Chapter 105 Rus.h.i.+ng to the Docks
Jack and Slivia had long since returned to the a.s.sociation building. Jack was very shy to hold Slivia"s hand within the a.s.sociation building, but she held on extra tight to make sure he couldn"t escape. This caused some commotion and rumors to develop the moment they entered the reception area.
Each of the a.s.sociation members sat down to a nice meal in their small restaurant, happy to have their cook back. By the time the storm had encompa.s.sed the entire town, most people were either sleeping or drinking the night away. Jack was one of the former, enjoying a good night"s sleep.
Unexpectedly, a hard knock came from the locked entrance, and everyone could here someone tried to force their way in. Then, they heard a shout from behind the door. "Come quickly! The pier is under attack! Open the door!"
Maynard instantly appeared in front of the door and unlocked the latch, letting in a man who was soaked from head to toe.
Everyone who had been drinking stood up and approached the armored guard as he said, "Hurry! Gather all able hands and head to the pier immediately! At least a dozen unknown monsters are destroying the docks! They"ve already destroyed all navy s.h.i.+ps and are pus.h.i.+ng to enter the city!"
"Boys, you heard him! Wake up the lazy bodies and be back here. We"re leaving in less than five minutes and anyone who"s late pays a fine!" Zariff"s booming voice sounded throughout the building, waking up some of the light sleepers. He looked to the drenched guard and asked seriously, "What"s going on exactly? What are we up against?"
While those two were discussing the situation, Maynard and Rydel hurried to Jack"s room. They threw it open and were surprised to see Jack up and ready to go with Bowzer on his shoulder. "What took you guys so long? Let"s go to the old fart and figure out more."
Maynard laughed, "I"m to see ya so excited."
"Let"s not waste time. The chief should be waiting for us especially," added Rydel as he turned and led the way.
They pa.s.sed Slivia in the hallway and she asked, "What"s going on Jack?"
"I"m not too sure. A guard came saying that the port was under attack. He should be explaining it all now," said Jack. He grabbed her hand and hurried to the entrance. When Zariff came into view Jack asked, "Hey old fart, what"s going on? What are we facing and why haven"t we left yet?"
Zariff looked back at them and smiled. "Now that you"re here, brat, we can go. Everyone else, just head for the pier! We don"t have any time to waste!" His loud voice echoed in the halls and alerted the other a.s.sociation members before the first group hurried to the back alley and left on horseback.
Jack was surprised to see Daliea and her guards joining them on horseback. Other than those three, there were seven others in the early group: the messenger guard, Zariff, Rydel, Maynard, Brunar, Jack, and Slivia. Maura was forced to stay home with her mother, which annoyed her but she had no way to say no to her father.
Zariff glanced at the guard and asked, "Now you can tell them all what"s happening. Other than the other lv. 30"s who left on missions after the trial, these are the most trusted members of our branch."
"Very well," the guard kept the lead while yelling so that everyone could hear him. "A sudden storm rolled in, and we"re almost certain it had something to do with those mysterious beasts. They"re the size of a lion with serpent heads and fins. All our navy s.h.i.+ps stationed in the pier were destroyed and the upper docks were under attack when I left."
"Who"s in charge right now?" asked Rydel.
"Captain Fronks is in command but Captain Prat and Captain Darmut are also there to help the situation."
"Fronks…" Rydel grunted, making sure he was loud enough for all to hear the disgust in his voice.
"The revered captain has managed to hold off the beasts and is in the act of doing so currently. Show some respect!" shouted the guard.
"Hey, that"s enough!" yelled Zariff, startling the guard. "We don"t need your lip! If there"s nothing else we need to know then shut up. Other than the cleric in the back you"re the weakest one here, so you don"t have authority to speak down to them."
"Hmph!" With a grunt, the guard turned back towards the road in front of him. He did, however, take a quick glance at Jack. Seeing the young Jack with a hidden level, he decided he wanted to take out some frustration on the young adventurer. "Hey you, make sure to listen to orders. Otherwise, I can"t guarantee your safety."
"Hmm… You talking to me?" asked Jack with a wry smile.
"Of course, who else!" replied the guard.
When the others saw the guard taunting Jack they all started laughing, which surprised the guard. The guard then asked, "What"s so funny?"
"Nothing," said Jack. "It"s just that you still won"t shut your yap! Keep quiet or I"ll make you."
"Don"t talk back to me!" yelled the guard more infuriated than before.
"Just a heads up," added Zariff, "I wouldn"t recommend getting on Jack"s bad side. You won"t be able to handle him, let alone his h.e.l.l-flame Fox."
"h.e.l.l-flame Fox!?" The guard"s face stiffened as he looked back to Jack and saw a young fox"s head poke out from under Jack"s cloak. "He"s the…"
"Yup, he"s the summoned hero who fought a troll captain head-to-head. He"s not bad unless you get on his bad side," joked Rydel.
The guard remained silent, no longer looking for trouble.
After five minutes of riding, they finally reached the dock house. The party was shocked to see most of the upper dock in pieces and countless s.h.i.+ps in ruin. Hurrying to join the fight, they rushed to the encirclement of guards, where they could hear the sounds of battle and cries of pain.
As they neared, the guards opened up and let them in without issue. To the party"s surprise, they saw over a dozen large, blue-scaled beasts be swarmed by dozens of guards.
When Jack saw the beasts personally, all his guesses were confirmed. Originally, he had guessed them to be a certain beast, but he had put that guess aside because they were a rare beast during Ancient Kartonia, let alone Modern Kartonia.
"Cetus…" Jack"s statement brought fear to others in his party. Jack then shouted, "Anyone under lv. 20, get back and form a perimeter! Everyone else tag team the beasts, their too quick to take on alone for anyone under lv. 30!"
Suddenly, all the guards tense up. Almost all of them were under lv. 20, especially those young soldiers who were forced to become sacrifices by Captain Fronks.
"Hold your positions!" a yell retorted Jack, surprising the young hero.
"Forget your orders! Cetuses are known to display a false level and kill their prey before you realize it!"
As Jack responded to Captain Fronks reb.u.t.tal, he had already drawn his bow and launched an attack to the nearest cetus.
The others in the party also took action. Zariff charged into a group of soldiers who were trying to retreat and held off three cetuses by himself. Maynard and Brunar charged ahead and tag teamed against some cetuses. Rydel was circling around the inside of the perimeter, shooting anything they tried to stop the escaping soldiers. Slivia began to go through the injured soldiers, helping them all stabilize and prevent any grave injuries. Daliea stayed back with her guards, not wanting to reveal her strength unless needed.
Unable to recognize their true levels, Jack had to settle with using his lv. 2 bow skill to the fullest as a means to slow and corral cetuses. It was difficult and only one was killed so far thanks to Zariff, but it wasn"t easy. Thirteen were left, and Jack was guessing that all of them were at least lv. 30!
"Don"t hold back! Somehow they"re all at least lv. 30! Be fast but be careful!"
Jack"s warning was like an alarm to the soldiers as they all took a few steps back and let the adventurers take the lead.
"Men, focus on the perimeter! Don"t get in the adventurers" way!" yelled Fronks, causing any soldiers willing to battle to leave and enter the perimeter.
"What are you doing!" yelled Trevor. "Let"s get in there and help them!"
"We"ll only get in their way. They"re the Adventurers a.s.sociation, and they have a h.e.l.l-flame Fox on their side now. They should be able to handle it fine," said Fronks, speaking quietly yet firmly so only the captains could hear him.
Trevor was torn at what he should do. He understood that they should help and he was happy to see the adventurers saving the last of his men, but he feared that he would get on the bad side of his seniors and they would prevent him from helping like before. He thought to himself, "What should I do?"