A Hopeful Light, Shadowed by Fear

Deus ran forward, leading the charge as his group made its way through the ash fallen battlefield. Nirox hurriedly ran behind everyone as he lugged the energy barrier in his arms. He was made the focal point of the group, so as to provide more room for everyone else to readjust their placing.

Elias remained at his side, to both ensure the shield stayed up while also keeping himself at the safest point, in case the barrier's size shrunk.

"Hold your fire, we're moving again!" Deus shouted as several clansmen followed his lead. They charged toward the front and took a kneeled position as they fired their guns, creating a barrage that lit the desert in flames.

The sky burned a crimson red as the black sand around everyone was laced with broken and burnt piles of metal. An ominous creaking could be heard occasionally, it's source unknown and unseen. It sounded of heavy gears turning and twisting, fueled by some engine of death.

Something was coming, something that would spell disaster for everyone there. Deus knew that they had sprung a trap, and it was now only a matter of time.

"Another hundred feet… that's all we need…" Deus murmured to himself as he counted each step expectantly. He had been kicking himself the entirety of the time they were moving, trying to come up with some plan to ensure Droh's and his safety once Roland and whatever backup he brought arrived.

He didn't doubt that he would be fine, at least he believed his life wouldn't be in danger once Roland arrived, especially since not only had he contacted him, but he also has no past experience and conflict with him. Droh, on the other hand, wouldn't be so lucky. That much was obvious.

Deus didn't know much of what had happened between the two, but he was smart enough to fill in some of the blanks. From the sounds of it, Droh had stolen something of value from Roland, who had, in turn, stolen it first.

It was a case of 'Droh stole a stolen thing'.

Whether it was a weapon, an heirloom, or even simply a something small and inconsequential, Deus didn't know. All that he knew was that there had been bad blood between the two ever since.

"Damn!" Deus clicked his tongue as he spat out. "Just when I thought we were going to be alright…"

As he spoke, another squad of Direfell soldiers appeared over a ridge. They trained their guns on his group but did not fire. Deus instantly noticed this and frowned, "What's going on?"

"Mister Elias! Look, more of them!" This time it was Atra who shouted out, his attention was drawn in a different direction.

One after the other, the clansmen shouted out. "What the hell is going on…" Deus grumbled to himself as he thought, 'Why are they not firing? Have they realized it's pointless to waste ammo as it is right now? No, if that was the case they would've reorganized… why are they just waiting…'

"Take advantage of this moment and charge!" Elias ordered, forcing the rest of his group to press onward. It was odd, however, that the suppressive fire they had previously been under had dwindled to what seemed to be a single group. The rest of them simply watched and waiting, keeping their distance.

'We're already so close! I can see Droh…' He thought, his eyes trained on the ridge. Their group had nearly arrived and were close enough that they could start to make out individual people within the other's forces.

Deus was concerned more than anything. He knew that it wouldn't be long until their forces combined, but if he knew that than the Direfell soldiers should've noticed it, too. For them to hold their fire and watch, as if expectantly waiting for something, it was a frightening situation full of uncertainty. It meant one thing for certain—it didn't matter if they combined their forces or not.

It seemed that Elias noticed this too, but had decided to ignore it until they joined together. If they were going to hold their fire, he'd take advantage. After all, they were already trying to kill him, it's not like he has to worry about their intent. All he needed to do was to get to Mercer's radio quickly, and all would work out.

However, before they could reconnect their forces, a low rumbling sound began to shake the ground. The origin of this force seemed to be from the sprawling tower which sat before them, blocking their view everything beyond. 'We still need to get past that thing… if we're even going to keep pushing once reinforcements arrive, that is.'

Pausing, Deus thought for a moment. 'Hold on… what was Elias after, anyway? I've thought about this before… but I never had the time to really stop and think… shit, if only the Archive was online I could have it launch a scan, then I'd know what was over beyond the tower…'

"Elias, we're almost there! We've got to hold out just a bit longer!" Deus shouted, his voice piercing through the silence which had occurred after hearing that horrifyingly low rumble.

The enemy wasn't going to just let them off, they knew that. Whatever had caused that sound would most likely spell disaster for them, as it meant the enemy was preparing for something big. All they could do was keep moving and hope Elias can send out his call for aid.

"Deus!" A thin voice called out, drawing everyone's attention. This was the first time in awhile anyone on Deus's team had heard this voice when it wasn't coming through the radio. Deus glanced up, matching the gaze of the young Faun who had called his name.

Deus showed the hint of a smile as he contemplated to himself, 'Droh… I can't believe how long it feels, especially when it's only been a short time since I last saw him. I've still got to worry about him once Roland arrives… if he even does. Hah… that feels like such an impending mountain coming to crush me.'

Deus couldn't think about this forever, he knew that. Shaking his head, he shouted out in reply, showing a firm smile on his face as if he was meeting with an old friend after a long hiatus. "Droh! Hold on, we're coming!"

Everyone within both squads showed glee as they were finally reuniting. With their forces finally becoming one unit again, they believed that there was a chance of survival.

The two sides came together, allowing not only their shield generators to share the load, but also allowing their vanguard forces a chance at repairing their weaponry and reloading all of their ammunition stockpiles. Thankfully Elias had left over half of their main supplies on the ridge with the gunners as he had believed they'd require a great deal in order to provide adequate suppressive fire.

"Mercer, you have that radio I told you to hold onto, right?" Elias approached Mercer's group as he spoke, his hand already outstretched and ready to accept the device.

"Hah… right." Mercer didn't hesitate, either. He knew the situation he was in, and the quicker he complied, the better. He pulled the radio off his belt as he handed it over to Elias. From what most of them knew, this radio held with it their last hope of survival, so they all cared for as if it were some valuable treasure.

Elias didn't mind them as he turned away, switching to some unknown channel and waiting.

"Click, click, click—" Several low toned clicking noises sounded from the radio, one after another. Only after hearing this did Elias show an exhilarated grin. He held the button down on the radio as he brought it to his mouth.

"Frequency request Ferno. This is Elias Moruga, a disciple of the Orion clan."

Elias waited for a moment as three more clicks sounded in response.

"Requesting dispatch of Goliath—annihilation unit. Enemy soldiers have my squad surrounded and our ship has been destroyed by some unknown weapon."

Once again, he waited, and again, another set of clicking noises replied. Only after what seemed to be an entire minute did a voice reply back, this time the voice was monotone yet human.

"One moment on the Ferno Frequency. It seems your request has been overridden. A higher authority has intercepted the Ferno request, please await more information, Sir Elias." The voice went quiet as Elias's face turned vile.

"What… what the hell?" He cursed quietly to himself, "Who the hell has the authority to—"

"M-master Roland… only he would..." He practically skittered out the name, as if too afraid to even speak it aloud. "B-but it was through his information that I'm even here… unless…"

"Betrayal?" He murmured out, "No… how can it be betrayal when I don't even pose a threat… I'm but an ant… a humble ant…"

Interrupting his bumbling panic, the radio device sounded. "Sir Elias, I've been ordered to inform you… ha—" The voice paused for a second, "Pardon that… I've been ordered to inform you that the mighty clan master has overtaken command and has dispatched his private force. Your reinforcements are on their way, be ready."

"Hah…" A gasp of air escaped Elias's lips as he listened. "The c-clan master is coming himself… his private force…"