In front of the settlement, dozens of people were gathered. Fratley, cradled against his mother's chest, stared at the scene with wide eyes and an open mouth.
What he saw was shocking. The attackers wore steel armor, just like knights from the medieval era. Each of them was mounted atop a giant snail, each the size of a horse.
Meanwhile, on their side stood six people. His mother remained toward the back, preparing to make her move at any moment. Not far from her was Emily, holding some kind of assault rifle. At the front, four figures stood, three men and one woman.
The first man was bulky with red hair, wielding a massive warhammer and sporting a robotic arm. A cigarette was clenched between his lips as he lazily eyed the approaching invaders. This was Randy, the leader of the settlement.
The others, aside from Emily and Randy, wore Kevlar and carried firearms. Only his mother and Randy wore what looked like special combat armor.
'Are these people crazy? Do they really think they can win against guns with that kind of armor!?' Fratley asked in his mind, unsure what was about to unfold.
"Give it up, Randy! You think you can keep the drug for yourself? We know you have it!" the man leading the attackers shouted, pointing his sword at him.
"We've killed plenty of you before, and we'll do it again!"
"Then a thousand more will come! Don't underestimate us, we are the Order of Snail! Knights, attack!!" the commander bellowed.
The snails started dashing forward. To Fratley's surprise, their movement was fast, almost like motorcycles.
Randy spat out the cigarette and pointed his warhammer forward. "Attack! Leave no survivors."
BANG! BANG! BRRRRTTTT!!!
Gunfire echoed through the air. The invaders began zigzagging, trying to lessen the impact of the incoming bullets. But even with their agility and speed, there was no way to dodge them all.
Fratley watched in awe as bullets approaching the knights seemed to get deflected before impact. 'Is that magic? No… it feels different than when Mother does it.'
There was no crackling energy in the air, rather, it felt like a physical energy barrier that blocked projectiles.
Randy charged ahead, and his warhammer came crashing down toward one of the knights. She raised her sword to block it, but against Randy's raw strength, she didn't stand a chance.
BAM!!!
She was knocked off her mount and slammed into the ground. From what Fratley could see, the impact must've cracked several bones.
Meanwhile, the others concentrated their fire on a single target. Judging by how they moved, it was clear his mother's comrades were all veterans. Their shots were precise, and their movements fluid, constantly repositioning to force the knights to split up.
One of the knights' shields began flickering before vanishing completely. The bullets tore through the man like paper, punching holes all across his body.
But some had already gotten close, forcing Jane into melee. She drew her knife and skillfully clashed with a knight. She parried the incoming strike and lunged for the neck.
Unfortunately, just inches away from her target, another knight came from behind, sword raised to stab her in the back.
Emily's eyes narrowed. She raised her finger toward the assailant, energy crackling through the air. "Chain Lightning!"
In the next moment, a bolt of thunder shot toward the knight, then jumped to three others before finally stopping. Each one struck crackled with electricity, their bodies paralyzed in place.
Jane seized the opportunity without hesitation. She stabbed one with her knife, used his body as a springboard, then leapt toward another knight.
The fight didn't last long. In the end, all the knights were slaughtered, no survivors remained.
Meanwhile, on his mother's side, most of the group was unharmed. Only two had been wounded, suffering slashes to their backs and arms. The rest escaped without a scratch.
After the battle, they quickly got to work. Randy began dragging the corpses into a building on the left side. Jane carried the two wounded into the room where Fratley's mother had stayed earlier.
As for Emily, she took Fratley back to her room. After giving him a bottle of milk, she lay down beside him and went straight to sleep. But not Loire, his eyes were wide open trying to process everything he has seen.
The whole settlement wasn't large. So far, Fratley had only seen three buildings. Two of them looked like warehouses, one of which Randy used to store the corpses. The purpose of the other was unclear, but from the outside, Fratley could see some kind of exhaust system, reminding him of an air conditioner unit.'
Then there was one large building made entirely of wood. It had two floors. The first floor included a living room, a kitchen, and the room where his mother had given birth to him. He had heard them refer to it as the infirmary.
As for the second floor it's where he was now. It have multiple room and one of it is her mother room.
Look upward to the light, he begin to wonder, 'Just what's with this world, it's really weird. Why would use something unpractical like medieval armor if kevlar and armor like the one my mother wear exist?'
Even the defenses of the settlement felt strange to him. A tall wall made of metal surrounded the area, standing twice the height of an adult man. But oddly, there was no gate, just a massive opening, the same one the invaders had come through.
Aside from that, he didn't see any traps or visible defense mechanisms. Still, the wall itself puzzled him. It was completely made of steel, smooth and seamless, something impossible to construct in his old world.
'How did they even make that? Magic?'
This world seemed to have both technology and magic, but the mix felt odd. The alarm system still used a bell instead of a modern speaker. He hadn't seen a single TV, phone, or any sort of communication device.
As his curiosity grew stronger, so did his exhaustion. After all, his body was still that of a newborn. It was already incredible that he could see everything so clearly and stay awake this long.
Without realizing it, he finally drifted off to sleep.