Chapter 567 Attack on Rylleh pt 2 (1/2)
The captain of the Rylleh guard knew, deep in his gut, that he was dead, that everyone around him was dead. He felt as if his blood had slowed to a crawl in his veins as he stared at the projection, more red lights blooming to life each second. There were thousands of them, because of course there were. He knew what was coming. In that moment, he felt as if two divergent paths lay before him. He could surrender to the inevitable death that awaited him and every person living in the city, lay down and give in, or he could fight and take as many of the filthy monsters down with him as he could.
It didn't seem like much of a choice at all to Wallace.
”Yasmine! YAS! Get over here!”
His second in command, a quaver of panic running just beneath the surface, rushed back to his side and he stepped in front of the display before he turned to speak to her.
”What's been happening?” he asked.
He could hear the rumbling and clatter of more guardsmen piling into the headquarters, responding to the emergency summons that was automatically sent out once the alarms were tripped.
”Well,” Yasmine steadied herself, ”I've done as you asked. All of the outer guardsmen are retreating to the gates, which are being closed and reinforced. The reserves have been summoned and the city has been notified of an attack.”
Wallace nodded.
”Right, I want everyone to abandon the gates and fall back to the city centre. Issue an evacuation order to the populace. Everyone into the city centre, collapse the buildings in a hundred metre radius beyond the square. Then I want -”
”Have you gone mad?” Yasmine demanded, aghast. ”Are you abandoning the city?! You'll kill us all!”
”They're tunnelling through the rock! The walls are useless, they're just going to go around them. They're tunnelling up from underneath us as we speak!”
”That's impossible! What about the enchantments? The reinforced rock? It's absurdly hard to break through the stone!”
”It would be if they were human,” he ground out, ”but they b.l.o.o.d.y well aren't. Now listen close and keep your b.l.o.o.d.y mouth shut, alright?”
He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder, his old calloused hand digging painfully into her flesh. She looked at him and noticed for the first time the faint glint of something mad in his eyes, something other.
”Are you alright, captain?” she whispered.
”I will be soon,” he chuckled, ”now shut up and listen. I'm going to tell you something and it's very important that you don't spread this around. The last thing we want is a panic, alright? Do you understand?”
”I-I think so, captain.”
”Good. We are under attack by ants. This is an ant horde.”
He muttered the words low, forcing her to lean closer to hear him. He could see the moment she comprehended him as her face drained of blood and she began to shake. He gripped her tighter and tried to give her the strength to hold on.
”There's thousands of them, alright? Thousands. Not a single one below tier three. I know, shut up,” he held her eyes as she tried to break in but he refused to allow her to panic. ”The gates are going to be useless, they'll tunnel around and come at our people from behind. The only way we have a chance is if we gather in the square and use those walls to hold them off. Alright? Breathe, Yas. Just breathe. We can make it, but we have to act fast! I need you to hold it together and help get the orders out, otherwise we're finished.”
Used to dealing with bar scuffles and the rare monster wave, she wasn't equipped to handle this, but she gathered her courage and nodded. She would do her best for the city of her birth. They wouldn't die today!
Seeing the firming determination in her face, Wallace nodded and released her to her duty. He'd had to lie to her, to keep her steady. Even when they gathered in the square, the ants would tunnel under the walls and come at them from beneath, but hopefully they'd be able to swat a few of the filthy bugs as they approached. It was the best they could hope for.
Not even aware of the smile that twisted his face, Wallace rushed out to give his orders.
Not far away.
”They want us to WHAT?!”
”Abandon the gate! Orders came straight from Wallace!”
”Like h.e.l.l we are!” Ernes yelled back through the communication crystal, ”has that old fool turned traitor?!”
The voice on the other side of the enchanted gem grew frustrated at his intransigence.
”If you think the captain has betrayed the city, your're drunk. Get your men to the square and follow orders! This is an attack, not a Sunday dance!”