Rain pounded New Alexandria, drenching buildings and pedestrians alike. The deluge engulfed the city, leaving no refuge from its assault.
Water cascaded down the windows of the Koma, the majestic building in the heart of the western district and the core of New Alexandria.
It flowed along the marble flooring, forming pools at the base of the walls before vanishing into the drainage system.
A convoy of vehicles pulled up in front of the building, halting as a blue car arrived at the main entrance.
A crowd of men got off the blue car and stood in a line to make a human corridor to the entrance. Clad in dark suits and red ties, their faces were obscured by masks or visors.
A single man emerged from a black car: tall, with red hair tied at his neckline, he wore sunglasses—an odd choice given the dismal weather.
He strode forward, flanked by two bodyguards who seemed unconcerned about the rain soaking their suits.
The man's face betrayed no emotion; his gaze fixed straight ahead, ignoring everyone around him—even his own guards.
He remained silent. As he neared the entrance, a man opened the door for him.
A woman came rushing before the man. She put both hands together and bowed.
"General Becker," said the woman.
The man said nothing. He didn't have to.
Becker was a powerful man. He had money; he controlled a nation, but most importantly, he had been blessed at birth. Currently, General Becker was in the Aζ2A rank. His power allowed him to control and create constructs by controlling the air.
Air, not wind, which he still controlled. His power was so great that others feared his presence.
The man strode forward. He entered an elevator, ascending to the tenth floor, where a spacious meeting room awaited. It was here that he convened with other influential figures to discuss matters of national security. Today's gathering was no exception.
As the silent elevator reached its destination and the doors slid open, General Becker found several people awaiting his arrival. Some were seated around the table, while others stood in a line before it. Near the window wall, a solitary figure gazed out at the city below, turning slightly as the General approached.
Zayan Calvert, New Alexandria's mayor; Colonel Stephan Middleton, responsible for the city's defenses; Leslie Sparks, Minister of War; and Jena Rose, Minister of Defense. They were all there.
Becker had convened this meeting to address two pressing issues: the ongoing war and the worsening thaid situation in the east.
"Good morning, sir." Becker saluted before sitting at the table.
"I want updates. How is the situation?"
Minister Spark smiled politely.
"We've been informed that the first army has fallen to Hin's forces," she said.
"That means we are losing ground?" asked Zayan.
Minister Spark nodded. "It means that, yes. But don't worry. We still hold our positions well, despite the losses. That being said, Hin isn't going to be able to fight this war alone anymore."
"What do you need to defeat them?" the General asked.
"More troops. Our current numbers aren't enough. There is another issue, though, I'm afraid."
"So far, the enemy has attacked none of our cities, but they will eventually try. And if that happens, we will be forced to call our troops back."
Becker's gaze lingered on the minister as he processed the information. With a heavy sigh, he shook his head before addressing her. "Prepare our strongest defenses," he said, "and dispatch additional troops to the Hin's shores."
"It will be done," the minister of war said.
"OK, now. Any news regarding the recent thaids' behavior near New Alexandria? I got a report stating that a small horde had attacked the eastern gate. Why did no one figure it out before it happened?"
"According to the reports," Colonel Middleton said. "Some particularly powerful Thaid must be driving the weaker ones west. It doesn't happen often, but there have been cases in the past."
"Why haven't you tried to steer the monsters away and chip at their numbers?"
"Because whatever is pushing the Thaids away is powerful, and we would have had problems managing the horde, knowing that more Thaids would come from our rears. We need more than small squads for this task," the minister of defense, Jena Rose, said.
"What strategy should we use against these creatures then?" the mayor inquired. "Do we fortify our defenses, or do we take the fight to them?"
"We are working on doing both," Minister Rose said. "We are currently killing the stragglers from the horde that attacked the eastern gate. The problem is that more monsters are coming." She paused.
"The best we can do is to keep the Thaids away from the city. We are currently whittling down their numbers, too, and sent a platoon to search for the source of the disturbance."
"The sooner we learn what is causing this, the sooner we can put an end to it," the Colonel added.
"How long do you think it'll take?"
"About a week to get a good squad ready, " Jena said. "But the mission's outcome depends on them. Finding the beast requires a minimum of three weeks."
"And what about the thaid that entered the city?" Mayor Zayan asked. "I got an urgent communication from Colonel Tiwana."
"We sent some teams to search for it; they left the eastern gate yesterday but have found nothing until now," Colonel Middleton responded.
"That's weird."
It was because a Thaid on the loose in a city full of humans wouldn't miss a chance to feast on tender meat.
The attendees exchanged silent glances. No one had any additional information beyond the fact that a thaid had recently entered New Alexandria.
"Very well," General Becker said. "Our priority is clear. Dispatch the platoon as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir!"
With that, the meeting drew to a close.
-***-
Roma and four others continued their search for the creature that had escaped into the city. Luckily, there were no reports of incidents in the surrounding areas. However, this lack of sightings made finding the creature more difficult than anticipated.
"Is everything set?" Roma asked. She stood beside a gray flying car parked nearby. The vehicle was equipped with two guns mounted on the roof.
One gun pointed forward while the other faced backward. Each weapon fired a laser capable of slicing through nearly any material—even thick steel plates if necessary, but only those without mana, of course.
"Ready, sir."
Private McBride swung open the vehicle's door and hopped in.
A few seconds later, the rest followed suit. Private Rennie climbed in through the driver's side; Private Smith took up position behind him while Private Williams sat beside the sergeant.
The sun had climbed high in the sky already. Despite searching all night, the group had failed to find the monster. Roma tracked the Thaid's trail, which led northward towards the outskirts of the city, where farms dotted the landscape.
Tracking it proved hard, though, as wild animal and cattle tracks crisscrossed the area, making it everything but simple finding the monster's.
Some prints, especially those of small Thaids, resembled those of the Densoph, making it difficult to distinguish from what creature they came. While they had a general heading, the creature could have changed direction at any point, leaving them uncertain of its exact whereabouts.
"Luckily, this fucker didn't go to the city center," Roma said. The last thing they needed was a thaid running around the streets.
"Are the tracks still leading North?"
"Yes, sir." Private Williams said.
The group continued their search, following the beast's trail. They lost and found the tracks several times, as the sprawling vegetation proved more complex than initially assumed. As the day progressed, they encountered many dead animals along the way.
Most victims were cattle left to roam by farmers. All showed signs of Densoph bites. Strangely, the monster hadn't eaten the creatures—its sole aim seemed to be killing everything in sight.
While Thaids were known for their viciousness, this behavior was odd. Thaids often vied for territory and food, but killing without reason was unusual, even for them.
After a short distance, the tracks ended at the edge of a vast wheat field stretching across several kilometers.
"This isn't good," said the driver. "The trail ends here."
"Don't panic," Roma said. "Let's search the surroundings." They parked the car, and the team spread out to look for traces on the ground.