Two hours.
Two hours of investigation in Beastglade and Arlott had seen enough to understand the scale of what he was dealing with.
He stopped.
Standing before him was a sea of monsters; not a horde in the conventional sense, not the disorganized flood that Monster Tides usually produced. This was thousands upon thousands of them, lined up, waiting, still.
Twenty thousand at minimum.
'If these reach the city...'
He didn't finish the thought because the conclusion was obvious and unpleasant. Afterall, the city could be razed to the ground.
But they weren't moving.
Just standing there, waiting, like soldiers awaiting a command.
That told him everything he needed to know.
'Someone is controlling them.'
"Oh my," a voice said behind him, bright and almost delighted. "You found us already."
Arlott spun, sword up, flame erupting along the blade as he slashed in one fluid motion.
Fast.
