MATURE warning for this chapter.

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We piled into the transport and the soldier asked for any information, we might know, regarding these aliens. I told him everything we had seen so far as the transport raced towards the closest city, Longar. His eyes had hardened at the news of the Emperors death and he had become disgusted by the use of our people as hatchery food.

As we finished telling our tales a wave of fatigue swept over me and I found myself dropping in and out of wakefulness. Finally giving in my eyes closed and I dreamt of better times before the invasion. The last thing I heard was the soldier reporting the new information up the chain of command.

I was shaken awake by one of the survivors from the village and shaking the last vestiges of sleep I went down the ramp and into the city proper. All around me I could see soldiers and militia, of all ages and sex, preparing defensive formations that would funnel the enemy into set kill zones. I could hear the boom of our defensive weapon emplacements and the hum of our remaining air force as they struggled to clear the sky around the city. In addition I heard loudspeakers announcing what the enemy were doing to our people, this was done to enflame the militia’s hatred of the enemy.

Myself and the other stragglers from other villages were being directed to various officers who would ask us a few questions and send us to an appropriate unit or position. When I finally arrived in front of the officer I simply informed him I was an engineer with a blade master rank. His eyes had lit up and he assigned me to a demolition/ fast response strike team.

Our task would be setting up controlled explosives throughout the city in order to create choke points as necessary in the face of the enemies advance. Additionally we would be a fast moving element that would reinforce any potentially weak points in our defensive perimeter or beat back any enemy that made it through.

I had connected with my team and they had outfitted me with the traditional blade master armor, it would protect my vitals but still be lightweight and allow me a full range of motion. We worked throughout the rest of the day and into night setting up explosives whilst the enemy tested our outer perimeter.

It was only a testing probe as they were busy cleaning up the country side of any of our brethren unfortunate enough to not make it to the cities in time. Shortly before dawn we had a moment to rest our weary eyes before the main force of the horde would crash against us.

I was awoken by the piercing wail of sirens announcing the enemy attack. I waited, impatiently, with the rest of my team, behind our lines, for our chance to slaughter the aliens. Any weapons not directed skyward now lashed out at the sea of enemies before us. They stretched before us raising clouds of dust with their advance, literally covering the every patch of ground as far as the eye could see. It was like watching a swarm of locust, even as ordnance exploded within their midst they streamed forward disregarding their losses. Thousands died before reaching our position but what are thousands compared to the millions before us.

We had set up a total of 5 rings of defense throughout the night. The aliens crashed upon the first and largest of the rings and simply rolled over it as their corpses formed a ramp allowing them to circumnavigate the kill zones.

With the defenses broken and our troops reeling from the sudden assault the order was given to fall back to the second ring. Some of them made it but the majority were caught by the enemy or by the explosions we had set between the first and second ring. The second ring suffered the same fate of the first but the third held because the aliens had to pick their way through the rubble and debris allowing us to cut them down before they could reach the ring.

We had allowed the militia to hold the majority of the first and second rings to weaken the enemy but the sheer number of them had been outside our predictions. The third ring was holding but there were small gaps of enemies breaching it. That’s where my team finally came into play. Every member a blade master we cut through any enemies that were able to sneak through the gaps and shore up places that needed help.

Unfortunately there were just too many to handle and the retreat to the fourth ring was called. I almost made it I truly did but a rock, from one of the explosions, sailed through the air and smashed into the side of my head nocking me unconscious.

I awoke to the moans of pain and muttering surrounding me. I groggily sat up sat up while bursts of pain ran through my skull. I seemed to be at the final fallback point in the city, the stadium. I could still hear the explosions in the distance so we were still fighting but they sounded close enough to be from the fifth and final ring.

Suddenly a sound was heard the caused the entire stadium to fall silent, it was the horn of retreat. Several minutes later the last of the battered and weary defenders stumbled into the stadium as the final set of explosives went off outside.

Everyone knew what this meant, those who didn’t die in the next attack would be eaten alive by these bastard’s spawn. Mothers, crying, pulled their children, too young to fully understand our situation, close one last time before snapping could be heard as they fell to their knees cradling their still bodies.

The rage that had been present since the Emperor’s death had been extinguished and was replaced by sorrow. Even now I could hear the alien’s roaring over the sounds of anguish and pain within the stadium. Everyone knew our end was upon us, scuttling ever closer.

Those who could raised their weary arms, weapons in hand, for one final battle of the Longarians. I stood, swaying on my feet, and spotted a child no more than 12 holding what must have been his father’s sword, tears in his eyes but a determined look on his face.

I stumbled my way over to him and patted his head saying, “you make your ancestors proud showing such courage. They will welcome you with open arms young one.” The tears and now streaming down his face but he nods as the first of the aliens stream into the stadium.

“Stay close to me and I will assure that you will not suffer in your death.” That is all the time we have as the enemy are upon us. My forms are not as fluid as they should be and my breathing unsteady as the exhaustion and my wounds take their toll upon me. All around us I can hear the roaring of the aliens while the shouts of my people grow fewer as they fall beneath the onslaught.

I see the child get stabbed through the stomach, his face twists in agony, as he cuts down the one that wounded him just as a spike penetrates his upper right arm. My sword betrays no hesitation as it swings around cleanly chopping through his neck. My fulfilling of my promise to the boy leaves me open and I can feel multiple spikes hitting me. I fall to the ground paralyzed as I hear a chirping sound coming from the device implanted in my head.

[Gunter’s POV End]

I pull out of the device before I have to experience Gunter’s probable end and for the first time I curse this body that can shed no tears.