Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 877: Hero Returns II

CH0877 Hero Returns II

***

In a town in the Herzog Fiefdom, a familiar face in the person of Aldrich Jaegar, the Crimson Berserk, who was now the Deputy Commander of the Fang Unit, walked towards the town’s busy central plaza.

There was a festival going on, and it seemed the Deputy Commander was in town on holiday as he moved from one street stall to another, boisterously buying and eating food while celebrating with the locals.

This seemed like a far cry from the demon of the battlefield, whose strength increased the longer and the more he bathed in his opponents’ blood.

Jaegar’s culinary journey finally brought him to the central plaza, where he joined the locals in an eating contest right at the centre of the plaza.

Seemingly unbeknownst to him, a group of shadowy individuals eyed him closely, watching his every move.

“Eyes on the target. Should we move in?” One of these individuals, dressed as a stall owner, inquired via a hidden Rune Phone.

“We believe he is here to meet someone from the Herzog’s high command to coordinate the next offensive against our domain. We need to capture both targets together to get the full picture.” The leader of the operation, watching from elsewhere in the crowd in the plaza, replied.

“Understood.” Multiple people in the group call replied.

About thirty minutes later, Jaegar had his fun in the eating competition and moved to the dancing area.

“Target is moving to the dancing area. Keep your eyes peeled. He can make contact with the Herzog target during the dance.” The hostile team leader said.

“Five, Nine, move in closer on the target,” he ordered.

“Understood.”

A male and female dressed like locals closed in on Jaegar’s position.

Jaegar jumped from one lady to another, putting his charms on them. Unfortunately, beyond the dance, the ladies weren’t interested. They politely declined his advances before leaving him. However, they did find his attempts amusing, so at least they weren’t creeped out.

‘Is it because I am not handsome enough? Or am I too old?’ Jaegar wondered to himself.

Just then, he noticed a familiar face. His eyes flashed noticeably before he quickly hid it.

He began walking over to the person.

“Everyone, on your toes. Looks like the target has seen his Herzog contact. I repeat, target is about to make contact with his Herzog contact. Be ready to grab them both.”

Immediately, the operatives under his command began moving more actively. Some moved to block off possible avenues of escape, while others moved to surround Jaeger and the person he was meeting.

Including the leader, there were twelve such operatives.

Jaeger reached about five feet from the person he was meeting when he seemed to realise something was wrong.

His head snapped towards Five, who had approached too quickly to try to subdue him. Jaeger’s contact also snapped towards Five. His countenance dropped, and he immediately made to flee, essentially confirming his identity to the hostiles.

“That’s the contact. Keep an eye on him. Five, you’ve been discovered. Move in now and capture the target,” the team leader quickly ordered.

His team moved while he remained on elevated ground to keep watch over the situation.

Once his contact ran, Jaeger cussed and also moved to make his escape.

However, unlike the contact, who seemed like an inexperienced rookie, Jaeger didn’t try to run overtly. Instead, he dove deeper into the crowd, trying to use them to lose his hostiles.

Unfortunately, the hostiles were not so easily lost.

Just when Jaeger was planning to duck into an alley to begin his escape, he heard a message on comms.

“Change of plans. All Fangs, move in and neutralise the hostiles.” Commander Conrad Horst’s voice sounded on comms.

Jaeger was taken aback by the order, but he acted on it either way.

Rather than duck out of the crowd like he had intended, he returned to the crowd and pretended to hide to make his way around, drawing all the encircling hostiles into the crowd.

That’s when the Fangs struck.

Five and Nine, who were narrowing the distance on Jaeger, were themselves suddenly approached by unknowns.

Pucchi!

Before they could react, they were both suddenly stabbed multiple times in the sides. They froze in shock from the sudden pain and looked around, trying to find their attackers. Unfortunately, they couldn’t, and soon fell to the ground in a pool of their own blood.

Their attackers had immediately hidden back into the crowd after stabbing them, their wrist blades sliding back into concealment.

At the same time, two other hostiles who were covering the entrances and exits of the alleyways leading to the plaza were suddenly pulled into those alleyways and had their throats slit with wrist blades.

They barely saw the figures of their attackers as their dying bodies were left on the ground in the alleys, a bit out of sight.

Almost simultaneously, another two posted in front of stalls were stabbed and dragged behind the stalls by Fang operatives acting as stall owners themselves.

One was killed while walking through an alleyway to close off a potential exit when a Fang operative suddenly jumped down on him, driving a blade into his heart.

The last four, aside from the leader, comprised those who chased after Jaeger’s contact.

The contact ran into a building—or rather, led his chasers into a building where other Fang operatives were waiting.

They were gunned down by crossbow bolts.

“Report.” The team leader inquired on Rune Phone after losing sight of everyone.

Everything happened simultaneously, and he had little time to issue instructions as everything spiralled out of control.

‘I can’t find anyone.’ He thought to himself as he scanned through the crowd.

He immediately got a bad feeling.

He quickly rushed down the ladder leading to the roof of the store he stood on and returned to ground level.

He no longer tried to get in contact with anyone and instead focused on his escape.

His quick movements saved him as the Fang operatives were just a moment behind him.

The team leader managed to make it far from the plaza and arrived at a stable, where he mounted a horse and rode in the direction of the town’s gate.

He made it out of town and was in the process of considering his next options.

‘We got had. Who are those guys? I don’t believe they are part of House Herzog’s military—never mind their Intel unit.

‘I need to report to them quickly. The Herzogs have gotten new secret partners that the fiefdom has to know about,’ he decided.

Pucchi!

But suddenly, out of nowhere, an arrow embedded itself into his mount, causing the man to crash to the ground.

He quickly jumped back to his feet and rushed into the nearby treeline as he was vulnerable on the open road from the archer.

However, just as he entered the treeline, he was yanked by the neck by an arm covered in an eerie crimson aura.

Boom!

Before he could react, a punch struck his face, knocking him out cold.

Jaeger stood over the man’s unconscious body.

He proceeded to quickly tie the man up.

As he did so, someone walked up behind him.

“What was so urgent that you called for a change of plans?” Jaeger asked without looking back.

The archer, Commander Horst, came to his side, barely looking at their captive, and replied, “I just got word from HQ that the leader is back.”

“Leader?” Jaeger didn’t get it at first. But then realisation dawned on him. “The Young Master is back?”

“Yes.” Commander Horst nodded. “HQ is sending over transport. We will be heading out to pick him up.”

Other Fang operatives involved in the mission also appeared around them.

Commander Horst handed over the captive to the Fang operative playing Jaeger’s contact.

“Get him to our hideout. Someone will pick him up for interrogation,” he said.

The Fang nodded. Then, accompanied by three other Fang operatives, they left in a peasant cloth-covered carriage.

About fifteen minutes later, a Wyvern suddenly burst down from the sky, landing before Commander Horst, Jaeger, and company. On its back was a large carriage possibly large enough to fit about a hundred people.

The Fangs quickly embarked on the wyvern carriage, which then flapped its wings and flew into the skies, towards the horizon.

About an hour later, the Wyvern Carriage arrived at the nameless valley to the south of the Virellian Empire.

The imposing Wyvern Carriage landed within the valley before Alex and his expedition party.

A squad of twenty-four Fangs, now dressed in proper military attire, disembarked from the carriage, forming an honour guard before the noble youth at the head of the expedition party.

“Sir!” The Fangs saluted.

Alex smiled, then approached Commander Horst and Deputy Commander Jaeger, both of whom had increased in their cultivation ranks—with the Commander now standing as a Saint.

“You look well,” Alex said as he exchanged pleasantries with both men.

“We are here to pick you up, Young Master Alex,” Commander Horst said. “If you would allow it, please let us escort you home.”

He gestured to the wyvern.

Alex nodded.

He whistled, and immediately Fen and Senu returned to them.

With the group gathered, he led them aboard the Wyvern Carriage.

And with that, the Wyvern Carriage flew back towards the City of Ashes.

***