Beatrix rode shotgun in front of Greta on the warhorse. She was in the worst of moods. Why did she always have to be carried around like a child? Of course, the little witch was a short girl with a height of four and a half feet. But they could always get her a pony or a younger horse!

Beatrix sighed, pushing her insecurities aside. She had bigger fish to fry right now. The Cromwell soldiers were about to enter a vicious battle with odds stacked heavily against them. With Athena and only a dozen Elves and humans, Beatrix was pitted against a hundred blood-thirsty monsters!

Orcs weren't to be taken lightly. They were carnivorous savages who especially enjoyed the meat of intelligent beings. They were also rapists and torturers, relishing violence just for the sake of it.

If you are fighting an Orc and losing, you better pray he kills you. Being caught alive would be a descent into the worst kind of hell.

Beatrix had heard stories of humans and Elf girls stored as breeding captives with their limbs cut off. They were hung from hooks and fed waste material, kept alive only to make Orc babies.

"Did you set the plan into action, witch?" Greta asked bluntly, startling her.

"I have a name, ELF!" she fired back angrily.

"Alright, most honored witch, Beatrix Galore," the Elf Commander said sarcastically. "Did you or did you not lay down a protection spell for the Cromwell heir?"

Beatrix sighed. The very mention of Ethan infuriated her. She regretted accepting Countess Velma's bodyguard job. She and Athena could have continued their vagabond life, avoiding a life-threatening Orc ambush.

And what was with the Orcs? The vast enemy numbers indicated it was a pre-meditated attack. Some mastermind wanted the boy dead or alive at any cost.

Ethan himself was a strange guy, taking the liberty to smell her hair. Strangely, Beatrix allowed it and was quite comfortable in his presence. He even supported her when the others ridiculed the girl's grimoire magic obsession. But that didn't mean she would die for him!

"Stop spacing out and answer my question!" Greta demanded.

"Yeah, I did! Sheesh! I cast an invisibility spell on your young Count's horse. As long as he stays mounted on his steed, the Orcs won't be able to see, hear, or touch him."

"And you're confident the spell will work? Not that I condone using dark magic."

Beatrix pursed her lips lividly. An invisibility spell was high-end stuff, combining dark and nature categories. The caster sacrificed a living organism's life to cast protection on the target.

Naturally, the Crown forbade any magic involving sacrifice. But Greta knew of Beatrix's infamous history. Someone writing a grimoire would eventually get her hands dirty with dark spells.

The Elf Commander requested the little witch to make Ethan invisible until their battle plan was successful.

"For the Orcs, Ethan has already disappeared from existence," Beatrix replied sourly. "The horse will die within an hour, though."

Greta nodded. "The sacrifice of a thousand horses would still fall short compared to the Young Count's life."

"Not that I condone dark magic," she quickly added.

Beatrix scoffed. "Is Ethan Cromwell that important to you? You're willing to risk your life for a weekly salary?"

"Hmph! A selfish little witch like you wouldn't understand the value of loyalty."

Beatrix grunted back at the Elf Commander but made no verbal retort. Actually, a member of the nobles' council of Fondel County had bribed Greta to get rid of Beatrix and Athena. The two were considered too rebellious and might infect the Young Count's pure mind.

However, Greta was still loyal to the Cromwell family. She may take a bribe or two for minor favors, but as far as Ethan's survival was concerned, she was willing to lay down her life.

"Loyalty means nothing when you're dead," Beatrix finally said.

"Stop yapping and cast the other spell!" Greta barked. "We are moments away from colliding with the Orc horde!"

The Elf Commander wasn't wrong in her calculations. It was pitch dark, even with three torches burning. Athena guided them to some extent. But the most helpful proximity indicator was the tremors of advancing heavy footfalls.

Beatrix gritted her teeth and rubbed her hands together. She raised them to the side and gathered her MP.

The plan was as follows. The Cromwell soldiers were clearly outmatched in numbers. Therefore, facing the enemy head-on would be rather stupid.

Greta proposed Beatrix use a powerful nature spell to summon marshes in the battlefield ahead. Orcs were heavy creatures and would easily stumble and get stuck in the muck. It would give the horse riders a golden chance to swoop in and massacre them.

Beatrix inhaled deeply and muttered the required spell nonverbally. She waited for the marshes to manifest, but nothing happened.

The witch furrowed her brows and repeated the words. Nothing.

Beatrix said the Witchspeak words aloud. It did not change a thing. "Ermm… I think the spell isn't working!"

Greta felt like the world was suddenly pulled from below her. "What? Why?"

"I don't know! I'm trying again and again. Something is seriously wrong!"

"You better make it work, witch! Or be prepared to become an Orc breeder!"

The mystery was solved by Athena, who rode next to them. Her eyes were glowing, which meant her divine vision skill was active, and she could see in the dark.

"Bea! I think you need to know this!"

"What is it? I'm trying to focus!"

Athena scowled and spoke her mind, anyway. "Listen to me! The Orc Shaman is at the center of the Orcs horde. His forehead is kind of glowing. There's an inverted triangle shape on it! It looks scary, Bea!"

Beatrix's eyes widened as she immediately recognized the description. "Oh, crap! That's a magic nullification rune! Where did they get such a proficient shaman?"

Greta gritted her teeth in exasperation. "Goddamit! They already knew our team had a witch! It's a countermeasure against our magic!"

Nullification was basically decree magic that froze spell activation in a pre-defined area. It could be triggered through a rune as well.

Nullification burned tremendous MP rapidly and hence lasted only a few seconds. However, such a short time could turn the tide in battles. For the Cromwell team, a few seconds would cost their life!

Clang! Clash! The two parties collided into one another. The battle began!

In the beginning, the Elf and human soldiers appeared to dominate. They had the support of runes, the gifts of superior fighting skills, and advanced weapons. Moreover, they were trained and disciplined.

However, the Orcs made up for their inexperience and absence of skills through raw strength and numbers. If one died, another replaced it immediately.

"Nooo!" Greta yelled as an Orc hacked her horse's leg off. She crashed along with Beatrix to the ground.

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