The Sky Is Falling (3)

"Town's just up ahead!" Travis informs us.

"Finally, I can't wait to take a long hot shower," Yuki says as she looks down at her blood-stained armor.

"You do smell rather bad," I smirk as I needle the fighter walking beside me.

"See, this is why you're an asshole!" She yells as she throws her hands in the air.

"I'm sorry for having a nose!" I shout and copy her hand gestures mockingly. Instead of getting mad, she bursts out laughing. I knew it was somewhat risky to take such a confrontational approach, but it paid off in spades. She slaps her knee and holds her gut as she howls with laughter. We're at the treeline overlooking the plains between the forest and the town. "Come on, let's get going. Or do you want me to get the first shower?"

I start jogging towards town to get a rise out of her. Her expression changes immediately. Her smile drops, and her eyes light up with fire.

"Oh no, you don't." Yuki dashes off in the direction of the north gate, leaving me in a cloud of dust.

[This is getting fun.]

I take a deep breath and run after her. With my increased stats, I can at least compete with the experienced adventurer. Yuki looks over her shoulder and redoubles her effort when she spots me gaining on her.

"Is that all you got?" she yells as she pulls further ahead. Her taunt brings forth the boiling competitive spirit lying dormant in my stomach. I forget everything else and run as fast as I can. After a hundred meters or so, I notice that I'm not making any progress.

[Desperate times.]

"Flash step!" I activate my movement skill which probably isn't a very good idea considering the ragged state of my body. Every muscle in my body screams in protest. I disregard them and lower my head.

In only a few seconds, I've halved the distance between us. Sensing something amiss, Yuki glances back to see me gaining fast.

"Oh, We're getting serious now? Fast Twitch!" She explosively accelerates away from me.

"Come on body, move!" I pour out everything I've got during the last stretch to the town. It's only another mile or so, but it feels like a marathon. With extraordinary effort, I manage to catch up to my adversary just before we arrive at the gate. As neither of us wants to lose, we don't even slow down as we reach the palisade, crashing spectacularly into the wooden wall.

'Whambam!'

I pull myself out of the wall and inspect the shattered wooden poles that were unfortunate enough to stand in my way.

"I won!" Yuki declares without even checking to see if I'm okay. I take that to mean she's fine as well, and I begin my fruitless argument.

"I don't know; it was pretty close at the end. I think I got you this time."

"What?! I was miles ahead of you!" she cries.

"What do you mean? We hit the wall at almost the exact same time!"

"You wish; you weren't even close."

"Are you blind? I could literally reach out and touch you just before the end there." I throw my hands around in an exaggerated display of frustration.

"So you admit I was ahead then."

"You were before it ended. That doesn't mean you won."

"Whatever, let's ask one of the guards; I'm sure they saw. Guards! Huh?" There are no guards standing at the gate. A terrible sense of dread rises through me.

"Yuki, why are there no guards?" I ask in a low voice.

"How the hell should I know? Let's go through the gate and check it out." I follow her inside and find the town deserted. Not one person is walking down the street. My heart quickens as the alarm bells in my head start blaring. "What the fuck? Where is everybody?"

I start down the street and jog towards the town square. Only once we've reached the marketplace do I see any people. A handful of merchants are standing idly at the edge of the square. I rush over to them as fast as I can."

"Ahh!" one of them shouts in surprise at my approach.

"What's going on?" I ask in a panic.

"Oh, it's just Nick. Yeah, the army left this morning. Headed out the north gate to the woods. Such a shame. The town was growing so quickly with the help of those fairies, but there's nothing we can do now." My heart drops. All the fear and anxiety I've been holding back for the last couple of months erupts to the surface.

"You're late." The cold voice of the Guild Master reprimands me from behind my back. I spin around to see the blue-haired woman standing with her arms crossed, a look of disgust and disappointment on her face.

"I'm sorry, we got held up in the dungeon."

"What, did you run into the boogeyman?"

"It was some kind of giant spider. Travis didn't know what it was either."

"Travis didn't know? That's strange, he may be an idiot, but he's been adventuring so long that he knows more than most about monster species." Jezabel rubs her chin in contemplation.

"What can I do?" I plead.

"What do you mean?"

"For the war, what can I do to help?"

"Nothing. It's a war, kid. Your part is done."

"But you said I was late."

"Why wouldn't I? You were only scheduled to be gone for a day." My mind races as I struggle to piece together what's happening.

"So, you don't need me for anything?"

"Not right now, no. To be honest, there's not much to do now that the Duke's army is gone. They also took some of the more troublesome adventurer teams with them and about half of the town's guards. I'm glad I'll never have to deal with Goldmark again, but it's a little sad knowing Martin the warrior and his band of misfits also decided to join the army."

"What?" My heart aches at the thought of those idiots dying on the battlefield. They may not be smart, but they were good people. Knowing some of the guards I've gotten close to won't be coming back alive only adds to the pain. This peaceful little town is about to be torn apart, and there's nothing I can do about it. I grab my chest as a searing pain cuts through me.

"Anyway, check in with the guild now that you're back. All we can do now is wait to see how things turn out. Worrying about events you have no control over is just a waste of energy." Jezabel strolls back to the guild hall, leaving me in a pool of distress. Everything I've come to know in this world is under threat. I can feel tears running down my face as I'm caught up in the torrent of emotions exploding inside of me.

"Oh, Nick. There you are. I was looking for you. We need to check in at the guild now that we've returned. Let's go. I'll even let you have the first shower." Yuki notices how distressed I am and attempts to comfort me, but I don't even hear her. My legs start chugging towards the north gate without me even realizing it. "Nick, wait! Where are you going? The guild is this way!"

Her voice chases me down the street as I pick up my pace. My only thoughts are on the forest. The place I've come to rely on. The place where my friends live. The place where I was born.

I dash past the gates just as the rest of my party arrives.

"Nick?" Someone calls out to me, but I don't bother checking who it is. All that matters now is that I get to the forest as soon as I can. My body, worn out by my earlier race, is now crying out in despair. I can barely breathe. My heart is pounding so hard it feels like it's going to explode.

'Boom!'

An enormous concussion echoes out from the forest, causing flocks of birds to fly for cover. I dig deep and run across the plain into the woods. I was so desperate to leave just a few minutes prior.

'Boom!'

Another explosion rocks the forest. I can feel the wave of compressed air push past me even at this distance. The only thing I can compare this amount of force to would be a meteor impact.

'Boom!'

I lose my balance as the explosions grow more powerful. Faint screams reach my ears which confirms I'm heading in the right direction. It's like the sky is falling down. Heaven has opened fire on the foul intruders.

'BOOOM!'

The impact this time is powerful enough to knock the wind out of my chest. I keep moving and arrive at a scene out of a World War Two movie. Men are crying for their mothers, Limbs and organs are strewn across branches, and the ground is thick with blood. The sticky smell of iron almost makes me vomit. Towering Mammoth Trees have been torn out by the roots and are laying on their sides. Flying high in the air, I see the angel of death looking down upon her victims. She's just a dot in the sky, but I know it's her. The ferocious energy emanating from her is suffocating.

"Get those barriers up, or we're all going to die!" I hear someone shout. Men and women run around trying to complete the orders. Some of them are missing arms or legs, but they carry on nonetheless.

The orgy of violence is too much for me to handle. All my righteousness fades away in abject horror. I could never have imagined something this horrible. I turn and run. I don't know where or for how long. Trees blow past me, and the sounds of the battle fade into the distance. Now I know what Jezabel meant when she said there was nothing I could do. I'm just a child. How could I have any effect on a battlefield?

A root grabs my foot and brings me to the ground. I'm spent. There's nothing left in the tank. My lungs burn for air, and my heart beats furiously in my ears. I crawl into a bush to hide. The only thing left inside of me is terror. I cover my ears with my hands to muffle the agonized screams coming from the battle. The many faces of the people at risk run through my mind, but I don't leave my bush. Tears pour down my face as I cry like a lost child. I'm absolutely powerless. Inari warned me that I wouldn't be strong enough to help her, but I didn't listen.

Maybe somewhere deep inside, I was hoping that things would stay the same, that the army would just stay in town, and that the fairies could continue living freely. Whatever I was hoping for has been torn to shreds by the reality I witnessed only moments ago. I continue to sob uncontrollably beneath the foliage. There's nowhere left to run. There are no more places to hide. Today, war has arrived.