Triple Ambush

Spell Soldier Akamori Shinjo sighed while watching the rest of his squad equipping their spell armors. He tugged at the black leather sleeves of his armored coat. Sirsir strode up to him, footfalls echoing heavily off the Indra’s deck plating to clap him on the shoulder.

“Cheer up, sir. I’m sure we’ll scrape something together to get ya suited back up, eventually.”

Akamori looked at Sirsir flatly. “Gee. Thanks.”

“Relax, sir. If it looks dicey, you can always hide behind us.” Sala said with a small grin. It wasn’t much, but it was a step up from the terrified look he’d given Akamori after their fight in the dueling arena. He took the small win and gave a faint nod and smile.

“Deal. But only if you’re up front.”

Sala gave him a thumbs up and went back to checking his thigh armor. Yasiin checked the breach of his rifle and ensured everything was in working order. Amara checked the arm guards. Morwen strode in wearing her dark blue officer’s jacket and gave Akamori an appraising look, noting his lack of armor, and frowned.

“That doesn’t look like it’s regulation, Lieutenant.”

He shrugged. “It’s the best I could do between protection and price point.”

Knowing that Lucinda had destroyed the armor Kusinaki had gifted him, she didn’t push the issue. Morwen instead gave him her trademark curt nod before stepping in front of the formation.

“Alright. We’ve been given our first target. He’s a lower level noble who manages the city. His behavior has been just off center enough to warrant suspicion. He’s denied Emerald Guards and scrying priests access to his home, so we’re up. Our task is to get in, and make sure Mr. Tousoux is who he claims to be and his background stands up to scrutiny.”

“We’re searching for bindings, right?” Amara asked.

“Right. Anything abnormal on the soul that isn’t Federation by design.”

“That’s a pretty wide window of error.” Akamori said.

“Indeed. Regardless. We have our mission.”

Standing outside Tousoux’s estate on the fringe of the city in the third district, Akamori tasted bile in the back of his throat. This place represented everything he disliked. Opulence, elegance, and gross financial frivolity. He sighed, wishing sometimes his life had never torn him free of Honshu and his small world problems. Arjun kept the Indra nearby after the squad hit the street. Morwen turned to Akamori.

“Go.”

“Let’s do it. Sala, you’re on point.”

The Primal rolled his shoulders as he stepped forward ahead of the squad. Tendons and bones cracked as the well built primal readied for combat. A golden aura snapped to life around Sala as stone slide up and around Sala’s frame. They approached Tousoux’s front door gate. Sala knocked, noting a security ward in place, magic runes and circles rotated at a leisurely rate.

Morwen frowned, disliking where this was going to lead. She turned to the squad who’d been looking to her for the next order. She gave a short nod, gesturing to the gate. “Breach and sweep. We need confirmation. Let the ArchPriest sort out the hurt feelings.” Even though it wasn’t likely that Erlaut would do anything to smooth over any ill will, his inquisition drummed up.

Gold radiant light exploded all around Sala like flames with him at its center. The pristine stone tile cracked under Sala’s boots from the sheer pressure of his aura. It radiated defiance and rage. He clenched a fist, nostrils flared with deep breaths, and then struck the wards. The runes and magic circles flared to life, their color straining under the blow. The primal reared his other arm back and struck the wards again. Then again, faster this time. He continued to strike the enchanted barrier harder and faster until his blows rained like a machine gun flurry of fists. Finally, pushed to its brink, the wards cracked, faltered and shattered like glass. The fragments breaking up into motes of aether that drifted away. Sala beat his chest, letting out a war cry in defiance.

“Well done, private.” Morwen praised.

Now that the barrier was down, the squad was free to enter the estate. Sala led the way, followed close behind by Amara and Akamori then Yasiin and Sirsir and Morwen coming through last. They advanced several meters in before Sala stopped the squad. A still calm settled in around them. An unnerving silence that weighed down like the gravity of a neutron star.

“What is it?” Akamori whispered.

Sala shook his head, canting an ear up to hear better. “It’s quiet. Too quiet. Where are the birds and insects?”

Spell rifles and cannons erupted to life all around them from the second floor of the estate as Sauridius hatchlings sprang from their L shaped ambush. Sala thrust both hands up, and a dome of protective radiant light sprang up to stop the spell bolts before they could rain down on the squad. Morwen ordered the squad into cover and Sala moved slowly, having to split his focus on maintaining the barrier and moving out of the open.

Once the squad was covered, the primal dropped the protective field, panting heavily. A potion loader at his waist plunged a mana potion, refilling his AP. Blue rippling energy radiated along his body as his magic refilled. Akamori patted his shoulder with a nod. Sala would need a break.

The hatchlings continued firing, ruining the once elegant exterior of the estate’s outer wall. What had once been a near priceless elven mansion was now quickly being reduced to war zone induced rubble. Akamori leaned out, scanning the estate from their position before ducking back under cover to avoid being splashed by an acid bolt.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“I count 15. All on the second floor. They were in position and waiting for us.”

“Guess it’s a safe bet they shackled the administrator.” Amara mused.

Morwen frowned and nodded. “It seems implausible that he wouldn’t be yet house a full two squads of hatchlings.”

“We need to shift position. This cover won’t last all day.” Akamori said, noting cracks beginning to form on their side of the wall. Even magic materials had their stress limits when being assaulted by half a platoon’s worth of spell weapons.

Morwen’s gaze went distant and Akamori huffed, rolling his eyes. He knew she was channeling her divine sight, but it’d be more convenient if it didn’t take her out of the fight as she studied the web of fate. “Sirsir, Yasiin, see what you can do about getting some positions to return fire.”

A pair of affirmatives echoed from the two darker skinned soldiers as they both flanked out. Yasiin found a ladder that led up to the second floor, and Sirsir just shot the ceiling out above him and flew up to the second level inside the estate. So much for collateral. Oh well, in for a credit, in for a ton.

A couple of beats later, the concussive blast of Yasiin’s long spell rifle thumped out heavy void bolts into the enemy ranks, causing their fire to slacken up. Shortly after Sirsir’s heavy spell machinegun and conjured cannon got into a shouting match. Explosive bolts and storm of smaller bolts showered the opposite wall, forcing the opfor to take cover. Hatchlings shrieked, avoiding damage, and barked at each other in guttural draconic.

“Sala, Akamori, Amara. Let’s go say hello to our new friends.”

Sala nodded, then turned, sprinting forward before jumping and blasting through one of the estate walls where weapons fire was thickest. Akamori and Amara both followed, with Morwen trailing. A thick, dusty haze lingered like fog from Sala’s improvised entrance. Bits of stone and wall continued to crumble and drop before the blazing gold aura lit the room in a subdued golden hue.

Then chaos ensued as the three melee focused soldiers closed ranks and convinced the Hatchlings to rethink their life choices with gratuitous violence. What followed was an orchestrated dance of absolute madness as the squad worked in unison. Their teamwork honed across multiple battlefields and constant near brushes with death. Sirsir laid down suppressive fire as the trio of melee fighters struck targets out of cover, exposing them to Yasiin and Morwen, who picked off the enemy with ruthless precision.

Yasiin cored another Hatchling’s chest as Akamori spun and brought Thanaton down in a diagonal slash, sheering off the wing of an adjacent hatchling. Amara kicked it out of the hole they created breaking in, and Sirsir shot it with a cannon blast, ending its existence completely. Morwen wove a disintegrate spell, and evaporated a hatchling that pounced at Sala’s back, reducing it to scattered particles. Sala uppercut a backpedaling hatchling, hurling it into the ceiling where its head burst apart like a ripe melon smashed under a mallet. The limp body fell lifeless, save occasional muscle spasms.

Akamori twirled Thanaton, the blade singing as it cleaved the air with enhanced air magic. The spell soldier sliced off the arms of an attacking hatchling, fetching a high-pitched shriek from it before he jammed the blade into its mouth. With his spell blade stuck to the wall, another infant dragon charged at him, teeth bared. A void bolt drilled through the back of its head, leaving a trail of magic back to Yasiin’s glinting scope. Akamori tore Thanaton free and removed the dead hatchling’s head in a clean slash. The dead body staggered to its knees before toppling to one side as the head tipped free and fell to the other.

Akamori jerked the blade, flicking the hatchlings’ blood to the floor before sheathing it on his back. His black long coat flapped as he spun and scanned the area. “All tangos down.” he called over their comms. It took a few minutes for the squad to form back up. Once everyone was back in formation, they moved deeper into the estate.

Pockets of resistance cropped up occasionally, forcing the squad to stop, return fire, maneuver, and dispatch threats. Fighting their way into the main floor of the house, Amara spotted a fortified position with erected rock walls sporting hasty enchantment barriers. The squad slid into position above it on the second floor, looking down.

The Sauridius had created a hasty fortification, protecting what appeared to be an entrance that descended to a basement level. Guarding the entrance were two tripod mounted heavy spell cannons flanking a pair of 3 meter tall walls. Four hatchlings stood guard at the fortification, wearing the generic spell armor they expected from the Sauridius. Four were manageable even with the spell cannon emplacements. But a head on strike would not go easy for them.

“I can blink behind the guns and draw their attention long enough for you to charge down and join me.” Akamori told Sala in a hushed whisper. The rest of the squad huddled low and out of sight with them. The rest of their own ambush was hastily planned. Basically, shoot the bastards fast and accurately.

Akamori braced himself, gripping Thanaton’s hilt over his shoulder. The blade thrummed eagerly at his touch. Finally! More foes to slay. Thanaton purred eagerly. Akamori focused on the position ahead of the squad, picking where he’d open his portal. A crack in reality split open behind him and he fell backward into it as though spilling out of an aircraft into free fall. A portal opened up in the rear of the Sauridius fortification.

Akamori whistled, instantly grabbing the hatchlings’ attention. A mix of expressions ranging from shock to glee flitted across the four hatchlings’ features.

“Heya boys. Anyone know where a guy can find some grapes?”

Thanaton was off his back and opening the throat of the nearest young dragon in a blur of silver mirrorsteel. Blood splashed across the white tile floor, marring it red and brown. Two of the hatchlings rushed forward to tackle him, but a raging war cry halted their advance just enough before two massive hands grabbed each of their heads and splattered them against the wall. The last hatchling and coincidentally the smartest swiveled the spell cannon around on its turret before his head jerked forward after being cored out by a void bolt fired by Yasiin.

When all the bodies fell, they heard an echo from down the stairs rising to meet them. Hands clapped together slowly as a pair of female hatchlings ascended the stairs to greet them. One wore ominous spell armor that hurt to look at. Dark as night, it almost triggered something primal and fearful. Pallid green faces swam along the surface of the armor, flickering like fireflies in the night sky.

“Not bad. But now that you’re warmed up, let’s have a real fight.” The hatchling in the menacing-looking spell armor said.

“Patience Tua, father’s commands were clear. We put these mortals down and be on our way.”

Tua hissed at her compatriot. “Don’t be such a coward, Tanaka. The faster we open their throats. The sooner we may drink.”

The other hatchlings, a weaver by the look of her, narrowed her eyes at Tua. Tanaka was smaller, with a bronze spell staff in hand. The pair readied their weapons as they stared down Akamori.

“Your move red.” Tua said, grinning. The rows of razor-sharp teeth lining her mouth on full display.

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