Alvin grinned a little at Becky’s flippant snark. No matter what’s going on, she doesn’t care as long as we’re together. Chest warming, Alvin smiled. I’m damned lucky to have found her.
“Mousie, be ready with the flamethrower,” Alvin said.
“I’m ready. Both windows back here are open, so I can switch as needed,” Kuro replied.
“Thank you.”
When they rounded the corner and had a clear view of the attack, Alvin’s jaw dropped. Close to a thousand falunes and wulnines were ranged along the new edge of the forest, and behind them were a few hundred grezles. In the air, dozens of conegs glided, waiting for a signal.
Just past the charred ruins of the forest’s edge, Alvin could just make out people standing under the trees. “That’s more than a dozen...” Alvin murmured. He blinked as the massive army of undead started to move. Eyes widening, Alvin cursed when he realized what they had been waiting for. “Hold on,” he shouted, spinning the Humvee back toward the walls.
“Hero, what the hell?” Becky asked, struggling to turn the gun almost all the way around.
“They were waiting for us to take the field,” Alvin said.
Becky blanched. “Shit.”
“Watch the skies first,” Alvin told her as he started to slew the Humvee in a zigzag.
Alvin’s sudden movement saved them from the first dive-bombing bird, which instead slammed into the ground with bone breaking speed. “Fuck,” Becky yelled, letting go of the machine gun and pulling the flamethrower up. “They’re coming in straight down.”
“Someone out there is a bit too quick on the uptake,” Alvin complained, cutting hard back the other way and putting more room between him and the wall.
“Not so hard, Hero,” Becky called out as she took aim and toasted another bird that was coming for them.
“That’s something I’d never thought I’d hear from you,” Alvin laughed.
The unlucky avian swerved into the town, crashing into a building as it burned alive. “Fuck, I hope they can contain that,” Becky groused.
“Switch with me, Mousie,” Becky said, her ignitor going cold with the tank still half full.
Kuro stood up in the gunner’s spot, her wand out and ready. She got two more birds with the napalm, causing both of them to crash into the wall. Kuro looked around, taking stock of the situation. “Looks like they’re massing for a group effort,” Kuro told them. “The falunes are almost to us now.”
“Fuckity-fuck-fuck,” Alvin growled. “Use the gun on the falunes until you have to deal with the birds again.”
The M240B opened fire, cutting into the fast-moving felines. “Matriarch, please be ready to switch with me when I call for it.”
“A couple more seconds,” Becky said as she waited for the ignitor to finish reloading. She was glad that the reload for the flamethrowers worked when the ignitor went out, not when the tank ran empty.
Kuro had the machine gun on full auto as she fired into the horde, their sheer numbers making aiming a moot point. “Now!” she shouted, releasing the trigger then sliding down and to the side.
Becky had been waiting and stood up with her wand ready, triggering the flame as soon as the flamethrower was clear of the hatch. Six conegs were a handful of yards away from them and closing fast, and all six got liberally coated. They tried veering away from the fire, which was the only reason they missed slamming into the Humvee. Looking up, Becky saw that another six were mere seconds behind the first set, and she was able to catch all of them with flaming napalm, too.
“Fried chicken, anyone?” Becky laughed as the second set missed the Humvee by scant feet.
“Gun on the cats,” Alvin called out.
“Already on it,” Becky said, bringing the M240B around. The few remaining birds had broken off the chase in favor of attacking the guards on the walls. “Hero! The grezles are in a wedge and heading for the gate.”
“I really hate intelligent enemies,” Alvin yelled. “Do we have a path back?”
“No, the wulnines and falunes are cutting us off. We could drive at them, but I have a feeling they’ll sacrifice themselves if it means keeping us at bay,” Becky said.
“You’re up, Wintersbreath,” Alvin murmured. “Okay, I’m going to head for the forest and the humanoids. The necromancers have to be in there.”
“This is going to get ugly,” Becky told him. “Gun is reloading and I am, too. Switch.”
Kuro took over the gunner’s spot, her flamethrower ready to go. She held off firing, waiting for just the right moment. The falunes and wulnines chasing them seemed content to make sure they couldn’t get to the grezles.
Alvin sped straight for the woods. It took a moment, but the beasts reacted to his change. Wulnines raced to cut them off while the humanoid shapes at the edge of the woods pulled back, disappearing from sight. “Come back, cowards,” Alvin hissed.
The spray from Kuro’s flamethrower briefly caught Alvin’s attention from the corner of his eye. The napalm hit the leading edge of the wulnines near them, and Kuro aimed it out at an angle to make it harder for the other wulnines to reach them without being burned first.
Becky took over immediately when Kuro slipped back into the Humvee. Grabbing the M240B, she aimed at the wulnines closest to the woods and began gunning them down. “Hero, the falunes have broken off and are following the grezles. I think the town is going to fall.”
“Damn it,” Alvin hissed.
“They’ve brought all the flamethrowers to the west wall,” Becky added, watching Elves using the extra flamethrowers they had supplied to coat the grezles and the ground in front of the gates in napalm. “Maybe…”
As the grezles started to panic from being on fire, they suddenly swelled in size and ferocity. Those that had caught the worst of the first blast of fire were brutally crushed under the feet of their brethren as the rest of the horde rushed across the burning ground.
“Or not,” Becky sighed as the gun ran empty. “Peel off and head for the south gate. Maybe we can pull the Matriarchs out. We can run with them, and then use the Mustang to send them back to the capital.”
“Fine,” Alvin snapped, spinning the Humvee off the course he had been setting. As they drove away from the wulnines, the undead pack let out a single, uniform howl that sent shivers down Alvin’s spine.
Alvin floored the Humvee. Its maximum speed wasn’t much faster than the beasts chasing it. While Alvin drove, Becky and Kuro swapped out, laying down napalm to force the massive pack to go around it.
Alvin watched the gate break under the sheer mass of grezles that hit it. “Please let the Matriarchs have had enough intelligence to run for it.”
As they were getting closer to the south gate, Alvin spotted an Elf mounted on a sevra waving at them from the south-east corner. Instead of stopping, Alvin drove past the gate and headed for the rider, who rode around the corner when they passed the gate.
“Gothy, be ready to hop in the Mustang and get out once it’s out of the base,” Alvin told her.
“We switching now?” Becky asked as she dropped back into the Humvee.
“When we reach the east gate. I think we’ll have a bit of time, and then we’ll be playing rear guard. Once we get people clear, I’m coming back to finish this job. I fucking hate losing.”
“Okay, Hero, let’s do what we can.”
Alvin turned the corner, where a stream of sevras was leaving town. Nearer the gate, he spotted both Matriarchs speaking to a Captain. “We’ll be right back,” Alvin said. A glowing archway appeared in front of the Humvee and he drove into it.
Becky was out of the Humvee and in the Mustang in seconds, and both of them were back in front of the gate mere seconds after that. Becky left the door of the Mustang open when she went back to the Humvee.
“Get in the car,” Alvin told the two Matriarchs, “it will take you back to the capital. Tell the Queen that we’re still working on ending the forest.”
“We can’t leave until my peo
ple do,” Matriarch Deatheyes replied.
“Your people will have to fend for themselves,” Alvin snapped. “The Queen needs to know about this.”
The second Matriarch nodded gravely. “He is right, Deatheyes. You know it as well as I do. This whole area is going to be overrun.”
“We’ll buy your people as much time as we can, but you need to go and send as much of the army this way as you can,” Alvin said.
“Matriarch,” the Captain said softly, “please heed his words. We would have fallen already if not for his aid.”
“Fine,” Deatheyes snapped. “Captain Wildmane, you are tasked with holding as long as you can. I shall personally speak with your mother about your bravery.”
“I’m honored, Matriarch,” Wildmane bowed her head. “Now go. I will buy as much time as I can for the others.”
“Gothy, order Ruffian to stop for five minutes at each town so Deatheyes can relay word of the army needed this way. Otherwise, let her run. We’ll pick her back up once we get back to the capital.”
“Okay,” Becky said, giving instructions to the vehicle.
“We’ll be back at the capital once the forest is ash,” Alvin told the two Matriarchs. “While I did fail in what the Queen asked, I think if the forest is gone, she’ll reward us properly. Destroying it will be a much greater feat.”
“I will speak with her,” Deatheyes said, climbing into the car. “How do I drive this?”
“You don’t. It will take you to the capital, so don’t get out for any reason,” Alvin told her. “It will stop for five minutes at each town so you can relay orders for the army.”
“Understood,” Deatheyes said.
“Keep moving,” a guard shouted at some people on foot. “If you want to live, run!”
The second Matriarch got into Ruffian, her eyes lingering on the people on foot. As soon as the door shut, Ruffian peeled out, zipping off toward the capital.
“Are we going to try to find Wintersbreath?” Kuro asked.
“No, but I hope she survives,” Alvin said as he watched Elves fleeing from their already burning town.
“Hero, the devs need a hard kick to the balls,” Becky said as they watched the Elves scramble.
“Does feel like they just turned things up to eleven on us, doesn’t it? This was a no-win quest if I’ve ever seen one,” Alvin agreed.
“Hell, if we hadn’t stopped the bears during the first battle, this would have been a failure. They attacked the other two towns at roughly the same time. We had no chance to be there to help defend them.”
“We haven’t seen any undead Elves,” Kuro added suddenly.
“Huh?” Alvin asked puzzled.
“We’ve only seen the animals, but no Elven dead…” Kuro trailed off, looking worried.
“There has to be a reason for that,” Becky murmured.
“I wonder,” Alvin said, recalling what they had been told about the necromancers, and what the sudden change to the world would mean for them.
Becky’s brow furrowed at his comment. “What, Hero?”
“The attacks we’ve seen have been well thought out. Without us, this town would have been the first to fall,” Alvin said. “We’ve only seen animal undead, as Mousie mentioned. What if they can’t get more of those bodies?”
“Why would they waste them, then?”
“Elven dead,” Alvin murmured. “Our zombies were getting smarter... what if the Elven zombies are the same, but can be controlled? Would you trade your animals to get trained Elves that would follow your commands? An army of the dead of their own to carve out an empire, perhaps?”
Kuro sucked in a breath, “Oh…”
“The Queen was busy with the Gate,” Becky murmured. “If the necromancers knew about that, it would make sense to attack. There were only the three garrisons here.”
“Maybe it’s not the devs. Maybe the necromancers are just smart enough to make a move when they found the world had changed. Kill these towns, take all the bodies they could get hold of, retreat to the woods. We showed up and ruined their attack here, but the other two worked fine, aside from losing some of their number at Helinaholt. With those two towns gone, they brought all their force to bear here, and knew that we’re the threat that could keep the gates closed. We played right into their hands, by coming out like we did…”
Becky’s lips thinned. “Damn.”
Chapter Forty-two
The stream of people coming out of the gate began to slow and Alvin took the brake off. “Shouldn’t be long now,” he muttered.
A small contingent of guards came out next, firing arrows back into the town. Wintersbreath was among them, bloodied from numerous wounds and with one of her arms dangling as if broken.
“Hero—” Becky began.
“I see her,” Alvin cut off the sentence and pulled the Humvee forward to block the gate. “Give them time.”
Wintersbreath blinked, not expecting them to be there, and came up to the passenger side of the vehicle. Opening the door, she met Alvin’s gaze. “Did they make it out?”
“Both Matriarchs are on their way back to the capital in our other vehicle.”
“Thank you,” Wintersbreath said. “We’ve failed here. We never expected them to field so many of their undead against us at once. I’ll stay with the remnants of my forces and buy time. Go back and tell the Queen I tried.”
“Oh, shut up,” Alvin snapped at her. “Get in. You don’t get to martyr yourself today. We’ll buy all of your people time to retreat.”
Wintersbreath started to object but two of her people pushed her into the Humvee. “Keep her safe! The Queen still has need of her,” the Captain said.
“Captain—” Wintersbreath hissed, half from pain and half from anger.
“Start running, we’ll get you some time,” Alvin told them, cutting the Champion off.
“Thank you,” the Captain said, shutting the door. She and the remaining guards ran down the road after the fleeing citizens.
“No,” Wintersbreath hissed, reaching for the door.
Kuro reached forward, taking the broken arm in hand. “Don’t, Champion. You’ll only slow them in your state and then you’ll all die.”
Wintersbreath’s face blanched, and she slumped unconscious into the seat. Alvin shook his head and pressed a trauma kit against the injured arm, watching the wounds heal up.
“Contact,” Becky said as the M240B began to fire through the partially open gate. “Mousie, hose down the gates and opening. Maybe it will slow them a bit more.”
“Yes,” Kuro said as she slid over to the right side. She started spraying napalm through the gap and at the edges of the gates.
“I’ll be driving after the Elves slowly. Keep your eyes on the rear,” Alvin said. “Mousie, you’ll have to angle as best you can if they catch up.”
“Understood, Hero,” Kuro replied, waiting for her flamethrower to reload.
Alvin got the Humvee moving, following the Elves at just above an idle. Wintersbreath stirred in the seat beside him. “No more stupidity now, got it?” Alvin told her as her eyes opened.
Blinking, Wintersbreath carefully shifted. She looked puzzled when she saw her healed arm. “I’m... not hurt?”
“Ohh, I’m sure you’re still injured, but your arm isn’t broken any more,” Alvin replied. “For that kindness, you do what your people asked you to and stay fucking put.”
Wintersbreath’s jaw clenched, but she fought back her initial response. “I didn’t expect you to care if I lived.”
“Frankly, I don’t. Keeping you alive might help counter the fact that all three towns just got roflstomped, though. If we kill off all the necromancers and burn the rest of the forest down, I figure things will work out the way I want them to.”
“How can you think that possible after what just happened?” Wintersbreath asked, genuinely puzzled and with a hint of anger simmering under her words.
“Without having to worry about keeping the town safe, I can play
to my strengths. We can either leave you with your people once we’re far enough away, or— and this comes with conditions— you can come with us to fuck this forest in the ass.”
“I’d prefer you fuck me in the ass, instead,” Becky snickered.
“Maybe later tonight, Gothy. How does it look behind us?”
“Clear so far,” she replied.
“What are the conditions?” Wintersbreath asked, her anger ebbing.
“Follow all of my orders, Gothy’s orders, or Mousie’s orders. I won’t put up with any shit, so keep your prejudices in check. I’ll have your word that you’ll behave as a guest should.”
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