Quick battle

The carnage the Lord wrought was eminence. The moment he stepped onto the field the stagnant battle quickly turned in its favour, the bonafide giant walking weapons platform couldn't be stopped with conventional weapons. 

The very edges of the second line still held firm, the Lord seemingly not caring about their fate. The trench was broken up by large bunkers across its length, giving its defenders the ability to continue the fight even if the section to their side was lost. 

However the Swarm Lord simply broke them down, melting through the bunker's metal exterior and letting its Swarm charge through. The only reason the edges of the line still fought on was the Lord seemingly handn't deemed it necessary to destroy the bunkers protecting their sections. Although they wouldn't last, without support the Swarm would simply bypass the defensive fortifications, wrapping around and charging at the defenders from the rear. 

The Swarm Lord made quick progress across the next minefield, their explosive charges not slowing it down in the slightest. It stood at the head of the charge, it carved a single path through that acted like a funnel, drawing in all the Swarmlings into a powerful spearhead. 

Leonard positioned his squad at their estimated arrival point, behind the layers of defenders in the third trench complex. He didn't need his map to tell him when he was in the right position, the large form of the Lord bearing down directly towards his position told him enough. 

It was painful for him to sit back like he was, to use the soldiers in front of him as a buffer to slow the charge of his target. They would surely die, there was no two ways about it, either when the two forces met, or after when Leonard turned the area in his battleground. 

All 10 mechs formed up behind him, shields raised and spears gripped tight, the hunt was about to begin. 

100 metres, 50, 20, sweat dripped from his brow and he quickly wiped it away. He was no liar, if anyone could see inside his cockpit it was clear he was scared. Although scared was probably the wrong word, that emotion had long since been beaten out of him. Nervous was more fitting, not just for himself but the men and women that followed him into battle alongside him. 

10 metres, his mech's hand tightened around his spear, body lowering back ready to pounce as soon as the fighting started. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. 

The Swarm Lord smashed into the line of prepared defenders, helpless soldiers crushed underfoot. Few that survived the initial impact returned fire with their rifles, however it didn't last long before the wave of Swarmlings following behind their lord rushed through into the trenches. 

This time however the defenders were prepared, having seen the fate that befell the second trench line, those of the third had hastily rearranged their troops, pulling in numbers from the sides and only leaving the minimum amount needed to hold the line. 

It was easy to tell where the breach point would fall, and so from both sides they locked it in, not letting the Swarmlings simply run down their length and kill them with ease. The only major problem was the Lords' acidic projectiles, and how quickly they could destroy the fortified bunkers and hastily reinforced positions. 

"Charge!" However that's where Leonard stepped in, rushing forward from the rear he charged towards the now stationary Swarm Lord, his men following behind him. They formed a tight arrowhead formation, shields raised and spears pointed in a direct charge towards their foe.

Dacre and Hacket dealt the first blow, positioned off either side of Leonard's formation the two squads opened fire at the surrounding Swarm, their high caliber rounds piercing through two, three even four Swarmlings before they lost momentum. 

Leonard quickly reached his target, holding his spear up against his shoulder he ran right into the Lord. They connected with a loud bang, Leonard instantly gaining its attention. Arming and Gaits both circled around, spears thrusting out and drawing long lines across its sides. 

The rest of the squad fanned out, Lieutenant Bailey and Dalton taking the Commanders attention while everyone else formed a perimeter, taking on the wave of Swarmlings with the ranged assistance of 2nd and 3rd squad. 

"Krraauuwwrg!!" The Lord roared out in response, raising its legs stomping against the ground. Leonard tried his best to keep it occupied, stabbing out with his spear into its hardened exterior inflicting a deep gash into one of its forelegs. 

It roared out again, this time confused and in pain. No one had been able to hurt it before. It was a new feeling, and it didn't like it. 

The Lord lashed out at Leonard, sweeping down with its maw wide open, lines of teeth ready to chop him to pieces. He dodged to the side, shield coming up and bashing into the side of its exposed head. 

It reeled back in shock and pain, leaving it exposed to Gaitis, who with a momentous leap, jumped onto its back and struck down with his spear. 

"Die monster!" Gaitis yelled, pushing his spear through the thick layers of hardened chitin. The Lord shook side to side, Gaitis held tight to his spear but eventually gave way, falling off its back with his spear still stuck inside. 

"Argh," He collapsed to the floor hard, only managing to quickly bring his shield up before him before the Lord struck down with its leg, pinning him into the ground. 

Arming took this opportunity to run underneath the beast, spear held aloft and he cut a deep gorge into its belly. The beast roared again, this time crouching low before jumping back with great effort. 

Leonard charged again, not wanting to let his prey free, however the Lord crouched forward, angling its massive cannons on its back towards the trio. 

"Shields!" The three had no time to evade, bracing against their shields they pushed into the coming blow. And with a thunderous roar the cannons unleashed, spewing fast moving corrosive sludge that knocked Leonard from his feat. 

"Warning! Warning!" He hit the ground, head spinning. His cockpit lit up with red, various systems and parts of his mech showing critical damage. The poison had torn right through his shield, however it did manage to block the majority. 

However what did make it through destroyed his mech almost beyond operation. His left arm no longer responded, having taken the brunt after the shield was torn through. His legs still worked however, albeit barely, and so with the help of his spear as a makeshift cane he forced himself to his feet. 

To his side Arming and Gaits fared no better, the latters mech not responding at all, half of it had disappeared entirely, it was completely out of operation. 

"Nghh!" Leonard went to move forward, only to, with momentous effort, hold back the scream that threatened to burst from his lungs. A small piece of acid had melted through his cockpit, it bubbled on his abdomen, the rotting smell of his flesh making him want to puke. 

He bit down on his tongue, blood seeping into his mouth, and forced himself to focus. The Lord had already begun to move, charging ahead it swiped its leg at Leonard. He moved quickly, fighting against the pain that any manoeuvre caused him, raising his spear up and deflecting the leg to the side. 

Behind him Arming slowly got to his knees, pulling out his side arm laser pistol and firing at the Lord's head. However It did nothing but annoy it, causing its eyes to turn away from Leonard and lock onto him. 

"Arming, stop it! Pull Gaits back." Leonard quickly pulled its attention back, swiping up and scoring a deep lash against one of its legs, almost severing it entirely. His eyes saw blood as he spotted the weak spot, but before he could lunge again the Lord swept out making him retreat back again.

Arming shot again, dragging the battered hunk of metal that housed Gaits. Leonard had not heard from him yet, his cockpit not responding. 

The Lord swung again, and this time Leonard didn't retreat. Ducking low he ran underneath the blow, rushing across its underbelly with his spear thrusting into its softer flesh. The lord's knees buckled and it almost fell down, crushing Leo underneath, however it still held up. 

"Krraauuwwrg!!" Leonard hacked and slashed, the Lord locked in place crying out in pain. He ripped large hunks of flesh from its body with every swing, digging deeper into the flesh. Its blood poured out, sickly green like the sludge that almost killed him before, and no less acidic, melting through his wrists and arms armour before he could get out of the way. 

"Shit!" The beast roared again, and this time its legs didn't hold out. Its large mass fell directly onto Leonard, who held his spear straight up in hopes for it to burrow a gap into its flesh. It crashed down and Leonard was instantly forced prone by its sheer weight, however his spear still held firm, piercing through its body and into a blue crystalline orb in the centre of its body. 

The tip of his spear cracked the crystal, from which glowing blue light flooded out. His cockpit was lit up, the light the only thing he saw before he lost consciousness. 

"Captain!" Arming yelled as the beast collapsed, dropping the remains of Gaits' mech and rushing towards the Swarm Lord, who's life was quickly leaving its eyes. "Fuck! Captain, can you hear me!?" 

He threw his pistol away, instead drawing out a small dagger and cutting away at its flesh. The dagger was still mech sized, and so quickly burrowed into the monster's flesh, however as he pulled it out and went to dig again he found he couldn't, the blade melted off at the hilt. 

"A-arming.." Gaits' voice cracked through his half functioning external speakers, voice coarse and rough. "My mech wont respond. Where is the captain?" 

"He's under this thing." Arming started digging with his hands, the metal slowly corroding away the further he went. "If you still have the energy to speak, call someone over here to help me." 

The battle still raged around them, brutal and bloody. It wasn't just the trio that fell on hard times, hopelessly outnumbered the other members of their squad fared no better, four mechs laying spewn out across the hard desert floor, cold and lifeless. 

However the tide was turning, the Swarm lost their leadership, the perfect spearhead assault had scattered, the mindless Swarmlings simply charging ahead, even if that led them into the minefields still active to their sides. 

"I can't." Gaits crooked. "My comm systems are down. Only one of my speakers works." 

"Shit." Arming mech's arms had all but disintegrated, nothing beyond his elbows existed anymore. "Do something! Eject, go on foot, just don't sit there!"

"No need Lieutenant," a retinue of heavily armoured soldiers quickly walked forward from the trenches, a few drones with incredibly robust industrial equipment following behind. The text for Bastion Military Service emboldened on their shoulders. "We will take it from here." 

"What?" Arming turned back, "the Mech Core does not take orders from the Military." 

The man at the head of the pack nodded, dressed suspiciously well in parade uniform to be in a battlefield. 

"Then perhaps this would help." He reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a gold and silver emblem, the words Bulwark prominently displayed. Armings eyes widened, Bulwark was the Military's intelligence agency, whenever they showed up nothing good ever came about. 

"While I find your devotion to your squad's captain moving," the man put the badge back in his pocket, while the bots to his side flew forward. Their sleek design betrayed their cost, as powerful lasers started cutting clean through the flesh of the Swarm Lord. "I must insist you step aside. If he's still alive I'll make sure to pull him out." 

Arming hesitated but soon relented. The bots were making quick work, their extremely high powered lasers digging into the flesh with ease, making far more progress in seconds than what he had achieved. 

"What is Military Intelligence doing here sir?" Arming questioned, his mech's legs finally gave out forcing him to exit the cockpit. The man in question merely smiled, eyes locked onto whatever the bots were tasked with digging out, something that Arming doubted was his captain. 

"Ah, who can say?" A pair of the soldiers behind him broke off, pulling out a pair of large saws and cutting into Gaits' mech. He had fallen on his back and couldn't exit his cockpit. "But well done on killing a Swarm Lord. Even if it was a newborn."