Above the snarling mass of human and creatures, one of the giant serpents hung on a roof. Some of the humans shot attacks from behind their defensive wall, striking the serpent mostly ineffectually.
As she took in the sight of the battle, her body moved ever forward, approaching the mass of creatures and her enemy beyond. She quivered with adrenaline and anticipation as she reached the back of the monsters. She launched herself, running up the back of the crowd and leaping forward with great speed—enough to clear the creatures beneath her.
Mouth open and teeth bared, she soared, spittle flying as she approached her target. She cared not for her burden any longer. She didn’t feel the creature clinging to her back—if it was even there anymore and hadn’t disembarked upon reaching their destination.
Bloodlust consumed her as the flesh of her target entered her mouth, and she bit down with vicious glee.
***
Captain Blanc roared his anger and frustration at the situation. The surrounding soldiers did the same, putting voice to their emotions as one, like the roar of the ocean crashing upon a headland.
No, that’s not right, He thought to himself. We are the headland, but we are anything but unmoving. We are being washed away by the tide—our foundation slowly eroded by the never ending assault.
He put aside his philosophical musings for the moment, resolving to observe every moment of the scene before him if it were to be his last.
Upon the arrival of the Prince of Earth, he had called all the adventurers from the front of the vanguard. He knew the strength of this particular creature all too well, and without the firepower of those guiding the front, they’d have no hope of keeping it away from the hundreds of townsfolk and other noncombatants behind him.
Raising his shield, he caught a glob of molten rock in the center at the last possible moment. He had only moments before it started to melt and became too hot to bear, so he quickly rammed it into the wall of monsters before him, causing as much damage as possible before he’d have to discard it.
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If it were just the Prince of Earth alone, he guessed that they would have a chance of defeating it. With the present horde of creatures, however, he knew that to be a fool’s hope. He wished that Mage Arika was here. He would gladly be consumed by flames, along with all the smaller creatures, if it meant that his men had a chance of taking on the serpent and surviving the ordeal.
His roar had been the signal for the brave men and women behind him—adventurers and soldiers both—to begin their attack on the giant serpent with everything they had. Their job was to hold off the attacking creatures as long as possible, buying time for the noncombatants to flee to safety, hopefully running into and being helped by some of the more powerful adventurers.
As the defenders attacked, the serpent’s attention was pulled from the main mass of humans, and it recoiled at the sting of magic abilities and physical projectiles colliding with its leviathan form. It seemed to realize how little of a threat they posed, and quickly recovered from the initial shock of the volley.
The giant head of the serpent slowly, almost lazily, slithered to the edge of the roof. It lowered its maw down and towards them, tongue flicking out and tasting the air rapidly.
It pulled back, ready to strike.
Something flew from his right, blocking out the morning sun as it soared above the heads of the monsters. His heart sunk as a wolf of gigantic proportions arched over the top of the monsters. It had cleared the line and would land among the noncombatants.
Wait, that’s no wolf, he thought in a moment of clarity. That’s a fox. And is that… is it being ridden by a monkey?
The fox soared, not aiming for the mass of humans, he realized, but the serpent. The fox struck, its open maw biting down on the lowered body of the snake and latching on. It shook viciously, looking as though it sought to tear off a chunk of the creature.
The monkey leaped off the back of the fox and onto a nearby rooftop. It carried a small brown backpack in its hands, and it ran for an eve. Its running posture, distended belly, and manner of holding the backpack made it look like a toddler running away with a sugary treat. It reached the eve, took cover behind it, opened the backpack, and started throwing its contents at the serpent with blinding speed. Its long arms moved unnaturally fast, acting as catapults to attack the serpent.
Movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention. A score more monkeys were reaching rooftops, having climbed up drain pipes and windows to reach the top of the buildings. With no hesitation, they too opened their backpacks and began raining projectiles on both the serpent and the crowd of monsters.
He was stunned. He had no clue what was going on, and judging by the string of obscenities coming from the surrounding soldiers, neither did they. As far as he knew, monsters had never attacked each other in place of humans.
He smiled, revealing a vicious grin to anyone who cared to look.
It didn’t matter why they were helping them. It mattered not if after they killed all the other monsters, the foxes and monkeys turned on the humans—they could deal with that if it occurred. What mattered in the present moment was taking advantage of every opportunity presented, especially one that gave him and his men a means of survival.
This was no longer a war of attrition, and they could afford to go on the offensive.
“Forward the line!” he roared, discarding his melted shield and unclasping his battle-axe from his back. “Ranged, target the serpent! Do not hit the new arrivals, on pain of death!”
The veteran soldiers of the shield wall reacted as one to the first command, bracing and pushing back against the tide of monsters with all their strength.
“Back!” he yelled, causing the soldiers to step back as one, pulling their shields to their bodies and bracing.
The monsters, being pushed from behind them and now no longer having a shield wall to lean on, fell forward awkwardly into the space left in front of them. Captain Blanc swung his battle-axe down and cleaved a centipede in two. Other soldiers who knew the purpose of pulling back the shield wall unleashed similar blows from between their comrades, causing the death of a handful of monsters in one fell swoop.
“Foooorwaaard!”
The shields once more surged forward, slamming into the mass of creatures.
“Back!”
The monsters fell forward into the gap again. This time, the newer soldiers took the hint from their veteran counterparts, swinging down blows on the off-balance creatures with deadly precision. A score more creatures met their end, even more being critically wounded.
A massive blur of orange leaped over the creatures, and Captain Blanc’s eyes met those of a gigantic fox as it flew by. It looked away and towards the serpent. As it passed by the giant snake’s position, an almost imperceptible swipe of its tail lashed out, leaving a one-meter long slash in the creature's neck. Muddy liquid poured from the wound, and the snake hissed and writhed, pulling its head back from view as it retreated beyond the roof-line. Foxes pursued, as did most of the projectile-slinging monkeys.
He heard screams from a few of the noncombatants as the giant fox landed near them, but most made not a noise. The street seemed to grow still. Despite the situation and the battle surrounding them, the fox possessed a regal bearing that almost commanded submission. He raised an eyebrow as a small head poked out of the lavish fur around the large fox’s neck, and a smaller, regular sized fox made of flames emerged to rest on the shoulder of the larger.
He stepped out of the line, indicating for the adventurer Orion had gifted a shield earlier to take his position. Silas stepped in, his new prize held high against the advancing creatures.
“Hold!” he ordered the line as his eyes took in the two foxes. He was surprised—for the umpteenth time that day—when the regal fox spoke.
“Are you Captain Blanc, human?” her melodic voice asked.
“I am.” He tightened his grip on his haft. “Can I assume you’re here to help us?”
“I am named Azeria, and I am a friend of the Malignant Miscreants. I have come to assist with the withdrawal of less-able humans from the city.”
“Can you protect them?”
“I can promise nothing, but I can assure you I am quite capable—likely more so than you and your soldiers.”
“Alright.” He looked past Azeria and cast his eyes over the noncombatants that were all looking at him and the fox with a mix of awe, shock, and fear. “Everyone! Go with Azeria here. She’ll escort you out of the city and towards safety!”
When he looked back at the fox, her eyes danced with amusement, and his eyebrow raised once more when the smaller fox blinked out of existence, leaving behind a small cloud of smoke that quickly dissipated.
“You are not scared, human? You seem a little too… trusting for your kind.” She payed no mind to the disappearance of the smaller fox.
“If your goal were our destruction, you could have separated my head from my body by now.” Captain Blanc turned, returning his focus to the battle behind him.
“I am continually surprised by you humans,” Azeria’s melodic voice said, a smile that could be confused with a snarl crossing her otherwise beautiful features.
He snorted and called over his shoulder, “Says the two-meter tall, talking fox being ridden by a smaller fox that just evaporated.”
Azeria let out a musical laugh that was her only response.
He rejoined the shield wall, taking up position between Jarvis and Silas, and braced his battle-axe before him, ready to swing down on any wayward monsters that made the mistake of getting within range.
He flexed his hands and forearms, wiry muscles causing the leather of his weapon’s handle to creak.
“Fooorwaaaard!”
***
In the forests surrounding Valbrand, before the invasion.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Orion asked.
Arika nodded, holding Femera tight to her body and petting the fox’s fur softly. “We don’t have the time to track her down ourselves, and this little one can tell exactly where Azeria is.”
“They can’t just do their telepathic, psychic-mind-ready-thingy… because?” Honeypot asked, drawing out the last word.
Arika rolled her eyes.
“Because our bond has evolved, which in turn changed the bond she has with her old matriarch.” Arika glared at Honeypot. “I told you it wouldn’t work. Why do you have to question me on everything?”
“Whoa there, sheila.” Honeypot held his hands up in a placating gesture. “I’m not doubting you, just making sure we’ve explored all options. I don’t mean to call you out, but we’ve all been a little strained lately. You care deeply for your flaming fox of destruction.” Honeypot waved his hands at Femera. “And I don’t want to see anything happen to her, either.”
Arika sighed.
“I’m not happy about it, but this is our best course of action. She can teleport back to me if she’s within a couple kilometers, and if she gets in trouble outside of that range, she has her movement-speed ability to escape. She’s confident in her ability to escape from harm if need be.”
“Still…” Orion said. “I don’t want to force you into anything you aren’t comfortable with—”
“We need to recruit the help of Azeria and her family,” Arika interrupted, “but we don’t have the time to get her ourselves. This is simply the best bad choice we can make. I’m not happy about it, but Femera is confident, and I trust her.”
Arika set Femera down, then bent and touched their foreheads together for a long moment. The familiar eventually pulled away, turning and running for the trees. She stopped momentarily, turning and looking back at her master with a confidence in her eyes that was in stark contrast to Arika’s visible hesitance.
She turned once more, and after a few bounds, was gone.
“Ah, such melancholic departure, the bitter juxtaposition of hope and despair too strong a pill to swallow for most palates to—”
Honeypot ducked, dodging the rock thrown at his head.