The hawk took off into the afternoon sky, making a larger loop around the town to see if there was anything approaching, while watching for anything that might take the opportunity of the fog to move about.

He was pretty sure that he hadn't missed anything during the day, but there were always ways to hide from him, so maybe like a mouse in a hole there were hiding monsters in the town just waiting to come out.

He had gone ten kilometres out, moving in a spiral pattern as he circled the town, when he found what they were waiting for.

[I found it. A whole bunch of Goblins are headed to the town now. They're just putting out their fires and starting to move. Do you want me to follow them?] He asked.

Karl frowned. That was close to the worst-case scenario that they had imagined when they prepared for the evening.

[Keep tabs on them, but make sure that is the only thing coming our way. We can likely deal with a pack of Goblins, but if there is something stronger than a Common Monster, we could be in trouble.] He replied.

Karl had an impression of where Hawk was in relation to himself, so he knew that that Goblins weren't too close to the town yet, and he had some time before they arrived, but not enough that he could count on making any real fortifications.

What he should do was call the Academy and make sure that this was part of the plan. Since they didn't know if the teachers were aware the town was empty when they were sent, it would be best to make sure. All he had to do was find the academy's phone number somewhere. Assuming that it was even listed.

Contacting the Elites wasn't something that a regular person could just do casually, so the number might not be easily available even with the computer here in the lobby. They should have most of an hour before the Goblins reached the town, so he would wake Dana up in half an hour to get freshened up and have something to eat before the fighting started.

[The Goblins are splitting up. They will be going all over town, but not in a big pack.] Hawk did his best to explain the situation as the Goblins got closer to the town's low wall.

[Alright, you can start working once they are in the fog and separated. Just don't get hurt. I will wake Dana now.] Karl replied.

He gently shook the mage awake and gestured toward the break room in the back of the lobby.

"There are washrooms back there, if you want to get clean and grab a drink before the fight starts." He whispered.

"How long do we have?"

Karl listened to Hawk's running updates and did his best to calculate.

"I would say about five minutes until they're actually in town, and fifteen or twenty before they reach this side of town. They're about to reach the outer fog now, and they have slowed to a slow walk as they search."

Dana disappeared into the back room and came back a few minutes later with a lunch box in each hand.

"They're still good. Or at least they smell like it. They were in the break room fridge, but I'm sure that whoever's lunch this was will forgive us."

"Do you know the Academy phone number, or how to find it? We should probably call them to make sure this is part of the plan." Karl suggested as he finished the container of leftover spaghetti and the two sandwiches. Whoever brought this had a serious appetite.

"I can try finding it, but I'm not sure that it's a public number. Let me know if anything is getting close." Dana agreed.

She sat at the computer to search for the Academy's contact information, and Karl moved to watch the outside of the building on the monitor at the other desk. There were only a few security cameras, but they circled the building, and there was an extra one at the entrance.

"Wait, we forgot to check the other doors. Give me one minute and I will make sure that none of the side doors are unlocked." Karl hissed as he realized that they had missed an important step in securing their base.

There was only one other exterior door, a fire exit at the back of the lobby, but when Karl reached it, he realized that it wasn't and couldn't be locked. But he had some supplies, so there was a chance to barricade the door.

He went back to the front and got one of the cargo securement bars and the length of chain he had taken from the auto repair shop. The bar could be set across the hallway, and the chain looped around it and through the handle on the door. The hooks on either end of the chain would hold it in place, and the handle looked solid enough, bolted through the thick metal fire door.

Karl didn't know for sure how strong a Goblin was, but there was no chance that he would be able to pull that door open, even if he had someone along to help him.

It took a few tries to get the bar in the right spot across the hallway walls, but once he had the chain pulled tight, the door was very secure, and they no longer had to worry too much about anything sneaking in behind them.

[They're in the fog. I will start to eliminate the Goblins now.] Hawk reported.

"They're in town. Hawk is starting to work now, but we've got a bit before they reach this side of the city. They're probably going to try to loot the houses as they go, so it might take quite a while before they reach us." Karl whispered.

[They're not all stopping. A bunch of them are running further into town through the fog. They could be near you soon. Do I scout or do I hunt?] Hawk asked.

"They're not doing a methodical search, they're spreading all over town and coming our way. Get ready."

[Try to give us a warning when anything gets close to us, but hunt as much as you can.]