The meeting room smelled of smoke, sweat, and iron. There was a big table hauled into the chief's hall, its surface laid out with maps, mugs, and more guns than papers. The village chief was at one end, his expression stern but determined. By his side was a man with the familiar badge of the Adventurers' Office on his leather armor. His bald, shiny head sparkled in the light of the lantern, and he strode as if he'd seen his share of beast waves in a lifetime.
"That's Gorvan," the chief told me. "Head of the local adventurer's office."
Gorvan gave me a curt nod, the sort that said I'll judge you by what you do, not what you say.
Seated around the table were several adventurers, most of them C and D ranked. Their gear was dented and scratched, but well-worn in the way that only those who had survived dozens of hunts could manage. A couple of them looked at me with curiosity, others with wide-eyed skepticism. I didn't feel like justifying myself.
The leader pounded the map. "The Bloodfang Wolf has rallied more beasts than we can count. They'll attack in waves, testing our defenses, then charge when the Alpha calls the word. The northern cliff is impassable, so the east and south gates will take the hit. The west is cropland which is already abandoned."
"East gate," Gorvan said, his gaze on me.
Right.
I didn't argue.
It was not long before the conference ended and everyone was sent to their stations. Outside, tension already swirled within the village. Torches blazed along walls, barricades were stacked greater, and every ring of the hammer carried the weight of desperation.
At the gate of the east, I saw her again.
Alenya Dawnsunder.
The dwarf girl stood buckling the sword across her back, her bright blonde hair in a sloppy braid. She was tired but determined, her armor cobbled together but good. When she saw me, her eyes widened for an instant, then relaxed.
"You again," she said, with a trace of relief and suspicion in her tone.
"Me again," I said.
She looked at me quickly then glanced at the group of people huddled around her. "These are my people."
People were introduced one by one.
There was Torren, shield bearer with the scar running across his nose, who immediately greeted me with the handshake that tried to slip out of mine. Sela, their archer, reticent and wide-eyed, whose eyes already seemed to be thinking of where she'd set her arrows. And Bram, a healer with the lopsided smile who cared more about sharing jokes than for the sacred tattoos painted on his staff.
Behind them were others, E and F rankers, young for the most part, still green, mixed in with villagers who held spears and axes too heavy for their grips. There was fear in their eyes, but so too was their tenacity.
I leaned against the wooden barrier and inquired, "How many waves have you endured so far?"
"Two Minor waves," said Torren, finger tracing along his nose scar. "But none with an Alpha commanding them."
"That changes everything," Sela added, stringing her bow. "A beast tide led by an Alpha isn't chaos, it's an army."
"Good thing we've got a mysterious cloaked stranger, right?" Bram joked, flashing a grin at me. "Hope you're not just here to look cool."
I smirked faintly, "You'll see."
Alenya chuckled at her teammate's actions, but I could tell that she was regarding me with great interest. Maybe contemplating why someone like me would have offered to man the gate with them instead of hiding behind brasher warriors up front.
Reality was simple: I needed to witness them fight. To witness her fight.
Night crept on. Torches sputtered, the wind carried the smell of damp earth, and Green Leaf Village walls seemed shorter than ever before. Fidgety, everyone was. Some whispered prayers. Others sharpened blades. I sat in quiet contemplation, my eyes fixed on the darkening treeline in the distance beyond the fields.
Then it began.
At first it was subtle but then a dull tremor underfoot. The kind that made mugs bang on tables and loose arrows quiver in their quivers. Some of the villagers looked nervously at each other, tightening their spears slightly.
The tremor grew stronger.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
It wasn't just the earth trembling any longer. It was the air. A thunderous rumble wafted in from the forest, the voice of a hundred drums all struck simultaneously. The howls and snarls were far away, carried by the breeze. The flames trembled as if even fire wanted to run away.
Alenya drew her sword, the steel singing as it left the scabbard. Her teammates followed, readying shields, bows, and staves. The villagers fumbled into formation, gripping their weapons with white-knuckled fear.
I stood there, watching the forest's edge. My heart wasn't pounding with fear. It was steady, calm. If anything, I felt anticipation.
Because I knew what was coming.
The first major wave had arrived.
And with it, the night of blood.