[BoxHead]

Chapter 18: Preparations

It was 0500 hours when they woke me up. The Black Dawn Army was on its way. We were rushed outside as I saw at least 30 mortar cannons, long slender metal cannons, glowing with strange energy. I had seen them around the place before, but I didn’t know there were this many of them. Strangely enough, people were inserting random pieces of scrap metal in it.

I saw Thomas holding a giant bulging bag over his shoulder. It looked like a boulder or rock stuffed inside. The giant, dark chains looked as ominous as ever, but I still wondered how that would protect the base. He turned to me. “It is time to show me your skills,” Thomas said.

I nodded as his eyes pierced into my soul. He was a mysterious character who always made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Even though he outwardly told me that Nazis killed him, you would think that there is something he is hiding from us.

His powers seemed devastating compared to mine. I still didn’t know how Roy found him weak. Speaking of which, he approached me. “Sleepy, huh?”

“Yeah. I heard one night that they would be here in two days,”

He was surprised I heard that, but he said, “Yeah… It seems that they came early. Anyways, we are in a group to attack the east flank of the army. We have noticed that General Heinrich Schmidt has three Colonels. Each of them is Umbras.”

“Each Umbra has superhuman abilities. These are basically physical or magical transformations that aren’t elemental. If you see one, run. They are on a different level than the bull golem you fought before. You have no chance against them,” He told me.

“These things are menacing. I fought one that could turn enlarge any body part at will. Imagine fighting a guy with arms the size of 18-wheelers, all the while watching out for fingertips covered with spikes. I barely survived, but that was when I was a Captain, so there is a big difference then and now, but that doesn’t matter. Anyways, let’s go.”

We walked through some corridors until we reached our group of about 250, a fourth of the Reapers here. It was jam-packed with Sergeants, Officers, and Lieutenants. I didn’t feel that significant around all of these people. As time passed, gates opened as we all walked outside and saw lights of the approaching army.

I looked around and saw our insignificant force, but I new that we would win… hopefully. The General stood in front of the army and cleared his throat. “Today is a day where we will risk our lives, power, and most importantly, our honor. This is not an average mission or battle. Your lives will be risked as you look to attack any Black Dawn soldier in sight. Your power will be tested on your survivability. However, your honor will be tested by your bravery in battle. If you see any Reaper retreat, you can strike them down. As we march, you will show all three qualities. Now, off to battle!”

We all marched down towards the army. They held spears, rifles, swords, clubs, and other weapons. In the front was a lean man with blonde hair who seemed to be General Schmidt. Behind him were three Colonels. One was 7 feet tall and was a bit stocky with dark brown hair. Another was a thin, petite lady who looked innocent enough, but I knew it was a ruse. The last one was a 6-foot tall man wearing a long hooded robe that put a shadow over his face. Each leader of our group raised their hands as we all charged.