Varre rose from the pool of blood variable river of blood on the main road that lead to Leyndell, his incessantly grinning mask was as night was to say with his actual expression, he was pissing himself actually, they'd sent their most elite after this guy and he sent back their top leftenants fucking corpse with a note that enraged Mohg into a frenzy, but the literal army that came out of the blood did some to ease his mind. There was about five hundred knights of blood.

One of his comrades, a fellow veteran field medic from the shattering war of Leyndell.

Varre looked up at the erd tree, he spoke in his cultured accent, none of his inner fear showing. "Ah... Leyndell, it's been a really long time since we've been here hasn't it."

Three more approached. "Indeed." One said.

Varre raised a fist then brought it down toward the erd tree.

The army started marching forward over the corpses of the Leyndell soldiers who patrolled through here. And the medical squad kept to the center of the three legions, issuing commands to the army of blood.

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Galus was napping at the edge of the platform his headache slowly subsiding, Godfrey had managed to convince Morgott to let us pass without a struggle. Though Galus and Morgott got into an argument about whether Radahn was a traitor or not, but it went mostly unresolved.

Lattena and Lobo had come over as well, they laid down next to him. "You regaining your focus?"

Galus didn't answer, he really couldn't, he was currently in the flower field, but to the outside world he seemed comatose, utterly unresponsive, after five minutes he woke up and blanched. "Yep, that's gonna fucking fun..."

He got up and stretched, bones popping in his back. "Well... Uh, team meeting!"

They came over and they huddled Galus spoke. "I have it on good authority that there's an entire army coming for us, remember the three chuckle fucks in that cave with the magma wyrm? Well, this time their leader sent an army of giant mutant birds, zombies, and probably a few of those nobles they use as scouts."

Edgar looked at him. "You know this how?"

Galus shrugged. "You know how when I go to sleep, I really go to sleep? Like fucking comatose. Well, let's just say that my boss is able to communicate to me in dreams, as I'm sure you've gathered, that boss is Miquella. The first dream I had of him he gave me these." He took off his gauntlets and showed off the palm of his hands revealing his prayer seals tattoo'd into his flesh. "I didn't have these when I got here, but I got them the night after I met you Edgar, it's what allows me to use my magic, Selen taught me the basics, and I did what I do and colored outside of the lines."

Edgar looked pensive. "So that's how you know..."

Galus nodded, though it wasn't exactly true, he had a feeling that his knowledge was part of why he was chosen after he had died. "We have two options, stand our ground, or retreat to the Haligtree where we can get Haligtree reinforcements to back us up, the enemy forces would probably be weathered and beaten down by freezing mountains and it's tremendous amount of hostile creatures, the snow fields and the albinauric wolf archer with their rapid attack and rapid retreat cavalry tactics. And then they'll need to storm the entirety of the Haligtree army. Only problem would be, is we'll need to go, now."

Edgar looked thoughtful. "We should go, my daughter's safety takes priority."

Lattena shook her head. "You promised me we'd look for my friend."

Nepheli looked pensive, before voting. "I would like to stand and fight..."

Galus looked around at his crew. "Alright then, Edgar, you're free to stay here, me, Lattena and Nepheli will fight on."

Edgar stiffened his jaw but nodded. "Keep safe."

Galus stood and unsheathed his sword, he had a feeling it was time he unleashed the hound, he hadn't unchained that particular alter ego since his second day in the lands between when he'd killed those misbegotten. "Let's get to it then!" He said, a particular gleam in his eye.

Godfrey looked at him, a... Distinct concern on his face.

And so the three of them marched, well, Galus heard a brief whispered argument and then large footsteps behind him and watched as Lyrina, Morgott and Godfrey started to follow them. He gestured for them to stay. "We need someone to protect those two." He said gesturing to Edgar and Irina.

Godfrey scoffed. "I'm not doing this for you, I helped build this city, I refuse to stand by while it's invaded."

Morgott nodded. "And I was it's caretaker for decades, I will not be sidelined, least of all by you."

Galus raised his hands. "Alright, I'm sorry." He admitted it was pretty arrogant of him to think they were going for his sake.

Lyrina nodded. "And I can help by rallying some of the perfumers, we still have a couple of the spore bolts left after the shattering, we can rain poison on them from massive arrows."

Galus looked at Morgott. "Think you can use that barrier ability to cover the cities entrances? We kinda broke down the gates."

Morgott grunted. "Already done."

Galus nodded, turning to Lyrina. "can you show me the firing mechanisms used to fire the spore bolts?"

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She nodded, gesturing for him to follow, though Galus held up a finger. "Lattena, I want you on the ground in the city, maybe using lobo to jump from roof to roof raining hell on them from above, and Nepheli, I'd like for you to be our Frontline fighter where I'm assuming Godfrey plans to be." He looked at Godfrey a questioning look on his face, he nodded.

Galus looked at Morgott. "We actually have pretty similar abilities, if you're up for it, we can unleash our incantations on them together."

Morgott thought about it. "It'd be best if we split the two of us up, that way we can tear them asunder from two sides rather than one, otherwise we'd probably just end up turning corpses to mush."

Galus raised an eyebrow. "Corpses to mush?"

He nodded. "Think of it like this, rather than focusing our efforts in one place and be ripping the bodies apart and our spells overlapping, we'd both be in two different places, sure our efforts could take longer and be a little harder, but they'd be forced to divide their forces. Not only that we'd be acting as defense rather than offense. Godfrey and the young girl next to him would go into the front lines and bring the fight to the enemy."

Nepheli frowned but spoke in a way that would be considered nice. "My name is Nepheli by the way."

They moved onward toward their positions.

Galus walked with Lyrina and she lead him to the ramparts of the wall, where there were several devices that looked to be massive Ballista's. Lyrina looked at them fondly. "It's an invention of my father's, instead shooting it directly at the enemy we shoot them up into the sky and have it come down with the full force of gravity."

Galus looked at it. "A mortar?"

She blinked. "What's a mortar?"

Galus waved it off. "We have something similar where I come from, it's what we called them. Though instead of pestilence, ours explodes I'm a ball of fire and shrapnel."

He could almost see her frown from under her facial wrapping, he was worried he'd stumbled face first into a world where Sharia law was in act but knew that was a dumb thought, the cloth was to protect from harmful chemicals. "So uh, why don't you perfumers wear eye protection?"

She frowned. "Then how would we see?"

Galus frowned, he tried glawe working once but he didn't know nearly enough to say definitively. "Look at your vials, those are see through, you can make something like that but to cover your eyes. Maybe a metal frame around it and some prongs off the back that can be used to tuck onto your ears, maybe part of the wire frame can hug your nose as well for support." He was doing it, he was doing the damn Isekai thing, he should be doing that for his people not people who murder those who are different, if they're lucky...

Looked out over the battlefield, he thought he saw something, he looked over to a mounted brass telescope on one of the watch towers, he looked through the telescope when he got to it and saw what looked like multiple battalions of... Well, he was right about the zombies, those were the main bulk of their forces, more meat shield than anything. then he remembered that they had a tendency to fucking explode after dying. the second most prominent type of troop was the dumpy blood albinaurics. He noticed there were some with large curved clubs. He hoped they couldn't summon giant ethereal Skelton's out of the great beyond but that was probably exactly what they could and would do. What really raised his eyebrows was some of the blood albinaurics fucking riding giant crows with crescent pikes. Unlike Lattena or Albus who were generation one albinaurics and looked all but human save for all being paraplegic. These were generation two albinaurics who were nothing like humans save for four limbs and a head. Their skin was a blubbery silver like that of a whales. Their eyes large and black and their noses not even protruding but just nostrils into their face like somekind of toad, they looked like a mix between frogs and turtles just without the shells. These ones were corrupted by Mohg and had abilities that made them far more deadly. What really raised his eyebrows was the fact some of them were riding big bird beasts, angry red blood blisters covered the birds faces and eyes. On one of these birds that was particularly nasty was what looked to be a man in white or atleast light grey. he had a feeling that he'd need to take him out first.

Galus looked at the new crossbow he'd taken from who Godfrey said was Crepus, it was a black crossbow with what looked to be ebony wood with ornate silver embroidery that looked to shape into a dagger skewering a pair of snakes in the rough shape of an old fashioned key. He looked at the former lead confessors poisoned sword, a distinct black blade that nearly took his life. He'd taken them given that they were the first weapons of a human that had nearly taken his life, he could easily just make a replica of the black key sword and the crossbow, he already had the hound fang sword after all, but there was a reason he kept it, if he ever needed to sneak up on someone and kill someone silently, he'd rather not use the long bloodhounds sword, and his summoned weapons glowed like fucking lightsabers, nothing said stealth like running around with a weapon radiating holy light. The crossbow however, he knew damn well it was a crossbow equivalent to a sniper rifle, only problem was the summoned bolts of summoned crossbows left a trail of golden light basically broadcasting his location.

He wrote a little note just a single word and tied it to the bolt before he took aim and fired, it hit one of the zombies next to the man in white in the face and it fucking exploded in a splash of blood. Galus looked down at the cross bow that evidently packed a horses kick in terms of power.

Galus backed up and turned around, only to bump right into Lyrina who stumbled back a step. "Sorry, you kinda snuck up on me..." he said.

She dusted herself of and nodded. "First volley is ready."

Galus nodded. "Fire when they come in range."

She nodded, and repeated his command.

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Varre watched the creature next to him explode as a bolt took it out he picked some of the rose thorns out of his leather tunic and wiped some of the blood off of himself, he looked at the body with disgust then noticed a note tied to the bolt. He opened it, it simply said 'maidenless' he crumpled the note, it was the guy he was looking for, the same guy who threw Mohg into a fit of rage. he tossed aside the bolt and threw his bouquet of blood roses and unsheathed his stiletto.

As they moved closer to the walls, a shadow passed over head, then a massive crash rattled the earth behind him, he looked over his shoulder and saw a massive green fog landing around them, before he could process what was happening seven more massive bolts crashed down he saw one of the giant crows and it's rider basically explode when the massive bolt landed on it green poisonous mist spewed out of the brass cage on It's end, he saw one of the massive crows shuddering with white foam coming from it's throat and down it's beak, it's rider was thrown off and foam and blood poured from the red albinaurics mouth. Varre adjusted his mask making sure it was air tight, he had some cloth with charcoal inside his mask to help keep toxins out.

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

Galus watched the massive arrows fall upon their ranks their green mists covering the battlefield, and he heard cheers from the perfumers on the ramparts.

Galus rubbed his eyepatch as the mist faded and he saw their cavalry was basically destroyed most of the massive birds dead on the ground with their riders, hell he saw what was left of one of them was skewered on the arrow, though they were basically a pile of gore and feathers.

Galus saw Godfrey and Nepheli walking on the battlefield. "How long will it take to reload those mortars?"

One of the perfumers shouted back. "Five minutes!"

Galus shook his head, they'd be crashing into the front line before even half that time passed. "Cease loading, I don't want to drop poison on Godfrey's and Nepheli's heads."

He leaned over the ramparts battlements looking over the battle, he closed his eye and felt this was going to become a drawn out event.

He opened his eye and turned. "Go down to the sewers, get those omen out of there, I would like them to help with the defense."

Galus noticed an omen killer among the other perfumers. They heard his order and Galus watched as the massive man marched toward him, they climbed up the ladder, and approached Galus unsnapping his horned clubs from their belt. "What you just spoke is blasphemous." They said, the same emotionless tone as the last omen killer he killed.

He crossed his arms and leaned back against the battlements. "I've killed omen killers before, I'd recommend you drop the bias for a bit before I add another notch to my sword. I mean, are you aware you've been following the orders of an omen for the last... Hey Lyrina, how long ago was the shattering?"

She looked like she was about to faint, but responded all the same. "F- fifty years..."

Galus frowned but nodded. "Fifty years, now get off your high horse you fascist prick."

Galus dodged under their club and unsheathed his hound sword. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

He stabbed it into their back and it protruded through their chest, he kicked the body and it slumped limply over the battlements, and he pushed it over and fell onto the battlefield, it's limbs breaking and twisting in odd angles. He turned and blinked. "Omens. Now." He said, his tone offering no argument.

About five of the perfumers ran off to do what he said and he turned to Lyrina who looked like she was about to die of fright, her skin seemed really pale.

Galus looked at her. "Are you okay?"

She let out a shuddering sigh. "That was someone I knew..."

Galus looked over his shoulder. "They killed people. Erased their own emotions to make it easier for themselves."

Lyrina screamed. "No he didn't! He got too attached to his patients and the operation was performed on him by force! He questioned the golden order and they turned him into that!"

Galus' eyes widened in shock and frankly fear. "That... That is really fucked up..."

She nodded. "Yeah, well, now you know."

Galus nodded. "You don't have to stay here, there's much to see and discover outside of Leyndell, you can-"

She shook her head. "I have a duty to remain here, I am helping people, healing them."

Galus closed his eyes, he saw what this was now. "Who, are you helping? I've not seen a single noble or anyone for that matter since I got here, the soldiers, they're mostly gone, Leyndell is dead, you're just a single white blood cell trying to revive a corpse." He said, alot harsher than he meant to sound. And her running away sobbing was the cherry on top of that crap sundae.

He looked down at the army of shambling creatures, who just now met up with Godfrey and Nepheli, however, he saw a line of fresh troops come up from behind them through the gate, Galus rubbed the bridge of his nose. "This whole thing is going to suck..." He said with a sigh, though he realized that war was never meant to be fun, not for the sane man atleast.