C-07.5: Interlude I

Marcus, the Butler of House Blackmore

Marcus took in the chilly winds before first light. From the top of the walls, he looked at the sprawling city.

It's hard to believe that all of this was made in less than two weeks.

The large castle, the well organized houses, the bustling organized chaos as everyone tried to squeeze in every second of preparation for the incoming monster wave.

What's more amazing is that the city is designed to be a killzone. Each house holds a group of soldiers. Each block was reinforced and every street was organized to direct the monsters into one of the many killzones in the city.

The large looming walls cast their shadows from the large braisers on top of the towers. Their function is not to stop the monsters but slow their charge.

It was... Ingenious, so to say. His young master took advantage of the mentality of all creatures not to run in headfirst into a solid structure.

The spike filled trenches also helps in this role.

The Palisades are then there to funnel the monsters into the city.

All of this in order to harvest their meat.

In all of the monster waves he fought in, this was one of the most outrageous ones. While most of the common people take advantage after the battles to get more food, purposely luring in monsters in a city to turn it into a butcher's house?

It was an insane feat worthy of the Blackmore name.

Truly, his grandfather's blood runs strong in his Master Elric's blood.

It was a shame that his father was such a disappointment.

Anyways, one more mystery to his young master was the people he gathered in a short amount of time.

He has an army, mages, assassins, elves, and that maid.

Yes, Marcus has met a lot of people in his life and only a few managed to give him pressure the same as a few of his young master's subordinates.

The hundred or so assassin that lurks around.

The well sculpted man that leads his young master's army.

And the most dangerous one among the humans, the maid.

He doesn't doubt their loyalty to Master Elric, but their strength is simply overwhelming.

Marcus instincts' are screaming that he'll definitely lose to that maid.

And then there's the non-human ones.

The fairy, the sprite, and the angel.

The sprite has an air of ancient wisdom.

The fairy feels of viciousness unheard of in her race.

And the angel. It was so different from the winged celestials.

It didn't give off any holy aura or even a tainted one. No, it didn't give off any aura at all. And that's what scared him.

It was so out of his league that he didn't feel anything from it at all!

*DUUUuuuuuu*

At the sound of a horn, Marcus's entire body tensed. Muscles knit together and his breath became deeper.

"How far?" He asks.

"A minute till they make contact with the west game. Another half a minute after that for ours," a voice answered behind him. Marcus didn't have to turn to know who the voice was from.

"Then I guess it's time for this old man to warm up." Marcus said as he took off his shirt, revealing a finely sculpted body riddled with scars.

"It's been a long time since I really moved my body," He said as he rolled his shoulders. "This is a good opportunity to shake off some rust."

His smile turned feral as his entire body coiled. In a single leap, he dropped in front of the gates, forming a crater at his landing.

"You young men proceed with Young Master's plan." Marcus said to the people inside the gate. "This old man wants to have some fun first."

Then, a massive beast pounced from the cover of darkness. Marcus simply flicked his hand and the beast exploded into guts and gore.

"Too weak. You'd need more than that to end this old man."

Then, a tide of claws and fangs and chitin emerged from the darkness.

Arrows, ice spikes, lightning, and flames met this wave, halting the monsters for a moment. But the monsters kept coming, trampling upon their comrades in a mindless charge.

Soon, they stood before Marcus who only smiled.

"Ah, that's better." He exhaled.

Then, he disappeared in a flash only to reappear a where he once stood.

And the monsters all fell to the ground.

But as soon as they fell, more would take their place.

It was a neverending horde of beasts. A Wave of Monsters.

"Hmm... The first wave is as weak as they were in the past." Marcus said. "Young Master can easily repel them. But what about the later waves? That remains to be seen."

Marcus talked as if he was taking a stroll and not killing beasts after beasts with a single strike.