United Against Hate: Chapter 31

“Everyone brace!”

The soldiers heeded their king’s call and got down on their knees, grabbing the rampart of the walls. They closed their ears to the screeching of the nil and shouted the same order down the line. This was drowned out by the crash of a massive boulder into the gate. The ground shook like a massive earthquake and soldiers as some fell over the sides. The lucky ones fell to their deaths on their side of the walls. The unlucky ones fell into the sea of claws and mouths.

Those that were still alive shouted, to their fellow red armored soldiers, getting up. They either picked up their weapons, manned their cannons, or readied their magic. Because the monsters at the base of wall started their assault, climbing the walls.

Armies had thrown themselves at the walls of Noria many times in the past and not once had they ever been conquered. The iron walls were nigh impossible to climb let alone breakdown. And after the events with the Ouroboros the gate had been reinforced even further. But that was against normal foes.

The nil adapted, growing wings and flying over to the top of the walls to assail the defenders or finding climbing purchase where no human ever could. But Norian soldiers were more than well equipped to deal with this. As long as their defenses held, the number disadvantage didn’t matter.

At least until the giant demon made its presence known. Under the rain of massive boulders, the tides shifted. Whether it was denting the walls themselves or destroying structures and buildings behind them. Especially when the ones that went over the walls dropped dozens of nil into their town.

Even now where the rock had come down a nil swarmed from the impact crater. Their bright yellow eyes focused on the soldiers that had barely been able to stand and pounced. Before they could wreak havoc on this side of the wall, Julie came down. She moved quickly her sword cutting through the nil in troves. One jumped at her latching onto her shield and she slid back. Glaring she whirled around and shoved it off her mask covering half her face.

She turned around and waved her sword. “Get on your feet soldiers! We’re not done yet!”

“You’re in rare form today,” Yanriel said.

“Can’t we be excited by being back home?”

“Do you think we believe it’s just that?”

Smirking she glanced at her shield, watching the edges of it glow black with the same oiled material as her mask. “We love a good fight.”

She turned and threw her shield cutting the head off of one of the nil and held her hand up. After a delayed second the shield flew right back to her wrist. Clanging her sword against the shield as she started climbing the wall, “Alright soldiers gather round! Form a line with us!”

They moved at her command and stood five deep on the edge of the wall. They set their shields against the ground and raised their swords. The demons stared at them and then rushed forward crashing into the shield wall. Claws scraped against their shields but they didn’t slide back.

“Hold!” Julie grunted as she dug her feet into the ground stabbing at the nil she could see. She tried to drown out the screeches of the demons with her partner’s voice. “Don’t suppose you’ve got other bright ideas!”

“Doing what we can to keep you standing! Was this your plan?”

“Please Yanriel. You think this was our plan?”

She looked up through the throng of grasping nil and saw the glowing ball of light in the sky. It crashed into the wall blowing nil to the sky, incinerating some on the spot. The burning elemental glowed bright, as its flames ate the nil around them.

“That’s our cue! Charge!” Julie jumped forward driving her sword through the throat of a nil driving it to the ground. The soldiers behind her charged, their shields and swords making quick work of the burned and disoriented creatures.

Turning around quickly, Julie looked at a tall bell tower behind her. Its ceiling had sunken in but Silva stood among the wreckage her eyes aglow. The elemental turned to stare at her and she swung her hand. It nodded and disappeared in a woosh of fire.

“Thanks Silva,” she saluted and then started running to where she was needed next.

Silva stepped forward, wings materializing at her back and she flew right toward the front gate. From up above she could see small fights sprouting up in the streets below. She swung her hand sending black spears of magic to lend what assistance she could. But through that, she felt the waves of gravity shifting how she flew.

“That mage is terrifying,” Titanya said.

Silva’s eyes shifted slightly and searched the battlefield until she found him. Frost walked slowly, crushing nil with force the size of a building at the flick of a wrist. The starry glow around him almost made him seem heavenly. People flocked to him and he directed them to safety, the forces of gravity protecting them.

“Glad he’s on our side.”

Refocusing her flight, she dropped down beside Badou and he glanced at her with something between a smirk and a grimace. He had dead soldiers and nil alike on both sides of him and his hands were streaked with oily blood. “Looks like you’re getting the hang of this stuff pretty fast.”

“In a situation like this it’s do or die your majesty,” she replied. She heard the boom of a cannon and was glad she didn’t flinch.

He winced, “You don’t have to call us that.”

“It’s proper,” she replied standing up fully. “How are things on your side?”

“Shitty but manageable. Our soldiers have been pulling their weight,” he looked down and saw the horde of nil throwing themselves into the front gate. Some of the monsters were bigger than others but the gate’s reinforcements were holding. “But that thing.” He nodded toward the giant demon. “Is going to be a problem. How about you?”

“The rocks are bad enough. Julie has things held down on the west end but like you said. It’s shitty but manageable.”

“That’s about what Roxie and Cancer have been telling us.”

“Where’s Miles?”

“Doing recon,” Badou paused and stared at the ground near them. Out came the masked shark with a gruff snarl. But the mask faded and Miles gasped with a haggard expression. His clothes were torn and he had a deep red gash in his side that had been bandaged by a former sleeve. “You’ve looked better Miles.”

“It’s rough down there your majesty,” he replied lowering his head.

“Did you find anything out?”

“Good news and bad news,” he said. “Which do you want first?”

“Good news we guess,” he shrugged.

“Good news, Daze isn’t here. We fought a lot of nil along the way and even rain afoul of the big one but Daze isn’t commanding this army.”

Badou made a sound of annoyance and nodded, “We guess that’s fine. So what’s the bad news?”

“That thing has only been throwing rocks at you guys. It’s been gathering its strength and it’s getting ready for something big. Well bigger.”

Badou put his hands on his head, “Great. And here we thought things were getting under control. Could you do any damage to it?”

“Invictus is arrogant but not that arrogant. We don’t take it that any of you have an answer for it?”

“The Great Leader isn’t that kind of strong” Badou dug his hand through his hair. The ground shook as another nil threw itself at them. But it didn’t stop, it leaped off the walls and climbed until it could jump and hang over them.

They jumped out of the way as the nil crashed into the ground. Silva’s eyes went wide as she drew her hands across the air to create a barrier of black energy. The nil shattered it and reached toward her. Before it could reach her, it was yanked backward.

Invictus had their mouth around one of its arms pulling it off axis. Then Badou’s arm appeared out of its chest through a portal. He grabbed its face and flipped the demon over into the ground. Silva snarled and struck with a black clawed hand and tore its head right off.

“They’re getting bold,” Badou remarked.

“Maybe we should get bold too,” Silva mumbled thinking hard. “We may have an answer to that big demon. But we’re going to need time. Can you protect us?”

Badou glanced at Miles and then back at her before nodding, “Yeah we can.”

“We’ll get the word out,” Miles said the mask fading away. He stepped away and through one of Invictus’s portals. When he came out it was to the tune of more screeching. He ducked immediately and dove forward avoiding the swiping claws of one of the nil as it noticed him.

The ground was littered with soldiers and nil corpses, all of them having claw or scorch marks. But some of the soldiers were so covered in the oil of the nil that it looked like it had come from them. Scrabbling to his feet he started running despite hearing the angry growling in his ears.

“We know Invictus but right now we need to find our friends. Protecting Silva comes first over killing more of the nil.” He got a sharp growl in response and then silence.

As the walls curved, he could see the barrier that had been built around one of the tall turrets. Stones had been stacked high with shields. From his position he could see the crossbows being wielded by soldiers and in the ruins of the turret he saw a cannon that was being swiveled his way.

“Hold your fire! He’s one of ours!”

Miles recognized Roxanne’s voice and let out a relieved sigh. But when she jumped over, she looked like hell. Blood streaked down her face, one of her eyes was closed and her mask was cracked around her mouth. Lowering her head, she slid forward and grabbed him by the shoulder.

They got behind the barricade and Miles could see they weren’t doing much better. Cancer came over to them and he was just as beat up. He noticed he had a circular weapon in one hand and his katar in the other.

“What the hell are you doing?” Roxanne hissed.

Miles looked at her then the others in mild disbelief, “Badou said things were rough. He didn’t say they were this rough.”

“Yeah, well the big demon seems to be a southpaw,” Cancer scowled. “Please tell me you have good news.”

“We might,” Mile said and ducked his head down slightly as the ground shook. “What was that?”

“The nil have started getting creative in breaking down the wall,” Roxanne looked over the wall and rotated her hand to the cannon wielding soldier. “Fire!”

They saluted, turned the cannon and then another touched the metal tube. Red light filled it before it let out a beam. A horrid screech echoed over their little barricade behind the roar of magic. “They’re getting bigger and learning to fly. A few of them have been taking our soldiers and turning them.”

“That’s not horrifying at all,” Miles grimaced.

“Again, I say, please have good news,” Cancer repeated.

“Silva has an idea to handle the big one. But we’re going to need to keep an eye on her,” he said quickly.

“Sure. Except we can barely afford to leave this position right now,” Roxanne shook her head.

“Trade places with me then,” Cancer replied. “You leap in and out of your portals. Good for recon and stealing back territory up here. Meanwhile, with my powers, I can defend Silva.”

“You sure?” Roxanne asked.

“Yeah.”

She looked at him and nodded quickly, “Okay. Don’t die.”

That made him smirk, “If I die, I’ll just come back.”

“That is not what we meant,” she rolled her eyes.

“I know. Good luck Roxanne,” he climbed over the barricade and landed shakily.

The assault had at least stalled for the time being. Looking back out at the demon he took a deep breath and started running. Cancer could see it moving, taking steps forward leaving tremors behind. That terrified him.

Turning toward the city he hopped off the wall. Ice appeared under his feet for the barest of a second as he ran to the ground. The damage was nothing compared to the loss of life he’d seen in its streets. Soldiers and regular citizens alike.

When he finally landed properly another shape appeared out of the ground beside him. It lunged at him but it was suddenly crushed into an unnatural ball and dropped. Frost came running toward him along with a group of scared people. Frost motioned to a road, “Go that way. It’s safe.”

“Frost? What are you doing down here?”

“Some people weren’t able to be evacuated earlier. I’m getting the stragglers before things get flooded. What are you doing down here?”

“I need to get to Silva. We have a plan but she needs a bodyguard.”

Frost raised his eyebrow, “I doubt that girl needs any kind of defender. But I can escort you to where I saw her last.”

Turning on his heel, he started running and Cancer followed. They both looked to the sky as the screech of a nil echoed above their heads and another was thrown down to the street level. It rolled it was down on all fours.

Screeching it threw itself at them and they both leaped to the side as it crashed into a home tearing down one of the walls. Cancer raised his katars but Frost threw his hand down. Gravity came down on the nil’s head like a building crushing it into bloody pulp. “An empty home down the street. That’s where she is.”

“What about you?”

“You have your task and I have mine,” he replied and yanked chunks of rock from the ground before ascending into the sky.

Nodding slowly Cancer turned and sprinted down the street that he’d indicated. He did his best to ignore the increasing screeches of nil as they came down and died. Creating ice beneath his feet he climbed and ran along rooftops.

From there he could clearly see the empty home. Though by empty, Frost had forgotten to mention that it was entirely missing its roof and upper floor. But on the building, he could see Silva sitting down with a small circle of black energy around her. Her eyes were closed and her hands pressed together.

Hopping forward he landed on the edge and stumbled. But he drew his weapons and walked to stand in front of her. She opened one eye, “Cancer?”

“In the flesh. I’m your bodyguard so you can do whatever the heck it is you’re going to do.”

“Thanks.”

“What’s your big plan?”

“We’ll tell you if we can even pull it off,” she said and closed her eyes again.

“That’s not ominous at all,” Cancer mumbled shaking his head.

She didn’t respond, going back into silence. She was concentrating and it showed on her face but her mask wasn’t manifested. This was magic pure and simple. No demons involved. He could feel it seeping out of her like a beacon of foreign power.

A tremor hit and he looked up just in time to watch a rock explode against the barrier. The pieces of the rock scattered around them, but as the rocks came down so did the nil. Cancer’s eyes widened and he raised his katar and chakram. Staring at the circular weapon still made him pause.

“Just because it’s Pisces weapon doesn’t mean we can’t use it too.”

The voice echoed in his mind and he shuddered feeling the presence of the other Cancer. Knowing he was with him always. But this time he was right. Cancer and his father trained together for years. They had this together. “Watch over me dad.”

Narrowing his eyes he swung with the chakram slicing a nil’s head clean off. Closing his eyes, the two pendants around his neck glowed and a second katar and chakram appeared in his hand. Turning his hand, he threw the second chakram taking out another nil. The remaining ones forcibly grew wings and screeched diving at them. Before they could get close, he aimed his katar at one of the katars, “Cancer Impact.”

He heard the satisfying ping as the chakram ricochetted. It cut down another nil and came back to his waiting hand. Turning he threw it at another going like this as he cut down the approaching nil as best he could.

The ground shook again and this time it was another rock that had managed to clear the wall and coming straight for them. Fear gripped his heart and he nearly fell. “Cancer! Don’t be afraid! We can do this. Trust yourself and every Cancer before you.”

Cancer stared at the rock as it blocked out the sun and the fear didn’t go away. But he squared his feet and focused. He gripped both of his katars tightly and he felt the power inside him growing, saw his constellation manifest around him and the words leaped from his mouth, “Zodiac Cancer Protect!”

Thrusting both blades forward a wide shield of ice appeared in front of him. It cracked like thunder on contact and Cancer felt pain lance through his forehead. But he felt the thud of the boulder as it fell to the ground breaking down one of the staircases from the wall.

Going down to his knee, he panted his glowing eyes narrowed. Panting heavily, he forced himself back to his feet. “Well done Cancer.”

He didn’t get a chance to respond because the air was torn asunder. A massive red beam of energy exploded through the front gate, destroying it and everything around it. All sound was eaten away by the loud bwooom, throwing Cancer and Silva into the air. The last thing Cancer heard before hitting the ground was a satisfied screech from the nil.