Chapter 49: Breaking the Charge

 

I looked down the tall 6 meter tall wood wall, it was made of vines and wood that had been grown into the shape of fortifications. At the top of the wall hanging out over the ledge were large spiked vines that looked like barbed wire. At the base of the wall were large vine spikes about meter long acting as cavalry stakes. I looked out further from the walls and saw the same barbed wire vines growing in layers to slow down the demons. The green grass was stained black from the countless demon bodies that have died here.

I heard from the Alvs that these fortifications can be grown in a day with a combination of their magic and cooperation from Alvuan itself. No wonder they lasted as well as they did against the demons. Then again this is only the second rift, luckily for the Alvs all of this happened early on. I shudder to think what would happen if the later Rifts happened and we took two weeks to arrive. Then again something like that may happen eventually, the mages did warn me that at some point entire regions eventually fall. 

I continued to walk the fortifications eventually coming across this area known as a kill box. It was a large square area surrounded by walls. The square was located within the walls and there was a large opening in the wall that led into the square. I saw Alves standing atop the wall bows at the ready. There many of these killboxes scattered across the length of the wall. But this… this was the biggest one… I peered into the box and saw that there was a chokepoint on the innermost side of the box and there were rows of Alves positioned neatly in rows. 

“An interesting strategy to create a kill zone like this.” I said to Elrohir who was walking beside me.

“We have many books written on how to best handle the demons. This is just standard combat doctrine. If we make a long wall with no kill boxes the demons just climb on top of themselves or they start trying to destroy the walls.” Elrohir explained.

“So you give them a breach rather than let them make one. They will try to storm this opening but end up cut to ribbons. Since the demons are stupid they won’t realise that this killbox is a death trap.” I said finishing the explanation.

“Exactly a breach is inevitable when dealing with demons. If a breach must exist we prefer to have it occur on our terms.” Elrohir replied with a nod.

“This reduces casualties as well I assume? I fought the demons before and they have ranged combatants as well, recently I met demon flyers. How do you deal with those?” I asked.

“Look up there, Dark Hero.” Elrohis said as he pointed up at the canopy of trees above us. I looked up to see Alves walking on various walkways. There also looked to be pill boxes there with firing holes in the floor.

“The forest provides a natural high ground advantage, the demons struggle to climb our trees. The branches themselves often swat off any demons that try to make the climb. The ranged demons will first see my brothers and sisters high above. They try to target them first but we have fortifications to lessen their effectiveness. We still lose some to stray shots but the casualties are minimal. This gives our archers on the walls room to shoot with a minimised risk of returning fire. 

As for the flyers the canopy is too thick for them to break through en masse so their effectiveness is limited. We can easily shoot down whatever few that enter past the canopy.” Elrohir said.

“I see, looks like things will go as planned.” I replied.

“One more thing Dark Hero, a week ago I sent out a great eagle scout team deep into demon territory.” Elrohir said.

“A flying scout team? Won’t the flyers be a problem?” I asked.

“Yes, that’s why I sent my best. Their objective was simple: bring information back about the demon commander. I thought they were killed but they returned an hour ago. Turns out they have been hiding in one of the old buildings of Hearthian and running quick scouting missions while the attacks have been happening to reduce the amount of demons near the rift.” Elorhir said.

“Clever, move when the enemy is tied down. So what do they learn?” I asked as I internally jumped for joy. 

This was huge, if I could actually get intel on the demon commander I could come up with a strategy to defeat it. To be fair I already have one in mind but plans could always be improved…

“Yes, half the team was lost but their report was troubling, the demon commander is known to us. She was a princess of Alvuan long ago when we first settled into Alvuan. Her name is Lunariel, she had a twin called Solariel. The twins… they have an interesting bloodline to say the least…” Elrohir said with a scowl

“Interesting?” I asked as I furrowed my brows.

“Yes, her father was the child of a Light Hero and her mother was a child of the Dark Hero. They were named for the color of their hair, Lunariel for her silver hair that sparkled like moonlight and Solariel for her gold hair that glittered like sunlight.” Elrohir said.

“A Dark Hero, which one? The Plagued Healer?” I asked.

“We don’t know it was so long ago much of the information is… confused at best. The Dark Hero was not welcomed among the Alvs back then, a lot of the records about her had been destroyed or just lost. I don’t even know how many rifts this occured. Some basic estimates put it as about ten thousand years ago, give or take a millenia... Lunariel was not beloved and sometimes even hated because she had the Blessing of the Dark.” Elrohir said.

“Hang on, that sounds a bit like Ella.” I replied.

“Not exactly, Ithdriella is beloved by the people. It is just the nobles who are worried about her Blessing fearing it would endanger their bloodline. Moreover she is the only child, Lunariel’s twin had the blessing of Light. This led to favortism and discrimination. More importantly it led to bitterness and hatred forming within Lunariel.

As you know we follow the gods of Light, Life and Water. So we worship the Sun, the Forest and the Seas. We believe they are the keys that allow our way of life. Her twin sister was seen as the chosen of the Sun and many worshiped her. Lunariel in contrast was seen as the Child of the Moon, a Dark Entity undeserving of love and adoration. When her parents left this world they passed the throne to Solariel.

But then the Rifts came, Lunariel went out to battle while her twin ruled in the capital. Lunariel even joined the heroes as an attendant. Her actions against the demons won her acclaim and respect from all the races of the world. Including us… we became divided when she returned from the war... Some turned to Lunariel and abandoned her twin Solariel. Lunariel received the adoration and praise she always desired. But the limelight twisted her and soon she coveted the throne that her twin sat on. Civil war was inevitable and so the armies of the Moon and Sun clashed in the great forest of Alvuan. It was one of the darkest chapters in our history...” Elrohir as he let out a sigh.

“Who won?” I asked as I listened to the tale.

“None of them, the loss was too great for any side to claim victory. The heroes begged for peace but the sisters did not listen. Lunariel was winning and she was the aggressor. The power of the Dark God is said to be as strong as the other seven combined and with her attendant status meant  she was far more powerful than her sister.

The legends say the heroes were torn, Lunariel was in the wrong but she was their close ally. Finally the leader of the Heroes intervened, he was the Fire Hero. Ever impatient and quick to anger as the Fire Heroes always are. He intervened intent on stopping the war. He joined the side of the Sun and he began to turn the tide. Lunariel may be stronger than her twin but she could do little against the raging flames of the Fire Hero. 

Finally Lunariel was trapped in her last fortress. Defeat was imminent, she felt betrayed by everyone. The Fire Hero who she once fought beside, the other heroes who watched on the sidelines and the other attendants that refused to get involved…

So Lunariel sensing her end, decided that she would die with a final show of spite. So she made a bargain…” Elrohir said.

“With the Dark God.” I said as I narrowed my eyes.

“Yes, the legends say when the Fire Hero was at the gates of her fortress everyone in the world heard a mad cackle in their minds followed by the words: Witness the waxing moon. Lunariel emerged bearing the gifts of the Dark, she fought the Fire Hero and defied all expectations… 

By the end of the battle the Fire Hero was dead on the floor. This just shows the power of the Dark God, that his gifts can give a mortal the power to strike down a demigod. However, the Dark God came to collect his price, extremely punctually in fact. Less than an hour after she emerged with the Dark God’s gift she collapsed and passed away. She sold her soul and the rest of her life for one hour of power…” Elrohir said with a sigh.

“If that’s the case why did the hatred for the Dark God disappear?” I asked.

“Queen Solariel did not wish her sister dead. She mourned her twin greatly and she placed the blame of the whole tragedy squarely on her own shoulders. She decreed from then on, the dark need not be loved but it must be respected and treated fairly. No scorn, no hatred, it must be given the respect it is due. Death, sin and shadows are all part of the cycle of life. There’s even a song about Queen Solariel’s grief but I will spare you my singing.

The reason I am telling you all of this Dark Hero is that I ask you to treat the princess with respect. She may be serving the demons but in our eyes she is a victim of our mistakes. The crime was from the Alvs and the punishment was hers…

She may be our foe but she would not be here if not for the mistakes of our distant ancestors. To an extent we all bear some responsibility for that…

You need not understand our reasons or our views on the matter but I would request that you respect them. To us she is a victim not a villain...” Elrohir said.

“Ok… back in my world she would have been branded a villian, I guess the Alvs see things differently from humans.” I replied with a nod.

“Our long lives give us much time to contemplate our mistakes. Thank you Dark Hero for your understanding.

Now I will tell you how she fights, Princess Lunariel is a powerful mage. She is proficient in Water and Dark type Magic. Her preferred methods of attack are summoning lightning storms, cursed water and cursed ice. 

She also has two wolf familiars, we do not know from where they came from but the legends say they were born from the loneliness she felt growing up. Either way they are fiercely loyal and quite powerful. My scouts confirmed their presence so you can expect a group battle. Be warned they are fierce defenders of their mistress and they cannot die unless the Princess falls. I suggest you tie down the wolves and go for a killing blow on her. 

Her magic is powerful on it’s own but she has tailored her combat style to use her familiars. She can buff them and she has many spells that serve to debilitate her opponents allowing the wolves to finish them off.

She is a worthy opponent Dark Hero, her level is quite high but I don’t think she will be at her full strength… The records say that the early Rifts simply cannot sustain powerful demons so I think it is unlikely a level 60 individual would arrive on the second rift.. I also doubt she kept the powers that the Dark God gifted her, if she still had those gifts she would be the final demon commander to appear, not the second. I suspect the Dark Gods price took more than her life, I think it sapped her base strength as well.” Elrohir said.

“If she still has her original level and the Dark God’s gifts it’ll be a really short war…” I reply dryly.

“Yes I think so as well.” Elrohir said with a nod.

“Ok I’ll keep all of this in mind and come up with a strategy. I think Ella’s entrance into my team is extremely fortunate, I think I know the perfect way to use her…” I said as I began running tactical possibilities through my head.

“That is good to hear, Dark Hero, now I suppose the only thing left to do is to wait for the demons to arrive…” Elrohir said as he looked beyond the walls.

As I waited for the demons to arrive I took position at the wall. My party was at the killbox behind me. I looked at the line of Alvs in position and I saw Jacob, Ivan and the Lupus twins standing near the head of the formation.

Ella, Momo, Charlotte and Amethine were standing on the walls around them to give them a better vantage point. I noticed that the Mages of the Alvs didn’t need to wear that skimpy attire the other races used. The reason honestly just reinforced my desire to ensure our alliance held. The Alvs had easy access to the potions that could cleanse a Mage’s arcane heat. So that meant the Alven mages could afford to wear more protective clothing. They weren’t wearing plate armour but they had leather padding on their clothes. 

Those potions were naturally given to Momo, Ella and Charlotte. With a few of them in reserve I can only imagine the kind of havoc Momo can reap. That wasn’t to say they could fight indefinitely, the spells also had a Stamina cost; it was just that the Arcane Heat would usually overwhelm the Mage before their fatigue did.

Behind the front line of Alves were soldiers from Regus. They were placed as a reserve line, Regus soldiers were more effective on the offense, plus they weren’t used to working with Alvs. So they were held back as a group of mobile reserves.

This particular kill box was the main one in the middle of the western defence line. The cavalry will try to funnel the demons to this particular kill box in order to maximise damage to the demons. 

Then I heard an Eagles cry and I looked up to see massive eagle land behind the wall. The eagle was the size of a carriage and a rider got off his mount. He sprinted towards Elrohir who was attending to some affairs below the walls. I saw Elrohir grimace and he drew his bow. He fired an arrow into the sky and I saw a red flare appear as the arrow reached the apex of it’s flight. I looked around and saw flares being fired up all along the line. This position was the only one that was red...

I leapt down from the wall and approached Elrohir who was barking orders at the surrounding soldiers.

“What's going on?” I asked.

“There are usually two greater demons that attack the mainline to the east. The forces sent here are usually just a weaker force to pin us down. I asked Aeolwig to hold the east line and I would counter attack from the west since I have more experience fighting the demons.

This time there’s six greater demons and as far as my scouts tell me three of them are headed here. Not only that, the assault wave is bigger, much bigger” Elrohir said.

“The demons are committing more forces, they want a decisive victory here. If we are too beaten up to attack, the demons win. It doesn’t matter how many they lose after all.” I replied.

“Exactly, well with your mages and your presence here our strength is greatly bolstered. Our offensive magic is weak but with a Kitsupali as your attendant our chances are looking good. Those greater demons are heavily armoured humanoids, wielding large swords and they have large horned helms.” Elrohir explained.

Hang on… that sounds like the commander of the first Rift… well we know how to fight that and I doubt it has that resurrection shit. The queen isn’t here to save his ass this time. I also have a new weapon that is really good at punching through thick armor…

“I have something for those greater demons, killing large armoured targets is my specialty.” I said as I summoned my rifle.

“Good…” Elrohir replied.

It wasn’t long before I got up the wall when I heard a rumbling sound. I watched as the Alven cavalry began to appear, they were running towards the wall and the riders were firing their bows backwards. They weren’t riding horses, they were riding those magical deer that I saw previously. They must be good archers considering these deers were more… hoppy when they ran.

I watched as ramps formed from vines appeared at both sides of the wall and cavalry rode up the ramp over the wall. In a few minutes the entire group of cavalry was over the walls and the ramps vanished. Pretty good way to secure your cavalry...

As I peered at the forest before me I started to hear howling. I know that sound…

Sure enough a massive wave of demon hounds appeared. Immediately I saw arrows begin pouring down from the positions in the canopy. The archers on the wall also began shooting and I switched to my SMG and I took aim waiting for them to get in range. I told my party to hold their position at the choke point, I will be moving around more since my weapon granted me more flexibility. Plus I prepared some gifts for the demons…

Once the demons were in range I unleashed a torrent of shots. The Alvs next to me jumped when they heard the roar of my gun. I didn’t care, I just held my SMG steady as I hosed the demons that were fifty meters away. The dense trees meant that I didn’t have a good line of sight, but the trees still funneled them into mini chokepoints. With so many of the hounds they got stuck and ended up being congested in the gaps between the trees. All I had to do was aim at that little traffic jam. The demons in my line of fire shrieked as my torrent of purple projectiles slammed into their unarmoured bodies.

However, there were only so many bullets in one magazine, soon I heard the click as I ran out of ammo. I swapped my smg to my rifle and I took aim at the congestion and started firing. I saw the bullet punch through two hounds, they may be rather large but they were soft and squishy targets. As I ignore 50% of their already pathetic [Material Resistance]. I cock my rifle with practiced ease as I slam round after round into the mass. When I finished my fifth round I swapped back to my SMG. 

This was my standard weapon rotation, with long distance fights against a horde of enemies. Thousand Cuts SMG into Simuna’s Regards Rifle or Danse Macabre Pistol, then back to the SMG. 

By now the demons have started getting close to the wall they were getting cut down in droves under the constant stream of arrows. The Alvs were much better than the human archers I have seen. They were firing twice as fast and shooting multiple arrows with a single draw. I guess when your enemy was literally a mass of flesh you don’t really have to aim. 

I looked down as my SMG reloaded and saw the demons have started swarming towards the opening that led to the killbox. I aimed down at the opening and started spraying, when the bullets ran out I summoned three [Skittering Headsman] grenades and chucked them at the mass of demons squeezing to get in the opening. There was the familiar ear splitting roar of the explosion as bits of black demon flesh rained down onto the walls. 

I decided now it was time to shift my position. I grabbed the three bags of grenades I prepared beforehand and went over to where the rest of my party were. As I moved along the walls I saw the demons begin swarming into the killbox. You would think that a narrow opening into a killbox would mean the box would take awhile to fill due to the congestion. However, the sheer amount of hounds and their complete disregard for their own lives meant that the hounds were literally clambering over each other to get in.

Right before I got to the rest of my party I saw the hounds about to reach the front line. The first contact looked like it was going to be weak thanks to the hail of projectiles thinning them out. The Alves all raised their shields in unison and spears appeared from the line. The melee fighters in my party all raised their weapons. The Alvs were on their flanks but honestly Volva and Ivan weren't the most suited for line combat but still they were really good at culling large groups of weak enemies so there was that. 

Then the lines met and the demons began to get torn to pieces by the line of skilled warriors; these Alvs were some of the best fighters in the army. These hounds stood no chance against the line of Glade Guards, each Alv had 80 years of training under their belt. They didn’t flinch, their Amber weapons just flashed and demons fell. I could sense no hesitation, no fear, just practiced movements and superior weapons biting into the flesh of an inferior enemy. But this was just the first wave...

“There’s so many…”  Charlotte said as she looked down shakily at the mass of gnashing teeth and flashing claws.

“This is just the beginning. All of this just to tire us out…” Ella said with a grimace as she drew her bow and fired a volley of normal arrows. There was no magic being cast other than buffs for the front line. The whole army was conserving their strength for the real fight…

This wave of hounds ended in about half an hour, there didn’t seem to be any casualties from our side. The advantage the fortifications gave us was just too great. Their numbers meant nothing and their stupidity ensured that they couldn’t work around the fortifications.

Then I noticed a body fall in the distance, I looked at the trees beyond the walls and saw projectiles being fired up at the trees. Then I spotted another body fall from the canopy. I ran off to the front wall and saw that the next wave was here. The humanoid demons marched, shambling forward while those demons with the intestines that could fire projectiles fired up at the trees as they marched. Then I saw a screaming Alv fall off the canopy, trailing blood from a wounded leg. When he landed in the middle of the demons, the demons all raised their swords and stabbed down onto the screaming Alv. His blood curdling screams echoing out into the forest. As tragic as this sight was, the strategy was working, the ranged demons were just standing around in the forest firing up into the canopy. The Alvs at the wall could still fire with reckless abandon as they targeted the ranged demons, picking them off.

I aimed my SMG and started letting off bursts as the groups of ranged demons. 

Come on, where were the real enemies…

This went on for another half an hour and I could sense that the Alvs were starting to tire slightly. The volleys of arrows were slowing... Then I saw it, the hulking armoured behemoth marching forward. A sword alight with blazing fire in its hand, the arrows of the archers high above bouncing off it’s barrier. These ones however, had smaller swords and they held large tower shields. They were also slightly smaller than the one I fought at the first Rift. Let’s see how tough these ones were. I switched to my rifle and took aim. I fired a single shot at one of them and the shot struck the barrier. A spider web like pattern appeared on the barrier as it cracked under the strain of the shot. That was a much better result as compared to the last barrier I had to deal with…

The three greater demons stopped as they all looked straight at me…

 

Dark Hero…

 

The three demons said in unison and the Alvs around me flinched at the sound. To them it just sounded like incoherent shrieking and growling. But to me I could understand every word…

 

You will fail…

 

The demons said as they raised their shields and began marching forward. 

“ROTATE!” I heard Elrohir shout to my left further down the line, followed by the sound of a loud horn being blown. Immediately all the archers began moving off the wall. Then I saw the Maidens of Alvuan climb up to replace them, with a flick of their wrists a row of blue bows appeared along the wall. 

“Come and get me you stupid bitch…” I muttered as I took aim and fired again. I only managed to crack the barrier but I think I just needed one more magazine to break one of the barriers then I could see if my shots could go through the armor. 

Oddly enough the greater demons were all marching in the direction of the wall, not the killbox…

Elrohir told me the past losses were because the demons stormed into killboxes and started hacking at the frontline. Why were they headed for the wall…

Then I noticed something moving behind them. The Alvs in the trees looked to be shooting at something…

I had a bad feeling in my gut and I renewed my volley at the greater demon at the head of the formation. Finally the barrier fell after I fired my tenth shot but then I saw this new kind of demon appear as they ran to the wall… They looked like mutated Rhinos, with a long horn jutting out the front and armoured backs. I could see their armor was cracked from the volley of arrows but they looked healthy enough. Another strange thing about their bodies were these weird humps on their backs that looked like chimneys…

The strange Rhino demons charged at the wall and slammed their horns into the wall. The horns sinking into the wood walls. I could see arrows being fired from within the walls, the walls had hollow one man compartments in certain areas allowing the Alvs to fire out from the walls. In the event the demons tried to scale the walls, the archers inside could shoot at the piled up demons. The demons had no ladders so the only way they could scale the walls was by climbing on top of each other. Since they turned to ash when they died, if some in the middle were killed it might be enough to collapse the stack of demons.

Then the Rhino demons ejected a large column of smoke from their backs.

“What the hell are they doing?” I asked the Alv next to me.

“I don’t know… I’ve never heard of demons like that.” the Maiden of Alvuan replied.

Then I heard screaming from below, I looked back down on the inner side of the wall and I saw green flames pouring out of the openings where the Alvs inside the walls were. 

“Shit…” I muttered at the Alv staggering out of the compartment, his entire body covered in flames. He got two steps out before he crumpled onto the ground dead. I saw the green vines around the opening were starting to turn brown. These walls could regenerate damage, that's why they were so effective. But if enough sustained damage was done to it…

“Tell Elrohir that they are trying to breach the walls! Also tell him to move soldiers and my party over there and create a line of defence!” I shouted at the Maiden as I pointed at an open area inside the wall. 

“Yes, Dark Hero.” the Maiden replied crisply as she lept down the wall not bothering with the stairs made of vines.

I grabbed my rifle and tried to fire down at the Rhinos but I saw the closest Greater Demon raise its sword. I jumped back and landed on my back just as it’s flaming sword sunk into the crest of the wall. 

 

You cannot stop us

Your walls will fall

Your defenses will crumble

Your pathetic civilisations will soon be nothing more than ashes…

 

The demons said as they started hacking at the walls. With the walls weakened by the fire pouring in from the inside. The top of the wall started to crumble. Shit I needed to buy some time…

I crept along the walls until I was a few meters away from my original position. Then I peeked over the wall and saw the demons hadn't noticed that I had changed position. If I fired a shot they would know where I was, I couldn’t shoot without risking my head if the greater demons started hacking at me. 

Hmm I needed a way to take out all the demons in one shot. I took out a strip of cloth, I then summoned six grenades and tied them together in a bundle. These would explode when in the proximity of an enemy so I just needed to chuck it down at the Rhinos…

I popped my head over the top of the wall and chucked the grenade at the Rhinos down below then I ducked and waited. A second later there was a loud roar of the explosion and then the sound of hissing, it sounded like a gas leak. I looked over the wall and I saw the Rhino demons staggering around with their bodies badly damaged. I noticed that there were cracks running along their bodies and fire was shooting out in constant jets. Was it just me or were the cracks widening… oh no… were these Rhinos like gas tanks?

As the hissing got louder I turned and shouted at the surrounding Alvs.

“GET DOWN!” I shouted as I tacked a nearby Alv to the ground just in time for an ear splitting explosion. I felt the whole wall shake and as I staggered to my feet trying to ignore the ringing in my ears. I was relieved to see the wall was still standing.

Then I saw a large sword hack at the wall. The vines now severely damaged gave way like they were made of paper. The demons hacked and hacked, soon the walls started to crumble in earnest. Crap, but I think the explosion should have damaged the demons…

I picked up one of the three bags of grenades I was carrying around. The bags held twelve grenades, and I put three grenades into these side latches on the exterior of the bags. When the grenades were in the bags the proximity triggers didn’t work. But if I put one on the outside… 

I came up with this idea after the first rift and I had these bags custom made by the artisans in Regus. I could store fabric and simple bags into the same pocket dimension that can store material to improve my armor. My armor was in fact already improved with Alven Steel, which reduced the weight significantly. I held the bag in my arm as I crept towards the part of the wall that was being hacked down. The greater demons were making good progress, this will probably make their job easier but they were going to get through eventually. If I could take one of them out in exchange for the doomed wall then it would be a good trade…

When I reached the section of the wall, I was still taking cover behind the low wall. I saw the wall was now hacked down to half its height, but through the ruined wall I saw the demon that I had been hitting was heavily damaged. The armor was cracked and large pieces were sheared off. I could see large wounds leaking black blood in the gaps of the armor…

I turned back to look back to the interior and I saw the defence line was already set up. They were all staring at me as they watched me crawl towards the opening in the wall. I guess the defences are set up. We were as ready as we were going to be…

Time to do something really stupid… 

I grabbed the satchel and psyched myself up. Ok here goes nothing, throw the bag, run like hell and survive… hopefully…

I kind of wanted to shout something at the demons dramatically as I throw the bag but honestly that was stupid. One liners just alert the enemy to where you are.

So I silently grabbed the handle of the bag and chucked it around the corner right at the demon. Then I scrambled to my feet and tried to run, I got about a meter away when I heard the bang then I felt the shockwave as I was thrown from the wall. I looked down at the floor that was a good six meters below me.

“OHHH SHI…” I shouted but then I saw a pair of Maidens of Alvuan raise their arms as their arms glowed and I felt my descent slow. I watched in surprise as the Maidens slowly floated me to the ground. 

“Oh… thanks…” I said as I got back on my feet. 

“We fall from trees a lot, Dark Hero, but we should go.” the Maidens said as she turned to look at the wall behind me. I turned around to see a wide gaping hole in the wall. Then I heard that voice in my head…

 

~ Level Up ~

 

Ability Acquired

Blasting Charge: (Rare Ability):

Summon a blasting charge with high explosive yield.

Costs moderate Stamina

[Blasting Charge] has no trigger mechanism, requires attacks or fire to trigger

 

Oh I guess I got these since I blew up one of the greater demons. As I looked at the wall I got an idea. The demons still needed a few minutes to get into the walls. There was a hole yes but it wasn’t wide enough for them to get their three meter tall bodies through. The hole was at the bottom so they would need to collapse the entire 5 meter tall wall to get through. But with the bottom gone, the structure didn't look that stable.

I still had two of the grenade bags under my coat so I could still cause quite a bang…

I sprinted over to the front of the wall with bags slung around my shoulder. I know this was very dangerous to carry explosives like this but this was the only way I could carry them around.

“KATSURO WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” I heard Charlotte shout from the defence line. 

“TRUST ME!” I shouted back as I stopped in front of the crumbling wall. I probably had less than a minute before the wall came down. But I didn’t need long. 

[Blasting Charge] I intoned and black satchel the size of a briefcase appeared in my hand. I dropped it on the ground and I put both grenade bags on it to act as a trigger mechanism. Then I heard the wall collapse and I turned to see the second greater demon start to walk in. Demons start to swarm in and waves of blue magic arrows from the Maidens slammed into them, thinning them out.

I slowly backed off keeping my eyes on the demon.

“Looks like I got your buddy!” I taunted as I walked backwards making sure to keep the demon’s eyes on me. 

I had a plan but if I am going to survive I’ll need a shield from Charlotte… I couldn’t tell her my plan since it would tip the demons off. But I trusted her, she was the smartest person I knew, so this should be easy for her…

 

A small matter

There are many of us

We are numberless…

 

The demon replied just as a wave of spells slammed into the second demon. It staggered back as it’s barrier crumbled under the weight of the spells.

“TAKE OUT IT’S LEGS! THIN OUT THE DEMONS!” I shouted as I swapped my SMG and started to help clear out the demons swarming in from the breach. 

The demon tried to raise it’s shield but the black metal was obliterated under the weight of two hundred spells. Then another wave of spells fired out and took out the legs of the second greater demon. It collapsed on its knees as its legs were turned to a shredded bloody mess.

“HOLD FIRE ON THE THIRD ONE! JUST CLEAR OUT THE SMALLER DEMONS! I’LL HANDLE THE LAST ONE ALONE!” I shouted pretending to be cocky.

“KATSURO! WHAT?” Jacob shouted in bewilderment.

“TRUST ME!” I replied as I slowly continued to walk backwards as I watched the final greater demon roughly shove the wounded demon aside. 

 

Your arrogance will be your end, Dark Hero…

If I can kill you, this world falls...

 

“TRY IT MOTHERFUCKER!” I shouted in reply with a false cocky laugh. 

The demon raised it’s shield and charged right at me. I smiled as I saw it’s path, come on... just a few more steps. I watched as the last greater demon walked right over my [Blasting Charge] then with a flash of light I watched as the bags of grenades and the [Blasting Charge] exploded. The flames filled the barrier from the inside turning it into an enclosed space that trapped the force of the explosion. I didn’t wait to see if the barrier would hold… I just turned and ran.

“CHARLOTTE!” I shouted and I saw her raise her arm. 

[Lux Vitae] Charlotte shouted and I turned my head to see the blast get blocked by the white shield, but the shield cracked and gave way. I felt the force throw me off my feet and I tumbled head over heels onto the grass. My head spun as my ears rang, but as far as I could tell I was ok. 

I tried to get up but my balance was all over the place…

Then I felt a warmth flood my body and all of the giddiness faded away. I felt someone drag me to my feet and I turned to see Ivan smiling at me.

“Nice job.” Ivan said.

“THAT'S THE OPENING WE NEED! BEGIN THE COUNTER OFFENSIVE!” I hear Elrohir shout and horns begin to blare all across the wall. I watched as the walls grew large openings, the demons started to swarm in but this was all part of the plan. Then a volley of spells hit the downed greater demon blasting it into pieces. 

Hearing the signal the prepared units started to move. I heard a bestial roar and I saw chariots pulled by armoured bears rush right at the entrances. The bears plowed right through the demons, the blades on the sides of the chariots cutting the surrounding demons to ribbons. Then the cavalry charged after the chariots, the shock of the attack was enough that the demon lines collapsed. There weren’t that many demons left now, the bulk of the forces were the initial waves. These were just the stronger demons, but they weren’t enough to hold the tide of vengeful Alvs. Legions of Alvs armed with two handed swords charged after the cavalry streaming out of the entrances followed the plan. The orders were simple, kill them all…

“You crazy son of a bitch.” Jacob said with a laugh.

“Assault specialist, remember?” I replied with a smirk to an exasperated sigh from Charlotte.

“Heroes, if you wish to rest for now, my soldiers can do the initial push.” Elrohir said as he approached. All the while I heard the clashing of steel and the shouts of a vengeful race.

“I’m fine, all of you good?” I asked as I looked at the humans and they nodded. All the Alvs have already joined the counter attack. Jerome gave me a knowing smile as he handed me the banner of the heroes.

I raised it in front of my small army and let out a shout.

 

COME ON WE HAVE DEMONS TO KILL!