This kind of equipment was called artifacts in Etrium and resulted from the crafters' work. Lately, Etrium crafters learned how to use thaids' body parts, but it was still a relatively new technology, and the crafters mostly used ores.
However, aside from their brain crystal powers, melee soldiers and mercenaries usually preferred to use weapons as their main attacking tools since they only had to pay for their maintenance and didn't need bullets.
On the contrary, ranged units preferred guns or weapons related to their brain crystal powers. Camille and Ramon, and almost all the members of the band of giants, were preparing themselves for an urban fight.
They were previously briefed on the fact that millions of creatures entered the city and started slaughtering the citizens still inside the city and those who could not reach a shelter on time. Still, they didn't receive any orders yet, only to prepare themselves.
But the higher-ups were confident enough that it was just a matter of time before they were asked to intervene since the police were practically useless given their low numbers. Most of the people were outside fighting the main part of the horde.
The group was only waiting for their boss's order to get into action, but it was clear that not all the glory would be theirs as most of the work was being done by the militaries, which ensured that most of the creatures did not reach the gates.
"When do you think they will call us?" Camille asked.
"I have no clue, but it is just a matter of time, according to the boss," Ramon replied.
"What makes you think so?" Camille curiously asked while cleaning her rifle.
"Do you think everyone will be able to reach the shelters on time? No. This will force them to take action, and since it is a mess out there, they will have to ask us," he replied.
"Besides, it will not take a lot of time before the monsters reach the shelters; after that, we will have to see if these buildings are as safe as they said," Ramon added.
He was not happy about people dying, but he was greedy enough to care only to a certain point; after all, why should he do his work for free? He joined the ranks of the band of giants for money.
The pair then changed into battle gear and joined the other mercenary members in the adjacent room.
***
"Chief," a police officer said to Mr. Grimes with a concerned look. Allan's father was stuck outside of a shelter, still breaking up fights and helping injured people. The situation was very problematic since many citizens fell or tripped, injuring themselves while escaping from their homes. It was inevitable.
"What's the problem?" he asked.
"We just received a call; a group of beasts is directed toward our position.
It won't take long before they reach this position," the officer said with a slight tint of fear in his eyes.
Allan's father then looked at his watch; it was 15:00, meaning that the troops at the eastern gate lasted about 20 minutes.
"Damn…" Allan's father replied. However, he kept his composure. <This is a problem,> he thought, but didn't say anything else.
He found his courage and then ordered his men: "Prepare a defensive perimeter and ensure that as many people as possible go inside the shelter."
"Yes, sir," the officer then took a speaker and started shouting orders to the citizens. Another police officer approached him.
"Sir," he said.
"What is it now?" Chief Grimes asked.
"There are some people saying they know you. What should I do?" the officer asked.
"Who are they?" Allan's father asked.
"They say they are called Aaron and Martin. They also stated you know them," he added.
Erik and the others, aside from Mikey and Anderson, knew that Aaron and Allan knew each other. They actually lived close to one another and were childhood friends. However, they drifted apart as they grew up, ending their friendship once Aaron became Anderson's friend.
He immediately understood who they were—his neighbors. "Let them come," he tiredly said.
The chief of police wondered where his son and wife were and was worried about their well-being, but he could not leave his position and jeopardize the lives of countless people. His heart ached, but he still had to do his job.
Soon, a couple was spotted coming toward his position: Aaron and his father, a middle-aged skinny bald man. They were caught by surprise by the whole attack and left their home in a hurry.
Aaron was not at the Red Palace to run some errands with his father, who was too old to join the army, as he was 45 when Aaron was born.
The problem was that the closest shelter was ten minutes away from their home, and they had to run there. Aaron approached Allan's father with messy hair; he was out of breath due to all the running.
"Mr. Grimes…" the young boy said while trying to catch his breath. "Hello, Aaron, pretty bad time to meet, uh?" Allan's father sarcastically replied.
"Hi, Martin," he said, addressing Aaron's father.
"Indeed…" he said while panting. "What do you need?" Mr. Grimes said.
"Sir, I just wanted to ask for your help. Can you make us go inside the shelter?" Aaron shamelessly asked. There were too many people, too old or young, to join the army, heading toward that particular shelter.
"Ah, that's why, uh? Ok, you can, but be fast." Mr. Grimes took this decision thinking about the young man and his own son's past friendship. It was unfair for the other people to queue jump, but Aaron was once an important friend of Allan, and they grew up together. He actually saw Aaron becoming a young man.
Mr. Grimes gestured for a police officer to escort the two people. "Come with me," the officer said, beckoning the duo to follow him.
Meanwhile, from a distance, a cloud of dust appeared. "What the hell is that?" an officer said. He took a pair of binoculars and looked at the cloud, and soon his face paled. He threw the binoculars onto the ground and ran to the chief. Fear emerged from his voice.
"Sir, multiple thaids are approaching!" he said. "Damn…" The chief of police took some time to think about what to do; he was put in a terrible situation that required him to be as strong as possible.
"Close the shelter's gates," he shouted.
"SIR?!" Aaron shouted, but Allan's father ignored him.
The police had already received news about the eastern gate breach, and they were also told that a group of monsters had entered and were headed in their direction. He knew it was only a matter of time before they reached the shelter, but he hoped he would have more.
Aaron heard what Mr. Grimes said, and his face lost all color. "Run, dad! We must get in!"
The pair started running toward the shelter's entrance, but they were soon stopped by a crowd of people doing the same.
"Damn!" Aaron said.
"Mr. Grimes!" he shouted.
"Mr. Grimes, help!" No word seemed to reach him, and the young man could do nothing but run away.
The police officers took their cars and created a barrier to stop the monsters; they put themselves behind them and drew their weapons, pointing at the horde of monsters now close to the shelter.
"FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!" Mr. Grimes shouted with all his might, and soon, chaos ensued.
***
In a safe location inside the city, a young woman was currently watching, through drones, what was happening around the city.
She was beautiful and petite, but her frame clearly showed signs of training, and despite the care and attention she gave to her own appearance, she had several calluses on her hands. The young woman also had long black hair in soft curls that fell down to her back. She wore very elaborate clothes made of cotton and silk, which also had some embroidery on the side—a white dress ending up in a skirt reaching her knees and a pair of long black socks.
She was Rebecca, the fierce lioness' daughter.
Rebecca sat on a small chair next to a desk on which several monitors were placed, allowing her to see through the multiple drones' eyes positioned all over the city. The screens showed many different views from various locations throughout the city: rooftops, streets, parks—any notable place that her mother said to keep an eye on.
She had a focused expression as she scanned the city, her eyes darting from one screen to another. Occasionally, she would make notes on a tablet beside her, and her lips would move silently as she analyzed the information she was receiving.
One monitor, however, showed what was happening in front of the shelter where Allan's father was stationed. The young woman had a horrified look on her face as she saw the thaids approaching the place.
Strangely enough, they didn't focus on the police but on the citizens. It was with disgust and sadness that she saw people being eaten alive by ferocious beasts; others were trampled by their fellow humans, and others died trying to put up some resistance.
The police were putting up the best defense they could, but it was futile since the sheer number of monsters was too high for the police to handle them alone. However, Mr. Grimes's strenuous defense sparked something in her; how could a single man put up this much resistance without fear? How could he believe he was going to make it or that he would be able to accomplish his duty?
Though her eyes casually landed on a particular person, Aaron. She was naturally attracted by the young man, as he looked like the only one who more or less knew what to do in that situation, while all the other kids ran in fear; instead, he was keeping his calm despite the situation.
People surrounded him and his father, and he was trapped inside that human sea, forcing them to take the same direction the group was taking. Behind the fleeing crowd, a group of monsters was stalking them.
Of course, the creatures didn't take much time before reaching the tasty and fragile humans. A gory scene ensued, with people being eaten alive. The luckiest among the fleeing kids and old people actually had their heads ripped from their bodies, but others weren't that lucky since the thaids started eating them alive.
Often starting from their genitals and reaching for their innards without even sparing the bones once they were firmly held to the ground. The chief of police's valiant defense line had been useless.
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