Firstborn of the Frontier

The scout was a traitor and a liar, and there was no convincing Ao Tian otherwise.

Why else would Qian risk his life to fight alongside Hao Wei, who then in turn risked his life to save the scout? They were partners in crime, of this Ao Tian was certain, and he was beginning to suspect the other scouts were in on it too. The entire reason Qian would allow them to watch his supposed noble sacrifice was clearly an attempt to win them over to the Westerner's cause, and Hao Wei's 'heroic' rescue was part and parcel of the show to sway them over even more. Look at how this loyal and stalwart Vanguard was won over by the traitorous Scion of noble bloodline's cause, so why should they themselves not consider joining hands with the Zhu's?

Yes, that's what this all was, an elaborate effort to win over the hearts and minds of the Vanguard. That's why Ao Tian's attack on the camp failed, because the three scouts were working with the traitor to keep them safe and protected. The bindings on the scouts were merely set dressing, thrown together at some point once it was clear the fight was won. Ao Tian's team had likely been spotted early on and it was this warning which enabled the milk mother to weave a Major Illusion to fool them all. Why else would she expend a costly Third Order Spell in such a manner? At base, the Spell had a duration of a measly 10 minutes and required Concentration to start, so how long could she possibly maintain such a Spell? Going by normal standards, 30 minutes would be considered impressive, and an hour exceptional, so even allowing for her Aberrant bloodline and expertise, any more than 2 hours would be a stretch. Would the woman really waste two Third Order Spells over the course of a 4 hour watch every day out here in the badlands where the right Spell could mean the difference between life and death?

Of course not, and Ao Tian was a fool not to have seen it sooner. The scouts had likely been against him from the start, perhaps even planted into Prince Gong's unit by the General himself. Hence all of Qian's suggestions that they reconsider their course of action, which was his way of helping the enemy. Most likely, the scout had subverted the others to his cause, for they were a solitary sort after all, tending to only mix among themselves, and their vital expertise meant they were afforded much more freedom than almost any other role in the unit. There was no better role for a spy among the Prince's retinue, especially if the scout was as skilled and highly sought after as Qian. That man was the architect of it all, of this, Ao Tian was all but certain, for only a true believer of the cause would die for the Zhu's.

It was wholly evident once the traitor returned with weapons to arm the scouts, their rolling-block rifles with bayonets already fixed. Yihan also received his short sabre, while Shun was given his armoured bracers and Qian received a buckler Ao Tian recognized as belonging to one of the dead. Perhaps one of the others had spotted the scouts working in tandem with the traitor, and the other half of the team had been executed to keep their secret. With the Yao Guai horde surrounding them from three sides however, it seemed they'd given up on their thinly veiled attempts to hide their alliance.

Or so Ao Tian presumed, for why else would the traitor trust the scouts enough to undo their bindings and arm them to boot? Or at least that was the case until Hao Wei approached Ao Tian and his three comrades with more weapons in hand, three rolling block rifles and his own sword as well as an assortment of bucklers and gauntlets. He truly must be desperate then, for though there was no denying that the traitor was an impressive warrior, even he could not survive against the odds arrayed against them. Nor would Ao Tian care to help him, because so long as the traitor died, then his mission was a success even in death. He would much rather survive and resume his efforts to become a Dragon or a Sword Saint, but if his story ended here alongside the Imperial Dragon Hao Wei, then Ao Tian would count himself contented.

Not so for the other man, who was desperately grasping at straws in his cowardly efforts to survive. "It's gonna get ugly in a tick as we punch through the Abby horde," the traitor drawled, looking each of them in the eyes as he spoke with that casual arrogance thick about him. "Won't have much attention to spare to keep you all safe though. You're maintaining the Floating Disc, yeah?" Removing the gag from the man he addressed, the traitor asked, "What's yer name?"

"Gao Qiu."

"Well, Gow Chew," the traitor said, butchering the pronunciation even though he'd just heard it, "So long as you can keep the Disc tethered to Cowie, then you and yours will make it through so long as he does. Thing is, I can't keep you safe while we punch through the horde ahead, so this can go one of two ways. I either leave you and yours bound, gagged, and helpless against any Abby that come close, or I give y'all your weapons and have you protect yourselves."

"I choose the weapons," Gao Qiu replied, and Ao Tian could not tell if the other Vanguard was eager to keep himself safe, serve the traitor, or was simply biding his time to strike a blow against him.

"Smart choice, but it ain't yours to make," the traitor replied, toying with them as he skated alongside their Floating Disc with all of their weapons at the ready. "It's mine, and the thing that's keeping me from making the same one is the fact that every time I look at your buddy and leader Ow Tian here, he's glaring at me like he wishin' me dead and gone." Narrowing his eyes as he met Ao Tian's glare, the traitor scowled and fell silent for a period long enough to be called stifling. Then and only then did he continue to say, "You got a lotta brass. Not only have I already spared your life, I ain't even settled up with you fer hurting my sorta sister back there."

The blond Aberrant was stood up top of the wagon and firing at any Yao Guai that came near, but the gunshots were sporadic and often accompanied by a cheery whoop of celebration. The fight had been beaten out of the Yao Guai, and they were simply pacing the wagon now, pushing the ox and horses to their limits and waiting until the beasts could run no longer. Or until their Yao Guai friends arrived to encircle their group and attack them from all sides, whichever came first, and seeing how the traitor was ready to free and arm his prisoners, Ao Tian would guess the latter.

"So I'm of two minds on the matter," the traitor said, eyes locked on Ao Tian and cold and merciless as could be, so biting Ao Tian had to fight the urge to look away. "One, I leave y'all be and let the Lord sort you out Himself. Or two, I kill little Tian here and arm the other three." Using a Mage Hand to free Ao Tian of his gag, the traitor asked, "Wha'chu think about that?"

Ao Tian spat, but he hardly had saliva enough to do so, and what little came out was lost to the breeze. "Kill me then," he said, hating himself for trembling even as he did. "I'd sooner die than fight alongside you, traitor."

"That so?" Lips turned upwards in wry amusement, he glanced at the other three to gauge their reactions, then asked, "How bout you three? You feel the same as your leader here?"

"I will struggle for survival until my dying breath," Gao Qiu replied, with the solemn intonation of someone who'd said it before. "My parents gave their lives for mine, so I would dishonour them by throwing my life away." The other two nodded like chickens pecking grains, and were they not gagged, Ao Tian suspected they'd be mouthing off similar platitudes in hopes of survival, but he would not be reduced to begging. He was a dragon among men, and he would remain a dragon until death.

"Guess little Tian would rather be a burden than help lighten the load," the traitor said, sounding all too amused as if it were all a joke while his Mage Hands gagged Ao Tian once more. "Well, you three can keep him safe if you like, or you can dump him over the side. Your choice." The Mage Hands undid Gao Qiu's bindings, then the traitor handed over all three rifles. "Free your other two buddies, and then sit tight." Glancing at the other two who'd been wounded in the fight, their legs shredded by a Blast that left them unable to do anything besides sit, the traitor added, "You know. Figuratively speaking. Don't free him, or I'll kill you all." Pointing at Ao Tian as he said it, the traitor skated off without so much as another word, leaving them alone and defenseless but for three rifles for four men and no ammunition to speak of.

"Fear not," Gao Qiu whispered, leaning past Ao Tian to undo the bindings on the other two. "The traitor is watching us closely, and I dare not disobey, but I will free you as soon as there is an opportunity to do so." The other two overheard this and their eyes widened in concern, but a glare of warning was all it took to make them both look away. Small wonder they'd been cowed by the traitor, for these two were weak willed and without courage, broken by their wounds and the Fear Spell from the Aberrant milk mother. Gao Qiu had not fared much better in the moment, as he'd been reduced to crying on the ground without so much as a scratch on him, but at least he'd rallied since then.

Or perhaps not. Perhaps the man was just as he said, a survivor without a cause who'd do anything to keep his head intact. He'd only spoken of freeing Ao Tian, and talk was cheap, so only time would tell if Gao Qiu was a man of his word and devoted to the cause. The traitor had to die, if only so Ao Tian could say he'd dragged the fabled Firstborn down with him, for given the size of the horde still trailing behind and the fact that there were three more out for their blood, he saw little to no chance of escaping the badlands alive, and he'd be damned if he'd die here while the traitor lived to fight another day.

That was the most likely outcome however, for Ao Tian suspected the traitor was planning to cut them loose and leave them to distract the Yao Guai while he and his Aberrants escaped. Considering how effectively he'd seen off the bulk of the horde behind him, Ao Tian was surprised the traitor hadn't cut his horses loose to do just that and perhaps buy them time enough for the ox to pace itself before another fight. The traitor made no move to do so however, and instead spent his time ferrying a bucket of water and a feedbag to each of his animals, starting with the ox of course. He also stocked the horses' saddlebags with some more items, like ammunition, and removed others to lighten the load, mostly clothes and foodstuffs which he shared with his people and the prisoners.

"Might as well eat while we can," he said, while dropping off some bricks of hardtack, which were supposed to be some sort of bread which Ao Tian suspected would make for fine projectiles to Catapult at Yao Guai. There were also slabs of what looked like frozen jam and smelled like congealed fat which did not seem fit for human consumption, but the traitor munched on one such bar sandwiched between two pieces of hardtack. Gao Qiu fed Ao Tian some as well, but after a single bite, he decided he would rather die on an empty stomach than with cracked teeth and bleeding gums.

Either the traitor had the strongest teeth in the world or was using a Cantrip just to eat faster, and Ao Tian wasn't sure which answer he found more intimidating. Even though one could technically cast as many Cantrips as they like, there was still some measure of mental strain involved, and the traitor had been running and fighting for some days now with minimal rest. If he was still able to leisurely cast Cantrips while supposedly resting, then that meant he was fresher than you might otherwise expect, like a masterwork blade that had cut through a hundred steel plates and could still continue cutting without needing to be sharpened. It would be better for it, but it could still continue cutting a hundred more steel plates if need be, and that was the sort of weapon you wanted when facing down against the Yao Guai.

The Zhu's were the Venerable One's spies, political officers, and intelligence agents, but Hao Wei was showing a mastery of magic and combat comparable to the Loyal Great Generals of the Yang Family. Spear masters one and all, they were the only group of warriors to claim superiority over Sword Saints and Battle Monks both and were often selected to lead the Venerable Tian Zi's bodyguards. Their secrets were only ever passed from father to sons however, and thus their numbers were always comparatively few in spite of their best efforts. There were supposedly five Yang Scions dispatched to the Frontier during the Advent, with seven more in the old world preparing for the Second Wave, a number which might well have grown in the almost 19 years since. None of them had made themselves known just yet, and it could be they'd all died in transit, or perhaps were somewhere across the world too far for message by horse, ship, or radio to reach.

Yet another household of the old blood that Ao Tian so very much despised, and there were a few more still to be stamped out from underfoot. The ones operating in and around Fuyuan were less influential than the General however, so it was best to strike at the head of the snake first and deal with the rest once they scattered and fled. As such, it was his duty to bring down the traitorous Firstborn, a man who might well prove even more of a threat than the General himself. At least the General had the Republic's best interests in mind, whereas his nephew was a bloodthirsty, self-serving hypocrite who cared nothing for his people or much of anything outside his own interests. The traitor could feign all he wanted, but he had no concern whatsoever for the dead, save perhaps for some small measure of guilt over killing children so young. That much could only prove he was still human yet, and not wholly the Devil he claimed to be, but this was hardly to be applauded.

Yes, all of this was a ploy to get Ao Tian's comrades on his sides, people he'd win over and use to save his own hide if given half the chance. If their safety was a concern, he'd let them ride inside the steel wagon, or at least put them in the driver's seat while the milk mother and the silver-haired Aberrant rode inside. Though they'd only be covered from the waist down, having that hard steel surrounding them on three sides was better than hope and empty air, for if Gao Qiu were to lose his nerve again or worse be struck and killed, then the Floating Disc they all rode upon would unravel apart and leave them to the tender mercies of the Feral Yao Guai. The same went for the scouts who'd thrown in with him, though Ao Tian noticed they shifted their position further back to the left of the wagon instead of next to the ox at the front.

At the traitor's behest mind you, while leaving Ao Tian and his three comrades close to the front left. If the traitor truly meant to punch through the horde ahead, then they would be the tip of the two-pronged spear alongside the Magical Ox who had a whole slew of Magics to keep himself safe. As for Gao Qiu and their other two comrades, they were all support specialists with defensive Spells prepared, not that the traitor saw fit to hand over their Spell Component pouches. Even the scouts got only what was necessary, while the greatest evidence of Qian's complicit actions was the fact that he had not used his Psychic Blast to kill the traitor the second his gag and bindings were removed.

It would've doomed them all of course, but that would be a small price to pay to ensure the future of the Republic lay with the people instead of held hostage in the hands of a few dwindling old blood houses dead set on clinging to the scraps of power they once held on behalf of the Venerable Son of Heaven. That era was over and done with, and now the people of the Middle Kingdom would have to take matters into their own hands, for the Heavens would not help them now.

Especially given the traitor's desecration of the dead, depositing them into a chute that led to the dark underbelly of the wagon so as not to limit their speed to what the mechanical Floating Sleds could sustain. Which wasn't much slower than what Gao Qui or the other scout could maintain, but any bit of extra speed would be most welcome, albeit ultimately futile.

The traitor cared little for propriety however, for he was truly a Yellow Devil who paid the dead no respect as he skated up to stand between his ox and Ao Tian's group. "Steady now," he said, patting the ox and talking to it like a soldier rather than a creature of burden. "I know you ready and waitin' for the fight, but best to let them come to us." The ox snorted in response and slowed a touch, eliciting a chuckle from the traitor as he rested his hand atop the beast's neck. "You just watch my six and follow on my heels. Go where I go, and pay no mind to anything you might see, got it?"

Again, the bull snorted in response, and were it anyone else, Ao Tian would say it was endearing to see a man talk to his animal like it could understand. "Yeah, yeah," the traitor said, heaving a little sigh while shaking his head. "I ought to know better by now, tellin' you how to do your job. I'm just nervous is all. This is a first for me too, so here's hoping I can keep my head instead of reacting on instinct." Glancing over at Ao Tian's group, then the scouts behind, he raised his voice and shouted, "Just remember. Anchor your Floating Discs and we'll bring you out with us, but you'll have to watch out for yerselves if Abby comes to say hi."

Even with the gag on, Ao Tian couldn't help but scoff, because the traitor wasn't fooling anyone. If it came to a full-on assault against a horde of Feral Yao Guai, then they were absolutely doomed. Even if they were able to chain cast Third Order Spells, there was no way to punch through a sizeable group and come out unscathed. It would take far more than a single Fireball and a Phantasmal Force to see them through this, and Ao Tian could only hope that he would bear witness to the traitor's death before falling to the Yao Guai himself.

A hope that might well soon come to pass after almost three hours had passed, as the skittering horde ahead let loose in an unholy cacophony of clattering clicks and screeches. A battle cry meant to shock and intimidate, and it caught Ao Tian off guard. That was all it did however, as he snapped to attention and turned towards the sound, but Gao Qiu behind him almost lost hold of his rifle. Aside from Ao Tian who was otherwise indisposed, Gao Qiu was the strongest and healthiest among them, but he'd arranged to have the two injured Vanguard to take the front and back of the Floating Disc. Only their legs were injured, which wasn't of much use while seated atop a Floating Disc, but even then, it hardly seemed like the most effective arrangement of resources. Then again, Gao Qiu himself was pivotal to their escape, so perhaps this was for the best, not that Ao Tian believed any of them had a chance to make it out of this alive.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Perhaps the traitor had something up his sleeve, some potion or Spell to see them safely away, but it'd mean abandoning their wagon, horses, ox, and his prisoners too. Which seemed less and less likely considering his actions thus far, because if that was the case, then there was no need to arm the prisoners, shuffle the baggage on the horses, or put on this whole charade. He could just ride at the horde and drink a Fly potion, or Gaseous Form, or set the wagon and prisoners on a collision course with the horde complete with Illusions of himself and his Aberrants while they snuck away like before. In fact, why wasn't the traitor doing just that? The horde behind them might not be tricked, having seen the tactic used once before and being close enough to keep an eye on matters, but these newcomers might well be confused long enough to put them behind the wagon and horses both.

Then again, doing so would give the horde behind a chance to catch up, since they would have to deviate from their course. The terrain did not favour it either, as they were running headlong towards a dried lakebed to their southwest, one deep enough to keep them from easily traversing down it at any decent speed, while it sounded like the oncoming horde was thundering over from ahead and to the northwest. A mistake that, one made by the ox or the traitor, for they'd picked a terrible place to make their last stand. In front and to the right, open plains and no cover to be had whatsoever, while to the left sat an abyss that could be anywhere from 3 meters to a hundred meters deeps as far as Ao Tian could tell. Even if there was a ramp down, that only meant they'd die in a lakebed as opposed to on empty plains, because it wasn't like there was an army of Rangers hiding down there to save them.

Undeterred by the dire circumstances, the traitor continued pushing onwards alongside his ox, accelerating ever so slightly as the seconds passed by to take the lead and set the pace. With his oversized hat atop his head and his long leather jack flapping in the breeze, he cut a staunch figure atop his Floating Disc with his expensive, overpacked rifle in hand. Beneath his jacket, his Mage Hands glowed faintly in a soft blue hue that mingle with the purple Aetheric glow of his Primed weapons. All too briefly, the Hands surged with power and light for an instant. Though nothing else changed and they remained as still as could be resting on the pommel of his pistol Blastguns, Ao Tian suspected the traitor had Conjured forth his upcasted Mage Hands which were capable of using those comically oversized revolvers with deadly effectiveness.

Meaning that was likely the last of his Spells available to him. Just something Ao Tian noted, should it become relevant later on down the line, but for now, he was helpless to do naught except watch as doom came for them all. With luck, death would come swiftly on fang, claw, talon, or some other bug's appendage, and then Ao Tian could go meet his ancestors in shame, with the only good news he could hope to bring being that he witnessed the death of his father's killer.

With a booming click, the darkness was flooded with light thanks the numerous lights dotted all across the wagon's front and rear, ones that burned with a white-hot glow and left Ao Tian dazzled and blinded. From the sound of it, the Yao Guai were similarly affected and were none too pleased by it, their insect voices rising in a deafening buzz of dissonant cries. By then, Ao Tian's eyes had adjusted enough to see what they were up against, and it was actually worse than he'd thought. The way ahead was filled with Ferals as far as the light could reach, not just Swarmlings and Spitters, but Mantids, Beetles, Dreadmaws, and more, all moving as one solid mass of inhuman flesh as they charged headlong towards them. The traitor and Aberrants opened fire on the horde, with the blonde girl even going so far as to use a Dragunov rifle taken off of one of the fallen sharpshooters.

To great effect, better than if its original owner held it in hand. The girl was only passable in melee combat, but her marksmanship was without fault as she targeted the biggest, heaviest Dreadmaws in range and hit her mark more often than not. Easy to see the larger Yao Guai go down, while the traitor went with a different tack as he led the counter charge and used his Firebolts to target the large Beetles to burn them and their passengers alive. Mere droplets in a rainstorm, that was what their efforts amounted to, because even if they emptied all of their guns thrice over before the horde arrived, there would still be more than enough Yao Guai to finish them all off and then some.

As for the milk mother, she had a rifle too, but it was difficult to say who she targeted since there were just so many Yao Guai up ahead. The silver-haired Aberrant simply sat inside the safety of the wagon and watched, no doubt doomed to be the last to fall and the most likely to be taken alive. If Ao Tian could manage it, he would kill the girl before that happened, if only to spare her a fate far worse than death. Though she'd gone against him, it was simply because he'd intended to hurt someone near and dear to her heart, so he had no grudge against a pure soul such as her. Better to gift her with a quick death than to let her fall into the hands of the Great Devourer's minions, who would then use her to not only summon more of their unholy miscreations forth into the world, but perhaps even study her and improve upon their designs.

The traitor lacked the resolve to save her from such a fate, a failing of his that was most unexpected indeed. Ao Tian had been greatly surprised by the genuine remorse in the traitor's expression as he gazed down upon the young Vanguard he'd killed. A boy who's name escaped Ao Tian, or rather because he'd never learned it. He'd been appointed their leader, but he'd never served with any of these men, and thus he'd never familiarized himself with them in any way. Strange how the traitor seemed more affected by their deaths than Ao Tian, and he could not deny the other man was not entirely wrong. It was true that the Republic asked for much, but the goal was a better future for all, and that was a goal worth fighting for. Worth dying for even, as Ao Tian's father had died for it, and as Ao Tian would soon die for it.

But not without regret.

How could he? His life had only just begun with so much he still had yet to do. Was this how his father felt, when he died at the hands of the traitorous Firstborn? Did he too have regrets, or was he fully committed to the cause? Difficult to say which Ao Tian would prefer, because if his father died without regret, then it meant he cared not for his son's fate. It was one thing to trust in the Republic to provide for its sons and daughters, but another altogether to admit that there were some things the Nation could not produce no matter how hard it tried.

Like the love and affection of family, so very different from the intense competition among orphans. As Third Brother, Ao Tian had been the eldest male present wherever he went, and thus everyone held high expectations for him, expectations he strove to meet by devoting all his time to training and practice. There were no more late-night desserts with father, no weekly visits to pay their respects at mother's funerary tablet, no trips to market to pick up new clothes or supplies, or just afternoons spent kicking a beanbag back and forth without ever letting it hit the ground.

Instead, he ate what the Republic provided, wore whatever clothes they placed in his footlocker, went where they told him and learned what they expected. Their set recreation times were spent on physical training, whether it be running, jumping, lifting weights, or anything else to meet whatever goals the trainers set for them. Things changed a little after entering into Sifu Eight-Eye's tutelage, but he had many students and little time for any one individual, not even his prized pupil Ao Tian. Still time enough to present him with his mastercrafted Sword, a gift that was the envy of every other student and one he wore proudly for many years. Looking back on it now however, he wondered when it had lost its allure and became just a tool in hand, one he disgraced with defeat at the hands of a nameless Aberrant girl.

At least he would not have to sit through Sifu's lecture over his loss, going over every detail of the exchange and recreating it to perfection only to be shown exactly how he had failed in almost every possible way. In truth, Ao Tian had not been looking forward to returning to Fuyuan and facing his former Sifu again, for though he seemed a calm and collected sort, the times when he truly lost his temper were terrifying to behold. Ao Tian had never seen it for himself, only heard stories of it from other Vanguard of the First Wave, and they spoke of a heated warrior who struck with the wild ferocity of tiger and the precision of a hummingbird thrusting its beak into the pistil of a flower. He was a staunch supporter of the General, but no less a patriot for it, for he truly believed the best path forward was one set by the General as opposed to the Council of Elders.

A difference in opinion which eventually drove Ao Tian from his Sifu's side, but he regretted not leaving in an aboveboard manner. There was no helping it however, as Prince Gong would only take him in if he provided information as to Jinfeng's whereabouts on this mission. It seemed like a harmless way to curry favour since he merely wanted to impress her. More to the point, it was hardly Ao Tian's place to tell the Prince his efforts were futile, but Jinfeng had stolen his heart and he was not a man accustomed to being told no.

All of which led Ao Tian to where he was now, tied up with nothing to do but watch death approach. A smattering of Yao Guai died as they surged forward, similarly avoiding the dried lakebed and staying on flat ground. Likely because the ground underneath the former lake had been hollowed out in a maze of tunnels and would not support the hoard's weight. Perhaps that was the traitor's ploy here, to make a mad dash for the lakebed and pray the ground would hold out long enough for him to escape while simultaneously crumbling apart beneath the hoard and putting an end to their pursuit. Until the made their way around the lakebed of course, but any reprieve would be a welcome one.

As the seconds passed filled with tension and rapid-fire gunshots however, the traitor kept his course steady without wavering some much as an inch. The fiery pops of the expensive rifle came to an end as he switched it out for his twin steel pistols, while his Mage Hands emerged from beneath his jacket with the pistol Blastguns clutched between their spectral blue fingers. "Stay the course," he shouted, his words barely audible over the screeching Yao Guai, clattering wheels, and metallic clack and snap of Aetherfire. "Do not falter. Do not waver. Do not hesitate. Steady is as steady goes, and kill anything that comes close."

Madness is what it was, sheer madness for the traitor to believe they still had a chance. And he did believe, he had to, else he would not bother with this farce of raising their morale, and yet in spite of his best efforts to remain calm and collected, Ao Tian could not help but sit up straighter to hear the confidence in the other man's voice as he readied to do battle. The Mage Hands were even twirling the pistols on a single finger, forwards, then back, then forwards again, just casually playing around while death approached on skittering legs without so much as even looking at his weapons. Somewhere along the way, all of their guns had fallen silent, and the absence of those futile yet reassuring gunshots sent a chill down Ao Tian's spine.

An Illusion. It had to be. That's why they'd all stopped shooting so as not to give the game away. There was no way for any man to remain this calm in these circumstances, so Ao Tian looked back to the wagon to see if he could spot anything amiss. The milk mother was still there, stood with one foot braced against the side of the wagon and her rifle Blastgun in hand, while up top, the blonde girl had let her plundered Dragunov hang loose from its sling to man the Banishing Wave Cannon instead. There was an impish light in her eyes as she hunched over behind the weapon's mount, bobbing from side to side atop the bumpy wagon ride in barely disguised delight. She found this fun and exciting, same as the traitorous Firstborn really, meaning if this wasn't an Illusion, then there was something terribly wrong with the both of them considering they were riding headlong towards their deaths.

Without the benefit of Gift of Alacrity, Ao Tian spent precious seconds putting it all together, and just as he was about to alert his companions, the traitor proved him wrong by opening up on the crowd with a metallic thump of his Blastgun. One followed by a cheering whoop of delight and more Aetherarms fire that was most decidedly not an Illusion, as there were Ferals falling as they stampeded towards them and getting in the way of their allies. A second Blastgun shot followed suit, carving out a conical swathe of Swarmlings converging upon the traitor and his beast, trapped as they were between the horde and the lakebed. Seeing how it wasn't an Illusion, if ever there were a time to go barrelling off into the low ground, now was it, and the Firstborn did not disappoint.

Turning about as if without weight or momentum, he cut a sharp left and led the way down a rocky ramp and into the riverbed, firing off Blasts at the approaching Swarmlings with support from his Magical Ox as it breathed fire upon the horde while running for all it was worth. The heavy steel wagon skidded aside due to the sharp turn, but without the shuddering crash one might expect, and Ao Tian looked back to see that the ground had been Greased at precisely the right location to help the wagon wheels pivot about without being torn apart by the weight and stress. By the time they were over the pool of grease, the ox had pulled the wagon far enough ahead for its momentum to be hurtling down into the riverbed as opposed to headlong towards the swarm, and judging by the milk mother's satisfied smile, she was the one to thank for it.

They were not out of the fire just yet, for the hoard was hardly willing to give up so easily. They didn't even hesitate to swarm over the banks and down into the ridge, and while Ao Tian might have seen the earth shake and crack just a bit, it was hardly enough to herald a complete collapse. Not even a minor cave in or sinkhole at that, as it took mere seconds for the hoard to blanket the lakebed in their frenzied pursuit of the wagon. Behind them, the blonde Aberrant let loose with an almost identical whoop of joy before triggering the Banishing Wave Cannon with an all too satisfying bellow of mechanical rage, and Ao Tian almost cried out in joy to see a mass of Yao Guai thrown back and rendered dead or senseless by the Blast of pure Force.

The weapon was formidable indeed, but it took time to drain, reload, and Prime the mounted cannon before it could be fired again, and no matter how fast the blonde Aberrant's hands might be, he worried that it would still not be fast enough. Already, the surviving Yao Guai were filling in the void left by their dead and dying, their blood hot and bodies being cannibalized to put on this burst of speed, one that kept them from stopping to feast on the corpses of their brethren. All they had to do was reach the horses hitched to the wagon and they'd drag them all to death, because strong though the ox might be, it was hardly strong enough to contend against an entire horde of Yao Guai.

Except the Firstborn would not allow it, having fallen back to support the rear, and he made for a valiant sight as he cut across the front runners of the swarm and opened up with all four guns in his hands. The twin Blastgun pistols made short work of everything close by, whereas his massive oversized steel pistols pierced through Swarmlings, Spitters, and Beetles alike. The former were slower than the latter, for even upcasted as they were, the Mage Hands were no match for the Firstborn as he carved through the mottled green masses with contemptuous ease as he alternated shots from left and right. Then he was back and around again, moving out of the way just in time for the Banishing Wave Cannon to sound once more. A most heartening display of skill, speed, and timing from the both of them, but one could not help but think it would not be enough.

And it wasn't, for instead of going back to distract the horde once more, the Firstborn pumped his leg furiously to make it back to the ox's side, the both of them already breathing heavily despite the fight having only just started. Looking back and expecting to see Swarmlings launching themselves at the horses, Ao Tian only saw the back doors swing open mere moments before an unholy scream sounded out, one that had him fighting against his bindings in an effort to escape until his neighbour held him down so not as to disturb Gao Qiu.

Who similarly had to be restrained by the other Vanguard with them, and it was a miracle the frightened man was able to hold fast to Concentration and keep their Floating Disc intact. The Scouts behind them seemed similarly shaken, as well they should be considering the Psychic Scream they'd only just endured, one that hit the horde behind much harder than it hit them. Oddly enough, the horses seemed entirely unfazed as they thundered along in what could best be described as an acceptable level of panic considering the circumstances.

All of which changed nothing, for the hoard of pursing Yao Guai would soon regroup and come at them again, and eventually, they would run out of ammunition, Spells, or just plain luck. Already the scouts were being pressed by Ferals, and Yihan cut a fine figure with his fiery sabre sending out scything lines of white-hot death into the hoard. The Elemental Blade Spell was only Second Order, but it was an effective one, and Yihan held a second steel sabre in a reverse grip to defend with. Even then, it was only a matter of time before they were run down and torn apart, assuming their luck was not horrendous. Otherwise, they might well be brought back to the Yao Guai's nest alive if the Heavens had truly forsaken them.

In his desperation, Ao Tian found it odd that the most potent Spellcaster among them had yet to act, so he looked to the milk mother and found her stood with head bowed and a trio of playing cards held to her forehead.

Cards she then cast out to the side to be lost in the darkness of light, which was hardly the effort he'd been hoping to see.

A second later, the ground shook once more, and the horizon shook with it as a muffled roar sounded out from underneath the earth, and Ao Tian's heart sank to hear it. This was the sound of some long slumbering behemoth that had been wakened from its hibernation, meaning soon, yet another Yao Guai horde would emerge from the ground and join in their doomed pursuit. Perhaps they would already be dead by the time they arrived even, though Ao Tian noted how the roar was more bestial than bug-like, an oddity considering the Feral Bug monopoly over this portion of the badlands.

One that soon resolved itself as a lumbering shadowy giant emerged from the ground in a shower of dirt and dust. This was no Feral Bug, but a humanoid Yao Guai of titanic proportions, one that soon revealed itself in a crackling illumination of wreathed lightning that gathered around its protruding brow and shot across its mottled green skin. The newcomer's features were decidedly orc-like, only instead of standing 150 to 160 cm tall, this giant towered over ogres and Dreadmaws at a formidable 6 meters or more, and its deafening bellow of challenge drowned out the furious screeches of the Ferals upset over this intrusion into their territory.

An Illusion. It had to be, and if so, it would not distract the Ferals for long. Even dumb and animalistic Yao Guai would find it odd when their claws and mandibles cut through empty air when they went to kill the oversized intruder. Moreso when a small cadre of Orcs, Ogres, and Trolls emerged alongside it to charge headlong at the Ferals and engage them in a fight. Better to have them hang back and offer at least some intimidation, but that would buy them an extra second or two at most. A disappointing waste of resources from the milk mother who up until now had proved herself a force to be reckoned with, and Ao Tian half expected the Firstborn to scold her soon enough.

The green-skinned giant's electric glow surged in luminosity, then a crackling beam shot out across the sky, one that would only break the Illusion that much quicker when none of the Ferals died. Except that they did, and they died in droves as the luminescent lightning chained across them to strike dozens if not hundreds of Swarmlings, Spitters, Beetles, and even Mantids. Ao Tian almost thought that an Illusion too, but they'd died too far out of range even for a Widened Major Illusion and there was little point to it.

The orcish forces were much smaller than the opposing Ferals, but being Illusions, they were able to shake off injuries that should have crippled or killed them. Their opponents were not so fortunate as they fell before the crude clubs and spears of their bipedal foes who were armoured from head to toe in Aberrtin plates as well as crudely forged armour. The latter was for show, as the claws and fangs passed through them all the same, but the weapons struck home and their targets toppled over dead. There was no pulping of flesh or cracking of chitin, but the bugs died all the same as they were struck by the Spiritual Force imbued into the Illusions that might well have severed their spiritual connection to the physical world. It was most obvious with the giant as crackling lightning shot across its skin in preparation for another blast, only for it to swing a massive stone pillar that looked like a column ripped off the side of a building. The sweeping attack passed through the Ferals and kicked up an Illusory storm of dust, but the bodies keeled over where they stood in the exact same condition as they were in life.

And the Ferals were not clever enough to work things out for themselves, dying still to the Chain Lightning that followed. Even Ao Tian could not say for certain if he could convince himself that the Illusion wasn't real and avoid dying to a direct strike, not when it was wholly capable of killing either way. The army of orcish Illusions rampaged amidst the horde and the Ferals responded in kind, swarming them from all directions only to serve themselves up to their phantasmal foes, and the wagon was all but forgotten as the bulk of the bugs engaged in internecine warfare among their own kind.

How was this possible? A Major Illusion could not kill, and a Phantasmal Image could not be given form and substance. A Conjuration would take damage, but even the greatest summoner on the Frontier couldn't summon a Giant and cadre of well armed Orcs and other elites alongside them. Perhaps it had something to do with the playing cards she'd thrown out, which Ao Tian realized would've been in the general direction of where the orcs had emerged. To his great surprise, he spotted the Firstborn skating headlong into the mess, with guns ablazing to illuminate the grin on his face as he spun in circles while dealing death to the Yao Guai with an almost crazed look of glee.

Only to be tackled by a massive Dreadmaw he didn't see coming.

Joy and disappointment mixed together in Ao Tian's chest, a conflict that was short lived when he spotted the flash of guns continue unabated. Ferals died in droves, and as the conflict faded fast behind them with only a smattering of Ferals still giving chase, Ao Tian watched the distant Firstborn unleash a massive Fireball while fighting alongside the Orcish battalion. Stunned and unable to make sense of the madness, he stared for long seconds more before finally thinking to turn and face front, where he spotted the real Firstborn moving at speed and pushing the ox and Floating Discs as fast as he dared. The one behind was merely another Illusion, albeit a deadly one much like the orc-kin, but Ao Tian did not understand it one whit. The danger was not over yet however, for there were still Ferals giving chase and the Illusions or whatever would not last for long, but it'd bought them precious time to get ahead of the horde and might even kill enough to sate the hunger of the rest.

Now would be the best time for Gao Qiu to free him, but the other man was wholly focused on maintaining the Disc under the stress of high speeds. Even if he could spare the effort, Ao Tian wasn't sure what he would do if given the chance, because it hardly seemed sporting to kill the Firstborn by surprise. A challenge is what Ao Tian desired, an honourable, one on one match, a fair fight as it were and one his foe would not accept, not unless he was forced.

So Ao Tian settled in to think about his next move while keeping close watch on the Firstborn and his Aberrants as they fought off the remnants of the horde still trailing behind. If the Heavens were still on his side, then his moment would come soon enough, for luck was merely the meeting of preparation and opportunity.