“Ha!” Buck cried with joy, powering his Pulse Rifle, “it’s go time!” Hevain released his rifle’s safety, and along with the rest of the ECU line, aimed at the ridge. Archile lay prone before the formation and watched intently for the creatures to appear. There was no sound except for the low rumbling hum of hundreds of energy weapons primed to fire. There was nothing. Not a shred of movement or evidence of oncoming Therions. Moments began to pass. Some men shifted restlessly in their crouched or prone positions. Remarks began ushering through the ranks, “This is bullshit.” “They’re not coming, we should charge ‘em.” “The pussies probably ran.” “Where the -blam!- are they?” “Shut the -blam!- up!” Archile snapped. Obediently, the men quieted. Then, there it was, like an answer to the last snide comment. A shriek. A shrill, high-pitched shriek, like that of a banshee, joined in a malicious chorus of other confident Therion infantry. Hevain felt sharp chill run down his spine. He wanted to cup his ears of the vile noise, but he knew to hold his aim. [i]Any moment now…[/i] The first creature appeared, clad in a pale blue armor that covered its sickly, almost black, purple skin. Except for being taller and skinnier than humans, it looked… almost human. The creature had its glowing energy rifle raised in a resemblance of victory, chasing after the retreating men of Colonel Brickham’s 113th Spearhead Battalion. It lowered its rifle, staring in bewilderment at the hundreds of ECU troopers and APCs aiming directly at him. [i]He sure as hell wasn’t expecting this[/i]. Hevain mused, as more appeared on the ridge, all stunned at the sight of firepower before them. There were just under one hundred Therions standing in shock at their demise. Hevain’s hair tingled with static as the block of men and vehicles fired in unison, filling the air with electric blue bolts of energy that hissed and split with heat. There was no hope for the Therions. The ridge burst into a geyser of flying debris and fire, and the opposing soldiers were vaporized with barely a second to move. Some lucky few in the rear of the Therion block escaped being vaporized, squealed in terror, and ran, as their comrades before them were eviscerated by the lethal fields of blue energy, before disintegrating away to nothing. “Cease fire! Cease fire!” Archile roared, trying to be heard over the thunderous rumble of firing energy weapons. Gradually, the firing ceased. Archile stood up and motioned the men to move forward. “They’re retreating! Let’s go!” He barked. Acting as one, the column of APCs and ECU infantry moved forward. They charged through the smoke and craters of vitrified dirt and bone and the APCs hurdled over the ridge. Hevain’s boot crunched down on a piece of vitrified armor. The air stunk with a rancid aroma of burnt flesh. Hevain cleared the curtain of smoke to find the ground sloped suddenly downwards. He looked in awe at the city stretched before him, expanding in ruins and grandeur to the horizon. Its golden-lit splendor was hidden below the ridge. Therions fled down below, running across a nearly baron expanse of concrete to the confines of the city. Several APCs opened fire and caught a few, helpless, in the open. Their armor was useless, melting away and exposing their flesh to the bolts before fluttering away in ashes. The other Therions were scattered in handfuls about the expanse. “Keep moving forward! Don’t let any reach the city!” Archile yelled. ECU troopers bounded down the slope, firing as they went. Hevain tried to keep his feet, following after Buck and trying to shoot at the same time. Several braver Therions turned around to return fire. It was a suicidal decision. They were immediately sighted by the APCs. They fired a few harmless shots before a wave of blue energy wisped them away into particles of ash and vitrified bone, demoralizing the rest of the already terrified Therion infantry. A Therion officer was trying to rally the last of his men in a final effort to resist the oncoming ECU column, though it meant death. The officer stood behind a crumbling wall near the safety of the city, easily depicted by the red stripe on his right shoulder. Though they were being massacred, his efforts were paying off, and Therions were gathering around him, returning fire. Their shots were becoming lethal. From the corner of his eye, Hevain could see an ECU soldier drop, his torso burned away, as several incandescent beams tore through him like tissue paper. Archile didn’t need to bark an order to take him down. Troops began firing at the officer. Buck, still running down the slope, fired a shot that decapitated the officer in a shower of boiling blood and brains. It was the final demoralizing trigger for the last few Therions. They snapped, broke cover, and dashed for the city, throwing their rifles to the ground in defeat. But Archile wouldn’t have it. He ordered the APCs to strafe them with maximum energy distribution. The last shrill cries of the Therions died away as the blue bolts of energy caught up with them, leaving behind smoldering earth and charred bodily remains. It was over, for now. The column of men and machines reached the bottom of the slope, concrete ground. Archile continued shouting orders over the COM link, “APCs to the front! Form a barrier and keep an eye on the city, maintain a stable perimeter! There are bound to be more, keep you energy output to maximum. You are authorized to fire on sight.” APCs raced by, rounding into a block watching the city. “Infantry use the APCs as cover! Move!” Hevain jogged up to Buck while they stopped behind the Malic that had been their ride in. “That was a nice shot back there,” Hevain said to him. Buck chuckled in mockery. “It was luck, newbie.” He growled. Hevain only watched him as he walked away, still chuckling to himself. Just a game… Archile ran up to Lieutenant Ferrae, second in command. “Status report. What have we got?” he asked, keeping his exhaustion of the run well hidden. Hevain didn’t see a reason for it. “We have two wounded and one KIA. Corporal Penenski sustained a radial burn to his face; he’ll be out of action for a while. Private Treswald’s left leg was incinerated from his body from concentrated light arms fire; the medic says it looks like a grim chance of it being re-attached. And Sergeant Rodriquez was killed by several well-aimed shots… It’s hard to make what’s left of his him.” He folded his arms. “Other than that, we’re good. The APCs cannons are at full functionality and everyone is in prime condition. Morale is no problem.” Archile nodded, hinting ever so lightly with satisfaction despite the loss. “Contact General Varsen and tell him we’ve advanced with minimal casualties, and ready for reinforcements. The area is clear for now and we request heavy armament for invasion of the city. After that, rally some men who are willing to search the bodies for intelligence.” “Understood sir.” Ferrae jogged off with his orders. A moment later, a handful of soldiers, both ECU and Brickham’s Spearhead were presented to Archile. Pleased with the volunteers, he sent them ahead of the protection of the APC column to the scattered remains of the Therions. Ferrae returned once more. “Varsen gives an ETA of about half an hour, more or less. Rough terrain is halting progress.” Archile’s tenacious smile stretched along his face once more. “Doesn’t matter. We can handle it just fine.” Hevain snorted in disgust at how cocky and unwise Archile was. The air fell suddenly heavy with heat, and all around him, Hevain noticed an unnatural, deep blue discoloration everywhere he looked. His eardrums split with overwhelming crackles of noise, and everyone with him instinctively looked towards the men scouring the bodies, exposed, in the open. Thick blue beams appeared from the air, ripping around them and through them, flaying them apart. Nothing could save them. Everyone watched helplessly, enraged, as one by one, the men were gradually incinerated, with no escape, exposing their visceras in a raw, fleshy mess before crumbling into charred piles upon the boiling asphalt.