Chapter Five: Burns Like a Red Coal Carpet
Fourth Tower Year 4765, 3.2.5
The Republic of Mevitra, Clearwater
“Marc, please explain what you know,” Ba’eth demanded. She was calm but was deeply concerned.
As soon as Marc mentioned Kira’s warning Grenn had rushed them to the Guild Hall. They were now in an emergency meeting in the Guild Head’s office atop the tower above the Hall.
She had also summoned Torren, a Guild Officer that Marc had gotten to know fairly well over the last few years. He was an incredibly professional and efficient administrator and had even overseen Marc’s application for full membership in the Guild. He was currently the acting Adjutant as the position was currently vacant.
Another face at the table was a big surprise to Marc. The former Adjutant of the Guild, currently on leave, Meservi, sat beside the Guild Head with a giant grin on his face, despite the gravity of the situation. Marc wanted to run over to him as soon as he saw the Elf in the room, but Grenn made it clear that time was of the essence. There would be time for a reunion of old friends later.
“I’m sorry. I really can’t explain everything fully. I don’t understand myself. But my…” He paused. Torren was not included in the small list of people who knew that Marc was a Traveler, a rare individual whose very existence was feared and ostracized across the entire world.
“Torren, can you contact the other officers who can be gathered here tonight? I would like to have a full war council here in one hour.” Ba’eth ordered.
“Certainly, Guild Head.” Torren moved quickly without question or hesitation. After he descended to the office floor below Ba’eth nodded to Marc to continue.
“I don’t know what Kira is saying. We don’t know what a beast surge is really like. But she is saying that the recent beast activity is suspicious. Something is happening in the forest.”
“Weren’t you just in the forest today?” Grenn asked.
“Yes. Although there really wasn’t anything wrong. My map allows me to detect beasts from a good distance so I can avoid any contact as long as I am careful.”
“And did you notice anything strange today?” Ba’eth asked him, rubbing the thick beard on her chin.
“No. At least I didn’t. It did look like there were more beasts nearby than usual, so it was harder to find a safe path, but it wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen before. Well, I wasn’t able to find many smaller prey animals. I thought it was odd. I can usually find vorpal rabbits and even some kobolds in the outskirts of the forest, but I only saw a few and they were pretty skittish.” He reported.
The three Guild officers traded dark looks.
“Why did Kira say there might be a surge then?” Ba’eth asked.
“She just said it was a possibility.”
《Tell them that I have been tracking beast activity within a 50-kilometer range, but that it is possible for me to detect some beast movements up to 250 kilometers away.》
“Huh? I didn’t know you could do that.” Marc thought back at his interface.
《The resolution at that distance is quite poor, and it’s pointless to see things so far away, so I don’t bother. When Keri mentioned the increase in hunted beasts, along with our experiences today, I thought it prudent to do a scan and see if I could tell anything. What I saw was a very large number of beasts moving around 200 kilometers to the North.》
Marc relayed the information to the group.
“Can she determine how many beasts there are?” The Guild Head asked.
“She can’t give exact numbers at this distance, but it is over two thousand.” Marc relayed.
Marc noticed that the tension dropped a small amount at that revelation.
“Two thousand? That’s a pretty small wave. The last surge was over several hundred thousand!” Meservi jumped into the conversation. “It is probably just a new group forming.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what causes a beast surge. Kira wants to know what a typical beast surge looks like.”
“We don’t know exactly what causes them. It seems like a surge in ambient Mana in the mountains causes the wildlife in the area to all mutate into beasts at the same time.” Grenn explained.
“They gather in the forest until the food supply is depleted, then they all move en-masse to the nearest source of food like a plague of locusts. They break into groups that arrive in waves. It’s impossible to fight them off, but with the walls, we can wait them out.”
Marc nodded to Grenn.
“That’s definitely not what Kira is seeing. It’s just one mass, and it-“ Meservi cut Marc off.
“See, nothing to worry about. A group that size won’t leave the deep forest. We can just keep an eye on it and see if it starts growing.” The Elf slouched into his chair.
“But Kira said it’s moving. It’s not staying in the deep forest.” Marc explained.
“Moving? Where is it moving to?” Ba’eth asked, her eyebrow raised.
“Here. It’s coming straight here. Kira said at this rate the main group would be here by tomorrow morning, but that some had already entered the plain.”
Meservi slid off his chair and landed unceremoniously on the floor under the table.
“It’s coming here? Are you sure?” Grenn demanded, his eyes open wide.
“Yes. Definitely. It’s not as big as a surge, but it’s a group of beasts over two thousand.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“It’s not a surge,” Ba’eth growled, “It’s a stampede.”
“A stampede? Surely not. We’ve never had one here. Why? Who?” Meservi had climbed out front under the table and was brushing off his clothes.
“What’s a stampede?” Marc asked. He knew the term from the ranches around Silver City, but he had never seen one.
“A surge is caused by starving beasts. They come in large numbers, but move slowly as they consume everything in their way.” Grenn explained.
“But a stampede is caused by something else. A group of beasts is gathered and then pushed in a specific direction.” Ba’eth picked up after Grenn.
“Pushed? By what?” Marc asked.
“By who,” Ba’eth answered gravely. “It’s a technique used during wars. Mages corral and drive beasts toward an opposing force.”
“Who would dare! Why here? There’s no reason. It makes no sense.” Meservi protested.
“None of that matters. We have precious little time to prepare. Grenn! Recall all the patrols. Call up every active member and have them report to their siege stations. Meservi, contact the city administration and inform them that the Guild is invoking emergency authority. Close all gates and entrances to the walls and cast off the dock and have all ships take shelter across the lake. Both of you, be back here for the war council. Now go!” Ba’eth stood and barked the orders. Then she looked at Marc. She pushed a rune on her desk and a large map of the surrounding area appeared on the surface of the table, drawn by flickering lights.
“Marc! I need you and Kira to tell me everything you can about the approaching beasts. Their precise location, numbers, makeup. Everything you have.” She gestured to the map.
Marc looked around. Grenn and Meservi were already running for a stairway to the lower level, obviously not waiting for the elevator. He approached the table and started to relay everything that Kira could tell him.
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After he told Ba’eth everything he could she dismissed him. He wouldn’t have to join the war council where he would no doubt face intense scrutiny. Instead, Ba’eth would present the information and protect his identity.
Marc reported to his beast surge duty station, A lookout tower similar to the one he had snuck into on his first day as a Guild prospect. He saw Enpii in the Guild hall and grabbed him, pulling him to a quiet corner.
“Marc! Thank goodness. I’ve been looking for you. We need to report to our stations.”
As Enpii had no magic, he was assigned to assist the Guild staff in the Hall and act as a runner for any departments that were shorthanded. This was a relief for Marc, knowing that Enpii would be well away from any danger.
“Yes, I know. I’m heading to my station now. I’ll be in the tower by the Administration building,” he said pointing in the direction of his destination.
“Is it a surge? Have you heard anything?”
Marc wondered what he should tell his friend. For now, maybe it would be best to just reassure him. He didn’t want to start rumors irresponsibly.
“Not much. Just that there might be some kind of problem outside the wall. We should probably get to our stations.”
Enpii nodded. As he walked away Marc added,
“Stay safe ok? Stay here, in the Hall. I’m sure it will be all over soon. Besides, she’s here too isn’t she?”
Enpii flushed. He started stammering, then just blurted out,
“You watch out too. Stay safe. See you when the alert is over.”
Then the thin wiry man ran off to find his assignments.
Marc jogged over to his station and climbed up the tower. There were already several other Guild members there and Marc noted that the tower had been activated, with Mana crystals powering the lights and a communications desk.
A man was sitting at the desk talking through a communications device, most likely to the command center in the Guild Hall. He turned when he saw Marc climb up the stairs.
“You are Marc, correct?” Marc nodded.
“I’m Wilhelm. I just received orders from command. You have a mapping ability correct?”
Marc wondered if they would place him somewhere more vital. He was scared but also wanted to help if he could. He had no illusions of his ability to fight beasts, but he was a multi-attribute magic user. Of course that was a tightly guarded secret.
“You are to stay here and relay any information on beast movements to me so I can inform command. Do you understand?”
Marc nodded. He would be staying in the tower. He was relieved and disappointed at the same time. Certainly, he could be more useful close to the Guild Head, but at the same time, he didn’t know what to do. Everyone had a job to do, and he was apparently here.
“Is there anything else you can detect from here?” He thought to Kira.
《Not much. At least not yet. The beasts are still moving in, but they are too far out for me to tell much.》
“Ok. Let me know if they make any changes to their speed or direction.”
《Sure.》
Marc appreciated that Kira understood the gravity of the situation and was holding back on her usual sarcasm. Still, that only accentuated the seriousness of the moment.
It was going to be a long night.
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Marc was resting in a corner of the small space atop the tower when Wilhelm shook his shoulder.
“Marc, I just received orders. You are to report to the Guild Head personally.”
“Huh?” Marc was groggy. He had been sitting with nothing to do for hours in the dark night. The adrenaline had already left his system.
“Get ahold of yourself. During a surge, most of what we do is wait, but when you need to act, you need to move immediately. You’ll need to learn to rest when you can, but when you are called upon you must always react immediately.”
Marc nodded. He forced his mind to focus. “Understood. Should I go to the Guild Hall?” He asked.
“No, The Guild Head is at the forward command, at the main city gate.”
That was surprising. Marc had assumed that they would coordinate from the Guild Hall.
《You forgot who the Guild Head is.》
“Ba’eth? Is she going to fight?
《Idiot. She’s an Earth Element Master.》
“And? There are plenty of people who can repair the walls.”
《Are you kidding me? Wake up you fool. That guy was right, you are useless when you don’t get enough sleep.》
Marc thought about it a moment, feeling the blood begin to move through his brain.
“Oh shit. Yeah. I get it. Damn.” The realization and its implication finally hit him.
Ba’eth was the strongest healer in the city. She was at the front because they expected casualties, or they already had started.
《Not yet. There have been some skirmishes outside the wall, but the preparations seemed to have been done in time. The city walls are secured and all the patrols have been brought back into the city.》
That was a relief. Safil was with the patrol and he knew Grenn would be beside himself if anything happened to her.
“Where is Grenn?” He asked Kira.
《Grenn is with Ba’eth and Meservi at the gate forward command.》
Marc nodded his understanding to Wilhelm, then rushed down the stairs and jogged to the city gate.
He arrived and quickly found the street near the gate transformed.
All the shops, stalls, and goods were gone. Instead, it was turned into a military compound. The Large gate was still open, however there were hunters everywhere, most wearing heavy armor and carrying weapons and bows. Guild officers were ordering people to prepare the defenses and organize battle parties. He noticed the City administration people were working as well, cooperating with the Guild seamlessly.
Marc marveled at how organized things were. It had been many years since the last beast surge, but everything had been prepared and planned. Marc himself had taken part in the annual drill last year. In the past few hours, the fortress city had been truly transformed and every citizen was prepared to defend the city and protect each other.
In a tall building overlooking the courtyard inside the gate, Marc found the forward command. He was quickly directed to the Guild Head.
“Marc. Thank you for coming. We have already encountered the closest beasts in the wave, but we need a better idea of what the rest of the stampede looks like. Can Kira get more details yet?
Marc looked at Ba’eth and smiled.
“I think I can help. But I need a room where we can speak privately.”
The Dwarf nodded to a room off to the side. Marc motioned for Grenn and Meservi to join them.
It was a small room, but that didn’t matter. As soon as the door closed, Marc thought to Kira.
“You can do it right?”
《Leave it to me.》 She replied.
Marc waved his hand and opened a door to his personal space. This was the first time he had brought anyone besides his teacher inside, but he was sure he could do it now.
Ba’eth, Grenn, and Meservi all looked at the floating purple doorway with dubious looks.
“Are you sure you are ready for this?” Grenn asked.
“Yeah. I can do it, with Kira’s help.” He replied. Then he walked through the portal.
The rest of the group looked at each other, and then one by one they all followed Marc through the door.