The Call to Arms - Part 4

The two moved into the city, only to discover that a number of smaller monsters had been snuck past the city's defenses in preparation for this. In all likelihood, they were sedated and snuck in by brigands disguised as traders, but Conrad was uncertain. All that he knew for sure was that dozens of goblins and kobolds had been let loose in the capital, and they were only fueling the confusion and destruction. Carmela grinded her teeth together, staring death upon the squabbling and babbling goblin population, unable to think of anything but the night at the farm. As long as she had a single, solitary gasp of air left in her, she would not sit idly by and let more good people be killed.

A bolt of lightning flashed by Conrad's head, narrowly missing. Turning quickly, he spotted a kobold shaman in their midst, using magic to fight against them. Carmela moved in front of Conrad, shield raised and protecting him from the spells of the enemy. Conrad fetched his bow from around his shoulders and nocked an arrow. Peeking out from behind Carmela's shield, he fired the arrow and watched as it pierced the kobold between the eyes. Carmela smirked.

Multiple enemies were beginning to convene on them. Conrad switched to his sword, as did Carmela. The two of them stood back to back and allowed their enemies to advance, knowing they would cover each other's blind spots. Carmela and Conrad killed each monster that advanced upon them with immediate and ruthless efficiency. The goblins and kobolds found themselves unable to exploit any weaknesses in the two warriors, and Conrad and Carmela were as focused as they had ever been.

After a few minutes of this, the two managed to thin the number of enemies near the city entrance. Carmela motioned for Conrad to follow, and they headed into the palace to see if they could find any clues about the king.

"ENEMY REINFORCEMENTS!"

Conrad and Carmela jumped to attention as a group of brigands moved out of the shadows. Carmela cursed. Of course these bandits put some of their numbers in waiting at the entrance of the palace. Any members of the royal guard present would come in through here first to attempt to regroup and keep the king safe.

Conrad glanced around, sweating. A number of their opponents had bows trained on them.

"SHIELD, CARMELA!"

The two of them took cover behind her shield again as a small flurry of arrows were fired upon their position. Carmela managed to completely protect them both in time, but Conrad didn't have enough arrows to kill all of the invaders. The situation was grim. Conrad glanced around the room, again attempting to formulate a plan. At that moment, however, a plan was formulated for him.

A volley of arrows was fired into the entryway, striking down the targets around Conrad and Carmela. The two peeked out from behind their shield, eager to see who their saviors were.

A tall knight with a thin mustache and blond hair entered from a door off to the side, glancing around quickly to confirm all the hostiles had been taken care of. A small squad of three additional soldiers formed up behind him, bows still at the ready. Carmela lit up upon seeing the blond knight.

"Chief of Staff Peters!"

Chief Peters glanced over at their location, smiling broadly upon noticing Carmela. He approached the two of them, addressing Carmela immediately.

"Captain Ingram. I'm deeply relieved to see you haven't been taken from us on this wretched day."

Carmela saluted him, and Conrad followed suit immediately. Peters glanced over at Conrad, curious.

"I believe I've seen you before, lad. You're new to the guard, yes?"

"Yes sir. My name is Jeremiah, and I just joined a month ago." He hesitated, his voice somber. "Captain Ingram and I are the last two remaining members of her squad. The rest were killed in an ambush by the bandit extremists today. I can verify my claims beyond a doubt, I saw them die myself."

Peters frowned, and moved close, placing his hand on Conrad's shoulder.

"No tragedy of that level should have to befall even an experienced soldier, lad, much less a young one like yourself. You have gone through an incredibly unfair trial today. However, the parties responsible for this violent uprising have either departed from this life or been placed into our custody at this point. It seems that we have no further enemy activity in the city interior and the palace. We will be okay now."

In an almost humorous fashion, the universe chose that exact moment to prove Peters wrong.

A deep, angry, bellowing roar echoed through the room. Turning rapidly, the members of the royal guard present watched as an angry orc entered, snarling. Seven feet tall and densely packed with muscle, the beast was a sight to behold. The beast had been captured and sedated magically, before being let free here within the walls of the city to cause chaos. It was possible that some remaining brigands were also still unaccounted for, but for the moment, the soldiers present had their hands full with this. They would have to count on the remaining members of the guard around the city to subdue any remaining hostiles.

The orc broke into a sprint, driven by its instincts as beast of war to snuff out its enemies. Peters and his squad jumped into battle with it. With the help of proper strategy and organization, Peters had defeated a number of beasts like this before. But this was far from an ideal situation. They had no spellcasters on hand, and weaponry was limited.

Carmela and Conrad's adrenaline was starting to fail them. The two of them had either been running from place to place, or fighting, since they were first ambushed earlier today by the brigands. Carmela stood quickly to support Peters, only to go lightheaded and fall, taking a knee. She panted, doing everything she could to collect herself. Conrad placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention, both of them building themselves up for one last huge push.

"Listen to me, Carmela. It was the work of a goddess that moved my soul from one body into another across time. If I go missing, I want you to know that I'll do my best to find you again. I promise."

Carmela smiled through the pain, her heart and lungs urging her to keep resting, but she persevered. "That's very reassuring. Thank you, old friend."

They glanced over, ready to rejoin the fray. Two of Peters' men had been slayed by the beast, and Peters himself was wounded. The orc had suffered its share of injuries at the hands of the veteran warriors, but it clearly had the royal guard on the back foot. The third member of Peters' squad was doing his utmost to pull Peters to safety. The orc snarled, advancing and ready to kill them, but Carmela caught its attention, already aware of what Conrad was preparing to do.

"OVER HERE, BEAST!"

The orc turned, growling, looking for the source of the noise. As it turned its face towards Conrad and Carmela, Conrad fired his arrow, successfully landing his shot in one of the monster's eyes. The orc howled, flailing about, and the two friends forced their bodies into action one last time. Carmela dashed forward, slashing away at the orc's leg, forcing it to take a knee. Conrad moved alongside Carmela, ready to plunge his sword into the back of the beast's head to finish it.

But the orc was not finished taking its toll on the combined force of the royal guard.

The side Conrad was attempting to flank the beast from was its side that still had eyesight. It swung its arm at Conrad...and its haymaker landed on Conrad's head. Conrad went flying across the room, landing dazed on the floor. Carmela shook with terror.

With a roar of vicious fury, Carmela Ingram swiped upwards, her sword landing a decisive blow across the monster's neck. Blood spilled out, and try as it may to stem the flow, the orc fell to the floor, dying. Carmela drove her sword into the back of the monster's skull with a conclusive scream, ending the day's bloody campaign for all present.

Carmela immediately bolted to the side of Conrad, her own fatigue at bay for only a moment longer. She held Conrad's head in her hands. Conrad stared up at her as she called out to him, pleading, sobbing, cradling him. Even in this moment, Conrad couldn't help but think to himself about how much of a wonderful woman Carmela Ingram was.

And then, as Conrad was about to lose consciousness, he saw her again. Another influential woman of this chapter in life. Unblinking, Nana merely nodded at him, and Conrad got the message loud and clear.

Time to go.