Chapter 41: No Respite
Blackflag Outpost's walls were breached in six or seven places. Roughly three or four hundred rotwolves charged inside. The battle goes on for two more hours. More than half the wolves are injured or killed before they finally retreat. The giant bats leave after eating their fill at this feast.
The outpost suffered devastating losses. More than fifteen hundred casualties, most of them active fighters. Over a hundred guards wiped out. Blackflag's overall strength took a serious hit.
Nobody dares relax or let their guard down. The crafty rotwolves might launch a second attack. We spend the night clearing the battlefield and repairing the breached ramparts.
This battle wasn't worth the cost. Rotwolf corpses are nearly worthless. The fur can make warm clothes, but everything else is useless. The meat is inedible, sour and reeking of decay. It's also poisonous. We paid an enormous price to win, and there are no spoils to share.
I huff and puff as I run over to the Tartarus mercenaries.
Slyfox takes a long drag on his cigarette and blows out a cloud of smoke.
"Fuck, where were you hiding? I thought you were dead, son. Oho, and it looks like you picked up a little something."
My shotgun draws attention from the other mercenaries. Only a few of these weapons exist in the outpost. They can tell from the wounds covering my body that I was in a bloody fight of my own.
Tartarus lost two people in the battle. We're one of the most elite squads in Blackflag, so losing even two will impact the outpost significantly. Mad Dog and Slyfox are both drenched in blood. They fought hard tonight.
But now it's over. The dust has settled.
I stare toward the pearly white clouds in the eastern sky.
"Has the beast wave ended?"
"It's almost dawn." Slyfox seems in a foul mood. He lost several people under his command. "Rotwolves never fight in broad daylight. We've endured this wave, at least."
Relief washes over me.
The rosy light of the rising sun slowly appears, bringing peace and calm back to the world. Everyone fought for an entire night. We're all exhausted. Just as we're preparing to rest, something completely unexpected happens.
Another black mass appears in the distance. A large group of unknown creatures moves toward Blackflag Outpost.
"Hey. HEY! Are you sure about what you said?" I call out quickly. "Didn't you say the rotwolves wouldn't come back?"
"No way." Slyfox looks completely confused. His past experiences never misled him before. Rotwolves never launch large-scale attacks during the day.
One of the mercenaries uses binoculars to stare into the distance. A moment later he calls out loudly.
"Those aren't rotwolves!"
Not rotwolves? What are they then?
Slowly the silhouettes become clearer as they move in from the desert. It doesn't look like a beast wave at all. Judging from their speed and the sand they kick up, they seem like a motorcade advancing at high speeds.
"Oh my God."
"That's a sweeper battalion!"
Someone screams. The faces of Slyfox, Mad Dog, and the other mercenaries go tight.
"FUCK! Were those motherfuckers waiting this entire time for the right moment?"
Mad Dog rises to his feet immediately.
"Blackflag was weakened by last night's beast wave. Now these fuckers attack, right on cue. They're smart, I have to give them that."
I have no idea what's about to happen. But judging from the faces of the guards and mercenaries, the situation is grimmer than facing the beast wave last night.
In fact, it seems like this will become a true life-and-death battle.
What's going on? One wave of problems after another. When will it end?