Her silver hair fluttered behind her while she watched the empty plains. Zel thought this was a waste of her time, but she also knew that she couldn't refuse this request. It was her duty and she needed to do it well. But the stillness of the vast plainS troubled her.

A shout came from below, followed by orders coming from one of the veteran officers. She knew the man, but not the fresh faces doing drills in front of him. Zel sighed heavilly before walking along the walls to continue her inspection. The parapets of the wall were crude compared to those built into the walls of the Capital, but these wooden ones would hold. They need to hold.

Reports flooded the Capital a few days ago and they bothered the local nobility. Zel would've never bothered with these reports and ignored the rabble of these lesser lords and ladies when she was suddenly ordered by her father to do an inspection on one of the forts near Lorren.

She didn't hate her father, she hated his job and the people in it. He's too nice for his line of work, but he was the kind of man this kingdom needed the most but sadly have a shortage of. She would've preferred the company of her friends instead of the stares and whispers constantly being thrown her way by the soldiers. She frowned but kept up appearances, it would be a blow to the recruits morale if they saw her with a scowl but maybe it's fine to kick a few of them staring at her for a little too long than necessary.

With a resigned sigh, she folded her arms together and stood at one of the nicer spots on top of the walls. She hated the fact that the local lord would commision such a garrison in the middle of nowhere. It had no strategic value, it was expensive to maintain, and it sat atop a mound of earth with nothing to defend it on all sides. It irritated Zel to a degree.

"Good morning to you, Miss Li-"

"Do not address me by that name, Captain. You'd do well not to annoy me."

"Of course, of course. You go by 'Zel' now, correct?"

She nodded at the man's question while she maintained her vigilant gaze on the horizon.

She snapped coldly at the old man standing beside her. He chuckled and stroke his brown and rough moustache as he took a look at the empty plains with her.

He was bald and old and he smelled like prunes and wine. His head shone brightly like his silver armor, perhaps brighter even. But Zel held her tongue out of respect and eyed the old man instead as he rubbed his lower back. He was a veteran, and a man 30 years her senior.

For his age, his muscles were pretty bulky and she knows that he could easily punch a dent into the stone walls of this fort if need be, but she also knows that his back is giving way to age. Zel was surprised to see him walking around without his trusty cane, but she didn't ask any questions about it.

"Have you finished the inspection?"

She nodded once more and the man nodded as well.

"Yes. I did."

Finally, her eyes turned away from the quiet landscape and towards the old man. The man slinked back at her cold gaze, but only slightly.

"This place is open to attack on all sides. The rations are poorly stored due to the limited space. Most of the soldiers here are fresh recruits. I can list 7 more problems at the top of my head but I'm sure you know that the main problem of this place is that this was only meant as a symbol of power for Lord Marqus."

There was a silence after that. The old man continued to watch the clouds while Zel waited for an answer. Just standing here annoyed her, and the thought of wasting precious time in a remote fortress infuriated her even more.

"Yes. Those are problems, yes. But I can sense that you're troubled not just by these things."

"Of course. This is pointless and the pay is... terrible."

The old man chuckled at her words yet his eyes remained glued onto the horizon.

"I will not say it is a shame to have lost a soldier like you. But it would be nice to have someone like you take up my post."

Zel scoffed before folding her arms together.

"I prefer the dangers of being an adventurer than a noble's or a soldier's dull life. Especially after seeing the sorry state of this place. But I must say, the skills you have taught me are useful in my current line of work."

"Of course. You were never the type to sit still anyway. I still remember the days when your father would entrust you to me and you'd go off running into the wide wheat fields of my estate."

The two chuckled. Pleasant memories ran through Zel's mind as she looked back at those carefree times. But the laugh slowly faded and there was silence between them once more.

"Sir Jared, do you know why we had to double the guards here?"

"Not just here, Zel. Every garrison and town east of the White Peaks were supposed to triple their guards and soldiers. The Capital itself is on high alert."

The man frowned and stroked his moustache.

"We were supposed to have some men come from Rivergard but they never showed."

"Is their something holding them back?"

"We are not sure as well. Heruen said he couldn't contact the city."

The two frowned stared at the plains in front of them

"This fort is all that stands between Rivergard and Lorren. Whatever comes from that city, it is us that will have to deal with it first. And if Lorren falls..."

"The road to the capital is theirs for the taking. Indeed. That is the case."

Zel sighed and ran through the calculations in her mind.

The fort they guarded stood in the middle of a wide and flat plain with only two roads going near it. The one that went westward took travellers to the city of Rivergard. It was more of a fortress with markets and businesses than a city, Zel thought to herself. She had been there a few times in the past to buy armor and weapons since its proximity to the White Peaks meant many Dwarves traded their works there. In fact, it was where she bought her beloved sword from.

Zel shook her head slightly. She was getting distracted from her calculations.

It stood along the banks of two rivers and it was heavily fortified with high walls enchanted with all manners of magic and a force of over 10,000 soldiers stood ready to face off anything that would come from the mountains. It will not be so easily taken, but if it were it would take the force only 2 days to march here without stop.

But until they took that mighty city, they would never reach this place. It was the bulwark of the South, the City that holds the river at bay. That city guards the Southern Passage against attacks from the west and south and in order to strike into the heartlands of Elizzet, they need to take control of that city.

Until then, Zel was content on standing guard along the walls of this small fort.

"Do you think it's an army?"

"An army? The Demon King is not a fool to attempt something like that at this time. The last king may have perished in the last war 12 years ago, but they have inflicted a heavy blow on him that they are still recovering from."

The memory of those events was still fresh, and so are the scars in Zel's heart. The old man, Jared Quickfist, winced at his own words. What happened during those long years still stung for the two, but they remained still in their watch.

"It could be an incursion. But-"

Something. Something in the distance moved. It was as if their words brought whatever loomed in the distance towards them. They both frowned and watched the large mass split into two groups, one heading north and one heading straight towards them.

It was no wild animal nor cloud. It was the reason why no birds flew overhead, it was the thing that silenced the great walled city. Deep down, they both knew that they must act now.

The two didn't waste a second as they immediately bolted down the stairs leading down into the training grounds below. They need to act quick, act now, or die in the middle of nowhere. But even as Zel ran down the long flight of stairs, she could feel her gut twisting into knots at the thought of what such a force could do to her town.

To her friends.

"Sir Jared. Send a message to the towns north of here. Tell them to evacuate the villages and wall themselves in. I'm going to Lorren to help defend the town."

"Of course. I assume you'll need a horse as well?"

"The fastest you have."

"Take Pan's steed. It is a white stallion, you can't miss it."

"Thank you."

Brief and concise, just how she liked her conversations with other soldiers. There was no time for pleasantries or goodbyes, just action. And she burst into a flurry of action as she ran across the large courtyard.

The soldiers she passed simply nodded at the few orders she barked. Jared yelled at one of the soldiers to give Zel the reins to one of the horses and he complied without a fuss. There was confusion everywhere, but Zel simply looked around her and sighed.

"Open the gates!"

She yelled out, her voice cutting through the tense air as she mounted the large steed.

The heavy wooden gates flung open and she immediately rode out with the fine stallion. Behind her, she could hear the shouts of men and the incoherent orders of officers behind her as she put more distance between her and the fort.

"Undead. It's an Undead army."

Her tongue clicked as she whipped the reins she held.

Two hours. That's how long it will take the army of the dead to reach the fort. At least, that was her calculations and she is rarely wrong with her computations.

But what bothered Zel is how did the Undead reach all the way here? They couldn't have overrun Rivergard that quickly. It was simply impossible for the-

Unless. Unless they didn't take Rivergard.

Zel thought about it more clearly as she felt the wind on her face. It was relaxing, for a while that is. It stopped being a great experience when tiny insects and bgs started to hit and sometimes smash into her face. At one point, she even had to stop the horse as she tried to rub a mosquito that have gotten into her eye.

With that sorted, Zel continued to ride east on

Nevertheless, she made good time on her journey towards Lorren. She might even make it by sundown if she were lucky. But how would the town react to her news? Would they panic? Would they scatter? Would they fight the enemy?

All these things ran through her mind as they rode fast through the uneven ground. But what bothered her more is how annoying it is to ride on horseback. Zel groaned with each rough turn due to the weight of her armor as well as how the chainmail underneath chafed her skin. There was also the issue with breakfast, or the lack of it rather.

There was a grumbling sound, then a growl, followed lastly by Zel scowling and muttering something about bread. She looked back at the fort and found that there was now a considerable distance behind her. The gray structure was still visible in the flat and open plain, but by now it was barely visible in the distance.

"They will reach Lorren by morning."

Her own words sent a shiver down her spine. It was a rough approximation, but she's confident that the large force will soon reach Lorren.

She had to hurry. She must warn them.

"Go fish!"

"God damn it."

Olivia beamed brightly as we dropped our cards onto the table. Everyone was still a bit gloomy but the guild was already doing something about it.

It's already an hour after the sun has set, but everyone was still moving about like it was morning. Well, most them are. Jin, Maria, Olivia and I just finished playing a game of cards, which Olivia won all 7 rounds we played. Everyone groaned while the Archpriest gloated in her victory, demanding that we treat her to some alcohol 7 times, one for each win.

I grumbled to myself while I stood up and looked around the bustling yet grim guild. Everyone was preparing, some rested on the chairs, others ate their fill, and a handful talked strategy.

Earlier today, the whole town was in a state of panic after word got out that something was wrong. Already, a few of the adventurers in the guild ran off with their tails tucked behind their legs. A few parties offered to ride out to Rivergard at once and a few actually tried to use [Teleport], only to find that it didn't work. I don't know if it was bad, but Maria told me earlier that if [Teleport] can't work, something is definitely wrong with the location.

So I'm guessing that it's bad. Pretty bad based on Maria's worried expression.

This just stirred up the town's fear even more and the guild ordered an evacuation to be safe. By now, the town has evacuated most of its civilian population. It was deserted save for a majority of the adventurers that lived here and a small handful of people that wanted to help protect their home.

I remember seeing the large column as they moved through the city. They were joined by a handful of adventurers to help defend them on the way to the closest town east of Lorren. Many brought large carriages and wagons with them filled with belongings of not just them, but friends and family as well. ALthough some just fled with what wealth they needed and travelled light.

But all in all, there's about a hundred or so peoplestill within the walls of Lorren. A third of them are a mix of Humans, Dwarves, and Elves that are armed with the most basic of weapons and with no knowledge of combat. The rest are a mix of both rookie and veteran adventurers that included us four and the receptionists.

And what are the four of us doing at the moment?

We are currently lounging around the guild while a handful of men are posted along the walls to serve as lookouts. Everyone was content to rest at the moment, everyone except the staff of the guild.

"Ehlri! See to it that the rations are properly stored and divided. You there! New guy! Take the arrows and swords from the empty blacksmith shops and bring them to the walls!"

The haggard receptionist barked orders while he fumbled over a large map of the region.

"Man, Rupert's busy isn't he?"

"He looks more stressed than usual. Should we treat him to a pint of ale?"

"Relax. He's one of the older staff here. He knows what to do. I mean take a look at the fucking guy! He's basically runnin' a town by himself."

"I still think that we should perhaps offer aid to him. We are adventurers after all."

"Nah. That guy's got it all figured out. I think."

The four of us looked at Rupert while he traced routes along the map and showed it the receptionist. They were the routes to help supply those people at the wall and where they should start erecting barricades.

"I should drink a bit."

"Cheers to that. Grab some for m-"

"Do it yourself, you damn drunk. How strong is your liver anyway?"

Olivia just laughed at me before shooing me away to fetch me a drink. I groan, but she continues to shoo me away with her hand.

"We should be helping instead of drinking."

Jin followed behind me, arms folded and a frown on her face.

"Eh, those guys can handle it. Their levels are high, we're just some rookies compared to them."

Jin scoffed and shook her head. Her reaction made me raise a brow as we walked towards the unmanned bar.

"You should consider yourself pretty fucking lucky to have a party like us."

"Oho? Why? Cause I'm surrounded by a bunch of cute girls?"

Jin tensed up at my words, then blushed profusely while trying to hide her cute expression under the hood of her cloak.

That's a reaction I didn't and did expect. I smiled to myself, knowing that Jin really is a tsun-

"J-Jerk!"

"Gah! What the fu- Stop kicking my legs! I know you can't aim higher than that cause you're small but at least stop aiming near my knee."

She scowled at me, it was scary sure, but it still looked cute. For a moment there I thought she was about to punch me in the gut with her clenched fist, but she just sighed and sat on top of the high stool.

Although she did punch me on the arm after I tried to help her up since she was having some difficulty with it.

"Damn piece of- It's not that! You fucking idiot! Sure, that's a plus for a pervert like you, but you've got the strongest Archpriest in this kingdom on your party. Where is the guy running this place? Hello?"

While Jin called out for the bartender, I glanced back on the Archpriest pestering our party's Archmage about something. She looked a bit tired, but Maria seems like the kind of person who can handle Olivia's energy.

But still, that girl is the strongest Priest in this kingdom?! You've got to be fucking kidding me. It was... not impossbile to see, but-

"Really? Her? Seriously?!"

"I know right? It might not look like it, but Olivia's already reached a point where she could heal entire battlefields with her skills."

Jin chuckled while she waited for someone to come out of the kitchen doors.

"Well, at least she doesn't run the Church of Illyria or else they'd just be some cult focused on wine or something. And I doubt she'll become the Head Archpriest anytime soon. Not after that stunt she pulled back in the Capital."

"Stunt? Wait, what? What?"

She blinked at me a few times. Then she slapped her head with hear hand.

"Right. Right, you're... you're not from here. Well, if you want to learn more about it, just ask Olivia. She'd love to tell that story to you. In fact, I'm surprised she's not blowing out your eardrums with it already."

I nodded at her and looked back at Olivia. She was still pestering Maria, but this time Maria was ignoring her while her face looked like a tomato. A really red tomato.

"Where is this damn-"

"Rupert! Rupert!"

The door swung open and we finally found our bartender. Except this time, he came through the front door instead of the kitchen door.

"W-W-Wha-"

Rupert didn't even have a chance to finish the first word of his sentence when the bartender cut him off.

"It's Zel! She's here! Bad-"

"Bad news. Rivergard is under siege and the Undead are marching their way towards here. Where is my party?"

All eyes in the guild widened in shock and surprise as the the familiar face entered the building. It was Zel, and she looked ragged and exhausted.

She gently shoved aside the bartender as she stomped into the building with a serious expression. Her crimson eyes scanned the entire places before it landed on the four on us. But she didn't say anything, not a word nor a nod. She just walked over to the large map sitting atop five tables pushed together to form a larger one.

"Zel! You're-"

"Step aside, Rupert. I need to see the map. Oh, and you four! Come over here."

She didn't even need to say the last part. The four of us were already standing beside her before she even finished her words.

"Zel! We were worried sick for you!"

But before Olivia could hug Zel, she blocked her advance with an armored hand and looked at Maria grimly.

"Maria, do you know of any spells that could block [Message]?"

The mage was taken aback by this, but she gave an answer nonetheless.

"A spell strong enough to block both [Message] and [Teleport]? I-I do know of a few... but... none of this scope..."

Everyone sighed as we watched Maria murmuring incoherently to herself. We've all gotten used to this quirk of hers. In fact, whenever it happened, everyone knew that there would be an answer within a short time.

"Zel, what's happening?"

Rupert asked with an irate tone, but Zel only frowned at him and looked back at the map.

"The dead bypassed Rivergard. They must be besieging it by now but we're not sure. The fort in the plains here is currently being sieged and I believe that most of the towns and cities along the south-eastern edges of the White Peaks have been attacked. It is troublesome since it will only mean-"

"That they would have more bodies to raise."

Zel nodded at Rupert as the receptionist stared at the map with a grim expression.

"They'll be here sometime in the morning."

Everyone in earshot of those words gulped. Even Olivia looked a bit gloomy at those words.

"Anyways, we need to eva-"

The doors suddenly flew open and a ragged Mage entered the building. Sweat dripped from his face like rain as he staggered over to the table. Everyone looked at him in anticipation while Zel frowned and stared at him, waiting for him to speak.

"B-Bad ne-"

"Everything I've heard today is bad news! Speak damn it!"

Her fierce voice made everyone jump as the poor mage just stared at her in shock.

"T-Then, I regret to inform you... that this may be the worst news you've heard today."

Zel raised a brow at the man. For a moment, I thought she was gonna grab him by the collar and punch him. Instead, she only said a word to him;

"Speak."

The man gulped. Then slowly, he leaned against the table as he pointed to the nearby town on the map.

"T-T-There was... a sighting... the [Message] w-we've received... detailed something horrific."

This time, instead of Zel, it was Rupert who spoke up. He slammed the table and glared at the poor mage.

"We have no time for this! Speak up! What did it say?!"

The man nodded and spoke at once.

"It was... a Dragon. An Undead Dragon with a rider."

I could see the the colors on everyone's faces drain away. Rupert went pale and dropped to his chair with a loud thud as the air in the guild suddenly grew tense. The guild fell silent at the mage's words. Zel gulped, and looked back at the map once more.

"We need... to run."

Rupert muttered out, his grim tone reflected the very atmosphere of the guild. Zel just stood there, staring at the map while she considered the receptionist's words.

"If it's one of the Twelve, we won't be able to run in time."

Zel sighed and asked for a chair. One of the receptionist rushed over, and she immediately sat on it before staring at the ceiling with a blank expression.

"To think that I'd die here..."

"W-Who... who are you talking about?"

Zel glanced at me then went back to sulking in her chair. I have never seen her look more hopeless. In fact, I've never seen her hopeless before. Hopeless and disappointed.

"Arthur, I assume that you have no idea of who we are referring to?"

I gulp. Everyone's eyes are on me the moment Zel put me on the spot. I nodded and she chuckles.

"One of the Twelve. He who rides the corpse of the greatest of beasts. The Revenant of Charred Metal. That is his title. And his name is..."

Zel paused for a moment. Olivia and a few others prayed and called out to Illyria while the Knight pondered on whether or not to speak the creature's name. Finally, Zel sighed and she spoke in a hushed tone while everyone glared at her words.

"His name is Nehuet the Dread. And he will kill us all if we do not abandon the town tonight."