The Explorers and Mages united into teams, with two Mages joining each group of ten. They gathered in the square around the Tower, and Laura followed them as well. What greeted her sight was unpleasant, to say the least.
Pillars of smoke were rising from multiple points in the city, the already clouded sky becoming even darker. The hustle and bustle of the streets was nowhere to be seen, instead distant screams and silence intermingled, creating an eerie atmosphere.
As for the Town Square itself, it wasn't spared either. Multiple dead bodies lay on the stone-laid plaza, horrific wounds being visible on them. Some of those lying on the ground were still alive, however, groaning and whimpering in pain, they would bleed out if not healed.
One of the healers rushed towards one of such wounded, sitting down on his knees and beginning to heal the man, when suddenly one of the 'dead' bodies surged upward and lunged towards the healer, a serrated dagger made of bone revealing itself from under the pretenders' robes.
The healer was caught off guard, only realizing that he was under attack mere moments from the incoming stab. But thankfully, that was enough for him.
A wave of mana was blasted out from his quickly raised palm, slamming into the ambusher. The enemy was flung away, rolling over the ground multiple times. The Mage was no defenseless pushover. And once the dagger wielder tried to stand up once again, three arrows, one after another pierced him.
As he swayed unsteadily, another two pierced his eye and neck, putting him down for good. As the ambusher was taken down, friends of the attacked Mage rushed to check up on him.
"What the hell were you thinking Jefferey?! You almost got yourself killed!"
"Well, what I was supposed to do? Watch my favorite shopkeep bleed out?"
Chief Researcher Joseph intervened before the argument could escalate.
"Calm down both of you. There is no time to argue among ourselves. Though it is important to rescue every life we can, your lives are just as important. Remain on guard!"
Following that, he turned to a remaining group of around twenty people among which were Laura and Stacy.
"We need a well-defended position to return to. Barricade inside the Tower, and prepare for any possible intrusion. You are to accept any civilian or Explorer that seeks refuge, obviously. How ironic it is that we are so cautious within our own home..."
Sighing heavily, Joseph then motioned with his hand to multiple squads of experienced Explorers, who quickly understood the command given: Move out.
"Treat this as a hostile territory! The enemy is cunning and brutal, so don't show them any mercy! That would only lead you to your death. Onward!"
No cheers or battle cries could be heard as the squads parted in different directions. No one was high on morale as they now fought for their homes and families, and many didn't know the fate of the people close to them but didn't dare to go off on their own, as that would be near tantamount to suicide.
The numbers of the enemy were unknown, but each individual enemy was much stronger than them on average, which didn't make the situation much better.
As they departed, the team that was left behind quickly got to work. Stacy took the position of a leader, surprising many who thought of her as a simple musclebrain. Under her command, the stalls from the Square and the various furniture from inside the Tower were brought to fortify the entrance.
One of the remaining Mages also previously absorbed a Nature Crystal, and had brought up the idea of using his mana to 'fuse' some of the wooden furniture together, which was quickly implemented. Various other improvised defensive implementations were brought up one after another, turning the reception hall into a well-defensible position.
Meanwhile, the exploration teams spread out to rescue any civilians that were wounded or otherwise in distress, kill the hostile madmen, and figure out the sources of chaos to resolve them. For some the patrol was rather quiet, coming across dead bodies and occasionally healing wounded who they gathered in batches and escorted towards the Town Square.
Some among them though, didn't have as much luck. One of these teams was the one where Joseph Larring was present. Twelve people were walking down what was previously a bustling main street, which now had occasional bloodstains present along with the corpses. The people who were alive usually took cover in the buildings, hiding in fear.
For now, the teams didn't check the buildings, instead focusing on securing the gates which were their target, and at the same time where large amounts of smoke were coming from. But sometimes there were cases where personal feelings took over duty.
"S-sir! That's my house, and my family must be inside! Can we please check it out?"
The Explorer who spoke out received a contemplative glance from the old man.
"Please, I beg of you! I have to make sure they are safe!"
Joseph merely sighed.
"Fine. You and you, escort her, we will check the surroundings in the meantime."
With the two additional Explorers sent out along with the one who made the request, the rest of the group also started to examine their surroundings more closely. The old man stood with furrowed brows, as this was not going along with the plan, wasting valuable time. But he couldn't refuse a request related to family. Not after what happened to him.
But he suddenly noticed a detail that snapped him out of his musings. It may have been a trick of the eye, but he swore that he saw a shadow move behind one of the windows around him. It may have been a civilian, or...
Suddenly a scream sounded from the house which was investigated. Joseph cursed as he then heard the sound of battle erupt. He shouted out.
"Ambush!"
Just in time with his warning, multiple windows burst outward with masked figures jumping out through them. Thanks to his shout most of the Explorers managed to react, but one man was unlucky, with the enemy landing right on top of him, a hammer made of bone and iron crushing down on his skull.
There were eight defenders with three being away, and five enemies. Considering the strength of the Masked they witnessed previously, the odds weren't good. The opposing combatants stared at each other briefly before a shout broke the stalemate, causing the battle to begin.
"Blood for the Scarred Lord!"
Both sides surged towards each other, though the masked cultists were faster by a small degree, it would seem they were weaker than the ones who attacked the Tower.
A chaotic clash erupted, with the first exchanges being fruitless, the Explorers blocking or parrying with all their might, and cultists dodging out of the way of the strikes directed towards them.
One of the cultists jumped back from his opponent, landing on all fours, lunging towards the Explorer along with his gauntlets which had bone claws attached. As he jumped, he felt a force pressing down on him, causing him to land on the ground heavily right in front of the man, who took the opportunity and pierced the cultist through the neck.
Another enemy knocked the sword out of a female Explorer's grasp, preparing to bring down his sword, when he felt as if a giant bull slammed into his side, flinging him towards a wall not far away. Along with the impact, the majority of his bones were crushed, being as good as dead.
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As for the source of such a happening, it wasn't obvious until one looked towards the center of the Explorer's formation, where old man Larring stood with his hands stretched out towards the positions of the impacted enemies, a serious look on his face.
Not all were lucky to get his help in time though. An Explorer swung down at a cultist with his axe, only for the masked woman to sidestep it, before bringing down her daggers on his back and neck. One mistake was all it took to lose one's life.
Joseph saw this, at the same time anguished, as he knew the dead man quite well, and angered, directing two of his hands towards the woman, who suddenly froze. He seemed to have something in his grasp, and he clenched his fists.
The cultist didn't even have a chance to scream before she seemed to collapse inward, blood bursting out like when a packet of juice burst, nothing more than a bunch of fleshy remains lying where she previously stood.
That move took some effort on the old man though, as he was now breathing heavily, veins popping out on the sides of his head. As he heaved for breath, he noticed that the battle was nearing its end. As the number of cultists decreased, it allowed the Explorers to team up against those who remained.
Only one was still alive now, the second just fell to the ground with multiple arrows sticking out of him. The last cultist standing evaded a slash directed towards him, but his evasion opened his back towards another Explorer, who ended the battle by piercing the enemy through the back.
Joseph, as the leader, counted those who remained. Statistically, the battle didn't go too bad, with them killing five while losing one, two other Explorers being healed at the moment. But that was no cause for celebration, as every life lost was a tragedy. Having no time to waste, Joseph straightened his back once again, as he had to check what happened to those sent out to explore the house.
As he went past the doorframe though, a horrid sight appeared before his eyes. Where was once a family's home was now a scene of carnage. The entire room was covered in blood, counting six bodies just from the entrance. And only two people were alive.
One of the bodies belonged to an Explorer, who seemed to have his neck sliced, the culprit in turn lay dead on the ground with his head split open. As for the rest... Joseph cursed.
"Fuck..."
The bodies seemed to be mutilated in many ways, some seeming to be eaten. Holding back his urge to hurl, he instead checked on the living Explorers. The girl whose family apparently lived here, was on her knees with a hollow look in her eyes, tears streaming down. The other Explorer which held the bloodied axe also looked shocked but acknowledged the old man's presence with a nod.
Not many words were needed.
"...Bring her on your back. She is in no state to move on her own right now."
Having left those words, he walked back out. After briefly explaining the situation, the decision was made to return to the Tower and regroup, also checking on the situation of others. Though they didn't examine the gates closely, from what one of the Rangers said they got to know that the gates seemed to be blasted apart, as if by using explosives.
They moved back with a brisk pace, and sometimes people walked out of their hiding spots and asked to join the group, seeking safety. They agreed, obviously. On the way back the group wasn't ambushed except for the time when a sole cultist wandered out of the side alley, only to be immediately turned into a hedgehog of arrows.
Once the group arrived back at the Town Square, they witnessed many people gathered around the Tower, being let in one by one through a gap in the created barricades. Some other groups were present as well. Some were looking mostly intact, and some were missing multiple members. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened.
The returnees were noticed in turn, some civilians recognizing each other, causing tear-filled reunions, while others desperately searched for familiar faces among new arrivals. Meanwhile, old man Larring whispered something into the ear of one of the Explorers, causing him to go to the Tower hurriedly.
After a brief wait, the teams that went out gathered together. The goal was to discuss their findings and understand the overall situation of the Town. Joseph counted how many there were, and noticed with a sigh that the number of missing was numerous.
"...Is everyone gathered? I will start then. On our way to examine the Southern Gate, we discovered many scenes of carnage, with men, women, and children slaughtered indiscriminately. Some were... Cannibalized."
Taking a deep breath, he continued.
"We did not reach the Gates themselves, but we verified their condition from a distance. We concluded they were blasted apart using explosives or something with the same effect."
A leader of another Team of Explorers then added in his own information.
"Same here, Eastern Gates blasted to pieces."
"Northern Gates are done for too."
"The West Gates are mostly fine, but the locking mechanism is busted."
A discussion then erupted regarding the reports.
"Explosives?! But where would these... Savages even get such a thing?!"
"That's impossible! We all know how hard they are to make nowadays! Only the town's guard has them here..."
A realization of horror suddenly dawned on those gathered.
"Town's guard... They were severely understaffed lately. Oh no! Has anyone checked their guardhouse?!"
Those who didn't realize what was implied previously now paled as well. If the explosives were used, then there was the only place where you could get them, and that was the guardhouse, supposedly the most secure place after the Magic Tower. But with many Explorers resigning in search of opportunities in the Dungeon, it was not as guarded as it should have been.
Joseph hurriedly gave out various commands, deploying more Explorers to guard the Tower, while taking twenty Explorers together with him to check, or rather verify the situation at the guardhouse which was in the eastern part of Cypress Town.
The large group quickly moved through the streets with a clear direction in mind. The fact that their numbers were large helped as well. They were still wary of an ambush, but it would seem that either the cultists were not so foolish to attack such a large group deliberately or there were none in their immediate vicinity.
It didn't take long to reach their destination thanks to that, an old building made of stone now in front of them, the doors leading in being wide open like a gaping mouth. Fresh blood could be seen pooling not far from the entrance.
With the eerie silence hanging over them, Joseph made a series of gestures indicating the course of action, not an audible word being exchanged. The group soon reorganized itself, people with shields moving to the front and back, followed by warriors and then ranged combatants.
One would find this formation similar to the one Marilyn used, but Joseph was its original creator. So the group slowly walked forward in such a manner, advancing with great caution. And such caution paid off.
A brief whistle of something cutting through the air could be heard before a dull thud. An arrow could be seen sticking out of the shield that a warrior in front held up. The rangers of the group quickly shot multiple arrows in that direction in response.
The entire group halted for a moment, ready for confrontation, before resuming the advance. Once they did though, an arrow's whistle sounded once again, followed by a scream as it found its way under the shield and pierced the foot of the shielder in front. The Rangers were ready this time though, a counter-volley of arrows being immediately loosened. This time they found their mark, a dull thud of a body hitting the floor sounding in the distance.
As the wounded man was being healed, the rest of the building was checked out, but no one other than the lone cultist who seemed to have been left behind, with his leg which was clearly broken explaining why he remained, was among the living. The guards that were supposed to be on duty still had shocked expressions on their faces, most being killed from behind, slit throats and stabbed backs being prevalent causes of death.
The last room to be checked out, the one furthest from the entrance, was then reached, the words 'arsenal' carved on the wide open doors.
The Explorers began to check out the expansive chamber where many weapons from swords to crossbows were previously stored. Most were gone though, others being broken. And what everyone feared came true, the explosives that were supposed to be there weren't where they were supposed to be.
Joseph sighed heavily once again before turning back.
"...There is nothing more to see here. Gather what's useful and let's get out of this place."
His words were heeded, and after scavenging mostly the ammunition for the Rangers, or a Warrior replacing a worn-out sword with one of the few intact ones, the group found themselves back outside, where the air was seeping with the stench of blood.
On the way back they decided to take a broader route, instead of the thin alleys that they had to cut through in order to shorten their time of arrival, mostly to gather those who could be saved. When they came close to the Eastern Gates though, they witnessed an unexpected sight.
A group of people with some light pouches or backpacks could be seen trying to sneak along the street and towards the direction of the Gate instead of the Town Square. Joseph quickly called out to them.
"Hey! You over there! Where are you going!"
The ragged bunch of people were startled and looked like they were ready to drop everything and run, but after they saw who the shout was coming from, they relaxed a little, recognizing either Joseph or Explorers who soon came close.
"W-we're going away! We are not staying in the living hell our town has become!"
"But why not to the Tower? Everyone gathers there."
"The Gate is closer! Besides, many already left through there just fine."
Joseph suddenly furrowed his brows, before gesturing to one of the faster scouts.
"Go on the wall and check it out. You have a spyglass, right? Report what you see."
Though the scout wondered how the old man knew of his family treasure, he obeyed. It didn't take long for him to return though with a rather worried face.
As everyone looked toward him, he spoke.
"They are telling the truth. Many people already left through the gate."
"See! I told you it was fine!"
"Most or all of them are dead. The fields are now crawling with beasts... And filled with corpses. Bet the beast's sudden appearance had to do with the attack as well."
The scout then looked towards the man who wanted to leave, now being silent with a still-open mouth, visibly shocked.
"If you want to live, I suggest you follow us."