“What about the air mobile medics?” Delilah said.
“They’ll be on kestrels as well, loaded with the supplies they need. Idea is to stabilize, get the wounded into the field hospital as fast as possible. We pulled copies of Stamina and healing buff plates, like what’s in the hospital here.”
“Why the tree hulls? Why not use the beast cages?” Erik asked.
“Beast cages can store more people, but they’re fragile. They can take a round or two, but then the whole thing collapses with everyone inside it. Two, with the tree hulls, we have more guns and more protection. Three, morale. You can’t see outside of the damn cage. Knowing it can just break and you all die in an instant? It was messing with the troops. Tree hulls cost less, can repair themselves, acts like armor for the bird, can have formations added to buff the kestrel’s abilities. Even has a ‘crash mode.’
“Say the bird is going down. It goes all Groot—sprouts more limbs, branches, and leaves; creates a protective ball around everyone; straps them in. Sure, it won’t be a fun experience, but it’s no helicopter crash.”
“Well, I don’t have anything else. I’m completely positive you’re the right man for the job and you’ve thought through all the angles,” Delilah said.
“Thank you, Council Leader. Might I say, even though I have only been here a short time, I think you do one hell of a job too.”
“Thank you.” Delilah smiled and pushed out of her chair. The others rose with her. “Talking about jobs, I need to get back. Got an oh-so-exciting meeting with the farmers and then a tax review meeting for afternoon napping.”
“I’ll keep to my birds, thank you.” Kanoa smiled.
“Keep up the good work.” Delilah reached out a hand.
“Yes, miss.” Kanoa shook her hand and Erik’s.
The duo left his office.
Kanoa looked out at the training area again. “I never thought I would work with real-life, actual birds as transport and fighter craft. Guess anything is possible in these here realms!” He glanced at his desk and the papers on it. “Seems that paperwork is an unfortunate disease, no matter the country or realm.”
29
Fall of a City
Storbon walked through the Fourth Realm, Willful Institute-controlled city with his team. They were attached with a group of traders, dressed up as their guards.
“Well, those guards weren’t very nice,” Tian Cui said out the side of her mouth.
“Do you feel that?” Storbon asked.
“What?” Tian Cui asked.
“The tension, the fear, the bloodthirstiness?” Yao Meng asked.
Storbon grunted as they led the traders to a warehouse at the edge of the city.
The traders pulled their mounts and carriages into the warehouse and started to unload.
“Cover us,” Storbon said. The others nodded as Storbon and Yuli headed deeper into the warehouse.
They reached a large wooden crate. Storbon circulated his mana and braced the crate. He grunted as his muscles contracted and his veins expanded. He dug his feet into the ground, and the crates shifted. He powered through, and a trapdoor was revealed underneath.
Yuli opened the door and cast a spell on her eyes. She pulled out a silenced rifle and headed down the stairs underneath. Her head was covered by her helmet.
Storbon dismissed his cloak, pulled on his helmet, and grabbed his rifle in practiced moves.
He followed Yuli down. A Night Vision spell allowed him to see through the darkness easily. Yuli reached another door; she slid it to the side, and Storbon pushed inside. He swept the right, spotting the podium in the middle and the blank stone walls.
Yuli swept the left side.
“Clear!” Storbon called.
“Clear!” Yuli replied.
They relaxed, and Storbon lowered his rifle.
“Looks like the cover remains intact.” He pulled a dungeon core from his storage ring.
“Yeah. Though would you think that we would be using dungeon cores to sabotage a sect’s city from the inside? Niemm’s one devious bastard.”
Storbon placed the dungeon core on the carved podium. The lines along the podium lit up with power as mana was drawn in toward the dungeon core and transmitted to the podium.
==========
You have come into contact with a dungeon core. With your title, Dungeon Hunter, new options are revealed.
==========
Do you wish to:
Take command of the Dungeon
Remodel Dungeon
Destroy the Dungeon
==========
“Take command. Show me a map of the dungeon and surrounding area,” Storbon said.
The screen disappeared, and a map appeared above the dungeon cover. There was a faint image of what was above the dungeon. It became fainter and fuzzier the farther up it went.
“Okay, looks like we’re ready here. Once we destroy the dungeon, we will leave no traces of it. The pillars supporting the main wall will collapse, and it will fall apart.” Storbon checked his timepiece.
“They should be ready out there, right?” Yuli said.
“I’m surprised the other sects have been able to keep it to themselves.”
“Don’t trust them to keep a secret?”
“I wouldn’t trust them to piss in the right direction. Of course, I don’t trust them to keep a secret.”
Yuli snorted as she put her helmet on.
“Check with the aerial forces. Let’s make sure they’re ready to extract us,” Storbon said.
“Yes, boss.” Yuli pulled out her sound transmission device as Storbon used his own.
“Yao Meng, tell our ‘traders’ to be ready to move. They can mingle, but in four hours, I want them back here. If they’re late, I’m not staying around.”
“Got it, boss.”
The hours slipped by as the traders went off to different taverns and acted as they would normally. They secured their mounts and took down their carriages, placing supplies in the warehouse to sell later.
The special team spread out over the warehouse. Monitoring the alarm formations, they pulled their cloaks over their armor and weapons as they sat around.
Storbon and Yao Meng were playing dominos and spitting out seeds as they watched the area.
“You’re going to lose.” Yao Meng organized his pieces.
“So you say.” Storbon checked the crate they were playing on as Yao Meng looked over his shoulder and around the area.
Storbon put down a domino and then looked around. “What do you think about that.” Storbon chuckled as he saw Yao Meng’s sour expression out the corner of his eye.
“I think you have too many damn blanks,” Yao Meng grumbled as he picked up a piece from the pile.
Storbon put down another with a grin. “What do you think of the additions?”
“Jurumba, Foster, Sang So-Hyon, Rajkovic, and Jamie?” Yao Meng put down a domino, his expression turning serious.
“They’re well-trained, better trained than we were when we became special team members. Stronger, too. While they were waiting for us, they’ve been exploiting the potential in their bodies—high levels, Mana and Body Cultivation—meeting our own. Though that is just training. They’ve been on combat operations before, and they have fought in the Ten Realms in their own ways, but only a few as soldiers under Alva. Jamie is quiet but focused, switched on. Rajkovic has a damn scowl on his face all the time. Only time he smiles is when he is doing something insane or he’s in a fight. He’d charge into anything with that damn stupid grin. Not too much pre-planning, man of action—he’ll get shit done. Sang So-Hyon has a chip on her shoulder; something must have happened there—sealed her lips tight. When she is fighting, it’s like she’s getting something out of her system.” Yao Meng glanced over to Storbon in question as he put down a domino.
“Family ran a farm, bandits came in, cut down her family and the people in the village, plundered them. There was a group of our traders in the area. They
went to their aid and killed the bandits, but there were few people left in the village…broken people.”
“Shit. She’s a wild card. Not sure if she’ll handle it well or hold it in until it all falls apart.” Yao Meng sighed and picked up another domino.
“Foster and Jurumba?” Storbon put down a domino and tapped his remaining domino.
“Jurumba is solid. He’s laying quiet right now, same as Foster. We’re evaluating them; they’re evaluating us. He’s got a great understanding of artillery, guiding fire in from distance. He knows how to control the battlefield and work with different resources at the same time. Mean bastard in a fight. He uses two damn hammers, and he’s pushing to be the most body-tempered bastard out there. Catching up to Erik. Foster is a tech nut and loves his guns, his formations, and machines. Through and through engineer, loves taking things apart and putting them back together. Great for demolitions, traps, decent shot.” Yao put down a domino, and Storbon hissed, picking up a new one as Yao Meng followed up with another domino down.
“Can you stop making me pick up damn pieces,” Storbon muttered as he got another.
“Just repaying the favor.” Yao Meng put down another domino piece gently.
Storbon kept the expression on his face as he felt someone calling him.
He tapped twice on the crate and pointed his thumb at his head. Yao Meng nodded and glanced around. The color in his eyes changed several times as he used different sensing spells before making eye contact again.
“Go,” Storbon said.
“They’re in position ahead of time. We need to move up the schedule,” the agent on the other side of the sound transmission said.
Storbon circled his finger and raised his eyebrows to Yao Meng, who mouthed, “Now?”
Storbon nodded.
Yao Meng grimaced. “Ah, I think you won.” He sighed and shifted the dominos. “I’ve got to take a piss. Another game later?”
“Sure,” Storbon said.
He headed into the warehouse and raised his hand, circling it in the air.
“What are your positions?” Storbon asked the agent as he pulled out a map and put it on a shelf.
“Grid square one two eight, by four three seven.”
“Okay, I’ll need another twenty minutes to make a clean exfil,” Storbon said.
“They’re all hyped up here. A lot of unstable factors in one. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold them back from taking action,” the agent replied.
“Do your best and be ready with those spells on my mark.”
“Understood.”
Storbon cut the channel and glanced over to Jamie, one of the new members of his special team. “Contact the traders. Things have been moved up.”
“Understood.” Jamie activated his sound transmission device as Storbon opened his team channel and relayed everything to them. Everyone got the alert, and Yuli went on a walk with another new member to patrol the area. Yao Meng and Tian Cui wandered off to meet with the different traders, using some excuses to pull them back to the warehouse with minimal problems.
We need to get a move on. Storbon pulled out his rifle and checked the grenade launcher to make sure it was loaded. He tightened the silencer and the screws on the sight. He reached to the Conqueror’s Armor and the screw formation that he would need to twist to activate it.
This is going to fucking suck. I hate waiting.
Storbon found a ladder and climbed it, getting into the walkways above the warehouse. There were small windows to watch the surrounding warehouses, and they could see part of the outer wall.
He took a knee, shifting his cloak out of the way so he could see the street leading up to the warehouse. People were moving supplies to and from carriages, to head out of the city or to take them to the markets.
It was quiet. Most of the traders had already left, possibly sensing that something was going to happen.
The minutes crawled by. People returned to the warehouse in twos and threes. Some were in high spirits; others seemed grumpy to return to work after a few free hours.
Storbon sat on a crate and shifted the armor that was pressing in on him.
They were all real traders and intelligence agents, but they’d had no hesitation in carrying out their plan. Even laborers could be a great weapon. One should never look down on the small people.
Thirteen minutes passed before Storbon got a message.
“We’ve been spotted!”
“Shit. All right, send up your loudest and flashiest spell attack!” Storbon smacked his foot on the catwalk.
Everyone looked up at him, and he switched to the general channel.
“The attacking force has been made. Everyone, get your asses back to the warehouse as soon as the attack spells go off!”
Moments later, spell scrolls were activated around the wall. The city’s mana barrier snapped into existence, and a notification appeared in front of everyone’s eyes.
==========
Event
==========
The city of Swadu is under attack! Pick a side!
Defend Swadu
Attack Swadu
==========
The mana barrier lit up under the barrage of attacks as the once-hidden force emerged and started their attack.
“Move it—now!”
The gates sealed shut as the guards from the Willful Institute manned their defensive weapons.
Storbon switched to a private channel. “Meng, talk to me!”
“We have less than half of our people back. I am rounding up the last few. Should be there in a few minutes.”
Storbon got off the crate and took a knee, moving to make sure he was free to engage. A group of Willful Institute members ran through the warehouse district.
“Ready! Incoming Institute!” Storbon barked.
Everyone in the team shifted. The dull, bored look and hunched backs disappeared as they straightened and grabbed onto their cloaks and handles tighter, ready to pull their cloak to the side and raise their rifle at a moment’s notice.
The group didn’t pause as they ran toward the walls.
“Stand down, just running through. Jamie, Yuli, Foster, take north, south, and east. Get the secondaries down into the tunnels now. Lucinda, you’re my eyes and ears.”
They acknowledged their roles and got to work.
More people streamed into the warehouse and pushed down into the secret underground chamber, where they got changed into their new gear.
Attacks continued to shake the mana barrier. The light of impacts flashed overhead in the late-afternoon light.
Storbon scanned his sector, keeping an eye on the wall. More soldiers ran through the warehouse district to the wall from across the city.
Mana cannons roared along the walls. The defenders poured in more power and reset the massive weapons to fire them again.
Willful Institute Mages stepped upon formations and unleashed their spells, working individually or as groups to bring out the greatest power. Spell formations colored the wall before unleashing their devastating power.
Storbon saw Yao Meng and Tian Cui rushing back as a group of guards ran for the wall.
“Get the hell out of the way!” the guard leader yelled.
The two swerved out of the guards’ path, letting them past.
Storbon stretched his hand, relaxing as the adrenaline bled off.
Yao Meng and Tian Cui crossed the last hundred meters, making it to the warehouse.
“That’s all of them,” Yao Meng said in the team chat.
“All right. About time we were moving. All elements into the tunnel. Then outer security will move down!”
“Yes, boss!” the team replied as the remaining members moved down into the hidden entrance.
“Yao Meng, get in touch with our observer. Relay everything to them and keep them and me updated!”
“On it!” Yao Meng said before Storbon could finish.
“Outer security, pull back!” Lucinda yelled
.
Storbon turned and ran. The outer security collapsed as they ran down the walkways. Storbon jumped over the railing; his cloak shifted, revealing his armor and his weapon at the ready. He slammed into the ground, taking the impact easily. He ran past Lucinda and Rajkovic, who were covering the entrance of the underground tunnels.
The others filed down into the room, which was packed with all their personnel.
Storbon reached out to the dungeon core. With a command, a section of wall opened, revealing a passage. “Get moving. Jamie, Sang So-Hyon—you’re on point!”
Lucinda and Rajkovic moved down the stairs and, with Tian Cui and Yao Meng helping them, pulled the crate back over top.
People flowed through the tunnel. Everyone passed through until there was only Storbon and Yao Meng in the room. They’d both removed their cloaks and put on their helmets.
“Relay to our contact—time for them to pull out the big guns. We’re ready to drop the wall,” Storbon said.
Yao Meng added him into the channel.
“We’re ready on our end,” Yao Meng said.
“Understood. Activating the spell scrolls now.” The message was distorted with the spells and mana that were being tossed around by the two groups in conflict.
Storbon and Yao Meng waited, tense and blind. The ground shook and dirt fell from the ceiling.
“Spell f-formations are a-ac-tive!”
Yao Meng glanced at Storbon, who was studying the dungeon menu.
==========
You have come into contact with a dungeon core. With your title, Dungeon Hunter, new options are revealed.
==========
Do you wish to:
Take command of the Dungeon
Remodel Dungeon
Destroy the Dungeon
==========
He grabbed the dungeon core, remodeling the dungeon to take out key supports of hardened dirt and stone. The ceiling started to crumble, and the pedestal disappeared with the runes along the walls.
Sixth Realm Part 2: A litRPG Fantasy series (The Ten Realms Book 7) Page 34
