Summoning America

Chapter 121: The Fall of Alue

Alue, Mu
September 25, 1640

Clouds of dust drifted about the desert skies as the relentless sun pestered the marching army below. Hundreds of vehicles rumbled across the dry flatlands, sheltering Gra Valkan soldiers from the dust storm and heat wave that raged outside. Having encountered no resistance from Mu, they only had to worry about the abhorrent conditions of the local environment.

Naturally, the lack of resistance uplifted the soldiers' morale, despite the terrible weather. However, there was one man who didn't share the upbeat attitude of the grunts in the Fourth Armored Division. Resting in his comfortable command vehicle, General Borg Flats mulled over the uncomfortable prospect of a Muan trap.

Silence permeated the outskirts of Alue. According to aerial scouts, the base, suburbs, and city were completely abandoned. The buildings were devoid of life, the streets were empty, and even the outer walls were unmanned. Yet, despite this intelligence, Flats couldn't help but feel an ominous instinct in his gut – one that screamed danger.

Even the fact that the base and suburbs were empty did little to ease his worries. In fact, the sheer emptiness of these locations served only to amplify his tense attitude, fueling his paranoia. To him, it made sense that they were empty; guerilla warfare was most effective in compact, confusing environments like jungles and cities. The local Muan base was too open, leaving it prone to artillery strikes. The suburbs had few places to hide, harboring nothing but spread-out homes and open roads that his tanks could easily navigate. If the Muans wanted to mount an appropriate defense, it would be inside the city, where roads could be easily blocked and where enemy guns could be hidden in every window.

The entire situation reminded him of previous conflicts, like the ambushes in Hinomawari and Sonal. Much like these earlier battles, the atmosphere of Alue was too quiet. It seemed as if enemies were lurking in the city's abandoned buildings, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Nothing could quell his anxiety, not even the motorcycle scouts he sent ahead, who reported no abnormalities. Everything so far pointed to the possibility that Alue was truly abandoned; even their electronic equipment was functioning normally.

Despite these reassurances, his sense of danger only increased the closer he got to the city, and reached its zenith when his tanks reached the city's outer walls without a hint of enemy activity. The cloud of dust settled as the Gra Valkan vehicles slowed down. The vehicles funneled into the street that led inside the city, slowing down and presenting themselves as easy targets.

Yet, nothing happened. Before the Gra Valkans passed through the historic gate, Flats issued an order to his forces. "Halt!" He commanded, wary of enemy ambushers hiding in the criss-crossing maze of streets less than half a mile ahead.

After hours of anxiety, the whispers of danger had boiled over and spilled into the rest of his mind. He decided to trust his gut instinct; he had to make sure that the Fourth Armored Division wouldn't suffer a repeat of what happened in Sonal. "Mark the first row of buildings ahead of us as targets for artillery! Send the coordinates and fire!"

A couple minutes later, Flats and his men heard the sound of whistling coming from behind them. The sound grew louder until completely ceasing, replaced with massive explosions that engulfed the marked targets with fire and shrapnel. Shards of wood and brick flew away from the destroyed targets as dark clouds of smoke and dust rose from the impact sites.

The paranoid Flats looked around for any sign of change, even keeping an eye out for secondary explosions. He looked around, but his keen eye found nothing out of the ordinary. His concerns were alleviated by the results, but he still sent out scouts to make sure the nearby area was indeed clear.

Eight motorcycles set forth from Flats' forces, splitting up into groups of two as they combed the streets for any sign of enemy activity. They scanned several blocks with magic sensors, picking up no hint of hostile activity. There wasn't even the slightest peep from manacomm transmissions, nor the sound of a single bullet being fired, nor the blast of a land mine being detonated. By all aspects, the region truly was clear.