Chapter 35 Part 1 of 3 (Patreon)

Captain Wazny scanned the ground. his Sparrow flapping her wings, carrying him forward. His wing of eight stretched behind him.

"Shit, looks worse in the day time," Lieutenant Lovren said through their communication channel.

"Last flight shot and bombed the hell out of them all night. Twenty-four hours of random attacks." Lieutenant Bell chimed in.

"Good thing it's not late summer or fall else the whole forest would be on fire," Wazny looked at the smoldering pockets among the cratered landscape.

"They wanted a fight," Lieutenant Nilsen sighed.

"Clear the channel, ten minutes, we're going in low and fast. Spread out, more the mages and archers are getting bold," Wazny pulled on his harness, feeling the metal hooks stick into the material. "If you have to, break off. Got it?"

"Yes sir!" All seven yelled back.

"Let’s get this done then. Follow me in."

He checked the spread out in an arrowhead formation that ran from his sparrows wings.

Wazny's mount dove as he searched for the target.

They picked up speed, coming up just meters from the tops of the trees.

Adrenaline filled his body, filled his mind everything was clear.

Where are you bastards? There!

He saw several trees fall down.

"Prepare to drop! Climb!" Wazny surged up into the sky as his speed turned into elevation. Don't want to be next to the treetops when these go out.

He held the storage device checking his drop sight with a glance.

The spread out army huddled in their mana barrier groups appeared ahead.

Wazny felt his stomach tighten the wind tearing at him as he checked the drop sight.

"Release!"

He activated the storage device sending bombs tumbling down to the ground below. He checked the formation ahead and altered his head, the rest of the wing moved with him.

That ground is rough enough to disrupt a mana barrier I'm sure.

Lights flashed around him and the wing.

Spells came in hot and heavy.

Shit! This isn't like before.

"Break break break!"

The wing divided away as the mass of spells and arrows checked and altered their aim.

Wazny saw Nilsen bank around to the left, dropping bombs as she went.

Spells filled the air around her tearing her mount and wooden cockpit apart.

Wazny's sparrow was cutting, diving and then randomly banking as spells and attacks shot past.

Wazny gritted his teeth as air blades struck his wood cockpit, tearing it open to the spinning trees below.

Suzy! Suzy!

His mount's wings were limp and their connection severed.

Wazny grabbed the pull tab on the side of his cockpit, he was hurled free of his mount, a special formation activated destroying his cockpit and mount as he was sent hurtling away. He grabbed a second pull tab in his armpit, the second spell scroll activated, wings of air appeared on his back sending him shooting forward.

Wazny was clear and away from the enemy, he banked towards Vuzgal activating his sound transmission device.

"Report in!"

"Two KIA, one wounded heading to Vuzgal."

"Shit, I'm on air wings, I'm moving to the closest teleportation formation. Send a report to Kanoa they have anti-air units now." Wazny sped forwards. He pulled his map out of his storage ring.

He saw Nilsen and her mount in his mind's eye.

Now's not the time, deal with it later. He could feel a pit, waiting, ready for him to give in and let it consume, but duty held him.

I'll make those fuckers pay. Nilsen was right, they came for a fight. We'll fucking give it to them.

***

Domonos read over the reports.

"What is Major Kanoa's suggestion?" Domonos looked to Zukal.

"Increase the altitude. It will decrease the accuracy of our fire, but it will be hard for them to hit the sparrows so high up. Have the Kestrels work as a mobile fire support base instead of being over the enemy. Decreased accuracy as well."

"Very well, do it. The enemy is smart and cunning. I'm sure he has other plans. Are we sure on this information that the forces in the mountain paths are being recalled?"

"Yes, they're pulling out of the mountains as fast as possible. The order comes from Marco Tolentino," Elan confirmed.

"What the hell is he doing? He needs more people in the valley to push his advantage. He has stopped movement on the north and eastern roads. Has them just holding position.” Domonos' hooded eyes looked from the roads to the mountain paths as he scratched his cheek, trying to solidify the feeling he had into words.

"What about the pressures from the rear?"

"They have mounted. The Sects have lost more than they expected already."

He has thirty five thousand in the valley, ten thousand are fighters a third of which are his own people. Is he using this to increase his position? If he can get to Vuzgal first then the Willful Institute will be able to lay claim to more resources. The people with him are from his faction as well. Greed, even now all they care about is rewards.

"At the core, we are fighting the Tolentino faction of the Willful Institute. They do not have large numbers in the field, but that is a strength. With less people, they can act and react faster. They adhere to orders better. If we can defeat the force within the Valley then the other forces will retreat." He tapped the valley. Feeling sure in his knowledge as he pointed outside the ringing mountain ranges. "Otherwise they have to push the mountain paths again. They lost over fifty thousand in those paths. Focus everything we have on the forces inside the valley."

“Then there is the matter of the disappearing camp followers,” Elan said.

“Turned them into soldiers during the night. Smart and a huge pain in our ass now that we’ve recalled the scouts. Sparrows and Kestrels will be flying higher and the enemy have given them uniforms to wear. Going to be hard to pick them out. The formations just give us the position of everything in the valley.”

“The camp followers are followers after all, they won’t be in the lead.” Zukal said.

“No, but they sowed real fighter units among their ranks. So we have no idea just who we’re hitting.”

“A dead enemy is a good enemy. We can’t focus on the plans that are ruined just the ones we can make to win,” Elan said. “With this move the camp followers’ security will be fixed and they will feel cared for, giving the best that they can to the enemy. That is the end of it.”

Domonos nodded. “For now our focus is on anything inside our Valley.”

***

Acosta checked the information on her linked map, showing the target as it got hammered with mortar rounds.

Her twelve mortars were firing rounds as fast as possible. The cooling formations running down the tubes were working overtime to expel the heat.

Heat exchange blocks raised on their rails, waves of heat shimmering off of them as the teams worked as a machine.

They had gotten into a rhythm of fighting for the last few days.She was just the guidance as they operated. Everything else was lost, worries, fears, their past and futures, all there was, was their actions.

Acosta saw the markings of the mana barrier disappear.

"Impact HE Rounds Explosive shot spell! Impact HE Rounds Explosive shot spell!" She yelled.

The squad leaders repeated it out as the ammunition bearers grabbed Impact HE rounds; tossing away auxiliary charges, passing it to the mage who added the explosive shot spell, and then to the first ammunition bearer who hung and released the round.

There was only a lull for a half second as rounds that had already been released continued to hit the barrier-less sect, mana barrier busting piercing shots smashing through people, dirt and stone.

A new rain rose up.

"Drop five hundred. Drop a turn each round!" Acosta's words echoed through the mortar pits as gunners whirled elevating gears.

Her eyes tracked the enemy running into the forests. Others laid down on the ground.

The impact rounds fell as the newly adjusted guns were loaded and fired.

A wave of destruction covered where the barrier had stood and swept forwards.

Spread out to all hell and most of them lying down. Shit.

Acosta watched her brand of retribution. The air force had taken a heavy blow this morning. Twenty-eight dead, another forty two wounded. Of that five were behind enemy lines still working towards a teleportation formation. If they were captured then death would claim them through torture or suicide.