The bat-woman's wings flapped wildly, causing the sagging, rotted lumps on her chest to jiggle grotesquely. Any trace of allure was absent—her appearance was utterly revolting.
With a single dive, she swooped down and seized a female slave. The poor beastfolk girl screamed and thrashed desperately, but no one could save her. Within moments, the bat-woman tore the slave apart in mid-air, her blood raining down on the group below. Gasps of horror erupted as the monster let out a mocking, screeching laugh.
"Take down that ugly freak!" Field roared, his fury palpable.
He didn't need to say it twice. Enraged, the archers raised their crossbows and bows, unleashing a hail of bolts and arrows.
Caught off guard by the humans' ranged capabilities, the bat-woman took multiple hits, her body riddled with three or four projectiles. Like a torn rag doll, she crashed unceremoniously to the ground.
"You dare attack my people? Every single one of them costs me money!" Field snarled, livid.
Without a second thought for noble decorum, he grabbed a pike from a nearby wagon. With a wide, furious swing, he smashed the bat-woman's head into a pulpy mess.
But their victory came at a cost. With the archers focused on the flying threat, the group's flanks were left exposed. A surge of corrupted creatures, unimpeded by the hail of projectiles, now bore down on them.
"Fall back, everyone!"
Ashina wasted no time, channeling her power. Black scales along her dragonwolf's neck began to emit wisps of smoke, as an ominous energy built up, distorting the very air around it.
Boom!
A torrent of bluish flames erupted from the dragonwolf's maw, a wave of searing heat cascading over the battlefield like a broken dam.
The flames engulfed the horde ahead of Field, reducing the grotesque figures to ash in seconds. Even the surrounding grey mist seemed to recede under the intensity of the inferno.
"Hot! It's scorching!"
The guards, clad in metal armour, yelped and grimaced as the heat from the flames roasted them like food on a griddle. The dried, baked blood of the corrupted creatures caked their armour, adding to their discomfort.
Ashina stuck out her tongue apologetically. "Sorry about that."
The torrent of fire had decimated the majority of the undead horde, leaving only a handful of stragglers, which were easily dispatched. The group successfully held off the first wave of the corpse tide.
Three slaves and one slave guard had perished. The losses, while regrettable, were within an acceptable range.
"Rest here for half an hour. Women, go retrieve the spent arrows," Field ordered.
Taking the water flask from Karim, Field gulped down several mouthfuls. The icy liquid trickled down his throat, refreshing him and reminding him that he was still in the harsh reality of the cursed land.
"Thanks to you, Ashina."
Field reached out and patted Ashina's head, his gesture sending a flush across her face. Her wolf tail wagged so enthusiastically it seemed ready to propel her into the sky.
Ashina shook her head in mock modesty. "It's nothing, really. Just doing my duty."
But her expression screamed: Keep praising me! Don't stop!
No wonder the Northern Province is called the Cursed Land, Field thought grimly. If the original host had been sent here—or if I didn't have Ashina's help—I wouldn't have lasted long either.
The thought sent a chill down his spine, but he quickly shook off the negativity.
Then he noticed something on his mini-map. A cluster of red exclamation marks was moving steadily in his direction.
"This marker... Could it be more monsters?" Field murmured to himself, studying the mini-map. "No, that can't be right. Their formation is too precise, and there are exactly 19 of them."
Frowning in thought, he finally called over Ashina, pointing toward the grey mist ahead.
"Go ahead and set up an ambush. Be ready to adapt if things turn hostile," he instructed.
Meanwhile, in the same oppressive mist, Captain Connor and his group of riders advanced cautiously.
"This blasted fog lamp looks like it's about to go out," one rider grumbled. "Damn it, why does that dimwitted baron have a bigger, better lamp while ours barely lights anything? Second Miss is so stingy—she expects a donkey to work but won't give it a carrot."
"Shut your trap, you fool!" snapped another, his voice tense. "Keep that big mouth of yours shut, or you'll end up attracting the undead to us."
"I feel like something's trailing us," muttered a sharp-eyed cavalryman, gripping his lance tightly as unease settled over him. "We should've taken care of that idiot Field before entering the Northern Province, not now."
Connor sighed. "Do you think I don't know that? But openly killing a nobleman is a surefire way to get all of us hanged."
That was precisely why they had initially bid Field farewell before doubling back through the mist—they needed an alibi.
It wasn't long before Connor and his men found traces of Field's group. Fresh blood and the mangled remains of undead creatures formed a clear trail.
A group of over 200 people leaves tracks that are impossible to hide.
"Alright, men," Connor said with a sly grin. "First, we kill Field. Then we charge through the slaves, seize their fog lamps, and retreat. The grey mist will do the rest—those fools won't survive without the lamps."
Connor's plan was flawless in its cruelty.
After arranging their lances into a proper formation, the riders began to trot forward.
"I can already picture the look on Field's face—terrified, groveling for mercy!" Connor licked his lips, laughing arrogantly.
But when Field came into view, Connor's laughter froze.
Before him stood a thirty-man, fully armoured guard unit, shields raised and pikes gleaming in formation. Their armour, smeared with the blood and viscera of corrupted creatures, was a stark warning—this group was not to be underestimated.
Field himself stood behind a makeshift barricade of wagons, flanked by two rows of crossbowmen. The tension in the air was palpable; the crossbow strings were taut, ready to release a deadly volley at a single command.
Even without professional training, a crossbow was a simple weapon—easy enough for a child to fire, and devastating enough to pierce a grown man's body with ease.
"Damn it! We've been discovered!" Connor's face drained of colour as he realized his predicament. He felt like a clown standing before a jeering audience.
"How is this possible? Isn't Field supposed to be a spineless coward with no forces of his own? Where the hell did he get a full guard unit?"
The riders began to fidget nervously, their previous bravado evaporating. Without the element of surprise, their ambush had turned into a joke.
Charge a well-prepared wall of heavily armoured pikemen? Or hurl themselves at the barricade? Neither option was appealing.
"We're pulling out!" Connor yanked hard on his reins, his horse rearing with a defiant whinny before wheeling around.
"roar!"
A towering black wolf, over two meters tall and as muscular as a bear, appeared behind the horses. The beast's mere presence sent Connor's mount stumbling sideways in terror, throwing its rider to the ground.
Connor landed with a painful thud, his heart pounding with fear.
"Damn it!"
Before he could reach for his weapon, a long spear pressed against his throat. Holding the weapon was a stunningly beautiful wolf-kin woman, her crimson eyes sparkling with a mocking amusement.
Connor froze. He knew one wrong move would mean instant death.
To make matters worse, she had taken his fog lamp.
"This... this is the slave Field bought!"
Connor's mind raced as he recognized the wolf-kin woman. He remembered Field insisting on purchasing her back in the slave market.
But how could she move freely in the grey mist without a fog lamp?
The other riders gawked in disbelief. By the goddess above! What terrible luck have we run into?
It was now obvious: Field had a God-chosen in his service. If they had known this beforehand, no amount of gold would have convinced them to come.
"Ah, Captain Connor, what brings you here? You really gave me a fright!"
Field approached with a casual air, his tone light and friendly, as though greeting an old friend.
"Were you worried I wouldn't report for duty on time? Rest assured, expanding our family's lands is a noble obligation, after all."
"Uh…" Connor's voice caught in his throat. Faced with the razor's edge of life and death, his mind went blank.