Chapter 21: Prince Cevlion Part 2
July 22nd, 2053
Rontak Valley, Capital City of Ronta, Imperial Palace
A short while ago, Emperor Rontus was informed of the rebellion in the Fordrolan Province and the subsequent sacking of Vakria.
“I’ll send him to the Sandorian desert! See how he likes the desert crawlers and sweltering heat!” He angrily shouted to himself in his private study. “No, damnit, he’ll enjoy conquering the serpentfolk… Ah, I’ll give him command of the eastern fleet and send him to patrol the Tailian islands!”
The Rontak Empire wasn’t much of a naval power, but it did control much of the coastline, necessitating a token navy. “He’s always hated the navy; says they’re a bunch of scaly merfolk wannabees.”
There was a knock on the door. “Come in,” the Emperor barked, not fully calmed down yet.
Lord Tanalus, one of his more trusted supporters in the House of Lords, came in. “What is it, Lord Tanalus?” He asked more mildly.
“Your Majesty, we’ve received a message from Princess Maribelle from a mana comm in Rontak’s Reach,” he said.
“Very well, go on,” the Emperor said, gesturing for him to continue.
“The delegation sent to negotiate peace with the Americans intentionally sabotaged the talks. She said that they made ‘absurd demands to provoke a confrontation.’”
“I should have known better,” Emperor Rontus said regretfully, turning around to stare out the window overlooking the city, contemplating how he ended up in this situation. “I knew there was something suspicious about my son’s pawns being selected, but I chose not to intervene. And for what? To curry favor with the House of Lords? Those deceptive fools may have just doomed the Rontak Empire…”
He turned back around towards Lord Tanalus. “What of the Americans?” He asked. “How are they reacting to this development?”
“They have adopted a defensive stance, withdrawing back to Rontak’s Reach for now,” Tanalus answered. “But they are still searching the Duremar plains for slaves abducted from their side of the portal. According to the Princess, they will respond with overwhelming force if their efforts are in any way impeded.”
“The situation with the Americans warrants my personal attention. Prepare my wyvern and escort,” the Emperor said. “I will leave for Duremar myself as soon as possible.”
“Are you sure that’s wise, Your Majesty?” Tanalus asked, taken aback. “If you wish, I can go in your place and speak on your behalf.”
Even though he trusted Lord Tanalus to remain loyal to him, he didn’t want anyone else to fumble negotiations with the Americans. He needed to handle this himself to make sure it was done right. “I need you here to keep the House of Lords in check,” he said. “Make sure they know that blatant disregard for my authority will not be tolerated.”
“As you wish, Your Majesty,” Lord Tanalus said with a bow.
July 22nd, 2053
Southeast Duremar Plains
Gabriel Ellis was driving a Red Cross truck loaded with humanitarian aid through the Duremar plains on his way to Girshan. They were already enroute to Girshan when the army pulled out. No sense in turning back when they were almost there with the town’s much needed supplies. It was a bright sunny day on the endless green plains; he had a good feeling about this mission.
He thought the two Humvees leading the convoy were unnecessary. Lieutenant Dawson was friendly enough, but Gabriel didn’t much like army types. As always, the Red Cross trucks and personnel uniforms were clearly marked as noncombatants. Besides, why would anyone in the town attack the people bringing them food and medicine?
The convoy continued south along the dirt road, kicking up a cloud of dust behind them.
July 24th, 2053
Sky Above the Duremar Plains
Captain Carly Zimmerman and her wingman, Lieutenant Jakkie Morrison, were on a standard patrol over the Duremar plains. The Air Force still had limited assets on this side of the portal, so she and Jakkie were assigned reconnaissance duty in their F-41s. They were keeping an eye out for any suspicious enemy movements across the vast, empty plains.
Two F-41s
image [https://static.wixstatic.com/media/51f621_072b08fefcc149618f2c3418bb116234~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_900,h_501,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/F41.png]
This image is not my own, full credit goes to the original artist
They occasionally spotted a few wyverns, but they were likely friendlies. The Rontak Princess was cooperating with their efforts to find the missing abductees. Still, whenever they spotted a wyvern, they called it in to command before moving on.
Suddenly the radio came to life; it was Colonel Briggs. “Captain Zimmerman, we’ve received a mayday from the squad escorting the Red Cross convoy to Girshan. They’re under attack by enemy wyverns. We’re rerouting you to engage the enemy and buy time for reinforcements on the ground to get there.
“Understood, Colonel.” She replied.
“Things sounded bad out there, Captain. Engage at your discretion while minimizing civilian casualties. Just do what you can.”
The radio fell silent. She and Jakkie turned south towards Girshan. She was pressed against the back of her seat as her F-41 accelerated up to mach 2.4.
“We’re 35 minutes out from Girshan, Captain,” Jakkie said over the radio. “A lot can happen in that time.”
“You heard the Colonel. We’ll just have to do whatever we can once we get there.”
When they came within radar range of Girshan, they detected four airborne bogeys–wyverns flying low above the town. They made radio contact with the escort team.
“This is Captain Carly Zimmerman, Lieutenant Dawson, do you copy?”
“Finally, thank God! What took you so long?”
“What's your situation on the ground?” She asked.
“We got as many civilians as we could into the town hall,” Dawson explained. “There's Rontak cavalry running through the town killing everyone! There’s just too many of them! I’ve already lost two people. We’re holding them off for now, but we’ve got wounded and are low on ammo.”
“Are there any friendlies in the air?” Jakkie asked.
“Friendlies?” Lieutenant Dawson asked, bewildered. “Hell no!”
“Understood, Lieutenant, standby,” Carly said.
“Alright, let's clear the sky,” she said to Jakkie.
“Targets locked… Firing!”
Both pilots fired two air-to-air missiles. The missiles dropped out of their storage bays and shot forward into the blue sky, disappearing in the distance.
They couldn’t attack ground targets without knowing what they were shooting at. There was no telling who was friend or foe at this distance. They’d have to get closer and engage at point blank range, if they could engage at all. There were too many unaccounted-for friendlies in the mix to target indiscriminately.
Finally, they came within visual range of the town and slowed to subsonic. Carly saw black smoke rising into the sky. They flew low over Girshan to get a look at the town. Parts of it were burning and small figures were running through the streets.
Two humvees were parked around the large building in the middle of the town. The HUD in her helmet highlighted the friendly IFF tags around them. They were firing at a horde of horsemen galloping towards them down the main road.
“We need air support, NOW!” Lieutenant Dawson yelled over the radio. “There’s too many of them and we’re almost out of ammunition!”
“Are there any civilians in the target zone?” She asked.
“Negative, everyone we couldn’t evacuate in time is already dead by now. You’re clear to engage!”
“Standby,” she told him.
“I’ll go first, you follow behind me, Jakkie,” she said.
“Let's light’em up!” Jakkie acknowledged enthusiastically.
Carly maneuvered to approach the road lengthwise from the direction of the town hall and extended her 25 mm autocannon from its housing. She fired, expending 103 of her 156 rounds of ammunition. Bullets strafed the enemy cavalry on the road, throwing up a mix of dust and blood.
She pulled up and banked around just in time to see Jakkie follow up with her own attack run, neutralizing more hostiles. Wounded and dead men and horses littered the street. Lieutenant Dawson’s enthusiastic cheer indicated the attack was a success. “That got’em! They’re turning back!” He reported.
They only fired on the targets on the main road, but the show of air superiority was enough to drive the rest back. They had no way of knowing that she didn’t have enough ammunition or missiles to do much else. Carly watched as the rest of the horsemen fled Girshan. They scattered in all directions, but the largest group was headed back towards the Kashir forest.
July 24th, 2053
United States, Washington DC, The White House
“Hang on, can someone explain to me what the hell happened out there?” President Olivia Bennett asked. She was just informed of the developing situation on the other side of the portal. “Why the hell did they attack their own town again?”
“We believe it may be retribution for cooperating with our forces and hosting the preliminary negotiations,” Director Delano of the CIA explained. “The Rontak Empire’s feudal nature means that their political structure is heavily divided. There are those like Princess Maribelle and the town of Girshan who are cooperative with us, and then there are others, like Lord Torlan, who are staunchly opposed to any form of diplomacy.”
“Lord Torlan,” President Bennet repeated inquisitively. “He’s the one who demanded we return to our side of the portal, right?”
“That's correct, Madam President,” Ambassador Smith said.
“They’ll need a whole lot more than spears and flying reptiles to make that happen,” President Bennett said confidently. “What’s the current situation in Girshan, General Thompson?”
He briefed the President on the recent turn of events. About 1000 cavalry and 10 wyverns ambushed the town of Girshan. A Red Cross convoy and its military escort were caught in the attack. Despite their modern weapons, the Army personnel were outnumbered and overpowered.
They evacuated as many Red Cross members and civilians as they could into the town hall and held off the enemy as best they could. US fighters arrived, neutralized the remaining enemy wyverns, and managed to drive off the cavalry on the ground. In total, 3 US service members, 5 Red Cross members, and hundreds of Rontak civilians lost their lives.
“Madam President, intelligence reports tracked the enemy force splitting off from a larger army three days ago,” General Thompson said. “We thought it was just more activity destined for the Kashir forest, but apparently we were mistaken. According to intel provided by Princess Maribelle, it is likely that Prince Cevlion is commanding those forces.”
“Prince Cevlion ordered those scorched earth attacks on their own villages, right?” The President asked, recalling the incident.
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“That's correct, Madam President,” General Thompson confirmed. “I believe it's time to neutralize the Prince. According to Princess Maribelle, he’s the biggest obstacle to a peaceful resolution at this time. Without him to rally behind, the other pro-war advocates in the Rontak Empire will hopefully see reason.”
“Unfortunately, that's not an option, General,” Director Delano said, shuffling some papers. “My agents embedded in Rontak cities have confirmed what the Princess told us about Prince Cevlion’s public perception. If we kill him, a peaceful resolution would be unlikely any time soon.”
“Then we need to capture him,” President Bennett interjected. “If we take Prince Cevlion alive, hopefully it will be enough to convince the rest of them to stop this madness.”
July 27th, 2053
Outskirts of the Kashir Forest (Southeast of the Duremar Plains)
The 4th Deep Recon Team was part of the regiment sent to capture Prince Cevlion as part of Operation Hurricane. Their assignment, along with other units, was to attack the Prince’s army and create a diversion. Then, a team of Navy SEALs would covertly infiltrate the enemy camp and apprehend the Prince. But first, they had to pass through the Kashir forest.
The convoy was made up of Abrams X2s, Rhinos, Humvees, M850 Howitzers, logistic trucks, and an assortment of other support vehicles. They wouldn’t have drone support, being so deep in enemy territory, but F-41s and recon planes would provide air support on the other side of the forest.
They knew the forest was filled with traps and ambushes, so they were going in hot. The spearhead of Abrams X2 tanks easily broke through the forest’s outer defenses, and the convoy proceeded into the forest. Daniel and his team in their Rhinos followed the convoy along the road. Luckily, the Rontaks were using the forest’s roads themselves for logistics, and they were in good condition.
There were frequent roadblocks and pit traps, but they weren’t much of a problem for heavily armored vehicles. Abrams X2s cleared away barricades, and bridge layers spanned any pits too deep for the vehicles to cross on their own.
Enemy soldiers attacked the convoy from the tree line with javelins and arrows, but infrared cameras and AI-controlled weapons made them easy targets. The first day was difficult, but the Rontak soldiers learned pretty quickly that they couldn’t actually hurt them inside their vehicles. Their ambushes were ineffective. After the first day, the attacks became substantially less frequent.
They didn’t stop at night; instead, the entire convoy moved through the forest as quickly as possible. Drivers rotated out to rest, and they only stopped to refuel when needed. If the Prince’s army made it to the forest, their vehicles would significantly lose their mobility advantage, which was critical to Operation Hurricane.
July 29th, 2053
South of the Kashir Forest 10:00 AM
After two days of constant driving, they made it through the Kashir forest. Recon planes had eyes on the Prince’s army, undetected high in the sky. Operation Hurricane was ready to begin.
“Alright, we’ve just been given clearance from Colonel Mason to proceed,” Daniel said. “Benny, move us to our first location.”
The convoy dispersed in different directions to accomplish different objectives. Some guarded the artillery and logistic trucks, while others were sent to harass the enemy and give them a visual target to pursue.
They drove undetected for a while until they reached their designated position along the enemy column. The Rontak army was marching on a road at the base of a hill. Aerial reconnaissance put the column at about 3 kilometers long.
When they began their final approach, they heard battle horns from the enemy. Other teams were spotted too as they closed in on their targets. The Rontaks may have only had their own eyes to detect them, but they were alert. The grassy plains and scarce trees didn’t offer many places to hide.
“All squads maintain distance and standby for the first wave of artillery,” Colonel Mason said over the radio.
“Hold up, Benny,” Daniel said. His order was relayed to Emily in the other Rhino. Both vehicles slowed to a halt as the Rontak soldiers in the distance began to hastily turn and face them. They held their position and waited for the show to begin.
They didn’t have to wait long. M850 Self Propelled Howitzers commenced their attack from 30 km away.
“The shells should hit in 3… 2… 1… Now!” Liv said, tracking the artillery shells from the information display.
Explosions erupted around the enemy ranks, but not targeting them directly. The goal of Operation Hurricane wasn’t to inflict more mass casualties, but rather to distract them and lead them away from the Prince.
The artillery shelling was just a way to demoralize them and cause chaos. Only a few unlucky soldiers were caught in the blasts. GPS guided precision shells didn’t work without satellites to guide them, so they were stuck with less accurate ‘dumb’ shells.
The Howitzers stopped firing and dozens of mechanized armored units moved in to commence their attack.
“Alright, Benny, bring us closer,” Daniel said. “Marcus, have you got targets picked out?”
“Yes sir,” Marcus replied.
Both Rhinos drove to within a few hundred meters of the enemy and fired their .50 caliber machine guns. The enemy soon responded with a volley of arrows and stones that bounced harmlessly off the armored hulls.
“Those bastards did not just scratch my paint!” Benny exclaimed, annoyed.
“You know the plan, Benny, take us away slow enough for them to follow,” Daniel said.
They sluggishly retreated from their engagement, following no particular path, with hundreds of enemy soldiers in pursuit on foot. Luckily, trees were sparse, and the wide open grasslands favored their mobility. An alert beeped on one of the display screens.
“We’ve got cavalry incoming!” Liv said.
“Distance?” Daniel asked.
“500 meters and closing,” Liv replied, watching the readout from their recon drones.
“Benny, pick up the pace,” Daniel said. “Let's give them something to chase.”
“You got it, sir!” He replied happily as he shifted gears and sped up.
The Rhinos kept their distance, but they were careful not to lose the cavalry. Whenever the enemy fell behind, they lowered their speed so they could catch up. Occasionally, they fired a few .50 caliber rounds at them, just to keep up appearances.
They never even saw the enemy’s wyverns. Any that took to the sky were immediately intercepted by designated ground teams and F-41s. Wyverns were marked as priority targets because they could be used to locate and coordinate enemy ground forces.
They heard the sound of jets overhead and explosions in the distance, signaling another successful bombing. If they were actually trying to kill the enemy, the battle would have been over by now.
Out of the Rhino’s periscopes, Daniel saw a group of minotaurs and centaurs climb all over an Abrams X2. They futilely hacked away at its armor, only for Marcus to scatter them with the ADS. The centaurs turned towards the Rhinos and were mowed down by .50 caliber bullets. A few made it past the hail of bullets only to run head-on into the several ton armored vehicles and get run over. His Rhino lurched as a centaur was crushed underneath.
He watched as another centaur fatally underestimated the sheer momentum of an armored vehicle and leaped head first into Emily’s Rhino. The poor creature was swatted aside like a fly, probably breaking every bone in its body.
This went on for hours: engage, retreat, engage, retreat. Once they lured the enemy far enough away, they circled around and baited another group. Recon drones buzzed around in the sky, keeping track of where everyone was, friendlies and hostiles alike. The ground was a chaotic mess of armored vehicles and scattered groups of Rontak soldiers dispersed across the landscape; Operation Hurricane was going exactly as planned.
July 29th, 2053
South of the Kashir Forest 11:00 PM
Lieutenant James West was on board a V-24 Albatross with his eight man squad of Navy SEALs and two supporting droids.
V-24 Albatross
image [https://static.wixstatic.com/media/51f621_8249b8be11804fd4a3d8f59bf4f554f8~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_900,h_515,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Albatross.png]
This image is not my own, full credit goes to the original artist
The Albatross was the modern successor to the old V-22 Osprey. It was a quad tiltrotor craft capable of lifting heavy equipment to and from combat sites. They were being flown in on an Albatross because it had greater speed and range than a Chinook.
Surveillance aircraft had located Prince Cevlion. He set up a makeshift command center earlier in the day and was now using it to coordinate his army–or at least he was trying to. Operation Hurricane was very successful in disorganizing the enemy.
James walked into the cockpit to check in with the pilots before deploying.
“Any wyverns in sight?” James asked, holding on to the bulkhead for stability as the Albatross jerked to the right.
“Negative,” the pilot replied. “I can’t imagine those things flying at night with no navigational instruments.”
“What’s our ETA?” James asked.
“About 5 minutes,” the copilot answered, as she reached to her right to flip a switch. “Better get your team ready.”
James went back to the crew compartment where his squad was. The cargo hold was designed to carry up to a Rhino or multiple smaller vehicles into combat zones. With just his one squad, it was pretty spacious.
“Alright, listen up,” he shouted over the clamor of the engines. “The drop site is 5 klicks from the enemy camp. We will proceed on foot nonstop until we reach the target. We will covertly infiltrate the camp and nab this son of a bitch before anyone even knows we’re there. Am I understood?”
“SIR, YES, SIR!” His team replied in sync.
They checked their weapons and gear one last time before it was time to deploy. Their combat suits were pitch black. Any exposed skin was painted black as well. They readied their night vision goggles and powered on their MK III exoskeletons.
MK III Exoskeleton Concept
image [https://static.wixstatic.com/media/51f621_d664b4b2134348b5aaef57206a422cfb~mv2.webp/v1/fill/w_853,h_516,al_c,lg_1,q_85,enc_auto/MK%20III%20Exoskeleton%20Concept.webp]
This image is not my own, full credit goes to the original artist
The MK III exoskeleton didn’t have the raw strength of the MK II, but it was much smaller and quieter, making it ideal for covert ops like this one. Mechanical servos connected by strong metal rods and hydraulics fit seamlessly around their limbs like a glove. Unless he was actually using its enhanced strength, James almost didn’t notice he was wearing it.
The deployment doors in the middle of the floor opened up and he watched the trees go by below. The Albatross slowed down as the rotors transitioned to vertical mode and they hovered over a clearing in a light forest. His HUD told him that they were about 20 meters above the ground.
“This is it!” He shouted to his men over the roar of the wind and engines. “Deploy! Go, go, go!”
The droids went first, followed by the SEALs. They clipped onto cables and expertly lowered themselves to the ground. As soon as their boots hit the dirt, they unhitched themselves, and the Albatross rose into the night sky and disappeared. It would come back to collect them after the mission was complete.
In less than a minute, they went from the roar of the Albatross’s engines to the silence of the forest at night. The only sounds to be heard were the leaves crunching under their feet and nocturnal animals in the distance.
“Let's get moving,” James said, as he led his SEALs towards the objective.
Even with the weight of all their gear, their exoskeletons let them run as fast as Olympic athletes. The terrain was lightly wooded. They moved like shadows through the trees and open patches of grass. Soon, they came across a dirt path and saw a light up ahead. They stopped and took cover behind some rocks.
A group of four horsemen rode past, likely scouts on patrol. They waited for them to pass by and then got back on the move. As they got closer to the objective, they saw more enemy scouts and lookouts.
After a while, they emerged from the forest at the top of a small cliff about 10 meters high. Below them was the Prince’s makeshift command center, set up against the base of the cliff. The area below them was lit well with torches, so they took off their night vision goggles and replaced them with standard tac visors.
They easily identified the Prince’s tent; it had the same soldiers identified by Princess Maribelle as Imperial Guards standing guard out front. It was in the middle of a maze of other tents and logistical baggage. Soldiers ran frantically around the camp, attending to various tasks. They could hear the distant sound of weapons fire. The darkness of night was no reprieve for the Rontak army.
Infiltration wouldn’t be easy, but their modern equipment and the element of surprise gave them a significant advantage. However, the enemy had their own advantage in the form of magic. They did a thermal scan of the area to check for any invisible mages and found none. But that didn’t mean there weren’t any mages at all down there. From their vantage point on the ridge, they spotted a number of individuals carrying staffs too big and blunt to be spears.
Aside from a sniper and a spotter, James and his team silently repelled down the cliff. They hid behind tents, wagons, and animals as they moved like shadows through the night. Guided by the spotter, they snuck through the camp, avoiding well-lit areas and guards.
They came across two sentries standing beside a cart carrying shiny mithril weapons. There were other carts and tents beside this one forming a roadway through the camp. James considered his options for a moment. They could go around, but it would take longer and risk unnecessary exposure.
If someone spotted them before they reached the Prince, there was no telling how far he would get; they might even have to abort the mission. This was the best way forward. He motioned for two SEALs to silently take out the guards.
The SEALs crawled around the tents and underneath the cart. They rolled out from behind the sentries, got to their feet, and covered the guards' mouths while they stabbed their necks with their combat knives.
The rest of the team moved forward and dragged the bodies underneath the cart to conceal them. James thought about taking some of the mithril weapons for analysis, but the glow would give their position away, so he left them where they were. Their current mission was more important.
They came to the ring-shaped clearing around the Prince’s tent. Two Imperial Guards stood outside the entrance and several more stood at regular intervals around the tent. The SEALs positioned themselves in the shadows around the clearing, waiting to have a line of sight on each of the sentry before neutralizing them. With a soft spray of silenced shots, they neutralized the guards and moved to the entrance of the tent.
July 30th, 2053
South of the Kashir Forest 1:00 AM
“Where do they keep coming from!” Prince Cevlion angrily slammed his fist against the table. He had heard the reports of the Americans’ magi cannons when they came through the portal, but now they couldn’t even see them! The explosions were coming out of nowhere! “My sister is an idiotic fool for reporting that the Americans aren’t using magic.”
“Your Highness, their contraptions keep outrunning even our most experienced riders and best horses,” General Kimlon said. “And whatever wyverns we launch are immediately destroyed by trails of smoke and fire in the sky.”
“Any time we manage to sneak up on them, they use some kind of magic to panic our horses,” Archmage Calamon added. “They throw their riders and scatter in all directions. The centaurs are no exception; they describe it as fire magic without any fire. I’ve never heard of anything like it before.”
“Is their entire army made of cowardly skirmishers?” Lord Kighvum exclaimed, frustrated. “Our army is so spread out, I cannot fathom their main force is hidden anywhere near–” PEW PEW PEW PEW
Lord Kighvum was cut off by a strange sound. The table fell quiet as they heard the clinking ‘thud’ sound of armored bodies falling over just outside the tent. Before Prince Cevlion could send his Imperial Guards outside to see what the commotion was, a metallic cylinder rolled into the tent.
BANG
The tent was filled with blinding light magic and a deafening sound. “Aaagh,” Prince Cevlion fell out of his chair to the floor.
July 30th, 2053
South of the Kashir Forest 1:00 AM
The flashbang went off, and the SEALs poured into the tent. There was a wooden table in the middle, surrounded by a bunch of people fumbling on the ground. They neutralized the guards, who were already getting back on their feet but were still disoriented. Before they could recover from the flashbang, everyone in the room was disarmed and had their hands tied behind their backs with zip ties. Then, they moved to secure the target.
“Alright, which one’s Prince Cevlion?” James asked.
They checked each of the prisoners and identified the Prince from the digitized sketch provided by the Rontak Princess.
“This is him, sir,” a SEAL responded, double checking his tablet.
James nodded. “Lets bag him and get to the LZ. Call for the evac.”
“Who are–What's going on?” Prince Cevlion mumbled as he was brought to his feet. A SEAL injected him with a sedative, just so that he wouldn’t cause any problems. Who knew if he was capable of using magic; better safe than sorry. James clipped his assault rifle to his chest and easily hoisted the target over his shoulders, thanks to his exoskeleton.
“Sir, your position is compromised, you've got hostiles closing in,” the spotter said over the radio.
He exited the tent and looked around. Dozens of men with spears and shields were running their way from all directions. They must have heard the flashbang.
“Weapons free!”
The SEALs immediately opened fire as they began making their way back through the enemy camp, much less discreetly than before.
Two Rontak soldiers came from around a corner, surprising the SEALs. One of them immediately dropped, courtesy of the sniper on the nearby cliff. One of the droids butted the other one in the head with its rifle, then grabbed hold of him by the shoulders. It lifted the Rontak soldier off the ground and threw him five meters into a nearby group of pursuing soldiers.
They moved back towards the cliff face, cutting a path with their automatic weapons through any enemy soldiers who got in their way. But it was no use; there were just too many coming from all directions.
In the road in front of them, a group of mages created a bubble shield around themselves, blocking their escape path. The SEALs opened fire; bullets rippled off the shield. James had heard reports of these shields. Continuous fire would eventually bring them down.
“Focus fire on the mages!” He ordered, but it didn’t do any good. There were half a dozen mages maintaining the shield. Even under heavy fire from eight automatic weapons, it didn’t fade.
One of the mages launched a stream of fire at them. A droid stepped in front of it, taking the brunt of the blast, but James could still feel the heat. The droid staggered to the ground with its front side glowing red hot. It must have overheated and fried its electronics.
“We’re gonna need a different exit strategy!” One of the SEALs said, as he shot two Rontaks running at them from behind.
“Specter I, this is Shadow Actual, come in,” James said into the radio. “We need a hot extraction, on our location.”
“Copy that, Shadow Actual,” the pilot responded. “ETA one minute”
The Rontak soldiers around them formed a shield wall and slowly marched forward into a hail of bullets and promptly fell to the ground. They quickly learned that they couldn’t get close, but it wouldn’t be long before more mages arrived.
The Rontaks had them surrounded, but stopped trying to advance; they held their position and waited. Then, they parted to let a group of soldiers in heavier armor march to the front. They formed a line and lowered their spears.
“There is no escape!” One of them shouted. “Release Prince Cevlion and we will grant you a quick death!”
The group of enemy soldiers around them had grown into a crowd. On all sides, they organized themselves into ranks spanning the width of the dirt paths through the camp. Gradually, James could hear the sound of the approaching Albatross getting louder. They only had to hold out a little longer…
The Rontak soldiers noticed the noise too and looked around in confusion. Suddenly, the area was lit up with a bright light. The Albatross opened fire with its chin-mounted 30mm gatling gun as it lowered itself towards the ground. The heavy firepower was enough to overwhelm the mages’ shield, and they were promptly turned into swiss cheese.
The Albatross hovered ten meters above them and lowered cables to the ground. James made sure the target was secure. Then, the SEALs and remaining droid hooked themselves onto the cables, firing at the enemy as they were lifted into the air.
The Rontaks surged forward, but by the time they did, the Navy SEALs were already climbing into the albatross. James saw a few archers try to shoot arrows at them, but the wind from the rotors blew them back to the ground.
The ventral doors closed, and they flew back over to the cliff where the sniper and spotter were concealed. The rear ramp opened up, and they jumped on board. All personnel were accounted for, minus one droid and plus one HVT. The Albatross rose higher into the sky and flew off back towards Fort Roanoke, its engines rotating back into flight mode. Operation Hurricane was a success.
Author’s Note: I know the speed at which the Rontak cavalry got from Vakria to Girshan is a bit inaccurate. Realistically, it would have taken more than just a few days for them to get there, but hey, I needed them to move at the speed of the plot.
The map of Kraffnia is coming along slowly, but surely. I expect it to be ready by chapter 22 or 23.