We moved on the enemy camp decisively and without mercy. The fact that this one last battle lay between us and safety lent strength and determination to all of our fighters, even the wounded. The addition of the ancient weapons looted from a human-era ruin bolstered the confidence of even the weakest of our group to the point where there was not an ounce of fear in anyone’s hearts, only determination.

  Valda made the decision of when to attack, explaining her reasoning to Rieka as she went so that the younger woman would understand every step of the way.

  Since the enemy troops were attempting to siege the wall, they attacked in waves that were fended off with calm confidence by the troops on the defensive fortifications. While whatever commander that ran the enemy camp was skilled, they didn’t have any new ideas beyond throwing themselves at the walls with ladders or at the gates with a crudely constructed ram.

  Most importantly, they didn’t seem to have gotten word from the site we had set fire to earlier. I didn’t doubt that they’d seen the fireworks when the daemon’s had ruptured the tanks and unleashed the chemical fire, but it was doubtful they knew what that had meant. So their rears remained mostly unguarded, something we took full advantage of.

  Waiting until one attack was in full-swing, Valda directed our group to push right through the camp that had been established outside the range of the keep’s defensive weapons. She led the charge, the burning hot point of a wedge of steel cutting through the heart of the camp.

  My girls and I were right behind Valda. After the frantic fighting of the last few days, I knew I could rely on Valda to look after them, so I worked to keep our flanks secure as we moved quickly, destroying everything in our path.

  Our troops were used to my antics at this time. When I leaped over a line of sword-and-shield bearing lizardfolk, wearing the snarling head of a lion and four clawed arms that tore at leather armor like it was paper, they didn’t flinch. Fading back into the line as soon as my surprise attack broke a defensive formation, the shields opened up to let me in. I’d then bound to the other side of the wedge, bolstering a hole where someone had been wounded and trading all four arms for a pair of my favorite bladed tails to drive back the enemy trying to push into an opening in the line.

  Even the student-mages, people who’d seen me off and on for months now at the academy and then here on the front, wove into my attacks seamlessly. A wash of fire sent enemies reeling moments before I slammed into their ranks. My earth magic would soften the ground, only for water to wash into it and turn the whole section into quicksand that was then electrified by a choice bolt of magic from Rieka.

  The enemy force outnumbered us, but we cut into them with the ferocity of an irate badger. And not the posh European badgers that look like they are about to invite you in for a spot of tea. The cracked out American badgers that look like they’d fight God in a Denny’s parking lot for half a chicken nugget.

  Shouts from up on the wall carried over the fighting and then the bellow of a signal horn only a minute after we started chewing into the back ranks of the enemy force. Valda roared from her spot at the front of the line, her new sword radiating heat as she Sparta-kicked a barbarian warrior so hard I swear I heard multiple ribs crack as the man flew away from her.

  “Forward! To the gates! No one left behind!”

  Such was the respect that the lizardfolk woman had from our group as a whole that everyone roared defiantly in agreement. I even heard the high-pitched scream of determination from my sweet little mousy scholar.

  The whole battle felt surreal to me as I flowed, shifted, struck, retreated, and repeated. My body moved on autopilot, the months of lessons combining with an instinctive level of understanding for my form and limits that I’d slowly been building through the casual, everyday application of my power.

  Joints reversed, flowed, multiplied, then divided. Limbs shifted from rigidly enforced by bones like iron to rubbery tendrils that flowed through the air like a fish in water. It’s not to say that I didn’t take injuries, though. The sheer number of attacks directed at me was impressive—and evidence of how much I freaked out our opponents. Which was further complicated by attacks I directly intercepted. Hard shell kept blades from doing more than leaving scratches on me when they might have cloven through unarmored warriors, buying the targets time to counterattack.

  Only once did someone make it through the line to threaten the group of wounded and student-mages at the heart of the group. The trio of warriors armed with thick wooden shields charged into the line, bodily bulling through the lizardfolk warriors and driving them aside while screaming like possessed men.

  The first went down when a scintillating beam of iridescent light scorched his head right from his shoulders, courtesy of my beautiful moth maiden. I took down the second one with a one-two punch using one of my favorite morphs for ‘cracking’ armored opponents. The hardened dactyl clubs screeched with dark light as the touch of entropic energy I channeled through them in the moments of impact ate at reality and burned through both the shield and then the crushed remains of the second warrior’s skull.

  The third tried to backpedal, seeing me effortlessly bring down his companion, but one of the student-mages—a well-dressed young man with russet wolf ears and a tail whose finery was tattered and soiled from our fighting—drove the short sword he was carrying into the man’s side.

  I caught the dying barbarian’s back-swing with a hand the size of a frying pan before it got close to the young man. The blade cut into my hand like catching a dropped knife, but the thick skin of the oversized gorilla-hand I had crafted stopped it from doing more than a paper cut before I gave it a wrench to break it free of his grip.

  The student-mage yanked his blade out of the man’s side with a fierce snarl made all the more fierce from his unkempt finery. I saw him raise his spell-rod to finish the man and signaled him to stop. Instead, I grabbed the last of the line-breakers by his shield with both hands and heaved the bleeding and dying man up and over my head. He screamed in fury when I broke his wrist to take the sword away, and then in fear when I bodily lifted then launched him over the shield-line like a rock thrown from a catapult.

  “Good work,” I barked at the young nobleman, and got a fierce grin in response, his tail wagging furiously at my approval.

  Neither of us spoke after that, launching ourselves forward with determination as I ran to bolster the next weak spot I found in the line while he threw a spell between two of our lizardfolk soldiers to give them more breathing room.

  The thump and grinding noise from the great gates of the keep echoed over the lines and I saw a thin sliver of light appear as they began to part, opening outwards and allowing a fresh flow of soldiers through. Valda’s burning sword flashed overhead, showing me where our lines were and how much further we had to go.

  I was just about to bound forward, plans already roiling in my mind for how I could bodily bull through the enemy line, when the sharp crack of air changing temperature heralded the spell that my dear dwarf lamia had unleashed.

  A storm of ice-shards, hundreds of them, rippled into existence above Valda’s head, the change in temperature making fog steam off her blade, moments before the blades of ice slammed into the ground like a massive, icy beast taking a bite out of the enemy line.

  Our troops responded with another roar of approval before pushing into the frosted section of the battlefield, taking advantage of the damage Kassandra had done. Seeing her slump over slightly, I kept up on my course for the front of the line.

  When I reached her, the air temperature had already dropped by ten degrees, easily. I could see the shivers starting in my cold-blooded lover’s body, so I scooped Kassandra up in both arms, slinging her tail around my waist with practiced ease.

  Kassandra squealed in surprise at first at being so easily manhandled, but it only took her a second to realize it was me and cling tightly to my body.

  “Just need a minute to catch my breath,” Kassandra huffed, blowing her messy curls out of her face while still shivering furiously.

  “I got you, Nugget,” I grunted in reassurance. “Keep going, girls,” I called when Jane and Shayla looked towards me in concern. Rieka was channeling multiple branches of lighting into the left flank to keep the enemy away while we pushed through, but I caught the barest hint of her blue eyes glancing my way in worry that melted when she saw I had Kassandra.

  The moment we broke through to the group of soldiers guarding the opened gate, Valda peeled off to join their group, urging her soldiers to rush through the gate, get behind the wall and to safety.

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  Herding the girls along, we peeled off to the same side as Valda, with Jane whipping up a fierce wind at the rear of our formation. I flexed my Manipulate Element ability to dry the ground out and fragment it into sharp bits of sand, turning Jane’s whirlwind into a grating sandstorm that choked and drove back those nipping at our heels.

  Shayla kept firing her cutting beams of light out, pinpointing threats calmly and eliminating them while the rest of us worked to slow and mire those in pursuit.

  The moment the rear-guard passed us, Valda started falling back as well, calling for the soldiers to close and bar the gates.

  “Eyes!” Shayla shouted, her normally calm and sweet voice carrying a hint of command that she’d been hearing in Valda and Rieka’s voices this whole time.

  Only a moment later, a brilliant burst of light, like a magnesium flare the size of a basketball, ignited on the ground just in front of the gate. I caught the edge of it, having started to turn away at Shayla’s warning and it left a burning red smear in my vision. From the screams of our enemies, many had been looking right at it and were suffering now. I heard a few muffled curses from the lizardfolk, telling me they hadn’t all listened, but Shayla had warned them as best she could.

  Stumbling out of the small tunnel that led through the wall, I was greeted by the familiar sight of the city that existed on this side of the defensive fortification. A few more scorch marks and some damaged roof tiles stood out, but other than the larger-than-normal number of soldiers running about it looked just like I remembered before we’d set off for the mission.

  That familiarity, the feeling of security having the wall at our back and knowing that more of Valda’s people were manning that wall to protect the little town, undid a knot in my chest that I hadn’t realized was there.

  “Get the wounded to the healers,” Valda ordered, her voice firm and clear, cutting through the crowd even with the shouts and screams of the raiders outside ringing in the distance. “Critical first, but anyone who took injuries needs to be seen to. You’ve all earned rest, but for the love of the gods, go wash up before you fall into bed. I’m sure your barracks-mates will appreciate you not reeking of blood, sweat, and smoke!”

  I watched as our group began to break apart, but it didn’t go far. The wounded were helped by those who had made it through without injuries towards the healers, with the student-mages helping the soldiers without a care for the difference in ranks.

  That’s a pleasant sight, the noble kids working to ensure the common soldiers get where they need to be, I thought, hitching Kassandra a bit higher on my hips. Her shakes had stopped, but her breathing was still a bit labored. I would let her down when she asked, but I wasn’t going to release my mischief-macaroni before she asked.

  Valda was standing to one side of the gate with Rieka beside her, both of them disheveled from the days of rapid travel, fighting, and exhaustion. But both women stood tall, listening to a report from a uniformed lizardfolk that I recognized as one of the commanders that Valda had left behind.

  I collected Jane and Shayla as I went, my girls falling in on either side of me without question and leaning into me without hesitation. Shayla’s hand rested on my lower back while Jane’s long tail twined around my left arm while she bounced along on that side.

  “—not much to report,” the soldier was reporting to Valda when we got close enough to hear. “The raiding group showed up two days ago and has been throwing men at the wall. I give them another few days before they lose spirit and leave. If your attack doesn’t break them, that is.”

  “I’ll take it,” Valda huffed, her nose wrinkling in annoyance. She’d pulled a handkerchief from her belt pouch and was running it over her sword, wiping blood away to leave the gleaming, rune-inscribed blade shimmering. “I need to get a full debrief of what happened while we were gone. Rieka, are you up to—”

  “I’ll help,” my wolfish princess volunteered without hesitation. “If we trade off, we can write up the reports and double check them while we have the information fresh in mind. I’m worried that if I lay down to sleep, I won’t wake up for a few days and that needs to get done…”

  “Liam,” Kassandra murmured into my ear gently while Valda was nodding along with Rieka’s statement. “Can you let me down?”

  I didn’t hesitate, squatting down to gently set the dwarf lamia on the ground once more to let her slither free. Her pale skin was flushed with warmth once more and she gave me a soft smile, laying a moist kiss on my cheek before she slithered over next to Valda and Rieka.

  “I’m going to go check with the healers,” Kassandra said, turning to address the statement to the rest of us. “Since I helped patch our people up on the road, they might need to speak to me. I’m too jittery from the fight so I need to do something for a bit to wind down. But I’m with Rieka… I think when I do finally sleep, I’m going to be out for days. Channeling that much mana for that long is exhausting.”

  “I can help—” I started to say but was cut off by a sharp look from Rieka and an even sharper order.

  “Liam, you are going to let Kassandra heal you, and then you are going to rest.”

  “I’m not that—” I tried to protest again, only to be cut off by Kassandra this time.

  “You are still hurt, Liam. I know your tricks,” Kassandra said bluntly, her brow furrowing and her bottom lip sticking out in a cute pout. “In fact, I’ll take care of you before you go to rest.”

  Before I could protest again, Kassandra had her spell rod out and a gout of icy water hit me. Shayla and Jane apparently had better foresight than I did, because the two of them danced out of the way without a moment of hesitation, avoiding the icy soaking.

  The dozens of minor injuries that I’d been holding closed with Shape-Shifting melted away under Kassandra’s spell, and the cold water actually helped ease some of the ache lingering behind the bruises as well.

  “Okay, fine. I’ll let you heal me,” I grumbled, swiping water from my eyes amidst a storm of giggles coming from all four of my girls. Even Valda was smirking at me, her eyes twinkling in amusement.

  “I can help with the healers…” Shayla offered hesitantly, only for Kassandra to shake her head firmly.

  “No, it’s fine. You are just as tired as the rest of us. Why don’t you and Jane go wash up with Liam and then head to bed. If the two of you are with him, then we know he won’t try to do something silly and not rest himself.”

  I barely got a chance to open my mouth before Rieka cut me off.

  “Don’t protest, Liam. I can see how tired you are and we all know you’ve been pushing yourself hard to get us back here safely. If Kass isn’t safe at the healer’s tent and I’m not safe in the command building, then nowhere is safe. Go get cleaned up with Shayla and Jane, then sleep.”

  “Do we have to sleep?” Jane mumbled petulantly. Unfortunately for her, the rumble of conversations and shouts of battle had faded enough that the words were audible by all six of us and she blushed a bright red.

  Kassandra’s affectionate smile turned lusty and shot the mouse kin woman a broad wink.

  “You do what you need to in order to unwind,” Kassandra urged, her grin only growing wider. “Just know that I’m going to want a turn of my own after we rest. I’ve got itches that need scratching and they aren’t going to be easily done. So make sure he gets plenty of rest.”

  I glanced toward Rieka to see her reaction. I’d half-expected Kassandra to find some way to saucily insist the girls do something lewd, but knowing Rieka’s resistance to public affection because of her station, I hadn’t expected the openly lusty look I found on Rieka’s face.

  “That sounds wonderful…” Rieka muttered, her eyes hooding faintly with desire while her tail began to wag up a storm behind her. The fluffy mass of blonde fur was always a true indicator of her mood. But Rieka took a deep breath a moment later before letting it out slowly, clearly trying to reign herself in. I saw her biting her bottom lip though and knew that she was struggling.

  Stepping clear of the other girls, I leaned in to Rieka, who still had her eyes closed.

  “You’ll get your turn to try and wear me out later,” I whispered to her quietly.

  Rieka’s eyes popped open suddenly, lust burning in them brightly as I continued.

  “Maybe I can take you outside of town into a grassy clearing like our first time,” I continued to tease before leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek. “Whatever you want. You know I’m at your disposal, my princess.”

  Rieka let out a low groan, halfway between despair and desire, then shook her head.

  “Go and get cleaned up, Liam. Shayla and Jane deserve their time with you if that’s what they want. I swear… at this rate I’m tempted to officially abdicate my position as princess just so fewer things get in the way of—”

  Rieka cut herself off with another firm shake of her head. She shot me a sidelong look of desire that made my stomach clench happily before leaning in to rub her cheek against mine.

  Leaning back, she blew out a long breath before turning towards Valda, who was giving her a knowing smile.

  “Come on, Valda. Let’s get this done so I can go wash and fall into bed. The more things that delay me, the more upset I’m going to be.”

  “Very fair,” Valda chuckled, her eyes darting to me and giving me an appraising once-over. “Come, let us get the boring things out of the way. I can appreciate the desire to celebrate surviving this mission.”

  The two of them turned and linked arms, striding down the paved street with the sort of tired determination of someone who can see the end of a long work day in sight.

  On the other hand, Kassandra was grinning broadly, alternating looking at me, then Jane, then Shayla, her eyebrows wiggling furiously.

  “Don’t let me keep you,” Kassandra urged, her voice low and throaty with both desire and amusement. “Take good care of him, girls. And if he manages to wear you both out, I’ll take over when I finish up at the healers.”

  Before Jane or Shayla could protest or even speak up, Kassandra slithered about on the spot, wiggling to catch up to one of the injured soldiers from our group that was limping along with a makeshift crutch. She reached out to help support the woman, chattering away to help distract her from the thigh injury as she guided the woman up towards the healer’s building.

  I glanced first towards Jane—who looked like someone had exchanged her head for a cherry—and then towards Shayla—who was flushing as well, but also smiling eagerly as she watched me.

  “Well, shall we go get washed up?” I asked when neither of them spoke up. “I may have gotten a rinse in from Kassandra, but I could actually use a wash…”

  Both girls nodded, their expressions growing to match each other as Jane’s smile grew while Shayla’s blush deepened.

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