Yujuki and Nikka ran up to the mansion's giant oak doors. Of course, it was shut.
"Give me some roomi and time." Yujuki pulled out the pin tying her silver hair back. "This is one trick I learned fromi Kiyoshi, back when we first met." She split the pin into two, inserted one into the lock and fidgeted inside with the other. A minute later, the lock clicked and the door swung open.
"Wow, Kiyoshi never mentioned he could pick locks." Nikka was amazed. "Nor did Lucan."
"Well, it's considered a quite dirty trick among us military people." Yujuki answered. "It's the type of thing street rats do, and never really presentable. Giveni how Lucan has eyes for you," Nikka blushed, "I'd say he would never speak of it either. Though I imagine giveni his background, he definitely has a few cracked locks under his belt." She retied her hair and led the way in.
The Felina maid looked up. She wore a black coat with white lace. On her legs she wore pure white stockings, and tread a petite pair of black soles. She held a broom in her hand, but her plump dress from the waist down prevented her from holding it easily. Underneath those garments, Skorch seemed to have made her wear something that buttressed her breasts as they threatened to break free.
"Is that demon dead?" She asked, tugging at the black shackle on her neck. It was glowing faintly purple, as if it was enchanted.
"He is." Yujuki smiled. "Is there anyone else here?"
"A lot." The maid answered. "Skorch took in a lot of Felina women. Most are in the kitchens. Others like me tend to the house. There's one he keeps in his bedroom at all times, he calls her his pet, we never dared to ask for her name."
"How do we unlock these?"
"The keys are in his room, I imagine." The maid said. "It should be reddish. We cannot get it because as soon as we get close, our shackles burns us."
"Gather the rest in the living roomi." Yujuki instructed. "We'll come back with the key and free you all."
"Thank you." The maid threw down the broom and rushed away.
Yujuki and Nikka soon found the master's bedroom upstairs, it was hard to miss. Skorch had decorated the halls with Netherrack and orange, and they all led up to his place. With another bit of jiggling, they broke down the door and found a stark naked Lira, collared and leashed, inside a small cage.
"Lira!" Nikka rushed to her. "We'll get you out of here. Skorch is dead. Where are the keys?"
"They are under his pillow." Lira gasped. Nikka found them and opened the cage, and Lira's collar. She quickly put on a set of maid outfit Yujuki retrieved from a wardrobe.
"Let's move." Lira said. "I don't want to spend another minute here."
"You know, I used to be a warden." Marcus said as they marched to the city prison, newly enlarged to house more occupants. Behind them swarmed a massive army of zombies, skeletons, and creepers.
"That is where you met Lucan, right?" Eddy took a swig, even though he was already red in his cheeks and unsteady on his feet. "When he first came, he was under a pre-release assignment."
"You were his guard when the Basalt incident happened?" Marcus said, "Yes, I seem to recall. And frankly, you were our last pick."
"What do you mean?"
"He means they assign the best guards first to paid miners." Xaria interjected. "We Necromancers used to do the same. Only those most accomplished in the art of controlling the Undead, like myself, gets the creepers and spiders."
"Fellas, we are here." Marcus stopped before a wrought iron gate.
"Hmm, that thing looks tough." Xaria pondered. "Kaboom?" He raised his staff and a few creepers walked forth.
"You do realize that would mean we have to rebuild everything, right?" Marcus stopped him. "No kaboom."
"Uh, guys?" Eddy walked up to the gate. "The skeletons left it open. Guess they don't have a brain." He chuckled to himself as he drank another gulp.
"I'm starting to think you don't." Muttered Xaria as they entered and freed the people, mostly Felina men, that Skorch had imprisoned.
"So, did we do it?" Lucan asked as he and a tear-stricken Nitsuke greeted the others in the living room. He had strapped a stick to his shin and stood a bit lopsided before them.
"We did." Nikka said. "Felora has been liberated. With the capital in our control, the rest of the towns and cities should be no problem."
"We must repeat our success in the capitals." Yujuki said. "Let this be a turni in the tide for the war."
"It might be best to first solidify our efforts here." Nitsuke spoke up, sniffing slightly. "Also, we should wait for Pythus to make a move."
"I'm all for staying." Burped Eddy. "The beer here is excellent."
"We also need to bury our heroes as well." Yujuki said, her ears drooping. "For Kiyoshi, and Alec, and the rest of the soldiers who died."
"Alright, there's only the portal near Crown Peak that remains." Volcannus said to himself, putting away his pickaxe. Beside him was a huge pile of black wither skeleton bones, with not a skull in sight. "Pythus must be so angry right now. Too bad I can't be there myself to piss him off further."
Up in the palace, Pythus paced around the throne room. "I want his head before sundown!" He roared. The Netheran soldiers behind him looked blank. He smacked one on the face and he flew to the other side of the giant hall.
"Quit standing there looking like idiots!" Pythus thundered. "I want Volcannus dead! Or better yet, bring him alive so I can KILL HIM MYSELF!" The Netheran scattered as he pounded his axe.
"I let you live when I took the throne, because you were my brother." Pythus said to himself. "I showed you mercy. And this is how you repay me?! Treason, of the highest order, directly sabotaging the Nether kingdom's war efforts. Our troops won't last a day before they all die from being out of our realm for too long. We must act."
He looked westward out the window. Winter has come, but the usual cold was overcame by the lava in the city. "And Felden, how could Skorch have lost Felden? He deserved to die. It was a fitting sentence for losing a kingdom. A "liberation" they are calling it. The people of this land resist conquest. All people do."
Pythus summoned the Angel of Death. "Very well, if it is freedom they want, then freedom they shall have." When the Angel landed before him and knelt down to receive his orders, he was surprisingly calm. "Raze the remaining capitals to the ground. Kill every last living thing that is not ours. Bring back what troops you can and regroup here at Crown Peak. Return to me in the Nether. I cannot risk having the last portal destroyed. It is time we move forward with the rest of our plans and bring this war to an end."
The Angel crossed his arms before his chest and flew off.