The battle reached its climax as James, driven by necessity, unleashed the devastating corrosive mana that he had built up. The F-ranker, caught off guard by the sheer surprise and speed of the attack, barely had time to react. James crashed through the water shield and was on top of him, and still the man managed to bring his arm up to avoid a direct strike.
The moment the corrupting mana connected, however, it spread rapidly through the F-ranker's body, causing an immediate and irreversible collapse of his vital systems.
Unlike the Fog Knight, the man didn't have the ability to remove the affected limb. In short order, his own mana system - pumping high in response to the adrenaline-fueled situation - brought the foreign energy everywhere, sealing his fate.
As the F-ranker fell to the ground, lifeless, a heavy silence settled over the camp. Everyone stopped. James stood in shock, the reality of what had just transpired sinking in. His fist was still trembling with the remnants of the released mana, and he felt a cold shiver run down his spine.
A notification flashed in his consciousness, confirming the kill. For a moment, he was frozen, the weight of having taken a life pressing down on him. His thoughts raced, torn between the necessity of his actions and the grim reality of their consequences.
I had to. I had to do it. Or he would have killed us. I had to.
The remaining poachers, seeing their leader fall, were seized by panic. Maria, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Lauren, despite their own shock, quickly sprang into action. They coordinated their efforts, swiftly subduing the remaining Awakeners with precision and skill. Their movements were mechanical, their focus singular - to end the confrontation as quickly and efficiently as possible, even as James remained paralyzed before the fallen F-ranker.
As the last poachers were restrained, James slowly returned to his senses. He looked around, taking in the scene - the defeated enemies, his team members, each dealing with the aftermath in their own way. Lauren, though injured, was dosing the captives with the paralytic while Ezekiel worked to heal her. Daniel was methodically securing the area. Maria's expression was grim, her eyes reflecting the fire that still burned in the remnants of the camp, while she ensured no one tried anything, a swarm or fiercely burning fireballs rotating above her head.
"We need to report this." James said, his voice strangely firm but carrying an unspoken heaviness. "We need to call the AA HQ now."
Ezekiel nodded, already reaching for his communicator. "I'm on it. The moment we get somewhere with a signal, I'll call them. They need to come and pick these people anyway."
They gathered the prisoners, tying them together and putting them on a sort of makeshift sled, which Daniel pulled through the desert until they reached the spot where they had left the last group of poachers. Thankfully, they were all still present and alive - if battered by the rough methods Team 0 had employed.
From there, Ezekiel contacted the HQ with his transponder, his barely visible eyes weary as he scanned their surroundings.
"This is Crisis Management." A feminine voice announced from the transponder.
“This is Team 0’s Ezekiel Bogdanoff, serial number 17K14BWN.” The White Mage replied. "During our mission, in the desert dungeon number 0011037, we encountered a poaching operation and conducted several arrests. We now request immediate support from a superior team to take in all the prisoners and provide protection in case of retaliation, as we suspect a Guild to be behind it." He rattled off, sounding a bit shaky.
There was a beat of silence before the woman replied "Acknowledged. We are sending Team Zippo, as they are the highest ranking available with the mobility required. ETA: 5 minutes. Please remain in contact while they prepare to drop in and provide as many details as possible about your location. The teleporter can reach you anyway, but having more information will make the trip less mana-intensive on them."
They all breathed a sigh of relief at that. Even James, whose mind was still in fight mode, twitching erratically between all the nearby presences as he tried to grasp at their intentions, fully ready to unleash violence on the first to catch his attention. The fact that a teleporter was available for deployment was an incredible stroke of luck, as there were less than half a dozen in the whole NY AA, and the majority had been coopted for the Kashmir mission.
Ezekiel gave a few more details about their surroundings before visibly gulping, adding "Also, one more thing. You need to tell them to bring a body bag."
Another silence followed, and even Team 0's members didn't fill it. It lingered before the woman rallied, clearing her throat. "Acknowledged. ETA 2 minutes."
The wait was short but felt like an eternity. Soon, a ripple in the air signaled the arrival of the C-rank team sent by the Headquarters. Five Awakeners appeared without a sound, expressions grim as they took in the situation. Two were women, though the heavy-duty battle suit hid most features. The other three were men; they all carried that veteran feeling that James could remember seeing in his father. Their presences blazed to his senses.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
He had no doubt these people had seen their fair share of combat, and from the way they immediately spread out, making a perimeter around them and silently assessing the situation, he knew he was correct.
The C-rank team leader, a seasoned Awakener with sharp features, short red hair that peeked under his helmet and a no-nonsense demeanor, approached James. "Report!" He barked, his tone indicating that he was aware they were dealing with an unusual situation.
James fell into attention without even noticing. "Yes sir! We were conducting a dungeon run alongside the Emerald Guard team when we began to notice too many monster remains in places where the other team couldn't have already been. Our initial investigation concluded that a poaching operation was likely going on, and when we confronted the allied Guild team, they attacked us after initially feigning confusion. We subdued them and continued the investigation, coming across more Awakeners who confirmed our findings. Eventually, we came across the main base and conducted a raid against it, successfully capturing or eliminating the hostiles."
"Eliminating? Is that why we needed to bring a bodybag?" The man asked, even as he looked around, locating the one body with a cloth thrown over it to hide the consequences of James' attack.
He had barely looked at it before covering it. It wasn't pretty, what his vaunted "corrupting mana" did to a human being, and James was sure he'd keep seeing the bloated, purple corpse in his dreams.
"Yes, sir." He still replied. "That is what we believe to be the F-rank leader of the operation."
The C-ranker did a double take, which would have been humorous in any other situation. Luckily, he seemed to understand that James' patience was running thin and stopped with his questions, moving to help his companions secure the prisoners.
As the C-rank team efficiently took control of the situation, James and his friends stood back, allowing the professionals to work. The C-rankers moved with precision and expertise that spoke of extensive training and experience in handling such high-stress scenarios. They checked over each of them, providing a level of healing that Ezekiel still could not match, refilling their mana stores and stamina with high-quality potions.
One of the C-rank Awakeners, a woman with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, demonstrated her formidable power by levitating all the prisoners simultaneously. The sight was both impressive and a stark reminder of the gap in power between the ranks. Her ability to handle multiple captives with such ease and grace, while her expression didn't waver, showed how far ahead she was compared to them.
I can't help but be grateful for it. I'd normally be a bit jealous, but it's reassuring she's on our side.
The C-rank team then marched through the locations where Team 0 had left the other poachers, securing each group with the same professionalism. Their approach was methodical, ensuring no detail was overlooked and every prisoner they had spoken of was accounted for.
Their expressions grew grimmer when they reached the Emerald Guard team, which was beginning to stir from the paralytic but hadn't recovered enough to run away. Still, they proceeded without a hitch, processing them and adding them to the large number of floating prisoners following behind their group.
The dungeon's monsters didn't make an appearance; their numbers thinned enough in this area that the few remaining ones didn't dare approach such obviously powerful Awakeners, showing much more self-preservation than James had ever seen from them before.
Just one massive golem dared to try its luck. It had wandered from the west and, upon noticing them, broke into a sprint. The sight would have been intimidating if one of the C-rankers had not just waved his staff toward it and atomized it without breaking his stride.
As they approached the dungeon’s entrance, Maria engaged in a discussion with the blonde C-ranker. She recounted their encounter with the F-ranker, explaining how they had managed to gain the upper hand. Her vivid description of the battle highlighted the team's coordination and the strategic use of their Talents.
The C-ranker listened intently, her expression a mix of admiration and concern. "It's impressive what you managed to achieve.” She said, her tone sincere. "But this could have repercussions. If the Emerald Guard Guild - or another one - is indeed behind this, they might seek retribution. You need to be careful."
Maria nodded, a determined look on her face. "We're aware of the risks. But we couldn't let them continue with their operation. It was the right thing to do." She said, earning nods from her teammates. None of them had forgotten the humiliation they felt at being forced to let go of the murderers in Prospect Park.
The C-ranker sighed, her gaze shifting to the other members of Team 0. "You did well, but just be prepared for what might come next. The Guilds don't take interference kindly, especially when it disrupts their plans. You might need to lay low for a while."
James, overhearing the conversation, felt a familiar sense of frustration. The Guilds' influence and the constant threat they posed were a continual thorn in their side. However, he also felt a renewed sense of determination. The numbness that had overtaken him was slipping away, and the fires of his willpower burned ever stronger. He wasn’t over it, but he felt more like himself now.
When they finally exited the dungeon, returning to the clearing where they had first met Carter and his team, they found that another two vans bearing the AA symbol had arrived, with several Agents standing around.
The moment they were noticed, the black-clothed agents went into action, opening the vans to show their reinforced interiors. These were prisoner transporters, as a single teleporter couldn't bring them all back to New York. Not one in the C-rank, anyway, and this situation - for all its possible danger - was not important enough to call for a stronger one.
The C-rank team completed their task, gathering all the prisoners and handing them over to the Agents, who quickly placed D-grade handcuffs on them and piled them in the vans.
The team leader then approached James once more, giving him a respectful nod. "You did the right thing here, as far as I'm concerned." The man began but lifted a hand to stop him from talking. "But the consequences will still follow you. I think it would be a good idea for your team to disappear from the radars for a while, and what better occasion than to continue your dive here?"
The implications were clear. He suggested Team 0 hide in the same desert dungeon for several days until the waters could be calmed and the AA could ensure their safety again.
"But isn't this the first place they'll come to look for us?" James asked, sounding concerned.
"He's right." A new voice refuted. A familiar one.
Miss Walker stepped out of the shadows pooling at the bottom of a nearby tree, appearing suddenly to James' senses - though admittedly, he had stopped obsessively checking.
"It's a good idea to stay here for a bit longer because you still have an active mission here, and we can justify giving this dungeon a protective detail if it is to complete an already active mission. If we brought you back, we would have to immediately halt your activities and put you on the bench while we wait for the trial to start." She sentenced, and that was that.