As the Paycheck gang was deployed to Voogan Federation to retrieve an artifact, what they did not expect was how real the rumors of goblins rolling around, and geocoding people were. Voogan right to own and bear arms was mostly introduced as a countermeasure to the fact that the Federal Military is not able to respond to every case despite a well-constructed runevox network made with sophisticated rune-based telegram lines. Very early adoptions, of things, that just start to be adopted in the Tiritian lands as well.
Scar, Mary, Rebbeca, and Bane were sitting in a cart that was not like any other due to how violent the goblin surprise raids are. Steel cart, with steel box protection and steel bars in front of the driver that protects them from harm… This shows how difficult this land is to live.
"I feel like in a fucking warzone," Rebbeca said as she lit up a cigarette, looking through one of few one-side transparent steel windows, knowing she can't just open them to get some air. Sitting in tight shorts, and a tank top, the top marksman looked on the other three.
"I agree on that." Bane said as he lets out a sigh. A hulk of a man, dressed in something that resembles a trench coat, with a mask on his face that was built like a runic respirator, with the trench coat being the only thing that covered his naked muscles he showed off.
"So, care to explain where that respirator comes from?" Scar asks as he is genuinely concerned about his teammate.
"Fine. I will tell." Bane said as he lets out a sight, slightly distorted because of how the vocabulators in the respirator are built. "I did a solo job a week before our assignment. Got hit with something nasty that fucked up my lungs. Now I am in a fucking respirator."
"Wait. For who was that job if I can ask?" Mary asks as she looks at the muscled dude.
"Mary… Some people are just too dangerous to casually mention, you know? But I will say one thing. the apple doesn't fall far from the tree... These rich guys are nuts!" He said as he complained about the fact he was not informed about full details.
"This is why you always take the crew!" Rebbeca got upset with Bane as she threw at him, a still-burning cigarette and made him hurt a bit because of it.
A small burn left-over showed on his muscles as he was not wearing any shirt, due to how hot it is around. "Rebbeca.."
"What?! Complaining!?" She asks as she gets up and draws out her revolvers, which were the gift from their contractor, and aims these at him. "YOU SHOULD BE LUCKY YOU ARE ALIVE!"
"Calm the fuck down, Rebbeca!" He said as he draw out the crossbow and aimed it at her, putting it close to her head, with the revolvers aiming at his head as well, making Mary and Scar panicking.
"SHIT PEOPLE, CALM DOWN! YOU ARE BETTER THAN ANIMALS, AND THAT IS AN ANIMAL BEHAVIOR!" Scar gets up and separates both of the guys, as they calmed down. The terryfing thought is that Rebbeca was even eager to go against Bane.
"We are getting closer to Aramor. WHAT THE FUCK!?" The driver asks as he gets to the hill and witnesses the city in the middle of the valley standing in crimson flames as the screams of the local population are hearable from the height of the cliff.
"That was not scheduled." The driver said as he got off the cart and on the ground, opening the crew their doors, making them get out only to witness pillaged capital city, the crown jewel of the Voogan Federation.
"Twenty Million people used to live here… Now it's a crime scene." Rebbeca said as she watched how the capital is burned as she considers the safety measures in their cart, like full-steel construction. "Hey scar, can you run the scan of the entire area?" She asks as she looks at the nerd in the team, as he corrects the glasses.
"Sure thing."
Scar said as he charged a bit of his mana in his hands and waved it from left to right, materializing a green multitasking screen. Charging the magical energy still in his hands, he made a hard clap of his hands, sending the magical energy mist into the area, getting very accurate information as the one big flat green screen, with computing symbols, now change into what happens here.
"Ah shit. This is not a war zone or crime scene… It's a fucking genocide attempt." He said as he looks on the screen, making the others gather around, as he zooms in the city and the footage captured by the mist.
Goblins, mostly as small as a window frame with rare examples of 2 meters tall Hobgoblins, with the big muscled frames, walk around, killing people, or violating the women there, raping them into submission, or doing more.. Despicable things that no criminal would tolerate.
"Damn bastards. I always said death to all goblins. WHY NOBODY GENOCIDES THEM!?" Rebbeca asked as she looked at the scenes shown, with curiosity, disgust, and fear. Especially the rape scenes.
"Aroused?" Scar asks as he genuinely gets concerned about his partner in crime.
"Kinda. Anyway, we will talk about my fetishes later. We got to get the job done. We sneak in?" She asks as she looks at the others.
"Of course, we fucking sneak in," Mary said as she put her hands on her hips. "Slut princess. Of course, we sneak in, unless you want to take that goblin cock deep down your cunt."
"Shut up, Mary. Or.." Rebbeca said as Mary broke her sentence.
"Or what? Make me satisfy the horse? With all the pleasure. It is definitely better than being raped to death by goblins, you whore!" Mary yelled out as this discussion definitely started going weird places, making Bane interrupt, as he separated both of them.
"Calm the hell down, you horny sluts! I will make sure you will be thrown in nearest imperial brother after this job if you will not stop!" Bane's loud yell made them instantly stop fighting as they nodded.
"Sure thing," Rebbeca said as she was genuinely terrified of Bane right now.
"Yea, okay." Mary's voice was not helping build the atmosphere around this situation.
"Let us go. Amun, leave here. We will need you later for escape." Bane said as he jumped out of the cliff, with Scar giving Amun the protection runes that create shields that hold out for hours.
"Use this if you feel threatened and the armor will not be enough against the goblins."
"Thanks, Scar. At least you care." Amun said as he made him smile, making Scar move with them, as this was meant to be four people's job, leaving right for the city gates, using the wind runes they place in their shoes for better jumping capability, they easily cross the wall. Getting into the capital city of Aramor was at this stage of affairs, completely easy. The crew, before the entry, ensured that they did take the necessary extra ammunition to their used weapons.
As they were walking through the burning city, they had to rely on Bane's silent weapon, the crossbow, when taking out the goblins silently.
Hiding the bodies was also an important thing. The mission was meant to be simple robbery, now it is a scouting mission. Hiding in plain sight, the crew managed to slip past the goblins who were busy doing their own goblin things like raping women for example. Or beheading slaves they captured for fun. And that is the mild thing they are doing.
"Shit. We got ourselves troubles." Rebbeca said as she looked behind her, licking her lips, trying to hide how aroused she is as she looked for a scene a bit too long, barely spotted. As they got to the museum, where their target is stored, they decided to go loud as the guards try to secure the place and mounted the defense, but this will be hard if they will not help.
"Well. We got ourselves into trouble. Now we got a death wish." Bane said as he looked at it.
"Suggestions? We can't just run and abandon our job because of the goblins?" Scar asked as he pulled out his revolver rifle, and loaded in the bullets, checking his extra set of ammo.
"Right. So we saving these, taking the artifact silently and then…" Rebbeca asks as she looks at Scar as he nods.
"We are also making ourselves a good press." He said as he aimed at the hobgoblin leading the assault, with Bane aiming at the second bigger goblin, with the smaller ones still preparing the charge.
A loud noise of fire from the revolver rifle, and Mary and Rebbeca went out, as they fired their guns on them, killing the goblins, which remaining ones routed when the bigger goblins were killed.
"Thanks, people. Seriously, whoever you are." The Federal Soldier said as he reloaded his musket and put it on the back. "First Lieutenant, Samuel Yin of the Voogan Federal Guard Core. What are your names?"
"Eh… Scar?" Rebbeca asks as she looks at him.
"Fine we can tell our real names, they are probably going to die later anyway. I saw a group of goblins nearby." Scar said as he made the soldiers a bit scared. "Johnatan Kaliński. Boss of the Paycheck Gang.. Informal one."
"We were warned you were about to raid the city for an artifact," Samuel said as he made him look around.
"So that listening rune was planted?" Johnatan looks at them as Mary nods.
"Yes, it was. What choice we have? We were surrounded by 100 imperial officers." She said as she explained why she agreed.
"Anyway. Because you saved our asses from these little shits, we will not execute the international wanted letter after your gang." Samuel said as he looked at the dead goblins. "How about a deal. We will let you take what you want to steal, but you are going to help our squad save the President, madam Elaria Snowstorm. She was elected last year." Samuel presented them a very clear deal. The criminals will get their prized target, in exchange for saving a VIP's ass.
"All right, I am in, officer Yin." Johnatan or Scar as he is known to his crew gave his hand and the two shook them. The criminals and the police made the alliance amidst goblin insurrections that are a problem in the country.
"All right, mister Kaliński. Get in, if you need extra ammo with your crew. But we won't let you out until we escort the President Snowstorm out of the Federal Mansion."
"Noted. Get in gang. We can trust them for now." Scar said as he opened the gate before the fortifications and let the team of four in.
"I can't believe we work with the criminals." One of the men in blue said as he looked at the captain.
"They came here for an artifact. Nothing more. And they broke into the Imperial Bank in Tiritium's capital so…. That says something." Samuel said as he looked around and closed the gate when they noticed the bigger goblin get in as the museum's fortifications. "MEN! LOAD THE GUNS!"
He said as the soldiers loaded their guns and aimed at the muscled goblin, successfully killing them but these goblins were not routing as they were the gray goblins. The kind that does not get scared when the leaders flee.
As Samuel's men were fighting, the Paycheck team went into the place where they store the artifact and packed it into the bag. On their way out, they noticed some goblins jumping through the windows, making the gang fight with them. Of course, some stole the museum's gold reserves, but nobody would notice. Considering they obliged to help.
The gunfight was heard from the insides of the museum as the cops were dealing with the threat of goblins, and barely holding off.
As the gang got out one of their members definitely looked scared, especially Rebbeca, whose initial arousal about the whole thing was not worth it in reality as she was about to be killed during one of the fistfights with these goblins. If not for Bane's shooting with the auto crossbow.
'If not for Bane, I would be dead.. And without the fucked to death part. At least I would die when getting an orgasm.. Not today I guess.' Rebbeca's mind is definitely a wicked one.
"We got the artifact and goblins on our backs. Mister Yin, if you value your life, come with us to that house." Rebbeca said as she ran down with the bag that contained the artifact – element of the box that was to be used to open the Shrine of Ascension.
"Great. You can take it. Let's save madam president." Samuel said as he made an order. "FIX BAYONETS, FIX BAYONETS! BE READY FOR BLOOD!"
All soldiers put on the bayonets on their guns, some had muskets, but few had revolver rifles, which pointed at what state the infantry is. Mixed.
The cops and the Paycheck crew ran through the streets, firing at very fast goblins, who are very hard to fight. Crossing street after street, making two moves into blind corners but they made it. A big, neo-imperial style mansion, with a rounded balcony in the front, letting the crew know where the seat of power is.
In the middle of the defenses, stood the mentioned lady. Dark skirt made out of silk, with the golden trims in the middle of the skirt, with the white shirt, and a trench coat. A notable difference is a white long hair and elven ears. As she is using her spear as a primary weapon to fight against the goblin band, she is one of very few that stand around. When she was about to be hit by a machete from the muscular hobgoblin, she was saved by Bane, who jumped in and started smashing through the goblin's skin, with two blades of his, killing him as he pulled out his crossbow and shot two bolts in its head, taking breaths.
"DO YOU WANT TO LIVE FOREVER, YOU BASTARDS!? GET READY, MORE WILL COME!"
She said as the crew as well as the cops prepared for a defensive fight.
"Glad to see you, officer Yin." She said as she patted his head.
"Glad to meet you too, Madam President." He said as he aimed his musket at the gray goblin. When the people were preparing for another mass charge of the goblins, she turned around and looked at the man near the big rune with a symbol saying 'communicate'.
"THE FUCK!? WHERE IS THAT DAMN AIR SUPPORT, WE ARE STUCK HERE! AND WE NEED IT NOW!" One of the policemen was calling in the air support to the scene as the communications officer in the runic room received it. He got up instantly and moved to the watchtower in the airbase.
"Sir, the police force requested an airstrike. Defcon 1. Goblin infestation, the president is In danger." One of the guys in red uniforms said as the airstrip commander turned around and picked up a rune that relied on communication to the megaphones.
"BRAVO SQUADRON BRAVO SQUADRON, NOT A DRILL. I REPEAT NOT A DRILL. CAPITAL CITY FORCES, IN ARAMOR, REQUIRE AIRSTRIKES. I REPEAT, ORDER COMES DIRECTLY FROM THE PRESIDENT. THE FEDERAL HOME IS UNDER SIEGE."
This communication made the pilots and the dragon raiders scramble as the big wyvern-like animals were resting. One of the pilots patted its cheeks, kissing his dragon's cheeks. "Hi buddy, get up. We got an assignment." The female rider said as she got on the sattle with the plane in the hangar that started the propeller. The dragons walked out of their hangars and together, with the propeller plane, ran out on the runway, and started to take off by running forward, together with the plane and then lifting off.
A squadron of three, two dragons, and one propeller fighter, resembling a traditional transport plane of the era with wings put down nearby the gears. The heavy fighter launched and the two majestic dragons were flying nearby the machine.
"Madam President, the air support is on its way, please hold on." The commander said as the communication magician let out some air.
"FINALLY, MADAM PRESIDENT, THE AIR SUPPORT IS ON ITS WAY. ETA 20 MINUTES!"
"Roger that! HOLD ON PEOPLE! The GOBLINS WILL NOT HAVE US ALIVE!" The president said as she stabbed one of the bigger goblins with the spear of hers. The Paycheck gang, although very big support for them all, can barely hold on for these 4 minutes. "Whoever you are, I owe you."
"Thanks. Paycheck Gang. Modern Robin Hoods." Scar made a joke, making Bane laugh.
"Really, the criminals who came for the artifact actually helping.. Eh.." President said as she looked at the whole situation. As the reinforcements and the barricades were barely working, the goblins brought in something else – Angry bull. The goblin rode the beast with a red piece of silk in front of its eyes and directed it into the barricades.
"FUCK! They will breach our defenses if this won't work!" Simon said as he fired again at the goblin, who rode the bull on a rodeo to breach the gates.
"Yeah, whatever. Anybody is a combat mage here?" President asked as she looked at the people.
"I am." One of the men in the core that still defends the area came forward. "What do you need?"
"I need a defensive shield and a lot of fortification reinforcements," President said as she looked at the area.
"WILL DO, MADAM!" The policeman said as he clapped his hands and focused the energy in the middle of the hands, as he was about to perform the spell.
When he did, he spoke something in old, poorly understood language, even by Scar, who was their expert from an ancient language. This created a huge bubble of energy around them. At this time, a big propeller aircraft was in its way with two dragon raiders.
"All callsigns, check-in!" The female voice in the propeller said as she looked around her. "This is WeeWee One. Report in."
"WeeWee Two, standing by." The Dragon raider on the left said as he saluted.
"WeeWee Three – BELLY'S HOT!" The girl riding the dragon on her right said as she nodded.
"Prepare operation blackout. We are going to literally melt down the goblins in the capital." She said as she got nothing but 'roger that' from the crews of the airstrike team.
After 5 minutes, they are close to the city, noticing the big ancient spell being used – the dome shield.
"Our target is here." She said as she dived the plane, making it produce a sound of impending doom. The Jericho trumpets.The infamous sound everyone who is reincarnated dreads. "Begin strike."
The troops on the ground as well as the gang, heard the loud unnerving sound of horror coming closer, as they were about to drop small cluster bombs filled with napalm and other flammable liquids to ignite the goblins. After the dive bomber did its job, the dragons finished it, spicing that flame up with a flame hotter than lava.
The dragon raiders saluted as the mage who cast the dome collapsed from exhaustion. President quickly grabbed him after the goblins died, so he will not fall hard.
"Thanks, boss." He quickly said as she smiled, and rubbed his head.
"You did it well. As for you, gangsters. I am thankful. Do you have safe transport?"
"Yes." Scar said as he looked at the walls. "On the mountain, there is an armored cart, ready to take us safely out if you want. We have a place for your men."
"Perfect," President said as she got up. "TAKE IMPORTANT PAPERS, BELONGINGS, AND FUNDS. WE ARE MOVING THE CAPITAL."
"YES, MADAM!" The soldiers nodded as the gang prepared for an escort mission