Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 49

Mia and her fellow commentators had one hundred panels stacked in rows and columns of arguably the best battalions in the whole competition. The favorites like Lethal Accord, Forefathers, and Prodos they had in the top left positions. As soon as the countdown hit zero, each screen showed the front gates of the castles each battalion was facing. Within seconds, they began to fall. The weapon systems they were using to breach the castle’s front walls were only able to be used for exactly that. If they used them on enemy troops directly, or any other castle walls, that battalion would be disqualified.

At the very front of the list was Lethal Accord. Even Mia had agreed they were the logical first spot. Unlike a lot of the other battalions, they hadn’t pulled out artillery or explosive power, but they’d chosen a mobile giga-trailer with a mounted pulse cannon on top. It was a doublewide construction vehicle that was often used to power an entire construction site. They could supply as little as five giga-watts, to as many as eight hundred. A pulse cannon needed such power to be effective. Once supplied, the sonic waves it emitted wouldn’t shatter its target as some people think but would create so much heat that they’d literally melt buildings to the ground. With enough power, they had a range of just over a mile.

Instead of choosing the front gate, the great beam of distorted air struck the castle wall far to the flank. It was further up the hill and would be harder to reach, but it wasn’t a problem for Lethal Accord. Their entire battalion was made up of rank E psionic users. Not only could they easily scale the area, but they wouldn’t have the problems shielding and being overpowered by the enemy.

Withing seconds the wall started to sweat as if plunged into a monsoon of pure humidity. Then the wall began to crack around the outer reaches of the sonic waves. Within ten seconds, the metals in the stone glowed semi-molten or exploded. Then the entire section of wall, more than fifty feet tall, came crashing down.

The Forefathers kept it simple, launching hundreds of micro-bunker busters. They were small missiles as long as your hand with the newest generation of super compact energetic material explosives. The first explosion was impressive for the size of the package of which it arrived in, but the wall was too imposing for it to cause much damage on its own. The next went off just below it, then another. Like a line of dominos, column after column of explosions swept down the wall. Reaching a certain point, it swept back in the opposite direction, being sure to take care of any part of the wall left standing.

Prodos used the simplest method, and least expensive, but in two shots of their rail-cannon, the gate, tower to either side of it, and much of the opposing wall at the center section of the castle, was left in ruins.

There were numerous other methods used. A good portion of the one hundred battalions held back attacking the gate to see if they could draw the enemy to them. Other’s trying to use stealthy infiltration, and one even charged the gate directly without firing on it at all. Despite these more novel methods, it looked like a tapestry honoring the different kinds of wartime demolition.

Mia’s main focus was on the top three. There were some exciting things happening in other battalions, but very few people thought they actually had a chance to compete with the big ones.

She watched as Prodos charged with their full force at the huge gage they’d created at the entrance courtyard. Lethal Accord held back half of their men to exchange bolts and metal with the Ekseliksi atop the castle walls. The Forefathers took a different approach. They sent a large force for the gap, but also sent a squad of lightning-assault mechs with their thin fast frames to a different section of the wall.

“The Real Major is already in,” Bolt cheered. Lethal Accord with their squads of rank E psionic users were having very little trouble matching force with force.

“They should have the easiest time of it,” Mr. Rachet agreed. “However, this castle is going to be a painful to take. It’s like a mountains-sized flower with courtyards for petals, and there are hundreds of them. They are stacked upon the mountain’s incline like a flight of messed up stairs. Each courtyard they take will have at least one courtyard above it the enemy can attack from, if not more than one. This will be a nightmare, even for Lethal Accord.”

LeLisa seemed pleased with the comparison of the castle’s layout with a flower, but she was too distraught by his point to put it in words.

Mia had blown up Prodos’s screen for her personal viewing and watched as Lucius and Kline called their men to split before entering the city. Enough of the wall was destroyed that they didn’t have any casters directly overhead, but one or two had already been picked off from the flanks due to rank E bolts.

A cloud of dust kicked up over the lip of the hillside before its cause was made known. Four or five cuddle-bots, thickly steeled cages that were as much vehicle as mech, caught air as they reached the top. There landings were abrasive, but they recovered quickly and took off. It was a good thing they did, for another five cuddle-bots ramped up behind them and would’ve landed in the exact same spot.

The thirty or so one-man mechs were using wheels attached to the outsides of their feet. It allowed them to pick of speed quickly, as they headed straight for the gap Lucius and Kline had created.

An army of a few hundred Ekseliksi, and at least ten rank E officers, had lined up inside the ruined wall of the entrance courtyard, waiting for them. It was one of the largest courtyards in the whole castle. Most of their skirmishes with the enemy would be against smaller numbers.

Lucius and Kline’s men had set up firing lines and were mostly focusing on peppering the awaiting resistance at the entrance, but also giving the enemy on the distant walls return fire.

“Tell me honestly, Mia,” Mr. Rachet said suddenly. “Out of all the other soldiers, what rank would you give Lucius?”

“Number one. It’s not like I’m hiding it.”

“I could see maybe pushing him into the top ten, but from what we’ve seen, he doesn’t have much experience fighting other players at this level. I’d be confident place him in the top fifty. Besides the little action he’s gotten during his world’s expansion, we’ve actually seen very little of him since he faced off with the rank D monster on the first day of Vanguard.”

“And we’ve seen almost none of the training he’s been doing,” Mia rebuffed. “Do you not remember how he was in Freedom. Sure, things are more private now in Vanguard, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t doing the same now.”

“I don’t doubt he’s worked hard. No one has a movement technique like his, so that had to take some work. It’s why I can see maybe pushing him up a little, but against the top ten… Watch. Here goes the Real Major, now.”

Standing straight, he was as hulking as a charging elephant. That was if a elephant had the speed and sure-footedness of a lion on the hunt. Silver bolts flew from his off hand with marksman precision as he dashed along the top of the wall, killing the enemy there as quickly as possible. Those that didn’t fall to his well-placed bolts, were cut down by his empowered saber. He was at the peak of Rank E psionic users, but even if he’d only unlocked the offensive side of psionic abilities, he’d learned a few tricks like overcharging his weapon. Even against rank E shielding, very little could stop him.

The men who followed to help him clear the wall, were lucky if he left them a single opponent to play with. He was a force of death, and extremely efficient at it.

“He’s impressive,” Mia admitted. She masked her doubt with a smug grin and turned back to watch the snuggle-bots arrive.

As they reached the mounds of ruined wall, they kicked out of drive into running in big, long strides without losing speed. They shot past the firing lines, and past the castle wall. The Ekseliksi saw them coming and began to charge.

Mia felt a sprinkle of hope well up inside her as the Ekseliksi looked like they’d meet the mechs head on. Her enthusiasm stayed measured because she simple wasn’t sure if the enemy had some way to overcome the mobile mounds of metal that she in a way she didn’t yet comprehend.

Both forces came to a head. There seemed to be a pause, but it was just her mind not believing what her eyes saw. The cuddle-bots ran through them like a field of tall weeds. They didn’t stop to fight, just kept going, leaving crushed and battered enemies in their wake.

She started giggling uncontrollably. It seemed this space magic didn’t counteract physics after all. It took her a moment to settle down. Then Lucius and Kline issued the order to charge.

***

Six men were already down. At least two of them dead. It wasn’t as gruesome as the beginning of Freedom’s goblin city siege, but, then again, it had only begun.

Even now, I wasn’t joining the fray besides a few bolts I cast when the opportunity arrived. Instead, I was scanning the surroundings for positions of opportunity. This castle’s layout was a defender’s dream. The deeper we got into this courtyard, the narrower it got and the better shot the Ekseliksi in the palisades on either side would have. Even after we took this level, we’d have to scale steep inclines and stairs to reach the next level. Then we’d have to fight for that courtyard that was also surrounded by other overhead positions the enemy would happily take advantage of. Already, it was looking like a losing battle.

There were a few areas of advantage I pointed some firing squads to on my side of the entrance. We’d use the rubble as well.

Our mechs were wreaking havoc, and a few hundred of our men were directly on their tails. Fallen Ekseliksi that weren’t yet dead were highlighted by Destiny so that our men could end any possible threat.

Even though I couldn’t hear all of Victoria’s verbal commands, I could see the highlighted areas of the battlefield change from green to red and back again as orders were issued and followed. They weren’t all her. Some of the changes came from squad leaders reacting to what was right in front of them, platoon leaders’ direction, and even individuals making use of their experience and intuition.

As soon as our cuddle-bots reached the far end of the courtyard, more than two hundred yards away, the initial momentum we carried became unstable. Numerous Ekseliksi were dying, but the rebound could be devastating.

There were no perfect positions, so I picked one with the fewest bad angles possible that still overlooked the courtyard and highlighted it. It was a ledge more than an actual platform designed to stand on. Regardless, a full squad could fit there, Destiny assured me. It was in the crevasse where two walls met, and below the upper section of the staircase doing up to the palisade to the right side.

“What do you think?” I contacted Mel directly.

“We’ll make it work,” he replied without question.

“Victoria?”

“For now, it’s the best we got,” she said and was gone.

“Go,” I commanded, and Mel was off with a squad of sharpshooters toward the ledge halfway down the courtyard, overlooking it.

“I want a few men keeping eyes on that staircase. Any Ekseliksi that tries to get a peak at our guys gets a hole in the face. Destiny. How’s the enemy analysis coming?”

“If I use the data collected from the other battalions opening minutes,” she recommended. “I can give an estimate. It will still be a few minutes before I have enough data for any conclusions from our own battle.”

“Do it. Just update things as more data presents itself.”

“Got it.”

Immediately, the enemy soldiers had Atk and Def ratings appear over their heads. The psionic rating had become so essential, that it appeared above both of them as Psi.

Ekseliksi Footsoldier

Psi: F

Atk: B

Def: B

I quickly scanned to find an officer and it was what I’d suspected.

Ekseliksi Officer

Psi: E

Atk: A

Def: B?

“How do the officers compare to the Goblin Overlords?” I asked, fearing I already knew the answer.

“They’re comparable,” she conceded. “I haven’t been able to observe enough of their fighting abilities yet, but I’d assume psionic bolts. Some of them have also used weapon enhancement.”

I bit my own tongue to keep myself focused. Three overlords had killed twenty-eight of our men just two weeks ago. Now we were facing a couple hundred of them. Thankfully, they weren’t all waiting in a line to face us, otherwise a few hundred rank E psionic bolts would probably end our day early. Of course, that meant there was one obvious course of action we could take to give us an advantage in the smaller skirmishes. It looked like I’d be calling out the rank E psionic squad early.

“I can confirm that the Ekseliksi Footsoldiers and Officers are just simulated,” Destiny called excitedly. “Even as all the different battalions clear the first courtyard, reinforcements aren’t coming. It seems a certain number of troops are allotted for each location, and they act within their sphere.”

“Victoria knowns?” I asked.

“I heard,” she replied instantly. “It’s something we can work with. I’m compiling half of the rank E squad under Kline for the moment. Be ready. I’m keeping you and Mel as mobile options. You both are natural casters, and the others aren’t. In addition, you push ability makes you much more versatile. Do you think Mel is ready to scale walls of this size?”

“He can do it, but not while also defending himself. He’s still getting a feel for it.”

“He might not have any other choice. We’re running out of options.”

“I can hear everything you’re saying,” Mel said with a grunt. He’d already perched himself on the ledge and he and his men were taking position. “I’ll do it. Just say the word.”

“Thank you, Mel,” Victoria said. She lacked much warmth in her voice, but her attention was split.

As we’d feared, the rebound of momentum came on strong. Six rank E officers had grouped together and were bolt casting holes into our ranks. Even with shielding, few of our men could take more than a few hits.

It took all the willpower I had to stay out of the fight. A mob of our men was enroute to intercept them. At the head were the three rank E psionic users other than Mel and me. Their shields were out, and they were prodding forward. I couldn’t see him in the throng crowding behind them, but Destiny placed a beacon above Kline’s head to point out where he was—smack dab in the middle.

Mel was finally set. Three rail-snipers fired first. Their rifles were mostly silent and held no psionic energy to alert the enemy. All three rounds struck the same officer in the side of the head while he was casting a bolt. He died on the spot.

The other officers got wise to the snipers, but a second volley of rounds were already let loose. One Ekseliksi got a new piercing in the side of the neck, while another got a nasty gash on the top of his bald scalp. The last one struck the top of an officer’s shield, which smacked it in the nose, but did little else. Before the group could return fire, a barrage of silver bolts with a number of orange ones in the mix, rained down upon them as Mel and his psionic casters opened fire.

It cut a few seconds later. The officers had a chance to breathe, so they took aim, then the mob arrived. Our rank E users pounded into them shield first, then retreated as Kline and a bunch of his poleaxe users surged passed them. Except, instead of poleaxes, the axes had been replaced with anvils?

They weren’t the type of weapons non-psionic users could wield. Even a brute like Cornelius could probably only lift it and swing it a few times with little practical effect. But the lot following Kline were his biggest and strongest. With rank F psionics, they swung their pole-hammers, spike end first.

Without even asking, Destiny threw an indicator up of the weapon’s estimated weight. Just the anvil-like Warhammer head was fifty pounds.

The officers didn’t just let Kline and his men have clean shots. Their shield rose to meet the excessive weapons, with rank E psionics humming strong. As steel met shield, the energy field held strong, but the Ekseliksi crumbled under the unexpected weight of the blows. A few back peddled quickly enough to stay on their feet. Our three rank E users collapsed on them with sword and spear.

I turned an attentive eye back on the officers that had fallen under the pole-hammers. “Are they?” I mumbled. There was no way they were dead, but…

As soon as Kline and his first row of men recovered, they pulled back and another set of heavy steel spikes fell from the next row.

Three. Four rounds of what looked like bashing the ground, when Destiny finally said, “They are now.”

I couldn’t hold back as a chuckle escaped from my mouth. “That’s your surprise?” I sent Kline directly.

“Nah. You have yet to see the powered version,” he snarled.

“The what?” I thought to myself but kept my mind in the game. Mel’s men were mowing down the biggest cluster of footsoldiers, and the cuddle-bots had regrouped and were trying to run down some of the enemy with their bulk as much as their melee skills. As powerful as the mechs were, an aura empowered footsoldier was just far too fast unless tied up or cornered.

Then I saw some of the Ekseliksi who had been taking pot shots from above nearing the staircase which Mel and his sharpshooters were below. If the enemy made it to the edge, they could’ve just started dropping heavy items on them and it would soon be over.

I didn’t finish a breath before casting bolt after bolt at the top of the staircase.

Mel noticed my silver bolts immediately and had everyone prepare their shields. His rail-snipers had their non-psionic energy fields covering them, since they weren’t using psionics to attack. The rest of them had to be careful.

“How’s it looking?” I said, seeing it would only be a few minutes now before the courtyard was cleared.

“Forty-three,” Victoria said. Her voice cracked, betraying her emotion. “Dead. Lucius, if we continue, so many will die. I don’t know…”

I made sure to soften my tone before saying. “We know why we are here, Victoria. We’ve had it a lot worse. You know we have. I hate it as much as you do, but many more will die today before this is done.”

“I hate this part.”

“I know you do but accept it, so you focus on what matters. The math. Can you make it work?”

“Yes, but I need you. And I can’t guarantee you’ll make it.”

“So what if I don’t. Go on another date with me and I’ll forget all about it.”

“Lucius…”

“Yes?”

“You’re a jerk.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Now, where do you want me?”

“Pick up Mel on the way. I’ll direct you.”

A green arrow pointing to a highlighted part of the palisade above lit up and I took off running.

“Mel, you ready for some wall walking?” I called not disguising my manic timbre.

“Yeah. No,” he laughed deterred.

“Let’s do it.”

“Yeah…”

With a push into the air, I kicked off the side of the wall to land higher up on the ledge he and his men had hunkered down on.

He was there waiting for me with his shield strapped to his back. With a smirk, I motioned with my head toward the staircase above. “Follow me.”

Othisi pushed me up the fifteen-foot gap, where I grabbed onto the stairs and powered up. I was off to a run down the stairs in the direction of Victoria’s arrow, when I launched myself into the air toward the lower ledge at the base of the parapet above. The defensive bulwark they’d built to look down on the entrance courtyard wasn’t part of the actual wall, so there was a lip for us to grasp ahold of without immediately coming face to face with the enemy casters.

With help from my aura, I grabbed the ledge and throw myself upward with arm strength. I flew over the wall with a Voli bolt already forming in my palm. I struck one, then a second before hearing Mel scream as he leaped over the wall. I drew back as he fall-landed, covering myself in psionic shielding.

The look on the alien’s multi-colored faces as I waved at them just fed into my adrenaline high.

“Stub a toe?” I asked.

“More like an entire leg, but, whatever,” he replied.

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

At his word, he unleashed a rapid fire of bolts, clearing all but an officer from the parapet. Since we were already here, I rush him.

He braced behind his shield.

Seeing the beautiful field of energy covering it, I covered my fist in Apotho shielding and struck out. Othisi followed up, throwing a Shield Blast from my fist from two feet away.

Apotho against Apotho always had an extreme reaction, but rank E against rank E was on a hole different level. It was like a sonic boom went off without the sound. The officer’s own shield battered him, and he flew back. A platoon’s worth of his footsoldiers were sprinting toward us by then, so I grabbed the guy by the foot with both hand and swung him with all my aura empowered strength straight off the side of the wall.

“What was that?” Mel cried.

I didn’t chance a reply, sprinting at an angle toward the wall to the next level looking down on us now.

“Come on,” I shouted, jumping at the wall, only to use a massive two-footed Othisi push to send me flying over the platoon of footsoldier’s heads.

I got off two Voli bolts until a half dozen bolts flew to intercept me. I Wind Walked mostly off target, but shielded my body to knock aside the one that had originally been the worst aimed.

I landed in a roll with only my aura to help me brace against the impact. Mara’s training showed it’s worth and I came up firing off bolts with the intensity of a demon. It still didn’t match Mel’s speed, but I was a sufficient distraction as he landed at my side with a much less practiced roll.

“Go,” I yelled, but he was already running.

Tossing another bolt for good measure, I back peddled before taking off with my energy suppling my pshield refinement belt to cover me in protective power.

Seeing Victoria’s arrows, I saw our first target come into view. There was a tower that looked down on the second and third level courtyards and she wanted us to take it.

After skirting passed the second level footsoldiers, we chose to take the stairs this time, pushing ourselves up a dozen with each step.

As we finally neared our destination and bolts started to rain down from above, I saw a highlighted forms at the base of the tower that were otherwise invisible to the eye.

“Say the word,” Hwan contacted my directly.

“Go. Go. Go,” I howled as we bound for the tower’s entrance.