Quest update: Eliminate the remaining enemies that have broken through the southern section of Trench Line Center. Warning: You do not meet the minimum level recommendation for this quest.

Shawn could only shake his head at the latest notification that appeared in front of him. He had so many questions about this new world and the system he now lived with.

That's going to have a wait a bit longer. Shawn thought grimly as corporal Barnes held up his hand to bring Shawn and his men to a stop.

The trenches down here had seen far worse fighting. Thousands of corpses littered the ground and a large section of the defensive line had been blown completely apart. Shawn felt a cold sweat form on his dirtied brow as he thought about what would have happened if he had found this section instead of where the corporal had waved him in from. The men around him began to murmur to each other. Nerves clearly beginning to take their toll on the already weary soldiers.

Time left on “Inspiring Presence”: 21 minutes.

Shawn eyed the small text in the corner of his vision. He had to wonder if he, or any of the other men, would still be following the corporal if the added fear resistance ran out. A tight series of gunshots rang out to the south east followed by a distant demonic roar.

“That’s behind the trench line.” Barnes spat onto the ground and pointed over the nearest hill in the direction the shots came from. “Come on.”

Barnes made a V signal with his hands and his men spread out into the shape of a wedge, with the corporal at the head. Shawn hesitated for a moment before the furthest man on the right side signaled him over. Grateful for direction, Shawn took the widest position on the right side and kept pace with the rest of the formation. Despite his limp that was clearly growing worse, Barnes pushed forward rapidly, and it wasn’t long before the formation reached the top of the hill. The corporal lifted his hand and crouched down behind a patch of upturned earth. The squad carefully crawled up to the ridge until they formed a single line. Since Shawn was at the end of the wedge, he was the last to crest the ridge and view the combat below. Though nowhere near the same level of damage seen in no man’s land, this area behind the trench line had still seen its fair share of explosions and fire. All of that was immediately lost on Shawn as he witnessed a frightening scene.

Another squad was being ripped to shreds by four demons. Three of the demons matched what Shawn had fought before, but the fourth seemed to be a different type. The most obvious difference was the blue skin instead of the reddish color the others wore. The horns were larger, teeth longer, and claws sharper. As Shawn watched, a tight cluster of bullets pinged off of the creature’s chest with no visible damage being done. The six remaining soldiers fearfully reloaded their rifles while the unaffected blue demon began to close the distance between them. The three reddish demons rushed to flank either side, cutting off the retreat of the survivors.

Shawn immediately lifted his rifle but the soldier nearest to him frantically waved for him to stop. Shawn gestured angrily down towards the men who would be dead in a few moments and the soldier scrambled closer to him.

“We can’t penetrate that armor with what we've got.” The soldier hissed. “All we would do is get ourselves killed along with them.”

Shawn opened his mouth to argue but a shout from the corporal brought him up short.

“AB-rifle, halfway across!” Barnes shouted to his men while pointing to the location he meant.

Shawn followed the finger and spotted an unmoving body of another soldier that appeared to have been carrying an extremely long gun.

“Push push push!” Barnes stood and began to sprint down the hill towards the weapon.

Shawn and the rest of the squad followed moments after, easily catching the wounded corporal. Halfway down the hill, Barnes brought his gun up to his shoulder and began to fire at the demons along the far hillside. Shawn eagerly followed suit, managing to place a few shots close enough to the demons to give them pause. The endangered squad rushed to one side, catching one of the red demons flanking them by surprise. The six soldiers let loose fierce battle cries and stabbed the demon repeatedly with their bayonets. Their victory proved short lived as the two remaining red demons caught the group from behind. Gruesome hand to hand combat followed but Shawn’s attention was demanded elsewhere.

The towering blue demon turned towards the gunfire that bounced harmlessly off of its thick skin. Baring its bloodied fangs, the demon charged straight towards the center of Barnes’ formation.

“Carson!” Barnes barked out.

“Sir?” The man nearest to Shawn responded.

“You and the kid get that AB-rifle, the rest of you, keep that monster occupied.”

A chorus of gunfire erupted to Shawn’s left as the squad wordlessly followed the corporal’s orders. Barnes and the other five men began to rush further to the left and pulled the creature in that direction.

“Let’s go.” The man named Carson crouched low to the ground and quickly ducked forward between cover.

Shawn struggled to keep up as the mud buildup on his shoes had reached a critical mass. Sweat dripped into his eyes, stinging them with salt as he forced himself onward. Carson reached the rifle just as the first of Barnes’ men cried out in pain. Shawn’s head snapped up to see the blue demon lifting freshly bloodied claws above its head before slashing down onto an injured member of the squad. Bullets continued to ricochet off of the monster’s thick hide, doing little to stop the creature.

“Hey!” Carson’s shout brought Shawn’s attention back. 

“Find the bullets.” Carson picked up the absurdly long rifle from the dirt and gestured down to the fallen soldier that had carried it. “They should be somewhere on this guy.”

“What type of gun is this?” Shawn asked in an attempt to distract himself from thinking about how he was sifting through a dead man’s pockets.

“Anti-Brute Rifle, or Anti-Behemoth Rifle.” Carson answered as he began to mount the weapon’s bipod on the highest patch of dirt nearest to them. “Depends on who you ask. I don’t know which is the official title.”

Shawn struck gold when he opened the right-hand belt pouch and he pulled out a fistful of bullets. These rounds were significantly longer than the thirty-ought-six bullets he had been given for his standard issue rifle. While they were not as large as the fifty-caliber bullet that Shawn had seen once in his previous life, it was certainly closer in size then what he had been firing up until now. Carson lay prone as he tucked the AB-rifle into his shoulder. Eyes not leaving the iron sights, Carson held his hand out to the side and beckoned for Shawn to give him a bullet. Shawn obliged and Carson slid the first round into the single shot chamber.

“Okay big guy, let’s see how you enjoy something more your size.” Carson muttered as Shawn hunkered down next to him.

The shockwave that erupted from the weapon when Carson squeezed the trigger caused loose dirt around them to shudder. The blue demon, who was in the process of dragging his second victim from Barnes’ squad closer to its jaws, caught the bullet on the left shoulder. The round penetrated through the demon’s outer armor and left a gaping hole in its wake. Carson pulled the bolt back and ejected the smoking shell. Without a word, he held out his hand and Shawn fed him the next round.

The blue demon whirled around and spotted Shawn and his companion with frightening speed. Shawn heard the bolt of the AB-rifle slide forward once more and Carson adjusted his aim. At the last moment, the demon dropped on all fours and Carson’s next shot ricocheted off of the angled back of the creature. Carson cursed and quickly ejected the spent shell. As Shawn handed him the next one, the blue demon stood with something in its hands.

“Incoming!” Carson shouted just as the demon lobbed a massive boulder it had pulled from the mud.

Shawn threw himself to the left, rolling across the ground and tucking his head into his chest. He felt the ground lurch as it reverberated from the impact. Dirt and Mud exploded over him and Shawn felt his stomach drop when Carson screamed out in agony. The blue demon roared in triumph. Shawn lifted his head to find it on all fours sprinting in his direction. Barnes and the two remaining men in his squad still on their feet kept up a constant barrage of fire that pelted the demon’s back. The creature ignored them; eyes locked onto Shawn’s position.

Shawn scrambled over the remains of the boulder that had just settled into the earth and spotted Carson a few feet away. His arm lay limp at his side and his leg was twisted at an awkward angle.

“Grab the gun!” Carson held the stock of the weapon out for Shawn to take.

Shawn shakily grabbed the weapon in his hands, fumbling to slide the bolt back and chamber one of the dirtied shells he was still clutching in his left hand. Shawn managed to load the single shot weapon but by the time he lifted the weapon into a firing stance, the blue demon had already closed within a few dozen feet of his position. The long barrel swayed in his grip and Shawn dropped prone in order to control the weapon properly. He cast his eyes down the iron sights of the weapon, training the end of the barrel on the target that was growing in size as time ticked on. Shawn took a breath, released it, and squeezed the trigger as his lungs deflated.

The gun rocked into his shoulder, making Shawn wince as he could already feel the bruise that would surely appear there later on. The bullet struck the blue demon in the lower abdomen, punching a large hole into the demon’s body. To Shawn’s horror, the creature didn’t drop. It paused, hunched over for a second, before releasing its most fearsome roar yet. Shawn quickly ejected the spent shell and slid a new one into place just as the creature resumed its sprint. Shawn only aimed for a brief second before squeezing the trigger again.

Click.

Weapon Jammed. Warning: Your proficiency in firearms is too low to handle this weapon. Improve your firearm skill to lower your chances of a weapon malfunction or use a weapon closer to your firearm level.

Shawn’s blood ran cold as his eyes flew over the text.

That’s not fair.

Shawn lifted his gaze to watch the blue demon’s legs leave the ground as it leapt the last few feet towards him. Dark blood pouring from its ignored shoulder and stomach wounds. Its claws were fully extended, ready to rip him to pieces. Its eyes were filled with nothing but hatred and bloodlust as they closed in on their target.

Shawn only had one thing go through his mind before the end would come. I didn’t even last a full day.