Griffin Assault
“...Pardon?”
“It's nothing.”
Vincent flashed a meaningful smile as he brushed past me toward Yurina Florence. I eyed his retreating figure—clad in pristine white priestly robes—with a peculiar gaze. Was it just his usual playfulness, or...
My eyes narrowed. That's when a soldier atop the watchtower cried out.
“L-Lady Abigail!”
“What is it?”
I leaped up to the watchtower in a single bound.
“Monsters are coming!”
I snatched the binoculars for spotting monsters from the soldier and peered through them. Far off in the distance, a flock of birds burst from the forest in a chaotic swarm. Then, something stirred in the shadowed woods. Just as the soldier said—a horde of monsters.
“Prepare for battle!”
“Yes, ma'am!”
At my command, the soldiers in the base sprang into synchronized action, moving as fluidly as water—as if the entire outpost were a single living organism.
I approached Yurina Florence, whose face was tense with anxiety.
“Yurina, move just like we trained.”
“Understood, Lady Abigail!”
I turned to Vincent Wall, the high priest blinking in surprise.
“High Priest, I know it's sudden, but please follow Yurina's lead.”
I had to oversee the overall command, so I couldn't micromanage the priests. I'd left them under the saintess Yurina Florence's direction, and the holy knights under their captain, Illein Saiche. The high priest, fresh to the base, just needed to obey them.
“Of course, understood.”
Thankfully, Vincent nodded agreeably, without a hint of displeasure. He'd clearly grasped the urgency.
Ding-dong-ding!
The iron bell clanged relentlessly through the base. Soldiers poured onto the ramparts like a flood, taking their positions. Most were siege engineers manning the Magic Cannons. The primary battlefield was here, atop the walls. The enemy would likely lead with high-grade monsters to breach them once more.
I stared ahead, tension coiling in my gut.
“...They're coming!”
The first sign was the earth-shaking tremors. My senses—sharper than anyone else's by orders of magnitude—tensed at the faintest vibrations. Soon, the ground visible from the walls swarmed with countless monsters.
“Grraaah!”
“Keeek!”
The beasts' roars shook the very foundations. Even the seasoned soldiers, feigning calm, drew sharp breaths. No matter how accustomed to fighting monsters, facing an innumerable horde stirred primal fear.
But I waited calmly. Not yet. Not yet.
I reined myself in, biding until they entered range.
“...Ready!”
Clank!
At my shout, hands flew to ready the cannons. Thanks to Ren Magicus's improvements, the Magic Cannons loaded faster now—and hit harder.
“Fire!”
Boom!
Kaboom!
The cannons belched fire in unison. The black tide of monsters vanished in an instant, reduced to ash. The chain of explosions left scarcely any survivors.
But it wasn't enough.
“No rest—reload! More are coming!”
The engineers stood stunned for a beat by the enhanced power. My yell snapped them back; they hustled to obey.
Soon, thudding booms echoed from afar.
“...Those bastards.”
I hadn't witnessed the last battle from start to finish—dragged to the imperial ball—but Jade Mare's recording crystal had let me study their patterns and prepare.
Slow-moving Cotaz lumbered amid the lesser monsters. Same tactic again. Humans directed them, but mindless beasts had limits to complex orders. Simple strategies it was.
Our gates were cleverly concealed, hard for monsters to find. So they used bulky, armored ones like Cotaz as living ladders to scale the walls.
I shouted to Ren Magicus, stationed at the rampart's center.
“Ren, now!”
“...”
Too far to hear, he nodded in response.
I ordered a halt to cannon fire. Eyes closed, Ren Magicus focused his mind. When he opened them, the charging monsters exploded in mid-stride.
Kwooom!
Boom!
Blasts erupted from underground. The shockwaves rattled even our walls. I gripped the edge tightly, steadying my shaking body.
“C-Cotaz wiped out!”
A soldier scanning ahead with binoculars yelled. Cheers erupted everywhere, certain of victory.
Last battle, Jade Mare had missed them—the turtle-shelled brutes with hides swords couldn't easily pierce. I'd named them Cotaz; low threat individually, but time-consuming. They'd served as stepping stones for a colossal high-grade monster.
Nightfall had hidden them then, but I'd prepared fully. Cannons from above couldn't crack those shells. So we struck below.
Enter the “Magic Mines.” Mana stones infused with fire spells, buried underground. Not pressure-triggered like true mines—Ren Magicus manually detonated them with his magic. One-use only, but devastatingly effective. The Cotaz that should've scaled our walls? Gone clean.
“Ren, you okay?”
I hurried to him. Breathing ragged within his magic circle, he turned to me.
“Yes, I'm fine.”
“...”
His “I'm fine” had never once been true. I wanted to press, but this was war. Who knew their next insane ploy?
I'd planned for multiple high-grade monsters, not just one. Yet something felt off—insufficient, like prepping endlessly for a doomed presentation, only for surprises.
Anxiety gnawed at me. Then—
Shrieeeek!
“...What was that?”
I'd ignored the sky, focused on the teeming ground. Now I looked up. Something pierced the pristine clouds, diving down.
“Damn it!”
Flying monsters—griffins, by my scant fantasy knowledge.
Their descent roared like incoming bombs.
“Take cover!”
I bellowed at the soldiers. We'd built shelters along the walls for emergencies; they scrambled despite panic.
But the flyers were faster.
“Aaaagh!”
“Geli!”
A soldier was snatched mid-air by talons right before me. I chased, yelling his name—too late. The griffin soared skyward. One or two at first, then a sky-filling swarm assaulted the ramparts.
“Aaaagh!”
“Argh!”
The walls were ravaged defenselessly. Soldiers tumbled to dodge, cannons shattered. Fast and fleeting, griffins were hard to hit.
We'd fixated on ground forces—blindsided.
“Ugh, damn it!”
“Lady Abigail!”
Ren Magicus fought through chaos toward me, alongside Ian Servbo against the flyers. I barely turned.
“I'll drop them with lightning magic. Get all soldiers clear!”
“Got it!”
Lightning storms were wide-area spells—friendly fire inevitable. No choice. I nodded, kept ordering evacuations.
Then a soldier tripped on a jutting stone.
“Watch out!”
I reached for him.
“Th-thank you...”
His eyes bulged mid-sentence. My sharp ears caught the air-whipping shwick.
Instinctively, I shoved the soldier back.
“Lady Abigail!”
“Milady!”
“Ngh!”
Fire seared my shoulder. My body lifted skyward. Voices calling me faded distant. The rampart crowd shrank to dots.
“Krrruk!”
The griffin clutching me trilled triumphantly, like a hunter with prize. Mid-air, powerless. Eyes squeezed shut in helpless fury.
* * *
“...What the?”
Michael Lux Rampas scowled at the gate, unease stirring. For the feint, he'd waited below with knights. His role: charge with cavalry to intercept high-grades.
No signal came, despite waiting. Something felt wrong.
Screams pierced his ears.
“Aaaagh!”
“Argh!”
“...!”
He snapped his head up. Griffins swarmed the walls from the sky. Knights murmured.
“Your Highness, up there...!”
“Abigail...!”
Michael unwittingly voiced her name, eyes widening. Amid the flock, Abigail was clear—griffin bearing her beyond walls into the horde-filled sky.
Gritting teeth, he whirled.
“Open the gates now!”
“Pardon?”
The soldier gaped. Orders came from the base's mistress, Viscountess Carpoem—not the crown prince.
“But no signal yet...”
“The viscountess is in danger! Hurry!”
The soldier wavered under Michael's urgency. Ground monsters lingered outside; opening now risked disaster.
Michael's judgment clouded, fixated on saving her.
“Hurry!”
“Ugh...”
Under his fierce glare, the soldier relented, reaching for the gates. Then—a deafening roar from the lofty sky.
Kaboom!
Kraka-boom!
Boom!
Chain explosions. Michael and knights looked up, stunned. Someone up there unleashed sword aura madly.
“...Abigail?”
Michael murmured in disbelief.