“Hold the line!” a voice roared, cutting through the noise. “Nothing here we didn’t expect! Push forward! PUSH, damn you!”
Granin could only shake his head. Low Blade Hironus Balta led this offensive, hoping to cover himself with glory in the eyes of his House and clan. Why the minor noble felt it necessary to drag an exhausted Shaper into the middle of the fight, he had a few suspicions, none of them good. Not much he could do about it now. Granin had known something like this would happen when he sent his Triad away. He hoped those two kids were doing alright. More than that, he hoped Anthony was living up to the promise that the old Shaper had seen in him.
The tunnel was wide, close to two hundred metres at its widest point where the multiple passages came together. The golgari hadn’t spread to cover that space as they pushed toward the walled fort the ants had created. The attacking force was a thousand members strong, but they were outnumbered at least five to one.
He forced his tired mind to work, splitting off his Mental Constructs and tasking each of them with a role. Pain spiked through his head, and he stifled a wince. He was pushing his limits here. Insanity had erupted in the tunnel and there was too much to take in. Mana swirled wildly through the air as hundreds of mages drew on the energy and cast it back out in a different form. Granin dedicated his own resources to firming up the shields on the left flank where he stood. Offensive magic was just as likely to hurt as harm in a situation like this. With acid covering the shields, he wouldn’t be able to see what he was aiming at.
The ants weren’t committing so far, hanging back and not closing with the deadly blades of the golgari. It made for a slow, grinding battle. At least, so far. It was only a matter of time until someone declared the charge.
“SHIELD WALL!” came a deafening shout. “ANCHOR YOURSELVES!”
What? Granin almost did a double take, having to force himself not to turn his attention to the front. He had his own role to play, and he knew better than to split his focus when he was already so drained.
The Low Blade almost wished he were able to avert his eyes, he wasn’t quite able to parse exactly what he was looking at. The golgari had been making slow and steady progress against the ant fort. The moment they’d closed the distance, the insects would have been forced to retreat or die throwing themselves against a wall of swords.
It was clear the ants were pursuing a strategy of attrition, trying to wear down their betters. The very idea made Balta curl his lip. The Warriors of House Balta were indefatigable! They would push for weeks if necessary! The battle progressed exactly as he imagined it, right up until the ants defending the wall of their fort had parted and a host of armoured monstrosities charged forth.
Huge ants covered in steel rushed forward with almost palpable glee, their mandibles eagerly gnashing and chomping at the air. From behind those behemoths came a tidal wave of insects, thousands of them, blasting acid overhead as they ran upon the floor and ceiling,
A quiver of fear rose in his chest, one he ruthlessly quashed. A noble of the Houses wouldn’t falter in the face of these disgusting insects!
He gave the orders to hold the line and a host of huge, broad-shouldered Warriors emerged, massive tower shields mounted on their arms. Together, they activated their defensive Skills as the front line stepped in behind them.
“LET THEM TASTE YOUR SWORD!” he ordered and stepped forward himself, blade in hand.
Such was the weight and power of the insect charge that the ground under their feet shook, but the golgari held firm. Balta tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and centred himself, allowing his emotions to fade as he channelled his energy into the blade. When he felt the technique reach its peak, he bellowed and the sword blade flashed, tracing a brilliant arc of light in the air.
It was just one of a torrent of sword lights that flew from the golgari lines toward the onrushing ants. Balta eagerly waited to see the result of their barrage. In his mind’s eye, he could already see the bugs cut to pieces, their charge dying in its infancy.
What he didn’t expect, was for the armoured figures to throw themselves onto the sword light. He almost didn’t believe it, but he swore he saw two of them thud into each other, trying to push the other aside so they could be the one to take the blow for the other.
The sword light struck home and a screech of metal filled the air as the ant-armour was rent and cut, causing the leading figures to stumble, but they didn’t stop. Before the golgari could take another breath, the ants crashed into their line and all hell broke loose.
89. Blissful Danger
“LEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOY!”
What a day! WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY! The Immortals unleashed their war cry, the name of their great leader, charging toward what would surely be their useful deaths. The golgari formed a fortress before them, their combined shields creating a wall of golden light that the ants just couldn’t wait to run into.
“No!” roared Leeroy as she battered aside one of her subordinates with a vicious shoulder check. “I will be the one to die!”
The soldier watched the powerful arc of sword light descend on her as if it moved in slow motion. Perhaps this would be her chance, maybe this was her moment! The armour was an extension of her own body. She felt it as the beam of condensed energy crunched into the steel, cutting deep rents in the folded metal and sending shockwaves of pressure through her carapace. There was pain, she was scarred, but she did not find oblivion. A disappointment.
“THE SEARCH GOES ON, SISTERS!”
“WE SEEK!”
The Immortals charged with renewed vigour. The mighty enemy arrayed before them ignited a flame in their hearts and cores that burned like a sun.
“You lot are weird,” muttered a small voice.
Clung underneath Leeroy, her claws dug into special grooves cut for this very purpose and her head protected behind a curve of folded steel, the healer had to wonder who had thought it was a good idea to send these crazed siblings into battle.
Leeroy cared nothing for the opinion of others. She cared only for this moment, this charge, and this enemy. The wall loomed, the golgari firm against their massed charge, confident in the strength of their defence. She hoped they were right.
Closer. Closer! CLOSER!
Tons of metal-encased ant endured the blows that rained down on them as they closed with the enemy, the rest of the colony’s attack force following close behind. At the last possible moment, Leeroy synched her three pairs of legs, ready to unleash the new technique she discovered.
DASH! DASH! DASH!
Firing each pair of legs just off time with each other, the Immortals pushed their thin ant legs to the breaking point, three separate Dashes executed almost at once. The sheer force almost shattered their joints but pushed the armoured titans to the peak of their speed. The heavily armoured insects timed their charge perfectly, crashing home into the golden shield line like a wave of steel.
Please! Leeroy hoped.
Nope! The medic declared, releasing her grip and dropping to the ground along with her sisters who appeared from under the other armoured figures. Once on the ground, they turned their mandibles to the dirt, burrowing as the rest of the attack wave flowed over their backs.
Leeroy turned her body and felt her carapace crunch into the golgari defence. A test of the hardest steel the colony could produce and the shield wall of the golgari. Despite her pounding heart and screaming soul, it was the shield that broke first, the enormous wall of energy cracking, then shattering under the combined weight of the Immortals.