You’ll never see me go into a building with confirmed antithesis inside. I’ll just bomb the place and let InqueAbyss handle anything left.
-SkyFire in a Samulyfe interview 2056
I could hear the sound of the Fives stomping into the barn from both ends as a small swarm of Threes squeezed in past them. All of them wanted a piece of me, which I understandably did not want to give them in any form other than my boot caving in their skulls.
A quick peek over the plastic wall had me ducking back down to dodge even more quills. I needed to clear a path, otherwise I would have a swarm of Threes jumping into the same farrowing crate as me, which would most likely end with my demise.
Looking down at the metal grate made me pause. With my boots insulated, the only part of me open for electrocution was my head. Meaning, I could do something truly dangerous. I shifted my new gun so the anode was touching the metal grate I was laying on.
“Will this work?”
Yes.
With a squeeze of the trigger the Trill’s hum grew louder as an arc leapt from the tip and into the grate. Suddenly the entire barn was lit up with the light from the electricity treating the metal as one giant jungle gym. After a few seconds of continued firing, I peeked back over to find the Fives dead, then quickly got up and out of the pen.
The interior wiring was almost certainly toast considering the sparks showering from the now shattered light fixtures. Turning on my night vision and looking down at the concrete pathway I was on had me grimacing. I was incredibly lucky there weren’t any Threes who took the side path without scraping against the metal doors of the crates.
Shoving that what-if from my head, I quickly glanced at the two doors. Seeing nothing, I silently cheered for myself, at least until I heard a low warbling sound followed by the sounds of more charging. Raising the gun towards the entrance I came through I was met with another Model Five.
I didn’t even hesitate before firing on it. Rather than a small flood of electrical arcs washing over it, the Trill fired one massive bolt with a snap. It slammed into the Five’s head, and it instantly dropped like a puppet whose strings had been cut. I quickly glanced behind me to find more thorn bushes coming in that door as well. Spinning the gun around, I squeezed the trigger a few more times, only to get pelted in the back by needles.
They may not have penetrated my armor, but they still stung something awful.
“Pyri! I need a way to even this out!”
A C-Foam Launcher would be able to seal the door you went through shut. It-
“Just get it once I can use it!” I spun back around, slapped down the two Fives that had made it inside. “I’ll go over the price later!”
Grimacing, I pulled a nade from the pouch, and threw it towards the door they had already tore down. Spinning back around, I repeatedly pulled the trigger as fast as I could. I was incredibly lucky my night vision acted as welding goggles as well, preventing the bolts of electricity from blinding me.
I began pushing up towards the door, occasionally throwing a new grenade back whenever Pyri warned me that the previous one was about to run out of energy. Finally reaching the door, I found it blocked off by a massive pile of bodies with another Five trying to muscle through it.
Another bolt slapped it upside the head, dropping it in the doorway. I flinched at the mistake I just made. “Pyri, I need something to move these bodies quickly!” I turned to fire at the other door, “Preferably without launching pollen or whatever into the air!”
Put this where you need corpses removed.
I felt the pressure against my hand again, and what looked like a giant knot of hair inside a glass ball dropped into it. Following Pyri’s directions, I tossed it at the doorway, where it shattered against the doorframe. It looked like an untamed weed-eater with strings lashing all over the place. I could barely even blink before it then burst with a whump pushing anything left in the doorway out.
Quickly, move the door into position, and make sure both of your hands are free.
I flung another grenade down the central walkway, and another through the door to buy me some time, then rushed over and lifted the scratched to hell door into an approximation of shut inside the frame, damaged from all the Models forcing their way through.
Stepping back, I laid the Trill against the wall, and positioned my hands in the way Pyri highlighted on my augs. What dropped into my hands was a heavy collection of pipes and tanks mounted together inside a basic frame. A group of four canisters were held together in the back, which led into a large chamber that was spinning, before ending in a long pipe acting as the barrel. To the side was a screen telling me all sorts of important info. Which I ignored in favor of shooting several lumps of goo at the door.
Upon landing, the foam quickly wrapped around the damaged door, filling in any scratches that were through and through, while expanding between the door and frame. With the door sealed I placed the launcher on the wall, and picked my rifle back up.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
“Now what?”
Now you either let the horde push up the pressure on you, or you force them back. You are now committed to this due to the Seventeen spotting you. Be wary of them looking for other ways to force entry to the building. Like- Oh, speak of the devil.
Turning to my left, I saw something that made chills go up my spine. A couple of Fours had reached into the now immobile pit fans in the wall to begin tearing them out of the building. Firing wildly in a vain attempt to hit a tentacle I shouted, “Pyri, I need a little help here!”
Backpack gun controlled by me?
“YES!”
A boxy looking thing dropped onto the floor in front of me. It had the same color scheme as my rifle, had straps on one side, some sort of boxy frame that wrapped around the other three sides, and on the top it had a currently unfolding arm with some sort of dish on the end. Once it reached its full height, it snapped to one of the fans and shot out a bolt of electricity, striking one of the tentacles I was aiming for. It continued down the wall, hitting another as the third Four was able to rip its fan out.
I will lay down cover fire, mount the C-Foam launcher and put the backpack on.
I rushed to the wall as I heard the sound of the backpack firing at the antithesis. Grabbing the launcher while ignoring the dull scratching on the other side of the sealed door. I rushed it back and kneeled down to attach it, only for a set of arms to reach out and pull it to the right side of the backpack.
With the launcher mounted, I heaved the pack off the ground, and looped the straps over my shoulders.
“Fuck, this thing is heavy!” I muttered as I picked up the rifle. Standing back up I began shooting at the far doorway again. “Lets get the fuck out of here. I’m not staying in this deathtrap anymore.”
I began walking up the center hallway, killing off anything that came through the door while Pyri shot anything coming from the new hole in the wall. The Fives had stopped showing up (hopefully as a sign of their dwindling numbers) so all I was left with was Threes and the occasional Nine sneaking in disguised as lumps of moving grass.
It wasn’t long before I realized I had a slight problem. That problem’s name was bodies. “Shit, Pyri, are the hall doors clear?”
Interior yes, exterior no, you will need to throw a few grenades first.
“Good enough.”
With that I crossed to the right wall through a blood soaked crate. Vaulting over the other side, I sent another few shots towards the door before sprinting for the door in the far corner. The backpack thing fired very rapidly when I was crossing opposite of it.
“What am I looking at on the other side of my exit?”
Lots of Model Ones, Threes and pigs controlled by Sevens. I do believe they want you dead quite badly.
Throwing a nade at the door opening to the outside to buy some extra time, I made it through the doorway, and slammed it shut before I dropped my rifle and pulled the launcher up over my shoulder and covered it and the final door going outside in C-Foam.
“Ok Pyri, lay it on me.” I took a moment to breathe a bit heavily, while taking out the last grenade. “Also can I have a nade refill and some sort of fatigue relief?”
Check the counter next to the sink.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 48.1836%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33.3333%">Combat Log!</td>
<td style="width: 6.76947%"> </td>
<td style="width: 6.33188%"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33.3333%">Model One</td>
<td style="width: 6.76947%; text-align: right">x7</td>
<td style="width: 6.33188%; text-align: right">7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33.3333%">Model Three</td>
<td style="width: 6.76947%; text-align: right">x96</td>
<td style="width: 6.33188%; text-align: right">960</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33.3333%">Model Four</td>
<td style="width: 6.76947%; text-align: right">x8</td>
<td style="width: 6.33188%; text-align: right">120</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33.3333%">Model Five</td>
<td style="width: 6.76947%; text-align: right">x17</td>
<td style="width: 6.33188%; text-align: right">340</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33.3333%">Model Seven</td>
<td style="width: 6.76947%; text-align: right">x30</td>
<td style="width: 6.33188%; text-align: right">150</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33.3333%">Model Nine</td>
<td style="width: 6.76947%; text-align: right">x6</td>
<td style="width: 6.33188%; text-align: right">150</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33.3333%">Class I Non-Explosive Launchers</td>
<td style="width: 6.76947%; text-align: right"> </td>
<td style="width: 6.33188%; text-align: right">85</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33.3333%">C-Foam Launcher</td>
<td style="width: 6.76947%; text-align: right"> </td>
<td style="width: 6.33188%; text-align: right">65</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33.3333%">Garrote Wind-Burst Corpse Clearer</td>
<td style="width: 6.76947%; text-align: right"> </td>
<td style="width: 6.33188%; text-align: right">10</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33.3333%">Jacob''s Ladder Ball</td>
<td style="width: 6.76947%; text-align: right">x16</td>
<td style="width: 6.33188%; text-align: right">80</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33.3333%">MK I Vulgoran Auto-Zapper Equipment Pack</td>
<td style="width: 6.76947%; text-align: right"> </td>
<td style="width: 6.33188%; text-align: right">200</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33.3333%">Nutri Pack</td>
<td style="width: 6.76947%; text-align: right"> </td>
<td style="width: 6.33188%; text-align: right">1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33.3333%">Reward:</td>
<td style="width: 6.76947%; text-align: right"> </td>
<td style="width: 6.33188%; text-align: right">1286</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 33.3333%">Total:</td>
<td style="width: 6.76947%"> </td>
<td style="width: 6.33188%; text-align: right">1767</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
My eyes were flooded with a downright massive chart, and got as big as dinner plates when I saw the total at the bottom. “W- Seventeen-HUNDRED? Pyri I know you’re a better shot, but how did we kill this many?”
The grenades you left outside killed off a large portion of the Threes and a few Fives, and it was a protracted battle. One we are technically still in. Drink your juice.
I glanced over to the counter and saw a small juice box with a straw poked through the top. Placing the launcher down, I trudged over and took a sip that practically made me recoil with how GOOD it tasted.
“Pyri, it is outright unfair how yummy this is.”
I will give your compliments to the chef.
“And who is that?”
Me. I appreciate the compliment!
I snickered a bit, “Fair enough.”
I quickly checked the door at the end of the small storage hallway we were in to find it thankfully empty. No pigs were in there today to begin with so it probably ended up ignored. Closing the door I looked at the exit. “Pyri, are they grouping around the door?”
No, they actually aren’t. They might not have heard the door being sealed.
I took another sip of juice. “Considering the ambush, it’s nice to get a little bit lucky.” As I said that my back flared up in pain causing me to hiss through my teeth. “Fuck that stings!”
You got lucky with that as well, a few inches higher and your neck would’ve been full of needles. I can give you a fast acting pain killer for it if you want.
“Do it, and while we’re at it can I get a bit of armor plating and a helmet?”
Why, certainly! However, I advise you put it on quickly, as I do believe we have been detected.
The door leading to the graveyard I just created shuddered.