Chapter 245: Fracture L
"Lieutenant down!" The scream cut through another fading vision as I hauled the bleary-eyed soldier to his feet, forcing his shield back into trembling hands. The stench of sewage and fear mingled in the stale air, making each breath a struggle. Maya gripped my arm tightly as we traversed toward the yelling, her fingers digging into my flesh—half for support, half to keep herself upright. Her pulse hammered visibly in her neck, eyes distant and unfocused like a woman walking through a dream.
"How much longer?" The words came out harder than intended, rough with concern.
"As long as I am needed." Maya slapped herself across the face, forcing her mind to rouse. The impact left another mark among the constellation of red welts already decorating her cheek. It was wishful thinking at best. The long nights we'd spent in study and travel meant I was familiar with her mannerisms, the subtle tells in how she composed herself. She balanced precariously on the edge of sleep now, her eyes half-lidded, the effects of the adrenaline fading every time she slowed down to use her magic.
The battle echoed through the tunnel's curved walls, a cacophony of steel and desperation that somehow meant we were holding our ground—for now. Zinn and Sevran both had revived with a vengeance, attacking the lithid's writhing tendrils and driving the shadow monster back with an uncharacteristic ferocity. To this point, they’d both been the stoic sort of warriors, emotionless until the battle was over. It went without saying that their visions had cut as deeply and as personally as mine had.
But even with their contributions, it was a battle of attrition.
The lithid had abandoned its previously selective strategy for a more scattershot approach. An approach that appeared to be working. For every man that we revived, two surrendered to the dark, dropping where they stood, strewn across the sidings or directly into the sewage. The fetid water swallowed them whole, threatening to drag them beneath its murky surface.
I closed my eyes, accepting the reality of what I was seeing. Even if Maya had the stamina of a goddess we'd be beaten on numbers alone. And once she fell, we were truly lost. "Do we play this out?"
"In lieu of what?" Maya spoke through gritted teeth, her words barely audible over the clash of steel and screams.
"A reset."