As Bell emerged onto the rooftop, the chaos of the base below was laid out before him like a frantic chessboard. The alarms continued their relentless blare, now mixed with the sounds of engines roaring to life and the distant, frantic commands of officers trying to maintain order. The Blackhawk helicopter was already prepped and waiting, its rotors beginning to spin, creating a gust that whipped Bell's hazmat gear.
As he climbed aboard the Blackhawk, he caught sight of the residents in a hurried exodus. Cars were lining up to the road leading towards the elven villages, their occupants' faces marked with fear and uncertainty. Families that had called the base home, now fleeing for their lives due to the unknowns on the radar.
The helicopter lifted off, ascending higher as Bell looked down through its open door. He saw the base’s air defense systems springing to life, a frenetic ballet of preparation against an unknown enemy. MANPADS teams took positions, their missile launchers pointed skyward, while VADS, SAMs, and SHORAD systems aligned their targeting radars, scanning for incoming threats. However, truth be told, Bell had no idea either what the threat was, besides them having large aether signatures. He invested a lot in air defense, he only hoped that the amount would be adequate.
Bell’s gaze was torn between the fleeing residents and the base's defense systems springing into action. His investment in air defense, a point of pride under normal circumstances, was now put to the ultimate test. The MANPADS (Man-Portable Air-Defense Systems) teams were positioned strategically across the base, their operators scanning the skies with a mix of determination and apprehension.
The helicopter gained more altitude to avoid damage from the incoming objects. He had no doubts about the ability of the air defense that the 120th and the rest of the army people sat up, a balance between power and price, and that was what the air defense formulated, considering that the conventional threats they faced were mephits and wyverns, not… this. What even those things?
Bell's eyes were fixed on the horizon where a glowing red-orange object was rapidly approaching. It grew larger and more distinct, its ominous presence slicing through the sky towards the base. Below, the air defense systems sprang into action, unleashing a barrage of missiles. Their seeker heads, tuned to detect the strange aether energy emitted by the object, tracked it relentlessly.
From his vantage point in the Blackhawk, Bell could see puffs of smoke rising from the rooftops as each missile truck launched a missile. However, its ability to intercept the perceived threat remained to be seen.
His radio crackled to life, breaking the tense silence. "Sir, evacuation is underway. Most civilians are moving out. The hospital has evacuated some patients, and we’ve fortified the rooms for those most vulnerable," reported a voice, trying to maintain composure.
Bell’s grip on the radio tightened, his voice a bastion of calm amidst the chaos. "Coordinate with the ground forces. Prioritize the protection of the hospital and essential facilities. Keep me informed on the evacuation's progress."
“Copy that, sir,” came the swift reply.
As Bell pondered the nature of the object, the distance closed rapidly. Was it an orb? A spear? The origin and intent behind this attack were shrouded in mystery. Their base, isolated by hundreds of kilometers from no man’s land and even further from the nearest human civilization, faced an adversary beyond their comprehension. No known human force could launch such an attack, and there were no signs of human involvement in the vicinity.
A bunch of soldiers on the rooftop began to fire their MANPADS at the orange orb approaching their positions, followed by a bunch of white smoke appearing from behind their positions, indicating the desperate attempt to kill the orbs from attacking the base.
The base's close-range weapon systems burst to life. Tracers arced into the sky, a fierce display of defiance against the encroaching menace. The air was filled with the thunderous roar of intercepting missiles, most found their mark and destroyed parts of the incoming object. However, the sheer amount of objects fired at the base was enormous. The destroyed orb exploded in violent explosion, and Bell could feel the gush from the explosion all the way from his Blackhawk.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Bell watched as the base's defenses engaged in a fierce battle against an enemy that had weapons beyond his understanding. What were those objects? Missiles? Magical spells? What? He simply didn’t have any idea. The 20mm Vulcan chased down the object with its tracking radar, destroying them.
“Sir, we got a report that we got attacked by a barrage arrow-like object,” someone reported on the radio.
“A what?”
As Bell struggled to comprehend the report, a deafening explosion erupted from the main base, capturing his full attention. He leaned out of the Blackhawk, his eyes widening in shock. A massive plume of smoke and fire billowed upwards from the heart of the base. He could only mutter one word from his mouth.
“THE FUCK?” The explosion was only comparable to that of a heavy bomb that the aircraft of his era carried, around 300 kilograms of explosives,
For a moment, time seemed to stand still as Bell grappled with the reality of the situation. The explosion, with its magnitude akin to a bomb, had struck the central compound. The radio crackled again, breaking the eerie silence that followed the explosion. "Sir, the main base has been hit! It's... it's massive. We're assessing the damage, but it looks severe. Casualties are expected," a voice reported, the tone reflecting the gravity of the situation.
“Keep me updated,” Bell said, for lack of a better word.
However, the incoming barrages didn’t stop. The remaining available air defense kept hammering down at those arrow-like objects, the SAMs had fired all of the missiles from its launcher, leaving the vehicle pretty much empty, and the same could be said for mobile SHORADs.
The sky was riddled with tracers filling up the air, and yet, some of those things still passed through, destroying the building on its path. Multiple buildings were pluming in smoke after the arrow hit them, with a quarter of the command building on fire. The barrage destroyed the residential area since that area was sparsely defended.
The objects continuously rained down explosion after explosion onto his base, leaving it to become nothing more than a former glory of itself. Most of the civilian infrastructures were also gone, yet, they stopped a lot of those objects. He could only imagine if those things weren’t there in the first place, Bell would be toast.
“Radar’s all clear, sir,” someone reported.
“Goddamn it,” Bell saw plumes of fire and smoke rising up from his base, with ruins scattered all over the place. Ironically, the armory, the barracks, and most vehicles were unscratched. The armory wasn’t hit, and most of the vehicles were already out of the base when the evacuation began. The bottom line was that the military installations weren’t even hit.
The Blackhawk hovered in the air, a silent witness to the devastation below. Bell's gaze swept over the base, now a shadow of its former self. Buildings that had stood proud and strong were reduced to smoldering ruins. The smoke and flames painted a grim portrait of destruction, the aftermath of an unprecedented assault. Well, at least the hospital was still standing.
"Sir, what are your orders?" the pilot's voice cut through Bell's thoughts.
Bell took a deep breath, steeling himself against the chaos. "First, we need a full damage assessment. Prioritize search and rescue efforts. I want every available unit on the ground to assist. We need to find survivors and treat the wounded. Then, we secure the armory and the remaining vehicles. We can't let them fall into the wrong hands."
The radio crackled again, this time with a report from the ground. "Sir, we've managed to rescue several personnel from the debris. Medical teams are treating the wounded. The situation is dire, but we're doing everything we can. Most of the VADSs are destroyed, SAMs launchers are empty, and MANPADS are scarce.”
"How many casualties are there?"
"We're still counting, sir."
The Blackhawk helicopter hovered in the air, awaiting clearance from the ground personnel. Bell had a nagging feeling that this wasn't the end of it; the Southern Coalition rarely left a job unfinished. This could just be the opening attack, as far as he knew. But what on earth was that thing?
Then, a radio transmission crackled through, "Overlord, this is Amox, requesting a situation report. Most of my staff is safe. How are the civilians, over?"
"Amox, everyone has been evacuated, but I can't be certain about their condition. The entire area is in ruins," Bell replied.
"What? Damn it!" Lisa's frustration was palpable.
"Well, we can rebuild everything later. Our people are our most valuable assets," Bell reassured her.
"Right."
Suddenly, a glowing red magical circle manifested in the midst of the ruined residential area. The circle was enormous, easily swallowing up three or four blocks of apartments with its sheer size. Shortly after, a massive creature emerged from the magical circle. Its skin was a dark, tattered mess, with bones protruding in places. Bell recognized it as an undead dragon, standing atop the ruins, displaying its ominous power.
"Alcon, open fire on that undead dragon!" Bell shouted into the radio.