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Chapter 91: Flame and Metal
🕑 Added 2024-09-27 08:03:46 +0000 UTCGunshots rang through the night as Claire reinforced her fortifications. Alicia sent up flares with her fire magic, and her marksmen fired shots at the demons hidden behind a stone wall. Once the demons understood the threat of guns, they quickly reacted, using magic to raise earth walls and inching them closer and closer to our position.
Such hastily built walls could easily be destroyed by cannons, but we didn't have any. Claire had opted for speed, hoping to sever the demons' landing zone, but she was too late. The demons had already taken a port town and established a beachhead. She had ordered cannons, but their arrival was delayed.
Meanwhile, I sat munching on bread, even though I wasn't hungry. I simply had nothing to do. Claire had forbidden me from refilling feystones since I was no longer human. Refilling a feystone, she said, was like charging one power bank with another. Instead, I was given a portion of feystones for my daily sustenance and told to watch the proceedings.
"Hm... it's hard to capture them alive," Claire muttered during a meeting with her officers. They smiled wryly. Guns were meant for killing, not wounding. Moreover, most demons prefer death to captivity. Her forces had grown to five thousand, and that's after she had already turned away over ten thousand volunteers due to a shortage of supplies.
"I'm grateful that you're willing to fight for our cause. Rest assured, we have enough men for now. Please spread the word so everyone knows about the vile creatures invading our land. This is not the time to fight among ourselves; it's time to unite against a common foe!" Claire roused the citizens, many of whose families had been massacred in the demon-occupied territories.
Her speech gave hope to many. Once again, I was amazed at how skilled she was at rallying the masses. Many bowed down to her, accepting her as their new leader.
However, words alone don't win battles. Claire had underestimated the enemy. Without proper walls, we couldn't gain the high ground. Without cannons, we couldn't break through the demons' makeshift stone barriers. Fortunately, we had grenades made from feystones, courtesy of Alicia. With improvised slings, we managed to hurl them over the enemy walls. They caused some damage, but not enough to turn the tide of the battle.
"Ask our dragoons—when will the cannons arrive?" Claire facepalmed. "I never thought I'd make this kind of mistake."
"You can always try again, right?" I said, remembering her ability.
"No. Wait… no. This is the best option. If I had brought cannons, we'd be late. The demons could have occupied this area," Claire said, talking to herself and weighing her decision. "No, this is still better. I've already asked my dragoons to escort the cannons. The demons shouldn't be able to... hm... I've warned the Western nation of Tundraise, but I doubt they listened. I wonder how many casualties they'll suffer..."
"We should help them! We can send a detachment!"
"We're pinned down here. What if the demons push again?" Some of the adjutants began arguing among themselves. Claire looked at them, wondering if she should hand over some of the soldiers to assist. They seemed loyal and competent. But then she glanced at me and smirked.
"Hmm… we should sacrifice useless nobles as fuel for Eli."
"I'm not sure my ability works on non-mages," I replied.
"I believe it will. If not, we'll use their corrupt mage nobles. As long as Eli has one underling, she could infect the demon camp."
"I think I can manage without that," I muttered. "I just need someone stealthy to cover my tracks when I attack their scouts."
"I'll hire some reapers for you. They're perfect for this. But I need one of the demons unharmed. As much as I loathe to ask, Eli, please try not to kill all of them."
"Alright," I said. It was time to earn my keep. I'd been sitting here with Claire for who knows how long. I couldn't even fill feystones without feeling hungry. I was more useful back in Shadowstep when dealing with the monthly stampedes.
Claire summoned ten of her dragoons and a hundred soldiers. Some of them are from Tundraise. She still wanted to remove some of her political enemies there, and the fact that she could show this attitude without anyone flinching was astonishing. These officers have been thoroughly brainwashed.
"My trusted men from Tundraise, behold your homeland. You see it desecrated by these demons. I warned your nobles and leaders, yet they did not heed my call. Now, it's time for them to fulfill their duty. I will use them as a poison against our enemies. With your help, we shall make our lands safe from the evil horn!"
"Yes, ma'am!" The soldiers saluted and mounted their carriages.
We departed in the middle of the night from Claire's base. Using our horses, we circled behind the demons and headed toward Tundraise. All the reapers and soldiers carried muskets, showing just how much Claire depended on this plan.
It took us about two days to reach Tundraise. I expected a similar experience to Elderan—annoying nobles and inefficient bureaucrats getting in our way. However, what we found in Tundraise were ruins. Houses were burned, and demons were looting them. Through a special window in the carriage, Claire's soldiers shot at the unsuspecting demons as we charged through.
The dragoons she had as personal guards were incredibly efficient; they were accurate and fast enough to dodge fireballs and ice spears. Hm... I recognized some of them. Hm... didn't I recognize some of these soldiers? Were they part of Althemer's imperial guard, the ones Shadowstep County rejected during the war? They certainly had good marksmanship but nothing else. I guess they were perfect for this job.
Ugh... these were the entitled noble sons and daughters who had caused chaos in my territory. Had they finally repented? I didn't see the arrogance they had when dealing with regular soldiers.
"The city is in ruins…" I muttered as I looked at the scenery. Other soldiers in the carriage winced.
"Princess Claire was right! We could never trust the nobles. We paid heavy taxes, and they failed to protect our land. The demons have massacred everyone!" one of the soldiers from Tundraise cried in rage.
"No survivors," the dragoons reported to the soldiers in the carriage. They had circled the city, calling for any survivors, but no one answered.
"Alright! On to the next one." The soldiers set their caravans in motion.
The next town was in better condition. The demons had made camp a little outside the city, and while the walls were battered, they were holding the demons off. I thought we'd charge at the demons immediately, but the soldiers seemed hesitant.
"How many are there?" one of the soldiers asked.
"About a thousand. A bit too many for us," one of the dragoons replied.
"Damn. We can't risk fighting them now."
"We have Lady Eli, don't we?"
"Can't we wait until nightfall?" I asked.
"I don't think the city will last that long."
"My ability doesn't work well during the day."
"Ugh…" The soldiers groaned.
They held on. The walls were crumbling, and people were building makeshift barricades, but they endured. As the sun began to set, my powers returned, and we charged toward the demons. The soldiers disembarked from their carriages and took up shooting positions, while the dragoons circled around, attempting to flank them.
Using stealth, I moved forward, but the demons spotted me. As mages, we could detect each other, making my stealth useless. Nonetheless, my strength and agility far surpassed what my petite frame suggested. No longer limited by stamina, I deflected their fire and stone projectiles with my dark magic.
Once I got into melee range, it was easy to bite them. The infection spread quickly, and my vampire horde grew from the ten demons I had just defeated to twenty. They began attacking each other. I heard the demons scream their kin's names as that very kin gorged on their blood.
"What's happening? Agh!! Stop! You want to be a kinslayer?"
"Stop it! We're fated to rule this land! Think of our families back home! Aah!!"
Screams echoed as the confused demons panicked. I sensed my link growing—a vampire horde was forming. But then it began to shrink. The demons had finally had enough and chose to incinerate their kin. My vampire horde couldn't use magic, making them vulnerable.
But then our cavalry arrived. Claire's troops ambushed the demons, their shots disrupting the formation, and my horde continued to grow. By dawn, a thousand demons had been turned into a thousand corpses. I tilted my head, realizing the link was still there. However, the vampiric demons couldn't move under the sun. I severed the link, as it required mana to maintain them.
Claire's soldiers rallied, cheering as they entered the city. The townspeople hailed them as saviors, some even kneeling and offering plant leaves on the road for us to step on. The mayor rushed to join the parade but frowned when he saw Claire's crest on the soldiers. As our eyes met, the soldiers immediately chased him and the nobles with a vigor that belied their efforts the night before against demons.
"Capture them! They are traitors!"
"Capture him! These nobles have failed in their duty! They have failed our kingdom!" the soldiers shouted. Soon, the mayor and five other nobles were apprehended. I was surprised that the townspeople sided with us instead of their local soldiers, but apparently, these nobles were quite hated by the populace. As the soldiers dragged the tied-up nobles to the town hall, they screamed, accusing us of being Princess Claire's dogs. But Claire's soldiers were unfazed.
"I am the mayor! Claire's dogs! Unhand me!"
"I swore an oath to Princess Claire, you scum! Did you think you could get away with your failure? Princess Claire warned you years ago that these demons were coming, yet you didn't prepare! Where are all the guns? The cannons?" Claire's soldiers spat at him.
The aftermath was predictable. The nobles kept making excuses—blaming Western Alliance taxes and various reforms—but after the soldiers broke into their mansion's cellar, it became clear they had been plundering the wealth of their citizens. The soldiers threw the gold back at them, and the townspeople lynched the nobles. I felt uncomfortable with the display of violence and chose to gather myself at a patisserie, sipping coffee and eating cake.
“It’s bland… it has no taste…” I muttered. It wasn't the coffee or the cake—it was my tongue. The milk and sugar in front of me were tasteless as well. A realization hit me: I was no longer human.
One of the soldiers approached me.
"So, what's our next move?" I asked.
"We found no weapons, ammunition, or cannons... I guess we'll have to go with Claire's plan. We'll surround the advancing demons near Claire's position and ambush them from behind. Could you inform Princess Claire of the plan? I heard from her Highness that you have one of those devices that can connect directly to her, Lady Eli."
"Sure," I called R25B to inform Claire about the recent developments.
We then departed from Tundraise to Ellynias, circling around the demons. It would be a few days' ride. Ah! I forgot to capture one of these demons alive. I have to ensure not to bite one demon when we return to Ellynias.
I felt languid. Am I going to live like this for my entire life?
I don't want to eat tasteless cake forever!
