--- Roric

Some time after his meeting with Kandros, Roric found a small village and someone who could ferry him and his horse to the other side of the river. Coincidentally, the boatman also had a cousin living many miles South, in Lanis' Crossing, who had come upstream three days earlier bringing news of an army crossing the bridge there. It was said that the princess of Cassidia was among the soldiers.

Roric wasn't happy to hear that, not in the slightest. He didn't want Elise anywhere near Rickhart, it was too dangerous and it could lead to a tragedy if his paladin friend was right about the power of the necromancer.

I have to hurry.

The boy traveled for a while, asking for directions and hoping to be on the right path to Lyngard, until he finally left the woodlands behind and found himself in the plains. From what he had heard from a local hunter, the city was relatively close and all he had to do was proceeding in the direction of the sunset.

What Elise was doing was already obvious. Ever since her failure in Fradot the girl had grown more and more obsessed with protecting those she felt responsible for. It was a bad habit of hers.

I should be spotting Lyngard at any moment now. Too bad I don't have much daylight left. Bah, who cares? I think I saw a road a while ago, if everything else fails I'll try to find it again and see if it leads where I need to.

However, the young warrior was wondering why the city didn't appear. It definitely wasn't that late, but for some reason the horizon was shrouded.

It sure is hazy out here... Wait, it can't be possible with all this wind.

Still, an ominous fog obstructed the view more and more the closer Roric got. Once he was surrounded by it, he simply dismounted. It was impossible to ride blindly without seeing where he was going.

Shit. I'd better search for that path. It will make me lose some time, but at least I'll get to my destination at some point.

He headed South, until his feet met some dirt. The road was unpaved, unkept, yet it led in the right direction. The boy followed at the best of his abilities, dragging the horse and focusing on his hearing. Something didn't feel right.

It reminds me of that night. This fog is too thick and dense to be natural. The same kind Rickhart summoned back then.

Chills ran up his spine. He hadn't forgotten how scary fighting against a necromancer had been. All his companions dying, their corpses getting animated instantly, with a seemingly impassable wall all around...

People!

Roric stopped where he was, realizing that two figures were approaching. Their identity was still unknown, but even in the growing darkness they weren't carrying torches. He quickly looked for a place to hide, but there was nothing. Those plains were completely bare.

I could lie in the grass and wait for them to pass... What about my horse? If those two are enemies, they'll see it and get suspicious.

Pressured by the need to decide, the boy weighed up his options and in the end he let go of the reins, jumping to the side before the strangers could notice him. He crawled on the ground, keeping his eyes on them and hoping that his mount would have moved away on its own. Yet, the trick didn't work.

One of the men yelled something menacing, in a different language, then he ran forward alongside his companion to inspect the animal, which was standing still in the middle of the road. Now that they were closer, Roric could easily see that they were huge and their attire mainly consisted of pelts and leather.

Barbarians. Kandros told me Rickhart had joined forces with them, but I didn't expect to find them so far away from the Steppes. That must mean he is much closer than I thought.

The invaders walked circles around the horse, confused by finding it abandoned. From their number and the fact that they were lightly armed the young warrior guessed them to be scouts, probably sent to keep watch on the East side in case reinforcements were coming from Cassidia. He had to elude them, if he wanted to reach Lyngard without raising the alarm.

Still, before the boy could find a way to do so, his mount decided to run away towards the exact spot where he was hiding. The two Barbarians looked at him in disbelief, for a couple of seconds, then they drew their weapons and attacked with mighty roars.

Alright, here we go...

Roric jumped back on his feet, facing his opponents. He freed his sword from its sheath just in time to parry the first blow and counter it. In an accurate, deadly swing, the head of the first man was chopped away and rolled somewhere into the fog, leaving his friend as the only obstacle. The remaining scout, however, tried to reach for a war horn that was strapped to his side.

He wants to call for help, damn it! I need to kill him!

Lucky for him, the young warrior was close enough. The steel of his blade went through the instrument and crushed it, splitting the hand wielding it in two. Screaming, the Barbarian raised his hatchet and prepared to attack, but thanks to his Elemental nature Roric had little to fear. His enemy's movements seemed slower than those of a snail.

Die!

His sword buried deep into the man's chest, emerging from the other side along with a spray of blood. With his last breaths, the boy's opponent tried to grab it and get it out of his body, but at that point it was useless. There was no way he could survive without a healer. A trace of fear crossed his eyes, strangely, as he tried to say something in his language.

"Don't resist," whispered Roric. "You fought well, but it's over. Now go in peace."

I have no grudge against him. He and his friend didn't have to die. If only that stupid horse had stayed there... Uh?

A red glimmer illuminated the Barbarian's insides, just for an instant. It was a time too short for anyone without the young warrior's reflexes to notice. He immediately freed his weapon and took three steps back, letting the body collapse. A puff of crimson smoke, almost invisible to the eye, hovered around the corpse and then gained altitude, directed to the West.

Is... Is this magic? Rickhart... What is he doing?

***

--- Elise

"Your Highness, I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but... Are you sure you being here is a good idea?"

"Absolutely, captain," replied Elise. "Lord Albert gave me his permission, and it's only natural that a leader stands among the soldiers who are defending the country."

She waved at the troops aligned in front of the walls, who looked up from below.

Well, it's not like Albert fully agreed, but as long as I stay here on this bastion everything should be alright. I left the coordination of our men to him and his entourage with the condition that I could assist.

There was another reason why the girl had chosen to go there instead of remaining hidden inside the keep. For what she had seen earlier, in fact, the morale was dwindling now that general Cremont was out of the picture. Losing him was certainly not part of the King's plan, as well as facing a direct attack on Lyngard.

"Don't worry," she said to the young officer who was escorting her around. "If things get dangerous I'll go back at once. I just want my presence to be a help for the soldiers, that's all."

The man bowed, and didn't complain anymore.

Moreover, I kinda want to look at a real battle, even from afar. I realize I don't have the experience to lead our army myself yet, but one day I will. This is a good chance for princess Elise to learn something actually useful.

The morning was misty. It was winter, so it wasn't that strange. When she lived in Fradot, sometimes the clouds were so low that the people who lived in the upper part of the village had to hug the walls of the buildings while following the road, to keep track of where they were.

Still, that fog was strangely heavy and it only covered the western plains.

Is this the trickery the captain told us about? The one our enemy uses to strike fear into our hearts?

Elise had to admit that it worked pretty well. She was already unable to see what lay past the frontlines, and the archers were probably facing the very same problem. At that rate, the advantage of having walls would have turned against the defenders.

"Something's started, down there," the officer exclaimed. "But I can't figure out what. It doesn't seem like a melee, but it could be. I can't see."

The commanders in charge of the ground troops ordered to fall back and stay near the gate. It was only then that the young princess realized how grim things were. Many of the soldiers were carrying wounded people on their shoulders or simply dragging them on the ground.

Damn! This fog dampens sounds too... No wonder we couldn't hear anything.

She asked herself again what Rickhart had in mind. Then, more human figures began coming out of the fog, stumbling. They weren't alive, or they shouldn't have been.

"Princess!" yelled the officer. "Please get out of here, quickly! Those are the monsters created by the necromancer!"

"Monsters?" asked some voices around, on the same part of the wall, "What is attacking us exactly?"

"It's some sort of magic," said other people, "They can't be killed!"

"We are finished!"

Finished? Is this the kind of attitude a soldier should have?

Elise puffed out her chest and raised her voice. "Nobody move! Men, hear me!"

She had called for their attention instinctively, and now that hundreds and hundreds of eyes were suddenly pointed at her she was almost regretting it. Yet, if telling them was part of her duty as the princess, the girl couldn't falter. She shrugged away the feeling of uneasiness one last time and addressed the defenders as loud as she could.

"Remember who you are, my men! You are soldiers of Cassidia, loyal servants of King Sebastian! Behind you there's the people of Lyngard. They are my people, as well as yours. Brace yourselves and hang in there! Shoot down those things before they come close!"

A cheer of approval roared from the army. Like she expected, her words could have a huge weight in the right situation.

We won't fall this easily. Not this time.

***

--- Roric

Covered by the fog, Roric managed to reach the walls and sneak towards the defenders. Judging from the signs in the ground and the arrows stuck all around him, a first assault had already taken place. Despite a discomforting feeling, the young warrior pressed on.

"You! Stop right there!" yelled a voice, from ahead.

Two or three projectiles whistled in the air, shot blindly into his general direction.

The archers can't see me.

"It's fine, I'm not one of them," he replied, advancing with his hands raised. "My name is Roric, I'm here to see the Princess."

A captain of the army, leading a small platoon of soldiers who were hiding behind a barricade in front of the main gate, stood and ordered, "Stop right there! I don't know who you are, but-"

"Ask princess Elise, then," Roric simply repeated. "I'm her friend and servant. His Majesty the King in person sent me to her."

It was a half truth, but there wasn't time to come up with a better excuse to convince the guards to let him pass. While the officer checked, the boy was surprised to realize how scared his men seemed.

"What happened here, sir? I was told Barbarians were fierce fighters, but..."

A shadow darkened the face of the captain. "Those... Those things weren't Barbarians. I still can't describe them well."

Undead.

"They came from the fog," said one of the archers. "Arrows didn't hurt them. I saw one taking a javelin and losing half of his shoulder... Only to continue walking. They were slow and mostly harmless, but the men in the front were terrified. Some ran towards the fields, never to return."

"Did the Barbarians attack?" asked Roric.

"We... We were holding them, despite this damn haze. Lord Albert had ordered to shoot whoever came, but we didn't have any clear target. The enemies came onto us almost unnoticed."

In that moment, the captain returned. "It's all fine, young one. Again, I don't know who you are, but welcome in Lyngard. Enjoy your stay."

"Thanks, sir. Good night."

The young warrior proceeded through a small opening between the gates, thinking about what he had just heard. He remembered the living corpses jumping and running like normal humans when Rickhart was controlling them. That meant his main attack had yet to happen, and all of that was just the necromancer's way to destroy the morale of the defenders just like he had done that time, back in the Republic.

Yet, now I'm different. If he dares to show his face again, I'm not letting him go.

The boy found himself in a clearing full of injured soldiers. He only needed a glance to tell that some were already dead or dying. People were tending to the wounds and carrying the bodies away, to different areas of the city. Right in the middle of them, a short distance from where Roric stood, was Elise.

She turned in his direction, and their eyes crossed for the first time in months.