CHAPTER 150: Proclamation
Five hundred pairs of feet marched in unison. Scaled feet and metal coverings struck the ground at the same time, vibrating the ground and overwhelming any other sounds. The Scyrric entered the territory in orderly lines, walking in step.
There were all kinds of lizard men. They were large, lean, stout, short, long, rounder, and more angular. Their equipment looked to be of quality. Some wore shirts and pants, others had metal shoes. Full suits of armor completely covered some, from their heads to their feet with only their tails exposed. Straps and strips of leather wrapped others, while cloth robes tailored for the Scyrric body shape sat tightly on some.
Weapons of all kinds were there, but each one was clean and well maintained. They weren’t shaped like traditional human swords, spears, or knives, though the shields looked ready for humans to use.
The one standard feature that every one of the Scyrric had, no matter their shape or what they wore, was the predatorial gleam in their slitted eyes. Though no one violated the conformity of their orderly movements and positioning, it felt like they were all waiting to rush forward to attack.
Rift Menu displays were set up along the walls, resembling segments of video monitors in security rooms from pre-[System]. All the humans watched the Scyrric march from the west. The displays showing the other directions around the Sentinel Army’s base were clear of invaders.
They had tens of thousands of humans on the walls. Watching. Waiting. Uncertainty ran through them, as this was the first time their home had been attacked.
Not all the humans were high levels, but all were there to contribute. Each person would do what they could, for if the base fell, then humanity’s defense of their planet might come to an end.
The people were spread out, not all congregating at the west gate. If they needed reinforcements, then they would be called. Rotations had already been established to substitute in those who had mana while others rested. Buffers were mixed among the ranged to boost their abilities when the fighting began. Protector classes stood in between groups of ranged attackers to protect them from enemy projectiles and spells. The healers and melee fighters stayed back, out of the way, but were ready should they need to engage on the ground or ranged took damage.
“Not as intimidating as I thought,” said Tom.
“That’s only for us,” chided Brittney, pointing to the humans who were still in Tier 1 and 2.
There was clear anxiety in the soft whispers from the groups. Some even trembled. The steady steps of the disciplined Scyrric made them feel unprepared for the approaching professional army.
“I just thought they’d bring a lot more lizards,” added Tom. “They didn’t even bring those mounts that the one base had. 500 soldiers and 10 Tier 3s hardly seems enough to take us all out.”
“Maybe they are really that strong,” muttered Brandon, ready to cast his strongest buffs on the different groups.
“Or that arrogant,” said Andrea.
“Guess we’ll need to see how this goes,” Lucas whispered to them, trying not to be heard by those outside his group. His eyes never left the displays, cycling through the different locations in case there were signs of incursions from them.
When the Scyrric were about 100 yards from the gate, they all stopped marching, staying in their pristine marching lines. Each enemy was precisely positioned in their row. No one knew if that had been planned in advance or if they had ways of giving orders without the humans being able to hear.
Once they stopped, the rows all shifted to the sides, opening a path down the center of the horde. A larger Scyrric in the back casually walked forward. He held himself tall, with dignity. He wore a lot of metal armor, all ornately engraved and reflecting the light due to the flawless surfaces.
A chest piece with pauldrons covered his upper body. A faulds covered his waist, with plated coming off it to protect his groin and hips. His arms were covered with metal as well, though his braces ended at his knuckles, leaving his curved talons open. Similar plates were on his legs, and while metal wrapped around his feet in an odd type of shoe, they left open his heel and toes.
A helmet was on his head, curving over top his sloped lizard face and snout. His mouth and sides were exposed, allowing him to see and speak without obstruction. Even his long and thick tail had numerous metal plates set in a way to allow him to use it for both blocking and attacking, with spikes towards the top of the end.
This Scyrric, tagged with “Metallic Berserker [74]”, had no lack of weapons either. Two jagged blades, not quite sabers, were at his waist. Seated in a harness closer to his shoulders than his back, due to the slant the Scyrric walked with, were both a long-handled war hammer and a short handled double-bladed axe. Knives and thick needles lined his legs.
Slowly arriving in front of the host, he pulled out a yellow crystal from a pouch at his waste. His teeth bared in a threatening smile as he looked over the length of walls and the humans covering it. From right to left his head slowly panned as he took everything in. Then he looked at the cleared-out area that had once contained the buildings of Jackson, before turning to the gate.
When he spoke in the hissing Scyrric way, his voice stayed quiet and steady but was projected to everyone on the wall. The yellow crystal seemed to have the same effect as how Adam used the Rift Menu to speak to crowds.
“Good,” came his coarse voice. “You come to greet your masters. Now obey. Come out from the wall and prostrate yourself before us and we will decide which of you shall live.”
He spoke confidently, with self-assurance. Whether he expected them to follow didn’t matter. Whispering increased on the walls, and his smile widened.
“I did not say you can speak, worms. None stand above the mighty Scyrric. Come down from there and BOW!”
As he said “bow”, the world seemed to respond. The volume of his voice didn’t increase, but the pressure from it did. Weaker humans shook and almost fell. Higher level people grabbed them to keep anyone from falling. A primal fear seemed to grip much of the Sentinel Army.
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“Think we can take him?” wondered Tom out loud.
“There are so few of them and we have more Tier 3s,” answered Randall.
“Can’t you feel how strong that one is?” Tom continued. “I’m not sure if we can defeat him, even as a group. He’s one level from Tier 4.”
“Do you want to give up?” asked Lucas with an edge to it.
“Of course not, temp boss! At the least we can take all the rest out,” Tom said, with his chest held high before adding, “Then we can use slow-Joe as a shield while we run away.”
Joseph pulled back his fist to punch Tom, before deciding not to and putting his hand down.
Lucas spoke into a Rift window, set up to project his voice to only those on the wall.
“Steady. Don’t let him punk us. There is no reason to get scared here. We haven’t seen anything to cause us concern yet,” he said. There was more muttering from those on the wall and a clear relaxation at Lucas’s words. The humans stood a little taller and went back to watching.
The Scyrric watched, not really bothered by the actions of the humans. He even waited patiently until they stilled before speaking again.
“That aberration has done you all a disservice by training you pets like this,” he growled. “However, we have liberated you from his perversion of the natural order.”
The onlookers didn’t think it was possible, but the Scyrric’s smile got even wider, the edges of it sliding up his cheeks in a horrific way, not hiding a single sharp tooth. Then his reptilian eyes narrowed. After a pause, he continued. “We have put down that aberration!”
Gasps sounded out along the wall. People stepped back. Heads turned to look at Lucas and his group.
“He will not be returning to you, for by now he is surely on another world. A test subject to find out how he has managed to defy us and the [System]. You need not worry about that, though. For all you need to do is take your place at our feet. Either as our slaves, or as the corpses we trample!”
The disorder the proclamation caused among the humans was immediate. People began demanding an explanation. Others seemed to turn despondent, dropping to the ground or cradling their heads. Some started shoving those around them while other spoke up in defense of Adam, arguing that it was lies and that he would return.
Then a loud, shrill whistle, enhanced by the Rift so much that even the Scyrric winced, regardless of the distance. Lucas crossed his arms and stared at everyone. His look was every bit the thug he had been prior to joining Adam. He glared at the people. Those close enough could feel the threat in it.
Yet, it was Joseph who stepped forward and spoke.
“Calm down, you dummies! Who cares?”
“What?” someone yelled.
Tom activated the skills [Persuasive Aura] and [Seek the Truth] as Joseph spoke.
“I said who cares? Adam got taken, but so what? Does that mean we should just give up? Should we just go out to that guy who is threatening us because Adam ain’t here? Adam never gave up. We won’t give up neither. Any loser who would needs to get their asses over that wall and let us get on with this.”
Lucas then spoke up. “Why have we been raiding the bases and killing all the invaders? Why has everyone been required to hunt? To get stronger. So that we can do this without Adam. So that we can stand on our own.”
“Don’t get us wrong,” continued Tom, his skills strengthening his words even more. “The boss is the best! More than the best! But he has been sacrificing to make sure each one of us has our own power. The boss has done the impossible up to now. But those lizard chumps down there aren’t the impossible. We don’t need the boss for that piddly showing, so don’t sweat it.”
Tom flashed once more with skill use, triggering his first skill earned after reaching Tier 3. [The More You Believe] was a skill that enhanced Tom’s previous skills based on his own belief in something. The stronger his belief in what he said, the more persuasiveness he had.
“Let me tell you one more thing,” he continued. The force of his aura affected everyone. The most skeptical felt uplifted by his next words, while those who already had belief in Adam felt theirs soaring. Even his group that spent all their time around him and Adam were boosted by it. “The boss will ALWAYS come back for us. Captured by invaders, sent to other worlds, fighting against overmatched enemies…none of that matter. He will come back and will WIN! As long as we hold the place for him to come back to.”
Buoyed by Tom’s skills, morale skyrocketed. There couldn’t have been a better buff. People cheered and hollered.
“To the General!” some shouted.
“To Adam!” cried others.
“To the Boss!” a few more said.
Tom turned to Sgolkr, who was now frowning. “Hear that you bottom feeding skink lizard?! Come forward if you really want to know who the superior ones are!”
More cheers rose at Tom’s defiance.
“Then the decision is made, and your death is assured!” whispered Sgolkr through the yellow crystal.
He walked back through his small army and took his place at the rear. Once there, the rest of the Scyrric returned to their formation. A cry went out from them in a language that humans would never be able to pronounce. Then the army marched forward.
“Get into positions,” ordered Lucas. “Unit leaders, be conservative with mana and follow the rotations.”
Down the wall those in charge of the groups assembled everyone and began prepping them. Supports gave out their buffs. Then everyone waited.
Lamar was the first. He pulled out an arrow and placed it in his bow. With a greater force than any of the other archers, he pulled back the bow and held. “[Take Your Time],” was the skill he used, and then waited.
The Scyrric in the lead snickered at the humans as they walked forward. Without losing their position they hissed and made threats. They growled and stepped extra heavy to bring mental weight to their physical presence.
When they got within 30 yards, barriers sprung up around those approaching, thanks to the defensive classes in the lead. A pale-yellow glow covered every angle from the front. Some barriers overlapped, making sure there wasn’t a single opening.
“Loose!” shouted the leader of a group on the wall that was closest to the Scyrric approach. 10 spells of different elements shot out towards the Scyrric. A fireball struck first, flattening and spreading out as it hit the barriers. Then a water lance followed by shards of rock. They all amounted to nothing on those shields. The Scyrric snickered and taunted, continuing to come closer.
More groups began casting. A steady barrage of spells and arrows flew towards the invaders. The barriers would flash when struck, weakening, but held out. Occasionally one of the stronger attacks would piece the barrier, but there was always a defender with a shield to block it, then the barriers were re-cast.
“Keep it up!” shouted Tom. “Rome wasn’t built in a day!”
“What does building Rome have to do with us fighting?” Joseph asked Randall, who shushed him.
“Keep wearing them down,” called Lucas.
With the thousands of people around, the humans didn’t need to win right away, just to keep the pressure up until the Scyrric couldn’t defend or made a mistake. Yet, the Scyrric seemed confident. They had the knowledge, training, and equipment for battles like this. They had the stronger classes and the upbringing for these fights.
Then another voice spoke his skills.
“[Steady Shot]. [Deep Blade],” said Lamar calmly.
His arrow was released. It burst forwards. Right in the middle of the Scyrric, where two barriers overlapped, the arrow hit. Or more accurately, the barriers burst.
The arrow sped faster than they could see and hit the defender in the middle. The arrow penetrated the front of his armor. The armor was strong enough to prevent the arrow from coming out the back, but there was still enough force that the hit Scyrric was propelled backwards, into a few attackers and a buffer. His limbs and tail tripped up a few marching nearby.
The hit defender might have had enough vitality to survive the arrow. He probably would have been able to get up, get healed, and continue the fight. However, before more barriers could be cast and the surrounding Scyrric could reposition, lightning came through the gaps in the barriers.
“[Lightning Spread]!” shouted Andrea as she stood at the edge of the wall. A fan of lightning came from her hands, leaving blue afterimages in everyone’s eyes. The lightning flew through the holes in the barriers and found the metal armor the invaders wore.
“[Lightning Merge]!” she called again, causing all the lightning that had spread among the Scyrric to jump back through them and join at the defender that Lamar had hit. The enemy smoked and then fell, no longer able to be healed.
Sgolkr saw what had happened and screeched, “Kill the natives!”
Then the Scyrric began fighting in earnest.