Moonrise ✔ [Complete]

46 Protect (Part 2)

Reo constructed a dome around them with his left hand and wielded his sword in his right. Maeyune retrieved a plasma rifle near her, as well as the pistol of a dead village guard. She held them outward, both hands armed. With the aliens pressing in around them, they stood with their backs pressed together.

They were pinned on all sides. The Wobeck advanced, maintaining a steady bombardment against Reo's shield. There was only so much he could do to keep his energy active. Maeyune funneled for ideas, but was soon distracted by his voice.

"If we die," he said over his shoulder, "I wanted to say I'm sorry."

Confusion whirled inside her. "What are you talking about?"

"I wasn't exactly the best partner."

Her confusion turned to irritation. "You are the absolute worst at timing."

He chuckled. "Sorry about that, too."

Concerned with the advancing ring of Wobeck around them, she muttered quickly, "You are forgiven. Now, can we return to the situation at hand?"

His reply came quick. "On the count of three, I need you to duck."

She didn't need him to repeat. She widened her stance, prepared to crouch.

Reo's voice boomed. "One! Two—"

Maeyune never heard him finish. Purple energy rained from above and struck Reo's shield, and their eyes flew to the gloom in the sky.

The Wobeck aircrafts had made yet another round. With Maeyune and Reo the only humans to have remained in the village square, they had become the Wobeck's sole target. The first aircraft steeped into a dive, aiming directly for them.

Reo shifted his weight as if to dig his heels into the ground, preparing for the attack.

Then, one of its wings burst into flames.

Shocked, they watched as the immobilized aircraft rocketed over them and crashed into the buildings behind them. Debris from its wake washed over Reo's shield and collected around the square. The Wobeck on foot stuttered backward, startled that one of their own had been destroyed.

It was fleeting, but Maeyune caught a glimpse of a missile before it collided into another of the enemy planes, sending it crashing into the ground. The Wobeck aerial force dispersed, ascending higher to regroup.

Shortly after, human gunships sped across the sky and followed after them.

Both Maeyune and Reo gawked at them in surprise.

They were green gunships.

"Nomenia," Reo uttered.

There were about two dozen gunships, enough to battle the small force of the Wobeck. A larger aerial craft hovered into view and drifted over the village square. Its underside split in two, and Maeyune watched as three Nomenian automechs fell from the opening. They landed with a resounding thud, their weight shaking the cliff.

They were the advanced, piloted machines, and looming at over twenty feet in height, they were nearly thrice as tall as the Wobeck were.

Maeyune heard the broadcasted voice of a female pilot inside one of the automechs. "We'll take it from here!"

The pilot released a warcry, and she and her compatriots charged the tall aliens.

Reo didn't wait to see the battle. He turned his attention on the Wobeck that blocked their escape. His voice was loud in Maeyune's ears. "Three!"

Maeyune fell onto one knee, and a scythe of emerald-gold swept over her head from Reo's body. She watched in both horror and awe as the energy passed through the Wobecks' abdomens and spliced the giants in two.