While the fight was going on between generals and other on the left, the normal infantry was already clashing with each other. Ninke and Keanu were in between the others with them having made a big circle around them in order to make space for the wolves. They weren’t on the front lines but things would start to get hectic for them soon as well.

  As they stood there, every once in a while, a stray arrow flew in the crowd as they were mostly aimed at other people further to the front. Sounds of metal on metal came more and closer until eventually she saw a break in their own lines. The first skeletons started to show themselves but quickly stopped at the sight of the relative small but therefor not harmless wolf pack.

  Both she and Keanu came forth, starting to fight with the skeletons that broke through as he wolves covered her flanks. While the skeletons didn’t have any flesh for the wolves to tear off, they also didn’t have any armor to be more agile seeing as armor didn’t do much of anything for their race, the wolves had a quick and easy time grabbing them and tearing off bones.

  Their success was huge, able to hold the advance of the enemy while also even pushing themselves back. Off course both Ninke and Keanu were both excellent sword fighters, the wolves helped them by having them only be attacked by mostly one at a time.

  Even though they had great success, not everything was without problems. After the first shock was over, skeletons started to retreat at first, grabbing the big shields off the fallen people they killed, making a similar wall formation as they saw them do when training for the testudo.

  A sudden wall of wood and metal made it difficult for the wolves to attack and neither Ninke nor Keanu had anything else but swords making them unable to deal heavy bone breaking blows to the shields. Spear shot out between the shields, hitting and killing a couple of wolves instantly.

  With their progress halted, Keanu and Ninke were now the ones slowly being driven back. Every once in a while they managed to create a hole but that was quickly filled up. It was much easier for the skeletons to step over their dead than it was for the living to step over theirs.

  With a third of her wolves being killed, she finally noticed that they were getting themselves into trouble. She and Keanu had been focused on purely the front that they didn’t see that they with their wolves had been completely surrounded.

  The allies had been pushed back even further, leaving them alone in the sea of enemies. Her attention was quickly forced back in the fight with her parrying an attack aimed for Keanu.

  While having saved him, it left her open for a counterattack from another skeleton. She saw the sword being lifted up past the big shield for a stab in her side. The stab never came though as a wolf jump up against the shield with his front paws and took the arm and ripped it off, using the shield for leverage.

  Sadly enough she had gotten too close and the tearing of the arm was rewarded with a spear in her side, making her howl and bark in pain. She was losing too many wolves too fast and had to get out of there.

  The opportunity arose itself as she heard something happening behind them. Due to their group having been surrounded and being attacked from all sides, the people between the wolves and the enemy were basically also surrounded.

  A decent counter attack from the Elves saw them making a way through the group separating them from the wolves. Still though, they weren’t close enough to Ninke and Keanu yet to give them support.

  In order to improve the fight, Satyrs began to play on their flutes, vines sprouting from the ground and grabbing the enemy. One of the vines sprouted right in front of Keanu, grabbing three skeletons ad restricting them.

  Unfortunately the insanely fast growth of the plant knocked the sword out of his hand. Some skeletons just went around the vines and saw an unarmed human standing there, the easiest kill of the war.

  Time seemed to slow down for him. Ninke next to him pulled a shield down, cutting off the neck of a skeleton. On his right was another skeleton, throwing a big shield on a wolf before using a spear to pierce their shoulder as soon as the wolf got from underneath the shield. Right in front of him one wanting to slash his sword down.

  Right before it hit him, he took a step to the side, closer to the spear guy. The sword barely went bast him, cutting a hold in the air before being lifted back up for a side swipe. With nothing else to hold onto, he jumped back, feeling something tug on his clothes as the sword managed to grab the cloth and make a rip in the cloth.

  He needed something to protect himself with. The skeleton to his right that he just killed the wolf was being lifted up and tied up by the vines, dropping the spear. As it dropped, Keanu tried to duck and get the weapon. Before he could, the other skeleton came once more, again trying to kill him with an over the head swing. Behing him was a wolf so he couldn’t move back, instead going forwards and crossing his wrists above his head, letting the enemy wrist land on the spot where his two wrists crossed.

  For a split second did he get hope, wanting to let one wrist stay in place to redirect the sword so he could disarm him with the other. That plan never got to see the light of day as he felt a piercing pain in his stomach.

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Another skeleton had pushed his spear forwards, piercing his thigh and causing a lot of pain. “Aaaah!” He grabbed the wound with both hands as a reaction, letting go of the sword which picked up speed again, cutting deep in his left shoulder.

  His left arm just dropped next to him as the pain made him drop onto his knees. He heard a scream coming from his left, thinking that Ninke had received the same fate as him. She was being pushed back when the holder of the sword dropped dead, leaving the sword half pulled out in his shoulder.

  As the adrenaline left his body, so did his strength to stay awake. The black void washing over him as he fell to his right over the body of a dead wolf.

  Ninke was now alone with her wolves, getting pushed back away from Keanu. She wanted to go to him, help him now that he lover was down on the ground. Anger seemed to slowly take her over, hitting harder and less controlled than before.

  As she got angry, the wolves could feel her anger, feeling that something was wrong. Her anger didn’t help them in the end as the wolves gave her space and didn’t fight as hard anymore, effectively leaving her alone as the skeletons found a sudden lack of resistance coming from the wolves.

  That also when the enemies she was fighting against changed. Up until now it mostly had been undead humans, but as she let her sword hit another enemy, the sound of metal on metal made her ears go flat as a shiver went up her spine.

  In front of her were skeletons having metal parts melted into the flesh, undead artificers attacking her.

  The new enemies seemed more focused on speed than power, able to block her more easily as the solid metal couldn’t be hurt. The longer she fought, the further back she was pushed with her wolves one by one retreating. In the end only Darter remained, being one of the older wolves and most loyal to her.

  Luckily, Darter didn’t have to die today as something Big suddenly barreled through the enemy lines, leaving a line of knocked down being and broken bones.

  As it appeared to be, Gurgen had made his way towards her, having seen Keanu bite the dust and seeing her wolves run away. The other soldiers took their chance, joining her and helping her to push back.

  Gurgen reached Keanu and picked him up, lifting him above his head. “Got it!” While indeed he got it, he also found himself in the enemy lines. At first they tried to stab through his Jacket but after that failed, his legs got targeted.

  While Gurgen was strong and resilient, even he couldn’t withstand swords to his legs. “Aw! Hey! Don’t…!” Gurgen fell down, his legs cut to pieces and unable to support his weight. The sword that had been in Keanu came loose, falling out of his shoulder and allowing blood to stream out without end.

  Before Gurgen had charged into battle without regard for himself, Demmie had been with him. While Demmie didn’t really care for Keanu, he hated seeing Gurgen go down. He knew What Gurgen had been through and what it would mean if he were to die.

  “Oh no, you don’t die on me again.” He tightly gripped both his swords as he followed Gurgens path of destruction although not as fast. His swords quickly cutting through the air, slashing through bones and defending his own body. If he got cut, he just kept going, trying to ignore the pain that he had gotten used to.

  Even he had limits, not able to keep going once a sword was thrusted forwards through his stomach. The searing pain followed by the warm blood, followed up by the coldness of death before darkness came. Then a sudden breath of warm air, the smell of iron in the air as the swords in his hands came to life again, once more fighting the enemies that were surprised to see him alive and without wounds.

  The more he died, the younger he got, the stronger he seemed to get, able to fight harder, defend himself better, eventually reach Gurgen. He had never seen him like this as he laid there. His face was covered in blood, Jacket ripped in multiple spots, and drenched in blood.

  As he looked at Gurgen and was distracted, a sword managed to cut off his head, making him drop down to the ground.

  Waking up from an injury like that took a bit longer, regrowing from the cut of head rather than his body. As the pain of being returned to life came back and the yelling and screaming filled his ears again, he seemed to be dragged away by someone. Not only him but once he looked up, he saw Gurgen and Keanu as well.

  The person dragging him as a young satyr, quickly letting go once he realized that Demmie wasn’t dead anymore. He didn’t even say anything, jumping back to the front lines to get more wounded people.

  Demmie got up, being completely unharmed. He grabbed Gurgen, helping the other satyrs to drag him into the camp while Ninke had Keanu with her. She was crying, begging for him to not be dead yet as another satyr came running, kneeling down to Keanu first and giving him some of the healing stuff before giving Gurgen the same.

  At first nothing seemed to happen to either of them, both continuing to not be dead yet but mortally wounded. Ninke softly grabbed Keanu’s head and put it on her lap, wiping away some blood as her breathing was out of control, her wolves standing around her but keeping distance.

  One of them came closer to try and comfort her but she wasn’t having any of it, pushing them away. “Fuck off!” Her sadness got to rage, looking at the wolf. “You ran way!”

  Demmie shook his head, getting down to Gurgen as he wasn’t so much on the touching, just trying to see if the wounds were closing or if he lost Gurgen for a second time. He closed his eyes, remembering how he had met Gurgen the first time and how he had died back then.

  How Gurgen had been there eating with the others when he was poisoned. The awful way that he had died and left them only to appear later again but without any memory from before. He was brought back to reality when he heard Gurgen groan underneath him.

  “Talk to me boy. Did we win?” Gurgen looked up at Demmie as the wounds slowly closed with in the distance the sounds of the war still going on.

  “Euh… Not exactly, but you did well.” He gave him a nod and a big smile, patting his shoulder.

  As they talked, Keanu too opened his eyes, the deep cut in his shoulder slowly closing. “Ah… I can’t feel my arm.”

  “Baby!” Ninke gave his forehead a kiss as her breathing once more was out of control. “Don’t you do that again!” She seemed to both be mad and happy, crying once more as Keanu was confused about where he was and how he wasn’t dead.

  His eyes went to Gurgen next to him before nodding more to himself than to her, remembering the healing potion. ”Ah yeah.” He looked back up at Ninke and gave her a smile. “Seems like we’re even now.”

  She chuckled, taking a deep breath as she seemed to finally cool down a bit. “Shut up, not funny.” She said having a small smile on her face.