Born in Blood

The sky was devoid of any clouds, allowing the sun to shine brightly. A light breeze carrying winds of hardship accompanied that air.

"I'll be going then, ma."

Liam concluded after sitting with his mother for half an hour.

Eve reluctantly stopped stroking his flowing hair. As she stared into her son's steely eyes, she couldn't help but feel proud.

...And simultaneously grieved. His image reminded her too much of his father - the person who wanted nothing to do with either of them.

Liam was merely eleven, yet had the aura of a confident and mature adult.

Sometimes, she would spot a cold look in his eyes, making her forget he was just a child.

"Please... be safe."

Liam assured her with a smile.

"I will, don't worry."

***

All the guild members of the peasantry arrived at the new base - wearing heat resistant clothing made from magical beast leather.

Scouts, mercenaries, escorts and more. Their numbers surpassed hundreds, but not all of them were strong. In fact, most weren't Magi.

Lines formed at the entrance, where two old men with long white beards and black robes took their weapons, inscribing them with various lines.

The aura they exuded was powerful, and their age didn't match their demeanor.

Liam stood in line like normal, wearing his black clothing and tying his long blonde hair to a small man-bun.

When his turn came, he saw how the old man inscribed his blades.

He used an inscribed quill with a sharp tip. The feather itself looked to have magical properties – presumably a magical beast – and its surface was covered with small runes.

'The methods of inscribing are practically endless. I'm sure there are others that use external tools to inscribe.'

Thinking of inscriptions, Liam was reminded of Revel.

The pale-faced maniac resided within the cavity of a mountain, thus had nothing to fear from the beast tide.

"I'm guessing the inscriptions make the blade more heat resistant?"

Liam asked, and the old man shot him a smiling nod. He didn't bother to add anything else, though.

Thanking him, Liam made his way inside the new guild headquarters.

Servants at the entrance handed out revitalizing pills, although they weren't as potent as Liam's own.

A tense but rowdy air met him. Although not everyone was too strong, they were veterans who had more than a few brushes with death.

The beast tide made them write their wills, though. Undoubtedly, all of them expected to die with the exception of some.

Before long, David along with a few other white-robed men appeared on a small stage – an informative map behind them.

They gestured for silence, and David took a step forward.

"As you all know, a large group of Lava Lions are approaching quickly from the east, which will arrive in just a few hours. There are an estimated forty-six Rank-3 beasts in various stages, and at least one hundred Rank-2's..."

"And one Rank-4."

Almost everyone simultaneously grumbled in annoyance and anger, with an undisguised tint of fear. Their frustration was understandable.

All it would take was one noble clan patriarch to end the tide at once, but their circumstances – their status – didn't allow that.

David straightened his back and spoke in a confident tone.

"Do not despair. We've requested help, and a gracious noble patriarch has accepted... only, we have to clear out the lower ranked beasts ourselves. Additionally, the more Lava Lion corpses you garner, the more merits you may achieve."

David gestured to an empty scoreboard to his left. "Your group leaders will be in charge of the magical beast retrievals, and will divide it according to whoever has the most contributions."

Although the guild members were still visibly angry, those emotions slightly softened.

"Other than that, we've already set down multiple formations that can strengthen and speed up our forces. Your inscribed weapons have heat resistance, so don't be afraid of any magma the Lions might spew.

"You've already memorized most of the strategies, so I won't brush up on that topic. The fight will take place on an empty glade, so there won't be any civilian casualties."

"We will assign the groups now."

As he said that, a dozen figures entered the stage. Among them was Lloyd and Ophis.

Their auras were powerful, and they were no doubt the strongest within the guild.

Liam exchanged a quick nod with his teacher, before David began speaking.

"These men and women will be your group leaders. Strictly follow every one of their orders, or you will be held accountable for treason."

Liam scoffed.

'Death either way, eh?'

The next few minutes, the groups were quickly assigned.

Liam, of course, was assigned to his teacher's team. Besides him, were two women and five men.

Lloyd's group was the smallest, yet consisted of the most capable.

"I'm Emma. This is my younger sister, Yannis."

A blonde-haired woman with bright blue eyes introduced with a warm smile.

Besides her, was a shorter woman with similar features, only she looked a lot less mature – an condescending expression on her face.

The rest briefly introduced themselves, giving Liam strange looks – to which he replied with a sharp glare of his own.

Of their group, Liam could sense the strongest was Lloyd and Emma.

'I could probably kill the rest one on one – if I use everything and catch them by surprise – but I'm still too weak against these two.'

Lloyd spotted the expression on his face and chuckled.

"Right now, he's thinking of ways he could beat you all."

Simultaneously, all group members looked at him with a frown. Except for Emma, who laughed just like Lloyd.

'Thanks for that. We're off to a great start.'

Before the group could grow even further apart, David gestured for everyone to head for the glade.

As they reached there, Liam spotted intricate lines and diagrams on the ground – strengthening formations. He had no idea how formations worked, since it was also a completely different branch of cultivation.

There was a canyon gorge to their right, but a flimsy border protected anyone from falling inside.

Designated stations for each group covered the border. Everyone took out their weapons and tensed up – ready for battle.

Liam himself turned serious, a cold pressure in his eyes.

"Stick close, and don't break apart." Lloyd commanded.

Before long, a deep rumbling grew louder, accompanied by countless growls from the treeline ahead.

"THEY'RE COMING!"