《War of the Three Worlds》


 Chapter 1: Good Morning, New World.

    Arlette, United Federation of Elysia


    April 25th, Elysian Calendar Year 1987.


    04:00 PM


    ¡°Mister President!¡± A frantic aide burst through the Presidential Office.


    President Irwin Patris looked up from the usual reports on his work desk. ¡°Yes? What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Recently sworn into office after his predecessor - President Lucius, who was killed by a roadside bomb placed by the Socialist rebels while in transit -, he is still full of energy and sense of duty. While he had hoped it would not be the Socialists making trouble again, he was prepared to hear more bad news.


    ¡°Sir, the Federal Space Agency just discovered a large storm developing over the West Sea! It¡¯s like nothing we¡¯ve ever seen!¡± The aide cried out.


    Well, that was unexpected.


    ¡°Woah, calm down ma¡¯am.¡± He stood up, curious about the situation. ¡°Why am I just hearing about this all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°The storm seemed to have spontaneously appeared. The guys at the Federal Space Agency should be giving you a call sometime around now, one of their meteorologists will inform you about the emergency situation.¡± As she finished her sentence, the phone on President Irwin¡¯s desk began to ring.


    Irwin walked back to his desk and picked up the phone. ¡°President Irwin speaking.¡±


    ¡°Mister President,¡± a calm voice replied. ¡°I¡¯m Dr. Andrew Scott, meteorologist. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of the storm developing over the sea just off the Western shore. We¡¯re still monitoring it however the increasing intensity of the storm has made us lose contact with the monitoring buoys so we are not certain of the situation, our speculation is that Elysia might be encompassed by the storm in less than 12 hours given the growth rate seen by the current sorties of weather reconnaissance aircrafts in the outer rim. We still don¡¯t know how it came to be, but you should expect it to make landfall within 2 hours.¡±


    At least it wasn¡¯t the communists. Letting out a sigh, President Irwin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, finding himself to be sufficiently composed, he motioned for the aide.


    ¡°Ellen, we need to declare a national emergency. Get everyone here ASAP, and make sure to ground all flights. Oh, and tell Steve to get my press team ready.¡±


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    ¡°Right away, sir.¡± Ellen rushed out of the room.


    President Irwin then returned his attention to the meteorologist on the phone. ¡°Dr. Andrew.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir?¡±


    ¡°Any suggestions?¡±


    ¡°You should hunker down and hope for the best, Mister President.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ it can¡¯t be that bad, can it?¡±


    ¡°I hope not, but you should prepare for the worst. I advise that you mobilize all emergency services and National Guard for disaster relief.¡±


    ¡°We are about to do so, Dr. Andrew. I¡¯ll be making some other calls now, let me know if anything new comes up, Dr. Andrew.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Mister President. Good luck, sir.¡± He ended the call.


    Now alone, President Irwin rests his face on the work desk. ¡°Oh Lucius, what am I supposed to do without you?...¡±


    ¡°Good afternoon, Mister President.¡± A voice caught Irwin¡¯s attention, causing him to look up. The press team is already pushing themselves into the room, setting up cameras and equipment to prepare for the emergency broadcast.


    ¡°Steve¡­ I got this. Don¡¯t worry about me, hand me my lines.¡± He ordered his assistant.


    Steve pulled out a piece of paper from his folder and offered it to the President. ¡°Here you go, sir.¡±


    Irwin took the paper and read the lines, it was nothing he wasn¡¯t expecting. Emergency broadcasts are as common in the Federation as poverty in the Socialist Republic of Yarik and leaders are expected to do their duty, upholding the law and promoting as well as spreading the superior way of life in Elysia to the world.


    Grabbing a bottle of water and downing half of it, Irwin cleared his throat, adjusting his tie and straightened his pose for the camera crew. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    The director announced. ¡°We are rolling in three¡­ two¡­ one¡­¡±


    The camera went live, broadcasting the President to every corner of the Federation. ¡°People of our proud nation¡­¡±

 Chapter 2: The Metal Bird Incident.

    12th Eastern Wyvern Squadron


    The Great Sea


    April 28th, Central Calendar Year 1427.


    5:25 AM


    Marly Hastnan looked at the looming storm with some concern, even his wyvern could feel it, there is something wrong happening here. Years of service and he has seen nothing like this. He looked over to his comrade, who shares the same uneasy feeling. Closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath, he regained composure and flew the designated flight path using his magic detector.


    Out in this vast sea of nothingness, the magical detector is the only thing keeping him from getting lost as the magical relay tower constantly updates his coordinate from the shore but he does not care, as his reliable wingman often reminded him of anything out of the ordinary.


    However, besides the darkened skies on his left, the usual boring patrol pattern has made his mind numb. He couldn¡¯t recount how many times he has gone out patrolling the sea only to find nothing besides a few usual sightings of Krakens chewing through some poor school of fishes and occasional dolphins.


    While his siblings get to serve in the Royal Wyvern Corp, eating good food and trains with the best riders out there in the capital city of Anzuri, he alone stays here defending the oh so poor coast from the seabirds that the locals love to munch on at festivals. Had he been more qualified, he could¡¯ve served alongside his brothers but he had hoped his test earlier in January would land him a spot in the Corp and escape this boring town.


    A faint droning noise entered his sharp ears, but he dismissed it. The intensity of the noise increased, until it became a slight annoyance to Marly. Looking at the skies around him in an attempt to find the source of the noise. Seeing nothing, he tapped his earpiece and applied mana into it, connecting to his wingman. ¡°Oi, Chresh! You hear something out of the ordinary?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, are you talking about the buzzing sound?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Where is it coming from?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s coming from the storm on our left.¡±


    Before Marly could reply, a yelp of shock emanated from his magical earpiece. ¡°Contact! On our right!¡±


    His wingman stammered a report, stuttering between breaths as he attempted to make sense of the object he is currently seeing. ¡°Strange object! Behind the clouds!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m investigating it!¡± Marly shouted, barely able to contain his excitement.


    Finally getting some action after all this time, Marly smiled at this encounter, maybe he could even impress his superiors and get himself recommended for the Royal Corp. Taking down a sea dragon, even if it¡¯s a small one, is a feat few get to brag about and would certainly improve his odds of entering the Corp.


    Approaching the storm, the object exited the clouds and sped into him, hitting his Wyvern¡¯s wing directly and breaking it. The wyvern flapped its broken wing furiously in an attempt to stay in the air but Marly couldn¡¯t hold her anymore. He attempted to bail down into the ocean only to find his straps weren¡¯t disengaged.


    ¡°Oh god!¡± He shouted in panic while attempting to disengage the safety straps on his hip while free falling from the sky. But it was too late. He and his wyvern slammed down on the ocean surface at deadly speed and sank to the depth.


    Chresh flew down to where his wingman had fallen, frantically looking for signs of life. ¡°Marly!¡±


    He looked up back to his squadron as they attempted to pursue the strange metal object in the sky to no avail as the thing glided through the air at unnaturally high speed, unthinkable for most wyvern species besides the Wind Dragon.


    The large, white colored metal object was leaving smoke trails from its left solid, non-flapping wing and heading towards Sunsettia, the nearest settlement in the coast.


    Below him, a rider¡¯s boot floats up to the surface of the ocean, taking Chresh¡¯s attention. Knowing what this means, he holds up his tears and guides his wyvern to pick up the boot using its feet. Putting his right hand on his magical earpiece and attaching the small mana gem from his pocket, he holds in his pain and utters a few painful sentences. ¡°Thi-this is Chresh from the 12th Eastern Squ-Squadron¡­ I lost my wingman. Report of a stra-strange metal object flying West at high speed towards Sunsettia, over.¡±


    <hr>


    P-12 Light Patrol Aircraft


    The Great Sea, 27 km from Sunsettia


    April 28th, 1425.


    5:25 AM


    ¡°I told you that you shouldn¡¯t have flown too close to the storm! The instrument still isn¡¯t working!¡± The navigator screamed.


    ¡°Vargson! Keep trying to contact the mainland! Tell them we¡¯re in trouble!¡± The pilot shouted at his navigator sitting on the floor above.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, Captain! The comms are also down! Signal is still jumping all over the place!¡±


    ¡°This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen!¡± Hartmann thought to himself while the control stick rattled every part of his body.


    Despite his and his plane¡¯s effort to hurry back to the mainland, the storm had consumed the aircraft and messed up everything, not even the reliable compass work anymore. He had switched to manual piloting for the last three hours, struggling to keep his bird and his crewmates in the air in the hope of reaching back to the runway or at least crash land in the safety of land instead of the deadly sea below.


    Darting his eyes around, praying to God, he caught a glimpse of open sky on his 9 O¡¯clock direction despite the treacherous weather limiting his vision to nothing more than 100 meters from the front.


    No time to question, he used his body to push the control stick left as hard as he could to the open sky, grasping for salvation from the storm that had consumed the aircraft.


    Finally, a sudden brightness washed over the cabin. Hartmann let out a breath in relief as they had somehow exited the relentless storm. ¡°Finally..!¡±


    BUMP


    The sudden collision with something shook the entire aircraft, unresponsive instruments were now roaring to life, blaring alarms like they were fresh out of the factory on this 24 years old aircraft.


    ¡°What was that?!¡± Hartmann shouted in disbelief.


    As if the gods hadn''t had enough fun condemning him to stay in the air in that accursed storm for the past three hours, he now has to fly this broken junk with a busted wing.


    Vargson on his navigation cabin has a much better view of the damage, allowing him to look to the wings more clearly. ¡°Engine one is smoking! We¡¯re also losing fuel! I think we just got a bird strike!¡±


    Wasting no time, Hartmann shut the fuel line to engine one and activated fire extinguishing. ¡°Engine one shut down! Cutting fuel lines to engine one!¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t pick up any other aircraft in the air sir! Attempting to reestablish communication!¡± Vargson desperately flips and crank the radio switches.


    The aircraft is now shaking heavily, near impossible to keep flying straight due to the broken wing and cracked fuselage, every turn is a struggle as the aircraft¡¯s metal groans and bent as if it is in unspeakable pain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give up on me, you beautiful flying piece of scrap metal¡­¡± Hartmann mumbles as he wrestle with the controls, arms burning with the effort to keep the aircraft level. Through the window, the large nearby land mass came into view. He can make it.


    The coastal farmland came into view, he could see a town, even a nice big villa up in the hillside, but there was no time to think as he steered the aircraft towards the open farmland. Suddenly his plane started dropping, losing altitude quickly as more alarms rang through the cabin.


    The loss of one of the two engines was severe, as procedure had dictated that one must find the nearest open field to land the aircraft as soon as possible upon the loss of one engine. Hartmann cursed himself for not noticing that he was approaching the minimum speed needed to maintain flight and that he was stalling down to the ocean.


    The fuselage cracks have broken the hydraulics.


    ¡°No mechanical help now, Hartmann.¡± he mumbles as he uses his body to push the nose down to pick up speed so he could glide his way to salvation ahead.


    However the aircraft refused to pull up, the strong winds had pushed the flaps back preventing him from lifting the nose back again. As he pulled the stick desperately, a pair of hands reached out behind him, it was Vargson.


    ¡°You have to pull it harder!¡± Vargson screamed as he and Hartmann used all their strength to pull the stick back together, groaning in agony and lifting the aircraft up again.


    They¡¯re almost over land now, Vargson hurried back to the navigator seat the floor above and hurriedly strapped his safety belts on. The flashing light on his right panel caught his eyes, the radio was picking up signals on their frequency.


    ¡°One minute to cri-critical altitude!¡± Hartmann yelled, almost passing out due to the fatigue yet still hanging on to the control stick.


    Vargson tuned in the frequency. ¡°Mayday mayday! Contact Arlette 4 ATC! We¡¯re crash landing on an unknown landmass heading two, seven, five! Bearing-¡±


    Hartmann¡¯s voice crackles over the intercom, his voice screaming in panic. ¡°Brace for impact!¡±


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    BOOM.


    The aircraft shakes uncontrollably as it slams down and scrapes on the dirt below, both of them could hear the wings snapping and catch the leaking fuel on fire, yet all they can do now is tuck their bodies in and hope that they will live another day.


    Silence filled the cabin as the aircraft came to a stop, with the occasional sparking noise from the damaged electronics filled in for the deafening silence in the cockpit.


    ¡°Are you ok?... Vargson?...¡± Hartmann breathes heavily.


    ¡°I¡¯m good sir.¡±


    ¡°Thank goodness, this wasn¡¯t our end.¡± Hartmann sighs in relief, knowing that he had just barely managed to land his bird down with few injuries in between.


    ¡°That was a solid landing, sir.¡± Vargson comments as Hartmann passes out from fatigue.


    Climbing down the floor below, Vargson grabs his R-25SB carbine in the SERE kit under his seat and slung it behind his back. Quickly grabbing everything he¡¯d need, Vargson attempted to open the emergency hatch on the side but to no avail as the door refused to budge. ¡°What kind of engineer designed this piece of shi¡­¡± as Vargson raised his leg, preparing to unleash the frustration on the poor escape hatch.


    He remembers what his mother used to say. ¡°If it¡¯s mechanical, give it a good bash!¡±


    Some tips never seem to get old, apparently. The hatch pops open quickly, detaching itself from its hinges entirely and revealing the relatively open countryside.


    After dragging Hartmann¡¯s passed out body out of the wrecked plane and resting him on a nearby tree, Vargson takes a sip from his canteen to calm down and quench the thirst.


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± he whispered as he patted on Hartmann¡¯s shoulder. Pulling out the radio beacon from the SERE kit, he turns it on and fiddles around with the controls. ¡°What does this do-¡±


    ¡°Hey! Who are you?!¡± a voice opened up behind Vargson¡¯s back with a mix of confusion, fear and anger.


    Vargson looked back, an old farmer looked at him dead in the eyes, pitchfork in hand pointing at him.


    He instinctively aimed his R-25SB carbine at the old farmer, but to his surprise the old man showed no fear, replaced by confusion instead at the carbine aimed at him.


    ¡°You two fell out of¡­ that thing?¡± The farmer asked in a deep voice, pointing his pitchfork at the strange metal craft burning on the wheat field.


    Vargson could see behind the old man was a few other folks using¡­ horse-drawn wagons? Where is he even? He had heard of extreme poverty in the communist-run Yarik, but surely not to this level? Even they must¡¯ve seen a plane in their life before given how much the commies love to flaunt their bombers around in parades.


    The passersby are watching him with curiosity and fear in their faces, most of the kids hid behind the caravan and the adults are helping to extinguish the fire caused by the aircraft¡¯s fuel. Some even brought more weapons towards his position.


    ¡°This is bad. Very bad.¡± he mumbles.


    Suddenly a loud trumpet sound roared in the sky above as everybody¡¯s attention was immediately turned towards the sky behind Vargson. A few folks ran away, hurriedly telling their children to get back on the wagon and quickly rode as far as possible.


    Only the old farmer remains, his expression tells a thousand words that needn''t be told. Vargson could only think of one meaning behind this: he¡¯s about to be captured.


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Vargson thought to himself.


    Dozens of shadow figures cast themselves on the dirt below as Vargson looked up to the sky in disbelief, mouth agasp. ¡°Are those¡­ Flying lizards? Wyverns?!¡±


    Realizing that there are people riding on them, he raised his carbine and aimed it towards the sky. Dotting his eyes around, his tired eyes unable to pick a target due to the large number of wyverns circling around him and the aircraft wreck. ¡±What the hell is going on?!¡±


    ¡°Arrest that man!¡± One of the riders shouted, his outfit more colorful than the others, with long, big feathers attached to his helmet making him stand out among the rest.


    Bingo. ¡°This guy must be important.¡± Vargson mumbles to himself, focusing on the man.


    He ready the carbine and racks the charging handle. There is no time to think of how he came to this situation, all he knows is that he and Hartmann are in danger and there are people wanting to capture both of them.


    The wyvern officer hovers in the air casually, barking orders for others to follow as if that¡¯s the only thing he knows how to do, which is probably true. Two riders landed near his aircraft, hurriedly rushing over to Vargson¡¯s position, spears in hand, but they would be not so lucky.


    Two thunderous bursts of 5.56x45mm rifle rounds filled the air, and the only thing left on the crop field in front of him besides wheat would be two dead wannabe captors. The farmer fell on his back in shock, trying to back away from the strange man whom he thought was a high tier mage with explosive magic.


    Wasting no time, Vargson empty the rest of the 24 rounds in the 30 rounds magazine into the sky where the Wyvern leader is. Several rounds hit the wyvern and it fell down to the ground along with the commander on it, crushing his right leg from the weight.


    In his trigger happy mindset, he had forgotten that he is practically outnumbered 1 to 100 and the enemy can fly everywhere. ¡°Oh shit.¡±


    Only 3 spare magazines left on the SERE kit with a combined total of 60 practically meaningless rounds among all of them, he knew he stood no chance against the swarm gathering up above him. The survival knife tucked inside the multi-tool kit isn¡¯t much of an assurance either.


    Quickly running back to Hartmann laying against the tree, he lifted Hartmann¡¯s body on his shoulder and made a run for it to the nearby woods in the faint hope that he would escape these wyvern riders.


    There would be no luck for Vargson, however. Didn¡¯t even make it halfway across the crop field, a giant net was dropped on him and Hartmann.


    ¡°No!¡± Vargson screamed in panic.


    The last thing he saw while squirming around in the net was one of the riders running up to him, about to knock him out with the back end of a spear. \


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Hartmann.¡±


    Black out.


    <hr>


    Sunsettia, bordering the Great Sea, East of Kingdom of Azuria


    April 28th, Central Calendar Year 1425.


    6:45 AM


    The familiar salty breeze of the morning winds wept over Sunsettia, a medium-sized coastal town facing the Great Sea. Even though the sun had just risen not too long ago from the West, the harbor and the central market have already been filled with people of all make go about their days, giving this place an idyllic atmosphere rarely seen by most city dwellers in the Central Plain.


    Sitting on the balcony of a villa overwatching the town, Duke Kalush takes a moment to take in the morning scenery in front of him


    "Greetings, my lord." The young servant said as he put down the magically heated tea on the small table next to him.


    "Hey, Farcel. What happened yesterday? I have heard great commotion and worries from the local Lords and garrisons" The middle-aged man asks as he sips on the hot cup of tea.


    Confusion and worries clearly showed on Farcel¡¯s face. ¡°There have been reports of strange phenomena out in the Great Sea, my Lord. A great storm had been sighted yet it did not seem to go anywhere, stretched as far as the eyes can see even from a long distance. We lost a rider from the 12th Eastern Wyvern Squadron early this morning, patrolling along the coast, presumably got lost in the heavy winds and consumed by the vast ocean when he attempted to investigate the phenomena about an hour ago. What¡¯s stranger is the report from the rest of the squadron, which told a very different story.¡± He calmly narrated what had happened, yet unable to explain the report in detail.


    ¡°How come there has been a storm yet the weather here is still calm?¡± Kalush asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the strange thing, my lord, the reported storm doesn¡¯t emit a single gust of wind outward. It appears to be surrounding a very large area of the ocean.¡±


    ¡°Oh, more worries¡­¡± Kalush laments to himself, unable to escape from his duties even for a day despite going all the way to peaceful Sunsettia to escape the constant reminder that he is royalty.


    ¡°Anyway, how is our preparation for the Yarians?¡± Kalush asked his butler.


    ¡°They''re still working on it, my Lord. The army still needs several months to construct defensive positions for the impending attack but I fear that we won¡¯t make it in time.¡±


    ¡°What about the Lioris? The Principality couldn¡¯t send troops?¡± He asked, annoyed at his allies'' disregard for their own security.


    ¡°Their delegation has expressed little concern for our security, believing that we are sufficiently strong enough to resist the Yarians.¡± Farcel explained, his words helped little to brighten the mood.


    ¡°So be it, then. Tell them that Azuria will place an embargo on grain if they won¡¯t send reinforcements, and tell them that if Azuria is lost then they too will be slaves to the Yarians.¡± Kalush placed an ultimatum, knowing that the Principality of Lior couldn¡¯t refuse. Finished with that situation, he grabs the paper on the tea table.


    Reading the report, the content inside is even more peculiar than the storm that had lingered beyond the eyesight out in the Great Sea from his villa. ¡°What the?...¡±


    Dotting his eyes along the words, he finds this hard to believe. ¡°Strange metal object in the sky that flies faster than wyvern?¡±


    ¡°The Royal Army has already sent a quick reaction Royal Wyvern Dragoon squadrons as well as two Royal Wyvern squadrons toward Sunsettia upon the news to ensure your safety here and to escort you back to Anzuri, my Lord.¡±


    ¡°This worries me, Farcel. Yet¡­ something tells me that our world is about to change in a big way, perhaps for the better.¡± Duke Kalush commented as he noticed a small sharp glint on the horizon and the peculiar buzzing noise coming from the object.


    ¡°Perhaps so, my Lord.¡±

 Chapter 3: New Country?

    Arlette, United Federation of Elysia.


    May 1st, 1425.


    9:30 AM.


    Sam Anderson stepped out to the balcony of his apartment on the 5th floor, sipping a cup of instant coffee as he overlooked the damage from the storm. Plastic bags and branches littered the urban street down below, businesses had their glass displays shattered with few exceptions. He frowned at the sight, shaking his head at the mess as the National Guards and emergency services were still conducting search and rescue in the neighborhoods that had been hit the hardest.


    ¡°Big storm, eh Sammy?¡± A voice called out.


    Sam looked to his left. ¡°Hey Brian.¡± he said, looking at the damage on his neighbor¡¯s apartment next to him. ¡°Oh¡­ that¡¯s a nasty one.¡± he remarked, pointing at the broken window and the tree branch that had lodged itself into the poor neighbor¡¯s apartment.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll cost me a bit to get fixed up,¡± Brian sighed. ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡± he gestured toward Sam¡¯s messy hair and darkened eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t get a good sleep?¡±


    ¡°The blaring sirens throughout the night weren''t exactly a lullaby.¡± Sam answered with a tired voice following a long, sleepy yawn.


    A phone rang out from Sam¡¯s small study room to the surprise of both of them.


    ¡°Looks like the phone line is back to working order. I¡¯m gonna try to contact my relatives in the suburbs now.¡± Brian commented, going back to the phone in his living room.


    ¡°Good luck, Brian.¡± Sam said his goodbye to the neighbor as he picked up the ringing phone.


    ¡°Morning, Ambassador Anderson. Glad we¡¯re able to get to you after several days. I¡¯m Ellen Mary, calling you on behalf of President Irwin. Are you alone right now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I am.¡± Sam answered as he shut the window next to him.


    ¡°Alright, what can I do for the President?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re needed on a new diplomatic mission to a new country.¡±


    Sam leaned forward in his seat, the unexpected assignment piqued his interest. ¡°New country?¡± He asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Yes, Mr.Ambassador. What I am about to disclose is currently classified information, but it will likely be announced in the next few days, so will you be able to tell whoever is close to you. You might want to write some notes down.¡±


    Sam grabs a pen on his desk and clicks, testing it on the spare note paper. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve got questions on how such a massive storm just suddenly vanished so suddenly, or how it came to be as we are nowhere near storm season.¡±


    ¡°Mmmmh, yeah.¡±


    ¡°As of now, the FSA is still scrambling for answers, but one thing¡¯s for certain: after the storm disappeared and the clouds parted, we are no longer on Elysia. The stars aren¡¯t in the right place, we¡¯ve lost contact with everyone else outside the country as well as some islands outside the storm."


    ¡°I supposed that explains the two moons I saw for the past nights? One is yellow and the other is blue?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ambassador. That is correct.¡±


    ¡°Tell me what I need to do.¡±


    The fax machine next to Sam started printing documents.


    ¡°We¡¯ve sent you everything that needs to be known, you will be rendezvousing with the Seventh Fleet and make your way to Arden City within 48 hours.¡± the woman¡¯s voice calmly announced the assignment.


    ¡°The Seventh Fleet? Aren¡¯t they stationed in the Rafael Archipelago?¡± Sam asked the woman on the phone.


    ¡°They¡¯ve already moved as fast as possible back to Arden City under the Navy¡¯s orders after the storm had passed. Several massive squid-like creatures along the route were spotted but were quickly dispatched by depth charge rockets and naval gunfire. The crews were referring to them as ¡®Krakens¡¯.¡± The woman¡¯s voice now filled with bewilderment and confusion as she steadily read the report to the Ambassador. ¡°I can¡¯t believe what I just read.¡±


    ¡°Much appreciated for the information, ma¡¯am.¡± He answered, his professional tone reflects his occupation as a diplomat.


    ¡°We¡¯re also sending an assistant with you. Arlette International Airport has also reported that they have received an emergency signal from one of the Air Force¡¯s weather reconnaissance aircraft as the military¡¯s integrated air defense network was taken offline by the storm.¡±


    ¡°I got it, do you have the details?¡±


    ¡°Your first priority is to establish diplomatic relations and recover the two lost crew, if they¡¯re still alive that is. We¡¯ll also send you pictures taken by U-24 reconnaissance aircraft of the nearby landmass and the crash site that we¡¯ve discovered as soon as the weather has calmed down. You should pack your bags and remember to be at Arden Naval Base within the designated time frame. They will be departing at 04:00 PM within two days on the aircraft carrier FES Aletha.¡±


    Scribbling down the note, Sam lets out a sigh as he stares at the fax machine still diligently printing the now 20 pages document and still continuing. ¡°Roger that. I¡¯m on my way.¡±

 Chapter 4: Naval Encounter

    First Azurian Eastern Fleet


    The Great Sea


    May 5th, 1425.


    5:45 AM


    Water splashed gently onto the ship¡¯s hull, providing a peaceful ambience as Captain Hayvan admired the setting sun. Golden rays skimmed past the water, illuminating the ocean with a beautiful glow as the evening crept into the sky. The Azurian flag flew proudly on his ship¡¯s mast, flying along with the wind without a care in the world. His slumbery, dreamy state was interrupted by one of his lieutenants, who seemed to be quite confused as he tapped on his captain¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, Captain?¡± He asked, clutching a spotting telescope.


    Captain Hayvan groaned, somewhat annoyed that his peaceful relaxation was cut short. ¡°What is it? Spotted the Dwarven Navy or something?¡± He joked, as the Dwarven Union has no Navy, being a landlocked country located in the Central mountain ranges of the Celestial continent.


    ¡°No, nothing like that. Your jokes are getting old now, sir. I¡¯ve spotted several islands out on the horizon.¡±


    ¡°Islands? There aren¡¯t any out in the Great Sea. Your attempt at humor disappoints me.¡± The Captain chuckles at his subordinate.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious, Captain. Over yonder.¡± The lieutenant pointed towards the horizon.


    Grabbing his own telescope on the hip, Hayvan peered at the direction that his subordinate had pointed. Squinting his eyes, he could make out the silhouettes but there was something off. ¡°They don¡¯t look like islands, the overall shape is too angular. It is likely these are ships.¡±


    The lieutenant viewed the objects again. ¡°Oh! They¡¯re much closer than they were before. They simply looked like islands earlier¡­¡± he trailed off. ¡°Captain, shall we investigate? There shouldn¡¯t be any other patrols out here aside from us.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Helmsman!¡± Hayvan called out. ¡°Take us northeast, we¡¯re going to investigate the presence of these unknown ships!¡±


    The helmsman complied, and the previously sleepy ship bustled with activity as the Azurian sailors redirected their ship. Rowers below decks helped turn the ship around while sailors on deck adjusted the sails. Captain Hayvan continued to monitor the ships on the horizon, noticing that they seemed to be closing in quite quickly.


    By the time his ship had fully turned around, the unknown fleet had become visible, their ships having furled their sails yet maintaining a mind-boggling velocity. Soon enough, they approached his comparatively tiny vessel, and he looked up at the immense shadow of the metal ship before him. He carefully analyzed the vessel, noting that it had two large cannons placed near the bow. What he had previously mistaken for a mast turned out to be some sort of steel structure, complete with windows, spires, strange spinning panels and lights. Several smaller cannons adorned the sides of the vessels, accompanied by tubes and other alien devices. On the hull of the ship, a white phrase presented itself: ¡®FES Aletha¡¯. Hayvan surmised that this was likely a designation for the vessel, as other ships had similar, yet different paintings on their hulls.


    As the ship approached, Hayvan noticed several beings ¡ª humans, to his surprise ¡ª aboard waving at him and his crew. He waved back, and the humans aboard the metal ship pointed somewhere behind their vessel. Within a few minutes, the metal ship had passed him, along with four other metal ships of the same make as well as two even larger ships, seemingly forming a defensive perimeter around the enormous ship ahead.


    The size of this flat-topped vessel was such that even its large escorts were dwarfed by it. The height of the flat-top was immense; Hayvan stared at the ship with his mouth agape as he attempted to make sense of the size of the behemoth before him. The vessel, a floating fortress to him, was many times the length of his own ship. If he had to estimate, the vessel clearly had the equivalent length of at least 10 times compared to his warship and a height of at least 3 times higher, mast included. The width of the vessel could be compared to 3 or 4 of his own ship, side by side.


    ¡°What kind of ship is this¡­?¡± The lieutenant asked, a combination of fear and wonder written all over his face.


    ¡°It is no ship. Such a massive construct that makes those other giant vessels look like ants¡­ it is like a fortress of steel!¡± Hayvan exclaimed. ¡°Still, we have a job to do. Contact His Majesty¡¯s Royal Navy Command, they need to know of this. Get the men ready, we shall board them and investigate the vessel.¡± The Captain said as he regained his composure.


    ¡°Already done so, sir. But Captain, how do we even board it?¡± The lieutenant asked.


    He looked the ship up and down, trying to find ways to board this massive vessel to no avail. Just as he was about to give up, a rope netting was dropped to the side of the ship. Hayvan looked to the men above on the flat top, gesturing towards the oversize rope net. ¡°Guess that¡¯s our way up.¡±


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    After considerable efforts scaling the long rope up to the flat top of the massive vessel along with the help of some of the strange men on it to pull him and his inspection crew up. His eyes were greeted with the sight of around two dozen strange metal birds laid neatly along the massive deck, their wings folded up to the sky to make room for more of its kind. The crews on board this vessel were also uniquely strange, many of them wore different colored shirts despite their uniform, some wore red, others green, white and most fascinating of all: purple.


    Purple is a highly expensive color to manufacture, only the rich and nobility could afford such a luxurious choice of dye for their outfit. Yet these sailors do not care about such things, as if this is most natural for them. In fact, how do they look so clean?


    Sailors throughout the ages have always lived a hard life. Even in a prosperous kingdom like Azuri, they ate hardtack every day, with fresh food only lasting at most a week or two into the voyage. Bathing isn¡¯t an option either, as every experienced sailor knows that fresh water can only be used for drinking, every drop must be saved and a shower is a luxury only afforded to the men whenever the gods bless them with rains.


    A group of men escorted Hayvan and his men towards the large tower with windows and skinny metal spires. From this tower, a pair of men dressed approached Hayvan, one in a sharp, dark blue uniform with golden colored stripes running down his sleeves, emanating an aura of authority and the other in a similar outfit, but with no special details beside a long, black piece of neckwear. They were accompanied by several men holding strange wooden and metal staffs, with triggers similar to crossbows built into the wooden and metal construct. This must be a weapon of sorts, similar to what the pirates in the Minato Sea were using recently from the report yet these look far more sophisticated, Hayvan thinks to himself.


    The guards¡¯ similarly dark blue outfits signify that they belonged to this ship, however the sand-colored piece of strange fabric covered armor and steel helmet made them stand out from the rest. The big, bold words imprinted on the back of their armor ¡°SECURITY¡± only confirmed his theory.


    Steeling himself forward, Hayvan gave the pair of men an Azurian salute, forming a pointing gesture using his right index and middle finger and putting it against his forehead while using the rest of his fingers to cover up his palm. The salute seemed to have its intended effect as the man in the dark blue uniform gave his salute back to him in a different fashion yet just as sharp.


    ¡°Greetings, I am Captain Hayvan of the First Azurian Eastern Fleet. You have entered our territorial waters and we would like to know of your vessel¡¯s affiliation and objective.¡±


    The man in the dark blue uniform eyes widened, breathing a sigh of relief. ¡°Oh thank goodness, good to know we speak the same language. I¡¯m Admiral Chester Isaac of the Seventh Fleet, belonging to the United Federation of Elysia.¡± The Admiral said as he introduced the man next to him. ¡°This is Ambassador Anderson, he will speak on behalf of our country.¡±


    ¡°As for our affiliation and objective, our continent was transported here through a massive storm several days ago. I¡¯ve brought documents as well as gifts for your leaders in hopes of establishing diplomatic relations with your country. Several days ago, one of our aircraft had reported an emergency landing on your country¡¯s territory. We sincerely apologize if this incident has caused troubles to your country and the aircraft¡¯s intrusion into your territorial airspace was entirely coincidental.¡±


    ¡°I see, so the rumors of the crashed metal bird in Sunsettia were true then. Please excuse me, I must report our encounter to my superior.¡±


    Hayvan started giving orders to the men following him. The lieutenant pulls out a large, golden colored device from his leather backpack and inserts a small glass bottle containing some kind of yellow-colored glowing rock, turning the peculiar device on. The action attracted the attention of the men on the large flat deck as they stopped what they were doing to watch the scene unfold. The screen on the golden device started glowing to a certain brightness. ¡°We¡¯re good to go, Captain.¡±


    It doesn¡¯t take a genius to understand that this is some kind of portable long range communication device. How it works mattered little to the flight crews and sailors onboard the FES Aletha, they discussed among themselves as they watched the foreign Captain who looked like he came out of one of the old paintings hanging in the Naval Academy¡¯s walls back home.


    ¡°... that will be it.¡± As the Captain finished his communication to the mainland, nods of acknowledgement followed.


    ¡°That settles it then.¡± Admiral Isaac commented, he offered a handshake which was returned in kind by Hayvan, despite his confusion at first.


    ¡°I will guide you towards the Eastern Strait where you can anchor your fleet, after that others can escort your delegation to His Majesty¡¯s Capital City: Anzuri.¡± Captain Hayvan replied with confidence and pride radiating from his body. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Lieutenant. I want all of the Tears of the Wind God supply onboard used up, we wouldn¡¯t want to be overtaken by the vessels we¡¯re escorting.¡±


    ¡°Aye, Captain.¡±

 Chapter 5: The Convoy of Change

    15 km from Anzuri City, Kingdom of Azuria.


    May 8th, 1425.


    7:48 AM


    Ambassador Anderson looked out from the bulletproof glass viewing port of his armored vehicle, admiring the passing idyllic scenery consisting of expansive farmland and the occasional marshes here and there. Even if he had only been here for a day, he could tell how peaceful this part of the kingdom is by the children running around and the people tending to their crops, save for their surprise at the convoy. What¡¯s strange is that some of these people do not look human, some have animal features like cat ears and tail while others have horns protruding from their heads.


    Clack.


    ¡°You know, in my entire life I never thought I would one day witness the existence of half-human half-animal hybrids, much less having our entire continent sent off to a different world.¡± One of the soldiers inside the vehicle remarks as he took a picture with his personal camera through the opened gun port. ¡°Some of the creatures here give me chills, especially the wyverns. You saw the teeths on those things?¡±


    ¡°At least the bright minds up in the brass actually made a good decision this time.¡± Private Lewis remarks as he knocks on the thin aluminum hull of the LT-PC with his hand. Although poorly armored, the small armored personnel carrier is still far more protected than the otherwise poorly armored UMT truck despite the discomfort of having to sit inside the somewhat cramped armored vehicle.


    President Irwin wanted maximum protection for the delegation allowed by the recently discovered Kingdom of Azuria in case of any emergency situation, authorizing Army leadership to make special emergency procurement orders for new vehicles from Atlas Heavy Industry for the task force that would escort the Ambassador as well as the specialized equipment and experts to where they need to be. They have been traveling for 27 long hours on the muddy dirt road towards the inner plains now.


    ¡°Would¡¯ve been nice if we had taken the choppers instead. I hate the muddy road.¡± Jonah, the Ambassador¡¯s assistant, complained.


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not possible, Colonel Stanford wouldn¡¯t let his new birds take to the sky without the Navy or Air Force ensuring air superiority, even if it¡¯s against flying lizards. Though he did put them on standby for any emergency.¡± Ambassador Anderson said, slightly annoyed at but remains understanding of Jonah¡¯s position.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a let down.¡± Jonah lets out a sigh. ¡°I must admit, the atmosphere here is nice. I haven¡¯t been out of Arlette ever since I moved in near the university for work. Really make you appreciate fresh air when you barely have any of it for a year.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°I get what you mean, but security is the top priority right now. You can get some more fresh air and even some breathtaking views, if the Wyvern Captain¡¯s word is true.¡± Anderson tried to reassure him.


    ¡°Speaking of wyverns¡­¡± Private Lewis picks up the small radio set inside the vehicle and tunes in the frequency. ¡°Mornin¡¯ Sarge, how¡¯s the lizard flyboys above us?¡±


    A voice cracks through the built-in speaker inside the radio. ¡°Well¡­ The Royal Wyvern Corp flyboys are definitely elite, they rotate their shift every 4 hours in the air and always maintain a circular watch out formation. I wouldn¡¯t want the convoy to be ambushed by these guys. Technically we could survive but our best shot would¡¯ve been to burn the twenty UMTs in the convoy to deny capture and make a run back to the boat in the LT-PCs, if we have dedicated anti-air or air support then we can beat them back for sure though.¡± Sergeant Boris comments through the radio as he looks up to the small formation of wyverns above from his machine gunner seat in one of the 5-ton trucks.


    ¡°The only things that the boys in the 160 man company discussed for the past 24 hours were catgirls, flying lizards, as well as some of the weird crops, trees, ruins and structures we came across.¡± Boris let out a long sigh at the conversation that was going on in the back as he pointed the radio¡¯s microphone towards the back of the truck.


    Laughter and conversations can be heard clearly through the radio.


    ¡°I told ya man! She would totally rip your lil¡¯ shitass face out in bed! Listen here, Richie. When we arrive at whatever city we¡¯re going to, I¡¯ll find you a nice cat lady for you to sleep with. I know what you like, Richie. Thanks to the drill instructor, he found out about the secret porn stash that this fella here hid under the barrack''s bunk and made the him do 20 laps around the base! They¡¯re all fuckin¡¯ cosplayers!¡± Private Joker laughed uncontrollably as he exposed his squad mate''s embarrassing story to the rest of the men on the truck.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know you are into cosplays, Richie. You don¡¯t look like one of those weirdos in the corner of the bookstore.¡± another man said.


    ¡°Unbelievable...¡± a feminine voice comments, seemingly out of place from the rest of the truck. ¡°When will we get there?¡±


    Boris moved the microphone back with him, pretending as if he had heard none of the typical Marine clownery just now. ¡°At least they¡¯re having fun. I do enjoy the scenery though, if not for the flock of lizards above I would have thought that I had gone to heaven with all the beautiful scenery.¡± he said with an unusually calm demeanor despite the extraordinary circumstances.


    ¡°Hey. Everybody dies someday, Sarge. Let¡¯s hope it is not today. I¡¯ll keep my eyes up for anything out of the ordinary.¡± Lewis said.


    ¡°Copy that, Private. Cutting transmission, over.¡±

 Chapter 6: One Small Step.

    Eastern Wall, Anzuri City, Kingdom of Azuria.


    May 7th, 1425.


    10:45 AM


    ¡°Wake up, Joker. Enough shut-eye for today. Come and take a look.¡± Boris gestured towards the large fortress wall ahead while knocking his hand against Joker''s helmet. The vehicles rumbled to a stop and Boris was the first to disembark. The ground was firm underfoot, feeling like asphalt or concrete. Other officers followed, grabbing their weapons and equipment.


    ¡°Aw fuck, not again¡­¡± Boris rolled his eyes at the alien yet somehow familiar sight.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening, Sarge?¡± Joker asked his officer as he let out a loud yawn, barely awake from the short nap in the truck.


    ¡°Paperwork.¡± Boris answers as he walks to the back of the truck. ¡°The wall guards want to confirm our affiliation and purpose. Making sure we¡¯re not secretly bandits or somethin¡¯.¡±


    Boris looked over the detachment of LT-25s traveling with the convoy, thoughts running throughout his mind as he scanned his surroundings. ¡°I supposed we looked threatening to these fellas, bringing automatic cannons and all.¡±


    The LT-25 and LT-PC are part of the LT series of light tracked vehicle family, the former is armed with a 25mm chain gun inside a partially enclosed turret with only the vehicle commander acting as gunner when engaging target while the latter has an heightened rear, providing enough space for 4 infantry dismounts and a pintle-mounted machine gun on the roof. The LT series has a front-mounted 150hp engine located next to the driver, making more space in the rear for any modification and variant required by the military. Borne from a requirement for a fast reconnaissance role and airborne mobility, the LT series is comparatively tiny in comparison to their older cousins: the MT and the HT family of tracked vehicles. Only about the size of an SUV and weighing around 5 tons, a LT can fit inside even a UH-24 medium utility helicopter with the massive UH-48 quadrotors being able to carry an entire company of four LT of any variants inside its cargo bay.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they know what those cannons even are, Sarge. I¡¯m just guessing.¡± Joker gives out a chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief in what he just said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get the Ambassador. Sergeant, get back to your vehicle.¡° Major Eli orders Boris as he walks towards the Ambassador¡¯s LT-PC, his calm yet authoritative voice heard clearly as Sergeant Boris quickly sprints back to the truck¡¯s cabin after giving a sharp salute and a nod of acknowledgement.


    Arriving up to the armored vehicle, Major Eli calls out for the Ambassador, giving the rear doors some good knocks. ¡°Sir, you¡¯re up, they want to confirm your identity with the wall guard and the Royal Wyvern Corp¡¯s Captain will be there with you. I will get the men ready.¡±


    ¡°It seemed like we¡¯re here." Jonah comments, trying to take a peek outside through the infantry periscope.


    Anderson stepped out of the LT-PC, taking a deep breath and stretching his arms up in the air. ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad.¡± He thought to himself.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    The flapping sounds above the convoy attracted Sam¡¯s attention, and a wyvern touched down next to the convoy. A figure disembarks from his mount and takes off his helmet. ¡°Good evening, Sir Anderson.¡±


    ¡°Group Captain Marius, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed. We met early in the morning the day before. I will escort you to the gate. The guards will let the delegation convoy upon confirmation of your presence and purpose.¡± Marius answered straightforwardly. ¡°Worry not, the guards and the Duke should already be informed of your arrival by our mana messengers.¡±


    As the men walked towards the gate, a young man in a relatively basic yet distinct suit of armor called out for them. ¡°Sir Marius! Is that really you?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Captain Arlen! These are the esteemed delegation mentioned in the letter delivered by the messengers. Let us show them our hospitality.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been expecting you, Sir Anderson.¡± The guards bow in respect. ¡°Quickly make way and open the gate!¡±


    The gate¡¯s mechanism slowly cranks open, revealing a wide road inside with people lining up on the sides to take a look at the peculiar newcomers.


    ¡°Welcome to Anzuri, Sir Anderson.¡±


    <hr>


    Royal Citadel, Anzuri.


    11:25 AM


    Duke Kalush walked down the hall, inspecting the foreign men in curiosity. Although their dirty looking uniforms disgusts him as his supremely dressed Royal Guards stood in opposite, one must not judge prematurely by the look. After all, these men have strange weapons and contraptions that baffle him. They have gigantic metal ships, armor-cladded wagons that move without horses and their soldiers have strange equipment attached to their armor that he could not explain, spare for the knives attached to their weapons and the .


    ¡°My dear, I cannot detect any mana signature coming off from any of the soldiers or their armored wagons.¡± First Lady Nadine ad Kalush whispered to her husband, whose expression is clearly worried from the information yet his unwavering attitude stood fast in face of the unknown.


    A man in a sharp outfit ascended from the main stairway, accompanied by two others. As they walked, their soldiers each gave out a salute, demonstrating their professionalism. They walked forward and gave a bow of respect to the Duke, showing no signs of hostility nor condescending reaction.


    ¡°I am Ambassador Anderson from the United Federation of Elysia.¡± The man introduces himself, waving his right hand to the man on his left. ¡°This is Major Eli Harrison, who is in charge of my protection and the men under his command.¡±


    As Major Eli gave the Duke a military salute, he waved his hand to the man on his right. ¡±This is my assistant Sir Jonah Norbert.¡±


    Satisfied with the introduction by the delegation, Kalush gives the men a nod of approval.


    ¡°Welcome to my realm, esteemed delegation! I have heard far and few rumors about your people who hailed beyond the Great Sea where no man has ever returned from a voyage. Let it be known that the Kingdom of Azuria treats its guests with utmost hospitality and respect, no matter who they are!¡± As the Duke finished his sentence, the two hundred strong Royal Guards standing guard slammed their spears into the floor and gave out a chant. ¡°Glory to Azuria!¡±


    Ambassador Anderson gave the guards the nod of approval. ¡°We come in peace, our leaders wish to establish diplomatic relations with your nation.¡±


    ¡°Follow me, esteemed delegation, for we have much to discuss.¡± The Duke answered.


    ¡°We accept your welcome.¡±

 Chapter 7: Invitation.

    Diplomatic Office, Royal Citadel.


    11:45 AM


    The room was plain, yet elegant. Paintings and gifts from various visits by other dukes and even the Celestial Empress are displayed in dedicated glass boxes or hung on the wall, giving the room a rich history unknown to the Elysians. As the maids finished helping the Ambassador and his assistance with their luggage, they prepared the table.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Anderson said as he accepted a seat offered by a servant. He sat down and pulled out several documents from his briefcase while the Azurians finished setting up their own papers.


    ¡°Now,¡± Farcel said, clasping his hands together. ¡°We shall commence the first diplomatic discussion between the Kingdom of Azuria and the United Federation of Elysia!¡±


    ¡°This is our diplomatic team,¡± Farcel introduced the Azurian counterpart. ¡°Foreign Minister Ruprecht¡±


    Anderson stood up. ¡°On behalf of the United Federation of Elysia, I thank you for receiving us so kindly and at such fast speeds.¡±


    The finely dressed man nodded. ¡°We accept your apology. Now, for this meeting, we would specifically like to know more about your country. Who exactly are we having diplomatic talks with?¡±


    Jonah gathered the documents from his briefcase and distributed them. ¡°On these documents, you will find basic information about our country and a summary of our circumstances here in this New World.¡±


    Foreign Minister Ruprecht and Duke Kalush took the documents, reading the map and the data inside with confusion and suspicion.


    ¡°Such a large landmass¡­ so close and yet, how did the ancestral explorers miss this?¡± Kalush thought to himself, wondering if all of this was a sham as he averted his gaze away from the document to the men across the table.


    ¡°I understand your feeling, my Lord. I, too, have my doubts.¡± Ruprecht raised his finger. ¡°However, our guests claimed that they are not of this world. The detail of this map proved that as its quality far surpasses any work previously done by the ancestors and explorers. Not even the maps imported from the Holy Celestial Empire could match this.¡±


    ¡°It must be true then.¡± Kalush comments.


    ¡°I shall arrange a diplomatic envoy to Elysia for Foreign Minister Ruprecht and his individuals of choice to examine your land. Unfortunately, my duty of looking over the realm bounds me here, I would not be able to lay my eyes upon the land beyond myself.¡± Duke Kalush gestured at Foreign Minister Ruprecht. ¡°However, have faith in your ability to uphold your duties.¡±


    Ruprecht stood up and straightened his pose, eyes filled with determination. ¡°I will not fail you, my Lord.¡±


    ¡°That solves the problem.¡± Kalush nods in approval, turning his face towards the delegation. ¡°Now, Mister Ambassador, I hope you will find the banquet tonight delightful.¡±


    Anderson bows to the Duke. ¡°That would be lovely, Duke Kalush. However, there is one more thing I would like to discuss.¡±


    Kalush raised his eyebrow as the peculiar request piqued his interest. ¡°Yes, what would you want to discuss?¡±


    ¡°There has been an incident on your territory by one of our aircraft, do you know anything about that?¡±


    <hr>


    Banquet Hall, Royal Citadel.


    20:00 PM


    Vargson dug into the strange meat on his plate, chewing and crying tears of joy. ¡°Oh thank God for this!¡±


    ¡°You should be thanking me instead.¡± A voice behind him said, clearly angry.


    Vargson turned around. ¡°Good even sir Ambassador! Thank you so much, I have been eating nothing but oatmeal in that cell for the past week!¡±


    ¡°Getting you out of that cell was a worse experience than trying to get the Socialist rebels to lay down their arms a few years back, I have to convince the President to pay compensation and gifts in order for the Azurians to release you.¡± Anderson explained, his tone clearly not happy about what he had to go through.


    Captain Hartmann stepped in, not happy about Vargson¡¯s manner during the banquet. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that they¡¯ve taken an interest in us and the aircraft, otherwise you would¡¯ve been hanged for the crime of killing members of the Royal Wyvern Corps! Any later and you would¡¯ve bee-¡±


    Vargson cuts him off. ¡°Hey! I was confused and scared alright? If you¡¯re attacked by colorful men on flying lizards you would be panicking too. At least I dragged you to safety!¡±


    Shaking his head in disappointment, Anderson exhales. ¡°They¡¯re called wyverns, by the way. Anyhow, this is all behind us now. You both can start going home tomorrow so have a good rest.¡±


    Ambassador Anderson had to compromise with the Duke for the release of Hartmann and Vargson, asking for peace and trade in exchange for getting both of them repatriated. What questions the Azurian might have for these two men they will get eventually. Having the most powerful man in the entire Kingdom taking an interest in you do have some perks, it seemed.


    Duke Kalush walked up to Ambassador Anderson, besides him was First Lady Nadine and Foreign Minister Ruprecht. ¡°We thought that we had encountered a potent mage that has created a new magic when I heard the news, until our mages confirmed he was indeed no magic user.¡± Lady Nadine spoke, her eyes staring at Vargson, not being completely comfortable with the fact that a former prisoner is enjoying luxurious food that is near-unaffordable for the commoners in the banquets'' hall.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.¡°What happens in the past is in the past, Miss Nadine. I¡¯m sure Mister Ruprecht here would find the upcoming trip enlightening.¡±


    "How quaint, Ambassador Anderson." Ruprecht replies. "I''ve read the documents regarding your country. Your land sounds fantastical if not for the metal beasts you brought as escorts and those talking boxes I see your soldiers wield. Is there anything else I should know before embarking on the journey?"


    Seeing a smile forming on Ruprecht¡¯s face, Anderson continued. ¡°Our land is the most developed in our world with many wonders that I¡¯m sure you would find most fascinating. I suggest you should prepare yourself for cultural shock however, it happens to most of us. ¡±


    <hr>


    Barracks, Royal Citadel.


    20:25 PM


    ¡°Holy shit¡­ look at them beastmen. Must be around two meters tall¡­¡± Private Lewis gawking as he saw a beastmen regiment walking back from the walls after their shift was over.


    The banquet has been going on for three hours yet the atmosphere is still lively with music played by local bards and cultural exchange activities. Major Eli is in a makeshift radio station inside a military tent, making sure the regiment¡¯s communication is still secured with the Seventh Fleet anchoring near Sunsettia.


    ¡°So what do you think of this place, Major?¡± The radio operator asked, his fingers still fiddling with the equipment.


    Eli shrugged. ¡°Thus far? This could be a great vacation place. I definitely won¡¯t miss deployment in Al-Anwar, spending time in that place made me immune to the sirens just by how many nights they rang while we were asleep. Insurgents won¡¯t let us get a good night''s rest.¡±


    The radio operator let out a sigh of relief, after finishing the radio setup, he picked up the microphone. ¡°Contact FES Aletha, this is Camp Citadel, how do you copy? Over.¡±


    A clear voice answered on the radio. ¡°We heard you loud and clear, Camp Citadel. Over.¡±


    ¡°Situation report, the talk is going well, no hostility. Over.¡±


    ¡°The situation is pretty calm over here, too. Only mild wyvern patrols according to the radars. Over.¡±


    ¡°Copy that, Seventh Fleet. We¡¯ll maintain radio contact until otherwise ordered. Over.¡±


    Major Eli Harrison gave the radioman a pat on the shoulder and walked outside the tent. Sergeant Boris is preparing dinner in the truck-mounted field kitchen along with five others while Joker is having an arm-wrestling contest with a half-man half-wolf, his insignia indicates that he belongs to one of the wall guards.


    ¡°Joker! Come on!¡± The men in the regiment cheered as Joker¡¯s face turned red, his veins visible as he struggled with the beastman who barely seemed fazed by the contest. Azurian guardsmen joined in, bringing their drinks and foodstuffs for the night¡¯s social activities.


    A voice from behind attracted Major Eli¡¯s attention. ¡°Glorious effort, I admit, but lacking in efficacy and wisdom. Few humans can match the beastmen when it comes to raw strength.¡± The man in a shiny golden suit of armor removes his helmet and bows in respect after finishing his sentence.


    ¡°I am General Kalasta. I am in charge of the defense of Anzuri as well as keeping civil order during any crisis.¡±


    Major Eli gave the man a salute.


    ¡°It appears that soldiers everywhere are the same, bored men will always find ways to entertain themselves. Especially when they have few things to worry about.¡± Kalasta comments as he eyed the familiar yet alien sight before him, his men in golden armor cheering as the beastman easily won the competition, causing the men in strange camouflage uniforms to boo in disappointment.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right, General.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you have women serving in the ranks, soldiery as a profession is ill-suited for a woman.¡± He looks at one of the few women in their regiment sitting alone in the corner reading a small handbook, impressed by her ability to read.


    ¡°Is she a noble?¡± Kalasta asked, curiosity running through his mind.


    ¡°No, she¡¯s not. We don¡¯t have nobles in Elysia.¡± Eli answers honestly.


    That answer only filled Kalasta with more questions. Higher education can only be afforded by the wealthy and the elites. Male children of wealthy families received a far more extensive education than females, who are expected only to do housework and raise children. Few get to decide how their lives will be played out. Putting the thought aside, as he was about to ask more questions, he was cut short.


    ¡°If you excuse me, General. I have to speak to my subordinate.¡± Major Eli bids farewell as he walks towards Private Rita, grabbing a tray of hot beef stew from Boris¡¯s truck.


    ¡°...That is¡­ fine.¡± General Kalasta stopped as he bid farewell. ¡°Perhaps we can converse again in the near future.¡±


    Seeing the Captain walking up to her, Rita stood up and gave him a salute, putting away the handbook. ¡°Good evening, Major Eli.¡±


    ¡°At ease, Private.¡± Eli nods in approval, handing Rita the food tray. ¡°Chow?¡±


    Rita grabs the food tray. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been talking much ever since we got off the boat. Anything bothering you?¡± Major Eli asked her with a straight voice, not wanting to burden his subordinate with worries.


    Private Rita frowns, her expression visible to the Major. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s just I can¡¯t seem to fit in with the rest of them.¡±


    Rita has always been the awkward one out of the bunch in the company, not being taken seriously as the Elysian Marine Corps have always been dominated by male. Throughout the Federation¡¯s history, the Marine Corps have always won battles after battles in the now gone Malupit Sea, replaced with a vast, unknown ocean. The reform by the Marine Corps two years back that allowed women to serve combat roles was still new and faced many criticism by those who once served, fearing that the Corps would become soft like the Elysian Army which had allowed women to serve combat roles. The Army wants to fill in ranks ever since the closure of the Global War on Socialism that had taken place two decade back against the many puppets of the neighboring Socialist Republic of Yarik which resulted in an uneasy peace.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Private. You will have your moment, everybody starts somewhere.¡± Major Eli tries to assure her.


    ¡°Wow, sir. Those were the most lame and generic words you could¡¯ve said.¡± Private Rita chuckles in amusement. ¡°Regardless, I¡¯ll try my best. Thank you, Major.¡±

 Chapter 8: Towards Arlette.

    Royal Citadel, Kingdom of Azuria.


    May 8th, 1427.


    8:12AM


    Foreign Minister Ruprecht looked to the skies as he heard a peculiar chopping noise, as if a hundred wyverns were flapping their wings simultaneously. As the sounds grew louder, he squinted, identifying the source of the chopping noises: the ¡®helicopters¡¯. Six of them appeared over the horizon, approaching the Citadel. He stepped back as they hovered above, carefully touching down in the courtyard. Leaves from nearby trees and bushes flew in every direction, only settling down when the blades of the helicopters ceased their activities.


    A man in his 50s in camouflage uniform stepped out of the lead helicopter, this particular one is far larger than the others, having four ''rotors'' as the Elysians called them while the others only have one. The man was flanked by several other guards holding their weapons which they called an ¡®assault rifle¡¯. ¡°Foreign Minister Ruprecht?¡± He called out.


    ¡°Yes, I take it you¡¯re Colonel Stanford? Mister Ambassador told me you would come to transport us to your country.¡±


    ¡°That is correct, Mister Ruprecht.¡± Stanford replied, giving the man a salute. ¡°Please follow me inside.¡±


    The Azurian delegation steps inside the massive helicopter, the inside was comparatively fancy to the luxurious wagons he was used to being transported by. Yellow-tinted lights illuminated the long cabin which highlighted the smooth wooden interiors. Decorated with soft seating, table and even a small bar for drinks. Ruprecht felt like this is more of a guesthouse in the wealthier district of Anzuri rather than something that could fly.


    "Oh the heavens!" Evatyr, the female assistant accidentally let her emotions slip out at the beautifully decorated interior.


    ¡°I must say, your flying wagon is truly impressive to behold!¡± Ruprecht¡¯s eyes lit up, taking in the luxurious view of the machine that he now finds himself inside which looked more like a fancy guest house than a flying machine.


    ¡°This is not everything we have, Mister Ruprecht. We¡¯ll fly you to the Seventh Fleet anchoring off your settlement of Sunsettia, after that we will take you to Arden City where we can move you to our capital, Arlette.¡± Ambassador Anderson explained, climbing on the massive custom made UH-48 quadrotors and taking a seat in front of Foreign Minister Ruprecht.


    <hr>


    8:20 AM


    Ruprecht stretched his legs, letting his body sink into the soft, comfortable chair. Looking outside the window, he saw the rotor blades spin up slowly as the turbine engines pick up speed, finally ceasing to accelerate once they''ve spun fast enough.


    ¡°Oh!¡± He exclaimed as the aircraft turbines and rotors sped up, lifting into the air. The sensation was quite unlike the feeling of being pulled into the sky upon the back of a wyvern. Helicopter flight had much less buckling than wyvern flight and the seats were much more elegant and comfortable. In addition, the aircraft had a pressurized cabin, so Ruprecht felt more like he was on a boat rather than something that could fly.


    After the initial takeoff, the rumbling subsided as the aircraft rotors tilted to transition away from vertical lift to forward flight. The aircraft pick up speed, only encountering a few patches of turbulence here and there. Indulging into a cut of steak and a cup of wine onboard the aircraft, Ruprecht felt like a king. He pondered the wealth these Elysians had; how much money they could possibly have in order to build such an elegant flying machine? Even the Holy Celestial Empire''s flying ships couldn¡¯t match up to these aircrafts in terms of speed and performance, he thought. Caught on the topic of aircraft, he remembered what he had seen earlier.


    ¡°Say, Ambassador Anderson, those iron dragonflies we saw that escorted this machine¡­ would it be possible for us to purchase one?¡± He asked Colonel Stanford who was sitting on the opposite table.


    Anderson looked puzzled by the question at first, but he eventually understand what Ruprecht was coming from. ¡°I apologize, but they¡¯re not for sale anymore.¡±


    ¡°Anymore? Did we miss the opportunity?¡± Ruprecht was aghast, a million simulations running through his head. The opportunity to have the Royal Army equipped with flying chariots, expeditions to areas inaccessible even to wyverns, etc. Now those dreams seem distant.


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    Anderson set his can of Cola down. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s nothing like that. We used to sell weapons to our few allies back in our world, but we decided to cancel such opportunities in this world. Our Senate decided that since we do not know anything about this world as of right now, allowing our technologies to be exported without control is a dangerous situation, especially those that are related to military hardware. Besides, it is extremely hard to pilot one of these and you¡¯d need a very extensive education and training regiment. This simply isn¡¯t available on this planet, except for in Elysia.¡±


    Anderson took another sip. ¡°You can bring this topic up with the President once you and your assistant meet him, Mister Ruprecht. I only know so much.¡±


    <hr>


    Arden Class Aircraft Carrier FES Aletha, The Seventh Fleet, 20km off from Sunsettia.


    12:15 AM


    Ruprecht and his assistance looked out the windows, marveling at the fleet of metal ships down below them. Their sizes are massive, as large or even larger than those of the Florence Republic ¡¯s in the Southern Continent. He stared at the massive flat top ship in awe, its deck filled with dozens of metal birds laying rest.


    ¡°By the heavens, how large is that ship?¡± Ruprecht mumbles to himself.


    The aircraft touched down on the flight deck, sailors running about as they folded the aircraft¡¯s wings and blades in preparation for storage in the hangar deck. Ruprecht walked out of the helicopter, stepping on the steel flight deck, he took in the scenery around him. A dozen metal ships moving along with the flat top vessel, making sure nothing can reach the massive floating construct that he now stood atop.


    ¡°Enjoying the scenery, Mister Ruprecht?¡± A voice behind him said.


    Ruprecht turned around. ¡°Greetings there, who might you be?¡±


    ¡°I am Admiral Chester Isaac, I¡¯m in charge of the fleet.¡± The man responded, offering a handshake.


    Ruprecht and his female assistant shook the Admiral¡¯s hands, quickly adopting the gesture during meeting Ambassador Anderson¡¯s delegation. ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Admiral.¡±


    The three walked together to the inner upper deck of the carriers, passing through busy sailors who momentarily stopped their activity to give the Admiral a salute before continuing their work, but some sailors momentarily look back at Ruprecht''s female assistance who has peculiar pointy ears. Upon reaching the second floor, Admiral Chester ordered the security personnel to open the metal door, revealing a modest but luxurious room in comparison to the stale metallic environment and drab paint covering the rest of the ship¡¯s interior. Soft sofas, chairs and a work desk decorated the interior while a bunk bed is tucked neatly in the corner of the room, artificial lighting integrated into the ceiling brightens up the interior as well, providing a strange but certainly very cozy atmosphere to rest for the night.


    ¡°This will be where you will be staying for the night.¡± Admiral Chester explained. ¡°We still have problems with cleaning up the airbase after the storm, but there will be another aircraft from Arlette to pick you up by tomorrow morning.¡±


    The Azurians nod. ¡°We understand, Admiral.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave you be. If there¡¯s anything you¡¯d need, you can call one of our guards outside the room.¡± He assures the delegation.


    As Admiral Chester finished closing the door, allowing silence to set it, The Azurians let out a sigh of relief. ¡°That was so stressful!¡± Evatyr let out her breath.


    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s an ¡®airport¡¯ that the Admiral mentioned?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I do not know¡­ it¡¯s probably like one of the many skyports in the Holy Celestial Empire.¡± Ruprecht answers, terrifying thoughts running through his mind. If these Elysians have metal ships, metal wagons and infrastructure on par with the two distant superpowers in the Central Continent: the Holy Celestial Empire, the land of the ultimate magic and the Florence Republic, the land of ultimate science then nothing could stop them from conquering the world, but he stopped that thought. If they¡¯re blood thirsty conquerors, they wouldn¡¯t have sent such a polite diplomat despite having powers and strength unknown to him and his people, Ruprecht was certain that they understood the importance of information and a technologically superior nation no doubt will have superior spying capability over the lesser ones. They already knew of the technological disparity between Azuria and themselves, yet they approached his people with respect, save for the metal bird incident.


    ¡°Let¡¯s compose ourselves, Evatyr. You must be tired from the ride on that¡­-¡± Ruprecht stuttered, trying to remember the term. ¡°-helicopter.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to document everything.¡± Evatyr reassures her superior, taking advantage of the small work desk in the room as she notes down and sketches up what happened during the trip thus far.

 Chapter 9: Arrival.

    Arden-class Aircraft Carrier FES Aletha, The Seventh Fleet.


    The Great Sea.


    May 9th, 1427.


    6:15 AM


    Ruprecht and Evatyr are sitting in the ship¡¯s ¡®island¡¯ looking at the sailors in their colorful uniforms running about as they prepare for another landing by one of the loud ¡®planes¡¯, as the Elysians called them. They looked to the distance, eyeing the new metal bird that looked different from the sleek ones they have seen on the massive vessel; it is larger, on the same par as the large ¡®helicopter¡¯ that transported them to the vessel.


    The aircraft touched down on the ship and stopped at an unnatural speed, Ruprecht wondered how it could stop like that when it was moving so quickly when landing. These people kept surprising him with their advanced crafts and unexplainable tools which had no magical energy according to Evatyr, who graduated from the Imperial Magical Academy in the Holy Celestial Empire which produced some of the best mages the world has to offer.


    Ruprecht took a deep breath, taking in the salty morning air of the sea. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Stepping on the aircraft and taking a seat, he looked at the metal ship through the aircraft¡¯s window one last time before a voice interrupted his thought, seemingly out of nowhere.


    ¡°We¡¯re ready to take off, everyone. Wear your seatbelts.¡±


    A guide on the aircraft assisted the two Azurian how to use the seatbelts while Ambassador Anderson was already strapped. The aircraft moved slowly over to the front of the ship before coming to a stop, a peculiar clicking sound can be heard under the cabin.


    ¡°Catapult¡¯s locked. We¡¯re taking off on 3, 2, 1.¡± The pilot on the intercom announced calmly.


    The guiding sailor outside gave them a salute, crouching down and pointing his arm towards the bow of the ship. ¡°On the way!¡± The pilot said over the intercom.


    The catapult launch sunk Azurians into their seats as the aircraft quickly accelerated off the deck, causing Evatyr to yelp in surprise.


    ¡°Oh! That was a strong take off!¡± Ruprecht said.


    After the surprise from the take-off set down, Ambassador Anderson was the first to speak to calm down the Azurians. ¡°They can¡¯t take off with such a short runway, so they need to throw this thing so it can pick up speed.¡±


    ¡°Can this thing not take off directly like your ¡®helicopter¡¯?¡± Evatyr asked him.


    ¡°Doing so would¡¯ve consumed a lot of fuel, Miss.¡± He pointed towards the wing outside. ¡°By using the ship to help the aircraft take-off, we can save on fuel and thus extend the range of our aircrafts.¡± He explained.


    ¡°I see¡­ ¡°


    <hr>


    Southern City Airport, Arlette. United Federation of Elysia.


    2:00 PM


    Ruprecht and Evatyr looked at the city down below in awe, dozens if not hundreds, perhaps even thousands of multi-storey buildings stretched out as far as the eye can see. As the aircraft approached the airbase, the pair could make out thousands of people going about as they continued their busy lives despite having gone through a historically large storm, a testament to the sturdiness of Elysian¡¯s infrastructure. There were also strange long wagons traveling on a pair of iron bars, transporting immense amounts of cargo at speed unthinkable for horse wagons that he was accustomed to seeing.


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    After a relatively rough landing of the ¡®plane¡¯ on the massively long runway, the two disembarked and were greeted by several other vehicles that the Elysians called ¡®cars¡¯. A woman is waiting for them, standing next to the largest car in the middle.


    ¡°Greetings, I¡¯m Ellen Mary, one of the President¡¯s assistants. He has given me the duty of escorting you safely to your meeting with the Department of State.¡± The woman said as she slid out a smile, easing both Ruprecht and Evatyr and giving them a sense of security despite being in a very alien environment for them.


    ¡°Very well, lead the way.¡±


    As the vehicle rolled along the main road to the city center, the exotic sight caught their eyes. Electrical lights and signs at junctions provided guidance as well as enforcing the strict traffic rules on the many other vehicles on the road. Most of the road traffic is not occupied by the ¡®cars¡¯ like the ones that they are riding on but much bigger ones with more wheels. Ruprecht recalls that the Ambassador¡¯s guards also traveled on similar vehicles, although they were in the same camouflage paint pattern as well as model in contrast to the many different sizes and looks that the ones going about in the capital city.


    Many establishments lined the streets: a store with a cart drawn on a sign outside, identifying itself as a grocery store. Beside them stood a clothing store, its garms displayed proudly on the glass front of the establishment. They then passed by a rail station, the same long wagons they had seen earlier from the aircraft came to a stop, opening its door as people poured in and out before quickly picking up speed and leaving for the next station, Ruprecht assumed that this is how most people get around the city judging by how busy the traffic is on the main road that he is traveling on.


    What¡¯s even stranger to the Azurians is the architectural aspect of the massive metropolis. Instead of the usual disconnect seen on the larger buildings in Anzuri, the massive buildings here are interconnected by bridges above the street, allowing people to move between buildings without ever touching the ground. Besides a few flower shops, the only place he noticed with large amounts of trees on the ground would be the public parks that the vehicle passed by as it made its trip to the Presidential Building. For the Azurians who are accustomed to seeing vast fields of wheat and lightly built up areas, this was a dizzying environment to take in.


    Ruprecht take a break from the overwhelming sight and cleared his throat. ¡°Excuse me, Miss Mary?¡±


    ¡°Yes? How may I help you?¡± She answered, snapping to attention from her conversation with Ambassador Anderson.


    ¡°Is it normal in your country to have so many people in a city?¡± He asked.


    Ellen adjusted her glasses. ¡°Our country is an exceptionally urbanized country even by our world standard, up to 80% of the land in our country could be considered urbanized. There are 180 million people within the Federation so that¡¯s around 144 million people within several cities,¡± She gave Ruprecht additional information papers in her briefcase. ¡°We¡¯re expecting Arlette and Arden City to merge soon due to the expansion, bringing the combined population of the metropolis to 85 million people.¡±


    The mind boggling number shocked Ruprecht, Anzuri only has a million people, which is probably equivalent to a smaller district in Arlette. After Ruprecht finished looking through the documents, he looked over to Evatyr. She was diligently writing down reports, rotating between writing and making rough sketches of the bustling metropolis before her with a pencil she borrowed from Miss Ellen.


    He tapped her shoulder, attracting her attention. ¡°You might need this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Evatyr clipped the documents, making a mental note to read in her free time.


    Ruprecht returned to looking at the scenery outside as the car continued to move forward, mumbling to himself. ¡°How much wealth do these Elysians have to possibly afford all this infrastructure?¡±

 Chapter 10: The Office.

    Presidential Office, Arlette.


    2:40 PM


    ¡°Not enough¡­¡± President Irwin groaned as he buried his face in his hand after taking a look at the economic report.


    Looking at the report again, he analyzed the state of the economy. Without oil imports from Al-Anwar, energy prices are climbing higher which necessitates rationing of home energy consumption in many less important districts. Company heads have already sent him numerous messages, clamoring about the lack of resources to work with and loss of overseas assets. People have been panicking, unable to contact their relatives in other countries, with some spreading false rumors about how they haven¡¯t been teleported to another world at all.


    How did this happen? Why did this happen? Surely whatever power did this also has the ability to teleport at least a few more countries from our world, right? At least there was something to be happy about: the first encounter between the transferred Elysians and the denizens of this planet bore no ill circumstances. This was a peculiar surprise that no such transference of disease occurred between the natives and the people sent to greet them. New humanoid species were discovered, with reports coming from Ambassador Anderson that they met many animal-human hybrids, or just straight up humanoid animals with intelligence far surpassing their animalistic ancestors.


    President Irwin¡¯s contemplations were cut short as someone lightly kicked on the slightly open door. ¡°Mister President?¡± His assistant came through, holding a heavy box of documents in both his arms.


    ¡°Oh, Loyd.¡± He stood up. ¡°Tell me that the stimulus bill went through.¡±


    His assistant put down the document box on the guest table. ¡°It just passed. Your approval ratings have gone up 3%, but this is still lower than your peak before the transfer.¡±


    ¡°I see. Dear god, how are we supposed to fix the economy? Lucius must¡¯ve been some sort of psychic, after that stunt he pulled a few years ago¡­¡±


    ¡°Mister President, I assure you that your predecessor was no psychic. Even with the housing crisis he solved with his radical housing plan and the manufacturing jobs he brought, it still won¡¯t be enough to satisfy the shortages of goods, primarily electronic components.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me we¡¯ve got good news from the survey¡­¡±


    ¡°That, we do have Mister President.¡±


    Irwin immediately shot up from his seat. ¡°Continue,¡± he said, leaning forward anxiously.


    ¡°The new equipment we sent to Anzuri, Azuria¡¯s capital city, has helped tremendously in the survey. The Kingdom of Azuria has remarkably fertile land, capable of producing any type of food we need. They said the land has always been this fertile like this thanks to a goddess. The coffee seeds we gave them to plant grew perfectly healthy in just hours with the help of their mages. If we can get them on our side, I expect no shortages in exotic foodstuffs and even traditional crops like wheat. Furthermore, we anticipate growth in our culinary sector due to the appearances of new types of food, although they¡¯d have to be approved by the Department of Agriculture first.¡±


    President Irwin nodded. ¡°That¡¯s very good. Is there more?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The Principality of Lior, south of Azuria, has a lot of barren fields filled with what the locals have deemed as ¡®burning water¡¯ or ¡®black water¡¯.¡± Loyd gave out a light smirk to the President. ¡°You know what this means, don¡¯t you sir?¡±


    ¡°Oil¡­ that¡¯s¡­ excellent news for the economy!¡± Irwin sat down on his chair, clapping as he gave out a loud laugh, barely containing his excitement. ¡°Finally! We can stop using the emergency reserves that were meant for another war with the Socialists!¡±


    Loyd interrupts him. ¡°However Mister President, it seems like we¡¯re not the only ones who might be interested in those lands.¡±


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    ¡°What?¡± Irwin turns his head around.


    ¡°There¡¯s another entity we might have to worry about.¡± Loyd put down a stack of pictures pulled from the document box. ¡°To their north is the Yarian Empire. Our attempt to communicate with them has failed as they do not accept outsiders. From information that I can gather from both Ambassador Anderson and Ambassador Reiker, assigned to the Kingdom of Azuria and the Principality of Lior respectively, the people living in those countries feared living under the Yarians as they are known to treat those under them with extreme prejudice. Their human population is relatively low however, they mostly use what the Azurians described as ¡°goblins¡± to attack in waves to devour the men and use their women to repopulate after conquest. A few neighboring kingdoms have already fallen just a few years prior according to the Azurian, I fear that Azuria may be next.¡±


    ¡°I have more photos of evidence from reconnaissance flights, Mister President.¡± Loyd held out a folder in his hand, but he pulled it back. ¡°However, I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯d want to see that kind of stuff. The pilots who took those pictures have to have a few days off in therapy after spending hours taking these detailed pictures and films.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Irwin sunk into his seat, contemplating his next course of actions.


    If these Yarian barbarians get their way then all hope of an economic recovery would be lost, not to mention the millions of lives that would be lost and/or placed in a situation worse than Hell. Knowing what needs to be done, President Irwin lifted his face up. ¡°What can we do?¡±


    ¡°Luckily, the Seventh Fleet is already near Azuria and a company of Marines is already in Anzuri itself. We can send the rest of the 5th Marine Mechanized Infantry Brigade as they are already ready for emergency deployment as they are one of the high-readiness brigades, thanks to the Socialists for that. The Seventh can provide covering fire while the rest of the brigade arrives.¡±


    ¡°Prepare them for deployment, I want assets on the ground by next week.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still not done, Mister President. We¡¯ve detected traces of chemical pollutants from some of the landmass far west. In particular, there are two landmasses to the west which produce a lot of chemical and light pollution, as identified by our satellites with a small land gap connecting them.¡± Loyd puts down a picture of a naval fleet. ¡°Further investigation by our secret digital spy satellites discovered the presence of warships similar to the Imperial era, around 60 years ago. This is only one of the continents, however. We¡¯re still trying to scout out the other landmass to the North, it looked quite a good bit larger.¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ interesting. Have our satellites take a closer look next time they pass by that area and keep on scouting. How is our relation with the Principality of Lior and Kingdom of Azuria?¡±


    ¡°The Principality of Lior is already ready to grant full mining rights to their oil fields in exchange for infrastructural development and protection, seeing how their economy revolves around mining and exporting ores as well as magic gems to Azuria for food and to other places for goods. The Azurians acted as a buffer between them and the Yarians so the Liori didn¡¯t have a standing army compared to Azuria which focused their military presence primarily on their northern border.¡±


    ¡°Magic gems?¡± Irwin asked, intrigued about the mentioning of unknown materials.


    ¡°Yes, Mister President. We have discovered several new types of ores, especially magical gems.¡± Loyd explained. ¡°Apparently, these gems have the capability to store and discharge energy much like the lithium ion batteries that we produced. What makes them different however is that they have different properties depending on what type of gems they are, some produce fire while others produce water when applied with small amounts of energy from the outside. The Azurians and Lioris use these gems as an energy source for daily activities and needs.¡±


    ¡°We might want to investigate that, tell the Department of Energy to look into ways to utilize the magical gems, perhaps we can use them for ourselves to stop having to import so much oil for energy.¡±


    ¡°I already did so, sir.¡±


    ¡°Anything else I need to know, Loyd?¡±


    ¡°The Azurian delegation will be arriving in 15 minutes, you may want to freshen up for the meeting.¡± Loyd gives out a farewell nod and exits the office.

 Chapter 11: The Delegation.

    Presidential Office.


    3:00 PM


    A pair of anachronistically dressed individuals entered the room. President Irwin easily identified them as Azurian delegates thanks to the brochure sent by the Department of State, raising an eyebrow in fascination at their outfits and facial features.


    ¡°Mister President,¡± Ambassador Anderson greeted.


    President Irwin stood up. ¡°Welcome back Ambassador! And you two must be the delegates from the Kingdom of Azuria. I¡¯m President Irwin Patris. Welcome to the United Federation of Elysia!¡±


    The pair bowed, Ruprecht stepping forward to address him. ¡°Thank you for your endless hospitality, President Irwin Patris of the United Federation of Elysia.¡±


    ¡°Please, no need for such long titles. You can call me President Irwin if you so please.¡±


    After exchanging pleasantries, President Lee led the delegation to a conference room, where his cabinet was already present. Taking their seats, the Azurians felt their hearts pounding in nervousness and anticipation.


    ¡°The first topic we¡¯ll be discussing is trade,¡± Anderson began.


    President Irwin spoke. ¡°On Elysia, our home world, we used to import exotic food from all over the planet, which could only be grown only in certain environments.¡± He handed a list to Ruprecht. ¡°For starters, we¡¯re interested in importing about 120 million tons of these food products.¡±


    Ruprecht read through the list. Some items were familiar to him, such as wheat and coffee beans since his people grow wheat for food as well as for export and coffee beans, due to having seen Anderson and his guards using them to make drinks which had a strange rejuvenating effect much like tea. Other items were much more alien to him such as bananas, durians, lychee, grapes and peppers. ¡°Hmmm, I don¡¯t know what most of the items on this list are, but I can guarantee that the lands of Azuria can provide the amount you asked for.¡± Ruprecht raised a hand. ¡°However! We do not have the capability to transport such massive amounts of food over sea as most of our trade is done over land to the Principality of Lior.¡±


    President Irwin looked at the Secretary of Trade and Commerce, who is already writing down notes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. We can provide the necessary infrastructural modifications, from the development of a railroad system to the expansion of your ports, even the construction of airports could be done. You may also view our agricultural machines and we can discuss corporate investment later on.¡±


    Ruprecht smiled. ¡°Your generosity knows no bounds,¡± he bowed his head slightly and gave the list to Evatyr to read.


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    ¡°The second topic of today is cultural exchange,¡± Anderson announced.


    ¡°After a brief health screening and inspection to safeguard against any unknown pathogens from both sides, and setting up the appropriate regulatory bodies, we will open up tourism and merchant trade. Most items sold in the Federation will become available to any Azurians wishing to purchase, although certain core technologies will of course be withheld.¡±


    Ruprecht nodded, happy with the offer which aligned with the Duke¡¯s goal. ¡°Yes, that is reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Furthermore, we are interested in an exchange of knowledge; magic is something we would like to learn about.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ we are willing to divulge any acquired knowledge on the topic of magic, in exchange for a defense treaty.¡±


    President Irwin folded his hands. ¡°Mister Raynard, any thought?¡±


    The Secretary of Armament and Defense stood up. ¡°I believe that the analysis of magic is a top priority for our national security, and the establishment of a defense treaty to both secure this knowledge and protect our trade is beneficial for us all. There is nothing to gain by shunning our potential trade partners and starving ourselves of beneficial knowledge as well as food, not to mention the destruction of Azuria and Lior surely would not go well with the general public.¡±


    President Irwin nodded. ¡°Okay,¡± he turned to Ruprecht. ¡°We are willing to negotiate a defense treaty, but we will need access to some of your land and ports in order to establish bases. Is that alright?¡±


    Ruprecht contemplated this. If the Elysians decided to backstab them, having bases already inside Azuria could be devastating. However, this doesn¡¯t really matter in the grand scheme of things, he reasoned. The fleet of metal ships going about in the Great Sea could be deployed quickly, regardless if the Elysians had a naval base in Azuria. With their iron dragons, Azuria could not put up a fight either way. Therefore, he concluded, there was nothing to lose by allowing the Federation to establish bases in Azuria. ¡°Yes. You have permission to establish bases in Azuria, but I must discuss specifications with my Lord, Duke Kalush first.¡±


    Inwardly, Ruprecht was overjoyed. The presence of Elysian bases would essentially guarantee their safety from Yarian conquest should the time come. He sighed in relief as the meeting drew to a close. After finishing with sending his manacomm message to the Duke and settling in the new building where the Azurian embassy would be, he sat down on a small bench outside, thinking about the hopeful future of his country.


    He looked over to his right. ¡°You think this will work, Evatyr?¡±


    ¡°I have hope.¡± She answered.


    ¡°Maybe we can settle down, focus on our future instead of working like this.¡± Ruprecht said.


    Taking a deep breath, Evatyr leaned on his shoulder. ¡°After all of this is over, I promise.¡±

 Chapter 12: The Looming Conflict.

    Presidential Office, Arlette. United Federation of Elysia.


    One month later. June 12th, 1427.


    6:30AM


    President Irwin twirled a pen around his fingers as he listened to Loyd¡¯s report.


    ¡°... and with the approval of the Department of Health and Department of State, we¡¯ve issued permits for our companies to start sending construction workers and additional surveyors over to Azuria and Liori.¡±


    President Irwin smiled. ¡°That¡¯s great. We can finally begin our economic recovery, probably even ending the emergency rationing in a month and helping us stabilize the economy.¡±


    ¡°Did Lyn get my message?¡± Irwin asked. ¡°I need her committee to increase the funds available to construction companies. A lot of them are still wary about the circumstances, and we need to be able to reassure them with the treasury.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s agreed to help out and is currently working to push for additional funding, but her committee is struggling to justify the partitioning of funds. Everyone else is fighting for the money, declaring their plans to be the most important, Mister President.¡±


    ¡°What, five trillion Credits ain¡¯t enough? We¡¯re not even spending anything on foreign aid anymore. Why can¡¯t they just siphon the money from that category?¡±


    Loyd scratched his head, ¡°Umm¡­ Minister Johnson in the Department of Treasury already removed almost everything related to foreign policy, since he thought we need to maintain as much isolation as possible and focus on redeveloping our economy first.¡±


    ¡°What?! Doesn¡¯t he realize that that¡¯s exactly what we¡¯re trying to do? Oh, for fuck sake... Remind me to give him a call later. The ration stockpile won¡¯t last long if we can¡¯t get food imports, a man cannot work without food in his mouth. Now, anything else?¡±


    Loyd flipped through the report. ¡°The Department of Armament and Defense have reported large troop concentrations along Azuria¡¯s border, estimation range between 85 to 100 thousand troops, mostly consisting of Goblins but there¡¯s also wyverns and larger beasts we have yet to identify as well as horse cavalry.¡±


    ¡°We knew they¡¯d come, eventually.¡± Irwin comments. ¡°How is the construction of our base in Azuria going?¡±


    ¡°Almost completed sir, all thanks to the shipments of pre-built kits, but we still need another week to finish establishing the hangars and infrastructure for the Air Force¡¯s F-27 fighters. The Navy can provide air cover in the meanwhile should Marines need it.¡±


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    ¡°I see why Lior and Azuria are so desperate for a defense treaty. How many troops does Azuria and Lior have combined? 50 thousand?¡±


    Loyd flipped through the report. ¡°Only around 25 to 30 thousand in their standing armies. That figure takes in their war time militias as well, who may not be well trained nor trained at all. They mostly use spears, swords and bows as well as a few mages for rear line support but they aren¡¯t confident that they can hold out for long as even the goblins they¡¯re facing can use basic hand weapons, not to mention the Yarian¡¯s wyverns which they have few defenses against but to use their own wyverns to counter.¡±


    ¡°So just by pure numbers, they¡¯re overwhelmed¡­¡± Irwin said, letting out a long sigh.


    ¡°That¡¯s just the first wave sir, they have bred enough goblins from previously conquered territories to send at least two more waves of similar scale.¡± Loyd said, his expression suddenly changed to be more cheerful. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, Mister President. The leftover ammunition stockpile will come in handy, the Socialists are gone but that doesn¡¯t mean we have nothing to shoot at. It¡¯ll be a spectacle for the FNC (Federal News Corporation). The people would probably agree with this war, seeing how barbaric the Yarians are to others after they finish with their coverage of the war and the upcoming trade boom between us and the two countries.¡±


    Irwin lifts his face up. ¡°So, what is the result we should expect if they attack?¡±


    ¡°Complete victory within a week sir, the Yarian territories are about the same size as Azuri and their goblin formations are often highly concentrated. Easy target for cluster and incendiary strikes. Having superior strategic mobility than the Azurian on foot and horses, the 5th Mechanized Marine Brigade can arrive at the Yarian¡¯s capital in around a week from the Azurian border; the Department of Armament and Defense have also provided additional trucks and radio equipment for the Azurians to move them along with the 5th Marine. I¡¯m impressed though, some of them learn to drive trucks relatively quickly.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good, Loyd. Maybe you should be spokesperson for the Department of Armament and Defense, instead of working for me.¡± Irwin chuckles.


    ¡°Trust me, Mister President. You would miss me if I did.¡± Loyd smiles in return.


    He continues, flipping pages on the report given to the President. ¡°Also, the Federal Space Agency as well as the Department of Armament and Defense has requested additional funding to put up new satellites and procure new equipment, respectively. Because this world is far larger than Elysia, we need satellites to compensate for the increased surface area. We also still don¡¯t know where we are in the universe, or even the same universe at all¡­¡±


    ¡°Concerning, indeed.¡± Irwin reflected about the fact, putting his pen down. ¡°See to it that they get the resources they need.¡±

 Chapter 13: Defense of Avatia

    Luerico, Yarian Empire. 12 km from the border with the Kingdom of Azuria.


    June 16th, 1427.


    8:42AM


    The Yarian Empire is known to be extremely harsh, most likely the worst place one could find themselves being in. All around, there are nothing but large plantations, filled with slaves and their masters either wiping or torturing them if they fail to keep up with the quota. Large beasts were used in fieldwork, not for their muscles but for their intimidating appearance and to tear any inobedient slaves who were chained to the beast itself. Conquered settlements would be used for goblin breeding, with slave women being sent inside repurposed houses to seal their fate for the goblins to endlessly breed with until they died of exhaustion.


    ¡°So, tell me about the war preparations,¡± a kingly man ordered, ignoring the brutality around him. Hawk Yaria, the 3rd king of the Yarian Empire, was a man who wished to carry out the Yarian dream of conquest more so than his father. His father managed to tame the goblins, a feat once thought impossible and conquered half of the continent using them before succumbing to illness, unable to complete the dream himself. His grandfather has established the Empire, bringing order while his father tamed it, bringing the monsters which roamed the land under his control to carry out his will.


    ¡°King Yaria,¡± a muscular knight in silver armor, kneeled. ¡°Lieutenant General Adem is nigh ready to commence the assault. 100,000 goblins of our vanguard force as well as 15,000 men are ready by the border of Azuria, ready to annihilate the Azurian defenders.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± King Yaria responded as he allowed several servants to tend to him. ¡°And of the mysterious new allies of the Azurians?¡±


    ¡°From what our spies have heard, the United Federation of Elysia is a nation almost as large as our great Empire and Azuria combined. I do not think this is reasonable, since it would be impossible for anyone to have missed such a large landmass so close to our continent. It is much more likely that Elysia is a small island country, situated on several island chains to the east of Azuria beyond the Great Sea. They are a land without wyverns, so I doubt they pose any threat to our goals. However, the spies have seen several strange objects flying to and from their Royal Citadel, emitting loud flapping sounds beyond that of wyverns. We couldn¡¯t sneak inside the Citadel as their security has been bolstered.¡±


    ¡°Our capacity to upkeep these lowly goblins is reaching the limit, General. We do not have much time left to begin the attack. Tell me, what do you think would happen if we attack?¡±


    Knight Patagene flashed a confident grin. ¡°My King, Azuria may be large, but they are a nation full of farmers and demihumans. Their military is at most a fifth of our own, not counting the goblins.The Principality of Lior is most likely the poorest nation in the world. They will yield after we conquer Azuria and cut them off from their vital food supplies. After that, our mages will release the disease on these lowly goblins to make way for our resettlement of the land. The strange objects flying to and from Anzuri are most likely wyverns, with their mages using illusion magic to deceive us of their intention since they are wary of our goals and expansions.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, excellent. Soon, our dream of unifying the Eastern Continent will see reality! You may return to your post.¡±


    <hr>


    Outskirts of Avatia


    Yarian Eastern Conquest Army


    Lieutenant General Adem stood upon a hill, admiring the vastness of his army. With the order to attack scheduled in just a few moments, he wanted to take one last savory look at the amassing horde of goblins, soldiers and wyverns.


    ¡°Beautiful, aren¡¯t they?¡± A voice said behind him.


    ¡°My King!¡± He kneeled. ¡°They are indeed, beautiful. But nothing is more beautiful than seeing the continent united under your banners!¡±


    ¡°Once this war is concluded, I shall appoint you as governor of conquered Azuria for your work. You can have anything you would ever want. Asking the mage to ¡±


    Adem smiled sinisterly as he pulled a magical communication device to his mouth. ¡°All men, it is time. Commence the attack, release the first wave!¡±


    <hr>


    Avatia, Kingdom of Azuria.


    June 16th, 1427.


    4:00 PM


    From what Captain Parva¡¯s scouts could determine, the Yarian forces just outside of Avatia consisted of around a hundred thousands goblins and at least ten thousand men. Most were swordsmen, but what worried him was the number of wyverns at their disposal. Boasting the firepower of 200 wyverns, the defenders of Avatia couldn¡¯t stand a chance. The best they can do is buy time for the citizens to flee. Upon hearing the horns of the advancing goblin horde, Parva felt despair. The evacuation had barely begun, and there was no way all of the citizens of Avatia could flee in time, even if Parva¡¯s men fought to the last man.


    ¡°Has headquarters said anything about our allies?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. They said that the Elysian 5th Marine Brigade is coming, but their base is constructed near Azuria so I expect them to arrive in two days. Elysian air support is coming, though.¡± The technician answered.


    ¡°What do you mean air support? The Elysians don¡¯t have wyverns.¡± Parva asked the man, unknown of the details of what had occurred in Anzuri.


    Suddenly, a faint roar caught his animal ears which has enhanced hearing compared to human ears. ¡°Are you hearing that?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, sir? I heard nothing.¡±


    Stepping out of the command tent, he looked up to the sky as he looked for the strange sound. Hundreds of streaks of light flew across the sky, leaving long smoke trails as they head towards the Yarian wyverns, annihilating them in a spectacle of light and smoke. The large formation of metal dragons in the sky accelerates towards the Yarian positions and multiple explosions can be heard from the distance, catching the attention of the defenders. The defenders ran up to the recently constructed wooden wall, watching the rising columns of smoke in the distance. Some were confused, while others cheered as chaos erupted amongst the Yarian ranks, halting their advances.


    Even though the Yarian ranks are disorganized, some goblins still made their way to Avatia¡¯s defensive wall. Many lodged themselves into hidden spike traps, unable to move as they groaned in pain before dying of blood loss, others were cut down by pikemen as they tried to scale the wooden walls or shot by archers.


    A voice rang through the mana communicator. ¡°Come in, Avatia. This is Colonel Stanford, how do you copy? Over.¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Captain Parva picked up the communicator. ¡°We heard you, Colonel.¡±


    ¡°Our Navy aircrafts is already engaging hostile elements of the Yarians. The 5th Marines would be there in a few moments, I want you and your men to keep the area secured. Your reinforcement will also arrive with us. Over.¡±


    The information puts the technician and the men around the command tent at ease, Parva unable to help himself with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you, Colonel. The place will be safe in our hands. We can take care of the stranglers, leave it to us.¡±


    ¡°Solid copy, Captain Parva. Transmission out. Over.¡±


    Parva turned around, grabbing his sword before leaving the command tent. Stepping on a ledge, his pose and attitude attracted the attention of the men in reserves.


    Seeing that his presence had been noticed sufficiently, he cleared his throat. ¡°Honorable defenders of Avatia! You all commit yourselves to a seemingly hopeless battle to buy time for the citizens of Avatia to escape, none of you are supposed to survive today.¡± Parva looked at his men, gauging their reaction. ¡°However! Our reinforcement will arrive far earlier than expected, thanks to our new ally. We all die someday, but I guarantee you all, it will not be today!¡±


    The thousand men cheered as they raised their blades into the sky. Captain Avatia mobilized all of his reserves, splitting the men as one half moved to their defensive positions, firing arrows at the unorganized goblin attacks while the other half aided with the evacuation of the town, moving belongings and children into wagons.


    The distant explosions continued for another hour as less and less goblins charged at the wooden defenses before ceasing entirely, with only silence filled in for the thick atmosphere of a dying battle. The defenses were littered with hundreds upon hundreds of goblin corpses, many hung lifelessly on the spikes while others were cut down, mangled beyond recognition if not for their green skins.


    A runner ran up to Captain Parva, informing of the situation. ¡°Sir, the Elysians reinforcements have arrived. We¡¯ve also taken care of the strangling goblins.¡±


    ¡°So it would seem.¡± Parva comments as he looks back at the long trail of dust from the East.


    <hr>


    5 km from Avatia, Kingdom of Azuria.


    June 16th, 1427.


    4:00 PM


    5th Marine Mechanized Brigade


    Heavy steel ravaged the earth below, treads tearing the humble dirt road as hundreds of refugees stood by on the road, watching the armored beasts rolling past them. Composed of one MT105 Medium Tank battalion, two MT25 Infantry Fighting Vehicle battalions, one MT127 Self-Propelled Medium Howitzer battalion and an AH-24 Attack Helicopter regiment being hauled by MT-PC Personnel Carriers which were modified to carry spare parts and ammunitions. The 5th Marine Mechanized Brigade spearheaded the first combat deployment by the Federation ever since arriving in the new world. Totalling nearly 400 vehicles and 4000 personnel, the brigade more than likely the most capable combat unit on the Eastern Continent.


    Men sitting on top waves at the refugees, signaling them to make way for the vehicles as they cleared a path through to Avatia. Some stood still, staring at the men sitting on the armored vehicles while others cheered as their own soldiers rolled past on their own trucks and horses.


    Inside his own MT-CV Armored Command Vehicle, Colonel Stanford cuts his transmission of the mana communication device given by the Azurian. The appearance and aesthetic of the mana communicator anachronistic to the powerful radio and display set sitting beside it, glowing an ominous blue and white compared to the bland orange light which highlighted the frequency meter of the radio set.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how the Azurians can even make this thing, seeing how their technology is still around the medieval age.¡± Colonel Stanford said. ¡°Do you know anything about this thing?¡± He asked the radio operator.


    The radio operator responded, flipping through papers and documents inside the relatively spacious command vehicle. ¡°They didn¡¯t create it, sir. According to them, these devices are imported from a country called ¡®Holy Celestial Empire¡¯. I still don¡¯t know how this thing even works,¡± he picks up a yellow magical gem. ¡°The Azurians said to insert this thing into the device to power it, the rest functions more or less how our radios work, with frequency and all. What¡¯s strange is that the radios can¡¯t pick up the signals emitted by this thing and it can¡¯t pick up radio signals either. I¡¯ve tried for the past hour with no results.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very strange.¡± Colonel Stanford comments on the object, he began looking outside through the vision slit which was reinforced by armored glass. ¡°Looks like the refugees are ok, I¡¯ll have the aid workers set up temporary housing near Anzuri while we build up the FOB (Forward Operating Base).¡±


    The brigade moved along the dirt road for another hour without incident, arriving at the outskirts of Avatia. Even from here, the Marines look over with their binoculars and see the aftermath of battle, discussing among themselves and the local Azurian refugees what had happened.


    A voice crackled over the vehicle intercom as the vehicle came to a stop. ¡°We¡¯re here, Colonel.¡±


    Colonel Stanford stepped outside and walked toward Captain Parva, he gave him a handshake after he finished with the salute. ¡°I¡¯m glad your men held up.¡±


    ¡°All thanks to the support from your iron dragons.¡±


    Stanford invites Captain Parva into the command vehicle, the insides already laid with maps and stacks of neatly organized documents, detailing the Yarian¡¯s movement as well as their formations with impeccable details. The technician is still working diligently, updating the map as new information from the Navy¡¯s F-27Ns is fed to him via the radio set.


    Stanford pointed at the red marker on the map. ¡°This is the enemy¡¯s command center.¡± His finger slides to the blue line, occupied with 6 smaller boxes, identifying themselves as the four maneuver, one artillery battalion and one attack helicopter regiment.


    ¡°The Yarians have a significant stronghold here,¡± he points out at one settlement at a junction. ¡°The Navy¡¯s F-27Ns can¡¯t get to them due to large numbers of civilians present, surgical strikes by small diameter bombs on their outer defenses have been only marginally effective in whittling down their numbers and they have reorganized a significant defense of around 20 thousand men. Intel suggests that the number of goblins have also increased at the settlement despite no apparent reinforcement, I do not know how.¡±


    Captain Parva¡¯s face lowered, knowing the implications. ¡°They¡¯re raping the women there to repopulate and replenish numbers.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Colonel Stanford¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Cursing at himself at not knowing this new enemy better.


    Parva continued to explain. ¡°The goblins have an incredibly fast growing period, only taking around three days at most to come out of the womb if the host is human and a month to mature. Most people under their rule do not live for long unless they are collaborators as the Yarian¡¯s harsh treatment often results in death, even for the most minor offense. There are more horrific stories from people who managed to escape to Azuria as refugees.¡±


    The command staff stopped what they were doing, standing in shock as well from the information until Major Eli stepped in, ordering them to continue working.


    Eli gave the Colonel a salute. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have to expedite the FOB¡¯s construction. What do you say, Colonel?¡±


    ¡°Major Eli, tell the Navy to keep an eye on that settlement, multiple civvies. Contact the Navy for additional supply sorties, I want the FOB to be ready by midnight.¡± Colonel Stanford ordered. ¡°Tell the men to freshen up and prepare. Get ready by 0230, we move out at 0300 tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 14: Battle of Luerico. (1)

    FOB Avatia. Avatia, Kingdom of Azuria.


    June 17th, 1427.


    2:45 AM


    The Marine engineers had worked overtime to hastily erect new concertainer walls, filling them with dirt as well as constructing vehicle maintenance areas, pumping fuel bladders, clearing the dirt for landing pads and fortifying defensive positions. Electrical lights lit up the area, providing bright industrial lighting to the previously pitch black fields which laid beyond the flimsy wooden walls that the Azurian defenders relied on. Heavy lift sorties from UH-48s quadrotors throughout the night brought much needed supplies to the brigade, expediting the construction of the FOB as well as delivering additional fuel and supplies.


    Technicians of the 5th Marine Attack Helicopter regiment inspect the choppers, checking all the two dozen AH-24s in the regiment, making sure that the helicopters are ready for combat as their twin turbine engines spun to life. Handlers move ammunition and fuel around, loading them into the vehicles in preparation for the counteroffensive.


    Colonel Stanford gathered all the commanding officers and Azurians officers around the command vehicle, pointing towards a large map projection on the flat steel hull of the MT-CV. To his surprise, the Azurians showed little interest in the projector, hinting that they are somewhat used to the concept and may even have something similar. Pushing aside that, he refocuses back on the battle map projection.


    ¡°Our priority objective is to push back the attackers and force them into capitulation.¡± He pointed towards the junction on the projection.


    ¡°The enemy has fortified themselves inside this settlement here, artillery and airstrikes are off limits within a 2 km radius to the settlement itself to minimize civilian collateral. However,¡± He switched to the next slide. ¡°There are several outposts around the large town, serving as eyes and ears; they''re early warning posts for the main force to respond to any of our incursions into their defense zone. Your first objective is to neutralize these outposts, which we have assigned to different companies, laze them with the designators and let the artillery handle the fortifications as the Navy''s F-27Ns has ran dry on munitions.¡±


    Switching to the next slide, he continues. ¡°New information from recon flights by the Navy suggests that the estimated enemy strength has increased by 15% compared to yesterday, going up to around 40 thousand hostiles. The reason why you gentlemen already know how.¡± He stood in silence, letting the fact sink into the officers beneath him. They looked around, all gave out understanding nods to each other before refocusing back on the Colonel, determination filled their eyes as Stanford continued with the briefing.


    ¡°That¡¯s why this counteroffensive must be carried out with maximum force, the Azurians as well as the high command has given us permission to execute any goblins on sight. Human rights do not apply to these animals, despite their humanoid appearance. Understand that they are an invasive species and their eradication is official policy approved by the Federal Parliament and the President himself.¡±


    An officer raised his hand. ¡°Sir, if we pull this off what are we gonna do about the women who are still pregnant with those things?¡±


    ¡°That won''t be your issue, Staff Sergeant.¡± He said. ¡°The Azurians will be tasked with handling and helping the women who¡¯s about to gave birth, for those who are still relatively healthy at least. Those who need urgent medical attention will get priority airlifts by quadrotors and other rotary wing assets to our hospital ships anchoring off the coast. Any goblin infants are to be handed over to our jurisdiction to be sent and studied.¡±


    Stanford switches to the next slide. ¡°As you all know, our secondary objective is to rescue any civilians under detainment by the Yarians, there is an estimate around 25 thousand civilians in the settlement. After the recapture of the settlement, it is open country for half a day to their command center where their leadership is supposedly located. We¡¯ll conduct a joint attack on the settlement, using our superior weaponry along with Azurian shieldmen to cover our forces and clear out entrenched enemies. Armors will be providing cover fire on the outer perimeters, picking off the stranglers should any attempts to flee the settlement. Any surrendered human Yarians are to be captured for information extraction.¡± He explained with rigidity, making sure that the men understand their objectives.


    ¡°This briefing is now concluded. We are to roll out in 10 minutes, return to your vehicles.¡± He puts away the pointing stick. ¡°Mount up!¡±


    <hr>


    2:57 AM


    Sergeant Boris grabs his R-25 rifle, checking its chamber and his pouches for any missing equipment or ammunition. Putting his helmet on, he taps on it with a spare magazine, just to make sure the ammo will feed properly. Comms, check. P-16 pistol, check. Four FR-57 fragmentation grenades, check. Individual first aid kit, check. Water, check. Flak jacket, tight and secured. Helmet, got it. Monocular night vision tube, powered.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s do this.¡± He mumbles to himself.


    Boris moved over to his squad as they finished with their own kit and putting extra munitions as well as supplies into the MT25 rear storage boxes.


    ¡°Aw c¡¯mon, Richie. We ain¡¯t got time for this, op¡¯s starting in 3 mikes.¡± Private Lewis complained, checking the time on his watch, its numbers visible as luminescence chemicals contained inside provided barely visible light.


    ¡°I need this, dude.¡± Richard said, rushing to put the recently taken picture of him and some half-elven lady in Anzuri into his rucksack and grabbing his R-25GL.


    ¡°After the op is over, you can fuck around all you want.¡± Lewis grabs Richard¡¯s flak jacket, dragging him towards their MT25 as he hastily finishes up with packing his equipment.


    Turning over to Rita, Boris saw her finishing up with her own kit, putting her helmet which had a red cross on it. ¡°Corpswoman, let¡¯s move.¡±


    She grabs her R-25 and heads out to the vehicle with the rest of the squad. ¡°Got it, Sergeant.¡±


    The MT25¡¯s engine roars to life as its rear ramp drops down, revealing a pair of figures already inside. ¡°What took you clowns so long to get ready?¡± Joker asked half heartedly, already knowing the answer. He was sitting there with another feller, trading something with him, not giving a care in the world about the first war in his career.


    ¡°Said the biggest clown in the squad.¡± Lewis took a seat, tucking the rifle in his arm. ¡°What are y¡¯all doing?¡±


    ¡°Trading photo cards,¡± Joker said, showing off the collection of cards with his left hand. They were photos of all the non-human girls he took ever since they got off from the LCH-60 landing crafts, still newly taken when they were stationed in Anzuri. Some were taken normally, while others were taken in slightly suspicious positions.


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    Lewis widened his eyes, his voice disgusted. ¡°It¡¯s not even a week and you alrea-¡± He snapped to attention as Boris stepped inside the IFV. ¡°Sarge.¡±


    Checking his watch and making sure his squad is all there, Sergeant Boris nods. ¡°We move out in 60 secs. Strap up.¡±


    As Rita took a seat and the rear ramp closed. The vehicle commander sitting on the turret basket looked back in the troop compartment. ¡°Looks all good, fellas.¡±


    He presses the intercom button. ¡°Driver, standby.¡±


    The gunner turned to his commander, running through the buttons on the compact weapon control station. ¡°25mm, check. Coaxial, check. TOLAT missiles, check. Weapons are hot, we¡¯re clear.¡±


    The vehicle commander fiddles with the radio as he switches to the battalion headquarter frequency. ¡°A Company, First Platoon ready.¡± He said as he waited for the confirmation code.


    A voice crackled in his tanker helmet. ¡°All maneuver units, commencing Operation Rolling Earth. Confirmation Code: Mike, Alfa, Romeo, Foxtrot, Tango, Hotel, Oscar, Romeo, Echo.¡±


    ¡°Code confirmed.¡± The commander switched to his intercom. ¡°Let¡¯s move out. Driver, forward!¡±


    The vehicle shook lightly as the 600 hp diesel engine revs up, propelling the vehicle forward. The Azurian defenders cheered on as their reinforcement troops and the Elysian Marines headed towards their objective.


    ¡°So¡­ new guy.¡± Lewis asked the man next to Joker. ¡°Just got assigned here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Name¡¯s Milton, designated marksman.¡± He offered a handshake.


    Shaking Milton¡¯s hand, Lewis asked him several questions and after being coerced into it by Joker, he also joined in the trading of photos to pass the time on the march.


    The vehicle kept moving on for another while as Milton, Joker and Lewis wrapped up with their shady business. Silence eventually befell the interior, save for the occasional chatter by the vehicle crew and the rumbling engine, few sounds make it into the hull besides a few loose rocks on the road. The squad checked their equipment one last time to make sure that everything was working properly.


    Boris looked out the infantry periscope, the vehicle formations outside are barely visible as the sun has yet to rise, but he knew they¡¯re out there, preparing to unleash hell on the Yarians for their barbarity.


    The vehicles came to a halt as radio chatter filled the channels, waiting for the preparatory barrages by the howitzers back in Avatia before advancing. The Azurians on trucks disembark, moving up and laying low on the treeline in front of the IFVs in preparation for the attack.


    ¡°We¡¯re here, ladies.¡± The commander announced over the intercom, dropping the rear ramp of the MT25 with a single push of a button. ¡°Go, go, go!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s move!¡± Boris ordered as the squad sprint out from the back, grabbing the laser designator from the storage rack.


    Taking up positions, Boris took out his binoculars and turned on its night vision mode, scanning the area ahead.


    ¡°Richard, Joker, Milton, Rita.¡± He called out for each one of them and pointed towards a bomb crater. ¡°Set up an MG there. Lewis and I will set up the laser designator.¡±


    Giving their thumbs up, four of them ran towards the crater, hauling a crate of ammunition and spare barrels from the IFV. ¡°We got it, Sarge.¡± Richard answers through the radio.


    Lewis finished setting up the laser designator. ¡°We¡¯re clear for lasing.¡± He reports.


    Boris nods in approval, satisfied with the setup. He observed the other squads doing the same with the regiment, making sure that everything was up to speed, he grabs the microphone through Lewis¡¯s backpack radio and adjusts its frequency. ¡°Fire mission, priority target¡­¡±


    <hr>


    FOB Avatia.


    3:42 AM


    Back in the FOB, the 5th Artillery Battalion stood by as thousands of 127mm rounds laid on their ammunition racks, ready to be fired in anger for the first time in the new world. The strange sight of the 32 self-propelled howitzers caught the Azurian¡¯s attention, who observed the artillerymen with curiosity.


    ¡°What are those things?¡± Captain Parva asked, piqued by the strange machines.


    One of the artillerymen rushes toward Captain Parva¡¯s and his men¡¯s position, shouting and waving his arms at them. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, stay back!¡±


    The Azurians complied as some returned to their post while others continued to observe from a longer distance, pondering about the strange action of the Elysians. Most of what they were doing was understandable like constructing a base, transporting supplies and making space for their mechanical steel beasts, but grouping them up together with their giant tusks pointed towards the sky? Unexplainable. The others have already left for battle already, so what were they doing here?


    ¡°They said they¡¯re gonna fire on the Yarians.¡± One of his subordinates said.


    ¡°From here? The Yarians are one or two hours of horse riding away! That¡¯s not realistic.¡±


    ¡°Are steel beasts that tear up the road they travel on and iron dragons that use light arrows to destroy their enemies any more realistic to you?¡±


    He was about to object but he stopped, thinking about the statement. ¡°I¡­ suppose you¡¯re right.¡±


    Suddenly, one of the artilleryman''s voices caught his cat ear. ¡°Commence fire!¡±


    The muzzle flashes lit up the night sky momentarily as dozens of howitzers fired their explosive contents into the dark-filled plains beyond, each gun only ceasing momentarily as new shells and charges were loaded into its breech.


    The Azurians defenders quickly covered their ears from the deafening blasts made by the howitzers. Those with animal ears hit the ground, burying their head into the soil as they covered their far more sensitive ears with their hands and shutting their eyes closed.


    After a minute had passed, the guns stopped firing, returning silence to the dark night once again. ¡°Cease fire! Rounds complete!¡±


    ¡°W-What are those things?!¡± The Azurian lieutenant asked loudly, covering his ears, panic could be felt in his voice.


    Still recovering from the deafening display of firepower unknown to him and his comrades, Captain Parva was aided by some of his men, helping him to stand up.


    One of the Elysians personnel stationed in the FOB walked up to him. ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m just¡­ it¡¯s a bit loud.¡± Parva answered, breathing heavily and holding on to his ears.


    The man pulled out something from his pocket, it was two tiny pieces of something. ¡°Put these on your ears, they¡¯ll help. They¡¯re ear plugs, should help y¡¯all somewhat with the noise.¡± He said as he distributed more of them to the Azurians, showing them how to use the squishy objects.


    Captain Parva accepted the ear plugs, inspecting them for a bit. ¡°What a peculiar device.¡± He thought to himself.


    His animal ears twitched again, overhearing the artilleryman''s shouting. ¡°Change target! Adjust fire, grid Echo-Sierra-259-371!¡±


    Realizing they are about to fire those things again, he quickly puts on the ear plugs as the long tusks on those things move slightly. The night sky lit up once more, but the noise became more tolerable to him thanks to the ear plugs, being able to watch the ¡®artillerymen¡¯ and their metallic beasts continue on as they rain retribution on the unseen enemy beyond.

 Chapter 15: Battle of Luerico (2)

    Somewhere between Avatia and Luerico.


    The day before. June 16th, 1427


    4:16 PM


    Eastern Conquest Army


    The proud wyvern squadron of the Yarian Empire were blown to bits after the howling light arrows slammed into their formation, wyverns and riders alike fell from the sky en-mass, creating a small yet heavy rain of blood and corpses as Lieutenant General Adem and his men watched in shock. Panics started to spread as they attempted to comprehend what had happened to the wyverns. Officers ran on to check the corpses while others maintained order, wondering what just happened.


    Then, it happened.


    As if the sky was roaring, dozens of sleek iron dragons flew over the Yarians at unthinkable speed, creating a loud boom as they flew past the bewildered Yarian below them. Adem spotted them dropping things from the sky but he understood none of what¡¯s happening, only that they were responsible for taking down the wyvern flyers. He felt a chill down his spine, as if all the alarms were ringing in his head as the objects got closer to his army, then it all made sense.


    ¡°ENEMY BOMBS!¡± He screamed loudly, hurriedly turning on his mana communicator. ¡°Scatter!¡±


    But it was for naught, the large bombs splitted mid air, scattering hundreds of smaller bombs which turned into hundreds of explosions that consumed his army. The men and goblins in the ranks were blown up in quick successions, consumed by the explosives.


    ¡°Shield!¡± The mages shouted, creating a magic dome to cover themselves and Adem.


    Shrapnels from the exploves pelted the hastily constructed magical dome, which quickly gave out after the bombing by the iron dragon was done. The mages which had constructed the dome fell to their knees from exhaustion, never having conjured a spell so quickly and decisively in their life. But not everyone is unscathed as some still got injured despite the magical protective dome, but the gory sight of what had happened to the rest of the conquest army still made the mages glad they haven¡¯t joined them in death yet. Thousands of men and monsters lay dead on the field, with some lucky few who somehow survived the bombardment walking about, still comprehending the horror of what just happened.


    <hr>


    Luerico, conquered territory of the Yarian Empire.


    June 17th, 1427.


    4:10 AM


    Lieutenant General Adem breathed heavily as he woke up from the nightmares, every breath felt like a relief from the pain as he leaned his body upward and checking his injured leg, courtesy of the metal birds'' bombs. His legs have largely recovered thanks to magic done by the healers with the help of magical gems.


    ¡°You must rest, General.¡± The young female healer said, sitting on his side, her robes bloodied from treating the others with their injuries and her eyes tired.


    Adem jumped up from his bed, aggressively grabbing her by the throat. ¡°Where am I?!¡± He yelled at her.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re a¡­ at Lu-Lueri¡­co!¡± She struggled to breathe.


    Letting her go, Adam calms down. The tent¡¯s curtains waved open as two guards walked into his tent and bowed in respect. ¡°General Adem, King Yaria wants all remaining generals still alive to be present at the command building if possible.¡±


    Questions ran through Adem¡¯s head. ¡®Remaining generals¡¯? ¡®Still alive¡¯? Rethinking about what had happened to him and his army, he reasoned that the same thing had happened to others. ¡°Very well. Inform him that I¡¯ll be there momentarily.¡±


    He grabs his sword and half scorched piece of armor and heads towards the command tent. The outside sight is just as disgusting as ever, moaning sounds emanate from every house he walks past by as the goblins continued to rape the women endlessly even at night, especially at night. The stench of the dead, the rotten and blood filled his nose, causing him to cover his nose with a piece of cloth. ¡°The fucking smell.¡± He whispered out to himself. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Suddenly, an injured male slave ran outside from one of the houses, screaming for help as he was tackled by a pair of soldiers. One of them pulled out a knife, slicing the slave¡¯s throat and the two threw his corpse down the makeshift goblin den in the basement, adding to the future smell problem that this place has. At least it was food for the goblins, helping to replenish their numbers quickly. The other guards, however, were barely hiding their nervousness, discussing among themselves.


    ¡°You saw those things right?¡±


    ¡°I heard the rumors only, the entire forward armies got wiped out by metallic dragons!¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­ I don¡¯t wanna be here. Maybe we should run¡­¡±


    Adem let out a chuckle, amused at the sight. ¡°Heh¡­ the cowards under General Pandor barely saw any fighting yet they already wanted to call it quit, as if that¡¯s the only option. The damn son of a bitch and his little underlings always get rear duties, never wanting to move forward.¡± He continued towards the large villa near the former market square, now filled with tall cages containing more slaves, separating between male and female to be fed to the goblins and to be used to breed more. Walking up, the guards noticed him and opened the door, revealing a relatively clean and well lit room.


    Inside, the other generals are already present, arguing with each other while King Yaria watches on with disappointment and disgust at his underlings. Unlike the nasty environment outside, however, stacks of perfume candles were laid out to mask the uncomfortable smell plaguing the conquered town.


    ¡°The enemy is far too strong, General Hamire! My men were blown up mercilessly by those metal birds, not one of my archers managed to repay those things with an arrow! We should surrender!¡±


    ¡°We cannot turn back now. Everything is already on the table for the invasion. If we surrender to the Azurians, how will the men react? A mutiny is already brewing and this is only the first day of the invasion! The men could turn their swords against us if we surrender and pillage the Empire! Some of them have already started raping the slave women together with the goblins in order to cool down, how deplorable.¡±


    ¡°This is your fault, Pandor! Where was your wyvern reinforcement when the metal birds attacked us?!¡±


    General Pandor grunted, annoyed at his colleague¡¯s attempt at shifting blame. ¡°I grounded them. All of them. The moment I saw those things destroy the vanguard forces with ease, I made the decision to ground them and to not engage, opting to return them to their garrisons in Swetall. Taking the safer route along the beach to blend in with the wild wyverns flocks.¡±


    ¡°King Yaria.¡± General Adem walked up to and kneeled before the king, ignoring the other generals in the command tent. ¡°You are truly divine! To avoid death in these harsh circumstances is nothing but a blessing by the heavens!¡±


    ¡°Your ceaseless flattery is beginning to tire me, General Adem.¡± King Yaria¡¯s words struck like a blade through Adem¡¯s heart, sending him kneeling so low as to hit his head on the ground. ¡°I suspect your army suffered the same fate as General Pandor¡¯s?


    ¡°My utmost apology, my King! The men and the goblins under my command have also been wiped out!¡± He trembles in fear, unable to lift his head up from the floor.


    King Yaria ordered everyone to cease their argument which was leading to nowhere, causing the generals to stand in silence. They stared at each other, not daring to face the king in fear of retaliation.


    ¡°It is clear that we have underestimated this new enemy. You have all failed to prepare adequately.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°But this invasion is yet to be lost! We still have more men, resources and more monsters to release upon the Azurian low lives! We have gone too far to step down now, I will accept nothing less than total victory!¡±


    The atmosphere in the command tent brightens up as instead of being reprimanded for their failures, the generals are spared from the worst of King Yaria¡¯s wrath.


    ¡°We will carry out your will dutifully, my King!¡± General Pandor and Hamire shouted, snapping Adem out of his fear and prompting him to do the same.


    ¡°General Hamire, Pandor and Adem.¡± He cleared his throat once more. ¡°You shall take command of the reinforc-¡±


    A messenger burst into the tent, disrupting King Yaria, kneeling on his knee and trying to catch his breath. ¡°Your Majesty!...¡±


    ¡°What is it?!¡± King Yaria stood up, frustration filled his voice. ¡°Speak up!¡±


    ¡°The enemy has begun their assault! All of the outposts were attacked simultaneously with explosive magic!¡± He catches his breath. ¡°The enemies are coming!¡±

 Chapter 16: Battle of Luerico (3)

    June 17th, 1427.


    4:05 AM


    The ground shook lightly as dozens of 127mm rounds impacted the outpost ahead, sending chunks and rubbles from the walls into the dark sky above. Smoke could be seen rising, even from a distance thanks to the fire that had broken out due to the artillery barrage.


    ¡°Woo! Eat that, motherfuckers!¡± Joker can¡¯t seem to contain his excitement, ¡°Nice lasing, Lewis!¡±


    Richard whistles, amazed at the sight. ¡°Phew. Now that¡¯s a rare sight you don¡¯t see every day, I stopped feelin¡¯ bored already!¡±


    Milton joined in, not wanting to be left out. ¡°And that ladies and gentlemen, how barbarians should be treated.¡±


    Unlike the others, Rita remains quiet, silently observing the artillery pounding of the poor outpost.


    Joker turned around, noticing Rita¡¯s quiet observation of the artillery strike. ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah?¡± She snapped to attention.


    ¡°Watch your back out there, this ain¡¯t bootcamp.¡± He spoke with a softer voice, seemingly uncharacteristic of his usual attitude.


    ¡°I know¡­¡±


    A small group of Azurians hop down the crater, holding their large shields on their arms and a shortened sword on their hip. Their appearance is as distinct from the Elysian Marines as ever with leather pads and chainmail armor covering their entire body.


    One of them talks to Richard. ¡°Such destructive sorcery¡­ did your leader cast his magic?¡±


    ¡°W-what? Oh, I get it. He called the artillery in, but the rounds came from Avatia though.¡±


    The Azurians got even more confused, not believing that modern artillery has such range and power. They cast the question aside, focusing on the task at hand.


    ¡°We¡¯re assigned here to support you, providing mobile shields for the assault on Luerico.¡±


    Richard responded. ¡°Well we¡¯re not gonna be there for another whi-¡°


    Milton tapped Richard¡¯s shoulder, pointing at the outpost ahead. ¡°We got movement!¡±


    Several figures emerged from the rubble, rushing in all directions. A few, then a dozen, then nearly a hundred figures. About two dozen of them are rushing towards their position, clearly disorganized but heavily armed.


    ¡°Goblins! Light those fuckers up!¡± Milton shouted as Richard squeezed the trigger on the R-125HB, spraying lead towards the small goblin horde and quickly dispatching them as their bodies hit the dirt, lifeless.


    THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!


    The MT25s joined in, using their 25mm autocannon to fire high explosive rounds into the small horde and nailing the stranglers that survived with the coaxial machine gun, making sure that they wouldn¡¯t stand up again. The small horde was quickly reduced down to nothing with killer efficiency, which surprised and somewhat terrifies the Azurians, who can¡¯t help but observe the carnage ahead while covering their ears from the deafening display of firepower. The MT25s then switch to the other groups and continue their engagements, blowing them up until no movements can be seen.


    ¡°Cease fire! Cease fire!¡± Sergeant Boris orders through the small radio. ¡°We¡¯re clear!¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°My god¡­¡± One of the Azurian cheered. ¡°That was incredible!¡±


    ¡°Firearms, baby.¡± Joker laughs. ¡°Serve ¡®em right.¡±


    ¡°You think we could use those ¡®firearms¡¯ one day?¡± The Azurian shieldman asked. ¡°These crafts are said to require no magic, so in theory we could use them right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but not for the time being.¡± He answered. ¡°Leaving that aside, there¡¯s a war for us to win. Get ready.¡±


    The Azurian nods, putting on their helmets which are imbued with a light golden tan color, distinguishing themselves from the Elysian¡¯s helmets which is a mix of camouflage nettings, wires and a strange tube-like object attached to it.


    Sergeant Boris and Lewis ran to the crater, joining the fireteam. ¡°Mighty fine shooting there, Richard.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sarge.¡± He answers, grabbing another short belt from his pouch and reloads the machine gun.


    Lewis¡¯s radio backpack crackles, attracting the attention of everyone in the crater. ¡°All dismount companies! Move forward towards the objective. Clear out any resistance!¡± The battalion commander ordered over the radio.


    An illumination round shot overhead, shining its light onto the battlefield below.


    Boris pulls out a bayonet and fixes it to his rifle. ¡°That¡¯s our go signal. Let¡¯s move!¡±


    The group stepped out of the crater, marching on foot as the Azurians moved ahead of them, holding their shields up to cover the Elysians. They looked around, more than a thousand troops visible under the artificial sun, marching towards Luerico. Few survived the previous onslaught as only the injured goblins are still breathing, unable to move due to their injuries. To their curiosity, they saw a human corpse among the goblins wearing strange attires, a cloak covering his entire body along with a half broken, bloodied skull mask where a bullet had struck him in the head.


    ¡°Poor sucker, at least he got it off lucky.¡± Lewis comments, eyeing over the injured goblin near to him who was quickly finished by Sergeant Boris with the bayonet.


    ¡°He¡¯s a beast tamer, responsible for leading and controlling the goblins.¡± The Azurian shieldman explained, observing the corpse himself.


    The group continued forward, keeping their eyes out for anything out of the ordinary. Luerico was just ahead, beyond a low hill. The Azurians and Elysians, together, eventually crest the hill along with the armored vehicles. ¡°All maneuver elements, hold your positions.¡± The battalion commander ordered.


    A pair of AH-24s flew past them on low level, destroying several catapults and strafing the outer wall defenses with their front mounted 25mm autocannon. Archers attempted to fire back at them through the gaps in the wall, only to find their arrows fell short or missed entirely. Some archers were lucky, hitting the fuselages when a AH-24 hovered next to a stone tower, unleashing their high explosive rounds into the inner structure through the window. They were for naught as the arrows harmless bounced off the AH-24¡¯s fuselage, only chipping some paint off. The attack helicopter returned fire, firing a 70mm SAP rocket into the source of the arrow fire which caused part of the wall to collapse as the rocket penetrated the wall and detonated its explosive payload inside.


    ¡°This is Whiskey-2-1, all units be advised. I got a large grouping of heat signatures heading towards the large building in the center of the plaza. Looks like they¡¯re rounding up the civvies. Over.¡± The pilot reports over the radio. ¡°Gunner, laser on.¡±


    ¡°Copy. Over.¡±


    The radio beeped, signaling a new frequency has joined in the channel. ¡°This is Colonel Stanford, give me a sitrep. Over.¡±


    ¡°Sir, we got visual on the civvies and some strange monsters on the inner wheat field. Looks like they¡¯re¡­ they¡¯re massive! Suspecting twice the size of a UMT truck. No civvies sighted around the thing, requesting to break RoE to engage. Over.¡± The pilot¡¯s hand hovered over the radio button, his helmet mounted display already displaying the images of the beast. Several smaller thermal signatures ran up to the monster, trying to break its chains. ¡°They¡¯re trying to free it! Gunner, shift target!


    ¡°You¡¯re cleared hot, Whiskey-2-1. Over.¡± The Colonel announced over the radio.


    ¡°Weapon tight. Target spot. Tracking.¡± The front gunner pressed the missile button. ¡°Rifle!¡±


    The FTM-127 TOLAT missile flew off its wing-mounted side rack, tracking the laser towards the beast and blowing it up as well as several Yarians nearby, spraying white color all over the wheat field on the FLIR display. ¡°Hit. Target kill.¡±


    ¡°This is Whiskey 2-1, we¡¯re Bingo fuel, Winchester on cannon rounds. RTB to Avatia. Switching shifts with First Squadron.¡±

 Chapter 17: Battle of Luerico (4)

    June 17th, 1412.


    4:48 AM


    A dozen metal dragonflies circling overhead, continuously laying waste to the defensive structures around the settlement with their fire. The men attempted to use ballistas at them, only to realize the weapons did not have enough elevation to aim at the metallic beasts above before being quickly targeted and destroyed.


    King Yaria had ordered all the female slaves to move inside an old but small citadel at the center of Luerico in hopes of using them to breed as many goblins as possible to be used as manpower in case of a drawn out siege that could last many months, but seeing how hopelessly the situation has deteriorated just from the enemy metallic dragonflies above, few Yarians see any hope to make it out alive.


    King Yaria as well as the Generals gathered in a dining room inside the citadel, the silverwares and wooden chairs were removed to be broken down for constructing barricades. In their place, a large paper map was laid out on the table which contained detailed information of the situation. It was beyond hopeless.


    ¡°The enemy has surrounded Luerico, my King.¡± General Hamire explained cautiously, being unable to look at the king directly. His hands were shaking. For the first time in his career, he felt true terror at the thought of dying here, among those he considered inferiors like goblins and slaves.


    ¡°Their metal beasts and men halted outside, just outside of our catapult range.¡± He observes whatever''s left of the wall surrounding Luerico, all of the defenses are wrecked with the bodies of men and goblins strewn everywhere among the rubble. ¡°But none of that matters now. All the defenses are gone. I have tried to contact our reinforcements in Swetall, our capital city, they said they¡¯re under attack by metallic birds flying higher and faster than wyverns, all the wyvern bases and garrisons were destroyed. Looks like we¡¯re it.¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t they attacked us? They clearly have no problem with turning the landscape into ash and walls to rubble¡­ there must be a reason.¡± General Pandor contemplated while pacing back and forth, looking for answers.


    ¡°Perhaps there is something valuable inside this place they want?¡± General Adem pondered. ¡°There are only lowly slaves and goblins! There is nothing else here!¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± King Yaria ordered, his face raging with anger and frustration. ¡°All this time¡­ All this effort¡­ My forefathers and I didn¡¯t come all this way for NOTHING!¡± He lashes out, channeling his anger on the table, slamming a fist into it as he finishes the sentence. He sat down on his throne which he brought with him, covering his face using his hand.


    The room fell into silence, with only the screams of the men outside and the rapid flapping noise of the metal dragonflies filling in for the atmosphere. General Hamire switched his gaze away from the king, towards the outside. The large fire burning throughout the town provided more than enough light to see what¡¯s happening. About a hundred men under his order began to surrender, raising their hands up and walking to the Azurians and the Elysians. All of their weapons and armor were stripped, saved for some high ranking officers who willingly handed over their weapons to the enemy. He could see the surrendered men being loaded onto some sort of horseless wagons and moved away towards the Azurian border.


    ¡°My King¡­¡± General Hamire took off his helmet. ¡°Maybe we should surrender¡­ We cannot continue like this. If we do, we¡¯ll survive.¡±


    Hearing no response from the king, General Pandor joined in. ¡°I say we should, my King. I¡¯ve lost contact with my wyvern knights in Swetall. No reinforcement will come. If you die, then the Empire would be lost.¡±


    King Yaria looked up from his palm, his eyes were empty and his face emotionless, finally accepting the inevitable. ¡°So it would seem¡­ barricading ourselves here with these lowly slaves and goblins until we die of starvation is nothing short of madness.¡±


    General Adem protested, dissatisfaction emanating from his voice. ¡°But my King! If we surrender to these low lives, our honor will be lost forever! What about glory?! What about the treasure you promised to the men?! What happen to your promise with me¨C¡±


    ¡°SILENCE!¡± King Yaria yelled, pulling out a long sword pointing at General Adem, prompting the several knights inside the room to do the same. ¡°I have had enough of your insolence. I appointed you as General due to your loyalty to me, I brought your pack of bandits under my banners. Now that you have neither men to lead nor the ability to reason,¡± He puts away the long sword and walks up to him, grabbing the insignia on Adem¡¯s chestplate and tearing it off. ¡°You are no longer bound to me.¡±


    ¡°Guards!¡± King Yaria ordered, turning his back against him. ¡°Drag him away and have him executed.¡±


    Adem felt betrayed, for years he has given his service to the man before him, now he just tosses him away like nothing? All because he¡¯s no longer useful? No. This cannot be the end for him. Not like this. He pulled out a dagger hidden inside his arm, ready to drag King Yaria down to Hell with him. He launched forward, dagger in hand, running as fast as possible before the guard could react.


    BOOM.


    The window shattered as if something had broken in, faster than the eyes can see. One moment Adem was running, then the next he was splitted in half as a large hole punched itself onto the wall opposite of the window. Causing the guards to recoil back in shock.


    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± General Pandor yelped. ¡°What the hell just happened?¡±


    Adem¡¯s upper half was laying on the table where the map is located, while the other half was across the room on the other side. His blood and internal organs were strewn everywhere, painting a section of the wall in red.


    <hr>


    4:58 AM


    ¡°Holy shit! Haha!¡± Joker watched through the binoculars. ¡°Good fucking shot, Milton!¡± He let out a devious laugh before realization hit him.


    Milton laid on the dirt, emptying the chamber of the shoulder fired AMR-25 anti-material rifle laying on a tripod with a single slide, ejecting the empty casing of a 25mm APFSDS round. ¡°You owed me a night at the brothel in Anzuri, Joker. I have expensive taste so I think I¡¯ll go for the elven lady, better start counting your paycheck, bud.¡±


    The bullpup anti-material rifle is massive, as long as the 25mm automatic cannon seen on the MT-25 with a hefty 1200mm barrel. The recoil is no less serious, requiring a long reciprocating mechanism to dampen the kick and cycle the round. Due to the size of the ammunition, it is loaded top down feeding from a 4 rounds stripper clip before being ejected, enabling constant ammunition feeding from another operator even when firing.


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Joker curses to himself, lamenting for half the Marine paycheck that will be gone next month. ¡°There goes my 2000 Creds¡­ or 4 gold Azurian coins? What currency do the Azurians even use? Probably just give them some magic gem.¡± He puts his hand inside his pocket, producing a small blue magical gem looted from a dead Yarian mage. ¡°The wizard wannabes died so easily, I thought they¡¯re gonna launch some fireballs or lightning at us but apparently 127mm rounds hit ¡®em harder.¡± He chuckles.


    The Yarian POW, a lieutenant, observed the long range shot with a pair of binoculars. Impressed with the accuracy and deadliness of their weapons, he had no regret in surrendering to the Azurians and these newcomers. ¡°That was General Adem you just shot. Most impressive.¡± He was flanked by several other Marines, holding their rifles on standby.


    Milton widened his eyes, not believing it. ¡°Wait really? A General?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it appears that his time in this realm has now passed.¡± The lieutenant returned the binoculars to Joker. Turning over to the mage who also surrendered. The mage sat there on the dirt, eyes glowing a light hue from the scrying spell.


    ¡°King Yaria has been convinced by his generals to surrender, saved for General Adem who was blown up by that long metallic weapon of yours when he tried to kill King Yaria.¡± The mage explained, ceasing the spell and stood up, wiping the dirt off his coat. ¡°I have no intention of hurting anyone, the Yarians forced me into service by threatening my family who¡¯s in Swetall with slavery. Only my service could prevent that.¡±


    An MT-CV drove up to them, dropping off a peculiar individual. He walks up, causing the Elysians to salute. ¡°Good morning, Major Eli.¡± Sergeant Boris gave out a salute.


    ¡°Give me a sitrep.¡± Major Eli ordered, allowing Boris to explain what had happened this past hour since the start of the operation. Prompting him to report back to the Colonel. ¡°I¡¯ll handle the prisoner processing. You can wrap up the fight here, report to me if anything is out of the ordinary.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative, Major.¡± Boris responded before returning to his squad.


    ¡°We will be joining our men on those ¡®trucks¡¯ of yours.¡± The Yarian lieutenant said, walking together with the mage to one of the half-filled UMT medium trucks where several other Yarian prisoners are present.


    ¡°May you find success.¡± The mage bid farewell, being escorted by half a dozen more Marines than usual due to his ability to use magic.


    As the prisoners were driven away, the order of assaulting Luerico to secure the town and wipe out any resistance were given. Dozens of MT105 medium tanks and MT25 IFVs opened fire on whatever¡¯s left of the wall, attracting thousands of goblins that were wandering around inside the near-empty town to pour out en masse before they were cut down by the combined firepower of the 5th Elysian Marine brigade. 105mm canister rounds, 25mm HE and 70mm rockets from the AH-24s flew towards the massive horde. Several Azurian mages join in, using red magical gems to conjure fire and forming a small wall of flame with several gaps, forcing the charging goblins through the choke points so that tanks and IFVs can concentrate their fire. Thousands of tracer rounds crisscrossed along the field, many striking the charging goblins causing them to fall down and be stepped over by other goblins. Despite the hail of fire from the armored vehicles, some goblins made it close enough for rifle and machine gun fire to pick them off, adding to the increasing piles of corpses forming on the hill.


    The engagement lasted for 20 minutes, only ceasing when the last goblin was obliterated by a 25mm HE round in the chest. Hundreds of Elysian marines and Azurians ran up to the pile of rubble that used to be the wall, scaling over it. Several shots rang out as they picked off a few Yarians who still refused to surrender or were hiding inside the houses.


    The smell that had plagued the town still lingered among the smoldering wrecks, but the men paid no mind to it, instead focusing on the task at hand. Several special MT105 medium tanks, equipped with dozers, cleared the rubble to allow armored vehicles to pour inside the previously walled off town.


    Sergeant Boris and his squad formed up against one of the houses that had yet to be burnt by the fire with several Azurian shielders at the front. There were no civilians around, only Yarians soldiers and their few goblins with them. They breached the door with a sledgehammer, the Azurians went inside first, then the Elysian who closely followed behind, aiming their rifle and scanning the room for any target. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Clear!¡± Boris shouted, a series of confirmations followed as Joker, Milton and Richard finished checking the other rooms.


    Rita stayed outside next to their MT-25, helping to move some unfortunate Azurians who were injured by the Yarians and goblins inside the MT25¡¯s infantry compartment, folding the chairs to make room for the stretchers.


    Boris¡¯s squad moved to the next house, this one looks like an old tavern, with many old cups still lying about across the floor except for the alcohol which Boris assumed had been consumed a long while ago. Large banging sounds can be heard from the back of the bar, prompting Richard to investigate. He saw one of the Azurian, an elf, holding up his bulky large shield toward the cellar¡¯s wooden entrance, trying to block it. ¡°We got a goblin nest inside here!¡± He struggled with it.


    Richard ran up to the door, unloading about half of the R-125HB¡¯s assault belt of 75 rounds into the wooden cellar entrance, putting more than two dozen holes into it, causing the banging to cease. The Azurian reinforcement poured in, opening the cellar¡¯s entrance while the Elysian marines aimed their rifle into the cellar. Joker grabs an FL-12 flare stick from his chest rig, he pulls the pin out and tosses it down cellar.


    The flare stick¡¯s artificial flame revealed the inside which was relatively empty save for the several goblin corpses, which he presumed was left inside when the Yarians attempted to move the people of the town into the small citadel. Most of the goblins seemed pretty small compared to the regular ones dead outside the field, causing the Eylsians to ponder if these were still yet to mature.


    A small yet light sound of crying rang out from the inside of the cellar, attracting the Azurians and Elysian¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Sounds like a girl.¡± The Azurian shieldman said.


    ¡°Go.¡± Boris followed closely behind him, mounting his R-25 on the elven man¡¯s shield. He turns on the flashlight mounted on his rifle, lighting the path.


    They marched down together, scanning the room for any sign of life. Boris¡¯s flashlight shone over a small figure in the corner of the room, covered by several pieces of cloth. It was a human girl. She wore a mess of half-torn cloth, her body was dirty and full of bruises. Blood can be seen on the floor, leading to the corner where she is sitting.


    The girl stared at them, scared for her life, she covered the piece of cloth over her head. She said nothing, yet from her posture he knew that terrible things have been done to her. He couldn¡¯t blame her for being scared either, she probably doesn¡¯t know what just happened and who they were.


    ¡°Room clear!¡± His squad yelled behind him, which helped him relax a bit, knowing that they are safe for now.


    Boris puts away the rifle, flipping it to safe mode. Seeing how scared the girl is, he took off his helmet to reveal his face. ¡°Hey there¡­ don¡¯t be scared.¡±


    The girl finally spoke, slowly dropping her makeshift blanket to reveal herself a bit. She looked around 16 years old. ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here to save you.¡±


    She looked to Boris¡¯s back, struggling to move a bit due to fatigue. Behind him were similarly dressed soldiers, as well as¡­ Azurians? She pondered if Azuria had somehow fought back and pushed all the way here to Luerico. Strange soldiers with strange weapons, yet from their worried gaze she knew they have no malice, unlike those of the goblins and Yarians.


    ¡°Am I¡­ safe?¡± She asked, her voice dry from a lack of water.


    ¡°Yes, you are.¡±


    Milton pulls out a plastic bottle of water from his rear pouch, pouring slowly over her mouth. She let out a breath of relief as her body lumps, going into deep sleep due to exhaustion. ¡°I think we should get her to Rita. She can help.¡± He said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll carry her.¡± Lewis said, slinging the R-25SB carbine behind his back. As he lifts her up to his arms to carry, he notices something peculiar about her body, but he pays no mind to focus on the task at hand.


    The squad sprints outside, running towards their MT-25 IFV which was parked near a dry fountain, its water flow long extinguished due to lack of maintenance. The 5th Marine Brigade has established a perimeter around an abandoned marketplace, machine gun and autocannon fires can still be heard in the distance as they mop up the town of anything goblins. The sun has begun to rise over the horizon, basking the town in the dim morning light.


    They arrived at the MT25, several injured Marines and Azurians were present, taking a quick break from combat. Other civilians left behind by the Yarians were also present, waiting for their turn to be shipped out of the town in UMT trucks. Many of the freed slaves were happy that they were receiving help and medical assistance, while others were distrustful, not believing that their nightmare was finally ending. Just what had the Yarians done to these people?


    ¡°C¡¯mon, set her down here.¡± Boris points towards an empty stretcher.


    ¡°Corpswoman!¡± He called for Rita.


    She ran towards him, noticing the young girl and his request. ¡°Right away, Sarge.¡±


    She grabs a pair of scissors and starts cutting whatever¡¯s left of her clothing while Lewis, Joker, Richard and Milton scour the MT-25¡¯s external storage, taking fresh bandages, clothes and a blanket for the young girl.


    ¡°You have been awfully quiet this entire operation.¡± Sergeant Boris said as he helped Rita with the cutting.


    ¡°I¡¯m not exactly the loud type, Sarge. I only get loud when I have to-¡± She finished cutting the girl¡¯s outfit and examining her. ¡°Oh god.¡±


    The young girl¡¯s belly was slightly swollen, indicating that she¡¯s pregnant.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Boris turns away in frustration, leading head first against the MT25¡¯s flat side hull. How could he have forgotten about this? Colonel Stanford had explicitly mentioned that any women here could potentially be pregnant with a goblin during the briefing. He just didn¡¯t expect a 16 year old to be affected too, despite his mind warning him ever since exiting that cellar. He just didn¡¯t want to believe it, he didn¡¯t want to think this world is so cruel as to have a girl as young and innocent as her to go through something so horrendous.


    The four men ran back towards Rita, each holding supplies in hand. Joker noticed his Sergeant leaning against the vehicle, not making a sound. Curious by his superior¡¯s action, he asked. ¡°What going on Sarg-¡± Richard shuts him up, tilting his face towards the young girl lying on the stretcher, prompting him to sign in realization. ¡°Shit¡­¡±


    After a short pause from the group, Milton was the first to speak. ¡°That reminds me¡­ I killed a bunch of tiny lil toddler size goblins in that cellar and an older mature one. Probably came from her, too, as there was no one else in the cellar.¡±


    The Azurians who were attached to their unit stood silently, understanding the severity of the situation. One of them eventually kneeled down to the girl, his helmet signifying that he¡¯s a mage. ¡°There is little I can do, but at least let me do this.¡± He grabs the green necklace slinging on his neck, snapping it and puts it near the young girl¡¯s chest. He began chanting in an unknown language, causing the gem to glow a green hue. The young girl¡¯s wounds began to heal and her signs of fatigue faded away as her eye bags shrunken, then ceased, giving her a look befitting of a girl her age. The light of the gem eventually dies out, having been exhausted of its energy.


    ¡°H-How?¡± Rita asked, shocked at the arcane sight.


    ¡°Healing magic. I have also applied a sleep spell on her, she should be fine. You should move her to a better place for healing and to give birth, whatever happens next to her I shall count on you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Boris said to the Azurian mage, giving him a hug and a small pat on the back.


    A loud horn suddenly rang out from the small citadel, causing the remaining Yarians to stop fighting. The Elysians also stopped firing, seeing that the enemy had ceased their resistance along with the goblins. King Yaria stepped out of the balcony along with General Hamire and General Pandor. Puzzled by the sudden appearance of their leader and Generals out in the open, the Yarians couldn¡¯t help but look up at them, fixing their gaze and preparing themselves for what the King had to say.


    King Yaria stood there, waiting until he had gotten everyone¡¯s attention before announcing. ¡°It is beyond clear to me that our campaign of conquest will have to cease. Our reinforcement have been crippled by the enemy, continuing fighting is anything but suicidal.¡±


    King Yaria steeled himself, standing upright. ¡°Soldiers!¡± He yelled. ¡°You are to cease your resistance and surrender yourself! I have been assured by General Hamire and General Pandor that no harm will come to you by the enemy, but only if you put down your blades and surrender!¡± Despite what he just said, he was hoping that the Elysians would be as kind to their enemy as they have demonstrated to Hamire¡¯s men just before, so that he wouldn¡¯t have blood on his hand by ordering them to surrender.


    The soldiers gave a mixed reaction. Evident discontentment, signified by a chorus of jeers, became drowned out by the sound of droppings by hundreds of swords and shields to the ground. A few soldiers still defy order, rushing toward the Marines only to be shot dead and fall to the ground without making halfway towards their target. The few Yarian grunts who were still stubborn finally understood what would have to be done, dropping their weapon and raising their hands up to the sky.


    <hr>


    5:45 AM


    The gates of the citadel finally opened, allowing the Marines and Azurians to march inside uncontested. The sight of thousands of male and female slaves greeted them, some were missing limbs, others laid dead, all were chained together. The goblins were separated, away from the slaves with their own area.


    One of the Elysian Marine staff sergeants walked up to a Yarian beast tamer, punching him in the face and threw him against the wall, causing his skull mask to drop to the ground. ¡°What the fuck are you doing to these people?!¡± He yelled, pulling out his P-16M pistol, racking and aiming it at the beast tamer.


    The man seemed to be confused about what the contraption in the hand of the camouflaged man is, making a confused expression.


    Noticing that the beast tamer didn¡¯t get the message, the Staff Sergeant shot one of the goblins next to the beast tamer in the head before aiming it back at him. He finally got it, raising his hand up. ¡°You want to free these low li-¡° he quickly adjusted, not wanting to anger the Elysian. ¡°people¡­ right? I got the keys, just don¡¯t kill me, please!¡±


    King Yaria exited out of the door, holding something in his hand. Colonel Stanford also suddenly appeared at the citadel¡¯s gate, having been quickly flown from Avatia to Luerico via helicopter. "Hold it, Staff Sergeant."


    Noticing the strange camouflage men saluting the man in the gate, King Yaria assumed that he was their commander. ¡°It appears that this is over. You must be the commander of these men.¡±


    ¡°Colonel Stanford.¡± He introduced himself before switching to an angered expression. ¡°King Hawk Yaria, you are hereby under arrest. Handover your men and weaponry for processing, we and the Azurians will handle the rest.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± King Yaria answered, handing Colonel Stanford a scroll and a bottle of some dark liquid. ¡°This is my declaration of surrender, and this¡­¡± he pointed towards the bottle. ¡°Is an extremely rare disease substance, handle it with care. Mix it with goblin blood and it will only affect the goblins, same goes for humans and their blood. Those who are infected with this will soon die depending on their blood. Its effect can be cured using the green magical gems, however, so it¡¯s not completely dangerous.¡±


    Colonel Stanford accepted the items, putting the bottle inside a protective case before having it sent off. The declaration of surrender was given to a wyvern messenger to be sent off to Swetall, the Yarian¡¯s capital.

 Chapter 18: Future Plans

    Presidential Office. Arlette, United Federation of Elysia.


    June 24th, 1427.


    10:00 AM


    ¡°How is our operation going on in the Yarian Empire?¡± President Irwin asked his assistant, flipping and spinning a pencil on his right hand.


    ¡°We¡¯re wrapping up the combat phase of the invasion already. The 5th Marines is now switching to counter-insurgency instead while the Department of State works on a plan to dissolve the Yarian Empire into a city state where they came from, returning the conquered lands to former slaves.¡± Loyd read from the report on his hand. ¡°Most of the original Yarians were angry about losing their empire but they are but a minority without their beasts and goblins to conquer and subjugate others, I doubt they pose a real threat in the long run.¡±


    ¡°So their leader surrendered.¡± Irwin leaned back, folding his arms.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct, Mister President. King Yaria offered his surrender last week to Colonel Stanford of the 5th Marine Mechanized Brigade.¡±


    Good riddance, Irwin thinks to himself. Defeating the Yarian Empire is just about the easiest part of any military campaign if you have an overwhelmingly powerful military. The real headache is what usually comes after: occupation and reconciliation. As hard as it is to admit it, one of the unintended benefits of the Yarian¡¯s brutality towards others is that most of the countries and kingdoms they overran were almost exclusively cleansed of the people living there.


    The Federation is still reeling from the sudden Transference event, sending an entire brigade for a war on another continent didn¡¯t help with the economic situation either and although the slightly censored footage given to the Federal News Corporation had boosted war support somewhat, it didn¡¯t do as much as Irwin had hoped. The path is already laid bare for everyone in the country to see: there needs to be annexation and a large resettlement of the citizens.


    Whoever¡¯s left of the original population wouldn¡¯t be happy that the Federation is taking over their old homeland, no doubt, but Irwin believes that he could work out a deal with them through making concessions. If they don¡¯t want to self rule, even better, as the Federation could just give them refugee status, slowly integrate them into Elysian society and take over the land. The favor gained from liberating them is significant, so the chance of his idea succeeding is gonna be significant.


    Convincing the Federal Parliament to accept his proposal would be a headache, as it was as imperialistic as it gets by all definitions. But that wouldn¡¯t be a problem right? This is another world, afterall. The Yarians were threatening Azuria and Lior with death and enslavement, worse than starvation and poverty by the Socialists! So stepping in to defeat and dissolve them would be nothing short of an act of a saint for the Azurians by the Federation. He could entice the Azurians with half of the land previously belonging to the Yarian Empire, while the Federation could get the other half. Satisfied with his idea, he grabbed a pen and wrote down the proposal letter to the Federal Parliament.


    His second assistant, Ellen, suddenly stepped into his office. ¡°Mister President?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Ellen. Do you mind helping me with this?¡± He gestured at the printer.


    ¡°Of course sir. By the way, you have a meeting at the Meeting Room at 10:30.¡± She grabs the small stack of paper, still warm from the fresh ink of the printer.


    Irwin checked the time on his watch: 10:15 AM. ¡°It appears so.¡± He stood up, walking towards the Meeting Room as Ellen closely followed behind.


    <hr>


    Meeting Room, Presidential Office.


    10:30 AM


    Irwin stepped inside the Meeting Room, his military staff and officers already present. ¡°Good morning, everyone. I¡¯m sure you all know why I gathered you here already?¡±


    Several replies came up from the staff and officers which affirm Irwin¡¯s question. Irwin also noticed an Azurian military attach¨¦, his bright golden attires standing out among the suited men belonging to his staff. ¡°You must be General Kalasta?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, President Irwin. Duke Kalush ad Azuri has sent me to observe and to learn from your military. Due to the strengthening ties between our two countries, the Duke wanted more than just joint operations using our own equipment. He wishes for modernization and training of the Azurian military.¡±


    ¡°And that shall be one of the topics we shall discuss today.¡± Irwin gives out a light hearted smile. Knowing how barbaric this world has been so far, especially regarding the Yarians, he was glad that civility and respect also existed.


    Irwin gave the signal for everyone to sit down while Ellen distributed the copy of his proposal to everyone sitting in the room. Paper and documents shuffling about as the Secretary of Armament and Defense spoke first. ¡°We recognized the need to modernize the Azurian military who is now our trusted ally despite having been in contact for just over a month. I believe that the Azurians deserved an effective military, not only to safeguard their sovereignty but to also help protect our assets on the ground in case of war breaking out as we cannot keep a large military presence forever.¡±


    Raynard paused. ¡°However, due to the less than ideal infrastructure present in the Kingdom of Azuria, I can only suggest modernization of lighter equipment like issuing rifles, body armor, camouflage uniforms, helmets and radios. More sophisticated hardware will have to be held off until the infrastructure in Azuria has matured sufficiently. Is that alright, General Kalasta?¡±


    ¡°It is reasonable. You have my utmost gratitude, Mister Raynard.¡± General Kalasta replied calmly, but internally he was overjoyed to hear the approval. His soldiers no doubt would¡¯ve appreciated new weapons and equipment provided to them, even if it was only basic small arms. But there were only several problems.


    ¡°I still have questions regarding this, Mr.Raynard.¡± Kalasta straightened up, switching to a more professional tone but his worries can still be felt. ¡°How are we going to afford these items? I have seen the pricing of these advanced equipment converted to our currency, procuring them would be a very expensive endeavor. It pains me to admit this, but our country has little to offer the world but food as we are a majority agricultural society, as such we aren¡¯t wealthy by any measure.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, General Kalasta.¡± Irwin spoke up. ¡°I already got Minister Johnson, who is in charge of the Department of Treasury, to get on board with the plan despite his isolationist stance. A large majority of our Federal Parliament have also commended your men¡¯s action during the war on the Yarian Empire, thanks to the somewhat good press coverage. Our country will pass the Strategic Assistance Act soon which will allow us to send money to your country, the money can only be spent on the purchase of our weapons however. Your country may spend a small amount of 40 million Credits per year on the purchase and maintenance of equipment, this is to allow you freedom to choose the equipment most appropriate for your country¡¯s needs.¡±


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    General Kalasta¡¯s eyes lit up, finding the generosity of the Elysians hard to believe. ¡°My, I can¡¯t express my gratitude enough! I assure you that we will spend the amount wisely.¡± He bowed lightly.


    Irwin cleared his throat. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Gentlemen, now for the topic of the post-war treaty with the Yarians.¡±


    General Kalasta¡¯s eyes frowned slightly at the topic. Afterall, the Yarians were as barbaric as they get, a peace treaty with them would often be broken as soon as they regained their strength. Although grateful for the Elysian¡¯s help, he couldn¡¯t sympathize with them in regard to how they treat defeated enemies, especially one as ruthless as the Yarians. Compassion is a double edge sword.


    ¡°Due to internal matters, King Yaria cannot be present at this meeting. However, he has sent us his demands. One of which is the preservation of his power on the throne and to continue ruling in peace.¡±


    Kalasta stood up in protest, barely containing his distaste for King Yaria. ¡°That¡¯s not possible! What if he built another army to attack again like his forefathers?! Kingdoms have fallen just because they spared the Yarians of complete destruction!¡±


    Seeing everyone¡¯s surprised reaction in the room, he quietly sat down on the soft chair. ¡°I apologize for my outburst, it¡¯s just that I cannot see any other way but to put that man down for good.¡±


    ¡°We understand your concern, General. But the cycle of violence has to be stopped, no matter what. Putting King Yaria down will cause a power vacuum which could accelerate into a civil war! The risk of that happening is too great and our country is in no position to intervene should the situation spiral out of control. It is also why we decided to modernize your armed forces as well, to help share the burden of security on the Eastern Continent.¡± Raynard said.


    ¡°This is the post war treaty.¡± Irwin gestured at Ellen to distribute the copies in her hand. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll find this acceptable.¡±


    He sat in silence, watching everybody read the copies in their hand slowly.


    General Kalasta reads one of the terms out loud: ¡°Article I - The Yarian Empire, acting in conformity with the wishes of the people and every department of its government, cedes to the United Federation of Elysia and the Kingdom of Azuria all its territories deemed not to be apart of its original sovereignty, to be held by both parties in full property and sovereignty. This cession includes all public lots and squares, vacant lands, mines, minerals, salt lakes and springs, public edifices, fortifications, barracks, ports and harbors, navy and shipyard, docks, magazines, arms, armaments and accouterments, archives and public documents, public funds debts, taxes and dues unpaid at the time of the exchange of the ratifications of this treaty.¡±


    The rest of the treaty stated the reparations by the Yarians to former slaves as well as disarmament, completed with the disbanding of units and seizure of all Yarian military assets to be destroyed or disposed of. Trade agreements were also included, with any groups opting for self-rule will have to sign a trade agreement with the Federation, allowing for tariffs-free exchange of goods and services.


    ¡°We can work out the details on what territories to split up between our two countries at a different time. In the meanwhile, we can set up an occupational government to make sure those refugees get help first and to maintain some semblance of order.¡± President Irwin said, crossing his arms.


    ¡°This¡­ this is fantastic, President Irwin! Duke Kalush will no doubt approve of this partitioning.¡± General Kalasta was overjoyed, wild imaginations running through his mind.


    Some of the staff didn¡¯t share General Kalasta¡¯s excitement, especially minister Johnson who was in charge of the Department of Treasury.


    ¡°This is quite the serious proposal, Mister President. How will the budget even hold up? I have already diverted most of the older foreign aids budget to the military to help keep order! The bureaucratic mess that this would cause will be enormous even with the expanded budget.¡± He explained with some annoyance in his voice.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem, Johnson. Just do your job. I have already decided on how to go about achieving this endeavor. Everybody here already knows about the overcrowding situations in the less affluent districts, especially near the industrial areas due to lower rent. Freeing our people from that kind of life and giving them the chance to settle in the land of this new world would alleviate the many burdens in the long run. The people voted us in for a reason, let¡¯s not give them a reason to push us out of office, especially when war support is still somewhat higher than usual.¡± Irwin replied.


    Seeing the reasoning in the President¡¯s explanation and unable to counter, Johnson concedes. ¡°¡­ I understand, Mister President. I¡¯ll try my best to make it work.¡±


    ¡°Very well then. Now,¡± Irwin turned his chair to the projector, looking at the new satellite photos taken by the Federal Security Service. ¡°To the next topic, what in the living hell am I looking at here, Mr. Raynard?¡±


    The sharp photos depicted a fleet of warships, the larger ones are bristling with half a dozen large cannons of unknown caliber each on their port and starboard sides, adding up to 12 cannons total. Smaller vessels were seen in other photos, lacking such cannons but made up for in their numbers, Irwin presumed that these are escort ships judging by their defensive formations, surrounding the two large gunboats. If they were only regular warships, then he wouldn¡¯t be so worried as modern missiles from the venerable Dasher class guided missile destroyers and Challenger class guided missile cruisers can outrange even the largest of guns able to be fitted on the old Bunker Class battleships, which were sitting dormant as empty husk acting as reserves in the Naval Museum in Arden City, stripped of their electronics and equipment.


    What worried him are the next photos, showing the presumed naval vessels over a city landscape. ¡°Are these warships flying?¡± He asked Raynard, the Secretary of Armament and Defense, who maintained a neutral expression on his face.


    ¡°I supposed they are, Mister President. The Minister of State has been informed of this discovery and is currently in a separate meeting with heads of the armed forces to figure out what these objects are.¡±


    ¡°Have him report back to me as soon as possible. I supposed these ships are from the¡­¡± he attempted to recall the brief and quick mentioning of this country located in the north west direction of the map by the Azurians and several others. ¡°Holy Celestial Empire. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mister President. That is correct.¡±


    Irwin sat down, flipping through the stack of suggestions sent to him by the Department of State. He let out a long sigh as he read the list. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of countries that we don¡¯t know anything about...¡±


    ¡°At least the Azurians gave us valuable knowledge. Save us a good deal of time and resources on exploring this new world.¡± Raynard comments.


    Irwin continued to flip through the papers. ¡°Found it! The Holy Celestial Empire¡­¡±


    _ _


    United Federation of Elysia - Department of State


    Classification: Protected


    <hr>


    Subject: The Holy Celestial Empire


    Date: June 21st, 1427 (Central Calendar Year)


    <hr>


    To: President Irwin Patris


    Presidential Office


    Administration District, Arlette, United Federation of Elysia


    <hr>


    From: Minister Marvin Archer, Department of State.


    United Federation of Elysia.


    <hr>


    Content:


    Located on the aptly named Celestial Continent, the Holy Celestial Empire borders the Florence Republic to her South through a small land connection, the Al-Quamar Caliphate in the west, with the Dwarven Union located in the Great Mountain Range, acting as a buffer between the Holy Celestial Empire to the eastern part of the continent and the Al-Quamar Caliphate in the far western desert region.


    Mister Ruprecht, now an Azurian representative stationed in our country as well as Miss Evatyr, his assistant, have expressed great admiration for this faraway land. The reasoning for their admiration is that, and I quote in Mister Ruprecht¡¯s own words, ¡°Most powerful country in the world in regard to magical knowledge¡±. Miss Evatry in particular, has claimed to have received her magical knowledge and skills through the Holy Celestial Empire¡¯s educational institution.


    In regards to our approach to this faraway nation in the West, it is my utmost regret to advise you against interacting with this faraway presumed superpower unless we were approached by the Holy Celestial Empire first, as we have yet to find enough reliable information about this country. Should we once again find ourselves at war with a country we have little to no knowledge about, whether through cultural misunderstandings or otherwise, I fear that we would be at their mercy instead of the opposite.

 Chapter 19: Goddess of Nature.

    Somewhere in the Vayur Forest, 22 km from Anzuri City.


    July 17th, 1427.


    6:12 AM


    Miritta awoke from her slumber inside a cozy treehouse, yawning as she stretched her back before stepping off the bed, pushing aside the blanket.


    ¡°My¡­ today seemed like a good day for a walk.¡± She opened the window, letting the morning sunlight inside. ¡°I wonder what Azuria is up to now?¡±


    Located deep inside the thick Vayur Forest, almost nobody passes through the area, providing Miritta with serenity and peace like nowhere else in the Kingdom. The treehouse she stayed in was humble yet comfortable, only about the size of a small one bedroom apartment. A small stream runs through nearby, providing natural fresh water for her daily needs.


    Miritta walked to the large mirror hung on the wall, observing her naked mortal body which was of a young, white human lady in her early 20s. Despite her looks, she has been like this for 427 years ever since the previous God of Nature chose her to be the successor. ¡°Hmmm¡­ maybe I¡¯ll change up my hair for a while, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try something new.¡±


    She closes her eyes, an ominous light emits from her hair as she turns it from a dark brown short cut to a long silver white hairstyle, even adding some light green colors on her inner hair. Opening her eyes, she smiled in approval as she adjusted her hair, satisfied with her choice of coloring.


    Using her ability to control nature, the tree branches began to warp and smooth out in front of her treehouse¡¯s entrance, forming steps and allowing her to walk down to the ground. Already naked, she stepped into the small stream and began to take a bath in its slightly chilly water. Miritta washes herself up and down, singing an old song she had heard ever since she was still a human which most people had forgotten through time.


    Ah-ah-ah-ah


    La-la-la-la-la-la-la, ah


    Look one by one


    The cages remind me that you¡¯ll always be in there


    For you, the birds have spoken


    Now they¡¯ve flown


    See? Now they¡¯ve flown, far to beyond


    From the cage that served as their one and only home


    Though it may hurt today


    Tomorrow, they¡¯ll be heading their way


    They tried, they tried


    What did you expect?


    My dearest friend


    Tell me when, you shall make it then.


    So let me take your hand


    Life isn¡¯t in cages


    Tip tappity tappity tap


    Soar like a bird, sing


    Ta, ta-li-la, lu-li-la-tu


    La, tu-la-ti, la-lu-li-tu


    Spending your life locked up


    Longing for the blue sky


    Building your hopes and dreams


    So you have a reason


    Reason to fly ahead


    Don¡¯t you worry


    I¡¯ve saved a spot for you in the reverenced sky


    Your cry will not be silenced, just like how mine won¡¯t


    So sing and sing till


    Your desires convince me you¡¯ve always yearn freedom


    For you, the light will followUnauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Until you¡¯re done


    See? Now you¡¯re done, and it¡¯s been done


    Now the dream that allowed you your one and only hope


    What¡¯s more to say?


    Life always reaches down to those who chooses to dream


    Though it may hurt today


    Tomorrow, you¡¯ll be heading your way (1)


    Although she was a goddess, she felt no need to rule over others nor did she enjoy being worshipped, perhaps that is why Vienra, the previous God of Nature had chosen her to be the successor. She prefers to let the people self-rule while isolating herself from politics, only occasionally visiting the cities every few months to check on the people and to buy things that she couldn¡¯t make herself.


    Finishing with washing herself, she walked back to her treehouse and began using her magical power on it. The treehouse splits into multiple pieces, lowering her closet, mirror and her storage box down the ground floor. Picking through the closet meticulously, she chooses a nice white peasant dress for the day as well as a complementary straw hat to go along with it, preferring to be inconspicuous rather than standing out wearing something more fancy.


    ¡°That should be good!¡± Miritta smiles as she looks into the mirror, spinning around and inspecting herself.


    Opening the storage crate, she grabbed a straw basket, a decent amount of coins and a few other items with her on her trip. Once finished, she put her hand against the earth floor, ordering the thick forest to clear out a path for her as trees warped aside, allowing her to head off to Anzuri City on her horse.


    <hr>


    2km from Anzuri City.


    8:15 AM


    A strange sight caught Miritta¡¯s eyes as she rode past a field: a military fort. Unlike a regular Azurian garrison, this one is different. She observes it from afar, the walls aren¡¯t made out of stones nor wood, but hundreds of large bags filled with dirt and covered up in tarps. Strange metallic towers rose over the base as well, many of them held by long wires attached to the ground. There were also two flags hung side by side in the base, she could identify the golden and blue color of the Azurian flag, but the other one not so much. It has four white stars surrounding a compass rose in the center carrying the same color against the backdrop of dark blue. Men in Prussian blue shirts jog around the base in several groups, with the leading man holding a flag. They were singing an unknown song as each of their steps matched each other perfectly to the song they were singing.


    One, Two, Three, Four


    I love the Marine Corp!


    One, Two, Three, Four


    I love the Marine Corp!


    Why do we join?


    To serve!


    Why do we serve?


    To die!


    What if we die?


    We¡¯ll serve again!


    Retreat?


    Hell!


    So be it!


    Serve unto peace!


    The farmers laid down their tools as they wrapped up their morning shift, watching the camouflage men continue with their marching as they had their lunch. A chopping noise catches Mirrita¡¯s attention, causing her to look around as she tries to identify the source of the sound.


    ¡°You¡¯re not from around here?¡± A young girl sitting by the dirt trail asked her.


    Noticing the girl, she replied. ¡°Um¡­yes.¡± Still confused, she asked the girl who looked about the same physical age as her. ¡°You heard the strange noise, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh.. that¡¯s the ¡®Rorqual¡¯. The Elysians gave it that nickname anyway, all their stuff is in some kind of code with numbers and all, I can¡¯t be bothered to remember them at all.¡± She points towards the peculiar shape in the sky. ¡°There it is!¡±


    Miritta squinted her eyes before widening it in shock upon seeing the massive quadcopter fly past her, escorted by two other smaller ones. They weren¡¯t wyverns, nor is there anything in her memory that could be used as reference to make sense of the objects ahead. These things clearly aren¡¯t alive, yet each of them exudes more power than a wyvern just by the wind they created when they flew past. The massive craft eventually touched down on the fort, unloading its cargo in crates as its four wings stopped spinning.


    ¡°I had that same reaction when I first saw them.¡± The young girl chuckles, amused by Miritta¡¯s reaction. ¡°I¡¯m Alice by the way, nice to meet you!¡±


    Miritta gave herself a few taps to the face to snap out of it. Finding herself sufficiently composed and noticing Alice¡¯s lack of surprise at the massive flying craft, she let out a smile. ¡°Nice to meet you too, Alice. I¡¯m Miritta. What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Just watching the boys. The Elysians over there looked tough but a lot of them are nice, they don¡¯t look down on us women as housewives and always call us ¡®ma¡¯am¡¯ as some form of respect even though they didn¡¯t know any of us personally.¡±


    Although Miritta didn¡¯t disagree with Azurian¡¯s view on women as primarily housewives as it is the rule of nature, she empathized with Alica¡¯s perspective. Being a housewife meant staying at home, cooking, doing laundry, having children and taking care of them after all. Not every woman can find joy in that kind of role.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been doing that for two hours now, running and marching. The flying crafts only came to the base during the day after my father and several other farmers complained about the noise.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ so what are you planning to do today?¡± Miritta asked.


    ¡°Tomorrow is my younger brother¡¯s birthday, I want to buy him something nice. You¡¯re heading to Anzuri right? Can you give me a ride too? I need to get to the market.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, come up!¡± Mirrita said joyfully as she grabbed Alice¡¯s hand, pulling her up to the back of the horse.

 Chapter 20: Changes

    The Market, Anzuri City. Kingdom of Azuria


    9:12 AM


    The city is just as busy as ever as Miritta and Alice weave through the crowd of people around the market. Sounds of housewives bartering back and forth between merchants, mages performing magic to entertain children and the warm aroma of food filled the atmosphere, giving the market a sense of busyness that Miritta hasn¡¯t felt in months. They eventually arrived in an upscale part of the city where the mid to higher end stores dominate, catering to wealthy merchants from faraway lands and aristocrats alike.


    Noticing a peculiar building on the street next to the medicinal shop, Miritta pointed towards it as she held Alice¡¯s hand. ¡°What¡¯s that place?¡±


    The building¡¯s outer aesthetic was sleek and colorful, contrasting greatly with the medieval-esque establishments on the open street. Merchants and aristocrats enter and exit the store alike, holding paper bags containing groceries and other items newly introduced to Azurians by an Elysian company. A massive name was imprinted into the wall of the building: Atlas Retailer. Miritta figured that this must be the name of the establishment.


    ¡°It¡¯s the new department store, belonging to an Elysian company. I¡¯ve heard some great things about it from my friends in the city recently. Let¡¯s go for it!¡± Alice excitedly grabs Miritta¡¯s hand and pulls her towards the place. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my family is fairly wealthy so I got quite the allowance!¡± She gave Miritta a devious smirk.


    Pushing one of the glass doors aside, they were welcomed by the grand sight of a modern department store. The place was expansive, up to 4 stories tall with the centre of the ground floor occupied by a small stone statue of Duke Kalush ad Azuri on top of a fountain with benches laid out neatly around it, providing seating for weary travellers and merchants alike. Easily dwarfing any establishment she had ever been in before, Miritta can¡¯t help but feel awe at the sight. Magical Energy gems provided lighting in the interior along with Frost gems which cools the air inside down to a comfortable level, giving sanctuary to those seeking to alleviate from the summer heat.


    ¡°It¡¯s like an entire market inside a building!¡± Alice comments, barely containing her excitement.


    ¡°That¡¯s impressive¡­ I haven¡¯t seen a place like this in several hundred ye-¡± She quickly cut, realizing she almost let herself slip out. ¡°-ever!¡±


    Truth is, Miritta had been in the Holy Celestial Empire to attend Empress Celestia¡¯s crowning ceremony around 300 years back when she was only around 141 years old. There were similar stores like this in the Holy Celestial Empire, except the architecture was more elvish over there. In contrast, this store has a lot more aesthetic in common with the Florence Republic, saved for the magical gem. She never expected to see such a store emerge in Azuria, as luxury wares imported from as far as the Holy Celestial Empire were highly expensive which only the wealthy aristocrats, merchants and the army could afford.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Alice raised an eyebrow. ¡°But enough looking around, let¡¯s go shopping!¡±


    The pair walked around the department store for a short while, admiring the strange mechanical wares as they walked along the smooth stone path which were laid out neatly as to merge with the floor. Several lucky Azurian merchants were able to secure their own retail location inside the department store, boosting the local economy as the wealthy poured their investments inside this new form of market, hoping to be the first to cash in on the growing economy. The two eventually stopped at a watch store, with Alice inquiring the female employees on what kind of watch would be the best for her younger brother.


    Miritta examined the watch with curiosity, marveling at the accuracy of which they could keep track of time despite being small enough to fit in her palm. She could see the inner working of the object, with tiny little cogs moving the needle around with impeccable stability. The strangest part is that this is no ordinary craft, the metallic cogs are too small for even the most skilled craftsman to create even with the help of magic.


    ¡°Are you looking for a watch?¡± One of the female employees asked her.


    Miritta thinks about the watch in her hand for a while before making up her mind. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d love to have one of these.¡±


    ¡°Okay! We have some higher end models which I think are a bit¡­¡± The employee looked at Miritta¡¯s simple outfit. ¡°-out of range for you. But worry not, we have some simpler models which I think would fit your style.¡±


    The female employee went to the back of the store before returning back with a small box which contained a sleek, minimalist silver watch, with little to no decorations on the outside. ¡°We just had them shipped in from the Federation last week, so this one is new.¡±


    ¡°The Federation?¡± Miritta asked the employee, noticing the mention of a new country.


    ¡°Oh, you must have not been around here, I assumed? The United Federation of Elysia and our kingdom have just won the war against the Yarian last month to save Azuria from certain doom!¡± She said to Miritta, her voice full of excitement at the news.


    This fact shocked Miritta the most, she had heard about the barbarity of the Yarian years ago and had decided to make a plan to intervene should the need call for it. Since Duke Kalush directly controls the flow of information to maintain stability, any news of the incoming Yarian invasion was held off away from Anzuri City except for the army. She hasn¡¯t been in Anzuri City for almost 6 months and wars often last much longer than that.


    ¡°There will be a parade at the square today to celebrate victory over the Yarians at around 5 pm.¡± The female employee said to Miritta as she unpacks the box, showing her the watch and how to check the time. ¡°Here you go, miss. That¡¯d be eight silver coins.¡±


    Miritta pulls out her coin bag, paying the female employee the amount before bidding farewell to her as she walks out of the watch store. Alice is already waiting for her on the bench under the Duke¡¯s statue.


    ¡°Hi, Alice. Which one did you buy?¡±


    She gave Miritta a smile, showing off the gift she bought for her brother. It¡¯s a watch finely decorated with intricate pattern and bold shape, exuding wealth and masculinity. ¡°I got this one! It¡¯s a bit pricey, up to three gold coins, but I thought it would be fitting since he¡¯s getting on in age to take over the business.¡±


    ¡°Your family have a business?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my family owns a large winery on the outskirts. Business has been very good lately, thanks to the export to the Federation. Those people bought everything!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Alice paused. ¡°Why are you named after the Goddess of Nature anyway?¡±


    ¡°I think my mother wants me to be like her or something¡­¡± Miritta said nervously, taken surprised by Alice¡¯s question. ¡°Y-you know? Be kind and blessed? Haha¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, I see then.¡±


    The two share stories to pass the time, though Miritta has to lie or twist her versions so as to not reveal herself to be the Goddess of Nature. While having a conversation with Alice, she noticed several of those Elysian soldiers walking around with Azurian soldiers on patrols, unlike the others she had seen, they wore a black armband with two letters on it: MP.


    Still confused, she finally asks Alice. ¡°By the way, who are these ¡®Elysians¡¯?¡±


    ¡°They claimed that their country had been transferred to this world about two to three months ago, I found it hard to believe until I saw their ¡®vehicles¡¯ when they passed by and their goods. A lot of merchants here and even in their homeland want to be the first to sell products so this place got built in record time. In fact, I think this department store only opened a week ago. A lot of people here were weary of them at first but they definitely earned our trust by defeating the Yarians.¡± Alice explained.


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    She pointed towards the MP. ¡°Those men act as police around here since it¡¯s near their fort, good and bad people exist across all worlds it seems. The Elysians want to make sure that their soldiers don¡¯t get into trouble or something like that.¡±


    After the MPs were gone, Alice noticed a familiar figure in a casual Marine uniform rose out behind one of the stone pillars. She waves for him to come over which he quickly oblige.


    The Marine Specialist lets out a breath of relief after making sure that the MPs are gone. ¡°Phew, those guys are like wolves. They chased Joker for two blocks straight.¡±


    Taking off his cap, he introduces himself. ¡°Specialist Lewis, Elysian Marine Corp. You must be¡­ Alice¡¯s friend, right?¡±


    ¡°Um, we actually just met.¡± Miritta responded, eyeing Lewis¡¯s outfit up and down which was different from the MPs she had seen before.


    ¡°You got promoted?¡± Alice asked him.


    ¡°Yeah, I got through technical training. Pay¡¯s a bit better too. We got two weeks off duty from the Colonel for our work in the war.¡±


    Alice smiles and hugs him tightly. ¡°That¡¯s great! We can have time for each other!¡±


    ¡°You two need a moment?¡± Miritta asked the pair nonchalantly, staring at them.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡± Alice let him go, barely hiding her blushes. ¡°We only knew each other a short while ago when he was transferred to Fort Anzuri nearby. He¡¯s a really good guy though.¡±


    Miritta checks her wrist, looking at the time on her new watch. ¡°Congratulations to you two, but I have to go browse other stuff now. It¡¯s nice meeting you, Alice.¡±


    Alice waved her goodbye before walking off with Lewis, holding his hand as they continued outside the department store.


    <hr>


    On the main street leading to the Royal Citadel.


    4:56 PM


    Miritta stood inside a rapidly expanding crowd, patiently waiting for the upcoming parade as she held her straw hat tightly. Frustrated at barely being able to see the main street through the dense crowd of people, she weaved a way out and made her way to a small alley where there is little to no people passing through.


    Noticing the vine-covered wall inside the alley, she touches it as she channels her power through the plant. The vines started moving, lifting her gently onto the clay roof before returning back to normal. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said to it.


    Now with excellent views of the street below. She settled down her straw bag and pulled out a pre-made sandwich, munching on it and admiring the soft texture as she patiently waited for the event to start.


    Duke Kalush ad Azuri stepped on top of the main gate as the people cheered at his presence, beside him stood Colonel Stanford in his ceremonial outfit and Ambassador Anderson in the same sharp suit as well as First Lady Nadine ad Azuri.


    Duke Kalush allowed the crowd to cheer for a short while before raising his hand up into the sky, causing the crowd to go silent in anticipation.


    ¡°Today,¡± the Duke spoke through the microphone, his voice can be heard clearly even from a long distance away thanks to the speakers. ¡°-we celebrate our shared victory over the Yarian Empire with the United Federation of Elysia! Without the aid of the Federation, Azuria may have been lost forever to history and joining the many kingdoms that had fallen to the barbarians. Last month, a swift and lightning combined offensive by our valiant troops as well as masterful support from the Federation has not only pushed back the enemy, but forced them to surrender! Unfortunately, we have only been able to save a few thousands left of the former Elvish Kingdom due to the barbarity of the Yarians.¡±


    The Duke paused, letting the crowd stay in silence to pay their respect to the dead before continuing. ¡°However, my loyal citizens, our future ahead is bright. We may remember those who were lost, but we can never let the past consume us. The United Federation of Elysia has offered us a once in a lifetime opportunity, their benevolence has not only liberated and reformed the Elvish Kingdom of the East, but to expand our own territories and let our people find new opportunities. Of course, this is not without a price, as the United Federation will take over the land belonging to previous kingdoms that were unable to reestablish themselves.¡±


    The speech left some divisions within the crowd, some thinking what the Federation and their own kingdom is doing is no better than what the Yarians did while others objected, seeing the benefits of the treaty which could elevate the greatness of Azuria as well as the Eastern continent.


    Duke Kalush continued, breaking up the heated debates which were beginning to form in the massive crowd. ¡°The Goddess of Nature, Miritta, has blessed this land ever since my forefathers had settled this kingdom. She wishes nothing more than to see the people of this kingdom and others prosper with her blessing, let us adhere to her wishes and to spread our way of life and her blessings to all these lands!¡±


    ¡°I did say that to his ancestor.¡± Miritta chuckles, amused at the memory.


    The crowd began cheering, showing good signs of positive thinking. Taking on the opportunity, Kalush announced once again over the microphone. ¡°With trade and business booming between ourselves and the Federation like we have never seen before and peace has finally settled on this continent, I see little need to keep our emergency funds in the treasury.¡± He threw away the speech paper, raising his hand up to the sky and yelled at the microphone. ¡°Tonight¡¯s festivities will all be paid for by the treasury! Let us welcome this new era of peace with songs and drinks!¡±


    The massive crowd erupted into cheers as sounds of celebration can be heard all over the city.


    ¡°Let the parade begin!¡±


    Rows of armored vehicles began to roll on the wide open street of Anzuri as the 1st Marine Armored Infantry Battalion was the first to go, each vehicle packed with soldiers in Elysian Marine¡¯s combat equipment giving salutes. The crowds cheered, many throwing flowers at the men on the vehicle while others clapped. Azurians guardsmen also began marching side by side with the dismounted men in unison, holding new rifles purchased from the Federation in their arms.


    Next up is the MT105 medium tank battalion, their relatively long 105mm guns attracting the attention of everyone who knows how destructive firearms can be. Proudly lifting their barrels up to the sky, the men on top waved at the Azurians as they too were also showered with flowers and gifts.


    However the crowd¡¯s reaction pales in comparison to when the medium howitzer battalion finally showed up, inspiring awe from the crowd as their long 127mm gun dwarfed every other in the parade. Discussions rumbled among the blacksmiths as they contemplated how to forge such massive weaponry and even vehicles that moved on their own while Azurian military officers were convinced that they had to purchase and get their hands on these hardwares if possible.


    Finally, wyverns of the Azurian Royal Wyvern Corp flew past the crowd majestically, flapping their wings as they released bags of flower from above, showering the crowds in many types of lilies and other native flowers that flourish in the Eastern Continent. AH-24 Orcas also fly past the crowd, surrounding a massive UH-48 Beluga acting as escorts and discharging flares in a stunning show of light and fire.


    Miritta leaned back on the roof tiles as the parade wrapped up, finding the stunning event beyond comprehension. She covered her face. ¡°I think I need some rest¡­¡±


    Taking the transferred country seriously, she attempted to recall anything that had happened like this before. Tales of transferred countries, kingdoms and empires alike had been prevalent in this world for thousands of years yet little to none of them exists today, either lost through time or fabricated as children''s stories. She has to observe these newcomers for the foreseeable future to see if she could trust them.


    Miritta checked her heavy bag of coins, counting her budget as she flipped through hundreds of silver and gold coins. ¡°This should last me a month or two in a decent inn¡­¡±


    She has little need to spend money on food, as she could use her power to grow her own food in record time in order to save on groceries. Making up her mind, she used the vines to step down back to the alley and make her way to the Royal Citadel which had been opened for festivities.

 Chapter 21: Lively Night

    Royal Citadel. Kingdom of Azuria.


    Banquet Hall


    July 17th, 1427


    7:27 PM


    The barracks and training areas were disassembled to make space for festivities. People and soldiers alike dance along with the music being played by the royal orchestra. Sounds of laughter and drinking can be heard in every corner, turning the usual quiet nights into one of celebration. Farmers, soldiers of both Azuria and Elysia as well as merchants joined in together, indulging in the free drinks and food offered and paid for by the Duke¡¯s treasury while children took part in the night¡¯s activities as the streets of Anzuri shone brighter than ever thanks to the the magical lighting in the history of the kingdom.


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to throw a party.¡± Ambassador Anderson comments, observing the festivities down below from the Duke¡¯s banquet hall.


    Duke Kalush ad Azuri stepped up behind him, his hand already holding a full wine glass. ¡°I thought you people would take advantage of being the ones that did most of the work.¡± He smiles. ¡°I was mentally prepared to surrender to the Federation if you decided to turn on us, you know?¡±


    ¡°We would never do such a thing, your Highness.¡± Anderson reassured him before turning around, raising the glass of wine up to the Duke. ¡°We prepare for war not because we desire it, but because we want peace.¡±


    ¡°If you want peace,¡± Duke Kalush said, tapping his glass of wine against Anderson¡¯s ¡°Prepare for war.¡±


    ¡°So is the way of life, your Highness.¡± He took a sip at the Azurian wine, which was made from some kind of magically enhanced berries. ¡°Good lord, this must be some of the best wine I¡¯ve ever tasted!¡±


    ¡°Azuria is a blessed land, Ambassador. I doubt anyone could produce a better wine than us.¡±


    Anderson gave a friendly smile to the Duke. ¡°I have no doubt about it, your Highness.¡±


    Colonel Stanford joined in the conversation with a large beer mug in hand, his normal militaristic toughness seemed to fade ever so slightly from the booze. ¡°Worry not, your Highness. The Strategic Assistance Act will help modernize your forces over time. The Federal Parliament has also approved new radical policies to help put ourselves on track to stability and prosperity again, of course that would also benefit Azuria as well. Our Department of Armament and Defense has already approved the next shipment of rifles and armor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, Colonel. The new territories acquired by both our countries also pleases me greatly.¡± Kalush returned a smile as well.


    ¡°Your Highness, you mentioned someone named Miritta in your speech¡­ was she a god?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Colonel. She was the one who blessed our land with unmatched fertility so we can prosper,¡± Duke Kalush looked down through the window, admiring the festivity below. ¡°It was truly a divine gift.¡±


    Anderson raised an eyebrow, still not believing the Duke¡¯s words. ¡°You¡¯re telling me god is real?¡±


    Kalush looked at both men, their expressions filled with anticipation for an answer.


    ¡°There are many Gods in this world, gentlemen. Miritta, our God whom we worship, is the Goddess of Nature. However she has long left us and disappeared since long ago, preferring to stay quiet and out of mortal¡¯s business. Does your world not have gods?¡±


    ¡°No, your Highness. Not physically, at least. People believed in gods in our world to give their lives meanings, purposes and to explain phenomena that they themselves cannot understand. I¡¯m not a believer in gods though, the only thing I believe in is science.¡± Anderson answered.


    ¡°That seems to be the trend with your people, believing in science over the arcane, much like the Florentines. Although we are not believers as Mirrita is real, I just know that she¡¯s somewhere out there and she¡¯s looking over us.¡±


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯s watching over you now?¡± Anderson asked him, finishing up with his glass of wine.


    ¡°Who knows¡­ I just hope she¡¯d be happy seeing us in peace.¡±


    <hr>


    Training Yard, Royal Citadel.


    8:12 PM


    Miritta focuses on the wooden target ahead as she holds up a longbow, using all her strength to pull the string back before releasing the arrow. Despite her effort, she misses it entirely as the arrow flew short of the target.


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad, young lady.¡± The Azurian wolfman in an archer uniform said to her as he laughed, chugging down an entire mug of beer afterwards.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you how you¡¯re supposed to shoot.¡±


    Grabbing another bow, the wolfman quickly puts three arrows in on the target despite being half drunk, demonstrating his unmatched skills in archery as dozens of people clapped their hands at his skills.


    ¡°How¡¯s that!? That¡¯s how you do it!¡± He looked around for the girl. ¡°Hey mis- wait, where did she go?¡±


    Mirrita walked away angrily towards the Royal Citadel¡¯s main gate while pouting aggressively, frustrated at her lack of skills in weaponry. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with that jerk?! I was trying my best! Does he not have any decency towards women? At least he could¡¯ve teached me how to shoot!¡±


    Cooling herself down by sitting on a bench for a while, Miritta looked down at her new watch to check the time as she let out an exhale. ¡°It¡¯s a bit late already, I should probably find a place to stay.¡±


    Walking through the upper class area of the capital, she noticed fewer and fewer patrols by Elysian soldiers. The Duke preferred to keep order with his own troops more or less, she assumed. It would be folly to use foreigners as security in an area as important as the wealthy Merchant district where some of the most valuable warehouses are located.


    Miritta passes through the Scarlett House, a popular brothel in the Merchant district. Famed for its high quality women, the Scarlett House attracted many wealthy merchants as well as the rich seeking the finest pleasure that money can buy. Though the establishment looked simple outside to avoid standing out too much, Miritta had passed through this area more than enough time over her life span to know that the inside was more than just the average whorehouse, it was pure luxury of the highest form.


    A peculiar group of three Elysian soldiers walked towards the establishment, showing their papers and paying the burly guards in front of the brothel with some silver coins before proceeding inside. They were welcomed by a slim, nearly two meters tall blonde elf with a lewd body structure unmatched even by other elves in suggestive lingeries.


    ¡°C¡¯mon Milton, get your raggedy ass inside! She¡¯s waitin¡¯ on ya! Don¡¯t be a fuckin¡¯ pussy!¡± Two of the Elysians push the first one inside first before walking in themselves.


    ¡°This place is usually packed, thanks for help buddy.¡± One of the Elysians patted the burly guard on the shoulder while stepping in the brothel, which the man returned with a nod and a chuckle before returning to his duty.


    ¡°Shit¡­ I kinda get why Milton took the risky bet. Now he gets to fuck that hot elf on my paycheck¡­¡±


    Miritta sighs internally after eavesdropping on the soldiers. ¡°Men are the same no matter what world they¡¯re from¡­ they even booked the place in advance.¡±


    She continued down the street until she arrived at an upscale inn near the department store she went to in the morning. The place was relatively quiet but humble in appearance. The wooden floor was meticulously cleaned by a team of maids every day, as well were the walls. Unlike the flamboyant street outside, the humble inn was modestly lit by several energy gems contained inside a chandelier in place of candles due to their superiority in lighting capabilities as well as being hung on the walls.


    ¡°Hello there, miss. You looked weary. Looking for a place to stay?¡± The well-dressed and bearded owner behind the wooden counter asked Miritta, huffing a cigarette in his mouth.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯d like a room.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. How long would you like to stay?¡±


    ¡°How much will this get me?¡± She puts her heavy bag of gold coins on the counter, letting the owner count it.


    ¡°This is quite the amount, miss¡­ enough for two months in one of our standard accommodations. How long do you want to stay?¡±


    ¡°As much as that amount permits it.¡±


    The owner grabs the pair of keys hanging on the wall before handing it over to Miritta. ¡°Staying long term, I see. Well then, we got free breakfast and tea every morning, thank you for staying over at our establishment! Your room is on the second floor, 004.¡± He gave her a friendly smile before retreating himself back to the chair behind the counter.


    Miritta walked upstairs, turning left at the hallway before seeing a familiar face standing there anxiously, slightly blushing. ¡°Alice?¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Woah!¡± Alice turned to her in surprise. ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t know you¡¯re staying here for the night.¡±


    Miritta leaned right a bit, checking the room number. ¡°The room next to yours, apparently.


    A voice suddenly rang out behind Miritta. ¡°Hey, Alice. Do you mind opening the door for me? My hands are kind of busy with these grocery bags.¡±


    Turning around, she realized it was Lewis whom she had met earlier in the day. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±


    ¡°Oh hey there¡­ we met earlier in the mornin''.¡± Lewis said, barely hiding the awkwardness plastered all over on his face as he fumble around with the grocery bags.


    ¡°Hi¡­¡± Miritta said as she stepped up to her room¡¯s door, unlocking it with the key. ¡°Anyway, you two have fun. Just don¡¯t make too much noise.¡± She said to them as she entered the room. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go to bed so¡­ see you both in the morning. Goodnight, Alice.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight, Miritta.¡± Alice said to her before quickly pulling Lewis into the room as quietly as possible before shutting the door, locking it with her keys.


    <hr>


    00:46 AM


    Several banging sounds woke Mirrita from her short slumber. She looked around, finding nothing out of the ordinary inside the room. Checking her silver watch for time, she stood up to open the window, finding most of the festivities had already ended as the capital fell asleep to the night. The street is almost empty, saved for a few drunkards and Azurian patrols chasing them away with only the brothel and guard stations remaining open with their magical light on.


    The ominous shuffling sound continued as Miritta noticed that it was coming from Alice¡¯s room. ¡°They¡¯re still up this late?¡± She said to herself.


    She knew couples were usually active at night, especially on holiday. But it couldn¡¯t be right? They¡¯ve been in there for hours already. Probably just fell off the bed or something, but then why would there be banging and shuffling sounds over and over again?


    Unable to sleep, she decided to investigate herself. Miritta leaned her head against the wall separating her room and Alice¡¯s, closing her eyes as she focuses on what¡¯s going on whatever melodrama is happening in the other room.


    Ah~!


    Keep going! Don¡¯t stop!~


    Miritta immediately jumped away from the wall, curling her lips in disgust. ¡°They¡¯re still going at it!? Unbelievable¡­ I told them to be quiet. Girl, you¡¯re not even married yet and now you¡¯re at that stage already!?¡±


    She laid down on the bed, trying to muff out the lewd sound going on in the next room by covering her head with a pillow. But it was for naught as her bed was securely attached to the wall, transferring Alice¡¯s moaning and Lewis¡¯s heavy grunting even more clearly through the solid wooden wall and floor.


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± Miritta¡¯s eyes glowed slightly as she took control of the small plant sitting in a pot on her room¡¯s window.


    The plant mutated slightly, forming a small eye at the center of its only flower. Connecting her consciousness to the plant, she moved it slowly, creeping the tiny humanoid eye up to the window connecting to Alice¡¯s room. ¡°Might as well watch them both going at it.¡±


    She peered inside slowly through a small gap of the window, making sure that they wouldn¡¯t notice the cosmic horror-looking mutated plant she had created in order to spy on them.


    The room was as messy as it gets, a pair of wine glasses sat on the table next to the window with a half-empty bottle of wine, clothes strewn all over on the floor leading from the front door to the bed, groceries bag were emptied of their content, saved for a few strange boxes. A strange, black metallic contraption sat silently on a belt hanging on the wall, Miritta identified it as Lewis¡¯s holster used for carrying weapons much like a swordsman¡¯s used for carrying backup knives and blades. The gift box which Alice had bought for her brother sat neatly on the table, standing out against the messy background of the room.


    Lewis was sitting on top of Alice, thrusting his hip against her bottom aggressively as she began to grip the pillow with both hands, trying to hold back herself from moaning. He eventually leaned forward, biting Alice¡¯s neck softly as she wrapped her legs around Lewis¡¯s waist.


    ¡°Yes~! Keep doing that~! I like it~!¡± Alice moans to him in a high pitched voice, not knowing that she and Lewis were being spied on by their neighbor next door.


    Lewis lifts his head up. ¡°What if Mirrita heard us?¡± he asked her, worried about being caught in an awkward situation.


    ¡°Ha~¡­ don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s been asleep for hours already.~ It¡¯ll be fine.~ C¡¯mon, give me more love.~ I want it.~¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a very naughty girl, aren¡¯t you?¡± Lewis asked her sarcastically, continuing to thrust his hip into her repeatedly


    .


    Alice breathes heavily, her sex drive still heavily active. ¡°Yes, I am.~ I can¡¯t help it, I love you too much.~¡±


    ¡°... Fine. I¡¯ll give you what you want.¡±


    He moved his head next to her ear, whispering something into it as her eyes lit up like a star in the night sky. Lewis moved forward, picking up speed slowly but surely before thrusting as deep as he could into Alice, causing her body to tighten up aggressively as she hugged him as tight as she could as well, barely able to contain the pleasure from what Miritta thought was Alice¡¯s first time climaxing from having sex.


    ¡°Nngh~ AHH~~~!¡± Alice¡¯s hug turns into an aggressive claw, almost giving him laceration as his skin turns red from her sharp.


    Feeling the warmth slowly being pumped inside her belly, she looked at the man she loved with a seductive smile, breathing slowly as Alice cooled herself down. She pulled Lewis towards her as she opened her mouth, letting him enter her one last time. Their tongues met, with Lewis¡¯s digging inside her mouth forcefully yet she put up no resistance, submissively taking him in from both her top and bottom as she once again wrapped her legs around him before letting him go completely.


    After pulling it out and rolling over to Alice¡¯s left side, Lewis layed next to her completely exhausted, having satisfied his girlfriend¡¯s unexpectedly insane lust level despite her average and innocent look. He pulled the condom out, putting it on the desk next to the bed.


    ¡°That thing is so convenient, I don¡¯t have to worry about getting pregnant!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose the concept is new to you.¡± He put his arm on the head, catching his breath.


    Miritta watched the entire scene unfold silently even though her heart rate was increasing steadily throughout the act. Alice¡¯s constant moaning and the wet, lewd sounds of flesh rubbing each other didn¡¯t help calming her down either. When was the last time she had slept with someone? When was the last time she had sex? It must¡¯ve been hundreds of years, she thought to herself.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± She mumbled to herself, recalling the time when she was still a human. ¡°I miss you¡­¡±


    Being a near immortal goddess isn¡¯t without sacrifice and sorrow, nor would it be full of joy. Miritta recalled her old husband, Liam, whom she was betrothed with when she was 15 years of age. Despite being found out to be infertile, unlike the others, she was still loved by her husband regardless. He gave her life meaning and happiness, until one day when she was chosen by Vienra to be the new Goddess of Nature nine years into her marriage at 24, to look over the people of the Azuria and to grant blessings to those that are worthy.


    She had tried to be with him for several short years until he was conscripted for war with the old Elvish Kingdom around 400 years back. Still young, inexperienced with her new role and power as a goddess, she couldn¡¯t intervene in the war that led to Liam¡¯s death, leaving her all alone with no one to care for. She cursed herself internally for almost a decade because of her incompetent and inability to prevent war. By isolating herself in Vayur forest, she thought she could eventually find a way to bring him back but time eventually took away most of her memories, and she finally moved on.


    Looking back at Alice and Lewis, Miritta couldn¡¯t help but recall her first time with Liam and smiles. ¡°Good for them two, at least she wouldn¡¯t be knocked up before getting married. Wouldn¡¯t want to be called a whore by her family.¡±


    She moved body in bed slightly before noticing her bottom was drenched from all the touching she didn¡¯t realize she did when she was watching them both. ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°This is your fault, Alice.¡± Miritta said as she ignored the slimy mess under her blanket before going back to spying.


    The pair eventually calmed down, laying calmly on the bed trading casual conversation, albeit far more romantically.


    Alice puts her hand on Lewis¡¯s bare chest, caressing the firm muscle. ¡°Hey Lewis, what was your home like?¡±


    ¡®My home?...¡±


    ¡°Yes, your home. What was your place like? The Federation?


    ¡°Well, it was inside an apartment complex, similar to this inn here but much bigger and taller. We live on the 42nd floor.¡±


    Alice chuckled, not believing him. ¡°You must be lying, no building gets that tall.¡±


    ¡°I came from a different world, Alice. Though we left our world behind, I¡¯m grateful. If not for the Transference I wouldn¡¯t have met you.¡± He gave her a smile and a light kiss on the forehead before slowly falling closer to sleep, having exhausted most of his stamina to satisfy Alice for the past 4 hours.


    ¡°Hey!~ Don¡¯t fall asleep now, I still want more!~¡± Alice said seductively, putting herself on top of Lewis. She began grinding herself against him lightly, causing juice to flow out from her bottom.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t think I can do it anymore, Alice¡­¡± Lewis said in a tired voice. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just go to sleep? We still have two weeks¡­¡±


    ¡°You say so but,¡± She looked down at him and smiled deviously. ¡°Why are you getting hard again?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ fine¡­ let me grab another piece of cond-¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Alice said in a cold voice before effortlessly switching back to her lustful personality, her hands holding Lewis¡¯s as she stopped him from reaching for the box. ¡°I want to do it raw! I want to feel you inside me entirely! You wouldn¡¯t deny a pretty lady like me her request, right~?¡±


    ¡°What if you got pregna-¡± Lewis tried to protest but was shut down quickly by Alice who gave him a deep smooch with her tongue forcefully entering him this time, not giving him time to think straight.


    With his mind clouded, Alice slowly moved her slim body forwards as she pushed herself against him to restrict his movement, breathing heavily, ready to put the thing inside her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do most of the work this time.~¡±


    Suddenly, something stings her on the back of her neck and her body stopped moving before losing all motor function, falling asleep on top of Lewis unnaturally quick which surprised him.


    ¡°What the?...¡± Lewis yelped in surprise, pushing his girlfriend aside next to him. ¡°Alice?¡±


    He also felt a sharp sting behind his neck, which also caused him to fall asleep immediately as his body slumped into the bed.


    The cosmic horror-esque mutated plant retreated back slowly away from Lewis''s neck to the blanket to pull it with its small tentacle-like petioles, covering the naked pair in the soft, fluffy cotton.


    ¡°Time to sleep, horny bitch.¡± Miritta said nonchalantly as she looked through the eye of the mutated plant, retracting the natural tranquilizer needles that were hastily formed before Alice inserts Lewis into herself, eventually moving the plant away from the bed to the window before closing it gently.


    ¡°Thanks for the porn anyway, but I can¡¯t let you get yourself knocked up irresponsibly like that. The line was drawn right there and you''ve gone too far, Alice. You can thank me sometime later.¡±


    The plant eventually returned to normal, shedding the alien features conjured by Miritta as the humanoid eyes dried up before dying out completely, returning the silent night back to the inn. She wrapped herself up in the warm blanket as she let herself sink fully into the soft bed and fall asleep peacefully into the long night.


    Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

 Chapter 22: Farewell, Azuria.

    Anzuri City, Kingdom of Azuria.


    Sanctuary Inn


    7:18 AM


    Miritta yawns heavily as she brushes her new white, silky hair with a comb. She then wipes herself down with a towel before adding a touch of perfume, making sure that the smell from the mess she made last night on the bed wouldn¡¯t linger on her.


    The room however, was covered in thick vines originating from the wall outside. The vines moved unnaturally quickly, akin to octopuses or worms, shifting furniture back to their place as well as throwing the dirty clothes and mattress into the laundry bag before quickly helping Miritta with her morning routine.


    Putting on a white sundress she bought yesterday while walking around the Merchant district, she never felt better about her appearance as she spun herself in front of the mirror causing the dress¡¯s silhouette to fan out. ¡°This lovely dress is so cute!¡±


    The vines finished with braiding her hair, putting a pair of white cecilias between her braids as a final finishing touch.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She said to it as the vines retreated outside to return to normal, adjusting the pair of cecilia sitting between her braids.


    Making sure that she had finished gathering her belongings, Miritta made her way down to the dining areas. Being an upscale establishment located in the Merchant district, Sanctuary Inn offered far better meals and entertainment for customers with much deeper pockets. The dining area was three-quarter full with people of every kind of people you would see in this district: Wealthy merchants from the West, aristocrats looking for a place to crash when conducting illicit activities or having an affair, high ranking Azurian military officers and business owners looking for merchants to sign contracts with.


    Miritta doesn¡¯t feel that she stood out too much, despite what she thought was a somewhat elaborate makeup job done on her as some of the female patrons taking a seat within the dining room wore an even more ridiculous array of colorful outfits and cumbersome dresses, competing between themselves to see who is the most flashy to attract attention.


    Noticing Alice and Lewis sitting on a table meant for four next to a wide glass window, trading chatters between themselves, she took the opportunity and made her way to them.


    ¡°You told me about your home last night, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Alice asked Lewis in a cheerful voice. ¡°I wanna know more about it, hehe.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we gotta talk about your uh¡­ personality last night.¡± Lewis said carefully, trying to avoid the word ¡®attitude¡¯ when talking to his girlfriend in fear of angering her.


    Alice puts her arm on the table and her head on her palm, staring at Lewis with a lustful look. ¡°I didn¡¯t know I would like it so much, after all it was my first time with someone...¡± She extends her right leg forward, rubbing his crotch slowly with her bare foot underneath the table. ¡°Especially with this little guy.~¡±


    ¡°Alice we¡¯re in publi-¡± Lewis tried to protest before his eyes suddenly widened in terror, body sitting still as he stared at the person behind his girlfriend which also caused her to turn around quickly.


    ¡°You seem to be having fun.¡± Miritta stared coldly into Alice¡¯s eyes, barely able to contain her disdain at the attitude of the woman in front of her. ¡°Do you mind if I take a seat next to you?¡±


    A chill running down Alice¡¯s body, freezing her still as well with only the right leg slowly able to retract back to her. ¡°Miritt- alright¡­¡±


    ¡°You really have to work on controlling yourself, Alice. A nice lady like you shouldn¡¯t do that sort of stuff, especially when people are walking around.¡± Miritta sat down, putting her belongings next to herself.


    ¡°Um¡­ about that. Did you hear anything from our room last night?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Miritta said quickly in a casual tone. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything, did something happen?¡±


    Lewis buries his face inside his hands as his head falls low, receiving secondhand embarrassment from Alice¡¯s interaction with her friend.


    God damn it, Alice¡­ she mentioned ¡®controlling yourself¡¯! Was your brain matter replaced with love juice?! You should¡¯ve caught that! No wonder why she has that look when you tried to flirt with me, she definitely knew what happened last night¡­


    Alice let out a sigh of relief, believing that she had successfully convinced Miritta. ¡°Phew¡­ I was worried about that ever since we got here. We only slept together after drinking half the wine bottle, though. After that I got the best sleep of my life!¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡± Miritta grabbed the menu for customers who stayed overnight, her mouth began to drool slightly as she read the tasty descriptive meals written on the fine parchment.


    After spending so much time in Vayur forest, having a complex and well made meal made by someone else is pretty much a luxury Miritta rarely has the chance to taste, only once or twice every several months on her visit trips to the capital.


    Noticing a peculiar new dish in the menu she had never seen before, Miritta asked the waitress in a maid outfit about the meal.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s Fish and Chips. It¡¯s a favorite among the Elysian soldiers around here, the recipe came from the Federation I think. People around here also liked it quite a bit recently.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try it out then, along with a cup of warm tea.¡± Miritta closes the menu, handing it over to the waitress.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have them too.¡± Lewis joined in.


    ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll relay your orders.¡± The maid waitress said nicely as she walked away.


    Alice turned to her new friend, her face filled with delight as she eyed the sundress and the pair of cecilia on Miritta¡¯s head. ¡°By the way. You looked like a proper noble lady today! What happened to the girl that I met yesterday?¡±


    ¡°I supposed I find it better suited in a fancy place like this, the owner was giving me weird looks because of my cheap outfit last night.¡± Miritta answered honestly, thinking of the moment when the owner thought she was some random peasant girl before snapping back quickly, noticing the maid waitress pushing their breakfasts to them on a trolley.


    ¡°Here¡¯s your breakfast, miss.¡± The maid laid down the brightly colored food on the dishes, sprinkling the meal with some light salt. ¡°Have a nice meal.¡±


    As the maid pushed the trolley away, Miritta looked at the brightly colored meal, curious about how they made it. ¡°I know about fish but what are these?¡± She asked Lewis, who is already digging into his own plate of fish and chips with a pair of knife and fork.


    ¡°Those are fries, made from potatoes.¡± He answered casually, dipping his fries into a peculiar white sauce sprinkled with some herbs. ¡°They¡¯re better if you dip them into the tartar sauce.¡±


    Miritta grabs a fork and tastes it, her eyes widened in surprise as the warm, alien flavor overwhelms her senses, causing her to eat the bright golden fries faster. She dug in the fishes, finding the crispy texture addictive in comparison to dry river fishes she preferred to have in the forest.


    ¡°Dis ish shooo goud!¡± Miritta gave out a compliment, still not finished with chewing the fishes in her mouth.


    ¡°That¡¯s my favorite dish, uncle always made some for me when I came home from school.¡± Lewis said as he and Alice laughed together at the sight of Miritta barely being able to hold herself back as she ate the meal.


    ¡°Ah shit¡­¡± Lewis suddenly switches his tone to a disappointed one as he glances outside through the window, facepalming himself. ¡°Come sit next to me, Alice.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Alice asked him, worried about his reaction. She switches her seat, pushing her meal next to Lewis.


    The front door of the inn bursts open as a group of three Elysians march in rudely, attracting some awkward looks by the customers as they walk around the place looking for someone.


    ¡°LEWIEEEEE!!! Where the fuck could ya be?!!¡± One of them yelled out.


    ¡°There he is! Over there!¡± Another yelled out, pointing at their table.


    Miritta recognized the men from yesterday when she was passing by the Scarlett House brothel. She paused her meal, eyeing the drunk Elysians attentively as several plants in the decoration pots around them twitched slightly, indicating her influence on them.


    The trio walked up to them cheerfully, their expressions shown that they were slightly drunk as they continued on to Lewis¡¯s table.


    The lead one was the first to speak in a heavy southern accent as he was somewhat drunk, standing behind Lewis. ¡°Ay, buddy. We got them chicks outside over on the other side, you might wanna go check ¡®em out!¡± Joker said cheerfully, focusing entirely on Lewis.


    ¡°Ya, the elf lady looked a bit like a whore, but¡­¡± Milton gives out an ok hand sign as he nods his head while smiling satisfyingly.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Noticing no reaction from Lewis besides silence, Richard steps in next to Milton as he looks at the two women around the table. ¡°¡­I think we''re too late, Milt.¡±


    Overhearing what Richard said to Milton, Joker flashed a devious grin as he looked at Lewis and Alice.


    ¡°Lewieee, you sneaky snail, what did you do? Wait a minute¡­ Did ya¡¯?¡± He looked at Alice and then Lewis who had already lowered his head down, before switching his eyes back on Alice again. ¡°Did ya?¡­¡±


    Lowering himself down to the same height as their seats, he wraps his arms around Lewis and Alice as he leaned his head against his friend¡¯s shoulder, looking at Alice who¡¯s visibly disturbed by the man in front of her. Alice¡¯s lips began to quiver, not knowing what to do in this situation.


    ¡°Did you take this pretty, young thing for a roll?¡± He asked Lewis sarcastically, already knowing the answer by his friend¡¯s lack of reaction.


    ¡°What¡¯s the quiver? Why ya quiverin¡¯? Don¡¯t worry ¡®bout me, I¡¯m a friend. He fucks you, you fuck me. That¡¯s how it works.¡± Joker said to Alice, slightly poking her soft breast as he pointed back and forth between himself and Alice, causing her to quickly cover her chest in fear.


    ¡°C¡¯mon man you gotta pass the plate, make a donation to the cause!¡± Milton joined Joker, wanting to get in some fun himself. ¡°It¡¯s not fair you get free pussies while we throw half our paycheck for a night.¡±


    ¡°Alright don¡¯t touch her.¡± Lewis said to Joker, his voice near inaudible in a vain attempt at getting his friend away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch ¡®er? Ya don¡¯t get to tell me what to do.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you fuckin¡¯ touch her!¡± Lewis yelled as he pushed Joker away angrily, giving him a punch in the face. ¡°God, you¡¯re drunk as shit.¡±


    ¡°What? Got some pussies and think you can act like a man now, huh?¡± Joker stood up, crackling his fists and lunged towards Lewis.


    As Lewis and Joker wrestled around the table, Milton walked behind Miritta. ¡°Hey there sweetheart, don¡¯t mind him. That Joker guy is just a fuckup.¡±


    He began to put his hands on Miritta¡¯s shoulder, not caring about her visible discomfort as he began to massage it. ¡°Not me, though. Why are you so quiet? Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll treat you well, how much for a night?¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± A voice suddenly shouted out from the main doors, causing everyone around the table to halt as they focused on the man standing there menacingly. Several disgruntled Azurian military officers were also present, amplifying the tensions building up in the room.


    The sudden intervention by the officers caused the men inside to stop fighting, all four of the Elysian Marines stood up and saluted the man standing in the middle.


    Miritta retracted the tranquilizer needle that had been slowly creeping up behind Milton¡¯s neck, seeing no need to put the man to sleep.


    ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± Boris asked his four subordinates. ¡°What did I tell all of you about NOT conducting illicit interactions with civvies?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sarge.¡± Lewis said, catching his breath from the brawl with Joker.


    ¡°So this is what you little shitheads were up to behind my back.¡± He turned to Lewis as he gestured towards Alice and Miritta. ¡°I thought you were better than this.¡±


    Realizing what¡¯s going on, Alice panically jumps to Lewis¡¯s side to help him up. ¡°Don¡¯t! He was protecting me! Don¡¯t punish him!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of all this?¡± One of the Azurian officers raised an eyebrow as he asked her.


    ¡°Lewis was trying to get those guys off of me, please. Please let him go.¡±


    Boris analyze the situation as he calmed himself down. For all he knows he could be the one in the wrong. But the four of them clearly were up to something, he just knew it, he had been assigned to them long enough to know each by their characters already. Lewis wasn¡¯t usually the one who can do bad things without moral justification, while Joker and the others preferred to do their own things behind his back. Deciding that he has little authority, He made up his mind.


    ¡°Tsk. You¡¯re all lucky that the MPs don¡¯t go here often. All of your vacation passes are cancelled, Colonel Stanford wants all personnel back to Fort Anzuri by 10:00.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Richard asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re assembling a task force to reach deep inside Harukami Shogunate down south, I don¡¯t have the details but all we know is that the entire archipelago is infested with monsters.¡± Boris explained. ¡°They want us to be the vanguard due to our experience against the Yarian¡¯s goblins. So get moving, Marines.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sarge.¡± Three of the men replied as they tried to hide their discontent from getting robbed of 2 weeks off, saved for Lewis.


    He turns around, seeing Alice covering her mouth in shock. ¡°You are going to WHERE?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know, Alice.¡±


    Alice reaches for him, giving him a hug. ¡°Don¡¯t go there! It¡¯s dangerous!¡±


    ¡°Sarge said it¡¯s full of monsters, but you don¡¯t have to worry too much, Alice. They shouldn''t be too hard to handle with my rifle.¡± Lewis gave Alice a reassuring smile as he tried to console her.


    ¡°Nobody¡¯s ever come back from that place. I don¡¯t want you to be gone¡­¡± She tried to hold back tears.


    Miritta folded her arms. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go there, Lewis.¡±


    ¡°You too huh¡­ wait, what the hell is at that place?¡± He noticed the patrons around gasping in shock at the mention of an expedition to the unknown archipelago. ¡°Why is everyone so scared of it?¡±


    ¡°Many generations of Azurian explorers have once tried to explore whatever is left of the Harukami Shogunate. None have ever been successful as even the average monsters there can challenge even a mid-tier adventurer one on one while the larger ones can crush experienced ones. Despite knowing magic, mages could barely stand a chance as well." Miritta explained.


    Lewis gulps. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I told you NOT to go!¡± Alice hugs him tighter before being pulled off aggressively.


    ¡°You two gettin¡¯ fuckin¡¯ married?¡± Joker grunted, kicking Lewis towards the door. ¡°Get your ass back to the base, Lewie.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll write for you, Alice!¡± He grabs a napkin to write his contact number on it, quickly throwing it to her. ¡°You can contact me there whenever the post office opens!¡±


    ¡°I love you!¡± Lewis said before quickly being dragged off by his three comrades.


    Seeing Alice sitting on the floor crying, Miritta gave her a hug. What a heartbreak, she thought to herself as she looked at her new found friend. To find love and to have it ripped from you, she knew that all too well. She took the napkin, quickly copying it on a fine piece of parchment.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine.¡± Miritta gave her a light hug from the back. ¡°They¡¯ve got machines and crafts that we can¡¯t comprehend, I¡¯m sure this time it would be different.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Alice. Come on,¡± She offered a hand to her. ¡°Today is your brother¡¯s birthday, isn¡¯t it? It would be a shame if you would show up at your home like this. I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡±


    Not saying a word as she wiped the tears away from her face, Alice stood up. They walked together outside the wall, out to a field where Miritta called for her horse.

 Chapter 23: The Holy Celestial Empire.

    Celestara, Holy Celestial Empire.


    August 4th, 1427. 9:21 AM


    A young elf girl in a floral pattern dress stood inside the lower bow observation deck of the HMS Sirius, a massive and brand new white painted Constellaris-class command ship. Her dress¡¯s floral patterns intertwined with arcane symbols, distinguishing herself from the other high mages. She stood in silence as she observed the capital city down below from the clouds through the glass observatory. The magical cannons and protective equipment of the observation deck were stripped, in their place were luxurious furniture of all kinds to serve the needs of whoever resides on


    She could see the capital city below getting closer and larger as the ship descended downward before gently halting to maintain altitude. Several smaller Luna-class corvettes joined in with the massive vessel to escort, their sizes could only be compared to at most only a tenth of the Constellaris-class command ship that they were escorting yet they were far faster and nimble, able to easily ascend and quickly joined the Sirius¡¯s sides.


    ¡°Empress.¡± An elderly butler called for the young elf as he cranked the door open gently. ¡°It is almost time to disembark.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way, Fitz. Go gather the others.¡± She answered with a voice of authority despite her adolescent appearance, yet still maintained an endearing tone as she spoke to him. ¡°You may leave.¡±


    ¡°As you command, your Majesty. I then shall gather the Minister Mikael and Director Meine.¡± He closed the door gently as he had opened it, allowing for the low arcane hum of the vessel¡¯s magical energy gem power plant to enter the observation deck once again.


    The Sirius finally touched down on a skyport on one of the floating land masses in the city: The Crown District meant to accommodate the Celestial political and magical elites. The massive vessel shook lightly as it made contact with the support structures below the hull. Dozens of large magically powered clamps of the skyport moved forward, anchoring the massive vessel in place as the Sirius powered down.


    The landmasses were once part of the mountain ranges surrounding the city from all three sides, except the eastern side which lead to a nearly enclosed sea with a small, busy strait leading out to the open sea.


    The vessel lowered its large side cargo bay¡¯s ramps as Celestia observed the men running hastily down below, quickly lining up red carpets and making sure security was adequately provided leading up to the magical railroad-like station where her private transportation is already waiting.


    ¡°Seems like it''s time.¡± She mumbles before making her way down through the spacious main corridors, weaving through the humming machinery and onboard crews who stood by to the side to make way. Her guards marched in unison as they followed closely behind with Manaburst rifles, their pose remained rigid despite standing guard for hours before with little signs of fatigue.


    Arriving at the spacious loading bay where her ministers and officials already present, Celestia¡¯s dress subtly shifted color from slightly dark gray to bright white as sunlight from the outside shone through the opened loading bay of the vessel, reflecting the magical property of her clothing.


    ¡°Empress!¡± A human man in his late 20s in a sleek, dark protective coating and rounded goggles on his forehead kneeled before her. His appearance fit more so down in a dangerous metal workshop rather than for meeting the Empress. ¡°I hope you found the demonstration of my department¡¯s new weapons satisfactory.¡±


    ¡°You may stand up, Director Meine. Indeed they were spectacular, your new Comet anti-ship missiles and Astralis anti-air missiles have no doubt demonstrated their incredible lethality against the decommissioned vessels.¡± She gave him a smile. ¡°Your contribution to the armed forces is simply endless, looks like you will be looking at an early retirement in the Aetherion Heights.¡±


    The man stood up straightforwardly, slightly towering over the Empress herself. ¡°Thank you, Empress! But I have no such intentions, for seeing our mighty Empire and your might standing tall over this world is my greatest joy.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know your way with words, Director.¡± Celestia chuckles slightly at Meine¡¯s horrific attempt at flattery.


    She walked down the stairs with him as they moved towards the large cargo elevator platform connecting to the street above the skyport. Celestia kept quiet as she allowed him to endlessly talk about his passion for weapon engineering, constantly switching between explaining how his missiles work and what he can do more to improve them. Though she personally finds his personality and speech patterns somewhat flamboyant and even rude at times, his contributions as her top researcher in regards to both magical and mechanical weaponry negates all the downsides of a few too many words coming out of his mouth at times even when they¡¯re not needed.


    Joining closely behind the two in the massive magical elevator platform, Minister Mikael of the Imperial Treasury Department let out a sigh as he reviewed the exorbitant cost of weapon developments through a magical tablet. Tapping away, he scrolled through files after files detailing every single time he had reluctantly approved the budget by the request of Her Majesty.


    The arms race between the Holy Celestial Empire and the Florence Republic due to the ongoing Cold War has made life incredibly stressful for every civilian minister in their respective departments. While he had no doubt in his nation¡¯s recognized status as the strongest and wealthiest magical nation in the world, the economy of the mechanical giant down south has proven to be incredibly resilient despite their high military spending, being able to maintain decent social services as well as welfare programs for the poor from what the spies could gather.


    He tilted his head over the edge of the massive elevator platform as he leaned his body against the railing, staring at the urban landscape of the Lower Districts far down below from the floating landmasses. Already he could see several poorer areas of the city began to show signs of decay as several public services were scaled down or halted entirely in said areas. Reports of crimes had risen dramatically as well, with criminals finding them to be perfect locations to practice illegal and dangerous spells that normally would¡¯ve been banned and stopped by the police.


    While hosting the largest number of citizens who can use magic - up to two millions - the vast majority of the Holy Celestial Empire still consists of regular people of many races, with humans making up around 45% while elves are 32%, the rest are filled in by a hodgepodge of immigrants from other continents and countries seeking a better life for themselves or to study higher forms of magic, hoping one day they could make it to the Crown District.


    The once beautiful and proud metropolis landscape of Celestara was slowly stripped of their arcane lights, building by buildings, districts after districts, spared for the elites at the top Upper Districts, especially those who resided in the Crown District where virtually nothing has changed.


    Recognizing the effects and consequences of his decisions to approve so many of Meine¡¯s ambitious projects, he finally found the courage to speak up.


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­.¡± He paused slightly. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Yes? What is it, Minister Mikael?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we should rethink our strategy in regards to building up our armed forces, I¡¯m afraid that continuing on this path will lead us to naught but ruin like the Ancient Khanterra Empire of old. Even though I agreed that we should not be falling behind the Florentines militarily, our estimated capabilities gap has already widened far enough from them that a budget amendment and general reduction in military spending would have still been sufficient to safeguard the southern border with our mechanical rival.¡±


    He paused, scrolling to another page on the tablet. ¡°The treasury is running low on magical gems to power Miene¡¯s projects, leading to rationing power in several Lower Districts as well as salary cuts for the workers in the public sector. Many of the ministers and workers have expressed great dissatisfaction with how the country is being run, particularly in said Lower Districts and the countryside.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ you do have a point there, minister Mikael. What do you think is the best course of action?¡± Celestia said, making a mental node as she observed the city down below with a sadden face.


    ¡°Well I must say, despite Meine¡¯s achievements his experimentations and projects had consumed far more gems than he had promised to both myself and to you, Your Majesty. By cutting funding to or scaling down some of his less important projects we could revitalize many of the Lower Districts before expanding on the refineries to refine more Energy gems for our future needs.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense, many of his projects did run over budget by a significant margin.¡± Celestia recalled from her memory, putting her hand on her lips as she pondered if her plans to compete with the Florentines had gone too far.


    ¡°What?!¡± Meine yelped from overhearing Mikael¡¯s proposal, directing his anger towards the minister. ¡°Do you even know what you are talking about?! How am I supposed to finish Project Black Swan without critical materials?!¡±


    ¡°Tsk. I know very well, Director. You might want to scale down your future projects or find ways to improve on the research process to make them more efficient.¡± Mikael puts away the tablet, folding his arms. ¡°Let me remind you again that the treasury cannot satisfy your projects forever.¡±


    ¡°B-but I¡¯ve only asked for 60 tons of magical gems per week!¡±


    ¡°That amount can power Celestara in the same amount of time! Your request is absurd! I don¡¯t think you know much it takes to refine even a ton worth of Energy gems¡­¡±


    ¡°You can use Flame gems as a substitute form of energy through the use of high efficiency steam engines imported from the Florence Republic and leave those Energy gems to my department!¡±


    ¡°Ar-are you mad?¡± Mikael widened his eyes in disbelief, not believing the near-borderline insane thought process of Director Meine. ¡°Our perception and status as the greatest civilization in this world would be destroyed if that were to happen! Is that what you want? To acknowledge and allow the Florentines to claim the title as the strongest in the world?!¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Celestia coughs slightly which caught the attention of the two in front of her. ¡°I have made my decision. Minister Mikael will get his wish, while Director Meine will have to scale down his projects. Given the priority between keeping the lights on or preparing for a conflict that we are assured to win decisively due to Meine¡¯s contribution to magical weapon development, I chose the former. Do not take this as a threat, Director. Despite the Florentine¡¯s recent development of armored land units, our walkers can still counter them with our superior magitech, their inferior armored airships can still be defeated with Meine¡¯s Astralis missiles.¡± She said carefully, avoiding disappointing Meine as much as she could with her final decision on the matter.


    Now facing imminent budget cuts yet couldn¡¯t bring himself up to oppose the Empress¡¯s decision, he stood in silence, letting her know of his passive respect for her decision using it. Celestia smiles slightly looking at Meine, happy that he didn¡¯t make a scene out of it any further.


    The elevator platform finally stopped ascending, reaching to the top of the floor where a private cable car line is located which lead directly to the Empyrean Court in the Crown District, acting as the Empress¡¯s personal route to get to the skyport but also often used by other ministers and Director Meine as well to test out his new secret creations out at sea, away from the prying eyes of the public and potential spies.


    ¡°So¡­ this morning was fruitful, both of you.¡± Celestia turned around. ¡°Keep up the work you¡¯re doing for our great Empire.¡±


    The two men straighten up, bidding farewell to the Empress as she enters her cable car with Mikael letting out a smile of relief at the Empress¡¯s decision while Meine bit his tongue bitterly. The cable lines automatically switched its complex mechanism, allowing the Empress¡¯s private cabin to move to the Empyrean Court where she had another boring monthly meeting about worldly situations.


    <hr>


    The 4th Marine Expeditionary Fleet


    Minato Sea, 82 km from K¨­y¨­jima Island.


    August 4th, 1427. 2:32AM


    The fearsome perpetual typhoon surrounding the southernmost archipelago rocked the FES Vortex immensely as the typhoon waves pushed the 6.200 tons Fisher-class frigate up and down like it was made of plywood on the beach, occasionally causing the bow to dip into the water, slightly submerging it before it quickly rose back up again.


    Rain falls in endless sheets, cascading with a fury that merges the ocean and sky into a single, chaotic and endless typhoon. More massive waves, like liquid mountains rise crash into the metallic bow of a flat top vessel with a deafening force yet the 42.000 tons FES Vanguard, an Anchorite-class amphibious assault ship, continued to press forward despite the heavy typhoon. President Irwin had authorized an expedition to the nearest landmasses outside the Eastern Continent, hoping to make contact with another civilization to establish diplomatic relationship over the seemingly empty Minato Sea.


    They were not alone ion this sea, however.


    THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!


    ¡°I didn¡¯t sign up for this bullshit!¡± A sailor yelled aggressively through the typhoon as he fired away the 25mm deck gun on one of the escorting frigates, aiming at a pack of predatory Fangtides - carnivorous fishes that devour both sailors and wooden ships alike - with each rounds exploding with a pop in quick succession, taking out many in the process. He managed to cut the large predatory school of fishes down with cold hard efficiency through the deck autocannon, until more showed up which annoyed him immensely.


    ¡°Bring me another belt!¡± He yelled out, emptying the rest of the ammunition into the new horde. He was lucky however, the fishes have only managed to chip the paint on the side hull, unable to dig inside through steel, leaving most of the crew unharmed.


    ¡°Here! Make way!¡± Another sailor yelled out, loading another belt of high explosive ammo as fast as he could under pressure.


    The secondary front turret of the ship swivelled, launching two dozen depth charge rockets in quick succession into the water before swiveling back to the loading hatch for a reload. The subsequent underwater explosion dispersed the fishes away, which caused several sailors to cheer a bit in relief as the last of Fangtides were finished off by a quick burst of 25mm high explosive rounds before quickly heading back to their station.


    ¡°How the fuck did sonar not picked them up?!¡± One of the sailors asked, shielding himself from the heavy rain with one arm from the typhoon as he latched onto the railing using another trying to balance himself amidst the soaring waves.


    ¡°The sea is too rough! They can¡¯t pick up shits! The fucking fishes tore the torpedo bait emitter off, damaged the sonar too! The damn thing attracted more of them her- WATCH OUT!!¡±


    They both leaped inside through the metal door, quickly closing and sealing it. A giant tentacle attempted to break through the metallic door before abandoning the idea, wrapping itself around the 25mm autocannon and tore it off violently, flinging the deck gun down into the depths.


    Other sailors stepped in, firing small arms into the giant tentacle which caused the large kraken to retreat but found itself imploded from the inside out due to the depth charge rockets, fired from the secondary front turret.


    ¡°That¡¯s the fourth time we got attacked today¡­¡± The sailor breathed heavily, grabbing an R-25SB and magazines left by several other sailors who brought them up from the armory for emergencies.


    ¡°Wish I got assigned to the Vanguard.¡± Another looked at the amphibious assault ship nearby, being attacked by even larger amounts of sea monsters. ¡°Maybe not¡­¡±

 Chapter 24: K艒y艒jima Island.

    Approximately 10 km from K¨­y¨­jima Island, Harukami Shogunate


    FES Vanguard.


    August 6th, 1427. 7:30AM


    ¡°God¡­ this place smells like my uncle¡¯s nut room.¡± Rita covered her nose with a piece of tissue.


    Joker, Richard Milton wiped away tirelessly at the floor of the well deck with their mops, each wearing a gas mask to block the smell of the dead fishes and mermaid goo smearing all over the ship¡¯s well deck.


    The FES Vanguard¡¯s inside is covered in bullet holes and blue-ish blood mixed with red, a result of the constant attack throughout the typhoon. After they had broken through the typhoon barrier, the weather calmed down dramatically and so did the sea monster attacks.


    ¡°I just wanna get the hell off this ship.¡± Lewis took off the gas mask to attempt to breathe in the salty sea breeze before quickly throwing up overboard, realizing that the stench was far stronger than he thought.


    ¡°Good Lord in Heaven, Lewie.¡± Joker watches his buddy throwing up. ¡°You kiss her mouth with that? Haha! What was ¡®er name again¡­ oh yeah it¡¯s Alice!¡±


    Lewis wipes his mouth. ¡°Shut up, you think you¡¯re some kind of comedian? Want some fists flying at your face again? I can do it all day.¡±


    ¡°Alright ok- you don¡¯t want me to mention Alice, I get it. It¡¯s fine buddy, geez¡­ you¡¯re no fun. Tsk.¡± Joker returned to cleaning the well deck.


    ¡°We are the luckiest ones that have dared to venture into this sea, for we have yet to become supper for these foul creatures.¡± An Azurian officer commented, his uniform was out of place within the well deck of the ship but everyone could tell that he was a liaison officer, a Captain. ¡°Thanks to your advanced vessels, we managed to fight through the typhoon and the attacks.¡±


    ¡°Those things were nasty, how did your people even return back from expeditions?¡± Rita asked him.


    ¡°I have to be honest, we seldom ventured anywhere even close to Minato Sea. Few men dared, fewer returned. I was one of those men.¡± The captain pulled up his right sleeve, revealing a deep scar that ran along his arm. ¡°Aye¡­ The attacks I encountered when I was young were nowhere near as ferocious as the previous day, but we were still able to fend them off with our blades and arrows. Despite my effort, a Fangtide gave me this scar as a parting gift.¡±


    The Azurian Captain continued to monologue about his experience to pass the time, starting from when his first attempt to venture into Minato Sea, to how much he loved sailing and ending at his eventual relocation to Sunsettia in eastern Azuria to serve in the First Eastern Fleet as a Captain.


    ¡°That¡¯s why the Duke chose you, Captain Hayvan. Not just for being among the first Azurians to encounter us.¡± A calm yet reassuring voice appeared behind Hayvan¡¯s back.


    Seeing the sailors begin to salute, Captain Hayvan turned around and gave the woman an Azurian salute. ¡°Admiral Lainey, it is a pleasure to meet you again.¡±


    ¡°The pleasure is mine, Captain. The Duke must¡¯ve had a lot of faith in you, does he not?¡± She asked Hayvan.


    ¡°Myself is but a few who managed to return with all his limbs and a clear mind. The Duke said that I was special but inside, I knew I was just lucky.¡± He answered with a sad expression, recalling when only himself survived the previous expedition.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame it all yourself, Captain. Surviving these kinds of attacks with only blades and arrows on wooden vessels required more than just luck, I¡¯m sure the Duke saw immense skills and capabilities in you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Admiral.¡± He adjusted his uniform as he looked at the island outside through the opened well deck. ¡°It is nigh time for me to head out, I say it is time for us to bid farewell for now, Admiral.¡±


    ¡°Good luck, Captain Hayvan.¡±


    The two bid farewell as each returned to their station, preparing for a landing on the island ahead.


    Captain Hayvan looked back on the island ahead with a solemn expression, finding signs of his old ship but he found nothing nor signs of the dead. It¡¯s been 20 years since his first expedition already, what was he even looking for?


    8:24 AM


    The typhoon¡¯s wrath had all but disappeared after they broke through the storm barrier. The metallic vessels glinted brightly under the sun, more so because of the temporary cleanup work done by the sailors rather than the beautiful coat of pain put on by the shipyards, which had mostly been ruined from their water lines down due to the Fangtide attacks.


    On the deck of the Vanguard are two massive quadcopters laid ready, their rotors spinning on standby as their turbines noise and windy blades can be felt even from the clear blue water around the ship.


    ¡°Alright, ladies. Time to mount up.¡± Sergeant Boris stepped first into the massive UH-48 Rorqual. ¡°Get yourself comfortable on the seat.¡±


    ¡°Move! Let¡¯s go!¡± Dozens of men poured up into the quad tiltrotor, totalling up to an entire company worth of men and their personal equipment. Several Azurian guides also followed in Elysian Marine uniform, carrying their own newly acquired R-25 rifles that they had been trained on for the past month. Their uniform, despite being similar, each wore a golden-colored armband on their right arm to distinguish themselves from those of the Elysian Marines surrounding them, though this proved somewhat unnecessary as most of them were elves or beastmen which aided in identification for the Elysians.


    As the men settled down, the rotor blades spun faster and faster and their chopping sounds became all but a loud droning noise. They lifted up, heading for the peculiar red-covered island ahead which also contained an unusually high, snow-covered mountain.


    ¡°This is¡­ the furthest anybody has ever got.¡± An Azurian guide mumbled nervously, his voice full of worries. The Elysian Marines on board seemed to be excited to finally get off the boats, evident by their enthusiastic chatter inside the aircraft.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this is the Marine Corps. No one gets left behind.¡± Milton patted the Azurian¡¯s shoulder, giving him some morale support.


    ¡°We already knew the geography of the islands somewhat.¡± Boris pulled out a tactical map of the island ahead, which piqued the interest of the Azurians who were used to hand drawn maps.


    Ignoring the staring from the few Azurians, Boris began to explain. ¡°As you all know from the briefings, there is a large settlement deep inland. However the place is mostly located in what appeared to be a large crater or dead volcano surrounded by what seems to be heavy defenses. Located around this massive mountain is probably what you all expect a civilization to have: housing, lights, people, all that sort of stuff. Our job is to get to these people and establish contact, due to the dangerous nature of the island, Ambassador Anderson will not be accompanying us until a secured route could be created or guaranteed.¡±


    Ensuring that everyone around him is listening carefully, he continued. ¡°High altitude recon flights found a traversable route for vehicles.¡± He points at the maple forest on the map, tracking his finger on the paper map. ¡°We¡¯ll head inland through this area, the foliage pretty dense but the engineer section will clear the path with dozers and explosives if need be.¡±


    ¡°Say, if we encounter hostilities, what should we do?¡± The Azurian man asked.


    ¡°RoE permitted us to open fire on anything if necessary, due to the presumed dangerous reputation that this archipelago has.¡± Boris answered. ¡°If anything moves too close, you put it down.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    As the pair of Rorquals approached the beach, the sound of metal whipping the air rapidly scared off a flock of birds, causing them to retreat into the forest. Sand, leaves, and washed up seaweed on the shore were swept aside by the powerful gales generated by the large turbine-powered blades of the machines. They touch down on the ground, using their optional hydraulic skids to safely land on the soft sand below by spreading out their ground pressure.


    They opened their front ramp, allowing for the company to disembark. More than a hundred men poured out of the leading quadrotor, totalling up to 160 in total as they took up positions on the beach, raising up their rifles. Another Rorqual opened its cargo hold, but this time it was a detachment of four Hussar light tracked vehicles which rolled out with the leading twos armed with automatic launchers while the other twos weren¡¯t, instead in their place was a large rear bed used to store provisions and ammunition. The support vehicles also dragged their own water and fuel trailers, enough for three days without support.


    The maple forest beyond the beachhead seemed much more menacing than previously observed, the leaves were blood-red and the entire place seemed to emit an aura that spooks the several Azurian guides in the company that could feel magical energy radiating from the place.


    ¡°Fan out! Secure the beach!¡± The newly transferred company Captain ordered, his young face betrayed the image of an experienced officer typical of his rank. Despite that, his commanding voice and demeanor certainly was up to the Corp¡¯s standard.


    ¡°That¡¯s Captain Raleigh isn¡¯t it, Sarge?¡± Joker whispered to Boris, laying in the sand.


    ¡°Tsk. Yeah¡­¡± He answered, his tone more annoyed than curious.


    The quadrotors took off once more, returning to the ship to pick up additional supplies.


    ¡°We¡¯re clear!¡± Captain Raleigh stood up, giving signals to everyone as he began leading the convoy into the forest. ¡°Company, move out!¡±


    The deciduous trees and light brushes allowed the Marines to move forward into the forest. Falling blood red leaves contrasted greatly against the men¡¯s camouflage which consists of a mix of dark green and darker white hard lined geometric shapes, causing several of the men to joke if it was better to paint themselves red also. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Captain Raleigh pushed ahead, leading the way as he carefully observed his surroundings. Having ordered everyone to keep sound as minimal as possible, most of the noise that lingered in the air came from the four light armored vehicles with their usually quiet engine.


    ¡°It¡¯s too quiet¡­¡± Captain Raleigh raised up his fist instinctively, which caused everyone to take cover immediately and sit still on their knees. The vehicles also stopped, their engines noise now the only sound that everyone could hear.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t there birds around? Like at the beach? This forest looked normal so where the fuck are the wildlives? I didn¡¯t even see so much as a squirrel here.¡± Richard whispered to Milton, who answered with a head shake before returning to observing his surroundings.


    ¡°Shit¡­ something ain¡¯t right.¡± Joker mumbled, flipping the safety switch off his rifle.


    Lewis turned around. ¡°Rita, go behind the lads.¡±


    She moved back slightly, crouching next to Milton, Richard and Joker. All of them aimed their rifles around, trying to scan for something out of the ordinary but nothing here is ordinary to them, causing difficulty. Boris made an annoyed expression, biting his tongue before crouching forwards to Raleigh.


    ¡°Sir,¡± He paused, trying to hold back discontentment. ¡°I got an idea.¡±


    Captain Raleigh made a sorrowed expression, looking away from Boris for a moment before returning. ¡°...What is it, Sergeant?¡±


    Boris whistled for an Azurian volunteer forward. ¡°I need you, can you make some magic? To know what the hell is going on here?¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± The elf man answered.


    He reached into his bag, producing a green Life gem. Holding it tightly within his palm, he began chanting. The company continued to wait for him, patiently holding their position. The gem¡¯s arcane flow eventually disappeared, leaving an empty, transparent colorless crystal behind.


    ¡°Got it sire.¡± He placed his hand on the ground, transferring the energy he had absorbed from the gem from his body into the soil. The maple trees around the company began to lose their blood color, slowly returning to natural green color one by one.


    The men of the company collectively smiled at the beautiful magical arcane sight before quickly widening their eyes in terror.


    ¡°What the living fuck is that?!¡± One of the Marines pointed his rifle upward before quickly being pulled upward by the leg, dropping his rifle on the ground.


    ¡°Contact!¡± The men began to fire on the trees above. ¡°It¡¯s a fucking ambush!¡±


    Dozens of red-colored hexapedal creatures dropped down from the tree lay lifeless, some filled with holes from the 5.56 rounds finding their marks. More began to show up beyond the purified treelines, totalling up to hundreds, too many to count quickly.


    ¡°Up above!¡±


    ¡°Fall back! Form up around the vehicles!¡± Raleigh shouted as loud as he could, his voice echoed over the gunfire as the men began to fall back, moving behind the armored vehicles which also opened up on the side of the path, rapidly launching 40mm-sized medium velocity grenades at the swarm of red spider-like creatures charging on the ground at the company en-mass. Tracers criss crossed each other through the thickening smoke of the rifle and machine gun fire,


    ¡°Keep firing! Don¡¯t let them get close!¡±


    Lewis switched his R-25 to full auto, dumping the entire magazine at a spider approaching way too close for comfort. ¡°Why the hell are there so many of them!?¡±


    ¡°Eat this you fuckers!¡± Joker fired a 40mm white phosphorus grenade from his R-25GL into a bug concentration on the treeline, which caused them to scatter and screech in pain. A few of the creatures tried to jump into water puddles to no effect as the burning substance continued sticking to their body, burning brightly like flares until the creature''s furry flesh turned black and crisp from the intense heat.


    Seeing the effectiveness of white phosphorus and high explosive grenades, several other Marines followed suit, launching their own white phosphorus grenades into the tight packs of red spiders. The fight eventually died out along with the attacking creatures as the last of them were taken down by rifle fire, their lifeless corpses laid strewn all over the forest floor.


    ¡°Cease fire! We¡¯re clear!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t breathe in the smoke! It¡¯s toxic!¡±


    The Azurian mage used another gem, this time it was a Wind type. He lifted his arm at the smoke, dispersing the toxic white phosphorus cloud high up into the sky where they quickly dissipated.


    Raleigh puts down his rifle as he calms down, observing his surroundings once again. ¡°Give me a sitrep.¡±


    ¡°Five casualties, one KIA. The spiders caught him when they ambushed, the rest had minor injuries. We¡¯re still figuring out if they were toxic or not.¡± Boris answered with a tint of sadness between breaths. ¡°Even with all those corpses, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s all of ¡®em. Probably more somewhere around that uncleansed section of the forest.¡±


    ¡°Oh Mirrita, bless us all.¡± The Azurian mage kneels in front of the dead Elysian Marine before putting his hand on the man¡¯s face, closing his eyes. ¡°May he rest in peace.¡±


    He gathered whatever is salvageable from the man¡¯s corpse. Ammunition, armor, personal belongings, rifle and his name tag. Moving to Captain Raleigh, he handed over the small metallic tag. ¡°If I had purified the nearby trees sooner, the man would still be alive¡­¡±


    ¡°You have done what you were ordered. Do not blame yourself.¡± Raleigh took the tag before turning to Boris. ¡°Contact the boat and order a napalm strike on that section of the forest, should buy us some time to get out of here without being pursued by those things. Don¡¯t forget MEDIVAC.¡±


    Boris turned away from Raleigh, trying to hide discontentment. He turned to Lewis, who quickly turned on his RTU-4 backpack radio to call the boat.


    ¡°Orders confirmed, Orcas in bound for incendiary strike. Medevac is eight mins out. Over.¡±


    ¡°Looks like that¡¯s it, man.¡± Lewis comments as he puts the microphone back to the radio on his back, patting one of the injured Marines whose leg is being bandaged by Rita. ¡°You¡¯re getting home early.¡±


    ¡°I hate this fucken island already.¡± Joker comments, passing an ammo belt to Richard for his newly issued R-125L machine gun.


    The helicopters finally arrived with four AH-24 Orcas and a single UH-24 Narwhal flying by the company. Each Orcas carried a pair of IB-400 napalm bombs, slinging the bombs under their small wings before dropping them over the designated areas, engulfing the red blooded maple forest on fire so hot that water puddles inside were vaporized in an instant. The attack helicopters opened up, firing their nose mounted 25mm automatic cannon to pepper sections of the forest untouched by the searing flame with high explosive rounds.


    As the last of the casualties were finally loaded up on the Medevac Narwhal, the helicopter took off and headed back for the fleet awaiting them.


    ¡°Your military¡¯s firepower never ceased to amaze me, even though they¡¯re loud at times. Not to mention the uncompromising care in which you treat your soldiers, I¡¯m truly impressed.¡± The Azurian elf compliments as he observes the attack helicopters laying waste to the creatures below them.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have healed those men yourself?¡± Rita asked him, wiping her bloodied hands with a dry towel.


    ¡°Only higher mages could perform such a feat, but even then it¡¯s taxing on both the mind and body. The only way to circumvent that is to use the appropriate gem for the task at hand, and Life Gem is the rarest to procure of them all. Wasting a good gem that could ease one¡¯s finances for life just because of a minor injury is a luxury only afforded to the wealthy. Reviving the dead is impossible, also.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ nothing comes for free in life then.¡± Rita reflected on the fact. ¡°You think I can learn how to use magic too?¡±


    ¡°I think not, milady. One¡¯s capability is already determined by birth, training may help but it would only take you so far. Those who were born without the ability to channel magic within them often rely on devices which use magic gems for their needs instead.¡±


    Milton let out a sigh. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have signed that bloody waiver before getting shipped here¡­ time to march again.¡± He grabs his R-25MK, standing up first as the rest of his squad and the men of the company do the same.


    Lewis began to march besides his Sergeant, curiously looking at him. ¡°Hey Sarge. What¡¯s the deal with you and the Captain? You don¡¯t seem particularly jolly around him.¡±


    ¡°We have some history of deployments together, not all of it is good.¡± Boris explained, emphasising the later part.


    ¡°It was the Socialists wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to recall that time anymore, Lewis. Better make sure you get this mission over with and get back to your Alice.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...Yes, Sarge.¡±


    <hr>


    Kyode, Harukami Shogunate.


    Peak of Yukihara Mountain, K¨­y¨­jima Island.


    August 8th, 1427. 5:24AM


    A young female figure sat silently on a shrine peacefully reciting poems, a Katana and Kodachi laid neatly beside her, wrapped in silk fabrics with beautiful patterns woven into it. The young lady opened her eyes and took a slow breath, admiring the rising sun in the far distance. Even from here, she could see the everlasting typhoon that had surrounded the archipelago nation for generations, its black clouds contrasting greatly against the bright blue sky above, serving as a reminder that she and her people are now prisoners on their own island, never to see the outside world again. Outsiders find it impossible to trade with his people due to the perpetual typhoon that had lasted for generations, those who made it through rarely made it back.


    The cause for the appearance of dangerous monsters on the islands couldn¡¯t be identified, rumors floated around saying that it was the gods which had done it to punish the people for their sins while others believed in a more logical answer, judging by the source of the monsters from the southern Takara island.


    Finding the tall Yukihara mountain to be a suitable place for defense, the Shogunate had abandoned its old capital near the coast to relocate its government. The growing amounts of mutated beasts immigrating to the southern side of K¨­y¨­jima island is incredibly worrying to her as the army is exhausted from being under siege day after day. One thing is clear to her: The Shogunate will fall. If not in a few months then a few years, but sooner or later the day would come where she would have to commit Seppuku to avoid the shame of defeat.


    ¡°Harukami Senki-sama.¡± An anachronistically dressed man stood behind her. His dirty old Azurian lieutenant sailor uniform, poorly kept beard and bagged green eyes made him stand out among the pristinely dressed service maidens standing by the princess. ¡°I brought news.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Hauke. Isn¡¯t it a bit early for that? And didn¡¯t I tell you to shave and dress properly? You look like you haven¡¯t had any sleep, also.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Princess. The Onibanes and Kiba¨­kami won¡¯t be deterred by me stepping in an Onsen.¡± He cracked a small joke.


    ¡°At the very least you could¡¯ve had a change of clothing and armor?¡± She said in a worried tone.


    ¡°This is my uniform, Senki-sama. I have sworn by it and I will not be leaving it. It¡¯s the only thing left I have beside my saber ever since I washed up on the shore two decades ago.¡±


    He straightened up, ignoring the fatigue of staying up all night for guard duty. ¡°Your father is unwell, the healers have told me that he does not have much time left.¡±


    Feeling an ache in her heart, Senki quickly gathered her belongings. ¡°Bring me to him.¡±


    ¡°Aye, Hime-sama.¡± (1)

 Chapter 25: The Sh?gun and The Jotei

    Sansekiro Fortress, Harukami Shogunate.


    August 8th, 1427. 6:10 AM


    ¡°I¡¯m here to see his Majesty.¡± Senki said to the pair of guards standing in front of her father¡¯s room. ¡°Open this door.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, Hime-sama.¡± The guards continued to stand firmly. ¡°His Majesty, Hiroto Sh¨­gun-sama, has forbidden anyone to enter this room for fear of spreading disease.¡±


    Determined to see her father, she continued to pressure the guards. ¡°I said ¡®open this door¡¯. That is an order!¡±


    The pair of guards kneeled down respectfully. ¡°Oj¨­-sama!(1) You must understand. His Majesty¡¯s order is absolute! We are deeply sorry! For your safety, please, do not proceed further!¡±


    ¡°You-!¡± Senki breathed in, ready for another outburst at the guard¡¯s unwillingness to follow her order.


    ¡°Milady.¡± Hauke called for the Princess. ¡°Continuing to pressure the two men will not work, you already knew that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It is time for breakfast, perhaps you should return.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°I understand it is hard, milady. However, it is the Sh¨­gun-sama''s wish and nobody can overrule it.¡±


    Senki bit her tongue, making a pained expression. ¡°Fine¡­ So be it then.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be returning to my duties,¡± Hauke gives a respectful bow before quietly making his way outside. ¡°I wish you good health, Princess.¡±


    Senki observed the middle-aged Azurian man and sigh internally. ¡°What would I do without you¡­¡± She mumbled.


    The Azurian man has been on this island for about 20 years already, before she was even born. She vividly remembers the time when he was more cheerful, when he played with her in the gardens after her father took an interest in him, and when he still had a reason to look forwards to the future where he could go back home.


    Now with each day gone by, the situation seemed more and more and desperate. It casted itself onto lieutenant Hauke, making him more depressed and exhausted both mentally and physically. The Onibane and Kiba¨­kami monsters, horrifically mutated birds and wolves respectively, are pushing ever closer while increasing in number. Millions of citizens once populated the three great islands now dwindle down to less than five hundred thousands on K¨­y¨­jima Island, where the capital of the Shogunate is now located.


    The Shogunate has been living on borrowed time by throwing more soldiers and materials into endless skirmishes through the decades to prevent them from breaking through into what¡¯s left of the capital city of Kyode. Her father had tried to encourage the citizenry to have more children to replace the losses, but as the situation seemed more and more hopeless so did the birthrate, exacerbating the manpower shortage even more.


    Senki took a seat on the soft Zabuton before having her breakfast - a simple bowl of rice, Miso soup and a dry fish. A meager breakfast compared to the luxurious feast she once had a decade ago. She couldn¡¯t complain, really. Most people in the capital can hardly fend for themselves with the growing food shortage, disease is also spreading and morale is at an all time low.


    As Senki had her meal, she kept looking back and forth between the meal and her Kodachi sitting across the room, thinking of the day when she would have to face death instead of being devoured by monsters.


    Finishing her small breakfast, she looked back to the room where her father is now laying ill. Thoughts and worries running through her mind, it has been more than a week since she had seen her father herself though she can still talk to him through the thin paper walls from time to time.


    Determined to see her father at least one last time, she stood up and addressed the servants sitting with her in the room.


    ¡°I need some privacy in the garden, do not disturb me.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Hime-sama.¡±


    Making sure that the servants were all gone, she quickly made her way around a small pond to a large boulder in the garden. Pulling a small lever hidden beneath the stone, the side of the boulder slid open, revealing a hidden tunnel entrance leading down below the fortress.


    Staring into the dark tunnel below, she smiles. ¡°I¡¯ll be there with you, father. At least one last time.¡±


    <hr>


    7:15 AM


    A frail, old man in a plain Hakama sat solemnly in the garden. His face half scarred by the encroaching poison from his time leading countless men into battle against dreadful monsters. The eye which sat on the poisoned, left side of his face had gone blind, forcing him to use his last eye to admire the beautiful garden that he had helped nurture ever since he was young. However, his pose remained dignified despite the poison running through his body.


    Taking in the cool, fresh morning air, he contemplated as he closed his eyes before sighing. ¡°What did I tell you about playing in the tunnels, Senki?¡±


    The Tatami straw mat in the far corner of the room plops open as Senki crawls out, covered in dirt and dust. ¡°Father!¡± She yelled out.


    The two guards from before suddenly barge in from overhearing the sudden yelp, finding Senki standing there next to the secret tunnel entrance.


    ¡°Oj¨­-sama! You must not-¡°


    ¡°HALT!¡± The Sh¨­gun yelled out to the two guards, causing them to stand still. ¡°If my daughter is so determined to see me despite knowing about my illness, then shall allow her.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The two guards bowed respectfully before leaving the room, returning a serene atmosphere to the room.


    Her father walked to his Futon as he began laying on it, taking a rest due to his deteriorating health condition. ¡°From leading a grand army to this¡­ what a fall from grace.¡±


    ¡°Father, you must rest, lest the illness take you away from me like Mother.¡± Senki said worryingly, sitting on her knees next to him.


    ¡°Senki¡­¡± he reaches for her cheeks, carefully caressing it. ¡°I have failed you. All of this is my fault¡­¡± He said with a dry voice.


    After giving her father some water, she tried to look for medicine before being stopped by her father.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± He coughs slightly, ¡°My time on this realm is but moments left, I can feel it. So please, listen to what I¡¯m about to say before I reunite with your mother.¡±


    Senki widened her eyes in dread as her heart sank further. ¡°y-yes, father.¡±


    ¡°The cause of the monsters'' appearances, the disease, it¡¯s all because of me. I caused him to do it¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­what?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not my firstborn, Senki.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s-¡°


    Knowing that he does not have much time left, he ignores Senki¡¯s shocked reaction. ¡°I was a fool back then when I was young. I played around with maidens, abusing my power as a son of the late Taik¨­. What I ended up creating¡­ is a son through an Oiran.¡±


    He reached up to his daughter once again, wiping away her tears. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve a good child like you, Senki. I was a terrible father to your brother.¡±


    ¡°Where is he now?¡± She continued to push through despite the heartbreaking circumstances.


    ¡°H¨­sh¨­jima Island¡­ he disappeared there 40 years ago¡­ after I had rejected his claim to the throne for being a lowborn and son of a courtesan. I casted him away, never to step foot in the capital again.¡±


    ¡°That place¡­ is also where the Onibanes and Kiba¨­kami came from!¡± She yelped. ¡°But how is that possible? Why do you think he was the cause?¡±


    ¡°There is an ancient alien structure there, far older than the Shogunate¡­ I had explored the place with the late Taik¨­ to find out what it is but to no avail, so we took everything from that place for study and¡­ collection.¡± He looked over to the oddly shaped Saya displayed near his old armor. ¡°He snuck inside our home, murdered the servants and stole all the artifacts that we took from the alien structure that he could carry before making his way to H¨­sh¨­jima. We tried searching for him but eventually gave up. One of those artifacts¡­ is a key to operate the mechanism in the structure. We didn¡¯t understand how it worked, but maybe he did. That was 40 years ago.¡±


    ¡°He hates me.¡± He continues, coughing heavily. ¡°No¡­ he despises me. If you were to meet him, Senki. Tell him that I¡¯m sorry for everything.¡±


    Her father began sweating profusely as he breathed rapidly. The scar made by the poison on his face began to move rapidly across his face, signifying that his time had come.


    He used all his remaining strength to sit up, handing his daughter a scroll. ¡°This is my will¡­ you will be the Jotei¡­ of this realm. Your brother¡¯s family name is Akatsuki¡­ and his name¡­¡± He struggles to remember. ¡°I had forgotten long ago...¡±


    Her father collapses down as the poison covers his entire face, turning his pale skin into a bruise-like dark blue. His life began to flash in front of him, all the countless regrets and all the joy swept through his mind as he let out a single tear.


    ¡°I love you, Senki¡­ you¡¯re my proudest creation. You didn¡¯t deserve this, this fate of ruling over a dying realm¡­¡±


    ¡°If that is my fate,¡± she wipes away her tears. ¡°Then I¡¯ll gladly take it, because it is from you, father.¡±


    ¡°A good child¡­ to the end.¡± He chuckles before losing consciousness. ¡°Maybe the gods have had pity on me all this time¡­¡±


    <hr>


    7:42 AM


    ¡°Give me your hand.¡± Boris reached down below, attempting to grab Rita¡¯s hand so he could pulled her up from a small boulder.


    ¡°I got it, sir.¡± She scaled up the boulder herself. ¡°I didn¡¯t pass training for no reason.¡±


    The company had been walking for a long while now, making their way through treacherous terrains and many wildlives that just seemed to want to devour them whole.


    Boris is still disgruntled at his Captain, the cause is still unknown to the rest of his squad.


    ¡°Hey Sarge,¡± Richard and Joker sprinted to their leader before walking beside him. ¡°What¡¯s with-¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Boris shuts them down before they even finish their sentences.


    ¡°Okay then, I won¡¯t ask again.¡±


    ¡°From now on, you will address me as Staff Sergeant, is that clear? Full title. I got promoted before being shipped here with you beanheads.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Staff Sergeant Boris Tsarvelovsky.¡± Joker said sarcastically before being knocked slightly in the head by the elbow.


    ¡°Make it serious.¡±


    Joker gulps slightly before switching his tone to a more respectful one with Richard following suit. ¡°¡­Yes, Staff Sergeant.¡±


    The company continued to march on before passing by a small empty village, its warped structures and burnt out homes suggested that it had been raided. Traces of blood can be seen dragging on the ground in long trails mixed in with the mud, leading up further into the direction of the maple forest that they had exited the night before.


    ¡°Guess I know what happened to this place.¡± Lewis comments as he took a picture of the scene with his personal camera.


    Boris flipped the safety of his rifle off. ¡°Eyes up, they might still be around here.¡±


    ¡°The blood here is very old already, whatever happened here happened a long, long time ago.¡± Rita comments as she examines the blood trail, using her medical training to back up her claim.


    ¡°Hey Richie,¡± Joker patted Richard¡¯s back. ¡°What do ya think about Staff Sergeant?¡±


    ¡°Dunno man¡­ I just wanna go back to Arden already.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Got some hot babe waitin¡¯ for me.¡±


    Joker nearly did a double take. ¡°You¡¯re kiddin¡¯? You ¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. Ha!¡± Richard began to laugh, which annoyed Joker.


    ¡°Figured. Tsk.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I got a job lined up for me. Tank factory, Factoria District. They expanded arms procurement and production so I¡¯ll be fine when I drop out of the Marine Corps. I¡¯ve been here long enough to get a free Fourth Class apartment issued already.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ if you make it home in the first place.¡± Joker said as he picked up a piece of bone next to a tree, examining it before tossing the thing to the side of the trail.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving, we¡¯re still a day march away.¡± Lewis passes by, tapping them both in the shoulder. ¡°Also, fuck you Joker.¡± He knocks his rifle against Joker¡¯s back.


    ¡°Ow. Guess I deserved that.¡± Joker patted his back to recover from the sudden knock.


    Richard patted Joker¡¯s shoulder before pushing him towards the marching line. ¡°You might want to stop messing with someone else¡¯s girlfriend, buddy.¡±


    ¡°Roger that¡­¡±