Well, Fereen had certainly been right. Shena was having a slightly harder time than she normally would having to pick this many flyers out of the sky by herself.
He'll never let me hear the end of this, 'I told you so!' That will be the first smug thing he'll say when he gets back!" Shena thought to herself. She then held her breath and fired again, sending a harpoon to dart through the air and collide straight through the center of a startledd elite's neck.
Shena continued to dispatch one round after another with intense concentration from atop the decrepit wooden watchtower. Her nations banner waving in the wind beside her. Focusing with every scrap of effort on defending her assigned post and taking out as many of the enemy from below before they could overrun their position. Although Fereen had lured most of the flying ants into chasing him. She still had to deal with at least fifty stubborn stragglers all by herself and fast. Her new task was an undesirable one to be certain. One which was becoming incredibly difficult to accomplish. Especially by herself. But she knew it could be done. If she was quick enough that is.
Her other soldier's still stood far in front on the center lines. All heavily preoccupied with their hands full as they continued in repelling what was left of the determined ground warriors. She wished she could join them. For it seems they had the easier job at the moment unlike her. Still, she could not be more proud of her soldiers however, for they had desperately fought to keep the position, and by doing so had depleted almost all of the enemy ants at the bottom of the mound. Even more impressively was that they had managed to keep their collective spirit high and invigorated despite all the exhaustion and stress they had been forced to endure. After all. They still had a job to do. And so did she. Draw the enemy to her instead of the others below.
She fired again. Killing another sky raider before it ever had a chance to even reach the ground. One bug fell after another. Most dead. Hardly any alive. With each insect falling down hard beside Shena on the ground either broken, impaled, or tossing and turning in agony. Earlier, one heavily injured warrior she had felled tried to crawl up the ladder of the tower undetected and detonate a suicide vest with her right above him. Wanting to take her down in one last service to his queen.
But Shena was not interested in letting her injured enemy have his moment of glory. She swung open the floorboard panel and shot him right in the face before slamming it shut with her tail to return to defending the skies above with all her focus. The dumb look of disappointment on his face in his last moment's as he fell to the ground was substantial to say the least. But she didn't give her enemy a second thought and put his pathetic demise aside to focus on the task at hand. Nothing more concerned her. Certainly not the well being of those who wanted to kill her.
Another explosion beside her went off and rattled the crumbling shack on stilts, littering it's thin exterior with the snikt snikt of metal shrapnel shards. Shena could feel the impact rattle her bones. It had been close. Too fucking close. She had shot it's pitcher just in time, causing his grenade to barely miss it's mark. But they were becoming more frequent all around her, their deafening noise making it all the harder to keep up. A few of the camp tents below had been set alight from misfired explosive rounds, and now cast her tower in a sinister hellish red glow. A ring of fire slowly had begun to spread through the camp debree creeping closer in towards her wooden tower eager to engulf her. She would leave the tower when the job was done. Not before. The rain would smother it long enough for her to stay right where she was.
Her eye began to strain as she winced through the scope seeking fresh targets to kill. The storm was making it difficult to see, but not impossible. She continued locking her gaze with hardly a second to breath upon whatever creature happened to emerge through the darkness of the misty sky above. Not missing a single shot thanks to years of intensive and grueling training the marines and her father had put her through. More of the remaining brother's continued to die in droves as they descended frantically through hundreds of feet of heavy rain from high above. Desperate to reach her. Shena's trigger finger started to tense up again as she kept curling it back and forth repeatedly in order to fire upon each of the insects surrounding her up above. Her gun was steaming puffs of white hot mist against her face through the open chamber barrel everytime she pulled back the bolt handle to eject the spent cartridge hastily for another. Too hastily. Her rifle was beginning to overheat from repetitive overuse. It's safety gauge on it's side was well past the red zone already. She knew if she held on any longer it would burn her hand if she didn't stop firing to let it cool. She Ignored the uncomfortable feeling and further steadied her grip upon the smoldering weapon. How she felt would not dare matter now all times. Exhaustion and fear be damned. She could not stop. Not for anything.
She fired again twice more. The old rifle kicked back and hit hard against her shoulder. Ending the life of two siblings diving beside one another and sending them both tumbling through the air panicking.
Her count of how many elite's she had dispatched slowly began to mount up for what seemed like hours. Shena was struggling in keeping track of how many she had left to repel. They were overwhelming. Her pulse elevated alongside her rate of breath. Her arms continued to ache from the strain and intense building heat. Her face and eyes dry and parched from the evaporating water being thrown against her over and over again in one loud puff after another. It was dreadful. She ignored it still.
"Take the shark down!!!' screamed the largest of the flying ants fast approaching. He and his frustrated surviving brothers were now all enraged and hellbent on killing her first. For this sniper had cost them all dearly in their brave but unorganized effort to even get close to the ground. Shena aimed through her scope, held her breath and fired two consecutive shots right into the sky. The bolts whizzed through the air, swiftly trailing streams of mist behind each before puncturing the heads of two elites standing beside one another.
'Five more! Only Five more!' Shena quickly pulled back her weapons side handle to touch her collarbone. Loading the next bolt into its chamber in perfect trained repetition before firing again. Another flying insect howled in pain almost instantly as the harpoon shot up from the barrel, trailing streamers of mist to cut cleanly straight through the nub of one of it's wings, severing it completely from his body. Unable to fly anymore, the panicking ant spun out of control and crashed hard to the ground right next to Shena not moving.
'Four more!' Shena pulled back and loaded the next bolt rapidly, her pulse racing even faster than before. She instantly locked her gun on another squeezed her tensed up trigger finger again in quick succession. Launching the bolt upward to become lodged inside the skull of one of the last four enemy flyers above. The impaled ant stopped beating its wings and fell to the earth dead. Make that Three.
'You can do it! just keep firing, think of nothing else!!!' As Shena started to align the barrel of her rifle towards its next target, the three remaining raiders started to spread their wings apart to stop their dive and swoop in straight for her through the rain. They wanted to kill her right now more than anyone else below for all the misery she had dealt against them. And they would succeed no matter the risk to themselves. Sweat and condensation from the boiling rifle poured down Shena's neck at the sight. The axes and hammers they wielded were coming right atop for her skull. She locked her eye on the largest one in the middle and began to pull the trigger, hoping to take him out first. But it was too late. The ant's weapon made contact quicker.
She had been so close.
The largest raider dressed in black in front of the trio swung his enormous dented hammer at Shena with all his strength and fury. The metal square crashed through the wooden pillbox of false safety around her and struck hard against Shena's skull with a ear splitting thud and crack before being dragged and scraped across the left side of her face. Trailing streams of blood along with it across the floorboards like paint. The devastating painter's stroke violently sent her whole body spinning and tumbling back through the thin plank wall behind her. Failing to support her and letting her fall far below to finally collapse face down into the muddy water with a loud painful splash that rattled her entire body. Her precious sentry tower reduced to ruble shortly after and was consumed by the flames. The monarchy flag still waving even as it collapsed to the ground defeated.
She was dizzy. She tried to, but could not stand.
Her face and back hurt immensely and she couldn't see. Everything was fuzzy. Out of focus. Her left eye had popped out of her skull and was now dangling out of it's socket still attached like a swinging pendulum.
Her head was ringing. A terrible sound pounding at her aching skull like a unrelating drum that would never cease. She unearthed a spluttered painful cough unable to move, her mouth gaped wide open and quivering from the shock and blow to her head. Blood started to pour from her mouth profusely, mixing with the puddles of muddy water underneath her torso. She tried to lift her head up with her weak shaking arms to look down beneath her. Her dazed eyes were barely able to make out numerous white tiny shapes on the ground now bloodied and broken.
She was missing teeth, a great many of them.
Shena tried to ignore the immense pain as she quickly reminded herself of who had struck this blow and was approaching her stunned on the ground with the intent to deal far worse. Shena attempted to collect enough of herself to stand and turn around, only to slip through the mud and collapse right down on her back covered in dirt like a drunken fool.
She opened her blood soaked remaining eye and managed to tilt her battered head up just enough in order to glance towards her advancing blurred attackers.
The three raider's scattered dirt and twigs away in every direction from the sudden gust of wind they created as they flapped their wings to slow their abrupt descent. They landed hard with a loud thump on the ground in front of the collapsed wooden tower wreckage and began folding their wings behind their massive torsos slowly. They had all the time in the world now that she could barely move. They then raised their assorted weapons with ugly smiles across their hideous faces; all teeming with pride and confidence as they began their march towards Shena on the ground mere meters away, trampling mud over the monarchy flag they didn't care for in the least under their clawed feet. Ready to check that their downed prey was dead, and eager to discuss who among them would get to claim her elaborate rifle as their own.
"Pretty teeth." One of the raiders said to his two brothers smiling. Eager to make his claim on them first as he noticed them decorating the ground. "I like the way they shine."
Shena grunted in pain and panic as she strenuously lifted her torso up off the ground with one arm and with the other, reached across her stomach towards the holster on her belt. Her nervous distorted eye's still not glancing away from the elites fast approaching as she drew for her sidearm, her hand shaking violently as if she were having a seizure. She raised her gun weakly, trying to align it with at least one of the raiders before the other two finished her off. The gun bobbed in every direction as she struggled to align it properly while the world was spinning all around her.
She had to take a chance.
She fired. it missed. The raiders were shocked. They thought the blow to the shark's skull had left her in the very least unconscious. They started running in her direction, faster and more alert of their enemies' deceptive strength.
'We'll keep firing dammit! You're bound to hit something eventually!!!!' she screamed to herself internally in frustration and pain, although it hurt just to think anything now. She continued firing in her general direction in front. Hoping to get a lucky shot.
She heard one of the raiders in the group scream aloud. The youngest of the three, another headhunter dressed in black whined in pain after one of her harpoons had managed to pierce him, but only in his shoulder. He pulled it out painfully, and held it bloodied in one of his four large hands enraged. They continued their charge even faster now with their footsteps splashing in the mud quickly as they all rushed forward to make the kill. Shena kept firing, intent on spending every last round in her gun. Blood started to pour down atop her face from her cut forehead; slowly starting to obscure her vision of the approaching danger in front entirely.
'No, not now!!' she cried aloud in her battered mind, panicking as the bright red liquid blocked her view completely of the enemy's approaching. Shena hastily began to wipe away the blood dripping into her eyes with her shoulder while still keeping her gun raised in front. She fired her last few rounds aimlessly through the air toward the enemy but to no avail. She could not see anything through her red veiled eyes anymore. As she began to reach for her only remaining pistol clip, The largest raider clutched tightly to her throat and lifted her high into the air gasping without any effort on his own part. Despite him being not much taller than her and far younger, his proportional strength far exceeded her own. The powerful headhunter then slammed Shena hard on her back like a sack of flour, bending her backfin painfully under her own weight, before smashing her battered face repeatedly with each of it's four fist's in an unrelenting barrage to make sure this time. The blasted shark would stay down.
The trio's snarls and clicks intensified as they stood atop the Sniper's incapacitated state, finally able to catch their breath's. All pleased and immensely fortunate with at having survived the gauntlet this pest had put them all through. She wouldn't be bothering anyone for quite some time they grinned.
Shena was now slipping in and out of consciousness in a pool of her own blood. Her keen sharp vision was now that of of a blurry red haze making everything near impossible to see. She wanted to stand.. She wanted to keep fighting. But the most she could manage was keeping herself from blacking out entirely. But it wasn't enough. She was done for unless she did something. Anything.
Shena's hand began to tremble as she attempted to lift her arm up and reload in one last desperate effort. Immensely annoyed at the prey's persistence. The eldest raider sighed disgruntled and reached over to snatch Shena's empty pistol right out from her hand, crushing it in his powerful grip easily into a ball of scrap metal.
"It's over shark." He snarled above her, coiling his fingers around her weapon eagerly." Good try. But now...You are alone." He then released what was left of her precocious sidearm and sprinkled it's pieces into the dirt right in front of her battered face as a final mockery. Allowing for Shena to see her last hope crumble into dust before her very eyes.
The eldest raider then put his foot on top of Shena's stomach to keep her flailing body pinned before slowly beginning to raise it's massive Warhammer far back behind his large head. Ready to do the honors himself and make her pay for being such a pointless nuisance to their swarm. His two younger brothers started grinning in anticipation as the eldest prepared to bring the weapon straight towards her face again. Only this time, he would be certain that the job was done by splitting her skull in half for all to see. Shena continued to resist, grabbing on to the raiders leg resting atop her torso. Pulling, pushing, and gasping for breath as she struggled to remove the muscular armored limb from pressing down on her ribs. But it would not budge. She was now trapped under a pillar of pure muscle beginning to crush her lungs. She began panting heavily, with sweat starting to pour down the sides of her shattered face. Her mind now taken by an absolute all consuming terror and rage as she stared directly into the raider's emotionless eyes looking down on her.
"Fuck...you buggers." Shena snarled. Not taking her eyes of his. "And your queen."
The cruel insect then began to grin wildly without a shred of remorse at those words as he swung the final death blow down straight for her head with all his might. Unable to delay any longer at seeing the pleasant sight of her dead at his feet. Shena shut her eyes and braced for the final impact as best she could. She didn't even feel it. Which she felt was a bit strange.
Probably because nothing happened.
Suddenly an intense gust of water interrupted the strike. Unleashing it's full torrential force upon the distracted brothers. The deadly surge knocked all three raiders into her tent tethered far behind the trenches, tearing it down in the process with a loud crash. Shena let out a desperate heavy sigh of relief at being able to still draw another breath and at the faint humor of not having to fix that bloody tear in the tent again. As she continued to regain her breath, the sound of heavy lumbering footsteps slowly crept closer towards her battered, panting state on the ground filled her will relief. She knew that sound anywhere.
The armored veteran came into view right above her rag-doll of a body and lowered his large cannon aside carefully. The elderly soldier grunted as he slowly knelt down with much effort atop his old knees beside Shena. Looking up and down across her face shocked by the bloody mess. The soldier then lifted his visor slowly to better see and speak to his lieutenant. Revealing his wrinkled green and warm spotted brown face to her battered red stained one.
"You alright ma'am!?" Kiros said aloud to his leader gravely concerned. Shena weakly lifted her bloodied hand to reply with a gesture she thought fitting for his idiotic inquiry when it was fairly obvious she was feeling, and appeared far less than adequate.
He smiled. His green beak like mouth widened in great relief that both she and her middle finger were still in functioning order. Shena cleared her throat and finally managed to speak to her courageous sergeant, but not without a great deal of effort. Her jaw hurt immensely just like everything as she shifted it into place in order to form just the few brief agonizing words.
"...How..., is... the..... defense holding?" She sputtered weakly before coughing. Causing more crimson blood to trail down the sides of her broken mouth.
"Very good ma'am! We kept the bug's back and the only thing's left are a few stragglers. Neso and the automaton constructs are finishing them off as we speak!" He said aloud eagerly and confidently. Trying to provide his exhausted leader with some semblance of brief ease.
Kiro's suddenly shifted his attention away towards the sound of the destroyed tent as it began to stir. The three brothers were alive, furious, and scrambling to get off one another. They clumsily pushed the ruined tarp away from their heads, eager to kill the armored sea turtle who had gotten the better of them just for the moment. Now they had a new target to first face the full wrath of their fury.
"Vesa get over here!" Kiro's called out hastily. "Shena's down!!!" The armored giant then quickly stood and swung his massive cannon around with both hands towards the momentarily stunned raiders. Ready to unleash the weapon's built up pressure upon the flyers as soon as they managed to escape from the clutter.
But Kiro's was never fond of patience, especially in his old age. He fired immediately.
The jet stream unleashed upon the tent violently as he slowly marched closer in towards the vulnerable elites. With each step forward, the deadliness of the stream amplified. If any smaller race even attempted to fire this type of weapon, it would thrust the foolish wielder back the opposite way effortlessly. But still, the heavily armored tank of a soldier kept having to keep his stance widened in order to better handle the kickback of such a powerful device despite his immense strength. But still he held his ground to protect his allies. Just as he had for centuries.
Now that the coast was clear, vesa ran in from around the corner of the trenches with a slight limp in her stride; her green medical satchel shaking by her waist as she slid down in the mud quickly towards Shena on the ground. Ironically the former nurse had gotten a lot of extra practice having to use her medical supplies on her own injuries more than on the others in the platoon recently. But she still knew how to do her job well.
"Where does it hurt ma'am!?" She asked sincerely while assessing for visible wounds that required her immediate attention. Shena wanted to say everywhere but instead weakly gestured to her battered face covered with dirt and blood with her arm before it collapsed back to the ground beside her.
"Oh well... Don't worry, You've looked far worse ma'am!" Vesa joked aloud as she raised her medical satchel up and over her yellow and blue head frill. Opening it quickly. Shena wanted to agree aloud with that statement, but the best she could do was a simple head tilt.
"Is...my eye ok? Shena asked nervously. I...I can't see anything."
Can't tell yet ma'am. Here just a sec... Said Vesa hastily with much concern. Seeing Shena was beginning to panic and grow restless from her injuries. "Here, This should numb the pain ma'am. "You'll feel a bit drowsy for a bit, but it should wear in just a taddy moment and you'll be good as new!"
Vesa pulled out a needle filled with blue colored liquid "Bliss" (Biological ligament interwoven system suppressant), and injected it into Shena's arm softly. It felt glorious. The anesthetic made her whole aching head and body feel numb almost entirely to the excruciating pain instantly. Shena relaxed her head, letting it fall back slowly to the ground in momentary bliss as the name implies. The mud and dirt felt cool and soft against the back of her head as if a makeshift pillow. The world hazy yet calming all around her. She couldn't feel a thing. She wanted this feeling to last forever.
"That's the spirit ma'am! just plop your noggin back and I'll take care of the rest." The young medic said aloud calmly and caringly. Shena found herself nodding and chuckling as a strange amusing sensation of euphoria began to take hold. Satisfied with her leader being sedated and happy, Vesa then cracked her knuckles and got to work. She leaned over to observe the most immediate injuries on the head and face, wanting to deal with any severe trauma first. And salvage the eye.
There were serious lacerations across the face. Heavy bruising, a few cuts and scrapes, and probably a dislocated jaw based on the amount of blood coming from the mouth. Most likely a concussion as well to go along with the package deal. Shena's left eye had ruptured a blood vessel and her cornea had turned a bright red from inside. Luckily the weapon hadn't blinded her permanently however she estimated, having thankfully missed it's mark and not caused any direct blunt trauma, having just been knocked out just by the sheer impact against her skull. It could be saved. It would take a great deal of time to heal but it would heal regardless. Her leader was strong. She knew she would pull through this. With a little added help that is.
Vesa donned her surgeon's gloves and clutched both of her steady hands under the chin while her thumbs wrapped around the edges of the mouth slowly. "Bear with me here...." Muttered Vesa slowly under her breath with a now cautious and steady voice. "Just need a little adjustment..."Her steady hands then pushed back and upward in one quick motion; carefully popping Shena's jaw back into its socket before doing the same with her left eye dangling against her cheek carefully and very slowly to not damage the nerve endings. Shena smiled. She didn't feel a thing.
Iss...eye...Ok? Asked Shena. Her voice sounding mumbled and drowsy. See everything red.."
Yea. Vesa reassured. No eyepatch for you this time ma'am.
Shena smirked, thinking about dad. "Luckyyy me."
Vesa breathed a brief sigh of relief at having finished the first part, before quickly starting to unfold and wrap clean bandages tightly around the lieutenant's numb and battered face.
"Sorry about the jaw ma'am, but don't worry. You'll be back to giving orders out of it taddy soon by the looks of it!" Vesa then gently wiped away the dried blood in Shena's eyes with a clean fabric, allowing for her leader's vision to slowly return. Shena turned her head over sideways on the ground to see Kiro's still firing and getting closer to the young warriors pinned down by the collapsed tent. The panicking trio now desperately using it as cover against the furious watery onslaught creeping closer. Shena allowed a faint smile to escape through her bloody broken teeth in relief and comfort at the pleasant sight, causing another cracked tooth to fall out. Vesa shook her head back and forth in annoyed disapproval at her stubborn leader's refusal to relax.
"Ma'am please sit still, I'm trying to work here." She stated aloud with slight sarcasm and frustration as she cut and tied off the edge of the bandage with a pair of scissors. Shena began snickering but ultimately listened to the stern instruction and tilted her bruised head back in place before slowly closing her drowsy eyes in a sense of jubilation at looking up at her caretaker.
"Anyonzzz ever telll you...Shena chuckled. You'reee head looks like a big round potato chip??
All the time ma'am. Vesa nodded in acknowledgement. Continuing to concentrate carefully on her procedure.
"Welll...it lookksss funny.. And pretty..."Shena tried to reach up and feel Vesa's head frill like a toddler only for the young medic to have to roll her eyes with a smirk on her face as she set her normally stern leader's hand back down in front of her face. Capturing her own attention on it as shena began to inspected her own hand.
So many fingers..." Said Shena in childish awe.
Yea. We all have them. Said Vesa.
"Oh and by the way ma'am. Thanks for covering the sky for us, really appreciate not being blown to pieces." Vesa said aloud graciously as she started to move on to treating the less serious cuts and bruises. "You did fantastic, now just sit tight and rest. We got this."
Shena wanted to smile back up at her, but instead kept still as she was told. Trying to resort to using her usual stone faced expression which had become her trademark appearance over the years. Although it didn't look like it on the outside, The momentarily relaxed lieutenant was practically grinning ear to ear in relief and joy.
They had done it. They had actually done it. She always knew they would. She had held the skies just long enough for her brave comrades to hold line against the enemy on the ground. And the opportunity of being alive herself in order to see her platoon enjoy their hard earned victory afterwards was an added luxury she could never repay them for giving her. Shena would remember this gift from her men till the end of her days, which thanks to Vesa and the others. Would not be this one.
'Wait until Fereen hears all about thi....'
Shena's eyes opened instantly at the sound of a loud deafening boom. The earth rattled beneath their feet. A portion of the ground opening up nearby into a sinkhole. She sensed someone or something spring out of the fresh passage of earth and quickly began to close the distance behind them both with alarming speed not waiting a single moment. It was massive. Shena unable to see behind her friend shut her eyes, and felt the cold presence of a large silhouetted figure with glowing blue jagged outlines. A shape she was all to familiar with by this point. Yet it was somehow...different. The creature had four massive arms like all the others before, but was uniquely draped in a large tattered cloak and was currently unsheathing a long curved blade swiftly from one of its two scabbards. And heading right for both of them.
Shena screamed with all her remaining strength; her voice still weary from the anesthetic. Now regretting having taken it entirely. It only came out as a faint whisper.
"Veszzaaa.... behind youzz!" She muttered desperately. Hoping to warn Vesa still hard at work in her procedure in time to defend herself before it was too late. Vesa dropped what she was doing and reached across for her revolver hastily to defend them both from any harm.
A loud sheering noise interrupted her action.
Vesa suddenly froze. Her hand and weapon began shaking violently as she struggled to keep it from falling from her grip. Her mouth and green eyes grew wide in shock and dread as she slowly glanced down towards the trails of black smoke and steam materializing in front of her.
"Oh god's...."Sputtered Vesa.
Before Vesa had even had a chance to to raise her gun, a long glowing blade had suddenly pierced straight through her torso from behind. Trailing intense heat as it had sliced right through her bones with ease and back out the other end along the luminous yellow blade's handle. She could hardly even feel the pain, it had been so dealt so swiftly upon her. But now the overwhelming sensation was catching up. And she now knew what this familiar feeling was.
It was pain. Pure and utter pain.
Ma'am?..."Vesa tried to say aloud desperately as blood began to pour from her lips. Quivering in absolute terror at the sudden realization and of what had been done to her. "What is....?"
The glowing sword was abruptly violently pulled from the burnt puncture with a loud crackle, cutting off Vesa's question before her revolver even slipped from her grip and hit the ground beside her.
The sound of hissing and sweltering metal abruptly released from the thin red-hot saber as it finished sizzling her flesh. The stunned queen angelfish let out a final gasp of pain before collapsing to her side hyperventilating uncontrollably for an influx of air into her lungs which were now in ruins and exposed through a giant cauterized hole right through her smoldering ribcage that burned with flicker's of bright embers. The charred gaping wound seemed to grow even brighter as it kindled, while Vesa's elaborate blue and yellow skin patterns still in the prime of their youth, began to dull in their beautiful vibrancy forever.
Petrified and helpless, Shena stared directly into Vesa's once energetic eyes right in front of her face in absolute horror. Begging for them to stay open, only instead to watch as they fought and failed to stay conscious. Rolling to the back of their sockets before looking directly back at Shena with a cold wide glare, keeping Shena trapped with front row seats as an unwilling spectator. Unable to look away in the young medic's last moments beside her....
Shena saw as Vesa used the last of her life reaching out her hand in a last feeble attempt for help from her leader. An attempt Vesa knew was a lie to herself and her chances of survival as an expert in injuries. She knew what a lost cause looked like when she saw one. Only now. She was one.
If anything a perfect example.
Kiro's stopped in his victorious march forward and slowly turned around toward the source of the sudden disturbance; terrified as to what he might see. His massive blue wrinkled eyes filled with pure dread as they looked upon the mysterious cloaked figure standing before him. He then looked down to be greeted with an even worse sight.
The stranger's blade, fresh with dried burnt blood, slowly became sheathed underneath its untarnished gold cloak before it kicked aside a smoldering face down into the mud.
"Vesa….? Kiros said. His voice quivering at the sight of his friend's motionless body.
The creature's massive reflective eyes then turned their attention toward Shena on the ground and knelt down menacingly beside her. The rainwater falling off the contoured edges of it's jagged split jaw as he slowly began to reach out its massive three fingered hand to grasp towards her throat.
Krios screamed enraged and appalled by the grisly sight in front of him. The sea turtle halted in his path for the collapsed tent and swiftly swung his weapon around towards the stranger. He had to focus on nothing else but stopping this murderer before it could dispel a cruel similar fate to Shena. He had to save his leader at all costs. Nothing else mattered. He would not take antoher.
"Ma'am get down!!!" Kiros roared, his voice harrowing and fierce. The old sea turtle pulled back the lever on his gun and fired from the enormous weapon at full power. The heavy cannon erupted with the force of an unrelenting geyser, shifting his immense body back through the mud slightly in the process but still he held his ground firm and upright. As the rain fell from the air above it stopped to merge with the continuous torrent of water, reinforcing its blast as it unleashed its unrelenting assault straight towards Vesa's silent killer. At such close range, it would tear this butcher apart easily.
The hooded assassin smiled and suddenly swayed its cloak behind its hunched back. Folding it's two upper arms inward and activating a device on each of his wrists that suddenly emitted two massive energy shields, each in the symbol of a transparent yellow scarab glowing bright as the sun. The stranger then slammed and planted the two thin transparent shields side by side deep into the dirt in front of its wide muscular body. With the protective glowing barrier forming it's full shape just seconds before the devastating assault finally made contact.
The surge of water split apart instantly. Wrapping around and trailing off harmlessly in every direction behind the form of the barricaded defender with no effect. The stranger grinned amused. Almost as if he welcomed the feeble onslaught from the old turtle as nothing more than a test of personal strength. Kiros ground his beak in frustration at his unshaken opponent still standing. Undeterred, he began to march forward slowly, causing the water pressure to build in magnitude and pushing the stranger and it's shield's back through the dirt with each broad step closer in. But still, the water stream continued deflecting off to the sides and above the stranger's massive head. He still would not yield in the stalemate. The seemingly impervious assassin after enjoying the contest finally spoke. It's voice was deep and hoarse as it roared mightily aloud a sudden command into the air above for all to hear.
"Now!!!!!"
The three elites suddenly emerged from the cover of their ruined tent and swiftly took flight to the sky. Drawing their weapons and rushing towards the distracted sea turtle from behind after waiting for just the right opportunity.
'No, Not again!!!'
Shena tried to stand and fight in a desperate attempt to cover her distracted Sergeant or do anything of the sort to help, but her debilitated muscles and limbs would not heed her desperate commands anymore. All she could do was watch the inevitable unfold right in front of her as nothing more than a marionette with its strings completely severed. But she still had her voice. Weak as it may be.
"Kiros, lift your shell!!!" She ordered aloud desperately. Kiro's eyes widened as he heard the sudden warning, before finally noticing the creeping sound of wings whirring quickly behind him. Alerted, he instantly hunched his back over and raised his enormous shell high into the air. He could not turn his cannon around in time so he would have to trust in his shell yet again to protect him. It was sturdy and strong. He knew their weapons could not hope to penetrate it no matter the type they used. If only he had known that they were not interested in his shell. These insects were exhausted. They preferred the quick and usual method today.
All three brothers dropped down directly atop their slow moving target. With the eldest clutching tightly onto the grooved edges of its large sturdy backside, and the two younger insects pulling on each of turtle's limb's wide apart like a scarecrow. Kiros grunted in sudden terror as their combined abrupt weight quickly brought him to his knees. He couldn't move. They were pulling him limb from limb like a ragdoll spread humiliatingly across the dirt with every scrap of their proportionally heightened strength. Kiro's grunted in further pain, he could feel his shoulder blade's starting to tear apart as they were being stretched beyond their limits.
"GET OF OF ME BUGGERS!!!" The sea turtle bellowed from the dark insides of his helmet. Slamming the ground in anger with his feet and shaking the very ground beneath them all. He had to break free right now. He knew what they wanted these savages wished to do with him. He had seen the gruesome mutilation raider's inflicted long before this war. Drawing and quartering was the army ant's specialty. And he swore he would not become just another victim for their swarm amusement.
Kiro's roared and pushed himself farther than he ever hand, trying desperately to shake them off his shell. But it was not enough. His will to live was strong, but their murderous youthful strength was far stronger. He could never match their savagery. Nor did he want to. There was only one thing left he could do. He hated it. It was pathetic. But it was all he had left. He had to survive for the others sake's.
As a last chance at survival, Kiro's hastily began to tuck his head and arm's inside of his shell trying to make himself completely impervious until he could counter. The eldest of the three brothers noticed the last ditch effort and proceeded to toss his own Warhammer aside in order to latch onto the turtle's helmet with all four of its hands; not letting go in the slightest and allowing the old fool to escape into the safe confines of his shell. The eldest flyer then stretched the vulnerable neck out into full view in front of them all; holding the aquatic's colossal head strenuously in place high above, before hastily shouting for his two smaller kin beside him for aid.
"HOLD ARM"S BROHTERS!!! HOLD AND NOT LET GO!!!" The eldest grunted aloud desperately as his grip began to weaken; his role as the leader of the trio now clearly established beyond a shadow of a doubt. The two younger elites obeyed their brother and gripped even tighter to the turtle's wrists.
"Where's you think you going?!!! The youngest laughed heartily aloud." "Leave it to turtle to hide like coward. HAHAHA!!!"
That sound of that creature's laughing, Shena would never forget. But what made her's and Kiro's iron heart stop in cold absolute dread, was the slow clink of metal being drawn as the eldest reached for his two smaller blades holstered from behind. He was the smartest, and knew there was not enough time to do this the usual way, the turtle was starting to get loose..
So he would have to improvise
The thin serrated daggers swiftly began to cut right through the back of the unarmored neck of the helpless old man's in perfect unparalleled precision. Kiro's could feel every cut. Every slice. Every artery snapping one after another like twigs. Kiro's struggled and fought with his last breath as the proud soldier he had been for centuries all the way to the end, hoping to free himself from their inescapable grasp and save his leader, but it was too late.
The blades slashed right through the old soldier's neck. His two powerful arm's were torn cleanly from their bloodied sockets a second later. The gruesome sound was exactly that of the snapping of branches being broken off from an age old tree. Once mighty. Now reduced to nothing. The old turtle's iron grip went soft much slower than expected, almost as if his body wanted to keep fighting just a bit longer. His battle-tested, beloved cannon fired its last shot before dropping to the ground with nothing to hold it up. The sound shook the earth beneath them all. But it was nothing compared to what followed. The full collapse of the ancient hulking corpse as it crashed face down into the dirt was as if a mighty proud monument was finally caving in. Unable to defend itself any longer against the inevitable grasp of time and erosion. But the raider's though different. To them....
It was the funniest sound they had ever heard.
Shena began to scream every insult and vow of revenge she could possibly conceive in a lifetime at these evil laughing savages.
Nothing came out. The only sound's were that of her bloodied broken mouth gurgling brief spurts of blood and exhaled air.
Shena clenched her fists in grief and frustration at being unable to fully express her true fury and hatred against these mindless creatures who had slain her selfless comrades so brutally. Monster's! Animals! she roared. Nothing. Yet again... She had failed them all.
The three raiders slowly began to smile proudly as they stood victorious atop the mutilated soldier holding difference pieces of him in their hands. The eldest ant finished wiping his short blades clean of the fresh turtle's blood before sheathing them beside their thorax holsters, and carelessly tossing the massive severed head into the mud to reach over for his hammer he had left in the dirt. The Antique cobalt steel helmet and bloodied green head underneath tumbled to the ground below. Each in opposite directions....
Shena tried to scream with all her might in horror. But again to no avail.
"Good kill brother's..."The eldest said aloud in relief, resting his hammer atop his broad shoulders and scrawling another tallymark on it's handle which was one of many. Far too many. Implying a history of pure ruthless and a devoted nature to war that far surpassed that of his younger, less experienced kin.
"Still...It went down quicker than I thought." The second oldest dressed in orange said. Almost sounding disappointed in the challenge. But, this didn't stop him from adding another mark to his dagger's. A kill was a kill after all.
"What you expect? This one old. Too easy." The youngest snarled eagerly, scratching another tally mark as well. "Next time we face good foe, not old turtle haha!"
The three victorious insects then cheerily jumped off the colossal mound of a corpse and briskly rushed over to meet with the tall hunched stranger catching his breath. The cloaked assassin grunted as it stood up to full height. Deactivating his expensive forearm shields, and pulling back his elaborate golden hood behind its immense rounded head in order to better see his young allies below him. His horrendous and marred skeletal face finally revealed as it towered above his daring sons below...