The shouts of an unknown Knight apprentice, combined with the shieking sound of the bell that echoed as if it were right next to Henry—clearly amplified by some kind of magical device—triggered a massive panic.
Even the Knights seemed momentarily taken aback, their expressions betraying a flicker of surprise. However, they swiftly regained their composure; the years of rigorous training kicking in overrode the sudden shock.
As the Knights surveyed the scene, they saw fear in the eyes of every apprentice. Some were frozen in place, having not moved since the bell first started ringing, while others were screaming and hyperventilating. Fortunately, their training helped most of them retain enough composure to avoid fleeing. However, a group of ten apprentices, mostly the newer recruits, panicked and tried to run without any specific destination in mind, their fight-or-flight response having kicked in.
Before any of them could flee the field, Henry, who hadn't been too far from Camden and Adar yet, suddenly felt a strange power build up behind him in the direction he had just walked from.
"Tempest Cage"
Camden spoke slowly but with conviction as a wall of winds at one hundred twenty mph surrounded the dirt field, cutting off any means of escape for all apprentice-level power.
"Silence"
Camden whispered this time, but his voice still resonated in everyone's ears, overpowering the sound of the bell and stopping everyone in their tracks as they looked over at Camden.
Henry gazed at Camden with a blend of fear and respect as he witnessed the power wielded by a mage for the first time.
"Everyone, stay calm. We don't even know what the emergency is. I'm going to head to the mountainside bell and find out. While I'm gone, Adar, you're in charge."
Camden, showing the urgency the situation called for, finished his words and, without waiting for a reply, muttered something not quite discernible under his breath as he began to sprint towards the bell, seemingly with the assistance of the air around him. His speed was astonishing, and within a few seconds, he became a blur in the distance.
Adar, noticing that the farther Camden went, the more restless the aprentices became, decided to issue orders to refocus them.
"Attention! All aprentices have no more than 10 minutes to retrieve their armor and weapons and make their way back here."
"Yes, Sir," some apprentices replied, while others rushed to the barracks for their gear without responding.
"Alright, you eleven, go and get your gear," Adar said, turning to the knights who had been waiting for his orders on his right. "Oh, and I almost forgot—Lance and William, please get my gear as well, and bring Henry some old gear from the headquarters armory."
"Understood, Sir," all eleven of them responded in unison and rapidly moved to execute, highlighting the distinction between the Knight apprentices and the true Knights.
The field, once lively with over forty people, was now empty except for Henry and Adar as they waited quietly.
"Listen, Henry, no matter what happens, you stay by my side," Adar said seriously.
"Yes, Sir," Henry replied, suddenly aware of something he had previously overlooked. He felt abandoned by his father after what he had done, interpreting his decision to send him to the garrison as a form of exile. However, he now understood that Adar's special attention was actually his father's way of ensuring Henry's safety.
This thought brought Henry comfort amid the uncertainty of the current situation.
Five minutes after Adar had sent the apprentices to get their gear, the first of the thirty apprentices began to trickle in. Most of them were already wearing their armor, while a few carried it in their hands, as if the time it would take them to put it on would exceed the allotted ten minutes.
With only a few seconds remaining before the ten-minute mark, the last of the apprentices barely made it and were efficiently stationed in six rows of five columns, separated by half an arm's length of distance.
As the last of the apprentices got into position, they all arrived together, armor fully donned, swords in hand, with only Lance and William slightly behind because of the extra set of gear they were tasked with retrieving.
The sudden arrival of the Knights made Henry realize how much he had underestimated their abilities. They traveled all the way to the headquarters—which had been a fifteen-minute walk for him and Adar—and returned in less time than it took some of the apprentices to reach theirs, even though their quarters were right in front of them.
Without any instructions, three knights positioned themselves behind the apprentices, while three others took positions on the left and right flanks each. Meanwhile, the final two knights, Lance and William, stood at the front, facing Adar and Henry as they handed them their armor and swords.
Adar's armor and sword stood out distinctly from those of the other knights, a testament to both craftsmanship and his elevated status. His chest plate, expertly forged from a lightweight steel, hugged his form with an elegant fit, its surface intricately engraved with the bold, striking word "Vice." The engraving gleamed subtly in the light, adding an air of mystique to his presence. In contrast, his swords shone bright like the moon reflecting the sun's rays.
He slipped into the armor with effortless confidence, each piece falling into place as if it were an extension of himself. In stark contrast, Henry wrestled with his mismatched gear, grunting in frustration as he fumbled with the oversized plates that clanked and shifted uncomfortably on his slender frame. The armor, clearly intended for a much larger warrior, loomed over him, making him feel clumsy and out of place.
"Good job, everyone," Adar exclaimed, surprised at how fast the apprentices shook off the initial shock of the state of emergency.
"When this is over, I'll make sure to reward all of you with three days off to visit family and an extr--"
The sudden hiss of the wind picking up cut Adar off. Looking at the direction the wind was coming from, they could see Camden approaching at an even faster pace than he had left. Within one breath, he was standing alongside Adar's left.
His facial expression was solemn, the furrow of his brows and the tight line of his mouth betraying the weight of his revelations. It was clear to everyone that the news he had been told was far more troubling than he had originally feared.
"We don't have time for any excessive explanations, so I'll be quick. The garrison will soon be under attack within an hour. The current strength of the garrison isn't enough to exempt you, apprentices, from the battle you will all run in this current formation to the mountainside gate and await the coming battle."
Camden's words sent a shiver of fear through some of the soldiers, their faces paling as uncertainty crept in. However, the majority managed to muster their resolve, drawing strength from the tight-knit formation around them, which provided a reassuring sense of solidarity and purpose as they stood their ground.
"Prepare to run. Start now," Camden shouted instead of using his magic to transfer his words to their ears, likely to invigorate them for the coming battle.
Henry, who was at the very front with Adar, began running alongside him. It only took Henry a few strides to realize that the wind was helping him run, as he was going faster than he had ever run with minimal effort.
He realized Camden, who had transferred himself to the back, was using his magic to keep the formation together.
Those who were faster received less wind assistance, while those who were slower were pulled forward by an even stronger wind force.
Henry, who was receiving the highest wind assistance, looked to his left and saw that Adar wasn't receiving any assistance, yet he looked as relaxed as he was.
The contrast allowed him to properly appreciate Camden's magical prowess as well as Adar's physical prowess.
Camden's wind magic had amazingly shortened what was usually a forty-minute run at top speed for a max-leveled apprentice into a fifteen-minute run with ease.
Adar, who ran the whole way without breaking a sweat, began breaking the mass formation into three groups. Two of the groups contained three knights and five apprentices. One group was assigned to the left side and the other to the right side of the open space in front of the gate. The third group, made up of the remaining five knights and twenty aprentices in charge of the middle space in front of the gate.
All non-combatants were evacuated to the far side of the garrison as the battle was imminent.
Henry, Adar, and Camden lingered at a safe distance behind the main group as the ground began to softly shake, unnerving everyone who felt it.
"Alright, Sir Camden, give it to me straight, what's actually going on?"
Adar leaned forward with concern, ensuring only Camden and Henry could hear him whisper.
Camden exhaled slowly before beginning, "The scouts monitoring our side of Sinclair Mountain reported seeing a group of trolls behaving suspiciously at the mountain's base. The last message we received indicated that the group's combined power posed a significant threat, and their leader appeared to be at least C rank. Shortly after that message, we lost contact with all scouts in the area. Because of this unusual situation, the gate tower on this side aimed the mana scope toward the mountain, which revealed that fifteen trolls were heading in our direction."
Adar shook his head in dismay as he listened to Camden's words.
"Well, let's hope the leader really is only rank C because with the trolls' superior racial strength, even with us two being rank C as well, it might not be enough, not to mention the rest of the trolls. It's too bad the captain and squad A aren't back from helping the Winslow barony with their Ogre invasion."
Henry heard Adar's words on how even a rank C mage and Knight might not be enough against only one rank C troll and realized how little he really knew about the world. For the first time, he felt genuine regret for choosing to turn himself into a frog in a well.
The conversation as a whole gave Henry the feeling that his life was truly in danger for the first time, and the shock prevented him from listening to it any further.
As Adar and Camden continued their whispering, they were cut off by the roars of the trolls who had just arrived.
As the bone-chilling roars of the trolls echoed through the air, the apprentices felt their courage crumble. Fear seeped into their hearts, dragging their spirits down to an all-time low. Some of them trembled violently, their legs shaking uncontrollably, while others, overwhelmed by terror, lost control and soiled their pants. The stench of fear created a suffocating atmosphere that only intensified their panic.
"Don't worry! Let them tire themselves out trying to break down the gate. This is our home turf, we have the advantage!"
Adar roared towards the terrified aprentices, the other knights understanding what Adar was trying to accomplish began to chant "Our turf! Our turf!! Our Turf!!!
The chant caught fire, and soon every single Knight and apprentice was chanting it, boosting morale significantly.
Adar smiled at the pumped-up soldiers who were now ready for battle.
"You sure know what you're doing, Adar," Camden said with a loud laugh. "Maybe we do have a shot at winn--"
BOOOMMM!!!!
The explosive crack of the gate shattering into countless fragments pierced the air, drowning out all other sounds in a cacophony of chaos.
"Th, Tha, That's definitely not a C rank troll," Camden said with a look of horror
"Silly hu-manss"