NOVEL NEXT Chapter 114: Charge!
The night was long and uneasy.
No one in the camp truly slept.
They had been ordered to extinguish most of the campfires once darkness fell. Only a few dim lanterns remained, their light faintly flickering against the canvas walls of the tents.
Beyond those small circles of safety, the ridge was swallowed by darkness.
The wind was cold, carrying the scent of rotten carrion. Somewhere far off, something howled.
The first time it happened, every man and woman froze. The sound echoed across the plains, sounding deep, mournful, and far too long.
It wasn't the cry of any normal beast. It carried a kind of hunger that made the skin crawl.
Minutes later, came another, shorter this time, closer.
Then another.
And then dozens.
And so the night continued, with a noise breaking the silence every few minutes.
Screeches, roars, and guttural calls that didn't sound like they came from throats meant for speech. The horde was out there, somewhere in the dark beyond the ridge.
Inside the squad tent, Wade sat upright, back against his pack. Around him, the others tried and failed to sleep.
Rowan lay staring at the ceiling, one hand behind his head, muttering curses every few minutes.
Brody snored lightly, but his sword was clutched in his hands even in sleep. Mercy sat cross-legged, whispering what sounded like prayers.
Even the twin archers were quiet, for once.
Wade tried to close his eyes, but every time he did, another shriek would slice through the night. He could even feel the faint vibrations through the ground.
It went on for hours.
At one point, the howls were so close that it felt like the monsters were howling from right outside the tent.
Rowan reached for his weapon, muttering, "If those things come crawling up here, I'm stabbing the first one through the face."
Wade gave a dry chuckle, though his throat was tight. "You might not even see it coming."
When the night finally began to fade, no one felt rested.
And by dawn, everyone was tense.
The first rays of light pierced through the sky, slowly clearing the mist in the air.
When the horns sounded, the entire camp stirred at once.
The clank of metal filled the air as both adventurers and soldiers donned their armor.
Wade was already dressed, fastening the last of his straps. He stepped out into the cold morning air and pulled up his status screen.
[Name: Wade Barrett]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Dimensional Merchant]
[Origin Skill: Dimensional Ledger]
[Level: 10]
[Exp: 98.3%]
[HP: 1010/1010]
[MP: 2002/2002]
[Strength: 145]
[Agility: 90]
[Perception: 90]
[Constitution: 75]
[Stat Points: 0]
[Skills: Observe, Conceal, Inventory, Exchange, Basic Ward, Double Image, Short Step, Aegis of Reflection, Fireburst, Steel Skin, Chain Step, Mana Siphon, Focus Sight, Stone Skin, Bone Wings, Bone Spike, Fire Conversion]
He smiled faintly at what he was seeing. He'd used up all the stat stones he could use since he got to level 10, distributing them equally among his stats.
But there was also the effect of his gear. His pauldrons gave him +500 MP each.
Each of his Stone Gauntlets alone gave him an extra +50 Strength, and there was also the rest of his gear, with some enhancing his mana and health pools.
He flexed his fingers around the handle of Toothpick.
He was armed, armored, and ready.
'Strong enough to take a single-layer dungeon alone,' he reminded himself. 'That'll have to be enough.'
Nearby, Rowan twirled his staff. "Ready for this?"
"Not really."
"Good," Rowan said with a humorless grin. "Means you won't be overconfident."
Wade huffed a quiet laugh, though it didn't ease the weight in his stomach.
Across the camp, Captain Wells stood elevated on a mound of dirt. His voice boomed over the ranks.
"Adventurers and soldiers of Division Seven!"
The murmurs died.
"Today, we stand between the horde and the people of Vasaria. Beyond this ridge lies death. Not just for us, but for thousands who will die if we fail!"
His gaze swept across the lines. "The horde has burned villages, slaughtered farmers, and trampled the frontier underfoot. If they reach Hiving, they'll wipe out everyone we've ever known!"
A murmur of anger rippled through the ranks.
"That is why we fight!" Wells roared. "Not just for coins or contracts, but for the living! For those who can't fight for themselves!"
He drew his sword and raised it high. "Fight with honor! Fight with fury! And if we die here, let it be known we stood as heroes!"
A defiant cheer broke through the crowd.
The horns sounded again.
It was time.
The army began its slow march towards the ridge.
The climb was steep and uneven. Adventurers led the front, with the soldiers of Vasaria bringing up the rear.
Wade felt his heartbeat rising as they ascended.
Halfway up, he glanced sideways at Rowan. The man's face was pale, jaw clenched tight, but his eyes burned with focus.
The higher they climbed, the louder the sounds became. They could hear the low rumbling, distant clashes, and the unmistakable screams of battle carried on the wind.
The first wave had already begun.
Captain Wells raised a hand, signaling for a halt.
The soldiers waited, breaths coming in tense silence.
Only the sound of the battle reached their ears, the sound of hell just beyond the crest of the ridge.
Then, a flare, burning a bright red, streaked across the sky.
"Southern wing!" Captain Wells yelled at the sight. "Forward!"
And the army surged.
They reached the ridge's crest together, and Wade's breath caught in his throat.
Below, the world was a nightmare.
The horde spread across the plains like an ocean.
Monsters of every shape and size swarmed together, all crashing against the defensive line of the first army wing. The ground itself seemed to move under their numbers.
He couldn't even see the soil beneath them. Just bodies, endless bodies.
And across that sea of chaos, the first divisions of Vasaria were already locked in battle.
Explosions lit the battlefield like fireworks, sending sprays of dirt and blood skyward.
Wade's hands trembled, not from fear, but from sheer awe at the scale of it.
There must have been tens of thousands of them.
"Gods," Rowan whispered beside him. "There's so many."
Wade swallowed hard. "Yeah."
Captain Wells pointed his sword down the slope. "For Vasaria! For the living!"
A horn blared.
Then the order came.
"CHARGE!"
The sound was deafening as thousands of boots thundered down the ridge at once.
Wade ran with them, Toothpick gripped tightly.
It was time to face death.