The Grey Chronicles Part Two: Under Siege.

Chapter 6: Mountainous Men Atop Mountainous...Unicorns?

Unmarked gulch, surface of Stoneharra One, August of 8096 AL.

Salem pushed the coiled rope with his foot, glaring directly at the traitor in the Titanus ranks. The coil unraveled as it fell, the last ten feet or so laying slack on the ground. Ember grabbed the rope and rappelled, sliding down the static rope to the rocky creek bed between the Titanus formation and the disorganized Stonehaaryn rabble. The water rose to her knees, but she ignored it, drawing her spear and calling over her shoulder.

"Hey you blue-skinned assholes!" she spun her spear in her hands, taking a wide-footed stance and brandishing the spear as easily and lightly as if it were paper rather than high carbon steel. "Watch my back, make sure none of them flank me."

One of the Stonehaaryn soldiers, obviously the leader, stepped forward. He held a sword and shield and gestured to the others. They hardly moved, coming out of their hiding hole in the rocks and stopping several meters away from her. Several of the Titanus soldiers formed a loose ring around Ember, taking care to keep out of reach of the long spear she twirled absentmindedly.

Salem could see that all eyes were on her, except for the Machinae traitor's; he kept his eyes glued to the Phantom. Salem loaded a grenade into the launcher in his hands, and in less than a second he raised it and fired into the middle of the Titanus formation.

The grenade exploded, killing five and wounding almost a dozen more. Ember took advantage of the momentary distraction to dash forward, her spearhead darting between shields and chinks in armor. In the time it took everyone to recover from their surprise, a little more than five seconds, she had slashed her spear across the throats, knees, and elbows of six men. Salem grabbed the rope, sliding down to the battleground while Elijah opened fire with his door gun. The buckshot ripped through armor and clothing and flesh, dropping and wounding ten Titanus soldiers. Those that had recovered from their surprise advanced, encircling Ember. However, none of them were brave enough to step into reach of the spinning, shimmering steel she swung around her body, fast as an adder.

Salem hit the ground running; he threw the grenade launcher to the side and drew his sword, sprinting forward the moment he felt the rocks beneath his feet. The Phantom above him withdrew the rappel line and moved off to the side, leaving over the ridge in the direction it had come from. He drew his combat knife in his free hand, tackling a Titanus soldier from behind and slipping the blade between his ribs. The man crumpled under the impact, face planting into the creek. Salem knelt as his victim went down, then just as quickly stood again and sliced his sword blade across another man's cheek, his blade cleanly cutting into the flesh and the jaw beneath. Ember looked over her shoulder at him, then smirked as he stepped into the circle and stood back-to back with her, determination and anger burning in his eyes.

Salem smirked at a familiar sight; fear, filling the eyes of every soldier encircling him. He slid the bloodstained knife back into its sheath and drew his Samaritan from its holster. Salem looked around, counting.

"One, two, three, four, five," he smirked again, "Six, seven, and eight. How many have you got, Em?"

"I count nine on my side," the young girl grinned, twirling her spear and taking a stance, "What's the plan?"

"Follow my lead," Salem chuckled; it had been too long since he'd been in a landslide fight like this, he realized how much he missed it. "Ten bullets, seventeen targets. I guess they'll have to share, let them make the first move."

"Where's the fun in that?" she frowned.

"They can have the first move," he repeated, "Because we'll get the last."