Falcon Squadron Team Leader: “Shots being fired, shots being fired”
Ground control: “Hang fire Team Leader”
Falcon Squadron Team Leader: “Enemy retaliation confirmed. Explosive force utilised against residential housing, at least one fatality confirmed”
Ground control: “Orders received. Fire at will”
Falcon Squadron Team Leader: “Roger that, order received, opening fire”
*****
“Do not return fire, stand down our men” Ralph yelled, managing to subdue the localised gunfire from teams at his blockade. But it was too late. The order to aerial units had already been given.
Heavy machine gun fire and artillery strikes rained down upon the small contingent of elves that stood, alone out in the open. Dust and tarmac surrounded the scene, encompassing the group and the thin pale purple shield that had protected them.
*****
“My Prince… your orders?” Dreya said through gritted teeth as she watched Felix’s shields begin to weaken
“I’ve asked our gate command to not retaliate. How long will your shields hold out Felix?”
“At minimum five more minutes ten minutes at best” Felix said through a grimace, he was trying to channel his strength into the shield, offsetting the damage of the suppressive fire.
“Let them pause. Let the dust settle. Let them see our strength. I will give them the benefit of the doubt. We are not harmed and I can live with being disrespected… occasionally.” Aleyth told his team
****
Falcon Squadron Team Leader: “Heat signals suggest the enemy shields are withstanding our fire. Large numbers of soldiers mobilising behind the gates. Requesting permission for targeting missile strike against the mobilising units”
Ground Control: “Permission granted. Fire at will”
****
Just before the dust settled, the order was given. Dozens of missiles screeched through the air; two direct hits on the prince’s group with ten searching different targets within the town.
The blasts were so loud the Elves were shellshocked, the hit from the missiles felt to them like a high level fire bolt had exploded beside them. Ears ringing they looked at each other. Felix’s shield had cracked, doing enough to withstand the blast but it had now failed, he was on his knee’s having given a lot of his mana and stamina into supporting the shield that protected them.
Dreya jumped into action and cocooned the team in huge earthen walls that sprung up from the ground, they absorbed the residual flames from the explosion and created a hot molten periphery. She’d called upon the elements to encase herself in earthen armour; fists relit and ready she was ready for a fight.
“Aleyth, they’re targeting our town” a panicked Lady V spoke within his mind “our civilian district. Confirmed fatalities already… my Lord” she began to weep.
Aleyth’s eyes went wide in horror. He had miscalculated and cost the lives of his people. “Felix. Transport Shahine to the civilian district; lady Vehrane will command. Dreya, work with your elementalists to strengthen our defences and ensure our buildings remain stable. Braxton command the guard to protect the town. Prepare your wing commanders for an aerial assault; tell them to meet me at the top of the Bell tower.”
“Sir” the team said in unison - the entire exchange only taking seconds. Telepathy communications specialists relayed the orders to their teams immediately and the town worked together as one.
Teleporting to the top of the Bell Tower, Aleyth looked over his proud city. Buildings in ruins, areas on fire, his powerful senses hearing and feeling the cries of children, the screams of parents and the panic of the people. A school had been hit, bodies lay across rubble. This was where Aleyth felt the most useless, his essence was a potent mix for combat and stealth, yet he longed for the abilities gifted to Shahine and the other healers of the town. They would see this town healed and rebuilt, his job was to lead and defend.
Another set of screeches forced Aleyth to look to the sky once more to see a second wave of ballistics approaching. This time the town was prepared, mages and sorcery specialists laid further protections, an enormous pale purple dome now covered the city. Their normal defences were against magic, never before in their history was there such a strong physical attack launched like this. Different protections were invoked and maintained this time by the forces of Tehralain. Aleyth took a more direct approach, managing to time his own arcane blasts with multiple missile flight paths, blowing them out of the sky.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
“V. Is Shahine with you? What is the status” Aleyth thought
“She is. We’ve revived a number of our towns folk… but there are a number, maybe twenty that we cannot bring back. Seven of them children. What land of monsters are we in?”
It was exceptionally rare for them to be attacked within city grounds such as this, harmful acts against anyone under thirty was the ultimate sin; they were essence-less children. Aleyth’s only recourse was to meet violence with violence. These ‘people’ had their chance.
“Braxton. A small ground force is forming and making their way to our northern, north eastern and north western gates. Defend the gates to the east and west. In the north, however, open the gate and show these people the power of Braxton.”
“Yes my Lord” Braxton replied, placing his highly polished silver helmet on his head, giant battle axe lay to his side.
“I will take care of the skies with your Wing Commanders”
They could be heard, before they were seen. Giant Griffins cawed their war cries, ridden by those adept at aerial combat. One hundred Griffins, each the size of the Black Hawk helicopters they were about to face.
Wearing enchanted neck chains that deflected most of the physical damage from the machine gun fire that met them, it was no match. Iron-like beaks, razor sharp talons and supernaturally muscular wings allowed them to approach and swarm all 6 military helicopters that were showering their city with fire.
They ripped polycarbonate sheets out of place from the hulls, tore the pilots from their cockpits and stopped the propeller blades in their tracks. To those on the ground watching from afar, it was a brutal site as real people were being treated like a bird would treat their prey. Soldiers were pulled apart in the air, their bodies hitting the ground or rattling down the side of the physical protection dome that now encircled the mystical city. It was a blood bath, all six helicopters ripped out of the sky, their seventy two occupants either torn apart or left to burn in their coffins of steel and magnesium alloy.
*****
Meanwhile, Braxton had now emerged from the northern gate. A hulking sight at eight feet tall, covered in highly polished steel and deep navy leather, he walked slowly to the armed unit that was approaching his city.
There were fifty armed men that were moving in unison, partnered with two Husky TSV’s, each mounted with a general purpose machine gun for rapid and heavy suppressive fire. The sight of Braxton had stopped them in their tracks, their bodies pumped even harder with fear and adrenaline. The pristinely clean double edged axe that he was carrying was the size of a human at six feet tall, it glistened elegantly in the sunlight. Braxton let the axe trail behind him, scratching deeply into the tarmac as he made his way to the group.
The temporary silence was lifted when the unit heard the gun fire and screams of men to their East and West. “Fire at will” being the key command, the air was filled with all fifty troops unleashing the full power of their assault rifles, alongside the two mounted machine guns.
From the click of the first trigger being pulled, Braxton got into action. Initiating his invulnerable skill, he paired this with rush and boomerang.
Ability: Invulnerable. Take zero damage from physical and magic effects. Duration: 60 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Ability: Rush. Sprint at the speed of sound to your target. Max distance: 200m. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Ability: Boomerang. Throw your weapon in any direction and it will return. Max distance: 1km. Uses: 3. Cooldown: 10 minutes
In a blur, he was amongst his enemy; running through the front two lines of men, they lay, bodies smashed along the ground, limbs that caught a glance of Braxton as he charged in were torn clean off. Panic set in amongst the group, Braxton was somber, he was born for battle, but this was a bloodbath.
The fire from the machine guns on the vehicles was heavy. The impact of the bullets caused his movements to slow, slightly. He threw his giant battle axe towards the first vehicle; it sliced through the metal like a knife through butter. In one fluid motion, the axe continued swirling through the air, rounding its way back to Braxton. As soon as the handle touched the palm of his hand, he had flung his weapon in the opposite direction towards the final vehicle. Every soldier in its path was grimly cut down, it slowed for nothing and nobody.
Whilst Aleyth was two levels higher than himself and first born prince of their Elven kingdom, it was Braxton who was the champion of Tehralain. Born in blood, he grew up on the battlefield during the great civil war and he was yet to meet a soul that could match him one on one.
His axe returned, dripping in blood. All gunshots had now ceased. Troops at the blockade in the distance were petrified and falling into disarray. Turning his back on them as his invulnerability ability went on cool down, he walked back through the northern gate and into his city. It closed heavily behind him.
*****
From the blockade, Ralph had watched on in horror. This had escalated out of control and he knew in his heart that the relationship was done. Desperately he pleaded with central command to stop the attack; explaining that a lone gunmen had caused the confrontation. This was an unnecessary series of escalations from each side “we don’t know their culture or customers, we launched the first strike and responded with unnecessary force!” He pleaded helplessly. The tones in the tent were mixed; some agreed to end the threat quickly, others questioned the orders being given from the chain of command, hidden in their bunkers. Regardless, the order had been given and they must act, however much they disagreed with the politics.
Silently and unseen, Hito watched on.