Scourge Seven - Boom

Scourge Seven - Boom

Scourge Seven - Boom

I dont expect the monsters to do much here. Sure, they outnumber the guards on the wall by a lot, even counting the guards that havent arrived and the adventurers and caravan guards that are still inside the city.

Most monsters dont really have an answer to walls. They cant exactly scale up the wall, and there arent that many weaker monsters with any sort of ranged ability.

The slimes might be able to ooze up, and the flying monsters wont have a problem, except that theyre pretty small and Im sure the average adult can kill something like a monster pigeon with a bit of effort.

This is going to suck, I say.

We should consider returning to the inn, Bianca says.

And miss out on the show? Felix asks.

That guard that screamed at us earlier half-turns, though he doesnt leave his post. Get back down! he screams. Youre going to--

I never learn what were going to do. A huge noise, like an avalanche of stones right after an explosion, hits me like a rolled up newspaper to the face.

Ducking down, I bring my arms up to cover my face just as a small rain of little pebbles and dust come splattering down around me.

The dust shakes, and I almost lose my footing as the wall shifts the other way. Theres another explosion, this time way off to my left. Its further though, or weaker.

Are you okay? Felix asks. She has an arm around my back. I dont remember her moving there.

Yeah, I say. What happened?

The dust is quick to clear, and I cant mistake the faint tinge of Joy magic to the air. Not Felixs, hers has a particular feel to it. This is just some local mage moving things along to make it easier to tell what has happened.

The wall has collapsed. Two sections of it, at least. The one to our right has a part at least a dozen metres long thats fallen out and into the field surrounding the city. The tower nearest the hole looks like it's starting to lean as well, and I cant imagine its being all that secure.

To the left, a smaller tower is missing, though theres still some wall left. I think someone could climb through the hole, but it would require some work to climb up into it and across.

The monster horde roars, a friendly reminder that a whole heap of hungry cuties are rushing over.

Shoot shoot! someone screams, and bows are loosed, though not with the kind of precise timing that I think those firing wish they have. A few monsters stumble and fall, but theyre still far enough away that a lot of those arrows just miss them outright.

The guards start to reload while calls go up and down the length of the wall. There are some people rushing over to the holes to save those that were there when the wall collapsed. I see some guys with shields and spears trying to form a spear-wall over the hole too, while what look like Vigilance mages start to work their magic and build up a barrier to cover the gap.

That was sabotage, Bianca says. I suppose the monster horde really was a trap.

It is, Bianca says. "I suspect that the young man that warned the city of the oncoming horde was, if not an actor, then at the very least left free to warn the city.

Oh? I ask.

This attack isnt nearly great enough to bring Vizeda down, not if the people rally at all. Bianca gestured ahead, and I followed her gaze to see a group of fishermen running down the street. They had paddles and big knives, some had ropes with weights tied to the end, and more than one was carrying a net.

If enough people show up, theyll match the monsters one for one, Felix says.

I nod along. And with the warning, the attack wasnt as big a surprise as it could have been.

I move to the side of the road to let all of the angry fishermen pass. There are a couple of them that are rallying the others, shouting encouragement and stuff to get them all worked up. I imagine that at least a few of them are cultivators. Monotonous jobs are their own form of meditation, after all, and theres plenty of time to practice while doing simple tasks like farming.

Lets get back to the inn, I say.

Felix walks up ahead of me, leading the way as if she knows this city like the back of her hand. I guess, from a faint feeling in the air, that shes pushing her joy magic out to its limits, feeling out around corners and ahead of us.

We navigate through a couple of alleys and across some roads. A few normal citizens are out again, some of them moving big buckets of water around as if preparing for fires, others boarding up windows and doors, and one group we pass has a couple of bigger guys looking over two people that were beaten to a pulp and who are tied to a fence. Looters that were caught, I guess.

It doesnt feel like Vizeda will suffer all that much.

I cant shake off that constant nagging why though.

Why would anyone attack this place the way they have?

Maybe Im going about it the wrong way. The question might be who is attacking Vizeda, and specifically this way.

I can rule out Heroe and his church. Theyre a bunch of no-good jerks, but theyre very serious about hating monsters, and I dont think theyd ever use monsters like this. A few other gods can be ruled out too. Too many of them depend on people worshipping them, a few genuinely hate monsters and dont like associating with Mom at all.

Bianca, I ask. You know about local politics, right?

I do. Bianca says. Though I am only as informed as someone in my station can be.

Uh, alright, I say. Does anyone jump to mind for this attack?

My first guess, were I not associated with you, would be the Dark Goddess or one of her servants. But, seeing as how youre here, then I can safely rule that out.

Huh, I say. I didnt expect that answer, but I guess it makes sense. Well, if we rule me out, then who?

That is a rather complicated question, and to answer it, I think you may need a small primer on Caselfellan politics.

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