Micky’s Dad’s boss saw the coming horde and ran for the village center. “I’ll go get reinforcements and see if they need anything, don’t worry your supplies are taken care of! I’ll pay for whatever you need personally!” Misses Mina just snorted, nuff said.

Micky and Co. looked out amongst the horde. It was like a blister had popped. Sure you could count the monsters in the lead. Ten rows of ten made a hundred. Ten hundreds made a thousand. A thousand thousands made a million. But after that? It was just a wave of monsters. Everybody was grouped up into a raid, even Micky.

[Raid Quest: Initiated, please hold: ]

[Raid Quest: Protect The Village [Hendrikson’s Estate] from the [Monster Raid]]

[Rewards: Monster XP Doubled [Village Elder’s Council], [Silver] Per Kill [Hendrikson’s Estate [Defense Council]], [Valor]

[Honor] and [Royal Rewards And Credit] By Acknowledgment Of [National Defense Council]]

Micky’s adrenaline shot through him like [Lightning Bolt]. This was a [Quest], and not just any [Quest] but a [Raid Quest]! It seemed that this was more important than he had thought. Not only the two defense councils but even the [Village Elder]s had put up a bounty on this [Quest]. Micky hadn’t even gotten a [Quest] when he fell into the dungeon!

This could really help Micky out. Being in the [Raid] would really reduce his XP gain but as a support he will get a [Least] grade across the board. This was where he would shine the most as an [Buff]er/[Debuff]er. While he couldn’t get the XP he needed in a group as small as a party, bringing this many people together and this much XP. Micky couldn’t help but be excited and expectant.

More and more adults began to arrive. So much so that The [Kingsmen], being the highest authority in the kings [Guard], even over the [Guard]s, started to send people to other areas and back to the village center to facilitate the defense in case of need.

Micky started handing out buffs to all the villagers around. There were some other kids that were old enough to have a [Class] that showed up and even the [Village Idiot] came to protect the [Village]. Micky buffed them all. Micky was Placed in the raid groups with the rest of the children. Most would be used as [Runner]s and ranged support. Very Very distant ranged support that was nowhere near the [Melee] Fighters.

This was fine with Micky, He also pulled Pepperoni back as well. She would assist with Silver. Both being [Monster]s they may be attacked if they were near anybody that wasn’t careful to distinguish them.

As more and more people showed up the first waves hit. Even every one that wasn’t an [Adult] showed up because, depending on how the [Inquisitor] felt, there were times when children who didn’t even have a [Class] were tried for [Treason] because they were [Coward]s that didn’t show up to the town’s defense.

The XP started to roll in as more and more monster waves hit and were destroyed. Slimes were simply squashed by either the adults or their fellow monsters as they fought. Randomly while people were fighting a blue or green goop would pop up between the fighters and cover them in slime. Not that the other monsters were faring much better.

Micky was busy managing his buffs. Enrage made the Adults run back and forth through the charging [Monster] tides like giant rollers. They didn’t even bother to make sure that all the monsters were dead. Just march through them back and forth, clear a swath, keep moving. The monster tides then thinned enough that even the kids could get in on the festival like XP charging towards them.

Basically anyone with a [Class], especially after the first evolution, would not have a problem with holding the line. With Micky buffing them the tides were being decimated as individuals ran through them, literally. It was so bad, or good, that many of the adults were taking a break and waiting for their ‘turn’. After all, this was a rare XP festival for them too.

Micky however, was rolling in the XP. He had already gotten his next spell at level 5 [Cleanse] which was a targeted buff removal spell. With this he could manage his buffs much more easily instead of casting [Charm] to remove the [Enrage] stacks that were passing a critical point and entering [Battle Lust] and accruing stacks naturally. Instead, he could just cleanse the stacks down to a manageable level for the [Raid] to keep cool headed.

Micky quickly found his rhythm, even adding [Enrage] to himself in order to help out Pepperoni. He would control the battlefield by adding or removing stacks of [Enrage] or [Charm] to pacify a group that was charging to far ahead. This way he could keep the murder spree that was the village defense.

This was about when the first boss appeared. It was his old rival the [Big Blue Boss]...

*Pop* and it exploded a ways away after it was shot with a rock. Old man Harrison was famous for his [Rock Throw]. He was once supposed to distract a [Guard] with it, but instead he knocked him clean out.

After realizing how under leveled this [Monster Raid] really was, Micky got back into his rhythm and didn’t leave it again. Pepperoni however, was having a grand old time. She knew that Silver was just letting her have her fun but she didn’t mind. She would swim through the monster tides slashing and pouncing from one target to another.

If she didn’t get a target or one looked like it would come up behind her back Silver would take care of it, but he seemed more than happy to let her take all the credit. He even seemed to be smiling at a joke only he knew. But that was fine, prey!

She would pounce from a ROUS to a slime, to an [Abomination] (Comes up as [Cat Monster XXX] for everybody else). Silver just seemed surprised she wasn’t running out of steam. A lot of the villagers were talking turns in rotation already but Pepperoni’s motivation seemed to be endless. Granted they were only taking turns to pace themselves but it was still impressive.

Susan was having a bit more trouble. But it was nothing that she couldn’t handle. She would smash an area and then hang back. Once she was recharged she would do it again. She would be doing better if she went to the front lines but she still wasn’t on her second promotion and thus not an ‘adult’. So she hung back and protected the other kids with the young adults.

Pinky was having the toughest time. As a curse master [Purple Mage] he spent some time casting curses on targets at extreme range. However, these would either be smashed by the adults before they could die of Dots or smashed by their own allies when they slowed just before death. Pinky was probably the highest non-adult in DPS but lowest in kills besides Micky. So he spent much of his time passing around [Buff]s. Still not as good as Micky was doing but he didn’t have as many XP penalties.

Jeremy, Trevor, and Littlefoot were doing alright for themselves. Jeremy and Trevor were typical muscle headed goons that smashed through the monsters while Littlefoot as an agile [Dancer] that would cut things at range with a [Whip-Fan]. It was a bladed fan that was attached to a rope.

The monster tides lasted long into the night. Micky was drained even though he hadn’t been using [Stamina]. He had been managing the battle and his [Mana] as best as he could but he was running on fumes right now. The monster tides still weren’t abating. Micky’s Dad grabbed Micky and lifted him up. Most kids and many young adults had already left the raid. Micky of course fought it, but weakly.

“I can still fight, I need this.” Micky said

“What you need is to get some rest, in the morning it’ll be all over.” Micky’s Dad said.

“That’s why, that’s why I need...” Micky didn’t remember the rest.

Micky woke up and the [Monster Tide] was over. Of course it wasn’t all over. The [Baron]’s son Maverick was more than ready to make a proclamation. And the [Village] knew it was nothing good. The little prick was a well known sadist. He didn’t like administration unless it meant somebody was about to get hurt, badly.

“It has come to my attention that this town has been so poorly mismanaged that it has been declared [Treason]. We will round up the perpetrators and I will personally handle the executions. Please note that these people have been found [Guilty] by me of [Treason], All village elders-” Micky’s Dad’s Boss got up and ran “-seize him! Now where was I? Ah yes [Guard]s, seize all the village elders. They have been found guilty. It has come to my attention that the discoverer of ‘Bob’s Cave’ Bob has already met his due punishment, But Micky Anderson, and Pinky Williams shall also be executed for their crimes by me personally.” The little prick said.

Micky couldn’t pay attention to the rest of it because he was seized by [Guard]s at the time. Pinky and Him were being taken away. “Let go of me!” Pinky and Micky yelled repeatedly. Of course the [Guard]s ignored them. Bob’s uncle had an especially hard line to his mouth. It appeared that he both knew this would happen and especially choose Micky to drag off. He didn’t look the way of his cousin once. Nor did she look his way either. Apparently they had already discussed this in private and come to an agreement.

“Let go of me you little prick, you can’t do this I’ve done nothing wrong! I saved this [Village]! You can’t do this! I’m a [Citizen]!” Yelled Pinky. The Baron’s son just sneered down at them. Their screams of injustice were his favorite [Music]. The little bastard had a little dungeon where the screams of the tortured were piped in for him to enjoy. It was well known. Had the [Hendrikson’s Estate] been a little closer and under the [Baron]’s direct purview the ‘criminals’ may have found themselves in his ‘music chambers’ (Read torture). But it was well known and a public ‘secret’ even here.

“You’ll die by my hand and your family will get the privilege of watching.” He said. “Maybe I will spend some time here, your mothers a whore at the pub right? She can try and ‘convince’ me that you don’t deserve to be executed. Maybe she can change my mind and you will be sent to my jail for a time instead.” Pinky turned pale. That was probably a worse fate than a quick execution. Say what you will about the prick and how he liked it bloody, he could still wield an executioners axe well enough to make it clean and quick. Of course, he would revel in it afterwards, but who really cared about the afterwards?

“I don’t believe those two are [Guilty].” Said a voice.

“[Guard]s Seize that man!” Yelled the prick. His personal [Guard]s rushed out leaving one behind to protect their master. As the three approached to violently ‘Disarm’ Jimmy. Drawing their blades to slash off his arms and a leg. Two were instantly [Dead] and the third’s weapon went flying off into the crowd. Who knew if it hurt somebody? The still attached hand probably freaked whoever found it out though.

Around Jimmy was a two stride empty space. Four [Knight]s appeared around him in a pointed rosetta. The [Villager]s around him were pushed back but unhurt. “Fucker! Who are you too tell me what to do! I’m the [Baron] in these lands, I say what goes on around here! Go the fuck somewhere else or I’ll call the [Kingsmen] on you!” The [Baron]’s son.

“What? The Count Eldrixton’s Son can’t arbitrate in his own lands? And I’ll love to tell the [Baron] that his title is passed on. Don’t worry the message is already sent.” Jimmy said. The prick got paler and paler with each word. He did no know how deep the shit was, but it was deep.

“I’ll let you arbitrate the cr.. crerr.. crimeses.” The coward said.

“There is no need for that. However I find these two and the other by the name of Bob Guiltless of what they are accused.” Jimmy said.

He marched over to Micky and Pinky and released them. The [Guard]s stood back, knowing better than to get involved.

The Prick took this as his chance to continue the proclamation from his dad after. His father had been apprised of the situation and sent instructions. “It has come to our attention that this estate has been mismanaged. So we have seen it in the best interests of this nation to send down a [Governor] to oversee the estate and make better choices in the future.” The coward finished and ran.

Jimmy led Micky and Pinky away to have words...