The bells of Elarion rang before dawn.

Not the slow bells used for meetings.

Not the iron signal for workshop shifts.

War bells.

Heavy. Sharp. Relentless.

Their sound rolled through the snowy valley while torchlights flared across the fortress walls and soldiers rushed through the streets beneath the freezing dark.

The beast tide was coming.

And everyone in Elarion knew what that meant.

No one in the north joked about beast tides.

Entire villages disappeared beneath them.

Convoys vanished.

Fortified outposts collapsed overnight.

When winter starved the deeper forests, the creatures descended together.

Hungry.

Violent.

Endless.

Inside the main fortress hall, commanders, knights, engineers, and squad captains crowded around the central war table while scouts delivered fresh reports one after another.

"Movement confirmed across the northern ridges."

"Forest packs merging together."

"Dire wolves identified."

"Several frost boars."

A scout hesitated briefly afterward.

"...Large signatures deeper behind them."

The room grew quieter.

No one liked hearing that.

Malen stood over the map with one hand resting against the table.

"How long?"

"By evening," the scout answered.

Lucas cursed softly under his breath.

Cedric looked toward Lucien.

"The outer villages?"

"Already evacuating."

Good.

At least they had time for that much.

Outside meanwhile, Elarion had transformed completely overnight.

The settlement no longer resembled a growing industrial town.

It looked like a fortress preparing for siege.

Workers hauled ammunition crates toward the walls.

Blacksmiths distributed fresh steel spearheads.

Boiling oil cauldrons were prepared above the gates.

The cannon crews worked without rest beneath the western battlements while engineers reinforced firing positions with timber and stone.

And across the lower courtyard—

The First Rifle Regiment assembled in formation for the first time under live combat orders.

Snow drifted through the training grounds while fifty riflemen stood in organized lines wearing thick winter cloaks over reinforced leather and steel gear.

Not knights.

Not ordinary infantry.

Something else now.

Lucien walked slowly before them while workers and guards watched silently from nearby walls. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Some riflemen looked nervous.

Others excited.

A few looked terrified.

Reasonable reaction honestly.

This would be their first real battle.

Malen stopped beside the formation afterward.

"Listen carefully."

The entire courtyard quieted.

"You are not frontline infantry."

His voice remained calm.

Cold.

"You hold formation."

He pointed toward the fortress walls above.

"You fire."

Then toward the distant snow-covered north.

"And you do not panic."

One younger marksman swallowed visibly.

Another tightened his grip around the rifle stock.

Malen’s gaze swept across them all.

"These weapons make you dangerous."

A pause.

"Discipline keeps you alive."

No grand speeches.

No dramatic promises.

Just truth.

Oddly enough—

That steadied them more.

Lucien stepped forward afterward.

"The walls will hold."

Several soldiers visibly relaxed hearing that.

"Your task is simple."

He looked toward the rifles resting across their shoulders.

"Fire carefully."

Then toward the fortress beyond them.

"And trust the man beside you."

Silence followed.

Heavy silence.

Because that part mattered most.

Trust.

Commoners stood beside knights here.

Hunters beside miners.

And in a few hours—

They would either survive together or die together.

Above the western wall, the newly constructed twelve-pound cannon was slowly rolled into final firing position beneath enormous effort.

"LEFT!"

"YOUR OTHER LEFT!"

"STOP PUSHING!"

"It weighs more than my house!"

Dwarves screamed instructions while exhausted workers dragged the artillery carriage into place across reinforced wooden tracks.

The cannon looked monstrous atop the battlements.

Like some iron beast staring toward the frozen wilderness beyond Elarion.

Aurethar watched from the upper tower while smoke drifted from his nostrils slowly.

"You mounted the loud weapon on the wall."

Cedric grunted while helping stabilize the cannon wheels.

"That tends to be where defensive weapons go."

"Reasonable."

Then after a pause:

"I approve."

That honestly worried Cedric slightly.

Far below the fortress, civilians continued moving inward from nearby settlements while supply wagons flooded through the gates before closure.

Children cried.

Workers carried crates.

Guards shouted directions through the chaos.

Yet despite the fear—

Order remained.

Because Elarion had prepared for disaster before.

Lucien stood atop the northern wall by midday while looking toward the distant forest line stretching across the horizon.

White snow.

Dark trees.

Stillness.

Too still.

Malen approached beside him.

"The scouts confirmed visual contact."

"How large?"

The Peak Knight stayed silent for a second.

"...Larger than expected."

Not good.

Below them, the rifle regiment moved into assigned firing positions along the reinforced wall sections while ammunition teams established reload stations nearby.

The cannon crews loaded the twelve-pounder carefully for the first live battle deployment.

Powder.

Wadding.

Shell.

Every movement deliberate.

The entire fortress seemed to hold its breath.

Then finally—

The northern forest moved.

At first it looked like shadows shifting between trees.

Then the shadows multiplied.

Hundreds.

Thousands.

A dark wave emerging from the snow-covered wilderness.

Wolves.

Massive boars.

Horned creatures with black fur and glowing eyes.

Some climbed over rocks.

Others smashed directly through frozen trees.

The ground itself seemed alive.

One guard whispered weakly:

"...Gods."

The beast tide stretched across the valley like a living storm.

And deeper behind the front lines—

Larger shapes moved beneath the trees.

Watching.

Waiting.

The fear across the walls became tangible immediately.

Even veteran soldiers tightened their grips around weapons.

Because humans understood monsters instinctively.

Then suddenly—

Aurethar rose from the tower.

The golden dragon unfolded enormous wings above Elarion while snow blasted outward from the battlements beneath the force alone.

The entire fortress looked upward.

Even the beasts slowed slightly in the distance.

Aurethar stared toward the incoming tide with ancient golden eyes.

Then smiled.

Not politely.

Predator to predator.

"At last," the dragon rumbled.

Fire flickered faintly between his teeth.

"Something interesting."