Chapter 14: Summer Invasion on Both Ends of the Forest
Personal System Calendar: Year 0009, Days 1-14 Month V: The Imperium
Imperial Calendar: Year 6854, 5th month, 1st to 14th Day
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The Forest in Shambles
The tranquil rhythms that had characterized the Lonelywood's Great Forest for generations shattered completely in the first days of the fifth month. What had been warnings and preparations gave way to brutal reality as two massive invasions launched simultaneously from opposite directions, crushing into Lonelywoods' northern and southern borders with coordinated precision that suggested planning rather than coincidence.
The sounds of battle echoed through the vast forest day and night. Roars that shook trees and sent smaller creatures fleeing in panic. The crash of enormous bodies colliding with force that splintered ancient trunks like kindling. The thunder of magical energies unleashed at scales that made the earth tremble and the sky flash with unnatural colors. The forest itself seemed to scream as its peace was torn apart by conflicts that cared nothing for the intricate ecosystems they destroyed.
The Lonely Forest of Shadowfen poured armies of aggressive beasts across Lonelywoods' northern frontier, Category III and IV of Soldier and Commander Ranked creatures advancing in coordinated waves that overwhelmed isolated defenders through sheer numbers and brutal efficiency. These were not mindless monsters but organized forces following tactical doctrine, striking at weak points and consolidating territory before pushing deeper into Lonelywood's heart.
Simultaneously, the Forsaken Ashen Glades Forest launched its own invasion from the south, fielding different beast species but employing similar tactics. The coordination between these two traditionally separate Great Forests was unprecedented and deeply alarming. Someone or something had negotiated cooperation between powers that should have been too competitive and territorial to work together.
The implications were staggering. This was not a random expansion of the Beast Dominion Wars. This was conquest, a deliberate attempt to erase Lonelywoods Forest from existence as an independent entity and divide its territory between two predatory powers.
For the first time in living memory, perhaps for the first time in the millennia of its existence, the Arbiter Guardian Beast Ozythalos moved from his ancient domain to take direct command of Lonelywoods' defense. The massive entity, whose power exceeded a Category V Boss Ranked Beast by margins that conventional classifications could not adequately capture, summoned the four Cardinal Guardian Beasts who held authority over Lonelywoods' four major cardinal points regions.
They met in the forest's heart, in territories so deep and magically charged that no human had visited them in generations. The meeting was brief because time was a luxury they no longer possessed. All agreed: immediate ceasefire of internal hostilities, lasting alliance for the duration of the invasion, coordinated defense of their shared home.
The localized Beast Dominion Wars that had raged since last year were postponed indefinitely. Former enemies became reluctant allies, recognizing that survival against external conquest required setting aside internal disputes. Every beast lord, every powerful creature that claimed territory within Lonelywoods, received the same directive: defend or die.
The alliance extended even to the sole human settlement that had established themselves within the forest. Maya Village that had somehow survived in Lonelywoods' harsh environment were offered tacit inclusion in the defensive coalition. Not out of affection or respect for humans, but from cold pragmatic calculation that every defender mattered when facing overwhelming numbers.
But even with unified defense, the mathematics were brutally unfavorable. The Lonely Forest of Shadowfen and the Forsaken Ashen Glades Forest were both larger than Lonelywoods, with deeper reserves of beasts that could be thrown into combat as expendable fodder. While Lonelywoods boasted higher quality in its defenders, quality could be overwhelmed by sufficient quantity, and the invaders possessed both quality forces of their own and numerical advantages that grew more pronounced with each passing day.
The forest was dying, drowning in blood and fire, and no one could predict whether resistance would prove sufficient or whether Lonelywoods would simply cease to exist as the invaders carved its territory between them.
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Maya Village: Turned into a Fortress
The village transformed into a military installation operating under red alert status that relegated all civilian activities to emergency-only priority. Every resident understood without needing explanation that the crisis had transcended theoretical threat and had already become an immediate existential danger not just for them but for every living beast in this region.
The walls that had been built to protect against Commander Ranked Category V threats were reinforced with everything the village could muster. Additional defensive positions were constructed along the ramparts, giving archers and mages clear fields of fire against approaching enemies. The gates were barricaded with secondary barriers that could be sealed if the primary defenses were breached. Every approach vector was analyzed and prepared with obstacles and kill zones designed to maximize defender advantages.
The civilian population was restricted to the inner zones, prohibited from leaving the village proper without explicit authorization from military command. This was not precaution but necessity. The forest beyond the walls had become a war zone where Expert to Commander ranked beasts clashed with each other and anything caught between them was simply destroyed as collateral damage.
The Imperial observers, whose presence had seemed merely awkward during peaceful assessment, now represented potential complications if combat reached the village itself. Captain Henrietta Gloria received emergency orders from Director Thrace that shifted her mission parameters dramatically. The observation would continue, but with authorization to defend the village if circumstances required it, and with explicit permission to withdraw if the situation became untenable for Imperial Intelligence assets.
Captain Gloria requested reinforcements, not for attack purposes but to ensure her team could extract safely if evacuation became necessary. The Empire dispatched a specialized strike team to positions within a day's forced march of Maya Village, close enough to respond to emergency calls but distant enough to avoid entanglement in conflicts that remained technically outside Imperial jurisdiction, as this was the forest's rules not theirs and they respected it.
But beyond the military preparations, the most gut-wrenching planning involved evacuation protocols. The Elder Council met in marathon sessions to determine who would flee if the village became indefensible, where they would go, and what could be saved from the community they had built together.
The most vulnerable would leave first: children under six, pregnant women, elderly who could not fight or even flee effectively on their own. These groups would evacuate toward Gremory under heavy escort, following routes that the Grimfang pack would scout in advance to ensure they avoided major combat zones. The plan was detailed and pragmatic, accepting that not everyone could be saved if worst came to worst.
The fortress itself, the mountain mining complex that had been constructed over the years for exactly this kind of crisis, was prepared to shelter those who remained. Supplies were stockpiled: food, water, medical equipment, weapons, everything needed to sustain a siege. The fortress could hold several hundred people for months if properly rationed, providing final refuge if the surface became too dangerous to inhabit.
Red Peerce made the difficult decision to designate survivors who would carry Maya Village's memory forward if the settlement itself was destroyed. Marcus Fernando would lead the evacuation convoy, bearing documents and records that preserved the community's history. Theresa Peerce would accompany the children, ensuring the youngest generation survived even if the adults who protected them did not. A handful of skilled craftsmen would go with them, preserving the knowledge and capabilities that had made the village functional.
Everyone else would fight. The Security Division, the militia, the beast folk warriors, anyone capable of holding a weapon or channeling magic would stand at the walls and make the invaders pay in blood for every meter they advanced.
The Grimfang pack, two hundred and ten strong, had answered the call for consolidation. They gathered within a twenty-kilometer radius of the village, creating a defensive perimeter that would provide early warning and mobile response capability. The pack's numbers had grown since the original alliance with Rexy, including forty newborn pups who represented the future of the pack and the partnership with Maya Village.
Rexy's own offspring had matured into powerful adults in their own right, elevated in pack hierarchy through their mother's alpha status. The eight young wolves, Boris, Ponty, Loti, Henri, Toto, Ralph, Sherny, and Neena, showed promise that suggested they might eventually match or exceed their formidable mother. Plans existed to expand the Grimfang rider program, creating mounted units that would give Maya Village mobility advantages in forest combat.
But those plans were future concerns. The present crisis demanded focus on immediate survival.
The aerial assets that protected the village were similarly consolidated and assigned. Aetherwing, his mate Sylpharael and one of their offspring Kirpy and his mate Zaphira would accompany Talon One to the front lines, providing an air supremacy that could turn entire battles into winnable ones. The remainder of their first-generation offspring, Gale and Zephy, would remain at the village with their respective mates including Symphony and Tempest, forming a very solid aerial defense that could engage most threats short of boss ranked enemies.
The second generation, seven juvenile eagles still unnamed except for Finnester whom August had personally named, represented a growing capability that would mature into formidable assets in the coming years. For now, they remained at the village under their parents' protection, too young for frontline combat but old enough to contribute to defense if absolutely necessary.
Master Ben Flameswrath, who had initially intended to join the frontline operations, reluctantly accepted the logic that his presence was more critical at the village itself. With Aetherwing absent, no one else in Maya Village could match boss ranked threats and beyond if they penetrated the settlement. His magical power represented the final defensive line, the guarantee that even if everything else failed, the village had ultimate protection.
Benethar would accompany Talon One instead, bringing not only his own considerable power but also command of approximately one hundred lesser magma constructs that Master Ben had created over the years. These constructs were not sentient like Benethar, merely animated weapons that could follow basic to advanced instructions, but they represented mobile firepower that could devastate soldier ranked threats and delay even commander enemies long enough for stronger defenders to engage.
The village operated like a machine, every component working toward a singular purpose: survival. There were no debates about strategy, no lengthy discussions about alternatives. The Elder Council issued orders based on military necessity, and everyone followed those orders because the alternative to cooperation was death.
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Talon One Deploys
On Day 5 of the fifth month, Talon One departed for the front lines with the largest combat force Maya Village had ever assembled for "offensive/defensive" operations. August led eight elite, Erik, Adam, Bren, Milo, Betty, Angeline, and Isabel as their main combatants and two of their combat support units, Adarna and Hiraya, supported by Benethar and one hundred of his magma constructs brethren, three of the most powerful Peregrine Eagles, and enough supplies to sustain operations for extended periods without requiring resupply from the village.
The team's departure was witnessed by the entire village population, residents gathering at the gates to see their best warriors march toward battles that might claim their lives. There were no speeches or dramatic ceremonies. Red Peerce simply clasped August's forearm in the warrior's grip and said what everyone was thinking: "Come back alive. All of you."
"We will, uncle," August promised, though everyone knew that promise might prove impossible to keep. "Hold the village. If things collapse out there and we can't stop them, fall back to the fortress and protect who you can. The memory of Maya Village is more important than any territory."
Then they were gone, they flew overhead the forest that had become a war zone, heading north toward the Shadowfen border where reports indicated the invasion was most intense and where Maya Village's territory faced the greatest immediate threat.
The journey to the front that would have taken two full days of rapid movement through terrain that showed increasing signs of recent combat. Shattered trees. Scorched earth. Bodies of fallen beasts that had been left where they died. It only took only a few hours as they rode the Eagles. The sounds of distant battle grew louder as they advanced, until finally they reached positions where Lonelywood's defenders had managed to establish something resembling a defensive line.
What they found was organized chaos. Beast lords from across Lonelywoods had brought their forces to contested territories, creating impromptu armies that lacked unified command but shared desperate purpose. Soldier ranked and Commander ranked beasts who would normally have fought each other cooperated out of recognition that the invaders threatened everyone equally.
August and Talon One were directed to the north-western flank where Shadowfen forces had pushed deepest into Lonelywood's territory. One of the Guardian Beasts held this sector, an ancient entity the villagers had known for quite sometime as Osteo-Tyrannus "Rex", the Bone-Tyrant or Armored-Tyrant. Rex had grown to become titanic beyond ordinary measure, most probably from eating powerful beast meat and mana core since they had last seen him: he had grown some seventy metres from snout to tail and towering over thirty metres at the hip, a living fortress of muscle and fused bone. In sheer bulk he could weigh as little as one thousand tonnes when Aether-wrought bindings lightened his step, but when magic was withdrawn and his full brute mass asserted, he became an engine of devastation approaching ten thousand tonnes. The effect was strategic and terrifying: with mana-suffused diminution Rex moved with surprising speed and terrible grace; without it he became the immovable hammer of the forest, every footfall a crater and every swing of his armored tail a mountain-shuddering blow.
"Thus Rex's bulk was as much a weapon as his jaws: without mana coursing through his bone-armor he could walk like a mountain, ten thousand tonnes of living brute force and ruin, yet when the guardians tuned his binding he moved with the terrible grace of only a thousand tonnes, a living thunderbolt that could take to the hunt without shaking the world to ruin."
-One of the Scholars-
Rex acknowledged August and his team with the kind of assessment that predators give potential allies or potential prey, determining which category humans fell into. Whatever the guardian beast saw in August's eyes or sensed from Aetherwing's presence apparently satisfied some internal calculation.
"Humans who fight for the Forest (Lonelywoods) are welcomed as friends," Rex communicated through magical resonance that bypassed language barriers. "You will defend this flank. The enemy pushes hard here, seeking to break through to interior territories. You will hold or you will die. Failure is not acceptable."
"Understood," August replied simply, matching the guardian beast's directness. "Show us where you need us."
The next week became a blur of constant combat that tested Talon One's capabilities to their absolute limits. The Shadowfen invaders attacked in waves, sending soldier ranked beasts as shock troops to identify defensive weak points, then following with the commander ranked beasts to exploit any breaches. The tactics were sophisticated, suggesting intelligent command that coordinated multiple beast species into effective combined arms operations.
Talon One fought alongside Lonelywood's brave defenders who came from species they had never encountered before. They learned to coordinate with allies who communicated through roars and magical resonance rather than human language. They adapted tactics to complement the strengths of beasts who operated on instincts and capabilities that humans lacked.
Erik and Rexy became cavalry, using the Ironjaw's speed and ferocity to hit enemy flanks and disrupt formation before they could organize charges against defensive positions. Isabel's wood magic proved unexpectedly powerful in forest combat, allowing her to manipulate vegetation into barriers and weapons that channeled entire enemy assault waves into kill zones. Adam held critical positions that should have been overwhelmed, his tank-style combat absorbing punishment that would have killed lesser fighters while keeping enemies fixed in place for allies to destroy.
August moved through the battlefield with Aetherwing overhead, appearing wherever the fighting was most desperate, turning near-defeats into victories through combination of his Personal System-enhanced capabilities and the Mighty Peregrine Eagles air support. They destroyed dozens of enemy soldier ranked beasts and contributed to killing several commander ranked beasts that had pushed too aggressively.
Benethar and his magma construct army provided mobile firepower that could be concentrated wherever needed. The constructs would advance in coordinated formations, overwhelming enemy positions with sustained magical bombardment before withdrawing to avoid counterattack. It was not elegant warfare but it was effective, and effectiveness was all that mattered.
But despite individual successes, the strategic situation continued to deteriorate. For every enemy assault they repelled, another came. For every breakthrough they sealed, another threatened elsewhere. The invaders had numbers that allowed them to accept horrific casualties while continuing to pressure every sector simultaneously.
By Day 10, Rex's defensive line had been pushed back five kilometers from its original positions. The losses among Lonelywoods defenders approached thirty percent, unsustainable rates that meant eventual collapse if the invasion did not abate soon.
August filed daily reports back to Maya Village through the party system communication, describing both the tactical situations and his growing concerns about long-term sustainability. The village needed to know that the front was holding but barely, that Talon One was making meaningful contributions but could not determine outcomes alone, and that evacuation planning should be accelerated because the chance of the invasion reaching the village itself was increasing daily.
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The Village Under Siege
While Talon One fought at the front lines, Maya Village discovered that frontline combat was not the only threat they faced. On Day 11, the first organized beast raid penetrated to the village itself, bypassing the forward defenses through speed and tactical cunning that suggested reconnaissance rather than random searching.
The alarm bells rang in the early evening, bringing the entire settlement to full combat readiness within minutes. Guards on the walls reported movement in the forest north of the village, multiple contacts approaching with coordination that distinguished them from random beasts fleeing combat in other areas.
Captain Gloria, monitoring the situation from the observer residence, activated emergency protocols that brought her team to combat readiness while simultaneously signaling the Imperial strike force positioned within response range. If the village was about to be attacked seriously enough to threaten Imperial Intelligence assets, reinforcements needed to be ready to extract them or assist in defense as circumstances required.
Red Peerce took command position on the northern wall, flanked by Chief Tamba and Axel Martin. The three leaders watched as the forest edge revealed approximately fifty beasts emerging from the tree line, their forms becoming clear in the fading light.
Silverback Razor Fangs. The species was well-documented in beast index compilations, ape-like creatures standing three meters tall with upper body strength that could tear humans apart and agility that allowed them to move through forest canopy like oversized monkeys. They were classified typically between Category II Commander Ranked and Category III Boss-ranked depending on individual capability, aggressive by nature and known to attack settlements for sport as much as for food.
These particular Silverback Razor Fangs showed characteristics suggesting they were higher-quality specimens than average. Their movements demonstrated coordination and tactical awareness. They carried improvised weapons, tree limbs and rocks that would enhance their already formidable physical capabilities. And they approached the village with a purpose that suggested they understood what they were attacking and had planned accordingly.
"Fifty targets," Axel Martin assessed with professional detachment, his magical senses analyzing the enemy force. "Approximately forty Category II soldier-ranked, eight Category III commander-ranked, and one Category III Boss-ranked leading them. Dangerous but manageable with our current defensive capabilities."
"Agreed," Chief Tamba rumbled, his warrior's instincts already calculating optimal response. "We hold the walls and wear them down with ranged attacks. If they breach, my warriors would engage them in close combat while human forces provide support. We do not let them establish any foothold inside the village."
Red Peerce nodded approval and issued orders through the communication network that connected all defensive positions. "All ranged combatants to the walls. Prepare to engage on my command. Close combat reserves to standby positions near potential breach points. Medical teams ready for casualties. This is not a drill. Lethal force is authorized."
The Silverback Razor Fangs reached the forest edge approximately two hundred meters from the village walls, close enough that the defenders could see details of their expressions and movements. The boss-ranked leader raised one massive arm and released a roar that echoed across the clearing, challenge and declaration of hostile intent combined.
Red Peerce did not bother with attempts at communication or intimidation. These beasts had come to attack, and Maya Village would respond with overwhelming defensive force.
"Archers, mages and magic ballistas" he commanded with calm that belied the gravity of the situation. "Kill them all."
The village walls erupted with coordinated violence that would have impressed professional military observers. Fifty arrows launched simultaneously from defenders who had trained for exactly this scenario, targeting the densest concentrations of enemies with precision that came from months of practice. Combat mages unleashed fire, lightning, and force attacks that struck with devastating effect against targets who wore no armor and relied on natural toughness rather than magical protection. And the magically enhanced ballistas made a whistling sound that made even the most experienced combatants shudder.
The first volley killed a dozen Silverback Razor Fangs before they could even begin their charge. The second volley killed another eight. By the time the survivors closed to within fifty meters of the walls, their numbers had been reduced by nearly half and those remaining were wounded and disorganized.
But wounded ape-beasts with three-meter height and superhuman strength remained extremely dangerous even while dying. They charged the walls with berserk rage, some attempting to scale the fortifications while others looked for structural weak points they could exploit.
Chief Tamba's beast folk warriors met them at the walls with the kind of close-combat ferocity that justified their reputation. The beast folk matched the Silverback Razor Fangs in strength and exceeded them in skill, having trained specifically in techniques for fighting larger opponents. They used the walls' height advantage to devastating effect, striking downward with weapons enhanced by bloodline techniques that multiplied force beyond normal physical limits.
The battle lasted perhaps ten minutes from first arrow to final casualty. When it ended, fifty Silverback Razor Fangs lay dead or dying outside Maya Village's walls, while the defenders had suffered three casualties: two minor injuries from the beast folk warriors who had engaged too aggressively, and one seriously wounded human guard who had been caught by a dying beast's desperate attack.
Theresa Peerce and her medical team treated the wounded with practiced efficiency while the village militia worked to clear the bodies away from the walls. Beast corpses would attract scavengers if left, and scavengers might include predators more dangerous than the original attackers. The beast's meat wouldn't be wasted, so they will be hauled back into the butcher area for the meat and then to the storage warehouse for its other useful materials.
Captain Gloria observed the entire engagement from an elevated position that gave a clear view of the battlefield. Her assessment was already being compiled for transmission to Director Thrace: Maya Village had demonstrated professional military capability that exceeded expectations for civilian settlement. Their coordination, discipline, and effectiveness suggested training and leadership that transformed ordinary residents into competent soldiers.
More concerning from Imperial perspective was the implication that this raid represented merely the first of potentially many such attacks. If such beasts were penetrating to the village while larger conflicts raged elsewhere, the situation at the front lines must be even worse than reports suggested.
The forest was dying, and Maya Village stood in the path of destruction that cared nothing for their preparations or their determination to survive.
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The Last Report
On Day 14, as the second week of invasion concluded and the situation continued to worsen, August transmitted what he feared might be his final report to Maya Village from the front lines. The message was brief and brutally honest:
"The line holds but barely. We've lost ground every day this week. Rex estimates we can maintain current positions for perhaps another ten days before defenses collapse entirely. Casualty rates among defenders have approached fifty percent. Shadowfen forces show no signs of exhaustion or withdrawal.
Talon One is intact but exhausted. We've been in continuous combat for nine days with minimal rest. Effectiveness degrading from fatigue despite no significant injuries. Benethar's constructs were reduced to sixty percent strength after attrition from sustained operations.
Recommend implementing full evacuation protocols. Get the vulnerable out now while routes remain relatively clear. If you wait until the front collapses, refugees will be caught in retreating armies and will be trampled or massacred.
We'll hold as long as possible and fall back fighting if necessary. But prepare for the possibility that the village needs to be abandoned. Survival of the people matters more than preserving territory.
August out."
Red Peerce read the message to the assembled Elder Council, his weathered face showing the weight of decisions that no leader should have to make. Around the table, human and beast folk representatives faced the reality they had desperately hoped to avoid: their home might be lost regardless of everything they had done to protect it.
"We will implement an evacuation order starting tomorrow morning," Red Peerce said with quiet authority. "Children, elderly, pregnant women, anyone who cannot fight effectively. Marcus will lead the convoy. Theresa will coordinate medical support. Chief Tamba will provide warrior escort. The Grimfang pack will scout the route and guard flanks."
He looked around the Council chamber, at the faces of people who had built something remarkable together and who now might have to watch it burn.
"The rest of us stay and fight. We hold the village as long as we can. We make them pay for every meter they take. And if we fall, we fall knowing we did everything possible to protect what mattered most: our people."
No one argued. No one offered alternatives. They had all understood from the beginning that this day might come, that building a home in the Great Forests meant accepting the risk of losing everything when forces beyond their control decided to remake the world according to different visions.
Maya Village prepared for evacuation even as it prepared for its last stand. The most vulnerable would flee toward uncertain safety. The strongest would remain to buy time with their lives. And somewhere in the forest, Talon One fought on, holding positions that grew more precarious with each passing hour.
The summer invasion had become an existential crisis for everyone, and survival was no longer guaranteed. All they could do was face what came with courage born of shared purpose and hope that determination would prove sufficient even when the odds suggested otherwise.
The storm had arrived, and Maya Village stood in its path, ready to meet fate with dignity regardless of what that fate decreed.