The trench was shallow enough that a good jump would carry us out, provided we didn't choke on the dust or get taken out by raining debris on the way up.

Hunkering down, we pulled our makeshift protection over our heads and as the last of the light was shut out, I couldn't fight the sickening feeling that we'd just prepared our own grave.

To my right, a gentle light flared, and Sizec spoke. "Glow rod. Keep our eyes accustomed to the light. Don't want to be blinded when we jump out."

"Good call," Oro replied, shifting his feet, ready to launch himself from the hole when the time came.

I could barely talk. My heart was beating like a drum as I listened for the tremor, trying not to think about the enormity and the insanity of what we were about to do. All so we could return to the questionable safety of an oppressive little cave surrounded by monsters.

I pushed down the minor freak-out, relaxed my grip on the flare rod and settled my breathing. There was no time for doubt now. Only to focus on the task ahead.

The tremble came. My instincts kicked in, and I dropped the shield as the world erupted into deafening noise.

The rocks began to rain down. Being the smallest, I took very few of the impacts, though the grunts of the others told me they were enough to cause concern.

Like popcorn cooking in the microwave, I waited for the banging to slow but not stop altogether. That's how you got burned popcorn, or in this case, four dead Union soldiers.

"GO!" I screamed, taking the lead. I heaved at the laden cover we'd made, but only when the Unalarans either side of me added their strength did it fly back.

We shot out into a world thick with dust and raining debris. I couldn't see ahead of me, but we were already pointed in the right direction, so I put my head down and ran.

I could hardly believe each footstep we made didn't end in death, but as the dust cloud lessened ahead of us, marking the path through our garden of grenades, I started to believe again.

We could do this.

The sounds of the Xeo shrieking in rage and confusion spurred us on, but when full visibility finally returned and I could see the others racing either side of me, a different type of shriek reached us.

It sounded more urgent. More direct. It felt like a warning. I knew in my gut that we'd been spotted.

Still onward we went.

A shout from Sizec had my head spinning. One of the Xeo was almost on him. He activated his flare, appearing calm in the face of certain death. The recoiled and veered away, stumbling and falling into a roll on the rocky ground.

It was a short-lived reprieve as it regained its feet with impressive agility and bounded after Sizec again.

If I didn't get the shield up, he was dead. Or... there was another option. One I should have saved, but I couldn't help myself. As the Xeo leapt for the defenseless Sizec, primed to kill, I fired off a Spirit Blast.

The attack was aimed at the wide target of its chest, but it dropped faster than I'd judged and it was caught in the face. Its open maw exploded. Its direction diverted, sending it crashing to the ground a few paces away from the Archon.

Dead or not, it was out of the game, meaning we only had three left to contend with and Sizec was able to run on.

A glance back filled me with some hope. None of the other three were in sight amidst the dust cloud. How much further could we make it before we had to create a new shield?

I was about to drop my head and increase my speed when I noticed Sizec had gained a sizeable lead.

"Slow!" I screamed after him. If he heard me, he showed no signs of it. His near-death experience must have scrambled his senses. Though, as he reached the foot of the mountainside and leapt high to grab a ledge, it hit me that maybe he was the smart one.

At my side, Oro shouted, "THEY'RE COMING!"

Sizec heard that and turned briefly to check. Whatever he saw spurred him on and he scrambled up the mountainside like a madman.

"I'm gonna have to use the shield!" I shouted back.

"Not yet!" Oro warned.

I clutched the shield rod firmly in my hand, hoping whatever he planned was worth it. "Say when!"

We kept going, the pounding of Xeo footfalls echoed around the open space making it hard to judge their proximity. I had to trust the Unalaran.

"Now!" Oro roared.

Without conscious thought, I activated the shield. It blossomed from the rod like a shimmering flower, but the footsteps still came.

"SHIT!" Oro screamed and activated his flare.

I turned and my blood ran cold when I saw that one of the Xeo was in the shield with us.

It swerved from Oro's flare running blindly into Enil's path. The younger Unalaran smashed his massive axe into its startled face and Oro recovered in time to take a swing at it with his own axe.

If their attacks caused any damage, I couldn't see it, and the beast was barely fazed.

I hurled a Concussive rod at it, with a throat-rasping roar to warn my friends.

They both dove away as the rod erupted against the beasts side.

It staggered, dazed and unsteady, with a couple of cracks appearing in its natural armor.

A brief flicker of hope was swiftly guttered as its hate-filled eyes turned on me.

"Use your power," Oro demanded.

"If I do, we'll lose the shield. I'm borderline out of mana."

In all honesty, after my last attack, I wasn't even sure how long the shield would hold. Not for the first time I cursed the lack of definitive information on available mana. A vague sense, and of course, collapsing when you were emptied was no way to plan an engagement.

Oro growled back. "If you don't use it, we're done anyway."

I threw another Concussive rod, and we backed off further.

"Throw everything you've got!" I yelled, throwing a flare as I spoke.

The Xeo flinched but didn't startle or veer away this time. Clearly it had gotten used to the flares, and that avenue of distraction was done.

I raked out a Flame Rod next. Twisting and hurling it in one fluid motion.

Both Oro and Enil had warmed to the idea and had started throwing grenades as well, and the shield, harnessing all of that explosive power, suddenly felt like a shaken snow globe.

As bad as it was for us, it was ten times worse for the Xeo, being pounded from all sides.

I felt some measure of hope as the damage began to stack. Cracks spread and deepened across its body.

That hope drained once again as it was still on its feet when I ran out of Concussive and Flame Rods.

All I had left were Water and Earth, which were no use in the situation, and Lightning, which I had no idea how to use.

The fact that Oro and Enil didn't risk throwing them suggested they'd be far too dangerous to us in the close confines. While they threw what they had left, I pulled out the lance from my supply rod.

"It's definitely weaker," I shouted. "We can do this without spirit energy. I know we can."

Oro grunted strained agreement. The Xeo, however, seemed to understand my words in some way, and on unsteady legs, bounded toward me.

Closing the distance, it paused briefly to emit a burst of green power.

A wave of nausea washed over me as we were blasted backward. I fell to the ground, queasy but undamaged and very relieved its attack hadn't been acid based.

After the blast, the Xeo leapt high, looking to finish me off. I angled my lance, butt against the floor, then accepted I wasn't going to survive this without Spirit Energy.

By the time I coated my fist, the Xeo had landed.

To the surprise of everyone present, and I included myself and the Xeo in that number, the point of the lance caught one of the cracks in its bulbous metallic armor and the beast came to a jarring halt just out of reach of my Spirit Strike.

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I cursed myself for not summoning the weaker, but throwable Spirit Blast, but when Oro struck with a resounding blow of his axe again, targeting the crack on its right shoulder, and Enil moved alongside him, striking the same spot with the ferocity of a charging rhino, I felt a renewed hope.

Absorbing the Spirit Strike back into my body, I gripped the lance two-handed and, using all my strength, tried to hold the thrashing Xeo in place.

A few more blows saw the Xeo's arm crack right through and the beast toppled, roaring in agony.

I rolled to my feet, pulled out my sword and joined the others as the relief we'd be able to kill it without using the last of my mana washed over me.

We might still survive this.

The Xeo lasted another minute before we opened the crack on its head wide enough to get a killing shot on its weird pulsating brain.

The mottled mass looked like an alcoholic's liver, and was as vulnerable as any normal flesh. When Oro's axe bit deep, the light faded from its eyes, and it was done.

"Well done," Enil said to everyone and no one in particular as he gasped for air.

I scanned around our barrier to discover neither of the remaining Xeo were there.

Enil pointed at the cave entrance. "Up there."

I followed his finger and frowned. One of the two remaining Xeo had grown. Not a lot, but after having them stalk the shield for almost two hours, I'd become quite familiar with their appearance and there was a definite change.

My heart broke a little as Oro explained in a somber tone. "They caught Sizec. Joral rushed out and tried to help with grenades, but there was nothing he could do. Roan and Artis from your Cohort were nowhere to be seen."

His words cut like a knife. "They're no Cohort of mine."

Enil nodded. "I didn't see the end, but judging by the size of that one, I'd say it absorbed his energy."

"I'd say you're right."

The three of us stood watching the scene, the Xeo paying no attention as they smashed into the cave mouth, desperate to get in.

"So..." Oro said. "What are our options now?"

"I'm going to run out of mana. So I suppose we wait until the shield drops, then get torn apart by those things," I said bitterly. "It's not like we can get to safety, and the way that big one is tearing out chunks of rock, I don't think that cave will be safe again."

They both stood a little longer before Enil spoke. "Your Spirit power is the only thing we've got that kills them well. So if you get drained of mana and they come, we can't defend ourselves."

"Exactly," I agreed.

"Can we drop the shield and sneak away?" he asked. "Hide somewhere until you're recharged?"

I looked at the two monsters and shrugged. "They're pretty focused on what they're doing. But where would we go?"

I looked at the mountain for other crevices as I spoke, but none looked useful.

Enil stamped at the ground again. "We could dig? Make our own cavern?"

"It'd take too long," Oro replied. "And those things would tear through this shitty soil, and get at us in a few minutes."

"Not if they don't see us go in," Enil protested. "It's only for long enough to charge Adam up."

At his words, a horrible idea popped into my head. "Does anyone have any Concussive Rods left?"

Both shook their heads.

"Okay. Then does anyone know what Earth Rods do and if they'd make as big a crater as the Concussive Rods?"

As I spoke, I pulled one of the rods from my storage and read the description:

Earth Force Rod

Type: UCPF Standard-Issue - Terrain Disruption

Activation:

Twist activation initiates a 10-second countdown

Countdown is displayed via a glowing brown line along the rod's shaft.

Effect:

Displaces terrain via localized seismic shockwave

Effective radius: ~20 feet

Designed to destabilize terrain, upend cover, or disrupt enemy footing. Capable of cracking or collapsing floors and walls

Creating small craters, ridges, or fissures

Toppling structures or fortifications built on unstable ground

Disorienting or knocking down enemies

Severing underground supports or anchor Runes.

Trigger Sigil (10 seconds) • Elemental Mana Compression (Earth)

"It should be close," Oro replied. "More unpredictable though. They're always risky unless you're using them far away."

"That probably explains why we didn't find many of them. Still… our alternatives are riskier at the minute."

"What do you suggest?" Enil asked.

I pointed to where our shield reached close to the mountain base. "We blast the ground there. The mountain rock probably runs underneath at the same angle. Might open us some options up?"

"Or," Oro said with a biting tone, "it might bring the mountain or the Xeo down on us. Probably both with our current luck."

"I doubt it. Plus the shield will protect us from any rock falls, and the Xeo will get bored if they think they've got a better chance of killing up there."

"It's a huge risk, Adam. I don't like this plan. Those grenades are not to be trifled with."

It was hard not to snort out a laugh. "You name a solution that doesn't involve extreme risk, and I'll owe you ten tankards of ale when we get back."

For a moment, I thought he was going to try and think of something, but he gave up and nodded. "We dig a hole for it and cover it again. I want as much space as possible between me and that rod when it goes off."

I gave him a thumbs-up. "Sounds good. We've only got ten-seconds though, so if you want it covered, it'll have to be fast."

"Blankets," Enil said. "We put the soil on blankets, and once you place the rod, we tip the soil back in and cover it."

"That works for me, if you think it'll help."

Oro got to work like he was digging a fence post. After a few minutes, he'd made a hole one foot wide and about four feet deep.

Just a narrow hole to drop a grenade in. The sides were gravelly, the soil loose—but for what we needed, it was good work.

I moved over, Earth Rod in hand, while Enil held the edge of the blanket of soil eagerly.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Just do it," Oro growled.

So I did. Twist and drop. The Earth Rod tumbled to the bottom of the hole, and Enil pulled up his blanket.

Then the three of us were off, running to the other side of the shield as fast as our legs could carry us. I was farthest away from the rod when the race began and closest to it when the rod went off.

All three of us went airborne from the explosion. I felt like I'd been slapped by an Ent as I soared through the air.

The flight was short-lived as I slammed into the inside of the shield moments later. I was held there for a few seconds under pressure, and an upward hail of debris smashed into me before I dropped back down to the ground with an unimpressive thunk.

From there, I had to suffer the rain of debris coming back down. This wasn't the worst moment of my life. But it was up there.

"What in the sundered heavens!" Oro said. He was already on his feet a few strides away, looking at the carnage we'd created.

I scraped myself up and hurried over to inspect the massive crater we'd opened. Fifteen feet wide and about ten feet deep, its edges jagged and uneven. It offered no options but showed the mountain wall plunging under the soil.

"Again," I said, suddenly eager to go deeper and see what we could find. "I mean, the water running through our cave had to go somewhere, right?"

As we prepared to repeat the move, the Xeo had come down to inspect what we were doing.

The larger of the two smashed into the shield once, but when I looked over, it stopped and met my eyes.

The intelligence was there again. It promised murder, but it also promised patience. Somehow it knew we were on borrowed time, and it was content to wait.

I put it out of my mind, turning back to Oro, who was already halfway to finishing our next hole. I was a lot more nervous about this one, as I'd have to get out of the crater.

I sure as shit wouldn't be waiting until Enil filled the hole before I ran this time. Both Unalarans were faster and could jump higher than I could.

The moment the rod left my fingers, I turned and sprinted up the crater bank. Launching myself to the top of it, I had to roll quickly to escape, but I regained my feet and set off running.

To my surprise, I wasn't blasted into the air this time. A terrifying tremor ran through the ground, and the belching crater spewed debris up and around the shield again.

Once the dust settled, we inspected our handiwork again. The hole was close to thirty feet deep now, but still offered nothing that looked like an escape.

There was a deep crack in the mountain stone, which I hoped might open up into an access point with some more pursuasion, otherwise, we were going to have to start digging a hidihole for ourselves. That It was not a pleasant idea.

Enill was scratching his head as he looked down. "You said water earlier. Do you think that crack was made by water?"

I shrugged. "My knowledge of geology puts it on the same list as math. I just about understand the words."

Oro grunted something like a laugh.

"Do either of you have any Earth rods? I only had two."

Oro winced. "I think Sizec was carrying the stash of those."

Fuck.

I sighed. "So we only have Lightning and Water left. That's not good." I worked over our options now. I eyed the crack we'd uncovered, then the loose, sandy soil. The latter might hide us, but the Xeo were still watching. If they came down when the shield dropped, they'd dig us out in minutes.

Which meant we had to at least try the crack in the granite rock.

"Water rods, now. Everything you've got."

Oro chuckled as he handed five rods over. Both Enil and I had four each.

"Care to explain?" Oro asked.

"Not really," I replied. "But I'm hoping we can widen this crack with water pressure. Maybe it goes deeper and opens into something we can use."

"I thought you didn't know geology."

"I lied," I lied.

"And you really want to use all of our Water rods?"

I shrugged. "I don't bloody know. We might need more later, but I don't know how much rock they can move individually. I've seen one used, and it wasn't nearly as destructive as Air, Fire, or Earth. You've got more experience with them. Put a number on it."

"It's weaker for this kind of thing." He looked like he was balancing a great weight before he spoke again. "Six. Use six and see what happens."

"Okay. These have a thirty-second timer, so we have a little more time to play with."

I kept two rods in my hand, replacing the others, and waited for the others to do the same. "After five," I warned, then started the count.

"Now!" We each activated the rods and jammed them into the crack. Both of mine slipped deeper than I'd have liked, but there was no way to fix that fuck-up.

Once again I set off sprinting, kicking up dust as I scrambled up and over the crater's edge.

Once there, I risked a look down with eyes shielded and ready to step back if the coming explosion spat up rock shards.

Oro and Enil came alongside me, looking down nervously.

"At least if this doesn't work, we'll have a swimming pool until my mana runs out and the Xeo come and kill us."

Oro cast a withering look at me. Enil was more hopeful. Maybe they can't swim. If this fills up, it still might help.

I wasn't convinced, but I didn't dissuade the hope, either. And then I was fully focused on the explosion.

As expected, the result of the water rods, was not explosive in the same way as the others. No, when these went off, a powerful jet of water two meters wide shot directly up from the crack like a broken water main.

It hit the roof of the shield and was forced around the inside of our protective dome under pressure. It flowed toward us from the outside edge, and that was the moment I knew we'd fucked up.

What started as a creeping flow soon turned into a tidal rush, driving us back into the crater and toward the still-spewing source.

We all tried to move away from the edge in what turned out to be an embarrassing dance of idiots. If Xeo could laugh, then the two spectators above would have been rolling on the floor, clutching their metallic ribs.

I tried to get around to the mountainside to find a handhold on the rocks, but it was useless. The incredible force of the rising water grew too much for my ascended strength, and I was swept away into the crater.

Every frantic attempt to find something to grip failed. Gasping and spluttering, I clung to the hope that the rods would exhaust their power.

That moment came, but not in the way I expected. When the column of water stopped abruptly, I was dragged down even faster, into a swirling vortex.

Then it hit me what was happening. The water was escaping from the bottom of the crater. And we were all going with it.

Down, down, down I went until the crack we had successfully widened, swallowed me whole.

Darkness closed around me, suffocating water pressing in, rough stone walls battering every inch of my body.

I gripped my nose closed, held my breath, and prayed to whatever gods might be listening.

Then I was in freefall. Tumbling in a pitch-black subterranean waterfall born of foolish desperation.

What a way to fucking die.

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