Day 4,528

I was wrong. Of course I was.

Four of us formed a party to scout the land beyond the fortress: me, Eina, an archer named Serion, and our assigned healer, Demisca.

Our mission was to reach Orlak’s Pass, a narrow passageway in Ferlong Valley, which the horde might use. It is the closest to us, and Oldrin fears it will be there where the defenses will have to be focused.

We set out at daybreak. It is only a quarter day’s ride, but we took into account any trouble we might face.

The first few hours were peaceful, though I had to endure Eina’s behavior once again. She kept rambling about how the monsters are no match for us and our army.

Foolish girl! That kind of arrogance will kill her if she is not careful. Slayers are not gods.

It was near noon when we reached our destination. And it is there we encountered trouble.

A pack of Maragorn attacked us. There must have been twenty of them vicious beasts, and we barely escaped with our lives. I managed to slay three, and Eina, I regrettably admit, was a good fighter. She killed two with her sword.

Unfortunately, Serion was overwhelmed before we can escape. The man took down another three before the rest of the pack tore his body. With no chance of survival, the three of us fled.

We rode with great haste back to Arlonia. Along the way, we passed a cliff overlooking the land, and my heart nearly stopped. The monster horde was directly below us.

How can they have gotten here so quickly? They were supposed to be less than a week away.

By the time we returned to the city, it was already in uproar. Soldiers prepared the defenses in tandem with Slayers. Even the governor, Irainor, was present during the war council.

And now here I am, waiting alongside my companions along the battlements. We did all we could to prepare, but with this sudden attack, we could only do so much. It is almost nine in the evening. On the horizon, I could hear the growls and roars of tens of thousands of monsters.

It will be a long night.