April 5, 2005 – 09:45 (Winnipeg Time)
"We sent with your men the best of us to lead an aerial rescue team," said Emery before General Tobly could reply anything, "to safely escort your crew to where the civilians are held captive, kill their captors and take down their operation over there. Do you want the wrong people to step in and take her down before your people are free?"
"Of course not," said Corporal Stephenson.
"Then she is B to all people concerned," said Emery, staring at the horizon.
Coralis let her aura roam free around her. She knew she was followed by humans, but she also knew she couldn't fail that mission. Besides the set of coordinates sent by Emery, the only specifics she knew about it were what she heard from him at the clearing. She needed to ensure that no witches mess with them, so she also created a floating shield around them.
The mages behind her could feel her aura wrapping them. All four of them were die-hard flyball fans and Blue Thunder was the reason they trained hard in aerial training. To them, working alongside her that day felt like a dream coming true. Chiwa could brag about having had a few drinks with her and played with her on a few flyball games as a reservist, but she didn't tell the others and felt as excited as her three fellow team members.
Twenty minutes after they took off, Coralis spotted an opening on top of a mountain.
"Position to land. Rickozi and Zaxi, you will stand guard at the cave entrance. Chiwa and Swuma, you two will follow me inside," said Coralis through the walkie-talkie. "Gentlemen, do you think you will be able to land in proximity of the cave opening?"
"Yes, boss," said the four mages.
"We won't be able to land there, but our rope ladders should reach the ground by the opening," said one of the officers through radio, which was heard by Emery and their superior by the clearing.
"Excellent, please get them ready. As soon as my team lands, we will check for wards to clear and handle the guards there. I see at least one from here. When the path is cleared to open their cells, we need you ready with the rope ladders."
"Understood."
Coralis jumped off her stick, dropped it to the ground to pull a sword out of her cloak, grabbed the hair of the witch guard with her free hand and passed her blade through his neck before her feet touched the ground. When Chiwa landed, shortly after her, Coralis gave her a portal, retrieved her stick on the ground and slid its keychain version into her cloak.
"When I tell you to, open a portal to Emery to send him the bodies and close it right after you're done."
She nodded and the other mages landed one after another by the opening as Coralis ventured into the mountaintop cave. She switched her hologram to call Emery's when she saw three witches standing near a group of cages, still holding a blade in her left hand.
"Now," said Coralis to Chiwa. "Emery, we're sending you four. Swuma, while I take down the wards around the cages, please search the place for document or evidence to take with us. I see a desk and drawers down this way."
While she gave her instructions, before the witches could pull their wands out, Coralis stupefied them before passing her blade through their necks, then switched her hologram back to walkie-talkie mode.
"She's a threat to your kind," said Corporal Stephenson, watching the scene through Emery's hologram.
"She's a threat to my kind when they step out of line," said Emery, before General Tobly could say anything.
Chiwa threw the four heads through the portal and helped by Rickozi, she sent the four headless witch bodies across the portal to Emery. When done, she led the liberated prisoners to the cave entrance while Rickozi returned to stand guard.
Swuma filled the black bottomless velvet bag Coralis gave her with anything she could find: documents, blood samples and various ingredients. When done, she gave the bag to Coralis, who was supervising and surveying around from the backside of the cave, and she went to help Chiwa.
"Rickozi and Zaxi, please return to your flight formation," said Coralis, watching the last human climb up the rope ladder.
"B, this coven has twelve members. Tobly's team killed 7 witches and your crew sent us four. We're missing the coven leader," said Emery through the walkie-talkie.
On their way back, Coralis flew shortly higher than the rest and shortly after leaving the mountaintop, she spotted the coven leader. She turned her bracelet light to orange and went after him.
She quickly caught up to him and stunned him off his stick. Coralis plunged and caught his robe mid-fall before he reached the ground. Seeing the witch's robe had loops, she hooked one of them on her stick.
The coven leader, recovering from the stun, twisted on himself, dangling in the air and Coralis knocked his head with her elbow. Officers aboard the helicopters watched the scene with binoculars.
Emery was talking with General Tobly and Corporal Stephenson when Coralis entered at high speed the clearing skyline and dropped the coven leader by him. They all jumped when the coven leader fell on the ground beside him, seemingly from the sky, followed by the black velvet bag. The witch was on his back, putrefied in a terrified posture.
"You know I'm not S, right?" said Emery to Coralis via walkie-talkie.
Seeing the witch trying to fight the putrefaction spell, Emery stunned him before turning him on his stomach to bind him.
"I'm aware. If you were, you would have caught him in your arms."
Switching her light back to green, Coralis returned to her crew, now entering the skyline, and watched the helicopters landing far apart from each other. She instructed her crew to land before turning her hologram to satellite mode and called Emery.
"Fine if I leave or am I not done here?"
"You can go, I'll talk to you later," said Emery.
"Thanks. You're a wanted witch too, why aren't you concerned for yourself?" said Coralis, turning her light off.
"I haven't reached the top 30 yet," said Emery when the sound of his voice was buried by the sound of the helicopter blades, "and I'm written down as Emery, which is not a rare name among humans. It's like what you said in jail, I do not summon Satan. You, however, are in the top 10 and quite the hot name circulating."
"Why did you let her go? She needs to come back," said General Tobly.
"No, she does not. Best if she doesn't linger around."