Chapter 14
Lyndis grew increasingly worried the later it grew since Captain Williams had agreed to return to friendly lines. She’d organized QRF groups from soldiers outside of their company when they’d moved from gate 5 to the side of the base facing the river, but she hadn’t planned to have almost the whole company go down at once.
The system messages earlier had explained to an extent what had happened, but that only made her more worried. Obviously the enemy had planned this, at it had gone over almost without a hitch.
She’d been busy organizing things and hadn’t been affected for the most part, only gaining about half the EXP needed to level up to 3rd, for which she was thankful. Her exo-mecha had been delivered to the staging area along with the rest of Savage Company, and she would need to suit up soon if they were going to have any chance of repelling the enemy unit the captain had reported.
The problem was that none of their drones had been able to spot the enemy force, and the Captain had reported they were actively using stealth abilities and spells before he’d gone dark. The other issue being the apparent higher levels the captain had also reported.
Without the captain, they were likely blind to the enemy’s approach. Even now assassins could be sneaking up, ready to start the bloodshed. The thought sent chills down her spine and raised the hair at the back of her neck. She almost wanted to get in her exo-mecha now, but she couldn’t let the rest of the company see her acting scared. Besides, she needed to make sure the men and women needing medical attention were removed from the Area of Operations before they could reset the defensive perimeter.
Lieutenant Garrow walked up to her, following her pacing for a moment, before leaning in to whisper. “We still haven’t been able to spot the enemy. No sign of the captain either. All of the Savage Company personnel are here, and our non company replacements are running things at the CCC. I don’t like it any more than you do, but I agree with you and the first Sargent that we need all the classers out here right now if we’re going to have any chance.” Garrow said.
“I’ve got SFC Flores in an over-watch position. Hopefully his experience as a recon scout, along with his class and that ability will give us some notice before we’re overrun. You should probably call a leader's recon to discuss how we’re going to hold.” he continued.
“You’re right.” Lyndis admitted. “I’d hoped the captain would be back by now, but we really can’t afford to stall any longer. Can you pass the message on to the rest of whatever leadership we have? I’ll find the First Sargent, and we’ll have the meeting over by my exo-mecha.” She ordered.
“Roger that, Ma’am” Garrow responded before hurrying off.
Just as Lyndis finished debriefing First Sergeant Cabral about the medical situation, Captain Williams sprinted out of the tree line on the other side of the river at world record breaking speeds.
Lyndis found her jaw hanging open. Instead of slowing down, the Captain sped up, almost blurring in her vision. As he met the river, he just kept going, somehow moving fast enough to run on the water like a basilisk lizard. If the message hadn’t been pushed home before, it certainly had now. The system could let you do incredible things, but it could also cause unknown dangers.
The First Sargent waved the captain over, and the three hurried towards Lyndis’ exo-mecha.
“I know you aren’t going to understand this, but I need you two to follow orders on this. Get anyone who’s going through the level 5 process to their families or significant others if they’re on base. I don’t care how many men it takes to make that happen, we need these guys back on the line ASAP, and that’s the fastest way we can make that happen.” Williams ordered.
“Secondly, nothing smaller than the .50 BAR is likely to affect what’s coming at us, so get all the small arms out of here. We'll need LAWs and Carl G’s out here instead. Relay orders to our artillery support element that they need to be ready to fire on very short notice. They'll be the weapon doing the most work. If we haven’t already, I want every tank on post getting on line and headed this way. We're looking at facing mostly level 10 and up elf soldiers where before they’ve only been sending level 1 slaves at us.” He continued.
“Sir, what if we have you personally take control of the drone swarm? You can direct them to areas we need to focus fire in case the rest of us can’t detect the enemy.” First Sargent Cabral interjected.
“I like it. Also, I’m not sure how effective 40mm grenades are going to be, so I want all the ammo switched out for phosphorus rounds. Hopefully the heat will penetrate and cause damage, and if not, maybe the exceptionally bright light will help break up any stealth or camouflage abilities.” Captain Williams didn’t miss a beat.
“Sir, we only have a limited number of pilot trained personnel still in the fight, but if .50 is going to be the baseline, should we order up the unused suits to the staging area? We had most of them in for repair and refit after the illusionist fight, but if we bring them up, the pilots we do have can swap into a different exo-mecha if theirs goes down.” Lyndis interjected as they finally joined the rest of the NCO’s by her exo-mecha.
“Make it so, XO.” Captain Williams replied, grinning briefly, likely in an attempt to lighten the mood with a bit of humor. “But yes, I want every weapon we can get our hands on that’s going to possibly be effective to be brought up. We may need them.”
Captain Williams smoothly transitioned into briefing mode. “All right everyone, listen up. We’ve got a company sized enemy element coming at us. Assume all of them are at least level 10, so it’ll probably take at least a direct strike from 155mm Artillery or similar punishment to take them down. We're going to get everyone either a LAW or a Carl G recoil-less rifle with AP rounds. Anything smaller than .50 BAR rounds just isn’t going to cut it. I will personally be commanding the drone swarm, so if you see a drone, focus fire on that area, even if you and your men can't see targets.”
The briefing was short, with a focus on making sure the enemy combatants stayed down, since who knew what crazy abilities they might have, and a reminder for anyone with a class to not hold back on using any abilities, skills, or spells if they had them.
As the meeting broke up, and the other NCO’s headed back toward their men and began issuing orders, Lyndis asked a question that she’d been dreading the answer to. “Sir, do you think iti’ll be enough? We always knew that we’d have to phase out the current armory as our abilities with the system grew, but it’s hardly been a week and already we’re going to have to modify the weapon systems that our exo-mecha are equipped with. The stat gap between us level 2’s and level 10 is crazy to think about, and we only have so much stockpile on larger weapon systems. Besides, if the enemy is sending level 10’s at us, they’re probably sending level 10’s or higher across the world. And from what you said, 10 is just the starting point for the elf’s actual military units. How long will it take before we see level 20’s as the average?”
The captain took a deep breath. “I’m honestly not sure, Lieutenant. I shouldn’t say that, because it’ll likely affect how you see this fight, but if there was ever a time for honesty, this is it. I’m not going down without a fight, the same way I wont stop regardless of who or what the enemy sends, that’s our job as soldiers, but I expect under the system, those who live by the sword will likely die by the sword. We’ll adapt as best we can, and put everything we have into every fight we end up in. that’s the only way I’ll ever be able to live with myself.” he explained.
“If I didn’t give it my all, I think the ghosts of the civilians who are likely dying or being loaded onto transport ships right now would haunt me. Things are going to change, and there’s not much we can do about that, but we can fight to make sure the changes are as peaceful as possible.” he finished.
“I don’t think now is really the best time for conversation, but let’s just say there will be a lot to discuss when this fight is over. Or we’ll be dead and there won’t be anything to discuss.” Lyndis replied.
Soon, the American forces were as ready as they were likely to get. Captain Williams stood on a hastily constructed observation tower, drones swarming around. 3 exo-mechas had pilots, and were taking up positions with decent views, as the pilots would likely spend more time giving orders and relaying information than actually contributing to the fight. A few truck loads of weapon crates were being prepped in the nearby staging area, while runners helped unload additional trucks as they arrived. The deep bass of tank engines could just be heard in the distance.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
*******
Matt looked out over the troops arrayed around him, and almost felt like a medieval knight. If the situation wasn’t so dire, it’d be utterly awe inspiring. Turning his focus back to the far bank of the Chattahoochee River, a blue system box popped into his vision.
[Mental Fortitude] has triggered, preventing the effects of [Greater Concealment]
[Mental Fortitude] has triggered, preventing the effects of [Mass Quiet Steps]
[Mental Fortitude] has triggered, preventing the effects of [Greater Confounded Senses]
[Mental Fortitude] has triggered, preventing the effects of [Mass Lowered Resistance]
[Hardened Soul] has triggered, preventing the effects of [Lesser Aura of Fear]
[Hardened Soul] has triggered, preventing the effects of [Confusing Mists]
Matt responded almost instantly, wishing he’d had more time to re-fill more of his Stamina and Mana.
You’ve used [Student of War] for the first time!
You’ve cast [Heroic Taunt] for the first time!
You’ve cast [Aura of the Chosen] for the first time!
[Student of War] is Successful! For the duration of the ability, you will have an inherent understanding of the enemy’s tactics!
[Heroic Taunt] Was Successful! (78 times)
[Heroic Taunt] was Unsuccessful (13 times)
[Aura of the Chosen] was Successful! (187 times)
An ability or spell you used allowed friendly combatants to avoid the negative effects of an opposed spell or ability. You’ve received 10,000 EXP!
Warning! You must assign your attribute points within the remaining time [7:24:51].
Matt was slightly surprised by the notifications. He wondered if the enemy who’d been using their concealing abilities earlier had received a notification when he’d spotted them. That could change how war worked if the system always displayed notifications that way. He was also a bit surprised at how the notifications gave him exact numbers for success and failure.
Soon Matt caught a glimpse of movement, and at his direction, all hell broke loose. The distinctive boom and whistle of field artillery replaced the oppressive silence. The tanks making their way toward the battlefield were fed targeting data, and soon their own rounds joined in. The infantry closest to him seemed largely unexpected by the enemies stealth abilities and spells, and were able to pick targets of opportunity, sending recoilless munitions and rockets speeding across the river.
Matt used a headset and specialized gloves to send drones streaking toward any pockets of the enemy he could make out clearly. The men and women outside the effect of his abilities might not be able to see the enemy, but they could target the drones and fire. While it wasn’t immediately deadly, the combination worked well enough.
The first few enemies went down under the thunderous assault, but Matt knew they couldn’t afford to let up yet. The lull as men swapped out single fire weapons was all the enemy needed to advance again, closing the distance greatly.
The soldiers who had access to the system began unleashing offensive spells and abilities, hoping to score a lucky hit. A translucent bull rushed forward, made of living fire. An AT-4 munition split into 10 copies of itself, and an absolute hail of icicles, rocks, lightning bolts and other elementally infused attacks followed suite.
This was answered by the enemy summoning their defensive skills and abilities. A wall of flames sprang up, quickly overlayed by one of water and another of air. Some abilities simply streaked off into the sky, likely redirected or colliding with invisible shields at odd angles. The flaming bull got taken out by a watery cat that seemed almost fully physical, and the AT-4 shaped charges detonated harmlessly about 10 feet in front of their target.
The few attacks that found a vulnerable target didn’t have enough of an effect to slow the enemy’s advance. Fortunately another round of artillery fire came whistling down, but Matt calculated they likely only had one or two more cycles before the elves made it across the river, and then it’d likely be too late.
During the next lull, the elves unleashed their own offensive ranged abilities, which had a much greater effect that the soldiers had. Only a few defensive abilities went off to meet the wave of attacks, and the ones that did materialize were quickly overwhelmed.
Lieutenant Soto’s exo-mecha almost completely disintegrated under a wave of acid, and Matt felt a wave of rage nearly overwhelm him before he realized his XO had survived. The sense of relief had him reeling.
A whirlwind of spinning elemental blades slammed into a fire team almost directly below him, turning the 4 men into tiny chunks of bloody flesh.
A huge number of the attacks flowed towards Matt himself, likely a result of his [Heroic Taunt] ability. He quickly threw the drone swarm in the way, blocking most of the attacks. Three managed to get through.
A spectral hand made of transparent bones emitted an aura that seemed almost familiar. Steaks of fire that slithered through the air toward him resolved into snakes, each seemingly possessed of it’s own spark of intellect and malice. The final spell, a black butterfly, seemed the most dangerous as it flitted through the battlefield.
Matt’s mind went a hundred miles a second, forming and discarding plans to deal with the three attacks. Just as Matt was about to act on a plan that had him racing for one of the unused exo-mecha, the snakes and the butterfly collided, annihilating each other in a blink of flame and a clap of thunder.
That left only the ghostly hand of bone reaching for him. Something deep in his subconscious told Matt not to worry about the attack, so he did exactly that.
Bits of plastic and electronics fell to the ground, remnants of probably close to a million dollars worth of the best drones humanity could field, reduced to serving as a makeshift shield. Matt looked out through the falling wreckage to see the elves crossing the river, almost to the Georgia side.
It’d all been a waste. Soon the elves would be in range to make use of the blade weapons they brought, and Matt’s men wouldn’t stand a chance. In a last ditch effort, he channeled stamina into an ability he’d been warned not to use.
You’ve used [Commune] For the first t̴i̷m̴e̵!̸
Y̸o̵u̶'̶v̶e̸ ̴s̷u̷m̷m̶o̴n̴e̴d̷ ̴a̵n̶ a͝v̷̩̩͕á̙̌̿̎͢t͟a̝_͇ͪ̀͛r̃͌ of̷͎̼̈́͜ y̓o̴̜̭̽̕͝͡urͣ̽̏ͬ́ͩ͝ p̳͈͕̑̀̉ǎ̷͂t̴̵̐r͕̪̟̊͟o̊̓͘͡n̘
Something about the system text erroring out scared Matt to his core. He mentally willed the box away, noticing that time seemed to have frozen. All of the Americans as well as all the elves stared upward.
Clouds made of blackness rolled ominously across the sky, casting everything in a grayscale filter, as though the color had been sucked out of the world. An unnerving clatter replaced all other sounds. Finally the color of the river water went from a pale blue-ish gray to a bright red.
A voice Matt had hoped never to hear again rang out, overriding the clatter and conveying a sense of ageless power and utter despair.
“Who dares summon me to this mortal realm? Doth mine eyes deceive me, or do otherworldly creatures traipse across my sacred ground!”
The voice echoed in the air and in Matt’s mind. The elvan warriors, seemingly unfrozen, glanced at one another, expressions of confusion and terror evident on their faces.
“Flee from this place children of the mad queen, or know my wrath. You do not know what you have unleashed upon yourselves this day! Test not my patience in this thing, or your end will hang always before you, and you shall never again know peace.”
Matt felt and overwhelming presence focus on him as the elves began leaving the way they’d come, fleeing at top speeds that were hard for him to follow.
“I warned you to be careful about revealing my presence. You will pay a heavy price indeed for my aid this day. Do not seek me again until you are better prepared to bear my power, or it will ruin you.”
Matt’s mind and soul seemed about to fail under the intense scrutiny. He could fill a sense of utter madness creeping up on him. As soon as the presence focused elsewhere, there was an immediate sense of relief.
Colors began to filter back into the world, one at a time, bringing life back. The elves were long gone, at least for now, and the soldiers found themselves milling about. Matt rushed over to where he’d last seen Lyndis, hoping he could make it in time to render aid.
Today’s experience would stay with Matt for a long time, but he couldn’t rest or process things yet. They needed to rally, regroup, refit, and start rolling out towards the local cities and towns.