Chapter 1-12: Running Away (2/2)
The Disk had its own low-key movement, which gave me positive pressure forwards, and I could literally control it with a thought, so avoiding any obstructions wasn’t hard. It was kind of like skiing or sledding as I zipped along, and was quite impressed by how fast I could move sitting down like this. It was actually rivaling what the Run spell could have given me if I wasn’t in such horrible shape.
I definitely made the best of the situation, kicking along as fast as I could while the spell duration lasted, zipping down the road where all cars and obstructions had been tossed or shoved out of the way to the sides.
The wall was growing in front of me with marvelous speed, while I watched the timer on the duration of the Disk tick past reluctantly. I had a crappy Caster Level and had no way to boost it for the Disk yet, concentrated as I had been on offense.
It had only been two Renewals, but I hated being weak. No staying power.
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There were about four miles to go when the Disk finally ran out, and I finally had to start walking again.
I had plenty of time, and even at my slow and careful pace, two hours was going to get me there.
The landscape here was more and more leveled, as if it had been casually clawed and tromped on and torn away by a whole lot of things over time. Houses were torn down and scattered over areas, basements sort of filled in, removing line of sight obstructions.
There were lots of craters scattered around, too, which after a time I recognized as artillery barrage holes. I hadn’t heard anything last night, and they looked pretty old and partly filled in by time and the elements, but they indicated that something was on top of, or near the wall ahead.
Hmm, I should probably make sure that they didn’t shoot me, especially giving how I was limping along.
Well, that was what Holo 0 was for. Maintaining this shouldn’t be too hard.
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“Captain, we’ve got a day walker.”
Captain Scott Warren was grim and tired after yet another long and nerve-wracking shift, dealing with the undead who kept trying to climb the Long Island Wall and reach the humans stationed on the other side.
They’d long ago realized that jumpy troops would be affected by the area, shoot at the undead or demons, and let some of them in past the protective barrier by so doing. The ghostly spirits and things would attack with cackling glee, soldiers would shoot, and more undead would start flooding in and causing havoc.
As a result, the wall was now completely abandoned by the soldiers at night. The enemy was allowed to pound at the barrier and the wall itself all it liked, and they’d just inspect it and repair anything in the morning, which generally amounted to nothing more than some rocks thrown at it impotently.
Didn’t stop them from coming back each and every night, however...
He took the field glasses from the spotter, and was able to quickly make out the single tottering figure coming up the road, far in the distance, a good two miles out. He couldn’t make out many details at this range.
“Not moving very fast,” he noted, and squinted, as something had just popped up above it. It was... bright yellow, and then pink, either flashing or spinning; he couldn’t quite make it out.
“Drop a shell on it?” his lieutenant asked, a fresh-faced young officer straight out of the Academy, his eyes now years older after a few months of listening to the wails of the damned here.
“If it comes and it’s a threat, we can just shoot it... although the ones under the sun tend to be special.” Possessed, cultists, constructed things that were abominably tough to kill... the last two were capable of breaching the barrier and getting up the wall, so there had to be troops handy, and very daring, very hardy men standing watch for such surprises, weathering the damnable calls and taunting of the spirits who swirled just fifty feet away from them, hungering for their souls.
Those were some very hard and strong-willed men who took that duty.
“Let it get closer. I want to see what is spinning above it before we do anything.” Yellow and pink was kind of new...
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The figure moved slowly, pausing to rest, leaning against the car-casses dotting the empty area, trampled flat and cleared out long ago by millions of undead.
It was within a mile before Lieutenant Dodge handed the glasses to the Captain with a weird face. “I can make out what’s above her, Captain.”
Captain Warren glanced at the lieutenant, taking the glasses, scanning and focusing on the target quickly. That yellow and pink...
A Yellow Smiley-Face and pink kitten’s face were rotating above someone who had the curves of a young woman with dark hair out there, not looking in very good shape as she stumbled along, her left arm basically hanging limp, and that leg barely able to bend.
“If she’s alive, it looks like something tagged her.” He raised his voice. “Master Helix!” He never understood why these Caster-types all liked to take new names when they hit Five, it was some kind of tradition...