"I see the walls of Wildecross City! We're near. Zes please inform Jin and Aima inside." Sebastian proudly exclaimed as the carriage broke free from the forest. Even with his rough steering, the horses were able to trot on without any hindrances. Zes stood up to inform the rest of the party when she stopped midway.
Sebastian looked at her with a puzzled expression. He was getting ready to catch her, expecting her to collapse from exhaustion. However, Zes still remained rooted in her seat with her mouth agape. Sebastian traced her line of vision when he also froze, almost dropping the horse reins.
Breaking free from the forest boundary were four huge wolves. Two wolves easily reached up to the size of a house. What was more frightening was their speed. With their huge frames, the wolves showed no signs of relent in their chase. Each mutated werewolf seemingly left no footprints in the ground. They were very agile and light in their steps. Their silence and size were unnerving.
"Shit! [Augment] Steel mind and body, hyper senses!" Sebastian quickly reinforced his mental status to overcome mental shock. Zes was still staring blankly at their pursuers. He pulled her back to her seat and quickly regained control of the horses and his wits. Running the different scenarios and options in his head, he finally came to a decision.
"Zes. Listen to me. Even if you collapse, I want you to focus on casting [Second Wind] on the horses." Sebastian squeezed Zes hand to bring her back to her senses and to reassure her. With a solemn nod, she turned forward and stared at the horses, ready to cast reinforcement spells when needed. She knew she had limited mana so she didn't want to waste it.
Bam bam bam!
Sebastian pummeled the carriage behind him. They didn't have time to go inside the carriage and update the others. He hoped that either Jin or Aima would poke their head out. All the while, he kept his eyes on the walls of Wildecross City looming in the distance. It never felt so far as this moment.
"What's happening?!" Aima poked her head out the window to ask. She and Jin already had an ominous feeling ever since Sebastian said that he could sense something chasing them and went out to accompany Zes in steering the carriage.
"Turn around!" Sebastian still kept his eyes in front, focused as a hawk.
Sensing the urgency in his voice, Aima turned around without expecting anything. What she saw, however, changed her mind.
"By the gods! AAAAHHHHH!!" Her scream trailed into the distance as if a siren was suddenly activated on the carriage. Her head quickly disappeared into the carriage.
Within moments, Jin went outside the carriage and sat on the driver's seat as well. "What do we do Sebastian?" Even though he tried to ask as calmly as he could, he was unable to mask the panic in his voice. Most notably, he never looked behind for fear of losing his composure or what remained of it.
Keeping his eyes in front, Sebastian answered. "We keep heading to Wildecross City. I don't care if we ram the carriage through the gates. If anyone of those things catches us we won't survive. How is Aima?"
"She's lost it. She's crying while hugging her knees. She's never seen anything like it she said."
"It can't be helped. If not for my [Augment] skills I would have lost it as well. She would have been helpful in taking over Zes' role in reinforcing the horses. It can't be helped. When I give the signal, get ready to head inside with Zes. If we do need to break through the gates you three need to be in top shape."
On hearing this plan, the gears in Zes' mind quickly moved into place and understood what her master was trying to do. Mustering every spare energy she could, she vehemently shook her head. "That won't do Sebastian! I'll stay here with you when we crash through the gate. I'll shield you if needed with my body."
Sebastian felt that he was able to predict Zes' responses by now. Chuckling in reply, he continued. "I can reinforce my body with my [Augment] skills to an extent. Someone needs to make sure the horses do their roles until the end. Also, someone will need to [Heal] me. It's better rather than two adventurers requiring [Heal]."
Jin nodded in silence and moved to sit beside Zes. It was an indication that if Zes didn't agree with the condition, he would use force if needed. Feeling lost in both logic and physical prowess, Zes nodded in silence after a while.
*
The werewolves chasing the carriage didn't show any signs of exhaustion. Even though they had been running for at least a day, each of them remained quiet and stable in the chase. Their breathing was still regular considering the size of the frame they had to hulk around.
Sensing that the carriage was about to reach its destination, the head of the wolf pack looked ahead and saw the city gates in the distance. With a huff, it looked at the werewolves accompanying it. As if by signal, the other three werewolves broke away from their formation. Their aim was to cut through the plains and head to the city gates.
They would wait for their prey instead of chasing it.
*
"I see it! Up ahead!" Sebastian loudly exclaimed within a single breath. Even though Jin and Zes were beside him, he couldn't contain his excitement and spoke the obvious. The other two became tense when they realised that there was something else up ahead.
"Sebastian. Are those the other three..." Jin's voice trailed off. He couldn't even finish his sentence.
*
"Captain! The three mutated werewolves have gone close to the gate. However, they don't seem hostile at the moment. They seem to be - stalking. If I may say so, sir." Gerald gave a quick report to the current captain of the guards. With the recent wave of attacks, city guards were kept busy. Their frequent skirmishes with the new breed of mutated beasts also ensured a quick turnover of ranks. The newest captain of the guards peered at the werewolves outside the city gates. They were indeed the new breed of wolves, as indicated by their jet black skin and massive size. Even with a full group of A rank adventurers, they still suffered losses in subjugating these.
"What's that over there?" He spotted something moving across the plains in between the forest and the city. "Is that a carriage? It seems to be adorned like a noble's?"
Gerald picked up a telescope and viewed their newfound target through it. "You're right sir! It looks battered but it is a noble's carriage. It's being chased by one werewolf, while the other three are waiting for it here!"
"This is just getting absurd, isn't it! Gerald! You and the rest of your squad man the ballistae on top of the walls. I'll gather some mages nearby and provide support for you."
"Yes, sir!" Without any further questions or hesitations, Gerald quickly moved to operate one of the three fixed ballistae on top of the city gates. They were placed there as a defensive measure against mutated beasts. The city council voiced their concern then that it was overkill to have a huge ballista - and three at that - placed on top of a city gate. Their concerns were unfounded at the moment - the ballistae were being continuously used for the past few days. In fact, it was the most number of times it had been used since its creation. It was also one of the reasons why Wildecross City was able to defend itself from the new breed of mutated beasts.
"Okay, boys! We'll just treat these bastards as the others that came and died before. With their huge sizes, it'll be impossible to miss!" Gerald was drumming up the squad's spirits as they loaded and aimed the ballistae. "We'll each aim for one. Remember to aim for the head!"
With a slow grinding motion, the ballistae took aim as the steel and wooden projectile was loaded. They loaded a barbed projectile onto each ballista, clearly aiming for a quick death.
*
The three mutated werewolves heard the bustling of human activity on top of the city gates and looked with wonder. They couldn't see the ballistae yet and didn't know their impending deaths. Unable to make sense of the human sounds on top of the walls, they returned to look at the approaching carriage. It was getting nearer by the second and they could see their makeshift leader behind it.
*
"Alright! Ballistae ready! Push the platforms forward to aim then fire when ready!" Gerald gave the signal for the rest of the squad to push the mounted ballistae as far as they could go. Once they were armed and aimed, the missiles flew in the darkness of the night.
Schwaff! Schwaff! Schwaff!
Three projectiles flew straight and true onto their locked targets. When the mutated werewolves noticed that something was approaching them, they had no time left to dodge. Their heads were impaled to the ground, unable to move from beyond their positions.
"Good shot! Everyone reload and prepare for the one behind the carriage! Jack and Patrick open the gates when the carriage is near!" The urgency in Gerald's voice was palpable as the rest of the squad quickly moved to their assigned roles.
"We're here as well." A mage appeared just behind the ballistae along with the guard captain. He had found some spare mages that were resting nearby. Whether they came late or on time was dependent on who they ask at this point.
Gerald gave a quick nod to their reinforcements. "Thank the gods captain. We've taken care of the three in front of the gate. We're going to open the gate for the carriage to pass through, but we need to kill the last werewolf chasing them before it enters the gate and causes havoc within." The rest nodded in silence and stood in position, focused on the carriage and its chaser.
*
"They've done it!" Jin loudly exclaimed on the carriage. He couldn't contain his excitement and grabbed Sebastian's shoulders.
"We're not out of it yet!" Sebastian's single statement brought Jin back to reality. He quickly sat back down and waited in anticipation for Sebastian's signal.
Sebastian looked to Zes beside him and stared at her with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry Zes but I will need you to cast [Second Wind] on the horses. As many as you can before you pass out. Jin, get ready to bring her inside."
With tears in her eyes, Zes shook her head as if to reassure Sebastian. She then looked at the horses and began casting. "[Second Wind], [Second Wind], [Second Wind]!" She managed to buff the three horses out of the four. Exhausting her mana, she fell limp onto the side.
Jin caught her on time and swung into the carriage door. "Your turn Sebastian!" With that solitary remark of encouragement, Sebastian was left in silence. He was only accompanied by the howling wind around him and the horses' panting in front of him.
'Even if they don't open the gate for us I'll ram through!' There was fierceness in Sebastian's golden eyes as he looked at the approaching gate. He looked as if he was about to burn the gate with his stare alone. With his enhanced senses, he was able to detect movement at the back of the gate. 'They're opening for us!' He didn't let joy overtake caution as he continued to grip the reins tight and whipped the horses into a frenzy. 'Just a bit left!' He wanted to use his mana tendril ability to reinforce the horses, but he also didn't want to experiment on them in the middle of this task.
*
"They're almost here captain!" Gerald called out from on top of the city gate. The captain stood beside Jack and Patrick who were manning the gates. It seemed as if the captain was in a safe position, however, if the mutated werewolf managed to break through then the captain and the two city guards would be tasked in engaging it while waiting for the guards on the wall to assist them.
With sweaty hands and dry mouths, the team on the city gates began opening just one gate - barely enough for the carriage to pass through. "This should be enough! Remember to close it quickly as soon as the carriage passes through!" The guard captain looked up at the city gates now. It was almost as if he was looking up at the dark heavens. 'Please kill it quickly Gerald!'
Gerald turned to the mages beside him. "We'll do it as planned! One ballista will shoot it directly while a mage casts [Explosion] on the left side. It should direct it towards the right where the other two ballistae will shoot it down and the rest of the mages unload their spells!"
As soon as the carriage was within visible distance from the top of the city gates, they were able to see the carriage driver clearly. Gerald tilted his head slightly in slight confusion. 'Does he have golden eyes? I don't remember any ability like that.'
Schwiff!
A ballista unloaded its missile onto the mutated werewolf. "[Explosion]!" As planned, a mage cast the second-tier fire spell on the werewolf's right side. It was meant to redirect the mutated beast, yet any indirect damage was welcomed as well.
The werewolf jumped to its left and reached out for the carriage's rear wheels. Grabbing onto the left rear wheel, it yanked it with such force that the entire rear axle was torn off its hinges.
SSshhhhhkkkkkkkkkk!!!
The carriage started to skid, however, it showed no signs of stopping.
Schwiff! Schwiff!
Two more projectiles flew into the darkness and found their mark. "[Ice Javelin]!" "[Ice Lance]!" Mages also started to unload their spells onto the mutated werewolf.
With the physical and magical onslaught, the last mutated werewolf couldn't evade and perished on the spot.
"Carriage inside! Close the door!" The guard captain didn't miss a beat and rushed to close the city gates along with the two other guards.
BAM!
The barricade fell into place and locked the city gates, signalling the end of this operation. All that was left was to check on the carriage's contents and the driver as well.