Black Onyx - Forgotten Magic

A word of news came from the Guild that day. It carried with it the King's authority, as the warriors of the realm were summoned to help defend the capital.

The armies of the four generals required to protect the city were still many days away if all went well, and possibly even weeks off if they encountered trouble. Additional manpower was as such severely needed, and where best to find reliable mercenaries than at the Guild?

The pay rate for each monster slain was still the same as normal, however, the fighting environment would be much different. The monsters were gathered all in one place, with both weak Goblins and dangerously powerful Ogres fighting side-by-side.

And the warriors would be hidden behind the tall walls of the city and shooting enemies down from a distance. It was quite an opportunity to make some dough. At least for those that were capable.

Anyway, Gerald didn't exactly care about it all, he had other things to take care of. For example, he was currently soaking in a mildly poisonous bath with vials of Mana Elixir by the side. He was calmly sipping on it as if it was cool beer.

He hummed a random melody while having closed eyes to pass the time. His Mana capacity was gradually increasing minuted-by-minute, and towards the end of the day, he crossed the 700MP threshold.

"Good, I should reach a thousand in a few days… Hopefully before the battle starts," Gerald smiled contently after feeling his new energy stores.

Dong, dong, dong!

A sudden sound of bells disrupted his peace and he couldn't help but sigh helplessly.

"Eh… Of course, it just had to be now, fuck my life!"

The bell chimes sounded out at sundown when the gates were about to close, however it was still bright outside. No, this time they meant something different. It was time.

Time for war!

Woosh!

Someone suddenly and violently opened the door and entered the bathroom.

"Gerald! The bells! It's happening!" Sera rushed in shouting in excitement as well as s tinge of worry.

"I don't care, I'm busy. Call me if something happens, but until then don't disturb me." He replied flatly and sank into the water up to his mouth.

Xilia also came behind Sera and said, "We are going out to help defend, wanna come with?"

"Why?" Gerald asked, puzzled. "We have enough money, we don't need any more for the time being." The Guild offered rewards, sure, but it wasn't much in comparison to the gold coming from the Auction House.

"We are going to practice our spells and get some good exercise, isn't that right, Elly?" Sera loudly announced and turned to the other girl for confirmation.

"Right," the latter answered. She gripped her staff with determination, "We'll help defend the city, it's our duty!" A sense of responsibility exuded from her as she declared.

"As you wish," Gerald replied, "I won't stop you. Just make sure to come back in one piece." He sank back into the water and closed his eyes. His ears filled with warm liquid, muffling the sounds around him.

Sera frowned in annoyance, "You said that already. We are not kids, we can take care of ourselves! Let's go!"

She then proceeded to drag the other two out of the room while murmuring to herself. "Who does he think he is. We are not helpless little girls! Not anymore…"

"I don't mind…" Elly said, "It shows that he cares for us."

"Or that he needs us for more dirty work," Sera replied grimly. "You are too pure and narrow-minded for this world Elly."

They spoke as they went towards their rooms to prepare. "I honestly don't care either way," Xilia said, "As long as my sister is safe and having fun I'll do whatever it takes to keep it that way."

***

The city was bustling with activity.

Multiple groups of soldiers were running along the streets, either carrying weapons, ammunition, or giant clay pots of some sort of black liquid. The horses pulling the wagons appeared tired and barely able to hold on from being overworked recently.

However, the work had to be done and they had no choice but to hold on for a while longer.

Loud shouts and men barking out orders could be heard from the north side of the city. The rattling of armor and weapons awoke a sense of danger, excitement, and fear.

The common folk were ordered to stay indoors, or at least stay out of the way. As thousands of soldiers marched towards the wall, many warriors joined them.

There were all sorts of clothing and gear mixed among the formal attire the soldiers wore. Colorful robes, hardened leather armor, thick gambeson covered in chainmail, brigandine with shiny metal studs poking through the upper layer of fabric…

It all truly gave a sense of awe and wonder to the people watching, filling them with hope and a sense of safety. So many young men marching in unison to defend Auralba's walls, surely they will win!

Those were their feelings, and even the girls had similar thoughts.

"Woah, I never knew so many warriors were hiding in plain sight!" Sera exclaimed. At most, she had seen a few hundred warriors gathered in one place, not an endless sea of them.

"It's to be expected," Xilia said as matter of fact. "Usually only less than 10% are working at any one time, but now it seems that at least two-thirds were mobilized."

Sera gripped her bow with one hand and the handle of her sword on her hip with the other. She fidgeted in nervous excitement at the thought of a glorious battle. Finally, the countless weeks of arduous training would be of use, and she could test her metal against real opponents. She was hyped to see how her power progressed.

They brought plenty of arrows with them as they expected to simply shoot at the monsters from a distance. Ether Crystals they brought with them were also plenty and they were all nicely stored in Space Pouches they each had.

"Let's hurry up, the bells have long ago signaled the start of the attack," Sera urged and tried her best to make her way through the crowd.

In fact, the bells announced the attack before it even happened. After the monsters crossed an imaginary line approximately one kilometer from the city walls, the lookouts sounded the alarm. It gave the defenders a few precious minutes to organize and get to positions.

The battle didn't quite start yet though, as the monsters stopped about a hundred meters away and waited. They waited for the signal to let loose.

The girls came to a watchtower and, after showing the Guild ring, were led inside and up the wall. The rings were acquired by them long ago when they first joined the Guild.

They got designated a few meters for them to defend, alongside city soldiers and some other warriors.

There were mostly just archers and mages, however, there were also a few big knight-like sword carriers. They were there in case any of the beasts managed to climb over the wall and try to wreak havoc.

It made the rest feel safer.