Sakura fired arrow after arrow as the war for Puppet Town entered a deadly new stage.

  The Claws cheered as they came pouring through the molten ruin where the makeshift barricade had stood only moments before. Yussuf was yelling at them to wait for Blaze and Tiburón, but the savage band of murderers couldn’t resist the temptation of entering the settlement for the pillaging and slaughter they’d been promised.

  Some of them fanned out to harass the support squads and assist the convicts fighting atop the wall, but most of the gang kept on going, crossing the perimeter road and entering the districts beyond.

  While they thought the battle’s outcome had already been decided, the situation wasn’t quite as one-sided as the jailbirds believed. Though they’d been hoping they wouldn’t have to use them, the crafters had converted the first few blocks of the northern districts into a fallback position.

  The hunters had worked from dawn to dusk, installing hundreds of traps within the streets, alleyways, and the buildings themselves. In addition to deadfalls, spikes, and nets, they had used everything they could think of, including glue, oil, stink bombs, and smoke bombs—anything they could get their hands on that wouldn’t catch the town on fire when it went off.

  Their most lethal devices were guarding the wall, so nothing behind it was likely to kill too many jailbirds. But that wasn’t what they were designed to do. These traps had been set to slow the invaders down and keep them from reaching the uncored residents who were hiding in bunkers on the opposite side of town.

  The militia couldn’t handle a threat of this magnitude and had repositioned to deal with isolated enemies who made it deeper into the settlement. The guardian beasts and their handlers were with them—ready to engage the convicts while the militia backed them up from range.

  That left Riller, Snake, and a handful of stage-one hunters to battle the prisoners inside the trap field, keeping the Claws pinned down while Earl’s team dealt with the siege tower and then moved to engage Tiburón, Blaze, and Yussuf.

  Of course, none of that would matter if the defenders were wiped out. But if they managed to repel the invaders, these devices would reduce the damage the settlement suffered and keep the jailbirds from slaughtering its uncored residents.

  The engineers had also turned the southern turret around so it could fire into the districts. However, since that would decimate the city and the odds of friendly fire were incredibly high, it was a measure of last resort.

  Curses and screams echoed across the paving stones as the Claws entered the trapped area, and Sakura managed to take one out with a lucky shot that hit the woman in the back of her neck.

  Meanwhile, Earl’s team split up. Half of them moved to stem the tide of convicts pouring through the gate, while the rest wiped out the warriors who had used the siege tower to bypass the trapped part of town. While they kept the gang busy, the sheriff rushed up the stairs and onto the ramparts, butchering every enemy who crossed his path as he forced his way through.

  Slipping past deputies who fought to defend their home, Earl arrived in front of the siege tower. Mana went streaming into his hammer as he let loose with a mighty swing, shattering the wooden construction in a single blow and slaying two people who were climbing the ladder. As the situation on the wall stabilized for the time being, the sheriff ran back to the gate, trusting his allies to deal with the enemies who had already made it inside.

  His impromptu crew was Puppet Town’s last hope. If they fell, the battle would be lost beyond any hope of recovery. By this point, Blaze was close enough that they couldn’t simply stand and block the entrance. He would keep firing his magic through the gateway, wearing down their defenses and risking catching the whole settlement alight.

  With Earl at their side, the town’s strongest warriors regrouped and then stepped out to face the Claws’ army. His team included a pair of deputies who had evolved over the last few weeks, Gregory, the head of the peacekeepers, the leaders of several hunting crews, and a handful of unaffiliated warriors. Sakura sighed and then Darted down to join them, hiding behind the shattered gate until she saw an opening.

  Yussuf smiled wide as the sheriff walked out into the open. While it was clear the Claws’ leader wasn’t happy about his troops entering the settlement before he gave the order, he was thrilled that the final obstacle to his consummating his conquest had stepped into his sights.

  “This has been a long time coming.” He pointed to Earl and then gestured to an open area fifty feet away. “Why don’t we settle things once and for all while our subordinates duke it out?”

  Sakura could tell the sheriff was considering his options. He must have decided Yussuf was too dangerous for anyone else to face—that his best bet was to keep the man busy and pray that his team could handle Tiburón and Blaze—because Earl nodded and then moved to where Yussuf had pointed.

  While Sakura was deeply impressed that Earl had kept everyone alive thus far, she didn’t think his crew could hold on much longer either way. The stark truth was they were outmatched in sheer firepower, since the Claws on that side of the gate outnumbered Puppet Town’s stage-two warriors nearly ten to one.

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  Their only hope was to kill Yussuf the Red and his strike leaders before they were overwhelmed, but the odds of that happening were vanishingly slim. Even still, the defenders weren’t going down without a fight, and since Sakura’s chosen family was hiding inside one of the shelters, she wasn’t giving up without battling until her last breath.

  They had spent all day coming up with tactics for fighting Blaze and Tiburón, but most of Yussuf’s powers were a mystery. If rumor was to be believed, the man was stronger than both strike leaders combined. Earl was a legend on the feed for good reason. While he might have a chance in single combat, he would be dead the moment his squad fell apart and the Claws’ elites fell on him from behind.

  He gave his final orders before his crew went their separate ways.

  “Once his Blood Frenzy begins, Tiburón will attack his own troops if they get in his way. Try to lead him into their formation after he loses control, but don’t let him catch you whatever you do. Even if he doesn’t eat you, getting dragged under tons of dirt is a death sentence.

  “Blaze has a bad habit of hitting his own people too. They know to stay out of his line of fire, but you can use the threat his magic poses to keep reinforcements from hitting you from behind once he starts casting. Drink those flame-resistance potions and stay within range of the support crews so they can shield you with protective magic. Spread out as much as possible and prioritize evasion if he targets you.”

  With that, the sheriff moved to the spot Yussuf had indicated, and the gang leader bellowed an order. This time, the Claws listened, moving to assault the wall while his strike leaders and their crews got ready to battle the defenders in front of the gateway.

  As he ran, Tiburón activated his signature skill, assuming his hideous sharklike form before slipping below the soil. Blaze ignited his core as he advanced, causing fire to coalesce above his position.

  Both of their crews spread out. They couldn’t battle beside their leaders, with one moving belowground and the other flinging flames so hot that it was hazardous to remain anywhere in the area.

  They’re used to fighting like this. Their crews intend to use their skills to keep our elites distracted and divided while their strike leaders land killing blows, although I’m sure they’ll intervene if we manage to threaten either man.

  Only Yussuf’s crew moved like a conventional fighting force, advancing in an arrow formation with their leader as the point. Even still, they stood back when he gave the order, maintaining their auras and deflecting ranged attacks while the rivals dueled.

  Ten adrenaline-saturated seconds later, the battle between both armies’ elites began.

  Earl’s team managed to hold their own during the initial exchange, burning through their reserves to counter an attack from a superior force. A couple of Claws died to some skillful moves, but it wasn’t long before the situation started falling apart.

  Blaze killed one of the hunters with a sneaky combination attack, using a jet of flame to conceal a powerful fireball. When the woman conjured a wall of water to counter, it blocked the flamethrower, but the fireball punched straight through, turning her into a torch as steam billowed into the air.

  Tiburón bit the foot off a stage-two warrior, forcing him to retreat, then the strike leader used a skill that made him abruptly speed up. He shot out of the earth like a shark-shaped rocket, flying a good twenty feet to catch an unlucky hunter between his jaws. As he pulled her below the ground, he bit down with a crunch that Sakura could hear from where she hid.

  Despite Yussuf’s orders, a handful of Claws risked circumventing the elites’ battle to enter town through the north gate.

  Sakura did her best to fight them off with some assistance from the ranged teams arranged along the roofs. However, most of them were busy dealing with the convicts who had entered the trapped portion of the town and could only offer minimal support.

  She Darted behind a warrior and cut through his spine with her Nerve Blade—paralyzing him from the neck down—then sliced another prisoner with her sword, which was coated with a poison that stopped his lungs within a matter of seconds.

  The brawling elites were drifting away from the gate as their battles progressed, allowing more of Yussuf’s army to enter the settlement. She was worried they would fall at any moment. Even if they didn’t, the jailbirds were starting to overwhelm the forces fighting on the wall.

  No matter which defense faltered first, within a matter of minutes, it seemed inevitable that most of the Claws would be inside the walls.

  If the protectors couldn’t find a way to turn this around before that happened, Puppet Town was doomed, along with every woman and man who called it home. By now, Sakura was so exhausted that she couldn’t swing her sword. She Darted to the top of a tower while fighting to catch her breath, watching the battle play out below.

  The teams engaging Tiburón and Blaze were barely holding on. They had taken some serious wounds, and their formation was in danger of collapsing at any moment.

  The situation would have been even worse if a big group of convicts hadn’t pulled back to watch Earl and Yussuf tussle. She turned her gaze in that direction while wondering if she would have to take Lore-Weaver’s advice after all and flee the settlement as soon as she recovered.

  The sheriff was striking blow after blow with his colossal stone hammer, while the Claws’ leader met him head-on with a long, curved sword. The men hadn’t used any skills yet as far as she could tell, but they were unleashing attacks that would have killed any other stage-two warrior on the battlefield.

  She could see in Earl’s eyes that he agreed with her assessment. As matters stood, Puppet Town was about to fall. He began letting loose with his strongest skills, desperate to take Yussuf out before it was too late.

  But the warlord anticipated every move, evading the flying rocks and powerful shockwaves with ease. He isn’t trying to kill Earl yet. He’s taking his time, forcing the sheriff to watch while his people die all around him.

  Just when Sakura was starting to lose hope, one of the scouts called out. “Two crews of hunters are headed our way fast. They’re poised to hit the Claws from behind!”

  Sakura followed the man’s finger and peered into the distance. Her heart began to race when she saw who it was—Edge Vasher, the scion of Skill-Eater, and the other elite members of the expedition.

  Melenia, Sasha, Jumo, and a half dozen stage-two peacekeepers formed one team. In the other ran Edge, Fox, Trapper, Tessa, Able, and Alice.

  When Snake peered through the shattered gate and saw Fox, he began to whoop and holler. “I knew she was still alive. Pull out that boltcaster and show these bastards what the hunters of Ord are made of!”

  Sakura rejoined the fight as reinforcements raced to the rescue. She just prayed their late arrival would be enough to turn the tide.