"Tch!" Alator scoffed. "This guy really knows how to rile people up. Which demonic beasts and monsters is he talking about?" Alator said with scorn.
Honestly, common people in this Wastelands like Alator had no idea about the actual danger in this world. One thousand years ago, humanity had advanced so greatly in technology that they believed themselves to be untouchable. But after a strange anomaly occurred, out of nowhere, demonic beasts appeared and raided human territory, destroying every single thing.
They didn't just crush armies; they destroyed both machinery and technological infrastructure that made the world easier, leaving behind a husk of iron and ruins. The beasts were finally driven back behind the Rift and sealed away by the Immortal King's final sacrifice, a dying act that saturated the world with Mana. Mana was never meant for mortals. It came from a divine act, humanity's "inheritance" after the fall of the Calistian realm.
With no central government left in the Wastelands, those few families who mastered the art of Mana forged a new, iron-fisted order, giving rise to the Eight Noble Houses that rule the Eight Domains in the Wastelands. But, in this current Mage Era, the demonic beasts are beginning to make their way back into human territory, a terrifying sign that the ancient seal is finally collapsing.
Currently, Alator was thinking they were going to hunt some wild animals. So, he didn't care. To him, even if the situation was really dangerous just as the man claimed, he would just hide and wait for them to finish with the so-called beast. Once it's over, he would come back and reap the benefits as one of the survivors.
"Move!!"
"Move!!"
The loud voice of the Regent jolted Alator out of his thoughts. Alator immediately joined others who were already making their way towards the heavy riveted, grizzled armored vehicles. It had thick steel plates, heavy iron wheels, and scorched marks from close-range combat and spells.
This vehicle uses Mana Crystals to move and function, which is the rarest and most precious form of Mana Stone in the Wastelands, making it even more difficult to use.
"Infuse the Mana Crystals in the power zone, fast!!" The Regent roared.
Not long, runes began to appear on the surface of the armored vehicles, then it roared to life.
"Humm!"
Soon, the seven armored vehicles took off.
..................
"What! Why did you allow him to join the Storm Scripers? Have you forgotten what's at stake if something happens to him?!" A voice roared like thunder beside the garrison.
Currently, a man draped in a black cloak knelt on one knee, his head bowed and his two hands clasped together in front of him. He was facing a transparent figure of an old man, who looks like an otherworldly being that seemed to have materialized into existence from Mana.
A figure with long white hair, a white beard, pointed ears, and striking green eyes. This figure wore an ancient-white robe, with a long white cape that hung on his shoulders, and extended all the way down to the ground.
The old man stood with his two hands behind his back and a strange energy continued to radiate from his body as he stared down at the man kneeling in front of him.
"I'm sorry my lord, I thought I was only to interfere if things become extremely dangerous" the figure draped in a black cloak said. This was the same shadow that has been following Alator around ever since he was a child.
"If things become extremely dangerous you said? Then what do you think is going to happen at the border? Do you think the demonic beasts are going to play with him?!" The figure said with rage oozing out of him.
"Now go and bring him back at once!!" The figure roared, as a terrifying aura exploded from him and rippled across the place. The garrison behind him trembled, but still stood tall.
Without a word, the man under the cloak rose to his feet and vanished into the darkness at a speed of light. The transparent figure stood silently, glowering in the direction the man had gone. Moments later, it disintegrated into fragments of energy and vanished, leaving only the lone flame torches on the garrison wall with its fire struggling against the cold wind.
..............
The armored vehicles rumbled over the rough, broken road of the outskirt, struggling against its jagged surface but refusing to yield as it pushed through with steady force.
As they moved forward, Alator sat comfortably in the vehicle without a hint of panic.
"You look so calm," a man sitting at the opposite end said with a smile. "It seems this isn't your first time facing the beasts?" The man asked.
Alator chuckled. "Not really," he simply replied. He didn't want to get too much attention here.
The man suddenly narrowed his eyes at him. "You look pretty young. What tier are you? Are you at the mid-stage of Advanced tier?" The man asked as he kept staring at Alator.
He wasn't feeling any Mana fluctuation from Alator, hence couldn't tell his level at all. The only two things that can cause this situation are: One, the person may be a Dormant. Two, the person is a level or two above you. To the man, two was likely to be impossible, considering that Alator appeared to be younger than him. One was even ridiculous. He didn't believe that a Dormant would be taken as a Scriper.
Alator stared back at the man as he thought to himself. "Why so many questions? Wait... don't tell me he has found out that I'm not one of them. No, that's not possible." Just as Alator was still struggling to find an answer, the ground suddenly began to rumble and shake as if an earthquake was about to happen.
"What was that?" A man on the driving seat in the first armored vehicle asked as he furrowed his brows.
"Whoosh!"
A sharp sound of something tearing through the air rang out.
"Incoming!"
The loud voice of the Overseer on top of the first armored vehicle resounded across the place. But he was a second late. Just as he jumped off the vehicle,
"Bang!"
A bright white light struck the first armored vehicle. The front steel bent unnaturally as the armored vehicle was sent flying into the air.
"Crash!"
It came crashing down on the ground and rolled a few meters away before finally coming to a stop.
The second armored vehicle quickly pulled its brakes, instantly deviating its direction towards the forest to avoid the vehicle from overturning from the sharp brake. The armored vehicle skidded along the rough road and suddenly rammed into a tree.
"Bang!"
The tree managed to stop it from going further. However, the third armored vehicle was able to stop on time, and so were the other four behind.
The Scripers began to scramble out of the overturned vehicle. None died or was injured. They were Mages after all, so an accident like this was basically useless to them, as they had their Mana Barrier to protect their body.
Lucky enough, Alator was in the third armored vehicle, hence he wasn't affected, or else he would have turned into a bloody mess if he was in the first or the second armored vehicle.
Not long, everyone had exited the armored vehicles, including Alator, who was on high alert. Now he somehow understood that things might really be dangerous here.
"Roar!"
A terrifying roar shook the land as a horde of beasts were seen approaching and madly dashing towards them. Even the Regent felt a shiver run down his spine when he heard that roaring voice earlier.
A demonic beast capable of doing that was a Three-Star Savage Beast which can rival Grandmaster tier and likely crush a Master Tier Mage. Currently in the group, only the Regent was at the mid-stage of Master Tier, the rest were Advanced Tier Mages.
"Fall back!" The voice of the Regent rang out from the fifth armored vehicle in the distance.
"Formation Masters step forward and set up the formation. Long Rangers prepared to counter!. The Combat Mages should attack immediately!." The Regent gave his orders as he quickly jumped off the armored vehicle, drawing a sword out of thin air as he rushed forward.
Regent Arlen knew the graveness of the situation here, considering the sheer number of the beasts approaching them, coupled with the presence of a Three-Star Savage Beast, that was a bit too much for them to handle. He only hoped they could hold on until the reinforcement from the House arrives.