Chapter 31: Monster Wave

Garrison

Moments Earlier

The knights were resting for the day in their rooms. The few adventurers still found in the garrison shared drinks with their colleagues in taverns and enjoyed their evening meals. The garrison had a normal atmosphere. It's been four days since the last attack, and the people living within the garrison have rested and regained their energies.

High on the walls facing the forest were the patrol guards. They were the night shift guards. They only had to watch for potential attacks from the beasts and monsters from the forest. This was something that was not done in the past as beasts and monsters rarely came out, except on the rare occasions when there was a monster tide.

The patrol guards were performing their rounds when one of them spotted a dust cloud in the distance. Initially believed to be the wind, the guard focused on the dust cloud and called out to one of his colleagues, "Hey, Ben, do you see what I'm seeing?" The guard called Ben turned to look in the direction his friend was looking. Immediately after spotting the dust cloud, he understood what was going on.

"Oh shit!" He cussed before exclaiming, "Sound the alarm, the tide is here!" This drew the attention of the others, and the one in charge of the alarm bell on the watchtower quickly rang the bell. The chiming sound of the bell alerted the whole garrison.

The knights, soldiers, guards and adventurers quickly got ready and made their way to the walls. Due to the unexpected times these attacks could happen, the residents never drink too much and get wasted.

Inside the administrative block and the knight commander's office, the commander quickly made his way out of his office. He gave his instructions to the administration, "Send a message to city hall about the attack and ask about our mutual guest. This is a perfect opportunity for his presence."

Immediately after giving his instructions, he made his way outside where his entourage was waiting. "Commander Turner, we need to make haste," one of his men urged. The presence of the commander was needed to organize the men. The commander nodded and disappeared in a flash of speed followed by his entourage.

Quickly making it to the top of the walls overlooking the mass of monsters and beasts approaching with malice in their red eyes, the commander gave his instructions, "Pure mages, prepare your spells! Combat mages, draw your weapons and prepare to descend and meet the incoming monsters! First company to the west wall; ensure the monsters don't make it past the walls. Second company, to the east wall." After giving his instructions, he turned to the head adventurer and acknowledged him. "Let's do our best."

The horde of fearsome creatures advanced towards the garrison, their eyes glinting with malice. Leading the charge were massive, tusked ogres, their muscles rippling beneath thick hides. Swift and cunning, packs of snarling star wolves weaved through the ranks, their fangs bared. Among them, towering above the rest, were trolls, their skin tough as stone and adorned with jagged scars. Dark shadows flit through the air as winged beasts screeched their battle cries, their talons ready to tear into flesh. The ground trembled under the weight of the approaching monsters, heralding the impending clash.

'This doesn't make any sense no matter how you look at it. These monsters never come together to cooperate. And the bloodlust is unusual,' the commander mused, waiting for the monsters to get into range. "Mages, get ready and fire on my signal!" He directed with his right hand held up. As the monsters got into range, he gave the signal for the pure mages to unleash their spells.

"Fire!"

The pure mages all unleashed their spells at the ready. The mages were arranged in rolls with the ones in front quickly retreating to the back to allow those behind to unleash their own spells. The others also target the flying monsters. The knights unleashed their arrows imbued with their mana and attributes. The combat mages were ready to descend and face the ones that made it past the heavy fires.

~ROOAAARRR…..!~

~SCREEECH….!~

The roars and screeches of the beasts and monsters could be heard under the heavy fires. The slow but heavy monsters like the bronze rhinos and armoured mammoths had the least casualties due to their tough defences and the agile moving star wolves and blink hares were able to evade most of the attacks. The star wolves were lightning-attributed beasts with speed and the blink hares could perform short teleports. However, the chaos of the battlefield reduced the effectiveness of these abilities.

The orcs, ogres and trolls were the highest-numbering monsters of the approaching wave. These monsters were the ones that suffered the most casualties due to their weak defences. The flying monsters were made quick work off. The knight archers with their arrows along with the pure mages showed their skills in felling their aerial targets. The ones that made it past the walls had to face a backup squad of knights. Overall, the knights and adventurers were holding on well. But that was just the beginning of the long night.

The first company of knights, soldiers, and adventurers had reached the far end of the west wall, engaging the monsters in a fierce melee. The pure mages remained on top of the walls, their spells raining down upon the creatures below. The majority of the monsters were clustered at the main wall, drawn by the scent of battle and the promise of prey. This concentration of the enemy forces proved to be a blessing in disguise for the defenders.

Several tens of minutes after the fighting began, the pure mages were running low on mana compared to the combat mages who can rely on their base stats before switching to mana infusion. However, their stamina was not long-lasting. The intensity of the monster wave was not reducing either. This created a situation where the pressure was mounted on those fighting while the healers were going around healing those they could. 

The knight commander surveyed the battlefield, his brow furrowed with concern. "This wave is worse than the previous ones!" he shouted; his voice barely audible above the commotion of battle. The monsters were relentless, pushing forward with a ferocity that bordered on madness. Their bloodlust was palpable, and even the commander's might did little to decrease the tide. One of his lieutenants approached, his face etched with worry.

"Commander, there's too many of them. We need to get back to the walls!" he pleaded. The commander looked around, his heart sinking as he saw his fighters being overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the beasts. Without hesitation, he ordered a retreat to the top of the walls, where the pure mages stood ready.

As the battered soldiers, knights and adventurers made their way to the safety of the walls, the monsters followed, only to be met with a barrage of magical attacks. The air crackled with energy as the mages unleashed their spells, decimating the creatures that dared to approach. But the breathing room was short-lived. With mages running low on mana and combat mages low on stamina, it was only a matter of time before the walls were overrun. The commander watched in dismay as some of the flying monsters soared over the walls, swiftly making their way to the city, ignoring the garrison.

'We need backup!'