Legend of the arch magus

While the Kingdom and the Empire were having a clash at Yorkshaire Mountain Range… [Lion City] "Come back here, you damn thief!" Hans huffed as he ran through the street and alleyways. Chasing him was the man he robbed this morning. The man was livid with rage, but he could not catch Hans no matter what he did. He shouted and cussed as he ran after Hans, but to no avail. After a few more minutes, Hans finally lost his tail. "Chase me all you want but you wouldn't catch me, sucker." Hans spat on the ground. Using his fingers, he combed his black hair backwards.

Looking around, it seemed that he had ran so far that he reached the area near the western gate of the city. He saw several soldiers standing guard near the city's entrance. "Let's see our loot for the day, shall we?" He opened the small leather bag he snatched from his victim. Upon seeing its contents, he scowled. The books aside, the only items of worth were three silvers and a small bronze locket. The man was holding onto the bag as though it was a precious item, which was why Hans made it his target for today. Who would have known that it was filled with nothing but crap? "Well, these books… I'm sure the old lady in the black alley can buy it for a price." He consoled himself with this thought. He grabbed the three silver coins and put them inside his pouch. As he was taking out the books to better inspect them, he heard shouts coming from beyond the walls. The guards standing near the entrance began to move, their expressions grim and pallid. What's happening?

Hans looked at them, puzzled. The shouts outside the wall intensified. Soon, the bell on the watchtower rang. Numerous soldiers started coming from the streets, eventually gathering right before the gate. "Hey, move! Go back to the Residential District! It's dangerous here!" One of the soldiers noticed Hans and told him to get away from this place.

"They're coming! Get ready!" A soldier on top of the watchtower shouted to the guys below. The soldiers gathered before the gate and lifted their spears up, their gazes fixed on the closed gate, as though waiting for it to suddenly burst open. Hans shivered when he heard the roars outside. Shouts came on top of the walls. "U-Up! T-They're climbing the walls!"

Hans did not know who shouted those words. He immediately looked up on reflex and was horrified by what he saw. On top of the walls, numerous monsters stood. They charged at the soldiers on the battlements, tearing their limbs apart before throwing them towards the ground below. Hans' instinct screamed at him to flee, to get away from here as far as possible, that there was no way for the soldiers to win against those things, but the primal fear evoked by those monsters rooted him to the ground. One after another, the soldiers on top of the walls were killed and thrown towards the ground. Blood splattered as numerous thud sounds were heard.

After taking care of the soldiers on top of the walls, the monsters looked down below. The soldiers standing before the gate shivered. They knew they were next.

The colossal gate proved useless right now. Who would have known that those monsters were capable of climbing the walls? "H-Hey, t-those monsters!" one of the soldiers shouted. "They're from the Lake! I'm sure of it! They're from that damn Lake!"

Hans immediately understood what the soldier meant. There was only one Lake with monsters coming out of it. The Lake of the Full Moon. Hans looked up. It was still middle of the noon. Why did those monsters suddenly show up? It was not even night, more so a full moon!

And what was the garrison in the Lake doing? Hans was pretty sure that the City Lord built a fortress there several months ago to fend off the monsters. Don't tell me, the fortress… Still shuddering uncontrollably, Hans gritted his teeth. He wanted to curse this stupid body of his for being frozen with fear like this. Move. Damn it. Move!

As he cursed inside his mind, his frozen limbs started moving one by one.

He slowly stepped back, his eyes still locked on the monsters on top of the walls. "Shit."

The monsters started crawling down the walls!

Now that he had taken a careful look at them, Hans realized how ugly the monsters were. If a gorilla and a frog had a child, this would be it. They had muscular but hairless arms, their bellies bloated, their eyes large and protruding. Whenever they roared, their long tongues would stick out. Monstrous strengths aside, their numbers posed a serious problem. There were almost a hundred of them, probably more. Upon reaching the ground, the monsters immediately pounced at the soldiers. Their spears proved useless against those muscular bodies. Some soldiers managed to pierce the monsters' eyes, but they were immediately swatted away like flies. Hans knew it was only a matter of time before the soldiers were annihilated.

He glanced at them for one last time, took a deep breath, then ran for his life. As he ran through the streets, he could still hear the shouts and roars behind him. The bell of the watchtower stopped ringing, the soldiers guarding it probably dead already. Along the way, Hans noticed the panic-stricken residents of the city. The news regarding the monster horde must have reached them by now, but the sheer shock made them unable to properly react. Not wanting to see more people die, Hans shouted, "Monsters! Monsters are coming this way! Everyone, run away!"

Everyone who heard this turned even paler.

And as though Hans' words were the cue, an ominous roar trembled through the city. Hans heard numerous heavy footsteps coming their way. Shit. Shit. Shit!

He ran like a madman, disregarding the people he passed by along the way.

He had done his part. Whether they would believe him or not, whether they would run or not, it would be entirely up to them.

"Ah! Help me!"

"Monsters!"

"Run away!"

The monsters have finally reached this far. Hans knew he had to keep on running. Otherwise, those monsters would also reach him. But where should he go? If the Lion City was overrun by monsters, where would he take refuge? That person… Hans skidded to a halt upon seeing a familiar figure. Behind the man were several dozens of soldiers. "Ah." Hans' lips parted. He remembered who the man was. He was Daltos, the Fire Golem. One of the Commanders of the soldiers of Lion City, the so-called impregnable fortress. Looking at the Commander, Hans felt a sense of calm. If it's this man, then maybe they could drive those monsters back. "Is Lord Valcres safe?" said Commander Daltos. "Yes, Commander," said one of the soldiers. "He's currently in the underground chamber of the castle."

Commander Daltos nodded, "Good." He furrowed his brows and unsheathed his sword. "They're coming. Get ready."

The soldiers unsheathed their weapons and formed a blockade with the commander at the center. A roar was heard and tens of monsters appeared across the street. They ripped apart the bodies of the citizens in their way. Some had their limbs pulled off, while some had their heads smashed into the ground. It was a gruesome sight, but the commander and his soldiers stood their ground. Then the soldiers and the monsters clashed. Commander Daltos immediately activated his magic. His entire body was soon covered with flames, giving him the appearance of a three-meter fire golem. With his every punch, a monster was sent flying out. With the commander at the center of the formation, the soldiers slowly pushed back the monster horde. It was an exhilarating sight. Hans unconsciously clenched his fist as he cheered for the commander and the soldiers. The sight of those ugly creatures being blown away made Hans's heart pound in excitement. As expected of the Commander! The protector of Lion City!

The number of monsters continued to increase, but so did the number of soldiers. More and more soldiers came as reinforcement. There were numerous casualties on the City's side, but it was apparent that the monsters were the ones being pushed back. The monsters tried pummeling Commander Daltos to the ground, but the flames covering the Commander's body protected him from all attacks.

Definitely, the nicknames Fire Golem, Impregnable Fortress, and Protector of Lion City weren't there for nothing. "The Mercenaries are here!" The daredevils, who chose to remain and watch while hiding, cheered.

Although the Mercenary Guild Master – Sword Saint Alexander – was not here, his officers were all skilled. The Assistant Guild Master easily cleaved the monsters in half using his axe, while the other officers held back several monsters at the same time. The monster invasion continued from noon until dusk. With the combined forces of the soldiers and the mercenaries, the damages from the monsters were mitigated, and the horde was pushed back. Evening came and the monsters retreated. The aftermath of the battle left several hundreds of dead bodies lying on the ground. It was only after the monsters had been cleared before Lord Valcres appeared to calm the citizens. Hans went back to his home in the Commoners District. After pickpocketing for several years, he had finally saved enough money to buy this small house half a year ago. It only had one bed and a living area, but to Hans, this abode was more than enough. He jumped into his bed without even bothering to change his clothes.

Although his entire body was trembling with fatigue, he did not fall asleep easily. The mere thought that those monsters could come again while he was asleep ate away at his peace of mind. He anxiously stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to come. What if they invaded again tonight? Hans shuddered at this thought. "Damn it."

This city was no longer safe. He was sure of it. The soldiers and the mercenaries may have defeated the horde for now, but what about tomorrow or the next day? The next full moon? With each invasion, the number of soldiers defending the city would lessen, until the time comes when they would no longer be enough to defend the city.

"Should I try my luck at the Capital?" It was far, but he heard the Capital was the safest city in the Kingdom. He could sell this house and start over there from scratch. Hans shook his head. "No, it's too far."

There was also the option of leaving for the nearby cities. But if the monsters of the Lake could come this far, those cities wouldn't be safe either. He would rather migrate to a city faraway from this place, like the Capital. Hans heard several loud knocks on his door.

"Hey! You'll destroy my door if you keep knocking like that!" Hans snarled. He jumped from his bed and briskly walked towards the door. He pulled it open. "What are you doing in this time of the nig—" Hans cut his words upon seeing the man behind the door. He momentarily stopped breathing. "Vice Leader. It's you."

Behind the Vice Leader, a muscular man wearing leather armor, was several others. "I'll get straight to the point," he said. "We're leaving the City. I'm personally visiting our members to urge them to come with us."

Hans opened the door fully. The man before him was the vice leader of one of the three underground organizations in Lion City. Hans was thinking about leaving the city too. It was no longer safe here. "To where?"

The Vice Leader immediately replied, "Blackstone Town."

Hans furrowed his brows. That place was in the middle of the wilderness.

He could not understand why several hundred people would choose to go there instead of the major cities in the Kingdom. The Vice Leader seemed to have read Hans's mind. "It's the best place for a fresh start. I heard that the members of the slum managed to find jobs there in just a couple of days. It should be possible for us too."

"But… Will it be safe?" Hans was troubled about the safety of that town from those monsters. "Probably," the Vice Leader gave a half-assed reply. "I'm sure you've heard about the Third Legion's invasion."

It was the rumor about how the Lord of Blackstone Town drove away ten thousand beastmen with just a small army. "Even if not all of the rumors are true, there should be some basis for it," said the Vice Leader. "The Leader and I are not coercing anyone. We will move out tomorrow afternoon, a day before the Full Moon. Think about it overnight."

The Vice Leader tapped Hans's shoulder. "If the Lord of Blackstone Town agrees to accept us, all of us plan on having a fresh start. I heard that they are hiring soldiers and farmers. I'm pretty sure most of us can fill the slot."

After filling Hans in with more of the details, the Vice Leader and his group left and went on to the next house. It was an arduous task, but the officers probably did not want anyone to be left out. Hans slumped on his bed again. He sighed. He was planning on migrating to a major city, but after meeting the Vice Leader, he was starting to change his mind. "Blackstone Town, huh?"

That night, Hans stayed up all night, unable to fully decide.