"When we finally won, with the hordes outside put down to the last, and the gates opened to allow the armies in, what was left for us to do was the harder task, to scour the city for remnants and necromancers who hid themselves.

That unenviable task was something Maebh and Diarmuid, and their respective troops volunteered for, since after all, La Fiachna was *our* hometown. The Ptolodeccans nodded their acquiescence and just kept guard over the perimeter instead, to ensure that there would be no escapees, as well as set to work sorting out the dead, stacking zombies into piles to be cremated, and our own into wagons… to be brought back, where they would be buried, or raised.

The search done by the Templars and Death Guards went smoothly, as even though the people that remained in La Fiachna eyed the Ptolodeccans and the undead with evident fear, they still remembered their former countrymen.

It was with mixed reactions that former countrymen met one another again after these seven years. Some viewed us with regret and self blame, having blamed themselves for not joining our exodus back then. Others broke down in tears at the perceived salvation that had arrived.

Yet others looked upon us with anger, having laid the blame of their losses on our shoulders. While some others viewed us with trepidation, those who had been supportive of the rebellion back then. More looked at the Ptolodeccans behind us with worry, which was more understandable.

I just hope they will get used to it, since they are, for the most part, staying for the foreseeable future." - Diary of Aideen Fiachna, the First Unliving, circa 68 VA.

"Are these all of them?" Maebh asked, absentmindedly still rubbing her left arm with her right, as even after Aideen healed it, the agonizing pain she had felt when her limb was corroded to the bone earlier felt as if it lingered.

Before her were several therian corpses, all of them of avian breed. The intel operative, a branch member of the Death's Hand specialized in espionage over assassination, was with the noncombatants in the rear, and was still on his way towards the city, so they had gathered every avian therian corpse they found, in order to identify them and see if their purported ascendant was amongst them.

"I don't think this one is needed," said Aideen as she pointed to one of the corpses, one killed by a stab through the heart. She had put on some new clothes after she washed off the worst of the blood on her, though some were still left.

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"You can tell between them, aunt Aideen?" Queried Maebh. She was not proud to admit it, but she often had a hard time differentiating therians from one another unless they had different fur or feather patterns, or some other distinguishing feature.

"Not really," admitted Aideen with a shrug of her shoulders. "But I'm pretty sure that one's a hen. This ascendant we're after was a rooster."

"Oh, right," Maebh said with a slight blush. Dealing with the aftermath of the battle had taken a toll on her mind, that she missed out on such a detail. The death toll was honestly very small, considering the numbers involved. Less than three hundred fatalities amongst the Death Guards, less than two hundred amongst the templars.

The losses for the Ptolodeccans were near negligible, as the brunt of their losses were taken by their skeleton soldiers, who were effectively disposable. Even the losses taken by the death knights lent by the bone lord were considered as such, since he could just very easily make many more.

As for the hunt for remaining Antemeians, it was pretty much finished, as their soldiers had flushed out the remaining few. Some they found already dead, as the citizens of the city had used them as an outlet to their anger and sorrow, while others they found in hiding from mobs.

Amongst them were two old former Junorans, who were captured alive and were to be delivered back to Ptolodecca. One of the two was in a coma, as he had been the one in control of the puppet that struck Mimia, and she had lashed out against his soul at that time, his soul being more vulnerable as it was split between his puppets and well away from his corporeal body.

It was an interesting situation, and since there was still much unknown about Mortality affinity, they chose to bring the comatose Junoran back for a closer look. His partner was a bonus, a potential lab rat for experiments.

In the meantime, pacifying the city, and settling its defenses were their priority. Half the Ptolodeccan infantry and a cadre of mages - along with their skeletons - would remain and help garrison the city, while the rest would head back. Maebh, Clovis, and the Templars would be staying as well, while the rest would head back to Tohrmutgent.

Aideen and Diarmuid would be going back for two reasons. One was that the Death Guards would be having another ceremony of their dead being raised, and another was to inform the other Vitalican refugees of their success, to see if any wanted to return home.

Diarmuid himself… considered remaining in Tohrmutgent. With his wife being a native of the city and his daughter soon to be made a disciple of the Bone Lord, and the Death Guards feeling more at home there… there had been little that still tied him to La Fiachna.

Maebh on the other hand was staying, as the Bone Lord had told her before they left, that should the battle be won, he would leave the region to her watch, with Clovis helping her out. In name however, Maebh would be the local governess of the region, which would have helped the integration, since those with old loyalties would look favorably at the arrangement at the very least.

They were still discussing amongst themselves, standing besides the arrayed corpses, when their conversation was interrupted by a cry of alarm from one of the templars who were arranging the corpses in a neat line.

As one, Aideen and Maebh turned towards the source of the cry, and they immediately saw what had caused the alarm.

One of the severed heads had moved its eyes, and tried to say something as its beak moved voicelessly, but couldn't.