Aurora and Mia took positions on the eastern wall, preparing for the imminent assault of the beasts.
Leading the detachment was a large tiger-like beastman, his fur decorated with the elven bones and a large dark axe on his back.
Right behind him charged a unit of berserkers armed with equally dark weapons and screamers armed with their natural claws.
The rumbles in the earth reached the defenders.
Mia squinted, carefully observing the incoming attackers. She bit her finger and hummed. "That is bad, those are Crescent Moon artifacts."
Aurora turned her head toward her. "Crescent Moon artifacts?"
Mia pulled out her firearm and pointed it toward the horde. "The weapons of great power, I don't think the barrier can handle an attack from them."
Aurora rubbed her chin, a slight worry manifesting over her face. "That does not sound good at all."
"Very, we need to take those night weapon wielders before they reach us. I don't see any of the more powerful monsters in their ranks." Mia responded, her finger pulling back the trigger and launching a powerful projectile toward the screamer.
Mia's lips stretched into a small smile. "I will slow them down as long as I can, but I need you to damage the attackers. I am not a fighter after all."
Her hands disappeared into her robes, retrieving multiple glass balls. She channeled mana into them, making them glow bright red before throwing them into the horde.
The explosion raised the ground, knocking the savages off balance.
"You can count on me," Aurora said, pulling out her wand and conjuring a large shard of ice above her head.
The screamers launched their sonic attacks at the duo.
The duo covered their ears, and Aurora turned to the melee fighters on their side of the wall. "Prepare some barriers and get ready to fight if they break through!"
Enlil and his squad saluted and awaited the breach.
Aurora launched icicle after icicle into the attackers, each strike slowing them down, yet not stopping them.
Despite their best efforts, the enemy kept advancing.
The chieftain stopped and raised his axe. "Elves!"
For the first time, the beast had addressed them in the known language.
The attackers stopped before the wall. The leader lifted his head and pointed his axe. "Dis fortress is mighty, but it too shall fall, and da blood of defenders shall paint da walls!"
Aurora decided not to answer; instead, she forced the ground under his feet to shake and form a hand. However, the beast swung his axe, and the spell shattered, the powerful winds crashing into Mia and Aurora, forcing them to step back.
"Elves have no honor! They are just cattle!" The chieftain shouted, stepping forward and roaring. He raised the axe high and slashed at the weakened barrier.
A silvery streak cut through the weakened barrier and the wall alike.
Before the two casters could even react, the berserkers jumped up the wall, forcing them to retreat deeper into the courtyard and let the melee fighters take the front.
The cut in the barrier repaired itself behind them.
At least no reinforcement will come. Aurora swiped her wand, conjuring seven icicles above her.
They were to face 6 berserkers, their chieftain, and two screamers.
It was a force that required a properly trained military squad, yet as Aurora looked at her team, she could only say one thing. "Shit."
Not only were the beasts many times stronger than the elves, but they also outnumbered them now.
No organization would help them offset this.
"Wait!" Aurora shouted.
The chieftain raised his hand up and turned to face Aurora, "Speak, cattle."
"I challenge you to a duel of dominance! If I win, you will retreat, and if you win, you may have the academy!"
The chieftain snorted and turned his head toward the berserkers. "Do you hear dis? Little elf think she can challenge me!"
A laugh erupted from his warriors.
He approached, his weight making the stones crack. "If I were ruled by instinct like I was many moons ago, I would not dare refuse. Yet now I am different."
Before Aurora could process the response, a hit to her side sent her flying deep into the courtyard.
"Kill them all!" He ordered, and his warriors jumped into an attack.
Aurora rubbed her head. "This is not good. Why did he ignore the request for a duel?!"
No matter how savage the enemy was, they had one rule. A request for a duel was sacred and was not to be denied.
Aurora looked at her team, struggling to defend against the onslaught of monsters and savages.
While Mia was managing to hold her own, the same could not be said for the melee fighters.
Those around Enlil were quickly struck down, leaving only him to fight, while the monsters harassed Mia, not allowing her a moment to catch her breath.
Aurora forced herself onto her feet and pointed her wand toward the chieftain.
She was not a weakling, and she would be damned if she had left her people die in vain.
She pushed herself, gathering the mana into a massive glacial spike. She launched it forward, aiming at the chieftain's chest.
The tiger-like savage snapped his gaze toward her, clearly surprised at her being alive.
He brandished his axe and charged toward her.
Aurora jumped back, and a wall of earth was erected before her, yet with a single strike of the chieftain's weapon, the wall was broken.
Yet, Aurora did not wait helplessly; she conjured twenty icicles around her and launched them at the chieftain, who blocked them effortlessly.
Her eyes darted toward Mia and Enlil, who fought with everything they had.
Um'Am kicked her, making her cough blood and gasp for air. "Eyes over here, cattle!"
Um'Am approached, his axe held high. "Die, elf!"
Just before the axe split her skull, lightning struck Um'Am into the chest, sending him flying and his axe falling to the side.
"Just… in time!" Avaros exclaimed, panting, in his hand, he carried a bag filled to the brim with the healing potions. "I had to make a detour and grab the supplies!"
He threw the potion to Aurora, who quickly bottomed it out. "I am glad you are here, how is the main gate looking?"
"Well, Sheira is dealing with an Argus, so you can guess how the gate is looking," Avaros said softly.
A chuckle escaped Aurora's lips. "Figures," she whispered, rising to her feet. "We have to kill their chieftain. I do not want others to die," she said, pointing toward the corpses of the defenders.
"I see," Avaros said solemnly. "Let's deal with him quickly."
The young noble launched a ball of fire toward a savage who was aiming to cut off Mia's neck. The girl, in turn, pulled out her pistol and shot the savage, knocking him back.
"That thing is pretty nice," he said, throwing two healing potions toward her.
His attention then turned to the chieftain.
Aurora brandished her wand, and her form was enveloped in an icy aura.
The young heir looked toward her wand, and his brows furrowed. "Lady Aurora, you do not know how to use Aether?"
The princess shook her head.
"Then, please be careful. If you fall due to mana exhaustion, it would be horrible for us."
"I know that already!" She exclaimed.
Not my fault, Aqua did not teach me. She bit her lip in regret. She should have pleaded with the girl to teach her, yet she allowed other duties to take most of her time.
Um'Am grabbed a piece of stone from the crushed pathway and launched it toward Aurora.
In an instant, she crystallised her icy Aura into a shield.
Avaros swiped his hand, and the icy razorblades surrounded the chieftain.
Aurora jumped into a support, erecting earthen hands around Chieftain, holding him tightly as Avaros shredded his fur.
The savage roared and broke the spell. He grabbed the axe and jumped into the air.
Aurora jumped back, letting the savage slam his weapon into the ground. He quickly followed it up by raising the earth and launching the debris toward the duo.
Avaros raised a barrier between them, shielding Aurora from harm.
He conjured a lightning arc and scorched the fur of the chieftain.
The savage leader cackled. "Paltry tricks."
"The benefactor had taught us many things," He said, mockingly, a strange foul liquid dripping from where the spells wounded him.
Aurora and Avaros glanced at each other and nodded. The duo separated, each launching the ice and lightning into the chieftain, who covered his eyes.
The two casters followed up by shifting the land underneath the chieftain, making him fall. The duo conjured a pair of icy spikes and launched them at the toppled Chieftain.
Did that work? Aurora stepped back.
Avaros grit his teeth. "He is still alive."
A sweat rolled down Aurora's forehead. "Dis was good attempt… for an elf."
The liquid under his fur pooled under him.
"Yet, dis shall be over soon," He swung his axe, the rot enveloped it.
The smell of rot grew denser, and then he swung it, splashing the duo with the dark liquid.
The rot dug into their flesh, consuming it. The pain forced the duo to fall to their knees and cry out in pain.
The Chieftain raised his axe in the air and swung it horizontally.
In an instant, Aurora and Avaros expired, the rot eating into their flesh.
The chieftain waited for a moment, savoring his victory before pulling out his warhorn and bringing it to his mouth.
The moment it sounded, the ground shook, and the smell of rot became overwhelming.
The dark tentacles erupted, piercing Mia and Enlil, ending their lives in the blink of an eye, their screams falling onto deaf ears.
Um'Am inhaled sharply. "Dis a good day."
He approached the corpses of the defenders, crushing them under his foot. He stepped toward the breach and chuckled, not noticing the orange glow that slowly enveloped two of his victims.
"My warriors! Leave the rest to the lady Laleyn's monsters. We march toward Onost! Dis land will belong to us once more!"
Dozen faceless monstrosities erupted from the ground, heading toward the remaining defenders.