FSE

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Our newly found siege weapons weren't the game changer one would expect them to be.

First, two of the bolts ended up stuck in the ground, somewhere between our lines and the castle walls, harming no one, proving that aiming the oversized crossbows wasn't as easy, or intuitive for my monsters to learn.

I suspected there were some misfires too, though it was hard to say as this time I opted to view everything remotely, instead of inspecting the work of the firing crews in person.

At least, the message in the form of the carved wooden plank reached its intended destination, judging from the rift Sora created above the fortress which simply drew attention as the single point of concentrated wrongness on the otherwise flawlessly clear blue sky.

Though it was hard to distinguish individual people moving on the battlements, the piercing clang of the gong carried by the light wind was evidence the humans did raise the alarm.

I watched the action from atop the hill from which the local cobblestone road descended towards the castle, the lone structure surrounded by the viridian hellscape of the excessive 'Corruptors' influence on the local environment, creating the impassable barrier of the twisted, alien plants looming just outside the local's reach.

Looking around, I noticed the forest was already losing its battle with the cursed ecosystem pushed by my reptilian followers. While some of the trees further away remained relatively untouched, the vegetation within walking distance from the road already succumbed to magically induced mutations, turning them into a strange amalgamation of several plants, many of them fruit-bearing yet devoid of almost all rhyme and reason. It made the forest into a nightmarish fairyland.

I found Mai dozing in an improvised nest among the tree branches, apparently exhausted from overexerting her powers.

Several of her kin opted to do the same, finding shelter hidden within the treetops of the deformed flora lining the road.

This was behaviour they never exhibited before, the tendency to wear outfits covered by grass and flowers and natural green scales made them well camouflaged where they rested, likely capable of ambushing an enemy that was unaware of their presence.

In fact, I wouldn't notice them hidden among the mutated trees if other monsters didn't come to bring the bows and arrows to the nests, entirely on their own initiative. While I did consider training some of them to be archers, especially some without ranged abilities, I didn't explicitly give an order. They either figured this on their own or read my mind - I had no idea which was the case.

Not all of my reptilian gardeners rested or manned the ballistae aimed at the castle. Some worked tirelessly to bend the ecosystem to their whims and wishes.

There was a sinister glow still visible in the broad daylight, from where the 'Corruptors' were working their magic at this very moment, with the creep spreading among the trees, increasing their stranglehold on our part of the territory by the minute.

I returned my attention to the castle.

My current spot provided an excellent vantage point, considering it was far outside the reach of the castle's defenders and I assumed the only reason the locals didn't consider it a problem was the fact the uneven terrain made placing the trebuchets here practically impossible even if the trees were to be clearcut.

Not that I had any trebuchets, but as far I knew those siege engines were massive, though it was possible that this particular elevated piece of land wasn't in one's range. I wasn't by any standard an expert in this field, only possessing generic knowledge of the matter.

The ballistae I had, on the other hand, did not prove to be nearly as destructive.

I watched another two bolts shatter against the solid stone masonry, leaving no visible damage, at least at the distance, making me doubt our ability to guess the effective range.

One of the projectiles made it over the wall though. If there was a barrier, it wasn't stopping the shots.

I, however, found out that the fort also had a ballista they returned fire with, one I had previously missed, though the presence of one made sense in hindsight. For the most part, roofed parts of their towers were what drew attention.

Their version seemed to be firing three spears at once, but they missed their shot, which disappeared in the corrupted greenery closest to their position.

I was going to ask for the damage report even if no new monsters materialised from the red haze that accompanied their re-spawn. I was curious about what the humans were even aiming at.

"They didn't hit anyone, Master." Miwah, my mate and ever-present companion commented, almost like she guessed my words before they came out.

"Thank you." I nodded.

I stayed silent, still.

"Helmy has an idea, Master," Tama added, but I didn't answer, paying more attention to the view than my immediate retinue. My silvery vixen didn't like that, and so both she and my pale werewolf mate clung to me, though this time it was also Narita who uncharacteristically demanded some attention.

I found their presence comforting, deep inside.

My focus was, nevertheless, on the fort, though I wasn't able to make up the details from a distance.

"Sora, did you find where they have ballista emplacements?" I asked, hesitating to order her to move out. I even insisted on keeping her nearby, to assure she wouldn't find herself in the range of a spell.

"There was one, Master." The feline pointed with her claw, I noticed her squinting in the distance with a focused expression. "It was aiming for the road. I think they have one aimed at the bridge."

It was a grave mistake to not ask whether they had those, and I felt immediately guilty about relying on what I saw myself, not recalling any large elevated platforms the ballistae would be placed over. I imagined them as turreted weapons, turning in the direction of the assault, but it wasn't the case here.

There were no such things - true to the local vaguely Eastern Asian aesthetics, there weren't even rounded bastions, and while the castle had towers, those were ones with sloped roofs protecting the archers from enemy's arrows.

I didn't consider they could merely tug their ballistae just behind the parapets.

Still, no further shoots were fired - I felt as stupid as I was lucky.

I didn't even know who they were trying to hit. Unless they noticed Helmy or Kuma down there, or there was an inexperienced ballista crew working, there was no point for them in shooting blindly, making me puzzled about the point of their demonstration.

Unless they tried to set the trees on fire, in an attempt to remove our cover, but I didn't notice any flame. I wasn't sure if 'Corruptors' could make the modified trees non-flammable or not, but if they could it would certainly be prudent to do so considering the sheer amount of 'Purifiers' running around.

At least, I verified something about their so-called spellcaster abilities - I was still uncertain what the barrier she previously deployed did, even if it seemed it wasn't intended to stop the arrows.

"Look, Master." Tama gestured towards a point in the distance

The fire the 'Purifiers' started, likely involving a straw doll on a pike, caught attention.

At least, that was the intent, they however didn't stop there.

A pause, and then a storm of fireballs from the fire foxes landed in the open field of no man's land, the roaring conflagration scoured the ground bare.

A mob of 'Purifiesr' moved in the cover of their own fires towards the castle.

The inferno certainly gained attention from the humans, they were visibly manning the walls by now, although I couldn't make out the action, aside from the vaguest sense of movement.

I was going to order the 'Purifiers' to halt, afraid that they might end up 'sealed' once they reached the range of the human sorceress, but they started to retreat immediately, disappearing into the cover of the plants which obscured our lines, once again.

Immediately shots were fired from our side, as my girls worked under the cover of the twisted trees, though only one flaming bolt made it over the wall. One hit the parapets of the castle perimeter causing minor damage to the fortification itself, while another crashed into the roofed section of the battlements.

"It is very difficult to hit the caster, Master, even if we know she is on that wall," Tama replied, likely translating the message from Helmy leading from the front.

A lucky shot could simply swipe the damn woman from the castle's walls, leaving the building intact, and other humans untouched, miraculously solving our problem.

"I didn't expect we hit anyone," I said, to no one in particular, reminding more myself than my companions that I merely wanted to test the capabilities of the barrier. Now, proving it wasn't entirely projectile proof, my curiosity was sated.

Although, I could, in theory, ask the 'Displacers' to carry out a bombardment through their space-bending rifts. I dismissed the idea immediately - if I kept attacking, my effort to communicate would be pointless.

Sora, almost as if she heard my inner conversation, moved a few steps, and stopped.

I still did not know the full capabilities of said barrier, but if their sorceress - or whoever those women were - let my people go, there wouldn't be any need for further bloodshed.

But what if their sorceress cast another spell? Their bright robes might make them obvious, unlike their super-powered male warrior counterparts, but I still didn't have the slightest idea about the true range of their capabilities.

As I pondered about the whole thing, the 'Purifier' mob in the distance rushed towards the castle walls on the second attempt, under the cover of the burning patches of grass scattered across the fields.

I paused. Before I made the call about it, a sudden outburst of the ruby mist spits out one of my smaller vulpine girls. Then another, and another.

"For Master!" They cheered, undisturbed by the fact they perished moments before, and rushed towards me, demanding a little of my attention, although my mind was elsewhere.

"Arrows, Master. Not the caster." Tama reported, her voice showing some relief as she certainly didn't approve of her smaller kin being 'sealed' even if she risked precisely this happening.

The 'Purifier' unit out there in the field made a retreat, and the barrage from the ballistae swept the battlements, though most broke against the stone without much effect, except some fire delivered by flaming bolts, proving our weapons quite ineffective.

They went with trying to make the fire arrow equivalent of ballista bolts the 'Purifiers' had previously suggested, but it had little to no effect. The stone walls stood strong.

The manoeuvre wasn't worth the risk. The attempt to draw the attention of enemies in hopes of a clear shot at the sorceress, however, the poor accuracy rendered the effort moot, and each minute my girls spent in the open would increase the chance the 'sealing' spell was cast upon them.

Freed from the embrace of my closest companions, I decided to hug my three little anthropomorphic vulpines. They were so fluffy and cute, so undeserving of the treatment the humans gave them, saved by the tender mercy of the system always returning them to my care.

They would return, unless 'sealed' - and even the thought of this option pained me greatly, and the urge it often accompanied returned as a throbbing sensation in the back of my mind. The drive to free my girls, to connect their minds within the network I barely understood but they craved.

Although the respawn feedback wasn't nearly as dramatic, it was also very real, urging me to lash against the source of danger.

I gave the three respawned 'Purifiers' a tight hug they didn't even slightly protest against, fighting the influence the link between us had on me.

"Don't risk my little foxies. It isn't worth it." I said, resolutely, before the ones that massed in the tree cover set out for another faked charge.

"Yes, Master." Tama didn't dispute my decision in the slightest. I didn't blame her, or Helmy, for trying, since a single random shot could break the spell should the caster die. Our spear throwers may kill the random soldier manning the wall, but the chances that it would hit a specific person were astronomically small.

"The caster is still on that wall, Master." Miwah noted, "She could see through our invisibility, but she can't be in two places at once. Tama demonstrated that before."

"She focuses on Purifiers," Tama added, her eyes fixed on the horizon, apparently taking part in Helmy's control of the battle.

"Don't risk unnecessarily. She can seal multiple girls at once." I said, however, my words were soon interrupted by a brief, but sharp pain almost as if a hot needle passed through my eye.

This time, however, the same shock went through my werewolf mate as well.

I cried in pain, as she did, which prompted the immediate reaction from Narita, hastily channelling the energy from the nearby plants to infuse us with more healing energy. The red mist spat out an 'Eviscerator' at the same time, dazed, though our rebirthed girl kept stumbling to me.

A few plants turned to dust in our vicinity, though the excessive 'Corruptor' work made them abundant enough to be used when in demand. The pain was cast away with the infusion of life energy from our surroundings, only guilt from making poor choices remained.

I rushed to check on Miwah, who was already recovering but couldn't resist hugging both her and the freshly reformed little kin before I cared to find out what just happened.

"Master...the barrier..." My pale werewolf breathed out, "It hurts us. It doesn't seal, but it stings...we can feel it through...our minds..."

I held Miwah tightly, and her smaller variant decided to join in, then the common version 'Purifiers'. The rest of the retinue eyed us curiously.

"Retreat," I said,

"Already did so, Master." Miwah replied, "It was a single volunteer that reached the base of the wall."

"Volunteer?" I asked, looking at the ordinary 'Eviscerator' demanding the same closeness. She pressed herself closer.

"For Master!" She argued, even if it was obvious her effort made her hurt more than usual.

"Very brave," I said, "I should name you something reflecting that."

"For Master!" she agreed enthusiastically, though I never finished that thought.

Instead, my attention returned to what happened.

This was worrying. I didn't expect it. Their invisible shield didn't prevent us from bombarding the castle from a distance, didn't deflect the massive spears thrown by ballistae, and didn't cause the 'sealing' we were so terrified about.

It hurt us, and though it didn't prevent the respawn and allowed my hurt anthropomorphic canine to return back to me it was still capable of striking at us through the link we all shared.

There wasn't any way for me to know the casters were capable of this! It was an entirely different ability, and though not permanent, it was nevertheless dangerous. The effect that could travel through the telepathic connection made it quite sinister as well. From what I understood, they were engaged in nearly constant communication, their minds singing together in a single choir, transmission vector though it always open.

I dreaded to think what might have happened if more of us walked into the area of effect.

Would it overwhelm us all, or would it simply just kill my girls as any sword blow, freeing us from the pain once everyone reformed?

Was the effect meant to scale with the number of creatures within the range, or was this already the limit of its capabilities?

I didn't know, and I wasn't going to risk finding out now. It felt like a rather insidious trap and I wouldn't like to trigger it - not if I could prevent it.

Looking back towards the castle, I noticed a few more bolts struck the enemy battlements, while their own siege engine delivered theirs, but it was for the most part a toothless exchange of fire.

There were no respawns from our side.

Our conventional weapons weren't as effective here, this encounter was mostly about magic. I came to realise that my girls' resurrection-based immortality could backfire in a few of those strange spells, making a full-scale assault a risky endeavour.

"There is no point in continuing the barrage." I stated, "We found what we could, we have to wait."

"Yes, Master."

Our siege engines weren't effective against the walls anyway, and though I could assume they could kill someone, it required accuracy we simply lacked. Similarly, the fact that the castle had its own ballistae didn't change anything, they were equally useless against our positions and did not pose a threat worthy of attack.

I had to remind myself that my plan was to test the barrier - which we did, I just didn't like the result - and to deliver the message. Mission accomplished, though this left a bitter aftertaste.

"Now, we have to wait," I said, to no one in particular, and with the final few shows of affection I freed myself from the furry company, making a few steps towards the road still pondering about my further actions.

My furry menagerie followed and insisted that the opportunity for a hugging session wasn't over, but Tama and Miwah likely flexed their status to be the closest ones.

I found relief from all the company.

"Contact Kuma and let a few of her kin collect stones or logs for bombardment through the portal," I ordered while still watching the scenery of the siege in the distance.

"Yes, Master."

There were flames still smouldering in the fields surrounding the castle, with the fort itself nearly untouched by our bombardment, though a few of our bolts caused some damage to the outer battlements where the soldiers manned the walls.

"Do not do anything to attack the castle yet." I said, "Just sit back and wait, prepare and do not move. Hide under cover and watch for the enemy."

"Yes, Master."

I reminded myself, my self-imposed task - delivering the ultimatum - was completed.

I could think of a way to cause more damage, but it was beside the point, I had to return to the only long-term plan I had.

My thoughts wandered back to the encounter with the looters at the battlefield when their caster had an argument with one of her companions before we were forced to silence both forever, too hurt by the 'sealing' backlash.

It almost happened here too, except this time we would be fighting an uphill battle against the well-fortified location and probably rushed head first into the trap this strange barrier, this field, presented.

I had to wait, either lure their caster into the open field and surround her, in hopes of taking her down before any of her larger-scale abilities had a chance to cause damage, which was unlikely.

Instead, I needed to leave the situation in the castle to simmer, in hopes that the humans would reach the point where some major disagreement between them would erupt, and they would solve the issue themselves, as now I was certain there exist factions between them which fought each other for reasons unknown unless I somehow gained comprehension of the language.

It just needed time. Rome wasn't built overnight, and neither would the human fortress fall so quickly.

Patience was key, however. I had struggled to sit idly while the humans were arguing - assuming they were, indeed, arguing right now.

"Sora. Get your kin to teleport a few of the girls back to the battlefield to scavenge. Perhaps they will find something the others missed." I said, desiring something to occupy our time until the humans responded.

My feline disappeared into her spatial rift soon after, her restlessness and impatience even stronger than mine. She didn't bother to reply.

She could just as well occupy her time with something.

The other girls looked at me with expectations, especially that one little 'Eviscerator' I promised to name earlier as a dubious reward for her undeniable courage, especially for facing the magic that could override the very mechanic which kept her alive.

I paused, not entirely confident in my ability to give her a unique name.

Instead, I thought of something else: the way she perished only to return to my care.

"For Master?" She reminded me of my promise, but my thoughts were somewhere else, though I didn't forget to give the smaller werewolf an acknowledging caress, which somewhat placated her.

I looked at my other girls.

Narita looked at me almost as expectedly too.

"Actually, if they can hurt us so much as they did to you, why did they use the skill only here?" I asked,

"For Master!" The little one didn't know.

"Maybe it isn't instantaneous, Master." Miwah answered instead, "We rushed the other two."

I looked at her, and at smiling Tama, and then Narita. Then I looked around.

My 'Corruptors' uninvolved in the fight continued their work to prepare our surroundings as if they were preparing for a stray but hostile human to wander into our territory, despite the fact that we were in our corner of the woods, with the only access to the valley collapsed.

This forest was an ideal fallback position, I considered. Our location combined our magically enchanted orchard with the permanent cover for ambushes, but there wasn't any guarantee the enemy didn't think of their own. This invisible barrier around the castle was intended to kill my girls should they step into it too, and disturb the 'Displacers' rifts.

What if humans did the same while we were delayed with the fortress?

"Do the other humans know we are here? Other than those in the fortress" I asked

"They must, Master. Human things left for the city! Just before we arrived!" Narita said

I directed the gaze away from my pale werewolf and onto the city the fortress defended. The city was over the river, and quite far away, with a wall of its own. It didn't matter if they closed their gates, it would be just the fortress on a larger scale.

"Some humans left in that direction once we drove them from the village with the other caster, Master," Tama added, and I was slowly reminded of the rough, improvised map Sora prepared.

We couldn't do anything about either the city or the fortress. Those were large, man-made fortified places which required a time-consuming strategy from us, but what if the other smaller villages had similar magical fields waiting for us?

I was no expert, but I guess this would be called the area denial strategy.

I was always assuming those villages simply did nothing, they had no walls, no warriors, but those robed magical women? They were more common than I thought, and every last of them could be equipped with similar spells and had time to prepare.

Although there was nothing to do with the fortress until their precious spellcasters stepped beyond its gates, or internal strife started to boil over, there were other villages that may be similarly protected just waiting for us as an unseen trap.

We needed to prioritise strikes against anything that disturbed the respawning or targeted the mind network while turning the rest of the humans against their spellcasters sooner rather than later. The realisation that there were spells or rituals that needed time to prepare made our hesitation dangerous, especially when the uniformed robes made our enemies noticeable.

I looked at Miwah and her smaller kin.

My precious girls won't suffer from the magic of those robed women.

"For Master! Master!" The little 'Eviscerator' cheered, devoted to a fault, and I felt immediately guilty that she was willing to step into the barrier again.

"Get me Sora, and Kuma. We are going to check the other villages for casters." I declared, then paused, knowing I would be sending my little furry followers into possible danger.

However, should the barriers be rigged for my menagerie to step in, I had just an alternative - the best of the two worlds. A human they didn't quite expect.

"And prepare to bring me the crazy human girl too. She may be better when dealing with villagers."