My Servant System

Chapter 1169: Chapter 1168: Final Battle (1)

 n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"This always gets to me, no matter how large or small the scale of a battle is. This... eternity that we have to spend waiting for it to begin, the dullness of it all. How dreadfully long we must wait for the thrills of battle to sink its claws into us."

Jahi's murmuring filled the quiet air as we stared out across the sand, the four of us fully equipped and ready for the battle to come as we took in the horde of monsters and warriors across from us, their chitin and metal armor gleaming beneath the harsh sun.

"You'll always need to wait for something, no matter what. Be it a battle, nighttime, a meal or anything else, there's always going to be waiting involved, and you know that. So get accustomed to it, and don't take it for granted."

The Demoness just grunted at that, her eyes remaining locked to the city walls as she leaned against her shield; the new armor she wore contrasted her skin nicely, while it complimented the rest of us rather well too.

Red metal that was glittering with small gold flakes sporadically flushed throughout the material was rather dazzling beneath the desert sun, and surprisingly enough the material remained rather temperate despite the heat around us; it wasn't cool, but it certainly wasn't hot, and that was a boon.

Conversely the soldiers around us were sweating buckets beneath the scorching golden sphere that was slowly turning the entire desert into an oven, and many were already beginning to seek shelter or comfort from whatever they could find, be it a shield used to shade themselves or a waterskin that they drained to replenish their body's water.

The wait was a long one, that was for certain, but this wait was apparently strategic on the Sultana's part since she was studying the troops across from us and locating weak points that she wanted to target first; that, and we were testing their control over the monsters to see if they could restrain them for long.

"I'm just happy we weren't going to split up again. Been doing too much of that recently, and honestly it just felt like we were tempting fate each time. I'm not trying to say that fate is a cruel mistress or a bitch, but... well, she most definitely can be those things."

Anput's musings made the rest of us nod, with Leone feeling her words a bit deeper than Jahi and I did since she had gotten to experience that cruel twist of fate on a far too personal level, and even now she was twisting her new ring, seeking comfort from it.

"There was no reason to split up this time; a single mage won't break the barrage the Sultana wants to unleash, so Leone will be with us, while she also wants to keep the magic to a certain limit that works together with everyone as a whole, which means Kat's with us too. You and I weren't going anywhere anyways, so... yeah."

"I just wish we didn't need to stand here beneath the sun... I don't mind the waiting, but this doesn't seem too ideal for the troops."

A few small gusts of wind brushed across us thanks to the minor spell I had cast, and the soldiers nearby were basking in it whenever they could as they sought any and all relief from the sun, while I shrouded myself in a cloak of iced water to keep myself cool.

Anput and Leone were more accustomed to the heat thanks to their magic types and how strong their Cores were, while Jahi simply didn't seem to mind it that much at all, leaving me to feel like I was melting into the sands beneath them as I sweat buckets during this time waiting.

Minutes passed us by gruelingly slow, and it seemed like I was going to need to become a hypocrite as I felt the need to complain slowly welling up in my chest as the heat only worsened with time and exposure, but eventually the Sultana sent her orders out using the Death Jackals, who rushed along the back of the line and relayed her orders to the various commanding soldiers of each squad.

Since we weren't attached to any, we were just given Saif and Zahrah to accompany us for the foreseeable future, and the two women relayed the Sultana's orders the moment they appeared nearby.

"We're going to head towards the eastern entrance with a third of the soldiers. Half of our troops are heading to the main gate while the remainder are going to poke and prod at any and all available locations to provide support. This entrance though is... well, you can see it." Saif pointed towards the giant cluster of monsters that milled about to our north east, the various types of monsters ensuring that it wouldn't be a simple fight since there were giant two legged monsters that seemed to have some intelligence all the way over to slithering serpents or six legged mammal monsters of some kind with large claws and hundreds of teeth.

Then there were the mortals roaming between them with staves and spears alike as they herded the monsters together, keeping them under control somehow and keeping a wary eye on both us and them as they too prepared for the battle to come.

"The waits almost over... but you gotta start things off with a bang, right? So the mages are gonna knock a giant hole in their ranks and get us fired up for the fight! That should make things easier for us."

Zahrah's excitement was a bit contagious, while the larger Jackalkin had a more tempered air about her as she tapped her blade against her shoulder, staring out over the sands with narrowed eyes.

"I'm just worried about the Fiends is all... how many there are and how strong they are... The idea of another host of Bloodletter-esque enemies is a daunting one, that's for sure. But... I guess we won't find out till we get into the battle, huh?"