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These men, clad in worn leather jerkins and thick furs, hailed from villages on the Vasper Forest’s fringes— the same forest where Kai had faced the necromancer months ago.

Francis sat beside the hunters, opposite Kai, his arms crossed and a neutral expression drawn on his face. The silence in the room was thick with tension, broken only by the occasional crackle from the fireplace in the hearth.

As Kai gazed at the three hunters, he recognised one of them. "Phillips, it’s been a while."

"Phillips of Hagmons Keep greets you, my lord," the man said, giving a slight bow and looking brighter from the last time he had seen him.

His hair looked shorter now and he seemed to be doing well for himself going by the glow on his face. Back then, he had assisted them with the necromancer and it wasn’t a small help either since he had even participated in the fight.

"How have you been?" he asked.

"After you dealt with the necromancer, things have been progressing well. We have repaired the gate and the hunts have been feeding my family and the rest of the village well."

He nodded his head towards him before his eyes moved to the other two men who immediately offered their names.

"Quenson of Averous Village greets you, my lord."

"Maison of Mangrove Village greets you, my lord."

Once their greetings were done, the hunters took their seats and he started the meeting.

"Thank you all for coming," Kai began, his voice sturdy as he looked between the men. He kept the water he chugged down aside and leaned forward at the men who gave a brief nod. "As you know, the city was recently attacked by monsters."

He gestured towards a sketch depicting an Arachne spider, its eight spindly legs and menacing mandibles meticulously rendered on parchment. The hunters leaned closer, their faces scrunching up in recognition as they studied the drawing.

"We believe these creatures originated from the Vasper forest," Kai continued. "Particularly from the dungeon opening up. The attack was strange since these spiders shouldn’t be here. I want to know what’s going on in the forest."

Maison, a burly man with a thick salt-and-pepper beard, spoke up with a loud voice. "Opens up every spring, spewing forth all sorts of nasty creatures. We usually see a rise in monster activity in nearby villages during those times."

"Hmm," Kai acknowledged, his gaze flitting between the hunters. "But wouldn’t these creatures typically target the villages closer to the forest? Why venture to the city?"

Quinton, a wiry man with a hawk-like nose chimed in. "Normally, you’d be right, Lord Arzan. But this year something feels different. The dungeon’s opening seemed more… violent this time. And the creatures, they’re more restless, bolder than usual. They aren’t displaying normal behaviour."

Kai straightened in his seat, noticing the patterns of his words. "Restless? Not displaying usual behaviour? Can you elaborate?"

The hunter scratched his beard thoughtfully.

"Well, about two weeks ago, I was on a hunting trip deep within the Vasper Forest, quite a distance from the dungeon. And I saw them, a whole swarm of spiders, moving together in a way I’ve never witnessed before."

A flicker of surprise crossed Kai’s face. "A swarm of spiders? So far from the dungeon?"

Quenson nodded, his gaze unwavering. "Aye, it was unsettling. Like they were moving towards something. I stared at it for a while since it wasn’t usual for those spiders to be in that part of the forest."

The room fell silent once more, the weight of the hunter’s words hanging in the heavy air.

By Quenson’s words, it was already clear the spiders were acting strange. But why? Normally, he could point it to monsters exploring and accidentally coming towards the city.

Though, that was the case with a few spiders.

If an entire swarm was moving, then it was something else.

Arachne spiders were typically territorial creatures content to dwell within the confines of the dungeon or any other closed places. Them venturing so far away and in such numbers? It painted a disturbing picture.

He turned to Francis, his voice laced with a hint of unease.

"Strange, isn’t it?" he said, his gaze flickering between the sketch of the Arachne spider and the concerned faces of the hunters. "These creatures venturing so far from their territory. What could be causing this?" He pondered, not getting any answers.

"Lord Arzan," Phillips muttered, bringing his attention back to him. "I have also noticed them in the territories of other species. At first, I thought it was accidental since I only saw a few of them, but I don’t know now. Beasts normally don’t move towards others’ territory as it’s a proclamation of a fight."

Kai nodded, feeling like there was something at play with the spiders.

His thoughts halted as he noticed the uneasiness in Francis’s posture. He was shifting in his seat slightly, looking at Kai. Almost as if he had something on his mind.

"What is it, Francis?" Kai asked.

Francis frowned, taking a few seconds before speaking. "There’s a term for such occurrences, my Lord," he said slowly, his voice low. "A beast wave… Sometimes, beasts would act strange and gather together, and launch an attack towards cities or any human civilizations. The patterns the hunters talked about matched what I have read."

Kai’s eyes narrowed. The term wasn’t unfamiliar. It wasn’t a common event, but it occurred enough times for there to be records of it.

There weren’t any particular reasons for why it happened, but normally they were known to destroy entire civilizations.

"If we assume it’s a beast wave, then…" Kai’s voice was a tight coil of suspicion. "Doesn’t that imply the presence of a leader? Beasts don’t typically work together unless compelled to do so."

Francis pursed his lips. "Yes, that’s the worry, Lord Arzan. If it truly is a beast wave, then there must be something driving these creatures, a force orchestrating this movement. A monster capable of leading everyone and making them coordinate."

A hint of a wry smile played on Maison’s lips. "Lord Arzan, a beast wave typically… Well, let’s just say it throws a wrench into the natural order. Territorial boundaries blur, and a primal urgency takes hold. The strongest become the de facto leader, driving the weaker creatures forward."

"The strongest, you say?" Kai slowly nodded, trying to put it all together. "And in the Vasper Forest, the strongest monster you’ve encountered, who is it?"

Maison shook his head immediately. "Vermorga, the Brood Mother," he snarled at the name."A monstrous Arachne, rumoured to have grown to unnatural size by feasting on the dungeon core’s mana. I’ve only ever glimpsed it from afar once in my youth, it was a colossal nightmare with eyes like burning forests."

Kai’s stomach clenched. A colossal brood mother, fueled by the dungeon’s very essence, leading a horde of ravenous spiders out of their territory? The picture painted a terrifying scenario. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves.

If he recalled, it was a Grade 6 monster, needing a whole group of third circle Mages to deal with alongside Enforcers and even common guards. If such a creature attacked the city, there was no way they would be able to defend against it.

"Tell me everything you know about these spiders," he demanded. "Population size, typical behaviour, hunting patterns— everything!"

The hunters exchanged glances, a mutual understanding passing between them. This was no longer a simple matter of tracking down a few escaped creatures. This was a potential catastrophe in the making.

For the next hour, the room filled with conversation.

The hunters spoke of the vast network of tunnels beneath the dungeon, home to an untold number of Arachne of varying sizes and strengths. They described their hunting patterns, their venomous bites, and their skittish nature. Most importantly, they confirmed Francis’s grim prediction.

"In a beast wave," Francis said, "all bets are off. Species that wouldn’t be caught dead within a hundred leagues of each other will find themselves fighting alongside each other, driven by a primal instinct for survival… and destruction."

The weight of the revelation pressed down on Kai. A single arachne attack had been hard to deal with. A full-blown beast wave, led by a monstrous brood mother and fueled by the cooperation of various creatures, could spell doom for the estate.

He looked at the hunters.

"Thank you," he said, his voice hoarse. "Keep a close eye on the forest. Report any unusual activity or any signs of other creatures venturing out of their territories. We need to be prepared for what’s coming."

The hunters nodded and Francis glanced at him. When Kai’s gaze matched his, he knew they were both thinking the same thing.

If they didn’t do anything, they would be annihilated!

-

Only two days passed since the hunters’ visit, and their reports confirmed Kai’s worst fears.

The spiders, in a stark departure from their usual skittish behaviour, seemed fixated on a single path— a path leading directly to the city. Even more unsettling was the unnatural quietude in the forest. Predators that would normally be out hunting after leaving the dungeon were strangely subdued.

These reports, coupled with Francis’ words and the parchments Kai had unearthed from the library archives, all pointed towards one horrifying possibility— the nascent stages of a beast wave. The very thought sent shivers down his spine.

But Kai couldn’t afford to dwell on anxieties.

He needed evidence, something concrete to validate their suspicions. Thus, on a crisp morning, he found himself leading Claire, much to her surprise, towards the very edge of the Vasper Forest.

She had been surprised when he asked if she would like to go for a walk, but she surely hadn’t expected it to be towards the edge of the forest

It was a ride of two hours even with the horses running at full speed and throughout the way, Kai didn’t speak, urging Claire to cast curious glances at him.

He only spoke once they reached their destination. "Let’s get off here."

"Okay."

Claire, surprisingly adept at riding, dismounted alongside him as they reached a secluded clearing.

The dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves cast dancing shadows on the forest floor.

She cast nervous glances around, her eyes flitting between the trees.

"Why are we here, Lord Arzan?" she finally voiced her curiosity, unable to contain it any longer.

Kai turned to her, a calm smile gracing his lips. "We’re here to perform a simple ritual, Claire," he said, "A ritual that might give me a few answers."