Chapter 287 Titanic Roar
Shockwaves and explosions rippled through the shelter’s walls. Van hung his head low, flinching alongside the others whenever a particularly close or loud noise shattered the otherwise quiet and dark dungeon they found themselves in.
Karmine and Kella made sure to stay close to Van, as some of the students crammed into the tight confines of this cellar made of stone and metal became more agitated as time went on. Some even went so far as to demand sex and other sexual favors from the few males amongst them as their fear of imminent death grasped their hearts. No one wanted to die a virgin…
It has been seven long hours now. And the shockwaves of destruction only got closer and more intimate as they waited for their fate. Even used to dark places such as vampires were, there was a feeling of claustrophobia and gloom attacking the minds of all those present. People prayed, others chanted, and some whispered in corners about what they would do if the worst came to pass.
Finally a sudden light stabbed through the darkness from the entryway and a bloody soldier came stomping down as quickly as her wounds would allow. “ALL OF YOU LINE UP! WHERE GETTING OUT OF HERE!”
A sudden wave of mutterings and conversations rose from the masses, wondering what was going on. But the soldier quickly explained what was going to happen in no uncertain terms.
“I SAID GET A MOVE ON! THIS PLACE IS SET FOR DEMOLITION! IF YOU DON’T WANT TO GET OVERRUN BY ROACHES OR BLOWN THE FUCK UP I SUGGEST YOU GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND FOLLOW ME!” And with that she promptly went back up the stairs where the large metal doors were wide open for all to see.
It took a few seconds as the surprise and sudden announcement spread and seeped into everyone's minds. But once it did there was a sudden rush of bodies trying to get up and through the narrow entryway where a small group of soldiers were waiting to help escort them the rest of the way to safety.
As they put on their masks and found themselves outside once more, the sounds of battle deafened the unprepared. Commanders yelling orders, soldiers screaming in pain, roars of battle, and the horrific skittering of millions of giant ass bugs with their trilling shrieks. The sudden noise left people monetarily stunned before the escorts forced them to move once more, sometimes literally grabbing a few who had particularly sensitive ears and dragging them forward until they were able to walk on their own again.
Van was no exception, thankfully Kella was there for him and was able to guide him along until he was able to block out most of the noise and look around. His curiosity and survival instincts telling him to watch and study the environment for any danger that could come at him.
“Holy shit…” He mouthed as a giant mech looking golem charged into the fray with a large sword and shield. It probably would have had a better chance bringing a fly swatter than a sword, but he wasn’t going to complain having such an awesome piece of tech fight off against the swarm of roaches.
“It’s like something I saw from the Gompla club that Devi led. Could this be her doing?” Watching as the giant golem cleaved a few dozen roaches with a low sweep of its sword, sending rocks and dust into the air alongside roach guts.
But even then, the weight of bugs slowly began to climb up the legs of the golem until there were just too many and it began to fall backwards where it was swarmed by the rest of the roaches on the ground.
Such a sight was disheartening to see…
“MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! WE DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME NOW! GET YOUR ASSES OUT OF HERE!”
All of the sudden the stream of people began to quicken as room was made for the evacuating students and civilians. Many of the soldiers and troops also began to fall back behind everyone, defending the rear as they left behind monsters and undead to help slow down the continued push of bugs.
After twenty minutes the sound of fighting and cries of death began to get ever closer. No matter how quickly they were running, the roaches were catching up. If it were up to Kella and Karmine, they would have simply taken Van and fled ahead as the majority of the people in front of them and escorting them were slower than their top speed. But considering that could have caused a panic which could end up making things worse, they simply formed a tighter ball around their charge. Ashina helping her sister Adela by picking her up in her arms.
The rest of Van’s troops were not as fast, and knowing this, began to take up the rear of the new formation around their master so they could stay behind and slow the bugs down should it come to it.
Thankfully the worst did not come to pass as a sudden column of flames burst from the wall behind them, torching the roaches on the second wall. Artillery then began shelling the place to hell and back and large canisters of explosives embedded into the wall went off, flinging chunks the size of boulders every which way.
As Van and the others made it to the third wall, which was higher elevated than the second and first, he turned to see how bad their predicament was. And what he saw knocked the breath right out of his lungs…
Activating his eyes to the fullest extent to the point it began to bleed, he saw the never ending swarm of roaches far into the horizon and spread out from one end of the wall, all the way to the other…
More importantly the fogstorm was finally dissipating, allowing one to see clearer than before. Clear enough that even those with less keen eyes could see the titanic monstrosity making its way for them.
Without preamble, four gigantic red and blue pulsating beams fired towards the behemoth. When they hit the creature, it roared back in an anger so great, it shook the bones of everyone even at this distance. It then continued its slow plodding, but now with its many eyes set on the cannons that fired upon it.
Van had never felt more glad he was fleeing from a fight. There was no way he could have fought something like that and survived. Though worry and fear gripped him, in his heart he still wished there was something he could do to help everyone…
“Wait… Maybe… No, no, no…” He shook his head as an idea came to him. It wouldn’t really matter at this point. He had thought he could have been of some use by summoning Lyn’s army, but quickly realized that a few thousand insect-kin and fairies wasn’t going to cut it, especially at their size.
His thoughts were interrupted as soldiers began to yell and guide them through the twists and turns of battle. Sometimes they had to go around soldiers and engineers with their siege equipment, and so were told to stick close and to follow the line as it went.
Van felt the rush and pressure of all the bodies around him. The weight of people and soldiers pushing them ever forward to the destination where hopefully they will be rescued.
---
General Sarja looked on with worry at the state of battle in front of her. With the fogstorm finally clearing, it was easier to see what was going on, but that didn't really help with their predicament much other than to make it easier for archers and siege equipment to fire more accurately.
She watched solemnly as one of the gomdum’s was accidently sent out on the battlefield prematurely, its pilot probably having a bit too much confidence in their tech and clearly not enough training to warrant it. It fell under the weight of thousands of roaches…
But that was not what concerned her. No, what filled her with dread was the titanic being slowly making its way towards them. And now there were hundreds of giant type roaches all of a sudden appearing and bashing their way through most of the defenses of wall two.
If she had known that was going to happen, she wouldn’t have asked the soldiers there to wait a whole hour while they slowly retreated and prepared the other walls. She would have had them come in half the time, even if it would have put those fleeing and those in the shelter at greater risk.
At least they were able to get most of the resources and equipment from wall two out in time, and replace the majority of soldiers with more expandable monsters and undead to help take the brunt of the roach attacks…
“General! Wall two is ninety eight percent evacuated! All Shelters are empty and all civilians and students are out of range of the wall!”
Sarja sighed. “Begin the assault.”
“Yes General!”
Mundane cannons, trebuchets and more fired their volleys and munitions upon the second wall as the roaches finally swarmed over it completely. Large balls of fire would break apart and scatter, setting ablaze large swathes of the wall, burning bugs left and right. The sound and sight of their popping and sizzling carcasses revolted all those who gazed upon the sight.
Mines and dynamite exploded, rubble was flung and crushed the bugs where they landed. The mana barrier on the third wall was amplified to prevent any of the debris from falling back upon them.
General Sarja waited as the roaches continued their swarm. When the bugs had made it to the third wall, she activated her trump card.
With an order, a new series of explosions from the base of the third wall all the way to the outer wall was set off. It was a secret that only the generals that defended the city knew. That long ago there were ancient explosives set when the walls were first being built by the previous paranoid city lord. Who feared that one day the Nilfan would return with a great army. So had embedded explosive runes and processed mana crystals incase of such time.
When Sarja learned of it when she first became a general, she thought the previous city lord to be crazy. But now she was thankful…
“We bought ourselves a good hour, maybe two if we are lucky. Reform the battalions and-”
A massive roar so loud and powerful split the sound barrier and knocked several people off their feet alongside rocks and dust that flew away from the direction of the titanic monster making its way towards them. The shockwave stunned many of the soldiers and even a great number of commanders and officers who should have been able to resist the roar, at least better than most. Even Sarja wasn’t immune to the roar of anger or wall of sound that assaulted her senses.
It was then the titan picked up its pace. From its massive hived back swarmed a new wave of roaches that joined their still alive brethren on the ground. With its rage it whipped its bugs into a frenzy and they began to charge forward at a mad dash towards the defenders on the wall. Joined with them where roaches ten times their size and many more pincers and arms for fighting.
“Dammit all…” Sarja muttered as her eyes focused on the new wave and pace of the enemy. “At this rate that monster will be at the outer wall within the next two hours. There's no way we can stop it from simply just crushing us. We may have to start casting a tier nine siege spell…”
She then began to do just that, ordering her mages back further to the shield nexus tower where they can draw the extra magical energies necessary. Hopefully it won't be too late…
---
Van was knocked off his feet and tumbled into those around him alongside others who tumbled back into him. The roar of the titan sent a chill into his spine and he could literally feel the stark cold fear grip his body and run through it. Thankfully his training allowed himself to maintain control over his thoughts and body. Otherwise he might have ended up like the others who were now panicking and running in every direction.
Kella and the others thankfully kept close to him, and slowly the escorts were able to get everything under control again once more. And those who they weren’t able to control, were either knocked out and dragged alongside everyone else, or left to their own devices, the soldiers giving up on them, figuring if they die it would be due to their own stupidity.
They began moving once more to the trains on the far side of the city, leaving the battle and its cacophony of death behind them. The tram system was full of other civilians, so they had to make their way by foot. Which took longer, but would be faster than just waiting and hoping that there would be some room for them in the tight confines of the tram.
An hour in and Van felt something familiar. Once more his thoughts were brought back to a time long ago. He felt it in the air, a great pull of mana being forced into the center of the city and being forcibly pushed into the sky.
Looking up he could more feel than see that slowly forming magic circle, even bigger and more powerful than the one that blew the forest near his home the fuck up. He froze in place in fear, and was pushed forward by Kella and Karmine, looking at him with worry as to what had gotten into him.
He shook his thoughts, and with renewed fervor doubled the pace they were going at in the hopes of getting to the trains in time.
He did not want to be here when that magic circle went off…