Chapter 5 - Requesting Backup

"Sabre Queen, we're down half our heroes! At this rate, there's no way we'll win. There's only four of us left! What's your plan?"

Mayumi glanced around the area. There were body parts scattered about, and blood staining the grass and stones surrounding the area. The Malice Fox had done a relentless job defending itself and feasted upon four unfortunate heroes...

"Shit... there's blood everywhere... listen! I need you four to retreat from the fox, and head to the centre of the camp! I'm going to try to finish this fox off myself. Don't worry, I'll be okay!"

"Yes ma'am! Be careful Sabre Queen!"

The group of heroes retreated from the Malice Fox. Despite the fox being close to death, it was still incredibly dangerous and had the potential to eat anyone at any given time. Mayumi gazed into the eyes of the fox and was filled with rage.

"You ate my companions...you bitch... I'm going to end your life myself..."

Mayumi approached the Malice Fox. She had gotten the other heroes away from the monster to clear room for herself to intervene. If she managed to finish off this fox, she and the other heroes could gather their strength to take on the Tiger Frog.

Mayumi put her hand where her sword would normally be, but there was nothing there. Mayumi then realized that her sword was still lodged in the head of the other Malice Fox! She had no weapons!

"...!"

"...oh no, my sword must still be in the head of the other Malice Fox. I totally forgot to grab it before coming here... I guess I have no other choice then. Please tell me someone is available..."

The Malice Fox then growled at Mayumi and gritted its teeth in anticipation. Mayumi stood still, and very slowly, reached for her RCD. She had no other choice, she needed to request backup.

Mayumi pulled out her RCD and radioed into Camp Alpha, requesting immediate backup at Camp Theta. She described the threat. One level 3 Malice Fox, and one Level 5 Tiger Frog. She spoke quietly, as to not provoke the Malice Fox.

"Alpha, this is Sabre Queen, requesting high-level backup at Camp Theta. We've lost five heroes to a Malice Fox and Tiger Frog. Threat levels are estimated to be 3 and 5, respectively. We're heavily under-armed..."

"Alpha to Sabre Queen, we'll transfer a hero from Camp Iota ASAP. We're sending a level 7, be on the lookout for him in 10 minutes. Be careful out there! Retreat from the threat until he arrives!"

"Yes sir, thank you, much blood has been shed at Camp Theta..."

Mayumi accepted the orders and put away her RCD. Then, she glanced over to her left and spotted the arm of a deceased hero. In order to save herself, she reluctantly grabbed the arm and threw it toward the Malice Fox to distract it. The Malice Fox ran over to the arm and ate it, giving Mayumi enough time to run away.

Mayumi successfully ran away from the Malice Fox and continued eastbound toward the centre of the camp. As she ran, she began to think to herself.

"A level 7? I've never seen one in action before... I wonder how strong they really are. I'm only a level 3, and Cyprus is a level 4... I hope whoever this level 7 hero is, they can get rid of these monsters, we can't afford to lose any more heroes..."

Each hero in the Hero Camp had a specific level that determined how strong they were. The lowest was level 1, and the highest was level 7. Level 1 is usually meant for new heroes who had just entered the camp. The average levels of most established heroes fall between 2-4. Level 5-6 heroes are strong veteran heroes of the camp, and level 7 is reserved for only the most powerful of heroes.

Mayumi caught up with the other heroes who had retreated. They gathered in the centre of the camp, and Mayumi updated them on the situation.

"Sabre Queen? You're back already? Did you kill the Malice Fox?"

"Unfortunately no... but listen, everyone, I radioed in to Camp Alpha. They're sending a level 7 to help us! This is great news, it means we might actually win this fight without losing any more lives!"

"A level 7!? I've never seen one before!"

"Dear God, if they're sending a level 7, we must be in some serious danger..."

The mood of the entire group shifted. They had a sense of relief, but were also terrified. Level 7 heroes were only ever sent in to take care of serious situations that could lead to mass devastation. But perhaps this was one of those situations, as the sheer size of the Tiger Frog could lead to the destruction of the camp.

"Everyone, we've been ordered to sit and wait for the hero to show up. When he does, let's hope he can save the camp. I'm weaponless right now, so I can't do anything. I wonder how Cyprus is doing up on the wall..."

Mayumi and the group of heroes looked up toward the top of the wall. They had expected to see the line of ranged heroes firing projectiles toward the Tiger Frog, but instead, they saw nobody... the entire wall had been abandoned. Where was Cyprus!?

"MAYUMI!!"

Mayumi then looked straight ahead and saw Cyprus and his group running toward her. His group of 12 had been reduced to 7... 5 more heroes had been slaughtered...

"CYPRUS!? What happened! Where's the rest of your men!?"

"The Tiger Frog kept swiping at the wall, taking chunks out of it! Did you not hear it!? 2 of our men fell off the wall, and the other 3 were eaten! We were forced to retreat. What's your plan!?"

Mayumi had been focusing so much on taking down the Malice Foxes, that she hadn't heard any of the commotion taking place at the wall. She looked to the ground outside the north gate and noticed large stones and chunks of the wall laying on the ground, with the Tiger Frog sitting behind them, still clawing at the wall in an attempt to break through it.

"Shit... Cyprus, you and your men need to stay here. I radioed into Camp Alpha, and they're sending a level 7 to take out the threats. This situation is a lot worse than we anticipated..."

"A level 7? Have we underestimated the threat levels of these monsters? They're 3 and 5, right??"

"As far as I'm concerned, they're estimated to be as such. But perhaps we underestimated the Tiger Frog. It could potentially be a level 6... regardless, we must protect ourselves until the hero shows up."

"Okay. Mayumi, I trust you..."

The group of heroes remained at the centre of the camp for a good 10 minutes. Cyprus had stationed his remaining men on the path that led to the gate. They continued to fire their weapons at the feet of the Tiger Frog, causing slight damage to it.

*Thwish! Bang! Thwish Thwish Bang!*

"Keep firing! Cause as much damage as possible to the feet of the monster!"

"Deadeye, we're almost out of ammunition! What do you want us to do when we run out?"

"Tch! When that happens, just stay back, and ceasefire. There's nothing more we can do..."

"Yes sir!"

The men continued to fire at the tiger frog, landing their shots at its feet. The Tiger Frog attempted to dodge out of the way, but its sheer size made it impossible for it to dodge them all.

When they ran out of ammo, Cyprus and his men ceased their attack and returned to the centre of the camp with Mayumi's group. All of the heroes were now gathered together. It was then, that one of the heroes noticed movement near the northern gate where the Tiger Frog was.

"Guys! Look, to the gate! The Malice Fox moved!"

Mayumi looked at the gate, and lo and behold, the Malice Fox had changed positions, and was now working together with the Tiger Frog in an attempt to bust through the wall. More pieces of the wall continued to fall, as the pair scratched their way through it.

"Damnit! Now we have two threats to deal with at the gate. I thought the Malice Fox would have just wandered off by now after realizing it wouldn't be able to get in..."

"Should we move into a building? If the Malice Fox gets through, we could be toast!"

"Perhaps that's not such a bad idea. Cyprus, take your group into the shop, I'll take mine to the tavern!"

"Yes ma'am! Let's go, guys!"

But before Mayumi and Cyprus's groups could head into their buildings, Mayumi heard a voice from behind her. It was a sharp, intense voice. It spoke with great confidence.

"...what an interesting situation. Mind if I take it from here?"

"What? Who said that?"

Mayumi turned around and saw a man standing behind her, wearing a light blue, single-piece jumpsuit and a white cape. He had spiky black hair and grey eyes. He walked past Mayumi, and a chill went down her spine.

"Who are you? Are you the hero from Camp Iota??"

The man walked toward the gate and stopped in his tracks. His presence alone was terrifying. Mayumi could sense an insurmountable amount of strength emanating from his body. He turned around and looked at Mayumi.

"My name is Sledge Reaper. You fought well, all of you. I'm going to take it from here, though. Stand back."

Sledge Reaper was a level 7 hero, armed with a 6-foot long titanium War Hammer. He was a menace, who used blunt force to kill monsters. He was about to demonstrate the power of a level 7 hero to the camp.

"Sledge Reaper? That's such a badass name!"

"Yeah, I know. Now, all of you, take cover. I'm going to end this."

"Yes sir! Everyone, into the buildings!"

Mayumi, Cyprus, and the rest of the heroes retreated into their buildings. They gazed out of the windows in anticipation of what Sledge Reaper was going to do. Sledge Reaper then began to walk toward the monsters.

"Hm. It seems they've incorrectly gauged the threat level of these two. That Malice Fox appears to be a level 3 threat, but the Tiger Frog is most definitely a level 6. No matter though, it's the same as always..."

The Malice Fox noticed Sledge Reaper approaching, and growled at him. Sledge Reaper then stood still and took a few deep breaths, before sitting on the ground, in a meditative position. He closed his eyes and spoke to the Malice Fox.

"No need to get defensive, young malice fox. Although, if you attempt to take another step forward, I am required by contract to end your life. I would highly advise you to turn around, and leave."

The fox stood still, continuing to growl and scratch at the wall.

Sledge Reaper sat for a good 3 minutes, breathing. Then suddenly, the Malice Fox broke through the wall and started charging at full speed toward Sledge Reaper. He opened his eyes and broke into a maniacal smile. When the Malice Fox approached him, it reached its head toward Sledge Reaper.

"I'm sorry we couldn't come to an agreement. Unfortunately, this is the end of the road for you. I will now bring your dishonourable life to an end."

Sledge Reaper came to his feet, and jumped high into the air, dodging the mouth of the Malice Fox. Then, in his descent, he grabbed his war hammer and prepared to swing at the Malice Fox. When he was close enough, he swung with incredible force.

The War Hammer made contact with the head of the Malice Fox, and its head exploded. The Malice Fox was killed instantly... Sledge Reaper then gracefully landed on the ground and laughed, as the corpse of the Malice Fox collapsed behind him.

"Hah, ahaha! Oh my, that felt wonderful. It's been a while since I've killed a monster in one hit! Now then, where's this Tiger Frog..."

From inside the building, Mayumi was stunned. She had just witnessed the power of a level 7 hero. Sledge Reaper had effortlessly dodged the Malice Fox and killed it in a single blow, all while sustaining no damage.

"Holy shit, Sledge Reaper's insane... I just hope he can take out the Tiger Frog. It's at least 3 times larger than the Malice Fox!"

"Sabre Queen, he's a level 7 for a reason. I'm sure he will be okay. Plus, if something goes wrong, we can always help him out. I'm certain that all of us together can take out the monster."

"You're probably right, I shouldn't be worrying. I'm just concerned about the lives lost in this battle. We've lost 10 heroes...that's 10 too many..."

Outside of the building, Sledge Reaper was approaching the Tiger Frog. When he approached the gate, he grappled to the side of the wall and climbed to the top.

"Ah, I made it! This is a pretty tall wall, I'm surprised you can peek over it. Anyway, you must be the Tiger Frog I heard about. You're a lot larger up close... yeah, definitely a level 6. I'm going to have to be a bit more careful with you..."

The Tiger Frog backed up and gazed at Sledge Reaper with its frog eyes. It then looked at the corpse of the Malice Fox and backed up some more. Perhaps it felt threatened by what Sledge Reaper had just done to its companion.

"Heh, well, this should help boost my rank a little bit. If I can take out a level 6 monster, perhaps I'll move up a spot. Let's see now, how should I go about this..."

The Tiger Frog did its croaking roar once again, about as powerful as it had done earlier, and just as loud. But instead of losing his balance, Sledge Reaper was unaffected. He stood his ground and analyzed his target.

"Ah, a bit loud today, aren't we? Are you perhaps threatening me? There's no need to attack, considering what happened to your fox friend down there. Have you the wits to retreat when faced with an undefeatable opponent?"

The Tiger Frog then began to slowly approach the wall, and move its head toward Sledge Reaper. However, it didn't open its mouth. It was simply gazing at the hero, taking in his features. Then, it began to sniff Sledge Reaper.

"Go ahead, gather as much information from me as you want. It's only in your nature. When you're ready to fight, let me know."

Then, the Tiger Frog retracted its head and opened its mouth. With great speed, its frog tongue shot out, and wrapped itself around Sledge Reaper's body, trapping him.

"Ah, it appears you're ready to fight now, then? Wonderful... this will be over quickly..."