Three consecutive resounding bangs echoed throughout the entire battlefield, reaching even the narrow corridors of the gorge. Everyone surrounding the base paused the fight for a second, looking for the source of the explosions. Only the ravagers and omens on the west side of the plains saw what happened as clearly as day; it looked like lightning struck three times in a row outside the walls, blinding everyone in the moment of the explosions and leaving clouds of smoke that kept rising as tall as the surrounding mountains. While the tanks were clearly gone as they went quiet and the wall was still standing, no one could tell what had happened, or at least none who had survived.
Staying behind to protect the pass, the Heartaches waited a long time to get any action. The remaining ravagers had slowed down significantly as they tried to raid the omen bunkers to snatch more gear and weapons before heading to the main battle. But before getting there, they had to face another obstacle in the form of the Heartaches lined up in front, covering as much space as they could. They could see the enemy, but with them taking so long, some of the Heartaches started getting distracted with everything going on behind and above. Ignatius and Faye watched as EchoForce made their way up the mountain and the ravagers tried to get across the gap, and the twins, Jay and Nolyn, were amused by Crisis clearing the pathway with ease to reach the Cloudstar base. Ryu and Pan were getting bored and began fidgeting with their swords, but all of them had to turn around when they heard the three explosions set off by Nitro, Frost, and Saint.
–They’re really going at it back there…– Ryu quipped sarcastically, with his teammates trying to remain focused and not crack up, even though none of them could hide their curiosity about all the commotion. They had already heard dozens of explosions going off on the battlefield, but those three rumbled the entire place, changingthe course of both armies.
The west and east sides of the field were swarmed by their respective factions, with the omens coming down from their mountain to help their teammates rush to the base and the omens doing the same, except they were as subtle about it as their giant artillery contraptions. Horns started blaring in the distance, signaling another charge, but it also called for the ravagers going up the pass, who stopped putting off a fight and finally ran at the Heartaches. Caught off guard by the sudden offense, Agnus was the first to turn around and catch the fierce ravagers approaching rapidly.
–They’re here! Hold your ground!– Agnus announced with a vigorous shout that instantly triggered her teammates’ fighting instincts. Even the injured ones seemingly brushed off their exhaustion and pain to fight back as the ravagers attempted to brute force their way through them.
Since they had already fought the omens and suffered plenty of casualties, the ravagers were too tired to fight properly, so when they saw the Heartaches in their way, they immediately tried to break their formation to run past. They collectively gathered the last bit of energy to charge at them simultaneously, but the Heartaches stayed in formation and didn’t back down once, even when outnumbered. It took them a moment to realize that the enemy didn't intend to fight but rather join the rest of the army up in the main field. The Heartaches stuck to their strategy to not only hold their ground but create an impenetrable barrier with their bodies and swords.
The ravagers scattered to cover as much space as possible, but the Heartaches’ sharp reflexes and fortitude seemed too big of a hurdle to clear. They adapted and let a small fraction attack all the Heartaches and hold them in place as a distraction for the rest to run past, but for every ravager that managed to even lay a finger on one of the young warriors, two more were slaughtered in front. Not even the weaker targets like Faye or Ignatius could be taken down, as the entire team stayed in the same place, stepping back if they saw one of their own struggling. A few ravagers did slip past the line of defense since there were too many soldiers for the Heartaches to cover. But instead of attacking from behind, they kept running, and since they weren’t as quick, they ended up taking a few steps back before one of the Heartaches spotted the runner and took them down.
While they defended themselves almost effortlessly since the ravagers rarely fought, and even when they did, their brute nature led them to a quick death, The task of blocking the pass and catching anyone who slipped past was becoming increasingly difficult for the Heartaches. They were also falling back since they didn’t risk one of them being singled out, but with the ravagers already frustrated and losing men, they couldn't persist and gave up on their initial plan. The enemy was getting desperate and turned to full violence when they realized they couldn’t break the Heartaches’ formation. But instead of all of them attacking each opponent equally, they targeted the weaker members and ganged up on them.
The ravagers charged at the Heartaches in the middle, Nolyn, Jay, Pan, Faye, and Ignatius, who were already worn out yet were perfectly capable of defending themselves from two or three opponents at a time. But now, with five or up to six ravagers coming for each of them and the other Heartaches having trouble reaching for them, they were bound to break formation if they wanted to help each other. Agnus, Kayden, and Zayn seemed aware of the ravagers’ plan, since instead of helping their teammates, they stayed in position, waiting for any ravager that tried to run for it.
Zayn couldn’t stand watching and instinctively ran to help his friends, but after Agnus gestured for him to stay back, he noticed the ravagers were about to move up to his position. They were hoping to distract them, and after failing, they just took it out on the Heartaches in the middle and overpowered them. Ryu ran to help but was thrown to the ground, leaving Zayn, Kayden, and Agnus with the choice, which they waited for the last moment before taking. It looked like their teammates managed to hold strong and stay together, but since they no longer had a line to block the ravagers, there was no point in fighting for their ground.
Before it was too late, Agnus, Kayden, and Zayn were forced to make a move and push out the ravagers to help their teammates, but right as they left their positions, the ravagers began fleeing on their own, completely ignoring the three of them. However, when the Heartaches gathered up and tried to stop a few more ravagers from heading to the battlefield, someone came to their rescue out of nowhere. Even though their top priority was protecting her squad, Agnus couldn’t ignore the figures that appeared behind the ravagers and joined the battle. Everyone unaware soon saw a new force arrive; it was impossible not to as they caught everyone’s attention with a barrage of bullets fired indiscriminately at both ravagers and the Heartaches. Unlike the enemy, the Heartaches were fast enough to reach and duck, but the sudden chaos alarmed them and created a momentary confusion.
For a second, the Heartaches smiled at the ravagers dropping dead around them, but it only took them a glance down the pass to realize they mistook their rescuers as allies. In reality, the shooters turned out to be antipunks, and with yet another enemy coming for them, the Heartaches panicked and froze while they gunned down the last ravagers. Once it was only them and the antipunks, there wasn’t a clear idea to advance, so they all looked at Kayden and Agnus to follow their lead.
Back on the battlefield, Nitro’s grenade collided with the tank shell right as it was about to leave the tank barrel. The explosion occurred inside the armored vehicle, but it couldn’t contain the blast; quite the opposite, it fueled an even bigger blast. Not only did the tank blow up inside out, but the burst shot out all the remains of its broken steel frame, sending small but deadly shards of metal everywhere alongside blood and bits of the surrounding omens, who stood no chance and were obliterated instantly. But despite being above and inside the watchtower, the explosion was way too close to the wall, and since both the grenade and shell blew up, the blast was powerful enough for the wall to cave in and take down any stability left in the wall.
While it was still standing, the wall was more of an unstable pile of rock as it cracked from the bottom to the top, where the watchtower lost all structural integrity and finished collapsing. Nitro was still inside by the time the shockwave reached him, shattering the bulletproof glass in front of his face, but he was knocked out of the watchtower right before it fell apart. He avoided being crushed but wasn’t too lucky since he was still in the air, now falling off the wall and landing on his back on the hard concrete floor of the courtyard. He lay there for a second, not having a single ounce of energy to move a muscle or take a breath. He closed his eyes and appeared to have accepted his fate, not wanting to get up. But even when he looked defeated, he kept grinning, knowing he had destroyed the tank.
Once he finally remembered to breathe, he tried to laugh, but he had to cough out some dust and blood. He didn’t notice the tiny glass shards stuck in his face, nor did he seem to mind, as the bleeding was only superficial and wasn’t as severe as the major back pain he began feeling. He continued trying to laugh but only wheezed painfully; his heavy breathing became labored, and his lungs appeared to fill with blood instead of air. Nitro turned to his side to prevent choking to death, and despite his back impeding him, he reached for his grenade launcher, laying a foot away from him to hold it in his last moments. He enjoyed the rather brief silence that followed the explosions, and while everyone was still shocked and confused, he remained proud and excited about what he had accomplished. The satisfaction was fulfilling enough that he didn’t fully open his eyes to appreciate the moment and just cuddled up with his grenade launcher to rest.
The rain began to wash the blood off his face, but one raindrop got in his eye before he closed it for good, and after catching a glimpse of the wall in front, he suddenly regretted everything and tried to get up. Some of the smoke was blocking his vision, and even though he couldn’t hear much movement from the omen army outside, he knew something was wrong when he noticed the section of the wall had pretty much turned into rubble. All the separate pieces were still held together somehow, but it looked like it would only take one kick to bring everything down, and that immediately brought Nitro back to life, or at least as alive as he could be.
Saint had also gone through a near-death experience, but he hadn’t realized he had survived until he finally opened his eyes. The loud explosions before the tank blew up made him flinch harder, and while he felt a blast pushing him back a little, he stood strong yet horrified at learning what had happened. He was engulfed in smoke right next to the crater formed below the destroyed tank, and as he noticed he was still alive and relatively intact, Saint grew curious and timidly opened one eye to find that the tank was gone, and so were all the omens aiming at him just a moment ago.
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Despite not seeing much of the smoke, Saint was baffled and quickly grew concerned about his safety. He first looked down to see if he had suffered any injuries. Apart from being covered in smoke and dust, he was still completely intact, with not a single bullet wound or even burns from being so close to the explosion. But as he ran through the smoke and headed towards the destroyed tank, the same wasn't true for the armed men in front, who were now charred corpses lying on the ground, slowly falling apart into dust, and blown away by the strong wind.
While he checked out the scene, the rest of the omen army fled from the area as the other tanks blew up only a few meters away. The enemy wasn’t getting close to the wall anytime soon, at least on the west side, since the north gate was still contested with the ravagers. Regardless, Saint scoffed at his good fortune and looked around in disbelief before spotting the enemies on his right, heading to the north gate. He realized there was still a fight for access to the base, but there was seemingly no longer a way to break the walls, so he tried to look for a way back to his squad. Saint panicked for a second when he found himself out in the open, completely exposed to the omen army approaching, being more cautious but still getting close.
To his luck and slight concern, he spotted one of the small holes in the wall that the tank managed to create before exploding. It wasn’t enough damage to take down the entire structure, but its stability was still in danger. Saint was more worried about his safety, though, and with a bit of hesitation to go through the hole, he decided to squeeze in since there was no other safe way back inside. The omens were closing in, and there was no time to check if there were threats on the other side, so after throwing his sword through the hole, Saint began squeezing through it until he was back inside the left corner of the north courtyard.
The north wing was full of omens a few moments ago but was now a graveyard for anyone who tried to go inside, as it became a three-way battle, with the ravagers fighting tooth and nail to claim the north gate while the Cloudstars kept firing through the hallway to defend their position. Fortunately for Saint, he could run back to Crisis without the enemies noticing, though he did take a moment to check if any of the omens or ravagers had gotten inside the headquarters. The Cloudstars were seemingly still holding strong, but more omens were pushing forward into the buildings, forcing them to retreat. As of now, the omens had the upper hand on their opponents and appeared to have a strategy to take over the base, but Saint wasn’t going to wait around to see and began running away upon seeing that neither army could get in without them stopping one another.
With no reason to fight, he ran back through where he came from, except now on the safe ground behind the walls, barely standing but giving him a sense of security that helped him focus on returning to the squad. However, it was when he entered the west wing and saw Nitro seemingly dead on the ground that he gasped in dismay and instantly rushed to his body. Saint covered his face as he frightenedly approached Nitro, who appeared just as motionless as the dead omens and Cloudstars around him. He wasn’t prepared to face the horror of a dead teammate, but once he entered Nitro’s field of view, he made sure to confirm he was alive by coughing.
Seeing him move didn’t ease his concerns, and the closer he got, the more Saint realized how gravely injured Nitro was. He kneeled next to him, skittishly taking glass shards out of his face and trying to pick him up, but he hesitated to touch him as Nitro had bullet holes in his shoulder and hands. Since he focused more on the blood and debris covering his whole body, Saint didn’t see the major injuries at first but then held his breath and tried not to scream or cry in a desperate attempt to find which spot to treat first. But just before he figured out what to do, Nitro reached for him and grabbed his hand, pointing it at the wall, which Saint tried to ignore but continued aiding him despite not knowing how.
–Noo…– Nitro whimpered in agony, too weak to speak any louder. He gasped for breath, each word taking all the strength in him, and as Saint interpreted his cry as refusing help, he kept pointing at the wall until Saint turned around. Once he realized Nitro wasn’t the only one needing to be patched up, Saint’s expression slowly changed from worried to despondent as he watched all their efforts crumble before his eyes.
The wall was starting to fall apart bit by bit, with the lower half giving in to the weight and bringing down the adjacent sections. The region most affected by the tanks’ shells fell first, breaking into pieces in front of Saint and Nitro, rubbing their failures in their faces with another gust of dust. Their plan was in vain, but despite the shock of watching everything fall apart, Saint tried to search for a way to escape as soon as possible since the omens were already trying to climb the pile of debris on their way to take over the west courtyard. Nervous and frustrated, Saint looked around without a clue of what to do until Nitro extended his hand up to call for his attention.
–We gotta go…– Nitro suggested with strained breath. He had cleared his throat and started to breathe normally, staying committed and resolute despite suffering all his injuries for practically nothing. He was still seemingly smiling, but it was more of a hostile grin to urge Saint to do something. The latter froze momentarily but saw Nitro’s courage as a sign to persevere and keep going.
Without thinking about it, as he was filled with hatred and resentment towards the omens shared by the rest of the squad, Saint found purpose and strength to pick up Nitro and get him up. The latter couldn’t walk on his own, even when he cracked his back to fix his posture, and while Saint tried to carry him, he could only offer his shoulder as support while he grabbed his grenade launcher to carry all the weight for him. With the omens breaking in, they tried to run as fast as Nitro’s condition allowed them to, but right before they could reach the end of the west wing, they already heard the enemy step into the courtyard and try to look for a way inside the headquarters.
In the south wing, Panda, Candy, Kiwy, and the Cloudstars had frozen in uncertainty. Even Frost was becoming distressed from not knowing what had happened outside the walls. They all waited for the inevitable last shot that would bring the wall down, yet, after some tense seconds of silence, nothing came of it. The only sound after the loud explosions was another upheaval from the ravagers as they began pushing back on the omens with everything they had. Even though there was still an ominous and stressful feeling, now that they knew the tanks had blown up, Crisis shared a long sigh of relief before trying to head back inside.
As the smoke surrounding the gate cleared, they confirmed the remnants of the tank, though they also saw the ravagers approaching and getting dangerously close to their location. There were still omens in the opening that fought back and served as distraction, but with the ravager horsemen and infantry plowing through their weak formation, the squad would soon have to face a different threat. Panda was already on the fence and started firing back to block the entrance and cover his teammates, but the Cloudstars went ahead inside as the squad stayed back upon seeing Saint bring a limping Nitro while calling for help. Both Panda and Frost turned to them in shock, but it was only the latter who reacted immediately and tried to understand their situation as soon as possible.
–What happened? You got them? Did they get in?– Frost asked urgently, dismissing Saint and Nitro’s panting and inability to think clearly, as he was more worried about whatever they were running away from. Saint confirmed his suspicion with a dejected nod; however, Nitro tried to paint a different picture, as he started laughing mid-coughing while trying to stay optimistic.
–My explosives were too strong, but we sure got ‘em…– Nitro replied sarcastically before seemingly fainting in Saint’s arms. Frost wasn’t humored at all, and despite seeing him very injured, he didn’t hesitate to scold him with a stern stare, which prevented him from getting treatment until he told the truth, prompting Saint to step in despite being afraid to.
–It’s too late. Most of the walls came down, they are already breaking in…– Saint informed anxiously, looking for sympathy with a distressed stare that Frost ignored as he began contemplating something. Neither Nitro nor Saint seemed to care anymore and tried to reach the safety of the hallway, where Candy squeaked in horror upon seeing Nitro’s injuries. She hurried up and sat him down before retrieving a syringe from her medical bag and injecting it into his right arm, which kept bleeding from the hand. After only a moment, Nitro appeared to snap back to life alongside his humor and jester demeanor, as he held his grenade launcher tight and chuckled to himself while Candy cleaned his wounds and treated his shoulder and hand.
–What do we do? We can’t let it go to waste, we can still hold our ground here…– Panda asked with the same disturbing uncertainty, eating him alive like the rest for the last minute. To his surprise, Frost was just as clueless as him, if not even more. He was almost joyous after blowing up the tanks and executing his plan, but now that it was for nothing, he let out a deep sigh of frustration and turned indignant as he tried to assess the situation. Panda insisted but then noticed Frost seemed to have an idea already in the back of his mind, and while he was reluctant about it, he turned to the squad to proceed with his orders.
–Alright, I guess there’s only one option left…– Frost answered disquietly, trying to stop himself from making the decision but forcing his hand as he saw his squad waiting for him to take action. Panda was just about to ask what he was thinking but knew best not to disturb Frost when he was still conflicted with the idea, and after some consideration, he made up his mind, or at least forced himself to. While the rest stayed back and listened attentively, and Panda turned back to return suppressing fire, Frost slowly approached Candy and Nitro in silence, instilling more anxiety as Saint and Kiwy watched right beside them.
–I’m gonna need you to hand me all those satchel charges… We can only trust our enemies, I won’t let this be all for nothing…– Frost ordered Nitro, who glanced at Candy in disbelief, both having no idea what to say and shrugging timidly. Frost kept gesturing for him to hand over the explosives, so Nitro had to stop himself from arguing and give him the last charges he had in his bag without making a sound. The rest watched in confusion as Frost strapped all the explosives to both of his blades, like two skewers holding meat but with extra heat. And with an ambiguous nod as a response, Frost walked back to Panda, who stared in confusion like the rest. He started to figure out what he was thinking, though he didn’t get to say anything before Frost returned to the courtyard and began running to his left, heading to the east wing.
–What is he doing? He is not going to kill himself, right?– Saint asked sheepishly, full of dread, as Frost simply vanished without making a sound. Candy found his concern endearing, and while she was still busy patching Nitro up, she made sure to smile to give him some reassurance, even if it meant easing her own worries. The rest were just as uncertain, with even some Cloudstars peeking from behind and getting curious. But out of all of them, only Panda seemed confident of what the outcome would be, and in anticipation, he stopped firing, strapped his machine gun, and turned around to stay close to the squad.
–We might have to step back inside for this…– Panda told his squad, who reluctantly followed his suggestion without understanding. As he walked over to the crate they were using as cover, they noticed the omens from the west wing were making their way to them and flooding the courtyard. The squad stayed back and assumed their defensive positions in case they would need to take action against the threat, but right as they started to worry, some explosions nearby caught all of them by surprise.
| YOU TALK, BUT LET ME SHOW YOU WHERE TO PUT YOUR PARANOIA
YOU’RE JOKING, I DON’T HAVE A HALF SUCKER BONE TO THROW YA
I’M DISGUSTED, WONDER WHAT COULD’VE MADE YOU
TUCK YOUR TAIL BELOW YA |