The Stalwart Enforcers

Onlookers were waiting in uncertainty, needing their brains to make sense of what they just witnessed. They couldn't understand why or how the creature was suddenly swept away like a feather to the wind.

Their stares were uncomforting. Crush was slightly worried they heard him lash out; it was uncharacteristic of the persona they all knew and honored. He found it difficult to force the role of the friendly merchant, and he didn't have an excuse for the witnesses. So, he shuffled away.

While walking off, Crush clarified that their goal was to find Charles with minimal risk. The safest method of approach was to stand back and have others do the heavy lifting for them.

Further into the Garden, there was no shortage of battle. The floral map was infested with mad monsters that'd claimed the dominion. The field was covered in tall trees, scattered humans, and lit in deep scarlet light from the curse, or whatever Lith called it.

Crush and Sprite popped out from behind a tree 30 yards away from the skirmish. Nearly four hundred humans had pooled into the Garden. For every one plant-back beast, an entire guild focused its force on stopping it. The ratio was between 12-20 humans for one enemy.

Crush leaned back against a tree, hiding under its shade and observing them. Sprite stood nearby, also analyzing the extent of the monster's harmful range.

Even though Crush managed to kill one relatively effortlessly, he wanted to hire a guild to guide them to their destination. At least then, if monsters ganged up on them, he could safely focus on protecting himself and Sprite.

After their eyes had a spin of the area, Sprite pointed toward the center field and plainly spoke, "Look, your pal."

Crush tilted his head at his brother, then frowned. The boy's tone was far from humorous or joking. It almost sounded like slander.

After tracing Sprite's finger, he found that among the warriors was the newly established "Enforcers Guild."

(("Of course he's here."))

As soon as Crush's sight discovered August, he blinked, and the man vanished. Lost in uplifted dirt and chaos of battle. Just a wink before, he'd thrown himself before a downed woman and braced for impact. The next thing Crush knew, the man's shield was impacted, and his body was flung off somewhere.

The difference in strength between those beasts and mankind was immediately made known. One-sided even. August would have died if not for his heavy gray metal shield. Not to say he didn't bite the dust after the first hit, but Crush figured he was more resilient than that.

He soon spotted others he'd recently been acquainted with. The most prominent was the zesty, milk chocolate-skin woman with white hair, effectively nicknamed "Tsuki (Moon)" by her guildmate. After the monster head-butted August into oblivion, she dashed.

Sprite found her the most intriguing, seeing how her technique also utilized swiftness. He took an involuntary step forward, squinting to observe at a distance.

Tsuki seemed to have planned for their leader's loss because she was in the wind the moment the monster was distracted by him. She sprinted with an open mouth, breathing heavily in her shoddy attire. Her right arm swung wildly with each stride while the left bore her sword on her shoulder.

She was swift, but the other members of their band were no pushovers either. Six more fighters followed her lead, armed and committed.

Before Tsuki reached the preoccupied Guardian, a brisk arrow flew past her head and struck the creature's backside. Most of the opponent's rear was protected by its shell, so the arrowhead snapped upon impact. The attack only served to alert the Guardian, who stomped its four legs to pivot.

Still backed against a tree, Crush raised his cupped hand over his lips in examination. "What's that archer thinking? He just ruined their ambush."

Exceedingly concentrated on the scene, Sprite apathetically shook his head. "Just watch."

(("Just watch?")) Crush thought. The way he was spoken to made him feel oblivious. To begin with, what the hell did Sprite know about that Guild?

He kept quiet, simply observing as his brother said. Frankly, his expectations were low.

As expected, the monster furiously turned around to assess what tickled its formidable defensive shell. Its fleshy, wrinkly neck was extended, and its blood-lusted eyes saw her. The white-haired girl was quickly closing a gap.

Even after being spotted, she didn't halt; quite the opposite, she scrambled faster. Soon, she would be within reach, less than five seconds away.

Rage-fueled, the Guardian dashed at her, covering the rest of the distance itself. Right before granting her the same fate as August, an arrow soared past Tsuki and hit the creature square between its pudgy brow.

(("So thats it."))

(("Even if the girl wanted to ambush it from behind, she could only hit its shell. But the archer got it to turn around so they could kill it with another arrow."))

Crush was ignorant. While the creature's head jerked away in annoyance, its skin wasn't punctured. The damage it sustained would have been the equivalent of a child throwing a pebble at an adult.

His own triumph over the foe gave him the false impression that others could accomplish the minimum. However, he was far above the exception.

Even though the creature wasn't hurt, it wasn't over. When it bucked from the attack, Tsuki lept forward, tensed her left arm, and delivered a nasty slash to the Guardian's exposed neck.

A trim driblet of blood trickled from the wound or, rather, from the minuscule scratch. On the other hand, Tsuki had put her entirety into her attack. After delivering her strike, she couldn't halt her acceleration and crashed onto her side before rolling onto the ground.

The Guardian emitted a disgruntled shriek, then snapped its mouth open and closed.

From off in the distance, Crush bucked off the tree and bitterly grumbled, "god dammit. Barely a scratch."

To his surprise, he'd begun observing with unexpected interest. His body was tense, just as edgy from watching them as if he was there himself.

"Don't write them off yet; that was just the beginning," Sprite commented, seemingly familiar with their setup. While Crush was good with puzzles, and problems, Sprite had a knack for strategy. He quickly surpassed him in chess and found delight in learning tactics and the art of war. It was feasible that he knew exactly what they had planned.

Already too invested to leave without seeing the outcome, Crush continued to watch. Now, spectating with a critical eye. Instead of viewing them as just living bodies trying to prevail, he wanted to comprehend what his calculating brother saw.

The fight inside that demonic domain dominated by shelled monsters was far from over. Exhaustful skirmishes persisted across the red-coated Garden. By then, guilds had begun losing members to fatigue, injury, or death. Even Crush and Sprite, who'd had hardened tolerances for loss, couldn't help but embrace their sorrows. They'd met and shaken hands with many people there, supported their groups, and paid them for various services.

Hearing all the tales of monster hunting from within the Guild Hall's hospitable atmosphere was one thing. But seeing it? Well, they couldn't help but feel the sting of steel coldness that lagged down their backs.

It sucked. Crush wanted to turn around and leave more than ever. The thought of them going further into the Garden in search of Charles defied the very nature of their solitary upbringing on the streets.

Judging by how the Enforcers guild cooperated, they wouldn't understand. They were strangers, yet they had a particular faith in one another that Crush could never understand.

They continued to charge. Head on as if they were sure they'd have the same luck as Tsuki and not be killed. Just as the 2nd runner approached with his sharpened spear, the monster was hit with another arrow. Its head flinched rightward, which was when the man propelled his blade at its neck, aiming for the bleeding injury.

Immediately after slicing the Guardian, the man threw himself past its large body. He landed near Tsuki, the woman with snow-colored hair. They were both confident with their execution, but their faces opened in horror when the creature shrieked and irately stomped around toward them. It was ripe with rage and ready to tear them apart, but arrows rained down on its rear, robbing its engagement.

Just as the monster turned to snarl at its attacker, a third person lunged onward and stuck its crinkly neck with a curved dagger. Tsuki caught the girl when she barreled forward, then helped her to her feet.

By then, Crush thought he knew what their plan was. Yet, he'd still failed to understand its thoroughness.

The same steps were replicated; another fighter approached the monster, then raced past its large body while striking the open wound. After the fourth instance, the Guardian flipped its lid and burst into a craze. It didn't balk when hit with arrows but openly dashed toward the woman next in line.

(("We sell those arrows at the Hall, so I know they aren't dull. Yet, the archers still haven't been able to pierce its skin. Now it looks like the monster isn't even fazed by their attacks."))

(("Not to mention there's only two people left to strike, and the wound on its neck still isn't deep enough to kill it from blood loss..."))

Crush's eyes lowered in dismay. He grabbed the low collar of his cotton blouse and fanned it to air his sweaty chest. (("Is that really all th-"))

From across the field, he could hear Tsuki shout with all her vigor, "Finally!"

This led Crush to scope the land, where he spotted August limping back to his Guild. He convened with the fighters who had already slashed the monster and uttered something.

Meanwhile, the woman next to strike turned her head and nodded to the man behind her. A hulking fellow who didn't wield any type of bladed weapon. He tossed a large, weighty hammer over his right shoulder, then flagged for the woman to move aside. He jogged ahead of her, then pulled the hammer back and slugged the Guardian's head. He fell backward to avoid being tackled, and then the woman used the monster's imbalance to deliver her sharp strike.

(("So thats it,")) Thought Crush.

(("They left the big guy as a contingecy. He's slow, so that bail-out would have only worked once. They're lucky they were able to save him for the end."))

The Guardian had finally exhibited inklings of its injuries. It had been pulled left and right and looked disoriented. The constant trickle of blood was even more worth celebrating.

With August back, Crush assumed they'd employ the same tactics. Let him be bait, then send more attackers after the monster. However, once it stampeded toward them, Crush's eyes widened with realization.

August held fictitious strength from leveling up in the Dungeon. As such, their formation naturally revolved around his defenses. Despite that, even he couldn't withstand another direct blow from the Guardians. Not alone.

He kept his center gravity low and his shield up close-knit. This time, his guild members huddled behind him and braced at his rear. Anchoring their feet into the ground and pushing against his back like human-support beams.

The monster's ferocious body darted toward them, then, with a loud metallic bang, it drove its head into the shield. With several bodies denying its charge, the monster didn't send anyone flying. Still, the entire group rasped upon impact, like the air was knocked from their lungs. Their foothold unlodged from the soil, and they slid backward, leaving a deep dirt trail in the ground.

While being pushed back like football linemen, they grunted and toiled to refuse the creature's ferocious force. Crush was practically on his toes, tensing his fist alongside Sprite. He wanted them to win. If they were successful, he'd offer them any number of coins to escort them to their destination.

A boisterous interjection sliced across the blood-colored domain, and they could all hear August exclaim with his robust vocals. "PUUUSH!"

Dire desperation bled through their voices as everyone behind him roared and returned in sync, "PUUUSH!"

Their coordination was impeccable. A Heart throbbing kind of inspiring. Every three seconds, they ROARED in unison. Push, push, push. Each time their sweat-soaked faces lit up with a blaze that the devil itself would be burned by.

Ultimately the amalgamation of all their toils slowed the rate they were pushed back. The straining-shelled creature forced its injury open more, shedding more blood and eventually losing steam.

The Enforcers guild's willpower was stronger. Once the turtle-like monster came to an inevitable halt, August bent his neck backward, then roared toward the sky, "NOW!"

With the foe exhausted, all they had to do was take free stabs at its lively injury. And since they were so close, they could all aim precisely and ensure the deed was done.

...

A second passed, and Crush heard Sprite exhale in sorrow. He was about to do the same, reversing several inches and returning his back to the tree. His heart was throbbing through his chest. Heartbroken, he fanned his chest while shaking his head.

Crush exhaled, then looked regretfully at the Guild. "If they had the rest of their members..."

Sprite wiped sweat from his forehead, then dropped to his bottom and stared miserably at the floor. "There were 13 when they signed up. The rest must be helping other guilds that are struggling."

Directing his gaze to the Enforcers, Crush sighed. He saw the dread on that model-like man's face even at that distance. He'd commanded his troops to attack the stalled monster, but-

Tsuki's hair was as wild as her breathing. Gasping for air that seemed to refuse her lungs. Her trembling hands managed to hold her sword, but surely, they were numb from exhaustion and dehydration.

She weakly staggered to the monster's flank, then lifted her sword as high as it'd go. No higher than her waist. Then the young woman stabbed- no, tapped the blade against the bleeding wound. A baby used more strength to shake its rattle; the beast didn't even feel her presence.

Others tried but couldn't find the fuel to cause any harm. Eventually, the Guardian regained enough strength to bang against August's shield and send him flying back. The archer finally revealed himself, rushing to rescue his dead tired companions while firing arrows. The weapons broke on its shell and did nothing to deter the creature. With prey right beneath its nose, its focus was nailed.

The archer exclaimed as the beast snapped its jaw, then fixed ruinous ruby eyes on Tsuki. She was zombified, taking a feeble swing with her sword only to have it caught in the monster's chops. Her complexion was dull, and her eyes were barely open.

After a startling snark, the Garden Guardian jolted forward with outstretched jaws.