Milo caught up with the remaining soldiers. Some were already scaling the walls with practiced efficiency, their movements methodical and cold. They tied heavy ropes to the iron railings above and dropped them down in a synchronized cascade. Another soldier went to go open the gate from Milo's assumption, peeling away from the group.
It was now Milo's turn to climb the walls. The coarse ropes made it much easier, and he reflected on how the Dreamscape was not just limited to spars and duels. Mountain climbing, swimming, all of it was possible thanks to the Dreamscape. Milo mostly did it for fun with friends, but his parents required him to train at least three hours a week if he wanted to keep the pod.
'Maybe I should thank them when I get back.'
Milo looked down beyond the tall walls into the fortress. Multiple constructs were already moving toward the walls, their metal bodies gleaming. He then looked at the keep. Multiple constructs were at the roof with long barreled rifles, aiming down at the breach.
"Take cover!" Milo shouted.
Milo ducked down as loud bullets whizzed overhead, chipping away at the stone. "Whatever you do, do not peek your head out!"
One ally looked at Milo. He was relatively close by, a misplaced confidence in his eyes. "I can deflect those projectiles."
Milo watched him stand up, expecting a jaw dropping performance. The man was stanced with his long odachi ready to cut any bullet that went his way. A loud crack echoed through the air, and the man's head exploded like a watermelon. Milo brought his gauntlet up as blood showered over him. Milo looked at the dead corpse, his lips pursed.
'Don't laugh... don't laugh.'
Milo began to cough violently, so much so that a familiar voice rang out through the air. "Milo! Are you alright!"
Corinne was crouched under the length of the wall, walking her way over to Milo. Milo nodded. "Yeah... it's just..." Milo coughed again, his hand moving to his chest plate. "It's just really a shame."
Corinne held his shoulders as he coughed. "It's alright Milo, we'll get out of this one way or another."
Milo regained his composure, though probably not in the way Corinne was thinking. "Of course we will."
Milo moved along the wall. Small pieces of stone hit against his armor as the snipers attempted to shoot them. Milo then looked behind. One of the Lofty Wolves should've opened the gate already, allowing the towering ogres and other larger troops to enter and wreak havoc. The soldier that had gone to open the gates was lying dead at the chains. Milo cursed, then looked over at Corinne.
"We have to open the gates."
Corinne tilted her head. "What do you mean?" She looked back, likely expecting her ally to be safe and sound only to see the man was dead. "Ah, I see."
Milo moved as fast as he could while keeping his head covered. [Rookie's Nerve] was screaming at him every second. A construct was targeting him. There was about three meters of no wall to get across to the gate hold. Milo picked up stray debris and lightly tossed it. The debris wasn't shot at. Milo rushed across.
He heard a gunshot go off, followed by blood dripping down his left calf. Milo stumbled to the ground in the cover of the gate hold.
'Fuck!'
Milo looked down at his leg. There was a bullet hole punched clean through his shin greaves. Milo bit his lip as he attempted to keep a scream in. Corinne had been luckier, as whatever construct was watching Milo hadn't managed to shoot her. Milo couldn't see her expression through her helmet, but he knew she was concerned about his injury.
"Raise the gates!"
Corinne didn't waste a second. She grabbed the chains and began to pull them up, dragging them to the other side of the hold and sticking the hole into a hook sticking out of the wall. The screams below suggested the Ascended and the others that hadn't scaled the walls had gotten in.
Milo had rummaged through the tool belt he had stolen. He found some bandages and made use of them. He knew how to treat slashes and other things like that, but he was never taught how to deal with a bullet wound. Milo knew that at the very least he should stop the bleeding. He applied as much pressure as he could with a tight rope. The red staining the bandages began to slow its spread.
Milo stood up weakly, but he couldn't be as active. His disadvantage was already becoming that much worse. He stumbled forward, noticing the constructs on the roof were no longer there. He hoped they had retreated for good. Milo watched as the constructs he had faced on the battlefield were clashing with the forces of the Lofty Wolves, the people on the walls aiming with large bows or Aspects of their own.
Milo attempted to reach the steps, but fell down. He was in so much pain. [Rookie's Nerve] was warning him to stop and rest, but he couldn't. Finding Carmen and capturing or killing him would likely be the end of the Nightmare. Milo gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand up. He walked toward the battlefield.
'Choose your targets carefully.'
Milo weaved into the battlefield where he could. A crippled construct there, a stolen kill here. The Spell sang into his ear.
[You have slain...] [You have slain...] [You have slain...] [You have slain...] [You have slain a Dormant Beast, Metal Shell]
Milo's legs and left arm ached from the effort. The only unaffected part of his body was his prosthetic. Milo stood in place breathing heavily as the battle raged on around him. Milo then felt steel bite into his shoulder.
'Ah come on!'
Milo hurriedly bashed the construct away, pulling back. The reinforced leather pauldron was sliced clean through. 'What the hell is the point of it then?!'
Milo pressed a hand to the wound, flinching at the pain. If he didn't have a prosthetic, he wouldn't be able to use his arm at all. Milo staggered forward, weakly hitting the construct's chest to little damage.
'Shit!'
Milo raised his right hand, preparing to block the next strike, but it never came. A loud bark from behind brought his hope to new heights. Corinne's pet had come to rescue him. The three headed hound jumped forward, slicing the construct clean in two. Its other two heads that weren't holding the sword had constructs clamped in its jaws, sparks flying.
"Haha! Good girl!"
Milo fell back, patching his shoulder. The keep was getting closer and closer. Milo rejoined the fight as the cavalry arrived; victory was assured.
'This is my Nightmare to wake up from!'
That was all Milo remembered. Then, his world went black.
The next thing Milo awoke to was ringing ears and horrible screams. He was sprawled across the ground, and most of his limbs felt horribly bloody and frail. Especially his legs, which had lost all feeling. Milo turned his head weakly. Through the dirt, soot, and blood blocking his vision, he saw mangled flesh and protruding bone where his legs used to be. Despite that, he didn't feel much pain.
'Must be the adrenaline.'
Milo then heard a whimpering dog nearby, and he felt rage and sadness in his heart. His head snapped in that direction and he put one hand in front of the other, dragging himself atop and through corpses to reach Corinne's dog. Milo found it curled up besides Corinne. Her entire lower half was gone, and her entrails were splayed across the stone floor.
Milo heard her weakly murmuring. He dragged himself right next to her. "Corinne. I'm here."
Corinne muttered, "Milo... oh thank the gods you're okay." She wasn't even looking at Milo; her helmet was facing the orange tinted sky. "I think, this is it for me."
Milo shook his head. "No, surely we have a healer that can fix you up."
"We don't. None that can fix this, at least." Corinne's hands drifted to her helmet. "Help me get this off will you?"
Milo obliged, supporting himself on her breastplate as he removed the helmet. Her dark brown skin was covered in blood, and there was a terrible gash across her forehead. Blood drenched her short hair. "Make it quick... I doubt my body can keep suppressing the pain much longer."
Milo reached for his side, his hand on the hilt of the dagger he had stolen. He unsheathed it, and brought a shaky hand to her neck. He brought it down as swiftly as possible. He took off his helmet as well, as it was too damn hard to see with it on. Milo's hand reached over her face, his fingers gently closing her eyes.
'Your nightmare is over.'
Milo then turned to the dog. The thing was a mess. Bits of her body and bone were exposed, and she was still whimpering in pain. Milo crawled over to her, gently caressing her two remaining heads. "Hey, hey, it's okay. It's okay."
Milo tried his best to comfort her in her last moments. The now two headed hound uplifted her head with effort. She nudged her sword toward Milo. Milo wanted to pretend he didn't understand what she was asking. He laid there calmly embracing the dog, until he could no longer handle the guilt. Milo reached for the dagger still embedded in Corinne. He raised it as best he could, and struck with all the effort he had left. The dog let out a last whimper, and its breathing stopped as well.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Hound of House Corinne]
[You have received a—]
The voice of the Spell became muted to Milo as a hand turned him around, making him face the person who did it. He was wearing futuristic armor, a mix of grey and black, along with an angular shaped visor with two digital slits serving as eyes. The slits narrowed more than before.
"Ah, hello again, apprentice."
'Carmen!'
"Tell me, do you happen to have that key of mine?"
Milo stayed silent. Then he remembered. Milo brought his hand up, and a small gray rectangle appeared in his hand. Coming from the rectangle was a clear hologram that took the shape of a square. Carmen snatched the thing.
"So... my failsafe really worked." Carmen turned his back to Milo, laughing maniacally.
Milo could do nothing but watch, until Carmen turned back toward him. Hands hoisted him up; Milo wanted to scream, but he didn't even have the strength to do that.
"I suppose I'm in a Nightmare right now... really what a strange thing. I'm just a figment made up by the damn Spell."
Carmen threw Milo over his shoulder. Milo looked toward the ruined battlefield; no one was left alive. Blood was everywhere.
'I'll kill you!'
Milo still had the dagger in his left hand. He raised it, but he was thrown to the ground. Carmen shook his head. Milo was curled weakly on the floor, blood spilling from all his wounds. His left arm was crushed under his back.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Carmen lowered himself, likely expecting Milo to be disarmed. "After all, I'm the only one who can save y—"
Carmen was interrupted. The only sounds coming out of him now were the guttural breaths he took as blood flooded his lungs and throat. Carmen collapsed to the ground, and Milo climbed atop of him. The dagger entered and reentered every weak point Milo could find. He didn't stop even as the Spell announced.
**[You have slain an Awakened human, Carmen, Heir of ******]
[You have received a Memory: The Prototype]
Milo didn't stop. Even as he felt the consciousness slip from his mind, even as [Rookie's Nerve] screamed at his approaching death, he didn't stop. His prosthetic gripped the dagger, stabbing it into the crevice of the neck. He took his final breath. Finally dying, finally being allowed to rest from this terrible Nightma—
[Wake up, Milo! Your nightmare is over.]
[Prepare for appraisal…]