Chapter 14: Attack!3rd Person Pov

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  IT was ready now. Today, IT would lead ITS kin to flee.

  "Awoooooo!"

  The being unleashes a howl, increasing its intensity through Magic, signalling the start of the operation. The being never hoped to escape with everyone alive. That would be pure fantasy. Instead, IT decided to split the forces into three groups, figuring that one group could act as the decoy for the other two.

  Even if whatever was in front was capable of holding off two parts, a third part would still escape. Hearing the signal, the first group begins running forward. The alpha had purposefully assigned ITS enemies to the first group. Soon after, both other groups start running. The group of the alpha is farther away from the first group than the second group is from the first group.

  This was done in the hopes of making whatever was in front target the other group before the being's own group. The alpha group has by far the most of ITS kin, as this is the group expected to escape.

  However, when they arrive at the territory of whatever is in front of them, the alpha notices a peculiarity. The alpha's newly acquired sensing magic does not find any lifeform. IT immediately becomes wary. Whatever is in front of them, they must have good hiding skills.

  Most in this situation would try to stay clear of the source of that dangerous aura. However, the alpha has other thoughts. Since it hid from ITS perception, it must be weak, while imitating the aura of a high-ranking monster. Such a being is incredibly advantageous and could potentially even be used to make that scaled creature run away. That way, they could recim their past living space.

  The alpha fails to consider that the being in front could simply not want much interaction. However, when the group reaches the source of the aura, they see a stone in the middle of a path through the forest. The alpha, seeing the stone, understands and is enraged. How dare these humans trick IT like that?!

  But more than that, IT now has to make a choice. If the group follows the path, they could come across a human settlement before taking control of it. With the technology of the humans living there, they could create a personal paradise. However, the group could also decide to simply cross the path, avoiding conflict with the humans and potentially finding a good habitable space.

  The alpha living in the forest ITS whole life is unaware of just how unified humans are. Therefore, IT settles on the first option. He leads his kin to follow the path, eventually leading to a pin. Noticing the city in the distance, a loud howl leaves ITS throat, signalling the attack. By now, they have already regrouped with the other groups.

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  For Gatek, it is a day like any other. Just standing in front of the gate and checking the IDs of the occasional visitors. But as he is wondering about what to eat tonight, he hears a howl. Curious and slightly confused, he looks in the direction of the forest. What he sees shocks him. A gigantic wolf pack, easily tens of thousands in size, sprints toward Bruk.

  He reacts immediately. Monsters attacking cities, tho incredably rare, is not unheard of. He runs to the gates and shouts into the voice-amplifying stone that is always hanging there in case of emergencies. It's a stone with the effect of a megaphone, which amplifies all sound to an incredible degree.

  "Monster attack! Several thousand Demon Wolves are attacking! Everyone, evacuate to the nearest bunker. Adventurers, please gather at the forest gate! This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill!"

  This is standard protocol. The notion that everyone would panic upon hearing that the monsters are attacking is wrong. The fact that a Demon King appears ever so often means that the citizens are somewhat desensitised to attacks. Enough, at least, not to immediately panic when the city is attacked. Additionally, by royal decree, cities are required to conduct monthly drills on how to respond to enemy attacks. It's simir to those drills in school about fire arms, just on a bigger scale.

  As expected, everything happens mostly without accidents. The citizens are evacuating, the adventurers and guards are arming themselves and rushing to the gates, and the lord is preparing to oversee the battle and give orders. Sure, people occasionally fall down, and some rush others along. However, the overall picture is far from an unorderly mess.

  Soon, the archers gather on the city walls, armed with a lot of arrows. Behind them, the guild master appears. Half-lidded eyes, a head that always seems about to fall, slumped shoulders and a mouth so open that it seems like a tennis ball could fit in it. Tho not called the master of sloth for nothing, serious matters like these are still capable of getting his minimal attention. The close combatants, on the other hand, gather in front of the gates, Recepti among them. Sure, she is neither an adventurer nor a soldier, but that doesn't mean she isn't allowed to fight. The combat force welcomes every member.

  The depressed adventurers are here as well, and for now, they blend out their own problems. Defending the city is more important than brooding about how they killed children.

  Many mages quickly work together to form some natural obstacles. A deep trench with earth spikes at the bottom. Pces where earth spikes will shoot out the moment a wolf steps on them. A big wall of stone that can be made to fall in critical moments, squashing many wolves right in front of the city gates. An icy area right in front of the trench to make the wolves miscalcute. Then their Magic Power runs out.

  For now, that is all they can do to help. They enter the city again and get on the walls, waiting for their Magic Power to recover.

  Tho these seem like incredibly lengthy preparations, in truth, only five minutes passed since the signal came.

  Right after, the wolves reach the traps. A wolf gets pierced by a spike, which suddenly comes out of the ground. Then another. More and more wolves get pierced. The goal of this trap is not just to kill wolves. It's to make them unsure of whether the ground they are fighting on is a trap. To make them hesitant.

  It works. The first wolves slow down, seemingly to find the position of the traps. However, slowing down is fatal. A valley of arrows flies from the walls and hits many wolves. The wolves get even more hesitant, slowly backing off. However, just when it seems like the fight will end before it even started, a loud howl can be heard from the back of the wolves.

  Several spike traps activate without a wolf stepping on them. The wolves, seeing this, start charging again.

  On one of the watchtowers, the lord of the city and his retainers sit. "So they really have a commander," one of them says. "And it's pretty smart as well, knowing how to detonate the traps ahead of time using Magic," another one adds. "Yet it is dumb enough to assume that the spikes are done now," a third one smirks.

  All the while, the guild master seems like he would fall asleep at any moment.

  HidingInTheNovels