The seemingly unthreatening girl stood before them, the monsters unmoving, as if waiting for her to command them to do so.
Her aura was dreaded, as if she were born for the darkest depths, then spat out from the ground, made to raze terror among those living on the soil.
The wake before her was of pure madness, where death and melancholy danced in unison, celebrating her arrival in an auspicious way, paving the roads with bodies and souls of the innocent, consuming hope from all.
Yet her face did not show as much chaos as one would need to be feared, rather, the presence she carried was unmistakably equal to a demon's, full of terror and the lack of hope.
Immediately, Roland and the rest rose up, regaining their balance after being dealt a strong blast of wind that forced them back, and those that they were carrying.
"Hey, don't tell me that she caused all this. If she did, then this is unbelievable," Johann said with a grimace, unable to believe what he had just seen and felt from such a person, not even looking to be older than any of them.
"Kh! Damn, just what is happening?!" Roland said, looking at the men they carried, now deceased and lifeless, making their efforts in vain.
"You two, stay vigilant. I don't like this feeling I have about her," Rayleigh created a glow in her hands, preparing a spell for something that might come to them eventually, a bad omen she predicts.
"Marco Fairway, where is he?" she said softly, drawing surprised looks from them.
"What did you just say?" Roland raised his sword, already assessing her and sizing her up.
"Marco, Fairway, where is he?" she repeated with the same tone, not changing anything about her.
"What do you want from him?" Rayleigh questioned, on edge, as she made sure to pay attention to every move she might make.
"So many questions... boring," she disappeared after speaking, leaving nothing in her presence as the three were unable to believe what they just saw, now raising their guards in a panic, trying to discern her location.
Feeling a sudden surge of magic with her senses, Rayleigh directed her sight upwards, immediately taking action, protecting her allies in the process as she cast a strong, domed barrier over them with speed, "Vanguard's Essence!"
They were assaulted by a hail of sharp arrows. Each one stronger than the last, possessing a powerful dark shade that seemed to devour the Essence of magic on her barrier.
"She's stronger than I originally thought! This will be difficult for us to overcome," Rayleigh emphasized as the Barrier she had made was cracking, already on the verge of breaking.
Right as the barrier shattered, Rayleigh fell due to the immense pressure she was under, trying to hold the barrier for as long as she could, but was unable to overcome the seemingly infinite number of arrows being castes on them.
"Careful now. Wouldn't want our magnificent mage to get hurt, Johann said, catching her just in time, moving out of the way as Roland amazingly parried some of the arrow with his sword, Durandal, which did not break nor crack from being used to stave off fierce magic attacks.
"What do we do now? I don't think she intends to let us go," Johann asked as he placed Rayleigh back on the ground.
"Isn't it obvious? We'll beat her down and end this monster infestation."
"Easy enough for you, Roland. I don't think my skill and luck would be enough to overcome such odds."
"You're famous for having held back a horde of monsters. Don't tell me you made all that up," Roland mocked Johann, who turned serious, not taking too kindly to the friendly insult.
"Very well then. It seems that your intentions to provoke me have paid off. I will show you both that Johann the unbreakable aegis is not to be mocked nor belittled!" he raised his shield, drawing his sword from his sheathe, facing the girl that levitated above them with a charming glare, keeping up approaches while showing his prowess and strength.
"Hmph, good. How about you, Rayleigh?"
"I'm afraid that you're right. We don't have any choice, and the best we can do right now is to possibly defeat this threat, or hold out until allies come and support us," she exhaled, taking another deep breath in, circulating a massive supply of energy in her body, which acted a deep well supply.
As they readied themselves, the girl levitating in the air brought her hand down, signaling the monsters to begin moving once more, resuming their frenzy across the city, destroying everything in their wake.
With the monsters closing in, the three prepared for the inevitable, but were again surprised by the sudden misinterpretation of the monster's nature.
"They're avoiding us?!" Roland acted in surprise, not lowering his guard, suspicious and wary of their actions being strange.
Indeed, the monsters moved on, casting them aside and continuing their parade as they made a clear battleground between the girl and the adventurers.
Again, she disappeared, reappearing in front of them in the blink of an eye, blowing them away again with a powerful pulse of wind.
"Not this time!" Roland roared, denying her from pushing him away as he stuck Durandal to the ground, standing his ground from the harsh wind, supported by his heavy armor.
After outlasted the attack, Roland rushed the girl, raising his sword up high, assaulting her with a series of powerful slashes and cuts, using his body to curve his attacks and make them connect.
But to his disbelief, she avoided every single of his attacks, phasing around Roland's range, appearing and reappearing in various places around him, making the warrior look like a fool as he retreated, trying to figure out how to land an attack on her.
"Roland, I'll synchronize with you. Keep going! Johann said, standing on the opposite side of the girl, behind her, wielding his sword on his left hand, and his shield on his right.
Johann begun his dash, prompting Roland to do the same, raising Durandal with both hands.
"Haaa!" Roland heaved loudly, bringing down his sword on the ground, destroying the street where it landed, avoiding the girl who once again faded from his sights.
"Take my graceful attack!" Johann leapt to the air rather strongly, jumping over Roland and slashing down behind him, having seen where the girl would reappear with a single glance.
Caught by surprise, she resorted to a spell, holding her hand out, releasing a dark ball of fire to hit the airborne warrior.
"Gahhh!" Johann reacted accordingly, raising his shield, and taking the brunt force of the attack, being blown back a few meters away.
Now knowing where she is, Roland spun, twisting his body to hit her with the momentum he built up, but was immediately rejected, blasted back by the same spell, hitting the side of his armor, and sending him back flying towards Johann.
"Tch. This is ridiculous! We can't do anything to her. The monsters must already be through the commerce district, and there's just more of them coming each second," Roland fumed, striking the ground angrily with his sword.
"Are you alright, Roland? You took a rather harsh beating from that spell," Johann came from behind, Rayleigh having her arm around him as he supported her.
"Thank you, Johann. Don't worry too much about Roland. I'm sure that he's taken harder hits than that. Now, enough of this. There is still a chance to defeat her and hold back the monsters. But we will have to work together, understand?" Rayleigh dusted herself off, taking on a serious expression, affecting her two allies as well.
"As if I'd fall to something like that. But you're right. We'll have to work together if we want to stand a chance against whatever she is," Roland and Johann affixed their sights on the mysterious girl, initiating the attack, followed by Johann, then Rayleigh, who seemed to take a strategic approach, being only a few meters away from the two so that they could reinforce each other in the case that she phases near someone.
Their battle became fiercer with each second, being fought by blades and magic.
When Roland would be blown back, then assaulted by a barrage of spells, Johann would use his shield and parry as many as he could, amazingly tanking the hits, making his body nearly numb with pain.
Rayleigh would then act as their main offense, casting precise spells that would seem to hit her, but did not, only giving the chance for the two to counterattack, only to be fended off with ease, then blasted with an extreme pulse of magic, those of which exceeded Rayleigh's by far.
"We can't let up, even for a second."
"Easier said than done. But, rest assured that I won't give up no matter what. After all, it's a miracle that we've lasted this long, seeing as how powerful she is. It made me value my life even more, ironically," Johann tried lifting the mood for a bit, exhausted, staggering as he supported his weight with his sword.
"Pathetic, I'm pathetic. Why can't I do anything against her?!" Roland raged, breathing just as hard as Johann, having moved so much that he could barely swing his sword.
"Don't move too much, I'm still regenerating your energies. We can't stop no matter what. For all we know, she might be connected to the arrival of these monsters, and that defeating her was the only way to stop the rampage," Rayleigh encouraged them despite being in the same state, just as exhausted.
"But still, I wonder why she is so obsessed about the guild master. Maybe a former lover who turned to vengeance?"
"I don't care. We're going to beat her here no matter what. She's not going to get past us, I will guarantee that!" Roland roared once more, making Rayleigh rather angry and annoyed.
"I told you to stop moving for a while!"
"Rayleigh, Roland, no time for scolding and arguments. Here she comes again!" Johann raised his trembling shield arm, his other hand feeling heavy, as if he was lifting an object heavier than a sword.
Meanwhile, inside the city square, the monsters advanced rapidly, creating carnage wherever they went, plunging the city into ruin as they broke houses, killed and consumed even more humans without a second thought, filling the streets with blood and screams of the damned, which induced even more fear amongst others as the night went on.
"Keep up the barrier, first platoon! Second platoon, prepare to cast spells when the barrier is lowered. We cannot miss the chance to thin them out! You there, take half of the soldiers here and put up a defensive wall on the south side. I'll focus the offense here with as few people as possible," Marco began releasing orders here and there, effectively commanding the nervous troops under the dire circumstances that they are in.
Yet, the fear of the citizens was what affected them the most, for a mere glance at their faces made you realize that you too are human, and you too have something to fear.
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But; nevertheless, they followed his instructions after he had given a rousing speech, one that awakened their minds to something that they held on to dearly.
"Marco! We're completely surrounded, and the best three in the guild are missing. What do we do now?" Bernard nervously asked while holding a large battleax and wearing a heavy armor set, making it look like the monsters could be more terrified of him than he is of the, because of his imposing and intimidating aura, improved by his towering figure.
"Calm, my friend. The only way to overcome this is through solidarity. Have I ever let any of you down?" he asked with a genuine smile, not even disturbed by what was happening around them.
"I-I guess not, but look around you! We won't be able to get away from here. And those monsters are close to breaking the barrier. At this point, it's only a matter of time," he sulked, losing hope quickly.
"Well then, if you truly doubt me, then let us make a wager. Nothing on the line, just a friendly wager. We will make it through this somehow. I can feel divine providence arriving," Marco looked towards a specific direction, smiling confidence.
As this was happening, a horse-drawn wagon that carried a supply of hay was on its way to Zeal, carrying other things behind it, namely people, whom of which had hitched a ride from a kindly old man, who reluctantly let them on, seeing as how he was heading back home to Zeal himself.
"Man, it got dark real fast, didn't it? You could barely see the road."
The nearby grove gave a fresh, green smell, in tune with the very essence of nature and what makes it special in such occasions.
"This is quite nostalgic, still. Oddly enough I could remember this very path which we walked during our journey home from missions."
"You're right, Andersen. I'm starting to remember those times myself. It was when we just joined the guild if I'm not mistaken. We had to defeat a lot of monsters infesting a nearby farm."
"Isn't this nice, Julia? The roads are so tranquil and quiet; you could nearly hear the sound of nature herself."
"Hey, Larrus, wake up already! We nearly there, ngh! Why are you so heavy?"
They had traveled for a day and a half, cutting it shorted after having ridden a wagon heading the same direction as they were.
Encountering nearly nothing, they had relaxed for the majority of the trip, letting them feel a certain kind of peace that they have not felt in over a while, making it reasonable to savor it as long as they could.
"What is the high heavens is that?!" the carriage driver said, stopping his horse and then standing from his seat and becoming silent for a long duration, drawing the attentions of the people he was with.
"What's wrong?" asked Claire, feeling something bad in her gut as she thought about what might be running into the old man's head.
The rest of the group, excluding one sleeping Larrus, stood up to see what the old driver was worried about, peering through the darkness, and then to the sky, where a thick, black pillar of smoke rose up, and below it was a hue of red, meaning only one thing.
"A fire? Wait, didn't Alfred Duke tell us about Zeal being attacked?!' Remuil said, remembering the exact meeting and what they had talked about concerning Zeal and the rest of Independence.
"Oh no! My niece! She might be in trouble! I need to go get her!" the carriage driver said in disbelief, trying to get his stubborn horse to move which it did not, protesting instead. He then tried dismounting, wanting to go on foot.
"Wait! Do t do anything rash!" Julia stopped him in time,
*Yawn* "What time is it now, Cecil? Is it time to eat?" Larrus said absentmindedly, still half asleep, laying on his side while on the blanket covered haystack, resuming his slumber without worry.
"Larrus, get up, hurry! Look at what's happening!"
"Alright, alright, I'm up. What's happening anyway?" Larrus stretched his body and shook his head, trying to stave off the drowsy feeling still trying to convince him to go back to sleep.
He looked to the horizon, immediately seeing what had them worked up, awakening every bit of his senses as concern began filling his mind.
Just then, from the side, the sound of boot steps could be heard, making the group shift their attentions in that area, all being cautious of what's around them after seeing something as alarming as the fire on the horizon.
"Late as always. I guess a welcome back is in order. But, that and the formalities could be settled in another time. I have something urgent to tell you, mostly you, Larrus," a dark haired man appeared from the shadows, wearing a white, commander's garb, speaking calmly with a warm smile.
"Wait, I recognize you! Aren't you the guild master?!" Remuil pointed out in surprise, making those in his party of five look closer as well, confirming their doubts.
"What is the guild master doing here?! And what's happening to Zeal?!" Claire began barraging him with questions, receiving no answers as he replied with a simple sentence, "Calm down. All will be fine with you all now here."
"Now, Larrus. If you would be so kind to come here, I'd like to briefly explain something before it's too late," the man beckoned, his expression turning serious.
Larrus grabbed his sheathed sword, jumping from the carriage and then to the man.
"Well, Marco. What's this about?" he asked indifferently, using the tone he usually has when speaking to Marco.
"We are under attack by monsters. If you can remember clearly, I can create clones of myself, and this is one such clone. Currently, my real body is still in the city, holding out as best I can with the other civilians, but not for long. I guess you already know this about me, but It wouldn't hurt to remind you."
"And the problem?"
"It seems that the room of this problem is one such being that we are both very familiar of. A disciple. I have sent another clone of mine to inform me more about her, but sadly, my clone was wiped away easily. It seems that she specializes on spells and quickly teleporting. Some of my brightest guild members are already engaging battle with her, but I don't know how they are faring. If you would, I'd like you to defeat her and rescue my students at the main gate, and finally put an end to this while we still have a chance."
"Fine. I don't have any reason to decline," he said, facing the group.
"Cecil, we're going to save the city. Come with me," he began approaching the horse, caressing its body and nose, calming it as the horse responded with a slight neigh.
"I'll be borrowing this for a bit. I'll be sure to save your niece while I'm at it," said Larrus, cutting off the reins and taking it, mounting the horse, which was rather friendly, not showing any attempt at kicking him off.
"Hurry, Cecil! We don't have much time!" Cecil stumbled forward, but quickly regaining her balance and taking Larrus's hand, mounting the horse and sitting behind him, taking hold of his stomach.
"Wait! Where are you two going?" asked Beatrice, concerned just like the others.
"Saving the city, I guess. Stay here and you'll be safe. And just to make sure that you don't become reckless," Larrus faced the clone of Marco, looking at him sternly saying, "Don't let them leave until it's safe."
Then then whipped the reins slightly, signaling the horse to walk forward, then run at his own pace, becoming increasingly faster and faster as it warmed itself up.
"Let's see. If I remember how to ride a horse properly... Oh, hold on tightly, Cecil. Wouldn't want you to fall off badly. Alright, next is to... Hmm, I think I have it down. Now, off to Zeal. And don't talk, otherwise you'll bite your tongue. I'll tell you what you need to know later," Larrus said, making the horse go faster and faster.
Everything besides the road in front of them became a blur with the speed that the horse they rode upon was going, feeling the great, cold wind wash over them like a giant wave.
The view of the city could now be seen as they passed a slope thad led to it; showing the image of a burning ruin, infested by monsters of varying sizes, all looking bloodthirsy and filled with rage unlike nay he had seen before.
Larrus had the horse stop fully, not risking it falling into the monster's clutches as their next meal.
"This is where we get off, Cecil. Get ready. It seems that they've already started welcoming us," said Larrus, dismounting with ease and unsheathing his sword as small groups of deadly looking monsters started running in their direction.
"Ah... Larrus! I can't get down!" Cecil started panicking as the mosnters closed in.
"Lean your body towards me, I'll catch you," he said, prompting her to do just that, but quicker, seeing as their situation warranted speed.
"There you go. Alright. How about we do this like always? I'll depend on you, and you can depend on me. I know I'm not as good as I used to be, but I'll show you that I still have what it takes," he smiled at her after catching and setting her down gently, showing her the side of him that she knos well, and was always fond of.
"R-Right! Leave it to me!" she said, breathing in and out, trying to get rid of her nervousness.
Larrus dashed forward, meeting the first of the monsters with a low stance, holding his sword like it was sheathed, then stomping his right foot on the ground to stop, drawing the sword upwards, immediately felling the thick-skinned monster in one strike.
Just then, another one, an agile monster, had made it to Larrus's blind spot, striking with its deadly claws.
"Inferno pillar!" Cecil shouted out desperately, creating a circle on the ground that then spewed out a pillar of fire that disintegrated the monster into nothing, instantly turning it into ash.
With that done, Larrus cleaved the rest skillfully, using his raw strength to force the monsters aside, creating a pile of corpses within minutes.
"Thanks, Cecil. You're a lifesaver," he said, then looking around him, assessing the area, recognizing the various scenes as the city they lived in.
"Even if it's been a long time, you still are amazing as always," Cecil said, awe-strucked as all those memories of her first meeting with Larrus, and what she had seen in him. It was similar to that, yet it was not. And she could not help but feel nostalgic despite the dire situation.
"It seems that the monsters are more focused inside. Good. Let's find the cause of all this," he signalled for her to follow him as they made their way inside the city from the opposite gate, not encountering as much monsters as they had outside.
"T-There's so many of them!" Cecil stared at the hordes of monsters with a terrified and shocked expression, making her feel doubt in her legs, not moving because of her nerves.
"Did you forget already? I'm here aren't I? This time, I won't let any of them get to you. I promise. Now, let's keep moving. I recognize this place, and I think you do to. We're close. Let's hurry before everything's too late," he urged her, taking her hand as they ran from alley to alley, avoiding most monsters that they encountered, quickly defeating those they inevitably met along the way.
"Ah! Larrus, over there!" she cried out, seeing a maned monster with a lion's head and body, and a ram on the same shoulder, and yet another head, a red, fire breathing dragon that gave the entire body wings and a scaley long tail.
The lion head roared, and the dragon head breathed fire, making the tensions clear that only one can emerge alive from such an encounter with a monster as strong as this.
"A Chimera-Omega? Isn't this a treat. Alright, Cecil. The only way we can beat this thing and go trhough is if you give it your all. I'll hold it down while you cast a spell strong enough to incapacitate it or at least create an opening for me. I'll take care of the rest," he said, stepping forward, challenging the beast with a serious expression.
He rushed the beast, meeting it head on as the monster ran as well.
Closing the distances between them, Larrus slid down the middle of the monster's body, cutting its thick hide as he sliced along with his blade, emergin from the other side where he immediately reversed his position, leaping high up to cleave the monster from behind.
In a split second, the beast retaliated after receiving a tinge of pain, swatting Larrus away with its tail, smashing him to a nearby wall.
It then faced Cecil, who nervously kept chanting and channeling her power, twitching, but now closed her eyes much to her fear.
Then she remembered his words as the monster crept up further to her where she could nearly feel its musky breath on her skin, making her shiver, but not lose hope in that one promise he had made. She opened her eyes, full of determination, believing fully in him.
The beast raised its claw, quickly bringing it down upon her, whereas she kept her eyes glued to it, unmoving.
"Take this!" a piercing yell sounded, followed by a lion's roar of pain.
She had blinked for a second, and now Larrus appeared before her, having pierced through the beast's right foreleg, causing it to bleed drastically.
"Whenever you're ready, Cecil," he said in a composed manner, not at all disturned nor concerned about holding a massive Chimera in place with his place in one of its limps, inches away from being bit by the lion's head, but held high up enough so that the dragon's head could not reach him, revealing its belly which showed the scar that Larrus made earlier.
"Ready! Here goes! Glorious haven!" she held both hands out, forming a small ball of light between that then gave way to a massive, powerful beam of light that blasted in a straight direction, destroying everything in its path, making the night briefly filled with a certain luminescnence.
As the light died down, Cecil heaved a sigh, falling to her knees, exhausted from casting such an energy hungry spell.
"You did great, Cecil. I knew you would!" he said, smiling as Larrus was down on the ground, having narrowly avoided her spell with his impeccable split second reaction time, saving his life in the process.
"Ah! Larrus, are you alright?! Sorry, I overdid it that I forgot about you!" she disregarded her exhaustion, worrying first about her companion, checking him for any bodily scars, placing her hand on his chest, proceeding to cast a healing spell on him immediately.
"Haha! Don't worry about it too much. You've done great so far," he took her hand, feeling its comfortable warmth andher smooth, soft skin, retreating it back to her.
"Just a bit more, Cecil. then we can finally rest. Can you still do it?" he asked, standing up, extending a hand towards her.
She looked at it, trying to think clearly, deciding from how she was feeling, and not wanting to be apart from Larrus.
"Alright, since you're tired, I'll carry you on my back and quickly run you back to the others. Don't force yourself. I think I can manage on my own, probably," he said, preparing to carry her on his back.
She immediately protested, pouting in a cutesy way, looking at him like he was a menace saying, "You're terrible! I'll go with you, and that's settled. I won't go back without you."
"Well isn't this a bit of a problem. I wonder why you're acting like this all of a sudden. But fine. Since you insist, let's go finish this and rest. Hopefully our house is still in one piece by the time this is done," he once again reached out to her, smiling at her valiant efforts.
Her pout turned to a smile, and she accepted his hand, standing up and dusting herself off, surprisingly being filled with vigor by merely being with Larrus.
They started walking towards the opposite gate, where the cause of the problem is said to be taking place. Yet before they could even reach the main gate, the surroundings were filled with so much destruction that the land itself was leveled, completely decimating houses and turning them into a charred ruin.
"What caused this?" he said, investigating from a distance, the rest of the way still being filled with roaming monsters.
"Larrus, over there, I can see something," Cecil pointed out, seeing bright explosions somewhere near the main gate's wide open streets, a place avoided by monsters to their surprise, containing something they do not know about, but have a vague idea of.
"This might be it. C'mon!" they ran through, avoiding the monsters and are closing in on the said source of the monster invasion.