After a tense breakfast with Layla and Roxie, I went to help saw pieces of wood, such that a hollow could be created within a wood store to hide some children. While I knew it wasn't needed anymore, I played my part. The village bell was struck thrice, not frantically.

  I joined the crowd to find Lobo, Lis and others I would guess were elders. Lis was holding the perma-ice staff, wrapped up.

  "People please, quiet! ...

  My w— The high priestess has an announcement to make." Declared Lobo.

  Lis stepped forward, head down and making herself small, before raising her head and spreading out her arms.

  "Do not fear! Our prayers have been answered. Yesterday I convened with the gods, and they granted us their protection. The foulest of the villains will not return.

  However. We must prepare should his underlings be opportunists— But I say again! Valdis and his most powerful goons, Will Not Return!

  Behold what the gods have given to aid in the protection of this village!"

  And she said she wasn't a skilled liar? With flourish she threw aside the wrapping and held aloft the perma-ice staff.

  AAAaaaa...

  The crowd started kneeling, after a slight delay, more to not look awkward— literally standing out— I knelt too. I caught Roxie giving me side eye from a distance, smirking. I shot her a cheeky grin, she was kneeling too.

  "Arise Ilves-Farkas clan, and know that this day, you need not hide your children. Those able to fight— Prepare for noon!"

  Layla caught me and dragged me to her yurt, we followed close behind Roxie. When I entered, Lobo nodded and pulled a bundle out from under Layla's bed.

  Roxie greeted me as she geared up for a fight, not noticing her father approach.

  "Roxie, I have something for you."

  Lobo pushed the bundle toward his daughter, awkwardly dumped it in her arms before stepping back smiling. Roxie's eyes widened as she inspected what was in her arms.

  "But... But father, this was for you! You'd always wanted one of these. I don't—"

  "Hush now! I'm your father, you're the future of this clan. Of course it would be for you!"

  Roxie looked down at the wolf hide items created and cried tears of joy. She dropped it all and leapt into her father's arms repeating thanks.

  Was this what fathers were like?

  . . .

  All capable warriors had gathered at the entrance of the village. Lis and Lobo stood ahead of everyone.

  Roxie was now in her new wolf gear, over a wool layer, some light padded armour and chainmail. She stood to one side of me, Layla on the other.

  Layla wore her armour, although she'd been forbidden from fighting.

  I'd been told Roxie had needed to kill an armed robber during a smash and grab raid. Lobo was a little ashamed, but accepted that his daughter had and could kill people if needed.

  Layla on the other hand, had only ever killed monsters, Lobo wanted it to stay that way.

  Daughter like father, Roxie had a shield and spear, except she had a sword at her side, Lobo had an axe.

  I had hoped me killing their leaders would be the end of it, alas, never underestimate greed. Mere minutes after the sun was at its highest, came the sound of an approaching crowd.

  Had a scout of theirs spotted the village was still preparing for an attack?

  Did they figure my work was too good to be done by anyone in the village?

  Maybe they blamed the organization?

  How did they figure they could try this? There were a lot of them...

  A brutish mercenary, only a couple levels above the rest of the crowd, stepped forward. He swaggered, his headband fluttering in the wind as he flicked away a toothpick. He stopped and leaned forward smirking. He was trying too hard.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Yo, boss sent us to collect, so handover the goods."

  "We'll only hand over our possessions directly to your boss, where is Valdis?"

  Lobo's disdain was clear, he stood tall, unwavering in the face of the cocky marauder.

  "Look, we don't want any trouble— You don't want any trouble... If you make the boss come here— There'll be trouble. So let's just keep things easy. You hand us the goods, alright?"

  "Husband, allow me."

  Lis stepped forward. She was now wearing white fox-themed plate armor. She had her visor up, so as to show her fearsome glare. In one gauntlet, her new staff, in the other a round shield painted with a glittery snowflake.

  "Hear me thugs! You can leave here empty handed, or die here for the very same nothing we're offering."

  "Ha! Run along old lady—"

  Lis rocked her head forward such that the visor slammed shut.

  "We err— We ain't leaving. You see how many of us there are? Don't—"

  Lis's glowing eyes were visible from within her helmet, wind began to whip around her, and the staff began to pulse.

  "Woah... Don't be stupid! Hey! Stop that witch, we're serious!"

  I jogged the short distance to Lobo and tugged at the short cape coming off his wolf-themed cowl.

  "You're going to want to get back!"

  At first, he turned around annoyed, but upon seeing the seriousness in my eyes, and likely starting to feel the drop in temperature, he started backing up. Lis rose off the ground floating to 1-1.5m high.

  "A light show ain't scaring us off, get down and fuck off back to the kitchen, slag!"

  "SILENCE!"

  Her magically enhanced voice was carried, along with a freezing blast of wind, through the crowd of mercenaries. She wasn't putting on a show for our benefit, she was trying to spare their lives, make them run.

  "You come to my home. You threaten my people. Those I love. Make your choice. Leave or DIE!"

  "Pfft, fuck you lady." The brute drew his sword and raised it, while some hesitated, some fools did ready themselves to charge.

  "Give up the goods!" He roared, walking backwards.

  "No."

  The mercenary stopped, snorted and positioned himself to start running, while keeping the sword raised high.

  "Suit yourself bitch...

  CHARRRRrrrrrraaaaAAAAAAH—Urgh!"

  As the sword lowered to point at Lis, her staff lowered to point at the brute. He was struck by the full force of her spell, fanning out from him the blast of cold air hit several others. I counted maybe four more fatalities, over a half dozen dying, more than a dozen incapacitated.

  The ground around her, a radius of 1-2m had frozen too, I spotted Lobo's eyes pause over where he'd been standing.

  "Husband!" Lis snapped in a hushed shout, now ducking behind her shield.

  Lobo puffed himself up then breathed in deep to holler, "CHARGE!"

  Lis went straight for the brute smashing his frozen corpse with her shield.

  . . .

  All around weapons clashed. I blasted heals and grabbed the badly injured, dragging or carrying them out before sprinting back into the fray.

  Lobo lifted two skewered men on his spear, before punching them off with his shield.

  I didn't see when Roxie lost her spear, she was now hacking off limbs with her sword. I saw her fatally strike a woman's head with the edge of her shield, before stabbing a man that tried to come to the fallen mercenary's aid. I ran my hand over her bleeding upper arm, as I ran past to grab one of the village's shield maidens.

  With the woman in a fireman's lift, I caught and bound a swung axe with my short sword. The man went to grab my wrist, but was blasted away by an ice beam.

  I didn't look at Lis, just focused on getting the injured woman out of there. Another blast of cold air tickled the back of my neck, too many screamed around me to hear the one from the struck mercenary.

  Juniper ran toward me, arms out, I offloaded the woman to her and turned to run back. I felt her slap and apply healing magic to a wound I hadn't registered on my left thigh. I nearly tripped, but caught myself and ran back in.

  Aiming my ring, I blasted heal at one of the young men I'd shared a yurt with, as he traded blows with a merc.

  "No! AAAAA!"

  A familiar voice, I blasted heal at the man I was about to grab, redirecting to Roxie. She'd recklessly gone too deep among enemies and found herself surrounded.

  She staggered, slashing wildly. One eye closed, that side of her face bloodied. Her shield was lost, her left arm looked dislocated, and she'd been stabbed and slashed.

  Two men faced away from me, facing her. I slashed the side of one mercenary's neck, shoulder barged the other then thrust my sword into his gut.

  I retracted in time to avoid losing my hand to a two-handed axe. I stomped down on the haft and lunged sideways to hack off a hand, at the same time, Roxie jabbed her sword into the dane axe wielder's neck. She was fading fast, I wanted to heal her, but threats were approaching.

  I grabbed her flopping arm and pulled hard, she fell out of the way of a spear thrust.

  Spear mercenary didn't see what I saw. Bursting from the tree line. Wolves. A lot of wolves.

  Spear mercenary got taken down by two. Another merc, coming at me and Roxie with a warhammer, was sent crashing down by one wolf jumping onto his back. Two others went for his limbs.

  I scooped Roxie into my arms and started running, healing as I went. Lobo, eyes glowing, snarling, charged past. He must have summoned the wolves.

  Reaching Lis's attendants and other healers of the village, I slowed. I'd used my true mana limit... I fell to my knees panting, my cries for help caught someone's attention. I couldn't focus enough to make out more than a blur heading to me. I collapsed.