Scattered throughout the Uzmiya holt–the forest edging the town of Luminos, as well as the host of the church of the lost and the fiend's dungeon–were countless zombified creatures prowling since the darkness of last night. Taking orders from a hive mind, they took their positions in a way that once the army of men marched their way, which they already expected somehow, they could lunge out of the shadows and pick them off one soldier at a time.
An easy pick since the humans weren't expecting the monsters to be so close and organised. Or so they thought with what little sane mind they had left. Being judged by a fiend who could slow the passage of time was not at all on their list of precautions to take.
Lifting the jaws of a burly beastman crocodile, who was one of the few who hadn't been turned into a zombie, Zephyr moved his head around to check exactly what the beast was. A raging barbarian who commanded a few hundred smaller creatures who had burned themselves under solid ground. Snatching the soldiers by their feet was to be their plan, a rather ingenious method which the beastmen were most likely incapable of forming for themselves.
"Those guys in Luminos wouldn't stand a chance against these monsters," staring at the many beasts hiding in plain sight, Aura let out a yawn before looking over at her husband. "Level four average, with level seven and twelve being the upper limit. Were the average not level five in town, these guys would've been easy to deal with–well, after trimming their numbers a little already, that is."
Nodding at her without shifting his gaze from the nymphs hiding in the trees, Zephyr easily looked through their facade and began counting them. Melting into the trees as part of bark, branches, and bundles of leaves, the nymphs appeared to be amongst the living, but why then were they working for this mastermind who was commanding a bunch of zombies?
'They should be smart enough not to be affected by mind control, then how?' Zephyr wondered.
"Mutual benefit perhaps, or maybe…" Reminded of his own dungeon and the many monsters that populated every layer of it, he heaved a sigh and concluded while looking at his wife. "A summoner like me or a beastmaster like you."
"Could be." Looking around yet again, the two came across one final question. "But who could command this many creatures or summon them if the average person is as weak as a twig in this day and age?"
The answer was simple, but neither spoke it just yet.
'Valentine.' They thought, and although they were right, the duo could do little to dissuade the army from attacking, lest they wished to draw suspicion as to why the monsters simply ran away.
Too much planning had gone into the initiation of the war, and to step back now and dissolve it was far from ideal. A few deaths were the least that was required to give this whole charade a little meaning.
"What do we do now?" Folding her arms, Aura glanced sideways at Zephyr. "Should I go and knock on her head? Tell her to knock it off?"
"Hmm…" Pressing a finger to his chin, Zephyr delved into deep thoughts. Only a second had passed since he'd slowed the passage of time, and a second would pass more before he had seen every outcome possible in the given situation. And as it did, he opened his eyes and responded to Aura. "I will go back to Glyea; you go ahead and find where Valentine is."
Tilting her head a little, Aura shrugged and asked.
"What are you planning?"
"She's going to be the savior this town needs, and Valentine will be the villain to facilitate it."
Although a bit confused at first, she quickly sprouted her wings to take flight.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, that girl's gonna need all the strength that she can get once those leeching sages learn about what she did."
Nodding her head, Aura took flight and began looking for the vampiress' dark den. In the meantime, Zephyr turned back and began walking towards the human army. All the while in his head, he was scanning through the countless possibilities that would emerge from this battle's end.
Plucking another ring made by Amiena, he tossed it in his hand while his mind was set on fixing it on Glyea's finger. A subtle white stone rested as its crown, sucking in power from all around it–even from those who should've gotten the experience from killing a monster. Instead, it would be granted to her as long as that ring was worn on one of her fingers.
'Those levels should help explain how she handled this army, and if push comes to shove, I can boost her level by offering some of my powers through that ring.' Both a savior and a target–that's what he'd made the magic knight. She would be praised by the town if she could somehow save the village, but the Lakran sages? They will have questions for her–questions for which she has no answers.
"There's always a villain, isn't there?" On his walk back to town, the whole situation reminded Zephyr of his own past. Even when trying to help, he was painted as a monster by someone who wasn't even involved in the situation.
One particular event came to mind. The case of a mother whose infant was born with four hands. An abomination he was called, and the mother was branded a witch whose very womb was ripped out in front of everyone in town. The child was saved by the priestess Amiena, alas, which became the last good act of her life.
Much like the witch, the church which she tended to was burned. Her studies in sources of power besides the divine were culled from history and, in the end, branded as witchcraft. The great witch Amiena–the priestess whose work eventually fell all gods. Ironic as it was, nothing was worth the loss of her life–not to the fiend or anyone who ever believed in god.
Staring at that ring as he eventually reached town, Zephyr squeezed his fingers around it–hoping that for once he could feel her warmth. But of course, her touch was gone–the only thing that remained was an accursed power.
"Pull yourself together…" With a deep breath, he lifted his head, and not too long after his return, the army began its march into the death trap set by the monsters.