Part Twenty-Eight

Yep, I’m bored. There’s absolutely nothing to do up here. I’m literally just sitting here doing nothing. Why, you ask? Because everyone else is busy or otherwise occupied, so I’m on watch duty by myself. With nothing to accompany me but my thoughts.

“Kyu!

Yep, absolutely nothing. Just me and the wind and the darkness. Huh, wasn’t that from a book I read or something? Maybe I’m thinking of something else.

“Kyu, kyu!”

Guess I’ll use this time to learn another Grudge Magic Spell. I’ve got a pretty good handle on [Rot], so I could move on to [Seize], but I need a valid target for that. Now where could I find something to use as a test subject?

“Kyu, Kyuku! Kyuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!”

And now it’s jumping up and down in front of me. Is it an idiot? I thought it was kinda weird when it tried to bite through my armor, but couldn’t and started to get angry with me for ignoring it, but this is just stupid.

“Listen ya stupid fox, just run along back to where you came from. I tried to ignore you, but you’re this close to getting thrown over the wall, so get outta here.”

“Kyukyukyu! KYUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuu………!”

This is definitely not a good sign. I should probably report this, but then I’ll have to deal with others. I don’t particularly want to, but I guess I’ve got no choice. Someone’s got to do it, might as well be me.

*Gong…gong…gong*

Or that guy. Well that’s convenient. Now let’s see, three gongs meant….monsters in the fort, oh shit.

And as if to emphasize the shitiness of the situation, multiple roars echoed throughout the fort.

[Number 11’s POV]

Shadow Wolves, it had to be Shadow Wolves.

Having spent all of their lives within House Valec’s holdings, the pawn soldiers were well acquainted with various wolf-type monsters and these were one of the worst. Only their Evolution, the Umbra Wolf, was more dangerous among the low-rank monsters. Thankfully, Shadow-type monsters were rare and only showed up in small numbers.

So why was this happening?

There were dozens of Shadow Foxes and more than a few Shadow Wolves causing a complete ruckus inside the fort. Even worse, there were already casualties. She’d personally witnessed Number 10, her younger brother, get knocked to the ground by a swarm of foxes. Once they’d held him down, they began to tear into his intestines. Their cute appearances were just a façade, they were still monsters.

She’d run away before the Foxes could turn to her, desperate to avoid death. But alas, she wandered right into the jaws of death of her own accord.

“Grawwww!!”

So panicked was she, that she never saw the Shadow Wolf, even after it had ripped her throat out.

[Brad's POV]

If it weren’t for the kid, we never would’ve survived this.

After the last battle, Michael had given them a number of E-Rank weapons and swords to replace their older equipment. It was thanks to that that the group was able to kill the Shadow Wolf that attacked them on the way to their room. The battle had even allowed one of them to get Razor’s Edge, one of the only well-known Titles and a highly coveted one at that.

But it wasn’t like they were in the clear. They’d heard a gut wrenching scream just a few moments ago, only for another Shadow Wolf to emerge from an alley with blood smeared around its snout. The second it saw them, it broke into a full sprint towards them.

“Get your shields up! Don’t let it past!”

Those in front used their shields to force the wolf backwards, while those behind them used spears to thrust at its face. The idea was to use an overwhelming amount of wounds to slowly whittle away at its health. Except…

“Graawr!”

Another wolf emerged from an alley behind them. Being pincered by two wolves was bad. It took everything they had to hold back just one wolf, dealing with both was just too much to ask.

No! I won’t die here, I’ll survive! The kid’s survived worse than this, I can’t stop here!

*Thunk!*

“Arroooo…”

Just as all seemed lost, an arrow struck the second wolf in the eye, which was soon followed by a second and a third. The sudden repeated attacks startled the wolf, causing its instincts to force it to pull back. Since it couldn’t see who was attacking, it prioritized moving away from all enemies.

*Thunk Thunk thunk*

That was a blatant mistake, as even more arrows followed after the wolf. This time they were concentrated on its legs, taking its mobility away. Whoever was responsible had to be extremely skilled to so accurately hit such an agile target.

“GRAAAAAAWRRRR!!!”

While he’d been distracted, the first wolf had recuperate from its initial injuries and rallied against the others. It released a shockwave that nearly knocked the others down and pounced on them.

Not on my watch!

“RAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!”

Brad had only a few seconds to bring his spear back up and thrust it towards the wolf. He knew he had only one shot to push it back, so he out everything he had into this one thrust. And a miracle occurred.

Unbeknownst to all, Aura began to gather around the spearhead and when it met the wolf’s snout, it completely pulverized it. Now dead, the wolf’s body slumped to the ground, only seconds before Brad collapsed. He’d used almost all of his mana in one attack, causing intense backlash.

As he layed on the ground gasping for breath, he idly noticed that the other wolf was dead and that there was no sign of the mystery archer.

That, that was Alicia right? I think that was her name. But what was that attack? Did she do something to my spear?

It was moments later that the System answered his question for him.

::Individual has met requirements. Acquired Normal Skills: Spear Aura Rank F, Destructive Thrust Rank F.::

[Alicia’s POV]

Wow. What did he do to do that!? Its head exploded!

She’d climbed on top of one of the nearby buildings to snipe the monsters invading the fort. With the combination of Accuracy and her bow, any monster in her line-of-sight was doomed.

I was going to shoot the other one too, but he beat me to it. I’m not getting that arrow back either. Looks like they’ll be okay for now, though one of them's passed out. I’ll keep an eye on them for now, but I need to keep looking for Michael. He’ll probably be alright on his own, but I’m still going to worry until this is over.

“Kyuuuuu!”

While she was occupied with the wolves, several foxes had snuck up on her. The foxes' ability to move through shadows meant that you couldn’t let your guard down or they’d sneak up and ambush you.

“Hup!”

“Kuuuuu!”

Since a bow wasn’t the ideal weapon to use at close range, she’d asked Michael to teach her to throw knives, something he’d been happy to do. It had taken a month, but she’d gotten the hang of it enough to wound weaker monsters. Even better, Michael had given her both of his Paralytic Knives, giving her more options when a monster did manage to close in.

“Ku Kuuu…”

Gotta keep my guard up. There’s no telling what’ll come next.

[Protag’s POV]

“Kyu! Kyu kyuyu!”

“Kyuuuuuu!!”

“GROWWLL!!!”

“FUCK OFFFFFF!”

The Shadow Foxes had apparently taken offense at the way I’d killed their brethren, as dozens of them kept chasing me all over the fort. For every one I killed, another two would take its place. Even a few Shadow Wolves had joined the chase, just to spice it up a bit.

It wasn’t only me getting attacked. From just what I’d seen while avoiding my pursuers, there had to be at least a hundred Shadow Wolves and more than five hundred foxes. Even worse, there were already casualties. I’d seen two or three corpses.

“Kuuu…”

“Awooooooooo…”

These boots are probably the most overpowered piece of armor I’ve gotten yet. I can easily toy with Shadow Wolves with them on and I don’t even have to use Beast of the Nightmare to do it. The only detriment is that they’re rather flimsy. It’s basically like I’m wearing regular shoes, not armored boots. Still, if they can’t catch me, they can’t kill me. While I have the chance, I should test out Sonic Burst. Don’t want to have to learn how to use it when I’m in danger.

*Thud*

Owwwwwwwwwww! What the hell was that!? But I was, now I’m, what the fuck!? That was closer to teleportation than running! One second I’m over there, the next I’m face-planting into a wall! And my nose hurts!

It wasn’t like I’d been careless, I just hadn’t expected for the Skill to provide that much of a boost. It looked like I’d need some real practice before I could try that Skill out in combat. I was just grateful that my helmet absorbed most of the shock, or I could’ve been knocked out. And since the foxes had caught up to me, that wouldn’t have ended well.

Guess I’ll do this the normal way. This is going to be a long night.

[Sávos’s POV]

In a completely unrelated corner of the fort, an utter massacre was taking place. A series of small daggers were flying through the air, each one deftly cutting through several foxes before returning to their owner. Unlike Michael’s method of overwhelming them with sheer speed, this was an orchestra of death being conducted by an expert.

Every single monster was cut down without being able to even get close to Sávos. The second they got too close, they were immediately killed. Even those that jumped into shadows fared no better, as they were forced out before they could close in.

All of the foxes were soon exterminated, with the last one having performed a magnificent flip towards him, only to be impaled by five daggers. The fox's showmanship seemed to have irritated him.

Tch, where did Numbers 13 and 14 go? They were right behind me before those foxes showed up. Hm, we must have been separated during the fighting. I’ll rebuke them later, I still have work to do.

Not only was Sávos Finnél’s attendant, tutor, and advisor, but he was also an experienced spy. Since they basically planned to rob all the noteworthy items from the Earthlings, he had to do thorough reconnaissance beforehand. They couldn’t make their move too early for fear of arousing suspicion, but too late and they wouldn’t gain enough.

And so he and the pawn soldiers were conducting espionage against the mercenaries, learning their habits in the hopes of finding the best times to strike. It was during that that the shadow-type monsters had infiltrated the fort and caused one heck of a mess.

Their numbers are thinning. Did something tell them to retreat? This is troubling, monsters rarely retreat. They must be up to something.

[Protag’s POV]

They just left!? But I was just getting warmed up! Stupid foxes!

Not even an hour after the fight had begun, the monsters willingly left the fort of their own volition. As I searched for the others, I saw multiple signs of the conflict that had occurred. There were monster corpses lying here and there, along with the occasional human corpse.

I’ve become used to seeing corpses everywhere. I’ve even made a few. Not sure if I want to pursue that line of thought. I might want to save it for later.

Moral issues aside, we’d taken less casualties than I’d thought we would. Granted I couldn’t see the whole fort, but I didn’t think the number would exceed thirty, which was within expectations.

Okay, I definitely shouldn’t think like that. I can’t think nothing of them, even if I didn’t know them personally. That would make me just as bad as the monsters that killed them. I don’t particularly want to lose my humanity.

“Michael, there you are! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, for the most part. I did get a little roughed up a few wolves, but I’m alright. I got to say though, these boots are amazing. I’ve never been so fast. I could probably break all kinds of records if I entered the Olympics. Actually, I wonder how they’ll accommodate enhanced athletes? Will they be treated like normal or like they’ve been doing steroids?”

“Should you really be wondering about that in this situation?”

“Probably not. So what happened here? It looks like you guys had fun without me.”

Alicia was on top of one of the shorter building, I thought it was a canteen, and Cameron stood guard nearby. Between the two of them, it looked like they’d killed over three dozen foxes and a few wolves. When I’d first met them, it was all they could do to fight E-Rank Goblins, so this definitely showcased their growth.

“I would not call this fun! Why were there so many monsters anyway? I thought they couldn’t get into the fort.”

“That was the hope, I suppose. What’s the matter Cameron? You look troubled.”

“Just a bad feeling. I think I know what they’re up to.”

“Care to share with the class?”

“Not right now. I don’t want to alarm anyone if I’m wrong. Just keep alert for now.”

“Cameron, please don’t be insinuating what I think you’re insinuating. I don’t want to do this again and again.”

“I know I’m the most battle-hungry among us, but even I don’t want to do that. I know it makes sense, but just don’t say it. Maybe it won’t happen then.”

Oh who do I think I’m fooling? This is going to be hell.

***

“Awwoooooo!!”

“Not again!”

For the fifth time tonight, the howls of monsters echoed throughout the fort. Every time we thought it was over, more wolves and foxes would spring out of the shadows to attack us. The only positive was that since everyone was awake, there were very few casualties. But because we were already prepared, each attack was relatively short, lasting only a few minutes at most.

Who’d have thought that the monsters would actually use strategy! This is so freaking irritating. I’m not going to be getting any sleep if this keeps up. There has to be a way for us to keep them out. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen any NPCs in a while. Where’d they all go?

As if in response to that thought, several soldiers went running past us. Wherever they were going must’ve been urgent, as they didn’t spare us a glance as the passed by.

“Do you think we should see what that’s about? If the NPCs are in that much of a hurry, then something’s going on.”

“Definitely couldn’t hurt. If they’re doing something, we should probably keep an eye on it.”

As we followed the soldiers, I started to notice a certain tension in the air, an electricity that guided us closer and closer to the source of whatever was happening.

“There’s an immense amount of mana gathering nearby. Someone’s getting ready to us one heck of a spell.”

“Is that what that is? It’s making my neck itch.”

We weren’t left in the dark for much longer, as the soldiers soon arrived at their destination. Dozens of NPCs and mercenaries were gathered together, standing around an overly complex formation carve into the stone walkway. Both the Commander and Archmage were standing in the middle of it all, conversing with Braddock and Sampson.

“Once this array is active, it should keep the Shadow-type monsters from entering the fort through shadow movement. We’ll need you to keep the monsters back while we activate it.”

“Got it.”

“Why didn’t ya already have something like this in the first place?”

“Because maintaining an array of this size is both costly and difficult. We’ll have to assign two mages to supply it with mana at all times or it’ll collapse. Which is two less to fight on the walls.”

“I’ll need to redistribute everyone to rebalance our defenses. If even one wall falls, it could easily cause a rout. I’ll leave this in your hands Aliver.”

“Yes Commander. Now, I’ll need everyone to quiet down while I focus. This is a very difficult spatial barrier I’m trying to create, even the slightest lapse in focus could be disastrous.”

Once everyone else had cleared off, the Archmage slotted his staff into a notch in the array and proceeded to gently pour mana into it. As it began to fill, light slowly shined from within the array, gathering even more mana within it.

Well this is certainly spectacular. It’s even more incredible than when he used that teleportation spell earlier.

“So do we just join them or what?”

“Guess so. We’ve got nothing better to do right now and it looks like this should deal with the wolves and foxes.”

The three of us stood off to the side as the Archmage continued his spell. By now, over half of the array was full of light and the converging mana was reaching immense proportions. Enough that it was almost visible in the air.

It’s almost like heat haze. The air is shimmering so intensely that it looks like an ocean in mid-air. This is going to be something alright, but…..

“Arrrrrrrwooooooooooo!”

“Growwwwwlll!”

“KYUUUUUUUUUU!”

“They’re coming! Everyone get ready!”

Dozens of Shadow Foxes and Wolves began to emerge from various shadows, beginning one last battle.

[Cameron’s POV]

“Behind! There’s three more foxes over there!”

“Someone hold that wolf back! Or just kill it!”

“We need a medic! There’s Murder Crows too, don’t let your guards down!”

Five minutes later and the battle was still raging. As the amount of mana kept going up, more and more monsters were showing up to interfere with the spell. Some birds had even shown up in order to provide air support for the others.

“Damnit! Why the hell are there so many of them!? They just keep coming! How much longer is this going to take?”

“We’re almost done! Another minute of two and the array will be full!”

This is exhausting. We’ve been up for half the night fighting these monsters. And for what?

“Cameron!”

*Clang!*

Michael’s shout alerted him to the wolf that had jumped out from behind him and nearly taken his head off. Survival Instinct wasn’t able to completely sense monsters using shadow movement Skills, allowing them to sneak up on you. Because of that, he was barely able to parry the attack with his axe.

Shoving the beast back, he quickly swung the axe back around and lopped off its head with one stroke. He then used the momentum of that swing to turn around and kill the two foxes sneaking up on him from behind.

“Don’t get distracted like that. We’re still surrounded.”

“Sorry lad. I’m just starting to lag from lack of sleep.”

Michael softened a bit after that. He was experiencing the same thing. They all were.

“Just hold on for a little bit longer. I’d hate to lose someone when we’re this close.”

“Yeah Cameron, we’re all in this together. We’ve got your back.”

“Thanks you two. Alright, I’ve cleared my head, let’s get this done.”

*Woooooosh!*

Almost as soon as they went to continue fighting, a burst of mana erupted from the array, sweeping over both the monsters and mercenaries. Though the effects were not obvious at first, one glance at the monsters would soon reveal what happened.

All of the nearby shadows rippled and any monsters inside were instantly killed. The Archmage’s spell was designed to prevent any extraneous movement techniques. It would keep any being from using techniques to enter the fort, though it would allow for movement within and to leave the fort. However, the shadows had been sterilized by the spell and monsters would temporarily unable. to use them

Which meant that all that was left was to finish off the monsters that had avoided its effects.

***

“I think that’s the last of them.”

“Certainly looks like it. Jeez, there sure were a lot of them.”

“Tell me about it. Can’t believe I used to think those foxes were cute. They’re just so vicious!”

Those two, how can they be so calm after all of that? For all the complaints she has about his battle last, she might be just as bad. I can’t tell if it’s because they’re younger than me or if it’s something deeper, a lack of something on my part.

“Hey Cam, you okay? You look troubled again.”

“I’m alright Alicia. I’m just thinking.”

“Well okay. But remember, we weren’t lying about what we said. We’re a team and we need to help each other.”

She flashed him an absolutely stunning smile, before turning back to Michael, who was annoyed at something yet again. The rather familiar scene of Alicia needling him, Michael making a nasty retort, Alicia retorting back and then the two bickering like children occurred for the umpteenth time. And it was exactly that that caused him such consternation.

No matter how much they protest, those two are completely at ease with each other. They implicitly trust one another, to the point where they don’t even notice it. Which is what makes this so painful. How do I tell them? What can I say?