Amir sprinted through the city gates, his heart pounding in his chest, and headed straight for the guild. Bursting through the doors, he collapsed, his body battered and bleeding. The lively bar fell silent as everyone turned to stare at the bloodied boy.
Finral immediately leaped over a table, rushing to Amir's side. He pulled a potion from his bracelet and quickly fed it to him. The other patrons watched in shock, wondering what could have left the kid in such a state.
Amir's eyes fluttered open, and he bolted upright, glancing around in a daze.
"Hey, kid, take it easy," Finral said, his voice calm but concerned. "Let me guess, you bit off more than you could chew with a pack of beasts?"
A gruff voice from the back chimed in, "You should've waited till daylight and joined us for the hunt, kid. Going solo at night is a death wish."
The others in the bar nodded in agreement, understanding all too well the dangers of overestimating one's abilities against magic beasts. They'd all been humbled by packs before, which is why they hunted in groups.
Amir shook his head, frustrated by their assumptions. "I was hunting alone, but that's not why I'm injured," he said, his gaze locking onto Finral.
Finral nodded, assuming the boy was just trying to save face. The kid was young, with promise, but he clearly needed to learn a few hard lessons.
"Alright, what matters is that you're safe now. You can tell me what happened in my office," Finral offered, extending a hand to help Amir up.
Amir stood but pushed Finral's hand away, his voice urgent. "No, you don't understand—a beast tide is coming."
The hunters in the bar, initially dismissive, suddenly turned their attention to him, their expressions shifting to seriousness. Finral's eyes narrowed as he listened.
"A beast tide hit just two weeks ago, and the forest was cleared. There's no way another one's forming this soon," Finral replied confidently.
Amir stared at him, stunned by Finral's certainty. 'Are the magic beasts using these tides as a cover for something more sinister?' he thought, a chilling realization dawning on him. The idea of magic beasts organizing and planning was terrifying, a notion that shook him to his core.
Seeing the boy lost in thought, Finral grew more concerned. Something was clearly bothering Amir—this was more serious than he initially thought. If Amir was lying, why did he look so haunted?
A man with a patchy beard and black hair, slightly tipsy, scoffed, "Kid, don't make up stories just because you did something stupid out there."
Amir turned to protest, but Finral stopped him with a stern look. "Come with me to my office. I'll set you up with a hunting team for tomorrow," he said, signaling Amir to hold his tongue for now.
Amir followed Finral up to the fourth floor, his heart still racing from the ordeal. Once they reached the office, Finral took his seat and fixed Amir with a steady gaze.
"You seem calmer now," Finral said in a measured tone. "Tell me exactly what you saw."
Amir let out a breath of relief, realizing that Finral was taking him seriously. "Outside the city, there are thousands of magic beasts, all noble class or higher, led by what I think is a king-class Minotaur. I followed them to their base, but I was discovered and hunted by a pack of noble-class dire wolves," he recounted, his voice still shaky from the encounter.
Finral's eyes widened in shock, his mind racing. "That can't be possible. We would've detected something like that. A beast tide can't form in the mountains without hunters noticing," he said, trying to deny the grim reality.
Amir shook his head, determined. "They weren't in the mountains. I think they were inside the mountain itself."
Finral paused, considering the implications. The idea was crazy, but if the beasts had hidden inside the mountain and staged small-scale attacks to mislead everyone, it would be a plan requiring intelligence and meticulous preparation—something no one expected from magic beasts.
Finral stood up abruptly, his face pale. "Are you telling me the magic beasts have been outsmarting us this whole time?" he shouted, struggling to comprehend the gravity of the situation.
Amir's expression was grim as he nodded. "It sounds insane, but after the Minotaur sent those dire wolves after me, I threw common sense out the window."
Finral wiped sweat from his brow, his world unraveling. "By Argos, what is happening?" he thought, the realization hitting him like a tidal wave. If this was true, it would shake the entire world to its core.
"Kid, I need you to show me where you saw those beasts, right now," Finral said, his voice urgent.
Amir hesitated, unsure of the exact location. He didn't want to return to that forest, but Finral insisted. "No beast lower than king class can harm me. You'll be safe—I just need you to point me in the right direction."
Reluctantly, Amir agreed, and they headed back into the forest. As they walked, Finral instructed, "Hold onto my shoulder for a moment."
Amir did as he was told, and to his surprise, Finral jumped into the air. Instead of falling, they descended slowly.
"Point in the direction you came from," Finral said.
Amir scanned the forest below, retracing his steps until he spotted a distant mountain. "There," he said, pointing.
Finral followed Amir's gaze, trying to sense any magic beasts in the area. But the fact that he couldn't detect anything—despite his strength—was more alarming than reassuring. He let out a deep sigh, hoping against hope that Amir was mistaken, but there was no denying it now. If he couldn't sense anything, it meant there was something much stronger at play.
"Shit! This is bad," Finral muttered under his breath. He looked at Amir, still perched on his shoulder. "Kid, I was praying you were wrong, but we're in for a world of trouble."
Amir nodded, fully aware of the impending disaster. "This is one time I wish I was wrong."
They landed and made their way back to the guild. Finral burst through the doors, his expression deadly serious, startling everyone inside. "Tabbatha!" he called out urgently.
Tabbatha rushed over, her eyes wide with concern. "Tell the city guards to bolster their defenses. Contact every noble family and get them to summon that damned marquis! And tell those four to prepare for war."
The urgency in his voice sent a ripple of shock through the room. The hunters, usually unflappable, were visibly shaken.
"Aye, Finral," a rough-voiced man called out, "do you believe the kid about the beast tide?"
Finral turned to face him, his expression was grim. "I confirmed it myself. A beast tide is forming, and I don't know when it's going to hit."
The room fell into a tense silence as the gravity of the situation sank in. The hunters, hardened by years of battle, had never seen Finral this shaken, let alone call something a war. The word alone sent chills down their spines, emphasizing just how dangerous the threat must be.
Suddenly, a piercing screech shattered the air, echoing through the guild hall. Every head turned toward the sound, and without hesitation, they rushed outside to see what had caused the commotion. Their eyes widened in shock as they looked up to see a massive, slender, yellow bird soaring above the city. Its wings stretched wide, casting a shadow over the streets below.
Before anyone could react, a beam of light shot from the city's towering magic tower, striking the bird with unerring precision. The force of the hit sent the creature spiraling downward, plummeting toward the ground. The city guard quickly mobilized, clearing the area and preparing to cushion the bird's fall with wind magic to minimize the damage.
But as the bird fell, a sinister change overcame it. Its eyes turned pitch black, and an eerie glow enveloped its body. Finral, recognizing the impending disaster, moved at lightning speed, dashing toward the creature in a desperate attempt to stop what was about to happen.
But he was too late.
A shockwave erupted as the bird detonated its magic core, the explosion tearing through everything in its vicinity. The blast threw back Finral, his speed no match for the destructive force unleashed. The explosion obliterated everything in its path, including the city's only teleportation formation, leaving devastation in its wake.
The war had already begun.