Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

The Fire Spreads

The alliance was advancing.

Slowly.

Painfully.

But advancing.

For the first time since the battle began, ground was being reclaimed.

The Consumer had been pushed back.

The portal had been wounded.

Hope existed.

Which was exactly when everything got worse.

Morvax walked beside DoubleBack through the shattered ruins.

The Cinderborn giant carried a knife that looked less like a weapon and more like a piece of industrial equipment sharpened into something deadly.

DoubleBack's new Drael'Var arm shifted occasionally as they moved.

Small adjustments.

Tiny changes.

The living metal constantly adapting.

Learning.

Growing with its owner.

For several minutes neither spoke.

Then Morvax finally broke the silence.

"How did you know Storm?"

DoubleBack looked over.

Surprised.

The question seemed almost out of place.

But he answered anyway.

"Me, him, and Ozzy."

A faint smile appeared.

"We trained together."

The smile faded.

"Before promotions."

Before command.

Before war.

Before all this."

DoubleBack looked ahead.

"He was the youngest."

A pause.

"Like a little brother."

Morvax listened.

"We used to play cards."

DoubleBack laughed.

"Never for money."

"Just drinks."

Another laugh.

"Little son of a bitch always won."

The laugh disappeared.

"I still owed him."

Silence followed.

The battlefield shook.

Then everything changed.

Bravo Team broke.

The containment line failed.

Not completely.

But enough.

The Corrupt suddenly split into two groups.

Fifty turned back toward the Iron Fangs.

Fifty turned toward Alpha and Delta.

The movement happened so fast that several commanders didn't realize it until it was already happening.

One second they were contained.

The next...

they spread.

Like fire.

Like someone had thrown a lit match into a pool of gasoline.

The battlefield erupted.

Sabertooth reacted first.

"MOVE!"

His Mammoth Breaker came down.

Three Corrupt vanished beneath the strike.

Silverback hit another group.

Bodies flew.

Armor shattered.

But it wasn't enough.

There were too many.

And for the first time since becoming compromised...

Bravo Team became aggressive.

Not defensive.

Not reactive.

Aggressive.

The change caught even the Iron Fangs off guard.

Then the runners appeared.

Ten of them.

Maybe twelve.

Nobody was sure.

Because they moved too fast.

Blurs.

Yellow eyes.

Burning armor.

Spines protruding from their bodies.

Bone spikes.

Metal spikes.

Flaming spikes.

The creatures hit melee range.

And exploded.

The battlefield detonated.

Thousands of burning fragments erupted in every direction.

Spines.

Shards.

Fragments.

Every impact caused a secondary explosion.

Anything struck immediately caught fire.

DoubleBack reacted instinctively.

The Drael'Var arm transformed.

The hand disappeared.

The forearm widened.

A shield formed.

The organic steel expanded outward.

Most of the blast hit the shield.

The rest struck harmlessly against the living metal.

Several fragments slammed into Morvax.

The giant looked down.

Then laughed.

"So now we got little exploding candles?"

DoubleBack barked a laugh.

"You said candles."

Then both men stopped smiling.

The battlefield wasn't joking anymore.

DoubleBack raised the new arm.

Energy surged.

Blue light erupted.

A massive blast ripped through the advancing Corrupt.

Ten.

Maybe more.

Gone.

Morvax charged.

The giant crashed into the enemy line.

His massive knife rose.

Then fell.

Bodies split apart.

Limbs flew.

Armor shattered.

Anything within reach died.

Ozzy saw the breakthrough.

Immediately adjusted.

"Energy weapons only!"

His voice thundered across local comms.

"Vibro blades!"

"No bullets!"

"They ain't doing a damn thing!"

The order spread instantly.

Delta adapted.

Alpha adapted.

HellGuard adapted.

DoubleBack answered.

"HEARD!"

The arm shifted again.

The shield vanished.

His hand transformed.

A glowing blade emerged.

Curved.

Massive.

Nearly the size of a scimitar.

Blue energy crackled along its edge.

DoubleBack took one swing.

Three Corrupt fell apart.

The second swing dropped five more.

The blade cut through them almost effortlessly.

And still they came.

Morvax continued tearing through the enemy.

The giant looked unstoppable.

Then Bonesaw noticed something.

Something terrible.

Something nobody else saw.

The bodies.

The pieces.

The remains.

Moving.

Pulling together.

Reforming.

Bonesaw's eyes widened.

"Oh hell no."

He pointed.

"They ain't dead!"

Nobody heard him.

The battlefield was too loud.

Bonesaw screamed.

"THEY AIN'T DEAD!"

That got attention.

"They're coming back!"

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Everyone looked.

And saw it.

Corrupt soldiers reassembling themselves.

Bone reconnecting.

Armor reforming.

Fire reigniting.

Anchor was the first to react.

He drove a vibro blade through the back of one Corrupt's skull.

The creature dropped.

Face-first.

Motionless.

For about three seconds.

Then it rolled over.

Its eyes reopened.

And fire poured from its mouth.

Anchor stared.

"You gotta be freaking kidding me."

The Corrupt smiled.

Anchor looked around.

"What IS this shit?"

And for the first time since Bravo Team had fallen...

Nobody had an answer.