A commotion broke out in the inn, a storm of emotions was kicked up. If this was a theatrical play, the harbinger of bad news would have achieved tremendous success in playing with the emotions of his audience. Fear, making some of them run to their rooms to pack up their belongings in preparation to flee. Disbelief, causing some to narrow their eyes in skepticism, unable to trust the shaken man. Curiosity, prompting a few to make further inquiries to learn more about the situation. Excitement, leading a good number of men to withdraw their weapons, eager to slay monsters. Greed, encouraging the avaricious merchants to try charging outrageous fees for transportation. Anger, inducing Aaron Blackstone to roar.

"PIPE DOWN!!" the roar assaulted the eardrums of everyone in the room, causing them to cringe painfully. The ones who stood closest to Aaron are clutching their ears and rolling on the floor in pain.

Silence ensues immediately, Aaron slowly turns his head as he scans the entirety of the room. Chase and Alice have already retired on some empty chairs, they know this would take some time.

"Good" he nods, confirming that he had managed to pacify the situation.

"You, what's your name?" Aaron addresses the cause of the commotion who is currently kneeling on the floor.

"Rob-" he begins to say as he makes eye contact with Aaron.

"Forget it, where do you live, where did the monsters come from and how did you get away?" Aaron interrupts rudely, as he always does.

"I live to the west of here, I'm a hunter... I can testify to that if you show my face around to some merch-"

"Skip it, next" again, he did not manage to finish his sentence before being intruded on.

Robert does not like how Aaron is eyeing him with disbelieving eyes. He begins to doubt his hasty decision to seek for help at the Adventurer's Guild-cum-inn, but he steels himself for this is the only place around with a sufficient amount of combatants. He spares a brief glance to the throng of fighters and spellcasters filling the interior of the establishment.

"The monsters, they came from the west... from the Millennium Forest, there were a swarm of them.. e-e-everyone t-they.." Robert begins to shake in fear, the memory must have been very unpleasant for him. Everyone gasped incredulously when they heard the name 'Millennium Forest', they have never heard of any case where the monsters of the Forest leave their areas. Further doubts sprout in their minds, the ridiculousness of the statement strengthens their dubious thoughts.

"Alright, now answer me......... how did you.... get away?" Aaron had moved closer to Robert, their face almost bumping into each other. Aaron's piercing violet eyes stare deep into the man's watery blue ones, daring him to lie.

"I'm t-the only person with a horse there, I rode as fast as I could.. the horse up and died three quarters of the way here and I continued to run by foot, you can check for the dead horse if you want to.." Robert did not dare to break off the eye contact, he knows Aaron is currently weighing his story. He is telling the truth, but accidentally giving the wrong signal might cause a misunderstanding, one that would cost some time to resolve. Time, which they lack at the moment.

"...." Aaron backs away while wearing an indescribable expression. It could not be told whether he believes Robert or not.

The surrounding people, including Chase and Alice, are waiting for Aaron's judgment while withholding their breaths. The authority Aaron exudes cannot be challenged by any of them, most of them know and trust that Aaron would be able to judge correctly, but the absurdity of the story urged them to protest.

"But it's impossible for the monsters of the Millennium Forest to wander out of it!" The female Adventurer's Guild clerk who sold Aaron and Chase a portable Evaluation Glyph calls out from her counter. A majority of the adventurers nod in agreement, the Adventurer's Guild always provides reliable information.

"If impossibility looks at you in the eye and tell you it's real, it becomes a possibility" Aaron gave a sidelong glance to Robert as he faces the female clerk to explain.

"Whose mounts are still fresh? Go and check out the western area" Aaron decides to have other witnesses to support the case and report back the details. A single man, ripe with age with a stump for one of his hands, raises an arm. Those who had withdrawn their weapons had already sheathed them, the mention of the monster's origins had scared them. The monsters of the Millennium Forest are stronger than their counterparts who roam outside of it, though still weaker than the ones inhabiting the Cursed Lands. Fighting off a pack of them is one thing, fighting a swarm of them is another thing entirely.

"One? All of you buff and strong adventurers here want to let a one armed geezer ride into potential danger alone?" Aaron glares accusingly at each and every one of the adventurers wearing extravagant armours in the room. Most looked away, ashamed of themselves but fortunately a few brave souls realised the stinging truth behind Aaron's acid remark and put up their hands.

"Good, go and check it out from afar, do not engage and report back their numbers and types" Aaron did not even bother asking them to verify the truth, he knows Robert is not lying. Years of experience leading subordinates had taught him to detect lies. There had been many cases where fresh new recruits tried to deceive him in order to skip his training regimen, they ended up hanging upside down from trees while fending off bees with sticks.

The riders nod their heads and exit the inn to make their way to the stables to retrieve their horses. It would be a risky venture for them to travel in the dark to scout for monsters, but it is a necessary risk that must be taken. Information regarding enemy forces is crucial to a successful strategy.

"Someone go and alert the soldiers, and tell them to-" Aaron paused, he frowns for a second.

"No, I'll do it myself after this, they probably wouldn't budge from their positions" Armitage's military discipline is exceptionally high, and if his observations were right, the Squad Leaders stationed in Thanes won't disobey orders from their superiors even if it means death. He has to visit them himself and hope his previous association with the military would be able to persuade them. The loud galloping sounds outside of the inn signals the scouting group's departure.

"You, send your agents to other branches and alert them. Ask for reinforcements from towns and cities if possible" He looks at the Adventurer's Guild clerk who stares back at him stonily in response. The woman is obviously still doubting the situation, her faith in the Adventurer's Guild information database is deeply ingrained into her.

"I'll pay for any inconvenience if this turns out to be false information, do it" Aaron steels his gaze, forcing the clerk to hesitate. Finally, the clerk reluctantly nods and points to an inconspicuous man that had been blending in with the crowd. The man turns away and walks towards the door. If he had not been pointed out, most of them would not even realise his faint presence. The Adventurer's Guild information network is nothing to be scoffed at, they have skilled eyes and ears planted everywhere.

"He is the only messenger currently in the village, he would reach Ceylon in two days and Emond in seven" The woman clarifies to Aaron, whether there truly is only one messenger available is unknown. There is a possibility that she does not wish to reveal the identity of any other agents who are currently present.

"Alright, those who do not want to stay and defend the village, you can be on your way now!" Aaron is not accusing anyone of cowardice, prioritising your own life is just common sense. There is nothing to be gained from this, having half-hearted defenders would only cause problems later on. Half of the inn's customers begin to shuffle their feet and begin to move.

"Wait" they paused for a while to listen guiltily, preparing themselves for any incoming ridicule regarding their decisions.

"Alert everyone you meet on the road once you leave, tell them of the situation here and inform them that they could help if they want to" Aaron reminds them, he is sure there are some adventurers with noble souls out there or at least those who are crazy enough to come and defend an unfortified village against a swarm of monsters without any rewards. The customers nod grimly and continue to make preparations to leave. Some of them ascend the stairs to their room, some immediately go outside and mount their horses. The other half remaining in the inn had already taken their seats and are intently staring at Aaron.

"Okay, all of you who wants to defend the village go and alert everyone! Tell them to pack up and be ready for evacuation, bring anyone who wishes to stay and fight with you. I'll bring the soldiers over later to handle the evacuation" Some of the defenders give unsatisfied looks to Aaron after hearing their menial task. Evacuating citizens does not register as a heroic act for them.

"You can't be a hero if you let civilians die!" Aaron noticed their disappointed faces and retorted back.

'Idiots, the whole lot of them! It's no wonder how the army lacks new recruits with the younger generation being this way' Aaron thought bitterly. While it is true that military power is not important due to the peace treaty signed by all three kingdoms, it could not be denied that Armitage boasts the smallest army in Armus.

"Once you're done, head over to Gillian's hou- the White Devil's Lair! I'll brief you on the defenses later" Aaron changes his sentence midway, remembering that most of these people do not know who Gillian is. The White Devil's Lair, however, is pretty famous among them. Noisy scraping noises are emitted as the defenders stand up and begin executing their task.

"You, Rob, can go and catch some rest or something" Robert is still sitting on the floor, kneading his sore legs to remove the pain. He looked up at the mention of his name and smiled thankfully, he did not make the wrong decision after all. Somehow, he could not help himself but believe in the man before him.

"Chase! Alice! Come over here!" Aaron beckons to the both of the children who had been sitting at one of the tables silently the entire time. They had been admiring Aaron's charisma which had effectively influenced everyone present in the inn, making them comply with his words.

Chase and Alice scurries over obediently. They already knew what Aaron is going to say, they would most likely have to evacuate with the rest of the citizens. They don't plan on protesting though, that would waste precious time that could be used to organize the defenses. They look at Aaron with determined eyes, comprehending that this is not the time for selfishness.

"You two, come with me! We'll be visiting the soldiers, then you would be joining the defense briefing at Gillian's" He immediately strides to the door after barking an order. Much to their surprise, Aaron did not forbid them from fighting. Aaron had changed much over the course of the previous year, the old Aaron would have probably tucked Chase in one of the merchant's wagon and have him exported to safety. However, the Aaron who now stands before them is their Close Combat Instructor who has unshakable faith in his students' capabilities.

"Rob, clerk girl! Tell the scouts where they should go to once they get back!" Aaron turns around at the door and delivers a reminder to the only two people left in the inn. He then exits with the two children in tow.

"It's Robert... " Robert mutters faintly as Aaron and company leaves the establishment. A sense of loneliness washes over him, he feels insignificant like a pebble on the side of the road. He had entered the inn with so much impact that everyone was staring at him, and now he is sitting on the floor, forgotten. It is as if he was just a throw-away character in a story, never to reappear again. Thankfully, he is not alone, he turns his head around and faces the only other person remaining.

"So... how long have you been working here?" he tries to open up a conversation. The clerk just rolls her eyes and sighs and then proceeds to palm her face. This is not a good day for her, not good at all.

----------------------------------

Aaron is currently running through the streets with Alice and Chase, weaving their way through the crowds of people. Shouts of anger and confusion could be heard all over the village, the locals do not take kindly to adventurers making noise in front of their houses. Slaying a monster would be easier than trying to convince these villagers to evacuate in such short notice. The adventurers are having more difficulties with their task than they initially thought.

It did not take them long to reach the soldiers' residential area. The area is occupied by a little more than a dozen small tents, enough to squeeze in four people at most. Several cauldrons are hanging over campfires, an appetizing aroma wafts from their contents. The soldiers are currently fitting on their armours and strapping their weapons to their waist, they had obviously heard of the commotion and are currently preparing to quell it. Thankfully, Aaron managed to reach them just in time before they left camp. It would be a chore to scour the village in search of all five Squad Leaders.

"MEN! which one of you are the Squad Leaders?! I need to have a word" not caring he is within the soldiers' territory, Aaron rudely gives out an order. A familiar man raises his hand, it is none other than John, the Squad Leader whom Aaron had encountered earlier today.

"What is it? Did you cause this commotion?" John eyes Aaron angrily, the village is in chaos and he does not like being obstructed in his duty to keep the peace.

"In a way, I did! But that's besides the point, just gather all the Squad Leaders here and listen to me!" John stares blankly at Aaron for a while, then four more men step forward and faces Aaron.

"Explain yourself" One of the Squad Leaders spoke to Aaron with a menacing expression on, he would not hesitate to clap Aaron in irons if he does not have a solid reasoning behind his actions. Most of the soldiers have not even had the chance to have their dinner yet, including him.

"A swarm of monsters from the Millennium Forest are going to attack the village, you need to evacuate the villagers, then follow the adventurers to receive your directives on the defenses" Aaron kept it short and brief, he does not know how much time they have left until the monsters arrive. Even if he does not have the time to organize the defense, it would be better if all the defenders are assembled in one place. Looking at the disbelieving looks on the Squad Leaders' faces, he asks Chase to hand him over the Glyph of Evaluation.

"I order you as a superior" He says while brandishing the white hexagonal metal plate in front of him. A thin thread of azure light encircles his body and breaks off into pieces, only to reform into letters in mid-air.

NAMEAaron BlackstoneTITLEEx-Battalion Commander

Cold sweat runs down Aaron's forehead, he does not know whether this would be enough to mobilise the soldiers. It would be a huge loss in manpower if the soldiers refuse to obey his orders now, it would be too late to regroup once the monsters arrive. Fighting as separate forces is not a good defense strategy in Aaron's book, even more so when you are facing overwhelming numbers.

'If this fails, I'm going to curse my early retirement' Aaron had retired from his job far too early in order to spend time taking care of his family, a task that he had terribly failed to accomplish.

The Squad Leaders read Aaron's credentials and hesitate for a while. The surrounding soldiers are already fully dressed for battle and are waiting for orders. Aaron was a Battalion Commander, but not anymore, thus they have no need to obey his orders. However, Aaron's reputation vouched for his story. They gave silent nods of agreement and proceed to give orders to their respective squads. Aaron heaved a sigh of relief, gaining fifty well-trained soldiers is a huge boost in his defense plans. He turns to Chase and Alice and starts to address them.

"We're done here, let's get going" and they dashed off into the village again, outpacing the soldiers who are wearing heavy armours. The streets are now less crowded, most of the adventurers have already made their way to the meeting point leaving a few who are struggling with extra stubborn locals. Several soldiers are talking to them, making them explain the situation. These soldiers are the ones who have been on patrol for the night. Aaron did not stop to clarify, the rest of the soldiers coming from behind would settle the situation sooner or later.

A crowd of people comes into their view as they pass through half of the village, Gillian's lawn is packed full of adventurers and merchants. A small group of men and women are sitting on the grass while fletching arrows, the completed products are jutted upright on the ground around them. Long tables have been carried out from the inside of Gillian's house and are set up with maps spread out on top of them. A bunch of veteran looking men crowd the table, discussing about something, presumably the defense strategy. Most of the adventurers who could not contribute are not wasting away their time and are spending it by carefully sharpening their weapons. Some just opted to buy new ones from the merchants hanging about. Aaron looks around for Gillian and spots him at one of the tables, he immediately strides over to see him.

"Sorry I'm a bit late, and for using your house as a base without your permission" Aaron inclines his head to Gillian, his brows are knitted tight in a serious expression.

"No, no, never mind, I've heard about the situation from these young men.. it's a good thing you chose my house, ho ho ho" Gillian smiles understandingly and gave his trademark chuckle. The wizened old man is currently drawing up magical diagrams on large pieces of paper set on the table. He is not the only one however, as there are two more who are doing the same thing.

"Did you brief them on the defenses?" Aaron surveys the area, observing the defenders who had started to make preparations without waiting for his orders. By the looks of it, they are doing a pretty decent job.

"Well, I did tell them they could start first while waiting for you.. I myself just asked around for anyone capable of drawing magical diagrams. The adventurers figured out what to do by themselves, some of them are quite experienced you see" Gillian stares at the veterans who are discussing at the other table, he was obviously referring to them.

"Good, this saves some time" Aaron mutters as he walks off towards the table.

"Alice, Chase, maybe you should head over with Aaron as well... you might have some valuable input to give" Gillian addresses the two who stood still while observing Gillian at work. They decided not to interfere with the strategy planning, in case they would be a bother to have around, but since Gillian ushered them to go, they comply.

Aaron has already taken over the discussion, he is satisfied with the plan that the defenders had come up with. He is currently in the middle of fine tuning it to the situation, the plan is a bit fragile and might fall apart if something out of their expected parameters is to happen. The two children pop their head in between the group of veterans to observe the plan layout.

"Wha-?" One of the strategists were surprised by their sudden appearance.

"Shoo, shoo, go and join the evacuation, kids! This is some serious life-and-death stuff" The man did not mean to be offensive to them, he is simply concerned as to why there are some children who are not evacuated yet. He does not wish to see the corpses of children on the battlefield. Alice and Chase did not pay any attention to him, they wrestled their way to the front to get a closer look at the plans. Aaron stopped and looks at them curiously.

"Why don't we dig out some pitfalls with Earth spells?" Chase voices out his opinion. The seasoned warriors around the table sighed, some palmed their foreheads. Nothing is more annoying than a kid trying to be smart where he is not supposed to be.

"Listen, kid.... we don't have time to cover up those pits! Monsters have night visions, they'd just go around them!" The same veteran tries to explain exasperated by the unnecessary interruption. Someone has to take away these two troublesome kids now or they'll go nowhere with their plans.

"You don't have to, we can just camouflage them using Light Magic" Chase answers nonchalantly as he stares blankly into the veteran's face.

"Sigh.... and where would you find a Master Level Light Magician around here, huh?" The veteran is tired with all of Chase's nonsensical remarks, someone really should take these kids away now. Chase points at himself in reply, spurring a score of laughter from everyone except Aaron and Alice around the table.

"He can do it" Aaron speaks up after carefully considering Chase's suggestion. Indeed, he did not consider the possibility of using pitfalls because he rarely incorporates Magic into his battle plans but with Chase here things are far, far, more flexible. The crowd is silenced, they look back and forth between Chase and Aaron and noticed the similarity in appearance. An Advanced Level Magician is rare enough to find, let alone Master Level. The fact that a boy claims he is one is just plain ridiculous, his father vouching for him holds no credibility. Surely he is trapped in his own nonsensical delusions, perhaps they should take over the defense planning.

"Wait, boss... even if he is your son, you shouldn't have too high of an expectation on him, okay? I understand too.. I hoped my son could be a Zenithian Knight, but he never ma-" the same man tries to protest but stopped before the end of his sentence, eyes bulging wide and mouth gaping open in surprise. The table had turned invisible right before the eyes of everyone, the rest of the crowd are not spared from having incredulous looks plastered over their faces. They shift their eyes towards Chase. Chase is currently looking down at the ground, hiding his silver eyes beneath the locks of his hair. Chase is only Advanced Level in Light Magic but the only criteria which he has yet to reach in order to rank up is the number of spells known to him.

*GULP*

The veteran swallows hard, the spectacle before him had forcibly made him believe. Sometimes it is much easier to demonstrate than to explain. The image of the table flickers back into sight and Chase lifts his head up to look at him with a neutral expression.

"Okay, and is the girl beside you also Master Level?" He eyes Alice who had been quiet for the entire chain of eye popping events. These kids are not ordinary, such is his current thoughts on the matter.

"No, I'm just Advanced" Alice replies with an energetic grin to which he only sighs in relief. The fact that the girl is Advanced Level is preposterous in itself, but after witnessing the demonstration just now, he is much more open minded. He would believe it if someone told him pigs could fly at the current moment, and they probably could in some bizarre parts of the world.

Loud galloping sounds intrude upon the scene, prompting everyone to turn their heads towards the direction of the source. The scouting group has returned, though only one person remains. A sense of dread washes over Aaron, he had probably sent the riders to their deaths. The only one returning is the one armed old geezer. He rides his horse skilfully in between the crowd of people, startling them and causing some to stumble over. Only after he reached the table where Aaron is did he bring his horse to a stop and got off his mount. With a gentle pat on the horse's head, he turns around to face Aaron.

"What are yer looking so down for? The rest of the group are acting as lookouts" He explains, sensing the carefully hidden emotions of the distraught Aaron with ease. All of the defenders put their activities to a halt and gather around the table to listen to the report.

"They'll be shooting off light signals into the sky when the monsters approach their checkpoints and ride back here like demons are on their tails, and they bloody should cos that's what's gonna be bloody chasing em" he wipes off the glistening sweat rolling down his forehead with his stump for an arm, making some of the onlookers cringe uncomfortably at the sight.

"Yer can expect thousands of monsters swarming here by the crack of dawn tomorrow, ain't so sure about the exact numbers in the dark. We saw every kind of monsters from the first layer to the third layer on the move, and they don't bloody look friendly. They would've arrive much faster, but they are behaving weirdly... by the looks of it they are arranging themselves into some kinda formation... they were making a lotta noise too, not sure what" a wave of nervous muttering broke out among the assembly of defenders. Thousands of monsters, and up to the third layer. This is no joking matter, the first layer is not even worth mentioning, but the second and third is quite fearsome in such large numbers. Furthermore, there is an unknown variable, various types of monsters are moving in a formation, something which is unheard of. While there are cases where monsters coordinate their attacks, they never mix up with other types.

"M-maybe we could just abandon this village and retreat to a better fortified place?" A female fletcher voices out her opinion on the matter. Indeed, it would take a small army to fend off those numbers. At this rate, their chance of defending successfully is slim.

"No" Aaron shakes his head ruefully.

"The closest town is Ceylon and it takes two days to reach on horse, imagine how long it would take on foot. The monsters would catch up to us and we would not have any fortification to speak of to defend ourselves with"

"We must hold them here, countless lives would be lost if we fall. Put aside your self concerns, you are protecting hundreds or perhaps thousands of lives who are currently evacuating! We don't have to win, we just have to hold on until reinforcements come" Aaron finishes his short speech, silencing the scared defenders. His words struck sense into them, they would be nothing but prey if they choose to flee from this confrontation. The better choice would be to stand and fight. If they lose their lives here, so be it.

"Get back to work, we have less than ten hours left. Those of you capable of using Earth Magic or good at digging stay here" The crowd dispersed, leaving behind a dozen of defenders. Aaron gives a map to the loudmouthed veteran and orders him to lead the pitfall construction team. They could not afford having the spellcasters pour all their mana into making pitfalls, so having strategical placements for them is crucial. The pitfall team leaves the area and head to the western outskirts of the village to begin their work.

"Stump geezer, you can take a break now" the geezer is still standing there, picking his nose in an unconcerned manner with his little finger. He was not even fazed after being called 'Stump geezer' by Aaron, perhaps he is used to rude people.

"Take a break?! Are yer mad? I'll be on the lookout for the light signals, I'll inform the lot of yer when the monsters come close" without waiting for a reply, he jumped onto his horse and galloped away.

"Right, any more brilliant ideas from you two?" Aaron shifts his gaze towards Alice and Chase, hoping they are capable of giving more valuable inputs. Alice and Chase turn towards each other and put on mischievous smiles, they have plenty of ideas in their minds. Aaron grins, who would have known the children would be so creative?

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The last light signal was shot into the sky, illuminating the darkness while signalling the swarm's arrival in thirty minutes. The defenders have been bolstered by the soldiers and adventurers who answered the call for aid, their numbers reaching a little bit over three hundred. Some of the defenders are merely militia, villagers with little experience in combat wielding weapons from the weapons shop, with the owner's permission of course. All of the defenders have taken their positions, ready to defend the village. They have managed to finish setting up their makeshift defenses a couple of hours early, allowing the majority of them to catch some shut eye. Some are not so lucky, Gillian's group are heavily understaffed and had to stay awake to draw magic diagrams and the pitfall team had to dig as many holes as they could.

Hundreds of pitfalls have been dug around the western side of the village, each over six feet deep and filled with stakes of hardened earth, enough to kill off two or three human-sized monsters. They are invisible to the naked eye thanks to Chase's tampering with the flow of light. The western walls of buildings at the edge of the village are riddled with magic diagram papers. Every single wall has lines tracing the magic diagrams to the master diagrams on the rooftop, where a few magicians standby. The magic diagrams have been drawn on paper in order to easily relocate them to other walls and buildings should they need to fire at different angles or directions.

Each rooftop has a pair of magicians accompanied by a pair of melee fighters for protection, all except one. Chase, Alice and Gillian are on one of the rooftops. They are the only exception to the format with only three people and all of them capable of close combat and magic. The reason why they stuck together is in order to hide Chase's ability, it would be difficult to explain if someone notices his eyes turning silver. Even if Chase does some extreme feats of magic, they could attribute it to Gillian to cover up.

Merchants and non-combatants who wished to help are staying outside of Gillian's house. Bundles of arrows and vials of recovery potions are up for grabs, ready to be transported to the front lines by the scouting group led by stump geezer. The merchants are being generous because they have received word from the fleeing mayor that he would pay the costs of the defenses. The fletchers are still at work, producing even more arrows by the minute.

Aaron and the rest of the defenders are manning the front lines with their melee weapons on the ground. They are currently favouring bows and arrows, ideal to fire off a few volleys on the incoming enemy. Among all the defenders, the ranks of soldiers could be seen to be perfectly organised thanks to their military discipline. The adventurers observing them are struck with awe, the wall of soldiers are so tightly knit together that calling it impassable would not be far from the truth.

The weak rays of sunlight peeks through the dull, misty morning skies. A faint warmth bathes the defenders, as if caressing them before their deaths. The sun slowly rises from its slumber, while casting sunbeams in every direction and illuminating the horrors that were hidden beneath the cover of darkness. An army of monsters appears at the edge of their view, starting off with a tiny speck and then extending to a long horizontal line extending across the horizon. Numerous black dots fill the sky, polluting the splendid view as well as indicating the presence of airborne enemies. The faint sound of war horns being blown declares the presence of orcs, thousands by the looks of it.

The defenders could not help but tremble before the unfolding spectacle, they are outnumbered greatly. Some began to regret their decision to defend the village, but it is already too late to flee. There is no guarantee they would be able to defend themselves against an army this large even if they had fallen back to Ceylon. Their only option is to fight with all they have got, to stand against the wave and survive or die trying.

"God help us" Aaron mutters under his breath.

Number of living defenders: 312

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Okay, this is a single chapter release but hey! its longer than usual. Sorry, I figured that I could not finish the whole arc within this week... and I don't think letting the story hang in the middle of the battle is a good idea. :wozy:

Anyway, I'm satisfied with the quality of this chapter. If you don't agree, please say why so I can get cracking on it and fix the problem while it's still hot!

Most of the characters mentioned in this chapter are throwaway characters, just mentioned in passing to add flavour to the story. But.... maybe I'll reuse Robert and Stump Geezer later on in the story, I sorta like them [th_0v.gif]

I won't bother giving a date of release, since I always end up releasing faster than promised, lol. So, just trust in me and wait for the new chapters! :bye:

NOTE:

I forgot to explain about recovery potions in Armus. They aren't the type that are drunk and recovers your health or anything, they're kinda like antibiotics and disinfectants, applied on wounds and stuff. Healers would be kinda worthless if you could use potions instead, right?

Robert the IncredibleArmusLet the War Start

For The Curious Mind