The hour of rest we had been allotted passed quickly. During that time, the medics dispatched to our location checked up on my wounds, and, to our collective astonishment, my wounds had almost entirely healed. I suspected it had something to do with the tattoo. I would have to look into this more, assuming we survived long enough.
"Waoo, I still can't believe how quickly your body recovered despite the attack from the gargoyle. Are you sure you're human?" Dan asked me, his face showing sarcastic skepticism.
As we marched toward the frontline, where our arrival was imminent, I replied, "If you want, and if we survive, I can introduce you to my parents. Yeah, what else would I fucking be if not human? Did you get hit in the head by the gargoyle?" I said, my voice deadpan and dripping with sarcasm.
"Tch, I was just joking, fucking asshole," Dan scoffed at my words.
"Stop arguing, and moving so slowly. You are delaying everyone behind you. Did they not even teach you guys this much in the training camps?" Robert interjected, preventing us from butting heads.
As we continued to banter amongst ourselves, a brief thought crossed my mind, 'I wonder how Jason is doing.'
"I'm sure that son of a bitch will survive somehow. He is one persistent bastard…he has to," I muttered under a hushed breath.
"Did you say something?" Robert asked me, looking confused as he turned to me.
"No, you're probably hearing things, probably because of the fatigue from fighting the gargoyle," I said, paying no more attention to his words.
"Hmm, I definitely heard something though. Well, whatever," he said, dismissing his thoughts.
***
When we arrived at the southwestern front, it was absolute mayhem. Above us, the sky darkened under the shadow of gargoyles. Their leathery wings beat against the wind as they swooped down with ear-piercing screeches, snatching up soldiers in their cruel talons.
On the ground, the situation was no less grim. Hordes of goblins, their faces twisted into grotesque expressions of malice, swarmed over the battlefield. They came in overwhelming numbers, crashing against the human defenses like a relentless wave. The clatter of swords and shields filled the air, a desperate symphony of battle.
But the goblins were not the only threat. Giant bugs and centipedes, their bodies writhing and grotesque, added to the chaos. They slithered and twisted among the fighting soldiers, their very presence injecting fear and horror. The trolls and orcs, towering and brutish, broke through the human lines with ease. Their roars were deafening, drowning out the cries and screams of the fallen.
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*Screechhh*
*Graaaghhhh*
*ROOOOAAAARRR*
"Kill the humans, don't stop advancing!"
"Gaaaaaah, save m-"
"Hold the line, hold the line, keep reinforcing, do not move back!"
I found myself muttering in disbelief, "What on earth am I seeing here?" As my eyes scanned the chaotic battlefield, I saw the last southern line of defense barely holding on. The demons had torn through our ranks, creating a gaping hole in our formation. What remained of the line was held together only by the sheer will and tactical commands of a gravely injured general. The scene was one of desperation, a last stand against overwhelming odds.
"EVERYONE, MAINTAIN FORMATION AND MOVE! ONCE WE BREAK INTO THE ENEMY LINES, KILL INDISCRIMINATELY!" our great general commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos.
"GO, GO, GO!" I shouted, and we started to move. Despite the horror of the scene, everyone also felt a surge of anger due to the nature of the situation. However, oddly enough, there was one man, assigned with us temporarily, who was angry for some other reason. He had been a noble, demoted for some blunder, and had been dismissive of my approaches to learn his name.
*Stab*
Ignoring his indifference, I thrust my spear into the hordes of goblins at the forefront of the demon army, grateful for their weaker skins, making them easier to kill than the gargoyles.
*Swing, crack*
Fluidly, I swung my axe, crushing the skull of a goblin that was leaping towards me from the side.
"Robert, Dan, and you," I pointed to the noble, "a group of gargoyles are coming in. Fred, there's an injured person there; get him out of the fucking way, he's going to get all of us killed," I ordered those around me. Arrogant as it might sound, I was quite talented at commanding people in the heat of battle.
"I can see it," I said loudly, pointing out a hobgoblin leading the goblin charge. "Boys, our target is that hobgoblin there; it's leading the charge of the goblins. Once we kill it, the fuckers should go into disarray. We'll move steadily. Once we take care of everything here, group up!"
*BAM*
"Holy shit," I mumbled, watching a giant ogre fly away after a loud noise from the eastern side of the battlefield.
"That's the great general. Keep moving, you commoner, or have you forgotten your own fucking orders?" the noble guy snapped, bringing my focus back to the battle.
"Fuck," I cursed, swinging my axe to hack off another goblin's head while stabbing with my spear, piercing through another goblin's skull.
"The density of the enemies is lessening. Move forward, Ithax; we can move forward now," Dan shouted at me.
"You, Sir Noble, you stay with me. The rest of you will be moving behind us, securing our rear," I instructed. During the entire battle, I had noticed that among all of us present here, including myself, the noble had clearly superior skills. I suppose being trained from a young age has its benefits, but I digress. Anyway, since he was evidently the most adept person in the group at the moment, using him to target the hobgoblin's head was the best strategic move I could think of. Considering he used a sword, our synergy was pretty decent. As for the rest, knowing they were decently strong, I was confident they could keep the regular goblins at bay, securing our rear, so that we wouldn't get ambushed from behind.
After hearing my words, everyone agreed, although the noble looked at me with a great deal of skepticism. Eventually, he nodded his head and agreed to go along with my plan.
"Good, it seems like everyone agrees. Sir Noble, I will lead the way to the hobgoblin. You must strike it the moment you see an opportunity," I said to the noble as we gradually pushed forward.
"Alright, everyone, don't die on me," I said, and as I did, all of us charged as if our lives depended on it. For, at that moment, they truly did.