"All units, move in! Prepare for an ambush!" Isaac commanded
At once, the army surged forward in a wide formation, crushing brush and trees beneath their wheels.
As they neared the base of the Orchid, its size became clear.
The plant was over five stories tall. Its massive stem loomed above, casting a faint shadow over the field.
Isaac raised his voice. "Form a barricade around the plant!"
Armored vehicles circled the Orchid, forming a protective wall. Giant semi-trucks rolled in and stopped close to the stem.
Dozens of scientists poured out, all wearing sealed hazmat suits and carrying strange tools.
They began preparing to uproot the Orchid.
But before they could begin, the ground collapsed.
A sinkhole opened around the Orchid, pulling in vehicles and soldiers.
"Gerald!" Isaac yelled
Gerald had already prepared a spell. His eyes and staff glowed brown as he cast.
A solid platform formed, catching the falling troops and halting their descent.
The formation, however, was broken.
"It's an ambush! Stay alert and stick with your teams!"
Then the ground started to shake.
"Wait—!"
Sensing that something was wrong, Isaac tried to warn his soldiers.
But he was too late. Jets of dark green liquid erupted from the soil, all around the army.
Soldiers instantly turned pale. They recognized it immediately.
"Toxcarver poison! Don't let it touch you!"
But it was too late. The poison burst from the ground in high-pressure streams, melting armor, burning skin, and paralyzing soldiers.
Panic broke out.
"All mages, put up barriers! Healers treat the poisoned! Everyone else, get inside your vehicles!" Isaac shouted, his voice amplified with magic.
His words snapped the soldiers back into action. They set up shields, pulled wounded inside, and braced for more.
"Gerald! Stop the poison!"
Before Gerald could respond, something slammed into Isaac's truck.
The vehicle rolled, crashing across the field.
***
On William's side—
William's squad regrouped inside the vehicles.
Two members had been hit by poison and were barely conscious.
William treated them quickly, but then heard a deep rumble in the distance.
Aeris glanced out the window. "Our formation's broken. We need to regroup. Drakna, drive!"
"On it," Drakna said, stepping on the gas.
They regrouped with nearby squads.
Then Isaac's voice returned, sounding in their earpiece.
"Mountain-Eaters are approaching from the east! All units, defend the Orchid's east side!"
"Team Alpha, Charlie, and Eagle! Guard the scientists! They're being—Ugh!!"
His message was cut off with an explosion.
"You heard him! Move!" Aeris shouted.
Vehicles turned hard and sped toward the eastern flank.
As the soldiers reached the eastern flank, they formed a new defensive line, just like the first.
Suddenly, Isaac's voice came through their earpieces—shaky but clear.
"The anti-dig spell is down. Do not bunch up! Spread out and engage the enemy! Use box formation!"
The army quickly adjusted, spacing each vehicle 30 meters apart as they charged into the enemy line.
Then chaos erupted.
Mountain-Eaters burst from the earth. Soldiers fired spells and bullets in all directions.
***
Far to the north, the ground was torn apart. Trees were uprooted. Soil blasted away.
Two men faced two monsters.
One beast was a giant crocodile, steaming with red energy. The other was a crystal-armored insect walking on two legs.
Isaac panted. "Two level-4 threats... they really care about that plant."
He turned to Gerald. "Can you handle them?"
"I'm fine," Gerald said calmly. "But the crystal one... my magic isn't working on it."
"We don't have time. We're losing people."
"I know," Gerald replied, raising his staff. "Let's end this."
***
William served as a support in his team. His main job was to treat injured teammates.
He could help with offense now and then, but his attack spells were weak and short-ranged.
That's why he was assigned as a paramedic.
The battle was brutal.
Their armored vehicle swerved constantly to dodge attacks from the underground Mountain-Eaters.
The ground shook as monsters chased them, and Drakna struggled to keep the vehicle from flipping or getting surrounded.
Inside, chaos reigned. William clung to his seat, trying not to get thrown around.
It was worse for the gunners. Mounted at the windows, they had to keep firing while the vehicle rocked violently.
Gunfire echoed. The earth rumbled. Screeches from the monsters rang in William's ears. He froze with fear.
"Hey, rookie, snap out of it!" the team's healer shouted, grabbing his shoulders.
"This isn't the time to freeze! Look around! Our teammates are out there fighting.
Someone could get hurt any second—or this vehicle could flip!
You need to stay sharp! Got it?!"
"Yes!" William shouted, forcing himself to focus.
It worked. His hands and eyes glowed purple and green as he prepared gravity and healing spells.
Still gripping his seat, he listened closely for cries of pain and watched for injuries.
Thankfully, the gunners and the squad on the roof were still okay.
The glowing blue shield around their vehicle had held up—so far.
"Watch out! A Driller is coming straight at us!" Lina's voice rang through their earpieces.
Drakna yanked the steering wheel. The vehicle tipped dangerously, trying to stay upright.
But before it could recover, the Driller burst from the ground and slammed into them, flipping the whole thing over.
"Damn it! Everyone out! Flip the vehicle before we're swarmed!"
The soldiers jumped out. Using their inhumane strength and help from mages, they flipped the 26-ton vehicle upright.
But in the time they used to flip the vehicle, the Driller had circled back and charged again.
Its horn crashed into the forcefield, shattering it.
"Back inside! We can't take that thing now!" Aeris yelled.
The team scrambled onto the roof as the driver hit the gas, trying to escape.
"We're retreating until the shield recharges. Lina—just block the monsters. Don't waste energy killing them. Protect the vehicle!"
"Captain! The Driller's chasing us underground! I tried to trap it, but it broke through!" Lina shouted.
"Where's it coming from?!"
"Six o'clock! Right behind us!"
Aeris ran to the rear. Her rifle glowed red. She aimed at a moving hump of dirt and fired into it.
The digging stopped—for a second.
But the Driller was the least of their worries, as a massive Mountain-Eater came crashing down from the sky.
Right in the path of the moving vehicle.
BANG!
A massive Mountain-Eater slammed into them from above.
The vehicle flipped and was pinned beneath the monster's body.
The good news: the monster seems to be dead.
The bad news: their vehicle was trapped.
"Climb onto the monster's body!" Aeris ordered, then called for backup.
"This is Hunting Team B-12! Vehicle down! Requesting immediate support! I repeat—!"
The crash had drawn attention. Dozens of Mountain-Eaters were charging in from all sides.
"Captain! The Driller's not dead! It's coming from below!" Lina warned.
"Tonto—barrier! Drakna—get ready! Everyone else, stay close!" Aeris commanded.
With nowhere to run, they braced for battle.
"Go all out! Don't worry about mana! Just keep firing!"
Bullets and spells flew. William stood frozen. His spells couldn't reach far.
He stayed back, holding his healing magic, waiting to be needed.
But watching his squad fight while he stood by made his chest tighten.
"The Driller's charging!" Lina shouted.
"Drakna!"
"On it!"
The Driller erupted from below, horns aimed at them.
Drakna jumped, hammer glowing bright orange.
"Skyforge Smash!"
His hammer struck the horn with a thunderous crash. The Driller's horn shattered, and it crashed into the dirt.
Aeris aimed and shot it in the head—killing it.
"They're still coming!" a soldier shouted, smashing a lizard-like monster.
Another soldier finished it off with a gunshot.
The wave didn't stop. More Mountain-Eaters charged in.
"Don't let them break your armor! The poison mist will kill you!" Aeris warned.
"Keep firing! Don't let them get close!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"There are too many! We'll be overwhelmed!"
"Hold the line! Don't stop!"
As the monsters closed in, some gunners were forced into melee combat.
William and the main healer finally snapped into action. Soldiers' armor was getting torn apart in the close fights, and poison from the mist seeped into their wounds.
William rushed from one teammate to another, casting healing spells without rest.
Out of nowhere, the massive corpse beneath them began to tremble.
'No way…' Aeris thought, panic setting in.
Before anyone could react, the monster's body burst open.
Aeris raised her gun—but froze.
A man jumped out. He wore similar armor, but it was blue in color.
Instantly, everyone recognized the soldier's status and rank, and subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
The soldier stayed silent, his face full of questions, yet his body moved.
Clenching his spear, he charged the swarm.
A blue shockwave burst from him, tearing through the Mountain-Eaters.
He blasted them apart with every hit.
Minutes later, the battlefield was silent.
He walked back toward the team.
"Who's in charge? Why are you here?"
Aeris saluted. "Sir, our vehicle was crushed. We had no choice but to hold this position."
He narrowed his eyes. "You're supposed to be on the east side of the Eclipse Orchid."
Aeris blinked. "Sir, this is the east side."
"No, it's—"
The man's bracelet buzzed.
"Tess?"
"WHY HAVEN'T YOU PICKED UP?! AND WHY ARE YOU ON THE EAST SIDE?!"
"What? I was on the north side—I swear! Fighting the Horn Beetle!"
"I DON'T CARE! THE LIEUTENANT WANTS YOU BACK AT THE ECLIPSE ORCHID—"
The call suddenly cut off as the man's bracelet turned red—same as everyone else's.
[Attention! All soldiers return to the Eclipse Orchid immediately.]
[Repeat, return to the Eclipse Orchid immediately.]