AUTHORS NOTE
Underfire is going to be an AU, in which it was the monsters that emerged victorious from the war. The story will be taking place in a modern-day setting, in the year 2027 AD. Below you will find a timeline of events that will give you some background into the history of the war. Please note that this is in a fictional world, with fictional nations.
2004
April 20th: The Roneian Empire officially declare war on the monster kingdom.
April 23rd: The first attack against the monsters is launched, with success. A small village falls within hours.
May 1st: The war against the monsters reaches a stalemate, approximately 67 miles from the capital.
June 18th: Monsters launch a mass offensive against the humans, pushing them back.
July 3rd: Humans are driven out of monster territory in what would turn out to be a crushing blow.
July 5th: Human military leaders sign an armistice with Asgore. The armistice however, would turn out to be temporary.
December 25th: Humans attempt another attack on the monster kingdom. The monsters though, having figured out the human tactics, repel the attack.
December 31st: Monsters begin to slowly push into human territory.
2005
January 11th: Monsters successfully conquer the first human city, and immediately begin making two pronged attacks on several smaller human armies.
January 20th: As the monsters approach the capital of the Roneian Empire, Asgore calls for peace talks. King Berinon refuses to attend, and the war continues.
February 2nd: Other allies of the Roneian Empire, the Grudor Kingdom, and the empire of Chodora, declare war on the monsters, who have already been working at building their military force for such an occasion.
February 4th: The capital of the Roneian Empire falls, and the empire surrenders. King Berinon is captured, and imprisoned.
February 18th: Humans begin launching attacks against the monster kingdom. In some areas of the eastern front, the humans make progress, in others though on the western front, they are pushed back.
March 3rd: Movements from both sides grind to a halt, and the war falls into stalemate once more.
2008
April 3rd: Asriel is born
2010
August 1st: After over 5 years of no progress, and with peace talks becoming increasingly impossible, Asgore launches Operation: Breakthrough. Monsters launch a massive offensive on the eastern front, breaking through Grudorian lines. The blow is devastating as several supply and communication lines are severed. Thousands of soldiers surrender. It is a defeat the kingdom will never recover from.
August 13th: Monsters see more success on the western front against the Chodorans. Supplies have begun to run out, and several armies simply retreat from their posts.
EASTERN FRONT
September 12th: Monsters sweep through the Grudor Kingdom as the armies pull into full retreat.
October 2nd: Monsters approach the capital city of Agolens, and place it under siege.
October 31st: Agolens surrenders. Monsters march into the city. King Marshall Campbell is captured, and the Grudor Kingdom falls.
WESTERN FRONT
September 3rd: Monsters push past the outer borders of Chodora. The rough terrain makes it difficult for monsters to make progress.
September 21st: Monsters make it just over 100 miles into Chodoran territory. Chodoran armies dig into defensive trenches, forcing the monsters to a grinding halt.
November 3rd: News of the Grudor Kingdom's surrender reaches the western front, with a message that reinforcements will now be available within the week.
November 9th: Monsters reinforce themselves, and begin to press forward once more.
November 20th: The capital city of Kester becomes visible.
November 23rd: Monsters begin one last all out push against Kester, with King Benedict Harrington declaring that he will never surrender.
November 25th: King Harrington is killed in combat. Without their leader, confusion runs amongst the military, and Kester surrenders days later, and the empire of Chodora falls, ending the war.
December 1st: Mount Ebott is transformed into a prison. Dozens of political and military prisoners are transported to the new facility.
So with the history of the war laid out for you, I present chapter 1 of Underfire. Special thanks to Ulrich362 for assisting in figuring out an overarching plot to the story.
The blaring of an alarm clock striking 7:00 AM roused Cole from his slumber. Groaning he rolled over and smacked the bedside table repeatedly until he found the clock, shutting the alarm off. He looked up to the ceiling, taking a deep breath before he slid out of bed. Not thirty minutes later, he had gotten ready for the day, and was walking out of his apartment block, onto the sidewalk of Kester. He sighed as he gazed up and down the street.
The sky was grey with clouds, and there weren't many people up and about. He began to trudge up the street, heading to work. He had been lucky enough to land a job at a new bar and grill that had opened up just a month prior. The place was called Grillby's, conveniently named after the owner, Grillby.
Cole was one of many humans still living in Kester. He had been born mere months after the fall of the empire of Chodora. During his early life growing up, he had often heard of his parents talking about the glory days of the empire, before the war. Now, those days were long passed. Monsters held a firm grip over the captured territories. By now, 17 years after the war had ended, most humans in the captured territories had grown used to the monster occupation. This however, didn't mean that everything was prosperous. Humans and monsters seldom associated with each other, and when they did it was usually for business, or political purposes.
Glancing up, Cole spotted two soldiers walking along the sidewalk. Many of the soldiers looked identical. All wore special armour, said to have been designed early in the war. It was also said that this armour was nearly impenetrable. Both soldiers carried automatic assault rifles, a standard weapon of the monster military. The firearms seemed to have a faint glow to them, betraying their magical properties. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his coat, sidestepping around the two soldiers, taking care not to make eye contact. He had gotten used to trying to keep a low profile. It was nearly 8:00 by the time Cole arrived at Grillby's. The fiery monster was just unlocking the door, looking up through his glasses as Cole approached.
"Ah, right on time." Cole only nodded, following Grillby inside. The little bell above the door jingled as they entered. He walked into the back room, where he removed his coat and hung it up on one of the hooks on the wall. Grillby had rolled up his sleeves as he walked into the kitchen. Cole had discovered it was customary for Grillby to do all of the cooking, while he simply was the waiter, taking orders. Sighing, he walked out front, and waited for the first customer of the day.
LATER THAT EVENING…
"See you tomorrow, boss!" Cole called to Grillby as he fetched his coat, heading outside. Grillby gave a short wave, the bell above the door giving another jingle as the door shut behind Cole. The sky was already darkening, and Cole hadn't taken four steps before a fat drop fell onto his head. As the sky began to break, Cole threw the hood over his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets, setting off at a brisk pace. Despite the coat, it didn't take long before he found himself soaked.
"Of all the days to not have a car…" He thought to himself, the annoyance pricking at him. He turned down the street where his apartment block was on. He kept his eyes trained on the sidewalk, focusing only on returning home. He became so focused on the sidewalk that he failed to see another foot patrol ahead of him. He grunted as he accidentally walked into the backside of one of the soldiers, stumbling back. The soldier whipped around, revealing a dragon's face.
"Hey, watch it!"
"Great." Cole thought furiously. "Last thing I wanted was any attention." He then responded. "Sorry sir, I wasn't watching where I was going, just a mistake."
The dragon's companion, a wolf, spoke up. "Uh huh. You have any identification on you son?"
Cole fished his wallet out of his pocket, taking out his Chodoran identification card, handing it to the wolf. After looking it over carefully, he asked.
"Bit of an unpleasant day for a stroll, don't you think Cole?"
Cole shrugged. "I'm just on my way home from Grillby's. I work there. My apartment is just up the road."
The wolf nodded. "Any family?"
Cole was hesitant in his response. "No sir, I live alone."
The wolf looked up at him. "You're only seventeen...a bit young to be living alone don't you think?"
Cole refused to meet his gaze. "I don't have any family right now."
The wolf slowly nodded again, before handing the card back. "You're free to go. Just watch where you're going alright?"
Cole nodded. "Yes sir, thank you sir." With this, he quickly walked around them, hurrying the last few blocks before ducking into the apartment block. He pulled back the hood of his coat, stepping into the elevator. It carried him up to the fourth of nine floors, where he stepped off. Once inside, he locked his door, hanging the dripping coat up. He walked to one of the larger window sills, sitting on it and gazing out as the rainwater ran down the glass.
Even on nicer days, Kester constantly looked dreary. The armed patrols were constant, and had even been picking up in frequency. For why, Cole wasn't entirely sure. Something though about a large fight? It was all just rumors. He leaned his head back against the wall, and let his mind wander, wondering what things might have looked like if the war had gone differently.
