2 Chapter 2 - A Gathering of Mages

A raid siren sounded. People began to yell and panic. Children looked around, scared, some even starting to cry. Peace officers began to take charge and direct people, commanding them where to go.

"Priority Alert. Priority Alert. This is not a drill. Please evacuate to the designated shelters."

This warning echoed throughout the entire city along with the raid siren. People began to head to the underground bunkers. Peace officers directed people, yelling out commands, barricading certain sections, knocking on doors so that those who hadn't heard the warning could make it to the underground shelters.

But not all ran to the shelters. Of the thousands upon thousands of people that ran, several hundred stood where they were, looking at the screen of their smart device. These were the War Mages that were tasked with protecting the city and its inhabitants.

[War Mage - Lillian 'Lily G' Gale Ouros]

[Mage Rank - C]

[Current Status - Active Deployment: Priority Status]

[Objective - Defend <Alpha City 4> from current threat. All Rank-C and below Mages must intercept and eliminate Plague-class and below monsters attacking outer wall. Rank-B and above are to eliminate Destroyer-class Goliath War Kong.]

[Failure is not an option.]

Lillian sighed as she scrolled down her dossier, quickly scanning over her objective. Though she looked sad, inwardly, she was thrilled. Dealing with plague-class monsters was no walk in the park, but it sure beat supporting the higher ranks as they dealt with the Destroyer-class. Not to mention, once she hit her quota, she would get a bonus payout for each one she defeated afterward, and who could ever refuse extra money? All she was really concerned about was what she would get to eat tonight.

Explosions began to sound in the distance, along with different shrieks and cries of pain that carried on the wind. These horrid sounds pulled her from her thoughts, reminding her she had a duty to uphold.

Nodding to herself, she rushed toward the outer walls, as she pooled her magic toward the palms of her hands and condensed it, creating a transparent green ball.

The winds picked up a bit and softly whistled.

Lillian jumped forward and thrust out her palms, releasing the balls. They traveled forward a bit before falling and bursting against the ground, immediately releasing a decently strong updraft that propelled her into the air. She twisted her body in mid-air and released a bust of wind, pushing her forward, allowing her to glide for a bit before she began to descend, thus repeating the process. Though it was a little tedious, Lillian didn't mind. Casting wind magic consumed the least amount of mana, thus allowing her to conserve a good portion of her power until she reached her destination.

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There was a heaviness on the front lines that all the War Mages could feel, making them uneasy. A thick fog had rolled in, restricting their sight considerably, and none of the Mages that could manipulate fog were able to clear even a fraction of it.

Zev stood there, a line of sweat trickling down his cheek. Something was off, he could feel it. Normally the monsters would have attacked by now, but instead it was early quiet. Though he was used to fighting on the front lines, especially as a rank-A Mage, something about this particular Op made him shiver. An ominous pressure pressed down on his shoulders, but he couldn't understand from where it was coming from.

Suddenly, several shadows flew past him, slamming into the barrier behind him, causing reverberations to form and travel from where each impact had occurred. Slowly, he - along with all the other Mages that were present - turned to see what had just flown by. To his surprise, and even more so, his horror, it was several pieces of a body. A Body that he was supposed to be facing - the Goliath War Kong.

Suddenly, his mobile device began beeping frantically. But it wasn't just his, all those present had their devices go off, near simultaneously. A new alert. Ordered by Grey. Priority level - imminent. That single line sent shivers down all the Mages spines. Some glanced up and looked to each, fear and worry in their eyes and on their faces. Then the rest of the alert came in, and everyone lost the color in their faces. It also explained why there wasn't a monster horde to intercept. Reaper-class. Fortunately Grey's team NightHawk was already en route to intercept, otherwise things would be a whole lot worse.

Zev began to calm down as he thought about the situation. After all team NightHawk was the strongest team in Alpha City 4, probably even out of all the cities. What did they need to worry about? That team was rank-SSS, so if they couldn't handle it then people could panic.

"Who killed the Goliath War Kong?" Though it was a simple question, it carried with it the weight of a thousand Nuclear warheads, shattering the calm that everyone was beginning to feel. Who did kill that Destroyer-class beast? That oppressive feeling came back even more and Zev turned to stare into the depths of the fog. Something wasn't right, alright.

"All class-A and above Mages, group up! B and below, begin Evacuation procedures, immediately!" a voiced commanded. Many glanced about, not moving, but then the voice shouted with an aura of danger, "Do it! Now!"

A man flew from the tree tops down towards the Mages, but his back was to them. Even so, they all knew who this man with Grey hair was. He was a member of team NightHawk - 'Seraphim of Destruction' Angelus. But what they saw standing before them was not the mighty Seraphim, but rather a beaten and bruised man, who was out of breathe and looking like he might pass out soon.