The Crocodile Behemoth burst from the earth, flinging rocks and dirt in every direction.
Its massive jaws gaped beneath a semi-truck carrying the Eclipse Orchid, ready to crush the vehicle.
With a deafening crunch, its teeth shattered the truck's protective forcefield and crumpled its armor like paper, leaving it crippled.
"Fall back! Keep your distance!" Jacob's voice rang through the chaos.
"Elite soldiers, with me!" He drew his sword, its blade glinting as he faced the towering beast. His elite unit spread out, encircling the creature.
"The rest of you, seize this chance to escape with the Eclipse Orchid while we distract the monster," Jacob ordered through his earpiece.
The Behemoth's scales glowed a menacing red. It paused, muscles tensing, then charged Jacob in a blur too fast to follow.
Jacob gripped his sword, now shimmering blue, and took a steady breath.
He leaped aside and swung, deflecting the beast's charge with a precise strike.
"Mages, now!" he shouted.
The mages raised their staffs, chanting in unison.
Spells of fire, ice, and lightning arced through the air, slamming into the house-sized Behemoth. Explosions erupted, cloaking it in smoke.
"Don't let your guard down! It's not done yet!" Jacob warned, scanning the haze.
A red glow pierced the smoke. The Behemoth surged forward, faster than before, its eyes locked on a lone mage standing apart from the group.
Jacob saw its intent and sprinted toward the mage, his boots pounding the earth to match the creature's speed.
His sword blazed brighter, its blue light pulsing. He swung at the Behemoth's neck, slicing across its metallic skin.
The cut was shallow, barely scratching the surface, but the force knocked the beast off course, sending it crashing into a cluster of trees.
"RRRAAAUUUUGHHHH!"
Its roar shook the forest, causing the leaves to tremble on their branches.
The ground quaked violently. The Behemoth dove underground, its massive form vanishing.
"Climb the trees!" Jacob yelled. "We can't fight it on the ground!" Soldiers scrambled onto branches.
Moments later, the earth shuddered, and a 100-yard area began to sink, pulling trees, rocks, and vehicles downward.
"No! The Orchid!" Jacob's voice cracked with urgency.
The armoured vehicles can speed clear of the collapsing ground, but the Eclipse Orchid was in trouble.
With one supporting truck crippled, the five-story-tall plant had tipped over, slumping to one side.
The unit had spare trucks, but lifting the Orchid would take time—time they didn't have as the ground continued to crumble.
Jacob's mind raced, thinking of a solution.
"Mages! Use gravity magic to lighten the Orchid and get it onto the trucks!"
The mages followed, their spells casting a faint purple glow over the Orchid, reducing its weight.
Backup trucks moved in, hoisting the plant onto their platforms. The four semi-trucks, now carrying the Orchid, sped away from the sinkhole, flanked by armored vehicles.
However, a sudden pulse of magical energy rippled beneath the convoy.
Before anyone could react, four massive stone pillars erupted from the ground, each targeting a semi-truck.
They smashed through forcefields and armor, lifting the trucks into the air. The trucks' mana circuits sparked and died.
The Orchid slipped free, crashing to the ground with a deafening boom, dust billowing around it.
Jacob stood frozen a distance away, his mind stunned at how easily their trucks had been dealt with.
The assault didn't stop. More stone pillars rose, targeting the other armored vehicles.
"Scatter and retreat! Everyone, retreat now!" Jacob shouted, his years of command kicking in.
Retreat was chaos. Pillars shot up around the vehicles, disorienting drivers and blocking paths.
More vehicles were damaged or destroyed, their armor pierced by relentless stone.
"General Isaac, come in! We're under attack by the Behemoth. We need support!" Jacob called, sprinting toward the chaos. Silence answered.
"High-Mage Gerald!" The connection cut off instantly.
Jacob stumbled back to his battered unit when a massive pillar, as thick as a tree trunk, shot up from the ground before him.
He swung his glowing blue sword, slicing it clean in half, and pressed forward.
Each swing felled another pillar, stone crumbling to the ground.
"Clear a path to retreat!" he ordered. "Dodge or destroy these pillars, whatever it takes!"
He contacted the main army, and the call connected. "We're ambushed by the Crocodile Behemoth! Requesting immediate support!"
A pillar shot toward his face. He swung, splitting it in two with a flash of blue light.
The pillars, once aimless, now targeted him alone, coming from all sides.
His sword flashed, cleaving through dozens of them.
At first, he moved with ease, untouched. But the pillars kept coming, their numbers growing. Defense became a struggle.
With a powerful leap and swing, Jacob broke free, sprinting to evade their targeting.
Stone pillars pierced through the military vehicles, forcing soldiers out—but the moment they appeared, more pillars shot forth, impaling them instantly.
Jacob tried to reach his men, but the stone onslaught blocked his path.
As his soldiers fell, Jacob's patience shattered. Mana surged, blue light burning in his eyes, and his sword expanded into a massive blade of energy.
"Azure Cleave!" he roared.
A crescent of blue energy shot forward, slicing every pillar in half while passing harmlessly through his soldiers.
Panting, Jacob scanned the area. In the corner of his eye, he saw the Eclipse Orchid sinking into the ground.
Instead of despair, an idea sparked.
***
Deep in the forest, shattered trees and loose dirt blanketed the ground, marked by craters.
A clear line of destruction stretched to a distant mountain.
At its end, General Isaac lay bloodied and unconscious, slumped against the edge of the crater.
***
The main army retreated to the rendezvous point in orderly rows of vehicles.
In the middle of the row, a truck as wide as a house carried unconscious soldiers, bandaged and tended by medics.
William walked among them, checking their conditions alongside other healers. After several minutes, a medic approached. "Take a rest, William. I'll take over."
"Thank you," William said, bowing politely. He climbed to the truck's makeshift second floor, where injured but conscious soldiers rested.
Despite their wounds, they gripped weapons, ready for battle.
Younger soldiers sat quietly, heads bowed in dejection. Veterans chatted, unfazed by their injuries.
William found a corner and sat down, observing the room. Tonto, his former squadmate, approached.
"You okay?" Tonto asked.
"I'm fine," William replied, his voice flat.
"You seem down," Tonto pressed.
"Just tired from work," William said, his expression unchanged.
Tonto sat beside him. "I'll be blunt. I saw the soldier you were treating die in front of you." He paused, watching William's reaction.
William stared forward, showing no emotion.
Tonto continued. "You might think it's your fault, but it's not. New healers often fall into that trap. Don't let it drag you down."
Silence followed. William gazed at the crowd, then the floor, before turning to Tonto.
"You're overthinking it," he said with a tired smile.
"This isn't my first time. I've cared for soldiers poisoned by Toxcarvers, met their needs, heard their regrets, and watched them die days later. I'm used to it. But thanks for the concern."
"Good to know," Tonto said, giving William a brief stare before nodding.
"I'll check on my patients. Rest up." He stood, waved, and walked away.
***
In the command truck, four elderly commanders in power armor debated around a round table.
"We need the scouts to find General Isaac before supporting Jacob!" one argued.
"What about the Eclipse Orchid?" another countered.
Harold, a bald commander, slammed his fist on the table. "The General's life is worth more than some plant!"
"But we don't know where Isaac is," another said.
"Then reboot his tracker!" Harold insisted.
"I tried. His location, vitality, and mana trackers are dead. His armor's mana circuits are likely fried."
"What about High-Mage Gerald? He could find Isaac with magic," Harold pressed.
"We tried contacting him, but something's blocking his connection."
"Then we'll do it the old-fashioned way and send scouts to search for him!" Harold shouted.
"We've sent most of our scouts. Sending normal squads in this foggy terrain would be suicidal."
Harold's face reddened, slamming the table again. "He's our General, and this is all we can do?"
After a tense silence, the oldest commander spoke. "Send the scouts to assist Jacob's unit."
He paused slightly. "Isaac's situation is unknown, and our options are limited.
But we know Jacob's location and that he's in danger. Are we going to gamble with his life to spare some scouts?
He's General Isaac's right-hand man. How do we explain his death to Isaac?"
After another moment of silence, Harold tapped his earpiece. "Change of plans. All scouts near Jacob's location, move to support him at once."
But emergency report cut in. "Commanders, Lieutenant Jacob is luring the Behemoth away and facing it alone!"