Beast-Tamer: Limitless Evolution
Chapter 54: It’s Time I

Chapter 54: It’s Time I

It’s Time I

The mood in the room changed palpably. Major Thompson and Simon’s expressions darkened, and the Doctor gasped while Osho’s gaze turned sharp.

’Already?’ He thought. It had barely been an hour since he’d left they left the convoy. So not only was the Tide moving a lot faster than he’d thought, but the fact that it was able to destroy an entire Outpost in that time spoke volumes of its lethality.

Moreover, Osho worried for the convoy, and whether or not it would reach the Citadel in time.

Major Thompson seemed to notice this, though, and said calmly.

"Don’t worry, your classmates reached the Citadel not too long ago. They are safe, I can guarantee that." Osho let out a relieved sigh, but his relief was short-lived as he remembered their predicament.

"Osho, you stay here and wait for your beast to wake up. Simon, follow me to the control room." Just like that, Osho was left alone in the room with the Doctor and Gale.

He turned to the medical practitioner who offered a stiff smile in return.

"Well, how about you tell me about your exercise in the wilderness for a bit?" He offered, and Osho stared at him for a second before shrugging. He needed a distraction from his constantly churning thoughts anyway.

___

Major Thompson and Simon along with the soldiers who had relayed the message quickly entered the control room, and needless to say, the place seemed quite hectic. Orders were being thrown around and reports were being made at a concerning speed. However, the most glaring thing was the main viewing screen and what was on it.

It was currently looking down on the remnants of a large structure that was being trampled by beasts. What remained of the Jordan Outpost, that is.

The fortified structure had all been reduced to rubble, the walls and armaments ripped apart. There were some dead beasts, but it was clear that they’d been overwhelmed not long after the confrontation began. As for the soldiers within them...

Major Thompson felt a faint pang in his heart as he watched the beasts munch on several corpses. Of beast and Man alike. His eyes narrowed as he immediately yelled, getting everyone’s attention.

"Someone bring me up to speed. What happened?" There was a brief silence before the female handler from before quickly came up to him.

"The Tide suddenly accelerated not long after you left. We presume it was due to the Harbinger getting injured and calling them forward to assist it. As a result, the Jordan Outpost confronted them far faster than we’d initially calculated, and... they were overwhelmed." Her voice was somber and the Major nodded.

"Show me the recording." A moment later. The main viewing screen changed to show what happened just a few minutes prior.

The large Outpost looked like a small island that was about to face a tsunami, looking utterly insignificant in the face of the tide that was made up of thousands of beasts.

The Major watched silently as the Outpost began its resistance. The automated weaponry going to work while the beast Tamers did their best, the ones specializing in melee fighting up close while being supported by those who specialized in ranged attacks.

They resisted for a bit and killed quite a few, but it was merely a drop in the ocean, and in no time at all, they were simply overwhelmed, drowned in the massive wave of monsters that wasted no time in feasting on their flesh. It was appalling, to be frank.

Major Thompson was silent for a moment before asking.

"Any visual on the Harbinger?" Hearing this, one of the Handlers, specifically, the one in charge of the viewing device answered loudly.

"It seems to have retreated into the tide to recuperate. We aren’t sure what it did, but whenever we try to observe it directly, there’s some sort of interference that makes it virtually impossible to get a proper look at it. So the best we can do is judge its actions based on how the tide behaves, and from what we’re seeing..." The Handler took a breath. "It seems angry because the Tide seems to be in even more of a frenzy than before." He explained and the Major’s frown deepened.

"How long until they reach the Citadel?" He asked.

"Roughly 30 minutes sir." Another answered.

"How are the preparations going?" Major Thompson asked after taking a breath.

"The walls have been secured, and besides our military, a large amount of Beast Tamers have also volunteered and joined the fight. Our calculations show that all of this is enough to fight off the Tude for at least a day. This duration will only increase as we get more things in place. That is, however, under the assumption that nothing unexpected happens." The Handler added the last part with a hint of skepticism. It seemed like they didn’t believe everything would go smoothly, and the Major couldn’t blame the man one bit.

"That’s fine. What about that plan? What is the progress?" He asked again with a nod.

"The preparations for Phase One are a little under halfway complete. They should be done by the end of the day. The preparations for all the phases will take three days at most." Another handler.

"How long do you reckon we can last without reinforcements, and how long do you think it will take before reinforcements arrive?"

"A week at most for the former. A week and a half for the latter. In other words, if the plan doesn’t work the first time, we are screwed." The Major fell silent, that didn’t sound good at all.

’Well, it’s not like we have much of a choice in the matter. Whether we like it or not, we have to make it over on our first try.’ Major Thompson thought before turning back to the screen which now showed the large army of monsters rapidly closing in on that side of the wall. He sighed.

’I’m getting too old for this.’

___

Blossom Citadel, Eastern Wall.

The air here was always pretty tense. The soldiers were always on high alert, and while many doubted there would be an emergency which required their attention without the knowledge of the Observation Center, it was better to be safe than sorry. This world wasn’t safe, so one couldn’t get complacent no matter what they were up against.

Today, though, the tension had spiked by several notches, and the reason for this was palpable.

Strong winds blew across the walls as the distant black clouds crackled with purple lightning. The eyes of the beast Tamers, both those who were soldiers and the volunteers that were either on the walls or at the base of them, were tense and alert as they all stared in that direction.

Some of them were polishing weapons, mending armor, or simply interacting with their beasts. But without exception, they all faced the direction of the dark clouds.

By now, all the defensive equipment had been activated. All the turrets on the walls and in the ground had emerged, their automatic scanners constantly searching for the slightest but of aggression. The landmines had all been triggered, each of them capable of dealing a devastating blow to any creature of the Adept rank and below.

Moreover, several magic formations within the wall had been activated with a myriad of effects, the most palpable one being a circle that increased the ambient Mana around the wall, allowing those on it to regenerate their resources faster, while on the ground, there were several formations created to cause all sorts of debilitating effects on any hostile creature that approached. There were also several traps in the mix, formations put in place to enhance the effectiveness of already existing defenses, like making pullets penetrate easier or shields to block better.

Then there was the massive dome that surrounded the entire Citadel. This was the Bastion-Class All-purpose Barrier, or the B.C.A.P Mark-6, which all Bastion class Citadels obtained upon their creation. It was made to last for a long time as the formation used in its creation could absorb the atmospheric mana to allow it to sustain itself for a longer time as well as increase its durability.

All in all, the measures in place were a lot, and if it were any other time, the soldiers would feel a bit relaxed, but no one relaxed. Not this time.

Fredrick Jameson stood at the base of the wall, slightly behind the other Beast Tamers as they all waited.

He wore some decent equipment, things he’d been using for a while now which consisted of Synthetic armor and a multipurpose smart helmet, a utility belt that housed his sheathed weapon which was an extendable spear, some high power grenades, potions, and some other things.

’How vile.’ He thought as he looked up. The distinct touch of corrupted Mana was strong and he could sense it easily. Not to mention, the combined weight of so many beasts and their Auras seemed to have a tangible effect on the world as it felt like he was gradually being crushed by an invisible pressure.

Despite this, though, he wasn’t concerned. In fact, he was barely worried.

Not that he didn’t think the beast tide wasn’t dangerous, he knew it was. But he was confident in his ability to retreat. After all...

’After his evolution, Hydro has become something else.’ He thought and smiled behind his helmet.

He was keenly aware of a few people within the crowd of Beast Tamers, and he was keenly aware of the fact that they were there to kill him.

But.

’I think they are about to be surprised.’ He chuckled internally.

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