The Systemic Lands
Chapter 217: Day 505 (3) – Viewpoints 18

Doctor Katz

I had warned Tim and Elliot. I had warned everyone multiple times, don’t try anything. It won’t be pleasant if you are caught. Now they had been tortured to death. Michael should have just killed them and have been done with it.

The bells began to clang. I had been warned ahead of time as Chief Researcher. “You all know the drill. Secure everything and then to the panic room,” I called out. I made sure the two other researchers still alive and working for me put away their projects.

We all entered the safe room at the center the building. It had extra thick walls. Similar to the outside walls of the research building. We waited, hoping it would just turn out to be nothing.

There was a massive hum. The energy in the air began to twist. It was impossible to describe. Normally the energy was like a light breeze, heavier in high energy zones. Now it was like a tornado twisting in on itself. I felt a bit of pressure.

That was when the world suddenly lost all color. Everything was in black and white. I blinked a couple of times and the humming had disappeared. “What is going on?” one of my subordinates asked.

“The City Shield,” I said quietly. I should be out there helping people, but Clarissa had made it clear I wasn’t to risk myself unnecessarily. Once things calmed down, then I could help. I felt some minor tremors through the ground.

Champion Michael was many things, but he would fight. I mentally said prayer hoping everyone would pull through safely.

Clarissa

I raced back to the building, it really needed a proper name, as my guards formed up around me. I was suddenly yanked to the side as one of my guards was shredded into bloody chunks. Everyone sped up and we reached the entry way.

I looked for the guard who had yanked me to the side, but I had lost them in the confusion. Regardless, they did their job. “Keep the doors open! Shields up front!” I commanded. I stood in the entryway watching the battle.

Michael was ascending into the sky. It was an impressive sight as he darted around, unleashing acid on the level 4 monsters. I frowned as I spotted them closing in on him. He dived for the ground, there was a worm in the way.

My heart froze when his arm was cut off. Don’t panic, he lost an arm before and won. He can win this. He began racing across the plaza as the monsters targeted him. I knew he kept saying level 4 monsters were insane, but I never thought it was like this.

I glanced towards the Union teams and they were being decimated, with no way to engage in aerial combat. The RMPF was doing a bit better from the force explosions going off in the air against two of the worms.

At least there wasn’t a birth happening at the same time like the last battle. And it was a relief that everyone was sheltering in place and out of the way. At least the city wouldn’t be decimated. Now Michael just needed to win.

General Smith

“All melee back to the buildings! Archers to the RMPF HQ! Line up! Line up! Use the force bomb arrows!” I kept shouting trying to get everyone organized.

The sky worms had descended. The Airship Port was already a blood bath. That was when Champion Michael went leaping into the sky. “What are you looking for! Nock! Aim!” I waited for the right moment. I needed to focus not watch Champion Michael, two worms were coming right for us.

“Ahhhh!” One of the archers screamed as he died. He was ripped apart.

“Fire!” I called out. Arrows flew into the sky and were then detonated by the archers themselves. Force waves rippled outwards disrupting the worms. But there was minimal damage and they stayed aloft.

Two more of my people were shredded, another one collapsed screaming as her arms were cut off. “STEADY! Nock!” I yelled out. That was when my eyes snapped to the figure of Champion Michael plummeting downwards. Acid formed, his signature attack, far more deadly than other people with the skill.

That was when I saw his right arm go flying away, leaving an arc of a blood behind. “Aim!” I shouted out. I couldn’t panic. If I panicked and ran, we were screwed. But even Champion Michael had a lost an arm. “Fire!”

I didn’t wait. “Nock now!” I shouted out as the force bombs exploded in the air disrupting two of the worms. “Fire at will!” I shouted out. There was enough for two barrages. This was the last use I had for my archers. Arrows hit the monsters, damaging their wings, they slowed down and lost more altitude.

“Archers retreat!” I called out. Everyone scattered. Champion Michael was racing around the plaza while five of the worms were after him. It appeared a couple had been killed, but there were a lot left flying. I looked over at the Union teams who were useless. None of them used archery.

The Body stat didn’t affect pulling a bow and the damage dealt. That may change in time with special arrows and bombs, but they hadn’t been put up for sale yet. Time for my emergency forces to act I thought as I entered the RMPF HQ.

I noted the downed summoners piled up in the main lobby. “Artillery unit, with me! Fast reaction force, deploy as distractions!” I shouted out. It took them a moment to form up. My main combat force with the most stats rushed out ahead. I couldn’t risk my people with Radiant Beam. “You stay in reserve, the rest of you don’t fire until I give the order.”

I quickly led them outside. I saw Champion Michael exit his massive home. Several worms started chasing after him and launching their air burst attacks as he zig zagged across the plaza. He noticed us and swerved in our direction. The fast reaction force had drawn away the attacks from the remaining worms, running off into the city, buying precious seconds to set up this attack.

“Aim over Champion Michael, the upper edge of his house, straight line!” I called out so I could be heard over the screaming of the wounded and dying. “Now!” I shouted.

Naran

“Get me two swords,” I said quietly to one of the guards and then turned towards Michael. “You alright?” I asked. wasn’t doing good. He put on a brave front, but I could tell he was in pain. I needed to know if he could keep fighting. Blood was coming out of his stump fairly quickly. He didn’t have long before he would exsanguinate.

“Not really. Going to need a regeneration. What is the monster count?” Michael asked. I quickly recalled what I had seen out in the plaza.

“Three dead, two wounded with arrows and force bombs, five no injuries,” I replied. It wasn’t good. There were still seven more level 4 monsters to go. A guard hurried over with two swords. I put one in my sheathe for back up and held the other one in my right hand.

Cutting through the one monster had been like cutting through really hard cake. I could do it, but it resisted me the entire time. My last blade had snapped, these ones would probably snap as well, which was why I wanted two.

“Cover my back, I am racing for the pillars,” Michael said. It was the only option. I could probably kill one or two, maybe. He had been the primary target. While I had a high Body stat, I needed to get in close, which was next to impossible with these flying type of monsters. If I went into the air, I would be a flying brick with no way to adjust my trajectory.

“Got it,” I replied. There was nothing else to say. He needed a regeneration if he was going to get back into the fight. The aerial combat had been a bit reckless, but we didn’t have any good options. Level 4 flying monsters were completely broken.

That was when I realized we were having the help of the shield. Full strength, it would be a disaster and unwinnable. Time to focus. Michael raced out of the building, and I was right behind him. This was going to be a tough fight.

Shante

“Hush, hush, your namesake will protect us,” I rocked my screaming child in my arms. All the children had started crying and screaming when the humming happened and the world lost color. We were all sheltered inside the main building in one of the interior rooms.

Clarissa had given jobs to all us women who had kids to do chores in the Champion’s Home. It made daycare a lot easier and the guards were always respectful.

There was screaming happening outside and all the color disappeared. “Hush, hush,” I rocked the best thing in my life, praying that we would survive. It was a miracle that I had survived the birth during the last battle.

The building began to shake. All the children were screaming and crying. I looked o next to me, we were roommates. “Don’t worry, Champion Michael saved us all last time, he will this time as well,” I said with confidence as the building shook again.

An older woman named Gretchen who was one of the cooks, opened the door and ran into the room crying. I knew she had been watching from one the windows. She had never seen one of the monsters. She had arrived before all new arrivals were forced to fight and managed to be one of the first people Clarissa hired.

She knew everything that had happened, including the First and Second Battle of Blood, when Champion Michael took control of the city from the Guild. This was before the dreaded Ritualist tried to turn everyone into monsters. She shouldn’t have been watching the fight, but she couldn’t resist. Her tears were not tears of joy.

“What happened?” Charlotte quickly asked as all the babies continued to scream.

“Champion Michael lost his arm,” Gretchen wailed. I felt a surge of panic. Was this it? Were we all about to die horribly?

“Calm down everyone. I am sure he will pull through. He won against Death itself!” I said, trying to restore hope to the room. The other women began to calm down a bit at that. We didn’t need a panic, that would only make things worse and more dangerous.

That was when entire building shook even more violently than before, there was the sound of something I didn’t understand, like a sharper and louder microwave sound. Some people screamed in panic as they struggled to stay standing. The room quickly began to grow hot.

Some of the women began to cry and shout randomly about how we should all run, or the building might collapse. We just had to believe. We were all going to survive. “Hush, hush, your namesake will protect us.” I gently rocked my child as he kept crying.

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