Chapter 4 Part 1 of 3 (Patreon)

Chapter 4: In Defense of the Realms

“Grenade launchers!!” Storbon yelled over the sound of two Alvan Companies stemming the tide of three grouped tears pouring out Ravagers.

The updated grenade launchers fired, more like close range mortars now. Rounds passed through the tears, exploding on the other side in the tenth.

“Mages!”

Spells crashed into the tears destabilizing and showing the other side of the forest.

Machine guns, rifles and spells cut through the Ravagers trapped in the ninth realm. Storbon check his lines everyone knew their job, acting with cold calculated ruthlessness the Ravagers started to turn and run.

“Launchers, target rearback!”

Grenades fell on the pre-planned area, creating a wall of explosions killing and corralling Ravagers.

Weapons ceased across the line.

Storbon scanned, a few spells or rifles cracked, killing wounded. Silence swept across the battlefield.

“Move to clear the field rifle squads.”

Rifle squads came off the line, fixing their bayonets they moved to the right flank and did the dirty final work of making sure there weren’t any Ravagers left alive.

No Devourer.

Storbon gnashed his teeth, his people had operated well, it was a textbook tear clearing operation, they’d had plenty of practice the last month.

Units reported their status, checking on people and supplies, no one injured that couldn’t heal themselves, just ammunition expended.

Yao Meng jogged over as the rifle squads finished their sweep.

“Get the element harvesters up,” Storbon ordered.

Formations with monster cores in their center were set up, each drawing in the elements and pumping it into the cores.

They’d reduce the elements in the area, making it harder for another tear to be deployed in the area.

“Well another day another tear.”

“Three weeks ago it was a tear every three days,” Storbon said. “The hell is the Imperium thinking?”

“They’ve said they’re going to take back the ninth realm, takes time to plan to take a realm back,” Yao Meng shrugged.

Storbon sighed. The Special teams had been deployed with the tear clearing teams to support incase a Devourer did show up.

“Seems like the devourers are getting smart, opening up tears, staying in the ninth and sending over waves of Ravagers.”

“They’re going to have to come over eventually losing all their sworn.”

“Yeah, but they own the battlefield, we clear up the elements here but there’s another region they’ll find to punch through to. Won’t be long we’re fighting everyday with Devourers coming through. These are just probing attacks.”

“You know for a guy who just got a girlfriend you’re a bit of a downer.”

“Jackass,” Storbon rolled his eyes.

Yao Meng laughed. “So purge the area, get them grouped up and head back?”

“You know the plan. Honestly, little scared we’re going to get so used to this that we lose our edge. Got to make sure that everyone’s head is in the game.”

“Sure thing boss.”

***

Rugrat’s machine gun was strapped across his body his gear tied down and checked.

The drop-hangar bathed in white light as people talked and chatted, checked their gear, closed their eyes to get some last seconds of rest.

The lighting in the hangar bathed his helmet and gear in red. “Five minutes, up!”

The first group stood, Rugrat was back from the front, Special team members ahead and behind him.

His seat snapped up against the wall as he grabbed the bar above his head.

The corvette shook like a subway car switching tracks.

Rugrat accepted the incoming call. “Go,” Rugrat said.

“Rugrat?” Rugrat was momentarily stunned by the female voice.

“Kay’Renna?” He laughed at the absurdity of the moment. “How’s life treating you, sorry I might have to go at any minute about to jump into a bunch of Shattered.”

George standing infront of Rugrat turned, picking up his change in emotion. Rugrat waved him back the way he was facing.

“I know,” Kay’Renna drawled. “You’re coming into the City I’m stationed in.”

“Small realm ain’t it.”

“Something like that,” Kay chuckled. “You’re coming in back from the walls. I need you to reinforce the North Eastern wall, we’re getting pushed heavy on this side and there are a number of breaches.”

Rugrat added in Lieutenant General Yui.

“Yui here.”

“This is Rugrat. We’re to reinforce North Eastern wall, Kay’Renna is Mission Hall leader.” Rugrat

“Enemy inside the wall?” Yui asked.

“We think there might be.” Reports are spotty, leadership on the wall got real messed up. Clear up to the wall, regain command and control,” Kay’Renna said.

“Understood.” Yui said. “Two minutes out, we’re going to have our Corvettes as close in support.”

Rugrat felt the Corvette’s machine guns through his feet.

“One minute!” The corvette Captain barked, Armored ramps unlocked and opened, the wind howling as the light of day, spells and explosions cast light into their red hangar.

Rugrat heard the cannons firing at enemy unseen.

“Can confirm the enemy is inside the walls, maps will be updating with our telemetry.”

“See you on the ground and Rugrat,” She paused for half a breath. “Glad you’re okay, wasn’t sure after Avegaaren fell. Don’t get killed now.”

“I aim to please.” Rugrat grinned.

The Corvette’s engines flared as Rugrat closed the channel, dust and shit going everywhere.

“Go!” The first man jumped out of the corvette. They jumped one after another, not pausing for a second.

Daylight streamed in as Rugrat jumped out into a marketplace, he fell twenty meters, the corvette’s formations flaring as it came down to land and edged forward, creating lines of soldiers as they cleared the warship.

Stalls crates and leftovers from the market were swept away under the force of the corvette’s wind formations, scouring the dust free of the square.

“First team, up in that building, second, up there, third take that corner, fourth get down to that entrance, Fifth with me!” Niemm yelled pointing at different locations.

The special team came apart, running across the open ground in their fireteams.

Rugrat was part of team three with George

He followed his team member jumped and wrapped themselves in mana, flying up several stories to the roof.

They had a commanding view over the city.

Warships held back from the wall line, their batteries firing into the open ground. The wall was the scene of spells and attacks. A section of wall exploded and Ravagaers charged outwards. A warship changed its aim, firing on the breach as mounted Aerial fighters charged across the sky to the breach.

The wall ran across Rugrat’s vision, from one hilly area to the left to another far to the right.

Rugrat saw it, but his brain couldn’t put together just how many people were there, it was a massive undertaking.

“I have the left flank,” Rugrat said, they fanned out, controlling the roof and scanning the streets. The corvette emptied, units tightening their perimeter.

“I got the right,” George was a natural with a rifle, he’d seen Rugrat use it enough times and Rugrat had been happy to teach.

The second wave came, running through the teleportation pads at the doors they arrived inside the armored corvette, jumping clear of the ship.

Yui coordinated the forces, grouping them and sending them out into the city.

Two supporting Corvettes, Two frigates and a Cruiser hovered above, another corvette in another courtyard to their East hurling releasing Yui’s Tigers.

They advanced through the streets, the Corvettes rising in altitude, cannons and guns scanning the roads.

A squad made it up on the roof.

“We’re to relieve you.”

“Welcome to it,” Rugrat said, he and George covered them as the five person squad took their places, setting up machine guns and defenses on the roof.

“Have fun.” Rugrat and George left the roof and walked into thin air, mana warped around them as they flew over to where Special Team One was mustering.

“We’re reserve force, Devourer clean up, good to go?” Niemm looked at their helmets.

“Okay lets get going, spread out, staggered down the street.”

They spread out and followed the line of advance towards the wall.

Groups came under contact, killing of the Ravagers or holding them in place long enough for the corvettes to bring their weapons to bear.

Rugrat passed buildings that had been chewed up and holed by the heavy PDC’s.

“Gotta get one as a gun,” He said.

“The beast is nearly as long as you are tall,” George said.

“Yeah but its semi, that’s full auto.”

“Move up,” Niemm said as the Corvette’s weapons ran silent. “Just a few blocks from the wall, heavy rain incoming.

Then Cruiser and Frigate opened up, it was as if the apocalypse had come tightly packed in a few thousand tonnes of warfare.

Missiles popped their hatches as rail cannons bellowed, the Cruiser’s accelerator’s fired in series, a streak of light across the battlefield that hit beyond sight the resulting explosion shaking buildings.

Railguns stitched the air as Sparrows around the Cruisers and Frigates engaged aerial Ravagers, tearing them apart and sweeping back to their charges.

They reached the wall, a four story behemoth of enchanted and compressed stone. Alvan engineers rebuilt the broken sections of the wall, teams running into the bottom level of the wall, creating firing slits to shoot into the Ravagers.

“Third floor!” Niemm yelled as they ran into a tower and ran up the stairs.