95: Star Child: A Keepers Loss II

"I don't like this!" Seeger shouted for the umpteeth time as we hunkered down in our makeshift trench. Thanks to Diamond-Breaker we were able to dig waist deep trenches across the hill and make half decent fortifications using heavy rocks, boulders, and fallen trees that he carted up for us. He stacked them to make four large walls and ramparts for us to shoot over.

While the rest of us were relatively safe in the fort Diamond-Breaker was left outside as part of Reagan's strategy. Since his shell was heavily armored and he was larger than the ascended he believed that he could be used against it and also kill plenty of thrads to help us all save bullets.

"Well suck it up buttercup! We're here in the thick of it now!" Haws said as he stood on top of the ramparts. Haws, Grandma Lulu, Sooty, Logan and I all stood on the north, east, south and west ramparts respectively while Reagan and the rest of the squad took trench in the center of the fortification and stuck their guns through the cracks in the wall to shoot.

I really wish I didn't have to share a rampart with Logan but he was a good shot and the western rampart was the one facing town and the river which is where we guessed most of the thrads would come from. So it made sense to have two competent gunners up there.

I watched as Logan paced back and forth across the rampart. Checking his weapon and ammo again for the tenth time then going back to pacing. I did one inspection of my Orkas when I stepped into the rampart then left it at low ready. My eyes scanned the horizon, now lit up by the morning sunrise. The light of a new day stretching across the woods to town.

"Chase! Remember your Orkas can't penetrate thrad scales!" Haws called put to me.

"I know! Aim for the fleshy parts!" I yelled back. "If too many of them flood to one side we're going to need you to help clear it up!"

While Haws had the Mastruck slung across his back, he had a Jasko rifle in his arms. It was one of the extras that Seeger had.

"Chase, whatever you do don't die!" Reagan said. "Without you this plan won't work and we'll all be overrun."

"So what I'm hearing is if push comes to shove, shove Logan to the thrads to give Chase a moment to escape." Haws said. Logan snapped around to glare at Haws.

"Oh fuck you old man!" Logan yelled. "I ain't dying for a filthy splicer!"

"That filthy splicer is the only reason we're here right now. If it was up to me and Lulu'nala, we'd have left for safety when your mom begged us to come safe her 'precious baby boy' especially after you volunteered to kill him yourself." Haws grumbled. "Chase is too soft hearted for his own good."

"So obviously after deciding that I'm not going to up and use him as human shield." I said.

"Shame you can't say the same about your brother…" Haws said with a huff. Logan opened his mouth to say something back when a loud roar thundered through the woods and up the hill. Logan and I both turned and aimed our guns down the hill. Diamond-Breaker stood below our rampart, large and smaller claws read to crush and snap.

The sun was high enough in the sky that it-was warming the forest below. After spending the night in the cold dark forest the warm morning sun felt good on my skin. That however meant that it also felt good on the thrads skin.

Thousands of roars echoed through the forest surrounding the hills, letting us know that the thrads were up and warmed up now. I could see a swarm of thrads gathering in the forest through the trees. About a mile way I could see trees bending and toppling as a large eve made their way through the woods.

"That has to be the ascended!" I called out to everyone and pointed to the falling trees in the distance. Logan aimed his rifle down the hill in preparation for the flood of evos that was coming. For several minutes the roars and hissing grew louder and louder around us until it was almost deafening then suddenly it all just stopped. The eerie silence made everyone tense as their eyes scanned the forest. Then suddenly like a damn breaking a flood of thrads charged up the western side of the hill.

"SHIT!" Logan and I shouted and both started firing at the thrads climbing the hill. Thanks to the Orkas weaker firepower I wasn't dropping thrads like Logan was with his Jasko. I was however injuring them enough to slow them down enough for Logan to finish them off easily. Diamond-Breaker grabbed a larger bolder on the top of a pile and threw it down the hill crushing a few dozen.

I heard several gunshots come from below us and behind us. The others were firing at thrads swarming up the hill at all sides. I couldn't tell how the others were doing but the thrads were slowly clawing their way up the hill. Thanks to Diamond-Breaker chucking boulders at the thrads. Eventually the swarm charging up the western side thinned out and Logan killed the last one.

"Diamond-Breaker go to the south side! Kill anything that gets to close!" I ordered then ran towards the northern ramparts to help Haws and Abraham. The swarm that attacked the northern side was significantly smaller than the swarm that attacked the Eastern one. With the three of us shooting and dropping thrads it was cleared in a few moments.

"North side clear!" Abraham yelled put.

"South clear!" Reagan yelled.

"East side clear!" Lindal shouted.

"West side clear!" Sooty called out.

"That wasn't too hard!" Logan called out. Haws rolled his eyes and reloaded his Jasko.

"That was just the first wave." He said bursting my older brothers bubble. Seeing the terrified look on his face almost made my bust out laughing. I reloaded my Orkas then walked back over to the northern rampart and looked out at the heaps of bodies lying dead on the ground. It was probably just a fraction of the evos that the ascended had under his control.

"Vax'erah would be very useful right now." Grandma Lulu called over. "You could fly over the woods and take control of the ascended from a safe distance!"

"Yeah but I'd rather Louie, Angie, and KC be safe right now!" I yelled back.

"I hope they are safe…shouldn't that aivard have come back by now?" Haws asked.

"Probably…" I said softly. My thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash as something slammed into the south ramparts toppling the wall.

"SOOTY!" Reagan screamed and rushed over. Logan and I both looked towards the southern side of the hill and saw another swarm headed toward the broken wall. We both opened fire, killing a few before they made it half way up the hill. Diamond-Breaker rushed to the front of the rampart and charged down the hill, crushing and trampling the rest of the thrads.

Diamond-Breaker started to turn and head back up the hill when a second swarm of thrads emerged from the woods and engulfed it in a sea of scales, fur and claws.

"DIAMOND-BREAKER!" I roared.

"He'll be fine! His shell us too strong for them to break Chase!" Haws yelled onto me.

No sooner had he said that did one of Diamond-Breaker's claws break free from the swarm and start crushing and eviscerating everything it could touch. It killed all the evos swarming it in a matter of moments with not a single scratch on it. Diamond-Breaker then returned to the southern rampart and started lifting the rocks and trees of the wall and setting them aside.

"How's Sooty?" I called down to Reagan. He had his back to me and Soot in his arms. I couldn't see the extent of the damage but I knew he had to be hurt after getting knocked down from the rampart like that.

"He's dead…" Reagan announced then placed Sooty on the ground carefully and stepped back. It was then I could see the full extent of his injuries. A branch from the tree had impaled Sooty through the chest right where his heart was, he would have died instantly.

"I'm sorry…" I said.

"Mourn later, continue the mission!" Reagan exclaimed? His voice cracking a little.

"If Chase can't gain control of the ascended thrad and we all die then they will swarm from this town to the next, killing who knows how many innocent civilians."

"We need to lure the ascended out then!" Abraham shouted.

"How the fuck do we do that?" Logan asked.

"With bait…" Granma Lulu said. I looked over to her and the Eastern ramparts in tome to see her climb down and run a ways down the hill.

"GRANDMA!" I yelled and jumped down as well and ran after her. Grandma Lulu pointed her gun into the air and fired several shots as she ran towards the woods.

"Come and get me you over sized handbag!" Grandma yelled.

A small group of thrads emerged from the woods and headed straight for Grandma Lulu. I skidded to a stop and fired at them, killing one and injuring another. A volley of shots rang out from the eastern rampart and the last one was downed.

"Grandma come back!" I yelled and gave chase as Grandma disappeared into the woods. As I broke through the tree line I expected to see a sea of thrads ready to kill and maim both Grandma and me but the woods were completely empty to my left and my right. Grandma saw this and skidded to a stop.

"Something's wrong…" She said as I reached her. Her eyes suddenly widened and she turned and started running back up. A thundering primal roar vibrated the ground and sent shockwaves through the air. I raced after Grandma and when I broke through the tree line again I saw the ascended thrad in a wrestling match with Diamond-Breaker in front of the southetn rampart.

Diamond-Breaker was trying his hardest to push the ascended back the ascended, they were neck and neck in both size and weight. But Diamond-Breaker was losing ground.

The ascended knocked Diamond-Breaker's club claws aside and grabbed his by his legs. In one swift movement it spun around an threw Diamond-Breaker high into the air. In a burst of speed I managed to catch up with Grandma Lulu and tackle her out of the way from being craued under Diamond-Breaker's shell.

Diamond-Breaker skipped down the slope of the hill like a stone across water before common to a stop at the bottom of the hill. He landed on his back, his six legs squirming in the air without traction.

The ascended Thrad let out another primal roar and pounced his chest as a swarm of lesser thrads rushed out of the southern woods, screeching and hollering victorious.

Grandma jumped to her feet and fired her rifle, at the ascended hiding the soft furry parts and blasting off chunks of flesh. The ascended covered its face and roared. A small mob detached from the swarm that charged up the hill towards the ramparts and made a beeline for Grandma Lulu. I jumped to my feet and fired my Orkas at the swarm while gathering energy into my crystal.

Grandma Lulu switched targets and started downing the thrads while she backtracked it to me. Once the first thrad entered my energy range I took control of it and ordered it to butcher its brethren. The thrad I controlled killed a couple before I felt a strong presence in its mind forcing me out and severing our connection.

I glanced over at the ascended near the top of the hill, it glared at me with the one eye it had left as the other was blown off by Grandma last night. I felt a seething hatred in its gaze.

At the same time I saw Logan, Reagan, Haws, and Abraham jump down from the eastern ramparts and book it down the hill towards Grandma and me. The four of them firing at the small mob and killing what was left.

"RUN!" Reagan bellowed

"What about Lindel and the two from the other squad?" I yelled back.

"Dead! Now run!" Abraham shouted as the four of them passed us. Grandma and I turned and booked it after them. They all ran to Diamond-Breaker, who had managed to flip himself right side up. The six of us all ran up Diamond-Breaker's tail and held on to his shell.

"RUN!" I ordered him. Diamond-Breaker surged forward and charged through the trees. We all heard the ascended's primal roar as it sent its minions to give chase.