My eyes snapped open abruptly, my face stinging. I looked up to see Kan’on standing over me looking concerned, his hand cocked for another go. He looked aged, like fatigue and gravity had worked on him for ages and were on the cusp of pulling him into a deep slumber.

“Finally. I couldn’t wake you up. It’s like you’re drugged or something. I had to give you a little of the business.” Kan’on leaned back and gave me some space, waving his hand around... which I assumed was 'the business'.

“How long was I out?” I asked at the same time the piercing beat of the Inculid’s ritual slammed into me.

“It’s mid-afternoon, so half the day.”

“Oh shit. Too long, hold on.” I settled my mind, working to reach that certain state of mind where I connected myself to all the incoming and outgoing flows, then set off my spark and consumed every shred of the deeps damned ritual I could sense.

Kan’on snapped up into his normal perfect posture, eyes clear and face fatigue free. The stark difference served to highlight my mistake in falling asleep; I was meant to be monitoring everyone’s condition. My mistake. Well, I was relieved to know that some things never changed, me screwing everything up one of them.

Despite my screw up, I still gained some insight. Based on how quickly Kan’on fell into his condition, the suppressive effects worked around 10 times faster now. That meant that most of the town was probably on the verge of collapsing.

“Shit. I messed up Kan’on. I need to get out there. You should come with me too; we need to prepare, and you need to go meet up with your new best friends.”

Kan’on grimaced and said, “They’re not my best friends. I don’t even really like them, I’m just not a prejudiced ass like you. But yeah, let’s go. I’ve hit a wall. I haven’t been able to improve… just like you predicted.”

I tried my best to hide my smugness, but I must have failed because Kan’on just snorted and turned to walk out of the room. Taking a second to collect myself, I took stock of everything I had. I pulled my sword through the Flow out of my cubby, grabbing a few ration bars while I was at it, then followed him out.

Neither the Baron nor the Count were in the estate when I asked about them on my way out, so I assumed they had already left for town. I’m not sure what they expected to be able to do out there, neither of them knew a damned thing about fighting, but I’m sure they’d figure something out. If not, I’d figure something out for them, to keep them out of my hair.

Kan’on already had our horses brought out by the time I emerged from the manor. Giving the stableboy a nod of thanks, I leapt into the saddle and hardly waited for Kan’on before I urged the horse into motion and headed into town. Instead of making my way straight for the front lines, I went for the first spot Orleander had worked out on the map.

“You should go on ahead and take care of your own stuff. This is going to take me a while. I’ll catch up. Make sure everyone is on alert. As soon as that sun touches the horizon, I fully expect the Carvers to be out in force,” I said.

“As much as I hate to admit it, we’re probably going to need you, so don’t get caught up doing whatever it is your doing.” With a sour look on his face, Kan’on turned and headed off.

You all already need me, and you don’t even realize it. It wasn’t a comfortable thought, knowing that people depended on me. Instead, I turned my attention to disrupting the deeps taken bug’s power.

###

I rode away from the last spot, watching as the town came back to life. Although I couldn’t see the soldiers, I expected them to be just as lively. The fact that everybody’s mind had been fogged over to the suppression effect terrified me. My ability to ‘see’ the flow was the only reason I figured out what was going on, and I wasn’t immune to the effect. I couldn’t imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t figured it out.

As I passed through town, I noticed the townspeople, aimless and despondent, wandering around in the makeshift camp, as well as outside their homes. As much as I hated to admit it, I could relate to them. There had been dark times when I’d been worse off than them and doing less about it. At least these people had some backbone, the mountain spirit and hardy mindset of a laborer community seemed to do a lot to keep them from huddling in dark corners.

I came within sight of the soldiers, alert and ready, if not in rank or formation. I found a likely spot about halfway between the east and west side of the north edge of town amongst the soldiers and planted myself down in a comfortable position against a pile of cast-off timber. For now, I needed to focus my attention on enabling the people doing the fighting. The townsfolk would have to wait until I thought it worth it to dispel the suppressive effect, if it went on that long.

Extending my mental filaments out into the forest, I let them spread as they willed, unsure what it would look like when the Carvers came. I thought I sensed movement throughout the woods, but I couldn’t pinpoint anything. I continued to monitor the area just in case, but I doubted I would be more effective than the scouts that scoured the area.

As soon as the sun dipped far enough that the forest cast more shadows than the sun was able to dispel, the scouts proved me right. A pair raced back to the spikey barricade, gingerly threading their way through the gauntlet, before heading off to report. Whatever they’d seen, I’d missed it.

Orders echoed up and down the line to prepare, the soldiers lining up in ranks and squads and facing the barricade, ready for what approached. Or what we thought approached. Time stretched out as nothing happened. The sun crept closer to the horizon, and the tension increased until it was almost a palpable force in the surrounding air.

Soldiers up and down the line lit torches and lanterns as the light faded. Something they probably should have thought about before they got all riled up for battle. Even I hadn’t thought about it. Orleander was probably calling shots from the shadows. Well, good for him.

Time continued to stretch, a seeming infinity which was probably only 10 minutes. The tension broke when what sounded like hundreds of spears striking wood resounded out through the trees as Carvers leapt from tree to tree, the sharp tips of their appendages spearing each tree trunk in passing. Thousands of eyes reflected the torchlight back at the defenders, appearing like fireflies darting amongst the branches.

The first Carvers reached the edge of the forest, clinging to the trunks, observing the soldiers behind the barricade, completely silent. It didn’t take long for the first creature to try its hand, launching itself through the air only to come up too short before the deadly blockage. It stumbled in and tangled itself in the dense spears of the barricade, trying to regain its balance but having a hard time extricating itself.

The nearest soldiers hesitated, uncertainty coloring their features, before a decisive man stepped forward with his long sword and stabbed at the nightmare mantis trapped inside. Carver chitin didn’t protect as well as a Brute’s or even as well as a normal Ilfid worker, but it was enough to deflect the uncertain thrust of an inexperienced fighter.

The man’s squad mates joined him as the tip of his sword deflected away, all stabbing in a chaotic mashup of flailing limbs. They probably got in each other’s way more than not, but I could forgive that. The fear would settle soon enough, and they’d remember how to not get tangled up in each other’s gear.

With the death of their friend, the remaining Carvers in the forest screeched and started throwing themselves at the barricade. Most didn’t even make it close, landing in a heap and then skittering forward. Many came close and ended up like their pathfinder had, tangled up in the spikes. A few had enough height and loft to make it to the barricade, but fell onto the spikes, flailing around to dislodge themselves, to no avail, as their life bled out of them with their ichor.

The main wave of the Carver assault arrived at the barricade. A small measure of relief washed over me as I watched the defenders step up to the challenge instead of folding under pressure and terror. Up and down the barricade, as far as my line of sight and torchlight allowed in either direction, men and women stepped up to repel the assault.

I let my mental filaments drift over the Carvers, searching out the enemy’s own tendrils. Finding a few likely candidates, I whipped my filaments into the Inculid connections to the Carvers, transferring as much punch as possible without letting them dwell too long. The connections shredded and I clutched my head in agony at the mental backlash.

The affected Carvers stopped in their tracks and screeched. They staggered around for a second before getting caught up with their brethren again anyway and continuing the attack. Nothing surprising there, Carvers were cunning, but not especially intelligent.

Letting my head settle for a moment, I considered the results of my little experiment. It was possible to disrupt the connection without getting tangled up with their alien minds, like what happened the first time, but the backlash and power cost made it prohibitive. Best to save it for a special occasion.

The defenders seemed to be able to handle the current situation, but already I saw a few soldiers with severe gashes from Carver limbs, and even a man with a missing arm. Common injuries with these bugs.

Unease stabbed at my gut. The barricade did exactly as it was supposed to, making the bugs slow down enough so that they became easy pickings, but it seemed too easy. This couldn’t be the extent of the Inculids plans, not with all the preparation. It felt like an attack just to soften up the meat, so get a taste of how much fight we had in us.

The Carvers were obviously enthralled, but why hadn’t there been an attempt to mind control the humans? Or had there been and I just didn’t see it? I needed to find Kan’on and Clyde to get their opinion.

Before that, though, I sat and blocked out the sounds of clanking swords, amor, and the occasional screech or yell, to let myself sink into the required mental state, then blasted the ritual power away, like I’d done earlier.

I observed the results of my efforts, satisfied that I’d staved off the suppression, for now at least. I clicked my tongue in frustration when I realized that I hadn’t done anything at all to the connection between the Inculids and the Carvers. Maybe that had been too much to expect, but a guy could dream.

I found my way back to my horse, mounted up, and set out to find Kan’on. I swelled with a little pride as I saw the defenders along the way repeatedly push back or kill Carvers that had weaved their way through the barricade. I still spotted the occasional wounded soldier, but it was nothing like it would have been on an open field with unimpeded insectile killers.

Finding Kan’on turned out to be easy. I found the towering Ilfid Brutes first, then the Ilfid workers, then Kan’on amongst them, looking bored with his sword sheathed and propped on his shoulder. Only someone like him could manage to look both dashing and bored at the same time. Disgusting.

I dropped off the horse and threaded my way around the Ilfid, trying to get to Kan’on. My stomach churned, being so close to the damned things. Their unnatural stillness just made it worse, causing pins and needles to shoot up my arms and neck. But, if there was one thing I trusted, it was the desire for revenge, so I held my tongue and kept my elbows to myself as I came up to Kan’on.

“Dash. Have you seen Jass yet?”

“No, I’m sure he’s kicking around here somewhere though. He seemed keen to fight.”

“Oh, he’s here alright.” Kan’on looked at me with a small smile and sparkle in his eye. “I won’t ruin it for you. You’ll know what I mean, trust me.”

“Ruin what? Forget about Jass for now, I think this is just the first wave. This can’t be the only thing the Inculids have up their sleeve. It’s too easy.”

“Yup. The Ilfids said that this is just the beginning, but they won’t or can’t say what is supposed to happen. They won’t fight right now, I’ve asked. But, either way, if you hadn’t ordered the barricade, it would have been a different story. This is boring though. I need something strong to fight. I’m still stuck.”

I could agree with the sentiment, but it said a lot about the guy that he was more concerned about his training than the actual battle, about the defenders putting their life on the line.

“Progress is good, but now isn’t the time. Focus on stomping out threats, if they appear. Get the Brutes spread out along the line too, there is no point in bunching them up when they’re most effective alone. While you’re at it, see if you can’t get the workers to augment any weak spots that form from casualties.”

Kan’on grimaced but nodded. I doubted that he often worried about others, and in such a time it probably irked him to be reminded that it wasn’t all about him.

I found spot to sit to conduct my suppression interruption, with similar results as all the other times. I got up and stretched, preparing to move to the next location. Kan’on had already got the Brutes moving out along the line, through the services of the human not-slave palling around with the Ilfid, but the drone and the workers had refused to move, standing in rigid ranks.

I looked around at the fighting soldiers in the darkness A stab of absolute terror pierced my stomach as I was reminded of long ago when other soldiers, very similar to these men and women before me, depended on me and I’d failed them. Why had I done this to myself? Why had I taken on this responsibility? I could have ridden out of here, I had been on my way… I’d only ever failed anybody depending on me, even myself.

A faint shrieking interrupted my thoughts and the terror faded to the background. I looked up, confused because the scream had come from the wrong direction. I turned toward the town proper and heard a faint commotion. I turned to Kan’on, who had also heard it, and he already looked to me, a question in his expression.

“I’ll go check it out. Stay here for now.”

I urged my mount toward the buildings on the edge of town. It didn’t take long to thread my way through the narrow streets into the town proper, and what I saw dropped my heart into my stomach.

The townspeople attacked each other.