Cedrion's POV
Cedrion felt his blood boil as he witnessed scores of his men being blasted back and slaughtered in the entryway in front of him. How? These are worthless first year students. Animals! How can they fight off against the trained forces at my disposal?
Cedrion grabbed the soldier nearest him and pulled him close. A young man with short cropped red hair and blemishes across the face. "Grab the explosive rounds and blow them to kingdom come. Don't let those filthy animals kill anymore of you!" Cedrion shouted in his face. A vein throbbed in his temple as he pushed the soldier away
The man hurried away and gave orders to a squad of soldiers under him. "Let's go, arm those RPGs. Aim for the entry way. The enemy is just a bunch of students!"
Cedrion glanced over to see Malachai reloading the rifle he carried and grimaced. "I still can't believe you missed. You must be losing your touch, old friend."
Malachai glared at him. "The wolf's got the luck of the gods with him, Cedrion. How else do you explain so many explosive tipped rounds missing like that?" He dropped down to one knee, his long black rifle positioned and aimed down at the entry way. "I just need one clean shot
"I've heard that before. Don't disappoint me again, Malachai." Cedrion's eyes glowed golden with the unspoken warning.
Malachai swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He nodded and took up his position watching the entryway.
"Why haven't those RPG rounds fired yet? What are you idiots waiting for? A god damn invitation?" Cedrion snarled. He walked over and grabbed a nearby launcher from the mercenary holding it. He shouldered the weapon, thumbed off the safety and cleared the back before he squeezed the trigger.
Cedrion watched with satisfaction as the crystal powered rocket went flying through the air, arcing slightly before it impacted against a weakened section of the wall, already damaged by previous impacts and gunfire.
Cedrion grinned as he saw the black wolf get sent flying through the air and land in a heap right in the open. He heard a woman's scream and before he could signal to Malachai to fire, a shimmering veil manifested in front of them that spanned the entire length of the arena wall. Cedrion could barely make out a white feline shifter running towards the black wolf on the other side of the wall.
He cursed and threw the launcher to the side; sweat beaded across his brow as the device clattered uselessly. "Fire, everyone fire everything now!" He commanded, his eyes glowing even brighter as he pulled his mana pistols out. His left gun held a red mana crystal, and his right contained a blue one.
A wall of magical blasts, explosive ordinance, and gunfire rained down on the cursed shimmering veil. The sound was thunderous and the windows around the top of the arena shattered from the impact
The smoke thickened from the impacts and blocked their view of the shimmering veil. Cedrion ground his teeth, and his hands gripped his pistols so tight, his knuckles turned white.
He glared at Malachai. "You told me the teachers protecting the shelter were taken care of!" He reached out and gripped Malachai by his vest.
Malachai nodded, his face passive even against his leaders anger. "They were among the first we took out." Cedrion released Malachai's vest with a shove.
Cedrion jabbed his finger at the shimmering veil in front of them. It blocked everything they could throw at them and then some. "That is not something a first year student could pull off. I guarantee you, they have an Envoker back there."
Smoke rolled off the veil from the numerous impacts and floated low to the ground. Sparks from the explosive ordinance set small trace fires off around them in the arena, catching the bleachers and other flammable material ablaze.
Malachai grimaced and glanced at the veil, "I feared as much. But, who could it be? Our source told us the protocol would call for four protectors, the rest would spread out among the campus until reinforcements could arrive." He shrugged off his pack and dug out a small black cask.
"I could try a different type of ammo, if you think it'll make a difference," Malachai offered. He ran his fingers tenderly over all the magazines pre-loaded with the different types of ammo.
Heavy explosive, perfect for busting through defensive fortifications
Incendiary, ideal for un-shielded personnel.
He held over a dozen different types of ammunition for his prized Nanocraft rifle in the case, perfectly prepared for any situation; any enemy his master might encounter
Cedrion paused as he examined the shimmering veil and noticed something. He grinned. "Keep up the fire. All units, continue hammering down. Reload and fire in constant alternating waves. Do not let up."
Malachai lifted one eyebrow. He turned and attempted to figure out what Cedrion had noticed. "Sir?"
"This was thrown up in haste, Malachai. The chant wasn't perfect; it was rushed. Therefore it lacks cohesion. You can tell by looking around the edges. If we concentrate our fire we can overwhelm it." Cedrion's face broke out into a wide grin.
"We can still have what we came for before reinforcements arrive." His words were quiet, almost a whispered prayer as he kept close watch over his gathered forces.
One of his commanders came over. He was a older man with chiseled features, bright blue eyes and short cropped hair. "We've barricaded the entrances to the arena. Nobody is getting in, or out without going through us."
Cedrion clapped his hands. "Good job. Now, there is nothing standing between us and the slaughter of the decade."
Cedrion returned his attention to the conflict in front of him. He watched as several members of The True Lord's Army that wore specific black coats stood towards the rear. If anyone was considered important above all others, it was this group of soldiers. Cedrion had assigned three full units of elite commando units; fifteen trained killers for their protection.
Each of them was the cornerstone for the entire operation. It was thanks to their ability to control the Dark Void Storage that they were even able to conduct large scale operations.
Cedrion watched as each of them focused their mana and held the small box in their hands. Within moments a rip opened in front of them, like a tear in space itself. With their mana flowing through the Dark Void Storage system, they were able to load all the weapons and ammo that they would need for this operation within their dimensional storage.
Cedrion kept watch with satisfaction as they unloaded more rockets, mana crystal rifles, and kinetic weaponry from the Dark Void Storage and handed them off to the nearby soldiers to pass out. This fight is far from over you punks. I will see every last one of you animals killed, by Lord Ares will be done.
Volley after volley of fire rained down upon the shimmering veil. With each wave Cedrion watched the way the edges fluttered and retracted. Subtle at first, then more obvious.
Cedrion directed several of the rockets to fire out through the windows towards the top of the arena to clear out some of the ash and smoke, his lungs burning from the effort. But that didn't remove the twisted smile from his face as he licked his lips. "Almost time."
"Malachai, I have a hunch that wall is about to come down. As soon as it does. I want you to take out the woman we saw earlier, the annoying white cat shifter. Make that wolf feel the loss." Cedrion's eyes glowed bright golden and he took a few steps forward.
Malachai nodded. "Understood, sir." He grabbed his heavy explosive magazine and loaded it into his pristine Nanocraft rifle. The receiver clicked into place and Malachai allowed a rare smile to spread over his worn face. This was his job. Eliminate any target given.
He packed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Malachai then dropped to his right knee and took up position beside Cedrion, Nanocraft rifle raised, his scope adjusted for his earlier missed shots. "I won't miss again." His words were quiet against the cacophony of explosions that continued to weaken the veil.
Without warning, the shimmering veil pulsed once, twice, and dropped to the ground. Explosions slammed into the wall that had been intended for the veil moments earlier. Craters deep and wide tore through the walls as Cedrion cackled with delight. "So, their spell couldn't last any longer, eh?"
Malachai didn't answer. He was hunting. His eyes were locked down scope at the group of targets. One silver wolf. One black wolf. One white cat. Malachai's pulse quickened. "Sir, we have a problem." He locked his sights on the one with metallic emerald armor and matching feather-like wings.
Cedrion's good mood was about to be ruined.
Cedrion narrowed his eyes through what remained of the smoke and debris. "What is it now?"
"Sir, the enemy has a Valkyrie with them." Malachai's words were short and devoid of emotion.
Cedrion went cold. The Valkyrie were a powerful, battle-hardened race. "What in the seven hells is one of their kind doing among the shifters?!" Cedrion roared, his mana pistols raised and fingers on their triggers.
"Fire Malachai!" Cedrion ordered.
Malachai didn't respond. He took a deep breath and held it for a moment, his target locked on the white fur cat shifter in the back of the group. He flexed his finger before he tightened his grip on the handle; releasing his held breath, he squeezed the trigger. A loud crack from his Nanocraft rifle echoed through the arena and the high explosive round went flying through the air.