Chapter 553: Abnormals

The overhanging quarters of the Lieutenant stood a few meters from the elevator. Parties of fighters stood ever so close to the edge, some sat, some watched, some held binoculars, others used the scope of their weapons. Monsters after said wall were slow, sluggish, but active. None seemed to be in a fight. Promenading along told one thing, the gusts were very much strong; one misstep and tis a trip to a harsh fall. 

"Might I ask why you're shaking like a feather?"

"Feather?" paused the startled guard, "-I guess I'm a little concerned. Heck, the lieutenant isn't that good a person. He's renowned for bursting into ire for being woken from a nap."

"Isn't it a lie?" refuted Igna.

"No," refusal by shaking of the head, "-I saw the whole event play out. Not so much a push than a kick." From there, the conversation dulled as they came closer. An ajar wooden door left ample space to sneak a peek. 

"Stay here," gulping for the door to push further, the guard vanished in the ever-present shadow of the inside. 

Screams rattled inward out, a glance at the surrounding guards showed bored glances, they sighed, '-here we go again,' whispered some to others. 

"The sun feels nice," a man dressed in uniform exited. Murky curly hair slapped to the forehead and cheeks, redden marks of waking from a nap, the tales were true. Grimy and shining, the face shone like a newly varnished piece of wood. "You're Kinless?" a few listless steps led him to sit on the edge, "-join me, standing around does the body no good."

"Alright," side by side, "-lieutenant Mello, I've come for the –"

"No need," he interjected, "-I know the details. Call me Mello for short, I don't care for military stuff. This job is like any other. Now that I look at you," the eyes narrowed, "-weren't you the boy Misna found beyond the walls?"

"Yes, that's me," said he quietly.

"Fate brings you to where you were found. A tasteless job," reaching for the pocket, "-care for a swig?" 

"No, thanks."

"More for me," he gulped, the stench fluttered to the nose.

'Whiskey?' 

"Don't get distracted," said Mello, "-you sure about going alone over there?"

"I guess so, I mean, it is a graduation exam."

"About that," facing the outpost below, "-it's pretty simple. You'll fight, the grading will be done by the wall-guards," to which he pointed to the left, "-see those guards standing atop the quarters?"

"Yes, what about them?"

"They're strong fighters and very competent soldiers ordered to guard the walls if ever the threat is greater. Think of them as a special team of elite tasked as the last resort," checking the watch, "-I ought to catch up on some sleep. You've gotten access to fight, go there and don't die. It's always a pain to clean up dead-bodies. Take care, and don't show off, Misna will be disappointed," he stood.

"May I ask where she is?"

"No idea, not here anyway," a goodbye turned yawn, the man disappeared within the shadows of the quarters. 

'What a weird individual,' thought he moving to the other side. Few parties were already on the move below, running towards a horde of beasts. 

"Igna, Igna," signaled Lingling, "-are you heading out?" her team scurried behind.

"I guess." Veterans kept scowling at their lack of seriousness. Dagger-like glares stabbing their backs in cold subjective judgment. 

"Noticed them?" added Goldie, "-always staring us, kind of a bad environment to train." 

"Well, best get to fighting," said Lingling, "-you coming with?" 

"Sure," said Igna, "-I'll do what I can."

"Follow us then," without notice, they leaped off the side, *Protection of the Wind Spirit,* cried Lingling – an upwards gust slowed the fall till a bubble of air held and stopped the landing impact. 

'Crazy idiots!' And so, Lingling and her team jumped into battle. The monsters were weak, goblins of low ranks. For the most part, Igna stayed at the back and killed any stragglers. Their team were coordinated, anticipating the other's move and so on. Acrobatics from Anne, a cold-hard defense from Kein, overwhelming attack power courtesy of Goldie, support in terms of healing and enhancement from Lucia, and lastly, the coordinator; Lingling. 

'Killing off the small fries is boring,' thought he looking about. Frost and Pegasus were spotted to the right, Lampard, Rena, Anna, and Jen were to the left engaged by their targets. The veterans stood back, helping in finishing, whilst other ran in head first to steal the glory. Monster drops were valuable after all. 

'Something doesn't feel right,' thought Igna stood by a dead-tree, '-there's this weird feeling in my chest. The signet ring's weirdly acting up, are the monsters reacting to me?' The atmosphere changed, the sun hid, the clouds loomed overhead, the mist of Totrya extended onto the battlefield. 'The ring,' clutching the fist, '-something's bad!' 

"Master," resounded a heavy whisper, "-get ready to fight. Monsters fight to train, and so must do our leader. We're sending the humanoid-goblins who've evolved beyond the normal capacity. Be careful and enjoy."

"Vesper," thought he, "-Éclair, scan the area!"

"Can't," said he, "-the signal is jammed. No way to help, toggling to battle-mode, good luck!" 

"ARRRR," a fading scream ended in a crash, the tree broke, blood splattered across the face. The lifeless mutilated body of a veteran, broken bones extruding out the skin. '-Disgusting,' he gagged. Deathly shouts surrounded left right and center. A pair of glowing eyes whisked out the mist, a five-meter-tall humanoid with features of an ogre mixed with a bear. Sharpened claws as opposed to nails, muscular features, and the smile of a kid. *BANG,* a downward slam cracked the very ground, sending Igna back a few meters. It soon sank, the humanoid wasn't goblins, a new breed of monsters, unknown and unreported. The wall sounded the bell of retreat, sadly, there were at least five kilometers between them and safety. '-We need to get away,' he ran to the nearest tree. The fog lessened in intensity, '-where's Lingling and her team?' he scanned to no avail. 

"HELP US!" cried a lady running for her life. She faintly caught Igna's eye, a sense of relief flushed her expression, *RARR* to no avail, the monsters pounced to tear off the upper half of her body and stare coldly. Entrails dangled off its elongated jaw. 

"RUN, RUN!" screamed Lingling unknowingly passing Igna.

"OVER HERE!" he screamed.

"Finally," she slid into cover.

"Were you chased?"

"No," a blank expression, "-they're dead."

"What?"

"Anne's dead!" cried she," those monsters came in ambush, it cleanly took off her head. I couldn't do anything…"

"What about the rest?" 

"No idea," she wept. Fighters fought in attempts of retreat, death, mutilated arms and legs landed at their feet. 

'We're going to die,' mumbles of terror, "-I left my team to die…"

'I need to move, will the death-element react to my orders. It's awakened, I feel the mana… how will it work, I-I.'

"OVER HERE!" cried a lady with an eyepatch, "-WE'VE CLEARED AN EVACUATION PATH, MOVE!" 

"Lady Misna?" 

"Igna… no matter, GO, JUST RUN, WE'LL HOLD THEM BACK!" 

"Ok," grabbing Lingling's wrist, "-LET'S MOVE, IT'S OUR CHANCE!" carnage followed, bodies tossed left and right. 

"Igna, hey, long time no see," nodded Arnold.

"Arnold," a flash of red-beady eyes stood behind the unknowing boy. "-NOT TODAY," he dashed to block the incoming strike, *CLANG!* the shockwave split the fog.

"Take her and run!" cried Igna, "-there's no time to waste," he buckled per the monster's swing.

Fear drilled him to the ground, "-understood," to which Arnold escorted the traumatized Lingling. *CLANG,* another slam cracked the shin, '-fucking hell,' gritted he, '-how strong are these bastards?' 

"IGNA, DUCK!" *BANG,* a bullet tore through the chest, "-GET MOVING!" screamed Konne holding her rifle. 

Meanwhile, the status of the wall grew dire. The alarms for the retreat were sounded, the Wall-Guardians leaped into the fray, helping in the evacuation. Panic had many hysterically clambering up the elevator. The few who made it did so with mortal wounds. A few died on the way up the wall, their bodies forced to lay upon the stone. The chain of command broke into madness, Mello snapped from the listless persona into the full-on competent leader. 

Only the bells of retreat were sounded, none know the actual status of the battle. The fog doubled as a labyrinth for the unlucky – some made it deeper opposed to the walls. 

"Take over the evacuation!" screamed Igna, "-leave me alone, GO, GO!" 

"BUT!" argued Misna and Konne visibly on edge.

"No, forget it, I'm stuck, my legs are broken even if you were to lift this bastard. Go, just take care of the other." The fog intensified, "-GO, LADY MISNA, KONNE, GOO!" 

"WE GET IT," footsteps disappeared into the distance. 

'God damn it,' face up to the greyish mist, '-she shot and killed the beast without thinking. Heavy, my legs are shot. Damn it,' the eyes closed, '-I can barely breathe,' a burning sensation guided the hand towards the stomach, '-blood… damn it,' one of its claws pierced the stomach. 'Losing blood, light-headed, I'm going to die.' 

"Anna, this is getting out of hand!" cried Lampard desperately fighting off a single monster.

"I'm sorry," said she, "-I can't use mana, someone or something is sucking it out the atmosphere. We need to run, Jen, can you fire one of those arrows?"

"No," her head shook, "-I lost my hand in the last encounter." 

"Rena, what about you?"

"Blades are broken," said she panting.

"We need to run; they've sounded the alarm to retreat." 

*Earth-spikes,* hands to the ground, a pillar rose to break off the fight, "-let's run, COME, LAMPARD, WE NEED TO GO!" screamed Anna. Making it back would be easier since they were on the way back before the invasion. Still, the red eyes in the thickening fog heightened their senses. 

"Who's there!" cried a tier 5- Ruby adventurer.

"Students," said Anna, "-we managed to survive."

"Scale-up the walls," said he, "-we've dropped rope-ladders. The Lieutenant's ordered a full-scale retreat." 

"We've made it," clambered over an injured party of novices, "-thank the gods."

"WATCH OUT!" cried the Ruby-ranked fighter, red eyes swung to leave mutilated bodies onto the wall. Splatters of red, the novices were killed. It marched forth undamaged by bullets or arrows. 

"QUICK, QUICK!" said those at the top, "-CLIMB!" On the last man, the beast clung onto the ladders desperately trying to scale up, "CUT IT!" said they.

"But," refuted Lampard pointing to another surviving party.

"Either us or them," commanded the guard, "-sacrifices have to be made, CUT THE DAMN ROPE," veins thickened at the forehead and neck.

Along the walls laid a make-shift graveyard. Some lost their eyes, others their legs and arms; many succumbed to the deathly injuries. "AHHH, my hand, MY HEAD!" shrieked a boy, "-help, help, help," nails dug deep into his face, the eyes shot black.

"HE'S CURSED," screamed an attending healer, "-HELP ME HOLD HIM DOWN!" cried he.

"We can't afford to give you any more men," said an exhausted guard, "-he's a lost cause."

"Kill me, kill me, kill me!" tears flowed, "-I WANT TO DIE," the legs burst into a darkened mist, "-PULL THE FUCKING TRIGGER!" 

*BANG,* brain matter smeared across the stone wall. "Be ready to kill anyone who shows signs of the monster's curse!" ordered a commanding officer. One by one, distant echoes of bullets clung to their hearts. Someone died, those unsaved were killed out of mercy, the devastation, the deaths. 

"Is this…" gulped Lampard. 

"Don't, " cried Rena, "-be grateful we made it out alive." 

"I can't," whimpered Jen, "-how c-can we celebrate with a-all this d-death." 

Elevators pulled upwards; bodies dragged onto the cold floor. Healers running to and fro, potions, scrolls, supplies were exhausted in mere hours. Ladders cut in desperation, few abandoned to the massacre below. Friends crying over dead bodies, others wanting to jump and save those at the bottom. Veteran fighters fought the monsters without care for their lives. Despite landing a fatal blow, the monsters regenerated to continue the onslaught. A call for support was issued to Ground-Zero and Stonegrove. 

"T-this is hell," sniffled Lingling, "-we're going to die."