Chapter 19: The Raid
Cephiro, Zill Supply Convoy
The Zill supply train zoomed over the grassy field that bordered the lush forest. Without the need for tracks or rails, it hovered over the ground as it sped along. At least two dozen cars made up the train, carrying not only troops but also new supplies for the ground forces. Ever since the victory against Autozam and Fahran, the Zill had been moving more and more forces onto the surface of Cephiro. While they still didn't have enough for an all-out ground war against the kingdom, they were still seizing more and more territory with each day. At this rate the invasion was likely to go smoothly and swiftly.
Alongside the train were several other support vehicles, a protective escort for the train. Mostly light combat vehicles, with an occasional tank or two. As primitive as they were, the people of Cephiro would have to be suicidal to try and impede the convoy with anything less than a great deal of magic. And, with most of their sorcerers and mages holed up in the castle in reserve, there was little chance of that happening.
Or so they believed.
Kefka watched the convoy from far away, using the long-range scanners of his mobile armor. His squad mates were in formation with him. Joining them were the Magic Knights, along with a team of soldiers from Harkoss's forces. Rounding out the team was the Black Dragon.
"How many do you see?" asked Hikaru, standing beside Kefka inside Rayearth.
"Aside from the train, there's about twenty support units," said Kefka. "Including a couple of high-speed light tanks. Train is probably carrying a few hundred soldiers."
"Hardly seems fair to me," said Tino.
"What, you think we should give them a chance to surrender?" asked Shakku.
"Not really," replied Tino with a chuckle. "I kind of like the idea of mopping the floor with these guys."
"So does everyone remember the plan?" asked Kefka.
"Yeah, Umi, Fuu and I will go with you, Raxx and Shakku to disable the train's defenses," said Hikaru.
"Me, Jiang and Meex will deal with the escort vehicles," said Tino.
"I'll board the train from the rear and work my way through the troop cars," said the Black Dragon. "Once the train's defenses are down, the Magic Knights will join me, advancing from the front."
"Then I take out the engine, we derail this thing, and then Harkoss's troops move in, snag everything we possibly can, and get the hell out of here," said Kefka.
"Yeah, we got this," said Umi. "Finally, we're taking the fight back to the Zill instead of always running away."
"I agree, it is a pleasant change of pace," said Fuu. "Everyone, please be careful."
"Don't worry, Fuu, we'll all be fine," said Shakku. "I'm sure of it."
"I hope so," said Fuu with a smile. "I would hate to have healed your leg just to have you lose your life."
"Come on, team, look alive," said Kefka. "The convoy is coming into range. Everyone stay low!"
The mobile armors and the Rune Gods all kept as much as possible to the cover of the trees, watching as the convoy began to pass by them.
"Okay, now!" yelled Kefka as he zoomed out. The others followed him, splitting off to target their specific objectives.
Kefka, Raxx and Shakku headed for the armed train cars up front near the engine. Turrets on the train began to target them and opened fire. The three mobile armors began to dodge and weave in the air, dodging the cannon fire, returning fire with their own guns. Hikaru and her friends joined in, firing their magic at the train car to weaken its shields and armor.
Jiang, Tino and Meex began sweeping the combat vehicles, shooting them up with the guns of their mobile armors. One of the tanks fired off a lucky shot, hitting Jiang's mecha in the arm.
"Hey, I just got that tuned up!" growled Jiang, firing a rocket from his wrist that blew the top of the tank off.
The Black Dragon swooped in from the rear, disembarking from his Rune God in midair and landing on the platform at the rear car of the train. "Now it's my turn," he said, using a blast of magic to blow the door down. He just walked on through like he owned the train, heading for the troop cars.
The troops on board the train were doing their best to fight back. Shooting at the mobile armors through the open windows of the train cars. As they were shooting, however, the lights in the train cars suddenly shut off. Someone had disrupted the train's power system. As they looked around confused, the soldiers in the troop car furthest back heard the door slide open. They all spun around, weapons aimed, wondering who or what was about to come through.
All they could hear was the sound of breathing. Breath hissing through some kind of mask. Then two lights, swords made of magical energy, appeared in the darkness. The light from the blades revealed the tall, armored figure standing in the doorway. Indescribable terror suddenly gripped the soldiers as they realized who it was.
"Open fire!" someone screamed, and the troops began shooting.
The Black Dragon advanced, deflecting shots with his swords, and cutting through every soldier that came within range. Several shots glanced off his enchanted armor, and he fired bursts of magic from his hands. Soldiers screamed as they were struck down by the magic blasts; some of them were even incinerated. Some of the soldiers threw grenades at the Black Dragon, hoping explosives would do the trick. He simply raised a hand, and the grenades froze in midair before being flung back. The explosions rocked the train car violently, clearing the path ahead. He continued to move through the troop cars, cutting through the Zill soldiers like a freshly sharpened knife through cheese.
Up at the front of the train, the last turret exploded under the impact of Hikaru's Flame Arrow. "Okay, that takes care of that!" said Hikaru. "Come on, girls, we need to get aboard the train and help the Black Dragon!"
Umi looked up as she saw another troop car rocked by an explosion. "I'm wondering if he even needs the help," she said.
"Even so, we agreed to help him," said Fuu. "We must see it through to the end."
The Magic Knights disembarked from the Rune Gods and formed up outside the door of the first troop car. "Flame Arrow!" yelled Hikaru, blowing the door inwards. The door, along with the flames, surged into the car, taking out the soldiers closest to it. She rushed in, cutting down several unsuspecting soldiers in the confusion.
The same confusion began to spread through the train cars as the soldiers realized they were being attacked on all sides. The Black Dragon cutting through them from the rear, and now the Magic Knights from the front. They were quickly realizing that they were trapped like rats with no way out except to either endure the shame of surrender or to go down fighting. Most of them chose the latter, and died where they stood holding their ground. Others dropped their weapons and put their hands up in the air, hoping they would be spared.
Those who surrendered to the Magic Knights were the lucky ones. They were allowed to live. Those who tried to appeal to the Black Dragon were not so lucky. He spared none, even those who tried to flee.
Before long, the two different teams met up.
"Leave anything for us?" asked Hikaru when the Black Dragon entered the troop car with them.
"Just bodies," he replied coldly. "The Zill are surprisingly competent fighters. They actually got me a few times." That was when the girls saw that his armor was damaged and he was covered in slight gunshot injuries.
"You've been hurt," said Fuu. "Please, allow me to heal you."
"We can do that later," said the Black Dragon. "We need to get off the train before the Commander derails it."
"We've got soldiers who surrendered to us," said Umi. "What do we do about them?"
"Why does it matter?" asked the Black Dragon. "They're the enemy, they're of no concern."
"They're still people," said Hikaru firmly. "We're not just leaving them to die."
The Black Dragon stared at her silently for a few moments. "Very well," he said. "Move them to the rear of the train, and fast. They'll have a better chance of survival back there."
The Magic Knights herded the Zill soldiers who'd surrendered into the rear cars of the train. Now it was just up to Kefka to take the train offline.
Kefka, at that moment, had flown up alongside the engine of the train. He deployed his energy saber and shoved it hard through the heavy armor of the engine. The armor resisted, and he pushed harder, driving the blade into the vulnerable internal mechanics of the engine. It began to explode and waver, its hover drive failing. Kefka pulled out his sword and backed away quickly as the engine slammed hared into the ground. The train crashed violently, cars piling up on each other or being vaulted forward into the air from the momentum. Thankfully the supply cars and even the rear car managed to come to a stop in time.
Kefka and the other War Wolves landed near the rear car. "Hikaru, are you okay?" asked Kefka, tapping his helmet.
"Yeah, I'm okay," came Hikaru's reply over his comm. "We're all okay. We've got some prisoners, too."
"Alright, we'll bring them back with us," said Kefka. "Nice work, by the way. You did great."
"Thanks, Kefka, you were great, too," said Hikaru.
The troops from the 9th Fleet quickly arrived, the soldiers working quickly to transfer the captured supplies to their own vehicles. Once they brought them back, they'd set about training Cephiro's soldiers and civilians how to use Zill weaponry and armor. With that knowledge, they'd be better equipped to take on the invaders. It was a small victory, yes, but a critical one. Now the Zill would know that Cephiro wouldn't go quietly. If they wanted this world, they would have to fight harder for it.