Chapter: Swords and Shields

“Rugrat!” Erik yelled, his voice raising in alarm as he ran. A screen appear in front of him as he gripped the common mortal grade monster core.

==========

Monster Core

==========

Do you wish to absorb this Common Mortal Grade monster core?

Yes/No

You will gain 10,000 EXP

==========

“On my way to you! Quick reaction force move to the eastern side and engage the beast elites there! All forces move up to the walls! Blaze I want the heavy infantry ready to fall back on the village square if needed. Elise, start putting the inter-village blockades up!” Rugrat yelled.

Yes. Erik’s thoughts were rewarded with a golden light as the power around him was disturbed, energies from all around increased their flow as Erik’s wounds healed at an accelerated rate, the pain from overusing mana started to fall away as his stamina and mana regenerated quickly.

Erik didn’t let it go to waste, he was running at full speed, a wolf rushed his side Erik, turned, punching it and sending it flying back, his hand coming up as he fired a mana bolt into a group of panthers, he jumped into the sky to avoid a blockade, the ground underneath him lit up with mana bolts that streamed from his hands, leaving a swathe of destruction below, he dropped to the ground, rolling and coming up, his two hands covered in magic circles as he ran through the dust, firing mana bullets as fast as a machine gun, the lines of mana could be clearly seen in the daylight, twin streams cutting down anything in their path.

“Shit!” Erik yelled as he saw the mana bolts hit a post with a purple piece of cloth.

A massive explosion went off as Erik was tossed to the side, he rolled and got back up, getting his feet under him he charged forwards at the ape group.

The smoke and dust around him was stirred up in his path as he jumped over the crater where the marker had been.

“Did you just set off my explosive?” Rugrat asked.

“I think so!” Erik yelled back.

“Don’t do that!” Rugrat yelled as Erik saw Rugrat’s massive build on the top of the village’s walls. He was no longer using the M40 but had his personal rifle.

The sound of shots rang out as Rugrat ran and shot at the same time, covering Erik and thinning out the beasts.

Erik let out a yell as he jumped over spike pits, he saw the incoming gorillas, with their powerful forearms they smashed the defenses away, they were much smarter and their strength was incredible.

All around the village it was a state of chaos, the walls were being attacked, the panthers and wolves that were there dug their claws into the walls and tried to climb up, here and there they topped the wall, there just weren’t enough defenders to cover the entire wall.

The first casualties were being treated and rushed back from the front lines.

“Blow the IEDs!” Erik yelled.

They’d built the improvised explosive devices from the Three head Forest King Gas Sac and other compounds Rugrat had played with.

The people of Alva Village on the wall reached down and grabbed onto seemingly simple ropes and pulled on them.

Erik jumped into the air as those ropes pulled on strikers that ignited the different explosives.

Alva Village was hidden under explosions and rolling thunder as the beast horde was ripped apart.

Their defenses were obliterated but they’d taken out two thirds of the horde.

Erik was buffeted around, he used healing spells as he was hit with flying debris.

He could feel the fatigue coming back in as the strength from the monster core was dissipating.

He hit the ground awkwardly, twisting his foot and slamming into the ground. He pushed himself up, he was slower now, feeling his injuries.

He looked around at the beasts that were recovering, those that were closest to the wall were better than those still stuck in the defenses, the wooden spikes and barricades had turned into shrapnel, tearing them apart.

Erik took out a sword, finishing off a few close by beasts as he orientated himself.

He could hear Rugrat firing over the dull ring in his ears from the pressure wave. His eyes found the gorilla band, they were covered in blood now and they had lost some of their numbers but they seemed even more determined as they let out angry war cries as they rushed the walls.

The lead gorilla slammed against the wall, cracking it. It was only made of mud and it couldn’t stand up to the powerful gorilla elite’s hit.

“Prepare to move back from where the gorilla’s are attacking, they’re getting through the wall!” Erik yelled as started to try and run and limp his way toward them, the focused heal working on his foot, getting him to run once again in a short period.

“Where are the quick reaction force?” Erik demanded.

“They’re fighting off a group of panther elites,” Rugrat yelled back.

“We’ve got a breach in the North eastern sector!” Glosil yelled out over the command channel.

“Blaze, have the heavy infantry take up the rearguard, start retreating back into the village square!” Erik said, hoping it was the right decision, the walls were the greatest obstacle against the beast horde. If they tried to hold it too long then they would be cut off from one another and unable to retreat in strength.

“Yes, sir!” Blaze said as there was movement on the wall as groups prepared to retreat back into the village, people were taking their monster cores, using that extra power to rally themselves.

Rugrat jumped off of the wall and back into the village.

Erik fired his pistol at the gorillas, it hurt them, but they still continued on.

Erik adjusted his aim, going for the head and started to drop more of them. He paused his steps, not wanting to get too close, with their brute strength not even Erik was sure he would be able to fight them one on one.

A section of wall was destroyed, dust flew up away from it as people could be heard yelling on the other side of the wall.

The gorillas started to charge forward and widen the gap only to be cut down by rounds buffed with explosive shot.

Rugrat was holding the other side, giving people time to evacuate.

Erik saw other beasts making it over the walls and into the village, there must have been some five hundred of them still remaining.

He felt despair, fear that they wouldn’t make it but he had to bury it, he needed to fight!

With the expanding breach and even with Erik and Rugrat firing on them, the gorillas were making headway, they were tough bastards and didn’t always go down with one round, taking three or four each. Erik fired and reloaded as fast as possible until there were no more magazines left in his storage ring.

He had to move as some of the beasts that hadn’t made it into the village were rushing him. He had to look to surviving as he fought across the crater pitted wasteland that the exterior of Alva had been turned into.

***

The walls were breached and there were beasts inside the walls.

Sergeant Niemm watched as archers and people from Alva village weaved around the heavy infantry, running up the main road towards the village square.

Archers were set up on rooftops and different elevated positions so they could provide support and plunging fire right into their enemies teeth.

With the archers leaving the walls the beasts didn’t have any obstacles in their paths as they dug their claws into the mud walls and pulled themselves over.

The larger beasts directly attacked the walls, opening up holes and flooding through.

The beast numbers inside the walls swarmed.

“Ready!” Niemm yelled out as he saw panthers turning around the corner and rushing up the main street towards the heavy infantry.

The archers fired, cutting down the leading beasts. The heavy infantry were silent, Niemm had gone straight to swords and shields, their spears were more liable to break than kill the beasts, with their shields they could reinforce one another’s strength and their swords being of a higher quality and made from metal, not wood were stronger and less likely to be pulled away by a beast.

The sounds of fighting could be heard, the noises from different spells going off as Rugrat’s rifle fired again and again.

Sergeants called out behind them, organizing the archers and their fire zones.

They watched the beasts getting closer, running over the bodies of their fallen.

“Heavy infantry! What do we do?” Niemm asked.

“We Stand!” They replied as one, their voices resonating inside the shield wall.

“What do we not do?”

“We do not break!” They all replied, gripping their weapons tighter, the lingering doubts and fear in their minds clearing.

“I am proud to stand with you all today, we might not last till tomorrow, but we will not break, we will stand together!” Niemm yelled, feeling his throat close up with emotion.

“Hah!” They replied, slamming the sides of their blades against their shields in salute and agreement.

“Here they come!” Niemm said as the first beast reached the shield wall, the wolf was covered in wounds and had two arrows sticking out of it as it charged at the shield wall, the wall recoiled slightly, but they backed one another up, taking the impact as those under the beast stabbed outwards.

“Hah!” Their clean blades cut into the open underside of the wolf as it tried to climb over them.

“Huah!” Niemm yelled out as the shields bashed the wolf corpse away, more beasts were rushing them now as blades shot out once again.

“Hah!”

They fell into a rhythm, using their shields to bash, their swords to kill.

A red haze started to appear around them, the effect of the armor Erik had procured for them.

Neimm felt him losing control, leaving him with only his reactions.

“Huah!” Shields slammed into the beasts, pushing them back and opening them up.

“Hah!” Swords came out as one, wounding and deadly.

“Watch those blades!” Niemm barked, seeing people extending to get an attack to land. They corrected, only hitting within their reach and not over extending.

As more beasts came the lines were getting inundated with bodies and the press of attacks. They held, relying on one another to not break.

Their aura was undergoing a change as the beasts had a slight hint of fear in their eyes as the red haze around the group started to increase, their strength being bolstered.

“Second rank! Prepare to move forward, first rank, prepare to move to the rear!” Niemm yelled out, organizing everyone.

“Change!”

“Huah!”

“Hah!”

The first rank turned the second rushing into the gap, taking up their position.

“Huah!”

“Hah!”

Niemm could see the arrows thinning out the beasts but it wasn’t enough.

The first rank were bloodied, tending to their wounds by rote response, there was a dullness to their eyes as that red haze continued to build up around them all.

I think the armor affects others with the blood haze effect.

Niemm could feel the draw to destroy, the heady feeling as his power increased when he killed or the slight increase in the red haze when someone killed around him.

It was a drug, making him crave to kill more, to gain more strength, to become a god like power.

You will not fail them! Niemm yelled out side of his head, gathering his thoughts.

Someone screamed out as their arm was cut up by a panther’s claws, those on either side covered them as they were pulled back and another stepped up into their position.

“Prepare to fall back!” Niemm yelled, putting emphasis on his words, making it a clear order. He knew that they were being affected by the red haze, they looked like they wanted to argue but then seeing Sergeant Niemm they closed their mouths.

“Fall back!” Niemm said.

“Huah!” The shields opened up some space, knocking back the forward beasts.

The first line took a step back, the second line making sure that the first line didn’t step on anything that might make them lose their footing.

The archers adjusted their positions but continued to fire down on the beasts, in the enclosed spaces they couldn’t miss.

Sharpshooters aimed for elites and the most powerful beasts, weakening or killing them before they engaged the heavy infantry.

The heavy infantry started to methodically fall back, leaving the street covered in bodies.