The town was dead. It is a deserted place, and only death itself remains here. I never let my companions exit the carriage and enter the town.

The first thought might’ve been that this is a tragic accident when local wildlife slaughtered the people. I understood that there are many weird things that have no trustworthy explanation.

[It is not an accident.]

The issue is that there are many questions I can’t find answers for. Why did someone send in that many monsters? Why let the monsters stay here if you wanted conquering this place? And the most important, why they left this place and did all those atrocities?

There are many deaths which look like a common murder: cuts, pierces, beating. And even more deaths which look like a very sophisticated torture, just for the sake of sadistic pleasure. I saw flayed people, blood eagle, people cut in pieces, impalements on everything, there was even a ‘sculpture’ of dead people who were placed like visitors of a tavern.

There was a possibility the attackers were sent by the king but it is the least possible option. Even the craziest of people would never do such a thing when they take a town. Even if it was a rebelling town this would be excessive to use such a measure. The people would succumb to any rule just after a few public executions. They will have no way to rebel for some time and by the time they are ready. The king would already have ways to crush the rebels.

Why would anyone attack the town, destroy its walls and paint it red? Who would benefit from it?

I sent a scouting group to find anything that can be of use for us, or anything that can give me some answers.

For the first few hours I managed to map the town and meet with the others.

“What have you seen?” (E)

“Do you really want to know?” I showed her with my expression what answer would she get.

“I understand, tell me, how long will we remain here? This place is giving me goosebumps.” (E)

“I will take a look at this place so tell everyone to keep closer to you. The place is infested with monsters and I can’t protect everyone while I’m gone.”

I returned to the town after I discovered a point of interest. It was a town hall.

I searched through it to discover something that will give me an insight what happened before the attack. The results were pitiful because I didn’t find any traces of being under siege or directly rebelling against the king. That was enough to imagine that either the king is completely insane, or that it was somebody else.

I continued looking for clues but I found nothing that could give me a clear answer what happened. I can see only dead bodies and blood.

In the end I became desperate to find anything and headed out of the town, to a breached part of its wall and returned to the caravan.

We headed out to the secondary destination, another small town located in the area. I sent my scouts to check if they are still alive and what is their situation.

“Green 3, Green 4. This is Green 1, be advised, we are entering the area. Green 2, follow me. Search anything that can help us find the damned place.” A6M fighter with green marks on its tail was flying high above the clouds. Lower in the clouds fly other 3 fighters with the same marking. Their mission is to discover the town and find out what is their situation. If something goes bad, they are to provide the possible assistance until the other planes arrive.

The first pair started descending below the clouds, the second pair was flying above the clouds to assist in case something goes wrong. This tactic was first developed to fight this world’s flying beasts and for now it proved to be useful against any opposition.

“Green 1, I saw something over the forest to our 3 o’clock. Will we check?”

“Roger, Green 2. Follow me.”

The first plane rolled to the right and dived in. The second plane did the same and followed the leader in a distance. The planes were approaching a weird group of objects.

“Green flight, we have encountered wyverns! Second pair, we need assistance!”

The leader sent a request for back-up both from the second pair and the base but they still need to buy some time and take down the monsters.

Zero rolled and pulled over towards a wyvern.

Ratatata

And after a little burst of fire the fighter started returning to the high altitude for the next attack.

A little group of fighters began the uneven fight with a group of hundred monsters, which all were ready to kill what they can find.