Razor was a busy tusker. The wave of kobolds had hit with remarkable speed and force such that there had hardly been time to prepare. There had been time though thanks to the large fury creatures he'd been instructed to fight along side. His leader had placed the heavy second skin upon him while they'd held the strange smelling creatures off and then released him. The second skin was a bit uncomfortable and hindered movement a bit but it protected him and his leader insisted that he wear it. Now he was busy goring the strange smelling creatures and tossing them about before moving on. Several of his group followed behind cleaning up the survivors and covering his flank much like he was doing for his leader now or trying. The leader tended to get out a bit ahead of him and try as he might it was hard to keep her covered. Not that she ever came back injured but at times the tusker wondered if she ever realized the stress she caused him.

They should have brought more. It was a obvious thought but it was profound to Kelah. With the warriors she had with her Kelah felt certain that she could push back any attack made upon them. As she swung her axes though and cut through four of the water kobolds she knew she'd never seen this many before or anything near it. She had actually only been aiming for three of the small creatures. Where the fourth one had come from was entirely beyond her but she knew she couldn't let up. "Hold your ground don't let them through."

Dinon took in a deep breath as he looked out towards the water. The beach was full of the water kobolds except for a few pockets where the sisters and orcs had cut an opening. That wasn't anywhere near their numbers though as he found himself looking beneath the surface of the water. It was a frightening sight but he had to keep his focus as he began to chant. While Kelah and the warriors fought with full intensity he and the other support shaman had to carefully conserve their energy and send it out in gentle pulses. At the moment he was focusing on drawing excess heat out of the body of the warriors and helping to purify the air they breathed in. As he was doing this though he could feel a welcome but somewhat unfamiliar presence. The fire spirit was all to happy at the moment to take the excess heat he drew from the other orcs making his job easier.

"Pera! Pera!" As Kersara called out she took hold of the nearest water kobolds head and gave it a squeeze. The head burst so quickly her fingers didn't even seem to slow down as she reached for another one of the creatures.

"Over here Kersara!"

"Are you okay!"

"Yes but busy." Even as she was speaking Pera was busy holding back the kobolds. The task was difficult as not all of them wanted to attack her rather several of them seemed to want to get past her. She had a pretty good ideal why. Just a few meters behind her Terima was helping Allen to retreat to a safer location. While the two sisters were able to handle themselves neither of them were willing to risk a young brother being killed.

"Is Allen with you?"

"Yes"

"Take him towards the orcs they've formed a defensive wall the forest isn't safe."

As the words hit her ears Pera could hardly believe them. In the current situation though she didn't dare to ask why though. "Alright Kersara then after that should we join you?"

"No! Protect Allen and the orcs that are using magic." While Kersara knew that Pera was only trying to help she couldn't help but let some frustration drift into her voice.

Pera didn't even think about the tone of Kersara's voice. Rather she and Terima shifted direction and began to make their way towards the orcs. While she was moving she was amazed by the speed with which the water kobolds continued pressing the attack.

What should they do? As the thought went through her head Kelah swung her left hand ax up in a great arc catching one of the kobolds that had leaped towards one of her soldiers. She doubted the creature even realized its mistake as it fell to the ground in halves. They could fall back towards the forest in order to gain some additional cover but that would mean moving their lines. That would disrupt casting and could end up opening a crack. They could continue to hold their ground and try their best to hold out. Surely the kobolds had a limit to their numbers after all.

She wasn't alone in this though. Even with the mass of water kobolds rushing them she could still see the sisters out front fighting. Kersara was especially noticeable as the massive female seemed to be more stomping her way through a red mud puddle then actually fighting. It made Kelah wish the sisters had more time to put on some extra mass though. Kelah was actually surprised whenever she gave a violent snort moments later as if she'd just been offended. There was a moment of confusion and then a grin formed on her face. Night fang was growling at her.

Kelah was the leader of her pack and here she was looking towards others as if expecting leadership. This was not becoming of an alpha and she knew it. Before Kelah even knew what was happening she felt something swell up within her and her mouth had opened up. A howl that seemed to to lift itself above the sound of the kobolds and the crashing waves escaped her moments later and she quickly shifted stances weapons at the ready. Her weapons became a blur.

Dinon had felt that one. That had been more then a howl that escaped Kelah as the orcs began to fight with a ferocity he wasn't prepared for. What was even more surprising though was how their behavior shifted. He saw a kobold rush towards one of the orcs. The creature was struck down though not by the orc it had been attacking but rather by another orc whose weapon had been free at the moment. The act was repaid shortly after without a glance or a whisper. Each warrior had began to fight to protect the pack and the pack now fought to protect each warrior. Soon Dinon realized that he himself had even been affected.

"Spirit of flame I come before you as one who speaks to spirits and wishes to know the flame. I come before you as one who wishes to carry the fire within himself and feed those flames. I beseech you now for your aid in this hour and ask you to stretch forth your hand."

Kelah didn't know where it had come from but she was rather surprised whenever a portion of the beach was suddenly lit on fire. She heard the kobolds scream and watched them scatter some of them desperately trying to rush back to the sea. However, with the onrushing kobolds coming from the water this only resulted in them being knocked to the ground and trampled.

Dinon took in a deep breath as he looked at the affects of the wave of fire he'd just released. His arms hurt and he didn't know how he'd convinced the spirit to lend him so much fire. The bit of energy that he had offered to the spirit and the heat he brought from his brethren hardly seemed worth it. He wasn't going to complain about the results though.

"Dinon was that you?"

"You better believe it Kelah!"

"Can you do it again?"

"Not a chance!"

A slight chuckle escaped Kelah as she continued to hold the line. "That's just like a man! One good shot and your done!"

"Hey!"

As Kelah taunted Dinon she was a bit surprised whenever the kobolds nearing her side suddenly vanished underneath a massive feline figure. She already knew it was Kersara. "What's going on?"

"Could you spare some orcs to go into the forest they're trying to flank us."

"What? How can you tell?"

"I can hear them and they've used the tactic on me before. They're going to try to attack you in the back."

Instead of speaking to Kersara Kelah redirection her attention. "First two groups on the right and left wing fall back everyone else collapse and tighten the line. Move into the forest to counter a flanking maneuver." As she finished speaking Kelah gave an extremely sharp high pitched whistle. "Razor to the flank!"

Despite everything Kersara was rather surprised by the speed with which the orcs reformed their lines and the response time of the tuskers. Before she knew what to say Razor had already redirected his group and joined up with the orcs who were making their way into the forest. "Damn it Kelah I'm never going to be able to eat a tusker again after this day!"

It was impossible for Kelah to keep from chuckling. "Ah well. Now get back to the battle ever since you started talking to me they've been pushing us harder."

As she spoke Kersara began to push back out into the battle field. "Pace yourself they're a lot of them but they can only cram so many on the beach at any given moment. If you're injured come to the orcs and take a few moments to recover in the center."

Allen was scared. While he'd been prepared for the ideal that they might be attacked on the beach he hadn't expected anything like this. He was scared for himself, he was scared for his friends but most of all he was scared of losing Pera who he constantly found himself looking to check on. He was glad she'd put on the extra height over the last few days. Not only did it mean she was safer but it made her easier to see.

"Come on Allen we're about there."

"Is Pera okay?"

Part of Terima wanted to tell Allen he could see for himself from the way he was looking back. She chose not to though. "She'll be doing better once we get you to a safer location." As she spoke Terima lashed out with her right foot shattering the head of one of the kobolds that got too close.

"I'm sorry."

"Allen talk later move now!" While Pera knew that Allen was only trying to be considerate as she found herself busy with the water kobolds she knew she didn't have time to be understanding. This was a battle zone and in truth Allen had never been in one. Pera as most sisters even the young ones had seen blood shed before though so she had some ideal of the danger. She'd explain it to Allen later but for now she needed him to move.

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Kiara didn't know what was going as she felt the kobold shatter under her fist. She knew that Fera had gone to deal with the kobolds only a few weeks ago and had surely reduced their numbers. As she struck down the creatures though their numbers were staggering. She killed the ones that came within arms reach as quickly as she could but that was only the kobolds that were attacking her. Many more rushed past her running strait towards the village. She'd already given a roar of warning but she couldn't help but give another as she continued to try to hold them off.

Dan felt odd as he was rushed into the dining hall. The building had been designed to hold as many of the sisters as may want to eat there at peak hours so it was easy to fit all the brothers and even the claimed into it when they were so few inside. Most of the sisters had responded to Kiara's warning and thus were outside. They were some that had remained inside and were currently serving as a barrier between them and the claimed. Mina was of course one of those who had stayed outside. It made him a little sad.

Mina didn't know what was going on as she dashed through the forest towards Kiara's location. Currently she was alone having chosen to go by herself to give the other sisters time to prepare for whatever was coming. They couldn't just leave Kiara out by herself though so she'd chosen to go and retrieve her. As she ran deeper into the forest the sounds of thousands of little feet drew her attention. This sound was eclipsed moments later though by more thunderous foot steps as a massive figure even by Mina's standards appeared a short distance away. "Fera!"

"Hey there Mina."

"What are you doing out here?"

"There is a massive surge of life energy heading towards the village. I warned the over matrons about it."

It was rare for a matron to leave the village even whenever a battle was going on. The fact that Fera had already chosen to go out to confront this force told Mina a lot. The primary thing it meant though was that this was truly a massive attack. "Fera please tell me that you're just hungry and couldn't wait to cram some fresh meat into your mouth."

"Ha! I only wish that was the problem. What are you doing out here Mina?"

"Kiara is out there fighting whatever is attacking. I'm going to get her and bring her back to the village."

For a moment Fera was silent but looked in the direction of the kobolds. She could already feel her blood beginning to flow faster as she gave a toothy grin. "I'm glad you said that. I probably wouldn't have even thought to look for her if you hadn't mentioned it. Mina I can see an extremely notable concentration of life energy pretty much strait ahead of us. The bulk of the wave is coming from the north though so I'm going to go in that direction. I want you to get Kiara and then get back to the village alright?"

"Sure Fera. Is there anything else?"

"Tell the other keepers and matrons that I can't stop this many by myself."

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"Dan what are you doing?"

"Huh? Oh hey Herald I'm just working on something."

"Right now?"

"Sure why not? Would you like to help?"

"That depends on what it is."

"Well from the way the sisters were reacting I'm guessing that we're under attack by something. I figured they'd like some toys to use whenever whatever is attacking gets here so I'm making some explosives."

"Are you serious? We're in the dining hall!"

"I'm serious enough that I want you to get away from that pot. It's not too dangerous at the moment but if you spilled it then it could still cause a very large fire."

Instead of jumping or jerking away Herald took a moment to look at the pot setting on the stove. He then slowly straitened up and moved away from it. "I swear this is a first isn't it? Then again perhaps this is just a drill."

"I doubt it's a drill. Mina's reaction time was far too slow for it to be a drill." A slight chuckle escaped Dan as he looked towards the direction Mina had ran in. Despite all the sisters' power and confidence they had still been prepared for an attack upon the village. The dining hall was situated so that it could serve as not only a place to get a meal but during an attack a place for none combatants to take shelter in while the sisters went to check on the situation. "Yeah it's my first time in here due to an actual attack. Though I heard stories."

"Really?"

"Just one of them was from someone who had been there though. Apparently the sisters had evicted a dragon from the forest for its behavior. The dragon didn't take it too lightly and decided it would be a good ideal to rain fire down upon the village. As our sisters can't fly this proved to be something of a problem."

"I see so they had the brothers take shelter. How did they end it though?"

"Five brothers working together to cast one lightning spell and a forest floor full of very angry sisters."

"Ouch! I bet that bastard never knew what hit him."

"I kind of hope it did. Would you mind fetching that salt for me?"

"Sure just tell me what you need and I'll help out."

"You two do realize that we're here as well." Zerona had a wide grin as she stepped into the kitchen. "How about I go and fetch some things from the alchemy shop for you?"

Dan had a smile on his face as he looked back at the guardian. "Don't you need to stay here to protect us from the claimed should they decide it's a good time to rebel?"

"Naturally but they're enough of us here for one of us to step out for a few to pick up some useful items. Besides it isn't like they have any weapons."

The question had been meant as a joke but Dan was made to grin at Zerona's answer. At times he forgot how week the sister's tended to see the bodies of brothers' as. "Okay I'll make you a short list."

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This was crazy. As Kiara lashed out at the kobolds she could feel her claws easily tear through them an see them fall. However, whenever she looked to see the fallen there was another kobold standing there. They were so many attacking that she was was forced to move constantly so that as she shifted her weight to her right leg and struck out with her left she was also setting her left limb down in order to make use of her right. The motion was so constant that she actually appeared to be dancing in many regards.

"Kiara!" As Mina made her way through the kobolds she could hear and smell Kiara by now. Unfortunately due to all the kobolds running around her she couldn't see her. Fortunately Kiara could see her.

While Kiara's movements seemed to be a dance Mina's was anything but. There was no attempt on Mina's part to avoid the kobolds but she slammed into them head on. The creatures seemed to break against her body like waves breaking against the face of a cliff. Except this cliff didn't just wait for the wave but continued to move forward shattering those kobolds that crashed into her and crushing those who got caught underfoot. It made for an impressive site.

"Kiara where are you!"

"Here Mina!" A slight yelp escaped Kiara when she heard the sound of stone being crushed. Before she could think a massive arm shot past her and the kobolds that stood before it seemed to explode.

"Kiara thank goodness. Are you alright?" Even as she spoke Mina turned and moved Kiara so that she was between the kobolds and Kiara.

"I'm. Yeah I'm fine. Mina are you okay."

"You're coming back to the village now we'll focus our defenses there." Even as she spoke Mina spun around and lashed out against several of the kobolds. The creatures didn't seem to provide the least bit of resistance.

"Mina are you okay?"

"I'm fine I was just worried about you. Now let's get you back to the village." Even as she spoke Mina's thoughts turned to her mother. She wondered if her mother believed that she would be fine before she was overwhelmed by the kobolds. She probably had.

"Shouldn't we try to hold them here and keep them from reaching the village? At least as many as we can."

"Fera is seeing to that. Our presence here will just slow her down and besides. It's best to combine your strength with your allies in these matters. Now let's move."

Kiara was going to comment but Mina gave her a rather notable shove. It didn't send her to the ground or hurt but it got her moving and it made the message very clear. She began to move with Mina running slightly ahead of her. As she ran though she looked back over her shoulder. She was surprised by what she saw. Mina's massive tail was flicking about and had somehow been turned red. She saw why as her massive tail smacked one of the kobolds. There was a wet crunch, the creature went flying and Kiara doubted it would ever get up again.

"Mina has Dan ever seen you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Use your tail to splatter something."

"Huh? Is this really the time for such a conversation? Ah well never mind. A few times. Why do you ask?"

"He's a brave man then."

"Huh?"

"I've seen how he'll try to tackle your tail."

Despite the situation Mina couldn't help but chuckle. "I agree that he's a brave man but that's not why he's brave. He knows that my tails loves him as much as the wrest of me and would never harm him. Mm I'll have to give my tail a good washing though before I let him touch it again. I don't want Dan getting blood on him."

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"What are these?"

"They're fire bombs. Dan made a bunch of them in the kitchen and said that you could all use them. Just give them a good toss and they'll make a nice explosion."

For a moment Flora said nothing but continued to examine the small round objects. The thought of using a magical item even one that had been made alchemically was strange to her. "I wonder how big of an explosion they'll make."

"I'm not sure. Dan just said don't throw them close to the dining hall or anything you don't want to risk torching."

"Okay then. Give them out to the other keepers, let them know what they are and then get back to the dining hall." As she spoke Flora took three of the bombs for herself. "At least we can use them in the beginning I suppose."

Zerona gave a quick nod and began to dash off towards the other keepers in the area. She stopped herself after the first step remembering what Dan had said about being careful with the bombs. As she ran along though she took a moment to look around the area and note where her sisters were. The keepers had gathered in the front and currently stood guarding the most vulnerable areas of the village. The guardians stood between and behind the keepers filling the gaps in a sense of the word. They were massive areas of land that didn't have a sister standing upon it but to get past them one would have to run past their line of sight. "Hey Flora do you know what the brothers are doing?"

"I'm not sure. We sent them warning that we were going to be under attack soon. I'm sure they're busy securing anything important and preparing for the clean up."

"You mean working on something to break down the bodies?"

A slight giggle escaped Flora as she shook her head. "I'm hoping for some sauce instead." As she finished speaking Flora gave Zerona a rather toothy grin. She was quite happy whenever Zerona gave a grin of her own. Once Zerona turned and began to run away Flora looked back towards the forest where most of the sound was coming from. "I wonder how well toasted kobold is going to taste."

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Dan gave a sigh and he slowly filled the pot with water being careful to observe the change in color as he did so. The moment the water began to change to anything beyond pink he would empty it out and begin again. A fact that Zerona was quite aware of. "Dan why do you keep emptying it when the water turns pink?"

"To keep it from becoming dangerous. You see the residue inside this container is still somewhat active. As it is mixed with water it becomes less stable and begins to give off a slight gas. The gas in small amounts isn't dangerous but in large amount becomes toxic."

"So that's why you're working so slowly. You're letting it fade away."

"Yeah. Normally I would simply place it in an inclosed chamber and burn it off as quickly as I could but we really can't do that here."

A slight chuckle escaped Zerona as she gave a nod. "Well I would have to stop you and explain to Mina later why your bottom was sore."

"Are you saying that you'd spank me?"

"I'd be tempted to if you did something like that."

Before Dan could comment a series of explosions drew his attention towards the walls. "I guess the fighting has started if they're using the fire bombs."

"Those sounded pretty impressive."

"I hope that they were enough."

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Flora was a bit surprised by the fire bombs. Not so much because how much flame they produced but by how little. There had been some fire but what they truly seemed to produce was a shock wave. A shock wave that had torn apart every kobold within its effective range. She was made to smile at the sight despite the fact that by the time her lips were done parting more kobolds had taken their place and were now rushing forward. She was surprised though whenever several of them were suddenly converted into smears on the ground and she noted a massive paw print "Sora!"

"Hello sisters I figured I'd come down this way and lend you a hand after Fera stormed off."

"Fera is gone?"

"Yes she went to deal with the bulk of the kobolds. Now let's move."

While no sister could see Sora they could see the affects of her work and soon began to follow behind her as they noted a set of red stained claws and feet seemingly floating in the air. It would have been a frightening sight if they didn't know who those feet and claws belonged to.

"They're pushing from the northeast second line right five quickly reinforce."

As the words reached their ears five guardians quickly jumped from their location and rushed towards their destination. The sound of the kobolds and the sisters clashing seconds later filled the air. By having the keepers stand in front the sisters insured that their front line soldiers were the strongest and the most vital areas the best guarded. They could then reinforce these locations as needed by having certain guardians move from less essential areas and reinforce the keepers. Some of the younger sisters remained even further back then the guardians serving as callers and a final line should anything get past both the keepers and guardians.

As Flora tore through the kobolds she was amazed by their single minded devotion. Their weapons were far more crude then what even humans used and less effective. Yet they continued to push forward favoring their swarm tactics above all else. It seemed suicidal and foolish but the simple fact of the matter was that they had the numbers to get away with it. It was frustrating to her. The most idiotic attacks and yet at times they could make it work. It was strange though the kobolds had never attacked them like this. It made her concerned.

***********************************************************************************

Mirin couldn't hide his frustration as he looked at Vera though he wasn't upset with her. News of the attack had reached the brothers of course but so had Vera's message. "I see. So shortly after Alex escapes from us this happens."

"The times are quite similar. I didn't notice the kobolds upon my return but they must have been right behind me. I've told you all I know though. I'm going to go join our sisters."

Before Vera could leave Roland spoke. "Hold on a moment Vera. Sora has already gone to help your sisters. We'd really prefer to keep you here."

"Huh? How come?"

"Safety issues."

A sigh escaped Vera as she gave a nod. "Fine I guess they get to have all the fun tonight since I got to enjoy my hunting."

"Thank you Vera."

"It's no problem. So what are you all thinking about though?"

Now Mirin spoke up. "We haven't been attacked like this in a long time. They swarmed in such large numbers and so quickly they must have been gathering for some time. Yet that's not really possible. If they would have gathered in large enough numbers to attack like this they would have been found out and killed off. So they must have been spread out over a great distance and ordered to attack at the same time."

Roland couldn't help but sigh as he heard this. "Mirin that's not a comforting thought. We've never seen the kobolds to have that level of communication before hand. If they do now that would imply that something has changed."

"I would agree with you though let's not think too much about such things now. First let's figure out how we're going to drive them out of our main territory."

"You don't believe the sisters will be able to handle it?"

"I believe they'll do it faster if we help them."

"You know they won't let us into the battle directly."

"True but we can help give them directions. I believe that we should recall Fera to the center of the battle zone and have her direct the other sisters to the largest group of kobolds. That way they can better direct their efforts and end this sooner."

"A nice ideal but there is a problem. Once the attack was learned of Fera went out to deal with the kobolds herself. You know how she gets whenever there are a lot of prey running around. She didn't want to risk accidentally biting one of our sisters in half."

"Well that is disappointing news. Then I propose that we begin scrying for the kobolds ourselves. While the concentrations of our sisters in the market section of the village will make it difficult to see anything there we should be able to see what's going on beyond the market. We can then guide them more carefully. Last I heard they had taken up defensive positions but if we can learn where the enemy is going to attack there is no need to hold such a strong defensive line all around."

"That sounds good Mirin. I'll go retrieve a few things for a wide area scrying spell."

Before anyone could leave the room Lansing chose to speak up. "Hold on a moment. While I agree providing communication is good is that really all we're going to do? Why don't we apply some magic and kill some of the kobolds ourselves?"

Mirin couldn't help but grin as he looked at Lancing. "Well because they'd be mad at us. You know that our sisters prefer to handle this sort of thing up close."

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"How did you do that!" Flora couldn't help the surprise in her voice as she looked at one of her fellow keepers. The massive woman was currently holding half a kobold in her right hand while the other half was missing.

"Huh? Do what Fera?"

"You just bit that kobold in half. I can't even fit that much into my mouth."

"Oh!" A slight chuckle escaped the keeper as she gave Flora a rather toothy grin. "I sort of swallow while I bight down. If done right instead of choking yourself you can force them down your throat while biting. You have to be careful though or you'll end up choking yourself."

A slight chuckle escaped Flora as she caught hold of one of the kobolds. Instead of slicing it apart with her claws she lifted the creature towards her mouth. Part of her was tempted to try and bight off half the creature's body as she'd just seen her fellow keeper do but she opted not to. She didn't want to risk being choked during a battle so instead she opted for biting off the kobolds head and tossing away the remains.

Zegin had been chosen to be one of the kobolds that would attack the home of the kitty creatures and lay waste to it. He had been excited whenever he'd been given this news though sad whenever he was told that he wouldn't be attacking right away. They'd been instructed to go and hide. They'd been told that they should go below ground and only eat roots. They'd dug deep into the earth and only eaten the roots they could find. More of them had arrived and it had become hard to gather the roots but they'd managed. Then they'd been told to go to the river and attack. He'd been so happy.

They would attack the kitty creatures and burn their homes. He knew many of them would die but there were so many that the odds of him being chosen to die seemed low. Besides his mind was more occupied by all the good food he'd get to eat once the kitty creatures were gone and all the fun. Then one of the kitty creatures had taken hold of him and he knew that his ribs had been broken. The pain was so intense that he was unable to scream. When he looked up though he'd saw her face growing closer and then seen her mouth opening up. He'd felt the heat from her breath as the battle had her breathing heavily as he was lifted towards her mouth and felt the moisture on his eyes.

The kitty creature's tongue had pressed against his face for but a moment and then he couldn't feel the rest of his body. Darkness had come soon after. Zegin didn't see Flora's teeth pass through his muscle and bone as if they weren't there. The act was so quick that he didn't even feel it as his head was removed from his body. It had taken less then a second for Flora to remove his head and his relevance in her mind lasted even less then that. At the moment her teeth went to sink into the kobolds throat her mind had already turned to the next of the creatures.

All around Flora her sisters were following a similar pattern. They would take hold of one of the kobolds or simply snap at them. They'd tear away a chunk of the creatures and either chew or swallow. While their mouths worked their arms and legs continued their busy task rending apart any kobold that came within the range of their reach.

"Fire! They're bringing fire!"

Through the ranks of the sisters everyone seemed to shift. Emerging from the forest were several kobolds some holding flaming sticks others packing what appeared to be lanterns. The lines shifted suddenly as the keepers and many of the guardians suddenly rushed forward into the lines of the kobolds. While the sisters remained grouped even such a multitude of kobolds was no threat to them. However, they all knew the fire wasn't meant for them. The little creatures intended to torch the market district and that wasn't something they were going to allow them to do.

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As Mirin placed his hands on the crystal he felt as if he was being lifted from the ground. His body became lighter and his eyes were made to close. When his eyes closed though he seemed to open another set of eyes though this one didn't show him color. Rather there was a sensation to it he could feel a great many things around him. "They are focusing on the market the largest group is about to push towards the northwestern entrance while another will be attacking from the south. The number of kobolds at the east gate is weak."

Even as Mirin was speaking Roland quickly inspected a map they had laid out showing him the entire village area. It only took him a moment to find the information that he needed and he touched upon the crystal nearest him. "There will be a strong push towards the northwest entrance and the southern path soon. The push from the east is the weakest."

A slight giggle escaped Maria as she sprinted along. For a moment she slowed as she glanced back at Joseph. "It doesn't work as well as you thought it would does it?"

Joseph gave a sigh as he looked at Maria. He'd been trying to blow on her ear however his efforts had been less then successful. The speed with which she was running through the forest pretty much negated his efforts. "If you'd just slow down a little more I think I could pester you some."

"Well don't expect that to be happening. I want to get home before night time rolls around."

"You want to get back to eating that badly huh?"

"You had better believe it!" A slight giggle escaped Maria for a moment. "Hey Joseph are you hungry?"

"Not particularly. Why do you want to stop and eat something?"

"Now that's the tough question. I want to hurry on home so I can eat the good stuff sooner. However, I'd also like to stop and snack on a few treats we've passed by."

"What treats? I haven't noticed any fruit or are you talking about some animals?"

"Neither actually. I recognized some of the plants we passed by and they have really tasty roots. Of course, to bring out the flavor first I'd have to dig them up then we'd need to wash them off and boil them a little bit to soften them up for you. It seems like it'd be a waste of time whenever there is a nice meal waiting for us back at the village. Besides now I'd have to turn around."

"We could skip the boiling. Like I said I'm not hungry at the moment."

"Ah I don't want to eat in front of you."

"You didn't have any trouble back at the beach."

"Well that was because there was food for you to eat readily at hand. It's different whenever the only food around is only stuff that I could stomach."

"It's no big deal. Besides what would you do if there was no other food handy and you had to try to eat something?"

"Try to breast feed you naturally."

Huh! You can't be serious!"

An amused giggle escaped Maria once again as she gave a sigh. "You know having you ride on my back kind of makes this easier. I don't have to worry so much about branches since my body shields you. If I were to carry you up front I'd have to worry about what I was smacking into. That said if I was carrying you in front of me I could rub my breasts against you right now. I swear. Life is full of so many tough decisions."

Joseph couldn't help but smile as he leaned forward against Maria and once again tried to blow on her ear. His efforts were still being frustrated by her constant movement but he wanted to give it another chance. "At least they're between what brings you the most joy instead of trying to choose what's going to cause you the least suffering."

Instead of responding right away Maria brought her tail up and quickly brushed her tail over the tip of his ear. An amused chuckle escaped her as she felt him shiver against her. "Persistence can have consequences you know."

"Maria do you ever consider the reason the brothers have never developed a means of transportation is the sisters don't want them to?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well by not allowing any form of pack animal into the village stating them as too dangerous or too tasty you force the brothers to rely upon you to get around. This increased reliance means that at least one sister will have a pretty good ideal of where every brother is at all times. Then if you gather all that information together you'd have a good ideal of what all of them may be planning."

An amused giggle escaped Maria as she looked back at Joseph. "Now that's quite a conspiracy theory. I suppose that it is possible though I can't remember ever setting down with my sisters and talking about our brothers like that."

"You haven't but what about the keepers? You haven't been to those conversations after all."

"Would you like to ask my mother about it?"

"Now how would that do any good? At best she would deny such a theory and at worse she'd realize that I'm on to her and the other keepers then try to get rid of me."

Once again Maria was made to chuckle though this time she included a slight head shake. "I can't deny that some mistakes haven't been made in the past in the name of doing what is best for our brothers and sisters. What about all of you though? You're always so quick to run us out of your labs whenever you're using magic claiming that the spell is too delicate to be cast around us. How do we know that you're not just using that as an excuse?"

"Hey now. You've seen the results of you being around whenever magic is being manipulated you've even seen how magic tems can be degraded in your presence."

"Oh I've seen it happen or I believe I have. How do we know that you simply weren't staging the whole thing though so we'd think it was our fault? It's not like any of us can actually use magic and very few of us know anything about it."

"Well I can honestly say I'm not keeping any such secrets from you."

"Of course you aren't. You're an alchemist but what about the mages?"

"That I don't know about. Even where I come from mages are noted as being extremely tricky so you have to be careful while dealing with them. You never know what's real and what's false with a mage." As Joseph spoke he was a bit surprised to notice Maria slowed down. He soon learned why as he realized her body was shaking and she was laughing.

"I just remembered a mage telling me pretty much the exact same thing about alchemist."

"What! Now where did he get off saying that?"

"Oh you like to pretend that your magic is safer then theirs. However, at least mages don't leave bottles laying around that if you break them they blow up half a building."

"That is a sign of a poor alchemist."

"Now there is no need to tell me that but you might want to tell him."

"I should have some words with this brother once we get back to the village. Exactly which one was it anyway?"

"Mirin."

"Huh? Are you serious?"

"Yep, though I believe he was a bit upset at the moment and probably miss directing some anger. You see his skin had been changed an interesting color."

"Ohh someone's project didn't go right and he was on the receiving end of the side affects."

A slight chuckle escaped Maria as she gave a nod. "Of course, this was a long time ago. It's kind of funny seeing Mirin as an adult now. Considering that I was asleep for twenty years."

"You knew him as a child didn't you?"

"I knew a lot of our brothers as children. Then I went to sleep for twenty years and when I woke up they were adults." Instead of laughing Maria was made to sigh slightly. It suddenly felt like something had taken hold of her heart and she slowed her pace a bit more.

"That must have been hard on you."

"Yeah it was but what's worse is I would have done it again if you hadn't come along. My sister was already scolding me for giving into my hunger and eating when I shouldn't after all."

"I'm sure you would have been fine without me."

"I'd actually put on a few extra centimeters that I wasn't allowed already Joseph. I don't believe anyone said anything out of respect for my mother and perhaps out of sympathy for me."

"Maria, you didn't mention this before."

"I really didn't want to think about it."

"I see. Well at least that is in the past now. Right now you're actually allowed to put on some extra height. Let's just be careful to make sure you don't overshoot what you're allowed."

"Yeah I don't want to have to wake up and see you twenty years older."

"I'll have to continue to work hard then so that I can find a way to keep you well fed. That way you won't have to worry about being put to sleep and I won't have to worry about you being hungry all the time."

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well the better fed I am the larger I am. If you feed me too well you could end up setting in the palm of my hand rather then riding on my back or in my arms."

"Now that would be interesting. What would you do at that size?"

"Mm well I said my hand but if I was that big I doubt you'd be riding in my palm. I think it'd be more fun to carry you between my breasts." An amused giggle escaped Maria and once again she wished she was packing Joseph up front. "How about you? How would you feel if I got that big?"

"Well it's already been a while since I could give you a proper hug so I'm pretty used to that. I believe that it would be interesting and with the possibility of such a means of transport it sounds like it'd be a bit of fun. Do you think you could be happy with a man that much smaller then yourself."

"Naturally. It might call for some creativity but I'm certain that we could have a lot of fun. Perhaps I could even try using you as candy."

"Hopefully not the kind you chew."

"Of course not! What about you? What would you like to do if I grew even larger then the current matrons?"

"I suppose the first thing I would want to do is explore and get familiar with every last bit of you. Which could take quite some time."

"Are we talking about intimate exploration?"

"I am."

"Even down there." As she spoke Maria used her right hand to indicate her crotch.

"Yes even down there. Though I'm not sure how much you'd get out of it. I already feel a bit outmatched by your size as is. I'm not certain what I'm going to do once you get much larger."

"Well from listening to the current keepers it seems like having a brother use a portion of his arm is a good method of getting them worked up. Most of them seem to appreciate it whenever the brother takes the time to get them good and ready." A slight moan escaped Maria as she glanced back at Joseph and began to pick up her running pace again. "Perhaps we can try that later."

While Joseph and Maria's conversation had been rather intimate for a few moments now the ideal of impending interaction got a far stronger reaction from him. He felt his face warm up a bit in a blush and a large if awkward smile spread across his face. "Uh sure."

"Oh now I heard that. What's the matter Joseph?"

"I guess that was just a little more direct then I was prepared for is all. Maria I hope that you know that I don't plan to stop where I have. I'm hopeful that the life bloom will let you grow even larger in time."

"I'm sure it will. The other brothers just want to be certain of the life bloom's output so they took a nice conservative path. Which means I should probably get some practice using my tongue."

"Huh? Using your tongue?"

"To get you off silly. If I get too big we're going to have some trouble and while you might be able to use an arm or even a leg to take care of me I won't be able to do the same for you. I've actually put some thought into that subject though and I was thinking we might"

"How about we wait until that time comes and you surprise me?"

Joseph suddenly speaking up had surprised Maria though she kept her grin. "What? You don't want to know the naughty things I plan to do that sweet little body of yours?"

"No! It's not that I don't want to know. It's just that this conversation is going in a direction that's a bit stimulating and well. There might be some responses that aren't verbal if we keep it up."

"Oh you don't have to worry about that I don't mind."

"Maria I'm not sure if you've noticed but while you might not be able to rub your breast against me this ride isn't exactly perfectly smooth. I really don't want to risk getting excited while I'm pressed up against you and especially while you're moving." While Joseph spoke he couldn't help the massive grin he had on his face. If only he'd been able to see the grin on Maria's face it might have shrunken a bit.

"I was thinking that if I found myself in that zone where I'm a little too big for anything short of a leg but not large enough to have you enter into me I could use my tongue. On top of that I bet I could give you a rather interesting tit job at that size. It might even be fun trying to rub you off against one of my nipples. Just get you all nice and worked up and lift"

"Maria!"

Now Maria couldn't help herself and a river of giggles escaped her causing her upper body to shake. "I know I'm being naughty Joseph but you're so much fun to tease."

"Uhuh. Well I really don't want to arrive back at your village with a hard on or smelling interesting to your sisters. So let's please talk about something else."

"Well alright. I don't know if I want to get back to the serious stuff though. You said you weren't going to give up on your work though. What do you have planned next for the life bloom?"

"I guess my first priority is fixing it so that it won't let mystic energy bleed into our world anymore."

"Ah I figured it would be to increase the output so that we can grow larger."

"Unfortunately that would be quite reckless on my part. Perhaps the other brothers can help this time around though. Given that I've already shared the plant I suppose I shouldn't hold onto anymore secrets."

"That would be nice of you."

"I have to admit there is something that holds my curiosity more then improving the life bloom though. I'd really like to be allowed to read some books on how your body works. I'm certain the magics involved must have been quite advanced but perhaps I can see something."

"You mean something that our brothers haven't seen in the last few hundred years?"

"Well are you saying that your brothers know everything there is to know?"

"Unfortunately no. The books we have that are related to our constructions aren't exactly the most detailed. That information was kept deeper in the citadel. Other then that our brothers have managed to find out some things by examining us but once again the information is limited."

"Are there any studies going on right now?"

"Unfortunately there isn't. At least there isn't too my knowledge as no one has come up with any new theories to test."

"That makes sense. I'd like to examine your inability to use magical items to be honest. Given the performance of your body I know there must be a lot of energy running around inside of it. So it seems like it would be easy for you to use or trigger magic items."

"Our bodies use that energy for itself though. We don't have anything to spare to trigger a magical item."

"I'm not entirely sure that is true. Maria have you ever tried controlling the flow of magical energy inside of your body?"

"Well I can't say that I have. They were some sisters that tried to learn how to use magical items in the past though and they weren't met with any success. All our brothers' studies say that it can't be done either. Do you have something different that you want to try though?"

"Well did any of those studies have you try whenever you were stuffed full?"

"Um I don't know. I haven't really read them in details I've just heard talks about them and read a little bit about it."

"I'd like to try having you use a magical item whenever you're stuffed so full that your body couldn't possible be using all of the energy for itself. Perhaps that would give us some interesting results."

"Mm well it seems likely that experiment had already been tried before. I sure wouldn't mind giving it another try though and perhaps you'll learn something."

"At times it's best just to start the old experiments over again but this time ask. How can we do this better? I'm not a mage but I understand modifying life forms quite well. At least I would like to believe that I do. Once again though this is after I've refined my work with the life bloom a bit first."

"Instead of beginning work right away how about I talk with mom about getting you into the citadel or at least giving you access to some books we copied from there? We've got quite a selection of books detailing methods to modify simple life forms after all."

"That might help me form a plan for whenever the life bloom is growing in full force. I'd appreciate it."

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A howl of pain and hanger escaped Beatrice as she tore the kobold away from herself. Her left hand went to cover her right eye for a moment while her right one was prepared to attack. She didn't get to attack though as a figure appeared beside her. One she immediately recognized as Kersara.

"What happened!"

"My eye! One of them got me in the right eye!"

"Fall back to the orcs and take cover there. Check on your eye and do what's needed. They have healers amongst them so be sure to let them see."

"I can keep fighting."

"Go and get treated now!" As she spoke Kersara more roared at her sister then anything else. The effect was immediate. Beatrice made no more arguments but quickly dashed back to the barricade the orcs had set up. As she landed she looked towards the shaman. "I need treatment for my eye save your spells though they won't help."

Vidon didn't wait for any orders or response from the other orcs. He had extensive training in treating wounds without the use of magic so that he stood up and rushed over to the massive figure. He was glad that she immediately leaned down so that he could get a better look at her. Whenever she removed her hand though he took in a deep breath. "Please don't move this will hurt." With those words Vidon leaned forward and began to examine Beatrice's damaged eye.

"How bad is it?"

"If you were one of my own then the eye would be loss. I hope what I've heard of your ability to heal is true. I need you to lay down if I am to treat the injury or I can give you something for the pain and cover the eye."

Despite being busy Kersara could still hear the orc and she responded for her. "Treat the eye but do it quickly!"

A low growl escaped Beatrice as she looked at the orc. She wasn't upset with her but she didn't like Kersara taking over like this. She had to respect her sister though and she lay down. "Don't worry I won't move."

"I would offer you something to bight down upon but I have nothing in this situation."

Allen sat quietly in the center of the orcs uncertain as to what he should do. Pera was staying close to the orcs so he could keep an eye on her but even if she did begin to fall what could he do? He only knew some alchemy and no real magic. All around him he could hear the sounds of battle and smell the scent of the fish creatures pushing their way on the beach. A few meters away he saw a sister being treated for an injured eye and there was nothing he could do with everything going on around him. He could feel tears trying to form in his eyes as a great feeling of uselessness built up within it.

"Child do you know how to use a bow and arrow?"

In response to the orc suddenly addressing him Allen more jumped then turned as he looked at the shaman. "Um. Are you talking to me?"

"Are there any other children here?"

Pera was about his age but as Allen looked in her direction he truly felt like he was the only child. "I suppose not. I know something about how to use it but I've never used it in battle."

"I'm busy right now and can't draw my bow. How about you take up my arrow and lend the warriors a hand? Just be certain that you fire over their heads. You don't have to aim just go for distance. They're enough kobolds here that you don't have to worry about not hitting one."

Instead of responding right away Allen took a moment to look at the old orc. He wasn't certain if he was being serious or not however he still reached for the bow. As his hands grew closer though he also found himself slowing down.

"At least seven arrows could have been fired by now."

Upon listening to the orc Allen immediately picked up the bow and arrow. He then took several steps closer to the the front lines though not so close as to get called back. Often the brothers and sisters would play a sort of tag. When they played tag though they didn't run after their sisters or try to find them. Rather the brothers would make use of light bows and blunted arrows to tag their sisters so he had experience with bows. As he drew the weapons string though it was clear this was a far heavier bow then the ones he'd used before.

Kelah was actually surprised whenever she saw the arrow suddenly shoot over head and go into the midst of the kobolds. With all her warriors focusing on holding the front line and the shaman still casting who was firing the arrows was quite a question. The curiosity was such that Kelah couldn't help but glance over her shoulder and found herself made to grin as she noted the young human holding onto one of her warrior's bows and drawing another arrow. She was actually somewhat impressed such a delicate looking human was even able to draw the bow string back.

As Razor made his way through the forest his efforts to locate the fish creatures was proving quite frustrating. He could smell them but he could smell them all over the place due to their numbers and the blood that covered him as well as his group. A sharp grunt got his attention before he could be too frustrated though and he turned towards the other tusker. They all followed.

Sidon was certain to keep his weapon at the ready as he followed behind the tuskers. As he ran along though he was rather worried. They'd been doing alright while on the beach despite the kobolds numbers but Kelah had still felt the need to separate them and send some into the forest. He understood her desire to keep them kobolds from pushing them too hard on the back but he still wondered if they'd been better off staying in a tight nit circle. He didn't get too much time to consider that though as the creatures came into sight. A shout escaped the orc and he drew his bow.

Razor held his ground as did the other tuskers as the orcs let lose with their arrows. This was a difficult task as the tuskers natural instinct was to charge ahead to meet the threat. As the arrows cut through the kobolds though it was clear why they'd been taught to remain behind. He did charge forward though whenever the kobolds gave a surprised hiss and quickly spun to run around. Unfortunately for them they were designed for fast movement in water not on the uneven ground of a forest.

As Sidon rushed forward he felt certain they would be outnumbered by the kobolds. That was all the reason to press the attack though. If they hit them hard enough and savagely enough they could overwhelm the creatures with fear. An enemy that was running away from you tended to be much easier to kill after all. Though he wasn't certain how much killing he was going to get to do. The tuskers had already gained a good lead and over taken a few of the creatures.

***********************************************************************************

Even with the battle going on around her Kersara was trying to keep track of her sisters as well as the orcs. It was a difficult task but so far she'd been managing. "Pera, Terima get back into the orcs barricade and set down for ten."

"What!" It was impossible for Pera to hide her surprise as she listened to Kersara.

"Don't argue with me!"

Pera couldn't help herself as she tucked her tail between her legs and more leaped over to the orcs then anything else. She was soon followed by Terima who seemed equally alarmed by the tone of Kersara's voice. It was pretty clear that Kersara wasn't in the mood to say more then was needed. So that Pera looked to Terima. "Ten minutes I guess."

"Um Pera look." As she spoke Terima pointed over towards Allen who was struggling to fire the bow still.

It had been hard work but Allen had managed to continue sending arrows off though he didn't know what good they were doing. At the very least he was doing something though. Unfortunately his arms and back were growing tired so that it was getting harder and harder to draw the bow string back. Soon enough he wouldn't have the strength to do. He was so caught up in his task that he didn't even notice Terima and Pera taking some time out of the fight.

Kersara was going to have a word with her sisters about discipline whenever it came to a war zone. She'd noticed Pera and her friends slowing down though perhaps they hadn't. If they continued to fight they'd start running a far greater risk of being injured. If they could just have a few minutes to regain their strength though and let their muscles recover that would diminish. She was surprised though. She had actually been forced to order some of her other sisters to take a few moments away from the fight before the younger ones. "Kelah how are you doing?"

"We're holding but I don't know about our supply lines."

"Supplies?"

"The shaman." Kelah was forced to stop talking for a moment as she deflected one of the kobolds away from one of her warriors. "They're keeping us sustained but that takes their energy. Dinon how is it holding up?"

"We're holding strong."

"Really?"

"The spirits are backing us in this." As Dinon spoke he looked towards Kelah and wonder if she even realized just how much they were backing them. He could practically see Nightfang standing next to Kelah lending her his strength. Of course the spirit wolf had plenty of good reason to be there.

A sigh escaped Kersara as she gave a nod. "That's good news but there is a problem."

"What's that?"

"I'm beginning to falter." While Kersara had more stamina then most of her sisters each time she told one of them to fall back she would work all the harder to pick up the slack. It seemed to be working but she could feel the fatigue setting in.

"Then fall back."

"I'm not sure if we can"

"I said fall back." As she spoke a low growl escaped Kelah and she flashed Kersara a rather large grin. For a moment it felt as if something heavy had come to rest upon her back and then she felt it sink inside of her. The heavy feeling spread throughout her body no longer seeming to weigh down upon her flesh but rather push it outward as if her muscles were trying to swell to proportions her skin wasn't ready to handle. Her vision shifted she felt her ears twitch as she drank in the energy. Her left hand shifted and her wrist guard was stripped away. "I'll cover for you for a few."

Kersara could have sworn Kelah's teeth had grown longer. While she didn't know the finer details of what was going on she couldn't help but trust the orc. As she leaped behind the protective barrier she bent down. "Just give me three minutes."

A slight chuckle escaped Kelah followed by a horrific growl as she rushed out ahead of the wrest of the orcs. No longer having to worry about being confined she did what came naturally and moved to insure that as the alpha she delivered the first strike to their prey.

Kersara was surprised. The force and speed with which Kelah moved to attack the kobolds was actually quite astounding. While the thought was unusual for her there was a moment when she could have sworn she saw one of her sisters fighting. It actually brought a question to her lips she had to ask as she turned to one of the orc shaman. "Can she usually fight like that?"

"She only wishes that she could. Nightfang stands with her in this moment far more firmly then in any regular situation. In this moment Kelah leads her pack into battle and the kobolds are her prey. She also stands to protect her pack."

"I see. So in a one on one fight she couldn't bring out that kind of power?"

"Only when Kelah fights for her pack in one way or another will Nightfang lend her so much of his strength."

"Then what does the spirit gain from this battle?"

"Not every fight is beneficial to any spirit after all there is a contract in place. At this moment though I imagine Nightfang is feasting on the essence from the kobolds though. Especially the ones that Kelah's blades find. I suppose now you'd like to know how long she can keep this up right?"

A slight chuckle escaped Kersara as she gave a nod. "Well yes."

"Kelah's body is currently filled with a power and strength that it wouldn't ordinarily know. She's conditioned herself for times whenever she would wield her strength as well as the strength of the spirits but there is a limit. Fresh she could sustain that level of power for an hour I believe. At this moment I would give her three hours though."

"What? You mean not being fresh helpers her?"

"Of course not. I'm working on healing her though."

"Your name was Dinon right?"

"Yes it is."

Pera had been rather surprised whenever Kersara had chosen to fall back. As she looked at her sister though she could finally smell Kersara over the kobolds. Given the scent of her body it suddenly became clear why she'd chosen to fall back for a moment. Understanding as to why she'd been told to fall back finally sunk into Pera's head and she was made to smile. "Okay Terima I'm feeling better now I'm going back out."

"Alright I'll join you."

To this Pera gave a nod but before leaping back itno the battle she looked to Allen. "Hey Allen don't push yourself too hard! If the bow is to hard to draw then set down and let your muscles recover." Instead of waiting for a response Pera quickly leaped back into the battle opting a new location where the orcs seemed to be particularly hard pressed to hold the line.

***********************************************************************************

This was exhausting. As Flora moved to intercept the kobolds she had to first pick out the one with the flames. That would be her first target. As she moved to kill the kobold though the others around her would slash and hack at her with whatever weapons they had handy. They didn't tend to hurt but some of them seemed to bother her a bit. Those weapons found the few sensitive areas the kobolds were strong enough to injure. It wasn't as if these hits always landed though. While she didn't know the mechanics of it often enough the creatures simply didn't have the power to harm her or they didn't seem to.

Harmful hits were coming more and more often though that was clear. Flora had seen some of the guardians falling back to be treated for one injury or the other. It brought a chuckle from her as she realized that the dining hall had also become a medical station. At least that meant their brothers had something to do while the battle was going on all around them.

As Mina took hold of the building she easily tore away the burning timber and in the same motion tossed it into the kobolds. She had no time to worry about the structural integrity of the building though as she moved to resume the attack. Some of the creatures were reaching the buildings and had set them on fire. The sisters were always quick to remove the flames but there was a simple truth that had to be noted in all of this. They were slowly losing ground. "Flora they're getting further into the village!"

"I know Mina any ideals!"

"I believe we may want to demolish the outer ring buildings and form a tighter circle!"

"What!"

"We can't hold a defensive line this spread out they're too many of them and too few of us. It would be better to give some ground and better cover one another!"

"Okay I get what you're saying!" As she finished speaking Flora gave a roar that resounded throughout the battle field. She was soon met by many more roars from sisters who'd heard their conversation though not commented. The majority seemed to be in agreement. "Okay outer ring buildings are to be taken down just give them a good smack! Fall back into a tighter circle let's see if we can only have ten meters between each of us!"

Sora wasn't sure what to do as the sisters began to fall back. They were other matrons they could call out and bring to the battle field. However, they had their own areas to guard and she didn't know if she wanted to leave them unguarded. Just her presence and Fera's presence further out into the forest was a liability she didn't know if they could afford. "We need to get the brothers involved in this!" The words left Sora before she had even really given the thought form in her own mind.

Now Mina was made to nearly jump. "What!"

"Listen sisters we have several mages and alchemist in the dining hall right now. In this situation we'd be foolish not to use them and the workshops are close to the dining hall. We need to make use of them." It took a few moments for Sora to hear her sisters' response. It was slow and more them a little grumbling but it seemed they agreed.

***********************************************************************************

The situation was actually rather unheard of. It had been a long time since the brothers had last taken part in any battle so close to the front lines. Then again it was also the first time in a long time that the market had come under such an attack. As Dan busied himself in the workshop though he reminded himself that they didn't have time to make anything that required a long developmental stage. The sisters needed aid and they needed it fast. Fortunately they had everything they needed in the workshop. "Ten more frost bombs are ready."

No one turned to see the sisters that quickly retrieved the bombs and made her way outside. They had other matters to attend to after all. Namely they were already working on making more. "Dan how are you doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"I've been listening and it seems like your voice is calling out more often then any of ours."

"It's not just me we've got an assembly line going on over here. I just happen to get to call out more then the other two. Any ideal how things are going outside."

Instead of hearing the response of a brother they heard the response of a sister. "The bombs are really helping as are the mages. It's kind of rough only being able to kill what's within arms reach."

"That's why you all need to learn to use axes or swords. You could extend that reach a bit."

"If only you knew how unnatural that felt to us."

***********************************************************************************

"Um we really need you to back up a bit Liana." As Carter spoke he tried to be nice as he could as he looked at the younger sister. She'd been charged with helping to guard them and she'd been standing too close to their casting circle. She responded by more leaping away from them then walking as if she'd just been bitten by something. Apparently she was quite nervous he didn't blame her though.

"Are we ready to begin now?"

"I believe we are."

"Carter you lead."

"Alright." As he spoke Carter reached forward as did the five other brothers. Each one of them took hold of an enchanted staff that they'd planted in the middle of the circle. For a moment no one moved but instead they began to gather their energies and channel them into the weapon. "May the gate to the skies open and reveal thine light. May heaven and earth be joined for but a moment and what rest between be burned."

The moment Carter spoke the last word all five of the brothers felt a rush of energy go throughout them. One was made to stagger but held on. Seconds later it appeared as if it was day once again for but an instant as a massive wave of lightning burst from underneath the feet of the onrushing kobolds. Rather then simply racing towards the sky though the lightning spread to the sides seeming to flow like water from one kobold to another. As it spread though the bolts began to yield and disperse some going towards the sky and others going back into the earth.

A sharp gasp escaped Carter as he looked at the other brothers. "So are you all ready for another casting?"

"Just, give us fifteen seconds before we begin again." One brother responded taking in deep gasps of breath before each word.

"I should probably give you thirty after that sentence. Okay but let's not hold off for too long we're still in danger."

***********************************************************************************

Things had sped up a good deal. Flora couldn't help but notice that as she realized where she was standing. With the frost bombs as well as the various area of affect spells the brothers had brought to the battle field they had managed to push the kobolds back. Indeed their rate of killing the kobolds had finally surpassed their ability to flood into the area. It still made Flora nervous though as she looked back towards the village and wondered if they were becoming too spread out. That fear was relieved a bit though as she noticed a massive figure heading towards them.

Fera could hardly believe how many kobolds they were. There had been so many that even at her massive size some or indeed many had managed to run past her to attack the village. As she made her way back to the market though she was even more surprised by what she saw. Charred, crushed, ripped apart and frozen kobolds seemed to be everywhere. She was certain there was more in the village then she'd noticed in their nesting area and that had her worried. "Are you okay my sisters!"

Mina was the one that chose to respond as she noticed Fera. "We're pushing them back. How are things for you?"

"They've quit coming from the north I was following them to catch up to the stragglers."

"Good then it sounds like this fight is almost over. Now how about lending us a hand?"

"I've been busy this entire time!"

"Sure you say that but I bet you were just laying around!"

A snort escaped Fera as she began to tear through the kobolds once again. She'd actually eaten more then she cared to before she made her way back to the village so none were making the trip to her mouth. As she resumed her efforts though she had to ask. "Did they attack anywhere else?"

"Not as far as our home goes but we don't know about anything beyond that."

Fera was about to respond whenever she noticed a massive wave of lightning burst forth from the ground. She waited for the thunder to hit her ears before she tried speaking. "I see you've got our brothers helping us out."

"We didn't have a choice we were beginning to yield too much ground."

To this Fera gave a nod. "We're going to have to talk about this later."

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Kersara finally felt like she could take a moment to look around the battlefield and truly see what was going on. It had began about an hour ago. The kobolds rushing the beach had slowed to a crawl and then they'd slowly began to vanish from the beaches. She worried that they would be attacking from elsewhere soon but that didn't happen. As she looked around though she couldn't help but ask. "So Kelah how do the local spirits feel about this?"

"Honestly Kersara they're pissed. This much rotting flesh is going to play havoc with the local wildlife. Once we're finished here we're going to tend to our wounded and then help out with the disposal of the bodies."

"Me and my sisters will help as well." As she spoke Kersara began to move forward loosening up the defensive circle that they'd formed and lashing out at the kobolds. "What happened exactly?"

"I'm not sure Dinon can you clear this up?"

"The tides shifted."

"Well that's obvious why did they quit attacking."

A low groan escaped Dinon as he shook his head. "I mean the tides of the ocean. They were using the current to help carry them into the shore. Now the current is going out and they're having to fight it to get here. You've also thinned their numbers a good deal. Between both of those they've began to yield and retreat for the time being."

Now Kersara gave a nod. "Ah I see." After a moment of silence a sharp roar escaped Kersara. One her sisters quickly responded to with roars of their own.

"What was that?"

"I told them that the battle is won. They know to wrap things up from there. What happened to those orcs and tuskers you sent into the forest?"

"Well they didn't come running out of the forest to regroup with us so I assume they're alright or they were all killed off so quickly none of them could escape. The second I consider rather unlikely though."

"I see. So any losses?"

"Amazingly no! Some of us were hurt pretty badly though and won't be able to fight for some time even with a shaman's aid in healing. Kersara I don't believe we can hold out against another wave like that one and to be honest I bet the next wave will be even stronger if there is a next."

"Yeah, if it hadn't been for your presence here and sheltering me and my sisters while we recovered our strength from time to time I know some of us would have been lost. I can't just abandon the beach to those creatures though."

"I don't believe their target was the beach or the forest. I'm pretty sure their target was us."

"That isn't a pleasant thought Kelah but I can't deny that you're probably right. I'm not exactly use to the ideal of retreating though."

"We don't need to retreat we need to set up a home base. A fortified structure a little further in then we are now where we can hold up should they focus their attack against us again. We need to pick a location where we can watch a good chunk of the beach as well though just in case they decide they're done targeting us directly."

"Could you build such a fortification in time for tomorrow though?"

"Of course not. You and your sisters are going to have to help out."

A slight chuckle escaped Kersara as she gave a nod. "Okay that sounds fair."

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"I'm glad you're okay Pera." As he spoke Allen smiled and looked up at Pera's face. A face that quickly grew closer as she seated herself next to him.

"I feel like my arms and legs are about to fall off!"

A slight chuckle escaped Allen as he rubbed his upper biceps a bit. "I can't say mine feel all that good either."

Pera didn't say anything but took a moment to look at Allen. It was clear that he'd given it all during the battle which made her smile. She especially smiled at the thought he was fighting so hard to try to help her out. "We're going to have to get going soon though."

"Huh?"

"What do you mean huh? Stella would paddle both of us if I didn't bring you home after what happened here. There is no way we're going to be here for another morning."

"Don't they need you here though? Everyone was fighting so hard that"

"Allen. Pera is right. She needs to take you home and she needs to get home as well." As she spoke Kersara walked over to the two of them. "Though don't believe that I'm sending you away for no reason. Pera I need you to go back to the village and let our sisters know what happened here. You need to explain to them that they need to either approach the orcs and have them send more to aid us or they need to send more sisters out here."

"But Kersara it'll take me more then a day to get home! You could be hit by another wave like the last one if all of us leave."

"That is true but Pera keep in mind that you're still children. You did good today yes but you still have a lot to learn such as to listen to the ranking sister especially during times of battle."

"But that was."

"Not something that we can have happening on a battlefield. You don't always have time to ask questions Pera. Now I need you to get moving along with Allen and your friends. We don't know how long we have until the kobolds attack again. Once you're a few kilometers into the forest pick a safe spot to rest and then get moving early morning. I have to go speak with Kelah now."

Pera's first instinct was to try to call Kersara back and speak further with her about the matter. A sigh escaped her though as she held the words in realizing she'd only be proving Kersara right. "Stay safe sister and keep our other sisters safe as well."

"Don't worry little sister we'll hold the line."

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"Do you believe that we should use one of the scrolls?"

"I don't believe we should resort to that just yet. Besides, if we want to get someone to the beach quickly we could work together to cast a teleportatoin spell."

"That is true. I just wish we could get a better image of what was going on at the beach though. I wonder how the Luvarians use to deal with this. Surely they had a means of monitoring the forest which wouldn't be hindered by their creation's resistance to magic."

"I'm certain they did as well but we don't have time to worry about that. What should we do though? Even with our limited abilities it's clear that something major happened on the beach not just here. It wouldn't be surprising if they sent a request for additional support."

"We don't have that additional support though. We were letting our sisters increase their size early just to improve our defensive position after all."

"Well it's not like most of them are done growing yet. It's only been a day and many will require a few days to reach their knew permitted size."

"Yes but the most notable growth has already happened."

"You all seem to have forgotten that we have more resources then simply our sisters. The orcs sent forces to the beach as well after all. How about instead of sending additional sisters or taking a risk and letting them increase their size we aid the orcs in aiding us? We can help our sisters through them after all." A sigh escaped Nathan as he looked around the room and noted the shocked expression of his brothers. "I swear you're all as bad as our sisters. We go through the trouble of learning how and even producing some high quality enchanted armor, weapons and battle potions yet you never think to use them."

"We create them for emergency situations though."

"What do you believe this? I agree with Nathan we should send the orcs some of the mystic equipment we've made."

"Well that should help with the situation on their front at least. What about our front though? We lost ten percent of the market district."

"That's what happens when you let your guard down. I understand that the sisters received warning before the actual attack hit but to be honest it wasn't much of a warning. If they'd known about the attack while the kobolds were still two or three miles away they could have worn down their numbers considerably. Let's be honest with ourselves though that lack of warning was our fault. We should have known not to leave the border so weakly protected."

"Well we wanted to strengthen them as quickly as possible."

"Don't go saying that. We could have used magic means to observe the borders. Our sisters protect us their way and we have to protect them our way. We've been slacking."

"I can't disagree with that. On another subject though what do we do about this most recent attack? Do we send Fera to the kobold nest again?"

"I don't believe that would help in this situation. You know what Fera's eyes are like and she said that their numbers in the nest had been thinned considerably. The kobolds have found somewhere else to nest perhaps even several locations."

"Then do we try to find them?"

"How though?"

"We could always use some kobold blood and try a location spell."

"You really believe that would work? They probably picked a location where the plant life would interrupt the spell. Remember that this forest is full of alchemical items and some of the plants even in their raw state interrupt magic."

"Then we know what locations to search. We just send teams of sisters to the locations with such plant life."

"I hate to say it but I don't believe either of you are right. Whatever is leading the kobolds now is intelligent. It would know that we'd realize such a simple fact and that we'd search such locations. It seems more likely that it would have picked a location where the magic would be disrupted but we don't know about it. Perhaps they even secretly built such a location."

"Wouldn't that require a mage's skill? At least to insure it's security."

"What recently escaped from us?"

"Damn it! No wonder the attack happened so shortly after the mages escape. I bet whatever is behind this was laying in wait."

"We don't know that for certain but it would make sense."

"Listen. While the odds of a spell turning up any information is low I still say we should try a location spell. It's not as if we have anything better to do. Further more let's send Fera and a few sisters to the kobolds original nesting area with instructions to track any movement from that location. They can also be given instructions to feed as they desire on the way if they haven't reached their allowed size just yet. These might prove fruitless but they're so easily done that it would be foolish not to try them."

"That is true but what about here? What if they attack like that again?"

"I doubt the sisters will be caught off guard like that again. Besides other brothers are already working on arming them encase there is another attack. They're apparently making them some very effective potions. At least effective for destroying large groups."

"Who's leading that project?"

"Dan apparently took it over before anyone had even considered doing it. Even before the sisters had attacked he'd began work on fire bombs in the kitchen area of the main dining hall."

A slight chuckle escaped Mirin as he heard this. "You know with performances like that the keepers are going to push to have his rank increased soon."

"Yeah let's just be glad that we can't be demoted by them."

A few chuckles passed around the room as the various ranked eight and nine brothers looked upon one another. It was Nathan who spoke next though. "Ah well I'm getting up there in years. So you'll all need another brother to add to our numbers before too long. It may as well be someone who's proven himself again and again."

"That's true. Back on subject though what weapons and armor are we going to grant the orcs?"

"I believe we should send them the ones deemed as rank B or perhaps C though nothing weaker then that. They are working with our sisters after all so they will suffer some degradation."

"Why not the rank A weapons them sense they aren't influenced by our sisters?"

"I believe those weapons should be given out to the sisters themselves. We could send a few of them to the beach but I believe most of them should be kept here. The more powerful weapons should be handed out to those sisters with a mutation to make the best use of them."

"Do you believe those weapons that passed the proofing experiment should be given out as well?"

While the question was asked no answer came immediately. Rather all the brothers included Mirin and Nathan took a few moments to look at one another as if hoping someone else would answer the question. Weapons that had been proven where rare even amongst the rank A weapons. It was those few weapons the guardians of the citadel had considered worth storing in the secure vaults whenever left out there. They were quite rare only a few being produced each decade and duplication of the affects no matter how exhaustive seemed a matter of fortune and were more often then not met with failure.

Those weapons considered rank A were attempts at producing proven weapons for the most part that had only been semi failures. Knowing all this it was Nathan that found his words first. "Three of them. We will give three of them to those who are the least likely to lose them. Proven weapons are not something we can simply replace after all."

"Then one of them should be given to Mina. Given her performance in her fight with Fera she seems the least likely to lose such a weapon."

"Isn't Mina with child though?"

"As far as we know yes but only a few weeks or at most into the pregnancy. Given the situation I doubt not giving her a weapon will keep her off the battle field."

"Okay then who should be given the second and third weapons?"

"What about Flora's daughter Maria? She may not be a keeper but her abilities are well beyond that of the vast majority."

"That is true but can we trust her with such a weapon? She is still quite young as far as her waking years go."

"Maria has proven herself somewhat out of control whenever it comes to eating. Other then that though her behavior has been quite superb. I believe we can trust her with a weapon. What do you believe Mirin?"

"I believe Maria is a good choice though as for the third weapon I am not sure if it should go to a sister."

"Then who should the third go to?"

"Why don't we bring out the eye and use that ourselves? We've been talking about using magic to aid our sisters and that seems like a logical choice for us to use. It's a far better focus for us to combine our energies then anything else we have after all and it would still be kept in a secure location."

"That actually sounds like a good ideal."

"Alright then. Nathan would you mind traveling with one of the matrons to the citadel and retrieving the items?"

"Indeed I would!"

The moment the words hit the air the room was stricken with silence for at least a minute. This time it was up to Mirin to speak. "Um what do you mean?"

"I'm an old man and those weapons are heavy! One of you younger folk go and gather them up."

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As Mina looked around at her sisters she couldn't help but give a sigh. "Flora, I've seen human soldiers using axes attack our sisters and not be able to cut them. Even when the sister just stood there and let the blade make contact. Kobolds are even smaller then humans and use simpler weapons then humans. So how do they managed to wound us?"

"I suppose it's hitting the right spot at the right moment. How about you Mina did they manage to injure you?"

"No. I wasn't harmed." There was a moment of silence from Mina as she placed her left hand on her right biceps as if testing the muscle"It makes me wish that I could fight all of them though. If I could just convince them all to attack me and to leave the rest of you alone everything would have been fine."

"You really believe so?"

"Well they can't hurt me."

"Mina I've been speaking with our sisters. Did you notice something while fighting those kobolds?"

"Other then their numbers and directions they attacked from no."

"Mina they didn't have any of their shaman amongst their ranks. Considering the scale of the attack don't you believe it's strange that they weren't any magic users amongst them?"

At first Mina said nothing but looked at Flora. A low groan escaped her and she couldn't help but frowning. "This was part of something else wasn't it?"

"I'm going to gather up every keeper that isn't too busy at the moment and we're going to talk. We need to set up a new plan to defend the village. Have you spoken with Dan yet?"

"Yes. He's already selected some brothers and even some claimed to help make us some more of those ice bombs. He said that I'm going to take at least five with me whether I believe I need them or not."

"I'm guessing he wasn't in any mood to dispute the issue with you."

It was impossible for Mina to keep from giggling as she looked at Flora. "Oh you should have seen the look he gave me. I started to suggest that it'd be better if they were given to weaker sisters but I didn't. I got the feeling that if I said that he'd find a way to punish me. He might not be able to harm my body but I got the feeling he'd bend me over and spank me like my mother did when I was naughty."

Flora couldn't help but giggle a bit herself as she imagined Dan spanking Mina. "He loves you know that. Besides you have someone else to think of as well."

"That's true anyway I'm going to get the others. One thing though. Do you know where Sora and Fera went off to?"

"They are checking out the most traveled paths the kobolds used together and I believe they're going to make a visit to the kobolds' nest."

"Well that makes sense. I'll try to have some ideals as to what we should do by the time we gather."

***********************************************************************************

As Kersara looked out over the beach she really had no ideal how many water kobolds had been attacking them. Too many to count seemed like a good answer. It was a frustrating thought in all actuality. They were things to do though. Once again Kersara began her march towards the quickly shaping up fortification. She had to be careful as she carried a massive stone on her back its awkward shape causing her center of balance to shift and making her movement on the sand all the more difficult. They needed to have something set up before they rested though. "Hey Kelah how are things going!"

"I can't believe they're moving this quickly to be honest. Don't you and your sisters have a limit to your stamina?"

"Not with full stomachs."

"Well that's good to know but that's a little big for what we had in mind. The supports will break if we try to use something that big."

"You're not going to. I'm going to shape this thing into several usable chunks. It should save time when it comes to the trips."

"Oh now that makes a lot of sense."

"Um are we going to get to sleep in the least bit tonight?"

"I honestly don't know and I really want to. I'm having my troops sleep in shifts to insure that they get some rest encase we're attacked tomorrow but we're trying to set up a fortification in a single night. The shaman are helping with the corpses and trying to make good with the spirits as well. These things are normally done over at least a week if not weeks, for fewer troops and with more help."