Season 4 Chapter 28


I nearly tripped and fell as all five of my ghosts died. Duhot, Dusata, Grobi, Ipalsi, and Nevidena were all gone like that. Killed in one attack. I didn't even understand how that could be possible. It didn't make any sense.

Then Nina Naughty died. The first of my companions killed. A heartbeat later, Slepkavi, another of my orcs, vanished.

"Leo?" Ms. Trueno asked, putting her hand on me.

I blinked, realizing I had stopped running. I glanced ahead. We were almost there. "It's fine. We just have to keep fighting. We're here anyway. Gaiste!" I pointed to the target building a block away. "Climb up to that window high up and see what's in there."

"Yes, Lord Leo," Gaiste cried. The arachne scuttled forward past us on her black legs, her red hair flying behind her. My heart beat fast, twisting with pain.

Were we losing?

Halia and her group arrived at the central government building. It rose five stories high. It was made of gray stone. It looked imposing. Like all of Sharithin was supposed to revolve around this point. Which made a certain sense.

"Lord Leo, we're on the south side of the building," Halia said, Usiku standing beside her. The salamanders' heat washed over her.

"We just arrived on the north," her lord answered her. "I'm having Gaiste scout the building. Hold on."

She nodded then her cheeks warmed. He couldn't see her. "Standing by, Lord Leo."

"I want to get in there," Engana hissed. The salamander flapped her fiery wings. They weren't that big. "I want to kill those bitches. They're dying, right? We're losing sisters?"

"I can only assume so," Usiku said. "We have to wait. Lord Leo has given us orders."

Engana hissed her frustration. Halia understood.

"It's a meeting hall, Lord Leo," Gaiste reported. She clung to the outside of the building and peered through the window. "The two monster girls in there, the raiju and the treant have barricaded the doors. They are ready for a fight."

"It's just the two of them?"
I asked.

"Yes, my Lord," Gaiste added as she scuttled down the wall.

"Move into position," I ordered. "We'll breach on my order!"

Terra fell, tripped by the werewolf that savaged her leg. She fell on her back with a hard thud, wincing in pain. The wolf leaped for her throat, eager to rip it out. The golem raised her arms, but not fast enough to save her life.

Only Slepkavi was faster.

The orc's golden sword flashed out and buried into the side of the werewolf, skewering through its side and knocking the monster girl off her attack. The werewolf staggered to the side, hissing in fury, and turned in a blur to tear out the orc's throat.

Terra gasped in horror as Slepkavi staggered back, blood spilling down her golden breastplate. The orc took a step back then vanished before her body hit the ground. Fury exploded through Terra. She slammed her hammer-fist into the wounded werewolf's side.

The beast howled in pain and tumbled off the golem. She gained her feet and slammed her left hammer-fist down on the werewolf's head, knocking the beast back to the ground as it tried to stand back up. Fury beat through the golem.

"She saved my life and you killed her!" snarled Terra.

She battered her hammer-fists down on the werewolf, driving the beast into the pavement. Bones crunched. The monster girl snarled in pain. Terra slammed her weapon down, shouting her fury, and hit the pavement instead.

The werewolf had vanished. Dead.

She straightened and looked around. The other four werewolves were still up, fighting. They were so tough. Terra's metaphorical heart flagged, fear whipping through her that even with twice their number, they couldn't win.

Then Zobens's sword slammed down and cut off a werewolf's head. It spun through the air and vanished. The sight heartened Terra. They could still win.

To her right, Bhaaloo and Panja fought another werewolf, the two werebears swiping with powerful claws, raking the air and driving back the beast. Briesmoni and Dzelzs fought a third, while Daant and Maan battled the fourth.

The werewolf sank her teeth into Maan's neck, ripping out the werebear's throat. The big bear staggered back, blood spilling down her black fur. She crashed back, thrashing on the ground as she died.

"You fucking bitch!" the pissed-off golem cried and ran forward.

She slammed her hammer-fist down into the werewolf's skull hard. She knocked it down, caving it in and killed the werewolf. The beast vanished. As she did that, Zobens rushed to help Briesmoni and Dzelzs. Before Zobens could reach the fight, the werewolf clamped her jaws on Dzelzs's head and crushed her skull.

"For Lord Leo!" Zobens cried and slammed her sword into the werewolf's hide. At the same moment, Briesmoni slashed her golden sword down in a hard blow and cleaved into the werewolf's skull, creaking it open.

The beast was down.

"NOOOO!" roared Bhaaloo as Panja vanished, killed by the last werewolf.

Terra rushed to the fight as Bhaaloo raised her bulk up and slammed her bulk down on the werewolf, crushing the beast beneath the black bear's large bulk. A crunch of bones and a whimper of pain burst out from beneath the werebear.

The last werewolf was down.

Mrs. Bella Lucina flapped her wings hard.

The angel's white-feathered wings whipped at the air as gouts of fire growled up at her. Boiling oranges and reds surged up to devour her. Hot currents buffeted her, whipping at her blonde hair. She banked hard to the right as the fireball surged past her, almost singeing her wings.

Her heart pounded as she banked around to see the surviving sphinxes roar. The air distorted before the majestic monster girls, slamming into a phoenix. The shock wave hit the fiery bird woman, throwing her to the side. Her red feathers ripped from her wings.

Mrs. Lucina focused her halo. It flared with a golden light that then lanced as a beam, striking that disoriented monster girl in the back. It smote the phoenix's spine. She screamed in pain, a hole burned into her body. With a caw of shock, she went limp and plummeted to the ground.

She vanished before she hit a building.

Mrs. Lucina flapped her wings, banking around to find the other two phoenixes. They both surged together and flew at Talalo from below. Their fire slammed into the poor sphinx. Mrs. Lucina screamed in horror as the roiling reds and oranges immolated her ally.

"NOOO!" the angel cried, tears in her eyes.

"Lord Ishkur's mighty cock!" howled Ordita. She roared at them.

The two phoenixes broke apart. Their burning talons crackled as they soared over Ordita and breathed their fire on her. The flames engulfed Ordita, killing a second of my sphinxes in quick succession. Mrs. Lucina was losing her girls so fast.

The angel's halo pulsed and fired a beam.

The phoenix banked to the right, dodging the attack. She surged down at Oroszla and crashed into the top of the sphinx. Talons dug into her flesh, ripping at her body. They tore wicked lines down her flesh, blood spurting.

Oroszla roared and whipped her head around, the air distorting. But the phoenix dodged the attack. The pair tumbled in the air, the phoenix's burning claws raking across Oroszla's body, sizzling her flesh. Her screams filled the air.

And so did Gyama.

The other sphinx that survived howled in agony. The other phoenix had dived on Gyama. They tangled in the air, Gyama's feathers burning. They hurtled for the rooftops. Mrs. Lucina's heart clenched as the last of her girls were in the fights for their lives.

Oroszla vanished. The phoenix spread her wings wide, banking out of the dive. Fury screaming in heart. Mrs. Lucina fired a beam of light that narrowly missed the phoenix. It struck a building instead, bursting out a chunk of the wall.

"RUN!" roared Gyama.

Mrs. Lucina whipped her head around to see the sphinx falling flaming to the street. She vanished moments before hitting it, fire washing across the pavement. Halflings screamed and ran for cover as the phoenix climbed back into the sky.

The angel focused her beam to smite the phoenix who had just killed Gyama, but the roar of flames stopped her. She flapped hard, a fireball whizzing past her head. Her heart lurched as the two surviving phoenixes climbed at her.

They threw fire.​
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