TEN

Everything went still as we waited for Shinra to arrive. I was sitting in the lookout area above the gate, watching the monitors for the outer two automated sentries, the ones that'd be the first to greet our enemies once they showed up. Cloud, Tifa, Biggs, and Edwyn stood behind me, and Barret and the others were all outside on the wall with the soldiers. I put on a small headset and switched it on.

"Barret, you copy?" I asked.

He answered a second later. "Right here, Jessie. 'Sup?"

I checked the readouts from the scanners we'd set up at the edge of the ravine. "Our guests oughta be here any minute. Getting lots of heat signatures coming our way. Better be ready."

"Copy that," he replied. "We gonna rock this place!"

I smiled. "Have fun with your new toy."

Barret laughed. "Oh, I will!"

"And remember—short, controlled bursts," I reminded him.

"What's the range on this thing?" he asked.

I went on. "About three thousand feet. More than far enough. Sure you can hit the target? You'll only have one chance."

"Shit, you gotta ask?" Barret snorted.

"Right," I smirked.

He'd be setting off one of the traps I'd designed, which was another reason I'd upgraded his gun-arm. His target was almost halfway up the ravine from here, near where the second set of sentries had been set up just past one of our surprises, and I'd wanted to be sure he could reach it since I knew the range on his assault gun didn't go as far. Neither did the weapons our soldiers were using. It did on the turrets, but I wanted to save them until Shinra got closer. They had a really good field of fire and would be hard for our enemies to avoid.

"You could've picked a better spot," I heard Red mutter.

"What was that?" I asked.

Barret grunted. "Nothin', Jessie. Jus' Red complainin' 'cause he can't see over the wall. Too damn short."

"Maybe we could find him a box," I teased.

"Ha! Ain't a bad idea!" he laughed.

After joining him for a moment, I switched frequencies. "Lena, are you there? Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Jessie," she replied.

I nodded. "Good. Let me know the second Shinra comes into view. You'll be able to see them before anyone else."

"Got it," she answered. "I'm lovin' these goggles!"

"I'll bet," I chuckled.

She was on the left half of the wall with Yuffie while Barret, Aerith, and Red were on the right. In addition to serving as our main lookout, Lena was also eagerly operating one of the turrets—the first one to the left of the gate. She just hadn't been able to resist passing up the chance to shoot a really big gun like that. I couldn't really blame her, though. It did look like fun. I just hoped she'd be okay. The turrets were gonna be one of Shinra's primary targets once they got within range since taking them out would weaken our defenses.

I tried not to worry, though. "Be safe out there, okay?"

"Will do," Lena promised.

She'd known what she was getting into, of course. The fight against the advance force earlier had just been a warmup. This one was gonna be a hell of a lot bigger, longer, and harder, and it wasn't likely that any of us, not even Cloud, would come out of it unscathed. He stood there next to me on my right, reassuring me without even saying a word. Just knowing he was there was enough. As I gazed at him for a moment, he nodded ever so slightly. I smiled a little in return.

Then I went back to work, watching the monitors again. I also kept the audio channels open, both frequencies now so I could stay in touch with everyone and help coordinate things. I'd be in the thick of it later, of course, once Shinra had reached the wall, but until then, I had to be here. Cloud and the others looked at the displays as intently as I was. I was a little more nervous than I wanted to admit, but Tifa's hand on my shoulder as she stood behind me helped me focus. To calm my nerves, I did one last systems check on the sentries.

Then we all looked up at once as we suddenly heard them go off. A series of machine gun pops like firecrackers exploding in the distance. The sentries were going at it. Their ammo magazines had been filled to capacity, a thousand rounds each, and as we stared at the monitors, we could see the numbers for the outer two dropping fast as they took out the front lines of Shinra's attack force.

"Eight hundred on A," I noted, my eyes glued to the monitors. "B's right behind it. They're out there, alright."

"Look at them ammo counters go," Biggs breathed.

The numbers on the digital display were a blur as the sentries kept firing. "You're not kidding. A's down to seven hundred now, seven-fifty for B. Lena, Barret, can you guys hear it?"

"It's like a goddamn shootin' gallery," Barret answered.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," I quipped. "Lena?"

She came back a second later. "Yeah, Jessie. The ravine walls make it echo a lot. So I can definitely hear it."

"You guys get ready, then," I told them. "Stay sharp."

"Copy that," Lena said.

Barret followed. "Gotcha. An' Jessie… we ain't gonna have a repeat of Sector 7, ya hear? An' I don't jus' mean that we gonna save this place. Which we will. But we ain't gonna lose you again."

"Thanks, Barret," I smiled.

From behind me, Tifa gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze. "We'll all make it this time, Jessie. Including you."

"Count on it," Cloud added.

"We will," I agreed, reaching back to take Tifa's hand for a moment. Then I let go and focused on the screens again. "A gun's half-empty, B's at five-thirty. Looks like they've taken a few hits, but they're still going, even with all the heat Shinra's throwing at 'em."

Biggs whistled. "Tough little buggers, ain't they?"

"Shinra technology at its finest," Edwyn agreed. "I bet the company never thought it'd be fighting itself."

"Don'tcha just love the irony?" I smirked.

Cloud pointed at the screen. "Yeah. A's at two-fifty now and falling fast. Just over three hundred on B."

I nodded. "I see it. They're wall to wall down there."

"Sounds like it," Tifa said.

We could all hear the gunfire and explosions going on at the end of the ravine just around the corner. As I'd expected, they'd approached us from there, which was the normal and easier way to get here, instead of by the steeper slope near the right side of the wall. There'd still been no word from Wedge, and all we could do was hope he was okay and that he'd bring us those reinforcements in time.

"Cloud, you and Aerith better get into position," I said. "Once they break through, it won't take long for them to get to the wall, even with all our other little surprises. I'll join you soon."

He was already heading for the door. "On my way."

I turned back to the monitors. "A gun's at a hundred, B's at one-ten. It's about to get real, guys. Game time."

Both readouts flashed bright warning lights with beeping alarms as the ammo on the first two sentries started to run out. And at the same time, I activated the fort's loudspeakers so the incoming Shinra troops could hear me once I switched on the mic. Then I flipped open a panel on my right and slid my fingers over the detonator controls for some of the traps that we'd set up in the ravine. Others would go off all on their own once anything from Shinra ran into them.

"C'mon, Tifa," Biggs told her, pulling out his shotgun and pumping it. "We'd better get out there ourselves."

She tugged on her gloves. "Right behind you."

Then they both hurried outside through the door to the left to join Lena and Yuffie on that side of the wall. Edwyn stayed where he was as he conferred with one of his officers, who was wearing another headset and passing on orders to the rest of the soldiers. And at the same time, my eyes were glued to the readouts.

"A gun's dry, B's at forty," I said as Edwyn watched the displays with me. "Thirty… twenty… ten, and… empty."

"Well, that's it," he sighed.

I nodded. "Time for the real show to start."

Only seconds later, I heard Lena's voice over the headset. "There! I see 'em, Jessie! Hundreds of 'em! They're coming!"

"Copy that," I replied. "Get ready. You know what to do."

Although I couldn't see Shinra's forces yet myself through the front windows because it was dark and the lights didn't illuminate the entire ravine, I knew Lena could thanks to those night-vision goggles that I'd lent her. All part of the plan. I put my fingers on the button for the first detonator, quickly switched on the mic for the loudspeaker, and waited patiently for Lena to give me the signal.

"Almost there…" she told me. "Almost there… now!"

I spoke into the mic and smirked. "Good evening, gentlemen, and welcome to Fort Condor. This is your wake-up call."

Then I hit the detonator, and the bombs we'd hidden all across the far end of the ravine exploded just as the Shinra forces went over them, turning the night into temporary day and filling the area with thunder, fire, and smoke. I could see it through the forward windows, and in the bright orange glow, Shinra's front ranks were just a broken mess. But as I watched, more charged through the blaze. The soldiers yelled and the hounds growled, all of them eager for a fight.

Edwyn gazed out the window. "Jessie, they're pissed."

"Exactly what I wanted," I said. "Got 'em so riled up they're rushing right in and not watching where they're going."

"Into the traps," he nodded.

Then Lena's voice came on again over the headset a moment later. "They're hitting the first set now, Jessie."

I looked out the forward windows. "I see it."

About a third of the way into the ravine, the second wave of Shinra forces ran headlong into the thicket of tripwires crisscrossing the huge rocks sitting on either side of the dirt road. As they tripped over them, the wires pulled taut. Some opened up concealed pits right underneath their feet, dropping them into nests of sharp spikes—we'd dug them up, made a simple support frame and cover that the wires would yank out, then hid them with dirt to conceal them.

Other tripwires were connected to the catapults and guns that we'd set up behind the rocks, and when the Shinra forces ran into them, the lines sprang the weapons right up in an instant from where they'd been laid flat on the ground. Large rocks sailed through the air and smashed into men and machines as bullets ripped into them. And then, as their allies rushed ahead of them, they ran right over some of the mines that I'd had hidden there just past the first batch of traps. The night air was filled with loud screams and explosions.

"They're coming up on the next surprise," Lena said.

"Just tell me when, Lena," I replied, quickly sliding my fingers over the button for the second detonator.

She came back only a second later. "And… now!"

"You'd better watch your step out there, gentlemen," I quipped over the mic. "But, please, feel free to drop in."

Then I hit the second detonator, and another string of thunderous explosions erupted across the ravine. But this time, they blew up from underground, blasting tons of dirt and rock into the air as they opened up a huge hole in the ground thirty feet across and spanning nearly the entire width of the ravine. The blast went off right as front ranks of the Shinra forces reached the area, dumping men, hounds, and mechs into a rift about fifty feet deep with a loud crash.

The caves, as Edwyn had told Biggs and I, ran underneath the fort for miles in every direction, and we'd rigged the ceiling right below the ravine floor to blow. We'd also sealed off the passages out from there so the Shinra forces would be dropped into an enclosed area. Not that too many of them had survived the fall. That hard rock floor with all of its pointy stalagmites wasn't all that inviting.

There was more fire and smoke as the sweepers, cutters, and moth slashers that had fallen into the hole crashed and exploded. The rest of the Shinra forces had to go on the narrow strips of ground between the pit and the sides of the ravine to push forward. Going that way slowed them down considerably, though. And the other two sentries had been set up just past that area to greet them, one on each side of the ravine. I checked their ammo readouts as they blasted anything and everything from Shinra that tried to get past the hole.

"C gun's got a thousand, nine-fifty on D," I told Edwyn.

He nodded. "Once they run out, it won't take Shinra long for them to get the rest of their forces past the hole and into firing range. At least the ones that survive the next set of traps."

I knew. "Barret'll hit the mark, Edwyn. Trust me."

"I do, Jessie," he said. "I do."

Satisfied, I spoke into my headset as I watched the screens. "Barret, you copy? How are you guys doing out there?"

"We good, Jessie," he said. "Ready when you are."

"Cloud and Aerith in position?" I asked.

Barret answered a moment later. "Yeah, jus' waitin' for you to join 'em. You sure 'bout this? It's a helluva risk."

"So's this whole battle," I quipped. "We'll be fine."

"Awright," he said.

I went on. "I'll head out there once you've taken your shot. Be sure to give us plenty of cover, alright?"

Barret chuckled. "'Course I will. I'll keep y'all safe."

"You always do,," I smiled. Then I decided to check up on the other part of the plan. "Lena, you still there?"

"Right here, Jessie," she said.

I touched the last detonator. "Is Tifa all set?"

"Yeah," Lena replied. "I'll put her on, just a minute."

Tifa's voice came over the headset a moment later. "Hey, Jessie. I'm ready. Energy's good and I've got a clear line of sight."

I nodded. "Awesome! Can't wait to see this new trick of yours."

"Me either," she said.

"You haven't used it yet?" I blinked.

I heard her giggle. "Nope. What a way to test it out, huh?"

"No kidding," I smirked.

"I'd better go now," Tifa said. "Be careful, okay?"

I swallowed, still a little nervous. "I will."

As Tifa signed off, Edwyn gazed at the ammo readouts. "Looks like C's at just over six hundred, D's at six-twenty."

The numbers continued to drop as the sound of gunfire echoed in the air. The hole was halfway down the ravine, so I had a good view of the activity going on as Shinra tried to push past it. But with them only able to move in a line along the outside of it, the sentries mowed them down one after another, blowing holes in men and machines. Although I hated all the killing, I knew we didn't have any choice. Not just to save the condors, but ourselves as well. As Edwyn and I watched, the ammo counters kept going down, faster and faster.

"Won't be long now," I noted. "C gun's at three hundred, D's got just under three-sixty and falling fast."

"Lots of targets out there…" Edwyn murmured.

I nodded. "Yeah. No drakes yet, though."

He sighed and rubbed his chin. "Shinra's probably saving them 'till the rest of their forces reach the wall. Those things'll catch up fast once they do show up, though. And they'll hit hard."

"So will we," I told him. "One-eighty on C, two-ten on D."

The sentries kept firing, and the numbers kept falling. The soldiers behind shoved the bodies and wreckage ahead of them into the hole as they fought to get past it only to be shot down themselves. But it wasn't gonna last for much longer. As I watched the ammo readouts fall lower and lower, I could feel my blood and adrenaline pumping. Like Edwyn had said, once they hit empty, it wouldn't take long for Shinra to get up to the wall. And then the real battle would start.

He readied his rifle. "Almost time."

"Yeah," I agreed. "C gun's at seventy, D's at a hundred. Better make sure those turrets are all warmed up."

"Understood," he replied.

While he talked to his officer, who passed the orders on to the rest of the men over his headset, I kept watching the readouts. Bursts of fire and sound filled the ravine as the guns kept firing. And then the alerts sounded on the monitors as the ammo dropped down near empty. My eyes were locked onto the numbers as they fell further and further, and I had to take a deep breath to steady myself.

"C gun's dry," I said, my hand on the third detonator. "D's at fifty… forty… thirty… twenty… ten, and… empty."

Edwyn looked out the windows. "Here they come…"

I followed his gaze and saw the Shinra forces start to surge around the pit to the other side, destroying the now-empty sentry guns as they went. Since the enemy was a lot closer now and lit up by both the glow of the fires still burning in the ravine and the spotlights on the wall, we could all see them coming, and Lena could focus on firing her turret. I spoke into the mic again as Shinra's ragged front lines reached the next, but definitely not last, of our little surprises.

"Guess we got the drop on ya, didn't we?" I teased. "And now we're really gonna rock your world! Heads up!"

I hit the third detonator, and explosions ripped across the walls on either side of the ravine right above the Shinra forces, showering them with huge chunks of rock and debris and filling the air with smoke and dust. Soldiers, grunts, hounds, and mechs were all crushed underneath the avalanche as thunder filled our ears.

"Damn, I love my work!" I quipped, still on the mic.

Then, as the rest of Shinra's forces swarmed over the wreckage and pushed forward, I turned off the mic and adjusted my headset. Barret's moment was almost here, but first there was another nest of traps. The men and machines ran into more tripwires, setting off more catapults, dropping them into another set of small pits, and tipping over a pair of large metal bins that we'd mounted onto each of the ravine walls. They dumped more heavy boulders onto the attackers, who also rushed over more of my mines and were blown apart.

"Barret, stand by," I told him.

"Copy that," he replied. "I'm aimin' at the target now."

Just a short distance past the mines was a seemingly safe stretch of open ground with a single barrel. Inside it was gunpowder, and hidden under the dirt was a wide swath of oil that went on for about thirty feet and stretched all the way across the ravine. From Barret's position high up on the wall, the barrel was a small and distant target, but one he and I both knew he could hit. As the remaining Shinra forces rushed ahead past the traps, I carefully timed their approach.

"Wait for it…" I told Barret. "Almost there, and… now!"

There was a sudden burst of gunfire from atop the outer wall as he fired, and then the barrel exploded, igniting the oil just as Shinra's men and machines ran onto it. Flames swept over them in a rush as screams filled the air and a wall of fire burned across the ravine. Grunts, driven mad by the drugs they'd been infused with, tried to jump through, but they just ended up getting burned to a crisp in the inferno as the rest of the attackers quickly came to an abrupt stop.

Barret laughed. "Now ain't that a pretty sight!"

"Great job, Barret!" I congratulated him. "I'm on my way!"

"Thanks. See ya soon," he said.

After taking off my headset, I stood up and glanced at Edwyn. "So far, so good. I think we're wearing 'em down."

"They've taken a lot of losses, that's true," he said. "But they've still got a lot more they can throw at us. Once they get past the fire, it won't be long until they're in weapons range."

"I know, and we'll be ready," I promised.

Edwyn smiled. "That we will. Good luck, Jessie."

I shook his hand. "To all of us."

Then we both left the lookout area, Edwyn and his officer heading out through the door on the left while I took the one on the right. As I stepped outside, I could smell a hint of smoke in the air from all of the fires still burning further down the ravine, and the sounds were louder out here than when I'd still been inside.

"Jessie!" Barret called.

I made my way past lines of our soldiers to where he and Red were standing near the first turret. A rope ladder had been dropped over the side of the wall next to them, and I knew from what Barret had told me that Cloud and Aerith had already gone down it. We were gonna set off the last surprise ourselves—actually, Aerith was, with a little help from Tifa on the other half of the wall, while Cloud and I protected her. And then we'd all rush back up the ladder together before the rest of Shinra's forces could move in and overwhelm us.

I checked my weapons as I reached the ladder. "Right here, Barret. We won't be long. And when we're done, we'll need you to pull us back up fast. Those bastards'll be all over us."

"I'll get ya outta there, don'tcha worry," he said.

"Be safe, my friend," Red added.

I smiled. "You bet. Be back soon, guys!"

Then I grabbed onto the ladder, hopped over the wall, and climbed down to the ground. As we'd planned, Cloud and Aerith were standing a short distance in front of the gate, weapons ready, and I drew mine as I joined them. My talons hissed to life, humming softly as I stood next to Aerith on her left while Cloud was on her right.

"Nice of you to join us," she smirked.

"Just thought I'd drop by," I fired right back with a little grin.

Cloud's eyes were on our enemies. "Focus, you two."

Although we knew the humor was a way to help us relax and ease the anxiety we all felt about the battle, Cloud was right. We had a job to do, and we were gonna do it. The wall of fire was still burning not very far ahead of us, just outside weapons range, and Shinra's troops waited behind it. But for what, we didn't know.

We got our answer a moment later when a pair of drakes swooped in over them, their bright red wings flapping and their pale blue bodies surrounded by an icy mist. As we watched, they flew above the wall of fire and breathed streams of frost onto it, putting out the flames in only a few seconds. With the way clear, Shinra's forces surged forward again, rushing right for us as we braced ourselves.

"Steady, girls," Cloud reminded us, hefting Buster.

"Who's worried?" I quipped.

Aerith grasped her staff in both hands. "Not me. Just staring down an entire army. Nothing to worry about…"

"Just remember, throw the spells and run," Cloud said.

"I know," she said, her voice not quite steady.

My hands were sweaty inside my gloves, and my heart was beating furiously in my chest. "We'll cover you, Aerith."

Cloud's blue-eyed gaze was fierce. "I'll protect you both."

"Still our bodyguard?" Aerith teased.

He nodded. "Always."

As the mob of soldiers, grunts, hounds, and mechs drew closer, she stepped forward a few steps, held her bladed staff out vertically in front of her, and bowed her head. Aerith just stood there and focused on her magic as Cloud and I rushed forward to quickly cut down a few of our enemies who'd outpaced the rest. Mainly guard dogs and bloodhounds, but also a few grunts, too. We spun and slashed, slicing them one after another and keeping them away from her. I hit my right glove switch to move faster, my weapons a blur as I fought.

Gunfire from the walls also helped as our troops opened up, firing their rifles and grenade launchers into the Shinra ranks just as the rest of them got into range. Then the turrets started to shoot as well, beams of energy tearing into the men and machines closing in on us as Barret mowed them down with his Vulcan cannon while Biggs' shotgun took down a bunch more from the other side. And in the midst of it, Aerith lifted her head and smirked at our attackers.

"Ever feel like you're just not welcome?" she taunted.

Then she slammed the end of her staff onto the ground. When she did, there was a bright flash of green light from her Earth materia, and the floor of the ravine trembled and shook, knocking many of the men, hounds, and machines over and sending another shower of large rocks down on them from either side of the ravine.

Barely a second later, a flash of yellow light shone out from the left side of the wall as Tifa let loose with her own spell, and a fiery cyclone tore through Shinra's ranks. Firestorm lived up to its name as it burned fiercely in the night and incinerated one of the two drakes as it tried to fly away. The turrets caught the other one in a crossfire when it flew up to the wall in an attempt to attack, and it crashed to the ground not far from us as Cloud and I continued to fight.

Aerith was concentrating again, so we circled around her, slashing and cutting anything that got close. I also blasted enemies with a few of my fire spells when I could while Cloud added his lightning. But more and more of Shinra's forces were closing in on us, and the ones that had guns started to open fire at us and the defenders on the wall. They shot right back, and both bullets and screams filled the air. Cloud blocked a volley with Buster, yanking me outta the way as bullets sparked against the blade instead of tearing through me.

After I returned the favor by cutting down a grunt that tried to fire at him, I looked over and saw Aerith spinning her staff and thrusting it into the air as her summon materia glowed a bright red. And then, in a shimmering ball of greenish-white light and a blinding flash, Chocobo and Mog appeared in front of us. But not alone. They had a whole herd of chocobos with them, and with a squawk, they stampeded down the ravine, kicking, pecking, and trampling Shinra's forces as that adorably cute and furry white moogle tossed bombs left and right. The summon wouldn't last long, though, so we had to move.

"Back up the wall, both of you!" Cloud ordered. "Now!"

I turned to Aerith. "You first!"

She didn't argue, and as we ran to the ladder, she went ahead of me and climbed on while Cloud fought a cluster of soldiers to buy us time. A half dozen bloodhounds leapt at us as well, but Barret blew most of them away with his Vulcan cannon from atop the wall before they were able to reach us. I sliced the last two apart myself but caught a tentacle across my cheek for my trouble. I flinched at the stinging pain but kept going as my speed boost finally ran out.

Although the summon had pushed back most of the other enemies for the moment, there were still a few that had avoided the stampede. I was just starting to climb up the ladder as Cloud ran over to follow me after cutting down the last of those soldiers when a hail of blue energy bolts suddenly slammed into the wall next to me and Aerith only a few inches away from our faces. Then a pair of elite grunts sprang at us and attacked, clinging to the wall like metal spiders.

I drew one of my talons and slashed at the nearest one while Aerith jabbed at the other with her staff, but we couldn't last long like this. As I fought, I quickly ducked my head to the side as the grunt slashed the claws of its free hand at my face. But I wasn't quite fast enough to avoid getting them across my arm a moment later when the bastard reached for me again, and I nearly dropped my talon.

"Shit!" I gasped, blocking another blow. "Cloud, help!"

He was already moving, jumping into the air and slamming Buster down onto the grunt in a spinning overhead chop, his voice a loud roar as he knocked the thing away. Then he electrified the second one with a sizzling blast of lightning from his materia. It screeched and fell away from Aerith in a tangled, smoking heap while Cloud slung Buster over his shoulder and joined us on the ladder.

As we climbed, I could hear Barret yell at the men near him on the wall. "Awright, pull 'em up! Hurry!"

I holstered my talon and hung on as the troops did as he'd ordered, grabbing hold of the ladder and pulling it up the wall as we climbed. At the same time, Barret gave us some cover. Bullets chewed into the wall as a group of Shinra soldiers and sweepers moved in and tried to shoot us down, but he tore into them with his Vulcan cannon and made sure their shots went wide as energy beams from the turrets kept the rest of our attackers off our backs, and soon we finally made it to the top. And as we did, Barret helped us climb over one by one.

As soon as we stood safely on the ledge, Cloud took my shoulders for a moment and looked me over. "Jessica…"

My heart swooned as I heard him call me that and saw the anxious worry in his eyes that he couldn't quite hide despite how calm and cool he seemed on the outside. My cheek was stinging and my forearm bled as it throbbed painfully, but it wasn't that bad. At least, I didn't think it was. Cloud didn't look convinced, though.

"I'm alright, Cloud," I told him. "Just a little banged up."

"You sure?" he asked.

I smirked. "Yeah. Only a flesh wound!"

"Aerith?" he glanced at her.

She nodded. "I'm okay, too. Just a few scratches, that's all. Nothing you need worry about. We're tough girls!"

Barret chuckled. "Ain't no doubt 'bout that."

"Tough as you'll ever see," I winced.

"Let me take a look at that arm, Jessie," Aerith said.

I shook my head. "Later. I'll be fine."

I did drink a potion, though, and that took the edge off the pain as it knitted the wound closed a little. I'd have to clean the blood off later, but I wasn't worried about that right now. Aerith smiled at Cloud as he let go of me and nodded. Then we all looked out over the wall into the ravine as the sound of heavy footsteps plodded toward us, shaking the ground with the impact. And then we saw it coming as the rest of the drakes flew in right behind it and a line of armored grunts marched in alongside it wielding guns and energy blades.

"Grandhorn…" I murmured.