Chapter 234: Contest

December 26th, 625

The battle didn’t rage. It wasn’t a fraction as overwhelming as that where Amira died. There were no high Authority King Bloods bearing down on us and we weren’t losing troops left and right.

But we were losing people. Umara and Jaya couldn’t defend against everything. We had to kill the monsters before they started slinging fire and poison into the crowds in the village center, and we couldn’t always do so in time. We did our best but it didn’t stop ordinary people from dying by the dozen or hundred.

I had forgotten how fragile they were. I had forgotten what it meant to be a normal human years ago. Now, I was once again confronted with the brutal reality of their weakness.

A mere graze from magic would leave them with mortal wounds. Anything less would just prolong their suffering as the poisonous Magika entered their bodies, making them die slow and painful deaths. Anything more would just kill them outright. We didn’t have a dedicated healer with us, so there was nothing we could do for them.

Except continue killing the enemy.

Sawn said the helicopters were on their way. It would be some hours but the monsters weren’t coming in numbers that could overwhelm us. We could handle it. The issue was everyone behind us.

And I was tired. I didn’t allow myself to pass out. I stayed awake, put Totenstahl away, took out a Mk 14 EBR, and started picking off enemies from a rooftop. I had to let myself recharge. If I depleted my Psyka completely then I’d be out for the next 12 hours.

While barely keeping my magic pool just above empty was excruciatingly painful, uncomfortable, and exhausting, it was something. It was the only way I could continue to contribute. I wouldn’t allow the others to take on everything.

I would only let them take on most of it. They all had much more energy than I did so I was fine letting them take point. Most of the time I simply stuck back and observed, counting how many monsters were coming from a distance.

My head jerked to the side right before a building exploded, blasting rock and debris over a large group of people nearby.

“I got it!”

I shouted and dropped down, finding the monster and blowing its head off with a precisely empowered shot, utilizing not a drop of Psyka more than I had to, going so far as to send the bullet through its eye socket.

Then I went through, moving people out of the area and checking them. Some had lost limbs. They would die soon. Others had received smaller wounds to the abdomen. They would die tomorrow, and if not of their wounds then infection.

Some were just scraped and bruised. They were the luckier ones and I gathered them with the rest of the crowds. There were hundreds in the village center and many more hundreds piled into the nearby buildings. This would’ve been the perfect time to have an earth warlock and I had heard Umara and Jaya lamenting their affinities several times.

From what I estimated, so far around 2100 people had already died since the Scourge started attacking en masse. They were the ones who had failed to assemble in time as well as those being killed by stray shots or sneak attacks like this one.

This attack alone would kill 36.

After separating the wounded from everyone else I went back to observing. @@@@

Minute by minute passed as I sat or kneeled and watched the distance, occasionally picking off a monster if it snuck through the others’ defensive lines. I even managed to detonate some incoming spells with well placed shots in the air, preventing more casualties. It didn’t stop several others from leveling nearby buildings full of people though, nor was it anything the village guards could handle themselves.

At some point dusk started to approach, and I noticed the incoming monsters start to lessen until they were scarce enough to pull ourselves off watch. I had Jaya and Tana keep watch while I jumped off the building I was on.

I landed and my leg almost gave out, my body tilting and hitting the floor. I wasn’t hurt. I just didn’t realize how much energy I didn’t have.

I needed to eat.

I trudged to the village center, looking around and seeing several hundred people huddled against walls. There were some other villagers and guards who had gone and found some stocks of food, carts being brought around and food being handed out.

I could feel every single eye that fell on me. I could basically read the thoughts of those I focused on. I could feel the intentions and emotions of every single person around me. They were all so easy to read, so painfully vulnerable before real power.

I found an empty portion of a wall nearby, bringing out my small chair and planting myself on it, using the wall as a backrest. I continued to use Psyka to keep awake and aware but lethargy started to settle in anyway. I was tired and yet it felt like I was hopped up on drugs that kept me from being able to sleep.

I burned through the last of my cigar with a few more puffs, tossing it and taking out another one from my case. A fresh light and the smoke filled my mouth with a taste my brain now considered good, as it brought me rejuvenation.

“How are you doing?”

I looked up and saw Polly and Jasmine. The two took a seat at my sides while I let out a breath of smoke.

“Fine.”

“You should sleep.”

“After I eat.”

I took out some rations, biting off a chunk of dried meat, chewing slowly.

Then when I swallowed, I felt my stomach churn. I got up and ran to the corner of the wall and vomited what I just ate, heaving after it was all out.

“John?”

I heard Umara’s voice from a distance, her steps bringing her closer as I pulled myself off the floor, Jasmine and Polly silently helping me up.

“I’m fine.”

“You haven’t slept since the retreat. You’re not fine.”

“It hasn’t even been a full day.”

“And I know you remember everything you’ve done today. Jasmine, help me set up this tent.”

I looked over and saw Umara take out camping gear, frowning as I thought about how coddled I was being treated.

There were men far greater than me who could go through far more. How weak was I if I couldn’t even attempt to live up to that standard? I couldn’t be taking risks by sleeping. Someone needed to watch and I was the best at that.

The tent was set up quickly. Then Umara looked at me, pointing to it.

“Go sleep.”

“...I’d rather keep watch.”

“I swear to God, John. You’re not the only one with no patience right now. Go. To. Sleep. I’m not letting you push yourself over the edge just because you want to prove something. We can handle ourselves.”

I stared at her, my face falling.

“I’m the best at watch, and I’m not going to take chances.”

“We have eyes too. Go to sleep. I’m not asking.”

We stared at each other for some seconds before she called.

“Jaya!”

“What?!”

Jaya came running over, Umara putting out her hand.

“I don’t think now’s the time. There’s actually someone you need to meet.”

My head suddenly snapped to the side when I noticed something approach.

My eyes widened when I saw the being. I wasn’t sure if it was a flicker or a beast, but I did know a Paragon species when I saw one.

An Owlykat. An owl and cat hybrid, with the head of an owl, the body of a cat, with owl wings on its back. It was rather small, only 2 feet tall when it landed in front of us, its wings flapping as its feet pattered on the roof, black fur and feather drinking in the light of the moon.

And its eyes were brilliant blue, captivating. Then it spoke.

“You are John?”

“I am. You’re an Owlykat?”

“You can call me Daywisp.”

“Alright, Daywisp. Can I assume you’re leading these Flickers?”

“I am, as you lead these humans. I come to you with a suggestion of strategy.”

“Lay it on me.”

I glanced to the side, checking the incoming hordes, and deciding I had enough time for a conversation.

“I recommend that we run with the remaining humans of this village. There is a Forest of the Night in the direction of the Desolate River, three horizons away. If we can reach it, we can be safe for a time.”

“You think we can get these people across 40 miles of terrain? It would take at least two days at their walking pace. We may as well stay here.”

“Many of my kin can be ridden.”

“You don’t have enough for everyone.”

“But if your metal skybeasts take more away as we travel, there will be enough, eventually.

“And until then, we’d have to fight off the hordes on open land, with no cover.”

“I’ve been told by your companion that you possess the ability to fell thousands alone, and that without cover, you will also be advantaged.”

I glanced at Umara, who scratched her head, dodging my gaze.

I looked back at Daywisp.

“It’s risky, compared to holding our ground and waiting for transport.”

“But you see it, do you not? The horrors coming toward us from those graveyards.”

I glanced into the distance. I could in fact see it. It hadn’t been there before I went to sleep but now it was clear.

A dreadful Aura, not full of death, but of sadistic malice and ravening hatred. There was pain in the atmosphere, souls crying out in agony and despair, not an ounce of hope found within any of them.

Corruption.

I remembered Aki’s stories. Entire armies leaving to fight the Scourge, just to come back as armies of corrupted. The Overkill pill developed by Apocryon largely prevented that here but not everyone had it. Too many people had come to the Treehouse, and the Scourge had attacked too fast.

There could be tens of thousands of them being turned right now, depending on how the fight went down. They were being mutated, twisted into sick forms that perverted the human image, transformed into fiendish demons wanting for nothing more than sadistic pleasures and murder.

I didn’t know how far out they were, but we were too close regardless. The sooner we got the hell out of here, the better.

Daywisp’s idea wasn’t bad. The worst part was only the first half of it. Defending hundreds while retreating out in the open, with a good amount of those left being elderly, would be taxing on us. They wouldn’t be able to run. We’d be going at a snail''s pace.

And it wouldn''t change over time. Our priorities for transport were the youngest, so we’d be stuck with the elderly until the end. Even if we could get the population down to the point that they could ride the Flickers, would the elderly even be able?

They were a burden, and I wouldn’t just send them off on a helicopter first because they weren’t worth that.

I looked back at Daywisp, narrowing my eyes.

“Fine. We’ll go with your plan. But I want a promise from you.”

“What kind?”

“That you won’t question me or get in my way when I do what I need to to make this retreat work. You have the numbers, but I have the firepower. You will command your numbers according to my tactics, and you won’t stray from them. I will get us and as many of these citizens out alive in the safest manner possible only as long as you do that. Promise me that.”

Daywisp’s eyes scrutinized me, peering into my soul with a mysterious power. It caused Totenstahl to warm up and glow brighter.

I simply looked back into it, unimpressed.

“Don’t try and read me, Owlykat. You’re going to follow my plans or I’ll enact another you won’t like.”

“I am also here out of generosity, defending life against the evil forces of death. Do not take my presence for granted.”

“I’ll do this with or without you, and I’ll get results either way. You want to defend life? Listen to my orders. I’ve survived more than you can fathom, and I’m the only reason any of these people will live to see another day.”

We stared at each other a bit more before Daywisp turned his eyes.

“Very well. I will command the others as you wish.”

“Thank you. Umara, who’s the most rested of your squad?”

“Tana and Jaya recently slept.”

She answered back, my eyes drifting toward her bloodied face.

“I’m going to give you 5 hours. Go with Feiden and sleep. I need you two as rested as you can be.”

“Alright.”

I gave her another thanks and a quick kiss, giving Feiden the order via telepathy as well before turning back to the Owlykat.

“We’ll need to prepare. Once I wake them up, we leave.”

“It will be in your hands.”

“Be grateful that it is. If it weren’t, this village would’ve been annihilated without contest.”