587 War Machine (1/2)
”The doors and walls won't be able to hold them off for long!” Major Stephan whispered back. ”But, good call!”
”All units...” Major Stephan hissed in a low voice. ”Ready your grenades and flashbangs!”
”On my command... we throw everything at them and fall back into the building!” Major Stephan's orders were passed down rapidly down the line and the troops readied themselves.
The Isles' guardsmen edged back nervous as the cockatrices cocked their heads at the body of one of their own lying unmoving on the stone floor. The male alpha let out an angry screech as it smelt the scent of blood in the air. It started making aggressive chucking sounds as it stepped up the stone steps to investigate its brood.
”NOW!” Major Stephan yelled and every soldier with either a grenade or flashbang pulled off the pin in the explosive devices and lobbed that at the four creatures. Once the devices left their hands, everyone turned and made a mad dash towards the ornate double doors of House of Law.
Behind them, the frag grenades and flashbangs rippled exploded with a roll of thunderous cracks and booms. The cockatrices had looked down with curiosity at the strange dark objects when they blew up in their faces and the results were devastating for the cockatrices.
Shards of shrapnel designed to kill or wound the enemy flayed the faces of the cockatrices and if that was not deadly enough, over a dozen flash bangs had blown up in their faces too. One of the female cockatrices too close to a couple of grenades had its face shredded and it screamed in pain and shock as both its eyes popped and even its tongue was blown into bloody ribbons.
It rolled on the floor, blinded, deaf, confused and in agony as it could not understand what caused its pain and suffering. Another cockatrice had half its face blown away and the remaining cockatrice suffered lesser wounds. The brood of cockatrices started screeching and screaming as they rampage around the entrance, smashing up the stone steps and even breaking the remaining pillars.
The troops retreated inside the House of Law quickly moved any furniture from the side offices and waiting areas to barricade the main doors. Mills stood on the second floor and looked out the arrow slit like windows at the crazed creatures outside. ”How the hell did they get these creatures in?”
”They must have smuggled them in somehow...” Major Stephan guessed. ”There are particularly not enough ships to patrol the water of the Isles now with the loss of all five fleets...”
”And all our remaining combat ships are at the Eastern Islands dealing with the second Cartel fleet...” Mills added. ”But still... Five fucking giant chickens!”
”Chickens?” Major Stephan was not that familiar with the animal as there were no chickens in this world. What he knew of chickens came from the movies and dramas. ”You breed such monsters for food in your world?”
”Hell no!” Mills shook his head and gestured to a nearby Oerkin Marine and explained, ”Chickens are just like the size of Private Fingers's boots.”
”Oh,” Major Stephan eyed the large boots of the Oerkin Marine and shook his head. ”We need to barricade ourselves in. Those things can easily break through the doors...”
”Any chance of dispelling the mist or something?” Mills asked as he gestured outside. ”It is giving us a tactical disadvantage here.”
”No, sir!” A stocky soldier in Army fatigues and wearing two silver bars on his shoulders replied. ”Only way that mist is going away is by taking out the spell caster or the caster cancels the spell.”
The Army magetech gave a shrug and said, ”It's gonna be very hard to find where he or she is hiding out there.”
”But the spell caster will be required to remain roughly fifty meters of the mist to maintain the spell...” The Army magetech gestured out to the mist. ”If I had to guess where the caster is hiding, it would most likely be in one of the buildings opposite the plaza.”
”Great...” Mills sighed as he said. ”We just have to somehow kill those four outside... navigate our way through a magic mist with god knows what other surprises are hidden and find the enemy spellcaster from the row of buildings!”
”Did I miss anything else?” Mills asked in a sarcastic tone.
”You got it all right,” Major Stephan grinned as he clapped Mills's shoulder before his expression sobered up. ”Better tell your boys to make ready... Those damn cockatrices seemed to have found us!”
The wounded cockatrices had finally calmed down enough to direct their pain and angry towards the nearest suspect source which was the sweat and blood scent from the UN troops barricaded behind the doors. A half blinded cockatrice rushed across the broken stone steps and rammed against the wooden doors with any care for its wounds, its impact cracking the wood.
The sharpshooters manning the arrow slit like windows fired at the crazed cockatrice that was tearing its way through the splintered wooden doors. The noise quickly attracted the rest of the cockatrices including the blinded female. All four cockatrice threw themselves against the doors and walls in a mad rush to vent their pain on the tiny creatures.
”Fuck!” Mills stood at the rear of the guardsmen shield line and cursed when he saw a bloodied chicken head popping through the tall double doors. He mumbled to himself as he checked his rifle, ”Note to self... Never design and build doors that are large enough for a monster to fit through!”