The swarm charged.

A light clatter from above had Heinz turning away from the swarm charging at Shane and back towards the opened stall. Opening stalls. Doors all around the courtyard swung open.

But Heinz's attention was drawn up to the roof and the three headless Swarm leaping down from there. He had just seconds to angle his halberd as the one on the left flew towards him.

The halberd spike moved enough to dig into the left side of the creature’s body but Heinz wasn't able to brace. He exhaled with force of the impact and the halberd’s shaft slid through his fingers until the counterweight hit the ground.

The Swarm screeched as it was impaled but as its left side caught, its right swung down at Heinz’s head.

Louise screamed in rage.

Heinz ducked and heaved the halberd up. Searing pain shot through his shoulder as the claws made contact. The halberd lifted off the ground, carrying the creature with it.

Sean howled in pain as Shane roared.

Heinz tilted the halberd and gravity took a hold. As the creature began to fall Heinz twisted the halberd, aided by the creature's uneven weight so that the sign edge was above it and began to push.

Mike cursed and there was a grating noise.

The Swarm smacked into the ground and the edge bit deeply into one of its limbs. Heinz wrenched his halberd back and swung it down. And again. The edge bit deep into its torso and the weight crushed it against the earth. A message flickered.

A weight slammed into his back and Heinz turned to drive an elbow into - Tara’s back - and missed. She had already pushed off him and was running back to the Swarm that Louise was tangled with. Louise’s blades were locked against its claws and she struggled as the creature towered over her.

Behind them Sean was driving one of the creatures back with one handed thrusts. Shane was off to the right, blood flowing off his elbow as he lifted the sledgehammer up for another blow on a prone Swarm. Dick had a hand on Shane’s shoulder.

Heinz’s blood froze as he took in the rest of the courtyard. Another five or so of the creatures were racing towards them. He frantically began taking deep breaths and tensing his abdomen. His heart was racing but it wasn’t the System adrenaline feel.

Louise was yelling again.

The creatures got closer but the augment wasn’t triggering. Heinz levelled his halberd at the Swarm. There were too many. They were moving too fast. Their long legs seemed to fold forward at right angles as they bounded toward him.

A hand grabbed his shoulder and Heinz was pulled. He turned and Tara tugged him again towards the stall. She let go and ran herself.

Heinz followed, not looking back. It was only a few running steps to the stall and Mike and Phil’s waiting spears but with the Swarm closing in it felt like a lifetime. As Tara ducked under the spears, Heinz had a brief moment of clarity. This must have been how Dick and Louise felt drawing the Jackals to Aiden’s farm.

The clarity ended as his back lit up in pain.

Heinz stumbled forward the last metre under Phil and Mike’s spears. Phil cursed and hopped over Heinz’s halberd as it swung to the side out of control. Heinz tried to push himself up off the ground but two people grabbed his arms and dragged him further into the stall.

“How’s his back?” Louise shouted above him.

“Don’t know. Bloody.” Shane shouted back.

Heinz pulled his arms free and pushed himself up. The movement shot spikes of pain through his skin but not crippling agony. The strain was the least of his concerns right now.

Tara was frantically examining the walls and the corpse of a Swarm towards the back. Like the previous stalls, the room was empty and clean without any sign of dirt or straw. Metal bars made up half of the wall between the next stall. Sean was leaning on his spear against the back wall with one hand to a bloody shoulder.

Looking back at the entrance provided no comfort. The stall door had opened outward and they had no way of closing it now.

Mike stood into the centre of the stall doorway. Dick was on his right awkwardly trying to cover a space half a person wide. Phil was on his left unharmed, but with long slash marks down his shield. The corrugated iron had been pierced through but there was no blood to signal that the claws had penetrated through to his arm.

“I’m fine.” Heinz grunted and stood up slowly.

There was a grunt from the door and they all looked to see Mike and Dick being pushed back before they rallying and driving forward again.

“We can’t stay here.” Phil called back distressed. “They haven’t charged together yet but we can’t hold them.”

“The next stall.” Tara yelled. “Heinz and Shane help!”

Tara ran to the left wall, the inner one and as Heinz watched, swung her axe into the wall under the metal grill. The wood shattered under the blow.

Heinz and Shane’s rushed over. Their weapons weren’t as effective but brute strength had an efficiency of its own. They widened the gap until two could fit under the bars at once.

Sean, Louise and Tara ducked under and through. Louise ran to check the closed door in the other stall.

Stolen novel; please report.

There was another panicked cry from Phil as the door guards repulsed another attack.

“Locked.” Louise shouted back.

“Take that side.” Shane said to Heinz, pointing to the side of the hole closer to the stall door. Shane's black, iris-less eyes were wide and angry. He wrenched at his hatch shield until it fell off, taking a wooden splint with it and kicked it under the gap.

They got into position and Heinz began to flex his stomach again. It could make the difference.

“Dick, Mike, Phil!” Shane roared. “Run into the next stall.”

Mike turned slightly at Shane’s shout and blanched when he saw the gap. “On three.” He yelled.

Dick and Phil turned to see and had similar reactions.

“3.”

Phil and Mike were forced back as one of the Swarm impaled itself on their spears. There was a curse from behind Heinz. After an agonising second, the two gained their balance and pushed the swarm back and away.

“2.” Mike counted again.

“1.”

“Go!”

Phil was the furthest and first to turn. Mike stepped back and to the side as Phil ran past so he had space to move. Dick turned next and immediately after, Mike followed.

As Phil approached he dived on top of his shield arm and slid under the gap. Someone cursed as his spear stabbed forward with him. Phil’s feet stuck out under the gap for a second but disappeared as someone pulled him through.

Blood rushed to Heinz’s head and as his breaths came faster, everything seemed slower.

One of the Swarm charged into the stall. It was closely followed by another. Leaning to one side their claws scratched the earth as they skidded and turned towards the hole in the stall divider.

More followed as Dick reached Heinz and Shane.

There wasn’t time. Heinz was closest to the door. As soon as he turned they would be on him. He didn't have the momentum.

Dick jumped and hugged his spear to him as he slid under the divider, feet first. His spear smacked into his face but Dick made it through.

Mike tossed his spear on the floor ahead of him to skid off the ground and through. Like Phil he jumped on his stomach to slide under but he landed wrong with a heavy exhale and too short a slide. Someone would have to pull him through.

Someone would have to get Heinz through. Something would have to. A mad idea came to him.

“Go!” Heinz shouted to Shane as the Swarm neared. He stepped forward and squatted down. He nearly stumbled over Mike's feet before someone dragged the man the last bit of the way through.

Heinz shoved the back of the halberd into the gap behind him and hugged the halberd shaft close. All that was left was to point it at the charging swarm.

Shane cursed as he turned, ducked through and left Heinz behind.

The lead Swarm dived down at them, claws leading the way. Claws that batted the Halberd tip, knocking it off to the side. Heinz's heart stopped as he failed to steady it and his plan began to crumble.

Someone on the other side of the divider kicked the counterweight on his halberd and the halberd tip swung back towards the swarm. The tip drove into the creature. Squatted down as he was, Heinz couldn’t brace against the momentum and the creature drove him back. Heinz kept a death grip on the halberd as he fell back on his ass and skidded under the divider.

The skid slowed as Heinz crashed into someone’s legs on the other side of the divider but it didn’t stop. They kept moving back in a tangled mess as the Swarm slid under the divider after them.

Tara was ready and she chopped down on the creature with an overhead blow. A spear thrust from Phil followed it after.

Heinz's breath caught as his body seemed to explode. Raw ice raced from his core out to his extremities. He wasn’t able to focus enough to ignore the messages as they popped up.

User I38-3NA5 - Fighter-R

Sprout Bounty

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12

User I38-3NA5 - Fighter-R

Threshold crossed.

3 role attribute units changed to Personal assignment.

Sean pushed Heinz off of him with a pained grunt. But Heinz barely noticed. His muscles seemed to tear at his bones as they flexed uncontrollably.

“One left inside. Two outside.” Louise called. She stabbed through the grate between stalls into another Swarm’s body once more. Phil pulled his spear back from a stab under the divider and Dick did the same soon after.

Heinz leaned to one side, his muscles coming back under his control but everything feeling too light.

The door rattled and everyone turned towards it. A large clang echoed and then another followed by a crack. There was a soft thump against the ground.

Mike ran towards the door only to get smacked back as it flew off its hinges and into his face. One of the Swarm crashed in alongside the door and landed on top of Mike. Another ran in behind it.

Heinz pushed himself up on a knee, nearly hopping straight to his feet.

“Mike!” Sean screamed as he ran towards the fisherman. In doing so he blocked Tara and Shane.

The running Swarm shifted its course towards Sean.

Shane shoved Sean forward and out of the way. The push made Sean stumble and fall into Tara. The Swarm kept moving, for Shane now. The fisherman just had time to put his sledgehammer between him and the creature before they collided and with a loud crack went down.

Heinz pushed off from his kneeled position towards the mess. He shot forward and collided with the creature, knocking it off of Shane. They spun around until Heinz was on his back with the Swarm held above him. It screeched and jerked around but Heinz kept his grip and squeezed.

Phil and Louise shouted something followed by Phil crying out in pain but Heinz couldn’t pay attention as the Swarm bucked and smashed his head back into the ground. Heinz tightened his grip until he felt something give.

There was a thunk above him and then another. The Swarm stopped fighting long enough for Heinz to adjust his grip. He squeezed again until he crushed something. The Swarm went limp in his arms.

Heinz pushed the Swarm off him and saw Tara drop to her knees beside him. Her face was scrunched up in pain.

He shakily stood up and took in the stall.

Phil stood over one of the Swarm, pressing it against the ground with his spear and shield while a bleeding Louise stabbed into the dying creature. Dick, Mike and Sean were pulling their spears out of the Swarm that broke down the door.

Shane ran past him to the entrance, clutching his broken arm, and looked around outside.

“All clear.” Shane called and leaned against the doorway.

Louise and Phil finished off their swarm and Louise collapsed as she crossed the threshold. Heinz released a muscle in his chest and sagged as the adrenaline left.

Start to finish the whole fight had taken less than a minute.

Dick turned and took in the state of them all before stepping back to lean against the wall between stalls.

“Christ what was that?”