The Black Onyx mansion was filled with screams of pain and cries for help in the early morning hours.
Toby was getting his body scrubbed by the skillful hands of four young girls who were drenched in soapy water and smiling brightly. It might have been nice if he had been a human male, however, he was a Warg! The sexy scene was torture for him!
All that beautiful blood and bodily fluids of his slain enemies were being washed away by awfully smelling soap! How are his peers going to know of his brave deeds and courage in battle if all evidence was disappearing into pink foam?!
Toby cried and pleaded for them to at least leave his natural smell, the little pride he had left, but his torturers were merciless. With each movement of their hands, another patch of grime was removed from his body, turning his once rough and coarse fur soft and shiny.
What a tragedy! Soon he was too ashamed to even lift his head and simply let them pour more cold water over him, wishing he could simply drown in it before letting other Wargs see him in such a sorry state.
What could he do? Overpowering these soft-looking snacks would have been easy, but then, remembering the look of his angry master, threatening him with starvation, he gritted his teeth and endured, knowing that all torture will eventually end.
And so it did, after a long while… Or so he thought.
After getting dried off with Wind magic, Elly started slowly combing his fur, making it look fluffy, healthy, and soft.
But that was not even the worse thing! The long-eared little one said something about a 'perfume'. He didn't know what it meant, but simply judging by the smiles they showed at the mention of the word, he knew it was nothing good.
***
Elly was all smiles as she kept petting and brushing Toby's soft fur and in the meantime, Qiona went and tried her hand at making some nice-smelling flowery perfumes.
As an Alchemist she knew all the basics of extracting natural oils from plants and she was excited to try it out.
While the two were busy, Xilia and Blum went back to the constantly-increasing Gerald's library and took a few books to read. They both found great pleasure in absorbing the knowledge he left behind and having a partner studying beside and keeping you company was also great for whenever something was unclear.
Two brains and two pairs of eyes were always better than one, after all.
Blum even began dabbling in the topic of magic gear creation, such as rings and necklaces that were used as extra Mana storage. He also tried to study Runes, but whenever he would look at a spell scroll covered with them, he would get a headache.
It was so messy!
Or at least that's how it appeared to him, so he decided to take it slow.
Warren was the complete opposite. He only focused on straightforward sword combat, having Sera as a sparring partner as they clashed their blades out in the yard.
Sparks flew and sweat dripped from their faces from the warm summer sun, but the smiling expressions told the story of happiness. They felt the muscles stretch and contract under their skin, each movement being swifter and stronger than the last as they pushed themselves to overpower the other.
Despite Warren starting his training much later and being much weaker in the beginning, due to his natural talents, as well as mountains of effort and perseverance, the two were now equal.
Gerald watched it all from his room, silently and with hands behind his back. They took a short break from constant fighting to rest and recover, but in the end, he was the only one staying still. He took out his pocket watch and flipped it open, taking a look at the time.
It was almost noon.
He lifted his gaze over the walls of his estate, all the way to the towering city towers in the distance.
The soldiers were busy repairing the wall defenses and restoring the operation of many giant ballistae. They were rarely used but powerful machines that hurled javelins and stones at great distances and were great at taking down armored Orcs and Ogres.
Unfortunately, they were fixed in place and could only pivot slightly or turn on the axis so they were exclusively used for defense. However, ammunition was scarce for these weapons of war, and used and broken javelins littered the battlefield.
Young children, too young to be of much use elsewhere, were sent out to gather arrows and broken weapons to be refurbished and reused again and again, while the women were busy clearing the streets and preparing food for the hungry.
The near vicinity of the wall was almost completely devoid of monsters by now and a rare moment of peace washed over the defenders. It was of course welcomed with open arms as the tired men could finally get some rest and return to their families for a few short hours.
As all of the city was mobilized for the final battle, the allied armies of the four Guardians, the King, and many nobles and other influential people were rehearsing and doing last-minute training for the fight.
The city was busy.
Gerald retracted his gaze and closed the watch with a determined light in his eyes. He was ready.
Time until the final battle: 2 Days.