I don't know what to do. The undead horde will be down here by tomorrow noon. I do know one thing, I have no intention of staying behind here and fighting for some war I have no interest in.

The next thing I have to consider is whether or not I should save Ake, Kogo and guys. They were instrumental in getting me here and I don't think they were just trying to steal something. They must've been thrown in prison because of me.

I try to strain and move a little bit. Spasms of pain travel through my body. The pain is a bit more bearable now but it still hurts.

I don't know where they're located or how to get them out. The most important question of all is how do I escape with them in tow. Escaping by myself would be much easier but I should get them out.

Getting them out would secure me their loyalty and nothing is more valuable in an unfamiliar environment then people you can trust.

OK, but how do I go about this?

...

..

.

Knight Kane

She'd been riding non-stop for days now. Every single limb in her body screamed with pain and agony. She'd hadn't slept a wink in two days. The few brief spells of sleep occurred on her saddle. She could feel her thighs. There would be awful blisters once this was over.

She could've had her healer get rid of them or alleviate the pain but she was too embarrassed. Some of the guys in her unit would have their butts healed as well. It was a funny sight to see that happen. Those moments kept her alive. She couldn't wait for the day this would be over.

Over. That would be the day. Untiring undead flowing through the world in broad day-light. Undead had never been a problem outside of dungeons, dark-damp caves and the night.

Now it seemed like they'd overcome their afflictions to step out and they were a formidable force. Where a single slash of one of her men could lop off a normal beings head, the undead needed to be smacked down two or three times to crush their head. It was massive inefficiency when dealing with thousands of them.

"Captain, I think we're close to Fren's Fade. Fren's Fade referred to the most recent city the Eyeless One had invaded. The Eyeless One was a terrifying undead with an unknown combat potential.

Unknown for now. They'd clashed their swords a few times but never had a single decisive duel occurred. He was always on the back-step, a second away from retreat. He had no intentions of staying and fighting a battle of honor. What was honor to a vermin like him.

One more month...that's it. Just one more month. That's how long I have to hold them off for...

They reached Fern's Fade in about an hour and the rising plumes of smoke formed a somber atmosphere. All of them were quiet. This wasn't the first time they'd seen a sight like this but who could get used to the absolute loss of life left in the wake of these undead.

A lump formed in Kane's throat. Fort Kane was the next logical step on the map. Reems...

They very thought of her brother under siege by that abomination sent chills down her spine. That cretin was doing this to spite her. He had no other intention.

"Captain...we have to go through."

Steep cliffs lined the sky on the left and a river wound its way through the right. Those cliffs weren't normal. It was rumored that they were the result of giants last spell. Kane had heard many bards sing about that giant's heroic saga and didn't believe a word of it. She'd met giants. They weren't that impressive after all.

"Let's go." She kicked her horse on the side and he started tottering up to the city. The city had been razed to the ground. The smell of blood mixed with ash tingled her nose. She had the emblem of the kingdom engraved on her helmet's forehead.

It signified her ultimate loyalty to the crown. She rubbed it for a brief second. Those disgusting creatures were wreaking havoc through her country. However, this was the first time she'd seen a city burned down to the ground in this manner.

Something didn't gel here. That eyeless creep operated in a different manner. He liked to operate on the backfoot and conserve his forces. Why would he rush in here now?

"Rea, why do you think he was so impatient with this city? He has no problem with hunkering down but this was too quick."

"Perhaps, he was aware of our approach." Her deputy didn't believe it even as the words came out of his mouth. Kane could tell.

"Its not entirely impossible. How is he able to avoid us time and time again? This is getting frustrating!"

"Commander, " Her deputy pulled his horse closer. They were a bit ahead of their main force, they wouldn't be able to hear them. "Do you think there might be a spy among us?"

"We've been on his throat seven times. I've succeeded once if you count out the duel in the capital but every other time he slips out by a hair breadth." She could feel her deputy's eyes roaming down through the soldiers. "Keep this to yourself for now, I don't want this tearing apart the unit."

"Understood."

"Captain, incoming!" It was their ranger. He had the greatest dexterity and awareness among all of them. Even their archer couldn't compare to him.

[Barrier]

A translucent barrier of mana surrounded her body. An arrow shoved its tip through it but that was it. It was stuck in mid-air. The only problem was, it was about to explode in her face.