After classes, I arrive at the smithy with a dozen meals balancing from two trays. As I pass the door, I’m greeted by ravenous beasts. Without waiting a moment everyone stops working to eat and I’m left befuddled. Leaving them to the food, I head for the forge and start working.

The night goes without any problems and we end up with a record high production. Sitting on the table are 102 items. We really should have someone showing up every hour to get the items. They could have been used earlier if we hadn’t screwed up. I feel dumb, such oversights shouldn’t be happening.

In another table, there are the other fruits of what we did right. Most of the steel we made was cast. Molds of clay with their insides cooling, hide inside the other part of our defense. Hundreds of tips for the ballista bolts. There a few forged bolts, or as Mr. Blackwood likes to call them, properly made items. But these can be mass-produced and are good enough for the ballista in most use cases.

In another few hours the day starts. Something is different in the air. With a frown in my face, I head for the meeting. This feeling is not something I can quite place. Over the years this has happened a few other times. Probably something big a few people know and I haven’t learned yet.

I think over our time here. Today marks the beginning of our third week here. 15 days of uninterrupted work. This probably doesn’t mark anything significant but the days are piling up. The end of the month is getting closer. The guild will need to have enough coin in hand for everybody to pay the system. There will be riots if they screw this up.

Outside people rush about. Some head to their tasks, most head to the meeting. The sense of normalcy is eerie. No one is looking at the building as if they have never seen it before. The uneasy of being thrown in a new environment is gone. There is no doubt in anyone’s movements.

Everyone is quite sure they belong here. Their heads may think of Earth as their home, but their hearts are already accustoming to this place. Are 15 days all it takes for people to adapt so well to this new reality?

This reminds me of something. The stories I read in the past may have a multitude of things wrong, but there is something they got right about humans. There may be stronger, faster, and smarter races around. Humans however were among the best when it came to adapting to new situations. All we needed was to not die in the first few moments, the rest we could figure it out.

My chest swelled up a bit with pride. Perhaps it is not the smart move to feel pride, but I was tired to feel like I had an insurmountable task every second of the day. I can’t let this feeling blind me. But I know humans would not be all eliminated in the first round.

‘System, you throw all you want at us, we are ready.’

-----

In the morning meeting, I pay close attention when he talks about the monster attack.

“All our sources we are confident the attack will be happening today. Tracks found, show that a group of humanoid monsters has joined with wolves. Our best estimations put the enemy forces around 250 units. Given the size of the footprints, we should be expecting level 5 to 10 wolves and level 10 to 15 humanoids.

“Given the history of similar attacks in starting villages, we can expect to face at least one leader in the 20 to 30 range. He might also have a couple of lieutenants. The time is still undetermined but the most common times attacks are at noon, 6 o’clock and midnight. We will be organizing everyone. For people who don’t have assigned jobs, we hope you will join us in a few exercises. There have been in the last few days of group training, but we should get as well organized as we can now.

“We also ask that everyone stop what you are doing half-hour before the times we talked about and head to the wall. We will be directing everyone to their stations and giving quick directions.”

He goes on for another few minutes but I just let it wash over me. Today is the day. We will know if we will make it or break it. The task was monumental and we had taken a step to the deep end. I just hoped we didn’t drown before we learned to swim. Drowning is bad, I like to breathe very much so.

The crowd is at a high state of alert. Before they knew another attack was possible. Now the time arrived and there was no more postponing it. A few people were shaken, others were pumped for the opportunity. Two weeks ago not more than a handful of the village would have been looking forward to combat.

Some of the younger people with too much fantasy filling their heads might have thought they would enjoy combat. But you can never know what combat is until you experience it. Now with the blood of thousands of creatures staining the hands of our village’s hunters, everyone knows a little of the realities of combat.

A few people had never returned after a bad delve or two in the forest. That was not a problem given we needed the labor force anyway. What we hadn’t dealt with yet were the casualties. So far only 2 people had died, and both of them were lone hunters. There was the missing person in the second da, but I won’t count that.

Thinking over the whole affair, I find the number of people that got, not only used to combat but relished in it to be very high. The way the whole thing was organized however seemed uniquely suited to prod people in the direction of being bloodthirst.

Except for jobs for a couple of dozen people, the only thing available was to hunt. Hunting the rabbits wielded decent money and no danger. The wolves were only mildly dangerous if you had a group while yielding more Exp. and money. The only stumbling block was the mammoth and that was the scout's fault.

They were brainwashing us in seeing the animals and mobs as bags of loot and Exp. The worse thing is, even me being aware of it did not change my perspective too much. There was simply no choice.

We either take the first steps in the path to become monsters or we would not be able to take any more steps. Perhaps not today or tomorrow, but soon enough.

I look over the dispersing crowd. They are slowly going about their business. A few return the jobs others head to the place to drill their response when combat time came around. Most however were going straight to the forest. Perhaps they were trying to get another level in. Or to get enough money for another weapon to share in their group.

When there only a few people hanging around I head to the stairs and Charlie stops himself to quickly address me.

“Nash, come lunchtime I want you to keep working at the forge. I have a hunch. During the attack your efforts would be most useful there.”

“Ok. Is there anything else I can help with?”

“Just keep up what you are doing.”

With curt words, he starts to talk with someone else. I know he is busy, so I don’t mind the briskness and head to work. It seems things will be hectic comes the time. Given what he said I assume it’s very unlikely the attack will be at noon. They probably just want to guarantee everybody knows what to do when the actual attack arrives.

Lunch comes and goes. Mr. Blackwood says if we need we can go, but following my lead, everyone stays.

As the sun is approaching the horizon, I stop work and say my goodbyes to the smith.

“Boy, don’t look so gloomy, the village will make it.”

“I’m not gloomy, I’m pensive.”

“Sure you are.”

With those words, I head into the unknown. Not an unknown place, I had walked all over the village since the day we were brought here. The unknown was the situation, the people’s reaction, and what would happen.

I get a stronger feeling in the air. It is exactly like this morning. Trepidation. Yes, not quite fear, but the wait and the not knowing.

Carrying a new staff fitted with weights on both ends, now I can do some damage if I need to. It may limit my maximum output but it also gives me more control of how much damage I inflict. When I go hunting again, it may be useful.

It takes me minutes to get to the walls. The whole place is different. Ladders built every few feet. A sturdy platform spans the whole wall. The supports are more numerous and sturdier. I doubt even repeated strikes from the mammoth in the same place would make more than a dent.

Buckets of water and tanks are strewn everywhere. Laughing, I think they especially keen on the village not burning down. The fact most of the wood is not seasoned may be a detriment when it came to longevity, but that was a big help when it came to not making fires worse, if not outright putting them out.

People are everywhere, like ants rushing about. I’m directed to a tower that is a few meters away from the wall. It is a big room five meters from the ground. That is the same level as the platform. I assume this room has the command staff.

I climb one of the ladders and see people getting pulled up from outside the wall. With the gate closed and barricaded this is the only way to get up the wall. Nest time perhaps they will pay more attention. I arrive at the command center. A guard recognizes me and lets me in. As Charlie sees me he stops what he is saying.

“Nash, good you are here. This is the guard captain, Richard.” He says pointing to his side at the men in charge when I was kitting the mammoth.

“Hi Richard, it’s nice to meet you.”

“You too. Now to business.” At my nod, he continues. “We plan to use the ballistae and a couple of archers to take out the biggest and more threatening monsters first. We have spikes and a small ditch to slow the enemy approach. That should thin their numbers. We will be waiting here and throw rocks at all of them as they get to the foot of the wall.”

“What about their commander?” Says someone at the back of the group listening.

“There is much we don’t know and will have to adapt to the situation as information comes in. But even if they have a commander, it doesn’t mean they will siege us. It just means he will see the spikes and try to minimize the benefit it provides us. We don’t know how smart he will be, but he should be at most at our tactical level.”

“So we won’t meet them in battle and retreat into the city when we get overwhelmed?” Someone else asked.

“That doesn’t work, it may look impressive in a movie but it’s tactically the wrong move. Much has changed in this new world and who knows the future of warfare. But for now, staying inside the walls is still the best move.”

“How about magic I heard there were a couple of groups that would be doing something.”

“A few people have trained to cast magic at long range. They combine the magic from several people and use it to obliterate their targets. The main limitations are range and mana. It takes about 500 mana points for a fireball powerful enough to kill a level 5 wolf, and it can reach 10 to 15 meters. For now, it is not something we will be putting much stock on. But as they get right outside our walls, it could help our efforts.”

The questions keep coming from everyone. I ask myself if this is the command center. Everyone who is here is nodding and paying attention as if this was the first time they are hearing this information. I could understand if a couple of people didn’t know anything, but almost everyone has no idea about the situation.

Most are all just like me, hearing this for the first time now. Everyone here seems to be in a position of authority among our forces. At least the three people designated as subcommands are acting as if they are familiar with the situation.

After the discussion dies down we all head outside and Richard tells everyone the plan as the sub-commander head in the direction of their grouping of people. They will need to re-pass the information.

The tension is almost palpable now. Everyone can feel it; even the most airheaded people take note of the situation and pay attention. The minutes pass by and the sun goes down. Just as the tension begins to wind down I hear a horn being blown.

To the right in the wall, I see the guard who blew the horn. He stops after a moment and looks over at the forest. I walk forward to the wall and in the distance, I look in the same spot his head is turned to.

Squinting my eyes, I see monsters, a small army of monsters. Big rabid wolves are leaving the forest and entering the clearing.

The clearing from the wall to the closest tree was 200 meters long. That is the distance the wolves are from the wall. They don’t take another step inside the clearing.

Straining my eyes I try to make out what is behind them. There are other monsters. The sun is at their side and the contrast of right from the trees stops us from seeing them well.

After a moment I only see their silhouette. They are indeed humanoid. Short and lanky humanoids.