Summoning America

Chapter 69: Glory to Leifor

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Alerted by the plumes of smoke in the distance, the Gra Valkan occupation and landing forces quickly left their positions in the harbor to investigate. Shouts emanated from the Gra Valkan base as alarms blared and vehicles started. They ran toward the scene of chaos with unwavering purpose, their eyes failing to spot the shadows in their peripherals.

Slinking through dark alleyways, Vanerial and Wileman continued to push toward the harbor. Along the way, they linked up with a group of nearly a hundred resistance fighters, all armed with captured Gra Valkan weapons. In a massive warehouse near the docks, Wileman met and shared a debriefing with their leader, a former Leiforian general named Malero.

Malero walked toward Wileman with his head held high and extended his hand as a show of gratitude. "Thank you for your knowledge and efforts, Wileman. You've done a great deal in assisting the Leiforian Resistance." His stature was much taller than those of the men around him, and even that of Wileman's.

Wileman shook the general's hand. "No problem at all, General."

"The people of Leifor owe you a great debt for your services. How can we repay you?"

Wileman humbly brushed it off, giving himself an impression of selflessness amongst the Leiforian fighters present. "You can repay me and my government by taking back your country from the Gra Valkans, starting with the harbor. The only other thing I may need is access to any Gra Valkan documents you find."

Without showing surprise, Malero gave an appreciative smile. "A small price to pay. It is settled then; once we secure the harbor, you shall have your documents." He then turned to face his men. "Liberators of Leifor! We are the spirit of resistance, of defiance against the tyranny of the Gra Valkans! For months we have endured not only humiliation, but outright oppression and the domination of our people. For months, we have suffered defeat after defeat at the hands of nigh-invincible Gra Valkan forces. Today, this chain of defeats has ended! Today, we annihilated hundreds of Gra Valkan vehicles with great ease, and now we shall begin to take back our territory!" He raised a fist in the air and yelled, "Glory to Leifor!"

The crowd chanted back, their morale high. "Glory to Leifor! Glory to Leifor!"

Another set of explosions sounded off nearby, signaling the destruction of the Gra Valkan reinforcements. A staccato of gunfire erupted soon after, representing the start of the operation to take the harbor. Leiforian men donned in camouflage-patterned clothing charged forward from the warehouse, blitzing through the meager defenses of the enemy base's flank. While the Gra Valkans were distracted by fighting near their front gate, the elite group of Leiforians was able to infiltrate the base, shooting at the Gra Valkans from behind.

Malero and Wileman stayed behind, along with a group of Leiforian tacticians. With the men now gone, Malero felt it appropriate to finally say, "Wileman, while I certainly appreciate all that you've done for us so far, I can't help but feel that you have ulterior motives. The United States is across the civilizations, and has little influence on this side of the world. What do you really want?"

Wileman shrugged, "It's as you say. We have little influence here in the Second Civilized Region, and my superiors hope to change that. While we may not be able to establish or maintain our influence here just yet, we believe it to be in our best interest to, at the very least, mitigate the spread of Gra Valkan influence. My government doesn't want to do this directly, instead opting for more subtle methods."

"Such as sending an 'advisor'?" Malero asked.

"Precisely," Wileman smiled. "I'm here to show your people how to fight back effectively. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be materials such as ammonium nitrate or polystyrene here, but magic gem powder has proven itself to be quite a stunning replacement."