Hundreds of adventurers swarmed out of the Wealden City gates. Under the scorching sun, the grassy plains outside the walls were instantly filled with the glint of steel from drawn swords, spears, and axes. The lust to slaughter and seize wealth dominated their ranks.
However, just as the formation began to take shape and they prepared to sprint forward, their very first steps were halted.
An incredibly deep roar echoed from the direction of the Forest. The sound was so vibrating that it made the earth beneath their feet tremble softly. That sound crumbled a portion of the victorious euphoria in the adventurers' minds.
From atop the defensive walls, Captain Cedric shouted with all his might through a metal funnel-shaped device amplified by a voice-projecting magic.
"Hold your lines!" Cedric's voice echoed commandingly. "Do not move forward! We do not yet know who or what leader is controlling a monster wave of this magnitude!"
"And look at their eyes—all those monsters, from Goblins to Ogres, possess an incredibly bizarre purple glow in their eyes!" Cedric warned loudly.
At the front line of the adventurer troops, Lorien Caldwell bit his inner lip hard for a moment. His instincts as an experienced adventurer caught the scent of a bad premonition. Something unsettling was happening.
However, when he turned his head and saw the hundreds of adventurer troops behind him beginning to waver and whisper anxiously due to Captain Cedric's warning, Lorien knew he had no option to retreat.
His feet had stepped too far. His ambition to attain the Mithril title sealed his danger instincts shut.
Relying on his flawed analysis caused by incomplete scout information, Lorien raised his longsword and shouted loudly to calm the masses.
"Do not be swayed by the cowardice of the city guards!" Lorien exclaimed. "Their leader is clearly that horde of giant Ogres at the front! That roar just now was merely a bluff from a two-headed Ogre!"
"As for their purple eyes... it must just be the effect of consuming poisonous plants or strange moss inside the forest due to starvation! Do not let illusions frighten you! The responsibility for this operation lies entirely with me!"
Seizing full command from the hands of the Wealden military, Lorien turned around and began arranging the formation of the hundreds of adventurers based on the rank plates on their chests.
"Gold-Tier parties, gather your formations! Focus your attacks to hold and slaughter the Ogres in the center!" Lorien instructed clearly.
"Silver-Tier parties, lead the main line to cleave through the Orcs and Dire Wolves! For the Bronze-Tiers and the rest, clear the lines of Goblins on the left and right flanks! I and The Gilded Falcons will sever the heads of those two-headed Ogres!"
Lorien had just drawn a deep breath, preparing to shout the final charge command, when his momentum was roughly cut off.
Four adventurer captains from Gold-Tier parties walked steadily through the ranks and stood directly in front of the Caldwell noble.
One of the captains, a middle-aged man built as large as a bear shouldering a giant double-headed axe, glared at Lorien with sharp eyes.
"Do not boast and fool these new kids for the sake of your personal ambition, Lorien Caldwell," the veteran captain growled with a hoarse voice. "The four of us were hunting in the border territories of this Eastern Forest even before you could hold your first wooden sword properly."
The captain raised the blunt edge of his axe, pointing straight toward the sea of monsters ahead.
"There is no poison, wild plant, or moss of any kind inside the forest that can make a monster's eyes glow with a uniform purple color," the captain asserted.
"Furthermore, Goblins, Orcs, and Dire Wolves are natural enemies who always prey on one another. They never gather neatly together like a combat force without killing each other first. You cannot fool our eyes."
"Something much darker... something possessing control... is manipulating them from behind," he concluded.
While a fatal debate occurred on the front lines, atop the defensive walls, Captain Cedric's face flushed crimson from anger that could no longer be contained.
Disregarding all manners, Cedric grabbed the collar of Guild Master Thorne's robe roughly, cornering the man until his back slammed hard against the stone parapet.
"Why did you grant such a highly reckless and foolish decision?!" Cedric snapped right in Thorne's face. "You just sent hundreds of men to die a ridiculous death out there!"
Feeling his robe rumpled and his dignity trampled on, Thorne swatted Cedric's hands away roughly. He straightened the folds of his fabric while snorting arrogantly. The blind confidence spoon-fed by Lorien had poisoned his reason.
"Watch your hands and your mouth, young Captain," Thorne replied sharply. "Just relax and watch from here. Lord Lorien Caldwell is down there. That two-headed Ogre will soon die at the tip of his sword. And after that, the members of The Gilded Falcons will spread their wings to slaughter the remaining prey like sweeping dry leaves."
Hearing that response full of egotism amidst the city's peril, Captain Cedric snorted in disgust.
"I will never entrust the main defensive line of my city to a group of greedy mercenaries blinded by wealth," Cedric hissed, full of revulsion.
Without looking back, Captain Cedric turned and ran up the stone stairs toward the highest command tower above the gates.
The air above the walls suddenly rustled harshly.
Tower Master Zareth Caldris descended from the sky, severing his [Tier 3 - Fly] incantation perfectly. His shoes landed soundlessly upon the stone, while his elegant magic robe fluttered blown by the wind.
"What exactly is going on here, Cedric?!" Zareth snapped instantly. The lines of his usually calm face were now filled with confusion and anger. "Why did you order your men to open the gates and let those adventurers out instead of taking shelter behind the walls?!"
Captain Cedric, who had just arrived at the command balcony, was shocked to see the ruler of the tower intervene directly. He immediately bowed respectfully in a hurry.
"It was not I, Master Zareth," Cedric reported quickly. "It was Lorien Caldwell. He incited the adventurer masses. He promised them full rights to the loot obtained, and Guild Master Thorne promised to grant rank promotions."
Hearing that explanation, Zareth narrowed his eyes sharply toward the open field. He clicked his tongue, instantly reading Caldwell's greedy stratagem to monopolize the situation to increase his party's value.
However, the very next second, Master Zareth's composure crumbled, leaving nothing behind. His eyes widened. He gripped the stone parapet tightly.
His gaze caught a highly familiar silhouette on the very front line of the adventurer troops: a blonde Elf girl standing out starkly amidst the encirclement of humans and weapons. Aeliana.
Oblivious to the dozens of pairs of guards' eyes, Zareth squeezed the stone parapet until it cracked.
"Idiots!" Zareth roared full of anger, his voice booming across the entire guard post. "Why did that arrogant bastard let Aeliana stand outside the gates?!"
Zareth Caldris's patience ran out. He spread his arms. With a rapid incantation, he activated [Tier 3 - Fly].
His body shot down from atop the high stone wall, cleaving the air, and landed right in the center of The Gilded Falcons' party formation. The impact of his landing made the surrounding adventurers' cloaks flutter, drawing shocked and confused stares from the rear ranks.
Zareth paid them no mind whatsoever. His footsteps moved fast and straight toward a single target: Aeliana. The face of the old man who was usually calm and full of calculation was now blanketed in panic.
"Why did you step out from the protection of the walls, Lady Aeliana?!" Zareth demanded with an elevated tone of voice.
From the front, Lorien Caldwell, who had just finished pressuring the four Gold-Tier captains to return to formation, noticed the commotion. Seeing Master Zareth intervening directly on the field, Lorien immediately turned around and walked closer.
Instead of feeling daunted or intimidated, Aeliana actually stared at Zareth with emerald eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. She gripped her wooden magic staff tightly with both hands.
"I wanted to experience a real battlefield with my own two eyes, Master Zareth!" Aeliana answered with such naive enthusiasm, entirely unaware of the death crawling closer from the direction of the forest.
Zareth drew a rough breath, holding back his scolding so it wouldn't explode.
"This is not a game!" Zareth snapped, restrained, the veins in his neck bulging slightly. "You are a [Mage], a long-range fighter! Your place is atop the defensive walls to provide covering fire, not on an open plain filled with savage monsters!"
Zareth's sharp gaze shifted. His eyes caught the figure of a woman dressed as a cleric standing right behind Aeliana—Nita, the Priest of Lorien's party.
"And you!" Zareth pointed with anger that was no longer concealed. "Are you not also a Priest? A fragile healer class in close combat! Why did you let yourself and this girl step out past the gates?!"
Facing the harsh reprimand from the most influential person in the city, Nita did not look intimidated in the slightest. Instead of backing away in fear, the woman actually stepped forward. With a highly protective motion, Nita embraced the left arm of Lorien, who had just arrived beside them.
"I am here to ensure Lord Lorien's safety," Nita replied with a firm tone and chin held high. Her gaze upon Lorien implied a blind loyalty that refused to be separated.
Realizing the tension in this rear line was heating up and wasting his charge formation's time, Lorien let out a long sigh. He held back his annoyance at Nita for restricting his movements, then turned to the two women near him.
"Aeliana, Nita," Lorien said, trying to diffuse the situation. "Perhaps it is indeed best if the two of you fall back. Wait inside the walls with the guards."
However, a dual rejection immediately greeted him.
Nita tightened her embrace on Lorien's arm, pressing her body closer without caring for the stares of the people. "No. I will always be with you on the front lines," she whispered.
At the same time, Aeliana shook her head stubbornly. "I do not want to retreat either, Sir Lorien. I want to join the battle."
Zareth turned his body, trying to coax the future hero one more time before the monster wave truly crashed in.
"You have a bright future, Lady Aeliana," Zareth coaxed, lowering his tone of voice to be more persuasive. "There is no need to risk throwing your life away in vain for something unimportant."
As he spoke the phrase 'something unimportant', Zareth's eyes glared sharply at Lorien, openly mocking the political ambition of the young man who was willing to sacrifice the lives of others. Lorien frowned.
Yet, Aeliana actually flashed a wide smile. She raised one hand and touched the blue gem-adorned silver pendant on her neck.
"Master Zareth need not worry!" Aeliana said cheerfully. "I am still wearing the pendant you gave me. With this high-tier magical protection from the Magic Tower, shouldn't I be safe from all danger?"
Zareth's throat instantly choked. His lips parted slightly, yet not a single word came out. His eyes blinked, as if he had just been slapped by his own words.
The ruler of the tower was out of ideas. He had just swallowed his own bait. If he continued to argue Aeliana's words and force her inside, it would be tantamount to admitting that his protective Magic Item was not strong enough, demeaning the quality of his own gift in front of the public.
"Are... are you truly certain you want to fight here?" Zareth finally asked, his voice weakening, defeated by the Elf girl's stubbornness.
Aeliana nodded firmly. "Thank you for your concern, Master Zareth."
Realizing he would not be able to change Aeliana's stance without using force, Zareth turned his body. He stepped forward, approaching Lorien. The air around the Tower Master suddenly became incredibly heavy, pressing on the lungs as if gravity had just been multiplied.
"You had best protect Aeliana with your own life," Zareth hissed softly and incredibly dangerously, ensuring his voice was heard only by Lorien's ears.
"If even a single scratch appears on her body due to this selfishness of yours... then even if all the elders of House Caldwell step forward to defend you, I swear I will kneel and beg my master in the Capital to declare a full-scale war against your family."
Lorien's face instantly tensed. His jaw muscles twitched hard. That threat was no empty bluff. He knew exactly how lethal the political influence of a grandmaster of a Tower Master was.
"Rest assured," Lorien replied with a tone far more serious and heavy than before. "I will ensure her safety."
Before shooting back up to his command position atop the wall, Zareth reached into his robe pocket. He pulled out a small leather Magic Bag and shoved it into Aeliana's palm.
"Take this," Zareth instructed quickly. "Inside it are various high-quality healing potions and several [Tier 3] Magic Scrolls to help you survive in critical moments."
Without waiting for a reply of gratitude, Zareth cast his flying spell. His body shot back into the sky toward the watchtower, leaving the lines of adventurers who were now preparing to welcome the crash of the monster wave right before their eyes.