Lan continued to listen to the story that the ragged receptionist was telling. It was one of the rare opportunities to obtain information from beyond his domain, after all. It also covered the events that he could have otherwise missed during his experiments. But despite all that Lan didn't like what he was hearing in the slightest.
"...And after the teams returned to the Tower as the sun was setting, we then had to defend against constant attacks the entire night! If not for..."
She was telling everyone of the disaster or rather the attack that befell the Town. Masked cannibals wielding weapons made of bone and shouting cultist slogans while killing everything in their way... From the state of the refugees and her tale, Lan could only imagine the devastation despite having never seen the town after his death.
The Explorers who were gathered in front of her, not bothered by the falling rain in the slightest, had a variety of expressions on their faces. Some were scowling in anger, some paled in fear, and some grit their teeth in silence. No one expected such morbid news, especially those who had families back in town.
Surprisingly, Lan could be said to be one of the angry ones. He wasn't grieving for the people he had never met or knew, instead, he was seething at the fact that his hometown was... Defiled and put to fire in such a way. Though he didn't have that many 'colorful' human memories anymore, however, most of those that he had mostly took place in Cypress Town.
He remembered the blurry images of the passing streets and his mother's hand holding his own. He remembered the broad back of his father as he carried Lan atop his shoulders. He remembered the sunny days, the rainy days, the very happy and the very sad ones. Almost all of them were from the Town.
If he was honest, he was looking forward to the day he would expand his Domain to it, maybe seeing how it turned out after so long. Perhaps he would find clues as to where his parents or people he could somewhat remember were. And now it was gone. The streets of the Town were now probably full of dead bodies and smoldering ruins.
'...Those bastards. If they dare to come even a centimeter into my Domain, I will send upon them every damn Beast living here. If they dare to ruin my former home, then don't blame me for ruining their life expectancy.'
While he was contemplating and seething inwardly, he didn't stop listening to the speech of the receptionist girl, who was apparently called Laura, with another Thought Channel of his, not wanting to miss whatever else she could inform him of.
"...If not for Mr Larring and his valiant efforts, I fear less than a tenth of us would have made it here..."
As the speech went on, it became apparent that the girl described mostly what she had heard and not experienced. Quite understandable, as she was clearly not a combatant. But it was made obvious by her constant embellishments and dramatic descriptions.
"...But then they tried to burn the whole Tower down! Thanks to the..."
"That's enough, Laura. I will take it from here. Go get yourselves some dry clothes, you deserve that much."
Laura got a bit caught up and didn't notice an old man with a tired look on his face until he was right next to her. Holding an umbrella in his hand, it was obviously Joseph Larring, the main hero who she praised along with her tale.
"Ah, y-yes, of course!"
Embarrassed for not noticing that her clothes were soaking under the rain, she quickly retreated away from her spot, disappearing among the many tents of the camp. In her place, Joseph stepped forward and cleared his throat.
"I'll ask you to excuse Laura, she experienced much lately. I will take it from here."
He then started speaking in a much more confident and collected tone than the receptionist did, immediately attracting the attention of all listeners. Though it was apparent that he was exhausted, his voice commanded respect.
"As you were already told previously, the enemy is cunning and cruel. When their night raid on the fortified Magic Tower did not succeed, they resorted to trying to smoke us out. Thanks to the presence of many Mages though, the enemy did not succeed in their goal, but it rendered us unable to gain proper rest."
"As the sun rose, our rescue teams continued their efforts of searching for survivors, but unfortunately were met with limited success. Many who remained outside of the Tower were either murdered in the night or attempted to flee, which often proved fatal as well."
Joseph looked across the crowd, who were listening to him seriously, as if listening to a briefing in a war room, despite being outside.
"Hence the last issue that we encountered. Outside of the walls, many Beasts started to roam and gather in packs, hunting down any who fled. It was then that we realized that we were trapped with no way out. We spent an entire day in such a state. Until the Tower Master came."
Everyone's eyes turned to the woman who quietly stood to the side with closed eyes. Even when doing nothing her very presence remained imposing, yet everyone felt only reverence and gratitude for her. Joseph also smiled.
"This woman, by her lonesome, slaughtered her way through any Beast that stood in her way, and any cultist brave enough to appear before her, was sent to hell before they could say anything!"
At this point Joseph raised his voice, speaking of the Tower Master's feats in a way that pumped up the morale of every listener.
"With her wisdom, she devised a plan to save every man, woman, and child we could! In essence, it was quite simple. We would organize two groups, the first with most of the Explorers and every civilian, would depart together along with limited food supply, breaking through the blockade."
Joseph then glanced towards Matilda.
"It was not easy. We encountered many an ambush along the way, but in front of overwhelming might, the tricks of those cultists didn't stand a chance! Without even giving them a chance to think, we broke through the blockade of humans and Beasts alike, hence arriving in this camp."
Cheers and roars erupted in response to his tale, everyone visibly pumped up at the way Joseph was telling it.
"But the Tower Master stayed behind. You know what she told me? 'I won't let those bastards have to take even a grain of dust from the Tower!' And the reason for this was the second part of the plan. This woman right there secured every valuable research paper from the Magic Tower and even some of the valuable resources left behind. All while fending off waves of the cultists by herself, only a small team of volunteers with her."
"...And she couldn't be stopped! Not only did our Tower Master secure the years of knowledge that could have been lost, but she also gathered the people that could have been left behind along the way!"
Larring then lowered his voice.
"And that's how we arrive at this point in time. And the crisis is not yet over."
Suddenly a shout could be heard from the crowd.
"What crisis are you talking about? We will crush them all as long as we stick together! We will avenge everyone they have killed!"
Shouts and roars of agreement sounded out amidst the crowd, many agreeing with the young man who said such words. Joseph merely shook his head and stepped back. Tower Master Matilda stepped forward in turn.
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"If you still remember what I have called the enemy, you would remember the reason for this old man's words. The enemy is Beast Worshippers. Haven't you wondered why Beasts showed up in droves as soon as the Town was attacked?"
Silence descended once again, as everyone realized that they truly didn't.
"You should have heard of the fall of the two Towns to our north. And the reason for their fall was a Beast Tide. You may wonder how the madmen who attacked our home tie into this. The answer is quite simple. They were preparing our Town for the arrival of their 'masters'."
Gasps of surprise could be heard at the revelation, and Matilda continued.
"I have done research on those bastards. They worship Beasts in pursuit of strength. Usually, they end up eaten by those very beasts, but sometimes they instead lead the Beasts towards human settlements."
Lan frowned mentally as the Tower Master continued describing the foe that the humans faced. It would seem that the enemy had quite the unusual means.
"Somehow, when they succeed, the Beasts don't attack them. Thanks to this, these cultists mingle with them and sacrifice their fellow humans in turn. And since they came to us, I guarantee you that they will lead their 'masters' to this very camp. And soon."
A somber atmosphere descended on the already glum residents of the camp. Especially the refugees. They had just escaped what might as well have been hell on earth, only to have their lives in danger yet again. Some began to fall into despair along with thoughts of fleeing.
Matilda narrowed her eyes seeing such a change. It was expected, but still unpleasant to look at.
"There is no place to run. If we try to do so, we will instead be hunted down one by one."
With those words, she fell silent for a while. Many were staring at her with pale faces, some even having their legs tremble. No one wanted to die, and yet they couldn't run or hide. There was only one option left.
"We will have to fight. Fortify the walls, dig traps, and prepare our weapons. It is do or die. It is us or them, people. If we want to live, then we will have to fight for it!"
The Tower Master, though she had left the Tower behind, raised her voice, her last sentence breaking into a shout, raising her fist in the air.
"We will fight for our loved ones! We will fight for our future!"
The previously gloomy and scared people regained their spirit and shouted out in turn.
"We will fight for our loved ones! We will fight for our future!"
A chorus of shouts and chants sounded out, attracting attention from those who were not present to listen to the speech previously. As for the woman who incited such an outcome, only the faintest of smiles appeared on her face before she went away.
As she was passing Joseph though, he called out to her, causing her to halt.
"I thought you didn't have that fire in you. It would seem that 'Archmage Matilda' is back."
The usually apathetic woman looked backward and smirked.
"Pot calling the kettle black. I have heard you resigned to be a peaceful researcher, but it would seem that 'Joseph Smasher' just can't sit still, now can he? What's that I'm hearing about you smacking cultists around like dolls? Old habits acting up?"
The old man coughed into his hand, clearly embarrassed.
"...Let's not bring that up."
He then regained his composure and said.
"Instead let's focus on organizing the defense. I will organize the defense tactics and our strategy. Can I leave arranging our defenses to you? We will need as much as we can get in this calm before the storm."
Matilda turned serious as well, nodding.
"Go ahead. I am no good as a tactician, you have always had a better brain about that. Instead, I have some ideas on how to use this new type of Mana defensibly. You can count on me in that aspect."
As she was going towards her destination, Joseph shouted from the back.
"Don't try and do it by yourself like that time, okay? You have many willing hands to help you!"
Matilda flinched momentarily at the reminder of when she was on a mission along with her team, only to end up finishing it entirely by herself. Nonetheless, she didn't bother responding to the old man, merely waving a hand at him. As she walked in the rain, an invisible bubble formed around her, causing all water droplets to slide around it.
Joseph merely sighed.
"...Where's that woman's husband when you need him... Though they didn't get along that well despite being married. I wonder why..."
The old man shook his head before heading towards where he needed to be. There was much to do, after all. Shelter for refugees, provisions, regulation of stored supplies, and many other daunting tasks, some more urgent than the other. And the person in charge, his grandson Ian, already had his hands full.
So, like the kind grandfather he was, Joseph decided to help out, planning the course of action at the same time.
Lan observed the whole interaction, focusing on the woman whose identity he was pretty sure of. He knew her name, her surname, and she was married. Every single detail matched with the blurry ones in his memories.
There was only one person who matched all of those. But despite the near-conclusive evidence, Lan was hesitant to reach out to Matilda, as every time he gathered his courage, he faltered in various doubts and hesitations.
The woman in his memories simply meant too much to him, so he didn't understand, if that was the case, then why couldn't he remember her face? Could it be a different person then?
Various petty excuses and denial held him back from extending his mental strings to her or trying to use Ian as an intermediary to communicate between them. Until he got the surest confirmation, Lan wouldn't attempt this.
Because if he was correct... Then Matilda, the Archmage, the symbol of power revered by many... Was his mother.
----------------------------------------------------
A tiger covered in scars that ran across his body and face walked along the street of an abandoned Town steadily. As the stench of blood lingered in the air, he walked, bricks and stones crumbling under his feet, he himself reached the top of the first floors of many of the houses he passed by.
As he walked, he noticed in passing how... Humans, those filthy pests, barely worthy to be his servants, crept along his side in many streets and buildings.
'...Disgusting. Just like the rest of their kind is.'
It was not the first time he saw such a scene brought by their hands in his name, but the fact that they so easily betrayed their kin disgusted him. Khan once tried attacking a well-fortified human settlement on his own before, and the result was him forced to flee with many wounds, his pack wiped out.
Back then he used to fear and somewhat admire those sturdy walls built by the seemingly feeble Beasts.
But when he found these... Worms who crawled to his feet and begged him for power in return for their treachery and tricks, he was reminded of the reason he hated them.
'They are all the same.'
Khan walked into what seemed to be a central gathering spot for this settlement. Humans liked gathering in open spaces, nearly every settlement he burnt to the ground had such a thing.
In the center of it stood a tall and sturdy building. Khan was surprised, he hadn't seen such a thing in other settlements before. But, in a way, staring at such a solitary monument, he was reminded of his days as a cub.
He remembered those days remarkably well. A small pair of hands petting him, the smile of a child, and her laughter. A human child.
He remembered the cold white powder that often came from the sky. He used to play in it, only for her to laugh, and then swipe away at his fur after he got covered in it. He was happy back then.
Their settlement also had a tall stone in the middle of it. Adult humans carved various scribbles on it and mumbled strange things he didn't understand, while also leaving food there. She told him he was not allowed to take it though.
He remembered the small hut where She lived along with her mother. They fed him warm food and gave him a soft bed to sleep in. They gave him a name. Khan. He still remembered that moment.
'Your name is Khan! Mom tells me that a strong tiger used to have that name, and now it's yours! I believe you will be the strongest and the biggest tiger ever!'
Khan breathed out. As he did so, a wave of heat along with sparks came out of his mouth. Rain began to evaporate from his claws as they heated up, gradually gaining a reddish hue.
"Those days came to an end."
Khan tensed his muscles, leaning backward and staring upward at the stone monument before him.
"All because of humans!"
Along with his shout, a wave of fire erupted from within his throat, surging towards the tower before him. The flames, as if even further emboldened by the tiger's rage, engulfed the building of stone. Wood quickly caught on fire, and stone began to melt too.
As Khan stared at the tower which looked closer to a burning pyre, memories continued to surge within his mind.
Flames. Everything around him burning. The stone which the humans carved upon was broken in half. Screams of pain and panic could be heard around him. And laughter. That rapacious laughter.
Humans covered in furs wielding spears and bows, chasing down every human within the flaming settlement. No one was spared, death came to all.
He remembered running. He arrived before what was once his house, his home, only to find it on fire too, partially collapsed.
He remembered seeing the mother, on the ground, with five arrows sticking out of her back. And he saw Her, being dragged away by another laughing human.
He remembered Rage, as he attacked that human, even as a cub. He succeeded back then, and Khan along with Her, ran. She was in tears, yet She didn't stop running. Yet they weren't fated to escape.
He remembered when She grabbed him and hid him in a small hidden place, where She used to hide from her mother as a child. He remembered her words.
'Please, s-stay here.'
He remembered struggling, not wanting to leave her. Yet she only gave him a tear-filled smile.
'Please, Khan... We will see each other again.'
That was the last time he saw her.
All that remained of his home was smoldering ruins and bones.
"Since the humans have taken everything from me, I will take everything from them!"