A technomancer’s journey in an apocalyptic world - Chapter 122
Eleanora had managed to regain consciousness when she was slapped hard by reality, she opened her eyes to the dreadful truth that a battle was raging on.
“Marcel, Marcel did you see that? Where are the children?”
Marcel looked towards his mother as he spoke with a tired look on his face, “Yes I saw mother, and both Ileana and Ryan are on the wall while Catherine is here inside the building somewhere.”
Beth’s eyes opened as she spoke with disbelief, “What? They are there where that terrible battle is going on, why did you not stop them?”
Marcel snapped at his mother immediately, “I would have done so in a heartbeat if I knew about the incoming battle but I was not informed.”
“So what will you do now?”
“What can I do now, nothing I can do nothing but seat here and pray that …”
His words came to a halt as another dreadful attack happened on the wall but unlike before it seemed to change its directions merely clipping at the wall before vanishing into the sky, the attack that travelled in the form of a beam lit up the moonlight night sky with so much intensity that it dwarfed the ever gentle light of the moon itself before disappearing shortly, and then a bone-chilling roar came to their ears.
A few seconds ago, Ryan had finally managed to reach the head of the beast, the head which was covered by thick iron plates with many spikes making it look rather intimidating, in normal circumstances Ryan would have stopped to admire what according to him looked like a slightly spiky version of Godzilla on four legs, but now was not the time.
“Please my God let it work.”
He muttered his prayers out loud as squatted while trying hard not to be poked by some of the protrusions, and then he placed his hand on top of the metal plates that covered its head as he let his magic work.
A huge joy of elation appeared in his heart at the sight, ‘It worked I can strip it off its armor.’
But he did not have much time to rejoice as the creature was about to release its breath, as such he took out a contraption that he had been fiddling around, which was none other than a Thermite grenade.
Ryan quickly placed the grenade securing it in, with the help of a small iron rod and it was easy as the hole on the armour was big enough for the grenade to barely fit it, and then he pulled the pin just as the creature let out its breath.
Ciara watched with fear in her eyes as the creature breathed out directly towards them, ‘Micha’, the thought of her daughter dying was too much for her as she jumped towards Michalina in the futile attempt to shield her from harm.
But, it was all for nought as suddenly the direction of the breath changed as the breath clipped on the wall before going high up towards the sky and then disappearing.
“We are safe.”
As Ciara whispered she received a small pat from Michalina who spoke with a smile, “Thanks mom, I thought I was a goner but why did the attack chance direction, did Ryan do something.”
Her answers were immediately answered by the Iron Dragon itself as it let loose a loud bone-rattling anguished filled roar before it dashed and rammed its head hard on the wall before it reared back as it drove its head on the ground trying to remove the cause of the terrible pain it was feeling.
Ryan himself was in agony, he had helplessly watched as the beast fire his breath as a cold pit formed in his stomach momentarily before the beast reared back, and then it shook its head while Ryan clung to it for his dear life, while he removed any iron spikes that came too close to him.
‘What kind of death rodeo is this? I will die.. Oh shit.’
His cause of the alarm was caused by the fact that as he was trying to clings on to his life his came too close to his eyes only for him to block it by using the gauntlet of his left hand as it disappeared upon coming into contact.
He saw the wall approaching towards him at an alarming speed, as such he let go of the creature as he jumped back while the creature rammed its head on the wall before dragging it along the wall before once again ramming back hard on the ground in the futile attempt to shake off the painful contraption on its head.
‘This is not good, I have to kill it otherwise I will fall off and I do not wish to fall in the midst of the horde.’
Gritting his teeth Ryan once again moved and as he reached the hole that he had managed to create on the creatures head, he removed the used up canister, but before he could work further the creature suddenly jerked up its head in such a way that for a scant few seconds Ryan was airborne before falling back on top of its head.
And as Ryan fell back he created a hook-like structure that he firmly placed inside the skull of the creature while its handle was jutting out of the hole making it an excellent place for him to hold on to, as such holding onto it Ryan pointed his rifle’s muzzle into it as he pulled the trigger.
The beast screamed and shook its head while jumping up and down to shake him off but Ryan’s hook not only helped him to hold onto the creature but at the same time dug deeper into its brain as it tried to shake of Ryan.
A large growl came from behind him as Ryan’s rifle disappeared as he thrust his sword back without even turning back, he felt himself getting splashed with warm blood.
Ryan then tilted his head to dodge a claw swipe as his sword changed into a pistol which he fired at his anger while he tried to balance himself on top of the still very alive Iron-Dragon.
‘What kind of creature is this? It is still going so strong and now I have to defend myself from the other beasts, damn it I will die if this goes on.’
A beast suddenly jumped up with its mouth open wide as it tried to take a bite off his head, but Ryan’s hands were occupied with his left holding onto the handle of the hook while his right was busy pointing towards a different direction.
But before the creature could reach him it head was pierced by a familiar pair of arrows while a familiar voice came to his ears, “Brother Ryan I will keep them off you, while you kill the dragon.”
Took a glance at the speaker who was none other than Ylerias who stood behind him firing arrows at any creature that tried to approach them but what really was amazing according to Ryan was the fact that no matter how the creature moved or shook, Ylerias even if she was standing on top of the creature moved as if she was fighting on plain ground.
‘Damn that is some wicked skills, seems like LOTR was not wrong about the Elven people having some sick agility and balance, but now is not the time to gawk at her.’
“Sister Ylerias I will use some special attack but it needs few seconds to prepare.”
Ylerias gritted her teeth as she spoke, “Then make haste.”
As he spoke Ryan’s gun had already morphed into the hand cannon that was already charging and no sooner had he finished charging it he unloaded the first salvo through the hole in the skull.
Liquefied brain matter gushed out of the hole as the voice of the creature began to distort as a mixture of choking and gurgling was the only noise it could make, the rampage of the beast was getting lower as it began to sway.
Ryan began charging his next attack as Yelrias shouted out loud, “Are you done?”
“A couple of seconds.”, was the shout she received making her grumble she killed a few of the beasts that were now climbing on the back of the dragon while the rest were killed by weapons from the wall, even if they were told not to fire by Ryan, seeing his condition those who had wicked aims began to defy his wishes and they began to lend him their hands or in this case their bullets and guns.
A second discharge and a tired and mournful groan came from the snout of the dragon as it swayed and toppled over before falling on the ground hard causing a dust cloud to rise up.
“Ryan jump up facing towards me now.”
Ryan did not even wait to retrieve the large iron spear like an iron hook as he immediately jumped up while twisting his body in the air to face Ylerias only to find himself tackled by Ylerias who carried him in a fireman’s carry as she ran on air towards the wall while a large group of creature jumped towards her to catch them.
“Ileana, ILEANA!”
A shout jolted Ileana awake as she looked at her partner who snarled at her as she spoke, “Help me load this rounds in this large guns, it would not fill up by itself.”
“But…”
The brown-haired woman grabbed Ileana’s hand tightly forcing Ileana to look at her tired, sweat and blood coated face.
“Sister, that man out there is giving is all tell me what do you see when you look at him.”
Ileana’s eyes looked towards Ryan’s direction as a lump formed in Ileana’s throat, and as she saw Ryan was clearly fighting hard trying to kill that large creature but at the same time he seemed to have suddenly become the main source of attraction for the horde as they abandoned the wall and had focused on Ryan.
“The guns are keeping the horde away from him, without the bullet it would not work so please if you want to help him work with me.”
That was enough motivation for Ileana who began to work earnestly to keep the cannons working.
Back with Ylerias and Ryan, Ylerias had managed to reach the top of the wall before collapsing alongside Ryan as she took deep breaths to calm herself before speaking with a snarl, “Such pathetic condition of mine, I cannot believe it I am being bullied by some love level trash, if I were at my previous level I would have slaughtered the entire horde within seconds.”
‘I am still alive.’, a sense of relief passed through Ryan’s mind before he quickly turned towards Ylerias as he spoke, “Sister Ylerias, about Maralyn I…”
“Please be silent Ryan, please this is a battlefield we can talk about it after we have won the war, and I believe that you have a hole to patch up, don’t you?”
It would be several hours later that the entire horde would be decimated, without the large Iron Dragon it was futile for them to even attempt at breaching the wall especially when a certain someone had already sealed the breach.
Ileana was finally excused from her duty as such she immediately went to reunite with her family and was able to narrate the entire event that took place.
Marcel hugged his blood-covered daughter as he spoke, “I am glad that you are alright, I am so relieved and so happy to see you safe and sound.”
As she spoke Eleanora gently caressed her daughter’s hair, while Catherine gave a small pat on her twin sister’s shoulder as she spoke with a smile, “You did great sis.”
Beth meanwhile frowned as she tried to locate both Ciara and Ryan, and when she failed she could not help but ask her granddaughter out loud.
“Ileana where is your aunt Ciara and your brother?”
“Aunty is on the wall taking care of various things and as or brother he left with the others who were chasing after the beats who knowing their defeat were trying to flee.”
Marcel growled as he spoke, “That son of mine.”
“It was so scary father to see him ride that creature, trying to kill it, but at the same time he had to fend off those creatures it was nightmarish, it was like he was a small boat in a treacherous sea, I thought he would die, and then those ape like creatures if it were not for brother I would have died, it was so scary.”
Seeing the distraught look on his daughter’s face tugged Marcel’s heartstring as he spoke with a small smile full of reassurance on his face, “Do not worry everything is fine and I am so proud of you my daughter, so very proud of you.”
Meanwhile, back in the jungle the remaining beasts of the horde had scattered they had all been united under the strength of the Iron Dragon and after the fall of it many would have scattered but they caught the scent of not one, not two but three apostles’s the thought of feasting upon them was so heavenly that their greed had overpowered their rationality and at the end, they ended up paying the price.
Without the help of the Iron Dragon they had no chance of breaching the special wall that they could not even climb onto their only hope was the hole but that was quickly patched up and looked as good as new, but in the end, all they suffered was a crushing annihilation as such a few dozens that were still alive turned tail to flee under their renewed sense of self-preservation but even then it was too late as they were now being hunted down ruthlessly.