They stood among their fallen enemies. The roar of a fire could be heard far off in the city and the Wyvern was still a shadow in the sky. Victor listened to the dripping of blood from his hatchet. He stood motionless and terrified.
Only Caesar seemed to still have a clear idea of what he was doing. He moved quickly and with purpose, and spoke to his officers. “Have these men build a barricade across that opening. We need to restation extra guards along the walls. Then I want you to scout around the city and assist the military wherever you can, and save as many lives as you can. Go!”
To Victor and the others he said: “A number of ghouls and goblyns remain inside the academy. Rodrick has gone after them, but he may need your help. I can handle the rest of things here. Go find him.”
The road leading to the inner section was still full of either fleeing students, or battle-ready graduates setting out to defend the city. The shrieks and cries of all kinds of monsters sounded from the darkest corners and alleys of the academy. Hansel decided to leave the street and sweep through the classrooms while they searched for Rodrick, figuring that it was better to clear out as many monsters as they could on the way. An angry glow tinted the windows facing the blazed city, and spears of moonlight shot in from the other side.
The classrooms were an eerie sight; books had been left open, tables knocked over and half-finished messages on the blackboards. Hansel strode down the left side, Gretel on the right, and Victor through the middle, with Sam behind him with her bow at the ready. There came a shrill cry as a Hobgoblyn scurried from under a desk and started throwing books around. Sam fired an arrow through it.
The classrooms ended and they came to a dark hallway. There were no bodies of goblyns nearby, which meant that Rodrick had not yet passed through here. A patter of footsteps echoed from somewhere hidden. From the dark sprung a ghoul; it wrapped its long hands around Victor’s throat. He cried: “Hansel! Hansel!” His companion quickly thrust his sword through its chest and it died soon after. He sat up. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” said Hansel. “Not let’s get on. I thought I heard Rodrick’s voice up ahead.”
A moment later Rodrick came shouting into the end of the hallway, with a sword in his hand and a Roach at his back. He saw them and shouted: “Sam!” Somehow Sam understood the order, and as he ducked aside she fired an arrow and it thudded into the Roach’s neck. Rodrick turned back and hacked off its head. He then approached them and smiled. “Damn, you are truly a keen shot, Samantha!” He turned. “Gretel! There you are! Have you seen Caesar?”
“Yes, we helped him defend the wall. We slew an onslaught of goblyns but the main gate was destroyed.”
Rodrick glanced back to the fallen Roach. “The academy is littered with monsters!”
Gretel straightened. “What are our orders?”
He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll handle these. You take down that damn Wyvern!”
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