Chapter 6 - Part 1 of 3 (Patreon)

Niemm watched the convoy pass just meters from where he hid.

He had melded in with the rest of the jungle. Bugs buzzed around him as his eyes floated above the group, taking care to not look at anyone directly.

The last cart of the fifty long convoy rattled past on the hard dirt packed road.

Trailing guards walked behind, swatting at the flies and using their spears as walking sticks.

He looked over the low lying water. Its murky depths hiding anything below the surface. Roots created a network sticking out of the ground, interlinking and weaving over one another. Long dead trees stuck out, covered in moss and mushrooms.

Out there were two Close Protection Details, ready and waiting to cover his own First Special Team.

The detection spells used flippantly by the guards were nowhere as powerful as to cut through their stealth sheets and clothing.

The lead carriage rocked, and shifted, coming to a sudden stop. Its wheel stuck in the mud.

“Hold! Hold!” A guard and then the convoy leader yelled out as the driver scrambled down from his position.

The trap spell scroll did its work.

Niemm activated his sound transmission device.

“Go.”

Like wraiths, the Special Team grew from the ground, shedding their sheets. They wore the armor and gear of the local sects instead of their body armor and all-encompassing helmets. A silence spell fell on the four guards at the rear.

They’d just started to turn as three Special Team member’s blades found purchase in their backs.

Niemm fired his crossbow, catching the fourth in the neck. He dropped the crossbow into his storage ring, pulling out another one.

The Special Team members advanced, silent as panthers. They walked up behind the rear of the last carriage. They formed two teams of five. Niemm was on the left side, he activated a formation on a wrapping on his shoulder, it didn’t seem to do anything but it would create a blinking beacon seen by the other helmets.

The others activated their formations and Niemm hit the shoulders of the two men in the rear.

Niemm followed behind the left stack, on the side where the Close Protection Detail were facing.

The stack’s flowed around the rear carriage.

The first person fired on anyone looking in the direction of the rear. They moved closer to the carriage, jumping up to the driver’s seat. The second person in the stack fired their crossbow and pushed out to the side.

“A-!!” The guard’s words died in his throat. All of the guards started looking around and moved out from between the carriages.

“Covering fire.” Niemm called.

The guards yelled out and charged towards the rear.

Spells landed among the guards that were grouped together. One couldn’t hear the silenced rifles, but Niemm saw the effects.

Charging guards were cut down, their faces filled with confusion.

Beasts fought against their restraints, adding to the panic.

Sharpshooters took out the beasts and running guards with cold efficiency.

The stacks held their positions, firing their crossbows, changing and firing again.

In just minutes, the weapons fire dimmed as there were no targets remaining.

“Cease fire, cease fire!” Niemm called out. “Special Team, secure the carriages.”

The spells died down, the ground covered in the dead and dying. Several carriages had been broken by the beasts fighting against the straps and poles that had secured them.

Other carriages had been torn apart by the powerful spells or left burning.

The special team pulled out pistols, though instead of having a slide and using bullets, the magazine was a mana stone and the slide was a magical staff.

Several guards that were left alive ran for the jungle on the side opposite the Close protection detail.

The Special team cut them down in a hail of mana bullets, dropping them into the low lying water.

Quiet returned and Niemm used a life detect spell.

“Permission to fire,” The leader of the two close protection details asked.

“Permission granted.”

Sharpshooters fired, the only indication was a spray of dirt and one less life highlighted in Niemm’s vision.

Survivors panicked and ran. The Special Team were waiting, their pistols glowed, lines of mana bullets connecting them to their targets.

“Advance,” The Special Team pushed forward. They flowed between the carriages, leading with their pistols. Mana bullet flashes punctuated the dim light of the jungle. Tombstones left in their path. Niemm only relaxed slightly once they had got to the end of the convoy.

Fifty Carriages, one hundred horses, two hundred and fifty Willful Institute guards and drivers.

“Detail One, cover the north road. Detail two, cover the south road. Special Team One will clear out the convoy.”

Tombstones, carriages and beasts were collected. Bodies were tossed out into the swamp, a dissolving spell made sure that there was nothing left.

An Earth spell smoothed out the ground and removed any signs of fighting.

“We’re good to go boss,” Setsuko said.

“Did you find any recorders?”

“Three. We have them secured in tracing formations.”

“If we can find out where they collect all these recordings, we can take it out and cut them off from all of their people in the field. They won’t know who the hell hit them.”

“I hate having to use low tech solutions just to trick the recorders,” Setsuko muttered, shifting her rifle.

“Yes, but the recorders pick up on everything in a short period and transmit it back to the Institute. If they were to get images of us using all of our gear, from our rifles to our artillery, then they could use it as leverage. Sects are fickle and willing to put aside a lifetime of blood debt for the right conditions.” Niemm rubbed his stiff neck and turned towards the North.

“Will we ever actually use our weapons?” Setsuko followed.

“If everything goes well then we won’t have to. If we do have to use them out in the open, then something has seriously gone wrong. Trump cards are of great value against any enemy. Damn, I’m going to be happy to get out of this gear.” Niemm tapped the sound transmission device on his wrist.

“Alright lets move to the rally point. We’ve got a few more targets to hit in the Third Realm. Then we’ll get a half day rest in a Wandering Inn before we hit our next target.”

The Special Team One in their sect armor met up with the Close Protection Details.

“Deni, take a friend and scout ahead. Yawen, do the same to the rear.”

“Boss!” Deni agreed.

“You got it chief,” Yawen said.

They left the sanitized battlefield, heading to where they’d meet up with Alvan traders, turning into guards.