“… Kiefy, what’s that on top of your head?”

“It’s hat.”

“Are you sure it’s a hat?”

I insisted on asking him. He looked really puzzled seeing my reaction.

“It’s from Krolve, he made it.”

Krolve made it?! How could Krolve made something so grotesque? In fact, I’m not even sure how a tree could make a hat. Was it a real snake or it was just really skilful hands that made it so realistically depicted?

Perhaps it’s better if I don’t inquire further.

“So, about the letters?”

“Yes, I’m here to submit them, there’s some letters from Krolve too.”

He took out several letters from the pouch he was wearing and gave them to me.

I neatly stacked them and put them on the table.

“Is there anything else?”

I turned towards him again. Oh ye gods, it’s like the hat is staring right at your soul.

“No, I think that’s all.”

He nodded and left.

Well, I got some other letters to write so this evening would only be devoted into writing letters and a certain hobby to indulged later on.

--

It was night and currently it was my shift for the night watch. I was stationed on top of the Watchtower, overlooking the surrounding all around from above while Vassilinov was my shift partner guarding the entrance and the area surrounding the watchtower below.

It was like this ever since we were stationed here. So far, nothing much had happened. As I stared out, there was something to look at beside the beautiful night sky,

From up here and to the west, you can an encompassing mountain range that stretches limitlessly far beyond my sight. The height was insurmountable as it literally reached up to touch the skies.

Unfortunately, that mountain had never been fully explored throughout the known history as it was inside the Dark Recess of Eoum where all kinds of Mal’eur roam.

There were few expeditions exploring the mountains in the written history but they never made it near the top or even recorded the entirety of the mountain.

The mountain was aptly called The Endless Western Reach due to the fact that no matter how much they chartered the area, there were always unknown corners of it and especially the fact that no one had actually went beyond to the other side of the mountain and there were also expeditions that never had returned. Those expeditions were often led by the previous summoned.

As I gaze on the majestic mountain, I squinted as I saw ahead a gathering of dark clouds far from here coming from the mountain. That had never happened before. Is it a sign of something to come?

I decided to take note of it and send the report to the guards regiment tomorrow.

A dot of Ethka had passed. It’s time for our hourly communication.

“Vassil, is everything okay down there?!!”

I shouted.

After a few second-

“No!!”

He shouted alarmingly as though a danger had reared its ugly head.

“No girls are coming so far. Did you tell the girls about the gallant and handsome knight that resides at this watchtower?”

“What women in their right minds would have want to wander off in the middle of the night looking for a hot hook-up?! Hell, those women might be someone’s significant others, you know? Have you thought of that?”

After unloading my accumulated stress over the week, I stepped back from the ledge and watched the scenery again.

In this past week, I found out that Vassilinov is one of those guys who could piss me off just by speaking even though he was just joking around. No matter what situations we’re in, he always quip anything related about the opposite gender and his attractive prowess. It’s like he has some quota of sexual implications that he has to fill every day. As a natural pervert, I am offended.

Even we have pride in our perversion.

As for the night watch, the night went on without anything happen.

--

The next day in the evening, I was compiling and organizing the letters for them to be ready for sending off inside my room, someone was knocking the door.

“Come on in.”

The door opened and there stood a scholarly-looking feathered guard. Huh, I never thought I see him here.

“Hey there, didn’t expect to see you here, Rucrik. I thought you wanted to be a librarian.”

“Hey, Ruigne, I’d just got sent here as a Scout three days ago, unfortunately, I can only become a librarian after two years of military service, so I am doing this to become one. I didn’t know you were stationed here though.”

Rucrik was someone I met in the Great Library of Tchekaz. He’s a half scaled lizard humanoid. We were acquainted after an eventful book collaboration.

“Anyway, I’m here about your report that you sent to the regiment this morning, we quickly went for a reconnaissance at the edge of the border.”

“You mean the looming dark cloud? What about it?”

I stood up and saluted him. He saluted back.

“You wouldn’t believe what I’m about to tell you. I didn’t believe it myself in the first place but this is really happening.”

He took out something from his pouch and gave it to me.

It was notes of report.

After perusing it for a few minute, as someone who had been summoned here, it wasn’t as shocking as he thought I would. It was a phenomenon only observable inside the Recess but it had a mythical status as no one had actually seen one but there were records of it.

[The Cloud of Disharmony]

There was a specific record about this cumulonimbus cloud written by one of the survivors that went into one of the expeditions in the past. He or she wrote that as they had explored deeper into the mountain ranges, they had saw a black ominous cloud and below the cloud were creatures of slimy disposition and if I have to imagined on how the description had goes, it was like a land slug.

From the report that Rucrik had given, the Black Cloud were heading towards our direction.

I put the report down and looked at Rucrik who stood there waiting for my evaluation.

“Is it capable of entering through the Leylines?”

I asked.

“This is the first time Cloud of Disharmony had been seen this near.”

He answered unhesitatingly and-

“-Also, if whether or not it can go through the Leylines, there’s a slight possibility that it could. Remember a characteristic of the cloud that the Eomancers on that expedition had given their account.”

I thought for a while as I was remembering the rest of the details. The accounts had reported that Eomancers had felt that the winds of Eomancy were blowing away from the cloud as though it was being repelled. From what I can roughly guess, the nature of the cloud was something like Anti-Eomancy energies.

If that was the case, would the Leylines be affected? The Leylines were made based from ancient Eomancy and if the Cloud truly exudes Anti-Eomancy energies, then the border would be breach.

Still doubt was lingering inside but I shrugged them off as I reminded myself. In any uncertain danger, taking immediate and proper action is given.

I stood up and looked at Rucrik.

“Inform the border regiment to be on standby and prepare yourself for an assignment.”

We saluted to each other and he left. I guess tonight, all of us summoned will be having a meeting.

--

“Wait, you want me and Kiefy to go past the border and kidnap one of those slugs? How do you even know it’s a slug?”

Vassil with an incredulous expression was clarifying what I had told him and Kiefy to do. All six of us were having an open air meeting on top of the watchtower before the first shift starts.

“Yes, although you guys only need to go when it is within a safe distance, not now or tomorrow but after they got a little bit closer. Also, you will be bringing along a scout.”

I affirmed his question.

“Wait, why don’t you send me too?”

Katarinova who looked unsatisfied, glared at me.

“Because you are the strongest force we have around. You know, just enough to handle small incursions just in case.”

It was a half a lie and a truth. The reason I didn’t send her as well was because she might cause complication with her battle-hunger but she’s truly is the strongest amongst all six of us here.

I turned towards August as I took out a bag full of letters tucked beside my belt.

“Since this is an emergency and you’re the fastest amongst all of us. Take this and bring it to Tchekaz. Give the letter of request to one of the Inheritors. Even though the scale of the incursion is still unknown but judging the by size of the cloud, we might have a really large incursion, so we probably need reinforcement. If they will send the other summoned, imprint them so they can teleport here instantly.”

August took the letter and nodded. Unfortunately the portals in the palace could never be built as it was a technology beyond the understanding of anyone in Athryshiayl. If there was a portal, logistic and communication would have been much easier.

“Should I go tonight?”

“Go early tomorrow after you taken a full rest. You’re exempted from night watch tonight.”

All of us nodded to that. August saluted to all of us and we saluted back.

“Krolve, you’ll just stand by the tower and monitors everyone status and condition. Kiefy and Vassil, if you are in dangers that you cannot avoid, then just teleport back alright?”

Everyone nodded again.

“Katarinova, you’re with me. We’re going to assemble the strategies and organize the regiment so we can be fully prepared if there is an incursion.”

“…Aye.”

She curtly nodded although still unsatisfied.

“Well then, any question?”

I looked at all of them. They all shook their head from side to side indicating that there were none.