Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 837: The Reprisal I

CH837 The Reprisal I

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On a fateful day in Mirador City, the moon hung high in the sky, yet it remained concealed behind ominous dark clouds.

The clouds concealed the moon so thoroughly that someone versed in the occult might have claimed the heavens had veiled their eyes from the city—an eerie omen of the events about to descend upon Mirador.

Alas, such words would have been dismissed as nothing more than the ramblings of madmen by the city’s citizens.

As one of the most important cities in the North-East, and the lower city of the Stronghold Fortress itself, Mirador enjoyed a prosperity that few others could rival.

And this prosperity was reflected in its lively nightlife.

The absence of the moon’s light—blocked out by the clouds overhead—didn’t register with the city’s citizens, as the city itself was brightly illuminated by dense clusters of Mana Lamps. At least, that was true in the important administrative and commercial districts of the city.

Even in the dead of night, Mirador seemed to come alive with a charm all its own.

Taverns, shops, and street stalls were all filled with people and looked as though they wouldn’t be closing anytime soon.

In order to divert the citizens’ attention away from the grievous losses suffered by their ’indomitable’ Frontier Stronghold Army, the city’s administration hastily organised a festival.

Claiming that the festival was to honour the lives and service of the fallen soldiers who had perished in battle ’defending the safety of the North-East Frontier from berserk beasts’, the city administration capitalised on the city’s already vibrant nightlife in an attempt to draw the citizens’ attention towards entertainment instead.

This was already a tried-and-tested method in Mirador, and indeed in many places across the Empire, so they were certain it would work.

A little good food, a few drinks here and there, along with lotteries, gifts, and discounts at partner shops across the city, and the people gradually began to forget.

After all, most of those who had died were strangers to them, so in reality, the people didn’t care nearly as much about the fallen soldiers as they claimed—or even believed—they did.

The morale of the city was already beginning to recover, and the city administration couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

Unfortunately, they had no idea that their relief was premature.

Little did they know that their festival had just given the citizens front-row seats to witness the fall of the Stronghold—a citadel that had arguably defended the region for close to a century.

Hum~ Hum~

The people of Mirador were making merry when they faintly began to hear the humming—or droning—sound of insect wings.

Only a few people heard it at first, with most of them dismissing it. But it soon became so loud that they could no longer ignore it, as more and more people also began hearing it.

Instinctively, the people looked up at the sky.

At first, they didn’t see anything due to the darkness overhead. But that soon changed when the source of the sound came close enough to both the Stronghold and the city for the city’s grid of Mana Lamps to illuminate them.

It was a swarm...

A swarm of gigantic insectoids that none of them had ever seen or even heard of existing within the North-East Frontier.

They couldn’t be blamed. This swarm was, after all, comprised of creatures not native to this frontier, but rather Vulture Bee Drones created by Ava.

Ding! Ding! Ding!!!

Immediately, alarms rang out from the Stronghold. Soon afterwards, they echoed throughout Mirador City.

The Stronghold’s soldiers rushed out to man the walls. Different defensive weapons were also brought out onto the battlements.

Though most of them were useless against these flying beasts, the defenders expected, from experience, that the ones above wouldn’t be the only enemies, and were thus prepared.

Archers lined up and took aim at the flying giant insects.

Just as the people began running for shelter...

BOOM!

The attacking beasts launched their assault.

The Vulture Bees fired their stingers at the archers shooting arrows at them. The stingers carried such tremendous force that they resembled artillery shells, blasting chunks of stone off the battlements.

The lines of archers were either killed by the stingers themselves or by the secondary rock shrapnel produced when the stingers impacted the battlements.

"Get up!"

"Reform the line!"

"Keep shooting!"

"Hold them back!"

The leaders of the archery units kept barking out orders to their units.

After firing their stingers, the Vulture Bees recalled them. The seemingly indestructible stingers flew back to their owners before being launched once more.

Boom! Boom!

Stinger after stinger... round after round... the Vulture Bees rained down destruction upon the battlements.

At this point, the entire Stronghold was on high alert as everyone rushed to do something about the current crisis.

The Stronghold became a chaotic scene where people scarcely had any idea where any particular person was.

And this was exactly the kind of chaos a party operating in the shadows wanted.

"Remember, leave the ordinary troops to the familiars. Our targets are the remaining deck of fifty-four," Eagle spoke over the comms.

"Yes."

Several figures hidden in the shadows, some even dressed in Stronghold uniforms, replied.

Those in Stronghold uniforms moved openly while others, whose faces were hidden behind animal-themed masks, moved through the shadows—neither group drawing attention to themselves amidst the current chaos.

Viscount Dunhill had ultimately chosen not to recall even a portion of the one thousand five hundred Stronghold troops projecting the Stronghold’s military strength throughout the nearby territories within its sphere of influence.

He had reasoned that it had been a long time since the Stronghold had faced a serious beast tide that required such high numbers to defend against, or put down.

Furthermore, he believed it was unlikely for his enemies to assault the Stronghold with a significant force before reinforcements from Marquis Brandford arrived.

Alas, once again, his calculations proved wrong.

"Damn it!" Viscount Dunhill cursed as he grabbed hold of a wall after being rocked by a nearby impact.

He was rushing out of the corridor leading from his commander’s office onto the battlements when the stinger barrage landed, shaking the entire section of the Stronghold.

"Where are Jack and Novak?! Why haven’t they shot these things out of the air yet?!" Viscount Dunhill raged as he pushed through the rocky corridor and onto the battlements.

Jack and Novak were the main captains leading the Stronghold’s archery units.

Unfortunately, Viscount Dunhill would never be able to speak with them again.

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