From the darkest depths of the ocean, a massive machine moved along the seafloor. It was an Austronesian Nuclear Submarine, pushing its engines to the limit as it sped toward its new mission.
Just earlier, urgent orders had just come in that the special operations squad had been compromised and needed immediate extraction. Abandoning its ongoing task of mapping the topography of the ocean, the submarine, being the closest in range, shifted course.
Above, the situation was growing more dire by the minute as the firefight between the special forces and their enemies became more intense as the magicians had begun to adapt to the soldiers' tactics, making the fight increasingly problematic. To make matters worse, one of the squad members was injured, further complicating their retreat.
Ammunition was running dangerously low, which means if they ran out of ammunition, they are basically dead meat out in the wild. What little they had left had to be rationed carefully, as the bulk of their supplies had been left behind at their camp, now obliterated in an earlier assault.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Balls of explosions reverberate throughout the entire surroundings, scattering debris and shrapnel over the squad. Bark, soil, and splinters rained down as the soldiers returned fire with their dwindling supply of semi-automatic and automatic weapons. Unable to provide suppressive fire, they shot only when sure they could hit, conserving every last bullet.
When a rare shot hit its mark, it wasn't enough to kill the enemy immediately due to the passive magical defenses on their bodies, but it did slow the magicians down, sometimes, that was all they needed.
"There's one in the trees!" a soldier exclaimed as he fired a stream of bullets from his machine gun at an elf standing in the branches above.
On the far side of the squad, a special operations soldier kneel down and applied first aid to the injured comrade, who, despite his condition, was still returning fire with a pistol. The heavier weapon he normally carried was out of the question as his injuries made it impossible to maintain balance, so he relied on the lighter and more manageable pistol.
Meanwhile, on another flank, a soldier reloaded his assault rifle while glancing over at the injured man and the one treating him.
"How much longer?" he called out.
The soldier administering first aid shouted back under the noise of battle, "Just a little longer, Captain!"
The captain nodded, finished reloading, and resumed firing. Moments later, the medic completed his work.
"Captain, he's ready! We can move at your command!" the medic called.
The captain looked back and gave the signal for everybody to move. Without hesitation, the medic helped the injured soldier to his feet and retreated with him while the rest of the squad covered their movement and fired as they fell back.
The ranks of the magicians were quickly increasing as more reinforcements were entering the fight. However, most of them huddled behind trees for cover, wary of the squad's return fire. They believe that these enemies relied on a deadly combination of explosive, light, and wind magic to support their musket fire. Occasionally, a magician would peek out to cast a spell while others tried to draw the soldiers' attention, hoping to create an opening for a clean shot.
But the special forces were immensely quick witted, adapting to the battle with sharp reflexes and avoided many of the incoming attacks.
Time was running out, and the magicians were taking heavy casualties. So far, the newly arrived reinforcements were skilled only in fire magic, and were of little help to those already entrenched.
The lack of variety in their elemental attacks frustrated the more experienced magicians, who had relied on a broader arsenal. Their inability to wield other elements put them at a disadvantage against the enemy, who had shown proficiency in blending multiple magical elements.
There was something else troubling the magicians. They couldn't sense the slightest trace of magic or mana from their enemies. It was as though they were facing non-magical beings, similar to these inferior humans. But the enemy's ability to use advanced multi-element magic defied that assumption. It was perplexing, to say the least.
To make matters stranger, the enemy wielded repeating muskets, an unheard-of innovation, previously thought to be a mere hypothetical idea.
Traditionally, muskets could only be operated by those with a minimum amount of mana, which fueled the shots.
The magicians assumed their enemy was running low on both mana and ammunition, as their firing had become increasingly conservative. Convinced the opposing forces would soon need to rest and recover, the magicians intensified their assault, believing they had the upper hand.
Meanwhile, the special operations soldiers were retreating at a very rapid pace, as they had received word that the Austronesian nuclear submarine was nearing their location and reinforcements were on the way.
Relief washed over them. This was really good, as they no longer had to resort to inflating the landing craft they had carried, which was a cumbersome task requiring valuable manpower. Using it would have left them vulnerable and risked being annihilated during the critical moments of set-up. But now, with the submarine closing in, they felt a renewed sense of hope.
As the special operations soldiers dashed toward their extraction point, disaster struck as one soldier tripped and sprained his foot, rendering him unable to move. They were close to the rendezvous point, but stopping to rescue him meant everyone would be running and no one would be able to provide cover fire. The captain faced a grim dilemma. The injured soldier, in agony, pleaded for the squad to leave him behind, fearing he would become a burden.
But the captain refused to abandon him. He ordered the medic, still carrying the previously wounded soldier, to continue the retreat, while he stayed back to rescue the newly injured. With the magicians closing in fast, they were in a tragic situation.
Suddenly, the captain had an idea. He grabbed all the grenades he had and handed a few to the injured soldier, who immediately caught on to the plan. The captain primed two smoke grenades, throwing one near them and the other in a different direction to confuse the enemy about their true location.
Within the billowing clouds of smoke, the captain picked up the injured soldier onto his back and ordered him to pull the pins on the flashbang grenades before throwing them into the approaching magicians. As the enemies stumbled through the smoke, they were blinded by successive bursts of light, disoriented and momentarily immobilized, just the opportunity the captain and the soldier needed.
With the magicians confused, the two made their escape and slipped through the forest before the enemy could recover. Soon, they emerged from the treeline and were met by the rest of the squad, along with reinforcements, who stood at the ready to pounce on them with enough bullets for the living.
But it was only a joke, as they were too alert. But nevertheless, they were relieved it was them, not the enemy.
The rescued soldiers were quickly boarded into an inflatable boat that ferried them to the waiting nuclear submarine. Finally aboard, they were able to catch their breath as medics treated their wounds.
Safe at last, they knew they had narrowly escaped what could have been their final stand.