The Battle for Ewana was in motion long before Jake even set foot in the Nest itself. After the Guards had found the compromised caravan and dispatched scouts to scour the newly found tunnels, the Black Knight had been forced to adjust his overall plan for the village. He knew that fighting the Apostle directly would be a death sentence for his forces. His current brood was nowhere near strong enough to combat the rapidly evolving threat and he did not have the resources to produce proper Maedra Warriors. The Apostle was too strong and had developed too quickly. That was made clear when the Knight lost touch with one of his other nests several days prior. The Knight knew that once word returned to the village, the Apostle would come. There would be no stopping the inevitable battle.
The Knight expected the fight to happen almost immediately, as the Apostle was thought to be bullheaded. To his surprise, days passed without even a whiff of the Apostle taking action. Thus, the Knight chose to prepare for his own attack in hopes of buying some time. Reorganizing and relocating his forces deeper within the Ravine would give him more time. He organized his forces into three groups. One would continue to search for new nesting locations while the other two would prepare to face the Apostle and the Oryx forces. Days prior, the Knight’s scouting teams had found a second possible route to the village that the Apostle used as a base. At the right time, he was certain that they could attack with little casualties.
The Knight was wise. Much wiser than the Oryx scum he would turn to food for his forces. The Apostle wouldn’t come alone so the timing he needed to inflict the most punishment would need to match the same time that the Apostle moved. The Apostle wasn’t strong enough to win on his own so he would bring a small force to fight with. The force would likely be substantial with plenty of capable warriors. Capable warriors that wouldn’t be around to defend the village.
Considering the chance that he might be overwhelmed, the Knight split the last two groups unevenly. His smaller force would remain within the nest to fight the Apostle, a speed bump simply to buy time. The rest he would have wait near the village. Once he confirmed the approach of the Apostle, a simple messenger would spring his trap into action. Even if they all perished, the goal would be achieved in the end. By wiping out the village and destroying the Oryx’s home, the Knight would open up the entire area to be seeded and the Oryx would no longer be a thorn in his side.
When the Oryx scouts were detected the second time, probing their tunnels for the nest, the Knight was alerted to action. The Oryx worked much like Humans in that they tended to perform reconnaissance prior to missions. With the Knight now aware of the impending assault, he acted quickly and split off his forces to prepare his response. Over half of his Maedra numbers split off and scurried into the tunnel, moving to the designated staging area where they would wait for his signal. The rest continued as usual. Training, breeding, growing. He armed as many as he could but the amount of equipment he could offer was insufficient. He had only recently begun to raid caravans and attack the Oryx directly with the intent of scavenging their gear. Unable to produce their own within the Ravine, the Knight needed to steal it from the Oryx corpses.
At that point all he had to do was wait, and he didn’t have to wait long. The sentries he stationed in the tunnel leading to the caravan missed a check-in time. With no report emerging from the tunnel, as planned, the Knight sent his messenger to initiate the village strike. Not long after the messenger left, the Apostle appeared. Perfect timing. His setup had been immaculate and the Apostle had danced in his palm. The Knight was uncertain if he would survive or perish but either way his task had been achieved.
Contact with the Maedra in the tunnel had been achieved. The forces were still breeding and could be tamed, trained, and prepared for battle on the surface. They still recognized Lord Crux as their leader and still followed orders from his direct underlings. On top of that, the Oryx within the Ravine had evolved into the perfect food source for the Maedra to eat and thrive on. Only the Apostle would pose a problem. The Knight had sent his final report to his superiors a week prior to the current day. This report contained all of the information he had been instructed to gather and learn.
Indeed, he may perish but the person who would replace him would be far more capable of dealing with the problems at hand. A worthy sacrifice in the name of his Lord.
However, if there was one thing that the Knight was not planning on, it was the interesting spell that the Apostle cast prior to his attack. A massive green magic circle. The Knight did not recognize its markings, the element attached to it, nor was he ready for its sheer size. Upon activation, the Maedra were unable to survive within the affected area. It drained them of their power, sapped them of strength, and killed those that could not escape its area of effect in time. Furthermore, the effect was lasting. Though the sigil itself faded, the area could not be encroached upon by the creatures. Should such a spell be used widely within the Ravine, it could prove disastrous for the army moving forward.
If only he could get that information out as well. A miscalculation on his part. A failure to properly plan and learn everything about his foe.
Yet, he felt relief during his fight with the Apostle. If he died… Well… Then none of this nonsense would be his problem anymore.
Ah, how he longed to rest and do nothing…
The sound of the warning horn echoed through the village. Vibrating the walls. A terrifying sound that shook the hearts of the terrified souls. The sound was followed by the numbing screech of the Maedra. The beasts of the Ravine had come to feast on the flesh of the weak. The Oryx villagers quaked in fright, scrambling from their homes like roaches as they raced towards the three safe havens at the rear of the village. The Scout, Warrior, and Council headquarters buildings provided the most reliable protection as they could be easily guarded and sealed. However, within them, there would be no escape.
One way in. One way out.
The villagers had been warned prior to the main force stepping off that those who wanted to leave should do so immediately. Contact with a nearby village had allowed a safe passageway to be established. This allowed peace of mind for those who doubted the success of their warriors. The rest were given two options; arm themselves to fight should the Maedra come, or gather what belongings they could carry and find shelter within one of the three headquarters buildings.
Even with the warning being issued, many chose to remain in their homes. Some did so out of faith in their warriors. Others did so out of stubbornness, not wanting to give up their homes. A few, those too old, sick, or handicapped, had no other choice but to remain in their homes and wait.
At the time of the sounding of the horn, Helena and Lydia had long left the village. Taking their meager clothes and an extra bag provided by Mur, the pair escaped promptly to avoid being caught up in the mess they knew was coming. They urged Mur to come with them but the Daemon simply could not abandon the village. Many of the field commanders present in the village itself were incompetent fools. Corrupt or lazy, they lacked the necessary skills to lead the terrified troops to defend the people.
With sadness and wishing him good fortune, the pair slipped into the tunnel and escaped to the surface. With them, they carried an elven knife and a small parchment written by Mur himself.
His final baggage removed, Mur took control of the remaining forces left to defend Ewana and organized them into a defensive formation throughout the village. Lower ranking warrior teams were posted in the tunnels to alert the village to possible Maedra attacks. Throughout the streets, guards and higher class warriors were organized into groups of five to eight. In case of the Maedra coming, the squads were made to serve as a defensive net around the village. They would work to give the villagers still in their homes enough time to flee.
At the rear of the village, the remaining forces were organized into three larger formations; one full of shield bearers, the second a mix of shields and blades. The third group was entirely composed of support individuals from mages to healers to runners. Any who could not fight directly but wished to help in some capacity were placed there.
Following the map of the village, Mur established three defensive lines. The first was at the edge of the village. Depending on where the Maedra came from, a wall would be formed to catch the initial wave and slow the Maedra down. While he thought of placing the forces directly in front of the tunnel itself, doing so would limit their killing ability. Mur needed to not just fend off the Maedra but he needed to eliminate them as well.
The second line was at the back of the village on the main, single road leading up to the three headquarters buildings. It would be their main line of defense. Skirmishes in the village would favor the highly mobile Maedra so he left those minor fights to the individual squads deployed forward. The core force would establish a wall of metal shields and prevent the Maedra from following the fleeing villagers. Should this line break, Mur knew the end would be inevitable.
The third line was the final defensive opportunity. A last stand was to be held at the doors of the headquarters buildings themselves. Mur placed a mishmash of fighters in each building and also warned his forces at the front. In the event of all else failing, each warrior would retreat to the buildings and fight to the very end to ensure the safety of the people.
A crude plan. Finished up in a matter of minutes due to the urgency and one that he personally had little faith in. It would be up to the Oryx to decide their own fate. Mur could only provide so much in terms of morale boosting and leadership. When, not if, the beasts came, each individual would need to make their own decision. Fight or die. There would be no running.
And when that horn sounded, Mur could see many make that choice. Standing at the rear of his front line, at the front of the choke point leading to the safe havens, Mur watched his Oryx fighters decide. He could not see every face. But he could feel the change in the air. As the first howls of the Maedra reached their ears and sent chills down their spines, possibility became reality.
This would either be their finest hour or the climax of their tragedy.
Mur folded his arms over his burly chest and lifted his gaze towards the threatening sounds. His eyes narrowed. The muscles in his jaw tensed as his fingers dug into his biceps.
“May the Goddess have mercy on us all,” he rumbled as he watched the men posted at the tunnels scramble to safety. Leaving behind their flame stones and mini campsites, the men hurried behind the protective line of shields and formed up in a horseshoe. Ready to face their enemy. Some kept running, however. Abandoning their posts, they fled for the safety of the village itself.
Moments later, the first Maedra surged out of the darkness. Hungry mouth open wide. Drool and spittle flying from its teeth. It howled into the cavern. Its voice of terror shrieked through the village. Then, behind it, its kin spilled forth and raced down to meet the final protectors of Ewana.
When the screams first reached her ears, Yae knew.
When the sight of people running first came into view, Yae knew.
When the smell first touched her nose… Yae knew.
The end had come.
There was little to stop the wave of beasts. All of the warriors who had stayed behind to protect the village were far too few in number, far too lax in their guard, and far too lacking in grit. The ones expected to protect the village weren’t the first choice for their roles. No, they were from the bottom of the barrel. They were those who could not be trusted on the front lines. They were failures and troublemakers. Those too inexperienced to face the horde in the raid and produce results. They were those who were expected to simply put civilians at ease with their presence. Should the beasts come, there was no expectation that they would be able to truly protect the village.
At that point, there would be no hope anyway.
To their dismay, come the Beast did. In numbers far too large to be kept at bay. They overwhelmed the feeble front guard, tore through the already pitiful formation, and poured into the village. Those within Ewana’s cradle only had mere moments to react to the appearance of the terrifying foe before they were given two choices; fight and throw their lives away to give others mere seconds of extra time, or run until the inevitable end.
Yae watched from the door step of her home as the remaining capable fighters posted within the village began their desperate struggle. Done in hopes of giving the remaining villagers an opportunity to escape. She watched as Mur rallied what forces he could to provide the unarmed with safe escort. She listened as several Guard Captains took command in the streets, shouting orders in hopes of maintaining some semblance of organization among those that could hear them.
Most of all, Yae watched the quiet tunnel she had last seen Him walk through. The tunnel where Ewana’s true protectors had marched with nervous hearts of steel and lips squeezed tightly together in anticipation of their likely final bout. She pressed her hands together in a quiet plea that they might come out of that dark hole to once more maybe… maybe give Ewana a chance to survive.
Only for that moment to never come. The die had been cast. Lady Luck had turned her back on them.
The Beasts tore through the first lines of the Guards and the Warriors with sheer numbers and unrelenting rage. Once clear of the defenders, the beasts scattered through the village. Breaking through the walls of stone that made up houses, stores, and bars. They chased villagers who tried to flee into various tunnels and even dived into the rivers after those who tried to swim to safety upstream. A wave of evil washed through Ewana. Ripping. Tearing. Roaring. Screeching.
“Jake…” Yae whispered. Her hands squeezed even tighter together. “Forgive me.”
Taking in a slow, deep breath, Yae sealed away her fear. She locked away that scared girl who was always waiting. She packed those feelings down as deep as she could and instead, replaced them with the vision of Him. She asked herself, what would he do? She thought of how he wouldn’t hesitate to run towards those screaming. How he would do everything he could to put them at ease. How he wouldn't hesitate to be their shield even if it meant giving away pieces of himself.
She remembered the very first thing he did when they met. Once he knew where he was and that he was alive, he stood up and turned back to search for his friend. With barely any consideration of his own injuries, he pushed himself, all because he couldn’t leave his friend alone. He was so desperate. Yae knew that there was no changing his mind. All she could do was support him and help him. When she first watched him fight the beasts, he was so scared. So terrified… She knew that she couldn’t leave him alone.
When they finally returned to where his friend last was, for the first time in her life, Yae felt helpless. There was nothing she could do to help or ease the pain tearing the boy’s heart. Nothing she or her brothers could do for him. There was no way for her to support him. No way for her to help him feel any better. There was no way to bring back his friend and she couldn’t bear to see how it hurt him. Oh, how her heart tore.
She remembered when he decided to become a Scout and how he threw himself into his training. All to protect the village. All to hunt the beasts and give Ewana one more day, one more chance at peace. Oh, how he looked so tired. How frail those eyes of his looked. No matter what she did and how much she tried to support him, he always seemed so uneasy and uncertain. He had tried so many times to assure Yae that he would be fine, that he would always come back, but that was never her fear. She understood the risk. She knew the dangers and she knew he would overcome them.
It was his heart that she yearned to protect. His kindness and his smile. She had witnessed the tunnels break even the brightest of smiles. She had seen what the beasts could do to the survivors. How overwhelming the trauma could be. She never wanted to see that on his face. She never wished to see him in such a state. That laugh, that courage… She never wanted to see that warmth of his fade.
Yet, no matter how much she tried to keep him. He never truly looked at her. Even when they were together. Even when he showed her his love. She never felt him truly beside her. He was always looking elsewhere. His mind was constantly focused on the tunnels, on the beasts. He was always just out of her reach…
She had told Jake to always come home. Not just in body, but in mind. In heart. In soul. She wanted Jake to always stay Jake. She wanted to always see Him walk through the door, that was what she wanted. That was what she wished for.
That was all she could wish for.
As the majority of the villagers fled, running for the inner protective walls of the village headquarters buildings, she ran outwards. Yae ran through the streets, avoiding the main roads and the sounds of battle. She kept her ears open and her eye scanned the buildings for signs of injured and trapped people. She found a few almost immediately. A trapped family stuck behind a partially collapsed wall. The mother was injured and the father had killed a beast but he was injured. Yae helped break down the wall further and gave them a hand to help them out of their predicament.
“Thank you," the mother whispered.
“Hurry,” Yae smiled and waved her off. “To the inner buildings. The guards are waiting!” As the family turned to run, Yae turned back towards the destruction. Once more, she began her search.
She was just turning another corner when the wall exploded to her left. The girl retreated away from the alley, ducking into the building she had just pulled the family from as three Beasts tumbled through the fresh hole in the wall. One screeched loudly, a shrill scream tearing through her entire body and nearly shattering her eardrums. The other two scrabbled over the building Yae was in, up to the second floor. She listened intently for their movements, tracked their footsteps, and waited until the beast still outside passed her by. Then, she scurried through the opening and slinked away into the alley. Using the hole they had just made, she slipped away from them and continued on her mission.
“Beasts!” A squad of Guardsmen looped around the building outside and a skirmish began behind her.
Yae used the opportunity to rush across the street, ducking into another alley as she moved safely away from the fighting. As she rounded another turn, popping out into an alley just wider than her slender frame, she caught sight of two young girls. One was curled into a ball, her head in her hands. The other sat beside her, quietly staring at the ground. Yae hurried to them and placed her hand on their shoulders. One flinched. The other continued staring into space.
“Can you two move? Are you hurt anywhere?” Frantically assessing them, Yae’s eye checked the two young girls over. They didn’t look hurt. The one curled up was sobbing. The other was… listless. Her eye seemed vacant. Even as Yae shook her, the girl was out of it. “Hey. Hey, wake up!”
A few more shakes finally woke the girl from her trance and she snapped to life. Yet the terror Yae saw cross her face told Yae that maybe the girl had escaped on purpose.
“Look at me. You two can’t stay here,” Yae whispered. She looked around herself, checking for any signs of the beast. When she looked at the two girls, only the sobbing one was looking at her. The other’s eye had drifted off again. “What’s your name, Miss?” Yae gave the girl a soft smile as she tried to encourage them.
“D-Dia.” The girl answered, sniffling and shaking.
Yae kept her smile and gently brushed the girl’s face. “Can you stand for me, Dia?”
The girl, Dia, nodded and slowly rose to her feet. She hugged herself and her eye trembled.
“Dia, I need you to do me a favor, okay? Can you do that?” Yae wasn’t quite sure how to inspire the girl to be strong, or how to get her to move, so she did the one thing she hoped would work.
Dia sniffled and nodded.
“I need you to follow me. We’re going to see some strong men who are able to help you, okay? Come on. You too.” Yae scooped up the girl who wasn’t responding and then grasped Dia’s tiny hand. The girl's grip was weak, but she obliged.
Yae gave it a gentle tug and while carrying one, led the other up the alley. The sounds of fighting still rang from the street and the men shouted at one another. She led Dia as far as she could between the buildings, knowing enough to avoid the echoes of combat. They quickly reached the end of the passage, a howl causing her to pause at its end. She held up a hand to stop the young girl and then peeked around to watch as the guardsmen finished the last of the three beasts.
Taking her chance, Yae grabbed the girl. “Come on!” She pulled the girl around the corner and stepped out onto the street. As she did, two of the guardsmen spotted her. One immediately lowered his sword and stepped towards her.
“Ma’am! Please hurry to the safe havens!” He directed her to his right. As he did so, he glanced in the direction, checking for its safety before letting the girls run off on their own. He seemed relieved to see it clear.
“Right! Come on, Dia.” Yae tugged at the little girl by her side as she rounded the next corner, passing the men. Up the road, another two squads of Guardsmen were stationed, each standing in a defensive posture near the intersections of the roads. There weren’t many per team, but they were all on high alert, looking for any beasts.
The initial wave of the monsters had caused a lot of damage and they were still causing a ruckus. However, it seemed like the Guardsmen were taking back control, little by little.
“Keep running, you’re doing great!” Yae forced herself to slow her pace for the young girl by her side. Dia continued to sob and cry, tears falling down her puffy red cheeks as she whimpered for her mother. Yae’s jaw tensed and she whirled around as another loud booming noise rang through her ears. As she reached the squad of guardsmen, the squad looked at something behind her, likely toward the source of the noise.
“Hurry, Miss!” As the entire squad began to run towards the destruction, one of the guards shouted some depressing encouragement.
Yae held her tongue, knowing full well she needed to rush.
Yae made it back to the road leading to the Council building and as she stepped out onto the road, she set the girl in her arms down. Her left arm was tired and her muscles were cramping. “Hurry. Keep running and the armored men will help you.”
“I want my mommy!” Dia shouted, sucking in air as her small hands rubbed at her eye.
Yae frowned and gave the girl a gentle kiss on the top of her head. “She might be inside, little one. Once you are inside, ask one of the brave men to help you, okay? She’s looking for you too. Now go.” After a final tap, she nudged the two girls forward and they began to stumble up the street.
One of the nearby Guardsmen who spotted them quickly moved to intercept the girls. By the time he looked up to shout at Yae for leaving them, the girl was gone. It was a pitiful maneuver and she knew how foolish she was but Yae had little time to be concerned with the tiny details. If there were two girls like that cowering in the back alley, how many more were out there? If she could at least get them to the building… If she could at least get them closer to safety!
Yae turned a corner a bit too quickly and ran straight into another body. Yae was hit so hard she fell backwards, flat on her backside. A full grown Oryx male stumbled a step back as well but he didn’t fall. Instead, the impact only made him angry. Annoyed and terrified of lost time, he sneered at her. “The fuck lady?!” He shouted, recovering quickly to continue his mad dash to safety. Realizing that she was running into the village and not out of it, he sneered. “Crazy bitch!”
The girl rubbed her nose and fought back tears that threatened to come loose. Her face hurt. It felt like she had been punched square in the nose. After a few moments of shaking off the impact, Yae returned to her feet and continued with her mission. The men from earlier were still in the street but were now largely engaged with beasts that had emerged. The buildings Yae had used to hide in were largely rubble. The fighting was scattered and the Guardsmen were on the back foot. There were too many beasts and not enough sets of armor to hold them back.
Yae found one Guardsman unable to fight, too injured and staggering away. “Let me help you-” Yae stepped up to him to try and give him some assistance. The man just shook his head and nudged her off him. “Wha-?”
“Run, miss. You need to get to safety.” The guard grunted through the pain, gripping his clearly broken left arm. The man fell to his knees as pain overtook him. Blood had drained from his face. Seeing the amount of blood leaking from his destroyed arm, Yae knew the man was in dire straits. Without care, he wouldn't last much longer.
She ignored his plea to run and placed her hands on his arm. Her hands began to glow and slowly, she set to work treating him. “If I can help just a tiny bit out here, then I’m going to try.” Her response made him scoff.
“...No matter who comes to help, we’ve already lost,” he muttered. His eye drifted to the stone floor, as if unable to meet Yae’s determined expression.
She scowled at him and gave his helmet a light knock. “Are you alive?” she asked.
Biting his lip, he nodded.
“Your friends are fighting. Everyone is fighting!” Yae shouted, her hands trembling as she listened to the screams echoing around her. “So long as we keep fighting, then we haven’t lost!” Yae put everything into her healing magic, focusing intensely on stopping the bleeding. She helped numb the pain somewhat and could see the relief on his face. But magic couldn’t heal a broken spirit. "Please... these people need you,” she pleaded.
After a few more moments of tending to him, the man plucked his sword from the ground and clutched it firmly in his good hand. He slowly returned to his feet and then turned to the battle behind him. His brothers were still fighting, still struggling. Seeing that, he took a breath. “Another round won’t hurt!” With that, he gave Yae a soft smile from behind his helmet and then rushed back into the fray.
Yae forced herself to smile as well and hurried out of the open street, returning to the back alleys to avoid being caught out in the open. Weaving her way through the destruction and the fighting, Yae searched the rubble for the voices of the trapped or any other terrified persons. Yet the more she looked, the less hope she found. Yae began encountering more beasts feasting on corpses and crossed through alleys where Guardsmen had run into for protection, only to die. The number of friendly faces decreased the further Yae searched and eventually she found herself losing hope herself.
On the verge of giving up and running to safety herself, Yae checked one final building. From the layout, it appeared to be a smithy. Something about it felt familiar. Careful to avoid moving in the open, she entered from the rear. Initially, Yae found herself in a small room full of scattered tools before she entered the forge room herself. There, she stopped. A lone shadow sat in the corner. Unmoving.
Yae recognized the outline. She also noticed the sheer number of broken crystals scattered throughout the room. Though the forge was largely intact, evidence of a brutal struggle was everywhere. The walls were dented and scratched. Tools were bloodied and damaged. The furnace itself was broken open, the flame within it ablaze and recently fed with fuel. Even the body still wielded a heavy hammer though the majority of its meat was missing, already gorged upon by the beasts.
The girl frowned as she grabbed a nearby black cloth. Though not large enough for a human, the cloth was sufficient enough to cover the dwarf. She draped it over him carefully so as not to disturb his final rest. At least allowing him to sleep peacefully.
“Goodbye, Hulgrok…” she whispered. After lowering her head briefly for a quiet prayer, she stepped through into the main building and found his assistant in a similar state. His body was already desecrated but dozens of broken crystals lay scattered all over the room. Similar evidence of a gallant end. After covering his body as well, the girl dared a peek out of the front of the building through a hole in the wall.
Yae found herself well outside the safety zone that the Oryx defenders had been able to establish. Beasts loomed in the streets, scouring the destroyed buildings for victims. Even if she found someone to save now, it would only put them in danger. She needed to get back to the safety of the council building. Slinking back through the building and out the back, the girl moved slowly through the narrow alleyways once again, weaving her way through the destruction.
The sound of a snort just off to her right caused the girl to freeze. Just beyond the wall on her right, she could hear the heavy steps of the beast within the building. Yae instinctively began to shake and her eye drifted towards the unseen source. Lowering her body, the girl moved slowly forward and lowered down to her belly. The wall of the building to her right had been broken and it had fallen into the building on her left. The slab of stone created the perfect place for her to crawl beneath and hide.
Once beneath the rock, Yae held her breath as the beast searched for her. She heard the heavy steps of the beast. It peeked out of the building to her right and stepped onto the slab of rock over top of her. Dust fell from the cracks as the weight of the beast caused the stone to shift. A deep gurgle followed by another snort. Yae clasped her right hand over her mouth and nose, pinching her nose closed and opening her mouth wide to silence as much noise as possible.
The beast took another step and the slab over her head cracked further. It wouldn’t hold. Yae looked over her shoulder and slowly shifted to the right, moving out of the way as the spider web of fault lines splintered. The beast took one more step and the cracks turned into gaps. Yae shuffled further out of the way as suddenly, the stone gave out. The wall split, breaking beneath the beast’s feet. The beast gawked and flailed as the bridge beneath it fractured in half, the two sides tearing apart and turning into ramps instead.
Beneath one of them, Yae shut her eyes and tucked in her legs. She curled beneath the stone to avoid being seen as the ramp above her smashed into the ground. More debris fell around her, covering her in dust and dirt. Rocks pelted her face and blocked her retreat as a sheet of stone landed over her feet. Some rocks fell in front of her as well but the exit remained clear enough that she could still get out.
When the dust settled and she opened her eye, she listened for the sound of the beast. It was gone. No sniffing or gurgling. Only the distant screams and sounds of fighting reached her ears. She looked over to her left and scanned for any sign of the creature. She tried to sniff for the smell of rotting flesh but her nose was clogged with dirt, forcing her to rely on her sight.
She peered over her shoulder, turning her head slowly to avoid making any noise by accident, and noticed a hole had formed in the rock slab. On the other side, she didn’t see the ceiling of the village.
She saw flesh staring back at her.
Yae’s eye shot open as the hair on her neck stood on end. Panic flooded her system as the beast let out an ear splitting howl through the hole. Disoriented but desperate, Yae moved away from the hole. The beast smashed its clubbed arm against the stone, cracking the stone and threatening to break through. With no choice, Yae scrambled for the exit and kicked out from beneath the slab. Just in time. A second swing caused the rock to disintegrate, and Yae would have died with it. She stumbled to her feet and ran, sprinting up the alley as the beast shouted at her back.
Desperate, the girl turned left and then dove through a hole in another building. Footsteps thundered in her ears along with the heavy gasping of effort. The beast, hot on her heels, tumbled by before turning and following her into the hole. Yae raced through the home, out the front door, and into the open street. She sprinted past two more homes and then turned into the alley again. Other beasts had taken notice of the fresh prey and collapsed towards the noise of their howling kin. Screeches, yelps, and the sounds of destruction echoed all around the girl as she rushed to get to safety.
“Please!” Unable to voice her plea as her lungs were too busy burning and choking, Yae desperately prayed to any god that may be willing to give her hope. Hope she knew wouldn't be given without a price.
Snatching her scent, a beast barreled through a building wall at her back and screeched into the air. It echoed to the others, calling out her location. Hearing quick footsteps behind her, the girl dodged to the right to avoid being tackled. The beast smashed through a wall and disappeared into a cloud of debris. On her feet again, Yae continued to flee. Overhead, the beasts began to appear. They lunged across the rooftops, chirping and shouting at one another as they closed their net.
Yae’s teeth clenched and she stared down a long alley that would lead to one of the main streets. However, there were no breakaway escape routes between where she stood and the other side. A single, straight shot. At the far end she could hear fighting, the safety of the Guardsmen.
Chancing it, she broke into a daring sprint. Her arms pumped at her sides. Her thighs burned with adrenaline and lactic acid. Her lungs heaved as she sucked in as much air as she could, desperate to feed her body. Her sweat-laden hair clung to her head, soiled and frayed. “Almost there!”
As if hearing her thoughts, the building just off to her right imploded. She flinched and stumbled forward as debris blasted outwards from the crumbling stone. She emerged on the other side, but her balance had thrown her into the wall. She fell, scraping her knees and elbows as she slammed onto the ground. Not giving up, she hurried to her feet and looked up.
The clear path ahead was blocked by a screen of dust. Another wall ahead had similarly fallen apart and from the cloud, a beast emerged. Drooling. Gurgled.
Grinning.
“Ah…” Yae rose to her feet and her shoulders fell. She looked behind her towards the wall she had just avoided being taken out with to see another beast crawl through the fresh hole.
A pincer. They’d trapped her. She backed away from the beast to her rear and then looked at the one that sealed her in. It was too far from the street to be seen by the guards fighting beyond it.
There would be no help. Without a weapon she had no way to protect herself.
Lady Luck had made her decision.
“...I’m sorry, Jake.”
The girl slumped against the wall, her eye trembling as she peered up towards the cavern’s ceiling.
Right before his eyes, Mur watched as Ewana crumbled. His plan to buy time had worked to some extent. The initial wall had held up the wave of Maedra, giving enough time for the rest of the forces to take their positions. Evacuations were nearly complete and the majority of the villagers had fled to safety. Only a handful remained either lost or unaccounted for. The squads stationed throughout the village were retreating in proper order, reporting that their designated sectors had been cleared of civilians. The Maedra were being killed off as well but once the village became a free-for-all, Mur knew the Oryx had lost the terrain advantage.
Too much destruction had occurred. The narrow streets were being turned into funnels of death and the Maedra lurked in every alley. At any moment, a beast could come bursting forth from a building. Thus, Mur called for all of his men to retreat to the main line. With nothing but thick walls at their sides, the Maedra couldn’t ambush them here.
Yet, he called for the retreat to be done slowly and successively. As each line fell back, the line behind would provide a safety net. Slowly, the warriors in the village bounded street by street until they were clear. Any villagers still outside the net were abandoned, left to their fates. Mur could not risk the majority to save the few. An unfortunate circumstance that he normally would not let happen. However, the Maedra were not so kind. Like poison, once they had their entry point, they would spread and kill everything within.
“Hold the line!” Mur’s voice boomed over the chaos as he peered out towards the city. Large buildings toppled and crumbled. Massive plumes of dust rose from the falling buildings as the Maedra tore apart the village, searching for food in the debris. Corpses littered the streets in view and, in plain sight, were eaten by the Maedra.
Mur watched with a tense expression. He could stomach the view. Yet those already terrified were likely heavily impacted by the scene. Fallen villagers and defeated warriors were gorged upon, their flesh torn to pieces by razor-like teeth. One captured warrior was still alive, screaming for help as his limb was ripped off. None budged from their positions. They watched in silence as his armor was pulled off. His chest was cracked open by another beast that had appeared to get a taste of the fresh meal.
The large Daemon was doing a battle assessment when his ears picked up another distant howl. He peered towards the tunnels once more, scanning them for the source of the noise.
“...” He swallowed a curse and his jaw locked. He didn’t show it on his face but his stomach flipped as another face emerged from another tunnel.
Having followed the sounds echoing from the village, Maedra from other tunnels began to appear. One by one, they emerged from the dark tubes and peered down at the scene. Those who were on their own joined the fray. Others turned to the tunnels, screeching down them to alert their comrades.
Unable to do anything but watch as the slim chance of making it out alive vanished, Mur scowled. Dozens more Maedra emerged from the new tunnels. Along with them, a number of others appeared from the original tube. A second wave of Maedra appeared, eliminating Mur’s dreams of ever seeing the surface again.
He didn’t flinch, though. Ever stoic, the massive four-armed Daemon simply stared forward towards his foe. Unmoving. A statue of muscle and discipline. In the face of odds stacked so high that the sun would never rise on Ewana again-
--Mur dared the Maedra to test him.
“General…?” One of the Oryx Guardsman Captains stepped up to his right. The Oryx didn’t look up at him. From beneath his gray helm, the captain watched his home be reduced to rubble.
Mur reached down and placed a firm, steady hand on the Oryx’s shoulder. “Steel yourself, Captain. So long as I am standing, so long as we are all standing, then we have a chance.”
After a long moment of silence, the captain nodded.
“Ready yourselves!” Mur shouted.
Metal scratched as blades were drawn. Armor rattled as shields were adjusted.
The Maedra had worked their way through the last remnants of the village and a few had turned towards the wall of iron. They had stayed off in the distance at first, as if knowing their numbers were too few to make a dent in the Oryx’s line.
“No one will remember you.” Mur shouted, causing a few men to flinch. “Your village isn’t on a map. To the rest of the world, this place is just another hole in the ground. Already forgotten the moment you were born.” The Daemon pulled his heavy axe and massive hammer from his back. Both required two hands to hold. He carried them each with one.
“But, for you all, this place is everything. These people are your blood. Your families cower behind you with no one to protect them but you. They have nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. No one will save them but you. No one is coming. Look to your left. Look to your right. This is all you have.” Mur stepped forward, using his free hands to gently move his men clear so he could take a position towards the very front of his lines. Standing several heads taller than any Oryx, Mur stood out like a deep colored ruby in a mound of gravel.
“Be proud of that. While others have run and now weep in fear, praying for the faceless gods to give them guidance, you have the strength and courage to be their heroes."
The Daemon stepped to the front of his forces and to the right. Midway along, he stopped and the arm gripping his axe tensed. He slammed the heavy edge of the weapon into the ground and dragged it along the stone. He drew a line in the rock as he walked along in front of his defensive wall.
“Hold this line. Not a step back. There is no running anymore. Remember why you fight and who you fight for. You are all they have left.” Mur retook his center position and then faced the Maedra once more. The beasts, now outnumbering the Oryx, emerged from the rubble mere meters away.
“Warriors of Ewana! Earn your right to stand before the gods with proud smiles and raised heads!” Mur squeezed the handles of his weapons.
Leather straps and hilts tensed. The men peered through their helms as the first Maedra suddenly raced forward. It lunged into the air towards the line and eyes from both sides watched with bated breath as the body surged through the sky. The Oryx in its path bent their knees slightly to brace their bodies, raising their shields to protect the line.
Before the Maedra could even taste the shield in front of it, a heavy hammer came down from its right. The body was smashed beneath the pitch black head. Obliterated in an instant. Meat scattered as its crystal heart was turned to dust. When Mur lifted his weapon, traces of flesh dripped from the flat edge. The ground had cracked beneath it.
“Slaughter them all!”
Like a trigger to the war, the Maedra roared forward and the Oryx rallied against them. Arrows and spells rained down from the back line as the Maedra smashed into shields. Mur stood in the center, his arms whirling as he scattered flesh with both of his weaponized arms. The hands that were empty grappled, tossed, and tore.
The final stand for the fallen village began. Those brave enough to face their enemy stood firm. Those they protected lowered their heads. Some prayed. Some cried. Some stared at the sealed doors, hopeful that the next faces to show through them would be friendly ones. Others had already given up hope and quietly waited out the final moments of their lives.
