The wind tore at my coat as the aircraft lifted off again, the bay doors still open, the ground falling away beneath us. Below, Ravenhold’s ramparts were already shifting, cannons being repositioned, riflemen forming new firing lines. The captain had moved fast.

Reina stood beside me at the open bay, her tail wrapped around her own leg to keep it from lashing in the wind. Her violet eyes were fixed on the treeline ahead, where the shadows seemed to pulse with movement.

"You’re really going through with this," she said.

"I am."

"Even though every instinct you have is probably screaming at you to turn back?"

I glanced at her. "How do you know what my instincts are saying?"

She tapped her nose. "Succubus, remember? How long will it take for you to remember?"

"I already did, I was just making small talk."

The aircraft banked sharply, angling toward the eastern ridge where the beasts were thickest. Below, the ground was a carpet of dark shapes, surging and churning like a living thing. The sound of them, the roaring and snarling and scrabbling of claws on stone, drifted up even through the roar of the engines.

"We’re almost in position," the pilot’s voice crackled through the intercom. "Your Grace, I can’t take us any lower without risking the rotors."

"That’s close enough."

I moved to the edge of the bay, gripping the frame. The wind whipped my hair across my face, and below, the beasts were starting to notice us. Heads turning. Glowing eyes tracking our descent.

Reina moved up beside me, her shoulder pressing against mine. "You’re not going to jump out, are you?"

"No. That would be stupid."

"I don’t know, it kind of makes you look like more of a hero if you did..."

I laughed, honestly, that kind of sounds really cool now that I think about it.

I’ll have to keep that in mind for the future, but for now, I’m satisfied being bait.

[Presence of Vice (Aura) - Active]

[Range: 5 meters]

[Temporarily increased due to Succubus presence]

The beasts below surged.

Dozens of them at first, then hundreds, their bodies crashing into each other as they scrambled toward the aircraft’s shadow. The ground beneath them churned into mud, churned into blood, churned into a writhing mass of fur and fang and claw.

[Sweet Scent (Passive) - Active]

"That’s... a lot of them," Reina murmured, her voice steady despite the sight below.

"Captain," I said into the intercom, "tell the ramparts they can start firing now."

"Roger!"

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

The first cannon volley hit the edge of the mass, chunking out a spray of dirt and bodies. Then the rifle fire began, a steady crackling that built into a roar. Soldiers who had been barely holding the line were now pouring fire into the concentrated horde, their bullets tearing through fur and flesh.

The beasts were so focused on us, on the scent and the aura pulling them forward, that they didn’t even try to dodge.

"This is working," Reina said, surprise coloring her voice.

"Don’t sound so shocked."

BANG!

The aircraft banked again, slower this time, following the curve of the horde as it surged toward our shadow. Below, the cannon fire didn’t stop. It couldn’t stop. Every second we stayed in the air, every moment the beasts stayed fixated on us, was another moment the soldiers on the wall could breathe.

Another moment for the other aircraft to slip past the treeline and find Edward.

"Your Grace," the pilot’s voice crackled through the intercom, "the other ships have cleared the ridge. They’re entering the forest now."

"Good. Keep them updated. If they find anything, I want to know immediately."

"Yes, sir."

Below, the horde was thinning.

Not gone. Not even close. But the mass of bodies pressing below us had broken apart, scattered by cannon fire and concentrated rifle volleys. Beasts that had been climbing over each other to reach us now lay in twisted heaps, their blood soaking into the churned earth. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Reina’s tail uncurled from her leg, lashing once against the bay floor. "They’re pulling back."

She was right. The leading edge of the horde, the ones closest to the aircraft’s shadow, had stopped surging forward. Some were even retreating, slinking back toward the treeline with their tails between their legs.

"They’re not used to being hunted," I said.

I glanced at her. Her profile was sharp against the grey sky, her violet eyes still tracking the beasts below, her jaw set in a way that made her look almost manic.

"You’re enjoying this," I said.

"It’s kind of exhilarating in a way... seeing how many lives we can take in the span of a second..."

[Reina: Personality shifted due to actions.]

Then she caught herself.

"I mean... it’s because they’re beasts. I definitely wouldn’t feel that way if it were your own men getting hurt."

Right... I almost forgot she was still technically a demoness behind that human face of hers.

"Don’t worry about it."

The aircraft banked again, slower this time, following the curve of the horde as it thinned and scattered. Below, the cannon fire had shifted from concentrated volleys to targeted shots, snipers picking off the stragglers, riflemen finishing what the explosives had started.

Reina’s tail had gone still, wrapped tight around her calf again. Her eyes were still on the treeline, but something in her posture had shifted.

"You’re thinking about what I said," she murmured.

"I’m thinking about a lot of things."

"Like whether you can trust a demoness who gets excited watching things die."

I turned to look at her. The wind whipped her violet hair across her face, and she didn’t bother to push it away. Just stood there, meeting my gaze.

"I knew what you were when I brought you out of that dungeon," I said. "I’m not surprised you have... instincts."

"Instincts." She tasted the word, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. "That’s a generous way to put it."

"Is it wrong?"

She was quiet for a moment. Below, the last of the scattered beasts disappeared into the treeline, and the rifle fire tapered off. The sudden silence was almost deafening.

"I don’t know," she admitted. "I’ve never had anyone ask before."

"Your Grace." The pilot’s voice crackled through the intercom, cutting through the moment. "The search aircrafts have made contact with General Edward’s unit. They’re alive. Badly wounded, but alive."

"Let’s talk about this once we land."

"G-Got it..."