FW Ch 22 - Time To Defy The Gods
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Ha-Yoon was running through the streets, trying to find where Yi was at. She couldn't help but look at the sky and be reminded of the nightmare. It was as if the entire sky was dying and its blood was draining across the sky. Flashes of her childhood went through her mind, watching the blood drain down the steps of her house. A house where moments ago was filled with the laughter of her father and brother, and the soothing voice of her mother. Now she was going to lose everything again.
"No! I can fight them this time! I will not allow the same thing to happen again!" Her mouth trembled, as she tried to hold back the emotions.
"YI!" Ha-Yoon screamed out, turning her head back and forth in search of him. "Where could he have gone!" She yelled at herself. Trying to think back to the last time she saw him. It didn't take long before she remembered how Yi was going with his servants to check out the markets.
"If only I had gone with him!" She beat herself up.
After hearing Yi tell her how he was there for her and crying her eyes out in front of him, she felt self-conscious and embarrassed, deciding to rest in her room.
Even though she knew the city was strong enough to hold back the monsters for a time, she kept thinking about how it was going to be overrun eventually. To be destroyed and forgotten, only remembered as a reminder of the destructive force of the Overflow.
"Excuse me!" She shouted at one of the residents. "Where are the city's guards located?!"
The man looked befuddled by her question but pointed towards where they were located.
Without a word of thanks, she dashed to where the man pointed.
As she ran past people, she noticed them beginning to calm down after the initial shock of the sky changing colors. Even if people knew they were safe, the Overflow was still something deeply ingrained into people as an event to fear.
Of course, there would be panic by people seeing it happen, but after a time others began to help bring order. There were those who would reassure their fellow residents the city was safe, and they didn't need to be frightened.
"I am sorry, everyone." She couldn't help but whisper to herself. Even if she were to tell the people, they wouldn't believe the word of a stranger compared to the proof of the city thriving in the face of such a tragic event.
Tears flew past her face, as she kept running and ignoring the odd looks.
"The city is safe, young lady! There's no need to run!" An older man tried to call out to her, thinking she was scared like many were.
Hearing the confidence in his voice only made her chest hurt more, thinking about how they were all going to die, just like her family. Sobs escaped from her throat, as she continued to run towards where she thought she could get help locating Yi.
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[Master! Are you alright?!] Brittany sent a mental message out to him when the city broke out into chaos as the sky turned colors.
[Yes. I am alright. Idrenis and I are on top of the wall. Have the rest meet me up here.] He directed her.
Looking at Idrenis, Han said, "I guess it is time."
"Yes."
One of the guards ran up the stairs and towards where Idrenis was standing.
"Commander! The Deputy has ordered several of the guards to go into the city to regain order. I was informed to let you know, and ask what our next step should be." The guard saluted, a mixture of excitement and fear on his face.
"Have the entrance into the city sealed. Have those researchers bring out the weapons, placing them at the corners." Idrenis motioned her arms at the spots. "I want a platoon of guards around each of the weapons, and make sure only authorized people get near them! We trained for this scenario! Quickly inform the Deputy to station long-range fighters on top of the wall along with several detachments of close-range fighters. Those bastards are going to be here soon, so I want it all finished within the hour!" Idrenis barked out the last part at the soldier.
Receiving his orders, the guard quickly raced down the stairs to informed all related parties of her orders.
"Already bringing out the weapons?" Han asked Idrenis.
Gritting her teeth, Idrenis calmed herself down before saying, "Those things will not last long, and will only buy us time. The weapons are powerful, but the internals gets fused together too quickly." Chuckling at Han, she said, "At least you will get a nice light show."
"I will be looking forward to it." He turned back towards where the flood of monsters would come from. Han thought back to how many of those things there were on the moon. It was impressive how this city designed weapons powerful enough to make the gods nervous. Even with the technology, he knew it would only be a drop in the bucket against those things. Even the Ones Before, with all their power, were unable to destroy those things.
"Master, we have arrived!" He heard Anacolis's voice calling out to him. All of them were standing in front of the stairs, looking ready to take on the coming threat.
"How is the city looking?" He asked them.
"There is a lot of chaos, down there. Even though the people likely know they are 'safe,' they are still emotionally affected by the changing sky." Queen informed him.
"Yes. They are 'safe.'" Han repeated. He understood the underlying message.
By the look on Idrenis's face, she knew something had been passed between them but didn't bother to follow up. Though she had her suspicions of the city falling, it was nothing compared to the certainty they had from seeing the end results.
"My servants are very capable, so feel free to utilize them," Han offered Idrenis.
She looked back at Han's group and gave a grunt of appreciation, but shook her head. "Thank you, Yi, but it is likely better for them to stay near you. I would hate for them to not be there during a crucial moment."
As they stood up on the wall, guards quickly moved to mount a large cylinder on a nearby metal structure. Like a well-oiled machine, guards wearing different uniforms placed themselves into formations. The group in the front all had similar staffs, while those in the rear had swords and shields. The uniforms looked like metallic leaves scaled together, giving a reptilian look. The leaves were green in color, though there were different colors along the shoulders and down the chest. Those with the staffs had a metallic red color, while the one with the swords and shields had a metallic blue color.
"Your men look very impressive," Han complimented Idrenis.
Idrenis grunted in appreciation. "Yes, they are my pride as a commander. While everyone else is frightened and hiding like children, these brave guards are ready to face this threat." She raised her voice so everyone could hear.
Hearing their commander's praise, all of them stood up straighter.
Han was impressed by her ability to raise morale, with only a few words. This showed how much they all respected her and was confident in her ability to get them through this.
"Master, they have arrived," Leaning in Aracia whispered into his ear.
Off in the distance, they could hear a rumbling noise. If it weren't for his prior experience with this, he would have thought there was a storm approaching them.
All the guards became alert, after hearing the rumbling noise.
"What are your commands, Master?" Queen asked.
Han continued to look at the oncoming natural disaster, thinking about how much they should be involved. "Let us see how they handle the situation. The ending of the story will not be changed, but maybe the middle of it can be altered." He contemplated.
After some time had passed, the monsters could finally be seen rushing towards them. The trees all shook as those creatures rampaged through the forest.
"Mages!" Idrenis yelled out, as the horde of creatures closed in.
Like the elegant movement of dominos falling over, the mages all readied their staffs. It was mesmerizing how the staffs were raised starting from one end and flowing to the other.
When the first line was ready, Idrenis commanded, "All mages fire!"
As if a waterfall of fire was unleashed, a wave of fiery destruction flowed out of the city. It arced over the wall and cascaded onto the forest, incinerating the canopy. Yelps and wines of pain could be heard, as the smell of roasting flesh wafted towards them. The river of fire, unrelenting, as it burned down the forest for several thousands of feet.
Han was impressed by how they were able to maintain the continuous stream of death.
Before there were concerns about whether they would exhaust themselves, Idrenis called out, "Special Weapons Team, prepare to be unleashed!"
Even with the roaring of the fire and the screams of monsters, the sound of her voice could still be heard.
At each of the locations near them, where the cylinders were held, those in special uniforms began to make some adjustments. There was a small humming noise heard. Soon, Han could feel pressure in his chest, like when you were near a large bass speaker in a club. The sensation started low but slowly increased in intensity. Now it felt as if he was laying on top of a drying machine when it was on the spin cycle.
Just as the feeling peaked, Idrenis cried out, "SWITCH!"
Just like dancers, the mages halted the flow of fire magic. Before the fire was cut off, a blinding beam of light split the air. Streaking off into the distance, it struck the ground with such strength the ground ripped open. Several beams sliced followed after the first, sublimating any monsters in its path. The streak of energy slowly moving up and down the undulating mass of flesh.
Han had to avert his eyes from the brightness, not expecting their weapons to hold such ferocity. He was reminded of videos where people would use a magnifying glass, starting a fire with the power of the sun. If a nuclear blast could be focused into a single beam of light, Han imagined this is what it would look like.
All the guards began cheering at the sight. For the longest time, all intelligent life forms had to fear the Overflow and cower in shame unable to stand up against it. This moment felt like the turning point, where civilizations would no longer have to hide and hope they survived. This weapon was a ray of hope during a hurricane, where tears of joy could be shed instead of the screams of sorrow.
Looking at the guards, Han could, for a moment, empathize with what they were going through. How often in life do you feel like a bag in the wind, at the mercy of something outside of yourself. Those moments where you are rejected by those who control access to what makes life worth living. Seeing them look so happy also made him feel sad for their future. These people would ultimately all perish, but it didn't change that at this moment they were on top of the world.
As if mimicking his thoughts, one by one each of the powerful rays began to fade. He looked at Idrenis wanting to understand what was happening. It was then he remembered Idrenis talking about
Idrenis stared at the scene in front of her, and a single tear outlined her face. "For a moment we defied them..." She mouthed.
Shifting her mentality, she swung out her arm at the men. "Prepare for close combat!" Idrenis yelled out.
The mages stepped back and allowed for the close combat guards to move up. They presented their swords and shields, readying themselves for the fight of their lives.
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Ha-Yoon felt the vibration in her chest, as she continued towards where the guards were located. The feeling was something foreign to her, which made her anxiety increase. Her legs pumped harder as she dashed towards the wall.
A bright light flashed, forcing Ha-Yoon had to turn away. "What is happening up there?" She wondered.
Shading her eyes with her hands, she pushed forward.
Reaching the city walls, there were hundreds of guards running around, getting into position. Looking up at the top of the wall, Ha-Yoon could see guards lined up. Feeling a little lost, she thought about someone who may know where they were. Going up to one of the guards, she yelled out over the whining noise likely caused by whatever creating the lights, "Do you know where Idrenis is?!"
"She is at the top of the wall, Ma'am!" He informed her before rushing off.
Not wanting to distract anyone else, she said to herself. "Hopefully Idrenis can help me find him."
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They came over the wall like the spray from a wave crashing against the rocky shore. With each overpouring of monsters, the guards skillfully cut down the eldritch creatures. Their movements efficient, helping to conserve their strength.
Han was struck by how they didn't take too much time killing the monsters while making sure to delay the ones behind them. Occasionally, the mages would fire off area of effect magic to help reduce the overwhelming numbers in front of the wall. Though this may not have done anything significant, it did provide a little breathing room.
While everyone was fighting, another group of mages came up the stairs to relieve those who had taken part in the first attack. Those who were being replaced looked exhausted, drained of everything inside of them.
"Begin volley!" Idrenis called out, starting the second major attack.
Like the first, another wave of fire arced over the wall and landed on the main body of monsters. As the mages were killing off those in front of the city, the soldiers engaged in close combat were finishing off the stragglers scaling the wall.
Once the monsters reached the top of the wall and were killed, everyone who was able started tossing the corpses off the wall. It was in an attempt to be prepared for the next wave.
With the removal of the remains, the red team of mages stepped forward without stopping their attack. The blue team, those with swords and shields, stepped back and were quickly replaced with a new blue team of guards.
"Impressive how you can quickly cycle out tired guards for fresh ones," Han remarked to Idrenis.
Sighing from having to continually concentrate on the battle, she looked at Han, "Yes, we developed this as a method to maintain pressure. Normally the monsters are not as focused on their attacks, but after we developed our weapons, some thought the gods may retaliate. I, along with others, realized we might be faced with a battle never seen before.
Indicating to the mages, "The armor they are wearing is a mixture of metals and mana stones. Through the use of the armor, our forces can draw in more mana than a normal person would be able to."
"It explains how they can maintain such a continuous stream of fire magic." Han nodded his head, fascinated.
"The simulations we ran had us able to attack the monsters for several weeks continuously. With the time the usual Overflow lasts, this gives us a wide margin of error." Idrenis tried to sound confident.
"You think the simulations are wrong," Han stated.
Looking him dead in the eye, Idrenis said, "I have participated in enough battles to understand how plans are only useful up to the moment of the first initial attack."
Leaving her to watch over her men, Han walked over to his group. There were mixed reactions amongst them, as they viewed the efforts of the guards. "Queen, I want you to provide a little relief for them. Summon your men beyond their sight. Continue to summon them until I tell you to stop." Han commanded Queen.
She stepped away from them and began to murmur her summoning spell.
Han closed his eyes and pictured the image of the summoning magic. With no one watching them, Queen wasn't impeded and cracked open the earth leading to her realm. From inside gushed out undead cyclops, giants, and several bone dragons. It was followed by the army of skeleton soldiers.
If someone had seen this sight, they would have been terrified. It was as if the underworld had opened its gates and released its power.
The bone dragons were marvelous to watch, as they blew out a cloud of poisonous gas. It covered millions of monsters, killing them almost instantly.
The cyclops shot out a petrification attack and turned hundreds of monsters into stone. And the giants waved around a giant bone club. Of the larger undead, the giant was the least powerful but was still impressive.
Riding on top of horses, the undead knights looked graceful, crushing everything in front of them. They plowed several hundreds of monsters and used their swords and spears to cut everything not trampled.
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Idrenis watched the battle as it progressed. Several hours had passed and they cycled through several red and blue team of guards. Pride swelled inside of her, how they were willing to put everything they had into the protection of the city.
It didn't start immediately, but she gradually noticed a shift in the movements of the creatures. They had been attacking in the usual numbers, but the amount had slightly decreased. Anyone else wouldn't have noticed such a change, but with her command and battle skills, she noticed it. At first, she questioned herself, but now she was convinced.
She couldn't think of a reason why the number of monsters would decrease, considering the gods were trying to wipe them out. "Did another power step in to help us?" Idrenis asked herself.
Even with their estimates, in the back of her mind, she didn't believe they would come out of this alive. Idrenis was confident this city would be overwhelmed. As the sun descended, the monsters would usually calm down but this wasn't the case.
Turning back, she looked towards the center of the city and where the Priestess was being protected. "If only I could take you away from this place. A place where you did not need to shoulder this burden, where you could go back to being the laughing child I knew you as. I would trade this city if it meant you could be safe and happy." Idrenis thought to herself.
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The stairs felt like they were going forever. When she reached the top, she saw Yi standing away with the others and Idrenis. Seeing he was safe, she felt relieved. Ha-Yoon knew he was strong, considering what he had done on the monster continent, but there was still a lingering fear in her. It was the type of feeling you had when you forgot something and was constantly trying to remember what it was.
"Yi!" She called out to him.
He turned to look towards her, and something flashed across his face. Seeing his expression made her breath catch inside of her since it looked like he was relieved she was there. Ha-Yoon shook her head and berated herself. "There is no reason he would be relieved to see you! Get a hold of yourself!"
"Are you doing alright?" He asked her.
Blushing from thinking he heard her thoughts, she smiled and said, "Yes, I had taken a nap but was woken up when everyone was surprised by the Overflow's arrival."
"You must have been scared waking up like that," Han said sympathetically.
Ha-Yoon shook her head, and said, "No. I was surprised but being in an unknown situation is something I can handle as a former adventurer."
"Well, I am glad you were able to make your way here. Though the city is 'safe,' I feel better knowing nothing happened." Han smiled.
Thumping in her chest could be felt, as she tried to suffocate the feeling of happiness.
"I felt a rumbling in my chest on my way here. Was it from the monsters?" Ha-Yoon asked trying to change the topic.
"No. It was a new weapon they created, in an attempt to fight off the Overflow." Yi said. When he saw the confusion on her face, he answered, "The weapons were not meant to last long and the reason why you do not see them firing."
"Their power was too great, so the mana stones end up fusing with the cylinder, making it useless," Idrenis added when she overheard them.
"It looks like you can hold them off," Ha-Yoon replied, amazed at the teamwork of the guards. "But why do they need to fire continuously? The sun is about to set, so the monsters should be settling down."
From her experiences and what she later learned, the monsters were the most active during the day and calmed down at night. If they were to stay as active as this, none of the cities would be able to survive.
Idrenis looked at Yi, and he nodded his head. "Our development of weapons able to hold off the Overflow has angered the gods, so they are likely using this moment to wipe us out."
"Wait! Why are the gods involved in this?" She asked, looking at Yi.
"Someone from their camp looks to have weaponized it." He hinted with his eyes.
Not noticing the meaning of Yi's words, Idrenis indicated for Ha-Yoon to look at the men fighting off the monsters. "With our technological prowess, we have developed an armor to help boost the abilities of our men. As you can see, we should be able to hold off the attack." Idrenis said.
Ha-Yoon doubted the likelihood of success. She had seen a similar look caused when someone is attempting to hide the truth. The look in Idrenis's eyes reminded Ha-Yoon of her own whenever she looked in the mirror.
"With how the battle is going, I need to go to the priestess and inform her of our progress. Feel free to come along with me." Idrenis said to all of them, as she headed down the stairs.
Yi and the others followed after her. He flashed her a smile, telling her, he would like it if she came along.
Even though they were going through such a thing, Ha-Yoon felt happy.
As she followed after him, she still hadn't shaken off the feeling she had forgotten something.