CHAPTER 261: GUNFIRE IN THE DARK

That night, Dominic was sleeping soundly when the noise of a rifle firing brought him to full attention.

Alexis shot out of bed, equipping her armour from a clothing gem, while Dominic pulled a Sorcerer’s Robe over his head and stepped into his boots.

Another shot was fired, then three more.

"Oh, that’s not good. It sounds like they’re north of the village. How many farmers do we have that way?" Alexis asked.

"Nine families on the north side of the village. But the last three shots were pistols, so it might be the Sheriff already there. Or the Royal Guard is too close to the threat." Dominic replied.

Then, they ran down the stairs and out into the early morning twilight.

The sound of gunfire was becoming steady, as well as someone ringing a dinner bell, and locals shouting orders to their families as they grabbed weapons.

Dominic followed the sound of gunfire with Alexis at his side, then John Mackay joined them, followed by the Sheriff.

"Do you have firearms?" Dominic asked.

Nate, the Sheriff, nodded and drew his matched pistols, while John shook his head.

"My Lord, I don’t need them."

That was good enough for Dominic.

The King’s man had a dagger in each hand, and his run looked more like a casual lope, betraying his immense physical strength.

After nearly two kilometres, firelight came into sight, and the sound of gunfire sounded much closer.

"Careful not to get shot by accident."

Alexis laughed at the thought. Wouldn’t that be ironic? Shot by travellers in their own territory.

"Hail to the Camp!" Dominic shouted.

"Ogres!" A voice shouted back.

Those definitely hadn’t been in the area yesterday.

The defenders of the camp were led by a man in Cygnia Military uniform, and he had a few adventurers with him, as well as six trailers behind a single steam tractor. Not an optimal setup for a convoy, but they had obviously been parked for the night when the attack started.

Dominic lifted his rifle to his shoulder as he ran, and aimed high.

Anything over two and a half metres tall should be an Ogre. Hard to mistake them, even in the dark.

Alexis took all the guess work out of the fight when she fired a flare into the sky, and Dominic saw that it wasn’t just Ogres. There were two wizards behind them, hidden in the trees, and getting ready to run now that they had been exposed by the flare.

"John, keep one alive. I want answers." Dominic muttered, and the farmer vanished into the dark.

Alexis looked startled, but Nate didn’t notice the man was gone, he was already focused on the fight and firing rounds at the Ogres.

He was using uncommon grade mana revolvers, and the level didn’t seem to be very high, going by the limited damage they were doing to the magic resistant Ogres.

The first shot from Dominic’s rifle dropped an Ogre, then two more fell as Alexis fired with him for the second shot. The rifles were specifically made for this enemy, and the bullet holes were clear to see on the downed monsters.

Then, magic bloomed in the woods, dozens of magical attacks in only a few seconds before stopping again.

"What the hell?" Alexis asked.

"Not wild Ogres. There were Mages guiding them." Dominic explained.

That was when she realized that John was gone, but there was no time to ask questions.

More monsters were coming, as was the Royal Guard.

The only one that Dominic didn’t see was Colonel Wilkes, who would have been assigned to rally the village defences in case something reached the outlying farms and the town needed defending.

The Sheriff was too busy to form up the local militia, and both of the Nobles were with him. So, letting the Royal Guard organize the village was the best they could do on short notice.

Hobgoblins came from the woods, screaming as they charged past the dead Ogres to assault the caravan.

John reappeared and shook his head as his hands flashed an explanation.

{They self-destructed when they realized they were losing the fight. Cultists are my guess. Most likely under the Archmage. I collected the bodies.}

That was an extreme level of devotion to a cause.

But more disturbing was the idea that the war’s earliest conflict was never really resolved, and they were still being targeted by monster groups led by foreign mages.

The Archmage was never apprehended, and Dominic didn’t know where he was supposed to be living, other than in Dagos somewhere. So, it was possible that he was the force behind Prince Kaizon and his insane tactics.

The Hobgoblins got closer, so everyone switched to pistols, except the caravan guards, who had set a spear wall to stop the charge.

Hundreds of shots were fired, collapsing the momentum of the Hobgoblin charge, and the battlefield fell silent.

"Search the area. I want to know if there are Goblins with them that might be going after the farms or the Barony up river. William doesn’t have a guard set yet." Alexis ordered.

Two of the Royal Guards rushed off, while Alexis turned to see who was leading this convoy.

A middle-aged Nobleman in a General’s uniform, and carrying a classic steam rifle, gave her a smart salute, then slumped forward, using his rifle as a walking stick.

"Good to see you, Princess. We were intending to come to you in the morning, once we found the Manor house." He greeted them.

Alexis looked confused.

"The Manor is along the river. If you follow the river, you can’t miss it. What are you doing so far out?" She replied.

"Muddy road sections. I only have one tractor. A large one, granted. But only one for the six trailers. His Majesty has seen fit to grant me a Barony under your jurisdiction, but my military merits weren’t high enough to buy more equipment." He explained.

Alexis nodded, and Dominic cleared his throat.

"Oh right, I don’t believe that we have met. Duke Dominic, I am General Keith, now Baron Keith, of whatever Manor you see fit to settle my family at."