Chapter 29 Part 2 of 2 (Patreon)

"They're going to find our spell traps though. It was only the explosives that they weren't able to find, they thought that they were spells when it was chemicals."

"Once they catch on, then we don't have to use as many. If we throw down one or two randome shells of spell traps, won't they need to move slower to make sure that they find all of the spell traps?" Domonos asked.

Hall pressed his lips together.

Even if there are no spell traps, how do they know? It will weaken them in the beginning and slow them from then on. Devious. Kanoa looked at the officers around the table, he felt a shiver run through his body as the hairs on the back of his neck raised.

I kind of looked down on them all, thought they were immature, just playing at being soldier. The ten realms is a place filled with death at every turn. Rules mean little away from prying eyes. They have lived that reality. Alva gave them skills, training equipment, tempered bloodied veterans with strategy and knowledge. They led several successful assaults on powerful cities, trained thousands of men and women. It doesn't feel like I'm dealing with junior officers that can't find their ass with both hands. They're switched on.

Kanoa mentally cahstized himself as his views unerwent a rapid change. We're all Alvans now, no matter where we started.

Domonos kept talking. "If the enemy start running forward and not caring about them, then we sow them as dense as the fields on the Earth floor."

Major Choi raised his hand.

"The road?"

Domonos smiled and stood upright. "Well Major Choi you were here when the Blood Demon Sect came knocking. We're just gonna go big with it." Domonos turned to the others. "For those of you that don't know. We have presighted artillery positions covering every inch of the Eastern and Western roads." Domonos pointed out the positions.

"Spell traps and explosives lay ready under the ground. What's worse than being at the edge of a minefield? Being right in the middle of it." He tapped further down the west road, ahead of the red mass heading for Vuzgal and swept forward.

"We'll let them advanced into the minefield, when we hit the other locations we switch it on and hammer the piss out of them with artillery. If they want to go backwards, they're welcome to activate every damn trap we've laid."

"Major Choi, you get the roads, Major Mitchell you are in charge of the South. Hall you have the north, Major Moretti you will be running support here in Vuzgal."

The majors nodded.

"Kanoa you will be in support under my direct command, your people may be seconded to other units as needed," Domonos' eyes captured Kanoa.

"Sir."

Domonos looked at Roska.

"Special team Two will be supporting artillery in the north and south, Special team Three will remain here to protect Rugrat. I am told that he will wake up soon. I know that he won't want to miss this fight."

Roska smiled.

"Alright, I want the first group of spotters heading out before it gets dark. There are fifty thousand coming down each road, so there must be another two hundred thousand moving through the mountain passes. I want to know where every last one is."

***

Corporal Nicholas Landrith stifled a yawn as he and the rest of his team were waiting for their Kestrel to be cleared for launch.

"I heard that other special teams were taking teleportation formations?" Private Zhan Kun said.

"That's just for the locations that you can access with teleportation formations," Landrith said.

"Great, up a fucking mountain, I was wondering why they told us to check our cold weather gear."

"You bitching again Zhan?" Sergeant Cao said, returning from his talk with the other scout squad sergeants.

"Why couldn't we take the teleportation formations?"

"I see that's a yes and because we're the best spotters they have. We've done cross training with the artillery platoons so recently that you haven't even forgotten it all!" Cao's presence brought the rest of the squad over.

"We're heading out soon. Everyone has two weeks of food and water right?"

They held up their arms in agreement.

"Good! We'll recon different spots and drop off pairs at the best locations we can find, that you can exfil on your own. You all remember your mission brief?"

"Watch for the enemy, confirm enemy routes, emplace traps, call in effective mortar fire on the enemy once given the command!" They all repeated together, a mix of boredom and drudgery filling each word.

"Good, I'm so happy to know you're excited and focused," Cao said in mock-joy.

"Ready to load!" The Kestrel's rear ramp gunner called out to them, standing to the side of the ramp.

The first squad moved heading for the ramp.

"Come on!" Cao was serious as he pulled on his helmet and followed the first group. Two other squads followed them as they quickly ran into the kestrel's cabin, grabbing onto the hand holds above.

The ramp gunner was the last in, he tapped a formation the ramp 'grew' back into place as the tree arm supporting his repeater swung back.

"Good to go Chief!"

"Got it, hold onto your lunches, they're firing up the launch formation for us."

"He knows its not even morning yet right?" Zhan said.

"Zhan, buddy, shut up," Basheer said as she got comfortable and closed her eyes.

Zhan grimaced but shut up.

Landrith looped his fingers under his vest and leaned against the cabin's side, looking at the rear gunner who was making sure his repeater could move side to side, up and down.

The two side door gunners were hooked into their harnesses. One passed a packet of herbs to the other.

Somethings are the same the world over, at least this chew is just to increase stamina waking people up. Hell even used birds to imitate fighter jets and Chinooks.

Landrith wasn't from the Ten Realms, but an Earther who had been just about to finish his final accounting exams when he contracted the two week curse and appeared in the first realm.

Now I'm heading off into some mountains to call in artillery on some sorry bastards that want to kill our people and take our land. Feels like some medieval magi-tech screwed up world. Shit I sound like Zhan now.

The Kestrel extended her wings. The formations underneath powered up, pushing them slowly up into the air.

The Kestrel added her own strength in, as they rapidly ascended, the Kestrel flew out of the formations area of effect picking up speed and altitude.

Ladnrith looked out over the rear of the cabin.

Other squads were loading up on their Kestrels, formations were lighting up, pushing them up into the air.

One of the door gunners talked into Cao's ear against the wind.

Cao stood up and used hand holds, working forward into the cockpit with the other Squad's Sergeant.

He saw Sparrows go through multiple launch formations, sending them hurtling into the sky in pairs, spreading out.

Hope you find the bastards, make it easier for me.

Landrith closed his eyes and tucked his chin into his vest.

He must've fallen asleep as he felt the bird jolt.

"First two prepare for drop off!" Cao's voice came through all of their sound transmission devices.

The ramp gunner hit the formation, causing the ramp to regrow and swinging his gun to the side.

"We won't be touching down, cliff is too steep! One minute!"

Ladrith was next to the door gunner, he looked out into the cold wind, seeing the mountain ranges stretched ahead of him. It was an impressive sight of nature, stone and land that had turned into waves, crashing into one another and ascending into the heavens.

He pulled his cold weather gear tighter against the wet wind. They were closing in on the side of a mountain. The first two scouts stood up and were ready at the ramp, the gunners were looking for threats.

The Kestrel turned and beat her wings, slowing their speed and bringing them to a hover in mid-air with the ramp just feet from the ground.

Landrith let out a snort.

"Shit, that is some piloting and some flying," He patted the cabin.

"Move it!" Cao yelled.

The two scouts ran off the ramp and jumped onto the cliff that would be their home.

One held his repeater up in his hands.

"We're clear," Cao said, the Kestrel left the cliff and climbed again, looking for another perch to drop off the scouts on.