Chapter 646: Bolt- and Pump-action I
CH646 Bolt- and Pump-action I
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[A.N: Please check the image comment to this. Important announcement]
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Tens of kilometres away from BloodIron City, a spatial gate suddenly tore open within a barren stretch of rocky wilderness.
The abrupt appearance of the phenomenon startled the surrounding biosphere. Small creatures—lizards, insects, and burrowing rodents—scattered in all directions, fleeing instinctively from the unnatural disturbance.
One by one, the members of the Fortuna party stepped through.
Alex emerged first, followed closely by his core companions—Kavakan, Mogal, Havel, and Silver. Behind them came the dozen Fury soldiers, a mix of knights and crossbowmen led by Sergeant Lopota.
The final group soon followed: Zora, Udara, Eleanore, Sugud, and Kron Belloc.
Fen leapt lightly from Zora’s arms, landing on the ground before enlarging into his full form—an ashen-furred direwolf exuding quiet menace.
At the same time, Senu leapt out from Alex’s shadow and soared into the sky above, her presence quickly blending into the vastness overhead.
Dread, however, was notably absent.
To maintain the illusion that Fortuna remained within the BloodIron mansion, Dread had been left behind. The sudden disappearance of the Fortuna leader’s primary mount would have drawn unnecessary suspicion.
Also remaining at the mansion were the copper-skinned orc brothers, Hargul and Harum, along with Mordor—Alex’s brown-skinned orc retainer—and the rest of the recovering raid party.
Given that the raid party formed the most visible portion of Fortuna’s strength, their continued presence at the estate—under the guise of recovery following their injuries—served as a convincing façade.
’Besides... this is a blitz operation. Everything should be concluded before dawn,’ Alex mused inwardly.
His gaze turned towards Sugud.
Ordinarily, Sugud was a non-combatant, and Alex would have preferred to leave him behind. However, this time was different.
Alex was not the only one bringing something new to the field.
’Though, calling it a product reveal might be generous... this is more of a proper field test,’ he corrected himself inwardly.
During the three months Alex had spent in seclusion, Sugud had been far from idle. He had successfully brought to life one of the ’standard-issue’ concepts Alex had envisioned for his forces.
Unfortunately, these prototypes had only been completed—and distributed to the core members—after the ambush on the raid party.
Perhaps, if they had possessed this equipment earlier...
The outcome of that encounter might have been very different.
Alex turned back to the group.
"Is everyone familiar with their new equipment?" he asked.
The group nodded in unison.
"Good," Alex said. "According to the intelligence gathered by our scouting unit—" he nodded slightly towards Udara, "—the Lost Heathens maintain a base approximately ten kilometres northwest of here. It functions as a shipment hub, where they consolidate and dispatch goods to their major partners.
"In addition, this route leading to the hub is expected to see the passage of a transport convoy carrying a significant shipment today."
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"We will be taking both—the convoy and the shipment hub."
His smile deepened, turning predatory.
"Losing both in a single stroke should hurt them considerably... don’t you think?"
A ripple of excitement surged through the group.
The promise of retaliation—of vengeance—hung thick in the air.
Scree!
Suddenly, Senu’s sharp cry echoed overhead.
Alex’s eyes sharpened as he synchronised with her vision.
"The convoy is approaching," he said. "Positions."
At once, the group moved.
Silver and the crossbowmen advanced first, taking up elevated positions atop a rocky outcrop a hundred or so metres to the right of the road.
Alex led the rest down towards the path itself. The group split seamlessly, spreading out across smaller rises along either side of the road.
Only three figures remained on the centre of the road –Alex. Kavakan. Mogal—forming a deliberate blockade.
"They’ve spotted us," Alex noted calmly, observing the convoy’s reaction.
The caravan slowed, then came to a halt roughly a hundred metres away.
It consisted of nearly thirty carriages. Ten of these were designated for escort troops—amounting to roughly two hundred guards in total.
Perhaps due to their proximity to their base, the guards appeared relaxed, many still chatting amongst themselves even as reports of the obstruction filtered through their ranks.
"Kavakan," Alex said, "plant the flag."
With a feral grin, Kavakan strode forward and drove their banner firmly into the ground before them.
"All of you—halt!" he roared, his voice carrying across the road.
In response, four mounted riders broke from the convoy and urged their horses forward, charging towards the trio before pulling hard on the reins, stopping just short—barely ten metres away.
"What the hell is this?" the lead rider sneered. "Can’t you see the Lost Heathens’ flag on these carriages? Move aside, or suffer the consequences."
"I am Alex Fury," Alex said evenly. "From this moment onward, this road falls under my control. Anyone wishing to pass must pay a toll."
The four riders burst into laughter, as though they had just heard the finest joke of their lives.
"Well, I’ll be damned," the lead rider chuckled. "We’ve been bored for days—at least you’ve given us something to laugh about.
"As a reward, I’ll give you some advice," he added, his tone turning cold. "Turn around and leave... while we’re still feeling generous."
"What a coincidence. Seeing you has lifted my mood as well," Alex replied lightly. "So, how about it? One low-grade berserk stone per person, and one mid-grade stone per carriage. Quite reasonable, wouldn’t you say?"
He paused briefly, as though recalling something.
"Oh—and I will need to inspect your cargo as well. Any additional valuables will incur... further charges."
The lead rider’s smile faded completely.
"Are you actually serious?" he asked, his voice hardening. "This territory belongs to the Lost Heathens. Even if I handed you the toll, do you think you’d live long enough to spend it?"
"Don’t concern yourself with that," Alex replied calmly. "Pay first... then we can see what happens after."
With a casual wave of his hand, the concealed Fortuna members revealed themselves, rising from their hidden positions along the roadside elevations.
The disparity in numbers was immediately apparent.
Barely a score against a couple hundred.
The guards looked on with open disdain.
"That’s it?" the lead rider scoffed, disbelief etched across his face.
He glanced back at the mass of troops behind him, then at the handful of figures standing with Alex. No matter how he looked at it, he could not comprehend the youth’s audacity.
He waved his hand dismissively.
"I don’t have any shards for your little toll. If you want it—come and take it from our cold, dead corpses."
"Is that so?" Alex smiled faintly.
Thwack! Pump! Thwack!!
No command was needed.
A rain of bolts descended from above.
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