Chapter 260 – When The Stars Fall, The Moon Weeps

"KEEP FIGHTING! DON'T FEAR THEIR BLADES! REMEMBER, WE HAVE A GODDESS STANDING WITH US! SHE WILL HEAL YOUR WOUNDS! WE WILL PREVAIL!" Mica shouted, encouraging her people between swings of her axe, her tattoos flaring brilliantly as she held the centre of their line. 

There were fewer than twenty of them remaining in the semi-circle they made around the gate, most of them naked and all welding various tools as weapons and relying on their stats to keep themselves alive. Behind them were eight others, throwing stones and anything else they could get their hands on, trying to stymie the flood of undead or pulling the injured from the front line back and filling the gaps. Behind them were their bare handful of magic users, tossing spell after spell over their heads, hoping to provide the front line some relief.

Further back was Aqua and the rest of her people, many of them screaming in pain from being hacked up badly by the undead's swords, a few missing limbs completely. The three deaths they had so far had been countered by the goddess, but the spell took time to cast, and her people were effectively out of the fight as they came back weak and barely able to move. If this battle continued like this, it was only a matter of time before they would start losing people completely.

The goddess herself was like a woman possessed; she would heal a few of the wounded, then rushing forward to the front line, cast some anti-undead spells, before rushing back to the wounded. If it wasn't for how batshit crazy the Axis church was, Mica would have converted right there and then for how Aqua supported her people.

Eris, forgive me my stray thoughts. You're my goddess and always will be.

Another bright explosion went off as another of Aqua's wards was unravelled, causing the undead to flinch from the holy energies unleashed. She stepped in and split the skull of the undead in front of her, the distraction allowing her to get around its guard. Others did the same, pushing this advance back past the gate itself. 

It was a pyrrhic victory at most, as there was a horde waiting for them beyond the walls, along with General Beldia himself. She could see the Dullahan standing behind his men, casting magic on yet another point in the walls. He was picking apart their wards one by one, content on letting his horde keep the defenders occupied while he did it. 

She seethed in anger at the sight, wanting to sortie out with her remaining people and take him down, but held that impulse in check. They just didn't have the power to mount a counter assault. The vast majority of the undead on the field were just their regular soldiers, slower and much more awkward than her people, but she could see several death knights and other, less inept undead in their ranks. Attacking would just guarantee their demise.

"Hah, hah... that... is... the best I can do for now. What are they up to?" Aqua asked, rushing back to the frontline position. She was leaning heavily on her staff, her once-perfect hair now looking unkempt. Not that anyone looked like they were ready for a festival right then.

She glanced beyond the gate for a moment, then turned back to her. "They are gearing up for their next push. Any chance you can drop another ward down here?"

"I would need ten minutes to place it, and that is provided he doesn't interrupt me again. Best I can do is- LOOK OUT!" She said, grabbing her arm and roughly yanking her back away from the gate.

A wicked-looking, icy blue sword spun through the air, narrowly missing her. Aqua wasn't so fortunate. 

"EURK!" She yelped as she was carried away by the momentum of the weapon, the blade buried to the hilt in her stomach, planting its self firmly in the ground. She slid down the length of the blade, her silver and gold energy clashing with the black magic within the blade. 

"Aqua!" Mica screamed and rushed to the goddess, tears coming to her eyes.

"Heh, apparently, having a low luck stat is a bad thing," Aqua said, her voice weak as she coughed up blood. "Tell him... tell... him..." She tried to say, but couldn't get the words out. Mica tried to pull the blade out, but magic in the handle repulsed her, preventing her from grasping the hilt. The playful gleam in her eyes was gone, the two orbs looking dead inside her skull.

"Ha! Sometimes when you aim for the moon, you miss and hit the star!" A voice shouted in glee behind her as the clash of arms started again. She spun, her axe in hand. Somehow, the Dullahan had assaulted the gate along with four death knights in the time it took her to step back to where Aqua was... killed.

Can you even kill a goddess? No time for that!

"You bastard! You'll pay for this!" She roared, charging towards him.

He raised his free hand, and a burst of energy blew the frontline defenders back from the gate, sending them tumbling through the courtyard. Her casters unloaded their magic towards him, but the death knights, with their thick slab shields, stood in front of him, blocking most of the assorted magics. Lights and explosions lit up the night skies as their magics clashed, making a deafening racket on the wolfkin's sensitive ears. 

She tried to rally her people, but the regular undead started to flood in behind the Dullahan, knocking out and capturing the wolfkin again. Memories of the past flooded through her mind. It was happening again; they were going to be slaves for these undead. She fell to her knees, the terror causing her limbs to lock up.

"YOUR PRIESTESS HAS BEEN DEFEATED! SURRENDER NOW, AND NO ONE ELSE NEEDS TO DIE!" Beldia shouted, pulling his sword out of Aqua's chest. He paused for a moment, the hand holding his head moving to give him a better view of the fallen goddess. After a moment, he shrugged his shoulders and spun more magic around her, her body disappearing a moment later through a teleportation circle. 

Something snapped inside of her and rage filled her mind.

"Never! You caught us once, Beldia! We refuse to live under your thumb again!" She shouted as she got back to her feet. She pushed more magic into her strength runes to stop her legs from shaking. She was terrified, but if she was going to die, she would die on her feet with her people. She charged at him, flashing the speed runes to give her a burst of acceleration. 

She blew past the two death knights and swung her axe at him, intent on burying its blade into his helmet, or at least knocking it away. That wicked-looking sword came up and parried her strike, then quickly spun around and struck at her, forcing her to block it with her haft. The runes she had engraved earlier flared on the weapon, absorbing the damage from the strike. 

She flipped backwards, narrowly avoiding the two death knights attacking her from the side, landing a short distance away. Beldia moved ahead of his guards and levelled his blade at her.

"Maple? No... Melly? Wait, don't tell me. Mopey? No, that isn't it... Mica! Ah. I have a hard time telling you wolfkin apart; you all look the same to me. Out of respect for your martial prowess, I let your people live despite the damage you did to the Devil King's forces, but apparently living wasn't good enough for you." He said, drawing a line in front of him with his blade. "After this betrayal of my magnanimity, you can serve alive, or you can serve dead; it matters little to me. But you will serve."

"Forcing our families apart, working us eighteen hours or more a day, and feeding us garbage is magnanimous? Since when? You just wanted slaves to do work your undead were unable to do." She growled at the racist general, readying herself for their next exchange. Flashes of light and explosions continued to ring through the courtyard.

"Just prudence. Look at you. You're standing there half-starved, holding a logging axe, clothes nearly falling off your body, yet you're able to exchange blows with me. Your people are dangerous. The only reason I didn't kill you to a man was out of respect for your people's martial prowess. I didn't even chain them up like dogs because of that respect. That changes tonight. Now come, puppy, and fight me. If you do, yours will be the last death that needs to happen tonight. Otherwise, the rest of your people will follow you to their undeath."

She touched her belly briefly, but quickly refocused on the fight in front of her, activating all her runes and steeling her resolve. 

I'm sorry, John, but at least our people will be safe. Avenge us.

"And for crying out loud, someone put a stop to that Earth mage causing a racket outside, or else I will end them too," Beldia shouted.

That's when she noticed that all fighting in the courtyard had stopped. Her people were all behind her, while the undead were in front of her and to the sides. Yet it sounded like there was a full-on magic battle happening outside the walls. 

"Umm... Earth mage? We don't have an Earth mage. I thought that was your army sieging the walls." She said, a sliver of hope forming in her thoughts. She noticed a lot of green light and flashes of fire happening somewhere beyond the gate. 

"Why would I want to break down the walls? I want to live here, not ruin the place."

"I have no idea. Just like I have no idea why you stole Aqua's body."

"Aqua? Like the goddesses? Hah, what a fun name for a priestess. I have plans for her back in the demon king's castle. You won't see her again, but if things go well, she will be your people's new old overseer. Wait. Are you trying to distract me? Stop your mages from attacking my forces, else I'll kill you all no matter what!"

"Everyone that's left is right here. If you're so concerned, why don't you go check on them? I'll wait."

"Argh! No, come at me and prepare to meet your goddess."

"I already have. And funny enough, I met the man she follows. Wait a moment, and you can meet him too." She said, taking a few steps back from the impromptu circle.

"What? Did you hit your head earlier, or are you just insane? You're not making any sense. What goddess would follow a man?"

"My love and mate!" She shouted, diving backwards.

"Wha?-"

*FOOOOOOSSSSHH!!! Thump!!!*

Beldia didn't get to finish that sentence as Suzy Q landed directly in front of the gate, crushing the General under thirty-five tons of falling battlemech. It stumbled forward as it tried to brace its momentum, but failed and toppled onto its chest, taking out a few death knights and a pile of the undead with it.

Mica could see two figures inside the windows, but the moonlight wasn't bright enough to see who was with him in there. Not that she had time to wonder right now. 

"MOONFALL CLAN, JOHN HAS SAVED US AGAIN! NOW, CHARGE! LEAVE NO UNDEAD STANDING!" She shouted, her voice bringing her people out of their stupor. She charged directly into the scattering undead, her axe humming through the air. She thought another prayer as she hacked into her first target.

Thank you, Eris, for sending him into our lives. And thank you, John. You are as much a god to me as Eris is.