Chapter 54 Bird

On the circular platform, the Prime Soldiers rested for the night.

Balmar slumped against the wheel. A fireplace burning in front of him. Wood crackled and smoke bellowed. The flame danced in the darkness, heating his face. Yet, It was unusually cold. He was a hunter and laying prone at night was something that he has done a few times.

But it was never this cold.

Was it the moor? Or… was it his guilt? He had never felt so unsure of something before. Had he made a mistake? What should he do?

Balmar leaned his head on the carriage. The moon was alone tonight. The twinkling stars that used to accompany it did not appear. He felt weak and unmotivated.

"Sir," someone calledl out. It was one of the Prime Soldiers. He had his face and he brought a cup of water with him. "Being awake at night is not good for your health, sir."

Balmar smiled and took the cup. "I always say that to Goras, but I never practice what I preach. Tell me your name."

"My name is Honear, sir. Our training has gone well, so far, sir. None of us died. We bull through thousands of monsters and survived."

"You don't seem scared," Balmar said.

The man shook his head. "It is a sin for us to feel fear."

Fear is what keeps you alive.

"Goras have taught you well," Balmar drank his water.

"He did, sir." The man nodded. "Are we going to return tomorrow?"

"Perhaps."

The next day.

The Prime soldiers woke up from their slumbers. They had slept with their armor. With dangers lying around, they didn't want to take any risks. A minute of delay would take their life.

"Sir!" A soldier shouted. "The monsters have returned!"

The soldiers all went to the edge where the steep hill was. And they saw a horde of monsters coming from the distance. Unlike before, the monster this time looked like a giant crocodile. They were walking logs with long mouths and serrated teeth.

He turned to the side about to speak to Balmar, then realized that he was a distance away, coordinating the captains. The Prime Soldiers were quick to react. They stood at the lip of the platform and pulled their primary weapons.

This was another start of a battle.

As the monsters charged up the hill, the Prime Soldiers aimed and fired.

The thousands of crocodile-like monsters rushed towards the army, roaring and showing their vicious teeth.

The sound of gunfire already rang out, followed by the smell of thick gunpowder. Below, the monsters' bodies exploded one after another, while the Prime Soldiers stood rooted to the spot, firing their weapons. It was terrifying. The power that the Prime Soldiers showed now and before terrified him greatly. Imagine if the monster below was him. He wouldn't have the time to blink before a bullet the size of an adult's hand blasted his head.

Balmar stepped in their midst and fired along. He didn't have to coordinate the army anymore. The monsters only had one way to reach them and it was from this hill.

Wave after wave of them died. Their holes-blown body rolled away. It didn't disrupt the monsters behind it to climb. Their claws seemed to be designed to climb this hill as it stuck to the ground. It was like someone sent these monsters to attack them.

Was someone watching them?

A bird cried from the sky.

"Watch out! Look above you!"

Hundreds of brown, dirty-winged monsters dived from above. Their beak was sharp. And some kind of tentacles were inside their mouth.

Some of the Prime Soldiers moved their aim upward, felling dozens of monsters. But still, a few slipped in.

"Ahh!"

The flying monsters struck the soldiers, ripping the armor apart with its beak, and chomped on them. The others responded immediately by cutting the monsters down. Blood splattered on their armor, but they had no time to rest. More and more monsters dived down and attacked them.

The monsters on the ground got closer and charged forward. Up close, Balmar could see stone-like scales covering these creatures. Nevertheless, the bullets tore through it and burst their bodies.

With pressure from above and below, the Prime Soldiers had to divide their firepower. But Balmar forgot to account for their weakness—supplies.

With the flying monsters diving down for a strike, they sometimes grabbed the wagons and flew away with them. This diminished their already-spent resources. If this kept going, then they would run out of bullets and be swarmed by the beast.

The squire and coachmen covered their heads and ran around, panicking. A bird picked them up and threw them out of the platform. The man screamed for help as he fell.

Balmar gritted his teeth and shot the birds. He killed with every shot. None missed. Each bullet tore through the chest or the head. A few times, his bullets penetrated through more than one target.

The sound of the gun firing stopped and was replaced by the click sound. They had run out of bullets and had to reload!

Quickly, the squires ran toward and the soldiers grabbed the clip before reloading.

Unexpected to them, the crocodile beasts were already in their position. Weighing almost thrice of the Power Suit, the beast slapped the Prime Soldiers to the ground, cracking the armor before crushing them.

The beast roared, saliva shooing out from its mouth.

The Prime Soldiers didn't want to lose out, they fight back with their own roar, passing the limit of what a normal human could do. They crossed through the battlefield in rapid strides, weaving around the dead crocs and birds.

The Prime Soldiers fought against the crocs face to face. These beasts were three times as tall as them, and their bodies were much longer than a normal crocodile. Yet these men charged ahead.

They brushed against death.

He had picked them personally by hand, but he couldn't believe their brave action.

Balmar smiled. He was proud. This was his men. These was his subordinates.

Balmar pulled out his sword. "Charge!"