As the sun slowly sank below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the snow-covered town of Stratford, a great sense of unease hung in the air.
The night of the full moons had finally arrived!
As the snowflakes slowly fell to the ground, they whispered secrets into the ears of the residents about the cold and harsh night to co.
The town's cobblestone streets, usually bustling with the cheerful chatter of the residents, were now filled with the hurried movents of people preparing for the impending wolf tide.
People began barricading the doors of thier hos, even the windows weren't missed. After all, there was always the possibility of a few wolves making it past the defense line and wreaking havoc inside the town.
After the people had finished barricading all points of entry, they then proceeded to move to the underground bunkers.
Ever since the first beast tide, more than half a year ago, the people had learned to deal with it. Almost every building in the town now had tal-reinforced bunkers, protecting the residents from the deadly fangs.
Art, Aiden, and Eleiney stood out among the crowd, their robes fluttering in the chilly wind. Their faces were a mixture of determination and nervousness as they gazed at the residents locking themselves in their hos.
Aiden glanced at Art and whispered, "Hey... are you scared?"
"Hmph!" Art harrumphed, faking confidence. "Why should I be scared of a bunch of wolves? They are the ones who should be scared of !"
Eleiney looked at her friends and solemnly stated, "No matter what happens, we must stay together, okay?"
"Okay!" Art and Aiden nodded.
Aiden suddenly asked, "I wonder why the Professor isn't partaking in this battle. If everyone here were to be led by him, don't you think the battle would be over in a jiffy?"
Eleiney shook her head, unsure. "I don't know what he's thinking. Maybe he has sothing important to do?"
"Perhaps..." Art replied with a listless expression.
Not for a single mont did any of them think that Adam was afraid of fighting in tonight's battle. They knew that their ntor was very strong and would not cower in the face of a re beast tide.
As they were chatting with each other, two Magi approached them from the side. One of them called out to them in a friendly manner, "You three ready for battle?"
The kids turned in the direction of the voice and saw that it was none other than Kenley. He was with a blond young man whom they hadn't t before.
"Magus Kenley," the three children placed their hands over their chests and politely greeted. Kenley was slightly flustered seeing them act this way. He waved his hand with an awkward smile, "No need to be so formal. Just treat as you would treat a friend."
He then pointed at the young man beside him and introduced, "This is my buddy Wagner."
Wagner smiled faintly at them and slightly bowed. "Good evening."
"Co, let us walk toward the boundary wall," said Kenley as he started walking. "We'll be assigned our battle positions once we go there. I've already made arrangents for us five to be in the sa squad."
The three young Magi followed after the two Acolytes of the Brotherhood. Adam had strictly ordered Kenley and Wagner to be around his students and protect them if need be since he wouldn't be actively participating in the battle.
As the group made their way toward the town wall, they witnessed the residents moving around in fear and anxiety.
Mothers clutched their children close, whispering words of hope and comfort. Fathers and older sons brandished their weapons, preparing to defend their hos by lending a hand to the rcenaries and the Magi.
Seeing the streets slowly beco desolate, Eleiney couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering her for a long ti.
"Why can't the residents leave this town and migrate to another place?" she asked, perplexed. "If they know there's going to be a beast tide every month, isn't it wise to leave this place behind?"
Hearing her question, Kenley couldn't help but sigh, "Actually, I too have been wondering the sa question. Truth be told, I'm not a local here."
"What do you an?" Art asked in confusion.
"It's my wife who is actually from Stratford. We t and got married in the southern regions of the Empire. We were even living a decent life there, but my wife would always nag about how she missed her hotown and wanted to return," Kenley began.
He paused for a mont before shaking his head with a shrug, "In the end, I could only give in to my wife's demands and relocate to Stratford. You know what they say, happy wife happy
life."
"But your life isn't all that happy now that you're in this town, is it?" Wagner chuckled. "Haa, who would have thought?" Kenley spoke self-deprecatingly, "A year after we moved to Stratford, we'd be under the attack of a damned werewolf once every month."
"So the rumors are indeed true!" Art exclaid, "There really is a werewolf, isn't there?"
Wagner nodded. "The last ti we sent a party to venture into the depths of the Weeping Woods, they were killed by a werewolf. Only one person survived and returned to tell the tale."
He paused for a mont before adding, "Co to think of it, the person who survived was a local resident of the town. anwhile, the people that died in the woods were all hired rcenaries and Magi."
"Wait a minute." Eleiney ignored what Wagner just said. She looked at Kenley and asked, "Despite there being regular beast tides, your wife still doesn't want to move out?"
Kenley shook his head with a wistful smile, "She's too attached to her hotown, I guess. She keeps telling , if there's any place she would rather die it would be Stratford."
"Surely, all the people of this town can't share the sa sentint, can they?" Eleniey asked incredulosuly.
"These people are all crazy if you ask ," Wagner chid in. "The deep love, or rather obsession, they have for this town surpasses even that which the Acryon aristocrats have for
the Empire."
"You... aren't from this town?" Art asked curiously.
"No." Wagner waved his hand casually. "I'm from Stoneshire. I'm just visiting a relative
here."
The three children's lips twitched as they thought the sa thing.
Visiting a relative? Now, where have I heard that before?
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