Chapter 199: Target Acquisition (1/2)

”Objective secured! Let's move!” Carlin yelled to his squad as they raced through the deserted campus of the University. Thankfully, the guard was occupied with defending the city as a whole, so their internal defenses were virtually unmanned.

”How are we looking on time?”

Terra, his second in command checked a circular magic device which Mage Hunters used to track the passage of time during missions. Its face showed a number of flashing wedges of light, only three of which remained. She frowned at the device, before reporting her findings. ”We have six minutes, give or take thirty seconds, until the scheduled link up. Crossing the wall will take two at the minimum, so we will need to move quickly.”

Carlin grimaced as he checked around the corner of an ornate dormitory building to see if the coast was clear, before waving the last three members of his team forward. Salvan, the burly bear beastman who specialized in grappling techniques, was carrying their target inside a canvas body bag.

”Alright, we're moving through the Magic Department. Keep your eyes peeled and weapons at the ready.” He ordered quietly while directing the crew to a grouping of elegant, square buildings aligned in a circle beneath a floating tower.

Their progress through the deserted department was slow and steady. Fortunately, they didn't encounter anyone, and were able to climb to the top of the University wall and repel down without any trouble.

They were crossing a major road and heading into the meandering residential district that dominated much of the eastern portion of the Old City, when a squadron of Almiran cavalry rounded the corner and spotted them. Carlin heard one of the leading riders exclaim, ”There they are! After them!” as they broke into a gallop.

”Move! Across the street!”

He was hoping to find some cover to protect them from the charging cavalry, but the large and slightly palatial houses in their vicinity came equipped with extensive lawns and gardens. It looked like they would need to find a building to take shelter in, at least for the time being.

Carlin sprinted up the steps of the nearest mansion, and launched himself into a flying kick at the door. With an audible crash, the wooden frame snapped under his heavy blow. Rolling to a stop in the foyer of the mansion, he motioned for the others to follow. ”Bartlett! Salvan! Man the door. Make them keep their distance. Kali, sweep the house, make sure we won't have any unpleasant surprises and locate any points of entry or exit.”

A veteran of urban warfare, Bartlett quickly used the shattered door to create a makeshift barricade, allowing him to fire his rifle from cover. Salvan dropped his package on the floor before taking up a position next to him. Kali, the team's recon specialist began quickly clearing the rooms of the mansion, even though it seemed likely that the owners had fled.

Terra checked another key Mage Hunter magic device, a rod made of glassy obsidian. This device was created in batches of at least five, and all of the rods were linked by sympathetic magic, so that when the end of the rod was pointed in the direction of one of its fellows, it would shake. The strength of the vibrations indicated how close the other rod was. While it took practice to use effectively, the items gave Tenundian Mage Hunters an edge when it came to operating with coordination in areas of limited visibility.

She pointed it in several directions, before slipping it back into the specially made holster. ”Closest team is about three blocks away, heading in another direction.”

Grimacing again Carlin spoke while eyeing the nearby rooms for any promising windows. Unfortunately, it looked like the house had a rather extensive garden, making it difficult to freely escape without exposing themselves to a cavalry charge. They would have to use a more unorthodox method.

”Carlin! They're circling around to the back.” Bartlett called from the front door between bursts of rifle fire.

”Two back entrances detected. Both locked, but they can be broken into relatively easily.” Kali responded from upstairs.

[That means we've only got a minute or two before their on us.]

”What's the feasibility of line exiting?” He yelled up at the woman.

”Feasible, but only two options. One will take us closer to link up point. I will start putting the base line together.” She replied calmly.

”Good. We're moving in 30 seconds. Bartlett, you're on trail. Salvan, secure the objective and move to the base point. Terra, get to the roof and fire a green flare. We'll need the support if we can get it.” Carlin gave a series of quick orders while moving to the manor's third floor.

He heard the sounds of more rifle fire from the front door, as well as some thuds from another part of the house. It seemed that the Almirans were starting their assault. By the time he'd gotten to the third floor, his subordinates had already completed their individual responsibilities. The escape line had already been placed, leading from the window of the manor to the roof of a nearby house that was a little shorter. Kali had already winched the line tight.

Terra issued a quick report before moving to take her place as second on the line after the recon specialist. ”I have received acknowledgement signals from two teams in the vicinity. They are moving to support. I estimate at least one minute till they arrive.”

Since they were participating in a high priority capture mission, Carlin's team had the authority to request assistance from other infiltration teams, even going so far as to supplant their given missions depending on the circumstances.

Carlin acknowledged the report with a nod. ”Get moving. Once you're over, get repelling lines set up for the team.” He turned and walked back to the balcony overlooking the foyer while prepping a small, but powerful, incendiary magical device.

Bartlett was at the front door, in the process of loading another round, but looked up when he heard the sound of footsteps. Seeing the object in Carlin's hands, his face paled slightly and he immediately started heading up to the third floor, following behind Salvan, who had already been moving.

Setting the charge for 30 seconds, Carlin dropped it over the side of the balcony, turning back to the escape line before it had even hit the ground. From the looks of it, the female members of the team had already moved to the other building. Their passage had not gone unnoticed, however, and he could hear the sounds of a cavalry officer yelling at his troops to move onto the next house.

Once Salvan had joined them at the window, Carlin helped the beastman to strap the target to his broad back. Properly secured, Salvan pulled out a strip of heavy silk, flipped it over the escape line, and jumped out of the window. He slid down the rope with an audible hiss before landing heavily on the roof next door.

Carlin waved Bartlett on next, before following after. While he was still in the middle of his descent, he heard the incendiary charge go off with a subdued 'Whumpf.' The sound was almost immediately accompanied by the screams of unfortunate Almiran troopers who were caught in the blast.

Landing softly, he quickly moved to the side of the roof, and grabbed one of the repelling lines that had been hooked into the tiles. With practiced ease, he threw himself over the side, bouncing against the side of the house twice before landing on the ground. Noting that the rest of the squad was ready to move, he signaled for Kali to take the lead, while falling into the rearguard position himself.