PART 1

Atop the wall, Yvlana looked out over the horizon. A constant drum of feet pounding against the earth met her ears, a rumble so loud, it shook the very stone beneath her. An endless wave of aliens flowed over the ground piling up against the massive walls of Xer’s border. Each soldier audibly gulped in fear and anticipation. Hundreds of arrows flew overhead, spraying into the mass of dark creatures below. The sun was setting, it slid ever so slightly downward. In two hours it would disappear from sight, which would leave them to the creeping darkness of the night.

There was an eerie silence that fell over the city of Unari, no one spoke. Lite taps of metal clanged against stone, shifting feet scuffed the ground, Yvlana looked down at the rows of brave men on either side of her.

“The humans are surprisingly silent,” Yvlana spoke to Lamir hundreds of feet away. A split-second pause and Lamir’s com-link blinked green notifying her he had heard her.

“I admire their bravery,” Lamir responded. “They are so frail and live such short lives, yet they will lay down their lives for the greater good. Willing to die for the ones they love.”

“Look at them climbing.” Yvlana changed the subject. “Crawling over each other like ants. It’s just like before.”

“They’re building a pyramid out of themselves.” Yvlana saw Lamir bend over the side, gazing intently at the Thrak piles slowly building up. “Some things never change.”

“I count three,” Yvlana said.

“Three points to defend then.” Lamir shrugged. “I can focus on one and you the other but the third will have to be handled by the humans.”

“Do you think they can handle it?” Yvlana asked.

“They did well in Riqun.” Lamir reminded her. “Overwhelming odds, defend or die… they’ll have to handle it.”

“I suppose if they form ranks. Spearmen in the back, shields to the front and archers raining death upon them, then maybe... they stand a chance.” Yvlana mumbled.

“And we do?” Lamir asked incredulously. “We’re not much better off than the humans. We need help, just like them.”

“If the humans focus on one point and give us minimal support, then I believe we can. With spearmen behind us.” Yvlana repeated.

“And archers from the towers. Yes, we can hold them.” Lamir said more confidently. “It will be a tough fight but we can hold them,” he repeated as if to convince himself.

“What about them?” Yvlana pointed down.

Hundreds of female Thrak started lining up in rows preparing to fire. Their hind legs pushed upward and flattened their faces to the ground. They were too far to reach with arrows. Yvlana instinctively brought her left arm up and activated her shield, which unfolded from her forearm and extended over a third of her body. Lamir, however, stood his ground watching closely.

“Get under cover will you?” Yvlana hissed.

“No need.” he paused, then pointed. “Look.”

Peeking over her shield, she looked down at the females, unmoving and poised to fire.

“What are they waiting for?” she asked.

“Not sure.” Lamir once again shrugged.

“Should we give the order?” Yvlana questioned her brother.

“We might as well.” Lamir sighed heavily. “Though, I doubt our weapons will make their mark. There are too many males in the way. They’re being used as shields for the females but I’ll give the order anyway. By the time they recharge, we might be overrun.”

“Good point,” Yvlana admitted, though she itched to blast every last Thrak out of existence. “Have the snipers try picking them off then. Have the pistols hit the walls.”

Without a response, Lamir lifted his hand and tossed a red powder bag over the edge.

Almost instantly, laser fire blasted down at the pyramids.

Lamir, with all his might, threw another powder bag as close to the females as possible. It came short but the humans got the message. A moment later, snipers from the towers started picking off some of the females. The males shielded most of the fire.

“As predicted.” Yvlana gritted her teeth.

“It’s alright,” Lamir said. “Once the pyramids get to the top, they’ll start moving out of the way.”

“I hope you’re right.”

From the armory in Riqun, Lamir had gathered all their small arms weapons, which included tech shields, shotguns, pistols, and a few rifles. Unfortunately, to bring along something with a heavier kick, they would have had to go much deeper into the bunker to retrieve them. Inwardly, Yvlana groaned at the loss of their more powerful weapons. Everything happened so fast in Riqun that they had little time to grab anything worthwhile. They would have to make do with what they had, she just hoped it would be enough.

Through Lamir’s helmet, Yvlana heard someone talking to her brother. It was the human who had taken charge of Unari. Out of all the humans, she liked him the best. He was tall, strong and a good leader, even if he was a human. She had to admit, she was impressed by his skills as a fighter and commander. To add, he listened to her brother, which was wise because he had an abundant amount of experience fighting the Thrak. He took their advice seriously and often.

Yvlana had never spoken to him yet but she avoided humans whenever she could. She assumed he picked up on that fact when he tried talking to her at an earlier point. Only grunting in response to him and referring to her brother as the one to talk to, he quickly caught on. “Don’t talk to me.”

“Lord Kyburn.” Lamir addressed him with his title. “The battle is about to begin. What is so urgent?”

“There are three… pyramids of Thrak forming at the walls, as I’m sure you are aware of.” Kyburn started. “I would ask you and your sister to cover one of those together. My men will cover the other two. The archers from the north and south towers will support all three points.”

“I’m glad you mentioned that,” Lamir said. “My sister and I were just discussing strategy. I suggested I take one and my sister takes the other.”

“You can hold them off on your own?” Kyburn asked skeptically.

“No. My sister suggested that we have spearmen at our sides to funnel them toward us and kill any stragglers as they breach the wall.” Lamir explained. “With the help of the spearmen and the archers we are confident we can hold two of the three points. The third will be up to you.”

“I…” Kyburn hesitated. “Would it not be better to hold one point. Nothing would get past both of you. It would provide us with a strong singular defense. While my men and I hold the other two points.” Kyburn began. “Our primary goal as of now is to keep them out of the city and escaping into Xer. It would do well for morale to see one point at all times under control and you two slaughtering the enemy.”

“I see your point,” Lamir admitted. “But my sister and I both agree we should split up. Some may pass us but not nearly as much if we weren’t there at all to defend.”

“My brother is right.” Yvlana stepped up next to them.

During the conversation, she had walked over to them to join in the planning. As much as she was loath to talk to them, this wasn’t the time for her feeling to get in the way.

“With your soldiers at our backs. Very few, if any will get past us.” Yvlana stared down at him. We should split up.”

“Very well” Kyburn relented. “We will do it your way. During the fight, you both have complete authority. My men will follow your orders to the letter. If any Thrak make it past you and into the city below, I have men stationed there who will deal with them.”

“Good.” Yvlana turned to the Thrak.

“As for the females.” Lamir pointed again. “Once the males have moved, it will give us a much clearer shot at them, at which point we will exhaust our weapons again and wait for them to recharge and repeat the process until the females are destroyed. Once they are dealt with, the males will be vulnerable. They rely on the females for support when needing to back off.”

“Your men with our weapons will focus on the females. That will be their primary goal.” Yvlana stated.

“Then we will hold until then,” Kyburn promised. “The archers are on standby to switch to your weapons on your signal.”

“Excellent,” Lamir said. “Together we will defend your land and defeat this menace.” he laid a hand on his shoulder.

Yvlana saw Kyburn stick out his hand, a human gesture of respect. Lamir took it in his large hand and returned the gesture.

“Good luck, Emarine.” Kyburn glanced over at her. “May Hashem protect us all and give us strength.”

Yvlana scoffed but said nothing.

He grinned at her, letting her know he wasn’t offended, and nodded before stepping away. She didn’t care if he was offended.

Yvlana pursed her lips from behind her helmet. “I’ll give him credit,” she said into her helmet. “I thought he wouldn’t budge but he did. I assumed pride would get in the way.”

“I like him too.” Lamir chuckled. “I’m glad he didn’t push his point. It would have been a mistake doing it his way. He’s listened to us so far. We may get through this yet.”

Yvlana and Lamir moved into position. Two of the three points were guarded by them but most of the humans moved to the point in which Kyburn was defending. Two dozen spearmen surrounded her, encasing her in a protective semi-circle. She didn’t need to tell them what to do, Kyburn must’ve already given them the orders.

She gazed down at the unmoving females, still poised to shoot at any moment. Her gut twisted and she felt uneasy. It had been several minutes and they still hadn’t moved. The males were still clambering over one another to reach the top of the wall but weren’t close yet. The archers were doing their job well.

“Something’s wrong,” Yvlana said into her helmet and to the men around her. “Check the edges and scan the walls further down.”

“Yes…” an officer shouted but hesitated. “Ma’am.”

The officer gestured to two men who broke ranks and jogged down the wall, doing what she had said.

A shimmer caught her eye, it moved so quickly that she didn’t have time to react. An instant later a grey Thrak lunged straight for her. Its skin blended into the stone making it nearly transparent, apart from the bright red eyes and shimmering skin. Years of training kicked in and she fell onto her back as the Thrak clawed at her. Activating her sword, she jammed it through its chest, dripping blood all over her armor.

The shock of the attack took everyone off guard. Lamir shouted incoherently through her helmet which told her this attack wasn’t singular. She ignored it and focused on the enemy before her. Kicking, Yvlana sent the dead Thrak flying back over the wall.

Thankfully, the spearmen skewered two more Thrak about to attack them before she got to her feet but she noticed the two soldiers she had sent further down the wall. Two more Thrak were creeping up behind them.

Flipping to her feet she raised her L.E.C. pistol and released two quick bolts of energy streaking toward the two men who had left.

She was in time to save them but they were so close to being killed that they looked shaken and unnerved. Understandably but they needed to calm themselves if they were to be effective in the fight to come.

“Keep your guard up,” Yvlana yelled, still noticing the females weren’t moving below. “There’s more coming.”

As if on cue, seven shimmering grey Thrak lunged at them from the lip of the wall. Yvlana twirled, extending her blade outward.

Two Thrak, toppled to the ground, headless. The nerve endings made their bodies flail about helplessly. Sidestepping, Yvlana caught another mid-air going for a soldier, she brought her sword down hard and cut it in two from the hip. Thankfully, three Xerians rushed the Thrak, spears extended, and rammed the long shafts down their throats, killing them instantly. The last grey Thrak managed to weave to the side and tackle one of the men.

Instantly, the soldiers rushed to his aid, stabbing it through the body, pinning it to the ground. The Xerians armor protected him from the Thrak’s teeth and claws.

Glancing to the side, she could see Lamir kick one off the wall, sending it to its death as the soldiers around him also charged, stabbing the Thrak to death.

“They camouflage themselves,” Lamir shouted to her through his com-link. “One more surprise.”

“I noticed.” Yvlana scowled. “Kyburn wasn’t attacked, just us.”

“They want to get rid of us first, I guess.” Lamir wiped something off his shoulder.

“Smart,” Yvlana said. “But it won’t work.”

“That’s why the females weren’t firing.” Lamir cursed under his breath suddenly. “I should have seen this coming. They weren’t shooting because they were scaling the walls.”

“Forget it,” Yvlana said. “It happened. Let’s just keep them off the walls. The men in the towers didn’t see them either.”

“Let's blast them off the walls first,” Lamir said. “The guns should be recharged by now.”

Raising his arm, Lamir threw another powder bag over, near the edge of the wall making a stream of red dust. Immediately, large blasts of blue lasers shot from the towers as the humans shot the L.E.C pistols and rifles. A satisfying volley of destruction covered the outer wall and Yvlana could see dozens of more grey Thrak fall to their deaths.

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For close-quarters combat, Lamir had kept the L.E.C shotguns with the men on the wall. The Xerians with the shields held these as they could shoot through breaks in the shields to catch any Thrak climbing over them.

Realizing their sneak attack had failed, the females shifted then opened fire with their long spear-like bones almost instantly. The archers quickly stopped firing to duck down behind the stone walls, halting almost all shooting.

With the humans pinned down, the males rushed forward with new vigor, relentlessly shoving their way up the walls. A few leapt up ahead of the horde, digging their claws into the stone just enough to give them leverage to jump again. This gave them the height to reach the top now and hundreds more started doing so. In their mad rush forward, the males left the females exposed as they climbed up the wall.

Just as planned.

Lamir gave another signal and the humans started sniping off the females but each one killed, half a dozen took its place.

Thrak began to pour onto the wall’s edge, forcing the guards to attack with spears, swords, axes, and even their own shields, shoving them off or cutting them until they fell.

Yvlana brought up her own shield to block the incoming volley of spikes and started slashing down at the Thrak, crawling ever upward. A dozen humans throughout the wall were struck and flung off the edge backward and into the city below. Howls of pain and fear came from both Thrak and humans as they died.

Causing a Thrak to fall, often made another dozen fall as well as they plummeted onto their companions and crumbled the slowly stacking pyramids. However, it did not stop the overall climb as the Thrak pushed onward, giving no ground. Only those clinging to the wall itself without the support of the Thrak mass were easily dislodged.

The spearmen behind her poked and jabbed at any out of her reach, which she welcomed the aid with gratitude. As weak as humans were, they were proving to be resourceful and reliable. For now, they held the wall with ease. It was once the pyramid reached the top, that concerned her and it was nearly upon them.

Glancing over to Lamir, she saw him cutting through dozens of Thrak as the pyramid had already reached the top on his side. Any effort to topple the Thrak had failed. Each spearman raised their shields and rushed forward, thrusting their spears into the oncoming wave of monsters. Barely containing the onslaught, the humans narrowed their path to funnel them into Lamir’s deadly sword.

Refocusing, Yvlana kicked an alien square in the face, her boot shattering its teeth as it plunged to its death. Another three lunged for her but to her surprise, the humans stopped two by catching them in the throats, whereas she slashed her own sword down upon the third, cutting its head open. Spears and shields grouped around her, protecting her sides as more Thrak climbed upward.

Daring another glance, Yvlana saw Kyburn and his men holding fast against their own defense point. They were throwing large stones down upon their heads, either killing them or stunning them long enough to cause them to topple over. Two soldiers brought a giant bowl of black liquid, which took her a moment to realize what it was. They were pouring boiling oil down the sides of the wall, directly above the pyramid. As they did so, fire arrows streaked across the sky and landed on the thick black liquid.

An enormous burst of fire exploded downward like a waterfall of flames. Screeching and ear-piercing howls bellowed through the ranks of Thrak, causing some humans to protect their ears. They quickly crumbled as those below scrambled to safety from the blistering heat.

Enraged, the females intensified their fire, along with dozens more arriving. The army of Thrak was lessening, however. Before, you could not see the end to them, but now, their numbers looked to be dwindling. However, Yvlana still put them over ten thousand strong.

The bottom tip of the star was disappearing over the horizon. Soon, the light would be gone and make the fight for survival that much harder. She hated to admit it but she was glad the soldiers by her side were there to help her.

Her shield clanged loudly as spikes peppered the side of the wall and nearly hit her. The spearmen ducked and lifted their shields as shards of rock and bone splintered everywhere. It was a nightmare without something to protect you. One landed a blow directly, hitting a man and flinging him off the wall, sending him tumbling over the side screaming.

Exchanges of horrified looks passed through the soldiers as they saw their fellow man fall to his death.

“Stay focused,” Yvlana yelled to them. “If we don’t hold them off here, every man, woman, and child in Xer will be slaughtered by these animals. You want to keep your families safe don’t you?” she stated rather than asked.

Determined looks gave her her answer, “Help me then. And don’t give up!” she raised her sword to the sky and bellowed loudly for all to hear.

“Yvlana!” Lamir said to her in her com-link. “We have a problem.”

Looking over to him, she saw the… problem, he was talking about. The Thrak that had been set on fire was now in flames but continued to climb nevertheless. Their bodies shimmered and flaked like snake skins. The oil sliding off and onto the next Thrak causing the fires to go out but the oil remained.

Dozens of more fire arrows ignited the oil once again but the same process continued, killing only a dozen or so each time then the rest would shed their skin, replacing it with a tougher and harder frame. They looked more boney and skeleton-like.

“They’re adapting faster than I imagined,” Lamir whispered as he toppled more Thrak.

“I can’t help them. And if you leave your spot they will overrun your section.” Yvlana said. “They have to deal with it themselves. Use the L.E.C. shotguns. Have the archers focus their fire.”

Before Lamir signaled to use the shotguns, Kyburn’s defenses began to collapse, leaving them all vulnerable for further attack. The humans weren’t stupid, however, they didn’t wait for his signal and started using the guns, blasting them into pieces and pushing them back over the edge again.

The archers in the towers had a red flag up, indicating their guns were still recharging. Green would mean they were fully charged and ready for use. They would have to hold on without them until then.

Arrows helped, but weren’t as deadly as the L.E.C. weapons. Unwilling to admit defeat, the archers frantically released arrow after arrow, showering the Thrak pyramid. It wasn’t enough to stem the tide though.

However, on the wall, the shotguns proved to be more than effective as they blasted Thrak to bits, giving them the lost ground and pushing back against the edge of the wall. Kyburn could be seen in the middle of the fray, fighting like a mad dog, his sword looked as if it were a blur of silver. His sword skills were excellent and the Thrak paid a hefty price if confronted by him.

But they kept coming. Endlessly. Kyburn and his men didn’t have respite, and thus, was only a matter of time before they all collapsed in exhaustion.

Another volley of spikes jetted toward the walls. Yvlana ducked down an instant before the impact and was able to pull down one human below the ledge. Others weren’t as fortunate as they were distracted by the males on the verge of pouring over the walls and were struck by the bones shot by the females below.

Five spearmen were impaled and flung backward off the wall. Most were able to pull their shields up in time to deflect the projectiles. In a fit of frustration, Yvlana jumped back up and slashed at the Thrak scaling the wall, cutting through three more with one blow, and toppling the aliens.

It would buy them only seconds.

Through her com-link, Yvlana heard Lamir yell, “Fire!” as he threw another powder bag, near the females this time, indicating to focus on them.

If they could take out the females, then they could focus on taking back control of the wall itself.

Dozens of laser blasts burst from the archer towers and filled the ground below in dust and explosive energy. Continuous fire depleted their charges, leaving them empty and in need of another ten minutes before firing again.

Before the dust could settle, long spikes shot out from the clouds of dirt, giving them no time to react. The females were still alive and fighting back.

Yvlana was struck in the chest and arm by two bones, shattering on impact and spraying the ground around her with bits of the spikes. The force launched her off her feet and sent her over the edge, along with four other humans who had been hit or grazed, leaving the wall defenseless except for the few spearmen left in that area.

“Yvlana!” Lamir shouted over the com-link.

She was breathing heavily but remained calm as she fell, the height giving her six seconds of air time before landing. The wind rushed around her, her F.S.A.P. suit tightened against her body, anticipating the impact.

Before landing, she caught a glimpse of hundreds of riders approaching the city. Inwardly she wondered if this was the king of Xer Kyburn spoke of.

She snapped back into focus a split second before impact.

Crashing through a roof, Yvlana smashed feet first and landed on stone, cracking the rock beneath her feet but the instant she hit the ground she leapt up again, clearing the building she had slammed through.

As she regained her sight of the surroundings, she saw one of the four men still falling, which gave her a split second to react. Already pulling her pistol out before landing, Yvlana had charged up the shot and blasted herself in the opposite direction in which she aimed, sending her toward the falling human. A split second before landing on another roof, she tucked her legs in and rolled. Lunging forward, Yvlana reached out her arm, fully extending her body to catch him. He fell past her plummeting for the road below. Yvlana snatched his leg and held tight, her hand slid up his leg and stopped at his ankle.

His momentum caused him to slam into the side of the house with a loud smack and she heard a bone snap but looking down she saw he was alive. He groaned in pain as she lifted him up.

His helmet was dented, probably what had caused the loud thud. His shoulder was twisted and the leg she had grabbed was broken too. Crouching, she lifted him up with one arm and carefully placed him down. He screamed in agony as she slid him onto the tiled roof.

“I have to get back up there! You’ll have to get yourself down from here,” she said.

Without hesitation, she launched herself off the roof and onto the steps that led to the top.

The clay roof beneath her buckled from the pressure which caused her to come short but she still managed to land on the steps, only further down than she had planned. Taking the stairs six at a time, Yvlana sprinted up the wall, making a mad rush to reach the top. If she couldn’t make it in time to defend the point in which the pyramid of Thrak by now was overwhelming the humans, they would get into the city.

Yvlana made it to the top in time to see every spearman dead or dying as Thrak pressed their advantage and spread out.

Her stomach sank as she realized she was too late. They had lost this part of the wall. Unwilling to give more ground, Yvlana leapt in front of the entrance to the towers, protecting the archers above as they still rained down arrows. At the very least, she could keep this tower from falling.

Two swordsmen approached her from behind but hesitated as she cut through the demon-like creatures.

“Stay behind me,” she ordered.

To her annoyance, the Thrak mostly ignored her and jumped straight over and into the city. Some died from the fall but others got up and rampaged through the streets. Luckily, every citizen was cleared and on their way to the capital or Sashix. Any soldiers in the city had little hope of fighting them off now as they continued to pour over the wall.

Too many were getting through.

Yvlana guessed at least a hundred Thrak had gotten past her when she glanced down at the females, still firing their projectiles but focusing on Lamir and Kyburn’s forces now.

Her heart stopped as she recognized a figure. He ran straight for the females and started cutting through them like butter, killing a dozen in the span of seconds.

It was Kaladin.

PART 2

Kaladin rolled over a Thrak’s back, severing its spine with his sword as he did so. Taking a momentary pause, Kaladin whipped out his E.E. grenade and threw it in the middle of the first pyramid of Thrak.

Several males lunged at him as they caught on to his plan but were too late, Kal dodged to the side, slicing off heads and limbs then pulled his shield up an instant before the E.E. grenade exploded in a ball of blue fire. A blast of gore skyrocketed upwards, spraying everyone and everything in a black bloody mess.

Heads, limbs, and organs spattered against the wall, staining it with more grotesque carnage.

Hundreds of Thrak tumbled to the ground, crushing any that survived the blast and felling the pyramid. The E.E grenade, killing hundreds and wounding, even more, Kal refocused on the females still firing up at Lamir and the humans.

“Where are you?” he whispered.

He had lost sight of Yvlana when she was struck by the spikes, sending her over the other side. Swallowing his fears, Kaladin continued the fight, knowing she would be alright. If she was knocked unconscious her F.S.A.P. suit would absorb the fall.

“Kal.” a static-filled voice reached his helmet. “Kal?”

Before he had time to answer, Felkuru sent him an image with his mind. “Behind you,” he warned him.

Ducking under an attack from behind, Kal brought his fist into the ribcage of the Thrak, shattering its bones and crushing its torso.

Felkuru and his daughters raced to meet him and began their attack on the Thrak horde. There were fewer Thrak than he had anticipated but there were still thousands of them left, still clambering up the wall, clawing their way into the kingdom of Xer. Averting his attention for a moment, Kaladin saw the archers begin to fire their arrows upon the Vog, unaware they were there to aid them in the fight.

Thankfully, the weak metal tips bounced off their thick scally hides, leaving only scratches or bruises. Lamir looked to be waving and shouting but Kaladin couldn’t hear him from this distance but a moment after, the arrows refocused on the Thrak.

Lamir, it seemed, knew the Vog weren’t the enemy before the humans did and redirected their fire on the second pyramid.

Kaladin’s eyes focused on the third, in which Thrak were pouring over unhindered now that Yvlana was out of the picture. He hoped she was unharmed and safe but kept his mind on the task at hand.

Making his way slowly over to the second pyramid as the Vog tore the focus off the wall from the males, Kaladin cut through the females. His distraction caused them to shoot at him, rather than Lamir, the Vog, or the humans.

This proved to be a challenge due to their unfamiliar states. The females were much bigger and stronger, and to add, their spikes had become as long as an arm and hit with extreme force. If he were to get hit too many times, his suit wouldn’t hold up for long.

Flipping into the air and twisting his body, Kaladin expertly dodged a dozen spikes hurtling toward him, not one landed a hit but several grazed his body.

Immediately, he noticed his shields hadn’t protected him. This made him warier but he rushed into the fray nevertheless.

He had a few moments before they could regrow their bones. Taking the opportunity, Kal sprinted forward, using his L.E.C. pistol on the ones far away and his sword to cut those before him to pieces. Coming into range, Kaladin pulled out another E.E. grenade and chucked it into the fray of the second pyramid of Thrak.

The Vog scattered as the small object landed in the midst of the pile. Felkuru, more than likely keeping them clear of the explosions.

Unpausing, Kal continued forward, cutting through a dozen more females as the explosion rang with a loud bang and the ground shook beneath them. Another spray of blood and gore scattered across the battlefield. In the middle of cutting another Thrak in half, Kaladin noticed too late as three more females aimed at him.

Pulling his left arm up, Kal activated his shield and tucked his feet upward in time to block three shots but two more landed, hitting his right shoulder and calf. Flying backward, Kal was knocked into a pile of Thrak near the wall. Instantly he was pounced on and his shields kicked in, blocking bites and slashes.

Razor-sharp teeth sucked on his helmet, trying to crush his head. With one free arm, Kal gripped its throat and squeezed. Its head popped like a cherry and blood oozed everywhere.

The weight of dozens of Thrak was overwhelming but gave them little room to do much damage to him. Pulling his L.E.C. pistol out, Kal began to blast his way through bodies, killing several before he had room to move properly. Unfortunately, the moment he blasted a pathway out of the pile of bodies, more took their place and closed him off to escape.

A slight panic crept down his spine as he saw his shields lower to 40%. Heaving with all his might, Kaladin shoved his way out with sheer willpower and determination, his strength, continuously renewed by the F.S.A.P. suit.

Kicking and punching, Kal broke free and grabbed another head, and slammed it into the ground, crushing its skull.

The moment he broke free, however, more females opened fire on him. Unable to block or dodge in time, the spikes landed squarely on his chest. Another dozen spikes wracked his body, peppering his shoulders, legs, and even his helmet. The force was so strong, it sent him flying once again but this time he crashed into the wall itself. His body slammed into the rock, sinking a foot into the stone itself.

Pieces of the wall shattered everywhere and the thick wall cracked into a million pieces around him. In a daze and barely conscious, Kaladin couldn’t defend himself as the males continued their attack.

Two bones protruded from his right thigh and left shoulder, hitting between the armor. Blood oozed out into the gel suit, which was quickly sealed around the wounds. If he could pull them out, his suit would heal him but he didn’t have the strength.

A static crackle reached his helmet and he knew Lamir was trying to contact him again. Whether through damage or poor signal, Kal knew the com-link wasn’t working.

His shields were down to 3% and his suit was already damaged. Hardly able to move, Kal held his arms up and kicked as Thrak clawed at him. Grabbing an arm in his left, and a neck in his right hand, he used them as shields against the enemy.

A sharp pain shot through his calf as a Thrak sunk its teeth into him, the gaps in his armor unable to protect him.

His shield was gone.

Suddenly, two forms appeared before him, along with dozens more a moment later.

Lamir and Yvlana ripped away the aliens and the Vog taking out the females firing at them. His vision was blurry but he felt the touch of arms yanking him from the wall and lifting him to his feet. A hand yanked on his hip and another loud explosion told him Lamir had taken one of his E.E. grenades to take out the last pyramid.

Yvlana pushed him to the blood-soaked ground and covered his body with her own, as bits of stone, bodies, and dust blasted upward and fell back down upon them.

Barely able to move, Kaladin saw her face for the first time in what seemed an eternity. Yvlana gazed at him, her helmet down, and smiled stupidly.

Kaladin removed his own helmet, not caring if the danger was gone, and looked at her with his own two eyes. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her deep blue eyes pierced his own.

Her smile sent shivers through his body. Her hands gripped his shoulders, helping him to his feet. She touched his face tenderly, running a finger over his cheek and brushing his hair back.

“You’re an idiot.” she frowned, looking to be on the verge of tears.

“Yvlana,” he whispered.

“Shh.” she put a finger to his lips. “No talking.”

Pulling him close, Yvlana pushed her neck up and Kal bent his head down to kiss her. At first, she lightly brushed his lips with hers, then kissed him again, more fiercely. Wrapping his arms around her, Kal embraced her tightly, ignoring the pain in his shoulder and thigh.

“I’ll never leave you again,” he whispered through the kiss.