The Battle of Death Mountain: Gamma

[Albert Wesker]

"We appear to be quite alarmingly outnumbered, sir," the synthesized voice of his digital assistant piped up. "If this were a straight numerical comparison, or even a true battle until one side's defeat, the outcome would be all but a foregone conclusion. Statistically speaking, even with the mission's current parameters—"

"I know." Colonel cut the helper navi off. "All we need to do is keep their attention and by time for the others. If we end up getting torn apart, so be it; at least some good might come out of it." He readied his saber as the ground cracked open and the draconic horde spewed forth. "Besides..." His stern expression took on an even more cold cast to it, his tone almost holding something akin to morbid humor as he continued, "...dying twice removes a lot of the fear. The third time might be final, or Omni might not be through with me yet, and it might not. I'm not going to let possibility slow me down."

"Your unwavering determination in the face of another possible dismemberment is truly admirable, sir. I will compose a suitable eulogy to mark your departure, temporary or otherwise, in the event you fall."

As the horde closed in, Miranda went on the offensive, showcasing a surprising amount of brute strength. The so-called wizard, Dresden, unleashed a spectacle of his own, drawing a huge amount of attention and firepower from the angry mob of dragonlings, the wall of ice holding surprisingly fast in the face of such a brutal onslaught. "....time to get to work."

His left arm shot out to one side, fingers slowly curling about the grip of some unseen weapon, even as it slowly formed into being, a digital blueprint of the hulking, multi-barreled missile launcher. It took several seconds, but finally it was fully formed, and his arm momentarily sagged under the weight of the immense weapon. Hauling it upright, he braced it on his shoulder, its trio of barrels pointing skyward. A targeting reticle shot out of one side, forming a holographic screen on which the weapon's missile payloads were displayed. "Maximum firepower....high explosive shells." Locking in the warhead selection, a single pull of the weapon's trigger and a swift triplet of pressurized hisses, the rockets were blasted out of the launcher, and tore a path through the hazy, ash-filled air straight up and out of sight.

Discarding the weapon, it returned to its digital blueprint state, glowing blue lines and shimmering lights, before it disappeared entirely, and the soldier navi brought his saber to bear, making a dash forward toward the cracked, but steady foundation of Dresden's ice wall, the energy of his blade flaring wildly and letting off a sizzling crackle of energy. "Time to cut a path..." A swift leap sent him flying up and over it, right into the sights of the horde. As he had predicted, their eyes all turned up on him for just a moment, the blazing energy in his saber shrouding his entire form in neon green light and harsh, flickering shadows.

"Neo Screen Divide!" A single slash from the blade rent a thundering void in the air, covering the distance between him and the horde in an instant, a sharp Z of vivid green, tearing through several of the dragonlings in the blink of an eye, even as the mechanized soldier's heavy frame landed heavily before the icy barricade, dropping to one knee from the force of his landing. He was immediately set upon by the mass of scaled vermin, clawing, biting, tearing at him, spewing fire and screeching maddeningly at him. He was hard pressed to do more than keep himself from being overwhelmed and born down, torn apart under a mass of writing, scaled beasts, but his saber continued to flash and flare amid the chaos, scoring more than one deep wound on the wyrmlings. It was a brutal contest, leaving a searing gash here, a sparking scratch in his metallic form there, giving as good as he got, and then some.

And then his skyward-fired missiles came back down, hitting the scorched, ashen earth with a resounding series of deafening impacts, like a short-lived rain of thunderbolts, tearing open huge craters and sending members of the horde flying this way and that. And above all, it provided Colonel time to break away and fall back, making a powerful leap to land amid his allies.

"Hold the line together, is it...?" he mused under his breath at Connor's shouting over the din of battle. "...my thoughts exactly."

"And here I thought you left thinking to the strategists, sir!"

Everyone was a critic.