Chapter 202 - New Dawn

"…" Struck by a sudden jolt of curiosity, the statement made many envious. More than that, the aura around the place intensified. The main culprits were the military officers who stood, fear glued them to the ground. The chilled aura emanating all round was from Staxius's appearance.

"Guess I never told anyone about the changes," as if nothing happened, the man returned to normal. The wings vanished, the blood halo traveled from the head and to his hand. A snap later, from crystals, it reverted to liquid – one darker and viler than usual. The reason was that the giant had been consumed.

"Any way you look at it," Deadeyes spoke, "-we did it," he smiled.

"Kniq got their revenge," Achilles cheered. "At last, we can move on," Undrar added. "Way to keep us on edge," Avon pouted, the last moments of the fight sent shivers. A headbutt that thrust him across, the landing could be seen by two distinct footsteps – one that cracked the ground.  

"V-vampire?" The lieutenant asked, answers were needed, of which most ignored their plea. The battle was won, Reforge stood alive and well.

"We best return to the camp," no time for celebrations. Jannette could not but fear the people who just entered the vicinity. The twins hit it off with Viola – they grew acquainted quickly. Once inside the RFS, fatigue from earlier caught up again – to which many fell prey to sleep.

"Just what are you?" A few minutes later, the RFS drove. Forced to take a detour since the area was destroyed, Reinhardt asked.

"No one particular," the reply uninterested, no intonation nor feeling behind the words, focused on the road, the battle ended without much hassle.

Meanwhile, at Ground-zero, an overwhelming attack that lasted a few hours slowed in pace. Many casualties later, it finished as well. The Captain got to his feet, sadly, the first news to reach was the defeat of Reforge. A blacked-out spot on the map made the heart shudder. Regret about the selfish request for back-up, it bugged him. Jen remained atop the wall to give orders. Similarly, with the defeat of the giant so far away, the attacks stopped simultaneously.

"Jen," Elmer rushed up the wall.

"Captain," she called, "-you should be resting."

"Don't worry about that," the voice serious, "-I need you to send men as soon as possible to Reforge," to which the map was shown.

"…" it was only he who knew the situation. It took a few seconds for the lady to gather her thoughts. "I understand," unlike the crew at Reforge, Ground-zero had officers with more experience.

"Any who can fight," from atop the wall, her yelling didn't reach far.

"Any who can fight," almost subconsciously, people with louder voices relayed the message down to the medical camp. It formed a sort of chain.

"You are to set off to Reforge at once, the outpost has been compromised – threat level is black." Her message echoed; that threat level meant trouble. No time to rest nor breathe, those able to fight – the spotting group, set out immediately. With the help of a transport truck stationed back at the outpost, the journey would take a few hours. It all depended on the driver's pacing. The distance separating each outpost was twice the journey from Claireville Academy to the Capital.

"Let's go, people," party leaders took command and led the journey back.

"Threat level black is bad…" chatter spread; many were doubtful. "-yeah, it's basically when an outpost has been invaded and defeated by monsters." Thus, with stamina's semi-decent, the spotting crew set out.

"Here we are," the RFS stopped.

"Just look at this place," Reinhardt commented, they stepped out the vehicle.

"Don't lower your guards, there may be more around," Staxius advised caution.

"We need to reach the control room," Jannette exclaimed.

"The black threat level," the officers remembered. If another message wasn't sent through – all the outposts would set out for a search and rescue.

'They need rest,' the eyes closed – no trace of auras anywhere, "the dormitory should be safe," Staxius said reassuringly. "Go take the night off, I'll stand guard – doing battle in that pitiful state will only bring trouble."

"Yes, master," there was no arguing, most were half-asleep.

"Staxius," Viola remained, the rest led the way, "-here," a long and refined object got placed on his back.

"Is there anything the matter?" he asked and turned.

"Not really," the face reddened from exhaustion, she handed over the sword that was gifted to her, "-it doesn't seem right to not see a swordsman like you not wield a sword," the tone held sincerity.

"There's no need for that," hands placed atop her shoulders, "-I'm fine," the voice reassuring and face unwavering, "-there's no need for my sister to go unarmed."

"Oh… ok," she smiled.

"Good job out there," from her shoulders he patted her head, "-demi-goddess," a little bit of teasing to relax her mood.

"Cut it out," the face more joyous, "-demi-goddess or no," she walked, "-still can't compare with Lord Death's heir," a turn followed by a wink – Undrar returned with the group.

"What's the plan now?" from out of nowhere, Adete spoke.

"We wait and watch," the looming heaviness lifted. 'That dark-aura when we first came isn't a mere coincidence,' stood atop the broken-down military building, he stared. 'I'm positive there's more to this than meets the eye, we are yet to find the real culprit whomst killed all those adventurers. A line is drawing itself, the path, for now, remains shady and dark – but there's no way those who dared attack my companion will live to see another day.'

Directly below, Reinhardt furiously worked to get the connection up and running. It took a few tries and a lot of time. In the end, a message was sent across, "Reforge has been retaken from monsters. All who sent reinforcements are to withdraw."  The good news reached Ground-zero a bit too late since the fighters were already on way. It would have been pointless to call them back. Assigned to Reforge initially, a sense of security from seeing familiar faces might boost their morals. This was what Elmer thought.

The night turned to day – the camps lived to see another sunrise. Reports about the group that saved Reforge were spread across the network. A mere five individuals who held their own against evolved creatures. None could probably give an accurate description of how strong those foes were. The information that mattered was, "a guild retook  Reforge without external assistance." All the adventurers heard the news, many curious to who was that strong to led such an operation. Guesses fell quickly to the high-tier guilds, some said it was Blades-end whilst others said Pegasus.

"Look at the state of this place," at the break of dawn, the trucks arrived. Quietness lifted; the place came to life. Giant footmarks laid across the ground. On the third floor, one of the buildings was torn, impact and carnage reigned supreme. Not to forget the massive hole left on the second floor, "What happened?" around twenty people came as back-up. Most separated from their parties, last night was indeed chaotic.

"Rise and shine," a deep voice spoke. A dark figure leaned on the door frame.

"Five more minutes," head deep into their pillows, none wanted to wake.

"Care to handle this for me?" courteously, Staxius asked Adete to do the honors. To which she bowed and gracefully hovered – it seemed as if she accepted a dance.

"WAKE UP MAGGOTS!" the scream rendered the room unbearable. "Did the sandman put his member into thine EYES?" a vulgar sentence that made Staxius crack up.  

"Fine…" two bunk beds, left one for the ladies and right for the men. The tavern should be up and running in a few hours – we'll be able to get breakfast then. For now, better get ready – we're going for a run." Time was barely six in the morning; the truck arrived the same as Staxius got the party ready for a run.

"Staxius, Staxius," the twins called from out the dormitory – they were both awakened by Adete's scream.

"Overly familiar, aren't we?" the reply cold, he glared.

"Sister, sister," they hugged one another, "-what is it Emma?"

"I think we angered the master," Emmy pointed out, their legs shook.

"Get in line," he ordered, to which they obeyed.

"What's the occasion?" Avon asked for it was rare to do these things.

"Nothing particular," the voice monotonous, "-some fresh air should help with recovery," he faced away, "-this isn't a competition. Use this occasion to take in the scenery, and most of all, fill up those lungs," the run began.

"Who are they?" the adventurers walked the same time they left. "Don't know and don't care, we better meet the lieutenant," all pretty much thought the same thing.

"They're here," Jannette pointed out.

"I know," the duo made way to the courtyard. From there, a summary of what had transpired the night before was given. Minutes turned to hours, Staxius unknowingly ran farther out, in the vague direction of the third outpost.

"Master," Avon kept up with the pace, they ran across the road that went around the edge of Oxshield. "Is there a specific reason why we're running?" doing something bold like this was out of character.

"Not really," he spoke, "-call it an impulse," behind, the rest kept up easily.

'Of course,' the mouth said one thing and mind thought another, '-there's a reason why we're running,' he stared in front. 'the briefing will take some time, and waiting around while doing nothing for the taverns and inn to get ready is but a waste of time. Us running like this will set their mind off what happened yesterday. I also wanted to check out how the walls would be built,' not much could be seen but tis was enough. With eyes closed, the enormous barrier around Totrya was seen for the first time. That run was a way to see if there were any inconsistencies.

Minutes turned to hours, the sun rose, the run came to an end. "I'm beat," Deadeyes sighed but held strong. The twins miraculously kept up the pace. As predicted, the briefing ended, the ghost town felt more alive. People moved around – the inn served food.

"Look," many heard the news, "-it's the guild that retook Reforge," whispers and idle chatter. Drenched in sweat, they stopped.

"Go wash up," Staxius ordered, "-as far as we're concerned, feel free to take the day off. Till orders are given, do as pleased." Two claps later, they dispersed.

"Damn," a man examined, "-just look at how intense those guys are," the last to leave was Staxius, he stood and waited for all to leave.

"Man," Deadeyes sighed, "-my body feels much lighter than ever before," he spoke with amazement.

"Now that I think about it," Avon commented, "-I feel the same way," he smiled. The heavy feeling lifted, even the girls including the twins felt it. The reason for such a feeling was the fight yesterday. Tis was when he conjured forth the wings and flew out – many thought it was just a gust of wind – however, it was a concentrated escape of mana. One potentially lethal to those who decided to stand and not move about. The purpose of that run was so that he could secretly filter out the mana. Partly responsible, tis was his job. Exercise meant more energy which resulted in the mana getting excited and easier to control.

'Now that's out of the way,' a quick shower later, Staxius headed to the military area.

"Yo genius," a man called, one with a scar atop his head, "-that area is restricted to adventurers and others alike," the tone unsightly, backed by three others, they approached.

"Quite peculiar," Staxius courteously faced the men approaching

"Yea, you better not anger Reinhardt, that man's cray, cray."

"With all due respect, I think I'll be fine." Unbothered, he turned around and headed straight for the door.

"Stop or we'll kill ya," they threatened and pulled out a knife.

"Rogues," he stopped, "-I wonder how ruffians like you got here," the tone monotonous.

"Good, just turn around nice and easy," they chuckled.