194. USELESS ARMY: WIREMU

I was Wild Bill, and I was sitting with Rodion and George’s crowd in a bar. We were trying to figure out why George was here and not at the show and after-party. George was getting drunker and loader, so our time for questions was almost here.

Then I jerked up as a massive wave of pain hit me from Tāoke. Tāoke was the obvious backup for Modrica and Težka as he could hide in Težka’s fur and basically sleep. Težka was starting to rival Oske as Tāoke’s favourite.

“Modrica is under attack,” I said to Rodion, “Follow as fast as you can,” Then I threw myself head first out the nearest window, shattering the glass and landing in the alley two floors below. Puia was already forming a mount as my clothes burned off me, replaced by Granite and Lava Armour.

“Bloody hell,” I heard from Rodion at the window, and then he followed me out of it. I ignored him and jumped on Puia’s horse form, as it was his fastest, and we galloped off, leaving molten depressions in the stone road.

We were close to the army base's main gate. The gate was closed, but I was betting it was only locked and didn’t have the steel beams in place to blockade it. As we got closer, this was confirmed by my Thermal Sensing. We entered the straight before the gates and picked up speed. Puia created a Granite Spike from his forehead, and we aimed for the middle join between the two gates.

We hit it with the momentum and weight of a small mountain of rock. The steel gates burst open with a bang and a spray of lava as Puia’s head exploded on impact. We didn’t even slow as Puia reformed the head, and we came into view as to what was happening below us.

It was an aerial attack. There were a lot of Avion firing arrows and spears as they dove in attack runs. The air was filled with birds, at least two griffons, and something larger and darker. There were green flames on the ground from an attack run, and Modrica was rolling on the ground, trying to put out the flames on her back. Modrica had a shield in her left hand, but her right hand was limp, and there was a bend in the arm where there shouldn’t have been.

Težka was roaring in pain and rage as the fire remnants were smothered out on him by Tāoke. Tāoke was in his large form and stretched the length of Težka’s back, and as I watched, a Granite Shield formed to cover his back, protecting him from above. The rest of Tāoke uncurled over Težka’s head, and he started spitting lava at anything that got too close.

Then two dive-assisted, power-thrown spears slammed into Tāoke’s shield, and I saw cracks form and part of it fall off. The dark shape was a Wyvern, and it was starting another strafing fire run when the scene below me seemed to flicker. Težka and Tāoke suddenly seemed to be to the left of where they were, and everything else was in darkness.

The Wyvern spewed fire all over them, and then the image flickered again, and a massive spiritual scream filled our minds. When I looked again, the Wyvern had missed, and there was a line of fire beside an unharmed Težka and Tāoke. I realised Nyx had formed the image and taken the full brunt of the Wyvern attack and was seriously injured. That was a lingering spiritual flame from the wyvern.

Puia and I were almost in range, and I was seriously pissed at my lack of range options. I didn’t have a bow that wouldn’t be destroyed by lava, or I would have been shooting the moment I came into view. I was limited to throwing options. I formed a Granite Spear in my hand.

The was an Avion circling the fight looking for a bow shot. He was flying low, concentrating on the fight, and didn’t sense the thundering mountain of lava charging down the hill at him. I threw my spear and took him right threw the chest, and he crumbled to the ground dead. Several birds in the fight suddenly went crazy; I assume they were his bonds.

This alerted the other attackers to my arrival. At the same time, alarm bells started ringing throughout the base. About time you useless army.

The attackers were quite coordinated. As the wyvern would circle around for another attack run, they would launch arrows, spears, and the birds and griffons would dive attack, and then they would get out of the wyvern's way. A number swung off to attack me, and I had arrow pelter my Granite armour. If they weren’t Skill empowered attacks, I could just ignore them. I started throwing darts from my left hand. I mixed them up between poison and lava. I formed another spear in my right hand.

I stood on Puia, but I was going to be too late. The griffon raked its claws over Težka’s face ripping out an eye and making deep gouges, its back claws raking Tāoke, peeling scales off and leaving gouge marks. I launched myself off Puia anyway because I could probably bring it down. Puia melted into the ground after I left his back. I got my spear in where the wing met the body and dragged it to the ground.

I yelled, “Modrica, monster kill!”

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She understood I wanted her to kill it and was there in a flash. She wouldn’t get the Monster Hunter Class because she didn’t have a base class that specialised that way. But she would get something, and more often than not, that something gives a skill that helps with self-healing.

She Shield Bashed the griffon's head, pinning it to the ground. Her other arm wasn’t working, so she opened her jaw and bit the back of the griffon's neck with her tusks and Crushing Bite. She ripped the spine of the griffon out with her tusks, killing it.

Then she raised herself up, her face dripping in blood. A Skill-powered arrow slammed into her back, going through her armour and her Armoured Skin, but stopped by her Earth Bones. She ignored it. At the same time, Težka went up on his hind legs, and together they let out a massive roar that shook the building around them. Everything seemed to pause for a second. There was no way that was not a Sonic attack.

Then everything resumed, and I caught the next arrow aimed for Modrica’s back on a shield I created. Then Modrica did something I did not expect, and she bent down to the carcass of the griffon, bit into the neck again and started drinking. The minor wounds on her back started healing. Trust her to get a skill that heals her when she drinks the blood of her enemies. Skills do come in a similar way that you fight, as when Tabitha got her Syphon Constitution.

The Wyvern was back, and I created a large stone cover for us, and the green fire burned, eating through the Granite. Some of the fire got onto my skin, and my fire resistance did nothing. It wasn’t normal fire, but I already knew that because of what it had done to Nyx. The fire did show on my Thermal Sensing, but it was difficult to tell in the mixed-up thermal currents above us.

The attacks resumed, and we moved closer to Težka and Tāoke to have a better defence. I was seriously frustrated at the lack of a bow. I could be doing so much more damage. I kept my shield but resumed throwing darts.

All of a sudden, a fireball exploded, engulfing two birds and clipping a griffon. Then fire arrows started lighting up the sky. Kelda had arrived. To my mind, her rate of fire was too slow, and it was only a single arrow at a time. The stupid army that trained her in the wrong class is to blame. If she had been trained as an archer, she would have a lot more Skills by now. Even though she was slow, she was devastatingly accurate. Every arrow hit that I could tell, and more than half downed what they hit. That is the Observer Class in play.

I saw Rodion leap from the top of a building and claw down an enhanced hawk. A second hawk was coming behind him, and I didn’t have a dart. The second hawk suddenly burst into flame, and I couldn’t figure out how. Then I caught a glimpse of a small sparrow darting away. Kelda had arrived with Liten. That small sparrow was easy to forget.

The Wyvern was coming around again, and I was worried about my energy levels. Then everything seemed to dim, and the fear hit. The Shadow Predator had arrived, and Tabitha wasn’t holding back. All the birds flew up or away from the fear, including the Wyvern. The Avion in charge must have signalled retreat, having taken a lot of losses and didn’t seem to be making progress. Army archer squads were arriving on the walls, so their surprise was gone.

The remnants of the attackers flew over the river to escape, and then the army finally did something right. The catapults on the walls fired. They were loaded with anti-personnel shots. They had one chance, and whoever was in charge should get promoted because they took down several birds and at least two Avions. They didn’t get the Wyvern, unfortunately.

“We are out of here,” I yelled. “Eastern wharf gate is the closest. Follow me.”

I had Puia form a mount, but this time I had her copy Težka. My parting gift was a lava Dire Bear permanently leaving footprints in their stone road. Težka was limping and chewing on a dead falcon. Tāoke stayed where he was on Težka’s back, but he was in his large form, and his head was watching for danger, swaying in the mesmerising way snakes do. He was especially keeping watch on Težka’s blind side.

Rodion joined us, and then the shadow that was Tabitha helped Modrica, who was limping and holding her still broken arm.

Kelda stayed away, which was wise of her, although Liten tagged along.

When we came to the closed gate, I didn’t bother asking. I had Puia rear up on his hind legs and come crashing down against the gate. They creaked open in protest, but they opened enough. Then I realised they were not designed to open out like that. Too bad. I knew we were being watched. We filed through, and I continued to leave Dire Bear footprints along the stone wharf in the public area. I was also tempted to leave a stone Dire Bear shit in the gate, but I refrained.

When we reached the wharf area's end, Tabitha engulfed us in shadows, and I dismissed Puia and my armour. Rodion tossed me his shirt, which should cover my privates. We then veered off into the suburb of East Marin, and I dropped back to clean our trail. Several of us were still dripping blood, although we were binding wounds as we could. When I was sure we had confused our trail enough, we went to the nearest safe house. Dawn was still a few hours away. As soon as people get out on the streets, our trail will really be untrackable.

The first thing I did after I got dressed was to go out rat hunting. Rodion helped, and we got five large live rats in a stone cage I created. This was Nyx’s equivalent of a light soup for sick people. Nyx came very, very close to death. I think it really scared Tabitha.

Rodion was literally bouncing with excitement and adrenalin. I wasn’t sure when it would wear off. Once we had done all the immediate first aid, we all nominated Rodion for the first watch. Either Tabitha or I will go out later and see if we can smuggle Ört in here for some proper healing, but he will probably be too closely watched. Astrid might be easier.

My last thought before dropping off to sleep was that we would now have to revise all our plans.