Chapter 50: "Priority: Triggering the Trap"
Dawn approaches over the skies of Rondel as the clock strikes 4:00 AM Earth time. The city, once prestigious, lies eerily quiet except for the occasional distant explosion. Bodies of various races and creatures litter the streets, a grim testament to the chaos. The fighting subsides during the night as both sides retreat to their territories to rest or fortify positions.
Ava sits by a window overlooking the street in front of the inn. She is positioned near the center of the inn's second-to-top floor, adjacent to the stairs leading up. Her eyes remain sharp, scanning for any sign of hostility, though her mind is elsewhere. She wonders how the Excalibur works, knowing it requires a significant number of mages to activate. How many mages are left? How many are willing to listen? Can they be trained in time?
She has lost too many soldiers to the Reapers since the invasion began. For the first time, her unit, Sierra 5, consists mostly of inexperienced members. Then again, they have never faced a force as powerful as the Reapers.
Ava's suit alerts her as Pina begins ascending the stairs. Moving cautiously to avoid making noise, Pina's presence had already been reported by Jimmy, who informed Ava that the Empress wanted to speak with her. Deactivating the alert, Ava confirms her location as secure and notes her team's readiness through the TACNet.
"Commander, can we talk?" Pina whispers.
"I'm on guard duty, Your Highness," Ava replies, pausing briefly to double-check the area. "But I suppose we can talk for a bit. Come here, keep your head down, and be very quiet."
Pina sits in the shadowed corner of the window opposite Ava, hesitating before speaking.
"So, what do you want to talk about, Pina?" Ava asks, her gaze still fixed on the street below.
"Can we talk alone?" Pina's voice is uncertain as she glances at Ava's suit, aware of its advanced surveillance capabilities.
Realizing her concern, Ava reassures her. "Don't worry, they won't hear us."
"Oh, okay," Pina replies, pausing briefly before continuing. "Rondel… why does the UNE want it?"
"It's a matter of national security," Ava responds.
"I see. You can't tell me," Pina says softly. "But can you at least tell me how important the city's acquisition is?"
Ava pauses, choosing her words carefully. "Pina, imagine the Darklings but on a scale far greater than you could ever comprehend. We have a plan to stop them, and Rondel—along with its mages—is a critical part of that plan. If we fail, quadrillions will perish."
"You're speaking of the Reapers?" Pina asks, her voice tinged with fear.
"Yes," Ava confirms.
"If the Saderan Empire fully supported the UNE's annexation of Rondel in exchange for technologies, would your government agree?" Pina asks cautiously.
"I think they might, depending on what kind of technologies you're referring to," Ava replies.
"Help us master gunpowder, improve our metallurgy, teach us advanced agricultural techniques. And train an elite force like the SIF," Pina lists her terms.
"That seems reasonable," Ava says. "Why the change of heart? The Saderan Empire was adamant about its position until now."
"Magic has always been our edge against others, but having seen your worlds and read your books, I know what the UNE is capable of. Even with Rondel, resisting you would be futile," Pina admits. "We might as well gain something in return… perhaps even a powerful ally."
"Very wise," Ava comments. "But many of your lords won't be happy with this deal. A civil war might be unavoidable. Your ancient enemies could seize the opportunity to rise against a weakened empire. The UNE won't intervene in such conflicts."
Pina lowers her gaze. "It would have happened anyway. If Rondel is as crucial as you say, your government might have taken it by force if diplomacy failed. Besides, many still doubt me as Empress. A woman ruling the empire is something they can't accept. My power isn't as strong as my father's was. A civil war is inevitable."
Ava regards her with sympathy. "It seems you have a storm coming your way, Empress Pina."
Before Pina can respond, a large explosion rocks the slum area near the old temple. Ava motions for her to remain silent as her radio activates.
"This is Agent Shelly! All GIA agents and SOG operatives are KIA! Lynk is too powerful. I'm retreating to regroup," a voice crackles through, exhausted and frantic.
"Agent Shelly, this is Commander Ava of Sierra 5. Reading you loud and clear. Over," Ava replies, her voice steady.
-4 hours prior, somewhere in the Southeast Rondel—
The city of Rondel falls in complete darkness as the night goes. The usual bright magic lights are not lit because of the on-going chaos, no one neither has time to lit them nor do then want to as it would give away their positions. Shelly along with 3 other GIA agents and 4 SOGs make their way through the darken streets of the slums area in silence. Their spy suits are not as tough as the TACsuit but they make that up with a lot more surveillant equipment. They have a greater awareness of their surroundings. They're all wearing brown or grey old cloak with their helmet off to disguise their armour and to not attract unwanted attention.
"According to the intel this is guild nature's turf" Kane, one of the GIA agents says.
Shelly peaks around the corner to scan for any potential threats "Yea, so?".
"So, have you seen any walking trees or mages or even an angry mob yet?" Kane replies.
"You're right, this is odd. However, there has been almost no engagement here as this area is of uninterest to all the factions. I guess they don't even bother guarding it? I mean that must why Lynk chose this section of the city to hide in right?" Shelly says.
"Psh" One of the SOG gains everyone attention, he motions his hand over the corner.
The rest of the team stacks up behind him and check their TACNet display, a very brief visual of a large 4 legs creature pass through with extremely high speed. In spite of the quick movement, the creature creates very minimal noise that normal ears would not detect. It is so fast that it disappeared quickly out of censor range among the thick slums.
"It can't be…" Shelly whispers.
Another GIA agent pulls up the database "I thought they said these things got wiped out?".
"Dark magic can reanimate dead creatures, this is Lynk's job" Shelly says.
"Yea, but wouldn't doing that release a creepy black fog?" the SOG that is watching the back speaks up.
"Speculation is not going to help us, lets keep moving to our objective. We'll deal with it as we go, but Lynk must be taken out. Can our censors track that…whatever that was?" Shelly says then motion the SOG team to keep advance towards the temple.
"I lost tracking of that thing" the lead SOG reports.
"How?" Shelly asks.
"It's out of visual reconstruction range, its reflecting signal is as small as a rat. It blends in with all the other rats…or…" He says as he slowly pushes open a door into an empty slum.
Shelly moves in after the SOG towards one of the windows and check outside "Or what?" She asks.
"Or its kind" He replies then display the censor data.
-3 hours later—
The team has been moving through the slums very carefully and try to avoid places that they suspect are the gathering spots of the reanimated darklings. This area of the city hasn't seen much fighting but the atmosphere feels dark and grim with all the smoke carry by the wind from other parts of the city, in additional to the barely liveable houses, if you can even call them houses.
Their suits have been picking up faint pings of what they believe were creatures but they quickly disappear when the SOGs moved investigate.
"If they're dead how is heat censor detecting them?" one of the SOGs ask after checking a corner.
"It's the law of the universe, if there's movement there's fiction, and fiction release energy, energy create heat. Because they're dead that's why their heat signature is microscopic. Fortunately, we're happen to be playing for the only team in the entire galaxy that have the technology to detect this kind of things" Shelly replies.
"Humanity fuck yea" one of the SOGs replies calmly.
"Indeed" Shelly agrees.
The SOG team leader signal the team to hold "heads up, objective is in sight".
"What's out game plan?" Shelly asks.
The team lead stays silent for a moment while using all the surveillant tools of his suit to scan the area.
"No visual on guards, no detectable shield or barrier, about 70 humanoid life signs inside the temple some of them keep disappearing and reappearing" He pauses for a little longer "each time 2 of them disappearing, 1 life sign turn cold then only 1 life sign return shortly after. They're using teleporting magic and killing people in there".
Another SOG scan the area outside of the temple and report "There's a higher concentration of life signs in this structure on the other side of the temple, 180 of them. Judging by their positions, that is they gather people to be used as battery".
"Reporting a fuckery tons of possible darkling spreading across the AO, even right under us" Another SOG reports.
"Alright, agent Shelly, your ops, what's your order?" the SOG lead asks.
Shelly takes a moment to carefully consider all her options based on the information at hand.
"We're not getting out of this alive without a distraction. We split into 2 teams, team one with me we're going to infil the temple and take out Lynk. Team two you guys set explosive charges in the other building and these paths. We rendezvous here and hightail out of here, hopefully in one piece. SOG, lead you have command" Shelly orders.
"What's our rule of engagement?" SOG lead asks.
"Stay quiet as long as possible, no hesitation kill-on-sight, collateral is of no concern, the mission must come first" Shelly firmly replies.
Everyone nod, confirming that they have all understood what needs to be done. The GIA operates in a darker shade than the UNE military. To them the objectives always come first and must be completed at all cost. GIA agents and SOG operatives are told to keep collaterals at minimum but trained to do whatever it takes in order to complete their mission even if that means sacrifice innocents' lives, sometimes in the millions.
The temple indeed has no magical barrier or guards to stop outsiders from getting in. Shelly suspects there are two possibilities for this. One is that the dark mages are not expecting anyone to dare coming near the temple, anyone that dare would risk become dark magic's fuel if they get caught. The other possibility is that this is a trap and Lynk knows that they are coming. Expect the best, but prepare for the worst, Shelly gives the other for her team to treat it like a trap and be extra careful.
Under the cover of the night, they silently approach a small battered wooden door of the temple. Their suits look heavy yet make no noise as they move quickly. Every movement is swift and precise.
The SOG lead give signal for the team to advance forward closer to the door. Another SOG plant a nanite lockpicker on the lock of the door. Quadrillion of nanoscopic robots immediately spread and cover the entire lock then move the mechanism to unlock the door while blocking any sound that might causes.
"This op stinks like hell, agent" SOG lead says to Shelly as it has been way too easy so far.
"I know but we must trigger the trap in order to catch the big fish" Shelly replies while slowly push the door open, pointing her weapon to scan for hostile. The recon drones the size of a small fly buzzing pass her into the building to scout ahead.
"That made absolutely no sense, agent Shelly, but I understand what you mean" SOG lead replies.
"Seems clear, send a report then move in" Shelly orders.
A tiny flash of light directed at one of the recon ships hovering just outside of the barrier of the city.
Shelly is the second to go in after the SOG lead, she takes position and secure the direction assigned by the SOG lead via TACNet.
"Team 2, this is Team 1, we're inside the temple. No contact so far, what is your sitrep? Over" Shelly talk over the comms.
"This is Team 2, we're almost at our first objective. Ran into a few of them but we made it pass unseen. Over" the other side replies.
"Copy" Shelly replies as the SOG lead orders the team to move on.
Although Shelly is the commander of the operation, the tactical decision of how to complete the objectives fall completely on the SOG lead as he is more trained and more experienced.
"Remember people, we go quiet until we're discovered. That means no shooting, knives and fists only. Go for the throat first so they can't scream" the SOG lead reminds everyone.
He then checks the scan of the temple then devise a plan "Alright, there are 6 set of stairs leading up the 4 floors of the temple. We don't have enough people to cover all the paths, but we split into 2 teams going up here and here so we could cover all 5 paths and cut off their retreat. This path is isolated from the rest so we have no clear line of sight. We'll set mines and lure them that way. Let's move".
The air inside the temple is oppressive, thick with the scent of decay and the faint metallic tang of blood. The faint flicker of magical torches along the walls cast eerie shadows that danced like malevolent spirits. Shelly and her team advanced cautiously, each step calculated to avoid making noise. The recon drones fed a constant stream of visual and thermal data to their HUDs, painting a grim picture of what lay ahead.
As the two teams moved into position, the sound of muffled cries echoed faintly from deeper within the structure. Shelly clenched her fists, forcing herself to focus. They couldn't afford to be distracted by the horrors around them—Lynk was the target.
Suddenly, one of the recon drones flagged a movement in an adjacent corridor. Shelly gestured sharply, signaling her team to halt.
"Lead, we've got movement two corridors over," Shelly whispered. "One humanoid, seems unarmed, but it's moving erratically. Possible bait or civilian."
The SOG lead studied the data feed for a moment before nodding. "Maintain course. Civilians are secondary. We neutralize anything that threatens the op."
Shelly nodded, though unease gnawed at her. They pressed on, their steps silent as death.
-Team 2's Position-
Meanwhile, Team 2 had successfully planted their first set of charges in a dilapidated building across from the temple. The explosives were strategically placed to maximize structural damage, ensuring that any reinforcements drawn to the area would be delayed or neutralized entirely.
"Charges set. Moving to second objective," the Team 2 leader reported.
As they advanced through the maze of ruined alleys, a low growl broke the stillness. The team froze, weapons ready, as shapes began to emerge from the shadows. Half-decayed humanoid figures with glowing red eyes shambled toward them, their movements unnaturally fast and jerky.
"Darklings," one operative hissed.
"Stay quiet," the leader ordered, raising a fist. "Engage only if necessary."
The darklings paused, sniffing the air. The operatives held their breath, remaining perfectly still. After a tense moment, the creatures lost interest and dispersed.
"Move, now," the leader whispered.
-Inside the Temple-
On the third floor, Shelly's team found what they'd been searching for—a chamber emanating dark energy, the air heavy with malice. At its center stood Lynk, a tall, gaunt figure clad in tattered robes, his hands weaving intricate patterns of magic. Around him, bound captives writhed in pain, their life force visibly draining into a swirling vortex of dark magic.
Shelly felt a surge of anger but forced herself to remain calm. She motioned for her team to take positions around the chamber's perimeter.
"On my mark, take him out," she whispered.
The SOG lead set a countdown on their TACNet. Three… two…
Before the final signal, Lynk abruptly stopped his incantation and turned, his sunken eyes locking onto Shelly's position.
"You've come far, little flies," he hissed, his voice echoing unnaturally. "But this is where your journey ends."
The room erupted in chaos as Lynk unleashed a wave of dark energy. The operatives scattered, narrowly avoiding the blast. Shelly fired a grappling hook to swing behind cover, her heart pounding.
"Engage! Engage!" she shouted.
The operatives opened fire, their advanced weapons cutting through the swirling darkness. Lynk deflected the initial volley with a barrier of pure magic, then retaliated by summoning the darklings.
"Keep the pressure on!" the SOG lead barked.
Shelly shoots a grenade at Lynk. The explosion disrupts his barrier, giving the team a crucial opening.
"Hit him now!"
The grenade explosion tore through the dark energy barrier, momentarily exposing Lynk to the team's assault. The operatives unleashed a coordinated barrage of gunfire and explosives, but Lynk retaliated with an ear-splitting roar. Shadows surged around him like a living tide, swarming the room.
Shelly's HUD blinked red as her team's life signs began to fade one by one. The darklings overwhelmed them in a matter of seconds, their sheer numbers impossible to repel. Shelly clenched her teeth, her rifle spitting plasma rounds into the horde. She called out orders, but the screams and static on the comms told her what she already knew—Team 1 was being annihilated.
"Shelly, fallback!" the SOG lead shouted before his signal cut out.
Meanwhile, Team 2 had reached their final objective, planting charges near a vital chokepoint. Their scanners lit up as a mass of darklings converged on Team 1's position and theirs.
"This is Team 2! We're compromised!" the leader shouted over the comms. "We're detonating the charges—buying you time!"
Shelly's voice broke through the static, pleading, "No! Hold your position! We can—"
Her words were drowned out by the deafening roar of superheated plasma explosions. The ground trembled as buildings collapsed in on themselves. The charges tore through the enemy forces, but at the cost of every member of Team 2. Their signals vanished from her HUD.
Back in the temple, Shelly find herself alone, Lynk's laughter echoing through the darkness. Blood dripped from a cut on her cheek, and her armor's systems are barely functional. She glances at her remaining gear—a single grenade and a combat knife. Desperation clawed at her as the darklings close in.
Shelly activates her suit's thrusters. A burst of energy propelled her backward through a shattered window, tumbling into the alley below. She hit the ground hard, her body aching, but she forced herself to her feet. The temple loomed behind her, its shadows alive with movement.
"Shit, why does it never goes as plan" she muttered, her voice trembling.
She activated her comms. "This is Agent Shelly! All GIA agents and SOG operatives are KIA! Lynk is too powerful. I'm retreating to regroup."
No response, her TAC suit took too much damaged and it is trying its best to prioritize keeping her alive over everything else.
Tears blurred her vision as she stumbled through the ruins, the darklings pursuing her relentlessly. Each step felt heavier than the last, her mind haunted by the faces of her fallen comrades.
The darklings stop pursuing once she got out of the slums district, collapsing against a wall. The first rays of dawn pierced the smoke-filled sky, illuminating her bloodied armor and hollow expression. She activated her emergency beacon, sending a distress signal to all UNE units in the area.
As she waited, she replayed the mission in her mind, the weight of her failure crushing her. They had been outmatched and outmaneuvered, paying the ultimate price.
The city is still in chaos, and Lynk's dark magic continues to spread unchecked. Shelly swore to herself that their sacrifice would not be in vain. She would ensure the UNE knew what they were up against, even if it cost her everything.