Chapter 2: The [Sword] Stained with Wolf Smoke (Patreon)

The gray sky seemed to be holding back a sob.

The rain that had lasted most of the day finally stopped. Water pooled on the eaves still dripped along the edges of the tiles, tapping out a faint patter on the cracked streets below.

The air hadn't grown any fresher for it.

The smells of charred wood, wet ash, blood, and medicine mingled together, hanging heavy over the city. Rain had soaked through the bombed-out buildings, and white smoke still rose now and then from the ruins. Embers not yet extinguished lurked deep within the wreckage, waiting for the wind to rekindle them.

In a single night, Orario had lost all its usual bustle.

No drunken laughter echoed from the taverns.

No haggling arguments rose in front of the shops.

On the streets leading to the Dungeon, there were no more clusters of adventurers showing off their gear to one another.

The occasional shout that broke the silence was, more often than not, about rescue, the wounded, or the dead.

This was already the second day of the [Seven Deadly Days].

Zald and Alfia still hadn't shown themselves, and Erebus had vanished into hiding after delivering his declaration. The enemy's silence brought no peace—instead, it let fear seep through every street and alley.

No one knew where the next attack would strike.

Nor whether they'd live to see the third day.

"Open the gates! Open them now!"

"Why are you locking us in here!"

"Evilus could attack again any moment—I'm not staying here to die!"

Thousands of residents had gathered before the city's west gate.

Soot and dried blood streaked their faces. Some dragged carts piled high with belongings, others carried wounded family members on their backs, and still others carried nothing but a single bulging cloth sack stuffed with hastily gathered food and coin.

They wanted to leave Orario.

If they could just pass through the gate and head southwest, they'd reach the coastal port city of Melen. To these people, at least Melen had no Dungeon, and no "absolute evil" of the kind Erebus had spoken of.

Dozens of adventurers had formed a human wall before the gate.

They hadn't drawn their weapons, holding the crowd back with nothing but their bodies. Guild staff stood behind the line, explaining the situation outside the walls again and again, but their voices were quickly swallowed by furious shouting.

"We can't open the gate!"

Falgar spread his arms wide, blocking several men who tried to rush the gate.

The towering tigerman had reined in his presence as much as he could, but the residents at the front still instinctively stepped back half a pace.

"Evilus already controls the roads outside the city. If you leave Orario, we can't protect you!"

A man in disheveled clothes jabbed a finger at him, shouting.

"Then go drive the enemy off! You're adventurers—this is literally your job!"

"We're working on it, but going out there right now just means walking into an encirclement."

"Don't feed me that garbage!"

The man shoved hard at Falgar's chest. Naturally, his strength couldn't budge the tigerman, but Falgar didn't push back—he just raised a hand to steady the man as he stumbled.

The gesture earned him no understanding.

More residents pressed in from behind.

"My daughter already died in this city!"

"Who knows how many more those monsters will kill next!"

"Move aside! Please, just move aside!"

Anger, pleading, and wailing all tangled together.

Children held in their parents' arms, startled by the noise, burst into tears of their own. Several young adventurers assigned to keep order exchanged glances, afraid to draw their swords and unsure how to face the very people they'd been risking their lives to protect just yesterday.

Asfi stood a short distance away, her gaze growing graver behind her lenses.

"Even those of us assigned to reconnaissance have been pulled in to keep order at the gate."

She wiped a raindrop from her lenses and turned to the captain of the Ganesha Familia.

"Shakti, if this keeps up, there's going to be a riot. We need to evacuate them as soon as possible."

Shakti gripped her spear tightly, not answering right away.

She'd barely rested the night before; her armor still bore traces of hasty repairs. Exhaustion was plain on her face, though her eyes remained alert.

"I'm afraid this is part of the enemy's plan too."

"You mean Evilus deliberately trapped the people inside the city?"

"If all they wanted was to take the city, there'd be no need to withdraw from the streets after gaining the advantage last night."

Shakti lifted her eyes to the towering walls.

"They pulled back outside the walls, cut the road to Melen, and secretly seized the walls themselves. The more frightened the residents get, the more they'll turn their anger on the adventurers stopping them from leaving."

Asfi quickly grasped what she meant.

"Let Orario tear itself apart, and use that to wear down the city's defenders."

"Even if we took the initiative and struck first, there'd certainly be traps waiting outside."

Shakti lowered her voice.

"The wounded need care, the residents need evacuating, and the southern district hasn't finished being searched. We simply don't have enough people to spare to retake the walls."

As she spoke, a single point of dark red suddenly crested the wall.

At first, there was only one.

Then, more than a dozen points of red light rose one after another into the air, tracing curved arcs beneath the overcast sky.

Shakti's pupils contracted sharply.

They were processed Flame Stones.

"Scatter!"

She shattered the paving stone beneath her feet and charged toward the densest part of the crowd.

"Bombs overhead!"

The first Flame Stone fell.

The explosion flipped over a cart parked at the roadside. Planks and cargo were flung skyward in a whirl of flame, and the searing shockwave knocked nearby residents to the ground.

The second Flame Stone followed close behind, slamming into a stone pillar beside the west gate.

The roar drowned out every shout.

Debris rained down on the street like a storm; several Guild staff, unable to dodge in time, could only crouch and cover their heads. Asfi flung her white cloak aside and quickly activated the magic item hidden in her vambrace.

A translucent barrier spread out above the crowd.

Stones struck the barrier's surface, scattering dense points of light.

"Everyone fall back! Don't bunch together!"

Falgar scooped up an old man who'd fallen and leapt clear of the blast radius. The moment he landed, he doubled back and pulled two children out of the shoving crowd.

The crowd descended into chaos.

Those at the front scrambled to run back, while those behind, not yet grasping what was happening, got knocked over. A crate full of belongings tipped over in the middle of the road, scattering clothes, bread, and coins across the ground. Someone bent to gather them up, only to be dragged away by the collar by a nearby adventurer.

The next Flame Stone exploded right where they'd been standing.

"Barrier team, to me!"

Shakti drove her great shield into the ground, bracing her body behind it. Flames from the blast split around the shield's edge, leaving scorch marks on her vambraces.

Several mages ran to take cover behind her, hurriedly beginning their chants.

"Healers, tend to the trampled first! Everyone else, guide the residents toward the southern street!"

She barked out orders even as she absorbed the impacts. Only once several layers of magic barriers enveloped the gate did the bombardment from atop the wall finally begin to taper off.

Black smoke blanketed the west gate.

Asfi pushed up her crooked glasses and looked up at the wall through the lingering smoke.

More than twenty Evilus soldiers stood atop the wall. They wore long robes, faces covered with white cloth, crates of Flame Stones piled at their feet.

"Even the top of the wall's been taken by them."

Shakti pulled her shield free from the ground.

"The enemy's turned Orario into a cage."

Atop the high wall, Valletta rested one foot on a battlement, admiring the scattering crowd below.

"How obedient."

She waved down at them, a smile of undisguised malice on her face.

"Cry! Riot! Better yet, go ahead and fight those adventurers yourselves!"

The soldiers around her caught her mood and burst into laughter.

A messenger ran along the wall and stopped behind Valletta.

"Lady Valletta, large crowds have gathered at the north and east gates as well. They're demanding to leave the city."

"Do the same as here."

Valletta nudged a Flame Stone with the tip of her boot, letting it roll down the wall.

"Magic, bombs, poison arrows—use whatever you've got. If someone actually manages to get out, kill them right in front of everyone else."

The messenger bowed and went to relay the order.

Valletta looked down at the adventurers tending to the wounded, her smile stretching wider.

"Let them remember well: stay in the city and die, or leave and die.

She pointed toward the Central Plaza.

"Once these worthless people dump all their fear and hatred onto Finn, that unity Orario's so proud of will finally come apart."

"The enemy has completed its encirclement of Orario."

In a meeting room at Guild headquarters, Finn placed three black game pieces at the edge of a city map.

The room had been converted into an emergency command center.

Several long tables had been pushed together, piled with casualty reports, supply lists, and enemy intelligence relayed from every district. Orders not yet dispatched sat stacked against the wall, since everyone tasked with relaying messages had been sent to the front lines.

For the moment, only Finn and Loki remained in the spacious room.

"The roads outside the city are blocked—reinforcements from Melen can't get through. Food, medicine, and weapon materials can't be brought in either."

Finn crossed out a red line on the map representing a supply route.

"The Njord Familia tried three times to break through the blockade, and all three attempts were ambushed. They've fallen back to Melen to hold the port's defenses."

Loki sat on the corner of the table, restlessly swinging the tip of her boot.

"Cut off the supply lines, then force us into a siege. Now that's a dirty move.

"Evilus can't afford the losses of a direct assault on the city, either."

Finn looked down at the supply list.

"They chose the lower-risk option. Let us tend the wounded, clear the rubble, calm the residents—and let the ever-growing burden wear everyone down."

"How much longer will the medicine last?"

"At the current rate of use, three days."

"And food?"

"With strict rationing, it can last longer. But once people start hoarding, both prices and order will spiral out of control."

The irritation on Loki's face gradually faded.

"So that's why they're still stirring up panic at the gates.

"Valletta knows exactly how to corner an opponent.

Finn looked at the west gate on the map.

"She'll cross lines I wouldn't touch. Residents, the wounded, gods—anyone can become bait to her."

His way of thinking had much in common with Valletta's.

Both of them sought out the enemy's weakest points, and both prioritized destroying whatever foundation the other side relied on to sustain the fight.

The difference was that Finn still weighed the lives of the innocent.

Valletta held no such reservations.

"Pressure pushed to its limit is the easiest thing in the world to break order with."

Loki crossed her arms, staring at an urgent report about the unrest at the west gate on the table.

"Keep this up, and the people we're trying to protect might actually stab us in the back."

The meeting room door opened at that moment.

"Nothing but dirty tricks—they won't even give us a proper fight."

Gareth strode in, his steps heavy.

The dwarf was wrapped in thick bandages, his right shoulder still stiff. He hadn't put on his full armor, wearing only a simple plate over his chest, and his battleaxe had been swapped for a lighter backup weapon for now.

Finn frowned.

"You should still be resting."

"Every time I close my eyes, I see myself getting blasted across the field by Alfia."

Gareth pulled out a chair and sat down, wincing at a stab of pain.

"Rather than lying there stewing, I figured I'd come hear what you two are planning.

"If your wound splits open, the healers will tie you back to the bed."

"Taking a beating's always been my specialty anyway."

Gareth grinned.

"That's a line straight from some cocky Pallum, if I recall.

The tension that had gripped Finn's face all night eased, just slightly.

"Thank you, Gareth."

"Don't start with that. Tell me what happened after I blacked out.

Finn laid it all out in order: Erebus's declaration, the nine gods being sent back to the heavens, and the intelligence on Zald defeating Ottar.

Gareth's face darkened as he listened.

"Zald showed up too.

"Artorias confirmed his identity.

Finn pulled a record out from beneath the pile of documents.

This testimony came from the white-haired boy who'd returned to human form. Artorias had spent time with both Zald and Alfia and, while he didn't know their full plan, he was able to provide information on their physical condition, speech habits, and some of their abilities.

"According to Artorias, Zald has been suffering from long-term poison damage, and there may be some connection between his food intake and his abilities. Alfia suffers from a serious illness—continuous use of magic causes her breathing to become erratic.

Gareth stroked his beard.

"That woman's body really is off. Toward the end of the fight, her mana fluctuated once.

"That doesn't mean we can win through attrition."

Finn marked the highest danger symbol next to both their names.

"Zald took Ottar out of the fight with a single strike, and Alfia can nullify magic outright. Ordinary encirclement tactics won't do much against either of them."

Loki propped her chin in both hands.

"The thousand-year wall that once protected Orario has become a spear in Erebus's hand. For those of us who took our share of beatings from Zeus and Hera, that's a nightmare come true."

"Don't bring up old history."

Gareth shot her an irritated glare.

"I got a fresh taste of it again just last night."

After the brief exchange, the room fell quiet again.

The mere existence of Zald and Alfia made every strategy feel unreliable.

They were monsters left behind by the two strongest Familias of their age, peaks that Finn and the others had once looked up to in their youth. Even ravaged by serious illness and poison, they still held the power to turn an entire battlefield.

Gareth turned his gaze to the center of the map.

"Evilus's ultimate target is Babel, isn't it?"

"Highly likely."

Finn tapped the Central Plaza.

"Babel is the Dungeon's capstone, and the symbol of Orario's order. If they break through its base and let monsters flood the surface, the city will collapse from within."

"If that's true, then why didn't Zald press the attack last night?"

Gareth frowned.

"Ottar was down, Riveria and I had lost consciousness, and all nine gods were sent back to the heavens at once. That was the perfect chance to hit the Central Plaza."

Finn didn't answer right away.

He shifted several pieces on the map, consolidating what remained of Loki Familia's and Freya Familia's forces near Babel.

"Assume Zald and Alfia are two Floor Masters in human form."

"And ones faster and more tactically minded than any deep-floor monster."

Gareth added.

"If we abandoned the southern district and everyone who couldn't evacuate in time, massed our high-tier adventurers at the Central Plaza, and threw in every magic sword, trap, and curse we had—what would happen?"

Gareth considered for a moment.

"We might be able to hold them off. If we didn't care about the cost, we might even take them down with us."

"That's one of the reasons they didn't press the attack.

Finn set the two black pieces representing the old era's champions just outside the plaza.

"Evilus can't afford to lose either of them. Erebus wants to destroy Orario, but he hasn't gone for the most direct confrontation. What he wants more is for us to lose our will to resist, bit by bit, out of fear."

"So they've turned the people into a burden, and they're waiting for us to wear ourselves out.

Loki narrowed her eyes.

Gareth followed the logic, but the doubt on his face didn't fully clear.

"They gave up on last night's opening just because of the risk?"

A dull ache throbbed in Finn's thumb.

That was the piece he still hadn't been able to puzzle out.

With Zald and Alfia's strength, they could take turns striking at the defensive lines and Orario would struggle to reorganize. With the enemy already holding the advantage, they should have been pressing further.

They hadn't.

Zald and Alfia were waiting for something.

Or perhaps their bodies carried limitations that couldn't be ignored.

The information Artorias had provided pointed Finn toward that possibility, but he still lacked decisive proof.

"The enemy still has a card up their sleeve."

Finn's gaze settled on the edge of the map.

"Or they might be luring us into leaving the city on our own."

Just then, hurried footsteps rushed up to the door.

The door slammed open. Raul braced himself against the frame, breathing ragged.

"Captain! The enemy's launched an attack!"

Gareth immediately grabbed his helmet.

"Where?"

"The northeast industrial district! Residents who couldn't squeeze into the Central Plaza are under attack, and enemy numbers are still growing!"

"So it's finally come."

Loki hopped down off the table.

"They're not giving us a moment to breathe."

Gareth clamped the helmet onto his head and turned to head out.

"I'll go."

"No need."

Finn's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"There's already a response force assigned to the industrial district.

"Who?"

"Riveria."

Gareth spun around.

"Her mental strength hasn't recovered yet! Her injuries are worse than mine!"

Finn gathered up the intelligence on the table, his expression still calm.

"She's only handling command and support. Someone else is taking point against the enemy."

Gareth quickly guessed the answer.

"Ais?"

Loki walked toward the door, a smile tinged with worry crossing her face.

"That kid's already made up her mind to fight."

"So you actually sent her out there.

"A fledgling's got to leave the nest sometime.

Loki looked out toward the doorway.

"Besides, there's a sharp-eared little one out there this time. Won't be so easy for the enemy to close in on the rescue team with an ambush."

Northeast of the city, the industrial district.

Arrows rained down from the factory rooftops.

"Right side!"

Artorias's warning came first.

Ais didn't turn her head.

She stepped forward, drawing her longsword as she turned. The blade traced a silver arc at her side, and three arrows aimed at the residents snapped in response.

A fourth arrow came from a more hidden angle.

Adi raised Sacred Oath and knocked it into the wall with the flat of her blade.

"There are enemies behind the roof—at least six."

Artorias closed his eyes, sorting through the layered sounds of the rain-soaked industrial yard.

A broken pipe dripped steadily.

Residents huddled in makeshift shelters, breathing hard.

Farther off, several pairs of boots crossed metal roofing, deliberately timing their footsteps to the lingering echo of machinery.

"Two on the left are closing in. One in the back hasn't moved—he's carrying stones that keep knocking against each other."

Riveria, standing at the center of the group, raised her staff the moment she heard this.

"Flame Stones."

Gauze still covered the side of her face, and her mana was far from recovered, but her judgment hadn't been dulled by her injuries.

"Ais, clear the left. Adi, protect the residents. Raul, take some people and seal off the retreat route—don't let whoever's carrying the bombs get near the shelter."

"Understood!"

Ais lowered her stance.

Her golden hair swept up off her shoulders as she became a blur of speed, dashing up the slick wall toward the factory roof.

Artorias tilted his head back, watching her.

This was the first time he'd seen Ais fight with his own eyes.

The girl's movements held no wasted hesitation.

Before she even reached the roof, she'd drawn her longsword, the blade skimming past an enemy's curved sword and redirecting off the impact. Before the black-clad man could steady himself, her hilt had already caught his jaw.

Another enemy lunged out from behind a chimney.

Ais spun to dodge the thrust, her golden eyes fixing on his shoulder. Instead of striking for the throat, her blade cut the strap of the gauntlet holding his shortsword, and a knee strike sent him down.

She was still adjusting to fighting other people.

Riveria had clearly set strict rules for her.

If an enemy could be subdued, she wasn't to take their life.

That restraint made the fight harder. Evilus wouldn't return the same mercy, and a downed enemy might strike back without warning.

The black-clad man she'd struck with her hilt earlier was already reaching for a poisoned needle at his waist.

"Ais, at your feet!"

Artorias had caught the faint scrape of metal against leather.

Ais immediately raised her foot and pinned the man's wrist down.

The poisoned needle fell into a puddle, releasing a thread of purple smoke.

The girl glanced down at it, then turned toward the white-haired boy below.

Artorias stood beside Adi, one hand pressed to his not-yet-healed stomach, the other pointing toward the back of the roof.

"The one carrying the Flame Stones is running."

"I'll go after him."

Ais raised her sword and turned.

"Don't pursue alone!"

Riveria's voice carried up from the street.

Ais's feet stilled.

The enemy's figure had already vanished over the ridge of the roof, about to disappear on the other side. Her grip tightened on her sword, but in the end she obeyed the order and stayed put.

A few seconds later, the squad Raul led swept around from another direction.

A brief clash of combat soon rang out from behind the ridge.

"Got him!"

Raul's shout let Riveria's shoulders relax, just a little.

She looked up at the roof.

"Ais, come back."

The girl sheathed her sword and leapt down from the edge of the roof.

When she landed, her boots splashed into a shallow puddle.

Riveria walked over, first checking the girl for injuries, then turning her attention to the two black-clad men being dragged down from the roof.

"You nearly broke formation just now."

"The enemy had Flame Stones."

Ais answered, looking up.

"If he'd gotten away, more people would've gotten hurt."

"That's why I had Raul seal off the retreat."

"I could've caught him."

"And then what?"

Riveria tapped her staff against the tangle of factory buildings nearby.

"You don't know how many enemies are behind that ridge, or whether there's a trap laid there. Evilus meant for the man carrying the Flame Stones to be spotted—precisely to draw off the fastest member of the group.

Ais fell silent.

Artorias looked toward the enemy's escape route.

As the wind shifted, he caught a faint whiff of gunpowder. Something else really was hidden behind the factory—more than just a single crate of Flame Stones.

"There's explosives back there."

He added.

"At least four crates behind that wall. If Ais had chased after him, she'd have run right into the blast radius.

Ais turned to look at him.

"You heard it?"

"Smelled it."

Artorias rubbed the tip of his nose.

"And the sound of crates being moved."

Riveria gave him an approving look, then had Raul send someone the long way around to deal with the explosives.

"On a battlefield, being able to catch the enemy doesn't mean you should."

She turned back to Ais.

"The stronger an individual is, the bigger the gap they leave behind when they act on their own. You have to learn to trust your comrades."

Ais glanced at Raul, then at Artorias and Adi.

If not for the warning a moment ago, she'd likely have walked right into a trap.

The girl nodded slowly.

"I'll remember."

Riveria reached up and brushed the golden hair sticking to the side of her face.

"Good."

Watching them, Artorias finally understood why Finn had sent the still-recovering Riveria to the industrial district.

This place really did need a first-class adventurer holding it down.

But even more, it needed someone who could call Ais back whenever she pushed too far ahead.

A warning bell rang out again in the distance.

Artorias's rabbit ears had vanished along with his return to human form, but his hearing still retained some of its enhancement. He was the first to turn toward the street corner the bell had come from.

"More enemies."

Adi drew Sacred Oath and stepped in front to shield him.

Ais's hand returned to her sword hilt.

Riveria surveyed the reassembled group, tapping her staff lightly against the wet stone paving.

"Hold formation. Ais, stay within ten steps of Raul."

"Mm."

"Artorias stays by Adi's side—your only job is identifying enemy positions."

"Understood."

"Everyone else, protect the residents and move toward the Central Plaza."

The group moved out in turn.

Ais took a few steps, then looked back at Artorias.

"This time, I'll listen for your voice."

Artorias raised a hand, pointing at the factory ahead.

"Then keep an eye on the upper left first. Someone's hiding behind the third chimney."

The girl lifted her golden eyes.

Her longsword slid free of its sheath.

Beneath the clouded sky, a sharp flash of sword-light lit up the rain-slicked street.

On the second day of the [Seven Deadly Days], Orario remained trapped in its cage.

The enemy held the high walls, the people had fallen into panic, and Zald and Alfia lurked somewhere unseen in the city. Wounds from the earlier defeat hadn't yet healed, and fresh malice was already closing in on the exhausted.

Even so, some still stood at the very front.

Some raised swords against the enemy; some shielded the residents.

And some listened closely, picking hidden danger out of the chaos and noise for their comrades.

Orario had not yet taken back the sky.

But at least for now, the roads of the industrial district hadn't fallen into enemy hands.