As twin golden hills blazed beyond the horizon, twelve military transports and a single car flew over the tops of trees at top speeds; they had been driving for nearly an hour and were fast approaching their final destination. In the front was the small vehicle given to Siegfried and the others; riding within was the infiltration unit. Blake, Talib, and Sayen waited in the living compartment as Boris flew to their destination, with Siegfried keeping watch next to him. Behind them were twelve troop transports, each filled with nearly twenty-five hundred soldiers, ready to take the fight to the enemy. Two transports were assigned to each of the six captains Talib trusted, and they were grouped into three sets of four.
As they raced north, Talib's voice could be heard in each transport. "You all know the plan. The enemy's base lies a bit further north from where we are now. In a few moments, we will begin our operation; from there, you will listen to your captains' orders and fight smart; do that, and we'll all make it to the other side. The base lies in a large clearing on a sizable hill, and its entrance is disguised as a pile of overgrown rock and dirt. That's just a façade, of course; we've determined that there's a doorway on the western face of the rock pile that leads into the facility; that's our goal. Our forces will split into three groups, each led by two captains; one to the north, one south, and one to the west. Once on the ground, each group will be separated by their captain. One group on offence, the other on defence, all while being bolstered by our allies in the Volk tribe. All of you need only focus on three things; listening to your captain, ensuring the safety of your brothers and sisters in arms, and surviving. If you all do that, we'll be victorious. Today is the day we finally take the fight to Father and his monstrosities' doorstep; we are officially on the offensive." Cheering could be heard in all of the transports; men and women of all races, tired of losing battles and friends, were ready to take their homes back. After a moment to let the cheering quiet down, Talib finished addressing the troops. "We're here; this is where we part ways. Stay safe, my friends, and may the gods protect us all." Once Talib finished, there was a quiet electrical buzz followed by a click, and with that, the twelve troop transports shot off in different directions, hurtling toward their destinations.
"Well said, Sage." Sayen patted Talib on the shoulder as he leaned back in a chair. Turning to the door that separated the living compartment of the car and the driving compartment, she called out to Boris. "Hey Boris, how far out are we; we need to be fast; otherwise, our troops will die needlessly."
Siegfried poked his head through the door to talk with the others. "We picked up speed as soon as the transports separated. We'll arrive at our destination in a few moments, hopefully ahead of the other transports making it to their destinations. This car is nice, and more importantly, fast." Just as Siegfried finished speaking, a small jolt was felt throughout the vehicle.
"We are here; let us move." Boris stood in the doorframe of the driver compartment with his helmet under his arm. "From here, we are on the clock. Double-check your equipment, and then we go."
After a moment of silence, as each person checked their equipment and readied themselves for what lay ahead, they hurried out of the car and scanned their surroundings. They stood in a small clearing at the base of a hill; the sounds of nature were the only noises that the winds carried. Without a word between them, they all headed quickly up the hillside, all while keeping an eye out for enemies or traps. As they approached the top of the hill, they came to the edge of a large clearing with a rock pile at its eastern side. The group quickly rushed the rock pile from the east, finding temporary shelter under a slight stone overhang. "Where are those blue bastards? Were they somehow tipped off on our attack? There's no one here." Blake apprehensively whispered his fears to Boris. "When you found this place, you said you saw thousands flowing from this place, so why is there no one here now?"
"Based on the number of units moving here that night, I would assume that they move a majority of their forces at night when it is harder to see them. As I said when we returned, it was nothing but luck that we found their base in the first place." Boris' face was covered by his helmet, but his voice shared Blake's nervousness. "All we can do now is move forward with the plan. What is the time, now?"
Looking at his watch, Blake whispered, "It's almost seven. The troops need to be in place by seven. Until then, all we can do is wait." Silence permeated the group as they waited for their time to move.
Siegfried readied his gun and placed one of the crystal slabs within it. "Tell me as soon as the clock hits seven; I'll send up the signal then." The silence returned with a nod from Blake as they waited for their troops to get into position.
Time seemed to have stopped for the group as they waited for their moment to move, but soon, Blake signalled for Siegfried to get ready. With that, Siegfried moved slowly out from cover and pointed his gun to the sky above the clearing. At the same time, Boris pulled out his greatsword and got ready to spring from their cover; Sayen, likewise, readied herself by transforming her arms, not to that of a wolf, but a mixture of a wolf and a humanoid; he fingers grew longer and large, sharp claws sprang from her fingertips. Talib also began to store Omnis within his rings for the fight ahead. Just as everyone finished readying themselves physically and mentally, Blake moved. "Now!" Siegfried pulled the trigger on his signal, and a ball of white light flew toward the sky from his gun. As the ball of light left the weapon, the infiltration group returned to their cover, and as soon as it passed the treetops, it exploded in a blinding flash of light and a defining roar of fire.
That was the signal; as soon as the light dissipated, thousands of troops ran from the tree line and began to form up. A front line of casters began forming light barriers, the second line of soldiers with firearms started to prepare for firing, and the third line of soldiers with swords and axes readied to charge past the front two lines. It took less than a minute for the base's entrance to be encompassed by the troops. Still, just before they could fully finish their defensive line, a doorway appeared in the rock face and opened, revealing a legion of artificial mortals that were bathed in cobalt light; they quickly flowed out and began their assault. "Gunners! Fire at will! This is the end for these beasts!" Lilly stood next to her soldiers as she called out orders; not far from her were the other two captains leading the offensive forces, Angus and Ixchel. Just within the forest were Christos, Albert, and Annabelle organizing the reserve units and the medics.
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Bodanen: Cobalt War
FantasyThe world of Bodanen has known war for forty-five years, but outside the capital of An-ox in a small trading town, a less than average farmer has grown up relatively peacefully. When the war comes to his home, he finds his aptitude for violence to b...
