Monster wave(2)
"Hurry up and transport those sacks, by sunset I want the walls completely reinforced!"
The citadel was more chaotic than ever, with citizens and guards moving frantically.
At the sound of the bells, everyone had been forced out of their homes to prepare for the arrival of the monsters. Some were repairing and transporting sacks to the walls to provide greater protection, while others were delivering weapons and equipment for people to use, which the guards had kindly provided for free if it weren't for the fact that they were in a pitiful state.
Mark was also called to participate, and like everyone else, he quietly did his job without attracting anyone's attention.
"Every passing day, those people disgust me more."
Mark's gaze filled with disgust as he watched the guards, or rather, the gang members, command people as if they were their slaves. While everyone else worked strenuously, they stood there idle, with no intention of lending a hand. From what Mark had heard, during the assault, they would stay behind, pretending to offer greater protection, but in reality, they would kill anyone who tried to retreat.
Initially, when the guards knocked on the orphanage door, they wanted to take both the children and Agatha to make them fight. However, Mark managed to bribe them with the magic stones of the stone lizards he had collected the day before, convincing them to change their minds.
Mark couldn't believe that the guards seriously thought that some children and an elderly lady could fight. However, as he approached the city gate, he realized the naivety of his thinking. The gates were closed, but he could feel them vibrating as if something was slamming against them, and the screams of desperation made it clear that all the people in the outer shantytown would be the first line of defense.
The harsh reality slammed into Mark with devastating force. He grasped that the looming battle would be far more brutal than he had ever envisioned. Within the city's walls resided approximately two thousand individuals, with at least two hundred among them belonging to the gang. However, only a hundred were blessed by the solitary deity present there. Beyond the city's confines, roughly four hundred more people sought refuge. Yet, from the reconnaissance reports, Mark learned of the daunting presence of at least five hundred monsters, comprising goblins and wolves among their ranks.
The sheer number of monsters was unprecedented, instilling terror in everyone. Moreover, there loomed the ominous prospect of that number increasing, heightening tensions among the populace. The inhabitants of the shantytowns spared no effort to gain entry, driven by desperation. However, the grim reality awaited them within the city's walls – death.
Looking at such a mad situation, Mark could only sigh. If he wanted to, he could save some of them, but at what cost? He had too much on his hands, and putting himself in danger for people he didn't even know was simply foolish. So he simply closed his eyes, hoping that as many as possible could be saved.
"How hypocritical I am." -He said with a self-deprecating laugh.
[There's nothing you can do. You don't have the strength to face such a horde of monsters alone, and even if you did, I doubt you'd still be in your current situation.]
"True." -Another sigh escaped his lips, and he resumed working.
As time passed, Mark didn't just dedicate himself to the assigned work but also worked to increase his strength more and more. Although not as effective as when he was completely relaxed, he could now perform the breathing technique taught by the Guide even when performing simple actions. This way, his rate of growth had increased significantly, and in the future, there was a possibility that he could use it even while fighting.
Gradually, the sky grew darker. People outside the walls had given up trying to enter, instead setting up the best possible defense against the monsters that would come.
The northern side of the citadel, where the main gates were located, would be the point of attack. The reason was that to the north, a few kilometers away, there was a sort of natural ramp, which facilitated ascent and descent into the canyon.
In front of the gates was also where most people had gathered, because even though it would be the point where the monsters would attack, it was still the area where the citadel would provide the greatest defense, making it as safe as it was dangerous.
As night fell, the walls were illuminated by torches, making the entire perimeter visible, but if one tried to look further, all they could see was a blanket of darkness with no trace of light due to the lack of the moon.
Everyone was on edge as an unsettling silence surrounded them. Occasionally, one could hear the cries of children or the orders given by the guards.
Mark stood on the walls with a bow in hand and a stack of arrows by his side. He had never used a bow, but considering the strength he possessed, he didn't believe it would be too difficult. Yet, his focus remained diverted elsewhere.
Further away, towards the walls above the city gates, he could see Narak with a couple of subordinates observing the scene firsthand. From what Mark could perceive, the two subordinates must have been the strongest after Narak, but they were still both at level 1.
"Well, I doubt he would allow others to level up and risk losing command."
From what he had learned, Narak was sixty years old but looked forty, and although he had become level 2 for at least twenty years, he showed no signs of strength increases for two reasons according to the Guide. The first was the lack of challenges for his growth, and the second was that his latent talent prevented him from growing further.
/Tremors!/
The silence of the night was interrupted by the trembling of the ground and the monstrous noises coming from the blanket of darkness.
As the veil of darkness gave way, eerie pairs of blood-red eyes, unmistakably belonging to monstrous beings, pierced through the shadows. Their ominous glow seemed to herald the impending chaos, casting a chilling aura over the citadel.
"Light the arrows and shoot!"
At Narak's orders, several citizens on the walls, including Mark, set fire to the arrows and shot them toward the horde of monsters.
As soon as the arrows fell to the ground, a huge blaze erupted, quickly engulfing the nearest monsters.
"It seems that using oil was a good idea."
During the preparation for the attack, oil had been spread on the ground at a distance such that even if it caught fire, it wouldn't cause damage to the citadel.
With the enormous wall of fire that had been created, everything became brighter, allowing everyone to see better.
A large number of monsters had been burned alive, but there were still many who had survived and many others who were trying to pass through the wall of flames, but another factor frightened the population.
"THE MONSTERS HAVE WEAPONS!"
"HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT GOBLINS ARE RIDING WOLVES?!"
"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!"
Shouts of confusion and fear echoed in every corner of the walls, but under Narak's furious orders, they continued to shoot arrows nonetheless.
"Let me guess, this isn't at all normal, right?" - Mark asked as he continued to launch arrows.
[Not at all. As I've explained, unlike the monsters in the dungeon, those on the surface despise each other to death. So, this level of equipment and collaboration isn't much different from an-]
"From an army, I know."
If there was anything scarier than a horde of monsters, it was seeing such monsters display a form of intelligence.
Even though the situation had worsened, all they could do was keep fighting, and soon the monsters reached the walls, engaging the people outside for the first time.
The makeshift defenses they had created lasted only briefly, and the clash quickly turned bloody. The people from the shantytowns were already in poor health, and considering the preparedness of the monsters, their numbers began to rapidly dwindle.
"Tch, useless. Send out the prisoners!"
At Narak's command, the guards dragged some people and forced them out of the gate. Some of the people who were already outside wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to enter when the gates were opened, but because of the guards on one side and the monsters on the other, made the task impossible.
With the arrival of new people, the battle at the gate was lightened, but it didn't change the fact that the rate at which the monsters were being killed was still too slow, and the wall of fire was starting to lose intensity.
"U-URGENT MESSAGE! THE MONSTERS ARE INVADING THE SOUTH WALL!"
"WHAT?!"
One of the guards sprinted at full force towards Narak, who, as soon as he heard the message, shouted in anger.
"HOW MANY?!"
"T-two hundred." -The guard replied, terror evident in his voice.
The number left both Narak and the various citizens on the North walls petrified, considering that the number of monsters they were already facing was high enough, but the bad news didn't end there.
"B-Boss, the West side has been attacked too. The monsters managed to breach the walls there, and there are hundreds of them!"
"DAMN IT! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR TO DO SOMETHING?! GRAB ANYONE AND MOVE TO DEFEND THOSE POINTS!"
"Y-YES!" -The guards immediately responded.
"In the end, I have to do everything by myself!"
With those words, he jumped down from the walls and began to decimate the monsters with his enormous axe. He could have done it earlier, but he wanted to ensure there were no dangers to his life.
With Narak no longer in command, the entire citadel was in chaos, and knowing that the monsters had managed to breach the walls didn't help.
"The orphanage!"
Shifting his gaze to the West, Mark could see flames and smoke rising, and without hesitation, he ran in that direction.
"HEY! YOU CAN'T ABANDON YOUR POST!"
Without paying the slightest attention to the words shouted at him, he ran at full speed towards the orphanage.
"Please, let them be safe!"
With increasing agitation, he accelerated even more. This time, he wouldn't lose someone he had promised to save.