Thank you very much kallesen for donating! Appreciate it :D.

Should you ever donate, please comment a fake name or RRL account name with the donation so I know who to credit for it!

Yet another day in the life of Squad 40!

-----

Chapter 55: True Terror

It didn't take long to complete the makeshift wall.

The finished product looked incredibly grotesque, enough to make people uncomfortable by just looking at it.

No sane man would dare to advance with such a crude and barbaric defensive method and it proved as quite the success as Squad 40 was able to spend the rest of the day without any more fighting.

Soon enough an audible horn from beyond the wall was blown in a short rhythm and Makoto was able to watch the gigantic mass of enemy Soldiers retreat while he stood near the damaged gate.

The first day of battle was over for now but the danger of sneak attacks during the night were still present so he decided to station 20 Soldiers and the old mage at the Damaged gate.

Naturally they would be unable to fend off any attackers but that was not the point, 5 of the Soldiers would go on the wall and keep an eye on things together with the wizard so they could send a warning signal into the air with his help.

The rest would work on the gate during the night and try to repair it again so that they would be able to get rid of the wall of corpses.

It might be a good strategy right now but after only one day in the sunlight the stench the pile gave off was already beyond the endurable threshold.

The rest of Squad 40 returned to the Barracks to sleep and eat.

Makoto's prediction was that the next day would probably be even more tiring than this one so it was a dearly needed luxury.

He also quickly returned to Falknir and gave him a short report about their situation.

For some reason the Knight captain had a frown on his face the entire time but dismissed him without any complaint.

After finally reuniting with Sharon, Lilliana and Sanja he decided to sit down next to his girlfriend while the Soldiers of his Squad kept their distance out of respect for their Captain.

Most of them held Makoto in very high regard after not only hearing his speech but also seeing the way he threw himself into battle, not hiding behind a wall of Soldiers like other Captains did.

They naturally also knew about his relationship with these 3 beautiful women and half of his Squad admired him even more for being able to keep all 3 of them without any internal struggles.

It showed them once more that their Captain was out of the ordinary.

Unsure how to interpret the shimmering eyes and awed expressions of his 100 Soldiers all around him as they looked at him, Makoto decided to simply ignore it as he walked past them and took a seat beside Sharon who was currently enjoying a bowl of stew.

After sitting down he noticed how all 3 girls instantly had complicated expressions on their faces and with a sigh he asked the 1 million dollar question.

"What did I do?"

Clearly hesitant, Sharon needed a few seconds before answering.

"We were just... surprised about the way you acted today.

Don't misunderstand me, it was a great speech and plan and all but it just felt... off.

Just didn't seem like the usual you."

Well aware of the implications of this statement, Makoto could see how especially Lilliana and Sanja looked at him differently now and with an ugly feeling in his chest he had to agree that his actions today had been quite brutal.

Makoto had been under the influence of the Beast and even while remaining control over his body he was still affected mentally, it was something that no amount of willpower could protect him from.

He knew that things between them had started to change and they were not longer just two beings in 1 body.

That it actually cooperated with him today was proof enough.

Normally it was always a constant struggle as to who was in control but not anymore.

Azalon had changed that.

Makoto was still unsure how exactly things would turn out but he no longer felt any threat from the Beast but something else instead, it was a sensations that he was unable to put into words but it didn't feel wrong.

Once again glancing at Lilliana and Sanja and somewhat hurt by the way that they looked at him, it affected his choice on how to react quite a bit.

If he told them more about his condition, would these eyes that now had a look of concern and worry turn into fear and repulsion?

It was a thought that scared Makoto to the deepest part of his being, the possibility for something like that to happen was clearly there so he decided to not shed too much light on it for now.

Neither Sharon nor Lilliana and Sanja could ever truly know, he was well aware that he was not strong enough to take a mental blow like if they suddenly cut any and all connections with him and viewed him as a crazy nutcase.

He no longer had any desire to be seen that way and after weighing each of his words carefully, he finally spoke.

"I know I was acting a bit strange but you don't need to worry, at the end of the day I am still me so cheer up guys.

It was all a strategy to keep the Squad safe so you really don't have to look at me like that."

Each and every lie he told hurt but it was necessary to lie this once.

The fear of being abandoned was forcing his hand in the matter and he did tell the truth, in the end it was still him, even if a part of him was a crazed and battle hungry monster...

.....

At the first light of the new day, Makoto stood up and quickly woke up the rest of his Squad.

A few other Squads had already left the Barracks so it was time to also go back to their respective position.

When they returned they could see that the gate was finally closed again even if a tiny gap was still visible in the middle of the two giant iron doors, his men had been unable to fully remove the dent that initially blew the gate open.

Happy about the progress, Makoto quickly ordered the tired and sleep deprived 20 Soldiers to rest at the Barracks until Noon.

He also personally helped with removing the rotting pile that was still guarding the gate and more than once wanted to empty his stomach in the same manner as his fellow Soldiers did from time to time.

Lilliana helped burn the Corpses with Magic and an ashen face while a scent of burning flesh started to dissipate the disgusting stench that was lingering in the air.

Finally able to breath in again without having to hold his nose, Makoto ordered his men to barricade the Second Gate while he positioned their archers on top of the actual wall.

After stacking 4 carriages, two dozen wooden crates, a lot of wooden planks and even an unhinged door behind the gate, effectively blocking any and all entrance to the wall while also reinforcing the gate, Makoto ordered the rest of his Squad to also man the wall.

It was nearly mid day and until now there had been only little movement in the mountain range, no one had approached their position even though they could clearly hear a few battles raging at other gates.

The sound of metal hitting against metal accompanied by Human and Beast-men screams filled the air.

Interestingly enough Sarachec Soldiers looked a lot more human than Makoto had originally expected.

Sure he could see an occasional tail or animal ears beneath their helmets but all in all they had the same height and posture as humans.

A few showed something like fur on their arms or beneath their armor but their faces seemed to be unaffected, no signs of razor sharp canines or cat and dog noses.

What exactly was the discrimination even about?

Was a bit more hair and the occasional tail worth all of this animosity?

For Makoto it was something that he just couldn't understand.

A sudden shout to his left from a Soldier with especially good eyes that was also standing on the wall next to him finally brought his thoughts back to the here and now.

Soon enough he understood why the man had shouted like that as Sarachec Soldiers poured from all sides before the Obsidian Stronghold in a matter of seconds.

Their number exceeded the previous day by nearly twice.

Seeing 30 thousand enemy Soldiers in full armor and hearing the loud battle cries that echoed all around them, it was enough to make more than one of his men shiver in his boots, even Makoto could feel how he started to pale.

Grinding his teeth in defiance, unwilling to succumb to the fear that tried to make him panic, Makoto quickly barked a few orders to shake Squad 40 free from their terror.

"Archers and Mages, get ready to make anyone who tries to get close to the wall or gate pay, the rest of you, spread out on the wall and keep an eye on the gate.

Should they breach it we quickly have to block off the only way deeper into the Stronghold even if we have to use the bodies of our enemies once again to build a wall!"

Right away movement came into the before stunned troops and in a matter of seconds everyone was in position and nervously waiting.

It didn't take long until a small part of the huge Army split off from the main body and advanced to the South-East second gate.

Makoto's rough estimation on the enemies number was around 1 thousand, nearly ten times the amount of his Squad but they had no time to complain as the first row of enemies was already in range of the Archers.

Sharon and 15 other Archers all shot into the sky while activating the Skill 'Scatter Shot'.

A hail of arrows descended down and a couple of Sarachec Soldiers fell to the ground, either too hurt to get up again or simply dead.

"Again!"

Makoto shouted and once again a hail of arrows welcomed the constantly nearing wave of enemies.

Because Makoto was leading this Squad they could be called an elite force in the entire 40 Squads as the 11% stat increase their stats put them far above and beyond the ordinary Soldier even if they originally had been the weakest bunch.

After all, for most of them it was like suddenly gaining 5 to 7 levels, a huge difference considering how hard it was to actually increase your level, even for the NPCs inside Azalon.

Soon enough Farabello and Lilliana also had the range to use their Magic and lances of Ice, Flame Snakes and countless Boulders rained down on the enemy force, dealing even more damage to the enemy Soldiers but on a smaller area.

It didn't take long for the first few to reach the gate and bang against it while others that had been carrying ladders quickly put them against the surrounding wall.

While the Archers and Mages continued to attack the still healthy force at the back or middle, it was the responsibility of the rest of Squad 40 to fend off the ones that managed to ascend the wall.

Soon enough after the entire enemy force reached the wall a hail of arrows also descended on the wall they were standing on and immediately everyone started to take cover in the few niches in the wall or used a shield to deflect the rain of arrows.

"Mages, focus the Archers!"

Makoto screamed while he himself completely ignored the Arrows that pierced his armor, the Damage he received was not worth mentioning for him after all.

You have received 78 Damage!

You have received 103 Damage!

You have received 59 Damage!

This much was healed back in seconds.

After a few minutes the hail of arrows suddenly stopped as a barrage of Ice spears and Boulders from Lilliana and Farabello completely annihilated the enemy Archers.

Makoto and his Soldiers continued to either push away the ladders or battle the ascending enemies.

It soon enough got to a point were 1 or 2 enemy Soldiers were able to actually make it on the wall and battles on the narrow path all around broke out.

Sarachec Soldier: NPC lvl 27

With a quick glance on the letters above yet another Sarachec Soldiers head, Makoto used 'Curse Blade' in conjunction with 'Blood Rush' to quickly bleed the man dry.

Even though most enemies were at least 2 or 3 levels above him, after advancing his Class he had no problems dealing with even 3 or 4 at the same time, that was how much +20 in all stats could change things.

Wiping away a splash of blood on his face, Makoto noticed movement in the enemy force and his eyes immediatly grew wide.

"No fucking way!"

Below the wall, partly hidden by the sheer mass of bodies, a battering ram was slowly making its way to the already badly damaged gate.

Well aware that it would not hold for even one minute after having been unhinged only 1 day ago, Makoto quickly searched for Lilliana and Farabello in the chaos that had descended on the wall.

Soon enough he could see that they were both too busy with the fighting to even hear his screams so without any ranged help as everyone else around him was currently either fighting already existing enemies on the wall or keeping more from reaching them he could only helplessly watch their certain doom slowly advance.

Once again a ladder near the gate smashed against the top of the wall, immediately Makoto had the craziest idea but it could be their only way to surviving all of this.

Sheathing his sword for the moment and feeling the beast supporting this crazy plan with an infernal roar while also giving him strength, Makoto quickly rushed to the ladder and kicked it away as hard as he could.

Unlike before he watched the ladder with an intense stare as it slowly fell back and he also took a few steps backwards.

After the ladder stopped and was about to fall back towards the wall, Makoto quickly activated 'Blood Rush' and ran with everything he had.

With a roar that seemed to silence the entire battlefield he jumped off the wall, grasped the ladder with one hand and shifted its center of gravity so far back that it fell deep into the mass of Sarachec Soldiers beneath, together with Makoto that was riding on top of it with crimson red eyes...

-----

OHHHHHHHH you guys are gonna hate me for this intense cliff hanger I just know it XD

Had to do it once again right? :P

If you got questions or thoughts, comment below as I eagerly await hell down there. ^^ *lets out evil laughter*