Chapter 46

Flint had neither seen nor heard of insects so big before. Metallic chitin with an oily sheen covered their backs. The colours reflecting off them changed as the disappearing sunlight hit the dark armour at varying angles. Ugly pincers covered grew out of their hideous faces, and spikes covered their legs. When one of the guards thrust his spear at one of the creatures, the insect displayed monstrous speed, zipping backwards, away from the attack. Then the bug's friends attacked from the side, separating the guard’s foot from the rest of his leg.

The bugs didn’t just attack the guards but raced uphill too. It was a good thing Flint had called the others for backup. They’d need to slow the creatures from getting to the non-combatants at the top of the hill.

“The giants are returning uphill!” She yelled from atop the walls. “We need help up here!”

“I’m a bit busy down here, Winona,” Flint replied, firing his crossbow at a charging bug. He used empathic sense to guide the dogs, instructing them to attack from the sides and rear. The insect's back legs didn’t have barbs on them, and he spotted unprotected patches on the underside.

An uncomfortable buzz filled Flint’s head. The otherwise clean connection with the dogs felt polluted. He identified an alien presence providing interference and had little doubt it was the hive's own communication methods.

When a dozen-strong swarm rushed towards him, Flint whistled, and all the dogs raced back to his side. They formed a defensive line around Flint as he fell to his knees. [Change Density] drained an alarmingly large charge chunk of Flint’s essence and redirected it into the stone under his feet. In its current form, the ability was much too expensive. However, he couldn't think of any other way to contribute. The material first expanded, but Flint closed his eyes and pictured what he wanted, pushing the ability harder, and imagining the insects sinking into quicksand.

Suddenly, the initial trickle grew into a torrent as essence rushed out of him into the stone. It felt as if his mental image had given the essence a clearer image of his intent and it had responded accordingly. When he opened his eyes, stones several feet in front of him had grown puffy and porous. The bugs didn’t seem to care and rushed forward, but stumbled as it all turned into sand. Their needle-like limbs lacked surface area and sunk into the ground. An empathic push set the hounds off, and they jumped into action.

Maya’s flicker step carried her behind the now struggling insects. Lightning buzzed around her body once again. She didn’t need to flip the insects to get to their soft undersides. Instead, she swiped and snapped at their lower halves, filling the air with sickening crunches and squelches. While the hounds followed her lead, Bjorn took a more direct approach. He rushed into the sand, charging into the monsters and stomping on them.

Tails moved into alert positions, and Flint felt the dog's fear melting away. They had found their coordination and confidence. So, Flint instructed them to go wild. The melee fighters had grouped into small huddles and were doing an excellent job of repelling the insects. However, the critters just kept pouring out of the boulders. At least seven hive chunks lay within the walls now. Just looking at them sent shivers down Flint’s spine. He rushed to the young man with a severed foot and dragged him away from the chaos to a safe corner by the [Totem of Healing].

Much to Flint’s relief, the empowering pillars didn’t affect the insects. While his allies’ wounds clotted and bones snapped into place, the bugs leaked ichor, colouring the ground a disgusting green. The sight turned Flint’s stomach, and he was glad to have missed lunch.

“I need help up here!” Panic filled Winona’s voice.

“Melee fighters, drag the injured to the totem and form a defensive circle around them!” Flint yelled. When the Woodson soldiers responded, he knew the disabled boy would be safe. He made a beeline for the stairs, hopping over the bugs that charged at him. Flint was almost at the wall when a terrifying force barrelled into his side, knocking the air out of his lungs.

The old crossbow’s lacquered butt crunched chitin as he swung it at the weight on top of him. Flint used the opportunity to turn onto his back. The new position provided more leverage to assault the attacker. [Builder’s Brawn] must’ve considered the weapon’s bottom end a tool. It caved in aside of the creature’s face and sprayed him with ichor. Flint scrambled away from the collapsed animal. The specimen appeared no different from the other insects, but much like a grasshopper, it featured thicker and more powerful hind legs.

Flint raced up the stairs just in time to pull another one of the beasts off Winona. She had managed to keep its pincers away, but the barbed forelimbs had covered her forearms in deep cuts. Much to his surprise, luminescent blue blood poured from her wounds, and Flint could feel a deep chill coming off the fluid.

“Ed, erect a cover around us!” He ordered, spitting the boy swinging his spear at the insects scrambling over the walls.

“Yes, Mr Flint!” Ed dropped to his knees and rose with a flourish, waving his hand to the sky. A finger-thick layer of stone rose with his arm and curved over Flint’s head.

Twylip had the excellent sense to distribute packs full of bandages, ointments, and salves to everyone involved in the fort’s defence. Winona had one such pouch hanging from her belt. A piercing scream escaped her when Flint poured the disinfecting spirit over the cuts. He moved swiftly, rubbing the antiseptic ointment on the wounds.

All of a sudden, Winona’s eyes glowed white. “Yes!” She exclaimed, biting back a groan as Flint addressed a particularly deep gouge. Several floating moonlight bolts manifested around the pair before shooting over Flint’s shoulder. He felt their cold as they zipped by, followed by a hot piercing sting on his upper back, but he ignored it. Winona was one of their strongest combatants. He needed her to survive. 

The sounds of barking and growls accompanied battle cries and loud clicking below. All the sounds faltered when a thundering boom shook the walls. Cracks spread through the platform and up the makeshift cover Ed had erected. All sound resumed as residents of the fort flooded into the clearing around the walls. Winona tried to pull away, but Flint tightened his hold on her, wrapping her wounds.

“I can’t have you bleed out!” He exclaimed. “You’re the one that needs to repel these damned giants!”

Winona stopped struggling, but her brows furrowed as more bolts formed around the pair. Flint caught a glimpse of Twylip out of the corner of his eye. He worried for a moment, thinking the insects would destroy her without issue. Then she raised an odd tube connected to a wobbling pack on her back. Orange light pulsed down her arms. Flint faltered as he spotted a swarm of insects closing around her. Flames poured from the tube in Twylip’s hands, shooting forth like Bluelake's frost fire—not as far, but with more fury. The critters screeched as the contraption set them ablaze.

It took a couple of minutes, but Flint managed to stem the bleeding. Winona grabbed Flint’s hand and pulled him away from the centre of the wall as another boom shook it. Moonlight bolts continued to form and shoot at all hostiles she spotted until a monstrous hand reached over the wall. Realising it was coming for her, Flint pushed Winona with all his might away from fingers as thick as his neck. Before he could get away, too, a monstrous digit hooked his leg and pulled him off his feet.

Flint’s nightmares had given the hill giants monstrous, ugly faces. His subconscious had imagined two egg-shaped nostrils in place of noses and pig-like tusks. Instead, he saw a human semblance twisted by a manic bestial grin. Flint swung his crossbow at it but only hit air. The creature’s hold on his leg tightened, drawing a scream from Flint’s lips. As the pressure increased, Flint heard a series of cracks and then a loud snap. 

As he rose higher into the air, an ugly mouth full of broad flat teeth opened beneath him. Refusing to accept his end, Flint channelled [Change Density] into his crossbow. The stock narrowed and hardened under his fingers, turning into a stick almost as solid as iron. Then he dropped the weapon straight into the giant’s mouth. The creature’s glowing green eyes widened. It released Flint, letting him fall several feet to land painfully on his left arm. The second break didn’t hurt as bad as the first.

The giant staggered backwards, clutching at his throat and making a large grating sound. It stumbled into one of its friends. The choking monster’s limbs tangled with the other’s as it grabbed at them in panic. The two fell and tumbled down the slope, taking down a third on their way down.

Even though Flint had somehow taken down three titanic humanoids with a lucky move, he didn’t have much hope for survival. There were still four giants heading towards him, and he was alone outside the walls. The two broken limbs didn’t bode well for him either. Flint dragged himself back to the wall and struggled to pull himself upright. His left arm lacked the strength to pull him up, and his right leg refused to support his weight.

Relief came when Maya leapt off the wall, landing in front of him. Bjorn followed not long after—landing less gracefully. Flint doubted the two dogs had a chance against the giants. Then blinding moonlight flashed from the wall above them. Giant wings flapped, and Winona rose into the sky. Instead of bolts, lances surrounded her.

“Casters!” She screamed. “Unleash all your power.”

A thundering barrage burst at the giants from above Flint’s head, and a chill ran down his spine. Hope returned. Darkness bordered his visions, and his head felt heavy. Flint knew consciousness was slipping away, but he refused to go down without contributing. He pressed his intact right hand to the wall and poured everything into [Totem of Healing].