Chapter 71 - A Fresh Hell
Sarah too wasn't having a fun time, except her reasons were a little different from Drake's. While he was worrying about the cold and the rain, she had to worry about all that, plus avoid getting shot.
The heavy rain made it difficult to see more than a few meters in front of her, but the survival instincts that had been honed over the past two weeks of battle told her that there was someone right in front of her.
Stepping over the top half of a Menoraz soldier torn apart by some Ifere, she tightly held the firearm in her grasp. Bodies and blood didn't scare her anymore. She had become numb to the madness and horror that was the war. If she didn't, she wouldn't have survived until now.
Eyes empty, Sarah crouched behind a destroyed vehicle, sinking up to her shin in bloody mud. Ever since it had started raining, a week ago, the battlefield had become a nightmare to traverse. The accumulated rainwater had also acquired a red hue, which no one talked about.
"Argh!"
She heard some screams of pain and agony to her right, accompanied by muffled shots and explosions, but didn't turn her head to look at it. Most of the time, Sarah felt almost alone on the battlefield, thanks to the rain. Now, however, she knew she wasn't the only one there.
A human-shaped shadow was pushing it's way through the storm, completely unaware that Sarah was waiting for it. Regulating her breath, she watched as a person walked by her. His uniform was as dirty as destroyed as hers, but the crest of Lapidum was still recognizable.
Without a moment's hesitation, Sarah took aim and pressed the trigger, hitting the black-coat squarely in the back. He groaned weakly and then fell forward, splashing mud and blood everywhere. He died without even knowing how.
Showing no emotions, Sarah closed her eyes, and listened again. There was artillery falling to her left. Or was it just thunder? She didn't know, and didn't care. She learned early that in a battle, you took care only of yourself. So what if Lapidum's bombs were tearing her brother-in-arms apart a few hundred meters away from her? So what if her friends were dying one after the other? Was there anything she could do?
She knew the answer. There wasn't. If she tried to help, all she would be able to do was die too. Sparing her latest victim but a single glance, Sarah uselessly wiped the rainwater from her forehead. That was the fourth person she killed in her life, and she had no reactions to it.
"Sh*t..."
Her head turned sharply to her left when she heard the squishy sound of lots of feet stepping on the mud. There was a large group of people coming her way, and from Lapidum's side of the battlefield. At least four or five, too many for her to deal with.
She knew there should be Menoraz soldiers near her, but none of them would be able to help. There were each locked in their own little battles, much like she was not long ago. She had separated from her squad when they were suddenly attacked a few hours earlier, and was now alone.
Cursing and growling, Sarah knelt and prepared to die, taking as many as the bastards as she could with her. Before she squeezed the trigger, though, someone grabbed her wrist, and stopped her. She was about to retaliate when that person turned her face to his, eyes on the same level as hers.
"Calm down, blue-coat! We are on the same side!"
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What Drake saw from the hilltop was stuff straight out of nightmares. He had killed his fair share of people in his life, and seen a lot of blood, but nothing could come close to what was unfolding below him.
It was a giant stretch of barren terrain, at least three dozen kilometers wide. He could see fallen trees, scattered stumps, and boulders, the only signs that there once stood a forest on what was now basically a muddy hell.
What Drake thought was thunder was revealed to be countless cannons, on both sides of the battlefield, firing death and destruction. And, in-between these giant machines of slaughter were the Menoraz Army and the Lapidum Army, clashing against one another like titans.
He had never seen anything like that. From his vantage position, the soldiers looked like black and blue dots. Hundreds of thousands of them. He could also see thousands of Iferes, all using their skills at the same time.
Even from so far away, Drake could somehow see the faces of the soldiers as they put their lives on the line. He could see every little detail.
Iferes got shot and tumbled down, their companions screaming in agony. In another part of the battlefield, Drake witnessed two Menoraz soldiers getting bitten and torn apart by a huge Ifere, which then swallowed them. Not much further, an explosion threw people in the air, some in pieces. The survivors didn't hesitate to pick knives, rocks, and anything that could serve as a weapon, and jump at each other.
There was blood, gore, and death everywhere he looked. Rivers of red water coursed through the earth, and bodies were stomped upon by those behind them, who were ready to throw themselves at the endless cycle of slaughter again.
"What in hell is happening?!"
"War... War is happening."
"Who the f*ck is winning?"
Drake honestly didn't know. For him, there were no winners in this kind of madness. With his stomach churning, he turned away. He couldn't throw up in front of the scouts, even if only for his pride.
"I want to say we are, but... I have no idea. See how scattered they are? Must be because of the storm. If from up here it's already difficult to tell what's going on, imagine how it must be down there."
Ruli was right. While at first Drake had just seen the battlefield as a whole, when he looked more closely, he realized that there were in fact many little battles happening. Each fight was separated from the others by just a few dozen meters, but Drake doubted the soldiers knew who was right next to them.
"Which battlefield is this?"
"Uhmm... I'm not sure. However, there are at least three hundred thousand people down there, so it's one of the major ones. We will know when we get there."
"It's General Lilac's."
Drake wasn't at all surprised that the 37th Squad wanted to join the battle. They were loyal to a fault to their country, much more than Drake. Normally, he would have tried to convince them not to, but he had a very strong reason to follow them.
Ruli and the others turned to him, only to find that Drake's eyes were fixed on the far end of Menoraz Kingdom's side of the battlefield.
"What? How do you know?"
"I can feel my companions. They are close. Closer. Let's go."
He didn't wait to see if they were following or not. Jumping on his Yscalent, Drake urged it downhill. Frainer and Kniivar were somewhere down there. At the rearguard of Menoraz Army, and away from the combat, thank the Mystic Iferes, but they were there.
Ruli and Holber exchanged a glance, and then she gestured for the group of blue-coats to hurry up. They were curious as to why Drake's companions were with General Lilac - Ruli more than the others - but they knew his anxiety couldn't be faked.
"Only a dozen or so kilometers and we will be right at home, team. Move it!"
...
As he got closer to the battlefield, his visibility diminished, but Drake didn't care. When his mount started to snarl and buck at the smell of blood and sound of gunshots, he simply dismounted, and let it run free.
He was aware that the scouts were somewhere behind him, panting as they sprinted to catch up. Slowing down a little, he let Ruli grab his arm.
"We have to be careful, Drake. I know you are worried about your companions, but it will be worse if you die. They survived without you all this time, didn't they?"
"I know. I'm just... Uff..."
He nodded. Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, he traded it for his two pistols. What he needed now wasn't range, but speed. He might even pick up a machinegun or something similar later. He was sure there were many of them laying around, their previous owners not in need of them, or anything else for that matter. He would just have to make sure they weren't trashed by the mud.
Very soon, bodies started coming into vision. A black-coat here, a blue-coat there, or even Iferes. The ones who had been killed by firearms were... Easier to look at. Those that had been hit by a skill... Drake was sure he would see some of them in his nightmares for a long time.
Stepping over a lone arm, apparently frozen and then ripped from some poor soul, Drake felt danger. Dropping to his knees, he narrowly avoided a volley of bullets. One of the scouts wasn't so fast or so lucky, and grunted in pain as a hole appeared on her shoulder.
Drake quickly turned to the origin of the attack, but didn't see anything. There wasn't any other attempt either. After a few seconds, Ruli patted his arm.
"Stray bullets. Continue!"
Nodding slowly, Drake got up. He really hoped they wouldn't find any Lapidum soldiers, because then he would be forced to kill them. Alas...
"On our left!"
Holber was already shooting as he yelled an alarm. A group of black-coats appeared out of nowhere, seemingly as surprised to see the scouts as they were to see them. Unfortunately, they recovered quickly. Swearing as a bullet grazed his arm, Drake fired back.
The fight was over almost instantly. Their opponents were just normal soldiers, while Drake's group was composed of elites, and he wasn't too bad himself. Still, it wasn't without casualties. Holber was uttering some curses Drake had never heard before while holding a bloody arm, and another scout was also hurt pretty badly.
The one who had it worse of all of them, however, was the blue-coat named Max. He was pressing his hands against his neck and gasping. Blood flowed freely through the gaps in his fingers, and was constantly washed away by the rain. They all watched as his eyes rolled on their sockets, and life vanished from them.
"Damn it!"
Closing his eyes, Drake sighed loudly. He didn't know Max. He didn't even know his full name. He talked as little as possible with the scouts, apart from Ruli. However, he had traveled a week with the man. It was difficult to see him die here, so close to home. It was a pity, if nothing else.
"Leave him. We have to move quickly. We are in no condition of facing another fight."
It was Ruli who hurried them. Supporting the wounded scout, she gestured with her head to Drake, who nodded, acknowledging it. Hurrying up, he left the blue-coats behind, and disappeared in the storm.
It was like he had entered another world, even though he was just a few steps away from his traveling companions. The thunderous rain pouring down on him was deafening. Nothing new there.
Turning back every once in a while to make sure the scouts were still following him, Drake ventured deeper into the battlefield. There were bodies everywhere, human and Iferes alike. They were laying on the ground, some almost intact, some dismembered. Hastily dug trenches and bunkers appeared every now and again, and more than once Drake saw shadows moving in the rain.
It didn't take long for him to hear shots being fired again - well, they were incessant, to the point of almost becoming background noise. Only, this time they were much closer. Quickening his steps, he saw a Menoraz soldier crouching, eyes closed, and breathing raggedly. Next to her was a dead black-coat - amongst other bodies - wounds still gushing blood.
At this moment the woman looked up. Her eyes surprised and slightly scared Drake. They were completely empty, having lost their light. It was the eyes of someone who had given up trying to understand this cruel and messed up world, and was just waiting to die.
After a few seconds of hesitation, the blue-coat knelt down and took aim. Drake didn't need to look to see that her targets were Ruli and her scouts. She was probably so lost in the bloodlust and despair that it was the war that she didn't even notice they were allies. That is, if she could see them at all.
Rushing forward to stop the accident about to happen, Drake grabbed the woman's wrist, and pulled it. She let out an animalistic growl, but he didn't let go of her arm. Instead, Drake turned her face to his.
"Calm down, blue-coat! We are on the same side!"