The Bloodforged Kin

Chapter 212 - 206: Troop 276 - Death by Sasquath

"It says it's a sasquatch - but a small one! These ones are the small ones?" Panic overrode reason and people turned, sprinting back to the Hall in a rush. They slammed into the building in a crush of bodies and Sam heard horrible sounds of screaming and bones crunching as the wolves took advantage of the opportunity to attack the back ranks.

"Get together! Get-" Her command was cut off as a wolf rushed her, tongue lolling. There was a loud crack and its head exploded, the massive creature coming to a sliding stop at her feet. Sam looked up, confused.

"Come on, sweetie, I got you." Kristina reached out and took her hand, rifle held to her shoulder in a one-handed grip as she swung it around. She fired off another round and a wolf that had been attacking another person fell, hole through its skull.

The crowd had realized that they weren't going to fit through the door in a rush, turning to face the wolves and lumbering sasquatches that were thumping to the ground beyond them. Panic broke their ranks and there were no more strategies, no more tactics. Just people crying out as wolves ripped into them.

A loud crashing of wood and metal caught the attention of everyone and everything, and a small shed that had been retrofitted with legs and arms of wood and steel came lumbering around the side of the building. Through the open front door of the shed Sam could see Liam standing amidst levers, pulling them back and forth.

"Oh my god, he made his Tech Fortress!" Sam gasped.

"What the shit is that thing?" Kristina cried out.

"It's Liam's fortress! It's a synergy he got but never got to try out! He said the first one he made was going to be like the ones from that Star Wars movie his dad loved!"

"I think they're called AT-ATs," Kristina said. "My brother is a real nerd and loves that shit."

Liam's fortress rushed forward, kicking wolves aside. He turned it in a skid and slammed the leg levers forward, setting it at a heavy sprint towards the first sasquatch. Two wooden arms tipped with spiked metal punched forward and caught the sasquatch in the chest. The sasquatch's head was at a level with Liam's shed and it stared him down. Liam stared back, laughing.

"Take that you stinkin' ape!" He pulled the levers back and the arms pulled out of the creature's body with a wet squelch, blood hitting the ground in a loud splash. He punched again, but the sasquatch lifted its arm up, roaring in pain as the spike penetrated its forearm. It swung, its heavy fist blasting away much of the wood from the shed and sending the fortress skittering sideways, forcing Liam to desperately work the leg levers to keep it upright. All around them everything paused, even the animals watching the battle with morbid fascination.

Liam got it upright, then pushed it into a forward lunge, one mechanical leg kicking forward to send the sasquatch reeling backwards. It hit the wall hard, cracking the wood and breaking the defense. It pulled itself upright and roared again, rushing Liam. The boy punched out with both arms again but the sasquatch ducked under them, catching the fortress's legs in a tackle, sending both of them down. Liam hit the ground hard, looking up into the monster's grinning face. He was completely exposed, his shed long since gone. The sasquatch gave a toothy grin and opened its maw wide. It lunged forward and Liam kicked.

He connected with the two arm levers and they swung forward, spikes slamming into the thing's skull from either side, piercing its brain. Timber groaned and creaked as the sasquatch's body went limp, its head drifting slowly downward towards the boy.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Ah!" Liam yelled, crawling away just as the creature's teeth came to rest on the ground where he'd been a moment before. Liam stood up, dusted himself off, and turned back to the sasquatch. He laughed and rushed forward to kick it in the head. "I got you! My fortress is the BEST!"

The ridiculous scene carried for another second before creature and human heads all turned to face each other again, all remembering that they were still in a life-or-death battle.

The fracas resumed, but the humans had had time to pull themselves together. Magical arrows thunked into the wolves, magical chainsaws carved through sasquatch legs as people dodged and weaved around them. People fell, some crushed, some torn open, others lifted and hurled outside the wall to fall in a crunch to the ground outside, but the tide turned.

The last of the sasquatches fell as someone shoved a chainsaw imbued with pure dark energy upward and into its gut, gritting her teeth against the shower of blood and entrails that spilled over her. Many hands pushed the body off of her and she lay there, covered in gore but laughing in victory.

As one, all eyes turned to the last Timber Wolf that had backed itself against the wall. It looked around, eyes wild. It snapped and lunged, but the people danced just out of its reach. It unleashed a searing howl that caused everyone on the front line to tremble as the feeling of being prey filled their senses, but arrows and bullets snapped out from behind them and the howl stopped.

In a final push the humans rushed forward. Again, there were no tactics, no strategies. Just the vicious, merciless swings of a people that had been threatened, attacked, and killed, dealing death with the savagery of the mountain in Machiavellian fashion.

When they pulled away there wasn't enough of the wolf left to recognize what it had been.

Scouts climbed back to the palisades, giving the all-clear. People rushed outside to collect their fallen comrades and people were carried into the Town Hall at a sprint.

The battle was hard fought and hard won, but it had been won. If there had been any doubt about what they were facing, and if they could face it alone, that illusion had been shattered for them.

Alex walked through the crowd, helping the milling people however he could. Jake passed out bowls of magically imbued moss soup and comforting hot drinks that were almost tea, almost coffee, but not quite either. The people recovered slowly, but they recovered. Todd sent groups out to check on the homes and tell everyone to get their stubborn asses here immediately.

Alex watched them go with a grim look. He had seen what The System could throw at them and he didn't have a lot of confidence that they would find many survivors. Still, though, there was hope.

This was the time the Troop would normally leave, off to help the next people that needed it, or work on advancing their badges. He stood there for long moments, thinking. He could leave, true - others would need their help. Other towns like this. It was a testament to who he was that it never occurred to him that it would be safer for his Troop to just abandon the town. He and his Troop could survive the Cryptid Challenge together in the woods, he had no doubt about that. But leaving the people of these mountains to face the upcoming challenges alone was something that was so far from his nature that it never even occurred to him as an option.

As he considered the situation he realized something - all the towns, all the groups of people, even the cities - it would all be the same. Saving these people or saving another, it was six of one, half dozen of another. He did just as much good by staying here as he did by helping other settlements.

He made his decision and knew the Troop would follow him. They would stay. They would help the people here - protect them from what was coming, form them into a Troop that balanced skills in ways that supported everyone as a whole. He would turn the individuals into teams. He would lead them and keep them safe.

"Hey, what just happened?" He heard someone call out. "I lost my System skills!"

"Me too! And what is this?" Someone was fingering a sash that hung across their chest, small plain badges sewn onto the fabric. As Alex looked around he realized that everyone was wearing sashes, their badges mostly at the Initiate level but some having Advanced badges and even a few showing gold with Expert. He felt the familiar sensation of a new badge synergy appearing and noticed a brand new badge, Initiate level, appearing on his sash - two swords crossed over a campfire.

Badge earned: General

He realized that the new badge synergized with his others and he could suddenly sense the location, health, and skills of everyone around him. He reached out to a part of it with curiosity.

Troop 276 Member Roster: 143 members