Chapter 89: The Battle of Al-Rafid 1
Today was a tense day for those posted at the Al-Rafid manor, both the Insurgent forces and the dark espers feeling extremely solemn as they knew that many of them might not survive today.
The estate itself was a reasonably formidable stronghold, its once-luxurious architecture now rearranged into a war-hardened fortress.
The outer perimeter had been transformed into a miniature battlefield as trenches, expertly dug around the estate, provided cover for stationed insurgents.
Minefields littered the grounds leading up to the walls, disguised beneath loose dirt and debris.
Automated turrets, equipped with enemy-detection sensors, stood at key vantage points, primed to fire at any approaching force.
At the main entrance, a pair of watchtowers flanked the heavily reinforced iron gate, each occupied by insurgent snipers armed with anti-material rounds.
From this elevated position, they maintained a clear view of the desert landscape leading to the manor, ensuring that no enemy could approach unseen.
Beyond the walls, the insurgent forces were systematically positioned as nearly sixty elite soldiers patrolled the compound in coordinated rotations, their armor laced with kinetic-resistant materials.
Heavy gunners occupied defensive emplacements, their weapons modified to unleash plasma bursts capable of disrupting certain military technology.
Marksmen teams had stationed themselves along the rooftops, their rifles outfitted with motion-tracking scopes, capable of detecting energy fluctuations even through cover.
Inside the manor itself, the twelve dark espers had taken strategic positions, their abilities carefully arranged to cover every angle of attack.