RETREAT, HELL! WE JUST GOT HERE!
It was late and I decided to write poetry... And what better topic than Flexible Survival, or more specifically the final days of the battle to retake Fairhaven from the Ebonflame Matriarch? ... I don't know... It was later than hell. I couldn't sleep. Here. Read my late night poetic sleep deprived production!
RETREAT, HELL! WE JUST GOT HERE!
A poem inspired by the text based RPG, Flexible Survival
written by Evan Hamilton
Flexible Survival copyright Nuku Valente
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-Dedicated to the brave men and women of 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines-
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***
My bloodstained rifle still in hand
As we made our final hopeless stand
An enemy that should not exist
My initiative scarred yet it still persists
Shadows haunt the world out front
Our youngest took the harshest brunt
"All I want is to see my son again"
Were the last words from my fallen friend
Simple death contained within my fist
To kill the draconic bitch becomes my only wish
***
E.P. victory calls in, they've been overrun
I cannot help them, for I a have a mission too
My orders are simple, protect the fleeing ones
We're undermanned, outgunned, but we will push through
-
Fires, tracers, they burn bright all night long
Mesmerized by it all, we advance, sprinting forward
No time to think, no time to decipher right from wrong
Hellish danger, monsters, what we're trained to run toward
***
From claws to cold steel
I can't believe this is real
When will I be on the casualty list
My unit's spread thin
But I know we can win
To see our families again is our prominent wish
--
When we're all that's left, the unknown enemy draws near
We the few, We the proud, We cry
Retreat, Hell! We just got here!
***
Blood does flood Fairhaven's many streets
Bodies of old friends lie tattered at my feet
I refuse to be counted among the rest
I will bite and stab until my last
-
"Surrender or burn!"
The dragon bitch roars out
But it's now the infantry's turn
There is nowhere to run, smoke blots the sky
The resolve I need, in time it must return
-
Her words bite to the bone but there's only us
I will die, lest I kneel before her fowl clout
To my left and right, only those I trust
Spirits of true warriors no one could survive without
***
We stand as guardians of thousands of souls
We came, we brought only open arms and ourselves
But she desired war, and war we brought in its whole
Diving head first straight into the worst of hells
Flesh torn from bone, blood boiled in the air
I felt the ground collapse and to my dirt covered face I fell
All alone, rubble all around, we found ourselves bare
Rifles blaring, the only sound reassuring me that all is well
-
Soon in my rifle sight is her face, but I am not scared
Her jaws gaped, an ominous glow forms in her gullet
The space between her carapace, energy flares
Steadying my breath, I let loose my stream of bullets
***
From claws to cold steel
I can't believe this is real
When will I be on the casualty list
My unit's spread thin
But I know we can win
To see our families again is our prominent wish
--
When we're all that's left, the unknown enemy draws near
We the few, We the proud, We cry
Retreat, Hell! We just got here!
***
Mutated or injured I could not care less
I risked everything to bring them all out of this mess
Leave a creature behind? I would rather die!
The suffering of innocents I will not abide
***
All civilians we found are safely on their way
Marines radio in, "they'll live to see another day"
I cannot begin to describe the strong sensation
Knowing my marines hadn't died in tribulation
***
Our objective complete, Our ammo reserves running low
The beast before us still stands, our eyes forced to behold
She opens her maw, prepares her final jet of flame
Still we keep firing, accepting fiery demise without shame
***
I emerge from cover, my rifle raised in my bloody hands
I feel the subtle fear, knowing this is truly my last stand
My death is all but certain, I have no second chance
The hunter now the pray, trapped in a deadly dance
***
Stench of charred death, I feel her breath from here
She took a short pause, perhaps in sudden fear
Perhaps to see a man with such unwavering determination
Unbeknown to the dragoness, today none suffers dereliction
***
A tumultuous roar sounds far above the battlefield
Tomahawks scream in and force the tides to turn
The she-dragon shrieks out, her brash mind begins to reel
I don't even flinch as the missiles begin to impale her
***
From claws to cold steel
I can't believe this is real
When will I be on the casualty list
My unit's spread thin
But I know we can win
To see our families again is our prominent wish
--
When we're all that's left, the unknown enemy draws near
We the few, We the proud, We cry
Retreat, Hell! We just got here!
***
We watch the murderous beast as she crumples to the charred street
With absolute certainty that this is the end, some fall to their knees to weep
The choppers come soon after, some accompanied by friendly beasts of all sorts
Numb with shock, a gryphoness the first to valiantly provide me comfort
I felt lost, so many dead, so much lost to this unprecedented outbreak
Nothing waiting, not much family who cared, only the feathered beauty who's hand I could take
She shared my predicament, and we resolve to live together
For richer, for poorer, above or below the weather
I had found my peace in the arms of a beautiful creature
Her grace, her subtle sass, she nourishes my unpretentious nature
***