The Crucible of Command
The steamy hot air of the old wood clung thick and heavy not only rich with water content but with the odor of fear and ozone. Ahead of them the massive spiky forms a ghastly hybrid of titanic Titan Chargers and agile pack slicing Raptor Scythes were taking on a wall of terror fangs and blades. The noise was ear-shattering a deafening cacophony of thunderous deep rumbling growls that vibrated in the very marrow of the special unit.
Ragna sat atop his plated battlebeast did not blink. His otherwise face-like mask was furrowed with the intentfully concentrated nearly supernatural sharpness of a seasoned commander in the face of devastation. He did not see madness but variables. He saw the single critical error in fighting them in the open.
Listen to me all units Ragnas voice booming in his chest plates sonic appeal cutting through the din of the jungle like a keen blade.
Inner Monologue of Ragna
Theyre betting on mass. A force of violence. If we let that concentration rest on their weight their charge will crush our line in seconds. The objective isnt an attrition war. Its a clean blow. Separation. Isolation. Utilize the cover of the forest and their own beastly territoriality.
Squad One Left flank Take Raptor Scythes Push them into the twisting roots Dont fight open ground
The handpicked members of his assigned worked without hesitation. Jin nodded curtly a presence even in dappled light. Aya smiled her hand already holding the stock of her stubby crossbow.
Squad Two ridge position Take the high ground attack the flanks of the Titan Chargers Kaori take out the ones in the canopy We need open air over the combat
Kaori already moving out towards the high canopy saluted with her hand. She moved in smooth silence the exact opposite of the coming battle.
Boran You and Heavy Line take center Youre the hinge Break the charge but dont chase Space out the groups Stand between the hunters and the chargers Go Now
The Now signal was their signal. The platoons dispersed doing the tactical split with the weathered smoothness of veterans who had experienced worse. Ragna's plan was to take a dare in facing an awe inspiringly superior enemy by dividing them into sized to fit killable pieces.
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Rhapsody of Destruction by the Elites
As the units splintered away, combat was a string of brutal exterminating duels. The woods were a film set for Ragnas stars.
Jin The Thunder Flash
Jin charged forward to lure out the fast Raptor Scythes. These beasts were killers employing speed and pack coordination. But Jin was a different animal altogether. He wasn't even much of a fighter but a disruption of space time.
Four raptors jumped at him with extended claws. Time became slow as Jin concentrated his kinetic energy.
Jins Inner Monologue
Too slow. Too loud. Their momentum is their weakness. If I move at the same speed as them, they become predictable.
He stepped. It was no jump or run it was almost teleportation. He materialized not in front of the creature but exactly one step back of the beasts range of attack. His two silver swords atom-sharp glowed. One raptor shrieked as tendons in its front leg were cut. The second swooped its jaws wide in a hideous snarl.
SHWING
Jins second sword described a silent silver glissade. The sword cut through the beasts thick muscular neck before it had even begun to complete its battle roar. The dinosaur head severed off cleanly ricocheting to the ground the body falling shortly thereafter. He had killed the beast so fast and effectively that the beast's own central nervous system hadn't even had time to see the killing blow. Jin merely drew his blades their ring not so much louder than the rest of the chaos and proceeded to deal with the next threat.
Aya The Laughing Pyro Technician
Aya was on the flank covering the open ground through which Squad Three had to pass. A thick knot of smaller heavily armored Spikebacks deadly due to their quantity and tendency to simply charge through defenses blindly started to hold them down.
Aya didnt shoot for the head. Aya shot for largest area of effect. She felt in her quiver and selected a heavy specialist bolt a Shatter Charge Bolt.
Get out of the way boys This is going to get ugly she hollered a big real laugh swelling inside of her. It was the laugh of a pyromaniac at a gas station.
She shot. The bolt tore into the cluster of Spikebacks buried in the biggest one's chest.
KRA KOOM
The resulting shockwave was savage. It not only killed the primary target it blew ripping outward. Shredded wood churning wreckage and the armored hides of Spikebacks nearby were torn brutally asunder. The concussion ripped through the undergrowth creating a twenty foot circle of smoking crushed crater. Aya dropped her crossbow the smoke temporarily blinding her her eyes glinting with merry killing.
That's why you don't stand side by side you great stupid lizards she growled already recharging.
Boran The Immovable Object
The Titan Chargers were the largest threat huge rhino shaped monsters whose job in life was to blast up enemy lines. One titanic Charger its hide as hard as stone and its impact as a freight train came crashing down on the Heavy Lines weak point.
Boran man mountain stood alone in its way. He held a huge war hammer with a block of magical iron for the head.
Inner Monologue of Boran
Finesse is useless. I am the wall. I am the shield. Let it come to me. I will not give in. If I shatter the line shatters.
He braced his feet muscles swelling beneath armor jamming the point of the end of the handle of his hammer into the ground until it buried deep. He heaved. The Titan Charger rammed into him with a battering-ram force.
CRUUUUNCH
The ground around Boran creaked. He grunted his boots sinking six inches into the mushy jungle soil his armor groaning from the loathsome pressure. The beast was halted a stand its momentum taken away entirely. It let out a stunned rage its great head stunned into paralysis against the hammer of Boran. Boran roared back a stubborn roar of human determination against animal power. The brief hesitation was enough for the Heavy Line a determined stampede of blows from either side knocked the monster to the ground its enormous bulk crushing the earth with earthquake force. Boran puffing yanked his hammer free and swiped casually at dirt from his gauntlet.
Above them where the light was not able to penetrate to the canopy Kaori was the silent angel of death. She protected the aerial dangers and commanders of the groups of raptors who attempted to coordinate the attack.
Her target was a Pterodactyl like bird flying around with ill will trying to drop rocks and cause chaos in the group. She reached for an arrow. This one was special its point smeared with a concentrated ultra fast neurotoxin.
Kaoris Inner Monologue
No sound. No hysteria. An unobtrusive kill maintains the surprise factor and blocks secondary flight panic reactions. For the center mass quickest access to the blood stream.
She slowly slackened her bowstring's slack with soft whisper sound. The arrow flew. It was a flash in sunlight's blackness. It hit the Pterodactyls chest.
There was no scream. There was merely a sudden total absence of motor control. The strong wings mere seconds earlier pumping with heavy blows stiffened. The creature fell a lifeless mass crashing through thick leaves to fall the great distance to the ground below with a hard last thud. It was the most beautiful kill of the day.
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Kaens Moment of Self Doubt
While the elites were battling like gods the young Kaen was literally and figuratively lost.
He belonged to Rikus unit who were to pester the flanks. Observing the magnitude of the fight he had a frenzied desperate desire to prove himself. He spurred the swift Shadow Stalker into a tighter arc to cut off fleeing raptor.
Go Shadow Stalker Faster Kaen bellowed out with the hold on the reins too firm.
The Shadow Stalker which lived up to its name was frighteningly quick. It bucked over a down log and shot erratically its pace ahead of Kaens still learning control.
Whoa
The pace was too quick. Kaens hold loosened and he was abruptly cast from the horse blasting through the ferns and thudding onto the ground with a nauseating thump the air forced from his lungs in an instant. His eyes twisted.
The Raptor Scythe he had stalked saw him at once a human by himself and on the ground. It whirled around its eyes blazing with hunger to kill and struck.
Kaens Internal Panic Monologue
Im not breathing. Its coming. No no no Get up My gun wheres my gun I couldnt even pull off the Shadow Stalker. The one thing I should be able to do speed I botched at. Look at them Jin is lightning Boran stopped a giant Im in the dirt Im Im still weak. How am I going to be able to fight those things if I cannot even stay on my mount
Its dark outline towered over him its horrid jaws agape.
Kaen Dismount
At a flash of pure coordinated teamwork three people stepped forward. Riku let out a blinding volley of energy bolts that struck the raptors face and stunned it momentarily. Darren launched himself forward his shield colliding with the monsters jaw in a ringing clang. And Draxion stabbing swiftly in surgical haste drove a short spear through the juncture of its shoulder and neck paralysing the beast. It fell to the ground thrashing its helpless rage.
Kaen gasped rolling over his chest struggling to draw in breath. Riku loomed above him his face unyielding.
Moron You charge in like that youll be dying alone. Youre with a squad Rikus voice was coarse but the underlying relief was badly concealed.
Kaen grumbled not. Shame was overwhelming. He watched his Shadow Stalker run back and forth its black coat merging with the bushes. He gazed upon the destruction the naked power of the elites and the fact of his own blatant ineptness. He hadnt been helpful he had been a burden compelling three comrades to throw away their lives to rescue his own.
He strained upward his stare now steel hard with a new grim determination not of proud vanity but of self contempt and a promise never to be saved so again.
Thank you he growled panting. He dashed for his horse mounted onto the saddle this time taking the reins with precise respectful grip.
Kaens Internal Monologue Resolve
I am not Jin. I am not Aya. I cannot be a hero today. But I could not be a corpse either. I can do something still. I know this forest. I have the speed. I will utilize the Shadow Stalker for its proper purpose reconnaissance distraction and support. No more stupid heroics. Not today.
He rode horseback working not to the center of the biggest fight but on the outskirts using his agility to detect incoming ambushes warn lone units and herd smaller dinos into planned kill zones. Hed discovered his temporary niche.
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The Cleansing Wave and Victory Beat
The strategy was going on perfectly. The collective strength of the special troops in Ragnas command methodically took down the dinosaur army. Steel reverberated in the forests energy bolt zaps shook through and at last the booms of collapsing monsters rocked the air.
Ragna was wherever his presence held things steady always shifting the lines of conflict. He completed a hard fight with a Titan Charger his spear thrust into its vulnerable area when he heard a cry of warning.
It was Draxion. Having entered in order to save Kaen he was drained and intent on recharging his energy gun. He hadn't noticed the last Raptor Scythe emerge from the heavy shadow of a thicket.
The raptor had him in two seconds its jaws snapping around his neck.
Draxion Ragna screamed.
Ragna did not waste any time. He leapt onto his war beast with no regard for the wear in his own body. He galloped fifty feet wildly deafeningly his own spear already up.
CRASH
Ragnas spear struck the raptor through its side and lifted it up off the ground slamming it into the trunk of a tree where it fell instantly limp. It had been an inch flawless throw maximum charge.
Draxion took a step back his eyes on the slain monster then on Ragna his breath hushed in his throat. Commander thank you he was able to get out his voice shaken.
Ragna just leaned forward his face set. Concentration Draxion. We dont leave people behind. Not for lack of vigilance. It wasnt a rebuke but a cold reminder of what they'd lost on their mission.
A heavy weight of silence dropped over the clearing. There was an weight of the scents of blood ozone and disturbed earth. All the dinosaurs in the near vicinity were paralyzed.
The special unit battered but bruised with few wounds slowly regrouped. They stared at the gore stained destruction the successful defense and the line of standing comrades. A wave of collective relief and tired pride swept over them.
Ragna eyeballed the space estimating the perimeter. He spotted Jin wiping his blades already Aya inspecting her explosive pack Boran assisting in clearing the path and Kaori sliding down quietly from the trees. And he spotted Kaen back on his Shadow Stalker looking out over the tree line guarding. The kid was in shock but he hadnt lost it.
Ragna concurred. It was a temporary victory. Theyd beaten the first wave but the deeper they went the smarter and more methodical the creatures would get.
He stepped around to face the group now speaking in a quiet tone in only enough sound to be heard clearly.
We press on. Fall in behind the Mobile Box deployment. Kaen lead on recon sweep across the next fifty meters. Trust your mount not your pride. We won the battle for this clearing Ragna said his eyes far away his eyes looking further out into the dark woods. But the woods themselves remain the enemy.
He did not wait for an answer. He went on spear held loosely in hand a testament to strategic brilliance and sheer determination. The temporary triumph was a gift but the next threat lurked behind the next shadow.