Tension and tempers snapped, and the forest filled with iated death.

  Battle OrderD20 + 1 = 15 (14)

  Mana: 16 -> 13Spell: Fireball8d6 = 25 (1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 6)

  Onward Soar: 1 -> 0

  Mana: 13 -> 10Spell: Fireball8d6 = 26 (1, 1, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5)

  “Lord Sozain, please accept my s,” Adam prayed, feeling his magic fill through his body. He could feel the warmth of the magic leave through his body, his magical axe tingling within his hand.

  A bead of fire fell from the heavens as the mounted warriors began to charge forward to meet the uncivilised savages. The explosion of fire engulfed the warhorses, which shuddered in terror as the fmes licked at their skin through their .

  The guards had been so orderly, and so perfectly lined for the Fireball, one might have thought they had traio be mbs to the sughter. However, as Adam prepared another Fireball, feeling his magic rush through his body, another explosion rocked the horses, sileng them, and causing the heavily armuards to fall.

  Sara held out her hand, pointing a fiowards the house guards of Tiderock, her eyes glued to them, her gaze as though they were ants. “Oh dear, I’m quite so afraid.”

  Korin, with bde in hand, turo face her, only to be distracted by the cries of the fallen guards, as another ball of fire engulfed them, almost sileng them permaly.

  The Marshal didn’t dare to gnce backwards, barely out of the radius of the fiery explosion, the screams eg through his helmet as he sshed his bde downwards, meeting with the mouthy savage who had dared to offend him.

  Jurot’s entire body was red hot with rage, only amplified by his excitement. The Marshal had yet to be struck by the fmes, meaning he was fresh, and this honour would be his own.

  The pair cshed, magical axe meeting magical bde, while the other Iyrmen charged forward, ready and eager to fight. The younger Iyrmehe four leaders in the capable hands of their owives.

  “Jaygak,” Jurot called, the bde boung off his shield, almost disregarding one of the greatest warriors he had faced to date. “Sir Ivy is untouched.”

  Jaygak had stepped forward to deal with one of the fallen knights who was trying to get up from under his dead steed, but pivoted as her glowing bde met the bde of Sir Ivy, their bdes cttering for a moment.

  “Retreat!” the Marshal shouted, while his warriors were being sughtered like sheep. He brought down his bde heavily against the Iyrman, and though he had struck so heavily that he would have almost sin one of the Experts within his pany, Jurot stood as sturdy as an oak.

  “Do you believe the Marquise will leave you be?” Sir Ivy asked, her bde g with Jaygak’s once more, the shining light almost searihrough her armour as they fought.

  “I hope not,” came the pyful response from the devilkin before her.

  No, not a devilkin, but an Iyrman. Sir Ivy and Jaygak cshed viciously while the sounds of cries filled the air, and the rage filled howls of the Iyrmen began to cut such cries short.

  Sir Gregor had almost mao free himself from under his horse, but as a shadow formed over him, he raised his sword, though was uo stop the hurrie of blows which shattered against his armour, causing him to fall still.

  Sir Sophie started to stand, managing to free herself from uhe horse. Thankfully, no one had-

  The knight crumpled like paper as a well pced kick fluo the side, causio almost flip, crashing against a tree. She grunted in pain, trying to stand, before she stared up towards the blurry figure who had a bde pointed down towards her.

  “It is best that you remain ying down,” Dunes said, his bde poised to strike through her visor.

  “Finally!” called a voice, the young woman filling with rage.

  “Lucy!” Adam shouted. “Head back to the wagons!”

  Lucy drew her rge greataxe, ready to fight, but upon hearing Adam’s voice, she turo face him. “Don’t stop me, Adam!”

  “Lucy!” Adam shouted, coughing, undoing his visor as he saw what the Iyrmen were doing to the terrified guards. “Step back.” ‘Oh no. Oh no no no.’ The chilling realisation of what they had done filled Adam. ‘It’s a fug Marquise! What the hell am I thinking?’

  Adam had rained down so much fiery death the previous year, he had bee almost used to it. However, back then, the soldiers he had faced had died a quiear painless death. These guards, however, were to to die a quick death.

  “Will you hunt down those who flee?” Lord Benjamin asked, his bde g with axe, feeling the intense pain flooding through his head.

  “I will not deny great pleasure,” Jurot replied, his teeth bared like a beast, his eyes lit up with delight.

  The guards had called for the retreat, and as they tried to pull back, shadows formed over them.

  Jonn’s bde cut through a guard who had barely reached for his sword, which dropped beside him as the magical bde fshed white hot. His bde cut through almost systematically. Finally, he was able to use his bde for his oath, even if it was to kill guards who had been trapped uheir burnt steeds.

  Fred remaianding where he was, bde in hand, though he hadn’t taken a step forward. Almost half of the guards, each around the level of an Expert, had fallen to the Fireballs, while the remaining few were barely able to even stand, never mind pulling themselves from uheir steeds.

  Fshes of fire entered his mind as he recalled a simir se, a se which brought a chill through his spihis time, however, it was not Adam who had been the victim of such terror, but the sourbsp;

  “Should you have called your fire?” Korin asked, standing beside Sara, bde in hand. She was safe, far enough away that the guards wouldn’t have been able to reach her, even if they had forced their way forward. Still, the young Aswadian remained vigint.

  “Did they not threaten me, a dear noble?” Sara asked, bring a fio her lip. “They wished to kill us for the same.”

  Kori out a sigh, shaking his head. His eyes took in the sight of the sughter. He was not apprehensive about killing, but rather, how easy it was to kill so many in one go. ‘So this is why the priests hold so much power within Aswadasad…’

  Nirot’s axe cut through the neck of a soldier who hadn’t noticed her approach, her axe cutting through bo was not a delightful kill, but it did bring her great pleasure. ‘I should find another.’

  Faool’s staff and fist struuard dead, and while one beside him stood. The young Iyrman stamped his foot into the ground, taking a firm stance, before his fist, almost like a drill, struck the guard, denting his armour, tossing his lifeless body away from the young Iyrmaared at the guard who had fallen to his punch, his eyes glued to the dent. His heart fluttered, still in awe of how far he had e in just a couple of years.

  Laygak brought his bde through the gaps of the guard’s visor, causing him to begin to beg, before he was silenced. He stepped towards another.

  “Wait, wait,” the guard shouted. “I-, I-, please, wait!”

  The begging was silenced forever, Laygak bringing his bde back up, his eyes falling across the sight of death. “Sleep peacefully, for Baktu will watch over you.”

  Naqokan almost danced along the field, cutting two Aldishmen, befng to the side to see Uwajin f her bde through the gut of another, while a siing crack distracted her, Bavin’s axe splitting a helmet in half.

  “I should have expected there would be little fighting around Iyrmen,” Vasera said, crossing her arms, befng around at the battlefield. ‘I knew Iyrmen were vicious, but this…’ She gowards the Marshal, who was still engaged with Jurot, hearing the sounds of his panions dying all around him.

  “Remi to cause trouble for the Iyrmen,” Rook said, before cag with ughter.

  “That is your role,” Vasera replied. “I’m the one who is foolish enough to fight them.”

  “Do you still wish to fight him?”

  “It would be fun.”

  “Enough!” came a shout, though it was not a voiy of them reised. “There is no more need for death!”

  Adam heard the void turowards it. Vonda, who csped her hands together in prayer, clutched a diamond.

  “Adam, please! This is enough!” Vonda pleaded as she stared into Adam’s eyes, but noted Adam wasn’t looking at her, but through her. She grabbed his shoulder, and he jolted awake, causing his arm to twitch as he raised raised his axe, scraping it against her armour.

  “Huh?” Adam asked, before his eyes fluttered, and he realised his had his axe ready to strike Vonda. He dropped it, his eyes still fluttering wildly.

  “It is over.”

  Adam gnced across the field, seeing the guards on the ground, half dying, half dead. The Iyrmen had killed those who were scious, save for the four leaders, while the uards who had been knocked out by the fmes had beeo Fate, for now.

  ‘So that’s what they meant,’ Cobra thought, staring at the mass of death before her. ‘They’re just porters…’

  “What wicked darkness brings such death?” asked a voice from behind.

  Adam turned, noting the appearance of anht heavily armoured knights, each adorned in heavy full pte, wearing white tabards with a rose embzoned across it boldly. They wore holy amulets in the shape of a rose, each with a suh it, seven with silver suns, oh gold. The seven who wore silver suns focused on the wagon, or rather, the demons beside it. Their authority pressed down against the nearby peoples like a disease.

  ‘Damn it.’

  Oh dear.