A/N: Trust me, I tried. It just didn't work.

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Wade's heart thudded as he charged down the ridge.

Even if he wanted to stop now, he couldn't. The ground sloped downwards, the momentum carrying him and making him feel like he was floating as he ran.

There was also the fact that he had the army behind him, also running down the slope. If he stopped, they'd simply slam into him, which in the best case scenario, would result in only him falling and being trampled underfoot.

And the worst case scenario... he decided to put it out of his mind.

As the writhing carpet of monsters grew closer, Wade had to admit. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen.

But that didn't matter anymore. They'd arrived.

The adventurers struck the flank of the horde like a tidal wave, smashing into its side.

Wade was at the front, shoulder to shoulder with a hundred other adventurers, his grip tight on Toothpick. There was no time to think, only to move.

"Frontline! Wards up!" Captain Wells' voice thundered over the din.

In perfect rhythm, Wade and the others thrust their palms forward.

[Basic Ward]

Different barriers materialized in a long wall across the slope, a glimmering bulwark of magic that met the charging beasts head-on.

The first of the monsters slammed into it. The sound was like hammers striking iron.

Most of the barriers shattered, but they'd already been replaced by their casters, who had expected it.

And just like that, they held back the frontlines of the horde, the monsters at the back smashing into those that had been stopped, killing the weaker ones.

Wade leaned into his own ward, sweat trickling down his temple as an iron-hide boar rammed against it again and again.

Cracks appeared on the surface of the shield like a spider's web.

"Hold!" Wells bellowed. "Second line, prepare spells!"

Behind the barrier wall, mages raised their staffs and hands, activating skills.

Arrows of fire, shards of ice, and whirling disks of wind gathered in the air, building pressure and ready to fire.

Wade gritted his teeth. He could feel the strain of his mana feeding into the barrier. He knew being part of the barrier wall would drain him or valuable mana, but what choice did he have?

Then Well's voice filled the air once more.

"Drop wards!"

The moment the command rang out, Wade pushed back on the horde trying to get through, then released the spell.

The opaque wall shattered into shards of light that scattered like glass.

The army's second line unleashed hell.

The slope erupted in flame and lightning. Fireballs slammed into the monsters, blowing apart the front ranks. Spears of ice skewered boars, and arrows of light streaked through the smoke, hitting wolves and larger monsters Wade didn't have a chance to identify.

The explosion of heat and noise was deafening. He ducked instinctively, the backdraft whipping his hair.

But even as the front lines of the monsters were obliterated, more poured forward to take their place.

The horde seemed endless, like a dark tide of claws and fangs and scales, crawling over their dead without hesitation.

"Forward!"

The adventurers roared, meeting the monsters head-on.

Wade moved with them, Toothpick gripped tightly. The hammer-axe whistled through the air, its edge catching sunlight as he swung.

He met the first iron-hide boar in a clash that rattled his bones.

The creature was enormous, standing tall and reaching up to his shoulder, hide shining like metal. Its tusks gouged the dirt as it lunged.

Wade braced and cast again.

[Basic Ward]!

The opaque barrier sprang to life just as the boar hit. The impact threw him back half a step.

Cracks laced across the shield instantly. Another charge, another crack. The boar bellowed, steam bursting from its nostrils.

Wade pushed his strength into the barrier, feeling the mana drain from him like sand through his fingers.

"Come on," he growled.

The boar reared for another slam, and Wade let the barrier go. It shattered at the exact moment the beast lunged, its momentum unbalanced.

Wade sidestepped and swung Toothpick down with both hands, putting all his weight behind it.

The hammer end connected squarely with the boar's skull.

The boar bellowed, staggering to the side. Wade didn't give it time to recover.

He jumped onto its back and began raining blows on the same spot, without stopping.

The boar bellowed, trying to shake him off, but before it could, Wade found what he was looking for.

His final blow connected, and the sound was sickening, bone and metal crunching together. The beast crumpled, tusks gouging the dirt as it toppled.

Wade panted, chest heaving as he slipped off its back.

He had no time to breathe.

Another boar was charging straight for him from behind.

He turned just in time to see someone barreling into the boar's side with a war-cry.

"Got your back, Barrett!"

It was Brody, his shield braced against the beast's charge. The impact drove both man and monster into the ground, mud spraying everywhere.

Wade lunged forward to help. Together, they slammed into the creature's flank. Brody grunted, "Help me flip it!"

"On three!"

"One!"

The boar thrashed, kicking wildly.

"Two!"

Wade's boots dug into the dirt, muscles burning.

"Three!"

They heaved together, the combined force toppling the massive creature onto its side.

The iron plates of its hide scraped against the ground with a screech, exposing its pale underbelly.

"Now!" Wade yelled.

Brody drove his spear straight into the soft flesh. The weapon pierced through cleanly. The boar shrieked, legs convulsing, then went still.

For a moment, they both stood there breathing hard, surrounded by the chaos of battle.

All around, soldiers and adventurers were fighting, spells lighting up the smoky air, and arrows hissing overhead.

The ridge shook with the thunder of hundreds of clashes.

"Not bad for a merchant," Brody said between breaths, wiping blood from his cheek.

"Not bad for a meat-shield," Wade shot back with a grin.

Brody laughed once, a rough, breathless sound. "Fair."

Then a shriek sliced through the battlefield.

Wade's head snapped up just in time to see a pair of talons reaching for his face.

"Ah, fuck."

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