Chapter 14: Battle For Italica

The North Gate lights up like a firework show in the night. The deafening sound of gunfire echoes across the plains and in between the buildings of Italica, as spent-casings trickle down onto the floor of the city walls. The citizens of Italica, along with one of the knights from the Rose-Order, watch in awe as the men in black fire relentlessly towards the horde of flesh and bone beneath.

Staff Sergeant Gideon grit his teeth while firing his Ruger, burst fire, and while his shots find their marks they are not enough to kill even a single zombie. "Don't let them near the wall! Something's different about them!" Gideon shouts to the team, clicking his tongue in frustration as he continues to fire away into the night. Corporal Jackson kept his hands tight on the handle, his finger pressing the trigger and fire continuously into the horde.

Specialist Thomas ran up the stairs to the top of the walls, in both of his hands he carries boxes filled with ammunition for the M249 SAW Jackson is firing. "Here's some more ammo," Thomas shouted above the booming sound of the machine gun, but he's arrived just in time for it to run out of ammo. Thomas and Jackson work together to replace the magazine of the SAW, working as fast as they can. A moment later Jackson slams the top of the SAW down and cocks the machinegun, opening fire again.

Specialist Thomas got up from his crouch and ran to Gideon, keeping a hand on his helmet while the other keeping his rifle still. "Sir! Is it just me or are these zombies different in nature!?" Thomas genuinely asked, slinging his gun up and opening fire on the horde as well. "It's almost like they're smart! Holding weapons and the shit, they even have body armor!"

The Specialist's words resonate within Gideon's mind. While it's not the time to be talking about this, having around 400 zombies on your gates who don't go down in a single shot is a much more pressing matter. "Just keep them away from the gate! If they make a breakthrough we're all fucked!" Gideon's breathing becomes heavy and the shoulder he has been using to brace for the recoil is becoming sore.

He drops the empty magazine and swings his arm round to bring out a fresh one, that's the moment he's able to get a clear view of the horde. Thomas is right, even he had a feeling but finally getting a clear view of the horde of 049-2s, he admits that they've evolved somehow. They brandish weaponry and armor just like they have some form of intelligence, holding torches high to give them some better sight of the wall. Gideon can only come to one conclusion, 049 advanced its practices when the Foundation is busily lousing around.

"Frag out!" Gideon hears the shout of one of his team members, as the fragmentation grenade is flung out in a massive arc. He sees it land at the very back of the horde, and its subsequent explosion creates a confetti blast of limbs and blood. Growling in anger, he finally reloads his rifle and opened fire again on the horde. His frustrations and concerns slowly dissipate, however, seeing that they don't have any capability to breach the gate, or even scale the wall, it's going to be just a bloodbath.

"GAH!" Gideon snaps his head to the growl of pain coming from one of his Privates. Lowering his rifle he rushes over to the Private on the ground, writhing in pain. Turning his body around Gideon is met with an arrow that had lodged itself deep in the Private's arm. "Agggh! Fuck!" The Private cursed while looking at the arrow in disbelief, they can shoot arrows.

A moment later a hail of arrows is launched from a distance away. "Take cover!" Specialist Thomas shouted as he dove down, bringing the Staff Sergeant along with him. Looking up towards the unit that's taking cover behind the parapets, it looks like they're fine. However, the citizens of Italica don't share the same fate, with Gideon witnessing some of them being nailed straight in the forehead by the arrows.

Gideon pushes Specialist Thomas off of him and stands up, leaning against the stone brick parapet to look over the ground again. The front row is, he guesses, a meatshield while much further back lay the archers and even some shielded infantry. "You cheeky bastard-" Gideon grumbled, pulling Thomas back to his feet while checking on the hit Private. His medic got the injured Private and beginning to treat him, averting his gaze back to Thomas.

Thomas stared back at the Staff Sergeant, awaiting orders, awaiting something from the NCO. "Sir?" Thomas asked lowly, noticing the grimaced look on Gideon's face. "What's our next move, sir?" Thomas asked, demanded even while his eyes cycle from the horde and to the Staff Sergeant. "SIR!?"

Gideon stayed silent while his gaze look over everything that's going on, assessing the situation and trying to determine their next move. But he comes up empty, there's nothing Gideon can think about except for them to just stand and fight. And that might be the only thing they can do because as he had ordered to his men, as soon as the gate is breached, the city's practically fallen. Gideon looks back at Thomas, mouth slightly agape with the look of exhaustion in his eyes. "We need to survive until dawn."

[-]

"Left! Left!" Shouted Cassie as Roomy banks the steering wheel to the left, sending the Humvee into a drift that has them nearly hit a building. But Roomy's control over the vehicle continues to be paramount as they speed off down the streets of Italica, thankful that the Princess keeps her promise of keeping the streets clear for their vehicles to easier navigate around the city.

Richard holds on tight to one of the straps of his plate carrier, taking the radio of the Humvee, and speaks into it while keeping one eye on the road. "Humvee 2, what's your status!?" Richard demanded, then a euphoric laugh comes from the backseat, as Rory appears to be enjoying the thrilling roller-coaster ride Roomy is providing.

The Humvee kicks up air and once it lands, having them all bang their heads on the ceiling, cursing Roomy for his driving. "It's not my fault these roads are so winding okay!?" Roomy replied to the howl of complaints that came after that slam, before taking another extreme turn to take a 45-degree angle road split to the North Gate. "Just sit tight! It'll all be over!"

"This is Humvee 2, we're going as fast as we can to the North Gate. There have been some obstructions along the way so we will be late to the party." Came through the radio, prompting Richard to nod out of instinct.

Realizing that it's a radio and not a face-to-face conversation, Richard speaks through it again. "Roger that, we're en-route as well. Just get there as fast as you can, we'll wait for you. Over and out!" Richard then places the radio microphone back to its holder in the Humvee, moving his now freed hand to hold onto the edge of his seat and try to survive Roomy's driving.

Richard braces for the next several minutes. It can't be though, how has 049 advanced so much in the practices that allow it to create intelligent zombies? He tightens his grip around the overhead handgrip, feeling his anger beginning to swell up inside as his gaze is fixed on the road as they all speed down it.

Anger, disappointment. He's angry because the Foundation takes so long to recapture 049, leading to giving it the time and space it needs to become more proficient in its practice, maybe in this case it's malpractice but that's beside the point. Disappointed because they really could've captured 049 sooner.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Richard shakes his head to get these unproductive and unhealthy thoughts and feelings out. As of right now, he has a city, and his men to protect and he's not planning to give 049 any leverage. "Alright! Remember! Support is coming, ETA forty minutes! We're going to hold the North Gate until then, get ready!"

Cassie and Roomy both nod to Richard, with Cassie cocking her rifle, while Larry that's up and above in the .50 Cal cocks the machine gun. The distant sound of gunfire begins to crawl closer and closer, its echo reaching their ears while the shouts and screams of civilians and soldiers alike mix with the gunfire into a symphony of fire and death.

The Humvee comes into a screeching halt right in front of the closed wooden gate, designed to stop the bandits in the event they breakthrough. "Let's go!" Richard yells once again, scrambling out of the vehicle while Larry climbs out of the hole and hopping off the Humvee.

Roomy goes ahead and pulls open the large makeshift wooden gate, staying to keep it open as he lets Richard, Cassie, and Larry in. Rory walks over to Roomy, looking up at him with a smirk before heading in. Roomy rolls his eyes and a huff of annoyance before running in himself, leaving the gate closed behind him.

Moving in the central courtyard, Richard goes to the Bradley that's parked right in the middle of it. Standing beside the Humvee is Lelei, holding her staff tightly as she is entranced by the gunfire show happening in front of her up on the parapets. Richard ignores the mage and moves to a Private First-Class standing on the other side of the Bradley.

Richard grabs the man by his shoulder and turns him around, placing a second hand on his shoulder. "Give me a sitrep! Why is the Staff Sergeant making you guys stand around back here!?" Richard demanded the reason for the Private's lack of involvement in the defense. Richard's sudden appearance and yelling took the Private by surprise, but the man composes himself quickly before answering.

An explosion rang out from outside the walls, its boom travel through the air and kicking up dust and dirt from the ground. Richard didn't catch what the Private said, so he leans closer with his ear, genuinely asking the Private to repeat it. Before the Private can begin again, the gates buckled and move causing the Private to lower himself for a moment. "W-We're assigned back here with the Bradley in case they break through the gates, sir!"

Richard squints his eyes and concentrates on the gates, and it buckled again as someone shouted from battlements. Richard couldn't quite outline what they said, but it has to do something with the gates. "And looks like you're going to start your shift soon, get ready!" Richard replied, patting the shoulder of the Private before jogging to Roomy who's holding position, aiming at the gates.

Roomy notices the Lieutenant's arrival by a glance of his head, but ultimately placing his full attention on the gate. "Sir, I think the gate won't hold much longer. We have to do something before they create a breakthrough!" Richard was about to answer, but just then he sees the silhouette of a petite woman, and a giant halberd jumping her way up to the walls. It's Rory Mercury.

Rory stood in anticipation on the wall, licking her lips as she feels the blood spilling outside the walls. She craves battle, she craves more death, and the sea of flesh and bones outside must be very appetizing to her. The Demigoddess turns her head towards Richard, a massive grin on her face.'Oh, you're not doing what I'm thinking you're doing, right?.' Richard hoped. He's hoping Rory wouldn't go through with it.

And as if she's reading his thoughts, she gives a slow nod to the Lieutenant, her grin turning to a crazed smile. "Rory no!" Richard called out to the Demigoddess, not wanting her to compromise the plan, but his please were ignored by the immortal being. A crouch, then a push, she took off into the air.

Rory spins while traveling through the air, conducting an elaborate, beautiful dance. At the apex of her rise, she strikes a beautiful pose, like a gorgeous princess in the presence of her lover. But that display of elegance was short-lived, as the demigoddess broke into maniacal laughter, raising her halberd high above her head as she crashes down into the thick of it all.

Richard curses beneath his breath, patting Roomy's shoulder and gesturing to him to stay put. Richard runs up the stairs to the top of the wall, seeing the cloud of dust, mud, and dirt that kicked up due to Rory's landing. Richard rendezvous with the rest of Gideon's team, taking position behind the parapets next to the Staff Sergeant. "Staff Sergeant! Sorry that I'm late for the party!" Richard humored the Sergeant just a little bit, chuckling with a wide smile on his face.

Staff Sergeant Gideon loosens up for a second to share a similar chuckle with the Lieutenant, a smile curling upon his face as he takes cover and addresses the Lieutenant. "Better late than never. What the hell was that, Lieutenant? I only saw a glimpse but was it that chick with the giant ax you brought around in your Humvee!?"

"Affirm, Sergeant. Now I want your men to protect her at all costs! She can handle herself but just give her a helping hand." Richard doesn't know what else he can say. Rory is a demigoddess, that's for sure, but inside a horde of zombies made by 049, he's unsure. There is running the risk of Rory being touched by 049, and that's what concerns Richard the most right now.

He closes his eyes, and for the first time in probably a year, he prays that everything will go alright. He lifts himself from behind cover and looks down at the battlefield. Thankfully it's quite easy to notice the rampaging little girl with a giant ax, tearing through the armor the zombies are using and melting through their rotting, blistering flesh.

In just a few seconds, Richard witnesses Rory killing 10 zombies in one single swing of that halberd. He stares in complete awe with her battle style. That petite and light body of hers plays perfectly into the acrobatic maneuvers she is conducting, leaping above and sweeping beneath the zombies to initiate her next strike. And while there's some obvious weight to that halberd, the way she handles it expresses that of an experienced fighter with a weapon accustomed to them.

Plastered on her face is such a euphoric smile, her eyes wide in both excitement and concentration. Occasionally howling maniacally while cutting down scores of zombies, both with her own body and her own body. Richard continues to watch, even though he's taught that it's rude to stare at girls, but the scene unfolding in front of him has put him into a trance.

Such a small, innocent-looking girl, managing to dish out more damage than any single man or woman can ever do. "-tenant!" Richard snaps out of the trance, blinking rapidly, looking around and recovering from staring so long. Richard's eyes fell onto Gideons', and the Staff Sergeant give a firm nod, telling Richard to stay in the game. Richard nods and swallows a pretty big ball in his throat, looking back over the parapets to see Rory.

While she's in the heat of the action, Gideon's squad is hitting its targets as well. Every zombie that advances on the demigoddess's back gets a shot either through the head or the torso, before slumping onto the ground dead. Looks like they're adhering to Richard's orders, and everything's going smoothly. In time, they may not require any support from the base.

"Crap! I'm out!" Richard heard from one of Gideon's men. "I'm out too!" Richard hears another. Then the SAW stops its rhythmic symphony of carnage as it too has run out of ammo. Richard takes his statement back, they need support and they need it now. "I have visual on the plague doctor!" Richard's blood run cold, snapping his head to the person that had shouted those words.

"WHERE!?" Richard shouts back, demanding a location. The soldier then points down on a specific location, prompting Richard to look the same way. It is the plague doctor, his beak, and soulless eyes with dark robes signaling that death is near. 'Fuck'. His worst fears are now ramping up. What if 049 touches Rory? Will she die? Will she turn into one of its lifeless, zombie minions?

It strides slowly, across the pools of blood that pour out from the holes of his zombie minions that had been killed. Past the smoke and dust, through the still alive zombies. 'Please, please don't be walking towards Rory.'. Unfortunately, the thing is walking towards Rory, it's head unmoving, dead-set on the demigoddess that's decimating its forces.

'Shit' Richard cursed, clicking his tongue as he thinks about what to do. He needs to be quick, he doesn't want 049 to be anywhere near Rory. Growling in frustration, he leans forward on the parapets and shouts down to Rory louder than the gunfire. "RORY, DON'T LET HIM LAY A FINGER ON YOU"

[-]

Rory looks up towards Richard for a moment, then looked around to find who "him" is. Thankfully, Rory notices the menacing plague doctor, slowly approaching the girl. However with her concentration broken from fighting she receives some nasty gashes and slices from the zombies around her with their weapons. Yelling again in anger, Richard cocks his gun and begins laying lead downrange to kill the zombies around Rory.

With the assist from Richard, and a moment later from the rest of the squad, Rory can comfortably focus on the plague doctor. The one that has done this to all of these people. She does not feel fear, nor remorse, but she feels a little admired by his work. So many men, killed, and then revived, only to be killed again. It's a skill that Rory finds admirable, as she stood tall with her halberd on her side, just watching the plague doctor approach her.

"I admit~" Rory began, that smile of hers curling up even further to her eyes. "The work you've done here has been… delicious~" She continued. The plague doctor finishes his stride and takes a stand a comfortable distance away. He raises his hand and places it on his chin, inspecting the demigoddess with keen interest. Noticing his stare, Rory giggles to herself. It's not the first time she's received gazes from passerby's, but she feels like this one's different.

Rory begins with a simple pose, taking a side step and exposing her side while arching her back. Hand on her hip while the other held her halberd, her head turned at the doctor still with her smile. "I certainly hope you enjoy this little… sightseeing." She realizes that he is no man, nor he is a beast. He is something in between, an… anomaly in this world.

The zombies then begin ignoring her and continue their assault on the North Gate. The two are left alone in the field of rotting bodies, the smell of lead, iron, and dirt and ash potent in the air. "Very interesting" The doctor broke the ensuing silence, his voice booming and echoing across the battlefield. "I do not sense the pestilence within you. You are not afraid, you find enjoyment in this activity." He remarks intellectually, crossing his arms after stating his observation.

Rory giggles and swing her halberd around, spinning it with her hands in front of herself before stomping it back down on the ground in her other hand. "I am Rory Mercury after all~. Servant of the God Of War, Emroy~. It's only natural for me to find enjoyment… in this activity."

"Not only do you find enjoyment, but you are heavily aroused."

"Hey!" Rory yells out in shock, pushing down her skirt after his remark and making her best expression of a shocked and embarrassed face. "You don't just say that to a girl! That's so rude!"

"My apologies then" The doctor apologized, letting his arms fall onto his sides before taking a step forward to get closer to Rory. "I will have to take a closer examination of you, Miss Rory. You will be of great asset in my mission to eradicate the pestilence that has invaded these lands."

"Ehe~" Rory purrs, lifting her halberd, and points the sharp tip on top at the doctor. Both as a warning to don't take a step closer, and a firm disagreement from the demigoddess. "Sorry, I'm taken already! And they want you dead, doctor." Rory moves her foot back and crouches down, holding her halberd with both of her hands as she enters a fighting stance. "I'm afraid I'll have to refuse that offer." She formalizes verbally, winking.

The doctor lets out a small grunt, taking a step back and lowering into a fighting stance himself. "What a shame."

The doctor goes for an immediate forward lunge, covering the distance between the two fighters in a blink of an eye before reaching out to grab the demigoddess on the throat. Rory was taken by surprise, but her reflexes most likely saved her life and she backflips away from the threat. After landing she circles the doctor in a run, then sliding towards him before taking off and going for a power slam with her halberd held high.

The doctor does a simple sidestep and letting the demigoddess blast the ground where the doctor once was, leaving him unharmed. Once she landed the doctor once again goes on the offensive and run forward. He then commandeers one of the zombies as a wall-step, diving down on the demigoddess once again in an attempt to touch the goddess.

However, the doctor was smacked away with the hilt of her massive halberd. Rory spins it within her hand, then moving onward to the staggered doctor. A small jump she cranes her body around, charging a slide slash with her halberd. The doctor foresaw the move and duck his head, narrowingly missing the blade of the halberd. Rory brings the halberd back, using the smaller, back blade for her second attack.

The doctor caught the halberd in its move, holding it by the handle then jumping forward with his idle hand, ready to grasp the demigoddess. "Eep!" Rory squealed, taking one step back and pulled her halberd. The blunt side of the back-blade caught the doctor's back, and he is flung forward without touching the demigoddess.

Down on the ground with dust in his eyes, the doctor roll around to see Rory readying her blade high in the air. She moves it on down and strikes, yet the doctor rolls to his right and escapes the strike. The doctor looks down towards Rory's feet, and with his pull on hers. Rory loses balance and starts falling backward, but her acrobatic skills come into the clutch and she backflips out of the dangerous predicament.

The doctor quickly goes back on his feet and curls up his hand into a fist. The zombies around her turn and hold out their arms in an attempt to keep her in place. Rory whirlwinds with her halberd, cutting the approaching zombies that surround her in half. Her move sends limbs and bodies flying, the doctor ducking to avoid a loose arm that flew at him.

The doctor slips his clenched hand beneath his robe and brandishes a bone-saw from underneath. Armed with a weapon, this will be interesting. Rory smiles, as her excitement goes through the roof after seeing the doctor materializing a weapon. A crazed laugh comes from her before she lunges forward and strikes down on the doctor, which the doctor blocks with his bone saw. A stalemate ensues as Rory's halberd is caught in between the serrated blade of the bones saw.

Rory pulls the halberd away and strikes on the sides, one strike, two strikes, but the doctor parries them all with the bone saw with extreme precision and excellent technique. Sparks continue to fly off, as the two weapons clash and struggle against one another. Both are very formidable enemies in the field of battle and Rory is just getting started.

The sun's rays befell on their bodies, its warmth blanketing their bodies that had been out in the night for so long. The chopping rhythm of helicopter blades comes into earshot, as the doctor pushes away Rory's blade. "It appears I must take my leave, Miss Rory. I will ensure the next time we meet, you will not fall out of my grasp."

Rory gnashes her teeth. She was just about to go all out on the doctor, and she shouts in frustration. "I was just about to get serious, doctor!" But her words fall on deaf ears, as the doctor run and disappear in the sea of flesh and bones. Rory growls in frustration, anger beginning to swell up as she considers tracking him down.

However a voice calls out to her from the parapets, and facing the source of the voice, she sees Richard waving at her. Rory sighs in defeat, before jumping up and get herself back on the wall. As she does so a pair of Apache helicopters strafe the ground in front of the wall with hellfire missiles, the ground shook in its wake as the air moves like waves due to the helicopters' blades.

The strafing run clears out the last of the zombie horde. And while it is unconfirmed, no one saw any stragglers running away from the battle. Overseeing the ground in front of the North Gate, it's a pile of a dismembered, unrecognizable mass of blood, meat, bones, and nerves. Maybe it had some resemblance to a pile of bodies, but the hellfire missiles ensure that anything there, alive or dead, is minced meat in the end.

Black hawks hover above, as the rope is thrown down and men begin sliding down and deploy in the city of Italica. Richard first checks on Rory, her dress a dirty mess, with cuts and some bruises on her body but she appears unharmed. Richard lets out a sigh of relief, nodding to Rory with a solemn smile she replies with a smile on her own. Her smile is appreciative, as in she appreciates Richard's concern.

Richard closes his eyes and looks towards the East, towards the direction of the rising sun, and opens his eyes once again. He lets out another heavy sigh, relieved, and happy that they got through the night. Richard looks around at his squad, laying back against the parapets or laying down on the ground, just as exhausted as he is.

The gate holds, and Italica is saved.