Chapter 134: Bloody Reception

Words : 1218 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

Chapter 134: Bloody Reception “What the fuck is that?” Jay cursed as she watched the flame-winged thing soar away to the south. “Seriously, what the fuck?” She couldn’t get a clear view of the abomination, but from what little she could see of it, the red, flaming creature had a dozen oddly shaped, asymmetrical wings sprouting out of its oscillating body at every angle. She had no idea what kind of creature could possibly function with a body structure like that. “I don’t know,” Aila shook her head. “I think that’s a greater demon...” “A what?” Jadis had never heard the term before, at least not on Oros. As far as she knew, it was just demons and demon matriarchs. And the demon lord, she supposed, whatever that mysterious individual entailed. “Whatever that shit is doesn’t matter right now!” Kerr shouted, slapping Dys on the side of her helmeted head. “We need to get down there!” Fuck. She was right, Jadis immediately recognized. There could be soldiers down in the fort fighting for their lives at that very moment. Figuring out what the flying fiery figure was had to be a secondary concern since it was retreating into the distance. Without another word, Jadis sprinted down the hill, weaving between giant pines to get back on the road. Even at her top speed it still took a few minutes to get to the fort and the closer they got, the worse the situation looked. The gates of the fort stood open, one hanging loose on a single hinge. Bodies lay scattered around the gate, both inhuman and not. The watchtower in the center of the fort wasn’t the only structure on fire, either. Tents and other temporary buildings could be seen burning as well. The sounds of screaming animals, horses and aurochs, could be heard coming from somewhere out of sight, but so too could the sound of battle. Somewhere inside, at least a few mercenaries were still fighting for their lives. There was a ditch dug around the fort to make it harder to assault, wooden stakes lining the base of it. Jadis leapt over the barrier with ease and once on the other side, bodies of demons all around her feet, she set her companions down and spoke a quick word. “Thea, stay back with Eir and Aila, keep them safe and shout if you need me back. Kerr, shoot down anything that I can’t get to. Aila, save your magic as much as you can and stick to traps. I don’t think this is the only place under attack. Eir, focus on healing others before me. I’ll come to you for healing if I need it.” “Get back if you can!” Dys shouted at the men inside, though she knew the warning was futile. The mercs weren’t able to be choosy about their positions. With an overhead swing, Dys chopped down onto the roof of the barracks over the window. Her improvised maul crushed the wood more than split it, sending splinters in a cloud around her. She continued chopping, then reverted to grabbing the wooden beams and just ripping them aside, making her own entrance to the building. In a few seconds, she was through and Dys was able to duck into the barracks, her helmeted head knocking against the gables. As quickly as she could, Dys moved to help the mercenaries. There was no point in trying to swing her maul inside the barracks, it was too big and she was just as likely to hit a man as a demon, so instead she dropped her weapon and just started pulling the demons off of the mercs and tossing them to one side. One bone thief had leapt on top of a man, his arms and legs pinned to the ground by many limbs as it savaged his armored body with even more bony appendages. Dys grabbed the demon from behind and lifted it straight up, slamming it into the ceiling and shattering its skeletal body. Grimacing, she reached inside and crushed the squirming tentacles within with her bare hand before tossing aside the broken shell. The man was stunned, but breathing, so Dys left him where he was and turned to the next. Outside, Jay and Syd continued to strike down every demon that charged her, their numbers thinning more and more. A shout from Aila caught Jadis’ attention and she looked to see that all the demons from the stables had been either killed by Kerr and Thea or were contained by Aila’s snare traps. Aila pointed and Jadis followed her finger to see that Thea stood over Eir, the guard watching over the cleric as she quickly rushed from one body to another across the courtyard, checking for more mercenaries that could be saved. “Eir, come this way!” Jay shouted her command. “Kerr, Thea, whoever the fuck you are!” she called out, indicating the newly healed soldier that was finishing off a demon that was half-sticking out of one of Aila’s snares, “Get over here! Let’s finish this!” As her companions moved in to aid in ending the remaining demons surrounding the barracks, inside Dys cursed. Tossing aside another wretch she found the man beneath dead, his throat ripped out, a pool of blood surrounding him. Before she could even move onto the next, another mercenary cried out as a demon ripped open his thigh, splattering blood everywhere as it dealt a lethal blow with its claws. Dys couldn’t get to the men fast enough, the confines of the barracks making it difficult just to move much less fight. But Dys powered through, shrugging off a wretch as it leapt on her back, teeth tearing into her arm before she ripped it free and hurled it against another demon, crushing them both. She kept on, grabbing and tearing, ripping and crushing bone thieves and twisted wretches almost blindly, moving in a whirlwind of reckless slaughter, blood dripping from her helmet and hands and every part between until Dys reached out to another enemy and it cried out in fear. It was only then that she stopped to realize she had grabbed a man by his arm, his boots dangling above the floor as she held the mercenary up and ready to toss against the pile of bodies she’d made. “Sorry,” Dys panted out, blinking the blood and sweat out of her eyes. “I, uh—I’m sorry.” “By Valtar,” the man said with a shaky breath, “I think I can forgive you, all things considered.” Now that her heart was no longer pounding in her ears, Dys was able to look around and see that all the demons inside were dead. Five mercenaries were left alive, in varying states of injury, but they lived. Outside, Jay, Syd, and her companions were finishing off the remaining demons, the last few going down under a barrage of attacks from multiple angles. With the death of the final wretch, the fort was far quieter, but the sounds of burning wood and injured animals still filled the air. Jadis knew her work was far from over, but at least a few mercenaries had been saved. That was a start.

Chapter 134: Bloody Reception

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