Closing the distance to one-hundred and fifty-two meters, Mike maneuvered behind a small set of weathered supply crates seemingly left by whoever attacked the settlement of Stratega first. At the head of the large group Captain Thompson called out two-hundred meters earlier, a man wearing similar black combat gear to the one he and the princess encountered the previous night had stood next to several other soldiers in grey uniforms that oddly resemble both the traditional German Bundeswehr soldiers from the first world war, and American GI during the Korean War.
"Everyone, claim a target." Thompson said quietly over local communications. "We'll take down a majority of them with a sync-shot."
"I got the far-left guy." Malkovich answered.
"Is that a rifleman? He's mine." Green said.
"Far-right. The loner." Patterson said.
"One by the destroyed building." Simon said.
"I got the guy beside him." Richard said.
"One by the commander." Thompson said, "He's mine."
"I've got his escort." Baker said.
"I've got my target." Lecca said as she kept her lever-action rifle on one of the soldiers.
"Mike, kick this thing off." Thompson ordered.
Aligning his holographic sight on the man wearing black combat gear, Mike transmitted his order.
"Fire! Fire!"
A flurry of suppressed and unsuppressed gunshots rang out. Eight bodies slumped to the ground dead.
All Mike could do was watch in horror as the man in black combat gear faced his direction. A shield covered his entire body, and it had successfully been casted faster than the bullet he had just fired. With the older man beside the identified mage cowering behind the shield, all the Ranger's knew that the man was the base commander.
Firing more bullets behind the mage, several soldiers in grey and olive-drab combat gear were killed as they rushed to respond the new threat with unknown rifles in hand. They fired back, the muzzle flashes giving away their position.
"Secure the objective. Engage all targets!" Thompson cried out as a hail of bullets were traded between himself and the opposing forces.
"Hostile down!" Richard cheered as he killed one of the soldiers.
Terrified shouts came from the other side as Green, Simon and Malkovich communicated with each other as they low-crawled to several pieces of cover along the mud. Covering their movements, Mike found himself taking aim at what looked to be four or five hostiles that were mimicking their movements. Two dropped dead instantly while the others scattered behind small rocks and craters.
Plucking his only grenade of his belt, Mike pulled the pin as he threw it to the concealed opposing forces. Realizing what he threw, two soldiers scrambled onto their feet, but it was too late, shrapnel instantly went through their bodies, with one of soldiers being blasted in half by the pressure as his torso launched into the air. Though only killing two thanks to the grenade being largely ineffective in an open environment, it was enough to dislodge several enemies from their covers as they scrambled like rats and took cover in the ditches.
Staying in their entrenched positions, Lecca moved along the ground as she shifted to a small brick wall. Rising her head just far enough to look over on to the battlefield, she saw eight hostile soldiers left save for the unknown mage and the base commander who were shifting away from the firefight. Four bullets whistled above her head as she snapped back into cover. She concluded that it was her silver hair that stood out like a sore thumb.
With the wind changing direction, the smoke still emanating from the camp began to blow over the battlefield. Lecca's eyes burned as she calmed herself. This was the second time she had truly been in direct combat, the first being the ambush on the convoy she was supposed to take to the settlement now behind her. Taking her rifle and peeking above the cover she hid behind, a couple of soldiers moved to her position in the hope of smoking her out. She quickly dispatched the two, the now gaping holes within both proved as much.
Alongside his chest burning due to his ribs, Mike was in a similar state. Though he still had his magazines in his pack, his plate carrier was technically ruined. The fibers that once held the ballistic plate in place was effectively burnt to a crisp and was non-usable for any period of time, thus he was running without any protection except the helmet on his head.
He cursed to himself as he suppressed the fighters running towards the princess. This gave her the opportune time to move from cover; she materialized a small dagger in her left, though it was a blade, she reached out her right hand. A bright blue hue emanated from her hand almost like gas and settled over the enemies she was now rushing.
"Lecca!" Mike screamed as he saw one of the soldiers aim a rifle at her.
The soldiers pulled the trigger, and the weapon failed to fire.
Rushing in front of the man, Lecca made his stumble back as she withdrew her combat knife. Blood splattered on her arms as she dragged the blade across the man's knife, he stood their gasping for air as he fell, drowning in his own blood, onto the ground. Before the second solider could attach his bayonet to the end of his rifle, she rushed him peircing the poor boy's gut making him recoil from the impact. Removing the blade from the boy's abdomen, Lecca cringed in anticipation as she held it in the reverse grip and dragged it across his neck killing him instantly.