"I have to admit, I'm positively scared just looking at it." Leila shuddered as she took off her helmet. A red light shone from inside her armor onto her scaly skin. She and Aranea were standing on a wall of the shield station in the western mountain range of Chokepoint A. Below them, on a plain before Chokepoint A, were countless trenches and bunkers, vehicles of the Reclamation Army were either entrenched in the ground or were in safe locations for the time being. Thousands of soldiers around the frontline were busy preparing themselves for an incoming attack.
Warlord Janine and her troops held the center of the front line, supported by the elite forces of the state. Aranea could see the large form of the warlord standing on the barricade, her enormous axe on her shoulder. Janine was definitely smiling, as the warlord was finally back in her element. A sole artillery brigade in the eastern mountain range was guarded by warlord Martyshkina and her troops. The wolf hag wondered if Olesya was calm right now as she was looking to the north. She tried to apologize to Olesya after her outburst, but her friend evaded her. From what Tiny could gather, Olesya apologized to her pack and restored the previous order, allowing scouts to train new recruits again. She never laid even a finger on her pack again after the brawl with Aranea, instead using manual labor to punish those who dared to break the discipline. Aranea quietly whispered a prayer to the Spirits for the safety of her friend.
Despite the fact that it had been ten days since their arrival here, Valerye Foulsnout and her forces still hadn't arrived. They sent a message saying that Chort had eluded them and that they would arrive tomorrow as Ivar forced them to make a stop and resupply. Looking at the situation right now, Aranea pondered whether the blue wyrm had been outplayed.
The Resistance has come, and they have come in numbers this time. The north was covered in a thick smoke cloud that was rising all the way to the skies. Aranea could hear, even all the way here, the sounds of countless engines working, the sounds of numerous legs approaching. The Command unleashed drones and unmanned flying vehicles to try and take the scope of the enemy's advance, but they were all shot down. Information came that all forward scout parties were wiped out by two enemies. The first was identified: Chort, the blasted mercenary of the Resistance. The second was still unknown.
"Use your power to take away the fear, if you are so scared." Aranea said carelessly, looking to the north. She could feel small tremors under her feet. She was unsure what caused it, but with each passing minute, the tremors were getting stronger. The Command assured defenders that there was no underground assault coming.
"You think it will be for the best?" Leila asked in a genuine voice, looking at the mirror-like surface of her helm. Aranea looked at her in confusion when a familiar light came from the eyes of the half-wyrm. But this time, as the light came in, Aranea felt no need to submit, no pull to bend her knees in front of the half-wyrm. Leila's body trembled, and she started to intone words. "I..." she stammered as Aranea grabbed her by the ear, breaking Leila's concertation. The woman stepped back a few steps, as if waking from a dream, almost losing her helmet, and pressed one hand to her long ear. "What was that for? I only followed…"
"I was joking, you…" Aranea took a deep breath to calm down, "Sorry for making jokes at a time like this. Who knows what will happen to you if you use your own power on yourself?"
"It will be fine," Leila tried to respond casually, scratching her own ear. And yet there was a hint of fear in her voice. "When the old demon makes me punish myself, I always used my own power to tell myself that I am not scared, that my wounds are not hurting." She smiled with a fake smile, her eyes still looking at the north in fear.
"Listen. If you remove your fear, what will stop you from charging into enemy lines and dying in vain?" Aranea took a moment to take Leila by the shoulders. "If you are scared, take a deep breath."
"I know how to fight," The half-wyrm stubbornly responded, "The old demon often sent me on missions from time to time. It’s just…" She looked helplessly around, pointing at countless weapons and an array of soldiers who hurried to their positions around them. "… I am scared. How am I supposed to protect all my friends? I have only ever fought beside you, how am I supposed to keep them all safe? I trained them, and I know what they're worth... But what if I make the wrong move and they die?"
"Stick with your orders. We are to guard the shield station," Aranea said as she nodded at the massive structure behind them. "Trust those who fight alongside you," The wolf hag smiled, "Trust me, with numbers like these, if the Resistance even manages to reach us, then we are lost for sure. I am joking again, of course," She corrected herself, seeing how Leila became even more worried. "Go to the station and report to Sonya. Help her prepare the defenses. And never take off your helmet from now on until the battle is over."
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"Reclaimers!" A voice shouted from the north, a loud and booming sound. Leila almost jumped when an enormous figure came from the clouds of smoke. The figure was several dozens of meters tall. Its hands looked like they could crush any vehicle, like a child's toy. The half wyrm relaxed, upon seeing how the smoke was easily passing through the robes and the armor of the figure. This was merely a hologram or projection. Aranea almost forced Leila to go back to the station before turning to the figure. Long gilded horns protruded from the helmet, one ocular lens on the helmet was orange, the other was solid black. Robes of purple and red covered the lower half of the figure. The palm was extended to the defenders, beckoning to them. Massive armor made of countless metal plates guarded the body. King. King himself has arrived.
"Your leadership has lied to you. They claimed that we were too scared, that there were too few of us to try to attack this place. Well then." Came the cruel chuckle, "What about now?" Part of the smoke in the north disappeared, revealing rows upon rows of warriors on the stone plains. The left flank was held by the regulators, and thousands of warriors in black and golden armor were waiting for the order to attack. Among their ranks were numerous armored columns, including Yasen, who was posing triumphantly on a large tank. There were figures surrounding him, each figure was wrapped in a cloak. They stood around him as bodyguards in green, blue, and red.
The armored figure of Blaguna Nokto could be seen behind the lines of her warriors. She was sitting lazily on a large vehicle with a massive missile launcher above it. Smoke stepped back, and even more such vehicles appeared. The center was held by warriors of the Bento tribe, half-men, half-machines, were on the field, carrying oversized weapons. There were barely any vehicles among them. Almost the entire Bento army came on foot. The only vehicles among them were fat-looking shield carriers, mobile armored all-terrain transports capable of guarding surrounding soldiers with the energy shield. A figure in front of Bento's army surprised Aranea. It was a tall figure, clad in bulky-looking armor of pristine blue. The familiar black scythe was in the hands of the figure.
Jekaterina, the leader of the Soultakers was in the middle of an enemy force. Her long cloak of deep blue flowed from her shoulders, the armor on her legs and arms was square-shaped. She was surrounded by several tall warriors, all of whom looked nearly identical to the gigantic warrior that was bested by Janine during the attack on the convoy. Jekaterina herself stood unmoved, like a statue. While not as rowdy as the Regulators, the warriors of the Bento tribe still shouted threats from time to time and moved. Meanwhile, the leader of the Soultakers was stillness itself made flesh.
Flags with metal skulls were raised high above the ranks of steel soldiers. On the right flank of the enemy were rows of warriors dressed in black. Covered in armor of the night color, the lenses of their helmets glowed with pale light. Hover tanks, flying above the desert and stones, were among their ranks. Massive shield carriers were among them as well, ready to guard their allies. Flags of pure black were above their ranks, mounted on enormously huge tanks. A figure in a simple shirt, brown pants, and a cocked hat was standing in front of the Soultakers forces. This was a man, his size easily reaching three meters in height, his hands looked like they could turn Aranea into paste with just a touch. In one hand, he carried a massive sword spear. Despite being the only one without armor, he was standing casually, waiting for the charge. Soultakers stood like statues, barely moving. The figure in front of them, meanwhile, was beckoning troops of the Reclamation Army with a mocking gesture.
Aranea felt a tingle of fear. There were so many enemies. The forces arrayed before them easily dwarfed the defenders, and these were the only ones that she could see! What else was hidden in the smoke, and what was the source of these weird tremors?
"Do you see now? The liars and schemers in charge sent you here to die! And for what? Will you personally reap any rewards? Will anyone remember your names, as your bones turn to dust in our harsh lands? No!" The figure of King shouted, pointing with the metal gauntlet, and Aranea could see that it resembled an escalator claw. King's gauntlets were designed to crush and maim rather than sign treaties. King spread his arms wide, as if to embrace his army. "Passion, technology, and order have come for you. Before this day is over, we will take back this place. Gates of Destiny is the name of this ancient place, and could it be more fitting? Will you choose the destiny of death, or will you choose the destiny of life? Surrender, lay down your weapons, and leave in peace. Fight and be annihilated. Answer me, Reclaimers! What will you choose?!" King's shout reached the defenders' lines, sounding like a demon's roar.
"Soldiers of the Reclamation Army!" From speakers around the defense line came the voice of captain Osero. "Darkness crawls back to our borders, seeking to bring ruin where we restored life and order. Will you let them?" The shouts "No!" came from the rows of defenders. "Our foe tries to intimidate us with this meager show of force, but who, if not them, has run away from us all these days? Are we really supposed to be scared by this rabble, this host of tribes, united by fear of us rather than by unity? They ruled these lands for centuries, and what do they have to show for it? Weapons from the old world; technology from the old world; ruins from the old world; fruitless lands and dried up rivers; ruins where their people once lived. Are we really going to be intimidated by someone like that?" The voice mocked and once again shouts "No!" came from the ranks of the defenders. "Here is your answer, false king. Come and test us at your own peril!"
"Death it is then," King's massive figure pointed at the defenders when he uttered these words, "Exterminate them."