This chapter was supposed to come out yesterday, but due to some family situation, I kind of forgot to put in schedule.
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Jacob sheathed his sword, droplets of blood cascading down the sharp edge and intermixing with the muddy sludge, a direct cause of the thunderous rain that had lasted through the night and origin of much of their problems.
Right beside him stood his acolytes, each nearing the peak of E-Rank and holding the banner of the Red Tower, a subsidiary of the Tower of Spirituality and under direct supervision of Sir Zeke, a genuine Rank-A Knight of the Royal family of Eirland.
He felt his mana reserves in a diminished state, a result of the constant battle they had had to face throughout their march from the wall. Running into a group of Dire-Wolves had been a serious cause for concern, but thankfully he had received assistance from two guilders.
Yet the duo that stood before him was an interesting combination of a human and a vampire, the latter of which was a scarcity in the Kingdom. But what he couldn't understand was why they would be within the area they were handed the responsibility for, instead of the southeastern region.
More than anything, though, it was the fact that they genuinely seemed to hold no impression of their current predicament and the looming calamity they were trying to ward against. Three days within the End Forest, they had claimed. But he found himself hard-pressed to believe them.
"Ahem." Jacob cleared his throat and recounted the tale that had led them into their current situation.
Yesterday, he had been lounging near the gates of the Tower after providing an intense and thorough workout to his acolytes. He had been expecting to spend the rest of the day providing much relief to his body but instead had received a call to the arms.
A direct order from Adrian Ravencroft for Sir Zeke to lead his soldiers and assist the guild in Erdwatch. The monsters of the End Forest were swarming the guilders, and they needed as much assistance as could be provided.
By the time they arrived at the city, a rainy curtain encompassed the heavens, obscuring their view of the forest deep. Julian Ashford had been beside himself at their arrival, welcoming Sir Zeke with open arms, as was befitting a welcome to a friend.
They had learned the monster tide had been growing in intensity and needed as much help as possible. The night had been spent under the torrential downpour fighting the monster in the messiest manner possible. Death had been beside the corner, claiming men and beasts alike.
Then the dawn broke and the rain hummed to a light drizzle. The monsters were still packed to the brim, but it was determined that continuing fighting in a similar manner would incur heavy loss among their ranks.
With the two A-Ranks at the helm, the battle should've been easier, especially considering the fact that none of the monsters came close to A-Rank. That said, the walls spanned for miles on end, covering nearly half of Rosenthal County and a quarter of the Feylance Barony. Even with that advantage, the guild found itself stretched too thin.
That's when Jordan, 198th ranked on the kingdom's top 200 hunter rankings, made a proposition. Being a B-Rank hunter, his words couldn't be ignored even by Julian. The proposition was simple—if Sir Zeke and Julian were spread too thin trying to cover the entire battlefield, why not shrink the area itself?
The idea was to simply corner the monsters and force them into a single or two spots, where Sir Zeke and Julian would be waiting with their weapons drawn. With the amount of power the duo possessed, it would only be a matter of time before the monsters were rounded and chopped up. A simple and efficient strategy.
Of course, the plan was easier said than done. How would they manage to corral the monsters into a concentrated spot? Was that even possible?
That's where the lesser guilders and soldiers came into the picture. Before leaving the Tower, Sir Adrian, a prestigious researcher and alchemist, had saddled them with a ton of supplies. Which included Earth Sundering Potions and Star Fire Potions.
As a known Flame Warden, Jordan proposed that they ambush the monsters from behind, set the forest on fire, and give them the metaphorical push they needed to surge and concentrate in one spot.
It put the men at risk, but it was a risk they were willing to take. That said, even Jacob had been surprised by the intensity of the monster tide despite having left under the cover.
"That's..." Markus spoke, hesitant.
"Dumb," Amara interjected.
"...Genius. I was going to say genius." He gave his companion a side glance, and she snorted and looked away.
Interesting, thought Jacob, his gaze briefly wandering to the dead monster with an enormous hole in the torso, a result of the spear thrown from a considerable distance. What tremendous powers!
Both the human and vampire duo boasted substantial strength, but Amara was certainly stronger of the two. That made Jacob wonder if there existed a complicated relationship between them. Something like a mutual form of symbiosis.
"So, you were in the process of throwing these potions at the monsters?" Markus asked.
Jacob glanced at the smoldering tree and felt a weary smile creep on his face. When the monsters had ambushed them, one of the acolytes had lost his cool and tossed a potion at it. He missed, of course, and the tree caught fire. Thankfully it was put out before it could get out of hand, which he ironically had to credit to the rain.
"Actually, we were just about to plant these potions some distance away, so if you wouldn't mind, we would really appreciate the assistance."
Although he worded his sentence to seem like he was asking for their help, that was not the case at all. Even though the guild didn't pay its members, there existed a contract between the hunter and the guild. Should they require any assistance, a hunter would have no choice but to comply. Lest they be blacklisted by the guild and forbidden from entry into Erdwatch ever again.
It was a little strict, but even the emperor was helpless against such regulations. A testament to the power the guild wielded at its fingertips. If they had predicted the monster tide a few days earlier, the matter could've been resolved in a much more efficient and harmless manner.
"Of course," said Markus with a smile adorning his face. "We would be happy to provide whatever support we can."
Amara, on the other hand, eyed Jacob with a scowl, and he felt a shiver crawl down his spine. He wasn't going to back down, though; their survival depended on these two. Well, nothing that serious, but in a dangerous situation, life and death could be a matter of a minor aid.
"Thank you, now let's make haste." He offered a smile, and they departed right after.
While Jacob stood at the helm, his acolytes with their heavy baggage right behind him, Amara and Markus followed at the rear. He kept his ears open, vigilant but silently listened to their conversation. With the way they were speaking, it didn't seem they had any intention of hiding it in the first place.
"Why would you think their plan is dumb?" Markus asked.
"Isn't their entire plan contingent on the fact that no A-Rank monster exists in the horde?" Amara spoke rhetorically. "What happens if one or more did exist?"
"Surely they can take on a single A-Rank monster, right?"
"Normally yes, when besieged by a swarming tide of monsters, I wouldn't be so sure."
Jacob felt his heart constrict at the detail. They hadn't thought of the scenario at all. But then again, maybe the guild had already determined the monsters lacked a creature with the might equivalent to an A-Rank hunter. Of course, it also couldn't be dismissed that the guild had missed the tide of monsters until it had come knocking on their door. Could they even be trusted?
"How do you feel?" He heard the blonde-haired boy ask.
There was a drop of silence before the silver-haired vampire replied, "Fantastic. Especially after my fight with the cat."
"Do you think you can handle B-ranks?" The boy asked.
Jacob almost tripped over a stone but managed to catch himself before he could eat mud. Yet the shock he felt from hearing his words put his heart on a racing track. Even more shocking was the reply he heard.
"B-Ranks could pose some trouble, though I can handle the low-ranked ones."
She could handle B-Ranks. A B-Rank hunter!
B-rank hunters didn't grow on trees; they were prestigious personalities known throughout the kingdom. And there only existed 142 of them. In the entire Eirland Kingdom. Each one was known and accounted for.
But who was this? A wannabe vampire who claimed she could defeat one, even if they were low rank. The 200th ranked on the Top Hunter List, Brandon of the Hunter's Guild was a low-level B-Rank hunter. Could she handle him?
Jacob laughed and shook his head. Kids these days...
And continued walking.
Hmm? What's that? He thoughtfully looked ahead, spotting a massive shade lying with its innards spilled all over the grounds.
A Saber-Tooth Tiger!
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