Aiden pierced down the hogs one after another, his movements steady and controlled even as chaos filled the settlement. The problem was not his aim or his strength. The problem was the number of them. No matter how many fell, more ironhide boars kept pouring in from the edges of the clearing, their red eyes wide and frantic as if something far worse was driving them forward.
Aiden and the ones still able to fight had formed a tight circle around the largest tent, their bodies and weapons positioned to shield it from every direction.
That tent was the last thing still standing. Everything else had been trampled flat, turned into broken poles, torn fabric, and churned dirt. Inside that tent, the civilians were packed together, the old and the young huddled close with nowhere left to run. If the boars broke through that final space, there would be nothing left to protect.
Aiden raised his pistol and fired at close range, pushing the output high. The energy blast slammed into a boar's back and burned deep into the armored hide.
aKhHHrrK!!
The boar shrieked and staggered, but it did not fall. It thrashed wildly, smashing into the ground and nearly bowling over two natives before Aiden moved again. He hurled a spear with full force, the mech suit feeding power into the throw.
The spear punched through the creature's eye, ending it at last. Aiden did not pause as he pulled another spear into his hand, his eyes already tracking the next target.
He clicked his tongue sharply.
"Damn it. Even on high output, it still takes two clean shots to bring one down. If I push the pistol to max power, it will drain everything too fast.."
The ironhide boars were tough beyond anything normal. Their hides stopped most attacks outright, and even his spears only worked when thrown with enough force to pierce weak points like the eyes. Each successful kill came at a cost.
After the fourth boar fell, the spear he was using cracked and bent, the tip ruined from the strain.
Aiden glanced down at his remaining gear.
Eight spears left.
He looked up and saw the truth of it. The boars were still everywhere, and more were coming. If he relied on his pistol alone, it would overheat long before even a quarter of them were down.
What's worse was Aiden and the natives were slowly being pushed back. Due to them holding a defensive line while a stampede crashed into them from every direction made protecting the tent painfully difficult.
"EVERYONE! Fall back and regroup!" Aiden shouted. "Talren, on me!"
Talren moved immediately, planting himself at Aiden's back, spear raised and breathing hard.
"There are too many!!" Talren said through clenched teeth. "They look scared. Something is chasing them."
That fear settled deep in Talren's gut. The settlement was already surrounded. If the old and the young tried to flee now, they would be crushed under hooves within moments.
From farther away, Marrek's voice rang out, strained but clear.
"If we stall and kill enough of them, they will panic and retreat!"
Aiden's eyes sharpened at the words.
"Talren.." he said quickly. "Gather your fighters and stay close to me. You guys deal the killing blows."
Aiden pulled the remaining spears from his side and shoved them into Talren's waiting hands, also adding the daggers that Aiden carried. Only the shield remained strapped to his arm.
Talren distributed every single one to the people around him. After everything was set and done, it was time to fight again.
"Let's test this mech properly.." Aiden muttered. "J.E.M., amplify my voice."
[VOICE AMPLIFICATION ENGAGED. OUTPUT SET TO MAXIMUM]
Aiden drew in a deep breath and roared.
GGRAaaAHHHHHHH!!
The sound boomed across the clearing, harsh and loud enough to shake the air. Heads snapped toward him as the boars reacted, their attention pulled away from the tent and locked onto the armored figure shouting at them.
Aiden charged.
He swung the shield with everything the mech suit could give him. The motors screamed as power surged, and the impact sent two boars flying backward. Their heavy bodies lifted off the ground before slamming down hard, stunned and gasping.
"KILL!" Aiden shouted.
"Strike the eyes!!!" Talren yelled. "Take them out while they cannot move!"
The natives surged forward. Spears and daggers plunged down again and again as the stunned boars were put down in a frenzy of movement and breathless effort.
Aiden did not slow down at all. He planted his feet and swung the shield in wide, controlled arcs, the mech suit feeding steady power into every movement. Each impact landed with weight, the shield slamming into thick bodies and forcing them off balance.
Some boars were knocked sideways, others were lifted briefly before crashing back down onto the dirt, their legs scrambling as they tried to rise.
The moment a boar hit the ground, the natives rushed in. Spears drove toward eyes and joints, hands shaking from exhaustion but refusing to stop.
Daggers followed, and was thrusted again and again until the struggling weakened and finally ended. Those without clear openings held the boars down with their weight, pinning legs or heads long enough for a killing strike.
Aiden shouted again, his voice carrying over the noise and pulling the boars toward him. As they turned, J.E.M. adjusted his view, warning him of movement from the sides and behind. He shifted his stance constantly, turning just in time to meet charges with the shield or step aside before tusks could reach him.
When a native slipped in the blood soaked ground or was about to be trampled, Aiden reacted instantly. A shot from his pistol slammed into the boar's side or head, not enough to kill it but enough to stun it.
The beast staggered, and the natives closed in without hesitation, ending it before it could recover.
The fighting never fully stopped. Bodies piled up in uneven heaps, steam rising faintly as the ground grew slick beneath their feet. The air was filled with heavy breathing, blunt impacts, and the sounds of effort as both sides continued to press forward.
But more kept coming..
"Stack the bodies!" Aiden shouted. "Use them as a barricade around the tent! Move, now!"
Men and women without weapons rushed forward even as the fighting continued around them. They grabbed the dead boars by legs, tusks, and thick hides, straining as they dragged the heavy bodies into place. Blood and dirt coated their hands, causing their grips to slip again and again, but no one stopped. Faces were tight with effort, backs bent low as muscles burned from the weight.
Weapons began to fail under the strain. Spears cracked or bent after repeated strikes, yet even broken shafts were not thrown aside.
They were used like clubs, swung down onto stunned boars until the movement slowed and finally stopped. Others picked up rocks and thick sticks from the ground, raising them with shaking arms and striking again and again, driven by fear and urgency.
Time blurred as the fighting continued.
What should have been an hour felt far longer. Aiden's mech suit ran hot, heat pressing in around him as warnings flickered at the edge of his vision. His breathing grew heavier with every minute, each breath measured as his stamina drained.
Even so, their efforts were finally answered. The number of boars pressing in began to drop as the stampede thinned, and seeing fewer of them gave the defenders a surge of hope. They pushed themselves harder, dragging faster and striking with what strength they had left, if they held on just a little longer, they will survive this!
Aiden raised his voice again and shouted, drawing the remaining boars toward himself.
Just then----....
GrRROOOOOAAaaaaaAAHH!!
Another monstrous shout answered him.
A deep roar rolled through the forest, low and heavy, multiple stronger than any sound the boars had made. The ground shook beneath their feet as the trees at the edge of the clearing bent and broke. Something massive forced its way through, snapping trunks and crushing brush without slowing.
It was the serpent like monster Aiden had seen near his base, has emerged from the forest.
Its long armored body pushed forward, scales grinding against wood and stone. Boars were crushed beneath its weight as it moved, some disappearing under its body, others swallowed whole in quick, careless motions.
It raised its head and roared again, the sound rolling over the clearing.
Aiden felt his stomach sink.
"Shit...." he muttered.
So that's why the boars were fleeing in fear.