Pops and muffled barks of silenced gunfire erupted from the defensive line Riley had his men hold. They hunkered behind cover to avoid enemy gunfire while conserving their shots and make sure every round counted as the horde of Orcs charged blindly toward them.
Without the night vision goggles of Omega-191, the Orcs could only blindly charge at where they believed the humans to be hiding at and rushed forward in a disorganized frenzy. The Tempest Scions, with superior training and weaponry, held their ground. Their tactics allowed them to take down an enemy force a hundred times their size while dodging Orc gunfire that could tear them to pieces.
The AF-2 Magespitter proofed to be very efficient in close-quarters combat as the rate of fire of the weapon allowed the Tempest Scions to take down large groups of charging Orcs while Polities and Woods sniped at the giant two-legged creatures and the Orcs armed with guns on their vehicles with the AF-3 Magekiller or the elf's magic.
One to three well-placed shots were enough to bring down even the hulking creatures. When the Orcs rallied to attempt for another charge into their lines, Mason and Price switched to shotguns and fired explosive rounds that ripped through the advancing masses, leaving carnage in their wake.
"I'm out!" Belinski shouted, tossing his spent AF-2 aside and drawing his Single Action Dragon revolver before rapidly firing off five shots of .500 magnum rounds, each blast knocking a charging Orc backward. "Reloading!"
"Here!" Riley tossed a fresh magazine to Belinski, who fumbled for it in the dark. Riley, switching to his shotgun, pumped round after round into the densest clusters of Orcs. "Come on, where's the pickup?"
[Omega-191, this is Golden Eagle One, inbound to your location in five mikes,] came a welcome voice over Riley's comms. [Heard you guys got some pest problems?]
"Golden Eagle One, this is Scion Actual! Requesting immediate extraction! Area is hot! Repeat, the area is hot!" Riley yelled into his comms as he craned his head up to look into the dark sky.
Moments later, he could hear the sound of engines growing louder.
[Scion One, keep your heads down, we've got some presents for your friends!]
"What?" Riley was confused by that statement, before confusion quickly turned to panic as he realized the obvious. "Oh shit! DANGER CLOSE! DANGER CLOSE!"
A series of whooshes pierced the night, followed by earth-shaking explosions that tore through the forest ahead of the Tempest Scions, turning the night into day with the blinding flash of fire and debris.
"Say hello to my little friend!" the pilot shouted as he hovered the helicopter over the rally point. From twin rocket pods, a salvo of 70mm experimental rockets screamed into the forest below, tearing through the trees and igniting everything in their path.
These 70mm rockets carried a volatile mix of hydrogen, oxygen, aluminum, and mana stone dust. Upon impact, the fire rune fuses on the rocket noses triggered a massive thermobaric explosion, which worked similarly to a fuel-air bomb, and dispersing aluminum and mana dust into the air before the hydrogen and oxygen mix ignited, creating an inferno that consumed everything within its reach.
His wingman stayed in his position 200 meters away, firing his own volley of rockets into the patch of forest, sending huge balls of fire into the night sky as the rockets detonated with earth-shaking force.
"Golden Eagle One to Two, dropping cargo. Cover me, over," the pilot radioed.
[Roger that,] came the response as Golden Eagle Two spun his bird on its axis, releasing another barrage of rockets and turned the forest into a chaotic hellscape of flames and explosions.
Golden Eagle One turned and let its tail face the approaching Orcs, and hovered over the clearing. The tail ramp lowered, and dozens of soldiers poured out, fanning into defensive positions and formed a security perimeter around the landing zone.
Armed with AF-1 Magic rifles and heavy machine guns, the soldiers unleashed a storm of gunfire on the shell-shocked Orcs, who stumbled, backlit by the blazing forest and roaring explosions raging behind them.
Golden Eagle Two soon joined, hovering over the clearing once Golden Eagle One had completed its drop. More soldiers leaped out, reinforcing the defensive line and driving the Orcs back into the burning forest, where the flames and explosions continued their deadly work.
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After the explosive firework show, the engines of the Golden Eagle roared as it lifted off and climbed into the night sky while the distant sounds of the final battle between the Liberation Army and the Orcs faded beneath them.
Inside the aircraft, the Special Forces team leaned back and felt their muscles tight from the battle.
"Finally, it's over," Riley muttered, exhaling heavily as he held a large sack at arm's length, inside which the decapitated head of the Elder Shaman rested.
Even in death, its presence sent an unnerving chill through the cabin.
Nearby, Tavish lay unconscious on the floor, while two medics crouched beside him, checking his vitals.
"Hey, Sarge," one of the medics called over to Riley, "He's whispering something..."
"Weird, the tranquil should've kept him asleep for a few more hours," Riley frowned and stepped closer. "What's he saying?"
The medic leaned in with his ear just inches from Tavish's mouth, when suddenly, Tavish's eyes snapped open and glowed a sickly green. His lips twisted into a grin, glowing the same eerie light emanating from his mouth.
Before anyone could react, Tavish's hand shot out and grabbed the medic's head in an iron grip.
Spurt!
There was a sickening crunch as Tavish's enhanced strength crushed the medic's skull like a melon.
Chaos erupted in the cabin as everyone jumped to their feet and weapons drawn, but the shock of seeing their comrade destroy a man's head with his bare hands left them stunned.
"What the fuck just happened!?" a soldier shouted, leveling his rifle.
Three more soldiers followed suit as they aimed their weapons at Tavish. But he moved with unnatural speed as he swung his arm like a blade. In a flash, two heads hit the floor and rolled down, but the third soldier managed to dodge under the swing and fired his shotgun point-blank into Tavish's chest.
Bang!
The blast sent Tavish flying back and slammed into the wall of the helicopter. For a moment, it seemed over, until the dust settled, revealing a magical shield around Tavish's body as it had absorbed the blast.
Everyone froze as Tavish rose slowly with the crumpled shotgun pellets dropping uselessly to the floor.
"I told yer I'd be back," Tavish chuckled, but the voice no longer his own but instead sounding similar to the Elder Shaman. "Yer friend is gone," he sneered as his voice seemed to distort the space around him unnaturally. "An' soon, yer'll follow his path."
"You motherfucker!" Riley roared as he snapped his AF-2 rifle up and fired, joined by the other soldiers as they unleashed a storm of normal and magic-infused bullets into the possessed soldier.
But Tavish lifted his hand, and an invisible magical barrier formed into existence, stopping their bullets in their tracks midair and disintegrated into magical dust before vanishing entirely.
Suddenly, Tavish screamed, and the sound reverberated through the Golden Eagle, vibrating the walls, but worse as it tore at the soldiers' minds. Their vision blurred, and the world around them twisted in grotesque ways as insanity took hold.
"MAKE IT STOP!" Woods yelled as he covered his ears while rolling on the floor from the pain that stabbed right into his brains while the unholy screams of their possessed friend slammed into everyone like a shockwave.
Even the pilot lost control, causing the helicopter to jerk violently as Tavish's scream sent waves of insanity crashing through the cabin. Some soldiers held their heads, others screamed in primal fear, and their sanity slipped as the air filled with Tavish's nightmarish howls.
And then, as if by divine intervention, the helmets worn by the Special Forces team began to glow, and runes etched into the metal igniting with radiant light. The soldiers blinked, and the madness evaporated instantly as if it had never been. It took the soldiers a moment to realize why, and that they had forgotten about a key detail when their gear was crafted.
Their helmets had also been enchanted by the Elf Queen herself, blessed with holy magic to shield them from mental assaults.
"Thank the Elf Queen," Riley muttered under his breath as his mind snapped his focus. Around him, the others blinked in confusion, but quickly understood what happened. The helmets had saved them. But Tavish, still possessed, stood screaming, unaffected by their regained sanity.
"Polites, cast [Mental Fortitude] to the others!" Riley yelled out to the elf member while putting his words into action.
Nodding his head, Polites quickly cast the spell, and the air around them shimmered as the spell fortified the rest of the soldiers' willpower to defend them further from Tavish's sanity-rending screams.
"Damn, that was close!" one soldier gasped, rubbing the back of his head and felt like something had squeezed his brains for fun. He rubbed the trail of blood that dripped out of his nose and quickly stuffed earplugs into his ears to block off the screams.
The helicopter shook again as it dipped sharply, threatening to fall from the sky, and Riley knew they had to act fast.
"We need to shut him down, fast."
"You're not thinking of killing him, are you?"
"God no," Riley replied. "These helmets were blessed by the Elf Queen herself. Her magic could reverse whatever that green fucker did to our friend."
"You're gonna rush him by yourself?" someone asked, incredulous.
"...Yes."
Ignoring further protests, Riley crouched down and his boots glowed faintly as the enchantments activated. With a burst of speed, he dashed forward and dodged the floating debris in the Golden Eagle's cabin.
In one fluid motion, he brought out his AF-2 rifle from his Spatial Ring, loaded with a lightning-infused magic round and squeezed the trigger. In an instant, the bolt of a mithril-imbued lightning bullet struck Tavish dead-on, stunning him as arcs of electricity crackled over his possessed body.
Riley didn't waste a second as he lunged forward to deliver the decisive blow. But before he could close the distance, Tavish raised his hand, and an invisible force gripped Riley, stopping him mid-charge as he felt the crushing force around him and his body freeze in place as if caught in a vice.
Slowly, the grip tightened, and his bones threatened to snap under the pressure.
Behind Riley, more gunfire erupted, but Tavish's magical barrier absorbed every shot without flinching as his glowing green eyes were locked onto Riley as he began to squeeze, causing the telekinetic force to tighten around Riley's body, threatening to crush him entirely.
"Aaaahhh!!" Riley screamed in pain, struggling against the invisible hold.
Suddenly, Price charged forward and zigzagged across the field. Tavish sensed him at the last second and swung his hand to slice through him, but Price ducked under the attack and slid across the floor. In one swift move, he whipped out a mithril dagger and slashed at Tavish's leg.
The possessed Tavish toppled to the ground as the wound on his leg was already beginning to regenerate. But it was enough to give Riley the opening he needed. With a final burst of strength, Riley ripped off his helmet and jammed it onto Tavish's head.
In the next instant, the enchanted runes flared to life and burned with intense holy light.
Tavish, no, the Elder Shaman, screamed in pure agony as the Elf Queen's magic seared through him. The sickly green glow in his eyes flickered violently, then with a blinding surge of light, the shaman's corrupted soul was expelled from Tavish's body, banished from the physical realm.
The interior of the Golden Eagle fell silent as Tavish's limp body collapsed and the oppressive pressure in the cabin lifted. The soldiers, dazed but alive, gasped for breath as they looked around, feeling their sanity fully restored.
Riley turned toward the cockpit. "Pilot, status!"
The pilot, with his eyes wide in disbelief, grabbed the controls and steadied the aircraft. "We're... we're back on course, sir! I've got control!"
Riley sank to his knees, exhausted but relieved. Around him, the team began to recover themselves, some helping to treat Tavish while others kept their weapons trained on him, just in case the Elder Shaman returned.
This mission was intense. They had survived the Elder Shaman's wrath twice, but barely.
Riley took a deep breath. This mission was unlike any other. In the past, his team faced militias, crime syndicates, and threats to the Austronesia Empire. But now, they were fighting horrors straight out of a fantasy RPG.
And it felt like this was only the beginning.
"...Fucking hell."