Tier 2 soldiers took the front, forming a tight circle with one-eighth of the rear intentionally left unmanned. Shields overlapped tightly, spears angled outward like the spines of a thorned shell. The new recruits stood inside the circle, spears pointed through the gaps between our shields. The whole formation rotated slowly, ensuring no single point stayed exposed.
Shields stayed low and close to the body to protect the legs from low-angle pounces, and spears were limited to short thrusts only, no wide swings.
This formation was designed to counter cat-like, jaguar-like, or hyena-like beasts, the kind that darted in and out of striking distance with incredible speed. We had been practicing formation drills for weeks, but the difference since two day was that Sergeant had decided to join the drills himself. For reasons known only to him, his favorite curses all involved mud.
But despite the insults, the man knew his craft. Between shouts, he explained beast types, common affinities, and which formations worked against them. Cat-like beasts and hyena-types, for example, often carried wind or dark affinities, fast, erratic, and hard to track.
“Now, earth-element counter formation!” the Sergeant barked.
As we started shifting positions, he shouted again.
“Ben. Michael.”
His voice dropped.
“Are your heads filled with horse dung, or are you just pretending not to see what’s behind you? Watch your surroundings. This formation counters a combined force of heavy beasts like stonebacks or forest bears and burrowers. The Tier 2s handle the front. Not you. Your job is to protect their backs and keep an eye out for anything trying to sneak behind the formation.”
Ben and Michael’s faces flushed red as they shifted their focus from the front to their surroundings while we moved into the Three-Ring Bastion. Earth-stability arrays protected the fort walls, but out on open terrain, burrowers were a menace no soldier wanted to meet unprepared. That was why this formation existed at all: it was built for the nightmare of heavy beasts charging from the front while burrowers attacked unseen from below.
The four strongest Tier 2 soldiers in our squad, Varric, Garran, Walter, and Colin, took the first ring during drills. Their shields locked into a broad, slightly curved wall. Each shield overlapped the next, forming a smooth barricade of wood and iron. Their stances were deep and anchored, one foot braced forward. Spears rested in their rear hands, leveled straight ahead at the height of a beast’s shoulders or throat. In real combat, these would be the men who stopped the first heavy impact.
Behind them, the formation widened into a loose ring of Tier 2 soldiers spaced a few paces apart. That was where I stood during drills. Our shields hung low, angled toward the ground to intercept anything bursting upward. Spears pointed diagonally down, ready to strike the instant the soil cracked. We stayed light on our feet, adjusting whenever the earth shifted beneath us. Our job was simple: kill anything that surfaced.
At the center stood the Tier 1 recruits. Shields tight, spears held underhand, tips aimed downward. They only engaged if a burrower fully surfaced or if a wounded beast stumbled into the inner circle. Until then, they kept their eyes locked on the dirt, searching for the faintest tremor.
Two Tier 2 soldiers guarded the rear. Today, the Sergeant and Owen took that position. They stood behind the inner ring, watching for wide-circling beasts or burrowers tunneling behind the formation. Their shields angled outward like the back plates of a turtle, spears pointed toward the ground and the flanks. They were the final barrier against a breach.
There were no permanent positions. As Sergeant reminded us repeatedly, he would assign placements in real combat based on our condition at the time, our skill, our speed, and the mix of beasts we encountered.
We practiced a few more formations counter-lines, staggered thrust walls, rotating shields, before Sergeant finally called for a break.
“You mud-born disappointments.”
He exhaled sharply.
“I need a break from this foolishness. Take fifteen minutes. Colin and Owen, continue the drills after that. Colin, a word with me,”
Sergeant barked before stomping off.
He was usually angry and irritated during formation drills, but today he seemed even worse. We broke formation and headed toward our backpacks, scooping up water skins as we passed. The training field stretched around us in churned soil, scattered footprints, shield dents, and the lingering smell of sweat carried by a dry wind.
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I watched Colin as he walked back after speaking with the Sergeant.
“Sergeant looks even angrier than usual. Do you know why?” I asked.
He placed a hand on my shoulder and guided me a few steps away from the others.
“Yeah. Sergeant was supposed to announce it after today’s drills, but I guess I’ll be the one to announce it.” His expression tightened with disappointment. “We got our position assignments for the defense. Our squad is assigned to the outer wall.”
I frowned.
“I thought it was already clear we’d be outside the wall. That’s been the plan since the start. What’s surprising about that?”
“Sergeant’s been trying to get us posted inside the fort,” Colin explained. “That’s why we’ve been doing so many trench duties. He even tried using his connections with the Lieutenant, but nothing came of it.”
“Why not? I thought the Lieutenant had some pull,” I asked.
“I don’t think even the Lieutenant has the authority to change placements during a beast tide,” Colin said. “Those decisions come from above him. From the Sergeant’s words, it looks like the whole of Company Three is being assigned outside.”
We walked back toward the group as he finished.
Most of the infirmary division would also be stationed on the outer lines, with only a small skeleton crew kept inside the fort to provide emergency aid or reinforce weak points as the battle unfolded. If even the healers weren’t being pulled inside, there was no chance a regular infantry squad would be.
I wasn’t surprised our squad was placed outside. On paper, we were one of the stronger units. The same things that made us unstable, our mixed backgrounds, the tension between conscripts and recruits, also made us powerful as a group.
Counting the original squad members and the conscripts, we had nine Tier 2 soldiers veterans. My own recent breakthrough made it ten. Walter stood at high Tier 2, and among us were six solid mid Tier 2 fighters. Across the entire infantry division, fewer than five squads had that level of experience and power.
Once the break ended, we regrouped. Dust swirled around our boots as we moved back into position. Before we started drilling again, Colin marched toward us and cleared his throat.
“Listen up,” he said. “Our placement is confirmed. Company Three will be stationed on the northeastern wall, roughly two hundred meters from the north gate, along with the rest of the company. Starting tomorrow, our drills will be combined with the other squads in the company. That will create competition between squads, but don’t forget what truly matters. We are not fighting each other. We are the wall that stands between humanity and the beasts. We hold until the beasts break. Now get back into formation. We don’t have time to waste.”
His voice echoed across the training field.
We tightened our grips on shields and spears.
The drills resumed, this time with a little more purpose.
The next few days passed without any major events. The only real change was that our morning drills now involved the entirety of Company Three, and we were no longer assigned to patrols. Instead, we spent our hours helping the quartermaster with supply tasks and wall preparations.
We hauled crates of spears, shields, arrows, and jars of oil to the outer trenches and the middle defensive line. Most of the oil was rendered from animal fat, thick and heavy, but perfect for fire traps. We coated spikes, arrows, and nearly everything flammable in both trench lines with it.
The smell lingered in the air, a sharp, greasy scent that clung to our clothes and skin. It mixed with the distant odor of reforged metal and damp earth, turning the fort into something different. It no longer felt like a training ground.
Six days later, I woke and first thing I did was to check my status
Status
Class Progression:
[Junior Officer (Cadet)] – Level 19 (750 / 1900 EXP)
+125 XP — Fortification of Fort
+2225 XP — Patrol and threat elimination outside Fort
+150 XP — Healing fellow soldier
Level 18 → 19
Skills
- [Memory Recall (UC)] – Level 35 → 37
- [Applied Military Theory (UC)] – Level 30 → 35
- [Perceptive Instinct (UC)] – Level 10 → 17
- [Mana Manipulation (UC)] – Level 6 → 8
- [Mana Reinforcement (UC)] – Level 20 → 27
- [Flowing Spear Style (UC)] – Level 10 → 20
- [Vital Restoration (UC)] – Level 1 → 5
- [Unbroken Stride (UC)] – Level 1 → 7
- [Rune Analysis (UC)] – Level 7 → 10
Physical Attributes
Constitution: 31.3 → 34.9
Strength: 28.9 → 30.1
Agility: 21.1 → 23.1
Spiritual Attributes
Intelligence: 32.1 → 34.4
Wisdom: 25.1 → 26.5
Willpower: 23.2 → 26.2
Name: Edward
Class: Junior Officer (Cadet)
Rank: Novice (T1)
Level: 19 / 20
EXP: 750 / 1900
Elemental Affinity: 0.1% Wind
Mana Cultivation: Tier 2 (0 / 100)
Mana Nodes: 0 / 7
HP: 344 / 344
HP Regen: 87.1 per day
MP: 1464
MP Regen: 146.6 per hour
Class Skills
- [Applied Military Theory (UC)] – Level 35
- [Unbroken Stride (UC)] – Level 7
- [Flowing Spear Style (UC)] – Level 20
- [Perceptive Instinct (UC)] – Level 17
- [Vital Restoration (UC)] – Level 5
General Skills
- [Memory Recall (UC)] – Level 37
- [Field Medicine (C)] – Level 25*
- [Rune Analysis (UC)] – Level 10
- [Siege Rigging (C)] – Level 25*
- [Map Reading (C)] – Level 25*
- [Mana Manipulation (UC)] – Level 8
- [Mana Reinforcement (UC)] – Level 27
My progress continued, but this time it was mostly focused on combat-related skills. My spear skill gained ten levels, and [Mana Reinforcement (UC)] rose by seven. Other skills showed only minor changes. I gained one class level as well. I needed only 3150 more XP for my Initiate-tier class trial, but I doubted I would reach it before the grand beast tide.
As I was reviewing my status, the sound that the entire fort dreaded tore my attention away.
A deep, echoing horn blast rolled across the fort, ripping through the quiet morning. My heart spiked instantly. The last time I had heard that sound was when the Captain announced the grand beast tide. This time, I already knew what it meant, and what he would announce.
The beast tide was here.
I grabbed my gear, washed my face, checked my backpack, spear, and shield, and then started running toward the command building.
On the way, I met Colin, Owen, and Jack. They wore the same expression I felt on my own face: a mix of dread and acceptance. None of us spoke. We just nodded and kept moving.
All around us, soldiers poured out of Longhalls and barracks. Boots hammered the ground, armor clattered, and voices rose in sharp commands and nervous murmurs. The fort, restless for weeks, suddenly came alive with the energy of people who understood that the waiting was finally over.