Chapter 1101: I''ve Eaten Some Of Your Kind


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    Tal ignored themanders and slipped into the part of the ship where Draconian soldiers had fallen. She gripped her bow tightly and moved stealthily down the dim corridor as a


    steady thumping echoed in the distance.


    The sound put her on edge as she gripped her bow even more, ''What the hell is that? More Blightborns.''


    She summoned a mana arrow, nocking it carefully as she neared a bend. Peering around the corner, she spotted several fallen Dragonknights, now aimlessly wandering with their swords loosely clutched in their lifeless hands.


    "They''ve been turned into Ghouls,'' Tal mused. ''I need to put them to rest.''


    Following that, she poked around the corner and started firing mana arrows at the creatures, which took them out quickly. The bodies dropped to the floor with a few thuds, allowing her to move forward.


    Her boots stepped in pools of blood as she continued down the ship''s corridors, only to encounter more creatures. Tal put them down with dozens of arrows that pierced through their foreheads.


    Soon enough, the reason for the Dragonknights death appeared, and the monster caused her blood to run cold, ''What is this thing! Its a nightmare.''


    A twisted, gaunt figure shuffled into view, its elongated limbs bending at unnatural angles, skin stretched tight over sharp, jutting bones. Its face was a grotesque mask, with hollow eye sockets that leaked a dark liquid and a mouth that split open far too wide, exposing rows of jagged teeth.


    The creature''s head tilted as it locked onto her, a slow, sickening smile creeping across its face. When she saw this, the hair on the back of her neck stood up, but she managed to steel her nerves.


    ''Darling did say they have creepy creatures under their control,'' Tal thought while gulping as she readied herself for a fight.


    That''s when it lunged, its twisted limbs pushing it forward with terrifying speed. She dodged just in time, the creature''s ws screeching against the metal wall where her head had been a heartbeat before.


    Tal spun, firing a mana arrow that exploded as it struck, sending sparks across the corridor. The creature barely staggered, its hollow eyes now zing with hunger. It lunged again, wed fingers reaching, but she rolled beneath its swipe.


    She shot upward from her crouch, the arrow piercing the creature''s side, yet it twisted in rage, hissing as thick, ck ichor oozed from the wound. Tal had no room to evade as the creature cornered her, pressing forward until she felt the cold metal of the wall at her back.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ''Oh shit, this is bad, but I got an idea.''


    Without waiting, Tal summoned all her remaining energy in a split second, channeling it into a final arrow that crackled with fierce, blue light. As the creature lunged again, she released the shot, the force sting it backward.


    The creature shrieked as the arrow tore through its chest, copsing in a heap as its twisted limbs convulsed, then stilled. Tal let out a sigh of relief as she put her bow away while scanning the new monster.


    ''More crew or something else?'' she pondered before continuing.


    Tal encountered more of the twisted creatures, but after the first battle, each encounter became easier. Hours passed as she fought her way through the dark corridors until finally, she stumbled upon a group of survivors-wounded crew members and Draconian Marines. She found them hiding in one of the ammunition storage rooms, which had only one entrance, which they covered. When Tal entered the room, she counted twenty people in various states.


    An injured man looked up, his voice filled with concern. "Your Majesty... what are you doing here?"


    Before she could answer, howls rang out down the corridor, causing Tal to look in the direction of the sounds and realize that dozens of Blightborns, Ghouls, and bigger creatures charged toward her.


    ''Oh no, you don''t,'' she thought while raising her hand.


    Tal started casting Moon and Sun sts that tore through the monster''s ranks. The magic killed many, but more took their ce, causing her to grow concerned, ''How many of these things are on here! This is getting annoying now.''


    "Clearing out the monsters and finding survivors," she answered the man while ducking into the room and mming the door shut.


    As Tal worked, the eerie mming and scratching sounds echoed from the bulkhead''s other side. She exhaled a weary sigh, storing her bow and reaching into her ring to give out health potions among the injured.


    The man spoke up again, his voice strained. "The creatures... they appeared on the lower decks. Survivors are on the bridge, but the attack destroyed the main entrance. That leaves only one way in, through the admiral quarters where the secondary entrance is."''


    Tal nodded before sitting down and resting while sending N a message. [Chaos on the ships. Thousands dead. I''m trying to clear out Archer''s Wrath, but it will take time] Following that, the howls screams, and whimpering of the injured sounded through the room, annoying her as she blocked the noise out. Soon enough, Tal started scanning her surroundings until she spotted a vent she could travel through.


    ***


    A soft ping sounded from the lioness''s dragon tattoo, and as she read the message, a grimace crossed her face. ''Damn Swarm, constantly stirring up trouble for us,'' she thought, irritation bubbling up.


    N shook her head, pushing aside her thoughts as she stepped out of the tent, only to nearly bump into Demetra and ra chatting nearby. When the shark woman spotted her, she


    grinned.


    "My favorite lioness," she said proudly, "the Alliance has stopped their attacks from the sea, at least for now. I ughtered hundreds of their beasts before they finally pulled back."


    She gave a nod of approval, "Good work, Dem. We might finally get a chance to breathe and ain''t I the only Lion Demi-Human, you know?"


    The blue-haired woman nodded as she answered, "Well, I''ve eaten some of your kind, but you''re the first I see as a friend."


    N giggled before questioning, "Have you spoken to the others?"


    "Yes. Mary, Brooke, and Ari are staying in the kingdom just in case, as the others are helping with the realm," Demetra answered. "Teu said husband wants to sneak into Pluoria when The returns to cause trouble before we invade."


    The lioness shook her head, "He will want to deal with Avidia; those damn fire elves have sunk too many of our merchant ships," she revealed.


    Demetra growled at the mention of the Duskfire Empire, her sharp teeth bared in frustration. ra, the dragon-kin woman, nced between them, "What has the Duskfire Empire done


    now?" she asked.


    N sighed, turning to answer, "We had a trade agreement with them; everything was


    smooth. But then they joined the Alliance and, just like that, sank fifty Draconian ships. Aisha sent warnings, but their Empress, Embera Duskfire, ignored them. She''s a powerful fire mage and the strongest fighter on Avidia."


    "Damn fire elves, they are acting like this because Archer isn''t here, and they''re taking advantage of the situation," ra answered while staring across no man''snd.


    Following that, the three women watched as the Dragonfire Company started firing their cannons as a Monster Wave charged toward the fortress, but they were quickly wiped out by


    the explosions that burned them to ash.


    While standing there, N questioned, "How many soldiers did thisnding cost us? Have you got the numbers?"


    ra frowned before revealing, "Just over eight thousand dead; the Healers have healed the


    rest."


    The lioness sighed as several roars echoed across the sky as the Thunderbolt Throwers targeted the flying Swarm monsters. Yellow bolts washed over them, causing the creatures to plummet toward the ground.


    Just as that happened, several waves of shells mmed against the fortress''s protective shield, which lit up like a star. The three women looked up as ramented, "The Alliance are using their numbers against us. Should I issue the order to dig under the fortress for more


    protection?"


    N nodded as she responded, "Yes, and get the earth mages to help; it shouldn''t take the army too long to do it."


    Following that, the fortress buzzed to life as the legions started digging out an undergroundwork as the shield was failing due to the constant barrage. While this happened, the lioness turned to ra, "Do you believe this willst for days as you predicted?" The dragon-kin woman nodded as she started speaking: "Yes, reports suggest that theybined all their war machines and used them to destroy the fortress. They did it to your homnd alongside the Avalonians."


    N didn''t reply as she turned on her heel and left the wall in silence while nning the uing attack, which would use the tunnels they built to drag the enemy inside while the main force left through a new entrance.


    ra had devised the n, and the Dragon Marshels agreed to it. The lioness watched the legions get to work while the Dragonfall Company returned fire to keep the enemy army at bay until they were ready to spring the trap.


    The legionnaires created obstacles for the Alliance using the soil and stones the earth mages


    piled up.


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