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Chapter 236: Naptime is Over

Chapter 236: Naptime is Over

Arthur bent his knees as he landed on the hard-packed ground in between the walls. Before him, the four demons carrying the battle ram paused, earthen faces expressionless. He took half a second to draw in a breath and center himself before charging forward. But in that half second, his mind flitted through a thousand different details. He considered the hundreds of people on the wall behind him. He went through his skills and picked out the ones that he w...

Chapter 235: Operation Search and Destroy

Chapter 235: Operation Search and Destroy

Thucydides and I spent several hours searching for clues about the demon Lieutenant's location. We eventually found a few markings that looked like something big had come through this area about a quarter mile away from the cave entrance. How would it have gotten here? I had no idea, but Thucydides was certain. The way he explained it sounded quite interesting as he produced all sorts of equipment from some hidden space and measured magical ou...

Chapter 234: Grounded in Faith

Chapter 234: Grounded in Faith

Arthur felt the blood drain from his face as Tony carried Bee's limp body through the gate.

"Mr. Arthur, the enemy is-"

He immediately motioned for Felix to silence the constant stream of information he was recounting and dashed toward the girl. This needed his full attention. However, the people weren't reacting as though Bee had been severely hurt. Instead, they were cheering as Tony kept walking on. When Arthur reached for Tony's side, he ...

Chapter 233: One Eternity Later

Chapter 233:  One Eternity Later

The retreat from the first wall went almost as smoothly as expected. Right about when the castle's forces ran out of arrows, the enemy soldiers had begun seriously making progress on scaling the wall. Bee heard the signal from Arthur's command position to fall back. The archers retreated first, making it most of the way back to the second wall. From there, they took their last remaining three arrows each. As the pike wielders fell back, they start...

Chapter 232: War Never Changes

Chapter 232: War Never Changes

I wanted to interrupt and ask how Daedalus planned on talking to the “spirit” that was in the mountain. But before I could, he just opened his mouth and let out a rumbling roar. It was different than his usual ones - this sounded like rocks grinding on each other.

Thucydides and I exchanged confused glances as we hung there, waiting. The only sign that something had happened was that the stone golems down below had paused mid-stride. 29.7 secon...

Chapter 212: Play Fighting

Chapter 212: Play Fighting

Bee looked over at Arthur, watching the man's worried expression as the two combatants stepped into the ring. The first was a little girl, Irene Chadwick. Bee suppressed her smile. She was sure that no one else knew what was coming. Arthur's worried frown just deepened.

The commander's expression was mirrored on the other combatant's face. The soldier's grizzled exterior, complete with a prickly beard and nasty scar along the cheek, would have identifi...

Chapter 231: Return of the Mess Makers

Chapter 231: Return of the Mess Makers

Bee and Tony sat across from each other on a grassy knoll, munching contentedly on a plate of sandwiches. They were having lunch together in a rare, quiet moment in between their otherwise frantic schedules. She only had half an hour's break, but she had been convinced very politely by Mary and a few others that she needed some time for herself. So when Mary had sent her son her way with a serving basket of lunch, they had gone on a little improm...

Chapter 230: Heart of the Mountain

Chapter 230: Heart of the Mountain

Bee nodded in return at Arthur's suggestion, "I think we can do better than having the Nighty Knights run messages. But yes, I agree. Something along those lines would be great. It should help to get them involved, but keep them safe. I don't know if you're aware, but their commander, Felix, has the ability to talk to anyone in his command over a large distance. I think we can use them to send almost instantaneous messages across the castle and maybe...

Chapter 229: Heavier Than A Mountain

Chapter 229: Heavier Than A Mountain

I surveyed the shambling towers of rocks that followed me. Now, I just needed to figure out what to do with them. I supposed I could consume them all or chop them to bits with my sanitation lamp. Or maybe I could destroy them permanently? I supposed I could consume them and transmit them to energy like anything else. That would probably be the simplest approach.

After considering it a bit longer, I decided there was no reason not to. Arcing t...

Chapter 228: Save the Children

Chapter 228: Save the Children

Susan sighed and corrected herself. "You realize you should still be a child, right?"

Bee shrugged, thinking of her few friends back at home that she hadn't talked to in years. What were they doing right now? Probably gossiping about boys and whatever people her age normally did. She didn't really know at this point. She sighed. "I suppose so. But I had to grow up fast."

"Bee. I understand it was hard, believe me. No one can even ima...

Chapter 227: They Grow Up So Fast

Chapter 227: They Grow Up So Fast

Bee leaned forward and stroked the mane of her horse, rolling with its gait as it moved. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw the long train of small children pulling each other's reins in a slow walk as they made their way back to the castle. Overall, she thought the operation had gone rather well. It had taken her a lot of effort, but she had managed to move the Knights’ plans and attention towards a less risky target and one that she honestly ...

Chapter 226: A Knight’s Oath

Chapter 226: A Knight’s Oath

The Nighty Knights let out a snicker. Evidently, the idea of their mothers being upset made them laugh rather than feel guilty.

Felix moved to the front of the group, standing as tall as he could manage. "Miss Bee, we did what we had to. They couldn't expect us to just sit here while our home's threatened. We have the skills to do somethin' now. We have the levels. You know as well as we do that we're some of the strongest fighters at the castle. W...

Chapter 225: Get Off My Lawn

Chapter 225: Get Off My Lawn

Bee watched the enemy camp from atop a tall hill for several minutes, scanning for other signs of the Nighty Knights. Suddenly, nearly a mile away, another set of flames began rising up in the sky from elsewhere in the encampment. This caused a renewed scramble as the kingdom's army attempted to adjust. Officers shouted commands, and soldiers all scrambled to accomplish their tasks. Many rushed towards the fires. Others dashed about to find buckets or arm ...

Chapter 224: Night Raid

Chapter 224: Night Raid

Daedalus motioned for me to move forward and made brief introductions. After, Thucydides turned to me. "I haven't talked to a godling in a very, very long time. I wasn't even aware the world had enough magic to produce them anymore. As the ages go by, it's been harder and harder to grow."

A melancholy silence started to settle on the three of us before Daedalus broke it with a gibe. "Is that why you still haven't cracked 50 yet? Honestly, if you weren't m...

Chapter 223: Draggin Your Feet

Chapter 223: Draggin Your Feet

Arthur stepped into the meeting room, his eyes quickly scanning the officers sitting and waiting for him. This was one of the rare military-only meetings he really should’ve been making a point of having more often. The only one from the castle present was Susan, and that was by necessity. Admittedly, her scouts were really the best in this area. A small force like hers was inherently limited in what it could do, but there were times when it excelled. ...

Chapter 222: Fur and Fervor

Chapter 222: Fur and Fervor

The horde of snowmen approached us like a flood of fur. There were far more of them than I had originally expected given my view from above. As they came closer, my sensors were able to estimate their numbers with greater accuracy.

There were far more than there should have been, considering the size of the settlement we’d seen. But the density of the pack didn't seem to slow them down, nor did I see any getting left behind. Each and every one of th...

Chapter 221: Springing the Trap

Chapter 221: Springing the Trap

When Bee stepped into the room, she found she was not the first nor the last one there. Arthur, Mary, Susan, and a few of the military officers were there, but Trent and a few other captains had yet to arrive. Mary waved Bee over, and Bee gratefully joined a spot at the table next to her.

The conference table had actually been a bit of a point of contention amongst both the military and the people of the castle. Eventually, they settled on a round...

Chapter 220: A Land Before Time

Chapter 220: A Land Before Time

As Daedalus and I emerged from the cave, I couldn't help but feel a slight thrill of excitement quiver through my bristles. I had been at the castle for several months straight now, and I was starting to realize that I had a taste for adventure. Being cooped up for so long was not as fun as I had thought it would be, especially with how seriously everyone took their cleaning responsibilities. The ability to go anywhere I wanted truly was a blessing and ...

Chapter 219: Times They Are A Changin’

Chapter 219: Times They Are A Changin’

The Warden fumbled the heavy iron key in his hands, trembling as he stepped into his study. His investigation had yielded results. Unfortunately. He had thought that he was the master of secrets in this place, but apparently, there were deeper machinations beyond even him.

He glanced toward the cage by his desk. Three pigeons. He'd have enough for three messages. He could only hope that they would be enough. Especially considering the thr...

Chapter 218: Shoot for the Moon

Chapter 218: Shoot for the Moon

The loud snip of scissors echoed over the camp. Bee held them aloft before the cheering crowd as the red ribbon stretching across the entryway fluttered to the side. Feet pounded on the newly cobbled streets throughout the camp as citizens of the castle and soldiers all rushed to be the first into the stands.

This was the first major project completed by the army since the construction on the camp had settled down. While the simple, rough longhous...

Chapter 217: Bound for Greatness

Chapter 217: Bound for Greatness

The battle lasted for days. Long after both armies had retreated or been annihilated, Archibald, Archimedes, and Daedalus continued to battle the Lieutenant. It wasn't a close fight, exactly. The only reason there was any problem at all was that regeneration. Every single time they thought they had him, he came back faster than they could believe.

Daedalus sent a jet of dragon's breath forth, completely enveloping the demon. The trio stared, pant...

Chapter 216: Reach For the Skies

Chapter 216: Reach For the Skies

Dragons going to war was never a pretty thing. It wasn't like the simple squabbles of the lesser races like the elves and humans. No, when dragons fought, it had consequences. Still, it took time and effort to convince the rest of Daedalus's kind to care, and the months of argument thoroughly wore him out. The roars of his kind had shaken the mountains, but eventually, everyone had seen sense.

When the decision was made, Archibald was waiting for...

Chapter 215: Rebel Without A Cause

Chapter 215:  Rebel Without A Cause

"I'm not sure how you plan to get all the way up north." Daedalus said to Archibald. "Francis is way up in the mountains and at least a day's flight. Are you sure you don't want my help more locally?"

"Well, you can fly, right?" Archibald asked, confused. He looked at the dragon's neck, but Daedalus chose to ignore that.

"Yeah, but you can't," Daedalus pointed out the obvious. Archibald wisely kept his mouth shut. If he had been abo...

Chapter 214: Origins of an Aged Dragon

Chapter 214: Origins of an Aged Dragon

Daedalus nestled into the impressive pile of coins at the center of his lair. The comforting weight of the cold, soft coins made him feel better most days. But today, it wasn't working.

The dragon huffed. Cragheart would never have bested him if he had been playing fair. Stashing rocks at the center of your horde to make it look bigger was simply not right. Why, it went against the whole principle of the thing! It was a mantra that Daedalus...

Chapter 213: A Good Shepherd

Chapter 213: A Good Shepherd

Arthur clapped Bee on the shoulder. "That boy is a terror already."

She nodded in agreement as Bradley stepped toward his fellow Nighty Knights. "He is. He's one of their best."

"Is that so?" Arthur mulled his next words over. "I'd like to spend an afternoon training with him. He's already quite solid on swordplay. I'm not sure how much I can teach him there. But there are some more general lessons I think he'd benefit from, especially while he...

Chapter 212: Play Fighting

Chapter 212: Play Fighting

Bee looked over at Arthur, watching the man's worried expression as the two combatants stepped into the ring. The first was a little girl, Irene Chadwick. Bee suppressed her smile. She was sure that no one else knew what was coming. Arthur's worried frown just deepened.

The commander's expression was mirrored on the other combatant's face. The soldier's grizzled exterior, complete with a prickly beard and nasty scar along the cheek, would have identifi...

Chapter 211: Constructing an Alliance

Chapter 211: Constructing an Alliance

I followed Bradley Chadwick out of the castle grounds at a bit of a distance. The army had been here for a few weeks and was really starting to settle in. The "snow debacle" had eventually run its course, and we had figured out a compromise that we could all live with. Part of that included paved walkways running through the camps and connecting them to the castle.

It had taken a bit of convincing to get everyone on board with this priority,...

Chapter 210: Code White

Chapter 210: Code White

As the weeks went by, the castle settled into a regular routine and began to assume some semblance of normalcy. Normal, of course, until the incident.

My sensors indicated some abnormality with the ground outside. I had picked it up last night, but hadn’t had time to investigate. Helping the soldiers clean up all the sawdust from their lumber mill took priority. But when I finally did emerge from the soldiers’ temporary structure, I was greeted by an ...

Chapter 209: Armed and Dangerous

Chapter 209: Armed and Dangerous

As usual, Gerald was in his study, and the Warden had to negotiate past a series of aides and secretaries to see him. It didn't take that long. Since they all knew him, the bureaucrats only put up only a token resistance to his advance. Gerald had never bothered to change his standing orders that anyone but the King should be delayed as long as possible, but at the same time, he had never turned away any guest who was persistent enough. One just had to...

Chapter 208: Traders and Traitors

Chapter 208: Traders and Traitors

Unfortunately, the news about the army's arrival wasn't met with universal positivity. In particular, Susan was surprisingly upset about the development. Bee had never seen the woman break her cool like this before. The only thing that even slightly kept her in check was the fact that Void had made the decision itself. After Bee bore witness to the most vehement rant she'd ever heard, she could only watch, stunned, as the woman stormed out the meeting...