Stolen Lives: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel (The Underhill Chronicles Book 1) Keith Ahrens (best e reader for epub txt) 📖

they've gone about forty yards, he holds up a fist to stop Des. He drops to his belly and crawls to the edge of the wall. Easing slightly over the side, he peers down at the muddy road. A quick count reveals ten saddled horses, as well as ten wagons with four horses each strapped into the harnesses. The wagons are sitting idly two by two in the thickening mud. Each wagon is a heavily built wooden contraption bound in brass with the roofs covered in thick planks, and a locked door at the rear—obvious prisoner transports.

A moment later, Jesse spots all six defenders, four elves with arrows nocked, and two menacing ogres. The ogres are clad in heavy plate armor, and both carry large, spiked clubs. Jesse and Des remain out of sight from those guarding the wagon line.

He waves Des over and waits for him to make his way where he's hiding. With slow movements, he points out each of the defenders with the barrel of his gun. Des nods his head to show he understands and leans in close to Jesse. “Let me try something first. I've been practicing a bit, but I dunno if it's gonna work in all this rain.”

Jesse looks uncertain but says, “By your leave, I will trust ye, but I will also trust in my aim.”

Des grins and says, “That’s the spirit! I'm planning on taking out the bowman by the road, you go for any other target you want.”

The grin fades as Des's eyes narrow. He focuses on a thin, long target as he begins to rub his thumb and index finger together. He feels a small amount of heat begin to build where his fingers are connected, and he starts muttering to himself.

“Hey, let’s try a diversion of our own,” I say to our group out loud. “These elves with the bows are pretty fast and accurate, right?”

“Looks like it, judging by how quickly they took down Steve, and pinned down the others,” replies Haynes.

I glance over at Thirax. “Grab one of those bodies from the field and drag it back to the exit hole. When we move, you toss the body out first; maybe it’ll catch a few arrows while we charge.”

Thirax looks at Haynes, who is taking a moment to think it over. “Couldn't hurt. Go ahead, Thirax, but make it quick. They’ll be in position soon.”

The Gnoll pushes his way through the crowded fissure and drops down to the field. He reappears a moment later with a small, scrawny human female body slung over his shoulder. Blood still drips from her mouth and the multiple stab wounds she sustained before her death. Thirax takes his place back at the opening next to Nian and gets a two-handed grip on the body.

At this point, a nagging little voice in the back of my head starts to scream for attention. It wants to know when I became so callous and disrespectful of the dead. I begin to mentally defend myself to… myself, and I recognize this is a bad rabbit hole to be going down. I shut off my thoughts, viciously suppressing them. Now is not the time for self-flagellating-like bullshit. I know I'm gonna pay for this later. But that’s later, not now. No need to borrow trouble from then when we got plenty right here.

A crisp gunshot rings out, followed by two more in rapid succession, and Thirax launches the dead body out the exit hole. It catches two arrows before it hits the ground.

“GO! GO! GO!” shouts Haynes, and we all begin to pour out of the safety of our hiding place. The Gnolls and Grayson take the lead, all screaming war cries. Colt and his three remaining squadmates gain their footing and join the attack.

Haynes leaps out and fires three evenly spaced shots over the heads of our people, striking the wagons. The shots are more for effect and scare tactics than to hit anything. A surprise bit of help comes in the form of startled horses. None of us considered the effect the gunshots and screaming would have on them.

Most of the horses begin to shift or dance in place where they’re tethered to stakes in the ground. Two of the beasts manage to pull the posts from the mud, creating more confusion. These same two rear up, neighing in panic, their eyes rolling about and searching for possible threats.

Four more shots split the wet air from above us as Olivia and her crew clear the hole and join the charge. I'm slowed down a bit, feeling obligated to help the Berserker with his wounded and sedated brother. As my boots settle into the mud, we drag Jimmy down from the wall, and I bear his weight while his brother jumps to join us. Damn, he's heavy. It’s like having a gorilla suit filled with Jell-O and rocks draped over my shoulder.

Grayson and his brother help me toward the back of the closest wagon with the Gnolls loping ahead of us. Nian has taken an arrow to the gut during the charge, but it doesn’t seem to slow him down any. I watch as he snaps it off flush with his abdomen, so it won't get in the way of his movements. He tosses the broken shaft aside as he reaches up and opens the back of the wagon. After ensuring it's empty, he hops up to the doorway and clambers onto the roof. Thirax does the same with the wagon that’s parked adjacent.

Haynes and Colt lay down some cover fire while we load the wounded Berserker into the back. A few more humans come through the wall and begin running for more wagons. Most have a blade of grass tied to their helmets, but not all.

A man I don't know, bloody and wearing battered armor, shouts, “They're right behind us!”

Shit, I'd hoped we would have more time to organize everyone. The confusion of the battle didn't hide our escape as well