Final Push
Nearly five hundred men and women had taken up the call to swing a weapon or use whatever skill they had for the cause of wiping out the invaders. Tom was running between pockets of fighting to aid in any way he could. An additional fifty mages had been held in reserve with Bohdan to cast spells from the sidelines, and they pummeled anything with more than four legs with fireballs, lightning strikes, ice spears, and binding spells.
Jerky fought as though possessed in the midst of the battle, determined to save as many people as he could to make his master proud. Squirrel, now the size of a bus, bit and clawed at the lobsters before him, some trying to climb his back to get easier access to his head. He shook violently as though just out of the bath, sending them flying through the air as he picked up another in his jaws, crushing it with his powerful bite.
For every man or woman that fell to the pirates, ten of their number were slain as their rage overrode any fear they had felt in the skirmish before. Blood from both sides coated the ground now and flowed slowly toward the edge of the battle. It joined other pools as it flowed, mixing alien and human blood in a terrible swirling mixture of horrific beauty.
Tom used every skill in his arsenal to get the upper hand. Tattoo of Absorption, Fear, Corruption, Tattoo of the Summoner, Tattoo of Inspiration, Dark Inferno, and more as he worked to buff his allies and destroy his foes. Tom watched men and women fall out of the corner of his eye, unable to save them all, and a fire burned hotter and hotter in his soul as each moment passed.
When he couldn't stand it any longer, he looked up to the sky, rain pelting his face, and let out a war cry that erupted from his throat along with a burst of power from every cell in his body.
New Skill Acquired: Cry for Justice
In your darkest moment of desperation, you cried out against the injustice being brought upon your people. While in this state, your stats are increased by 25%, and a blast of power is released, utilizing half of your current mana supply, which will only affect your enemies. This skill can only be used in situations where a great injustice has occurred against your guild. The duration of the boost is 1 hour. Your enemies have been weakened. Your enemies have been disoriented. Your enemies have been inflicted with fear.
Tom read through the prompt as quickly as he could and dismissed it, his mind wild with the additional power that flooded him. The pirates seemed to hesitate for a moment as the wave of power washed over them. Emboldened by this new boost, the members of Vanguard let out cries of their own as they attacked the invaders with renewed vigor. Soon, the pirates' spirits began to break. They began to flee.
Giving chase, the guild members ran down and killed every lobster they could catch.
"Bron!" Tom shouted.
The Mastadonian looked to Tom and nodded. He trumpeted a call to his companions, who charged after the fleeing enemy.
Holding his sword high in the air, Tom shouted to his guild, "VICTORYYYYYYYYY!!!!"
Cries of triumph filled the air. The battle had been won. Vanguard was victorious over their invaders.
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Standing in the middle of the carnage, Tom looked around at the devastation. Clerics moved from person to person, helping any they could. Healballs were distributed among those without healing magic to use and apply to those they found who were injured.
The streets were littered with bodies from both sides, but Tom only looked for one. After moving a pile of pirate corpses, he found what he was looking for. The body of Frank was a bloody mess. He lay still, his weapons still grasped in his hands. Tom reached down, and closed his eyes, which had still stared out at the sky.
"Rest now, Frank. We are safe. Your sacrifice was not in vain. Thank you," Tom whispered softly as tears began to fall from his eyes.
As Tom uttered these words, the rain stopped falling. Looking up, Tom couldn't help but wonder if even the weather was paying its respects to Frank. Standing to his feet, Tom called over one of the other guild members who were helping with the cleanup and finding of bodies and told them to take special care of Frank's body. The man nodded and rushed off to get help with the body.
Remaining on the battlefield, Tom moved from place to place, helping with the healing of their dark-class-aligned members when the Clerics could not help. Looking around between healing spells, he noticed several men walking up to bodies and touching them before they vanished from sight. Standing upright and quickly marching over to where the men were working, he grabbed one of them by the armor.
"What do you think you're doing?" Tom asked, anger rising to the surface again so soon after the battle.
Eyes going wide, the man shrank away from Tom as he tried to explain, "Th-the g-general said we should just use our inventories to move the bodies. Said it would be easier than trying to m-move them manually. I was just following orders, sir," the man stammered.
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Releasing the man, Tom searched around quickly for Derek. Finding him off in the distance talking with James and his remaining team members, he moved quickly to where he stood.
"Are you really telling the men to put the bodies of our fallen in their inventories?" Tom said with more anger than he truly meant.
"I am. You think we should just carry them back? After a battle like that?" Derek asked, seeming calm and collected, but Tom could see the weariness behind his eyes.
"I think we should be treating them with as much respect as possible," Tom shot back.
"Fine, I can tell them to back up vehicles to the edge of the battlefield, and we can just toss them unceremoniously into piles to bring them back, driving over whatever rubble is in the way and possibly letting them spill onto the ground instead of placing them in an inventory that will treat them as though they are in stasis and keep them perfectly preserved until we can lie them out with care," Derek said turning to face Tom and crossing his arms over his chest in defiance.
Tom paused, letting the words sink in of what Derek was actually saying. Feeling sheepish in letting his anger get the best of him in that moment, he hung his head and let out a long breath.
"You're right. I'm sorry. I let my frustration bubble over," Tom admitted.
"It's okay, Tom. I know how you must be feeling. That's why I didn't come to you with it or bite your head off when you wanted to argue. I promise I thought about this, and we are doing what is best for everyone. You know by now that I'm always going to try to do right by the guild," Derek said, letting his arms fall to his sides.
Tom shifted uneasily from foot to foot as he finally allowed himself to look up at Derek, "I know. I'll keep that in mind. How are you holding up, James?"
James didn't look up at him. He kept his face buried in his hands, fingers splayed through his hair as he stared at the ground, "I'll be alright."
"I'm so sorry about Frank. We are going to give him a special place of honor on the memorial when we get back. He was a brave man who gave his all for the guild."
"Thanks," James said in a choked voice that threatened to break, finally looking up at Tom.
His eyes were bloodshot, and he had lines running through the dirt on his face from the tears he had shed. Lacey was holding Susie, who was still sobbing softly, and Mark was staring out at the battlefield with unblinking eyes, seeming not to notice anything that was going on.
Unable to think of anything else to say, Tom stood there in awkward silence, letting the moment hang. He looked around, trying to think of something to say to comfort his friend, but his mind failed him. He barely felt like he could form coherent thoughts. The pressure of the last day and the sense of loss that he felt at that moment threatened to overwhelm every part of his being.
Not knowing how to escape from the situation, he did the only thing he could think to do, "I have to go see to a few other things, but we will talk more later, James. Again, I'm so sorry."
Nodding slowly, James accepted the condolences. Walking back out to the battlefield, Tom moved between groups of people, offering to help in any way he could and thanking the fighters for their bravery. It felt like hollow platitudes after what they had been through, but he had to try. Derek had shown him that the people still looked up to him as an example of how to act in this damn world, and he felt he would be letting them down if he didn't at least try.
Hours passed as the cleanup continued. When every last body had been removed from the battlefield, a second crew was sent in to remove the pirate corpses. These were piled in the back of trucks without thought to treat them with respect. Why should they? These bastards had tried to take their resources. They had attacked their planet when they assumed they were the most vulnerable, without regard for who they killed.
No. They would not only receive no pity or special treatment, but they would also be used as resources. Tom felt this was a fitting retribution for their crimes. Deciding that he should return to the guild building, he turned to Jerky, who hadn't left his side since the battle had finished.
"Come on, Jerky, let's go home."
The pair walked back to the guild together, neither saying a word and just enjoying each other's company. The shield had been taken down, and they strode through the gates. Seeing that a makeshift medical area had been set up, Tom took in the sight of the injured, who were still waiting for treatment. So many had injuries. Rebecca was moving from place to place, where blankets had been laid out on the ground for the wounded to rest on.
An overwhelming majority of the injuries were lost limbs. The lobsters' claws were devastatingly effective against their human bodies. A team of people spent time wrapping each of the wounds to ensure that no one bled out before they could be tended to. Regrowing limbs was possible; they had seen it done before, but it was a long process that required specialized magic. Rebecca, being one of a very select few who had that ability, would be busy around the clock working to repair all the damage that had been done.
Tom's heart broke at the sight of the number of injured people lying on the ground, some still moaning in pain. As he paused inside the gate, he heard the sound of clapping coming from his right. The sound soon spread as more and more joined. Whistling was heard, and cheers went up as well. Looking around in confusion, everyone soon looked his way and began to lift up cries of "All, hail the commander" and "Our hero returns" as some began to move toward him.
Confusion set in at their words, and he stared at them in shock, shame beginning to build in his mind. Many reached out hands to shake his, thanking him so much for everything he had done. Tom shook their hands, trying to receive their gratitude, but the feelings they were expressing felt like ash in his mouth as he couldn't help but feel as though he had let them all down.
"You did right by them, you know," Jerky leaned in and said quietly to him.
Tom looked at him in confusion, a knowing look on Jerky's face. He quickly changed his face to one of humble acceptance, knowing Jerky was right that they needed to do this. They were still alive. No matter his feelings on what had happened, they were alive. They had made it through.