<> Aden went back to the destroyed courthouse after the roof collapsed, He felt relieved as he found Indry, Agnes, and little Jasmine in the cellar. He escorted them to the Silent Forest. and resumed going to the Riverway neighborhood to seek Laura and Eugene. Aden found Laura but not Eugene.
"Where is Laura?"
"I don't see her," Indry replied
"Me neither," Agnes replied
"I saw Aunty with Eugene heading to the Riverway." said little Jasmine.
"Okay, follow me, and don't leave my side in any circumstances. We'll head to the Silent Forest. if anything, go straight to the Silent Forest. We regroup there with the knights and the others."
<> Only a little more than half of the villagers and refugees regrouped in the Silent Forest.
<> Somehow Ralph survives and is present in the Silent Forest.
<> After dropping off Indry, Agnes, and Little Jasmine in the Silent Forest regroup spot Aden went back to the village. helping anyone while looking for Laura and Eugene in the Riverway neighborhood.
Riverway was a high-class neighborhood in Serendale Village. It has a number of stone-built mansions.
"Psst, Aden, in here." a hushed voice from a smaller mansion. a familiar face peeked behind the little bit opened up door.
"Eugene," Aden rushed to the mansion and walked past the front yard. It was not just Eugene, Laura was also inside the little mansion.
Aden released a relieved sigh.
"Thank God both of you are safe."
Eugene looks happy but not Laura. She was sulking.
He found them in the mansion three places away from Indry's mansion.
Laura hugged and kissed Aden passionately as they met. Eugene watched awkwardly.
it was the only mansion that didn't get ransacked because it was only a bit bigger than a house. They lay low.
Aden plowed Laura as Eugene watched. She blames Eugene for leaving her by herself. it was a punishment for her husband.
"We should lay low for a while. wait for sunset. and we set off to the Silent Forest. this place will be crawled by harpies tomorrow morning, they are here to stay. by the time we are already too late to reach for the forest."
"I think I know what we should do while waiting." Laura bit her lip. She got closer to Aden and grabbed his crotch.
"Laura, I don't think this is the time for that." Aden was awkward, he would love to cross her legs but not in front of her own husband nor in a time like this.
"It is the time for that, or would you want to do it in the forest? with everyone watching? I don't mind tho." Laura teased
"We still have time until sunset."
They kissed passionately. Laura took out her tits and pulled her skirt up to her waist. She untied her string panties. showing her roseate pussy.
Aden grabbed and squeezed her tits. he swept his tongue from her neck down to her tits. licking her tits and sucking her nipples with his tongue.
Aden glanced once at Eugene before he pushed his hip, sliding his cock deep inside her.
"ouhh," Laura moaned
This is why Aden loves being an ox, This feeling of control not just over the wife but over the husband also, made Aden feel powerful.
Aden accelerates his pace.
"Oh, fuck me!..fuck me like those riffraff in the Havenmoor shabby shack," Laura blabbered about her vultured experience. She meant to humiliate her husband.
Laura moaned loudly. Aden believe someone could hear them having sex.
suddenly Laura pushed Aden to his back, lying on the ground. She got the woman-on-top position. She kissed Aden before starting to move her hips.
it's happening, Aden thought.
"The twister."
Laura looked at Eugene, "you like it, meek?"
They were all drenched with sweat. the mansion was damp and humid. it was getting hot and made the two sweat a lot. the sweat glistening on both of their bodies. made the scene more erotic and aesthetic.
"shh.." Aden told her to suppress her moaning by kissing her lips.
"Mmh" she moaned in a suppressed mouth as Aden used his tongue. their tongue danced inside their mouths entwining like a mating snake. Her saliva was refreshing.
He was too preoccupied with silencing Laura he didn't notice the harpy scout was near he could hear their wings beating the air on the mansion two houses to them.
bad timing, the harpy scouts coming to this place. Aden thought they already lost them in the alleyways.
"Shh, someone's coming." Aden hushed Laura once more, he suddenly shifted his pace to the slowest and eventually stopped.
that made Laura go crazy her legs stiffened and pressed Aden
Aden closed her mouth with his hand as her body quivered uncontrollably.
"Nnnhh!" Her eyes went white. she was having her orgasm.
Aden looked at Eugene and touched his free hand index finger on his lips, telling Eugene to not make any sound. Eugene nodded. it was look like the meek husband also heard the harpies nearby.
Laura's inside clenched Aden's dick, Aden hold the seer torrential pleasure with all of his might. he let out a suppressed grunt.
when Aden plowed Laura, he managed to peek into a hole in the wall. There was a harpy on the outside. Aden peeked out, it was golden winged harpy that he released at the seaport. She flew back to her sisters and they went in another direction.
The golden-winged harpy saved him and the couple.
"We couldn't stay here, the harpies took over the village. They are here to stay. Let's go."
"Looks like they want us to freeze to death in this forest."
"We should get out of this forest, there is a farm village at the bottom of the mountain"
"That's a bad idea."
"How, bout the seaport?"
"..."
"Percy, tell me the sit rep and the terrain of the seaport."
"Sir," Percy came. "The road down the mountain is covered by the trees canopies which grow on the side of the road and the cliff wall."
"Can it give protection for the marching villagers from the harpies?"
"Yes, harpies wouldn't dare to dive into the tree canopies and the foliage."
"What's the matter?"
"The tree line ended before the road reached the seaport. There is an open field between the seaport and the tree line. The villagers would be too exposed there. we will be sitting duck for the harpies."
"How wide is this open field?"
"from this tree line to that street." Percy pointed out a distance about ten stone's throw away. "But, as long as they can reach the wall of wooden stacks near the seaport they would be out of harm's way."
"Hmm," Captain Willem thought. He took a good look at the defenders.
"It's doable. we stretch the defenders and make a double spear wall on each of the villager's paths, protecting the train of the villagers until they reach the seaport."
<>The knights and the volunteers discuss plan
<>Aden went back with Laura and Eugene.
just when he was about to enter the tree line he looked behind and saw a huge silhouette of a harpy from a distance descended from the sky, glinted by golden light and imbued in an ember gradient of the sunset. from the scale, this one particular harpy was bigger and taller than any other harpy or the muscular harpy they fought in the wailing widow's creek.
<> In the night they can hear the harpy lullaby from a close distance. They used to hear the lullaby vaguely in the silent night but now it's more clearer.
they sang beautifully, while the villagers were barely surviving in the freezing night. ironic.
Aden, Laura, and Eugene made their way back towards the tree line, their steps heavy with the weight of the day's ordeal. As they neared the edge of the forest, Aden couldn't help but glance over his shoulder, his gaze drawn skyward by a looming silhouette that blotted out the fading sunset.
In the distance, a massive harpy descended from the heavens, its colossal form backlit by the golden rays of the setting sun. The sight was both awe-inspiring and terrifying, as the creature's ember-hued silhouette seemed to dwarf even the muscular harpy they had encountered at the Wailing Widow's Creek.
Aden's breath caught in his throat as he took in the sheer scale of the beast, his mind struggling to comprehend the existence of such a formidable adversary. It was as if the very embodiment of their nightmares had taken flight, a harbinger of destruction that cast a shadow over their already precarious situation.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the chill of night began to settle over the land, and with it came the haunting melody of the harpies' lullaby. The ethereal notes drifted through the trees, carried on the gentle breeze, their beauty at odds with the devastation they had wrought.
In the past, the villagers had grown accustomed to the faint, distant strains of the harpies' song, a haunting backdrop to the silent nights. But now, the lullaby was unmistakable, its clarity and proximity a chilling reminder of the ever-present threat that lurked just beyond the treeline.
As the refugees huddled together, seeking what meager warmth they could find, the irony of their situation was not lost on Aden. While the harpies serenaded the night with their captivating melodies, the villagers were barely surviving, their bodies wracked by the bitter cold and the ever-present specter of hunger.
It was a cruel juxtaposition, a stark contrast between the beauty of the harpies' song and the harsh reality of their existence. Yet, even as the lullaby washed over them, the refugees found solace in the knowledge that they had endured another day, their resilience a testament to the indomitable spirit that burned within each of them.
As Aden, Laura, and Eugene sought shelter among their companions, the haunting melody seemed to fade into the background, a constant yet distant reminder of the challenges that lay ahead. But for now, they could rest, their weary bodies and minds finding respite in the knowledge that they had survived to fight another day.
<> Aden was glad he saw almost everyone made it, even the mute Martin made it to this retreat point. He thanks Lua, his god, for this.
yet there is one particular that made him more than glad hasn't made it, Agnes's husband, Ralph. Aden couldn't see the weasel, maybe he was wrong. He double-checked it and scanned all over the villagers who took refuge in the woods, none of them had the ridiculous hair or face like the donkey Ralph.
He thought karma got the scumbag, Ralph, he killed Victor and now he got killed by the harpies. it was poetic.
at last, god made the right decision to take the arrogant donkey out of the picture. He prays the harpies to take their time killing the god's chosen people person.
As Aden surveyed the sea of weary faces gathered in the refuge of the forest, a wave of relief washed over him. Despite the harrowing ordeal they had endured, he was grateful to see that almost everyone had made it to this rendezvous point, their numbers intact – even the mute, Martin, had managed to find his way to safety.
At that moment, Aden offered a silent prayer of thanks to Lua, his god, for watching over them and guiding them through the chaos that had engulfed their village. He knew that their survival was due, in no small part, to divine intervention – a testament to the power of faith and perseverance in the face of overwhelming adversity.
Yet, as his gaze swept over the huddled masses, Aden couldn't help but feel an unexpected sense of elation at the absence of one particular individual – Agnes's husband, the weasel Ralph. At first, he thought he might have simply overlooked the man's presence, but as he scanned the crowd more closely, he found no trace of the man's ridiculous haircut or his distinctly donkey-like features.
A twisted smile tugged at the corners of Aden's lips as he entertained the notion that karma had finally caught up with the arrogant scumbag. After all, Ralph had played a pivotal role in the tragic death of young Victor – an innocent life snuffed out far too soon. In Aden's mind, it was only fitting that the harpies had exacted their own form of justice, eliminating the self-proclaimed god's chosen people from the equation.
As morbid as the thought may have been, Aden couldn't help but feel a sense of poetic justice in Ralph's presumed demise. While the attack had claimed countless innocent lives, a part of him felt that the gods had made the right decision in removing such an arrogant and corrupt individual from their midst.
With a silent prayer, Aden entreated the harpies to take their time in dealing with Ralph, should he still draw breath. Let him suffer, let him experience the same fear and anguish that he had inflicted upon the people of the village, Aden thought bitterly. For in that moment, vengeance burned within his heart – a righteous fury fueled by the memory of the atrocities committed by one of the people who claimed to be chosen by the divine.
<> The flickering glow of the campfire cast an eerie dance of shadows across the weary faces of the survivors huddled in the forest. Aden's gaze fell upon Corporal Knightly as the seasoned soldier made his way toward Captain Willem, who stood watch over the crackling flames, his brow furrowed in contemplation.
"Knightly, report," Willem's voice cut through the stillness, a tone of urgency underlying his words.
Corporal Knightly straightened his posture, his expression grim as he delivered the sobering news. "Ser, we lost fourteen villagers, dozens were wounded and in need of immediate care."
A heavy silence hung in the air, punctuated only by the snapping and popping of the fire as Willem processed the casualties. After a moment, he asked, his voice tinged with concern, "The volunteers?"
"They are all accounted for. None of them became victims of the bombardment," Knightly replied, a small glimmer of relief flickering across his weathered features.
Captain Willem scoffed a sound that echoed with a mixture of frustration and relief. He fed the fire with a frozen log, his mind no doubt racing with plans and contingencies, plotting their next moves in the face of this dire situation. His gaze swept over the huddled refugees, taking in the haunted expressions and the pallid faces etched with exhaustion and fear.
Aden could see the weight of responsibility pressing down upon the captain's shoulders as he assessed their precarious situation. They couldn't remain in these woods for another night – the bitter cold and lack of provisions would undoubtedly claim more lives if they didn't find a more secure and sustainable refuge.
The air was thick with tension, each survivor acutely aware of the delicate balance they tread between life and death.
As Aden's gaze shifted from the captain to the refugees, he was struck by the sheer weight of their collective despair. These were not the faces of survivors – these were the visages of the condemned, their eyes devoid of the fire that had once burned within, replaced by a hollow acceptance of their inevitable fate.
The silence was deafening, punctuated only by the occasional muffled sob or the crackle of the flames. It was as if the very world around them had grown weary of their struggle, content to let the cold embrace of oblivion claim them one by one.
<> Phil appeared in front of Aden, and extended a can of water. Aden took a few sips.
<> Everybody loses something in the bombardment. or just a sense of hope, in general.