[Remaining evolution time: 1:59:59] was the tab that greeted Reid when he opened his eyes the next morning.
Since he had nothing to do last night, he slept, while looking at the time on the tab slowly moving.
'Just 2 more hours to go' he thought to himself. With the absence of Nyx and Rusty the entire evening, Reid felt alone for the first time in a while.
He got up from his sofa, did some light stretching and prepared himself a cup of coffee as a way to really get the sleep out of his system.
He looked at the and although it was an hour earlier than usual, he decided to head to the scrap yard.
He picked up another black jacket and put it on. He then slung his scrap bag over his shoulders and headed out.
Reid arrived at the scrap yard in record time because he didn't have to stop and greet anyone. Most of the Scrapyard residents were asleep and the ones that were awake stayed indoors for breakfast.
He was hoping to meet the dump truck driver but by the indication of no new scraps, he guessed they didn't come today.
Reid spent the next half an hour placing any scrap that interested him in his bag. He soon got bored and decided to return.
At this time, a large amount of scrap hunters should have been awake and although they were, Reid spotted them packing their scrap hunting tools and rushing back into their houses.
Reid, feeling confused, approached one of the scrap hunters before he could lock his door.
This scrap Hunter was James, a boy that was Reid's age.
"What the—, oh it's just you" James was a little startled when someone suddenly tapped his shoulders, but he calmed down when he saw it was Reid.
"Why is everyone rushing back to their houses and locking up?" Reid asked.
"You haven't heard yet?" James said before answering "there's an incoming beast siege so Old man Scrappy ordered all those who cannot protect themselves to get in their houses and lock up".
Reid was a bit surprised hearing this. A beast siege was when a large number of beasts band together to attack a settlement.
This was fairly rare, even in the Scrapyards because some beasts were really territorial. There hasn't been a beast siege in the Scrapyard for five years now.
'what the hell were the beasts running from or towards?' Reid couldn't help but think.
Beast sieges only happened when a much dangerous beast was hunting the other beasts or when the beasts were drawn towards a resource, namely higher tiered beast cores.
"I'm locking up now and I suggest you go back and do the same" James quickly entered his bunker and locked it up.
Reid also rushed back to his bunker but he had no plans of locking himself inside. He dropped his scrap bag and picked up his metal bat and then rushed in to the outer parts of the Scrapyard, where old man Scrappy and the other scrapyard tamers were.
'Evo, how long before the evolution is complete?' he asked while running.
[Remaining evolution time: 00:30:00].
"Thirty minutes? I hope I can hold on for that long" he said, finally reaching the outer parts of the Scrapyard and spotting old man Scrappy a distance away with Raio by his side.
"Reid? why are you here?" Scrappy asked when he spotted Reid. The other tamers turned to look at him.
"I'm here to help" Reid replied, his firmness clear.
"Hahaha, help? you?, I'm sorry princess but it'll be a lot safer for you back in your luxury bunker" of course Alex, who was also here, couldn't help but taunt him.
Reid ignored him, his eyes still locked on Old man Scrappy, causing Alex to clenched his fist.
"That's enough Alex" Scrappy shut him up and with a sigh, he asked "Are you sure about this kid?"
"Yes" Reid simply replied.
"I'll have my hands full, while fighting, so I might not be able to save you this time" Scrappy warned.
"I understand" Reid said.
"Alright then, but I don't want you dying on me" Scrappy finally relented before turning back, paying attention to the wildlands ahead.
Alex, with a frown on his face, clicked his tongue and also turned to the wildlands.
"I don't intend to" Reid answered before asking "how far are they?"
"With the speed they're moving at, I'd say 10 minutes away" Instead of old man Scrappy, the one who replied was a skinny looking man with glasses on.
"I see, thanks Mark" It was still dark so it was really hard to see in the distance but apparently not for mark or his forged-beast.
He owned an owl forged-beast making hima the perfect scout especially at night.
"No worries Reid" Mark replied.
They stood there waiting for a couple of minutes with Reid constantly checking the timer on the evolution tab before they started feeling vibrations through the earth, caused by the stomping beasts.
"Alright everyone, get ready" old man Scrappy ordered "watch each others back and make sure none of them get past you"
" Most importantly, make sure not to die. You have families back there waiting for your return" Scrappy said "Now, attack ".
As soon as the orders were barked, we all ran meeting the beasts halfway.
There were 10 in Reid's group against God know how many beasts and saying that Reid was nervous was a massive understatement.
But no matter what Reid or any one of the other tamers were feeling right now, they had to swallow, because back there was their families, their homes and their lives.
They couldn't allow the beasts to pass. They would stop them at all costs, was the only thought playing in their collective minds.
----
In an unknown location.
"So it begins" a man sitting on a throne with a red wine in his hand spoke, there was a grin on his lips but his face was still covered by shadows.
"Let's see if you and your so called family would survive this" the man laughed sinisterly "killing a Fletcher, even if an abandoned one, would just be a bonus".