9 The Dukhym district-part 3

Another minute passed and still the streets where empty.

This was the dreaded 'calm before the storm', the silence before the grinder.

The moment between life and death, when legends say you could even hear the flow of the Sands of Time themselves.

The sensation of calm for the inevitable clash was now mixed with a feeling that was made of both dread for its eventual arrival, and anticipation for the coming clash.

Within this time of silence right before the screams and warcrys would come to herald in the mashing of poll weapons and spears, the flight of arrows and javelins, the rip and tear of claws, teeth and bare hands the silence became unbearable.

Many tried coped with these strange moments with whatever they could.

It was an unnerving time, Kalynka had heard several old veterans that sometimes spoke of past 'Great Harvests' that this was worse than the battle itself, the whisper of 'just get on with it' was said to echo within your head allthroughout the time until the fight and that many greenhorns and many seasoned ones would sometimes fall prey to the whispers.

She was too young to know what the Great Harvests truly were, and thought that many of the tails she heard came from too many cups that the old veterans partook when telling the stories.

"Come on already."

Yet there truth in wine and health in water.

For as Kalynka stood there and gazed at that silent field, she swore that she felt something whispering wordlessly in her ear.

"Come on already."

Her thoughts echoing it.

If she would have looked to her comrades she would have seen that on their faces were the signs that they too were hearing the whispers

Each of them had their own means to banish them from their minds.

Some prayed, others thought of their life's greatest joys, others of their loved ones, a few just gritted their teeth until the pain was intense enough that it could block out anything else.

Kalynka, who was the youngest amongst them, copped by thinking of the armor she was wearing, which was an stolen old Imperial model, namely the BGY- 11 standard ground forces armor.

It was painted red instead of the standard dark green color intended for use in the open country, the front and back sides of it where made into an angle pattern of about 40 to 45 degrees that ran from the neck down to ankles, and the arm pieces where a sort of triangular shape across the forearms that was also designed to deflect arrows, swords and blows from any attacker.

The helmet was an elongated double pyramid shape, with one angle in the front and one in the back, and the remaining two situated approximately over each ear.

The first two were the sharpest angles of the bunch.

The helmet covered from the top of the neck all the way down to its base, connecting it with the chest armor.

The eye slots where situated at about the middle point of the structure where the two halves of the pyramids met, it was just below the forward sharp angle and this gave optimal protection to he eyes and face, and helped shield the eyes from the sun when necessary.

The interior was also designed with thickly padded, yet also light, suit that the pilot put on before donning the armor itself.

This not only cushioned any blows and increased the chances of survivability if the armor was pierced but also provided thermal insulation, keeping the wearer cool in the summer and warm in the winter, a fact which she was grateful for whenever she looked at her sweating teammates.

'Say what you want about the damn imps, but they know how to make good war gear!' Tubarin had once boosted after they had obtained the armor and the majority had all given reluctant nods of approval, everyone except for Kalynka.

"Nothing good ever comes out of the Empire, they are pure evil!" was her reply back then

After all if they were not evil, then why would they be here in someone else's country?

Stealing other people's resources, forcing their will on another nation and beyond the Maramanakama system there where dozens of other star systems all of which had been stolen by the Empire from their people and rightful government!

The sound of stomping boots, the hum of armored vehicles, the grinding of rocks and rabble from tracked chariots quickly banished any anger or whispers from the sands as the enemy were finally nearing their lines.

As the rebels looked out towards the street in front of their hidden positions they could see a convoy coming from beyond the street's curb.

It was composed out of an Defender Mark 11 war chariot, flanked by what looked like a platoon of soldiers numbering about 20 in strength, and although each soldier was wearing a newer and deadlier model of armor than Kalynka's, the chariot was the real terror.

It's body was grand, at least five meters wide, fifteen meters long and three meters in height, it was a towering war machine, design for mid length to long ranged combat, it's front had a sharpened arrowhead shape, and in the case of this particular model, spikes were coming out off its lower side, to help remove any obstacle in its path.

On the top of its hood, there was a dome, and cylinder emerging from it, that where both encrusted with magic runes from where it could launch shells like the Earth Breakers.

On both of its side were a pair halftracks that moved this great beast forward and across any obstacle.

It was a weapon designed for frontal assaults and breakthroughs, though it was vulnerable against cavalry, since it was slow to maneuver and its dome had a low enough firing rate that when compared with a war horse's speed, cavalry could charge it before it got off too many shot's at them.

That little fact was of no consequence for Ahmaianos and his rebels, who had no cavalry.

They did however have a few select words about the chariot's crew (and the troopers accompanying the vehicle) parentage and preference for bed companions, but no cavalry.

Ahmaianos took in a deep breath and was about to give the order to attack, one last fight, one last blaze of glory.

FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!

One would cry out as the axe was about to fall.

The Dukhym district-part 2

But this is not that kind of story.

For suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a powerful barrage of fire spears was hurled from the second floor of a building that was on the right side of the street that the imperial convoy was on.

They flew towards their target, edges ablaze with light, tips showering sparks that pelted towards the ground, leaving behind a small trail of light, which during its short life, showed the path of the weapon's flight, as if it were the clouds that lingered on the wings of an eagle that suddenly dived down towards its target.

The light shinned with such intensity that pitch black shadows emerged from whatever dark crevasse they could claim as their own!

Pitch black shadows during the daytime!

The swarm of runes, magic, fire, heat, light and sparks came about with the swiftness of thought, for as soon as it they were perceived, they also quickly disappeared from existence and perception, replaced by the great explosion that struck the imperial forces.

A flock of the spears struck true, hitting the Defender right in the one area where it's armor was weakest and namely it struck the top right from above .

The spears exploded on impact, turning the mighty behemoth from fearsome killing machine, into a blazing coffin for its crew.

As for the flocks of burning death that did not hit the Defender, they were hurled at the infantry, killing almost half of the platoon in a fiery inferno.

The survivors quickly rallied on the other side of the Chariot, opposite of from where the attack came and quickly started a counter barrage of arrows and spears.

Ahmaianos gazed in shocked silence at the familiar sight before him.

A hidden force, a powerful foe, a successful ambush, at first at least, a situation that then quickly became a disaster after that.

He had only witnessed it twice before, but it was enough for it to be burned into his memory.

And now the third time had come!

Once more the imperial shields were raised, the bows and crossbows cocked, the javelins readied.

Runes lit up, fire, air, water and earth danced their trinity of war as the ground itself was ripped towards the heavens for the devastating counterblow that would devastate the roof.

As soon as they launched their volley from their new position, a burst of magic struck the Imperial's rear, coming from the left side of the street.

Earth golems emerged from the where the spears landed; these unnatural killing machines quickly struck the troopers from behind.

The soldiers that were still distracted with the floor from where the attack had come from did not notice them and where quickly cut down from behind.

Those that did turned to face their foes, but they had already used their attack to target the building from where the first wave of spears had been thrown at them, and did not have time to charge up another attack before the golems where on them.

The rebels looked in shock, the imperials in horror, an Amurg wrote it down.

Nobody knew it would come to this.

Time seemed to stop in that moment, a moment passed, one that felt like a year, and that was all it took.

The imperials had been cut down with no survivors.

After completing its mission the golems expired as their magic was depleted and they crumbed into rocks and dust, leaving behind nothing but death and fire and silence.

Silence and whispers, and then the roar of artillery fire in the distance.

Ahmaianos, and all of his comrades, looked and saw how at what they thought was a certainty, which in his mind turned to be not so.

Since the Imperial force that had been stronger than the one he and his friends had ambushed earlier, when they were at least 5 times stronger, had been ripped to shreds with seemingly no casualty on the ambusher's side.

One moment they were seemingly invincible, the next their nothing but smoke, ash, blood and bodies.

This was madness!

This was war!

And it was not over yet.

The artillery in the distance heralded in that statement.