Country Side Town Carsen

Crack…… Crack…. Crack

Every time one of the twins shot, an Alespid went down. There was no contest to see who was superior at ranged combat, let alone a fire fight; which was what the rest of the team was doing at the edge of the town. Carter and Zero were in flanking positions on either side of the fight while the others were facing them head on.

With the car sitting back with the twins, they didn’t really worry about losing their supplies, but the Alespid’s were dug in. it would take a while to get them out of their positions or kill them. That is, until Zero loosed a large ball of cracking red energy into their cover.

The result was rather profound as a few of the Alespid’s were dead and missing limbs. The others were too shocked from all the blood that just hit them. They were so shocked that by the time they regrouped, half of them lay dead. When they turned and returned fire, the humans all ducked back into cover.

Carter’s voice came in over the shoulder radios a second later, “Alright, we got them on the run. Let’s finish this group and hurry to move on. No doubt that little firework Zero launched is going to get us some attention.” After speaking, Carter sent off a few shots from his Primary assault rifle. Cassen hurled a grenade behind them and when they moved forward to avoid the blast, Zero let loose a magic bomb again.

That seemed to be the end as the two explosions detonated in unison on the enemy group. Now when it seems like something is over, you don’t expect to be attacked again. So imagine the team’s surprise when six Berserker Class Alespid’s barreled out of the smoke and into the first six people they could grab.

Now the Berserker’s looked just the same as the others and were only able to be identified by weapon of choice. They always used a sword and their hands or claws; ironically the same blade Zero carried was the kind they used. Though Zero had altered his to be identifiable, the alteration was small; he had added teeth, for a lack of a better word, to the blade of it.

As soon as they had appeared though, combat was brought back to life as they humans and Alespids beat the crap out of each other. The leader of the Alespid squad was fighting Zero, and the second in command was fighting with both the team’s Captain and Co-Captain. The twins didn’t fire a shot due to the possibility of hitting one of their friends and instead rushed in to help fight the Alespids off.

When they arrived, they split up to help Sarah and Maroe as they needed it the most. Cassen was faring well against the rather large Alespid that challenged her, meaning they were locked in a rather rough clinch. Rena was using her far superior speed to dodge the strikes of the Alespid she was facing off against. The Captains were using everything they had to beat back the Alespid Co-Captain.

Zero however, was locked in a bladed dance with the Alespid Captain. Which was what they were doing could be called, because for creatures their size, grace was hard to find. They did find it though, and they made sure that it aimed at one another. Swinging and blocking blows from and at each other. Although, while it could be described as dancing with the ways their bodies twisted and turned, one slip-up meant absolute death.

Zero wasn't planning for himself to die though, and it was made apparent by the fact he didn’t lunge straight into the Alespid. The Alespid Captain thought the exact same thing, and that was exactly how their little dance was made. It consisted of the simple movements every blades-man knew by heart.

Swinging, deflecting, dodging, and repeating those motions over and over again. Zero had the edge though, because his blade was charged heavily with his rage fueled magic. It gave him the edge in the way that whenever their blades contacted, it gave more of a kick on the Alespid’s arm. When one of the Alespids fell though, the Captain Alespid began fighting with fierce blows, actually managing to drive Zero back slightly with each strike.

No sooner than the seventh strike was swung, did Zero drive his blade through the Alespid’s chest. He released the embedded blade, and grabbed the arm that was midway through its ark. The Alespid wasn’t able to do anything before his heart stopped beating due to that, and after he fell, Zero took his blade from the carcass of the newly dead Alespid.

Without a second thought, he re-sheathed the blade, drew a knife from his chest and ran at the Alespid that was starting to beat back Carter and Saben. To say the least, the Alespid didn’t know what happened before a knife was sticking out of its throat. Zero yanked it out though as quickly as it was placed and then repeated the process four more times.

Two of the Alespids were left by time Zero was done mutilating the throat of the Alespid. Carter and Saben remedied that with four shots from either man’s pistol to each respective Alespid. They dropped with little resistance, blood quickly pooling beneath the wounds. The team members that were fighting them gave quick thanks and made their way back to the vehicle.

Looking over each other, they determined that nobody was injured, but they were all exhausted from the fight. Zero less so than the others as his fight was more sedated than theirs. Still, he gave them all the suggestion to rest before continuing, and they all happily agreed.

So they talked amongst themselves to pass time, doling out complements to each other for doing so well in the fight. Zero all the while giving tips how they could be more effective, not that there was many he could give, but it was no doubt helpful all the same. That is when it turned to hell though; at a rather loud ROOOOOAAAAARRRRR. The sound was unmistakable, as the team had fought several of the creatures, but never once killed one.

It was a Halen Alespid, a large scaly Alespid that resembled a mythical dragon, and varied in size by subspecies. Zero was the one to start getting the car ready while the others rested for a bit longer because if that monster was coming at them, then there was going to be a very large problem. That problem consisting majorly of the fact that they didn’t really know how to kill it without the heavy ordinance, so they settled for running rather shamelessly away from the area they were just fighting in.

It was a difficult travel as the paths they traversed were littered with broken items such as cars, light posts, the road, and many other things. The bodies were the worst thing though, because not only did they litter the streets, the human bodies were mostly non-recognizable.

Their faces were the only things that still resembled a human; the rest was a bloody mess. More often than not, the deceased had internal organs splattered across the street. The affect was profound on Zero, as he was getting angrier and angrier as every body past.

What none of them knew at that moment though, was that the red lines on Zero’s hands had started traveling up his arms. Zero was only faintly aware of it, as he could feel his energy flux rather violently in the back of his head.

Though while that was happening, the team slowly figured out exactly what was going on inside of the town. And while they figured that out, Zero finally started using his magic to sense the presences around him. What he found, though, was not what he wanted to see.

“They’re already retreating, the call hasn't been made yet Carter, something is wrong here,” Zero’s voice betrayed an emotion that wasn't normal for him, worry. As soon as Carter heard that, he looked at Zero dead in the face, and seeing his eyes glowing in their unnatural way told Carter it wasn't a joke. Not that he thought it was one anyway, but he was never left out of the loop on a mission.

“Well for now, we’ll just keep going, if that behemoth is behind us we can’t risk turning around. Maybe we can find a radio somewhere and call in,” his voice was all but certain, and his team picked it up. Nobody said a word though.

As time passed, and the team kept walking, Zero grew more and more suspicious of what was happening. For he saw that all of the human troops were out of the town’s borders, but nothing was following them. In fact, everything in the town seemed to be still. As if nothing was wrong, but he knew better than that.

“Carter, we need to find a good place to hide. Something is seriously wrong with this and I don’t like it,” He said.

Cassen answered him before Cater though, “What do you mean something is wrong? What’s going on Zero?” along with her words the rest of the team nodded in agreement.

“I don’t know what it is exactly, but whatever it is, it can’t be anything good. Maybe we can take refuge in one of the abandoned buildings. C’mon into this one, if the Halen finds us, let me handle it. From what I’m starting to think, we’re not walking out of this alive anyhow.” Every last face turned to Zero when he said those words.

It wasn’t an often occurrence that anyone, no matter who, would imply what he just had. The especially grim outlook didn’t help a whole lot either. They knew Zero was never one to try and be that way, but the reality was sinking in slightly. It was an old military tactic, a trade off, the town in place of several others, because the one thing they realized only then.

Most of the bodies on the streets were civilians, almost none having a defense against the Alespid forces. They were set up, and so was the town, but one thing was for sure; both sides played their parts perfectly.

It wasn’t very factual, but it was the only explanation as to how things were going; well, the only explanation to the team. It was rather common that they got shit end deals, but the fact that their own people did it; well not one thing could be said about that.

When they reached the house, a silence had overtaken them, only broken by the sound of Zero kicking out the window on the locked door. After unlocking said door, they all filed into the house. Each person having thought about what was about to happen, Zero and Carter and Saben knew what had gone down when it became obvious.

It was a trade off, one city, as well as a group of HVTs, in exchange for a temporary cease fire treaty. It wasn’t uncommon for a trade off to happen, but this one was larger than the ones recorded. Usually it was just a few scientists or something, but never an entire town, let alone military forces.

But all they could do was wait for the impending hell; however, nobody knew exactly what Zero had in mind at that moment. What he was thinking of was one of his more drastic plans, and his team would most likely not like what he thought. But it was obvious death was waiting on the doorstep, and when they stepped out to greet him, it was over.

Zero was going to do a magical discharge, and as most already knew, his amount of magic made it quite lethal depending on how it happened. The one he was aiming towards doing was a complete and total discharge, one that if he survived, would leave him in a completely void state for a while.

The chances of survival were very slim, and Zero was going to make the last stand; one of the few to ever lead to a victory. So as the team began to prepare themselves and the surrounding area of the house, Zero started pulling away the runes on his arms.

Cassen was the first to notice, who then told Maroe, who then told Alex and Garen. It stopped at them though, as they were the only ones behind Zero one-hundred percent. When he did get the runes off, he finally noticed, as well as the watching people, the lines that were reaching up to his elbows.

“That is problematic for the Alespids I guess,” Zero muttered to himself. When he got rid of the last rune, he went on to take off the nullifiers. That was one of the best and worst ideas ever. Now in most cases, magic is used completely by the user; but in rare cases, the magic amplifies the user’s emotions and thus thoroughly warping the amount of control the user has.

Zero was one of those rare few, and so when the nullifiers came off, he instantly felt his magic flux dangerously. His mind blanked for several seconds, his vision blurring and his thoughts getting a bit simpler. It didn’t last long though, and he finished his preparations, which only consisted of loading and checking his weapons.

The lines continued up his arms from his elbows while he did his tasks, and if he were to have taken his shirt off, the lines would have been visible on his shoulder blades and barely onto his chest. His eyes also suffered a change in the process; they had become a glowing red color.

The rest of the team who saw this, other than the ones who witnessed it happen, were very skeptical of what Zero was planning. He was never one for feelings though, and it showed when he literally just said, “Man the Cass up.” After that he continued on with his duties of getting the house ready for a fight.

They stacked the furniture against walls to reinforce against bullets. They blocked off the back door entrance, but left the front door open. Upstairs was made into a snipers nest for the twins, and Cassen set herself up in the doorway nearest to the front door. The doorway she was in led to a living room, where Zero, Carter, Saben, and Rena set up positions by the three windows. The rest of the team placed themselves in support positions near the back door should they need to help, or if the back door itself was breached.

Zero was having trouble a little to keep magic from sparking up because it was clear that it wanted out of his body. Like it had a mind of its own in a way, but it was still Zero’s body, and he forced the feeling down. When he was finished fighting was when it would find that release. But until then, Zero just kept the magic where it belonged, though the thought of where it actually did belong hit him.

I don’t know where the Cass magic stores itself. Last time I checked there isn't a gland because that would be stupid. My magic can’t be just contained in my body so that one’s out the window. Maybe it sticks in the subconscious; gah this is making my brain hurt, Zero thought. That was also the time it became obvious that they were about to get attacked.

It was obvious because the Alespids didn’t even try and mask their approach. They closed in with the sound of loud echoing steps, ranging from hooves to boots to claws pounding against the ground in a loud march. Every single person on the team uttered prayer to their own gods and idols, or to a loved one lost in most cases.

When the Alespids arrived, they didn't expect the absolutely calm approach a group of them used. The group was one that Zero knew, and he grinned when he saw them. General had been a good fighter, but in the end, he had died and passed the team he led on to his grandson. The grandson in question took after his mother and had a more equine look. The female and rather canine looking Alespid was of higher status, she was the Prophet’s second daughter. A bull like Alespid was right behind them, and a giant hammer was slung across his back. Two normal Alespids who took after the original Alespid design were flanking the three.

The biggest issue presented was the Alespid that flew silently above them. The Halen Alespid was circling the house, and if it wanted, it could have burned the building to the ground.  But since it didn't, the team could only guess what was about to happen. Their answer came from the lead male that had approached the house.

“I believe we have encountered one another before Sir Dante, however, I do believe that I and your team are far less acquainted. I don’t suppose you would be willing to come quietly would you?” Zero stood up and shook his head at the Alespid, and that was enough of a message to convey what would have to happen.

The Alespid sighed and turned around, giving the command, “Kill all of them but Sir Dante. Xenes’rhal wants him alive for her father.” As soon as that was said, the Alespids that had taken their places slightly away from the house and behind cover opened fire with the weapons they had. The house took most of the damage, but some bullets pierced into the furniture on the inside.

The team returned fire in only a matter of seconds, and most of them were lucky enough to hit an Alespid and take it down. The only ones who had not fired were the current support members, and on the Alespid’s side, the in-command team had not attacked. The Halen Alespid didn’t attack though, knowing that if it did, Zero would most likely die from it.

So instead it retreated to cover behind a building not far away. So this is how I end my story. Fitting in a way, started by Alespids, ended by Alespids, Zero thought.

Rifle fire echoed all through the streets as the two sides fought. Firing at one another from cover, and trying to kill what was an obvious target. The team, while suffering no casualties yet, was getting run ragged from the fight.

Alespids constantly charged the door, only to have Cassen send them back out with a string of shots from her shotgun. The rest of the team had expended their primary weapons and instead favored their side arms and SPs. Zero had begun using his two custom pistols to fire at closer targets. Saben and Carter were using their standard pistols to fire at enemies further out. The rest of the team besides those four were upstairs using their SPs to fend off the Alespids in a wider area.

Everything was going fine actually, and then Alex yelled, “Garen is down!”