Ptoop!
Marine spat out a mouthful of dirt. She wiped her eyes clear of grime. Dirt and sand clogged the vicinity, stirred from the ogres' landing. The air was suffocated with the roars of the ogres and the screams of the legionnaires.
The ogres had plunged into the battalion's right flank. They immediately torn through the formation. The legionnaires were helpless. Their bodies were flung around like paperweight, tenderized into a bloody gore by the ogres' inhuman strength. The gruesome deaths of the first few casualties instantly sent the legionnaires into disarray. Panic spread like plague. The men desperately fled from the monstrosities. Marine couldn't fault them for it. Nothing could have prepared them for the sheer horrors of these Eden machinations.
I need to stabilize the formation.
The arrival of the Eden's main strike force was imminent. Marine needed to restore the firing lines before they reached the battlefield. But trying to reorganize the legionnaires in the midst of the ogres' rampage was a fruitless endeavor.
"Vesper! Kersen! Where are you?!"
She prayed that her two trump cards hadn't died from the initial onslaught.
"H-Here!"
"I'm here!"
Luckily, they were close by. The two men emerged from the destruction to her call—their faces covered in dirt and fear.
"Kersen, find a safe spot and summon your golem immediately. We'll buy you time."
"Got it!"
"Vesper, I need you to immobilize the ogres to keep them away from the legionnaires. Once Kersen summons his golem, the two of us will keep one of the ogres occupied while Kersen deals with the other."
Marine waited for a confirmation, but it never came. Confused, she turned towards her companion. Vesper was in a daze. His eyes were distant, darting about as if he was searching for something amidst the chaos.
"Vesper? Vesper! Are you listening?!" What's he is doing?!
Vesper finally responded, panic wrought over his face, "M-Marine! Have you seen Alice? I don't see her any—"
Plat!
Vesper's head snapped back.
"Listen!" Marine screamed, livid. She reached out and grabbed Vesper by the collars.
"I don't give a fuck about that woman right now," she growled, eyes gleaming with rage, "We need to stop the ogres, or everyone here is going to die."
"Unhand me."
Marine flinched. Goosebumps rushed down her arms. Sensing danger, she immediately released her grip. Vesper was eyeing her with a look of contempt.
I almost drew my sword by instinct.
Vesper held his gaze, unflinching. The frosty glare made Marine uneasy. Eventually, he looked away. Calmly, Vesper fixed his collars and brushed the side of his cheeks. A faint hand mark was already emerging on his pale skin.
"Immobile the ogres?"
"...Yeah."
"I'll do it," Vesper said, approaching the ogres.
"But Ms. Houshou," his eyes darkened, sharp with bloodlust, "Never do that again."
Marine felt a chill cascade down her spine. Her left eye suddenly itched as Vesper took a deep breath. She grimaced as the irritation continued to intensify—a sign of the rising concentration of ambient mana.
YOU ARE READING
A Distant Reverie
Fanfiction"Careful now. Try not to move too suddenly, alright?" Vesper Noir wakes up one day in a foreign land with gaps in his memories...and a sharp blade pressed against his throat. His assailant? A beautiful, self-proclaimed female pirate with a sweet voi...
