Casualties were small compared to the forces arranged against us. Luckily, no one I knew personally was killed during the battle, but still a few adventurers were gone. They were unlucky and had been killed instantly. Nobody was turned, which was a good thing. The nobles and their guards had lost a few also. None of the plague ghouls had hit them, so no one turned, but there were two noble scion that died today.

  The battle has only lasted 2 hours after first contact, but everyone was exhausted. The spell of death was just overwhelming. Everyone was slowly moving through the gates back to their respective abodes.

  As I was walking through the gate, one of the guards came up to me and said the Earl would like to meet with me as soon as I can. Which the guard assumed meant right now, since he waited for me to acknowledge it. I quickly cast Cleanse on myself and started making my way toward the Earl’s manor. However, the guard pointed me to a carriage that was waiting to take me. I climbed aboard and the carriage started moving even before I sat down.

  I started to review my notifications from the battle. There were many about killing the lesser and plague ghouls, but they would all be the same. So, I just deleted them. The Ghoul Lord notification I did want to see. Mainly to see what level it was.

  Congratulations, you have killed a level 37 Ghoul Lord. Experience will be delayed until after the monster wave.

  I didn’t know what to think of it, so I decided I could wait until after the monster wave. The loot notification was also interesting.

  You have received a Staff of Withering, a tome of teleport, and an Unexpected Benefit pill.

  I pulled the Staff of Withering out of my inventory. Identification showed

  Staff of Withering

  Level: Exceptional

  Description: Staff weapon that debuffs target when hit. Minus 5 strength for 30 seconds. Additional hits do not stack, but extend the time of the debuff.

  1. +2 to hit

  2. +2 to Strength

  3. +2 to Intelligence

  4. Disassociates Lesser Undead

  Usage: Use as staff weapon.

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

  Not really for me, but I know of a mage or two at the Adventurer’s Guild that was be interested.

  The pill identified as the Unexpected Benefit pill with results variable but always beneficial. Both it and the tome would have to wait until after my meeting with the Earl. All three loot items were great. Maybe there was something to monster hunting after all.

  I met the Earl in the war room. He was discussing the day’s results with Captain Willop, Ruberm, Gorver, and Countess Majora. I waited until Captain Willop motioned for me to come over.

  “Here is the hero of the day.” Captain Willop said.

  “Please, the heroes are the fighters holding the line, and the healers in the fortifications. The nobles’ scions and adventurers did an incredible job. Your team members made the ultimate sacrifice and should be recognized.” I replied.

  “Bravery was shown all around today” Earl Donnert said, “and recognition will be appropriate after the monster wave is finished. We are here to discuss how the today’s tactics worked and what improvement can be made. Tell me, Trevor, what did was your general impression?”

  “I was mostly concerned with how the healers were operating. I think a pair of medics could have been useful for transporting injured personnel from the front line to the formations, speeding up the recovery and return of the fighters. Other than that, I think it went about as well as it could have. Splitting the main force into smaller units, allowed us to concentrate our forces on the choke points giving us a huge advantage in fighting power there.”

  “I would agree with Young Master Trevor’s assessment for the most part. There is still room for improvement.” Countess Majora interjected.

  “Is there anything else the magical healers need that would help with tomorrow’s battle”, the Earl asked.

  “As much as I hate to admit it. If the Healer’s Guild could provide personnel who are familiar with emergency medical techniques that would help. They would be used as medics, stopping bleeding and transporting injured fighters to the magic healers. Stopping bleeding before transporting back to the formations will help a lot.” I answered. “Other than that, I can’t think of anything right now. I will think about it tonight and let you know if anything comes up.”

  “Your magic healers saved a lot of lives today. I want to thank you, but public acclamations will have to wait until the monster wave is over. I just want you to know that everyone is aware of your contributions”, the Earl said and dismissed me.

  There was a carriage waiting for me when I got outside. It was early afternoon when I got home. As I entered, I asked Gabriel to bring some food to my office. He could tell that I was not really in the mood to talk about the fighting, so left to inform Chef. I walked into my office, shut the door and let out a huge sigh of relief. Relief I had survived. Relief that no one I knew died today, and relief to be away from everyone.