Their forces were to be split. With the backup from other villages and towns they needn’t worry too much on the frontlines. What they needed to be worried about was the proximity of the forest barrier to their town.

Enna had volunteered herself and Lynn to help with the barrier in the forest. Almost all the retired veterans had volunteered for the forest. Those that would go to the front were the young and inexperienced, eager to prove themselves, and a few veterans to ensure the young ones didn’t get themselves killed.

“There goes two weeks of baking” Lynn sighed. She didn’t want to go anywhere close to a barrier, in this life or the next. She was perfectly fine staying at home and baking her bread. No need for those bastards that fucked with your mind.

They lay face to face in bed. A blanket draped over their heads. Their breath warm against each other’s skin. Their limbs entangled in a mess.

Enna tried to comfort her sweetheart. “Come on, it’ll be fun. Getting some exercise and polishing your rusty skills.”

Lynn snorted and said, “My skills are as rusty as your aim with a bow.”

Enna looked thoughtful. “True, I could use some target practice.”

“What?” Lynn was mildly surprised; she meant her skills were not rusty at all, just like Enna’s aim has never been off the mark.

Enna gazed at her lovely wife’s eyes. “I could use some practice, only hunting animals and dumb monsters have done nothing other than degrade my skills.”

Lynn nodded in understanding, moving the blanket a bit. She could understand that. Fighting against a dumb beast was much easier than a thinking, calculating opponent.

Instead of continuing this conversation she was obviously losing, she hugged Enna and softly kissed her skin. The soft kisses of Lynn were enough to stop any protests from Enna, her mind not in the right place for this conversation anymore.

“Wakey wakey, sleepy head.” Lynn was woken up at an ungodly time of day, morning. Enna stood in her battle gear, ready to go murdering. She wore her special chain shirt, tight leather pants and a pair of thick leather boots with metallic plating.

Lynn groaned as she forced herself up. Truly mornings were made to be slept through.

Enna handed Lynn all her armour and clothing she would need. “Get dressed or we’re going to be late.”

Lynn nodded, groggily. She began to dress as Enna left the room to do other things. Lynn slipped into a loose shirt and covered it in a set of chainmail. She pulled long, tight pants over her legs and pulled her black, hardened leather boots on and stood from the bed. She turned back to what was left. A leather jacket and her murder gauntlets. The gauntlets were covered in scales of ancient dragons she had descaled herself. The gauntlets were colourful; their scales consisted of all the colours, chromatic and metallic.

Seems like today was to be a formal ‘murder’ occasion. Lynn smiled a bloodthirsty smile.

Lynn gazed around the room to see if she missed anything. Nope, nothing. She left the room just as Enna had. Outside the bedroom door, against one of the walls, laid her oldest friend. Her Zweihänder. After all these years, the blade was still the colour of blood and stank just like the spilled liquid.

She grabbed the hilt and felt the familiar thrum of power coursing through her. The power whispered to her, it wanted, needed, blood. She simply squeezed a bit and glared at the blade for the whispers to stop. She hated anything that whispered into her mind.

Attaching the blade to the back of her leather jacket, she walked downstairs, to get this shit over with, as soon as possible.