The rata-tat-tat of gunfire, crackling and popping across a large area of several kilometers; explosions climbing and clouds flying. Unholy howling, screams of humans and roars of lions, sharp winds carrying the cries of mortified mortal men. The roar of engines above in the clouds, moving red zeppelins; they made their way forward from above a lit green forest of trees towards a gradual rising clearing of grass and rock.
Many meters before them, the rise of the mountains, a steep climb upwards and it was up this climb that the zeppelins moved. Directly below the airships explosions climbed into the air reaching out for them, objects falling from above causing the blasts, bombs straight from the fleet. Back a ways at the clearing and forest’s edge moved a variety of figures, many humanoid and many other. The humans moved, dressed in a silver and black plastic-like body armor that resembled that of knight armor.
They moved forward from the trees, many wielding rifles while others ran with swords and spears. Ahead near the mountains fighting against them, creatures three meters over them; creatures human in stance with the appearance of scorpion-men. Towering over, they moved with plated red shells and outstretched sets of arms with claws. Tails swung forward from behind, purple liquid being sprayed from their mouths, a liquid that quickly began to dissolve the rock it hit.
The humans fired their guns, unloading all at these creatures; while the creatures in turned charged straight through to strike back and bisect the soldiers. Many on both sides went down, the humans cut and struck, the creatures shot dead or stabbed straight to the eye.
“Move it ladies, get the lead out!” came a shout from the forest line.
Many meters from the front line stood a man, arms behind his back, dressed in green and silver with a military coat. A hat sat on his head, keeping his thick black hair mostly hidden. His face, grizzly and screaming of rage, “You worthless slime, you will all be subjugated by the might of the glorious Celeste Empire!”
Following his roar of command came more cries of his soldiers before him charging in. Blood ran down the ground and rock, blood of both sides. Explosions continued to fill the battlefield before him, scorpion creatures and soldier alike being sent flying off to crash.
“Where are my cannons? Where is my air support!? I want a status report now god dammit!” the man spat.
“Cannons are being brought through sir, we need a little more time!” came the shout of a man close behind the commander.
Dressed in a gray coat, gray pants, black boots, white gloves, a gray cap, and fear; the man looked back quickly with a turn of his head and then shot his attention back to the commander, “They’re clearing the line back behind yet and clearing the forest. Shadow Squadron is here and ready though sir!”
“Good good, General Taido recommended them for this. Let’s put the precious warriors to the test then. Shadow Squadron! Heed my command well! Take out these Scorupi Mamba, push them back to the mountains and buy time for the cannons to arrive. For the glory of our marvelous empire, for the righteousness of humanity, do it in the name of our Gods!”
Behind there was a clanging, something heavy and metal banging against rock. A sheathe could be heard flying off at which point another figure came into view. A young girl dressed in black and purple, her hair black with red tips, red eyes almost glowing with determination. Her head moved with a nod, “Understood Captain.”
A midst the battle’s sounds, her boots echoed with the few steps she took, a scythe at her side dragging across the ground just behind via the butt of the blade. Her steps brought her just ahead of the captain where she in turn stopped, the soldiers around her looking on with glee. One however looked on in confusion, glancing with a quick murmur to one of the gleeful, “Who is that young girl Sergeant?”
“Who?! You licker spittin snopper, that’s Sinno Murasame! C-Class Warrior of the Church, leader of Shadow Squadron!” the man spat back.
“Shadow Squadron? How can one damn squadron make a difference?!”
“Watch and learn kid, you don’t see shows like this that often.”
Sinno’s eyes gleamed in the flashes of the battle, a scowl spreading across her. With a quick heave the scythe flew up in her right hand, her grip at the butt of the weapon’s snath. Forward it swung down, stopping midair just in front of the girl who looked now across the entire field, “Shadow Squadron, you have your orders! Leave not a single one of these blaspheming bastards alive. In the name of The Church, we shall clench this victory firmly! ADVANCE!!”
Upon the command to advance, multiple shadows darted across from forest to the battle field. Multiple people cloaked in black went on the move, a little over a dozen with varying types of rifles and a few under a dozen with melee weaponry. Sinno took charge just ahead of the group with her scythe hanging back, up until they got near. As the group of cloaked individuals went on the move, many a soldier pulled back while only watching, the Scorupi Mamba even taking a turn of interest mid-combat.
The scythe shot up, launched high just above its leaping owner, backed by several others with other weapons such as sword. Double grip, the slight whistling of wind from a falling object, the sound of steel moving quickly through the air, then the shriek. The weapon plunged clear down, slammed through the head of one Scorupi Mamba center point; its lite shriek lighting up the battle field before being cut off. Down it dropped with blood flying high into the air, running from eyes and mouth, jaw hanging as the body crashed down.
The blade, having come out of the throat, slammed through the ground as the creature crashed. With a quick yank the scythe plopped out, the head sliced in half in a single second. Ahead two of the cloaked figures moved in unison, twirling and kicking off the ground. One leap, two leaps, then the third followed by a somersault. Following that somersault one shot high and the other dropped, a sword in the right hands of both. The low individual slammed their sword through the chest of one Scorupi with little effort, the shrieks quickly cut off as its head went flying with its blood.
Both individuals landed, the body of the Mamba dropping as behind came gunfire via the weapons of the other cloaked individuals who held the rifles. Blue energy-like bullets filled the air, slamming through multiple Scorupi Mamba. Again they shrieked, many turning and being mowed down in seconds with pieces spilling out everywhere. All the while more of those with melee weapons charged, slamming swords and axes through the many stunned Scorupi.
“Open fire, all of you, help Shadow Squadron push the enemy back!” came the yell of the Captain.
Battle cries out and excessive yelling in, the soldiers behind the moving cloaked figures opened fire on the Scorupi just as Sinno swung her scythe again through several more. Split at the waistline, many Scorupi fell over, coating both weapon and wielder in a splatter of blood. She turned her head back, observing the constant fire of the guns behind, noting the positions of many, “Firing away from us at our sides. Good, fewer casualties on our part that way. Razor, Nani!”
Her scythe rose into the air yet again as she looked to two cloaked people by her side, both with assault rifles. With a nod at them they quickly shot ahead of Shadow Squadron, rifles dropping to their sides and held by light blue strings. Sinno’s gaze followed, watching as their cloaks flew off revealing black armor akin to that of the normal soldiers. On their backs rested small devices resembling Rocket Launchers with three rounds just below.
Both grabbed and held them forward with both hands, the barrels extending with the jolt movements. Down on one knee each, both taking aim with a scope to their eyes, then the BANG!!
A bang loud enough to shatter glass, large shells being spat out the back of the weapons while ahead flew a glowing blue net with spheres of silver at the intersecting points of the net. In yet another jolt of movement, rather a blink of the eye, they tripled in size. A dozen Scorupi Mamba stood before the nets, a dozen that quickly found themselves flying down into the ground underneath the nets. Without warning they combusted, fire launching high up that turned black; what followed after were twin explosions enough to take out a car entirely.
“HRYAAA!!” Sinno yelled with the blasts with a mighty heave.
At the end of her scythe caught by the blade was a Scorupi Mamba being hoisted through the air, impaled through the chest. With that heave it flew off behind Sinno, the blue bullets of her comrades cutting right into it and shredding it. The scythe dropped just as the body did, her eyes locked forward, “Shuren, Ellie, take the right! Shawn, Dawn, the left! Sapphra, you’ll be with me and Razor and Nani. We’re going to break through to the mountains now while the rest of you covers our rear. Go!”
“Time to face the music! SONSABITCHES!” came the yell of one just behind Sinno.
With a sudden roll to the right she evaded a charging man who ran straight towards the approaching Scorupi Mamba ahead of her. In this man’s hands was an even larger version of the weapon used by both Razor and Nani, one with its scopes aimed towards the Mamba. Many lights flickered along the side of the device which was propped onto his shoulder, his expression a wide grin with crazed eyes.
“Here’s the noise, you bastards!”
With the press of a button on the side came bolts of black electricity that blew forward into the Scorupi, the electricity surging around many of them. A crackle like thunder, followed by individual explosions of the Scorupi Mamba one after the other as the black lightning entered their bodies. The man fell backwards, still laughing as the group he hit screamed in pain. In just seconds, eighteen Scorupi Mamba had blown apart into pulp with the push of a button.
“Thanks for the assist Donavin, I appreciate it,” Sinno chuckled slightly.
“Someone has to save your neck every now and again, eh boss?” he replied with laughter.
“Above you!” came a shout from behind.
Both pairs of eyes shot up to see three Scorupi dive bombing from high into the air with tails forward, slobbering and shrieking as they flew. In the blink of another eye, lightning flew into the three to send them packing. Their shrieks hit the eardrums of those below, the eyes of the would-be-victims watching them tumble away near lifeless. Behind stood one of the two from earlier with twin crystal-like swords now, unhooded revealing brown hair waving in front of a set of golden eyes.
Landing just beside him was the other from before, white visible hair flowing all around their face that was quickly parted, “You got ahead of me, dang it.”
“They were wide open Ellie, don’t blame me.”
“Thanks for that one Shuren, guess I owe ya,” Donavin chuckled.
“Sinno, this battle field is getting a bit chaotic, enemy are flying from blasts from the mountains.”
“I can see that. Inform the captain to pull back the line for now until the airships are out of range, we can’t afford to lose soldiers to falling Scorupi Mamba.”
From the right came multiple cries of anguish and pain, strong winds blowing dozens of soldiers away. Some flew into the rocks, some into the ground, into trees, even other soldiers. Sinno’s attention was quickly turned towards the epicenter of climbing dust, the attention of her squad following.
“The heck was that?” Shuren mumbled.
From behind the raging cloud of dust and dirt came a form, three large scorpion tails the size of an adult human visible, large pincer arms, several insectoid legs. Forward the creature moved several steps at a time like a gallop without the hop, its body coated in plates of protective armor. Finally came the head with twin horns pointed outward, sets of six eyes on each horn. On the center of the head was a larger eye bloodshot with a drooling mouth just below. A slight hiss came forth as it neared, a soldier visible in its left pincer and two soldiers impaled by two of its tails.
“Well well, what have we here?” Donavin chuckled with one eye fully open and the other half closed.
“Alpha Mamba. That’s beyond what the military can handle without cannons,” Sinno mumbled, watching as multiple soldiers around the creature fired on it with bullets to no avail, “Right then. Shadow Squadron, hear me! Our target is the Scorupi Mamba Alpha to the east!”
Raising her scythe into the air above herself horizontally she called out again as those under her command came near, “Shadow Squadron, Attack!”605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTdSUpUCJd
