Chapter 63: A grave of dreams
The sound of gunfire echoed across the battlefield, mingling with the roar of monsters. The monster wave, the recurring calamity that the North had long held at bay, came as it always did. Yet this time, it was different. This time, the horde had changed.
The monster wave had come, but this time, the monsters felt wrong. As if stitched together from the worst fears of men.
Beasts of different shapes, sizes, and unnatural abilities surged together in one massive tide. Like a malformed hand, it reached out to crush everything in its path.
The knights of Stellhart, the proud shield of Norvaegard, met the wave with steel and fire. Their newly forged arquebuses thundered, sending lead into flesh, while the Thunderspears rained down massive metal balls.
Lines of armored soldiers fired in disciplined volleys, each explosion of gunpowder a heartbeat in the rhythm of war. But not all were present. A second war was happening, one born not of monsters, but of men. It happened so suddenly without any warning.
Several nobles had declared a territorial war against the Iron Duke. Their excuse was law and loyalty to the crown, claiming the Iron Duke was planning a coup.
Everyone knew the truth: it was ambition masked as duty. With the North at its most vulnerable, they struck.
Lucen was leading the fight against the monsters, while his father fought against the nobles.
***
Smoke filled the air, stinging his eyes. Lucen reloaded, his movements automatic. Around him, soldiers screamed, guns cracked, and monsters screeched. A bear-sized creature made of bone and fire barreled through the front lines, ignoring lead and steel.
"Hold the line!"