Chapter 350: Part of the war

In the dark of night somewhere in the forest of Pyknos before a half-constructed flimsy wooden wall lit only by the burning carcasses and bones.

Vivian dodged the charge of a grotesque undead. An arkbeast who had clearly been dead for quite some time as maggots riddled its infected body. 

"Nomeno Volida!" A voice shouted and a small fireball hit the undead like a bullet. Penetrating its chest and exploding on the inside. Covering everyone in burning rotten flesh.

Picking up a piece from her arm Vivian threw it to the side in disgust as she got back into formation. A group of the five strongest in front with ten behind them and the weakest again behind those.

Knowing that the random undead lacked strategy and planning they just needed to kill them and stop themselves from being overrun. Having multiple lines allowed them to let some beasts through, such as a charging undead bear that no one could stop directly. It also made it easier to keep some order when the fight became a full melee. 

"Where are the centaurs?" One of the soldiers in the back row.

"They probably forgot about us." Another replied spitting in distaste. Hating that they were being used like their lives meant nothing. Sure they knew why and the reason made sense but, being left alone. Almost abandoned, did not feel great. 

"Don't think like that. We need to hold, as does everyone else!" Vivian countered hoping to keep morale up. Most of the ones here with her were not lucky enough to have even a magical weapon. 

While their weapons weren't bad, it was at best Tier 5 or 6 normal-grade weapons. Making the task of killing undead far harder and the strain on their weapons incredibly high. 

They were already low enough on morale due to the constant waves of undead. They would have certainly lost if a horde came at them instead of just small groups. However, the undead had learned that the centaurs targetted large groups. 

So now they sacrificed a few to keep the people constantly fighting while they waited for reinforcements.

"Here they come!" One of the arches who was standing on a raised flimsy tower shouted. It was not tall, just two meters, but it allowed him to freely fire while the rest fought on the ground. The other archers and the mages had similar towers.

A group of around 5 more rotting arkbeasts, 10 undead direwolves, and nearly 50 skeletal beasts of all types charged at the group of 30. A group of 5 archers, 3 mages, and the rest all close-quarter combatants. 

Readying for impact, everyone tried to see what they would be required to do. Especially to where they need to dodge the charge of the arkbeast. Dodging into a fellow soldier was not only dumb but more often than not resulted in both being trampled. 

Them not having a healer meant that such mistakes meant death.

The arkbeasts arrived before the rest of the undead. The first line who they were aiming for stepped aside and refocused on the undead direwolves not far behind. The second line aiming for the arkbeasts legs, the third for the neck, and the mages finishing the two arkbeasts who were not killed from this. 

Stepping to the side, Vivian gracefully swung Nelida's flame downward. Beheading the undead wolf with ease. Spinning around she thrust her sword into another. Activating the sword's bread and butter ability: Burst of Passion. 

With its activation, she swung her blade at the skeletons behind the wolves. Easily cutting through the wolf as a flame formed on the edge of the blade as it moved, leaping off when she willed it to.

The spell incinerated the greater part of 5 skeletal beats, cutting another 3 in half but failing to kill them. Vivan quickly followed up activating the other ability: Flames take over. The sword bursting into flames as she struck at the skull of another skeletal beast.  The flames turning the bones to ash as the sword cut through the entire body. 

Unlike Vivian, the rest of the soldiers had a far harder time killing the undead. None had a weapon even half as great as Nelida's flame they struggled. Heck most of them only had normal weapons, only the five in the front had magical grade, and those were at best Tier 2. 

Luckily Phallos was a kingdom that favored fire magic and as such each soldier had at least some type of skill to kill the undead. This however caused damage to most of their weapons, which by now were all at the point where the next hit might be their last. 

Skeletons were certainly the group's bane. While beheading worked well and made the skeleton blind, it often did not kill it. Unlike with the zombies. Adding onto this a claw swung or hooves trampling by a blind beast did just as much damage as by one who can see. 

The only silver lining was that the skeletons had little mass, making a charge by them nearly useless. The soldiers would simply step to the side and swing. More often than not cutting through a few bones and stopping the undead skeletal beast in its tracks. 

When they finally managed to end the fight they saw another 20 skeletons rushing at them in the distance, causing everyone to curse. Their curses growing when they saw a flaming skeleton amongst this group. 

"Flaming Reanimate!" A few of the quicker ones shouted. Bringing the attention of those who were trying to treat their wound to the new danger. 

"Shit, not this now!" One of the soldiers in Vivian's squad cursed as he manned up and cauterized his own wound recklessly. Gritting his teeth to manage the pain. 

"David second line!" Vivian shouted after throwing a quick look to his side, "We are not going to be reinforced in time. If you are hurt severely take a step back and let those in the back come forward!"

Even before her shout finished the mages had sent the signal calling for immediate help. They all knew they stood little chance against an Unwilling. Not without a miracle. 

They did not have much time to reorganize, but getting those who were fresh to the front was still important. However, unlike before they did not wait for the charge to connect. Instead, they charged themselves when the skeletons were close enough.

The archers were unfortunately unable to help much against skeletons, most having already used their special arrows hours ago.  The mages could also not offer much support, while they had tried to use their spells sparingly, a day of the fighting took it out of them. 

Jumping forward Vivian went directly for the flaming reanimate. She knew she was not the strongest nor most experienced in their makeshift group. However, none of the others had as much mana left as she. 

While she could rely on her sword's abilities, they had to use skills. Formation skills that came through the blade like Burst of Passion  took far more mana and stamina than normal skills that just enhanced a person's speed or strength. 

Vivian regretted her action as soon as her blade met the flaming skeleton's. She had expected it to be strong, but not as strong and fast as it was. 

Upon the clash, Vivian just barely managed to keep her grip on her sword, yet doing so opened her fully to the follow-up attack. The attack arriving before she could even counter the momentum in her blade.

Smiling Vivian did something she had learned form Eldrian, stopping to fight the momentum she let it pull her off her feet. Crashing into the ground she avoided the attack but lost her breath. 

She did not even have the time to scramble as a flaming blade appeared in her sights again. Rolling to the side Vivian placed Nelida's flamed in its path. 

The hit threw her into the air and into a carcass. Her one side burnt and the other pierced by the bone of the carcass. Gasping for air with blood filling her lungs Vivian felt certain she was going to die. 

The flaming reanimate ignored her however, assuming her dead. Instead, it targeted one of her friends and quickly killed him as he struggled against two skeletons, the fight becoming a massacre in seconds. 

The mages' last actions before their deaths were to send the emergency signal into the air. Indicating that their location was overrun and that they were all dead. 

...

Eldrian had stayed and talked with Flavia until his stomach stopped feeling so overfull. He had to admit she was good at small talk, after having him admit that he was not dumb she had shared how she had gotten in as an intern. 

Eldrian was impressed by all the hoops she had jumped through, her treatment here certainly not reflecting that. 

"Why don't you go somewhere where they will value you more?" Eldrian had asked, her reply simple and Eldrian thought even dumb. 

"Because there I would be considered a talent."

"So?" Eldrian had questioned unable to find what was wrong with that. 

"So... If I am just average here, does that not mean there is all the more to learn?"

'She did have a point,' Eldrian thought as he entered his room and climbed onto his PC. Needing to pass the time till he could finally log in again. 

Naturally, he also went for a jog a bit later when his stomach finally deflated. Making sure to enjoy the sights of the well-kept gardens everywhere in the estate.

*AN: If you are not reading on Webnovel, then you are reading a stolen work.*