A light nudge against my back woke me the following morning. I was the last up, and last to get breakfast. It was still an awkward mood, and I made no attempts to change that. My dreams had all been nightmares.

I realized something else. For the first time in a long time, I felt unwelcome and wanted. I knew it was childish, and illogical but I felt I could never recover the sense of comradeship I once had with Briele and Bryan again. How could they blame me for the death of Cid?

As I ate my breakfast quickly, I avoided looking in their direction. Cid or no Cid, we still had a job to do, and couldn’t slack in the slightest. I’d just finished eating and had gathered up my gear, preparing to set out on the search for the seed, when I heard a call like that of a hawk.

My eyes scanned the sky and I saw it circling above. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was some kind of vulture here for Cid’s body. That thought lasted only a moment before the raptor swooped down and landed directly on the rim of Bryan’s shield.

It had little packs of notes all around its feet, clearly for holding messages. Some of them had been opened but many had not been. Vichi rushed over before taking a note out and then sending it on its way. The bird flew into the sky and disappeared above the forest canopy. It never once glanced at Cid’s corpse.

“What is it?” Bryan asked.

Vichi unfolded the note carefully before exposing the contents within, “Return immediately. Tide incoming.”

My heart stopped, as did everyone else’s. We had hoped to have more time than this, to at least find the seed before being discovered. Clearly something had changed. “Get everything we need, we leave immediately.” Vichi said with a stern voice. “We follow the coast and cut through the forest. That will be the fastest way.”

No one disagreed, but Luther spoke up, “What about Cid?”

“We have no choice but to leave him.” Vichi responded.

“Wait,” Briele said. “Just five minutes, please.” She didn’t wait for a response before rushing over to Cid. She removed the tarp covering him and said a few words to herself. Bryan and Luther did the same. Eventually, we all took one last look at our fallen comrade.

I didn’t have any words to say, so I just stared, stared into space. My mind flashed with the moments we spent together, and our first meeting. I would never see him again, hear his voice again. Reality was rough.

“We can’t take any longer,” Vichi urged us along, but I didn’t think her heartless.

For a moment I thought we would leave him here exposed, but instead Briele cast a spell. The ground he was resting on turned to quicksand and his body descended before disappearing.

“If we survive this… I’ll return with a proper tombstone brother,” Bryan said under his breath. We all turned and headed towards the cliffside. Traveling along the forest without searching would have us back in around a day’s time.

We didn’t run into any outliers like the Tainted Beast, and travel was relatively smooth. The daunting reality hit us all though—finding the seed was hard—impossibly hard. We passed dozens of cave openings, dozens of places the seed could be. We had merely scratched the surface.

None of that accounted for anything at the moment. We needed the specifics of what was happening. It was mid afternoon follow day when we to where the raid was regathering. The entire camp was a rustle and bustle of organized panic.

I hadn’t spoken a word the entire trip back, not to anyone. There was a dark and ugly feeling filling me. My desire to converse and speak with my comrades was absolutely zero and I just wanted to be away from them.

The way both Bryan and Briele had looked at me that night after I came around haunted me. I remembered clearly those stares, filled with uncertainty and a hint of malice. How could someone flip so fast? A part of me accepted it as them grieving. I could forgive them, but just not right now.

Arrival at the camp didn’t change my desire to talk, and I couldn’t bear to look back at my former comrades. I rushed off and could hear Briele from behind, “Joseph… wait!” I pretended to not hear this and kept going. My destination was wherever Rhea was located.

It didn’t take me long to find Rhea as she was at center of the camp, gathered with everyone else in charge of making decisions. She spotted me and a small part of that darkness melted with her smile. “Joseph! You made it back in one piece.”

My mood was still in a terrible place, “What’s the situation?” I asked curtly.

“The tide of monsters is returning but not to attack, it seems our position hasn’t been discovered just yet, but we have maybe three days. Within three days they will discover us and we will be under siege. I don’t have a lot of time, so if you can head over to Corbin and give a rundown of your group’s discoveries, please do it now.”

Corbin was at another tent that had a massive line coming out of it. Clearly, it was all the other groups intent laying out what they encountered. The line moved quickly enough though, and within ten minutes I was in front of the POWER guild leader.

“Ah, Joseph I’m happy to see you,” he said. In front of him were a booklet and a huge map of the west coast of Abithos. “You were partied with Vichi, correct?” He didn’t wait for my response. “So your path was here.” His finger traced our route with accuracy.

“Right.”

“Alright, as best as you can remember, please tell me what you discovered on your path.” His finger began moving along our route again while he stole glances at me. When he made it to the coast I stopped him.

“Cave there,” I said, “proved to be empty.” And he marked it with a red dot. His finger began moving again, “Cave there but we couldn’t explore it all.” Corbin marked it with a black dot. I repeatedly pointed out locations where the caves were as we traversed to the best of my ability.

As he came lower and connected with another group I realized just how much area we still needed to cover. There were dozens upon dozens of caves on the west coast marked with a black dot.

“If there’s nothing else to report, you should get to work outside the camp. We don’t have a lot of time.” I gave him a nod and left the tent allowing the next person to dictate their discoveries.

There were no specific instructions for me, and none were needed. Any able body was outside the walls, and they were hard at work. The forest in front of the encampment was being cleared out.

The trees were being tag teamed and cut down. Pits were being dug and then spikes were being placed at the bottom. We were fortifying the camp for the inevitable siege. There was a lot of work to be done, so I summoned Mana Scythe at 90% of my MP and turned my brain off. I could cut trees and no one would bother me.

This was one of the rare moments when I wished I still had Marcus with me. There had never been any sign of him after his sacrifice in the Hidden Jungle. He could be annoying, but he had grown on me, and usually he had taken my side in matters where I had been upset. This was probably because he could feel what I felt; he could understand me.

As I lashed my way through every tree in my path, I wondered how well I could harness World Cutter now. There had been a moment before I released the spell in which I had felt I understood, albeit only slightly, how to control some of its overwhelming power expenditure.

Unfortunately, although I know wanted to explore this further, my MP was only at ten-percent right now. Even if I could manage to use just a fraction of my MP, World Cutter would definitely black me out anyway. It would definitely make clearing this area of trees much easier, if I could use it though.

There were faces all around me of people from varying guilds, all working together to get as many supplies as possible and set up as many traps as possible. Pits were dug all over the ground and wooden spikes planted inside them.

We didn’t bother covering the pits, as once the assault started it was likely that the beasts in the front would be pushed into the spikes by the sheer forces behind them. These defenses would help alleviate some pressure, but not for long. The vast numbers of monsters heading our way meant they could clog our trenches with their dead and still keep coming without check.

“Excuse me.” There was a voice behind me. I hadn’t noticed in my own daydreaming and mindless hacking and slashing that someone was moving toward me.

I put myself on guard and faced them, “Hello, do you need something?” I asked. It was a young man I didn’t know. His posture and attitude was non-threatening and as laid back as possible.

“No, I’d just like to know your name.”

“It’s Joseph, but why do you ask?”

“I just wanted to put as many names to faces as I could… I can’t explain it, but I think that people should be remembered. If no one remembers your name, your face, did you ever really exist?”

It seemed this person must have been daydreaming even more than me. “I see…”

“My name is Roderick. Please remember me,” he said before moving on to the next person. I watched him intently for a few moments to confirm that he truly was just asking for names and spreading his own.

I couldn’t help but think there were some merits to his thinking, however obtuse. The vast majority of people in history were simply side characters never to be remembered. I looked at the people around me only to realize that I didn’t know ninety-nine percent of them: their faces or their names. Most of them definitely didn’t know me.

The upcoming battle would develop in unpredictable ways. I could be fighting alongside any number of people I didn’t know. I’d ask for their names then if that was the case. No point fussing over it now.

As a group we had made incredible progress on the camp’s defenses by nightfall. About forty percent of our goal had been accomplished in a single day, which left us some breathing room at this pace. That night, I didn’t head back to my group’s tent that night. I still didn’t want to see Briele and Bryan.

Falling asleep wasn’t easy, and with a day’s breathing room I took a risk and used the mysterious orb once again. There always hope I’d see a vision or receive some useful information.

All I experienced was just blackness again, and that same voice urging me to hurry, telling me to finish the seed before it recovered. There was a new message though, “Don’t forget the orb, it will be crucial.” I didn’t understand the orb and how it could help but I woke up determined to keep that message in mind.

Even more people came to help on the second day, and by nightfall the fortifications were completed. The wall had been raised an extra three feet. A second layer of earth was placed behind the first and wooden spikes were driven in behind that for support.

Pits were dug all over the front, left, and right side of the camp, some of them large enough in size for a semi-truck to disappear into them. Between the pits were small pathways that we could maneuver easily, but which would prove incredibly difficult for bulkier beasts to travel.

I couldn’t help but walk through the pathways carefully carved between the pits and gander inside. The bottoms were terrifyingly deep, no doubt dug by magic. Light didn’t travel far enough down, but the tips of wooden spikes could be seen, ready to impale any beast unfortunate enough to fall in.

There were also piles of wood and debris at the bottom of the pits as well. I couldn’t be sure for what, so I decided to ask the nearest person to me. “Hey, do you know why that’s filled with trash?”

“For burning,” he said, “they are soaked in oil; once the battle starts every pit will be shot with fire arrows.”

“So a fiery pit of death?” I asked. I’d never thought I’d mutter those words, but here we were.

“That’s the plan.”

I had spent most of my time outside the camp and away from people these past two days and didn’t know the battle plan. Rhea was always at the command center, albeit extremely busy. I found a moment of reprieve in her duties to ambush her.

“Joseph, where have you been? Both Bryan and Briele have been looking for you. What happened?” she asked before I could even get a word in.

“We just had a small disagreement, nothing big. What is the plan? What’s our solution for the Tide?” I couldn’t help but glance around after my question and try and spot the Adventurer’s Guild Master. I hadn’t seen him or felt his presence in over a week.

“We’ll remain behind the wall as long as it holds and then send out melee in a last-ditch effort to defend.” She looked around the room and then spoke in a whisper, “It doesn’t look good. There’s too many monsters incoming and we’ll probably be forced to retreat.”

“Where is the Adventurer’s Guild Master?”

“He’s out right now exploring as many of the uncharted areas as possible. He is trying to find the seed at all costs. If it comes down to it, several of us will remain here till the end. Even if that means we die trying to find the seed.”

“Will he be here for the upcoming battle?” I asked. Without his AoE, gravity-altering magic it would probably not be a long battle at all. We would be over-run without much of a fight.

“He said he would return tonight. I guess it all depends on if he finds anything of note while searching.” She paused. “It goes without saying… don’t leave camp. You are not to look for him.”

Reports were that by tomorrow afternoon there would be a full on battle occurring. We would see the front runners early morning. So far, according to the scouting reports, they weren’t aware of our presence.

There would probably be small skirmishes as we tried to eliminate those creatures who discovered us early. Once our presence was fully revealed, we would be under siege until victory or defeat. “If we retreat… what is the plan?” I asked.

Rhea’s face was incredibly troubled, “This is something you cannot share, with anyone. There is no plan to try to regroup in the case we retreat… We only know that all of us dying here is not an option. In that scenario we will find a way. We must.”

“Do you mean the teleporter?”

“It’s been secured and the pathway there freshly cleared. Even if we are overrun it will take the beasts some time to find it under the camouflaging magic we’ve used. By the time they do, most of the survivors will have been able to retreat safely to North Maledith.”

I nodded and turned to leave when Rhea caught me with some parting words, “Whatever happened between you and Briele, and Bryan...” She paused. “You or they may not survive to see tomorrow night. Unless you’re fine with leaving words unsaid, possibly forever, then speak to them.”

There was a lot on my mind, and my anger towards Briele and Bryan was definitely clouding my judgment, filling my thoughts. My mood wasn’t great, and this was more a result of our disagreement than the incoming threat. I needed to clear my mind, to at least speak with them, even if only to tell them I needed more time.

“Do you know where they are?” I asked.

A light smile brightened her face, “They should be working on the left wall.” I nodded before racing off and into the open camp. Anxiety greater than when we fought the Tainted Beast, and even the Dragon Eel started to creep up my spine. I was afraid to face them.

There wasn’t an idle body in sight as I pushed through the crowds of people. Faces covered in grime and worry rushing about. Voices filled with uncertainty and anxiety were barking orders at everyone who dared to take a break.

The camp wasn’t that large but shoving through the crowds ended up wasting a few minutes of time. I reached the left wall and felt nearly out of breath despite not having exerted myself in the slightest. My eyes scanned left to right and spotted nothing. My brain was working against me and my thoughts filled with justifications like, ‘you’ve done enough, you tried and they aren’t here. Let’s go.’

I knew that leaving would be the easy way out. I forced myself to make my way outside the wall. Pits were being dug, barricades being constructed, traps being set. There was a plethora of people my eyes passed over.

Eventually I saw them, far right towards the front of the left wall, on the edge of being at the front wall. Briele was using magic to dig a pit while the others cleared debris and prepared to plant spikes inside. My eyes unconsciously scanned the tree-line and my heart tightened. Cid wouldn’t be there.

My steps were heavy and measured, and eventually I found myself just a dozen feet away from them. It was actually Rot that noticed me first, but he didn’t open his mouth. He only stared, and very quickly everyone else grew curious as to who he was looking at.

It was Vichi that spoke first, “You’re back, and in one piece.” She smiled.

Luther didn’t speak, and nor did Bryan, it was Briele that spoke for the three of them, “Joseph… it’s good you’re back. Bryan and I… we’re sorry. Now isn’t a good time to talk about it, but after?” I could see the sincerity in her eyes.

I should have said yes immediately, but the look in her eyes made me think of how quickly they went from kind to venomous before. How easily I had become an enemy, an outcast. “It’s fine for now. We have more important things to deal with.” My words were neutral, neither unfriendly nor friendly. I did still need time. “Is there anything I can help with?”

“We were just cleaning up actually. Everyone is to be in early tonight. Dinner and then bed.” Bryan said.

“I’ll head back first then. I need to eat before tomorrow.” I hadn’t eaten much these past two days and was honestly ignoring the grumbling of my stomach. The pathway to repairing our friendship had been opened, and that at least relieved some of the negative thoughts flowing through my head.

The higher-ups held nothing back when it came to dinner that night. We were allowed to eat as much as we could fit in our stomachs. Others paid it no mind, but I knew what that meant. It meant they had no faith in us lasting through the entire day tomorrow. Hoarding food was pointless if we weren’t around to eat it.

Our positions along the wall were handed down after dinner. Our group was to work along the left wall. Only when the time was right would we be stepping outside of our fortress and actually engaging in combat.

I laid my head down when only an orange hue could be seen coming over the horizon and bleeding through the mesh of trees. It was probably around seven I’d guess. I expected to be awoken during the night due to first sighting and encounters.