Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 31

The tunnel leading into the cavern was only wide enough for a squad of men to stand shoulder to shoulder. Five men advanced with their shields interlocked. A swarm of microdrones had entered first without engaging the enemy. They were in position surrounding the manticore.

“Before we engage, I want an assessment of every common damage type,” I said flatly.

“Executing micro-assault,” Destiny replied.

The moment the last word left her artificial mouth, the drones surrounding the beast burst into action. Half a dozen projectile struck the creature on different parts of its body. Its roar was something between a growl and a cackle. It was suddenly swinging around, it’s tail flailing, trying to find its enemy.

“Data collected,” she continued. “Assessment complete. The manticore’s natural armor is highly resistant to all types of damage. I recommend two approaches. One, brute force to break through its outer defense. Two, psionic or energy weapons to bypass its outer defense and directly attack its internals. The second choice would be the safer of the two.”

As the monster raged, I ignored it the best I could and considered the options. “Are rank F psionics enough?”

“That is likely. More data needed. Two squads of casters recommended.”

It’s Mel’s men that were up. He received the same info that I just had. “What do you think?” I asked through direct message.

His response was right along the lines as mine would’ve been. “Do it,” I commanded.

The five men approached as Mel relayed ordered them. The pitch black tunnel was lit up like midday with the night vision tech being used by the microdrones. They could see just as clearly as I could.

The manticore was the size of a family sized vehicle and still flailing around as it tried to attack the insect-size machines flying around nearby. It was enough to distract it until they fully exited the tunnel into the cavern. As they did, it suddenly became still, but only for the fraction of a second. Whether it could hear, smell, or see them, it all happened too quickly. It’s tail blurred.

The man at the edge of the group reached fast enough to drop into a shield dominate position. It wasn’t enough. His psionic energy couldn’t reach his shield in time, so he blocked with the shield alone. The spike of its tail struck with enough force to directly pierce the shield and the ballistic armor of his chest. It retracted its tail, pulling the shield away with it.

Before the man fell, the soldier next to him had already looped his hands under his arms and was pulling him back. The other three sent orange psionic bolts flying.

Mel was already commanding his men to pull back. Their first volley of bolts struck home, but the monster shrugged them off with only slight irritation.

I found my hand gripping the hilt of my sword that was still in its sheath. There was an adrenaline-filled quiver that became obvious as I loosened my grip.

Before Destiny even said it, I knew the man was already dead. If I was only fully healed… I shook my head. The man was probably honored to be one of the first to approach this new monster. It’s not like he was really dead. It was a chance for him to prove himself—to be a part of something great. As the leader of a battalion, I needed to respect the men and women under me. It’s not like I didn’t understand how they thought. None of the people of Prodos were normal people. But I still felt responsible. If I would’ve done it myself, he wouldn’t have died.

The three men backtracked at a frighteningly slow pace to let their aura empowered comrade drag the dead soldier’s body into the tunnel behind them.

The manticore’s tail coiled back like a massive cobra ready to strike. When the three remaining soldiers looked like they were about to enter the tunnel to escape, the tail rocketed forward.

This time the soldiers were ready. White energy covered their shields as they lowered their stance.

The strike was so swift that the middle soldier was flying back before I saw if it had penetrated his shield or not. It was only when his orange aura blazed, and he retook his place in line that I found that it had not. There was visible damage where the shield had taken the hit, but it wasn’t enough to make the shield unserviceable. It wouldn’t take many more though.

Mel informed his men that their friend’s body had been retrieved and they could retreat at full speed.

They continued backstepping but at a much faster pace. As they entered the tunnel, the manticore had no intention of letting them go.

It ran at them, clawing at the stone floor. It was large, but not too large for the narrower tunnel.

The three men continued to fire off psionic bolts as they retreated. Two new men appeared at their side, interlocking their shields. More bolts flew.

With the monster’s forward momentum, its tail strikes were even more devastating, but it was attacking a retreating target. One that was careful to keep psionic energy supplied to their shields as much as possible.

It’s strikes became more of a nuisance with each passing moment. Until it finally decided to do more than push them back even further and went for the feet. It was the solder that had been the first to survive its strike that it went for.

The man hadn’t lost his wits despite all that had happened. Seeing the monster had changed its trajectory, he wasn’t able to get his shield low enough, so he jumped. The manticore’s tail thrust under his feet. Missing the sure injury, he them bellyflopped shield first on top of the already extended tail.

For a moment, he just laid there on top of it making sure to keep his shield filled with psionic energy. Then the monster retracted his tail. It began dragging him toward it, but it happened so faster that he only went a few meters before flipping him off to the side.

He was only seconds from directly facing the monster.

“Hug the wall,” Mel demanded.

As they did as he said, his jog slowed, and he continued forward. The man that had been dragged forward was kneeling against the cave wall staying as motionless as possible. Standing in the middle of the tunnel alone, Mel grabbed the manticore’s attention immediately.

He lifted his arm casually as if to wave a greeting. A bolt as orange as a bright ember shot out, slamming into the monster’s face. He stood there as if daring it to retaliate.

Its tail tore through the air toward his chest.

As if expecting it, he shifted to the side and spun at the waist. Shielding energy covered his palm as he smacked the strike to the side.

“Fall back,” Mel called to the crouching soldier. “I’ll hold its attention.”

The man didn’t hesitate. Like a sprinter, he lunged from where he was hunched over and took off running.

When it caught the manticore’s attention, Mel grunted and raise both arms. A psionic barrage of bolts erupted like a gatling gun.

For first time, the manticore was pushed back. Its tail flew again, but Mel had already stepped to the side and let it pass. He was headhunting so it had lost most its visuals.

“Tear it apart,” he roared.

The most ridiculous looking soldier I’d ever seen skirted around Mel’s left flank at full speed. He wore a futuristic oval-shaped helmet with fake, blue-spiked hair attached to the top of it. He was two-handing a spear with orange energy enhancing its point.

I didn’t need to see his name floating over his head to know who it was. Jerrek, Olivia’s once irreverent brother, dipped low and thrust his spear in under the manticore’s head. Its neck was covered in heavenly armored exoskeleton, but not at the base of its jaw. The spear point sunk deep, and he used the weapons shaft force the creature’s head up.

Suddenly, Mel’s bombardment stopped, and a second soldier was there. I also knew this one. He wore samurai style armor with a golden mask. Its cheek bones were exaggeratedly large, its eyes demonic and had a smile reaching from ear to ear. Isamu front leg was fully extended as he lunged. He was so low that his over head slash cut clear from one side of the monster’s throat to the other. He had to roll to get out from under the falling creature’s head.

Even as the manticore bled out, its eyes were turning over as it lost all reason. Its front legs seemed to have lost all strength and its head just laid there on the ground. Its rear legs, however, were shifting uncontrollably. Its tail flashed forward at no clear target.

Isamu’s sword swatted the appendage wide, saving Jerrek from sure death.

“Back,” Mel commanded.

They both did so quickly. The three of them stood there out of range as the manticore died. It didn’t go quickly even after the sure killing blow was struck.

I felt the tension in my body lessen now that it was over.

“How’d Mel react in time to its tail?” I inquired of Destiny.

“Danger Indicator,” she replied as if it was obvious. “He has his AI mimicking his Freedom system setup.”

A small window popped up from him POV during the manticore’s tail attack against him. The spike of its tail had a glowing red color, so when it came at him, he was better able to follow it with his eyes.

This had been one of the main selling points of Freedom’s advancement system. It was mainly designed to train us to use military specialty tech.

“Well done,” I said, contacting Mel.

“Not exactly as we planned...”

“Does it ever?”

“Not really.”

“Let Isamu and Jerrek know that they looked good for me. Well, at least Isamu. I don’t know what to think about Jerrek’s crash helmet with hair.”

He let out a chuckle. “I’ll tell them.”

I let him return to his men after that. Before it was necessary, he was already organizing the harvesting of the manticore and preparing to move out. I had the sudden urge to sit down. There really was very little I was needed for at the moment. I decided I might as well practice my recovery technique while I waited.