Part Twelve – First Wave

We headed back to our rooms after that, the need for adequate sleep trumping any desire to continue talking. The cots we were provided were actually rather comfortable, despite appearances. But as always, I could not sleep. So I amused myself by looking at item descriptions.

Nightmare’s Twin Swords

Rank: Unique

Equipment Skills: Beast of the Nightmare, Cursed Blade+, Malignant Aura,

Description: A set of twin blades, possessing great power. The blades are bound to their owner, and will curse others who try to use them. Having been soaked in the blood of their victims countless times, the blades have almost reached their pinnacle. Soon they shall show their true power.

Individually, the swords are known as Triumph and Sorrow.

Upgrade Requirement: The blades continue to hunger for blood: Feed them. Lives taken ( 22345/100000 )

Goddammit! Two months of constant grinding and I’m barely a fifth of the way! Why does this take so freaking long? Considering the new description, I’d really like to get that ‘true power'. It should really help me out in the long run. I hope there’s plenty of monster to kill.

Malignant Aura was a new Skill I had gotten from the last upgrade. From the description, it worked similar to Cursed Blade, but affected everything around me. Which meant I couldn’t use it when my allies were near, or I’d affect them as well. I had tried it out once, but because of the disadvantages of the Skill, I wasn’t eager to use it again.

I’d also succeeded in raising Dual Sword Aura to Rank E. I’d already grown use to forming the Aura around both swords, so the skill would surely rise to the next rank soon. I was currently trying to emit sword slashes so I could attack from a distance. It certainly wasn’t because one of my favorite video game series allowed you to do that. No matter what Alicia said.

Oh, there’s the sleepiness. Good night.

*Loud trumpeting sounds.*

Who’s making that racket! Do you have any idea what time it is!? Not that I have a watch.

I had slept in most of my armor, so I didn’t have all that long to get ready. I ran outside as the horns kept blaring, only to see the fort in complete upheaval. Soldiers were running every which way, each trying to get to their posts, while a number of mercenaries were talking with one holding a scroll.

Figuring that was the place to go, I headed over. After talking to the man, each mercenary would run off to their designated post. Since this didn’t take long, it was soon my turn.

“Hmm, you and your companions are on the southeastern wall. They’ve already checked in, so you should be able to find your post quickly enough.”

Hearing that, I dashed off. Though one though crossed my mind. How did he know who I was? I didn’t tell him my name or who my companions were, but he already knew. What kind of magic is this? This is messing with my sense of reality.

I quickly found my way to the east wall. Since the watch towers divided each wall in two, there was eight equal segments we could be posted at. I climbed the middle watchtower and began to look for Cameron, as he was more easily visible. It didn’t take long to see him towering over the others.

Looking around, I tried to estimate how many were posted here. Let’s see, a thousand divided by eight would be about a hundred twenty-five mercenaries and there’s double the soldiers, so there’s three hundred and seventy-five people posted on each wall segment. Will that be enough?

It certainly seemed a little low, mostly due to the fact that we would be up against thousands of monsters. Even factoring in the traps and walls, we were still severely outnumbered. You’re supposed to have five to ten times the troops when besieging a castle, right? So that means there’s ten to twenty thousand monsters out there. That’s a lot.

“There you are lad. I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show.”

“As if. Why would I miss such a wonderful opportunity? There’s going to be so many Dungeon drops. I can’t wait!”

“Ahh, he’s as big of a maniac as usual. Why is it that when it comes to fighting, you always go a little haywire?”

“You just can’t understand Alicia. By the way, is anyone we know posted here?”

“None. We’re the only ones from the meeting on this segment. Alicia and I were talking about that before you showed up. But there’s something else you should see. Look over there.”

Cameron was pointing at a group of NPCs who were conspicuously grouped together. When I Analyzed them, I discovered what he wanted me to see.

Human Mage

Rank: D

Description: An NPC. Charged with the defense of Fort Aries. A skilled mage capable of long-range magical bombardment.

“So that’s how they’ll bridge the gap that the number difference made. I’d suspected magic existed, but to see evidence up close like this is another thing. What do you think it’ll be like? How strong will it be?”

“Hopefully enough to keep us from dying.”

Satisfied, I looked the rest of them over. The soldiers were well organized, each armed with a bow and a sword. They’d most likely be shooting at the monsters until they closed in.

The mercenaries were much less composed. Few here had experienced war, so tension was high, especially among those who were my age. This would be our first real test to whether we could survive this new world. I’ll be satisfied if half of us survive.

We waited with baited breath, waiting for the signal that would begin a true war for survival. We were not left waiting long.

*Multiple horns in concert.*

The sound of the horns snapped us out of our stupor as monsters began to pour out of the forest. It was the same on all sides, monsters as far as the eye could see. Though they were still too far to clearly see, they easily numbered in the thousands. Flocks of birds rose into the air and headed towards us.

If they had fired the opening shot, then it was time for us to return fire. The commander began to issue orders from an unknown location.

“Mages, prepare for volley fire!”

The mages formed two lines, each chanting under their breath. Glyphs began to form in front of them and soon turned into complex formations.

“Line one, release!”

Upon his command, the front most mages each spoke one word emphatically, causing the glyphs in front of them to flare with light and release a ball of fire that shot towards the monsters.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

Explosions roared out from every direction. Any monsters caught in the blast was instantly incinerated. This was particularly shocking to me, as the only magic using monster I’d seen couldn’t do anything near this level. And they weren’t even close to being done.

“Line one, ready next volley! Line two, release!”

*BOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

While the blasts were impressive, they weren’t enough to fully stem the tide of monster coming towards us, not to mention the aerial monsters. But it turned out that they had that covered too.

“Archers, nock arrows!”

Every soldier put an arrow to their bowstring, even Alicia, and took aim at the birds.

“Release!”

The sound of bowstrings twinging sounded out louder than the cries of the monsters. Birds by the dozen fell to the ground, skewered by arrows. And shortly after, the next wave of bombardment was ready, ensuring that more monsters were destroyed. Our side kept up the attacks as long as we could, but the monsters soon made it to the walls.

It was up to those who had no way of ranged attack to protect the vulnerable mages. The birds had arrived first, as they could fly faster than the other monsters. Swarms of F-Rank Murder Crows assaulted us from every angle, though they weren’t anything I hadn’t dealt with before. I simply cut down those who got too close, while avoiding the occasional pointy feather thrown my way.

One of the mages released a blast of lightning that swept up the remaining birds, giving us a few precious moments to recollect ourselves. Many had feathers sticking out of various places and one poor soul had taken one to the throat. But we didn’t have long to rest, as the enemy had reached the walls.

They ran straight through the traps at the base, even trampling their own kin. Most I could see were F or E-Rank fodder, mostly Goblins and Wolves, with a few others thrown in for good measure. They scrambled to climb the wall, claws gouging at the stone to try and find purchase. The soldiers didn’t stand around though. They brought out cauldrons of boiling oil and told us to pour it on the monsters down below.

Soon, screams of anguish from the monsters were erupting from all directions. They writhed on the ground, as their skin blistered and peeled from the oil. But even that didn’t stop their assault, as those who’d avoided the oil simply climbed over the fallen. Some of the more nimble monsters, like Claw Monkeys, had reached us, beginning a chaotic melee.

I swiftly cut down any monster that got too close, as I regrouped with Alicia and Cameron. She was firing arrow after arrow into the monsters climbing the wall and Cameron was holding the rest back.

“Need a hand?”

“Always appreciated. Still, I’d expected worse than this. They don’t even have siege ladders. Are these monsters really trying to conquer the fort?”

“Remember, this is a Dungeon. There’s no telling what might be behind this. And its not like we’ll always be fighting behind walls, so don’t get too comfortable.”

It wasn’t long after that when the horns sounded out again. Another swarm of monster was approaching.

[Braddock’s POV]

“Jansen, blow a hole in their ranks! Eileen, keep them from flanking us! Kalia, keep up the healing!”

Braddock had to bellow his orders so he could be heard above the din of battle. While the second wave had the same composition as the first, they were much better prepared. They had brought along ramps to allow the monster easier access up the walls. Even though the mages had attempted to destroy them, there had been mages on the enemies' side that prevented them.

This had caused an even more chaotic melee to occur atop the walls. Braddock had rallied the soldiers and mercenaries, so they had a well-made formation. But he couldn’t help but worry about the other segments. Losing too many men this early would be catastrophic. They wouldn’t have the numbers to survive, much less clear the dungeon. I can see why they failed this Dungeon three times in a row.

Braddock was the linchpin of their defense. His skill, Iron Carapace, greatly enhanced his armor’s capabilities, while his great shield possessed the Reflection and Deflection Skills. The former granted a small chance to reflect physical damage back to an attacker, while the latter caused most attacks to slid off the shield. These three things made him a great defender and a solid tank.

Hahaha! I’ve never fought in such a battle! Being able to put all of my body into combat is such a thrill! If only I was ten years younger. The ravages of time, along with illness had weakened him before these events occurred. Now, he hoped to create a generation of fighters who would go on to protect others.

Just as they were pushing the monsters back down their ramps, several explosions rang out and the sounds of monster screaming could be heard. What the heck was that!?

[Alicia’s POV]

I knew it! He is insane!

The second the ramps had pulled up to the walls, Michael made a beeline down one of them and began to jump from one to the other, killing monsters as he went. It was so sudden that everyone, even her, was caught by surprise. Even as they fought for their lives, she was plotting ways to make that battle junkie pay attention to her next lecture.

Why must he be so reckless? What’s so wrong with trying to fight safely from up here? Every time I try and explain this, he always gives the same blank look. No matter how much he denies it, he’s definitely a battle junkie!

She sent arrow after arrow into the heads of the monsters near Michael. No matter how much she complained, she’d never actually abandon him. Mostly because she knew he usually had a plan when he did things like this. It was just that he’d spring into action without thinking it through.

“Phew, that was tough.” Kyaa! When did he get behind me?

“Y-you! What do you think you were doing? You could’ve gotten killed!?”

“Don’t mind that and cover your ears. It’s going to get loud.”

What’s he going on abou-. Oh he didn’t. Just in case, she covered her ears.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOM Boom boom boom*

Explosions rocked the walls, as the bases of the ramps were blown away. As they collapsed, taking countless monsters with them, Michael began to chuckle darkly.

“Heheheheh, guess their mages can’t protect against physical explosions. Heheheheheh.”

Wow, he always sounds so weird when laughs like that, but it suits him for some strange reason. Though he does seem like a pyromaniac.

They turned back to the fighting, helping to clean up the monsters that were still on the wall. Since the ramps were gone, the remaining monsters had no way up to them and so became little more than target practice.

Soon after, horns sounded out to signal the monster’s retreat. The first day of fighting ended with the defender’s victory.