Dirk sighed as he looked down at the scurrying amazons and others below, all looking small from the height of Griselda’s personal tower where he’d been locked. The tower itself wasn’t particularly tall by Imperial standards, maybe four Amazon sized stories. To her credit, it was the finest jail he’d ever been in. Instead of the dungeon Griselda had ordered him imprisoned in her personal quarters, a lavish master, or mistress rather, bedroom with an elegant four poster bed, soft couches, a writing desk too tall for him to sit at, and to top it all off a luxurious meal of auroch steak, fresh greens, and even a freshly baked sweetroll from the kitchens.

The news of a potential attack by Lizardfolk had stunned and frightened the town, and while he hated the woman immensely, Dirk had to admit Griselda had quickly and effectively rallied the people. Soldiers had been sent out into the countryside to bring everyone on the outlying settlements into town, and scouts deployed to try to find any sign of the potential Lizardfolk army. Below civilians were being herded towards the ring fort, filling the massive courtyard. Most of them were normal sized humans, it seemed that the Amazon population of Rain’s end was quickly arming itself and reporting for soldiering duty, and even a few of the Little Sisters and men held hunting spears and bows as they stood in the shadows of the larger women.

I should be down there, he thought angrily, not cooped up in here like… he blinked, like a captured princess in a fairy tale, gods that’s exactly what you are, aren’t you? He couldn’t help but laugh at the thought.

…

Griselda stood before her women in her finest armor, a pair of her finest guardswomen at her side as she strode through the courtyard, observing the preparations. Most of the children and infirm would be safely inside the fortress, the yard itself would be filled with able bodied men and little sisters, bolstered by a skeleton force of Amazons in the event that some of the enemy slipped by them and reached it.

At her side was her cousin Isabelle, and standing not even at her shoulder on her other side was Cynthia, “I can’t believe you’re doing this!” the relatively small priestess spat angrily, “Dirk and Cora came back here to warn you, and you’re going through your wicked plan anyway?”

“Wicked plan?” Isabelle laughed, saving Griselda the trouble of a reply, “girl, he’s being married off to the most eligible woman in the Queendom, if anything this is a great boon for him.”

“You know as well as I do that Dirk does not wish to marry her!” Cynthia retorted.

Isabelle rolled her eyes, “Cynthia this is a man, he has no idea what he wants, and what he wants isn’t nearly as important as what is good for him.” She shared a smirk with Griselda, “I can see why you didn’t want this whelp officiating things.”

“Indeed, Cynthia has been quite the little thorn in my side,” Griselda chuckled, giving a cool gaze to the younger priestess, “it seems she’s filled her head with nonsense as of late… too much time listening to them prattle on during those temple men’s hours I assume.”

Cora walked up to the trio, her brown hair billowing slightly in the wind as she held a helmet tucked under her arm. She hadn’t worn plate armor since the war, but she’d found it easy enough to get used to again. At first when they’d returned, she expected Griselda to lock her up in a dungeon somewhere, but instead Griselda had dressed her in steel and set her to tasks, almost like they’d picked up where they left off the last time they’d fought the Lizardfolk.

“Units have been organized,” Cora said, “Kate’s leading your cavalry, they’ve armored up and await orders. The first scouts are expected back soon, we should have an idea of numbers with enough time to move into positions in town, if you wish, or if you think they are too many we can simply defend the fortress.”

“Excellent,” Griselda said with a nod, “it’s so nice to have you back at my side where you belong Cora.”

Cora just gave her a stony glare, “when the lizard thing is over, you and I are going to settle up.”

Griselda and Isabelle looked at each other and then laughed, “Oh to be young and dramatic again,” Griselda sighed, letting her laughter fade, “No Cora, you’re going to report to my castle for guard duty every day from now on. I believe having you close will help assure my new husband’s obedience.”

“Just tie a ribbon on him and never undo it,” Isabelle muttered.

“That’s monstrous!” Cynthia gasped, “I-I can’t believe a priestess of Diana would even suggest such a thing!”

“Grow up dear,” Isabelle said, rolling her eyes, “the Goddess made men to serve, it’s her will.”

“I will see to it the Queen has you both jailed!” Cynthia vowed, “the goddess herself will strike you down for this… this heresy!”

“I have your own notes saying that young Dirk and I would be a good match,” Griselda laughed, “go ahead, cause me scandal if you want, but it will take years to convince the queen to annul a noblewoman’s marriage, and by that time…” she grinned, “I think I will have young Dirk well in hand.”

“If your priestess is too soft to allow proper discipline of a man, I’ll assist you with that,” Isabelle chuckled.

Cynthia was about to say something, but Griselda held up a hand, “enough about men’s matters,” she barked, “you two are the only spellcasters we have, find some common ground… when the lizards are on the prowl all disagreements should be forgotten, lest we all end up roasting on a skewer.”

“Then let Dirk come out here and fight with us,” Cora said angrily, “he’s a specialist in fighting mages and in case you didn’t notice, we only have two!”

“The girl and I will be more than enough,” Isabelle replied with a dismissive wave.

“I won’t see my future husband on a battlefield,” Griselda said sternly, “it’s bad enough that we’ve got a good chunk of Rain’s End’s male population out here with short bows, if I had a larger fortress, I’d have them safely away as well.”

“And the Little Sisters I presume as well?” they turned to see Hardstone walking towards them. Instead of her usual dress she wore riding trousers, with a jacket almost in the style of Imperial military, but with a lace trim accentuating the black, matching a short-brimmed hat that rested on her head. The greatest difference from her normal attire was the pair of pistols on her belt. She smirked, seeing Cora’s angry glance, and despite the fact that all of the other four women stood nearly double her height Hardstone didn’t seem to flinch, “Do you like them Cora?” She expertly drew one of the pistols, tossing it in the air and catching it with a flourish, spinning it once before holstering it again, “pepperbox style revolving guns, from the Empire… much nicer than those service pieces our dear Dirk prefers.”

“And I see you know how to use them,” Cynthia said, eyes narrowed, “I’m sure you demonstrated these weapons for Dirk’s aunt and uncle, right?”

“I haven’t the foggiest idea what you mean,” Hardstone said dismissively, “Lady Griselda, I’ve organized the Little Sisters and the men as best as can be done. If any of the attackers detach from the main force, I’m confident we can handle ourselves.”

“I should have guessed you’d be commanding the smaller citizens,” Cora said, crossing her arms.

“And a small force of Amazon militia… Who else but a trusted and beloved member of the community?” Hardstone asked, smirking as she turned to leave.

“She’ll get hers too,” Cora muttered angrily.

“Enough of that talk,” Griselda snapped, “attend to your duties, and…” she grinned smugly, “Cynthia, I believe there’s time… go and give Dirk the usual pre-wedding bathing and blessing, I’ll want my groom ready as soon as the battle for Rain’s End has been won.”

Cynthia’s eyes bulged, “you’re out of your mind if you think I’ll-“

“I’ll do it,” Isabelle chuckled, “it would be good for the pretty little foreigner to feel a woman’s discipline beforehand anyways…”

Cynthia scowled at the pair, “you won’t, I’ll attend to him.” With that she stalked away towards the tower. Griselda and Isabelle just laughed, turning their discussion to plans for the defense of the city.

…

Dirk’s staring out the window was interrupted by a knock at the door, then a key in the lock. He turned, ready to give his best dirty look to whoever was coming in, but softened as he saw Cynthia, her face grim, as a single armored guard followed behind her, helm shuttered.

“Hi Dirk,” she said quietly, giving him a small smile.

“Cynthia,” he nodded, “is… is everything going well out there?”

“As well as can be expected,” she sighed, “I believe our dream link was probably cut by one of the lizard’s mages, they wouldn’t want anyone using dreams to call for help…”

“It’s good to see you again anyways,” he said with a sigh, “I don’t suppose you’re just here to check on how I’m doing?”

Cynthia pursed her lips, “Griselda wants a pre-wedding bath and blessing for you.”

Dirk raised his eyebrows, “she seems a little overconfident in her victory.”

“My original intent was simply to not do this and tell her I did,” Cynthia said with a sniff, “but I had a better idea…”

The guard next to her removed her helm, revealing Cora’s smiling face, “Hey Dirk,” she giggled, “I’m here to scrub you down.”

His eyes went wide, and he grinned, “do you really have time for this!?”

“Not a lot,” Cora admitted, quickly starting to strip the armor off as she walked in, “but how long do you think I’m really going to need?”

Cynthia smirked and followed behind Cora, tossing aside her own ceremonial robe and revealing the tunic underneath. Dirk raised an eyebrow as he saw Cynthia begin unbuttoning her own underclothes.

“Uh, are you staying?” he asked curiously.

“I told you, we don’t have a lot of time,” Cora said with a grin, “So I asked her to help.”

“You know there was a time, in this Queendom, long ago of course, when priestesses had right of first night with men getting married,” Cynthia said, a teasing smirk on her face as her shirt came off, revealing her slim form.

“Right of first night?” Dirk laughed, tossing his own clothing away as the pair of Amazons stood over him, naked, “you’re joking?”

“Not at all,” Cynthia giggled, “between you and me, the ceremonial bathing is not in our scriptures, I’m not sure when it started but I imagine it was a priestess wanting a… closer look at a soon to be groom, and enough of them repeated it that it became tradition.” Cynthia glanced at a large brass washtub in the corner of Griselda’s room, big enough for an Amazon and the size of a spa for Dirk. With a wave of her hand water flowed up from the piping, and with another wave it steamed slightly, instantly heated to a comfortable temperature. “So many men get nervous about it,” she giggled, “but we don’t even stay in the room usually, we just say a prayer for you, heat the water, and leave…”

Cora lifted Dirk up, carrying him bridal style to the tub with a wicked grin on her face, “do you have any of that special soap?”

“It’s sacred soap Cora!” Cynthia said, exasperated, “it has a recipe in the Commandments of the Goddess and everything!” She walked to the side of the tub, where a small tray of plain looking pink flakes waited. With a flourish she poured them into the bath, causing it to fizz and bubble as Cora slowly lowered him in.

Dirk couldn’t help but gasp as the warm soapy softness of the water submerged him. Whatever was in the soap caused his entire body to tingle like a sleeping limb, but with more potency… he gasped as his bottom sat on the floor of the washtub, the sensation of that slight contact rocketing through his body almost like…

“This soap dramatically increases a man’s sensitivity,” Cynthia explained, moving behind him to massage his shoulders as Cora knelt in front of him, giving him a generous view of her ample chest as she slowly gathered a handful of it, rubbing it down his leg and causing him to moan as his nerve endings lit up.

“W-What exactly is this soap used for?” Dirk managed, struggling to keep himself together as Cynthia cupped her hands, pouring some of the enchanting mixture over his head.

“Wives are typically given some as a wedding gift,” Cora said with a wink, “to help keep their new husbands clean.”

“Gods, Dirk moaned, sinking into the water as Cynthia slowly began scrubbing his hair, rubbing the mixture in and sending waves of pleasure through his body. He thrashed slightly, but Cynthia easily held his shoulders in place, and Cora had his legs just the same, reducing his struggle to a few mere ripples in the water.

“I wonder what it feels like,” Cora laughed, enjoying the way Dirk struggled, his eyes rolling back in his head as the pair kept scrubbing his body with the electrifying suds.

“Like his whole body is as sensitive as his manhood,” Cynthia laughed, enjoying the way Dirk struggled to speak as the two enormous women scrubbed every inch of him, “there is nothing more fun than watching a man struggle to control himself…” She placed a hand under Dirk’s chin, lifting it up and forcing him to look at Cora’s smiling face, her breasts slightly damp from the water as she finished scrubbing him.

“Now to clean that last part,” Cora said with a wink, reaching her hand under the water to grab his erection.

If their touches before were electric, having his most sensitive place touched like this was like a lightning storm, and if not for Cynthia holding him in place, he’d have flopped like a fish right out of the tub. He gritted his teeth as he was forcefully held in place by one amazon as the other slowly, steadily, pumped her hand up and down beneath the water.

“Gods help me,” he moaned, struggling to keep his eyes from rolling back in his head.

“Keep it slow Cora,” Cynthia warned, “he’s so sensitive he could go mad if you pick up your speed too much!”

“Really?” Cynthia asked, awed as she watched Dirk’s face contort in pleasure.

“Yes the poor man’s mind would crack like an egg,” Cynthia teased, leaning close and letting him feel her hot breath in his ear as Cora continued her work, slowly sliding the soap slicked hand up his shaft again, “look at them Dirk, imagine just seeing those massive breasts of hers right as everything went hazy, you’d think you were staring at them for a thousand years, but it would just be a second!”

Dirk cried out in pleasure so strong it felt like agony, spraying his seed into the warm water as the sight of Cora’s smiling visage was burned into him, for a moment all he could think about was that looming amazon, her beautiful smug smirk, her heaving chest hovering just in front of his face…

With a long gasp he was back to reality, the effects of the soap gone, leaving him floating in a normal tub of bathwater. He panted a few minutes, weakly collapsing against the back of the tub as Cynthia slowly rinsed the rest of the enchanted soap out of his hair.

“T-That wasn’t a thousand years,” Dirk said with a weak smile.

“No, it’s just a load of auroch dung that we priestesses tell males to scare them about this stuff,” Cynthia giggled, watching the last of the soap flakes dissolve.

Cora walked around the side of the tub, lifting him out slowly as Cynthia approached with a towel. He felt his feat touch the cool stone of the room’s floor, and Cora came around behind him, slowly using the towel to dry him off.

He heard a small click and his eyes shot to Cynthia, who was approaching him with a straight razor and kneeling down, “W-Wait! What do you think you’re doing!?” he exclaimed.

Cynthia bit her lip, looking at his groin nervously, “I uh… just thought I’d shave the hair off again?” she said weakly.

“No!” he said, a little more forcefully than he intended, “t-that is to say I prefer it uh… ungroomed.”

“But it looks so nice bare!” Cynthia pouted, “come on, it’ll only take a-“

“Cynthy, ease off,” Cora warned. Cynthia pouted a moment, but flicked the straight razor closed, leaving it on the nearby sink counter. With a sigh Cora walked back in front of Dirk, letting him see her naked one last time in all her glory before reaching for her clothes, “did you enjoy getting cleaned up?”

“Best bath I’ve ever had,” Dirk muttered dreamily.

“We figured we’d give you one last nice thing before… everything got difficult,” Cora said softly, “we will get you out of here… I promise.”

“Come on,” Cynthia muttered, “I’m sure Griselda will expect us both back soon…” she sighed, “the goddess will come through for us, I just know it.”

…

Tom strutted in front of the gathered Little Sisters and men, Cassidy at his side and his three ranch hands following behind them, bows and spears at the ready. He smirked as he heard one of the women wolf whistle at him, and swayed his hips a little wider as he walked, tipping his hat and causing the rhinestones that ringed the outer edge of the white headpiece to glimmer slightly. He’d chosen a white silk suit to wear to this outing, his four pistols resting in a brace across his chest that clashed with the brilliance of the sparkling stones that lined the trim of the outfit.

“Fine day fer a battle,” Argus muttered, walking behind him, “and these lasses insist all the men stay back ‘ere like a bunch o’ children…” he spat angrily, “it’s a damn shame.”

“Suits me fine,” Tom muttered, “I don’t mind plugging a few of these lizard bastards if they get this far, but I’ve had more battles than I care for in life already.”

“Where’s yer Imperial pride?” Argus asked, a little shocked, “ain’t yeh the people what declared you’d unite all of mankind unner one banner!?”

Tom just laughed, “I’ll let the emperor figure that one out, seems he’s doing just fine without my help.” He looked to Cassidy a moment, “you’ll watching my ass during this whole thing, right?”

“The way you’re dressed everyone’s watching your ass,” Cassidy joked, leaning over slightly to pinch the man’s bottom, an easy feat with the close tailored pants he’d chosen. The three other amazon ranch hands chuckled, nudging each other and whispering jokes under their breath. Tom just shrugged and leaned into Cassidy’s embrace a moment.

“There you are,” Hardstone muttered angrily, marching up to the group, “why are you not in your position?”

“Nobody’s even spotted the enemy yet,” Tom said, annoyed, “let me walk with my girls…”

Hardstone’s eyes narrowed as she took in Cassidy, “you’re Sommer’s other ranch hand,” she muttered, “Lady Griselda was looking for you…”

“She’s my ranch hand right now,” Tom replied, squaring up across from Hardstone, “so whatever you think she needs to be questioned over, why not ask me?” at the challenge in his voice, Atla, Suzette, and Flora stepped forward, hands on their weapons and murderous looks in their eyes.

Hardstone to her credit didn’t flinch, “do those guns of yours even work Tom? Or are they for show?”

“I shot my first man at fourteen rich girl,” he replied with a nod, “I didn’t pick them up as a hobby.”

“Have your people lined up near the front gate,” Hardstone spat, “Griselda’s going to march out with the Cavalry and she wants a crowd cheering…” she looked with distaste at Tom’s clothes, “did you have to dress like a ten thaler whore?”

“I could’ve dressed nicer but I didn’t want to price you out,” Tom said with a wink.

“You’re the most disgusting man I’ve ever met,” Hardstone growled, “be there or Lady Griselda will have you whipped when this is all done, and don’t think your smooth tongue will get you out of it.”

She stalked off angrily, leaving a scowling Tom, his amazons, and the dwarf, “be careful with tha’ one,” Argus muttered, “she’s nah likely to let us all slide if she thinks she can bite at us.”

“I’ll think of something,” Tom muttered, waving dismissively as he traced an arm around Cassidy’s waist. He sighed and looked up at the tower where Dirk was imprisoned, now why did you have to go and come back? He wondered, if someone sticks their neck out for you don’t find a new chopping block… He felt Cassidy’s hand on his shoulder and looked up at the towering redhead, getting a wink and a smile from her, which he returned, then again… maybe there are things in this world worth risking your head for...

…

“Scouts report a force of one thousand lizards moving directly from the south,” the armored squire told lady Griselda with a nod. The young Amazon couldn’t be more than in her late teens at most, and hadn’t even finished her growth yet, standing only seven feet tall. Still Griselda nodded, letting the girl run to the other younger Amazons near the rear of the column.

“What do you think Cora?” Griselda asked, shifting in her saddle to look down at the other Amazon. Cora was at her side, in full plate, a pike in hand at the front of another rank of amazons, awaiting orders.

“You’re the liege lady and commander,” Cora said as neutrally as she could, “I’m just a lowly soldier.”

“Indeed,” Griselda muttered, “we’re four hundred strong, with two spellcasters, I think I would like to chance meeting them in town. Lizards can be tenacious, but against full armored Amazons they’ll break, particularly in close fighting.” She raised her hand to signal the column, “Amazons, advance!” her horse trotted forward, and steel clanged as the women warriors marched out behind her.

…

Nyss’s slitted eye stared through the spyglass as his tail flittered impatiently behind him. His tongue darted out, tasting the oily, aggressive scent of humans, and the Amazons in particular. His long mouth turned in a smile, exposing his teeth as he fell to all fours, scurrying back to his soldiers.

“What iss it?” Thoth, his second in command hissed, “are the humansss aware of our approach?”

“Yess,” Nyss replied, “they go to meet the ssouthern force, thinking it is the whole, when it is only half our numberss…” he stood upright, letting the mass of slitted eyes hidden in the brush see him, “humanss put their sstrength in these massive femaless, but you will find that their disscipline will quickly break if you threaten the littler oness, their males, the smaller females, the children…” rasps and clicking excited claws echoed in a semblance of applause as Nyss placed a hand on the hilt of his own sword, “the elderss say that human iss too rich a meat for uss? That we may not dine on the finest flesh, lest we incur the wrath of thesse apes and their queen… today we remind them of their place on the food chain…”

Cackles of encouragement, clicking claws, and triumphant hisses echoed, and he basked in it for a moment. This meat raid would bring enough of the long pig back for his clan’s next five feast days, the elders would look like the flake-clawed fools they were, and the humans would again learn to fear the jungle. Today would be glorious, he gestured for the other four mages in the company to come forward, with a flourish a ball of roiling fire appeared in his clawed hand.

“Ass soon ass the otherss make contact with their main force, we will attack the fortresss and dine on the flessh of their loved ones!”

…

The lizards poured out of the jungle, a stream of hissing teeth and claws, dull iron armor clattering as they formed their ranks in the town’s square across from the amazons. Clawed hands hurtled spears, bowstrings twanged, and pointed projectiles rained down on the amazon line as they raised thick steel shields to protect themselves.

“They’ve learned a lot it seems,” Griselda muttered, holding out a hand for her lance, “they’re trying to give cover while the rest form a pike wall, look!”

Cora nodded, gripping her sword tightly. For a moment she thought of simply plunging it into Griselda’s back, but…

No, Cora thought miserably, she put me here because she knew I wouldn’t… it would doom our defense. She sighed, looking at the enemy lines and feeling her heartbeat pick up at the sheer number of lizards. She’d been conscripted in the tail end of the last war, the Lizards had already been nearly defeated, and she was used to panicked wave tactics, terrifying, but ultimately no match for disciplined Amazons. Seeing her enemy lowering spears and advancing steadily both humanized them, and made them more intimidating.

“Give them a few arrow volleys,” Griselda ordered, “as soon as the front rank starts to waver, I’ll personally lead the charge.”

Sparks crackled in the air around them suddenly, startling the horses and causing some of the amazons to jump in surprise. It passed, and they quickly reformed their ranks, groups of their own archers sending projectiles back to the enemy, the immense amazon bows impaling the scaled invaders.

“They’re starting to bring magic down on us,” Cynthia said, gritting her teeth as she focused on deflecting enemy spells.

“Goddess, they’re strong…” Isabelle muttered, blinking and wiping sweat from her brow as she lifted her hand again, muttering another invocation, “there are three… no four of them.”

Cynthia’s eyes went wide as she saw a shield she’d made in midair crack as a lightning bolt descended on it from a clear sky, “I-Isabelle, they’re good, what do we do?”

“Hold the line girl,” she hissed through gritted teeth, “just keep anything from hitting our soldiers and we’ll win this with steel.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Griselda muttered, readying her lance, “prepare to sound the charge-“

Isabelle screamed in pain suddenly, a red bolt of fire spreading across her robe as she struggled to put it out. Cynthia whirled around and with a flick of her wrist the flames were out, but the damage was done. A series of fireballs rained down on the unprotected Amazon line, and with screams of pain the immense women were forced back, hefting their shields uselessly as the green horde chittered and hissed excitedly at the smell of cooking meat. Cynthia muttered a quick prayer, holding her hands up and renewing the shield, watching as ripples spread across the air where enemy spells attempted to rain down on them.

“Get up!” Griselda shouted at Isabelle, looking with snarling features back at the lizards, “we need to-“ her eyes widened as she looked back at the fortress, seeing the wave of green scaled monsters surging out of the trees, weapons high as they ran towards her walls, where the civilians were... “Goddess no,” she whispered, “Cora, prepare to sound retreat-“

“We can’t!” Cora hissed, drawing her sword, “they’re closing on us!”

It was true, the lizards were now marching in a decent lock step down the main street of the town, pikes lowered as more arrows and spears arced overhead from their rear ranks. Cynthia buckled under the weight of another salvo of spells, the sky rippling with lightning as she did her best to hold back assaults from multiple lizardfolk mages.

Griselda looked at the fortress, then at the enemy, and sighed, “we have no choice, we will charge and try to disburse them as quickly as possible.”

Cora nodded, grim as the front ranks clanged, battle cries echoing out as the two forces reached one another and steel began flashing between the two sides as the melee began in earnest.

“I-I can’t hold these spells by myself!” Cynthia whimpered. She shot a glance back at Isabelle, who was just struggling to her feet. With a grunt the other mage managed to channel her own power towards holding back the enemy spells with her, but they were still outnumbered and soon to be overpowered.

…

“Hold the line!” Hardstone shouted as Amazons on the wall of the fortress fired arrows down into the advancing mob. There was a flash of light, then a wave of heat that blew her hair back as the gates collapsed inward. She drew her pistol, eyes wide as she saw the snapping jaws of the lizard folk rushing at her, their blades flashing.

“HEY YOU!” Argus shouted, “CATCH!” a small clay pot hurtled overhead, a fizzing fuse on the end, there was a clank as it landed in the midst of the lizards, then a second explosion rang out, an orange-yellow mushroom shaped plume that send the creatures screaming in pain as they were tossed about.

The dwarf was at her side suddenly, a group of women and men with spears behind him as he hefted his axe. From on top of the wall Tom shouted, firing his pistols at the few lizards who were trying to crawl away from the crater where Argus’s bomb had gone off. On either side of him Cassidy and his ranch hands loosed their massive arrows, breaking the charge completely as groups of men and Little Sisters scurried to pile boxes and debris in front of the now opened and exposed gate.

“Tha’ won’t hold them for long,” Argus shouted, “they’ve got a mage out there with ‘em!”

“Use another bomb on them!” Hardstone said, looking down at the dwarf eagerly, “we’ll take fire true, but if you keep tossing those-“

“How many underfather damned bombs do yah think I carry woman!?” Argus spat. He shook his axe, “I’m down tah this an mah blunderbuss!”

From up on the wall Tom cried out in pain, and a moment later Cassidy was carrying him down the stairs into the courtyard while he held a hand on a bleeding shoulder.

“FUCK!” Tom shouted angrily, “FUCK FUCK FUCKKK!!!”

A pair of men ran up to top, bandages ready, as Cassidy slowly lowered him down. Hardstone and Argus followed them, and Argus scowled as Tom moved his hand away from his shoulder.

“It barely nicked yah, I’ve had worse cuts shaving mah head yah blubbering baby!”

“It doesn’t hurt,” Tom said, snarling angrily and gesturing at the spreading red stain from the shallow cut, “this is a gods damned silk shirt! It’s ruined!”

Cassidy stared at him a moment, then burst into laughter, causing him to grunt as she picked him up in a powerful embrace. He grunted as she squeezed him, then swayed slightly, steadying himself as she put him back down.

“Get back up on that wall!” Hardstone ordered, but as soon as she said it a trio of lightning bolts cracked down, blowing chunks of stone everywhere and causing rubble to rain down on them as the enemy mage forced their Amazon archers to abandon their positions.

“No dice,” Tom muttered, “we can’t hold any position for too long with that mage out there, we need a plan to deal with him or we’re just picking which part of the fort to die in.”

Hardstone looked at him, then at the gate, the pathetic pile of rubble and debris their only defense as a handful of Amazons stood amidst smaller men and women, bows and hunting spears ready as they braced for an inevitable assault.

“Goddess damn all of this!” she swore, “Thomas, you’re in command!” before any of them could reply, she sprinted in the direction of the tower.

…

Dirk closed his eyes, feeling the tingling on the back of his neck. With little else to do while his friends fought for their lives, he’d sat, cross legged, in the center of the bedroom. The sounds of battle from outside were a distant distraction as he focused on that magic sense, his shin occasionally throbbing ominously as spells were cast outside. It was difficult, and required concentration, but an experienced Imperial anti-mage could guess distance and direction of spellcasting…

His eyes shot open as he heard the lock on his door click, and a moment later it swung open. Hardstone walked in, a stern look on her face as she tossed his rifle, pistols, powder horn, and bag of shot in front of him. They made eye contact a moment, and then he smirked.

“Can I help you Hardstone?” he asked.

“Can you?” she repeated back at him, “or am I just a fool woman grasping at straws?”

“There are four mages in Rain’s End,” he said calmly, “three are using standard elemental magic, the fourth I think is attempting to perform necromancy, but I can’t be sure. There is a fifth mage, primarily using elemental magic, just beyond this fortress. He’s in the jungle but he will be close enough to have line of sight on what he’s attacking.”

Hardstone sighed, “come on then.”

Dirk grinned smugly, standing up and reaching for his weapons, feeling the comforting familiar weight around his waist and across his back as he slung his rifle over his shoulder. Next he retrieved his hat from the bed, setting it on his head and turning to face hardstone, a grim look on his face as he followed behind her.

As he heard the shouts, clattering steel, and explosions outside he couldn’t help but smirk, thinking of something the drill seargant had used to say during his training, war’s a play and the soldiers are extras, but to the bastards you kill you’ll always be playing the lead… he pulled his rifle from its scabbard as he walked into the chaotic courtyard behind Hardstone, it’s showtime…