A Chronometric Defect

Today is a boring day. It's a regular day! It's a day where I spend seemingly endless hours 'guarding' the city. Which means doing essentially nothing. How do other guards stay awake? I look over at my armored partner.

*snork*

*ZZZzzz-schwaaa*

Oh.

Well, I don't like being executed for letting enemies past our guard shack. Or being executed by said enemies to ensure they silence us. I won't be following his lead.

I scan across the forest's treeline again.

Godsdamn trees. They're always so brown and green. Can you not be so brown and green? I swear, even my dreams are turning into these two colors.

It's not like I want an army to attack our city. Oh, no no no. That means they'd be attacking us. We're the front line, so to speak, the very first line of defense. Guards— we aren't a military. We're better equipped than most footsoldiers, but... I look at my snoozing counterpart.

*zzz-hmf-hm*

...

*SCHWAAAA*

Unlike an army, there's only one guard here.

One guard, plus a random lump of metal and flab which makes strange noises. Fat lot of good that does in a major attack.

It's enough for Haitos city, though. Enough for me, too. I'm cooped up at an external guard shack. It's a location most view as punishment, and it's no doubt boring as hell.

Yet— I prefer this place.

Inner city guards get killed a lot more often. They regularly break up warrior or mage fights, sometimes even attempted insurrections. Plus, I get paid more for plopping my ass out here, because our leaders view the perimeter as the most critical part of the city's defenses.

Not every city is this way, of course. Some cities close up their gates and act like recluses. But why? Life is better lived together. I glance at my indolent partner once more.

*zzzZZzz-shffweee*

Hmm.

Well, usually.

I turn to him and shove his lazy ass off the guard house wall; the thing he's leaning against. I then cup my hands around my mouth and wait.

*shhshk*

*klomp*

He rolls down the grassy embankment until his armored body impacts the city's main defensive wall.

*shk*

*skh*

*sahk*

*skk*

*skeek*

*sh-THEK*

I scream just as he hits.

"ENEMY ATTAAACK!"

I lower my hands and watch him.

He bolts up and panics like a madman in his half-asleep stupor. He waves his spear around, hitting nothing, until it contacts the stone wall. His helmet visor coincidentally slides over his face upon contact with his 'enemy.'

*swoosh*

*woosh*

*thk**skreek*

He rapidly begins stabbing at the nigh-impervious city wall with a damn near righteous fury.

*thok**klik**shrk*

*skrt**thk*

*thrk**thod**skrre*

Woah! Didn't know he had it in him.

"Barnet! Help me! Help me! They're killing me! They've got my eyes, oh, they've blinded me!"

*skrok**thid**skrit*

*thrik**thid**ko-drit*

*skreep**pok*

I facepalm.

My gods, this stooge!

"Korel, the fuck are you on about?! You were sound asleep and now you're randomly swinging your spear around. You look like a total loon."

His movements slow, his dumbass body no longer attacking the solid stone wall with such grandiose yet pointless ferocity. The realization visibly dawns within his sleep-addled mind; his body straightens up bit by bit.

*rrk*

*thok*

*prit*

He flips his visor up.

*skreek*

He sees his spear's many scratches and chips upon the defensive wall, then turns to me.

*chk*

*chk*

"Barnet, why did you sound the alarm? Now I've damaged the wall! They're going to make me buff it out!"

I shake my head, feigning ignorance.

"You did that all on your own. I haven't said a word in dozens of hours, and look, I'm all the way over here. You were on the ground over there. What makes you think I'd sound the alarm while you're lazily sleeping in a ditch?"

He tilts his head, confused. Then, he seems to understand something. What it is— I don't know. The stupid can be scarier than the smart.

"Oh, yeah! That makes sense. You would've woken me up if there was danger. I'm sorry Barnet, I'm sorry! I'll try not to doze off again."

A blue inscription circle lights up above the back of Korel's hand. I look down; it's on mine, too. Both of us at the same time? That's rare. I hear a voice.

"Mana sound data shows an imminent attack from your vicinity! Report!"

Korel looks at me, confused, as he climbs back up the embankment. His visor slides down again.

*chrk*

*chk*

*skreek*

Oh, fuck! Mana sound, what IS that? They didn't hear me yell, did they? Did I just surrender my job and possibly my life for a prank? My wife and daughter flit through my mind— I'm focused.

"No, sir! But Korel here was just claiming he heard something. He insists enemies are near! I haven't heard what he did, but we're on alert."

Good. That should throw them. Your turn, Korel. I look at him with deadly seriousness.

"Uhh, yes sir. I panicked and attacked the wall. Also, I don't know why, but I'm—urk"

Both of our inscriptions vanish simultaneously; my attention darts to the treeline.

My chest. My heart. My body. What— what's happening?! Am I dying? I shakily but barely manage to focus back on Korel. He's already on his knees. He flops forward, face down on the grass.

No way. An attack?

The air around me starts to distort. I can see the air itself moving, like ripples of water. Until I hear—

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡SK—‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

— a deafening sound. So deafening, my ears immediately give up. I feel something wet trickling out from my head. From my ears, yes. But my eyes, my nose... Then, a blast of ringing sounds from every direction at once. It's as though my skull has turned into a bell.

My mind shakes, but I've got the stats to resist this— just barely. Such powerful magic definitely can't be cast more than once in a short timespan. Which is a godssend, since I'm the entire front line. Korel is down.

I examine him.

Dead, judging by the amount of blood already pooled around his body. I MUST stay standing.

I search for the enemy while lowering my visor.

Nothing.

I ready my spear for first contact.

Nothing.

I keep searching nearby.

Noth—

From the corner of my eye. Two large, scaly orange, black clawed feet, plus a huge pair of wings.

One of the feet lands directly on the downed Korel, crushing him and his armor into a bloody mess. An empty black substance floods around Korel's broken body, and then he's...

Gone?

I look up at the monstrosity now standing atop Korel's final resting place. Way, way up.

When I do, our eyes meet. It nods at me.

I don't know what it means. I don't know what's happening. But I do feel my mind breaking. I have so many questions, so many things I need to do, yet one word is screeching so loudly above all my distorted thoughts.

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