Chương 55

Kirk looked at the broad wave of fury that swept up toward them. There was too much motion to count; the number of geos was staggering. The horde stretched to the left and right, almost as far as Kirk could see. The slope was infested. Meanwhile, the muscular leader of the Sea Snakes Troop grunted next to Kirk.

"The drained increased, but it's not that many more geos. Not sure if that's good or bad."

"Why bad?" Kirk asked. They had about thirty seconds before contact. The man shook his head.

"Because any geo we don't kill now, we will have to kill later. Whatever horrors have been luxuriating below will start taking us seriously, sooner or later. And it will be a hell of a lot easier to deal with them without an army as backup."

"How strong could it be?" Marlon asked. Kirk spared the young man a glance. It was hard not to have a sour feeling in his stomach, after so many people had wasted energy to defend his Ascension last night. But from the scratches on his armor and the flecks of blood on his weapon, he had started paying back that debt.

"Pretty safe bet it's a geo-5." The man said. Despite everything, Kirk shivered.

"A geo-5?"

"Ah? You've encountered a geo-4 then." The troop leader said.

"As expected of Young Master Albion. But geo-5s are different. Rather than an evolution, they mutated. Sometimes they are only a little stronger than geo-3s. But if their energy signatures align…" The Troop leader trailed off. But by that point, the noise of the charging monsters drowned out all conversation. Kirk felt oddly squeezed, with melee Conduits on either side of him. As he hefted his Larian Saber, he realized how poorly he was equipped to fight like this.

In such tight quarters, trying to hold the line, all he really could do was raise his Saber and chop down. So when the first geo smacked the top of the fortification with its claw and dragged its muscular body up, Kirk did exactly that. He pulled the bloody weapon up, stepped forward, and kicked the body off the top. But as he stepped back, he was jostled from his left. Kirk swayed, but then the Sea Snakes Troop Leader reached out and put a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"Careful."

"Sorry 'bout that," A man on Kirk's other side flushed. Kirk's skin crawled, but considering his position, he could do little but step back into line. Bestial Senses I gave him an altogether too intimate picture of the heat and sweat of the other fighters around him. It was stifling, but Kirk bit his lip. When the geos came, Kirk struck. The bodies were tossed back, but became platforms for more to ascend. Kirk kept his attention low and forward, trying not to look up and see the rush of bodies.

Behind him, the energy vortices grew more powerful as the Ascensions began in earnest.

"Ware the wall!" A shout further down brought Kirk's head whipping around. Several Conduits stumbled backward as a few geos managed to gain a foothold. The reserve Conduits surged forward and forced the geos back with hacking blows with their weapons. But by the time they had defeated the first few, more had climbed up. Kirk, following his tingling senses, twisted back forward and hacked down.

The Conduit next to him stumbled backward; the man had been so distracted by the other's trouble that he had almost missed a geo lunging for his throat.

"Careful," Kirk pursed his lips. Then he forced his aching arms to continue to fight. He felt almost like a machine, simply repeating the motions over and over again. He thanked all those mornings he forcefully did exactly this, familiarizing himself with the chop. The claustrophobic, deafening combat on the fortifications lasted longer than Kirk could believe.

His nerves had already begun to fray and the Ancient Bladed Beast manifested and threatened the man next to him with its silver claws when he received a tap on the back. With a sigh of relief, he stepped back and allowed another Conduit to replace him. He rubbed his neck and looked around. Several other sweaty Conduits stumbled with him toward the water barrels. Before he retreated all the way, he spoke the syllables for Ember I. He conjured three Runes and unleashed them all at once.

The offensive effect wasn't particularly devastating, but the heat and flames knocked back geos and allowed the rest of the line to switch out. Several Conduits shot him thankful glances before they moved a short distance away and collapsed. Kirk also withdrew and looked around for Clara. But it appeared that with her useful Rune, she had been taken elsewhere. Sighing, he checked his band, which had vibrated earlier. Your Feat Solo Kills has gained a ✷! He covered his eyes with his palms, just for a bit of peace.

The loudest noise was his own breathing. Kirk released a long blast from his nose. What does it say about me that the worst part of this experience… wasn't being surrounded by geos, but by people? Heron walked up to Kirk.

"Already, this is impressive. Conduits aren't soldiers. They weren't trained for this." Stolen novel; please report.

"Fighting in a tight space is tough," Kirk admitted. Gerrard joined them.

"But every Ascension we complete is one more Conduit that can defend." Kirk raised his head. Already the Ascensions on some of the other platforms began to fade. When those energy vortices faded out, new Conduits would take their position. But more geos were trickling up constantly. At this rate, they wouldn't have a break- Kirk's Ancient Bladed Beast Archetype twitched. A shadow fell across the slope. Kirk whipped around, but the sensation disappeared. Instead, hundreds of shadow blades fell from the sky.

A soft rain of darkness, across the slope. The geos screamed. The blades weren't necessarily deadly, but all of the attackers had been maimed.

"That buys us time," Gerrard gestured.

"Those on the next shift, go around. Finish off the wounded. Clear bodies as best you can. We've got two minutes. Let's go, people." Kirk rubbed his eyes. Whatever boost Michaels had given him earlier had been spent. He found a water skin and drank, his adam's apple bobbing up and down. Kirk noticed his hands were sore. He also had just enough time to tear into some bread before all but one of the Ascensions had ended.

"Begin," Gerard said to the next Ascension individual.

"Good news, lads. Looks like we are keeping a lot of pressure off the main ritual site-- they are sending us ten more bodies to get into the rotation. Breaks have been extended by a full minute!" There was a muffled chorus of groans in answer, as the Conduits finished killing the wounded geo-3s. Meanwhile, the woman who just came off the ritual platform practically bounced.

"Troop Leader! Ascending in the Rift- even with three Refinements that I've earned, this is ridiculous! This Archetype is one I've never heard of: Ranger of the Far Reaches! With the Refinement Multi-shot and a Rune called Haste-""Careful, you'll bite your tongue." Heron laughed.

"Perfect. Perfect! Marn is two rounds from now. If he gets just as powerful a new Archetype…" On cue, the Ascensions began to surge to life. Energy vortices swirled into position. The mists seethed. The ground began to shake. But to everyone's relief, when geos pushed out and rushed to investigate the source of the disturbance, only half as many as before roared and scrabbled up the slope. Next to where Kirk was resting, Marlon and the Conduit that had kept bumping Kirk were talking.

"Just this many? Easy." Kirk glanced upward. For this wave and the next, maybe. But the flow of energy is growing stronger. At some point, the deeper monsters will move. The close sound of a geo screaming woke Kirk from his reverie. Fury drove the monsters to scale the fortifications. Kirk grimaced when Gerard ordered the reserves to switch; sure enough, even if the time between break and fighting was the same, it felt worlds apart. With the additional manpower, the edge of the fortification was more crowded.

Kirk gritted his teeth when the oaf next to him continued to jostle him. Yet the scrabbling bodies of the geos were his main concern. When they appeared in front of him, he cut. If he had extra time, he could kick the pieces back over the edge. Just as Kirk was losing himself in the physical actions, he blinked several times; he had been standing tensed, but no geos had attacked for several seconds. He straightened. Around him, he became very aware of the breathing of the other Conduits.

"Looks like that's it for this wave." Gerrard cleared his throat.

"Good news; free five-minute break before the next round of Ascensions start. The tight line spread apart. Several Conduits just collapsed on the ground, limbs splayed around them. A new water barrel was rolled forward and everyone took deep gulps from the wooden cups. Kirk controlled his breathing as best as he could. His arms felt stretched and seared, the muscles pushed far beyond their limits. He carefully ate bread and cheese.

As the support teams moved to clear bodies away, his Bestial Senses I lifted its metaphorical head and sniffed. The energy vortices began to churn. Kirk's expression was solemn as he looked up toward the sky, or at least the dark mist layer above. Gradually, a new vortex of energy was forming. It hung over all of the ritual sites, a rumbling rotation that pulled energy from the surrounding rift and concentrated it here. Our actions are building up momentum, Kirk's heart fluttered with a warm flash of pride.

But he pulled his gaze down and took another deep drink of water. He looked at the slope, at the various aides hurrying back and forth between sites. Kirk's sharp gaze jumped from one to the other, tracking the gaits, the speed, the number- He saw a flash of blonde hair from a distant woman holding a shield. She was heading toward the rightmost of the ritual sites, high on the slope. With a small grin on his face, Kirk stretched and stood. He said to Gerard.

"Can I be spared for a bit? I want to check on Clara."

"I want another boost, too," Heron sighed. Gerard nodded.

"Go ahead." Kirk turned away. But before he had taken a few steps, Bestial Senses I brought him to a stop. He swung around; Gerard looked intently at him. After holding eye contact for a moment, he jerked forward into a bow.

"I overstepped and underestimated you. I apologize."

"What?" Kirk said.

"I put you next to that clumsy sloth Merrick on purpose. If you were going to flake- it needed to be early," Gerrad kept his eyes on the ground.

"I feel like a fool for doing it. You are the best Tier I we have here on the defense. When you are back, you'll be moved to the edge." Kirk shrugged, even as his stomach shifted uncomfortably. He experienced two reactions at once. First, he understood the necessity; Kirk was an unfamiliar agent, pressed between two Troops. He could be the spark that created friction. Simultaneously, a hot geyser of frustration blasted up through his ribcage. Again, it was his name, being held against him.

The two feelings struggled. Eventually, Kirk let understanding, or maybe just exhaustion, keep his expression even. But not before the Ancient Bladed Beast manifested between them. Its bright yellow eyes narrowed as it studied Gerard, looking at him not as human, but as prey. Kirk watched the muscles underneath the Archetype's fur flex. The silvery claws clinked against stone. Its tail flicked back and forth. Kirk shrugged again and broke the tense moment.

"I understand. You don't know me. And you didn't lie or try to hurt me, so it's fine." With that, Kirk slung his Larian Saber across his shoulder and trotted up the slope. He spared one glance back, but the issue with Gerard was forgotten. Are you… Kirk frowned, picturing the manifested Archetype. Becoming more detailed?