The deafening roar marked the start of the real fight as a colossal minotaur stepped out of the school, towering over everything, even its own kind. It bellowed out as it lifted an enormous axe that was nearly as large as Derek. The front line of defending monsters suddenly pulled back, leaving a gap, but none of the assault team pursued. Attacks still landed amongst the horde, decimating entire sections, and the chaotic horde shifted like a writhing mass as they formed up ranks and separating duties.
The air vibrated with magic as the horde’s spellcasters erected a translucent blue barrier. It covered the front line of the horde. Every bullet and arrow lost all momentum, falling uselessly to the ground. The assault team’s spells were severely weakened, causing only minor injuries.
Seeing this, the commander shouted, “Careful folks, this is going to get rough!”
With the barrier protecting them, the horde moved like a den of snakes. Orcs, hobgoblins, and goblins took the front line, snarling. Behind them, ogres and trolls lumbered, creating a wall of muscle and rage. They shifted their spears to point at the attackers. The club wielders were in the third row, like this was a predetermined military formation. Hell, maybe it was. Then the horde surged forward and the melee combatants were back at it. Derek killed dozens, as he dodged spear thrusts, until he was tripping over the bodies, but he couldn’t move from his spot.
“It’s a projectile barrier!” someone shouted.
As the realization hit, spells were slung from the back of the horde, sending bolts of fire, acid, ice spears, and stone shards at the assault team. Bolts of fire whistled through the air, illuminating the battlefield in brief flashes of flaming destruction. The first round slammed into the gunners and mages on the wall.
A gunner screamed as a splash of acid struck her face, her skin bubbling and melting. She clawed at her face in a futile attempt to wipe away the burning liquid, her screams piercing through the heart of her comrades. She stumbled as she clawed and tripped, falling off the wall into the horde where she was ripped apart with an agonized scream. The acrid scent of burning flesh and shredded flesh were all that remained. Nearby soldiers recoiled in horror, their eyes wide with fear and helplessness.
A military mage took an ice spear to the leg, shattering his knee. He bled out before a healer could reach him, leaving a pool of blood on the stone wall. Realizing what was happening, James formed a barrier across the fortification. A lance of fire slammed into his shield, draining more mana than necessary. With a shout, the mages reinforced his shield, working as one to cover the team.
With a shout from James, the mages immediately reinforced his shield, all working as one to cover the team. Healers worked on those hit by the attack. Military men stood in formation at the top of the wall, laying out rifle fire, slaughtering monsters in droves. The assault team’s magic, once effective, was now useless as their energy focused on the shield. Gunners shot into the horde at the base of the wall, creating a corpse pile so tall it almost formed a ramp.
Monsters flooded around the wall, attacking from every side. Gunners fired at the back to keep the retreat open, but soon, even that section was overwhelmed by a corpse pile. Monsters climbed over bodies while gunfire tore them apart. Reserve fighters were redirected to the back, struggling to prevent flanking.
Even with his range severely restricted, Derek released his magic while he fought, sending lightning bolts and fireballs into the horde. His eyes glowed with power as he focused his mana for elemental spells. Raising his hands, arcs of lightning poured across the horde, striking clusters of monsters. Fireballs followed, exploding among the ranks. Each spell aimed to maximize death and destruction.
“Mages, half shields, half attacks!” The commander ordered.
Half of the few mages peeled off and started launching spells at the horde, only for them to be weakened by nearly half as the barrier pulled the energy from it.
The situation was dire. The melee fighters were locked in a desperate struggle, their movements growing sluggish. Sweat mingled with blood on their faces, their breaths coming in ragged gasps. The few mages were occupied by maintaining the barrier and they struggled to do that, their faces pale and strained. The gunners and archers could only fire at the edge of the barrier where the melee was fighting. Despite the odds, they fought on, driven by sheer determination and the will to survive.
The pile of bodies on the ground at the melee fighters’ feet was causing significant issues. They were tripping and stumbling as they moved. They were already exhausted, and they needed to push forward to gain some clear ground, but doing that would open gaps in the line.
The commander looked over at Marie, who stared out at the chaos with a calm expression. “I don’t know what to do.”
Marie looked at Michele to answer. This was still a training exercise for her and real world experience was still the best.
“Shift to a defensive formation.” Michele suggested, receiving a nod from Marie in approval.
“Melee, retreat to the wall! Mages, keep your barrier up!” The commander ordered. “Healers, shields on the fighters!”
The assault team started moving to follow their orders. Mages worked to create areas for the fighters to climb up the wall, focusing on the lower level and leaving those like Leroy and Derek for later. The fighting was bloody, as several fighters died trying to retreat. As the melee moved toward the wall, spears started flying over the horde to slam into the mage’s barrier as they tried to kill those on the walls.
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“Commander! Were being surrounded.” One of the military men shouted.
“All ranged units change target to clear our rear.”
While that was going on, Derek and Leroy were next to each other, carving through the horde.
“184,” Leroy announced as he sent the head of an orc flying.
“176,” Derek grumbled, trying not to trip over a body and stabbing into a troll’s abdomen.
“This sucks.” Leroy said. “This was supposed to be fun.”
“No kidding. We’re stuck defending the wall instead of wading through enemies.”
“204.” Mauro called from the other side of Leroy. “You are falling behind.”
“Half your kills are goblins!” Leroy complained.
“Kills are kills.” Mauro somehow shrugged as his fists crushed another skull. “205.”
“Why can’t we go deeper into the horde?” Leroy kept complaining as they retreated toward the wall.
Back on top of the wall, the situation was deteriorating rapidly. The mages’ faces were pale and drawn, their reserves of mana nearly depleted. Healers moved frantically, their mana gone, and had resorted to using mundane medical procedures to wrap wounds. Fighters who had made it up the wall struggled to keep the horde from climbing the corpse mountains and walking onto the wall. The fighters’ movements growing sluggish as exhaustion took its toll. The air was thick with the stench of blood and sweat, the sound of battle a relentless cacophony.
“Mages are getting low on mana,” James announced, looking around at the eight mages around him. “Healers are nearly empty.”
Marie was making rounds on the wall, healing the wounded and providing energy to keep fighters going. Since she had been with the leadership, her mana was still full, but now that she was nearly the only healer with mana, it was vanishing rapidly as she helped keep everyone in the fight. Even Carson had resorted to using a firearm to keep the monsters off the wall.
In the midst of a brutal battle, the air reeked of blood and gunpowder. Screams, roars, and the clash of steel created a chaotic noise. The ground was slick with gore, making it even more dangerous. The assault team was vastly outnumbered, putting immense pressure on them. One wrong move could be fatal.
Mauro’s team started shifting around unnoticed. At first, they were slowly making their way toward the rear of the formation, but soon they were rushing toward the back.
“My team is going to reinforce the rear.” Mauro shouted.
Mauro’s crew swiftly moved to cover the rear, their firearms barking as they cleared the gap in the wall.
“That’s not part of the plan!” The commander said. “Get back to your station!”
Realizing Mauro’s team was no longer following orders, the commander turned his focus to the immediate threat ahead, knowing any lapse could lead to them being overrun. He shouted orders, moving units around with frantic urgency. A troll made it onto the wall and knocked three people into the horde before it was cut down.
“Fighters spread out and keep monster off the wall! Ranged, support them! Mages and healers, conserve your mana!”
Desperation was evident in the eyes of everyone. The horde slowed as they climbed over the corpses of their fellows, still approached in a constant ceaseless wave. The fighters fought to keep monsters off the wall while gunners provided supporting fire. Mages were too busy maintaining their barrier to assist, and if that barrier fell, the entire group would follow.
“Commander, they are leaving!” someone reported from the rear of the formation.
The commander’s eyes widened, and he turned to look at the rear where Mauro’s team was reinforcing. They were… pulling out. One of their trucks, mounted with a plow, blew through the corpse pile at the back of the formation. Fighters dove aside to avoid being run over, as the truck plowed through, scattering corpses. Then the four trucks that Mauro’s team drove were roaring as they escaped. Fighters in the beds of the trucks shot nearby monsters, carving a path for their escape. Within twenty seconds, they had gone from the front line to complete the evacuation.
“Fuck!” the commander bellowed. “Mauro!”
They had gone just far enough by the time the commander realized what was going on, that the rear was vacant and filling with monsters. The fighters who were already there were desperately trying to protect the back end. It sank in to everyone that without Mauro’s team it was impossible to retreat. Without plenty of cover fire, they wouldn’t be able to keep the monsters off the team long enough to load up and flee. A wave of despair washed over the team, their morale plummeting.
Marie narrowed her eyes as she calmly watched the commander’s reaction. She knew what needed to be done, but he needed to feel the stress of the situation before she could assist. The vacant rear now had monsters surging into the broken rear line. Gunners on that side of the wall turned their weapons away from the wall and toward the oncoming monsters. Magazine after magazine was emptied as they fought on all sides.
The commander stood in silence, his mind stuttering in place as he tried to wrap his head around the disaster that was about to happen. He couldn’t figure out what to do. Any troops he moved would weaken the wall, and a disaster was imminent. Sarah’s group was damn near useless, his own troops were spread too thin as it was, the few fighters, mages, healers, and gunners were too far divided to do much, and moving Marie’s group would significantly weaken their formation on the wall.
“Leroy, John! Hold the rear!” Marie ordered, after enough time had passed. “Phil!”
Phil didn’t need to hear a command to know what he needed to do. He dropped his rifle, letting the sling catch it as he jumped from the wall to a personnel carrier. Where a guitar appeared in his hands, nobody had the energy to even spare him a glance as he started strumming. Magic flowed around him as he sang.
“♪In the quiet of the night, when the stars align, Feel the magic in the air, a power so divine. Let the rhythm of the earth, restore your weary soul, As the winds of the world, make you whole.♪”
Magic flowed through his music, its energy flowing into the assault team. Mages and healers felt their mana slowly restore, and fighters felt their exhaustion fade slightly as they listened.
John and Leroy turned and shot toward the back of the formation, being used to receiving a change in direction at this point. Leroy’s massive body slammed into an orc as he landed in the middle of the formation, taking the brunt of the assault, his sword carving through monster after monster. He activated his class abilities and turned into a blender of steel and flesh, a tornado of devastation as he almost single-handedly retook control of the back line.
John was right behind him, cleaning up the few monsters Leroy missed during his initial onslaught as he moved toward the gap, maintaining the boundary and making a corpse pile almost as tall as the wall. In his forty-plus years, he never thought he would be fighting monsters in a war for his survival.