Snippet #2346353

“Incoming!”

April awoke with a gasp, feeling the gushing pain all along her right arm. Her breath faltered at first, hammering into her chest as it struggled to suck the air back into her lungs. She opened her eyes to the scene of battle, shell-shock and confusion riddling her soft features. Before her, the boulevard was littered with arrows, their feathered fletchings raised to the sky in unison. Warmth spread over her right arm, soaking the fabric of her sleeves with moist red liquid. Something about the growing pool was oddly captivating, or maybe it was the effects of blood loss finally starting to show. Two more feathered fletchings protruded from her arm, pinning her down with pain.

“April!” someone shouted.

Barely lucid, she sought out the source of her name and spotted Corporal Reginald. Even as death rained all around he smiled warmly to assuage her fears. “You should thank your lucky stars Lieutenant. That faceless we captured healed you,” he explained hastily, yelling to be heard over the growing din of battle, “More importantly, you’re lucky you had this in your pocket. Otherwise the third bolt would’ve pierced your heart.”

He raised the object held within his hand, showing her the broken rose that had deflected the impact. April winced as she tried to stand, but Reginald forced her to remain still.

“The prisoners?” she asked.

“Escaped,” Reginald said, shrinking behind a shield as the darts relentlessly besieged their position. Each metallic ring caused the medic to flinch instinctively, as if it would help in dodging the arrows. “The faceless is caught up in some kinda dual.”

April spotted Touya amidst the ensuing chaos as he danced with his quarry. She held her breath with astonishment, admiring the fluid grace of every sword swing. How he managed to fight when still in such a condition was an utter mystery to her. Shaking her head, she brought her focus back to reality.

“Fire the signal flares, call for backup,” April ordered, “Sergeant! We need to break the backbone of this ambush!”

“Trying mam!” Dubois hollered, loosing an arrow at their slippery assailants, “But they’ve got our backs pressed firmly against the carriage! We don’t really possess the capability to break away without all turning into pin cushions!”

“At the very least, we need to move. We’re at too much of a disadvantage here!” Marcus called, the marksmen of their squad. His keen eye tracked the movement of a roaming Therian before rewarding him with a death cry.

Their emergency flare erupted then. Soaring up like a rocket, its smoky trail left a mark in the sky until it exploded into a radiating light bulb of green. Good, thought April. With any luck, their reinforcements would be congregating on their position now. They only needed to survive until then. April looked around, angry as she was helpless to assist.

D company was superbly drilled considering their heritage. Most of her company had originated from rural areas or the slums, like her. Going into this mission, they at least had the foresight to equip tower shields, but her men were out of their element. She could see the tension that wracked their composure, generating beads of anxious sweat. They were a scouting force dammit, not a security force. Several were already dead. Abel, Ponting, and Kimble’s bodies lay strewn in the mud as their life blood was greedily devoured by dirt. The rest had managed to form a circle around the convoy. Earth mages swivelled their tower shields in place, each one able to levitate up to two of the massive barricades without issue. Others took up their cross bows and traded fire with the enemy.

It was a tenuous position, a cunning stalemate orchestrated by the enemy. Here April and her company were truly helpless until assistance arrived. Their enemy had the advantage of height and surprise. More than that, they had firepower.

“What’s that?” Reginald pointed with concern.

April followed his index finger and looked around as a greyhound raced towards their defences. An ominous black globe sat tight within its jaw, a lit fuse burning at the end. “Target the dog!” April yelled frantically. Marcus adjusted his aim and nailed the dog in its chest, but it barely seemed to break stride. There was little time to register the danger as the dog shot under the carriage through one end and then exited out of the other.

“Take cover!” April screamed. Her limbs protested in agony as she threw herself as far from the blast radius as possible, shielding the back of her head with her arms.

The blast tore out the underside of the carriage, shredding the dark mahogany like wet paper. The resulting heat wave enveloped them, showering the humans with razor edged shrapnel and wood chips. Fortunately, the wagon had successfully contained the worst of the blast. It did not prevent the dozens of deadly shards that assailed them however. In the wake of the bomb several more of her men died to multiple wounds.

April coughed out the gathered smoke in her lungs. Behind her lay the smouldering wreck of the carriage, live fires still burning from the inside. The bomb had impacted the dirt, inducing a small crater where the explosion had originated. Attempting to recover, the men around her rose, but the Therian’s sensed victory.

They leapt from the roof tops, descending upon their shattered foe with glistening blades. Mechanized weapons snapped out of limbs in an exact reproduction of Touya’s, stretching to their full length. April cursed and scrambled to withdraw her crossbow. They only had to hold out for their reinforcements for a few more minutes at best…

Just then a second flare shot into the sky, followed by a third. Her widening eyes watched in shock as they screeched disruptively overhead, confirming her worst fears. April bit the bottom of her lip as her heart began beating faster. The flares, a call for assistance, meant her first and third squad were also under attack. There would be no reinforcements.

“So, that’s how it’s going to be huh?” April snarled. It was fight or die now, the Therian’s had made certain of that the moment they swung the execution blade. Her trembling arm lifted to support the crossbow and she shot down the first Therian to cross her. The magically charged bolt cut right through the Therian, leaving a neatly hole where his liver had once been. “To me D Company!” April bellowed, crawling up on all fours, “Draw swords!”

Proceeding with trained precision, the remnants of her squad gathered around. Reginald stood beside her, defending himself with a shield. Even here, in the face of death, the medic stubbornly adhered to his oaths. Dubois fired a final bolt before receiving one to the stomach. He toppled over before the blades of their enemies could reach him. Marcus and a man named Reece made a final stand near the ruins of the carriage, standing back to back. They successfully took down a single Therian before dieing to numerous assailants. April crushed the skull of her third Therian, delivering a decisive blow to the man's helmet. She slipped over as a blunt instrument pummeled her from behind and blacked out.