The town watch camp bristled with nervous energy, guards rushing between posts with hands tight on weapon hilts. Whispered speculation rippled through the ranks—some claimed bandits, others spoke of a beast, but none truly grasped what approached their walls.

  A young watchman fumbled with his crossbow, fingers trembling as he tried to string it properly, while veterans barked orders that carried more confidence than they felt. The signal flare's fading smoke still hung in the air like an omen, and though Captain Hendricks had sounded the alarm, his men moved with the restless uncertainty of those preparing for a threat they couldn't name.

  Torches flickered in the gathering dusk, casting dancing shadows across faces etched with worry, their light barely pushing back the darkness that seemed to press closer with each passing moment.

  The heavy oak door of the watch's administrative building slammed open, rattling on its hinges. A stocky man in rumpled brown robes stormed out, his graying beard disheveled and ink stains marking his fingers.

  "Blast and damnation!" The earth mage's voice boomed across the courtyard. "Three days! Three blasted days I've been working on those ward calculations, and now you lot drag me out for what? Another drill?"

  He glared at the nearest guard, who shrank back despite being a head taller. The mage's eyes, bloodshot from hours of study, swept across the chaotic camp with growing irritation.

  The earth mage's heavy boots thundered up the wooden stairs, each step punctuating his continued grumbling about interrupted research. His robes caught on a splinter, tearing slightly, which only deepened his scowl.

  "Captain Hendricks, this better be worth—" The words died in his throat as he reached the tower's upper platform. The captain stood rigid at the battlements, knuckles white as he gripped the stone edge. His aide's face had gone pale, jaw clenched tight.

  The mage's irritation evaporated like morning mist. He'd served with Hendricks for eight years, had seen the man laugh through bar brawls and remain steady during bandit raids. But this... this was different. The captain's eyes held something the mage had never seen before.

  "What is it?" His voice dropped to a whisper, the earlier bluster forgotten.

  The aide's hand trembled as he raised it, pointing toward the darkening horizon. "That, Master Mage. That's what's coming for us."

  The earth mage squinted into the distance, then his eyes widened. A massive mound of earth, easily thirty feet high, churned forward like a wave across solid ground. Trees snapped like twigs in its path, and the very land seemed to writhe and buckle.

  For three heartbeats, the mage stood frozen, his mouth slightly agape. Then, unexpectedly, his eyes lit up with an almost feverish gleam. His fingers twitched at his sides, already tracing patterns in the air as his mind raced through possibilities.

  "By the Stone Lords..." he breathed, but it wasn't fear in his voice—it was something closer to academic fascination.

  "An Earthrender! A genuine Tier 2 Earthrender!" The mage practically bounced on his heels, his earlier annoyance completely forgotten. "Do you have any idea how rare these are in the lowlands?"

  For Tier 2 Arcane Mages, advancement meant one thing above all else: acquiring new spell modules. While theory and meditation had their place, nothing compared to studying the crystallized magical essence found in beast cores. And for an earth mage, an Earthrender's core—formed from the same elemental energies he wielded—represented months, perhaps years of research condensed into a single precious stone.

  "I could finally crack the matrix for Stone Surge! The harmonic resonance alone would—"

  "Master Mage." The captain's voice cut through like a blade, cold and sharp. "That thing is heading straight for my gates. My men. This town. I need you focused on stopping it, not planning your next research project."

  The mage blinked, seeming to remember where he stood. The excitement dimmed slightly in his eyes, replaced by a more professional assessment of the situation.

  The mage straightened his robes and nodded curtly. "Of course, Captain. The gates will hold." He turned and descended the stairs with purposeful strides, his mind already shifting from acquisition to application.

  As he emerged through the town gates, two figures sprinted past him at full speed. The first, dressed in fighter's gear, carried with him an overwhelming stench—rot and earth and something fouler still. The second followed close behind, both running with the desperate speed of prey.

  The earth mage's nostrils flared at the assault on his senses. Dense earth elements clung to the fighter like a second skin, pulsing with unnatural resonance. The pieces clicked together in his mind: the Earthrender's unusual presence in the lowlands, its direct path toward the town, the fighter reeking of corrupted earth essence.

  "Ah," he murmured to himself, watching them disappear behind him. "That would explain it."

  He shrugged and continued forward, stopping twenty paces from the gates. Whatever those two had done to provoke a Tier 2 beast was their problem. His job was protecting the town.

  Inside the gates, the two mercenaries skidded to a halt, chests heaving as they gasped for air. Guards immediately surrounded them, spears leveled with practiced precision.

  "Thank the gods," the fighter wheezed, hands on his knees. "The Earthrender—it's right behind us!"

  "We know," a guard sergeant replied coldly. "Hands where we can see them. You're both under arrest by order of Captain Hendricks."

  "What? Are you insane?" The second mercenary's voice cracked with disbelief. "That thing will tear through—"

  "Save it." The sergeant's tone brooked no argument as his men moved in, binding their wrists with rough efficiency. "You brought this mess to our doorstep."

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Heavy footsteps echoed from the tower stairs. Captain Hendricks emerged, his studded leather armor gleaming dully in the torchlight. The war spear in his hands hummed with barely contained power, its leaf-shaped blade catching the light.

  "The captain's coming down himself!" A younger guard's voice carried a mix of awe and relief. "A real Tier 2 Spear Master!"

  "About time," muttered a veteran, though his rigid posture relaxed slightly. "If anyone can handle this mess alongside the mage..."

  Hendricks moved past his men without acknowledgment, each step deliberate and controlled. His eyes swept over the detained mercenaries with cold assessment before turning toward the open gates where his earth mage had taken position.

  The earth mage planted his feet firmly, raising his steel-reinforced staff high. The large brown crystal at its tip pulsed with earthen light as he channeled mana through the focus, hands steady despite the tremendous energy flowing through him.

  "Stone Wall!"

  A barrier of compressed granite erupted directly in the Earthrender's path, twenty feet high and twice as thick. The churning mound of earth slammed into it with tremendous force, soil spraying upward as the beast's momentum died against the sudden obstacle.

  The mage didn't pause. He swept his staff in a wide arc, the crystal's glow intensifying as he traced new patterns. Stone pillars burst from the ground on either side of the trapped creature, angling inward like the ribs of some massive beast.

  "Keep it busy when it surfaces," he grunted to Hendricks, his voice strained with concentration. "I need thirty seconds to complete the enclosure."

  The earth where the Earthrender had stopped began to shift and bubble, the creature clearly agitated by the sudden barrier. Cracks spider-webbed across the ground as something beneath tested its new prison.

  Hendricks didn't hesitate. The moment the ground began to buckle, he was moving, his enhanced muscles coiling and releasing as he leaped over the rising stone barriers. The war spear sang through the air as he descended into the forming arena.

  The earth exploded upward in a shower of dirt and stone. What emerged made his battle-hardened stomach clench.

  The Earthrender's segmented body pushed through the soil like a nightmare given form—each ring of its flesh glistening with a sickly mucus that reeked of decay. Patches of hardened earth clung to its hide like armor plating, and where its true skin showed through, it pulsed with a diseased yellow-brown hue. The creature reared up, easily fifteen feet of its length breaking the surface, revealing a circular maw lined with grinding stone teeth that rotated in different directions.

  No eyes marked its head, but Hendricks felt its attention lock onto him with predatory certainty. Thick veins of earth mana pulsed visibly beneath its semi-transparent flesh, and with each movement, clods of corrupted soil sloughed off its body.

  The captain shifted his grip on the war spear, knees bending into a combat stance as more stone walls rose around them.

  A deep, grinding snarl erupted from the Earthrender's maw, the sound like boulders scraping against each other. The rotating teeth slowed momentarily as it issued the warning, segments of its body compressing and expanding in a threatening display. Foul-smelling mucus dripped from its mouth, sizzling where it hit the ground.

  Hendricks held his position, war spear steady, eyes tracking every minute shift in the creature's segmented form. His breathing remained controlled, weight balanced on the balls of his feet. He'd faced enough beasts to know that backing down now would only trigger its predatory instincts faster.

  The Earthrender's body tensed, coils bunching beneath it like a spring. When the captain didn't retreat, didn't lower his weapon, the beast made its decision. With explosive force, it launched forward, its massive bulk churning through the air with surprising speed. The ground cracked where it pushed off, and its grinding maw opened wide, stone teeth spinning hungrily as it bore down on the Spear Master.

  Hendricks waited until the last possible second, then pivoted on his rear foot, letting the massive jaws snap through empty air where he'd stood. The Earthrender's momentum carried it past him, and in that instant, he struck.

  "Spearpoint Barrage!"

  His war spear became a blur of motion, the leaf-shaped blade stabbing forward in a devastating rhythm. Each thrust flowed into the next, creating a whirlwind of steel that would have shredded lesser opponents. The strikes hammered against the Earthrender's hide with mechanical precision, seeking weak points between its segments.

  But as each thrust landed, a faint shimmer of earthen energy rippled across the creature's skin. The war spear's point skittered off hardened patches of earth-infused armor, barely leaving scratches on the mucus-slick hide beneath. What should have been devastating puncture wounds were reduced to superficial marks.

  The Earthrender writhed and twisted, its segmented body curling back on itself with unnatural flexibility. A furious shriek tore from its maw, stone teeth grinding faster as rage overtook its predatory calculation. The beast's earth mana flared brighter, pulsing through its veins like molten stone.

  The Earthrender's tail section whipped around with devastating speed, the air whistling as several tons of earth-encrusted flesh swept toward Hendricks like a battering ram. The Spear Master's eyes tracked the incoming strike, his body already moving.

  "Deflection!"

  He swung his war spear's steel shaft to the right to meet the attack, the skill guiding his strike to the optimal point of impact. Metal met flesh with a thunderous crack, the technique designed to redirect incoming force through precise counterstriking.

  But the mass difference was too great. Instead of redirecting the Earthrender's momentum, the collision sent Hendricks flying backward. His Deflection had struck true—without it, the tail would have crushed him entirely—but against such overwhelming force, the best it could do was transform a killing blow into violent repulsion.

  He hit the stone wall hard, air rushing from his lungs in a pained gasp. His armor absorbed most of the impact, and his timely counter-strike had prevented his bones from shattering. Hendricks rolled to his feet, spitting blood and gripping his war spear tighter, grateful the skill had at least kept him alive.

  "Hold fast, Captain!" The garrison's second-in-command's voice rang out from above the stone walls, each word carrying more weight than mere encouragement should possess.

  Hendricks felt the effect immediately as Voice of Courage washed over him like a warm tide. The pain in his ribs dulled, his grip on the war spear steadied, and the creeping doubt from facing a Tier 2 beast melted away. Fresh determination surged through his veins.

  Thanks for the assist! Hendricks silently thought for the Tier 2 Epic Bard's timely intervention.

  The stone wall behind the Earthrender exploded inward. A massive figure burst through the debris, seven feet of muscle and steel that made the ground shake with each step. Full plate armor gleamed despite the dust, a greatshield held in one gauntleted hand and an enormous greatsword balanced in the other.

  The commander slammed his greatsword against his greatshield with tremendous force, the metallic clang reverberating through the arena. The sound carried an unnatural pull as Taunt infused the gesture, vibrations rippling through earth and air alike.

  The Earthrender's head snapped toward the new threat, its sensory organs locked onto the source of the provocative resonance. A primal snarl ripped from its maw as its attention shifted completely, previous prey forgotten in favor of this armored challenger.