...

Jimmus was mounted on horseback with his own squadron, slowly trotting through Bloodmarble. They had encountered no further resistance so far since they had breached the border, and had seen mostly empty grey plains. Reginald, along with other fallen Rosemarblians had been buried where they fell, to be recovered later, as per the queen's custom.

Some of the knights carried torches they had made with flint and tar from Bloodmarble's tar pits. Some orcs were known to bathe in tar pits but none had been seen so far, but perhaps this was because they had been warned in expectation of an attack and fled. Jimmus suspected a trap.

At last they came upon a small group of huts, built with thatch and pitch, an orc village. Orcs were generally thought of as brutish creatures, slightly larger than humans, with tusks, varied skin colors depending on tribe, and a temperament suited for being the soldiers and slave drivers of Bloodmarble.

Jimmus did not see any orcs in the vicinity and hoped that the village was empty. He motioned toward his fellow knights to stealthily trot toward the hut openings and peer inside. One knight did so and saw a large but fearful group of women and children with olive green skin. They huddled close to each other and pretended not to notice the knight.

"Tis only a gaggle of cowardly-" the knight tried to say before an arrow lethally pierced his eye.

The knight fell dead from his mount as more arrows seemed to fling out of nowhere.

"Orc attack!!" the knights shouted in panic.

Several knights flung their torches onto the huts, setting them ablaze. Orc warriors scurried out of some of the huts, wearing black armor and wielding square swords called broadblades.

Jimmus could not help but notice that in addition to soldiers, women and children ran screaming out of the huts, set ablaze and lighting others on fire as well. Jimmus turned his head away and started to retreat, barely noticing the orc warriors pursuing him.

In another section of Bloodmarble, Reine's squadron had reached a small outpost, made of black stone, that held armor and supplies for vampelle soldiers. War had already begun as Rosemarble soldiers in chain mail and cloth mail fought off vampelle soldiers who wore scanty black armor. The human soldiers had long wooden spears while the vampelles had small iron pikes but in this instance the vampelles were outnumbered and the human soldiers made quick work of the vampelles.

Reine and her knights made their way inside the outpost, needlepoint swords in hand. A handful of vampelle soldiers were drunk or eating so they were killed without warning.

"Fools." Reine commented, "No discipline. Who is their captain?"

"I am." announced a spunky female voice in the Rosemarble language.

The captain happened to be a short vampelle woman with half-shaven hair and the usual red eyes. Instead of wearing armor she was dressed more like a dancer, with a small red blouse baring her midriff and a matching red half-skirt exposing one leg. The woman twirled around two curved daggers as if she were doing a dance routine with them.

"You speak Rosemarblian?" Reine asked.

"I manage." the vampelless answered, "Who are you?"

"Dame Reine of Rosemarble." Reine said, "Who are you, a strumpet?"

"It would be less boring than being a captain." the vampelless scoffed, "My name is Putressa, the last name you'll hear."

Reine and Putressa focused on dueling each other, Putressa blocking Reine's blade by crossing her daggers. The other soldiers were focused on confiscating supplies and prying the fangs from the dead vampelles as war trophies. Putressa's defense did not last long as Reine flung her blade against the vampelle's left eye, gouging it out. Putressa screamed and instantly clutched the mess of black blood in her socket. The woman stumbled around for a bit before fleeing up a nearby staircase that lead straight to the parapet on the roof. Reine followed in pursuit.

"So that is how Jimmus feels." Reine commented.

Putressa held her left hand to her socket as she struggled to battle with the dagger in her right hand. Putressa lost her balance and collapsed to her knees, still clutching her ruined eye. Reine was distracted for a moment by Aurelia, who happened to be in Reine's squadron. Aurelia was on the opposite side of the roof, making quick work of a vampelle by impaling his exposed torso with her sword and then flinging him off the roof with her foot as she jerked the sword back out.

Reine decided to try this and stabbed Putressa through her stomach and tried to kick her off the roof but Putressa used her remaining strength to shove Reine away away with her shoulder. The maimed vampelle clutched the hilt still stuck in her belly and started to cry. Red tears, as common among vampelles, streamed down her cheek.

"If I could just have my sword back..." Reine started to say as she reached for it, but Putressa smacked her hand away.

<Stay back!!> Putressa pleaded.

Putressa tried to stand up but then coughed blood and fell on her face. Reine's feeling of triumph was now replaced by embarrassment and pity. She turned her conquered enemy over and held the woman's head in her arms.

<I don't want to die...I'm too young...> Putressa muttered through swallowing blood, <I am not...a soldier...I am a dancer...>

The vampelle sobbed for a few more moments before she finally bled to death. By this point, Reine's confidence was shattered and she continued to cradle her vanquished foe's body until the warmth started to leave it.

"Why did you not just kick her over the side?" asked a friendly voice.

Reine looked up and saw Aurelia standing over her. Reine tried to manage some kind of response but could only shake her head as she closed Putressa's eyelids with her fingers.

"Aren't you going to pry out her fangs?" Aurelia asked.