Derek swallowed hard, looking from left to right and feeling only a little better as the rest of his company appeared on either side of him. He didn't have time to count them, only to raise his shield and brace along with the others as they formed a shield wall. The idea was futile. Even if they hadn't already seen these giant ants tear through human defenders like they weren't even there, it was simple common sense that the creature was going to be inhumanly strong. Regular ants had strength far superior to their relative size, so make them giant and, well maybe one of them would get lucky and strike it down, stopping it from hurting others. With spears they might have had a chance to hold it back, strike from afar. There was a screech that pierced the cacophony of battle, drawing Derek's eye from his death as it charged right at him. A seething mass of insects was scattered, burned and torn apart by a flaming bird. Was that really a phoenix? He had never thought he would see one.
Movement in front of him drew his focus away from the incredible sight in time to see a person crash into the side of the ant, right as it was about to connect with the shield wall. He and the others could do nothing but watch on as, what appeared to be a girl, tore into the giant ant with fist that glowed with heat and fire. The exchange didn't last long. The girl tossed the ant about like it was a rag doll before finally flipping it onto it's back and finishing it. Derek felt himself cheering, and heard his comrades doing the same thing. It was people like that who were going to win this war against the insects. Derek knew that he himself was just a man, but he was still willing to do whatever it took to do his part. Some strange chimera swooped down and plucked the mage from the field of battle and flew off, leaving Derek to survey the battlefield and his company. Including himself, there were seven left of the eleven that had charged down here. He looked around and could see scattered pockets of red cloaks. It would be best to form up with others, safety in numbers. The enemy, though, had far superior numbers. Derek grimaced, but gripped his sword tighter. This is what they were here for.
Derek waited for the next set of orders, watching the battle. It looked like the defenders were doing well, they might even stand a chance at ending this soon. Green flames rose up, cutting off one side where the insect might have otherwise brought in reinforcements. Derek sighed with relief. He couldn't read battles, he didn't have close to enough experience to do that. Anything that cut off more insects from joining the fight was a good thing, though. The order was given to attempt to join the nearest other unit of Crimson Kings, to bolster their numbers and continue the fight. They began jogging over, watching as the humans they rushed to join pushed back another attack by the insects. There were only a few of them left. They wouldn't last much longer, not without help. Derek began pushing himself harder, hoping to get there sooner, when a strange looking elephant charged through the insects. Their weapons seemed to pass right through it, but it had no problem with crushing them and flinging them around. They rejoined with the other mercenaries and all them stood and watched as the elephant did it's thing and disappeared.
After that they were able to catch their breath. The battle was definitely turned in their favor, their was no doubting that now. With the remnants of the other unit they were back to full strength and the two commanders were discussing what to do next, who was going to lead the unit as a whole. Those kinds of things. Derek had enough time to wonder where exactly he had lost his own cloak when a horrible buzzing began to fill the air. All talk stopped as the group looked around for the source of the sound. Huge flying insects descended on the battlefield, and a rumbling began to shake the earth as more charged through the lines of defenders on the ground. Derek's heart stopped. There were too many of them. The defenders were stretched too thin. They were going to die! This was hopeless! They had to flee! Get to the walls!
A warmth began to sink into his body, and with it came a calm he hadn't been feeling seconds before. He felt brave again, confident. He looked at his comrades and saw that they were feeling the same way. They could do this. A flying insect went zipping by overhead, out of their reach. If only they had some ranged fighters in their unit, they might be able to stop some of those insects from reaching the city. Well, that wasn't going to happen so no point wasting any time on it. "Come on you apes, you wanna live forever?" shouted their now leader, the one from the other unit. He was an older man, a veteran. With his cry they all charged the lines of insect charging right at them. Derek found himself roaring, his feet pounding on the ground as they got closer.
(Wonder if there are any other Starship Trooper quotes floating around..)