The Wolf Tribe did not attack mindlessly. Each vector of their assault was meant to take out one of the enemy’s most valuable assets, following the Ravager-invented doctrine of “throat cutting,” a strategy designed to reduce losses on both sides with an overwhelming show of force. Once morale is destroyed, officers are dead, and weapons are secured, even the most fanatical opponents often consider surrender.
Dragena commanded their advance with casual ease, directly addressing scouts and wolf hags when she deemed them advancing too fast, bringing them back in line with a simple word. Through linking scouts’ visions, the warlord constantly updated the enemies’ positions, marking the most charismatic officers among the enemy to be eliminated and helping the scouts find safer routes of advance. Her unemotional voice quelled the bloodlust of the most eager packs, ensuring the safety of surrendering foes. Her keen mind directed artillery fire, limiting civilian casualties. Dragena’s leadership ensured that the advancing front remained steadfast, dispersing evenly to secure the valuable targets.
Even the warlords themselves accepted being reined in by her, for the warlord enjoyed Ravager’s full support. Prior to the invasion, Dragena used drugs to loosen the prisoners’ tongues and learn the general layout of the capital, as well as the location of factories, underground bunkers, and defense installations. However, regardless of the drugs, the prisoners failed to disclose any information about Tecno-Queen herself. Dragena had ignored offers to squeeze the answers from the prisoners by force, assuring the commander that their foe had distrusted her own officer. She theorized that the enemy leader didn’t have a single seat of power, but rather changed her location at irregular intervals.
Janine loved this element of uncertainty. Janine and her pack received the task of capturing the looming tower to the city’s east.
This tower handled communications, and there was little chance of the enemy’s leader being there… But the excitement of possible glory propelled the warlord like an adrenaline shot. Ravager, Zero, or Alpha had ever executed the strongest preys. What if she’s the first to join their ranks? Janine, the Queen Killer, the Ruler Toppler… She imagined Martyshkina must’ve thought the same thing, judging by how pushy her pack advanced.
A guided missile flew over the buildings, striking a pack. An explosion punched through a male’s armor, rupturing his organs and killing the soldier. The shockwave sent Bogdan and a warrior cartwheeling into their allies’ paws. The warrior had it especially bad; her paw below an ankle disappeared.
Impatient One howled and used the side of a building as a springboard to leap high and land amid reloading defenders. Where Janine fought methodically, using both ranged and close weapons to the greatest effect, Impatient One transformed into a whirlwind of dashing violence.
No shaman ever used ranged weapons or blades; their claws and fangs were everything they ever needed. And now the shaman’s jaws caught the screaming man, biting him in two and hungrily devouring the remains while she sprinted around the guards, bisecting anyone around her and furthering chaos, hurling the dead to the ground.
Janine turned the worry over her son into strength, cleaving a guard before her in two and sent a gust of wind forward with enough force to knock more off their feet. Wolfkins around her howled, filling the air with the songs of rage, and fired their own shardguns, turning the opposition into bloody rags. Ignacy helped Bogdan to his feet, and together, the two males shot down guards who tried to fire into their sister’s back.
“Enough,” Janine commanded, stopping the shaman from butchering the guards who fell to their knees.
With their foes broken, Dragena sent a message for them to halt. Janine used this opportunity to assign the wounded Wolfkins to tie up the prisoners and send them back, where the Ice Boys would secure them.
Out of curiosity, Ignacy pulled a cowl from a guard’s head, revealing a face covered by chemical burns, a pile of messy ashen hair covered with occasional bald patches, pale skin marred by the uneven, sizeable red dots, and a shell-shocked expression in her wide eyes. The woman coughed, unable to cope with the pollution, prompting Anissa to pull back the cowl and give Ignacy a smack behind his head.
“They can’t even live in their own city,” Anissa spat on the ground, fixing the prisoner’s respirator back in place. “Breathe,” she told the guard. “Calm your heart. Your war is over, citizen.”
“Technically, they could before, s… Wolf Hag!” Ignacy quickly corrected himself under Anissa’s gaze. “As far as we know, twenty-one years ago, people in this area lived normally, with little need for gas masks. Mind you, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows; the Wastes are one of the most irradiated regions…”
“Point, male,” Impatient One snapped. She lifted Bogdan, sniffed him over, and put him back. Then she prowled toward the wounded warrior and glanced at the warlord. Janine nodded, monitoring the streets. The maimed woman tried to argue, but a claw under her jaw quickly subdued her, and the disgruntled warrior agreed to return.
Janine herself wasn’t minding Ignacy’s long explanations. Her little boy had surprisingly many interesting stories to tell for someone living a hermit’s life.
“Sure!” Ignacy saluted. “Tecno-Queen came to power, and the Wastes truly lived up to their name; life expectancy plummeted into oblivion…” He gestured at the trembling guard, reading information from the woman’s tag around her neck. “Take her, for example. In her early twenties, but looking like a forty-year-old, her hairline is already receding, and judging by the skin color, she has erythema. If you ask me, in ten years, this entire region would have had its population halved at least…”
“Neeerd!” Bogdan kicked his brother in the ass. “Who cares what might have happened? Who cares about ancient history? We’re here, so all will be okay. Rather than wasting your time on theorizing, embrace the practical.” He wrapped an arm around his brother’s shoulders and pointed at a scout. “Look at that beauty! Such posture, a thick waist, gorgeous fur, and lengthy white claws shine through this smog, almost making you believe them to be unleashed accidentally, despite a rifle… The girl clearly has the hots for you, brother. Come on, go talk to her, and then make many little ones…”
“Bogdan,” Anissa half-groaned, half-growled, commanding the troops to take up the defensive positions. “Does anything other than mating ever worry you?”
“Of course. My cubs, soulmate, family, friends…”
“Then, if you want to keep seeing them, get to your position and keep your eyes open, or I’ll gore you before the next enemy has a chance to get a shot at your incompetent hide.” Impatient One landed next to her brothers and sisters, sending Anissa to the ground with an elbow hit. “Discipline! Maintain discipline, Wolf Hag! The males are too dumb to know what’s best for them, but what is your excuse? Put them to work! They can have fun after the battle is won!”
Janine left Anissa in charge of the pack and said a brief silent prayer for her fallen warriors before examining the tower again. Satellite arrays decorated its walls, and long cables, thick as houses, supplied the superstructure with energy. The entire structure reached a height of about three hundred meters, varying by a few dozen meters. The surface around the tower was flat, and swirling toxic waste beneath the grid created the image of a sickly moat surrounding a castle, bringing back unpleasant memories of the war against Blood Graf.
The city’s shield fell, the Wolfkins took apart its generators, and the Inevitable’s crew was busy silencing the remaining defenses on the wall. But palaces, large fortresses, and the biggest factories in the city had their own shields that kept their walls unspoiled. Orange flowers bloomed in the air, and slabs of iron shells rained down, unable to reach the tower. A beam of darkness connected the crawler to the balcony of a palace to the west, and this time the shield gave way, unable to withstand Zero’s sniper rifle. Something exploded in the palace.
“Dragena, why did we stop?” Janine asked, strapping the energy rifle to her back and taking the Taleteller in both paws.
She could feel the streets shaking, even if only slightly, and it wasn’t the result of an explosion. Terrific taught them how to spot the difference, regularly leading cubs to hunt the underground predators to keep Normies from harm. Something, or someone, was coming. A ripple of cracks raced through the ground, and Janine released the claws on her legs, motioning for her packs to prepare.
“Because this is an obvious trap, sister,” Dragena replied calmly, sending an image of the city to Janine’s HUD. “Observe. We’ve almost claimed it, but we haven’t encountered any steel servants or minions. There is also something else. Ravager…”
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“Blessed Mother,” Lacerated One growled over communication.
“Ravager.” Undeterred, Dragena ignored the shaman’s indignation. The supreme shaman and her troops were busy escorting wounded captives and securing civilians on the Blessed Mother’s orders. “She can feel it too. Notice the pattern in her movements. She both satiates her bloodlust on the walls and is looking for something.”
Janine had to admit that she was right. Once engaged, anyone carrying a weapon became prey in the Blessed Mother’s eyes. And considering that some New Breeds had claws or blades for arms… Janine’s former warlord, Terrific, once had her lung pierced while rescuing a mutant cub covered in barbed spikes from Ravager, shouting in the divine face that the little one was not a combatant. The commander knew the extent of her madness, so her current pattern of movements puzzled Janine. Why is she prolonging the carnage? It can only lead to further fury that could rise into a hellish inferno that Ravager won’t be able to suppress. What are they missing?
Part of the answer came to her in moments. Figures burst from the toxic rivers, crashing through stone and metal grates. They resembled madly twitching insects; three elongated legs held their elongated bodies; six more limbs served as arms; four limbs ended in palm-sized needles; and two of the remaining limbs had crude manipulators. White lenses, serving the robots as eyes, locked at the Wolfkins, and with a clacking sound, their backs opened to reveal two sets of metallic wings.
These must’ve been the steel minions. The true standing army of Tecno-Queen, merciless hordes to decimate her rivals. Janine met them head-on, catching the first on the knob of her axe and impaling it. The creature twitched, bleeding oil and broken gears; its arms struck in death throes, leaving gashes across her armor.
Dangerous. The warlord broke through the remains with one swing of her axe, bringing her blade to the approaching horde and feeding drinks of fresh stories to the Taleteller. The steel minions did not differentiate between allies and foes; one of them opened the back of a surrendered guard before pouncing on a nearby Wolfkin.
Bogdan had to block an incoming strike, saving one of his former foes, but he ended up exposing his neck as the limb pierced through the top of his vambrace, dragging her son off his feet. Ignacy’s shardgun barked, sending destruction into the minion’s neck. The thing stumbled, and Bogdan used this opportunity to kick it off himself, pushing his brother away from having his eyes slashed by another minion. The headless minion joined the intact one, trying to stab the males. Two females tackled the machines, turning into balls of slashing claws and stabbing blades. Bogdan and Ignacy stood together, firing at the robots, taking them apart limb by limb and covering the warriors of their pack.
They work well together. Janine decided, advancing forward. Terrific would no doubt lead the pack into a counterattack, seeking to use ferocity to overcome the opposition. But her mother… Terrific wasn’t here anymore. A well-positioned defense could win just as many battles as a fury could lose.
The pack fired well-timed shots into the oncoming swarm, destroying foes by the dozens before they could bring their full might to the Wolfkins. Scouts threw grenades, creating an additional corrosive layer for things to pass, and Janine inhaled acid fumes, enjoying the tearing sensation in her airways. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. A target as large as she had attracted the swarm’s attention. Shards ricocheting off her helmet, clawed limbs scratching streams on her body, the roar of her axe swinging through the air brought her happiness. Two bots tried to creep to her feet, seeking to bisect her sinews, and the warlord kicked, skewering both.
Several bots broke through the gunfire, carving paths through her pack. Matching males in strength, the steel minions’ bladed limbs buried themselves in the chest plates, finding their way to the hearts within with chirurgical precision. The creatures’ strikes strived for efficiency; when unable to confirm a kill with the first attack, the steel minions aimed for joints and rubberized neck protection to incapacitate a soldier. Worse, they ignored the larger Wolfkins, going after the males, seeking to exchange their existence for at least one life.
Yet there was a flaw. A swarm—a true insectoid swarm—worked in unison, sacrificing drones so their warriors could launch an attack. These bots had no cohesion in their ranks; they surged in a unified front, where their wings could’ve carried them over the building.
“Wolf Hags, Dragena! The steel minions are individualistic! They know nothing about teamwork and go after the weakest!” Janine shouted her warning. “Wolf Hags, lure and devour!”
Her wolf hags had small need for her order, already understanding the robot’s intentions. Janine took position five paces ahead of her pack, turning in a whirlwind of steel and restrained rage, smashing aside the swarm to buy a brief respite for the pack. Anissa ordered the males to take positions behind the females, a potential heresy and a most unorthodox tactic, but Janine approved it at once. The warriors, scouts, and wolf hags in her pack had a much better chance of survival in this melee, and the males could provide excellent fire support. Anissa fastened her own weapon and lunged at a trying-to-stand minion, releasing her claws.
Impatient One followed, bringing a smile to Janine’s lips. Her two precious girls fought back-to-back with a ferocity that would’ve made even Lacerated One proud… Oh, what a glorious future they have! Anissa easily swatted aside a blade aimed at her lenses and swept through the legs of a steel minion, finishing it with an elbow that pressed the little head deep into its chest. Impatient One simply thrust, leaving a gaping hole in a steel minion who tried to fly overhead, and bit off the head of another.
“Heresy!” Impatient One cursed at the rising headless body. She stomped it into the pavement.
“Finally, someone worthy of killing!” roared Warlord Eled over the comm. Through a shared video feed, Janine watched as Eled’s troops also came under attack, and the warlord swung her gigantic scythe, harvesting four machines and leaving a blurry arc in her wake.
“Technically, these are just machines, warlord. You can destroy them, but they don’t have any life to begin with,” Ignacy corrected her, firing point-black at a minion that tried to claw at a scout’s back.
“Someone never met Artificer; I take it.” Alpha spat, standing oblivious to the danger in a sea of steel minions as her pack freely shot them off her. “Have anything to add other than pointless wordplay, male?”
“As a matter of fact, I do!” Ignacy’s boast nearly painted Janine’s fur white. She’ll never let Alpha touch her boys, but it mattered little, as no warlord can ever hope to beat Alpha. “These minions are able to move despite having their primary generator destroyed and are capable of navigating without the lenses on their heads.”
“Point! Get to it before I use mine to shut you up!” Impatient One snapped, tearing a minion in half.
“Every component of these robots has its own backup power source,” Ignacy said quickly, firing at the minions trying to reach his sisters’ legs. He sent a request, and Alpha herself approved it, letting Ignacy send photos of hissing energy cells stuck in the machines’ limbs to every warlord. “Probably short-lived, but this is just a theory. And their ability to operate without optics suggests some sort of hidden sensors.”
“So don’t let our guard down and smash them to bits until they stop moving, right?” asked Warlord Predaig.
“Technically, if we knew exactly where their control center was, we could’ve turned them into scraps easier, but in the field conditions, I can’t make any hypotheses in good conscience. Perhaps...”
“That’s the gist of it, yes, warlord,” Bogdan answered, stopping Ignacy’s explanations. “We are honored that you have allowed us to speak the wisdom that is no doubt already known to you.”
“Janine, keep your males focused on the fight!” Eled laughed happily. “They make me look bad!”
“Eh, when a male is right, he is right.” Explosions rocked the ground in front of Warlord Ygrite’s pack, preventing hundreds of steel shapes from reaching her prisoners. The warlord herself, a horrible mess of claws protruding from her neck and mouth, caught a half-broken robot and crushed it in her paw. “Ah, I love myself some good, well-set ambush. Especially when we turn it against the enemy. Keep on using the grenade launchers, boys; if even one of these shiny bugs gets to you, no booze tomorrow! See, this is the way to fight a war!” She cheered, warming her paws on the great pyre created by her pack. “Told you all we didn’t bring grenade launchers for nothing! Girls, join the fun; don’t be shy! Your beverage is at stake too, you know! Kalaisa, keep the filth off my captives; these are our Normies now.”
“Oh, so she is allowed the indiscriminate use of volatile incendiaries, but I had to listen to a lecture? Cusackshit!” Ashbringer snarled, melting a row of steel minions, taking care not to ignite the toxic sludge.
“Hold your positions, sisters.” Dragena’s voice cut through the chatter. “Eled, Predaig, the losses in your packs are unacceptably high. Take an example from Ygrite and Janine and keep the males at a safe distance.”
“It is the males’ sacred duty to sacrifice themselves for the tribe!” Lacerated One joined the conversation.
“In times of need, holy one. It would be wasteful to allow casualties here,” Dragena replied dispassionately. “Martyshkina, you are far ahead; retreat. If anyone finds Onyxia, put her on the coms. We haven’t yet met any steel servants…”
“Ignacy, keep your mouth shut,” Janine asked. “Eled and Alpha are not the ones to cause ruckus about being corrected, but someone like Ashbringer won’t be so lenient.”
“Stop spreading slander, Janine,” Ashbringer growled. “When males have something worthwhile to say, I gracefully offer them my ear, just as I offered it to your cub’s babbling. Fine work, Ignacy.”
“Melina, status report.” Janine deemed it best to ignore her named sister. Ashbringer might have shown some signs of mutation with her smaller fangs, silken fur, and elongated snout, but by the Spirits the woman’s claws penetrated deep!
“Delivering our allies, warlord,” Melina replied in a low voice.
“What happened?” Janine called up the health indicators of Melina’s pack on her HUD. Nothing was out of the ordinary; most of her pack hadn’t even been injured. “Did Martyshkina’s wolf hag dominate you? Are you under attack?”
“No, it’s even worse, warlord,” the wolf hag answered in desperation. “There is nothing here, except useless Normies surrendering in droves. No cyborgs, no steel minions, nothing. We’ll never match the kill count of other packs like this. We’ll be the last!”
“Then so be it.” The warlord shrugged, slicing through a minion and stomping another. “The lives of my pack takes priority over a title. I’ll be Janine the Fameless forever if I have to. As long as we’re alive, there’s a chance, Wolf Hag Melina. A victory at the cost of a friend’s misfortune is no victory to boast of.”
The concrete shook, and a ripple of cracks ran through it. The warlord raised a paw, ordering her pack to retreat two dozen steps at the noise of tearing metal and collapsing pipes.
This is a big one. She decided, her heart racing at the sight of a collapsing stone around her. Some kind of champion, by chance? Come and be crushed.