Gunmage
Chapter 59: Supply mission

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Supply mission

The streets of Drakensmar erupted with the deafening chaos of an uprising. The air was thick with smoke, dust, and the scent of burning wood and flesh.

Windows shattered as stones and bullets tore through them, while buildings were consumed by roaring flames.

The once-oppressed civilians, both men and women alike, had taken up whatever weapons they could scavenge.

Knives, makeshift spears, stolen rifles, anything that was lethal enough to strike back at the Heieg invaders.

For too long, the people had suffered under the brutal occupation. In truth, this rebellion would have happened long ago if not for Major General Lovainne.

Under his command, Ophris informants embedded in Drakensmar had kept the people’s rage in check, biding their time, ensuring that when the inevitable battle came, they would be prepared.

Over months, they had scavenged weapons, stockpiled ammunition, and mapped out enemy weaknesses, waiting for when the forces of Heieg would be at their most vulnerable.

And now, that moment had come.

Though the Prince of Ophris had kept his attack plans a closely guarded secret, the resistance, though initially shocked, had adapted swiftly to the sudden breach of the northern sector in the dead of night.

Using their influence over the local population, they evacuated civilians from high-risk areas with ruthless efficiency, ensuring that only those desperate enough to fight remained.

Among them were malnourished, able-bodied men, who were yet to be conscripted. But these were a minority.

The bulk of the insurgents consisted of men over fifty, fledgling teenagers, those with manageable illnesses and disabilities, and a significant number of women.

The war had left few untouched, and vengeance now burned brighter than fear.

Under the combined assault of the Ashborn Corps and the insurgents, Heieg’s counterattacks faltered.

The Drakensmar citizens ambushed supply lines, striking from the shadows before melting back into the ruins.

Some were even bold enough to hijack armored vehicles and plunder unguarded artillery.

Explosions rippled through the city as hidden dynamite caches detonated, reducing Heieg weapon depots to rubble.

Dust and blood filled the air as buildings crumbled, plunging the ancient city into absolute chaos.

While battles raged above, the labyrinthine tunnels beneath the city saw their own share of carnage.

Lugh, Lyra, Xhi, and Renshaw moved swiftly through the underground drainage halls, accompanied by a squad of sixteen operatives transporting supplies.

Vaelith had stayed behind, guarding the Prince. Xhi also left a few of her puppets and Lugh did the same, he only had a single one with him at the moment.

These sewage tunnels, originally designed to channel the Roch River’s runoff, were now a battlefield in their own right.

Water flowed through the center of the passages, while narrow stone walkways lined either side. The environment was treacherous, damp, and dimly lit.

Visibility was poor, but the tactical advantages were clear. The tight corridors made ambushes lethal, and lack of cover turned every encounter into a desperate firefight.

Heieg had learned this lesson too late. Their initial attempts to sneakily transport units had ended in disaster.

With no proper maps, squads of soldiers had wandered blindly into the tunnels, only to be gunned down by entrenched Ophris forces.

Months prior, during the invasion, Ophris counter-ops had torched Drakensmar’s city hall, ensuring the enemy would never have access to the sewer blueprints.

Now, the tunnels belonged to the Ashborn Corps.

The group reached a corner and halted. Lugh inhaled deeply and shut his eyelids, channeling the Mawglass.

When he opened his right eye, its black and red glow pierced through the thick masonry, revealing the shapes beyond. He blinked, and the effect was cancelled

"Four of them, all machine gunners"

His voice echoed from behind the helmet.

Renshaw ordered without hesitation.

"Let’s flush ’em out."

Before another word was spoken, he pulled the pin from a grenade and lobbed it around the corner.

Even before it landed, Lugh had already moved. Rolling out into the open, his puppet shadowed him with an eerie, fluid grace.

Gunshots echoed simultaneously and two men were downed.

The remaining gunners, one prone and another scrambling to aim, barely had time to pull the trigger before the grenade detonated.

A concussive blast ripped through the tunnel, sending a shockwave of heat and shrapnel in all directions.

Lugh approached the motionless bodies and fired two additional rounds into them, ensuring they would not rise again.

The soldiers with him no longer reacted in awe.

They had seen it happen too many times before. Rumors of the Black Powder Task Force’s inhuman efficiency had spread like wildfire.

Among them, the strange boy with the cursed eye had become an urban legend. The soldiers had been the ones to name it, claiming it sounded cool and ominous.

Xhi, however, hated the term, fuming whenever she heard it muttered.

They quickly looted the fallen, taking the machine guns and belts of ammunition before pressing forward.

The map guided them to their destination, where a grated exit allowed slivers of sunlight to cut through the gloom. Lugh sent his puppet up first. Its vision scanned the surroundings, searching for signs of hostile forces.

"All clear"

He confirmed.

One by one, the soldiers climbed out, dragging crates of supplies with them. They emerged into an alley where a crowd of ragged civilians awaited them.

These people were armed with whatever they could wield, guns with limited ammunition, rusted knives, wooden clubs reinforced with metal spikes. Their eyes glowed with desperate determination.

"Our soldiers have arrived!"

A woman with a deep, commanding voice announced.

A chorus of cheers followed, weapons raised high in the air.

Similar operations were unfolding all across the city. The Ashborn Corps, knowing that the resistance lacked proper training, supplied them with weapons, hoping to make them a deadlier force.

It was a grim and unethical strategy, many of these people weren’t trained and would not survive the coming battles.

But Lovainne knew that the uprising was inevitable, with or without their support.

The citizens of Drakensmar were prepared to fight, to avenge the atrocities they had endured.

If they could not reclaim their city, they would make Heieg bleed for every step they took.

It was his task to make sure they had the tools to do it.