The caravan entered the camp to the relief of everyone present. The last week had been grueling due to the monster attacks. The camp, luckily, seemed to be quite fortified from what Fergus and Stephanie stated. Gaia could sense at least a hundred people around twenty feet up so she assumed they were the defenders. All of them seemed to be around her strength or stronger based on the flames she sensed.

  There was one that was around Titania’s strength along the wall as well. They seemed to be the leader for the group. As Malachite walked alongside the caravan she was able to sense more and more people, most of which were barely stone rank and some were still normal rank. She guessed they were the support staff. The caravan continued until they stopped with the entire group, wagons and all were in a large circle, which Gaia assumed was a main square or something similar. Then Delilah spoke.

  “It looks like everyone here has been alright. Good. Those of us who have just arrived need to be guided to lodging or an area to set up if need be or wanted. Thank you to all the hunters who have accepted the commission and stuck with us until now. Enjoy the rest of the day to relax and get situated for the coming weeks. We’ll meet again in the morning to set up rotations.” The Guild Master finished.

  The hunters all moved to a side of the square where they were out of the way of the caravan unloading. They sat and rested for a bit before a few groups of people made their way to them and asked for the parties requests for sleeping arrangements. Most chose to set up camp around those they’d met and became close with during the trip, while Gaia’s group and the party of Jeffs asked if there was somewhere like an inn they could use.

  There luckily was one such building, it was similar to an inn and was relatively cheap. It was only two stone cores a day for a double room. They got two like they usually did with the guys and girls each getting a room. This made it easy for Gaia to memorize the area around her bed and not fall over things other hunters had set out. Which had happened quite a few times when they were traveling.

  The rooms weren’t massive and had two beds with a large end table in between them. There was also a large chest in the corner for storage and a small wardrobe for any clothes. Otherwise, the room was empty and had a few feet on either side of the two beds and at the bottom for people to move. Stephanie ran and quickly made sure they could move stuff around, which they could. She wasted no time in moving the beds together into the corner and having the end table beside it. This opened up the room for Gaia’s bonds to be able to move around a bit and generally gave them some space.

  After settling down in their room and Gaia memorizing the layout, for the most part, they went to check on the guys. They had a room about the same size but left everything how it was originally. They decided to go check on when dinner and meal times were. Dinner was in about another hour and breakfast was an hour after dawn. Lunch was served from noon to two, to allow different squads of defenders to switch and get food. There was a midnight meal for the defenders on overnight as well.

  It seemed like there were defenders on the wall at all times. There were three shifts that rotated on week long cycles. Those on the wall overnight would be on it during the morning the next week and during the day the week after. Then, back on overnight the following week. All of the squads stayed the same unless the leader of a group asked for a change.

  The shifts were to ensure there were defenders at all times. The rotation allowed them to access the shops, without requiring some shops to stay open constantly. Each squad was comprised of at most nine groups to allow each to have one day off during each rotation. The Hunter’s parties would be added on to these squads to bolster personnel, at least six times a week. The other three were for them to do as they pleased. Their rotation was with the squad they were added to, however, so if their squad was overnight so they.

  If the parties went into the ruins with the explorers, they’d get extra pay. Otherwise, they would not get paid unless they helped during an emergency on their days off. They could help to man the wall for their ten stone cores on one off days, but were required to take at least one day off from the wall. This was mainly so no one got worn out from working every single day and accidentally allow something to happen.

  The party returned to the girl’s room after learning about the defenders and the schedules. They all sat on the floor as they discussed what they planned. It mainly depended on what their first rotation was, which they wouldn’t find out until the next day and decided to make the decision then. There was suddenly a loud banging of metal on metal which sounded like pots and pans. Gaia guessed that signified dinner was ready.

  They made their way out of the inn and Gaia rode in Malachite’s shell towards dinner. There were a few awkward moments with people complaining about the large turtle blocking the way but quickly quieted when the party reached the mess hall. Gaia climbed down from Malachite’s back and he shrunk down before she placed him in her shoulder. Antonio was on her other shoulder, with Liv perched on the top of her head, and Shadow right by her side. They took their place in line with Gaia at the back and a few people complaining once again.

  “Come on! Can’t you see the people are moving?” A man said from behind her.

  “No. I can’t, but thank you for telling me.” Gaia replied.

  That apparently caused the person to be dumbfounded and stuttered for a moment before being quiet. After that, Shadow nudged her whenever she needed to go forward. The others hadn’t said anything since they’d honestly forgot, so Shadow helped her through the line by either nudging or telling her when to step forward. When Gaia fumbled for the tray Fergus realized and helped her carry it to a table.

  That was when everyone remembered and apologized, since it probably would have been easier if she had been in front or between them. She didn’t mind and was just a bit annoyed that someone was rude. She couldn’t really blame him though; she was holding up the line by accident. The dinner was pretty good with some vegetables that tasted similar to green beans, some kind of pasta like spaghetti, and some hard bread. There was water to drink but if people wanted alcohol they had to pay for it at the tavern by the central square.

  After dinner the party retired to their rooms and went to sleep. They awoke just before dawn the next morning and made their way to the central square to meet the Guild Master. The party was surprised to be the first ones there and had even beat the Guild Master there. They had to wait an hour before the Guild Master appeared. She seemed a bit embarrassed to be there after them.

  “How long have you lot been waiting?” She asked.

  “Around an hour.” Gaia replied.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you guys wait. Here’s the rotation schedule, you can choose any squad to group with since you’re the first ones here.” The Guild Master explained as she moved a couple sheets of paper forward.

  The party discussed what was written. It mostly explained the three shifts and their composition. Each shift had a bronze rank group assigned. One had the Journeyman Guild’s bronze rank party while the other two had Flora and Legion respectively. Each shift had two group spots open so Gaia’s party could choose any of the shifts. The morning shift was from dawn until mid afternoon. The afternoon shift started just after lunch and went until about midnight. The overnight shift started just after dinner, which was a couple hours after sunset, and ended immediately after breakfast. Each shift worked a few hours together each day.

  They decided to join the morning shift for the week. This way they could get used to the rotation without having to switch their sleep schedule immediately. The shift also included Legion so they knew one of the parties already, which would help them settle in a bit better. After they relayed their decision to the Guild Master she just asked them write their party name in the slot, which caused them all to pause for a bit. They hadn’t come up with a party name yet.

  This was when Fergus had a spark of inspiration and wrote a word for their party name. Fauna. From that point on they would be known as Fauna. With their party name written down, the Guild Master told them where to go to meet the defender shift they’d be working with for their time in the camp. Gaia hopped on Malachite’s shell and as the party moved towards their destination, Griff asked the question everyone had on their minds.

  “What did you write?”

  “I wrote Fauna. Figured it would work well for us, especially since half of our party are animals or at least animal like creatures, and the party started thanks to Flora’s introduction. Therefore, our party is called Fauna.” Fergus explained.

  “I like it.” Gaia stated after a moment.

  “It does suit us, doesn’t it?” Stephanie added.

  “Yeah. Not a bad name.” Griff finished.

  The party was quiet for the rest of the walk, until they reached the wall and were greeted by the person in charge. At least that was what Gaia assumed from their commanding tone.

  “Are you the party that’s going to be joining our shift?” The man spoke in a grizzled voice.

  “Yes sir. We are. Our party is called Fauna.” Griff replied.

  “No need to call me sir. I’m just one of the squad leaders. I’m just here to meet and guide you. I’ll take you to meet the captain. The name’s Dante.” He stated and started to lead them somewhere.

  It took about half an hour to reach the captain as their guide had to stop and ask where they had gone to. The party guessed it was because the captain was busy doing their job and they were correct. They were getting closer to the sound of someone yelling at another.

  “I don’t care if you’re hungover. It’s your own fault. You will not slack off and sleep while on duty guarding the walls. Do you understand me?” A slightly feminine voice barked out.

  “Yes sir!” A young woman’s voice replied.

  “Good, if this happens again, you will be banned from the tavern and I’ll have you on scout duty until the ruin exploration is over.” The first voice stated.

  Gaia didn’t know what scout duty meant but based on how the other persons voice started quivering as they replied with a “Yes sir.” she guessed it wasn’t anything good. The reprimanded defender quickly moved away after being dismissed by, who the party now understood was the captain. Then, the guide stepped forward and introduced the party.

  “Captain. This is Fauna. One of the two stone rank parties we will be working with on our shift. Fauna this is the Captain.” Dante introduced.

  “Ah, you’re here already. I was honestly not expecting anyone to be here before lunch. I am Captain Drakon, the leader of this shift. Everyone just calls me Captain. Before you ask, Captain is my first name and yes I am the Captain of a shift.” The person explained wearily.

  From what Gaia could sense, the person in front of the party was about two and a half feet tall and was similar to what she guessed a kobold would be. Her senses indicated that the person had a long snout on their face and they had a tail similar to a reptiles.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “I’m Griff, the tall one beside me is Fergus, the tall dwarf is Stephanie, and the earthbound on the big turtle is Gaia. The creatures around us are also part of the party. I’ll let Gaia introduce them if you want.” Griff stated.

  “Please do so. They all seem quite unique.” Captain replied.

  “Well, the big guy carrying me is Malachite. The spider on my head is Liv. The ant is Antonio and the big wolf you’re currently petting is Shadow. They are all my bonds.” Gaia introduced.

  “Alright. Don’t know what that means but they seem pretty well behaved and friendly. Nice to have you lot on our shift but if you don’t mind me asking how is a blind person going to keep watch on the walls.” Captain asked.

  Gaia just put up her Mana Field before explaining. “I can sense any monsters or creatures with mana that are within this field. My bonds can also watch with me and let me know if they see something.”

  Captain flinched slightly when the Mana Field passed over him but otherwise didn’t react, listening to Gaia’s explanation intently. After a moment of silence he spoke again. “I think I understand. I apologize for my rude question. Welcome to the shift Fauna, glad to have you.”

  After this Captain started to explain the basics for the defenders. The shifts different squads were to be on watch along their designated section of the walls at all times. This meant actively walking along the wall and scanning the area outside for any monsters or threats. During meal times, half of the squad was to go and get their meals while the other half remained. At this time another shift would also be doing the same, when the first group was finished eating they would return to the wall and let the other half go get food.

  Once the shift was dismissed, the rest of the day was free to do with as you wished. The only rule was to be sober and attentive during the shift. If you were found otherwise you would given a verbal warning first, before being banned from the drinking establishment or moved to a different shift if it was due to something else. The rules seemed quite lenient for a first offense but still quite harsh for repeat offenders due to the importance of the job. If a monster made its way into the camp injuries or even deaths were expected.

  For their first day on the walls Fauna had a member of another squad with them to help them adjust. The person they had been assigned was none other than the person who had been warned about being hungover on the job.

  “I’m Lilia. I’ll be with y’all today to show you the ropes. Just please don’t make any loud noises for a while.” She stated slowly and deliberately in almost a whisper.

  “Are you going to be alright?” Stephanie asked.

  “Yeah. Just need an hour or two to get over this hangover.” She replied.

  “Well, alright I guess. What do we need to do? Just keep a lookout along this section of the wall?” Gaia asked.

  “Yep. I’ll be here to help in case you spot something and to guide you during meal times. Now, just keep a lookout and let me know if you notice something.” She finished before walking a distance away from the party while massaging her temples.

  “She’s definitely something.” Griff stated when Lilia had moved far enough away.

  “Yeah. Let’s just leave her be for an hour unless we see something, alright?” Gaia suggested.

  “Fair enough.” The others agreed.

  “Do you want a chair?” Fergus asked her.

  “Is the wall wide enough for Malachite to grow and everyone get by?” She asked.

  “Let’s see.” He replied. Malachite grew just big enough for Gaia to make her chair and everyone was able to pass by comfortably. With that out of the way Gaia put up her Mana Field, shaping it to focus out passed the walls edge, and Fauna started their watch.

  The watch went by relatively uneventfully. Gaia sensed a few monsters which they reported to Lilia, but she just let them know they could kill them if they’re single weak monsters without worrying about reporting. Fergus or Stephanie quickly killed the singles since they were low level stone rank at the highest. The rest of the party had seen a few as well which were similarly dealt with.

  The first day on watch luckily ended without incident. Getting lunch was a bit weird since the party was used to going all at once, but didn’t cause any significant issues. Gaia sent Shadow and Antonio with the first group to make it easy. The second group consisted of her, Malachite and Fergus. Liv didn’t need to eat so she just stayed on Gaia’s head. To make the line easier she just stayed on Malachite’s back while she got her food and got a salad for Malachite as well.

  When the party met back up on the wall the afternoon shift had joined them. The squad assigned with them was a group of six. There were two men and four women. They were a distance from Stephanie and Griff when Gaia and Fergus arrived.

  “Are they the afternoon shifts squad?” Fergus asked.

  “Yeah. They didn’t give us a good first impression though. Everything was going well until they saw Shadow and Antonio. They tried to attack them which didn’t end well.” Stephanie explained.

  “Really? Is everyone okay?” Gaia immediately asked.

  “I’m ok.” Shadow replied through their bond.

  “Not hurt.” She heard the voice of a little boy say through a bond.

  “Antonio?” She asked.

  “Yes. Mom.” The same voice replied.

  “You can speak now!” She stated out loud excitedly.

  This was the first time Antonio had been able to speak or reply to anything through their bond. It also let her breathe a sigh of relief to hear that her bonds were alright. Stephanie and Griff had also relayed they were alright while she had been listening and talking to her bonds.

  “What happened then?” Fergus asked.

  “They went to attack and Griff punched one denting their armor and Shadow blocked the attack for Antonio and I without a scratch. Needless to say, I don’t think they like us now.” Stephanie explained.

  “Well, no skin off my back, especially if they tried to hurt my friends and bonds.” Gaia stated.

  As the party talked Gaia sensed the squad coming closer. She quickly let the others know as the other squad approached. From what she could sense, the squad was a bit weaker than her party individually. They were all taller than her but she couldn’t tell anything aside from that. When the group got close, Gaia’s bonds all moved to the back by her with Griff, Fergus and Stephanie in front of them.

  “So, you’re the one that likes and uses monsters?” One of the women asked.

  “They’re not monsters. They’re my bonds.” Gaia replied indignantly.

  “They’re monsters. I can’t trust monsters. They’re what we’re here to kill and keep out of the walls. Get rid of them.” Another of the women stated.

  “No.” Gaia said icily, with a tone none of her friends had heard from her. Her tone had apparently also caused the other group to be surprised as she sensed them reaching to their hip or back.

  “What do you mean no? They’re monsters, you’re here to keep them out.” The first women replied.

  “From my point of view you’re the monsters. You want to kill my family and expect me to have no qualms, because you’re so narrow minded to think anything that’s not humanoid deserves to die. When, not a single other person I’ve come across, has had a single issue with them. So, I’m going to leave and make sure I never see you lot again.” Gaia replied as she had Malachite walk away. Her party members followed immediately afterwards.

  They made their way off the wall and went to find their shifts Captain. He luckily wasn’t far and they waited for him to finish the conversation he was having. A few minutes later he turned to see Fauna waiting quietly behind him.

  “Why aren’t you guys in the wall? It’s not the end of our shift yet.” He asked.

  The party quickly explained what had happened and what was said word for word. They also told him why they hadn’t stayed on the wall. Captain was silent for a few moments while the information sunk in before letting out a deep sigh. From what Lilia had reported to him, the party was extremely competent and great lookouts. They had seen monsters even she’d missed until they were pointed out. He didn’t want the party to be worried about their safety.

  “Alright. I think I understand the situation. I understand why you left the wall, but you should have had a few stay behind while the others reported this. I won’t even give a warning because of the circumstances and this being your first day. It was also likely the best thing you could have done. I’ll talk to the other shifts captain and ensure something like this won’t happen again. We will ensure nothing will happen to you all because of it either, so there’s no need to worry.” He stated.

  The party sighed in relief when he finished speaking. They’d been worried something would happen because of it or that they’d get in trouble for leaving their post.

  “Thank you. We didn’t know what to expect when we came to talk to you.” Gaia stated.

  “Don’t mention it. You’re with my shift now so, you’re one of my people. I’ll look after you lot as long as you’re under my command. Now, I’ll let you guys leave early today while I go and sort this incident out. Don’t expect to leave early again though.” Captain stated.

  The party thanked him again before making their way back to the camps inn. When they arrived, they all went to the girls room and immediately slumped down on the floor or beds. The entire situation had been tense, from when the other squad had tried to attack Shadow and Antonio the first time, to the end of the conversation with Captain. They had been on edge when the other squad had approached and it had gotten worse when they started talking. Then after explaining everything to Captain had caused their nerves to fray until he had alleviated their worries.

  Now that they were back in their room, they finally had a chance to relax, which caused all of the exhaustion to hit them at once. The party all stared at Gaia for a bit when they remembered how icy and angry her voice had sounded when replying to the squad. It hadn’t been something they’d ever heard. They’d never even heard her sound angry about anything so hearing her voice dripping with what they could only assume was hatred and fury was jarring.

  When they looked at her now, she was sitting with her bonds curled up with her as she hugged them all protectively while trying to comfort herself with their presence. She was also crying now that she felt safe enough to. She’d been scared for her bonds more than anything else during the entire ordeal, for all she knew the defenders could just decide to kick them out of the walls or hurt them or even worse. Her emotions finally caught up to her now.

  She’d never felt hatred for anyone or anything before those people had told her to let them kill her bonds. What they did was equivalent to someone walking up and saying let me kill your kids and entire family because we don’t like them or they scare us. Thankfully, her friends had been with her to help which made it easier to deal with in the moment, but now all of the worry, fear, rage, and relief rushed her system all at once.

  She didn’t even notice the pain of her poisonous tears. She could hear her friends speak but couldn’t respond. She was just overwhelmed by everything and moved to the corner of the bed with her bonds snuggling up with her. Her friends all stayed with her and talked to each other but she couldn’t hear any of it. It wasn’t until it was time for dinner that she was able to function again. She’d apparently fallen asleep at some point and was awoken by Fergus gently tapping her and saying it was time for dinner.

  She slowly got up with his help and made her way to the mess hall. Antonio and Liv were both on her shoulder and head respectively, with Shadow right beside her, and Malachite shrunken down opposite of Antonio. Fergus was beside her holding her hand as he walked with her. They arrived at the mess hall about five minutes later and waited in line for food. Fergus helped her get all of the food for herself and her bonds before going to a table where Griff and Stephanie were waiting. The party ate quietly with all of Gaia’s small bonds eating on the table in between them and Shadow eating from a bowl beside her. They then made their way back to the inn and went back to the girls room to rest and talk.

  “Are you alright?” Stephanie asked Gaia.

  She just nodded.

  “Still a bit overwhelmed by everything?” Fergus asked.

  Once again she just nodded.

  “Alright. Good. We were worried about you. I’m glad you’re ok.” Griff stated.

  The rest of the night went by with the other three telling stories which Gaia enjoyed listening to. It helped her relax and feel normal again which was welcome. Her bonds still cuddled up with her as they sat listening to the stories her friends told until they fell asleep for the night.

  The next morning she awoke a few hours before dawn feeling much better. She prepared for the day and started to practice her mana shaping. It wasn’t long before Stephanie woke up and the pair went out to meet the guys and head for the gate. They arrived to find Captain waiting.

  “Good you’re here. You’ll be assigned to the same area on the wall as yesterday. The situation was also taken care of so there’s no need to worry. The squad from yesterday will not be placed with you again. I am sorry for what happened yesterday.” Captain stated.

  “Th-thank you.” Gaia was able to stutter out.

  “No need for thanks. Now, you lot had better get a move on. The squad you’re with from the night shift is one of the parties from the caravan.” Captain said.

  The party made their way to the section of wall they were assigned. Once there they noticed who the other squad was. Flora. After the mishap from yesterday having them nearby was reassuring. The two parties talked while keeping a lookout and Titania laughed when she heard their party name.

  “I like it. It fits you guys and I won’t lie. Knowing we had an impact on the choice makes us happy.” She said before suddenly going quiet as she stared out at a particular section of the forest.

  It was a few moments later that Gaia heard the sound of branches breaking and she focused her Mana Field out to find out what it was. That was when she sensed something moving towards them, slowly. It was slow but big it appeared to be some kind of serpent monster that was moving directly towards them. The main issue was that it was bronze rank so Flora would have to deal with it.

  Then she noticed something else. There were three more monsters like it moving towards the wall. She quickly relayed the information and Titania burst into a sprint towards the gate Captain had been at. A few moments later Gaia heard multiple people running up the wall to their area. Then, she was asked to relay the information to another person. Immediately after there was a bell rang from somewhere to her right and a shout.

  “Monsters incoming! At least four bronze ranks! Stay vigilant!” The voice yelled as the monsters approached the wall.