《Auferstan: Building A Military in Another World》


 I Rain

    The rain. The pitter then the patter of the water hitting each blade of grass, so audible and so calming he didn''t want to wake up. But alas, his eyes opened slowly.

    "Grass?" He thought, whilst recollecting the past night.

    He knew he slept on his bed, that hard-cushioned bed of his. Where the only glimpse of rain he gets were from his bedroom window. But this was queer, grass gave the back of his head sharp grazes; somewhat uncomfortable.

    Slowly, he stood up. Looking at his surroundings.

    His eyes met the green of the plains and the greyness of light rain. This environment was far away from the urban environment of his city. This smell of air was nigh nostalgic, alike the times he spent in the countryside. An unforgettable serenity, the rain almost lulling him to sleep.

    But he snapped out of it; "W-where... Am I?" He took a deep breath. "This isn''t my home! Was I kidnapped!? But why put me through the trouble of riding out of that damned city to some countryside and not just some back alley! Well... I should maybe not be complaining." He said, somewhat annoyed.

    He looked up, a tree shadowed him from the light rain. The tree, he recognized, was too big to betrue. Like it were some folk legend, a legendary tree one''d say judging by the size of the tree branch that hung over him which had the same girth as his body it seemed.

    Had he slept? He didn''t know, time passed fast yet slow. The sky hadn''t cleared for what? An hour? Then, the first rays of sunlight shone through the field. "Finally." He smiled gleefully. The sun illuminated brightly that grass field on that far horizon, a mesmerizing sight of green.

    He couldn''t measure the time, in instinct, he reached for his back pocket, feeling for his phone."My phone!?" It wasn''t there! Well, he rationalized, a kidnapper would for sure get rid of any communication tool to the outside world. But it was mildly infuriating.

    "I want my phone back."

    [REQUEST INVALID]

    A voice?

    "What!? A voice!?" He looked behind him, expecting someone to be standing over him, but it was only the tree''s trunk. "Hey, you!" -He stood to his feet- "Show yourself! What do you mean ''request invalid!?''"

    [PHONE CANNOT BE CREATED: WRONG ERA]

    "Wait a second..." He tilted his head.

    "What in the world!?" He, finally recognizing the idea of a voice seemingly in his mind, was utterly shook to his core. "Has a chip been implanted in my brain? No, my rectum? Have I been kidnapped by probing aliens!?"

    [NO...]

    The voice sounded... Weirdly amused.

    His heart raced, whilst his mind was stuck thinking of the many scenarios that could and maybe, at that very moment, be happening to him. He eased himself, breathing slow yet inhaling as much air as his lungs would allow.

    "OK..." Regaining control of his mind he says; "Voice in my head, who, where, and what are you doing my head?"

    [REQUEST INVALID]

    "What? What do you mean...?" His heart didn''t stop beating fast nigh it even began to beat faster.

    [REQUEST INVALID: PROMPT INCORRECT]

    "T-then what''s the correct... Prompt?"

    [BY SIMPLY SAYING THE OBJECT OF YOUR WANT]

    "I remember that my previous prompt was... A phone. I mean what even could you do?"

    [OBJECTS CAN ONLY BE CREATED IF IT EXISTED FROM THE YEARS; 1900 to 1950]

    "Created?" He questioned, a comical gulp.

    [YES]

    "Well hey listen, I''m not that knowledgeable in tech but I don''t think there''s ever been a 3D printer that could replicate something without... You know... Electricity? I''ve also never seen technology about voices in someone''s heads. And also, also. Where am I?"

    [REQUEST INVALID]

    He sighed in disbelief whilst his face was disappointed.

    "Well hey, why not just suspend disbelief." He fawned his brain to think of something from those times. "Ah! Why not give me an M1 Garand!"

    [REQUEST ACCEPTED: CREATING M1 GARAND]

    Miliseconds after, nothing happened. He just watched the field of grass before him, mesmerized by the earthly smell. But just a blink after, he felt weight push down on his thighs, looking down;

    "Its an M1 Garand!" He smiled joyously and immediately went for the gun''s handle.

    But, a question arose whilst he lined his eye to behind the gun''s sights.

    "How?"

    He lowered the barrel. "This is just a dream right-"

    "No, why is it so vivid. I''ve never had dreams like this." He interjected himself.

    "Is this death? The afterlife? What a weird version of Heaven? Hell? Purgatory? Where am I?

    [YOU ARE INAUFERSTAN]

    "Auferstan?" He questioned before saying immediately; "You just answered something outside a prompt!"

    [REQUEST INVALID]

    "..."

    "Yeah right..."

    He looked onward, to where the green plains where shadowed over by the cloud''s gray benevolence.

    "Auferstan?" He thought, "Is this a new world? Am I in a coma, with this being a dream?"

    But, to no avail, there came no response from ''that'' voice. And not to the "Request Invalid" that he thought would come.

    "Free reign." He said. "This world, this power. This gun." I am powerful! Wait"

    He thought deeper; "I don''t even know what technology this ''world'' (he refers it to) has. But if anything, still am I grateful for such a fanciful dream!"

    He got up and stood as if he were a soldier in a march.

    "I would like a very stylish looking military uniform!"

    [REQUEST GRANTED: SS UNIFORM]

    "The SS uniform? Indeed it''s stylish, but I can''t condone wearing something with the symbolism is carries."

    [THE SYMBOLS ARE REMOVED]

    The uniform, after a blink; was on his body, worn as if he slept with it on.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "Hugo Boss." He smirked at himself, feeling the cloth on his arm and breathing in the fresh laundry smell.

    "I might as well get some essentials, food and water?"

    [REQUEST VAGUE]

    "Hmm..."

    "Then I''ll get an American MRE?"

    [REQUEST GRANTED: C-RATIONS AND BOTTLED WATER]

    The C-rations he got were not what he expected. It was canned!

    "Does this even taste good..." His stomach growled yet his mind deterred.

    No, no it was not. He instead summoned bread packed with meat inside.

    The water container he got was surprisingly cold, he opened the cap and proceeded to drink it''s contents. "It''s water alright."

    Looking at his surroundings, there was but grass and field, there was a small hill far far out the horizon, too far to walk for minimal prize, the forest would be a first however, and was undoubtfully way nearer. He gathered his things; "I shall head for forest, and search for civilization!" He struck a weird pose.

    With a rifle; the M1 Garand equipped, a pistol; the Luger holstered to his right hip, he marched ahead bravely to the forest, He was both confused and relieved that the weather was cold, very cold, as in northern cold even though there was not one snowflake in sight. The waters didn''t freeze, and it even rained an hour earlier!

    But he simply accepted the fact and continued to venture towards the forest.

    "They look like pine trees." He remarked as he neared ever closer to the trees.

    Stopping a few inches from the tree, he thought; "There isn''t a single pine cone in sight. This isn''t a pine tree, but it looks like it for sure." Whilst examining it''s body, his eyes were then distracted when he saw from the corner of his eyes; "A dirt road!"

    A jump of excitement, he hurried onto the road''s seemingly muddy path. The road had no barriers and not even the occasional lantern or torch that one would expect.

    In his minute journey on the path he encountered small insects, that had such small a size with species he''d never before encountered back home.

    "A wolf''s footprint?"He looked at the round-like print that was left on the mud road ground. "Or maybe a horses'' footprint. It looks too round and too big to be that of a wolf''s."

    A shadow. It loomed over him and his discovery.

    "What-" He turned around nervously with his M1 Garand readied to shoot.

    A man? The man got startled when he suddenly moved with his iron object pointed directly at him. "Ah!" The man shouted, "Good sir, I mean... I mean no harm...!"

    He looked at the man, there was no knife straddled on his hip, no bow to his back nor sword to his hand. His clothing was simple, dirty, and had a farm-look to it.

    "Who are you! Identify yourself!" He shouted to them man.

    "I''m Alrife! Just Alrife good sir... I didn''t mean to alarm you." The man looked very startled, shaking too. But the man was by no means weakly looking, just at a look and one would notice his physical attributes.

    "Alright Alrife..." He lowered his gun but backed away a couple of steps, to a reach that the man wouldn''t grab hold of his gun. "I... I''m..." He struggled to give himself a name he long knew.

    "Why can''t I say my name!" He thought. "I know my name, I know my name! Why can''t my mouth form my name?!"

    The man who stood looking at him was clearly awaiting an answer from someone who look so deep in thought.

    "I am Hierd Die Grace."

    "What in the name of the man who lives above did I just say?"He questioned himself, "Hierd Die Grace!? What in the lord is that name!?"

    "Ah my Good lord, Hierd Die... Grace..." The man looked troubled reciting the name he just heard. "I want to... Know why you''re.... In the Alman Forest..." He said before immediately saying after; "Ah! Forgive my bluntness, I just... I just don''t know how to... Speak... Properly... To you, Good lord."

    "I was lost, the path to where I wished be had gone mysteriously. I need your help finding a town for I can lodge." He used his high-school drama days, where English was dramatized to amount serendipitous and fancy.

    "Ah... You need lodging good lord?" He looked troubled before saying; "If I have right, my village, which is... Just forward the path which... You currently tread is there at your service..."

    "I see, then let us continue then."

    "This village... Is this gonna be the same as Gulliver''s travels? Small houses or big houses? Am I to see horses that talk? By God would I love to see that. But I suspect this''ll be but a normal medieval village."

    ( * )

    Peering from the vegetation, he caught glimpses of the village infront of him."It is exactly as I thought, medieval villages have medieval structures."

    The village was very old-looking, and was wooden through out, the village had a couple stone structures but most if not all (as he saw from the path) were wooden.

    Hierd came out of the forest, along with Alrife at his front. The villagers who first saw him were interested, intrigued by the new face. A noble? A knight? Who was he? The blonde man clad in black. But what Hierd saw only were scared faces.

    "Take me to your village head." He blurted out to Alrife.

    "If you wish Good Lord, Hierd." Alrife answered with due haste, wanting not to waste Hierd''s time with whatever business he thought the man had.

    The village''s main road was unexpectedly at the middle. The children looked at Hierd with curiosity, the adults were non-the-wiser and too were they curious as they looked at a black-caped man with a hat that had a skull at its mid-point. ''A knight!'' One thought. ''A noble!'' Another thought. ''A leader!?'' Once more another thought! But none were sure of what position the stylish man was in. Neither did they know of his intentions.

    At the village head''s front door. Hierd picked off the button of his gun''s holster, readied for any attack that may come his way. "We''re here, Good lord. But please... Wait, I need to... Call the elder..."

    Understanding, Hierd simply nodded. But not even a second longer the door had already opened. Standing before him was an old, wiry looking man. His hairs have started to grey and his pupils were eagerly greeting Hierd.

    Hierd raised his hand for a greeting.

    Hierd smiled, questioning; "You must be the Village head?"

    "Yes, my good sir; I am the village head of this village, The Venit Ille''s only; Naturvege. It is a pleasure to have you here."

    Hierd''s grin widened.

    He towered Hierd, his atmosphere was indeed foreboding for Hierd but even still, he showed no worry. Raising out his hand, offering a handshake, he said; "Good afternoon to you too, Sir Naturvege."

    Awkwardly, his handshake was declined (or be it not understood).

    "Lord, what is this... Gesture?" Asked Alrife.

    "A customary gesture when greeting people... In my country that is."

    "Excuse my ignorance, but what country do you reside?" Asked Naturvege, eagerly waiting for an answer.

    "Uh... I don''t know! Why question me!" He panicked mentally, trying to piece together a solid fabrication.

    "Germany." His eyes had mentally widened and mouth dropped.

    "I have yet to hear of such a country." Naturvege stepped back and offered his door. "Please, do come in before the rain strikes again."

    Hierd entered the large home, it was by no means rich looking, neither did it look poor looking. If one were to interject, ''it''s middle-class looking.'' He sat on a chair beside a large dinner table (as Naturvege wanted him to).

    "Food''ll come soon sir." Said him. "But before that, I wish to know of your lordship''s country."

    "Germany?" He scrambled to fill in puzzle pieces of what he should tell him about a country he doesn''t even live in. "History of Germany book." He whispered this time.

    [REQUEST GRANTED: GERMAN HISTORY BOOK]

    A blink after, he felt a book in his hand. A rather large one in fact. To act as if it was underneathe his cape, he put in his hand in the cape''s interior whilst looking as if he was getting something. To then he said; "Here." He pulled out the large history book from his seemingly weightless cape.

    "A book!" Naturvege immidiately interjected. "You carry such such a prestigeous item at your ready!?" Noticing Hierd''s gesture, he carefully put the book on his hands. "And oh goodness! Its heavy!?"

    "Our country can produce books at the speed of a horse''s gallop!" Hierd''s comment made the room drop in shock. "Though I could tell you my country''s greatness in talk, I''m afraid it''d merely bring me shame. The text and drawing inside that books tells my country in a more greater regard than I could ever." Noticing Naturvege''s mouth twitched, he said; "You can keep that book, I can request more from my officers."

    "I... I see... I thank you O'' lord." To then, Naturvege immidiately opened the book''s cover and unveiled the many pages. Images, drawings, detailed prints, it was no travesty!

    "Is he reading it? Wait, how can he read it?"

    [ITEM: GERMAN HISTORY BOOK HAS BEEN TRANSLATED TO THE LOCAL LANGUAGE]

    "That''s useful..."

    "You may read that at a later date, but at the moment, I wish to lodge in your village until I can meet with my people." Hierd said, relaxing his body.

    "Such a simple request, O lord, we will procure it."

    "Thank you-" Hierd was interupted.

    "Sir Hierd..." He was certainly nervously putting it. "I have a... Request of you... But!" He immidiately interjected; "If you see that it is not fit for your time, you may disregard this, selfish request... Of mine..."

    "I hope... I hope it''s nothing too hard..."

    Hierd nodded.

    "O lord, we wish for your accompaniment in our village''s safety. As the village nears the days ofauferstehen(the month of resurrection), we''ve realized that this may just be our... Last days alive."

    "What is Auferstehen? Isn''t the lands called Auferstan or some Shisse? Do they need weapons? How many days do I have!?"He looked to be sweating outside and having a breakdown inside.

    "Sir Hierd?" Said Alrife, jumping Hierd back to life.

    "Is it... Weapons you need?"

    "If you have so, then we... Wish of it be... But our main need is protection from the monsters."

    "Monsters? This is some full-on fantasy type stuff right here."

    "Then, I shall procure my men and I shall... Train you. Train all of your villagers to fight those... Monsters of yours."

    Their faces were full of gratitude, yet Hierd''s mind was full of uncertainty.

    The challenge, this invitation. He felt it was the start of something big, something large. He felt as if he were the harbinger of war simply from the sentences Naturvege had uttered before him. "Now come''s the question. How am I gonna train them?"

 II Village Soldiers

    <figure></figure>

    Image above is the map of Venit Ille (the village).

    <hr>

    Hierd questioned to himself whilst walking with Alrife, to which was walking him towards where the village chief wishes of Hierd to lodge in.

    Whilst walking with Alrife, Hierd questioned him;

    "What is Auferstehen?" He put it plainly.

    "You have no idea lord?" He looked at him, confused. "As far as I know, it''s effects shadow the whole continent. Perhaps, if... You, lord don''t know; is that because you''re from another continent?"

    "I think so, I am from the... European continent."

    "European? Forgive me lord, I don''t know this continent." He then said; "But, Auferstehen, it''s a yearly ''event.'' As far... As far as I know... It means revival? It''s when the old monsters come back to, ''wreak havoc.''"

    "Wreak havoc, revival..." He remised his days with books; "In other words... Zombies!? No, ancient... Old... Monsters... This might be something more in line with those myths!"

    Eagerly he asked; "Alrife, are these monsters typically humanoid? Are rotten looking and craves human flesh?"

    Alrife stopped in his tracks, he turned around confused. "No, they are more alike the average animals, but are more stronger, bigger, and more horrifying-looking."

    "I don''t understand."

    Alrife chortled a little. Still standing, he turned around; Alrife pointed to a dog some ways on the street being pet by a child. "That, lord is a dog."

    "My eyes haven''t decieved me yet." He looked at him, now with a half smile. "What about it?"

    "W-well. I don''t know much bout'' how they form or anything. Just that... They ''are'' what they are. And that dog is an example, an animal. But unlike an ''animal'' these Auferstehen beasts are big. Burly. A bulldog the size of a tree, I''d say; lord."

    "A bulldog the size of a tree." Hierd muttered in his breath. "One of three things I never thought would be fear of mine. Among woman and drivers being the two others."

    "Drivers?" Questioned Alrife, "they are courtman are they not?"

    "In a way... Yes."

    They made their way down the path to which was just behind the chief''s house. It was not a far trek, merely a couple of steps and you''d make it there yourself. The chief''s backyard (as observed by Hierd) was full of those training dolls and training swords, the trees having the slashes caused by the sharp edges of swords.

    But too observed by Hierd, there were so little, nigh so few arrows and bows displayed about. Either the village hides the rest or that there are just that few of them in the village.

    "We are here, lord. I... I need to be back to the chief, please enjoy your stay in our village."

    Hierd nodded to Alrife whom was already making his way back.

    "Its not that shabby, not that grand, but its a lodge alright..." Commented Hierd, looking at the ''shack,'' be it.

    In customary attitude, Hierd knocked then opened the door. It looked clean, it''s cleanliness inside did not what-so-ever matched the cleanliness, neatness, of the outside.

    Hierd laid himself onto the comfortable bed just in front the door. Just noticing his boots leaving marks of mud onto the clean wooden ground, he got it off and threw it behind the door.

    *Hyup!

    "Now time to prepare for tomorrow..."

    His mind depleted into the bedding. The cushioning just right, though it were only a stack of hay, a bit of cushioning and a white sheet separating his body from the prickly hay. His eyelids, heavier and heavier still; they closed.

    It was the next day. One would expect a festival to have been happening at that moment. Screaming from the limelight of the village were the swarm of villagers lined up one-by-one getting a closer look at their foreign aid, and the strange things he wore and had in hand.

    It was a spectacle. But all had went quiet when they saw the man in black raise his hand to the skies, the balled-fist enough to send coursing through their veins a command. Something they had to follow. Silencing the already little amount of people speaking.

    "Everyone! We are gathered here today to receive Lord Hierd''s training!" Shouted chief Naturvege at the surrounding village footmen.

    "Oh mercy! Look at how many! fifty footmen!? I thought this was a small village! Why is there so many!? I thought there''d be at-least 25!"

    Naturvege, after finishing his announcement stared at Hierd. Gathering that it was ''the'' cue, Hierd then announced. "Footmen, you all are to receive Germany''s weaponry. Because of this, you are not allowed to deface, to dirty, or even to break them. Death be to anyone who does!"

    The crowd of footmen grimaced, seeing that, he continued.

    "This here," He equipped the Kar98k on his back and showed it to the crowd. "This is the Kar98k!"

    Was it a spear!? Very short for a spear, they looked closer at the contraption, ah! Yes; a dagger is attached, it is by no means a spear, or is it? They hadn''t an idea, they were merely just so shocked! Naturvege, Alrife, the footmen, and all the observers were confused. But then, noticing the silent commotion.

    "Alike a bow, but thrice as better, this gun can fire bullets as fast as a blink." He gestured Alrife to prepare an arrow target.

    He took a deep breath and aimed at it.

    "Please, please don''t disappoint me now Kar98k please hit it..."

    He pulled the trigger.

    *BOOM!

    The crackle shook the observers, the ringing of their ears pained them but after a short while they looked at the target''s middle.

    "A hole!" One said.

    "He shot it!" Another said.

    "Yes, yes footmen. With this thing, we can shoot an average of five shots at every reload while the ones who wield arrows can fire one at our every reload."Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    The crowd was ecstatic, a weapon so accurate and fast, so powerful as well as it burned a small hole and punctured all the way through the target.

    "Today we shall practice to use the Kar98k. And once you''ve mastered it, shall I then teach you the proper way to be a soldier!"

    *YEAH!!!!!

    -A COUPLE OF MINUTES LATER-

    Hierd, with the help of Alrife readied a small target area. The ''hub'' area being the size of a football field. He set up three slots with targets at the end, one with a range of thirty meters, one with fifty, and the farthest being seventy meters. After they finished setting them up, he readied the soldiers in columns. But, he said something.

    "Hmm..."

    "It seems you soldiers look like the the branches on barks of wood!" He said before; "Alrife!"

    "Yes, O lord?"

    "March them around the field we have created until they''ve exhausted!"

    The soldier''s mouths dropped to the ground. Wanting to object one said; "But-" However he was stopped immediately when the chief that was right behind Hierd said; "Follow the lord! No man shall object, punishment to those who do!"

    In a meaningless fit they started with a short jog before then the chief said; "Faster!" They reached the 50th meter but by that time, their legs were far too exhausted. They panted like dogs and the many of them collapsed.

    "They''re far too weak." Hierd said before; "I wanted to train them how to use the gun but it seems they need physical exercises first! They can''t ever wield a gun like this!"

    Hierd''s complaint made the chief a bit embarrassed. To then Naturvege said, "Please excuse us, our footmen were under trained."

    "A chance!"

    "Then..." He smirked, "Take them at my leisure whilst I prepare twenty-five more of my guns... I expect them to be exhausted, with sweat drenching their whole body. And once night falls, line them up in columns for I will give everyone a lesson."

    A comical gulp, "I shall, O lord." Said Naturvege.

    In cinematic climax, Hierd rid himself off the stage and went towards the ''shack.''

    <hr>

    "I''ve been wondering for such a long time now... Why is Naturvege so loyal to me. Because I''m a ''lord?'' This man has lost it. But whatever the case... This is good for me and my own sanity."

    The townsmen were without doubt terrified of their new leader. After seeing the Kar98ks he so gracefully shot with, they thought all sorts of wild things; "Is he the lord of demons?" One said; "Will he kill us if we leave this town exposing his secrets!?" Yet thankfully another blurted; "He''s a lord! No noble kills a commoner without cause!"

    It slienced.

    "That may be indeed." Said in chorus, men of the village.

    From past the chief''s house and onto the dirt path; Hierd walked with a blank face and a tremoring hand.

    "fifty untrained footmen? Fifty untrained footmen that had (I think) survived and had beat the other year''s Aufer-- Aufer something, I forgot."

    He opened the cabin''s door, a pile of twenty-five Kar98k were on the floor, the same ones he was supposed to give the footmen. A sigh, before saying; "Give me twenty-five more Kar98ks with a fixed bayonet and a leather strap..."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: 25 KAR98K W/ FIXED BAYONET W/ LEATHER STRAP]

    A blink, and like magic, or rather, like the world was paused for him only, twenty-five fully decked-out Kar98ks were there, ready to be picked-up. "Now, what to do about those soldiers..."

    There was a lot of waiting, five? Four hours? What ever of it, he slept like a baby! Ignoring what bugs could''ve entered the cabin or of the importance he carried with.

    A knock, it rocked Hierd''s cabin about five times, the fifth one being much more softer. The fourth kicked Hierd awake, which was sleeping on the bed. "O'' lord!?" Shouted someone.

    "Yeah, yeah I''m coming!" He kicked himself off the bed with a simple jolt of the legs, put on his leather boots and opened the door. "Alrife?" He questioned, adjusting his eyes to his surroundings, his brain then woke up. "Ah, Alrife have they finished?"

    "Yes O'' lord. They have. And are now waiting for you and your lesson."

    "Lesson?" He forgets, but he then remembers; "LESSON!? I SLEPT THE WHOLE TIME THEY WERE TRAINING! SHISSE!"

    "Lord, Hierd?" Alrife eagerly awaited an answer from the ''lord,'' of which had multiple droplets of sweat dropping from his face.

    "Let us go."

    A brisk walk, it was quite scenic, in a way. There was so much green grass, a rarity in the city, the urban sprawl of buildings he thinks he lived in, in the past, or of the past that he has forgotten long ago. Hazy, such memories.

    The field was lit up bright with the footmen all gathered around where the lights were brightest and where the chief was visible. Alrife went toward Naturvege, whilst Hierd had impatiently put himself at the front of the platoon of footmen.

    "Good Evening, footmen!"

    The crowd of footmen seemed uninterested in whatever Hierd was to say, they were exhausted, very much so. In response to that, Hierd flicked his finger. A signal, the flick had called upon Alrife''s wagon.

    "As per request, O'' lord. The wagon you requested from the back of the cabin."

    It was covered in a large old-white cloth, it was just mere seconds later that the footmen had smelt; "Food!"

    "Yes! Footmen, Food!" Hierd said in a ploy to persuade. "Eat and drink to your heart''s content."

    Hierd and Alrife together had lifted the white veil and then came a booming smell of scalloped potatoes. Along with it, cold water, bottled already in canteens. Alrife, Naturvege, the footmen, they were all suprised, with the smell making them hungrier by the second.

    Before he could let the footmen touch even a small portion of it, he said; "I will be serving you all, so please be orderly and line-up." Not even a second later, the whole platoon of footmen were driven by hunger and lined so orderly that Hierd did not even need to say what''d happen if it wasn''t orderly. He noticed that Alrife and Naturvege were there too at the end of the line.

    "I prepared five pots worth of food!" Yelled Hierd, "I will leave a dish for your families too!"

    A great shout filled the air, it was indescernable, but Hierd knew that their morale was up and their moods were lifted. And hopefully, they trusted him much more than before.

    "This food looks great!" One said, after tasting it he then said; "And its tastes amazing!"

    Everyone agreed to that one''s statements, the food was hot and delicious, nothing like the village''s meals, it had a sort of ''kick'' to it unlike theirs.

    Hierd had, one-by-one gave every footmen a canteen with cold water and a large serving of scalloped potatoes, each-and-every one of the footmen were beyond delighted, tasting it, and recieving cold water after a hard day of training.

    It took an hour for all of them to be fully reinvigorated back into sense after the five hours of panting and jogging they had to endure.

    The footmen were done with the second pot, and all were full, all were energetic enough to talk and walk around like their five hour excersize was a thing of the past. But, noticing the lively environment, Hierd decided to call on the chief, which was himself chatting-up whilst eating the delicious food Hierd had procured. "Chief Naturvege!"

    Naturvege had immidiately got-up and walked rather jovial towards him. "Yes, Lord?"

    "They look full already, energetic too..." He looked onto the crowd before continuing; "Line them up in columns of five."

    Extrapolating from Hierd''s serious tone, he followed it as swiftly as he heard it. "Yes."

    "From the many of them, I''ve noticed that there aren''t many ''hardened'' men here. But there are few who looked skilled enough to hold and fire accurately a gun for the first time. They''ll be the first ones for tommorow... That being said; that Naturvege guy works fast..." He said whilst looking at the swiftly-created formation of footmen aranged in a matter as orderly as did when they were first hungry.

    When it finished, Hierd had stood in the front of them; "Tommorow shall mark the first day where you will get the Kar98k-"

    The platoon sounded excited.

    "But!" He exclaimed, "The gun, the one you will get tommorow. Lose it and you shall face punishment of the greatest magnitude! Lose your gun, damage your gun, and your face will turn unrecognizable infront of your family!"

    The platoon grimaced, their jovialness from before, gone.

    "The days of revival, you will be afraid, you will think of your family, you will think of the ones you love most in the front lines of battle. It will not weaken you, nigh it will strengthen you! Cherish your loved ones, the ones who live beside you, not only your family, friends, but every single man who sleep in this village. This all, will be your lesson. To love all whom you see. To thank all who help you, and to help all who need it. These ''values'' without it, I will not see you as a fellow man who holds the blade into battle to protect their loved ones. But rather a coward."

    "I think I got them..."

    They understood. Seeing the atmosphere lighten, Hierd continued.

    "To the men who I will point this day, shall be the ones to command and lead a team of ten."

    They all murmured. "Leaders!?"

    "Commanders!?"

    "Can I become one?"

    "If one objects or if I see evidence that dismay your position, immidiately are you to be demoted and shunned. Punished, so to speak. I will not accept dirty men in this platoon."

    Hierd first points towards the most muscular of all the men. "You. Name?"

    He wasn''t suprised in the slightest and immidiately answered; "I am Heduc, lord."

    Hierd smiled, "You will command the column which you stand in."

    Then Hierd pointed to the first in-line of the 2nd column. "You. Name?"

    A woman, she seemed to be one of five women who were ''enlisted.'' "I--I... I am... Jeane... lord..." She trembled in her speech."

    "You will command the column of which you stand in."

    Hierd pointed to the third column''s middle man. "You. What is your name?"

    A man, one that was less bulkier than the first, he was joival in his achiving a position. His friends beside him were cheering for him for being chosen a leader. "I am... Gelmund, lord."

    "You will command your column."

    Hierd pointed to the fourth column''s last man. "You. Name."

    A slimmer, more child-like teen. He was obviously suprised that he got the position, but Hierd took into account the weakness of the fourth column and saw that he; "Verdel, lord..." Was most fit out of all of them.

    He then skipped over to the last column, the fifth.

    "I shall command the fifth one, as the fifth looks to have the most fit inside. But know that as days shall pass, I will make sure that all are fed and all are physically fit enough to train and to be known a footman."

    The footmen cheered for their column''s leader. And too at Hierd for his helping of their village.

    "To all of the ones I had chosen. You shall awake earlier than the rest. And shall have to come to the chief''s house for debriefing. I expect your presence early and not late. You will lose your position if you are too late." Seeing the men, carrying the hot containers of food and their emptied canteens, and too their eyes that wanted sleep after a long day. He said; "Thank you everyone! You can now go."

    They hailed their appreciation and left, leaving the chief and Alrife behind.

    "Lord, we thank you for your generosity. But I would like to question where and how did you get such food?" Asked Alrife

    Hierd looked at him, "I would rather not say."

    "Really... Its like magic... I don''t even know how it happens..."

    "Please rest, for I will too. Tommorow''s going to be another long day for all of you."

 III Squads and Guns

    The sleep inside the cabin that Hierd got was not favorable, it was short and he had to wake up early for the debriefing he had talked of last night.

    "I want four Lugers with twenty magazines for the Lugers."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: FOUR LUGERS, TWENTY 9MM MAGAZINES]

    A blink and it was there on the bed he sat on.

    "Perfect..."

    "Now, I want a backpack."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: BAG]

    Hierd put all of the lugers as well as their magazines inside the bag. He got off the bed, put on his boots, cape, and hat and went out of his cabin. It was a relatively short walk, simply because his cabin was just behind the chief''s house. But he took his time walking all the way over to the chief''s front door.

    Two knocks beated on the front door!

    In a heartbeat, Naturvege opened the door and let in Hierd. "Goodmorning, lord."

    "Good morning to you too, Sir Naturvege."

    Hierd sat on the dining table he sat on the first day he was here. Whilst Naturvege went into the kitchen and seemed to get something from the cabinet. Hierd laid the bag on the floor and waited.

    "I keep going on about this without any planning. What in the hell am I going to say to them in the ''debriefing'' I said? I keep spouting on without second thinking, regretably; I just wanna look cool..."

    Naturvege came back, with two small cups on his hands. He handed over one to Hierd.

    "Thank you." He looked at the cup''s inside. "A leaf? Oh, is this tea?"

    He took a small sip, it was vaguely the tea he remembers having. It was more sweet than any tea he''d ever drunk. "What is this, chief? I''ve never had anything like it."

    "Its Halion Tea, sir, it is a commodity, I''m suprised you do not know of it."

    "The tea in my country is-in-a-way not sweet."

    Naturvege nodded.

    After some minutes of silence and the sound of sipping, Naturvege intervened silence from speaking.

    "The book you gave us was very insightful."

    "I''m glad you find it that way-" He was interupted.

    "To think your country controlled just about two continents is beyond my imagination."

    Gushing out of his mouth like a river; Hierd spilled the tea he was sipping.

    "Nazis! They were a part of the book! Well of course they would''ve been, it''s a history book; but I had not foresaw this."

    "Lord? What seems to be the problem?"

    "Sorry, it was nothing." He formulated a response, "But yes, my country is powerful, more so than any country in our history. But even the greatest of countries can fumble and be defeated."

    Before Naturvege could say another word, multiple knocks were rocking the front door.

    "I''ll get it." Naturvege said, "Enjoy your tea."

    Hierd heard the door open and a stampede of footsteps enter.

    "They''re all here!? That fast!? Thats... Thats something."

    "Good Morning, Lord." The group of four had said like it was rehearesed just last night.

    "Good Morning, please, have a seat..." Hierd replied with a smile on his face.

    The four awkwardly made their way opposite where Hierd sat.

    The four of them had worn their best clothes, which was not as fashionable as a normal T-shirt but it was not as torn and worn as what they wore yesterday.

    "Sir, if I may be direct, what is the reason of our debriefing?" Heduc said.

    "Honestly I don''t know, I''m ripping myself a new bottom here..."

    "You will become the leader of your squad, where in it you will lead whilst following my orders."

    "Excuse... Me," This time it was Jeane, "But what... Is a sq-uad...?"

    "A group of ten armed footmen, soldiers, knights, just that there are ten men in it."

    She nodded slowly.

    "I have a question... Lord..." Asked Verdel.

    "Ask away."

    "What special things do the..." Getting used to the word squad, "Sq-aud... Leaders do?"

    He grabbed the bag off the floor and opened it, revealing to the four the guns inside.

    They looked at it in shock, Jeane was dazzled by the shininess whilst the men had awoken inside them this ''urge'' to hold and admire it.

    "These are Lugers. Small versions of the guns I had showed you all." Hierd gave them, one-by-one the pistols along with the four magazines. "These Lugers, alike the Kar98ks I will give to you should be protected. Not one person will lose them, however they are more prone to breaking than the Kar98k, so when one breaks, tell it to me and I shall bring you a new one."

    A comical gulp to the four of them. Hierd put his hand under the table.

    "Give me four user-manuals of this luger''s manual."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    [REQUEST GRANTED: FOUR LUGER MANUALS]

    His hands were now full of small book-like manuals.

    "Here, read it if you have trouble trying to use the Luger." He put his hand under the table again.

    "Give me four... Whatchamacallit? Ah! Four pistol holsters for the Luger."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: FOUR LUGER HOLSTERS]

    "And these, are holsters." He picked up his own Luger which was on his on holster. "You insert your Luger inside it. Carry it at all times. You place the holster onto your belt."

    Naturvege stared under the table, questioning to himself how and where did Hierd get such things without his noticing, he didn''t even bring a bag or something for that stuff, was it hidden? A compartment he hadn''t known for years!?

    Seeing Hierd do it, they copied his movements. The four stood up and inserted it into their belts. They unbuckled the button on the holster and put inside the Lugers.

    "These are important in more... More closer environments."

    "I see! We thank you, O'' lord."

    "Gather your squads, head to their houses to wake them. This is your first assignment."

    "Yes, lord."

    The sound that Hierd yelled out made them freeze in place. "Reply to me as my current position, Captain, and say that too to each of your squads."

    While the rest were unsure, Heduc decided to take lead. "Yes, Captain!"

    Hierd smiled, "Now go!"

    They all ran towards the door, and as soon as the last was out, Hierd saw the chief eyeing out Hierd. "Captain! Can I get something like what you wear?" He jokingly put it.

    "My SS uniform?" Hierd questioned. "If I can, I''ll get one for you."

    "Don''t you need my measurements Captain?"

    "There''s no need, my country''s magical."

    Naturvege nodded, turned back and smiled with a fist pump to the air he mumbled to himself; "I finally got it!"

    Ten minutes had passed since that previous encounter, and his squad leaders and the footmen were all doodling about the grassy field.

    The footmen were in five columns, the four squad leaders up front, waiting for the captain. They were lenient at the point that they could talk to each other but not too lenient where they could move around the formation. When suddenly, Hierd appeared over by the distance where the trees and village were.

    "Get back to formation! Captain Hierd is here!"

    They all stood ready and stiff, with stern faces. But within all were excited to witness and hold the Kar98ks.

    Hierd had a graceful, strong stride, slowing into a walk as he soon neared the front of the platoon. Stopping with a stomp; "Today!" He paused to take a look at the formation; "Today you will finally hold the Kar98k!"

    "Has everyone ate today?!" Alrife exclaimed.

    "Yes, captain!" They all shouted, and most certainly did they look energetic enough.

    The crowd looked unexcited, but their eyes and minds had all the excitement contained. Hierd, like yesterday, flicked his finger. Like magic, Alrife came moving in another carriage. Carried within, the said guns. As Alrife reached the front and near Hierd, he stopped and Hierd continued; "I shall distribute everyone their Kar98k by every squad starting from the first one. You shall be given a manual on how to use these and a clip..." But, he recollected that this is the middle ages. "A clip is what powers the fire within."

    The crowd had a hidden; "Ahhh..."

    "As I said, you are to keep and to make sure it gets the upmost care. You are to carry these around like these were a bracelet given to by your child." He took a deep breath before, "However, the footmen who are not as strong as the ones who shall recieve it will not be able to participate in the firing practice and instead be trained for using the gun''s bayonet. You shall recieve my word if you are fit or not fit enough to wield the weapon. Once you recieve your gun, you will put the strap on as if it were a shoulder bag, mind you, the barrel should face up. Now I shall start giving it to you."

    Heduc started to move forward and directed his men towards Hierd''s direction. He then walked all the way to the back of his squad''s line. To the first footman and to all; Hierd gave them the Kar98k with it vertical (the barrel facing up) a fully loaded magazine and a small manual. From the first at did the last, they all strapped it first without having their inner jovialness intrude in the ''ceremony.''

    It took an hour for the ''ceremony'' to finish.

    Hierd had just finished the last man, the sun was still acute with the earth but Hierd knew that he had to hurry. "To all the men unfit to train please go to Alrife, to all the men fit the handle the weapon come to me."

    "Here comes the thing I''ve prepared. I gave and I trained Alrife the day before about bayonets... (If you can even call it a training its more like a demonstration). Now, I don''t know anything about guns but if the internet''s taught me anything, guns are beautiful."

    "Footmen!" Hierd shouted. "You need to remember the golden rules about shooting any gun, not just that one. Treat it as if it can fire anytime, do not, I repeat, do not point these guns to anyone who is not an enemy! Second! Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire! Lastly! When not in a combat situation, keep your guns unloaded, what I mean by this is that you should not ever have your clips, or so case, rounds, into your gun. Do you hear me men?!"

    "Yes, Captain!" A resounding cry from them all.

    -SWITCHING TO ALRIFE HERE FOR A SECOND-

    Alrife and three townsfolk who wanted to help set up ten wooden dummies for training, Alrife set his own near him, the three set up two for each column of men (there being three columns, with each having five men in it).

    "Alright men, since you are not yet fit to fire the Kar98k, you first will need to beefen-up and first things first is for you to train."

    Alrife had his own Kar98k strapped onto his back, he equipped the gun and set his figure on guard. They copied his movement with some struggle with the exact positioning of Alrife''s feet. "Put your dominant hand onto the stock, where it is near this small metal looking lever." Alrife demonstrated it just because he knew that they wouldn''t know what a stock was.

    With some struggle, they got it. "Now!" Alrife shouted, "When landing an attack, you want to thrust, like a spear! And not to slash! Like this!"

    *Hmp!

    Alrife impaled the wooden dummy that was infront of him, leaving a wound akin to a normal blade''s. "Now!" Alrife kept the bayonet fixed in the same position. "At this point, you have punctured your enemy, the monsters, twist your kar98k like this!" He began to squirm and rotate his gun in counter then counterclockwise action, repeating only two times. "As you can see, the small wound now turned into a bigger wound, turning into, in this case, a wider hole.

    *Ahhh...

    The crowd seemed to understand as their eyes widened in response. "I want you to repeat as I did! If you struggle, please come to me!"

    -GOING BACK TO HIERD-

    The previous day''s metered targets still stood and Hierd wanted to test off his shooting skills with the rest of the crowd that stood watching him. "Let me demonstrate to you all how to aim and shoot the Kar98k!" He stayed standing straight, with a deep breath he then looked down the iron sights. His target was only a mere thirty meters and he didn''t need to adjust his sight ladder at all. He pulled the bolt towards him then put a single round into it, after, pushing the bolt then back towards.

    "Then fail me now..."

    He took a deep breath, the crowd anxiously awaiting the thunder by the covering their ears. He put his finger on the trigger;

    *Boom!

    A succesful shot! "There! Who wants to try first?" The onlookers were suprised once more by the crackle, it was heard all throughout, the footmen, the men with bayonets, and even the chief who was soundly sleeping in his home.

    "Me! Me!" Hierd looked toward the small audience, suprised, it was Jeane! "I wish to try Captain!"

    "Then come on here!" He said, jovial.

    As Jeane neared with her own Kar98k, she asked; "Will shooting it, hurt my shoulder?"

    "You''ll feel like a person''s knudging you on the shoulder, but all''ve you will get used to it. Oh and, let me cover your ears for you..."

    "Thank you, Captain..."

    "I should really actually give them earplugs or something, but I don''t think there was anything like that in the second world war... Looks like they''re gonna need to get used to it..."

    Jeane had ''copied'' Hierd''s actions, but had first some trouble with aiming straight at the dummy. "Concentrate, close your left eye and look at your target." Hierd says, "Breathe slowly, then when you confident enough to fire, exhale then stop breathing, now your aim should be better than before..."

    "I see, thank you Captain." She replies.

    She breathed slowly, observing the target infront of her, feeling the surroundings, the grass that seems to swirl in the wind. As she points it directly at the middle of the target, she exhales and stops breathing.

    *Boom!

    It hit the target yet it was more to the side than at the middle. "Good Job, leader." Hierd comments.

    "Thank you, Captain." She reddened.

    "Please eject the gun by pulling the bolt back out again."

    She pulled back the bolt, the fresh-hot round landing on the ground.

    "Alright everyone! Who wants to go next?"

 IV The Village Problems - 1

    <b> "I took some rest after that day</b>, training those guys... It''s great that they learn quick, but Venit Ille has too many problems at the moment.."

    His thoughts pre-occupied his mind which was looking at the piles of paperwork before him.

    "Here, Captain, are the village''s many problems." Naturvege said, sitting beside him on the dinner table of his house. "Food, housing, people, to name a few, that pile is more of a complicated review of it."

    "Have you tried asking nearby cities or your kingdom''s capital?" Hierd questioned.

    "We have, but unfortunately... No matter what we did, no reply turned our way." He looked grim saying that.

    "How poor is your kingdom, Naturvege?"

    "Its not poor but our location being so far from the captial and other main cities makes it harder for their supplies to reach us, ultimately make it... More expensive of a trip."

    "I see..."

    "I don''t really, acutally see, I know nothing about these intellectual things, but with my power I might be able to do something about that."

    "Magic."

    "Magic? Captain?" Naturvege questioned.

    "What is it to you?"

    "A daily commodity, Captain, from fire, water, ground, and many other elements. Magic''s... Magic''s just a human trait, why?"

    "So maybe I can use it. But in the mean time, I shouldn''t reveal my powers to them, but if I would, maybe only to Naturvege or even Alrife."

    "Nothing in particular, I''ll help with your village''s problems, but in the meantime... Naturvege..."

    "Yes, captain?"

    "The footmen need physical training, gather all the squads and say that you will replace me in the meantime. I''ll have a cart full of food after about three hours, I''ll have Alrife deliver it by then. And if they misbehave, I''ll find out and that one man will not get any food."

    "Yes, captain."

    "Ahem! I am acting in my purest form of intellect!" He imagined himself in a dramatic pose. "I am of such lordly presence!"

    Hierd flew out the village hall with a smile on his face, phasing past the chief walking towards the direction of the training field.

    "Starting from phase I, food... Agriculture is a field I am not a master at... But I think I can rip myself a new ass here..."

    Hierd was occupied in his thoughts, but his outer appearance looked stern, manly, and rather aggresive looking. The bystanders that onlooked the lordly apperance and had backed away almost as if in impulse.

    "The village''s farm (as Naturvege told me;) ''It''s just north the village''s only bridge on the stream, which is just down the main road.'' I don''t know the cardinal directions! Mr. Voice, I want a book that teaches me about this."

    [RESPONSE VAGUE]

    Hierd sighed, "A book that teaches me how to travel in the wilderness without tools like compasses and other mechanical devices...?"

    [REQUEST GRANTED: CAMPING GUIDE BOOK]

    A book appeared on his hand, a bookmark piqued his intrest. It was on the fifty-seventh page, it was about how to tell the cardinal directions.

    "Thank you, voice." A small tear rolled down his left eye. After some minutes of reading whilst walking, he figured it out and coincidentally he was at the first step of the bridge.

    "Alright, alright. Give me sunglasses." He was just about to look at the sun but had fortunately remembered the sun''s dangerous rays."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: SUNGLASS]

    He put it on and looked (not directly, but adjacent) at the sun. "So... The sun rose there... That''s East. Then, north is on my left!" He proceeded to cross the bridge, there were many un-named paths but he took the one at the left. It was quite a ways off the village as the village wasn''t near any large bodies of water, but just after the small plain and the small line of trees was the farm area. It was rather big and encumbered only the left side of the river bank as just right of it was the boundaries of another town. Except it was more richer than Venit Ille, the village.

    "So the locals already know of my presence and I think the chief had already advised everyone that I indeed am of ''nobility.'' And are training them, so coming here wouldn''t be such a problem."

    Hierd walked to the front gate of the first barn house. Walking on the front porch and then knocking on the front door.

    Two knocks!

    "Hello! Is anybody home?" Hierd shouted in calm manner.

    "Hello there." Behind him, greeted a nice old lady, "What do you want, O'' lord?"

    Hierd''s ''flexed'' body slacked as he saw the nice-looking old lady. "Please call me Hierd, I''m sure you''ve heard of me, madam?"

    "Ah... Yes... Sir. Hierd, you were the kind noble that''s helping us. Thank you." She sounded appreciative but as seconds ticked she didn''t want to waste time. "Oh sorry! Please, please, come inside, I''m sure you have business with the farm."

    She went toward the front door, Hierd scooting over to the side to give her space to open the door. As she went in, so did he. "My husband and my scoodles should be home in a minute, so please sit down I will prepare some tea."

    "Scoodles? Local term or maybe another name for her children?"

    "Ah, thank you, thank you." Hierd replied in gratitude whilst sitting down on the dinner table chair. "Your husband''s a farmer I take it?" Hierd asked.

    "Ah, yes, yes." She responded as she made the tea, an aroma filled the dining room, one more distinct than what he drank at the chief''s. "He''s been a farmer ever since he was born!" She laughed.

    "There''s no use telling him to retire, the fields are his home, and it''s my home too..."

    She had just finished making the tea, bringing it then to Hierd. "Here, O'' lord."

    "Thank you." Hierd took the cup on his hands and took a sip. It was better than what he had at the chief''s. Noticeably so. "What is this tea, madam?"

    "It''s Juvino de'' suu Gott ni grace. A rather... Expensive expedenture, but I had persistance and my husband''s heart for me to get it so..." She laughed.

    "What; juuvini de sew Gott ni what now? That''s like Latin, German, Spanish all in the same name. But guessing from that, and the taste, this is some expensive stuff, I feel bad."

    "For you to give me such a thing when only I need the simplest of tea, I thank you, but my mind wishes to repay you in some way."

    "O'' lord, you don''t need to do such a thing..."

    "I feel I have to..." Hierd took another sip, appreciating the taste, aroma. Until a knock rocked the door.

    "Oh! They''re here O'' lord. I shall unlock the door."

    Hierd nodded. She opened the door, to be greeted by a big man, old in appearance and looked similar to the chief. Hierd got up from his chair and walked towards the man hugging his wife after the walk he embarked from the farmlands.

    "Good Afternoon, sir, I am Hierd Die Grace."

    He was shocked, very much so.

    "Captain! For you to be in my house suprises me so!"

    "Captain? For he to refer me as captain... Is he a part of the footmen? No, that''s insane, he''s a farmer right?"

    "Ah right, sorry you don''t know who I am. But please, let me first retire myself of my work garments before we continue."

    "That is so." Hierd replied.

    "Hey dad!" A voice came out of nowhere behind the man. "Can you finish early? We want to go back to the fields!"

    "Yes, yes, I will. But I don''t think I''ll be early boys, so come inside and greet our visitor."

    "Visitor?" They inquired, going in-"Is it Aunt Janelle agai--" they trembled, looking at the hunk of muscle which was Hierd.

    "G- G-- Good... Afternoon... O'' lord..." Two boys, seemingly in their fourteens, looked as frightened as would a mouse in cat territory.

    "Good afternoon." Hierd replied, in comical ''jest.''

    "Let''s not wait at the door gentlemen!" She interjected, "Please O'' lord, and... My dear, make yourselves home in the dining room."

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "Quickly now, my Scoodles, to your rooms~." She said in a quieter tone to the two boys.

    The man went into a seperate room, after a couple of minutes, he came out with a more fresh and homey room unlike the farmer-like dirty outfit he had going when first he came.

    Hierd already sat on the dining room chair, the man had made his way to the dinning room with he sitting opposite Hierd''s.

    "I''m the chief''s brother, Finne. You can call me Fin." He said with a jovial attitude. "I''ve watched and loved your way of commandeering the footmen, they were so unruly before. To think they would obey someone in such short a time... I''m impressed, Captain."

    "Oh stop~ I know I''m just that good."

    "I see, I thank you for your compliments. But what I''m here for is not about the footmen, instead for the food."

    "I see, so you''ve come for our aid!? To this I can''t thank you enough, captain!" A grin showed and widened, with his atmosphere being free. "The invention of the Kar98k, the food and other equipment! Surely your country, captain, can out rival the kingdom, nigh the world with your intellect! Is there a technology in your country that could help?"

    "Well, I want to find out first before I could get the right things needed for the job, Sir. Fin, I want to look at your farm." Hierd said as he took the very last sip of his tea.

    "Right'' way, captain."

    Hierd and Fin got up from their seats. Fin hurried to the door and got his hat. "Dear! Kids, We''re going to the farm! Wanna come!?" He shouted.

    Soon after, a rumble of four feet had rocked the stairs down. "Yes! We wanna go!" They looked to have completely forgotten the ''frightning'' lord that was just beside Fin. Instead being blinded by the want of going to the fields.

    Fin opened the door and out the four went. The boys ran forward and took first while the two men walked and stayed behind.

    "Aren''t they energetic?" Hierd asked in a light tone.

    "Yes, they''ve always been. The fields are their playground, they love it, and naturally, I should care for it, so the beauty of the fields could last..." A pause, Hierd took it that the said beauty would last no longer.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "The crop yields have weakened, and everything we''ve done hasn''t worked. I haven''t told the kids about it, but I feel even they have noticed."

    "I''m no botanist nor farmer, but considering their era, has fertilizer even been invented yet? No wait, it should have been, farming dates back to them dinosaur days or some thing. Quite literally."

    "Fertilizer hasn''t worked?" Hierd questioned.

    "Fertilizer, captain, what is that? Is that a cure for this sickness!?"

    "Well what then did you use to make the crops better?"

    "Ennomite, captain."

    "I''ve yet to hear something like that..."

    "I see, then..." He formed his thoughts. "Ennomite''s something that fastens the growth and overall greatness of crops, making it look and taste delicious."

    "I think I''ve found the problem..."

    They neared the farmlands which was next to the clear river just yonder. The children were playing about in the farmland, being careful and avoiding stepping on any crops. Because of their playing, their shins looked dirtier-looking than mud could be.

    "This... Ennomite." Hierd said. "If it fastens the growth of your crops, doesn''t it fasten the decrease in the amount of fertility in the soil? If so, then Ennomite has been making your soil weaker!"

    Fin was stunned, like a prophecy was revealed to him. They stopped in their tracks. "Such a revelation... I haven''t even thought of it! Can that fertilizer help in reinvegerating the once fertile land?"

    "I think it should. But it is not really a product, more of a byproduct so to speak. But it''s effects should bring about more yield than before."

    "I see, than how so can it be done, what is this byproduct, captain?"

    "Feces."

    "Feces?" Fin looked disgusted yet intrigued.

    "Feces."

    "What can it do?"

    "You can collect the feces of your farm animals, put them onto your crops at spring and you shall see the results for yourselves."

    "I... I see..."

    "It''s... I know it''s really weird, I know hold on, Fin, I''ll get you something... I want a book about farming!"

    [REQUEST GRANTED: FARMING BOOK]

    Before it could appear in seconds, Hierd put his right hand onto his coat. Seconds after, an unexpectedly big and heavy book appeared.

    "Here... Read its contents and understand the ways my country handles such a thing. I shall supply you with the many gadgets you will undoubtedly need when you are to complete it."

    He was suprised. More so at the book than what Hierd promised. "Such a book! Are you to give and let me read it, captain!? I couldn''t possibly..."

    "O'' please, don''t be so humble, accept and read its contents. And soon you shall understand my words are not fiction."

    Fin looked more than greatful for the ''gift'' he got. Hierd looked at the small watch he had, it was approaching the first hour. "I need to go now, I thank you for your time Mr. Fin."

    "The Honor''s mine. Please, come back any time!" Fin said to Hierd walking away.

    It took quite a bit of time to reach the bridge from the farmhouse, but; Hierd came back to the bridge intersection,

    "I did the more ''harder'' task first, the farm thing. But now comes the second, housing and the over abundance of people in the village."

    Hierd walked towards the village.

    "So Naturvege said that because of last year''s... Auferstand- something, a neighboring village took refuge inside the arms of Venit Ille, which was more ''combat-ready'' than them. But now, they live inside the newly built homes. So... Now there''s a total of a hundred or so people living here, damn... I should begin by talking to them, right?"

    Hierd made his way to the main street, where he was at an hour ago, a turn towards the newly constructed homes. The environment was lively, yes, but everyone did not look well, after all, the days of Auferstehen was nearing. And they were worried. Hierd came from out of the green, the walked to the nearest man.

    "Good Afternoon."

    He stood up, nervously so. "G... Goo'' dafternoon, O'' lord."

    "Please be at ease gentleman." Hierd reassured the man. "I want to see your village''s... Chief..."

    "Ah, I see... Pl-- please, follow me."

    Hierd let the man gather his belongings on the ground and as he went away, Hierd followed with.

    The townsfolk were eyeing out the captain, Hierd, who looked and acted of nobility, and they did not dare to even approach him.

    The man led Hierd into a big poorly made wooden house (akin to a barn house). The doors opened and a slew of men, women, children alike were sitting on the boarded-wooden floor.

    "Holy! This scene looks like a gymnasium after an earthquake. Like a disaster had just fooken swept them... Well I guess a ''disaster'' did sweep them."

    "Where is your chief?" Hierd questioned him as the man had just stood there eyeing out the watching crowd.

    He didn''t reply but after a second round of him observing the twenty or so people, he had finally responded. "There! O'' lord."

    Hierd followed the man, the chief was minding his business with a pile of paperwork and a group of his own men.

    "Good afternoon." Hierd initiated the conversation with the chief, of which paid him no mind until the man from before had merely tapped his shoulder.

    "Is he deaf? Pen and paper should be more morally accepted than shouting to an old deaf man with a high position."

    The men surrounding him hadn''t mind but after he touched him, the chief had finally reacted. A jolt. He was astonished.

    "Ah! The lordly man who showed that... That Car 908kay!

    Hierd''s inner self wanted to laugh but his body simply rejected such an embarrassment of a thought.

    The chief had got up from his sat position, with a bright face, he said;

    "I am Hadi, chief of Ridge Village! Pleasure to meet you me lord!"

 V Village Problems - 2

    Hierd shook his hand, after; he put his right hand on his coat.

    "Give me a pencil and paper."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: PENCIL AND PAPER]

    He pulled out the two items from the shadows of his coat and wrote;

    "Hello, Mr. Hadi, are you unable to hear properly?"

    "Yes, yes, but pay no mind to it. My assistant," He pointed to the man who Hierd followed. "He will translate it into the language of signs."

    "Sign language exists in this world? Well of course it would, what am I? Stupid?"

    "I see." Hierd nodded. "I am here to see and hopefully... Resolve, the situation."

    Awkwardly did he wait as the man signed.

    "Resolve!? O-o, lord!" He dropped down. "Please, please, help our village!"

    "I will, Sir. Hadi. But first I need to understand the problem."

    "Over here, O'' lord." Hadi said after the man finished signing.

    The men who were on the floor were busy looking at documents and so-what (most of said document were written on wood with black paint, whilst there were some others written in paper, albeit, the quality lacked).

    One man in the party of men started the conversation. "Here, O'' lord is our budget."

    "Three thousand silver coins? That''s sound good to me, right? What''s the conversion rate of silver to dollar?"

    "Excuse my mind forgetting, but how much is silver makes one gold coin?" Hierd questioned at the man.

    "It is I believe fifty silver a golden coin."

    "Meaning we have sixty golden coins as our budget. I don''t have the best of grasps on my economy, but I think that this village is quite poor." Hierd sighed.

    "How did Ridge Village make money before the monsters came?"

    "Let me answer that question... Lord" A man beside him interjected, meanwhile the chief rested. "Before, it was two-hundred silver, and in a good day, maybe three-hundred or so for one week." He passed a wooden tablet over to Hierd.

    "It contains our main sources of money; crops, meat, and the occasional swords." His face grimaced. "But, last year, when we had to flee. An obvious decrease in crops led to a rather unfavourable pay."

    "Is it happening in this village too? I should look at their village first if I ever wanted to venture."

    Hierd rubbed his chin, and after some seconds, said; "Can you answer a question of mine, sir?"

    "Oh, please--O'' lord, call me by my name, Friedrick. But, yes, I think I can, O'' lord."

    "Have you applied Ennomite in your farming in the recent years?"

    "Yes, we of course have, as every city and village have used in their farming."

    "It had maybe led to the downfall of your crop''s yields."

    "How so!?" Friedrick was concerned.

    "Doesn''t this Ennomite fasten the growth of plants? And makes the crops more appealing, both in taste and looks?"

    He nodded.

    "Ennomite''s forced growing of the crops lead to the nutrients of he ground to be... ''Sucked'' up too much in too fast a period of time. Ultimately such things need time to replenish, which Ennomite disturbs."

    "What unforeseen knowledge!" He faced the other men around him, Friedrick initatied the conversation, of which they all gathered and whispered to each other. Hierd hadn''t heard anything and because of that, he became intrigued.

    "O'' Lord!!!" Friedrick bellowed, the men bowed and put their heads all the way to the ground. "Please save our village!"

    The chief didn''t look to ''understand'' the situation, but grasped from the men''s gestures what it might be about and too bowed.

    A few minutes have passed since that conversation, and since then; Hierd, Hadi, and the rest of the men went inside a more comfortable place to talk (the chief''s home''s dining table). "I want to talk about the current situation." Hierd started.

    "The current situation, O'' Lord?" Friedrick said, sipping the tea given to him. "We had fled our town, Ridge town, which lies further north from here. Because of Auferstehen, the month of resurrection. We were forced to flee." His face was unhappy. "Wolves had trampled any wheat and crop we had. The other beasts had too broken the wooden-made homes, and had unfortunately, taken alot of my people. We regret not having acted better, but... There''s nothing to be done."

    "Don''t be hard on yourself, Sir. Friedrick, surely that was the best choice, to flee. But I have a question."This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "What may it be, sir?"

    "Why not have the knights of the closest city help?"

    The whole room seemed to dim, Friedrick and the rest of the men seemed absent in thought, but as Hierd looked at their eyes, those were eyes--eyes filled with anger.

    "The kingdom, Krimvald, doesn''t care about it''s villages." A man started.

    Hierd felt like he shouldn''t talk, but he needed to. "Then let''s ignore that kingdom."

    "What?" A murmur of questions rang about the table.

    "What my country can bring to the table is even more better than whatever this one can bring for it''s people! If it wants to ignore, turn a blind eye to its men, that you should all too!" Hierd stated, loud enough that even Hadi had heard.

    "O--O''lord, surely you... You aren''t thinking of... Rebelion?" Hadi felt terrified.

    "More of an invasion." He stated with a grin. "I need only an army of a hundred to defeat an army of five thousand!"

    The room had a silent gasp. Naturvege (watching from afar), was intrigued, and smiled.

    "But how?" Friedrick questioned. "I do not doubt the power of your country''s Kar98k, but I think that even that can be overpowered by the many arrows and swords of the kingdom."

    "Germany, my country, hasn''t only the Kar98k. We have moving Iron strongholds, capable of cracking a mountain with the thunder it cracks." The men got excited, Friedrick had grown a grin whilst too finishing his tea. "We have birds of Iron that can fly faster than that of the Kar98k! And all I ask, is for an army. And surely your Ridge village supports an army more than thirty?"

    They were stunned to speak, ''Iron strongholds that can destroy mountains?'' And, ''Iron birds that fly faster than Hierd''s weapon!?'' But ultimately, the idea of rebeling looked to be more brighter.

    "If you need our footmen, take all fourty of them. If you need more, then we shall bring to you ones that shall serve your army." Friedrick stated. "And if you can uphold that this kingdom be damned, I shall, no, we shall serve you, Sir. Hierd die Grace!"

    "I''ve just put ''Jesus'' in their minds with the knowledge I''ve said. But even I don''t know where this will go towards to, but hell! With Ridge Village''s dedication to serve me, and also Venit Ille''s. I can stop a whole army from approaching... ''our'' lands."

    They got out of their seats and once again bowed to Hierd. He didn''t know what to do, but just nodded instead. "Please, sit down." Hierd said. "We will talk buisness."

    "Yes, sir."

    About an hour later; Hierd''s meeting with Ridge village ended. They talked more of Venit Ille and Ridge village''s cooperation with each other as Naturvege had then stepped up and joined the meeting (Hierd was very confused why Naturvege was resting in his house and not on the field, but he said; ''Alrife''s training them all with the bayonet'').

    Hierd was resting outside on the chief''s house''s bench. Breathing in the natural and fresh air of the afternoon, which was uncomparably more fresh in comparison to his life in the modern world.

    There was still an hour left until Hierd was designated to bring the footmen their needed food. But he had basically completed everything for the day.

    "Might as well visit early..." Hierd hid from public view, and once he was in a decently hidden spot, he said to the voice; "Give me a big wooden wagon with... fifty... Egg omolettes with... Hotdogs... That are inside medium-sized wooden boxes with... A removable top."

    A blink, and there it was. The wagon was filled to the brim with the fifty boxed egg omolettes. "I guess I''ll just bring the food early."

    "Wah!"

    "W-what!? A voice? Where? Who?"

    "Who''s there!" Hierd shouted into the oblivion of the forest.

    *Ah, he spotted me!

    "Come out!" Hierd shouted at the tree where voice seemed to emit from.

    A small child.

    "God! what the am I gonna do if this guy exposes my secret!"

    "O... O'' lard? How didja do that!?"

    Hierd bent down and sat to meet the child''s level. "What do you mean? It was just hidden by the tree''s vines and I just shook over to reveal it."

    *Oooo

    "I chee, O.. Lord."

    Hierd saw the child pout a bit. "Does he want an omelette? Eh... Fine, I mean I just gas lighted him into thinking that the wagon didn''t just transmogo-whatever out of nowhere."

    "Here, want some?" Hierd questioned whilst he held a wooden box.

    "Yesh!" He took the box, and scurried off.

    "..."

    Hierd went behind the wheel and pulled the cart forward where the field was.

    He treaded forward with his wagon, slowly so, until he could see just about the silhouetes of men and women training in the distance. He could''ve just stopped and stood to watch, it was in a way mesmorizing? Hierd was twisted in the head.

    He heard the distants cries of men, the grunts of the men, and the faint puf of the women. "Thats bayonet training alright."

    Alrife, who stood looking at them train was able to spot him trekking, nearing the platoon of men. "At ease everyone!" Alrife shouted. "The captain is here!"

    "Ohh, look at the captain! He''s bringing us food!"

    "It smells delicious too!"

    The men were wholly fixated on the wooden wagon with the beautiful aroma and hadn''t cared if their posture was straight nigh if their tongue stuck out. But seeing this, Alrife freaked. "Everyone! Position yourselves neatly! Neatly! I tell again, Neatly! Or I''ll be shoving food in your gullets with my bayonet!"

    The crowd went silent.

    Alrife went towards Hierd, to help him with carrying the heavy wooden wagon up a slight hill towards where they trained. And before long, the wagon was stationed infront of the whole platoon.

    "Men! It seems you are all hungry! So I came a little bit more earlier than I should have had! So please, line yourselves in accordance to your column and your leader and come to recieve the food!"

    Following the aroma more than his words, they stationed each other''s columns accordingly. Alrife had immidiately took the role of giving out the food as he had fancied it and had already done it the day before. "As these are boxes, there will not be refills!" Alrife shouted.

    They pouted, but didn''t argue.

    "What in the-" The first footmen had gotten and opened their wooden box. "A... A holy yellow light... A holy aroma... What is this amazingness!?"

    Hearing that, the rest of the footmen had gotten excited.

    ''I wanna try that! Faster, faster dammit!''

    ''He said it was... Holy... I wanna eat it!''

    The men were wholly satisfied with the food, now replenished; it was back to business, they leapt to the water containers to fill their canteens, drinking mouthfuls before they went back.

    Alrife had instructed the squad leaders to assemble their members in the columns of five as before (Hierd instructed the fifth to do so too). He made his way to the front, and announched; "All of the squad leaders are to come to the chief''s house by sun set!" He continued, "The rest of the men, the footmen, are allowed to dismiss!"

    A sigh of Woohoo! Made it''s way like a tidal wave across the crowd of soldiers.

    They were at ease and conversed with their comrade, footmen. But after some while, they all walked down from the hill the field was on and towards the village. Alrife, the squad leaders, and of course, Hierd, stayed. Heduc first interjected the silent mood; " Captain, what is the purpose of the... Meeting...?"

    Hierd looked at him, and by relation, to all the leaders. "As Auferstehen gets closer, I want to show, and to explain to you all as you will explain to me how Auferstehen will be beaten."

    He nodded in approval.

    "The air is getting colder... If Auferstehen is... December... Then I think I should give them all uniforms, and better guns. I hope this Auferstehen, this thing. No overpowered anything please?"

 VI Planning for Auferstehen

    A party of seven people. Hierd, Heduc, Naturvege, Jeane, Gelmund, Verdel, and Alrife. The dinning room table was crowded and as the table had before only five, the chief had to get from other rooms from his house an additional two.

    "Gelmund." Hierd started, "I have reason to believe that you have more experience in these ''monsters'' than others."

    His eyes opened in response. "You know of my previous occupation, captain?"

    "You were part of Unchean''s research division."

    --Unchen is the city closest to Venit Ille, and is located east the village--

    "I don''t know alot about this division, but from what Naturvege said; ''That division handles the researching of monsters during Auferstehen. But he retired just before you came, captain.'' I''ll try asking him."

    "I don''t know much about this division, do you care to enlighten me?" Hierd asked, taking a sip of his tea.

    "Captain... We.. of the... Division, were tasked to... Examine. Examine all of the monsters that come in the month of Auferstehen." Gelmund stuttured. "They, were much different from its normal... Counterparts, just that their mass, appearance and overall... Height, increased by two fold."

    "How big can some get?" Hierd got curious.

    "The majority of them are as big as a tree. But sometimes, we get ones... Bigger than that of a castle''s highest tower."

    "Damn, training''s gonna get a little feisty this time around."

    "How does, or rather, how did this village repel these things?" He turned to Naturvegen.

    "We-- Well... Captain, the village does have its setbacks when it comes to combating these things. And we mostly rely on the brute force."

    "Aren''t we dealing with wolves or something? The hell are you gonna do with brute force with a whole ass wolf the size of a tree?" Hierd was very confused. As Ridge village was, as Friedrick mentioned; ''wolves ravanged the crops.''

    "These wolves, aren''t they too dangerous of a force to reckon with?"

    The whole room was confused. Hierd felt like he was missing something.

    "Captain, the monsters... ''Resurrected'' during Auferstehen differ, when it comes to... Different places."

    "Then thats great to know that we''re dealing with monsters less powerful than the wolves that trampled Ridge village''s fields."

    They nodded.

    "Now," Hierd continued. "I want to know how the last Auferstehen was dealt with."

    -LAST YEAR''S AUFERSTEHEN AS RECOUNTED BY ALRIFE-

    "It was night when they came, and the snow was everywhere, so was the cold. The villagers were all gathered in safe areas. Safe being areas that had the eye and protection of our soldiers. I was in-charge of keeping the footmen at bay, while reasuring them that nothing bad would happen. Then, I heard the chief shout; "THEY''RE HERE!" He pointed at the field, the same one where we train today. "

    "And indeed when I had turned to that field, I saw animals, monsters, they were big yes, and because of that, they were slow. This wasn''t my first rodeo with these things, but the mere sight of these things made me, feel fear and the want to... Live. The monsters were horse-like in appearance, but horrifyingly so, they walked as if they were playing with their food."

    "But, enough of that. I had the men gathered and with their shields and long spears, I told them that one man shall shoulder the blow whilst the other shall prick the things. Horses have powerful hooves, but I knew that they were slow, as any other monster in the month of Auferstehen, so such a plan wasn''t all that bad."

    "We had five of our archers shoot out the first of the arrows, tipped with anything we could find. Poison, fire, feces, anything, anything to just weaken those things. I distinctly remember that an arrow had so perfectly hit the eye of the leading horse and brought down with him the two horses following him from behind. Without such a lucky hit, I don''t think we could''ve had a more safer one--"

    Hierd itched to question, and so he interjected Alrife''s recount. "Auferstehen doesn''t last that whole... Month? Or is it a one day event?"

    "It lasts the whole month, but the waves of which these monsters occur are..."

    "Are that it depends upon the location, Captain." Gelmund jacked, to which Alrife nodded. "More of the monsters in the month of Auferstehen target the cities and other places with a lot of people living inside them. Venit Ille wasn''t that big, we were lucky that the wolves of RIdge village didn''t... Migrate downwards, but we... More I, think, captain, that the Auferstehen to come will be more-or-less be worser than last year, by ALOT."

    "So depending on the population, these things change direction, their fangs to their bigger target. Might be a hurdle in my ploy for world domination."

    "Thank you. You may... Continue, Alrife."

    "The rest of the night was just about killing the ones who remained. I don''t know how many they were, but if I were to guess, it''d be about twenty of those horses. But I cannot give any so what advise for our next Auferstehen, that one was just luck, the next one might not be so lucky."

    "Might not indeed, however we gained insight that our enemies come at night, at winter, and are horses." Hierd said to reasure them. "If it comes at that time, and at that climate. Won''t our men suffer from the cold? How did you last conform to it?" He turned to Naturvege.

    "We didn''t really have alot of... Winter coats, those things are found in cities and rarely are they produced here. We had about five, and right now... I think eight. And so, we just bared the cold."You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    "Mad men! I''d need a blanket and atleast three jackets to be warm in a room with the AC on."

    "I will give you all uniforms, to both confirm your identity with this village-"

    "But if these uniforms are from... Germany, your home country, captain, aren''t we defecting?" Heduc interupted.

    "What good does your kingdom do for you to still want to wear their sigils?"

    They were silent.

    "I will supply uniforms more comfortable than what your kingdom could ever supply."

    In dramatic wait, he, Hierd, slowly uncovered from the veil of his cape a wooden box. It was big enough to fit the uniform Hierd wanted to give them.

    *Wahhh?!

    It was the SS uniform, about the same as what Hierd had worn, and it was all black (of course the symbols were removed). "This is for you, Naturvege, as you had requested it first."

    Naturvege was full in excitement, the fabric was nice, and it felt warm when he had quickly wore it, coat, cape and everything. "Thank you captain!" He had squealed internally in excitement.

    The four squad leaders were giving Hierd the puppy eyes treatment. Seeing that Hierd was forced to say; "You all, as well as all the soldiers will undoubtfully get theirs tommorow."

    They too squealed.

    -A FEW MINUTES LATER-

    "The village''s main houses are surrounded in woods," Hierd said, pointing his finger on the map laid before him of the village''s boundaries. "The farm, the fields and so what lay farther away from the center and are more or less the most in danger. I say we put... A squad to guard the fields, whilst mine and the three others will surround the main village''s tree perimeter to.... Scout if those horses come from that side."

    "But the horses from the previous year appeared only at the plains, shouldn''t it be better, nor even safer to put the force of all our troops there?" Jeane said.

    "But, think about it. Our population has doubled, and I do not think we can just place a bet that may endanger the town''s citizens if such a bet was wrong." Hierd replied. She made an agreeing sound.

    "Alrife, I have a question." He looked up to him. "Did the previous years have the horses coming from the field?"

    "Well it had, in-a-way, varied but they came from the fields. But I do think that it''ll be different this year around."

    "Why so?"

    "When the village was still small, the number and the area they covered was small also. However in recent years, this place has grown and so too did their numbers and how they approached us."

    "So surrounding the forest is something that we should do." Heduc interjected.

    "It maybe so." Jeane replied.

    "Though our weaponry is agreeable," Heduc said. "If those things had come in groups, our Kar98k would have some difficulty cutting through? Right?"

    "Which is why I will bring over some... New Weaponry..."

    "NEW WEAPONRY!?" Naturvege was most in intrigue than the others who were there.

    "I, with the uniforms, will bring that new armament to light and you will all train with it too."

    They whispered to each other, the squad leaders had their intrests piqued.

    ''Is it a new Kar98k version? A Kar99K?''

    ''No way! It has to be a cannon!''

    "Whatever it is I shall bring, it''ll be detrimental without it." Hierd stated. "So I want for you four," He pointed at the squad leaders. "To assemble two fast or strong men that are in your squads."

    "Yes, captain!" They said.

    "Mines. This is something I should keep in mind, ''these are dangerous when left alone.'' I have to make sure the villagers are kept in one spot if these are deployed around the forest."

    Hierd glided his hand on the map and looks at the various roads. "Ridge village promised me as many troops as they can get."

    "Isn''t that nice? I could take charge of their training." Naturvege replied in jest.

    "I think Alrife should be more equipped with such a thing." Hierd interjected.

    He sulked.

    "And more so;" Hierd added. "Alrife has more influence for the men, than... You."

    The smile he had when first he suited the given uniform went quickly down and sullked all the way out the dinning room.

    "..."

    "Alrife, I want you to train them to use the sword, and..." Hierd then looked at the squad leaders. "You four will train them to use the Luger, I trust that you have had able experience using it and too reading the manual."

    "Yes, captain."

    "I wanted to have the new recuits to use the Kar98k, but... I overheard some villagers and footmen that Auferstehen is just around a week. Why in the did the leaders, and the chief, no, even Alrife; tell me that Auferstehen was just that close."

    "But as you know," Heduc said. "Captain, Auferstehen is just a week''s away.

    "What the? They mention it now!?"

    "The luger is easy to use, but as the old footmen took just about three days of training and are already used to the Kar98k and how to use it at far ranges... I think that we should focus more on using the better weapon than the short ranged, luger." Heduc said.

    "The rifle is cumbersome in closed areas, and I wish for the newer recruits to be fast-moving. I took the liberty of suggesting that they train the sword and luger, as it conforms to the old way they would train. And, in addition, they will instead march around the town and be the ones rescuing ones in need."

    "I see, captain." Heduc replied.

    *knock knock

    It rocked the front door of the house, it jolted Gelmund but Heduc remained at a state of ease, almost as if a statue. Alrife went towards and opened the front door.

    "Good afternoon."

    The voice sounded familar to Hierd, and when he turned around.

    "Ah? Friedrick! What is the reason of your visiting?" Hierd said while standing up and walking towards him.

    "I am here, O'' lord to give you a letter from the chief of Ridge village." Friedrick said. "It contains the number of our footmen, ones ready and ones who have volunteered as reserve."

    "Then you have come at the right time!" Hierd cheered, he got the letter he held up. "Our footmen will gather at the fields tommorow, we wish for your village''s cooperation in the training that will happen. Your men should be up by dawn and be ready to train at the field."

    *Uhh (Hierd)

    "Gel... No, Jeane!" She jolted in response and looked at the captain.

    "What is it, captain?" Her head tilted.

    "You, Jeane, will guide the footmen tommorow."

    "Yes, captain." She bowed.

    "The members of my squad will bring over to you at... Sunset today food for the footmen, get them plump and energetic before tommorow."

    "Then that I will tell the chief." Friedrick smiled.

    Hierd went back to his seat and proceeded to open the letter he was given (Friedrick sat on a box by the kitchen). It was a relatively small rough paper square, and contained read;

    "Good day, O'' lord, Hierd Die Grace. I unfortunately could not be able to come to your abode, simply because it''d be hard for you to wait for my answers and for me to understand signalled words. So instead, I put it in paper."

    "Our village boasts thirty footmen, all are willing to serve in your command and any and all of your squad leaders. We wish for you to save us, for you to save the villages, and for the betterment of the relationship of Venit Ille and Ridge."

    "All of your terms for our footmen are terms that we will no doubt agree to, and anything you shall need we will do."

    Hierd, after finishing reading it; "Thirty? Thats alot, I thought it''d be twenty. But the more the merrier."

    "Thirty footmen? Thats great!" Jeane said. Gelmund and Heduc followed suit in agreement.

    Hierd looked to Friedrick, "Is this number final? Or are there more? Weren''t there ones reserved?"

    "Ah, to answer your first question; there are actually fourty, that being ten are reserved."

    "Then they shall need to come tommorow as well."

    "Yes, yes they shall."

    -AN HOUR LATER-

    Hierd, the representative of Ridge village and all of Venit Ille''s ''military'' personnel had just finished the meeting. And the poor Hierd was tired with all the thinking, when he himself was just a university student back then. And was not the adult who had responsibilities.

    Jeane, Heduc, the rest of the leaders rest in their homes, spending time with their family whilst awaiting for tommorow''s dawn. Whilst Hierd was in his room, with SS uniforms and some special Philippine Constabulary officer uniforms for the Ridge men that towered all the way to his ceiling, lugers the covered his wooden table. Many double-edged swords in scabbards resting on the floor under the bed, boots that covered the wooden floor boards, and four speical German WW2 captain insignias inside his leather bag.

    "How the hell am I gonna sleep in this crowded ass room!?"

 VII Mines, Rides, Shouts, and Cries - 1

    Hierd didn''t get even an ounce of sleep, though he was accustomed to not sleeping, that night was for a different reason; tidying up. The huge amounts of uniforms were single handedly put inside German WW2 bags with the blankets already put on. He put in it unloaded lugers, five magazines for it (he of course did not include them for the ones who already had the luger).

    It took Hierd the whole six-hours of the night till dawn''s first ray of sun to finish. As he had too put the bags and swords on a wooden wagon, but seeing that the wagon was (as he puts it;) "So heavy!" He decided that, he would too introduce this world''s first automobile.

    "Mr. voice, let me get a... Military World War 2... Transport truck."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: M35 MILITARY TRANSPORT TRUCK]

    "That worked? That wasn''t even specific enough..."

    And indeed, as if it was there from the very start, the truck appeared right before his eyes. "This is going to scare the \ out of them, but seeing as Naturvege and Alrife had already read the book, then I won''t see a problem with them OVER-OVER reacting."

    The keys were already inserted and he didn''t bother to fill it with gas as it should be full already. He very loaded the back with all the bags and swords from the wooden wagon (he had also put at the back, mines). And after he was done, he got inside the driver''s side.

    "Haven''t touched a car in what seems like forever!"

    He switched on the car and felt the roar of the engine. He pushed his foot on the pedal, and had slowly rushed ahead towards the chief''s backyard, being careful not to hit the wooden fences and any other obstacle in the way.

    "I don''t want to show this thing to the villagers yet, maybe in a more formal announcement, not yet. I''ll get a way outside the trees and towards that damned field."

    -SWITCHING OVER TO ALRIFE-

    It was dawn, no, it was twenty-five minutes after dawn. The footmen were all lined-up, the new and the old, the cold of the morning was overwhelming but as they knew the captain would bring comfortable wares, they waited in silence (however the footmen from Ridge village were not as faithful to such silence).

    Seeing as the sun reaches ever closer to the sun''s primal peak, the four squad leaders had the itch of waiting and they had all lined-up at the front.

    "Where is the captain!?" Jeane took the liberty of questioning first.

    "I don''t know, we don''t know, nobody knows!" Heduc said. "We should just wait for the captain, he might be bringing two wagon''s worth!"

    "IF SO," Jeane exclaimed; "THE POOR CAPTAIN''S BEEN CARRYING ALL THAT WEIGHT WHILE WE WAIT DOING NOTHING, LETS FIND AND HELP THE CAPTAIN!"

    "Calm down, everyone." Alrife stopped Jeane from saying in more further. "The captain should, as Heduc said, be right around the-"

    *BEEP BEEP BEEP

    "WHATS THAT SOUND!" Naturvege exclaimed, all of the footmen looking behind them, where the sound came from. "ITS HEADING RIGHT TOWARDS US, MEN, WEAPONS READY!"

    They hadn''t saw the outline of the moving object but took from the beep''s getting ever closer, it was an immidiate threat.

    "I WILL TAKE THE FIRST SHOT!" Heduc shouted, whilst running towards and pulling out from his holster his registered Luger. "MEN! READY YOUR KAR98KS!"

    The new recruits, as they had no such guns were commanded by Alrife to back away.

    *BOOM

    The shot of Heduc''s luger, after hearing the shot, the iron hunk moving towards them stopped abruptly in its tracks. After Naturvege was readying himself-up he looked at the silhoute of the supposed ''monster'' coming at them, when he noticed something.

    "Alrife!"

    "Yes?" He replied while still keeping his luger pointed straight at the mass from afar.

    "Doesn''t that look similar to those... Kars... We saw in the book...?"

    In sudden silence, one that lasted an awkward amount of time, Alrife, Naturvege looked at each other. "Is that..."

    "THE CAPTAIN!"

    "WHAAATT!?" Jeane exclaimed in amusement, the rest of the leaders followed suit.

    "EVERYONE! EVERYONE! PUT DOWN YOUR KAR98KS, THATS THE CAPTAIN!"

    Heduc, having been the one to fire at the thing. Had his heart in violent pulses. He ran, as fast as he could''ve ever towards the now identifed ''wagon.'' But, before he could get five meters towards the wagon, a tall, black silhoute straddled out of the door it came out of.

    "Ca... Captain!?" Heduc shouted to him. The rest of the leaders were catching up to Heduc.

    Indeed, it was the captain. His eyes looked terrified, as such would one if he was that near to death.

    "Please... Please don''t shoot at me, ever?" He was sweating.

    "Yes, yes! Yes of course captain!" He exclaimed, bowing ever low to the ground.

    Hierd had his group of people surrounding him with tears flowing down their eyes, Jeane crying the hardest. "Please, please, I am not hurt, just startled." He reasurred them.

    -A MINUTE OF APOLOGIES LATER-

    "Good Morning, everyone, and too the to the new people we have." Hierd said. "I''m sorry for the rather distressing shouts from our leaders, and too my unannouced... Introduction."

    They nodded, unsure what else to do. "Let me introduce to you our Army''s new vehicle... The M35 Transport Truck."

    The old footmen stood in awe of the thing, whilst questioning in their minds how it even runs, how it functions, and how fast it is, and oh so whatever questions would could probably conjure about a thing they''ve yet to see before! However, the new ones from Ridge Village were balling in questions like an unruly mob.

    "WHAT IS THIS INVENTION!"

    "THIS WILL RIVAL THE USE OF THE COMMON HORSE!"

    "THIS BREAKS CHIVALRY!" This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    To break the questions. "YOU ARE IN MY ARMY! MY COMMAND!" Hierd shouted. "CHIVALRY WILL BE A THING OF THE PAST! AND MAN SHALL WITNESS THE DAWN OF INVENTIONS!"

    They went silent.

    "Now, by its name." Hierd continued his past sentence. "''Transport'' means to carry people, things. This is faster than a horse''s maximum speed and because of that, we can very swiftly bring our men to places where men are needed!"

    *Ahhh

    They all stood in awe. "Alrife, please, help." Hierd said to him. "We''re to distribute the goods for our men."

    "Yes, captain!"

    Hierd and Alrife made their way towards the back of the truck, Alrife admiring the wonderful shiny metal imposed on its whole body. At the back, Hierd had Alrife set-up the boxes and scabbards at the ready and shouted for the leaders. "Please bring your men here! In orderly fashion!"

    "Yes, captain!"

    The new ones were to be done last the old footmen first. And of course, started from Heduc''s to Hierd''s group. The men admired the backpack at first, but as they opened and looked intently the suit from within, they admired that even more so! With the holsters and the lugers, the men equipped and put them onto the leather belts they were given.

    When at last the men of Venit Ille were done getting their''s. Naturvege signalled Ridge''s men to follow suit. After admiring the quality of the bag, they opened and realized that their uniforms differed from Venit Ille''s. To which when the first who recieved the bag and inspected their uniforms and too admired the gun, came and questioned to Hierd.

    "O'' captain." He started. "The uniform I was given is different from the other''s uniforms, is this a mistake?"

    "No," Hierd said. "Ridge village''s populace will wear another kind of uniform, because I wish for your village to become scouts!" He had increased the volume of his voice so that the rest of the line of Ridge men heard him and his reasoning.

    "Ah, thank you. Captain." He went away on his own regard.

    The line continued and the ones who finished and inspected their wares were beyond confused by the metallic ''boomerang-shaped'' thing that came with the bag. But of course, when the line of men was finished (the squad leaders didn''t get theirs yet). Hierd addressed the Ridge men''s concerns, with a demonstration.

    He went up front the then organized columns of old and new footmen (the old ones were at the right the new at the left). "To the men of Ridge village; what this," He held his Luger. "Luger can do is more than what any bow can do."

    He turned around and looked at the field, he aimed at the target closest to him.

    He fired it. The boom and that ringing ''plak'' defeaned the footmen, but had phased the Venit Ille''s footmen.

    They stood silent. With this, Hierd took it to speak. "You will train with the Luger, and the sword. Your instructor will be my assistant; Alrife. I will not want to hear even one complaint from you all! For if you were so much as to say one disgraceful thing, your worth in my Army is as low as pig-feed!" He shouted, giving fear into the minds of the Ridge men.

    He called for his squad leaders to stand infront of him in a horizontal line. "These excellent people will be your leaders! You shall not ignore their orders! You shall not deface their pride! Doing so is reason for your death!"

    Hierd gave them their own backpacks, of which Hierd told them to suit up at that moment.

    "Uh... Captain?" Jeane said. "Where?"

    "Please go one at a time at the back of the truck and come back."

    They nodded.

    -AFTER 5 MINUTES-

    They had worn their SS uniform (with the symbolism removed). The black trench coats they wore had stroke the men to a fantasy never before. It was very much so stylish and looked very much so to be warm. It had already the insignia put on it btw. They stood in the same formal line as before, of which, when they settled. "I will be applying the iron cross! This shall signify the start of the four brave men who will guide themselves and their men into battle without no such thing as fear!"

    From the first, Heduc. He pulled out the first iron cross, it had a pin to which with it he punctured the uniform''s left pocket. "Thank you captain."

    From the seocnd, Jeane. He pulled out another cross and pinned it exactly as he did for Heduc''s. "Thank... You... Captain..."

    From the third, Gelmund. He pulled out and pinned it on his left pocket. "Thank you... Captain!"

    Then lastly, Verdel. The one who had been least interactive. He pulled out the last iron cross and put it on his left pocket. With tears coming out of his eyes; "THANK YOU CAPTAIN!"

    "Now, now, a leader shouldn''t be seen crying." He comforted Verdel.

    "Let us give the four men you see before you a round of applause!"

    *CLAPPING!!!!!!!

    As the crowd''s clapping died down. Hierd continued on his sentence. "As Auferstehen creeps up ever closer, shall too is battle! I do not want my men to be one of impudence, and impatience. For in battle, we wish for order! We wish for command! This day, and for the day the monsters shall come, remember, that with I, that with your leaders... We will be victorious!"

    *MORE INTENSE CLAPPING!!!!!!!

    "All shall go home for now!" He continued. "Please wear your respective uniforms, and by noon, your presence is needed! Now, go!" He shouted at them, to which they jogged away from the hill, all had jovial faces and were talking with their fellow friends.

    The four leaders were still standing, Verdel, crying still. "Mustn''t you all go and rest?"

    "We will, captain." Said Gelmund. "But it seems that me, my comrades, and even Alrife is interested in the capabilites of this... M35 Chureruk? And surely, captain, this isn''t that weapon you had promised, is it?"

    "It is not." He replied. "You answered right. The real weapon is hidden further inside the truck. But we shall reveal it''s effectivity whence noon shall strike, shall too I explain the capabilites of both the truck and my weapon."

    "Then, we are to go captain..." Heduc said.

    "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU...!" Verdel cried out, Jeane patting him on the back and reassuring him of the award he had got.

    They went away with the crowd of footmen, and towards to their homes. Alrife came last but Hierd stayed to set up a line of mines.

    -BY NOON-

    Not one wanted to be late, not one wanted to be too early. But as they saw the sun nearing the crux of its daily journey, they, like a horde of business men heading to their daily shifts at the office. Walked out of their wooden houses with suits that made them look like rich nobles. The Ridge men were clad in the brown Philippine Constabulary outfit, their sword fitted to their belt along with the holster on it. The women, the children shreiked at the galiant looking men, and the men admired the fancy suits.

    Seeing their men, the chief, along with his assistant Friedrick. "Such decorated rich-looking soldiers. One could mistake them as the Empire''s galiant knight commanders!" Hadi said.

    "Such indeed, such indeed." Friedrick replied in agreement.

    Meeting at the main road. The brown and the black of the Venit Ille''s footmen clashed. It looked as if ink was splashed onto the wood of an artist''s table. The women, men, and children were greeting them more so saying their byes to their relative who was a soldier. It was as if there was a parade and there was a defined outfit for each and every one.

    But before they could go to the field. The squad leaders had organized theirs truly whilst Alrife held the Ridge''s strong thirty men. They were instructed by them to organized in proper order. Ridge village had yet to do formations and so Heduc helped Alrife with how.

    The sun was nearing ever closer to that midpoint, and so, without wasting time, they headed towards the hill once again, Venit Ille''s squad coming first then Ridge''s platoon of men led by Alrife. They all saw the truck parked next to boxes which seemed to be cracked open.

    "Stop!" Heduc shouted as they reached the point where they were set to be stationed. The other squad leaders followd as such. Alrife had too told his platoon to stop, there was some difficulty with the communication but all-in-all they had stopped and assembled neatly.

    "Captain! We are ready!" Jeane had stepped forward and shouted with a stern face. She stepped back into her column.

    Hierd came out of the truck''s back and with it a wooden box. He placed it on the ground before announcing; "I will now introduce a new weapon that army will use!"

    "So it should be that the four would pick two guys?"

    "Leaders?" He gestured to them.

    They moved out from their column and called the names of the ones who they chose (such names that the author has not bothered to say). Hierd hadn''t picked for his own squad''s two men, but the the four had. And when the four duos were stationed front. Hierd said; "Each duo will be assigned three men from the Ridge platoon. This in-turn will make four more squads. And I will name it the Artillery platoon.

    ''The Artillery platoon!?!'' They said en masse.

    ''Two new platoons in a single day?''

    "With the graces of the newly formed artillery platoon, they will provide both support and will prove to be one of our army''s most ''destructive'' of forces."

    ''Destructive of forces!?'' They were startled.

    "What is more-" seeing his ''interuption'' he interjected; "Forgive me. Captain, what do you mean that is our army''s dangerous force?" Alrife said.

    "I mean is that they can rumble the grounds of the earth, deliver molten lava from the sky!"

    "I tried explaining in the good ol'' ooga booga way."

    They shrieked.

    He had the duos placed to his right until he was to pick from Ridge village.

    "You all shall witness the first of the weaponry that the squad shall use in combat!"

    He pulled from inside his coat a green oval (a grenade but the soldiers so more so a green oval). "This is a grenade!" He pulled the pin and immidiately threw it as far as he could''ve threw it towards the firing range behind him.

    He backed off and waited for...

    "3! 2! 1--!"

    *KABOOM!

 VIII Mines, Rides, Shouts, and Cries - 2

    *KABOOM

    The sound was defeaning, so much so that the old, experienced soldiers had trembled back in pain and the new ones were running the opposite way, away from the sound.

    "Look''s like I''ll need to supply earplugs..."

    "Alright everyone! This is a grenade!" He once again pulled out from his coat another grenade. "The artillery platoon will be in charge of such weaponry, and too the things inside..." He walked towards one of the wooden crates and opened them.

    "A landmine!"

    ''A landmine!?'' Silent whispers spread around the conglomerate of soldiers.

    "This landmine produces just about the same explosion as does the grenade. However, for it to activate, something shal first need to step on this big button at the top. Doing so, it will ultimately explode without warning. This is more dangerous than the grenades, so I shall advise towards the artillery platoon that yes! Your job will be one that is dangerous, but is needed and effective!"

    A silent roar.

    Once Hierd saw they were calm and now adjusted after the grenade''s explosion. He readied the mine. He pulled the safety pin after he had laid it down about twenty meters away from the company of soldiers.

    After going about a safe distance away from the landmine he found that he hadn''t not known about how he was going to simulate someone or something stepping down on the button he decided to summon a five pounder and threw it at the button.

    It hit the metal instead of the button. "Ah sorry everyone! Hold on!" Hearing that, they braced their ears yet watched intently with their eyes.

    "Give me a five-pound weight."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: FIVE POUND WEIGHT]

    "Hmpf!" He threw the weight towards the mine.

    It hid the metal again! "One more time!"

    "GIVE ME ANOTHER FIVE POUND WEIGHT!"

    [REQUEST GRANTED: FIVE POUND WEIGHT]

    "Hmpf!"

    *KABOOM!!

    The explosion was not actually the same as the grenade, it did a great crater of damage towards the land. "What the, who would''ve known these guys are that powerful!"

    He looked towards his army, of which cowered in fear thinking that; ''There''s a volcano erupting!'' Or, ''The world''s ending!'' He ran towards them in a fit to make them more comfortable. "Everyone! Everyone! That was a mine--a landmine!"

    Alrife came out of the shadows; "Captain! That was something of mythical proportions! For your country to possess such intellegence and such power... It terrifies me so!"

    Hierd smiled. "And thats why we will be training until Auferstehen comes!"

    ( * )

    Hierd left Alrife to train the newer recruits (he had also ordered for the troop leaders to help the newer recruits; this came in fact with the Artillery Squad as Hierd did not want to train them for now).

    Hierd looked over the training which had some minor struggles when it came to the Kar98k, however they excelled when it came to the bayonet training as it was merely just a downgraded spear, that they said they were. The older soldiers (the soldiers of Venit Ille) were instructed by Hierd to train with their violition, to which they practiced who can shoot the longest shot, which was one by a rather wiry man from Verdel''s squad with a shot of approximately one-hundred-eighty meters!

    In the midst of it all, Hierd had a talk with he himself. "I should teach the artillery squad mathemathics, also like... Every soldier to have some kind of elementary knowledge, but oh! I know nothing about math and science!" He chuckled in his thinking. "I should find a teacher in the future to teach these guys, or else this place is gonna fall into poverty!" If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    He looked at the skies, the grey clouds was covering the sun but he knew it was ways past from it''s crux.

    A tap, his shoulder.

    He turned around and saw Alrife. "What is it?"

    "Captain, the men are getting hungry."

    "Good thing I have food inside the truck!" He said excitedly, he hopped off the seat he sat upon and went towards the back of the truck. There, in fact, was no food. He turned to Alrife, who was behind him wondered where the supposed ''food'' was. "Excuse me Alrife, turned around a bit."

    "Yes... Captain."

    "Give me tasty food for all the people in this field currently."

    [REQUEST DENIED: TOO VAGUE]

    "Damned..." He sighed, angrily in fact. "Give me two platoon''s worth of... Egg omelets."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: TWO PLATOON''S WORTH OF EGG OMELETS]

    He was surrounded in egg omelets, and fortunately, the voice was kind enough to put them in plates rather than nothing. He got out the back, "You can turn around now, Alrife." As he turned around, he said; "Please give them the egg omletes."

    "Yes, captain!"

    -AFTER AWHILE-

    As usual, they were fed, however, not as usuall. The ''govenors'' (for lack of a better word) of Ridge Village came. "Good Afternoon, Chief Hadi and Friedrick." As Hierd didn''t know the other people behind them, he glossed over saying ''everyone.''

    "Good Afternoon, Captain Hierd!" Friedrick was rather enthusiastic.

    "Have you been watching?"

    "From the very beginning, before even the training had started! Oh, imagine; all our troops were clad in this noble-like brown suit! With the ''Kar98k'' strapped neatly to their back! They looked like nobles preparing to enter a castle!" He laughed before continuing; "The women of Ridge Village were so suprised and they laughed all heartily, in fact!"

    Hierd laughed also, "Well, well. It is rather suprising, however these suits give identity to the sides in a battle."

    "I see. I see." He rubbed his chin. "We would like to observe the training from here on closer."

    "Oh! Please, please do. There aren''t any chairs here though, so may it not inconvenience you to either stand or sit on the grass."

    "That is fine, that is fine."

    "My talking is quite exquisite indeed! Oh'' golly good show!" Hierd imagined himself with a pinky up, and a cup of tea in his hand, as well as a very tall tophat.

    It still was the afternoon, the sun already being ways, way of it''s crux, nearing dusk by the hour; the training had just stopped too.

    "Men! I will now advise that after tommorow and there on, I will personally teach each and every squad education!"

    They gasped.

    "Education?" They said, "What will you teach us, Captain Hierd?!"

    "This will be secret for now, however; tommorow will be your vacation, you may either stay at home or come to practice here. However, you must! I repeat, must! Wear your uniforms whenever exiting your homes." He smiled, "Thank you! You may rest now."

    A sigh of relief, but a fish in the throat. They didn''t know what captain Hierd was to teach them, and they don''t really understand their country''s language and all the knick-knacs were. Whatever Hierd was to teach, they were afraid. Yet motivated.

    The ''govennors'' of Ridge parted as well as the squad leaders. However, coming from behind them, a slow moving truck comes towards them. "It''s the captain''s iron horse and it''s carriage!" Yelled one. "Back off and make way!" Yelled another.

    "So that''s one of Germany''s many ''vehicles.''" Commented Hadi, rubbing his chin while looking at it tread slowly through the crowd.

    "You know of Germany, Captain Hierd''s country, chief!?" Asked Friedrick, his voice raised so that he could be heard.

    "Yes, Chief Naturvege had showed me the book he was given by the captain. I read it over and over, looking at the towering structures, the advanced civilization that Captain Hierd lived. Could never have had existed here. He comes from ''Europe'' yet no continent like that exists in the world. Captain Hierd hides more than what we know of, he may be... a passer."

    "A passer!?" Friedrick exclaimed. "There is no way that there could be a passer, that''s just a myth, chief!"

    "A myth be it may, but our kingdoms. They were formed by passers, the lords we believe in are passers. Well..." He laughed. "Thats just what I believe, if you don''t, then don''t take it to heart."

    Hierd passed by the squad leaders, "Hey, all of you, hop aboard!"

    "Captain!? Is that okay!?" Verdel exclaimed in excitement.

    "Yes...?"

    "WOOOO!!" He went to the back and hopped in, the rest followed Verdel''s exciting atmostphere.

    They drove to Naturvege''s house.

    The four squad leaders sat on their chairs, Naturvege too. Hierd was walking in circles. "I would like to use the church to conduct my teachings." He looked at Naturvege.

    "Captain, it''ll matter when you do them." He said. "The Theocracy''s words are absolute, and believers worldwide need to learn of God''s wisdom. The mass lasts from noon to almost dusk. And the bell dictates noon and dictates the strike of dusk."

    "So it shall be early morning and early night?" Hierd questioned.

    "I will ask the priests if they''ll agree."

    "Thank you, chief."

    "You''re welcome, captain, but what''re you gonna be teaching about?"

    He walked and rubbed his chin. Before saying, "Do our men know how to read and write?"

    "I mean, I gave them manuals, so I thought there shouldn''t have been a problem."

    "Yes and no." He sighed. "Some of them aren''t as gifted as the others. And some others aren''t as gifted as a noble. I could say that the majority of them understand how, I''m not accounting Ridge Village''s say in this."

    "I see." He rubbed his chin. He looked at his squad leaders. "May you four help in teaching the ones who don''t know how to read and write, to read and write?"

    "Yes, captain!" They exclaimed all at once.

    "Thats great!" He dropped his clenched fist onto his left open palm. "I will give you materials in your teaching of them. Please have them learn the basics, as I think that Auferstehen is coming closer and closer."

    "That is indeed" Said Naturvege.

    "Thank you, captain." They all said.

 IX A Venture

    "Give me... ten wooden boxes that is large enough to fit inside of it... Fifty pieces of short bond paper, fifty pieces of pencils, fifty pieces of erasers, and five pieces of chalk."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: WOODEN BOX WITH EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL]

    Hierd made a very irritating grin.

    Somehow, someway, Hierd heard a deep humpf.

    He grabbed and opened one of the wooden boxes, they were heavy, mind you. And picked inside it, paper, pencil, and eraser. He hadn''t even a miniscule of thought when it came to education, nigh even mathemathics. To which a thought came to mind;

    "They''ll be taught how to read and write, yes... But... They aren''t gonna be taught to make letters and reports. If I teach them how to write letteres and all, information''s gonna travel with swiftness (with the trucks) and with completeness."

    ( * )

    The first church bell had already rang. With that, did Hierd write the implications of how to write a convenient letter. That; it shall need to be short, concise and to the point. That it must be complete, correct, and most definitely true. Too did he write a letter of his own as an example!

    But of course, there was no class today, nor was there practice. He looked outside, the forest behind the chief''s house was abundant in flora, the trees were green and healthy, and there was a ubiquitous amount of bushes with big, plump, and colorful berries. A scene he''d see not in his original world.

    Motivated by looking at the greenery, Hierd had stopped writing and dropped the pen onto the table (in fear of ink getting onto the paper). And went outside. Clean air! Hierd took a deep breath, and with a fit of tiredness he decided that he was to return to his workbench when he wishes to later. And started walking towards the chief''s house.

    The back door wasn''t unlocked, but he knew that no-one was really inside, for there was no sound that emitted, and the dirt on the ground wasn''t distrubed. He walked over to the other side, following the same observations as the back. The main street was lively, unlike the first day he was there. When the people saw him, they greeted him without fear. When the soldiers saw them, they had performed a pseudo-salute (a bow and a salute with very rigid movement). The air was lively, and he too was lively. But then he remembered that he had yet to ask Ridge village of their soldier''s academics.

    He walked towards the Ridge village''s houses, and walked inside the hastily-done house that was the chief''s. When he opened the door, Friedrick greeted him. "Good Afternoon! Captain, Hierd."

    "Good afternoon to you too, Friedrick. May we sit down for a meeting?"

    He looked around, before; "There aren''t very many sitting spots, captain. So may it be that we could instead walk and talk, if it not to be too much a private matter?"

    "Sure."

    Hierd moved out of the way for Friedrick to exit. He was carrying a basket of fruits and other stuff. But also was he carrying a backpack, one that he gave to Ridge village soldiers. "Where did you get one?"

    "Ah? The backpack? The soldiers who did not need it or use it then were piled onto a corner, for other people to use. They are very useful captain!"

    "Didn''t suspect them to do that, they have a good sense of comradeship."

    "I see, do you wish for one too?"

    "What we have been given is plenty enough."

    He nodded.

    "What is it that you wish to talk about captain?" He turned to Hierd.

    "Do your soldiers know how to read and write?"

    "Yes, captain. Funny thing, two of your squad leaders. I believe their names were... Heduc and Jeane. Had questioned me of what you had said too captain. I believe they will be handling our soldier''s academics as well as you will tommorow." He smiled.

    "Wow, my guys are reliable I should give them a medal!"

    Hierd laughed. "They certainly are reliable."

    "Thank you, captain Hierd, without your help in the recent years, as well as chief Naturvege''s intervention from last year''s Auferstehen. We would never have been able to stand once more."

    "You are welcome, Friedrick. I will relay your thanks to Naturvege as well." Hierd said with a wider smile."But it seems there is nothing for me to talk about, I will go." He went away looking back once more to wave bye.

    "Didn''t even need to say it. Heduc and Jeane read my mind, or had gathered I was going to say to them it otherwise."

    Then, to avoid doing his work and sitting on that damned wooden chair in his damned cabin house. He wandered the town in a fit to search for his squad leaders. For he had never visited their homes, he didn''t know where to look. To waste more time, he started with the first house directly infront of him. He walked up to the door and knocked on it three times, before hearing a pair of footsteps approaching and then walked away.

    The person behind opened the door, "Good afternoon-"

    It was "Heduc..." He sighed realising he wasn''t gonna be wasting any time. "Good Afternoon Heduc."

    "Good Afternoon, Captain. Please, come in." He stepped out of the way for the captain to enter.

    As he entered, the atmosphere was cool, and the place was rather spotless in spite of it being rather medieval (wood and all). Hierd heard a herd of sound coming from one of the rooms of the house. "What is happening?" He questioned to Hierd.

    "The rest of the leaders are busy, might it be that they are... Busy with something else..."

    With Heduc, Hierd made his way towards the room where the sound was coming from. To which when he opened the wooden door, the three squad leaders were arguing upon something, to which at the centerpoint of it all...

    "We should teach them quickly rather than have them slowly learn!" Exclaimed Vedal as if a cheetah was following fast behind him.

    "No!" Yelled then Jeane. "Having them slowly learn will have them retain the knowledge they''ve learned! Speed doesn''t!"

    "That is untrue!" Retorted then the once silent Gelmund. "The captain wishes that they be understanding at most decent speed, not at it''s slowest!"

    They all sat screaming at each other without break, an arguement where Jeane was the only one who contrasts their ideals. Not noticing that Hierd was standing on the doorway.

    "Guys!" Yelled Heduc, to which they were interupted and stared at Hierd.

    "Captain!?"

    "You were here!?" Jeane exclaimed. "Since when!?"

    "I had just came." He said. "And wish to thank you for thinking in advance for the betterment of the both villages.''

    "Oh. Be not so humble, captain. It is our job, and we are fully committed to it!" Vedal said.

    Hierd came in and sat with the others, unfortunately the room was quite small but since he was the captain, he was given the best seat, the bed. "What''ve you all been doing?"

    "We''ve been trying to decide how we should tackle this problem with how we approach our teaching of them."

    "Too fast? Too slow? I gather?" Said Hierd.

    "Yes, captain." Replied Heduc.

    "This Auferstehen is coming closer. Education can come second, but atleast should they understand words, grammar, and all. But it''s probably better for them to gather an understanding fast, then after Auferstehen, should they be then be teached slowly and more better with actual teachers..."

    "I have say in this, and that I wish that they be teached quickly." Said Hierd, Jeane saddened and the rest agreed. "We simply haven''t enough time, should they not be covering the basics nigh even the intermidiate version of learning the language then they wont be learning anything."

    "I see." Replied Vedel.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    "But it may it be heard that when Auferstehen dawns and then breaks. They''ll be studying with more efficient and slower speeds with actual teachers."

    "That is more than okay! Riiiight.... Jeane?"

    "Yeah..."

    "If you may, continue on writing your ''curriculum'' I wish to observe the town''s surroundings..."

    "Thank you captain."

    He left the wooden house, of... (He didn''t know whose house he entered but presumed it to be Heduc because he unlocked the door). And towards was he to the streets. Now, to waste even more time out of the seat''s curse. He wishes then to head to the church, not to attend anything, but more to understand the church''s underlings and gather information upon the continent that Naturvege had not even an ounce of knowledge upon, just his kingdom and just the theocracy it seemed.

    It was a day where the church would not hold masses or any-so-what kind and people would leisure to come and pray, but there was, sadly? Happily? No-one attending.

    The church laid dormant in the village''s middle. With it''s bell stagnant and from the windows within, empty. However, Hierd entered anyways.

    The dark environment, with only the windows making the room any bright made the place cool and gloomy. That wooden altar, ominously stood without deference--seemingly, only Hierd stood eyeing and defeating it''s prideful chasity.

    Footsteps, it came from above.

    Hierd noticed and proceeded to walk towards the altar and to the door to the side of it. However, before he could open the door...

    "Hello, Good Afternoon...?" A priest, stereotypically, old and bald headed.

    Hierd turned around. "Good Afternoon. I am Hierd Die Grace."

    "Oh." His eyes weren''t friendly. "What is your business, Lord? I assume it''d be what the chief had talked to I about."

    "Yes, that, and that I wish to look at the church."

    "Okay, I have already relayed that I show my support to this."

    "I?" Hierd tested the priest. "A priest''s word mean more than one man''s own concious decision."

    He looked more irritated than before. "I rephrase, I relay that with the whole church''s wills that your using of this church as an educational facility, we support."

    Hierd smirked.

    "Thank you, father."

    He then walked around the church, feeling the many wooden pews with his hands. They were not polished like what modern churches were, but they were comfortable enough to be sat upon without worry of such a thing as a splinter. The priest watched Hierd observe the church.

    "Is there anything of your discontent?" Said the preist, his once irritated face no longer visible yet what laid was a cold stale one.

    "No, not at all." He then stopped turning to look at the preist. "This theocracy, the kingdom of God. I wish to know what it is, for I have not even a clue of it''s doings."

    "A lord who does not know what the theocracy means...?" He was stunned, but not overly so. "May it be that you are from the continent of the East? You do look of Eastern descent, yet your clothing matches not with their culture, ah... but pardon, if you wish to know lord, may we sit down first?"

    The two met and sat at one of the section of church pews. The priest sat down with a grunt then a sigh. "I am Benedict Gaius, I am the preist of this lonely church. The Theocracy, of which I am from is a kingdom unlike any other. For it exists in the holy land, where God had descended to the world tis this. And unlike any other, we exist in every country in the form of many churches, all of them act like tiny embassies, each to carry a mission. That is, to make worshipping to God for all who live and all who will ever live."

    He was looking at the altar, which above laid the huge glass panels, it not being colored glass. "Yet you haven''t any control of the East?" Questioned Hierd.

    "No, the East has many cultures each with many different aspects of a ''religion'' yet..." He frowned. "They look like monkeys, each one of them worshipping a lower God, like they were cursing the ones who were worshipping them and the whole forest with their weird chants and hexes."

    "Is it not that the church chants too?"

    "No." He looked at Hierd with eyes slit. "They looked maniacal, dancing around a pit of fire it seemed. And some sacrifice their own bretheren for that stupor, a trance, that''d rather be a ritual!"

    "I see." Sweat rolled down Hierd''s face looking at Gaius, of which intently looked at him. "Have you a map in this church for this continent?" He said trying to switch the conversation.

    Gaius then looked away, rested his angered face, "No, this church does not possess such a thing. The nearest city lays a merchant''s guild, when registering, you may own one map."

    "Nice, but how am I gonna go there lookin'' like a lord?"

    "I see, but for someone like myself, couldn''t I merely buy one there?"

    He chuckled. "Though you are a lord, no-one can simply buy a map. Besides, a lord with his manor should have a map! Yet you came here under some pretence, to an isolated village. With weird technologies and absurd weaponry. Who really are you, lord Hierd die Grace?"

    "That..." He smirked with some stroke of confidence. "Why would I need to tell you?"

    He looked away, "Well... There is no more need to talk, is there, lord? I shall go now, for the sisters may have needed me when I was away."

    "I see, good bye."

    Hierd went out as well, for what was he to do inside the church anyways?

    "That priest didn''t like me. Neither would the theocracy if they were to hear of my weird weaponry. But what should I do? Kill him? Assasinate that man out of him being a priest? Wouldn''t I be brought down upon some divine judgement from doing so? Whatever may it be, the future isn''t gonna be looking so bright." He sighed. "I''ll go to the training grounds, maybe some soldiers are practicing there..."

    -SWITCHING OVER TO THE SQUAD LEADERS FOR A BIT-

    They all were sitting on the wooden floor, now that the captain was gone, Heduc took the best posistion twas'' the bed. "The captain wants to hold some lesson tommorow, so will we, we shouldn''t bother with our own ways of teaching them. Just that we are to do so with quickness and perciseness, for a way that our captain can teach men who can understand and listen."

    Gelmund whoms''t was part of that Unchean research division said; "When I was signing up to the division of mine, we partook some ''exam'' they called it, we should do that thing too for both the start and end of classes to see how far they had improved in their studying."

    He was more confident speaking with them than with the captain, but who wouldn''t be uncomfortable speaking to that striking man?

    "That''s an idea!" Heduc chuckled. "I''m gonna add that to my list of doings, so should you all!"

    They nodded in agreement.

    "Adding Ridge Village and Venit''s uneducated soldiers (which was twenty all-in-all) wouldn''t it be better if we all handled the same class instead of five, four, or ten?" Said Verdel.

    "Well... Certainly that would make things faster for us." Said Herdel, who was now rubbing his chin wondering on about the topic inside his head.

    "Then that''s what we should do! Makes things easier, makes thing less hard for them too I think!" Said Jeane ecstatic.

    "Then we should all have different things to do, such as in demonstration of some words, or that some of us observe them while they listen!" Heduc said.

    "Yes!" They all said with a fist towards and starry-eyed eyes.

    -SWITCHING BACK TO HIERD-

    He was coming towards the field, and really not suprisingly, there were some lots of soldiers shooting their rifles at the targets far down the field. He approached the men, of which there were about fifteen or so there were more from Venit Ille then Ridge Village. When they saw Hierd, they greeted him. "Good Afternoon, captain Hierd!" They stiffened up and looked at him with posture full-on straight.

    "Good Afternoon, I shall stay here for a bit."

    "Okay captain!" They went on shooting, with each competing who could shoot the farthest one without fail, it was not far-fetched to say that their ammo usage was alot however Hierd had planned for this back then and asked Alrife to safeguard a truck full of ammunition just in case. When Hierd observed the field near him, he saw the same boxes lying on the green grass which was slowly turning dirty with the amount of brass that filled it, though one could say that the golden look had made the ground look in some ways, shiny.

    "Where did you obtain the ammo boxes? From Alrife?" He questioned to one of them.

    "Yes, captain. He had came here awhile with a box of this."

    "I see."

    ( * )

    Hierd heard a gun crackle, though one would find unsuprising, the soldiers who were there were ecstatic, screaming joyously; ''Yes! Yes!'' Or, "You did it!" Intrigued upon the celebration, Hierd went to the crowd of people whoms''t were bunching up on the guy who shot that bullet.

    "What''s happening?" He questioned, raising his voice a bit for they were a bit loud.

    They shut-up and faced the captain, fixing their posture. "He shot the thirty meter one without fail for five times! Captain!"

    "I see... A marksman! First of many!"

    "I wish to see him." As soon as it was said, he came out from the crowd with a stern yet at the same time, absent face.

    "You wished to see me, Captain?" It was a rather tall man, and was from Ridge village. But his muscles did not show that much.

    "Yes, what is your name?"

    "I am Matthaus, sir."

    "If you make another five shots of that target, I can guarntee you a medal, Matthaus!" Hierd was enthusiastic, whilst the crowd behind him was hyping him up to do it.

    "I will take your challenge."

    The crowd moved away, watching from the side, while one guy went towards to, yet not close to, the target.

    A deep breath, certain in his position, he kept his body still whilst looking at the sights.

    He stopped his breath.

    BOOM

    A zhir, "It hit!"

    He pulled the bolt towards him and back.

    Another round.

    Again, he sighted with that target,

    BOOM

    "It hit!"

    BOOM

    "It hit again!"

    BOOM

    It''s been four times, and yet not one miss. At that fourth shot, the captain was both nervous and impressed for him.

    He once again pulled the bolt towards him, the final round inserted into the barrel, and so did Mattheus'' dropped sweat. "

    Another deep breath, like the other ones that came before, this time, it carried weight unlike the four others. His body as still as a statue, as he stopped his breath on the final deep one.

    He put his finger on the trigger, hesitating a little as he wasn''t sure if his sights were even aligned at the target. He fixed it, well, he thought he did. Unsure again, he fixed his position, and soon he had to take another deep breath. The crowd was anxiously waiting.

    He went in again for another take, stopping his breath and looking on forward. ''There it is, just straight on.''

    His finger pulled the trigger.

    BOOM

    ...

    The man at the end, who was at the target gave a moment of looking at the target.

    "IT HIT!"

    The crowd erupted in laughter and joy for their comrade. Whom had just won a medal!

    Hierd congratulated him.

    "Everyone! In formation!"

    "Yes, captain!"

    They were a mixed bunch of lines but all took their stance.

    "Today I announce the giving of the Marksman Medal to its rightful owner! For he had done an excellent job in shooting at the target with a staggering amount of skill. To Matthaus, I award you this medal, and hope in the future, that with this medal, shall you be able to reach better skies than what cloud you stand on right now!"

    "Uhm... Give me a german marksman medal pin."

    He put his hand on his pocket;

    [REQUEST GRANTED: GERMAN MARSKMAN MEDAL]

    And out came the medal.

    Hierd fixed the pin behind and pinned it on his right pocket.

    "Congratulations."

    The crowd clapped and looked with inspiring eyes, in hopes that they themselves could land a medal as did Matthaus.

    "Thank you captain."

    "You''re welcome."

    -NOW BACK AT HIS CABIN-

    Hierd had just came back from the unplanned ''ceremony,'' the gifting of the medal to Matthaus. Hierd was suprised that someone from another world could shoot that good from so far away and at consitency!

    But now, he''s back, and his table urges him to write further what else to think about. But, rather than picking up that pen, which from the fall earlier that day, spilled ink from its tip. He groaned in irritation, further losing the motivation to do anything that day.

    He fell on his bed and up came the Zs.

 X Dawn of Battle

    Before he knew it, it stroke the next day. Though Hierd has residual memories of writing emails, reports, essays and all the ilk in school. His confidence wasn''t really high about how we was going to approach teaching them, people who knew nothing of his world''s education and how that functions. But, he thought that because they understand his speeches and manuals given. That words that are deemed modern could transliterate to their grammar, but then again, he stuck this with a big fat IF.

    It was dawn, nigh maybe even way past that, who knew, he didn''t but the soldiers were probably all waiting or are already inside the chapel sitting! Before he could gather his thoughts, a knock rocked his door. Then a voice; "Captain! Are you awake!?"

    "Ah yes! Excuse me, I awoke rather late!" After saying that, he heard a series of whispers.

    Hierd put on his boots and his cap. Did his morning routine, and sprayed a bit of perfume, it seemed quite-rosey, that smell. And opened his door.

    "What is it?" Hierd saw a crowd of soldiers, with the squad leaders gathered at the front of his house. The crowd of soldiers had their guns readied and to the Ridge soldiers, their sword were attached and Lugers in their hand. To then, he panicked.

    "Are we being invaded!? What''s happening!?" Exclaimed Hierd, running towards the squad leaders.

    "Captain, Hierd, knights. From the city of Unchean are here. They are armed, and they are many."

    "What!?" In his mind, his mouth dropped to the floor, his mind expelled from his ears and his eyes dissintegrated.

    "What in tarnation! I''m not ready for some battle, worser yet a war! Wait, let''s not over react, this might not even be a battle, this might just be some communicating thing." He thought over. "Not one knight has been here, no other outsiders except me. Unless... That preist. The theocracy... I recall that their churches act like embassies, damned! That priest."

    "Lead me to them!" He shouted.

    In a triangle formation, Hierd in the front and middle, the squad leaders behind him, with the soldiers behind them with stern eyes and ready minds. After the Naturvege''s house, it was as clear as day where they were.

    "They''re hanging it out like its their bedroom!" Exclaimed Hierd. There were knights indeed, and they wore armor as clad as the knights of the round table! The soldiers were in formation infront of the horde of knights, each glaring with curious eyes. The knights were mumuring among''st themselves, saying things like; ''what are those things they''re using?'' Another said; ''their weapons are so stupidly done. What even could such a long wooden decorated stick do for someone?''

    "What does that mean captain?" Questioned Jeane.

    "No... Nothing." Hierd made his way to the formation, to which did he say; "Move!"

    His voice was loud and the knights heard it, the captain of the knights noticed the shout and had straightened out his horse to point directly at the formation. "That is their leader?"

    As the soldiers made way for the captain. They had a clear view of the massive hunk of a man that Hierd really was. Exuming an aura that could make a room full of knights befall and a room full of women to lose their chasity looking at him. The knights had their horses step back in fear of the man who appeared.

    "I wish for an audience with your captain!" Yelled Hierd, standing ground with a stern, determined face.

    A long silence, or so did it feel, but really did it take just a few minutes before the captain, the one at the very front had stepped down from his horse. "I am the captain! Who are you!"

    "Good Morning, captain! I am Nas- I mean, I am Hierd Die Grace." He interupted himself as he had almost told them his real name.

    "I did not know a lord as intriguing as yours truly had control of this village. Or are you really one?" His face was hidden behind his helmet, but oddly his voice seemed a bit high pitched.

    "Let''s not talk of this here, let us talk somewhere more calm."

    "I agree!" He turned back and ordered his knights to dismount from their horses. "And I wish to know more of the weapons you use!"

    ( * )

    There wasn''t really any cool, luxurious spots in the village, anything but the Naturvege''s house. Of which, Naturvege was busy dealing with the knights whilst Hierd and the knight''s captain were inside in the usual meeting spot, his dining room.

    "These weapons, your suit, lord. I have yet to see such things." He said, his helmet still on.

    "If you don''t want your things seen, then you better be the hottest chick ever, or the most ugliest chick ever."

    "You are from Unchean, land of the lord; Peraux." He deflected answering the question. "I understand my presence in this village is alarming, for a lord is living and operating in the land of another lord''s. However, I don''t think you should be so worried as to bring your knights here."

    "You understand you are breaking a law, the kingdom does not tolerate a lord''s operating in another''s especially if such a lord does not belong from the kingdom, for I have yet to hear any so what nobility that is of your''s grace. Who and what kingdom do you rule in?"

    Hired stayed silent.

    "You asked for an audience yet you do not answer, what even would be the meaning of this audience without the man who wanted one to even talk?" He turned irritated.

    "I will not stop my supposed ''ruling'' in Venit Ille, and I shall not say what so ever of what kingdom I reside nigh what lands I rule. And you, and your lords, and your king, shall acknowledge this fact."

    "You dare!?" He stood up with ferocity. "You insult the king''s ruling too do you insult my lord''s who do you think you are!? To think you are capable of running this operation without even a witness, is mere insanity! Whatever land you occupy, you are not occupying lands of your kingdom! For that do I deem you, an enemy!"

    He drew his sword in quick succesion.

    Pointing it towards him, it shivering.

    The sound of lugers being unholstered and swords unsheathed.

    The room was divided in knights and soldiers. The other with polished, clean, and sharp swords. And the other with small metal cylindrical objects. The captain chuckled. "Your weapons, do you think they can do anything, such small things cannot possibly-"

    BANG

    Hierd shot his luger into the floor board. The sound of the gun shot being fired indoors ruptured the ear drums of the knights, but not so much the soldiers. The captain was holding his ears shut, screaming in agony as it continued to ring.

    "What is that!?" He screamed.

    "The thing that''ll kill you and your knights!" Exclaimed Hierd. "That is, if you don''t give up your swords and shields.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    The captain looked at the floor where the gun shot at, it was cracked open, leaving a small, burnt hole. In the captain''s mind; "That power, that shot, I didn''t even have time to react! That thing, that metal thing... The future... It''ll change because of that!"

    The swords clanged to the wooden floor as well as the shields.

    "What is this power, where did you get that thing, lord?"

    "My kingdom. My country." Hierd grinned. "Alrife!" He shouted for him, whom''st stood shocked beside the wall.

    "Yes... Captain...?" He walked nearer.

    "Detain them all, make sure they do not retaliate." He looked towards the captain. "But this man, keep him somewhere more secured."

    "Yes, captain."

    "Oh and..." He exclaimed. "Detain the church members and question them."

    "Why, captain?"

    "The church... Cannot be trusted."

    ( * )

    It was afternoon, and the bell that should''ve rang when it hit, was nowhere to be heard for the members of the clergy were in the prison being questioned by Naturvege and to make work faster, Friedrick was asked to help. The prison wasn''t too big, and so they built temporary shelters where the arrested knights would be kept inside in until further notice.

    Friedrick had questioned the sisters and the only father, father Gaius of their antics in the church. However, the preist hadn''t budged to his questioning, and so did Friedrick release the sisters yet contained him in another house for further questioning in the future.

    Meanwhile, Hierd, the four squad leaders and the ''man'' who he was talking to, were all in a secluded room. The man, whom was really a woman, was veiled of her mask after being thrown to this room, revealing her secret.

    "I had an inkling suspision that you were in fact female." Said Hierd. "Captain... Harper."

    "What my gender may be does not matter in this equation, I mean, you even have a woman assistant right there."

    "Why were your knights in Venit Ille?" He changed the conversation.

    "We had recieved certain information that the village was being controlled by a remote and unknown lord, of which brought with him strange weaponry with... As I have seen, devastating effects."

    "Recieved?" He questioned. "From whom?"

    "You have no quarrels with where Unchean gets there information."

    "So either we have a spy, or my suspicison of it being the church might be true, and if it were so that there was a spy... What would I do? This is getting complex."

    "As a matter of fact, I do." Said Hierd sighing. "For a village as remote, and dare I even say it, as abandoned as an orphan! Your city made no advances to help the village, no, not even this one, but also Ridge Village, from last year''s Auferstehen!"

    "Must you know, Captain?" He chuckled a bit. "That the effects of Auferstehen differ depending on the amount of people who live in a certain area! Your villages don''t matter if we in the city tire and fight for our lives against those monsters! These villages have always been advised to prepare for such events, but, as ever would they. Seeking help from their lord... Selfishly asking for protection when even our city is in danger! You people disgust me!"

    Hierd stood up from his seat and went closer to her. "The thing is... Because you provoked my operations, because of the church''s involvement... I might just declare war."

    The room went silent, not even a single inhale or exhale.

    "You wish to declare war when you possess an army of a hundred against an army with a thousand!?" She laughed, almost maniacally so. "Even with your... Weird gadgets, not even those could bring down our lord''s forces, and if you were fortunate enough to survive after our lord''s onslaught, the kingdom will come and kill you!"

    "I assume your absence has worried your lord, though it has merely been a couple hours, these hours should be enough for them to be suspicious. Tell me," He leaned closer. "Have you already incited that we be destroyed?"

    "Yes. Yes. Yes. We all so proudly said; that Venit Ille, that any other village, be destroyed, food looted, and this one specifically. For this one village to be starved, famished! Houses destroyed!"

    Her scream caused Hierd to step back. He stepped back a bit more, stopping at Heduc''s ear. He whispered; "This isn''t getting anywhere if she''ll be like this. I want you to prepare the troops into formation, we''re in the middle of an invasion."

    ( * )

    Hierd was outside, taking in the fresh air of the afternoon in the forest glade. "How in the lord am I gonna battle actual trained men? Like I wasn''t any good at those military strategy games... I''m gonna need some help if things get worse."

    "Captain?" A soldier approached him, "Sir Heduc wishes for you to come."

    "Alright, I''m coming." The soldier walked first, Hierd following.

    The main road was full of soldiers, the right half brown the left; black. Hierd approached Heduc. "What is it?"

    "We''ve sent some soldiers to scout ahead, and we''re seeing movement in the eastern forest."

    "They''re here that quick?"

    "Yes, captain. Chief Naturvege and Friedrick have put their troops towards the river."

    Hierd walked towards the main road; the soldier followed. "Any more? The bridge is being protected?"

    "Ah..." He looked up to the skies for a bit to recollect. "Yes, captain. Sir Heduc and Sir Verdel is protecting it."

    "What about the farm? That''s across the river right?"

    "I believe both Ridge Village and Venit Ille troops are stationed there. Being commanded by Ma''am Jeane, Sir Gelmund, and Sir Friedrick."

    "What of Ridge village troops?" He was now on the main road going forward.

    "Right there." He pointed at the main road, and Hierd saw they were stationed on the road, "They are to act as auxillary, in case the bridge was to be overpowered."

    "I see."

    "I guess that Friedrick understands his men''s role. Good thing, since lugers and swords aren''t as effective as rifles and lugers."

    They made it to the bridge to the Eastern edge of the town, the bridge. The only thing that connects the village to the city boundary for miles on end. The soldier went back to his squad whilst Hierd went to Heduc and Verdel who were stuck planning out the defense.

    "What''s the plan?" Said Hierd, introducing himself to the two.

    "Ah! Captain, Hierd. Good Afternoon." Exclaimed Heduc. "The forest beyond the river is a bit dense, we wouldn''t be able to see any movement until they''re just at the verge of the bridge."

    "You have laid down the mines, correct?"

    "Yes, captain. The artillery squad, though is having slight difficulty with the use of the planting of mines, have planted an abundance of them with the guidance of Sir Alrife."

    Hierd looked around, spooting the M90 truck parked. "I believe it was Sir Alrife who drove the truck here?"

    "Yes, captain..."

    "Guess he took some turns in driving school yesterday when I was still asleep."

    THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD

    It was inexplanatory to Hierd what the sound was but Heduc knew. "Captain! Those are horses! They''re here!"

    The clopping of horses hadn''t stopped and continued to advance to where they were. But, then, a few more seconds later. A war cry.

    "Everyone! Take aim at the forest!" Yelled Hierd. "Fire at the sight of the first knight present!"

    "Yes, captain!" They shouted.

    Brandished in iron and headed straight, several knights appeared from the forest shadows and headed forward the bridge.

    "FIRE!"

    *BANG

    Several shots from many rifles, all hiting their targets with different levels of accuracy.

    The clopping of horses halted to a stop and the men were not shouting any longer. The soldiers took this time of silence to bolt another round in their rifles. In this time, a sillhouete appeared. And with a galliant shout; "Who are you!? And where is the captain!"

    Hierd whispered the Heduc to not fire the guns but aim still at the forest whilst he walked forward the bridge. "You question who am I, when you have yet to show yourself." Hierd chuckled a little bit. "Are you really a knight of chivalry?"

    *Tsk

    A man, not on a horse, appeared. He had red hair, with eyes akin to an angry lion''s. And he alike that woman captain, seemed to be a captain himself. "You posses power, I acknoledge that, now that you''ve shot down the first few of our knights with ease. However, you will not stay here any longer that unless you give us the captain."

    "Armstice?"

    "That is so, lord. If you bring us the captain back!" He shouted at him in a way that his body had almost lunged forward in rage.

    Hierd took this time to think, but rather did it seem he wished to toy with the intrigue.

    "I would rather not." A slight grin appeared.

    "You dare!?" He shouted. "Our forces will come at full power by tommorow''s dawn. Not even your magical sticks will be able to stop the full force of Unchean! Unless... You wish to surrender and better yet, give us... The captain!"

    Hierd did not respond to the man''s cry. And in the stage of silence, the man understood that Hierd had no want of giving up the captain Harper.

    "You wish to toy with me, lord? Then you will live no longer starting by tommorow''s dawn."

    The man turned back, with a pained, irritated expression. "Monitor the village... Stop the advance towards the farm, we''ll have all our forces readied by tommorow."

    "But, sir. Though they posses those magical items, I think we would be able to overcome them still!"

    "I forgive you for your tenacity, but that village is being protected by someone powerful, our troops right now will not be able to withstand them. It is better to retreat until tommorow, when we will strike with the full force of Unchean."

    ( * )

    "Well... That was nerve-wracking. But I think I did the right thing. Who knows, maybe I''ll be able to get land from doing this."

    "Captain!" Heduc went towards the captain in a hurry. "You wish to battle with the lord? Maybe even the cooperation of multiple lords!?"

    "Please, please. We don''t need to get too worried." Hierd said in confidence. "Germany''s armaments is not as slim as what I have introduced. Right now, I want the troops to patrol the village boundary, while I get what I need."

    "Yes, captain!"

    Hierd went away and towards his cabin. Whilst Heduc and Verdel stayed at the bridge with their troops. "So... This is it huh?" Verdel said. "The captain wishes to declare war upon the kingdom right at the starting months of Auferstehen?"

    "Don''t worry too much Verdel." He said in reasurance. "The captain is a wise man with many wise technologies from his country. Let us trust in what the captain will do, besides... He picked us to be leaders, right?"

 XI Night Skirmish - 1

    <figure></figure>

    <i>Venit Ille and Unchean City Map</i><hr>

    In the Chief''s house. Hierd, Naturvege, the squad leaders, and Friedrich and Hadi sat on the dining room. Under the command of Hierd, a map dictating the surroundings of Venit Ille was brought and put onto the dining room table.

    "Unchean''s not a one man army." Hierd started. "They''ll surely bring upon the help of other lords in the area. This fight will last for months, nigh even a year. And of course, during the fighting, Auferstehen will break. We don''t know what creatures lie dormant below ground, however, if push comes to shove, I will introduce several new armaments our soldiers will use in quick succession."

    The room stayed silent, waiting for Hierd''s next sentence. Hierd agreed to the silent wait and proceeded to talk; "As they will attack tommorow with an army whilst we have a company of soldiers with rifles. I wish to employ a rather... Unchivalrous move."

    "Which is?" Questioned Heduc.

    "We move by night."

    The room was shocked.

    "We attack!?" Exlclaimed Jeane. "But, captain. That leaves our village undefended! And any ambush from the sides will endanger the people!"

    "That is why I had said that I will introduce several new armaments. However, to train to use these things in a day is hard enough as is. But I hope that we will get started on training them to use it. I will summon multiple trucks to traverse the terrain, whilst calling onto the new armaments I will order to my country. So have the soldiers stop patrolling the village perimeter and instead come to the training grounds. As this will be one of their last days training."

    "Yes, captain."

    Hierd left first ahead of them and went to the training grounds, however, to avoid being seen by anyone, ran some ways off from the grounds, away enough so he can use his powers in secret.

    "I want twenty FG-42s along with twenty magazines for each FG-42."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: 20 FG-42 MACHINE GUNS WITH TWENTY MAGAZINES]

    They were laid neatly along the green grass ground, seeing this he then thought; "I want five M90 trucks like before, along with ten gasoline cans for each one of them."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: FIVE M90 TRANSPORT TRUCKS WITH TEN GASOLINE CANS EACH]

    "There''s already boxes of amunition for the Kar98ks, as well as the grenades, and MREs. I want to introduce cnow." When he said this, an image of the man he gave a marksman badge came into mind, Matthaus was perfect however he wished to also give him a dedicated sniper scope. "Give me five Anti-Material rifles, as well as ten Kar98ks with sniper scopes attached."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: FIVE PTRS-41 ANTI-TANK RIFLES, TEN KAR98KS WITH SNIPER SCOPES ATTACHED]

    He loaded one of the trucks with the all the things. Got inside and onto the driver''s seat, driving it towards the training site, to which he saw that the soldiers were already there and waiting. Hierd saw Alrife waiting just by as well, figuring that he could drive one as well, he asked him to go get the other trucks of which were waiting just down the other side of the hill.

    He got out of the truck and presented the mass amount of clutter in the truck''s back. He pulled out one of each thing, the PTRS-41, the scoped Kar98ks, and finally the Machine gun. And with each and every thing he pulled out, the soldiers intrigue got higher every single time, and at the very last item, the Machine Gun, their mouths yearned to question Hierd of its use, as well as the other items.

    "You lot will be training how to use this gun along with the others in less than eight hours!" Yelled Hierd. "After a half day''s worth of training, you will be alotted time to sleep. And once you awake, one will find that some will be staying and defending the village, whilst some others will awake and come to find that they will be part of an invasion of one of their settlements."

    The soldiers murmured in their breath, ''a half day of non-stop training?'' Some said; ''Hopefully it''ll be fun.'' And patriotically; ''Let''s give it our all for our village.''

    "I see that you all have mixed feelings about this!" Hierd started. "However! If you do not comply, our very village is at stake, think about your families, think about your loved ones, think about your friends! Think about your futures! If you do not train, if you wish to be tardy! You future-self will look down upon you in shame, and in regret!"

    The speech Hierd gave made them shut-up. "We will start first with the use of the machine guns!"

    For there were twenty of these machine guns, he alotted that for every squad (there being 18) three people will train to use the machine gun. The three men of every squad were picked by their respective talents (for the Ridge village troops have yet to be announced a leader yet).

    For the remaining people who were not picked, they were asked to train to use the Kar8k as they have had before. But, Matthaus was given the special version of the Kar98k, the one with the scope. The soldiers reveled in the idea of attaching a telescope onto a gun to see farther away and wanted ones for themselves, however the captain had stated that only those with the skill to shoot accurately at far distances are the ones able to use such modified weaponry.

    In Hierd''s mind, Matthaus'' training will help in the long term, as his training to become a sniper will then transfer to his using of the PTRS-41, of which the captain wants him to learn to do so to become an instructer for any future marksmen.

    The soldiers who were picked were set onto the ground, and were asked to rapidly fire at the target which was a tree that was some distance away. They were confused, as they were obviously used to the single click and bolt of the kar98k, but Hierd said;

    "This releases a rapid fire of bullets, to control the fire that unleashes forth from the barrel of the gun, it is best to be prone, to be crouching and placed onto some ground with the two sticks at the front of the ground. Though it is possible to fire the gun like your designated Kar98ks, it has more power than that, and releases them in faster speed, so you must be crawled, as you are now!"

    Hearing this, the soldiers braced for the impact that the gun will do to their shoulders as had they when they had used the Kar98k.

    "FIRE!"

    A click.

    A rapid fire of thunder clasped the skies and too the clouds, disturbing whatever peace was left of the training field. The soldiers had stopped after some seconds, as they were used to only shooting five rounds.

    They were stunned, the fire that unleashed out of the gun they had just used was even more better than the Kar98k, however, it''s use had most definitely hurt their shoulders. The spectators watched and were too blown away as if there was a gust of wind that flew and blowed their ears with the intense sound that the machine gun had emitted.

    "Listen!" Hierd''s excordium started. "There are twenty rounds of ammunition inside each magazine, it is much more better than the Kar98k. However, is much more of a hassle to carry. With this gun, it has still the same principles, that you must aim with confidence but in desperate situations, fire the gun in all directions if needed! And because the machine gunners will be fitted with ten magazines, the ones using such guns will tire quickly, so this is a great gun with unfriendly handling!" He took a breath.

    "Continue firing!"

    ( * )

    Hierd left the squad leaders and some of the village governors to supervise the training, whilst he went into the Naturvege''s home once more to plan the night skirmish.

    Friedrich and Naturvege were there. When they noticed the captain; they greeted him a warm welcome and they sat on the dining table once again. The gunshot from yesterday still was not fixed by the way.

    "I understand the role of the Ridge Village troops;" Started Friedrick. "That being that they will be auxillary and the ones to help when they are needed. In the addition of the machine gunners, We''d like to have our troops along the main road, watching the battle. And as our own apothecaries ready their medicine in treating the wounded, would they then go into the battle and replace the injured ones."

    "That is fine, and is quite what they were made for." Commented Hierd. "However, I would like to know whether their use of fire arrows will decrease our soldiers morale."

    "Fire arrows?" Naturvege looked at him with a confused face. "Do you mean... The fire type magic, captain? The fire arrow skill?"

    "Wait, they don''t know what I''m refering to?"

    "No, what I mean is that they put fire at the ends of their bows."Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Friedrick jumped in; "No man has ever done such a thing in this continent, its generally frowned upon to even use fire in war. However, such things as thunder-type and water-type magic have been used effectively."

    "Magic..." Hierd''s face became bitter. "I never thought of magic, if they use some cool ass AOE attack, I''ll be dead!"

    "But not to worry, captain. Magic is a noble''s commodity, and generally people who train to use it in an academy of sorts in the capital are able to fully use such a straining activity."

    "Phew, I thought my whole life was gonna burn apart."

    "But the lord, Peraux, might use his wind-type magic in this battle."

    "How so?"

    "The lord has a reputation to use wind-magic to summon devastating whirlwinds, however, even that power, as I have been told, can lift men up and fling them around but not severely damage them. And that controlling such a power shall require without a doubt a person''s force, too much, and you''d be crawling to bed, captain."

    "I see.. This works like some MMO game or some thing, good thing it''s been nerfed in this reality."

    "Friedrick, we need to aquire a map of the whole kingdom." He looked at him with yearning eyes.

    "Unfortunately, captain." Hierd saddened. "We would be able to get one if we were a part of the merchant''s guild. No man in this village is a merchant, and probably ever, neither had Unchean''s lord; Peraux, ever gave the surrounding villages any maps for even his territory."

    *Tsk

    Hierd angered. "The main path towards the city is covered in trees, we wouldn''t be able to spot an ambush till'' it would be too late." He looked to Naturvege. "Is there any other path that''d lead to Unchean?"

    Naturvege had looked to the ceiling whilst rubbing his chin in a way to remember if there was or was not another path. But then, by the flick of a finger, he remembered. "In the eastern forest some ways east off the farm, there''s a small forgotten dirt path that goes some multiple ways but ultimately does lead to Unchean." He thought something, to which conjured a question than an answer. "The trucks, can they fit in the path? That I don''t know captain."

    "We got another way in, either we go by path or I summon another vehicle, if things go awry, I''m gonna get chainsaws. Were chainsaws made in the 1900''s? Fuck, idk anymore."

    "Anyhow, we''ve found another path, I want to use this path to infiltrate and scout Unchean, and hopefully, succeed."

    Friedrich''s eyes jumped up, he was confused yet too intrigued. "Suceed how? Captain?"

    "Because they know that we are an actual threat and that we can kill multiple men by just the blink of an eye, they will deploy all their units towards the village, to hopefully subdue and control it." Hierd looked at the map, and with all three braincells, the neurons fired as much as it could.

    "Because the river blockades any advance from any side, they will most definitely want to take the farm that is across the river. Thus crippling the village''s food resource. Weakening our men''s resolve to continue any so what battle. And because the village of Venit Ille borders another kingdom, they would not be so stupid as to invade from that kingdom''s side. I suggest we defend the farm with as much of our troops deployed there with as many mines deployed around the perimeter. Also of the bridge. If ever that our forces get overpowered and are forced to retreat towards the village, we will blow up the bridge."

    "Blow up the bridge!?" Cried Naturvege. "We''d have lost a viable way to get across the other side if that''s the case. And if the night scouting were to suceed, how would they come back?"

    "How would they come back at all if our forces were overpowered?" Retorted Hierd. "The night scouting is more of an army. When Unchean sends all their troops to our village, the night troops will then invade the city of Unchean in one clean swoop. In this taking, we will use the fortification of the city to our advantage as they siege their own city."

    "I see...." Commented Friedrick, "If they got word that the city was being invaded, they would turn back, thus the soldiers, if ever overencumbered, would be able to take back the farm!"

    "Yes, and also, with the help of one more technology I will introduce, our soldiers will then advance forward to Unchean."

    "That would spell death to Peraux!" Exclaimed Friedrick.

    "Yes."

    Friedrick and Naturvege were intrigued as to what new technology Hierd said he would introduce, because of that, they pried open the topic. "What is the new technology you speak of, captain?"

    "It is the radio."

    A moment of silence, until Naturvege broke it with a laugh. "I have heard of it! It is Germany''s bestest of tech, one that could bring the voice of one person to another person with just the use of... Waves? In the air, using a gadget of some kind!"

    He put his hands under the table, "Give me a... SCR-300."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: SCR-300]

    Hierd had smirked as he knew what kind of radio he wanted without being too broad, for he had read a book before about radios. After he felt the weight of said radio on his hands, he pulled it out and revealed it to the audience. They looked at it with obvious intrigue poking it with their fingers and looking at the knobs.

    "Yes, Naturvege, that one. The usage of one, though I had not formally asked you to train how to use it, you must always be keen to pick up the phone-" He enacted what he had said. "To see if i am communicating with you, or not."

    "I see!" Said jovially, Friedrick. "What a simple yet at the same time, complex gadget!"

    "Please be mindful, not to turn the knobs and all the other things on the radio, and instead only fanagle the phone. If ever were our communication was altered, it''d drastically effect how the battle tommorow will outcome." He took a breath. "When you see that they are retreating, I want you to get to the radio and pick up the phone, of which you will then talk to me and say that they indeed are returning back to Unchean."

    "Okay, that''s easy enough as is , captain!" Noted Naturvege.

    "I will be one of the men that will be joining the night skirmish, acting as the one to lead. I will leave Venit Ille to your care, I will bring two of my squad leaders. And some of the artiliery squad."

    "Thanks, captain." Commented Naturvege with a smile. "Wish you good luck."

    "I hope so."

    After a training session;

    Hierd observed the soldiers being weakly, he gave them energizing hot delicious meals, I mean, if he didn''t they''d be complaining and they would also be more tardy in the battle tommorow. Hierd had asked the soldiers of Ridge village to train to use the Luger more, the artilery squad to understand the consequences of unkept mines, and their effects.

    For the six M90 transport trucks, Hierd had ordered Heduc and Jeane to take the wheel (for they were the two squad leaders he was going to be inviting in the night skirmish). Then he ordered for his squad members to practice using them.

    To which, as they were practicing to use the trucks and manuevering in them in such quick time, the soldiers whoms''t were practicing were onlooking with intrigue and wonder as they saw the iron hunks of machine move back and forward, left and right, sometimes going fast, sometimes stopping abruptly.

    Hierd himself had taught the drivers how to move the truck, what the steering wheel could do, as well as the pedals and the ''small club'' that Verdel said, was in between the seats. They were fast learners, however, Hierd had an inkling, a thought that never escaped him.

    "There''s not enough time to train them how to use these weapons and technologies in just a single day. No matter how many words I say, or how many hours they waste today, If they forget, or that their muscles weakened in tommorow''s battle. What good will the training today be for?"

    He brushed them off, for he knew that these soldiers were resilient and strong. How else would they have been battling the month of Auferstehen wihtout Hierd''s intervention with the gun and machine? Wit and brain? No, strength and courage. However, it was not enough.

    He left the drivers to play around in the trucks, getting used to how they operate, he even left them a manual, I mean, they like manuals, for they were, as the many soldiers called it, ''The Captain''s Expensive Rules.'' Being that they thought these manuals would fetch millions upon millions of money, and that the knowledge, with they read rather intently inside, would give them understanding above any other.

    He went towards the main road, of which there were many people wandering in fear around, but as soon as they saw Hierd standing mighty and proud yet at the same time lost and unsure, they looked to him as if waiting for a speech to be given, and so did he give. "People! Of Venit Ille or of Ridge Village. As you have undoubtfully known, or have yourself seen, Unchean, and it''s lord wishes to invade this village!"

    The crowd had silenced and with their ears, listened keenly to Hierd''s every sentence and word.

    "I will not let them invade and you be in their rule ever again! For in mine, had you seen more improvement than whatever that bastardly lord could''ve ever done for you!"

    They crowd made an agreeing silence.

    "Your fathers, yours husbands, maybe even your brothers. They work tirelessly, in the training grounds, training to use their weapons! And understanding the fields! However, even with their heroic motives, they will fall short if not that you too shall help!" He took a deep breath. "No, I am not asking you all to join the training as too they have. But, if you have the will to, the power to, the courage to, please! O'' Please! Help them, help us, help yourselves, and help this village in maintaining a peace that is seen in my rule!"

    Silence.

    Eyes of the onlookers filled Hierd with doubt whether his speech really had worked.

    However, as he gave another look around, their eyse were filled with tears.

    "We will help!" Said the men, raising their hands to the air.

    "We will too!" Women, the housewives had said.

    "As will we!" Said the Ridge folk.

    Hierd smiled. "Then to all who wish to help with the work that is to come in protecting the village, please come to the bridge, for we will fortify it!"

    The crowd roared in appeal, Hierd''s smile widened.

    ( * )

    With the cooperation of the Ridge and Venit Ille villagers, the bridge was barricaded with the help of wood and nail. Making spikes that''d deter a horse. Hierd was extra cautious when they crossed the bridge to fortify the outer farm and of course, the other side of the bridge. But thankfully enough, the mines were marked and very obviously seen, courtesy of the Artillery Platoon''s intellect.

    Wooden spikes were all around the place, and there were several places along the farm fences and the river''s banks where boxes of ammuntions were placed inside little quickly made wooden ''bunkers'' that shield a person from the hail of an arrow.

    It was approaching dusk, and as thanks, Hierd had given the village a feast of meals to give to each and every one of them. Along with it, some orange drink that the villagers had loved to oblivion that they wondered if such a thing was so rare that only he, Hierd, a ''higher-noble'' they call, could be the only one capable of buying such a thing.

    The village was wholly protected, and the soldiers were wholly tired. For they had just underwent a training of the new guns the captain had delievered. With it came newer ear problems, sore muscles, and irritating heat. To which, Hierd had given them another meal and sent them on their way home for them to sleep early.

    The squad leaders, Alrife, the rest of the gang, as well as Matthaus stayed in Naturvege''s house. Hierd laid down the brass-tax. Telling the plan to the squad leaders. While at some cases they objected the idea of it, when it neared the end, they contemplated, ultimately understanding the plan and accepting it''s blatant stupidity. But Heduc questioned; "The mere sound of the trucks can alert the soldiers, wouldn''t it?"

    "We''ll start walking after we''ve achieved a great distance near Unchean."

    "I see." Heduc then looked at Matthaus. "He, Matthaus, the one who achieved the marksman medal, what would be his position in this?"

    As Matthaus was prompted, he introduced himself to everyone in the room. After his belated introduction, Hierd started; "He is percise, and so I would like to entrust him with being the one scouting out our castle."

    The room turned silent. Finding the awkwardness in it all, Hierd said; "We have a long day tommorow, and quite the furious one indeed. I''d like everyone to sleep early. I will awake the squad leaders who would by then ready the soldiers who will be joining the scouting."

    "Yes, captain." Said Heduc.

    "Goodnight, captain." Said Jeane.

    And what followed was a night of peaceful sleep.

 XII Night Skirmish - 2

    <b>Fortunately, with the help of his alarm clock</b>. It rang and made woke him by midnight strike! Hierd got up, although he had wobbled quite a bit. Struggling to keep his hat and suit, but as he opened the door and out came the cold of the night. His slept-self became fully awoke.

    With the strike of the new-flown energy, he ran towards the Chief''s house, pounding on the front door. And with each pound did it seem that Naturvege''s bed moved an inch, thus finally awakening him. He opened the door in quite the hurry, seeing Hierd, he already knew what was to happen. Hierd waited by the door, as Naturvege was just suiting up his uniform.

    "Awake the squad leaders, Naturvege, I shall go the Ridge village to inform them to awake as well."

    "Yes, captain."

    They two went their seperate ways. Hierd went towards the temporary housing that was the Ridge village''s chief''s home. He knocked once, and to his suprise.

    "Good Evening, captain!" Friedrick had opened the door with a jovial look to his face.

    "Have you slept? You certainly seem energized." Questioned Hierd.

    "I have, just that, even a footstep can be heard in this creaky home, your knock had just rocked me up in my sleep."

    "I see..." Hierd looked at his clothing, "You must dress yourself and ready your soldiers for battle."

    "Yes, captain."

    It was quite the quick encounter, after Hierd had finished business with Friedrick, of whom was already busying himself with waking the soldiers and bringing them hot meals that the Hierd had ''brought up from nowhere.'' So that they''d waken with energized minds.

    Hierd went back to the main road, and saw a rather large formation. For every truck, there being five, (he left the one he had already used for the village to use in the attack), ten could fit neatly inside with all the trinkets and guns packed. For they had only ninety all-in-all soldiers. Hierd wanted to instead take only twenty-five men. It being made up of two Artillery squads, both Heduc''s and Jeane''s squads, and Hierd''s own squad of five.

    "Thirty soldiers, one chance." Hierd looked distressed. "This plan''s stupid, the city''s big. But, im saucy like that." The frog in his throat disapeared and began to calm himself for the journey that was to ensue.

    Heduc went towards him. "Captain, we should depart now."

    "That we should." Hierd walked away, Hierd following him. He placed himself in the front of the formation of thirty soldiers. "Soldiers! My men!" His exordium had straightened their postures and intently did they look at Hierd.

    "Today will certainly become one of this village''s most important, or most detrimental day. Your lives, your loved one''s lives, they rest in your decisions in following the words of your superiors, and may it benefit others, following your morals. For we will storm straight into a path unknown, understand that you can die, understand that you can get injured. However, if you can''t comprehend death, you are not my soldier!"

    "Those ''knights." He put it jokingly, "Will not, will never ever deface our village''s reputation! For Unchean to dare declare their war, I call it stupid, I call them stupid! And we? Victims of a corrupt stupidity!"

    "I don''t think that makes sense, since I was the one who ''technically'' invaded Unchean. But damned! I don''t care anymore."

    "For they say they''ll strike at dawn, we in stead will strike their lord''s head by noon!" To hype up the statement, to which had stoke the soldier''s hearts in a weird way, he shouted; "To Unchean, for our Kingdom!"

    ( * )

    The five trucks, were headed straight into the forest where the said secret path was, and indeed, with Hierd''s further inspection of the area, that it was indeed a dirt path, it was not that wide, yet was not that narrow that their trucks could not pass.

    Friedrick and Gelmund (the ones who were instigated to govern the farm in the invasion) had installed or improved on the defences that were put by the villagemen. There were some culdesacs on each end of a farm fence where defences were strengthed to provide protection to the machine gunners who would be stationed there with the help of handcrafted wooden shields that''d help stop an arrow''s infiltration.

    In the center of the farm, where the farmhouse was, they set up a military camp that had contained in it the boxes that Hierd had given them, which were stacks upon stacks upon stacks. With the help of the Artillery squad, landmines were placed all over the perimeter of the farm fence, however, because of Hierd''s doubts on protection, he asked for said landmines to be labeled, remembered, and have a clear signal of where one is.

    It''d remove the illusion of suprise but instead rise the fact of danger. Why would they assault the farm with horses where they could explode when they step on such things.

    Continuing the trek inside the forest, the journey was slow and the terrain was at times wonky. With Hierd at the front of the lane, giving signals to the drivers behind him of upcoming obstacles.

    The ride''s smoothness went better by such factor. It was rather boring, sitting on the back of the truck, as the soldiers had figeted their hands, talked to each and each, or even napping (but Hierd noticed and yelled that the ones who nap will recieve punishment).

    But, in all the soldier''s heads, they thought of one thing entirely, they held their guns in embrace as they awaited either death or success. Their lives were in the balance, and the captain was in charge what side he''d put his soldiers on a falling ceramic plate. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    But, in their minds, not one was doubtful of what the captain can and shall do. But it seemed that the captain was the one doubtful of his actions. As he never had such the capability to run a group of people in the world he came from, why would he be able to run a military? Before the captain could come with any so what conclusion on that topic, Hierd heared a horn beep.

    He stopped. The ones at the back doing as such too. He looked at the side mirror and saw Heduc coming towards him. He stopped at the window and Hierd rolled it down. "What is it?"

    "Captain, its an Unchean camp."

    "This is gold! We''re storming into this camp!"

    "Where did you see it?" Heduc didn''t say anything but instead had walked. Hierd had saw Jeane and his squad''s drivers getting off as well.

    Heduc stopped and pointed some south-east from the path. "There, captain." He took a sigh before saying; "No man won''t ever bypass my keen eyes. That captain, which seems like a lamp''s light, is infact a lamp''s light."

    "Hah." Hierd looked at in more keenly. After observing some bits longer saw a silhoute of what he understood it to be, "A knight."

    He quickly looked behind him with the four drivers waiting for some command to be ushered from the captain''s mouth. "I want for all of the soldiers to be ready and in formation, we''ll siege the camp."

    "Yes, captain!"

    They scrambled to their trucks. And in a matter of what seemed like ten seconds, the soldiers were up and ready to fight. "Soldiers, we''re going to trek slowly toward them, I want complete silence. We''ll be scouting from the darkness, and once I give the command, our machine gunners will dump metal into their bodies."

    The ominous incinuation of Hierd''s words had by some means, frightened the soldiers. Once Hierd had walked, so did they. Crouching on the forest ground, the men had their Kar98k aimed at the camp if ever the knights that were there noticed their movement. As they neared the camp, Hierd stopped and observed.

    "The camp isn''t that big, however, that large tent at the middle..." Hearing this, Heduc intervened.

    "It may be the lord, however, for the lord to be in this tent, in a place without much protection and troops, I find it hard to believe that that''s the lord''s tent."

    "Figured." Hierd observed.

    "Fire."

    The machine gunners readied their guns and aimed.

    A barrage of bullets.

    The tents had fallen by the weight of the iron. And the knights who slept or those who hadn''t were all evicerated by the bullet''s hots pummels.

    It was a long ten seconds, but after the fire came the silence that seemed to have stopped the world. Hierd stood up and took a bit of a breather, the gunners had reloaded. Seeing them finish, he said; "Head back, we''ll continue the journey before the sun comes up."

    "We''re not going to check the tents?" Intervened Jeane. "And potentially, surviors?"

    "No, whatever thing they would''ve given us, would be more than nothing for our objective. May they find this camp at dawn, shall their lord scream."

    Hierd went back to his truck, the other drivers doing as such. The soldiers had eased themselves on their seats and had cleaned their guns, as Hierd had given handwritten invoices before to have the guns cleaned after everytime it is used. Attached to such invoices was a clean big cloth.

    And with a blank expression, like he hadn''t just witnessed and be apart of a legal massacre. Hierd started-up the truck once more and the convoy had continued their journey.

    Back at Venit Ille;

    The sun had still not arisen, if the clock had existed in this day and age, then it would mean that it''d be about three in the morning. By that time, all of the soldiers were wide awake because of the movement of the Ridge soldiers up at the farm that were fortifying it.

    Verdel and Naturvege were instructed to be guard and defend the bridge, and it was already jam packed of defenses, the artillery squad had notified the soldiers that there were trip mines at the side of it and that they should be cautious of sticks that stuck out from the ground.

    Unfortunately, Hierd hadn''t given them hot food (the ones who recently awoke) and instead relied upon the MRES that were given. It was bad, but had filled up their bellies well enough. Verdel had placed adjacent the bridge stations for machine gunners, there were two, to be exact. Of which the machine gunners can shoot at oncoming enemies while still being in the safety ring of the village-side of the lands.

    Naturvege and two squads had went down to the prison land. Checking and ensuring that none had escaped during their absence. Certainly there weren''t as the knights were quote-on-quote; ''Scared, frightened.'' By the power they held. However, their captain had not even the slightest mind whether they were there or they were not, she stared only at the window in the room only she was inside of.

    Naturvege had given them pre-opened MREs, they were of the ''better'' ones, but the knights still commented of it''s rather queer taste. The captain was none the wiser upon the mass opinion.

    In the farm land, Friedrick was busying himself by maintaining the morale of his soldiers and Hierd''s (his soldiers means more that because the aforementioned soldiers are from his village).

    Whilst his comrade, Gelmund was tending to the soldier''s weaponry. Developing a ''system'' of sorts along the way. The system had came upon the fact of the machine gunner''s general supremity. With the added bonus that the machine gunners were defended by arrow fire, Gelmund proposed that two gunners be posted with one out-lier who would help deliver ammunitions and treat arrow wounds, if so ever shot.

    There were four main machine gunner positions, spread by a way off distance. Handling two squad''s worth of soldiers each. The minor ones used Gelmund''s proposal and were either behind or adjacent the main ones. One was at the very top, with only one squad guarding it.

    There were two that faced the eastern forest which were classified an important point, and ever were it breached, would lead to the downfall of the farm. And the final one was at the gate of the farm, it was fortified in a way that had still a way for the trucks and soldiers to pass via the path and because of that, it was some ways; "A vunreable point." Said Friedrick.

    "Yes, that is indeed, but they have swords, spears, and bows. We have guns. There''s a difference to the two, sir." Commented Gelmund, who was not as shy to Friedrick as to Hierd. "And even were it that they pass, we have thirty-five ready soldiers."

    "That is so, that is so." Friedrick looked onward to the skies, it was approaching dawn. "Unchean''s army, will come no later, no sooner. Ready the soldiers for battle, sir."

    "Yes, sir." He nodded to exaggerate his approval.

    Naturvege had asked the same of Verdel over at the bridge of which had contained a more-or-less equal footing of soldiers, thirty. This shortened, however, because some ridge village troops were ordered to stay inside the village to tend to the villagers and relay information that''d be detrimental if not said. The large; thirty numbers, dropped down to fifteen. It included two normal squads and one artillery squad.

    All fifteen soldiers, waiting anxiously for dawn to come.

    ( * )

    As dawn neared, so too did Hierd''s parade of trucks. There wasn''t anything else in the way of the path, neither were there any campsites near or on the path, thankfully. They could see the dark outline of fortress, it was the city of Unchean.

    They reached the end of the path, and stopped just before they could be seen by any unforeseen onlookers. Captain Hierd got out of his seat, he asked for the rest of the men to get off too. He crouched along the woodline, his soldiers following behind him. He stopped when he had sight of the gate. "That, soldiers." He started. "Is an army."

    Indeed that is was, for at the entrance, was a staggering lot of soldiers, with the front of such a formation, a decorated horse, which sat atop its golden armor.

    "Lord Peraux..."

 XIII A Confusing Battle

    <b>It was the strike of the sun''s first of rays.</b> Dawn. And as the one who declared had said; truly there were Unchean forces that ranged the whole of the forest. They stared at deadlock, as the Unchean forces had helmets, they couldn''t discern whether their enemies were frightened or that they were laughing.

    However, of the forces of Venit Ille, they sat and looked as stern as they could, aiming down at the mass of steel and wooden shields. The silence didn''t last long, as Lord Peraux slowly, with his horse, came near the defended bridge.

    "Come no closer!" Shouted Naturvege. "Lord, you are about to step into death."

    He scoffed. "Was that a threat? Or was it literal?"

    Naturvege remained silent.

    Peraux, with his shining golden armor and red cape, became irritated. "Whatever your sentence really meant, it wouldn''t matter. Your village will become mine in a matter of hours." He smirked. "For I am a merciful lord, I shall give you time to understand that, and come with a decision to... Surrender. So we needn''t harm our soldiers? Right? Chief of this village?"

    "I am humbled that you remember me, lord." He spoke. "But, your reign against us is over, as a new lord befalls onto us. He, our new lord, will destroy your city!"

    Peraux was taken a step aback. "Your tenacity is suprising, as well as this... New lord you talk of, but no matter, I shall give you your time, hopefully, by the end of it, you surrender."

    He gracefully went back into the forest.

    They were confused. Why give ''them'' time, when they could obviously just attack? Questions, questions, only answers that were the same as theories had popped up, each either contradicting or supporting each other. Like as Naturvege said; "They''re probably just trying to scare us."

    But then Verdel said; "No, I don''t think so, maybe the captain might''ve done something and they''re trying to figure out what to do by elongating the time."

    "Or that they''re preparing more troops to come?" Interjected one soldier.

    "That may be so." Said Naturvege, "But then-" It went on and on after this.

    ( * )

    In the not so distant forest, Peraux was freaking out. "Where is the rest of our troops!?"

    "I do not know, lord!" Said a knight. "They should have had left their camp some lots of time ago, and yet, they aren''t here."

    Peraux almost growled in anger. "Send men to their camp! If they are sleeping, I want each and every one of them to be whipped!"

    "Y... Yes, my lord!" The knight hurried off with his horse and with some other knights coming with due north.

    "God!" Peraux screamed to the heavens. "This is disasterous! Without them, taking that farm i''ll be as hard as taking a fortress in the mountains!"

    "Do not distress yourself so hard, my lord." The captain, the one who came second to Venit Ille with an angered expression.

    "How can I not!?" He exclaimed. "When the bitches in that village have sticks of thunder that can kill us faster than our bows and arrows!"

    The captain stayed silent as he didn''t want to be caught up in the lord''s anger.

    "Who even is this, ''Hierd'' he spoke of?" He looked perplexed whilst rubbing his chin. "I have no knowledge of a Steigburgenian lord of that same name!" The kingdom of Steigburg had indeed no such lord of such name, ''Hierd, Hierd.'' The captain''s name he repeated in his mind a multitude of times.

    "Oh damn it all!" He shouted. "We must message the capital, hope for the king''s forces to come and subdue this feral lord." He looked at the captain.

    "Eugene, has there been a messenger sent to the capital?"

    "No, not yet, as you had not ordered it, my lord."

    "Then go back and send a messenger, now!"

    "Y-yes, lord!" As the knight before, he straddled off with his horse and two other knights back towards Unchean.

    Unchean''s forces that day were close to five hundred, yet not near their full power of one thousand. As over a hundred were left to defend at the castle, and four hundred knights were at the northern camp, of which Hierd had decimated. The lord itched his scalp in irritation and confusion, seeing this, the knights around him had lost morale, seeing the lord agitated and angery over a village that has forces as small as a hundred, scared them, scared them very much so.

    ( * )

    At the farm land, Friedrick and Gelmund had just recieved word of what had happened at the bridge via a single messenger. Inside the large tent they were both in; the words that came out of the messenger had confused him. "They''re giving ''us'' time?" Questioned Gelmund.

    "Thats peculiar, for them to postpone the battle for some time..." Said the confused Friedrick.

    "May it be that the captain is involved in this?"

    "That is probable, as we have yet to see forces surround the farm, it''s clear there''s something awry."

    "How will Naturvege use this time?" Gelmund looked at the messenger.

    "I have not a clue, sir."

    "Well then, the farm will use this time to do nothing, rest, and observe."

    "I agree, Gelmund. I shall tell this to our soldiers."

    "Okay, sir."

    The whole of Venit Ille''s forces and villagers were confused and anxious, they hadn''t the slightest clue why Unchean had postponed the battle, however, as the sun reaches ever nearer to it''s crux in the middle of that blue sky, silence was ever still, and the two sides looked at each other, almost rather awkwardly.

    Unchean''s forces took this time to build fortification and camps along the path, this was noted by one of the soldiers stationed at the bridge.

    Naturvege was cautious, thinking that they were buying time for soldiers to make a makeshift bridge downstream to cross, he had sent the Ridge Village troops inside the village to scout the prison and the training field in particular, whilst still keeping some men in the middle, ''just in case.''

    Yet, inside nor outside the village, there was nothing, anywhere, everywhere. Just silence and the cold winds that came down upon them. Naturvege was growing impatient and sent a messenger to Friedrick to contact the captain via the radio device he was given.

    When the messenger had reached and entered Friedrick and Gelmund''s tent, they had responded with due haste and pushed one of the buttons that Hierd had said to push.

    *Pshhhhh

    The sound of radio static, they did not know what this was and had frightened them a bit. But after some time, Hierd had responded to the signal that was given. "Friedrick? Is that you? If so, have the Unchean forces retreated?"

    "Captain Hierd, the troops have yet to retreat neither have they yet to ambush us."

    A ''huh'' was heard from across the radio.

    "May that be because of what he had done last night?" Thought Hierd.

    "Do you have control of Unchean? Captain?"

    "You can say that, since we stand at the gates with the city in our hands."

    -Traveling back to the past-

    It was some time off from Unchean''s coming to Venit Ille that Hierd had made his move. The gate inside was open, seeing no other possible way, and that the main army had already moved and gone from sight, he and his men had charged into the daylight with their trucks at full speed.

    The knights at the gate had scrambled and were terrified at what they were looking at approaching them. "Iron tigers!" One shouted. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    "Is it Auferstehen already!?"

    The knights were distressed, and as the trucks had neared ever closer to the gate, Hierd stopped and let the soldiers behind to get off. With the order; "Fire the soldiers, fire anyone who is a part of the Unchean force."

    *BOOM

    The first shot. It seemed quiet after that. As the knights who were there to witness the first casualty, were shocked by the sound that had erupted their ears. ''Regaining'' their right of mind, they had retreated.

    The five trucks now moved slowly inside the city, the citizens were already being evacuated by the knights, but to the citizens who soon saw the hunks of metal entering the city, they didn''t need to heed the words of the knights carrying them out to book it away.

    Hierd''s truck stopped and the four trucks behind him had stopped when they were parallel each other. The squad leaders had ordered for the soldiers to be out and to join the fire. And one by one, the artillery squad at the way back to the two squads at the middle were all out and about with guns at the ready. Their accuracy was at times shoddy, but good enough for the amount of time they had spent.

    Hierd had said not to use machine guns yet, for doing so will involve in unexpected casualties from stray bullets. Saying that they should use either the Kar98k or the Luger.

    Mltiple gun shots in less than five seconds, the city was full of noise and carnage. And soon enough, the entirety of the western side of the city was in their control. The knights had tried to ambush them, however, the quick responses by the soldiers had rendered their aggresive attack useless.

    As the tides switched to their control Hierd had went to Heduc to inquire about a question that lingered in his mind before they even came here. "Will the Guilds intefere?"

    "The guilds never interfere with wars, battles and all, doubt they will now, captain."

    "I still don''t trust them. Send you and your squad to the adventurer''s guild and say that we are in war with Unchean''s lord, say that they shouldn''t interfere.

    "Yes, captain."

    He gestured to his squad, which was busying themselves in shooting knights, to follow him. The adventurer''s guild was more north the city, and as expected, the adventurers, who people would treat as lords themselves, were not interfering. As soon as Heduc''s squad entered, their Kar98ks were pointed at all directions inside the big rather crowded guild. "We come in peace!"

    The adventurers, seeing their outfits had bowed, Heduc and his squad moved close to the reception desk. The Adventurer''s Guild''s chief was there, Heduc recognized him. "You, chief of the adventurer''s guild." The chief stood up. "Our leader reasons that the Adventurer''s guild not to interfere with the ongoing war between Unchean."

    The leader was shocked, so to were the adventurers in the room. Soon had it filled into mumbles and whispers. "Then we will not interfere, as should guilds do, sir." The chief bowed.

    Heduc then rotated himself in fast procession to the adventurers. "Adventurers of the guild! The city is being invaded by the forces of Hierd Die Grace, we will not target it''s citizens and hope that you and your families are safe in this process of conquest, you may go home to your families, may you not resent us for killing loved ones who are knights."

    Their faces, upon hearing the last words of Heduc had nd not a word more, they bolted out, creating a crowd of adventurers at the front who were running for it towards their homes. The guild was clear of any person, the reception desk ladies and the chief had stayed. "We shall leave as well." Said Heduc.

    ( * )

    As that was happening, Hierd was foreseeing the killing of all the knights in their sights, they dominated the city in less than an hour. And in half an hour more, the city was theirs. The manor, of which the lord stayed was under control. But because of the small size of Hierd''s forces. He had difficulty controlling the city. But under it, he had closed down the two other gates, one at the south and one at the north. Leaving the middle, front one opened. He was posted atop the gate, his squad below it. Awaiting for the radio signal.

    The citizens who were there, especially the old and the young were curious, their wooden sticks with metal daggers at the front from which at the tip of that wooden stick was the hole that a fire of uproportional power exerted off from, the mere thought that their invaders were these, so they put it, ''Sorcerers of fire,'' had put them off and had no wills of not following their every word.

    Whilst waiting for the radio to signal in, Jeane was tending to the citizens with questions, of which there were many, however, she had not said anything about their guns, their ''country,'' nor if they were sorcerers that could shoot out arrows of power. As Hierd had said that arousing them with such information shall make them spies for the kingdom, not saying too much information about these guns will make containing information and concealing especially endangering information, to them, and them only.

    But, unexpectedly, three knights atop horses were approaching the city gate. Seeing this, Hierd panicked with his squad and Jeane''s to go to the entrance. The people who were at the entrance were ogled by the arrival of knights and in a way, cheered. "Stay back!" Hierd had yelled to the citizens as he was going down the gate. "Go back to your homes! For there will be carnage here, soon!"

    With fear in their eyes, the elderly had ran and the young had went back with the hands of their parents carrying them home.

    The entrance was devoid of people, just as Hierd wanted. And as the horse came close, the front, the messenger who was sent, was perplexed at the lack of soldiers defending the gate.

    His heart dropped.

    He stopped his horse abruptly. "Wh... Why are there Venit Ille forces here!?"

    Hierd''s squad neared the knights.

    "We... We come in peace!" The knight at the front proclaimed. "I am merely messenger!"

    "Damned! Have they figured out that fast?"

    "Why send a messenger?"

    "We... Well... Lord, we were sent to... contact the... capital..." Stutters made his speech blurry, yet Hierd had gotten it.

    "They''re looking for the help of the kingdom, this''ll be bad. I don''t have enough troops to face them off. But atleast I don''t think the troops down west know of our suprise invasion."

    "You are to be detained!" Exclaimed Hierd.

    They climbed out of their horses without action to interfere with the detaining. And Jeane''s forces had them thrown to the inside of the gate house. As it was the safest and nearest place they could put them three at.

    Seeing Jeane get out, Hierd had said; "Now that that''s done, we''ll wait for the radio to spring to life.

    "Captain!" A shout came from atop the gate where Hierd was at before. "The radio!"

    Hearing this, he bolted upwards the ladder beside the gate. Jeane followed second whilst Heduc had stayed on the ground.

    He reached the radio which had was flickering. He picked up the mic-piece and began to speak into it. "Friedrick? Is that you? If so, have the Unchean forces retreated?"

    "Captain Hierd, the troops have yet to retreat neither have they yet to ambush us."

    "Huh?" Hierd was confused. It was already going to strike noon, how come that they haven''t invaded Venit Ille? "May that be because of what he had done last night?" Thought Hierd.

    "Do you have control of Unchean? Captain?"

    "You can say that, since we stand at the gates with the city in our hands."

    "You are in control of the city captain!?" Friedrick''s voice was full of joy and it seemed the room that he was in was too. "That is good for us!"

    "Yes, yes, that is so." Wanting to know why the Unchean forces have not yet invaded, he said; "Why have they yet to invade?"

    "This is what has been bothering us. There is no other reason, concrete that is. However, the lord had said the Naturvege and his troops at the bridge that he was being ''merciful'' and alloting time for us to think of surrenduring to them."

    A scoff from Hierd. "What do they think they are?"

    Friedrick had laughed a bit. "Indeed, captain."

    "Then, if they wish not to battle, we will instead."

    "Are you sure of that captain?" Friedrick sounded perplexed upon the sentence he had just uttered. "We did not talk of that in our quick planning."

    "Well, the plan has just changed, as they, the forces of Unchean, aren''t responding and are choosing instead to idle amazingly, in fact." He said the last words in a rather sarcastic way.

    "What do you wish for us to do, captain?"

    "Shoot one knight. And they will come to retaliate."

    "That is rather bold captain."

    "Whatever you think it may be, Friedrick, those Unchean are not people we should sympathize."

    Friedrick had shut, but after a few seconds, he spoke. "Our men will do as you ask of, captain, be safe out there."

    "As too should you be."

    The radio connection was then cut.

    "What now, captain?" Jeane spoke from out of the blue.

    "We wait."

    Back at Venit Ille;

    Lord Peraux was in shock. The knight who had came to the northern camp had come back with grim news. That the camp was gone. It''s tents were destroyed, the knights dead with holes that ran deep from the front and behind of their armored bodies. It was a gruesome scene, and it was something only a monster could do. Only, this village, could do.

    The lord, without having even battled the Venit Ille, had lost the battle, he thought. His feet sunk the floor. He felt defeated, he was defeated without even a single sword clashing. "We must retreat..." He muttered. "We must-"

    *BOOM

    A gunshot came from deep infront the line of soldiers, hearing this, he came out of his camp. A knight came running to him, "Lord! Venit Ille had just fired us!"

    The lord''s face was angrier than ever before. "What!?" He screamed. "Shoot the arrows, unleash the whole of our forces, now!"

    "Yes lord!"

    A thunder of horses came galloping towards the bridge, with the men who rode it crying out a shout that bellowed the skies in its rage.

    Naturvege, upon seeing this, shouted;

    "SHOOT!!!"

    In mere seconds, four bullets ran straight into four bodies.

    They fell like pathetic lumps of meat.

    Verdel then looked up to the sky. Arrows, arched and headed towards their heads.

    "Cover! Arrows overhead!"

    They hid and cuddled onto the made wooden shields. Which were thick enough so that the arrows could not pass. But after the barrage of arrows, the soldiers came back up on their feet and back to their positions.

    However, the battle wasn''t over just like that. The knights that went after, came with horses galloping faster than ever. But before they could even pierce Venit Ille''s defences, a land mine was tripped.

    BOOM

    A mass splater of blood spewed everywhere, landing on the soldiers and the knights. They were horrified. But what awaited them if they retreated? Death by the lord''s blade. They continued to charge, only to be met the same fate as the ones that came before, it was a gruesome sight, a one-sided battle.

    At the farm-side, the lord had also sent troops towards it, the troops came towards the gate. The machine gunners noticed this, and started shooting at that direction.

    Four machine gunners with their FG42s.

    Ten dead knights and a platoon''s worth of scared knights.

    Several knights came to the lord''s camp to inform the lord of their failures. Each and every word that spattered from their mouths had depressed and irritated the lord, but in the end, he saw no lee-way. "There''s no way we''ll win..." He said, defeated. "Retreat."

    "What, my lord?"

    "I said... RETREAT!" His loud scream was heard from beyond the veils of his tent and into the scared knights'' ears.

    Immidiately, the mass amount of horses, the steel that they carried on their backs so tirelessly. galloped out of Venit Ille''s perimeter.

    And just like that. The battle, was so easily won by Venit Ille.

    Friedrick, upon seeing and hearing that the Unchean troops had retreated. Returned to the radio in their tent and dialed again captain Hierd. Taking a few seconds, Hierd picked it up. "Have they retreated?" Questioned Hierd from the other side.

    "Yes, captain!" Shouted Friedrick, "And they''re headed to Unchean."

    "Perfect, good job Friedrick, pursue them carefully, we don''t want them to gain the upper hand here."

    "Yes, captain!"

 XIV Unchean is Ours!

    <b>"What in the world!" </b><figure></figure>

    <b></b>Lord Peraux screamed to the skies as he leads the knights towards the city. "How did they overpower us that quickly!? Bastards! Devils!"

    The knights who were adjacent the lord worried over his words, losing trust in their lord, who once did they see as capable and stern, now cowardly and stupid. And at every horse''s gallop, every pebble on the ground turned over, the lord became more and more irritable at that thought of losing, so easily, mind one, to a village as small as a hundred people. He screamed obscene words to the sky, but it seemed not even the sun wanted to hear his babble and the skies had quickly darkened grey as clouds formed.

    And soon enough, the fortress, the city of Unchean. That wall of brick and stone and that gate''s arch. The lord rejoiced upon seeing it. "Men!" He shouted. "Go at slow speed! We are to enter without panic!"

    As the lord''s words passed down the line of knights on horses, they slowed yet their mind wished them to go faster. The lord''s face had turned opposite his previous emotions and had put on a smile whilst wipping off the sweat on his face.

    As they got closer and closer, the lord realized something quite queer. It was not an instant realization, that the knights whoms''t were supposed to be guarding the gate, were not there. And more over, he so no man yonder the gate. As if the city was closed.

    "Halt!" He put his hand to the air to signal stop to the line before him.

    A man, the shadow from the gate making it hard to see his face. Walked, ever so slow and galliantly towards the middle of the gate.

    Peraux squinted to see who that manly silhouete was. "You!" He shouted at him whilst pointing. "Where are the people!? Where are the knights!?"

    A pause, a silence where only breath was heard.

    A sweat rolled down his neck.

    The silhouete took a couple paces nearer.

    Blonde hair and ocean blue eyes, a sinister smile and a gun to his hand. Hierd stood indifferent to the crowd.

    Peraux''s heart dropped.

    Stumbling his horse backwards. "You! What have you done to Unchean!?"

    "We''ve... Taken care of things, lord Peraux."

    "Taken care?" He repeated. "Taken care!? You... You, you didn''t...?" His eyes spiraled in anger, and in this anger, he had arched his back with his hands clenched hard to control himself.

    "Get down that horse!" Hierd shouted, his squad appearing behind him. "For this day onwards, this city is ours!"

    Silence, Peraux, kept that arched position.

    Laughter, Peraux began to slowly reclimb to his original posture. "You think you can take Unchean!?" He looked behind. "Men! Charge!"

    "..."

    Lord Peraux''s men were not moving, neither were they acting upon the lord''s words. Hierd smirked. "Pathetic, Lord Peraux! You think your men will endure your stupidity any longer? When even they''ve seen the bigger picture?"

    "What? What do you mean, bigger pic-"

    "Lord, their forces surround us at the forest." Eugene had went towards the lord. Telling him the news with a grim face.

    Either he would fearlessly charge towards Hierd, or he would surrender, both options with outweighing cons. And to the Lord, whose head had seemingly paused in time and his hands lost of all blood, he didn''t care if he would die, just that the one who had done in his death, shall-

    "DIE!"

    *BOOM

    Hierd''s first kill in another world. He felt nothing.

    He stood there, looking at the body of the lord. Whoms''t he had just swiftly killed without difficulty. The eyes were fully opened, and somehow, it meant something, but that meaning was lost to Hierd at the moment.

    "Your lord has died!" He screamed. "Unless you lay down your weapons and submit to me, you too will become like your, dead, lord." He put it bluntly.

    They had came down from their horses, slowly, and seeing this, Heduc''s and Jeane''s squad intervened in constraining them. Hierd went to the back of the line of knights, they, from the veil of their iron helmets, had eyes frightened and equally; angered. And that when at times that eyes were met, the knights looked away as if a tiger stared straight at them and they were seeming weakly and servant-like.

    The soldiers who followed the knights rode on the truck they were given, and Alrife was it''s driver. Hierd went up to the truck''s driver window. "Where''s the rest of the army?"

    "Captain, they are running towards Unchean, as the truck could only have had carried a maximum of two and a half squads."

    Hearing this, shuffles were heard inside the truck and from the back, came out Naturvege, Friedrick, Verdel, and Gelmund! They greeted the captain.

    "Good Afternoon, captain!" Exclaimed Naturvege. "So, I gather, we won?"

    "Yes, Naturvege, yes we did."

    "Well, wasn''t that easy?" Replied Friedrick in jovial jest.

    "Please go inside the city, I am sure you are needed there." He said with a smile.

    They walked away, conversing with one another with smiles. Hierd continued back on his previous conversation with Alrife.

    "I see, thank you. Then please have them come back to your truck and drive inside the city."

    "Yes, captain."

    As Alrife got out of his truck went into the tree line, Hierd went back to the gate. With a face that was full of accomplishment and a smile as high up as it could go. "I have now control of a city, a fortress, now I''ll be doing some bullshit with the naval military, the education, and the... Auferstehen..."

    He grumbled, "Auferstehen... That ''invasion'' lasted less than a day, thankfully, so I should focus on bringing the Venit Ille villagers to the city. And then after that, resume the education stuff. Oh wait!" He looked to the knights, of which there were so little now at the gate. "I have new soldiers, I just need to ''transmogri-whatever- to my agenda. Hopefully they follow it."

    "Hopefully..."

    -AT THE LORD''S MANOR-

    Hierd had called for every Unchean official to come to the manor. Lord Peraux''s large office was the meeting place and it was quite comfortable. There was the chief of the adventurer''s guild, the merchant''s and craft''s guild. And Unchean''s research division''s leader. As well as the lord''s previous captain, but now, the new lord; Lord Hierd, does not wish for someone like Eugene nor that woman captain in the brig back at Venit Ille. And the meeting''s most influential of people, the lord''s son; Adelheid Von Winter.

    He looked indifferent to his father''s death. Rather, he looked joyous that he died, however, from the point of view of Hierd, how could he know? He just sat there with seemingly ''worried'' eyes. Hierd remarked that he looked like a stereotypical prince but brown hair instead of blond. And a fit figure. He was the more normal-looking people in the room. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The Adventurers Guild''s chief was quite the menacing man, his posture was straight and his height, towering. He had quite a number of scars scattered all around his arms and some on his face. However, the merchants guild''s chief was quite the opposite. The man was quite thin and his height was some inches off the adventurers guild''s chief. His skin was pale white and his eyes was a dark-ish green. He was quite pleasing to look at compared to the almost barbaric look of the man across.

    "Everyone, thank you for coming to my call." The four squad leaders were behind him, Naturvege and Friedrick (Hadi''s representative as chief) were at the sides. And a whole two squads were guarding the room. Inside and outside.

    They nodded.

    "I will talk about the future here, though I do not wish to do any harm to the people, I neither wish to do any stupid things, I however, will be asking of them to live in isolation."

    They looked confused. Having the balls so, Adelheid questioned; "What do you mean, Isolation?"

    "No man will come out, no man will come in." He put it bluntly.

    "Lord!" Both the Merchant''s and Adventurer''s guild chiefs rose up. "We two guilds are designed to operate as a gateway outside the city. Without the access to even go outside, the guilds are as good as useless!"

    "I know this, and I wish to entertain that Adventurers and Merchants are free to leave in and out of the city, however, they both cannot say anything about Unchean''s current condition. I know that my ruling here is known already, as it is too wide an operation I have done. However, my soldiers and their weaponry, their items, my technology, are not yet fully known. I wish to keep it that way."

    They both sat down, slowly so.

    "The craft''s guild will operate under another banner."

    The chief of such guild rose up, yet it looked like he got up on his seat and stood on it. "A dwarf?" Hierd commented as the said dwarf stared at him.

    "Lord, the craft''s guild is an organisation, this branch being deconsecrated and put upon a different banner is... Impossible. Not without breaking multiple laws he have in-laid in our organisation''s pen and paper."

    Hierd had paused a little to think, then; "Not like that, sir...?"

    "I am Pomlik, lord."

    "Pomlik, it won''t be making a new organisation, more of ''doing something different.''"

    "What do you mean by that, lord?"

    "What currently do you do in the guild?"

    "The craft''s guild is specialized in making items for adventurers, merchants, and all who come for our service." He took a breath before adding; "We make swords, shields, jewlery, carts, anything that needs some creating."

    "I see, but~" He got his luger and put it on the table. The viewers looked in awe and confusion. "This, my people, is a luger." He held the luger in one hand, avoiding to point it at anyone and avoiding putting his hand on the trigger.

    "With the pull of this, lever. A small ''dart'' of sorts made of brass and gunpowder, shoots out, like thunder. You know this as a smaller version, of a cannon."

    They gasped, more so Pomlik. "Lord, that weapon. That can control anything and anyone! The power of a cannon in the size of your hand!"

    "We have also ones that can go automatic and ones that are done..." He had trouble putting the ''bolt-action'' in simpler terms. "As one by one."

    The dwarf''s eyes brightened, whilst the lord''s and the other guilds were intrigued.

    "I assume, lord, that we are to make these technologies?"

    "No."

    "No?" His eyes saddned.

    "You are to make the things that make it fire. It is crucial, and dentrimental without."

    He nodded and had sat back down once more.

    "I know you all have questions upon these things called guns, but I shall say this; no citizen will wield these weapons of destruction, only soldiers and other trained personnel. And with out other vehicles, like the ones you saw in our invading. They are called trucks, if you wish to know." That indeed they wanted. "And are capable of transporting soldiers in fast pace from one point to another."

    "My lord," The Merchant guild''s chief raised his hand. "Those trucks, they are, as I saw them enter the manor, amazing inventions that can transform the whole of the merchant business to one simpler and faster than ever before. May I inquire, can the Merchant''s guild use them?"

    "These trucks are for military purposes, however, it is not to say that they can be used just for military practice. I know their importance far outreaches the veil of the military and can be used for transportation and everything else in between. However, as the merchant''s guild is an organisation not directly in my hands, I''m afraid I am not able to entertain your wish, sir...?"

    "I am Felliz, my lord." He got up and bowed. "And do hope that one day we of the merchant''s guild will be able to get ahold of your trucks." He sat back down with a content face.

    "I am to introduce other weapons of even more destruction in the future. But, as things stand, I wish for more soldiers than now, so..." He looked to Eugene. "You will be stripped of your title."

    "Hah? What!?" He exclaimed. "Lord, please rethink this!"

    "There is nothing more to rethink, do you wish to hold this meeting in contempt? Be thrown to jail like your knights? Or do you wish to leave now with your position turned over?"

    A tear had left his eye. "Then I shall, but... I wish to inquire what has happened to my beloved."

    "The one being held in Venit Ille''s brig?"

    "Yes..."

    "She is alright, and she will be brought here, you needn''t worry."

    He went without another word and with it, he left his sword on that chair.

    After some seconds of his leaving, Hierd continued. "I will assume all military and naval excerises. The knights who are being held in prison will now be under my command and I will train them, with my subordinates, to master how to use the technologies I have in my hands."

    "Naval?" Questioned Adelheid. "Will you oversee the making of new ships?"

    "Yes. I will personnally bring over, from my country, ships made of iron and can hail fire from hundreds of hundreds of lands away."

    Everyone''s face lit up in wonder. "What is this ship, lord?"

    "I shall not spoil it..." The room had a rather child-like silent, ''Awww.''</a>

    Proceeding, Hierd said; "I shall see the citizens later. And from now till that later I say, I want the knights to be handled over to their families, and to those who have died, send them an apology, and a burial." He had his eyes pointed to Adelheid the whole time.

    Taking the hint, "I shall, lord."

    Hierd itched to know the adventurers guild''s chief''s name, yet the man had no intention to give it out in idle. So he took the first stance. "I have yet to hear of your name." His eyes looked at him.

    "Oh!" He jolted then proceeded to stand up. "I am Gerald, lord." He bowed down. "I am sorry I have yet to say my name."

    "That is quite okay, Gerald."

    "I have a question, lord." He sit back down.

    "What may it be?"

    "Will the adventurer''s guild be able to use your technology? You said that soldiers and ''trained'' personnel are able to. So can they?"

    "I have no words to say of that as of yet as I have no understanding of how the guilds work at the moment. I wish to analzye to possibility, however, if time comes to be. Your inquiry that your adventurers are to wield military guns may happen, but of course, at a price."

    "I see, lord, thank you."

    Hierd picked up back his luger and placed it on his holster.

    "Well then, its been long enough, I gather? I have other business to attend to." Gathering that there would be some things that are unknown and they wish to know of, "If you have questions, whether it be of the military I have or other business of the sorts, chief Naturvege and representing, Hadi, will be the one to take over such questions."

    "How are they under your command? They are village chiefs, right?" Adelheid was perplexed. "Well..." He got up from his seat. "What if they weren''t after all?"

    He and his squad leaders had walked towards the front door, Heduc, opening it for him.

    The meeting he had just left was left to look at themselves. And sooner enough, their hands arisen to the two chiefs there.

    ( * )

    The rest of Venit Ille''s troops had just come to the gates, and Hierd had said that they are to stay at the military baracks until futher notice from Hierd or their squad leaders. He had sent for all the trucks to come back to Venit ille with two Ridge village squads. As they shall gather the prisoners. And will as well gather some of the villagers there.

    And as time was soon growing older, Hierd had told the squad leaders to gather the citizens to the front of the manor. As he will give his words to the terrified civilians, and the concerned mothers, and curious fathers.

    From street to street, left and right, the four squad leaders and their squads scoured the city, shouting and knocking on the doors of the houses until all had came out. "Your presence in our lord''s words is needed!" They''d yell, or that; "Wake yourselves! As our lord will announce to the city!" And if they weren''t getting out of their houses, pound on the doors with; "If you are not to come out, we will report you to our lord!"

    They imployed all methods they could muster to get them out and towards the manor. And the lord, Hierd, was waiting, standing with his squad behind him, overlooking the front of the manor. The crowd was growing bigger and bigger as time grew. And before long, the whole two thousand or so citizens were crowding the streets, waiting for their new lord, Hierd Die Grace, to speak.

    He took a breath, it was his biggest moments as of yet, and in his previous life, speaking to such a large audience would''ve certainly knocked him out of the corporeal realm and into the next. But, this time, he shouldn''t and he wouldn''t.

    With his heart beating faster than ever, "People! I am your new lord, Hierd Die Grace!" His shout reached to the heavens. "I know you have yet to hear of me, that I know indeed! But I am no lord like your other! For I am better than he will ever be! But, I tell this in grave, I am sorry to the ones who were lost in the battle! And I will repay, with my heart, what had happened to the ones who had lossed their loved ones! There is no saying that I understand the future, neither what I want the future to be, but! My citizens, within my rule as your new lord of Unchean, I will guarantee that crime be over! That education become not a noble''s privilage, and that I will save you from whatever come what may!"

    The crowd was silent still, however, one man had shouted; "Glory to the new lord!"

    "Glory to the new lord!" Another said; then a whole group; "Glory to the new lord!"

    From men to men, men to women, child to elder; they had all consequently shouted;

    "GLORY TO THE NEW LORD!"

 XV Iron Fist

    <b>It was the day after Hierd''s speech</b>. And the city, which had just recieved the fact that they will not leave the night prior by Adelheid; was as bustling as ever. The people roamed the streets without any fear, but the gates, of which had squads of soldiers, were people frequented less. But nonetheless, Hierd''s first day was rather peaceful. But, this peace wouldn''t last that long.

    "I wish to crack down on the crime happening in the city." He spoke infront the people who were there the day before. However, with the added finance manager, foreign trade manager, and some of the city''s architects and engineers. The new people had already been informed of what had happened last time by the squad leaders, and they were fully aware of what had happened in the city.

    "There''s been a fraternity in the city''s undergrounds for years now, even our knights couldn''t deal with the threat they posed." Replied Adelheid.

    "Well, this time, we have soldiers with guns." Said Hierd. "Something that poses much more of a threat than the average knight. So, because of the recent travel ban, they''re about to reveal their little heads, trying to escape this stronghold. However, at night, my subordinates will crack down upon three spots where they are active. Which is where, you tie in, Adelheid."

    Adelheid looked to the ceiling, at the past which he recollected after a mere few seconds. "Their members, though we do not know exactly how many, are gathered mostly at the pier. The reason to this would be the smuggling of contraband in and out the city. They are active in the night yet in the day they blend in with the crowd."

    "If it may-" The architect interjected, seeing Hierd look at him, he said; "I am Kris, my lord. If it may, the implementation of nightly patrols with curfews should decrease their activity."

    "It ''can'' decrease, but not eradicate, sir Kris." He paused a bit before entering into the thought he had about the gang. "I instead, propose a more dictatorial approach."

    "What may that be, lord?" Questioned Adelheid.

    "That anyone who even slightly looks suspicious, has had history of misdemenor, or frequent the pier alot, will be detained and questioned."

    "That... Is rather dictatorial indeed." Said Adelheid, "However, it could crack down on their operations and help eradicate this group."

    "Yes, indeed. So I will be hightening security on the pier, interviewing every ship''s captain, putting nightly curfews, and investigating the city by day."

    ( * )

    It was the strike of afternoon, the merchants guild were the ones in charge of the ships that pass this city. And with the lord''s permission, the port was full of soldiers and knights that were released from the prison that day prior. The sailors and captains who saw the mass amount of guards were afraid to tell anything to them, however, once their ships were searched. They fessed up and told them where the contriband laid.

    Drugs, ale, and other suspicious items were uncovered in the ships'' many boxes. Just that afternoon, the knights and soldiers had all accumalated a better part of a five tons of illegal contraband. And with such contraband, came along too the multiple sailors and captains that were arrested by posessing such material.

    In the prison, they were interrogated vehemently of whom their client was. All captains had one name, and that being; "Veril." When they asked them where the individual was, they couldn''t come up with a response great enough to be considered true or even be considered at all! They''d come up; "Veril hides inside the northern quadrant of the city!" Or that; "Veril is someone who changes spots from time to time." And who could forget; "Veril is not in this city!"

    Where-ever this ''Veril'' was, Hierd was confident enough to say that because the ports have been siezed of usability, the fraternity will begin to move actively in the night to recieve the contraband that was hidden inside the prison''s ''stolen and contraband'' room.

    And by the strike of night, where the curfew was imposed and the people followed, the patrols had seen multiple figures in the dark, following them into the alleys and into the streets. Arresting them finally as they shot with their lugers. Though the gunshots had certainly waken-up the citizens, it was all for the greater good, as the citizens were being well protected by the soldiers.

    It was the day after that, and Hierd gave a message that was posted near the manor''s entrance. Reading;

    "In this day alone, Unchean''s darkness seems ever grey. We have confiscated the many contraband brought by Unchean''s underground, and have interrogated the many members of this, dare I say, secret organisation. And hour by hour, we are getting close to cracking down on this idiocracy."

    At the bottom, it read;

    "To my citizens! Against the enemies! -Hierd Die Grace"

    The people who gathered to read the paper posted were very suprised and were in endless joy. Now that their new lord finally acted upon the dangers of Unchean''s underground, they felt even more safer to walk and play outdoors. Chants of; "Glory to the new lord" were heard all around the city and soon enough became a phrase that even the children would say as they neared or passed the manor.

    "You have gained quite the popularity, lord Hierd." Adelheid said as he followed him.

    "My popularity is a good cause, without it, they''ll feel insecure and wish to leave the city for good, but, knowing the travel ban, they''ll instead live in their homes with anger to my face."

    "I see, my lord."

    Hierd was going towards the prison, for a special person was there to meet them. As the prison was located further down the city, he and Adelheid catched a ride in a truck and had swiftly got there. Once they had departed the vehicle, his squad was there, awaiting him.

    They opened every door and talked to every soldier and knight, and then, at the end of the hall, they opened the door to their special visitor.

    "So you are the infamous... Veril?" Hierd sat down on the wooden chair. Adelheid, who was standing right next to him, freaked out as he heard what he said. But, keeping it professional, he did not further react.

    "I am." A young man, with a rather fit body. This could be Veril, but Hierd was so sure that this ''Veril'' person was an old crack addict.

    "I was told that you walked into the prison just this morning claiming you were that, Veril. But, seeing you as you are right now, I find it difficult to ascertain that truly you are that ''Veril'' you speak of."

    "Why so, new lord?" He had quite the angry expression. "Your regime has totalled mine. And my members are leaving me left and right. And you think you have the right of mind to suspect this isn''t me just because I, Veril, is some young crook?"

    "I think I have the right of mind to kill you."

    Veril had shut up and his angry expression turned into a nervous one.

    "I suspect you don''t want to be your group''s leader now, and that''s why you''ve come here today to negotiate something for something. Am I correct, Veril?"

    "Yes, lord." He gulped. "I want my freedom in exchange, you will know every location of my group in the city."

    Hierd looked at him intently for a long seven seconds, those seconds were rather nervewracking for Veril.

    Hierd smiled. "Tell me where they are."

    ( * )

    In a matter of an hour, the streets were full of soldiers, equipped with machine guns and Lugers on their hands, ready to fire at any second. There were five squads actively moving, and all of them were set to designated areas. There were, as Veril said to Hierd, five such locations, two at the city''s northern quadrant, one at the city''s port, and two at the city''s southern quadrant.

    In Heduc''s squad, they stopped at a rather unsuspecting house down by the port. It was two-storeys but it''s windows were baracaded by wood, as it was so unsuspecting for syndicate''s house, he went to its neighboring house. It was a shabby bakery, with a rather old woman selling bread. "Good Afternoon, ma''am."

    The old woman looked quite distressed, being visited by the new lord''s army was not no common occasion, but she carried; " Good... Afternoon-- to you too."

    "Have you noticed anything strange with your neighbor?" He pointed towards the house.

    "Uhh... Not at all, sir..."

    "Are you sure, ma''am?"

    She looked deep in thought for a couple seconds before saying; "Oh! I remember... One time, sir. There was this... Queer gentlemen with a rather.... strange posture..."

    Heduc looked confused but thanked her anyways with the information. He went back to his squad.

    "What did she say, sir?"

    "That there''s someone there."

    The citizens that were on the road were not coming close to them in fear that they''d be breaking some rule of some sort. As well as when they saw the figure of a man, that, Heduc, that was at the very front of said group. Heduc and his soldiers walked up to the front door.

    *Hmph

    "BAAAH!"

    The door broke open.

    There were many people inside. Staring at the beast of a man that had just broken through. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    It took a second before Heduc noticed that they were handling drugs.

    "FIRE!"

    The soldiers started firing at the wooden wall of the house, the bullets coming from outside to inside, hitting the dealers with ferocious fire, even decapitating one by the sheer amount of iron plunged into him.

    Heduc stood at the door, the only sillhouete left standing, overlooking the carnage he had started. The stench was disasterous but Heduc had no words to comment it''s aroma.

    The citizens from outside had covered their ears in shock and looked at the men with scared eyes and gasped mouths. "Investigate the inside."

    "Yes, sir."

    ( * )

    Another hour passed and all the locations were all destroyed. Their members dead, and the ones who had unfortunately survived were detained for questioning. Hierd and Adelheid were back at the prison. In the same room as Veril, Hierd ordered for the three criminals, the ones who had survived the carnage.

    The men had bullet holes across their arms patched with white bandages but still oozed out of them blood. Veril looked at them with disdain, and they looked at him with pain and anger. One took to vent; "Traitor!"

    "I am no traitor!" He shouted. "I just made the inevitable happen faster!"

    "You were our leader, you leave us like this!?"

    Veril didn''t want to look further at them.

    "So it''s true." Said Hierd. "You are their leader. And as a leader myself, I find it disgusting that someone of such stature would expose their members. For some ''inevitability'' you say would happen."

    "What then, lord!?" Yelled Veril. "I had no choice! Your leading made worse mine! You think my company would run with your rule!? No!"

    Hierd looked at him with a blank expression.

    He unbuckled his luger.

    "Wa--it! Wait! W--What are you doing! Lord! You had accepted to my terms! No lor--d Would not be a man o--f their word!" He stuttured and lifted his hands as the luger was pointed at his head.

    "I remember saying; ''Tell them where they are,'' and not; that I agreed to your agreement."

    Veril''s heart dropped. The three men laughed at him.

    "Why are you laughing!" He yelled. "Why are you laughing you damn scoundrels!"

    Still laughing, though in pain one said; "We--ll Veril. Your ass was handed back to-- you! Hahahaha!"

    "Silence!" Adelheid yelled.

    "You are sentenced to death, Veril..." He put his hand to the trigger. "Effective--now."

    *BOOM

    ( * )

    At the stike of dusk, the soldiers posted yet another notice at the manor''s community board. The people, after the soldiers left, went to the letter to look at it. The ones who witnessed the shootings just that day were even more interested at what had happened.

    It read;

    "My people, Unchean is finally clear of that dark that riddled the streets! For the group that terrorized the people and brought illegal items into our city is here no longer! Rejoice, for you can be at your safest in my command!"

    "Your lord, Hierd Die Grace."

    It was a most terrific notice, the people who read it first were all delighted and immidiately began talking to their loved ones, their neighbors, the people who were around of the letter that was posted. And soon enough the letter got around the whole city with good intentions. As the people now regarded the lord as one who would finally bring the iron fist of the law towards those who dare break them!

    "Glory to the new lord! Glory to the new lord!" Began from dusk to curfew, and Hierd onlooked them from the manor''s many windows with joyous eyes and a smile.

    "Your campaign, lord." Adelheid came to him. "Something that would take us years to accomplish, done in just two days. You are... Much more better than that father of mine."

    Hierd laughed. "Adelheid... I appreciate your comment. However," He began to take a more serious expression. "My campaign has yet to end. As you might very well know, Unchean''s new lord would now be known throughout the kingdom by this point. The ships that came here with sailors and all, they would past word to their superiors, then their superior''s superior, then at the very top, the king."

    "What are you going to do, lord?"

    "Extend the military."

    "How so?" He looked perplexed.

    "How much gold do we have in the manor''s treasury?"

    ( * )

    It was the very next day, it was still morning by that time and people have only just been waking up. But as the early birds walked near the manor, they discovered that there was another notice. Immidiately as word got around that there was another notice they began to gather to the community board once more.

    It read;

    "Dear Unchean, as you all know. I, your lord have soldiers that excel in using weapons of destruction. And that I, your invading lord will be in war with your kingdom. However, with your help, this war will be nothing more than a walk in the park! In the afternoon, we will be accepting applicants to become soldiers under I, Hierd Die Grace. You will recieve one gold per month of your term and with it you will recieve ample food, water, and other nessecities for you and your families. Your applying to our command will help in the upcoming Auferstehen and too that war I had aforementioned. Once more, we need your help, and your applying will be greatly appreciated by I and the rest of my military officials."

    "Your lord, Hierd Die Grace."

    The letter posted had people in excitement, to recieve, "One gold per month!?" Was quite the seller. And people were lining up to the manor to apply to Hierd''s military.

    "That''s quite alot of people!" Commented excitedly Naturvege who was watching from atop the manor''s window.

    "Indeed so." Said Friedrick behind him.

    "I heard Adelheid that Hierd''ll be giving us pay and increasing our ranks!"

    "Oh how gracious of him, but we were the ones who needed his help and not the other way around. But I could see why we''d be getting increased ranks in Hierd''s military." Friedrick looked at the crowd of applicants lined up outside the manor. "I just hope that our new recruits are not hard to deal with."

    "I hope too, Friedrick, I hope too."

    The four squad leaders were in charge of leading the exam that happend in the manor''s rather large dining room converted into the an exam room. That peopel who were there were commenting on the manor''s interior and looking at the suits of the soldiers with admiration. Telling their friends how fun would it be and how cool would it look to look like them and act like them too!

    The examinees were a total of two hundred people. The knights who were imprisoned were given the chance to join or not to join and ultimately, some of them did and some of them did not take Hierd''s offer. The rest of the applicants who couldn''t fit in the exam room (the dining room) they were sent into the manor''s library. Both mediums having soldiers packed to avoid the instance of stealing or cheating.

    Before the exam had even commenced, the two hundred applicants were asked three simple questions. Whether they spoke, whether they understood, and whether they wrote in the common language. And suprisingly, all of them could.

    The exam was rather hard, featuring questions about; ''If your sword was at arm''s reach of the enemy with a sword as well, would you... A: Grasp the enemy''s neck. B: Parry the enemy''s soon incoming attack. C: Retreat the fight. or D: Quickly stab your sword into his neck.''

    But really, Hierd had devised these questions with his own basic understanding of sword play with the amount of videos he''s watched in the internet. Naturvege, Friedrick and some other soldier had revised and created some of the questions in the exam making it even more longer and even more difficult.

    Hierd looked at the soon-to-be soldiers, some were itching their heads in confusion, some were getting pass question by question with ease, and some where just blankly staring at the paper then by some miraculous decision, picking an answer.

    Hierd had difficulty identifiying whether any would pass, but he waited. The exam had a deadline of (5:00) as Hierd had placed his alarm clock at the front, and if it was to ring at that time, the applicants would then stop immidiately their work. Hierd was rather generous, as the time it started was, as the clock had dictated, 2:00pm.

    But he quickly realized an hour in that the majority of them took their time analyzing the questions and some quarter were blasting through them.

    It was approaching that 5th four of noon, though some are still answering. Hierd had even thought about adjusting the time a little, but... Would they even qualify as good soldiers at that point?

    *Ring Ring Ring

    The sound blasted through the manor''s halls as if that was the only sound in known existance.

    The applicants, understanding the ringing had stopped answering.

    "Thank you everyone!" Hierd shouted. "Whether you pass or don''t pass will be up to the message you all will recieve tommorow. If you do not pass, please remember, that you shouldn''t sulk, and as you have tried, then try to learn from this failure to train better in the future! Now then, you may now leave."

    They got up from their seats and proceeded outside with the guidance of the soldiers. And soon after, the dining room was silent. "Now begins the tedious task of checking their answers." Hierd sighed and went towards the dining room table and began picking up the papers Naturvege and Friedrick had also done the same.

    ( * )

    It was the day after, at afternoon to be exact, and the streets were filled with soldiers (mostly were they from Ridge), and they had baskets straddled on their shoulders, within such carried letters. From house to house the applicants were opening them with hesitation.

    In the manor, Hierd was in the office, looking the city from that window. Adelheid and the rest of the squad leaders were stationed there.

    "There were not alot of bad applicants." Said Hierd. "From the two-hundred, a-hundred and-eighty had stayed. Which is... Great."

    "I gather the letter explicates that they come to the manor?"

    "Yes." As Hierd had said that, a number of applicants were approaching the manor''s front gate, the soldiers that were there had opened them. Releasing a crowd of soon-to-be soldiers.

    "Heduc!" Hierd had called for him.

    "Yes, lord?"

    "Please bring them to the manor''s courtyard."

    "Yes, lord."

    Heduc ran out of the door with due speed. Whilst Hierd walked a second after him to the courtyard. Adelheid and three squad leaders had followed him. In the halls where they walked, to the stairs where they stepped, and finally through that door out and into the courtyard. It was spacious indeed and could fit two hundred people. It faced the port and the sun was staring at them with its intense rays. Hierd was standing on a wooden stage that was rather high up the ground and it was pretty nice for the speech Hierd was to give.

    Hierd saw the mass amount of applicants shooting out from the other door into the courtyard that was all the way in the opposite direction from where he stood, awaiting.

    As Heduc and his squads were finished setting up the applicants in the courtyard, Hierd took a second before starting. "Congratulations for passing the exam from yesterday! Please, applaud for you and your brethern!" He clapped, and so did they, as soon as Hierd stopped, so did they.

    "However, your journey into becoming a soldier of my army has yet to end. Expect days of training and weeks of exhaustion! But of course, your struggles will not be in vain, for I ensure that by the end of the month you will recieve that golden coin. As for today, you will obtain uniforms such as ours. There are two branches, the Venit Black and the Ridge Brown. They serve much the same purpose. However, you all will be starting in the Ridge Brown branch!" Soldiers were carrying out boxes of Ridge Brown uniforms and putting them behind Hierd. As each box piled up behind Hierd, the crowd of applicants were getting even more excited.

    "Though, if you wish to join the Venit Black branch, you will have to undergo more intense training! But this in turn will output to three gold coins every month."

    The crowd was fascinated and intrigued to think that they would get three gold coins if they passed such training enticed them to that branch. Hierd recognized this and said immidiately. "But! Soldiers, if you think of coming into the Venit Black branch you must first complete the Ridge Brown training and even then, you must be recommended by your superiors to even be considered into the Venit Black branch!"

    The crowd''s intrigue was still there however, the hope of suceeding is as small as could ever be.

    "Well then!" Hierd exclaimed to jolt the crowd, it succeded. "You will now be recieving your uniforms!"

    The squad leaders had directed the first soldier from the first column forward the stage that Hierd had stood on. Soldiers had directed the giving of the uniforms, that were neatly folded and handed with upmost care. And then on continued, from column to column, the applicants were handed their uniforms, it was a slow process of giving them it, it was like a medal awarding but you got something more cooler than a golden medal of sorts. As soon as the last man was given his uniform, Hierd had went to the very front of the stage, where it seemed that he could fall forward at any second.

    "I congratulate you once more for passing the exam!" He yelled. "There are a few reminders you must understand before using the uniform! First, you must understand that this uniform carries symbolism, and you musn''t dirty or step on it at all! Second, this uniform will be weared at all times! Of course you can wear your normal clothes at home. And third, if you lose the uniform, you lose your position in my military!"

    The crowd of applicants had a comical invisble gulp, they were worried and in their minds they didn''t even want to wear it, but it was ordered to be worn at all times, said truly by Hierd.

    "As soon as you leave the manor and go into your homes, shall your loved ones greet you and applaud for your acceptance into my military. And hope that as you come home, you wear that uniform and feel confident, as if no man could ever defeat you! That, my soldiers, is the feeling of being us--!

    The feeling of being inside of my military!"

 XVI The Three Day Plan - 1

    <b>It was the day after and Hierd</b> had called for all the important people for a meeting of sorts. Hierd had a box infront of him on the table, it''s contents were unknown but for the most part, it was long yet it wasn''t thick.

    "Good afternoon, everyone." Said Hierd.

    They nodded.

    "Today I wish to talk about the future plans I have set up. And they range from easy to complex. And I wish to start with what I will begin today, tommorow, and the day after tommorow. Starting with today," He looked Pomlik, "The craft''s guild will be commencing the bullet-making trials. And will be compensated with all the materials needed in making the bullets."

    The dwarf''s eyes had widened. "I thank you once more for the opportunity, lord."

    "I wish to meet the craft guild''s members today as well."

    "You are whole-heartedly welcome to come in the craft''s guild, lord, there is plenty of space, but, the heat is quite overwhelming."

    "That is much okay." He cleared his throat. "I am not certain on this, however, Unchean does have schools and teachers, am I right on that?"

    Adelheid looked confused. "There is no academy in Unchean, such schools are permitted only from the lowest of nobles and from highest of nobles. And there exists but four in this land. However, Unchean has a orphanage of sorts that has educators to teach children. I gather you wish to teach the soldiers?"

    "Yes, of sorts, I want them to learn how to write letters and reports."

    "Why that specifically, lord?" He pressed in. "Teaching them arithemathic would benefit them much more."

    Hierd was embarrased to say that he wasn''t the brightest when it came to mathemathics, but came up with; "Letters, when used correctly make communication between battle fronts much more easier. With the addition of my trucks and future vehicles, the writing of a letter and passing them to it''s sender would be something fast and something that''d make, as i said, communication easier."

    "I see, I did not think of trucks." He rubbed his chin. "However, I still think they should learn mathemathics, lord."

    "Then that they shall, do you think the orphanage teaches it''s children mathemathics?"

    "I think so, Unchean does support wide spread education in spite of teaching being a noble idea. But may it support you, I can teach the soldiers, I have alot of time to give and much of that time I spend leisurely."

    "I will take you up on that offer, thank you Adelheid." He smiled. "The squad leaders will not teach them."

    They were shocked and relieved at the same time. Jeane had wanted to question first. "But lord, what will happen to the amount of time we had done that day in making our curriculum?"

    "I will refer your papers to the educators." He paused before; "Now, this teaching of the soldiers will happen tommorow. But I wish for tommorow to also be the training of the newer recruits. By this, I wish for Naturvege and Friedrick to be the ones who will lead the training."

    "Thank you, lord." They both bowed down.

    "You may choose anyone of your men or your comrades to join you in helping you train the newer recruits."

    They nodded.

    "I wish for you to train them in Venit Ille''s training grounds. And for added excerise, I recommend making them walk all the way there."

    Naturvege laughed. "Oh we will."

    "And now, the third." He put up a silence for dramatic climax. "Auferstehen."

    The room turned gloom.

    "As you all know, Auferstehen is coming closer. And as I believe, the city has done well in getting and storing food. And because the city is a port, it can recieve supply whilst still in Auferstehen." He looked at the Unchean Research leader. A rather small, woman with red hair and iron glasses. "May I ask for your name?"

    She rose up from her seat. "I am Jamie Eines, my lord." She bowed. "What is it that you so wish?"

    "Rather dramatic, I suspected something childish in behaviour." Commented Hierd in his mind whilst looking at her intently.

    "You are the leader of the Unchean Research Division, am I correct?"

    "Yes, my lord."

    "I wish to know what the research division has accomplished so far."

    She looked to the past whilst rubbing her chin. "We have seen that the rise of the monsters in the day of Auferstehen is directly affected by how many people live in one area, that is common knowledge, yes, however, what is not, is that they exude magic from their hearts."

    "Magic, you say?"

    "Yes, my lord." She continued. "Though magic is still a thing we as a species are deeply learning, we understand that the amount of magic something has, contributes to the amount of power it will output. Corpses of Auferstehen from Ridge Village last year had less magic than our own monster''s corpses. This magic was not a point difference, it was less by two-fold. By this, we have theorized that Auferstehen is not an event, but an orcastrated one."

    The room was silent, but Adelheid found his way and said; "Magic is an unknown force, we don''t even know how Auferstehen came to be. However, we of Unchean have reason to believe they came from the ancient civilizations that once played with magic, and now, we are subject to their trials."

    "What in the fantasy-shit are they talking about, I understand it, I guess, but it''s just all theories, right!?"

    "Lets stop talking about that, I wish to know the most effective way to kill them."

    She had took some time to come up with an answer. "Our swords and spears have difficulty reaching the larger ones, however, we have multiple records that suggest the heart is best to shoot."

    "And that is because of said magic inside of the hearts?"

    "Yes, my lord."

    "What of the head?"

    "We have chopped off a head before, yet the creature was not even fazed by the removal of what we think of as a vital part of our body."

    "I see."

    "We bring the creatures down then aim for the hearts, thats what I gathered."

    "In that case, that third day will be a joint practice, and I wish for you, Jamie, to be the one to teach the soldiers of how to kill such creatures."

    "I thank you kindly, my lord." She sat back down on her seat with a smile.

    Hierd had cleared his throat once more. "Naturvege and Friedrick, please come here."

    They came to him. After which, Hierd stood up from his seat. "I will now give you the badge of the iron cross, as well as the rank of Major." He opened the wooden box, revealing the two iron crosses as well as the four WW2 german major patches. "You may stitch the patches onto your uniforms at home."

    After saying that, he grabbed the first cross and pinned it on Naturvege''s right pouch. He grabbed the second cross, faced Friedrick with a smile and he whoms''t was wearing the Ridge Brown uniform pinned the cross onto his right pouch. "Thank you lord." They both said.

    "Please, applaud!" Hierd said as he clapped, the room had clapped too.

    The two had bowed in appreciation.

    "Well! You two may pick up the patches. But I am afraid, to everyone here, that the meeting has ended. I will meet-up with Pomlik in the craft guild later. You may begin writing on your lessons, Miss Jamie. And to you too sir Adelheid. Thank you for attending the meeting."

    They nodded to the lord and said; "Goodbye, lord."

    ( * )

    Hierd was walking outside in the sun, it was the first time the people saw the lord truly after three days and they looked at him with either awe or fear. As his squad was behind him, no-one dared get close to him. "The streets are clean enough as is, as well as the buildings. But I think I should bring concrete into the common knowledge, I''d like to see cool looking buildings done." Adventurers had passed him, though they backed away and gave Hierd the road, he stared at them.

    The stopped.

    "You are adventurers, yes?"

    He looked intently at the three adventurers, two men and one woman. The men equipped small daggers and a sword whilst the singular woman had a large wooden staff, presumably, for magic.

    They looked scared and didn''t know what to say. "Y.. Y-- Yes... My lord..." They all said at once.

    "Some soldiers will come to your house when I call for you, I hope we will be aquaintances."

    "Whu... WHAT!?" They were suprised.

    Hierd went away before they could say another word.

    "I''m thinking of joining an adventurer on their mission, I wanna see how they operate."

    ( * )

    The craft''s guild, which was located rather south the city. Was quite small in spite of their operations. The outside had a couple adventurers and merchants that were lined up and looking at the items that were displayed. It was quite the lot of items, ranging from the jewlery and the swords. Which were golden plated and had the alot of intricate detail.

    "This is the craft''s guild, my lord." Said one his soldiers. "Two will guard the entrance and three will guard you inside."

    Hierd nodded and proceeded to enter. The people who were there made way for the lord, but they were very much so confused at the fact that their lord was entering the crafts guild. Inside was quite spacious, it looked much more cramped in the outside. There was a dwarf at the small reception desk.

    "Good afternoon."

    "Uh!" The dwarf jolted in suprise. "O'' lord. You must be here for the ''thing?'' I say?"

    "Yes."

    "Please, please, enter." His hands guided Hierd inwards the reception desk''s little door and into the guild''s heart of the heat. The forge.

    ''God fucking damn!" Hierd had wiped the sweat that rolled down his brow. "The heat hit me instantly! What the shit!"

    From the heat, a dwarf came running Hierd''s direction.

    "Good afternoon, me lord!" It was Pomlik, he was overly excited. "We''re to discuss that ''bullet'' of yours? Right?"

    "Yes."

    "Well then," he started walking away, "Come follow me!"

    The forge had actually extended underground to give the massive furnaces the space to droop into casts and the space for other dwarves and occasionally humans to work on their works. There were, as Hierd saw, artisians of all kinds of art, glass making, leather making, sword making, and a whole bunch of that stuff. "Quite the forge you have in your command, sir Pomlik."

    "Rather indeed, lord." He walked slowly downstairs. "A decade in the making, and we take our technology for granted! Gaining money was the hard step, but gradually, this branch became more and more successful as time got older."This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    "Where are we going?"

    "Into my private room, sir."

    The blacksmiths and artisans who were there had made way for the lord but they weren''t scared or anything of the ilk, as they were minding their own business, they were so engrossed in their work that maybe they didn''t even know that the lord of Unchean, the new one, Hierd, was passing by at all!

    It was at the very bottom of what seemed like three floors down. It was not as hot down there, weirdly enough but when Hierd questioned why, he replied; "The magic academy up north at the capital invented some new stuff with ice magic, making some place colder if given enough magic that is." After saying that he opened his door and let space for Hierd to enter, "Come on in, lord." He said with a smile.

    Hierd sat down on the seat that Pomlik offered him. The soldiers stationed outside near the door and stared daggers at whom would even come close to the door.

    "This bullet, sir may I see it?"

    "Yes, of course." Hierd pulled out his luger.

    "And of this ''luger'' as well."

    "Sure. But wait a second." He pressed the mag-release and out came the magazine, the mechanism baffled the dwarf. Then he looked at the magazine Hierd had just pulled out.

    "Golden pellets with bronze tips? It uses rather expensive materials for something to be fired alot."

    "These;" he pulled one round out. "Aren''t made of gold. These are made of something called brass. Which is made by mixing copper and zinc."

    "Copper I know, but this zinc, I don''t."

    Hierd put his hand on his hidden pocket.

    "Give me a 1-inch by 1-inch block of zinc."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: BLOCK OF ZINC]

    He pulled out the block and showed it to Pomlik. He examined it closer. "It looks like steel, my lord."

    "It looks like steel, but does not act like steel. You, as a blacksmith yourself know that steel is hard to smelt and work with. Casting iron is hard to do when it''s melting point is very far. However, this ''zinc'' can smelt at a much lower melting point. Making casting molds easier."

    His eyes widened up, "Where can we get something like this!?"

    "In caves and mines. However, the locations vary in terms of tempreture and of the ilk, I do not know much about it. But want I do know is that I can supply you these metals to make what I want you to make, bullets."

    "Yes of course, may I see the bullet now?"

    "Here." He gave it to him, Pomlik had laid down the zinc block on the table. He looked closely at the cylinderical shape and spherical front. He looked back, front, left, right, inspecting the grooves and the all-round indent on the 7.65��21mm Parabellum the Luger used.

    "It is rather intricate, but not as intricate as some of our products. But, I suspect this to be hollow no? You had said, lord, there was gunpowder inside of this."

    "Yes." Hierd put his hand onto his pocket again, and pulled from it a chopped-off version of the bullet. "I worked my ass off to chop that little bullet, also I went the extra mile and glued a plastic window onto that shit, not to even mention, I put back the things that were cut off!"

    "That is rather intricate, I wonder how your country does it lord."

    "I wonder too, I wonder all the time. However, not is not the time to talk of that country, we''re here to talk about where we are now, right?"

    "Yes... Lord..."

    "I suppose you wish also to see the inside of the luger?"

    "Yes, lord."

    Hierd had once again put his hand into his pocket.

    "Give me a flat-head screwdriver."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: FLATHEAD SCREWDRIVER]

    When he pulled out the tool, Pomlik looked at it with intrigue. "What is that tool for, lord?"

    "It is called a flat head screwdriver, there are many variations of the said screwdriver, and this on has a flat edge."

    He then began to dissasemble the pistol grip revealing the spring within. To rid of the barrel, he pushed on the front barrel with his palm whilst simultaniously flicking the lever that was atop the trigger, releasing the sear. Which then could he pull the barrel out smoothly downward.

    Hierd showed Pomlik the mechanism of the barrel. Of which Pomlik was deeply engrossed in the deconstruction and the litte components that were all around that hunk of iron. He examined the trigger mechanism, and had came up with a theory.

    "I suppose." He put down the gun neatly on the table. "That this lever right there." He pointed to it.

    "When pushed, this metal piston strikes that iron, exploding the gunpowder within and shoots out from the barrel?"

    "You are dead-on Pomlik." Hierd had laughed. "How did you know?"

    "We-- Well, lord." He pointed at the bullet that was carved in half. "Gunpowder, we use them in cannons and are very, very reactive. We handle it with upmost care. I suspect because of this iron piston, hits the metal sheet enough so that behind it, it will cause it to spark, but of course, that is something I do not know yet."

    "You are one smart one Pomlik!" He complimented him with a smile.

    "Thank you lord. But, about the manufacturing, one bullet would take quite the time to make, as you said that the materials would be sorted out, three bullets would come out every day at least! But of course, we have yet to make a prototype, with my team, I bet we could optimize the making of one."

    "That''s good to know." He cleared his throat to change the topic. "The materials will be sent some time later, my soldiers will bring them to the guild''s front door, they may assist you in moving them. In your rooms."

    "Thank you captain."

    "I shall go now." Hierd got up from his seat with a single heavy sigh and left the room, and as he left, his soldiers followed him at his back. The way back upstairs was quite the long one as Hierd hadn''t fully memorized the place due to just how extreme the heat was inside the furnace that was the forge. But ultimately, because of his soldiers, he was able to reach the reception desk and climb out.

    The customers whoms''t were there were in shock after seeing the lord just randomly pop-up out of basically nowhere and had crumbled in fear not knowing what they should do. Hierd let them be and went out without a second thought for what the people thought.

    ( * )

    With his squad behind him, Hierd had walked the street with a galiant stride. His gracefullness and his blonde hair made him quite the attractor for the young woman who were looking at him with tensed eyes, but never even dared come close. "Adelheid didn''t tell me where that orphanage was, I guess I''ll be digging myself a new as---"

    From the corner of his eye, an old looking house caught his attention. It looked like a church and the abundance of children who were there convinced Hierd that it was ''the'' orphanage he was looking for. He took a stark turn and went towards the gate. The people who were there were gossiping to themselves, ''Why is the lord going towards the orphanage?'' Or that; ''Why is the lord here!?'' Whatever it was they gossiped about, Hierd had not one care about it.

    The iron gate was unlocked, suprisingly enough and Hierd pushed it open. There were many children of all ages gathered in the orphanage''s front yard. One girl, who seemed to be of five had went towards the lord carelessly.

    "Hello mistah! Kann you hep me up?"

    It was barely recognizable what she was saying to Hierd. "What the fuck am I gonna do, do I help her up? What the fuck am I gonna do!? I''m not good with children!!" He was tensing up when suddenly.

    "Hey! Hey!" A old woman''s voice came rushing out from the orphanage''s front door. "Mary, please do not disturb our visitors, okay?"

    "Ocae..." She left the scene with a saddened face but immidiately when she went to her friends, it lifted.

    The old woman had quite the look of a nun. Hierd judged from her age that she''s been serving this establishment as it''s master for a long time.

    "Good afternoon, sister." He bowed.

    "Oh, please do not bow at someone as lowly as I, my lord." She so humbly put. "But, may I please understand why you have..." She looked to Hierd''s back, his soldiers looking around the orphanage with half-stern faces. "Brought your... Soldiers, into the orphanage?"

    "For my protection, I am not here to take down this orphanage, not at all." He smiled to uplift her, but she seemed to be more worried than before.

    "Then what is it that you wish, my lord?" Hierd started to walk to the entrance of the orphanage and seeing so, the old nun follow him.

    "I assume that the orphanage has teachers, of sorts. Am I correct on this assumption?"

    "Yes..." She stuttered. "The sisters help the children with writing, speaking, and for the old ones, arithemathic."

    "I''d like to meet them, as soon as possible if you may, sister."

    "Okay..." She walked inside and opened the door wide. "Please, lord, come in while I call for the sisters."

    The soldiers followed Hierd in, removing their hats as soon as they entered.

    The orphanage started with a rather long corridor of cold stone and wooden flooring. The corridor and it''s subsequent rooms had their windows open, bringing light into the long line and it felt almost ominous how it looked. Hierd walked futher into the corridor and at the end was a spacious dining area, a ''cafeteria'' remarked Hierd.

    "I suppose we wait for them here, you may rest for the moment." Said Hierd immidiately after sitting down.

    There was quite a few toys on the table and some on the ground. And the wall was decorated in little signs of dents and playing, supposedly from children playing with their toys violently rubbing it onto the wood, leaving marks similar to how cars can leave skid marks on roads.

    It didn''t take long before the elder nun had came back with the sisters beside her. There were thirteen women, some were young yet mostly the rest were old. They bowed down low, "Good afternoon, lord."

    "Please, be at ease, there is no need for such formalities when I am the one who forced myself in."

    They too sat down onto the chairs.

    "What do you need the sisters for, lord?"

    "I would like atleast five sisters that will be teaching the soldiers arithmathic and writing letters." He said boldly. But after a long silence, Hierd broke it up with; "Ah! But worry not, your job here will continue of course, and during your stay as a teacher of my soldiers, you will paid the same amount of them, one gold coin a month."

    The one gold a month had enticed them to join in to Hierd''s plan, specifically the younger nuns. "Excuse my words, my lord. However the church would not agree of it''s members being used for other means and them not being for the church." The old nun stood her ground protesting to the idea.

    "If not for that church, this war would''ve never had happened." He retorted.

    She gulped. "Regardless of the fact-"

    "Regardless of the fact that the church is here, are you not to help those who are in need?" He interupted. "The church, though I do not fully understand it''s rules, their regulations, are an organization, an organization that gives to the poor and advocates their religion. The orphans, yes, they are of the poor, and so are everyone in this city who are devoid of secondary education, recieving only the most basic of education for their everyday needs. The lord who came before me never condoned the teaching of the poor and only are those who are poor be taught by their own mothers. Don''t you think that that is... Something the church wishes to defeat? Poverty? To help the poor is to give the poor education. Giving them bread and water will not suffice, sister. And I wish to change that fact."

    "I..." The old nun had nothing to say.

    "I agree, my lord." Said one of the sisters. "And wish to join you."

    "I too agree, and will join you, my lord."

    From one and the other, the nuns agreeing to join Hierd in his educational crusade. From the thirteen sisters, thirteen wished to become teachers. Hierd stood up from his seat. "It''s a pleasure you see the same ideals as I." He smiled, graciously so.

    "The pleasure is ours." They bowed once more. The old nun was sweating numbers but she hadn''t anything to retort. And she too stood up.

    "My lord..." She said with stutters to her voice. "I shall agree to your... Mission of yours, to teach your soldiers. However, I wish for the sisters to be able to freely come from the manor to the orphanage if so they need be."

    "Deal." He then looked at the thirteen sisters. "Classes will start tommorow when the church''s bell rings. A truck will be at that time to pick you all up. Please bring anything and everything you wish to bring for tommorow. And be prepared to teach mathemathics. Thank you."

    Hierd left the orphanage with his soldiers, the thirteen sisters waving goodbye, the children did as well too. It was quite cute, remarked the soldiers. "Holy shit, I shat some stuff out not knowing what I was saying, I was just saying some stuff I learned from economics class about the poor and shit. Thank God they took the bait on that one, my heart was beating faster than I could run!"

    ( * )

    The sun was ways past that crux of his. And Hierd had already sent the materials for Pomlik to make the first prototype of the bullet. Hierd had high hopes but also had some doubt that alot would be made. However, he wanted for there to be knowledge on how to replicate the bullets he supplies in case he wasn''t there to bring the said ammunitions for any so what battle that occurs.

    He was sitting on his office chair, and three anxious and nervous adventurers were sitting across his table. They waited for Hierd to say something before they could even move, and they seemed like they were not even breathing by the amount of pressure they were in. Should they talk? Were they being disrespectful because they weren''t starting the conversation? Is there really a ''conversation?'' Or were they just losing their minds for the minutes that he, the lord, wasn''t speaking.

    "What does an adventurer do?" Said Hierd, ''finally'' they all thought. But he was looking away, like he was before he talked.

    "We..." The woman talked. "We... Help with the merchants during their travels... Against... Bandits and all."

    "We, also..." Talked the man with red hair. "Explore the unexplored areas... To help miners map out... Cave sections..."

    "And... Where we shine in;" Talked the man with blue hair. "We protect people."

    "So it''s completely different to how I imagine it would be. Fighting monsters, dragons, and cool end-game bosses. They''re more chill here. But why the magician?"

    "Is a mage needed for your excursions?"

    They looked at each other with confusion. "Mages are a..." Said the red one. "Something every party needs. We were and are still friends, that''s how our... Party, was founded... Lord..."

    "Why is a mage needed for your excursions?" He repeated a second time, this time, with a sigh.

    "Well, lord..." Started the woman. "I, the mage of my... Party... Can use light magic and a small part of healing magic. My magics are basic yet... Crucial... For my party, lord."

    "That is the answer I wanted to hear." He fixed his seat. "Now, I didn''t just come here to ask you this, I want to see your adventures."

    They sat there, blankly looking at Hierd with a confused face when finally the red headed man said; "I... You wish to join our party? Lord?"

    "More of, observe. But, sure, yes."

    They were still perplexed and unsure of what the lord had just said. "I... We''re just a lowly class, good lord, we... For you to join is...." The girl stuttered to utter those words, so unsure of what she was to say to the lord.

    "Why, you would rather not want me?"

    "No! no, just that..."

    "Whether you want or not want my coming with, I will come still."

    They gulpped.

    "For I am busy now and the next few days, our meeting would probably be in the future." He raised his hand towards them. "Pleasure being your new member."

    The girl, whoms''t was at the middle had raised her hand, which had been wriggling in fear for minutes now. She shook his hand.

    ( * )

    It was the next day, Hierd had given Heduc and the rest of the squad leaders alarm clocks. It took quite the teaching last night as they hadn''t used one before, of course. Hierd wanted to deepen that sleep of his, extending well into the morning and encrouching noon. When suddenly, a knock shook his door.

    It took quite the time to fix himself up and get dressed before opening the door. It was Adelheid and he was joined with Jamie behind him. "Lord, we are to begin teaching them, would you like to join in and see?"

    "Having the option of sitting down and watching class is something only a fool would do." Hierd laughed. "You may go ahead and teach without me, I wish to do something else as time flies."

    Before they could leave. He remembered something. "Oh and!" They looked at his face. "Thirteen nuns will come at approximately the time when the church bells ring. They shall teach the men mathemathics."

    "You had coherced the orphanage?" Questioned Adelhied with a suprised face.

    "Yes, it didn''t take that much out of me."

    "Then that makes things all the better!" Adelheid chuckled. "Goodbye lord, we will go now."

    "Goodbye." Hierd shut the door slowly and retreated to the inner confines of his room, when suddenly the world started to rumble. "What the fuck''s happening?" He got up and looked outside.

    A long line of soldiers, marching out the front gate. Stomping on the ground with their boots, making the ground rumble as if they weighed a million tons. The citizens were watching from their homes and otuside their houses, onlooking the parade of soldiers whomst were displaying their brown uniform glory.

    Hierd squinted, there were Venit Ille black soldiers, supposedly from the four squads, that were imposing the sides of the line, making sure that the soldiers had straight

    bodies and that no civilian intervened the march. When then they shouted alike a warcry;

    "GLORY TO THE NEW LORD!"

 XVII The Three Day Plan - 2

    <b>Inside his room</b>, he watched the mass of recruits march towards the gate in a fashion he had never taught to Heduc or the rest of the gang. Are such marches common? They must''ve been, but if it was common or uncommon, the march had certainly drawn his attention. He tidied himself up once more and opened the door. Luckily, his squad members were walking just at the very hallway afore the door. "Come with me!" He yelled.

    They ran to him. And as they got closer, Hierd then began to ran himself. From down the stairs and to the manor''s lobby, they opened that front door and went outside, the march crowded the road and Hierd could barely see the end of both road-ends. The people were at the sides and looked amazed at the marching soldiers. It was, reported by the person whom Hierd first heard, "The first military parade I''ve ever seen in Unchean!"

    From each ''Hup! Hup!'' Was a deep ''Thud!'' That had pounced the ground with their leather, black boots. The boots hitting the ground were rather soothing to his ears and the stern, serious faces of those soldiers were enough to make Hierd laugh inside and imagine he was Stalin in front of his thirty-eight thousand deployed soldiers. They had already been given guns (lugers) and too the sword and scabbard which the two was tied to their belts. It made them looky more knightly than ever! And the citizens who were overlooking it was more than excited to see their loved ones or their neighbors walking in shoes with heavy soles and serious faces.

    He kept watching, but after some time, the rows and rows of soldiers were eventually to come to some end, and from the corner of his eye, he spotted a truck at the very back of it all. The truck came closer to Hierd.

    It abruptly stopped. And then the driver-side window was rolled down. "Good Morning, capta- I mean, lord Hierd!" Alrife remembered Hierd had just ascended from roles.

    He looked quite rough, his face was as if he was playing in the dirt whilst fighting a horde of wolves along at it. "Morning to you too, Alrife. May we board the truck? I wish to watch the training."

    "Hop inside!" He said with a smile. "However, please note that there are quite a few boxes inside, and it may get a bit cramped."

    "That is alright."

    He went to the back and the fumes that exuded from the exhaust pipe made the surrounding atmosphere rather hot. And inside the truck, it was even more so. It made him think for a second about the implications of introducing pollution into a medieval world. But an "Eh." Came out instead of worrying.

    The lord sat on the seat nearest the edge, and when the truck began driving. He waved at the people who were noticing his presence at the back of the car. Such individuals showed no such fear as did the first day he was there, it relieved him to see it.

    But soon the truck and the march of people had all gradually exited the city and the people were left to themselves to ponder upon the display they had just saw. Beside the street and overlooking the manor two figures stared from a wide window the street below.

    "That was quite the spectacle!" It was Adelheid and he remarked it with a smile.

    "Rather, indeed, sir." Jamie said with a smile. It, lifting up her round glasses. "The new lord, not officially recognized by the king, or any king rather. Had done something the past generations of the Winter family couldn''t have had done, in a week, no less."

    Adelheid looked at her, "Well, the winter family, I, my father, and all the greats, had their own limits. He, Hierd, does not. He can conjure these technologies like it was a feat easier than breathing. Sir Naturvege told of I that he came from a country long distant, called; Germany."

    "Germany?" She repeated. "I have yet to hear such a foreign sounding country. He says he comes from a continent another yet brings these technologies here like such a country was as near as eye to eyelid."

    "Then the questions brings itself up. Where and how?" They stood both in silence. And for a minute, was it peaceful. Before a knocking began to rock the wooden door.

    "Hello!? We are the teachers, sent by the lord!" Came the feminine voice.

    "I shall get it." Adelheid then began to walk towards the door. Buckling the handle open and swinging it open. "Good Afternoon, sisters, you may enter."

    The place was rather huge, it was a school, of sorts, for the more fortunate people of Unchean to learn dance. Such a thing was important for the privilieged to know, to understand, and do. For in a ball, no man should dare not feign that he knows when in reality he doesnt. The place was decked-out in chairs and tables just for the event, and the entire school was now occupied by soldiers and other officials. There were, in the building, ten or so rooms that same size as this one, fitting a mass of thirty chairs. Each were nice and looked new and were very stable as Hierd ''ordered'' of it from his home country just the night before.

    The sisters looked at the room with awe as they began to trance around the massive room. "It is much more bigger than the orphanage!" One remarked, "And it too has an echo!" She laughed.

    "Yes! You are right, Cephilia! This place is much more bigger!"

    They were, as Adelheid saw, one of the only two who had verbally showed their own opinions, whilst the older sisters were more calm and collected and dared not speak.

    "Sisters!" He yelled out. They then looked at him, the two had stopped their talk too. "I am sorry for shouting. However, this room will be mine, there are ten more rooms where your assistance will be needed, you may choose on which shall be your class. And by some time, the soldiers will come to their assigned classes." He then looked at Jamie who was looking still at the street. "Miss Jamie!"

    Alerted, she jolted and looked at Adelheid, she became quite flustered. "You may address me as Jamie, Sir Adelheid."

    "Then... Jamie, you may go to your picked room now." She walked towards him, and before she headed out, looked away from him in a hidden shyness. Seeing such, the rest of the nuns followed and they, one by one, had all exited the room.

    ( * )

    It was exactly when the sun had stroke the sky''s limit that they had entered the forest of Tria. Hierd looked up at the sky awaiting for when they hit the village. "The church''s bells should''ve had rang by now, correct?"

    "Yes, that is, lord." Answered one of his squad members after just after looking at the sky as well.

    "Say," He looked back down on the ground, the dirt road the truck drove on. "Unchean forces with ours, we''d gain... About two-hundred-seventy? Two-hundred-sixty? Soldiers. During Auferstehen, each section of wall would need about thirty soldiers defending it. And because of the boom of people that are in Unchean during that time, I suspect a large crowd of monsters." He then shifted his gaze at his squad. "We need more then just mines, do we? We need something more."

    One raised his hand. "Lord, cannons can deal a lot of damage, this has been seen in previous battles with monsters, however, it''s usefullness is limited to the single line of accuracy. Which should hit it''s heart or it''s legs to... Immobilize the target."

    "Light machine guns, the FG42s I already make them use won''t be enough, would it? I would need to introduce something with more fire power." He rested his head onto his left palm. "Heavy machine guns? They would need to be carrier by truck, but they''re heavy for a reason, can soldiers even lift them up the wall stairs? Ah... Who else would WW2 happen if not for human brute force? I''ll introduce the weapon today in the training."

    "I guess I should introduce yet another weapon in the armory."

    "Another weapon, lord?"

    "Yes, it is called; the heavy machine gun."

    They pondered amongs''t each other. "Our issued FG42s are light machine guns, what does a heavy machine gun do?"

    He smirked. "It''s heavy, and it''s better at killing things."

    ( * )

    After what seemed like an hour, Hierd finally saw the river after miles of forest. Pristine as ever, nothing had changed. The mines had already been cleared from the party that went to retrive the villagers and the prisoners. Though, there were still traces of a battle and some barricades had yet to be removed.

    Crossing the bridge, Hierd departed the truck. He saw all of the soldiers lined up, exhausted yet excited to finally get their own guns.

    With his squad following him, Hierd advanced further up the village to see whether he could find and talk to Naturvege (as he was the one conducting the training). His squad formed a bubble around him, pushing aside the recruits who had blocked their way. The eyes who were drawn to Hierd had caught the attention of the squad leaders.

    He saw the sillhouetes of them coming closer to him.

    With a smile, Heduc introduce himself. "Good Afternoon, lord. Can I ask why you''re here?"

    "I''m here to showcase a new weapon." Heduc''s eyes widened after hearing such.

    "A new weapon!?" He blurted out, causing the crowd just beside him to look at them more intently. "What may this weapon be?" He said in a quieter tone. Verdel and Gelmund had suppressed in-a-way their excitement at holding another weapon.

    "You''ll see, Heduc. You may continue the field training. And, please; give my thanks to Naturvege for me."

    "Yes I will, my lord."

    Jeane walked up to Hierd. "Lord, will you watch the whole of the training?"

    "I may or may not. However, I think it likely that I will leave soon after I have showcased the new weapon. As I have some... Business to attend to at Unchean."

    She nodded.

    "I hope I haven''t disturbed your work, you may all go back now."

    They bowed and began to walk the way they came from, clearing the recruits who were in the way. Hierd then switched his sights over to his squad members.

    "You all may stay here for awhile. I wish to be left alone in the cabin."

    "We wish to accompany you, you might be ambushed by something or someone."

    "''might.''" He repeated. It became silent, looking at their serious faces. He then said; "There''s nothing to fear, you may stay and observe the recruits whilst I am away."

    "But still-"

    "This is now an order."

    "Yes, lord." The man at the middle stuttered to say. And after a brief stare-down of sorts, Hierd turned and walked away.

    The recruits were heading towards that field. However, it was rather unorderly as it was the first time they had ever had such a large ''orientation'' of sorts. And Naturvege, Heduc and the squad leaders had never even lead such big a number. But ultimately, they were determined to set straight what their lord, Hierd wished for them to do.

    As Hierd passed and walked around the soldiers, they bowed and said their greetings of afternoon to the lord. They looked exhausted from the march but Heduc forced them to bring water canisters. As Hierd had yet to introduce canisters from his era, they made do with their own wooden capsules which resembled quite like bamboo.

    Naturvege''s house stood up, undisturbed from the turmoil from the battle and the people from today. The front door was visibly locked and so did the padlock entail. Hierd made no advances and continued to the backyard.

    A quick turn, and the green back had showed itself in all its glory.

    His cabin was a sight to behold, the days of his not opening of that wooden door had made the thing creek rather awkwardly open. Hierd had even needed to pull on some vegetation as it was blocking the door''s opening.

    "Ah, my room. What has happened since last we met?"

    He looked like a new tenant that had recently bought his first apartment. He stepped in with his dirt covered boots. But before he could dirty the place even more, he took them off.

    Looking from corner-to-corner. At the ceiling and at the floor. it was quite dirty and he saw quite the number of small bugs. To sleep in this thing was to sleep in hell, he thought. He hated bugs, but he also hated creepy crawlies most. The mere thought of a centipede even getting in his sight disgusts his very being.

    He very cautiously stepped on the wooden floor and towards his table. He looked everywhere and on his socks specifically, as if there were any said so creey crawlies he would jolt and jump out at the first sight of one.

    It was still as messy as last he was here. And that accursed black ink still was there and looked to not have dried. And to the corner of his eyes, "The M1 Garand." He touched and looked at it in spectacle. But then a thought raced his mind. "This thing is better than a bolt-action gun, right? But the Kar98 is timeless! It''s a man''s fantasy, the kar98. But I can''t argue about the M1 Garand''s mystique and beauty and of course that ''ping.''" He then backed away a bit, examining the gun and pondering in his mind.

    "Ah!" A light bulb opened in his head. "The Venit Ille Black use the M1 Garand, whilst the rest use the kar98k! I''ll probably try and see if the craft guild''s dwarves can make the luger then the kar98k. Before making the whole of the army use the M1 or maybe even that german assault gun! The... The..." It was right at the tip of his tongue, yet his brain couldn''t conjure up an image. Irked by his brain''s inability to even do that, he started pressing on it with his two and groaning in a low tone. "What is it, what is that gun!"

    A flash.

    A realization unknown to man.

    If he didn''t know the name, then why not just summon it? Using some vague descriptions he knows! What a good idea, he commented to himself. "Give me a German, World-War-Two assault rifle that was developed by the germans and is also... Is also known as the grandfather of all assault rifles." He said the last sentence with a grin of confidence. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    [REQUEST GRANTED: STG-44]

    "Yes! Yes! That, the STG-44! I finally got it!"

    After a blink''s speed, the gun was laying on the white sheets of the undone bed. It was beautiful, and even he, Hierd, who had never in reality got to see in real life such a gun, his looking at it now gave him an excitement never before. he grabbed the grip and began to feel it with his gloved-hands.

    Keeping his hands away from the trigger, he then examined the magazine for rounds, and surely, there was a full lot of them inside. "This is sick, this I should probably keep here, but in the meantime, I should figure about how to get a ''HEAVY'' machine gun towards the field."

    -AT THE TRAINING FIELD-

    Naturvege was at the front of all One-Hundred-Eighty recruits, just as Hierd had did in his time as Venit Ille''s savior, Venit ille''s captain. His eyes hit every head of the soldiers, peering at them intently and just as intensely. It took quite the minute for the soldiers were a bit chatty, however, like when a teacher stops talking infront of a class, they had stopped gossiping amongs''t each other as they saw that Naturvege was standing firmly and looking sternly.

    "Now, we will begin the training with a simple yet very important reminder."

    They held their breath.

    "These guns." He held up his own luger. "Are inventions, something that is created. And just as it can be created, it can dismantle itself. No invention is perfect, we know this. Day in, and day out, you have the obligation, the responsibility, to clean your lugers as would one clean their swords to avoid rust! Do you all understand!?" They replied with a loud; "Yes, sir!"

    "You are to be supplied with the proper cleaning supplies and manuals about how to operate and clean such things - And!" He blurted out, shocking them. "If these lugers turn to us in pieces or in damage, you will, and I say this with due seriousness, you will face repurcussions."

    They gulped. Their hearts raced in hearing this, but they applied for this job, why would they turn it down now?

    "Secondly! These lugers are weapons, and just as swords are to be kept in scabbards when not needed, so to are these in your leather holsters." He demonstrated a fast storing and equipping of the luger from the aforementioned holster that was on his belt. "And you are never to point these guns at anyone else! As well won''t you put your fingers on the trigger when you are not even in battle! Doing so is as well a doing as attempted manslaughter, and you should know better that doing that, right!?"

    Another time, they had screamed; "Yes, sir!"

    "Good. Good." He walked back a little bit. "The people you see before me are your superiors, address them with respect! If you have a question, you may come to them for help or else would they come to you." He cleared his throat. "Now, we are to start by the using of these lugers!"

    The squad leaders had taken the gaze of the recruits, signalling them to come closer and form columns of five. Then, seeing that the line would get longer, they then added eight more columns making so that there were eighteen columns having ten recruits each. It was quite difficult to set them up right, but after some time, they managed to neatly align themselves up. The line had gotten smaller but the rows had gotten longer.

    Naturvege then walked to them. Eyeing them with slit eyes. He walked then stopped when he hit the front of the middle column. He, observing the line''s length of recruits. "This gun, the luger is something that carries heft at every shot. It''d be like someone punches your palm as soon as you pull the trigger. You must train your muscles to overcome the recoil that you will feel, it is not that much in comparison to the kar98k or the light machine you hear from the soldiers that is the FG42. However, if not controlled, even the luger could devastate it''s user."

    He frowned. "So, we''ll be working today to perfect your shooting the luger. And tommorow, we introduce the sabres tommorow." His frown disappeared and up came a smile. "Now, starting from the very front working all the way down to the bottom, the front will begin shooting at the targets set further ahead. Whether you shoot and hit or shoot and miss does not matter. What does is that you recognize the luger''s recoil and ingrain ways to... Mitigate that."

    The front row of soldiers had taken some two steps forward so that there was space behind them for the squad leaders to walk and observe the ones firing. After some time, Naturvege gave the signal and the recruits began to unholster their guns from their black-colored holsters. "Now! Take aim! You must center that little piece of iron at the front with the target ways in front of you all. And once you are sure that your bullet will pierce that target. Only then would you pull that trigger."

    "Yes, sir!" They yelled after taking aim.

    It took a brief silence before they could say that they are confident in their aligning. And as Naturvege had instructed;

    They fired.

    The blast and the sound afterwards had thrown off the soldiers, not in it''s recoil, but the sound that came afterward. The recruits at the front had ducked and cowered to the ground, covering their ears with their hands.

    The supervisors remained unfazed.

    "Up! Up! Up! Get up!" Naturvege shouted at the top of his lungs. "You were scared by such a thing!? Pathetic! So you all are scared of thunder!?" He started pointing fingers. "You? You? You, too!? Get used to the sound, bed-monkies! You''ll be hearing it for the rest of your career!"

    They had gotten up, the ones who were not as frightened had helped the ones who were. And as the sound disspated in their minds, Naturvege, who were observing them. Walking from to and fro. Commented; "Now. I want everyone to get used to the sound, the clash." He switched his glare from the mass recruits to the first row of shooters. "To shoot, repeatedly at the target!"

    ( * )

    "Cephilia." She looked at her. "What do you think of the new lord?"

    "Hmm..." She looked up at the ceiling, grasping at memories of the past. "I honesty, don''t know. He looks handsome, he''s... Built. And he''s more capable than the previous lord, that I say to be true. Flerida, what''d you think of him when you met him?" She put her tea onto the wooden table.

    "He''s awesome!" She said enthusiastically. "Not even our previous lord would think-up the ideas he has right now! I mean he''s also quite the philantropist too! Giving one gold a month!? That pay is unheard of for a soldier! That must mean that he''s rich too!"

    Cephilia chuckled. "That might be right, that might be right."

    The first class had just finished. And the sisters were in a makeshift breakroom. A suggestion by Hierd to Adelheid was that the soldiers were to take time off until the teachers have rested their minds to teach again. The sisters had took this time off to drink tea, whilst Adelheid had merely continued reading a book he was reading at the manor''s library the morning before.

    Cephilia was quite the young girl, the youngest of the thirteen sisters. It was like a gradual graph, the youngest being nineteen and the oldest being fifty-nine. She had the same golden hair as Hierd and she, unlike the other sisters, was quite the bookworm. And she was eyeing out the book Adelheid was reading. And as she was taking sips of her tea whilst looking at him, it spilled.

    "What''re you doing Cephilia!?" Flerida exclaimed whilst grabbing a white towel from her white nun''s habit. She began to wipe off the spilt tea off her white habit, the stain was still there, however it was not as opaque as before. "That stain''s gonna be a pain to remove! Especially on the white habit!" She sighed.

    "Its fine really, Flerida, you don''t need to worry that much, a stain''s a stain, and it stays that way."

    "Yes, it stays that way. If! We don''t remove it." She stared at her blankly. "What were you even doing to have caused that!?"

    "Umm." She blushed. "Nothing of the sort, my eyes just went someplace else."

    Before Flerida could say another word in. Adelheid announced himself. "Everyone! I think we are just about ready to continue? We should make move to our rooms, the soldiers may be getting impatient." He said with a smile.

    Cephilia looked at her. "Well, good luck."

    "To you too as well."

    ( * )

    The third row done, and the recruits were alll quickly adjusting to the sound, that powerful clash that that luger emits. Naturvege observed them with a smile as they were now very much so evolving from their past reaction. Seeing no need to intervene, he went to the squad leaders, whoms''t were helping the soldiers who did not understand how to use the luger, use it.

    "Lord Hierd''s here?"

    "Ah!" Heduc exclaimed after remembering. "I forgot to say to you this before but he said that he thanks you, Naturvege."

    "I should thank him instead!" He chuckled. "It''s an opportunity of a lifetime to be able to do this."

    Heduc laughed, "Well, you might as well make use of it." He smiled.

    "By the way."

    "What?" Heduc replied.

    "Where''s Hierd right now?"

    "I don''t really know, but all I''ve heard is that he''s introducing a new weapon."

    "A new weapon!?" The exclamation had drawn in the attention of the recruits. Seeing this, Naturvege looked at them, reverting from his cheerful attitude to a frown. "What''re you all looking at! Focus on the target!"

    "Y-yes, sir!"

    He stared back at Heduc and his expression reverted to the cheerful one. "A new weapon? Did''e say what it was?"

    "No, sadly."

    "Damn." He sounded quite disapointed.

    "But if you wanna know where he is right now, I gather that he''s at his cabin. He might be accompanied by his squad, if not, they should be somewhere observing the training." He stopped for a second. "Well... If you want to look for him that is."

    "To that I will! I''ve nothing to do here for now, you lot may take care of the affairs, if anything goes wrong, I expect for it all to be taken cared of." He tapped Heduc''s shoulder before smiling then walking away.

    Just a few steps away from the recruits, he saw the outline of five black-suited soldiers sitting idle on a some big boulder in the shades of the treeline. He walked up to them, and as they saw Naturvege nearing, they got off from their rested position and had lined themselves in a straight row.

    "Good afternoon, sir!" They said in unison.

    "Be at ease, this is an unformal setting."

    "Yes, sir."

    "Shouldn''t you all be at the school?" He questioned.

    "We do not need to go to school, as Hierd had already gave us some mediums of study to read through, sir."

    "I-I see." A nervous chuckle. "May I know where Lord Hierd is?"

    "He is at the cabin, sir. He is currently doing something regarding the new weapon."

    "Then why are you staying here?"

    "The lord has ordered us to be here."

    "Can I overide this order?" He took a step closer. "I wish to have maybe even two to accompany me in my walking there."

    "I am sure that the lord does not fear of intruders, and so should you sir. But, we should always expect the worst." The middle man, the one who was talking all this time had quite the leader attitude, and his straight and powerful stance evoked this sense of security when Naturvege was talking to him. "Two of our men will accompany you, sir." He kept his stern face.

    "Thank you."

    The two men were at the left, and when Naturvege moved, they followed.

    Walking on the road, Naturvege remised the past, remembering the days when the village was lively yet small. And when it wasn''t a ghost town like that day was. The villagers had all left and there remains only fragments of living.

    His home stood like a wooden pole at the end of a street, undeturned, unfazed. He passed it and went straight into the backyard. The cabin at the end looked eriely lively as Naturvege stared at it. "Was it like that back then? It looked so barren before..."

    *CRASH

    "Lord Hierd!?" Naturvege Exclaimed.

    He ran to the door. Busting it open.

    "Lord Hier-" His expression dropped. "What in the name of the lord is that!?"

    ( * )

    It was down to the fourth row, and the soldiers were all executing their parts perfectly, they''ve all gotten used to the sound, and with the guidance of the squad leaders, they performed well, so well in fact that the ones who were coming after were trying their best to ''best'' the ones that came before.

    "After this is the fifth one, we need Naturvege here." Said Heduc.

    "You talked to him." Said Verdel. "Where did he go?"

    "To the lord''s cabin I suppose."

    "Uh... Guys?" Jeane said. "I don''t think you need to worry about going to him, he''s coming to us."

    *HONKx3

    The truck was accelerating closer and closer to the recruits. A faint "Woo!" Could be heard from the driver''s seat.

    The driving was fanatic and the acceleration was more so.

    Swerve!

    The wheels had kicked back the dirt and the dirt had landed on the recruit''s faces.

    The driver door opened and a boot hit the ground.

    The squad leaders approached the truck with awestruck faces. "Goodness! The thing was about to hit us!"

    "Sorry about that." Hierd introduced himself. "It was the first time in a long time to drive one."

    Heduc chuckled.

    "The weapon is quite heavy, so I needed a lift to carry it here. That lift being this truck."

    "It''s heavy?"

    "Yes." Hierd made his way to the back, gesturing Heduc and the squad leaders to follow. "It''s quite the beauty too."

    Before the turn, Hierd said; "My men, I introduce; ''The Vickers Machine Gun.''"

    Illuminated only by the light of the outside, the glory of the gun''s design was not so seen, but as it was pushed out by Naturvege and the two other soldiers, the cylindrical barrel and the ''appendages'' of the bottom had certainly intrigued the squad leaders.

    Seeing it, Verdel and Gelmund''s eyes were glistening in wonder as to how it works, why it works, and it''s DEADLINESS.

    "It''s... Big." Commented Heduc. "And heavy. It functions like a cannon, I assume?"

    "You can say that. But, this one is water-cooled."

    "Water cooled?" Questioned Jeane. "There''s water inside it, lord?"

    "Inside the barrel." Looking at them, Hierd was confused why they were confused about a water-cooled barrel.

    "What''s the need to cool a barrel?" Questioned Verdel.

    "Oh? I guess they haven''t really encountered heat issues before since they use the bolt-action Kar98k and the luger." Hierd thought. Remebering from some science class.

    "Heat is something that becomes detrimental when it is exerted overtime on metal, or any solid really. Like... Metal." He touched the barrel of the HMG "Bullets coming out of the barrel cause it to heat up, alot, and because of the amount of bullets getting put in and ultimately going out, the barrel will... Uh, corrode. Faster. Because of friction and..."

    "What''s friction, lord?" Questioned Heduc. "I have yet to hear of such a thing."

    "Ah, it is too difficult to explain, even I don''t get it, but heat is equal to bad. That''s a simpler ultimatium, do you understand?"

    "Yes, lord."

    "Will you help us bring the gun down onto the ground over the front?" He sighed.

    "Yes, lord." As they said it, they headed inside.

    "Careful, it''s very heavy." Commented Naturvege. "Trust me." He looked at Heduc while saying it.

    "Don''t worry, Naturvege, I think I can lift this." He chuckled confidently." He placed his hand on the barrel.

    Lifting it.

    *Crack!

    "Ow! That''s heavy!" Cried Heduc. He stepped away. "I felt my spine crack!" His smile faded and he was groaning in pain.

    "That''s why I said it was heavy, took us a long time just to get this on the truck." Naturvege laughed. "You all, come and hold each portion of the gun, and in the count of three, we lift it outside."

    "Yes, sir!"

    -3-

    -2-

    -1-

    "Hup!" Their faces had frowned in the insane weight of the gun.

    Carrying it outside, they looked like ripe tomatoes ready to be picked! Hierd wanted to laugh but it seemed unlord-like so he kept it in. The put it down at the back of the truck.

    They panted like dogs. "Goodness!" Screamed Jeane. "That''s too heavy for me, lord, I''ll have to say myself out!" She stepped away, hunched back. The other ones who were lifting the gun had done the same. Panting and exhausted.

    "I need a breather." Said Naturvege.

    Understanding Jeane''s comment, he looked to the recruits whoms''t where staring at the gun with peak-intrigue. Looking at hte intricasies as if it were some alien gadget. Which to them, was indeed an alien gadget.

    "I need five recruits to help!" He yelled.

    After some seconds, some hesitant volunteers came to the rescue and went to the gun. Naturvege, who was getting a breather came back to th HMG. "Okay, same thing. We pick it up after the count of three then we hurry over to the front. Okay!?" He yelled.

    "Yes, sir!"

    -3-

    -2-

    -1-

    "Gah!" The volunteers were shuddering under the intense weight of the iron behemoth and the soldiers more so.

    "Almost! Almost there!" Grunted Verdel, who''s blood he could feel the heat of and his nausea he could feel.

    "Hup!"

    *Bplak!"

    Verdel had collapsed onto the grass in exhaustion. "Do-don''t wor-ry abo-ut me!" He cried. "I- jus-t need some- rest."

    Hierd came running to Verdel, he put his knees down onto the ground, lowering himself to his level. "My soldiers will take you to my cabin, you should rest there."

    "Th-hank you- captain."

    "Yes, Verdel." He seemed confused as-to-why he was called captain, but from the activity they had done, it seemed fitting.

    Hierd then looked at his two squad members who had sat down panting. "Can you carry Verdel to my cabin? You may lay him down onto my bed."

    "Y-yes, lord. W-we can."

    "Don''t stress yourselves, call on your mates to help."

    They got up, with exerted exhaustion and a powerless face. They starteed to march forward to the tree line where they were stationed before.

    Hierd stood up and faced the crowd of spectators. "As you can see!" He shouted. "This is a new gun! Unlike the guns you have seen prior, this one fires a hail of lightning towards their enemy."

    They gulped hearing that.

    "And yes! It''s pretty loud." He jokingly put. "So please cover your ears when I start firing!"

    "Yes, lord!"

    He went back to the truck and retrieved a box of ammunition. For the Vickers Machine Gun was belt-fed, it was the first time any of them (the squad leaders) had seen a new way of feeding something into a gun and not just a simple box magazine.

    Hierd crouched down. And once he was level with the gun, he pulled off the top section of the gun and after, pulling the belt of rounds from the box of ammunition. He inserted the belt into the feeding mechanism, which is frankly, too hard to describe the action of. Then pushed the top section down, clamping it shut.

    "Now!" He yelled. "You should observe the new weapon that will be protecting us at the monster''s siege of Auferstehen!"

    He gestured for the squad leaders to go to the side. Naturvege had set up a perfect spot for him to spectate over the scene.

    They all covered their ears and awaited for impact.

    Hierd pulled the bolt and put his hand onto the trigger.

    Pull!

    The crackle of thunder!

    The recruits cowered in fear.

    With each round, decimating the target ahead; Obliterated instantly!

    Hierd contained his excitement whilst shooting the machine and constituted by smiling. He pulled his finger away from the trigger. "That! My comrades! Is the power of our army!"

    ( * )

    One could see the light of the day closing and the light of the night approaching from Hierd''s cabin window. Verdel, whoms''t was snoring on Hierd''s bed slept calmly. When suddenly, he awoke.

    "Gah!" He looked around him. "Where am I? What happened!? Where''s the lord!?"

    "Good Evening, sir." It was Hierd''s squad.

    "Uhm." He noticed there was drool oozing out of his mouth. He wiped it off with the towel he was given that was in his pouch. "I hope you didn''t mind me whilst I slept." He blushed.

    "We hadn''t the thought, sir." Their faces said otherwise.

 XVIII Winters Arrival

    <b>It was the morning of the day after the training.</b> Hierd was back in the manor and everything was tranquil and cold. Very cold. And when he looked outside his window he saw.

    "It''s winter."

    The clouds above were grey and the sky''s light was rather dim. It made it quite hard to see if there were any figures walking on the road or beside the houses. As the white snow had already ran rampant across the streets and the houses'' roofs were covered in it. The coldness had shivered Hierd to the bone as he wore only a dress-shirt and a pair of uncomfortable slacks he got from some closet inside the manor. Frankly, he was too exhausted to wear anything yesterday night but figured that anything would go.

    A knock.

    "Wait a second!" He yelled.

    He put on his boots and then his suit. Then his cap. The suit made him warmer then he imagined. But he decided to put on gloves as well. He fixed his hair and quickly brushed his teeth.

    He opened the door.

    "Good Morning, Lord Hierd." It was Adelheid, and he was wearing a Venit-Ille black uniform.

    "Where did you get it?"

    "You don''t remember?"

    "No...?"

    "You keep a box of them stored in the... ''Just-in-case'' section in the storage room downstairs. And I was dying for one of your uniforms."

    They both chuckled. "Well uh... What is it?"

    "There''s some people who wish to meet you." He chuckled nervously.

    "Who?"

    ( * )

    "Good Morning, lord." A captain, presumably of a ship of course. He didn''t scream pirate or England''s finest. His face evoked that ''captain-Barbossa'' look as he had rather long hair with some locks of hair being braided. His hat too, that hat was the only thing that would distinguish him truly in a crowd of pirates. As it was decorated with decorated with a golden seal of sort and he had also this distinct sailor-accent.

    "Good Morning to you too." Hierd grunted as he sat down on his chair.

    "I''m Captain Jack Huntsman! At your service." He saluted. it was the first instance of a salute Hierd had ever seen before.

    "What do you wish of me, sir Jack?"

    "I unde''stan'' that ur'' coun''tree possesses a... Unique ship? Ein'' Iron ship say yee."

    Hierd pulled a face as he tried to understand what he said. But as he understood fully, his gaze was then cast onto Adelheid. "I''ve never told anyone except the ones who were at the meeting that day about an iron ship."

    "How do you know this?"

    "Ere'' sir Adeelheed told''s me that. Which tells I that yee'' needs a cap for yee'' ship, me lord."

    He sighed. "Such a ship my country has in their possession is as big as this whole city-"

    "WHAT!? For the lord''s dane o'' I be damned! Your country has a ship like that!? I needs to see it, me lord!" His excitement had jumped out, getting out of his chair just to stand up and celebrate.

    "Let me continue, sir Jack." He sat back down, his excitement in the fact still evident. "Though, we have multiple other ships smaller than that. Our biggest of ships are called; Battleships. and our smallest of ships are called; Corvettes. The bigger the ship, the more men are needed to house and power such a behomoth, as well as it''s many guns."

    "Many guns!? Battleships!?" He was awestruck, astonished by the nature of the words Hierd was clashing them with. "If it''d be bigger than ye city than that''d mean that it''d be slow, right me lord? I can''t begin to imagine just how many wooden sails and masts ye has to just move that!"

    "Well, it uses another invention. Have you seen our guns and trucks, sir Jack?"

    "Much indeed! Ur'' soldiers ride them things everyday! For goodness sake the transportation of supplies from port to house hasn''t been more easier! I thank ye soldiers for that oun. But, dem'' iron moving things ye called trucks? They''re some magical power, me lord. Magic I tell. And yet I see no magic any where round'' that thing!"

    "It''d be a pain to explain the mechanism. But in the topic of ships. It has a similar property. But because of this invention we use for our battleships. Even the wooden ships widely used today, the frigates to the galleons wouldn''t outmatch the speed of a battleship." He smirked. "I can say confidently that one battleship could destroy a fleet of five-hundred galleons."

    The atmostphere darkened to an extent.

    "That''s... That''s certainly a hell of a ship, me lord. I''d like two!"

    "Ha..." He sighed. "That''s not going to happen, sir. Unless of course an admiral of my country wishes to accompany. However, we... We are quite held-aback by something in the fatherland."

    "I see, I see." His eyes pierced Hierd''s. It was as if he was looking into his mind.

    Uncomfortable; he said. "However... Though I won''t be able to... Supply the demand, I still wish to have a navy. I am not aware of how the sea works and having someone who I believe... Lives, in the waters, you in my command would be very much appreciated!"

    "Thank yee'' lord."

    "But." He interjected. "You will need to complete the basic soldier course. That is currently being conducted by my Major, Naturvege. I believe you can start tommorow."

    He remained silent.

    "Your presence will be requested for tommorow''s training, you will recieve a suit, a luger, and a sword."

    "Thank yee'' kindly."

    "However." He interjected. "Your suit will differ from the others. I wish to employ you as Germany''s first naval captain. And, if your training does well, captain, you will then be training how to use a destroyer."

    "A destroyer!?" He exclaimed. "Der'' name evokes me'' a certain kind of way! Destroyer... What''er it''s differences to ur'' battleship, me lord?"

    "It is noticeably... Smaller, then a battleship. But it''s nimbleness and its armaments compare in a way to the battleship."

    "I see..." he was rubbing his chin.

    "I think we are done here, I am to do something else today. You may see yourself out." After saying this, his eyes gazed towards Adelheid.

    Jack bowed down low, and quite animatedly, he marched out. As if he was balancing himself on an imaginary rocking wooden ship. And as the wooden door of the office slammed shut. Adelheid nervously sat on one of the chairs.

    "I have yet to tell the public about the ''iron ship'' I had mentioned in the first meeting we had ever." He started intently at Adelheid. "So what happened? Why''d you told him?"

    He sighed. "I had... Told captain Jack of your iron ship once in a conversation. And well... After hearing that, he wished to meet you."

    "When?"

    "It was some days ago. But you were occupied with the kicking out the syndicate, so I had told him that he couldn''t meet you then, but now that... You''re in-a-way, free of some hurdles. I told him to come today. But... I did not expect him to come this early."

    "I haven''t alot of experience about naval warships. And the sea is definitely not my expertise. And as the fatherland is busying themselves, I''d have to teach the sailors. I didn''t want to create a navy this early in. However..." He rested his back onto the seat. "It definitely isn''t bad."

    Adelheid sighed in relief.

    "But as punishment. You will be reading the manual on how to operate a destroyer. As I have yet to learn-up on how to operate one, per-say."

    Adlheid sighed in defeat. "I shall, lord."

    "Now, I must meet with Pomlik. I believe I''ve given him enough time to develop even a prototype."

    ( * )

    The cold of the outside was even more than the inside of the manor. The smoke coming out of the brick chimneys had made the place look busy even though there wasn''t even a single hint of a person outside. Only the occasional adventurer or that ignorant man in summer clothing.

    His squad was behind him, their hands were in their pouches as they were not given gloves unlike Hierd. "Does Naturvege intend to hold a training today?"

    "Yes, lord."

    "In this climate?"

    "Yes, lord."

    "Have they already marched towards Venit Ille?"

    "Yes, lord. It was approximately dawn when their march was conducted."

    "I feel sorry for those recruits, their uniforms weren''t made for the cold!" Hierd cried out a comical whimper.

    A quick turn, and their eyes were sighted on the craft guild''s walls and door. There were a dozen chimneys on it''s roof. The smoked that released from it had, in-a-way, darkened the sky. And that distinct smell of gunpowder flooded the road beside it.

    Coming nearer, Hierd noticed the lack of customers. The people were detered by the now pungent smell. The windows were blocked off with a curtain of sorts, if one were to go by such a guild one would think it''d be a factory of sorts and not a guild.

    One of his soldiers opened the front door.

    A cloud of smoke.

    Hierd coughed, shoo-ing the smoke away from his face. "Goodness! Pomlik! Pomlik! I can barely see anything inside here!"

    "Gahh!" Exclaimed a suprised voice. "Is that the lord!? Quick, quick! Everyone open the windows!" A scatter of footsteps neared Hierd.

    He felt as if he was getting pushed, shoved a little to that side and that side. But after some loud three-or-so minutes the black smoke that blocked any visibility had simply went away. The outside of the guild looked as if an explosion had just went off and the smoke was being let-away. Scared a couple people too.

    The inside had a factory''s decorum. The dwarves were dressed with weird suits that covered their whole skin and the wood that was near that gunpowder was covered with a tarp, supposedly to prevent the wood from burning.

    "Good Afternoon, lord." Said an exhausted Pomlik. "We were just testing out one of our bullet experiments. And as you may see." He looked behind him, to the weird factory-like ornaments that were attached from ceiling to floor and floor to ceiling. And at the middle of it all, a contraption. Hierd walked over to it.

    "Ah! Be careful, lord, you may trip and fall."He reached out his hands towards him as if he was helping a baby take it''s first steps.

    He nodded it off and continued to walk forward. "Can you explain to me what''s happening here?"

    "Yes, of course my lord." He skedaddled over to him. His workers had came to his assistance. Hierd had bent down to get to the level of said contraption.

    "Based on my understanding of how the luger works, I devised this... Contraption. A metal striker with the same cylinderical hole, which is modeled the same as the luger''s you had shown me." He pointed at it. "This thing strikes the metal hole at the back of the cartriage--and speaking of cartiages--" He pulled out from his vest''s pocket a bullet, it looked like the 9mm Parabellum the luger uses. Hierd had opened his palm and Pomlik carefully placed the bullet on it.

    Hierd looked at the bullet with astonishment. "They managed to make one of these in what... Two? Three, days? Impressive."

    "How much and how long did it take?" Hierd placed the bullet down carefully on the metal plate that was the contraption.

    Pomlik chuckled. "Well actually! It took us just a day, my lord."

    "A day!?" Hierd was aweshocked! "That''s terrifiying, and amazing! Nice work, Pomlik!"

    "Thank you kindly, my lord."

    "How did you--" Taking a quick glance at the workers behind him, he added; "And your companions, create it?"

    "A dwarf''s enginuity is better experienced than said, lord." He looked smug and confident, the dwarves behind him had the same expression as his.

    "Well, atleast we have the bullet. How much did you make?" He said again.

    "Ah," He looked to the heavens, gouging his memories and grasping at one. "Ten. We had used all but one in our experimenting today. Three had worked to our favor."

    "A three-in-ten chance of firing?" Hierd inquired.

    "No, not of that sort, lord. More of that the rest of rounds exploded immidiately or was weak in power."

    "And the three?" He pressed on.

    "They had fired as intended! Or was that we had saw when we fired that luger''s 9mm... Parabellum? You had given to us."

    Hierd stood up as his knees were about to give away. Looking at the whole thing in disbelief. "This''d turn out easier than I thought it would be, now, to commision them to make and keep making these bullets..."

    "I wish for the guild to continue making a successful version of the 9mm bullet." He took a breath. "Because of this, the guild will need both resources and money to continue operating, correct?"

    They nodded.

    "And as well as you upkeeping the guild''s primary purpose, I wish to install a factory. However, this factory will not be connected to the craft guild."

    "Not be connected? My lord, do you imply that we are to abandon the guild and work under you?" Said a dwarf behind Pomlik. The other dwarves were intrigued in what answer will utter from Hierd regarding it.

    "What if?"

    "Well..." Said Pomlik. "This neither is bad nor good, is it? Whilst the guild will not be directly affiliated with any military campaign, it will concern the guild seeing that their workers have indeed gone under your rule, my lord. And too comes that question, ''What will become of the guild after?'' This I take notice, will effect merchants and the people."

    Hierd had taken a step back and questioned himself. "This is hard. Without the guild, comes that uncertainty. What will happen with the city? Without the guild, What''ll happen to the merchants and the adventurers? What if..."

    "I shall shut down the craft''s guild instead!"

    "Wha-- What!?"

    ( * )

    At the manor, Hierd had gathered the engineers and architects who attended the last meeting. Pomlik and other members of the craft guild was there. Adelheid had sat at the side to spectate the meeting. "I will be, at the creation of the factory I wish made, banning the guild, the craft guild, to be operating in the city."

    Silence and intrigue filled the air.

    "This... New factory," started Pomlik. "Shall it be the same uses as what the guild does already?"

    "It shall work exactly the same as the guild, but! It shall be run under a new name. Under a new guise. That of my nation, that of my army, that of my rule." He pressed his hands together, interlocking. "In the building of this factory, I stress the fact that the way of making buildings in this country''s common sense is satirical to my country''s advanced kind. We use... More advanced methods of building, whilst the kingdom''s are inferior to ours. I shall introduce a new compound, a new way of building, and a new way of architecture and of engineering."

    A silent applause. The engineers looked at him with a smile. The architects were intrigued and were suprised. "These methods, my lord." Said one of the architects. "How come are they inferior to the kingom''s?"

    "Supported by steel, carried by concrete."

    "Concrete?" They all looked at Hierd with confusion and awe.

    "Yes, concrete." He said again. "Concrete is something that at it''s base is merely powder. But after a complex chemical change, shall turn into a mush. This mush shall then be used to shape a building. Then when time grows older, shall this mush harden as much as rock. And, the steel? Concrete in it of itself is weak without support, much alike using stone without wood for houses two-up. So, we use rebar, something that is made of steel and poured with said concrete. Building this integrity never before seen. Outrivaling any other method out there."

    The engineers were shocked and confused. And everyone else in the room was merely braindead to the amount of words spat on about by Hierd. His ramble was rather incoherent to the ones who couldn''t understand.

    "When do you wish the build be started, my lord?" Said one of the engineers.

    "I wish for the engineering team and the architectural team to cohere with themselves. And under a week''s time, learn the effects, the how''s and whys. And begin trying out methods of making buildings. By the usual brick, or by another architectural design."

    "Oh? Then if we have the time today, may we talk of those architectural and engineering designs and techniques? As the engineer team''s leader, I wish--no--my comrades and I wish for these knowledge to reach our ears now and not a moment later." His eyes had sparkled under the heavy stars that said, I''m intrested, get me hooked.

    "That certainly is something I wish to do as well." He said with a grin. He placed his hand on his lap.

    "Voice, give me a book about German architecture."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: DER VATERLAND''S ARCHITEKTUR]

    The book laid on his lap, he didn''t bring it out yet though.

    "What is your name, sir?" Inquired Hierd.

    "I am Dior, my lord." He got up and bowed. "I am the engineering team''s leader, and have undergone many engineering challenges in my career, all, of course, suceeding." He said with a confident smile.

    Hierd looked closely at him. He was rather pale, but so would anyone in winter. And his figure looked rather small. His face made him looked younger than his greying hair entailed.

    "My lord." Said Adelheid with a worried expression. "Auferstehen always strikes at winter''s dawn. Though the exact timing may be off by week or day, Auferstehen breaks at winter, in the worst of times."

    Looking ignorant of the news, he said; "We don''t need to worry just yet, Adelheid. The making of such factories will be an afterthought, but as I know we wil win the battle, why not stress to plan the future''s delight?" He smiled from ear to ear. "Besides, I am not letting the city fall in the hands of a demon''s."

    "I see, lord." The men in the meeting room applauded Hierd''s confidence and audacity silently. He then rested back on the wall and crossed his arms.

    "In the meanwhile, as I had said, the engineers and architects shall experiment with the making of concrete. The craft guild will continue their working in Unchean until, of course, the factory be done." He looked up and thought for a bit. "Presumably... At the end of Auferstehen I take it."

    "Thank you, lord." Said Pomlik. "However, I pain to ask; this... Creating of a new factory. Will it benefit the people better than the guild already does? Shall it get more supplies? Shall it become a better environment, for both member and customer?"

    "That is a possibility, and that too is something I wish! But, we can''t say really what''ll happen. But I, with my knowledge and the architects and engineers. Hope to ensure a better environment and a larger one in fact."

    "A larger one?" Questioned one of the engineers. "The city does not currently possess many plots to build upon."

    "Then we shall destroy the walls!"

    "Destroy the walls!?" He stood up and exclaimed. "Excuse my speech, my lord, however the walls have long protected the city and it''s citizens for years more than I could count! I stress that after we tear down these walls, the next Auferstehen shall be detrimental, deadly, and hell-ish."

    "My country shall overcome anything. Everything. Not one man, nor monster shall overcome the weaponry my country has in their hands. And as much as you stress, I too shall stress that I will protect and I will destroy anything that comes to our living with malicious intent."

    The man sat back down. "If so do you wish, my lord." He said nervously.

    "Now." He rested upon his chair. " Lets talk architecture!"

    ( * )

    In the cold, white fields that was the Venit Ille''s training grounds. Was the company of soldiers huddled together and confided warmth with the rubbing of their hands and the covering of their ears. However, the majority of the men had adjusted to the cold and were completely fine. But it can be said that the cold had dissipated as the snow''s raining from the morning was gone and the sun was seeable.

    With noses red and faces pale, Naturvege, after putting the sabre on his belt, yelled; "Soldiers! Do you remember what we are to do today!?"

    "Yes, sir!" They yelled in chorus.

    Naturvege walked to one of them. "You! What is it that we''re to do today?"

    "We-we, are to train-to-to, use the sabre, sir!" He stuttered not from the cold but from the pressuring of Naturvege.

    "Can''t you speak, soldier!? Speak up! If you will just stutter your speech, have you any right to call yourself a soldier-in-training!?"

    "We are to train to use the sabre, si-sir!" He had said in a blitz.

    Naturvege stepped far back. "Yes! Yes! We will be training with sabres the lord has given us!"

    *Shing!

    The sound of the blade exiting the scabbard was a pleasure to the ears of knights. And Naturvege looked to have been reminiscing his days as one as he looked and admired it.

    "This beauty, is a cavalry sword! It shall be swung by one hand whilst your other shall hold your luger!" He slashed the air. "It''s razor sharpness shall make it easier to drive your blade deep into your enemy''s flesh. And with the combined effort of your luger, which shall shoot while slashing, will make killing your enemy something comparable to child''s play!"

    They looked at Naturvege with observant eyes, the sabre, it was a quality they have never before seen in a sword. And the handle looked to have been furnished with a gold-like plating. They figeted, not because of the cold but of the sword, that sabre they carried in their scabbards. Terrified that they''d damage the gold plating and be too cowardly to swing.

    "I! Will split you all in groups of thirty!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "Of the six groups that will be made, the squad leaders and I will begin training you to swing your sabres! Now, split!"

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.( * )

    By the second day, meant too the second class. It started a bit later than the first as Adelheid postponed it a little because of the craft guild''s meeting.

    The soldiers focused, looking at the blackboard and their notes. They were far away from the cold of the outside, very far away. As the inside of the classrooms were so hot that the soldiers, whoms''t were wearing black trench suits, had gotten rid of them in order to just stop sweating.

    In the breakroom, Adelheid and Jamie were tending to their due rest. They had showed themselves out early as the classes they were teaching were more than understanding of their lessons. And left them to review on it, though they''ll come back after some moment''s notice.

    Jamie had made tea, it was a warm-yellow in color, and Adelheid had never seen anything like it before. And that aroma it exuded made it to Adelheid''s scenes. It played with him.

    "What is this?" He picked the cup up and examined it. He took a sniff, the aroma was quite enchanting. Sweet and floral, he thought. He took a sip.

    "That is a gift from lord Hierd, sir Adelheid." She smiled as she saw him drink it. "I believe it is called... Jasmine tea?" She sipped it too.

    They both looked and were indeed relaxed.

    The heat of the tea made drinking it quite hard in an already hot environment, but just because of it''s taste and aroma, one wouldn''t resist drinking it.

    The outside, Adelheid looked. Was quite lively in spite of the season. Whether the people were confident in their lord regarding Auferstehen''s striking, or that they were merely oblivious to it all. But no, such thing wouldn''t be. The first would have to be right, he thought. The clouds began to clear up and he could see children playing with the snow. Making snowballs, throwing them at their friends.

    It was a scene never before seen during his father''s rule. As his father prioritized a strict policy, that everyone stayed home and that no person will eat more than they are given, that they should ration their food. Ever were theirs abundant, would be given to Unchean''s army.

    He gave a light sigh. His eyes looked thankful.

    "Is there something wrong, sir Adelheid?" She went closer to Adelheid, to assess his expression.

    "No, nothing." He pulled himself back, to farther himself from her face. "It''s just that, It feels like summer inside here." Commented Adelheid, sipping his cup of tea.

    "Ah that?" She pulled herself back to her seat. "I am not quite sure of the logistics of it all, since I heard it from the soldiers but..." She recollected a little bit about the thing she heard.

    "The dwarves were experimenting a... Heat gem, of sorts?" Said Jamie. "I have no idea what and how it works. But, it works splendidly." She smiled and continued to sip her own tea.

    "Do you think it came from the academy?"

    "How could the academy come to this controlled city?"

    "By ship." He said with enthusiasm. "I suppose the locked And Shut law imposed by Hierd doesn''t apply that much to overseas people? The craft guild would not have enough trouble with their contacts with the academy, well... The academy is contracted to help guilds about new stuff and all."

    "Fair enough, sir Adelheid."

    "Well, atleast we''re away from the cold." He turned to look at her. "How was your class, miss Jamie?"

    "Please, sir Adelheid, call me Jamie." She became quickly flustered.

    "Ah, yes." He chuckled. "I forgot! Well, then, Jamie, what of your class?"

    Her face turned quickly serious. "It was fine, sir. The soldiers had understood mostly what I had disscussed about. I''m sure Auferstehen will be nothing but a brush of the wind for the soldiers. A... Live-action training session, is what one could say it would be."

    "You''re rather confident for the capabilities of the army." He sipped his tea. "How so?"

    "Frankly, sir;" She recollected some thoughts before saying; "Hierd''s army is hundreds of times more better than what the previous lord of Unchean had. I had no qualms with that previous lord, but I would rather he perish and give way for Hierd. For if he were to rule longer than he did, this city''d fall to ruin." Her face had a dark mood to it, and Adelheid rolled a sweat down his face lookign at her.

    "With our addition, and as well as sir Naturvege''s training. Our army will be stronger than ever. And may all applause go to our lord, Hierd." She continued.

    "Our diplomatical challenges will come in a matter of weeks." He stared outside. "At the end of this damned Auferstehen, the kingdom will come with blades and rocks and they''ll throw them at us. And with that, too will the rest of the world come at us. With sharp eyes and metal swords. Whether or not our lord can indeed be the best, may we live to see that future."

    "I agree to that, sir Adelheid. But I am sure that lord Hierd has cards that shall be dealt when times have become dire."

    The breakroom''s door had opened with a large bang.

    "Ahhhh!" Yelled in exhaustion by the young nuns. "That''s another completed!"

    Adelheid stood up from his wooden seat. "Good Afternoon, sisters."

    "Good Afternoon, sir Adelheid." They bowed down.

    He sat back down.

    The nuns had sat on their chairs. And soon enough the break room was lively in chatter. Flerida, grasped by the aromatic tea, came to Jamie and Adelheid''s table. "Good afternoon."

    "Good afternoon." She said expressionless.

    "May I ask a question?"

    "Which is?" She sipped her tea.

    "That tea, what is it?"

    "It is Jasmine tea, given to me by lord Hierd."

    "Ah?" She said, twiddled her thumbs. "If it is a gift, I shan''t intervene-"

    "Do you wish to taste the tea, sister?" Interjected Adelheid.

    "Well, the lord gave it to you, sir. I must be acting in disrespect if I were to taste it."

    "No, no, don''t be. I will prepare a basket-ful of such tea by tommorow, sister."

    "Umm..." She became nervous. However, just near her, a ball of negative influence became more and more opaque by the second. "I think--" Sweat rolled down her face as Jamie''s face began to slowly look her way-- "I should go, sir." She hurried away.

    Adelheid, perplexed, then looked at Jamie.

    "I''m sure the lord will give the nuns some commodities, such as tea, sir. You musn''t worry." She said with a smile. It looked rather deceitful.

    ( * )

    "Such a unique form of architecture." Said one of the architects. "It looks like a castle''s designs! The arches, the unique intricacy. It''s very fasinating! But the construction of one, will be something that''ll take months to make, my lord."

    Looking at him, intrigue was all that was left in the architect''s eyes. "Which is why we''ll be starting that practicing of using cement tommorow."

    "Thank you, lord."

    "No, I should thank you." He smiled. "Your cooperation with us is greatly appreciated."

    They stood up. "Goodbye, lord Hierd." They said in unison. Bowing as they said it.

    Hierd sat in the silence for a bit. Then as time grew old, stood up and opened the door. The ghast of cold had brushed him, the window was open. He felt blood rushing towards his head. "May someone close that damned window!?" He exclaimed.

    A maid ran fast to him. "I am very sorry my lord!" She put her hand and slammed the window down.

    "Thank you." He neared her. "I''ve yet to see you before, who are you?"

    "You don''t need to know my name, my lord!" She put her head down. "I am sorry for not closing the window earlier."

    "I..." He looked at his past self with a sigh. "I should be sorry, I yelled at you. Please, continue on your day."

    "Th-thank you, my lord." She lowered herself as she bowed then swiftly made her exit.

    Looking at her as he went away. Hierd thought to himself; "What happened there...? I got irritated all of the sudden. I think I''ve been overdoing myself recently. Gotta get a break. But... How in the fuck can I get a rest when battle''s near. Fuck."

    He massaged his head. A headache was coming in. "I guess winter''s not really the thing for me."

    ( * )

    After a night of blissful sleep, Hierd woke up with the feeling that one gets when getting a full ten hours of sleep. At peace and rejuvinated.

    A knock.

    "Wait just one moment!" He yelled. He got up from his bed. Wore his suit and slacks, his boots and cap. Brushed his teeth and applied this time a fragrant perfume.

    He went to the door and opened it. "Yes?"

    It was Adelheid once more. Looking at him, his mood dropped remembering the last time he was woken up by him. "Good Morning, lord Hierd. I''m here to report the progress over the three days."

    "Oh? Well isn''t that good." He smiled, bringing back up his mood. "But you didn''t need to, Adelheid."

    "Well, even if, I''d still need to."

    "Why so?"

    ( * )

    Back again at the office. This time, there was an abundance of members who were there. The room was so full that there weren''t enough chairs to fit them all. The chiefs of all the guilds were there, too did their accomplices came with. Friedrick was there, the architects and the engineers, and Adelheid as well. Looking at it all, Hierd''s face was nervous and was dripping with sweat.

    The room was full of chatter but as Hierd stood up, it all stopped. "Good morning, everyone!"

    "Goodmorning, lord!" They stood up and bowed.

    After they had sat down onto their wooden seats, a brief moment of awkward silence incited Hierd to say; "Well... Everyone. Thank you for waiting for my presence. I do not know how this meeting will ensue, so I propose that it shall go from left to right." He smiled after ending the statement.

    The man farthest left had stood up. It was the engineer from the day before. "My lord." He stood and bowed. "I came here to inquire of the... Cement practicing?"

    "Ah, I will teach you how just after the meeting, you may wait till then." Dior, the engineer had sat down. His companions then gossiped with each other.

    Beside him, the merchant guild''s chief had gotten up, it took awhile for Hierd to remember his name but after some time, he got it. Felliz!

    "My lord." He bowed, gracefully so. "I wish to know the current situation about the craft guild. A new factory? The deconsecrating of the craft guild of Unchean concerns the guilds and too the people. We would like a follow-up regarding it." He bowed again before sitting down.

    Hierd took a second to gather his thoughts. "Unchean, indeed, will be deconsecrating the craft guild from operating inside the city walls. Take this to no hostility, I wish only to have the craft guild under my name. And a way of doing this, is to deconsecrate and replace the craft guild. Thus the factory."

    "And I take it, this factory is better than the current workplace of the craft guild?" Inquired Felliz with intrigued eyes,

    "Yes, for it includes a wider plot and the construction will have many engineering marvels of Germany inside of it. And as time grows on, wish for all Unchean to have the same engineering marvels."

    "And this is related to the... Breaking down of the walls?" He inquired, his face looked the same as how a journalist expresses intrest upon some thing.

    "Yes." He sighed. "The walls are something that invoke the feeling of being trapped. One could say; like a prison. Though in the policy I have proposed and laid down under the Unchean people, wherein they cannot leave. The walls make me seem like a totalitarian leader with a regime befitting a monster." Seeing his face, Hierd thought that he wished to question about after the fact.

    "The walls will not, of course, be torn down during Auferstehen, and instead, after it. And even by the next Auferstehen, I profess that Germany''s armaments will be enough to deal with the behemoths. And there is no need to worry about what will happen." Hierd smirked. "My country''s greatness will outrival their strength. Besides! How come that there are kingdoms still alive today?"

    Felliz nodded with a smile. "Thank you for answering my questions, lord Hierd."

    Then, Hierd''s gaze fell onto the next one in line, Gerald. The adventurer guild''s chief. Seeing his gaze, he stood up swiftly. "Lord." He bowed quickly, then sat back down again. "The adventurer guild''s been having some problems."

    "How so?"

    "We believe that the adventurer''s been leaking information about Unchean''s current situation. And we have done everything to stop it."

    Hierd sighed. "Well, it was inevitable. I thank you for trying to stop them. Let them be, if we will be in war with them anyhow, atleast let it be known that we stand, that Germany has invaded the kingdom. And no-one. Not even that king. Shall destroy the nation." He smiled. "Is that all, Gerald?"

    "Yes, lord; and thank you." His grin looked nervous.

    Then his glanced met with the right side. Adelheid, whoms''t was looking at him, when their eyes met, Adelheid had startled himself up. "Lord." He bowed in quick succession.

    "The progress report?"

    "Yes." He fixed his posture and stood straight. "The education project has gone way above expectations."

    "How so?" Hierd questioned him, adjusting his seat closer to the table.

    "The soldiers have demonstrated great learning capabilities. They had fully grasped basic mathemathics and had understood decently the ways of killing a monster. And are now with Naturvege and the captain to join the training."

    "They''re done with the schooling?"

    "No, we thought it''d last weeks, but as they had learnt the basic principles, we thought they needed a break for their good work."

    "Okay... Continue." He gestured his hands.

    "I wish for sir Pomlik to deliver it; it is in regards of the 9mm prototype."

    Pomlik stood up on his wooden seat and announced himself to the meeting room. "Good morning everyone! I am, as you know, Pomlik. The chief of the craft guild."

    They nodded.

    "We proudly bring, under the work of the many men of the guild and the cooperation with the soldiers. The 9mm Pommil." He grabbed from his pocket the bullet he mentioned. It looked to have glittered under the light. He but it down next to Hierd.

    "That is a very faithful remaking!" Remarked Hierd. Pomlik had grabbed another bullet from his pocket, it was the 9mm Parabellum; he put the two bullets side-by-side for Hierd to observe.

    "A different name? I assume these rounds are special, in a way?"

    "Yes, lord." Pomlik said with a pleased smile. "Inside we have put a bit of our own dwarven technology. Whilst the outside remained the same, the inside has a special kind of gunpowder, so it takes a bit longer to make. However, we can make normal, regular ones for faster production. We are also in the process of making a contraption to make the process faster."

    "That''s good." He observed the 9mm Pommil closer. "So what is the difference between the two when firing?"

    The observers looked at the bullets with awe, the gold-look to the cylinder made them think it was some jewelry, however, some knew and understood what it really was used for.

    "The Pommil, when fired, deals more penetration to the target, making things pierce through things like it were butter." He sighed. "However, because of this, the recoil felt is more treumendous. And, as I''ve observed, the amount of heat will probably melt the barrel faster, lord."

    "I see."

    "So it''s like a pack-a-punched version of a luger? Nice." Hierd smiled.

    "How much of the normal 9mm can you make?"

    "Right now, ten per day. However; if the contraptions we''ve devised are completed, I think we''d be able to make twenty a day, if the flow of materials are smooth."

    "That''s good."

    Pomlik sat down on his seat, and as he had, Adelheid had stood up. "The training, is going smoothly, and it will end at two days. After captain Gerald has recieved basic training, we will be setting up a test for him to complete regarding the warship."

    "Warship!?" The engineer exclaimed. The rest of the room had the same expression.

    Taking the chance to entertain their silent questions filling the air. Hierd said. "Yes, warships. Not galleons or of frigates. But warships that clad in iron, warships capable of leveling ground. That, is what the Germany navy has."

    They sat on their seats silent. "We will be able to see them?" Questioned him.

    "Yes, for this city does not have naval superiority, we will be doing so after Auferstehen."

    Felliz had risen his hand. "Does this warship, where it is clad in iron, have great speed? And great defense?"

    "Yes, and even ones which are bigger than the port can move faster than your galleons, frigates and all. And, they are not restricted to the wind''s the sails flow with."

    The merchant gasped. "May we know if they can be used for our merchant''s guild? Such an invention will change the ways of sea travel and naval battle!"

    "I''m sorry, sir Felliz." He lowered his face. "These warships are to be used only for military purposes. However, it is not to be said that they cannot be used for the public. Infact there are some ships made for the public. For transportation or for cargo. But, the training of using these ships far outweigh the pros when sold without help. So we wish for the navy to be the rulers of the sea, and after, the soldiers will be able to then teach the public to use ships."

    "I see, well it was worth a try." He chuckled.

    Hierd smiled. He then switched his gaze to Adelheid. "Have you anymore to report?"

    "No, lord."

    "Well then!" He stood up. "I think that''s the end of the meeting everyone." He smiled.

    ( * )

    After the meeting, Hierd had called the engineers and architects, outside the city to a place where it was dry and flat. As the snowfall was gone for now, it wouldn''t interfere with anything. They had went via truck, and in it, was some sacks of cement. Hierd had picked up one of the sacks and set them onto the ground.

    "Alright!" Hierd yelled after a grunt. "This is cement!" He then ripped the sack open and poured the contents onto the dirt ground.

    "We first have to make a crater." There were a set of shovels on the truck. Hierd picked one up, seeing this, the engineers and architects picked their''s too. They began making their crater. Hierd had opened a couple more sacks so that the mound with a crater could be supported. After it was moulded with the shovels Hierd then said; "Then! We put some gravel, it can be sand or crushed rocks too!"

    He went to the back of the truck to gather a sack that was labeled; gravel. He walked over and poured gravel into the crater. "Then pour water." He looked to one of the engineers who were built. "Can you get the water from inside the truck? It''s in the big barrel."

    "Yes, lord." He went to the back. And after a bit of minutes, he came rushing out towards Hierd.

    "Thank you." Hierd then picked it up and poured it''s contents onto the cement-gravel pile. "Then, we mix it up. Please help me here."

    "Yes, lord."

    They used their shovels and began to ravel the mix of aggregate, water, and cement all together. After some long minutes of mixing, Hierd pointed out that when the when all the cement powder has disappeared the mixing should be stopped.

    "There it is, everyone!" He yelled joyingly. "Concrete."

    "It is to turn solid after some hours?"

    "Yes." He smiled. "In this time, the concrete should be molded to a desired shape. If it were to be molded into a brick, which it can certainly could, a mold cast should be used instead. One could make it out of wood or of other materials. It can also be free handed. And after, once the bricks are made, you can use the same cement material to glue the bricks together."

    "Hmm, that is rather genious!"

    "Indeed, you may take your time studying the properties of cement. I shall be off, some soldiers will come here to protect you and drive you to safety if ever the snow to reappear."

    "Thank you ,lord!" They had all said in excitement. Their eyes were already sparkling at the amount of experiments they wished to do. Hierd had given them notebooks and pencils to write about their discoveries.

    Looking from afar, Hierd commented; "Appreciate it! I needed to read some fucking manual to even teach about making concrete, God! That was nerve-wracking. I hope they don''t ask for anything else."

    ( * )

    In the training, as the snow cleared and the sky showed itself, Naturvege whoms''t was teaching Gerald, that captain, the basics had noted that the training field was a bit too crowded. "Lets move the older soldiers to the mound above the village, and here can be the recruits. It''d be too crowded for any training to happen. You can take over for them, sir Friedrick."

    "Thank you, sir." He then walked away, towards the troops.

    They had just ended their sabre and luger training. A joint-training with the experienced and the newbies. The soldiers taught the recruits to fire. But they were none-the-wiser with the sabres, for they had yet to use a sabre before.

    "Soldiers!" His shouted reached the training field''s end-to-end. "We are to move to the mound atop the village! The recruits are to stay here!"

    "Yes, sir!"

    The mass of ninety soldiers all moved under the lead of Friedrick, marching towards that mound. It was quite the steady upwards angle, and the cliff at the end was terrifying to say the least. And at that cliff, the entire training field was observable. And the sight was quite spectacular, as they had all been training to use the sabre, the little glints of iron reflecting and hitting their eyes made it looked like a wave of sorts.

    Looking on, Friedrick admired it all. "A navy, an army." He chuckled. "Lord Hierd. May you succeed, for your glory; I know, will far-surpass any human who will have ever existed."

 XIX Hierds Day Off

    The day after, Hierd awoke. He was too tired to even get-up from his sleep. But, after a moment or two, he slid off his bed and onto the wooden floor. He expected for there to be a knock on the door, but no such thing came. "Thank the lord, Adelheid''s not come knocking down the door!"

    He stared outside, it was raining snow. He never thought of winter when first it came. He never had experienced it before in his world, in his country. For it was always rain that came. "I guess the gang''s all okay." He fixed his face. "I should take a short break."

    He smiled, "But what shall I wear? I wanna wear some cool ass shit. Hmm... I want a navy blue colored trench suit, trousers, and I want black-colored pointed leather shoes."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: NAVY-BLUE TRENCH SUIT, TROUSERS, AND BLACK-COLORED POINTED LEATHER SHOES]

    After a second, the aforementioned garments had spawned suddenly on-top of the unmade bed. He walked towards the drawer, undressed, and put on his dress suit and briefs. He then tied his tie round, and made his way to the bed. Putting on the suit, trousers, and the shoes.

    He made his way to the mirror and looked at himself. "Damn, I''m dripping right now."

    He made different poses, smiling as he admired his suit.

    *Knock, Knock!

    He immdiately stopped his model charade. "Coming!" He made his way to the door and opened it.

    "Good Morning, lord." It was the engineer, Dior. And the architect. "We were wondering if we can get more of the said cement?" He said with a pleading face.

    "Sure, you may wait for me in the living room."

    "Thank you, my lord." They bowed and walked away. Hierd closed the door.

    It took some time; fixing himself-up, brushing his teeth, and putting on some perfume like last time.

    He stepped out, looking as dashing as ever. Made his way down his manor, and towards the living room. The maids who walked beside him his entire trip down had opened the doors leading to the room. When he entered, the people inside bowed to him.

    As spacious as one would think, the living room was one of the centerpieces of the manor, with the chimney providing heat, it was quite cosy. And the window that veiled the light of day had lit-up the room in-a-way that it provides a dark-gloomy atmosphere, one would expect a German villain to pop out from one of the room''s shadowed corners

    Hierd made his way to the sofa and sat opposite where they had. "Well then. The cement yes? I have already taught it too you of how to do it, so I will bring a truck-load of them to you. But where? The snow rains down still, it''d be hard to distinguish much however."

    "We have a warehouse nearby the pier." Dior smiled. "We think that''d be a good place, it is a little cramped however, lord."

    "All is good." He looked behind him and gazed at the maid. "Can you please get my squad here?"

    Noticing that his gaze was pointed at her, she blurted; "Ah! Yes, lord." She bowed before making her exit.

    "Thank you." He looked back to the engineer. "I will send them there, may you please tell me how they can know whether they''re at the right place? "It blends in with the monotony of the pier, and of the winter''s." -he took a second to give way for his thoughts- "I think we can put some number of our own personnel at the entrance. It shall guide the truck if ever the vehicle be seen. My lord, shall it suffice?"

    "Yes." He smiled.

    That expression of his said that this informal meeting was concluded.

    "We will be going now, lord." Said the architect.

    "Thank you." They both said; making their way out.

    "Stay warm." He gave his goodbye to them. And as the door had closed, another opened. The door behind him swung open. It has his squad.

    "Good Morning, lord." They went over to him and a did a little bow. "What do you need?"

    "May the two that I taught to drive," He pointed at them. "There are multiple boxes of cement, gravel, and water at the storage room downstairs. You may ask the assistance of your comrades or the maids in bringing them to one of the trucks stationed outside."

    The two nodded.

    "Then, you are to go to some building nearby the pier, the engineer had said that there were some people who will be at the front of it to guide you. I do not know it''s exact location. You may go now."

    The two drive-experienced soldiers calmly went their way out of the living room, leaving the three who were not able to join left standing for themselves.

    "What of us three, lord?" Inquired one of them after some awkward silence.

    "You are to accompany me on my day out. I wish to take a break." He stood up. "And you" -he pointed at them- "three will guard me."

    "As you will, lord."

    ( * )

    The cold of the outside blasted the four heat-conditioned men. And Hierd shivered internally, but dared not show it. "I wish to go to the adventurer guild." He said it while remembering those three adventurers he talked to before.

    "I remember telling them that I wanted to see their adventurers, or something of that gist, I''ll meet up with them at the adventurer''s guild. Hopefully, they''re there. But, winter is the month of Auferstehen... What even does the guild do in Auferstehen? What does anyone do in Auferstehen? Questions, questions. I''ll have a bit of a talk with the adventurer''s guild today and maybe the merchant''s guild tommorow. But I mainly want to observe the three adventurers."

    They nodded in approval to his ask and began walking.

    The adventurer''s guild; to his knowledge (there wasn''t plenty of), was a guild ''as old as time;'' remarked of his squad''s soldiers. And that; ''they are a guild who''s power can outrival even small countries.'' Inquiring more from his squad soldiers, they were once adventurers until, last year. When Ridge village had collapsed, they were needed in Venit Ille. They had done a multitude of tasks, jobs. Ranging from helping the people, to doing commisions inside the guild. "I thought there would be monster extermination tasks. But I guess this is more realistic than I thought?"

    "Are there monster exterminations?" Hierd questioned with great intrigue.

    The three looked to themselves, asking the sky for questions. "Monster... Exterminations...? Lord?"

    "Yes...? Is there a problem?"

    "Last I remember, the need for monster commisions were a long time ago. When my mother''s mother was still a child, I''d say."

    "Why so?"

    "''The world has succeeded in their crusade.'' I quote this from the king."

    "But Auferstehen lives on?"

    "That crusade was dedicated to the monsters who lived in the surface." One said with a stern face. "There were a variant of Auferstehen monsters who could live without the cold of winter nor the clouds of white. Those had exploded in population and were detrimental to the good of the nations. Decimating the people, making Auferstehen worse, but, as the guild, the adventurer guild, the kingdoms, the people"- he took a quick breath- "gradually began killing them all, ending that variant."

    A step in winter snow, Hierd thought of that ''variant'' with mystique. "Will that variant come back?"

    "That I do not know, my lord." He answered swiftly. "It''s been years and years and years."

    The silence that ensued afterwards had said that the conversation was over and his soldiers had shut-up and stayed silent.

    Walking aloft the city''s streets. He waved at his citizens with a smile on his face. The people were delighted that he crossed their paths. They wished to give him gifts, to make their products free for him only, and offering him all their hospitality. But he said to those he passed; "No thank you."

    He hadn''t a need for such things. If he really wanted something, he could spawn something with the power he has. And it would be even more better than what the people could give him.

    With a manly stride from road to road, the four had reached some market that was located north, they were near to the guild, however, Hierd had some moments of intrest regarding it.

    "The market, so much people are still outside though it is the month of Auferstehen." Commented Hierd.

    "I believe that is because of your presence, lord." Replied one of his soldiers. "They feel safe when they see your soldiers march outwards and come back with stern faces. I could say that because of that, their morale has certainly greaten."

    "Well isn''t that good?" Hierd smiled. "I wish to go and look at the market."

    "Lord, the market is a detour towards the adventurer guild."

    "That I know, I wish only to look at"- His eyes met with some jewelry- "the people''s effects."

    "If you wish, lord." He bowed.

    He walked towards the jewelry stand. The wooden roof was covered in snow and it looked as if the shopkeeper, from afar, was shivering even still in the mass amount of clothes he wore.

    "Oh its the lord!" Shocked was the shopkeeper. "We are truly humbled to have you look at our accessories! You may browse all you want, and keep the thing you wish." The man had stood immidiately up from the wooden stool he sat upon.

    "No, no." He interjected. "I won''t do that, I shall pay."

    "If- If that is what you wish, my lord!" Hierd could see a sweat roll down his face.

    The thing he was attracted by was a blue gem encassed in it''s necklace, of sorts. It was something he had never seen before. And it looked to have glowed, even under the winter''s clouds. He pointed at it and the shopkeeper noticed. "What is this, blue gem?"

    "Ah, that, my lord?" He took a closer look. "That is a magical gem."

    "Magical gems?" Hierd thought. "What do they do?" He picked it up to examine it.

    "There are... Many kinds of gems, each color represents the elements. And that one, my lord. Is for the ones who''s affinity for water is better."

    Hierd did not care for what affect it would be that a gem could do to one. He cared only for the looks of the blue gem. And, staring at it. Engrossed by it''s flares. He wanted to buy it.

    "I shall buy it. How much?"

    "It costs five-hundred copper."

    "Holy shit I don''t know shit about money. I don''t even have money!" He stepped back and glared at his soldiers. His deep, intense stare had brought them to realize what he had really wanted. And soon, one of his soldiers gave in and emptied his wallet to puff out five-hundred copper. Hierd looked at the copper he gave to the shop keeper. It wasn''t really five-hundred copper coins. More of, five copper coins. "So a single copper coin is a hundred? How much would a gold coin cost?" He wondered on, but not one thought could ever lead him to a coherent answer.

    "Thank you, lord!" He bowed. "May you come back again some other time!"

    Hierd and his squad made their exit. And he wore the gem necklace from his neck soon after.

    ( * )

    Even from the outside of the guild, the adventurer''s numerous voices had screamed out. As if were it a lava excaping a volcano. His soldiers went forward and put their hands on the front door''s handle.

    they opened the door of the adventurer''s guild.

    The adventurers, upon seeing the lord. Had turned from loud to silent. He took a step inside.

    They all stood up and bowed to him. And as his feet took the last step and stopped at the receptionist desk, they sat down, quietly so.

    "Good Afternoon, lord." She had maintained her composure in spite of his presence. "What is that you wish?"

    "An audience with three adventurers and the guild chief."

    "Ah, yes, yes. Please hold on, my lord." She hesitatingly stepped away from the desk and towards some backdoor. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    The large main room, where the adventurers sat on wooden benches, with ale on their tables and steak in their mouths. Was as silent as ever. Only the wind of the outside was heard. He heard a door open from the upstairs.

    Hard thuds had pounded the wooden floor, going down.

    "Good Afternoon, my lord." Gerald bowed down low. "What is that you wish?"

    He had rotated his body towards Gerald who was left of him. Hierd had heard mumbles and whispers amongs''t the crowd of adventurers. Saying; ''The Tiger''s bowing to the lord?'' And, ''the Tiger''s weaker than the lord?'' Such talk had piqued his intrest. "An informal talk, of sorts. And too that I wish to meet with three adventurers."

    "And they are?" He pursued the answer of.

    "A woman and two men, all in one group." He probed his brain for his memories. "And uh; one of the men have blue hair and one has red. And too is the woman a mage."

    "I think I may know who they are, my lord!" Said the receptionist.

    "Who may they be?" His gaze was intent on the woman.

    "They are quite the active team, I believe I may be able to get a contact of them during your time with the... Chief."

    "Thank you." Then he stared back at Gerald. "Well then? Let us go to your office."

    ( * )

    Inside, a roar of noise came from downstairs. Chatter, that is was. "Don''t worry about it, lord. The guild''s always noisy. It''s baffling that they were silent for the length of time that you were downstairs."

    "They''re scared of my presence. And of the guns I hold." He rested comfortably on his wooden chair that he was given.

    "Then. What is it that you want?" he put it blunty.

    "What does the guild do in Auferstehen?"

    The harsh light that the window gave had given the room quite the darknes. Staring at him, Gerald''s face looked aggresive and chiseled. Foreboding to say the least.

    "The guild remains silent. The members usually are with their familes, in Auferstehen."

    "Why are you still operating then?" He inquired. "There are still many people in the lobby."

    "Well, we feel safe. I feel safe. Everyone feels safe. With you in charge and the soldiers there; I don''t think we would have much to worry about." -his face had shocked when a thought came to mind- "Did''ye come because the army''s not capable enough!?"

    "No." He inched his chair closer to the desk. "I simply wanted... Some informal talk."

    He wept a relieved sigh. "Thank the lord! I thought this city was done for!"

    Hierd laughed nervously.

    "Say, lord. That craft''s guild business. About this.... New factory?" He probed the thought in his head. "Will the adventurer''s guild and the merchant''s guild be going down the same thing?"

    "I feel like I''ve answered that," -"But I can''t remember"- "But I guess I have a new answer for that otherwise."

    "Which is?" He leaned in closer to him. Putting his two arms onto the table. Awaiting his answer.

    "There''s a possiblity. That I too will ban the guilds from my nation. For I wish total dominion over my lands. What do you feel about that?" Heird''s face remained blank.

    "Nothing, lord. Heck, I''d even appreciate that!" A cheery laugh. "The guild''s gone under, I tell you! And your kingdom, this country, I wanna be a part of it!"

    "Good to know." He grinned.

    *knock *knock

    The door opened. It was the receptionist.

    "Lord," she bowed. "Chief." She bowed again. Then, looking at Hierd. "My lord, the adventurers you asked for are downstairs waiting."

    Hierd then looked at Gerald. "Guess I''ll be going. Thank you for the chat."

    "Too you to, my lord." He stood up, bowing.

    As the lord was seen exit the room, the adventurer''s guild turned silent once more. For the deep thuds his leather boots had punched the wooden stair. The atmosphere inside had certainly gloomed. Reaching down, he saw the three standing anxiously.

    Seeing him, they bowed. "Good Morning, my lord!"

    "Good morning." He said with a smile. "Do you have a commission right now?"

    "Uh-uh, no lord." The girl had said, stuttering. "We-we were ju-just about to get one."

    "Ease yourselves." Hierd walked closer to them. "You are not in fear of anything around me. I am not like the others, nor will I be worser."

    "Okay, lord." She said, trying to ease her self to the best of her ability. The blue-haired guy behind her walked away and towards a big board full of paper commisions. It was quite foreboding to say the least, that board. He then picked a random one after a second of looking at it.

    He went towards Hierd, "This, my lord will be our commission today."

    ( * )

    In the forest, far beyond Unchean or Venit Ille. The adventurers, Hierd, and his squad, kept the winter venture into the deep dark lands twas the forest. They went to the forest by foot only, and because o that, their legs ached. And Hierd''s leather shoes were suffering, crying taking ever step. "Now really wasn''t the time to do this, I should''ve worn my boots! God! This walk is fucking killing me!"

    The snow had covered the ground in it''s white veil. And the cold had certainly pierced their bodies. And the walk by foot in the forest cold was much tiring to all of them indeed.

    "How much longer?" Said Hierd, panting from the severe length by the trek.

    "N-not much, my lord." Said the blue haired guy.

    Hierd had spawned in a STG-44 (hiding when he did it). His soldiers had already seen that gun when they were at his cabin, and looking at it now, they were still intrested and were very much so admiring the iron and it''s more sophisticated design compared to the Kar98k rifles they were holding.

    "You have yet to tell me your names, why don''t we get the basis of introduction first?"

    They all stopped. "I assume that is right, my lord. We should take a small break as well?"

    ( * )

    They had set up a small fire, with the help of the squad and the adventurers, there was a small camp set-up with a pot standing in the fire''s ire. Stew was cooked and served. "I humbly apologise if this isn''t to your taste, my lord." Said the blue-haired man.

    "There is no need to apologise, food is food. Good or bad." He smiled after recieving the hot bowl of stew. It was a mix of carrot, something, and something else. (Hierd doesn''t cook). He took a bite. "Mid."

    "So, what''re your names?"

    "Yes, umm." Started the girl. "I am Marie Herr." -She pointed to her friends- "The red haired man, is Rodge Peters, and the blue haired man is Harold Peters."

    "Good Afternoon, all, I am Hierd Die Grace. Nice to meet you all." He smiled after taking another bite.

    "Lord?" Harold walked closer to him. "May I know that thing the soldiers hold?"

    "Ah these?" He grabbed his STG-44. "These are called guns."

    "Guns?"

    "You''ll get to get these if you''re a part of the army." He smiled.

    He backed away. "I don''t think I''ll be fit for your army, my lord."

    "Why so?"

    "I... I am not as good as a soldier."

    "Not anyone is good to be soldier, they need to be trained properly, then, and only then, could they be considered a soldier."

    "Bu-but." He stuttered. "Still."

    "All is okay, Harold." He chuckled a bit. "I just wanted to tempt you a bit-"

    "My lord." They stood up suddenly. "Please be quiet."

    Alerted, he too stood up. "What is it? What happened?"

    "Footsteps." He had his kar98k aimed at the woodline infront of them.

    "Too good to be animals." Another said.

    The adventurers looked at them with much confusion. But, understanding the situation also, put out the fire with water and readied their blades and wand. That direction was quite dark, nothing could be seen even under the winter white. The soldiers and the adventurers hid near trees.

    Hierd prepared his STG, aiming down his sights at that deep beyond. Whispering; "Are you certain?"

    "Yes, my lord." He huddled up in the tree''s roots.

    The snow began piling up their gun''s barrels. Waiting for the nothing, or that ignorant something. When suddenly, Rodge edged closer to Hierd. Making small tip-taps to the snow ground.

    "M-my lord." He nodded his head to constitute not being able to bow in his proned position. "I ha-ve a... Seeking suspicion, that we''ve been... Spotted by a banditry."

    "A banditry?" Hierd put two-and-two together. "That commision. It was called an extermination mission. So we''re exterminating human-bandits?"

    "The smoke would''ve had shown our location. Were we near the spot?" Continued Hierd, his eyes still focused on the trees.

    "N-no, not at all, my lord."

    Under some minutes of waiting, nothing came to be. "Let us crouch slowly towards the forest. And get closer to the bandit''s camp." Suggested one of the squad soldiers.

    "Let''s do just that." Hierd said.

    The seven had slowly walked over, from tree-to-tree. Aiming at every direction to see if they were being ambushed or not. And once they were in that dark clearance. They looked back at their camp.

    "Bandits." Hierd frowned at the idea that if they were just minutes late, a battle would''ve ensured. The bandits were scouring ever inch of that campground. Looking for evidence of footsteps and of where the supposed ''camp-goers'' went.

    "Take the opportunity. Lets make a stride farther inwards." Said one of the soldiers, taking out his luger and unequipping his Kar98k, putting it onto his back. The rest followed him. The cold was unbearable as the tree''s shade made the ground colder. But they pushed on.

    They stopped when there was a snow field, devoid of trees. From the left could one see. "The bandit''s camp." Said Marie. "My lord," -she turned over and looked at him- "That is the commision''s... Mission."

    "Kill and provide evidence?" He questioned.

    "Y-yes, my lord." She held her staff up.

    "Do-don''t stand up." Blurted Hierd. "Let''s think of a plan first, why don''t we?"

    She quickly proned down onto the winter ground once more. Her face groaned in the ache of the cold hitting her chest.

    "My lord," said one of his soldiers. "I suggest we four stay in the woodline, we will provide recon support to the ones who will charge at the camp. I do not think that group we saw earlier will be back for awhile. So when we take the first shot, it must be absolute."

    Hierd took some time to think. "How about one stays in the woodline? And we, I and six others will then be the ones... leading the charge." He didn''t sound confident in his last sentence.

    "You will be going directly there lord!?" Exclaimed one of his soldiers. "That''s insane! I cannot let you."

    "My word will be absolute." His face frowned. He then stared at the camp with observant eyes. "It''s a simple camp, not like a base, more of just a resting ground. I''d assume that a bandit''s M.O is that they''d have a secret base that hides away money and slaves. And this is clearly not that."

    "What are you suggesting, my lord?"

    "That we just shoot with everything from afar." He turned to Marie. "You are a mage, right?"

    "Y-yes, lord."

    "What is your most powerful spell?"

    "Uh..." She looked at her two companions which were distressed. "That would be; Ifernium. My lord."

    "What is it?"

    "Ah, um." She began mumbling. "Ifernium is a wide range magical spell with... Devastating enough effects..."

    "However...?" He hastened to conversation.

    "It takes thirty minutes to conjure a magic circle, and only then do I need to chant the words to ignite it''s being."

    "What a fucking hassle; aren''t there like magics that can level fucking mountains in five seconds? What the shit is this fantasy world." His face was disapointed.

    "Are there other spells you have, preferably relating to fire?"

    "W-well. Yes, my lord. It is a fireball spell, it only has a radius of five steps, however."

    "Hmmm... That''s not good enough, I suggest we just take aim here. A faster approach." He then looked at her companions, and after some thought. "Do you two have bows?" He questioned, fully knowing that there weren''t any strapped to their chest, he questioned just because they had arrows strapped to them.

    "Y-yes...?"

    "Unbelievable."

    They pulled out a pouch of sorts. They unthreaded the pouch''s seal and out came a glistening glow of yellow light, remeniscent of gold. They put their hands inside of it, and out came a short bow.

    "Un-fucking-believable."

    "I want you to take aim at the village with fire-tipped arrows. Using"-he glanced at Marie- "her fireball spell. Surely the fireball isn''t that explosive?"

    "N-no, my lord. I can control it''s output."

    "Good."

    Harold and Rodge then opened their medicine straps. And out came their white bandages. With an adhesive sludge of sorts, they then began putting them on their arrows'' sharp wooden tips. Putting it on all their arrows, Hierd instructed for Marie to glaze the tip with fire. Igniting; "It''s ready." Hierd smiled. "When I give my go, shoot at the camp, got it?"

    "Y-yes, my lord."

    Hierd turned to his soldiers. "Aim."

    ...

    "Fire!"

    Three shots of lead pumped straight into their barbaric skin and grimy heads.

    And after, fire rained down below, and in rapid succession, the camp was wholly englufed under flame.

    Hierd takes aim.

    Thirty rounds of straight-hot metal pierced the skulls of thirty bandits. For each round, the forest was bid with it''s hellish scream.

    Shouts had ushered from that camp, and while it had still been burning. Several bandits had escaped it, only for faith to bring them bullets into their skulls.

    After what seemed like ten minutes. The shouts from that camp, were far over.

    "Do you think the group from before will come back?" Questioned one of the soldiers.

    "No, they would''ve had seen it already, and coming back to a wrecked battlefield is like a person commiting suicide." Replied Hierd. His gaze then met with the three shook adventurers.

    "I''m sorry about that firing, you aren''t used to the sound. It must''ve hurt your ears."

    "A-all is f-fine, my lord." Said Marie, who obviously was not fine.

    "Go down there, I''m sure you can handle the straddlers, and get your proof."

    "Th-thank you, my lord."

    Hierd smilled in response. The three carefully went towards the camp, with Rodge and Harold carrying their blades and were preparing for any attack to come their way. Walking in the mess, they found no such thing as a threat. The fire still spread some ways, but it was gone. All there was, were carcasses of human and some animal, and the remains of a camp.

    Inside one of the bigger tents, was a sword of inumerable length and weight. "Take a look at this, Marie." Rodge slid his fingers on the sword''s blade. "This could count as evidence, right? I mean, there''s nothing really left."

    "Y-yeah, that''s evidence worthy, I think." She chuckled nervously. "L-lets go back to the lord before we undermind him too much."

    "You don''t need to worry that that much, Marie." Harold interjected. "The lord is better than the old weasel before him."

    "Y-yeah, I shouldn''t w-worry. You''re right, Hal." She smiled, not to comfort herself, but to comfort them.

    Rodge grunted as he tried to painstakingly wield the sword with all that he could. "I think we two should carry this thing."

    "I-I can help carry it too!"

    "No, no, you shouldn''t Marie. Allow us to handle it, you should lead the way."

    ( * )

    Hierd saw the three rise out from some burnt tent''s orrifice, with a giant sword carefully being held by the two men. Their brawn was clearly being tested, and they were tip-toeing upon failing and losing that said test. When they got to Hierd and his squad; the two laid down the sword on the winter snow. Taking a breather after all that heavy weight.

    They admired the sword that was just put onto that ground. Commenting on it''s length and it''s weight.

    "That is one big sword." Said Hierd. "I''ve yet to see something like this before. But why would anyone even need nor want a big sword? It''s too heavy for any use."

    "Maybe it is a relic and an ornament, my lord?" Said one of the soldiers.

    "Maybe." He stood up. "Anyhow, the commisions been done. Lets head back to the city and supply the evidence?"

    "Yes, lord."

    Already taking his couple of steps, Hierd said. "Oh and, let my soldiers carry that, you obviously would be struggling to carry such things, you three, especially because of your ages."

    Marie held that word in her head, blushing. "Does the lord think I''m young!? I''m nearing my thirties!"

    ( * )

    "Captain!" They shouted. "De'' camp''s been destroyed! And the sword''s gone!"

    In a well-lit cave, this huge bulk of muscle, sat on a throne of rock. With skulls of human and animal near it''s vicnity. And hearing that newfound news. He was not happy.

    "You shitheads!" He shouted. "Why did you" -he stood up and walked to them- "not protect, the fucking, sword!" He bashed the head of one of them on the rock ground.

    His brain matter was splattered everywhere. And the others there were looking at the body of a friend no-longer alive. Their hearts had sunk below their feet, and they began to plead for their life.

    "If you want to live." He put his head closer to one of them; "BE FUCKING USEFUL!"

    "Y-yes! Y-yes! I will, my lord, we will find the ones who d-did it!"

    "You better fucking do." He sat on his stone throne once more. "Because any one who tries to do, that? To us!? Will never live to tell the tale."

    ( * )

    It was dusk when they got back. And the city was as lively as ever. Opening the door, of the adventurer''s guild. The adventurers once again shut up, but looked at the blade that the soldiers were handling. It was brought and placed onto the receptionist''s desk.

    "Goodness!" The receptionist lady was wholly suprised at the hunk of iron thrown to her table. Marie handed the commision paper. "Ah, so thi-this is the evidence?"

    "Y-yes." She chuckled nervously.

    The whole room was looking at that blade with questions rolling in their heads. It was big, too big to be held by any sensible person. And the sheer fact that seven people managed to defeat a bandit camp. Had awestruck them. Whilst the three, who even they thought did not do much, were still smiling and enjoying the fact they helped in taking down bandit camp.

    The receptionist lady had then came back with a bountiful of money in hand. "Congratulations on completing your extermination commision. This is the money you recieved, and there is a bonus for the sword left." She slid the ten pieces of gold towards them.

    The three were looking at the stack of gold with stars in their eyes. And they drooled in the fascinating glow it gave off. Hierd, upon seeing this; "You may keep that lot of money, I merely wanted to observe."

    "That can''t do, my lord!" Said Rodge. "You may get whatever much you wish!"

    "Then..." Looking at the stack. "I''ll take one."

    All of them looked joyous, and as the coin was taken. Hierd bid adieu to the three and left the adventurer''s guild. He heard a blast of music, chant, and laughter inside. And from what the last soldier who left the doors entailed; "The three were being carried by the back and being offered beer."

    Hierd chuckled, then smiled.

    ( * )

    The following morning, a flier was posted on the manor''s front board; it came to a suprise to the citizens as it said the following;

    "We have exterminated someone who so stupidly tried to break into the manor, we believe it to be the leader of a local mercernary band of idiots doing idiotic things. Please do not do as they did, the penalty shall be death."

 XX Auferstehen - 1

    <b>It was the day after yesterday''s venture.</b> Hierd had ordered for the soldiers to do, for the whole of the day, to plant the Vickers Machine Guns atop the castle walls, plant mines around the perimeter (by the help and assistance of the Artillery Platoon), and make sure no adventurer, no merchant, no man, no anyone shall go outside. As Jamie, that researcher had said to him yesterday night, as he remembers so vividly; "My lord, I advise that we should begin defences. Auferstehen''s dawn will strike."

    "Auferstehen''s dawn will strike?"

    "Yes, my lord. I feel it will."

    "Auferstehen''s dawn will strike." He repeated to himself atop the castle wall this time.

    "Lord?" Heduc looked at him.

    "No-nothing, just something I remembered from someone the day before." He shrugged it off. "So, report the progress."

    "We''ve installed lifts to make the putting of the guns easier, and so far, there have been twenty, of the thirty guns, placed."

    "Stop the placing of the twenty-first gun." He interupted. "And place them in the city near the manor in case they break down the walls, we don''t want the city to be overrun with only our guns and grenades do we?"

    "We do not, lord." He said, a nervousness hid in his voice.

    "Good, now go."

    He did a quick bow before hurrying down the wall''s steep stairs.

    "Auferstehen... It''ll be the first time I shall see these monster for myself. I hope they aren''t as big as Godzilla or as powerful as him too. But hey... How did these guys deter them sum bitches before? Magic? Probably. I haven''t considered using magic as a form of military technique." -he clicked his tongue- "Damn, well one of the first times I saw magic used was when that Marie girl did the fireball thingy. I should do a magic division in the army..."

    He looked up to the skies, the clouds had blocked the shine of that sun, and the winter cold had dropped down along with it''s thousand white petals. It was a dark morning, and the prospect of a future looked dim as the clouds as far away as Venit Ille, were deepening and darkening by the second.

    The people, under the order of Hierd were instructed to stay in their homes and that all work, guild related activities to be shut down for a month. Food was given to them, hot and boiling, it was a type of delicious looking meat stew. Hierd hadn''t a clue what it was, just that he said he wanted a; ''piping hot meat stew.'' And the voice obliged with even the limited amount of information given.

    Water and other rations were seperated for the military and for the people, and as time grew older. The soldiers were growing anxious for the battle to ensue. The recruits were not soldiers just yet. Only three days of training... Can that be enough for a month''s worth of fighting? They questioned in their heads, and doubts began to pop-up from somewhere deep within themselves.

    Well atleast the soldiers were looking out for them and telling them to have faith in their lord, their weapons, and the future.

    ( * )

    Two-hundred-seventy troops. Fifty troops were stationed at the three gates. North, west, and south. There was three Vickers machine guns for each but four was installed at the main ''western'' gate where Hierd was. Naturvege and Friedrick supervising the bulk of the recruits, and the five squad leaders (who had now a temporary rank of Second Lieutenant), were instructed to lead the three masses.

    Some recruits were asked to patrol the streets and the people. If any needed assistance, or that (when the monsters come), there were any breaches in the walls.

    "All is well, all goes well." Said Hierd, now at the road. Naturvege and Friedrick were next to him.

    "All shall go well." Friedrick replied. "We''ve devised a plan for the recruits to assist the three gates, if one needs assistance, a horn will be blown, exactly three notes, and in that direction, we, nearby the manor, will then tell two squad''s worth of soldiers begin their auxillary position."

    Hierd nodded, he didn''t know all that lingo, he wasn''t really a military planner. If it were him, he would''ve just ''Nagasaki''ed the fuck outta that forest.'' But figured not after then considering radiation, the explosion, and all other amount of logistic issues. "Well then," -he glanced at them- "I think you should be heading to your positions now, I figure that Auferstehen does not like waiting."

    "Yes, lord." Their smiles were confident as they stared at him. They headed into their trucks and drove off.

    Hierd made his steps upwards the steep steps of the wall once more. And above, were his squad, Heduc and Jeane, as well as a five of the Vickers machine guns. "I''m sorry if you don''t really understand how the machine gun works, since I''ve only just showcased it without having the proper time for you all the train with it." He walked towards the two.

    "That''s quite alright lord, we''ve figured out what to do, the manuals said as much." Jeane said with a smile, she looked beautiful with it.

    "Are you not scared?"

    "Plenty, lord. But I shall keep my confidence, even in the face of the enemy."

    "Oh come now!" Heduc placed his hand on her shoulder. "Just tell em'' you''re scared."

    "Hand''s off me Heduc." She said, angered, in a comedic way (Hierd observed)

    "Stop your fight, please" -he raised his voice to a yell- "everyone! Look forward!"

    Alerted, they looked onward and onto the forest. One could swear there were deep booming snarls and detached eyes looking at them. Yet, they remained with their stern faces.

    "Has it started?" Hierd questioned, still eyeing the forest line with deep suspisicion.

    "They come out in the worst of times." Jeane said, distressed; too looking at that forest.

    "It was night when they came." Hierd remembered Alrife''s retelling of last year''s Auferstehen. "It is not night yet, why would they come at the morning?" Hierd said, fully confident that there were already monsters hiding in the dark of that white forest.

    "It differs, my lord." Said Jeane.

    "Ah-"

    *RAHHHH!

    A roar!

    "It''s fucking Godzilla."

    It bellowed the skies, seeming to have darkened the clouds with it''s cataclysmic power.

    Hierd remained looked to have remained unphased, "So, they come now?"

    "Everyone! Take your aim!" Heduc shouted. He drew his FG42 forward. Aiming at the hideous beast''s face. Who seemed to be observing the situation.

    The soldiers who took the reigns of the Vickers machine guns, had their hands trembling, and nervous sweat began to pour from what ever gland. They off their hats, and they eyed their sights towards the roar of the hideousness of God-knows-what.

    "I-I have y-yet to hear of s-something like that before." Commented Jeane, distressed. Hierd was sure the whole army, the city, everyone heard it; and that they had their hearts fall out of their bodies.

    "Be at ease, Jeane. A mere creature faced by my guns?" He chuckled. "Is worth but a hair a single shot after. Aren''t they just horses? Spiders? Cows?" -He turned to his squad, to his soldiers- "All of you! Are you scared? That is merely the trick of the mind! You have been taught by your teacher, Jamie, you know the correct spots to shoot, and you shall eye down that monster! Not with fear! But, with rage!"

    *THUD

    "My, lord!" Heduc yelled with shudders to his voice. "The creature''s moving!" There was a sway to the trees, like something big was passing through it.

    Alerted, Hierd stared at the treeline.

    As if the trees were sentient, they looked to have been pulling themselves away. Making way for a gigantic, hill-sized, abomination that crawled slowly it''s way forward them. It''s face, a bear, with the grin of a devil''s. It''s fur a thick grey. With it''s eyes looking to have swirled in all it''s ''jovialness.''

    It roared again another, the horrid stench that came from it''s mouth had reached Hierd''s nostrils, "What, a foul smell." Hierd laughed, finding comedy in it all whilst covering his nose with a towel.

    The laugh was supposed to bring unto the soldier confidence, but it just brought onto that their lord did not cower into the face of fear, he laughed at it.

    A staredown of sorts, Hierd and that twisted demon, he couldn''t even identify if that was a bear of not. It was about the size of a hill, and with it''s grin, was creepy. With the cold breeze, came the multitude of thuds that came before that creature. "More are coming." Hierd said, his gaze then fell onto a recruit. "You!"

    "H-huh, me!?" Exclaimed, confused. The recruit had then straightened his body to the lord.

    "Yes, you." He frowned. "Deliver this message to the two gates," -he took a breath before saying- "''there are many monsters, and one giant one, as you can probably see. Focus on the tree line, and stop any movement, if they surround and overwhelm the city, it''d be detrimental if one gate is breached.'' There, say what I said."

    "Y-yes, my lord!" He hurried down the steps.

    "Why aren''t they moving?" Hierd said with a rather impaitient expression.

    "That, I do not know my lord." Said Heduc. "Last year, it was just an invasion. But this? This is much."

    *Tsk

    "If that thing takes just one step, I want you to bombard it with bullets."

    "Y-yes lord." Jeane and Heduc replied.

    In mere moments, the monster''s army came crawling near it.

    Observing it, Hierd saw that they varied in size, from small to big. But if one were to put it into a general average, they were about the sizes of trees. Demonic looking horses, drooling white bears, deers with blood-red antlers.

    It roared!

    A mass of horses came rushing toward!

    "Shoot!"

    A staccato of fire, blasting the white ground grey with it''s power.

    Striking!

    Grazing!

    Hitting!

    A viscous black blood oozed from their wounds, but their run forward stopped not.

    "Aim at the hearts!" Hierd said, quickly getting his own luger to contribute.

    The Vicker shooters struggled to do so, but with some lucky shots, they managed to kill some.

    Some horses were getting closer to the wall when then;

    *BOOM

    The mines, it broke the legs of those big horses, and they neighed a cry of unimaginable distress.

    "Shoot them with the FG42!" Said Hierd, without a second to delay.

    "Yes, lord!" Maintaining composure, they went closer to the cliff of the castle wall and began to shoot downward with their guns, shooting at their bodies without mercy.

    "That all you got, you big sum'' bitch?" Hierd chuckled. "Reload your guns!"

    "Yes, lord!" Getting another magazine from the wall-stack of ammunitions piled and lying on the cold ground, they swapped their ammunitions with new ones.

    Then another horde came out of the dark forest.

    "Horses and bears!" Hierd exclaimed. "Fire at will!"

    The bears ran slower than the horses. Yet they took more blows than realised, as their skin was thicker. Yet nothing could get past the power of Hierd''s treumendous arsenal. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    For each hit the monsters took from the armada of gun fire, from the machine gun and the fg42. They squealed and cried painfully to the sky. Yet what came back from the grey clouds were another barrage of bullets eradicating their very existance.

    Pools of blood began to build up on that white surface.

    Some managed to reach the mine field, but; stepping on the field, they had stepped on, and exploded with a harsh blow. Their guts, blood, and heart, and legs begone. They hadn''t the time to even scream out their goodbyes!

    "Gory." Commented Hierd.

    "Lord, one of the Vickers jammed!" Exclaimed Jeane.

    "Well then, fix it! There''s a manual." Hierd frowned in anger.

    "Y-yes lord." She headed towards, crouched to the soldier position who''s gun had malfunctioned. Probing it and detaching the mechanics just as the papers she had opened the manual in, told.

    He went to edge outlooking the city; the soldiers down at the ground looked to be distressed and in fear, and the windows, though barred with wood. Hierd could imagine seeing the civilians inside crying and huddling together, praying for the fire of the battle to end. But it looked to not be ending anytime soon.

    "What''re you all doing looking like you''re going to die next!" His eyes met with the many recruits who stood aimlessly.

    Startled by their lord''s comment, they looked up. A mix of recruits and soldiers. Who all had their respective jobs as auxillary.

    Hierd looked at then with Heduc, "Go down, grab a box of the 9mm Pommil. Hand it to the recruits then tell them," -he took a breath- "tell them to come up here and fire."

    "Yes, lord." He hurried down the steep steps.

    Looking back at the field of dead monsters and the black crimson dirtying the white-clean snow. The guns were still firing and horses and bears were still coming. There was supporting fire from the Kar98k and grenade fire when the monsters reached nearer and nearer. The supply looked to have dampen in amount, but there was always that truckload more downstairs.

    The monster hadn''t moved a muscle. "Did he understand what I said? Why else wouldn''t he have moved?" Hierd looked at it, fascinated.

    Under the fire of bullets, the amount of bodies started to pile even more. More such near the mine field. Of which were an abundance of mines. The stench began to worsen, even the soldiers couldn''t bear it.

    Jeane stood back up and went to Hierd.

    Seeing her near him, he said; "It''s fixed?"

    "Y-yes my lord." She said, exhausted. The combined fire of the guns, machine guns, and mines had made it hard for each and each to hear each other, but they knew that if they stopped shooting, they''d die.

    The monster''s grin had turned frustrated.

    "We''ve angered him now."

    The thing gruffed, it was taken as a signal, because, as he did, the deers began to move, slowly so, toward the gate. "Menacing...?" Hierd thought. "Deer is deer, crimson though their antlers."

    In a moment, a rumble of footsteps began to come up from the castle wall''s steps. "My, lord, they''ve changed their bullets into the 9mm Pommil." Heduc said, which just behind him, on the stairs were some battle-eager recruits.

    "Great. Now let them shoot at the deer."

    "Y-yes lord."

    As they slowly got the view of the field, the amount of guts, blood, and fire, it was terrifying, like a three-month war had just swept in out of nowhere and made hell to the land.

    "Take aim at the deers!"

    The sound of gun clatter as it slowly went downwards, their eyes sighted in with the monster coming slowly toward.

    "Fire!"

    Their heads were obliterated!

    Yet, ominously so, it kept walking.

    The firepower of the 9mm Pommil was impressive! The recruits felt the knockback, the recoil of the gun, differ that of what they were used to with the normal Parabellum rounds.

    Behind the deers, were still a mass of horses and bears charging toward the wall, and the need for men had never been needed until now.

    "Sound the horn!" Hierd yelled. "We need reinforcements!"

    Jeane then leapt toward it, then blowing. Three times. The horn was mighty and loud, it should''ve reached the manor.

    The wall was full of soldiers, and as cramped as it was, it was holding it''s ground against the gradual rise of the big creature''s soldiers. The bodies began to pile up, and the creatures began to hide behind their fallen. Heduc, upon noticing;

    "Throw grenades at the bodies!" Screamed Heduc. "They''ll hide behind them!"

    "Yes, sir!" The soldiers reacted upon his order. Unbuckling packs of grenades and throwing them as far as they can at the nearest of the gore-ridden bodies. The stench was overwhelming, but one shall persist.

    A shot pierced the body of the deer, from heart, and to it''s back. A certain man jumped in joy after. It was Matthaus, Hierd recognized after seeing his marksman''s medal.

    Another roar!

    It lasted as much as ten seconds, and those grueling ten seconds had overcumbered their smell and hearing. Hierd looked at the battlefield. The horses and bears stopped coming, and the last of the ones there merely stood until they were shot.

    Under that frightening frown from that large hill. It understood it''s position. As this was happening, reinforcements had came! The recruits then made their way up the wall and, after a moment of awestruck, stationed with lugers readied to shoot as well as grenades ready to prime.

    The monster moved!

    "God..." Hierd''s voice dropped.

    "Fire! Everyone shoot!" Hierd yelled at the top of his lungs!

    All iron was pointed straight ahead, towards that hell of a creature making it''s way to them. The soldiers kept their morale, and under the guise of Heduc, the recruits began to shoot and throw grenades.

    The monster cried in pain!

    The grenades hitting it''s legs, the lead being pumped into it''s eyes, head, and it''s body.

    It began to run faster!

    "Shit!" Hierd yelled. "Everyone, keep shooting at it''s heart!" Hierd got out his own STG-44. Shooting as much as he can.

    The sound was deafening, but then!

    *BOOM!

    It hit one of the mines! It cried out a painful roar, it filled the sky with it''s yell, and the sound, had broken their ears.

    It stepped back. The roar had signalled the monsters behind him to run once more!

    "Shoot! The bears, the deers, everything!" Hierd cried out. The lot of the monsters began pushing through the mine field, with every death, meant that they could get further and further.

    "Grenades! Grenades!" Heduc yelled. "Throw your grenades!"

    They complied under the intense stress of the situation.

    "We need more manpower! I''m sure the sides are not getting enough action! I need the bulk of everyone here!"

    The sound of gunfire, the booms of the mines and grenades, and the cries of the monsters, it was deafening. The large hill began to recover, moving closer to the wall, it''s breath could they smell.

    "It''s getting closer!" Hierd yelled, shooting his assault rifle at the thing''s already detaching head. The thing was so near that the blood that oozed off every time it was shot had began to splatter Hierd''s face.

    The monstrous thing then got up on it''s hind legs.

    "It''s going to crash down!" Heduc yelled. "Everyone! Get far away from the wall!" Some lot of recruits began to crash downwards the steep stairs. Hierd heard from the distance, a truck''s wheels skurtting on the pavement.

    Hierd saw the truck, it stopped and began to turn to it''s back. A hail of bullets! A Vickers machine gun was in it''s hold! It shot at the monster with horrific fire. "Reinforcements!" Hierd thought, smiling, then laughing two quick, small chuckles.

    The monster had yelled once more, and, as it''s body was exposed, the machine guns had shot and pierced it''s heart! The head had finally detached, falling and landing into the city. While it''s body dropped and crashed onto the upper wall. The gate below had crumbled close.

    Two machine guns went down with it.

    Not good.

    Hierd looked to the soldiers remaining on the wall. "Everyone! Shoot with all you''ve got! You don''t want them entering the city!"

    "Y-yes lord!"

    Almost instantly, the mutant horses and bears were being blasted with grenade and gun fire. Of the two functioning machine guns, which were more than enough, had provided enough lead to disintegrate any who dare come closer.

    The cries of the ugly monsters, from the mines they had stepped on, or the guns that pierced their hearts. It was certainly a horrifying sight of red pulp, guts, and whatever amount of anatomy those monsters had. The field was full of blood, enough to make it a river. And the bodies that stacked up like little hills, had exuded a stench too far to handle.

    There came no more monsters.

    For a moment, there was peace. "We did it!" Hierd had shouted.

    The soldiers, upon realising the monsters were all dead. They cried a shout of glory! Shouting cheerfully at the sky of their achievement! And a chant developed;

    "Glory to the new lord!"

    ( * )

    It was the Afternoon; and the battle was long over, however, the clean-up was not so much. Jamie, with a bag, a mask, gloves, and some other weird trinkets went up to the body, groping the skin, slicing parts of it off, and taking vials of blood from it''s many veins.

    Hierd looked at her with his intrest piqued, she had rather eccentric ethics and ways of handling these monsters. Where other people would just try and burn it, or even just not look it''s way. That''s what Hierd observed when looking at the recruits.

    He went to her; "Good Afternoon, Miss Jamie."

    She got startled, turned around her. "Ah! G-good Afternoon to you too, my lord. But please," -her voice deepened, and her face quickly turned serious- "call me by my first name."

    "Well then, Jamie. What have you noticed about this" -he pointed at it- "this thing?"

    "Not much, my lord." She spurred. "It is nothing different from the average monster if you look at it''s physical form. However, it''s towering height seems to be it''s only anomaly from the others. However, my lord; I shall need to do more experiments regarding this creature." She turned around and faced the bear''s face once again, it''s grin long gone.

    "What else do you think?" Hierd crossed his arms, observing Jamie as she continues to stick strange surgical tools into it.

    She examined the huge behemoth with awe and glowy eyes. "We''ve yet to encounter this thing before, my lord." -She kicked the head in cheery satisfaction, as if she had beaten it herself- "it looks terrifying, and that horde it controlled, the mass of it is unheard of. Even last year was not like, this, my lord."

    "What happened last year then?" Hierd inquired.

    "There wasn''t a leader of sorts. No monster that would resemble..." She looked at the thing she kicked- "This behemoth. Neither was there that much monsters. If you compared this year''s to last year''s it''d uncanny, strange."

    "Threatening?"

    "Y-yes, my lord. In a way, it is. We do not know if this happened to the surrounding cities also. If it has, then we may very well be the only ones to have survived the masscre. But, I concur."

    "How so?"

    "I do not know, but... My heart wishes to concur, my lord." Her face saddened.

    "Well atleast this present was not as bad?" Hierd chuckled, lightening the mood. "Will, however, be more waves coming?"

    "Yes, my lord. Although, I do not know whether it shall be the same waves like last year as did what happened today."

    "Where do these things even rise from?" He questioned.

    Jamie jumped on the opportunity to entertain his question. "From the ground, lord."

    "Of course from the ground." Hierd''s face was unimpressed.

    Jamie, upon seeing the lord''s disapointed look gathered up more thoughts inside her head. "B-but! Others say that they are summoned by a magical spell! I mean, these creatures are made with the hymns of their heart''s magic. Twisting them, making them bigger, slower, and overpowering with power. W-well! The fact is, your weapons have worked, my lord. And you have saved our city."

    "For one wave." He frowned. "And yet, one wave caused this much damage. Let''s hope to He that there won''t be a bigger one." -he looked, examining monster''s head- "When shall the next one come?"

    "It doesn''t really have a set time, my lord. It could be a week, or three days, or... A day?"

    A truck pulled over close to them. And Friedrick looked to have been driving it. He opened the driver door and came running towards Hierd. "Lord." He bowed. "There are no casualties, just injuries from the soldiers who fell when" -he looked at the head- "that thing attacked us."

    "Who thought you how to drive, Friedrick?"

    "I-I..." He seemed hung over something. "I had asked a favor from... Sir Alrife regarding it."

    "Well isn''t that good!?" Hierd laughed. "Atleast you can drive one now."

    "Yes.

    "Well then." He cleared his throat. "What of the other two gates?"

    "They handled the hordes that came theirs. But it was not as big as what the main gate had to endure. I heard it was quite the hellscape."

    Ingesting the information, he turned to Jamie. "Do these things go by water too?"

    "No, we haven''t a single case of that happening."

    "Good." Hierd smiled, then turned to Friedrick. "Let''s tear down that wall."

    "Lord!?" Naturvege exclaimed, he came out from the truck Friedrick had driven. "Are you certain!?"

    Naturvege made his way to the group, distressed by the news he just overheard. "Yes, Naturvege." He looked to the body, leaking still it''s horrible puke-able pestilence that was the stench that it gave off. "And... The bodies, Jamie will be the voice of reason, she''ll be the one to order if it shall be buried away or if it shall go into her research."

    "Thank you, lord." Jamie bowed.

    "Yes, lord." The two majors said; bowing as well.

    Hierd walked away, the people who were near the entranced were carried away. Simply because of the smell the bodies gave off, and were placed near the pier. Where a camp site of sorts was set up until further guarantee that the body and stench was gone.

    Hierd, walking on the roads, they were full of soldiers, working, eating. And, because he had told Naturvege to tear down the wall, they were trying to pull the giant behomoth down and onto the field.

    Observing, Hierd saw that they managed to, in just a few grunts and a few fifty soldiers. It was done in by thick rope, and the ingenuity of men.

    Jamie, who was down there, was instructing the soldiers to do her bidding.

    Hierd saw the artillery squad resting among the sea of other soldiers. He heard that they went to the entrance first. Flagging the mines they had placed prior and were also helping with the cleaning and the disposing of bodies after.

    ( * )

    In the meeting room, Hierd with other military personnel as well as Adelheid and the naval captain. Were busy eyeing up the thing behind Hierd. Finally deciding the address it. He stood up. "Good Afternoon."

    They stood up also, "Good Afternoon, lord." They bowed.

    "The thing you''ve seen behind me is what I plan to use during the second wave, if ever there are more monsters, or that there are monsters that were as big as the one you saw at the west-gate." He walked to it. "This is called a motar."

    The big, metal, cylinderical thing had resembled, to them, an upright cannon with a plate at the bottom and a tripod design at the front.

    "Specifically, this is the M2 Motar, it works similar to the cannon, producing a blast that is like TNT." -He pulled out the bomb needed for it to work- "And this, is the ammunition. On the table, there are manuals regarding the reloading of, and the firing of the Motar."

    They looked down and began to skim through the paper given, the illustrations, as ever, were detailed, as well as the figures shown on how to use the Motar.

    "I want the 2nd Lieutenants to teach the artillery squad regarding the use of the motar out at the field."

    They nodded in approval.

    "There are twenty stashed away in the storage room." He sighed, tired by the whole thing. "The bombs are dangerous enough to handle, and so I took the extra precaution and put them in wooden crates in the truck neatly parked outside. You may go now, lieutenants."

    They stood up, "Yes, lord."

    As they left, everyone was raising hands. To quell them, he raised and pointed his hand at Adelheid first. To which, he said; "My lord, I hear you are tearing down the west wall. Isn''t this quite dangerous?"

    "After Auferstehen, that wall would''ve been gone already. And as it has already crumbled, I see no need for them." He shrugged. "Talking about civilian safety, even if the horde was bigger than what happened today, with the addition of more machine guns, mortars, and personnel ready at the east gate, I have not a clue why we should worry."

    The room stayed silent.

    "I understand, with your age of weapons, that believing in mine are quite reckless, the walls have saved you countless of times. However, these walls burden a society. And will burden my want of making bigger the city."

    "I see, my lord." Said Adelheid. "If it as you wish." He was defeated.

    "Any... Other questions?"

    ( * )

    It was the next day, Hierd intentionally woke up early with the help of his alarm clock. He looked at the window, there was no army of monsters there, and there wasn''t any sound of gunfire either. It was, unlike yesterday, peaceful. And the sky yonder that horizon was not as crowded of clouds, and one could see still the blue under the white of the clouds.

    He dressed and went outside. Where, upon opening the door, his squad had appeared from whatever crevice and accompanied him in his walk. "You are always quite ready." Hierd commented. "It makes me wonder if you five even sleep."

    "We do, my lord." The man had said it with a smile.

    "So, what happened? Did anything happen?"

    "No, not at all, my lord. But we should assume the worst."

    "The soldiers are sleeping near the wall, are they not?"

    "Yes, my lord."

    A quick turn and they saw the outside. The gate was already knocked down, tents were set up along the street. There was quite the number of sleeping soldiers, however, some who woke earlier than others had been guarding the tents and observing the field. When they saw Hierd and his squad, they bowed respectfully and gave way.

    "It''s like there was no fight yesterday!" Commented Hierd.

    "The soldiers did their best in cleaning it."

    "That''s good." He stepped on the new snow of the morning.

    Cold.

    When he looked to his side, there was evidence of training, as yesterday, the lieutenants had taught the platoon how to load and fire the M2 Motar. And there were a multitude of dark craters. "I should have you guys on break for today, visit your families. And" -he turned to them- "tell what I told you five to the rest of the army."

    "Yes, sir." They scattered off in a rather professional way.

    Hierd looked up to the skies, under that peaceful guise. It all felt too ominous.

    "I hope the mortars are enough."

 XXI Auferstehen - 2

    It was the sixth day of the month of Auferstehen, Hierd had taken the last three days with an iron fist. Training, a little bit of rest, then more training. Taking all that can be done to perfect as much as possible in a short time. To shoot a gun should be common knowledge, to control it, should a knowledge understood in litte time. And the recruits, were now turned into proper soldiers.

    The older Ridge-Brown soldiers were then transfered into the Venit-ille Black units and took their time training with the Kar98k.

    "It shall turn into a week." Hierd was inside the Unchean''s Research Facility, it was located deep underground the manor, and the stench was as horrible as could possbly be. "Do you think there shall be another wave by tommorow?" He looked at Jamie, who was busying herself with her gathered samples.

    "We can never know, my lord." She replied. "But I feel it shall tommorow."

    He inched himself closer to her. "What did you find with your vials of blood and flesh?"

    "No anomaly supports my thoughts." She said, rather disapointed did she sound. "The creature, who attacked us, my lord. Has but one pillar that supports that thought of mine."

    "Which is?"

    She made her way to a large glass jar. Of which inside of it was a large, dead heart floating in green viscous liquid. Hierd could think of a hundred different smells that can be smelt if one were to open it.

    "This, my lord." She flicked the glass jar. Regretting it after a sharp pain ached her two fingers.

    "It''s heart."

    "Y-yes, my lord." She regained herself. "The heart contains more magic than all of the other samples I got from the monsters it commanded. We used to think that these thing''s hearts change in amount of people in one spot, but I am starting to doubt my speculations."

    "Why so?" Hierd pushed on.

    "It''s magic was five-times the amount of it''s subordinates, my lord." Her face indicated to Hierd that what was told was indeed bad news. "This discovery changes the insights we''ve had about these creatures. I should post this discovery to the academy-"

    "Do not." Hierd stated. "You can do it after we have the lands of the academy in our lands."

    Jamie smiled. Then went back to her work. Her mind fading into the madness that was her vials of thick, dark blood.

    "I shall go now." Hierd said, unlocking the chamber''s door and exiting. Jamie made no movement nor did she speak.

    ( * )

    Hierd had went outside the manor, after a brief change of clothing and washing, as his body had kept the smell of the lab. His squad soldiers came running towards him. Like before.

    "Good Afternoon." Hierd said.

    "Good Afternoon, lord." They said in unison.

    The roads were being swept clean of snow, as the snow could cause problems to the trucks when driving, as it indeed made the road pretty slippy. There were now about ten people, excluding Hierd, that could drive trucks, in response, Hierd had asked for five more trucks. And the roads were busy with them in transit.

    The population of civilians were shook when they had first arrived. It was no occurence that they ever withstood. The veterans shared their concerns with the army''s handling and wished to volunteer as a soldier. Hierd turned them all down, saying that they should instead be spending time with their loved ones. And; "What use are old guys in a battlefield where guns are prevalent? I''d just be hastening their fucking ear-loss."

    Speaking of ears, the citizens voiced their opnions on the gun''s and their thunderous shaking of the ground. It had scared the children, scared everyone. The lieutenants have entertained their questions and persisted that their guns are needed. And without? They''d be dead. They had voiced no more of such opinions again after that day.

    "All is well, all goes well." Adelheid sat on the library chair, flicking pages of a Z1 Leberecht Maas destroyer ship manual. It was as much pages as does the whole collection of Dante''s Divine Comedy. He kept on, reviewing and writing notes of the whole process. The scientific and fundamental mechanics. He would''ve just slept off the evening if not for this book. It was quite, to him, awe-inspiring.

    He looked out of the window, even though it was afternoon, the sky looked gloom. Grey.

    ( * )

    His soldiers opened the door of the military''s barracks. Immidiately, when they saw Hierd enter, they leapt up and bowed. "Good Afternoon, lord!" They yelled in unison.

    It was quite the crowded place, but the soldiers made do with what they had. Heduc appeared out of nowhere. "Lord?" He went closer to him. "What are you doing here?"

    "Gather all of Lieutenants, and the majors as well, I wish to speak with them."

    "I will, lord. In the office?"

    "No, no, here."

    Heduc went his way outside. Whilst Hierd and his soldiers calmly walked past the mass of soldiers and into a room. "This is the war room of the barracks, my lord."

    "Looks like that." He stared at the map sprawled on the table, it was a map of the whole kingdom, and it was quite the startling discovery realising that the capital was a far more kilometers north that he thought. He sat down upon one of the many wooden chairs. His soldiers merely stood.

    ( * )

    It took a couple of minutes before everyone could come. The lieutenants and the majors sat their seats, and they awaited anxiously of what Hierd wanted to say. "I would like to hear from the second-lieutenants, of their protecting of the southern and northern gates." He planted his gaze onto Verdel.

    He jolted up. "L-lord." He took a little bow. "I was stationed at the northern gate. And...

    ---

    "The fighting''s happening at the western gate." Said one of my squad soldiers.

    "We are to stay here." I sighed. "We have to follow the lord''s orders."

    "Yes sir.." He looked troubled by the fact.

    I had doubt in my mind; being in charge of the northern gate all by myself? W-without the guidance of Gelmund, Heduc, or Jeane. Being in charge of fifty soldiers, whoms''t some lots I had never even taken glance of. I mainly stood at the wall''s edge. Just observing the treeline.

    ---

    "Can you get right on the part where you had spotted the monsters?" Hierd said with a smile on his face.

    "Y-yes, o-of course, my lord."

    ---

    *RAHHH

    When we heard the first roar, it had certainly scared us to death. But around that time was when we saw the monsters leap out from the trees.

    "Fire the Vickers!" I shouted to the soldiers.

    ---

    "T-that was also around the same time the monsters appeared on my side." Gelmund added.

    "The roars are commands." Naturvege said. "The creatures are intellegent, but never before like this."

    "Intellegence." Hierd thought in his mind. "Games are fun when there''s intellect involved, but games get harder when there''s intellegent players. I''m basically Germany fighting the african tribes. But just that those african tribes have bulked up muscles and large bodies."

    "They weren''t intellegent before?" Hierd inquired.

    "They had the same awareness as does their normal counterpart, one could suppose." Said Friedrick. "But they moved slow, they attacked like brutes yet never swiftly did they charge at something, and never so in those groups. And too never so without a leader."

    "I had visited Jamie, the research labratory''s head, just today, she had told me that the heart differed from the rest of the hearts that same day." He placed his hands on the table. "The magic was; ''five times the amount than it''s subordinates.''"

    "The total amount of Venit-ille and Ridge village''s inhabitants would not have contributed much if were it that the magic gets larger by amount of population." Said Jeane.

    "Either Jamie''s speculation was wrong, or that she was right and there was more people. Either way, the amount of monsters and the fact that they intellegence, makes the whole thing worse. We have, before, devised a simple plan. And I do not think there is a need to try and revert or change it. More guns, more action." He looked at Gelmund, then swiftly to Verdel. "You two, how many monsters persay did you have to deter?"

    Verdel said first; "We had hundreds of horses come, yet none were able to penetrate the gun fire, lord."

    "I say the same, my lord." Gelmund said.

    "As there are more soldiers using the Kar98k (ninety exactly), I wish for there to be thirty soldiers at the two gates, whilst there being one-hundred soldiers at the western gate. There shall be ten Vicker machine guns placed there instead of five, and the amount of mines will be quadrupled." -He gazed at Major Naturvege- "please tell the Artillery platoon that."

    "Yes, lord."

    "The soldiers have been given ample food, water?"

    "As the logistics say, my lord." Friedrick said.

    "That''s good." A sigh of exhaustion. "I want the soldiers to begin patrolling, that shall be their only activity today, and no training. They''ve done enough in the past days."

    "Yes, lord." Naturvege said.

    Then, looking at Naturvege. "The to-be naval captain, Jack Huntsman, was it? I''d like to know what he has been doing."

    "The naval captain has exceeded training expectations, my lord."

    "He is fit enough? And can use the sabre and luger?"

    "With amazing accuracy, my lord." He smiled recalling the days of training he had with the captain. Recollecting that Jack had used such a thick seaman''s accent that understanding him was much to be left to historians to theorize of what he really meant.

    "Great," Hierd smiled. "I... Can schedule him for a naval exam some time by next week." Hierd stood up.

    "There is nothing else to talk about is there?"

    The room stoop up with him. "No, lord."

    "Then this meeting is ov-"

    An earthquake!

    The wooden chairs and the table began to wiggle, vibrating. And dust began to drop down from the ceiling.

    Hierd stood clung to the floor. His squad soldiers hurried to him, using themselves as acting body cover. If any debris were to fall, but only dust fell. In a few more moments, the quake had stopped.

    "Everyone, everyone! out!" Hierd shouted.

    Naturvege, upon hearing him, bolted to the door, using his shoulder, he knocked it down with his pure strength. Wasting not a single second.

    The soldiers were grabbing their guns and sabres just at the other side and have just been evacuating out the building.

    The barracks had not rubbled that much, but dust certainly had dropped down and irritated eyes. Hierd painstakingly exited the building, he looked up. "The clouds are darker, much more than usual, could it be?!"

    From the west, a hail of gunfire could be heard.

    The barrage, the monsters! They''ve come! Hierd realized it, he was irritated.

    "Everyone!" He shouted to the soldiers, I want you all to your stations now!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    "There should be fifty already at the west gate..." He thought hurriedly. "I need fourty soldiers to come with me!" His words stopped dead the soldiers. And immidiately and without hesitation, some lots of soldier came with, one couldn''t count how many, but it was many for certain.

    They ran, from the barracks, the roads, to the road leading up to the western gate. Looking up, Hierd saw a sillhouete, menacing and mighty. He made nervous jolts.

    The soldiers and trucks had ran frantically to their stations. Hierd had even needed to stop and let for a truck to pass by. The lieutenants rode their trucks and went fast forward with troops in the back towards their gates. And Jeane, Heduc followed with the lord''s footsteps, having the same nervous feeling encapsulate them also.

    "They strike at the worst of times!" Jeane said, jokingly.

    "And this time, an earthquake!" Hierd yelled.

    The ground felt to have been cracking, as a thousand thuds of many a horse''s hoove had hit the ground with it''s thundering weight, and the mortar''s explosive firing had helped the ground shake.

    The gun fire was erratic, and once they crossed the west gate''s begone gateway, he saw the soldiers shooting their FG42 with much intensity. Throwing grenades, igniting their mortars with rage, and that sillhouete. The monster. It was different, it was taller. And it was menacing.

    "A giant wolf?" It was standing on it''s hind legs and Hierd looked completely awestruck. "I want that shit bombarded!"

    There was a mass of horses charging towards the walls, the amount of drivel coming out of their mouths had frothed a shake of disgustingness. Before they could even reach the minefield, they were laid with gunfire from multiple guns, evicerating the big pieces of muscle.

    "Lord?!" Naturvege yelled as the gunfire obscured their voices. "You want the thing to be bombed!?"

    "Y-yes!" He made a nodding gesture if Naturvege couldnt have heard that. He went quietly into one of the empty tents and inside. "I want an MG42 with large bagful of ammo."

    [REQUEST GRANTED: MG42 WITH LARGE AMMO PILE]

    Sprawled on the unmade bedding of whatever soldier, he picked the beauty up and walked outside, he began to shoulder-fire it into the wolf''s chest.

    The creature, drooling viscous spit from it''s rabid mouth, had roared a cry of distress. It went down from it''s standing position and sat on its legs. Hierd kept shooting at it''s head, aiming at it''s snout, eyes, and, mouth. The thing wept a cry of pain. The agressiveness of the horde of horses had begun to move faster.

    The empty winter farmland surrounding the walls were full of soldiers firing their guns, FG42s, Kar98ks, you name it. And the amount of grenades being tossed were a hell another, as the sky had looked to have been covered by the green color of the grenades hitting the monsters. The little houses and roads set up were not safe from the carnage of gunfire.

    Heduc and Jeane looked at Hierd and his new gun with awe, it was like a vickers machine gun, however, he just held it and fired without care.

    "I feel like fucking terroriser!" He laughed.

    Looking at the wolf, it seemed to be backing up, too far. Almost as if; "It''s going to charge! Everyone! Fire at the wolf! Or else it''s going to charge!"

    It prepared it''s legs. The combined gunfire of two Vicker machine guns and Hierd''s machine gun, they shot at it''s legs. It cried yet tried to endure the hail of bullets. Cutting, impaling, burning. The bullets had made the creature weak and much in pain.

    It leapt! Several meters off the ground, making a crater where it jumped.

    The soldiers stared and shooted at it with all they could muster.

    *BAM!

    It''s rear feat landed on the mine field!

    The multiple mines that were meters way off the farmland;

    detonated under it''s feet.

    It bellowed a cry of pain! It''s rear legs, exploded off and it''s paws gone.

    "Grenades!" Hierd yelled. "Throw grenades at the wolf!"

    The soldiers much obliged, hurriedly, they got off a grenade. Throwing it at the pained wolf.

    In a matter of five seconds, the grenades exploded round'' it''s face. Blowing it''s eyes and mouth off. A pool of viscous black blood began to flood it''s feet.

    It roared once more in agony, but behind, the herd of horses began to climb it''s tail and up it''s body.

    Hierd saw it too late.

    A hundred horses jumped with hellish neighs from it''s destroyed head down to the cleared field of snow.

    "Fire at the incoming horde of horses!" Yelled Naturvege, shooting his FG42, flaling it left to right to make sure he hit all the targets.

    Their glowing eyes were menacing up close. The quickly depleting amount of mines worried Hierd. The mortars were set up far enough from the right action that they couldn''t hit the damned beast. Hierd strode fast to Naturvege emptying his twenty rounds. Upon noticing, Naturvege stopped shooting and rotated to face his way.

    "Lord?"

    "Shoot this instead." Hierd very hastily threw it onto his arms. He letting go of his FG42.

    "A-ah, thank you lord?" Naturvege looked at the gun he was given. It was clearly way too large.

    Hierd swiftly turned away and ran to the men shooting with mortars. "You, three!" He yelled, his eyes focused on the second group of men. "All to the front! Place your mortars at the gate!"

    He repeated this for each passing group of men, after hearing his order; each had packed their bombs and began swiftly moving their mortars and armaments towards the gate''s front.

    Seeing no more soldiers, Hierd then veered backwards. Of the many cries and roars that came from that herd of horses. The bombs that ascended and went quickly down, a blast, a ghastly explosion erupted, blowing off their heads, feet, body; they weren''t even synonymous anymore with the word; horse. More of; burnt rubbish.

    The wolf, agitated. Began to growl and eyes redden. Even without it''s rear legs, without it''s left eye, with only a blurred right one, it began to crawl on the frozen ground in agonizing pain, as it began to squeal and cry for every step it took.

    The fusilade of gun fire, detering it''s every agonizing step. And as it reached the range of the mortar fire, the explosions detonating at it''s feet, body, and head, had burnt off any remaining vision or scent.

    It fell.

    Yet the barrage of horses did not stop.

    "Keep on shooting, soldiers!" Hierd encouraged, yelling.

    The wheels of a truck turned to a halt. The driver''s door opened, Hierd''s soldier. He ran to Hierd. "Lord!" -Hierd turned to him, suprised- "The southern gate needs reincforcements!"

    "Reinforcements!?" Hierd exclaimed. His heart dropped, and his mind was in utter confusion.

    "Sir Naturvege has sent all auxillary forces to the south, but there is still a need of forces. Lord, sir Gelmund has worried of the collapsing of the ga-"

    The ground began to erupt!

    Yet no mine, nor mortar could cause this.

    A soldier flaling his arms and shouting to Hierd, caught his attention. Finally being seen, in a moment of exasperation; "L-lord! The southern gate! The southern gate has fallen!"

    ( * )

    On the road and continuing the fire, with only one Vicker''s machine gun left, and a full horde of blood thirsty horses crawling from the rubble and into the city. Gelmund, with fifty soldiers, threw grenades towards that rubbled-collapsed gate without any moment of hesitation, not afraid of it bouncing off and hittin nearby houses, of which it did.

    "Have the citizens nearby been evacuated towards the pier!?" Gelmund shouted to his squad soldier as the gunfire made his voice almost audibly silent.

    "N-no, sir!" He yelled also. "There are still some we''ve yet to evacuate."

    "Well" -he switched his gaze towards the rubble and began shooting- "continue to evacuate them out!"

    "Yes sir!" The soldier ran.

    The smoke that filled the air, from the dust of the rubble to the benovolent bombing with the mortars and grenades. Made everyone''s eyes irritate and they all coughed and struggled to breathe. "I''ve called for reinforcements awhile ago! Yet no-one''s come! This is bad!" He kept shooting, empying every magazine he fitted to his FG42. The combined fire of all the guns, certainly made them ear-deaf.

    "How did this even happen!" A sweat wept down his face. Getting nervous as time grew and reinforcements hadn''t came.

    *click

    Gelmund''s heart dropped. The machine gun''s ammo has depleted. The click seemed so loud even the hell of gunfire. The operator pulled the trigger multiple times in desperate haste. There was no more ammo to feed the iron hunk. For it all fell in the gate''s rubble.

    "Everyone! Ready your sabres!" Gelmund said, unsheathing his blade. He tried to absolve himself of the nervousness he felt within himself, yet his blade twitched still as he eyed the grey wreck.

    A hoof.

    Many hooves.

    A horse''s drooling face.

    They were slowly but surely making their way upward, and the amount of grenades quickly exhuasted were a scare to look at. The three mortars behind them were running out of bombs, and the soldier''s morale were at the midpoint of falling down.

    Horses piled up behind the rubbled gate, the horses behind climbed up on their bodies, a way up and into the city.

    *Thud

    The horses neighed to the clouds as they touched ground on the road, staring at the soldiers, they began raring up their hind legs for a lethal sprint.

    "Everyone, prepare! They''ll charge forward!" Gelmund yelled, falling back a bit.

    "Yes sir!" The soldiers gathered up in a line column.

    The horses bolted!

    With every clop, the soldiers'' hearts beated an inumerable amount of times.

    *SHHLL

    The swords pierced the horse''s skin!

    Gelmund pulled back, striking again!

    Cleanly cut, the horse''s head strayed off it''s neck. Blood splattered and landed on his suit where he slit. It all seemed so slow, as the horde of horses charged in without care of the buildings they bumped into. That dissonance of grenade and horse neigh tarnished their ears, bluring their sights and ears. Shooting and slicing, the perfect sharpness of their sabres dulling at every slash.

    Piercing,

    Stabing.

    And when their lugers needed to reload, the formation was pushed back and back. Soldiers knocked down at every horse''s kick, blood oozed out the soldier''s noses and they were knocked cold.

    Gelmund phased further back the line. The soldiers there were throwing grenades and shooting their Kar98ks. It wasn''t good, he had no command of the other two roads, and didn''t know what the situation was there or anywhere really. Slowly getting pushed more and more back, Gelmund hadn''t a single time to lose.

    "A truck!" At the corner of his eye, he bolted to it as fast as he can. "There should a be a machine gun at the back of it! They weren''t transfered yet, so please!" He ran to the back, "Thank you!"

    The Vickers Machine Gun sat there with all it''s glory. There was still ammo attached to it''s feed. He ran to the front and opened the driver-seat door, the key was still there, the screams of the soldiers were getting rampant. Encouraged, he swiftly grabbed ahold, twisted the key.

    The engine roared, he hit the gas and swerved!

    Turned around, he opened, dashed to the back. "Soldiers!" He yelled as high as he can, yet they couldn''t hear him under the distress. "It''s no use!" He climbed in, sat, and rotated the thing to the horde.

    He fired a shot to the air.

    The sound, so distinct to the mess, was immidiately heard, the soldiers at the back took notice of this, and moved to the side, signalling the ones in the middle to do so too.

    Gelmund smirked.

    He pulled the trigger.

    A deafening hail. Bullets pierced multiple horse hearts, bursting blood on the street like it rained blood from the sky. The grating sound of horse neighs filled the air, and their bodies dropped down like flies.

    Assisting their leader, they quickly reloaded their lugers and kar98k and aimed at the quickly depleting horde of horses.

    Firing!

    ( * )

    "The horses really did a number on you all." Hierd looked at the injured soldiers sprawled on mattresses on the road. Some were less fortunate than others. Hierd overlooked a man who''s balls were kicked. He squealed internally. There were a number of apothecaries caring for the injured, yet it was gravely low how many doctors existed in the city.

    "Y-yes, lord, they did." Gelmund had multiple bandages put on him from some kicks and blows he recieved whilst fighting the horses. His breathing was raspy, wheezing everytime he inhaled and exhaled.

    Looking at the gate, a thought came in his head. "How did the gate collapse?"

    "W-we did not have alot of soldiers posted there when first I-I came." He urged some thought in his mind. "I-it was fifteen or so soldiers. And only two could use t-the machine gun. I and a Venit-Ille soldier. Three machine guns, five kar98ks, and a wall of lugers. I-it did not take long for them to start piling up and the mines started to r-run out-"

    "And then that happened?" He interjected.

    "Y-yes, lord."

    "Plentiful and strong." He remarked. "This is, as I understand, the first instance of their aggresiveness in droves."

    "My lord, m-may I bring upon a suggestion?"

    "Speak it."

    "The newly recruited weren''t taught to hold a kar98k, and I wish for them to be able to for more firepower, I-I would even say that they should all be taught to train with the FG42 instead."

    "Two gates now non-existant, two waves with equal negative damages." Hierd sighed. "I think I need to introduce the STG44 and the M1 Garand, the two are more better than the Kar98k."

    "We can do that, of course we can. I plan to anyways." He paused. "But I wish to introduce yet another armament."

    "A-another weapon, my lord?"

    "Yes, hopefully that one shall be more better combined with all of the weapons we have in our arsenal."

    A truck pulled over next to the scene. It was Naturvege driving it, popping open the door, Hierd noticed and went over to him. "What happened to the Northern gate?"

    Naturvege closed the door behind him. "The north gate is standing, lord."

    Hierd turned behind. Looking at the grim scenery of pounds of horses and blood. The houses that had holes put inside of them. And the crumbled gate. "I want the houses emptied after then demolished."

    "L-lord?" He said, confused of what Hierd uttered. "The citizens still live in tents, my lord, I do not think this is the right time for such a decision."

    "How many citizens have been evacuated over to the pier?"

    "Atleast a hundred, my lord."

    "A hundred people is no worry. I wish to construct new buildings. And, scout out able recruits from the evacuatees. Say that those who wish to become a soldier will live in Auferstehen with a gold coin every month."

    "The expenses, my lord, the manor will be emptied of gold by the end of Auferstehen."

    "I-I have a stable flow of gold, count on my country, Naturvege."

    "I see, my lord." A sweat dropped down his head.

    ( * )

    In the manor, Hierd put on a meeting. The usual people, the architects and engineers. And the guilds. they were there for a whole other reason.

    "Good Afternoon everyone." Hierd put on the table two guns, the STG and the M1 Garand.

    "These two will be the new weapons of the army. All Kar98k guns will be stored in the basement downstairs, and for the next week, and hopefully two weeks, these guns will be used in training."

    They stared at them, the new design was intriguing. The Garand looked to be similar looking to the Kar98k, but the STG-44 was a beast undefined, it looked intricate, metalic, and looked definitely powerful. Silently, their eyes yearned for manuals, Hierd realized this and spawned in fifteen manuals for the two guns. And gave them it, sliding it on the wooden table.

    "I would like to start training now." Adelheid bluntly put.

    "Done." Naturvege slammed the table. He stood up and looked at Hierd. "My lord, I wish to conduct it now."

    Hierd looked at him with a confused smile. "Y-yes, you may."

    "Thank you." He walked and opened the door.

    "Good thing I put the guns in the basement already."

    Now focused on the awkward meeting room.

    "My lord." Feliz started. "I would like to know the state of the city, the lives of the people."

    "The city will stay as it always been. The monsters, as you have seen, have increased in number and intellegence." He adjusted his sitting. "This is not good. They are evolving? Why are the monsters coming with this kind of ferocity? We do not know, there is no understanding in this mess. The army has done what is has, and has fended off the monsters that if otherwise fought with blades and arrows, this city would have had been done in and be burnt to the stakes. Then, then the people." -He thought for a moment- "The citizens are concerned. Two gates have been busted. And in the future, some houses will be torn down."

    "Wait, torn down, lord?" Adelheid suprised; questioned. "What do you mean by that?"

    "It means as I mean it. Torn down. The buildings have been damaged, I am sure to get rid of anything inside for the people. And replace the ones who''ve been destroyed with new ones. I wish to cooperate with the engineers and architects upon building a new type of building made of cement."

    Adelheid simply nodded.

    "The state of the city." Hierd repeated Feliz''s question to continue his statement. "It is in a sad state, the quality of life I find depressing. The new buildings I will make will have better systems of life than whatever is still contained within these walls."

    "T-thank you for answering my question. My lord."

    ( * )

    Naturvege conducted a rough training, done in Venit Ille and finished with a long march back to Unchean after what seemed like two weeks. No monster came ever, it was quite peaceful, and the people were granted freedom to go to their houses again. But of that two weeks, not one soldier could taste their home''s warmness for the remainder of their training, they slept in makeshift tents, slept and ate rations that were delicious only to a hound. Grueling days of excericise, even the second lieutenants grated them to shreds.

    Hierd, from the top of the wall looked at the soldiers coming home to their city. Once news got out that the soldiers were returning, their parents, loved ones awaited at the gate with teary eyes. The soldiers were men before, but looking at their eyes, their dirtied suits, they were a different class of man. It looked as if they gone through three wars and back.

    In jolts of joy, the soldiers ran faster and faster towards their loved ones, laughing as they went closer and closer, not even caring if they did or if they didn''t fall on some ignorant pebble. They hugged each and each. It was certainly a heartwarming site.

    "These soldiers have gone through rigorous training, Naturvege."

    "Yes, lord." He stood by him, standing as still as ever.

    "The men will have their break tommorow, the day after, reinstate the education program."

    "Yes, lord." Naturvege turned around and put a foot down on the stairs.

    "And" -Naturvege stopped in his tracks- "I would like to talk to the naval captain, isn''t it about time we have a warship?"

    Naturvege nodded with a smile.

    "Yes, my lord."

 XXII Expanding Land

    <b>It has reached the first day of the new year</b>. There was a huge celebration among the city folk at the strike of that new dawn and the goodbyes of snow. Streets were lined with people gathering and making praise to their lord, drinking, eating, and a whole lot of other stuff it was quite fun ''looking.'' Hierd didn''t participate in a public viewing. But stood to watch from afar. He was busying himself with nothing in particular. For everyone was on leave that day. But just the day after that; it was time for Hierd to pay the soldiers their due one gold.

    "L-lord. There are way too many soldiers, our gold supply is..." Adelheid was drenched in sweat. There was a mob of soldiers waiting at the manor''s entrance, awaiting that gold coin.

    "Lets not admire the small stack that ''trashury''," Hierd smiled. "Open the huge box at the back of the storage room, there''s a whole bunch of gold coins inside, there should be enough for all of them."

    Adelheid stood there suprised, he nodded then made his way out.

    "I wish also to recruit more soldiers." Adelheid stopped. "Tell them the recruiting exams will begin once more. And will have once more, the same one gold coin per month."

    "Yes, lord." He closed the door.

    "Two hundred ninety soldiers." Hierd sat back on his chair. "Not enough. I need more, the navy needs atleast three hundred. The army more than that, maybe four hundred. The recruitment plan has to give me three hundred. If that fails, I think I''ll have to execute a plan of mine."

    -AFTERNOON OF THAT DAY-

    Hierd sat in his office, waiting for Adelheid to come back from his business. He looked outside ominously spying from his office window at the soldiers downstairs whoms''t were recieving their due paycheck. "One gold, will this strain the economy?" He scoffed. "Perhaps, the value of gold will plummet if I make it a gold a month. I will need to switch my method of paying them to something better for the economy."

    There was a second line of people forming, mostly of men and quite suprisingly there were women mixed in with them. "Adelheid''s recruiting worked wonders." He commented, looking at the quickly growing line.

    -HOURS PASS-

    Hierd was playing chess puzzles. He summoned a chess board and a book containing said chess puzzles. ''To cure the boredom'' he thought, yet in reality it brought in anger. Chess was not his game, and remarkably, in those two-three hours? He did not know of the time progressing; he had solved only five puzzles that were labeled ''easy.''

    "This shit isn''t easy, this book..." He frowned.

    *Knock Knock

    He immidiately looked at the door. "Come in!"

    It was Adelheid. He carried a pile of paper. He walked to Hierd, noticing the chess board he said; "You play chess my lord?"

    "By heavens, no." He said with a grin.

    "W-well." He placed the papers beside the chess board. "These are the recruits."

    and gave him the pile. "These are the recruits, lord."

    He looked at it for a split second before immidiately looking up and at Adelheid. "How much did we gain?" Hierd looked at Adelheid with a curious expression.

    "Four hundred recruits." With a smile and said without hesitation.

    "Thats great!" Hierd was overjoyed. He stood up from his seat; his face turning serious now.

    "I want everyone at the barrack''s war room."

    ( * )

    Hierd placed his finger on a village on the war room''s large table map. "Easel City."

    Friedrick''s heart dropped. "Lord, I doubt you really wish to invade the ci-"

    "I wish to, I will do." Hierd stated. "And no other opinion shall prevail my choice." His gaze landed on the two majors, sweating.

    "I prefer this city to be invaded than the other options." He continued. "The geography is, as I have heard, flat; the lord, though competent enough; shall not defeat us. And that it''s located further south whilst the capital is further north ours. We will take the city by the next three days."

    "Lord, three days of preparation?" Naturvege said, confused.

    "Did I say preparation?" He smiled. "I said; that ''we will take the city by the next three days.'' Maybe our invasion would even last two? One day? Two hours?" -Hierd chuckled- "But. I''m expecting a hundred soldiers to be ready to depart later this evening."

    "What of training the recruits, lord?" Adelheid inquired, raising his hand.

    "I will lead the army, I need just one hundred fifty soldiers, three lieutenants, and one major." His gaze fell onto Naturvege. "You will train the recruits like last time. You may apply the help of the one hundred fourty soldiers and Gelmund in your training. The guns needed will be stored in the basement, as always. And in my Absence, I wish for Adelheid to assume the role of the city''s acting govenor, you." He looked at Adelheid. "Shall also lead the recruitment exam."

    ( * )

    "My people, the soldiers." He stared off into the crowd of thousands, his excordium reached the voices of all, that serious face of his, had thrown fear into them. "This day will be the first day of a longer war."

    They gasped, ''longer war?'' They thought. After Auferstehen, they wish to declare war? Upon who? Of course they knew.

    "The kingdom''s influence has yet to breach us. And no aid has come from the north. The merchants have continued their journey to bring merchandise, food, for the city of Unchean and to my people. However, as things stand, our army remains at a standstill. Though I say that my army can indeed fight with the kingdom''s army of thousands, I; like any leader, shall have doubts. The kingdom has yet to declare war onto us. May it be that my rule has yet to be found, or that they still do not understand it. Whatever it is that may be the case, I, your leader, your lord; shall make sure that in my war to the south, that no man shall come home with burnt houses."

    He looked at the people, their eyes were afraid of that future foretold. War is something not favorable for the both of sides. Whether it be to gain land or to gain this and that, there comes the con, no, the multiple cons. What will the future be? He knew not, he knew only that there was this, the present, and the unpredictable future.

    "Starting today evening." He paused. "One hundred fifty soldiers will be a part of the excursion. And to the applicants, you will come to the manor tommorow at morning for the examination. To my people; pray for us, pray for yourselves. For with my rule, shall we reach greater heights, more than what any could do, more than what any would have done. My people. Thank you."

    A moment of applause and a heil. They shouted; "glory to the lord!" The chorus of men sang it so beautifully, and that gloom before had seemingly disappeared.

    ( * )

    The deep drum of the engines roared the dirt ground. In that cold of the night, eight trucks, threading through the frigid air and still drying snow. Packed with a hundred-fifty soldiers, hundreds of munitions, some mortars, and an overbearing amount of rations. It was, to say the least, quite cramped.

    "How much till Easel?" Hierd said to Friedrick looking at the map.

    "I''ve observed we''ve passed this section of the river," He pointed the long winding river. "By this, and by the speed we''re going at; we''ll be there by a blink."

    "Great."

    Hierd, Friedrick and his squad were in the first truck of the linear formation as the road was quite narrow. The lieutenants were driving the trucks and some who learned how to drive were instructed to drive the other ones. The soldiers were nervous, it wasn''t like Auferstehen where there were semi-mindless animals. It was actual intellegent humans. Whether or not they had guns, they still had arrows, blades, and to some; magic.

    ---

    The trucks stopped. They shut off their lights.

    "It''s time." The company of soldiers moved quickly out of their trucks, their STG-44s aimed at the dark forest of the night.

    Ahead, they went. Into the grass, the cold blades of grass.

    Sneaking.

    Hierd broke it off to three groups, fifty each. The red, blue, and his group; orange.

    The red group was in charge of moving the truck carrying the ammunition. Applying the help of Matthaus, that marksman Hierd awarded the orange team was for recon and went ahead first. Blue was to be the main aggressor.

    Approaching nearer and nearer to the end of the treeline, Hierd and his platoon stopped and proned on the dirt ground.

    "Lord." Matthaus said, quietly. "Top of the gate, and some inside." He pointed through the gate.

    "Nothing put spears and swords." Hierd said jokingly. "But lets not underestimate them quite yet." -He turned to Matthaus- "We want them to open the gate, so let the blue team have their go. Let them open the gate, then red team will charge their trucks, quite the easy enough picking. Now we wait."

    In a couple minutes it seemed, Hierd could finally see blue approaching from the north. Their rifles trained to the gates. It was quite intimidating. And not even a second after, they shot to the sky. Alarmed, the guards made their way down, opened the gate. "Perfect." Hierd observed till every guard went out. And that was when blue team went hammers. In a matter of seconds, what looked to be twenty footmen were shot dead and dropped to the ground. They were nothing in the force of it all.

    Before they could retreat. "Fire!" A bit overkill, the PTRS-41. Matthaus fired it, shot by shot. Penetrating skin, bone, and the brick wall behind their heads. Blue platoon went forward and into the gate. A couple more shots could be heard. Red team''s trucks veared from the right of Hierd''s team.

    Hierd got out from the bushes. A truck stopped as Hierd was in vision. "Unload the mortars!"

    ---

    "What is happening!?" Viscount Melfire threw his wine glass away from him.

    "I-I do not know my lord. But we are being invaded by an unknown force."This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "I want every knight out and moving!" He yelled. "I should not hear but a farce in a matter of blink!"

    "M-my lord." He said nervously. "The invaders have thunder as their w-weapon."

    "W-what dare you speak!?" Exclaimed, he threw himself up from his bed. "Thunder!? No man can use thunder!"

    A knight blasted through the door. "My lord!" He kneeled. "We need to evacuate the civilians, and... Her majesty as quick as possible!"

    "Go! Do that! We need as much men as can be to that gate! No-"

    *BOOM!

    The ground shook in it''s ferocity. The city was surely awake, and the people were screaming. The viscount peered from his bedroom window. A hail of fire, smoke. "May God help us." He cried out a tear. "Our invaders are barbarians! They dare!?" He looked at the two knights quivering in fear. "Get out! And rid of your scabbards! I want only blades visible!"

    "Y-yes my lord!" They stormed off.

    ---

    The knights had been pushed back far enough and to the other side of both bridges. It''s gotten some bit of hard now. As the soldiers weren''t just being bombarded with blade and spear. But with bows and a little bit of flame magic. At every minute, mortars were going off. And the formation of knights were getting less and less aggresive. He saw most retreating off into the houses. Hiding in the small craters that the mortars created. Poking their spears trying to create a blockage. But all was in vain in the salvo of bullets.

    Piercing the thick wood like butter to hot knife. The sharp iron tips coming down then going down to the wooden bridge, or their own faces.

    The red platoon got theirselves on the pickup, as they swiftly blasted through the barrage of what seemed like fifty or so knights with polearms and torches. Behind them, horses and all. Yet a short mortar bombardment, there were only horses fleeing, and people screaming.

    "Strike with fear, yet be not monsters." Hierd said.

    The order a top priority. To any who is injured, put them on a truck and have him treated. To the citizens, screaming or not. Child or elder. Put them in tents outside and have them be reasured. They were not understandable of Hierd''s resolve. But looking at the soldiers fly-by. The guns they carried, the knights they killed so easily. It was stated, even in silence, that not one could argue against them.

    "Report to me." Friedrick said to Jeane.

    "Yes, sir."She fixed her posture. "The blue platoon have been pushing further and further in. Red platoon have broken through the enforcement at the bridge and are advancing."

    "Good." He smiled.

    Jeane took it that was her signal of dismissal and went her way. Under the grey clouds of the night, one could see the silhouete of the castle, it''s many yellow lights illuminating the whole of the stones brick wall. The flag of the kingdom, flying from above one of the towers, it was quite majestic in it''s own right.

    Hierd and blue platoon moved in on the second land, the round of knights getting pushed further and further back all the way to the second bridge towards the mainland. Bullets were not running out, and the knight''s side were getting bombarded with them non-stop. The knights hadn''t even a time to think of a decent plan. But if push comes to shove, ''she'' must be evacuated out of the city; said the Viscount.

    He looked at the condition of his knights, horrified as he looked at each hole plastered into them. In swarm or in one fatal strike to the cranium. Their eyes were blank with pain, and their horrifying screams filled the air with uncertainty and grim future. How was he to compel these invaders out? They hadn''t a good army enough to fight against them. Surrender? Ask for the help of the adventurers? Was that even possible? He didn''t know, there was too much uncertainty, and little time to think of a plan of action.

    "Your grace." He lowered his head. "I am afraid we will have to abandon the castle and head to sea."

    "Viscount, Melfire." Said the small girl. "I assure you, that these invaders will not harm me in any so what way."

    "Your grace!" He blurted. "Your life remains of top most importance, you need to board the ship. Your father, the king. Shall worry much, without you in his presence."

    "Viscount, Melfire." He went closer to him. "Do not wisk my absolve away. I do not wish to perish, but our invaders, think of them. An unknown force, I have watched from the tower above; they have taken in quick succesion the lands. They leave these unknown injuries to our men. They use strange machines of unknown detail, I have even seen their use of a movable box of iron. Have you not one thought that they too have contingency when it comes to our leaving by sea? Please, Viscount. Accept that loss of yours, I wish to stay not for you, but for my kingdom, for my people." She stared darts into him. He; nervous, sweating was forced into a position no man wishes to find themselves in. But, looking at the fierce looking girl whoms''t eyes screamed resolve and determination. He cannot deny her request.

    "I-I, Viscount, Melfire." He took in a bow. "Shall assist your grace under the invasion. I shall make sure your health is of upmost importance, this I tell under the name of my family, Melfire." He stood up back, staring at her.

    "Let us surrender."

    ---

    The red platoon had broken apart the knights guarding that bridge in but a flash. Ramming their trucks forward, arresting any and all civilians who were there. Going further in, they braced their trucks into the farmland and centered in towards the giant castle. The knights, in their last attempt, where trying to hold back the offenders. Shooting with bows, their arrows piercing some unfortunate bunch of soldiers, but this only enraged the second lieutenants. Replying with grenades from the north, and mortars from the west.

    It was over. For the formation did not hold any longer. The last of the knights were bunching up at the castle''s entrance. The soldiers closed in on the castle. Hierd, watching from his seat in one of the trucks in red platoon, saw it much a massacre, the mass of bodies looked to have been nothing but ash and the remnants of a body no longer.

    "STOP!" A girl lunged herself from in the castle out.

    "Who''s her?" Hierd questioned to Friedrick, riding the truck.

    "B-by God''s mercy..." He stumbled in his words, looking at the girl, his heart had dropped, and sweat poured down. "S-she is, my lord... She is th-"

    "The princess, Marrise Des Kraton; of Krimvald asks you!" She pleaded. "To stop! As we surrender to you!" She lowered herself to the ground, showing no worry of her royal status. The knights around her looked at her with disbelief and teary-eyed eyes. ''The princess does this for us?'' One thought.

    "What an opportunity, by God''s graces, thank Him." Hierd exited his truck. For each step, an elevated aura grew around him, and seemingly forced to, all who were there, looked at him, the blonde haired and muscular man. With five stern faced, black-suit wearing men behind him.

    "He must be the general." She looked at him with quivering eyes and terrified mind. She stood back up and faced him. "Your grace, I humbled to meet you." She did a nervousy curtsy.

    "As I am to you, princess of Krimvald." He did not bow, the knights behind her took this a sign of disrespect. "I am the leader of Germany. It''s founder, it''s lord, it''s force and intellect. I have come to plunder this city, not for resource, but for an army of men. I have not come to massacre innocent men and women. We have detained the civilians and put them in our carriages and tents. Fed them and reasured them. To the knights we have killed, I give my apology. But for this is war, apologies are not heard from, but are observed upon."

    "H-he''s the leader of a country!?" She was most intrigued by this fact. "But he also is rather merciful, if one could say it be."

    "My lord, what do you mean ''they are observed upon''?"

    "I will reform this city to my ideal as too have I done to Unchean." He said with a stern face. "And not one man shall be mistreated whilst in my rule. I wish for the masses to know this, Easel''s prevailing figures will, by today be going to Unchean. So do will you, princess of Krimvald. And this city will be taken care of and be fed, given nessecities, whilst I gather my troops from your people."

    The knights lowered their weapons, put them to the ground. They clasped open their helmets; the twang of metal hitting the ground.

    "My lieutenants and major will be in charge of the knights, they will be imprisoned until further questioning shall grant them free." Hierd looked at them frown. "B-but, whilst imprisoned, they will be able to meet their loved ones as they please." Their faces lightened up.

    "Th-thank you, your grace." She bowed low to the ground once more.

    ( * )

    The castle was over-run with Hierd''s soldiers. The two gates were now controlled by the soldiers, making sure not one man will leave. To the ones who had lost their loved ones during the short battle, Hierd gave them food, water, and money. Though he knew this wont be enough, so he ordered to his lieutenants to have the bodies lined up, have them indentified, and give them a semi-burial.

    And soon after, the light of dawn was seen from the east. The brilliance overbearing yet wonderful and beautiful. Hierd had not a wink of sleep, evident by his two big eye bags. He hadn''t anything of importance really to do. His presence was importance enough. He was in a guest room, it was full of soldiers. When then...

    *KNOCK KNOCK

    One of his soldiers opened the door.

    It was princess Marrise, she did a little curtsy before entering the room. It seemed Viscount Melfire followed with, bowing before entering as well.

    "What is it that you wish, princess?" Hierd inquired, she slowly making her way to him.

    She kneeled to the ground, Melfire doing the same. "Your grace, you wished for an army. Correct?"

    "Yes, I d-"

    "Well, your grace, let I prepare them for you."

    "That would certainly make my time easier, princess." Hierd said. "You may go."

    "Your grace." She stood up. "It is Melfire who will do that. I however, wish to accompany you and observe your most terrific technologies."

    Hierd stood up and walked over to her. "If that is what the royalty wishes." He smiled.

    ---

    "What is that moving hunk of iron, your grace?"

    "A truck." Hierd smiled.

    She made an agreeing sound. Hierd and her were walking the streets of Easel. A semi-quaint and semi-luxurious city The buildings were as towerous as Unchean''s two-storey tall houses. His soldiers were following back, making sure that no assailant will get the better hand.

    She stopped, turned to him. "Your grace, these technological advancements of warfare. The intellect of your country, your already done damage. W-will you invade the kingdom of krimvald? Or..." She gulped. "Every kingdom?"

    Hierd looked at her with a serious face. "I by no doubt will invade the kingdom of krimvald. But every kingdom? Isn''t it quite far-fetched, princess? I for one think that one kingdom will do good enough. Controlling an army, the people, and much more, is not that easy, it is; hard."

    "W-why us?" She had a pleading face.

    "I do not like your king, your ruling." He said blankly. "Monarchy is a stupid idealogy."

    "You wish for dictatorship." She said, a bit fierce; her expression.

    "Yes." Hierd smiled.

    They continued walking as if nothing happened.

    The princess looked at the carnage brought down upon by Hierd''s soldiers. Craters, many were they. Though the bodies of the fallen knights have been picked up and given proper burial, the loved ones were on those craters, sitting on them and planting candles and flowers. The children, adults, looked at Hierd with fear and anger. And when Hierd came to view, they simply scattered.

    "Am I really that terrifying to the eyes?" He commented to the air.

    "Y-yes, your grace."

    "I see."

    "These mortars, you call them." She said looking at the crater. "They are disasterous, even a royal formation could fall in seconds with the firing of a single shell."

    "Yes, yes they are. But they are not the only things that are disasterous and cause many a death in my arsenal. In fact, these mortars? They do not even scratch the magnitude of destruction I would hope to achieve."

    "''Hope to achieve''?" She questioned to him. "What do you mean by this, your grace?"

    Her eyes were terrified in the idea that there were more destructive forces of nature hidden away in the man''s ocean eyes. What was he to use the for? She questioned to himself. To destroy each and every man in the kingdom? To eliminate the whole of the royalty in one blow?

    He took a long time before coming to an answer. "When someone with power is threatened with greater power. They hope to achieve his level of power as well. When I completely invade and occupy all of Krimvald. Do you not think that his neighbors will feel threatened? They will form alliances, ensuring that when we think of invading them, they will attack will all their power. And all sorts of madness insues. So I wish to end it with one single blow."

    "A single blow, your grace?"

    "Yes." He smiled. "A blow capable to end all of humanity if used incorrectly. It can destroy countries, generations of families, animals, plants. History."

    She morosed in the idea. "Surely you will not use that for your war with the kingdom of Krimvald?"

    "No."

    And they continued walking.

    ---

    "My grace," Melfire bowed down to him. "Your forces."

    Behind him, Hierd saw the large number of people. They had capable eyes. Yet even he couldn''t know if they were for revenge or for his rule.

    "How many are they?" He walked up nearer to Melfire.

    "They are fivehundred troops. Some are knights and some are volunteer civilians."

    "What a great number." Hierd thought, smiling. "I can use them for the navy, the army, and maybe even an airforce! Oh but that''s just a dream."

    He made his way to the front of the company. "Listen up, men!" He yelled. "Under my rule, you will recieve as much as ten silver coins every month! I do not expect you all to be lousy idiots! You will train by day and by night. By dirt and by sea. You will use all sorts of armaments. Guns, trucks, mortars, grenades! I do not want even a single death, a single injury! Nigh a single one called sick!"

    "Yes, your grace!" They shouted loudly.

    "Good. Good."

    A truck pulled up behind Hierd. Major Friedrick drove it. And behind the truck, was an assortment of wooden crates. One of his soldiers picked one of them up and dropped it beside Hierd. "Inside are your uniforms. You will wear them and then after, you will be given your sabres. After that? You will march from Easel all the way to Unchean, all the way to a village named Venit Ille." He smiled.

    The recruits sighed in exhaustion just thinking about the journey.

    "Are you all telling me you can''t do it!?" He exclaimed. "I do not want lousyness! If even one falls, that one man will face repurcussions. Thrown to the brig, and given only pig''s food!" He strode his way to a recruit. "Tell me! Do you want that!? Do you want to be thrown to a brig!? Given pig''s food!?"

    "N-no, your grace!" He said nervously. "N-no I do not want to!"

    Hierd backed away. He signalled for his soldiers to get the boxes.

    ( * )

    Hierd drove on his truck. His soldiers behind. And behind his truck, a march of soldiers. With heave and ho, one could see their sweat dropping onto their uniforms, stepping on almost dried-up snow. The march of five-hundred soldiers made the ground rumble. For each step, the trees shuddered and the sky cried.

    Yet for every step, Hierd''s strength grew. World domination never seemed so in his grasp;

    He smiled.

 XXIII Declaration [Vol. 1 End]

    <b>"Nothing?"</b> The king fell to his feet. "Nothing!? You tell me that my daughter was not brought with the frigate!? Are you stupid!? Are you insane!?" He looked up to him with desperate tears, as would a father who''s lost his daughter.

    "N-no my lord." The captain of the knights. He looked at the king as if he pleaded for his life.

    The king looked at him with a derided eyes.

    "A-and you say we are being... Invaded?"

    "Y-yes my lord. The frigate''s captain said so himself."

    He stood up. Walked over to the captain of the knights.

    He put his hand on his shoulder. Gripping it, tightly.

    "the whole army shall be deployed." His stare was as sharp as daggers, the pressure of his hand pressing down on the captain''s shoulder made the knight shudder in fear. "See to it that the duke prevails." He slid his hand off.

    "Y-yes my liege, I shall be back." He walked nervously to the door.

    "Do not be back." He looked on sullenly. "Be at the frontlines."

    "A-as y-you wish." He bowed.

    The throne room''s large door shut behind him. The king''s expression was bare, horrified.

    ( * )

    "The waves are beautiful, aren''t they?" Hierd turned to look at her. "Princess?"

    Sitting inside the manor''s dining room. Of the many chairs and tables, Hierd and Marrisse sat in close proximity. The calm light of the afternoon glistening over the sea and illuminating the inside of the manor with the brilliancy of that sun.

    "Indeed that they are, your grace." She sipped her tea. "I was quite aweshook when first I came to the city''s walls. Or rather, the existance of the non-existing for the walls."

    Hierd chuckled. "Those walls were mere wastes, they will provide no further use for me with the weaponry I have, and will have."

    "Speaking of;" Marrise put down her cup. "That building I saw at the southern gate, it was... A marvel to look at. And those iron chimneys above it; how did one go by making such a thing?"

    "I''d rather not divulge of the fact." Hierd said, groaning internally. "But if you wish, the engineers''d be happy to explain it''s go abouts."

    The building was finished rather swiftly. Hierd expected it to take two decades but in reality it took more than nine or ten days. But of course it''d be completed that fast; Hierd gave the engineers and architects tons of material, both the materials needed and the material knowledge. Whilst the dwarves, whom knew that the factory was to be theirs, helped treumendously in hastening the construction. It was big, it was raging to be bigger than the manor, but making it any so bigger would make construction longer.

    "To my belief, the dwarves should already be working in the factory. I''ve yet to officially declare that the craft guild be shut down in favor of the newer, better factory in the city." Hierd''s other worry died down that being; "That the people wouldn''t want the newer factory, but in reality, they''ve already flocked to it. Even merchants from Easel''s been coming to the factory in spite of the ''new'' tag placed on it. I''ll just post a paper on the community board, I''ve got more important things to do." He sighed.

    "Is there something wrong, your grace?"

    "None of the sort." Hierd looked at her. "You, princess, will not be able to leave the Manor without my supervision or of my soldier''s supervision. Understand that there will be repurcussions by leaving so."

    "''Repurcussions.''" She repeated jokingly. "Your grace, what possibly could happen? I wish to look at the city, to go to it''s shops, to look at the soldiers train, to see the trucks drive on the pavement. You can''t possibly take that away from I. And, what possibly could you do to punish my doing?"

    "You are hostage." Hierd stood up. "Your staying in the manor is my hospitality, when in a normal situation, you''d be treated like a prisoner thrown to brig. Do not make me do that, princess."

    She gulped. "Y-yes, your grace."

    Hierd walked away.

    ( * )

    In the barrack''s war room. The second lieutenants and the majors were discussing upon some business, murmuring to themselves of this and so what. Hierd came in mid-way their discussion. As they saw him, they stood up. "Good Morning, lord." They sat back down.

    Hierd made his way to the front most seat and sat. "You have called for my attendance? What is it about?" He looked at Adelheid.

    "We expect the king to make it''s move." Adelheid said. "We do not know when, at most pretty soon from now. I wish to bring a platoon to scout the Northern highway."

    "The northern highway? Is it the road that starts at the north gate?" Hierd questioned.

    "Yes, lord." Adelheid glided his finger on the road on the war room''s large map. "It starts from the captial of Krimvald, all the way down to Easel city. It connects to three countries as well. And one of them is quite near to our territories." He looked to Hierd.

    Hierd nodded. Then, looking at the map. He had never seen the world of Auferstan in all it''s glory. And the fact that this was just the kingdom of Krimvald they were looking at, it makes Hierd wonder of what other things, beings, leaders, countries, and... "Are there other people like me? Transmigrated to this other dimension? Because for fuck-sake, I feel lonely being the only man who knows guns, understands memes, anyone, anyone really who knows... Earth."

    Hierd sighed. "Well? When is the platoon going to be deployed?"

    "By today, lord." He glanced at the map. "At night."

    ---

    Seamless, fast, impenetrable.

    Second lieutenant, Heduc was in charge of the platoon heading stead fast into the depths of the night. The northern highway was a long one. It covered nigh almost the entire width of the plain. Trees were as rare as a cat swimming in deep water. The monotony of the grass, which by the harmony of the night''s moon; looked like a dark soft green. Was only broken off with the water of small streams and the croaking of frogs.

    Lights!? Heduc saw it in the distance. He put his foot on the breaks.

    The trucks stopped abruptly.

    And the lights were turned off.

    "A camp." Heduc said, picking up the telescope he was given. "And they are knights." -He looked at the soldier (Matthaus, the marksman) next to him. "Get up, tell the truck behind that we''re off roading."

    "Yes, sir." He swiftly opened the door.

    The door shut behind the left soldier. In a couple minutes, he was back and climbed in. Heduc cranked the gas and struck the wheel hard to the left, the grass was firm, easy to drive in. From a distance, one couldn''t suspect much of the trucks, they were hidden under dark, not even an owl could see them from that far away. They went some ways off before stopping. And Heduc and Matthaus left their seats in a hurry.

    "Everyone! Out of their seats!" Heduc shouted. Loud but quiet enough. And just as quick as it was said, the soldiers were out in no time. Wearing their the black Venit Ille suits, had fit in with the black background of the night. They pulled out their guns, which were M1 Garands fitted with a scope. However, Matthaus rocked it out with the PTRS-41. It was heavy, not really something that should or would be used in a scouting mission, but Matthaus was leaps in bounds ahead in marksmanship than anyone in the army most probably. The anti-material rifle was really just the cherry atop the cake.

    "We move closer to the camp, see how many there are; account for weaponry, figures, and other notable things."

    "Yes, sir." Quietly now.

    They were in a crouched position. Moving slowly towards the bright camp of the night. They were about a kilometer away from the site. Their scopes sighted in on the knights, some where out to scout out the surroundings, whilst the majority of them were most definitely in their tents, sleeping. Sleeping heavily too, even from that far away one could swear that their snoring could be heard.

    "Let''s estimate." Heduc said. "They''re probably two thousand strong. That big tent at the middle of it," He pointed his hand to the tent, the soldiers in turn sighted their scopes toward it. "We''d probably meet the commander of this army of two thousand. Their princess is endangered, I expect the best of the best of the knights of Krimvald. So lets excerise caution while going nearer."

    "Yes, sir." Said almost in a whisper.

    The more nearer they came, the faster their hearts beat. Even Heduc could hear their heartbeats. But it seemed, looking at the two soldiers from Hierd''s squad who joined in, they were unphased, going faster really than other soldiers in the line of fifty. Now about five hundred meters from the site, the picture was coming together.

    The some knights patrolling were not wearing just normal armor, it was white in color, fully decked out, from that far they could make out that they wore chainmail. And from their helmet, pauldrons to their sabatons, no skin was left to be seen and their eyes were hidden from those small slits.

    A scary army, but just that; Heduc, his platoon, the army; they could probably best the army in less than a day, but things should be better resolved in peace than fierce fighting, right? Nontheless, Hierd''s victory is cemented, solidified in the future history books. However, what of the mages?

    Matthaus looked tempted to fire his weapon, but Heduc turned him down before any aggression could happen. "We''re here to scout, to observe rather than fight, Matthaus." He sighed. "Do not fire, fire only if we are in a desperate situation."

    "Well, that''s what the lord told me." Heduc remembered;

    -+-

    The lord told him, rather cryptic after the meeting at the war room in the barracks.

    "Heduc, you are the one who will be supervising the platoon, correct?"

    "Uh, yes, lord." He scratched his head.

    "I will have two of my soldiers go in with you, they are hardened men. If you are in a tight spot, please, by all means, rely on them."

    "I will lord, but only of course if I was in a really tight spot."

    Hierd chuckled.

    "Do not fire your weapons." His gaze pierced Heduc''s soul, his sweat reinforced the immidiate hit of nervousness he felt as he stared at him. "You will, only if the time calls for it."

    "I will, lord." He bowed and Hierd immidiately walked away.

    -+-

    "An eccentic man, the lord." Heduc laughed in his thoughts. "But I do not argue of his effectiveness."

    "Y-yes, sir." Matthaus'' hands were then ways off the trigger.

    "Now, to scou-"

    "Sir." He was interupted by a soldier. "Sir."

    "Yes? Yes?" He turned to him. "What is it?"

    "Look at the tall tent''s doorway, sir." He pointed to it, the man seems to be sweating bullets. And his finger was twitching.

    Heduc slowly equipped his M1 Garand, under the reticle of his scope, he made his way to the large tent, and then down to the door.

    "THE KING!?" Hierd''s eyes jumped out from their sockets.

    "Everyone." He said, in a light shout. "The king is the commander of the army."

    Their looks were shocked. For the king to be with the knights!? That''s insane to think. There should not just be two thousand knights guarding the king, for the king to be there, there should atleast be five thousand! The encampment was too small for the big number. It could only mean one thing.

    "There are more camps." Heduc said. "We need to pull back, label this spot in the map, and continue to search ahead them."

    "Yes, sir."

    Proning, they moved slowly backwards to their trucks.

    ( * )

    "Five camps. About fifteen thousand knights. Knights with great armor. And the king commandeers the army." Hierd then looked at the princess, who too was shocked from the report from Heduc. "What do you think of this, princess?"

    "I-I shouldn''t be shocked that my father wishes to come for me. But even still, for he to do that." A singular tear rolled down her face.

    "Tell us of the king''s arsenal."

    She looked at Heduc. "Were their armor white? And looked rather fancy?"

    "Yes, princess. Why so?"

    She looked nervous to say it, "T-they are, most probably, the Mage Knight Battalion."

    "The mage knight battalion you say?" Hierd was intrigued. "Magical knights? I''ve yet to see a magical knight in the two cities I''ve captured under. These special ed kids called mage knights might probably put up a decent challenge unlike the battles I''ve scurried under in."

    "Y-yes, your grace." She looked to him. "Mages are rare in it of itself, and the majority of such mages need to study, train, their abilities in the kingdom''s only magic academy located in our most esteemed capital. And only then, no mage wishes to join Krimvald''s army."

    "Because it is stupid." Hierd said.

    "Yes, your liege, you could say that." She sighed. "My father, he could have had forced the academy''s students and lords to give in. But I do not think he knows yet of the power of your guns."

    "No, no." Hierd abruptly said. "He knows. How even would he have known that we are here? Because you were gone? Partly that, but of the months we, my occupation has been, they should have some understanding that what I possess is more than what others possess. And that without these mages of theirs, they would just be feeding wheat to cattle."

    Hierd sighed and faced the other members in the war room. "We need to prepare defences, some days after, I will be assigning some soldiers to rank up as lieutenants. Today however, we will conduct an excercise."

    "An excercise, my lord?" Naturvege piecked intrest.

    ---

    "A live fire excercise to be exact." About a thousand soldiers were lined up at the north gate''s outer perimeter. Tents were set up, food was being delivered from this on and there on and the soldiers were being given shovels. Specifically; trench shovels from the second world war.

    "This live fire excerise will be also the formation of our defences. So it serves another bigger purpose as well."

    About a hundred meters beyond the formation of soldiers were knights with blunted weapons, pikes, spears, shields, and other knightly garments. They themselves have set up their tents. They weren''t to do anything anyways for the first day.

    "There are approximately three hundred or so knights, they were ex-knights of both Unchean and Easel city." Hierd chuckled. "I could, unfortunately, not bring anymore volunteers."

    "That''s alright my lord." Said Naturvege. "We just need the essence of a battlefield."

    Hierd turned to his behind to look at him. "You are right." He walked to the soldiers.

    Assembled alike a huge box, where it was quite cramped and the smell of sweat was too rampant. Hierd stopped and stood as steady as 3 a rock at the front of them all. "Today, we will be conducting our first live fire excercise!" He yelled as loud as he could so his voice could be heard from front to back. "You will be taught how to make trenches! How to defend against the knights! The bows! And most importantly, to protect yourselves! And your families! So first of all, what is a trench?"

    ---

    After a long lesson about trenches, where Hierd had, with a blackboard, labeled the instructions, made small examples and so what and so then. Hierd had set up the soldiers to do what they were taught and shown. With their shovels, they started digging. By the 3rd hour, a trench of fifty meters long had been dug about half a meter deep. And yet, the soldiers were not tired. They kept going and going, and by night; they had rested with a fully complete dug out two meter deep trench.

    By the strike of tommorow''s dawn; Hierd awoke them up with the intense clash of thunderous bullets. Their faces were bewildered as they hurriedly opened their tents, their uniforms crumpled.

    Upon seeing Hierd, they went back in their tents. Coming back out, fully dressed and looking good. Hierd looked upon with amazement. They lined up in a box formation like yesterday. A truck pulled in with hundreds of planks loaded in the back, and with it came a thousand more nails. The soldiers lined up and got planks. Knowing already what to do, they came to the trenches and started lining them up like duckboards. The long night had made the ground cold and a little wet, the duckboards was a big help and made walking on the trench a little ways more easier and comfortable.

    To the trench''s dirt walls. Longer planks were lined up and stuck to them, if in any case that these trenches were to somehow collapse, these planks would make such a thing not happen. And to shelter against magic or of arrows, wooden ceilings were made with walls supporting it. The shielded places served as rooms to shelter both soldiers and ammunition. Grenades and ammo were stockpiled inside.

    It was the afternoon when they finished, if set on a clock it''d be about four P.M. Hierd looked at the trench, delightedly walking beside the edge. The countless tired soldiers at the bottom, upon seeing him, lighted up with energy and started trying to do something to look busy.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    "It has stretched for a hundreds of meters now. And the northern gate is fully protected." Naturvege followed beside Hierd.

    "Yes, indeed." He looked onward from the trench to that far away end.

    "We are not to build a trench all round the city?"

    "No, there is no need." Hierd said. "Though there aren''t anymore walls surrounding this city of ours, even if they were to encircle, go fucking gung-ho and shoot arrows everywhere, we''d notice the uptake and fuck them up too! Three hundred soldiers''d be stationed in the woods around the city covering a whole lot of green monotonous forest, yes, however with their white, grey, whatever color of armor they have, their horses or their carriages, they wont even get an inch in on the green grass of my lands."

    "However, I do still see the fact of failure, even if the odds are not against us."

    "So what will we do, lord?" Naturvege intrigued, questioned.

    "I took a little fancy to a thing I have found whilst reading through one of my books, something that the artillery platoon will without doubt fancy." They stopped with a thud. "It is called the Pak40?"

    "Pak40, lord?" Naturvege smiled. "A new weapon you wish to use?"

    "Yes, but I worry it might be a little too overkill."

    "Isn''t that good, lord?"

    Hierd chuckled a little. "Yes. Indeed it is."

    ---

    "What in the lord''s dane..." The soldiers said, looking at the montrosity of a gun being pulled next to the trench. Reminiscent of a cannon, they thought. Only longer, thicker, bigger, and more frightnening to look at. Some lots of soldiers, from the artillery platoon, were wheeling in the Pak40 artillery guns beside the trench in intervals of one every twenty meters. The trench was approximately two hundred or so meters, maybe even more.

    By Hierd''s order, they were set to train to use the Pak40 (the artillery platoon). Some of the Venit Ille black soldiers were also allotted to train to use them. As there was, in the anti-tank manual, supposed to be six soldiers for every Pak40, even the platoon of fifty soldiers were not enough.

    The soldiers who were not asked to train with the thing looked at the soldiers being lectured how to use it. They were staring enviously as they wanted to also help fire the thing. But, after a second thought, looking at Hierd and Naturvege teach them the basics of using it. The training soldiers were overburdened with the amount of tasks that was to be done that even they got discouraged in wanting to fire one in the future

    *BOOM!

    The earth shattering sound was deafening to the ears of the many men. Though the sound of their everyday gunfire had certainly clouded their hearing, the thunderous clap of the Pak40 was something even they couldn''t hurt but cover their ears of.

    "Well, that''s earth shattering." Hierd chuckled.

    "This is way too overkill, lord." Naturvege chuckled with.

    "Well, as you said, isn''t it good that it''s overkill?"

    "Y-yes, lord."

    Adelheid was running to the trenches, checking out the new development, both the adventurer guild''s chief had come with him to check upon what that noise was that shattered their eardrums.

    Upon seeing Hierd at one of the operating Pak40s, they both ran to him. "Lord!" They both bowed. "This is a new weapon of yours!?"

    "Yes, truly." Hierd smiled looking at their bewildered faces. "They work some ways like mortar, but unlike a mortar, this guy, packs more a punch that the puny mortar."

    "Unbelievable!" Adelheid admired the intricacy of the machine and the long barrel upfront. "This is no weapon for defense, my lord! This weapon is for siege! To destroy an enemy''s castle in mere seconds! The lord has blessed us once more, our kingdom will surely defeat Krimvald!"

    "Yes, it will surely do." Hierd chuckled as the man went insane describing the possible things that could be done with such a warmachine.

    "Lord." Gerald said. "I fear that this thing''ll be disrupting the citizen''s lives. It''s too loud."

    "Well, would they rather die loud or live hearing loud?"

    "W-well..."

    Hierd, looking at Gerald, came upon a thought. "Say," He walked closer to him. "The guild has mages, right?"

    Gerald sighed. "Lord, we of the guild are no able to cooperate with any of the world''s military. As we are a free organization."

    "I am not asking you and your mages or, your adventurers rather, to participate in the war, no, no, not of that sort. I wish only for some, frankly, all of your mages to cooperate with this live excerise. I do not have a iota of an idea of what these mages can conjure. If I find that these mages can indeed lay waste upon my lands, I wish to find that out now than later."

    Gerald looked at Hierd, a sigh of defeat. "If you wish it so. But I''m afraid that the guild doesn''t have that much mages, and most of the mages in our guild are adventurers that are ranked lower than that damned academy''s mages."

    "That is all well." Gerald turned around and walked away, but before he could reach any further. "Oh, Gerald!"

    He turned around. "Yes?"

    "Can you please relay to Easel''s adventurer chief the same thing? That I wish for the mages. There will be a truck readied infront of our adventurer''s guild to pick you up."

    "Yes, lord." He walked away.

    ( * )

    It had reached night time when the Pak40 training had stopped. During the training, ears were plugged, and men were already nervous awaiting the day that the knights come. By Heduc''s estimating. The army would reach the city by five or so days. If it were that the army was indeed resting in normal intervals for their horses.

    The reserve knights at the otherside were looking on the trench, terrified. But they were not still ordered to do something so they instead have been training themselves. Marisse, the princess, looked on locked inside the manor. "Their weaponry has certainly increased since last they invaded Easel. If indeed they want war with the mages, this kind of weaponry shall do. I do not care what side I am in. Either I am with Germany or am with Krimvald. Either way, the world needs change. This country needs change. And Hierd and his men, will be the ones to make that change come into fruition."

    *Knock Knock

    She looked behind her, at the door. Walking up to it; she asked. "Yes? Who is there?"

    "I am second Lieutenant, Jeane of the Venit Ille units."

    "What is it that you want?"

    "Your presence, your grace, infront of Hierd and the rest of the military officials."

    She opened the door. Jeane was sweating bullets and was clearly and obviously nervous to confront a member of the Krimvald monarchy, she bowed. She walked out of the doorway and proceeded forth into the hallway. "Well? Where to?"

    ---

    Marisse hadn''t been outside of the Manor for so long, and so, as Jeane opened the doors of the front door. Her eyes lit up with excitement to finally be let out of the cold walls of the manor. "Please stick with me, your grace."

    "Yes, yes I know." She was clearly disapointed.

    The manor''s gate was being guarded by two guards (they were knights), upon seeing the two, they opened it without fail and bowed to the two. Exiting, they went a right towards the barracks. There were no soldiers at all to be seen, well, that was to be certain as the soldiers were outside the city training at the northern gate, the princess had not too much information regarding such a thing. And was suprised to see no one inside the barracks as they went in.

    A barrage of noise came some ways inside the barracks.

    From the distance, one could hear it be about planning for the war of course. As well as a certain ranking up of certain soldeirs to become second lieutenants. Jeane opened the door of the war room, and Marisse was met with the blast of noise. There was a babble of noise, undescribable being so far away from it all. Hierd saw the two enter.

    "Everyone!" He clapped his hands. "The princess!"

    Their past noise had immidiately stopped, and they stood up. Bowing. "Good evening, Princess."

    "Good evening to you too." She made her way to the vacant seat offered by Jeane.

    "Why was I-"

    "Why were you called, you wonder?" Hierd interupted her.

    "Yes, I do wonder." She said, hiding the sarcasticness in her voice.

    "We need knowledge of the king and his forces, history maybe inside the walls of the castle?"

    "And why would I give such valuable information away?"

    "Why wouldn''t you?" Hierd looked at her. "The kingdom will be destroyed anyhow. Besides, if you do cooperate, I shall promise you two things you wish."

    "Hmm..." She sighed. "That''s good enough isn''t it? Two promises? Then..."

    "I will agree to the terms, so what knowledge do you need even? I have already told you about the mage battalion."

    "Yes, indeed you have told that." He said. "But what we want to know is other military forces. Can you strike by air and by sea? Can you strike underground or be invisible? We wonder indeed."

    "You have an imaginative mind, your grace." She looked dead on. "However, you are right that there are some forces that are able to strike in the air, not so much underground, and being invisible is more than a myth. However, I do not think the kingdom has in possession of forces that can strike in the air. There have been other kingdoms who can strike by air, but training knights to fly dragoons is expensive, and dangerous."

    "Dragoons, you say?" Hierd was intrigued. "What say you of these dragoons?"

    "They are a race of Auferstehen monsters that have been tamed. They are known throughout as the first modified race of monster with ample intellect the same as a horse. And can be trained as a horse."

    Hierd cleared his throat. "During tommorow''s excerise, you will be a mock-general that will be commanding the knights and mages."

    "Tommorow''s excerise?"

    ---

    "This is hell." Marisse thought.

    A barrage of phony bullets were being fired left and right, by the soldiers inside the trenches. And the knights were being set more and more back.

    "Fire the arrows!" Marisse yelled at the crossbow men.

    The swoosh of hundreds of arrows went flailing into the air, the soldiers, looking at the arrows fall down, ran swiftly into their rooms. The sound of a hundred thuds quickly hitting their post. But they shouldn''t be camping in here now, no, no. Right after, they ran outside and continued to fire. The machine guns and the rifles contributing in the mess of fire.

    "They''re fast. We didn''t even get an inch close, and I''m steadily losing knights!" She looked at the mages. "Fire!"

    They chanted an incoherent sayance, after, a ball of fire as hot as magma extruded from their long wooden staffs. A couple of them were hit by bullet fire before they could fire the fireballs. The swoosh of fire making it''s way, undeterred by the bullets, only absorbing it. *BOOM! A real bullet, pierced the fireball with unbelievable speed. Matthaus''s lucky PTRS-41 shot obliterated the fireball.

    The defence was a success. Marisse sighed in defeat. Hierd came running towards the knights. "You may come up now! The excercise is over!"

    The knights grunted up, it was a one-sided battle, and clearly, they lost. But they were ecstatic at the same time. "You won." Marisse said, rather disapointed of herself.

    "Clearly from the start we were destined to win that." Hierd, confidently said.

    "Don''t be too cocky now, your grace." She said with a smile. "This was just a small battle, imagine with the tens of thousands Krimvald has. I would be less disapointed if it were that the live-fire excerise ended sooner." She walked off. Hierd didn''t have a rebuttle to that. He simply sighed, looking at her wander.

    "In a couple days from now, war will break. I''m not too sure about my leadership skills, but I have my own determination with my soldiers. Whatever thousand those sons of bitches, we have guns and bombs."

    Naturvege walked up to him. "Lord." He did a little bow. "There were no casualties. Only one was hit by arrow fire. And they did not even get close to the mine field."

    "Great." Hierd smiled. "May you say my thanks to Pomlik of the craft guild for the phony bullets? They came in handy were rather safe."

    "Yes, lord, I will."

    "Thank you."

    Remembering last night''s meeting at the war room. The princess had said something about Krimvald''s naval warships. They were, as she says; "Powerful and daunting." And that, "They would bring end the city''s houses with the twenty heavy cannons firing at one side as it would the other. I suggest laying some sort of protection at sea, and I see that the military of Germany hasn''t cared to bring this place any so what naval protection, or a navy."

    "Captain, Jack." He murmured to himself. "It seems the navy will get a spring up here."

    ( * )

    As the night dawned upon the soldiers, they were given the day after for rest. Though of course, they did not want to rest. And instead opted to train lightly.

    Morning struck. And before even the sun dawned on the city on that blissful horizon. Three wonderful naval warships were docked on the pier. monsters of steel, one could say. The sleek design was so different to the other ships docked on the pier''s wooden boards. They looked out of this world. And indeed they were. The singular funnel, exuding forth into the air like a chimney a black-ish smoke. the big guns situated on it''s bow and on it''s stern. They were beasts of sorts that one cannot help but look and observe.

    "Captain, Jack." Hierd smiled. "She is here for your comandeering."

    "O! May the Lord''s dane! The lord has blessed me once more! They''s a wunder'' I tells ye! Lord! O'' Lord! Thank to you, thank o'' you."

    "To think this ship isn''t sinking suprises me." Pomlik looked at the intricacy in great detail. "Germany is a wonderful country, lord."

    "Yes, yes, I wonder the same, and I too compliment your country lord." Adelheid was stuck admiring her wonderful stern and the armaments onboard remeniscent of the Pak40''s guns. "But I can''t help but question. This isn''t the Z1 Leberecht Maass we were promised."

    "Indeed they aren''t. They are metal sloops of the K3-Series of sloops, supporting only a hundred and four sailors rather than the hefty three-hundred of the Z1 Leberecht Maass. She''s a downgrade, but she''s something we can use even in small numbers. And still, she packs quite the power."

    "Ze'' K3 ye'' say, lord?"

    "Yes, indeed." He looked at Jack. "Well then? Shall we board?"

    The excited Jack and the other children followed behind (Pomlik and Adelheid). "She''s already running, you may let her out on a steer after the training sailors are ready."

    "She works the same way as the Z1 Leberecht Maass, lord?" Questioned Adelheid.

    "In a way, yes. There are some lots of differences. Size, first off."

    "Then I will be more aquainted with the inner-workings!" And with twinkling eyes, he questioned. "May I be the one to commandeer the second?!" He pleaded with his two hands making sad almost puppy-like noises.

    A sigh of defeat. "There really isn''t another person out there that I can trust. So you will do."

    "Yes! Thank you so much lord!" He laughed dreamingly in his thoughts, it spilling out and onto the world as well.

    "Where are me'' sailors even, lord?"

    "Hmm?" He looked at him. "They should be here in any second."

    "How many are they?" Adelheid questioned.

    "Three hundred applied for the position."

    And indeed, as the sun rose to light up the whole of the docks. The white of their uniforms, the blue collars with white stripes. It was fashionable, and all white. Marching forth to the pier and boarding the three ships by number of a hundred. "Well I''ll be damned, lord!" He said, aweshook by the amount of sailors there were.

    "You have gotten your uniform yes?" Hierd asked Jack.

    "Y-yes, me lord."

    "Then why have you not worn it today?" Hierd pressed-on.

    "W-well, me lawd, it''s a bit scritchy scratchy to me."

    "Well, wear it tommorow." Hierd chuckled.

    There were a hundred sailors in the first ship (where Jack commandeers), and all were not new to the rules of the sea as they too have had sailed in it. Hierd, yelled as loud as he could. Teaching the masses about how it operates, it was a brisk training one could say. Even though it took until the dawn of the afternoon to complete for all just one ship. The other two ships docked were just asked to observe the first.

    The people of Unchean, the merchants, the olden sailors, looked at the ships with a newfound fancy. They were sleek and clean. And were fanciful and bright. True technologies for a new age. The guns, the sleek iron smacked onto it''s tender long hull. One couldn''t imagine the weight. But the very fact that it still is floating, confused the sailors, engineers and the curious onlookers. There were a number of journalists from Easel looking that were there, documenting it from afar with aweshook expressions.

    Before long, she finally moved. "Yeah, yeah!" Captain Jack yelled excitedly. "We''re running!"

    They were in the bridge, Adelheid, Hierd, and some of the other sailors. Whilst the rest of the sailors were in the decks below working on with it''s blasting furnace. "Captain," Hierd grabbed his attention. "We need to go a quarter a nautical mile, then, we''ll blast her cannons."

    "About time, lord." He smiled gleefully.

    She was a fast one! Eighteen knots to be exact. The sailors and at most everyone aboard were suprised by how fast she was. Even the onlookers were shook with her speed, outrivaling the wooden ships they had. Even the fastest of the seas, the caravel, couldn''t outrival the K-3.

    In under fourty-three seconds, they reached four hundred meters.

    "Great! We''ve reached." He exited the bridge, Jack and Adelheid followed with. "Where is Pomlik?"

    "I believe he''s below the deck."

    "Alright."

    Hierd gathered the sailors to the ship''s bow. Where the large two barreled gun was installed in. As the bow was not large enough, the other sailors simply gathered round the deck. "Everyone! Let us show Unchean, to Easel, to the world what this ship can do!"

    "Yes, lord!" They yelled.

    "There are two twin barreled turrets! These function some ways like our Pak40 artillery guns, however, these are for battling the ships of sea or for bombarding the shore. As I know, you all have some experience with being sailors, so I do not need to elaborate what rule be what she wants. She is propelled not be wind, but by her two propellors, driven by the captain and the furnace below. So even if the wind blows that and this, we can go anywhere, unrestricted by the rules of the wind and of the sea. This, everyone! Is an advantage we cannot pass! During the battle, you will be participating, as well as the two other K-3 sloops we have docked in shore bombardment and battling the kingdom''s galleons and similar warships."

    He chuckled. "And I doubt that they''ll even scratch our hull. Will they!?"

    "NO, LORD!"

    "Yes, yes! That is correct. Not one of their cannons will scar our ships! By the might of your captain, and the ships many guns, you will not be afraid! You will shoot her guns and straight into the wooden piles of trash they call galleons!"

    "YES, LORD!"

    ---

    "The lord requests for us to watch from afar the ship firing." Heduc said.

    "No fair." Jeane pouted. "I want to ride on the ship."

    "Well are you a sailor, Jeane?" Heduc said, comforting her a little.

    "N-no, but still!"

    Heduc chuckled. "You''ll get your chance to ride one, one day."

    The second lieutenants and majors were all gathered at the pier, watching at the ship. The princess, Marisse was asked to watch too. And she looked at these ships with a sort of jelousy. "What in the world are these ships!? They move too fast for their steel hulls! And those turrets! I doubt they''re light! So why oh why are they so fast!? And they don''t even need sails on masts to manuever! ''Propolsion by propellor'' says sir Naturvege to me. What even is a propellor!? God, Germany is frightening."

    She gulped. "Sir, Naturvege?"

    Naturvege stood up and turned to the princess. He bowed. "What is it, your grace?"

    "His grace, Hierd had called for those ships to be brought here, right?"

    "Yes, your grace."

    "I did not see any German official here."

    "We do not ever see the lord''s officials. They just leave us with these armaments."

    "Strange."

    "You do not question it, sir?"

    "No, not at all, your grace. We''ve fully accepted it."

    "Hah, I-I see." Seeing her eased, Naturvege sat down once more.

    "How can this advanced civilization not be found yet? With the activity they undergo just to help Hierd. I disbelieve that they''ve yet to be found yet." She looked on, suspicious. "Yet none of his underlings suspect anything of the sort. What are they even? Braindead? How come they''ve yet to be suspicious of how he gets his technology?" She sighed.

    The front turret began to rotate, it was approximately a hundred fourty degrees. It was immidiately spotted by the onlookers. The barrel was facing their direction, even though they''d think that the turret would probably shoot towards them, they were not fazed. Instead, they watched silently, waiting for the blow.

    -3-

    A clunk!

    -2-

    It raised.

    -1-

    *BOOM!

    The ''RRR!'' of the shell wizzed through the air.

    It hit the shore beside the city!

    A large plume of water splattered onto the spectators.

    "Goodness!" Marisse blurted out. "That was..."

    ---

    "Amazing!" Captain Jack looked at the bombarded shore with excitement. "Neve''er in me years thought I''d be able to witness a cannon wizz pass dat'' long a distance! God be darned! This''er turret is power!"

    "Yes, indeed!" Said the ecstatic Hierd. "And with all her armaments, she''ll be dangerous to galleons, nigh even a whole armada of ships!"

    They celebrated the shot like it was the dawn of a new year. The sailors, the onlookers, the soldiers on shore, they were all excited. And war never felt so one-sided looking.

    "Now all we''ll need to do is to train the other two ships." Sighed Hierd.

    ---

    Night reached and the second ship, Adelheid''s ship, had then a fully furnished crew of sailors that were capable enough to operate and fire the ship''s guns. It was a long day and Hierd was famished. However, the day after, would be an even busier day.

    ( * )

    "Today is a day of commemoration." Infront of a thousand troops, and a thousand more citizens watching from afar. Family members of the soldiers, journalists, or just causal spectators. Anyhow, they looked, admiring the crowd of soldiers. To the Venit Ille Black units, the Ridge Brown units, and to the Unchean White sailors of the newfound navy. It was a day worth to celebrate.

    "I, Chancellor of Germany, Hierd Die Grace, will give thanks to the following soldiers that were seen to have outstanding bravery, acknolowedgements, in both the battle of Unchean and of the battle of Easel. And therefore shall give upon to thee, my appreciation and the ranking up of their title."

    ''Ranking up!?'' They clammored with each other. ''I can be like sir Heduc, and ma''am Jeane!?'' They murmured.

    "Alright, alright, ease in, everyone."

    The soldiers went quiet.

    ---

    Several soldiers had ranked up to sergeant, with only three, more decorated soldiers having the chance of second lieutenant. Heduc, Jeane, Gelmund, and Verdel were promoted to major. With Naturvege and Friedrick being promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Captain Jack stayed captain of the navy.

    After the ceremony, and the giving of their new insignias. The soldiers went home, celebrating with their loved ones, and to the ones who weren''t given recognition, they went home still with happy family members. Feasts were being done in, and they, because of Hierd''s order not to drink wine or beer, were drinking berry juice.

    ( * )

    The next day was thunderous. The sea was enraged, heartbroken and furious. Hierd''s heart dropped, recieving a report uncanny. "Lord I fear that the king''s Mage Battalion will be arriving soon." He received it while he was staying away from the rain inside the manor''s living room. He gripped the moist, cold glass window.

    "Prepare the defences, and bring out the ships."

    "Yes, lord."

    Hierd came quickly outside the manor, his squad behind him, caring not for the rain that shook the streets. Trucks were moving, soldiers were being moved in and out. The sailors were running for the docks, and the people, upon hearing the annoucement, cowered and hid inside their homes. Hierd ran towards the northern gate, and towards the tents. The soldiers were already stationed inside the trench, or outside of it with their mortars, Pak40s, Vicker Machine guns. To the sea, could you spot the two ships moving in close to the shore, even the faint maniacal laughing of captain Jack could be heard. The bow''s turrets, turned to the shore.

    "Lord!" Naturvege ran to him. "The soldiers in the forest are already station-"

    A trumpet! Muffled under rain, was enough signal that the horses were coming in, and the king''s battalion was here. The helms of the white knights seen clearly in the distance, and upon seeing the strange forces afoot Unchean, the king''s heart could not be shaken. They had his daughter. And clearly, were ready to be sieged.

    "Your grace, what are we to do?" Questioned the white knight to the king.

    He looked to the seas. "Those ships, are of iron." Then to the trench. "Those weapons are enlarged cannons. I wish to see this leader of theirs, before we start any battle." His eyes caught the attention of a man in full black approaching them with a squad of soldiers behind. His blonde hair clearly visible under his black hat.

    "Hmm..." He chuckled. "It seems my wishes have been heard." He dismounted off his horse.

    "Your grace!?" Suprised by the king''s movements, the knight brought five knights around the king.

    Decorated with gold, the king''s crown glistened even in the thunderous rain, grey clouds, and raging sea. They two walked slowly to each other, to the soldiers and knights watching from afar, it was a clash of two powers. The aura of two powerful men.

    Hierd lifted his chin, facing him, they stopped.

    "You have my daughter."

    "Indeed. King."

    The knights beside him were angered, the man did not bow nor use proper honorifics. Yet the king raised his right hand, they did not make another move.

    "Give me my daughter. Or we start a long war."

    "What will I stand to gain?"

    The king''s face stiffened in anger. "What do you want? Power? Money? Influence?"

    "I want your kingdom."

    A loud silence. Hearts beated and the tensions carefully grew.

    "My kingdom? You will not obtain that."

    "Then I," He raised his cap and threw it some off place. "I, Hierd Die Grace, declare war to the kingdom of Krimvald!"

    The king looked at him with shock. "You will perish. Along with your stupidity. Hierd. Die. Grace."

    "I will see to it that your head be staked along with your knights."

    "You dare!?" The white knights beside the king acted.

    The king laughed. "You have the nerve! You want war!? I give you war! We will destroy this country of yours! And you will never see the light of day, never see the light of fruition ever again! Your country will crumbled within my grasps! You will never defeat me! I, Rafferty Des Kraton, will make your country but a failed dream!" His anger, clearly shown, red was his face. And his fists were clenched.

    "You can try, monarch of Krimvald." Hierd said sarcastically, angering the king even more. "You will not defeat me."

    "Not ever." Hierd took a step closer.

    "And not now." He grinned.

 I Krimvald [Vol 2]

    Hierd hopped down into the trench, the heavy thunderous rain made it all wet and muddy. The soldiers complained about their wet suits. Hierd hadn''t brought rainwear for the soldiers, but they will make do with what they have. The soldiers awaited patiently for them to attack. Readying their machine guns, and the Pak40 was already raring to fire.

    "Lord." Heduc walked slowly to him, scutting over for the passing soldiers. "They aren''t advancing. Should we shoot first?"

    "N-no." He peeked over the edge. "We should wait. The knights''ll try to circle the field and flank us. And if things go into mind, they should take into account that there are soldiers inside the forest, but she''ll handle it."

    "She?" Heduc questioned.

    Hierd smirked. "Jeane."

    ---

    The soldiers inside the forest were eyeing up the distance. The knights were, Indubitably moving into the forest. An old wiry looking second lieutenant, with his platoon of soldiers, observed from afar the moving formation of knights. "Sir." Whispered one of the soldiers. "What will we do?"

    He looked to the soldier. "We wait, observe. But we should inform it first to Ma''am Jeane."

    "Yes, sir."

    Major Jeane and Gelmund were in charge of the line of soldiers and, borrowing from the trench rulebook that was dug out at the northern gate; they instructed for the second lieutenants to arrange their troops to hide in little carved out ditches, making smaller trenches that are just low enough to hide a fully proned soldier.

    The old second lieutenant and some soldiers from his platoon ran, albeit slowly. Towards a larger platoon of soldiers that was located further west the point of discovery. It wasn''t his platoon, it was Jeane''s. They gave quite a scare to the soldiers as they just peered from the vegetation out of nowhere, but after seeing their uniforms, they calmed. Jeane was a makeshift tent of sorts, not as drenched as the other soldiers. He walked to her and bowed when she noticed his coming. She was sitting on the dirt, caring not for the mud that drenched her.

    "Ma''am." He said with a stern expression.

    "Yes, lieutenant?" She looked at his face, his eyes.

    "The knights are moving in through the eastern path." He said. "Numerous, and there were mages."

    She sighed before standing up.

    "Second lieutenant, Pierce!" She shouted to Pierce that was sitting inside the tent. "Stay here, in this formation, whilst second lieutenant Joel assists me!"

    "Yes, ma''am!" Yelled the lieutenant as he stood up and bowed.

    She, after hearing the acknolwedgement, gestured for the old lieutenant, second lieutenant Joel, to go. It was quite some ways off from that platoon of Jeane''s. After a long trek of walking in the raining forest. Joel finally found his platoon again. They had actually moved some ways off from their original position since the knights have moved further in. The soldiers, upon seeing the four stood up and bowed. "Ma''am!" They yelled.

    "Ease." She gestured, swinging her hand up then down then up.

    "Report." Joel said to a soldier, a seargent who had came to him first.

    "The knights have moved in further and we were forced to relocate to a safer location. Other than that, sir, nothing else to report."

    "Thank you, seargent."

    Jeane walked off a bit to the side, where one could see the knights bunching up. "What are they doing?" She eyed the knights cautiously walking inch by inch deeper into the forest.

    They were in a circular formation, a ring wherein there was an inner ring of knights with magical staffs. And then inside that inner ring was inner-inner ring of five archers. The second lieutenant shared his concerns over the formation. It cannot be pounced upon by a frontal attack, the outer knights with swords and spears''d deter it. The mages would as well. And God knows what the mages could do. And if the archers were trained enough, even shooting from far away would be a danger.

    "The lord would disagree." She said, smiling. "We have guns, they have spears and bows. Lets not worry about the bows. There are only three bowsmen. We have platoons of soldiers who are trained to shoot guns that are automatic." She eyed up a mound that was located up some cliff-face. "Have your soldiers up that mound over there." -She pointed- "And shoot once they reach close enough."

    "Yes, ma''am." The second lieutenant went his way to his soldiers whomst were hiding inside their small trenches. Jeane looked over and saw the soldiers getting up from their proned position and making their way fast, yet hidden, towards that mound upwards. The knights were, as then as that now, were slow.

    The soldiers were situated atop the mound, and eyeing up the knights at the bottom. Using the M1 Garand, they sighted in, of the fifty soldiers inside the platoon, they all pointed their barrels towards their picked and chosen.

    The frontmost knight cracked a twig.

    A worthy signal!

    A round of bullets hailed from the heavens! The soldiers unloaded their rounds into the knights, they, screaming in pain as the bullets pierced their bodies like mush. Blood splattered every which way, a horrifying scene.

    The formation was immidiately broken up. Already half had perished. The other half were just readying up their attacks. Seeing the mage charge up a spell, the soldiers aimed at them and shot mercilessly. Not even giving them any chance of retaliation.

    The bowmen never stood a chance.

    "Good one!" Jeane yelled from below. She made her way to the fallen knights. "I remember the princess said something about these poor guys. That they''re students or something like that." One knight who''s head was not obliterated by a headshot was still groaning, the raspy breathing was loud in the silence, the silence of a finished battle.

    "Y-you! Woman! H-how dare you!" He yelled profanities at her. "You bitch! Help me! Or else you''re commiting a warcrime!" Even under that white helmet of his, Jeane saw the bulging eyes of a man that should be forgotten. Anger, fear, desperation. Those emotions conveyed themselves as the knight screamed profanties at her.

    "Nevermind, I don''t mind if they''re students or not. This guy proved it to me." She unbuckled off her luger and aimed at his head.

    He gasped, stopping completely his breath. "N-no! What are you doing with that!? Please! D-"

    The bullet clanged inside the helmet. And a river of blood oozed out of the small slit eyes holes.

    Jeane stood their with a blank face.

    The second lieutenant, Joel, ran to her. "Ma''am. Are you alright? We heard something."

    "Yes, I am alright, Second Lieutenant." She turned to him, whoms''t was eyeing up the knight she shot.

    "What are we to do?" He questioned to her.

    "Search the bodies. I am sure lord Hierd might want to know how they work, the armor and wands." She eyed up the fallen knights. "The mages for ma''am Jamie."

    "Yes, ma''am." He bowed.

    *BOOM!

    It came from the distant east. The northern gate! That sound, it could not be mistaken, it was the Pak40''s shrill, it''s deafening noise. The soldiers were all seen, cowered to their feet. Their hands on their guns, and their eyes set forward, anticipating an attack of sorts. Jeane however stood defiant to the noise. "It''s begun."

    ---

    The Pak40s were being fired, their thunderous shocks to the ground shuddered the knights and soldiers. With that, the machine gun fire was blasting straight through the lines of knights as if they were nothing. However, a second after, the mages have erected blue barriers of pure magic. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "What the shit!? Magic barriers!? I thought these shits didn''t have developed fucking magic."

    And not even a moment later, the Pak40 rounds rained down and fell on their heads. The earth shattering blast that followed suit afterwards was immense. The battalion was scattering. And the numbers plummeting. The king knew he had to fight back, or else Hierd was going to supersede the already failing attack of the mage battalion.

    Although struggling, the bowmen got together and, aiming high to the sky, shot out a thousand arrows.

    Hierd looked up, the grey of the sky masked the falling arrows. Yet, though faint. The sound of falling arrows dawned upon him, masking in the thunderous rain. Yet like a panther''s black color in a green forest, it could not be totally hidden.

    "Everyone!" He yelled out loud. "Arrows! Hide!"

    Hearts beated, and yelling ensued. As the order travelled further inline the trench, the soldiers ran fast towards the shielded parts, but, the crowdedness of it all, was a disaster. The arrows soon fell down. And to the soldier''s exposed backs, they cried out a yell of pain. "Get the apothecary!" They soon yelled out.

    "Yes sir!"

    But they shouldn''t dally. After a couple seconds, the soldiers ran out of their encampments and began blindly shooting toward the plain. "Their infantry''s moving!" Hierd blurted out. "They''ll not get far with the mines placed, but we need to conserve the mines anyway."

    "Shoot at them!" Heduc shouted.

    The line of fire regained it''s heart and a wall of bullets pounded upon the moving infantry men. The knights were forced to push back, however, to the those who were already on the ground; with their pounding hearts and the rushing adrenaline. They grabbed ahold of their wands and began casting.

    Fast balls of fire and gunshot-speed water balls shot out and toward they went to the trenches. Some were hit and burnt. Leaving brutal injuries. "Get them inside and treat!" Yelled the soldiers. But the firing was not detered and continued, brutally killing the charging infantrymen. But by God, they did not want to let down. Continuing another line of arrowfire, which was too swiftly avoided by Hierd''s quick noticing of. The krimvald infantry began to charge once more. This time, they casted magical spells and barriers.

    The bullets couldn''t pierce the barriers and, although some fireballs were shot down, the others that didn''t, fell and burnt the duckboards. The rain had no affect over the brilliancy of that ball of hellish fire. The horses were getting nearer, step by step they grew excited; their spears ready to charge forward.

    *BOOM!

    The mines! They exploded as the horse''s hooves stepped on the triggers. The blast spelt death to the king. The battlefield never seemed so one-sided before. And they were with the mage battalion, the best of the best in the kingdom of Krimvald! Yet they''re clearly failing! "My liege, what will we do!?"

    "Continue the barrage of arrows, they are hindered when we fire them. But those large cannons disrupt the line of arrowmen. We need to focus on taking them down."

    "But how, my liege?!"

    "We must hold on until our ships have come." He looked to the storm, the grey horizon and raging sea. "They shall bombard the shore, hopefully it shall scare them."

    ---

    "They''s a rough out there!" Captain jack gleefully commented, looking out from the bridge window. "The knight''s be losing though."

    They were ordered by Hierd not to fire the shore and keep on the lookout for any advancing ships. The k-3s danced in the towering waves, the seawater getting in the bow''s deck. The sailors were hard awake, trying to balance themselves in the rocky waves. They were getting flung about and all. But Jack stayed still and steady. Adelheid''s ship followed closely behind Jack''s. And were at cruising speed.

    A silhouete appeared from the distant horizon. Captain Jack noticed it almost immidiately. "Aye, fellow!" He looked behind him, to a sailor. "Signal yee'' sir Adelheid wid dee'' lights. There''s ah big fish in dee wa''ers."

    "Yes, sir!"

    The sailor, and some others went with him. Exiting the bridge and making their way to the light fixture posted on the deck. Aimed at the ship behind, they flashed some code by blinking the light on and off. Two blinks on, and one blink off. Adelheid''s eyes flashed. "There''s an enemy!" The sailors in the bridge were nervous. The seas have called for ash.

    A galleon! "By God!" Jack exclaimed, looking at the ship intently, then, like a flash of some distant memory. "It''s the Crossier!"

    Elegant white sails battled the the swirling might of the winds. The rain that drenched her board wet of any dry surface. Red was her hull, and she, like her sailors, were thirsting for blood. With her thirty heavy cannons, she was ready for battle. The wind made it hard for her to move. And so unlike, the K-3s were undetered by the wind''s updraft. "I want those guns ready for shooting!" Adelheid yelled to the sailors behind him.

    "Yes, sir!"

    Adelheid set his eyes, calm he was. He ran the steer to the left, circumnavigating Jack''s ship. Two ships faced off the heavy galleon. The k-3s were noticably longer and were iron hulled unlike the Crossier. But that didn''t deter the slow moving menace of a wooden tyrant.

    A plan was carved in both the captain''s heads. Those cannons shoots a quarter the distance that the K-3''s turrets shoots. "We shoot from afar." The two said. The K-3''s turrets were twin barreled. And had a raging amount of armaments aboard, plenty to shoot down one ship.

    The sailors toughed it out in the raging waters, getting the guns to function were the least of their worries. They held on to the railings while supplying the needs of Adelheid and Jack. The guns meant for anti-air were repurposed for the sea, and with the two twin turrets aboard, the anti-air guns on either side of the ship, the Crossier would sink in a matter of seconds. "The mages, sir." Questioned one of the sailors.

    "Dee'' mages''d purse us a problem yes, yes." He stroke his beard. "But I belay that thought, dey''s a nothing to us, to me crew, to Hierd''s army!" He laughed maniacally, sailing forward now at full speed.

    Everyone was drenched in the sea''s acursed salty waters. Their uniforms turned grey as water seeped into their white sailor outfits, the fabric getting stuck to their skin like glue to glass. They were getting closer and closer, tensions were afloat in the deck.

    -15��- The barrel turned to the hurling chunk of wood.

    -25��- The ship encrouches.

    -30��- Hearts trembled.

    -45��- Breaths were held.

    -65��- The Crossier''s crew, they could see them!

    "FIRE!"

    A thunderous clap! Eight shells blasted out of their barrels and held barreling straight into the wooden hull. After a second, another eight rounds were pumped out!

    The Crossier panicked, her boarded men ran to their cannons. The ships, encircling from side to side, they, those three ships, were parralel to each other. Shooting from her sides, the galleon roared out all thirty of it''s cannons!

    The irons hulls were hit, and some were even lucky enough to hit the deck! Yet the K-3s? They were merely scratched, scaved by rocks when they two themselves wear admantite armor. Ever from afar, even if the waters raged and the sky cried. Jack could hear the men aboard that ship cry in uproar. ''How could it not damage it!'' Jack imagined. ''Why has it yet to sink!?'' Jack laughed out loud.

    "Jump me men to your guns!" He dramatically said. "And let we end dis''er skirmish!"

    "Yes sir!"

    Turning, turning, the guns aimed at the ship. A drop of sweat, or was it? The sailors didn''t know. They knew, however, that they were nervous. Galleons are the most feared of warships in the wide sea. No navy dares fight a galleon without having a hundred sloops fight it, maybe even three galleons if ever that navy had galleons.

    They pulled their triggers.

    A blast of heavy fire, the likes of which were so deafening one would try to shut their ears with the power of just their ear muscle''s will power. The bullets pierced and killed. Wood shattered and blood spilt into the sea as it seeps into tiny cracks and escapes. Adelheid''s turrets had targetted the ship''s rudder. It couldn''t turn now. The screams were rampant aboard. But not without atleast some defiance. There was another round of cannon fire. This time, as the ship sunk a little to it''s starboard, it had hit Jack''s deck. The wood flooring cracked and splintered as the cannon balls landed.

    One hit the bridge window! Jack was stunned, but he left it only to laughter. "Yee'' black balls can''t penetrate my white a-"

    The two sloops let out yet another deafening salvo. The maiden of war, the galleon that was once mightly fierce. The galleon feared upon by men and women, child alike. The Crossier put up an effortless fight. The masts were destroyed and the sails flailed as they had but rope to keep theirselves in the air. Yet, as the ships kept shooting, and the wooden wizzed out from their places. Leaving holes in it''s stead. The ship''s bow began to sink down into the depths. The gush of ocean water, the cold of the deep blue. The Crossier''s crew were screaming out profanities and prayers, yet had no one for those to be recieved to but only themselves. The men and the ship. Gone. Sunken to the deep. The vortex of water, those hellish waves. The seas have taken it mercilessly. And as if like a fleeting dream, it''s demeaning presence was over.

    The sailors aboard the two ships were gleeful, shouting out their victory for the seas to hear. "The Crossier drowns to the bottom of the depths." Adelheid comments as he himself strayed his hands away from the steer and stepped out of the bridge to the cold of the outside.

    "Sir?" The sailor walked to him in confusion.

    Adelheid turned to look at the sailor. "Inform Captain Jack that I wish to travel beside the shore up to bombard the following battalions."

    "Y-yes sir."

    ( * )

    The king''s heart drops. The battle stopped to look at the naval war, that deafening salvo heard even from that far away. It was heartbreaking for Krimvald''s forces. It was so one way that they cried themselves away from the battle and towards the main formation. Retreating from their own wills, but even still, they did not want to leave the formation of soldiers. In fear of he, the king, staring from horseback.

    "Your grace, what will we do?"

    The king looked at the knight, even from behind his helmet, he could see his big bulging eyes, eyes that were afraid, distraught. "Retreat." He said with thorns and daggers coming out of his face. Immidiately, the word went around of the king''s defeated sigh. ''Retreat'' was repeated in the big box formation. The knights carrying the word to their comrades.

    Hierd saw from afar the knights running for their lives. The king, from on top his horse, was visibly defeated. They turned around. The soldiers, stopped their fire. "W-we." They gasped. "We won!" And as the soldiers looked at the horizon, where there once was a battalion of fearful mage knights, there was no only the carnage brought upon by artillery fire and mines. The words; ''We Won!'' And; ''Glory to the lord!'' Spread around like wild fire in the muddy trenches and drenched men.

    Jeane''s battery of troops leaped from the trees and out into the open as they saw the battalion retreat. Gelmund''s troops also. They flailed their guns to the air without care, and as they were victorious, certainly they should celebrate.

    "A quick battle, that one." Hierd said to Heduc.

    "Yes, lord. Indeed that it was." Heduc said with a smile on his face.

    "Lord! Lord!" A yell came from the distance calling for Hierd. He looked around the trench to see where that voice came from. But after the voice called again for the lord, he finally saw the soldier calling to him from atop the trench.

    "Y-yes!?" Hierd called back to the man.

    "Lord!" His voice trembled this time. "Captain Jack, and sir Adelheid have told us that they will be advancing forward!"

    "What!?"

    Heduc looked at Hierd, who was aweshook by the news received. "Lord?"

    "We need to advance as well."

    "Are you certain? We could just call back the two."

    "No, no, they have the right mind. Let us end this quickly. And advance-"

    Hierd looked at Heduc. "Towards the capital."

 II Die Kriegsmarine

    In the bridge, Adelheid watched carefully the raging sea. The harsh sound of rain hitting the roof of the bridge was evident, it was as if a warning, that the clouds were warning Adelheid that there was danger up ahead. Yet, Adelheid was undetered, so was Jack who too was driving the ship parallel to Adelheid''s. Keeping a close distance, yet not so close that hull to hull could be touching.

    A sailor went into the bridge, with him, a new and hot steaming still; tea. The same as did he consume at his days in the school, "Jasmine tea keeps my mind off the cool. And, thank you." He looked to him as he carefully grabbed the handle.

    He took his hands off the handle of the steer and sipped the cup. His eyes looked to have refreshed and his mind at ease. The sailor; "You''re welcome, sir. As I know of you''re liking of the tea. And thankfully, there was a sac of such in the storage room."

    "Ah, that would probably be the one I had stored, it was quite hidden, but thank you for finding the hid sack."

    A nervous lack. "Y-yes, sir." It was after an unbroken piece of silence where only rain and the sea was heard, that the sailor, whoms''t was hesitant to say, said to Adelheid; "Are you sure of this sir?" The sailor looked at Adelheid who was looking at the raging sea yonder far.

    "I am." He said with that unbroken resolve, the face of a man serious, a face of a man that knows it all. He took another sip of the tea. "Why did you question?" Interested in the sailor''s thoughts about it all.

    "It was nothing, sir." He said, nervously. "B-but, I think I will have to carry on with my duties." -He bowed- "Goodbye, sir."

    The sailor walked off some way and out the bridge by some door further in. He finished his cup of tea and put it some place were the sea could not damage it. Adelheid kept the sail.

    ---

    A company of soldiers were advancing forward the northern highway. Traces of activity scattered about, the imprints of heavy horse hooves, bits and pieces of left camp settings. If left up to the mind to imagine, the knights would''ve probably seen the advancing soldiers and would have promptly ran for the trees for cover. The king knows not of the trucks the kingdom has, but with that kind of technology, to outrival even his knights, surely Hierd''s army, his kingdom would have a mean''s way for fast transportation.

    If the knights ran, they''d be out of breath by now. To the ones who ran with horses, their horses would be foaming in the mouth with exhaustion. But Hierd''s battalion, the many trucks, the machine guns strapped to the backs of it, the mass amount of rations. Hunks of iron, unstoppable by rain, undetered by exhaustion. The trucks merely ran steadfast at the highway without fancy of a break.

    It did not take long for the forces to encounter themselves once more. But this time. The amount of knights were staggering. Almost as if the field of grass turned grey from the armor they wore, red from the flags they flew. And white from they blades they shone. A Division of knights, brigades worth of men. The trucks did a quick ninety degrees, letting out the soldiers at the back then the machine guns quickly. Whilst the knights just stood there watching. The king, was visible, and was at the front eyeing up the whole charade.

    "Use the trucks for cover against arrows, the metal frame should be enough." Hierd said, then, looking at the soldiers. "Dig trenches, quickly now."

    "Yes, sir!"

    Hierd was nervous. The knights did not make any movements whatsoever, almost as if they watched at pityfully at a force that could not beat them. It angered Hierd internally. He gasped, the sharp gaze of a murderous man, it crept on his neck.

    *SWISH!

    The twang of an arrow! Hierd''s heart beated fast. Splattered across the grass ground, a soldier just right next to him was shot at the arm. The man stood there, perplexed and confused. He didn''t register pain right until Hierd shouted. "Shoot!"

    The knights were charging in without care for dying. The Vickers Machine guns swirved left then right just trying to shoot as much targets as possible. The soldiers then brought in the mortars and started blasting. The knights were diverting, a flank of sorts, the soldiers were overwhelmed as is, and the lack of protection against arrow fire was one. But they could do nothing but shoot and await Hierd''s orders.

    The soldiers have been keeping back the lines and the arrow fire was of no issue, even if the sky were turned black, the arrows would just be deflected and evaded. As the trenches were being dug and reinforcements were being made with wood that had ''magically'' spawned out of nowhere, said Hierd.

    Hierd watched hiding in one of the trucks, onlooking the battle and giving commands. But as far as things had gone, there was no need for him to say anything. The knights were encirling the formation, to combat this, Hierd had been extending his line of soldiers, moving some Vicker Machine Guns to the other side. This however had weakened the firepower of some sides. "With sixteen lightly wounded and three with heavy wounds, I doubt that I am losing this one. The amount of knights Krimvald''s losing by the second is grave, their formation will die by then. So why oh fucking why aren''t they retreating under this heavy fire?"

    Mages from the mage battalion were shooting spells at the formation of soldiers, it had damaged some of the guns and trucks, lightly that is. Hierd had observed the majority of the knights now ducking and crouching, avoiding some of the gunfire to get closer. And some of the knights looked to be following orders to move this big wooden structure reminiscent of a Trebuchet.

    However, under the heavy fire of the soldiers, the wooden structure of the siege weapon had splintered into a hundered different pieces, providing no use whatsoever for the battle. The knights were losing grip, however the quickly stretching line of soldiers weakened Hierd''s defences, and he? saw it too late.

    "Charge!" Yelled the captain of the knights, he himself holding out a sword to the raging heavens.

    His word was as thunderous as the claps of lightning yonder that watery horizon, and the knights behind him quickly began to charge at the weakened line of soldiers. Then, that battery of bullets, the wall that prevailed against all odds. However, the arrows and mages focused all their power onto that spot. And the soldiers were being hit by the arrows, fireballs and some other magical prowess.

    Hierd jumped out of his truck as he saw it all unfold. The line of soldiers were being slain as they swung their blades carelessly about, just trying to hit someone or something. Then not even a moment later, Hierd shouted for back-up. The Vickers machine guns were then just pouncing on the grey armor of the normal knight and the white one of the mage, trying to lower the amount of soldiers as good as they could. The soldiers threw grenades and pulled their triggers, not even letting go of it up until the last round, switching to the next magazine as swiftfully as humanly possible.

    The piles of knight bodies kept piling up, the knights behind such bodies climbed the mounds, some even used it to cover against the barrage of bullet fire. A brutal yet effective enough strategy. Krimvald''s forces were dwinding quickly, yet why so aren''t the resolve of these knights wavering? It was all too queer, their determination was undying. "Fifteen dead, thirty wounded." Said Jeane. "Lord, we need to retreat back into Unchean."

    "No." Hierd stood his ground.

    "Lord?" Jeane asked confused. "We would be losing soldiers were if we stayed here. We need to retreat."

    "We are winning the front, I am sure of it."

    Jeane looked at Hierd''s face, stern and determined in that answer of his to her question. Then Hierd looked at her. "Concentrate fire on the breach, and if successful, push; advance forward, breaking their flank, ultimately, overpowering them."

    "Yes, lord." She bowed before making her exit.

    "Where in the world is Adelheid and Jack!?" Hierd screamed internally. "They said they''ll be taking care of the battalion ''ahead.'' And yet, they''re not here." He quivered, not by the cold of the rain, but by the thought of losing the two. "Hope to God they''re just lost on their way." He wasn''t sure of that final remark.

    ( * )

    A frightning sight. An armada of ships, the galleon from before was merely the commander of a fleet of thousands, and her ships were deathly wanting revenge for her fall.

    "Dee'' Crossier''s a queen! Well ain''t that der truth!" Jack looked at the fleet with fascination, the mere site of a thousand wooden hulls, with white waves crashing on the wooden bows made it look like the entire sea was moving away just to give these wooden warships the space they wanted.

    "A queen and her court." Adelheid remarked through the radio. "What do you propose we do captain Jack?"

    "Use aur'' speed I say." Jack said, hiding enthusiasm, quite badly. "Den! We strike dee'' ships from far away. With aur'' guns."

    Adelheid sighed with exhaustion over the radio. "Then lets do just that, captain."

    Adelheid and Jack''s ships were quite a ways up, passing the brigade''s worth of knights. They did not bombard the shore, at that point simply because Adelheid had another plan. "To bombard the capital." A brutish plan called out Jack, but he agreed with the effectivity of such a way. But the innocents! What of the civilians caught in the crossfire!? Adelheid had another way to deal with that hurdle.

    The wooden ships were not galleons, they were more akin to a Gallesea of some sort. They were bits smaller than galleons, without much weapons, but had faster speed so to speak. However in stormy waters in stormy days, these wooden ships have but one speed they could follow, which the waves impose and the winds relay. The two iron sloops did not need to abide by such rules.

    The ships should have had seen the two warships by that distance, and with great detail. Jack called it; ''A show of power.'' Jack led Adelheid to perform circles round each other, going from portside to starside. Showing the agility of their ships compared to theirs. It had certainly taken an affect on the wooden ships looking at the spectacle ahead of them. The sailors were dazzled by the iron hull and fast turning and speed. Whilst the captains looked in horror as they saw the ''long barreled'' cannons they called. And of the several unknown armaments aboard it, were they even armaments? They did not know what to call the things even. All they knew was that they were scared.

    "Monsters they is." Said the enemy admiral. "The Crossier, our most strongest warship could not defeat the thing, what say us defeat that two with our hundreds!?" He threw the cup of wine he had to the wooden floorboards, the red wine leaked all over.

    "Admiral." Said the ship''s captain. "May rest the Crossier, her crew and the Rear Admiral, but o'' lord we need to think of a plan, and quick, admiral."

    He looked at him, thought enraged that he was, even in his dazed alcoholic state, he knew he was already in a bad position. And he might perish today. "Yes, yes, you are right captain."

    ---

    Adelheid was getting impatient, the wooden galleseas have stopped in their tracks with only the towering waves moving it forward or backward. Radioing in, Jack picked it up; "Yes, sir Adelheid?" That rough sea accent was even more this time.

    "They are not advancing, we are running out of time, the lord must''ve had advanced already encountered the countless of knights we''ve seen. We. Must. Attack."

    There was a brief moment of silence over at the other side. But after, it was broken up with the sound of Jack''s most irritable long cough. "That is, that is, sir Adelheid. We will attack!"

    The K-3 ships were already lined up and raring to fire. The barrels faced starboard, all eight barrels ready to bombard the armada with it''s every shell.

    -3-

    -2-

    "One."

    The sailors heard the saw and heard the sound of an explosion and seconds later, hulls were getting blown up. The explosions ignited the gunpowder inside the storage rooms and not even a moment later, the ships were getting burnt up, the sails were getting scorched by creeping fire, and the men were running for their lives, if a shipw were nearer, they''d jump to it whilst some succumed to the mercy of the sea.

    The admiral was shocked, either the wine had done it for him or just the total delirum he felt as he watched aweshook by the blasts of fire that those small ships brought down. The thunderous clouds that hailed down it''s cries hadn''t rid of the ships of fire, it merely kept burning uncontrollably. "I am losing men by my standing here, I must enact the captain''s proposed plan." He looked to the captain, whoms''t too was standing with eyes that could not understand what was happening at that very moment.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    "Captain!" His shout reached his ears. "Do it!"

    "Yes, admiral!" He replied already racing to the helm.

    The seamen were too instructed their due parts. The sails were already rolled up part-way before but as the captain shouted; "Pull them up!" They were tied down, and as if docked, no sails were let loose. Then, the seamen flipped the flag of Krimvald upside down way up the main mast. The ships round it took it a sign of distress, a signal! The hundreds of ships before were narrowed down to a low fifty or somewhat, and the captain was leading the fleet.

    "They''re too fast." Commented the admiral. "While it may contribute little, we need as much speed as possible. And that''s where the mages aboard come into play. Wind magic''s hard to do, well, that''s what I hear, but water magic''s easier. With both applied to the stern''s rudder, we''d get a couple knots of speed at the very least."

    Adelheid and Jack kept on the shooting and the other sailors aboard were shooting at the ships with the Anti-Air guns. The heavy caliber shot and crippled the wood into pieces and chunks. Holes on the hulls were rampant and many ships in the advancing fleet were already sinking by the bow as they slowly fill up with water, deck by deck till the sea takes the sails.

    Jack looked at the frontmost and fastest ship of the fleet, it, fast enough to atleast battle the waves.

    "We''s in the crossshairs now!" Jack laughed jovially as he observed the ship making it''s way to the already departing K-3 sloops.

    The turrets turned to the admiral''s ship. The captain, looking at the slowly turning twin barreled turret, his heart dropped and he silently gasped. Then he shouted out of pure fear and of his own wit; "Everyone! Shoot the cannons!" The seamen ran to their cannons, out of the twenty five total, the seamen focused on the ship''s starboard (left side of a ship) as the K-3s were in that direction.

    The turrets were now perfectly aligned to the wooden Gallesea. Simultainously, the firey hiss of the cannon''s fuse, the trigger of iron bolts and cogs, and then that final blast out of the shot. Time freezed in those moments, the captain''s eyes begged, whilst Jack and Adelheid stared fearlessly.

    *KABOOM!

    One shell had reached the Gallesea, and hit the middle mast. Toppling the whole thing down for the waves to engulf. But then again, they were still moving, and the captain had not another time to dilly dally. "Quick! We need more shot!" He yelled to the top of his lungs.

    By a stroke of good luck and the help of the waves, the cannons were able to deflect and hit some of the shells and some were just near misses. Jack smirked. "Good thinking this lad." He then asked for the sailor behind him to radio in with Adelheid.

    "Yes, captain Jack?" Adelheid questioned at the other side.

    "Take care of dee'' oder ships! And let me take care of dis'' un!"

    Adelheid sighed. "Yes, captain Jack." The line was cut.

    Adelheid then put his ship at full speed, barreling straight towards the crumbling armada of ships. Then, without mercy, he let out the pure rage that the K-3''d ever possess. Shooting left and right, getting nearer, the sailors shot with their Anti-Air then closer, some had shot with their lugers. Unsurvivable. A word fitting only for the sailors aboard those wooden ships. They grasped at their sinking ships, holding onto the wood to not be dragged in by the rage of the sea. To the capsized Galleseas, the sailors swam to the barnacle covered keels of their ship''s belows. Their hands bled as they climbed as the barnacles cut open their hands, slicing, cutting. The barnacles looked like closed eyelids or lips, an eerie, digusting, cruel site. The crys of sailors were heard all around, it was so powerful, their yelling, that it had masked the thunder, the waves, and that hellish downpour of rain.

    Jack''s ship rotated to face the fast Gallesea. Seeing the turrets aimed at them, the admiral and the captain standing at the quarterdesk, were making their last prayers, and had already accepted the fate they would be delaying, at that point, the cannons would do nothing. The mages had stopped accelerating the ship as the admiral ordered so also since they were exhausted. The cannons were already prepared, ready to fire. And without even the need of their captain''s words, they lit the fuses of the cannons.

    *BOOM!

    The blast pushed the cannons back, sending the cannonballs straight towards the coming iron-hulled warship. It hit the iron hull, to no effect! A dent? A scratch!? By God, it did nothing for them. The seamen aboard let out a cry. They put their hands on their fellow comrades, they wept and prayed as did the captain and the admiral. For they could do nothing else.

    The ship got closer and closer. Then closer still, it was so close that they could be touching hulls at that point. The admiral and captain was confused, so was everyone aboard the Gallesea. Why did the iron warship not finish the task, could it be? Will they torture the crew? Questions, questions, all without answers to appeal the admiral, now sober.

    Then, men in white, the sailors of the German navy. Appeared from the ship''s bridge and out towards the bow, and, dressed in the navy blue, a suit akin to a duke''s most decorated suit, Jack stepped out and made his presence known. The rain had slowed down a little in it''s rage, and the clouds a little less darker.

    "Who is the captain of the ship!" Jack tried hard to hide that sea-procured accent of his so too his dialect.

    The captain jumped down from the quarter deck then towards the edge of the rails where he was closest Jack. "I am, sir!"

    "You will-"

    "We wish to surrender!" He yelled without a second thought.

    "You steal my thoughts!" Jack laughed. "However, I will only be taking the captain and any high ranked man in the ship. The sailors and the knights aboard, I will not take company!"

    The crew was both ecstatic and worried. The captain looked at the men who he knew as deeply as one would know a dog one''d have since birth. He couldn''t abandon them, but the seamen, looking at the situation in full detail, had to oblige to the surrender. It was either death or love. Whether the years of the crew''s being together had made or broken relationships, they were all aqquainted, and the captain''s heart was split.

    "Captain." One of the seamen came forward. "Ye'' must go."

    "Bu-"

    "Captain." Another said, coming. "I think so too."

    The faces of the men around him said all the same thing. The knights however weren''t too big into the idea.

    The admiral made his way down the steps to the deck. Leaning at the same edge as did the captain. "I and the captain are the only high ranking officers of the naval military in this ship."

    "An admiral?" Jack was interested. "Why was dee'' man not in dee'' Crossier? Did e'' take a shit and missed the departure?" He laughed internally.

    "Very well! You two, please jump aboard the ship."

    They took it to no qualm, though the sea waves were crashing and the gap between the K-3 and the Gallesea was widening, they took a big leap and had landed on the frontmost of the Jack''s bow. "Welcome to the K-3 sloop of the German Navy. You are being taken prisoner." Said most formally by one of the sailors as if he was a border man letting in a man without a visa.

    The seamen left behind the Gallesea, the captain looked one more time at them, waving goodbye as the ship drifted with the waves. The two Krimvald officials were placed in a hold of sorts, a cabin, one bunkbed and one window. And the K-3 was ready to move once more.

    ( * )

    Hierd''s plan worked out as good as it could''ve had. The flank was long gone, and Hierd''s quickly advancing troops had overcumbered the knights and many died. The king no longer saw the meaning of the battle, too many knights have been lost and he ordered to retreat, leaving with the help of arrowfire.

    "What shall we do lord?" Heduc questioned.

    "Nothing, we need to recuperate, then, after, advance. So we will be going back."

    "Okay, lord." Heduc was pleased with the answer.

    "Twenty have died, fourty injured." Hierd thought. "Those are numbers I could juggle with."

    "Let us go back." Hierd said, exhaustedly.

    ( * )

    Seen from the horizon, Naturvege saw the trucks rushing fast to Unchean. Immidiately, as word got around of their coming back, the citizens and soldierres rushed for the northern gate. The citizens were not permitted any further out of the northern gate, but as the trucks stopped and out came multiple stretches of bodies. The families cried out a yell.

    Hierd looked with a hint of guilt, yet he could not find the time to express it. To him, it seemed that twenty dead soldiers against three company''s worth of knights were worthy numbers. But this thought came into his mind; should he have made his numbers lower? That there should be five dead instead of twenty? Or that there should only be injured and none dead? The thought pestered his mind as he looked on at the already grieving citizens.

    "Lord." Naturvege ran up to him. "What happened?"

    "We fought quite the lot." Hierd tried to put on a smile but backed out of it as he saw the mood of the situation.

    "What of the two ships?" He questioned with due intention of knowing Jack''s and Adelheid''s safety.

    It was a brief pause before Hierd had saw from the then lulling down seas. "Right there." He pointed. It looked large from afar and was one majestic ship, like a grace from the heavens, the sky had cleared and the sun had shone on the two arriving ships. The sailors, drenched in water in their white uniforms, they waved their hands, to catch the attention of the soldiers and citizens from afar. The iron hull twinkled and dazed the onlookers, looking perfectly white in a sea of dark blue, a stark contrast, a beacon.

    Hierd''s past worries were immidiately thrown out the window. "Heduc." He called for him. He coming to his call.

    "Yes, lord?"

    "Take care of this, have the soldiers on their break with their families." He threw all his responsiblities at Heduc. "I will go to the dock, so to the unfortunate families, give them five gold coins, and a free burial."

    "Yes, lord." Heduc sighed. "The lord seems so non chalant about this. People died, yet he remains indifferent. What is he thinking right now?" He stood there staring at him intently.

    "Heduc?" Hierd was encapsulated by the gaze, but before long it got awkward. "Heduc...?"

    "Ah! Yes, excuse me lord." He bowed before quickly going.

    Hierd was confused of Heduc''s staring. Was his hair going into his nose? Was a cockroach on his ear? He checked both places to no avail. But quickly he shook the thought out of mind as he saw the ships were nearing ever closer to the pier. His squad of soldiers appeared out of the blue and picked up a vacant running truck. He sat on the passenger seat whilst a soldier of his drove.

    ---

    "She took quite the beating." Jovially put by Jack that was next to Adelheid.

    "So did mine." Chuckled in Adelheid.

    A set of heavy footsteps approached them from behind. Then a not so gentle slam to the both of their shoulders. They were inadvertedly shocked and immidiately turned around. it was Hierd. "I''ve heard from a sailor of your accomplishments, captain Jack, and Adelheid."

    "Thank you, lord." They said in unison.

    Hierd looked at the bits and pieces of damage on the ship''s hull and upper deck. There was minimal damage, cannon balls were round and though heavy, would not be able to do damage to iron, especially not the iron that was welded on the K-3''s engineering, where it would''ve had to defend against the blasts from dive bombers, destroyers, gunboats, and a whole mix of other things explosive, no wonder the cannon balls couldn''t have done anything.

    "That was still quite reckless," Hierd continued. "I mean, an armada? The sailor I questioned was part of Adelheid''s ship and he commented on his own experiences, that when you," -he stared intently at Adelheid. "Had set full speed ahead towards the crumbling brigada, firing all weapons, and I think he omitted, but you rammed a ship!"

    Adelheid laughed nervously. Then Jack intervened. "O'' lord, he need no such thing, he''s a great man he is. Quick thinkin'' I think. You''d know better that he''s great for dee'' seas, I, as once captain of a galleon myself, I thinks'' he should hold a rank similar to mine, me lord. Captain. I knows he bears not that title of mine."

    "Of course I will captain Jack." Hierd smiled. But his attention was quickly grabbed by a couple of sailors dragging out from Jack''s ship two ''pirate-looking guys'' he thought it. "You had grabbed a prisoner?" Questioned Hierd with deep interest, he started walking on the direction of the scene, Jack and Adelheid followed behind.

    "Yes, me lord." Jack said. "And un'' of em''s an admiral!"

    Hierd froze in his tracks. Then slowly turned to look at Jack, he himself sweating bullets not knowing what Hierd was going to do. Then, "You catched yourself a big fish captain!" His face was ecstatic.

    "Y-yes, yes me'' lord I dids."

    Hierd ran to the two men, but coming nearer, his face took off that jovialness and took in a stern look, a serious, ironclad face. His blonde hair rushing in the blonde, a little wet, so too was his uniform, yet even if, the black of his suit hid it. And coming nearer, his steps took a ran to a walk, his boots made more heavier steps. To the two men looking at him, he was a monster. A wall that could not be broken. They gulped.

    "Lord!" The sailors bowed to him, letting go of the two in their grasps. The sailros greeted Adelheid and Jack too as they came.

    "So this is their lord." Thought the admiral. "Frightening, his blue eyes swirl like a madman, yet his body, his hands, his stare at us, commands order. It is as if I am looking at the king''s eyes once more."

    Hierd looked at him. "You are the admiral, are you not?"

    "Y-yes, lord." He bowed low to the ground, showing as much respect as could possibly be shone. "I am thankful the lord wishes to meet me."

    "And your companion, he is not of your rank?"

    "N-no lord." Raised the captain. "I am the captain of my the ship the admiral rode."

    Hierd looked at the captain, his gaze was sharper, harsher at him. As if he said a racial slur at him. "You are in my domain, and so yet late, I have grown quite ambitious, I am sure your king knows of this. As you know, I hold the princess in my grasps. Or perhaps you know that the princess is gone to somewhere to someplace. That Easel city''s been invaded. And the princess has given me ample enough ideas of Krimvald. Yet, even I wish for a second source of knowledge." His gaze eased at the two. "Defect."

    The admiral looked at Hierd with an astonished face. "Defect, lord? I wish for more clarification." He was sweating, and his heart was beating faster. "Does this lord wish for me, an admiral of my country, the country I was born in and worked hard in the position I wished for. To defect to his country? To his dominion? To become his lackey? Or shall I become a peasant?" He looked to the captain, who was, although astonished, did not look as aweshook as he, the admiral was.

    "Could I have said it any better? Defect. Defect and work for me. Defect and become part of my army."

    The captain kneeled on the floor, quite suddenly. "I-I, wish to defect to your country, lord. No. My lord." He held is head low to the ground his nose could smell the wooden planks of the pier.

    Hierd smiled, then it faded as he saw the admiral, unable to form a word and was, unlike his companion, not bowing nor kneeling to accept the order. "Admiral. You are idiotic to assume that not accepting will accomplish anything for you." He stated with daggers for eyes.

    "I-I cannot abandon, I cannot leave my country. I cannot, lord, I cannot do that. I cannot do that. I am an Admiral of the Krimvald navy. I wish, I-I, wish for my name not to be blemished, b-blemished with; with t-the name of a country that massacres!

    The air stood silent for a couple moments. The silence was heavy and loud. Hierd looked at him, his dagger-like eyes easing to show his own reaction over the situation. Adelheid and Jack was impressed yet did not show it in their turned-serious faces.

    "Your tenacity is quite certain, admiral. And your love for your country is a love that one cannot corrupt. A perfect soldier for a country is one that loves their country. But." -he grabbed his luger and pointed it at him- "A perfect soldier is a tool. And if a tool cannot be reusable, it is nothing for another."

    *BANG!

    Blood splattered on the wet pier. The body fell to a thud, and the man''s face laid there with the final look of despair. The blood leaking from his head, fell to the docks, the sea drinking it and sweeping it away to the far ocean.

    The men around stood there, their mouths wide open and their expressions greatly shook. The captain, right next to the admiral, was breathing eratically and his eyes had spasmed looking at the body of his once superior now but a body on a wooden pier, not even a proper place for a soldier to die on. A battleground or even on a ship. But this? He looked relieved, but he was deathly questioning what his next move will have to be. Then his eyes looked at Hierd, now expressionless.

    "You will be doing field training for three weeks before you are able to be properly fitted for my navy. During those weeks your performance, as well as other recruits who will be there, will be watched upon and looked at. Whether they are fit to be a soldier or not. The future will hold your reigns. So hold onto it properly." He made a quick exit.

    Adelheid and Jack stood there with the same gasped faces as the sailors around. The captain stood up and walked slowly over to the admiral. "I would like to pay for a proper burial for the admiral."

    "Do not worry. Lord Hierd is merciful." Adelheid said.

    "I think it best for yee'' to head over to the manor, there''s a recruitment happenin'' tons''a people are there, won''t miss it. The lord didn''t say but e'' conducts deez written tests." he looked at the dishevled captain. "If you wanna defect to us, defect properly I tells ya'' good you picked aur'' side. Since the world''ll be a whole lot different in the future captain."

    The man wept a single tear.

 III Stagnant Peace

    It has already been a day since Krimvald''s failed attack. It was silent. Nothing happened sea or land, and by mercy of the lord the sky too. There was no need for fret, Hierd was happy that Krimvald hadn''t sent out their knights after that retreat for theirs, and probably a long time coming. However, when a force is weak, that is the best time for the opposing force to attack. But Hierd countered that fact.

    "In days of absence, think of peace." Marisse said, calmly sipping the tea that a maid had given her. "I myself coined that quote. Your gr- Hierd."

    The two were sitting on the manor''s balcony, enjoying a nice cup of tea in the slightly overcast skies.

    Hierd looked at her from across the table, noticing the change in formalities, he leaned forward a little. "And you suggest we, my army, ''think of peace?''"

    "You''ve made quite the stride, Hierd. The navy, with only two ships have outted almost the entire whole of the kingdom''s navy. Such warships take alot of time to make, train the sailors, and maintaining it in their voyages onward the curves of the ocean''s body. What a disgrace did it feel to know that the kingdom''s ship were felled by two warships. Truly a time in history that felt most embarrasing for the kingdom." She sipped her tea, seeing Hierd interested, continued; "I would attack by sea and destroy the capital in one fell swoop, the rest of the nobles''d crumble. But, as my quote says, ''in days of absence, think of peace.'' Has the kingdom made any moves since then?"

    "No, Marisse. Not even a touch of the bush."

    "Then I suggest you train your troops to the hardest amount, make them wield better weapons that your countries conjures and brings here from the dead of night. For you will undoubtfully need it."

    Hierd turned a half-smile, "''Need it?'' Does your kingdom, does Krimvald have a secret card not yet dealt? Dragoons, so you called it? Magic, actual damaging magic this time?"

    "Maybe. I, we, do not know. However, Krimvald is no lonely country by any means. Of the Latessian continent, there exists a multitude of countries, twenty as I recall. And Krimvald has formed defense pacts with quite a few. I have gone to some of such in the past, talking negotiation, understanding the state of affairs."

    "So, we''re thinking world war up in here." Hierd thought. "She''s right, if I want to imagine that approach; the kingdom calls upon reinforcements for this unknown force from some unknown land. Fucking up their state, killing thousands, injuring tens of thousands. They''d label me a terrorist and mass murderer, with no qualms with the shit their rulebooks''d say regarding law. I''m basically Hitler right now," -He chuckled- "That''s fucking stupid."

    "Hierd?" She said, piecking interest in the sudden chuckling.

    "Nothing." He stood up. "However I think I shall take this; ''In days of absense'' thing you''ve coined a consideration. The recruited soldiers are already heading for Venit Ille for formal training. And I''ve already repaired the damages dealt by the navy."

    ( What happened; )

    "By God and by country!" Jack howled. "It''s like she''s never even seen the sea before!"

    Indeed the ship, the K-3 was brand new in the sense that it actually was. Hierd, from the latest hour of the night, spawned in two K-3s anew. The two used K-3s were still at the dock, Jack just hadn''t turned around.

    "Wait a minute!" Jack finally turned round, then came his eyes to the two he first saw, then back, then again to the old ones. "Theres''a more ships!"

    ---

    She looked at him with keen eyes.

    "I will have to introduce yet another weapon into my arsenal." He smiled, then looked at her. "You, princess, shall have to stay in the manor."

    She pouted. "Can''t I just roam around the city?"

    "No can do, you''re too valuable... A hostage, and you''re not being in surveilance''d cause me headaches losing."

    She groaned a little. Hierd opened the door of the balcony and took off.

    "A new weapon," She thought. "This is most strange. How does he get these weapons even? I''ve yet to see any German forces from his mainland. Either his country lives underground like dwarves, then using their technology, opens gates from the ground then out arises the machines. Or that, he himself is the underground, he is the technology. Could it be? A passer."

    ( * )

    Hierd had called for five hundred soldiers to hop in trucks and head straight for Easel city. It was a rather abrupt notice, when command first hit the barracks, they were frantically running for the trucks, their keys in hand and feet on the pedal. They raced off. The streets, were people minded their walking as the impeding amount of trucks ran fast ahead. It was first a spectacle, the people wondered what''d happened. As the soldiers were heading to Easel city, they wondered if there had been something bad happening. But as no notice from the lord was given, they did not fret.

    Hierd was already some ways off the road with his own truck, in the back, his squad sat with their eyes trained at the woods and the road, anticipating an attack at any moment, even in friendly environments. "Lord, the trucks are approaching." One said.

    "Good." Hierd replied. "And, rest easy, men. There is nothing to be so worked on about in these parts."

    They soon after, ''relaxed'' but the room behind seem much more tense. Like men not being able to talk to each other, only eyed the other person with a stern face. Saying nothing. Hierd said nothing of it.

    Soon, the trucks had reached Easel city''s gates. At the moment, the viscount still controls the city only as a puppet. Hierd gives up some orders to fulfil and lets the viscount do whatever he so wishes, unless of course, it impedes his own wishes. The gate was guarded still by the viscount''s knights, upon seeing the horde of trucks, they opened the gates and let them in. Not even a word was passed.

    The people of Easel were confused, some even were terrified to see the iron trucks traverse their streets once again. They were not sure who this Hierd might be, a dictator or a freedom fighter? But it all seemed normal during the days of his presiding over them. Not a single thing changed unless of course one counts the recruitment and locked and shut law.

    It was all very calm, to Hierd''s eyes at the very least. The people were minding their business and were making way for the truck''s passing, in quiet runs that is. The horde of trucks stopped at the entrance of the manor, almost blocking the entire roadway. Viscount Melfirecame running out of the door, with knights accompaning behind him.

    "O'' your liege, why have thy com''eth here today?" He bowed down.

    "Drop the formalities, Viscount, this is no social nor important call."

    He nodded.

    "As Venit Ille is being used for training, I cannot operate there, and wish to use the land right next to the city for training, I hope you will not mind the noise."

    "If you have come to ask my permission over it, I cannot say no." He smiled. "Is there anything you might need, lord Hierd?"

    "Nothing, thank you viscount Melfire. I had came to your castle for merely an inquiry."

    "You are welcome, lord Hierd."

    He went back to the truck then they drove. The line soon came flying over to the green grassy field, the viscount, watching from the highest point of his castle. "What will that man do now?" He sighed. "For my life and my wife''s I should just obey. God rest the king''s soul. For I can''t do anything else. A report from a messenger the other day had sent that Krimvald''s mage battalion had came only in defeat. Hierd''s side had minor numbers inflicted, whilst Krimvald''s numbers were all just gone. May the king make the right choices, to win this... Debauchery."

    The day before, Hierd had actually placed five large things covered with tarp. Asking for Viscount not to disclose of it to the people, or to any passerby what or why it was there yesterday. The soldiers mired in the look of it as the trucks stopped and let the four hundred soldiers stop. They hadn''t a single clue of Hierd''s reasons. Why they were summoned to this place. To come to this field. But, something arose from within their minds. The Venit Ille black soldiers, with hearts thumping, and part of the artillery platoon, hearts raising. With all collectively thinking; "A new weapon!"

    The draped object had a single long pipe-like thing extruding forward, with the back lowered and the middle of it having this dramatic upwards climb. Hierd walked up to the middle of the five of the large objects. Then, holding on the drape, he pulled it!

    A giant hunk of metal, a large, long barrel. Not a single window, only but a slit of dark. "A tank." Hierd exclaimed with his face full of happiness. "This, specifically is an easy to drive tank, in my country, we call it; the Tiger I."

    The soldiers looked at it with awe, as if they were looking at a monster in the days of Auferstehen, they glared down the thing with the eyes of respect and of fear. "Each tank requires five members for it to be operational. A commander, a gunner, a loader, a driver, and most importantly a radio operator. Some of you might not have alot of knowledge regarding radios, as it''s most recent use was yesterday by the navy. Now, they have already gotten their own training regarding the radios in specific exams. I have yet to train the lot of you regarding it.

    "So undoubtfully, I will assign all of you to such lessons, that is, after I have fully introduced and have you all driven the tanks. There are only five at the moment, and I wish for there to be more sooner down the line." He turned to them, they still looking at it with the same intrigue as would a child to gold. "Now!" Their eyes swiftly darted to Hierd.

    "Place your tents and have your rations ready, we start when I call for it."

    "Yes, lord!" A quick bow before they ran. In Naturvege''s training, it was customary to use the tents given with their bags instead of the abandoned houses of Venit Ille. The soldiers, already used to the placing of the tents, were quite quick. Finishing in less than two hours commented Hierd from afar. He watched from his truck, his squad just behind polishing and cleaning their guns. With a large, damp cloth, they rubbed and scrubbed, the barrel of the luger shined as they wiped it clean. Not a single speck of dust or imperfection on any of their weapons, nigh even their uniforms.

    From the tents a tall stream of smoke rose. The rations were being cooked. Hierd figured the normal rations given by the army in the second world war would just be in bad taste. Literally. He himself tasted the ''c-rations;'' "Awful." He commented and he threw it away. The tin cans he gave the soldiers were more tastier, but take longer to prepare and may spoil in war. Hierd gave a sigh. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "Lord?" They said as they heard him get out of the truck, they too hurried out.

    They went to him then stopped a few feet. "Please inform them that they shall finish their meals and fast, as training will begin."

    "Yes, lord."

    ( * )

    "I am sorry, Princess Marisse, you cannot exit the manor." The soldier said with not even a change on his bland expression, almost as if the royal title the supposed ''princess'' carried was nothing more than a made-up word.

    "Why must you all be so insistent on my staying here!" She blurted.

    The soldier looked at her, this time he said not even a word, he just stood there and seemed to command more than what words''d prevail. She fell her ground, she couldn''t budge the damned robotic being standing at the manor''s gate like a sphynx to a crypt, the man remained unmoved, by her bicker or by the gusts of wind, maybe even the strongest of storms wouldn''t make this man budge.

    She walked back inside and opened the manor door. There were only so few maids remaining, as Hierd instructed there be only three on the premises instead of the previous lord''s hefty fourty. Those maids received compensation for the sudden lay off.

    It seemed too eerily quiet. A place defunct of people, with only the cold walls of the manor standing tall and loud in the silence. Giving not a whisper, only a creak. "This place is a haunted house! I''d expect a lady in white appear from out of nowhere-

    "AHH!" She screamed as a lady in white stood behind her without a word. "You scared me, who are you!?" She exclaimed.

    "I am sorry for startling you, princess Marisse." The womanly figure bowed. "I am head researcher of the Unchean research department, you may refer to me as Jamie, your grace."

    "Please, please, do not call me by that. Refer to me as you would refer to your lord."

    She did not look to have acknolwedged it.

    "S-so." Marisse stuttered as she rose up to meet Jamie''s level. "May I inquire your... Unintentional startling?"

    "Yes." She nodded. "The Lieutenant Colonel, Naturvege, wishes for the princess''s presence in the burial of the twenty soldier. They await at the grass field."

    "How suprisingly grim for the first days I am finally out once more."

    "I assume I shall need to make a speech?"

    "If so that the princess wishes to for the fallen. Or if the princess still sides with the Krimvald, you may not join the burial."

    "No, no, I shall come. Even if I was the enemy of an enemy, I would not take sides, following which my morality wants. To treat the minds of the people. To ease them in a war such as this."

    Jamie stood there unfazed. "Well, your grace, let us go, I am sure a truck awaits us both." She opened the front door, the princess followed swiftly behind. The soldier guarding the gate had scooted over. He did not even look at the princess just behind her. Her face dropped to the ground, how come that stubborn guard scoot over as easily as that when just moments ago that same man wouldn''t even breathe! She chuckled it off.

    Indeed there was a truck awaiting at the front gate. The grey skies have yet cleared to give way for the blue and the sun, it all seemed so gloom and depressing, a day befitting a ceremonious burial. She climbed at the back of it, two soldiers sat at the further back, seeing the princess enter they said; "Good Afternoon, your grace. And too Ma''am Jamie."

    "Good Afternoon." Replied Jamie.

    Hierd had given her men''s wear. A trench coat and a shabby suit and slacks. It did not seem that bad to be wearing such clothes, Marisse at first thought, when she had recieved the clothing, that it was for a ceremony of sorts and that it looked very much so; "Pleasing to the eyes."

    She puts her long blonde hair in a bun every day, seeing the occasion, she lets it down and combs it with her fingers. She looked beautiful and graceful at the back of the truck, alike a maiden to the back of knight-carried horse. The people who saw her were mesmerized by her sheer beauty. That small stature of hers was no bad quality, it made her long blonde hair look longer than it actually was.

    Soon, the truck began to move forward and onto the road. There were quite a few bumps here and there. The princess was very much used to such rumbles in her days in carriages. But it was different this one, the truck''s wheels were different, making the bumps less earth shattering than the wooden ones of her royal carriage.

    The city was bustling. It''s as if the people weren''t fazed by the war that had happened just a day before and just a kilometer north of them. She saw them smiling, the children were playing in little puddles created by the rain yesterday that have yet to dry, and the market was full of people buying food and other misclainous items.

    "The merchants have been driving their prices up." Said Jamie as she saw Marisse eyeing up a scuffle at the market happening. "The gold coins. The people have been hoarding lots of food, clothing, and a whole much of anything. Your grace, if ever you get the chance to once again talk to lord Hierd, please tell him to lower the pay."

    Marisse looked at her and chuckled a bit. "Okay, I will."

    Just a second after, some three soldiers came up from nowhere and resolved the issue in mere seconds.

    "Indeed. Hierd''s way with economics is not as good as one might think of a leader. He thinks more of the war than of the aftermath. Leading people is not just about giving the highest pay with all having equal a month. That''s just stupid, he''ll make sloths, not soldiers at this rate. But is it too late to change it? Or is it that he has another plan? To drive the economy down? To make money useless? To make, Krimvald''s currency worth... Nothing? Or maybe even the whole gold industry... Worth as much as a poppy!?" She sighed.

    ( * )

    "What the fuck am I doing?" Hierd looked at the soldiers climb on the tanks. It was a ''brief'' discussion. Taking over an hour to delve into the specifics of driving and operating it. The soldiers were all given manuals anyway, and Hierd knew that they loved manuals.

    "This should, if these guys took it to heart, be sick as fuck." Hierd walked a few meters off and stood awaiting movement. Eagerly anticipating it. In his mind he jumped and waved his hands in a fit to ''encourage'' the tanks to move. His true face, however, was only dead serious. Not a single muscle''d turn into a grin. Only a frown.

    The soldiers at the were at the rear of the tank. They opened a hatch containing the Tiger I''s engine compartment that was flanked by two separate rear compartments; a fuel tank and a radiator. The tank had an ''inertia starter'' mounted to the side of the engine. Hierd saw them cranking at it, it was a grueling workout for them. No more than three cranks later, Hierd heard engines roaring and the soldiers crying in joy. Which they then hopped inside.

    It was cramped, almost no light, but as their eyes readjusted to the darkness, they saw a meek place. It was a coffin by just how hot it was. After a hesitant sitting in. They fashioned themselves in the tank by rank. With the driver comfortably seating in the front and probably the most dangerous seat in the whole tank were it that they were to battle other tanks. It was, as Hierd said in the brief discussion, as simple as driving it like a truck, just that the movement and visibility was swayed. With only some periscopes fixed to the top being the only way for the driver to see what was infront of him.

    One of the tanks began to move, and Hierd screamed internally with excitement. The remaining soldiers looked on with intrigue, the ''tires'' which Hierd confirmed as tracks, were more special than tires, in that being these ones will make it less likely for the tank to get stuck on wet, soft ground unike, of course, the trucks.

    ---

    It took awhile, a lot of trial and error and a lot of getting used to for the drivers. But before long, they took the hang of the whole limited visibility thing. As well as the less than ergonomic space they had. Now, it was time to shoot with these things. The tank gunner rotated the turret via the gearbox aiming at the river, the tank commander looked at the river from that far away position of theirs, and with his telescope, he sighted in and adjusted it to see the amount of distance and angle the tank''d need to shoot. "Dead-on." He said.

    A single round travels as fast as a 9mm leaving a luger, one wouldn''t even be able to see it exit the barrel, and only the recoil''d be seen. The tank loader put inside the barrel the ninety-two HE (exploding) tank round. It was big, and too was it nervewracking to hold.

    The other tanks beside it took aim as well. Then, with the help of the radio commanders, whoms''t after a few short inquiries with Hierd, one could call them masters of the art of radioing at that point. They counted down;

    -3-

    -2-

    -1-

    "FIRE!"

    *WABOOM!

    The combined power of five tanks, a hellish fire darted forth, and the tanks were pushed back!

    The earth shook and the skies parted. A large plume of water splashed up, a wall of water. It rained down as if a small cloud cried out it''s every tear. "Fantastic!" Hierd could not handle not saying it out loud. "Yes! That was amazing!"

    The soldiers looked at him, then at the tanks, "YEAH!!!" They yelled out into the skies, truly for the soldiers, it was an aweshocking event. The tanks and their propelled fire, it was spectacular. And the blast that followed afterward was one for the books. Hierd made his way to the tanks, the crowd still celebrating.

    "Everyone!" They soon silenced. "Today! Today I mark the beginning of a new group of soldiers in our quest for conquest! Men, and to the women as well I introduce; The Tank Battery!"

    ( * )

    It was the day after. The princess laid soundly sleeping on her bed. Cool from the ice prisms made by the factory. She remembered nothing of last night, it was all quite a blur. Or that, there was really nothing to do in the monotonous walls of the manor. The burial was quite sad and the speech she gave more depressing, for she could only form apologies and not promises or steady statements. She did not see it from the people there, but inside she knew her reputation was lessening in their eyes.

    A knock came from her door.

    She jolted awake, then a voice came from behind. "Your grace, lord Hierd wishes for you to join the meeting."

    It was muffled, but Marisse could understand. "The voice, it''s Jeane, that lieutenant. And it seems that Hierd, that man, is back. A meeting? Whatever will it be this time?" She got up from the bed, and went straight for the table and the long mirror facing it. "Please wait some time, Jeane."

    "Yes, your grace."

    Marisse combed her messy bed-hair and then went straight to the wardrobe to fit on those suits that Hierd gave her. Finished, she walked to the door, not before first looking at herself at the mirror, giving a smirk.

    "The meeting?" She inquired, walking forward and into the hallway, Jeane scooting a bit for her.

    "The lord wants it tight-lipped. And he wishes for your presence in the meeting, a ''guarantor, of sorts.'' I quote this as what he said." Jeane smiled a bit.

    They made their way silently downwards and out to the entrance, Marisse''s face lit up as she now had confirmation that yes, she''d be leaving the damned manor the second time in a row. But to where? The war room once more? The questioned filled her mind, "Jeane?"

    Jeane looked to her just as they were to leave by the front gate. "Yes, your grace?"

    "Where is it that this meeting is being held?"

    "Venit Ille."

    ( * )

    The journey was not more than a quarter of an hour, Marisse sat the front passenger seat, Jeane driving it. And from the last line of trees and toward that town, she could not believe her eyes.

    There was a traffic of peaple going to and fro, soldiers carrying huge backpacks. Platoons marching on the dirt path, being led by these high ranked individuals. And the town? It did not look like a town anymore. The houses have been repurposed, made into concrete ones like the city''s factory. The main road had a whole lot of trucks parked and soldiers walking, talking, moving over to make way for the passing truck.

    "You said this was a town?"

    "Yes, your grace." She chuckled a little. "Lord Hierd had alot of time, and since Venit Ille was already being used for training, there was little arguement for it being a ''place'' for training. And soon, many things happened. I am certain the engineers, architects, and the dwarves at the factory have each contributed a lot into making these concrete buildings."

    Marisse looked at the inside of one of the passing buildings. There were several soldiers in black hacking away with their pens and papers, analyzing papers and all sorts of other things logistics. And to the next passing building, there were multiple soldiers, high ranking ones she presumed, all resting, drinking, eating.

    "There is a large cafeteria further down the road," Jeane said as she saw Marisse eyeing up every building they crossed. "A building where all the guns are stored, and one other building where the vehicles are parked. There are currently a hundred and twenty of these trucks, so the building''s quite large, being able to fit fifty."

    "I see." She replied, still looking at the buildings, they were, unlike what she was used to, had ad a sense of command in the way they were built. As if authority was meant to be enstilled upon looking at them. And she marvelled in the idea, in the look of it. As if her eyes were staring straight at a fortress. Where if she was it''s enemy, she would be clutching her heart and holding her breath.

    "We will meet the lord, where?"

    "That building, the main one."

    She was suprised her eyes weren''t immidiately caught by this building, for it stood at the end of the main road. Two storeys tall, ladden grey, and the architecture remeniscent of a mini palace. Balastrudes hung at it''s wide second storey terrace, and below it, concrete pillars to support it, with the entrance just under the terrace.

    "This was all built in such short a time." Jeane said. "And so it is not done."

    Indeed it was clearly unfinished, there were some sections of wall where the grey-whiteness of concrete was adamant, and there were large holes cut out, the holes were in the shape of these arches, Marisse had a thought back to her own manor. Windows, yes, but without the glass panes. But when they stepped in, Marisse was aweshook. The floor was this dark-ish wood, with a grand yet simplistic looking staircase immidiately ahead the entrance.

    There were a multitude of workers and soldiers there, each doing their own job. And when they saw Jeane followed by Marisse, they bowed then bowed lower. They all, saying their good afternoons.

    "The conference room lies upstairs." The two walk up to the stairs and up to the first door just some meters away from it. Jeane knocked before opening.

    "Ah!" Hierd immidiately took notice. "Our last guests have arrived. Everyone." There were a number of people sat on this very long table with Hierd at the very end of it. Marisse recognized some people. Making out viscount Melfire and Lord Adelheid. She bowed, and so did they.

    Jeane accompanied Marisse as she sat on her seat which was right next to Hierd''s.

    "Alright." Hierd sat down, everyone followed. "Today, will mark the first step in a huge catastrophe."

    Everyone sat eagerly in their seats. Marisse took intent too seriously and eyed Hierd like a hawk.

    "First will be Krimvald-

    Next will be the world!"

 IV Spearhead - 1

    At dead of night. Tank after tank, truck after truck. Moving swiftly on the muddy ground. The day before, it rained heavily, and now, the same rain that drenched the roads, are ravenged by the weight of the iron chariots.

    Riding in the third to first truck, Friedrick, at the back of it, was looking at the map laid on it''s center. Full of soldiers, they all observed and made mentions.

    "Already halfway till we''ve reached the capital, about thirty minutes, Lieutenant Colonel, sir."

    "Thank you." Friedrick said whilst looking at the back, the seemingly endless amount of vehicles and the almost lulling sound of engine and puff puff.

    "It''s been five days since that meeting of the lord''s. And yet we''ve pulled some crazy things recently. These tanks being one of them. We waited for the recruits to be fully trained-up before executing the mission. And if it all goes into plan, we''ll have the capital in two days. We have a combined total of three thousand trained troops. A thousand for the navy and two thousand for the army. I have already given my recommendations to skilled soldiers of Ridge brown, and right now, there should be two hundred Venit Ille black."

    He sighed.

    "Everything should go exactly as planned."

    ---

    Three ships moved undefiantly in the rough ocean waters. Even at night, the sea was raging. The third captain for the third K-3 was given honor to Gelmund. For he has had ample experience with the journeying the sea before. Hierd sat at the bridge, overlooking the darkness that laid ahead.

    He looked at his watch. "The battalion should be about halfway in the northern highway."

    "Aye, me lord. But we''d be first to contact dee'' capital!" Captain Jack said enthusiasthically.

    "Yes, indeed. But as planned, we wait from near the shore."

    "Aye, lord."

    From the corner of his eye, Hierd saw the very man who was beside the Krimvaldian admiral he had shot days prior. He turned to the man.

    "Ah, if it isn''t the captain from that time." He smiled as if meeting an old friend.

    "Good evening, lord." He bowed. "I am pleased to be part of this voyage."

    "I was not aware that you had finished your training."

    "Dat is'' lawd." Captain jack started. "Because I personally got em'' here to see the knick of things."

    "Ah." Hierd recognized. "Maybe it''d be good, yes, that you get some experience on this ship. I shall let this slide, but please, captain Jack, tell me of your wants before executing them without my heed."

    "Y-yes, me'' lord." He swatted off a sweat pouring down from his forehead.

    Hierd stood ever still, eyeing up the horizon, the night glow of the moon hitting the angered waters, it seemed like he was in the inside of a sea of ink. The waters were pitch black, but the stars above, where it seemed so many unlike the world he was born in. It was one of the first times he had ever saw that many stars in his living. From the day he first came into Auferstan, he had always hid his admiration of the night sky. The twinkles and the occasional shooting star. It was all beautiful.

    He looked away, as he felt that if he kept looking, his eyes''d tear up remembering of a past he had. His eyes met with the captain. "Say, I had never gotten your name. What is it, Krimvaldian captain?"

    "It is Farway, lord." He bowed once more, showing his upmost respect upon Hierd. "Farway Willums."

    "Well, Farway Willums, I hope you become a great asset for my naval endeveours in the near future." He smiled.

    "I will, my lord."

    ( * )

    A quarrel began to promt itself from the mass of citizens. Noble or of peasant upbringing, the people below the king''s castle were scrambling for the gates, hurrying out and towards some other place, but by God''s love, not this place. But there the gates were getting closed, and the knights were serious in their keeping the citizens inside. A tiny rebelion of sorts started but just a second after, the knights prevailed and the people, whoms''t still were scared, were forced to turn back for their houses.

    The deceitful sun did not smile for them today. However, something else was very much so indeed.

    In the noble district, where laid at it''s center, the large and very bright castle of Krimvald. The many towers and it''s almost cathedral like shape was breathtaking to the eyes, frightning? No, were one to look at it, they would think it the home of worship than the home of a leader.

    A moat of water, about seven feet deep surrounded it''s outerwall, with all a measly wooden bridge connecting that, and the outside. Though in disguise with it''s intricate design and most deceiving architecture, it was truly a fortress, a fortress meant for defense, a last stand, a capital of hope.

    From it''s highest tower, King Rafferty looked at the ongoing calamity at play with a face as stale and emotionless as does a deceased body. White hair and tall stature, he was the dracula in the sky, and it seemed too that he has lived the same years as the dracula.

    The king''s door busted wide open, a panting knight.

    "My liege!" The knight yelled distressed.

    "Yes, yes, I know already." He stood at the window, outlooking outside and out onto the sun-saturated grass field. "They have arrived."

    Outside the capital''s walls the tanks lined up in linear fashion, the trucks were behind with the brigade of soldiers out and about, setting up mortars along imaginary lines set by Friedrick. All guns aimed at the walls, the tank barrels took higher elevation, the king swore he could see a gold shimmer inside the abyssal hole that he saw inside that iron cylinder. Yet he fret not.

    The door had bust open once more, anothing panting knight.

    "My liege!" He yelled with equal distress as the first. "T-three warships, sailing by sea!"

    It was quiet. In those very moments, the two panting knights, and the king who outlooked the situation from his tower window. All that could be heard was the dissonant clammor of civilians from below. And adding into the chaos was the thuds of hundreds of horses. The mage battalion makes their way to the gate where Hierd''s forces awaited.

    "Three warships capable of destroying our armada of galleseas. Weaponry above our own. We cannot win this battle." He turned to the knight.

    "But I will not let their coming here be in vain." He chuckled a little, then his chuckle and faint smile faded as he remembered his daughter in his enemy''s grasps.

    "We will hold out until the duke comes." The king made his way out, stopping at the doorway. "Please, go back to your garrisons."

    ---

    "The capital." Hierd said, smiling as he looked at it from his bridge view. "I''ve heard this was the first, ''true'' capital; this redefined a city, and ultimately, set an example for future cities there on."

    "Aye, me lord, that''s why it''re called the capital. Because she be the first uns'' of er'' kind. Truly a marvel I say."

    Hierd chortled.

    Then, from out of one of the doors, the impressionable, Farway held two hot cups of tea. He gave one to Hierd first then the other to Captain Jack, "Tank'' ye kindly." He said after carefuly grabbing it by it''s handle.

    Hierd put it down on a flat surface, letting it''s heat simmer down for a bit before drinking.

    Hierd outlooked the giant castle from that stone-bricked shore on the bridge. It was a majestic building, the towers were ''towering'' sky scraping. And the docks were full of ships, from merchants or from the military. Yet not one of such technologies would defeat his warships.

    "Are we waitin'' for dems to surrender, me lord?" Captain Jack said, sipping his tea.

    "Kind of."

    "I don''t get it. y''re we waitin'' when we could be shootin!" He laughed.

    "This guy was in the damn meeting I did like five days ago, how the fuck did he forget already." He chuckled, although in his own context, looking at jack; "It''s no use telling him now. But if all goes into plan, that they surrender or that they succeed this city to ours, the citizens here, already knowing the monumental defeat from that last battle, will without doubt accept our rule. I mean, fuck their king when you can come into my more advanced one!"

    "Now all we need to do is to wait." He took one more sip before turning around, the rest of the sailors that were supposed to be here were not, as they were taking their small break at the lower deck. Standing there ever so silently, his eyes met with Farway.

    "I suppose you know of the ways the radio works now? I am sure you are taught that at the second day of training."

    "Yes, lord." He did a little bow. "I kno'' how it works, and''ve tampered with one of them for some while."

    "Good. Please get into contact with Friedrick, the frequency his cell emits shouldn''t be too hard to find, since it''s the only thing in the airwaves." He chuckled a little.

    "Yes, lord."

    He immidiately marched to the mechanisms of the bridge. Though he himself did not know how to operate the ship''s mechanics, as he has not been taught so, he gathered his bearings, and remembering the grueling work at training, pulled through. After some click and clatter, some rolling of dials, he was eventually able to get a voice at the other side.

    "Hello?" Farway said.

    "Ah, hello!" A queer yet enthusiatic voice came up from the other side. "This is Friedrick camp."

    "I call from Captain Jack''s ship, the lord wishes to speak to Friedrick."

    "Right''a way!" There was a brief silence from the other side, the faint sounds of moving, and some occasional plats from the dirt broke it up, but after a few moments a voice picked up.

    "Yes? My lord, this is Friedrick."

    Upon hearing, Farway looked at Hierd. "Lord," He bowed. "Lieutenant Colonel, Friedrick awaits in the call."

    Hierd walked to him, Farway handing him the telephone; backing away. "Friedrick."

    "Yes, my lord? You had called for me?"

    "Yes." His face turned serious. "I do not believe they''ll be surrendering anytime soon. At the first hour, fire the tanks straight towards the castle. A little scare of ours, but I want for the castle to be a bit unscathed, so try aiming a bit lower."

    "Yes, lord." Friedrick said. "Will that be all you wish?"

    "I wish for you to be safe, so too Jeane and Heduc."

    A faint chuckled could be heard from the other side. "Y-yes, lord."

    Hierd dropped the telephone.

    "So, me lord, we''d be actually'' using aur'' turrets?"

    "Hmm, maybe at the the twentieth minute after the next hour, then yes, I''ll permit the shooting."

    ---

    "Status." Friedrick put notice on the soldier that came in his tent.

    "Lieutenant Colonel, sir, the mage battalion is moving in and putting reinforcements, and from atop the walls, what looks to be mages and archers are posted."

    "How goes our protection against the arrows?"

    "Still in the midst of building the mini-shelters. However, we''re assured that it''d be done at twenty minutes."

    "Well hurry on with that, I want it done in less than ten."

    "W-what, sir? Ten?"

    Friedrick chuckled and looked at him with sarcastic eyes. He said nothing. And the soldier silently made his exit in pure embarrasment.

    Friedrick''s camp was built about five hundred meters away from the wall, and just a hundred meters after his are the tanks. The ''mini-shelters'' were being made at the four hundred meter mark. They were made out of metal, with the same thickness as does the tanks, making the metal-tipped wooden arrows useless. But the mages remain a problem. With their fire, or with their water blades, Hierd was unsure of the effectivity of the iron plates against such elements. But better than nothing, he thought.

    Jeane and Heduc laid at the four hundred mark with their company of soldiers. Though it was not instructed by Friedrick or by Hierd, the soldiers felt it was safer to also make small trenches, and as they were already used to trench digging, the work was ways easier and a big trench was made in nigh twenty minutes, and by that mark, the mini-shelters were also done.

    They were ready and the soldiers were anxious yet raring to fire their guns. The knights, though their faces were hidden, their fear was not. They quivered on their white-mained horses. The clattering sounds of metal banging metal was prevalent among all the knights, as they could not control their nervousness. In their minds, they thought they were being led to their dooms, to their deaths. May it be a slow death or a fast one.

    Whatever the case, to them, it seemed like the king was just giving them away.

    They knew their armor could not combat that of the fire of Hierd''s ''iron-staffs'' they called it. And by God, what were those giant things farther back!? Were they even battling humans? Were they battling with a God? Were they waging war with a force beyond comprehension!?

    Seeing the silent yet ever so loud and heavy atmosphere, captain of the corps; Breevil came into the view, and from the sides, galloped his horse to the very front.

    "I have been the captain of this... Battalion, for many years now." The knights looked at him, as if it was their only relief in a world of despair. "I have known of every knight that has died, every knight that has excelled, every knight that fell from top to bottom in my being captain. This may very well be my last day alive, but who knows! I lived that first battle, why will I die this time!? And to you all! You have too lived that battle! You had fought, however bad our damages, we had fought. And fight we will till the very end. Isn''t that right men!?" In the silence, the once overwhelming atmostphere from before had dropped. "Isn''t that right!?"

    "Yes, sir!" One had yelled, then another, and another. And soon after, the whole battalion, turned battery, yelled out a cry.

    Once the shout had died down, Breevil had a thought come up his mind; "These guys, their iron staffs, I''m sure that we''d lose in the same combat we''ve always done. I should think of improvising. Just enough so that the king can fulfil that want of his whilst we hold down the fort."You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    "Everyone!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "We need to copy them! Dig holes! Dig trenches! We want to be shielded from their attacks!"

    "Yes, sir!"

    Friedrick stared from afar with his telescope. He saw the mass amount of knights getting out of their horses and getting down and dirty with the grass. Using makeshift shovels, the men started digging. He chuckled. "Copying our methods now are we?"

    Beside him, another man chuckled, "We should shoot them."

    Friedrick pulled his telescope away and looked at the man beside him. A gun the size of a tank''s turret, all metal and a singular, powerful scope. The PTRS-41, where only five have been seen, and only one man wields it. Matthaus was proned, sighted in, and ready to fire without hesitation.

    "Calm the fire first, Matthaus. We''re not war criminals now are we, let them have a taste of our chivalry."

    Matthaus got off from his proned position and shifted his body to the right, his suit''s chest could now be seen, and clearly, he was already climbing up the ranks. An iron cross, another marksman medal, and the rank of second lieutenant, the man was obviously going places. He smirked at him, "War criminals? I think we are already labeled that by the general public of Krimvald, maybe even the whole world rather... or... maybe just our continent, the whole world''s maybe overestimating it."

    "Maybe. But let''s not make our tarnished reputation more tarnished now, shall we?"

    Matthaus smiled. "Yes, sir." He got back on that proned position of his, sighting in on the soldiers.

    *BOOM!

    A shot hit the wall behind a couple soldiers!

    "God, Matthaus." Friedrick immidiately put on his telescope as he saw and heard the shot get fired. "They''re scramming now. But maybe you helped them dig faster because of that. But still, you didn''t follow a direct order."

    "Direct?" Matthaus said sarcastically. "Sir, the way you had said it told me that you too were satirical in your putting, and was by no means direct. But maybe I misheard, my months of firing this rifle may have put my hearing down the well."

    Friedrick frowned a little as he looked at him, Matthaus still scoped in. "Don''t take a second shot, and this is a direct order from your superior."

    Matthaus sighed a little. "Y-yes, yes." He laid his hands down and away from the gun.

    He looked at his telescope again, this time, his eyes on the wall and the archers. "Now you''ve done it, Matthaus..."

    "W-what is it? Did I aim too high?" He said sarcastically.

    "No." He turned around, preparing to yell the loudest he''s ever yelled. "Everyone! Arrows!"

    Arched to the sky, then tumbling downwards. The sheer amount of people posted on that wall, the amount of archers and their arrows. It had seemingly blocked out the sun''s gaze upon the green grassy field, the black small figures could not be mistakened any further. Arrows.

    The soldiers made a run for the iron shelters, and to the rest who knew they were too much out in the open. They ran for the nearest truck to hide in. The shiiiii of arrows falling down, then as if it was the only and most loudest sound, arrows landed on the iron shelters, thud after thud after thud. Sharp arrows turning blunt at every hit of iron surface.

    The exposed parts of the trench was covered with arrows, and as it was safe to come out once again, the soldiers came out and out they came with a field of arrows replacing that green grass. A frightful sight to a knight, but not to a soldier.

    Friedrick looked at his watch. A minute more and it''d be the first hour. "Change of plans, lord, I''ll be hitting the walls."

    The soldiers immidiately returned fire with their machine guns. The Pak-40s going all out, and the Vickers Machine guns roaring fire. The knights were hiding in their trenches, but the sheer power of both shell and bomb could not overcome a swiftly done trench. Before the second barrage of arrows could come once more. Friedrick came to his tent and to the singular radio atop a wooden table. He turned it on, and immidiately it was tuned to the five tanks. "Shoot at the wall." Friedrick turned it off.

    He ran outside the tent and hurried to a vacant spot of trench, watching. The tank turrets began to move. Their barrels going from the highest elevation to a midpoint elevation. It was surely to hit the stone wall four hundred meters away.

    ---

    Splatters of blood and the gory scenes of injured knights, as Breevil walked past injured knight after injured knight, their ghastly screams and cries was unbearable and cruel. The highest of healing magicks could only do so much, and even with conventional ways, what will you do with a leg gone, a life as a knight done, and a state of mind broken?

    He did not know, but he hoped to just keep firing arrows, magic, and all that was in between. But the forces were just a bit too far for shooting magic. Fireballs and water blades have only so little range. Air blades could go further, but even that has limited damage as it traverses farther and farther yet. He trembled, he balled up his fists in anger and he was restless in his ever-so gradually towering rage. His eyes turned to the battlefield that lay before them.

    His eyes caught a glimmer from the slow moving steel cylinders. Alike those alien cannons from the warships and of those smaller ones that rest from the ground; were these of the same affect? Or were these ones greater!? He did not have time to question the facts. "Everyone! Duck down! Duck down!" The chaos was overwhelming, and the sound of fire was too much and his voice could not be heard and be spread as far as he thought it would be.

    In a flash.

    As if his eyes were stuck in a fixed postion. And the world slowed. A golden pointed cylinder. A tank round. Whizzing right past his head, milimeters apart from collision. And only miliseconds apart from impact.

    A tear rolled down his eye, and his fists relaxed.

    *KABOOM!

    The explosion blew out the wall into several pieces, and all came tumbling down. The knights however, did not retreat. They kept firing arrows and magic, slowing down the fire of the guns, just doing everything they could to hinder the path of those hellish barrages of bullet-fire.

    From the crater, a hand arose; it dropped down and it landed on the rocky ground. Breevil''s face lifted from the cloud of ash and dirt, not pained, not sad. He was angry; no. Furious. He grunted up with all his power, then leapt to a fragment of the fallen down wall to escape from the relenting bullets.

    He looked around him, back to front, up to down, left to right. There were too many casualties all around him, and even with the arrows, nothing could be done. They need something stronger! There were no cannons installed on the capital''s outer wall, there were however cannons on the castle. Then his mind found himself face to face with the ships at the yard. It was not a brisk walk, but a walk that can atleast put down some salt on a table of sugar.

    A group of knights were huddled with each other. As they couldn''t do anything, they merely helped the archers, casting wind magic to propell the arrows faster. Yet, at the other side of the battlefield, the metal shelters stood strong, only favorably did the shelter get hit and a small dent was placed.

    "Come!" He shouted for them, hearing their commander, whom they thought had already perished had relieved them to some degree.

    "Captain!" One of them stood up.

    "No don-!"

    A bullet pierced his head, his body came tumbling down and onto the rubble. A river of blood exited the eyeholes. Breevil laid his head back and sighed in exhaustion, then after some recuperation, "To the two of you, tell the sailors to bring cannons to the main line. I want every warship we have to be emptied of cannons and brought here!"

    "Yes, sir!" One of the knights almost stood up by habit, but got out of that mindset after seeing the body of the first one. The two ran for the heavens, half-crouched, trying their best to be in a clearing, a line of fire from those bullets, the whizz sound of the bullet fire missing them by centimeters apart was as if a scornful additive, a taunt. Breevil''s indignation grew. And his blood boiled.

    ---

    Friedrick observed from afar, now in his tent. "The tank fire did alot of damage, we can advance and do over the city, but I''m not risking a death."

    He looked at a big tent about two hundred or so meters behind his, the medical tent. "There''s already five injured, all from arrows piercing some part of their body, thankfully not any from anything too major. Hmm. I should focus on whittling down the amount of forces from this position. Continous tank fire''d do it for me." A thought approached in his mind; "The lord, I should report the tank fire''s effects."

    He picked up the radio and after some seconds of radio silence, that sea-like hiss, he connected with the warship.

    He spoke; "This is lieutenant colonel, Friedrick."

    Then a voice came through. "Yes, lieutenant colonel?" Hierd spoke nonchalantly.

    "I wish to report of the current happenings."

    "Well I think I''ve already seen much from my view at the sea." He chuckled a little. "What will you report?"

    "We have fired the tanks already, to no avail. We have blown out their walls but they don''t look to be surrendering. They''re on the pickup with arrow fire, it is my own suggestion, but... After we dwindle their forces from our current position, I wish to advance forward and into the city. I''ll make sure the citizen casualties are low."

    There was a long pause from Hierd, but he answered; "I''ll accept it. We won''t be going anywhere by waiting right?"

    "Thank you, lord." Friedrick dropped the telephone.

    Hierd was left to his to thoughts.

    "Ah, well, this isn''t going as well as I thought, isn''t it? Approving the advance ''ll just cause harm to civilians. And civilians are something I want, soldiers, recruits. I want an army of ten thousands. Not of just thousands." Hierd stayed motionless whilst looking at the castle yonder.

    Jack looked at Hierd, he looked to have absorbed what he had just spat out of nowhere but chose to ignore it and deliver upon a want of his. "Me lord, I say we do a little bit of Captain Jack''s Finest!"

    Hierd looked behind him, where the enthusiastic captain Jack was fiddling with his beard and looking at him with the same eyes as would a child wanting a toy and asking his mother. "Captain. Jack''s. Finest. I wonder what you''ll wish to do." He grinned. "He''s already broken down the wall. And they have yet to surrender." His eyes opened wide up, realizing something. "They have yet to surrender?"

    He looked at the city, the rancous rage of men and women. The horde of horses, knights, pikemen, and men with shields. The warships, the sailors, why are they moving!? Surely they wouldn''t be trying to attack the warships, would they!? Hierd was tempted to say it, to say they were. But upon second look, the sailors were instead getting rid of something. "Cannons!?" Hierd blurted out aloud.

    "They''re gonna use cannons to turn the tide to their favor."

    "Lord?" Jack looked a him with a little inkling of concern.

    He hurried to the radio and rotated the dials a little, after a little while; "Lieutenant Colonel, Friedrick."

    "Friedrick!"

    "Ah, yes, lord?" He sounded distressed over the abrupt yell. "What has happened?"

    "They''ll be firing cannons at your location, those things can reach a kilometer, I suggest you advance now."

    A sigh came from the other side. "Yes, lord, I will."

    The call was dropped and Hierd found himself fixated on the ships. "Lord." Hierd looked to the man who called for his name; Jack.

    "Yes?"

    "Vie'' kan shoot dee'' warsheps''in frum dis'' distance. But I don''t kno'' if we''d be sufferin'' dem'' civilian casualties. Et'' seems too close to a civilian road."

    Hierd switched his gaze to the dock. The sailors and the knights. Who knows of the merchant ships besides the warships. Will shrapnel bring death upon someone? Of course it could, and if it could, it''d definitely happen. He sighed, then looked at Jack. "Tell the two, fire at your mark."

    Captain Jack smiled from ear to ear. "Yes me lord!"

    Farway, who was had just entered the bridge to report for duty was immidiately called by Jack. "Farway! I want yee'' to contact sir Adelheid and dum'' that Gelmund guy."

    "Yes, sir!" He went to the panels and went straight to work. Flipping the buttons left and right, the dials a quick turn. Then after some seconds, Adelheid''s voice then Gelmund''s. The two understood, and targets were set.

    From the pier, the sailors and knights saw the three iron warships moving slowly. The two smokestacks per ship, exuding forth into the air a dark plume gave the ships a mysterious and frightful aura. The same way as one would feel as they first walk into a blacksmith''s shop.

    The king''s eyes gathered interest. Whatever could Hierd be doing? he thought. The turrets started to move, turning, turning.

    -90��-

    -120��-

    -130��-

    -140��- A click, then the barrels started to rise. A high elevation, it would reach that distance. Said after careful and swift calculation. Now, all that would be needed to be done, was to fire.

    Captain Jack held in his breath as if he was about to shoot a rifle.

    "Fire!"

    Not a second later, a deadly blast, this mushroom-like extrusion blasted forth from the hit wooden ship and to the skies. Then came the two other warships, shooting the few wooden Galleseas still afloat. The mix of a cannon''s gunpowder, and the undeniably powerful shot from the sloop, made for a hellish combination.

    "Beautiful." Hierd uttered unconsiously. Indeed it was, from afar, the red and the plume of smoke had this almost aluring effect that one cannot help but look at. Hierd then immdiately peered towards the city with a pair of binoculars, the pier was a mess. Wood ash sprayed forth as a raging fire burnt ship to ship. And no doubt, there were some innocent casualites. The sailors who were aboard the burning ships jumped for the waters, their brown uniforms, with fire burning leather away, extinguished at plunge.

    Hierd succeeded, maybe too much so, however, he spotted a row of knights gathering. Not to help people, but to bring some saved cannons from out the dock and towards; "The walls." Hierd said, still eyeing up the happenstance. "Some of the cannons survived, making it''s way for the walls. Or what''ll be left of it." He cracked a half smile, then looked at Farway at the comms.

    "Please, inform lieutenant colonel, Friedrick of the situation at hand. That there were some cannons that survived. Expect cannon fire. And," he said, drumming up a dramatic rise. "tell him that he may advance."

    ( * )

    Friedrick''s face jolted awake. He set down the phone and he was jovial. He could finally advance. And with a smile on his face, he got out of his tent. He immidiately saw Major Jeane huddled in a trench. "Jeane!" He called out.

    She immdiately looked for the source of the shout, and then she and he met eyes. "Ah!" She replied. "What is it sir, Friedrick?" She ran to him as she looked to see if the coast was clear.

    "The lord has given us full permission to invade." He said, not hiding that thrill and excitement he had when first he heard it utter from Hierd''s lips. "I wish to first bombard the walls completely before we fight for the struggle. Then, showing our power, they should either retreat, or surrender." His saying of it was as if it were like the flick of a finger. A simple blink. But in well fact, it was not.

    "Got it, sir."

    It took some preparing the newly planned assault. The tank crew men were just chilling in the iron hunks, safe from arrow fire and to them, they felt safe from everything, magic too. They got the orders after a brief yet important radio-in by Friedrick. They wouldn''t have done anything if not did the knights come preparing cannons.

    Friedrick saw them, from after another volley of arrows, this time it''s tips were wooden yet sharp. Friedrick saw the knights gathering in groups, and it the center of such groups, cannons. They were hefty, packed a punch, didn''t do alot with the warships, but things are different in land where the armor used in tanks are in some ways, way less dense.

    *KAPLOW!

    The cannon barreled back in recoil, the steel ball carried impressive meters, Friedrick had warned the soldiers in the trenches of the newfound danger before the danger presented themselves, and when they saw that distinct yet far-off spark, they hid in the iron shelters.

    It pounded through the iron!

    The force was enough to shatter a decently thick plate of metal, the surrounding soldiers were not hurt as the cannon ball had landed straight down after the hit, as it loss already alot of speed, thankfully enough. A second lieutenant came to Friedrick to report the assessed damage.

    Hearing, he did what he thought would be best done. Send a nice letter back.

    The tanks began to move forward. The knights, seeing the movement, shifted the cannons to fire by that general direction, but they couldn''t get a shot, the tanks were too fast, evading any cannon fire that would come their way.

    The turrets began to rotate, and for each degree it passed;

    90.

    100.

    110.

    The knights feared the worst.

    retreating into the walls, as they knew the power that those mobile guns could do. Breevil was disapointed, and obviously angry. The cannons had failed something that he wanted to succeed, but Hierd''s army wasn''t letting up after that first shot.

    "Three indestructably warships at sea, destroying the galleaseas." He thought. "Five iron horses that can level walls with their tall snouts. And most unfortunate for me, intellegent people with intellegent weapons." He sneered, seeing his knights run, he was ashamed. But there were some few who remained who continued to reload and shoot cannons.

    "What can I do!" He screamed internally to that inevitable nothingness. "The castle must be protected, the city must be protected. As I have been ordered to, I must keep this position until the ''duke'' arrives. But where even is he and his promised army! Does he even have one! Or is he but a traitor!?"

    *BOOM!

    The first tank from the formation fired forth towards the wall, shattering it to many pieces as did the cannons to the steel wall. The crumbling stone bricks, sent hurtling down to the ground, made shocks to the ground and to the people''s face. Then to the second, and the third tank. They made rubble to the still standing walls. Plumes of irritating particles of concrete, the occasional fire, and the bodies. The bodies, they were everywhere. Covered in rubble, in blood, or within the arms of a loved one.

    Frantically, the people who stayed there at the road were all running towards the other side, but to what side of the city was safe even!? To the south, the docks; are the warships. To the west, the broken walls; are the enemy''s army. But to north and east? Was it even safe to leave? Or was it better to just stay?

    "The formation quickly dwindles." Said Friedrick, observing from yonder. "We''ve broken the walls, I do not think there will be any archers remaining still." He looked to Jeane. "Advance the troops forward by truck after the tanks clear an entrance for us. And then, arrest any civilian. Remember. No. Violence."

    "Yes, sir." She ran fast towards the front of the line, a lengthy run at that. Reaching Heduc at the very front, supervising the shooting of and shooting back. Seeing her, Heduc''s attention immidiately came to be in her grasps.

    "Jeane. What is it?" He questioned with a smile.

    "''We advance forward by truck after the tanks clear a way for us,'' said Friedrick to me." A slight smile before hopping straight down into the trench.

    "I see." He looked at the now fallen walls, revealing the wooden buildings of the city''s inside. "The lord wants them to surrender, for minimal casualties, hopefully resulting in more soldiers in the future. After we arrest the citizens, I would have them brought to a camp of sorts."

    "I''ll inform Friedri-"

    "No," he said, staring at the tanks. "That''s our queue." He pointed at the tanks, making a way inside the city. He looked at Jeane, "lead the charge. I need to prepare the tents."

    "W-what." He stuttered with a half smile.

    "Just. Do it." He gathered a platoon of his soldiers and made way. She stood there like a statue, absorbing the words that entered her ears. Then, when he truly was away, she awoke like a gargoyle.

    "Everyone! To the trucks!" She shouted. "We make our way into the city, arrest everyone we see. Civilians, everyone. But not the knights. Kill them!"

    "Yes, ma''am!"

    The trench full of soldiers was quickly emptied out, man after man, then the occasional woman. Storming out the trench by a small dug out, dirt staircase. Then, the sergeants came onto the trucks, getting on the driver seats; waiting for the soldiers to mount at the back. Then, after a brief wait. A traffic brewed.

    A huge line of trucks, getting longer and longer still. And at the very front, Friedrick drove smiling.

 V Spearhead - 2

    Blaring trumpets, the sounds of war. The castle invites the nobles inside, while the commoners to fend for their selves. Knights, gathered at each corner of the castle walls. For every hole protruded forth a cannon, readied to fire at a moment''s notice. The capital, and the castle. A fortress deemed best in all of the continent. "Yet how so will his army siege my castle?" King Rafferty stood at the front wall''s battlement. Facing the city, the people from below, yelling what seemed to him, profanities.

    The knights shuddered staring at them. If they were not knights, if their families weren''t barons or of some lower achieved title. Will they have, like the people at the bottom of the steep castle walls; yelling for help, prying their hands on the stone bricks, in that desperate attempt to get notice of the king?

    The king looked at them, "Now must not be the time to have sympathy of lower folk. Remember, the duke, our main objective, will come. And we must wait and hold out till then. Men?"

    "Yes, my liege!" They yelled in unison.

    ---

    Down on the streets of the capital. Swarming street by street at rapid pace. Dashing left and right, swerving corner to corner, avoiding passerbyes and the occasional part of the destroyed wall. Soon, the western half of the city was full of trucks and German influence. And not even one knight tried to stop them. They were simply;

    unstopable.

    Stopping at a clear section of road, away from the castle''s sights, Friedrich stopped his truck, letting the soldiers at the back get off. A figure ran towards Friedrich''s driver door, stopping. He rolled down the window, "What is it, Jeane?"

    She rested her head on the cold iron door. Looking up at Friedrich. "What do we do sir Friedrick?"

    "Focus on securing the people first," His eyes darted from left to right, then landed on some empty field of grass, a thought came on his mind. "Tell the tanks to move somewhere far away from the castle, but where it''s still possible to shoot the castle from."

    "Yes, sir." Jeane pushed herself away the door and ran swiftly away.

    The trucks were being emptied of soldiers darting towards the nearest citizens, entering the houses and clearing it of people. They were scared, confused, and bewildered by the way they treated them. Not killing them, nor threatening thme of any serious thing. They were just put in trucks and out they came to the grass fields where as they got off the trucks; a nice tray of hot food awaited them, as well as a small yet humble tent.

    Recieving a radio call; the tank''s radio operator clicked it open. "This is Tiger-1-1!"

    "Tiger 1-1," Jeane introduced herself with a serious tone. "Move to somewhere far from the castle. A street. A field. Just that that place is still possible to shoot a shot from."

    "Copy that, Colonel ma''am Jeane. We will relay forward."

    The radio call dropped, and at a moment''s notice, the five tanks started to move forward. For every creeping tank, where it''s heavy weight and it''s tracks made the paved ground crumble, a platoon laid between it''s two sides. Defending it against some suprise attack.

    A radio came in and out came a radio tank operator''s voice. "This is Tiger 1-1! We have stationed ourselves as the command said. We are awaiting orders to fire at the castle." Before even the call was made, each of the five tanks had their barrels already pointed at the castle wall. Like small ants, the knights atop of it stood miniscule and weak-looking.

    "Wait until we have secured every innocent we can secure." A masculine voice, it wasn''t Jeane. It was Heduc. And in the background, there was that faint yet most energetic sound of children.

    "I give it thirty minutes. After the next tick. Fire."

    "Yes, sir Colonel Heduc." The radio line cut.

    ---

    Hierd sat on the bridge''s chair, he was getting bored. Even though there was an invasion happening, it all seemed so peaceful and really, boring, in the warship''s bridge. After a sigh, he looked at Jack, who was snoring loudly and almost so, proudly.

    A slap.

    "Gah!" Jack cried, waking up with drool coming out of his mouth.

    "Tidy yourself please." Hierd retracted his hand and from out his pocket, a new, clean towel.

    "Dank''e kindly, lord." He grabbed it and swiftly wiped down the drool, after, he nonchalantly gestured to give the towel back. Hierd replied with a semi-disgusted face.

    "Keep it."

    "Aye, lord." He fixed himself on his seat. "What''s dee'' occassion?"

    "I''ve asked already for assistance taking over the dock." He looked at the dock, a couple soldiers were already stationed there. "As you can see. However, it is still not safe. We wait for a signal, then we proceed forward."

    "Alright, lawd."

    ( * )

    "His army has these iron behomoths, capable of leveling our city walls were it just butter." Breevil said. "Our cannons can do damage plenty, to that, I wish to put our cannons on the streets."

    "That is stupid, captain." An older gentlemen cried out. "We go to the roads, the people will tackle us, we go to the roads and those men in brown''ll shoot at us. We can stay only in the castle."

    "Excuse me, naval commander, but as I said before; those iron behomoths, can level our city walls, what makes you believe they can''t do that to the walls of the king''s castle? We must get behind them, get our cannons out to the roads and suprise them with a barrage of our cannons."

    The naval commander frowned a little. "We lose men if we go outside, we are waiting for the duke''s men to come to the castle, until then, losing more is losing too much. Already, our- my navy... Has gone. Partly I am to blame. The admirals gone, I am the only living superior naval officer. And, I cannot let a loss extend to an amount this big. And I surely am not doing something as daring and stupendous as to surrendering our knights for you to move the cannons outside."

    The war room was silent.

    "The duke." The king introduced his appearance on the table. "Is our only chance." -He looked at Breevil- "You may do that, your idea. The cannons."

    "My Liege!?" The naval commander stood up and yelled. "You musn''t! You ought to think, our men are precious, with each mage comes a better advantage!"

    "Commander!" The king raged in want of silence. "This is my want. May Breevil''s battle win, we have a chance to something better. Waiting in my castle has it''s defects. You, commander of the navy, know that they have those... Iron behomoths, and we do not have anything to combat them with except our cannons."

    The king''s gaze landed on Breevil, "Go."

    "Yes, my liege, I thank you kindly." He bowed and marched towards the door.

    *BOOM!*

    The whole room let up with shock at the shriek from outside. A multitude of clammorous talk went by; ''Did they shoot at the wall!?''

    ''Have the knights started to fire the cannons!?''

    All were but speculations, but as the barrage of militant officers, nobles-alike, went to the nearest windows to see the outside light; they saw a trail of black smoke an ash that clouded the skies with it''s massiveness. And under it, the glimmer of light, this white metal.

    "Their warships are docking our port!" Breevil cried out, pointing through the black smog for the ones who have yet to see, to observe the docking.

    Hierd''s army was making a move, several times so, whilst the king and his lackeys have yet to make half a move. Breevil stood there for a good second, but understanding the gravity of his situation, he stormed off, making to the door, kicking it open and came dashing out for the exit.

    He and a couple of his knights made to the castle''s door. In the castle''s courtyard, the mass amount of knights stumbling about to see the where the noise came from was overwhelming. The mix of white and grey armor. And men with pikes and swords. "Everyone!" He yelled out to the top of his voice. "To my men and to the knights! We shall storm outside with our cannons! And we shall give them the taste of our Krimvaldian soul!"

    "Yes, sir!" The knights hurried about for the cannons. Racing upwards the stairs in the castle walls, grabbing them off from the walls and pulling the heavy weights down a pulley down. The horses were running through, the men were pulling muscles, and soon, the gate was lifted.

    Seeing the gates lift and the drawbridge lowered, the citizens had balled out their cries harder than before. Yelling to get inside the castle and that because they were being invaded, even if they weren''t nobles, they should be allowed entry. But the knights simply looked at them as if they were not of the same speicies.

    "Excuse us! Citizens of the capital! We need leeway!"

    "Let us in first then we can negotiate!" One yelled out in rage

    "Yeah!" The crowd followed suit in agreement.

    Breevil immidiately unsheathed his white blade. And thrusting it into the audience, shooing them away as he swayed his blade left and right. The crowd was silent and was horrified at the actions of the knights. But they could not retaliate in fear of losing their lives over something this stupid and trivial. The pride of a noble. They scoffed at the idea.

    ---

    From the docks, Hierd ran for the wooden pier. Jumping down from the warship to the wooden boards. He stretched his arms and spine, and his energy felt overflowing, raring to do something, anything. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    A platoon of soldiers marched over to Hierd, bowing a little. There was a second lieutenant, the commander of the platoon, and came to him. "My lord, sir Heduc has secured the civilians in the grass fields. But we have yet to take over the castle in the middle of the castle."

    "Do not worry, it shall be ours by the end. Maybe even without a single death." He sighed. "Now, take me to Heduc''s camp."

    "Yes, lord."

    A truck came and stopped to let Hierd on, but before he could enter and sit down a soldier came out from some crevice, running to Hierd. "Lord!" Hierd stopped in his tracks and looked at the man, he was panting like a dog and on his hand, a luger.

    "My lord, the knights are advancing with cannons, sir Friedrick wishes to shoot the tanks now. But, there are civilians still near the castle."

    Hierd took a second to think. "How much, approximately are there?"

    "Sir, three hundred or so, sir."

    "Three hundred." He frowned a little. "And to the campsite at the fields, how many citizens?"

    "Counting up to a a thousand and counting, sir."

    "I see no problem. Give them iron."

    "Sir?"

    "Give th- shoot the tanks." He looked rather disapointed.

    ( * )

    Upon hearing the radioed in command. The tank barrels were loaded with ammo. With five tanks aimed at the front portion of the castle, it will surely collapse without any delay. "Ready to fire?" The tank commander questioned.

    "Primed, sir."

    In a moment, the commander''s finger pressed the button, it; leaving the barrel at a speed unimaginable. Exiting;

    BOOM!

    The recoil had the tank move back, and everyone inside a little jolt, yet it was rather quiet in there. A second after, the entire front of the castle wall blew out, almost as if it were applied with the brittleness of cake. Rubble and all kinds of rock ran and exploded outwards and to the crowd, crushing them horrifically as they screamed for salvation under the mass rubbled area.

    After a few more moments in tragic silence. A distant yet screaming boom.

    CLANK

    "What was that!?" Tiger 1-1''s tank commander blurted out.

    There was clammor outside where the platoon of soldiers guarded the tank. And as he opened his cupola to see a better view of things. Looking at the tank''s front he saw a dent. Then to the road below the tank. "A cannonball!?"

    An alarm rang in all the men''s heads. The radio operator immidiately went and dialed for Friedrick. "This is Tiger 1-1, we have been shot by a cannonball, I repeat a cannonball! We are retreating further back."

    "I am sending reinforcements, Tiger 1-1!" Friedrick replied at the other side.

    "Copy, sir."

    The line cut.

    From the distant road, where it seemed to have curved over a hill, men dressed in white sheets. The mage battalion''s knights charged!

    Fireballs and whips of air flew any which way, and blades of water made hell of the wooden buildings surrounding. The soldiers immidiately fired back after the first round of magic attack, and already a few were injured. "Grenade!" One yelled, the boom and the shock of fragmentation followed second.

    Their attack declined in strength for every knight shot. But for every cannon shot, they regained some power back. A truck pulled in on the street and out came reinforcements sent by Friedrick. Mortars. Without a second thought, the soldiers set it up and lined the sights. Then after all was set, the soldier dropped the bomb inside the barrel, flying off a second after.

    BOOM!

    The road caved and pavement was scattered everywhere. And so were the bodies of knights and pools of blood. The tank operator, seeing the happening scenario; "Aim low at the ground! We''re shooting back, then charging!"

    "Yes sir!" The tank''s loader pushed in a new tank round from the storage, sealing it inside the barrel. "Ready!"

    -40��-

    -30��-

    -20��- The knights saw the tank barrel going down, and with brief fright, they ran.

    -10��-

    -5��-

    Came the lowest angle possible, the barrel''s ominous lowering and the darkness inside that iron cylinder, a hissing sound. It fired!

    The road blasted, and body parts of knights flew in every which way, the buildings adjacent the road blasted tumbled and rocked, the wooden poles falling down; came down too the wooden houses. The road was blocked, and the two sides parted. The platoon did a head count.

    The second lieutenant came out to introduce the conclusion. "We have ten injured men and one gravely injured! Everyone! Put the injured in the truck! Come, come now!" With a jolt of action, the soldiers did exactly such. And as fast the knights came, the soldiers left.

    ---

    "Tiger 1-1 was attacked by knights with cannons, the other tank commanders have been notified of the situtation and are being extra vigiliant of their surroundings, sir."

    "Thank you for the update." Hierd drank a bit of the water he was given, it had a distinct taste of ground. And was quite cold, did it come from a well?

    He looked around him, the soldiers were busying themselves with their tasks. Mostly he saw them guarding the citizens from going outside of their respective places. There were so many tents set up and so many trays of food lined up for the citizens that it looked like fest of some sorts. Heduc appeared from the distance, he was quite dirty and carried a shovel. He walked up to Hierd; "My lord, it''s good to have you here."

    "What of the citizens, how are they faring up?"

    "They were not as scared as first they were brought here, in all actuality, lord, they are quite confused by our actions and most are grateful."

    "That''s good." He took another sip, this time he regretted it. "Their fortress walls have fallen and our taking over the city is swift indeed. Yet the knights have yet to release some grand finale."

    "Grand finale?"

    "A hail mary."

    "''Hail mary'' lord?"

    Hierd chuckled a little. "Sorry, sorry; just some things that I used to say back in my country."

    "Ah, I see my lord." He let the shovel fall to the ground; grabbing a seat and sat close to Hierd. "But what do you mean lord, grand finale? Do you expect something, lord?"

    "Yes. It''s too queer, I expected more retailiation."

    A ring. It came from one of the telephones. "A call? You should grab it Heduc."

    Heduc stood up, grabbed and held it to his ear; "This is Major Heduc."

    "This is Adelheid, sir Heduc; you are in control of the fields, and is where the lord is? If so, please relay that we are seeing activity by sea, about three kilometers away."

    "Activity?" Hierd''s hearing of this caused him to grab the phone off Heduc''s hand.

    "Warships?" Hierd questioned. "I think you can deal with that, Adelheid."

    "Oh, my lord." Shocked by the immidiate change of voice. "Well, unfortunately, they aren''t warships."

    ---

    "Then what are they?" Hierd questioned from over the phone.

    Adelheid walked up near the glass of the bridge. His hot breath making it blur a little.

    From the far horizon, where the blue of the sky and the blue of the sea seem to converge. There he saw, a black outline, not big, not small. Not floating on the water; but was higher.

    "Lord, Dragoons." Adelheid shivered as he said that.

    Red beasts with carnivorous faces. Snarling, their teeth sharp and bright yellow. Knights operated them, riding them likes horses. A saddle and a leash. A squadron of fifteen dragoons, raring to fire mass amounts of firey hail.

    ---

    "Hmm." Hierd relayed his concern with a monotonous ''hmm.'' Then looked at Heduc, who seemed more shocked than he was when Hierd told him of the Dragoons."

    "I haven''t put any anti air guns on the ground, only on the ships..." Hierd thought. "I don''t think dragoons can fuck with my guns. If push comes to shove, I can have the tanks become as Anti-air. Though the K-3s do have anti-air capabilities, so those three should have no qualms dealing with flying dragoons. Unless of course..."

    "They spew out fire balls, correct?" Hierd questioned to Adelheid.

    "Yes, sir. They have been used to destroy cities in seconds. But I never knew Krimvald had such power in their arsenal, unless of course, Krimvald has made negotiations with other countries in the continent that do."

    "This is concerning, however, they are animals. Like horses, they have flesh behind their scales. Use the anti-air guns on your ships, tell this to Jack and Gelmund. Waste away the ammo, and don''t let them close the gap. Copy that, Adelheid?"

    "Yes, lord. I do."

    The line was cut.

    "It looks like they had a grand finale after all." Hierd smiled a little at his own comment.

    ( * )

    A scurry on the deck. Sailors ran for the guns and the turrets were being prepped to fire skyward. The fireballs these dragoons could spew out from their mouths were no joke, being able to melt stone from the heat it caused, a more deadlier effect than that of a normal fireball.

    Then, after that prep time given; all three captains yelled; "Fire!"

    Without even a second''s delay. All three ships had roared out hell to the heavens.

    The skies were full of the barrage of bullets, yellow streaks of fire haad made the skies almost cry in pain. A wall of bullets coming from the sea, the knight riders immidiately saw the incoming hot projectiles. Splitting their V-formation into two echelons.

    "What is that!?" One of the knights exclaimed in fear.

    "I do not know, but we need to stray away from it''s fire!" The leading rider. The captain, yelled out.

    A sharp right, then a sharp left. Barely avoiding the bullets, with some grazing the dragoons. If one were to hit the wings, they''d fall right into the ocean depths. Knowing this, the riders performed a downward sweep. As fast as the dragoons could go, they went down, down to the waters. With ultimately some getting shot and dying.

    Then just meters off the waters, the riders pulled back their leashes turning a sharp down to a sharp straight. The guns fired away at the sea, as splashes of water made fountains, and at some times, the gun fire made blood trinkle out of the dragoons.

    The captain looked around. "Three dead, four injured, eight good. Twelve enough."

    "Everyone! Fire at those iron ships!"

    The sailors were terrified as they stared at the fire froth out of the dragoons'' mouths. Nearing, nearing ever so. The sailors had now optimal range to fire accurately, but the quickly opening mouth of the dragoons made them duck.

    Nothing, for the seconds they ducked, nothing happened. They looked up from their posts, and saw the dragoons had fled skyward. They stood up and saw Gelmund''s ship at the far distance, hearing the applaud roar from them; they knew what happened. And they too rejoiced.

    The captain was still alive, however was in a dire situation, his dragoon was about to falter, and he was shot in the arm, so he too was to falter anytime soon. Before they two could fall. He looked to the dragoon riders around him who still were alive.

    "Six dragoons left. Hope to God they land at the castle." He grinned slightly then looked at his dragoon. "It''s been a short time''s living, partner."

    "Everyone!" He yelled, his voice evidently weak and in pain. "To the castle! Protect the king!"

    They looked at their captain. Crying slightly, then after; "Yes, captain!"

    The captain closed his eyes, and soon, the two went downward to the cold harsh waters.

    The three warships kept on the fire up until the dragoons had reached the castle''s highest tower.

    ---

    "We are safe, lord." Adelheid relayed the words of captain Jack and Gelmund. "But they were an awful difficulty, we almost lost Jack''s ship."

    "I see." Hierd sat on a wooden stool inside a cool and large tent, with an apple to his side. "But now, the remaining dragoons are at the castle, correct? Meaning, to siege them upfront would be a little tragic." He sighed a little.

    "This connundrum of ours can be solved;" Hierd continued, his eyes now looking at the grassy field full of people. "By blowing up the castle into pieces."

    "Lord, are you sure about this?"

    "No." He chuckled a little. "The princess back home would be mad. So I''ll suggest something else, but would be a little time consuming."

    "An indirect siege, letting them starve to death, am I right, lord?"

    "Exactly. It is safe and doesn''t require anything else but just waiting with large guns at bay."

    "But, the dragoons. If they really did come from another country, our siege would fall at the sight of a different army approaching some place else."

    "Then let us strengthen our army, Adelheid."

    "What do you mean by that, lord?"

    "I mean. Of the countless people in that field, comes the countless soldiers we are in need of." Hierd smiled. "You three, aim at the castle. Even if one of the dragoons left the castle at night or by day. Shoot it at a moment''s notice. The mass of the army will retreat back to Unchean; but don''t worry. There''ll still be the tanks and two company''s worth of soldiers here."

    "I copy that, lord. Safe travels."

    "Safe voyage." Hierd cut the line.

    A distant clammor. He jumped up, walking to the door, pushed the two flaps of fabric away. The makeshift streets created by the walking of soldiers and citizens was full of guns and mortars rushing west. Trucks and one tank was also in this wild parade. He saw Heduc from one corner, talking with another soldier and went to him. "What''s happening!?"

    "Lord, we do not know, but there is an army right behind us."

    "An army!?"

    "Two brigade''s worth of an army."

    "It seems that Adelheid''s fucking theory was in fact true. Shit!"

    "Did Friedrick tell the advance?"

    "Yes, lord. And currently the soldiers are digging trenches. And wheeling in the Pak40s."

    "Good. Good..." Hierd ran towards his tent and once inside, he leaped to the radio. There was a brief silence of familiar radio hum before; "This is Adelheid."

    "I need a K-3 down here. Your assumption was correct. There''s an army at west. And we need one of you to bombard the shore."

    "Yes, lord. I shall tell captain Jack of the circumstances."

    "Thank you." He dropped the line as swiftly as it was called in. Then ran outside, he saw a truck nearing him. "Stop!" He yelled out, with his hand up. Driver stopped, noticing it was the lord, he pulled open the passenger door. Hierd got inside.

    "Go fast ahead, I want to see this army for myself."

    Already, from where he sat, he saw truly two brigades. With hundreds of soldiers, spears and pikes. The flags of a country he knew not. And the war cries of men, brave knights clad in red armor. This red armor, it reminded him of a samurai''s.

    ---

    "The duke brings wonders for us." The king laughed. "Thank the duke! For we now will survive!"

    He raised his wine-filled cup high up to the air;

    "Rejoice!"

 VI Spearhead - 3

    The red army from that western direction switched their run to a jog, then a walk, then a complete stop. A foreboding army, a sea of red, and a dove at it''s front.

    Ladden in red armor. And as Hierd put it; "Samurai looking guys." Large orient flags were flown; waving left to right and to the ones up front; horses and spears pointed at Hierd''s army.

    And at the very front of this more than organized army; a man clad with white armor, wholly distinct amongs''t the monotous red. "That is the commander of this army I say." Heduc commented. "But they wouldn''t last in the face of our guns."

    Hierd looked on, and saw that the commander in white was trotting forth with his horse forward.

    "He wishes to talk." Hierd pulled back and smiled.

    A distant yet clear and loud voice came from the man in white armor. "A talk between leaders! I wish to talk to your leader!"

    Heduc looked to Hierd. "Shall I give you some escorts?"

    "That''s not needed. The man comes by himself, let me show him some respect." He frowned a little bit.

    "Alright lord."

    Hierd jumped over the rather shallow trench and on to the hard ground on the other side of it. Fixing himself up a little, rubbing dirt off his black uniform, and fixing the position of his cap. The walk was quite long and rather intimidating eyeing up that large army, that courageously dastard man in white at front. If he were to pull his facade out the window, he''d be screaming and heart beating. But Hierd didn''t let down.

    Stopping just a few meters away from the horse.

    "You wish to speak." He stated, easing himself.

    "Yes, commander." He hopped down from his saddle, putting the leashes on the horse''s back as his feet touched the ground. He walked to him. "The second duke of Krimvald wishes for I and my country to risk battle with an alien foe. I say;" -he looked at the armament behind Hierd''s- "certainly is it alien looking for us men."

    "I will give you time to forfeit, surrender, turn back to your land while we deal with Krimvald''s ire. As commander to commander, this is my suggestion. I am sure the duke knows of the weapons I and my army wields, and that mere bows and sharp spears will do nothing in the face of it." His face turned stern. "Turn. Back."

    The commander in white sighed in exhaustion. "I cannot exactly take that, the duke paid hefty for this coming of ours, and wishes his pay be got in for what he wishes do."

    "What do you wish to do, commander? Stay there to await your deaths with my bullets, or simply retreat without harm of your men. Two options. Two. I give you this as my final resolute opinions."

    "There is." His eyes turned slit. "A third option." He grinned. "I have no qualms with the duke and his kingdom. May Krimvald live the way it wants to live but the emperor wishes something else. To form an alliance with you."

    "What the fuck!?" Hierd was amused, both in his mind and in his outer appearance. "This is some filipino history type of traitorous shit!"

    "You suprised me there, commander." Hierd laughed quietly. "You wish to betray Krimvald? I want first for us to settle a deal. You, who are you?"

    "Ah, yes. I am General Fuso II, of the Betelion empire."

    "Well then, General Fuso II; I, Hierd Die Grace, chancellor of the German kingdom. Wishes that we two work together to bring down a kingdom." The two clasped their hands together and shaked. "Ease down, General Fuso; tell your men of this deal of ours. And we shall talk later."

    "Yes, liege."

    ---

    "What are they doing?" A noble looked on from the highest tower of the castle. "They have yet to battle with each other! This is stupendous!" He turned to the king. "My liege! Let us unleash our knights out in the roads once more, now that we have the dragoons, those iron behomoths will be of no danger to us."

    Breevil looked defeated. But managed a retort in light of the king''s silence. "Lord, the knights have ben defeated by many and the dragoons still recuperating. The rest of the knights have been rounding up, and we will be ready to advance at night."

    The noble walked up to Breevil, his face hiding that subtle frustation. "Night?" -his face lit up- "Night!? You can see them drinking tea and conversing upon something trivial! What the duke has brought are traitors!" He looked at the king once more. "Overrule him, overrule your captain, that Breevil is but a sham of a captain! We must retreat into another city, a mere day''s travel and shall you reach my territory, and that shall be our last battle! Not this!"

    "Shut your mouth!" The king yelled with furious eyes. "You do not own the round table! I do! You must not talk without my command! You must not talk! You. Must! Not! Talk!" The king ran to the noble.

    "My liege!?" He trembled to his feet and lied on the floor as the king faced him.

    *SHWANG!

    "AGHH!" The noble cried out in pain as the king unsheathed his sword and into the man''s stomach. He scrambled every which way, but to no avail, as the king took another slash this time, to his gullet.

    Bloodied yet more relaxed. The king threw his sword down on the carpet floor and sat on his seat once more. The room was silent, distraught, the other nobles who sat there were distressed yet at the same time captivated by the king''s killing.

    "Clean it." He said to the knights that were guarding the door.

    "My liege?" The knights shivered a question.

    "Clean it!" He cried out in anger!

    "Y-yes your grace!" They hurriedly went to the body of the deceased noble, respectfully closing the man''s eyes and then after, pulling the body out of the court.

    The door shut.

    "We wait till night, when the dragoons have rucuperated their injuries. So too the knights. Start rebuilding the wall." He stood up. "Either we have been betrayed. Or the duke is dead."

    ( * )

    "Two armies to one weaker one." Fuso commented as he drank his given tea. "This is nice tea, liege, does your country make it?"

    "Yes, it''s called Jasmine tea, however, it is done overseas. But I''m willing for a trade."

    They chuckled together.

    "Overseas." He repeated. "Germany''s lands are of another then? Another continent?" -His eyes widened after saying that- "and Unchean, the Krimvaldian city, has been taken over by your grace?"

    "You are correct."

    "I apologize for my frequent questioning, but;" -he put down his cup- "I would like to know where Germany lies in the continent. I understand that the world is vast. The seas unmapped, the mountains afore still locked to us. The Latessian and Siean continents, the two ones the people know most about, and of all our lives, only. Two."

    Hierd chuckled a little, when internally he was breaking down thinking of a response. "I am afraid that if I were to say where Germany was, where a new ''continent'' a new land was, my country''s people would be very mad. Too my royal advisers. I have yet to show the full potential of my country''s power, neither have I seen the true potential of the continents. I shall not release this information till kingdom come."

    "I see, liege. I do understand that myself, as a General of the betelion empire."

    Hierd nodded. "Let us agree to something, after the course of a week, I wish for a diplomatic mission." -Fuso''s mouth began to open- "This is of course about the relationship of us two countries."

    "I see, liege. I shall tell this to my esteemed."

    "Thank you." He smiled.

    It was an hour or so after that small meeting of theirs that the Betelion commander had ordered for a thousand of his men to retreat back to land whilst the remaining one thousand stay. With Hierd''s hospitality, they were given tents and food, and they rejoiced.

    "Thank you, liege." Fuso said to Hierd, thanking for the hospitality given.

    ---

    It was roughly six in the afternoon, Hierd stayed in his tent whilst his soldiers rummaged throughout outside, scouting for enemy movement at the castle, which seemed ever so abandoned and ghostly from afar.

    It was lively in the small residential district of tents made. The people were fond of the conduct of the soldiers, treating them fair and nice, and the commodities they needed were given to them straight without payment. Was it all too good to be true? Well, they didn''t have a second choice in the matter, so whatever gives?

    In his tent, Hierd twiddled his thumbs while looking at the map displayed on the table.

    "My men are all around the castle, plus the warships. It''ll probably be good even if hopped outta here. Besides, shit''s over already." He stood up from his seat. Seeing Heduc come in, he called for him. "Heduc!"

    "Yes, my lord?"

    "The citizens at the wall, have they retreated out from it?" He looked at Heduc.

    "My lord, I think we should be getting the last batch of citizens. But other than that, There should not be any other left."

    "Good." He sighed exhaustedly." Because I''m going home."

    "What!?" Heduc was flabbergasted.

    Hierd laughed a little. "I talked about this with Adelheid, but not nessasarily with you and Friedrick. But I wish to retreat the citizens towards Unchean to engage the Home Plan."

    "Are you sure lord? The plan was supposed to be done after the battle-"

    "Can''t you see it''s already ended? This is a one-sided battle. With or without me; you will accomplish the task. I do not know of this Betelion guy, but if they even try to betray us. Make sure to implant into their heads that we are the superior power. Capice?"

    "Capice, lord?"

    "Nothing." He walked off. "Just make sure they know we mean business."

    Heduc smiled. "Yes, lord."

    ---

    It was dusk when several hundreds of citizens left by truck and towards they went to Unchean. The rest of the army stayed, with the tents and all; cleaning up after the civilians and still looking out for the castle, seeing if they will make another move.

    "They haven''t." Friedrick entertained Fuso''s question. "As far as we know. No movement. They have probably known your betrayal and should be planning on a retreat of sorts. But we have soldiers posted up at every side in the castle''s perimeter. If they were planning a retreat, my soldier should have seen so by now."

    Fuso sat down on the wooden seat offered to him by a second lieutenant. "My men wish for battle, they''ll be fat cows by morning''s dawn. I want to siege their castle."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    Friedrick threw the papers he was reading on the desk and stayed silent for awhile to think of a response. "I will see if it is possible. General. But pardon me if I do not accept it."

    "Can''t you see, dear comrade, Friedrick; they are of the lowest of lows now, your warships shall do damage plenty!" He sighed almost in frustration. "I do not understand why you play diddle in this tent."

    "Logistics."

    "Logistics...?"

    "The army has been here for almost a day, we expected two days so we packed as much as we could. But after awhile, our food has of course and most defintely plummeted, and we fear that our armaments for some of the warships for shooting the flying dragoons will have run dry after a second or third fusilade of fire. General, though we are powerful through our strength alone, use wit." He frowned.

    Fuso stood up.

    "By tommorow, before dawn, supply vehicles shall arrive from Unchean to resupply the warships and our food. Wait till'' then, General."

    "''Till'' then.''" He cracked a half smile and went out the tent. Friedrick went for his papers. Seeing to it that everything has been done due diligence.

    Someone flapped open the tent, Friedrick looked up.

    "He certainly is a general." Jeane came to him chuckling a little.

    "Ah, Jeane." His mood lifted a little with the appearance of a familiar face. "Please sit, what is it?"

    "Well I''m not actually here for small talk."

    "Hm?" His right eyebrow went up. "Then what''re we doing?"

    "A second lieutenant has reported movement at the castle''s back gate. We suspect an advance, they repeat; ''let us attack.''"

    Friedrick smiled. "It''s almost as if the timing couldn''t be any better." He stood up. "Tell that general fellow to come to the frontline, it seems our enemy wishes to battle one final time. Get in line with Adelheid for me please, tell them all their guns shall aim and fire at the castle."

    "Yes, sir."

    ---

    The night''s glare was more than cold. And in the absence of a city, the light and warmth of one. It was frigid inside house to house. Wherein those houses hid the platoons of soldiers spying in on every crevice of the castle''s perimeter.

    "Moving north, sir." A soldier relayed his findings. "They are normal knights, the mage battalion''s knights are nowhere to be seen."

    "Then good." The second lieutenant said. "Has my wish been granted?" He looked at the soldier who operated the radio further back in his platoon.

    He stood up. "No sir, just silence. I believe we should wait a little before firing."

    "Aye to that." The second lieutenant smiled a little and walked back to the first soldier he was talking to. "Dragoons?"

    "None to the eyes, sir."

    The man stood back, waiting impatiently. His soldiers around him, his platoon, looked all drowsy from staying awake with the cold air helping the fact. When suddenly, the radio operator jumped up. it relayed;

    "RETREAT. RETREAT. RETREAT FROM POSITION. NOW. RETREAT. BOMBARDMENT."

    This repeated for a couple seconds. In the silent rooms the soldiers stayed in, the voice from the radio''s side sounded like a horn blaring in a sea. And the word; ''retreat'' gave them shivers more so than the cold they felt. Once the second lieutenant heard so; he had to act fast. "Everyone! Leave the house! Backdoor! Backdoor everyone!"

    The hard footsteps of boots making thuds on the wooden ground made the whole house sound like it was infested with rats. Each soldier had their blood pumping. After a whole two hours of nothingness, they were finally introduce to the climax of a story. A bombardment, nothing more exciting than that to witness, from afar, atleast.

    Swiftly, the men broke down a wooden door leading to some back alley. A spacious back alley. One by one they went out with the second lieutenant coming out last. The rest of his men have went on to go to the docks, (where the camp for soldiers in the city was set up).

    It was subtle, but even the second lieutenant heard it. A booming shock coming from behind the buildings, from yonder that. The sea. Then a swish in the air coming high above. The man looked up and to the white tower pearing from the two storey house he had just left.

    *BOOM!

    Multiple hits and multiples shocks!

    Fire engulfed the bottom half of the castle, had it hit the gunpowder of the cannons? Uncertain, probable.

    Then soon another barrage of turret fire made most of the towers crumble over, cascading down and barreling to the ground, the sky was once again lit up, it was beautifully castastrophic. Yet as the second lieutenant and the other soldiers looked up at the aweshocking scenery happening above. They wouldn''t have predicted what''d happen next.

    A deep booming hail crashed onto the wooden house''s roof, crumbling it in mere seconds. A part of the tower, and looking up, the second lieutenant saw more parts coming down.

    "Everyone! Run for cover! Cover! Get inside!" He cried out, his adrenaline getting ahold of him. He felt the thuds of rock and rubble crash behind him, making craters that shocked the ground, making his legs vibrate and shake.

    Getting ahold of himself, he reached the crowd of soldiers running for their lives. Some were hit and were injured slightly, but fortunately, none dead. He and a couple of his platoon smashed the glass of a noble''s house, it was a brick building, and was way more secure against rubble.

    "Secured! Everyone inside!" The soldiers ran into the windows and busted down the doors in a hurry.

    Everyone looked exhausted. "May the lord have mercy!" The second lieutenant yelled out! "Why didn''t they wait till'' they got confirmation we were out!?"

    The radio operator stood there motionless with the radio pack straddled to his back. The lieutenant looked at him with stern and furious eyes. "Why!? My men would''ve been dead! Tell that to sir Adelheid!"

    "S-sir..." He stuttered to speak. "I-I am sorry. I had told the radio that we were out, when we left the house."

    The second lieutenant''s eyes were firey. "Idiot!" He slammed his hand on a wooden desk. His eyes glanced at the young radio operator''s defeated and sorry face. His eyes gave enough meaning; that there would be consequences for that radio operator.

    He sighed in exhaustion. "Everyone! Head count!"

    *BOOSHH!

    The impact made by the large sound was no bullet, a heavy, strong tower had just fallen. It was almost as if it were an earthquake, as the windows had shattered and the glass furniture and the other movable decor in the noble house fell and broke in pieces.

    And then, in the rumbling noises, and in the confusion of it all. The platoon heard shrieks. Roars.

    "Dragoons!" One of the soldiers said in recollection. "They''ve let out the dragoons! It''s hardly going to be safe anywhere, sir. We need to stay under cover until the K-3s have shot them!"

    "Yes. Yes." The second lieutenant was overwhelmed. "First, how many?" He looked at the seargent.

    "We''re fourty five, sir, five missing."

    A brief and silent; ''shit'' was muttered under the second lieutenant''s breath. "Seargent, take ten and search the five, the rest stay here. And you." -his glared heavily at the radio operator- "call sir Friedrick, I need confirmation on our next task."

    "Y-yes, sir..." He went to work with his radio equipment.

    A moment after, there was a violent deafening roar of anti-air machine gun fire. The soldiers looked out the window to get a better look of it all. "Fascinating." One put it. The sky was captivatingly loud, in color and in brightness. Dragoon breath spilled throughout, bullets, yellow, orange, filled the sky with brilliant lines. It was as if the sky had fallen, and the stars were coming down.

    Then, the familiar sound of a blade unsheathing from a metal scabbard. The movement of hundreds of feet. "The knights are coming." Said one soldier.

    Catching glimpse of a huge group of them moving in the streets. The second lieutenant had an idea. "Let''s give them a taste of our bullets!"

    The soldiers were shocked but acknowledged their leader''s order.

    -1-

    -2-

    "Three!" A cry and and a crash, the front door opened and the knights and soldiers had met once more.

    "Fire!"

    A fusilade of bullets and the screams of men. Like butter, the hot shots melted through the iron those knights wore, and the swords did nothing to ''block'' it.

    A magical chant! The second lieutenant saw the bright crackles of flame that fire magic''d make. "Find cover!" He yelled.

    *Click

    His STG-44 was out of ammo, bad timing. The fireball blasted forth at high speed and was going his general direction. He looked round; the rest of his soldiers were already running for safety, while he was still out in the open.

    With only some arm''s width away from it, he dived to a small empty crevice. Not without the flame burning part of his trench suit and his slacks.

    "You all right sir?" Questioned the disembodied voice, the seargent from afar.

    The second lieutenant lifted his head up, peaking over from his little crevice, "Yes." He stared at the distance, there were numerous dead knights, and his soldiers were keeping on the barrage. He noticed the line slack, the knights were re-routing.

    "They''re retreating!" He yelled. "Follow them!"

    The lieutenant reloaded his STG-44 and switched to semi-auto. His gun and his irons looking at the road and that building where the knights retreated to. With a full platoon at his behind, and his brute strength, he charged carelessly into the building''s wooden door.

    The crackle of a hundred wooden parts. And the astonishment of the knights who were inside the building.

    "Hah!" The lieutenant laughed out. He switched to full auto.

    *CRK

    A barrage of fire!

    From left to right, he swayed his weapon to shoot at the two hallways the door connected by. The knights screamed in pain, as bullet to bullet, heads were shot, hearts were pumping blood out the wrong holes, and blood splattered all about the wood.

    The remaining knights inside bolted for the other doors out.

    He went back out the way he came in. His platoon stood there with astonished eyes, their lieutenant was covered in blood and he smelled of gunpowder. "Everyone! Get in and follow the bastards!"

    "Yes, sir!"

    ---

    "They''s a soaring!" Captain Jack said with a smile, then quickly turned the steer starboard and towards the deep sea. The swiftness made the ship list a little. But all the anti-air guns aboard were still shooting with rage at the approaching dragoons.

    It was full-steam ahead. The smokestack was spewing a massive amount of black smoke, but in the night sky, it looked like just another cloud obscuring the moon.

    "Read''e dee'' main turrets!" Jack shouted at the sailor behind him.

    "Yes, sir!"

    The front and back turrets sprang into life, turning towards the sky, and as instructed, fired hefty hell shells.

    The two K-3s behind her sprang their own main turrets anharmonised the treumendous fusilade.

    For the sailors, it seemed that every shot was deafening, and that for every second the ship fired it''s barrage of guns, it moved away and away from the shore. The sailors clammored onto what dark patch in the sky, where just a second later, that dark patch turned yellow, then orange. Then red.

    "A dragoon! Aim!" The sailors swished their guns to that patch of sky. Quickly hurtling down towards their ship.

    The sea was frigid, the night was dark. A darkness that one could say would be like the veil of black hiding the other side of a auditorium''s stage. Only light was their only direction. They could be sneaked upon from a dragoon at any moment, but Jack kept on the sail.

    The heap of the fire kept on the trail, the sailors''s hearts beated faster and faster as the dragoon came closer and closer.

    Their hearts dropped.

    It fired it''s molten lava!

    "Shit!" Jack cried out.

    There was a harsh crash, rattling the ship''s hull. Jack fell to his feet, but climbed swiftly up. "Check dee'' hull! See if there''s leakage! Close dem'' bulkheads!"

    "Aye, sir!" The sailors on the bridge ran quickly deeper inside.

    "An'' you!" He pointed at the radio operator. "Radio sir Adelheid, tell em'' we needs''a backup!"

    "Y-yes sir!" He went immidiately to dial.

    A click!

    "This is K-3: Adel! Are you K-3: Jack!?" There was a sense of urgency in his voice.

    "Yes, this is K-3: Jack! We have been shot by the dragoon, requesting backup!"

    Jack ran outside of the bridge, jumping down onto the deck.

    His eyes were awestruck, a fire developed, growing bigger at the stern, the brilliance enough for anyone even miles away to see. The sailors were screaming, yet still kept on the shooting, and thankfully with one accurate shot to the head, the dragoon dropped swiftly to the ocean depth.

    Jack ran to the aft, and saw a multitude of sailors trying to wash off the flame. A slow battle. A sailor engineer saw Jack and ran to him. "Sir! The dragoon hit the ship''s upper stern, we aren''t in any danger of sinking, but the fire''ll engulf the wooden stern if we don''t do nothing."

    "Thank you, pleas'' help on that fire, it shouldn''t be dat'' ferocious''a fire."

    "Yes, sir!"

    Seeing from the corner of his eye, he went to the medical sailors. Carrying out sailors with burn marks and black-like soot on their faces. "Injured!" Jack yelled. "Haw many der'' is!?"

    "Aye, sir! Bout'' five aft, three coming front for aid."

    "Gud! But take em'' to the lifeboat, I''ll be setting off and make it ran to Friedrick!" Jack yelled out.

    "Aye, sir!"

    Then came he to the lifeboat.

    There were several sailors shooting still at the castle''s direction, figuring out in the darkness where there would be a dragoon.

    "Readi den'' lifeboats! We got injured, take em to Friedrick!"

    "Yes, sir!" They went to handle the lifeboat''s crane, dropping it off and then pushing it off the ship''s deck and was now floating over the water, after a second, the lifeboat slowly came down and it was ready to boat on.

    The sea was favorable this time around, the waves weren''t monumentous, so unlike the action that was happening above it''s dark cold waters.

    Jack ran to the bridge, opening the door. He saw Adelheid''s ship from the distance swiftly closing the distance, still firing all her guns at the distant castle, which basing from the sillhouete, seemed to have crumbled all to the ground, as there were no towers visible.

    The bulkhead behind the wheel opened and a couple of sweaty men came out. "Sir! We wont be sinking anytime soon!"

    "Good! Now fire those main turrets, keep on the bombardment, me men!"

    "Yes sir!"

    ( * )

    "How''s Jack''s men?" Friedrick questioned to Jeane

    "Good sir! We''re treating the landed sailors." Jeane said cracking a smile.

    "Good." The scene just infront of them was mesmorisingly tragic.

    Soldiers were shooting guns left and right, blood was spilling there and yonder. And bombs exploded heap and ho. The castle''s knights are crumbling, the magic dying, and Hierd''s side winning. The castle fell to it''s toes. The regal white color of the towers gone, only crumbled, grey and with the stones.

    Fires spread from left to right; the wooden houses burnt and the noble cobbled ones stayed yet was barrated by machine gun fire. Burning hole after hole, to the knights, it was hell, inferno on earth, and to the soldiers; a live fire excerise.

    There were some minor stepbacks, the dragoons and their own fire, but they too were soon dropped down onto the pavement, with each dragoon being lit up with bullets. The knights weren''t spared with the same fate.

    "And what does my army do?" Fuso sat on the truck with astonishment to the amount of damage being inflicted to the city. "I mean, the fireworks are certainly one to admire at." He chuckled nervously.

    "Your army has no use to me, General Fuso; if you were to go into the carnage, your own men will be shot down, my soldiers may have the chance of shooting some of your men under the darkness of the moon."

    "I see, sir Friedrick."

    "A different man than his chancellor. Even if I am of higher rank of him, he shows no regard to it. But I do not know of this Germany, maybe his rank is higher than General. But I have yet to hear a lieutenant colonel being so. Endearing, my esteemed took a good choice to forge a relationship with this country." He gulped.

    The fire;

    The fire kept burning.

    ( * )

    The ash of the morning, a carnage that lasted mere minutes but the aftermath took several hours. The city was stripped to it''s most barren core. Street to street, dead knights, dragoons, and dry puddles of blood. The houses were all but stone, the wood gone from a fire forlorn.

    In the wreck of the capital, Friedrick stood on the highest point of rubble. Where there could he see the soldiers fishing about, finding nobles, knights. And most certainly, the king, if even the king was still alive. But to no avail. The sun grew and grew, the brillance making the ground more visible.

    Friedrick saw the sea, the warships; Jack''s ship most specifically, with the then birch wood turning black from the fire. And all around, there was an applaud. Coming out from each tank and each truck. From the warships and to all the squads and platoons.

    "GLORY TO THE LORD!"

 VII Aftermath - 1

    A horizon of tents set up under the glade of the trees. "A beautiful sight," The princess said. "To a lion." She chuckled a little. "Those are the citizens of my home city? The capital." -She gloomed- "My father, what happened to him?"

    "Friedrick says that they could not find him after the bombardment." He put it frankly. "Forgive my bluntness princess, but he may be..."

    "I know..." She stood up, changing the topic; she said, "And now the duke''s been killed to make way for the Betelion empire''s goodness."

    "Your duke, we do not know of his whereabouts, but the Betelion kingdom we know of. There is already an emissary inside the manor, and after a week''s end I shall establish a diplomatic relationship with them."

    "''A diplomatic relationship with the Betelion empire,'' sounds like the start of a comedic novel."

    "How so?" Asked Hierd confused.

    "I do not believe you should know, you are from the farlands of ''Germany,'' wherever that is in the vast world. But the Betelion empire are a rivalry of us nobles and many other countries in Latessia. A nickname; we''ve implanted onto that name; ''The Red Idiots.''" She gave a hearty laugh.

    "What did they do?" He questioned further.

    "They weren''t called an empire for no reason. They masscred many thousands of innocent people, made advancements into neutral countries. The wars they''ve raged are countless. Yet it is all in the name of technological advancement. Heck we needed them to sign a written agreement to stop declaring wars!"

    "Taking a gander, the Betelion empire wants to use my weaponry, I take it?" She walked to the window, outlooking the people and soldiers wandering about blissful and joyous.

    "Yes, indeed they will be. Your technology is going to be, without doubt, the next big thing. Your presence in this country, in this other continent, will make waves across the whole known world."

    "I want to know, in your opinion, this Betelion empire... I gather they shall be a friend turned enemy."

    "As did they betray the duke''s money given. They shall betray the german''s peace got."

    He took a second to think. Then sighed. "I haven''t the right of mind to think so far to the future. But more so in the present." He walked to her, staring at the window as well. The countless tents at the glades of the Tria Forest.

    "I shall need to properly accomodate the new citizens, don''t I? And as well will I need more manpower." He smiled.

    "Manpower?" She looked to him. "How''ll you do that?"

    "You''ll see."

    ( * )

    It was a day after the fall of the capital and even from where Hierd stood, kilometers and kilometers away from that rubbled down city; he could see a visage of smoke rise, even if it were just an illusion, it seemed ever so clear.

    Then he flicked his head to face the citizens. "Good morning everyone!" He yelled out with a smile. Raised and atop the platform, the once citizens of the Capital gathered near and looked in awe of the man with blonde hair and a powerful figure.

    "I am the chancellor of the nation, Germany! You have yet to hear of this country of mine, but I assure you, that we are not murderers, my country has been emroiled in hundreds of wars. This settlement, our conquering of Krimvald''s lower half marked the first time in the history of Germany, that we found a new continent with people anew."

    He drew in the people with a simple gesture. He put his hand ways up.

    "You have seen the passing of your country, Krimvald lives on though not the same as it were, you all shall be reinstated! To my country. Germany shall be your new nationality! I shall accomodate you with the housing you shall need, the jobs you may want, and a future within my ruling. I shall not be kindly, though I shall be better than your king! And all of this shall stem, in your joining in my military!"

    ''In his military?'' They muttered to themselves.

    ''We''d be able to use their weaponry...''

    ''But they were once our enemy!''

    ''What!? They saved the innocents! We did not get attacked at all! We were fed and kept safe!''

    There was a silent chaos, an arguement brewing in the crowd, whispering to each other and arguing. When then; out of the monotonous color of grey and skin, he saw a hand raised.

    "Liege! I shall join your military!" The hand''s man appeared and ran to the front of the crowd. Bumping against the people. A brazen looking man, a slight tone of muscle, and distinctly, a scar swept cross his face.

    The crowd was silent, with one hand raised, he was the standing figure lit as if he were the middleman of a play. Then, another hand leapt from the crowd.

    Then another.

    Then another.

    And soon, there were just too many hands to count all in all. Hierd smiled. Men, women alike raised their hands to the air

    "Friends! My newfound citizens, at the dawn of the next day, my Lieutenant colonel shall come here to escort a few hundred down to the military village; Unchean. There, you shall be given a test to answer; if you pass; you shall train. Fail, and you shall be like any other citizen of Unchean. But fret this not! Failing the military does not mean you shall fail in other areas in my government or the people''s." A deep breath.

    "Thank you! And I hope to see you there!" He adressed the cheering audience a light bow.

    ( * )

    "Hundreds of pieces of rubble, yet not a single site of the king." Friedrick vented out.

    "My men are trying their best to recover the bodies, and to find the king." Fuso said. "So ease down, sir Friedrick."

    "Yes. They are." He frowned.

    It was silent for some minutes, in the tent, it was quite awkward as it was just them two. Luckily; "Good Morning!" A defeated Adelheid pushed the tent''s doors open. "Ah, hello;" -He went over to Fuso- "I am Adelheid Von Winter; son of the now deceased lord of Unchean; Peraux."

    "Good morning, sir Adelheid." He stood up and shook the man''s hand. "I am General Fuso II of the Betelion Empire. You work under your liege, Hierd, now?"

    "Indeed, General Fuso; and am now the captain of a ship."

    "Captain of a ship; those warships. Of iron and float easily and have propulsion outrivaling Betelion''s cutters. Truly a work of art, an engineering feat I know not how your lord and his country made it be. May I get the chance of looking at one?"

    "If you want to." He led him outside. Leaving Friedrick to his thoughts.

    In the makeshift streets; the bygone tents of the citizens left marks on the ground. Further the tent there was a huge camp. A mix of soldiers and knights, talking about this and that under a huge campfire where rations were eaten and water was dranked. A gathering, a simple gathering where men of opposite nations conversed.

    "They get along well." Commented Fuso; walking past a group of soldiers and knights.

    Adelheid smiled. "Indeed, and I hope the friendships lasts."

    "This warship, of iron; what is her name?" Said Fuso, looking at Adelheid with sparkling eyes.

    Closing the distance to the shore, and the greatness of the iron hull; the twin turret on it''s bow clearly shined in the rising sun, the sparkling beached water making her elegant figure pop-up even more so.

    "General Fuso; she is the K-3; the nation''s iron sloops."

    "Sloops!? You''re telling me that this is not their most dangerous warships!?" Fuso''s face lit up in suprise. "Exciting. Yet. Terrifying."

    "K-3 is a rather unusual name. Not a woman''s name nigh even a queen''s. And the fact that there are three of the same right now on this coast."

    "there are five, two are docked in Unchean''s port. And if the searching leads to nowhere till'' evening, then the soldiers shall be leaving by sea."

    Fuso simply nodded. Looking at the ship, Fuso stopped to admire it''s lines. "The steel looks almost white, and how it''s now been encrusted by barnacles at it''s keel make me think that the paint does something. Red. Hmm. Red. May the color red have something to do? Do barnacles hate the color red? Or is it something deeper? A magical device? I must know the answers to this!"

    "The hull is painted red? Why so?" Fuso questioned, staring still at the red waterline.

    "I haven''t been informed of the reason, but I believe that the red waterline prevents the growth of barnacles under the hull." Adelheid recollected upon his time reading the manual of the ship he was supposed to man; the Leberect Maaas. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    "That is rather intriguing." He coined the given information.

    "Let us climb up?" He smiled, offering a hand towards the rather steep walkway up.

    A quick grunt up and a jaunt; they jumped onto the bow. General Fuso was much impressed by the engineering and the steel used. The bow contained many parts and things he knew not the names of. An anchor? That''s what he could gather. It was less oriental, the decorum kept industrial like the inside of a blacksmith''s shop but more so steel.

    "Though it is bare in the orient details I am used to in my country''s galleons, I find myself rather fond of the coldness and rather commanding engineering and architecture used in the making of this iron warship." Another coin he drops in his ''wallet.''

    Then; the barrels. "This looks like an over-engineered version of my country''s experimental Cannonadae. Two cannons in one. It is rather sophisticated, and as I have seen. Deadly. Shore bombardment is now an even more deadlier tactic than... Before..." He stopped, then went closer to the bow''s tip.

    "General?" Adelheid questioned, slowly walking towards him in concern. "Is something wrong?"

    "I forget that this is a warship. A warship. I need this warship. I need their technology. I need. No... My country needs everything this foreign country has." He turned around. "No, nothing. I wish to see the stern now." He smiled, almost so, hesitatingly.

    ---

    At the dawn of night, where only the stars could be seen and when the moon reflects back the sun''s brilliance. The sea looked ever so dark; the white contrast of a wave''s every crest and subsequent wave; streaks of white twinkled, Hierd''s eyes was reminded of a jewel''s grace looking at it.

    However; the city''s lights make the omniously beautiful dark ocean less ''concentrated.'' And Hierd''s eyes quickly diverted to the cheery atmostphere of children playing, the adults drinking, and the adventurers doing whatever what will. It was peaceful, alive. Not unlike the first day he took rule here.

    A knock. He turned around. "Come in!"

    A second lieutenant opened the door. Followed by the thud of two leather boots dropping and a bow. "Good Afternoon, lord!"

    "Good Afternoon." He made his way to his chair and sat, staring at the second lieutenant with due curiosity. "What do you want? It''s approaching midnight already."

    "Lord, the K-3 ships are coming into view from the horizon, and sir Naturvege wishes for you, lord, to be there. As radioed-in, General Fuso comes with them."

    "Ah, I see." He stood up. "Lead me."

    ---

    There was a platoon leading Hierd. All around him the soldiers defended every possible position where an attacker would possibly attack him from. The citizens scooted over to the next streets over. The still-open shops moved to another position. And the lights turned brighter where ever the soldiers. The smell of the sea grew ever pungent, and soon Hierd stood at the wet docks outlooking the bright lights of the K-3s approaching from that distant horizon.

    Though it was in the middle of the night, the people, after hearing the soldiers say; ''Rejoice people! Your family''s come home early! Meet them at the docks, as the ships shall land! You musn''t miss this moment!''

    A huge crowd soon gathered at the docks. Thousands upon thousands of people lit up by the light of the moon and the light of the city which seemed to brighten as more and more people came.

    The soldiers blocked the crowd from going past the docks where Hierd stood looking still at the ocean water. "Lord!" Naturvege came out from some truck and ran to Hierd. "It has certainly been awhile."

    "Yes. You were at Easel city I believe? Doing business with their lord."

    "Yes, lord." He smiled. "We need more soldiers if we want to retain our territory from outsiders and getting more soldiers from the city means this and that; so I wanted to enact something I haven''t really... Told you about."

    "Ah?" Hierd turned to him with curiosity.

    "Well there''s this thing I want to do; that every man that reaches manhood needs to join the army''s basic training regiment. Basically uh... Giving them a taste of what it''d be like to join the army."

    "So it''s like south korea''s way of doing things. I wouldn''t mind, but that princess told me I should limit the amount of gold I give willy nilly. I''ve already downgraded pay for the Ridge brown soldiers to three hundred silvers. Which is already quite alot. If they wanted gold they''ll just need to get recommended into and train for Venit Black."

    "I don''t mind that, it is good actually as we''d have more people for reserve if ever in case a war breaks out between us and some more powerful foe-"

    "Exactly lord!" He yelled ecstatically, the people around them looked at Naturvege in confusion to the loud noise. "Ah... Exactly lord." -quietly this time- "And I''ve already implemented a mock-up of that in Easel city''s lower quadrant of people. The lower nobles of the city have rejected already the proposition for their children."

    "I see. And um... Speaking of nobles, what happened to the capital''s nobles?"

    "Unfortunately I don''t know the answer, lord, but sir Adelheid should."

    Turning back, the ship was more so nearer than before. So much so near that he saw the silhouetes of people from the bow and the bridge. Was it Adelheid? Jack? Whoever it was, he smiled knowing that everything went according to plan.

    ---

    "What?" Hierd was astonished to have heard such things utter from the General. "So you want to... Buy thirty warships?"

    "Yes, dear liege. Thirty. I shall pay in bulk and recieve in bulk as well."

    "I''m sorry but that''s off the table for now. We have yet to solidify our places in the international table. After we have so, then we could talk about trade."

    A sad frown glittered across Fuso''s face. "That I understand, and your relationship with the Betelion empire shall indeed solidify your power to the rest of the world, however if we are to be doing such diplomatic missions, to you, liege, and to my most esteemed, we would mutually want technology that could maybe both.. Benefit the two..."

    "And that being?"

    "We possess money and magic. The empire has flaunted our wealth and knowledge in magic for evermore; and I believe that your country, liege, of that far away land does not know fully of the secrets of magic. But truly have you understood the physical world."

    "You could say that. But." He formed a sarcastic smile. "Not now, General. Atleast not in the docks, nor in a formal setting should we be talking of these things."

    A defeated sigh.

    "I told''s yee the lawd''d reject ye!" Jack came crying in laughter at the sulking Fuso.

    "How was the journey captain jack?" Hierd questioned.

    "Bout''as goodas'' one''d think. But I overestimated the travel time, usually we''s be doin'' a day''s worth of travel than just a night''s worth."

    A sudden cheer of people went springing about, curious, Hierd and the others looked behind them. The hundreds and hundreds of sailors ran and jumped off their ships and ran towards their loved ones. The families greeting them with wide smiles and tearful eyes. As sailors hugged their kin, their mothers, their fathers. It was truly a sight to behold for Hierd.

    "It did end up cutting it close for you, Jack. Your ship''s stern''s been ruined by fire."

    "Aye. But she''ll be fixed won''t she?"

    "Well, I thought about another thing entirely."

    Jack was silent looking at Hierd perplexed at the query. "Whatever tat'' thing is lord, thank''s ye kindly for makin'' me witness this splendid event. Only once hav'' I''s saw it in me lifetime, and tat'' happened years ago." He chuckled.

    "Well, please sound the horns as we are not done yet."

    "Aye lord."

    Not a second later, a distinct high pitched horn remeniscent of a whistle came blowing about and the sailors immidiately went into columns and rows. Boxes and steady bodies.

    "Good Evening men!" Yelled Hierd. "You have serviced me well in our fight at the capital! That everyone, we should be applauding for!" Hierd started a clap, and the citizens joined in, and soon there was a wall of applause about. The sailors were smiling and blushing.

    "We shouldn''t make this anymore longer, you''ve got a night with your family to be with! But this I say, to everyone here! A day''s off!" The sailors erupted in cheer and laughter! From the back to front they hugged their comrades and smiled looking at Hierd, a day''s off was long to them, especially when any other day was training of some kind.

    ( * )

    The sun hit Hierd''s face and he awoke not a even second after. A sigh. He stretched his arms. And rose from his bed, looking at the window; drool still evident on his mouth. "Holy shit that was the best sleep I have ever had. From all that exhausting bullshit I had to do, resting on those pillows hit me like a truck. Holy shit..."

    He fixed his messy bed hair and got summoned a new pair of SS german uniform. Without the symbols, of course. Brushed his teeth and went outside. It was rather peaceful inside the manor, the soldiers greeted him and the maids welcomed. But outside, trucks were moving left and right.

    "So this is what you''ll be doing?" The princess confronted Hierd. "Training the citizens to become soldiers. It isn''t really bad, you get them money, you get them life. Beneficial too for your militant needs."

    "Well that''s the examination phase, in about..." He looked at his watch. "Four P.M they''ll be done, it''s nine right now." He showed her the watch.

    "So this is what the soldiers mire in at their daily manor watch. Fancy I say, quite indeed. This can be sold to the civilians. There''d be another way to tell the time than just the church and the sun''s elevation."

    "I want to focus on getting rid of enemies and making it smooth before I focus on the tiny details."

    "Right." She smiled. "You know..." -She went closer to him- "Trapped in this manor all day makes my head turn. Can''t I finally go outside? In exchange, I''ll be this city''s mayor, it''s lord. Not a bad idea right?"

    Hierd took a second to think.

    "No."

    She animatedly sighed in defeat. "I''ll turn into a skeleton before I could ever touch green grass again."

    "There''s a courtyard for that."

    "That''s..." She stumbled in her words. "That''s nothing. That''s just design. Part of a thing, the seam of a dress."

    "Right."

    A duo of soldiers came rushing towards Hierd. He turned around to face them. The two panting soldiers stopped in their tracks; "Good Morning, lord!" They bowed. "I am second Lieutenant, Kalfen, lord. And my partner;"

    "Second lieutenant, Reginald, lord!"

    "And why''ve you come here?"

    "Some of the nobles of the capital are not taking it easy, saying they want to speak to ''the king of your land.''"

    "The nobles of the capital. Looks like I have more work to do afterall." He smiled; turning around; "Stay." He joined the soldiers and ran off to the gates.

    With blank eyes, she stood questioning herself about what he said. "W-what?

    "I AM NOT A DOG!"

    ---

    The nobles asked to be seperated from the commoners, and that their tents be atleast a house''s length away from them. That those pesky plebians would pounce on their tents and steal from them ever a moment''s want. "So, here we are." Hierd introduced himself infront of a greiving group of twelve ''uniquely'' dressed nobles. Others plump, others more better off in physique.

    "Y-yes, O'' Liege of great Germany!"

    "We wish to be able to live in the high soars of thy manor! Surely even thy liege''s manor houses guest rooms that even us nobles could sleep in!?"

    "Yes! Yes! O'' liege, these... Commoners!" He made attention to it, and the said commoners looked in disdain at the incinuation. "They snore too loud! They are but pigs in pens! We are not, we deserve a barn to keep the pigs threading the fields! Yes, O'' liege, your Manor shall suffice."

    "Well atleast we don''t look like ''em pigs!" Yelled a angered man.

    "What dare ye'' speak!?" The noble rose and put a hand out.

    "A-a! No. No." Hierd smiled, whilst shushing the nobles. "So you want a barn to keep the pigs as cattle?"

    "Y-yes O'' liege! You truly are right!"

    "I see. You shall have it! A Barn!"

    "Oh thank you O'' merciful liege!"

    "Where is it!?" Asked them, already packing up their luggage.

    "Ah yes, just go inside..." -He pointed at a truck in the distance- "T..that, truck!"

    "O'' I thank you kindly, I cannot help but thank you O'' liege!" They ran to the heavens to the truck, jovialy humming waltzes and smiling ear to ear.

    Hierd turned to the soldier who would be driving it who was just behind him. "Send them to ''a barn.''"

    "Y-yes, lord!" He bowed before making a less than grand exit.

    The capital''s citizens looked at the whole scene with confusion whether or not Hierd had actually sent the nobles to the barn or ''a barn.'' Noticing, Hierd looked at them and began an excordium. "Everyone!" He smiled. "You needn''t worry! They''ll be sleeping real nice with the sheep tonight!"

    The citizens cheered a hearty laugh, snorting and chuckling hard. Contagious laughter filled the air as they saw the truck drive towards the farmlands ahead. Approaching him, another duo of soldiers.

    "Good Morning, lord!" The two bowed. "Sir Friedrick has something in urgent attention."

    Hierd''s eyes shook open, what could''ve happened? This someone die? The rest of Krimvald''s cities retaliated? What''s happening!? Immidiately, he followed the soldiers into a truck. Now moving; Hierd asked to one. "What''s the urgency about?"

    ---

    "We had left a platoon there to keep the search on, there was also two hundred Betelion knights still there to keep guard on the capital and ever so did they find any nobles, civilians, and even the king still alive."

    "I''m assuming you found the king then?"

    "No, but, it''ll intrest you, lord." Friedrick smiled a little.

    Hierd leaned in.

    "The duke."

 VIII Aftermath - 2

    Under the soft haze, the light of the night, the moon''s brightness. There was a silhoute far out there that one of the soldiers saw approaching. Crawling.

    "Hey you!" Yelled the soldier. "Are you alright!" He held out a lantern to see the man''s face better.

    The man, crawling on the dirt road, badly wounded he seemed. The perplexed soldier turned ran back, towards his squad, then soon the five soldiers came running for the man. There were a severe amount of wounds on his face, his clothes ripped open from the back, multiple slashes, from whips they assumed.

    "Goodness." One commented, putting the man in a seated position. "Sir, do you need anything?"

    The man did not respond. There were only whispers coming out of the man''s busted-up lips.

    "The guy can''t even speak, lets hop him over to the camp, sir." The soldier looked at the seargent awaiting response, but there was no response given. As the seargent looked at the man, his eyes caught something he couldn''t rid.

    "Look at that, gold. Golden necklace. He''s a noble man." The seargent said, pointing at the necklace.

    "He survived the castle collapsing then? Wait, no, that wouldn''t explain the lashes." Questioned the soldier, but, not even a moment after, the nobleman groaned.

    The soldiers squabled over to him. "Hello, sir!? What is your name? Do you need water!?"

    A groan still. Did he want water? There was no other way to tell. Quickly, one of the soldiers unbuckled the water canteen from his backback and forced it slowly onto his broken lips.

    The noble drank it all in one fell swoop.

    "Guess he was in need of it."

    The noble''s hands reached for the canteen, but before he could get ahold of it, the soldier pulled it back to him. "Before that, tell us who you are, sir. You might even get some accomodation from the second lieutenant if you do." The seargent popped a little smile saying that.

    There were a few short gasps of air, before there finally came some semblance of a word. "I... A-am..." The noble started to wheeze, then a cough; the soldier gave him a little bit more water. "D-duek... Th-he... D-du... Ke..."

    The seargent''s face lit up in suprise. "You are the duke of Krimvald? Sir?"

    The duke nodded slightly. The seargent walked back a little, taking a second to grasp the situation. "I''m not fully certain of the circumstances, duke of Krimvald, but I think I know for certain that you have been betrayed by the Betelion empire."

    The duke nodded slightly once more. There was a moment of silence.

    "What do we do sir?" Asked one of the soldiers. "We can''t just bring him back can we? The knights''ll find out and... Frankly, I don''t wanna deal with them. Sir?"

    "We got no choice do we? At morning of the next day; sir Adelheid''s ship''ll come and we''ll dock along with some knights. We can report the finding there, but until then we don''t do anything without a higher superior knowing."

    "Atleast even the second lieutenant? I mean where even do we put this guy at!?"

    "I-I don''t know."

    Uncertainty filled the air by the every second. "You know what?" The seargent blurted. "We''re taking the man to the camp. Hop him up. You two." -He pointed- "Hup, hup now!"

    The two carried the man by the shoulders, he wasn''t quite heavy, rather so, weak and limp; by that, weightless. The squad was quite a ways off from the camp, they were at the other side the city; the south-eastern gate to be exact.

    The streets were desolate and empty. Robbed of the lively feeling a street would have. Where do would be children roaming, there were rats crawling. Where there would be markets, there was mere rubble. Almost the entirety of the commoner''s buildings collapsed. The noble district had a few too.

    Put the main centerpiece of destruction was the castle. The white bricks laid by the grandfathers of grandfathers. The carefully placed decorations on the walls. The high towers, and the long white walls surrounding the whole castle.

    Gone.

    There was just rubble. A mountain of it piled on the center. There were larger pieces of castle tower scattered about some street. There were no nobles inside those either. A question arose in the hunt for the disappeared nobles.

    How did they flee? Why have there been no bodies found? As far as they knew, the castle did not have a secret room of sorts underground. And even if there was. The mountain of rubble''d make proving the question an impossibility.

    It was a war''s grounds. And just a day after, it was peaceful in that you''d find peace in an ancient ruin. And in the night, it felt as if there were a hundred people comforting you under the soft glow of the moon. And the cold helped that fact.

    "Alright we''re nearing the gate. Should we hide em, seargent?" Asked a soldier.

    "That''d be stupid, whatever, let the dang knights know who he is. The duke might even meet some familiar faces."

    The gate was really the blown out one from when the tanks bombarded the city''s walls. The path was cleared of the rubble so that trucks, horses, people could cross without hurdle. Torches were set up and a mix of knights and soldiers guarded it. But even they were at the brink of needing sleep.

    But seeing the approaching squad, and the queer-shadowed gentlemen in dark clothes being dragged behind two soldiers. They weren''t missing this one. "Who''s the draped man?" Asked one of the knights.

    "Well..." Added dramatically by the seargent. "I believe you all might know who he is."

    He focused the lantern in his hand to the duke''s face. Bruised and battered from several punches. A black eye and ballooing lips. The knight''s face immidiately lit awake. His eyelids jumped up and his mouth went full down.

    "Now, we might need the duke for the lord. So you can''t have em."

    "Y-yes. W-we sure can''t have... Him..." There was an awkward silence.

    The other knights, upon realizing who was brought, went back to the camp to report the finding of the duke. Immidiately there was commotion. And a bit of laughs rising up. Like a tavern full of drunken customers.

    The ground shook!

    A hip ho of movement, the knights were moving almost like a march towards the makeshift gate.

    "What''s going on even!?" The second lieutenant arrived at the gate, investigating the spectacle before the knights could. Then, looking at the man the two soldiers carried, he immidiately knew. "Is that him? The duke?"

    "Yeah... Well apparently the Betelion knights did more to him than betray him with a promise."

    The second lieutenant walked to the injured duke. "Did a number on you hm? Well, sir, we''ll assure your safety till we get to Unchean. Where you fate''ll be decided." He stepped back. Where he turned his head and saw the approaching knights stop in their tracks. Their captain stepped forward.

    "Sir, lieutenant. We did not know the duke was still alive, hand him over to us. Sir."

    "Hand him over?"

    "Yes, sir."

    "No. I forbid this. He shall be under my protection until lord Hierd has enacted proper judgement onto what we will do with the duke. Remember, you are to cooperate with me. Not your instinct. Not anyone else here, but me."

    "Bu-"

    "Captain, I have made myself clear with that simple ''no.''" He sighed. "The duke''ll board the K-3 at tommorow''s dawn and till then, you are to treat him alike any other survivor. Got it, captain?"

    "A... Yes..." There was a slight frown on his face.

    "Good."

    ---

    "And that''s where we are today." Said Friedrick. "This was the radio call by sir Adelheid''s ship. The arrival''d be at approximately twelve in the afternoon. Until then, lord." -He looked at him sternly- "what will we do about the duke?"

    Hierd took some time to absorb it all. "What use is the duke for me? I am sure his death is not good, neither him being out and about." He smiled.

    "Lord?"

    "Lets have the princess decide what to do with him, whether she keeps him or throws him away, it''d be nothing nonetheless."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    "Alright Lord." He looked at the soldier beside him. "Please go to the princess'' quarters. Inform the lord''s want. And... Lord."

    "Yes, I will." They both stood up.

    ( * )

    Hierd awaited the ship''s coming by the docks. There''s a number of merchant ships from Easel city and more uncommon; a number of foreign ones. The sailors and captains conversed with each others about the fate of Unchean and the birth of a new, alien civilization. Germany.

    There was a platoon on guard Hierd. Surrounding him in a circle. No man dared come even a meter nearer to the circle. And there was quite the traffic. Seeing the lord in the open at the docks, what could he be waiting for?

    There were a growing number of journalists from both Krimvald and some other countries writing on their notepads about the lord''s apperance in the public. "Quite de'' crowd eh!" Laughed on captain Jack coming out of a pair of barrels."

    "W-what...? What were you doing inside there!?" Hierd was visibly confused. Mentally also.

    "Ah, mind e'' not, lord. Anyways, is sir Adelheid back yet? We was to play some cards later."

    "He''s... Over there." He pointed to the horizon.

    Jack drunkedly stood up and placed a hand on his temple, massaging it from the headache he felt. "Ahah! It''s his ship!"

    The ship''s silhouete was clear and contrast, the smoke coming out of that small funnel was recognizably black.

    There was another, new commotion happening amongst the crowd. The crowd thickened and the noise turned incoherent by the amount of screams and shouts. "What the hell''s happening!?" Distracted by the raging laughter and conversations brewing behind him, he swiftly turned.

    The princess, though in men''s clothing, was as beautiful as over. She wore more regal clothing, it was a sharp suit that Hierd gave her. And she looked more like a knight than a noble, a galliant knight at that. A number of soldiers were pushing back, trying to make way out the crowd of people questioning why the princess was there even. Yet she, Marrise did not give the crowd even a whisper of her voice.

    Keeping her stern and serious face till the end of the busy horde of commoners. "Once again I make an entrance, dashing as ever says I." The princess said with a sly face at Hierd. "For my... Second? Third? Public appearance, I once more appear for the journalists and public eye that indeed I am a woman who wears sharp men''s clothing." She added.

    Hierd chuckled a little. "Sorry about that, Marrise. But I am only versed in men''s clothing. A woman''s garments I am not."

    "I can see that. Very. Much. So." He sighed, almost disapointedly. "Anyhow, the duke is alive. It is quite concerning, didn''t the Betelion knights betray him? What shall happen now?"

    "I guess you were not informed by the soldiers who escorted you out of your quarters."

    "What was I not informed of?"

    "That you shall be the one deciding fates."

    "What."

    The ship neared and neared, and fully stopped. The crewmen aboard waved at the crowd of civilians, yet another return of troops, and with them, the hundred knights at the bow. The people were rather confused why there were Betelion troops on the ship, but cheered anyways. The duke was nowhere to be seen on the top deck.

    As the soldiers, sailors, and knights left the ship''s hold, where they all touched the wet ground of the wooden pier and greeted whomever, Hierd and Marrise on the ship. Adelheid just waiting on the bridge. "Lord." He bowed. "This way."

    Adelheid opened a bulkhead door that led further down. It was rather hot inside, the industrial lights powering the lights making the heat more intense. Then, Adelheid opened another bulkhead, a room. "Lord, the duke."

    The duke rested on the less than comfortable bed the ship gave, his injuries were being treated by bandages and homemade gels and whatnot. He sat there, lying on the cold metal wall, looking at Hierd. His eyes, Hierd could not the describe, but almost as if it were malice, a hint of jelousy? Underneath the bandages that cloak his face, those eyes were most prominent.

    "Good Afternoon, duke of Krimvald." Started Hierd, sitting down on a seat opposite him.

    Silence.

    "I know you can talk, I understand you can understand me. And I know you know who I am. Chancellor of Germany. Your enemy."

    The duke gave him a simple nod.

    "The capital has gone, the king is missing, and the Betelion kingdom has indeed done you dirty. But we aren''t like them, per-say. Tell us all we want to know, tell us about the dragoons. Tell us about the empire''s part in this story."

    There was mere silence for a couple seconds, the rocking ship, the ocean waves.

    A cough.

    A giggle.

    A maniacal laugh.

    The duke was joyously maniacal. Though the bandages covered his lips, his mouth; a groove formed, and the bandage darkened as spit exited. His laughter died down to coughing. Then a wheeze, breathing for air, for every time he inhaled, he wheezed. "L-lord of Germany... Cha-chancellor of the men. The Betelions. The dragoons. Comical... Those Betelion bitc-" -he coughed.

    "T-those Betelion bitches, I gave them money, a... A ton of it. To no avail it seemed. I was beat down by t-the knights. A-and the king sent h-his greatest g-general to the capital."

    "General Fuso II?" Questioned Hierd.

    "I-indeed, lord."

    "And the Dragoons? Are they from the Betelion Empire too?"

    "N-no. Another kingdom. Eastern. Ways eastern the capital. The Hesian kingdom. T-they''re one of few... That have dragoons. Now that... Their most... Prized battalion of dragoons have past. They are sure to come to you. And that Betelion king? H-he shall come for head too."

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "Think I know what that General said to you, buttery talk of his. I-I''d take a gander, say it was; a diplomatic mission." He laughed again, after a moment, a raging storm of coughs and wheezes. "Diplomatic mission," -he sighed with a smile- "At the summit of it all, you''ll be beaten down like I. They don''t like being ''second place,'' And... You? Chancellor of Germany. Are rising up, too, too much for that foolish ''most esteemed'' to handle. He''ll come for your head, as did he mine."

    Hierd took it all in. "So double betrayal. For the benefit of this ''bitch'' made me laugh there internally duke of krimvald. But how will I deal with them?" Hierd grinned.

    "Destiny helped you, duke. That''s the reason you are still alive now. Hearing this, I believe the future will be full of trouble. Battle and bloodshed."

    "What do you mean lord?" Asked Adelheid, behind him.

    "You don''t see it?" Hierd''s grin dropped and his eyes stared sharp at Adelheid''s.

    Adelheid took a few seconds. "Krimvald?" Thought Adelheid. "Diplomatic mission, second place, Hesian kingdom. Battle. Bloodshed."

    He realized it;

    His eyes opened and his heart dropped.

    Princess Marisse stepped further into the room. "Two kingdoms we''re fighting against then? The reknowned Betelion Empire and the eastern Hesian kingdom. Different goals, same target. Us. Krimvald."

    "Ah..." The duke fully took in Marisse''s presence. "I hadn''t realized who you were, my late liege, Princess Marisse. I apologize you see me in this state."

    "Which is alright." She said calmly, sitting down next to Hierd.

    "So you have sided... With them? Our enemy?"

    "Krimvald was doomed to die from the start. My father knew better than to continue a war with them. Negotiations should''ve been put first."

    The duke sighed. "That I say, that I say to be... Your father was always so bright."

    Marisse grew a big smile, then stared at Hierd. "I shall have him under my care and protection, at the manor, I want him taken care of. Then when he is good, he shall become my assistant."

    The duke was confused at the uttered words of his highness. "What do you mean by this, Princess Marisse?"

    "Your life was in the balance, you. Duke of krimvald, if you hadn''t chose your words any careful thought, you would''ve been dead here."

    The duke gave a silent chuckle. "Then I guess I have been blessed."

    Hierd stood up. And walked out and into the hallway.

    "Lord?" Adelheid said, the two walking upwards to the bridge. "What do we do about this?"

    Hierd stopped.

    "We attack."

    ( * )

    In the now turned military base, Venit Ille was looking more modern by the second. Cemented buildings, reaching new record breaking heights, as well as trucks and some tanks set along the road. For as Hierd had left ten tanks up at the base in case of emergencies that would arrise.

    But at that moment, the soldiers were in their tiny vacation and no-one except the construction workers, engineers and architects were there.

    The recruits of course were also there, maybe sleeping at the barracks. Dreadfully waiting for the time the next excersice was called.

    And just after the barracks, the examinees had just finished the tests. There was a sigh of relief among them all. They had just finished the most gruesomely long and tiring test of their lives.

    Stacks of paper, one pen given. And a multitude of questions. Language? Experience? Profiency? Time? Military? It was a whole new language they were looking at.

    Jeane and Gelmund supervised the whole thing, and they too were exhausted waiting. They were at the front of the exam hall, and seeing all the examinees get out, they were relieved. "Lets go to the main building, I want some tea." Said Jeane, seemingly at the verge of sleeping.

    "Aye, me too Jeane." He walked up to her, he blushed a bit, looking at her sleep, her red velvet hair, and pale, fair skin. She looked like a noble more than ever before. "But first;" -he laid his arm on her shoulder- "GET UP!"

    "AH!" She yelled! "Goodness! Do you have to scare me like that!?" She turned to him, and gave him a pinch on the hand.

    He yelped in pain.

    "A-a okay, okay, let''s just go now."

    She stood up, fully awake this time.

    The two exited the building and away they were to the main road. "You know," started Jeane. "I never would have imagined in all my life, would I see my childhood village turn out like this. If I was from someplace else, I''d think this place was a home for nobles."

    Gelmund chuckled a little. "Yeah." He felt sullen a little, looking at the house he once lived in, abandoned, untouched.

    "But hey, atleast we''re getting paid more than ever before." Jeane giggled.

    A horn!

    They looked behind them.

    "What''s happening?" Questioned Gelmund.

    There was a truck approaching from the bridge, crossing, they could see a wailing blonde hair, and the most distinct blue eyes. "Oh! It''s the lord!" Cheered Jeane.

    The truck stopped some ways into the main road and the two made their way towards him. The door opened, and Hierd leapt out. "Jeane. Gelmund."

    "Yes lord?" They said in unison.

    "This matter concerns the future of Germany. And the people." From behind the truck, Naturvege, Adelheid, captain Jack, the princess, as well as Jamie, Heduc, and finally Verdel.

    The two gulped.

    "Now on towards the main building shall we?" Said Hierd with a grin.

    ---

    Hierd told everyone there of the happenstance, that their futures were at stake. Two countries will be declaring war in the near future, and maybe even more than that.

    "The Betelion Empire, as I am aware;" Said Hierd. "Had signed an agreement concerning the rules of war. Now. We are not established yet in this continent as a kingdom, so there are ''legal'' loopholes in that I assume. And I believe they will strike when our diplomatic mission has reached it''s summit."

    "What do you suppose we do, lord?" Questioned Naturvege from way to the otherside of the table.

    "This is a quick. Brief thought I had. Which after this thought, I questioned myself. Spies?"

    The room was intrigued. "Are you suggesting we infiltrate the two kingdoms as spies? To gather intellegence?"

    "Yes, gathering intellegence and constructing mini-bases in their cities. So when our army advances, we shall have checkpoints upon which we can refil our resources."

    The room then lit up with excitement over it all.

    "To the second lieutenants, I shall assign... You." His eyes and finger landed on Jeane. "Jeane. I informally advance you to the role of Lieutenant Colonel."

    She gasped, and so did everyone else there. " Lord?" She stood up and said almost teary-eyed; "Lord, I thank you for your kindness."

    "Yes. Yes. You may sit down now Jeane." He gestured. "Now. Jeane shall be commanding a thousand undercover troops of ours into the Betelion empire. And to the Hesian kingdom. I shall assign Friedrick to be the one to lead a thousand troops."

    Naturvege frowned sadly, almost comically so. "And what will I do lord?" Asked Naturvege, sulking.

    "Staying here."

    Naturvege''s arms dropped and he sulked harder than before.

    "W-which is an important role, because we never know when the enemy will usurp us under our noses, so you, Naturvege, have the most important job."

    "Ah I see lord!" His energy brightened and so did his mood.

    "The task, as I have said, is simple. Under a guise, whilst I buddy-buddy with Betelion''s general you two will infiltrate and build the bases in under a month''s time. Now I know this isn''t alot of time to work with, but we need it as fast as possible." He grinned, staring at the big map laid on the table, sprawled from end to end, he raised then landed his finger on the Betelion empire''s capital.

    "As I have landed my finger on this city, so too will our forces upon it. I call this one;

    Operation Shadow."

 IX The Leberecht, The Atago, and The Galleons - 1

    *"There might be a few parts where I had labeled or had done something wrong concerning the parts of a ship, be it a gun or multiple guns, turrets and the use of something; but hey, I ain''t doin allat."

    ---

    It''s been two days after the meeting discussing the Shadow Operation, and since then, Hierd had made advances to expand his navy''s potential. During the battle of the capital, the K-3 sloops did well enough, but the very fact that it suffered damages was enough for Hierd to act.

    "I call it Hasel Port." Hierd touched the red-marked point on the map, "This new port will house the new warships that will be arriving, the Leberecht Maaas and a new one, The Atago Class heavy cruiser."

    "Finally the Leberect Maaas!" Said happily by Adelheid. "But this... Atago-class ''heavy cruiser,'' lord, I suspect it is ways more powerful than the K-3s and even the leberect?"

    "You are right on that, however in many ways, the Maaas could be better than the Atago, as heavy cruisers are bigger, heavier, and destroyers are lighter, smaller. The Maaas imploys... Underwater charges to hit a ship from afar."

    "And the Atago class has more guns I presume?"

    "That and, more technology overall to detect enemies kilometers upon kilometers far. They have different uses, Adelheid, and these new warships will become the main way we defeat all the other ships in the world." He slammed his hands on the wooden table. "Now, lets get working!"

    ---

    At the being constructed upon port, there were hundreds of trucks, soldiers, and construction workers doing well on all their parts. Each pier was made with wood still, but the vast majority of it was made using cement.

    The architects devised probably the largest port in the lands. For almost the whole shore was laid down with wood and cement. Fifty piers with each having a length of about fifty meters, to house the ships, there were a multitude of chains and mooring lines as well as pier posts. And using Pomlik''s help, magical orbs were placed all around acting as light for when the night strikes.

    Construction went as well as could be, completion was thought to be a month, maybe even a year for the good old architects of Easel, but Unchean''s architects and engineers proved them wrong. Recieving a radio call at the third day of construction, Hierd picked it up from his manor and to his shock he heard Pomlik''s voice saying; "Lord! The port is done! You should come see it now, the men are holding a celebratory feast, big too I see."

    "That''s great, that''s great! I''ll be there tommorow morning." Hierd hung the call.

    "Celebratory feast!? How in the hell am I gonna spawn the two warships now that there are drunkards there? Maybe they''ll be gone by midnight when I''ll come."

    He stood up from his desk, pushing the wooden chair into it. At the sound of a knock, he walked towards the door. "Yes?"

    It was a young second lieutenant who knocked. He bowed before saying; "T-the maids, lord, have p-prepared, y-your breakfast."

    "Oh? Thank you, you may go back to your post."

    The lieutenant bowed again and slowly turned around, marching to whence he came.

    "What makes them so scared of me?" Hierd walked out his room, shutting the door then headed for the stairs down. "From the inside, I''m just your average Joe, well I haven''t been really ''showing'' that inside to the others. Actually, I understand." He turned a sharp right and opened the door to the dining room.

    Marisse was already enjoying her meal at the other end of the table, and to the sit adjacent to her, sat an unrecognizable man. The maids bowed to Hierd and offered the front seat with a delectable meal awaiting to be eaten. As he sat down; "I barely recognized you, duke of Krimvald."

    He was thirty-ish though was clean shaven, and had the same jet black hair as the rest of the royal bloodline. "Please, Chancellor; you may call me as Grieg." He has less bandages than before, and, wearing a sharp suit, he looked to be back in business.

    "It''s been two days since your Hazel port''s construction." Started Marisse. "And you wanted to dock two bigger ships. I believe their names are the Leberecht Maaas? And the Atago. Your country sure does have a knack at pequilarly hard to pronounce names."

    Hierd chuckled. "It''s actually done, completed, the port. And by tommorow they''ll be there, those two warships."

    The princess''s eyes turned slit. "By tommorow they''ll be there. If that was the case, this German continent would be near, but no. East of Unchean, beyond the sea is the kingdom of Hesia. If Germany was further down, then I guess that''d be the reason, but for their warships not to be spotted by some man in the past... No. This Hierd..."

    "They port tommorow you say?" Questioned the duke. "Chancellor, Germany''d have to be pretty close if that were the case."

    Hierd abruptly stopped eating. "Secrets shall stay secrets."

    The room was silent. And the two were suspicious.

    ( * )

    "What! in the goodness damned!" Jack yelled out in disbelief, putting his hands ways above his head.

    "I cannot believe it." Pomlik stared with almost jelous-looking eyes. The gentle rise of the bows, the large guns on the two ships, and most definitely their huge sizes. The Atago was noticeble longer, a hundred meters longer than the Leberect. And it''s large size made everyone in the port shudder in fear.

    The sailors were told to gather in the port, exactly two-thousand sailors were there. And now, they were about to embark the two most dangerous ships of their time. "Well may I be damned!" Jack joyously said. "I have the big ship, Sir Adelheid may have the small one."

    "Bu-" Adelheid said, being cut off.

    "I heard yee''d researched much bout'' that destroyer, so makes sense you''ll be her captain!"

    A sigh of defeat.

    "Come now, no need for quarrel." Hierd added. "As Adelheid indeed read back to back the inner workings of the Leberecht, it makes sense why he''ll be comandeering it. Now. The Atago is a different beast. For she requires seven hundred sailors, the Maaas requires but three hundred. Under three weeks, I want you to be familiarize yourselves with the two warships. You shall conduct naval drills in the sea, and soon enough, every sailor, every man in the two ships, shall have heard what bombardment really is!"

    The horde of sailors were boarding the Atago, the two twin guns on the bow really giving them a foreboding feeling. And it''s height made them feel like they were atop a galleon. They were overly joyous, so would men to such a beautiful creation. And by an hour later, the two warships were full of sailors raring to race to the sea.

    "I have read front to back that manual, and standing upon this bridge, it is like using a new blade of an old deprecated one." Adelheid smiled, looking at the empty dock, with only Pomlik and Hierd standing looking at the two ships.

    "I want those stacks screaming smoke!" Yelled Adelheid behind him.

    "Yes sir!"

    The mooring lines snapped and the ships unanchorced, the anchors reaching up to the front of the bow, the rise of the iron giants, water sliding off was a mezmorizing sight akin to a waterfall in Hierd''s eyes.

    There was a roar of flame and fire as fuel pumped in the warships''s systems. And by another moment, smoke rose from both their two funnels. "She''s a roarin'' alright!" Jack hit the steering wheel to reverse the ship. Adelheid doing the same.

    As the two ships rushed out of the clutches of the pier, Jack hit immidiately to the fastest gear. Turning hard starboard, the Atago ran ferociously towards the rough sea, the water seemingly being cut by the sheer speed of the ship crashing on the water surface.

    Adelheid wasn''t all showy, turning portside slowly and easing himself to full speed towards the sea. Atago and Leberect had about the same speed, Atago being fourty mph, higher than Maaas''s thirty. But from the sea, no matter their speed, they two were ferocious beasts.

    Hierd called his squad in to hand him a radio. Connecting, he said; "Have a feel for her systems, I want every sailor to experience firing her guns. And I want there to be a fusilade of hellfire being fired out onto the rough seas."

    "Yes, lord."

    ( * )

    *Report 1 IMAGE*

    The Maaas had shorter turrets than the Atago''s which was far away, yet still it was more enormous than theirs. Adelheid gave an order. "The lord wishes we bring hell to the ocean! Keep on to the boilers, sailors at the bottom-most deck, but I want every and each gun here, shooting!"

    As the order travelled around, bells had rung and guns were being loaded in. This was not the first rodeo for the sailors, they''ve had their experience with the K-3, the Maaas was longer, indeed, so was the amount of guns and firepower, but in heart, the two were the same.

    It was hot that day, and any deck that wasn''t the main one was for sure to be boiling. The sailors were already steaming hot, and as they loaded the guns, they were in need of some air. In bounds, sailors took turns churning in the boilers and going to the main deck to cool off with the breeze of the sea. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ---

    "Sir!" A sailor yelled from behind Adelheid. "The main turrets and anti-air guns have been loaded, awaiting orders to fire!"

    Adelheid looked straight on towards the blue horizon. "Give it twenty elevation at fifty degrees aiming starboard."

    "Yes, sir!"

    It took a second, but the order was radioed in. Down under the ship''s main deck, the turret was being primed to fire, the round went up like a conveyor belt towards the upper turret, inputting the degrees and elevation, the turrets began to turn.

    -10��- Slowly so,

    -20��-

    -30��- Keeping it''s slow pace;

    -40��-

    -50��-

    It stopped methodically, then picked up after a second. The barrels began to rise, slowly yet percise it stopped after it hit the twentieth degree. An alarm rang along the bow, and the sailors ran away from the turrets. In groups, the men gathered to the ship''s starboard, waiting for the barrels to fire.

    Click!

    *BLOOOM!

    A deafening noice! The combined boom of the five one-barrel turrets made the whole ship shake, the rough sea below the starboard was interupted by the sheer power that blasted off the six barrels made the leberect move a little. The sailors had their eyes for the horizon, all of them blocking the sun with their hands to see better without it''s glares.

    Waiting.

    Waiting...

    A splash!

    The sailors cheered amongs''t themselves. Young and old, they rejoiced in the sheer distance that shot was. "She''s even better than I thought!" Adelheid smiled, removing his sailor hat and staring out the bridge''s window. "You. I want all the guns shooting! I want her ammo to run to it''s brink!"

    "Yes sir!" The sailor went down from the bridge, hurrying through masses of other sailors, shouting;

    "Make way! Make way!" Then coming upon a nice high platform on the ship, he shouted as loud as he could in the busy deck; "Everyone!" -They all went silent- "The captain wants to hail rain to the sky! To your battle stations, and fire high to the sky!"

    "Yes sir!" They said excitedly; running off to the nearest anti-air gun.

    The Leberect has thirteen anti-air guns overall, but what it had more of was mines and depth charges. Atleast four people gathered at each gun, the rest of the crew maintained the six boilers down under as well as the five turrets.

    There was a second of silence, the humming of the engine, the sea crashing on the iron hull, and the distinct sound of machinery moving. Aiming at their respective sides, the gunners aimed high, high above. (Far away from the Atago of course). Making it harder for the guns to have the off-chance of hitting the Atago, Adelheid steered the ship right, doing so, both the starboard and portside had no direct way of hitting Atago.

    There was a silent countdown ticking in all the gunner''s heads. Three. Two;

    They pressed the triggers!

    A clammor of bullets raged out the barrels in quick succession. With each bullet shooting out and towards the clouds at extreme speeds!

    The rage of sounds came to a halt, hearing the click and the absence of fire, the other sailors operating the anti-air quickly put rounds into the machine, feeding it then sent the gun roaring to life back again.

    Joining in the action, the destroyer''s turrets rang to life once more, this time; aiming at different directions and differing elevations. Then, without caution, the turrets blasted every which way. A lengthy reloading, then another barrage to that and this direction.

    Watching from up on the bridge, Adelheid was overjoyed as jets of water plummed up, near or far, the ship was a raging monster enjoying a trip across a lagoon. Were it not for the darkness of the sea, Adelheid expected fish lying in the waters to seize and die, the larger ones to be hit and go ballooning upwards!

    Onboard the ship''s bridge was sonar. Something Adelheid had yet to use before, but, upon realizing that they were nearing a dramatic rise of the sea, a reef maybe? Or may it be just weird underwater terrain. He stopped the ship. Nonetheless, it was time to test out the ship''s torpedo tubes. Having sent an order to fire at the approximate angles it was at; [52�� South]. (The ship''s bow faces north).

    The anti-air guns had finally silenced, too did the main turrets. And the sailors, alike the first firing of the main guns, were awaiting portside. They murmured to themselves about what''d happen, reaching conclusions out of fanatical young delusions. That the water would come up under the intense firepower, or that the ship''d rumble at the very least.

    *Report 2 IMAGE*

    One of the quadruple tubes of torpedos opened up and, operating it, a sailor pushed a button and out came the torpedo, though only in glimpes, they noted that the torpedo''s tip was gold in color, green in body and at it''s back, propellors?

    Was this a ship of it''s own? They didn''t know and stood watching above. Hanging by the ship''s railings and looking down at the dark sea, they saw that indeed there was shallow land, red in color, it should be a reef. Sad for the animals, good for an experiment.

    On it''s tip were four prongs. As it neared the shallow reef;

    Closer.

    Closer now.

    Touching! The four prongs bent back, and in a chain reaction, the torpedo burst open in a huge explosion!

    It was instant, and from up above, a shockwave sent the ship back a few paces, and the few sailors who were hanging on the railings, got pushed back along the ship. It was an unexciting view from above, a pathetic circular blast, not being what they expected. Regaining a foot, the sailors once more stared at the shallow reef. Corpses of fish rose up along with a few bits of coral.

    "Though it may not be flashy, it certainly can damage anything from underwater, underwater being the place where our guns cannot reach, it is good that we this for protection." Adelheid commented, watching from his bridge post. "Now what is captain Jack doing?"

    ( * )

    In radiant naval beauty. Sixty anti-air guns. Unbelievably much, varying in uses. Some being large artillery pieces, whilst some being just as long as the MG42. Captain Jack stood to watch the Leberect from his bridge. His quartermaster stood beside him, he being none other than;

    "Farway." Jack asked for him.

    "Aye, sir?"

    "In need''s ye to control me ship for''a while, I need''s to see these guns up close!" He grinned from ear to ear, patting Farway on the back as he nodded. All giddy-like, he ran down the superstructure''s painfully long stairway and onto the ship''s mid-deck. He was greeted by the smell of brass and the smoke, as well as the sweat of hundreds of sailors working.

    "Keep yer'' goin men! You''all see''em Sir Adelheid performin'' dem trick''sa his! We wouldn''t wanna let down! Heave ho, men! Heave and ho!"

    "Aye sir!" In seconds the sailors worked faster. And as time flew, it was now time to shoot the guns like the Leberect had done so a while ago. But with sixty anti air guns going off at once, it was going to be a firework display, and Jack was serving it full course. He flipped upon his trusty binoculars and looked at the docks, he saw Hierd observing it all on a seat. Almost motionless, with Pomlik beside him. Talking? He didn''t know.

    "Sir!"

    Jack startled, let down his binoculars in a haste and looked behind him. "Goodness! Ye'' bloody wench! You scared me there!"

    The woman sailor''s sweat quadrupled in amount. "S-sir. T-the."

    "Ah! All is well, me''s was just joking! Was I...?" Jack leaned in toward the sailor. "What is yer portin''?"

    "Sir, the main turret''as been loaded full, and the anti-air''s supplied. Full, captain." She bowed.

    "Danke!" He cried aloud. "Return to ye post, and! Don''t ye scare me agains!"

    ---

    She supported five twin barreled turrets, three at the bow two at the stern, it was odd yet foreboding trio of turrets, making the front look as if there were spikes protruding forth. And the superstructure''s tall sillhouete was outstandingly good at making someone fearful of the ship and what it could do.

    Jack opened the Bridge room''s door, the quartermaster along with many others in it were manning the multitude of specks and spangs, the radar and the wiring, the wheel and the other machines, in all honesty, Jack hadn''t a clue what they all did, only the wheel was his only friend in the complex jungle.

    "I want to fire em straight ahead!" Jack said with a grin on his face.

    "Aye sir!" The bridge''s sailors yelled out in unison.

    She turned quite a bit, now her bow faced the north as did the Leberect, calling the engine''s beck; the fires tuned down a little and the ship''s speed turned to a staggeringly slow, almost a halt, in speed. Slowly, yet percise and methodically, the five turrets rotated in sync with each other, aiming starboard with an relatively low elevation.

    From the deck to the five turrets, Jack ordered for them to fire.

    An intercept!

    *Report 3 IMAGE*

    The bridge''s radio operator picked up the call, "This is Adelheid! We have spotted approaching vessels of unknown country origin, needing backup."

    Jack, upon hearing the distress call, immidiately turned to halt the firing of the turrets, instead ordering for the turrets to go back to their natural positions. "Sir Adelheid! We''s a comin'' hang on me lad!"

    There was brief chuckle from the other side; "Yes, captain Jack."

    The call cut. Immidiately, without even their captain''s orders, an alarm rang across the whole of the Atago, the sailors have been trained before that alarms meant one of three things. The ship''s damaged, the turrets are being shot, or that they were to go to their stations. And on context, the alarm meant only one thing.

    The call cut and the Atago began to pick up speed, heading north where the Leberect was also heading. At top speed, the two ships made haste to the approaching small armada which was very obviously heading towards Unchean. The flag they flew was unrecognizable. Red and green?

    They have yet to see such colors on a flag. In Adelheid''s time, he had only learned of the flags of Krimvald''s neighboring countries and at times some other Latessian countries. But this flag was all but unknown to him.

    The sailors of both ships held their breath, battle was near and was unexpected, but they had weaponry vastly superior to the cannons of the ages, sure the dragoons may cause a hole or two, or that some magic may melt the steel off. But the two captains had not a qualm and kept the pace toward the ships.

    The call opened again after minute or two, with a distressed Adelheid coming through.

    "Galleons." He stated with a distinct frown. "About five galleons overall, their flag... I do not recognise it. It isn''t Krimvaldian, neither Betelionic, and even if they were of some other country east of here, there is no way a country would come to another''s country with galleons."

    "I say Aye to that sir Adelheid." In a half-serious tone this time. "I betcha''dem the ones who sent those Dragoons!"

    "The Hesian kingdom?" Adelheid questioned. "I don''t deny that may be. Say; captain Jack, I''ll hop over there and demand their intentions, if things go awry, we''re counting on you, Jack, to act."

    "Aye."

    Adelheid pushed through the waters, his sailors aiming at the galleon and the main turrets; trained at the wooden ship. They were small, but there were small clipper-like ships behind the galleons. The ships had characteristically tall masts with large canvas sails. Hundreds of rope scattered about, Adelheid''s quartermaster raveled his telescope; saw sailors with comfortable, noble-like clothing.

    "From afar, the galleons are indeed scary." The quartermaster commented; still looking at the wooden ship. "Yet, as I look at the deck, it''s a ship full of posh! Sir Adelheid, we''s approaching a touring ship!" The bridge crew laughed heartily, yet Adelheid not even smiled.

    A sharp turn left and the two ships were now side by side a kilometer apart. The galleon seemed to cruise at four knots, going slower as the Leberect was ever closing the gap. Adelheid slowed the ship down to a measly ten knots. "I need to communicate with the ship." Adelheid thought, then an idea formed in his head.

    "Open the spotlight, let''s communicate with these guys." Adelheid ordered.

    "But, captain. It is still day out." The quartermaster said.

    "The light is powerful enough." He retorted.

    *Report 4 IMAGE*

    "Aye, captain." The quartermaster hit a button on the bridge''s panel. It wasn''t noticeable, but even in the afternoon sun, the water below reflected it''s harsh brilliance. There two blinks of light, observing, the quartermaster saw the sailors aboard hurry to the masts, turning them back.

    Then at the highest point of the mast, a big white flag flew long the sails.

    "The international peace flag." Commented the quartermaster. "They come in peace, captain; I say we go nearer flying a white flag as well."

    "Do we even have such a thing?" Adelheid turned around.

    "I am sure their captain can see that we come in peace also. Our sailors have signed the traditional signs of peace throughout the seas!"

    In the ocean silence, the two ships looked at each other with interest, Adelheid walked out the bridge and to the small bridge wing. To a sailor beside him; "My binoculars." The sailor went and came back with the pair, handing it to him; he focused his eyes on the frontmost galleon''s quarterdeck.

    "They are wearing such sophisticated garments for the sea. I''m not witty enough to understand why." Adelheid smirked a little.

    "What do you think we do, captain?" The quartermaster questioned.

    "Get ahold of the lord, we do not proceed and we make them not proceed also from this moment on."

    "Aye."

 X The Leberect, The Atago, And The Galleons - 2

    "You said what!?" Exclaimed Hierd over the radio.

    "Yes, lord, galleons, we presume by the Hesians." A faint sigh. "What do you propose we do?"

    "I am sure you two can handle it? Question the leader, bring him to me then we''ll start the questioning process. If they really are from the Hesian kingdom, question their resolve, why wander some place where their elite dragoons were shot down."

    "Yes, lord."

    "Oh and! Report every minute detail, I want to hear what''s happening."

    "Y-yes."

    The call hung up and Hierd was left to his thoughts and the ringing of the telephone on his ear. Putting it down, Pomlik walked to him.

    "Lord? What''s happening?" Pomlik, his shortness yet distinct ''dwarven-anger'' made his distressed voice sound comedic.

    Eyeing up the little Pomlik, he said with a sigh; "Galleons."

    "Galleons!?" He blurted!

    "No need to be so suprised, even if they try to attack us, the Atago and Leberect can sink the wooden ships with one barrage of our bullets." Hierd smiled, "We just wait for news. Good news at that."

    ---

    Approaching at a steady ten knots and going faster, the Leberect made vital contact with the Galleons. Specifically the pack''s leading galleon. Written across the stern; a name. "The Hesia." Adelheid saw and undeinably, this country could not not be the Hesian kingdom.

    It was less than two hundred meters from the two ships, any closer and there''d be risk for impact. Scoped in, a sailor lookout from the bridge wing noted a man dressed in all white leaving the Hesia''s captain''s quarters. Decked out with a novelty of medals and a rather daunting glowing hat of gold.

    "Our presence has intrigued an admiral!" Adelheid yelled out with a gleeful-like expression. "Send this beck; I want everyone onward the starboard part''a the deck. Our white uniforms, let them dazzle in front of them whilst we give our command for a greeting!"

    "Aye, captain!" The bridge crewmen ran out and into the deck, where bells and radios rang out from below deck, asking for their presence, and; almost like clockwork. The sailors got out from whatever cellar they worked, with pristine white clothing, their posture was straight, and their gazes were straight on.

    The Hesian sailors looked bedazzled by the white garments, but then, their eyes loomed on over to a bigger, menacing figure with full navy blue clothing.

    Adelheid;

    with a microphone to his hand and speakers just behind.

    He took in the breath of the sea, then with a grunt. "To all who are here, Hesian kingdom sailors and admiralty. I do hope you have understanding as to what ocean you are presiding your cannons inside of. Our. Waters. Germany''s. Waters. I wish an audience with your admiral, whereupon if not we shall detain every and all men here."

    The Galleon and the multiple other galleons behind it were in an uproar of curiosity. The sailors yonder stared at the ship with slit eyes, eyeing up every detail their mind could muster and understand. To them, they were looking at a creature, a leviathan, and men of some distant land of trained the creature to it''s will and armored it tip to tip with iron.

    Loudly, the Admiral shushed the sailors aboard the Hesia, then, with the sailors calming, he asked of one, his coxswain; "Give me the horn aft my bed, ways the wench, please?"

    "Aye, capt''in!" The Coxswain ran for the quarters and came back, grunting, as he held a large ''goat horn'' looking behometh, handing it over to the admiral; "How''ll yee use it?"

    The admiral made only a small nod, before so ever nonchalantly holding the heavy horn up high like it were paper, then dropping it back down; leveling it with his mouth. A deep breath, he prepared himself to shout a momentus yell. "I accept your terms! But how, does I aboard, the vessel!?"

    His voice carried on over towards the iron vessel, and Adelheid''s ears were soundly informed. How so will they aboard? Indeed there were three or so lifeboats aboard, but how so will it get back onto the ship?

    There were no cranes on the warship, so Adelheid thought better; he put the microphone close to mouth once more; "You come to us, Admiral. By your lifeboat, we will take no further objections, and if you object, I shall fire my turrets and one of your ships shall sink."

    There was silence over at the other side, a blatant threat washed their pates with sweat. "Admiral, what say we do?" The galleon''s quartermaster came walking over to him. The admiral turned around to look at his crew of sailors, the air had this subtle angerness, and whispers came about.

    ''The admiral should not obey them!''

    ''We need to fire our cannons!''

    "Silence!" The admiral yelled out! "Your whispers do not command me!" He stepped back and turned around to face the silent, waiting iron warship. It''s hundreds of white-wearing sailors staring adamantly, awaiting a response. A defeated sigh.

    "Men!" He gripped the wooden railings of the galleon, avoiding facing his back. "For peace and for the world, I... I shall disembark."

    "What!?" The sailors retorted! Clammor brewed aboard, and soon long the sailors were making up excuses why he shouldn''t obey. The sailors, clad in their noble-like armor, their ''suits'' making them sweat more so than with normal wears, crowded up the admiral, whoms''t tried to walk towards the only lifeboat aboard.

    "Admiral!" His quartermaster came rushing from the crowd the admiral tried so desperately to break off. "Is it truly what you wish!?"

    "Command the ship in my absense. Those men from that ship- if I do not depart, then our ship will be in pieces I suppose." The admiral, with courtesy; got rid of his black- captain''s hat and patted it onto the bald pate that was the quartermaster''s.

    "You suppose, admiral!? I-I, do not know what to say..." He was dumbfounded; simply enough.

    The admiral ignored the roar of other men blocking the way, he was most definitely absolute in his decision. The sailors aboard had accepted the fact too late, their admiral had boarded already the wooden lifeboat, the only such one. With the help of some sailors, ropes released and cranks reeled.

    Lowering down, ever slowly the sailors looked at their admiral sitting on the small wooden canoe prepping the two paddles. "I wish you luck admiral!" The quartermaster- turned captain, waved his given black hat. With the rest of the sailors whoms''t too overlooked from the wooden railing to beneath to the admiral.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    "A wish of luck!" They yelled!

    ---

    "He''s approaching." Adelheid pointed out the obvious; "Quartermaster. Prep him up here when he touches board."

    "Yes, captain." He did a little bow before leaving for the sailors.

    The sea was of a moderate roughness, where between the two ships. The iron cladded Leberect and the wooden, keel and all, galleon of Hesia; the waves had toughned up quite a bit and the small canoe-like boat the admiral rowed with great power, pushing through the waves towards the Leberect, had been swept up draft a few times. Then finally, it''s wooden bow collided with the ship''s side.

    A pinch of sailors flew towards the area, grabbing robe and throwing it down. A Hip'' to Ho'' the admiral went. When his hands grabbed the rope immidiately he thrusted his body upwards with treumendous strength, reaching the deck in just under ten-or-so seconds!

    There was little help offered by the sailors as the admiral grappled his way through the railing. A swift thud, a pad to his pants and once to his suit. With a straight body, he looked at Adelheid with serious eyes. "As you had called, here I stand."

    A wave of twenty sailors decked with lugers aimed down on the unarmed admiral, "And you point at me with those metallic things. They look like cannons; and if I were in a daze, then they too act like cannons."

    "Matter it not," Adelheid introduced himself. "As it stands, Krimvald is in war with Germany. At a recent crux of treumendous battle, an overwhelming defeat for the Krimvaldians; I understand that your country''s dragoons were involved in the battle."

    "And because of our involvement;" he interupted. "We want compensation."

    "No."

    The admiral smirked. "No? What do you mean; ''no?''"

    "As far as I''m concerned, Krimvald; the remains of it; should be paying off the compensation you need."

    "Your wears, your weaponry, your ships, be it even your tactics, but the Hesian kingdom will undoubtfully outrival you with our magical prowess. So do not be so ''hard'' to work with, naval captain."

    The sailors raised their lugers now to the admiral''s head, and the other sailors who were on standby readied their lugers as well. "Admiral. Let''s not make things difficult for the two of us." Adelheid stepped nearer towards the admiral. "It as simple as you asking for compensation to the country who asked help in the first place. Not our country. We have no intentions to compensate you, your country."

    "Captain." The admiral said in a gruff voice. "Since we have come to this..."

    A swish of air rang out in dreadful ferocity, the sweat rolling off Adelheid''s head at the very moment seemingly stopped, the sea''s crashing waves slowed to a halt, and the sound forlorn. Looking at the Admiral in the world he was in; Adelheid''s heart dropped.

    A slash!

    He dodged in the nick of time, but! Blood, a little wound.

    The admiral leaped towards him! Without time to act, he reached for the luger on his pants.

    *BOOM!

    The sailors fired in succession. Standing there, lifeless yet ever-so fighting to stay alive. The admiral, with eyes wide-wide open, and blood pouring out from every crevice, from the bullet holes and his mouth.

    He fell.

    Adelheid took some seconds to gather himself.

    "Captain, are you okay?" The quartermaster helped him get up.

    Without hesitation, "Fire at the galleons."

    ( * )

    From within the Atago''s bridge, captain Jack stared at the battle happening on the seas. His mind on the brink of insanity not being able to participate in it. "Ah! Darn it all! Ye'' fire at it!" He yelled, staring at the quartermaster.

    "Aye, captain!" A ringing blerted all across the bow and stern, the sailors who were there at that moment ran away towards the middle deck.

    Rotating at moderate pace then elevating at approximately thirty-or-so degrees, the five turrets primed her HE rounds, awaiting.

    A click!

    In mere miliseconds, the rounds came barreling down the turret ferociously leaving; a bang! A cloud of explosion covered the aft and forward decks, the sailors cowered as the deafening sound washed over them.

    Hearts beated as they awaited the boom.

    -1-

    -2-

    "Three!" Jack yelled out, from the horizon of battle, there arose multiple blasts of hell! The waves seemingly raised in it''s dreadful presence, and the galleons the shells had hit were burning ferociously so.

    Commanding, Adelheid steered the Leberect away from the battle. Shooting now with her Anti-Air guns instead. There were still some ships buoyant, alive, yet their canvas sails were being hit with the fire of the sinking galleons. Now it was a time unlike any other to think;

    "Why did the admiral attack me?" Adelheid gripped the wheel harder. "What even was the reason!? No, there''s some plan in this I''m not comprehending."

    "Captain!" A bridgeman shouted, pointing to somewhere inside the dark smoke. "Movement! And fast!"

    "They''re using water magic!" Adelheid concluded, jumping his wheel a sharp right away the carnage, "I want those turrets shooting again!"

    "Aye, captain!"

    From the smoke Adelheid saw it part, a loud bang;

    a cannon ball!

    A hard bash on the ship''s wooden deck, to the comment of one sailor; "Nothing bad captain, we shall reply with fire!"

    Aligning with the ship''s turning, the turrets turned, sighting in with the dark mass of smoke, there was about a kilometer''s range of distance away, and the barrels elevated some ways up. Then, to the hymns of the wits of the sailors commanding the turret''s turning and shooting, as well as the sailors of the bridge directing the measurements, the turrets shot once more a wonderous fusilade!

    The dark smoke that laid there still had came multiplied, the carnage of fire spread from board to board, wood to plank and man to man. The clippers that escorted the galleons sailed well clear and were retreating towards where they came. But two galleons stil afloat amidst the chaos were fighting back.

    A bang! Then once more; another bang! Of the twenty-or-so cannons of that side of the galleon and of the rampant firing of each and every ball, only so few had hit for the distance carried greater and greater.

    "The leading ship of the pack survives," The quartermaster commented as his eyes had caught prey a galleon with it''s guns shooting widely towards them, missing of course. "The Hesia, its upper portion''s been eradicated, if I took a guess, the cannons they can use are all on the lower deck, our AA is enough to take it down, captain?"

    "Prepare another shot, something the Hesians could write home about." Adelheid smiled, knowing full well of Operation Shadow''s mission.

    Aimed and loaded, the front turret took action, circling first before a more accurate shot could be placed, the galleon moved slow yet not alike any other galleon, wind magic and presumably water magic propelled it faster. The gun men had to shoot a couple of paces after the ship if they wanted the perfect shot.

    *BAM!

    In fantastic monstrosity, the Hesian Galleon exploded, it''s crewmen being burnt to ashes with it. The remaining hull; stern and bow, sunk in two halves sinking toward it''s middle. In mere seconds any evidence more than a barrel or cannonball was the ship''s only remaining indentifiers, for it had sunk far now, to the depths of the sea.

    Pockets of survivors surfaced clinging to the bits of pieces of wood the hull imparted that still floated. "There is one galleon left, captain." Said the quartermaster.

    "Let Captain Jack handle that other galleon, we must go back to the port, assess the damage. And report."

    "Aye, captain."

    The leberect''s horn blared, signalling that they were to retreat, leaving Atago to her own.

    ---

    On the Atago''s bridge, Jack was notified of the reason the Leberect left, as well as the

    "Finally vie'' can do things ou''re way!" Jack exclaimed excitedly. "Tend to the guns men! The might''ye Atago''ll be shown en but a minute!"

    The clipper ships and the one galleon were retreating East, presumably to some port of the Hesian kingdom. But the wooden warships were too slow, the Atago; too fast. The galleon was far away, maybe about five to six kilometers away from the Atago, but her guns could reach her anyday.

    There was a huge crash of sailors about, spouting all sorts of something and everything to keep the ship moving and the guns sighted towards the wooden warships, already shooting rounds.

    The turret''s pulley inserted the round into the barrel, and the turretmen rang an alarm all over the ship.

    Rotating,

    Rotating.

    Climbing,

    Climbing.

    The turrets fired!

    It took some seconds before the shot had hit the galleon far off. An officer of the bridge recorded a successful hit to the galleon''s bow. "She should be sinking soon!"

    "Indeed!" Captain Jack laughed. "But that clipper''we won''t touch, sadly nuff'' Says Adelheid they went back to port, but let us stay coast here. In case dem Hesians try us nuther'' time!"

    "Aye, captain!"

    ( * )

    Looming over the dead body of the admiral, Hierd was just as confused as Adelheid as to why the man lended his life over as simple as that. "Clean his body and place in a coffin, or better yet, just hand it over to the church down at Unchean. Let''s respect the tenacity of the then admiral."

    "Yes, sir!" The sailors treaded over and by the count of three and a "Hup!" The admiral''s body was carried away to a parked truck on the dock.

    "Five galleons you said?" Hierd questioned to Adelheid. "Then... Two clippers? One lived one sunk?"

    "Yes, lord, I assure you this wont impact heavily on our current advances in both kingdoms."

    "Right." Hierd sighed. "It''s been a day. As far as I''ve heard, our headquarters have been set up in Hesia, same time as Betelion''s. You and your men," -Hierd looked at the two captains- "will train hard and efficiently until I have been radioed otherwise. Thank you, good bye."

 XI - Operation Shadow - 1

    A brigade of trucks left Unchean at approximately four in the morning, the cold of the night still adamant, yet the heat of the sun seeped through well with it''s red gradient flooding the cold blue sky

    Friedrick patted Friedrick on the back as she left on the front truck, a simple goodbye. Of the thousand troops Friedrick had in his ranks were mostly trained, there were some amount of newer soldiers, but all-in-all it was pretty stacked. From truck to truck there was alot of equipment inside.

    Tools to make houses, money (gotten from the viscount), and food for the soldiers. Speaking of the soldiers, they all wore clothing fit for a commoner, with only some of the black Venit soldiers and Friedrick wearing more noble wears.

    "It''s simple." Friedrick said abruptly, looking still at the dirt road ahead. "The capital contains the things we need, though after the bombardment it''s been left to ruins, the housing around the castle is not as badly hit. Because of that, we take the carriages, and after we get halfway to Hesia, we switch vehicles."

    "Aye, sir."

    Indeed the plan was simple, and when the trucks stopped at their location at the Capital, the soldiers immidiately started looking and getting the carriages loaded to the brink. Horses were a commodity even in the outlawed grasses just west the capital, there was an overwhelming abundance of horses tame enough to be ride with.

    The ammuniton and what not was disguised in boxes of wood; to the unsuspecting eye, it would seem merely that a merchant was delivering his wares, perhaps food? Other wares? Whatever it would be, be darned that no knight would check it.

    Before they would travel by carriage, the sheer estimated distance of Hesia would be too severe, Friedrick proposed the horses be put onto the carriages, whilst ropes will carry the carriages along with the trucks. Fro and past the streams, the tiny grass hills and the changing dirt roads, then to cobble, then the air had seemingly gotten bits colder.

    To Friedrick''s understanding, the eastern portion of Latessia is of a barren yet mountainous muck. Where cold and despair lived two and the same in a dire environment. Hesia, was merely standing at the edges of it.

    After seeing the first signs of ''life'' at the distance, Friedrick ordered his men to unleash the carriages and buckle on the horses. Where on, about twenty drivers left without the crowd and drove back towards Unchean to recieve more equipment.

    There were fifty carriages, with each carriage carried enough ammunition and food to supply a small militia, there was five carriages of the fifty that contained cleaning supplies and money.

    Of the thousand soldiers dressed in commoner''s wear, a hundred; Friedrick picked personally was to go with him to the first city, and the others, left to graces of their lieutenants, were to spy upon and build smaller bases containing radioes and ammunitons, if ever the time were to arise.

    "Chilly weather, makes me wonder why the hell people even want to live comfortably." Friedrick smirked. "Just say damn to the heat of the west lets go to the mountains!"

    Laughter filled his carriage!

    "Now, men, said simple; everyone is a commoner, you aren''t a soldier, and you damned aren''t from Krimvald or from Germany, we are from the Betelion Empire! Hear me!? Betelion Empire!"

    "Yes sir!"

    "Ah! You''ve all failed the first order." He crossed his arms. "Again."

    "Aye, mister!"

    "Better." Friedrick turned around and sat down, flicking the leash and came roared the horses.

    ---

    "Ah the luck!" It was approximately nine in the morning, and at nine came the crux, the climax of the journey, where they reached the doors of Hesia''s first city, the port city of Geo.

    When... Waiting in line, exasterbated by Friedrick''s own fifty carriages. The port city was inspecting wares. "What for!?" Sweat came dropping off his face. "Everyone, we will not panic, stick to our plans, and don''t make them open a single crate."

    They nodded, still acting as commoners.

    The carriages were advancing inside slowly, with some unlucky few getting booted off from the line. The knights were intently searching the carriages, and, at that rate, they''ll get found out. "Mie people!" The knight introduced his presence to Friedrick atop the carriage. "And sie! We are doing a routine check, your merchant''s pass please?"

    Friedrick fondled something from within his front pocket, then out came a hard parchment pass. Handing it over to the knight, he said; "Ten carriages, wares for a store I''ll be building."

    "I see, I will need to see, Betelion man."

    "Kindly," Friedrick hopped down to the ground; walking around to the back, "Have a gander!" His heart took a step back. The knight grabbed ahold of the small wooden ledge, into the carriage, a great amount of crates faced him.

    "A whole lot of crates, mister." His eyes caught the attention of a small glint, like a silver reflection from a slightly opened crate. His hands slowly went towards it;

    Touching; "Just spoons, mediocore." Friedrick smiled, holding his hand touching the box.

    "Ah, I see." Out the carriage he went. "I suppose the other carriages are of similar things? To build as well as to supply, mie man?"

    "Yes." Friedrick said. "Will you care to uncover all of the crates?"

    "Ah..." The knight looked at the horizon-breaking line of carriages. "I will not, you may continue on. And this, your card, mie man."

    "Thank you." He put it on his pocket and the knight left to his post.

    ---

    This was not the end of the venture! Nigh was it actually just the start of it, as soon as Friedrick and his fifty carriages entered the port city of Geo, whereupon the hundreds of people on the road crowded and were aboslutely shocked by the amount of carriages moving into the city. People rocked heads, and roads were cleared to make way.

    Then, Friedrick stepped out, standing infront of him, a rather tall stone inlaid building. "The Merchants Guild building of Geo is less fancy than that of Unchean, that I give it." Friedrick commented.

    "Aye, mister." Played in his soldier.

    "Give me the bags of money by the second carriage."

    Walking with a fierce almost noble-like stance, he pounded the merchant guild''s front wooden door open.

    Three disguised soldiers went in, Friedrick leading, his sack of money he wore on his back. The four brought newfangled interest and chatter among the some few merchants browsing about the receptionist''s desk.

    Coming up, a young modestly dressed lady rang up and answered the beck;

    "Good Morning sir, what will we assist you with today?"

    "A plot," a heavy thud caused by the weight of the sack slamming on the wooden receptionist table. "Preferably big and one with a basement if possible."

    The lady hid her awkward jest, sweating as she took a look inside. A nervous grin; "For this amount of money... You''d be able to buy most of the main block, sir." She jokingly implied.

    "One plot, and with the specifics I mentioned earlier would suffice."

    She quickly bolted open her desk''s drawer, and in it browsed through a catalogue of papers (not as fine as Germany''s). She went from ''A-to-Z,'' sifting through the first and the last of plots available in Geo. There came up three plots, she showed it to Friedrick.

    "Their locations are quite prime, expensive, sir; however it''s condition remains unknown, for these three lots have remained abandoned for quite a long time."

    "No worries, take me through all of them, no matter the price."

    ( * )

    The city of Geo was a bustling and quite large city. Especially since it was a port city, the economical aspect of it all was quite rampant. The fisheries and the merchant ships made the port boom in popularity, for the east atleast. It was some ways off the Latessian map, hence the aspect of uncertainty.

    "It is certainly beautiful for a city right next to rocky, cold mountains." Friedrick said, manning the horse onward the crowd; he looked up towards the mountains, and saw the number of houses built on it, unafraid of the angle and of the mountain''s hidden hazard.

    "A certain farcry from our urban, this place is more than urban. Densely so for them to start building upwards."

    "Indeed, mister." The soldier agreed. "Can I inquire?"

    "Of what?"

    "This plot you had chosen from the merchant guild, where is it located and why so have we departed so far away from the main gate?"

    "This was the largest, with a basement, and close enough plot than the other two the girl mentioned-" exagerating the ''a;'' and... Here we are!" He jolted the horses to a complete stop and dramatically so looked at the building just left of the carriage.

    "Big, cobble, tower." The soldier smiled.

    Friedrick jumped first onto the pavement, the keys for the building already in his hand. The two made their way to the door, walking up a few steps and finally; after a brief twist, the big red cedar door opened.

    "Goodness!" Friedrick exclaimed sneezing indefinitely.

    "The place has not been opened for quite a long time." The soldier covered his mouth and brushed the fine gust of dust that blew on their faces.

    "Isn''t it so?" Friedrick sneezed again before putting cloth over his mouth. "Anyways, enter."

    A big room, the place seemed to have been a bar of sorts for the arrangement of the furniture, the very noticeable long desk that a bartender''d maintain, and the bottles and bottles of gin and tonics lined up, albeit broken, on the wooden cabinet behind, screamed a bar.

    "Windows, please?" Friedrick said.

    Immidiately the soldier went for the curtains; drawing them up; a cloud of dust and other dandy covered his suit, Friedrick sneezed once more. The sunlight shone throughout the room, and the place; now illuminated, felt more habitable.

    Soon the other soldiers came knocking in, Friedrick turned to them. "Know the drill, men, clean the place out."

    "Aye, mister!"

    ( * )

    One, "Hip!" Two, "Hip!" The soldiers developed this chant suitable for a war''s parade. As they, covered in a cleaner''s wears, armed to the teeth with all sorts of cleaning materials; sweapt from up to down. Friedrick watched from the second floor balcony, overseeing the whole thing almost amused.

    "What are we to turn it into?"

    "The same thing it was, a bar. If war turn''eth naught, then we could even make a killing here selling wares from Germany." He smiled, "but the tables and chairs are already broken here, repairing is a damned process, takes too long. Say; you and some other comrade of yours, take a pouch of gold and make ready for some hardware shop down the street, pick up a good mount'' of chairs; twenty shall suffice. Ah, don''t forget the tables."This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "Yes, sir."

    Friedrick nodded. He saw the soldier go down and towards one of the cleaners, and out they went.

    A "hip!" To a, "ho!" And the broken wooden chairs and tables were sent flying outside, with the decor out the way of the floor, they scrubbed it wax-smooth, polishing it with the chemicals that came with the thirty-second carriage. It started looking livelier than ever!

    The windows were made of glass which without doubt explained the lot''s price of two hundred gold coins. The soldiers wiped it down, with cloth and soapy water, turning opaque into transparent. And, to ventilate it the whole place, the windows were opened and in came fresh air and the loudly vibrance of a city.

    Almost like the gusts of wind pushing forth inside, the soldiers were energized to continue cleaning. They rid the place of the bottles that climbed the wooden shelves, of the dainty old portraits of landscapes than hung on the walls, and the very sketcky looking ''hanging'' chandelier at the middle.

    And; in due time, when the duo returned with two carriage''s worth of tables and chairs, the whole main place was cleaned out of all the gunk and dust that piled from it''s years of no-use.

    The chairs and tables were set, nice wooden chairs, as polished and sparkling looking as did the floor the furniture rested. Perfect for a high-end bar this place was going to be. Throwing down the towel,

    "Treat yourselves some rest gentlemen!" Friedrick yelled out, wiping the wooden balustrade (railing) of the second floor balcony. Clean. He threw to them a pouch of silvers. "Have at you!"

    "Thank you sir!" The men, all giddy; rushed out in both excitement and exhaustion from a long day of cleaning. It was afternoon when the cleaning ended, and with the front facade finished, the rest of the day was allotted to making it''s true face.

    Friedrick opened the service door situated just after the long wood bar table. Immidiately, he was hit with the same horrific dusty situation as did when he first entered the establishment. He covered his nose in preparation.

    With a lamp, he went further in, his eyes had stinged with the dust entering his eyes, making him lump out a tear in irritation. Cobwebs were riddled everywhere, but to his suprise, no mold nor stagnant water riddled about. There was a staircase leading further down, not hesitating; he walked down.

    Ignoring the oddity of the steps being lower than expected, he persisted and at the very bottom, a rather large room. It was riddled of barrels of presumably wine, when he looked down, he saw a red puddle; "Red Wine?" He thought, but; he wasn''t taking chances, there was something about this place that made him want to take his gun out, and so he did.

    He could see just about three meters infront of him, but was not enough to illuminate the whole room. But, to his understanding; there were many shelves of barrels, whereupon wall to wall studded and lined in columns, to see the other side of the barrels was but a dream.

    He gulped; he took the cloth off from his mouth for a second.

    *Sneeze!

    A rumbling sound!

    He looked behind him, then infront of him; but the sound that erupted out of nowhere was seemingly phasing between left and right that he couldn''t accurately pin point it''s direction. "Who''s there! Show yourself!"

    The rumbling stopped.

    A dark silhouete appeared at the corner of his eyes,

    with the illumination of the warm, red and orange light of his torch; the figure seemingly danced. He turned to it, raising his gun. "Reveal your face!"

    One step.

    Two steps.

    With each step, Friedrick gripped his pistol harder. With the fifth step, he could just barely make out a face.

    The sixth step.

    The figure vanished!?

    He trained his eyes still at the direction of where the figure was, he couldn''t have phased out of view, there simply was no way that could have happened, not with the training he''s had.

    He looked down.

    -

    A rat.

    ( * )

    The soldiers came back after a long break, about an hour, and found Friedrick sitting on a wooden stool with his legs extended outwards with his arms supporting his head. He looked up;

    "Ah, you all are back."

    "Aye, sir." They said in unison.

    "What''s happened?" One questioned.

    "Nothing at all." He smiled and stood up. "Barrels of red wine in the basement, I want it out by midnight, if the barrel''s too heavy, drain the contents and smash it to bits, but you might find some quality wine still there, maybe..."

    "Aye, sir; we will ready ourselves."

    Friedrick sighed.

    ( * )

    The second day was the crux of the adventure, finishing at exactly midnight, the basement was now filled to the brim with ammunition and rations carefully stored in metal crates and arranged in a way that the needed are front and center. Now, the second day was all about the...

    "Business and spying." Friedrick put down a piece of paper on the table. "During the first day, about fifty soldiers have infiltrated the city''s inside and outsides, on this paper are the places explored and thing investigated. By far, we''ve recieved one radio call extreme north, a city called; Helen. Landlocked, but is strategically a valley."

    "However, for all of you here today, you will become servers, butlers, and maids."

    An audible sigh.

    "This is like a vacation, except you will be working on maintaing this store for the weeks, maybe days that we will be operating it until war dawns. Alright?"

    "Yes, sir!"

    ---

    "Have you heard?" Whispered the passerbys, "That old abandoned bar''s opening again sometime this afternoon."

    "Really?"

    Looking at Geo''s citizens passing by the store on his third floor room, Friedrick sighs. Running a bar was not that hard, was it? Of the soldiers he picked to be by his side, the about fifty here would be more than enough to run a ''simple'' bar.

    The men and some few women downstairs were cleaning, preparing glasses and, luckily, Hierd prepared a carriage of wine for them. Vinho Verde, and other beginner wines were at the ready; and, for the only ''experienced'' personnel there, he tended and will be the one manning the bar.

    The others shall be waiters and to the others, they wore the wears of a commoner, posing as descrete customers, pistols on their hips.

    As finishing touches, plants and a soldier who knows his ways around some music were put front and center, making the place romatic yet lively. But now came the problem of food. The only food they had were rations, and there was really a stove or a fire they could work with that was indoors.

    A defeated sigh; "I need someone to come with me to buy things at the local market."

    Raising her hand indefintely. "Sir! Sir! May I come!?"

    Confused by the immidiate answer, he easily gave in; "Yes. Alright! I will be back at sixteen-hundred!"

    "Aye, sir!" They said in unison.

    The pair gathered a basket and with Friedrick''s pouch of money, they made their way to the market, market where? They didn''t know, but the locals should. Friedrick''s escort carelessly made her way over to a person walking;

    "Hello!" She said with butterflies for eyes. "We are new, where is the market, if you don''t mind me asking?"

    "Ah, hello;" the older gentleman pointed his hand downwards somewhere towards the dock. "The market''sat the pier, the bounty of fishermen''ll lead you the ways."

    "Thank you!" She bowed slightly and returned to Friedrick, sticking close a little too near.

    With the dramatic upwards climb of the mountain, the ways down was quite an easy venture, but the two were already feeling the pain of needing to walk up all those steps back to the base.

    As Geo was quite the developed city, the pavement was rather nicely put, the architecture suited for the cold environment, and the walkways were very nicely designed, yet as one would stress in building on the elevation of the mountain; stairs. Stairs everywhere.

    It was quite a maze for the two to traverse, but soon enough they made their way down to the cold pier whereupon they saw a sea of water and a sea of sailors and a sea of customers.

    "Busy place." Friedrick remarked, thinking of something he said; "We will need some lettuce, tomato, for meat I''d want chicken and steak, maybe pork. Something we can buy in bulk would be nice. We''re not expecting a party."

    "Aye, mister." She smiled looking at him.

    "Ah, we better get moving." He moved past her and forward he went through the crowd of people. There was a cacophony of noise everywhere, sailors yelling, people bargaining prices, and people complaining about prices. And if the air traveled faster, they two could hear the crashing of the waves on the cobbled pier.

    Friedrick was yellow in red, what he wore was different than others, a noble that he looked, a merchant sure, but noble better; his escort hadn''t a hard time locating him in the crowd even if she was pushed back by a backward flow of people bumping and pushing, racing for anything that met and radiated in their eyes.

    Encased in ice crystals, a pig''s perfectly harvested body, nobody has bought it yet because of the price, but Friedrick wasn''t letting down the chance to get the pig in his hands.

    "I''m buying this pig." Said he nonchalantly; "I''d like to bargain four gold instead of six."

    "I don''t know mie mister, but this pig''s of higher quality as it''s also frozen, it''s bout the same was it when it first was hunted! Five. Five gold coins and it''s yours for the pickin'' ain''t no one''ll haggle this up for the day otherwise! Oh and, I say higher quality because this pig right here''s special, leaves a taste in your mouth that''ll make you come back buyin'' more from me!"

    "Ah, alrigh-" She stepped in;

    "No, we''d like the pig at one coin tops!"

    Friedrick looked at her with amusement as did the butcher. "Mie madel; I won''t be hagglin'' that bad! One gold coin!? You''re rippin'' me to shreads as did I this pig rite'' naw!"

    "Ah,"-she waddled her finger as if the butcher missed a crucial error- "This pig here''s atleast five hundred silvers, she''s branded natural and she''s a ordinary breed; and the way the stomach''s bumped, betcha'' there''s fat stuffin inside, and I bet you again you won''t be here tommorow. There ain''t gonna be a savoury aftertaste as you said it''d have, so unless you want the knights here, I want this pig at one gold, I''m even giving you a chance!"

    The butcher was sweating buckets, twidling his thumbs and making a nervous smile. "A-a no, no. No need to worry bout price actually! Ahaha... You can have the pig and the case for a grand case of five-hundred-silver!"

    "How generous of you!" A sinister darling smile, she untwisted the pouch and leaped out five, hundred silvers. The butcher was already packing his things as the sellers and the potential customers around him were looking at him with daggers, muttering about.

    "Oh and do you have chicken?" Friedrick swooped in before he could pack everything up.

    "Y-yes! How much do you need?"

    A stern face. "Fifteen."

    ---

    Friedrick''s left arm was handling the burden of one raw pig and fifteen chickens, yet he carried the ton with almost no strength, almost as if he was lifting just a blade of grass in a field of them. His escort came back with two baskets full of lettuce and all other vedgetable junk Friedrick couldn''t care to list out the names of.

    "Let''s go?" She questioned.

    "Yes."

    Friedrick was already walking ahead, feeling as if he wasn''t hearing the woman''s footsteps behind him, he turned around.

    She was gazing, engrossed by a jewel from a store, her hands on her chest. It was the same color as her eyes.

    "Weren''t we going!?" He yelled to her.

    She jolted awake; "Sorry, sir!" She ran to him, still looking at the jewel.

    "Blue."

    ( * )

    As the two came back, there was already actually a number of customers there already. Confused, Friedrick asked one of his soldiers why they opened without his permission. To which the soldier replied; "that guy," he pointed at the man at the bar table; "he''s famous for being a ''wine'' conneseiur. A failed noble I call it, sir, but if we didn''t let him in, I''m afraid we''d have lost a great opportunity."

    Friedrick nodded. "Thank you, get back to your station, oh and; take these with you." He lended the bought items to him and one other soldier to ease the burden.

    "Aye, mister."

    The only man sitting on the front table surely looked like a noble. Wearing formal attire, with slicked back hair and a fancy tie, you couldn''t help but not not imagine him as some ''master of something.'' Friedrick walked over to him.

    "These wines are not of Latessia or of the Eastern continent." The connesieur noted. "Where ever did you come into possession of such an esteemed work!" His face lit up with a smile, then a tear.

    "I!" He exclaimed so dramatically. "For all my years scouring every place in the world that has been given to us so kindly. Every bar, every tavern. From ale, wine, to bitter drinks. I had yet to discover true wine!" He cowered to his face, burying it on the wooden table.

    "But this!" Tears ran down his eyes as he lifted and looked at Friedrick. "This was the meaning of my journey! This is the thing that has ended it! This noble name; Burdeaux... Has changed my understanding of wine! A bold aroma, mixing within my tongue; this sweet ripe-fruit bouncing around my taste buds! As I wisk up for another sip, my nose is delighted by that hint of blackberry. Oh...! I feel as if I am living inside an orchard farm!"

    Whilst the man rambled upon his fanatic dream of the wine he tasted; Friedrick was in a whole bunch of emotions, namely; the emotion of what, why, and why...?

    ( * )

    Word traveled around fast throughtout the city that the newly opened bar has the singular wine that made the famous wine conesseuir weap and cry in tears of joy and satisfaction. Street by street the men and women were cramming up and whispering. "If that ''failed noble'' wine sniffer''s got the heart to keep up for years, this wine bein'' the only thing that made him leave happily, well may I be damned if I don''t try it!"

    Of all corners, nobles and commoners, they piled on and a line started to form just outside the store, with the ever expanding line getting longer and longer, the prestige to first place was ever so a challenge. With there being ''bus boys'' who stayed close to the front selling their position for five hundred to even a single gold coin!

    Friedrick''s face was in shock, they had drawn too much attention to their covert military storage base, and he couldn''t do anything about it. From his third story office, he could hear the singing of the guitarist soldier, and the whispers of the listeners and wine enjoyers.

    There certainly was no food yet, yet they were being fed plenty enough.

    Friedrick imposed a plan as the line got too big and the knights were getting angry, the amount of people were causing some blockages around the city, and the merchants down under were not having a good time. He went out, his presence sending the people into a sort of shock thinking that the bar was to close or that there was no more wine left!

    "Everyone! Pass my words; ''You will only be allowed to stay for five minutes maximum, nothing more! Thank you!" He bowed before entering once more.

    The line was lessening in size, and the people entering were leaving with satisfied faces and smiles. The price of the wine jumped from just twenty silvers the first thirty minutes, to three hundred silvers the first hour! The wine cases were flying out the shelves, with Burdeaux being taken the most.

    As night fell, the line shortened and shortened to a halt;

    The last person left and the bar was closed.

    ( * )

    "That was something." Commented Friedrick, his hand on his chin. "How much money did we gain?" He said while looking at the bartender

    "About thirty gold''s worth, sir."

    "Let''s send that to funds. In the meantime, clean up."

    "Aye, mister!"

    The soldiers left;

    A knock on the door. Friedrick looked behind, and walked towards it.

    Opening it; it was five soldiers; who was sent to spy the first day. "Sir." They bowed a little. "We came across a letter written from some admiral. Says this;" The soldier carefully put it on Friedrick''s hands.

    It read;

    "At night when the whole city has slept; three galleons and two clippers will be going on a journey towards Capital, our dragoons have yet to return, and the higher-ups want answers. Admiral, Graff Stent, satisfy the need of the king and retrieve the dragoons. Come back without anything and your children will die."

    "Quite a grim message to a father." Friedrick commented on the choice of words. "But... Three Galleons and a clipper... I am sure our K-3s can handle those warships, but I am sure push will come to shove. We;ll radio in a signal notifying the lord."

    "Aye, mister."

    "You may go now, focus on the ships as well, we want as much knowledge as possible regarding it."

    "Aye, mister."

 XII - Operation Shadow - 2

    Leaving the same time as did Friedrick''s to the east, she and her battalion went to north to Betelion. It was not pretty far, in all actuality, it was only a hundred or so kilometers compared to Friedrick''s.

    Dressed in very formal attire, Jeane and a couple of her female soldiers dressed in maid''s wear arrived with a decked out royal carriage at the city of Fermont;

    The city''s main gate was opened wide, letting anyone enter, and; upon entering, they were flashed with a wave of festivitiy raining about, cluttering the streets and corners. From within her carriage she saw shops being built, and people crowding about the city opens.

    "Betelionic Empire." She muttered under her breath. "What a harsh name" -looking at her attendant she said; "have the soldiers established contact with Unchean?"

    "No, ma''am, they said they were having difficulty picking up a radiowave."

    She sighed, then looked outside. Fermont was in the middle of a festival so it seemed; it was quite lively and looking at the children play with toys, running around fishing tag, made her smile a little. But; looming, akin to that of a cathedral, a manor lays atop a large hill.

    ---

    "Halt!" The Betelionic knight yelled out at the approaching carriage, he approached the courtman; after a brief intelligeble exchange of words, the knight knocked on the glass of the carriage, she rolled down the curtain.

    "Madam, may I infer your reason of coming?" The knight blushed as her face came into view of the darkness.

    "I wish to meet with the lord of this domain," she flipped her fan open. "An exchange of pleasentries, for I am keenly interested in constructing upon for myself here someplace I shall call home."

    "If it is your request dear madam, we will take your hand." The knight looked at the iron gate fore'' the manor, raising his end with a thumbs up. "Salutations."

    The carriage rolled inside, and Jeane, rather dreadfully anticipated what was to come next.

    ---

    The manor''s front door opened, by the help of the most gentle old butler. The man bowed low. An air of luxury and prestige flew and graced Jeane''s face. A place fit for a noble she thought. For decorated about the green-painted wooden wooden paneled walls were gold and white.

    Entering, she saw plastered about the walls were the portraits of the nobles that came before the current successor. And, ladden at every corner were pots of ferns and flowers, the exact names she knew not, for they were not any normal flowers, they were exotic, beautiful.

    Before she could be interlaced by the hypnotic flowers, the butler guided Jeane and her maids towards the guest room. "I am afraid the young lord has not come back from his venture in the forest, he should be back by dawn, my lady." He bowed. "We offer you abode in the guest room while thy waits for his return."

    "I thank you kindly." She said with a smile.

    Turning to a long hallway full of all manner of decoration, the butler swiftly opened a nice big white door, and inside, Jeane was graced with the wonderful view of the town and the nice cool breeze the sky offered.

    She went over to the windowsill, resting her hands on it. And outlooked the view, her head poking out; she could see just about the entire village and the horizon, where just faintly could she see the blue of the Krimvaldian sea. "I shall wait." She pulled back, staring now at the butler.

    "I thank you kindly, madam; we shall bring you tea."

    A nod, the butler was gone.

    As quickly as the butler went so did Jeane''s smiling face. "Close the door and lock it."

    "Yes, ma''am."

    "The room." She sat on the bed.

    "Yes, ma''am."

    The three maids scoured every point of the room, for any crevice that was small yet big enough for any eyes to peek into. And if there were any hidden doors or openings that one would expell gas into. Nothing, thankfully.

    Next, after making sure there truly was nothing in the room, the maids brought out from her leather bag a magical item. As she remembered from her conversation with Hierd;

    "It is a pendant made by Pomlik, one of his greater crafts, and of his more expensive ones." He sighed before putting it on her hand." For a hefty sum of a hundred gold this I give you, Jeane, use it carefully. It has a range of about three meters before it''s noise-cancelling effect is gone, anything before the range, complete silence. Just press on the gem to get it going."

    The maid gave her the pendant, and Jeane clicked the jewel encrusted on it. It was invisible, but this gush of energy waved past them, almost as if they had moved through a solid hard wall. The six woman huddled together.

    "The lord''s name, as I have gathered is lord; George Jauntsie II. He is nineteen years old, and does frequent sword training in the forest. His father is dead, the mother is abroad, we don''t know exactly where."

    "Thanks," Jeane said. "Have the soldiers fix up quickly a way to contact Unchean, if we can''t get that checked then this whole thing''ll be for naught."

    "Yes, ma''am."

    With a sigh. "The supply carriages are coming in the city smoothly?"

    "We have yet to see a completion report, however for the update; it seems to be going smoothly, ma''am."

    A thought came into Jeane''s mind, as she glanced out at the window again, to see a tall bell tower, "Send this new order of mine to the soldiers; ''gather intellegence regarding the city''s gunk, anything incriminating we can use to damn the guy into giving us something if the going gets rough.''"

    "Is that all, ma''am?"

    "Yes." She looked at them, "Now go."

    ---

    Two knocks.

    "Come in." Jeane''s voice.

    The butler bowed. "Dear madam, the lord is here and is awaiting your presence at the living room."

    Jeane immidiately stood up, "take me to him."

    "As you wish madam."

    As Jeane and the butler got out the door''s frame, two maids followed suit with them. Through the dark corrider, she saw at the end were a few new faces, knights and a man with a queer drape and staff. A mage? Seeing her walk closer to them, they bowed low, lifting their heads up when her presence in the room had gone.

    "Is that the lord''s new sling?" Jokingly a knight said.

    "Shush." A punch to the leg.

    "Ow!"

    Through an arc, illuminated by the heat of the morning sun, there, a sillhouete of a man shone through. Jeane bowed. "Lord George Jauntsie," A curtsie, "I thank you for accepting my presence."

    "Please, please, we have yet to even meet." The sillhouete thrusted himself into view, and clearly, could she see a man with a smile and that tint of blue in his hair, he stood up and walked over to her. Seeing the temptation to question, she answered without the need of the quandary arising.

    "I am Jeane De Gracen, lord. Of the Hesian; Gracen family."

    George leapt back in suprise. "You have come a long way!" He smiled, a chuckle. "And for all that to distance just to build yourself a plot in my land, I am quite honored, lady Jeane."

    Jeane chuckled, now, "about that land?"

    George gestured for her to sit down, with them both firmly seated on the comfortable velvet colored seats he said; "About this plot? You want to stay in Fermont, lady Jeane?"

    "Yes, I do, and a plot nearer the gate would be better, for it would shorten my travels even if it were just a hair."

    A chuckle, "Land near the gates are rather pricey, merchant''s go head to head in buying them in auctions, unless you have quite the purse on you, I doubt you''d be able to even outbid some of the bottom merchants." He put ever so bluntly. He took a sip of the tea on the coffee table.

    Jeane released her fan and covered her mouth, "My purse is something you need not worry about lord, this I ask; name your price and I shall prevail."

    "Prevail." He repeated. "What if I said that you don''t need to pay for living? My manor is large and can house you whenever you come here!"

    "I am sorry." She kept on; "but having myself an own domicile in this city is, to my benefit, better."

    He looked sullen, a sigh. "Ah, well, it is a house you want, near the gate you say? lady Jeane?"

    "Yes." Jeane lowered her fan.

    "Well then, with my power I may lower the price of land that is currently under auction, and I believe it shall happen at night today."

    "I see." Jeane closed her fan.

    "You may stay in the manor if ever so you wish, I will name it so that the knights recognize you if you leave and wish to enter once more."

    "Thank you, lord."

    "Please, lady Jeane, call me by my name; George."

    She stayed silent.

    "The festival''s still underway, my men can accompany you if you wish to feel secure whilst enjoying it."Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    "I am quite alright with not having escorts, I have ones of my own."

    George looked behind her. "Maids alone are not enough to stop a criminal with a set path."

    "I am quite alright." Jeane repeated, this time showing her stern face.

    He gulped, "alright, alright." He raised his arms up in comical expression. "If that is what you want Lady Jeane."

    "Thank you, kindly." She stoop up and curtsied.

    As she went, the lord rubbed her chin, a grin grew. "Ferocious woman." He looked to the knight guard beside him.

    "Follow them."

    ( * )

    There was a cacophony of sound blasting from left and right, if she were to make simile, it''d be like the capital''s fall! But there were no burning buildings nor falling towers, however what was, was that the people were blowing up these crackers.

    "Firecrackers they call it." Said one of her escorts as she noticed Jeane''s staring of the cylindrical device. "An invention finest from Betelion."

    She chuckled. "It''s by damned loud and irritating, fit for a Betelion engineer."

    Moving their way through the thick crowd which was so kindly and very generously making way for her, Jeane was set face to face at a large hub of sorts, a roundabout road converted into a child''s wonderland. For set on every meter were stores selling all kinds of food and drink.

    What really caught her interest in the monotony of food was a shack selling savoury meat steaks. Her stomach growled awaiting a need to be quenched; yet she, although letting out a whimper, was trying her best to not be detered by food.

    "Ma''am?" They questioned.

    "Nothing." She recovered a little by breathing in the air of hot meat that wafted into her face, but really it just made her more hungry.

    As they passed store to store, food stall to food stall, Jeane''s face went from fine to near-breaking. Sweat and tears cried out of Jeane as she was tempted by all of the fine tastes of the north.

    Baked to perfection were garlic bread lined up front and center, and she glanced, like gold; glittering perfectly under the sun''s brightness. Her eyes widened; ''I have to!''

    She bolted for the stall, immidiately she asked; "How much for ten!?"

    "M-madam..." The shopkeeper showed his distress to speaking to a ''noble.'' "T-they are thirty copper each your lady, three silver for all."

    Her maids ran for her, then; seeing Jeane''s drooling mouth.

    A sigh; "Ma''am Jeane."

    A blip in her mind! Jeane looked at the maid; realizing, she fixed herself, and there came back her beautiful monotone face. Then her voice; "This garlix bread, buy it; I want ten."

    The maid smiled with a hidden frustrated face behind the grin. Her hand swiftly went into then out her pocket.

    Five silvers.

    "Take it, for the trouble;" The maid kept up her smile.

    "Oh no no no!" The shopkeeper hesistantly put his hand away. "I shouldn''t, three silvers wil do."

    "Hmpf," The maid took the two silvers,"The bread."

    "Y-yes yes!" The shopkeeper quickly picked up his tongs, putting it on rough looking paper. "H-here madam, thank you for visiting my humble bakery."

    Jeane nodded, accepting the bread, hiding her eagerness with elegance, slowly. A bite. Then, euphoria. Sprinkles of stars bounced on her ears and hair. And her eyes were opened wide up.

    "I see you have enjoyed my bread, madam; I thank you for giving me this moment." The shopkeeper said, relieved.

    Jeane looked at him, putting the other bread on her basket. "You''re welcome."

    They walked away, continuing head forth into the life-riddled streets. But the entire time, whence they were walking, Jeane and the maids felt darts strike their necks clean-through.

    Still, they walked calmly. Eased.

    A familiar face?

    A soldier. Jeane knew instantly,

    looking straight ahead she saw an alley, ten meters? Whatever, but it was on her right. she blinked with her right eye. The man nodded, turning to it.

    Keeping head-on she stopped at the entrance of the alleyway,

    "Ma''am?" The maids questioned.

    "Follow."

    Not another word;

    they went in.

    Three woman, two silhouetes followed behind;

    Two thuds on the cold dirty cobbled ground.

    Jeane sighed, turning around.

    "Ma''am." The soldier introduced himself from out the darkness. "These two men were following you at rather close range."

    "I know." She said with a whiff of sarcasm.

    The soldier kept a straight-stern face, "They''re still breathing."

    "And I can see that."

    "Yes, ma''am." The stern-faced soldier still did not change his expression.

    A defeated comical sigh, "Check them." Jeane stepped away a little to let the soldier and the maids have a little room.

    Two men, nicely groomed, fairly muscular, and scars littered about. Jeane knew these weren''t assasins of some kind just at first glance. "Too bulky for someone that''s supposed to kill me. I expected thugs, worser, well; maybe better if they were assasins."

    "Ma''am." The maid grabbed her attention.

    "What is it?"

    The maid fished out from under the man''s poor leather robes, a dagger on the other but on the jacket''s pocket, a letter.

    "A letter, how nice of them. Read it."

    "Yes, ma''am; ''Jeane, follow. If needed, kill.''"

    Jeane frowned a little. "What a bold letter, and for it to be given by these lower halves, I''m offended." Then a sinister grin formed. "Guess it''s from that noble." -Jeane said arrogantly- "Our plan''ll backfire if we delve too far this direction. Mug these guys dry, take their everything, make it look like some mugs... Well, mugged them. Maids, come with."

    "Yes ma''am." They all said in unison.

    Jeane left.

    ( * )

    Jeane came back an hour before dusk. Already the whole city was lit up with lights, she was reminded of the electrical light of Hierd''s flashlights, the warships that look like stars on the sea. She missed Unchean. Where was it? Just over the ocean, but she won''t be seeing it yet, she knew that much.

    Walking up the small hill, she saw the manor lit up from corner to corner by lanterns and candles. The knights, upon seeing her approach; opened the gate, letting her in. "Did you enjoy your trip, madam?"

    "I think I did," a slight grin formed as she nudged a bit the bag full of garlic bread that still had that unique, lingering smell. "Thank you kindly."

    Foreboding; it felt like there were a hundred eyes watching her. And Jeane could not keep it lingering as a thought any more. "When we enter, head immediately to my room; whoever''s watching, kill them."

    "Yes, ma''am."

    The mood turned serious.

    Their hearts beated heavily approaching the wooden door, was a dagger awaiting inside for their doom? They didn''t know, but they couldn''t brush the feeling of dread. One maid succumbed to the fear, her hand nearing her left thigh.

    The luger trapped, loaded, awaiting to be able to fire the 9mm Pomlik round in the barrel already, at anyone who even tries.

    They stopped at the front;

    Jeane knocked the door,

    once;

    twice; then,

    thrice.

    Jeane heard movement, footsteps? It was too dim a sound, Jeane couldn''t understand what it was.

    "Ma''am." Like a code word, Jeane stepped back, and two of her maids took vanguard; their hands were on the pistol grip, their index fingers hovering the over the trigger, resting on the trigger guard.

    A thud.

    -

    -

    -

    "Ah, lady Jeane!"

    George saw four woman on his front doorstep sweating like crazy, and with faces, expression that could kill somebody with a weak heart. Was he in the middle of something? He did not know, seeing the maids reaching for something with their hands made him quite curious.

    The maids dropped their hands, fixing their postures.

    Nervously, a chuckle; "A little tense everyone."

    Easing; "Lord George, good evening."

    "As to you too, well please. Come in?" He reached out a hand,

    Jeane grinned slightly whilst taking his hand. A sigh of relief waved over her as she went in with her maids, there not being some assasin in sight. But still, even as the very halls of the manor were bright with candles; there lied in every shadow a feeling of unease.

    "Your maids?" He commented, seeing the maids go off to some other hallway.

    "They shall be attending something in the quarters you had given me."

    "I-I see." He extended his other hand out towards a door, opening it; "the dining room."

    A large room with a long table, windows dotted, spaced evenly with the long pillar-bas reliefs. Already was there food prepared for two people, "I and you." George smiled, guiding her to the back end of the table. The click clack of her heels, the loud thuds of George''s leather shoes, echoed in the room almost rhythmically.

    He pulled the cedar chair out from the table, patted the soft cushion a little before she sat on it. He himself seated himself directly opposite her seat. "I had my chef cook up for us a medium meal, roasted swan."

    "Swan!?" Her eyes darted at the idea of eating swan. "Why swan? The Betelion Empire have weird tastes eating swan." She remised upon her younger days; a shiver across her spine.

    She looked at it, with her knife, she sliced up a small portion of the meat. picking up the fork; stab. There was a sauce laced on the meat of the swan, savoury looking. A bit hesitant, she bit it. George watched intently. "How is it?"

    Jeane''s eyes jolted open. "It is better than I thought." The taste was nothing like ''fishy-mutton'' it was more of just mutton.

    A slight chuckle, "my chefs are nothing to laugh at when it comes to cooking, I believe they have used a special kind of sauce produced to the far northern side of the empire."

    Interested; "if I may, what is it called?" Taking a another bite.

    "I do not know." Another chuckle, "I know how it looks, but I do not really put my importance in dish ingriedients." He chortled at his own comment.

    George took a bite of the swan, then looked briefly at Jeane once more, the silence was awkward, however, in his eyes, her beauty could fill the silence into harmony. Then, "Ah! I forgot, wine? Would you like some?"

    "N-no. I wish to put myself away from it in my journeys."

    "I see." He poured himself a glass.

    Jeane watched, and, before he could sip the wine she asked; "The auction, I believe happens today tonight, as you had said?"

    "Yes, lady Jeane; night, my attendant should be here a few moments before the auction opens. A carriage would be good? If you wish, your own carriage, my coachmen are well trained."

    "I thank you for the kindness lord George, however I believe in the power of my maids."

    "Speaking of," George put down his wine. "These maids of yours; who are they?"

    To her, the room, the dining hall got bigger, "tunnel vision...?" She stared at George, he was the only thing in view.

    Jeane dropped her utensils. "What do you mean by that, lord George?" She tried easing herself.

    "I have never seen maids that could, lets say, defeat my guards."

    Jeane''s heart crushed. "He knows!? How? When? What happened to my soldiers!?

    A drop of blood dripped down her nose, her pale white hand catching it. Looking at it; Jeane leapt from her chair. "You poisoned me!?" She immidiately went to wield her pistol.

    "Ah, just as I thought; you are not part of the Hesian nobility, you, instead; Lady Jeane are part of the new country being formed down south, Germany I think it was called? If the king hears that this new country that we wish to establish connections with were to do such a thing to us? Spying? War will be brought down."

    Slowly, he got up from his chair.

    "Step back! Another step and I''m shooting you! Put your hands up!"

    A sinister grin. He raised his hands up slowly, Jeane stared intently, feeling her energy wittle away second by second. "I have to shoot hi-"

    He snapped his finger. And just as the noise reached her ears, an intense, bone-shattering reverberation made her collapse to the ground yelling in pain as the noise did not cease.

    Then towards her who already was crawling toward the gun, reaching. "You. You will do numbers on my plan. I don''t know who you are, but you are someone I know I should not trust." He grabbed the gun, inspecting it a little.

    "We aren''t over."

    "Oh I know we aren''t" He grabbed her hand,

    Throwing her hand towards the wall at full force.

    "Ah!" She welped, "Y-you, who? Who are you really!?" She fainted.

    ( * )

    "Ma''am Jeane''s been taken by the Fermont Lord."

    A statement the leading lieutenant heard from within the telephone that made his heart drop. "What the fuck did you say!?" A surge of fear and anger broiled within him. The soldiers surrounding him looked at the lieutenant, fearful yet confused.

    "We believe Ma''am Jeane''s still in the manor, in the brig perhaps, we ran out of bullets to continue the rescue, right now we''re heading to the base."

    "How do you run out bullets with a luger!? A pistol! Eight rounds and you''re three people!"

    "T-the knights," she panted; "we don''t know why, but they were sponges, but, looking at them; it was almost as if they weren''t even human anymore."

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "I mean we''re going to need some guns, sir. Guns, and people."

    There was slight hesitation, the second lieutenant took some time to understand the situation. "I got it, come back here and get suited up for an assault, twenty of the Venit Black soldiers I got''ll assist you for the rescue mission."

    "Copy that, sir."

    The call dropped.

    "Everyone!" The lieutenant brought attention to the hundred or so soldiers there; "Ma''am Jeane''s been captured."

    Immidiately, a loud commotion filled the small camp. They questioned themselves; ''Ma''am Jeane''s been captured!?''

    ''How!? Ma''am''s been captured!?''

    "Quiet down! Quiet down!" The lieutenant shushed them silent, yet alike the lieutenant''s first reaction, all of them were scared, angered, and now another; the want for vengence.

    "Men! Everyone! I want assault rifles and the small machine guns on every man''s hands here, we''ll be dealing with another kind of force. Not human I believe, but whatever! Men or by God even monster, anything for ma''am Jeane!"

    A "Hurrah!" Left their mouths with ferocity, with not even a moment later they ran for their tents, they went for their backpacks. STG-44s, and for the heavy gunners, the MG42. Packed with all the grenades possible; as well as some bits of rations.

    Seeing the lieutenant in charge of the Venit-ille blacks, the first lieutenant made his way to him. "Lieutenant."

    he turned; "Yes sir?"

    "I want twenty of your men on trucks to Fermont. I understand that a special training your units go through include indoor training?"

    "Yes, a part of the urban installation training that the lord wishes for the soldiers to learn. And about that twenty; gotcha."

    "Thanks."

    The Venit Ille black lieutenant ran some ways off, going into a large tent. Coming out like bees that had their home disturbed by some pesky human, the soldiers; with their black outfits, Assault rifles and MG42s. They were basically hunters camoflagued with the dark night.

    The Venit-Ille lieutenant speed-walked toward him. "We''re ready, awaiting you sir."

    With a smile forming; "Let''s make way to Fermont."

 XIII Operation Shadow - 3

    Meeting with the maids on the path towards Fermont, the Lieutenant hopped them up aboard the already crowded truck. There was a makeshift table at the middle, out of crates. On it was a map, paper, and inks. "Tell us what happened." The lieutenant probed them.

    "Sir, it was an ambush."

    ---

    Multiple gunshots have fired in the span of a minute, "How many are they!?" Exclaimed one of the maids.

    "Impossible to know, but they sure aren''t going down with our rounds!"

    "What!?" They turned left to a hall, "A- shit!" A horde of knights came rushing to them from the other end of the lit hall.

    "We need to go to ma''am Jeane!"

    "Can we!?" They huddled up together, shooting at the knights coming to them. Closer, and closer still, the horde couldn''t be stopped. Their eyes darted the right hall and the left hall, hordes of knights came barreling down to them.

    A click!

    Their guns were out of ammo!

    "We have to jump through the window!"

    Immidiately, the maid smashed the window to her immidiate left. The hallways were closing, they were running out of time. With the inkling of hesitation, the first maid went down. A thud! The solid ground made her groan in pain. "Hop down! Now!"

    Soon, the other two came down. Fleeing the scene, they looked back. The knights weren''t jumping down to catch them. And soon, they ran, ran far away.

    ---

    "And you went to the temporary base for the radio in?" The lieutenant asked.

    "Yes, sir."

    "Shit, it''s been most about fifteen minutes, what has happened to ma''am Jeane!?" He screamed internally, knowing how much of a disaster has taken place. "How much nearer!?" He yelled at the driver.

    "We''re about here, sir!"

    The vehicle came to a swift halt.

    "Men, I want this swift and fluid." The lieutenant slammed the table. "If ma''am''s still in the manor she''ll most probably be hidden in a cellar? The attic maybe? Whatever may be the case, we check both places. Since we don''t have any idea what the inside of the manor is like, the maids''ll be part of the vanguard to navigating it."

    "Yes, sir."

    "Now, we go." He hopped down.

    The Venit Ille black soldiers were preparing, checking their guns, then a simple light warm-up.

    They stopped at a forest near the manor, it was perfectly obscure under the light of the moon and the shades of the trees. The other trucks let down their soldiers, raring to go already. "Everyone! You''ll be auxillary, so will surround the perimeter of the manor seeing if any movement''s broken through and also make sure these trucks stay defended while the Venit-Ille black units do their job inside. Medics! Prepare the tents, and if things go the other way, we will storm and destroy that manor."

    "But, sir? Wouldn''t that cause a war to breakout? We''ll be the harbinger of doom!"

    "And that''s because ma''am Jeane''s been captured." He retorted. "We''ll be starting war anyway, and if we''re starting war, we won''t be doing it without the ma''am!"

    Silence.

    "Alright! No questions? Didn''t think so. Get ready soldiers!"

    ( * )

    Creeping, slowly so. The grass blades that hit their soles; crushed under their weight. Shining down below was the whole of the city. Crackles and laughter heard even from up at the manor.

    A silent gesture, two fingers pointing to a door. Locked? Maybe so. They slowly made their way to it, clearing the path, aiming at any crevice that a blade could creep out inside of.

    Three soldiers to the right of the door and three to the left. The others were scouting for other potential entrances. One of them reached for the door handle. Slowly; he turned the knob. A stop. His head swayed ''no.'' He retracted his hand. The squad leader raised his hand then swiftly down.

    Strapped on one of the soldier''s bags was large, heavy iron rod. The man unbuckled it, making his way to the door. Hup! Aiming for the handle,

    A slam!

    The soldiers rushed in, sighting in there, to that. Nothing, dark. They didn''t hear any other movement happening in the manor. But the inhabitants of the manor should have heard it nonetheless. "High alert men." The squad leader said; "now that we''ve announced ourselves, they''ll be preparing dinner."

    "Yes, sir."

    There was this eerie silence, beneficial for the soldiers yet ominous still. They could just about hear every thing happening in the house from their position. Every creak and thud. This too was beneficial for the enemy.

    They were approaching a corner, the soldiers hugged the wall. Closer; now at the edge. In a simple three second countdown, four men jumped out immidiately aiming at the new hallway, two standing and two crouched.

    There was nothing at the end of the hall.

    A loud pound erupted throughout the manor, no doubt it was the second group making their way in. "They went through at the second floor. Let''s be fast." Indeed they did; they rushed forth further into the hallway; one door to the left.

    A slam! The whole door was ripped off from it''s hinges, "Clear!" the men whom entered in the room said. Then another door to the right, another bust; "Clear!"

    Strange, no people, entirely deserted, where were the maids of the manor? Where did the cooks sleep and where were the knights Jeane''s maid-soldiers saw? Questions piled up as they made corner to corner, hallway to hallway, room to room. Nothing.

    The two groups met up at the manor''s stairway. "Anyone? Ma''am Jeane up there?"

    "No, sir."

    The soldiers were visibly distressed, frustrated. "We haven''t checked the cellar, if there is one anyway. I bet you my left foot Ma''am Jeane''s there."

    But where? Was the question, the squad leader didn''t know, and neither did the maids. "Ma''am Jeane went to the manor''s dining room with the scumbag lord. We don''t know what happened afterwards, but we sure as hell didn''t hear any gunshots."

    "Then you''re saying ma''am was poisoned?"

    "That, or magic, two things." The maid proposed.

    The soldiers let out a sigh. "Everyone, search the bottom rooms, and you two;" -the squad leader refered to his subordinates- "go back outside and notify them of the situation, tell them also that they need to help in finding a basement or celler outside."

    "Yes, sir!"

    Soon, the manor was lit up with electrical lights, flashlights, and lanterns. The place seemed like it was abandoned, no acitivity whatsoever, of course someone obviously had lived there, if not there would''ve been dust piling up till the peak of the skies. It had been thirty minutes since their infiltration, nothing. The soldiers were getting anxious.

    A thud! Then a blast! There was uproar, a gun shot? No, the soldiers went to the scene of the noise.

    "Ah! God! Help me outta here!" A soldier caught his foot on a wood panel, cracked open. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    Soon the squad leaders came, "What happened?" They asked the abundance of soldiers that was currently there.

    "We were just walking, then, the floor beneath him just cracked and he fell-"

    "Which!" The squad leader interupted; "means that we have found our basement,"

    "Yes, sir." The soldier smiled, knowing too the meaning of their discovery.

    The soldier slowly crawled his foot out of the hole after a long while of shimmying about. Which had undoubtfully made the hole on the floor bigger. One soldier was tasked to investigate.

    He peered down into the hole, darkness. Nothingness, what else? Emptiness. There was absolutely nothing, but it felt like this darkness opened to a deeper, darker expanse. When his nose touched the opening, it felt moist. "It''s like a cave''s down there, sir."

    "Here," -the squad leader gave him a flashlight- "throw it down and measure the distance."

    "Yes, sir." He grabbed the flashlight, hovered it over the hole.

    He dropped it.

    A long fall, he commented to himself. Falling, falling still, it felt like forever until it had actually hit a bottom. A metalic slam; "Sir, it''s hit the bottom, give or take; ten meters?"

    "Hmm." The squad leader stood there, rubbing his chin thinking of something. "You;" -his eyes darted towards an empty-handed soldier- "get a rope, long, longer than your mother."

    A few snickers went across the corridor.

    "A-hah, yes; sir!" The soldier made his way out of the crowd of soldiers at the hallway.

    Inclined by his own curiosity, the soldier at the hole looked down still at the light. When, "A silhouete!" He yelled.

    "What? Is it ma''am Jeane?"

    A dark hand pulled itself out from the darkness of the pit, hovering above the light; the light giving justice to the hand''s features. Red. Fleshy red, swiftly! The hand dropped itself onto the light, a crush.

    "Sir." The soldier stood up slowly, his hands shivered in fear. "I believe we''re dealing with a monster, twice the size of us. A dragoon."

    "A dragoon!?" There was a steady murmur of questions arising about the soldiers.

    Irritated; "Can you all go back to your stations!? Scout out for possibles intruders or what not!"

    "Y-yes sir!" The men scrambled out the hallway in great uniform patches. With the room being a bit more peaceful than before, the squad leader cleared his throat.

    "Dragoon." He wanted clarification.

    "Dragoon, sir."

    "How can you be so sure?"

    "The unmistakable red hand sir, what discounts it from a normal dragoon is that it looks like it''s scales were peeled, judging from the hand I had saw, sir." The soldier sat down defeated.

    "That makes our job difficult." A sigh of frustration. "We haven''t found ma''am Jeane, and if I have to bet my life on it; our boss''ll probably be down there or somewhere else inside the city."

    The room was silent for a couple of moments with the squad leader thinking still of methods to defeat the creature or supposed dragoon.

    "Sir, let''s just shoot the thing with the MG42."

    "Ah, right!" The light bulb lit inside the squad leader; "Get the heavy gunner''s MG42."

    "Yes sir."

    ---

    They punched the hole wider with the iron rod the soldier from before had. Under the lights, they saw clear as day the dragoon. It was indeed fleshy, as it was actually skinned. A cruel sight. The dragoon simply stared at them, the harsh flash of their lights would surely have alerted him already.

    "Yet he doesn''t fire." Interjected the squad leader, "kill it, go down, then raid."

    "Yes, sir."

    The heavy machine gunner held the MG42, he struggled a bit as it was heavier than the usual STG-44. He rocked the bolt, the belt-fed round going inside the barrel.

    Not even a second after he pulled the trigger, a barrage of rounds rushed, shredding the already skinned dragoon into pieces. The gunner slowly aimed at every major part, the stomach, the neck, the head. Making sure it was really dead.

    A click!

    "It''s safe to say the dragoon''s not alive anymore." The gunner tossed his gun aside, letting the soldier with the rope toss their ladder down.

    With a hammer, the man secured the rope down with three nails on two different wooden boards. With a light, then hard tug. "We''re good to go, sir!"

    "Clip your flashlights on your pouches, we''re going down."

    "Yes sir!"

    One, two, then three! The soldiers went down fast and faster. With their gloves, gliding down wasn''t painful as would without gloves. Landing, the soldiers aimed at the four corners of the room, immediately, one door to their immediate front, and the dead dragoon left of them.

    "Clear."

    The door had light twinkling at the bottom door slit. The soldiers went ahead, towards the door.

    Before some soldier could open it, the squad leader pushed his hand away. In a whisper; "someone''s behind the door, they''re waiting for us to open it."

    The soldiers nodded, quietly stepping away from the door.

    Another fusillade of gunfire blasted the wooden door to bits, there came from behind the vanishing door a hail of men screaming and swords clanging. Their ears were being deafened, but the soldiers had ear protection on.

    The bullets stopped when the cries ceased.

    What little remained of the wooden door, fell down onto the other side of the now doorway; they stepped inside. A hallway, lit with torches, with the amount of gunfire they had just unloaded, there was no way anyone inside this... Dungeon? Would not have heard it.

    They looked at the men they had just shot, since it was rather hot, with a hint of moist in the air of this dungeon, they wore no light to little armor. Cheap looking cotton blouses, and chain mail covering only their torso.

    Also; short swords, some had daggers, others had slightly longer daggers. Befitting of the narrow passage of the hallway. "No grenades." The squad leader said; "We''d end up caving ourselves and ma''am Jeane in here."

    "Yes, sir."

    They rushed forward, the end a T-section exposing itself to two more hallways. "We split! I want this done pronto, search every room, and leave no-one alive."

    "Yes, sir!"

    And off the two went, branching pathways inside larger hallways, rooms and corridors with grim designs, chains, research equipment and all. This was a facility, they just didn''t know what for.

    Encountering multiple sword-wielding foes along the way; shot down, all of them, of course. They found much evidence of Jeane''s presence being down here. With one being; "Her Luger." The squad leader clicked his tongue.

    "She''s disarmed, they probably don''t know how our technology works, that''s why they left it here." The soldier commented.

    "Then let''s get going, ma''am''s waiting for us."

    Rushing out of the room they went inside of; his squad''s radioman contacted the other squad. "Advance forward fast. We found Ma''am Jeane''s Luger."

    It took a second before a response came back. "And we found Ma''am Jeane''s dress. We''re advancing."

    ( * )

    Converging, the two squads found themselves staring at each other and staring at the two of them was a large wooden door. "This has to be it." Was the sentence in everyone''s minds. But the eeriness of the room, with it being bigger than any other hallway, any other room. Was too much to not let down it''s warnings.

    "Call for reinforcements." The squad leader said.

    "We''re on it, sir." Said the radiomen of the both of the squads.

    Standing right next to the wooden door, the captain could almost hear a maniacal laugh. "We''re going in, everyone!" Yelled the squad leader; "Ready your machine guns and rifles, we might be facing something."

    -3-

    -2-

    -1-

    The wooden door blasted open!

    The whole room roared awake in noise, a cloud of smoke and dust covered the door''s entrance, a scream, no; a shout! Raised itself from within the smoke. "Where is Ma''am Jeane!"

    "Ma''am Jeane?" A voice blurted from far outside the smoke.

    Clearing, light passing through the dark-gray smoke, the soldiers saw an altar, a man, and a sleeping woman draped in white.

    "Then it was true! Jeane was a woman of Germany! The country that invades Krimvald and takes refuge in the south! Have you no shame exposing my operations!?"

    A force field; a bullet flew straight into man''s hair, the soldiers suffered no time shooting him in the face, yet; they missed by mere millimeter of distance.

    "And you too wish to shame me by ridding me of hair!? I shall have you gone in an instant!"

    Instinct. It was instinct that made the soldiers fly the other direction. What came barreling straight towards the door was this immense power, an unbreakable sound barrier.

    What remained of the door''s sides blew off entirely the other way, it''s metal hinges clinging for dear life yet not being able to. And all that, from a finger cracking.

    Their hearts raced, the soldiers had not a single moment, nigh a single second to spare, they must shoot before that man cracks his finger once more

    The staccato fire of both machine gun and assault rifle fire filled the auditorium-like room, with the round altar set on it''s very middle, the soldiers; avoiding aiming at that spot.

    Still firing the squad leader asked; "Who is that? Do you know?" To the maid firing behind cover.

    "That''s the lord of this manor, George, sir!"

    "Well damned to this ass!"

    Hiding in the blasts of gunfire, George cracked his finger.

    There was a yell at other side of the room. "Damned! We can''t hear that ass''s flicks cause of the firing! We should''ve gotten him already!"

    "Sir, we need to move!"

    "Towards the altar!"

    "Yes, sir!"

    They left their cover, running forward towards the stone altar, the silhouette of a man rising just behind it. George''s face was furious. "Not now man in black!"

    A crack!

    The squad leader evaded the shock-wave it caused, yet the soldiers behind him was not so lucky; getting hit, they flung across the room hitting the stone walls and exalting blood as what felt like a hundred bones were expelled out their bodies.

    He aimed at George with his STG-44;

    A click!

    A noise you wouldn''t ever want to hear in battle. George looked to be charging up for another attack; was it draining to keep cracking his finger? He is using powerful wind magic; so that would be the case; but, the squad leader didn''t have time for questions.

    He loaded in another magazine in the quickest way he could at that very moment.

    A crack!

    He dove headfirst onto the stone stairs, busting up his lip and nose in the process. He crawled up, groaning in pain; he struggled to stand up.

    "Shit!" The squad leader rocked his STG-44''s bolt. "Now there''s no more second chances."

    And lunged at George!

    Atop of the monster, George''s arms were restrained, yet not his fingers. Before he could even think of flicking his fingers to a crack; the squad leader shot both his arms in quick succession.

    "Aghh!" A scream of pain filled the room louder than any bullet could''ve had. "My arms! My hands! My fingers! You. You! You monster!"

    "That wouldn''t have been the case if you hadn''t attacked ma''am Jeane." He smirked saying that.

    "Get off me-"

    A bullet into his mouth. Then into his forehead.

    Dead.

    The threat, now gone; the room was at peace. And before long the dust had settled and the reinforcements arrived.

    The squad leader leapt up, "took you long enough!"

    The lieutenant came running to the altar; "at least we came, we''re having the medics prep the injured. And- is that? Ma''am Jeane?"

    Draped in white cloth, it was as if God had an angel fall from heaven as one, powerful, singular light. The one light that illuminated the whole of the auditorium, made her face shine with this, royal excellence.

    They stared at her face.

    The lieutenant put his finger onto her neck; feeling for a pulse. "She''s alive, but by the looks of it; pale skin and all; Ma''am Jeane was poisoned."

    "What now?" The squad leader turned to the lieutenant.

    "We report to Lord Hierd."

 XIV Battle on the Geo Shore

    "People of Germany." Hierd raised his hand to the skies. "You are leaders of a world I will pave for all of you. But; in my conquest for the skies; the moon comes to admonish and destroy that path I pave. In this case; that moon is a country; and that country lies east. Hesia."

    A murmur filled the whole two thousand? Four thousand? There were just so many people; the exact count would just be asking for the impossibility; from his manor balcony; he could see the sailors gawk at each other.

    The adults talked politics with each and each; and the soldiers stood stern; serious yet internally they were excited. Then; to the people out looking the windows, the countless, countless windows. They looked at him, at Hierd; with curiosity for their future.

    "What transpired the day before." He recollected, "That day when our warships encountered invading Hesian vessels far out to but inside of our waters, Unchean''s waters. They attacked us, and the navy simply replied with a brutal retaliation! -

    However, we don''t claim the fact that we were the harbingers of a war. They had started it! They were the monsters in this situation, and," -a smile formed on Hierd''s face- "fortunately; we''ll be front and center to the downfall of a country!"

    Seeing the smile; his overly confident posture. The crowd invigorated their excitement, war may be bad, but to them, with him at their top? They will undoubtedly win the war as did they with their war with Krimvald.

    "My citizens! Hide yourselves not in your houses, don''t scramble to the deep forests. Show yourselves, play in the streets, swim in the oceans, go to Easel city; fend off the thieves and barbarians adventurers. And deliver your goods, merchants. We function as a country, for the betterment of all. -

    This I say absolute." -A deep breath, the little pause had the crowd on it''s edge on what''ll be his next words- "No family will be famished by starvation or of dehydration. No man, woman, child will die needless deaths. This, our war in the east; Hesia will feel our might, and every single soldier of ours who comes to the east, will be judges slamming gavels to people who dare disturb our peace."

    He took in the sight of the people once more; the green horizon of the Tria forest. He slammed his open palm onto the cobble balustrades, his voice rose!."Germany! We will not falter! We will not back down! And most importantly, we will stand victorious over all!"

    The city erupts in applause! Left to right, Hierd saw from his balcony his people cheering for him with shouts like; ''Glory to the lord!'' And; ''long live Germany!''

    ---

    "Long live Germany." It rang in his head, repeating in his mind. Right at that moment, he was aboard the mighty IJN Atago. Well, in this case; the SMS Atago.

    He sat in the bridge, it; being mantled by several officers. Including Captain Jack. Whom was minding his business behind the wheel. It was at dead of night, the Atago, and two K-3s were heading straight for the port city of Geo.

    "Hitting Geo, is kicking them in the jugular. They''ll lose a valuable contact with the Latessian continent. And, because of the mountain range separating the city with the rest of the country, their reinforcements''ll arrive days late."

    "Aye, indeed me lord." Jack calmly stood away from the wheel. The bridge was devoid of light, a sailor''s eyes were to be better at night with their eyes accustomed to it, so to speak.

    Hierd was no sailor, but he found his way around it by having only a small candle light up the large map for his plotting. The officers of the bridge were pleased with just the candle.

    "Because of the recent Betelion thing, the operation''s been canceled there. Now, we''ll have a six hundred of the army going to Hesia whilst a thousand stays in Unchean, and here there is a thousand five hundred of the navy."

    Hierd looked at the map intently. "Naturvege will handle anything that''d go wrong. And Adelheid''ll handle the barrage of questions by the Betelionic messengers about what happened at Fermont, better than worse?"

    In his head, he saw the faint image of Adelheid cursing him to the heavens, crying fountains handling the accursed Betelions. From a recent telegraph, it seemed that though there were a lot of concerns, ultimately Adelheid boiled it down to; "There was a threat in your country that would threaten ours too, consider this our way of a gift."

    The Atago at that very moment ferried two hundred soldiers of the army, making the already overbearingly crowded seven-hundred crewmen of the Atago to an upwards of nine-hundred.

    The two hundred army men housed themselves in every crevice of the ship that they could fit, mainly any room that didn''t have occupying crewmen.

    And as the light of the moon still shone onto the dark waters of the Ferris sea; the resting sailors and the soldiers hung outside, stern to bow, admiring the brilliance and the coldness.

    To the land; Hierd prepared ten tanks, of seemingly a hundred trucks, and a thousand soldiers. Steaming ahead into the night; as fast as they could, and by that time; they should already be at Unchean, whence Atago''s passed that already two hours ago.

    To voyage by sea is fast, not easy, the Eastern Ocean; Feriss, was not a gentle lady. The K-3s and the Atago witnessed brief yet big waves, settling into calmer waters just a minute about. but the night sky was completely calm. Poetically calm.

    It would take about three-four hours for the ground troops to get to the port city, but about two-three hours for the Atago to arrive to it''s destination. And, by the time they would arrive, the first rays of sunlight would have already darted the sky.

    "Friedrick''s operations are mighty smooth." Commented Hierd. "They have built their bases in the port city of Geo, and some other towns. And by their latest radioed-in information, the Hesian navy''s planning another attack. And we won''t be letting another slide."

    "Aye, sir. But let us not desmiss! That they got dem''s dragoons. I''ve heards from Adelheid last night from ma''am Jeane''s capture that dem darn Betelions were up der''in experimentin'' on dem''s dragoons. Gave me der chills, lord."

    "No need to worry, Jack." Hierd smiled. "The Atago is the world''s most powerful warship at this very moment. No other ship from Hesia, or of Latessia could have the ability to sink her. And with her anti-aerial capabilities, no dragoon will ever shoot her down."

    A delighted nod. "No dragoon will ever shoot her down." He repeated. "Now that''ll get me blood pumpin lord, knowin me ship''ll survive tat! But say''e hear, once we reach that city, what''ll we be doin even? Don''t see that we''ll be shootin already, innocent people''s and all, and our supply deeper''in!"

    "No, we''ll be shooting." Hierd looked at the hidden, not yet drawn part of the eastern country, where there should be Geo, there laid but a single point alluding to it''s existence. "We''ll be getting rid of an already nonexistant thing."

    ( * )

    Creeping.

    Ocean splitting.

    Dark smoke puffing out of it''s two smokestacks, making it''s already huge silhouette bigger than it was. A titan of the sea.

    "W-what is that!?" Screamed the Rear Admiral. A hunk of metal moves steadfast towards their beloved city; with the red gaze of the sun, the ocean waters reflecting it. The ship; menacingly; danced in red glares.

    Then this horn blared from it; was it the end days!? The trumpet that signals the destruction of land!? Whatever it was, the citizens cowered to the streets, with every bag, with every belonging, with every loved one. And they headed east.

    "Lord!" A captain opened the door of the rear admiral''s quarters. "What do we do!?"

    The rear admiral turned to him; and with a serious yet terrified face. "Ready every warship docked on Geo, a-and have every cannon available in the city facing the sea!"

    The captain ran without a second word. The admiral turned towards the sea once more. "This is the creature that downed our greatest galleons, this is the creature that destroyed our dragoons. This. This is war against monsters of the sea!"

    The people were in a frenzy!

    Sailors and knights rushed for the shoreline where their warships were docked; un-docking then up! Releasing the wooden galleons and sloops from their anchors; away came out the ropes and rigor iron. And then down went the canvas sails.

    Multiple a floush in the wind!

    Almost as if nature; almost as if the mountains were aiding them. The sails lifted high up capturing the wind, the cold gusts of wind that came tumbling down swiftly the steep cold mountain range.

    Hierd and the other officers of the bridge watched with smug smiles on their faces. The sheer presence of the Atago depressed a veil of oppression; and it seemed thus the ship had finally roared itself into the people''s minds.

    A surge of black besting the white metal that brandished the knights. The people of the port city were running for the mountains; in their escape, their trance of panic. They hindered the knights that rushed out from every barrack; bars; the houses. As they were answering the call of duty of the rear admiral.

    Rushing forth from out the city''s garrisons were cannons in carriages, pushed by horses frothing from the mouth by the sheer weight of two cannons, crushing over people as they ran downward the road as swiftly as could possibly be.

    Of what little journalists stationed at the city, they stayed watching what unfolded, writing everything that transpired at every second. With every letter wrote; came every action done; every move that could be done, and what that monster was doing.

    ---

    "Have we connected with Friedrick?" Questioned Hierd to one of the officers of the bridge.

    "The radiomen say so, sir." He bowed a little.

    "Tell them to evacuate underground, just in case."A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    "I will tell them, lord." The officer ran for the radio room.

    He stood, gazing the shore and the buildings rising gradually as the mountain range steepened. It was like a seeing a horde of ants run for a crumb on the ground, with a pair of binoculars; he could see many black dots running due east.

    At the docks; he could see the wooden warships being primed and the cannons being prepped. With every twenty steps, there was a cannon and a knight. "Bout'' three galleons board dee seas!" Commented Captain Jack. "Most Geo musters em dem''s sloops. But that''d be shredded by awr guns, right me lord?"

    "Yes, indeed." Hierd put down his binoculars and looked at him; "Turn her starboard."

    "Aye, lord." Swiftly, he leapt for the wheel; "Everyone we''re turnin'' starboard!" Not a second after; he ran his hand all the way right.

    All the men in the ship were flung the other way, almost as if they flew.

    The Atago, turning, had looked to have molded the sea, to have pushed the sea with she, the sea, making way for the behemoth of metal. "Now we wait for them to come closer."

    The latest move of the Atago; the rear admiral had deafened anyone around him with his personal interpretation of the turning. "They''ll bombard us with their cannons! We must do the same before they really do!"

    "S-sir," came butting in an officer. "Though the move stiffens that they will bombard Geo, we must not take the offensive!"

    "What''ll you propose officer!? We''re sacrificing every second not acting accordingly!

    "From the most recent news we have gotten in Latessia. I believe they''re a new, well��" He chuckled nervously; "their technology far surpasses our own. But, wasting it all for target practice won''t be something they want. Sir; take my bet. They want to entertain an audience."

    ---

    Hierd stepped away from the bridge. "Do your captaining, Jack. I will be back."

    "Aye me lord!"

    Hierd opened the door leading downwards to the radio room. Passing crewmen and sailors, they bowed making way for him. Hierd replied with a gentle smile. He opened the door of the radio room.

    Like machines, they stood all at the same time; "Lord!" They bowed.

    "At ease." They sat down. "Get me in contact with the captains of the two K-3s."

    "Yes, lord."

    Hierd stared at their arms, connecting with signals and turning knobs. It was all really complex, the sheer fact they understood it in a matter of what? Two days? Is ungodly. "We''re connected, lord."

    "Alright;" he put his mouth right next to the microphone. "Go in front of the ship, the one staring the docks. Blow your horns when they get too close and negotiate for surrender."

    "..." It took a second.

    "They said; ''Aye, lord,'' Lord."

    "Good." He sighed. "Now we wait for the military."

    ( * )

    "Sir!" A knight blasted through the wooden door.

    "What!? For the sake of the lord; what''ll you say that requires you destroying my door!"

    "Sir." He cleared his throat. "There are advancing smoke trails at the west! We believe they come from the German army!"

    "What��?"

    The rear admiral pushed the knight at the side, going outside with a pained, panicked pace. Seeing a sailor some steps away from him, he called out; "Hey you! Give me your telescope!"

    From out the western coast, some kilometers away the port city; there indeed was gusts of smoke, dirt in nature. Putting the eyepiece to his right eye, he could not discern what ever he was looking at but whatever it was; it certainly was not technology of his country.

    "Iron horses are pulling iron boxes." A sailor put grimly. "Sir, whatever it is. I doubt we''ll be able to fend it off."

    The rear admiral turned to him; with a scorned look and eyes as sharp as a blade. Even without saying a single word, every word could be said by his gaze.

    "Sir. You can''t possibly��"

    "They know that this city''s important for two ways too many. We will fight, blade, teeth, and nail until our reinforcements from the other side come. This, Captain. Is an order you cannot supersede."

    "Yes, sir."

    ---

    Off the shore, there was a brief yet important encounter happening about. One of the K-3s were nearing one of the galleons approaching the Atago. In the mind of sea-diseased man, A gigantic wave wooshed forth to them, that wave was God and we were simply it''s pawns.

    The iron sloop''s captain, adhering to his orders jumped out the bridge and shouted forth; "Parley! We are not here to bring about death. A simple surrender would be most greater for the two of us!"

    "Captain of this yer'' ship! We''d love to�� Arrange us two an agreement of sorts." The Hesian captain was, for every other word, was thinking of a hundred different paths where his words''d lead to. As, in his mind, he was the most important figure in the whole of Hesian''s history.

    The German captain froze for a second thinking of something to say, when then; an officer of the bridge tapped his shoulder. "Sir, the lord has seen and wants to confirm if there are still civilians inside the city."

    The captain''s heart flickered, he looked back at the Hesian captain, nervously awaiting a response.

    "This will be a request!" He yelled.

    "A request captain!?" The Hesian asked, confused.

    "Go back to the shore, tell your superiors that the lord asks whether there still lives on your city any civilians. If there are still people inside your dwelling�� Expect."

    Expect?

    That word sent this weird shiver down the Hesian captain''s spine, ''expect?'' Exactly what was he going to expect, what is the meaning of this request?

    He did not know, but whatever request was sent by the ''lord'' of Germany, he ought to take it to the highest of orders; surpassing that even his country''s chancellor and his own oath as a captain.

    "Aye, comrade!"

    ( * )

    Dashing forth every alley, every crevice where someone would and could live in; knights were apprehending every single person in the city and sending them in carriages that''ll work it''s way up to the mountain range.

    Even without a single gun or even a single blade crossing paths; there were already issues arising. In the rear admiral''s war rooms. The officers bickered and fought with each and each.

    "What stupidity did you do!" The officer yelled at the rear admiral, his stern face objecting the admiral''s pride. "Your evacuating the citizens has loosened our leverage two-fold!"

    "You stubborn man! You value your intellect more than the lives of innocent people. For Germany''s lord to give us this chance is as good a chance than we''ll ever hope for."

    "We''ll be losing more important men doing so!" He raised his voice higher than the rear admiral''s objection. "You, sir; will be what the future Hesians will fawn hate over for multiple generations to come!"

    "What did you say!?" The two rose from their seats, pushing the wooden seats far back.

    "I said that you? Sir. Are an idio-"

    BOOM!

    Moments came down to seconds, this blast of heat, shrapnel, and wood dotted about the whole room. Opened eyes turned closed with wood darted in them. And exposed necks were decapitated with the metal shrapnel of the big-explosive round.

    "Hit!" Captain Jack yelled out in custom.

    Hierd pulled down his binoculars. "With their leadership gone, things will throw down to chaos. But now that the main hurdle of it all has gone away, the military can now advanced. As of this moment. Jack?"

    "Aye, lord?" Jack looked at him with curious eyes.

    "As of�� Now. You may start shooting. "

    ---

    "Are you sure we''re okay in here?" Questioned the soldier next to Friedrick.

    "This basement is very deep. I doubt the Atago''s shells can penetrate that deep into solid ground." Friedrick sighed. "They''ve started bombarding Geo''s shoreline, as far as I know, they''re shooting only at the docks and pier and not the buildings, that job''ll be in the hands of the military. Which, is already at the city''s doorstep. Our job is to escort them here. But�� When?"

    Friedrick awaited anything to come out of the radio. Two soldiers tended it out of the hundred soldiers that was currently inside the ''bunker.'' Yet, radio-silence.

    Even if the whole of the bar, the building, was some streets away from the docks, the shells that bombarded the city''s shore was so extreme that it had sent rumbles across all the buildings, and in the radius; they heard their bar''s windows break.

    Up above, with the Hesian brass technically dead; the rest of the captains still alive after the firsts barrage of gun fire fired all the field cannons that were on the shore.

    With how close the Atago was; some cannonballs had hit her hull and superstructure, but ultimately, there was no damage deemed bad enough to repair. Jack smiled at the fact, now adding the Anti-Air guns to fire at the shore.

    All cannon fire ended just a minute after.

    Wood splattered against every surface; the beach was turned dessert with how Atago''s rounds blasted the rocks, bricks, and wood away from their hammered-in places.

    Sailors and knights were sent flying through every single direction, dying from the shrapnel or from their bodies being exploded all at once, to perish the same time as would someone''d blink.

    To the sea adjacent the shore; only wood, barrels, and parts of sails were left standing.

    Unrelenting,

    Cruel, and daunting.

    The Atago''s HE shells exploded the wooden warships in flames, engulfing every galleon, every sloop, in inferno. Looking out from the bridge, the officers saw mass leaps of men jumping off their sinking, burning, wooden warships with their clothes and skin burning with it.

    Cries of help, screams of profanities, and praying. As soon as their burnt skin and clothes touched the salt-ridden sea, there was a second of euphoria then a minute of hell. The sea''s saltiness combed through every wound the sailors were inflicted by, creeping into every slit she could get in.

    When burning in land was bad enough, they were then now burning in the sea. Yet, the sailors suffered too many to keep on, ultimately dying in the same sea they sailed years on.

    "A brutal sight." Commented one of the officers of the Atago.

    "They''ve brought''et upon dem''selfs!" Laughed Captain Jack. "But seein'' how we''s ready reduced the port to pieces, I doubt the military''ll hav'' much problem bout the clean-up. And, call me Friedrick; tell em to escort dem now."

    "Aye, captain!"

    ---

    A ring!

    This swell of excitement boomed within the room as they heard it yell it''s ringing across it''s every corner.

    In a rush; Friedrick threw himself to the radio and immediately lifted it towards his ear. "Yes!?"

    "Captain Jack has given authorization for you to start escorting the military towards the supply base, sir."

    "Ah, finally. Thank you." He hung the phone, then stared to his soldiers awaiting for his words to come out. "Men, prepare; we''ll be going out!"

    The crowd of soldiers erupted in joy at the assignment, for the stagnant gray of the basement was getting dull and boring by the minute. Rushing in droves, with Friedrick front and center, they ran out the basement and into their bar.

    The glass was indeed shattered, and the indoors was littered with it''s many shards. Through the glass, on the streets, there was no-one any where where there once was many roaming the streets. A despaired sight.

    Soon they made their way into those very streets, because of the close-quarteredness of it all; they used pistols. They cleared every corner before making their way forward. Any surprise attack now would not be in their favors.

    In their march forward the city''s gates, there were many knights running for the mountains. Seeing as they were not holding any weapons, they chose to spare them and detain them.

    For every knight, they sent two soldiers back to the bar. Ultimately, of the one hundred, there was now only eighty.

    "It''s clear, sir." Said the soldier peeking over the corner of the building. "No knights at the gate."

    "Let''s go." With a rush, they ran towards the still-opened gate. The tanks and the trucks were practically there. And they stopped when they saw Friedrick and his men come towards them.

    Knocking on the glass, Gelmund opened the window. "Been awhile Friedrick."

    "To you too," He said with a smile. "You''re clear to go, we''ll escort you slowly through the road, since there''s still some straglers along the way."

    "Gotcha. Hopping in?"

    "No, I''m heading to the docks�� What''s left of it anyway, to help dock the Atago."

    "Alright, good luck out there." Noticing he only carried a luger, he questioned; "Need a rifle? Lord Hierd gave me this cool little thing called an MP40, wanna try it?"

    "Let me haggle."

    Gelmund unbuckled the MP40 off of the strap on his waist, then handed it over to him along with an extra mag. "It''s thirty-two rounds a magazine, and! I filled that one with 9mm Pomlik rounds. So it''s extra the power."

    "Thanks."

    "No problem."

    Friedrick looked and admired the gun''s mix of metal and wood. Coasting it on his shoulder, It was comfortable enough. Clicking on the big magazine release button, he examined the action, and then rocked it.

    "Smooth, right?"

    "Yes, indeed." Friedrick smiled before going away.

    Friedrick ran to his soldiers at the gate. "I want sixty soldiers to escort them towards our supply base, and I''ll need twenty soldiers with me, going to the port to dock the Atago."

    They split themselves up to two without a single word being said, comfortably, twenty-sixty. "Lets go." Friedrick and his group of soldiers went for an alley that went down. With their pistols, they cleared any direction a knight would find themselves walking in.

    The ground was grumbling, rumbling with the heavy and powerful gait of the Tiger making it''s way through the pavement like it were some powerful all defying deity of destruction.

    Making their way round a corner, they were face-to-face with destruction and it''s aftermath. The port was destroyed beyond recognition, the market that once stood there was just a ruin filled with hints of it''s past usage, and the wooden posts were supporting no dock, only itself.

    "Great." Friedrick said with a sigh. He took one step forward, then another. With each step he was seemingly risking his life as there were many sharp wooden ends and pits that seemed shallow because of the water that covers it.

    The Atago was coming closer and closer to the port, because of that, Friedrick ran a little bit faster than before to spot some opening that they could dock the Atago into. When then, one spot of the dock was not as much destroyed as the others.

    Friedrick waved his hands over his head, signaling to Jack at the bridge to dock there. Jack replied with a very resounding horn. "Tommorow''ll be more hectic than now, hopefully not like this. Hopefully." Friedrick sat on the wooden dock, and sighed defeated.

 XV Cold Climbing and Cold Fighting

    The city was theirs in what seemed like hours since Atago''s first arrival. Now, she laid docked on the destroyed port, whereupon injured knights and dead knights were retrieved from grave situations. For all who survived Germany''s first onslaught, they were treated with a nice hot meal of soup and bread.

    A kind gesture, sure. But meaningless in the face of all that transpired. In the bar, Hierd and Friedrick were busying themselves with a map they had just accuired from the merchant''s guild''s office, of which was left abandoned.

    "There is a way toward Hesia from the sea, but it''d take atleast three days before we get to their main land." Pointed out Friedrick as he glided his finger along a hidden line close the shores and stopping onto a Hesian city.

    "Which is why, it''d be more faster, better; really. That we have our troops run up to the mountains."

    "It''s cold up there, and I do not think we have any winter gear in our supplies, and even so, it would only be up to the hundreds."

    Hierd smiled. "You''re wrong about two things; we do have winter gear and we have enough for a thousand." He slid a paper, "Rush on over this invoice from me to Atago, she''s storing it in her hold.

    "Thank you, lord." Friedrick stood and headed out.

    ( * )

    It was nearing the end of September, yet the coldness was as if it were the end of October. The swell of cold was most probably because of the absence of people heating up their homes and the surrounding streets with their chimneys. And also the geographical climate of Hesia, and how coldness comes rolling in as early as October.

    The Atago and it''s surroundings were the hub of everything military. Just to it''s side was a multitude of tents of soldiers and sailors resting and making food. Hierd wasn''t aware of the customs and traditions of the common krimvaldian; but if he''s learned anything since his first year of ruling Germany, was that they gathered any day, everyday, for food.

    Then just outside the tents were a small encampment, a small prison one could say, as it housed the various injured knights and Hesian sailors. The nurses and field doctors worked hours on their injuries, treating the lightly and gravely injured with the same attention as would they treated their own soldiers.

    The winter gear cargo was unloaded by the Atago''s cranes; working together the soldiers and sailors carefully put them on the few hard flat grounds available on the port.

    Then opened them using a hatchet; coming out in droves from the first few holes, the winter great coats ran out, they were black in color and the fine, smooth, fabric they glided their hands across with were satisfying to touch, to feel.

    Soon after, the whole army there had their winter great coats on, and they were warmer already. (The sailors did not wear such since they wouldn''t be going up the mountain).

    ( * )

    "Soldiers, we''ll be going up the mountain turn clocks by four P.M" Friedrick looked at this own watch, 3:49.

    "It will be cold, just like when Auferstehen came." Friedrick continued on; "And because we do not know exactly what is happening up there, and we do not know whether they''ve mobilized a cannonade up there. So? We will be employing the range of our mortars and rifles."

    4:10 P.M

    It started with a march, trekking the dirt path as it made it''s way; swindling up like a snake, traversing the flattest of surfaces on a steep mountain. Of the hundreds of soldiers; only three platoons made their way up. With each platoon having ten squads, with all platoons combined there were thirty of those mortars.

    Trekking with them, the lieutenants were given orders to survey three main points of the mountain''s steep. The first platoon were to survey, to scout first as soon as they reach the summit, then the second platoon would be going a bit adjacent. To act out a flank in case there really was a troop of knights heading up.

    Then lastly the third platoon would stand by, warming up and setting up a small tent on the small cliff face that had enough space to put a tent in. Ultimately, for their radios. "We''ll reach sharp by four-twenty, let''s make it quick before the first platoon reaches the top."

    "Yes sir!"

    There was this sense of urgency and competition amongst the three platoons to do their duties. It was uncommon for their leader, the leader of Germany to be watching them do their every action. Because of that, they were at their best faces.

    4:40 P.M

    The tent''s done as well with it''s radio equipment. The first call went through. Picking it up; "How goes the first platoon?" Recognizably; it was Friedrick''s voice.

    "Sir, the first platoon is still heading up, sir."

    "How much longer till they''ve reached the summit?"

    There was a moment of silence between two phone calls, of the first platoon''s radio man and Friedrick down at the bar in Geo. Then; "Sir, they are pretty near, they say about thirty more minutes."

    "Good."

    5:10 PM

    The first platoon had just stepped on the boundary of two cities and the tip of a mountain range. Her name was Hallband, stretching cross Hesia all the way to the so called municipality of Arsteli to the north. And indeed from that height could they see her greatness in length as well could they feel the frigidness.

    It was by no means the tallest of mountain ranges, however, with the cold climate of the Hesian kingdom as well as the tall altitude. The first platoon could just make out the two ends of the world. As well as the bottom of the cliff. "Movement."

    Hearing the word, the platoon''s lieutenant outlooked the cliff as did the soldier. "Indeed. You!" -he pointed to the radioman- "Radio third platoon, say that there are forces making their way up to the mountain�� And that they are relatively close."

    "Yes, sir!"

    Immidiate urgency among the men of the first platoon. Their exhaustedness from the hike up, taking few breaks with fewer time spent in those said breaks all broke up in an instant. They shuddered awake their tired bodies and erected their mortars as fast as they could.

    Three,

    Then four,

    Then ten.

    Ten mortars lined up together, their barrel pointed high, but as calculated, their trajectories should hit the mountain below. With the lieutenants eyes eyeing up the crowd of dust moving toward them, the flags that stemmed on the top of every wooden pole

    It was an army coming to them for the second time, the third time? The knights were clad in iron, it seems they''ve been informed of the catastrophe that blasted forth their city and they all wear their best wears. But whatever they wear, be it metal or leather, "No man can stop a gun." The lieutenant commented.

    "Indeed, sir, no man can stop a gu-"

    Impaled.

    The lieutenant stood eyeing up the arrow that was planted deep into the man''s left eye. It took a few seconds before that soldier could understand what transpired, but in those brief few seconds, the man fell; blood splattering on the lieutenant''s uniform.

    "Men!" He yelled, "FIRE!"

    Before another arrow would fly-by, potentially hitting someone, the soldiers ducked and went towards their mortars. A hip! And the round hovered on the barrel. Then a ho! The rounds drops and fires!

    Blasts by blasts. Ten mortars and ten blasts. A hail of fire, that, like arrows, were to meet the ground. The mortar rounds, the bombs, came down like hail and blew up in spectacular bangs with similarly horrendous sparks of shocks.

    The knights down below erupted in yells and cries for help. Their cacophony reaching even to the other side of the mountain to Geo''s streets.

    A call, the radiomen of the third platoon picked it up. "Report to me what''s happening right now!" A sense of urgency from Hierd''s voice this time.

    "Lord, the first platoon has started firing at the knights with their mortars that are ''close'' they said, to their position. The second platoon has yet to place themselves into position. But they are now making haste towards it."

    "Casualties? Injuries? The knights, what are they doing and what will they be doing?"

    A second of silence, "Lord, there is one casualty, by arrow-fire. Our mortar fire should silence any knights trying to huckle arrows at the first platoon. The knights, lord, should be detered from making their way up, but the first platoon believes they''ll get pass and they''re prepared to shoot."

    Tisk

    "No casualties." Hierd slammed the phone shut.

    ---

    The fusilade of mortar fire have the knights by the tip of their toes. They sent a messenger to tell what was happening up yonder the mountain; "Sir! The first command needs urgent back-up, the unknown militant forces possess magicians that use explosive magicks."

    "Explosive magic!?" The commander yelled in surprise; "And you say, magicians?"

    "Yes, sir."

    "There are multiple magicians they have that use explosive magic, such a magic is unheard of! In all of the world only three I could name who could use such!"

    Taking in the overwhelming information brought down to him, he thinks of a decision that could be the best of decisions his mind could bring upon. "They''re hailing a manner too powerful, I want our second battery of magicians to run up in aiding them fight back. -This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "With their way of fighting, they''ll have the first line down in moments, reinforce the first camp with field cannons, and while reinforcing the second camp." He sighed in exhaustion. "Go! Now!"

    ---

    Indeed, the first line of knights were down in instant, the whole line of what seems like a hundred knights were down, down to their flagmen and pike men. "They are moving fast down there." Commented the lieutenant looking down, now, with a bit more hesitance.

    "Sir, what do you suppose we do?"

    "They''ve reacted fast, this isn''t Krimvald we''re fighting now, so let''s expect some differences. We need to establish a camp here. We''re using a tank."

    ( * )

    6:30 P.M

    No movement whatsoever. And in the time, a simple camp was spent and a whole brigade of work was done in that singular hour. Night was approaching, the violet-orange serenity of the end of dusk and the start of twilight was like the beginning of a hypnotically beautiful painting background.

    Staring down, lanterns were being lit in Geo''s next door city. The beauty of a city, clearly shone from the high altitude. Friedrick stood, eyeing it up from the edge, the tip of his sole almost touching the cliff.

    "Are you going to jump?" Joked Gelmund, coming out from a lit tent.

    "Just observing." He turned backwards and walked to him. "Thanks for the MP40," He opened the belt-strap and gave him the MP40.

    "You can keep it, as far as I know, I''m in charge of the tanks and vehicles of late, won''t be getting to close to the heat of the battle sadly."

    "Hmm." He put the strap back on his shoulder again. "Thanks. How goes the tanks?"

    They started walking to the opposite direction, where Geo was. "They''re improving the road in some areas, since it''s narrow and tank''s are heavy, in risk of falling the cliff. At seven it''ll probably all be completed, enough for the tanks to climb the hill."

    "Good. Let''s try and make this battle a bit more faster?" He chuckled a little. "Length isn''t something I''m going for really."

    "I too�� I too, Friedrick."

    ---

    At the said camp, they had installed small wooden towers with soldiers with binoculars observing the rapidly darkening paths that wind it''s way down to the city below. With the magnifying distance the binoculars could use, they could see the first camp of theirs with full detail.

    Said camp turned into a fortress. Wooden spikes turned stable walls, with two tower sentries, obviously with bow-men inside each of the hidden slits.

    Gated closed, with two knights whom stood outside, eyeing at the tip of the mountain, fear? Curiosity? Their faces dictated two emotions, both, lining up with each other. "We aren''t expecting an advance. And since there are no other routes up the mountain, we think they''ll be there indefinitely waiting for us to come down, lord."

    "Then let''s not make them wait too long." Hierd smiled to himself. "The tanks will come by seven, as planned, first and second platoon will escort the tank down, providing rifle fire if they were to flank. The first fortress''ll be knocked down by the tank, then proceed to the second. It should all go down without fail."

    "Yes, sir."

    Hierd hung up the call and rested on his wooden chair. Admiring the mountain range from the small glass window. The road leading up was plastered with electric and lantern lights. And what came blocking each light was the tremendous steel rhinos moving through.

    The sheer weight, with each track grasping the ground tightly; rumbled the mountain as if it were a titan coming through. A knock rocked the door; "Lord! Requesting permission to enter, lord.

    "You may enter."

    A female soldier, she carried a letter.

    "Lord! The purpose of my visit was to deliver this message from sir Adelheid regarding the issues with the Betelion incident that happened. As well as Ma''am Jeane''s current health." As Hierd extended his hand, she put the letter on it. "I shall go now, thank you lord."

    "Thank you."

    As the door slammed closed, Hierd ripped the top part of the envelope, revealing the paper enclosed within. Folding the letter open, he was graced with multiple paragraphs and two names; Jeane and Adelhied.

    It read;

    "Lord Hierd, I presume by the time this letter has been received you have taken the city of Geo. I am pleased to say, lord, that talks with the Betelionic leader has gone smoothly.

    "Rather comedic, I add. Since my leading argument why our troops were there was because;

    "''To strengthen our friendship as two countries, we wished to help you bring down a foe that has been degrading yours.'' Since I found out; they didn''t know the ''hidden'' operations that George guy was doing."

    "To further settle things. Jeane apologized for not informing them. But all''s well, she''s well. They said instead that they wished to have a gander at our armory, taking home a Luger and a Kar98k with them for research. I''m sure all goes well for that part."

    "Thank you, lord. And hope to find you ruling Germany with proud eyes."

    Signed; Jeane and Adelheid.

    "Them having a taste of my technology," Hierd said with intrigue; "I''m not so sure about that. But, if another man could mass produce guns, I would a hundred percent endorse it. Let''s see where that road goes to."

    ( * )

    "Sir!" The knight came barreling down the door towards the commander.

    "Is this about the rumbling?" The commander looked at the knight, begging for the answer to his question.

    "Yes, sir. We do not know what is causing this rumbling, but the second line is requesting the third line''s cannons in case they��"

    "They what? They what!" The commander commanded.

    "Sir, they think that our enemies possess golems."

    "Golems? Golems!? I''d more better believe the existance of a higher plane of being than golems, but damn it I can''t shake that feeling off." He shaked his fist in anger. "I grant the request. But I must need our siege weapons available right now, if we need to, we''ll bring down this mountain!"

    "Y-yes sir!"

    Then, another knight came barreling down his already broken door.

    "Sir!"

    "What happened!?" The commander exclaimed.

    "There are several lights heading down the mountain from it''s summit, the first line can''t see much but they have voiced huge dark sillhouetes, they are the things making the ground rumble, sir."

    "Golems." The commander dropped down to his knees, in the face of horror, this urge to flee, he refused his primal instinct. "To the third line! I want available cannons to aim high up the mountain, place wooden wedges on their bottoms if need be! All we want is fire erupting that mountain edge! Now!"

    ---

    The first blast of the many, the Tiger, first in line, fires a bit offset the first fortress ahead them. The blast alone, was an invisible army. The mere sight of the explosion sent knights down, afraid to move even.

    "What are you numb nuts doing!?" Lieutenant of the second line, yelling at the cowering knights and footmen. "Fire your arrows at the force! Now! Before you get beat down, not by me, but by the law!"

    The fierceness of his voice sent the men, already cowering, to their left positions. Holding their arrows and bows shaking with fear. Both from their enemies, and their allies.

    The lieutenant ran to the magicians, preparing their spells and staffs. "What are you all doing!? This is no picnic to the beach, this is war! Fix your gear at once and release your fireballs!"

    "Y-yes, sir!" Quickly, the remaining work left to do they did with haste.

    The lieutenant stood half-waist. Resting on a singular wooden pole. The black dots in the even blacker environment was hard to observe, all he knew, was that the commander down the mountain wanted a full barrage of power. "Men! Cast fireball!"

    A magical cast; broke and straight it threw casts of fire, balls of varying sizes. Toward the darkness ahead; unknown voices introduced themselves in yells; "Fireballs! Cover!"

    As the fireballs neared their supposed targets, observers; the knights and sorcerers. They saw a hunk of steel, a hunk of mountain moving towards them, protruding forth like does the horn on a unicorn; this metal rod.

    Fire did nothing to this metal beast; the heat of the fireball, the only spell deemed powerful enough to melt the steel of a blade. Cannot melt this monster moving at them. What was it?

    Crackles came from the top of the mountain; flashes of light then the very next milisecond; an archer falls from the tower. "What magic is this!?" The lieutenant blurted out; "Everyone! Back to the ground! Hide for cover!"

    Fragments of wood blasted from every which place, along with the wood came the stray bullets hitting someone''s body injecting them with this seering pain; the pain almost making the knights faint.

    Cannons.

    From the bottom of the mountain; the knights and footmen were shooting cannons judging from the sounds being so distant; it was from the third line or even from the very base of the mountain.

    The back gate lowered and a small platoon of knights came gushing out with cannons being pulled by horses. They rushed to the cannons, releasing them from the clutches of the horses. "Men! Aim at the wooden walls! Archer men, prepare for a retreat! We''re going down after the cannons fire!"

    "Yes, sir!"

    The archers and knights left their positions; fleeing out the back gate. With a small group of them left to operate the three light cannons that were there.

    BOOM!

    The tank blasted through the wooden gate; the HE round penetrating through yet when it hit the ground; a blast, this explosion erupted. Red and orange; then this heat. A very distinct heat. The lieutenant, and the other knights were blasted backward in terrific fashion.

    "Fire! Fire now!" The lieutenant raised his sword toward the tank going fast toward them.

    Two bullets pierced the metal around his torso, and ultimately; into his heart. In fleeting moments, as if were it a dream, his eyes caught glimpse the cannons firing. Dying; he left smiling.

    ---

    "They have the first fortress! The second line is broken!" The footmen yelled; running for the gates of the third line''s second fortress. The men were let in, and they groveled to the ground in exhaustion, running in full knight gear bearing their staffs and their blades.

    Cannon fire has yet to cease from this fortress and the fortress after it; looking up, the knights find their fortress engulfed in flames, and a whole symphony of harsh yells coming from it. "You have to believe me, to believe us!" The knights begged to the lieutenant.

    "Those monsters have tamed an iron dragon!"

    "Coated in iron, with a snout that expels fire!" Another added.

    "Calm down, men." The lieutenant eased them, yet did not work in the slightest regard. "I want a messenger down there quick telling the commander of the circumstances. But, right now, our defenses are weaker. We need to focus on arrow fire and our sorcerers. Liuetendante prepare it now!"

    "Aye, sir!"

    ---

    From out the fires of the first fortress, tanks and soldiers slowly crawled down, aiming for the next one to destroy. "Sir!" The Tiger''s radio operator shouted to it''s crew. "Command tells us to fire at the second fortress here."

    They popped open the periscope, stopping all movement. With only the mechanical hum of the engine soothing their ears. The next fortress was about two kilometers away. With the slope the tank had stopped on; it was already in it''s lowest elevation.

    Swiftly, the loader put an HE round into the barrel, closing the lid. Making sure it''s locked in. Now, all was needed to do was flick the button.

    A phish of hot, inferno-like heat exhaled forward the three barrels of the three tanks. The rounds exited their cages, now free to relish towards their targets. The sheer explosiveness, the recoil of the round repelled the tanks back a little. And in another second, the fortress was gone.

    This cloud of smoke and heat. Has a volcano erupted from the ground? A geyser of lava destroyed the wooden fortress effortless. That, that was the comment the commander made before fainting.

    "The commander has gone!" Taking command; the lieutenant there instructed for the knights to keep shooting with their cannons at the mountain. Then; bringing up the remaining magicians and sorcerers; fireballs and iceballs were fired upon at the mountain in quick succession.

    A bang, a dent. Yet never a puncture. "Everyone! Remain hiding behind the tank and you''ll be okay!" The lieutenants screamed to their soldiers.

    "Yes, sir!" The tanks began moving down slowly, making their way through every short and sharp curve. Whilst being bombarded by cannon-fire and magics of different elements.

    Soon, the tanks reached their destination, the second fortress. Taking ahold of it, their tanks gathered for a final bombardment. The small court of the burnt down fortress was a great platform, and figured they would just shoot through the still standing wooden walls. A sort of; surprise why don''t you?

    But, while in the middle of taking their measurements; The lieutenant in charge of the tanks, was eyeing out the city from atop the still standing upper platform of the fortress, and too the last fortress guarding it. When then, he noticed a small silhouette hiding itself from behind the fortress. A large, sillhouete. "What is that?" He questioned to himself.

    The sillhoeute moved!? What was the large dark sillhouete? No, it couldn''t be�� "Everyone!" He turned around to his soldiers. "Duck! Get down!"

    A trebuchet and it''s stone payload. The tigers stationed there narrowly avoided the devastingly heavy weight of the stone. It, missing by only a meter. "Shit!" The lieutenant screamed internally, "Everyone! Get in position and fire the tanks!"

    "Yes sir!"

    The tank crews were completely oblivious inside their silent cocoons. But when the radio operators received their orders from within the radio, the loaders quickly loaded the HE round and then��

    "Fire!"

    The last explosions to end it all.

    The blasts of five tanks and their equivalent power. The wooden fortress was evaporated, gone. Destroyed. The tank crew opened their cupolas, and the soldiers hiding behind the tanks got around to the front.

    A spectacle of carnage. The lieutenants got their binoculars out, observing the city from their newly gotten fortress. "The bottom fortress has been wiped out. They put on a good fight." A smile.

    Victory.

    The soldiers rejoiced, throwing their arms up into the air with their guns and pistols, their faces widened as their teeth did the same. The yell of victory; to Hierd it was music; to all of Hesia?

    It was the end days.

 XVI Drawing Hidden Lines

    A parade marched through the stone arches and the paved roads. People stared at iron behemoths, slow yet immovable. In their eyes, no spears would put a dent on it''s all-rounded iron hull.

    The rhythmic stepping, the melodic yet foreboding march of a thousand soldiers thundering through the streets of the newly invaded city. Their steel rifles resting on their right shoulders. At the very front of it all, a truck carries the most important payload. "How is soldier morale?" Hierd rested his right leg on his left, laying back onto the cushioned metal seat.

    "Pretty�� High, lord." Gelmund answered; "I suggest, lord, that we head for the southern portion of Hesia, we have just obtained a map of the continent from the city''s hall�� And, we should be moving swiftly, lord."

    "Indeed." Hierd grinned slightly. "Long battles are frustratingly bad. Logistically, physically�� Mentally�� And any word really with ''LLY'' being it''s affix."

    "We''re heading inside the city''s manor." He continued, "the baron''ll be there, we''ve detained him, lord. And right now is helping us in the detaining of the nobles hiding in the city."

    "Good."

    ---

    Cold, heavy footsteps. With each thud darkening the already dark hallway in the overcast-gray clouds that were looming over Hesia that day.

    "The lord enters." The sentence was uttered every time Hierd passed a doorway, accompanied with two squads of his finest, best of Venit Ille soldiers, his own squad.

    The recurring sentence began faint and far, but as time grew the distance shortened. The baron''s heart was on the crux of failing; "The lord enters!" The wooden door before him opens. The soul in the man gushed out his mouth, seeing the blonde man standing before him.

    "Baron of Jane, you are before the chancellor of Germany, raise and bow." Friedrick put, blunt and powerfully.

    "Y-yes." Nervously, he stood up, being extremely careful as to not stare at him directly without being given the order to, or the order not to. "Y-your Majesty, I bow to you; I welcome you to my abode. The mercy his majesty shows me, I gratefully accept."

    This brief silence. A silence that lasted years. Hierd was offered the chair completely opposite of that of the baron at the other side of the eight-chaired table.

    "I do not know much of your kingdom, baron; but I have heard one thing." He sprawled the map of Hesia he was given. "The magic kingdom and it''s magical capital. Regarding magic, I''ve seen it being used more so, than when I invaded Krimvald. Which�� Scares me. Regarding that; your teachers and magical instructors will go to Germany, their students too if you''d like. I grant them protection."

    "If you wish it be, your majesty." Sweat poured down every pore of his, and even near the cold; he felt as hot as summer.

    "My soldiers will gather them in trucks, then they''ll ride on to Germany. And, I believe some backlash will be at play from their parents and too the children, so reassure them with monthly letters, and their children''s safety."

    "..."

    "But as of right now, I believe my soldiers should be heading north, south, and east. Conquering. Invading. Every village and city. We won''t be killing innocent people. We''ll be putting them here. This city will become the center of life. You will be our puppet. And you will follow us, if you deviate in any way, expect your body dropping dead the second after."

    "I-I will service you, as you wish, lord."

    "Thank yo-"

    A knock! "Lieutenant coming in bearing news!" The door behind him opened, the lieutenant hurried to Hierd, giving him a letter. "Lord! The eastern company is being attacked by a magic brigade, they are have retreated further back and requesting backup lord!"

    The room darkened, shocks and booms rang about, though they weren''t near any battle. In everyone''s ears they heard shouts, guns, and tanks firing. Hierd stood up. "Prepare."

    ( * )

    Mortars were firing left and right, and the three Vicker machine guns were firing defiantly at the approaching sorcerer knights. The knights were smart enough, hiding behind small hills and invigorated their shield magics. Which were not strong, but not so weak as to break under three consecutive shots of rifle fire.

    The battle took place upon the perimeter of a river, with the bridge being protected under attack, but if one of the two sides were desperate enough, they had plans upon collapsing it.

    The three tanks the company had were further back, firing HE rounds at high elevations, being far enough as to not get hit by magic spells or the enemy''s own siege weapons and field cannons. Of which the company experienced with great despair.

    "Reinforcements are coming Lieutenant. Hang on and we''re coming."

    Those words calmed the lieutenant, but the reinforcements won''t be here for awhile. He needed to fight back better.

    "Sir!" A soldier burst into his tent. "The mortars are making progress, but the enemy''s line is holding strong. Sir, the front defense''s runnin'' low on ammo. A-and the Venit-Ille lieutenant is suggesting a retreat."

    "Hmm." He looked at the soldier, his face angered. "Then tell my men not to waste their ammo! Weren''t they taught the proper way to fire at an enemy! We still have one truck full of supplies, resupply the soldiers with their rounds and grenades. It won''t be long that that magical line of theirs''ll be shattered."

    "Yes sir!"

    "There''s a battalion of magic knights standing at the other side of the river, when the reinforcements come they''ll back down and retreat. But dang those cannons!" He looked at the battlefield, his frustration evident as he tightened his fists.

    ---

    In the heat of the battle, the knights and soldiers were replying with their magics and rounds. It wasn''t clear but the some of the knights were retreating back. What was their plan? The lieutenants that oversaw it didn''t know. Could there be a bridge somewhere along the river? The map didn''t say so.

    It was a guessing game at that point. But the Germans were winning in spite of the number of their soldiers being injured.

    So caught up with shooting, the soldiers weren''t paying attention to their bullets. Despair was spelt in their ears, whilst their eyes could not hold their distraught. The painful click, no ammo.

    Machine guns,

    Bombs.

    Gone.

    Only their pistols had ammo.

    A silence only broken up by the occasional tank round still shooting in the background. The knights were confused at the lack of fire, but this could only mean one thing. An opportunity!

    "Charge!"

    A rush of knights coming down from the hill, the scene itself was a thing to behold. The soldiers stood and watched bewildered by it all, but their nerves catched their eyes as they saw the men clad in iron shouting cries with their pikes, their spears; spraying forth into the air thirsting for a body to plunge into.

    Carrying their guns, leaving the mortars and other equipment, they bolted; retreating. His soldier running toward his tent was certainly a heart-attack in real life form. He went in again towards his radio, "Tanks! Charge!"

    The lieutenant screamed into the radio and into the ears of the radiomen inside the Tigers. This rush of urgency usurped their brains. The tank drivers drove forward, rushing at the full speed of the Tiger I. Opening the cupola; the tank''s machine gunner rang hell onto the field of charging knights rising forth the small green hill after the river.

    Three iron giants were rushing at them. Tearing each grass blade and bush in their way like it were air. Sharing the same expression as did the soldiers, the knight infantry were baffled, the footmen with their pikes more so. "Sorcerers! Cannon-naders! Fire at will!"

    Instantly; they blasted forth their magicks, hitting the tanks (well, attempting to) but the tanks only suffered minor melting, and quiet dents which made no impact whatsoever to the moving behemoth as it rumbled the ground rushing toward them.

    The machine gunners made ample use of his rounds, whilst the tank operator lowered the barrel as much as possible till elevation was at negative three!

    A silent countdown.

    -3-

    -2-

    Phish! Three shells and a hundred dead. The combined blast combed through the un-shielded knights, detonating with an excellent mushroom of fire!

    "Everyone! Come out of your hidey-holes and unholster your pistols! Shoot at the knights!" Yelled the Venit-Ille soldiers, plastering the field of retreating knights with a hail of 9mm.

    "Yes, sir!"

    Rushing into the water, onto the bridge, they were shot from the back with their iron plates not protecting them, it only making the shot from a bullet much more painful. As the bullet ricocheted inside the armor, one measly bullet packing more than three bullets with it.

    The Ridge Brown soldiers focused their line with their empty Kar98ks as a ramming force. Charging down the knights who turned back to retaliate, with their bayonet-tipped rifles.

    It was too early to call it a victory; and too late to call it a defeat. The retreating enemy forces were enough, the soldiers were tired.

    "Men." The lieutenant climbed upon a high mound. "Build yourselves tents and cook your rations. After reinforcements come we will reinforce the bridge. Ease yourselves."

    "Yes, sir!"

    ---

    Reinforcements came just an hour after. Four tanks, seven trucks of supplies, and two platoons of heavily fitted soldiers. Friedrick stood as their leader. "What a sight." Friedrick climbed out of his truck and out onto the battle-ridden dirt.

    "Sir!" The lieutenant saluted. "Medium casualties, but my men will heal overtime, we''re expecting another attack and want to reinforce this position, sir!"

    Friedrick sighed; "I don''t think I can do that."

    "Why, sir?"

    "Let''s talk in your tent. You have a map yes?"

    "Yes, sir."

    The two trotted onward, past the tents of soldiers sleeping or otherwise eating. Friedrick''s men set up their own tents, helping the lieutenant''s company in any way they can.

    Opening the tent, already was the map of Hesia sprawled onto the wooden table. Quickly, Friedrick made his way to it, gliding his gloved-hand city to city until it landed finally onto one. "The magical capital." He said with a glimmer of suspense.

    "We''re headed due east. We''ll need to take three cities, Hesia''s army of sorcerors and finally to claim and destroy their capital."

    "T-that''s��"

    "Insane." Friedrick finished his sentence. "But the lord insisted so, so we''ll do as asked."

    "Yes, sir." He paused a little before questioning; "when do we depart? I need my men to recuperate before we start any battle."

    "Tomorrow noon at the latest. My lieutenant in charge should already be contacting base for more supplies seeing as your company has already none of that."

    A nervous chuckle.

    ( * )

    Waking up the next morning, the soldiers rejoiced in hot tasty food and new bullets for their guns. Having a little moment for themselves, the lieu''s in charge looked from their tent as their soldiers ate, drank, and sang as if it were a small village festival.

    "Their morale should be better." The lieutenant commented. "The news that we''ll be going forward noon hasn''t changed them one bit."

    "That''s probably because of the tanks." Friedrick retorted jokingly. "And the armaments my men carry."

    The officers inside focused themselves onto the singular large map sprawled before them, each intricate detail painted into it. Road, river, city, and forest. Friedrick sat down. "The southern company''s job is to take a hold of a port city for the Atago to dock in. That''ll take five to six days. That, unfortunately is the time we''re allotted."

    "What? Why can''t we increase it?"

    "The Atago is set to go to the east, the same destination as we will be going, she''ll also be bombarding any cities along her path. We''ll need to bombard the capital with our tanks, before she reaches it."

    Seeing their still confused faces, he continued; "The capital has, as Jane''s baron dictated, very powerful and robust cannons that can reach any distance. If the Atago takes any hits from said cannon, the Lord fears she''ll sink needlessly."

    Murmuring filled the room. "Are there any more questions?"

    "..." Silence.

    "Now, prepare your men; it''s nearing noon."

    "Yes, sir!"

    ---

    Barreling through the path, the tanks and trucks marched on as fast as they could. The soldiers were all shoved atop of and inside of the tanks and trucks. It was a comical experience for the soldiers.

    Friedrick sat in the passenger seat as the lieutenant drove. The uncomfortable seat and the rugged road was enough to pain their backs beyond meaning.

    It was twelve when they departed, and now it was three. "We''re nearing the first city! no signs of any enemies yet. But expect the local forces to bear guns and cannons." Friedrick radioed in for his soldiers to hear across the tanks.

    "Sir." The lieutenant started. "The magical battalion should have fled to here during the last battle. And I expect they''ve also reinforced it expecting our arrival."Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Friedrick turned to him. "Then let''s have the Tigers have a go."

    "All tank units, lead the path, and load your HE shells. Expecting magic attacks, we''ll attack from long range."

    "Copy that, sir." The tiger I''s radio men said in unison. The trucks before them slowed down, steering right letting the tanks pass. Lowering the barrel''s breach, the loader slowly put the tank round in and closing it in.

    "We''re loaded. Sir."

    "Fire upon my command." Friedrick relayed with a serious tone.

    "Aye, sir."

    The distinct rumbling of a tank''s tracks, and the metallic, murmur; the hum of the engine. Blasted through the dirt path. It was nerve-wracking, as the distance neared and the elevations differed from hill to hill, then it hit them when they saw the silhouette of a city far out.

    "Sir, we have eyes on the city. Taking position."

    The news blared across the several trucks, the soldiers had their blood pumping through their veins faster than before, loading their guns, the familiar bolting of the Kar98k and the STG-44. The appearance of the Vickers, then the MG42. It was all a matter of time.

    ---

    The silhouette was distinct, and recognizable. "They''ve come." The captain of the sorcerers grimaced.

    "What should we do captain?"

    "Considering their long range cannons similar to the capital''s we need to be weary." He looked at his knight. "The citizens have evacuated towards the capital yes?"

    "Yes, captain."

    Then he turned way around, toward the city; where down under was an army of sorcerers, footmen, and knights. The captain smiled. "Fire the land cannons under my command."

    He saw the tanks still standing on that land down the horizon, the distance was too far for any cannon to reach them, but the sheer power that he witnessed the day before at the river was something he could not underestimate.

    The cannon barrels (what they presumed the cylinders pointed at them were) stared at the captain, almost as if it were some dire wolf frothing from the mouth, the black hole of the barrel being it''s mouth. "It''s too far, even for my land cannons to hit those things. If they can reach the city from that distance, then it''ll be over."

    A distant boom.

    That familiar sound, it erupted within the footmen and knights. Then the captain took notice, the seven behemoths had moved.

    "GET BACK!"

    The stone wall came crumbling over!

    The first round, the second, came the fourth and fifth. With each round penetrating, exploding. Destroying the whole section of hard castle wall. There was no time to react, for at the next moment, another bombardment of shells rained over them.

    The knights and footmen cowered over where the captain should had been. But his body was not found, in their minds, their captain can only be in one place. Buried in the rubble. "The captain has gone! Fire the land cannons!"

    "Aye!"

    They were behemoths of cannons, larger than normal ones my three-fold. Needing a boulder and a boulder of gunpowder along with it to fire. As the fuse reached the last of it''s short stem. The powder within ignited!

    Not a second after; large cannon balls came scoring through the sky. The knights observed hidden from view of the tanks up on that horizon. The first that landed was a dud. The second and third also. The tanks were too far! "Ah! Screw it!" A knight yelled. "Everyone, we retreat!"

    There was not a second of doubt, the knights and footmen all ran with their weapons away from the tanks still relentlessly bombarding the city of shells. Hitting building to building, house to house. And wall to wall. With his binoculars, Friedrick sighted-in noting the fact that they were retreating.

    "Give the go ahead lieutenant."

    "Yes, sir." He put his hands onto the radio receiver, opening it; "Everyone, we have the go ahead, make forward!"

    The once busy lot of tanks and trucks were now vacant. With only the dust left by the kick-off of the wheels settling down like the afterimage of a bee flying off. Rising from the tank cupolas, the tank commanders observed the destroyed gate. "The trucks aren''t getting through that, ring to Friedrick we''re going to the other side."

    "Copy that, sir."

    The company moved to the left and right of the city. The expanse of walls were overbearing, but upon reaching the other side, they spotted some few knights still left there fleeing for their lives. But the gunners atop the tanks shot them down mercilessly.

    Friedrick''s truck stopped at the city. "It''s empty." He commented, climbing out of the truck. "Troublesome, but at the same time a miracle. Hey, lieutenant."

    "Yes, sir?" He popped his head out and looked at Friedrick.

    "Radio in that a platoon will stay here to build a radio operations base, have two supply trucks come here. Then tell them to uncover everything in this city."

    "Aye, sir."

    "A-and." He raised his voice, getting him to pop his head once more. "Tell the men we''ll be charging towards the next city."

    "Yes, sir."

    ---

    It was a massacre of an unprecedented level. With every knight they encountered; they shot down. And for every roaming horse, or footman, they''ll have them gunned-down till'' blood spurted out every wound and pore.

    The lieutenant took a look at the map, sprawling it on the dashboard. "We''ll reach the city by an hour. But it''s nearing dusk, I want our men to eat first before we do get to the city."

    Friedrick looked at him. "Sure." He turned the radio on; "All troops we''ll be taking a break." He took a sharp swerve. From the back of his truck there was a wave of excitement and satisfaction. As well as the soldiers in the other side of the radio call. "We''ll move by six-thirty, so eat while you can and refill the tanks and trucks too while you''re at it."

    The soldiers hurriedly went to the supply trucks and unpacked the foods and water. Then they set up a big bonfire, where had they found such wood at such short time is beyond Friedrick, but he thanked them for the needed warmth in the cold of night.

    As their rations heated up, they threw in spices into their soup, stirring in the lot of anything they could get their hands on to make the flavor of their rations combined a much more appetizing treat rewardable enough for the long grueling journey.

    Then the sound of music, as plates were filled; the few soldiers there who carried their lyres and flutes with them played tunes. From the faraway tent of Friedrick''s the melodious anthem that played was simply beautiful, and the soldiers sang in a chorus worthy of being played in choir.

    Friedrick closed the tent doors, turning to his officers and the map. He placed his map on the city they had just invaded. "Once they clear the path on this city and get supplies, they''ll handle the citizens that we''ll be taking in charge of once we reach the capital. Which is where I think they took them."

    "Indeed, no other place than that, sir." The lieutenant looked at the second city on their path. "But I am worried about one thing, sir."

    "What is it?" He and the officers looked at him, curious.

    "Those cannons they had threw boulders at us, though they didn''t land, and carrying one of those things would be pretty much impossible without five or so horses. It makes me wonder if they have more of that in the cities as we get closer to the capital."

    "They should, and they could." Friedrick commented. "I''ve been radioed in by the southern platoon, Atago two days away from the port; yet they''ve been bombarded by sorcerers and these cannons, which fit the description of what we''ve been fired with; land cannons, they say."

    "Sir, could we have a description of it''s range?"

    "They said it was about a five hundred meters. Which is not as much as our turrets, and neither their own lighter field cannons. But because of the weight of their damned boulders, being hit by one means being crushed by, and destroyed by one."

    "We''re going to need to change our tactics, sir."

    "Well, not really?" He smirked. "We''ll do as we have done to the city before. But better if we were stationed farther."

    ---

    Seven fifty. It was almost eight when they encountered their next victim. The city''s lights from that distance were overbearingly bright. And beautifully striking. "There are still civilians in that city." Friedrick stressed the fact. "Which makes the bombarding method not as good an approach than we thought."

    The soldiers looked at the city ahead of them. "Sir, why not don''t we try sneaking in and attacking from within?" An officer suggested from behind him.

    "No, too risky. I don''t want to risk someone dying."

    "Then," the Lieutenant started; "We surround the city from the exits. Judging from the map, it''s three exits sir."

    "We can go the peaceful route." Friedrick buckled off the telescope off his neck and sighted in. "Or the not so peaceful route. I count twenty bowmen, and ten field cannons atop that first gate. It''s also reinforced to the teeth."

    Friedrick looked at the lieutenant. "Let''s do that plan of yours, I want one tank on each gate, the rest of the tanks''ll be here as well as all the trucks. Get on it."

    ---

    "We''re under attack!" Screamed the knights after the hit of the first tank.

    "Send the cannons!" Yelled another!

    The knights, in a frenzy, filled the streets. Knocking on the doors, telling their people to run out. For every door knocked; came the crowd of people gushing out.

    Carrying with them anything they could while mumbling in their breaths spelling curses; ''they said we''d be safe!'' And, ''how do they call this handling it!? My children and wife should have just left!''

    The field cannons did nothing, some were close to the target it needed to fire, but ultimately none landed. "Where are the land cannons!?" A knight exclaimed. "Sir! The sorcerer battalion has taken them!"

    "What!?" The man''s eyes popped out of it''s sockets in anger. "Ah dang it all! Bowmen fire! Cannons fire! Anything that can fire, fire!"

    The second attack of tank fire sent a segment of the main wall into pieces, the rubble obstructing the road directly behind it, crushing a few in the process. The streets were full of people weaving through other people. The crowd itself crushing people in the middle of it all.

    But just when they were getting to the gates, there was now another opposing rush of people. "They''ve surrounded the city!" One yelled, then the rest of the men cried; "We''re doomed!"

    Despair rushed over them, for the families, a fit of hopelessness. No movement would help them out of their situation now. What will they do now? Beg? Their invaders have usurped half their country in less than three days, what will happen now!? Will they be forced to slave away? Will they die meaninglessly with their children by their side? They couldn''t find answers, and they sure weren''t waiting to find it out.

    Trampling over them, knights with their horses jumped through the mass crowd of people; whatever cries they uttered hadn''t mattered, what did was getting to the other side, where the true battle was at.

    Third.

    Fourth.

    At the fifth shell, the whole front section of the city was destroyed, the people were in a frenzy. Hiding in their houses, climbing onto carriages, into barrels, and some accepted their fate. Whatever fate was that that awaited them.

    Then, coming; approaching faster and faster. The knights emerging from small piles of rubble were face to face with iron giants. The behemoths going overhead them, crushing them under the tremendous force of a thousand boulders.

    Their fates were closed.

    ( * )

    "By the time we move, the Atago should have already docked." Friedrick remarked, looking at the map before him, then his eyes darted towards the lieutenant. "Progress on the trucks?"

    "We''ve already sent three hundred out, sir." He sighed. "A thousand more to go."

    Friedrick stood up, walking over to the window. The city''s plaza was full of people, from his view up on the second floor; he saw blurred faces. His soldiers fed the citizens, kept the accommodation up till'' they were sent off in trucks.

    "I''m sure the adventurers have caused trouble." He hinted at the question.

    "No, sir. They could not legally do that. Adventurers cannot fight another country''s army. Neither any of the guilds."

    "Hmm." He stepped off from the window. "Do what is needed."

    "Yes, sir."

    A slam.

    Friedrick sighed, looking at the letter he was twiddling with. "This isn''t good. Dragoons from the capital are heading towards this city. The company doesn''t have that many machine guns, no anti-air. The Vickers can help wonders, I''ll need to spot them atop towers. So can the tanks. But�� What I have isn''t enough."

    The letter doesn''t include a number. A date. Just that dragoons''ll come here. By certainty; this day. This hour? These next few hours? Nevermind that, he needed to move. And fast.

    ---

    All round the city came down the siren of war. Hidden among the many cobbled-wooden houses; the Tigers laid in silence, their barrels aiming way up. The arch was enough for the speculated elevation those dragoon riders''d fly at.

    They were hidden as much as possible, their grey hulls blending well enough with the surrounding pavement, but; to make it more harder to spot the tanks; the lieutenant had set up colorful rags, connecting from building to building; those windows of the second floor. It, covering the street below. The remaining city citizens helped in the construction.

    "From above; they''ll see the roads covered in all manor of color, that''ll make it difficult, for the first few minutes of battle." Friedrick sighed at the thought. "The tanks''ll disperse the second they shoot, while the Vickers we''ve placed at the wall towers will provide the anti-air. The soldiers will fire at the sky also whilst keeping the people still here in check."

    "A tall order with a lengthy check." The lieutenant said in jest, "After this, we''re resting, sir."

    "Indeed we are." He smiled, "A day''s worth. As far as I''m concerned; Atago''s run a little late. We rest then move by that then tomorrow."

    "Exciting."

    Their grins turned round;

    A sudden horn blared throughout the streets. It was the bust and boom of the trucks; transporting the soldiers to the front of the gate facing the field where, as said by a passerby soldier; "Multiple signatures seen at the horizon, sir. Dragoons sir. Without a doubt!"

    Immediately the two hopped out of the house an onto a truck, jumping on the side of it, holding an iron alloy to not fall from the desperate speeds that that truck was going.

    Their faces changed from red to green to purple to blue; the lush amount of colors was distracting, striking. Beautiful. Heading into battle; the gush of colors hitting their eyes were a sight, like rainbows after the rain but inversed.

    Finally the truck stopped dead at the gate. The men peared out, but daring not expose themselves out of the limeline of the shadows. "T-there!" Said a soldier, pointing a hand at the sky, the men around him following the point at haste.

    "That''s a full squadron!" Yelled one;

    "Though we extinguished their whole dragoon nest back at Krimvald!"

    "But we didn''t." Friedrick stepped in; immediately, the soldiers brisked away for his presence. "That, I believe is the last dragoon squadron they have. Fifteen dragoons verse a whole company of guns, tanks, and all whatnots. They won''t be getting pass this city, everyone!"

    "We''re blasting through that squadron fore'' they make it to Jane, by damned if we fail we''ll be considered traitors!" He riled the piles of soldiers there, "Let''s go bitch down some flying crabs!"

    "YES SIR!" The combined sound of hundreds of men was a melody to the ears, and it spiked morale to an up-curve. Friedrick looked at the skies, the squadron approaching at every second, faster and faster yet.

    "Take your places! Radio-men, tell them when to fire!" A nervous jet of sweat rushed out of him, thinking to himself the possible scenarios where he didn''t win this battle.

    But! Worry and doubt should not, and will not weigh his judgments during this monumental battle. Atleast; that''s what he told himself.

    "Yes, sir!"

    ---

    "This Germany was a mistake." The squadron''s leader of dragoons blurted to himself; yet the voice was enough to reach the next rider closest to him.

    "Helping Krimvald in the middle of their situation was a mistake, if we hadn''t involved ourselves with that army, t-then. Our�� Our men. Sir, would not have died for something as simple yet as deadly as those german cannons."

    "Y-you''re right. But the king wishes that we support this city. By the time we''ve reached--now--it''s already been invaded I say." He sighed a little, thinking of the different ways he could approach this. "He need to fly low enough to hit their troops, yet high enough not to get hit by their fire. Everyone!" -he gathered his fifteen comrades closer to him.

    "Encircle the city; then fire at any ground forces you see. But by the way they fight, even encircling it will be tough. So we''re coming slow, yet approaching fast, got it!?"

    "Aye, kommander!"

    His heart beated with his soldiers at his bay. The following hours, minutes? That they will be there will be either the last of such time or the best of their whole life. They''ll be renowned as heroes or they''ll die infamously for not being able to beat the villains.

    A groaned in irritation, coming closer to the dragoon''s head. He''s known that thing for years now, approaching a decade. Just like the many battles they''ve fought together; he embraced it with his leather-worn arms.

    It whimpered like a dog. "Buddy," he started, "let''s get another trophy to take home with."

    It growled softly, delighted.

    Sudden.

    "What was that!?" He looked to his dragoon''s left and right wing. Un-able to find the source of that sheering noice. A pew that was unmistakably not from a cannon, yet was so alike to the arrow''s hymn.

    His eyes flickered, then his dragoon staggered. They both looked down.

    "RUSH FORWARD!" The kommander screamed at the top of his lungs, slapping the rope to accelerate the dragoon.

    It was a hail of bullets. Yellow daggers with tips sharper than what any blacksmith could create. It was what the feared, what he feared. Quickly his men rounded corners created by bullets, and turned left and right avoiding something faster than even them.

    Inevitably, some of the bullets grazed their dragoons and their armors. A dent? It was powerful in great numbers, but the kommander figured based on the singular bullet that hit his dragoon''s armor at that time that the bullets; like arrows. "Lose speed." He grinned.

    "Everyone! Soar higher!"

    "What!?"

    "Higher, I said!"

    "But, kommander; any higher and these dragoons won''t be able to breathe!"

    "I''d rather have breathless dragoons than dead ones! Soar, now!"

    It was instant. Like a blip of the mind. The kommander, who once saw a knight riding a dragoon, flying in the sky. Now, he saw nothing; with only blood splattered on his face.

    He looked down; falling still, the rider and his dragoon''s bodies were cut; cleaved straight through with a large hole. Before he could give chance to react; a BOOM! Reared his dragoon''s tail.

    "What!? They have more powerful cannons!?"

    His other riders were already slowly climbing up; but in a fit of frustration, that nervous state still hiding behind his rational one; he feared that one round wasn''t going to cut it. There were more. And they needed to release the fire boiling in the both of their bodies. Now.

    "Screw up! We''re going down!" Quickly, without a second word he soared downward. The ungodly speed was enough to erect a shield of air around them; bullets were seemingly weak, like paper. But, as they climbed down the elevations, the bullets they passed and grazed were strengthening.

    A ball of fire was beginning to foam out the dragoon''s mouth. Growing bigger and bigger as they neared the front gate.

    Closer,

    Closer still.

    Peering in from the shadows of that gate, like death looming in silence. When the two felt like they were atop the highest mountains, they were now laying at the lowest of oceans. An iron giant, a behemoth of steel. What other words would be synonymous to it? Guardian of hell? Whatever it was, the kommander was forced to rise.

    An immature fire of the dragoon''s breath caused it to miss by a little, but ultimately hit the side of the gate. "That''s the thing that''s killed my men!" He screamed angered. "We''re targeting that!"

    He looked back, his other soldiers were dropping down, firing smaller, faster flame balls at the gate, the wall, and other spots where soldiers were stationed at.

    But that was the time when the firing became more rampant. Now overhead the city, the kommander looked down at roads full of colors, was the city in the middle of a festival? No, that could not be. He observed further.

    Fire! Barrels, cylinders of iron pointed outward; the gases that escaped it made the surrounding large rags of color blip and contort. "Fire at that!"

    His dragoon inhaled deeply, lava frothing, leaving it''s mouth slowly dripping out and onto the cold ground a hundred meters below. At the small sliver where one could see the tank�� The dragoon fired! Swift and fast; the fireball came hurtling down at full force; a blast!

    Striking the tank''s front hull; it had melted down; melting the tracks and the internals more so. It was immovable, unbearable, the tank officers climbed out of the cupola, gasping for air as they met with the outside. Their fingers were burning with heat, taking off their clothes in the process.

    Celebration would not take itself on a joy ride for the kommander. He didn''t feel it at first, all the adrenaline was too much of a rush for any pain to inform his pained brain. A hole; two holes, blood rushed out of his mouth; he coughed.

    Looking out at the horizon, his eyelids feeling heavier, and heavier. Weaker and weaker; he saw a glitter of white. Like the reflection of glass. Was that what shot him? A reflection? He frowned, "This is defeat."

    He fell.

 XVII Capital of Magic

    It was time to go. Six men were lost and one tank laid now inoperable. Feebly low damage for a powerful country. But this was a failure, how could they have lost with the technology they had?

    "I''ve gathered round the men," said the lieutenant in a monotone voice. "They ready to go, under your orders, sir."

    "Yes, yes." He stepped out the tent. "Tell them we''re going full steam ahead as well. Rests''ll be a no, so if they''re going to piss, piss now. Say that, and we''ll head out at three."

    "Yes, sir." The lieutenant went his way.

    "With the disapperance of the dragoon squad, the citizens of the next city would have already left. There''s no need to go into it." He looked at the map, "I''m heading around it. My men. That loss. Unacceptable." -His balled fist gripped harder- "I''m bombarding this capital with meteors."

    ( * )

    "And now he''s gone and done something again." Marrise implied sarcastically, "I don''t know if I should be surprised or not."

    "Not." Butted in Adelheid, "With the rush of Betelion guys wanting a piece of the cake, we can''t just be leaving the engineers in another country. The lord wants us to educate these guys, reform them to engineers for both our navy and our military."

    "Idealistic, we don''t even know where those ships came from, we just know how to use them. No factory''s here that produces them." She sat down, "Except Pomlik I guess. He makes bullets, right?"

    "Not only that." Came smirking Adelhied, "It''s new, but he''s trying to piece together parts of our and Germany''s technology. A magic gun."

    She was left silent, drinking the tea offered to her. "So how am I a part of this debacle?"

    "You''ll be supervising the school wherein these students''ll be taught in." He threw her a stack of paper, but before he could continue;

    "You''re saying I can go outside?"

    "Yes. He permitted so, and he also wanted for you to ''do'' something productive once in awhile."

    "Huh?" Her brows flared.

    "A-anyways, you''ll be supervising the soldiers keeping track of the students, as well as the teachers teaching the students. Keep track of trends inside, and know what the students are up to. No escapes."

    "No escapes." She rested back on her seat and crossed her arms, "Sounds like a prison. But hey, atleast I get sunlight."

    "Atleast you do." Adelheid stood up. "You''ll have an office to work with and�� Jeane''ll be your bodyguard."

    Her face lit up. "Really? That''s great, for me atleast. When, where, how?"

    "At the school already, waiting for you."

    ---

    Her face could not adjust under the sun. It was the brightest thing she''s seen in so many days. Even though the windows were open in the manor, it always felt like there was a veil covering the true luminance of the sun.

    But now, as she stood outside the manor''s gates, she could finally feel, and witness the heat of that sun.

    "Princess Marrise," A Venit Ille soldier approached her. "The academy is just down the street, it is the repurposed school, please be careful, renovations are being made inside."

    "Got that." She happily walked in a daze, ignoring completely the soldier that was following her from behind.

    The buildings have changed. There have been some building renovations, and now there''s atleast three, three floored buildings around the city that''s all made of cement, bricks, and new technology.

    But for some of the buildings not yet switching to the modern new, they''ve stuck just on upgrading the already existing walls. She saw the wood be replaced with bricks, and it''s started to look more colorful with the added paints that Hierd introduced.

    Galloping on the pavement, she saw the military trucks making round trips around the city. They were few and far between but were menacing figures. Crime was, as Adelheid said to her; "Something of the past." And certainly it would be if the people guarding the citizens are that heavily armed.

    She and the soldier took a sharp turn, avoiding a crowd of people. Her eyes opened wide, taking in the massive view. It was a building she had yet to see before, but she swore she knew what this was. "This was the first building the officers used to educate the soldiers before Venit Ille was transformed to what it is now, ma''am."

    "I see. So this is the noble dance school thing. I personally didn''t care for dance, but this building, I swore I''ve dreamt it in my nightmares."

    There was a crowd of a hundred people gathered at the entrance. Along that was a few more hundred soldiers guiding the students along the path towards the inside.

    Looking at the students, they were frightened. Of course anyone''d be. They were now going to a new country, a new school, meeting new people, and meeting soldiers that could kill them so easily that trying to run would be like a worm escaping a falcon. Impossible.

    "Atleast prepare some flowers and lighten the environment a little." She joked.

    "Right on, ma''am. I will tell the guards later."

    "A- right�� Thank you, this will no doubt be greater than seemingly putting them in school, which already is prison worthy enough."

    The school was laiden with brick, the color scheme a red and white. If Hierd were here he''d say; "This looks like a university."

    But to everyone there, it looked like a castle. A fortress, a prison. The interior hall was fanciful, it kept still the wooden appearance of the then dance school, a large central staircase branching two paths and two halls either way.

    Just one look and she already was overwhelmed by the size, and that in mind it was only the first floor; what of the second, third, and fourth!? She sighed deeply.

    She backtracked and went towards the entrance, (where the students were being gathered to). She observed the students were getting cards of somesort with numbers, then the officers then would tell them the reason. "The number represents your classroom. You will be able to pick your courses after completing the basic course."

    "Well atleast they can pick their professions still." Marrise commented.

    "Ah!" Marrise turned around, and saw Jeane rushing down from the grand staircase; "You''re here. You took too long." They both smiled as Jeane neared.

    "Well, I had to get into my finer clothes, and fix my messy hair. It''s been too long since I''ve felt the outside."

    "Couldn''t be me."

    "So where''ll be my office? Adelheid told me I''d be getting one or something."

    "It''s upstairs��" The long pause after that was pretty evident.

    "Upstairs��" Marrise groaned. "Don''t tell me-"

    "Fourth floor."

    "Ah��" She, without having done anything, was too defeated to do anything. Realizing now, for everyday, she''ll be walking up four flights of stairs, every. Single. Day. "Damn you Adelheid!"

    ---

    It was after the unbearable climb that she was greeted with a great view of the city. The windows at the manor couldn''t compare to the height that her office offered. "Well now maybe having those stairs weren''t such a bad idea, this is nice."

    She felt her wooden desk with her fingers, sliding it with delight. Then a knock from behind; "Come in!"

    Jeane came in with a pack of papers held to her chest. "These are the things you''ll be doing. Plus the teachers at the moment." -Marrise grabbed it off her, the weight pulling her down- "You''re alright?"

    "Y-yeah." Her aching hand said otherwise.

    "Um, right now; for the introductory phase of the school, we''re telling them there''s five courses they could pick after the basic course."

    "Architecture, Engineering, Naval Engineering, Military Engineering, and what? Joining Hierd''s army?"

    Jeane chortled, "No, Architecture, Engineering, Agriculture, Sailing, and Arithmetic."

    "All the things you''ve said required fifty gold and a noble title to get that education. Except agriculture, I guess."

    "And all the things I''ve said are being taught for, for free. The lord called it a�� Public School? I haven''t heard of that before, but whatever it is, he''s letting anyone with basic education to be accepted into the school, figured that they pass first the entrance exam."

    Marrise flipped the paper, revealing that the exam was to be done tommorow morning. "I see. But what''ll happen to the students from Hesia that don''t pass?"

    "They''ll be sent back."

    "That easy?" Marrise questioned. "If I were the lord I would have had probably monopolized the influx of young adult men and throw them while they''re hot into the pan."

    "Well�� The lord has his reasons." Jeane patted Marrise''s head.

    Marrise looked up at her, Jeane''s eyes looked mishapen. Almost as if they weren''t supposed to be the way that they were. "Are you alright?"

    "Other than a little bit of head pain, I''m feeling better."

    "I hope so." -she jokingly put- "Because you''ll be my bodyguard for this next few what ifs."

    ( * )

    They''ve disregarded stealth, they''ve disregarded such a thing for a while now. Indeed, there were no citizens in the city they passed. But no matter; their eyes were set upon arriving to the capital. And; in an hour more. They arrived.

    Under the veil of night, the moon being the only source of light. Where the Atago looms closer yet from kilometers and kilometers away;

    The capital of Hesia. The magical capital. It was daunting, foreboding. But in a couple of minutes, Friedrick knew it''ll just be another pile of dust.

    Now, they''ll be no citizens inside the capital. "Sir! The city''s surrounded, awaiting orders to fire."

    "Got it." Friedrick threw the radio down.

    The company split up, favoring to branch the tanks to their own respective groups. For each tank, about twenty soldiers guarded it. Since the capital was surrounded with forests, it was perfect for a suprish cannon bombardment.

    The capital was majestically impossible to look at. There was a river seperating the forest from the city, with only a long draw bridge connecting the city from the mainland. One could see the faults in that. Though sieges would be difficult in that the only way to get to it would be by ship.

    And, zooming in onto the ballistic looking cannons on the top of each castle tower of the tall and long walls, Friedrick saw the famed; Long Ranged Ship Destroyers, he''s taken liberty to shorten it to; LRSD, saying; ''lersed.'' They were looked unoriginally like cannons. Yet so unorginally was the fact that they had longer barrels, and glowed bluish.

    What stood guard on each of such cannons were a heap of guards, sorcerors, be it. But he, from his position could not see a single cannonball. And it didn''t even look like the cannon had a fuse at the back that could make it fire.

    "A hundred knights readied at the bridge." -then aiming at the castle- "Bowmen, cannon men." A soldier commented.

    "The thing''s a fortress." The lieutenant said; "the tanks are aimed at the LRSD right?"

    "Right." Friedrick replied, picking up the phone, "And,

    ��

    "Fire."

    ��

    The soldiers braced themselves; the blasts of the tanks were heard all throughout, but no Hesian knew where it came from. The knights started to mobilize yet not move, awaiting further orders.

    The sharp tank shells were breaking air.

    Faster, and

    Faster yet.

    It''s been said all to frequent. Been seen all too regularly. Been done all too much. But in fantastic fashion; it could not have been described better than the last time. The soldiers looked at the fortified island. Awaiting for the tank shells to land.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    When;

    Thunderous clammor!

    The consecutive blasts of six tanks were far too great for the stone walls to take. Yet, it was merely the guise for the other wall directly behind the first one. Friedrick''s tanks kept on firing, while the magical troops from down below were now advancing.

    "Shit!" Friedrick blurted, "They have magic shields that protected the LRSD cannons!"

    "What!?" Came in the lieutenant; "Their shields should not be able to defend against our tank rounds, we saw them being used before, they weren''t as powerful as this." The realization shocked the soldiers around them.

    "Then maybe it''s different." Friedrick''s eyes sought for answers, his heart dropped.

    The knights were moving, yet their wall was being bombarded too heavily upon. Friedrick watched carelessly, too carelessly. The opposing forces and the remaining Sea cannons have started to fire upon the forests.

    Fanatic.

    Those cannons did not fire traditional cannon balls! They fired magic! Blue, heat seaking orbs of death. Friedrick watched it spell doom onto the ground it penetrated. Sending trees flying every which way.

    The blue rays that erupted from these cannons, cannot simply be blocked by the armor of a tank, it''d vaporize it whole! Like those Dragoons. Have the Hesians taken the anatomy of a dragoon and revised into cannons!?

    The mere thought of it terrified Friedrick."Men! We''re leaving! Retreating far from this shit! We''re makin'' distance with those cannons!"

    "Yes sir!"

    The soldiers rushed for the tanks and their trucks whilst the raging sea cannons behind them were terrorizing the surrounding forestry. Flinging the trees, uprooting them and creating craters on the green ground. Dirt flew every which way. And while soldiers got in their vehicles, trees couldn''t help but snag onto them.

    It was like being stuck on quick sand, and for awhile, some of the trucks couldn''t move because of the trees that wedged itself onto the wheels, back, and front.

    Some of Friedrick''s men flew with the trees. Surviving, though their fractured legs told otherwise.

    "This is Tiger-1A! Retreating to home point!"

    "This is Tiger-1B! Retreating home!"

    "This is Tiger-1D! Retreating back!"

    Friedrick''s radio roared to life with the various calls of the tank men at the other side fleeing the scene of their destruction. The sea cannons were far too powerful to be approached with too close. But judging from the trajectories, it had had to be the same ranges as their tank''s.

    "Not good, not good at all. I need to radio the Atago. We need reinforcements. My tanks won''t be cutting it!"

    Friedrick looked behind him, eyeing up the skyscraping towers of the magical capital. It did not take long before more magical bullets started hailing from the sky, but soon enough; they were too far to be targetted from, and the knights have lost sight of their tracks.

    The dust had settled, Friedrick reached for his radio. "Where are you all?"

    It took awhile before any response was given, for each second of silence was truly heart wrenching for Friedrick. But just as before, the radio came alive with the talking of multiple men. They were all alive.

    "Gather at the waypoint and replenish ammo.Tiger-1A and B!"

    "Sir?"

    "Gate the dirt road to the castle before they get there, spot them? Destroy them."

    "Yes, sir."

    "The rest of you; to the waypoint. Now!"

    The precarious situation called for desperate measures. Now knowing what the sea cannons could do, they would not be able to go in for a second time. It took long for the rest of his troops to come to the waypoint.

    Tents were sent up, and food was shared. Yet the officers ate and drank not a single ounce. Friedrick picked up the set up radio, bothering to not order the radio operator. He messed with the dials, and a few seconds later he was connected with the Atago.

    ---

    "Captain, we''re making a detour." He distressingly put from over the radio.

    "Heard et'' plenty good ye." He implied with jest. "So''s them Hesians got a back-up plan we din''t know bout. Ain''t that fantastic. Sea cannons calle." -he picked up the radio- "so it is a range of'' wut?"

    "I''d approximate a kilometer or two. Maybe greater. But the Atago can hit at farther distances right?"

    "Yep'' she can. I just don''t know if I wants to endanger me ship." Captain Jack worried; "an''s did the Lord tells we that yall company should have done did bombard that city whole!"

    "We can''t." Friedrick said, defeated. "From our first attack we saw the use of magic shields. We don''t know why, but the officers say it''s different than the weaker versions we''ve encountered."

    "Magic requires catalyst." Jack leapt for the map, pinning his finger on the capital. "The island, why build dem''s a city in a place where ships could easily bombard, and where forces could easily wage a starvin siege. No other reason to it says I. It gots to be a big magical ore or somethins."

    "Big magical ore?" Friedrick repeated.

    "Yeah? Ye'' heard me the first time now you heard it the second; Big magical ore. That''s the third time." Captain Jack chuckled, "the company that''s escortin'' me''ll arrive later than me ship reaches the capital. This little rendezvouz''s rights for the pickin'' we''ll be there quick."

    "Thank you, captain."

    In the night of the Atago, she was fully dark. No lights, with only the glow of the moon illuminating her iron hull. Under the thick walls of iron, below the decks of the ship. Sailors slept, and sailors worked. A balanced mix of productivity.

    Making her, Atago, a self-operating ship that''d last months upon months without stopping (of course, until the fuel ran out). But there was no need for sleeping stragglers. Battle was just hours away, and even Jack didn''t know if his ship were to survive an impending onsalught from the LRSDs at the capital.

    Soon he awoke everyone lower deck, the order was thrown to everyone, from sailor to sailor the order went like a yawn that passes from one another; "Load the main turrets! Be on the look-out! And be awake!"

    They were at first confused, were they being attacked? This was the fuel of their awakening; but when they rose the decks towards their guns. They were oh so relieved to find no ship terrorizing them with cannons (even if such warships would do no damage to the Atago).

    The Atago swiftly reached the shore, the proposed location to meet. Captain Jack could see the lights from the trucks Friedrick commanded, as well as the tanks peering in from the woods directly behind the shore.

    "Lose speed!" He shouted; "Drop the anchor!"

    The analogue dial rang to zero speed, and the boiler room''s caretakers stopped feeding the machine it''s needed fuel. Soon the propellors stopped pushing the water aback, and the ship calmly stopped.

    Jack stepped out the bridge, looking down at the water down below; "Well! How ye suppose we get down! We''re still too far from shore ye scallywag! Why didn''t you pick a port ya godsmack!"

    Jack''s yells reached Friedrick, nervously laughing. "Get down here! Somehow!"

    Jack turned to look at the sailors behind and beside him. "Did ge hear that folks? ''Somehow.'' My mother sooner beat his sorry ass than me da drinks a nuther'' beer! Once mistook a broom for me aunt! Tried to merry er!" He squealed in laughter, his crewmen laughing with him.

    ---

    Jack and some other important officers of the bridge rode on a lifeboat down towards the shore, beaching the boat. It took awhile but they got their tents set up and the larger tent for the headquarters.

    "Since their cannons have far reach, we''ll hit from afar as well. How many kilometers can Atago reach?" Friedrick looked at Jack;

    "Didn''t I tell you that before? Ye'' got short term memory loss! She''s reaches the sea''s edge me says!"

    "Right." He focused now on the map; "The Atago''s turrets will bombard the fort from far away, whilst the tanks from the coming company and mine''ll be heading there after the first round of bombardment."

    "So I gets it. They''ll be too focused on de threat that they can''t see that they''ll not see the advancin'' tanks. The company I worked with gots three tanks, perfect for ze job, pecialy'' since ye''ve lost one." He remarked.

    "Thanks for reminding me." He grimaced slightly. "But yes, you''re�� Right."

    "What''ll the ground forces be doing?" Questioned the lieutenant.

    "Making their way to the castle." He called into focus the draw bridge leading up to the castle. "Since they have magicians, it''s not wise to do that, but what''s wiser is disabling their effectivity. Once Atago and the tanks have done sufficient damage, the soldiers''ll be marching their way into the city."

    They nodded and agreed. "It all starts tonight. At two in the morning."

    ( * )

    It was a long day, when night dawned; Marrise had properly been introduced to the cream of the pie. There were approximately a thousand students, and counting. The basic course taught�� The basic things. Jamie, Unchean''s scientist, turned now into a professor, leads the nuns that taught the Venit Ille soldiers from months ago. No thing big persay, happened that day.

    But what was more so big was that the Betelions were offering up top gold to buy up any remaining vacant spots to get into the school. Adelhied, with his big, greedy eyes; ran up to the opportunity and immidiately accepted the over sea offers.

    "Grieg?" Marrise saw him coming inside her fourth floor office. "Duke, why are you here?"

    "How many times have I said to forfeit that title, it''s gone now. Krimvald''s gone. The rest of the nobles have defected to other countries, Krimvald''s a thing of the past."

    "That''s�� True, I guess." She looked down, at the city with the sparkling lights and merry people.

    "Sir Adelheid waiting for you at the manor. I came to pick you up."

    "Thank you, Grieg. But I can�� Do it myself."

    "I''m your assistant, Marrise."

    "You are. Only because you would''ve been just a head by the beach if I hadn''t said that you were."

    The Duke of Krimvald, a forgotten name now. Grieg walked calmly toward her. Eyeing up the same view as did she; "And I thank you for that. Really. Truly. I thank you. So please, let me do my job."

    She turned to him, looking at his rough face and smiled. "Alright."

    They both stepped out of the room, leaving the view behind. Down the steps, of the hallways. It was rather foreboding. The halls invoked an Eerieness she could not get rid of.

    She''s seen Auferstehen''s monsters before. Tough, monsters from hell. Auferstehen is hell. But, she''s never quite adjusted to the fact that such monsters exist in the world. Even if she were of the highest of nobility, before, she still did not wield the knowledge to answer that question.

    Was she looked down upon? Her youth as the princess of Krimvald was already bleak. But now that she held this posistion, in Hierd''s army of men. She won''t afford to be looked down upon ever. The duke, the only remaining relative of her''s. He''s hiding something under that face. She just couldn''t unearth it.

    As they left the main lobby, a small car was waiting for them. "What is this?" Marrise questioned to him.

    "It''s a car. It''s the new thing the army''s pumping up. It''s not meant for the same rugged terrain the normal army''s subjected to. But it''s more for daily transport, without the use of big burly trucks."

    "And it''s sleek looking, that I say." She smiled.

    Grieg opened the back door for her, she hopped in, and he went to his driver seat. It was a kind of cold inside compared to outside.

    "Before we head to the Manor, I''d like to go to the adventurer''s guild."

    Grieg looked at the rear mirror, looking at her face in confusion. "What''ll you be doing there?"

    "A little something."

    "Alright." Grieg roared the car to life as he twisted the key once, twice, and thrice. The few citizens still on the roads, made way for the car, getting on the pavement while admiring the new beauty they were graced with.

    A turn left, a turn right. The car handled beautifully, even if the pavement was a little bumpy. But from then, Marrise''s already been accustomed to the usual banging of a carriage.

    Grieg slowed down round a corner, then stopped. "We''re here."

    She looked out from the window. It''s been awful while since she''s seen this building. But it''s definitely different. Ladden with brick, and looked to be just as royal as the school.

    "It''s called the; Adventurer''s Commission now. The lord imposed the new one over the old one, since the need for the usual adventurer things are not as useful as before."

    She pulled the handle, and opened the door. Grieg leaving in the same fashion; "So what does it do now?" She admired the small staircase leading up to the entrance.

    Grieg made his way around the car and onto her shoulder, "Find out yourself."

    She chortled a little before walking towards the stairs. Opening the door; she was welcomed with an air of heat and hospitality, it reeked of it acutally.

    "Good Evening!" A tender made his way to her; "What will you be doing today?"

    Before answering the small tender beside her, she looked around. There were still a multitude of adventurers there, sitting on the chairs whilst talking o'' so loudly, that nostalgic feeling of a adventurer''s guild.

    "I am lieutenant Evergreen, and I would like to post a job." She looked at the tender with a smile. Her suit and the tough looking man behind him should be enough details that elude that she was from the army, even though she technically wasn''t.

    Grieg nodded, saying nothing.

    "Ah, lieutenant; If you so wish; please, follow me to the applicating room."

    "Thank you."

    The two of them passed a round of people. She''s noticed that in the city all of the people wore some sort of german wear. Suits were less common, usually dress shirts and trousers.

    The adventurers wore things that were more comfortable for their job, shorter sleeves, round hats, and lots of pockets and bags with their overalls. "A uniform?" She questioned.

    The tender looked behind him, at her; "Ah, they''re given to every adventurer here. Any one can join."

    They walked upstairs, where the chief''s room should be at. But it was directly adjacent that. The Application Room, the tender opened the door; letting the two of them in.

    It was like a warehouse inside there. So many people working, and so many pieces of paper that the whole room reeked of the odor! Were they in a library!? "Please, sit, while a receptionist comes."

    "T-thank you." She sat on the only vacant table, where paper hadn''t piled so much around them.

    "What''s this about a job?" Grieg questioned behind her. "Going incognito for a job?"

    "Later." She dissmissed him.

    He sighed a little.

    It took a couple of minutes, but after the the wait; a receptionist came greeting the two. "What will it be, madam, and sir?" She sat opposite Marrise (as this case permits; Evergreen).

    "I would like to know first the services the�� Adventurer''s Commission does."

    "Certainly ma''am." She brought out a piece of paper from�� Somewhere, maybe from the piles of paper ducked under the table. "At the moment, the commission operates to explore, to protect, and to help. Whether helping means to go somewhere or to do something, with a price; anything can be done."

    "I see." She rested back on her chair; "I would like to imploy the help of an adventurer that would be willing enough to travel places with me, and my platoon."

    "Hmm��" The receptionist murmured; "It is possible. But to find one, would take some time. And depending on the danger of your mission; the price will be more expensive."

    "Name the price." Marrise put her hands on the table, crossing them together, her smirk was unnerving.

    With sweat dripping, the receptionist thought of all the things and prior disclaimers before coming up with the perfect price; "three hundred gold, ma''am."

    "Deal."

    ( * )

    The glow of the moon was too serene for the events that transpired in the heat of the city. The citizens were panicking, the already packed streets of the magical capital was now covered with the bodie of bystanders and the occasional knight from the debris.

    The first wall was already defunct, the last wall, enfused with magic ore, should hold out much longer against another onslaught of tanks. The knight force that went out to chase the tanks came back. Where there was three hundred, now there was only a hundred. Drenched in dirt, bullet holes and blood.

    The sight of the failure was enough a confession for the people that the weaponry of the magical capital was not enough. They began sieging in any home; covering the windows with wood, reinforcing the doors with nails. And digging underground to mak bunkers.

    In the middle of this happenstance, the generals were making adjustments to plans that now seem forlorn in the seams as they had now witnessed what a light attack looked like.

    "They''ve taken every city west of here." One said; "Our ports down south has been taken also, and one of the dragoon squadrons spotted a metal warship the size of a mountain trudging near the shore."

    "Making way to the capital." The interjection was clear, for him, for the many officers gathered there. "There are not a lot of things we can do, we have mobilized the normal cannons sea-ward, and the galleons have now been beached." (It was too much a risk to have their galleons sink, beaching it would be much more better since the weaponry the Germans had could destroy their warships in one fell swoop).

    "It is very last chance to be saying this; but we should retreat while we have the chance."

    "Nonsense!" A general shouted. "Those rags ran when we fired our cannons, the sheer fact they targetted our the sea cannons in the first place means something! They''re afraid of our capabilities, and want to rid of them. We''re not doing that! We''re defending while they try everything!"

    "That''s partly ridiculous and partly genious." Angrily put by one general; "you can''t expect us to have the supply that can last a month. Nigh even a week with the amount of people we harbor! We retreat now while we have the chance!"

    The earth rumbled!

    The men were thrown every which way, their room was seemingly falling as if it were a boulder down a mountain! "What is happening!?" One shouted.

    "They''ve come!"

    Just outside, chaos insued, as the fear of citizens were realized, they hid for their makeshift bunkers and houses. Getting anything and everything that their hands could get.

    The guards and knights could not change them and their motives. They needed sustenance, and they needed to be free from the prison this city had put itself in.

    The damage was severe, the part of wall that faced the sea was completely defaced, the rubble falling into the waters like brittle cookies. The houses adjacent fell with the stone walls, into the jagged rocks below.

    Up on the remaining sea cannons, they fired at the forests again, this time; there was now an onslaught of fireballs and arrows firing with it.

    The wall was struck once more!

    The wall did not hold on as good as it should have had, it was about to fall. One more hit and it will be very soon. But they can''t afford another hit. Where did it come from!? There was no flash from the woods, it didn''t come from there. If it were over the forests, then by God would that have been too far.

    Where!? Then, to the yells of the countless knights on horses down bellow, though their yells could not be heard for the first, for the second, and for the third shout; as soon as they got hit the third time; they know knew where it came from. "The sea!"

    But it was too late!

    From the forest, emerged barrels, elongated cannons. As the knights stared at the looming sillhouete, the top of it just barely being seen far the horizon, and at the cannons rising from the pitch black forests.

    They begged for mercy.

 XVIII The German Sphere of Influence

    "We''re three sizes too big." Hierd voiced out infront of the large panel of his military officers. Looking at him intently. "We have taken the majority of Krimvald, the other cities were left to rule by themselves, whilst Hesia we have successfully invaded and conquered."

    He continued; "And because of the vast amount of land we now conquer. I am afraid that Germany would be stretched too thin. Because of this; we will be signing an agreement with the still existing Hesian monarchy that they will get back their cities with the only exception being the port city of Geo."

    "We''d have waged war for nothing for the ones who perished if we didn''t come back with something." Hierd then brandished a paper scroll from out his coat. "Thirty percent of Hesia''s gold, and their magical knowledge will be passed down to us. Along that; students and teachers from Hesia will need to have a mandatory five year education term in what I will now call; University of Germany (UG)."

    "This educational program��" Adelhied questioned; "What will it do for us?"

    "Of course, our fellow German children will be doing the same thing as the Hesians. The five year course will develop their understanding of German mechanics, makings boats, making guns, making ordinary machinary that will improve a country in the long term." He smirked; "Germany, Hesia, Betelion. War did break; but not as we expected. Two weeks from now; the three countries will be formally united."

    "The German Sphere of Influence."

    ( * )

    That name stuck in the minds of the Germans and Hesians. It was plastered on the posts, on the guilds, and on the military vehicles; "The German Sphere of Influence."

    Other journalists called it; "The German Sphere of Power." Already was Hierd the most powerful man alive, this ''alliance'' was a front. For Germany''s benefit. In the end, they theorized that though Hesia and Betelion will get upgraded infrastructure, indeed only Germany will rise. And the two will be body guards against a world who will revolt.

    The invasion of Hesia happened three weeks ago, now peace talks at the fourth, then alliance at the end of the month. In that span; Unchean vastly increased it''s influence as the capital of Germany.

    The boom of people coming from Hesia, Betelion, and some other countries in the continent of Latessia were too great to be housed in the already cramped Unchean. Hierd declared a travel ban for three weeks because of this. But, in that span; he reformed Unchean. Truly turning it into an urban sprawl.

    The buildings now rose as high as did the school. Four floors and counting. Factories were becoming more common and, to increase the space, the gates were stationed further back. The architects planned out a wider section of the Tria forest to be removed to make way for construction efforts. Such planning started after the renovation of the housing.

    Hierd now even sold his cars to the common public; with wealthy nobles from Betelion snatching up all of it the first day of it''s release. The world was truly hit by Germany''s influence.

    It was nearly november. About the time of the year that the kingdoms from all around the world start making preparations for the incoming Auferstehen. But Germany hadn''t cared. After the first week; Hierd sky rocketed Germany''s infrastructure for his people''s development. Easel and Unchean were seperated from kilometers away back then; but then, roads were being made, and building plots were being assigned. "In three months;" Said the architects and engineers, "The two cities will be linked. Buildings and roads connecting them."

    ---

    Then, the day came. The three leaders, Hesian''s king, Betelion''s Emperor. And, much more foreboding than the two combined, the chancellor of Germany.

    "All in little old Betelion." Said Marrise, looking out the car window. "Should''ve happened in Unchean. This place''s a crack den- no. A cesspool of weird people."

    Naturvege looked at her; "You''ve been so negative to this kingdom since first I met you. It''s�� Delighting, in a way."

    Marrise looked at him; "So what exactly will we be doing?"

    Naturvege crossed his legs on the cramped back seat. "At dawn there''ll be a military parade showing off the trio of countries and their powers. We will be introducing a new tank; the Maus."

    He continued; "While we enamor the crowd with the parade, we watch from afar. Keeping tabs on the lord. And." He added suspense, reeling in Marrise; "nothing else." She pouted.

    After the long bumpy ride upwards the capital''s towering castle. The car finally stopped at a similarly large manor just beside it. The two exited the car.

    At the entrance were two rather decorated Venit Ille soldiers, using the traditional bayonet-equipped Kar98ks. "Good Afternoon ma''am." They bowed in unison; "The lord awaits you inside."

    As the door opens for the two; they were immidiately greet with a crowded scenery. Had somebody gotten married? Died? There were so many sharply dressed people that two felt (who wore themselves some fancy wears) look out of place.

    Then, peeking out from the crowd of people, it was Friedrick, as sharply dressed as anyone there. He hurriedly brushed himself out the crowd to get to them, he panted infront of Marrise, catching his breath. "It gets hot in here."

    "Haven''t felt the heat." She said.

    "I-in the crowd."

    She looked away, "Why the nobles?"

    "O-oh, them?" He stood straight, finally catching the breath that ran. "They aren''t nobles. They''re currently fifty of the best soldiers that Germany can offer. Matthaus, Alrife, to name a few guys that I know."

    They wore green coats. The polish ceremonial army uniform. The cape that over threw itself around on the left shoulder was the kicker for Marrise, her memories flooding back of nobles being promoted.

    "The lord?" She looked at him.

    "Upstairs, getting himself ready as well."

    "I''ll leave you two to it, I''ll meet up with him." She swiftly left the scene, the two left to awkwardly look at each other.

    She dashed into the crowd, avoiding incoming officers, and bouncing through and by everyone there. She came upon the stairs up and lauched herself to the second floor, it was devoid of people, the total opposite of the first floor. The moody lighting made it seem like it was night; yet in reality, the curtains were draped and candles flew about.

    She walked, slowly, almost as if avoiding to interupt someone who might''ve been sleeping, when then she came upon the only door which had light spewing forth from the bottom.

    She knocked; "Lord Hierd? I''m here. You were waiting for me?"

    There was a pitter of noise, it developed into a scuffle, then to an cacophony of noise. "What''s happening in there?" She shouted.

    It took a few seconds of silence and of waiting before she got back to any response; "You may enter!" Screamed the muffled voice.

    A quick turn of the door''s knob and she was let in. The harsh light a quick contrast from the darkness that was the hallway before it. There was one singular figure dressed in all white.

    "Are you a paladin?" She questioned jokingly; "wearing all white is a statement. It''s either you''ve died, you''re living, or you''re from the theocracy!"

    "Neither of that." He stood from his seat; "I shall create something. And I called you here because you won''t be going by the name of princess anymore. By me, you''re now one of my lackeys, a guard at my six. Accompanying me wherever I go."

    "Surely I won''t be recognized? Oh, no, that''s just impossible." The sarcasm made Hierd look at her with felled eyes.

    "I doubt anyone will, really."

    "What''s that supposed to mea-"

    A huge rush of noise erupted downstairs, the sound of a crowd cheering. The culmination of all their voices vibrated the floor they both stood on as if an earthquake had gone by, they left the building.

    "They''re preparing for the parade, we should be off as well." Hierd got his luger''s holster packed on his belt under his white great coat (for it was rather chilly in Betelion as it was approaching winter).

    ---

    Brang!

    The harmony of trumpets, then the bang of drums. Making their way forward the ranks first were the Betelions, their steads and the latest of machinery. The lot of the knights that were shown off by the Betelions had equipped the guns that Adelhied had sold, surprised Hierd a little as he was not informed.

    It was the most important event that had happened all that year, forget Germany''s inception, Germany''s now allying with countries! There was never a formal ''decree'' of sorts that had put Germany''s name up in the monoliths.

    Nobles, from all around Latessia came to witness this event unfold. Monarchs from other countries barreled down their scientists and own genius minds to the party. It had not been that jammed in Betelion''s capital for centuries, the crowd that Hierd gathered was more than enough for the show of force he wished to create.

    Hesia had already devastating blows after their defeat;

    Hip to ho, hip to ho!

    The clang of metal feet and the sound of metal conforming with gravity; then the galloping of horses carrying the Betelion flag. The trumpets then stopped; the crowd of people gasped at the incoming army.

    The Hesian rocked onward wearing absolutely no armor at all, just like the Germans and their suits; along that, they triumphed their more prized staffs.

    A platoon of sorcerers, and a band which played something that belonged in a nocturne''s hall, not a military band''s. The journalists kept watching and writing on their notebooks, waiting for the main actor of the show. Germany.

    Just the name struck them down a winding path of questions. And the significance, the army the country carries, is a presence to espy.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    The two military bands saluted Hierd and the three leaders up at the castle''s balcony as they passed by. Showing them their stern, determined faces. Though Hierd got a little hint of revengeful eyes from the Hesians who passed.

    The ground rumbled;

    Immediately! The citizens rang out alarms in their heads; "It must be those German tanks!" And; "tanks!? Where? Where is it!?"

    A huge surge of people, nobles, and all catcher-bies ran for the very start of the parade''s entrance. Where knights and officers of the trio of countries were defending already the approaching crowd, pushing them; further, further back.

    The start of Germany''s military band raged forward in mechanical footsteps; the audience daunted by the green suits and strapped-on STG-44s.

    The bang of the drums,

    Clang of the cymbals;

    The rhythmic chants of instruments they had yet to even see before in their lives. The melodious sound carried beauty, yet internally it too carried a heavy drop of supremacy.

    As the soldiers rolled in with their bayonet-carried Kar8ks, the tanks had also. The barrels were pointed straight up, to the people. To the nobles outside of Betelion and the sphere of influence; such a machine had never been fathomed by man kind. By their kind atleast.

    Nicknames had floated about before; "Iron Horse of the South, Germany''s Land Whale." But seeing it in person was truly different.

    The five tanks that rolled in (Tiger Is) were all written down on papers, the design, the outwardly machinery. The turret, the gun, the cupola to the tracks. Any detail minute and/or broad were drawn and written by Engineers wanting to learn and journalists wanting to create explanations.

    But truly the fear of Germany had yet been released, for in a matter of moments, the long crowd of soldiers, of tanks that came before it were but mice to trap. The Maus entered; the hound that fells beasts.

    If weren''t the Tigers enough to send blasphemy to engineers and alchemists worldwide, then surely the big burling hunk of steel and whatnot would have been justifiable enough!

    The crowd raged in awe, they looked at with the deepest of gazes, sharp enough to penetrate inside and through the crewmen it seemed.

    "You brought quite the army." Said the Betelion king just beside Hierd.

    "It is a parade after all, your majesty."

    "Please, call me by more eased names; majesty is a term only said by people who knows not the boundary of royalty and of true man. I am king by blood but I am farmer by heart." King Apple said to him with a kindhearted face.

    "Sir Apple." He refered; "I understand your willingness to be as advanced as Germany. This alliance that proof of such. I have decimated Krimvald and Hesia with that which I have. And could destroy any country north of here if I wanted to. I shan''t say nay to that, though."

    The worried face of the king brightened up instantly at the hearing of the last sentence; "to that, my engineers of the royal academy shall have had been sent to your university. During their stay, I expect great works ahead. Those guns, those fire-arms you hold; your monopoly is intriguing, so I would wish to have that as well." He chuckled a little.

    Marrise was behind Hierd, paying attention to the conversation that she did not notice that the Hesian king had rolled in beside Hierd. "Chancellor."

    Hierd turned around to the seat beside him. "Ah," -he stood- "King Charleston, good afternoon."

    "As you too, chancellor of Germany, I hope to make great strides in our relationship as countries."

    "I too." Hierd sat back, enjoying the rest of the parade which soon came to an end, the blaring of the final trumpet and roar of the crowd symbolized it, determined it.

    ( * )

    When dusk approached (when the countries were done with their afternoon pleasentries and their own introductory speeches). They left for the inside of the castle. Only the higher nobles were allowed entry, the commoners were to see the news only once the first guard left to deliver it.

    There was a large feast; a hall that stretched to a hundred chairs and a field of floor that could accompany a whole company of soldiers maybe even more than that.

    All decorated with the warm chandeliers, the methodical; ornamental music played by bards of both countries (Hesia and Betelion). Hierd had his most trusted friends sitting front row and center. Marrise though, stood hugging a wall some few meters away from Hierd.

    She watched as many nobles came, cautiously and nervously, towards Hierd. Asking questions like; "Your majesty, will you sell your armaments to other countries?" And more commonly the fact; "Could we trade with our technologies?"

    But Hierd, despite being polished clean with questions and requests; did not falter. Replying simply; "At the moment, I will not have any words regarding that. If it is mentioned, it will be mentioned during our alliance signing later today."

    The food served to them were a far cry to the food that Hierd gave troops at Venit Ille. Spaghetti, Shanghai, Sushi; a whole variety of things that he gave officers and soldiers the time to eat. Mini rewards he called it.

    And the food they ate at the hall was seven leagues of a down grade. Duck, roasted chicken, and peas. Was this a commoner''s meal!? Hierd took only one bite during the duration of the hall''s festivities.

    Then, a messenger of sorts announced; "Oh hear ye, hear ye! We now commence the signing of piers! Kingdom of the east; Hesia. The empire of technology; Betelion! And the kingdom of tigers, Germany!"

    Immediately there was a roar of applause for the three kings on the small stage that was set at the front of the hall. "Kingdom of tigers��" Hierd murmured; "I like the sound of that."

    They sat down on the round table offered to them at the middle of the stage; there was this distant, yet growing intensity between the three leaders. The crowd silenced quietly, awaiting nervously, anxiously for what happens next.

    "Fur my people;" Started King Apple''s excordium, "It brought me great joy when first we three countries would be intermingling so. This I say first for he, the chancellor of Germany. The need of technology has bounced back in regards to your highness'' guns and tanks."

    He continued; "This I wish answered; ''will you? Whom hast power over seemingly all countries, invade such countries?''"

    The crowd was shook of the bold line of questioning from the Betelionic king, now they turned to Hierd, awaiting eagerly for the response. "Conquering a whole world is not as easy as you, your highness, makes it out to be. My soldiers, my army, navy, they indeed are powerful works of war. But not works of governance. I can control the people with guns and threaten them with death. But that will only signal revolt. ''Let them be!'' Say I, but I, will no care at all were it that another kingdom to invade, effortlessly kill every single one of their forces. Saving their citizens, and crumbling their infrastructure."

    A silent gasp was made oh so audible by the sound of people drinking wine, or were it that they were gulping? Hierd didn''t know, he was frankly too focused on the next words that were to be uttered.

    "Under the declaration of our alliance;" Said the Hesian king; "We would like for all kingdoms a part of it to be able to benefit with themselves, economically and for each respective armies."

    "Training drills and naval drills." Blurted Hierd, arousing curiosity in the onlookers and the two kings beside him. "The alliance is meant to benefit all actors! During our cooperation I�� We expect that, as leaders, will help develop respective weaknesses. I for one am still underdeveloped in other areas that Hesia or the Betelion kingdom have developed much of and vice versa."

    ( * )

    Hierd solidified it. It took only one day for the word to spread to multiple kingdoms. Dragoon squadrons helped deliver it. And the journalists, common folk and whomever propagated it with their own wild tricks, making Hierd seem more heroic and at times more forgiving than really.

    The day the declaration of their aliance was signed, was the day everything seemingly stopped and flew. When the carriages of each and every country went home, they began writing novels and entering the event in their history books as; "The start of a new age." And indeed it was.

    The very next week, there were immidiate changes. Full on companies of engineers and other people of the same craft were sent to Betelion from Germany, to Germany from Betelion, from Germany to Hesia, to Betelion from Hesia, and so on, and so forth!

    The Rush of the Minds! The exchange of information was downpouring like rain, papers, books, and knowledge passed down. German guns, Hesian magicks, and Betelionic primitive iron crafts. All, put to good use. The next two weeks after that, Germany''s engineers came back bearing gifts.

    "Lord." Proclaimed one of them, "we wish to manufacture guns. Not just get gifted them."

    Hierd looked at the team of dedicated engineers next to the man who stood his ground in that proclamation of his, "Very well." -the crowd roared- "I shall lot space for you to conduct your trials in the factory. Pomlik shall provide you the nessary materials, however I do say that there are something that the motherland will have to bring since production of it is absent here."

    "Steel? Lord?"

    It rang bells in his mind; "Yes, yes. Steel, steel for shipbuilding."

    "I have good news, lord."

    Hierd''s eyes lit up.

    During the course of the rest of november. There was this back and forward of exchanging steel between Betelion. So many stacks of it in fact that when Pomlik entered his warehouse it was just to the brim!

    The reward for such a commission? What arrived on their doorsteps the last week of november was a gift beyond proportions. The reward surpassed the commission in a way.

    SMS Baden.

    Germany''s dreadnaught. Delivered on red carpets, Adelheid introduced her to the wide-eyed Betelionic engineers. "She travels faster than any ship you own and has armaments that can destroy whole coastlines."

    He sold it for them.

    By next day''s dawn; engineers had already combed in and out the mechanics of the Baden. Noting many things they had no idea what they were but were things they noted to be essential.

    The way the bow was constructed. The armor, the guns, the main turrets. The bridge, the whole superstructure. The funnels, the engine! Everything! "FANTASTIQUE!" Yelled the orgasmic engineers.

    As it were the last week of November. Auferstehen was coming, Hierd readied (as well as his allies) troops that went along the still remaining tree lines of the Tria forest after the deforestation.

    A week later.

    Nothing.

    Another week.

    Ghosts and leaves.

    "Winter break?" Hierd chuckled. "I think we''ve missed the deadline, or uh, they have."

    Jamie, the other scientists of Unchean''s research team were beyond baffled. "This is something to write about in the history books!"

    Winter had came so would the monsters. But monsters were nowhere to be found. "The demons of hell are afraid to trample upon the lord of tigers!" Graced the journalists.

    Though cold struck thick in Germany. Blood ran heavily on other lands. Reported by the still being constructed embassies in both Hesia nad Betelion;

    "A horde of Auferstehen monsters have sieged the capital and some port cities. The Betelions have done well in defending their cities."

    The man made note that SMS Baden was still in great hands.

    It had not been mentioned. But Jane, what Hierd called the capital of men for Hesia, became the actual capital of Hesia. It had been urbanized to it''s maximum, and the city expanded three fold. The amount of buildings, and the citizens who were there, were unbearable.

    "And bad." Reported the Embassy man. "I recollect then that Auferstehen''s power greatens the number of people in an area. And it has certainly been so. Whole hordes, big monsters. And broken walls."

    Under German control; the port city of Geo still housed many Venit Ille black and Ridge Brown soldiers. They charged into Jane with as much firepower they could muster. There were four tanks, thirty mortars, and seven Vickers machine guns. All raging their bullets onto the field wherein those darned monsters were.

    It took three hundred innocent lives.

    Four hundred knights.

    And ten German soldiers.

    To stop Auferstehen''s wrecking over Jane.

    Yet, questions arose in their minds. "Why has Germany been given the pass?" The same question was being said over and over again in the halls where those scientists worked.

    Jamie herself paused her teaching work in the University to research this uncommon event. No, it wasn''t uncommon, that''s a bad word to use. Ungodly event. Not even God could have predicted this maybe. May the lord''s dane help them.

    ( * )

    One more week in December, and it was all peaceful. "Auferstehen and it''s refractory period." Gleefully said by Hierd.

    "Refractory period?" Questioned Naturvege behind him. "What is that, lord?"

    "A period where a man whimpers, awaiting the end where he, that man could release once more his energetic self." Hierd so soothingly said.

    "I see, that indeed makes sense." Naturvege pondered it in his head, reciting ''refractory period'' a multitude of times before Hierd eventually told him to stop saying it.

    Hierd turned to him; "Hesia''s in the dumps right now, tell Captain Jack to deliver the ship that''s in Hazel."

    "Yes, lord." He bowed.

    Hierd grasped his warm great coat, the cold stung like a bee, but atleast January was nearing.

    ---

    There was a kind of coup going on inside Hesia. Normal militaries would divide themselves in three armies.

    The navy,

    The army, and the;

    Dragooneers.

    Hesia differed in that they had also a magical army (like krimvald before but better). A big fraction of Hesia''s warships were at port Geo and some other ports south the equator. Most were destroyed, leaving a few thirty ships still afloat. Most only being small sloops, leaving one galleon still afloat.

    The army was nearly wiped; the only remaining army was the small militia formed by the people of Jane, and the battalion''s worth of acutal knighted knights.

    The magicians were almost stripped of their power; already the magical capital was destroyed beyond relief, and having less power to back up their military branch; they were severely weak.

    The dragooneers�� We don''t talk about them.

    Christmas had come late but Hesia got their present. The navy was awestruck by the immense package delivered to Geo, imagine their surprise when the Admirals whom were there were told that these were to belong to them.

    They freaked!

    "Y-you are serious!?" Screamed an admiral. "YOU ARE SERIOUS!?"

    Money signs and smiles went across the board. The admirals, other Hesian sailors. Every single one of Hesia''s top command were called upon Geo''s shore. From the tip to the hull. The triple barreled turrets and twin barreled turrets. The great bridge, funnels, and superstructure. An immovable fortress. "The lord delivers unto you;

    The Giulio Cesare."

 XIX Rebel Army

    "Indecent acts done by people brainwashed by Germany." Betelion''s worser half says.

    It took a month for things to become shaky. There have been many reports regarding the rift that''s been happening between Betelion and�� Betelion. Yes, that''s right; something''s happening in the empire''s inner circles. The rift''s been there for quite some time now, even before the alliance. But after; the rift became bigger.

    A telegram was sent; it was a message from King Apple (apparently he was in the embassy). It read;

    "In regards to the kingdom of Betelion, we require your help. Betelion''s Duke of the West has revolted against my better will. Because of Auferstehen, most of Betelion''s garrisons have next to no knights stationed. We require the help of your army,

    Regards,

    King Apple."

    ( * )

    Brushing in the bushes, winter''s snow still drying up. Platoon A. The simple designation, yet the most deadliest group. "Hierd''s Fifty Man Army."

    The best of troops, the best of gear, the best of minds. Only the most elite of troops can join platoon A.

    They moved silently in the shadows of the trees, under the warmth of the afternoon sun. Just a kilometer away was their target. But they weren''t going to be shooting that close. "All we need to do, is shoot the duke from far away."

    Matthaus readied his PTRS-41. Even from three kilometers away, his rifle can pierce any foe.

    His spotter saddled along side him in the bushes, flaring his binoculars up along with Matthaus and his scope.

    The serenity of silence. A beauty that was to pierced open by his rifle in a few moments. He took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air around them, the flutter of the trees, the distant sounds of birds chirping. He took it all in.

    "The wind''s blowing lightly to the west," He factored in, "From a kilometer, wind is everything. I''m aiming a bit to the right."

    "Matt." The spotter spoke, "A thousand three hundred meters, balcony window."

    "Perfect." He slowly groped his way to his scope, feeling the turret, he slowly rotated his dial. Counting the elevation sights in his scope, he slowly began tilting his gun up.

    "The hill won''t make a difference. The chances I miss are near thirty percent, weak."

    He flipped off his safety, calmly putting his finger on the trigger.

    -

    One,

    Two,

    Three,

    "Four." Matthaus ended a life in mere four seconds.

    A pat from the back, "Great as always, Matt. Now we let the Betelions do all the work."

    "Yes, sir."

    They disappeared in the foliage.

    ( * )

    Betelion forces captured the duke''s dun in the span of that day, the rebels lost that game. But they weren''t out of the ''war.''

    The duke died too early for any real progress to be made for the rebellion''s cause. Too, too early. But early next morning, they prepared a naval assault onto the capital, they knew SMS Baden was docked on it''s shores, and that Germany''s embassy was being built there.

    The duke''s modus operandi was simple; "As time rages on, our traditional ways of making our gadgets shall be fleeting like wind with the rise of Germany''s influence. ''Borrowing'' technology and refining it is not Betelion''s wants! We a people are meant to discover and create, not recreate!"

    He died with those words stuck on papers, but his plans have yet to fade. Before his death, he anointed two ''generals'' (one for the army and one for his navy) to lead three battalions (the third was to be in his care before his untimely death). And they weren''t going to let his death be in vain.

    Betelion had their minds too focused on technology and studying in that German university. "So, we will destroy the Baden, sink the ship, sink the newfound ''pride.'' Along with that embassy." General Harp. A forgettable name, said.

    He rallied his battalion, they were a ragtag pack of knights, wielding pikes and spears no magic, no nothing special. Their armor was supplied by a sieged Betelionic factory near the carved border of the rebellion.

    Harp''s footmen raced at dawn to the sea side capital, the barrage of wooden warships also. "Beware." Cautioned the Venit Ille reconeers. "Rebels coming in from land and sea."

    The radio was warning enough. The king assembled his volunteer militia of footmen and some reserve knights, seven hundred in total. But the rebel foot battalion was reported to have at least a thousand.

    There was a small force of German guardsmen (Ridge brown soldiers set to defend the embassy). A lot of twenty soldiers with optimal experience in a bit of everything. Only one tank and it''s whole squad was there.

    Immediately, the platoon of German soldiers made their way with the tank to the supposed gate where the rebels were to charge into. Under the command of the king''s guard, the militia spent their time readying their arrows, set up on the city wall''s battlements.

    While that was happening, the embassy''s director, and the engineers and sailors ran to the SMS Baden. Time was of the essence. Captain Jack, Adelheid, and Hierd were all jam packed in the radio call. Teaching the Betelionic sailors how to operate the ship.

    They were slower than German sailors. Severely slow. They did not understand how the engines worked at all yet. But that was understandable, usually someone not from Germany should take about one to two years training on the ship to fully understand it, not in two hours.

    "Control the guns instead, their ships are coming from the sea aren''t they? Ready the main guns atleast." Hierd said.

    The immediate workforce, engineers, sailors and all, were on their way to fuel the ship''s turrets.

    "The rebel''s are here!" Shouted the knights and footmen, indeed they were here, from the land; coming fast to the city with their steads, spears trained to the gate.

    The tanks and bowmen wasted no time shooting at the approaching battalion. The battalion was hasty enough to hide behind their shields, however unwieldy such shield were.

    The first barrage of bullet fire rained down onto the battalion''s vanguard. Breaking it almost instantly. The rebels fell back, bringing on their own lines of fire. Arrows switched the clouds at that moment, dulling the light of the moon, darkening the plains below.

    The tiger approached forth, cupola closed and turret firing. Three were fired in the span of a minute. Devasting blows met at the gate, no rebel daring to step a single foot forward. The militia''s enthusiasm got higher by the minute, and charged forth, abandoning their arrow positions.

    Pikes and spears in hand, they charged forth hiding behind the tank for protecting against any stray arrows.

    But battle wasn''t happening only at that front, to the capital''s port; only Baden''s two front turrets were ready to be fired, the aft turrets were still being reloaded. But, approaching from yonder view. The embassy director and the engineers saw; "the rebels are approaching!"

    A bell rang across the whole ship, the wooden warships of the rebels were coming seaward. Their cannons weren''t pointed forth towards the city, they were frankly still not set in direction, but it doesn''t take long for the winds to start favoring the other side.

    The officers at the bridge didn''t know how elevations and rotations worked. With that, the engineers eventually figured out how after a VERY detailed explanation from Adelheid. But it took too long, there were four sloops, one larger one they were slowly making their way forward to the sea infront of the Baden.

    While making their way, already their cannons shoot at the city. The grapeshot multiplied the damage like does the shotgun. The building walls were rubbled the windows shattered. Remaining citizens at the port ran for their lives inward the city.

    Baden''s turrets invigorated to life. The sloops ran at three knots, varying as the speed and current slowed down a little. A live target sitting on a pond like a duck, it took a lot of back and forwards to get the accuracy just right. When, finally; the engineers at the bridge yelled; "Fire!"Stolen novel; please report.

    The large wooden ship at the very front of the formation went shining down to the waters down below. Sighting in with their binoculars, they watched as the ship drowned in fire, sailors jumping off the wooden railing, and the canvases scorched by the same blaze that terrorized the bottom wooden hull.

    The biggest wooden warship the rebels had in their arsenal was gone as easily as that, a fire that sank the ship in ten minutes.

    A gale picked up, air pushed the sloops forward. Almost as if God ordained it so. Whish, whish; the canvases on the four remaining sloops went away faster, yet still the current was not on their side as did the winds.

    Baden''s upper bow turret sprung into action, taking as much time as they could getting the angles just right for the firing. Then a bell wrung, the two barrels fired onto their target, hitting one fatally, another at it''s mast.

    While the sinking sloop drowned in the water, it did not go down dying in vain; cannons, many of them, began firing. Now with normal cannon balls that focused more on penetration than the grapeshot''s small numerous balls.

    One hit the hull, causing no dent, and one hit the bow''s wooden floor, splinting the wood panels into pieces, hitting nothing vital to speak of.

    The first turret was now primed to fire, with the sloops now retreating a little seaward to ''get away from the turret''s effective firing distance.'' They''d yet to consider that what they were looking at was no ordinary ship. It was a battleship!

    The wooden rudders turned slowly to the sea, the canvases facing windward to stop all movement, letting the sea''s current guide them. The sloops captain retorted his reasoning; "We need accuracy! And distance! This''ll be as if we''re fighting in the storm!"

    A round of cannon barrage threatened the port, doing damage to numerous buildings as well as the wooden panels that secured the port''s hold onto the shore. Baden remained unfazed.

    Elevation increased a little. Now, with the assistance of Hierd, he helped the engineers prime the AA guns into action. It took awhile but they got the gist of it. Now these weren''t the normal ''small'' AA guns, these were naval guns with eight-eight centimeter barrel openings. Big, cumbersome, and took a crew to fire a bullet. But big was exactly what was needed to take down these medieval ships.

    Stationed directly below the bridge''s gang ways. There was small margin wherein it could straight at the ships, and the sailors who were using her could not miss a single shot.

    Loaded,

    "Fire!"

    It hit the already damaged sloop''s captain''s cabin. But not the hull! It needs to sink not be damaged. "Again!" The sailors reloaded it to the best of their ability, it took slow but it got there. It''d be one more minute before the main turret could fire again; "Fire!"

    Now it hit deep, the ship''s keel? Or the ship''s belly? They didn''t know, but the crewmen of the ship with the missing mast began panicking, and it seemed to be that the ship''s sheer was elevating in one direction and sinking in another.

    The main turrets fired up again; this time the engineers were to shoot one barrel at a time (as they had found they could do it singularly). She fired once more, hitting now the sloops at the back of the line.

    Effectively.

    The naval threats were extinguished of their flames. The last of the ships still afloat scurried away, but they sunk from the turret''s fire before they could''ve done so.

    Back at the fight at the plains; because of the guns and the tanks, the rebel knights fled the scene, a decisive retreat.

    News of the victory reached Hierd''s ears. The capital was damaged, but not harmed. No casualties. Ten civilians were injured light to moderate, too some dangerously courageous militant knights.

    The next morning; the militia had to move west, where the dukedom lived. The villages were freed from the rebels, some cities too. Nobles were killed during the rebellion, and king apple did not take that lightly. After he received news that some of his nobles died; he wanted revenge immediately. It would''ve took them three days to reach the duke''s dun, but Germany helped out in the process. With trucks and one tank, they carried a company of knights towards the dun in a matter of a day.

    It was night when the forces came, they looked at the city. Scouting for the routes where they could go and charge at. The city was lit-up bright, and the gates were protected with companies of knights. It was twelve in the morning when they reached; most of the knights looked to have been drowsy.

    "It''s simple." The German lieutenant said; "we will assist by firing at the main gate with our tank. At the moment we fire; your company of knights then charge to the gate and storm inside."

    "Indeed," agreed the Betelionic commander.

    The company inched closer, still inside the forest they were hiding inside in. It was invisible; the tank that was above a little the company. The barrel''s tip the only distinction from the dark greenery that surrounded it.

    "We''re firing in three seconds." The radio cut.

    As explosions lined the stone walls, the gate and rebel knights. The militia charged forth with their spears pointed towards the screaming rebels.

    The approaching militia was seen by the rebels too late and Betelion got their hits on in first. Attacking the already frightened with burnt rebels, impaling them deeper with every plunge.

    With the main gate gone, the suspected four hundred or so garrisoned in the city (which had dropped to about three hundred sixty from the gate bombardment) ran on their horses, racing towards the front to respond to the sudden attack.

    They dismounted their horses and joined the crowds of rebels as the rubble that covered the gate was too mountainous for their horses to jump over with.

    "Pssh!" The striking of spears, seemingly all happening in one fell swoop. As the rebels climed the wall of rubble, spears met them and death chased them. The milita''s commander yelled out; "they''ve fallen! Rush inside!"

    The rebels quickly encountered the rushing Betelion forces, overwhelmed, they retreat further in the city. The citizens hiding inside the houses, boarding up their windows and awaiting.

    "How many!?" Screamed the rebel General at his knights.

    "W-we don''t know sir, and judging from the German tanks, or�� T-tanks��?"

    "Oh! For dang!" He slapped the man''s helmet, the pang recoiled his hand back. "Y-you don''t even know how many there are!"

    He calmed down a bit, when ''a bit'' means chihuahua to cat. "The cannon volley is already moving, yes?" Looking at the man, he took it as a yes. "Germany''s tank�� Or tanks�� Can''t enter through the main gate cause of the ruckus they made, all''s be the knights and footmen from Betelion. Then--pull the drawbridge close."

    "B-but, sir?"

    "What!"

    "What about our forces inside the city?" His expression was grave, did he have a comrade out there?

    The commander did not say anything. His silent, yet, angry expression was enough to convey the answer he didn''t want.

    ---

    "Cannons!" Yelled the militia. "Hide! They have cannons!"

    "We have zero counters for their cannons!" Thought then the Betelionic commander. "And there''s only so few of my men who actually know the drills to evade these things. I need the Germans!"

    Betelion had already taken over almost the entirety of the city''s gate-side. And within the militia were some German scouts that were documenting it all. But they didn''t have any rectangular, iron boxes that could be used to ''wirelessly communicate'' with the forces the commander wanted to talk to.

    He looked away, "improbable!"

    Using the off-time offered by the cannons, the militia moved as quickly as possible forward whilst still finding cover. It was difficult and ultimately there were many injuries. The rebels managed to take ahold of some branches of street once controlled by the militia during the cannon fire.

    "Bowmen!" He shouted in a scolding tone; "find high ground or retreat to high ground, why even are you in the midst of battle you twacks!" The commander ran towards his line of infantry men further in.

    "They''ve retracted the drawbridge sir," grimly stated by the knight.

    "Which means these guys have nothing els'' to do but fire to survive, shame. It''s bloody but their cannonballs''ll be running out now."

    "What about the drawbridge, sir?" The man questioned. "How are we going to cross to the castle?"

    He peeked up from their cover to see the cannons still firing, observing the castle in the near distance with it''s windows still shining. He formulated a plan; "We won''t be going in. We''ll be staying out till they eat themselves!"

    ( * )

    It was the next day. The Betelions won with countless losses, but atleast they won? They won over the mass of cannon last night, now they''re safekeeping the city the following morning.

    "Sir." A Venit-Ille soldier represented himself to the commander, "quite the approach you''ve put together, indeed they''ll stay locked up in here, but this plan''ll backfire seeing as your forces are too weak."

    "I figure," he sat and sighed deeply out of exhaustion. "But you Germans are here, and that''s enough to scare them, their General''s waitin'' and so will we." -The commander looked now, straight in his eyes- "a favor. We need just un'' of your tanks somewhere long'' the hill. Like that tank you used last night."

    "To scare them."

    "Yes."

    "I shall inform my superiors."

    "Thank you, good sir."

    The soldier exited the commander''s tent with a pile of papers tucked between his shoulders (presumably writings of the happenstance that happened here at the duke''s city).

    The remaining citizens there were escorted out of their houses and were given ample reasons to leave. The Germans took them to Betelion''s capital just two days later.

    ---

    In King Apple''s castle; nobles began lining up to claim heritage. It came to no surprise that after the death of the duke and most other nobles inside the then rebel''s range that other nobles were now climbing up to the stairs to claim land.

    "Till it has come to my attention that those unfortunate nobles have still their successors, I shall not name anyone to govern those lands. For the betterment of all, these lands shall be ruled under one name; tis I." King Apple''s announcement sounded over the halls of the castle, the nobles all sighed in defeat.

    There happened two major events in that castle that day. The other was King Apple''s message and the other one was better kept in their minds; some hundred German sailors rowed theirselfs into port under a certain Captain Farday.

    It started with a far away signature, the only men who noticed it were the sailors sitting, resting on their wooden merchant ships. By the next moment; it became clear what was approaching. A German ship!

    "All eyes to the sea! It a ship from dee'' Germans!" Yelled the coxswains!

    The SMS Baden docked on the shore suddenly wasn''t the height of curiosity now, it was the approaching Germans! Even from far away, the guns, the white-looking metal reflecting off the sun; and the distinctive black smoke.

    A machine barreling towards them.

    It slowed, and slowed as it reached nearer and nearer a vacant spot of the dock; the sailors prepping her already to dock. Phish and phish went the ropes grappling onto the metal bollards; soon then the ship''s massive iron anchor at the bow was lowered into the water.

    All manner of people gathered to the German ship. The cold iron so worn from the months it''s been at sea. The K-3 sloop, used-and-abused. Her crew, a tough, battle hardened crew of experienced seamen. Their captain, though a little late, fit like a glove.

    Sailors, merchants, and military personnel (all whom has ridden the same rough seas) looked at the ship, astonished it even floats. ''How does it float?'' Like the first time the K-3 came to Krimvald; questions floated round and circulated like a heart, the brain neither answering.

    Standing on the bow drawing up to the stern; white-claddened sailors, their distinct blue strips and the captain in a suit of navy blue; standing with posture so obidient and unmoving that even through looking at them; the crowd was almost forced to obey the same.

    The plank was lowered and the captain was the first to step off. Immidiately, Betelion''s Admiral bowed to the captain. "Admiral, I am a captain."

    The man couldn''t tell under the guise of a naval suit, so sharp and so expensive looking that there had to be no way he was merely a captain. "No matter, your unexpected visit�� ''Frightened'' us, some would say."

    "It seems the information had yet to cascade the echelon." Farway replied, giving a folded piece of paper; he promptly picked it up.

    Reading it, he felt relieved it wasn''t something regarding the rebels. "You are here to train our sailors?"

    Farday''s eyes went for the Baden, seemingly awaiting him to enter on her deck. He smiled; "That''s exactly right."

 XX Marrise in Hesia

    A sudden assignment. And a great one at that. Marisse, at the dead of night, was told to survey Hesia''s army. Or whatever that means. It was all quite vague, but this request from Hierd himself could not be turned down. It was at morning the day after that she flew, together with the duke and three adventurers.

    "The commission, what''s changed in the guild?" Started Grieg.

    "We explore, protect, and help!" One of them blurted. "Though, after this and that happened, we do only exploration tasks assigned to us bi-weekly."

    "What do you even explore in an already mapped-out world?" Questioned Marrise, keeping her eyes straight on the dirt-road ahead.

    "Caves and abandoned places." Said the boy one, "we help the government with exploring these places, it''s all eeky in there and we''re sent out to map these caves before they come in and mine for stuff. It''s fun living, especially when you hit a gold mine, triples our pay!"

    "I''ve not heard of these mining operations from Hierd," Thought Marrise. "Though, Krimvald has a history of bad mines, we''re out of luck with the better ores since Krimvald''s lower land. Oh sorry, I meant Germany." She apologized to herself.

    The three adventurers were all "Rank-A," colored Marrise surprise when she learned that the three were once aquainted with Hierd. Way before her coming here; the three were with the lord in the ''recon'' turned subjugation task against barbarians in the Tria forest. To recount, their names were; Marie, Rodge, and Peters.

    "Ma''am?" Questioned Marie, "Just us five on a mission to Hesia, I was told by the commission, that you were the lieutenant of a platoon?"

    "I am." She replied bluntly, "this special mission doesn''t require a platoon, and I believe that my soldiers need their due break after the rebel war that happened in Betelion."

    "They participated?" Marie blurted, "but I thought Germany wasn''t a part of that war?"

    "We were��" Marrise was sweating, thinking of some excuse.

    "Marie��" Groaned in Rodge, "we probably shouldn''t be prodding in these things."

    "Y-yeah, you''re right."

    The car soon fell into silence.

    The road to Hesia was an estimated five hours, their butts''d hurt the first hour of sitting, so they planned to rest and excersize by that time. They were already halfway to krimvald''s rubble-ridden capital, and still Unchean has been creeping up the road with the many still-under-construction houses that lined the highway.

    So many construction workers and trucks carrying supplies, architecture and engineering were two of the most booming professions during this time of building. Hierd was planning to build the biggest, largest capital ever; Unchean! Grieg and the adventurers admired the passerby construction houses.

    But this was were the fun ended. Just fourty minutes in, the cobbled roads digressed into the usual dirt road. The first bump woke the sleeping Marie up to a cry!

    It was undubitantly a long ride, much too long for any meaningful comment to be thrown upon in their journey. So instead we focus on Germany.

    Needless to say, under the months now that the alliance was formed, progress (the technological side) has increased. Because of the rise of trucks for merchant use, roads being less bumpy took precedent over the trade of products.

    Already, Betelion and Hesia promised cobbled roads that''d stretch to proposed Highways that intersected the three countries. With the boost of road infrastructure came the rise of all amounts of truck and car remodels from Hesia and Betelion.

    From the German University; scholars released their knowledge back to their country, and in droves, inventors and engineers swarmed factories to remake Germany''s most prized of inventions. Hesia wanted to make ships, Betelion focused on cars.

    Automobiles that focused on speed, trucks that were long, trucks that carried people instead of luggage! A lot of reinventions from Betelion and Hesia. The technologies themselves being adapted quickly into their medieval lives.

    Though it has yet been menitoned, electricity''s taken some manner of importance, more so in Unchean as it becomes the foothold of the alliance''s trade. Generators lined the developed buildings, lighting up the inside of the buzz of incandesant light bulbs.

    The pier itself, lined with so many lanterns that even in night, the sea was visible. And too because of the night being so flush with light, the stars became invisble, blending with the night''s darkness. But no one had time to look at the stars, when all ''this'' was happening on the ground.

    Grinding back to Hesia, their ships. They hadn''t made a physical ship in the span of the weeks leading up to ''now.'' That''s because of Auferstehen and financial issues. But ideas were springing up. The Giulio Cesare (Hesia''s given battleship) was abused daily.

    The navy was undoubtfully the most powerful thing the country had, more so because of the battleship. They were, as of that time, the first country to fully control a battleship. And that made them a furious country to play with. Everytime the Cesare docked the German port city of Geo, observers and journalists there write of the warship as if were it an eclipse!

    The difference in design from the galleon, or even from the Atago was what drew people ogling over the battleship. And, if the navy wanted to draw treats over the many; the Cesare would bombard the far ocean, showcasing the might of the ship to the people.

    An experience that is truly as once in a lifetime as an eclipse.

    Because of the Giulio Cesare, Hesia''s concocted up some nasty plans in their naval departments. To operate the battleship meant to exhaust some money to Germany. The fuel needed for the ship and the rounds it fires.

    The monopoly was certain, that without Germany''s help. They would not be able to power their most powerful ship. Finding ''oil'' was their best bet. Then came the wild search for it, that fuel! Black soot, that stains the hands for three afterlifes! That''s what the navy needed. But as the find continues still, they''re left to draw ships for the future.

    Warships were not really in their bulletin, what they needed most was transportation of their goods to and fro countries. They traded with Germany and Betelion, of course, but also other countries like Arsteli and Ruskan, which were distant neighbors of Betelion and Hesia further east.

    And having reliable, fast ships were a need.

    They looked to their scholars in the German university, finding out about boilers, ship designs, and so and few. They reeled in and drew in their papers, the most technologically advanced thing they could ever make. They called it; Lady Black.

    A passenger-merchant ship that was a hundred and ten meters in length. A flush style hull, with two funnels at the middle and no superstructure, like the SS Georgia. It was planned during Auferstehen, and some time after was laid down.

    Imagine the surprise on the traditional shipbuilders when the materials they received weren''t wood and oakum, but steel and bolts.

    ( * )

    "Hesia!" Yelled Rodge. "There it is!"

    The passengers on board sighed in relief, the ''year-long'' voyage to matyrdom was finally over. "That''s not Hesia, well, it was, but now isn''t." Marisse said with a smirk, she herself relieved of the trip''s end.

    "Yes," continued Grieg. "That is the port city of Geo, the once Hesian city, now under German control. Just beyond the mountain range is the city of Jane, where we''ll commune for the time being while we wait for the Hesian navy to come."

    The three adventurers looked on with curious eyes, the houses that climbed the steep mountain side were all destroyed, the aftermath of Atago''s bombarding still so evident months later.

    There was a bit of light traffic at the entrance, merchant trucks and some military vehicles. Marisse was next in line to enter, pulling up to the soldier guarding it. "Good afternoon," -the man''s eyes peeled wide open staring at the driver- "Ma''am! You can go right on ahead!"

    "Thanks!" Marisse rolled up the window and hit the pedal.

    The port city was in a whole lot of busy. It''s location became a hot spot in trade, with it being just a sea away from Unchean.

    A quick right and a left, passing the adventurer''s commission, and there it was. "Friedrick''s bar."

    The window into the bar, still so blatantly showing the cleanliness and the inviting atmosphere of a bar, though it was closed. She parked her car next to the entrance. "Come out everyone."

    Her quintet waltzed up the steps and she knocked the front door. "Are we going to eat?" Questioned Peters, already rubbing his stomach.

    "Yes, and we''re collecting information." Marisse knocked a second time.

    A rumble of footsteps came barging towards the door at the other side, opening, it was a waiter! "Ah, good afternoon ma''am. Please come in, we''re just setting up."

    Quietly, they made their entrance.

    The place was clean, spotless. Looking up, there was a chandelier, a wire at the very top connected it with the electric bulbs. "Luxurious place." Commented Grieg.

    "Would they like some food?" Questioned the soldier towards Marisse.

    "Yes, please. Me too. But before that, I''m here for another reason."

    "Ma''am, we''re preparing the papers you''ll need. When you''re all wonders here, a platoon of soldiers''ll be at the other side with the Hesian navy. Once you extract the necessary information, tomorrow the Cesare will dock here. With the platoon and the naval officer, you all will dock the ship as it makes a roundabout to their capital."

    "I''ll remember that." A pocket of sweat leapt down her head.

    ---

    Making the way up the mountain was no big deal, the Germans had already paved a smoother and more stronger way, climbing both sides was an easy endeavour. Reaching the summit, the group took the chance to inhale in the scenery.

    The city of Jane was impossibly big and urbanized. Buildings seemingly taller than the ones in Unchean were docking the ranks. And believe it or not, jam packed in that city were twelve thousand men and women.

    "Why stay there when they could go back to their homelands?" Questioned Rogers.

    "Why go out there when you''re so near to Germany?" Answered Grieg. "Seriously, these people''ll reach stardom when they get ahold of German knowledge. As I''ve heard; prep schools line the interior of that city. Training the children and teenagers basic mathemathics and whatnot so that when they get accepted into Germany''s university, they''ll actually pass the school."

    "Or if they''ll get accepted in the first place." Butted in Marisse. "The lord''s done and made things competitive. Because of this, nobles, the line between commoner and nobility dulls every day. That''s good. That''s good for us."Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    After, they headed down.

    Jane was a mess, a maze that they did not want to enter. Thankfully, the soldiers and the naval officers from Hesia knew about that, colored them surprised to see them waiting so diligently at the front gate.

    Marisse leapt out the car and introduced herself; "Good Afternoon, Major, I am who was sent from the Headquarters."

    "We know who you are, ma''am." The Major smiled, "I''m sorry but, you''ll have to leave the car here, Jane''s roads are too cramped for it to fit."

    "Bummer."

    A Hesian naval officer jogged up to the two. The man was quite tall, though his uniform didn''t scream medieval; confusing Marisse at first whether he was a German officer or not.

    "Good Afternoon, ma''am!" He bowed greatly, "I am the admiral of the Hesian navy, Kospch serving the first fleet."

    Her eyes widened! Marisse bowed as low as did he, "G-good afternoon, sir Kospch. Pleasured to be aquainted." An awkward smile.

    "We should be gettin'' goin''" the admiral intervened. "We have lots''a talk about."

    There was an abrupt commotion happening inside the city, for there was a platoon of soldiers, with their own naval officers mixed in; parading themselves onto the crowded streets of Jane!

    Their presence brought immidiately questions for the betterment of their safety. Surely not another war had broken up again? Surely not.

    Making their way up the swindly pathways of Jane, they rested their sights once they saw the manor. Entering, the hot bodied urban sprawl had leapt away. And the seemingly market-like environment they trekked inside in was gone. Replaced by a cold manor.

    Marisse sighed in defeat, something about this manor was too familiar.

    Down a hall and into a doorway, the platoon dragged theirselves in with their foreboding presence. The high ranking officers sat themselves down with equally straight and robotic mannerisms. Down one side the table were Hesia''s bestest of Naval officers, and on another was Marisse, the Major, and Grieg.

    The difference of numbers, nervewracking.

    The admiral cleared his voice; "We thank you for your gift, and the cooperation in maintaining the Cesare for our navy. For that we send our deepest regards to the chancellor of Germany and wish to maintain this relationship forever more."

    "That being said��" He continued, clasping his hands together looking at the three with stern eyes. "We are well aware with the efforts that Germany is making in finding ores for their production of goods."

    Marisse''s eyes sharpened, "Regarding that?"

    "Regarding that." Kospch groaned, "we wish to enter a little bit of a trade. In exchange for five mines bountiful in ores and whatnot, we wish to have a major discount for the supplies that maintain the Cesare. The armaments and fuel." He said boldy, looking at Marisse carefully, nervously awaiting the response.

    "Ten mines."

    His eyes flashed in amusement. "The five mines I mentioned are within five kilometers from our borders, any other mine lies further in Hesia, this''ll complicate things between us." He smiled awkwardly.

    "Germany requires many mines to keep it''s production of goods, otherwise you won''t be able to get the things needed to power your battleship." She inhaled deeply.

    She had read the papers the waiter had given her at Geo, spies across Hesia had reported of their movements; "You are searching for oil?"

    The naval officers gasped, so audible that you''d think that an incestual golden shower happened. "I-it seems we know many things between each other. Y-yes. Hesia is looking for oil to maintain the Cesare, mixed results in that finding for it."

    Marisse grinned. "A month of free supplies, in exchange for thirteen of your mines, if these mines are full of the ores and materials we need and want, a month can flex to two months, or�� To one week. This will be your final offer."

    Kopsch hesitated a little, looking at his companions, he was forced to make a decision on the spot. "We will take it."

    ---

    The rest of the conversation was not so dramatic. Marisse was there to survey upon Hesian''s navy, not to contest it. It took three hours of talking to get anything. From it, she learned of their wants in making a ship; Lady Black, and their experiences with the Cesare battleship.

    Anything else''d been said at the intro of eight hundred words. Repeating it now''d be a waste of time.

    When it came for night, Marisse and her crew took in the guest rooms of the manor. But, that night was not going to be very peaceful. Not a moment after Marisse tucked herself into the subpar comfiness of the guest room bed; she heard what seemed like a thousand footsteps.

    "Sound the alarm! Sound the alarm!"

    She awoke in a flash; "What''s happening!?" She murmured.

    At another count; smaller caliber guns were firing!

    The door burst open, it was the three adventurers barging in. "Ma''am! We gotta go!" Rodge cried, "we got intruders!"

    Before Rodge could''ve entered, an arrow flew by them. "Impenetrable Shield!" A magical cast! A green hue blew in an uneven line before the door.

    Immidiately, Marisse threw on her boots, not even attempting to throw off her night wear. She unholstered her Luger; aimlessly aiming at the door. "H-how many? W-when!?"

    "It happened just now, ma''am." Marie blurted, "W-we don''t know��"

    She fired! The adventurers were in a shock; the sound highented their senses some way; Rodge boistered his sword and small shield while Peters stayed near Marie with his spear.

    Marisse downed a man hitting the shield, the thing broke after two hits from that dead man''s blade. What a weak shield. "Cover me!" -Marisse ran to Rodge, Peters escorting behind her- "We''re running out, Marie, support us."

    "Y-yes! Ma''am!"

    "Shit!" Her mind darted thoughts, "I need to find Grieg, then the Major t-then�� Whatever the hell''s happening."

    Storming off the room, they encountered an enemy.

    He charged!

    "Ma''am!" Peters lunged forward with his spear!

    *Spsh!

    The man cried out!

    Marisse finished the job with a bullet to the head.

    Charging onward the manor''s halls, there were a horde of men in chainmail. Hesians? She didn''t know. Neither her comrades. "Are you Hesian knights!?" Marisse yelled out.

    They stopped in their tracks. "That''s her! That''s the German!"

    "Guess not!" Marisse fired her luger.

    Peters and Rodgers flew into the vanguard while retreating backwards. "Fireball!" Marie yelled out, flailing her wand out.

    "Damned!" The men in chainmail backed off. "There''s a magic caster!"

    Rodge and Peters were clashing swords in the narrowing hallways. Marie''s magical backup protected the two from sudden death.

    Swish! The arrow missed Marisse''s head by just milimeters. Her heart beated quickly, narrowly avoiding death wasn''t supposed to be a part of her noble resume; nor anyone''s really.

    Swiftly, her arms grasped the doorway and lunged into the room. The adventurers quickly following suit. "We''re jumping off the window!"

    "What!? Ma''am we can''t possibly��"

    "Yes we can, we have to." Marisse busted the window open. To her shock; many German soldiers were gathering at the gate.

    Seeing her climb out the window sill, they immidiately busted the gate down. "It''s the princess! Get her down!" Shouted the Venit-Ille Black soldier.

    The three were grunting, their sweat pouring in droves as they pushed the large wooden drawer to the other side of the room. The door being blasted on about by what seemed like the force of a hundred men.

    Marisse fired a couple rounds at the door; her enemies at the other side backing away just a little before then continuing to barge in. The cabinet; dropped in just in the nick of time. The door had already been ripped of it''s hinges. The drawer serving as the only barrier.

    "Impenetrable Shield!" Marie casted her barrier.

    With the combined effort of Rodge and Peters, the crowd of men at the other side needed to put more effort in their manhandling.

    Slam!

    Peters'' spear went into the wooden panels. "Quick! Push the bed!"

    Peters and Marisse slammed their pedals at full speed as they pushed the bed towards the drawer, it''s cabinet doors already suffering many punctured holes as the opposing side thrust their spears willy nilly.

    Marisse quickly turned her back for the window. Throwing her head out; "What''s happening!?" She yelled.

    "Rebels from Betelion!"

    Her eyes glistened awake; "Rebels? Betelion? They came here? Why?" Pondering; pondering wasn''t something she could do in that situation.

    "We need help!" She cried out urgently; "those guys are trying to barge in to this room and they''re close!"

    "Bring me a ladder!" Yelled the Venit-Ille black soldier towards his platoon of soldiers. "Don''t worry ma''am we''ll be there." The man unholstered the MP40 he had strapped, the lightest gun he could''ve gave at the time.

    With all his might, he threw the gun towards the second floor window. Marisse grabbing it by the barrel.

    Barely.

    She rocked the bolt; a round came off. Then the safety. On? She flicked it off. "Get back!" She shouted at the adventurers, struggling as the rebels were getting in limb by limb by the minute.

    Without the adventurers actively blocking their entrance; the rebels barged in like a flood gate opening it''s clutches! "Get this bastards!"

    *Click!

    The rebel''s bodies all impaled with two, then four, then five, then all thirty-two rounds in that steel magazine. The harsh cacophony that came out of that barrel was so bittersweet.

    The others out on that hallway quickly fled. For now. A round of gun fire! "Those guys finally came!" Marisse took a second before exiting (when the gunfire ended).

    "Ma''am!" The soldier ran to her; "are you alright?"

    She looked back, to the piles of corpses lined out her room. Then the exiting adventurers with tired faces and exhausted smiles.

    "I think we''re alright."

    ---

    The report sent to Hierd scared him enough to let Marisse retreat back to Germany. On the Cesare, of course. It''d be the first time the battleship would come to Germany. It was to be celebration, covertly; Marisse''s retreat.

    Morning the next day; the massacre was evident and a note was left on the dining room table; it read. So grimly in fact;

    "Death may not have sunk it''s teeth onto that German. Germans. The devils of the earth. Bringer of all that is ''anti.'' Hesia, ''Betelion,'' Germany. Enemies of the true Betelion that has chosen to hide itself simply because of the flith that the devils have chosen to wring out of the poor countries. Death come to the three leaders! Death be to their devilish actions behind closed doors! May the Betelionic Republic of the People, rise on top after the calamity this Germany thinks it may wrought!"

    The message was burnt the next minute. But history found it''s way to Hierd''s ears. Grieg was actually the first one to run out of the building; leaving the adventurers and Marisse behind. Though it was for good reason; for he called upon those German forces at the gate.

    The naval officials were not spared from the wrath of the Rebels. Though the seniors lived, most of the other Hesian naval officers incured some amount of damage, three died from the onslaught. But all is well, the schedule of the Cesare was to continue without doubt!

    Trucks climbed up and down the mountain range. From the summit could oone have seen the smoke erupting from the funnels of the Cesare at the far distance, not yet docked and swimming, taunting to everyone it''s beautiful iron hull and flush triple and twin turreted guns.

    Kopsch commented on the way down with the adventurers that; "If not for your country I would not have been able to see with my two full eyes that beauty. I thank you for that, truly."

    Once down, there was no time to dilly dally. Already the Hesian sailors with the German soldiers boarded the Cesare, leaving an adieu to the people and journalists capturing this moment in their minds.

    The captain of the ship was Admiral Jyatt. And with a brave and stoic voice; with too that manly physique of his; he climbed to the frontmost part of the bow. Outlooking the Cesare''s observers; he prepared his excordium. "People from Hesia, and from Germany! Here see, here see, the battleship of the great country of the east! May Hesia rule it''s lands with pride and may Germany''s allies be forevermore!"

    Jyatt''s words reached Germany five hours before it could have been seen by Unchean''s eyes.

    Rising from beyond the Horizon. Germany opened it''s waters for the Cesare. Her own K-3 iron sloops riding the waters waiting for the iron battleship of the east to dock Unchean''s pristine beach.

    It was that day, and that day entirely that the academy was shut down. The engineers, architects, students, and teachers. The common public. The journalists! They could not have stood by in their houses to look from their windows. They had to get their chances to look at it from a closer view.

    Not even twenty minutes after the spotting of the ship from the horizon. Hazel port was full of observers. Not even Hazel port, even Unchean''s city port was crowded with observers. To bar too many people from crowding themselves; the soldiers and sailors started to blockade the roads. Paytolls were erected; charging three silver for entrance. Of course the sailors and local business owners were let in. With much difficulty.

    Nearing.

    Nearing.

    The Cesare with all it''s beauty came endearing!

    Postered on the midst of the ship were Venit-Ille black soldiers, their posture straight and strict as ever. Their STG-44s resting on their shoulders, staring at the skies.

    Captain Jyatt''s words reverberated from the newspapers and Journalists admiring the cold steel of the Cesare. She, seemingly dancing with the waves, a court dancer. Rocking with the waves with this grace that could not have been replicated by any other wooden warship. No galleon could replicate the fast yet steady up and down of the Cesare.

    It''s steel funnels, puffing it''s jet-black smoke up into the air, the familiarity and smell of oil so nostalgic to the german sailors being pushed back and forward by the constantly moving crowd of onlookers.

    As she chugged along the line towards her hold, Hazel port. Her captain screamed into the heavens! "The german people should get a look at the greatness of our guns!"

    Without a second to delay. Hesian''s sailors down below the decks of the battleship began turning the ship''s front turret to face the sea.

    Moments of excitement.

    Turning and turning.

    Each degree the people were anxiously, cheerfully awaiting it''s beautiful release of power.

    The three HE rounds were loaded into each barrel. A kerplunk as the rounds chugged itselfs into the barrel holds awaiting the go pin.

    BOOM

    "God!"

    The people exclaimed excitement! The men and women in utter disbelief at the sound that ''cannon'' released onto the world! No way that was a cannon! It really was and was not at the same time.

    The merchants and other travelers from some place other could not fathom ''that'' explosion. Did it even happen? They feared German technology somewhat, but if this country''s influence and intellegence was so�� Great�� Then what of ''the'' future?

    It took the bit of thirty minutes for it to reach the dock. And every bit of that was so full of intrigue and curiosity. Journalists spent the whole time visualizing the ship in their minds, writing details for later. And some where even trying to draw and portrait it with paint. Though, the ship was too fast to picture a still painting.

    While the sailors were busying themselves with docking the ship; Marisse slid out from the ship''s latter half; away from the public view. Her three adventurers following close by.

    Hierd.

    Laying his back on a car. Seeing Marisse was like seeing a poppy in a field. Well�� That''s not what he visualized actually, he saw a cockroach crawling to him at full speed among a field of grasshoppers.

    "Long time no see." Hierd glanced at the adventurers.

    They bowed down low, "Lord." Marie flustered.

    "And long time''s see." Marisse peared in Hierd''s view, probably because of her height that Hierd did not see her fully, her face was somewhat irritated. He wonders why.

    "How was Hesia?"

    "A nightmare, last night being an example."

    "Rebels." He pondered a little; "If rebels are going to be an issue, then it looks like we''re going to need to update our country. Right?"

    "What''re you suggesting?" Marisse crossed her arms.

    "That Unchean be made better."

 Writers Note

    Sorry for the long hiatus, if anyone''s reache the lastest chapter even. Volume two will be indefinitely finished, however the third Volume (a little spoiler; it involves a GREAT WAR) is not so much definite. Because of school, personal problems, and not a lot of time. I''m wondering whether I could even be able to finish this novel. I think I''ve called this a light novel before, but God, it''s reached 180k words.

    Volume two is my magnum opus. I love kingdom building novels, as well as the oversaturated isekai genre. Touching upon many details about how Germany was built, and how Hierd steps onto the global stage. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    I have great plans for how the story proceeds. But not really how to write them. The novel''s basically become a history book. And I''m wondering if people would really want that. This great plan I am talking about would be tackled in volume 4. Volume three would be more on action and kinds of warfare.

    I know the story''s weaknesses. Character development, Pacing, my Ass Grammar, etc. If you wish to, you can provide your critiques here on this chapter. I don''t expect any, however If I do plan on making volume 3. I will make sure that such issues might be tackled upon.

    <i>F.Y.I This was posted in Webnovel, wherein there was a shorter Hiatus compared to my one in Royal Road</i>

 XXI The Capital of Unchean

    <b>Unchean was the pearl of Ferris</b>. The sole controller of the sea. Waiving the rights to control it; Ferris sea was now completely owned by Germany. Scheduled weekly voyages were to be took by the K-3s and Leberect Maaas, training in the middle of the sea whilst effectively safekeeping. And by that time, the amount of iron sloops effectively doubled to ten.

    Unchean''s ground defences were more than secure. With three highways (from Krimvald''s old capital, from Venit Ille, and from Easel) being safeguarded by toll-keeping soldiers. But ever since the surprise attack from Hesia, Hierd''s been upping the city''s defences big time.

    Hierd introduced the Military Police. Essentially, people who waned to make it to the prestigeous Venit-Ille black position and did not were thrown here. Nearing Febuary, the MP was already stacked with five hundred active personnel, with two hundred acting as it''s guards and the three hundred acting as intellegence.

    Unchean was the Latessian continent''s biggest continent, possibly even the whole world of Auferstan. It was already expanding into the Tria forest, cutting away so far back that it was reaching Venit Ille. And Hazel Port, down south, was connected with Easel city with Unchean''s branching roads and many lots of buildings side them.

    The population was booming, from the two thosuand before to somewhere between fifteen thousand and sixteen thousand. With three subdivisions, so many state buildings. Those Betelionic Rebels were fresh in the MP''s minds, and constantly; they were looking for their presence.

    ---

    From the army, a respected comrade of Hierd''s. Alrife. The first person he''s ever met in Auferstan, back so many months ago that it seemed like it was forever ago. Was a Lieutenant Colonel. Leading the Southern Brigade-A (a training brigade).

    Recently, he switched jobs; working from one of the military''s top brass to the MP''s chieftain. Taking office a week into Febuary. And he didn''t want to waste a single second, "I''ve thought about this, long before the rebels had even been an issue." Infront of a board of officers from the army and other MP intellegence, he stood up from his chair.

    "In a perfect world, people would not hurt one another." He flicked open a folder full of paper, passing it around to the officers one-by-one. "Even if the capital''s seen extreme lows in crime, it''s still being done. No doubt just petty crimes and the rare murder; in that paper I just gave you is the many locations we will be raiding today."

    "Today?" Questioned one.

    "Could I be more specific?" He scoffed, "today at dusk. Those three locations are near our prized buildings. The Manor, Hazel Port, and the University. If the Rebels would find to be operating within Germany, no doubt they would be in those general areas. I want to gather any and all evidence linking to anything regarding�� The Rebels."

    "The Rebels." The word reverberated inside their minds and soon after they were already readying up. It was the afternoon; two hours before dawn. Fifty officers and twenty MP soldiers; driving down to Hazel port slowly, yet not in groups to avoid ''suspicion.'' It had been two-three months that these cars and trucks were being sold to the public, only the richer ones, and some middle-class merchants have been able to use them.

    Unchean''s roads were flooded with the trucks of the merchants and the cars of the nobles. The center of the city was so cramped and trafficked because of the university that it took twenty minutes for the team to get to their location down south. Hierd''s made some adjustments of course, widening the roads at the newer spots, whilst renovations were being made to do the same in Unchean''s center (the city''s original size).

    Alrife, driving ahead the free streets of Unchean''s south; he couldn''t help but look at the sea. Hierd had just so recently introduced Unchean''s first passenger liner to the public two days prior. Her name was SS Maguildafaulkner (a suprisingly long name shorted to; Maguilda by the locals, even if the full name was to commemorate a woman captain from Krimvald''s past).

    In reality, she was the RMS Majestic in earth. She was a hundred seventy seven meters in length, bigger than the K-3 sloops and Leberect Maaas. It was a grand introduction, her maiden voyage taking place the same day, nine hundred Germans taking the ride when they found that it would be going to the port city of Geo. There was also a two hundred soldier complement in case the Rebels were to somehow make their most great entrance there.

    It returned that afternoon, her silhouete over the near yonder horizon so striking, beautiful. It was attracting a crowd as it was nearing the small port that it departed from. Her black hull, so contrast with the blue that surrounded it; not looking away would be a crime.

    Suddenly, the bulky radio blasted awake. "We''re at Uni, sir."

    Alrife grabbed the reciever; "Check the whole outer perimeter of the campus, any buildings that could house the rebels, anyone suspicious, should be checked."

    "Aye, sir."

    Arriving at their destination; it was a whole line of buildings, modern in their own right. They were a mix of housing and commercial units for the ordinary man. "We''re looking at all that?" Replied an officer in the backseat.

    He set his eyes on a small parking lot reserved for a merchant''s shop.

    Alrife looked back; "Yes, yes we are." He opened his door, at the same time with his officers which were unfortunately named Tim and Timmy or something, Alrife couldn''t recall, and simply referred to them as Blue and Red because of their hair.

    Getting out of a car doesn''t scream commoner, the people there knew that no group of people could obtain a car without scraping up a debt of money in spite of how useful that thing actually was. Their clothes, however, were blending in with the poorer crowd.

    Mumbling almost; "the other squads''ll be heading in soon; they check out their own sections, we''re here to observe these lines of buildings. Since they''re a direct window into Hazel Port. Then set up camp for a covert base. Simple."

    Alrife was with three other people, two officers and one soldier. They were all armed of course, their lugers were stashed within their suspender-holsters inside their carefully thick suits.

    The houses were designed by a rather seasoned architect in Hierd''s right hand; each building was meant for four-five people, two floors with one bathroom, two bedrooms, and one kitchen (stuck with the kitchen was a dining room). Making it cheap to make.

    Hazel port is adjacent to the southern highway, leading to Easel city. Lining that highway was a grand mount''a those houses. Sixty-eight to be exact. There were only three houses not being occupied; those three out looking Hazel port; distancing themselves apart by ten or so houses.

    Barging into every house''d rouse suspicion, of course. So they simply were going to survey (externally).

    They were�� Obviously empty looking from the outside. Even the doorstep looks unused. But, Alrife mused the window in the second floor bedroom. The height itself wasn''t something that someone could jump to; either the rebels would need to jump and walk on the other roofs; or a ladder.

    "Talk to the neighbors," Alrife simply said.

    They left, while he stayed near the house. Walking, he tried to budge the door, seeing if it was open. "It ain''t!" A voice said from behind him.

    "What?" Alrife questioned, staring at the old man, hunched on his back.

    "It ain''t open. I says there''s house there''s haunted, and that''s why it ain''t openin, no one''s buyin."

    "You live nearby?" Alrifed probed.

    "What''s it to you?"The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "I think I''d want to buy this house actually, just wanna know the local scenery."

    A twitch, in the old man''s eyes.

    "Yes. Yes I do live from nearby. But I don''t think you should go round''s buyin'' this house."

    "Just because it''s haunted?"

    "Just because." A hint of aggression in that ancient voice.

    Alrife found that he shouldn''t probe further. "Good day to you then."

    The old man simply nodded, and went the other way.

    "Weird." Alrife stepped back to look at the doorway. "Haunted?" He tried the lock again.

    "The way these were designed, it should be pretty secure since the lord''s factory''s doing them. But this wood used is from the Tria. Four men can bust these down." He tried budging the door, this time pushing. "Hmm. It''s as if the door itself isn''t connected to any hinges. Any ordinary door would have some budge to it. It''s like this door''s just��

    Part of the wall."

    ---

    "There were a couple men, weird guys, scoping round the uni. I didn''t think much of it though, so I didn''t see the need to report it to the authorities�� Or something." The officers were questioning a Betelionic student, it was from last night he said that the event happened.

    "Can you describe what they were doing more specifically?" Questioned the officer.

    "W-well�� They seemed very suspicious. I was pretty far, they were in the dark, but I saw chain mail. Or something shiny that they carrying or�� Wearing on their bodies. But those things aren''t being used by Germany right?"

    "You''re right on that." Said the officer. "T-thank you, you may go now."

    "Thanks then��"

    The officers were hanging out at a bar where the students mostly frequent after school, they had little itty bits of information each. But all in all, they were pinpointing to the Rebels.

    "Let''s report this to chief."

    "No."

    "What?"

    "No. I think I have a general idea where they''re hiding. And I think we could narrow it down ever more further if we stalk those ''weird'' guys in the act and follow them back to their base. Besides, it''s an hour before dusk. Trust me."

    They looked at each other, contemplating to take it or not. "Sure�� But if the chief''s going to beat us after this, you''re giving us each one gold."

    "Deal."

    They set off the bar in a hurry to their car. The driver carefully sped off to the road where the incidents were happening.

    The University itself was a big thing, like a parasite. But in a good way. Every week it seemed like the campus was expanding. With way more buildings to house many more students. Erected around the university was a five meter tall wall, almost as if it were some prison. There were two thousand students on campus, and within it were some high ranking Hesian and Betelionic nobles.

    The modus operandi was being drawn up without a single crime being committed. To either destroy the university itself, or to kill all the nobles there. Or better yet, kidnap them. Better yet.

    They parked near a closed store, the campus just yonder the wall with it''s awe inspiring height and the lights within those many windows still being lit up; it was homely, in a way.

    "There!" He pointed at the far road, three men. Dressed in some leathery something. They did not blend in with any crowd, since Unchean''s uniform by then were dress shirts, trousers, and belts. And nothing as medieval as those that these guys were wearing.

    "But why so early?"

    "Don''t know. But let''s not interfere yet."

    They hid, spying on them from a safe distance. They weren''t wearing chain mail that day. But even a knight wouldn''t wear chain mail, it''s frankly too heavy for daily use.

    There they go, scoping out the wall. One had a big bag, and one was observing their surroundings. The man with the bag untethered and opened it. Two large hammers! He cautiously placed it on the sidewalk.

    "They''re not doing anything bold in the day." One of the officers said, "so maybe they''re leaving it there later to use."

    "And what. You think they''re actually going to try and bust a hole down?"

    "Yes." He smirked, "and if it''s anything like at Jane, they''re probably with a small militia of sorts. Their numbers should have had decreased by then, maybe there''s still two hundred of them alive. I''d count most of them are knights."

    "But where could they be hiding a militia in Unchean?"

    "Underground." His face was so serious that the man didn''t think if he should chuckle a little to respond to the joke or not.

    "No possible way. It''d take month to dig a tunnel."

    "It''s been many months since then."

    "One month, at the most." He retorted.

    Whilst they were bickering, one of the officers pointed out that they were moving.

    They followed behind. Keeping a close watch at their distance, and trying to stay behind the shadows. Dusk approached and it wasn''t that hard to hide anymore in the orange hue of the dark sun. They simply walked from the university to somewhere in Unchean''s northern houses.

    They didn''t seem bothered that they were out of place. And they weren''t hiding their foreign clothes either, walking on the main roads onto busy paths and paths with lots of light. Were they following undercover rebels or just a pack of construction workers?

    They stopped. The officers hid behind boxes, while peeking over to observe what was transpiring. The surrounding streets were ghostly empty. Almost as if they were being led to their deaths without their knowing.

    It was a part of Northern Unchean that was still being constructed, soldiers didn''t frequent that place often since it was only construction workers.

    Newcomers.

    Too far to hear what they were talking about, but the blades saddled on their belts said enough where the talking was gonna lead to. "I''m heading back to the car."

    "That''s three kilometers away." Retorted the other.

    "That''s as fat as your mother."

    "You''re reflecting your past."

    "..."

    Irritated, he groaned; "okay, radio in the information."

    "Thanks, be safe." He rushed down the dark street into the happy light highway.

    Just the remaining four left. They observed the men enter into an under construction home; "Let''s head inside."

    ( * )

    Hierd had previously talked about it three months ago. It was only the week prior that it had went into full affect. Hierd began deforesting Tria to it''s limits. A line was cut out in tria, spanning from Easel, Unchean, Venit Ille, and the still being reconstructed ex-capital of Krimvald.

    "Trains!" The engineer exclaimed excitedly. "What an invention, truly what an invention that only the minds of the lord''s country could muster!"

    The Unchean. Germany''s greatest minds had came up with the very first train. Under the careful guidance of Hierd''s eyes of course. It was twenty cars long, and rather original. The engine house was a mismatch of pre-ww1 and post-ww2 machinery that it combined reliability and speed at the same time.

    The public were well aware of the project and the train was suject to be open to the public after the last tracks leading to the capital were finished. Which''d be about a day from then.

    Hierd was just examining the tracks, they were being supervised by a ton of engineers and architects. As it was their first time, they were using their gained knowledge from Hierd as usual, as well as their time in the academy. Most that was there were still students even, but they were more than confident to tackle the project.

    "Take me through the process." Hierd questioned Pomlik, handling the metal braces that secured the rails. "Pomlik."

    "It''s all knowledge, lord." He smiled, "There''s this twenty meter clearance from rail to tree, and because of the gravel, it''s raised about a meter up. I''ve read up, the gravel does something, and that doing something leads to good and not bad."

    "Observant." Hierd placed sarcastically.

    "The Unchean and Easel station''s done, also lord. If you haven''t yet known." He grabbed from a small drawer a large sheet of paper.

    Hierd unfolded it, reavealing a large map where the engineers wanted tracks in. It was vast. Having tracks going from the Capital to Betelion, to Hesia, and more importantly to Port Geo. But such adventures were to idealistic for now.

    As laying the tracks from Easel to Capital had already taken a month and a half. And the kilometers were fairly smaller compared to the great distances of land that these locations would take.

    "Germany''s pretty small." He said to only himself, examining the small border with only three cities, though it had spanned over multiple hundred kilometers of big cities, it still was pretty small.

    It was for Naturvege and was also Alrife''s job originally to keep tabs in the south and west. Krimvald was still there in a way that it wasn''t. Cities and others villages still called themselves Krimvaldian even after the fall of their capital and the death of their king.

    See, North of Germany is Betelion, East is Hesia. And west is this big yet almost mystical country. Handerbour. Unlike other kingdoms in the Latessian continent, it didn''t have a set ruler to rule for their lifetime (a king). It was a democratic nation.

    Hierd firmly knew of democracy. Freedom and all. Germany was not a democractic nation, completely opposite of that. There was only one leader. And one leader for life. Him. The two countries have been debating over this plot of land that span many acres of their borders.

    Naturvege set his conclusions back then, and this is quoted; "We want cities near the shore, and cities near Venit Ille. You may take any other city but those near the sea."

    They objected.

    But, Alrife''s presence at the south-west shore cities during the end of Auferstehen was threat enough. The Handerbour backed down their resolve, though there''s still been some contest. "I''ll need to settle it during the next few months." He stared at the sky, analyzing every blot of blue that the grey clouds hadn''t covered. "I sense something brewing."

    ---

    "I''m three men down."

    "What?" Alrife''s voice from over the phone hit Hierd like a gust of hot wind.

    "One escaped to tell me, it was about 11:32 that they entered this construction building in the northern housing blocks that''re still not done. Tons of rebels were stationed some where in the Tria Forest. Probably an underdiscovered cave. Three men died yesterday, and it seems I won''t be able to enact vengence soon, since we don''t know this cave."

    Hierd frowned, his stern face darkening the office room. "Consider it soon finished." Hierd hung up the phone, quickly turning the dial.

    -9-

    -5-

    -4-

    -7-

    It took only a second, someone picked up. "This is Venit Ille HQ."

    "Ready the army, reinforce the inner city, and defend key landmarks. I want Unchean to be crawling with surveilance."

    There was murmuring at the other side, "Yes, lord!"

    "Betelionic Rebels are suspected to be in the Tria forest, some caves system. Run the whole forest with our troops. By morning, I want bodies delievered to my front door."

 XXII Unchean Under Attack

    Everything was shut down within the first hour. The University had exhaled all their students and teachers. The Port had undocked all it''s ships towards Ferris, and Venit Ille''s inside were under under full alert. Pomlik''s factory, and other notable structures were also protected.

    But, really. Wandering the streets, so few--each road having a dozen trucks loaded with soldiers, where every alley was full of patrolling soldiers, swords and lugers out. The whole city was protected and nothing would be able to enter, or to exit.

    "What''s happening?" Marrise declined in her seat, "you''re evacuating everyone. This is�� This isn''t usual."

    "Rebels have killed my men, they bypassed our defences without us being alerted. This is worthy of this kind of evacuation." Hierd rung the vehicle.

    "You''re causing fuzz, the people''ll start worrying more. And you know where this leads Hier-"

    "I know where this leads!" Hierd silenced the truck.

    There was a few bleak minutes of silence, the bumps of the road ogling them awake, and the rhythmic chant of marches on the roads were keeping them on their toes.

    She refused to break the silence, but as Venit Ille was just at the horizon, she spouted; "What''s your resolve? Instead of doing this more silently, you''re projecting your power. I''m not an idiot, unrest. This will cause unrest. People will think you''re insecure."

    "I am." He admitted, a calmer attitude than before, his face still stern and irritated. "Power is one of many in my arsenal. And I can use power�� Powerfully. More so than some could. Unrest will not happen. It couldn''t happen under my command, Marrise."

    She sighed, the truck climbed the arched bridge and veered into Venit Ille. Hierd stopped at the barracks. "Go down, it''s empty in Barrack A, you and the rest at the back will rest there. I need to be in the middle of the action, if you need help; go to Alrife."

    As Hierd''s passengers got off, he roared his truck down the road. A lead of tanks, cars, and other trucks coming with him.

    "His expression, it''s not typical to see him so�� Irritated, angry over something. What nerve did this hit?" Marrise grin wrly, stepping over an ant trail, she entered the barracks.

    ---

    "Platoon B-4, we''ve spotted something in Sector 6!"

    "Respond, B-4." The radio operator on the other side said.

    "Cave entrance, evidence of previous activity on the steps leading down. How should we proceed?"

    "Radio your location, take a look down there. The nearest platoon should arrive soon. Before then, search the cave, eliminate enemies."

    "Copy sir."

    The radio call cut.

    The soldiers looked at the radio operator, awaiting the orders.

    "What did they say?" Questioned the Lieutenant, his eyes brimming.

    "We proceed, but I''ll need to stay to radio in our location to an upcoming platoon."

    "Got it." He looked to his soldiers, "We''re going inside! Leave your grenandes here, we won''t be able to use them anyways! Bring more ammunition for your lugers!"

    "Sir, yes sir!" Swiftly, they ransacked their bags, leaving them there and quickly sashing their ammunition on their belts.

    The first few soldiers stepped into the cave, their swords drawn and their lugers aiming straight down. It was dark, too dark to see any further than five meters down. The soldier persisted, holstering his luger and getting out his flashlight sashed on his belt.

    The soldiers slowly made their way down the steep and precarious steps, nearing the end, the sound of water dropping became louder and louder.

    Tap.

    The man''s heel hit the solid rock ground. His flashlight shined the way forward. The ceiling was being held up by traditional wooden supports, an abandoned mine shaft. He clipped his flashlight onto his pocket, the others behind him doing the same.

    "What''s the situation down there?" The lieutenant yelled into the cave, quickly making his own way down there.

    "Nothing so far, sir! Dark, it''s a mineshaft."

    "Continue onwards!"

    "Yes, sir!" They rushed forward as quickly as it was ordered to them. Each corner was scanned, and each crevice was searched. The way the mineshaft was made was so maze-like, they left flashlights at some landmarks, keeping track of the directions.

    Some sections of the mineshaft had been completely searched to it''s bare ore, yet there was no evidence of any rebels being there. Until, one soldier spotted a blade.

    "Weird." He said.

    "What is?" The one behind him questioned, looking down at what he was refering.

    "A blade, not rusted that is."

    *clank!

    "What was that!?" They aimed their lugers ahead, retreating back a little in case there were any magic users in the enemy forces.

    "We''re headed the right direction," he spoke softly. "Notify this to the lieutenant, see what we do in this scenario."

    "Noted." The man left them there.

    A few moments went pass and the crowd quickly grew larger. Oddly, there was this recurring sound of a ''clank.'' So noticeably metalic, yet so forebodingly mechanic. It was something you''d only hear in Pomlik''s factory or in the inside of a craft''s guild.

    A messenger panted their way to the platoon, still eyeing up the dark corridor, their flashlights not reaching the other of it.

    "What is it?" They questioned.

    "The lieutenant told us that we should continue forward, the platoon should be here at any second, but he said it''d be better to reap the benefits."

    "''To reap the benefits,''" they chuckled, "let''s give the lieutenant a promotion today."

    "Aye!"

    They slowly charged forward, the ground was uneven, they couldn''t go any faster than a walk. And sooner than later, the ceiling began to close down, they needed to crough down a little to continue moving forward.

    The sound of the clangs began to rang more powerfully and more resoundedly in the cave. Closer, and closer still. The reverberations from hitting metal to metal were more felt, each vibration causing shockwaves around the cave. And as they came closer to the source, they prepared for�� Something.

    A light!

    At the end of the tunnel was a shine of orange light. And, noticeably, it was more hotter. Slowly creeping his way forward, the fore man turned off his flashlight and inched closer to the oriffice, step by step, he could see a landscape begin illustrating itself.

    Indeed, it was a factory. A large hot forge. Each batting was not from some machine, the rebels didn''t know how those things worked anyways. The soldier gasped, looking at the massive behemoths. They were more akin to monsters than humans, yet they appeared so human-like. The room was so big, yet; in their presence, it seemed that he was the small one.

    The other soldiers got in to get a closer look at it. Each and every single one of them as shocked as the first one. And as bewildered and confused. What were they going to do next? Retreat back and report what they found? Or continue onwards and fight those beasts?

    "What are those guys?" The soldier questioned in a low soft whisper.

    "I do not know. But if they look human, they''ll have the same weaknesses anyways. Right?"

    "Right." There was doubt in that voice.

    Louder, "Did anyone bring a rifle?"

    It took a second for his voice to reach all the way to the back of the chain before someone said yes.

    "Hand it over to me!"

    From the back to the front, the STG-44 was passed to the soldier. He rocked the bolt back, the bullet primed. He pulled safe down.

    He made his way beside the foreman, "I kill the one on the right, you on the left."

    "..."

    "Got it?" He looked at him, bewildered by what he was doing.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    "Right. Left." The man had both his hands up.

    He groaned, he reached for the soldier''s left hand. "That one, that side."

    "Ah, yes, sorry. I''m a little dyslexic."

    "I see that."

    The foreman unholstered his luger confidently, and aimed at his target.

    The soldier smiled, looking at the foreman, now reassured that that guy actually was a trained soldier. He took his aim.

    The monster''s face was dwarven in a way. Squished up and a whole meaning of masculine to it''s shriveled muscles. It looked like something he''s seen in the old folktale drawings of wild monsters of Auferstehen that were defeated by past heroes.

    They both fired at the same time. Their heads, penetrated by two powerful pieces of ammunition. Their bodies turned limp and fell, the whole cave reverberated it''s dying thuds.

    "Forward." He said.

    They creeped down, there were small manmade stairs, so precariously built that they thought it was going to fall by the slightest misaligned weight. Thankfully, they all reached the bottom floor.

    The giants were about five meters tall, the soldiers thought theses giants wouldn''t be so fragile as to die to one headshot to the head, but they did. And that was confusing. "We''re going to bunker here, we await orders from the sargeant before we continue onward."

    "Agree."

    They sent a messenger upwards.

    ( * )

    The Hesians have been cooking.

    Not food. Not even water.

    They were preparing for�� Something. Recently, Hesia and the Betelions were in a bit of a small race. To see who can make the best warship. They were both given expensive and powerful ships, all they needed now was to copy the machinery those warships had to make new ones.

    Hesia had just recently given out ore mines to the Germans in exchange for help with building. So the Betelions were on their toes.

    The SMS Baden worked wonders on her first sea trials with trained crew. There were some German ambassadors onboard to supervise them. Everything worked like a charm; now to replicate it��

    The Hesians had just unleashed their passenger-liner, the Lady Black. Though it wasn''t as extravagant as the German''s RMS Majestic, however, it''s trips round far east benefitted the navy a lot. They were in line for another project, this time. A warship.

    The Jeane De Arc, a small destroyer. The engineering closely modeled to the Cesare. It measured about the same as the German''s K-3 Gunboats. Though the Arc was faster than the K-3s by just one knot.

    It''s flush hull and black-gold color scheme, as well as the two small funnels midship were perfectly balanced with the two light naval guns situated aft and bow. The superstructure was small yet efficient, offering coverage for spotters whilst making commanding of the Arc effective.

    She could house a crew of about seventy-five men, and had a thinner armor belt, the deck armor was the same thickness.

    The Betelions needed a way to fight back.

    They looked at the Atago.

    They noticed it had a different sillouete than the German''s Leberect and K-3. And it being their largest and faster warships was one of the kickers for them to try and copy how it worked.

    Betelionic students still studying in the German University were sending back letters about how ships worked and how certain things behaved differently than others. Each letter was something the Betelionics prized, each week was like Christmas for them (even if christmas didn''t exist there).

    The Betelions got drawing plans of the Atago--it was different. To say the least. The bow curved upwards, the bridge was tall, and there was a whole lot of technology they knew nothing about. But it was decided that the ship''s hull design would be replicated a little.

    The BSS (Betelionic Steam Ship) Apple. Named after the king of course. Just before the rebels kicked off their whole parade down south, the ship''s keel was just being made.

    Tensions were rising.

    The Betelions had just announced that their newest warship, the BSS Apple, would be a cruiser--with a backbone that''d sprint faster in water than usually possible. It was a hit, a hit towards Hesia. And the Hesians were answering the beck, the race. The race to see who can make the biggest, best warship possible.

    ( * )

    "What the fuck?" The seargent looked at the dead gigantic bodies, his eyes were amused yet his face was grimacing. "I noticed my balls drooped lower this morning, this was the reason why." He snickered.

    "What do we do sir?"

    "Have you continued forward?"

    "No, sir."

    "The platoon''s at the top, they''re going to be here any second." He looked at his soldiers; "I want five squads exploring this shithole; make this place a base for communication, and contact the Mining Department and Adventurer''s Commission to widen the cave."

    "Yes, Seargeant!"

    Without a second word said, the five of the platoon''s better squads went into farther of the mineshaft. It was through this shanty of a door; it''s hinges broke off after the first squad stormed inside.

    There was this large empty room. Many barrels, no people, and most definitely weren''t there any monsters. The next few rooms were nothing to talk about, hallways bleak with the gray addition of the walls, the floors, and of course; the ceilings.

    "Judging by the way these plates of food were left." He touched the half-emptied plate of meat, "still warm, and that furnace yonder should still have some hot to touch coal." The soldier noted.

    "They heard us, meaning they retreated further in." One said, "if we don''t hurry, they might be able to escape."

    "Escape." Someone repeated sarcastically.

    "Or gather a militia. Either the two may be plausible." The soldier said, irritated a little by the sudden jab.

    They scouted further in, each step and each wooden creak felt uneasy. They trained the guns forward, yet their minds were futures ahead. A different door. Casted out of iron, yet so easily unlocked that they thought it was a trap.

    Cautiously, they opened it��

    A huge chasm.

    What seemed like hundreds of meters down were these giants working in cahoots with these men in shining armor. The rebels (they whispered amongst eachother). As did the two at the entrance, these ones were clanging away, seemingly being forced to do these repetive slams day in and day out nonstop.

    The squad was hidden in the darkness up above their location; this sketchy wooden catwalk so high up and precariously built that they creeped slowly near the sides.

    The giants were being led through some gate, the rebels themselves were preparing for a fight. They probably have yet to witness the soldiers enter the huge chasm from up above, but that would change very soon.

    "We don''t have any rifles, just my one. But we could still do damage firing here."

    "Agreed." He cocked his luger, "we shoot from here, luck have you two squads that goes down."

    "Aye."

    The quick and silver-smooth, this sleek sound of metal exiting a metal scabbard.

    "THEY''RE HERE!" The rebels screamed, pointing at the entrance; "Ready your swords! Release the giants! Destroy the bridge!"

    The two squads ran down as far and as quick as they could; ignoring the occasional arrow shot like it were nothing. Shots were being fired, the rebels just down the steps inching forward, retreating many foots backward.

    They cried in pain as bullets seared into their flesh like they were butter to a hot knife, their leather armor was nothing, neither were the few unfortunate souls with anything heavier than that.

    Arriving on the step''s bottom, the squads formed an impregnable line of defense. Hiding behind small crevaces on the stone walls and staglatites and whatnot, arrows were dangerously cutting corners and they were afraid to even get a cut in that scenario, you''d be better to turn yourself dummy and storm fighting freely.

    The rebels failed in their attack, the squads inched closer to the field where the giants were once being held, the soldiers up above still firing their lugers, even more careful now as to not hit their comrades.

    It was silent at first, almost chillingly silent. For after such a large commotion, only the last gunshot and the most recent yell were heard reveberating around the large chasm''s walls like they submerged underwater.

    Then, this eerie yell climbed the walls, steeping higher and higher. It was at first unrecognizable, only enough to draw their attention towards the big black outline of a door infront of them. Then, the noise creeped closer, it was that of a man!

    "Do not move! Stay where you are!" Slowly, a soldier inched forward into the hole with his flashlight on, not being able to see anything infront of him.

    "N-no! D-do not fire your metal arrows!" The voice yelled back in defiance, and in fear. A nerve of fear struck the corridor, a rumbling chill rumaging down the corridor the same distance yet maybe not the same pace as the man inside running anonymously.

    "H-help!"

    Crunch!

    It was so loud, that bone-breaking crunch! The soldiers swore they heard each and every vertebrae in his spine break off into individual pieces.

    "Retreat!" The soldiers yelled, the carelessly thunderous footsteps increasing in sound; "it''s the giants! The giants are coming!"

    Their bodies were flush with the lights now, so gigantic that when the soldiers looked up at their faces; they thought they were looking at gods.

    Immidiately, the soldiers retreated; responding with their gunfire at the quickly running giants. Their hands were restrained, "the rebels failed to control the suns of bitches!" He commented, overlooking the battle from up above.

    They were too far, accurate hits were almost impossible with the luger up above. The occasional hit to the shoulder, or even at the mi-torso did not hinder the giants in their pursuit. Their eyes looked blinded with this�� Rage. The running soldiers looked at them, those eyes reddend with that furious gaze.

    Those eyes...

    It reminded them of the coldness, that frigid season. Auferstehen.

    The soldier unleashed his sack of grenades, grabbing one and swiftly pulling the pin.

    -3-

    -2-

    The throw, landing on the giant''s feet!

    *Boom!

    The scream, that manly screech. Both the legs of the giant''s were torn apart in an instant. The fragments reaching even it''s face; it fell down in pain.

    It''s body was a small blocade for the giants behind the body, jumping atop it; slamming his head, pushing it out of the way. If that giant was injured, it were now a mortality.

    Pounce!

    "Shit! They''re too fast, and if they reach the bridge, they''re going to knock it down!"

    "What do you suggest we do then!?" Panting, running was a challenge now, and walking seemed more like a gift than a suggestion.

    "We lob every grenade we have, it''s obvious our lugers don''t do anything! Got that everyone?!" He screamed loudly, his voice being drowned out more so because of the giants.

    Their pace was getting slower, and the bridge upwards was nearing quicker; they turned around in anti-climatic fashion, dishing out the pack of grenades they had stashed on their belts, one-by-one they pulled their pins. Not letting go of the lever yet��

    Closer,

    Closer yet.

    "Now!"

    It was too instant to count how many giants were there, just thirty meters infront of them. Probably twenty? They couldn''t tell, they only saw the front, what of the back? Were there another twenty? But, in just three measly seconds, and this blast of explosion; dead bodies scattered the same ground where that first giant died.

    Standing up from their prone; they saw a field of dead giants, walled-up in just one giant pile; the stench of sweat darted the air, and the same malice that was in the gloomy atmosphere of the air was�� Gone.

    A sigh of relief, "They''re weak, but they''re certainly powerful at the same time."

    "What the fuck were those!?" The seargent cried out; he had apparantly ran all the way down. "And by the way, the second platoon is here."

    "I suggest sir, that we should contact the Unchean Research Division, sir."

    "I agree with that."

    ( * )

    "We haven''t seen variants like this�� Ever." Jamie exasperated. "These giants reminds me of the stories of yore, when Auferstehen wasn''t locked to just one month of the calendar."

    "I remember hearing about that�� Years ago already, when I was still captain of Venit Ille." Hierd smiled, thinking about those times. "W-what about it?"

    "It''s not good, that''s what." Jamie said swiftly; "from the skinned dragoon in Fermont and the weird manor screaming sorceror, I believe we''re dealing with something�� Something else, lord."

    "Don''t need words to tell me that." He chuckled, "the caves are being checked top to bottom, no side''s being left uncleared. We don''t know where they got these giants in the first place."

    She looked at him, her big red glasses ready to slip from the tip of her nose at just another second; "What if�� What if they summoned them?"

    "Summoned?" Hierd voiced his concern; "what do you mean by that?"

    "Honestly, lord, we don''t know how these Rebels have this much magical power. We here in the south don''t have as much affinity to magic as those in the north like the Lottidenty Empire."

    "So you''re suggesting��"

    "That the Lottidenty are a part of the rebels?" She said nonchalantly.

    There was a moment of silence, to think about the statement just uttered. "Then�� Then we''ll research them. Those Lottidentians. They''re getting crafty."

    "How so?" Jamie asked, backing off and entering into her own world; examining the body of a giant''s arm.

    "They''re using our technology more effectively than I thought-

    "Almost as if they''re preparing for war."

 XXIII Naval Race

    <figure></figure>

    <i>flip head the other way </i>

    <i>- author</i>

    <i>( * )</i>

    "The Melrose Perci." The Hesian admiral stepped forward, the board of architects and engineers standing by. "Tell me what of it."

    "Sir, at the moment, the first Melrose is being laid down at the Hapascher Dock, we suspect it will be finished before the Betelions are to finish their�� BSS Apple."

    Commotion; "The BSS Apple is a cruiser, from what we know it will be longer than our Perci, but won''t be as powerful."

    "Elaborate." The admiral probed.

    "The sketches we saw had 19cm bores, four of such turrets stationed stern and bow--singular barrels. A standard configuration for a warship. We, however; are opting for 23cm bores, five twin turrets, stationed one stern and two bow, and two wing turrets stationed midship. Increasing our firepower when shooting via our sides."

    The admiral grinned. "I''m seeing it already; The Heavy Cruiser Melrose Perci and her big guns outrival the Betelionic Apple!"

    ---

    Not a blip later; the first Melrose was finished. She was moved closer to Port Geo for her first major showing, which was to partake the day after the Betelions would showcase theirs at the same port.

    This was kept secret, but such a big thing could not be kept secret, no one could keep the Melrose secret. It got out the day prior the Apple''s arrival that the appearance of the Melrose was a white lion. It was a propaganda stunt, to color the ship''s superstructure a brass yellow and the hull a stark white. Elevating the elegance of the Melrose in spite of it''s big and daunting twin turrets.

    The admiral stood there, shocked. The BSS Apple was fast. Too fast. It clipped the ocean like it were knife to butter! She had a rather narrow beam, yet her length was a exceeding eighty meters, the bow was purposely blunt compared to the Melrose''s sharp stem.

    The Apple was a forebodingly light ship. Her bridge was rather tall, taller than the Melrose. The admiral saw a silhouete of the Atago in her. Her funnel was also curved slightly, the Melrose kept to a straight design. And the hull wasn''t continous unlike the flush-type hull of the Melrose. The ship itself was the polar opposite of the Melrose.

    The frigid gray was foreboding, the turrets, though small, were enough to give them goosebumps. Then, a live-firing. It wasn''t anything special, the rounds spent cool explosions, but nothing as dandy as what the Melrose will bring. Which was what the Admiral was thinking.

    There was one thing the Apple had that made the Melrose a little inferior. "Torpedo tubes," said the German naval officer. "I commanded the officers for the Maaas'' torpedo tubes. And their versatility, and power, is a force to reckon with."

    The engineers kept it to mind.

    That day, the seas outside port Geo were ferocious. Giving the Betelions to show off the Apple''s seafaring. The sea just deflected the water, she was riding over the waves, he recalled thinking. The blunt bow, and the way the stem was raked; it made the ship resist the resistance of the waves.

    And don''t get him started on the speed. "Twenty, thirty, no�� That''s thirty-four knots!" The observers freaked out, the speed was incalculable. And the Germans were impressed. The admiral knew the Melrose was built mostly by Hesian intellegence, remodeling the German steam engines to manufacture their own kind of engines.

    But knowing the Betelions, there was probably some exchanged that happened in the background that made them be able to purchase better engines! "Not good, not good at all." The admiral went to his radioman; "I want you to message the lead engineers, we meet at Port Morlain at 3:00 PM sharp! Along with the ship."

    ---

    "Twenty-five!?." The admiral gripped his hands tightly. "Twenty-five knots!? We can''t affored twenty-five knots!"

    "Admiral, it''s a difference in classes, out ship is a Heavy Cruiser, and theirs is a Light Cruiser. We would prioritise our firepower while they''ll use speed as a method of defense, our overwhelming guns will outmanuever their erected barriers."

    He sighed, "I-is there anyway to increase the speed slightly? Thirty knots would be amazing."

    "Umm��" The engineers looked at each other, debating what to do. "There are ways to increase er'' speed. Mainly, reducing the amount of crew, and we could also try sloping the stem a little, but I doubt that''d do anything sir. We''ll just have to accept this speed difference."

    "Reduce the complement. You say there''ll be two hundred crew? Make it one fifty."

    "Aye, sir."

    ---

    It was time for their Melrose to showcase itself at Port Geo. Just like the BSS Apple, many had come to observe the warship. Many Betelions stood to watch, Germans to wonder, and Hesians to worry.

    They already had a vague idea what the warship looked like, clad in white, powerful. But this other idea started to popup, that the Melrose was sluggish and slow, aiming for the fact that it had more bigger, cumbersome barrels.

    "A baseless rumor." The Admiral spat. "Stupid numbnuts have yet to even see our ship and they''re already spitting rumors. I didn''t hear any of those when the Apple was here."

    "Let''s remain optimistic, sir."

    Silence.

    Port Geo was getting more louder by the minute as they saw the black smoke being erupted from the funnels on the horizon.

    With a spyglass, the Betelions observed from their front-row seats. The people held their breaths. The sun, reflecting off the white hull; the contrasting black smoke, and the yellow superstructure. "An elegant bringer of death."

    The Melrose sped to the port at it''s fullest speed of twenty-seven knots. The people sped also to their canvases. The painters were putting blue, green, yellow, and red on their canvases. The outlines of a ship appearing, then at the next second, the masts were being put.

    "A marvelous sight." Commnented the outlookers.

    Her golden turrets turned to face the Ferris Sea, like a salute to the waves; she raised her barrels syncronized to a perfect pitch, and fired!

    The crowd was amazed, it was a powerful blast, something unlike the BSS Apple. The Betelions were hit in the fire. "It seems our competitor too is our ally, we need to redefine strong. Their heavy cruiser may be a bit slower than our light cruiser, but the people don''t care about slow, it''s power they care about it seems."

    "Should we go ahead with the plans?" Questioned the engineer behind the Betelionic admiral.

    "Yes." He stood up, observing the Hesian ship with sharp eyes. "Enact the BSS Betelionic."

    ( * )

    "So you want more ships?" Hierd looked at Adelheid, a stack of papers sitting on his hand about why.

    "The last time, we had enough�� Yes. The six K-3s, Leberect and Atago combined, were amazing. But now we''ve inflated to five thousand other sailors that aren''t getting a ride out to the sea, and instead are training with�� Alrife''s Ex-battalion."

    "I was so cooked up on other things that I forgot about the navy." Hierd chuckled nervously, Adelheid was dead-serious on this. "B-but! What you wish shall be my command," he jokingly curtsied.

    ---

    A whole battalion of sailors and army soldiers were being secretly brought out somewhere in Germany''s southern-south. It was one of those ports that were seized by Germany from the contested Handerbour and German borders.

    The port city of Gant was now an empty ghost-city. And a surrounding perimeter a kilometer away from the city kept it safe from prying eyes.

    There, from their back-truck view; a queen sat on the water as still as she could have been. Her two hounds laying beside her as guards. An announcer blasted from the radios; "The Scarnhorst and the Deustchlands."

    "She should service the remaining sailors not doing anything."

    "Indeed." Adelheid could not help but eye up the three iron giants.

    "The Scarnhorst is a Battleship, we haven''t had any battleships, so supplying up on these should service for the increasing tensions in Latessia." He sighed in exhaustion, thinking about the hassle that happened the nights prior. "The Deustchlands escort the ship, even if they themselves are some knots slower."

    "But why so far away from Unchean?" Adelheid questioned with intrigue darting his face.

    "I fear we''re at the brink of a great war."

    Just the words alone were enough to terrify Adelheid, "this is�� Because of what?"

    "I''ve had the MP look at the countries surrounding the Tri-Union." He turned sharply left to an almost-full parking space, a rumble of soldiers were already exiting the back of his truck. "Handerbour, this Ruska just beside us and Hesia, and the two empires up north of Betelion; Kerfeliz and Lottidenty. Lately, there''s been more movement between the four. And I''m not liking it."

    "And also;" Hierd continued. "Lottidenty and this other neutral country have been experimenting with out technology, I''ve heard from our agents that they''ve been making advancements related to�� Related to our crafts."

    "War is inevitable if our influence and also because our great military is better than any."

    "They''ll be thinking we''re going to capture all of Latessia." Hierd said sarcastically.

    "Are you?"

    There was this silence, only being broken up by the rum of the soldiers and vehicles outside his truck. "I might." Hierd broke it off with, he went outside.

    "Please direct all of our troops to the pier, I will be saying a few words. Thanks Adelheid!"

    ---

    He took two steps forward, a step back because he took another step he''d be falling off Scarnhorst''s bow. Looking at him were those three thousand or so combined soldiers and naval officers.

    The sillhouete of a man; so physically strong and so leader-like to them standing at the front of one of the largest, metal warships they''ve ever seen was such a mind-opening experience that could level their entire understanding of man.

    And that signature, contrasting blonde hair, it made Hierd seem all the more powerful.

    "You were awoken today, you''d think that it was because of another training, or that the Rebels have found their way to enchant those giants from some yesterdays to siege our city." He raised his hands, "but no."

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    "Our newspapers have blown up with many statements, opinions, these also mindblowing facts. It is without doubt that our navy, our army, our military, is one of the most powerful out there. But currently, strength is needed. That will be what the three ships lined here are for today."

    "To the soldiers here, you may not be using and operating in this ship, however, you will be part in making this city a naval port." He sighed exhausted, he now took a step forward, he hung to the metal pole (behind him), not looking down in defiance to the smooth waves.

    "Secrecy will be upmost priority, for these three warships and later more, will become our hidden trap cards. Under the months, maybe years that you sailors will serve under these ships, you will travel around the oceans; surveil the oceans and graph those oceans."

    "Explore the world." He stated sternly.

    The soldiers couldn''t help but muster their silent reactions, their faces gaining more and more serious as time grew.

    "This, this will be your modus operandi." Hierd breathed in; "this will become your mission!"

    ( * )

    It took an entire week to get things ready. The Scarnhorst was first to leave the dock, was first to fire her turrets, and was first to traverse from point A to point B. That was the mission each ship was assigned to first.

    From the port, there was this offshore island about thirty kilometers away moving south. It was stated by some soldiers in that local area that the south was a wild rife of sea. They befittingly called it; Harsh Sea.

    It should take an hour (depending on the speed they chose to go). Since Scarnhorst decided to ride the southern sea first; she too was first to witness just how Harsh, Harsh sea was. Her captain was this Felmenn, an experienced sailor serving on Jack''s Atago for six months already.

    Confident of his wit, captain Jack recommended him to become Scarnhorst''s captain. Scarnhorst went along at the first strike of morning after the next day. Along with a thousand sailors, she moved at first; twenty-five knots, but then, it quickly slowed down to twenty-three.

    The clouds were already dark even before they had crossed the veil of the shoreline, but there, ten minutes after leaving port; they were face-to-face with a storm. The waves were kicking the bow backwards, and flinging his sailors all over the place. He''s perfected the sailor''s lean, staying totally upright in his disconfigured environment.

    While his bridge officers struggled a little bit more than him in helping in the navigation. Felmenn couldn''t let the ship be pushed, it was Germany''s Battleship for all sakes. He pushed for the Scarnhorst''s top speed, powering through and cutting the waves.

    The waves, though were being cut; were landing on his bow; even on his concealed bridge, he was getting wet all over by the sea''s waves entering it. And not to mention, the storm was inconcievablely hindering visibility, he knew it should take about an hour to reach the island, however; if were to reach it, he wouldn''t want to crash onto it.

    The low freeboard didn''t help; as the sea was engulfing the bow; it caused the entire ship to pitch higher and higher. He pushed back one of the officers to gain control of one of the binoculars. "No sillhouetes. No island. Too much water."

    "Stabilize the balasts!" He yelled.

    "Aye!"

    The officers ran to the radio room to inform the sailors down under trying hard as ever to manage and control the ship in all this rolling and pitching. They continued to go straight and forward; the waves unrelenting in their onslaught, but with the balasts controlled; the Scharnhorst was a bit more stable than before.

    "Where are we!?" Felmenn questioned, looking at the officers with the binoculars, "we have no idea sir! But if we''re right on, we should be reaching it by twenty minutes!"

    "Then we should be seeing the island''s sillhouete by now!"

    "Yes, sir! But we can''t!"

    "Then that means we gone off course!" He leapt to the gangways; pushing the officers to allow his way. Even in a daylight storm, there was truly no sillhouete of an island anywhere. If he was going to find the island, what would Jack do? He muttered.

    He went back into the bridge, soaking wet; looking at the gyrocompass, he failed to account for it. "Weren''t you taught how to get coordinates with the gyrocompass!?"

    "Y-yes, captain."

    "Well go and do it!" He turned to the officers behind him; "lower speed to twenty knots, we need to figure out where we are."

    "Aye, sir!"

    They cranked the radio wheel to ''medium-speed,'' the whole entire battleship slowing down the second after.

    The sailors were hastily getting coordinates; then, understanding their direction; they did really deviate twenty degrees from their starting point. "Captain! We have to turn west by twenty degrees."

    "And we are!" He looked to the helmsman, his eyes signaling the order without speaking.

    "Aye!"

    The helmsman twisted levers, communicating with the engine-men downbelow. Moving west, the left turbine lost a bit of energy, and the left one a bit more. The rudders themselves, turning sharply.

    Even if the waves were hindering it, the bulk, that iron mass, the lone iron-cladded island, turned; it''s sharp degree rushing it to it''s correct aligned path, defying the orders of the sea.

    Felmenn quickly ordered to rush at thirty-one knots.

    They were now at course.

    ---

    "There!" An officer of the bridge counted for; "we''re just ten minutes away!"

    The sea had calmed down a little, seeing the island, Felmenn ordered the ship slowed down to a stop. "That''s one small island." He commented, looking proudly at the island. "Please radio the port, we''ve reached our destination and are preparing to fire at it."

    "Aye."

    "Where are the Deustchlands?" He questioned in his breath, looking stern-wise from the gangway.

    "We don''t know sir, no confirmation."

    "And it doesn''t matter either way." He walked back into the bridge, it; being wet and moist already. His men were in the same moisty condition as he was. Celebrating their accomplishment, and thanking their wits they were alive.

    The door behind them opened, the officer with the news; "They''ve confirmed our objective, the permission is set, sir."

    He stepped forward, to the window; overlooking the island. "Fire."

    ( * )

    A month after; Betelion and Hesia were already rapidly making ships at record pace, no not record pace, they were breaking world records! In just a month, there were two BSS Apples and one Betelionic.

    It was a thirty-three knot battleship (the Betelionic) and had almost the same design as the IJN Kongo.

    Barring (of course) the sea plane steam launchers, the secondary guns and their casements (making it effectively a flush-hull designed Kongo with it''s two stern turrets being much more closer together. And that her guns were a tad smaller, going for 290mm main turret barrels than the Kongo''s 350mm or so barrels. And unlike the Kongo, Betelionic''s bow elevated a little more to improve seaworthiness.

    The Betelions had this evolved design philosophy. From Japan''s ''big gun, big boom,'' to; ''slightly smaller gun, slightly smaller boom, better speed.''

    The thing was, if ships were too sluggish, the average destroyer with a torpedo could level a single battleship. And that wasn''t something they wanted. The UG (university of Germany) taught something these Hesians and Betelions committed to heart; "That any ship that floats in the sea may sink, any part in a machine that can move, will break, and any vehicle made to drive, will stop."

    Countless methods should be put in place that can repair, in such case, these scenarios that would put a battleship like the BSS Betelionic under the sea.

    Betelionic had a light armor belt for a battleship, but in exchange, it had a lot of compartments where if water breached inside the ship, it could simply be closed by one of the three bulkheads each compartment had.

    But what the Hesians had in mind was different.

    After the BSS Betelionic was built, they wanted to respond but they focused on only building their Melroses (the second month forward there were five made). The; "Great White Fleet" they called it. And it had already made many appearances in countries East of Latessia.

    Further spreading Germany''s influence to the rest of the otherwise undeveloped world.

    In two months, the navy was the most powerful sector of the military, and because the magic division was culled, it''s funding was cut, the dragoon battalion was defunct and deconsecrated. Hesia''s army fared better days, but the navy held full superiority in comparison to them.

    Improving relations with Germany''s navy, they began training with their Melroses and Germany''s K-3s. It was some fun bits of excerise. And they gained a little bit more confidence from that.

    Just before the next month would roll in, they started laying in the keel of their next project; "I''ll call it the Gerani." The Hesian admiral stated. "What those Betelions had was an ironclad battleship that was fast. And fast is good, we know that. However; what we should be worrying over is firepower."

    "Why so, sir?" Questioned the naval engineer.

    "See, we''re not at war with Germany nor with Betelion." He slammed his hand on his table, "what we would be fighting with, in the case of war, would be outsiders who don''t know the German tech. ''Big guns, big booms.'' That''s what we need."

    ---

    And soon, the Gerani was launched the next month, it was a full two hundred and thirty meters in length, sporting six 245mm twin turrets and a rather suffocating twenty-seven knots of max speed.

    Incorporating the same turret layout as the Agincourt while sharing the same superstructure and hull as their Cesare. What it was was a beast, and the sheer firepower it imposed upon any who dared to fight back, would decimate even a small island into a pile of sand.

    They didn''t present this to the public until the public were to find out themselves what their ship was and what it meant. Hesia was probably the second-most powerful navy in the world, the Betelion did not want to rank third.

    But, they unfortunately had to cut down on the naval building. As their military spending was now focused on making prototype tanks and guns.

    Speaking of, tanks were a new gem. Hesia didn''t want tanks because they didn''t need it. And instead opted to change up the trucks that the Germans made into light infantry-carriers that had these heavy machine guns strapped on it''s middle. (The more affordable option)

    But Betelion had been in the cooking game longer.

    When the Tiger 1s and the Maus was shown during Germany''s parade at the signing of the alliance; they were beyond shocked and wanted to remake the technology the Germans made.

    Their first prototypes were buns, their second prototypes were more able, but their first real tanks were something else. Borrowing from the lessons they learned when they were building the BSS Apple, they made something similar to a Sherman (just less advanced and less reliable).

    Simply ''T-O1,'' it was a light tank with a fast rotating turret sporting a light tank barrel than could fire only HE rounds. The armor was also not as sloped as the Sherman''s. And the speed it went was not as fast as the Tiger 1. But it was enough.

    Factories were rapidly spreading in the Betelion empire, and their own means of production made them able to procure ten of those tanks to roam the country by the time the Hesians and their Gerani were exposed to the public.

    During this little race of theirs between who gets the better warship and how many; Lottidenty and this little country up north of Hesia were experimenting.

    "As I had feared." Hierd presented a letter. "Lottidenty had made a warship."

    The admiralty were shocked, but not too shocked as to caused a commotion to circle the whole entire manor.

    "They''re not going to storm Unchean, that''s like storming Auferstehen naked with the only sword you have being your dong. There''s no worry" Marrise said ever so sweetly.

    "Well, if I were a monster from Auferstehen and I saw some random guy chasing at me all naked with his dong flying all about, I''d start running the other way." Hierd sat down with a smile on his face. "We could worry. Or we can choose to not. By this time I want to have more presence in Western Germany and North Betelion."

    "How do you wish to do that lord?"

    "Aren''t there these chain of islands next to Betelion, Handerbour, and this Kerfeliz guy further north?"

    "Yes, lord��" He cleared his throat, "they''re highly contested between the three since those islands hold much strategic importants. I remember it being called the Gale Islands, because if you were to speak of the Gale Islands at dinner, that dinner would turn into a Gale of utter nonsense lord."

    "I see."

    "Well, I want to throw in my own hand in the mix."

    "Lord?" The admiralty was now bewildered, "do you wish to involve yourself in the conflict between those islands? We''d be throwing ourselves in the brink of war if that were the case."

    "Not yet anyways." Hierd laid back on his chair.

    "Strengthen our presence in Betelion, and I want to construct a fort in Betelion''s shores facing the Gale Islands." He sighed, "and, because our ships down south have been practicing their shore bombardings, I want them to push it more. The Scharnhorst should be ready for a conflict by the coming years, okay?"

    "Yes, lord. If it is as you wish."

    "Thank you."

    "Wait a minute there," Marrise blocked him. "You want to throw this peaceful country into war?"

    "It all starts from a single advancement, Marrise." He looked at her eyes, "I know you better than anybody. And I know that you know that if the other countries started to gain the same technology as ours, we''d be thrown into conflict anyways."

    "The Lottydentian warship." She stated, "it wasn''t just a warship was it?"

    Hierd''s eyebrows raised, "that''s where my next words will lie in. I want the B Fleet to start moving West towards Gale. Our Lottydentian buddies are voyaging south."

    ( * )

    "The giants aren''t just giants." Jamie said to Jeane and Heduc. "If we''re going to be fighting these monsters in the future, I think we shouldn''t be betting on hoping."

    "Why so? They were easy to kill." Heduc said.

    "There were too many of them in that cave, and not to mention, lady Jeane;" she switched her gaze towards her.

    "Y-yes?"

    "The voice sorceror from that manor in Betelion." She fixed her glasses, "it couldn''t just be coincidence that these magical things are happening just after our presence started to bloom."

    "Those two events happened months apart-"

    "We haven''t linked the two events together sir, but having such a powerful voice sorceror knowingly be able to exist in the north, means that there are more powerful magicians in the north, in the Rebels."

    "And that''s the kicker." Adelheid refused the knock and entered in, "the MP should be looking into that already, but as Jamie had said, it''s just too coincidental to not be related to each other-"

    "Oh and Auferstehen!" Jeane recalled. "Could it be that Auferstehen was taken to make those giants?"

    "T-that�� That could certainly be a reason." Jamie looked at her papers. "The magic inside these giants were pretty weak, but maybe because there were�� Hypothetically, many giants, a big magic source that Auferstehen would possibly supply would need to be divided up, lessening the power."

    "There were fifty giants in that cave." Heduc recounted the report. "Fifty. And there''s more than fifty monsters during the month of Auferstehen. Way more than fifty."

    They couldn''t contribute to anything to further move the dialogue along and kept silent.

    "It''s too many theories and too less proven things." Adelheid picked up a flask of blood, supposedly from a giant. "You two should go back to the manor, get some rest."

    "I want that." Heduc hurriedly escaped the laboratory. Jeane trailed behind, they both said their adieu.

    Adelheid focused his gaze onto Jamie. He went closer. "I never mistake people. It''s a common trait, not, it''s God-given, that anyone with a brain and a fuctioning heart would be able to recognize people they know."

    He lifted her chin up, their eyes creating a heated tension. "I know who you are, of course. Jamie. Jamie Fox. The lead scientist in the Unchean Research Unit, and a great teacher in UG. But I just have one question."

    "And what would that be?" She grinned slightly.

    "What do you have in connection with the Lottidentians?"

 XXIV The Yamato - 1

    "You, being a part of the Lottidentian Research Brigade?" Adelhied rested himself on the metal gurney behind him. "That''s something. Jamie, or�� Whoever you really are."

    Her grin hadn''t faded. "I am not in touch with the Lottidentians any longer. I''ve faded into obscurity in that division, not brigade. Where did you hear the word brigade from?"

    "My sources got a little conflicted."

    "So what?" She grasped the giant hand, feeling the texture of the skin, the many wounds and gashes. "I''ve been lead scientist of Krimvald''s Unchean''s Research Div; for longer than I''ve been in the newly German one. What makes you say I''d rebel? I hadn''t done that even to Krimvald."

    "As of the moment, you are a great asset." Adelheid sighed, "it''d be a pity to execute under reason of treason. We wish to keep you; so we have devised an�� Alternate solution."

    Jamie grabbed a magic gem. "Have you ever heard of inovation?" Her eyes probed the gem''s dim yet noticeable blue glow.

    "Inovation?"

    "Yes." She threw the gem towards Adelheid; "that. That gem is part of the inovative thinking of the division. It''s been five or so years since I''ve left that place. But, in the north, their adaptability is only because of how they harness those gems. You''ve heard that the magic aplitude of someone rises when they live further and further north?"

    "That''s common knowledge." He set the gem down on the gurney.

    "They swallow these gems."

    Adelheid''s eyes lit up. "What do you mean by that? Did you also�� Swallow gems?" He said in a sarcastic accent.

    "I never did." Her eyes pierced Adelheid''s, her face so stern now. "Never will. I ''did'' have connections with the lottidentian government; but that is far severed now. And if you wish to know more about what ''I'' have; then�� Let me be."

    ( * )

    "What did they say?" Captain Felmenn looked towards the horizon, his eyes trained for any sillhouetes in the deep blue.

    "Captain, we''re receiving information about their warship." The sailor held a long manuscript. Felmenn, looking at him now groaned.

    "Just give me the big points."

    The sailor cleared his throat; "What the MP got was that they have a steam ship sir. It''s an iron-cladded variant of one of the Lottidentian galleons called�� Called the Gershackemsiah? Forgive me sir, I don''t how to pronounce it."

    "It''s alright, give me details about it."

    "It says; ''two twin turrets,'' with one funnel." Snapping to the other information; "estimated speed of twenty knots, but�� Sir, as it says here; ''because of other magical equipment attached on it''s propellors, we cannot say for certain that it is twenty knots.''"

    "Which means the lottidentians are becoming a threat." He chuckled. "We''re set for Gale, no?"

    "We are, captain."

    "Specifically, for an outpost. Many outposts at the Gale islands." A silhouete garnished itself from some corner of the small bridge, it sounded�� Feminine.

    Felmenn turned around, facing the woman.

    "Good to see you captain Felmenn." Jeane shook his hand. "I had boarded, I thought you were notified of my boarding, but it doesn''t seem like that''s the case."

    "Yes, I wasn''t informed, good afternoon ma''am Jeane." His smile radiated the room; "I thought you were with the Deustchlands. So what brought you aboard?"

    "I''m afraid we''re going to have to stop in a Handerbour port."

    "I wasn''t informed of this." Felmenn reached for his radio operator; "please tell them to reach the adminstrator HQ and question them further about this�� Handerbour port stop-"

    "Oh and:" Jeane interupted, "also tell them to get the name of port, I was merely informed by Heduc in passing."

    "Aye, sir--ma''am." The sailor left for the radio room.

    The formation of the fleet was simple; the two deustchlands were situated some nine kilometers away from the Scharnhorst, starboard and portside. Behind the Scharnhorst were three ships; the SS Maguildafaulker (carrying only two battalions from Heduc''s and Jeane''s) and two cargo ships, one for oil, and one for the materials needed to make the outposts.

    The entire fleet was some fourty or so kilometers away from the Handerbour shores; it had crossed the border between Germany and Handerbour some five hours ago, and two days from now they should reach the Gale Islands.

    "I hear that the Hesians want more technology." Felmenn rested his back on the wall, as did Jeane looking at him. "Your battalion lies on the eastern borders against Hesia and Ruska, right?"

    "Yes captain, what about it?"

    "What�� What do you think about this little battle happening between Betelion and Hesia?"

    "The ships? I�� I''ve only really read up about it in the newspapers, and only briefly. The rest of the action happens in Geo Port right?"

    "Got to see if for my self one time, they introduced this�� White ironclad heavycruiser and the Betelions had this Atago-looking light cruiser. They were pretty great inventions, especially if they received only a mediocre amount of help from us."

    "They did get our education, the University and all."

    "That, that is true-" He was interupted, when the sailor bounced into the bridge, "Ah, you''re back. What''d they say?"

    "Captain, we need to stop at James Port, thirty one degrees north, fourty degrees west. Here''s the port, sir, on the map."

    Looking at the location, tagged in black ink, he tapped at one part of the ocean, "this is where we are, approximately. It''d take atleast a day to get there," -he glidded his finger across the sea, massaging his chin- "then�� The gale islands. But why this port? Did they mention it?"

    "Ahm��" He looked nervous, "y-yes sir."

    Felmenn raised his eyebrow in confusion. "What''s the�� sweating?"

    "They have ordered us to bombard the port."

    ( * )

    The Melrose Perci was in the end of making it''s round trip around the Ferris sea, her sister ships just behind. The four white-claddened monsters of the sea were steaming gently towards Hesia''s port Morlaine, the same port where the ship was quickly retrofitted.

    It was night out, a full moon; the waters were strangely stagnant. The smooth, small waves, crashing weakily onto the white hulls being the only hint that there were waves. Since the night was bright, they could see a couple sillhouetes; some couple kilometers away. Possibly German ships or Betelionic ones, but they shied away, avoiding attention to themselves.

    The Perci''s sisters (Machiel, Herma, and Gretel) have all bit fitted with newer equipment, with the Herma (being fifty meters longer) having a standard four-turret configuration, Herma had also a shorter barrel size, and it''s beam was cut from Perci''s eighteen meter beam to her fifteen meter beam. She had also been fitted with a raked stem, more advanced propulsion systems, and more efficient engines.

    The Hesians were�� Without doubt, proud of their work.

    The sailors were maintaing the boilers in the lower decks, the others were at their navigation posts, eyeing up the charts, maps, the compasses, the binoculars, and all others, making sure that they were going the correct direction.

    At midship of the first deck, the radio men were busying themselves with turning the dials on their newly gotten radio (for it was expensive to have such a device, only the Melrose had it). When, a flurry of messages were pinging them. "Who are they?" Questioned one of the operators, "Hesian, Betelionic, German?"

    The radioman put the mic up to his mouth, "This is HS-Melrose. State your vessel and country of origin." Beads of sweat laid down on his white trousers.

    It was gibbrish for a couple seconds, before a voice came through; "This is Leberect Maaas, Germany. Captain Fremen, subbing General-Admiral; we were surveiling this area. You may proceed."

    "Night, Maaas." The contact closed, the radio operator resting back on his chair and sighing, "that was nervewracking."

    "If you''d met that Atago''s captain, you''d think you were going to be hunted." The radio operator laughed, he couldn''t help but join in.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    "Say, I heard the Betelions were getting into making battleships, and so were we. I haven''t seen any battleship making at all though."

    "That''s not up to your clearance." He put blankly, "even the higher ups aboard the Cesare wouldn''t know jack about what the naval engineering corps do."

    "Engineering." He pondered, "after this, I''ll go to UG. My time in the navy ends this year."

    "That''s great, hope you become an engineer," he leaned closer to him; "it''s hard in UG you know, the pre-uni in Port Geo is hard enough, the exams are killer!"

    "H-hope I pass," he smiled ignorantly.

    By the strike of morning, they had reached the port. Manning the engines were a hassle, if only they could re-engineer the machinery of the Cesare; speaking of, the Guilio was somewhere East of Hesia, in one of their naval showoff-ing around underdeveloped parts without much German influence.

    It was a propaganda stunt, to get more people to Hesia or even the whole of the German Alliance so that they have more people operating the navy.

    When, a radio message peered in; "we are requesting the officers, sailors, of the Melrose Perci to disembark and retire. For a month-long excerise under our newest warship. ''The Hesia.''"

    It was all too sudden and soon there were trucks lining up the port, all of the Melrose''s complement was extracted out, down from the captain and the very last engine worker. "What''s happening?" The radio operator from before creeped to the sailor he talked to just the other night; "they''re retiring out positions?"

    "Yeah, that''s�� That''s what I heard."

    "They''re making a battleship?" He sat down beside him.

    "The Hesia, they''re making it all secretive, having trucks en route to one of the ports south from here."

    They were all gathered in a sort-of waiting area, as all were being transferred out in these trucks, jamming all two hundred of Melrose''s sailors out in these twenty-capped trucks. But, Hesia didn''t have that many trucks.

    They started piling them up on the roofs, filing the floors, even making makeshift platforms with small wooden planks they''d find along the docks; attach them onto the metal edges, and pray that it didn''t fall under their weight.

    The two were the one of the last ones to get on the last of the jammed trucks, hanging on by the edges. As they journeyed the Hesian mountain range spanning the Hesian Penninsula, it was quite breezy, cold. They weren''t wearing anything but their summer wear, and as the climbed in altitude, they complained farther and farther.

    When, from beyond, could they see;

    "A metal behemoth." The radio operator pointed his hand out to the port seemingly hidden in a little estuary in the mountain range.

    "That''s the Hesia," the sailor confirmed. "That''s going to be our capital ship."

    It was a sleek hunk of metal; it''s bow to stern resembling the Guilio Cesare in so many ways. Up to midship did the hull extend outwards a little, almost like a short tumblehome.

    It was a traditional four-turret configuration, with each turret sporting three thirty-five centimeter calibre barrels. It had two pretty large funnels painted black, whilst the rest of the hull remained a blank steel color.

    Getting down to the hidden port; the two realized the size. It was some one hundred eighty meters long, but it looked more than that. Their admiral was standing atop this wooden stage, they were ordered to formation; and as quickly as they had gathered; the admiral started to form his speech.

    "Sailors!" His voice cracked, yet no-one chuckled; he cleared his throat. "Sailors! I''m sure you have no idea what''s happening, you had just been simply thrusted into this port. Welp, today you all will be sailing our newest battleship; the Hesia. The Melrose Perci; as we''ve seen, it''s sailors are experienced. So, with some of the crew of the Guilio, you will be part in operating this massive beast!" He tipped his hat in salute; "thank you."

    ---

    Over the next couple of days, the huge battleship finally screamed out of the little estuary in the mountains, it rounded to a steaming hot twenty-nine knots, the fastest by-class ship made. During the first day, there were some problems with the boilers, as the ship was running with experimental equipment; every second it was at sea, the engineers were burning heart attacks away like calories.

    The Hesia was not being publically shown, but many vessels have seen it wandering in the Ferris sea. And since it flew the Hesian flag, there was no denying that the Hesians had built a battleship, meaning the BSS Betelionic finally had competiton.

    "What!?" The Betelionic Admiral screamed. "The Hesians have made a battleship!?"

    From over the radio; "yes, sir. It''s currently conducting sea trials in the Ferris Sea. The German and Betelionic coast guard are witnessing it first hand."

    "Alright, they want a challenge, we''ll give them that." The admiral chuckled in his breath, "build another battleship! This time I want bigger!"

    "But sir�� Our tank trials need money to-"

    "Can''t you see!?" he screamed, "our navy is being belittled! We can''t have that! I hear the naval engineering corps have been cooking up a new plan; enact it, now! I want it now!"

    "Y-yes�� Sir."

    ( * )

    It was an overcast sky, the rain poured down and the waves were behemoths. Scharnhorst was mere kilometers away from it''s target, the port, so visible from the bridge height. By that distance, the Handerbour sailors from the port should have probably seen by now the Scharnhorst.

    "Elevation fifty!" An officer of the bridge said into a microphone, "use HE rounds."

    Felmenn and Jeane watched from the gangway.

    The turrets began turning starboard;

    -0��-

    -13��-

    -25��-

    -40��-

    -60��-

    Then 90�� directly starboard. Then they rose, slowly reaching an angle of fifty degrees. This hard metal churning, the clug-clug of rounds entering the barrels. The soft kerplunk as the rounds locked and were sealed inside the barrels ready to fire. With all four of Scharnhorst''s turrets aimed at the port; all that was needed to do now was the await the captain''s orders.

    "Captain?"

    Felmenn used his binoculars, zooming in at it''s max dial turn. "There are no ships on that port." He couldn''t help but ponder, "what''s happening?"

    "Captain, the order."

    He turned, "Fire a warning shot, I want it next to the port, the shore. Wait five minutes before firing the barrage."

    "Aye, sir." The sailor quickly went inside.

    Both being drenched in the rain; being jostled by the pitch and roll; Jeane placed her hand on his shoulder.

    "Why would the lord want to bombard this port?" Felmenn turned around, looking at her, seeing if she had the answer to the dilemma.

    "I do not know anything." She shrugged, "but if I were held at gunpoint to try and guess; I guess that this port held the rebels. I mean�� Handerbour isn''t exactly the best of countries. The rebels could''ve hid somewhere, and this place is one place where they could''ve hid."

    "But, this''d basically thrust Germany into war with Handerbour."

    In Jeane''s mind, there was this flash of light; Eureka!

    "Maybe that''s what the lord wants." She grinned, "we were headed to the Gale Islands to combat the northerners into building our outposts, but if Germany instead occupies Handerbour, we''d have sieged more control over the Gale Islands and the Gale sea all at once! Think about it Felmenn!"

    "Hm." It was a short sigh, "that may or may not be-"

    Blast!

    The first turret fired!

    Felmenn quickly sighted in on the shore; a direct hit on the shore beside the port. He could see multiple silhouetes bouncing in the distance; there were no soldiers whatsoever. He grunted, then clicked his tongue. "Long live the Lord." He threw his binoculars on the metal gangway. "Ignore the previous order, fire at will."

    -1-

    The first turret had reloaded;

    -2-

    An alarm branged all along the bow and stern; the sailors around those areas evacuating immidiately.

    -3-

    Fire!

    Eight hot searing rounds of fire soared the grey skies, turning it black with it''s power. By the next second; a powerful blast! The port had been incinerated, and so did anything else inside of it.

    Engulfed in black smoke, hot flame, the port city was decimated in under seconds without any retaliation from the Handerbour forces. There simply was nothing they could do.

    Felmenn watched, his eyes observing the hot colors, the orange and red flickering, the light so mesmerizing, and the smell so strange and tantalizing. "Bear to half-speed, set course to Gale Islands."

    "Aye!"

    ---

    Inside the SS Maguildafaulkner, Heduc''s and Jeane''s troops were having the time of their lives; having been able to also view the massive explosion laid down by Scharnhorst''s decimating turrets. The lobby''s luxuries were still there, though the original luxurious food offereed to the first class passengers weren''t there. As each and every soldier was only offered sweet gruel and the occasional slab of steak.

    During their days out at sea, they''ve started writing letters about their stay on the Maguilda, and the radiomen acted like the newspaper carriers of Unchean, saying the recent news like; "Hesia makes a battleship! Or that Betelion tank trials succeed, and that; many have been accepted in the UG!"

    Cool stuff like that.

    Heduc was discussing plans about the Gale Islands.

    Image in Comment

    The Gale islands were very near to the Betelionic Empire, Handerbour had a little part of the Gale Sea on their borders, but the Betelionic had the majority with Kerfeliz (a country just above Betelion) occupies the other northern half of the sea.

    He wasn''t fully informed about the bombardment at the port city, but Germany was apparently making Handerbour a puppet state, it''s been some weeks since this aggresiveness had happened and only now did it worsen. The MP found that Handerbour were part in housing rebels, and for pay-back, the bombardment of one of their three major ports.

    If Germany gains control of atleast Northern Handerbour, transferring supplies from the Gale Islands to the main land will be much more easier. The main reason the Betelion Empire didn''t want to assist Germany in transporting cargo from island-to-island, was because it was bound by this�� Kerfeliz Act. Heduc didn''t want to get into further detail, so he didn''t ask what it meant.

    There were two big islands of the seven island chain. The first big one being the southernmost one, which is where the fleet will land the day after. "We prioritise on building the outposts at the north side, and we renovate this old port" -Heduc slid his finger on it- "so cargo can pass more cleaner and faster."

    "What if Kerfeliz or Lottidenty acts?" An officer questioned; "wasn''t another main mission of ours to locate this Lottidentian ship? It was moving south, so we assumed it was going to try and provoke us. But If it came from Lottidenty; it should stop by��" He landed his finger on the Karfelizian capital. "Since it''s one of the only other places north of Betelion to have oil, they should stop here and�� Receive news about out bombardment in Handerbour."

    "They''ll ready their own reserve of troops to the Gale islands to secure their place in the islands." Heduc sighed, "and if Lottidenty and Kerfeliz have our technology, they might have some good-enough warships to deal damage."

    "That one that we were worrying about, sir."

    "The Lottidentian one?" He looked at him intently, "what about it?"

    "We should expect more like them, as the hull was similar to a galleon, we should expect that they line their wooden galleons with metal then attach turrets onto their hulls, as well as sporting it with funnels and a propellor." The man thought about a bit more; "ship production shouldn''t be too slow, so for the first half, they should hold pretty powerfully in North Gale."

    Heduc led himself deeper in thought, looking at the map intently, as if hoping it would scream out an answer. "How the lord invaded Handerbour�� It basically started a war."

    "What could our lord be thinking at this moment?"

    ( * )

    "Nothing." Hierd crumpled the paper map he was given. "What are my allies doing? They''ve gone and thrown themselves deeper and deeper in this own internal conflict about warships. When we''re in the verge of war!"

    He scratched his head irritatedly.

    "I need Handerbour''s northern-half, but the Lottidentians have already sent their delegations to Laplace and Ruska! Their making allies close to my borders! I need to get Hesia and Betelionic down the right path�� The right�� Path��" He froze in his steps; his eyes fixated on the blue abyss on the war-room map sprawled on his office table.

    "I''ll need to end Betelion and Hesia''s little squabble with a big bang." He chuckled.

    ---

    As the morning light entered the skies, and as the dark ocean, turned orange, then blue, lit-up under the gaze of the sun; there was only one thing that kept land enshrouded by shadow.

    "The Yamato."

 XXV The Yamato - 2 [VOL 2 END]

    "Captain Felmenn." Heduc shook his hand, "nice to meet you."

    "As you too." Felmenn smiled.

    They started walking down the busy pier, the sailors rumaging about their directed jobs. Carrying crates and whatnot. As the small pier had only room for two ships (as it varied in sizes, the Scharnhorst occupied the larger), with the Maguildafaulkner having just docked some thirty minutes ago with the latter smaller part; with only part of it''s bow being able to sink inside the pier.

    With his hands behind his back; Felmenn confidently took his steps on the sandy beach, awaiting for Heduc to start talking.

    "By night��" Heduc started, "Germany should have already made negotiations with Handerbour-"

    "That!" Felmenn cried out, "I had not one clue that German forces were being sent out to fight Handerbour, isn''t it quite odd that the Lord chose to do that?"

    "Oh, no, no captain, our troops are not fighting within their borders." He smirked mischieviously.

    "Then what was��?"

    "It was a decisive strike, I''m sure Jeane should have informed you of her theory as she had relayed to me by radio last night." They both stopped, looking at each other; Felmenn curious and intrigued. "I''m sure the navy was not properly informed, however the top brass were talking about it. The lord should have given the idea, and our Admiral; Adelheid, gave us the go-ahead. If bombarding that port would show total submission from such a weak enemy; then we''d take that compared to fighting."

    "Innocent lives were lost, Heduc." Felmenn added to his comment, grimly.

    Heduc stared at him, stern. He didn''t say a word.

    Felmenn sighed, "is the island secured? Are there any dwellers in-land?"

    "No, there aren''t any."

    "Who built the pier then?"

    "Betelions did it," Heduc scanned the port. "they gave us this island persay, even if no-one actually owns the islands;" -he turned to Felmenn- "the Maguildafaulkner will need to dock at this northern Handerbour port-"

    "What do you mean?" He interjected.

    "Germany''s seized control of North Handerbour."

    ( * )

    The Handerbour delagates stood pridefully, shoving back a little of the fear their hearts were beating fire with. At their western-most city, bordering Germany; they were being picked up by German trucks.

    The gate of the city was so full of people, onlookers from almost every single city. It was a big event, everyone was furious over Germany''s bombardment over their port city. And the delegates were the ones to resolve the issue.

    "Son." A mayor among them said to the little boy, "I will be back," -he looked at the maid- "take care of him. Please."

    "Yes, my lord." The maid bowed.

    The other delegates were from other neighboring cities, the main government body was handling things in the north, but they were to handle things in the heart of Germany.

    The five representatives wore their bestest clothes, they had fashioned themselves as formally as they could with a bit of German bling, like the watch, and their top-hats. Walking towards them, was a German major. "Good Afternoon, delegates." He bowed a little, "I am to be the one escorting you all to Germany. Please board the truck."

    They stared at him, all with sharp glazes and frowns. Slowly, they all boarded; then with smiles, waved adieu to the city.

    ---

    "What incites me, is that the Germans are here." Said one mayor.

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "See�� With how things were going, we wouldn''t have lasted another year." He retorted with a calm voice, "Lottidenty had been making havoc in the north and east, Betelion was going to wage war on us, and if things went on without Germany, Handerbour would have became a part of Kerfeliz."

    They all groaned. "But now the Germans hate us."

    "Not exactly hate I think."

    "They attacked our port!" Yelled the mayor, his distressed face recalling the countless hour he spent fixing the damage done in by the Germans at the port (of which was still damaged).

    The mayor looked at him, "their warships were headed, not to us, but to the North. They''re chocked-up with Lottidenty as we had then. All the countries were�� Distressed, to say the least, when this guy and his empire of death decided to commit his kingdom to name with his weapons of war. Not withstanding the Hesians and Betelions. They put pressure on the whole damned continent, and now our democracy is being ruined. The people want to become like the Germans. And that could only become true with a dictatorial-rule."

    "You''re getting sidetracked," said another chuckling. "You meant to tell us they want to occupy us to get more leverage during a war with the Northern Alliance. I could already see it coming," -he looked outside, glancing the peaceful green hills and the sun smiling down upon him- "I imagine this beautiful field. Covered with everything but the green peace it has now. A war covering the lands, a plague that wroughts everything. Every. Single. Country. Doomed to this war that Germany starts."

    "Who started it?"

    "Germany," he once again said.

    "I for one say it''d be the Northern Alliance."

    The mayor turned away from the window to look at him, intrigued as to what he''ll say next. "Don''t you see the hidden threats they''ve been hintin'' at the German Alliance? Already forming friends with the Eastern countries, then copying Germany''s weaponry to some kind of T."

    The escort of trucks transitioned from the field into the green shade of the dark Tria forest. "We''re nearly there," someone said, ominously.

    They gulped, the noise of the engine burning out and chuging rhythmically was acting like a clock, and for each second that engine roared, their hearts dropped lower and lower. "Have any of you met the Germans before?" Asked someone, nervously.

    "I have," the mayor looking out from the window before raised his hand. "They''re straight to the point at most, serious at best, and at rare times do they crack a joke in the midst of a conversation. They''re good in heart though."

    "We''ll take your word for it."

    The truck ran under the rough of the forest, the manageable, yet bumpy dirt road. Through a makeshift road on a shallow creek, then more forest. By four hours, three cities, and seven bathrooms breaks; the mayors made it to the boundary of Venit Ille. At first, it had just been forest. But, when the wooden-drowned horizon of pine trees faded into the clearing, they saw finally the sky, and the iron-claddened fortress.

    "Welcome to Venit Ille!" Shouted the driver from behind the wall of steel seperating the carriage.

    The mayors scrambled to look outside;

    Sudden gasps all round,

    The place was so trafficked with cars, trucks, and tanks. Things they never even thought possible, in the air lingered this smoke, making it semi-unbearable to breathe. And the place itself was riddled with these funnel-buildings (hangars, as the mayors did not know what they were called) so many stone-colored buildings, of which were made of concrete. And then the marching soldiers! So many and so uniquely strong-looking!

    It didn''t help the fact that their guns, with those bayonets, looked so frightening, the mayors couldn''t help but shudder by the thought of being shanked by a group of those soldiers. They sullened.

    "This place is a military fortress." One couldn''t help but utter the comment of.

    "Agreed," his eyes glanced at every which interesting thing that caught his eye upon. "Their so-called guns, artillery, tanks, and whatnot; protect this place, they don''t even need a barrier, a wall unlike us. They''ve made, practically, an invisible line of defense, that, even with all the power of Handerbour, Lottidenty, heck even Hesia! They wouldn''t be able to siege this place."

    One groaned, "let''s hope we can settle for peace?" -He reached for his water- "if the Germans want the northern portion of Handerbour, we''ll give it to them for the war, but we will immidiately request it back after said war."

    "You''re so dead-set that there''ll even be a war." One retorted.

    "And you''re still stuck in the past, mayor."

    The tension inside the truck strengthened, if not from the Germans, so too did themselves.

    "What I mean is, it''s inevitable, and peace isn''t always a ready-to-go option." He sighed, "and how Germany''s acting, it''s not so out of mind to say that Germany will go to war with the Northern Alliance."

    The truck went dark in silence.

    A couple of minutes later, the truck had finally stopped. The area where it had parked was a little less crowded, having less of the talk and banter of vehicles and marching sounds. Unsure of what to do, they sat still, awaiting a German to come by. When, this group of soldiers escorted them down the truck.

    "Good Afternoon," this bulk of muscle came to greet them; his clothing was different. They''ve seen the Venit-Ille blacks and their jet-black selfs, and the Ridge-Brown soldiers and their khaki-brown look.

    Red lapels, an overly decorated hat, ornaments, and so many medals neatly packed on his chest. And his gold-insignia�� "Oh, General-sir, we are greatful to have you meet us for this fine occasion." They all bowed, nervously.

    "As I thank you." They flew their bodies upright, "however, I won''t call it fine. You have your protests as we wish to accuire ourselves our own wants. I''m afraid our headquarters are full at the moment, so we''ll make do outside."

    "O-outside!?" The delegates were shocked, having such a confidential-esque meeting happening outside!? That was some insane stuff the general had just spat. "General-sir, as our meeting pertains to the good of Handerbour and relations to Germany, I believe it would be quite respectable to have it inside, away from�� The noise��"

    "Ah, noise!" The general cried, "I had forgotten about noise. But belay that for now, we''ll walk our way to the location I''ve planned our meeting at; albeit, outside. And, I have yet to introduce myself have I? Stupid of me, it''s been a long time since I''ve needed to do that."

    The mayors observed and awaited in silence.

    "I am General-of-the-Army; Naturvege Ille. I command all sectors of the Army."

    They gulped, their faces grim.

    "Let us go." He joyfully began to walk towards a path, the mayors soon followed.

    ---

    It was a way-side location. A garden, per-say, it was at a spot along the river, some ways off the hustle and bustle of Venit-Ille''s military base. And yet, even if the birds twit here and there, and the butterflies landed from thence and thence-on, the power, this raw-strength still exuded off of Naturvege. They couldn''t stay calm.

    Offered some metal-made chairs, they sat.

    The whole meeting area was rather informal. Yet maybe that was a trick, one of the delegates thought-up. To get them to soften-up, the General picked out this place to numb their sense of oppression somewhat. It was just a little too peaceful a meeting spot for it not to have any other meaning than just a beautiful place to talk in.

    "We know your reasoning." The delagates said, "the northern-half of Handerbour, right? For the remainder of a war you''ll declaring with the NA?"

    The general laughed! "Good! How did you know that!?"

    "Becau-"

    "Don''t answer." His face turned stern, the delegates lowered their heads in fear. "But yes, we want the northern half of Handerbour. Maybe even the whole of Handerbour," -the delegates'' eyes freaked- "for war, and for economics."

    "You want to hamper our fight for the Gale islands?" Added a delegate, his eyes sharp with a pang of hate.

    "You were never involved to begin with."

    There was a silent scoff amongst them.

    "I''m sure the Handerbour people love the government, and their want to claim ''some'' part of the Gale islands." Naturvege leaned back on his chair; "we know what happens when countries overestimate their capability to fight. And you know you don''t want this, so do ''not'' provoke me. We will accept a deal; three years occupation of the North, in exchange you get�� Nothing."

    "N-nothing, general-sir?" The man was dumbfounded, so was every single delegate.

    He nonchalantly nodded, "nothing. W-well�� There is something. We don''t go to war with you, simple as that. You can leave without waging war, or�� The other way around, without us waging war on you. You''ll get some benefit, after three years. But that''s all." He rested his hands on his thighs.

    They couldn''t comment. It was a mix of anger, amusement, and dumbfoundedness. As the sparrow bird landed on that stone-barrier, the retainer of the wall of the canal-likedness of the river beside them; a delegate had thought of something.

    "General-sir," he caught his eyes. "I understand the want of land. To transport materials for a war. Supply lines are one of the major backbones of the war, if a supply line is cut, then everything else will break down. Like a jigsaw puzzle without it''s last piece. The puzzle wouldn''t be complete."

    Naturvege, intrigued, leaned in, putting his elbows on his thighs and clasping his hands together; intently looking at the delegate. "Continue."

    "Since you, general-sir, would not also want to be managing cities, the local laws and whatnots�� What if we gave you all of Handerbour?"

    "What stupidty dare utter from your mouth!" Another delegate stood in furious triumph; his mouth foamed, and his eyes shot with anger!

    "I''ve heard enough." Naturvege stood, "shoot everyone except him!"

    "What!?" Before he could register and complain, the brief rage that was instilled within him as all of his other companions were gone. Their bodies, hitting the floor under the beat of the wind. The gunshots, seemingly blending-in with the rest of Venit-ille; the delegates were practically forgotten by man. The sparrow flew away.

    Naturvege got out from his inner-pocket a towel; rubbing off the blood on his face. He looked at the nearby treeline, gesturing a comeupence, "Please, clean that up."

    A few soldiers came out from under the clearing of the nearby group of trees. "Yes, sir!" They ran to the scene.

    "So��" Naturvege looked at him, the only delegate to have survived. "I''m aware of the fact that you�� Not only don''t like how your Government does the governing, but that you wish to become something like Germany."

    "H-how did you?" Covered in blood and still stuttering from the loud bangs.

    "I knew because Germany''s knowledge is absolute, we desire to know and understand everything. That is what the lord wishes, instills within us."

    "That doesn''t explain my question."

    "Oh, but it does." Naturvege packed the towel up neatly, and put it on the grass ground. "You will forget everything from here, but you will lead your country to success in the near future. Lottidenty will invade Handerbour, and you will become the people''s martyr."

    "W-what!?" He stood up in shock, "don''t you mean to make supply lines to the Gale Islands? Wasn''t that the whole intention why you wanted North Handerbour in the first place!?"

    "Yes, supply lines, we will build those as well." Naturvege looked up at blue skies, "but getting control of the Gale Islands aren''t the only things on our list, "he quickly dropped back down his head and began to walk back to Venit-Ille.

    "Wait! General-sir!" Cried the man, "what do I do now!? What do you mean by your statement! What�� What does it mean!"

    "I''m afraid that''s for you to find out, sir!" Naturvege disappeared under the wooden clearing.

    ( * )

    It was Adelheid''s third commanded ship. From the K-3 for Krimvald, then it was the Leberect in the war for Hesia, then�� "It is now the Yamato." He stood proudly, nigh-right at the edge of the cliff outlooking the majestic behemoth. He had seen the Scharnhorst in the very same dock, but to see an even bigger ship than Scharnhorst�� It was impossibly inconceivable.

    "The Yamato is now yours to command." Hierd came out from the shadows of the woods, "you''ll be able to get it running after your crew of two-thousand men-"

    Adelheid chuckled, turning around, "two thousand men�� I-I never would have thought I would even be here now, but��" -He glanced at the Yamato once more- "it''s amazing."

    "Yes." Hierd smiled, "and you''re going to be heading towards the Gale Islands, which takes�� two weeks? One week? I don''t know, I''m not naval-man."

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "One week, lord."

    "Yes, one week;" -he put his hands on his pockets- "since your crew is already pretty experienced, I doubt there''ll be any problems with the training, which will occur under the duration of your travel to the Gale Islands. Once you''re there�� Well�� The world''ll be engulfed in war."

    Adelheid''s face turned serious, he sighed exhausted. "Then I and the Scharnhorst will be coos in war, and by the massive amount of force we''ll have at the Gale Sea, then it means that the Northern Alliance has quite a few ships?"

    "Yes, and they''re pretty advanced already in that regard. Having mounted turrets, steam engines, and all the ilk. But that doesn''t matter, we''ll evolve better than them. Besides, who''ll win? A nation who''s technology is already great, or one that''s already developing?" Hierd''s face was smug, but Adelheid begged to differ.

    "They have better magical prowess." He broke in, "Jamie, our Unchean''s Lead Scientist, was part of the Lottidenty branch of the Magic Divisi-"

    "Ah, that;" in interupted, "I''d recently just skimmed through the lines of paperwork that flowed in from the MP, and that was one of the more recent shockers, you dug into it?"

    "Yes, lord." He smiled a little wrly, "she''s broken off from it, she said."

    "And you believe her?"

    "She''s testified that fact, and I doubt we''ll have any problems if she does decide and rebel against us, since I''ve gone to Pomlik to make me a Gem of Tracking."

    "Gem of Tracking��" Hierd smiled, "that''s unique. I have to go, Adelheid."

    "Goodbye, Lord."

    "Ah wait!" Hierd stopped and turned around, "I had forgotten to mention that there will be Betelionic and Hesian admirals inside, alright bye."

    ---

    All the preparations were set, the Yamato was ready to now undock. It was so weird to the sailors, to Adelheid. The ship was so large, the beam more so. Atago''s was the biggest all of those sailors got to be on before, but now? It was thirty-eight or so meters, they could fit a whole Unchean city block on it. And, not to mention, the turrets were big! Looking down from the skyscraper-tall bridge, it''s officers looked down on the deck. It was�� Scary, but momentous.

    "She got on her the same specs as does the Atago!" Yelled one, "a bit in height and in equipment!"

    There were some in the crowd who had already been in-crew with Captain Jack, making everything different with the German Ship sailors (the ones who had came from the Leberect and the K-3s) become more familiarized. The two sides got together and soon the Yamato''s singular big funnel started to erupt smoke.

    Everyone was ecstatic!

    From the hundreds of AA-guns and cannons, from the main turrets to it''s rangefinders; from the boilers to it''s many rooms. "We set sail to the Gale Islands! Please the lord of Germany, destroy that which is our enemy! And plunder for all that the sea hinders our path! Remember, sailors, comrades; we are the largest, the biggest, and the best warship of them all!"

    The Yamato sped off from the shore, it''s main guns trained to-bow, the heavy waves off of Harsh Sea, although seemingly behemoth, were but nothing in the face of the true behemoth of the seas.

    Twenty-knots,

    "Twenty-seven point four knots!" Yelled Adelheid, "she''s one slow ship!"

    "Aye, admiral!" Cried one of the officers, "so used to the speed of the Leberect!"

    Adelheid laughed, "Yes, yes indeed!"

    The Yamato bounced up and down gently above the waves. While her sailors tended her from bow to stern. At the stern, the sailors were busying themselves with figuring out what the mechanism at the back was. In the manual; it was called a�� "Steam Catapult Launcher?" They looked at themselves confused, since it was obviously not a cannon. "What could our lord have not shown us yet? This steam catapult��"

    "Maybe it''s for a dragoon?"

    "Are you insane!?" The sailor added jokingly, "but maybe dragoons on a ship wouldn''t be so bad? They''d�� Hey wait that''s a great idea actually. Just not the launcing part."

    There were not really a lot of things to do in the Yamato except tending to her machinery. At mid-day; Adelheid had them all rest in preparation for night. They had their lunch in the ship''s mess-halls. There wasn''t a need for classes in the Yamato; so all mess-halls were used regardless of rank.

    The galley (the kitchen per ship terms) prepared bountiful, savoury foods. As well as ice-cooled water with thanks to the magicians on board. Then, when they were done eating; they had the chance to explore the ship''s areas. From bow to stern, and from lowest deck to highest. Just that they couldn''t willy-nilly go to that or thence place.

    The turrets were a popular place to stay at, it was one of the biggest turrets they''ve ever seen. And some of Atago''s crew there could recognize the secondary armament being of the Atago''s ones.

    Adelheid set his command to the officers, there wasn''t really anything to do as the destination was already set; and his many officers were surveying the sea, the direction, and the coordinates at machine-like speed.

    He remembered, Hierd had said something regarding admirals from Hesia and Betelion. When then, in such coincidence; "Sir, Admirals from Hesia and Betelion are here to meet you, should I put them in your quarters, admiral-sir?"

    Adelheid turned around and looked at the officer, "yes, thank you." As the officer left the bridge; he groaned.

    ---

    "The chancellor of Germany called us to board the vessel; to hopefully resolve a dispute." The Betelionic admiral started, "is this about our little race of warships?"

    "Yes, it is." Adelheid pulled himself closer, grabbing then sipping the cup of tea, it turned lukewarm. "I personally have not been fond of you two''s actions. Even if it meant that your technologies have increased as a result. I''m led to believe Betelion''s making a battleship in response to what Hesia had created?"

    "Yes, we are." The admiral said, his tone quite serious.

    Adelheid was quickly skimming through his more recent memories, his time reading th newspapers, and the own casual conversations he''s had regarding the naval race. "But this creates too much tension for the betterment of our tri-alliance. We created the Yamato to underhand that."

    "That helps how, admiral?" The Hesian leaned in with a furious brow, "in all actuality, wouldn''t that just boost our motivation to create something better?"

    "By that you cannot ever make anything better." Adelheid laid the cup down on the coaster. "The Yamato, it''s Germany''s most powerful warship. It''s the cap to a bottle, and it will act as a barrier wherein it''s contents may not spill out. You two will never create a Yamato."

    "So you ask us to not create ships?" The Betelion admiral interjected, intrigued by Adelheid''s wording.

    "You can create ships, but not for the purpose of aggression." Adelheid sighed, dipping the bread into a batter of butter. "You can build warships to attack those outside our alliance, that you could do, but not to create warships to instill agression between the both of you."

    "Even without that intent in mind, we''d still be ''agressively'' making better-and-better warships to compete with eachother, just that, it''s in a different name."

    "So co-exist." Adelheid took a bite of the bread.

    Cool air seeped into the captain''s quarters, the harsh summer light creating contrast with the dark-ish indoors. The ambient; a nice rhythm of engine, and the crashing of waves on Yamato''s hull. The two admirals sat motionless for a time.

    "Elaborate on that." Betelion tried.

    "Build warships for the purpose of partnership." He grinned, "see, if two countries threw their engineers in one place, amazing things happen. You could divide the funds to make it a bit less expensive for the both of you. And, if you do try to enact it�� We guarantee that we would chip in our own funds and help."

    The two of them looked at each other, their eyes easing.

    "We will think about that." The Hesian admiral clasped his hands together, looking at Adelheid. "But, I would also want to know about something."

    "What may that be?" Adelheid stiffened his face.

    "In the case of war, what will Germany do?"

    ( * )

    Germany had constructed many forts in many major Betelionic shores in the lead-up to the Scharnhorst landing, primarily, those shores were being maintained by Betelionic soldiers in-training. The day after Scharnhorst''s landing; a radio blasted the radio waves. And, in horror, Hierd''s heart dropped.

    "012-012, this is Fort-012! We are being bombarded by warships! Country indentifiable; possibly Lottidenty. There''s four-hundred of them here! We need bac-"

    The radio transmission had ended.

    Felmenn was there when the transmission was directed to the Scharnhorst. On that moment, the bridge fell silent. Everyone had listened so intently, now their hearts were lying on their feet. Felmenn turned to look at his officers; "we won''t wait for HQ, I need one of the Deutschlands guarding this island, while us and the other deustchland travel north-ward."

    "You wish to face this, captain?"

    "Their technology should not be advanced enough to rival ours, I doubt they could even pierce our metals. But, only the future knows the answers, we do not."

    "Aye," the quartermaster added. "Relay it to the radio-room!"

    As the sound of the heavy iron door closed, Felmenn and the rest of his officers were already tracking navigation; "Full steam!" The speed-wheel was cocked all the way up and slowly but surely, the Scharnhorst left it''s dock. The Deustchland soon following with raging speed.

    The sky was gray, too gray to see a clear horizon. There was this light sparkle of rain, pitting the windows of the Scharnhorst, then the waves began to pick up. Felmenn, looking ahead, gulped. The sky was to darken, a storm was brewing in the distance.

    "Where is fort O-twelve?" Questioned Felmenn.

    "It should be somewhere in North Betelion," answered the quartermaster, "they were built to protect major cities, and if that fort represented the twelveth city upwards, then it should be��" He looked at the map sprawled on the small table ledge, "this!"

    "The port city of Gresh." Felmenn looked at it, the land, and it''s proximity with Kerfeliz. "Too close, that city''s gone if the NA''s bombarded it, or has sieged it by army. How''s our action? Has HQ relayed info bout'' our army''s movement?"

    "Not a thing, captain." He said, "but the ''secondary A-detached regiment;'' Venit-Ille black soldiers that were already stationed in Betelion, should be making their way northward, and Apple should have already deployed his army."

    "The Betelions have tanks right?" Felmenn questioned.

    The quartermaster nodded.

    "Then lets hope that this war''s a quick one."

    Felmenn felt dizzy, he couldn''t tell if it was because of the ship, but he was practically born in the sea, how would it be that he''d be dizzied by that? No, it was something else. He just couldn''t understand what it was.

    "Find the coordinates to this Gresh city, we''re making our way there."

    "Aye, captain!" A salute.

    ( * )

    It was plastered all over the billboards of Port Geo and Unchean, the people had been oblivious of the invasion for three hours. Only when the Betelions discovered that a massive army was invading their northern borders did things start to pick up.

    It read;

    "To my people. To Germany''s lifeblood, I regret to inform you that the Northern Alliance has waged war on the Alliance. In assistance with the Hesians, Betelions; we are now sending our best troops; our best weaponry, and our best minds. To no further end will Unchean be damaged in this war; this I guarantee. The Northern Alliance will not touch Germany''s wall as it had unfortunately caressed Betelion''s borders.

    But, will ''you'' turn a blind eye to it? No! My people; from the simple gardener to the noble spirit of a craftsman! Join Germany''s army! Join the high-seas to the lands! Will you turn down the call of the nation? Or will you stand to take fight, to battle the ones who dare disturb our peace! My people, fight! Fight for your family, fight for me, fight for Germany!"

    ---

    Some five hours after the intial invasion of Gresh; Hierd''s personal army were already making their way north to safeguard a position within Kerfeliz. It was a combined company, with five tanks, four cats and one Maus.

    "We''re near." Friedrick appeared from the shadows, "we last tracked the Kerfeliz; a signal from Fort O-eleven told us it''d be somewhere by this plain, on that," -he pointed- "road. Keep track, Matthaus."

    "Yes, sir."

    Friedrick had adorned many medals since his fight in Hesia. He retired a little to rest in the south after the war, but moved in Betelion after being assigned to Hierd''s Personal Army. It was the most prestigeous award, rank, that Germany would hold somebody in. And the army itself had already grown to a thousand since Unchean''s inception as Germany''s capital.

    He was�� Exhausted, to say the least. But he was experienced; making him most valuable.

    His company was hiding under a growth of trees right at the verge of a large plain. From the horizon, one can see the fire and smoke leaking out of the port city of Gresh, it had been sieged; and if time served right, the Kerfeliz should be appearing at any minute.

    He silently treaded under the darkness of the forest, his soldiers, dressed in the all-black Venit-Ille dress, were building his war tent, avoiding to use torches and flashlights, relying instead on the veil of the moonlight.

    Seeing a lieutenant, he went to him; "have your platoon move a kilometer east. Try to flank the Kerfeliz to the side if we do engage with them by this road, keep the communication open and be prepared to retreat."

    "Yes, sir." With a quick gesture, his group of soldiers were already moving; part of the lieutenant''s platoon was a panther, some soldiers hopped on the iron top of the panther to conserve energy, sadly, the rest walked.

    "HQ gave the command that we should be securing a spot inside of Kerfeliz to later then become a command chain. But that''s too risky without knowing the scale of how dangerous these guys are. I should first encounter these hooligans at Gersh, then take a side-track east to catch them when they least expect me at some other city. I should be able to rest my soldiers at a small city outpost."

    "Sir!" The soldier cried, Friedrick turned around.

    "The Kerfeliz are here!"

    It was followed by a big shock! That was not from a German tank. No, that was too chaotic a noise, it sounded like a cannon, but much less denser sounding�� Friedrick ran for Mattahaus, when, under the dense thicket of trees, his eyes widened in shock.

    "Shit!" Matthaus yelled, "they have tanks!"

    "Machine gunners, fire!" Friedrick yelled, gesturing for his platoons to fire and move inward; his formation of soldiers soon began to take a line shape, while his tanks at the very back of the line were making their way forward; firing into the sky with drastic elevations, acting as artiliery.

    "We have a field of seven-hundred meters!" Called one of the lieutenants, "ready the mortars!"

    Under pressure and hastily deploying, the Kerfeliz were fighting back. Not only did they have primative versions of tanks, but they had also guns. They fired much like the Kar98k, from afar they weren''t that accurate, but Friedrick wasn''t going to afford a death.

    "Grab a shovel and begin digging!" he ran to an open truck-back, "get the sandbacks and stack the inside with dirt! Anything just to not get hit, men!"

    "Yes, sir!"

    His soldiers were moving confidently yet carefully under the thicket of the woods, the occasional bullet hole hitting a tree and nearly hitting someone''s head.

    Friedrick made his way to the front of his forest formation; the loud sounds and cries from the Kerfelizians getting audible step by step. He proned down next to Matthaus, "what do you see?" Friedrick immidiately got out the binoculars hanging on his neck.

    "Two tanks, and a whole lotta gun-weavin freaks." Matthaus commented, shooting at two soldiers in the span of a second, reloading the next second after.

    The Kerfeliz were making great travel, but their movement was being restrained by Friedrick''s soldiers'' machine gun firing. As the plain wasn''t entirely flat, the Kerfeliz were able to hide behind little bumps and hills; there was this one bump in the land that a majority of them were at; luckily, with one calculated mortar hit, the formation of soldiers there had broken.

    Friedrick made notice with the two tanks. It was rough-looking and colored brightly with this bronze-looking yellow. It looked something like Betelion''s tanks. But much more primative. The chasis itself was blocky and lacked a slope, but comically, there was one large-calibre barrel attached on the slowly-rotating turret. And it did not use conventional tracks, neither did it seem to use gasoline.

    With how it slowly glided off the ground, and how slow it''s movement was, it could only have been made using magic. The tank''s barrel alarmingly began to rise. His machine guns have hit the tank many countless of times, but it seems the armor was thick enough to withstand the fifty-calibre rounds. Even Matthaus'' PTRS-41 was unable to penetrate the armor. But even if, there were some holes. And the weaker part was especially the back part of the hull, deforming quicker with Matthaus'' shooting.

    "Charge!" Friedrick overheard in shock, a charge was simply so stupid in that situation, he looked around, when��

    This large sillhouete jumped from the corner of his eye, it''s tracks seemingly floating in the air as the Maus landed; seemingly making a crater in it''s every movement.

    The Kerfeliz were gently retreating backward to Gresh. It didn''t help that the side-flank that Friedrick had laid out in advance had rushed out from their hiding spot and already assaulting them from the east.

    Their formation was growing thin, and less and less bullets were firing. With the Maus being able to get nearer and nearer to the Kerfelizian tank; it got easier and easier to range-find it.

    Kerplunk!

    An armor-piercing shell.

    Their barrels were eye-to-eye yet so far apart. The Kerfelizian tank was slowly retreating, but it wouldn''t be able to retreat fast enough with how much more faster the Maus was in comparison.

    It fired!

    "Shit! Fire now!" The tank commander closed the cupola, whilst the driver quickly served the tank left-wards.

    The Maus was hit!

    It hadn''t penetrated, but the thick walls of the Maus'' interior got a whole lot bumpy. "It fragmented," commented in relief of the assistant gunner.

    BOOM!

    In retaliation, the Maus fired it''s barrel. And like a home-seeking missle; it found it''s target.

    A magnificent blast! The Kerfelizian tank wasn''t able to take the armor-piercing bullet; but the way it exploded was abnormal. "That wasn''t an HE round right?" Radioed in Friedrick, observing the fight from his position.

    "No that was not, sir!" Replied the radio-man.

    "Alright thank!" Friedrick hang the radio call.

    "What you think?" Matthaus looked at him, interested in his opinion. "Couldn''t have blown up if it wasn''t powered by steam or oil."

    "No, it couldn''t have." Friedrick stood up, as the bullets from the Kerfeliz died down as they began to retreat towards Gresh. "Not unless they were using some sort of magical catalyst, as I suspect they have been doing to move the things."

    Matthaus groaned, "magic is a strange thing."

    Friedrick turned around, his Lieutenants already gathering their soldiers to. He called out to them; "we surround Gresh; bombard it from afar with our tanks, just like the capital."

    "Yes, sir."

    As Friedrick''s lieutenants ran back to their platoons, a soldier called out; "sir Friedrick! Someone''s calling for you!" He ran to the radio operator hanging out in the war-tent. Grabbing the telephone from the soldier''s hand.

    "Friedrick, this is Heduc."

    "Nice to talk to you again." Friedrick grinned a little.

    "Y-yes," Heduc chuckled a little. "The SS Maguildafaulker''ll come to Gresh, we need the port city done-clean before then."

    "Right-on." Friedrick tossed the telephone to the soldier, hopping on a truck, clinging to it by the metal chassis that traveled around the back-carriage. "Men! Make way to your platoons! I want a position for the mortars near that city! We''re retaking it, boys!"

    "Yes, sir!" Replied in jovial chuckles, his soldier saluting as Friedrick flew past them still clinging on his truck. He was smiling, even if the night sky approached and darkened, even if the sky was uncertain, that west-ward: a stormy typhoon and the east so much so calm. He felt triumphant, even if it were just starting. He felt, like Hierd had felt so many years ago. That he too could rule the world.

    With the Yamato heading North, all of the Tri-Alliance deployed. Each and every tank running the roads, soldiers running to that truck then this car. The whole of the Latessian continent was in a flux. With only one singular thought sprinting across their minds��

    "In this game of agression, who will win? And what is that future like?"

    ( * )

    The creeking of the wooden decks, the sea so rough that every and each place of the ship was so full of water. The sailors; tirelessly working the mechanics, watching the midnight horizon with the sharpest eyes and the most measly spyglasses.

    The storm that raged Gale sea affected both sides, obviously. And the Kerfelizians didn''t want to travel farther into it. "Cap!" Yelled the coxswain, "we can''t bound furder! The sea''s gonna swallow us whole I say!"

    "She''ll run!" The captain, so drenched in seawater and in sweat, veered the vessel right. "Train your eyes men! Train dem'' eyes! Since soon we see the Germans sooner we get the first hit! And that gud'' for somethin'' hit''ll spell us victory!"

    The Jallasee, one of the frigates of the Kerfelizian navy. Even before Germany, Kerfeliz had a abnormally great amount of naval warships, mostly sloops and frigates rather than cruisers and galleons. By the recent advent of steel, machinery unlike any before, and so much technology. They had retrofit many of their wooden vessels into steel warships. Removing the rows of cannons, and instead opting for one turret; two barrels with thick diameters.

    Like many, the frigate had one funnel, still running sails, and were kindly fast. It hadn''t the same speed as do the German, Hesian, Betelion ship, but it was a ship that could make a difference in a game wherein your enemy is Waterloo and you''re Napoleon.

    The shipped bobbed up and down, rolled this way and that way; the sailors were accustomed to it, but never before at this magnitude. Beyond this seer of waves, thunderous clouds, and dark sky; a few hundred warships (of Kerfeliz''s singular frigate-steelclad armada) were making their way Southside to the southern-most point of the Gale Islands (where the Germans have occupied).

    The captain didn''t have any hopes of winning the war, neither this battle they were to face, but he hoped only that his family be safe; even if he needed to answer the creed of duty.

    "fifty east, starboard; light!" The quartermaster pointed out, soon the whole crew were eyeing up the sudden light with their spectacles. It had, like a flare, went and gone. But that couldn''t have been their ship since it was south, no ship was down south yet.

    "Glare in your eyeglass?" Laughed the captain.

    "Maybe," he cleaned glass-tip of the spyglass, only for it to be covered with water droplets once more, he looked once more, where he had seen the spark of light. "Nothing�� There''s noth-"

    ---

    "What happened!" The admiral of the Kolinda yelled, the burling ship, the converted galleon (Kolinda). So fueled with fire, smoke as dark as the night surrouding, the admiral looked in horror.

    "The Jallasee has fallen!"

    Immidiately he sent orders to the spotlight men, coordinating them a message. Sprinting to the upper decks, he rushed to his command and ushered the sailors for the engine''s full power. "Load the turrets! Aim 30 south!" -He glanced behind him- "find the elevation!"

    "Yes, admiral-sir!"

    In the middle of the thunder of the sea, as if the whole thing were a whirlpool, it''s middle the gaping-wide hole of Hell; everything had spiraled so down-hill. The admiral whisked his ship to it''s side for it''s two turrets sitting midship to be able to fire simultainously.

    There was a count of un-ease. The Jallasee wasn''t even visible from the view of the Kolinda, so how did the Germans manage to spot and shoot at it!

    The spotfinders weren''t able to locate where it happened, frankly, they couldn''t calculate anything with the rage of the big-blue sea hampering everything and anything percise. "Just shoot!" The admiral ordered.

    With her twenty-five centimeter barrels, she aimed high up and scaled big. The area wherein the enemy''s ship could be in was too large, missing once will spell death, and the admiral knew this. But he knew that the other frigates behind him, of the hundreds; that if Kolinda were to sink; it''d be because of the flash-fire of the German turrets. Meaning, they''d be able to locate, "And fire!"

    Hearts racing, the first shots hadn''t hit anything. Splashes, distant splashes, and just stupid strays.

    They were dead.

    Going ablaze; the Kolinda signed her last goodbye.

    An approaching sillhouete.

    Crashing.

    Crashing.

    Heading straight for the Kolinda in the most swift, harsh fashion.

    The Yamato opens it''s floodlights.

    ...

    Hello, that was the end of Volume 2. I don''t know whether there will be a volume three, but there still will be chapters being posted here. Either that or I''ll be remastering older chapters of mine. The next few chapters that''ll be in Volume two are special chapters, or chapters wherein I decide to put drawings of key moments of Vol 2 like I''ve done in the past with the Atago.

    I hope you liked Vol 2 and Vol 1. This will probably be the end of Auferstan at the moment.

    f.y.i for the royal road people, if  you wish to see the content as described in this note; it''s all available in Webnovel, I''m just too lazy to add images via Imgur for royalroad, and that there are more chapters in Webnovel''s one than on this. Of course, special chapters, and not a third volume.

    -Author