Siege

Edana climbed onto the heap of bodies, roaring out loud. The swords in both her hands burned with hellfire. The corpses lay everywhere, like poppies in an unused clearing. Blood ran over the battlefield, similar to the rivers of calamity in Hades.

The demoness saw the behemoth knock over another fire spitting machine, and then toss a little fairy in the air, which, by magic, grew to the size of colossus, breaking the wall with a thud. The united armies of Forest King and the Hellish Nobility ran after them, finally capturing the lower courtyard of the stronghold. Only the tower left in the hands of evil.

"It's over...", Ross galloped next to Edana, making a few circles around her, looking for a potential threat, "Karl had a great idea to put in his journal the order that the forces of the underworld and the forest would cease to be feuding."

"Yea, maybe he had a terrific plan, but we had to do the most of the work", Engel slid down the cadavers and jumped onto her friend's back. Since the time they all left the inn, that is for the last two days, she had been constantly undermined, consumed by anger from within, "Besides, he didn't make it easier for us in the long run, looking at how many of his mistress's army perished here."

At a slow jog, they reached the main gate, where the other allies had gathered. There were more petty kings, warlords and volunteers, than could be counted, emphasizing how strongly hatred towards one was able to unite the rest.

"Do you want to do the honors?", asked the Forest King, a great pile of fat, being held by six other elves on a massive armed litter. He had begun the triumphal feast before the conquest was even over.

"With pleasure", Edana swung both blades on the final closure, already thinking about the punishment she would impose on the losers. Much to her annoyance, the portal opened by itself, revealing only two people, the Lord of Dungeons and his maid in the flesh.

"Four heroes have been guerdoned with an invitation to the Overlord's court. The rest of the intruders must leave this place immediately or will know his power", Mayhem spoke in a voice that spilled over the entire courtyard, roaring to the edge of the battleground. Even though she was one and there were hundreds of her enemies in sight, she was steadfast, like a real queen and not a maidservant.

"You have no right to order us! We won, you don't have an army anymore and you are at our mercy!", Forest King shouted, and the others echoed him in support, "If you and your master do not surrender, we're going to trample you like your walls!"

"So this is the way you chose...", the evil mistress looked at Karl, and he wrote something into his notebook with few moves. Everyone, excluding the four players, started to grab their throats, **** on blood or **** each other. Before the thought of betrayal reached Edana's mind, there was no one alive in the courtyard except her friends.

"Don't", Kraus ordered the demoness, guessing what was swirling in her head. Engel stared intently at Karl's tired and vanquished face for a moment, then she dropped her weapons. Agnist her instincts, she did not believe he had outsmarted and double-crossed them. He could not hurt his own friends, even with her presence among them. She was sure of it more, than anything else.

"Come inside and make yourself comfortable", it sounded like a joke, even though no one was laughing. Felix and Charlotte went first, and Ross trotted after them. Only Edana objected to stepping directly into the lion's mouth. She considered all her options, but in the end she decided to trust not the reason, only the heart.