393: Chapter 19: Magical Beast Invasion_1 393: Chapter 19: Magical Beast Invasion_1 “Alert, all guards, to the walls.” At the mont the bell in the trading post began to ring, the flas on the stone walls were ignited in a quick, unbroken sequence.
Around the hold which was no more than two kiloters in circumference, dozens of guards spread out, each standing alone, scanning their assigned sectors.
The walls weren’t high, only around four ters, and they weren’t structurally sound either.
They were constructed with crude materials from the Beastn Prairie: beast blood, clay, and rocks.
While they could deter ordinary magical beasts, they were utterly inadequate against a large scale beast attack.
Of course, these walls were not erected to withstand beast attacks.
In the peripheral regions of the Prairie, there had never been a large-scale beast invasion.
In all of history, there never had, even minor skirmishes with smaller beasts were rare.
At most, a few dozen lower-ranked beasts passing by the hold might curiously peer in as they passed.
Therefore, each hold only had a few dozen guards stationed at best, their roles were simply to maintain peace and order and to counter small incursions of beasts.
Their number was insufficient to man the entire wall, they had to rely on the blazing light of the fire pits to deter any approaching beasts.
“Why is a good night’s rest so very elusive?” Catherine jestingly complained.
She had just finished declaring that they would have a peaceful night, only to find reality ruthlessly dispelling her hope.
She could only laugh ruefully, “Mr.
Parqi, does this sort of thing occur often on your prairies?”
“No, as far as the trade post is concerned, this has never happened before.” The tiger Beastman, Parqi, fervently shook his head, “At least, I’ve never heard of it.”
The sounds on the street were growing increasingly cacophonous, it seed the more people were arriving than departing.
Catherine took a look around and abruptly suggested, “Shall we go and see what’s happening?”
“Might as well.” Pannis considered briefly before agreeing, “After all, we don’t know what’s actually happening.”
“Then let’s go.” Catherine was not one to procrastinate, helping herself up with the table, she picked up her shield that was resting by her side, “Marcia, and Mr.
Parqi, would you like to co with us?
Or would you prefer to wait here?”
“Let’s go together, who knows, we might be able to help.” Marcia cast a look of regret at the uneaten food on the table, sighing, “I hope we can get back in ti to enjoy it while it’s still hot.”
“I’ll go too.” Parqi hesitated briefly, then nodded, “In tis like these, all Beastn will fight.”
Parqi’s words were quickly proven true once he stepped out onto the street.
In most human cities, when faced with the sa situation, the majority of the non-combatant civilians would hide in their hos, hoping to evade the threat of death.
Only under special circumstances would they rush out to the street to risk their lives.
But things were different amongst the Beastn.
When the alarm of war was raised, the first response of these civilians was not to flee and hide, but to rush ho, grab their weapons, and run back out to face the coming battle with the invading beasts.
A leopard woman holding twin scissors; she might be the proprietor of the tailor shop next door.
A burly Bearman with a smith’s hamr; he could be the apprentice of the local blacksmith.
A cat woman who had climbed to the top of the highest building to get a better view; perhaps she was the waitress who just served them at the tavern.
The vast majority of adult Beastn, young and old, n and won, were pouring out of their hos, grabbing any weapons they could find.
It was as if they were performing a well-practiced act.
Hundreds were gathering, then autonomously manning the city walls on either side of the city guards, diligently working to cover the gaps in the defense line.
“Seeing this, I’m suddenly quite moved.” Catherine sighed, “Though these are but ordinary folks amongst the Beastn, their desire to fight and their battle instinct are indeed admirable.”
“There are no civilians amongst Beastn; an adult Beastman, even if they are not professional warriors, can contend with two fully ard human soldiers.” Pannis explained, “However, their montum is indeed worthy of comndation.”
“Fight or flight, that’s the prairie-beast spirit.” Marcia firmly patted the giant sword hanging on her back, “Let’s also join them on the walls, if this is truly a beast invasion, I’m afraid these people will not be enough to keep them at bay.”
“I sll the scent of my children.” Lina, who had been leading the entranced Vivian from behind, suddenly spoke, “It’s a very nostalgic scent.”
Hearing Lina’s voice, Marcia reflexively turned to look at her.
Her first reaction upon taking in her sight was to jerk backward, almost drawing her giant sword.
Her first intuition told her she was seeing a large wolf, not a person.
But when she took a closer look, she recognized that it was just Lina standing there, not a giant wolf.
She was baffled by the conflicting information, her hand gripped the sword’s hilt tightly, uncertain whether she should unsheathe her weapon.
“It’s okay, don’t be nervous, she’s a friend.” Catherine patted Marcia’s shoulder reassuringly, before turning Lilna with a smile, “It’s been a while, Diana, what brings you out suddenly?”
“I felt the presence of ho, and the scent of children, I couldn’t resist.
So, I negotiated with Lina and we switched places.” Diana, who was once the Wolf King, first flashed her teeth at Marcia, revealing a white set of frightening fangs.
Even for Marcia, who was a Gold Rank Warrior, facing this threat from the legendary Wolf Queen made her step back unconsciously.
After symbolically admonishing the human who dared to disrespect her, Diana nodded to Catherine in salute.
When she saw Catherine and Vivian, her eyes softened as though she was looking at her own children.
“Thank you for looking after this child, she has told us many tis that she never wants to separate from you.”
“As long as she is willing, we will never part.” Catherine nodded firmly, patting Vivian’s head, “Isn’t that right?”
“What?” Vivian looked confused, scanning the area.
She first t Lina’s gaze with bewildernt, but upon Catherine’s small hint, she quickly realized who was before her, responding with a formal bow, “Hello, Diana…
Aunt?”
“Just Diana will do, there aren’t such complicated titles among the wolf pack.” Even as the Wolf Queen, Vivian’s manner amused Diana, “No need for formalities.
You’ve run into trouble?
I heard from Lina during the swap, it’s pretty chaotic outside, do you need help?”
“I wouldn’t precisely call it trouble, it’s just a magical beast invasion.
We don’t know the scale yet,” Catherine declined, “We don’t need your assistance for now.
It’s possible that even we aren’t needed, the Beastn might resolve this themselves.
We just wish to go up and make sure everything is alright.”
“Then let us proceed.” Diana made the first move towards the stone wall, heavy frustration and helplessness filling her eyes as she passed by Pannis, letting out a aningful huff.
“What’s up with that?” Pannis, feeling wronged, pointed at his nose and asked Catherine, “I didn’t say anything.”
“Diana is said to be one of Lina’s earliest friends, watching Lina grow from a child to now.
Her feelings for Lina might be similar to that of a mother’s for her daughter,” Catherine explained to Pannis.
Halfway through, she too shot Pannis a harsh look, huffing loudly herself, before turning away.
At this mont, Pannis felt like the most innocent person in the world, as he stared blankly at Vivian with wide eyes.
Vivian looked back up at the oddly expressive Pannis, asking with confusion, “What happened?
What did you do to upset Catherine and Lina?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.” Pannis replied, a saddened look on his face, “If I had really done sothing, that would be one thing.
The problem now is I haven’t even had a chance to do anything.”
“Oh.” Vivian nodded, following Catherine, and she too huffed at Pannis as she passed him by.
“Hey, why did you do that?” Pannis asked with annoyance.
“Both Catherine and Lina did it,” Vivian declared with confidence, “Even if I’m not sure why, I can’t afford to fall behind them.”
“Isn’t there any justice or righteousness left in this world?” Pannis wailed in frustration.
Marcia gave Pannis a sympathetic look.
Only Parqi, the tiger man, comforted him with a pat on his shoulder saying, “Like I always say, human won are odd.
Beast girls are much better, they never leave you guessing.”
Upon reaching the top of the stone wall, the battle had not yet begun.
All of the Beastn were on high alert, under the glow of the fire pit behind them.
Beneath the wall, in the darkness beyond the reach of the flas, hundreds of pairs of green eyes were hidden within the tall grass, their numbers without count.
The grass there rustled and shook constantly.
A wild, bloody scent filled the night air, carried by the wind.
“Are you here to help?” A commanding-looking Bear Beastman approached them, but before he could finish, he noticed Marcia, his face lighting up with joy, “Warrior Marcia from the Hall of War God, you brought several Gold Rank powerhouses with you, that’s fantastic.
I am Jonathan, the person in charge of Warhamr Stronghold.
Of course, it’s currently the rotation period for the stronghold, so we only have forty-four troops.”
“Nellie Adventure Team, Team Leader Catherine,” Catherine stretched her hand for a handshake with Jonathan, asking directly with the straightforward Beastman style, “What’s the situation like?
Is it confird to be a magical beast invasion?
How many are there?”
“It’s the Silver Wolves, the fiercest wolves on the Prairie.
We’ve never even had an occurrence of a wolf pack attacking the stronghold before,” Jonathan responded, “The numbers are at least above three hundred, ranks ranging from Bronze to Gold but overall, their power is quite impressive.
If a fight breaks out, even though our troops will certainly achieve ultimate victory, at least a third of the untrained civilians will be injured.”
“We will help.” Catherine’s gaze turned stern as she looked out across the field at those green eyes, “Even if there’s no commission, as a knight, I can’t idly watch while civilians are being hurt.”
“Howl~~~~~” Although it seed impossible, the wolf pack in the distance seed to sense Catherine’s words, letting out a haunting howl amidst the grass.
Following that, all of the silver wolves responded simultaneously with their own howls.
The ominous echoes of these cries spread throughout the Prairie in all directions.
(To be continued…
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