Garth didn’t hesitate upon hearing the news. He pulled out the flare gun from its holster on his waist, and shot a single flare above his location.
“Mobile squads, get to section eight, now!”
Not listening to the responses, he looked for the small swarm of drones heading his way. Nierburg didn’t have the resources to use this for everybody, but individuals with particularly noteworthy power were granted the exception. A dozen drones stopped to hover nearby, each dangling thin paracord. He gathered as much as he could, wrapping the end of the cords around his hand and gripping tight.
“Section eight, go!”
Then, he leaped off the wall. Garth felt the drones lurch towards the ground before stabilizing, and let out a breath. The numbers said this would work, but testing it out was something else entirely. His feet were just a few meters from the tops of the buildings, and he tried his best not to look down. Instead, Garth fixed his eyes on the far wall. Soon, he saw the proof of Joseph’s words. Dark specks against the sky flew past the wall, and descended towards the city. Of course the damn things can fly.
He looked over his shoulder, expecting to see the Communication Array following behind. Instead, there was nothing. Stupid drone. He looked up at the hodgepodge group carrying him, and swore. Guard Arrays and C.H.A.D.D.s, and that was it. He took a calming breath as he closed on their position. Just trust they did their job. At this point, there was nothing else he could do.
As he got closer, he found it more and more difficult to stay calm. He heard the sounds of fighting from the streets below, and knew that meant one of two things: the flying ants had landed, or there was a breach somewhere on the wall. As much as he wanted to stop and help, it was the wrong decision. He needed information, so he kept the drones on their course. Even though the whole trip took less than ten minutes, it felt like ages. Garth was lowered towards the ground at the base of the battlements, and released his grip on the paracord when he was half a dozen meters off the ground. He landed with a grunt, and moments later was making his way up the stairs carved into the wall.
Ascending to the top, Garth was met with absolute chaos. A living bridge of ants was streaming insects atop the wall, and several of the winged creatures had also landed to enter the melee. The walkways were slick with blood and ichor. Garth heard the loud thumping of heavy weapons fire, and watched as several of the insects were riddled with holes. A burst of electricity stunned two nearby fliers, disrupting them midair. They crashed to the ground inside the city, a sickening crunch barely audible moments later.
One of the ants nearby turned to face the newcomer on the wall. Garth’s sword flashed, slicing the creature’s head off cleanly. Before it could hit the ground, Garth was moving. He was in a state of focus, each insect slashed apart with razor precision. Insect parts flew as he fought, the zone around him a whirlwind of death.
Garth’s presence was exactly what the defenders needed. They seemed to rally around him, fighting back harder than before. There were far fewer ants on this side of the city, and as the minutes wore on there simply weren’t enough ants to maintain the bridge and it collapsed. Soon, the wall was clear of enemies. Surviving Mages and Rangers still rained death on the creatures below, while the melee forces prevented them from scaling the wall. Garth looked around, spotting the Ranger with the heavy weapon and a disheveled Mary Ellen in a position behind some guardsmen.
“I need a Communications Array, now! Mary Ellen, where is Joseph?”
“We got an urgent request from section twelve! He went to go help!”
“Dammit! Mary Ellen, you’re with me. We’re going after him.”
Her eyes drifted to the city, where the sounds of combat could be heard.
“Will the trucks be able to run with the ants in the streets?”
“We aren’t taking the streets.”
“I’m not going to hold on and get dragged around by a bunch of drones.”
“No, you’re not. We’re going the old fashioned way, because we’re clearing out anything that gets in the way. Let’s just hope Joseph can hold on.”
He turned to the rest of the soldiers left on the wall.
“Keep your positions here. The threat from this side is slowing down, just hang tight.”
With that, Garth and Mary Ellen took off. They moved at a quick jog, watching for attacks as they went. They crossed sections nine and ten in a blur, the defenders having things well in hand. Mary Ellen only had to blast three flying ants out of the sky. Section eleven started in good shape, which changed dramatically halfway through. Garth found himself in pitched combat once again, conserving his mana as he ripped through the ants on the battlements. Again, his attacks turned the tide. Dozens of ant corpses piled up, though his heart fell as he heard the sounds of combat from the beginning of section twelve.
“Do you think he made it?” Mary Ellen’s voice quavered as she spoke.
“I don’t know, but if he’s there we’re going to get him. Let’s go.”
Garth leveled his sword as he stepped up to engage the nearest ant. He was about to strike, when an orange glow and surge of mana made him pause. Without warning, the ant in front of him was struck by a beam of red-hot energy. Similar beams of energy rained down across the wall and into the pile of creatures below, striking with surgical precision. A fierce grin crossed Garth’s face, as he recognized the skill.
CHARGED SUNBEAM was Joseph’s selection at Level 20, allowing him to draw in mana and charge a barrage of targeted strikes. While his FIREBALL still lacked power compared to somebody like Carlyle, CHARGED SUNBEAM more than made up for it. The downside was, as the name implied, a significant charging time. Each beam took a while to fully set up, and Garth knew launching this many at once would have taken incredible focus and preparation.
The results, however, spoke for themselves. In one fell swoop, the momentum turned. The advance of the ants was broken, the bridges burned through, and the forces on the wall thinned out. The beleaguered defenders rallied, Garth and Mary Ellen jumping in to help clean up. Cheers erupted from the wall, and Garth walked past the troops to see his squad mate. Joseph’s skin was pale, and he was sweating like he’d just run a marathon. He was leaned back against the inside lip of the wall, trembling.
“That was one hell of an attack, kid.”
Joseph smiled weakly up at Garth.
“Still needs some polish. Thanks for coming, boss.”
Only then did he register that Mary Ellen was with him, and some color returned to his face. She, on the other hand, looked to be about to cry. Garth was ready to give the two of them a hard time, when a message came through the Communication Array he’d borrowed from section eight.
“CALLING ALL RESERVES, GATHER NEAR CENTRAL HEALTH. HOSTILES HAVE CONGREGATED AND APPEAR TO BE PREPARING AN ASSAULT. REPEAT, ALL RESERVES, GATHER TO SUPPORT CENTRAL HEALTH.”
The message repeated a second time, then a third. A sick realization hit Garth like a bus. They’re coming after our wounded. All the injured people that had been shuttled towards the center of the city provided a trail of blood for the ants to follow. Inputting the frequency to get to his private channel, he called Amir.
“What do you mean the ants are congregating inside the walls?”
A moment later, a very frazzled-sounding Amir responded.
“I don’t know how to describe it better, sir. Whatever’s going on, they seem to want to get to Central Health. There’s got to be at least sixty of them gathering outside, with others being held back at other points in the city.”
“What are estimates for the total inside the city?”
“One hundred? Maybe one hundred and twenty?”
“How are the rest of the defenses holding on the walls?”
“Finally, you’re asking me to give you good news. The worst of the siege seems to be over. There’s still probably three or four hundred ants to clean up, but it’s been thinned out a lot. Honestly, boss, it really comes down to how many losses we take before we win.”
Garth nodded at Amir’s evaluation. He was currently standing on the segment of wall that the Corthian Mining foreman, Chester Drake, had built. It was a reminder of the power individuals like him possessed. Garth was close to Arianna, and not far from Central Health. He knew his reserve teams would struggle against a swarm of sixty of the ants, and that even if they held, there would be heavy losses. That’s not good enough.
Exhaling slowly, Garth came to his decision. ”Joseph, Mary Ellen. I’m going to get this finished up. Do you mind?”
Mary Ellen looked at Joseph, worry in her eyes. “Will he be alright?”
“It won’t hurt him at all.”
Joseph jumped in, clearly emboldened by Mary Ellen’s presence. “Even if it did, I’m here for you, sir.”
“I appreciate it. Both of you.”
With that, Garth activated the skill he’d learned at Level 60. LEADER’S MANTLE blossomed to life, and Garth felt his attributes swell. At the same time, he felt the energy leaving Mary Ellen and Joseph. This was a boosting skill unlike anything he’d encountered before, and it was powerful. In addition to a significant boost of his own attributes, he could magnify the multipliers further by borrowing from people who trusted him. Mary Ellen and Joseph were both now significantly weakened, while Garth was practically radiating power.
In a blur, Garth jumped off the wall to the streets of Nierburg. He felt the energy burning through him, wreathing him in a protective shell. A massive cloud of dust was kicked up as the shroud of energy dispersed, leaving him dusty but unharmed in the center. Exploding down the street, Garth made his way towards Central Health. Before he’d made it two blocks, he saw a familiar figure fighting against a large ant.
Arianna was doing her best to find openings, landing dozens of strikes. Unfortunately, she lacked the offensive power to do real damage. A moment later, Garth blew past. The ant was sliced into three neat pieces, and he saw the girl’s eyes widen.
“Is this…?”
“Yes. Go home, I’ll take it from here.”
He half expected an argument; instead he felt a surge of power as more attributes were added to his own, and Arianna turned down the street towards her home. Focusing internally, Garth got a sense for how much longer the boost would last. Two minutes. It wasn’t much time, but he was going to make the most of it.
Garth didn’t hesitate upon hearing the news. He pulled out the flare gun from its holster on his waist, and shot a single flare above his location.
“Mobile squads, get to section eight, now!”
Not listening to the responses, he looked for the small swarm of drones heading his way. Nierburg didn’t have the resources to use this for everybody, but individuals with particularly noteworthy power were granted the exception. A dozen drones stopped to hover nearby, each dangling thin paracord. He gathered as much as he could, wrapping the end of the cords around his hand and gripping tight.
“Section eight, go!”
Then, he leaped off the wall. Garth felt the drones lurch towards the ground before stabilizing, and let out a breath. The numbers said this would work, but testing it out was something else entirely. His feet were just a few meters from the tops of the buildings, and he tried his best not to look down. Instead, Garth fixed his eyes on the far wall. Soon, he saw the proof of Joseph’s words. Dark specks against the sky flew past the wall, and descended towards the city. Of course the damn things can fly.
He looked over his shoulder, expecting to see the Communication Array following behind. Instead, there was nothing. Stupid drone. He looked up at the hodgepodge group carrying him, and swore. Guard Arrays and C.H.A.D.D.s, and that was it. He took a calming breath as he closed on their position. Just trust they did their job. At this point, there was nothing else he could do.
As he got closer, he found it more and more difficult to stay calm. He heard the sounds of fighting from the streets below, and knew that meant one of two things: the flying ants had landed, or there was a breach somewhere on the wall. As much as he wanted to stop and help, it was the wrong decision. He needed information, so he kept the drones on their course. Even though the whole trip took less than ten minutes, it felt like ages. Garth was lowered towards the ground at the base of the battlements, and released his grip on the paracord when he was half a dozen meters off the ground. He landed with a grunt, and moments later was making his way up the stairs carved into the wall.
Ascending to the top, Garth was met with absolute chaos. A living bridge of ants was streaming insects atop the wall, and several of the winged creatures had also landed to enter the melee. The walkways were slick with blood and ichor. Garth heard the loud thumping of heavy weapons fire, and watched as several of the insects were riddled with holes. A burst of electricity stunned two nearby fliers, disrupting them midair. They crashed to the ground inside the city, a sickening crunch barely audible moments later.
One of the ants nearby turned to face the newcomer on the wall. Garth’s sword flashed, slicing the creature’s head off cleanly. Before it could hit the ground, Garth was moving. He was in a state of focus, each insect slashed apart with razor precision. Insect parts flew as he fought, the zone around him a whirlwind of death.
Garth’s presence was exactly what the defenders needed. They seemed to rally around him, fighting back harder than before. There were far fewer ants on this side of the city, and as the minutes wore on there simply weren’t enough ants to maintain the bridge and it collapsed. Soon, the wall was clear of enemies. Surviving Mages and Rangers still rained death on the creatures below, while the melee forces prevented them from scaling the wall. Garth looked around, spotting the Ranger with the heavy weapon and a disheveled Mary Ellen in a position behind some guardsmen.
“I need a Communications Array, now! Mary Ellen, where is Joseph?”
“We got an urgent request from section twelve! He went to go help!”
“Dammit! Mary Ellen, you’re with me. We’re going after him.”
Her eyes drifted to the city, where the sounds of combat could be heard.
“Will the trucks be able to run with the ants in the streets?”
“We aren’t taking the streets.”
“I’m not going to hold on and get dragged around by a bunch of drones.”
“No, you’re not. We’re going the old fashioned way, because we’re clearing out anything that gets in the way. Let’s just hope Joseph can hold on.”
He turned to the rest of the soldiers left on the wall.
“Keep your positions here. The threat from this side is slowing down, just hang tight.”
With that, Garth and Mary Ellen took off. They moved at a quick jog, watching for attacks as they went. They crossed sections nine and ten in a blur, the defenders having things well in hand. Mary Ellen only had to blast three flying ants out of the sky. Section eleven started in good shape, which changed dramatically halfway through. Garth found himself in pitched combat once again, conserving his mana as he ripped through the ants on the battlements. Again, his attacks turned the tide. Dozens of ant corpses piled up, though his heart fell as he heard the sounds of combat from the beginning of section twelve.
“Do you think he made it?” Mary Ellen’s voice quavered as she spoke.
“I don’t know, but if he’s there we’re going to get him. Let’s go.”
Garth leveled his sword as he stepped up to engage the nearest ant. He was about to strike, when an orange glow and surge of mana made him pause. Without warning, the ant in front of him was struck by a beam of red-hot energy. Similar beams of energy rained down across the wall and into the pile of creatures below, striking with surgical precision. A fierce grin crossed Garth’s face, as he recognized the skill.
CHARGED SUNBEAM was Joseph’s selection at Level 20, allowing him to draw in mana and charge a barrage of targeted strikes. While his FIREBALL still lacked power compared to somebody like Carlyle, CHARGED SUNBEAM more than made up for it. The downside was, as the name implied, a significant charging time. Each beam took a while to fully set up, and Garth knew launching this many at once would have taken incredible focus and preparation.
The results, however, spoke for themselves. In one fell swoop, the momentum turned. The advance of the ants was broken, the bridges burned through, and the forces on the wall thinned out. The beleaguered defenders rallied, Garth and Mary Ellen jumping in to help clean up. Cheers erupted from the wall, and Garth walked past the troops to see his squad mate. Joseph’s skin was pale, and he was sweating like he’d just run a marathon. He was leaned back against the inside lip of the wall, trembling.
“That was one hell of an attack, kid.”
Joseph smiled weakly up at Garth.
“Still needs some polish. Thanks for coming, boss.”
Only then did he register that Mary Ellen was with him, and some color returned to his face. She, on the other hand, looked to be about to cry. Garth was ready to give the two of them a hard time, when a message came through the Communication Array he’d borrowed from section eight.
“CALLING ALL RESERVES, GATHER NEAR CENTRAL HEALTH. HOSTILES HAVE CONGREGATED AND APPEAR TO BE PREPARING AN ASSAULT. REPEAT, ALL RESERVES, GATHER TO SUPPORT CENTRAL HEALTH.”
The message repeated a second time, then a third. A sick realization hit Garth like a bus. They’re coming after our wounded. All the injured people that had been shuttled towards the center of the city provided a trail of blood for the ants to follow. Inputting the frequency to get to his private channel, he called Amir.
“What do you mean the ants are congregating inside the walls?”
A moment later, a very frazzled-sounding Amir responded.
“I don’t know how to describe it better, sir. Whatever’s going on, they seem to want to get to Central Health. There’s got to be at least sixty of them gathering outside, with others being held back at other points in the city.”
“What are estimates for the total inside the city?”
“One hundred? Maybe one hundred and twenty?”
“How are the rest of the defenses holding on the walls?”
“Finally, you’re asking me to give you good news. The worst of the siege seems to be over. There’s still probably three or four hundred ants to clean up, but it’s been thinned out a lot. Honestly, boss, it really comes down to how many losses we take before we win.”
Garth nodded at Amir’s evaluation. He was currently standing on the segment of wall that the Corthian Mining foreman, Chester Drake, had built. It was a reminder of the power individuals like him possessed. Garth was close to Arianna, and not far from Central Health. He knew his reserve teams would struggle against a swarm of sixty of the ants, and that even if they held, there would be heavy losses. That’s not good enough.
Exhaling slowly, Garth came to his decision. ”Joseph, Mary Ellen. I’m going to get this finished up. Do you mind?”
Mary Ellen looked at Joseph, worry in her eyes. “Will he be alright?”
“It won’t hurt him at all.”
Joseph jumped in, clearly emboldened by Mary Ellen’s presence. “Even if it did, I’m here for you, sir.”
“I appreciate it. Both of you.”
With that, Garth activated the skill he’d learned at Level 60. LEADER’S MANTLE blossomed to life, and Garth felt his attributes swell. At the same time, he felt the energy leaving Mary Ellen and Joseph. This was a boosting skill unlike anything he’d encountered before, and it was powerful. In addition to a significant boost of his own attributes, he could magnify the multipliers further by borrowing from people who trusted him. Mary Ellen and Joseph were both now significantly weakened, while Garth was practically radiating power.
In a blur, Garth jumped off the wall to the streets of Nierburg. He felt the energy burning through him, wreathing him in a protective shell. A massive cloud of dust was kicked up as the shroud of energy dispersed, leaving him dusty but unharmed in the center. Exploding down the street, Garth made his way towards Central Health. Before he’d made it two blocks, he saw a familiar figure fighting against a large ant.
Arianna was doing her best to find openings, landing dozens of strikes. Unfortunately, she lacked the offensive power to do real damage. A moment later, Garth blew past. The ant was sliced into three neat pieces, and he saw the girl’s eyes widen.
“Is this…?”
“Yes. Go home, I’ll take it from here.”
He half expected an argument; instead he felt a surge of power as more attributes were added to his own, and Arianna turned down the street towards her home. Focusing internally, Garth got a sense for how much longer the boost would last. Two minutes. It wasn’t much time, but he was going to make the most of it.
