Bloodbath at the Wengen River (VI)

"They're here!"

Someone screamed as he fired.

Kelteli turned toward the distinctive crackling and saw an unrecognizable soldier collapse amid the smoke as nightmarish shapes descended from above, like birds swooping down to seize prey.

The supreme commander had not recognized the soldier because his face was gone—torn clean off by the claws those things carried.

"Take cover! Get away from the ones with rockets!"

Kelteli shouted at once, but his warning was drowned out by the ground-shaking roar of a heavy cannon, so almost no one heard him.

Throughout the bloody battle, he had spent little time at the command post and far more at the front with the soldiers. He had personally braved enemy fire to raise morale, which was one reason the line had never been breached.

But willpower alone could not win a war.

"Damn it!"

He dodged aside, narrowly avoiding a Stormboy charging toward him. Something skimmed past his face, struck a tent several steps away, and set it ablaze.

Kelteli instinctively drew his sword, crouched, and slashed overhead.

His luck was not bad, because his neck and coat were rewarded with a shower of filthy matter falling from above.

"Watch out, sir!"

Kelteli turned and saw the thing charging at him in the firelight.

It roared furiously, shredded entrails trailing behind it like a banner.

One of his guards dropped to one knee and calmly aimed his gun at the thing, as though he were merely at a shooting range.

Then the guard pulled the trigger, and the thing's head split apart.

"Thanks!"

Kelteli waved, scrambled up, and drew his pistol with his left hand.

The guard grinned and turned to seek his next target.

It can't end yet!

Kelteli thought as he ran toward the vehicle yard at top speed.

He fired constantly