"Fire at the Rotbacks!"
Lances of light tore through the air as the laser guns atop Ironhold’s walls unleashed their fury. One beam struck a bloated Rotback. Its sac ruptured in a wet blast—acid and bile splashed outward, melting limbs and bodies nearby.
But the horde didn’t stop.
Grivehowls darted forward, snarling shadows with too many joints and far too much hunger. Boneflayers skittered beside them, their claws scraping the stone as they accelerated.
The Ironhold guards stood firm.
Frontliners braced with tower shields, the wall of steel groaning under each impact. Behind them, spears thrust through gaps with practiced rhythm.
A spear tip pierced bone. A Boneflayer convulsed and dropped, twitching.
Chris didn’t flinch. He drove his spear deep into another skull, then roared above the noise.
"Don’t break formation! If we keep this up, we might be able to win! Keep hitting!"
The formation tightened. Each time a creature struck a shield, a spear greeted it—cold, sharp, unrelenting. Above, defenders shouted orders and rained down fire.
Then the Grivehowls froze.
Maws opened wide. No breath. No warning. Just a sound—raw and hateful—ripped through the air.
A shriek that clawed at the inside of the skull.
But the guards held. The comms in their ears pulsed softly, nullifying the scream’s edge. Their arms trembled, but their spears didn’t stop.
One Boneflayer staggered back, crouched—then lunged.
Its shoulder slammed into a shield. The guard behind it staggered, boots sliding. The line cracked. Just for a second.
The Boneflayer slipped through the breach. Bone claws flashed. A scream followed—a real one this time, human and short.
Chris turned too late.
"There’s a bridge! Kill and fix immediately!"
But others had already seen the gap. Rotbacks swarmed, sensing blood. Another Boneflayer slammed through, widening the tear.
Grivehowls leapt over broken shields. Boneflayers stabbed through armor, tearing into flesh. One guard fell. Then another.
There was no formation anymore.
Only screams. Steel. And blood.
Chris gritted his teeth. His grip tightened around the spear, knuckles pale beneath the blood and dirt.
Then the comms in his ear blinked.
A single light. A pulse of hope.
His eyes snapped wide.
"Everyone—maintain position and retreat to the wall!"
The order passed like a ripple. Shields angled back. Step by step, the formation shifted, guards dragging wounded as they fell back.
Behind them, the swarm pressed closer.
Chris heard the screams. Bodies falling. Lives ending.
He didn’t turn. His focus locked forward—every second mattered.
Then a heavy weight slammed into him. A guard, thrown like a doll, crashed into his chest. Chris stumbled, caught the man before he fell.
A Boneflayer loomed just steps away, claws raised. Its eyes burned with hunger. It lunged.
He waited for the pain.
Chris opened his eyes.
The Boneflayer stood frozen. Mid-strike. Crystallized in jagged ice.
Chris turned his head. The battlefield had stopped moving.
Grivehowls. Boneflayers. Every one of them—well the once nearby locked in place, ice blooming across their limbs like a creeping curse.
"The teams are here!"
Someone yelled from the wall.
Chris looked up—and felt the breath leave his lungs.
A shadow hovered in the sky. Kevin. wings of jagged ice spread wide behind him. They caught the sun lights, sharp and beautiful. His eyes scanned the chaos below, cold and unreadable.
Dozens of them dove from above, wings spread wide, fangs bared. Some crashed into the wall, shattering stone, dragging guards into the air.
He raised a single hand.
A wall of frost surged from his palm, spreading wide like a storm released from a cage. It hit the Harrowers mid-flight—an explosion of cold.
Wings froze. Screeches cut short. One by one, they shattered—falling like broken glass from the sky.
Snow drifted through the silence.
Chris stared, breathless. His blood still burned, but the battlefield was still.
For the first time in hours, silence fell.
Chris scanned the battlefield. The creatures weren’t stopping.
New shapes surged from the shadows—more Boneflayers, more Grivehowls. Their howls echoed off the steel walls of Ironhold.
Then a hand touched his shoulder.
"Alright. Step back. We’ll take it from here."
He turned. Mia stood beside him, face calm but eyes sharp.
Before he could respond, a Boneflayer leapt toward a nearby guard.
A sudden gust of wind struck it midair, slamming it to the ground.
Alex stood off to the side, brushing frost from his knuckles.
"Not me and Kael, but this’ll do."
Mia didn’t reply. Her hand pressed against the earth.
The ground rumbled. Jagged stone pikes erupted beneath the oncoming creatures, tearing through flesh and bone. Grivehowls shrieked as they were skewered mid-run.
Mia raised her head, gaze cutting to the sky.
"Kevin—go after the Obsidian Wreach. We’ll hold here."
Kevin didn’t speak. He met her eyes, gave a short nod, then launched into the air—ice wings flaring wide behind him as he vanished toward the horizon.
The front line began to collapse under the weight of monsters. The Boneflayers slammed their claws into shields. Grivehowls leapt, jaws wide.
"You’ve done enough,"
"Now get inside the walls."
Chris hesitated, but only for a moment. Then he shouted.
"Everyone—fall back!"
The guards began to retreat.
As they passed, members of team Galeforce watched from the sidelines.
Hunter stood still, eyes fixed on Mia.
"What are you waiting for? Form up."
Hunter crossed his arms.
"You don’t give the orders here."
Mia let out a breath. Then she looked up.
"Galeforce... always making things harder."
She looked around at the battlefield.
"Fine. Any of you think you’ve got better answers—do something. But I’ve got Stage Six and Stage Five on my side. And we’ve walked through hell before. And if any of you can do this..."
She slammed her palm to the dirt.
Five massive golems rose from the earth, each one twice the size of a man. Their eyes burned faintly as they stepped forward, shaking the ground with each movement.
Gasps broke out behind her.
A girl in Galeforce whispered.
"She has a Legacy Skill..."
Hunter’s jaw clenched.
Mia stood, eyes locked on his.
"So? Will you follow orders now?"
Hunter gave a stiff nod.
She turned back toward the battlefield.
The monsters were closing in again.
"Good, Because we’ve got work to do."