Heading for the border we ran into a couple of weaselkin. They were wounded, one dragging a leg limply, the other with crude bandages wrapped around their bloody torso, the armour they were wearing dented and cracked. On seeing us their expressions brightened.

“Princess! You have returned-turned!” one chittered. “And the master as well!”

“What is the situation here?” Shaeula asked, concerned at their injuries. “Where is my Kamaitachi? Where-where are the enemies?”

“We are making a stand-nd by the shrine.” The weaselkin answered. “We are ferrying weapons and arrows from the Armoury-ry, since we are too injured to fight properly. Still, many of us do not-not return, dying in ambush…”

As if their words were prophetic, another female wraith materialised out of the surrounding rubble, hands sharpened into ethereal claws, reaching for their necks. I was about to unleash my Foehn when Shaeula beat me to it, raising her hand and calling forth her own flames. An explosion rocked the wraith, which let out a dying scream before turning to ashes and leaving behind some ether.

I guess that Foehn was overkill then. Thinking about it, fire is usually good for purifying undead in stories. Light too, so maybe her dagger would have worked as well…

As I was thinking that, the two weaselkin were looking at Shaeula, awe in their expressions. She puffed up proudly as they began to praise her, amazed she could call upon the fire despite being a Fae of wind.

“I am not-not the princess you knew.” She crowed. “Along with my master, I have grown strong indeed-indeed, as these knaves who would dare intrude on our Territory and harm our subjects will no doubt find out-out!”

“Yeah, we can gloat later. We need to head to the shrine. We have to make sure your old territory is safe too, we have a lot of Ether Spires, and more importantly, the Throne there.” I warned.

At her nod we raced off to the shrine, the weaselkin following behind us. As we approached, the damage to the surroundings was magnified, and most of the streets were choked with rubble. Ahead of us a group of monstrous orcs were gathering, several dozen strong. They seemed to be split up into three distinct groups, one group well armoured and carrying heavy swords and axes, another more lightly armoured group with spears and pikes, and lastly a smaller group with heavy crossbows.

Crossbows, hmm? We could use those ourselves…

“Pig-faced abominations.” Shaeula sneered. “Not even the Unseelie court would use such brutes.”

“Well, yeah, Japanese orcs are rather more… uh, well let’s just say the tales they feature in are rather different in genre, and seldom for the ladies.” I managed lamely, noticing that the armour of the orcs was very… bulging… down below.

Shaeula retrieved her pinwheels, and after charging them and the metal coils with verdant energies she sent them out, whirling at the orcs from behind. They heard the humming and some of them turned, only to be neatly bisected, armour and all, with a baleful whining of shredded metal and shattered bone.

One of the orcs who was better dressed than the rest in heavier armour, carrying a massive two-handed bastard sword, tried to strike at the wires, only to look foolish as they swept away from the blow, then flitted back in, slicing through his arms.

I’d better start myself, I can’t let Shaeula hog all the glory… leaping for the orcs with crossbows I used aether to speed me forwards at an alarming speed, and though I suffered some minor injuries as I scraped against some of the fallen rubble it was bearable. My spear thrust into the ugly pig-face of the first orc and wind discharged from the blade, detonating the head of a second orc behind it. Wires of wind were formed by my will and the emerald cutters snared them in a coruscating net, and ether was spilling free as the corpses collapsed, sliced into multiple pieces.

“Die-die, you brutes!” Shaeula was hurling blasts of flame at the same time as controlling the pinwheels, training herself in her weaker new element, and orc after orc was falling. The weasels were looking on in rapt amazement as we butchered them, the fruits of our trials in Las Vegas plain to see. Soon it was all over, and I asked the weasels to carry the crossbows and as many quivers of bolts as they could. I likewise grabbed what I could hold, and with that we continued our advance, after topping up my aether with a little of our gains.

The steps up to the shrine loomed ahead, and as we arrived we could see that more orcs were trying to press upwards, being held back by a berserk towering figure of rage, wielding a pair of heavy battle-axes, one in each hand. He was also wearing a cobbled-together set of armour, plates crudely sunken into his flesh, making him look like some sort of maniacal iron golem. Still, Grulgor sure is effective…

“Crush you, smash you, kill you, eat you, break you, Grul will DESTROY you all!” he was roaring, his acidic spittle burning the face of two orcs who rushed him, moments before his axes shredded them to a pulp, their corpses disappearing, leaving behind shattered metal armour and ether. More and more orcs were falling to Grulgor, until a volley of crossbow bolts were fired from groups of them on both sides of the hills, raining down on their own allies too. Most bolts bounced off his makeshift armour, but some buried themselves in his flesh yet he seemed to hardly notice, merely continuing to slaughter those who tried to push past him.

“One flank each?” I asked Shaeula, and she nodded.

“It looks like the brute can handle himself, not that I expected him to have fallen-fallen.” She scoffed. “We shall leave the butchery to him.”

I raced to the group on the left, drills of air and blades of wind shining prettily as they carved through the enemies, scattering ether and fallen equipment in their wake. The few survivors turned in my direction, firing at me, but wind deflected the heavy quarrels, and I was soon amidst them, finishing off the last few with my spear. This is similar to fighting the gnolls. If they just have numbers we can handle them…

Shaeula had also finished up, her toys making her adept at mincing large groups of modest foes, and seeing her expression it made me want to try out the pinwheels myself, but as I was making them I realised I didn’t have the instinctive control of the wind she had, so I wouldn’t be able to use them to their full potential. At least not yet. I’ll get there one day…

Grulgor had surged down the steps, the remaining orcs throwing themselves at him only to be hacked down. On seeing us he let out a roar of greeting. “Grul says you have returned. The little weasel too. Grul has held this place, and slain many, Grul breaks all who attack us.”

“Yeah, good job.” I approved. “But how did this happen? I know you fought a few orcs before, but that was well away from our Territory, right?”

“I expect this idiot has done something foolish once more-more.” Shaeula mocked, not getting along with Grulgor as usual. “Not that he would know it.”

Ignoring their bickering I asked the most important question. “Where is everyone else? And why isn’t anyone guarding the Anchor?”

Grulgor scratched his head, puzzled, dislodging some of the heavy quarrels stuck in his face, the flesh below bubbling up like pustules, rapidly healing. “Uh, the snake is up on the hill, along with your annoying weasel. Grul has sent his trolls to rampage, the little pigs make for good breaking.”

“I see.” I was relieved that everyone important was still alive. Patting Grulgor on the shoulder (I had to stand on tiptoes to do it) I thanked him for his hand work. With that we left him to guard the front while we bounded up the steps. As we reached the shrine courtyard I noticed that there was a line of glittering shards on the ground, forming a rough circle. Curious, I bent down and touched it. They were white, pink and brown crystals, rough and cold. Is that… I gingerly brought a bit to my mouth and tasted it, only to spit it out. Yep, salt. There was something else though, a tang of ruby energies that clashed with the emerald of my wind.

Shaeula eyed the line of salt warily, hopping over it with a disgusted expression. “It seems to be some sort of barrier drawing on the latent earth energies of this site-site.” She said. “It is a clever working, one our court sorcerers would be proud of. It also makes this place more bearable, there is less of that unpleasant earth essence in the air-air.”

As we crossed the barrier we were suddenly surrounded by the white snakes that served the kami. On seeing it was us they relaxed, their guard dropping. The kami himself came slithering over, and he was followed by the Kamaitachi and a small number of weaselkin and kobolds.

The numbers seem low, but I guess they’ve done well to hold out without us.

“Welcome back my liege, it isssssss good to seeeee you both ssssssafe.” The kami hissed sibilantly. “Your return issssss timely indeed.”

“indeed, princess. I had feared if you did not return soon-soon there would be little to return to….” He trailed off, looking puzzled. “Something seems different about you, princess… wait, what is this?“ his eyes narrowed, and he flicked out a red tongue, tasting the wind.

Well, that’s pretty disgusting. Shaeula was glaring at him as well.

“You… you did not, did you-you?” the Kamaitachi looked distressed. “How will I explain this to your honoured mother? To think that you would choose this mortal who defeated you as your mate-mate, and even go so far as to bind yourselves…”

“Oh, do be silent.” Shaeula snapped. “I have not ‘gone all the way-way’ as the mortals would say, though we are connected now and I shall have no other. In due time…” she looked at me, her expression bright, yet somehow alluring, her eyes watery and her face flushed.

Looking away I coughed. Sorry, I’m with Eri. Stop looking at me so hopefully… but… I owe you a lot… ugh… this is not the time for this drama.

“… besides, what mother would not wish her daughter to snatch such a fine male-male?” she continued. “I will speak to her when next we meet, and Akio shall win her-her approval. I have much to discuss with her anyway. It has been long, and her neglect pains me-me.”

“If that is your wish…” the sickle-weasel said doubtfully. “But even if your mother approves, your noble father, and your siblings… they will be most-most wroth…”

“Oh. Yes-yes. Indeed they will be. My sister and Shaeraggo especially. They do dote on me-me, as they should for I am adorable. Yet they-they treat me as a fool, as a weak little doll to be protected. Yet where are they now-now, when I am in need?” she spat. “Nor could they protect me when my foolish pride led to my exile here-here. Only one could, Akio. Is it so wrong to crave he who defends and cherishes me-me? If my father or siblings take issue, then I shall have to educate them-them.”

Well, that’s quite the speech… I could feel myself heating up, embarrassed. Technically she was right and I had crossed the line with her, but it was to save her life, so… But then I did push her into the situation where she needed saving…

“If that is your will I shall say no more-more…” the Kamaitachi let out a long and bitter sigh. “Just try not to regret this.”

“I regret nothing.” Shaeula said pridefully. “In fact, my siblings and noble father will be awed at how-how I have matured!”

Feeling a little sorry for the long-suffering Kamaitachi, who had been with me since near the beginning, I changed the subject, to more pressing matters. Behind us the weaselkin had dumped off their loot, and I threw down the bolts and bows I was carrying too. “Anyway, can you fill us in on what’s going on? The place is a wreck, though luckily damage to the Territory-proper seems minor.”

The sickle-weasel nodded, relieved to be on a safer subject. “A few days prior, the roving bands of foes that were to our north organised, their numbers swelling. They then-then invaded, and with our forces we could do little to stem-stem the tide…”

I see. A full-scale invasion, and from fighting the orcs they seem like produced troops from a Spawning Spire. It’s Las Vegas all over again, only this time I’m the defender, and the timing couldn’t be worse, with the Anchor upgrading, meaning that anything we lose stays lost, and our defences are pitiful… That fat bastard from the casino would no doubt laugh at me if he knew I was now in his position…