The Story of Evil: Volume I - Heroes of the Siege by Tony Johnson Read Free Book Online

high from the farmlands. Each one was equally spaced apart and served as a distinct mark for the north, south, east, and west. The south tower was unique in that it rose out of the Darien Bay, and also served as a lighthouse for incoming ships.
    From the four outer watchtowers, warriors watched over the workers in the fields to make sure there were no monster attacks from the surrounding wilderness. It wasn’t easy for a monster to get to the civilians before they were spotted. Beyond the outer wall there were miles of empty plains surrounding Celestial. Whether a monster came north from Whitebark Woods, east from Valpyrio Heights, south from the Darien Sea, or east across the Prairie, they would be seen long before they even reached the farmlands. Warriors would blow into their tower’s large warning horn if they spotted even one monster. The long and deep vaarooom sound could be heard by anyone in the farmlands. It even reached the ears of civilians in the city. After hearing the alarm, field workers would retreat into the watchtower for safety while warriors would be sent out to deal with the enemy.
    The watchtowers not only served as a lookout, but also as an armory where every type of weapon was stored. Even off duty warriors were always on duty. If there was ever a major attack (as it was today), they were required to equip a weapon and armor at the nearest tower and help out if needed. King Zoran commanded that every warrior be assigned a role to play in the defense of the city if there was an attack, despite the fact the city had never been penetrated before.
    There were eight towers that stood on the inside of the inner wall (within the city). Warriors from these towers watched over Celestial for any signs of fire or disasters. They also watched the four outer towers for distress signals.
    Each tower had five to ten warriors on guard day and night. Every warrior had to spend at least one day, every fortnight, in their assigned tower. It was a boring job, because usually the street patrols took care of any problems in the city, but the warriors made the most of their time in their watchtower. It served as a therapeutic day and allowed each warrior to relax his stress filled mind from the difficulties of his job. If a person couldn’t find a warrior on street patrol, they would always be able to alert the warriors stationed in the nearest watchtower if a crime had been committed or if they saw something dangerous about to occur.
    The watchtower Steve was closest to was led by Commander Ostravaski. Steve didn’t know Commander Ostravaski personally, but out of the twelve commanders in charge of each watchtower, he was said to be the strictest. Rookie warriors always dreaded being assigned to his tower. Warriors were not allowed to switch where they were drafted to when they graduated from Warrior Training.
    Steve turned and entered into the plaza Commander Ostravaski’s watchtower was in. The tall stone tower loomed over all the buildings surrounding it. Civilians were funneling in through the large set of doors.
    Steve was in a plaza called “Big Square.” It was one of four main road plazas in Celestial. The three others were called Oval Plaza, Diamond Plaza, and Little Square Plaza. Out of all four, Big Square was the largest and most heavily trafficked. It was considered an iconic landmark of Celestial.
    Through the center of Big Square Plaza ran the Fluorite River. In the night, the water was an amazing sight because the riverbed was full of Fluorite Crystals. Fluorite Crystals were glowing energy crystals that came in every color. They were very common, so they weren’t worth a lot, but they were beautiful to look at. The crystals illuminated the Fluorite River, giving the water a subtle glow and sparkle as it winded all the way to the castle.
    The Fluorite River supplied most of Celestial’s freshwater, but it did not reach the entire city. To correct this, when the city was first built, a long aqueduct