Nathan was dozing off when an explosion woke him up. He followed the training manuals, he grabbed his rifle and assessed the situation from the truck cabin he was in. Smoke came from the front of the convoy, the driver immediately braked the moment the explosion was heard. The driver checked the radio. The other men in the truck prepare, when a radio transmission comes in with Jelel’s voice.
“Vanguard vehicle is hit, its mage is hunkering down, bandits are in the trees, soldiers in the rear half go into the forest and sweep the bandit positions. Those in the front hold point with mounted defenses.”
Nate was in the rear half of the trucks, he nodded at the others, they disembarked and fanned out into the trees on the right side of the convoy. They wore their camouflaged cloaks and held their rifles close, they never knew whether the bandits lay traps.
Their squad leader received quiet orders from some piece of technology he had on him; they maneuvered through the trees following their squad leader closely. He held up his hand for them to stop, he pointed out traps the bandits had laid. Simple pitfall traps and landmines in a massive stretch of ground, the squad leader went through first marking the safe spots where it seemed he almost had a supernatural sense where they were, he then tells them to follow in the safe spots. Most of the men including Nathan had gotten through the minefield when shots rang out, some of the men looked around bewildered, Nathan immediately dropped down to the ground and looked for the nearest cover.
“Find cover you idiots! You guys in the mindfield watch the spots I marked and get out quickly!”
The rain of fire continued, biting little explosions danced next to the trees they took cover behind, and just moments after the last man exited the minefield their squad leader waved a hand and BOOM! Trees were shattered, the ground erupts, the minefield exploded sending a shockwave out and creating a lot of visual noise. The squad leader relays more silent messages to his superiors and other squad leaders.
“Fall back, they are circling around, reinforcements are coming. Those in the back lay down suppressive fire!”
Everyone dove into cover, Nathan as one of those who went through first was the farthest away and had 30 meters to go. Another hail of bullets came down, suppressive fire from their side started, the goal wasn’t to hit the bandits but for the bandits to keep their heads down. Nathan sees the squad leader shoot his rifle from behind a tree only exposing his rifle, something was up with him so that he didn’t need to look.
“What are you looking at? Go! Now!”
Nathan lept from behind the tree, he tried to keep as many trees as he could between him and the opposing fire but it wasn’t enough. Shots ripped through his cloak grazing his leg like a hot iron. He grunted, in that slight moment he was hit again in the back of the base of the neck, hot blood soaked his cloak and he fell forward but it was temporary. After a brief moment on the ground he got back up and made it to safety, his father’s collapsed helmet had saved him. Others weren’t as lucky.
One of the men Nathan read the manuals to had been hit in the thigh, he limped behind cover but he was bleeding out. What was his name? It was Adam right? Or was it Alex? Either way he was hit in the leg, possibly rupturing the femoral artery and might die. Nathan knows this. Squad leader was busy and he tried to remember what to do. Who had the medical kit? No, he should have a smaller one on him. He checked his clothes under his cloak, he had one strapped to his chest in a bandolier. Alex watches from the ground as Nathan fumbles his way through getting the medkit. I see fear in his eyes, he really thinks he’s going to bleed out, I make Nathan think of this.
“You’ll be fine, this isn’t that bad of a wound.”
Nathan tried to remember how exactly to use the wound sponge injector, how did he adjust the depth again? I could tell him, time was running out. I might be able to get him to promise to do things for me later… but he would hate me, I don’t know how I got here it is best to be on his good side if I reside in his mind, perhaps I can take advantage of the situation later. I remember what I can and make up what I can’t.
‘Measure on the leg for about where the artery is push the plunger until you get to about the right point, the bullet will have to be removed later. Once it’s done wrap it up tightly with bandages.’’
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Nathan got to work and with everything he had he let me know ‘Thank you.’
I felt nothing.
“AAAAAHHHHH”
The sponge filled the wound causing Alex an extreme amount of pain, it seemed the painkiller in it had yet to kick in. Even still he did well.
I forgot to tell him to use the antiseptic on his hands first. It might cause infection we shall see, hopefully he blames himself. Plant seeds such as perhaps he could’ve read the manuals to Alex better, perhaps he could’ve remembered their contents better, perhaps if he was more insistent on reading them to the other men. We shall see which seeds grow and bear fruit.
The squad leader threw some grenades that put up more smoke than the mines did and the last of the soldiers retreated beyond effective range of the bandit’s guns. He then relays more information to his commanders.
“We’re linking up with other squads and retreating back to the convoy. The group that shot at us has been dealt with.”
Good to know they got what’s coming to them.
“They probably have a couple martial artists on hand, we were prepared for a large bandit group in this area. Is everyone alright?”
Nathan says “We have a few injured, one in the leg, others with minor injuries.”
“You did a fine job patching that leg up, Alex leaned on Nel and we’ll escort you two back to the convoy.”
One of the men in the group that I didn’t pay attention to perked up, he was injured by shrapnel but a couple bandages fixed him right up. I was surprised that the squad leader even remembered his name, I didn’t.
“Follow me, we’ll meet with the others near the convoy, keep a close eye out.”
We walked for a time, a sound in the distance was heard by the squad leader.
“INCOMING! I will hold them” He points in a direction. “Run that way! Quickly!” He sent out more invisible orders, and so we ran. Nathan came to Alex’s other side and he and Nel carried him away, they heard gunshots and screaming behind them, the gunshots stopped, the screaming continued. There was thunderous running from all around the next couple moments would decide whether Nathan and the others would survive and die. Nathan unholsters his revolver and looks to where the loudest sound was coming from and he froze. He saw a demon, a bloody twisting aura surrounded it with the sickly sweet smell of rotting flesh washing over him, in gauntleted hands it carried a two handed longsword, it was dressed like a barbarian, covered in furs matted with blood and he approached us slowly, savoring the fear it saw in Nathan’s eyes. That thing’s face was a bearded sneering solid mask of glee, its jaw agape in a cruel smile, its eyes burned red. It would enjoy tearing apart the bait its prey left behind.
‘Shoot it’
Nathan remained frozen in terror.
‘SHOOT IT!’
He still didn’t move. Time was running out, I remembered what it felt like for Nathan to move, I tried it, his now my arm twitched. Good he was still in shock from the demon, I try and take better contro- AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH everything felt wrong, my my cloak and my shirt scratched against my skin, the hair all over my body itched, my bones hurt but I had to slow the demon. My trembling hands held the revolver in front of me, aimed and fired. My wrists are washed with blinding white pain but I have to keep hold.
A small hole went through the furs on the demon's chest. He barely even slows down
“Fine gun you got there.”
I fire again. Another wave of pain washes over me.
I fire again hitting his chest.
“LISTEN TO ME WHILE I AM TALKING.”
I fire again.
It hits him in his open mouth the bullet splattering off his teeth.
Blarg he spits up the bullet and a bunch of blood.
I fire again. Missing.
And again. He dodges.
And again. Hitting his chest again, he is right up in front of me now. My gun’s empty I can’t take it anymore, if I die I don’t want to feel the pain of death, I relinquish control to the frozen Nathan.
That sneering face came close, sizing our stiff standing body up.
“What happened to that bravado earlier?”
He is interrupted yet again by gunshots. Our stiff body instinctively falls to the ground. The demon has new prey or perhaps he just became prey. A man that was dressed similarly to the squad leader came out from the trees.
“Surrender.”
“And if I don’t want to.”
“Death.”
“I’d rather die on my feet.”
In an instant the demon charged the soldier, in an instant it had holes in it. The positions of heavily armed soldiers were revealed, the heavy weapons troopers of both squads fired again at the demon as it moved again and tried to regenerate. Grenades, armor piercing bullets and kinetic projectiles, and odd needle-darts all impacted the demon’s twisting aura sliding off and around but still some made it through, it tried to move, but it fell limp to the ground and the onslaught only stopped when its broken body no longer tried to put itself back together.