The night sky was still and silent. The shattered fragments of the moon hid behind looming dark clouds as thin red mists weaved among the unseen stars. To the unaware, the night was just like any other, a reminder of the threat that prowled beyond the woods. However, she knew otherwise. The night would soon be dyed in blood, and the calm was simply a foretelling of the carnage to come.

The garrison stood in the distance, surrounded by a forest of sickly green and stalks from what was now the walls that would soon fall. Not every thicket of woodlands was grey like ash, and sturdy brown lumber made for better walls than twisting jagged chalk filled with whispers of a mystified evil.

In order to reach the city of Aodh, and subsequently, the Dungeon, Rana and Alpheia needed to get past the garrison. With wards of protection and marked one skills or talents that could restrict their movement, their only options were to sneak through or break through the enemy line. With the fiend’s lust for battle already as brazen as it was, there was only once choice. However, their objective was not as simple as it seemed. Their destination was the Tree of Ashen Falls, but the garrison was not their only challenge.

The current state of the area made the situation much more difficult to resolve. Not only was there a heavily fortified garrison that normally would not be there, measures against enemy attack and infiltration made Aodh on high alert. Considering that the Dungeon was their source of power, it would no doubt be guarded well. The area was also teeming with enemy hostiles: an invading force and their scouting parties, and the defenders and their patrols. The garrison stationed two commanders and several capable marked ones leading trained soldiers. They needed to do more than simply getting past the garrison and they needed to deal one swift decisive blow.

“Let’s begin,” Rana said in her mind, telepathically communicating with the moon-kin. Alpheia was a rare breed of fiend, one capable of combat and the creation of monster servants. Her summons were made by meeting certain material requirements, then infusing the summoning spell and dead body parts with her cursed mana. The Crypt Poachers Rana fought before were one such summons. What if Rana were to cheat the summoning spell? Like every spell, the summoning spell was registered into the fiend, and part of it was communication and control via a blood connection. It took some time to convince the moon-kin, but Rana was able to isolate the activated blood connection within her own body, circulating the magic with her mana.

This was her guarantee for the moon-kin, and now, it was time to enact their assault.

Fiery petals arched over the night from the distance into the eastern wall. These red sparks soared like shooting stars and crashed into the man-made structure, charring wood and burning flesh as they exploded on impact. The garrison was roused, shouts were heard as captains commanded their soldiers to brace for an attack. The bombardment did not stop as the moon-kin continuously fired off her plumes, prioritizing quantity over destructiveness. The plan was to let the garrison know where it was coming from.

The garrison gate opened and a squad of soldiers marched out. Rana could sense their tension, the forming of mana that was waiting to be unleashed. There were three marked ones within their ranks, and one of them was exceptional given how he controlled his mana. It must be one of the commander’s deputies. She smirked lightly. It was just as she expected.

When Aodh, the defenders, sent out a patrol to find the strike force of their invaders, the patrol did not report back. They did not know that their forces were destroyed by a fiend. To the defenders, they believed there was a force strong enough to route their patrol hid close by, and was now attacking their fortress with artillery. The decision was the correct one, to swiftly scout out and defeat an enemy before their main force arrived. However, with improper information, it would prove to be their undoing.

The moon-kin stopped her bombardment and slowly retreated, making sure that her mana was generating and her hostility was inhibited but not suppressed. Rana needed Alpheia to guide the defenders to where the invaders were hiding and draw the two forces out. It was not difficult to deduce where the invaders were as they hid with a deliberate intention, her zombie senses helped too, and she would help them accomplish that goal. She once asked whether the moon-kin approved of the plan, but for the monster army, she was willing to put aside her grudge.

“Remember the plan?” Rana asked as she began to approach the site of battle. There was a battle cry from the shadows under the trees, and she knew the invaders had began to meet the defenders. The moon-kin did not respond, but given that the explosions ceased, Rana knew she was heard. The clash of metal, the spilling of blood, and the shattering of bones echoed throughout the night. Humans began killing each other and Rana could do nothing but sigh. This was why the Church was needed, why humanity must adhere to the truth. There was no point in fighting among themselves when there was a common enemy lurking about.

“Done,” she heard Alpheia speak in her mind. The sound of killing intensified with the trampling of bodies and wailing of retreats. The moon-kin has successfully killed the defender's captain, as evidenced by the invaders gaining ground. The fiend also successfully hid her presence in the shadows and masking her mana in the chaos of battle. No matter how powerful a marked one, a critical strike from the shadows is more than enough to take someone down.

Rana ran. She leaped out of the trees and joined in the ranks of the fleeing soldiers. She disguised herself with the armor of fallen Aodh soldiers and followed their retreat back into the garrison. The defenders retreated under the cover of a rain of arrows, and when the gates opened, she made sure she enchanted the Aodh identification ward so she was allowed in.

“For your own well being, you best hope they come,” the moon-kin muttered in her head as Rana ducked away from the healers and hid in a corner. Then, there was a signal flare and the unmistaken boom of the Echo talent. The invaders began their next move, and it was a move she anticipated.

“Don’t worry. That was the signal,” Rana replied. All she had to do now was wait, wait until all hell broke loose and the path became clear. There was a surge of mana in the west followed by a rallying cry great enough to shake the sky. The invaders had another force. There was a reason why the fight between Alpheia and the patrol was not detected, or that there were no further enemies. They split into two as to better traverse the terrain, gaining access to pathways a large army could not risk, places far from where the patrol was. Their absence in that battle revealed their location.

The garrison sent out some of its soldiers to meet the invaders, to find and disrupt enemy mages, but the majority of its soldiers held the walls. Normally, the defenders held the advantage, and from what she gathered, the commander was a marked one who is skilled in command and possessed talents that aided his troops. However, what were to happen if the defenders lost their advantage?

“Now,” Rana said, and without even missing a beat, Alpheia flew high and revealed herself. Her eyes glowed red and crimson sparks began to surge throughout her body. Rana could hear yells of confusion, of disbelief, and cries of a ‘monster’. Of course, they would think that. Why would soldiers of Aodh, a territory far from the frontline, assume a fiend was approaching?

Before both invader and defender could rally, the explosive plumes were unleashed upon the garrison gate. With a crashing blast, the gate fell. The commander was forced to send out his forces to meet the invaders and also the monster. If the garrison couldn't hold, the enemy would be approaching his homeland. However, that was not enough. Rana needed to thin out the remaining marked ones from her target. She closed her eyes and searched for it, a piece of her that she gave away. There it was, and the fool would dance.

There was an explosion, an ignition from Fool’s Fire. The enemy scrambled as four more rang out and burnt their supply stock. It was the third force, and it was close. They had to stop it, and that was Rana wanted them to believe. The commander sent out his remaining marked ones, only his own mana remained in the tent. The conditions were clear, and there was only one more move before checkmate.

Rana entered the commander’s tent. His guards were the first to react but he told them to stand down. Of course, he believed the intruder was no match for him. He was close to ascension and an experienced duellist. What threat someone like Rana, a mage with equipment that only appeared competent at best, could possibly possess?

She darted forward lashed out with a fist. It was straight forward. It was easy to slice off. The commander smirked. There was a flash and a chill sliced into her severed arm. It was done. Rana dove to the ground. The arm in the air was filled with crimson anger, a surging hatred that was about to be ignited by Fool’s Fire and Mana Explosion.

The tent exploded, the sheet torn and shredded by fire and wind. Those who were not dead were stunned. However, zombies did not suffer physical negative status impediments. The heavily injured commander could only stare as a one-handed assailant stabbed her staff into his throat. Ice blasted from within, and the frozen shards and tendrils pushed out from his face while tearing everything inside along the way.

Rana knelt down, her stamina gave out. The guards looked at their fallen commander. Many e fled, but few remained, and those that did had vengeance in their eyes. However, before they could reach her, a screech like a piercing chime broke through the dust and grabbed her.

“Your blood is more powerful than I expected,” Rana said as Alpheia carried her away. The moon-kin simply gave her a look and the two flew off.

Rana aided the invaders and now Aodh was open to an all-out invasion. The local government would have to divert its soldiers and defenses for the war to come. Her heart cried for the innocent lives that would be lost, but she knew that the path towards the truth was always paved in blood.

Just like the now red sky.