Mage? Magic Engineer!-Chapter 89 - 86: Dark Forest Surge

Jays have beautiful plumage: a chestnut-brown back, a fluffy white tail, and flight feathers of a brilliant blue that serve as the perfect finishing touch.

But their calls, like those of their corvid relatives, were hoarse and exceptionally unsettling.

The continuous "screams" in the forest night came from the jays that Master Humboldt had released.

Everyone tensed. Master Humboldt opened his eyes. "They’re here."

A rustling sound echoed from the forest, and branches trembled. The Apprentices and Rorschach cast the [Light Technique] toward the sound. The orbs of light illuminated the trembling vegetation, then... flickered out before they could travel far.

The area around the village was plunged into darkness once more.

Master Humboldt and Peterson raised their Oak Staffs and struck them down. A wave of light surged forth again, but the radiance from the [Daylight Skill] was once more "beaten back" by the Dark Forest.

So they changed tactics. Peterson tapped Rorschach lightly on the shoulder, and his vision suddenly became clear. "[Dark Vision]?" Peterson nodded.

"I don’t need it. [Dark Vision] will make it difficult for me to observe and compare the night with the stars," Cavendish refused outright, still a bit sulky. "Since you’re all so capable, I’ll just keep doing the job Master Kano gave me."

"Just ignore him." Rorschach couldn’t be bothered with the guy either.

The sound of trembling, rustling leaves grew louder. Its frequency rose, becoming higher and sharper until it converged into a sound like a banshee’s shriek.

’I don’t hear it.’ Rorschach could already see the eyes of the beasts. They were charging straight for the village, their eyes reflecting the light from within.

"Don’t hear what?" Peterson had to shout to be heard. The background noise was a cacophony of shrill howls that made one’s head spin.

"None of these animals are roaring."

’Are their cries being drowned out by the "screams" of the forest?’

No, these brutes were so focused on running that they didn’t even have a moment to open their mouths.

Wild Boars slammed straight into the vines and were instantly entangled. Even as the thorns dug into their flesh, they continued to struggle, tearing their own skin to ribbons.

Red deer taller than a man lowered their heads, presenting their antlers, and smashed through the cheval de frise where there were no vines, about to set foot on the earthen wall. Rorschach and the Apprentices each cast their Magic. Rorschach successfully froze one, while the others were driven back by the Apprentices’ Missiles, turning their heads and changing direction in pain.

Rorschach glanced around. The abatis and cheval de frise had been smashed to pieces, but his own earthen wall was still solid, and no animal had been able to break through.

Master Humboldt’s thorny bushes had ensnared many of the panicked beasts. From his vantage point on the distant earthen wall, Rorschach thought it looked like a well-stocked glue trap...

"They show no intention of attacking us. We’ve captured enough samples now. From here on, focus on driving them away."

The two Apprentices from the Tower of Forest and Mage Peterson cast the [Oily Skill], creating a magnificent "Avenue of Grease" along the earthen wall.

The stampeding beasts couldn’t stop their hooves in time, slipping on the grease and tumbling several times before slamming solidly into the wall.

Rorschach activated his massive [Mage’s Hand] and gave a flick. The fallen boar spun like a top and rolled to the side.

The animals pulled away from the earthen wall scrambled back to their feet and took off again, running past the Mages and Apprentices.

Everyone present realized they were being driven by something behind them.

After what they considered the first wave of the Beast Tide, the entire group grew even more tense, steeling themselves for the next challenge.

Wolves and lynxes.

The forest predators, mortal enemies on any other day, now completely ignored each other’s presence, tucking their tails and desperately scrambling forward.

Rorschach still couldn’t hear any roars from the animals. The forest’s shriek grew more intense, becoming an almost physical presence. It was like a sharp spike, piercing everyone’s ears, driving straight through their eardrums into their brains, leaving them in a daze of pain.

Amidst this mental assault, the forest canopy swayed endlessly in Rorschach’s vision. The trees were so dense they blocked all light, forming a silhouette of black waves under the moonlight.

BZZZZ—

The world fell silent.

The sudden shift from extreme noise to absolute silence left a faint ringing in Rorschach’s ears. Then came a reassuring voice: "Everyone, do not panic. We will communicate using the [Communication Skill] from now on."

Rorschach observed the pack of wolves trying to scale the earthen wall. The previous impacts had created pits and hollows, giving their claws purchase to climb. Rorschach wasn’t about to waste Magic Power casting [Stone Shaping Skill] at a time like this; it just wasn’t cost-effective.

He directly conjured a spark to ignite the "Avenue of Grease" outside the wall, upgrading it to a "Firelight Avenue."

’My dear wolves and lynxes, you’re about to be on fire!’

The lead beast threw its head back. Rorschach and the others couldn’t hear any sound, but it was clear the animals had received their Leader’s signal and were also turning to change direction.

However, some wolves had already gotten grease on their fur, which was now ignited. Master Humboldt glanced over at Rorschach but said nothing. He summoned thick vines that wrapped around the flaming wolves; the magical plants were completely unafraid of fire. Steam rose from the vines, extinguishing the flames on their bodies.

An unknown amount of time passed before the second wave of the Beast Tide receded. The Great Mage gathered all the animals captured by the thorny bushes into one area, still penned in and separated by thorny vines.

He bent down, squatting to place his hand on the earth. Within his own Domain of [Magic Control], Rorschach could feel a surge of Magic Power swiftly pass beneath his feet and plunge into the forest.

"The anomaly has passed," the Master announced, rising to his feet and simultaneously lifting the silence around them.

Everything returned to normal, at least on the surface.

The Dark Forest no longer stirred, and the shriek had vanished completely, leaving only the footprints of countless animals and the scorched marks around the village.

The animals seemed to have returned to normal as well. They began making all sorts of noises, a cacophony of cries and roars like a zoo.

Peterson instructed the Apprentices, "Come and calm the animals in these cages. Get some practice."

The Apprentices from the Tower of Forest got a chance to practice. They repeatedly cast [Beast Taming], successfully calming some of the smaller animals.

But all the larger animals were completely unaffected by the Magic. The Wild Boars continuously rammed the cages with their tusks and snouts. When it became painful, they switched to trying to dig a path to freedom, while the red deer used their large antlers and the wolves tried to gnaw through the vines with their sharp teeth.

Suddenly, a massive, snow-white wolf appeared outside the cages. Its thick, fluffy fur was bathed in moonlight, and its bright eyes could rival the stars. It gazed majestically down at the animals below.

It let out a low growl at the unruly ones, baring teeth like Curved Sabers. All the animals instantly fell silent, too terrified to make a sound. The wolves, in particular, lowered their heads and whimpered softly, tucking their tails in submission.

While the onlookers were still stunned, the White Wolf King transformed back into Master Humboldt. "Don’t just stand there frozen. Examine these animals. If they still won’t behave, just paralyze them with poison."

’Tonight is over. If nothing else happens, we should be able to take shifts sleeping.’

Rorschach thought this as he approached Mage Peterson and Great Mage Humboldt. Just then, Ella, who was in charge of monitoring the remaining village couple, ran up to report, "During the Beast Tide, the two of them didn’t take a single step out of the hunting lodge."

"Did they hear anything?"

A new sound arose from the now-quiet forest.

Crying. It was a child crying. It started as a soft sob, then became choked and intermittent, growing louder and louder.

Everyone froze, turning to look in the direction of the sound.

"My child! That’s my child! Albert! Albert, is that you?" The disheveled woman threw open the cabin door and stumbled out, trying to charge out of the village.

Rorschach immediately used his [Mage’s Hand] to restrain the frenzied woman. Peterson went over and placed a hand over her face, putting her to sleep.

"Something’s not right. This crying isn’t right." Rorschach listened intently again. He felt something was wrong but couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

"Of course it’s not right for a child to be crying in a forest that just produced a Beast Tide."

"No." Rorschach listened for another moment and finally pinpointed the incongruity. "The crying... it’s on a loop."

Sobbing... intermittent wailing... whimpering... and then the exact same sobbing all over again...