AN: Ok, this chapter was supposed to be out yesterday but due to me finding Netflix's subtitle button (And me watching every episode of SOA). it had to wait till today. still, here a battle, and its going to be a good one (Hopefully.)
Chapter 3: Hold Them Off
Keith stood on the wall that surrounded the north side of the town. The gate stood under him. He looked around him from left to right to see his squad setting up. The mortar crew, along with the pilot and gunner stayed by the airship port and waited targeting. Nick was atop the town's tallest building, the bell tower at the town hall. The other soldiers lined the town's north wall, preparing for a battle. "We have to hold out for as long as we can." Keith turned to his right to see John standing next to him with his hammer in hand. "The civilians need time to get out."
"We getting any back up?" Keith asked
"No, we're on our own." John confessed
"We'll hold out as long as we can." Keith reassured
"I don't think I'm getting out of this battle." John said, his tone sombre and sad "I think I'm going to be killed today."
"Never think that. If the plan and back up plans go according to plan then we'll win. And with no deaths." Keith stated. The area around them was quite as the soldiers awaited their enemy. Then Keith began to sing
Hark! I hear the foe advancing,
Barbed steeds are proudly prancing,
Helmets in the sunbeams glancing,
Glitter through the trees
John looked at the sergeant with confusion. 'Why is he singing?' Then he someone begin to sing along with Keith
Men of Harlech, lie ye dreaming?
See ye not their falchions gleaming,
While their pennons gaily steaming Flutter in the breeze?
John could now see that all the men and women were singing along. They sung together and in time like they had done in hundreds of times before
From the rock rebounding,
Let the war cry sounding summon all at Cambria's call,
The haughty foe surrounding,
Men of Harlech, on to glory!
See, your banner famed in story waves these burning words before ye
"Britain scorns to yield!"
The woods erupted in roars as the grim charged out. Hundreds if not thousands of grim charged out. And then they stopped at about 500 meters. John looked in disbelief at what he was witnessing. The grim had stopped their charge, the grim have never been known to stop a charge. John looked back at the soldiers who were still singing.
'Mid the fray, see dead and dying,
Friend and foe together lying,
All around, the arrows flying,
Scatter sudden death!
Frighten'd steeds are wildly neighing,
Brazen trumpets hoarsely braying,
Wounded men for mercy praying with their parting breathe!
See! They're in disorder!
John looked at the people on the wall with him. He didn't see people, he saw soldiers. Soldiers ready to fight off any enemy. Soldiers loyal to their cause. Soldiers loyal to helping people.
Comrades, keep close order!
Ever they shall rue the day they ventured o'er the border!
Now the Saxon flies before us!
Vict'ry's banner floateth o'er us!
Raise the loud exulting chorus
Their song turned into shouting as they finished the last line. One line that made John think they had the chance to win.
"Britain wins the field!"
And with that the soldiers roared out with their battle cry and began to fire. Explosions rang out as mortar fire rained down on the grim. Gunfire rang out as the soldiers brought hell fire down on them.
Keith watched as his squad fired on them. And he smirked as the creatures roared. He watched as thousands of them ran right into the trap.
BOOM
He watched as they ran right into the mine field. And piles of dirt flew up into the air as they exploded. And he watched as Daniel ted and Maddie fired with him into the hoard with their rifles and Daniels machine gun. "ENGAGE!" Keith shouted as the grim charged straight through into the minefield.
"Like shooting fish in a barrel…" Daniel remarked
"Can it Daniel" Keith ordered "They're getting closer!"
"I can see that!" Maddie yelled as she reloaded her L86A2 "I think we need to go to plan B"
"Agreed." Keith stated he turned to Ted's radio on his back hand held it up "How are the citizens doing?"
"They're about ¾ the way through. You thinking of plan B?" Gen, the, now destroyed, Blackhawk pilot questioned
"Yep, time for some big booms." Keith radioed
"Got it boss, executing plan B!"
Keith put the radio back on Ted's back and returned to looking at his teammates "Fall back to the front gate!" he ordered as the soldiers got up and ran down the stairwell towards the front gate, where Derik, Uri and Nelson was standing behind a large wooden barrier.
"So what took you guys so long? How's it going? Did they fall for the plan?" Derik asked
"They fell for it but their way too many. We're going plan B." Maddie stated
"Really? Well then." Derik remarked "Then I think it's time we blew something up."
"Hell ye." Nelson said as he lifted his rifle into a firing stance. "I finally get time to kill something."
"Ye,ye,ye. Just ready the explosive." Derik laughed as Nelson sighed in sadness; he then walked around the wooden barrier and placed blocks of explosive on the walls of the gate entrance. He turned back to the others
"Were ready to pop this door when they come through." Nelson replied, suddenly the gate door began to bang. Nelson took a step away "Ye… can I come back now…"
"Well yes!" Keith shouted as Nelson ran back towards them as the banging intensive. The door bursted open as a massive amount of the grim bursted it open. Nelson cursing as he ran towards the squad.
"I'm through! I'm through!" Nelson shouted as he passed the explosive safe zone. "BLOW IT!"
Daniel pulled a trigger from his belt and pressed down on it.
BOOM!
The entire gateway and subsequent gate house collapsed onto the grim. The explosion sent Nelson flying forward, landing flat on his stomach. He moaned in pain as he landed. "NELSON!" Maddie cried out as she went to help him up to his feet.
"Damn bastords…" Nelson said as he climbed over the wooden barrier with Maddie. Uri instantly ran over and checked on Nelson "I'm fine doc."
Keith watched as the grim were flattened and crushed under the stone walling. "Think that'll hold'em?" he asked John
"It'll by us time. Maybe 5 minutes at the minimum. But they'll get through quickly." John replied "Fall back and regroup."
"We can hold on the 2nd barrier." Keith agreed "BACK TO THE 2ND BARRIER!" the squad instantly was up and moving back along the town's main road. Then they heard a giant screech. They turned to see a giant back bird flying above them.
"Nevermore!" John yelled
"Nelson! Anti-air now!" Keith ordered. Nelson followed the order and took his Starstreak MANPAD and aimed it at the 'Nevermore'. It began to beep faster and faster until it was just a continuous beep.
"LOCKED!" Nelson shouted
"FIRE!" Keith ordered as the missile ejected from Nelsons Starstreak MANPAD and launched straight towards the bird. As the bird tried to manoeuvre away from the missile it found it was futile. The missile was locked on and was following straight at him.
BOOM
The back of the bird was incinerated and the front half was a mangled corpse. "Nice shooting."
"Thank you, I take pride in my work." Nelson laughed
"Can your pride, they're about to break through the wall." Nick said over Ted's radio. Nick was still in the tower.
"Copy, good hunting." Keith stated, he turned back to his fellow soldiers and huntsmen. "We hold here for as long as we can. Set up into positions. John you got a firearm that's not a hammer?" John grinned and his hammer turned into a large minigun. "Ok that answers that question. Set up into reliable cover." The squad dispersed around the road. Daniel taking up a position atop a truck. Maddie and Nelson moved into positions on doorways of houses while Derik hid behind a tiny wall with Uri. Keith and Ted themselves hid behind a car while John stood next to them.
"Sir, they've broke through. Prepare!" Nick shouted over the radio. Next to Keith Ted spoke
"Sir just got report. 95% of the civilians are out of the town and away. Mortar team have pulled back and are now boarding craft to go get Nick."
"Ok, let's get this over with." Keith sighed
"GIANT SCORPION!" Daniel shouted as the soldiers began to open fire down the high street. At the end was a giant scorpion with a white exoskeleton on its back with a golden yellow striker.
"SOMEONE GET ANTI-TANK!" Keith ordered, Maddie sprinted from cover and took Daniels MBT LAW from his back and shouldered it.
"FIREING!" Maddie shouted as the rocket fired directly at the giant scorpion.
BOOM
The scorpion fell into millions of bits and many were flung up into the air. "Nice shooting rookie." Daniel laughed as she reloaded the MBT LAW
Derik and Uri fired into the beasts; they were the closets to them at any rate. "Help!" Derik turned to an alley to his right across the way. Inside there was a man with a backpack with one of the wolf things atop him, trying to kill him.
"Uri! On me!" Derik ordered. Uri nodded and they sprinted across the road with their heads down. When they got to the alley Derik sprinted forward and cocked back his L74A1 and shouted "HEY BITCH!" the wolf looked up just to see its head explode with hundreds of pellets. The man yelled in fear as the beast fell to the floor. "You alright?"
"Ye… ye I'm fine." The man said, he had golden blonde hair with violet eyes.
"What's your name?" Derik questioned
"Taiyang Xiao Long." he stated "I'm on leave from Signal academy."
"Well Mr Xiao Long. You're in a war zone. So we're getting you out of here." Uri yelled from the front of the alley where he was keeping up fire against the encroaching grim.
"Fine." Taiyang said with a sigh. They sprinted towards Uri and Taiyang saw the fighting "Who are you people?"
"No time to explain." Derik said "FRIENDLYS COMING OUT WITH CIVILION!" he shouted as he and Uri, along with Taiyang sprinted towards the back of the fighting.
BOOM
They all turned around to see a nevermore go flying into the town halls bell tower as it was hit by a Starstreak MANPAD launcher.
Nick stumbled as the tower was hit. He was already prepared to make his exit. "Oh crap…" he muttered
"NICK OVER HERE NOW!" he turned to the other side of the bell tower where a tiny airship that resembled a Blackhawk waited, the mortar team was on board and waving for him to get to them "RUN! ITS COMING DOWN!" then he felt it. The tower started to wall towards the high street. Nick didn't need time to think, he just sprinted. He ran as fast as he could as the tower fell. "GRAB MY HAND!" Darren yelled holding out his hand.
"AAAHHH!" Nick shouted as he jumped the 5 feet gap between them. As he began to descend he thought it was over. Until he stopped, he looked up to see Darren holding onto his hand
"I got you, no one dies today." Darren stated as he helped Nick up on the airship.
"GET DOWN!" Keith ordered as the tower fell right onto where the grim was coming from. A massive dust cloud was formed and spread out across the street. "THAT'S IT EVERYONE FALL BACK! WE'RE LEAVING!" and with that the squad got up and sprinted back along the high street towards the airship port, where a airship was waiting for them. "EVERYONE ON NOW!" he ordered as everyone got aboard. Keith hoisted himself up as the airship began to leave.
"That went sideways quickly didn't it…" Daniel said
"Yes… yes it did…" Keith muttered, he turned to see John on some sort of phone talking to someone
"Ok, most of the civilians are landing in Vale, the capital of the kingdom of Vytal. However, this airship, along with the one your mortar team and sniper are on are heading towards Beacon academy."
"Why there?" Maddie questioned
"Don't know, just got told." John admitted.
"Well then. Squad settle in for the flight." Keith ordered as he and his fellow soldiers relaxed after the intense fighting
AN: Wow, what a intense fight. anyway, i hope you are all enjoying the story. the song the soldiers sing at the start of the battle is called Men of Harlech (Thomas Oliphant version, published 1862.). Anyway, below this is answers to reviews. See you guys in the next chapter
Golden Sheath- Yes... yes it is...
JuniorMythbuster- the stories going to be set after volume 1. i didn't debate about putting it after volume 2 but then when volume 3 came out it would be horribly wrong so I'm setting it after volume 1