While Rey journeyed the Boneplains, Mau remained holed up in Rey's room, refusing to see anyone. She sat on the carpeted ground with closed eyes. A cold breeze blew around her. Suddenly her eyes shot open. She stared towards the wall above the closed door. There, a humanoid shadow was clinging to the wall. Two red dots served as its eyes. Mau coldly stared at the shadow and the shadow stared back.
"You are not my queen…"
A raspy whisper echoed through the room. Mau's expression turned grave. A gleam flashed and a dagger appeared in her hand.
At that moment, another shadow appeared. It looked somewhat thin, lacking strength. The second shadow approached the first, communicating inaudibly. Two pairs of eyes fell on Mau and both shadows disappeared.
Mau sighed inwardly. The first ghost must have been one subdued by Rey within the last two decades. It didn't recognize Mau, almost causing trouble. Fortunately, some of the older ghosts were still around, clearing things up. Perhaps Rey forgot to make some arrangements before she left.
However, the ghosts were not the only potential causes of trouble. Over the last few hours two ministers asked for an audience. Mau had them both rejected. It was fortunate that Rey was usually a cold and indifferent queen. Her ministers didn't dare to make a fuss. However, if this went on for too long, Mua might really be forced to make an appearance.
Feathered Blade's mission was capped at thirty days. Mau prayed that Rey would find the portal beforehand. And she prayed even more that the kingdom remained calm until then.
The reason why Mau and Rey changed places was that Rey needed someone powerful enough to take down potential troublemakers. Rey's world was not without its demons. And even her subjects dared to rebel from time to time. Some individuals were strong enough to escape the army, even the generals. At that time Mau would be forced to act.
Rey's thoughts drifted to Mau as she and the rest of the group continued their dry journey through the Boneplains.
She thought back to the times when she herself was only a small provincial lord. Her parents were ordered to see the previous king one day and never returned. This was the moment Rey plotted her own rebellion.
When the king sent assassins towards her, the war officially started. Only thanks to the Café of Dreams and Mau did she manage to fight her way through. Later, after beheading the previous king, she learned what had happened to her parents. It turned out they witnessed a noble holding a sacrificial ritual, massacring a whole village. Her parents were killed after asking the king to take action.
Suffice to say after Rey's enthronement none of the old nobles survived.
"Dazzling Beasts!"
A sudden shout brought Rey out of her thoughts. She looked at the ghost soldier in front of her, whose body appeared somewhat thinner than before, its voice even more quiet. It took her a second to comprehend. It turned out they had encountered a pack of Dazzling Beasts, a type of beast which could be sad to be the nemesis of ghosts.
Rey nodded lightly and turned towards Oru:
"We should take care of it. No need to sacrifice the ghosts."
"Got it."
With Oru's acknowledgement the swish of drawn weapons rang through the air. The rest of the group was eager to finally prove their worth. Thanks to the ghost army taking care of everything Feathered Blade's warriors felt almost useless. They were supposed to escort Rey but now it looked almost as if Rey was escorting them.
Shadows flashed left and right, escaping into the distance. The ghost general appeared next to Rey, bowing deeply. He felt that he had let down his queen. Rey's face remained indifferent. Soon, light broke through the fog like little stars. A pack of beasts surrounded the group. They were like tall wolves with white fur, which emitted a piercing white light, creating a suppressive effect against ghosts and demons. Honestly these Dazzling Beasts would be quite beautiful if it wasn't for their ferocious maws, salvia dripping out.
"Fight steadily! Don't look at them for too long at a time! Cooperate!"
Oru yelled some instructions as the warriors jumped from their horses. They adjusted their minds, stopping themselves from getting overexcited. Their weapons swayed in front of their bodies, ready to react to the beasts' movements.
Finally, the beasts grew impatient. The tallest beast let out a howl as it pounced at Oru.
"Tsk. Beasts will always be beasts. Unable to gauge your opponent's strength."
Oru scoffed dismissively as his staff stirred up the air. It swiped in front of Oru's body, clashing with the beast's claws. Oru had to take a step back while the beast was thrown back a few meters, barely managing to stabilize itself. It bared its teeth, suppressing the pain.
Simultaneously another beast came from the side, dashing close to the floor, trying to attack Oru in his moment of imbalance. These Dazzling Beasts, like most wolf-like beasts, were known for their ability to cooperate. However, how could the warriors not know this?
A ball of evil flames crashed against the dashing beast's flank. It howled in pain, throwing its body to the ground, trying to get rid of the flames. Suddenly a staff grew big in its vision and a moment later the beast was embraced in darkness.
Rey and Oru obviously had no trouble disposing of the first beast. The rest of the group cooperated well, holding the beasts back but struggled some more. Outnumbered, the warriors were forced to hold off two beasts at a time, preventing them from dealing the finishing blow.
"Ah, die!"
A warrior called Paro suddenly let out a thunderous shout. Strange, blood-red energy engulfed his great sword. Both his arms bulged as he swung his weapon in a wide arc. Flesh got sliced, bones cleanly cut in half, blood splashed. Two beasts left out sad wails as their necks received deep cuts. It was only a matter of time until they would die of blood loss.
"Great!"
One of the warriors, Berh, standing close to Paro let out a shout as he was caught in the thrill of the battle. He dashed towards his comrade, knowing that Paro would temporarily weaken after unleashing this ability.
Berh sped up unnaturally, jumping in front of Soron, just in time to push back a pouncing beast. Arrows whistled from their backs, suppressing three other beats. Thanks to his comrades Paro recovered without mishap. After a few seconds he nodded at the others and threw himself back into battle.
Similar scenes could be seen all around. Feathered Balde had two archers and one sorcerer, who supported the warriors from behind, strongly suppressing the Dazzling Beasts.
Suddenly a cry could be heard. One of the warriors received a gaping wound on his chest. Caught in the battle he didn't pay attention to the most important rule when facing Dazzling Beasts. Never look at them for too long. The warrior suddenly felt as if a strong light pierced his eyes. Blood dripped out. His head grew dizzy. The beasts instantly took advantage. If it weren't for the help of others, his injuries wouldn't have ended at just a single wound.
The warrior's mistake served as a reminder for the others. No one dared to keep staring at the beasts for too long. However, this led to other problems. The beasts would take advantage as their prey momentarily averted its eyes. Their sharp claws caused a few more injuries. However, none of those were too severe.
Suddenly a tragic howl rang through the air. The battle froze for a moment as everyone stared at the tallest beast. It hung in the air, dropping to the ground as if in slow-motion, caught in Oru's energy field. The seasoned warrior delivered a powerful blow at the beast's weaker belly. Simultaneously a terrifying black flame latched onto its face. The beast was unable to withstand the double hit. Its defense faltered. When it finally reached the ground, its legs gave in and it fell over, obviously close to death.
The other beasts immediately retreated a few steps. Their fur stood up straight. They bared their teeth but those were clearly signs of insecurity. A few beasts looked at their leader, perhaps considering whether to save it. However, as the leading beast drew its last breath the others instantly turned around and escaped into the fog, even subduing the sheen of their proud fur.
"Tsk. They run quickly!"
Someone made a remark, drawing much agreement. The warriors talked among themselves, caught between excitement and tension. Oru allowed them to vent their emotions for a moment while he walked over towards the heavily injured warrior. Oru studied the wound and his face became ugly. Although the wound wasn't fatal, the warrior wouldn't be able to fight for at least a week. Even riding would be painful.
"Everyone! We will take another rest! Take care of your wounds!"
"Yes, captain!"
Fortunately, the group had enough supplies. Rey sent out the ghost army to scout, and the group briefly tended to their wounds before carrying on.