Infernum

Chapter 2

The army of Makai was sure taking care of the invasion. Frontline warriors were stationed in front of the huge gates, logs beating up the thick gates to set their hinges free. Creaks of ancient iron emanated from the gates, as though already moaning the loss of the castle's confines. Once, twice, thrice, until the log bearers dropped it hard upon the ground, accepting defeat.

Subaru looked at the foot soldiers in shock.

"Commander Subaru," the slave girl came towards him, her hair swept across her forehead and sweat sticking to her face beneath the face shield. "We tried to scale up the wall but there are spikes and shattered glass along the topmost part. We would damage our armour if we climb further."

"Why do you even need armour?" Subaru looked over at the exhausted soldiers. "There's only old nuns and monks in there. What do you really need to defend yourself from?"

Well, technically he was right, but he was reminded very quick that armour wasn't cheap. Most soldiers had brought their own because of the fact that the vampire king refused to be associated with colonialist armies. Also because he maybe had a soft spot for humans around Eden. With free living population dwindling across the globe, most free folk being captured to be bred and sold to royal families as blood slaves, the meagre population of the city of Eden was perhaps too precious to his father. "Forget what I just said. I'm tired."

"Do you, perchance, require a feeding, my lord?" the slave looked at Subaru, perhaps because of his open mouth and his fangs poking out. He knew it was a polite greeting taught to slaves ever since they were pulled out of their mother's womb. Good morning, dear sir. Good evening, fair lady. Have you had a feeding yet, honourable sir?

Subaru shook his head. "Go ask Ayato instead."

The slave girl removed her helmet from her back, wearing it back over her head. "I shall ask him if he wants noble blood this time."

There were only sixteen noble humans in the army, and he knew where the seventeenth went after Ayato was done with him. "Don't. Tell him we've run out of noble blood."

The slave girl nodded, and skirted out of the field, her little red cape fluttering in the wind as she went about.

"Silly humans."

The log bearers started to gather again, picking up the logs and banging ruthlessly on the gates. Subaru could see a glimmer in the dark as the first arrow sliced through the night, leaving a trail of red embers in its wake. It landed very close to where his horse was, and the beast started panicking, crying out in distress. He motioned by the flourish of his arm for the cavalry to stay back, as the arrows started raining over them. He could see the top of the watch tower being lit up with red fire as they brought upon showers of arrows meant to simulate hellfire. Most demons in his army were accustomed to this, but the human folk were not.

One such person stood by him, his horse beyond peace as he tried to gather his wits himself. "Why aren't we defending, my lord?"

"Because there is nothing to defend from right now," Subaru's magenta eyes cut through the darkness. "They are using the same intimidation tactics we faced from their ancestors several years ago."

It was true, the arrows held no power against the army of the undead. They disintegrated upon touching the ground, there was little they would do to harm his people.

When the blazing arrows did nothing to halt the army, it was time.

The log bearers picked up once again, now cheering with the support of the cavalry and infantry, slowly knocking off the hinges of the gates. It was a painful process, to say the least, as the iron groaned against the advances, but there was a spark that emitted from the right hinge of the gates, that pulled free, landing on the ground with a sudden thud, knocking up a dust cloud as the infantry marched in, the premises already evacuated, everybody now locked up in towers and the castle walls.