Deep purple and red runes began to illuminate on the exterior rim of the rift gate. It was then that Pepper could see a slight ripple upon the pitch-black surface. That was when the horn rang out. There was a slight reverberation under Pepper’s feat, a billowing cry at such volume that he believed could only be made within the depths of hell. The acoustical noise spoke of an ancient power that knew all too well the horrors of war and told of a blood lust still unfulfilled.

  And that was when he saw the first one appear. The demon didn’t seep through the black cloak of the abyss. Rather, it surged outward in a galloping charge! Not just one, but dozens. A full blown calvary advancement, but these were no horses. The demonic beast was unlike anything Pepper had ever witnessed. A creature with a head that made it look like an elongated snout of an alligator. Yet, its nostril and snout rose upwards with a horn as that of a rhinoceros. It’s shoulders and legs were shaped as more like a leopard, strong and bulging in power. A long horn studded tail whipped back and forth as it went.

  It's rider appeared as a demon brawler from one of Pepper’s nightmares. He hadn’t been tormented by one in quiet some time. But the this was dream, this was real and Pepper could feel his body was frozen in place. The scene was terrifying, yet mesmerizing at the same time.

  Pepper looked on to the first calvary unit that was leading the charge. They angled far to Peppers left side, a tmini of dust and dirt billowing upwards in their wake. The brawler which sat upon the demonic beast had two downward angled horns which curved forward and just past its’ face. The same distinct skeletal armor covered its body. The demon was too far to see distinct facial features, but the brawlers skin appeared similar to that of the monster it rode.

  Black and charred scales with deep red and orange inlays. As if the inner fibers of the body were that of glowing magma while the exterior skin was crusted and hardened rock. The brawler clutched what appeared to be a metal linked chain in one hand which commanded the creature. All while it swung a sinister shaped weapon which appeared to be similar in nature to that of a scythe.

  His ears perked up and he realized the warning horns were also blaring. It was his belief in those initial few seconds that the demonic horn of war had drowned out the humans siren to alarm others to seek shelter. Pepper ignored the warning and remained still, captivated by every slight movement he could see.

  That was when he was able to see the flanking charge of the brawlers gallop past an abandoned high rise building. The demons head seemed to matchup between the 10th and 11th floor window. Pepper’s rust guess was that they were practically as tall as Pantheon League golems and that was when his eyes widened in the realization of how powerful this threat was.

  Movement back at the portal caught his attention and he shifted his gaze back. A thick blanket of smoke, dirt and debris covered his view, yet he could at least see strong orange and red glue within it. Hundreds of these smaller lights rushed forward and left him with the imagine of ancient lamps or torches were the source. A quick comparison of the calvary units physical construct and Pepper wondered if what he truly saw was a horde of demons attempting to surge their way into the city.

  A loud concussive blast rang out. Then another and another. Rapid thunder claps which shook the very earth and Pepper watched as balls of fire exploded out in all directions. It was then he caught the final movement and watched as a gun turret appeared out of what looked to be nowhere. The massive canons fired off heavy rounds and Pepper followed their smoke tmini across the battle field and slam into a charging calvary unit.

  His eyes then saw how the gun canon had appeared. Pepper returned to the turret and watched as a small house which was located directly next to it began to move. The home titled and folded itself into the ground, the entire structure was nothing but a decoy which concealed the massive defensive firing position.

  The secondary canon opened fired on the same target as the first. Shockwaves sprang outwardly as the rounds pounded into the demon and its’ rider. Pepper watched as a bright orange substance spurted outward and sprang upwards in an arch. The same way lava launched itself up towards the heavens.

  There was a tilt in the creatures stride and Pepper then realized the calvary beast was also injured. The charging trajectory changed and it leaned further to its right side. It only made it another two strides before it crashed head onto into separate abandoned building and a second later lay lifeless there on the spot.

  But that was only one. Behind it were at least a dozen others, all still making their way without flinching at the defensive response. The canons continued to pound and Pepper’s ears could only hear the sound of explosions, thunder claps, and then the faint sound of jet engines.

  The tail wind caught him off guard and Pepper took a step forward to brace himself as the fighter jet streaked directly over his head. The engines just close enough he could feel the heat of the exhaust barely blow over him. The aircraft banked hard to the right and fired off a salvo of missiles. Their tiny engines ignited and streaked down and towards their targets within the old city center.

  Eight large balls of fire erupted upwards and then formed into small mushroom clouds. All while the turrets continued to pound the oncoming waves of demons. His view was focused more towards the city center, but then noticed the faint flicker of light off to the left. He turned his gaze just in time to see a volley of fireballs arching downwards towards him.

  His hand and legs trembled slightly as his fear arose instantly and he didn’t know which way to turn. For the three seconds he stood there frozen he watched every inch of the fireballs trajectory. He took a deep breath when he realized the attack was going to fall short and continued to watch as his mental calculations proved to be accurate.

  The demons attack slammed just at the base of where the hillside began. He wasn’t sure how far the neighborhood claimed on a map, but he felt the impact sight was close enough to claim they were targeted. Whether intentional or by sheer circumstance, but that fireball was certainly closer than he thought it would be.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Though Pepper had grown up practically in the shadow of a rift gate. This was entirely different. Yes, he had come close to being hit before, and had awoken to city blocks nearby being destroyed. But this… this was a whole different level.

  To him, this didn’t seem like a prob attack, this appeared more like an invasion force. An attempted to grab a foothold and then push forward and secure more ground. The amount of firepower the military was using was nothing compared to his hometown in Michigan.

  That rift gate was a mere 60 feet tall. The one placed here in Atlanta looked to be closer to 300 feet tall. Additionally, all the attacks he had experienced before only seemed to last a half minute, maybe 2 or 3 at most. The battle being waged now before his eyes had easily surpassed that already.

  His attention was now torn between two separate areas. One being the location of the fireballs being launched. He couldn’t see the source itself, for whatever was hurling the attack towards them had taken shelter behind some destroyed structures. The other area was seeing the demonic calvary had made a significant advance and was about to start its movement to flank back towards the center of town.

  The defensive turrets continued to fire away, but they still had little effect to slow their enemies advance. But that was when Pepper heard a new sound roar to life. The distinct sound of rocket engines fired off in rapid succession and Pepper could tell they were close by. He readjusted his position to try and see, for the source appeared to be below him and to the left. The slight noll he stood upon though, concealed what exactly it was.

  Pepper didn’t have to wait any longer however, as his eyes widened when he saw the giant mechanized fighters begin to launch themselves forward. He watched as the robotic framed warriors streaked down a roadway, utilizing it as if it were a runway to take off. His eyes locked onto the rocket pods on the backs of the figures which sent them closing the distance in seconds.

  Though Pepper had not spent much time analyzing military units, he believed the robotic combat mech’s were called Scudo 5’s. The Italian word for shield. The mechanized units launched themselves in pairs of two and Pepper watched as they sprang forward in precise timing sequences.

  Pepper wasn’t able to tell what unit was different than the other, but he did notice that a few were painted in a deep navy blue coloration, where as others were in a lighter grey shade. Along the exterior shoulders were yellow markings. There were also smaller symbols in both red and white, but the distance was too grate for him to see precisely what they represented.

  What he did take notice of was how the robotic warriors moved. Their initial starting form was knelt down in the pose of a sprinter ready to launch forward. The Scudo 5’s that were lined up on the right side of the street, each had their left arm upwards and directly in front of the chest and facial area. Their right arms were extended backwards and carrying the distinct shape of a sword. The Scudo 5’s that had lined up on the left side of the street, where in the exact opposite pose, with the exception they appeared to carry spears rather than swords.

  The initial wave of mechanized warriors arrived at the precise time the demonic calvary aligned with their trajectory. The first Scudo 5 slammed its shoulder into the creatures midsection and sent the brawler flailing off and to the side. A quick plunge of the mech’s sword sent a painful cry out from the brawlers beast it rode upon.

  Pepper watched as the Scudo 5 didn’t waste time with the downed unit, but placed its large metal foot upon the creature and propelled its metal body upwards. The powered jump sent the robot up and over the corpse and now attacking the dislodged brawler. It was then the next wave of Scudo’s arrived and one of the units ensured to skewer the downed monster with its spear before moving onto the next target.

  To Pepper’s amazement, it was not just the physical weapons the Scudo’s used which kept his eyes locked onto them, but the full arsenal of weaponry at their disposal. As they pressed their defensive attack against the demonic calvary, Pepper watched as the Scudo’s deployed rockets, missiles, grenades, lasers, and other energy-based attacks.

  The mechanized fighters displayed their expertise in fighting and team tactics. For it all played out like an orchestrated battle rehearsed a hundred times before. Each robotic fighter appeared to have a keen sense of where their counterparts were and what needed to be done next to vanquish the threat.

  “I believe I warned you to take shelter when this prob attack occurred.”

  Pepper and Amprage both jumped out of their skins. He turned around and quieted Amprage who was on the verge of aggressively defending his bonded master. But once Pepper realized who it was, he calmed his familiar and recomposed himself.

  “Hello Colonel.” He took a breath and then turned back around to watch the combat unfold. “Is it really Wednesday?” Pepper quickly tried to glance at his holodex, but Colonel Gamble answered for him.

  “That it is. At least the last time I checked.” The Colonel continued and came to stand next to Pepper. “Tell me Mr. Walker, are there rules that one needs to follow within the Golem League?”

  Pepper huffed, “Of course.”

  “Interesting.” The Colonel paused and Pepper could see he tilted his chin upwards ever so slightly. “You’d think with someone who knows to follow rules, that there wouldn’t be a problem in following instructions. Especially when they are of such importance, such as, taking shelter when told to do so.”

  Pepper arched an eyebrow and bit down on his tongue. He resented the condescending tone the Colonel had released upon him. It was as if the statement turned into a dark energy that reignited the contempt he felt for every resentful message he had received from the Golem Chat accounts.

  “Last I remember, people called you Law, but that doesn’t mean you get to decide what the law actually is.”

  The Colonel huffed. “Someone who reads between the lines I see.” The officer paused and shook his head. “Certainly, sounds like something a gladiator would say.”

  As soon as the Colonel finished his statement, the demonic horn blew and its sound reverberated throughout the area. Pepper turned his gaze back to the grand battlefield to see what looked to be a few demon’s retreating back through the rift gate. It was only but a moment later that the purple and red runes faded back into their original darkened embedded etching.

  “So, this is what a prob attack looks like?” Pepper asked and gave a slight upwards nod towards the old city.

  “That it does.” The Colonel said, but Pepper noticed the officer was paying more attention to his holopad clasped in his hands rather than the scene before them.

  “So, when is the next prob attack?”

  “42 days, 2 hours, and 17 minutes.” The officer finished tapping away on his holopad and then gave Pepper a sideways glance. “To be exact.”

  “I see.” Pepper took in a deep breath and then noticed he had been ignoring his own body the entire time. His clothes were soaked in sweat from the run, and he had droplets which had formed just above his eyebrows. He could feel they were threatening to come crashing down and arrive with the inevitable sting in his eyes. A quick adjustment and wipe with his shirt sleeve and he noticed the Colonel start to turn to depart.

  “Though I may not set the laws here Mr. Walker, my instructions are not to be taken lightly. I highly recommend you reconsider your stance on my advice next time. It’s for your safety. Goodbye.” The Colonel walked off without saying another word.

  Pepper turned around and took in the city. He wanted to give himself another minute or two before departing. An effort to ensure he didn’t run into the Colonel down the road and be in an awkward stare down.

  “Well, guess we have a little luck on our side don’t we Amprage.”

  “It would appear so.” His familiar replied.