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Aden, Ethan, Maeda, and Phil parted ways at the junction not far in front of the courthouse. They went to their designated area of evacuation search.

Aden and Ethan instructed every family or villager they met to gather their necessary belongings and head straight to the courthouse, assuring them that the street was safe and the harpies would not attack at night.

They carefully moved through the neighborhood, ensuring that every household was accounted for and no one was left behind.

"Phew, It looks like they are the last of it."

"yeah, let us circle around the neighborhood once more before we go back," Aden suggested.

"Good idea." Ethan agreed.

both volunteers circle around the area once more. Aden picked up an iron pole to check on rubbles and debris if there were any survivors. Searching for survivors in the dark is a difficult task with only one torch held by Ethan.

"Everyone, head over to the courthouse now!" Aden yelled every few steps, making sure everyone could hear him. Aden hit his iron pole three times to any metal objects every time he yelled. It was a patrol's custom in the Median. It was very useful as banging metals can be heard more than someone's yell.

"If anyone needs help, just shout or make some noise - we'll be there soon," Ethan added in.

Aden and Ethan searched through the debris of ruined buildings for any dead bodies. Whenever they found one, Aden would use the iron pole as a lever while Ethan dragged out the unfortunate victim. They placed the corpses on a vendor cart before resuming on their grim task. So far, they had retrieved four dead bodies from a messenger's post and destroyed houses.

Aden and Ethan were walking down the streets when a desperate plea for help from the bakery shop near the arcade building caught their attention.

Fearing that something might be seriously wrong, the two rushed towards the bakery shop leaving the cart on the street, their hearts pounding with concern, as they heard the cry for help.

They burst through the front door of the shop and were met with a harrowing sight—a meek man being toyed with by a harpy. Aden wasted no time and leaped into action, striking the harpy with a swift blow that sent it flying away into the darkness of the night.

Breathing heavily, Aden turned his attention to the meek man who had been the harpy's target. "Are you alright?" he asked, extending a helping hand.

The man nodded, his voice trembling. "Th-thank you, sir. My wife, she's trapped under the collapsed roof. I don't know what to do."

Aden's eyes narrowed with determination. "Stay calm. We'll get her out. Lead the way."

They hurried to the pile of rubble and debris where the wife was trapped.

"Hey, are you okay? say something or make some noise."

Aden called out to her, reassuring her that help had arrived. A faint response came from beneath the wreckage, giving them hope.

Assessing the situation, Aden determined that it was safe to start lifting the rubble. He spotted a gap and slipped his iron pole into it, using it as a lever to exert force and lift the heavy debris. Ethan stood nearby, gripping the iron pole firmly to provide support.

"heave!"

With each heave, the rubble began to shift, and the wife's face gradually became visible. Aden's heart raced as he continued his efforts, the strength of his muscles tested by the weight. The meek man's eyes were filled with gratitude and anxiety, desperate to see his wife freed from the perilous situation.

Finally, with one last push, the debris lifted enough for the wife to be pulled out. Aden and Ethan worked together, carefully pulling her out of the debris. As she emerged, dust-covered and shaken, Aden reached out his hand to help her stand. Unfortunately, she couldn't feel her legs and stumbled.

As she stumbled, she instinctively threw her arms around Aden who instantly held her tightly against his chest. His breath was hot on her neck and the musky scent of his body filled her senses, setting off a wave of desire in her stomach.

Although covered in dirt, Aden caught sight of her cute face and felt warmth wash over him as he took in her tender body.

She lingered for a moment longer than necessary before Aden set her down, but the intensity of the moment lingered between them like an electric current that neither one wanted to break.

"You're safe now," Aden reassured her, His voice was rich and warm, laced with tender compassion - a feeling so intense it filled the air with an awkward yet undeniable heat. "Take your time to catch some breath."

The wife nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you, thank you so much. I thought I was going to die under the rubble."

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Aden leaned in closely, offering a reassuring smile. "You're a strong woman. You made it through."

"you have no idea," she replied.

As the two of them gathered their composure, the meek man embraced his wife, tears of relief streaming down his cheeks.

"I thought I had lost you," he sobbed but no tears. He tried his hard not to burst into crying.

Aden placed his hand on the husband's shoulder, understanding the weight of their emotions. "Take care of each other. Stay safe."

The wife's voice quivered as she expressed her gratitude. "You saved my life, sir. I will never forget what you've done for me."

Aden nodded, his eyes filled with a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction. "It's our job. Now, go and find shelter in the courthouse. We'll ensure the area is secure."

With a heartfelt smile, the couple moved away, holding onto each other tightly. Aden and Ethan watched them go, knowing that they had made a difference in their lives.

"We can't stop now," Ethan said, his voice filled with determination. "There might be others who need our help."

Aden nodded in agreement. "You're right, we can't waste time."

After completing their last sweep in the area, both of the volunteers headed to the cemetery before returning to the courthouse.

⁕⁕⁕

In the Turnburn residential area, Maeda and Ethan help some of the people there. It was not as many people left as in the Riverway area because the rich people had already gone, and sailed away with the ship from port Monterei located just on the other side of the mountain— half a day's walk from the village.

Most of the people who still left in Turnburn were hands and maidens who worked for the wealthy people living there. They didn't have the means to escape with boats and ships.

Maeda efficiently organized the residents, guiding them toward safety. Phil did the most of talking and, with his kind-hearted nature, provided comfort and support to those in need, ensuring that no one was left behind. Together, they navigated the wide, organized streets of Turnburn, leading the residents away from the impending danger.

They arrived at the designated place, a white mansion with a garden in the back facing towards the forest. They inspected the mansion from the second floor to the first floor, from the living room to the garden at the back.

no sign of a human, nor a Firefox.

When they decided to go back to the courthouse, they found the critter matched the description of the firefox pet. it was lying lifeless on the neighbor's house porch with a gutted belly. Blood stains were scattered all over it.

Both of them approach the lifeless Firefox. Phil stepped forward. He inspected the dead pet.

"Tsk, they didn't even spare the poor critter." Phil angered. "Damn, those winged wenches."

Phil knew only harpies could do such things.

"Its body was spared.. Almost all," Maeda pointed out the harpies only ate the innards of the firefox.

"Yes. the old man was right, they are picky eaters," Phil recalled what the old man said about the harpies when they found the burly prisoner's body.

"Let's go back to the courthouse, I think we are done here."

"Hai'," Maeda affirmed.

As they returned to the courthouse, Phil looked disappointed that he found the firefox was already dead.

The parafin was greatly fond of children. His time spent as a performer— firebreather— in the circus granted him many opportunities to meet them. Although clowns often frightened children, they saw firebreathers as something amazing—which made Phil instantly beloved amongst the young ones.

Nothing compared to the joyous expressions on their faces when they saw him breathe out fire from his mouth; it was as if they were amazed by a real-life dragon.

He really wanted to make little Jasmine happy by bringing home her pet. unfortunately, it was beyond his power.

⁕⁕⁕

Back on the courthouse.

The installation of the hwachas atop the courthouse rooftop was a swift process, only requiring two hours. Now they were ready to see some action.

"Load up the arrows quickly, lads!" Old Man Jed said with a hint of contempt in his voice. "You lot need to be taking more fish oil; back in my day, I'd have finished off the entire load before supper!"

They scoffed and uttered in sarcastic, "Yeah, right."

The volunteers and knights around him all laughed at his joke.

they need some time to load the hwachas with arrows, which is why they need a few volunteers to guard the operator and the loader, armed with bows and boltcasters.

The hwacha had a simple yet ingenious design. Its structure was reminiscent of a handcart planted firm to the rooftop floor, with a mobile wooden launchpad on the top containing two hundred cylindrical holes filled with spark powder and igniters. Designed to be able to turn around in any horizontal direction, the hwacha could fire its arrows in verticality at any angle up to 45 degrees.

and as if lady luck was on their side, the courthouse stored an abundance of spark powder in the cellar. It was supposed to be used for the upcoming festival.

"Step back lads and cover your ears!" Old Man Jed instructed the knights and volunteers. "This is where the real fun begins."

everyone was stepping back yet eagerly to see how it worked.

"Moment of truth," The old man said to himself as he pulled the igniters together. One of the hwacha units burst out hundreds of arrows.

The arrows pierced through the air, flying toward the mock-up target that the volunteers had set up 500 and 700 meters away from the courthouse. As the arrows left the box, all that could be heard was their loud roaring sound.

Now they did the same to the three hwachas. It was an exhilarating feeling as if releasing a cluster of festive fireworks. The sky lit up with an explosion of vibrant colors —red, blue, pink, yellow, and green— creating a beautiful and uplifting spectacle that filled them with joy.

before the recon knights embark on the Serendale, old man Jed brought the festival fireworks sparkpowder as a substitute for the military sparkpowder which they didn't have time to replenish at the outpost, hence the colorful explosion.

They were all still cheering up when they heard footsteps closing in a rush.

"Did I just see hundreds of arrows wasted? pounds of spark powder diminished?" a familiar figure asked in a stern authoritative voice. He emerged from the stairs below.

"Oh, Captain Willem." The knights' faces suddenly turned grim and the volunteers were all but silent.

"We need to run a test on them first don't we?" Old man Jed tried to explain the situation.

"Yes we do, but do you really have to waste hundreds of arrows just to test them?" Captain Willem inspected the last hwacha they used for joy-blasting.

Old man Jed paused as he thought what he could say as a response.

"Yes." He revealed an annoying smirk on his face as he couldn't come up with a reasonable excuse.

"By Aione blesses!" Captain Willem, "I don't know what are you thinking old man."

"See, tomorrow we will need all of the tubes working properly in each hwacha. and how do we know? we tested all of them of course." The old man tried to snake around.

Captain Willem shook his head. "Whatever you say, old man, I just don't like us wasting our arrows on the first day of the battle."

"Oh don't worry, we can always send these sorry sods to collect the arrows at the night when the harpies retreated to their nests."

"What? why us? you imbecile old man." All the volunteers complained.

All of them know that despite the darkness in the night, some harpies still cause trouble for the villagers. While not as fierce as in daytime, their presence was still a nuisance.

⁕⁕⁕