[FIVE MINUTES EARLIER]
Tension was high at the eastern gate. Scouts reported that the horde was minutes away from reaching the clearance surrounding the barrier. The army had been told to prepare for an attack, and they were doing just that, but with the usual uneasiness that characterized each period before a battle.
However, this wouldn't be a simple bout; a million-strong horde of thaids was marching over the city, and if things went sour, New Alexandria could even end up being wiped out.
The generals were strategizing their plan of action, knowing that the city's fate rested on their shoulders. Since they all received military training, the adult citizens were on the walls with all the other soldiers, and only the kids and the old people who couldn't fight anymore were waiting inside the city. They were not few by any means but were still less than the adults.
"The wait is killing me," Tim said.
"Me too," Frank replied.
Tim looked around nervously as he saw more scouts returning to the city with news about the enemy's advance. He didn't like how close the thaids had gotten.
"Do you really think we can make it?"
Frank put a hand on Tim's shoulder and said, "We have to trust our leaders and their plan. We'll get through this together."
Frank nodded energetically. "I'm sure of it."
The two observed the battlefield, noticing how many people were stationed behind a three-meter tall wall to shield the soldiers from thaids, give them a tactical advantage, and protect the artillery.
Many people were stationed on it, along with hundreds of thousands of other soldiers at the base of the wall.
Tim and Frank were there as sentinels, and their role was to keep an eye on the surroundings and sound the alarm whenever the horde appeared from behind the distant trees. Tim and Frank kept looking around the battlefield and saw the enemy coming from many different directions, making it hard for their army to defend itself. They knew they had to act quickly to warn their fellow soldiers and prepare for the attack.
As soon as the alarm sounded, all men and women had to operate the artillery weapons and activate the mechas. Every soldier available had instead to make as much destruction as they could; killing as many thaid as possible was the first goal the higher-ups gave to the soldier. The alarm echoed through the battlefield, and Tim and Frank sprang into action, rushing to their posts and preparing for the fight ahead. They knew this battle would be one of the toughest they had ever faced, but they were determined to do whatever it took to protect their homeland.
However, as they kept scanning their surroundings, the two soldiers noticed the figure of a lone scout running toward the walls. Thanks to their superhuman senses, they could clearly see his eyes. They showed clear signs of terror.
Suddenly the earth started trembling, a deep rumble echoed from the east, countless trees started falling to the ground, and a massive cloud of dust spread on the horizon.
"Uh?"
Tim was the first to notice the commotion, but all the soldiers soon saw it. Inhuman screams and shrieks filled the air, making everyone's blood cold. Some of them clutched their weapons tighter, ready for whatever was coming, while others looked around frantically, trying to locate their team members. Tim's heart pounded in his chest as he realized this would be much worse than he had anticipated.
Everyone turned to look at the forest but was horrified to see the scene developing—monsters were racing toward the city at top speed.
The creatures were in all shapes and sizes, from small and slimy to large and hairy. Some resembled mammals, others insects, and others even had tentacles.
It was a veritable menagerie of life; the soldiers who never met the horde on the battlefield were left terrified but controlled their urge to flee and not abandon their post for the sake of their families behind the barrier.
Their hissing and growling echoed through the air, sending shivers down the spines of those who heard them.
Some creatures were so massive that they could flatten a house with a single stomp of their foot.
However, they were still far from the city walls, giving the soldiers time to prepare their weapons and defenses.
"Hurry up!" a soldier shouted with urgency in his voice. "We are under attack!" he added. The alarm started ringing with a grave tone, and the soldiers rushed to their positions, ready to face the enemy.
The thaids' horde was approaching the walls in alarming numbers. The artillery started shooting at the horde.
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
There was a look of horror on the soldiers' faces once they saw what was among the beasts. The intelligence department had already briefed them, but seeing them was completely different. The Yevyagìt were there.
The artillery kept blasting them, but most of the creatures were resistant to conventional weapons, so the result of the attack was not that good.
"Sir, the Yevyagìt are running toward the gate," a young soldier told Colonel Tiwana.
"They are twenty, sir." The soldier added.
"This…" the Colonel replied. One is already problematic to handle, but twenty was a nightmare. Tiwana knew these beasts were among the horde, and he prepared an elite group of ranged soldiers to take them down.
"Tell the 42nd corp to attack the beasts; they must stop them at all costs." This corp comprised three hundred thousand soldiers and had the sole role of killing the Yevyagìts before turning their attention to the horde.
"Isn't it our responsibility to kill them if they want to die so badly?" he asked the soldier.
After a few seconds, the Colonel asked, "Is the 42nd corp ready?"
"They are, sir," he replied.
The Colonel nodded and gave the order to proceed with the mission. "Good; tell them to focus all their fire on killing the Yegyavìts." Solemnity was plastered on Colonel Tiwana's face; he knew that the upcoming battle and the task he gave to the 42nd Corp were hard, but if someone could pull this feat off, this would have been them.
The soldier knew what was happening and went quickly to tell all the troops what to do. Anyone was called to defend the walls; there was not a single soldier or able-bodied civilian inside the city aside from those placed there for safety reasons or those protecting particular places.
A minimal number of police officers were also present, but it was clear they were enough only to stop minor skirmishes and the occasional thief.
Guns and bombs were enough to deal with weak creatures, but during an invasion of such caliber, it was impossible to say what would happen or if the soldiers would have been able to stop the horde.
***
"Did they ask for our help yet?" said a big and burly woman. She was exuding a threatening aura by simply being. She was the Fierce Lioness, whose real name was Amanda Ravithier.
The woman was a seasoned mercenary. She was the leader of Etrium's strongest mercenary guild, the Band of Giants, and she had so much power that she was essentially deemed a one-woman army.
"No, ma'am, they did not ask for our services; they probably think they can face the horde alone," replied Adina, her chief relationship officer, and the right-hand woman. Despite being much shorter than her boss, she was not less threatening.
However, we can still contact them and offer assistance if they change their minds. Adina is always ready to go the extra mile with her excellent relationship management skills and determination to provide the best service possible to their clients.
"This will end up in a huge mess. Have you contacted my daughter yet?" Amanda asked Adina.
The woman replied confidently, "Yes, ma'am, she is currently inside one of the city's fortified shelters alongside a couple of our most skilled men."
Amanda asked her daughter, whom she was training to be a mercenary. To come with her to Frant and learn how to manage such situations. The fierce Lioness was very strict with her daughter, wanting her to take the Band of Giants reins once she retired.
"Good; tell her that she must open the monitor in the room and observe what is going on inside the city; this is her only opportunity to see what a real battle is and get accustomed to gore…" Amanda said.
Martha's mother was not a pleasant person; she was ruthless, and most of the time, she showed a black heart. She was uncaring about other people's thoughts; she didn't care if others died. What she only cared about were two things: power and money.
This side of her made the relationship with her daughter, Rebecca, difficult. The young woman wanted her mother's love, so she trained like crazy to please her. However, Amanda never acted like a mother to her, more like an instructor.
"Yes, ma'am," Adina said to her boss.
She then dialed a number on the phone and gave a couple of orders to whoever was listening on the other side.
"Everything is done, ma'am," she said once the conversation ended.
"Good." Amanda replied, "Adina, I want you to keep the whole squad ready for action; be quick about that."
"Yes, ma'am," she replied.
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