The red signal flames climbed into the night sky like serpents of fire, their glow staining the treetops in a violent hue. Shouts echoed through the village as runners dashed to their positions, bells rang out in frantic rhythm, and the tense calm of moments before shattered like glass.
From the north ridge came the first shapes—dark, low, and fast. Wolves, dozens of them, their eyes glowing like coals in the dark. Their snarls built into a thunderous roar as they broke through the treeline in a coordinated wave.
"Positions!" Velra's voice carried over the walls, sharp and commanding. Archers readied their bows, spellcasters formed quick circles in the dirt, and warriors braced their weapons against the wooden barricades.
Kenshin cracked his neck, electricity coiling around him like a living thing. "Time to light this place up." He blurred forward, vaulting from the wall with a burst of speed that left afterimages in the air. Lightning trailed behind him like a comet tail as he intercepted the first wave of wolves mid-charge, his blade crackling as it cleaved through fur and flesh. The smell of singed hair filled the night.
Seme leapt down after him, landing with a ground-shaking thud. Her greatsword whistled through the air, cleaving a pair of wolves in half with brutal efficiency. "Try not to hog 'em all, Kenshin!" she barked, pivoting to intercept another.
"Gotta keep up, slowpoke!" Kenshin shot back, grinning.
Drathan remained atop the wall, hands weaving intricate sigils of void energy. Black and violet light shimmered in the air around him before lancing outward—thin, sharp tears in space that sliced through the charging beasts like invisible blades. Each strike was clean, precise, almost lazy in its efficiency. They're pushing hard but not coordinated enough for a real siege. This is testing the defenses.
On the western flank, Velra's squad engaged serpents slithering from the marsh. Their scales glistened in the torchlight as they lashed out with whip-like tails and venomous bites. Mira led a group of agile fighters, flipping and dodging through their attacks, her daggers flashing silver as she severed tendons and stabbed weak points. The air grew thick with the metallic scent of blood and the hiss of venom meeting steel.
From the southern road came the shrieks of skybleeder wasps, their glowing wings casting eerie light as they dove. Archers loosed volleys of arrows, the projectiles piercing wings mid-dive, sending them crashing into the dirt where others finished them off.
The battlefield was chaos—a symphony of snarls, screams, magic, and steel. But there was rhythm too: squads moving with practiced synergy, the trio cutting through enemies like scythes through wheat, Velra's commands snapping across the night to keep everyone in line.
Drathan's eyes narrowed. This frenzy… it's unnatural. Like something's driving them. His gaze flicked deeper into the woods, where shadows seemed to churn unnaturally.
On the northern flank, Kenshin vaulted off a wolf's back, spun midair, and unleashed a charged arc of lightning that tore through an entire line of beasts. The impact was blinding—KRRAAACK!—followed by the smell of ozone and burning fur.
Seme met a massive alpha wolf head-on. Its muscles bulged beneath its black fur, crystal shards embedded along its spine pulsing with faint blue light. She grinned. "Finally, a challenge." Her blade came down like a guillotine, the impact sending shockwaves through the ground.
Velra's voice cut through the clamor. "Hold formation! Don't get spread too thin!"
As the battle raged on, the adventurers on the wall lit more torches and readied their secondary defenses. The green signal fires shifted fully to red now, bathing the entire village in a crimson glow that made the night feel like the mouth of a beast.
Drathan clenched his fists. This ain't the main act. I can feel it.
Somewhere deep in the forest, something howled back—a sound deeper, more resonant than the others. A promise of worse to come.
Without hesitation, Drathan tore open a small void portal beside Velra's flank, his voice cutting through the din. "Velra, pull your people back. Something bigger's out there—this ain't it. Fall inside the walls, let the archers and casters cover the retreat!"
Velra didn't question him. She barked orders, her squad shifting with practiced discipline. Archers and mages tightened their formations atop the walls, loosing arrows and spells in measured volleys while the warriors withdrew in staggered ranks.
Kenshin noticed the sudden tactical shift mid-fight. "Yo, what's goin' on? Why we pullin' back?" he called, slicing down a wolf before jogging backward toward the gate.
Drathan raised one hand sharply, signaling him to hold his questions. He brought both palms together with a sharp clap that reverberated like a thunderclap. Then, with a deep breath and a pulse of void energy, he forcefully spread his arms wide. Reality rippled. A massive violet-black sphere unfolded from his position, expanding rapidly until it formed a protective dome over the entire village—a void bubble humming with spatial tension.
Inside the dome, the air thickened with crackling energy, torches flickering as though caught in a silent storm.
Kenshin's grin returned. "Aight… now that's some serious magic."
Drathan exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing toward the treeline. "Whatever's leading this pack's still out there. We're pullin' back to bait it out. Archers, mages—hold the line. Everyone else, rest up and get ready for the real fight."
Strategists and squad leaders exchanged quick looks, then began repositioning their people. The outer defenses were abandoned in favor of stronger positions inside the void dome. The air was tense, every pair of eyes on the dark forest beyond the walls, waiting for whatever horror Drathan sensed to reveal itself.