Kingdom of Elbe, 100km Southeast From Alnus Hill

A Man came into the city as if demons were chasing him. His Horse looked as if it was about to join the gods. He stopped at the steps of the Elbe Royal Palace and dismounted. He was wearing the uniform of the Imperial Messenger Corps which was similar to the Standard Imperial Army Uniform but had a Leather Chest Piece instead of the normal metal for lighter weight, but ultimately more expensive.

"I have an urgent message for King Duran. It came straight from the Emperor himself." He told the Palace Guard.

"Very well." Said the Commander of the Guard.

With that, the doors to the palace were opened and the messenger walked inside, escorted by the Palace Guard. The messenger walked until he reached the large Throne room of the King of Elbe, King Duran.

While the chamber was massive, it still pales in comparison to the Emperor's Palace back in Sadera. Despite this, one can say the Chamber is still as grand as the Emperor's Throne Room with Polished Marble Columns, a massive Stained Glass Window with the Red Elbe Lion on it hanging above the Throne itself.

The messenger knelt before Duran.

"Ah." Said King Duran. "A Messenger from Emperor Molto. Tell me, what news do you bring from the Saderan Empire?"

"King Duran, the Emperor demands your assistance in destroying the enemy at Alnus Hill."

35km outside Fort Odyssey

The 3 Humvees drove down the dirt road at speed as they raced to Coda Village. They had to drop off the refugees they picked up and head back to Odyssey ASAP or Command would have their asses.

This time though, As soon as they got within 500m of the Village Gate, The Vehicles never stopped.

Lieutenant Ricardo James "RJ" Sarmiento of the Philippine Army gets on the radio.

"R3 Actual to all, this time, we will drive up to the gate and inform them of what is going on. How Copy?"

"3-2, Solid Copy."

"3-3, Got it."

They were waved down by people at the gate.

"What is going on?" Asked the Villager.

"We have a group of people we were hoping could drop off here."

Suddenly, another group of 3 Vehicles arrives at the village entrance.

"What the hell?" Said Lieutenant Lan Phe Singh of the Vietnamese Army.

"Why are there another 3 Humvees here?" Asked Sergeant Acacia Winters of the US Army.

Lieutenant Singh steps out of the Humvee and walks toward the other group of Humvees. He then sees another figure, one wearing the Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) of the Philippine Army, talking to one of the villagers.

"Lieutenant Singh, Recon 7."

"Lieutenant Sarmiento, Recon 3. What the hell are you guys doing here?"

"We managed to stop a bunch of raiders from sacking an entire convoy of people. And these people mentioned Coda Village was their destination so we asked them where it was and here we are."

The Village Chief then arrived at the entrance, shocked, afraid and confused why there are 6 Horseless Carriages at the Village Entrance.

"What is going on?" Asked the Village Chief.

"We have people who need help." Said RJ.

"And we have a group of people who were actually gonna live here." Said Singh.

"Darius, go to the ones follow this man." Ordered the Village Chief to a Villager as he points at Singh. "Make sure the people with them are accommodated. We have new residents."

"Yes, sir." Replied The Villager as he goes off with Lieutenant Singh.

"Now." Said the Chief. "Let's see the people you have."

With that, Lieutenant Sarmiento brings the Village Chief to the Command Humvee where lying unconscious and wrapped in a strange cloth, was a blonde elf.

"What happened to her?" Asked the Chief.

"Flying Fire Lizard." Responded RJ, again in broken Saderan. It wasn't his fault that the Dictionaries, often called the "Red Books" by the members of the SSCTF, were given the same day they went through the Gate.

"Flame Dragon." Said the Chief with worry and fear. "So she is the only survivor?"

"No. There is a mother and son also in another carriage." Replied RJ. "Can you help them?"

The Village Chief shook his head. "Unfortunately we can't. With a Flame Dragon on the loose, it is only a matter of time before our Village is targeted as well."

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the boy he sent to help the people who wanted to live in the Village. Sadly, they couldn't because now, there is a Flame Dragon in the loose.

"Darius!" He says.

"Yes, sir?" Replied The Villager.

"Forget their things. Tell them to stay in the Carriages. There is a Flame Dragon on the loose." He says, loud enough for the other villagers to hear him.

"A Flame Dragon?" Said one in Amazement.

"What is it doing here?" Asked another in fear.

"What's wrong?" Asked RJ.

"We cannot Stay here. If there is a Flame Dragon on the loose, we will have to abandon the Village."

A few minutes later, at the outskirts of Coda Village…

A young, 15 year old girl stands by a horse, petting it's Mane. The horse itself is pulling a cart filled with food, clothes, blankets and money as well as "Essential" Spell Books and a few ingredients for potions.

Suddenly, an old man wearing a hat similar to that worn by the Wizard at Enchanted Kingdom opens the door to a nearby cottage. In his arms were a large amount of books. As he steps out of the Cottage, the "Wizard" slips and falls on his back, causing the books in his arms to scatter everywhere with one, unfortunately, falling into the nearby stream.

"Teacher, the cart is already full." Said the girl in a monotone voice, her blue hair shining in the sunlight.

"Lelei, I need to have ALL my books with me!" Screamed the Wizard, Kato El Altestan, flailing his arms.

"Lelei, do you understand how important these books are?"

"Certainly. Perhaps the books with spells in them should be given the most priority."

"Yes, Lelei. I am so thankful to have a student like you."

A few minutes later, they somehow find a way to fit all the books into the cart.

"Alright, the books are packed. Let's go." Said Kato

With that, Lelei whipped the reigns. The Horse tries to move but the cart is too heavy.

"We're not moving." Observed Kato. If an English Speaking member of the SSCTF heard them say that, a "No Shit, Sherlock" would come soon after.

"You wanted all of your books in the Cart, Teacher." Replied Lelei.

"It's a good thing we're Wizards." Said Kato as he grabs his staff. "Let's just use Magic."

"Magic is the world's most sacred thing. It should never be used for trivial matters. You told me that ever since I started learning under you." Said Lelei in a monotone Voice as she also grabs her staff. "But in this case, we don't have a choice."

Both of them chanted a spell and soon, the Cart felt as light as a feather and the Horse was now able to pull it. With that, they headed off to Coda Village to join the Convoy assembling there.

30km Outside Fort Odyssey, 1030 Local Time, 1720 Philippine Time

"Alright, is everyone ready to move out?" Inquired Lieutenant Singh.

"Yes, sir." Replied Sergeant Watts. "All carts report that they are ready to move."

"Good." Said Lieutenant Sarmiento as he walks over to the two of them. "I just got word from Odyssey. They're gonna have 2 Hinds and 2 Apaches ready for sortie at any moment."

"Do we know where they're gonna be going?" Asked Sergeant Winters.

"I asked the Village Chief about that." Said Lieutenant Sarmiento. "He marked a spot on the map roughly 20km East from here and said 'Italica'. I am going to assume that it's a major city with Defenses if they think they will be safe there. And knowing it's around 20km from here means it's around 22km from Fort Odyssey."

"Good. Ok, here's the Plan: we will have the two Humvees with M2s at either end of the Convoy. The two Transports, will be in the center to so that anyone who is too tired or injured can get there easily and rest up. Another will be going around the Convoy to see if anyone needs help. The final Transport will be towards the front."

"Alright, sounds like a plan." Said Sergeant Winters.

"Let's load up people!" Ordered Sarmiento.

Kingdom of Elbe, 300km Southeast of Alnus Hill, 1700 Local Time

"...And that is the situation that is presented to us, King Duran." Finished the Messenger.

"Very well. Then I shall gather my Armies and take them to Alnus." Duran told the Messenger.

"Splendid, Milord. I shall ride and inform Emperor Molto at once."

And with that, the Messenger leaves.

Duran then gestured to an aide.

"Gather our Forces. We ride to Alnus in two days." He tells the Aide.

"Yes, Milord." Responded The Aide as he turns around and exits the chamber.

Fort Odyssey, Air Cavalry Detachment Office

US Army Major John Welch sits at his table within the office of the SSCTF Air Cavalry Detachment (ACD) inside "The Octagon", the Headquarter Building In Fort Odyssey. It was Major Welch's job to organize and lead the Heliborne Forces of the SSCTF meaning he's managing a variety of Aircraft from Apaches, Cobras, Hueys and Blackhawks to Hinds and Halos.

Two men knock and enter the office. Both of them Filipinos.

"Lieutenant Dominic Lee and Lieutenant Samson. You wanted to see us sir?" Said Lieutenant Lee.

"Yes I did." Said Major Welch. "We just got a request from Recon 3 and 7. They need some Helos to be ready in case they need backup while they're escorting refugees."

"And why does this concern us, sir?" Asked Lieutenant Samson.

"Because you're both gonna be flying this Mission, nutjob. You're both gonna be in rotation with Chan, Yu, Manapat and Milan. The Chan and Milan are Airborne right now. Manapat and Yu will take their place once they land. Then once they land, you take your place in the air and repeat." Explained Major Welch.

"Aye, sir." Said Lieutenant Samson.

"Any threats on this Op, sir?" Inquired Lieutenant Lee.

"We're Not Sure. Though we have what can basically be described as Balrog from Lord of the Rings."

"Balrog or Smaug, sir?" Said Lieutenant Samson

"Very funny, Lieutenant." Said Major Welch.

4 Hours Later, 10km from Coda Village

Corporal Jacinto Ramirez was bored. They have been escorting these villagers for a while now with nothing happening.

As of right now, he was just walking alongside the Convoy, walking between the lead Humvees and the Mid Humvees, checking if any of the villagers need anything.

He was doing this, holding his M416 Rifle as he heads towards the lead Humvee to rest while someone from 7th Recon takes his place.

Suddenly, he hears a loud crack from behind him. He turns around and sees…

A carriage.

With a broken axel.

Its contents scattered on the ground.

He gets on his Radio.

"Um… R3-8 to Actual, we have a problem here…"

5 Minutes later…

"This is honestly getting ridiculous." Thought Lieutenant Singh.

When Corporal Ramirez reported an incident, he volunteered to see what happened only to see a man, one of the wealthier villagers, as evidenced by his clothes as well as the belongings on the ground, arguing with the Village Chief. For the past 10 Minutes, the argument was going back and forth with the Chief and the Villager, with the latter insisting that the entire village help him out by helping him fix the axel of his cart which was clearly beyond repair.

After a few more minutes, Singh had enough and walked over to the Villager and told him, again in Broken Saderan:

"We cannot stay here. You must understand that."

"But these are my essential items! I can't live without them." Responded the Villager.

Singh slaps the Villager.

"Look around you. Most people in this village don't have as much as you do yet they push on." Said Singh.

The Villager simply nods his head and tells his family what to grab while Singh walks over to Ramirez who was emptying a Potato Sack so that the Family has something to put their things in.

In English, he tells Ramirez:

"Get an Improvised torch going. We're gonna set this thing ablaze."

"Roger." Said Ramirez.

2 Hours Later…

"Oh my God, this is so boring." Said Corporal Miguel Enriquez.

"You said it." Responds Sergeant Domingo.

Meanwhile, in the lead Humvee, RJ and Yeager were, again, having a conversation. This time about other mythical creatures that could possibly exist.

"So far, we've encountered Elves, Dragons and Orcs. What's next? A fucking Hobbit?" Said Yeager

"You never know, Corporal. You never know." Said RJ as he places his Helmet on his face, clearly tired, and bored, from escorting refugees for six hours straight.

Suddenly, the Humvee stops, causing RJ, who didn't have his seatbelt on, to smash into the dashboard.

"Putang Ina."

"Sir, I see something ahead on the road." Said Yeager.

"Are you kidding me?" Said RJ, reaching for his Binoculars.

What he sees is strange. A group of Crows flying in circles over something.

As he pans the binoculars down to see what they were circling, he sees something no one could expect.

A black Axe.

As pans down further to see who was wielding the axe, he removes the binoculars and rubs his eyes, not believing what he is seeing as the wielder of Said axe was non other than a little girl. And she was smiling at them.

"What in the…"

The Girl then stands up and starts walking towards them.

"Where are you going? And what's that strange contraption?" She asks in Saderan.

"Have I been smoking weed, or is that a 12 year old girl holding a 2 Meter long Black Halberd?" Asks Yeager.

The kids who were riding with them in the back of the Humvee suddenly open the rear door and jump out.

"It's an Apostle!" They yell, running towards her.

"An Apostle?"

"Did Jesus have any Goth Lolitas as an Apostle by any chance?" Says Ramirez.

"I have absolutely no fucking clue." Says RJ as he sees the Children and some elderly talk with this "Apostle".

Suddenly, the "Apostle" looks towards him and the Humvee. She walks over to the window.

"And who are these people?" She asks the Children in Saderan.

"They helped us! These are the good guys." Said one.

"And you're sure they aren't forcing you from your homes?"

"Yup!"

"So how does this thing move without any Horses?" She asks.

"We don't know." Said a Little Boy.

"But one thing's for sure, they are way more comfortable than a carriage." Said a Little Girl behind him.

"Really? More comfortable than a Carriage?"

She looks at RJ, who was sweating just because of that. For some reason.

"Hello, how are you?" RJ asks in the Limited Saderan he knew, courtesy of the "Red Book".

According to Eyewitness accounts, what happened next was nothing but Ridiculous as a Highly Trained, 30 Year Old Philippine Army Officer tries to prevent a seemingly 12 Year Old Girl with a massive Halberd from sitting on his lap.

The "Apostle" was trying to get in the Humvee. And the seat she chose was not all that comfortable for Lieutenant Sarmiento.

"For fuck sake." He thought as she was sitting on his lap, her massive axe on the floor of the Humvee.

"Psst. Oi!" He whispers to Ramirez. "What do I do?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Says Ramirez as the Apostle only giggles.

1 Hour and 30 Minutes Later…

"There it is." Says Singh as he looks through his binoculars. "The Tessalia Highway."

"So this shit is finally done?" Asks Sergeant Winters.

"Yep."

"FINALLY".

In one of the "Combat" Humvees towards the end of the Convoy, Corporal Minh mans the Heavy Machine Gun as he watches the skies for any sign of, what every SSCTF member in this Convoy now calls the fire dragon, Smaug.

"You do know that we are nearly done, right?" Says Corporal Ignacio Chua who was driving the Humvee. "You can relax a bit now."

"I know, but still. I have a bad feeling right now." He tells Ignacio.

"Whatever."

"Hey, can you pass me some water? I'm parched." Said Minh.

"Sure." Said Sergeant Sungfei.

As Sungfei hands a water bottle to Minh, they hear a very loud roar coming from behind them.

Minh turns the Heavy Machine Gun towards the noise. That's when he sees Smaug himself.

"WE HAVE CONTACT." He screams as he pulls the Charging Handle on the .50cal.

"R3-4 to R3 Actual, we have Contact with Smaug!" Yells Sungfei into the Radio as Minh fires the .50cal Machine Gun at the Dragon.