Chapter 5:

“Everyone Gather!” Silva ordered as he made his way towards the warriors. Even he could hear the wolves' approach now.

As they gathered, he first turned towards the three boys, “You three get out of here. This no place for the young. Besides I have a mission for you-“

“No.” Rine interrupted “We're not leaving you! Why should we be scared of a bunch of dogs.” His expression was that of fierce determination.

However, unlike Rine, Eddy was calm. “Rine we'll only drag them down.” Then he turned towards Silva. “Your orders, captain?”

Silva nodded “At least there’s one brain between the three of you. You, lead.” He said pointing at Eddy. “I need you three to head back to Phentar, and report to our guild. Do you know the name of our guild?”

“Heaven Fall” Eden, Eddy’s younger brother, said.

“Right. Once there, tell the receptionist that an emergency situation has occurred and give her this plaque.” He tossed a flat object towards Eddy.

“But how will we get away from the wolves?”

“Leave that to us” Silva said before looking at his teammates.

He eyed each one of them before resting on Cinder. “First, allow me to apologize. I had no idea the situation would go belly up this fast or this hard.”

“It’s fine captain, it’s not like this is the first time something like this has happened.” Rock said as he tightened the shield's straps around his arm.

“For once the idiot is right captain, remember the situation with those fire palace meanies?” Elma said while smiling.

“Yeah yeah.” Her sister Luna agreed readily.

Silva smiled as his heart grew warm, finally he looked towards Cinder.

“You just gonna stand there talking. Let’s get a move on, they’re coming.” She said as she brandished her sword.

Silva’s smile widened. ‘This is not a bad way to go out' he thought lightly to himself.

“All right. Here's the plan. We bring the fight to them, we'll Pierce through their line of attack and distract them while the Porter’s make a run for it.”

“Tsk. Sloppy as always.” Cinder said before flipping her hair with her hand. “Let’s do it.”

Silva tightened his hold over his short-sword. “You three, get a move on. Take position in the middle of us. Luna and Elma, you two take the back position as usual. Rock you take the front, while Cinder and I will take the sides.”

Everyone got into positions with ease that came from experience.

“All right! March out.”

The warriors made their way through the forest in an organized March, their unhesitating footsteps were a sign of their courage and their unsheathed weapons told of their thirst for battle.

“As you all know far too well. I’m shit at speeches, so all I’ll say is this. Give them hell.” Silva said as his face grew solemn with focus.

Rine stared at the warriors' backs with glistening eyes. To him, the backs were wide and dependable, as if they held the world on their shoulders. Despite his better judgment, a seed of hope grew within his heart.

‘Maybe.’ He thought. ‘Just maybe.’

A few minutes into their March they made contact with their enemies. The wolves were only slightly larger than normal, yet they appeared vastly more intimidating. Their fur was the color of ash and it swayed as if touched by the wind even though the day was still. Sunlight reflected off their glimmering teeth as their cruel and Savage eyes made Rine shiver with fear.

“Ready yourselves!” Silva’s calm voice soothed Rine.

“Charge!” the warriors pierced through the wolves.

The first to make contact was Rock who bashed away a wolf's teeth with his heavy shield. The wolf staggered for a bit as it attempted to regain balance, but how could Cinder let it do so? She heaved her sword up high and aimed for the wolf's back. The sword came down with impressive force as it cleaved the wolf apart. Blood and sinew stained Cinder's face yet she did not care.

Silva's display was more elegant as he nimbly fluttered between fighting two wolves simultaneously. With a slash he parried a wolf's claws, then while taking advantage of the provided momentum he attacked the other wolf's eyes. As a warrior who specialized in speed, he felt comfortable fighting something similar to him.

The wolves’ speed was abnormally quick as they surrounded the group of warriors. Were it not for the arrows that sought to take their eyes, they would have already taken the Porters for dinner.

Eight wolves fought ferociously against the warriors. Yet with tight teamwork and stellar coordination, the warriors expertly avoided harm.

“More are coming!” Elma said frantically amid combat.

“Shit” Silva said before loudly ordering. “Forget about killing them, focus on clearing a path! Elma are there any routes without monsters?”

“Yes, captain! That way. And it also heads towards Phentar.”

Silva nodded. “Rock, full speed ahead.”

“Yes!”

Rock stopped bashing nearby wolves as he braced himself with the shield and sprinted towards the desired location.

“Cinder!”

“Got it, Silva”

The two figures passed the shield-bearer as they quickly attempted to clear the road.

The three Porters stuck close to Rock as the twins furiously shot arrows. Every now and again the sisters would use their knives to parry close-range attacks.

“Ok now!” Silva yelled as he killed the final wolf on his side. By now only four wolves remained.

Rock stopped moving as he reached the side of Silva and Cinder. The group of warriors then stood between the wolves and the Porters.

“How’s the situation with the other monsters?” Silva asked as the warriors and the wolves stood facing each other.

“They’re close. The enemies are mainly wolves, but bears and winged beasts are also heading our way.” Elma and Luna reported.

Silva’s face hardened 'dammit have they gone insane?’

“You three go now, this is as good as it gets.” he told the porters.

“I said we are not goin-” before Rine could continue a powerful hand grabbed him by the neck.

“Yes captain, don’t worry we'll complete our mission. Don’t die before then.” Eddy said quickly before carrying the other two away.

Silva watched their retreating figures relieved. He then looked towards his friends. “Listen, none of you have to do this. I won’t blame you if yo-”

“Pardon the language captain, but cut the crap.” Rock interrupted.

“You want to stay here to cover for them boys. Probably cause you’re feeling guilty or some shit. Either way, if you go, we go. Right girls?”

““Yeah”” Luna and Elma said simultaneously.

Cinder said nothing and merely nodded lightly.

“You fools.” Silva gave a wry smile. “Alright then! Let’s put some dogs down!” he said valiantly.

“Good speech, you tried your best Silvie.” Cinder said.

Silva blushed slightly. Concerning the woman he loved, he knew that she was either really sweet or really vicious. To her, there was no in-between, yet strangely she seemed to be both at the moment. He rushed towards the wolves half out of courage and half out of shame. Behind him, Cinder followed closely with a sweet smile.

Silva dashed towards the closest wolf with reckless abandonment. The wolf snarled in contempt as it charged forward with an open maw filled with vile teeth. The wolf seemed faster by a smidge and as its teeth neared the human's flesh, it became sure of victory. But unexpectedly its teeth were met with nothing but air as the human seemed to disappear. The wolf was momentarily shocked, and so it did not notice the figure looming above its head. Silva’s sword reflected the sun’s light as it split the monster's spine in two, making it seem as if the sun’s rays took personal action against the wolf. Finished with his attack, he landed nimbly on the ground and flicked the blood of his sword. The other wolves were shocked at the human's speed. He had not displayed such prowess during the earlier skirmish.

Cinder's approach was simpler as she simply swung her massive sword against the wolves in hopes of splitting bone.

The other three were no slouches either as they coordinated their attacks perfectly. Rock would shield the girls from harm as they shot arrows towards the wolves. Any wolf that came close to them was met with either rock’s shield or the girls' daggers.

Soon all the wolves lay dead on the ground.

“Was that it?” Rock asked slightly confused.

“No.” Elma said.

“The fight has just begun.” Her sister continued.

All around the group the sounds of animals echoed as if sounding the drums before a war.

…………………………………………

Cort sat silently on top of a tree branch as he watched the events unfold. Beneath him a bloody brawl took place.

The first thing to surprise him was the animals. While they looked similar to the ones he had known his entire life, they were undoubtedly different. They were stronger, faster, and even smarter. He suspected Gene manipulation as he had seen similar things at Root. The bears, though smallest in number, were similar to moving fortresses as they lumbered about the battlefield attacking anything that moved. All while having a hide so thick the archers' arrows were like mosquito bites to it. On the other side of the spectrum were the wolves. While they boasted unremarkable defense, they more than made up for it with quick speeds and ferocious attacks.

Together they made a lethal pair as the warriors' attacks would be tanked by the bear while the wolves would swoop in to finish the job.

The final type of beasts was of the flying kind. While they came in an assortment of colors and designs, Cort noticed a pattern to their attacks. A group of birds would be assigned to haze the warriors and interrupt their attacks while another group would deal with the archers’ by distracting their aim. The final group of birds simply stood on the sidelines waiting.

‘scavenger birds.’ Cort thought.

Besides the animals, the humans were quite impressive as well.

‘Especially those two' He thought as he stared at the pair of warriors who massacred the surrounding beasts. The man’s speed and nimble reflexes paired nicely with the woman's disproportionate strength. They worked well together and seemed to be extremely familiar with each other’s attacks. Their fighting almost resembled a dance.

Their three companions were also impressive.

‘One sixth' Cort estimated. The two who lead the charge were one-sixth the strength of the weakest golden guardian.

He contemplated assisting them but ultimately decided against it. Their matching armor made it clear that they belonged to some group, and the last thing he wanted was to involve himself with another group. As for their weaponry, he was not surprised. Ever since the rise of the kingdom, weapons of old have made a resurgence as many organizations began copying the strongest

To Cort, a weapon was a weapon, and under the right circumstances, a sword was just as valuable as a gun. Which was why he kept the guardian's dagger in his bag.

Suddenly he shifted his gaze off to the side as he sensed a new entity approaching. Seeing nothing at first, he focused his eyes further. Finally, he caught a glimpse of the concealed figure. A long slender body covered in fur as dark as night, it stood in the shade of a tree as it perfectly blended itself into its surroundings.

'A panther?’ he guessed.

The black figure shifted slightly, and Cort was surprised to find that the panther had turned towards his direction. His eyes met with a pair so intense in color they resembled a lantern in the dark, the yellow gradient made it seem as if they were on fire. Yet the coldness of the eyes offset their color, and thus they gave the creature a mysterious feeling.

For the first time since waking up, he felt slightly anxious towards another creature. It’s aura, despite being so far away, demanded respect. Cort felt sweat trickle down his back as his muscles tensed. The two eyes were locked on to each other for what seemed like an eternity before a scream stole his glance away.

…………………………………………