High wooden beams protected the large village on all sides. The gates were open, and people came and went along the dark shore. Several boats in the open sea.
The news of his arrival spread like wildfire among the villagers. People were eager to serve them, look after their horses, clean their armor, sharpen the swords, etc.
Faust ignored them all and made his way towards the only stone structure in the whole village. A small keep made by stacking stones, big enough to be called a villa. Belonging to some knight or minor noble house.
The knight in charge of the keep was waiting for them with open gates and a wide smile. The main responsibility of the Penthos Shield was to protect the dark shore from monsters and invaders. Most likely, their lookouts had probably notified them of Faust’s arrival for hours now.
In the center of the nameless stone keep, a large bell was placed.
The keep wasn’t anything impressive, but at least it was better than sleeping in inns.
"Young Master Faust, it is an honor to receive you at my door." The tall, armored man offered his hand. "I’m Sir Simon Hardway."
Faust shook the man’s hand, smiling politely. The man grinned and gestured toward the woman and toddler beside him. "This is my lady wife and my youngest, Theodore. My firstborn is watching the ocean."
Hardways were not rich in any sense. So they were glad to know he would only stay for a couple of days.
"What’s the sea like these days?" Faust asked over dinner.
"Oh, it’s keeping us busy now that the spring has arrived. From here to Keld, we get a dozen beasts every high tide. Releasing the Black Pullet essence helps us gather the lot and set up traps."
Faust nodded. He had read about the famous Black Pullet spirit of House Erebos. One of the Tide Lords from the Coalition of Free Cities. The host of Black Pullet was both the most fortunate person in the world and also the most pitiful.
Black Pullet’s spirit had a unique essence. Every soul beast in the world hates it with every fiber of their being for some reason. It could attract soul beasts from hundreds of kilometers away. All filled with uncontrollable rage because of it.
So the host had to live their entire life in an inner palace sealed with Meridian Steel. Never allowed to leave. All of Eldraxis treated House Erebos with utmost respect and reverence. The essence they shared with the world saved thousands of lives each year.
The knights around him started asking questions about how they killed the monsters and what kind of beasts were common, etc. He listened with half a mind while calculating how many monsters the Penthos Shield was probably handling each day.
Two dozen a day for just this one distant village. It barely had more than 30 fighting men. Each castle of the Penthos Shield probably had five to six such villages in its land. The larger towns covered bigger land and received more monsters.
So at least 700-800 soul beasts a day. Over twenty thousand in a month. No wonder this was a famous place to rank up for Fledglings and Ravagers. Even if he killed a steady two a day, five months were enough to saturate his fledgling core fully.
The high tides arrived early in the morning at 7 and then in the evening around 6. Each high tide brought with it new monsters.
The next morning Faust rode with Sir Hardway to the guard tower where the Black Pullet’s essence was kept under watch, sealed in a Miridian Steel box. An hour before high tide, it was opened to attract the beasts.
If not for this, they would have to hunt down each soul beast all over the shore, and most of them wouldn’t even come to the shore. They preyed on fishermen and merchant ships.
There was a risk of attracting beasts from the forest behind them, but the small amount of Black Pullet’s essence only attracted soul beasts from 40-50 kilometers, so it was manageable. It was not as potent as the scent of the host himself.
The path from the ocean to the tower was barricaded with sharp wooden pikes on both sides, creating an open battlefield filled with traps. The tower guards had a full view of the battlefield and could launch arrows freely.
"Young Faust, will you be joining us?" Sir Hardway asked while checking up on all the pitfall traps with Faust and his knights.
The cold wind of the sea had a bite to it. The Sun had yet to rise, but it was already bright enough to see clearly.
Faust gazed at the distant horizon where some moving dots could be seen.
"Not this time. You can use my men if you wish."
"Haha," The knight laughed heartily, "I won’t need them, but they can join if they want."
Most everyone stayed with Faust on the guard tower awaiting the monster charge. Sir Merek and a handful of his soldiers joined Lord Hardway’s men for the ground charge.
Soon the distant shadows grew, and the dark shore was filled with several monsters of all shapes and sizes.
"It’s mostly fledglings, a couple of ravagers a day, but rarely a tyrant." The tower captain spoke.
Hardway was down below, leading his men alongside his son.
"What’s the plan if it’s a tyrant?" Dame Naima asked.
"We have fifteen Ravagers. We split into two groups; one keeps the other monsters busy while the other stalls against the tyrant. Once all the monsters are dealt with, the two groups join and deal with the tyrant."
"Casualties?" Sir Galahad asked.
"Usually a couple of men every month if the tyrant never comes." The archer replied.
"And if it does?" Lady Birhi asked.
"More. Four-five."
That was a high mortality rate for such a small village. But such was the life here. The frontline warriors of Velthros lost lives in hundreds each year. Those guys dealt with the worst beasts; these here were the stragglers who ran away from them or successfully avoided the range covered by Black Pullet essence.