Gravel, blade shattered, reeled back to the puncture wound inflicted by The Monarch Enthipid. The creature, reared its hind legs and broke through the remaining Johrei shards which comprised Gravel’s shield, shattering it and crushing his sternum. His lungs sought for air, but when he couldn’t find it, the light from his eyes faded, and he slumped back, dead.

  Calli, lost for words, jumped back, witnessing the horrible sights of the front line evaporating against the onslaught of Enthipids, which charged through at the behest of the Monarch. Acid spews melted skin and bone, and not all the fighters had Johrei shields ready to withstand the impact of the droves of carapaced creatures which rolled through the landscape like a wave.

  List, bloodied to the point of unrecognizability, stood again, her strange ability keeping her alive, despite the numerous Standard-Grade Enthipids slashing at her. She killed one after the other, but it was clear that despite her apparent inability to die from otherwise fatal wounds, she was getting fatigued. Plus, Calli didn’t want to see if her abilities had a limit because when that happened, all would truly be lost.

  Calli herself, exhausted dodged and weaved multiple slashes, though a few Enthipids grazed her and, shieldless at this point, her arms and legs began to bleed from gashes as she continued to purge more of these carapaced creatures. She fired into crowds of them, keeping them wary of her wide field of attack.

  As she and List pushed forward, Calli heard a sudden shout from her left.

  ”Watch out!” List yelled, as the Monarch’s spiked tail rammed into her. List, who had jumped to protect Calli, suffered several deep puncture wounds as both were tossed back into the crowd of villagers.

  Calli, looking at list and then back at the people, realized they had already been pushed into the entrance of the village.

  “Hold the line!” one of the village fighters shouted, right as he got flung into the air by another lunge of the Monarch’s tail.

  Calli, arms weakening, deflected blow after blow as it inched closer. Hordes of Enthipids surrounding her were being pushed back by the remaining fighters, though from the brief glances at them, it was clear they weren’t going to hold out for long.

  The Monarch reared its head, and Calli, realizing what was about to happen attempted to stand. As she did so, it swatted her shield out of her hand, scrapping her arm.

  Realizing she had nowhere left to move, bleeding profusely, she muttered a curse under her breath.

  “Damn you, bug.”

  Just then, a figure tackled the monarch, forcing its head aside as acid sprayed across the floor adjacent to Calli. The floor sizzled from the sheer intensity of the spew.

  Kenan, covered in dirt, grime, and blood, backed up by two equally wounded shaman warriors had paved a path through the crowd of bugs.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Barely. Not going to lie. I thought you bit the dust already,” Calli remarked.

  “Heh. Looks like we’ll both have to call a raincheck on that,” he said. “C’mon, I need you help if we have any chance of taking down this thing.”

  “Yeah,” she said, though Calli felt her the weight in her legs. Between the battle in the flower fields and her current bout here, she knew she didn’t have enough energy in her to keep the battle going for much longer.

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  Still, I can’t give up yet. Not until I find Cyr’s killer again, she thought.

  She maneuvered her gatling gun around, realizing that if she couldn’t move, there was one thing she could do. Bringing up another stash of bullets, she began to reload. This was her last stash so she better make the most of it.

  The Monarch roared, training its eyes on the three enemies in front of it. Kenan, held aloft an axe and watched the shimmering patch of Johrei on its head where his gauntleted charge had connected earlier. The gauntlet of his was made of a denser form of carapace than the standard types, though it didn’t offer much in the way of perks that full armor sets would offer. However, he was well aware of this, honing his physical strength to the peak to deliver lethal blows even without any added strength.

  He began to hack away at the creature’s limbs, parrying individual swipes from its forearms. It hopped up into the air and attempted to damage the Monarch. It was to no avail though. Even without the Johrei shield, the creature was quick, making hits on critical or weakened body parts extra difficult. Noticing the shamans closing in on its blind spot, it hopped back with immense strength, dashing through the air before landing a couple of meters away.

  Each time the Monarch attempted to stab with its elongated tail, one of the shaman warriors would take their spears and plunge the moving tail into the ground, deflecting its course. As personal guards of the shamans by the gate, they had training equivalent to that of an established hunter. Whatever training they went through, their fighting style was unlike anything Calli had seen. The shamans continued their strange prayers as the Enthipid hordes began to surround Kenan and his backup. Their chants seemed to rile the warriors, motivating them against the inevitable tide. For a second, Calli thought they might actually be able to push back.

  She kept the Standard Grade Enthipid hordes at bay as Kenan managed to break thorough the shielding on the creature’s arm, hacking it off at its weakened joints. Its forearm landed with a loud thud onto the floor, and the Monarch gave an ear-splitting screech, riling the nearby Enthipids into a frenzy. The wariness each Enthipid had earlier when attempting to shield themselves against Calli’s bullets evaporated, and they charged recklessly into the three men holding off against the Elite.

  Despite Calli’s assistance, the creatures slashed at the shaman warriors. They did not possess nearly the amount of defense a standard hunter would, despite their skill, and with a well place slash, one of the Enthipids planted its bladed forearm into one of the shaman’s arms.

  He screamed, stabbing the Enthipid in the eye, when another rushed in and tackled him. He fell to the floor as numerous arms bore down on his defenseless body, piercing him across multiple points. He uttered his last cries, spear shaft broken along his now limp torso.

  The other shaman cried in pure anger. Kenan told him to stop but couldn’t prevent the shaman warrior’s charge into the horde. Swinging widely, he knocked back the creatures with great strength, stabbing multiple in the eyes, before he too succumbed to the accumulation of multiple stab and pierce wounds. Barely able to stand, the Monarch plunged its tail into him, embedding its tail into his chest. Lifting him up, it tossed him at Kenan, who was knocked back by the impact.

  Calli was now alone, fending off the onslaught of dozens of Enthipids and the Monarch as Kenan struggled to push the dead shaman warrior’s body off of him. She began to use up the last of her rounds, and just as she ran out of bullets, she tossed the gun at a nearby Enthipid, which reeled from the blow of the heavy gun.

  Well, I guess this is it, she thought. She always thought she’d die in the line of fire as a hunter. It wasn’t abnormal to say this profession was one where most expected to die. Whether it was from battling Elites, or fighting against other mercenaries and hunters, the career was never going to be a peaceful one. But this time, she wanted to live. If not for herself, for Cyr, and her companions, through whom she found the peace of mind she’s been seeking for all her life.

  “I…” she began. “I won’t give up yet! Not to the likes of you!”

  With a mighty bellow, she matched the roar of the Monarch now looming over her. The tide of Enthipids around her began to push back the last of the remaining hunters. Tail raised, she stood in defiance ready to face her end with dignity.

  Just then, as the Monarch swung down, a hail of spikes rained down from the skies. Each of the spikes targeted only the Enthipids, something which shouldn’t have been possible. Targeting discriminately, Calli watched as a familiar figure walked up from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder.

  Aio, who woke up from his slumber, raised his bow again, and fired off another volley.