My four Assassins, one of them featuring a nasty black cut on his arm, arrive on top of the already-crowded tower with a very sneaky Oblivion Dragon and her pet in tow.

Talia rushes to Dum's side and checks his injury herself before letting the mages get to him. Violet begins sneaking through the crowd, but doesn't go unnoticed by my eyes. Fortunately for her, I'll have to leave her reprimanding till later.

Right now, I'm stuck trying to make sense of three conversations at once and am failing miserably as I watch the sneaky little Dragon escape. Probably off to tell the others of her secret adventure and boast of how cool she is.

The little shit.

I would have expected that sort of thing from Becca, not one of the triplets.

Never mind. Bigger fish to fry and all that.

Light was babbling on about how his Light magic worked even better than he thought it would. He was also ranting that Noir had started a fight for no apparent reason. The aforementioned Assassin solely denied that allegation and instead claimed that it was in fact Light that had initiated the fight.

Frankly, I wasn't even bothered that there had been a fight. Nor who had started it. That was my general intention after all. The worst part was that I had to stand there and listen to the rest of their shit all while hoping that they managed to pick up some useful information.

It wasn't fruitful, let me tell you.

Apparently, and I'm saying this now, they threw that word around a lot. It was usually followed by an allegation toward another Assassin, but I wasn't interested in those parts of their story. I didn't want to know that Dee had called Dum 'Dumb' and that Dum had gotten offended by it.

What I wanted to know was why Dum had a nasty, black gash on his arm. A demonic looking cut that my Cleric, Necromancers and even my Rainbow Mage, weren't able to fix.

I didn't care who used their aura first or who escalated it to using skills, I wanted to know what skills the King had and what his aura was like. Yet for some reason, the annoying group of Assassins had no answers for me on that front.

They had one job. Well, two. But the first was supposed to take priority.

"Information gathering. That's what I wanted you to do. It wasn't too much to ask. You all have eyes and ears after all, don't you? Yet no. No information. Just a pissed off King. Which was your secondary task so good job guys. Way to go." I'm not happy and the sarcasm is evident in my tone.

Damn. I've been a right bitch recently. What's up with that?

A quick check on Dum shows that he's not dying. He's inflicted by a curse that prevents healing, evident by his status. Even though the Assassin has a serious injury, at least it's some information.

"Good job, guys," I say again as Dum joins his team, this time with more honesty. Noir perks up at my sentiment which instantly aggravates me, but I suck it up and keep smiling. "On a scale of one to ten, how pissed off would you say the King is right now?"

After a bit of discussion they arrive at the number, "999."

This is what I mean. I get what they're doing, I do. They want me to know the King's mega angry. Like, Dragon angry. So angry that it's completely off the scale. I get it. But 999? Come on.

Shaking it off, I thank the squad before grabbing everyone's attention.

"Ok, guys. It's time to get into position. The King's probably readying his soldiers as we speak and thanks to Dum we know he has the ability to inflict curses. That means he probably is being controlled by a Demon, like we had heard. That said, there's no need to hold back on this, though. We've worked too hard to let what's ours be taken from us. We built this place from the ground up, yes it was with magic, but we still did it, and no stupid, Demon-controlled King is going to take it away from us, nor will he force us out." Agreement and excitement comes from the crowd. I'm not usually one for big speeches, but it feels necessary now.

"This is our home, not theirs. They're invaders, aiming to take all that is ours, down to our very lives and more. Are we going to let that happen?"

"No!" The shout erupts from the top of the tower. Loud enough to scare the birds away, if they hadn't already fled.

"Damn right we're not. We're not going to let no half-leveled soldiers and their King trample over our hard work. Over everything we've accomplished. Like fuck. You all know your positions and what you're supposed to be doing. I have faith in you. All of you. Even you, Noir."

The redhead beams in delight at being directly mentioned in my speech and he throws a smug look in Light's direction.

"Each individual here is a force to be reckoned with in their own way. Everyone of you is special beyond what you believe. And most importantly, I love you all more than I can say with actual words." I spread my will through the crowd, wrapping them up in the warm feeling I'm exuding from my core and I feel their own love in return. A circuit runs between me and them. The reciprocation and the offering of love circles through us all as hugs begin to be given and received.

"It's time to take your places."

Slowly, Assassins and Mages begin teleporting from the tower using their own different techniques. Anya approaches me with Lola and as she holds me close she tells me to "Stay safe."

I'm Abi the Invincible you know, I want to laugh to ease the tension. She looks more worried than I feel, which chips away at my confidence slightly. Once they've gone - off to Dragons Daycare as their role is more of a supportive one, I psych myself back up and watch as people leave in groups, one after the other.

Off to take their predetermined spots. Ready to coordinate with the rest of my family that already lurk in the woods. Bats, Spiders, Wolves, Golems, Harpies and Sirens are but a few of the more monstrous elements of our family that have finally been allowed out into the world above.

I know I usually argue with Me over the semantics of what we call ourselves, but on this occasion it might be better to agree with his definition. Although he has finally got over calling our family members monsters. It's just a shame that that's exactly what we're going to be right now and I'm not any different.

In a way... I suppose that makes me Queen of the Monsters, right?

I'll take that.

A Dungeon Core is just another type of monster anyway. Albeit one that doesn't move and makes other monsters, but still a monster nonetheless.

Knowing that and unleashing my horde upon the surface of Tironia, almost makes me feel guilty. Like I'm a bad human/Dungeon Core. I mean, it's not like I've released them so we can go around raiding villages and stealing humans. I've got the Syndicate for that. My monsters are here solely for the defence of Varona and maybe to gain a bit of experience in the process, but that's obvious.

The only time to fight most of them get is in the Coliseum. That said, the Ringmaster is amazing at his job. He constantly alternates through the main floors when coming up with training routines and he doesn't leave any species out. That means this isn't my family's first fight, which would likely have been a major disaster if it were.

Once most people have left, the top of my tower is almost empty. Only those that I will direct myself during the war, and the triplets, remain by my side. Me's still here too, seeing how there are currently no Adventurer Guild patrols or any human guards for him to help level up. Inside, mages line the inner staircase from the bottom to the top. All ready to direct whatever magic they can at our would-be aggressors, defended by the small arches that they will be firing from.

The Sentry Towers are more akin to little fortresses than as a means of surveillance, and with their reinforcement to magic, it only gives the statement more credibility. Strong as they are through, that doesn't mean they they are invincible.

From the edges of the forest, a wave of black and red energy, reminiscent of the Shadow Blades I often see my assassins use but on a much larger scale, begins to cut down the trees directly in front of us. The demonic tear in space is hurled right at us and explodes against my tower and its magically reinforced structure.

Fortunately, Me talked me into getting the good stuff. Any ordinary tower would have been wiped off the face of Tironia had we been cheaper. I suddenly don't feel quite as sore as before when I found out how much they cost. That's for sure.

Thank god they are reinforced and I hope no one was caught in that, are the only thoughts I can muster as I look at the damage my tower has taken.

There are cracked bricks, but other than that we've held strong. I can't see the tower taking more than a dozen hits, though. They are strong, but they can only last so long.

After taking count of the damages, I stare out at the army marching towards us. I can see them myself now. Even with the distance between us, I can see them marching on thanks to the felled trees from the King's skill.

At least, I hope that was the King's skill.

I could do without him having some secret powerhouses in his ranks. Not that it's likely, but I can't rule out the possibility. That's why Noir and Carrie are still on my tower instead of in the shadows with the others. I've kept them on hand, as well as a few other Assassins and Mages, in case anyone can't handle what they're up against.

I've got my fingers crossed that I won't need to deploy them. The nerves I managed to quell before are slowly creeping back in, and I embrace them, too. It would be stupid if I was overconfident right now, which makes fear a good feeling. It means I'm not 100% percent stupid.

That said, I can't let fear control my emotions. I've also got a bad track record of seeing red when shit gets real, so I need to keep that under wraps.

Then again, this could be the best time to use Dungeon Mist. In fact, it's probably the only chance I'll get. I haven't actually used the skill properly yet and every time I have it was always involuntary. The people around me get as angry as I am and I instantly cut the skill, but... I wonder what it actually does?

Well. There's no time like the present, right?