Summoning America

Chapter 89: Trial by Fire

Author's Note:
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May 15, 1640
Fortress City of Exteris, Sonal Kingdom

The clear blue sky above darkened as hundreds upon hundreds of warplanes blotted out the sun, stretching from horizon to horizon. The air filled with the sounds of buzzing and howling as the machines turned downward, swooping down on the defenseless prey below. Even after having rallied all the wyverns in the entire nation, the Sonal Wyvern Corps was still hopelessly outmatched. The consolidated force, hoping to meet a small Gra Valkan invasion force and overwhelm them with numbers, instead found themselves on the receiving end of the stick.

There was no escape from here; no preservation of military strength. The wyverns cried out, rushing to the skies to fight a valiant last stand. Although most of the citizens of Exteris had been preemptively evacuated, the Sonalians still had to defend it. Without defenses on the ground, it would be impossible to impede the Gra Valkan advance. Thus, the wyverns angled themselves toward the larger warplanes, flying under the guard of vicious, unstoppable fighters.

Wind rushed through the elongated ears of General Viltrius as he stood on a camouflaged runway, wyverns taking off around him. Currents of air coursed around him and currents of fear coursed through him. He knew that his men would not be returning, no matter how skilled they were. This was a fact he had come to terms with; a fact that these courageous wyvern knights were well aware of. Despite death knocking at their doorstep, they still rallied upward, set on doing as much damage as possible.

The bravery of Viltrius' men filled him with pride, a swelling feeling that was then swept aside as quickly as it arose. Even though he had already expected a disastrous defeat, seeing it unfold was a different case altogether. His eyebrows furrowed in shock and pity as his wyverns were annihilated before they could even unleash fireballs against their targets. The surviving men, seeing the effectiveness of the Gra Valkan fighters, adjusted their mission parameters. Instead of chasing the rapidly climbing bombers, they decided to settle for the nearby fighters. The dense formation of planes allowed the Sonalians to strike a few, sending the aircraft plummeting to the ground. Unlike the eviscerated wyvern knights, however, the Gra Valkan pilots were not so doomed. Parachutes blossomed in the sky as bloody wyverns and smoking aircraft alike crashed to the ground, reflecting the hopelessness of the situation.

Viltrius' shoulders slumped, despair settling in as he walked back to his bunker to wait out the bombing run. Approaching a reinforced hatch built into the earth, he took one last look at the darkening skies above before he finally descended down the ladder. The steps he took rang loudly amidst the silence, boots striking metal as he climbed down. Soon enough, the lively chatter of people greeted him, as did magical lighting.

The bunker consisted of a massive cavern, which housed food storages, shelters, and equipment warehouses. Having been warned in advance by the Americans, the Sonalians were able to repurpose these defensive installations – initially built for a defensive war against potential Leiforian aggression – into fortified bases of operation that could withstand pummeling from Gra Valkan bombs. Multiple exits to the surface allowed for quick reconnaissance using smaller hatches and quick deployment using a tunnel network. Only the city of Exteris had such defenses, so any hope of deterring the Gra Valkans had to occur here.

Viltrius walked toward the central manacomm station, a large tower that stretched from the base level of the facility to the earth above, allowing for communication with the outside world. There, numerous Sonalian officers gathered around a large map of the city, decorated with small figurines representing Somalian and Gra Valkan forces. Viltrius greeted them as the complex shook slightly from the first wave of bombs.