Neva was pissed. The damn sword was unbreakable. Coating her hand in fire, she clenched hard around the enchanted rapier before slamming the flat of it into her knee. Ada was on her knees, just past the large closed wooden gates of Hueryss, with Neva and Brenn standing before her.

"Stop! You're gonna break it!" Ada wailed. "What has Killy ever done to you?"

"Shut it!" Neva barked. Repeating the motion like a madman she kept trying to break the blade in half.

"Fritz gave it to me!" Ada whined. "I need a sword!"

"You need a leash!" Neva barked.

All around them guards scrambled in panic, as the sounds of booming cannons and mortars erupted from the walls. Errant warriors and unattached adventurers lingered nearby. Concerned citizens watched from doorways from a safe distance.

"Brenn! Swing your axe, let's see if you can chip it."

"No!" Ada whined. "My sword!" Her gray eyes went wide as the beginnings of tears welled up. Neva braced the sword with both hands, as Brenn took a wide stance. Hefting her axe, she shot a concerned look towards Neva.

"You sure?" She asked.

"Yes. She needs to be taught a lesson." Neva said.

"Breaking such a magnificent sword goes against my principles. I prefer to stroke, clean, and admire them." Brenn said with a toothy grin.

"Just do it!"

"Alright. Hold your horses." Brenn hefted her axe from her shoulders as Neva held out the immaculate rapier. Brenn grunted as she swung. Her axe clanged into the onyx rapier. Sparks from the axe flew into the air.

"Blood! Let me feast upon the living!" The blade screamed within Ada's mind.

"Stop it! It's my sword. Killy is a good boy!" Ada whined.

"Brenn. Get Fritz. This is his problem. He should be the one to deal with it. Maybe he can do something."

"What's cutey gonna do?"

"I don't know? Make it disappear? He summoned it! He should be able to un-summon it!"

"Can he?" Brenn asked. "I've never seen him dismiss anything."

"Just do it." Neva grumped as she inspected the rapier for any damage. "Not even a scratch on the damn thing. What the hells is it made of?"

"It's my sword." Ada whimpered.

"You don't deserve it. Honestly doing something that stupid, should have gotten you killed! What were you thinking girl?-"

"I'm fetching cutey."

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Brenn rolled her eyes as she left the approaching argument. Blinking up onto the walls, she searched for Fritz. Marcelle was right next to him, as he yelled over the sound of cannon fire. Brenn called on her innate magic, as she appeared instantly behind the man. Fritz pointed out over the walls. A massive wave of undead were forming up underneath. Several hulking undead abominations wielding pickaxes marched towards the gates.

"Cutey!" Brenn scooped up Fritz into a princess carry. The ratkin was diminutive compared to him. His legs spilled out nearly scraping the ground.

"Jesus!" Fritz exclaimed. "Don't sneak up on me!"

"Who's Jesus?" Brenn asked.

"What are you doing?" Marcelle hissed, as she slithered closer.

"Delivering the cutey." Brenn gave the lamia a wink as Marcelle reached out to grab Fritz. Before she could pull him away, Brenn was gone.

Faster than he could comprehend, Fritz was soaring through the air in a series of short range teleportation steps as he made his way towards his two wolfkin companions. Brenn teleported right next to the kneeling beastkin, dropping Fritz to his feet. Without waiting, Neva shoved the blade into Fritz's chest.

"Kill him, let me soak in his essence!" The rapier screamed in Fritz's mind.

"Fritz! Get rid of it! I'm gonna teach her a lesson." Neva barked.

"What? Right now? We're in the middle of a siege!" Fritz protested.

"I don't care. You made it! You can un-make it!" Neva shouted.

"No. We're in the middle of a fight!"

"She needs to be taught a lesson. What she did goes beyond imbecilic. It was the sword's fault. I'm sure of it." Neva shot back.

Fritz looked around. A myriad of warriors were watching him, as he took the rapier. Adventurer's, citizens, warriors, guardsmen, and laborers were pointing and looking at him. In the lull of cannon fire, Fritz seized a new opportunity. He took a deep breath. All around him, he had warriors. He could see anticipation in their eyes. Their hands were calloused. Scars littered their faces. Weapons lingered near their hips. Fritz projected his voice to the beastkin watching him.

"Ada you put your own life in danger, but worryingly you endangered friends who came to save you. You jumped into a fight you were ill-prepared for, and got lucky the explosive trap didn't kill you accidently. Yet still you chose to fight, and I admire that. You chose to make a difference. Anyone who fights for me, shall be rewarded. I've promised that over and over again. The city is in danger, I need all the warriors I can field to save it. Ada defended me with her life. She bested a vampire and she has earned her blade." Fritz held the blade aloft in the sky. He paced back and forth in dramatic fashion. Grabbing the onlooker's attention. The onyx blade screamed in his mind, begging to slice him open. He did his best to ignore it. "Anyone who brings me a vampire's head shall wield enchanted steel!" Fritz yelled out. "The vampires are climbing the walls threatening our city! They deserve to be put down like the grave filth they are! I need you! This city needs you!" Fritz pointed to the warriors nearby.

"Fritz!" Neva seethed. "What the hell are you doing?"

"You!" Fritz pointed towards a large beastkin with curling cow horns with a large axe resting on the ground next to him. "Will you join me? "

"Cutey?"

"You!" Fritz pointed towards another warrior. "Will you fight? You! You! You! Stop standing around! We have a city to save! Kill the vampires! Bring me their heads, and I will give you riches beyond your wildest dreams. I'll give you weapons to slay dragons. I'll give you enchanted steel."

"Fritz!" Neva seethed. Fritz turned the rapier around, handing the hilt of the blade towards Ada. Spectating warriors started moving towards Fritz, crowding around him.

"There are more pressing matters. Ada you aren't to leave my side until I say. Do you understand?" The blonde wolfkin nodded guiltily as she stood up.

Looking around, he saw the orange glow of fire blanketing the night coming from the harbor.

"Neva, we're going back up. Can you check on that." Fritz pointed towards the burning harbor. Neva flew into a series of curses.

"They're burning the boats." She said. "They're trying to trap us."

"I'll go too." Brenn replied, as she gave Fritz's ass a playful slap. "Stay alive, till I get back."

Neva and Brenn started running towards the city's harbor.

"Champion." One of the warriors said as they started forming up around him. "Where do you need us?"

"Let's go!" Fritz yelled. "We're defending the walls! Spread out, defend the mortar crews kill anything that climbs over the walls!"