Chapter 44.5 - The Giant Front

Her fingers bled.

Her lips curved down, as she reached for another arrow.

How many more were going to come forward? 

Casting Mage Lightning on her arrow before sending it off, made it a hit nearly every single time, due to the arrow following the lightnings path of least resistance, chaining through the armors of the Dumbaran Soldiers.

"Gill. Report." 

Seleen raised her head up from the carnage. Her eyes quaked. Her captain, Gill, was fighting tooth and nail ahead, her eyes were soulless.

Seleen grit her teeth, her mouth was dry.

She was supposed to be at home right now, lazing around on her couch, staring at the ceiling and eating, not in the Giant Roads, their ancestors resting place, fighting for her life.

Gill nailed a soldier to a boulder, "...Clear." 

She looked at the storm of stones and debris, that blocked them off from being able to approach, lest they wanted to be turned into swiss cheese, and then back forward at the monstrous battle going on before her.

Nightmares fought against one another, and against the soldiers, as well as themselves. 

Their and the kidnappers numbers were small in comparison to the waves and waves of Nightmares pouring out of everywhere.

She wanted to go home.

Biting her lip, she looked back.

Perhaps a habit born out of being dramatic, but… her pupils shrank.

"Gill… GILL!" 

"What-, MARCE! BEHIND US!"

The lines were shaken.

Somehow there were Nightmares swarming in utter silence behind them. Their eyes watched them from the dark, yet, the moment she had screamed, they all began their structured charge.

Large monstrosities ran in the front while the smaller ones stood around the bottoms, and the long range remained on boulders, winding up to fire!

It was on a completely different level from the Nightmares of the Second Gate who were stronger on average, but had no coordination.

She drew her bow, and fired as she retreated.

Gill screamed, changing her bow into it's sword form, her face crumpled up, "Prepare for close quarters!"

But… Seleen wasn't interested in that.

She kept her bow in bow form, and ran further back. It was a bad call. They couldn't defend against an organized force with the few they had.

It was like trying to stand against a flood with only a bucket on ones head.

Her arrows, laced with poison, a characteristic the others disliked, flew with pin point accuracy laying into the front running Nightmares to break their charge, but, her arrows alone weren't enough.

If they were all firing, perhaps the long charge of the Nightmares could have been stemmed but… it was no use alone.

Fifteen arrows left.

"FOR AVANCIA!" Her head shot up.

Gill was mid air, going for a piercing move against the front offending Nightmare. 

But… her eyes soon followed Gill's rag dolled body as it bounced over the tops of the boulders lifelessly. 

Her arm had been torn off somewhere, and her torso was nothing but ground meat. 

Atop the monstrosity hidden among it's many hairs, were smaller creatures barely a foot tall, wielding sharp claws and lightning quick movements, tearing into the bounty they'd ambushed off of Gill.

Her hands went cold seeing the sheer brutality.

She had signed up for the role of a Root Guard, to not have to go out with the Warriors of the hunting party with the Chief and risk her life out in the woods.

She had never been brave in the way they were brave. 

If her life was not in danger, then, that was enough for her. More, was not needed.

But as she looked around... all she could feel, was her life slipping from her control, and quickly at that.

If they were fully surrounded, she would die, maybe some of the more experienced guards would live, but she would absolutely die helplessly.

Marce would not save anyone.

…Her jaw tightened.

She drew once more while nimbly kicking off the ruins and rocks to get to a higher place.

Her eyes blazed.

If death was the only choice, then, she would not go willingly.