We left Arven with the smell of broken wood still clinging to our clothes. No one said it out loud, but everyone felt that it had only been the beginning. The wind blew from the north with a strange insistence, as if pushing us toward the problem.
I walked in front, attentive to the terrain. Elara came at my side, silent, her eyes analyzing everything. Liriel kept her gaze distant, as if trying to perceive something beyond what was visible. Vespera watched the sides of the trail. Rai'kanna and Lyannis guarded the rear.
It didn't take long for us to find the first signs.
Footprints too deep to belong to ordinary animals. Branches broken at the wrong height. Drag marks on the ground.
"They passed in a group," Elara said.
"Without stopping," Vespera added.
The trail led us to a small rise. From there, I saw smoke rising behind the trees. Not much, but recent.
We quickened our pace.
When the second village appeared before us, the scene was already unfolding. Part of the fence had been torn away. A barn burned with low flames. People ran from side to side trying to save what they could.
And in the middle of it, monsters scattered through the streets.
They weren't gathered in one place. They were spread out, entering houses, knocking down doors, turning everything upside down.
I stopped for a second to observe the pattern.
They weren't defending territory. They weren't protecting anything. They were just advancing.
"Let's go straight for the ones near the houses," I said.
Elara nodded. "I'll cover you."
I ran down the main street and the first monster came at me without hesitation. I dodged the attack and brought it down with a quick strike. Another emerged from the side. Then two more.
Elara cast magic over my shoulder, opening space where it was starting to tighten.
To the left, I saw Liriel raise her hand and the street brighten with her light. The monsters retreated instinctively, but they didn't flee. They just changed the direction of their advance.
Vespera was already near a house where a family was trying to get out. She intercepted any creature that came close.
Rai'kanna and Lyannis advanced together through the back of the village, preventing more monsters from entering.
The fight had no pause. It wasn't a single wave. It was as if they were appearing little by little, coming from the forest, entering without coordination, but in enough numbers to keep the pressure constant.
I brought down another and looked around.
One of them tried to enter through a window. I reached it first.
Another climbed onto the roof of a house. Liriel struck it with light before it could leap.
The sound of splitting wood, screams, and hurried footsteps mixed with the noise of combat spread throughout the village.
After several minutes, I noticed something.
They weren't trying to kill the people directly. They were destroying structures, spreading fear, forcing them to flee.
"Elara," I called.
"I noticed too," she replied.
"This isn't a direct attack."
"It's attrition."
I advanced to the central part of the village where three monsters were trying to overturn a cart. I took down all three before they could manage it.
When I looked toward the forest, I saw others coming out from it. They weren't running. They were just walking in our direction, as if they weren't in a hurry.
That confirmed it.
They were being pushed here.
Vespera appeared at my side. "More are coming."
"I saw."
Rai'kanna and Lyannis approached soon after. Liriel and Elara as well.
We formed a natural line at the entrance of the village.
The monsters advanced and we held them there.
The combat intensified for a few minutes. Closer. More direct. No room to breathe.
I brought one down, then another, then two more. Elara maintained the pressure with precise magic. Liriel illuminated everything, removing any advantage from the shadows. Vespera intercepted those who tried to go around. Rai'kanna and Lyannis kept a steady rhythm.
Until, suddenly, it stopped.
The last ones that had been coming simply ceased to appear.
Silence gradually returned.
I stood still, staring at the forest, waiting for more.
Nothing.
Just the wind moving the leaves.
Villagers slowly began to come out of hiding. Some gave thanks. Others simply looked at the damage without saying anything.
I took a deep breath and looked around the village.
Damage scattered everywhere. Houses hit. Fences on the ground. Frightened people.
Elara approached. "Two villages in the same day."
Liriel looked north. "And it's still morning."
Vespera crossed her arms. "They don't stop."
Rai'kanna rested her weapon on her shoulder. "This will repeat."
Lyannis nodded. "In other directions."
I agreed in silence.
That feeling was becoming clearer.
This wasn't an attack meant to win.
It was an attack meant to exhaust.
We helped the villagers put out the remaining fire, organized those who needed to head to the road, and made sure there were no more monsters nearby.
When we finally left the village, the sun was still high.
The day had barely begun.
As we walked back toward the trail, I heard in the distance a sound that didn't match the wind.
A distant roar.
Coming from farther north.
I stopped for a moment and looked in that direction.
Elara noticed. "You heard it too."
I nodded.
Liriel closed her eyes for a second. "There's more."
Vespera adjusted her gloves. "And it's not far."
Rai'kanna took a deep breath. "Then we keep going."
Lyannis stepped forward. "No going back to the city."
I looked once more at the forest.
This wasn't decreasing.
It was spreading.
And we were still only at the beginning of the second attack of the day.