Clack…..Slieeeeck!

The small window on the small door smoothly opened, and a face of a Makai guards appeared. Without delay, Lieutenant Reznik put a smile on his face.

“Good night, Karzan. Can you open the door? I have urgent matter to talk with Ser Donte.”

Karzan frowned as he asked, “Right now, really?”

“Yes, right now and it’s very urgent.” As he maintaining his smile Lieutenant Reznik put a bundle of beef jerky in front of the small window. “And this is a small snack to accompany your booze.”

Frown in Karzan’s face instantly disappeared as he looked at beef jerky in Lieutenant Reznik’s hand. Karzan knew very well how good the beef jerky from Penna Hill. It’s spicy but very tasty, and it went very well with any kind of booze.

Wasting no time, Karzan opened the small door. He took the beef jerky and let Lieutenant Reznik and his men entered the small tunnel. After closing the small door, Karzan happily put a piece of beef jerky into his mouth. He was unaware that Lieutenant Reznik’s men in the rearmost drew a silenced HK USP and pointed it to the back of his head.

Beep!!

A headshot and Karzan’s body powerlessly fell to the floor. He arrived in afterlife without even knowing how he got there.

At the same time, Lieutenant Reznik stopped before the end of the tunnel, just next to the lever to open the front gate. From behind the shadow, he calmly observed the watchtower in the distance, a small patrol that made a turn at an intersection, and a small guard post a dozen meter before him.

Lieutenant Reznik then turned his gaze towards his men. “Make it quick and neat.”

“Aye Sir,” The squad leader replied in a whisper.

Wasting no time Lieutenant Reznik’s men took their traveler cloak off. Then, they put their helmet on and attached their NVG on it. A moment later, the squad leader took five men to storm the guard post. They didn’t need to breach it as its door was widely opened.

The merry laugh and chatter in the guard post instantly died as the raid team entered it. The Makai guards looked at the raid team with widened eyes, wondering who these people were, and why did they pointed a weird-shaped stick to them?

On the other side, without saying hello or good night, the raid team gently squeezed the trigger. Flash after flash, muffled sound after muffled sound, double tap from one center mass to another, followed by a headshot for any survivor.

Less than a minute, twenty six Makai guards in the guard post meet their end. Bloods flowed profusely from the new holes in their body, dripped to the floor, and became one wide pool of blood.

In summary, it was swift and precise. A classic example of a good raid. Kill all oppositions before they could react.

From the guard post, the raid team then went up to the wall above the front gate. Other than ballista crews, they found no one. With ease, the raid team eliminated the crews and disabled the ballista.

However, the flash after flash on top of front gate caught the attention of bowmen in the nearby watchtower. Fortunately, it wouldn’t matter anymore. The main hurdle for the raid was the Makai guards on the guard post and ballista crew on top of front gate, and now both of them had been eliminated.

As soon as he saw a movement on the nearby watchtower, Lieutenant Reznik immediately pressed PTT button. “Dagger One to Archer 0-1, do you copy?”

[Archer 0-1 to Dagger One, loud and clear.]

“Archer 0-1, we have secured the front gate, but bowmen in the nearby watchtower have sniffed our presence.]

[Receive and understood, precision support is on the way.]

“Much appreciate, Dagger One over and out.”

Wasting no time, Lieutenant Reznik lowered the lever to open the front gate. As the result, in slow but sure motion the counter weight pulled the main gate up.

---

In a calm tone Sergeant Tommy gave his men the order, “Archer 0-3, Archer 0-4, nail hostiles around the front gate.”

“”Roger.””

“The rest, free hunting for bowman on the high ground, and squad leader on the ground.”

“””Roger.”””

“Watch out for friendly on the wall, blue on blue is unacceptable.”

“”””Aye Top.””””

Without delay the shooter team launched the precision fire support. In the world of precision shooting, high angle shooting or mountain sniping were one of the most challenging missions. Only highly-expert marksman could pull the job.

Fortunately, Sergeant Tommy and his team was part of a Mountain Brigade. Since the first day they joint their unit, they specifically shaped their marksmanship for mountain sniping. And now, they could do it as easy as sipping of a cup of good coffee.

With ease, Archer 0-3 destroyed the closest watchtower to the front gate. Five bowmen in this tower were killed before they had a chance to snipe the raid team on the front gate.

At the same time, Archer 0-4 ambushed a small patrol who on their way to the front gate. After a single shot, the remaining member of patrol squad scattered to all direction. It was natural reaction.

Anyone would definitely petrified if out of nowhere, someone who walked in front of them suddenly had their waist exploded, spitting blood along with fragment of bone or internal organ, and leaving behind a hole as big as coconut.

A moment later, warnings about the deadly attack were heard to all corner of supervisor office. Bowmen on the watchtower immediately scanned their sector, while dozens other took firing position on the highest rooftop. Ironically, this swift reaction would help the shooter team to nail them.

---

In the inner yard next to his quarter, Donte was happily starting a campfire. It was a preparation for his daily sex party. As he took a glance on the east cliff of Penna Hill, he muttered, ‘Finally, the noise is calm down and I can pass the night peacefully.’

Then, Captain Rawal entered the inner yard and reported, “Ser Donte, a messenger had come from City Guard HQ.”

“A messenger?” Donte frowned as he continued, “Why don’t they send the message through crystal communicator?”

“It seems we have some disturbance in our network.”

After slightly snorting Donte asked, “What message do they send?”

“They want us to check the origin of loud noise in Penna Hill.”

“Why? I bet the woodcutters are just celebrating some ritual asking for good fortune.”

“Yes Ser, but the noise was truly too loud for some festival or ritual.”

“Fine.” Donte put a chicken into skewer as he continued, “Tomorrow at first light, send a squad to Penna Hill. Order them to ask some penalty for noise disturbance.”

“As your command, Ser.”

Captain Rawal was about to leave when flash after flash suddenly were visible on the east cliff of Penna Hill, followed by a repeated ‘Bang!’.

“What was that?” Captain Rawal curiously asked.

“Maybe some fireworks,” Donte casually replied, though a big question mark was clearly reflected on his gaze.

“Ser Donte, maybe we should check on Penna Hill right now. I have a really bad hunch about this.”

As the flash after flash on the peak of east cliff became more intense, Donte nodded. “Well, let’s find out what exactly those morons on Penna Hill do at this hour.”

“Right awa---.”

Captain Rawal couldn’t finish his words as warnings of a night raid were suddenly heard all over the supervisor office. At the same time, a Centurion entered the inner yard. Panic was clearly visible on his eyes.

“Ser Donte, Captain, we have a breach on the front gate.”

“Huh?” A big question mark in instant appeared on Donte’s forehead. “We are only a few kilometer from Makai Royal City, who the fuck insane enough to attack this place?”

“They wear a strange outfit, but some of our men recognize them. They are woodcutters from Penna Hill?”

“Bastard!!” Donte furiously cursed. “Send messenger to City Guard HQ. Ask them to send reinforcement as big as they can.”

“As your command, Ser.”

Donte then turned his gaze towards Captain Rawal. “Defend this inner yard at all cost.”

“Understood.” Without delay Captain Rawal carried the order.

Then, Donte went to hide in the bunker under the inner yard. He decided to stay over there until reinforcement arrived. Donte was fully aware that currently more than half of his men were too drunk to fight. So, preserving his life was his highest priority.

As for the job to repel the attacker, Donte would let the reinforcement from City Guard HQ to do it.

*****