In the dead of night, the blows of trumpets sound an alarm of attack. I check the door to see if someone is breaking through. My sword is still hovering over the doorframe. Ulrika wakes up in a defensive panic, thrusting me down on the bed with her hand on my chest, takes her sword out from under the bed, then points it around us. Air in the room blows from her power, surging for a moment. I also notice light blue sparks in the air. Once she sees no threat in the room, she leans back on my chest, so I hold her in my arms to make her feel safe. The sparks in the air dissipate without a visible trace.

“Gods. My heart is pounding,” Ulrika says, surrendering herself within my embrace. “What the fuck is going on?”

“I’m not sure. Get dressed quickly.”

“Right!” We dawn our clothing and armor as quickly as possible, then rush outside to see what’s happening. Out in the streets from our building, Kromagian and succubus soldiers enter large portals big enough for the cavalry to run in. Ulrika stops a succubus from running through one to ask her what’s going on.

“Nite is counter-attacking. General Oraya is requesting backup to stop their advances,” the succubus says. She vanishes into the portal with five other people following behind her. Ulrika holds me from my right side, giving me a soft smile while adjusting my protective collar.

“You’re good to go, but are you ready, my love?”

“I’m ready,” I say.

“Stay close to me, and do not hesitate.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I told you not to say that.” I shrug my shoulders to show I don’t care as I enter the portal. I immediately get thrown into the battlefield. Several yards ahead, I see Nite soldiers wearing black and purple garments rush toward me in a wave.

“Ulrika, get your lightning ready!”

“Okay!” I shove my fingers into the dirt, casting a lava trap on the rushing wave. It shoots out gushing lava, hitting some of them, but it is not enough to stop their advance. “Kaio, give me your sword. I got an idea.” My sword moves into her hand with a mental command. Her lightning power enfolds around my sword in a spectacular light show. The wind around us picks up as if we are in a tornado. The dirt and rocks circle us, but they fall down once she throws my sword at the Nite forces. It impales one cultist, then shocks and kills some around that guy. “Try to get the other ones before my power dissipates!” I command the sword to impale as much as possible before her power leaves it. It slays ten cultists before losing its magical enhancement.

“It’s done!” I return it to my hand. Some of the blood on the blade splash on my forearm.

“We’ve stopped their line. Our armies are pushing them back.”

“That’s good,” I say, checking our surroundings. Far in the distance to Ulrika’s right, where the city is, there’s an approaching cavalry of succubi with long spears. They ram the cultist head-on like a hot knife going through soft butter. Ulrika and I can’t witness their carnage because we have to engage in heavy combat with cultists near us. Every so often, I feel her wind grazing across my damp skin when she activates her ability. “I can feel your power!”

“My what?”

“Your pow—” A cultist flies by me unexpectedly from one of her lighting blasts. It distracts my opponent enough for me to send out a powerful blast to his chest. He flies back, but I use a tether to bring him back to die with a blow of my sword. She runs past me to strike down another cultist coming at me. One arrives at her blindside from her back right, but I protect her by throwing my sword at him.

“I saw him coming. Thanks, by the way.” Someone on the cultists’ side blows a horn. They start retreating to their line. Once they reach a certain distance away from us, they teleport in a purple flash. Anyone left behind gets killed by our armies.

“That’s not a good sign. No wonder the alarm was sudden.”

“Yeah,” she says, then shocks her sword clean of blood. I do the same with mine with fire. “I had a good dream too.” Oraya and her cavalry return from being deep on the battlefield. Her face is covered with a mist of blood.

“These devils’ hit-and-run tacts are pissing me off,” Oraya says. “I’m glad you Kromagians are here with us. You’re a force to be reckoned with, even though this was a short battle.”

“On behalf of my people, we are happy to help,” I say.

“I’ll send word my people are safe and further expand the protection border with the help of your people.” She rides off with her cavalry back towards the city. Both armies gather the dead while Ulrika and I head back to our lodging with arms locked together. Once we reach the building, she jumps in front of me as I go for the door handle.

“Kaio,” Ulrika says, gently holding my bloody hand in her hands. “That was your third major battle,” she says softly. “How are you feeling?” She opens the door for me with the other hand still holding mine.

“I’m fine.”

“Good.” She offers her assistance in unbuckling my scabbard off my body. “Did they cut or hurt you anywhere?”

“I’m unscathed.”

“Thank the gods,” she says, emphasizing the last word. To satisfy her mind, she ends up checking me anyway. “I’ll get a bath ready for us. Be right back.”

She heads outside to grab a water rune with enhanced cleaning minerals to clean the dirt and blood off our skin. I sit on a chair near the fireplace to await her return.

After a few minutes, Ulrika returns with the water rune and a steaming pot of delicious-smelling food.

“Lucky us!” Ulrika says with a joyous smile. “We are having stew!” Once we clear the filth on our bodies and take pleasure in relieving stress in the nude company of our sexual lust toward one another, she hands me a steaming bowl filled to the top. “Our people made it. I wasn’t going to take that succubus food.”

“Why?” I ask before taking a sip of the broth. Instead of answering me immediately, she takes a sip of her broth.

“I don’t know what kind of food they eat.”

“Well, I’m sure their army won’t feed them unclean things.”

“Kaio, their anatomy is different from ours. They literally have two genitals!” I nearly spit out my food from laughing because she softly yelled. “I’m not going to let us consume anything unless I recognize what it is.”

“I understand,” I say to avoid an argument.

“Anyways, what’s our plan for the day? Are we checking to see if Glysith changed her mind?”

“Sure. Let’s hope that quick battle made her rethink her decision.”

----------------------------------------

We head back into town to hopefully find Glysith or Haleema at Catsha’s pub. Walking down the street, I notice the succubus wearing various outfits. They remind me of what the elves wear in the kingdoms where humans co-exist. Some have modest dresses that cover their figures. The ones that are not, their breasts visible from the sides, including the top of it. But it isn’t too over the top, but I’m positive Ulrika will be bothered by it. I see others wearing pants under their dresses, and quite a few are wearing their shirts tucked in.

“Kaio,” Ulrika says. I look at her and find her pointing at Glysith talking with Haleema outside the pub, sitting together on a porch near one of the wooden pillars. Haleema isn’t wearing her typical protective gear. She’s dawned in regular clothing, just like everyone else. The moment she sees us, she immediately stops talking with Glysith. “Looks like you two are reuniting well.”

“Morning, Ulrika. Morning, Kaioson. Were you two in the battle?” Haleema says.

“We were,” I say.

“Where were you?” Ulrika asks in an annoyed tone.

“I’ve been with her,” Haleema says as she points to Glysith with her palm out.

“Your help would have been nice, even though it wasn’t a very long fight.” Ulrika rests her hand on my shoulder, then locks her eyes on Glysith. Slowly, Ulrika’s hands move off of me as she creeps up on her. “Have you made up your mind yet, or is your creed still intact?” The way she asks about the creed sounds condescending. Judging by Glysith’s relaxed face, I don’t think she noticed or doesn’t care about Ulrika’s tone of voice.

“The answer is no,” Glysith answers while looking at the ground. “I’m not joining your cause.” Ulrika slaps her fingers against her forehead and slowly swipes them outward, pulling the skin back. She rolls her eyes to the back of her head while growling.

“Kaio,” Ulrika pleas with restricted frustration.

As I’m about to speak, Haleema says, “It’s fruitless, Kaioson. You mustn’t bother her anymore about this. She’s made her decision.”

“Sounds like you two discussed the situation,” I say, keeping my eyes on Glysith, who’s keeping her attention on the ground.

“We did.”

“Discuss it with me. What truly is the reason for your veto of our offer?” After absolutely no eye contact or reaction to my question for an awkward moment, she takes a quiet deep breath in. As she lets it out, she finally makes eye contact with me.

“Remove your wife from my presence, and then I’ll talk.” Ulrika excuses herself before I can fight against that rude request. “I have a life here. I can’t leave at a moment’s notice if Nite somehow manages to take over Galfalian. Oraya will make sure of that.”

“Glysith...” I get on one knee to prepare myself for a potentially long argumentative conversation with lots of persuasions to hopefully change her mind. “You need to make a compromise.”

“I’m not leaving for your band of warriors. I have a life here, a lover at home, and a family I want to start. I can’t let that go.”

By the gods, Coretha. Why did you pick this woman?“You’re passive code could get you, or someone else hurt. Maybe, even—”

A sudden low mana burst passes through me as if someone lit a fire and then extinguished it suddenly. I look behind me to find a rapidly moving storm cloud covering the sky. It blocks the sunlight to the point everything seems as if it’s mid-evening.

“Haleema, did you feel that?” I ask.

“Yes. Something is coming,” Haleema says, standing next to me with her hand on my shoulder. “That’s not natural.” Another wave hits us, but this one is heavy in demonic energy. Her fingers softly dig into my shoulder upon feeling the third wave. “Oh, gods. What’s happing now?” Ulrika joins my side to point at an unusual light flashing within the clouds. Green lightning strikes down in the direction of where the battlefield several times before stopping.

“That’s not normal.”

“Agreed,” Ulrika says. “I felt demonic energy. Someone is casting a spell.”

“It could be coming from where the lightning struck,” I suggest. “Haleema...”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Already ahead of you,” Haleema says, then opens a portal to the battlefield. All three of us jump through without checking to see what’s on the other side. We stand around the dead bodies, but something is off. There are succubus and Kromagian bodies untouched by mud, fresh with blood.

“I thought they collected everyone,” I say. As I walk over to a succubus dead body, something warm yet barely visible walks through me. It frightens me enough to make me jump.

“What a surprise! I didn’t know Paladins were stationed here. This is going to be interesting,” a woman with a familiar voice says. Her voice echoes in all directions non-stop. It grows in volume and then stops suddenly.

“Kaio, above you!” Ulrika screams. I look straight up. My nose touches the woman’s nose I fought on the outskirts of Kromagia. Her flushed-out grinning smile and heavy breathing through her nose horrify me.

“Kaioson, move!” Haleema yells. I roll away to my right. Haleema warps in her staff as it charges up an attack. She fires some sort of yellow kinetic ball at her. The Paragon redirects to me by spinning it around the body. It vaporizes into dust before reaching me. I look at Haleema, hoping to find an explanation of how that happened. Her left hand is clenched in a fist. It seems she can negate her attack once it is fired.

“Thanks,” I say.

“That’s neat. I wonder if that would have killed him,” The Paragon says, putting her hands up. “I would love to see one of the Paladins kill their own.”

“What the hell are you doing here? Did you kill these men?”

“Yeah, what about it?” The lack of care in her voice enrages me. I want to make a move on her, but I know that’s the worst decision I can make. The fight against logic and emotion is raging inside of me. “Anyway, I won’t be here long. I came to relay a message from Ivaran.”

“What’s that bastard’s message?” Haleema asks with such calmness it neutralizes the anger in me. “Let me guess, surrender or else, right?” The Paragon scoffs in a light giggle before giving us a chilling statement.

“My great leader, Ivaran, sent me, the Paragon you will now know as the Echo Ripper, sent me to subdue this land by any means necessary.” She takes one step forward, and we all brace with our weapons. “In the name of the one true god of this realm, Zadione will have her dominion fulfilled!”

“That’ll never come to pass.”

“I hope they tear you apart,” Echo Ripper says, pointing at Haleema and then melting into the ground in a pool of black goo.

“Gods, what the fuck was that?” Ulrika says, keeping her eyes on where Echo Ripper’s goo as she jogs over to me. “Are you okay, my love?”

“I’m all right. Haleema, do you have any idea what she meant by tearing you apart?”

“Not a clue, Kaioson,” Haleema says, coming over to us. “Now we got her and this obvious storm over our heads to deal with. I wonder if she’s the cause of this.”

“I bet that bitch did. Out of nowhere, this storm appears then her? Coincidence?” Ulrika says as she gazes up. While they look at the storm, I gaze upon one of the dead Kromagians behind Haleema and notice they begin to fidget a little.

“Hey, I think they’re still alive!” I say, checking on one of them. He tries to bite my ankle when I roll one on their back. “What in the hell?” His eyes are bleeding, his lips are chapped, and the skin on his face is greyish.

“Get away from them!” Haleema says. They both start to crawl after me as I retreat franticly.

“What’s wrong with them?” Before she gives me an answer, she ignites them on fire. Instead of an orange flame, it’s green and smells like a decaying body.

“What the fuck was that? Why did they burn green?” Ulrika says as she blows the foul smell away. “And why do they smell like death?”

“Necromancy. Fucking necromancy! She’s a necromancer! That is what she meant,” Haleema says in a panic. “We need to warn Oraya now!”

Haleema opens a portal to the street we were in a few minutes ago, but it is in chaos. Everyone is running and screaming as the undead attack. The succubus guards try to subdue one undead by violently stabbing with their weapons to no avail. I witness an undead take a chuck of flesh from a succubus’s neck, then take her off into an alley. I chase after it, ignoring Haleema’s commands to stick together. When I reach the alleyway, the undead has a severed head in its hands.

“Gods,” I gag. I hit it with fire magic. The same green fire consumes it to death.

“Kaioson!” Haleema shouts, running to me with Ulrika close by.

“She’s dead. We need to kill these abominations now!”

“Agreed, but we must be careful. Sources dealing with necromancy state that the dead have immense physical strength. Don’t let them take hold of you.”

“Is fire our only option? I don’t wield fire as you two can. Is there anything I can do?” Ulrika asks.

“Cut their head off,” Haleema says, then takes off to the street, telling everyone to burn and sever the head from the body.

“Alright, let’s go,” I say. Ulrika stops me from heading out by resting the back of her hand on my chest.

“Hold on,” Ulrika says. She pins me against the wall without putting her body on me.

“Ulrika, what are you doing?”

“Just take a moment to clear your mind. There’s so much going on right now. Let’s clear our minds before proceeding, okay?”

“All right.” We synchronize our breathing to prepare our bodies for another battle mentally.

“Good?”

“Good.” I take the lead out of the alleyway and then conjure my sword to decapitate five undead from attacking the civilians. “Get inside!”

“Barricade your doors!” Suddenly, the storm showers down heavy rain, coating the visibility into a grey mist. The visibility drops and the screaming dials down over the masking of the rain ambiance. “Kaio, stay close to me!” Right after hearing her say that, I hear what sounds like a body slamming into someone, then her aggressive grunt. I turn to the right to find her struggling to keep an undead from biting her face. “Kaioson!” She shrieks. With the combination of the tether the undead off her and conjuring my sword, I send it flying into the pathway of the blade. It splits in half but doesn’t kill it. I light it on fire to end the threat.

“Ulrika, are you okay?” When I reach my hand out to her, I get tackled by two undead from my right side. We roll down the street with such force they break away from me. I try to scurry back on my feet, but I keep slipping on the mud. They’re able to get up and rush after me. Out of desperation, I blast them into the air with such force their libs nearly rip off. Ulrika uses her wind power to thrust herself up in the air to meet them with her sword. She skewers them through the stomach, then swings upward to split them vertically. A lightning bolt strikes her sword before she swings it down to finish fully splitting them in two. I break her descent to the ground by catching from stubbing.

“Did they bite you?” She asks me twice.

“No,” I say, calling my sword to my hand. “But I think my ribs could be cracked. They hit me hard.”

“Damnit! You need to find shelter.”

“I’m not out of the fight. Let’s head down towards the headquarters and see if Oraya needs help.”

“Fine, but you’re done if the pain is too much. I will not let my husband force himself to suffer through the pain.”

“Okay.”

The more we fight on in what feels like an endless wave of the undead, the greater the storm comes down on us. Visibility remains poor, with a grey haze rendering distant objects invisible. Kromagian and succubus soldiers offer their aid to fight off the horde while trying their best to protect the civilians.

Ulrika and I make it to the library without any trouble. The building is fortified with a magic bubble dome. Haleema’s staff stands erect at the first step, casting energy into it like a water fountain.

Oraya’s soldiers escort us into a packed room. Both floors are filled with people who are lucky to escape the carnage. A succubus I have met before during the group of ten who wanted to give us a gift inquires information about what’s happening outside. Ulrika remains protective, mediating a preferred distance between me and the succubus.

“The streets are unsafe, but I saw a decrease in the undead. The soldiers seem to be sweeping the area,” I say to her and those around me.

“Thank the gods,” she says.

“Thank the gods? The Kromagians presence brought the undead upon our city,” a succubus with pale peach skin, baring her fangs at me. “Your race is a curse!”

“How dare you accuse our allies with a damned lie!” The pale succubus laughs hysterically at her as if what she said is beyond false. “They’re a holy people! Evil intent is not their nature.” Ulrika glances at me with big open eyes with one brow raised.

“Wow,” Ulrika says. “You think very highly of my race?”

“I do. When I learned Oraya sent aid from Kromagia, I cried so happily.”

“Cried?” The succubus suddenly hugs Ulrika. Ulrika moves her arm away like she doesn’t know what to do or refuses to embrace her.

“Yes. Nite took the life of most of my family. My sister and two of my cousins are all that’s left. So, when Kromagia answered the call, I knew all would be good.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Ulrika does something I never expect to happen during my time here. She gives the succubus a quick hug with a couple of pats on the back. “Keep your head up, ma’am? Uh, that sounds so weird.”

“Ma’am is fine. If you want to, you can call me Arie.”

“Okay, Arie. Do you mind letting me go?”

“Oh, sorry.” The second her hands move off Ulrika, Ulrika takes a step back toward me.

“Kaio,” Ulrika whispers close to my ear. “Let’s find, Oraya.” She takes me by the hand and walks us through the crowd.

“My condolences to your loved ones,” I say to Arie walking past her.

“Thank you!” Arie shouts.

“Gods, I feel weird now,” Ulrika whines. “I can’t believe I hugged a succubus.”

“Seems like you realize there’s nothing wrong with them,” I say.

“Gross,” she says with a smirk.

Haleema spots us before we do and directs us to a backroom on the second floor. Lying on a makeshift bed with bloody rags on a table, medics bandage up Oraya’s right hand.

“What happened to you?” I ask.

“Fucking undead ripped my finger off. Haleema, did you make the elixirs?” Oraya asks like she’s out of breath.

“I did,” Haleema says, rushing over to Oraya’s side. I walk to the left side of the bed to see what’s going on. “Take off the bandage, then put her finger back on.” A medic hands Oraya’s finger out from a bandage wrap. Haleema chugs down a green vile, then hands Oraya a red vile to swallow. When Oraya places her severed finger back on, Haleema performs a flash heal to reattach the finger with full function. “There. Back on like it never left.”

“Bless you, Haleema. How’s your mana?”

“Drained, but the elixir should restore what I lost in a few minutes.”

“Good. I need you ready just in case some more shit hits us. Kromagian hunters,” she says, using the healed finger to tell us to approach. “You look like you’ve played in the mud.”

“Things got hectic. I may have a cracked rib,” I say.

“Oh, my...”

“Really?” Haleema asks, approaching me. “Where is it?” I point to my upper right rib. “Ulrika, help me take off his shirt.”

“Excuse me? You want him shirtless in front of them?” Ulrika asks as she lazily points at the succubi in the room.

“Just do it.”

They help me out my clothing to expose my entire upper body. All the medics, including Oraya, smile at the sight of me. Two medics whisper something to each other. Whatever they’re saying makes them and Haleema giggle. Ulrika holds up my cape to hide me from their wondering eyes.

“Is it this one?” Haleema asks before poking the correct rib.

“Fuck! Yes,” I answer. Ulrika looks at Haleema, a bit stern-faced when I react in pain.

“Don’t give me that look. I had to see it. And, yes, it’s cracked but not severed.” She gives me the same flash heal to restore my bone. “There,” she sighs. “I need to lay down.”

“Got a spot right here,” Oraya says, patting a spot between her legs. Haleema sits between her legs like it’s nothing out of the ordinary, then slumps back into her body. “Now,” she says, giving Haleema a shoulder massage. “I heard a Paragon came here. Haleema told me she could be the cause of this storm.”

“Kaio, put your clothes back on,” Ulrika says as she looks over her shoulder to see Oraya. Ulrika keeps the cape up until I put on a shirt, then puts it over her shoulder to hang on to it. “I believe she is. She also didn’t expect a Paladin to be here.”

“Do any of you know where the Paragon is?”

“We all saw her disintegrate into the ground.”

“Bloody demon! I need to get back out there and rid the city of the undead.”

“No, General,” Oraya’s medic protests. “You lost a significant amount of blood. You must stay here so we can monitor your health for a time.”

“The corpses that came alive might carry sickness,” the other medic says.

“Now you’re being pessimistic.” Oraya carefully lays Haleema on the bed without disturbing her sleep. “Haleema’s elixir will make sure no harm will come. Once she’s up, tell her to accompany the healers to tend to the wounded. Kromagian hunters, will you join me?”

Ulrika and I agree to continue killing the undead, but most of the soldiers have already killed many. The only thing we can do is incinerate the carcass.

Later in the day, Ulrika searches for the tallest building in the city to try to disrupt the storm. I stick with Oraya just in case I’m needed for anything. To my surprise, nothing comes out of it. All we do is snack on fruits as we watch Ulrika work her gifted magic.

The city is secured. Kromagian forces and Oraya’s soldiers have successfully contained the outbreak. The undead Nite, succubus, and Kromagian bodies have been turned into ash. Everything smells like rotting shit. The civilians around me burn incense outside their shops to keep the smell down. A succubus comes to me to grace me with a personal burning vanilla candle. She thanks me for the time sacrificed in protecting their liberty. She even insists on cleaning the mud off me. I decline her generosity, but she insists on doing it.

“Okay,” I submit. She quickly jogs down the sidewalk and into a nearby store for a few minutes, then comes running back with a bucket clutched in the fold of her arm. While I’m cleaning my face, Glysith pays me a surprise visit.

“Hey,” Glysith says with a somber tone.

“Hey. Is everything all right?”

“No,” she cries. The succubus cleaning my clothes stops to look at her. “I thought about what you said. I’m considering it.”

“What is making you change your mind?”

“I had to use it. My power...” When she says the word, power, her fingertips spark. “I was almost too late in saving her. The thing snatched apart her hair when I made a move,” she says with anger and a growl.

“Easy, Glysith,” I softly say with a hand on her shoulder.

“Sorry. Today has been stressful. I saw what those things did to my people. Gods...”

“I saw it too. My wife and I almost fell victim to them. One fractured my rib.”

“Gods,” she gasps. “Are you feeling well? You don’t seem like you are in pain.”

“Haleema fixed me up.”

“That woman ceases to amaze me. She’s always helping anyone she can.” She begins chuckling like she finds something funny, but the fake smile on her face suggests something contrary.

“She’s keen on ending this threat once and for all.”

“I hope she can.”

“Your help can increase those chances. The more we have people like you and me going against them—”

“The higher we can win, yeah, yeah. I’ve heard that so many times before.”

“Will you help us, Glysith?” She gives me a snarl before her attention goes to the succubus cleaning me.

“What do you think I should do?”

“What’s stopping you?” The succubus asks. “Is it family? A loved one?” Glysith nods to her answer. “Are they in support?”

“She is.” Tears build in the bottom of her eyelids. She leans back to keep them in. “She wants me to, but I don’t want to leave her for a long time.”

“Is there a way she can work part-time, human? Like, help out and return home for the day.”

An idea comes to mind. I don’t have to bring her with me. I can hand her Haleema’s portal rings. She can port in if we need assistance and leave when we’re done. This will eliminate any worry of being gone from home for too long. Maybe this is the way. Instead of journeying with us through Nite contested lands, I can have the people on my list wear those rings.

“Yeah,” I say out loud. “That’ll work.”

“What will?” Glysith asks.

“I think we can work this partnership out.”