The cloud shaded the light of the moon and the tide became low. The leaves crippled and detached away by the northern wind. The mercenaries of the Glade assembled outside wherein they are prepared and marching towards the fight.

The mercenaries stayed in different positions the medics are behind the front lines and were protected by the newbies from the hands of the enemies. Alastor dashed and went to his line in which is in the forest. He held his blade with care and swing lightly, feeling the lightness of his blade that was enhanced by the blacksmiths.

He sheathes it and rested his eyes, releasing his breath, and exhaled again. He continued his mantra, controlling his breathing as the voices of the other warriors dissipate when he closes his eyes. Whenever he felt that he’s had enough he slowly opens his eyes only to be flinched and be annoyed by the flashes of Ken’s camera.

“Say cheese!” Ken delightfully presses the button and captivates his image.

Alastor has enough patience to spare any kind of spoiled acts of selfish endeavor. “We’re going to face probably hundreds of monsters, and here you are, wasting your time taking some pictures. How it would be delightful would it be if you have fallen prey to the enemies?”

“Snappy, I like it. Now, pose another strike.”

Alastor unsheathe his blade and pointed it into his chest.

“Delete those images or I will stake this to your heart… now!”

Ken gulped, he knew that he’s not going to do it, but his expression bade him do otherwise. “Fine. What a buzzkill.” He began to delete the images and showed to him no record of his face, but the other images did not fail to catch his keen eyes. “See, I deleted it.”

“I can see that, but what about the others?”

“What about the what?” He gazes away and with a pretentious and innocent look.

“You know what I mean. Do you have no intention to tell the others of this infidelity you committed?

“Shhh… you don’t need to tell them about this. This is for collection purposes only. You can say that I’m a connoisseur.”

Oblivious as often he can be, there are certain ladies that line up behind him in silence and with an expression of an untamed beast.

“Connoisseur?” Alastor grinned. “Tell that to them.”

Ken glanced behind and saw the maddened ladies. His face turned pale and was struck on his position as their cold gazes crept to his bones. They came closer enough to feel the stench of their intentions. Ken slowly back off but was bump behind by a larger woman. Alastor left him and went to the frontline hearing the horrid scream of Ken and the rest is history.

Together they felt it, the erupting creeping sensation of bloodlust usurp from the sea to the forest and beyond the mountains. They were supposed to be the best, but even the men and women who reached the pinnacle of their strength can’t encapsulate the fact that they feared for their lives as well.

From the sea, they saw monsters that are above the usual level they had encountered. Some did not flinch. The only thing that differs those people who trembled in fear and others do not are their experiences.

Despite the numbers of the enemies, they did not waver and remained still on their position. The monsters varied with many kinds. From Spree Walkers who’s half mammal and reptile, with their bluish scale that is hard as steel and their dark swollen eyes that is capable of seeing their prey within 10 kilometers and their claws that is sharp as their teeth – to the brute humanoid Nightinhawks that scours the sky with their wings and talons that is thrice larger than the human hands.

A warrior named Kazan and Linda stood in front and beckoned them to attack.

“Charge!” They shouted.

The entire mercenaries of the Glade unremittingly attention as they storm at each other. Each of them lives with the reputation of the Glade with no less fear in their conviction. Their great numbers began to merge in the coast as their weapons lashed down at the enemies.

Fortuitously on their side, the veterans took out a large number of enemies and easily decapitated the Nightinhawks from abducting their comrades, but there are unfortunate ones that were not able to do anything.

Someone shoots fire magic into the sky and amidst the battle, he was injured, but his objective successfully sent to the residents in the four towers. The 16 archers began to stretch and aimed their arrows at the enemies and with their bows and strings began to stretch, the arrows erected and were released with such precision. Their arrows landed either on the wings or at the hands of the Nightinhawks.

The captives fell. Some were lucky to be outside of the warring zone, but some fell on top of the enemy and got injured as result.

Alastor leaped and strike down the enemy. He quickly guarded Ken when he saw that the enemy aim his behind while Ken is hovering two enemies in front of him. Alastor draws its attention to him and shield against its attacks. He refutes but it bounces back, though the scales are hard, a piece of its scales shredded.

Their ability to make their scales harder is quite arduous to penetrate, but it does not mean that their defense is completely impenetrable, it only does require strenuous effort to exude the right amount of level of strength. Ken with his Monk Magic, have his hands fired and with a single swift he easily beheaded the enemies.

Alastor tried to put himself together after he received a blow from the enemy, a body fell to the sky and nearly fell on top of him.

“What the fuck?!”

Alastor jumped into action on protecting the tumbled comrade. His sword blocked the enemy’s attacks. He deflected it perfectly and immediately swoop in to land a kick to its guts and redirected the hands away and pushed the tip of his sword to its head.

He helped the grunting fallen comrade to sit down. He’s exuding effort to draw air while and gasping in desperation.

“L-Left pocket… a p-potion.” He muttered and coughed blood.

Alastor picked out the bluish potion and made him drink it. No longer he felt the unbearable pain and managed to stand on his feet again.

“Thank you.” He spoke and gave a long sighed.

“You no longer capable of fighting. Go to the medic and rest.”

Alastor heads back to the battlefield and aided the others. Ken side roll and landed a thrusting punch to the enemy’s gut. It felt beyond its thick scale to its flesh the solidity of its fist – so much for it to take and fell onto his knees. Ken quickly demanded its head and went for it with no mercy.

Ahead of the battlefield, Linda and the others similar to her rank – simultaneously and effectively brought down the enemies. Even with their exceeding efforts the enemies seem not reducing and keeps coming ashore, not to mention the Nightinhawks who’s abducting the comrades and up to the sky.

Linda took down a Nightinhawk that tried to take her with her ice magic. The wings froze and as a result of crashing, its wing shattered into pieces.

Kazan took out the Spree Walker in regards to protect Linda from outflanking.

“Seems there’s no end of them,” Kazan said in a troublesome tone. “I do not think that this is going to end well for us.”

Linda answered, “Have faith, Kazan. It’s not like this is the first time we fought these monsters before.”

“You’re right, but you must consider that some of our troops are not in a condition to fight. As a matter of fact, not all of them have fully recovered enough to take a stand against the enemies, not to mention that there will be others aside to these two kinds that will appear.”

If it were to associate the Night Tide is an absurdity. Monsters will have succumbed under the impression of possessed and maddened man that will haunt and attack prey even their own fellow kind with insatiable bloodlust. This predicament did not only affect the ecosystem but the lives of the human beings that live specifically in countryside areas. Nonetheless, this quandary will come to an end should the dawn touch the land.

From above, various explosions emanated throughout the surface, and the land was shaken by the battle of the Glade against the monsters. The bombardment is enough to send commotions in the mansion and the children inside were trembling by the unceasing affliction over the battlefield.

As time goes by new enemies appeared, even still, they did not wane and continued to fight though there were casualties they managed to survive. The wounded persons are tended back to the medic. While the main forces focusing on the fight in the front, they were oblivious that there some monsters that went the other way and headed to the mansion.

Some of the main forces notice the change of the atmosphere and whiskers of the grass specifically those behind the lines. The archers from the towers began to shoot on the forest hoping that it would delay their march towards them, but unexpected enemies came to leaped on two of the towers a goo ish monster flew and stick on the curtain wall and slowly climb up. The other two of the archers still helped the main forces while the other two were busy trying to shake off the new monster that erected to kill them.

The message quickly relayed to Linda and Kazan.

“Shit. The enemies are heading to the mansion!” Linda shouted.

“I can see that!” Kazan replied. “The cadets can handle it.”

“No, they can’t! Those monsters are classified as ranked B and A. It’s impossible for them to handle it. Rally our troops back to make sure that their attention remained undivided to us.”

“If only the Rooks are here maybe shits would be easier.” He said to himself. Kazan called the nearest groups, “Hey! If any of you are capable of fighting head to the mansion and help the newbies.”

The new trainees held their weapons. It is expected that they’d show a remark of fear and contemplation about themselves on what would their future become should happen if they engage in the battle.

There were five reliable trainees who’re responsible for their platoon, one of them notices the suddenly shifted behavior of the forest. The trees trembled and the leaves shake loose. Observing from the higher echelon, the trees parted and the goo-ish monsters instantly fled out of the way.

One of them is capable of using Observation Magic. His eyes glowed and instantly he peered into the abyss and for a moment, the abyss peered back to him. The red eyes glowed menacingly intimated him which is enough to disrupt his mental and physical state.

“What do you see?” His friend asked.

Suddenly, he felt a pit on his stomach, like it was being grilled and churn. He puked down the tower. His friends immediately came to aid him. The backup quickly got there and in great timing, they’re the ones who first take on the monsters that nearly outflank them.

The new trainees helped them to fight the monsters and show valiancy while the others remained in their position for the fear that they might get in the way of others.

Alastor decided to join the others in the mansion.

“Where are you going?!” Ken asked in the midst of the heat of the battle. He luckily evaded the enemy just before the claws got his cheeks. His attention is drawn back to the monsters in front of him. Mages and swordsmen aided him at disposing of the enemies with a swift. He became wary of the movement of the enemies as soon as he heard the loud cry from the forest that the rest of the mercenary of the Glade went to.