1
One Year Before
Northern Falmart, Mountain Range of Ice and Snow
Day 54 after the beginning of "Operation Columbus"
If someone visited Castria only one year before, he would probably found it hard to recognize it.
Instead of the old, creepy village covered in moss, lost in the heart of the Mountain Range of Ice and Snow, there was now an immense stronghold, completely surrounded by a massive, star-shaped wall, provided with the most incredible defensive weapons, with an entire new city built inside of it.
Even the fields all around the old town had been re-created, transforming a far land forgotten by gods and humans in a prosperous community full of life. The strange men came from the mystic portal of the heavens had proved to be kind people, providing help to many tribes and villages touched by the plague or the war and welcoming anyone from all the corners of the region, from elves to the dwarfs.
Their goals were not completely clear, but for now all they seemed to want was to establish good relationships with every pacific people around Castria, and considering the close proximity to Reich's Empire there were many people that went to them in search for protection or support.
Surely their power was incredible. Shortly after their arrival, almost half of the Reich's southern army had put Castria under siege, only to see almost two thirds of their assault force wiped out in just a couple of days. Since then, Reich's power in the region had been greatly reduced, and now the Singing People, as they had been called by many, were the sole and only rulers of that big portion of land that extended between Reich and the Empire.
Their Ruler, General Nicola Perdersoli, was really a good person, always ready to help both his men and the strangers inside his city. Thanks to him, all the people that had arrived in Castria from the surrounding region had been authorized to remain despite his commanders' initial orders, and now their little setting had turned into a city inside the city, full of life and activities.
Obviously, the civilians were more than happy to give their personal contribution in exchange for the Singing People's protection, producing food, maintaining the order inside their community, trading with the outside regions and many more things. There was only a single rule to follow: to every citizen allowed to enter in Castria was strictly forbidden from reveal the Singing People's existence inside the Empire. Because differently from Reich and the cities in the middle land, the Empire at the moment was not aware of the events occurred in Castria, and the Singing People's commanders wanted this situation to remain unchanged. Fortunately the Empire's borders were quite far from there, so in the last months not a single Empire's inhabitant or ambassador has visited Castria, while the merchants were more than happy to observe this rule in exchange for being able to preserve their good relations with the Singing People.
That morning, General Pedersoli was in his office, as always, when his attendant, Captain Mauro Florenzi, respectfully knocked ad the door.
«Yes?»
«Quartermaster Grrodon is here, sir.»
«Let him in.»
Florenzi closed the door, and briefly after an aged and bearded dwarf, the quartermaster Grrodon, First Builder of the Marzehorr Clan, entered in the office, completely covered in dust and lime.
«Welcome, my friend.» said the General getting up from his chair.
«General.»
«So? What do you need so soon at the morning?»
«I simply wanted to report you that the problem at the southern walls has been solved. The ramparts are perfect again. Neither Hardy and Emroy together couldn't open a breach in them now.»
«Thank you, my friend.»
«Honestly, I've never thought we could be able to build such a stronghold in barely a couple of months. Your instruments of construction are really amazing.»
«Not as much as your knowledge on stone and edification. They've been very useful to my people, even on the other side, so I want to thank you dwarfs in the name of Italy and the Italian people.»
«Everything you want, General. As long as you keep those Reich bastards far from these lands.»
«If I remember correctly, your clan comes from their empire.»
«We dwarfs have fought with the Northim for centuries for the control of the northern mountains. Our war experience and our knowledge always allowed us to keep them at bay, but when they suddenly managed to surpass us we've been wiped away in less than two years. We live as refugees since then, but one day we'll be able to retake our land.»
«I've already told you, my friend. We cannot conduct an aggressive war against them. It would be against our policy.»
«There will be no need for this, General. We dwarfs are really patients. We've created cities, parks and palaces in the deep of the earth when the humans were a bit more than savages. Reich will disappear and then those lands will be ours again.»
Pedersoli looked at his little friend, then he took a wine bottle from the shelf and gave it to his guest.
«For you, my friend.»
Grrodon took it and begun to greedily drink it, looked at with a smile by the General.
«Even your alcohol is amazing, my friend. You could conquer all of our kingdoms making us drunk with such nectar.»
«There are plenty cases waiting for you and your fellows in the storehouses. Speak to Florenzi and you'll have them.»
«It's always a pleasure, General. Have a nice day.»
«You too, my friend.»
While Grrodon was leaving the office, Captain Flavio Lunardi crossed the door of the room, called by the General himself.
He was quite a fine man, with short, martial hair and deep eyes, full of all that war experience which only an expert paratrooper could have. Despite being barely thirty-two years old he could boast an enviable curriculum among the elite of the Italian infantry, especially in Iraq and the Balkans.
«Good day, boy.» joyfully said the dwarf
«Already drunk at eight o'clock? You're the worse, Grrodon.»
The dwarf loudly laughed.
«There's nothing like a good drink to start the day. After all, you Singing People are good drinkers too, don't you? Right, General?»
«Grrodon, could you leave us alone?» respectfully said the General.
«Aye aye, sir.»
Then Grrodon left the office.
«Did you call for me, General?»
«Welcome, Captain» Pedersoli said while taking a cup of coffee from his desk. «Can I offer you a coffee? Despite Grrodon's words, wine is not the best choice to start a day.»
«No Sir, thank you.»
«As you wish.»
The general sat again and turned to look his computer.
«I read your last report. Things are going well, I see.»
«So it seems, Sir.»
«We're here for almost two months, but our influence is already considerably large in this region. We've reached considerable trade agreements, and the colony is growing well. Plus, after our last battle, this Reich has not tried to attack us anymore.»
Then the General stopped, looking Lunardi directly in his eyes.
«It seems it's time to retake into hands that situation.»
Lunardi hesitated, looking for a moment the parquet under his feet.
«You and your squad have explored this region many times. Did you find something that could confirm our hypothesis?»
«Nothing, sir. Sadee says to have found that coin in an archeological site in the depths of Reich's dominion. So, at the moment, we're not able to reach it to conduct further investigations.»
«What a bad luck» replied the General before turning his lips into a satisfied smile. «Fortunately, we've probably found a solution.»
«Sir?»
«I suppose you know Calibria.»
«Yes, General. It's the main city-state in the Haqaba Plains, and one of the greatest military powers in Northern Falmart.»
«Not only. It's also home of a major magic school, one of the most respected of this continent. The school houses an ancient library, probably the biggest historic archive of the entire Special Region.»
Lunardi gasped in amazement.
«So…»
«Yes. If you search for evidences, maybe that's the best place to search for them.»
«But sir, I'm not so sure that the mages will be happy to share their knowledge with us.»
«We sent an ambassador one month ago to negotiate with them, and we've been able to reach an agreement. The mages will authorize us to conduct some researches in their library if we'll be able to defeat some of them in a sort of challenge.»
«What kind of challenge?»
«A cultural challenge. If two of our fellows will prove to be wise enough about the Special Region's history and cultural aspects, then we'll be allowed to make use of their knowledge.»
A confused Lunardi looked at the ground.
«With all respect, sir, we don't have two scholars for this challenge. Sadee is wise enough to face this quest, but none of our other colonists has her wisdom. We can't take this challenge, General.»
«Are you sure about this?»
Lunardi remained silent, and then the General activated his interphone.
«Let him pass, Florenzi.»
One moment later, a young man entered in the office. He might have looked like anything but a soldier, with that brown, mid-long hair, the small eyes and the large, a bit heavy aspect. He was probably thirty years old, and judging from his traits he was from the north, probably Venetian. He looked a bit disoriented, as if that was not his place, and probably he had seen a battlefield only on TV in all his life.
«Captain, I introduce you professor Giuseppe Radoni. He'll represent us in the competition with the mages along with lady Sadee.»
«Nice to meet you, Captain Lunardi.» the professor said with a tiny, timid voice.
Then Lunardi turned to Pedersoli again.
«What do you mean by this, General?»
«Don't you see? I'm assigning a new mission to you and your squad. You'll escort lady Sadee and professor Radoni to Calibria, when they'll face the mages' challenge to obtain the access to the library.»
Flavio seemed a bit unpleased, but discussing the orders was not in his nature.
«That coin's existence could be just a coincidence, but we can't be completely sure. If some of our ancestors would have visited this world, they could have been the fathers of the actual Empire. And this would mean that these imperials are almost our brothers.
Do you understand what could represent all of this for us and our country, Captain?»
«Yes, sir.» Lunardi answered after a brief hesitation
«I have faith in you, and I know you'll fulfill your duties as always. That's all, Captain. You can go.»
«As you command.» he respectfully said before leave the office.
Oder, the capital of the glorious Reich Empire, was probably the greatest city in all Falmart after Sadera.
The place where the Oder stood had been for centuries a poor land, and his builders, the Northims, were known for being a bit more than savages. But suddenly, something had changed, and a group of barbaric tribes had turned in the blink of an eye into a mighty empire, capable to submit one third of the continent in less than fifty years.
Their power resided in their strange, new faith. Their god, Fuhrer, was a new one in Falmart's rich pantheon, and listening to their stories he was the one that gave them the knowledge and the abilities to create not only a strong nation, but even the most powerful, deadly weapons that the entire continent has ever seen, the gewehre: iron tubes, filled with a strange powder, capable to kill every enemy despite the distance or his protection, piercing armors and destroying shields like paper.
The city was truly magnificent, full of squared, yet nice buildings and all was colored in white, to reflect the sunlight that, across the mountains, reached the valley where Oder was located. And that marvelous treasure's most precious jewel was the Emperial Palace, or the großenpalst, from which the glorious emperors of Reich surveyed their entire realm, spreading the light of Fuhrer all over the world.
Unfortunately, the last Emperor, Adolf I, had died almost five years ago without a male heir, so his crown had passed to his only daughter, Ygraine, but the new Empress was too young to guide and rule such a great and strong empire in its most difficult hour. Fortunately, there was the high priest of Fuhrer, the wise Magnus, to act on her behalf, and thanks to him Reich had been able to face the new menace which mysteriously appeared in the southern plains: the Singing People.
That morning, like every first Sunday of the month, wise Magnus was overlooking from the großenpalst's main balcony for speak to Oder's people regrouped in the square in front of the palace, which uproariously had saluted him when he appeared from behind the curtains.
He was both an inspiring and an intimidating figure, completely hidden behind his long, red tunic, his enormous helmet and his golden mask, but his words had the power to put an entire nation on fire.
«People of Oder! Rejoice! Another month is about to begin! Another month of prosperity and glory for your great empire!»
The people exulted again, shouting all their admiration for the Empress and their god.
«Eternal glory to Fuhrer! – Long live the Empress! – Long live the High Priest Magnus!»
«Remember who we are. We are the blessed people, chosen by our mighty lord to spread his glory in all this world! We're the sons of the heaven, blessed with his mighty power! We've been entrusted with this important mission, and we'll pursue it no matter the cost! Soon, very soon, all Falmart will bow to the might of Fuhrer, and we, as his sons, will be the most loved inhabitants of his golden dominion, blessed for eternity!»
The crowd shouted loudly in response, rising up their right arm towards the sky.
«Sieg Fuhrer! Sieg Fuhrer! Sieg Fuhrer!» they continued to say for many minutes, watched with satisfaction by the High Priest.
«We can hide between speeches and proclaims as long as we want, sirs.» Magnus said walking all around the table at the center of the war room. «But now we must face the truth. This empire is collapsing.»
Around him, the Reich Triumvirate was following his report, each of them in a different way. Octavia, the commander of the Eastern Army, was listening him, sitting on her bench, occasionally throwing a lock of her long, blonde hair away from her face, while her icy, scaring blue eyes continued to observe the war map. Donzark, leader of the Western Army, was standing next to the table, malignantly smiling at the sight of his army's progress and grumbling in dissatisfaction every time his dark eyes reached that little black point marked as Castria. At the end, Ludwika, Fuhrer's most loved and powerful demigoddess, was playing as always with her springy string, smiling and having fun like the preadolescent she appeared to be; her dark, frilly dress gave her an even more cute and innocent aspect, but behind that sort of mask there was a true war goddess, able to kill thousands of men in a blink of an eye with no hesitation.
The Empress, Ygraine I, was sitting on her throne, with her usual, discomforted expression: she knew very well she's too young to be able to properly administrate her kingdom, but despite being a bit of doubtful about the High Priest's policy, she did not have the necessary authority to discuss him, not after having authorized the Triumvirate, the Imperial Family's personal bodyguards and faithful servants, to follow his orders for the sake of the Empire. Her silver, almost white hair was the physical representation of her strong magic abilities, giving to her dark, shiny skin an even more beautiful appearance.
«We're facing strong winters after another, our crops are increasingly scarce, and not a day passes without news of rebellions and uprising in the outlying regions. We need to further extend our dominion, because this cursed land is clearly trying to send us away. Very soon, there will be not enough food to sustain all of our population, and so the empire built to live for over a thousand years will not survive to its first century.»
«We've already conquered almost ten times our original territory» Octavia said. «But now we're surrounded by the Range of Ice and Snow on south-west and the Haqaba Plains on south-east. And all of you are aware of the fact that both these lands will be really difficult to submit. The Mountain Range is very difficoult to cross, while the numerous city-states in Haqaba, despite being continuously in war each other, could join forces to face us if we attack the plains.»
«Reich has the most powerful army of this world.» answered Marcus. «We have the gewehre, the dragons, the wyverns, and the battle beasts.»
«But the people from the other world have defeated us, or not?» joyfully said Ludwika without bothering to stop playing.
All those present stopped, looking in the ground in disapproval.
«She's right.» Octavia said again. «Their power clearly surpasses our own. If they should decide to attack us, we'll be the ones to be wiped away.»
«If their intentions were to invade us, they would have attacked us immediately after having rejected our first assault.» Donzark answered. «But they didn't do it, and after two months they remain around the gate. So, I don't think that their plans include an attack against Reich. Not for the moment.»
«However, they're offering protection to many communities and tribes of that region. I think that should be enough to confirm that they're not well disposed toward us.»
«Castria is a secondary objective.» Magnus broke off. «We attacked that region to wipe away the Arlea Forest's white elves, and we succeeded. So, for now, we can leave them to their own affairs.»
Magnus then looked the map, pointing Reich's next objective with his baton.
«We'll move against Calibria.»
The Generals looked each other in bewilderment; the Empress trembled, and even Ludwika seemed a bit surprised.
«With all respect, High Priest.» said Octavia. «Calibria is the major city-state in all the Haqaba Plains. It has the strongest army, enormous walls, and is surrounded by a dry and inhospitable land. It survived five different sieges of the Empire, and its power is amazing.»
«We're not the Empire» malignantly said Donzark
«General Donzark is right» said Magnus. «The Empire is our target, and Calibria is the shortest way to reach it. I've received some interesting news from the Range of Ice and Snow. The empire is facing a very serious crisis, and most of their power has been wiped away. If we attack them before they have the time to reorganize, we could conquer this entire continent in a blink of an eye.»
The High Priest then returned to look the map.
«You're right if you say that Calibria is a difficult prey, but we've faced worse sieges before this, and we always prevailed. Plus this, Calibria is not loved by the other city-states of Haqaba, then no one will come to help them, not if we assure them that Calibria will be our sole objective.»
Suddenly, the Empress spoke.
«Couldn't we try with diplomacy?»
The High Priest and the Triumvirates looked her with surprise.
«Maybe we could reach an agreement with them, and obtain a free passage toward the Empire's borders.»
«My Empress, Daughter of Fuhrer» said Magnus. «This is not the time for diplomacy. It's Reich's own safety to be at stake, and we cannot waste our precious time with empty words.»
«But… why should the war be this empire's sole diplomatic approach toward other countries?»
«As I said, my lady, the situation requires this kind of approach. If we don't move our entire dominion southwards, soon we'll return to be the savages we were before your immaculate grandfather came to us, spreading Fuhrer's light upon our humble minds and guiding us to the glory.»
Ygraine hesitated, as always after all.
«Remember your oath, Empress. You must spread our Fuhrer's glory to the whole world, wiping away the Empire's false gods and bringing Reich to the absolute dominion. This is the promise we made to Fuhrer in exchange for his knowledge. This is the goal we… you must follow.»
But then, at last, the Empress got up, strongly clutching her imperial scepter and showing off a proud and authoritative gaze.
«I've always approved all of your decisions, High Priest, but this empire has seen too many wars. For this, I command you to send an embassy to Calibria in order to discuss a political solution. If the diplomacy will prove to be unsuccessful, then I'll start to consider the possibility of a new war.»
«But, precious Empress…»
«In the name of Fuhrer and for the sake of the empire, these are my orders! And you'll follow them!»
A dissatisfied and almost enraged Magnus looked at her, and even the Triumvirates didn't seem to be too happy, especially Donzark.
But, after all, she was the Empress nevertheless.
«Sieg Heil!» the four of them loudly shouted.
Notes
Here I am again. Thank you so much for all of your support. Finally things begin to move, and soon we'll see plenty of various action. I want to pay all my thanks to my friends Apollonirand Arimanefor their precious help in correct this story, you're truly fantastic^^
Androsvandraco:Yes, italy finally has its own super soldiers^^ Unfortunately, you'll need a lot of time to find out how it's been able to "create" them^^
That's all folks. See you to the next chapter, and for be kind I leave you with a spoiler: First rule of the Special Region: never trust a Warrior Bunny!^^