At a glance, there were hundreds and hundreds of seagulls, more than the eye could count. So many wild beasts gathered together was a formidable force that could make even the bravest summoner cower. They occupied the entire sky, their white and pale gray feathers melding into the background of an overcast sky. Even after the disastrous battle against the scorpion dragon, these seagulls were still the masters of the sky.
The marines fleeing a moment ago turned and joined with their reinforcements on the ground. Together, they summoned an army of Ensouled. Each person had been issued the standard team of an iron fur gorilla, an ember cat, and an armored eagle. They formed a formidable wall that stopped the seagulls' pursuit.
The seagull horde hovered over the beach, unsure of what to do. The two sides were now comparable in terms of numbers. Though there were still more seagulls, it wasn't like the first battle a year ago which was a one-sided slaughter. They would have to expend a lot of blood and feathers to expel these invaders from their territory.
"Skree!"
After a brief stalemate, one of the larger seagulls noticed the bait that had been laid out up and down the beach. Sensing much easier prey, it squawked loudly and shot towards a particularly fat pig. The helpless beast squealed in pain as the seagull's sharp talons sank into its back. It tried to run but it had already been lifted into the air by the giant bird's four powerful wings.
Two more seagulls converged on the first, fighting with the first one for the meal. The pig was torn to shreds and disappeared into those hungry stomachs. The largest of the trio of seagulls cried out happily as it swallowed the anima crystal as a final treat.
Loud squawks of excitement traveled through the seagull horde. With food on the table, they ignored the pesky humans and dived down for a feast. The bait animals, under the control of their summoners, stood there dumbly and waited to be eaten. Facing certain death, a few beasts managed to break the soul bonds within their summoning cards through sheer will and desire for self-preservation. Still, they could only run around helplessly, dodging left and right as hungry monsters hunted them from the sky.
It was at this time that the first survivors started to act. A smaller seagull that was likely at the novice rank had just plucked a plump brown chicken off the beach when it was hit by a barrage of black quills. It cried out in pain and crashed to the ground; its wings pierced by countless sharp arrow-like quills. Before anybody could react, a pair of gray wolves dashed out. They deftly hopped down the cliffs and arrived before the stricken bird. Without pausing, one wolf bit down on the bird's neck until it snapped while the other dug out the anima crystal from its head.
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A few moments later, an inexperienced seagull flew too close to the trees and was peppered by countless poison spitballs. It quickly became dazed as the poison took effect. It eventually lost the strength to fly and crashed through the foliage into waiting arms below.
In another part of the beach, a seagull that was busy feasting on a carcass was suddenly beset by vicious insects. A stag beetle flew over and caught the bird with its horns, preventing it from escaping. A pair of giant mosquitos then came and sucked out most of its blood until it was too weak to fight back. The last thing it saw as it fell was the fearsome mandibles of a large black beetle clamping down on its skull.
Looking around at the carnage, Zachary felt the time was right for them to join the action, "Dream, let's lure one over."
Just as a particularly large seagull flew overhead, Dream leaped out of the shallow point. The beautiful rainbow fish left a trail of colorful water droplets behind as it flew through the air in a perfect arc. By the time it disappeared into the water, the seagull had circled around, having been attracted by Dream's mysterious allure. The feathery monster flapped its wings and entered a slow dive toward the pond. Its small black eyes were filled with greed. Its beak was slightly open and drooling.
The giant bird landed beside the pond with a heavy thud. It was huge. Just its body was the size of a cow. It peered into the muddy water, ready to pounce. It ignored everything else around it. It was a powerful adept rank beast. Having ruled the skies for so long, it had not feared anything in a very long time.
"Onkie!" Zachary called, "Go!"
Onkie charged out of the underbrush. Like a ball of fur rolling downhill, she picked up speed and slammed into the seagull's side like a boulder.
Sharp cracks sounded as the bones in its wing snapped from the impact.
"Kaw!" Seagull wailed miserably and fell onto its side.
It tried to take off but that only caused it to suffer more pain. Before it could come to its senses, Onkie slammed into it again, sending it rolling on its side several times before it was stopped by three tree trunks that appeared out of nowhere. Only, these weren't trees but a trio of powerful treants instead. Their arms which were like branches clenched into fists and fell onto the seagull's head, quickly pounding it into submission.
As the seagull lost its will to fight, the largest treant raised one gnarled fist high in the air, intent on bringing it down and crushing the seagull's skull.
"Wait, Roger!" Heather ordered. She then turned to Zachary with a smile, "Hey, how about we catch this one?"