Summoning America

Chapter 81: Extraction

Hiding in a marketplace warehouse, a clean shaven Muan stood watch by several windows. "Clear," he whispered as a squad of Gra Valkans marched off.

Chatter inside the room resumed, with a man in merchant's clothing elaborating a plan. "Specter will gather all of your belongings and return it to a safe house near the border. Meanwhile, the rest of us will use these weapons donated by the Leiforian Resistance to breach the castle and extract the royal family. Our first course of action will be to travel to the castle via an underground passage located in this marketplace. Guardsman Saito here," he said, gesturing to a Hinomawari man on his right, "will guide us there. Once we reach the castle, we will split into two teams. Typhoon, Storm, and Thunder will cover our flanks. I, along with Rhino, Stalker, and Ghost will escort Saito to the royal chambers. The Americans will provide support by jamming the Gra Valkan radios. We will use manacomms to remain in contact. Questions?"

"Wolf," a bulky, muscled man raised his hand, "How many hostiles should we expect if we rattle the wyvern's nest?"

Wolf discarded his merchant robes and changed into stealthier gear while he responded, "There are about five hundred men in or near the castle. We won't have to worry about tanks, since the Hinomawari streets are too narrow for them. The men though, I'd say it's nothing you can't handle, Rhino. Anything else?"

Wolf's men shook their heads.

"Okay. Guardsman, please lead the way."

The group emptied out of the building, slinking in the dark as they passed stalls and abandoned storefronts. They navigated around groups of buildings, encountering no patrols until they reached an old library, where a group of Gra Valkans was harassing a keeper.

"You don't need all ten of your fingers," the Gra Valkan threatened, pulling a knife on the man while his comrades held him down.

"I don't need all ten fingers to shove my fist up your ass either, barbarian scum!" The keeper spat at the officer's face, angering him.

The officer wiped his face and spat back, "I'm going to find your fucking family and skin them in front of you."

Before the officer could even bring the knife near the keeper, his face was torn apart by a suppressed shot. Six more subsequent shots eliminated the remaining Gra Valkans, whose bodies fell to the ground with audible thumps. The keeper turned around in surprise, seeing Guardsman Saito's uniform. "Guardsman! Quickly, get inside and hide the bodies! The King and his family are running out of time!"

Wolf pointed at the bodies, "Stalker, Ghost, help the keeper bring the bodies inside. Strip them of anything useful: ammo, equipment."

"Got it, sir."

The group retreated inside the old library, with Wolf covering their rear. He kept his guard up and scanned the area as he backed up toward the building, quickly closing the doors behind him. "What do we have?" He asked his men.

"A few dozen spare magazines for our MP-40s and some for the STG-44s. We've also got ten more stick grenades," Ghost replied, his voice attuned with his name.

"Good. Let's keep moving."

"The passage is this way," the keeper said, bringing the group to the basement. He then pulled on a book from a shelf and dragged the entire shelf to the left, revealing a secret passage. "Please, hurry!" He then placed a hand on Wolf's shoulder as he passed through, "And thank you for saving me. I bid you luck in your endeavor."

"We'll get him out safely," Wolf nodded.

After half an hour of traversing the passage, they finally reached a dungeon tucked away in the depths of the castle. Taking the lead, Saito peeked through the small wooden door ahead, ensuring the coast was clear. He waved to the Muans, giving them the signal to advance. "The royal chambers are located near the top of the castle. Right now, we are under a shed in the gardens. We will have to get inside the castle without arousing suspicion. We can proceed now, or wait ten minutes until the sun sets," he said, looking at light pouring through windows upstairs.