Chapter 1

Drip-drip-drip. The dripping water bombed my head which was already covered with sweat. Clutching on today's find, I head out of the cave and was bathed by the warm sunlight. Today's luck was just like yesterday, a couple chunks of coal and some cobblestones. If this goes on, I'm going to end up with no money. The long walk back to the village was often serene with the animals all around. However, a forward base belonging to the Ordo Justitiae (Justice Order) was attacked by an unknown group. There were no survivors. All munitions and supplies in the base now belong to the attackers. The Order did not send a recon party to scout the remains on the place. No one knew the attackers but the Order's Paladins claim that Night Stalkers, a group whose made purpose is to train airborne soldiers, was the attacker. Rivalry between these two groups started when both groups were private and small. It started with an argument between a member of the Order and another from the Stalkers. The other members took side and ignited a short bloody war as members clashed swords on the battlefield. The Order had Paladins whose main strengths were their enchanted armor and buff enchantment potions. These made them a formidable opponent as they can take several blows and can recover any injuries. The Stalkers also had their own super soldiers called Specters. These soldiers were more of rogue-like than battlefield men-at-arms. Specters had light armor dyed black and a mask. Equipped with a short blade, these men utilize the darkness as their own and attack when they are sure of the kill. After the kill, they disappear into the darkness, never to be found again. The war ended when the leaders called a cease-fire agreement due to the casualties on both sides. The leaders stated that the two fractions will end the Great War and ushered a era of peace. But now the tinderbox of war was ignited and who knows how long it'll burn.

The village of Caux was quiet and quaint. A peaceful village near Mount Trivk, platoons of soldiers, during the Great War, would pass the village and either stay for a short while or trade with the people. The Era of Peace made the village into a small village, obscured to the outside world and isolated from the conflicts of man. As I approached the entrance to the village, two soldiers stopped me.

"Identifications, sir." They asked me. I was looking confused at first. When I first left there were no guards. There were no need for guards since our village was quiet. The guards were looking impatient as I kept on pondering my thoughts. Rather than making the guard mad, I quickly gathered my clustered thoughts and answered him.

"Alexei Tredyakovsky. I live here. Alone."

The guard turned to his friend and asked for the roster of the people of Caux. Mumbling names from the list whose surname start with a T, he finally said my surname.

"...Toropov...Travkin...Tredya-kov-sky...Tredyakov sky. 23 years old. Miner. Lives in the Wind District. Am I correct?"

When did we get guards and when the hell did someone get a roster of all the people in Caux plus their house location, too, I thought. Before I enraged the guard, I gave a small smile and nodded. He opened the gate and allowed me in. He thanked me for the co-operation and when back with to his business. The number of soldiers going around the village was incredible. Every corner you turn, there were soldiers everywhere. All of which bear the symbol of the Order. A blade facing downward with a thunderbolt twisting around the blade. I smiled at the sight of the symbol. As I head down the street to my house, I overheard a group of guards talking.

"Man, the weather is getting freaky lately. 7th Platoon that left before us said that a storm is brewing up. A rrreeeaaalll nasty one too."

"Why are we even stationed out here anyway? No one is going to attack this desolated piece of crap."

The sound of laughter was soon null by the screeching of the wind. Thunder crackled and flashed above the dark cloudy sky. Hell, I thought, I guess I'll go to bed early today. Going up the steps to my house, I took out my key, fumbled with it, and unlocked the door. The little shabby home wasn't much. I was lucky to at least afford a home. I got the money from taking on logging and mining jobs but most of the money came through selling the ores and gems I find in my mining trips. The house itself was small. The bedroom, living room, dining room, and the kitchen itself were all in one room in this house. It was hardly called a home and yet it caused me my entire fortune. The house was furnished with 4 bookshelves, a bed, a furnace and stove, a table and 2 chairs, a chest, and a small bed. Unlocking the chest and opening it, the wooden container contains 8 iron ingots, a dozen wooden sticks, and a small unknown purple crystal I found 1 week ago. The coal and cobblestones I had mined earlier today was added to the collection. The wooden floor creaked as I moved towards the bed. Throwing the velvet covers aside, I sat on the bed and put down my dulled iron pickaxe besides the bed. The rain was battering the roof and windows of the shabby little home. One hell of a storm, I thought. With that thought, I sulked into the bed and fell fast into sleep.

7th Platoon was created about 3 month back. Most of the troops in the platoon were rooks who never saw battle. They were trained in basic combat techniques and equipped with leather and chainmail armor. Most platoons were small, no more than 15 men. And any platoon with numbers more than 3 were trained after the war. New platoons were usually given the job as border patrol and reconnaissance team.

7th Platoon was given the task to be station at Border Base Romeo which was at the base of Mt. Trivk. Captain Arnfried was the platoon leader. He first served in the 4th Shock Army during the end of the Great War. The 4th Shock Army was commemorated for their actions during the Battle of Ionjir when the Grand Army was being forced back. The 4th Shock Army came behind enemy lines and flanked the enemy in the back. However, the 4th Shock Army was ill-equipped since they were accustomed to using guerrilla warfare tactics or in other words hit-and-run's. With that, the 4th Shock Army took a massive blow to their army size. From 1,000 men to 173 survivors, the enemy's casualties was between 100-150. But this act of heroism gave the Grand Army precious seconds to reorganize their formation and battle tactics. When the 4th Shock Army pulled out, the enemy was in complete disarray and panic as the Grand Army pulled a massive push with the remaining 3,400 men. The enemy pulled a last-minute defense with their remaining archers but the Grand Army was being led by 12 Paladins whose power was incomparable. As the Paladins broke the line, the panicking enemies fought to the death while some routed and tried to escape the madness. As the sun came up at the end of the battle, the Grand Army suffered massive casualties along with the 4th Shock Army with a mind-blowing death toll of 7,427 men and women. One of the survivors of the 4th Shock Army was Private Arnfried Hitzig of Lightning Team...

"Captain! We got word that 11th Platoon in the village got hit with a massive storm!"

The captain looked up from his map. The village of Caux was approximately 2.4 kilometers back. When he turned his head, he saw a massive storm cloud that darkened the entire area, one kilometer back. He folded up the map, opened his rucksack, and stuck it. Inside the backpack was also 2 loaves of bread and a cooked pork chop that was all made by his wife. He and his wife lived inside the great city of Lumen. The brightest city in the fraction, it was also the most safe as it was behind 3 meter concrete thick walls and protected by more than 5,000 soldiers. His house was quite large although he didn't spend a single dime. The house was a gift from a friend who was thankful for bringing his sister back home alive during the Great War. The sister also served in the 4th Shock Army but during the battle, she was injured by an arrow and escaped death thanks to Arnfried. Arnfried carried her across the battlefield, dodging stray shot arrows, and fallen comrades, to the triage tent. He then returned to the battlefield.

"Alright! Listen up because I won't repeat myself! 11th Platoon that was stationed in Caux reported a massive storm. And due to the wind, there's a high chance of it heading this way. I don't want to be out here when that storm hits us. The outpost is about 1 kilometer ahead of us. We're going to double-time it to get there before the storm arrives. There will be a short 2 minute break when we're 500 meters out but nothing else. Let's go! Hoorah?"

"HOORAH!" The 13 strong-willed men voiced out their war cry. The sound of clinking chainmail and clanking iron swords was the noise the men made as they moved on. With their determined might, they head out for the outpost.