Please Note: Statements between % something in italics % are game system messages.

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An hour later, Caterpy and her team decided to rest as scheduled. She was a bit tired of walking by now and she wanted to sit down but there was no clearing. They were still surrounded by dense woods. Rough grass and shrubs below. Some of the players decided to lean on the thick trunks of the trees to rest a bit. The rest did not care. They sat down anyway. Caterpy was one of them.

It started suddenly.

One moment they were resting. The next, people were screaming. And as everyone turned around to look, they heard the shout "Formations!"

Sergeant Manuel was an experienced soldier who had put his life on the line. His reaction speed to these kind of situations easily surpassed even the veteran players. It was he who shouted the order. The soldiers accustomed to following orders reacted as soon as they heard. The players were slower.

Caterpy quickly stood up and unhooked her bow from the sling she had made to hang it on her back. All soldiers carried a quiver in addition to their usual weapons. The archers carried two or more, as many they could manage. She quickly set up to fire an arrow. And she was one of the fast ones. A lot of the other players were still confused. Maybe that was because they still did not know, whether it was an attack or just someone falling in a trap. It couldn't be helped as they had found so many on the way. 'Someone at sometime was just going to fall in...or that's what the thinking would have become' thought Caterpy.

Thankfully there were still more soldiers than players. And they did not play around with their lives. Looking at them combat ready and serious, the rest of players hurried up. And a good thing it was as well.

Because it turned out they were really under attack.

More screaming but the sergeant of team 4 suddenly shouted.

"Team 3, attack confirmed. Team 4 going center support."

Sergeant Manuel then shouted,

"Team 3, attack confirmed. Team 5 going right."

The sergeant of the team behind shouted.

"Team 3, attack confirmed. Team 6 going cover."

"Team 3, attack confirmed. Team 7 going rogue" Lady Altia's voice sounded.

"Team 3, attack confirmed. Team 8 going cover support...

She could not hear the other teams. Maybe they were too far away or maybe the forest was too thick to drown out their sounds.

'Diggeron is in team 3' was the only thought in Caterpy's head. But it was mostly an envious thought than an anxious one. Thankfully they did not make stupid men as sergeants. Each knew what to say and how to move. The first two teams she assumed had already moved into position. Now her team moved swiftly heading into the trees to make the right side of the box.

And then she saw.

In the time it took them to move.....team 3 was annihilated....by two wolf looking animals. But they were standing upright. 'So these are the beastmen.' She saw Diggeron's corpse on the ground. It still had not disappeared.

Caterpy thought she had gotten used to seeing Diggeron's dead body. After all he had died in other games as well. But no matter what she thought, she still felt irritated...and angry! That was the drawback of realism. Even dead people looked like dead people, atleast before they disappeared. But that could wait for now. She reminded herself that he is actually not dead and took a breath to calm down as they moved into formation.

The wolf looking beastmen were strong. And fast. And they were killing as if the soldiers and the players were mere dummies for them to practice. One of them moved swiping at the nearest guard. He tried to raise his shield to block the blow but then got hit by the other clawed hand, in his stomach. Blood started oozing out of his stomach as the guard quickly pressed on his wound. And then the other wolfman reached him. The guard was as good as dead, but thankfully the other guards moved in just then with the shields and spears on the ready.

Sergeant Manuel quickly let lose an arrow with a bow which magically appeared when he waved his hands. Caterpy knew about this magic used by residents of the village.

Caterpy waited for the sergeant's orders in order to shoot. She saw team 1 and team 2 appear straight ahead, on the left side of the box.

"Archers, aim low at the beastmen. Fire!" Captain Emilius was shouting orders. A mass of arrows were shot and quickly covered the distance between them and the beastmen. The two beastmen quickly moved to dodge. One of them even caught an arrow with his hands and smashed it to pieces. The arrows were aimed low so they did not reach the wounded soldier and his companions but stuck the ground just around their feet.

And the beastmen resumed their attacks again, so fast that the next two guards could not even raise their shields to block their throats which was cleanly ripped with one claw only. They then moved to the 3 players next to them who had brought out their swords. They did not stand a chance. Before one of them could finish their swing, one of the beastmen had moved to the side and punched the other player straight in the chest. The armor took some damage but the player was sent flying into a tree. He hit the tree so hard, that he did not get up again. The other beastman, almost acting in unison, did another punch...this time to the remaining players face. The player smashed down on the ground head first and did not get up again. The player who just completed his sword swing, stared with open eyes. They were not hunting beastmen....it was they who were being hunted. One hit to his abdomen to lower his head, and another to deliver the death blow and this player was also not moving.

And then another round of arrows came from Emilius's side. The soldiers were not lazy in setting up and firing. It was just that the beastmen were too fast at killing. They were like machines designed for killing humans.

Team 4 had lost 5 people in the time it took for people to load an arrow. And then captain Maltus's team arrived as support. Then the magic started.

"Fire storm" Maltus yelled, as moving fire surrounded the two beastmen making a wall trapping them inside. Unfortunately it also hid them from view. And then his team members joined him. They did not say their words instead moving their hands and somehow their swords were shining. Soon it felt like their shine extended by a few feet. They quickly went in slashing at the wall of fire. For a moment it looked like craziness, people swinging shining swords at fire. But soon she heard painful cries coming from inside. Somehow those swung swords were making contact with the beastmen past the wall of fire.

While Maltus and his team handled the two beastmen, Emilius was shouting orders to the other teams as well, getting them organized. He took the rest of team 4 into his team.

But something seemed off. Team 5 had not fired a single shot so far. In fact, Emilius did not head out to help Maltus. As he was a captain himself, he should know magic atleast at a higher level. But he did not use it. And where the heck was Lady Altia. Caterpy looked around. There was one more team missing. Probably team 9. And teams 6 and 8 had still not formed the wall of the box. They were all still standing on one side, like a lid waiting to be closed.

'There is some sort of plan afoot here' Caterpy guessed. It did not make sense for two captains and maybe someone who was even better to not go out full strength from the start. From what she saw, either these beastmen were really bad at magic. Or beastmen, as a race, could not use magic in general. Which made it their weakness. If the captains and Lady Altia, who could all use magic, had gone full out against them, casualties could have been reduced.

And so they let Maltus's team handle the two beastmen...who were still not dead but if Maltus's magic held out, would be soon enough. The beastmen could avoid hits even inside the fire wall, but having 6 people poking their swords in, it would hit at some point. The rest waited...for something. Caterpy did as well.

It did not take too long for her to discover the reason. Team 9 came running back from the direction where the box was open.

"Archers" sergeant Manuel finally shouted, "aim in the cover direction. That is just behind the soldiers who came."

"Yes sir!" and the four archers of Caterpy's team turned around in that direction, string taught, arrows to be released any second.

And then they appeared. More beastmen. There were three more wolfmen and one who looked like a cheetah or a leopard, with all spots. Four beastmen. They took a look at us and quickly separated, each heading to one side of the box.

"Here they come, steady now, Fire!" yelled Manuel as he took aim as well.

Five arrows shot towards the cheetahman approaching them. Similar orders were issued by other teams. The cheetahman dodged towards the middle, and the arrows all stuck the trees. He simply kept on running at full speed. At this rate Caterpy and team 5 would meet the same fate. Unable to do anything. But then like lighting, Lady Altia appeared in front.

The players and even some soldiers could not believe their eyes finding Lady Altia in their midst. A lot of them probably had one thought in their head. 'How did she get there?' Caterpy thought. One moment there was nothing and then next Lady Altia. Fortunately, the cheetahman seemed shocked as well. He growled and then probably considering Lady Altia to be a bigger threat, attacked her. She on the other hand, waited for it to approach and then turned to head out of the box. The cheetahman followed.

Somehow, this became a trigger for everything. Soon every soldier started using magic or embedding magic on their weapons like all the waiting and sacrifice had been for this very moment. The wolfmen who approached the other teams were surprised. It seemed like almost everyone gained a level instantly and could now block the beastmen's blows without being blown away.

But they were still stronger. It seemed the first two were just scouting and the rest were observing. Once they learned of the tactics employed by the humans they attacked full force. They separated so as not to be caught in a similar area of effect magic. It was then, captain Emilius moved and engaged the incoming wolfman. They clashed violently, the sound of claw hitting metal resounded. None broke. The wolfman was stronger but Emilius embedded fire onto his sword with a flick of his fingers. The fire roared forcing the wolfman to back off. Emilius quickly changed his magic and a wind surged from the tip of sword, cutting plants, trees and wolfman alike.

It seems beastmen skins are tougher. The wolfman only got a light cut from that. It growled. In the meantime other teams were handling the other two wolfmen. And it was tough. The soldiers had all gotten a bit stronger but only that much. They were still unable to defend against beastmen strikes, which killed without exception, if it got through.

"Archers...fire!" Manuel shouted the moment one of the beastmen seemed to be going out of the box. Caterpy's arrows were accurate enough and did hit the beastmen without causing much damage. But the arrow still attracted his attention. He changed targets and swiftly approached them but then the other team fired arrows at him. The wolfman growled a shout of great rage, like flies were annoying him. But his rage was also reducing his reason. He was dancing back and forth between the two teams who constantly fired arrows on him. But that only lasted for a minute. Finally deciding, he attacked the other team.

"Fire!" Manuel shouted again and Caterpy's arrow again found its mark. But this time it was ignored. Another kind of emotion bubbled up in Caterpy's mind. She was not even considered an enemy. Pissed off, she shot another arrow, but by the time it reached, the wolfman had decapitated the head of a soldier with one smash of the hand, his head went off flying...helmet and all. Blood spurted out from the neck shooting upwards like a fountain.

Caterpy felt like vomiting. The excitement she felt before was gone. There was just too much blood around.

It seemed getting angry made a beastman stronger. It was ignoring pain, ignoring attacks laced with magic and simply went on a rampage killing whoever it could reach. If his hands reached armor, the soldier was sent flying. If it reached skin, it drew blood. Even the other wolfman did not approach the enraged one. It looked like even he was afraid of that. Maybe in that state they could not tell friend from foe.

And then the sergeants acted. Manuel shouted,

"Keep formation, attack in the same direction when they look like escaping. Saunders you're in charge!" and a soldier shouted,

"Yes Sir."

The command given, Manuel rushed to intercept the enraged wolfman. Each team had a sergeant rank soldier. 4 of them headed to stop the insane wolfman before he destroyed them all. The other 2 banded together to take the last, still sane one. While the other soldiers tried to get in close enough....to pull back the injured soldiers and the dead bodies out of the way.

Caterpy felt useless. Her arrows did not damage them. Even if they did, she could not shoot in the middle of the fighting. She might hit another soldier. At various places where players had been killed, white lights started shining as they disappeared. Even Diggeron disappeared. She still stood though, in the middle of the carnage. Three teams had been wiped out completely. Another two almost lost half their number. And it was still going on. The two wolfmen were still alive inside the fire wall. Emilius was still fighting one wolfman alone. Lady Altia and the cheetahman and had gone somewhere along with her team. The sergeants were strong. But not so strong as to completely defeat a beastmen, which even a captain had trouble facing.

The sergeants were putting their life on the line to save their fellow soldiers, but at the same time were fully aware that all they were doing, was buying time. 'Probably for Group 3 to arrive.' But it would take a long time. It felt longer as so much had happened. But it probably had not been 20 minutes yet. And in the middle of that stood Caterpy, unable to do anything. She believed she had gotten stronger in the past 3 months. But now it felt like, she had wasted it.

Caterpy would realise much later that she was not weak. According to the animals who surround the village, she would be quite strong. Just the beastmen she encountered, were so much more stronger.

The fight continued in all its bloody glory. The sergeants had somehow managed to control the enraged beastman, giving the other soldiers and players time to focus on the one remaining. They attacked from the front. While Caterpy and the others shot arrows aiming at his feet, from the back. It was like fighting bosses in other games, with a level of 100 when you are just level 10. The main damage was being done by the soldiers who were at a higher level. Some players also seemed to get some damage in....perhaps reduce his health by a few points. Even Caterpy's arrow was causing pin prick like cuts on the beastman's skin. But it was like they had amazing HP. For a race which probably could not use magic, they also had amazing magic defense. Even magic enhanced weapons were not doing much damage...or atleast not that Caterpy could see.

The situation was slowly turning against them. Maltus had kept up the wall of fire for almost half an hour now. He had started breathing heavily. In any other game, you might have asked, how much mana does he have. You would also know that his mana would end sooner or later. In this instance, it looked like he was getting visibly tired, probably his mana would be coming to an end.

The raging wolfman had killed one of the sergeants which warranted that soldiers go and fill his place. They were less skillful, so more likely to get killed, but they still had to go. They could not afford to lose any more good fighters.

The fierce and desperate fight went on for another half an hour. No sergeants were killed but all of them ended up bloody. The soldiers came in the way of the beastman finishing them and others carried them away. But those who came in between were killed. It was a massacre. Even Emilius had started bleeding from numerous places. But he was still moving. And he was still making magic. And then he decided to go all in.

"Wind blade" Emilius shouted as he dropped his shield. He increased his speed like a whirling typhoon and swung as if both his hands held swords. And it seemed like it did. His now empty shield hand swung and the wolfman stepped back. But he was still cut, a line traced across his skin, spilling out blood. The wolfman was surprised but soon adapted. And moved in closer. This was a fight which was going to end with one of them dead. The whirling typhoon against the solid rock! Emilius ignored defense while following a two sword style. The wolfman, getting used to the invisible blade, learned to avoid it. A very high level fight was going on.

But thankfully, Emilius seemed to be winning. He was dodging every strike while his sword connected with the wolfman regularly. It was only the toughness of the beastman which still kept him standing even after receiving so many of those deadly strikes.

And then group 3 arrived. Right on time.

Quickly the soldiers and the sergeants moved in support. The sane wolfman, who was only being covered by the two sergeants, saw this first. And growled really loudly. He then did something he hadn't done before. He went and attacked Maltus. The soldiers around him who weren't attacking the fire wall, quickly put up shields to defend him but the wolfman jumped straight over them, landing behind Maltus and hit him on the back. And then he turned to attack Team 5 who were nearby. Caterpy and the other archers shot him point blank....but somehow he wasn't interested in attacking. He simply smashed, body first, into the team throwing away the soldiers and the archers aside while he sprinted out of the box and quickly into the forest.

After Maltus got hit, he lost consciousness. The wall of fire disappeared and the two bloody wolfman inside followed the first, jumping above the still on the ground team 5, as they made their own escape into the forest. The one fighting Emilius turned around as well, but Emilius quickly moved in front of him and his team behind trapping him.

"Forget them! Focus on the ones here!" shouted some sergeant in group 3, when soldiers tried to go after them.

A hundred men rushed to overwhelm the two wolfmen who still remained. The insane one and the one fighting Emilius. In the end of an epic battle, Emilius stabbed the wolfman in both the legs behind the knees. Maybe it was one of his weak points but he quickly went to the ground growling painfully. Emilius's team and the newly arrived soldiers then went to work on him with their spears. In a final strike, Emilius buried his wind blade in the wolfman while the others kept on thrusting with their spears. They kept on till they were absolutely sure that the beastman was dead.