Raging explosions were hidden somewhere below, covered by thick white haze. The non-stopping sound of multiple gunshots was accompanying them, creating a real symphony of war. The shouts and screams were merged into indistinguishable vocalization as if an unknown singer was putting all his efforts into their act while using gibberish instead of understandable language. The distance was the main reason for such an effect. The open space made it possible for the “music” to reach even their ears. Distorted, it was still trying its best to show the real performance. Calming down for a few moments, it could blow up in the next second as if in an attempt to get to a higher note. Almost following the behavior of a storm, it was in constant change, despite using the very same instruments for play.

“Crap, it is too intensive…”

Garold’s muttering voice was filled with anxiety, while its owner was trying to see anything through the foggy surroundings. Exactly this fact was making everyone nervous. Not only they couldn’t do anything, while others were fighting, but they also couldn’t even see the situation clearly. And the things that they were hearing didn’t sound any good. The fight was taking too long and was too big, taking into account the fact that beastmen just captured the positions and had to be exhausted, while the reserve forces were fresh and in higher numbers. Or at least it was supposed to be like that.

“Shit, something went wrong. Like really wrong. I can feel it… Hey, captain, what are we going to do?”

Garold wasn’t calming down, walking in circles in the narrow pathways of the dirigible. His eyes were in search of something, but the weather had created a strong shield, preventing any observation.

“Nothing. The plan hasn’t changed. We have an order. Moreover, even if the hell broke loose there, what our group can do to turn the tides? Frankly speaking – nothing. So, meditate or check your rifle again, but stop imitating the fucking pendulum!”

Jack shouted making the dwarf sit down. His hands started to stroke the rifle’s surface as if it was his precious pet.

“I thought snipers had an enormous patience,” Robert’s comment created a light smile on Garold’s face.

“No, it is useful for hunters, while they wait for the prey in ambush. Maybe it would work somewhere in difficult terrain, but not in an open field in a trench-war. And for all I know, most of the front lines are like that. So my task was always to stay at the back during animal assaults in an attempt to shoot the commanding officers to make the enemy headless. You know, I have the same rifle as you, just with scope and better handled. It doesn’t shoot on canon’s distance. Therefore, no, I do not need patience. Just a fast reaction, a steady aim, and a good sight.”

“I think the latter is needed right now… I see something strange… Like a huge… object… that is moving not far from us…,” Squinting his eyes, Robert tried to discern what it was.

“Let me see… Hmm, indeed, it does look like… dirigible… FUCK! Mason, there is fucking dirigible out there,” Garold’s shout felt like an injection of adrenaline in everyone’s body, wiping out any traces of sleepiness.

“Silence, you, dumbass!”

Jack reacted immediately. Grabbing the pilot by the shoulder, he dragged Mason by force only to point to the shapeless darker spot, which was barely visible through thick clouds.

“So, what do you think?”

“It is a dirigible indeed, sir. A heavy bombardier… And it is not ours as they couldn’t be here. They went north-west, while we turned north-east at some point. We currently moving parallel to the defensive lines and aimed to turn back to the north-west in approximately an hour to go around the main battle,” Mason explained, before adding, “They seem to use the same low speed to decrease a smoke from engines to avoid a detection.”

“Hey, I know the plan. How the fuck have they ended here?”

“I don’t know, sir. Maybe we underestimated the animals and they managed to gather the force. Those dirigibles might aim to widen the gap in our defense,” shrugged the pilot, glancing one more time at the massive aircraft.

“Okay… Take us out of their sight, Mason. Everyone - keep the silence but be ready to shoot. Garold, Rob, and Alice – the left side, others with me on the right. Margarete, be inside. After the first gunshot, you need to lie down on the floor and don’t move. Not even a single attempt to stand up before I say so. Got it?”

Jack sighed, before finally commanding. The responses came in nods. Miss Carrey was no different, silently following the order. By the moment when everyone had a weapon in their hands, the enemy’s dirigible had disappeared from sight. However, not the heavy atmosphere that had enveloped the crew. The plume of the mere fact of the airship’s existence only added pressure.

Robert found himself in almost absolute silence, where even his heart was sounding like a drum. Each movement, each creak of wooden planks on the floor, each click from another bullet going inside the magazine – everything felt unnaturally loud as if was made in front of a microphone with speakers directed right to the enemy’s position. And that was despite the battle on the ground didn’t show any signs of stopping, continuing what seemed to be an endless act of bloodshed.

He saw the serious face of Garold, whose tight grip on the rifle was clearly visible. He hadn’t missed how Alice was silently muttering something. After knowing her for a few days, Rob could bet it was a stream of swears, which would make any laborer shy as a virgin in front of a seasoned whore, and not a prayer. He could see the Mason’s back of the head. The latter was constantly moving, looking at the surrounding sky. Following it, Robert had noticed the reason for the pilot’s worries. There were gaps in what was earlier a solid wall of mist. What was worse, they were increasing not only in size but also in numbers.

This fact had sent his heart in another race, reminding him how vulnerable he was, despite all his supernatural strength and magic ability. This suspense accompanied by regular explosions was much scarier than direct confrontation. Especially, knowing that you can’t influence the situation. And he wasn’t alone in this feeling, as the dwarf took his flask with trembling hands and gulped almost half of it in no time.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

The motion on the periphery of Rob’s sight made him turn his head only to see Jack’s figure, who was slowly and carefully approaching him in an attempt to avoid making any unnecessary sound. The captain had quite a serious expression. Surprisingly, there were no traces of fear or even anxiety. Or he had hidden them well, radiating the confidence to the outer world, despite possibly opposite true feelings. This maybe mask, maybe not was almost immediately noticed by the sniper, visibly easing the pressure on him.

I guess, only such an attitude makes an average person a natural leader – the ability not only to stay calm but also to imbue the same feeling in others.

“Rob, I need you to be ready to focus on engines in case we will need all available speed to get out from those fuckers. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” he nodded only to hear an awfully familiar sound of whistle, which was often used to warn soldiers about incoming danger. And of course, it came right from the side. Raising his head above the side of the dirigible, Rob was shocked to see the huge airship in mere fifty meters (around 160 ft.) behind them. The huge hull of the cabin was slightly above them, still covered in clouds, but already visible.

The misty weather played a stupid joke on them. Right before dispersing, the mist seemed to condense in a tight spot enough to cover the enemy’s aircraft until it was too late. Moreover, while trying to avoid being noticed by the first airship, their changed trajectory led them to cross paths with one another. Luckily, the vision obstruction worked in both ways, making the same surprise for the beastmen. Unfortunately, they were the first to notice Rob’s group, sending an alarm in the surroundings.

“Shoot!”

Jack’s shout woke up everyone from slumber, accelerating the events. Both Garold and Alice took the aim. The dwarf was faster. The loud “bang” from the rifle had sent a bullet directly into the beast folk with a whistle, throwing him back. Robert didn’t notice the result of their explosive specialist as the captain was already giving orders.

“Rob, engines! Mason, take us out of here! Leo, to the left side. Raph, stay there and continue to watch. Marg, on the floor. NOW!”

Hastily jumping inside the engine room and throwing his rifle in the nearest corner, Rob grabbed the shovel before sending the first batch of crystals inside the engine. Adding more temperature, he made the engine almost roar in hunger for fuel. Releasing more steam in the air, they started to increase their pace of movement. For a moment the sound of a working mechanism, which was pushing propellers to go faster and faster, had outvoiced the gunshots. Just for a moment, another shout made Rob instantly drop to the floor.

“Machine gun!”

Heavy, rhythmic knocking sound turned into a rain of bullets, piercing the wooden sides of the scout dirigible. Shattering the windows and sending the shards on Rob’s head, it hit the engines a few times before continuing its destructive way further. Luckily, the metal on the mechanism managed to withstand. On the other hand, one of the ricochets almost made a hole in Robert’s hand, leaving a mark right between his spread fingers.

Another gunshot with Garold’s cheerful yell stopped it just after ten seconds of firing, but the damage was already done. Half of the indicators were destroyed. Hastily standing up, Rob shoved another portion of toborium inside the stove, before turning to Jack for further instructions. That was the moment when he noticed the real consequences. Not only the side of the airship looked like a colander, but also the motionless figure of Alice was lying with forever forever-frozen expression.

Fuck!

“Raphael, while you’re watching for other dirigibles, start reloading the magazines! Others need to keep firing and, Garold, don’t give a gunner another fucking chance to send even a single bullet! Marg, see how Alice is. Mason, do you have any good news for me?”

The focused voice of the leader was starting his real emotions. Still, Jack tried to keep his cool, shooting at any figure that was leaning out to take aim. Their fast actions raised them up enough to be on the level of the enemy’s dirigible before the latter managed to react.

“Our single way out is to go above them as their engines are much more powerful. But for that, we need to be lighter,” Mason’s answer led to Jack’s frown.

“She is… dead… Alice is dead…,” The trembling voice of Margarette only worsened the situation, sending the captain into deep thought.

“Think fast, sir, as their bulwarks are not made from paper as ours,” Garold added the fuel onto the fire, “and shooting the balloon doesn’t do anything!”

“Don’t waste your bullets on that – the segmented construction will prevent you from destroying it from a few shots even if you succeed,” the pilot reacted, turning for a moment.

“As if I can – those bastards don’t give me a chance, constantly… oh, fuck,” ducking down, the dwarf barely avoided a few bullets. A moment later another one pierced the side, hitting Leonardo’s leg and dropping him on the floor.

“It’s just a leg, I am fine,” older Olos brother commented after a painful groan.

“Okay. Raph, replace your brother. Marg, pull Leo away but keep your head low. Rob, empty the ammunition on the floor and throw away the boxes,” new Jack’s command sent everyone in motion.

Acting like a robot, Robert was grabbing the wooden boxes, before leaving all content on the floor and throwing it away over the side. The bullets were constantly flying around, while his squad mates were shooting back. His racing heart was pumping the adrenaline like crazy. He barely held himself from taking the rifle himself, following the given order. Especially when a gunner tried to repeat his shooting, blinding sending a burst before the weapon jammed because of the absence of a helper to keep the belt straight. It took only two minutes to finish the task, but it felt like an eternity.

The wounded Leo and unskilled Marg had a hard time keeping up with Garold’s bullet expenses, not speaking about additional usage from Jack and Raph. The woman was already barely holding herself from panicking, seeing their situation. The cabin was slowly breaking apart after getting more and more holes. It was only because of the dwarf who was reacting with insane speed and aim that they managed to hold until now. The armored sides of the enemy’s dirigible gave enough protection for the beastmen to cover themselves from the bullets. And they had more than three shooters. Moreover, the distance between the two airships was steadily shortening, which in turn only made it easier for the enemy to be more precise.

We can’t proceed like that… It’s just a matter of time before we all die.

“Hey, Mason, how much more weight do we need to lose?” asked Robert in a calm tone, while shoving another portion of toborium into the burning stove.

“We are currently slightly higher than the enemy, but to be safe… I would say 4 or 5 hundred pounds more (180-225 kg). I don’t see…”

“What are you doing, Rob?!”

The shout from the captain was ignored. The same as several bullets that flew dangerously near to him. Sighing with regret and inwardly asking for forgiveness, Robert picked up Alice’s body before pushing it over the bulwark that was already riddled with multiple holes. It barely disappeared from sight when he started to undress, throwing most of his clothes out of the dirigible until he was left only in shirt, pants, and boots.

“What the hell, man? Don’t be crazy!”

Jack’s voice sounded like a mixture of outrage and bewilderment, while he was looking at Robert’s strange behavior. It was only intensified when he noticed how their Ogre started to climb up.

I hope both distance and height are enough…

“I am decreasing the weight… You better finish the mission!”

With these words Rob jumped out of the cabin, literally propelling his own body high in the air before the gravity started to win over his initial impulse. Spreading his both arms to the sides, he had a single thought before finally giving a mental command and praying for the best.

I am already regretting it! Oh, fuuuuck…