Haru was kneeling before the Great Cross with his wife, Rias. It was placed in the area where Celestine once sat. Unlike the voluptuous false goddess, this Great Cross filled him with hope and vigor, something that he would need against the upcoming hordes of Black Dogs. He did the Sign of the Cross before standing up. He is greeted by a plethora of builders and workers, who genuflected before him.
"We hope that we are not interrupting your prayers sire."
"Nonsense, you are doing God's work building a church here. I look forward to seeing this church finished, so don't let me stop you."
"You heard him, men! Put your back into it!" the leader barked as the workers rushed to get started. "We have the honor of building this holy site, and we have no room for error!"
Haru looked with satisfaction as the laborers began to work on the church. With the abundance of manpower, he predicted that the church would be finished within a week's time. He could wait until then. There was no need to be harsh on the workers. After all, God demands mercy not sacrifice. He looked at his wife, who was strangely quiet the whole time.
"Something wrong, my love?"
"Oh it's nothing. Just a bit tired from all the commotion."
"Do you wish to rest?" Haru asked with much concern.
"No, no. I'll be by your side at the throne room, regardless of my health." Rias replied firmly, before wondering about something. "Speaking of family, where is your nephew?"
"You mean Millicas? He joined me for the morning prayers but left without a word."
"I'd wager that he's with his betrothed, that noble girl from Guines." Rias guessed.
"That's quite possible. Though I have to say that she's a rather whimsical and independent young woman. Quite unorthodox for a lady of her standing."
"What was her name again?"
"Penelope Charlene de Guines. Though she carries the name of "Penny", what a strange girl."
Millicas was struggling to catch up as he felt like himself being dragged through the crowd. He was a bit exhausted from even going through such a crowded place, but he had to go through with it. Especially when the woman dragging him was his life-long friend, Penelope Charlene de Guines. Ever since they had arrived in this strange new city, she was eager to go sight-seeing.
"Penny, stop pulling!" Millicas complained. "You might pull my arm out of its socket!"
"But we have so much ground to cover! We're in a new world, might as well explore it to its limit!"
"Then let us at least eat first! We can't explore the world on an empty stomach!"
"Hmph, fine." Penny huffed. "How about that inn?"
"Looks a little expensive."
"You are the nephew of the new ruler of this nation and you call this expensive?"
"I prefer NOT to abuse my power, thank you very much." Millicas replied dryly.
"The place does look a little fancy." Penny expressed, before fixing her hair a bit. "How do I look?"
Millicas took a look at Penny, and needless to say, she was beautiful. Her fair-skinned face shined with her lovely deep green eyes. Her orange hair was put in a long braid. She wore a white, long-sleeved dress, with a brown corset sealing her upper body. She wore a hair band that had a flower on the side. Millicas had to just go with the simple answer.
"Yes, you look fine, how about me?"
Penny looked at Millicas, and he was wearing strangely common clothing. He wore a green, slim fit tunic and brown trousers. He didn't have the long, smooth combed hair of nobility. His hair was short but shaggy, conflicting with his noble background.
"Are you disguising yourself as peasantry on purpose?"
"What do you think?" Millicas asked with a deadpan.
"Okay then! Let's go!" Penny said while pulling Millicas to the front of the inn.
They walked up to the entrance, to see a woman in a frilly dress, which the locals called a "maid". Which probably meant maidservant in their language.
"Can I get you anything?"
"Yes! I am Madam Penelope Charlene and this is my betrothed, Millicas of Whirlingpool!"
The maid's eyes widened as she looked at Millicas and bowed.
"Milord! Would you like to have a seat?"
"Yes…" Millicas said while looking at Penny disapprovingly. "I would like to have a seat inside."
The maid guided them inside, where they heard strange music. The tables were arranged in a way that there was a free space in the middle. The maid brought them to the largest table with the most comfortable chairs. Penny plops down happily on one of the cushioned chairs while Millicas calmly sat on the other.
"What is your order?" the maid asked while handing them the menus.
Millicas was certainly surprised by the type of service they offered, their food looked high-end as well.
"I'll have this 'fruitcake'." Penny said while pointing to the menu.
"Just get me some bread and fish with some bitter vegetables." Millicas said before putting a pouch on the table. "Will this cover it?"
The maid then nods as she took the money. Millicas and Penny sat idly as they then discussed.
"What does your uncle have planned for this new nation?"
"I believe he'll start with improving infrastructure and trade. He'll soon be imposing taxes to fund his campaign against the Black Dogs. He expects an influx of migrants and refugees, so border guarding will also be top priority."
"And how do you plan on helping him?" Penny asked, leaning on the table.
"He won't even let me join the frontlines, and I'm too young to even become a general."
"Didn't he become a general at fifteen?" Penny countered.
"That was a position forced onto him, he had no choice." Millicas replied. "And I acknowledge my inexperience in many fields. And I do plan on improving in—"
Millicas stopped talking as he saw Penny making eyes at him, it was making him a bit uncomfortable.
"Er…"
"Oh don't let me stop you!" Penny said while still making those eyes. "Go on."
"I can't speak with you looking at me like that. Speaking of which, why do you keep doing that whenever I talk?"
"It's a nice change to have you talk so self-assured and smart, when you usually talk so casually and mild. It's what makes you so alluring."
"Y-Yes, of course."
Before the conversation could go on, Penny perks up at the sound of music. It was fast, and even more catchy than the music in the festivals that she had been to. Though the music wasn't necessarily familiar, it still made Penny feel like dancing.
"Are you hearing this?" Penny asked.
"Er, yes. It's a bit strange to hear—Whoah!" Millicas expressed in surprise as Penny pulled him to the empty space in the middle of the inn. "Penny! What are you doing!?"
"C'mon! Doesn't this sound melodious?" Penny said while heading to the dance floor.
"Actually it doesn't." Millicas replied dryly.
"Oh shut up!" Penny said while getting ready to dance. "Just trust me on this! I got a good feeling!"
"But how do you dance to music like this?" Millicas asked.
"Just follow my lead." Penny instructed.
(PLAY SOUNDTRACK: "Sleeping Jasmine" by Aioi)
Penny holds Millicas's hands as they begin swaying. Penny guides Millicas through the dance as she begins to be more lively with her swaying and hand movements. Millicas instinctively follows and becomes livelier with his body movements. Penny then pulls Millicas closer as they move through the dance floor, their bodies moving in sync.
Millicas becomes more confident and takes his own route. He spins Penny then pulls her closer. He and Penny grow more accustomed to the music and their bodies start moving in sync. Penny filled the air with her joyous laughter, which made Millicas smile all the more.
The world slowed down as the two genuinely enjoyed their moment together. It didn't feel romantic, it just made them both very happy. As the music came to a close, they both improvised and did their finale. Millicas releases Penny into a spin and then catches her right when the music ends.
The spectators clapped at the performance. Millicas and Penny stared at each other for a bit, before realizing their position and quickly got out of it, being a bit bashful at all the attention. Penny sees the bard who performed the song. A woman with chinky eyes and a strange looking lute. Penny approached the lady and cheerily said.
"You're really good at playing!" Penny complimented.
"I could say the same about your dancing!" the lady praised back, in a strange accent. She then extended her hand. "Shigaraki Sumire at your service!"
"Penelope Charlene de Guines!" Penny returned while shaking the lady's hand. "Nice to meet you Ms. Sumire! What sort of surname is that?"
"Actually, Shigaraki is my surname. Sumire is my given name."
"But you said your name was—"
"Shigaraki Sumire." Sumire groaned. "Where I'm from, we say our surnames before our given names."
"That does beg the question, where are you from?"
"Don't you recognize the language? I'm from Shenkitaiyo, though folks here just call it the Far East."
Millicas perked up at the name as he rushed to Sumire, he then grabs her hand, saying.
"You're from the Far East?"
"Y-Yes!" Sumire stuttered while getting flustered at his sudden grabbing of her hand. "W-Why are you grabbing my hand?"
"Because Haru needs whatever information he can get on this world, and your knowledge will be very welcome."
Millicas then turns to Penny.
"Sorry Penny, but our exploration will have to wait. Uncle has to know about this." Millicas said before pulling Sumire outside.
"W-Where are you taking me!?"
The onlookers were shocked at the turn of events, as Penny sighed and threw the waitress another pouch of coins.
"Keep the change, we'll be keeping your bard for a while."
Penny then followed Millicas back outside the inn. Millicas and Sumire were staring at something down the street, piquing Penny's interest to what was on the street. She joined Millicas to see dozens of people wearing cloaks and pulling carts. They seemed to be hiding their face, as they refused to even look at the other onlookers. Penny could only wonder what those people were doing. She then asks Millicas.
"What do you think they're doing here?"
"My uncle was right. There are refugees really coming to us for aid."
"But why do you suppose they're wearing those hoods?"
"There must be something about them that they're hiding. We'll just have to see what the Duke will do with them."
Millicas and Penny followed the convoy with Sumire in tow.
"Hey! Where are you taking me?" Sumire complained.
Haru meditated on his throne, concentrating on his current situation. He then glances at his wife, who also seemed to be deep in thought. But before he could continue this quiet and peaceful session, a messenger bursts through the room, panting.
"Milord! You were right all along! Refugees have entered the city asking for aid!"
"Then help them settle down and—"
"That's not all milord! These refugees aren't human! They call themselves the Beastpeople, and they ask to speak to you."
Haru gulped, it was barely a day since his conquest of Thore and already a beastly race was coming right down his doorstep. He had never talked to non-humans before, so this will be very delicate for him.
"Very well. Tell them to come inside."
"Milord are you—"
"I said, tell them to come inside." Haru replied firmly.
The messenger bowed and exited the room. Haru then turns to one of his guards, saying,
"Tell the messenger to call all the available nobles from their quarters."
"Yes milord." the guard said while bowing.
As the other guard left, Haru turned to other guard.
"Tell another messenger to call Celestine over and have the maidservants dress her. She will act as my advisor for this meeting."
The other guard bowed and left, leaving Haru to slump in his seat, before turning to his wife.
"My love, do you wish to join us for the meeting?"
"I am rather curious about these 'Beastpeople', I will join you for the diplomatic meeting later."
Haru sat at the long table, with his wife by his side once again. Gathered there were all the available nobles that Haru could gather, together with a few members of the clergy. Haru was a powerful lord, and had many lesser nobles under his command. There were members of Scottish, French, English and even the Holy Roman nobility, coupled with the chieftains of the Sudanese mercenaries. One noticeable trait about most of these subordinates was that they were younger than the Duke, which made sense as they looked up to Haru as a leader figure due to their youth. Celestine stood by Haru's side, with Haru instructing her.
"Since we are new to this world, you will act as counselor for our decisions. If they question your status as goddess, you deny any connection to the divine, understand?"
"Y-Yes milord." Celestine replied while bowing her head. While it was humiliating for her to be a mere advisor, it was better than what the Black Dogs had offered.
"Ever since the Duchy had been established, I have been meaning to gather you all here today, my loyal and trustworthy companions, to form the Duchy's Council of Nobles."
There were a few mutters among the nobles, but most of them were sounds of approval and satisfaction.
"Now if any of you have problems with this, do raise your objections."
None raised their hands, either they were too obedient to argue or Haru was too feared to oppose. Haru then added.
"Now listen, I am giving ALL of you the benefit of my trust. On your tables is a copy of the oath drafted by the Church, the Orders and I to guarantee your loyalty to the Duchy. Our dear companion Celestine will be reading the scroll." Haru said while handing Celestine a scroll.
The nobles and chieftains took the scroll from their table.
"Now put your right hand on your chest and repeat after me." Celestine said.
"We, the nobles of Amelborough, swear to dedicate our lives in service to God and His Will.
We swear that we will not turn away from our mission to cleanse the land from the evil that plagues it.
And should we choose to betray the Duchy, we will not only be punished in this world, but also in the Inferno that awaits the treacherous.
In God's name, we swear our fealty to Duke Haru of Whirlingpool, the Church and the nation of Amelborough to serve its noble cause and uphold all that God demands to be upheld.
And should the Duchy practice any wrongdoing, heresy, or injustice, we swear to cleanse the system and return it to the righteous path towards Heaven."
Celestine put down the scroll. The oath was quite demanding by her standards. Haru demanded the willpower and discipline from his men to stick with him and oppose the Black Dogs, when it would have been so much easier to defect.
"Now men, do you have any problems with this oath?" Haru asked.
"Aye! Isn't this the part where we sing praises to the Duke?" one Scottish noble joked, prompting the others to laugh.
"We French can sing, you just talk out of yer arse!"
"I wager their arse-singing is still better!" one Holy Roman commented.
Celestine was a bit confused at all the banter between the nobles. Haru notices the confusion on her face.
"These young nobles have been under me for a long time, so they're practically brothers-in-arms. Quite an amusing spectacle between nationalities to be honest."
Haru then turns back to the young nobles, who were exchanging light insults and banter, while the elder ones just shook their heads in disappointment.
"Now, now gentlemen. We still have to address the elephant in the room." Haru said with a smile while calming the nobles.
The young nobles calmed down. While their youth did cause them to be a bit immature, they knew when it was time to get to business. The more senior nobles who sat close to Haru then voiced out.
"Sire, what of our lands and resources?" one noble asked. "How shall we deal with refugees and the granting of fiefs?"
"We are stuck with one city for now, but do not fret. Once the knightly Orders have finished reclaiming the surrounding land, we'll have more space for everyone, including possible refugees."
"Speaking of refugees, we must prepare for the arrival of these 'Beastpeople'!"
"Who knows what sort of abominations lie under those cloaks?"
"Nya, here we are!" A squeaky female voiced.
The whole council froze at the weird sounding voice. They slowly turned their heads to the door, where a group of women stood. But something was very wrong with them. Though their human figure and face were still very human, they had varying ears on the top of their heads. Some had cat ears, others had wolf ears, fox ears, bear ears and etcetera. They also possessed tails of different sorts, belonging to different mammalian animals. The larger catwoman bonked the smaller catgirl.
"Behave yourself! This is a very important diplomatic meeting!" the older catwoman chided before glancing at the Duke. "You are the ruler of this domain?"
Haru nodded blankly, struggling to even find the words. The woman then knelt before him and said.
"We are the Beastpeople, and we seek refuge from the Black Dogs. We beg of your Lordship to grant us protection from the Black Dogs."
"Er, but how do we know that we can trust you?" Haru asked while recomposing himself. "You could be Black Dog spies for all we know."
"Nya, how dare you accuse us of being Black Dogs!?" the smaller catgirl snarled, before being hit in the head by the larger catwoman. "Owie!"
"I said behave yourself!" The catwoman chastised again, glaring at her younger companion. "Sorry about my sister. She's still a kit by age."
The council still had little to say since most of the members were still recovering from the mere shock of the situation. One of the elder nobles recomposes himself and says.
"How about you introduce yourselves before we get to diplomacy?" the noble suggested.
"Very well then. My name is Blake Pan Thera, though I would prefer to be called Blake, and this is my younger sister, Kuro Pan Thera."
"But you can just call me Kuro! Nya." Thal added in.
Haru was sure that one of his council members was actually on the verge of vomiting from disgust, he was getting a bit queasy himself. But he had to endure if he wanted to fully comprehend what these Beastpeople are and what they are capable of.
"So why does your sister make that 'nya' sound?"
"That is because when catgirls are still immature, they make that noise."
"And is there anything else about your race that we should know?"
"Well, to answer your question, you must know how the Beastpeople came to fruition."
"There is a legend behind your race?"
"You see, long time ago, before the war, before the kingdoms even rose, there was a great divide between elves and humans. Back when both humans and elves treated each other with animosity."
The rest of the council took notes on this, a bit of history would help them rule over the people.
"During that time, there was a human tribe who kept many elven slaves. They treated them all like animals. They would tie them to posts and keep them in cages. They would beat them if they were too noisy and would sacrifice them for the sick pleasure of the men."
Haru felt that this story was a bit familiar; he leans forward in interest to continue hearing the story.
"But one day, an Elven witch came upon them and saw the injustices they committed to her kin, so she cursed them with a spell, chanting 'You have made my kin suffer for long enough. You will receive retribution for the injustices you have committed on the elves. Since you have treated the elven daughters like animals, then it is only fair that your daughters suffer the same fate."
Haru grimaced, these people were the result of vengeful sorcery. A result of another feud between two races.
"So that human tribe carried the curse of bearing daughters who had furry ears and tails. Over many generations, we've interbred with many humans, thus propagating the Beastpeople population. But the elven view of us never changed. Even when the Dark Elves and High Elves split apart, they still treated us with disrespect and disgust."
The council waited for more but realized that they were finally finished. Haru still had other questions.
"So do these animal traits affect your senses? Like do you have the hearing of a feline, for example?"
"Yes." Blake said while gesturing to her other companions. "All of us have very good hearing."
"How good?"
"I can hear your heartbeats and I can tell that you all are very agitated by our presence."
The council was once again stumped by this. If these beasts could read their heartbeats, then they must have heard everything they've been speaking prior. The council stayed silent, leaving Haru to question them.
"Okay… Anything else?"
"As you can see, we Beastpeople come in a variety of beast forms. But we categorize them by ear and tail type. We typically come in fox, rabbit, cat, wolf, and bear."
"And what differentiates one from the other, besides looks and type?"
"Cat girls and rabbit girls are the most nimble. Fox girls are slightly less nimble but they are slightly stronger. Wolf girls are a balanced sort, being decently nimble and strong. Bear girls are very strong but cumbersome."
"Okay then, do you have anything to add, Celestine?"
Haru turns to Celestine expectedly.
"She speaks the truth sire. I know of these Beastpeople and everything the leader says is true."
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
"Because I have little to offer in helping these Beastpeople. Because my mother was one of the elves enslaved by their ancestors. I may have great compassion for my people but it's different with them."
"Go figure! You never even offered help to us for a single moment!" Blake snarled while pointing an accusing finger at Celestine. "The only reason we came now is because we hoped that our new hosts would be more hospitable. Order of Chivalry my ass!"
"ENOUGH!"
The women froze at the sound of Haru's enraged voice. The whole council glanced at Haru, who was breathing heavily.
"Celestine, you may take your leave."
"But—"
"LEAVE!"
Celestine gulps and bows before Haru before rushing out the door. Haru then stands up, his height making Blake feel smaller.
"We will allow your people to stay in Amelborough and when reclamation efforts are finished we will give your people land to live in."
"Thank you—"
"BUT! Your people owe us a debt! In exchange for protection and hospitality, if the Duchy should need your assistance, you will answer our call! Be it for labor or for battle, you will make your contribution to this nation."
Blake pondered on this as she whispered to her companions. There was heavy discussion among the girls about the terms and conditions. Blake then turns to Haru.
"What sort of labor?"
"Your cat girls, fox girls and rabbit girls will make excellent scouts. The wolf girls will make good hunters. The bear girls will make excellent laborers and we'll definitely need them for some heavy lifting."
"Is that all you need us for?"
"Well, if you have any other ideas on how you can help us, then please do say it. Your animal-like sense could be of great use to us and I aim to see it used to its full potential."
"I have a suggestion sire," one noble said while raising his hand. "We should have these people help us in hastening the construction of housing sites for our current refugees. If we can properly finish construction before reclamation efforts, we can concentrate on development of the city defenses and infrastructure."
"Good thinking." Haru said before turning back to Blake. "Your people have one day to rest. Starting tomorrow, your people will be put to work in exchange for shelter."
Haru then turned to two Scottish noblemen.
"You two will gather your men and help them settle down. If any of them try to cause trouble then don't hesitate on being rough." Haru then turned his head back to Blake. "I'll leave you in the care of two noblemen. If anyone causes you trouble or if you have any worries, do take it up with them."
The two men instinctively stood up and walked to the door, opening it for the ladies, saying,
"This way miladies."
As soon as the women left, Haru relaxed. He breathed a huge sigh at the successful talks. That meeting was tedious and it really drained him. He leaned back on his seat and rested his head for a bit. But he noticed that his wife had not said anything during the whole meeting.
"Rias, are you okay?"
"That catgirl…"
"I understand that these experience is a bit shocking, but we must be lenient. Even for strange races like these."
"No, I have no problems. It's just that the younger catgirl was so adorable."
Haru just shook his head at the comment as he stood up.
"Sire, where are you going?"
"To rest, of course!" Haru said while turning back to the council. "Aren't we done?"
"Er, no. We still have many concerns to address sir."
Haru groaned as he returned to his seat and slumped back in his seat. This was going to be a long day, and he couldn't help but think about how the Knightly Orders were doing at the moment.
The Hospitaliers carefully walked through the grass and foliage. They spied a large wooden fort as they crept forward to take a closer look. Sadly, they had to be discreet, so no siege engines were brought. They had left their horses tied up in a hidden area, guarded by some men who were left there. There target, the wooden fort, was a supposed camp of sex slaves built beside an abandoned village. If they were to capture it, then they would have control over the region. As the small army got closer to the fort walls, they could hear the sound of moaning and sexual activity.
"Barbarians… All of them. Too dumb and proud to even keep watch." one of the knights expressed in disgust.
The leader raised his hand to stop the patrol from moving in.
"Spread out and scout the area. We need to make sure we're not alone."
The soldiers nodded as they then split up to cover more ground. The other soldiers stood by the siege engines, keeping watch.
The leader then signals two knights to accompany him as they scour the outside for any patrols. As they crept carefully, the heard a loud sound of moaning as they peeked through the trees to see a group of men raping women, with some monsters joining them. The leader grit his teeth in anger as he then said,
"Let's show these barbarians true hell."
The leader and the two knights jumped from the foliage and ambushed the men and monsters. Before the monsters could even react, the knights began slaughtering all of them, leaving all of them dead and naked. The knights breathed a huge sigh at the elimination of their enemies. But they noticed that one of the girls was squirming. The knights bent forward to take a closer look at the naked woman.
She wore a face of ecstasy, completely broken by the rough sex that she had been receiving. But then suddenly, something burst from her anus. The knights stepped back and recoiled in disgust at the sudden release of strange, green liquid. They noticed that there was a strange, purple sac in the green liquid. The sac suddenly bursted, revealing a strange spider-like creature that had a frightening human-like face. The spider jumps and tries to attack one of the knights. The knight quickly swats it away and squashes it.
"What was that!?"
"I think the woman gave birth to it…"
"God, does the Black Dog's treachery know no bounds!?"
"Wait… Look."
Another spider creature emerged and went upon one of the women. It used its abdomen to insert a green liquid inside a woman's anus. The knights saw the woman squirm and thrash, before she relaxed again. The knights made a grim realization of what this meant. They saw all the women begin to squirm, making them all realize that they knew that they could not let the women join them if they're going to give birth to more of those dreadful spiders. But they also knew they could not let those women live with the suffering of giving birth to those beasts. Each of the knights shared a nod at each other, agreeing on what to do. Each knight drew their sword and said a short prayer, before swinging them.
The knights returned to the patrol, completely silent from their ordeal. Their armor carried a splash of fresh blood. The other men made the wise decision of not questioning what happened. The two knights take a seat while the leader calls up the patrols.
"How did the patrols go?" the leader asked.
"We have patrolled the area, sire. No reinforcements or patrols nearby. Looks like everyone's inside screwing the slaves."
"Good, we might not need siege engines after all." the leader said with a satisfied tone. "Get one of our spies inside to open the gate."
"But sir, if the Black Dogs see our men inside, they'll surely kill him!"
"Then we'll dress him up as a peasant. He'll be indistinguishable from the rest."
"Okay, sire. Let's hope this really works."
The spy dressed himself in the tunic and trousers of common peasantry. He is released by his superior to find a way to get to the gate while the enemy doesn't see them. He spies a small hole, large enough for a man to fit in. He sees it as an opportunity to get inside, so he crawls through. He gets inside to see a strange and disgusting sight. Numerous men and monsters were raping women left and right. He had to blend in, so he grabbed the nearest woman and tried to look for the gatehouse. He sees the gatehouse and runs over to try and get it to open. But chills ran down his spine when someone called hIm.
"Ey you!"
"Me?" The spy asked.
"Yeah you, goin' outside fer a screw with that fine lady?"
"Er, yes."
"Well, why didn' ya ask me to open it? Ya could have asked."
"Uh, I was excited to screw this woman." The spy lied.
"Well, don' forget to hand her over to me when yer done."
"Okay, I'll take note of that. Just leave the gate open for me."
"Sure thing."
The large man lifted the weight that held back the gates. The spy gave him a nod as he walked out, with the woman in tow. He runs with her back to the patrol, who was waiting for his signal. He saw the leader up front and said,
"Sire, the gate is unlocked, we must strike while we have the chance!"
"You heard him lads! Let's get to it!"
The men cheered as they marched with the Hospitalier leader to the wooden fort. The spy simply hung back and just left the woman in the care of the men guarding the horses. The Hospitalier sergeants pushed open the gates and stormed in. The men and monsters were caught off guard from the ambush as they were being slaughtered before they could react. But those were not all of the men.
More men poured from the houses as they attacked the Hospitaliers in a loose manner. The leader takes advantage of this and raises his hand to his men. The men take this signal and set up a shield wall with spears to hold off the Black Dog assault. The leader makes another gesture to his two knights, who lead their own group of men to assault the keep. The leader then stands by his crew to make sure that they defeat their opponents.
One mercenary tries to slash at the leader, but he parries it and strikes the back. Another tries to hit him but he ducks and thrusts his longsword into his enemy. He then decapitates another approaching opponent before raising his sword in time to parry a strike from another enemy striking from above. He then quickly stabbed his opponent before kicking him away. He looked around and saw the knights at the keep encountering fierce resistance. He knew he had to go and help, but there were too many enemies approaching. He then whistles out loud to the crossbows and shouts.
"CROSSBOWS!" The leader shouted while pointing at the path.
The leader then ran across the battlefield while the bolts rained from the sky. The bolts killed so many men that it cleared him a path to get to his other comrades. But on the way, an ogre bumps him and makes him fall over. He then quickly recovers and gets ready to fight him. The ogre tries to hit him with his giant sword, but the knight dodges and thrusts his sword deep into the ogre's stomach. To hasten the ogre's demise, the knight held tightly onto his sword and ran around the ogre to cut open its stomach.
The ogre fell dead before him and he ran in to defeat the Black Dog captains. He slashes down one soldier, before parrying a strike from another. But he then gets hit by another as he falls over. But before he was finished off, a fellow Hospitalier knight saved him from the final blow. He gets up and attacks the soldiers. He parries a strike from one soldier before decapitating him. He then stopped a strike of another soldier, before hitting him with the pommel of his sword and then changing the grip of his sword to hit him with a mordhau strike.
The knight then kicked the body away as he stared down the carnage of his men slaughtering all the Black Dogs. They had won, and with little casualties as well.
The leader passed through all the men, who were taking care of the women slaves. He sees his men enter the fort to settle down and rest for now. He calls over one of the men and says,
"Go back to the capital and tell the Duke that we've conque—"
"Sir Francoise!"
The leader turned to see one of his soldiers run up to him.
"What is it?" Sir Francoise asked firmly, still irked at being interrupted.
"You might want to see this."
Sir Francoise stared at a naked girl, who had a very voluptuous body. She had short, red hair and brown eyes. She had a brown band wrapped around her head. She was tied up as her hands were tied to the ceiling, leaving her behind vulnerable. There was still some semen on her body, dripping from her mouth and vagina. He then turned to his subordinate, asking.
"Are you absolutely sure this is her?"
"She matches the description, so I would say so."
"Then we do have something else to tell the Duke." Francoise said while turning to the messenger. "Tell the Duke that we have conquered our first settlement and that we found one of the shield princesses."
Volt smashed the table in frustration. First, he received the message that his army failed to capture Thore, because they were flanked by a larger and stronger army. His men also failed to capture those sexy Beastpeople before they could come to the Duke for help. It seemed that there was a new player in this game. This "Haru" will be a huge hamper to his plans to build his sex empire, especially if he comes in contact with the other nations.
"I swear Haru, when this is all over, I will have your head."