As they ran down the steep embankment, Gideon was beginning to regret the Gravity Tether in his suit. He was moving too fast and the danger of tripping and falling head first was very real.
He had to assume the others were having similar issues, but no one said a word as they ran down into the softly powdered ground below. It came as an incredible relief when the ground evened out in front of him, and he steadied himself as they moved from the ridge to the distant stack of rocks from which they would launch their attack.
It wasn’t a plan without risk. Even running in the clear like this, off to the right side of the Stalker host, they were visible to the enemy. At any moment the vast army could branch off and head in their direction and the only thing going for Gideon and his crew was the fact that the lunar station was clearly the primary objective of the enemy advance.
That might change of course if they managed to put down one of the Harrow Striders. The enemy might decide that it was worth a quick detour to take care of Gideon and the others. But that was a future concern. All that mattered now was reaching the rocky outcrop without being seen.
As they ran, Gideon could see the others in his mini map, represented as small green dots accompanying the green cross that represented Gideon himself. They were keeping pace, even Bullseye, somehow propelling himself in his constantly rejuvenating bubble.
They were fifty yards from the rocky formation when the first shot was fired. It hit the ground a few yards ahead of Gideon and sent up a puff of dust as a small crater appeared where the projectile had hit.
He darted to the left, pointing up at the rock formation as something flashed bright green and then a moment later another projectile hit the ground just beside Gideon, close enough that he felt rock chips fly up and hit his suit.
“At least one shooter up high!” he shouted zigzagging as he continued to lead the group forward. “Need to take it out before—” He grunted, ducking to the side and nearly falling on his face as another projectile hit the ground, followed by a second shot.
“Two enemies,” Mia said, sighting the rock formation with her bow and squinting as she slowed to a jog. “I can’t reach them from here and it looks like they’re using some kind of firearm.”
She dropped the bow and started sprinting forward again as Gideon turned to Red.
“You got a sprint?”
Red shook his head. “Got a jump that can get me ten feet or so ahead, but I don’t know if it will get me up there.”
Gideon zagged once more, narrowly avoiding another shot.
“Okay, well follow me up as soon as you can!”
Judging the space between his crew and the two Stalkers firing at them from above, Gideon made sure he was within fifty feet before triggering the first of his two charge skills.
He used Shadow Charge to launch himself thirty feet through the air, drawing his Harvester blades and slamming them into the ground before immediately triggering Phantom Step and targeting one of the enemies he could see firing their weapon above.
It was a gamble and there was every chance he’d either overshoot or slam into the side of the rocky formation. The spell drove him through space and his vision shifted, showing the back of a Viper as it fired its weapon.
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Gideon immediately triggered Abyssal Pierce, driving both blades through the glowing green gap between the Stalker’s armor. The thrust ended the enemies life within moments and it shrieked in pain, inky black hands outstretched as Gideon hefted the body up and turned it toward the second Viper as it fired its weapon.
A ball of green light burst into the first Stalker’s chest, blowing apart the chitinous armor and sending chunks of flesh flying as Red suddenly appeared, teetering on the edge of the rock formation and blinking in surprise as he slammed his massive club down against the Viper’s head, using the momentum to keep from falling over the edge and then moving in to deliver a second thrust of his club that shattered the Viper’s faceplate to the accompanying sight of blood spraying onto the gray rock.
He spun around, grinning widely as he hefted his club. Gideon dropped the dead Stalker and two green spheres appeared and were immediately looted along with several other items.
ITEMS LOOTED
Ether + 2
Viper Rifle [Type A] + 1
Stalker Oil + 1
Red looked up at Gideon. “Did you just get one of those sweet rifles?”
“Yeah, but there’s no time to look at it now. Just keep it in your inventory and we can work all that shit out later on.”
Achievement Awarded: Double Jump Termination!
Congratulations! You’ve successfully use two charge or jump abilities in rapid succession and followed up with a one shot kill.
Reward: 1 Enhancement Point
Speed +1
Leadership + 1
Gideon dismissed the achievement announcement and moved to the edge of the rocks. Down below he saw Mia and Bullseye approaching the rocks and scanning the area ahead. To the right was a steep path that led all the way to ground level.
He gently shoved Red in the arm and pointed to the path.
“Come on, let’s get back to the others.”
They half walked, half fell to the ground, mercifully avoiding any damage to their suits. Red couldn’t resist throwing a thumb over his shoulder.
“Just picked up a couple of sweet rifles!”
Mia rolled her eyes. “I’m happy for you.”
Gideon moved to the corner of the rock formation, staring out at the hordes of enemies passing by. He could clearly see the Strider moving through the ranks to the rear of the army. While the smaller infantry units had run ahead along with Vipers sporting rifles like the one he and Red had looted, a group of Bloodborn remained, standing in front of the slow-moving Strider like a protective guard.
“Okay,” Gideon said, ducking back behind the rock. “Looks like we’ve got a clear path to Big Boy but I count at least five Bloodborn there. We’ll need to draw them away so we can get in close to the target.”
“Can’t you just blink through?” Red asked. “Like you did up top.”
“I can, but that will leave you all to handle a large pack of Bloodborn without a tank and I’ll be facing that thing on my own. I’m pretty sure it’ll take all of us to take the Strider down.”
“So,” Mia said, “we take out the guards first, then hit Big Boy.”
Gideon nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s our best approach. But we need to steer clear of whatever damage the Harrow Strider can do. Maybe if we run around its back and try to keep the Bloodborn in close?”
“Bad idea,” Bullseye barked. “The Strider can emit Corrosive Bile and cause significant damage to anyone up close. I suggest we keep our distance.”
“Okay, but what if it starts shooting at us? That thing’s basically a tank, so one shot could kill us.”
“I would suggest avoiding enemy fire,” Bullseye advised.
Gideon, Red, and Mia all turned to face the turtle somewhat baffled by his response.
“Seriously dude?” Red hissed. “That’s your big advice? Don’t get hit?”
“I think you’ll find it is sound advice,” the turtle protested.
“It’s not advice at all!” Red shot back. “You might as well tell us not to die!”
“That would also be advisable.”
“Okay,” Gideon said, intervening, “I say we wait until the Strider is level with us here and then we head out. I’m gonna charge into the Bloodborn and get them locked onto me. I’ll try to kite them around Big Boy and avoid getting hit.”
“I’ll help where I can from range,” Mia said, “and have heals on standby just in case.”
“I too shall stay at range,” Bullseye confirmed. “Perhaps I can assist Mia in taking out enemies from a distance.”
Gideon nodded. “Fine. But stay close enough so that we can use your cannonball ability if we need it. We might need something like that to crack open Big Boy’s shell.”
He quickly checked his cooldowns, noting that all his abilities were charged and ready.
“Okay kids, here we go!”