Saving Blitzo

Chapter 14: The Rescue (Part 1)

The moment Moxxie touched the ground, he regretted not taking a helmet when he had the chance. Immediately, desert sand smacked him in the face from a gust of wind, which nearly made him choke. It reminded him of that one job they had in Arizona where the client requested his ex-wife be buried up to her neck in the sand with scorpions laid around her screaming face before leaving her to die a slow death. He had sand in places Moxxie never wanted to feel again.

Thankfully, there weren't any sandstorms or high winds, save for the occasional breeze. If it wasn't for the fact that they were focusing on breaking into the expensive-looking summer home nearby, the young imp would have been fascinated by the red and black desert landscape. The hellish moon above gave it an almost glittering reflection that sort of looked beautiful—a rare thing to find in Hell.

"Moxxie, get over here," Grimbeak said, snapping Mox out of his thoughts. He quickly rushed over to the cliff's ledge and crawled down to his belly with the other snipers. Taking his Barrett M82 Rifle, Moxxie started to scope out the big summer home. It looked a lot more modern than the typical gothic structures that Goetia demons used, like Stolas. It even had a big fancy swimming pool the size of Moxxie's apartment complex.

"There are a lot of Tangos outside," One of the other shadow guards stated. "We won't be able to take them all out with one shot each."

"Can we at least take out enough so that Team 3 has a perfect chance for a surprise entrance?" Grimbeak asked.

"There's a good location at the top," Moxxie noted, eyeing the roof of the building. "About seven guards. Breaching from above should do it."

"Copy that."

Grimbeak touched the side of his helmet and spoke. "Team 3, we're going to eliminate the guards on the top roof. That should be your breaching point. Team 2 will have to go in loud from the ground, but we'll give support. Over."

"Team 2 confirms. We're already ready in position. Over."

Moxxie took a quick look at the walls and other entrances where various squads were positioning themselves. Near the south wall, he spotted his wife, Loona, Reginald, and a few others getting ready. Bodies of nearby tengu and owl demons lay hidden nearby.

"Team 3 confirms and is standing by for teleportation once it's clear Team 1. Over."

"Team 1 confirms. Over." Grimbeak said before nodding to several snipers on his left. Unlike Moxxie's rifle, theirs held silencers, and they quickly got to work eliminating the guards on the rooftop. In less than five seconds, Moxxie saw all their heads explode into piles of mush without so much as a cricket chirping. "Tangos on the roof are down. Team 3, you are clear to teleport. Over."

"Roger. Over."

Through his scope, Moxxie saw a portal open up before Prince Stolas, and half a dozen of his shadow guards arrived on the roof. The prince started placing a rune on the top that was glowing bright white before stepping back.

"Team 3, ready to breach on the roof and other locations. Over"

"Team 2, also ready. Over."

"Team 1, ready to provide covering fire," Grimbeak said as he prepared his sniper rifle.

Moxxie quickly tried to scope out a target and found a tengu sipping tea near a balcony while two of his other fellow Yokai were chatting with one another. Taking into consideration the wind and angle he was in, Moxxie positioned the crosshair just below the navel and slightly to the right. With a deep breath, Moxxie concentrated and put his finger right against the trigger.