349 Rescue Op I : Night Raid

We jumped out of the air ship right in the dark night. We were all dressed head to toe in in really dark armor, so dark it was almost as it the blackness was absorbing all of the light around it, making it seem as if were a bunch of black spots hovering around. I felt the wind whipping past my body, the armor we had on was a different variation ofthe V.A.P.O.R, it was simplified and meant for infiltration missions, but it was built in such a way that the armor itself seems like a second skin.

Much like most of the Mechas in development, this armor has a neural link with the wearer, making it seeks as if we were just in a stronger body rather than an armor.We dropped from the sky like missiles, the volcanic island rapidly becoming bigger within our sight. We all fell into formation with me talking the lead and everyone else lining up behind me, then I opened up a portal into the shadow realm right in front of us, almost a 8 thousand feet in the above the volcano.

Their security alarms according to Tiberius only stretched upwards for about 5 thousand feet above the volcano's rim, so 8 thousand feet was a safe spot for us to jump from. As soon we all went through the portal to the shadow realm, the whole world became monochrome as time seemed to speed up around us.We fell past the rim of the volcano, not triggering any traps as we fell down into the expansive and lush valley at the bottom of the volcano. Apart from the main building, there were quite a few other buildings dotting the landscape, and they were surrounded by a forests so green it glowed a dull emerald.

There were four massive trees placed in the four cardinal directions around the Nix family estates. The forest on it's own was quite expansive and if not the fact that the volcano was as huge as a mountain, it would have been quite hard for me to believe that such a place existed within the bowels of a volcano.

The four tress glowed brighter than the entire forest itself, and since it was already night the glow was even more resplendent than normal. These trees were sentry posts, as I could see various armored men and women strolling around it's branches that were weirdly wrapped around its trunk like platforms and walkways. The closet of these trees, was the one on the east, but it was also the one farthest from the estate. However for now I think that was our best bet since this tree had a vantage point on the whole forest.

I changed our landing target to the tree, and used my soul energy to drag everyone our with me, opening up a shadow gate on one of it's overhanging branches, dropping me right on the backs of two male guards locked in a passionate kiss. I knocked them down to hard wooden floor beneath them and knocked them out before the even realized what was going on. I quickly weaved a shield who'sglow was overshadowed by that of the tree, and then I placed the shield on the knocked out guards. It should prevent any sort of communication from them should they wake up in time.

Tiberius and his five teak members all stepper out guns at the ready, forming a perimeter around me as they looked for any danger or if anyone had noticed us arrive. So far everything was silent, and Kodak and Xaseah seemed to be stretching their senses to the limit to know canvass the entire tree, but suddenly there was a frown on their face, as they communicated with me telepathically, and through our crest.

"There's something off about this tree, our senses can't spread past it's entire, and it's only limited to a twenty feet radius around us." Xaseah complained as she bent down and placed her hands on the branch below us, the gloves of her armor receding so that her midnight black and start spotted skin could have direct access to the tree.

"it's almost as if the tree itself is dampening our senses, however I don't think it has any effect on out strength. I think this was trap set for us." Kodak said to me.

I frowned as I turned to Tiberius and his group, Tiberius came forwards towards my side and said to me.

"I'm not familiar with the trees, none of us are. These are security measures put in place after I led my army out, I had no idea about this." He said to me.

"He's right husband, this tree is only sixteen hours old, give or take a few hours. Plus it's a parasite that's draining energy from the entire forest it was planted in. But based on it's energy fluctuations, and the weird and yet familiar vibe I'm getting from it, I think with almost 80% accuracy, that this tree is an Ionite synthesized life form."

We were all pretty shocked when she finished speaking, it was plain ridiculous. We could wrap our heads around the fact that this tree was made from Ionite, it was a living breathing organism, and yet it was made from the one thing that doesn't not allow the existence of any sort of energy around it, even cells become dead near it.

So how the fuck did they make this? I wanted a sample so that Malek could analyze it and give me some answers, these trees are really impressive defensive measures perfectly tailored to deal with vampires, we needed a way around it.

"The tree should reach full maturity within a week, it's the reason why our senses are the only things affected. The longer the tree stays alive, the more it's suppressive ability becomes, and it would stretched and spread to cover the entirety of the volcanic island. But I believe that the Nix family should have a way to control the trees, or they would also be sitting ducks without any power to draw from. Whether they're still utilizing simple and primitive technology or magic, it wouldn't stop these trees, not without a fail safe. And there's no failsafe, then these bloody trees can grow to the point where they have sentience and spread their energy dampening abilities allover of Shearath. We need to destroy them and any research on it." Xaseah said to me.

This was a real threat, and the fact we discovered this on a rescue mission was quite surreal. Either way Xaseah was right and we really had to find a way to deal with these trees before they become too big of a threat to not just us, but to the bloody fools who created the damn thing. But that mission can be left for later, after our current mission has been completed.

"Kodak take point and clear the way, we're on unknown territory and the tree might have other tricks up its leaves. Don't take any chances, neutralize as much of the guards as you can, but if you can't. Do it fast and painless, we're right behind you. And Kodak do be silent about it." Kodak smiled as I gave him his orders, a brief flash later he teleported away leaving behind a silhouette of golden dragon on fire. This is when the party truly gets started.

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KODAK

Kodak appeared almost thirty feet away from where Kael and the rest of their team was standing. He knew they would be following close behind, so it was up to him to make sure they made it off these tree without any altercation with the guards. No one needed to know that they were here until they were close enough to the main building.

Kodak stretched his hearing and hearda couple of guards coming up from around the corner they were happily chatting away, not at all aware of the angel of death waiting for them with a sinister grin on his face as his fangs v glinted under the emerald glow of the power dampening tree.

Kodak shot forwards and latched his fangs on the throat of the first person he saw, it was a woman, and in her shock and panic her blood pumped faster as Kodak made quick work of her throat ripping so deep into it, that a soft wrench took her entire head off her shoulders. There were seven guards within this patrol, and none of them were reacting fast enough. The skull head of the woman fell into Kodak's open palm as I grabbed it and used it to bash in the face of the next guard standing beside her. Both her skull and the skull of the next guard exploded like watermelons leaving Kodak's hands bloody and covered with brain juice.

It was at this point the other guards realized that they were dealing with something behind them. They raised their guns about to fire and the opens their mouths to raise an alarm. However the blood from their comrades that had already pooled on the ground around Kodak shout upwards, turning into numerous spikes that quickly solidified and impaled all of them in their hearts and throats, raising them three meters into the air as the blood nourished the power dampening tree. Kodak took a step back to admire his work of impalement, before he heard Shao Tie speak up with annoyance.

"you bloody Impaler, I can see Dracula's bloody quirk is within the blood of his descendants! Humph! Bloody barbarian!"

Kodak had no idea why Shao tie had such an outburst, but he was already used to the dragon being moody almost all the time. But since Shao Tie lived inside of Kodak's body he had no other choice but to deal with the loud mouth and extremely arrogant sun dragon.Kodak shrugged his shoulders as he ran down the platforms that spiraled around the tree, Kodak didn't know how, but for a tree that's supposed to be only sixteen hours old, it was really huge.

Soon enough he came across a team of guards again, only this time there were only four of them. Kodak couldn't use his weapon, because quite frankly his war hammer/Buster/Broadsword was not built for silent assassination.

Kodak stabbed his fingers into his palms drawing blood from them as he stretched his hands forward as spikes of blood flew out of his palm straight into the heads of the team of four guards. He pulled back his blood into his body as the wounds closed up like they were never there in the first place. Kodak kept his pace, rushing downwards in a spiral, he was ready close to the root of the tree when a beam of light flew towards him and burnt a hole through his chest.

Kodak did not see that coming, and without a doubt it hurt like a bitch, based on how intense the smell of burning skin was, he knew he was shot with a concentrated beam of ultraviolet rays, or in layman terms he was just blasted by a fucking sun gun. But as he laid there trying to recover he heard someone running towards him speaking fast with a panicked tone.

"Oh my gods! Are you okay, please don't be dead it was just a mistake, I didn't mean to fire the gun. Please don't be dead, please don't be dead!"

Obviously this was a cage of a rookie messing with a weapon he didn't truly understand, and he was just so lucky that said gun caught the very creature it was built to kill. Kodak couldn't fathom what sort of bullshit luck that was, it was so damn ridiculous that he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. He got back up, using his aura to propel himself with his body still laying straight down. The young guard who shot at him, looked no older than sixteen, and looked to be totally out of place with his oversized uniform and his still smoking sun rifle.

The moment Kodak rose up, practically like a vampire from a horror movie, the young boy screeched like a girl and fell on his ass. His entire body was shaking intensely, and Kodak could smell the fear and sweat wafting off his body in droves, this kid really was scared of vampires, almost as if he was looking at his worst nightmare.He opened his mouth to speak, probably to raise an alarm or something, but all the kid did was stammer.

"va….vava...va…..vava….."

Kodak sped forwards that to the eye of the young guard all he saw was a blur before Kodak's head was right beside his own. And then Kodak helped him complete the word he was trying to call out, with an amused yet sinister smile on his face.

"Vampire!"

And then the world went dark.