A few more days passed, and John continued to spar with Althea. Although he was beaten black and blue, he slowly started to get the hang of it. His swordsmanship experience increased to 8/100, while his archery reached 17/100. John also discovered that he had more natural talent with archery than swordsmanship, so he began focusing more of his effort on archery.
…
John and Althea looked up. The sky began to darken, and rain started to fall lightly. John noticed that Althea frowned deeply. He could feel that her mood was growing worse by the moment.
He glanced at her, noticing how tightly she gripped her sword. Curious, he asked, "What's wrong?" It was the first time John had spoken to her outside of sparring in the few days they had known each other.
Althea replied coldly, "Something bad will probably happen soon."
John was taken aback. He realized that she wasn't guessing—she was stating a fact.
He wanted to ask further, but then the sky suddenly brightened. To his shock, it wasn't the sun. Multiple large black fireballs appeared in the sky, and one was headed straight toward them.
"Crap! RUN!"
John shouted, but Althea didn't move. With no choice, he grabbed her hand and pulled her hard to the side.
"BOOOM!"
Before Althea could react, she was blasted aside with John. Her ears rang, and pain coursed through her body.
"Are you okay?!" John shouted, seeing her bruised and bleeding. She looked at her condition, then gave him a small nod.
When things settled, John looked at the blazing crater only a few yards away. If it had landed closer, they would've been in far worse shape. All around, he saw people groaning and screaming. Those who had been too close were burned, some missing limbs entirely.
Other than the created crater, the whole training courtyard and it surroundings were blasted apart.
Then his eyes fell on Captain Elias. He had been caught near the center of the blast. John knew the man had a physique far stronger than anyone else in the training field, but even so, his body was horribly burned. His left eye was melted, and both arms, which he had raised in a last effort to shield himself, were gone. John could see his internal organs slowly being consumed.
A voice behind him muttered, "He's gone."
John felt a deep sorrow. Though they had only known each other briefly, Captain Elias had always helped him behind the scenes.
Soon, alarm bells rang throughout the city. John felt strong auras rising everywhere. This time, the ballistas and catapults on the walls can be heard firing outside the city.
With chaos erupting all around, John froze, unsure what to do. But thanks to his training, he remembered what to do when the bells rang. He, Althea, and a handful of others who could still move quickly grouped up to await orders from the barracks. Guards barked commands, while those too injured to stand were left behind—their fate uncertain.
…
The barracks were close to the training grounds. When John's group arrived, nearly a thousand new recruits and guards were gathered in one place. Standing before them was a captain of the guard.
Captain Roland was tall, with silver-black hair, a stern jawline, and piercing gray eyes. His steel plate armor made him look like an immovable wall, and the heavy atmosphere he exuded silenced the crowd. With a fierce expression, he began explaining their roles.
Orders were given quickly. Many recruits were sent to man the walls, while others were assigned to supporting roles such as carrying supplies or helping the wounded.
Captain Roland didn't explain the full situation. He only said that enemy forces were attacking. But John—and many others—knew the black fireballs raining from the sky were not weaponry but magic.
…
Since time was short, John's group was assigned to the walls, following veteran soldiers. His archery skills were already impressive, and several guards noticed his potential. Surprisingly, Althea ended up in the same group as John—whether by chance or design.
The two of them hurried toward the walls. Along the way, they passed scenes of devastation. Houses burned, smoke rose everywhere, horses galloped wildly, and knights, guards, and mercenaries rushed in all directions. John also saw the tragic sight of burned corpses and wounded civilians lying abandoned in the streets.
…
When they reached the walls, the stench of blood hit John like a hammer. Limbs and corpses were scattered everywhere. Along the corpses, John saw multiple bodies of a grey skinned humanoid creatures with a gaunt skeletal face and long claws .
Fear gripped his heart, and his breathing grew ragged.
"Shit, I don't want to die. I don't want to die."
He repeated the thought again and again in his mind.
He had never experienced war before. His life had been relatively comfortable up until now. But here, staring at the carnage, he felt certain that once he set foot on the wall, death awaited him. His body trembled, and he struggled to breathe.
Then, a soft hand rested on his shoulder.
"Don't be a wuss. Let's go."
He turned to see Althea smiling at him. Taking a deep breath, John steadied himself. He had no choice but to climb that wall. He grabbed a bow and arrows from a fallen soldier and forced himself to keep moving.
…
When John's group reached the top of the massive walls, and found that it was much worst. It wasn't just the blood but separated limbs were everywhere. The humanoid creatures were thrown below the wall that created a pile, while some of the soldiers started removing the dead bodies of their comrades.
Then, looking ahead beyond the wall made his eyes widen.
A massive army stretched across the land. They weren't well-organized but rather a chaotic mix of races of humans, demi beasts, humanoid creatures, and beast a like.
Then John's gaze froze. High in the sky floated a man in black robes. Though the distance blurred the details, he could clearly see three enormous black fireballs, each at least twenty feet across, circling around the figure.
Beside him, a veteran soldier cursed and spat on the ground. "It's a damn black wizard. What shitty luck."
The air grew heavy and solemn with the people present at the top of the wall. John could also feel the fear spreading among the new recruits that came with him.
"Look behind us," Althea whispered in a calm voice.
John turned. In the heart of the city, a figure clad in gleaming plate armor stood atop a massive flying beast—a manticore. Behind him, several knights rode griffins, their wings slicing through the air.