Gunmage
Chapter 61: No promises

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: No promises

Under their hostile gazes, Renshaw found himself speechless.

’Well, shit’

He thought, forcing himself to maintain composure.

"W-Well, you see, the issue is that we were given another miss—"

He was cut off abruptly. Lugh, of all people, stepped forward, speaking with an eloquence that didn’t belong to him.

His voice was calm and soft, yet disturbingly devoid of emotion.

"We do have a mission to protect the Prince"

He began.

"However, what good is a Prince without his people? After realizing how wrong we were for rejecting your request, we followed you in secret, intending to provide aid when necessary."

’Nice one, kid’

Renshaw mentally applauded.

Lyra’s expression was unreadable beneath her helmet, but if they could see through her mask, they’d have caught a glimpse of her rare frown.

Lugh, ever the strategist, decided to press his advantage. Without hesitation, he removed his helmet.

He hated to rely on appearances, but it was an unfortunate truth, attractive people were often more easily trusted, no matter how much deception lay beneath their skin.

Lugh had never thought of himself as good looking. His features had been warped, reshaped and modified after months of magical exposure.

If anything, his face was a mask, just like the puppets he controlled. His skills, his knowledge, his abilities, none were truly his own.

Plundered and pieced together, they had formed something inhuman. A creeping realization had begun to fester within him.

Nothing about him was authentic.

A collective hush fell over the group. The moment his face was revealed, all eyes locked onto him, soldiers and rebels alike.

His features were striking, but their fascination wasn’t just admiration, there was also fear.

Their gazes were inevitably drawn to his right eye. The Mawglass. Its unnatural colour pulled them in like a bottomless abyss.

Their bodies shuddered involuntarily, an instinctual terror washing over them. Nobody could hold his gaze for more than a second before snapping their eyes away, only to be overwhelmed by an inexplicable urge to look again.

All Lugh needed to do was reveal his face, and his presence would be seared into their minds for a very long time.

The tension shifted. Wariness remained, but their hostility wavered. The label of Prince’s Guard held enough weight to prevent further questions.

Or at least, it should have.

"You came to help us?"

A woman’s voice cut through the air.

"Then why are you coming out from the drainage systems? How did you know where we planned on going?"

It was Natalia. The leader of the rebels. Her gaze was sharp, analyzing him with caution.

Lugh kept his surprise buried deep and replied smoothly

"We have our ways. It’d be best if you don’t know... for your sake, as well as for ours"

Her eyes flickered. For a moment, she seemed to consider his words. Then she muttered,

"I see."

Lugh remained expressionless, but internally, he was smirking.

He had used the same tactic employed against Cipher, feeding vague words to a perceptive mind.

If done correctly, it would lead her to overthink and create her own explanation. Perhaps she imagined hidden operatives embedded within her ranks. Maybe she suspected a classified military secret. Whatever conclusions she drew, they would be wrong.

However, the woman was smart.

Too smart.

"I see"

She repeated, then narrowed her eyes.

"I see that you’re all messing with us. What are you really doing here? Explain yourself properly."

She took a step forward, and instantly, the rebel forces raised their weapons, their team did the same. Tension snapped back into place, soldiers faced off against the very civilians they were meant to protect.

Lugh’s plan had backfired spectacularly.

"Hey, hey, knock it off"

Renshaw interjected, stepping forward to de-escalate the situation. Before he could say anything further, Lugh moved.

With startling speed, he lunged forward and shoved Natalia back.

"Kid! What the hell—"

A sharp crack split the air. A bullet tore through the space where she had stood just seconds prior, embedding itself into the ground.

There was silence.

It was followed by chaos and destruction.

Soldiers reacted first, ducking behind cover and snapping into formation with terrifying efficiency.

Xhi had already moved, tracking the bullet’s origin.

Without hesitation, she fired. A sharp bang, and an enemy soldier collapsed.

"Is it just one person?"

Renshaw asked, his voice barely carrying over the echoes of gunfire.

"I doubt that"

Lugh responded, his Mawglass flickering ominously. His gaze shifted, scanning the battlefield.

"Five in the building on the left. Two on the first floor, three on the second."

"There are some more, approaching from North of our current position, a lot of them. I can’t count"

Lugh’s words caused everyone to break into cold sweat.

The enemy was well-trained. Their movements were precise, eliminating targets with surgical precision.

In contrast, the rebels, civilians, poorly equipped and untrained, struggled to match their efficiency.

"Where exactly are we?"

Renshaw demanded, voice sharp.

Natalia hesitated, then answered quickly.

"A bunch of Heieg’s new machines are in the plaza up ahead. A group of our comrades ambushed their supply lines. The machines lack fuel, but they’re heavily guarded."

Renshaw picked at his ears in disbelief

"You plan to steal them?"

"Yes. They’d be a big help."

Now he understood why they had asked for assistance.

This was insane.

Going up against fully trained war veterans with a group of mismatched civilians, some barely capable of wielding a gun, was beyond reckless.

It was suicidal.

And now not only did they plan to attack them, they also had intentions of stealing vehicles they most certainly did not know how to operated.

Renshaw wanted nothing more than to extricate himself from this mess. He also wanted a bottle of alcohol but that could wait for later.

Unfortunately, they were already entangled in this mess. The Heieg forces had launched a preemptive attack, and there was no pulling out now.

Renshaw exhaled sharply.

"Natalia! Organize your forces! Lay down suppressive fire with the machine guns!"

She hesitated for half a second before nodding.

"The rest of you!"

Renshaw’s voice boomed.

"Form two units of your most experienced fighters and flank them from both sides! We’ll lead the charge up front."

He gestured to his own squad, who trembled in anticipation. Lugh had already donned his helmet once more, to the visible disappointment of some women in the rebel force.

Then Renshaw turned to Natalia.

"Remember, suppressive fire. Don’t shoot me in the back."

"I would never"

She said, sounding genuinely offended but he had already moved on.

"Xhi, you take up the rear. Lugh, Lyra, take point."

He exhaled, mentally preparing himself.

"And for the love of god, don’t start a quarrel in the middle of a battlefield."

They answered simultaneously.

"No promises."