WARNING: A minor spoiler, but I am keeping in the canon kidnapping scene (though I changed it a bit to make it more believable). It'll help create some interesting context in the beginning of the next chapter. Don't say I didn't warn you.
I also wonder if this story will ever be mentioned on TVTropes someday. Food for thought.
Glad to see the Soaring Rednecks and their epic battle music were well-received! I was planning to kill them off further down the line if they weren't, in all honesty. Seems like that won't be necessary.
Good. I like writing Skippy and his insane ramblings.
Before we dive in, I'd like to say one more thing: I'm very much aware of how corny the "evildoers" line in the previous chapter is. It was originally a placeholder line, though I decided to leave it in after a better idea came to me. Time to begin a running joke at a certain otaku's expense…
(East Gate, Italica)
The Third Princess of the Empire was torn between crushing relief and unshakable fear.
The siege of Italica was finally over after a harrowing night of fighting. The bandit army was all but eradicated, reduced from a competent force of six hundred former soldiers and other ambitious criminals to only a tiny handful of traumatized survivors. They'd held the upper hand for most of the battle, too – it wasn't until the sun had risen that any real progress was made in bringing their revenge-driven massacre to a halt.
Of course, no battle was won without a price. The casualties on Italica's side, Piña somberly reflected, were far too high. She knew it was only a pyrrhic victory at best.
The young royal paused her stroll with Hamilton along the East Gate's damaged rampart to stare down into the courtyard. A large number of civilians, overseen by Vylus, dragged the mutilated bodies of their friends and neighbors next to one another, then covered the deceased with blankets donated by some of the city's fabrics stores.
Her red eyes lingered over a plain wooden casket intermixed with the bodies. An Imperial flag was draped over it, marking the casket as the final resting place of a knight.
She forced back her tears. She couldn't afford to cry now; not in front of the public. There would be time to properly grieve later.
The sound of whirling rotors close by broke her attention away from Norma's coffin. The rotors blew chilly morning air right into the knights, causing the princess and her attendant to shiver. Wrapping her cape tighter around her body to shield herself from the wind, Piña turned to look at the mechanical beast now hovering next to them.
"I think it sees us," Hamilton fearfully exclaimed.
"Hot damn, Yancy! Have you ever laid eyes on a finer pair of young ladies before?" Staff Sergeant "Skippy" asked his co-pilot.
"Can't say I have, sir. The one on the right's pretty gosh-darn cute, if I do say so m'self."
"Mm-hmm. And the one on the left? See the way her armor outlines her body? Damn, those are some nice curves. And that hair! It's my favorite color – fresh blood red! Sweet Lord above, I thought I couldn't pop another stiffy this big after the slaughterfest earlier, but- Wait, are the loudspeakers on? Oh SHIT-!"
KR One-Three quickly flew away after that little blunder. Thankfully for Skippy and Yancy, neither knight understood a word of their conversation; if they did, they would've been rightfully mortified.
That didn't mean they weren't still scared shitless.
And that was where Piña's fear became evident. Even though the bandits were dead, it wasn't the Rose Knights or Italica's militia who defeated them. The real victors of the battle were the Blue Golems, their ally Rory Mercury, and the talking aerial beasts they apparently summoned to their aid through unknown means.
Those creatures were the strangest things she'd ever seen, she mused as she watched nine of the King Ravens continue to buzz around the East Gate's airspace. Probably the strangest things anyone in Falmart had ever seen, she soon rectified, noticing Hamilton's uncertain expression when she finally removed her eyes from the sky.
"Flying horses of steel… How can those even exist?" Piña wondered aloud. "No soldier or army can match such a level of force… The power they wield can eradicate everything… No pride, no glory, nothing left in their wake…"
Hamilton nervously fidgeted in place. It was clear her fellow Rose Knight was only now beginning to grasp the enormity of the situation they'd gotten into, even after Italica's liberation. "Princess, what should we do now?"
Piña made direct eye contact with her page. It took a huge amount of effort to swallow her pride – and the bile creeping up her throat at the mere thought of what she was about to suggest.
"The Blue Golems stopped those bandits, Hamilton. Every last one of them is either dead or soon to be." She gestured outside with one hand. The other three metal beasts had landed and were resting on the ground, faithfully guarded by their Gear masters. Several small teams were now scouring the outside battlefield for survivors and possible prisoners of war.
Judging by how often their bizarre staves went off, the princess assumed they weren't too interested in taking prisoners.
"It's beyond obvious to me now that the Golems' mastery of dark sorcery isn't something we can defeat conventionally," she went on. "They can harness the breath of dragons and weaponize it for themselves. They can create explosions in the blink of an eye. And do you remember the pair that killed off the last of the bandits? I believe it was a pagan summoning device, used to manifest some type of spiritual magic that can tear apart the human body."
Hamilton cupped a hand under her chin in thought, nodding slowly. "That makes a degree of sense, I suppose. Or as least as much sense as anything makes when dealing with the Blue Golems." She then pointed skyward. "But then how did they tame those great metal beasts?"
"My guess would be shamanism, but that's not the point I'm trying to make." Piña sighed and rubbed her forehead, trying to dispel the oncoming headache. She was a princess, for the gods' sake, not a scholar on the occult. Especially when the practitioners themselves came from another world. "Hamilton… I'm afraid I have no other choice. I'm going to surrender."
Admirably, the brunette didn't freak out or faint or anything similar. All she did was blink twice and make a small noise of confusion. "S-Surrender?! But aren't we the victors in this battle?" she queried.
Piña shook her head, sighing again. "No. If Rory Mercury and the Blue Golems hadn't intervened when they did, we would all be dead."
Or raped, or enslaved, or some disgusting combination of the three. No point in saying that part out loud, though.
"Although I made mistakes yesterday, I intend to keep my word. The enemy is defeated and Italica is safe. I promised the COG peace, and if surrendering to them is what it takes to make that happen, then I've no regrets."
"Good, because I haven't forgotten how you tried to kill us last night."
Now Hamilton freaked out. Both knights spun to see a familiar blond Gear approaching them, flanked on her left by the blue-haired Lindonite mage.
Reynolds stopped a few feet away from them, fixing her cold blue eyes on Piña's red ones. The stony frown she wore didn't help matters. "You should count yourself extremely lucky that we still decided to help after all the crap you put us through, Your Highness. Even luckier that I've decided not to drag you back to Alnus and put you on trial for conspiracy to commit murder!"
"You think you're the only ones who have been through a lot recently?!"
The princess and the officer both winced at the sudden outburst, surprised by who it came from. Hamilton took several deep breaths, repeatedly clenching and unclenching her fists as she fumed, and sent Reynolds a determined glare that Piña didn't think was possible from the young page.
"This is part of our home that got attacked! We lost a lot of good people these past few days! Norma… Norma died last night defending this city, and you have the nerve to claim that you're the ones suffering?!" Hamilton's eye twitched with rage. "How dare you! And if I recall correctly, I seem to remember you and your soldiers agreeing to work under the Imperial Princess' command! If you had such a huge issue with that, then you could've just left us to fend for ourselves, but you didn't! You stayed and you fought! So how in the Underworld is it our fault for also wanting to protect our people?!"
She finally ended her tirade, still breathing heavily. None of the other three women spoke, still in complete shock that the normally meek and polite Hamilton would raise her voice like that.
Soon noticing that all eyes were on her, Hamilton reflexively stood up straight, lowering her eyes to her feet.
"Um… I… M-My apologies. I don't know what came over me just then," she softly confessed.
It was Lelei who came to her rescue. "If I could offer my own opinion, I think it made sense for the princess to deploy us right where she expected the majority of the fighting to take place." She looked up to meet Reynolds' eyes. "Your squad was capable of repelling every enemy inside the East Gate's walls, and the South Gate never once faltered even without your presence. Plus, we had the Oracle Rory Mercury on our side. She counts as a small army by herself."
The mage turned her stare to Piña. "And I'm sure her Royal Majesty was made aware of the COG's combat capabilities even before the siege. When you factor it all in, I'm starting to think the princess' intentions were less out of malice, and more out of desperation. She simply lacked other options in her given situation."
Piña inwardly thanked this little mage girl with all her heart for unwittingly providing her a way out. It took all her self-composure not to smile in relief.
"Well? Is Lelei wrong to believe this, Princess?" Reynolds was watching her too, boring into her soul with that piercing gaze of hers.
"N-No! No, she explained it perfectly!" the redhead hurriedly exclaimed. She clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture. "Please, you must understand. I believed from the start that you and your soldiers wouldn't perish so easily-"
That was a lie.
"-and if you had an opportunity to use one enemy force to bear the brunt of another, wouldn't you have done the same thing?" She unclasped her hands, switching to a more formal posture. "Please, I understand your anger, but you must also understand that my options were very limited. Now that it's all over, however, I will gladly see to my end of the bargain."
Reynolds folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.
"You sound a lot more eager to make peace now than you did yesterday," the foreign officer noted.
"After seeing firsthand what your soldiers are capable of, it would be foolish of me to pass on this chance." Piña replied.
She meant it sincerely, too. Her father and Brother Zorzal were far too full of themselves to believe in the possibility of nations more powerful than the Empire existing, and Brother Diabo would've schemed to backstab the Blue Golems at some point in the future if he were in his sister's place and if it suited his interests.
By contrast, Piña knew when she was faced with impossible odds. Last night was the perfect example.
Reynolds visibly mulled over everything they'd just discussed. After a few moments of contemplation, the squad leader approached Piña and jabbed a finger right beneath the princess' collarbone.
"I'm going to be honest with you, Princess Piña," she said a low, dangerous tone. "I don't like you. I don't like you one fucking bit. I used to have dreams of becoming a princess myself when I was a little girl… but if being a princess means becoming a scheming little rat in service of some power-hungry Emperor, then I'd gladly take the life I have now instead, dangerous as it is."
She turned and walked away before Piña could give a rebuttal, beckoning for Lelei to follow her. Before she got out of earshot, though, she gave one last parting warning to the Rose Knights.
"If you or your entourage try anything funny again, I will place you all under arrest, and you will stand trial for war crimes. That's not a threat; that's a promise."
(Courtyard)
In an ironic twist, Private Alec Dalton felt more out of place now, surrounded by fellow Gears, than he did when he first set foot in Italica.
A good number of the Soaring Rednecks' non-essential crew rappelled down into the city after it was deemed secure, and were now busy assisting the local population with the clean-up efforts. Most of it involved disposing of bodies and clearing rubble, but it was enough to keep them all occupied.
Apparently, the bandits' corpses (and any dismembered body parts) were to be placed in one big pile outside and burned later. Dalton wouldn't have given them the honor of a proper burial either, if he were honest with himself.
Theta Squad was split into three groups to further assist. Reynolds, Hutch, Lelei, and Tuka took care of wounded civilians, helped out by a few other Gears and locals with basic medical know-how. Weaver, O'Nellis, and Gyules, along with the bulk of the groundside Rednecks, were sent to comb the East Gate's perimeter for surviving bandits. They were under orders to bring the healthier ones back as prisoners, or kill them out of mercy if they were too far gone to be saved.
Dalton was supposed to join Bare and Rory on their trip back to the South Gate, after the former voiced concerns that some of the proximity grenade traps they'd planted there yesterday might not have gone off. The last thing they wanted was for some wayward civvie to get blown up.
The problem: Rory had quite literally thrown him out of the Packhorse, citing that she had "a promise to keep" and didn't want the private to get involved.
Bare tried to convince her that it was okay to let him come, but the priestess was adamant in her refusal. The older man apologized to Dalton, claiming EOD wasn't all that interesting anyway and how there were plenty of other things to do instead, like guard the civilians.
Guard them from what? Dalton wondered as he surveyed the bustling plaza. The bandits were all dead or captured, and there was nothing around that Battle Group 4 couldn't handle on their own.
He sighed. This was only slightly more interesting than the last time he did guard duty. Compared to all the crazy shit he'd gone through since the Gate opened, the job felt far less satisfying than it did before.
Perhaps because of his boredom, he watched Lieutenant Reynolds excuse herself and Lelei and ascend the ramparts a little while earlier. He watched when they returned a few minutes later, and kept watching as Princess Piña descended shortly afterward, departing the courtyard on her own with her head held low.
…Should I do something about that?
He hesitated, taking another look around. Everything seemed like it was under control, and he honestly doubted anyone would notice if he wandered off for a bit.
His mind made up, Dalton left his post to follow after the princess.
(East Gate Perimeter)
"I FOUND A LIVE ONE!"
CRACK!
"God dammit, Pembrook! Did you at least check to see if he could be saved first?"
"…Well, I mean, there's no point now…"
Faith O'Nellis shook her head and sighed at the Soaring Rednecks' antics. The more time she spent in their company, the more convinced she became that most of their members came with only two settings: "sleep" and "kill".
"Remember when I said it was fucked up how Rory gets aroused by killing? I'm starting to think this bunch is even worse." She said to her companions.
"They're thorough, I'll give 'em that." Sergeant Weaver replied with a light shrug. He holstered his Snub pistol to light another one of his beloved cancer sticks. "Took me a while to remember, but I've seen the Rednecks in battle before. Merciless group, lemme tell ya. Even the grubs are smart enough to crawl back into their holes when they hear Kipp start ranting."
"Really? When was this?" As far as O'Nellis knew, she and Vinnie went on every mission together since graduation.
The ex-convict paused to blow a smoke cloud. "Estana."
She snapped her fingers. "Oh, right, when we were separated during the evacuation. I thought I heard music-"
A gunshot cut her off.
Sniper and spotter turned around. Private Gyules stared back at them with his pistol in hand. At his feet, a bandit with missing legs laid still.
"…He moved."
The way he said it, so quiet and toneless, made the corporal feel concerned. Gyules had been acting differently now that the siege was broken and the excitement of combat wore off. Upon further reflection, O'Nellis realized this was the first time he'd spoken since the battle ended.
Perhaps the reality of his actions last night finally caught up to him. He did burn a lot of people to death, after all. Locust were one thing – those bandits were fellow humans, even if they came from a different world.
"Want to head back to the city, Private?" she offered. "Vinnie and I can handle things out here. Wouldn't be an issue."
Gyules immediately shook his head. "I'm fine. Just… thinking too much into it, I guess. Needed to remind myself that these assholes had it coming."
"Attaboy, Weeb!" Vinnie cheerfully exclaimed, spinning on his heel and resuming his stride. "Always best not to dig too deep into morality and shit. Now keep your eyes peeled; there could be more evildoers lying in ambush out here."
O'Nellis rolled her eyes under her mask, even as she slowed her own pace to match Gyules'.
Dismissive as his advice sounded, he wasn't wrong. She'd been in a similar spot after the first battle of Alnus Hill. Horrified at the staggering number of men they'd killed, she hadn't spent the aftermath celebrating with the rest of the COG, but inside a tent instead, crying into Vinnie's arms about the pointlessness of it all.
It wasn't her proudest moment as a soldier, but it was understandable nonetheless.
Gyules, meanwhile, scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Shit… You overheard that, didn't you?"
"Weeb, I'm pretty sure half the city heard your stupid battle cry." Weaver glanced back at him with a cruel smirk. "Pfft. 'Evildoers'? Just when I thought you couldn't get any weirder."
"I got caught up in the heat of the moment, okay?!" the private argued, growing increasingly flustered.
"I thought it was kind of cute," O'Nellis said reassuringly.
"I thought it was dumb."
"No one asked you, Vinnie!"
Honestly, what was with him incessantly picking on Gyules? The guy was an oddball, sure, but he was far from incompetent, and probably the most chipper Gear on the team to boot. The only thing he did wrong was make himself an easy target for Vinnie's mockery.
The sniper slowed his own pace to walk side by side with them. He glanced at Faith, frowning slightly.
"…You mad at me?"
"Yes. Now shut up and keep looking for survivors. You too, Private." O'Nellis quickened her stride, ignoring Weaver's call to her and subsequent half-assed apology.
After all that transpired last night, especially after he pissed off Bare, she was not in the mood for his antics right now.
Gyules gave no further reaction to her partner's mockery, which didn't surprise her. In the few weeks they'd spent as squadmates, she'd observed that he rarely paid much long-term attention to anything except his friends, his hobbies, and his life's goals (which, from what little she knew, involved catgirls and something about Berserkers).
She honestly envied his simple outlook on life. Fight for the Coalition, explore the Special Region, and have fun while doing so. Everything else didn't matter as much. No worrying about the future, or having to drag his best friend out of trouble whenever he ticked off the wrong people.
That being said, it didn't mean he was ignorant to the gravity of certain situations, or immune to criticism. His somber mood before Vinnie started teasing him, as well as his reaction afterward, proved that.
Her mental musings were rudely interrupted by a loud exclamation in the distance.
"HERE'S ONE!"
Cue the gunshot.
O'Nellis breathed an exasperated sigh. Seriously, who gave the go-ahead to let these helicopter-flying hillbillies loose in the new world? There was a good reason why Chairman Prescott preferred to keep them on a tight leash.
She silently continued walking for a couple more minutes, Weaver and Gyules still trailing behind her. Then, as if some divine cosmic force got a kick out of making her day miserable, she tripped over a dead bandit.
Or not so dead, if the feminine cry accompanying the spotter's loud curse was any indication.
"Faith! You okay? Are you hurt?" Vinnie was by her side in a flash, hooking an arm around her back and under her shoulders to help her up.
And there's that chivalrous side he reserves only for me…
"Vinnie, relax. I'm fine. I just wasn't paying attention to-" O'Nellis' words died in her throat when she looked down at the sniveling girl at her feet. It took several moments for her to process what she was seeing, and when she finally did, all she could blurt out was an inelegant, "What the hell is that thing?!"
Curled up in a ball on the ground, bleeding between her fingers as she clutched one hand over a bullet wound on her left arm, was what the Kashkuri woman could only describe as a human-bird-hybrid… thing. She was young for a bandit, likely around the princess' age or a bit older, with verdant feathers substituting for her hair. Her most striking feature, and what really made the corporal lose her composure, was her legs; they were replaced at her calves by birds' legs, ending in sharp talons for feet. More green feathers extended from her knees up to the middle of her thighs.
The three Gears couldn't help but stare in awe for short while. They knew an assortment of demi-humans also called the Special Region home – Tuka and the Imperial Army's goblins were proof of that – though this girl was bizarre enough to finally drive home how diverse in species this new world really was.
It was Vinnie who broke the prolonged silence.
"Private, use your weeb knowledge and enlighten us on what this is." He ordered.
"For the last time, it's otaku. And… I dunno, some kind of harpy?" Gyules rested a finger under his helmeted chin. "I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. More importantly, what was she doing with a bunch of bandits?"
O'Nellis got down to her knees and gently rested a hand on the avian girl's shoulder, taking care to avoid aggravating her injury.
"Hey… can you understand?" she asked, switching to the Special Region tongue. She still wasn't great at speaking it, but she was getting better.
The girl glanced in her direction and immediately blanched, then tried to hide her head in the crook of her other arm. The corporal leaned in closer and heard light sobbing.
"P-Please… Please d-don't kill me! My job was just to deflect arrows! He- He said I'd be safe, and that he'd deal with the Blue Golems when they showed up…" She hiccupped and winced, clutching her wounded arm tighter. "Oh gods… Oh gods, it hurts…!"
O'Nellis moved her hand and began stroking the girl's feathers. "Shh… Will be okay. You are in no danger. What is your name?"
The young bandit froze when she felt the other woman's hand on her head, though she gradually loosened up when she realized there was no hostile intent behind the action. "M-Myuute… My name is Myuute Luna Sires…" She hiccupped again.
"Do not worry. We not kill you, Myuute." O'Nellis promised her.
Yet another gunshot sounded, followed by barely audible scolding.
"The Rednecks, on the other hand…" Vinnie trailed off, tossing his spent cigarette away.
The poor bird girl, Myuute, balled up further and started to openly cry. O'Nellis continued to stoke her "hair", whispering calming words of reassurance to the traumatized survivor.
It felt… right, somehow, offering her aid to this lost girl. She must have had her reasons for aligning herself with the bandits; contrary to what most of the Soaring Rednecks seemed to believe, Faith didn't think every one of them deserved immediate execution as punishment. Myuute at least deserved a chance to explain herself before a verdict was issued.
Granted, the verdict might've still been death, but… it was better to be hopeful.
"Do not worry," she repeated. "We will help you. Trust me. Come with us inside Italica, and we will give medicine."
Myuute peeked one watery brown eye out from under her arm. "You… promise?" she whispered.
O'Nellis nodded. "I promise."
"Okay…"
The spotter helped Myuute to her feet. It was a slow process, with the younger woman still being in a slight state of shock from suffering a gunshot wound, but they managed it. Once she was upright, O'Nellis handed her over to Gyules; being the most well-built of the three, he was the best choice to help the now hopefully ex-bandit support her weight.
"Try to hide that tent in your pants, weeb." Vinnie jeered.
"Shut it, jailbird."
"I never wanted to kill anybody. Hurt them, maybe, but not kill," Myuute muttered, letting her eyes drift to her clawed feet as the group walked back to the city's eastern entrance. "Even if he ordered me to, I wouldn't have gone inside. I couldn't stomach the thought of watching all the death…"
O'Nellis didn't know what to make of that. While she wanted to help the girl, there was no possibility that Myuute's actions would go unpunished. Her fate now rested in the hands of the COG's top brass.
(South Gate Perimeter)
"Oh, look! I see another one!" Rory Mercury raised one pale finger to point out the explosive device half-buried near Italica's southern wall.
Master Sergeant Bare's response was a burst of rifle fire followed by a satisfying kaboom.
"Good eyes, Rory," he complimented his companion as the two of them moved on to the next site.
Explosive ordinance disposal, or EOD for short, was normally an extremely hazardous and time-consuming process. With the discovery of Imulsion on Sera and its inevitable weaponization, the COG was forced to develop new disposal tactics to counter UIR-made explosives containing the volatile substance over the course of the Pendulum Wars. Those tactics continued to come in handy even after the conflict ended, since it wasn't uncommon to find undetonated grenades, bombs, and sometimes missiles left over in deserted battlefields or even the occasional city.
The war dragged on for almost eighty years, after all. Bare would've been more surprised if fucktons of dangerous toys hadn't been left lying around.
In most cases, explosives were meant to be safely diffused without setting them off. Assault Derricks, in particular, came with an array of sensors, scanners, and other equipment that helped their drivers detect any hazardous materials in the vicinity. Once a bomb's location was pinpointed, the disposal team would x-ray the device to determine its internal mechanisms and how it was set off. Finally, a reconfigured JACK bot outfitted with specialized tools was deployed to diffuse the bomb while the operators kept a safe distance away.
All in all, it was a safe and reliable method, if a bit lengthy.
The catch: Bare didn't have access to a Rig and a robot buddy. All he had were his guns and Rory, and he wasn't about to risk letting her wander near a live grenade trap, superhuman powers or no. Also, he actually wasn't all that skilled in EOD despite having dealt with plenty of bombs over the course of his extensive service career.
Detonating them with gunfire would have to do. And it was working great so far, especially since the South Gate was practically deserted, leaving him and Rory to carry out their task without disturbance.
In truth, the grenade traps were never meant to kill off any large number of bandits. They were planted to alert the squad in case the marauders tried to sneak over another section of the wall.
Only five of the dozen they'd set up went off, but they'd served their purpose beautifully.
He paused when he saw another grenade lodged between two loose bricks. A quick burst from his Lancer later, and any danger the explosive placed was gone – along with a chunk of the wall around it. Ah, who the fuck cared at this point.
"Ooh, how delightful!" Rory beamed and clapped her hands, grinning like a kid in a candy store. "The brief yet profound sound of the explosion, the resulting shockwave rippling over my body… The COG is truly a master of warfare!"
"Heh. I'll take that as a compliment."
She didn't know the half of it, Bare thought with morbid amusement. The humans of Sera had been at war ever since they discovered throwing rocks at each other hurts.
"I meant it as one." Rory smiled up at him, keeping pace with her favorite Gear as they continued their sweep of the area. "I am Emroy's chosen Apostle after all, or did you forget? Plus, it's been a very long time since I've last experienced the same pleasures as last night…"
Was she referring to his massacre with the Vulcan basically overloading her with souls? Or did she simply get a kick out of making him feel uncomfortable? Bare concluded that he was probably better off not knowing the answer to either question, so instead he steered the conversation to a different topic.
"If you say so… Anyway, about this whole 'Apostle' thing. How'd you get that title, anyway?"
He also wanted to ask if it had anything to do with her superhuman abilities, but that could wait until later if needed. It was more polite to start from the beginning and let her explain at her own pace from there.
She snapped her fingers. "Ah yes, our deal! Yes, I did promise to explain more about myself if you survived, didn't I? My apologies; our current task is wonderfully distracting!"
Rory darted in front of the towering soldier and turned to face him, spreading her arms out wide to cut him off. Her enigmatic smile grew when Teddy stopped in his tracks.
"Tell me, Master Sergeant Bare… how old do you think I am?"
Bare raised a brow under his helmet. He failed to see what that had to do with anything. "Umm… I dunno, thirteen?"
"Wrong. I am nine-hundred sixty-one."
"Weeks old?"
"Years old, silly. I'm immortal."
Well, there went the only logical explanation to her claim. There were a lot of things he could have said in response, ranging from skeptical to joking or even believing, though all he managed in the end was utter a simple, "Huh."
Rory lowered her arms to her sides, lips curling to a frown. "I thought that revelation would have gotten a bigger reaction out of you. How disappointing."
"Mostly because it still doesn't answer my question," he pointed out. "And just because I didn't react the way you expected doesn't mean I automatically believe you. The human brain isn't built to handle immortality. You would've gone insane a long time ago."
The way her frown instantly changed back to a grin unsettled him.
"Who says I didn't? I remember losing my sanity around my one-hundred thirtieth birthday, when the reality of my situation finally settled in…" A thoughtful expression graced her features. "The next fifty or so years are a bit of a blur. All I can recall is that massive amounts of blood were spilled during that period."
"O-kaayyy…" Because that little nugget of information didn't make every hair on his body stand on end; no sir. "…What changed?"
Rory gave a casual shrug. "Insanity got boring after a while."
Bare needed to remind himself, multiple times, that this was Rory he was conversing with and that nothing about the girl (woman?) was strictly "normal". After seeing her superhuman battle prowess firsthand, learning that she was also immortal didn't faze him as much as it might have before.
Honestly, ever since the whole dragon encounter, he didn't think anything in this world could surprise him like that anymore.
"Indeed, it was difficult adjusting to demi-godhood at first," Rory sighed wistfully.
Never mind.
Thankfully, the raven-haired girl (or woman… fuck it, she looked like a girl, so that's what he'd call her) noticed she'd just dropped a bombshell as big as a Lightmass Missile.
"Oh, you didn't know that, did you?" she said in a way that made it impossible to tell if she was teasing him. She idly twirled her halberd, which she'd kept in hand the whole time, humming in contemplation while she did so. "Does this bother you?"
Did it? It helped explain most, if not all of the strange things about her: her powers, her keen intellect, and her apparent high status among the people of this world. He'd often wondered why Koda Village's refugees treated her with such reverence, and now he had an answer.
If what she said was true – if she really was an immortal demigoddess – then Rory Mercury was potentially one of the most dangerous beings in either world. And she'd chosen to live with the refugees on Alnus Hill. She'd chosen to accompany Theta Squad on their outings, and chosen to follow Bare specifically because she'd developed some kind of interest in him.
He shuddered at the thought of what could happen if she ever went rogue. How did the COG neutralize someone who couldn't die?
Would it ever come to that?
The veteran Gear stared at the girl for several long moments. Rory stared back at him, eagerly awaiting his response. She looked so young and innocent; a stark contrast to the immortal killer she claimed to be.
"Not really," he said at last. "As long as you don't suddenly turn on us, it doesn't bother me what you are."
She nodded, making a small noise of approval. "It pleases me to hear that. And don't worry; the COG has nothing to fear from me. Truth be told, the refugee camp at Alnus Hill is beginning to feel like… well, a home."
That was good to know. After an apocalyptic war with subterranean monsters on one world, and getting invaded by medieval conquerors from another, it was a relief to learn that one of the Coalition's few allies was actually death incarnate. It was funny, in an ironic sort of way.
"So I'm guessing when this Emroy guy chose you to be his apostle, it also ended up making you a demigod," he surmised. "What exactly did you do to get his attention? Must've been something important."
"It was," Rory confirmed. She fidgeted in place, looking oddly uncomfortable all of a sudden. "I apologize, Master Sergeant, but that story brings back some unpleasant memories. All I'll tell you is that it involved a quarrel with the followers of Zufumut, the God of Light. It was… a time of hardship, as I'm sure you can imagine."
He raised a hand to stop her. "Say no more. I won't be offended if you don't want to talk about it." It seemed even demigods could have skeletons in the closet, he figured. Bare was no stranger to those; after all, there was a reason he preferred not to talk much about himself. "Though I'm getting the feeling there's more to your condition than you've told me so far. Am I wrong?"
Rory shook her head.
"Is it something you'd rather discuss later?"
"Depends on if you can get me intoxicated enough," she giggled.
He settled on taking that as a "maybe". Nodding down to the Apostle, he stepped around her and readied his Lancer, prepared to resume his sweep of the South Gate. As enlightening as their talk was, there was still work to do.
After ten minutes of walking and three more detonated grenades, a sudden though occurred to Bare. He looked back at his companion. "Hey, Rory."
"Hm?"
"Does anyone else in the COG know you're really a demigoddess?"
She nodded happily. "Indeed! Your Captain Mayweather has been made aware, as has the rest of your military's 'top brass'. This also includes your squad leader and medic."
Bare wasn't surprised to find out Mayweather knew, though he was slightly intrigued to learn that two of his squadmates were in on the loop. "Hold up a sec. You're saying that Reynolds and Hutch knew about you the entire time, and didn't bother telling the rest of us?"
"It was mostly Hutch's idea," she replied, shrugging. "He insisted it was better that as few of your people as possible learn there's a demigoddess wandering among them. He said it might cause 'civil unrest'." She made air quotes with her free hand, a habit she'd picked up during her stay at Alnus. "Also, he was adamant in maintaining what he called 'doctor-patient confidentiality'."
Typical Hutch, the veteran thought with a smirk.
If the COG wanted to keep Rory's true nature a secret, at least for now, then he had no objections. Most Gears at base had already discovered she was a supernaturally gifted priestess by now anyway, and the revelation that she was a divine being didn't really change much in the grand scheme of things. If anything, she actually appeared indifferent to her situation.
Still, Bare had to wonder what else the Reaper wasn't telling him.
(Italica Streets, near the East Gate)
He found her seated on a flight of steps at the foot of a deserted marketplace. She was staring at her armored boots with a pensive frown, resting her chin in one hand, lost in her thoughts and completely oblivious to the world around her.
It dawned on the rookie soldier that he had zero ideas on what to do from here.
Okay. There she is. What do I do now? Private Dalton wondered to himself. Do I sit down next to her? Call out to her from here? Should I jump straight to asking if she's okay, or do I need to make some formal greeting first? How the hell do I properly talk to royalty, anyway?
Ah, screw it. He decided to just wing it and say the first words that came to mind.
"Uhh… fair greetings, Your Majesty."
Princess Piña lifted her head while Dalton mentally kicked himself.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid-!
"Oh. It's you." Her voice sounded as exhausted as she looked. "Have you come to deliver another threat from Reynolds? Or did Grey start panicking when he noticed I'd left his sight? Either way, tell whoever sent you that I wish to be alone for now."
Even with his face-covering helmet, Dalton forced himself to look her in the eye and not let his vision wander any lower. The way she was slouched over where she sat gave him a tempting view of that wonderful cleavage.
Her ruby eyes were duller than he remembered them. In that moment, she looked less like the princess of an empire, and more like a tired warrior on the verge of losing all hope.
"I came on my own. To check on you," he informed her. He stepped closer to the royal, stopping adjacent to her right side. "…Mind if I take a seat?"
Piña returned her gaze to the ground. She wrung her hands, visibly thinking. "…I suppose not. This is a public space, after all."
"Thanks."
The private sighed as he took a seat on the hard cobblestone stairs, then removed his helmet, carefully laying it down opposite of Piña. He took a deep breath, sighing as he let the fresh Special Region air cool off his face.
Piña glanced at him but didn't say anything. Good – Dalton's plan to have a meaningful one-on-one conversation with her was still missing several critical steps.
For beginners… what would he talk to her about, anyway? Last night's battle? She'd wandered away from the East Gate without letting her knights know first, and apparently for no other purpose than to sulk in private. So obviously she didn't want to be reminded of it; especially not by someone who was supposed to be her enemy. Should he ask about her family and upbringing? No, there was a proper time and place for that, and this definitely wasn't it.
Should he say something about himself? That didn't seem like a good option either. So what was left? What else could he say to hopefully break the ice between them?
Guess I'll wing it again. Whatever I say can't be any dumber than "fair greetings".
"Lovely weather we're having."
FUCK!
Still oblivious to the young Gear screaming inside his mind, Piña shot him another glance, though her expression changed from one full of regret and sorrow to… something he couldn't really identify. "Yes… I suppose it is. Now that the smoke has dispersed and the fires are put out, it feels like last night happened an eternity ago." She looked away from him. "Although I doubt this will be an experience I'll ever forget…"
Holy shit, he might actually be onto something. He had to probe deeper. "Yeah, me neither. I've only been in a handful of battles before, but this one… it's one of the most memorable, that's for sure."
He made a point not to specifically mention the Imperial invasion of Jacinto. Or the battle at Alnus Hill. Or the second battle at Alnus Hill. Anything involving the Special Region was off the list, really.
Piña sighed. "Yes. It's too bad not all of us lived to learn from it…"
It clicked. Just like that, Dalton figured out where the root of her sullen mood originated. He'd seen the young knight among the deceased militiamen; it only made sense for the princess to be shaken up after losing someone important to her in her first battle. Similarly, fresh recruits in the Coalition Army often never expected to lose their enlisted friends and loved ones so early in their careers, if at all.
The Lightmass Offensive was his and Rudy's first time out in the field. Randy's death had been more than just a tragedy, it was also a wake-up call: anyone could die at any time.
No exceptions.
"I'm sorry about your friend," he told her sincerely.
That got a noticeable effect. She swiveled her head to face him, eyes wide and mouth hung slightly ajar.
"Wh-What… What did you just say?!" she stammered out.
"You've never seen death until now, haven't you?" His voice, which he tried to keep neutral, was still tinged with compassion and sympathy. The young private couldn't stop himself from pitying her. "You learned the hard way that fighting isn't as glamorous as the stories make it out to be. Survival's never guaranteed. And even if you do make it out, your friends might not. But you still think you could've done something differently and gotten everyone through it alive, am I right?"
She nodded slowly, sniffing back tears.
"Please don't dwell on that," he told her simply. "You did the best you could, and it's too late to change anything. The most you can do now is keep moving forward and not let your friend's death be in vain. I barely knew him, but I don't think he'd want you to give up hope."
They sat in silence afterwards as Piña mulled over his advice. Over a minute passed before she spoke again.
"…You've lost people before."
Hidden in the cellar/Shivering in the dark/Eyes shut tight/Hands over his ears/It wasn't enough/He could still hear it/Still hear the crackling flames/The roars/The screams/MOM-!
"I have," he said slowly. "I think everybody lost someone close to them when the Locust attacked."
She gave him a quizzical look. "The… 'Locust'?"
Dalton froze.
Oh. Shit. He did not just accidentally reveal the biggest threat to both worlds in front of the goddamn princess.
The Locust Horde's existence wasn't technically classified information, per se, though there was sort of a mutual agreement among Alnus Station's personnel that the Special Region inhabitants were better off not knowing about the grubs. If they were ever made aware of just how dangerous the world beyond the gate was, who knew what kind of mass panic it could cause?
Besides, Piña was having enough difficulty coping after barely surviving one form of hell. Revealing too much about the COG's archenemy right now could mentally break her.
He chose his next words with utmost care.
"The Locust are a… problem, back in our world. Forgive me, Your Highness; it's hard to explain, and telling you about them so soon after what happened last night wouldn't be a good idea." He rubbed his forehead and sighed, still chastising himself for his slip-up. "What I can say is that friendly cooperation with your Empire would go a long way towards solving the problem."
"You haven't led me astray yet, so I'll take your word for it, but you're being oddly cryptic about what these Locust are." Piña pointed out. Her pretty face grew serious. "Are they something the Empire should worry about?"
"Yes. Or… maybe? I honestly don't know." Dalton sighed again. "Look, just focus on the peace treaty and let my world handle its own issues. I'm done talking about this."
"If you insist…"
She removed her gaze from him. He felt bad about shrugging off her questions like that. Piña was a member of the Empire's ruling family, so of course she'd want to know if there were other potential threats to her kingdom.
Unfortunately for her, if the Imperial Army stood no chance against the already weakened COG, they'd have no better luck with the Locust Horde. The only ways her people could help would be through non-military means, and that meant staying out of the Coalition's way and letting their soldiers work unhindered.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude. The Locust are just a really touchy subject, for me and a lot of other Gears." He soon apologized.
Piña shook her head. "No apology needed. You know more about the workings of your own world than I do." She met his eyes again, and Dalton noted how a bit of the fire in her crimson orbs had returned. "But please, if these 'Locust' risk becoming an issue for the Empire, make me aware. I am not just a princess; I am also a soldier like you. We both have obligations to protect the innocent."
"You'll be the first to know." Dalton nodded with a smile.
The redhead nodded back, managing to pull together a tiny smile of her own.
Whoa. If she was a ten out of ten before, that smile propelled her up to a twenty.
Determined not to let her see the heat rising to his cheeks, Dalton grabbed his helmet and put it back on, then stood up to stretch. "I'm gonna head back to the East Gate. Care to come with me, or do you still need some alone time?"
"I think I'm well enough to resume my responsibilities." Piña extended a hand to him and waited patiently.
Was she…? Oh, hell to the yes.
Face on fire under his helmet, Dalton gently grabbed the offered hand and pulled the princess to her feet. Even after he let go of it, he felt a lingering tingling feeling run up his arm.
"Thank you for checking on me, Pry-vit Dalton. That was very kind of you." Piña said as they started the walk back to the plaza.
"Uh, yeah, of course. Happy to help. It's what I do," Dalton laughed awkwardly. Deciding to test his luck further, he asked her, "Hey, um, Princess? About your friend… what was he like?"
She snickered. "You mean Norma? Biggest skirt-chaser in the Order. He was only interested in becoming a knight to impress the women, which might be why they always beat him senseless during our sword fighting drills." Her posture loosened a little, and she looked up at the open sky, smiling wistfully. "That doesn't mean he was incompetent, however. He displayed remarkable talent in matters of true importance. Why, there was a time back when we were fifteen…"
While he tried his best to focus on the story, Dalton's thoughts momentarily drifted elsewhere:
WOOOOOO Alec you sly dog! Look at you, getting in good with the princess! I'm not hopeless after all, HAHAHA SUCK ON THAT GRANDPA!
(Formal Mansion, Three Hours Later)
Once the East Gate was deemed secure enough to no longer require oversight from either faction's leadership, a small group consisting of Piña, Hamilton, Reynolds, Dalton, Hutch, and Lelei headed back to the manor house to discuss the terms of the peace treaty. Grey was left behind with the Soaring Rednecks and the remainder of Theta to keep helping with reconstruction. Vylus had departed for Italica's merchant guild to check and see if his mentor was still alive, as well as determine the state of the city's economy after the siege.
The first group was presently gathered in the mansion's throne room. Piña was seated on the late Count Formal's chair; the man's youngest daughter was on the throne to her right, attending the meeting mostly for formality's sake. The princess had changed out of her armor into a comfortable red and white dress with slightly puffy sleeves. It wasn't as fancy as most of the clothes she owned, but it was the most regal thing she'd been able to find in the Count's closet.
Similarly, Hamilton had also changed into a multi-layered, dark blue dress complete with gold buttons and armbands. The young page was currently going over the near-final version of the treaty with Lelei and the Gears, who'd chosen to remain in their robes and armor, respectively.
"To show our appreciation for your assistance here, we'd like to negotiate a fair and equitable compensation." She declared. "Article Two is regarding all envoys, and their safe passage as well as their expenses. Article Three is regarding the trade privileges with shopkeepers on Alnus Hill. Tariffs are hereby waived."
Private Hutch only paid the barest amount of attention to what she was saying. Why was he even here, anyway? Reynolds ultimately had the final say in these negotiations, and if she needed a translator, Dalton and Lelei were more than capable. All he wanted right now was to head back to the East Gate and keep tending to the wounded, not listen a drawling noble.
He glanced at Dalton, who stood at ease nearby. He wondered if this was how the rookie felt when Prescott held a ceremony in his honor after the initial invasion.
Hamilton lowered the treaty to glare at the assembled soldiers. "However, we would like to make it clear that we possess the right to captives. They are our people, and they broke our laws. We therefore hold the right to deliver justice as we see fit."
Reynolds waited for Lelei to finish translating before replying.
"Fine by us," she said with a light shrug. "We understand that human resources are necessary to ensure Italica's recovery. However, we'd like to bring a few of them with us back to Alnus."
Interesting – Hutch guessed O'Nellis had managed to convince the lieutenant to show mercy on the bird woman she'd found. She'd likely stand a better chance of survival under the COG's care than the vengeful Empire's, even if the Coalition's track record of "humane treatment" concerning POWs was dicey at best.
It was regrettably common for Gears to subject captured Indie soldiers to torture and humiliation and vice versa during the Pendulum Wars. The COG also tried taking Locust prisoners in the early years of the war for Sera's surface; however, the grubs' single-minded drive to kill, even in captivity, made the effort largely worthless.
Last he heard, the Imperial POWs from Jacinto were put to work in labor camps or osmium mines. Not the best treatment, perhaps, though it was better than letting them sit around with their thumbs up their asses. Or worse, get drafted and thrown against the grubs as suicide troops.
The point was that the COG had long passed the point of caring how the Empire decided to treat its own criminals. Even Dalton, who knew very well how merciless these people from beyond the gate could be, didn't raise an objection.
Hamilton nodded. "Very well. You will be allowed to take as many captives as you deem necessary." Her eyes returned to the treaty, glazing over its further details. "The rest of the provisions address conditions for the withdrawal of your troops and the establishment of Italica as neutral ground."
"No objections, as it's been written." Lelei said once she consulted with Reynolds.
Hamilton briefly looked over to Piña, who nodded in approval.
"Then the terms have been agreed upon," the brunette concluded. "As of right now, the ceasefire is in effect. There will be no further conflict between the Coalition of Ordered Governments and the Saderan Empire in this territory."
"Excuse me, but are we just going to ignore how all that's happened these past few days is entirely the Empire's fault?"
The Gears, the knights, and Lelei all turned, stunned, to look at who had spoken.
Countess Myui folded her arms and pouted. "I may not be old enough to rule on my own yet, but I'm not unobservant of what goes on in my own territory. And after all I've seen, I'm tired of being left out of matters of such importance."
"Myui, what are you implying?!" An expression of total shock was plastered over Piña's face.
The young girl glared at her. "Italica has suffered ever since the Empire decided it would subjugate the Coalition, princess. It's the Empire's fault that our standing army was destroyed when they went through the gate. It's the Empire's fault that we've been left defenseless. And if the Emperor didn't go through with that futile effort to drive the Gears – the same soldiers who just rescued us – from Alnus Hill, then the bandit army wouldn't have formed in the first place!"
"Countess, I urge you to rethink your position-!"
"I have!" Myui cut off Piña's plea. "After the fight for Italica ended this morning, and witnessing for myself how the Empire has been left too weak to defend its own territories, I realized that I can no longer count on you for protection. We followed your strategy, Your Highness, but we still would've lost without help. The Coalition, though…" She gestured to the trio of Gears. "They voluntarily stepped in and saved us. They repelled the biggest attack on this city in modern history without any casualties on their side to speak of."
She stood, rising to her full height, which was probably around four and a half feet. "I find the terms of this treaty imbalanced in favor of the Empire, when it was the COG who really claimed victory. Therefore, I, Myui Formal, hereby grant permission for the Coalition of Ordered Governments to build an embassy in Italica. You will also be allowed to maintain an armed force here in exchange for providing security. Furthermore, should hostilities erupt between our countries again, I vow to pledge my allegiance to the COG."
She sat back down and smiled pleasantly at the thunderstruck soldiers.
"In return for your bravery and willingness to defend this city, you have earned the full support of Italica. Congratulations!"
"Oh, that little-! WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS?"
"Princess, you must get a hold of yourself," Grey calmly advised. The old knight kept his cool, even as the Rose Knights' leader punched the wall in frustration.
It was just the two of them in one of the mansion's many hallways. Twenty minutes had passed since the meeting ended, and Grey had shown up in that time to give a status update on the East Gate's condition. What he'd stumbled across was a very happy Myui, an equally satisfied group of Blue Golems, and an irate princess who immediately dragged him away to talk in private.
He was still waiting for the actual talk. Piña hadn't done much since they'd gotten here besides mutter incomprehensibly and mimic strangling motions. The outburst and the wall punch were his cue that it was time to step in.
His former student spun around to face him. "'Get a hold of myself'? How can I get a hold of myself when we've basically just lost Italica?!" she shouted.
Grey folded his arms, regarding her curiously. "Shouldn't you have expected that?"
Piña visibly struggled to answer, stuttering out a string of half-formed words and making a few more frantic hand gestures.
Poor girl, Grey thought sympathetically. First you lose Norma, and now you lose the city you only wanted to protect. Unfortunately, that's just how a soldier's life turns out sometimes.
"The Coalition is going to be taking over Italica, aren't they?" he asked.
He was surprised when the princess shook her head. She took several deep breaths to calm herself down, then straightened her posture. Her voice still quivered when she spoke, however.
"N-No. Not entirely. Besides the agreement to make the territory a neutral zone, all they asked for was tax exemption and guaranteed safe passage back to Alnus Hill."
Grey hummed in thought. "I'd be more concerned about that, if I were you. Those terms are unusually light for the victors of a major battle. But what makes you say we've lost the city?"
"The Countess practically gave it to them," Piña spat, scowling at the floor. "She claimed the Empire is too weak to defend itself, citing the bandits as evidence. She's letting the COG have a permanent presence here. And that's not all… if we go to war again, she outright promised to align herself with them!"
"I see." The veteran warrior nodded, scratching his chin as he mulled over what she'd said. "And has she ordered an eviction for the Order of the Rose, or any Imperial sympathizers?"
Piña stiffened. The beginning of an embarrassed blush crept over her cheeks. "Well… no, she hasn't."
"Did she specifically say she has any problems with us remaining here?"
"…No…"
"Then I don't believe the city to be lost yet, Your Majesty. In all honesty, even with young Myui's choice to support the Coalition, this turned out far better than I would've expected."
Piña cocked her head and blinked, confused at his logic. "…You'll have to forgive me, but I don't quite follow."
"Keeping Italica as a neutral zone in the first place would've already given the COG permission to have a presence here," he explained. "What the Countess did simply helped them along. And as much as I hate to admit it, she has a point about our military being in a weakened state. Do you really want to risk breaking the treaty and resuming this war?"
The mere thought made the royal turn as white as her dress. Despite the circumstances, Grey couldn't hold back an amused chuckle.
"Then you don't have to worry about her change in allegiance. I don't know much about them, but they sought peace even though they have enough power to crush our united armies. I genuinely don't believe they want to continue the war, either."
Piña nodded, adopting a look of deep thought. "Indeed… that would explain some of what he said…"
"Princess?"
"One of the Gears told me earlier how there's a 'problem' back in their world," she informed him. "He didn't give any specifics, but he referred to what I believe is a group of entities called the 'Locust'. While I have no proof yet, I'm starting to think the COG was already at war before the Gate opened."
Damn. That promised nothing but bad news. The Coalition by itself was a force to be reckoned with; if another hostile faction with even half their strength existed in the other world, Grey hoped he'd never meet them.
He hesitated for a second. "…Should we be worried?"
"As of now, I don't think so. I'd rather not get too involved in their affairs if I can help it." Piña sighed, then brushed past him and started walking in the direction of the mansion's kitchen. "All this talk of war and peace is making me hungry. Care to join me for some lunch? We haven't eaten at all today."
"As you wish." Grey moved to walk beside her. Still reflecting on the huge turn of events, he put one hand on Piña's shoulder, evoking a look of surprise from the young royal.
He smiled down at her sincerely. "Even if things haven't gone as planned, I'm still proud of you, Princess. You'll make a fine tactician someday, if I say so myself."
She smiled back. "Thank you, Grey. That means a lot to me."
(East Gate, Two Hours Later)
After a long day of fighting, negotiating, rebuilding, and dealing with their obnoxious cousins from the Air Corps, all seven members of Theta Squad were finally taking some time to just hang around the plaza and enjoy each other's company.
Speaking of the Soaring Rednecks, they'd departed Italica with the COG's new prisoners a few minutes earlier to fanfare from the townsfolk, much to their great delight. Skippy personally made an announcement that the battle group was glad to be back in action and to call them in case anyone else needed killing.
The civilians hadn't understood a word he'd said, but that didn't stop them from cheering anyway.
With the East Gate secure and the POWs being taken to Alnus, all that was left for the squad to do was finish up their reason for coming to Italica in the first place.
"Has anyone seen the girls?" Dalton asked from his spot on a pile of rubble. Next to him, Gyules shrugged cluelessly.
Leaning against the bulwark with his arms folded, Bare replied, "They're visiting the merchants' guild to sell the wyvern scales. Lelei said it shouldn't take long."
"Oh, right, I kinda forgot about those."
"Yeah, that epic battle with an army of crazed bandits was a bit distracting." O'Nellis teased. The corporal was lounging around on the roof of one of the Packhorses, content to bask in the afternoon sun. "I wonder if Myuute will be okay… She looked terrified when they loaded her onto the Raven."
"Knowing my uncle, he'll probably lock her up in a giant bird cage until she's learned her lesson about joining outlaw gangs," Reynolds, who was resting on the second LAV's hood, snarked.
That got a laugh from most of the team. Another battle won, another settlement saved, and a bit of a stronger bond between them as a result. None of them could honestly say they regretted coming to Italica, even after what was supposed to be a simple job turned into the final battle of the Gate War.
"Yo, Sergeant Weaver." Gyules piped up.
The sniper lifted his hat over his eyes to look at the private. He'd been trying to catch a quick nap against the side of the second Packhorse, if the pillow he'd snagged from the trunk was any indication.
"Yeah, what?"
"Did you actually kill anyone during the battle?"
Weaver visibly thought it over. He cringed when he realized the answer to the pyro's question. "…Fuck, I don't think so."
"Ha! I knew it! Even Hutch must've had a higher kill count!" Gyules pointed to the medic, who was aimlessly wandering around the plaza with nothing to do. "Tuka and Lelei, too!"
Weaver scowled and pulled his hat back down. "Up yours, Weeb. Don't forget I shot their fucking leader's manhood off. There are fates worse than death, y'know."
"Like getting sentenced to the Slab?"
"I was gonna say like realizing your reputation is ruined forever because you called some asshole an evildoer, but that works too. Now shut up and let me sleep."
Another round of laughs sounded from the assembled Gears.
Gyules slumped his shoulders. "Man, fuck you guys…"
(Italica Merchants' Guild)
Merchant's assistant Vylus was sweating bullets.
Rory Mercury was in the same room as him. The same girl who chopped innumerable bandits to death not ten hours earlier. True, she came here with her companions for trading purposes, and seemed kind of bored watching the pleasantries getting swapped around, but… wasn't that a red flag? If she got bored, then she'd look for something to occupy herself! And that something might be killing!
His eyes darted to the other two girls in the room. The elf was smiling, watching happily while her Lindonite mage friend showed Master Ryudo a pristine wyvern scale. They both looked so innocent; he didn't understand how they'd gotten associated with-
Hold up. Where'd they get that wyvern scale?
"Well! A splendid scale!" Ryudo exclaimed, taking the scale to more closely examine it. "A few weeks ago, I would've mistaken this for a dragon scale at first glance… but my assistant over here informed me these particular ones come from wyverns!"
All eyes turned to the former Imperial soldier.
"I, um… I have a brother in the Imperial Army. He raises wyverns," he lied. He turned to address the mage girl. "So, getting back on track… How many of these scales do you have?"
The elf hoisted up a heavy bag laying at her feet and unceremoniously dropped it on the table. A loud thud shook the entire room.
"Two hundred!" she declared.
Vylus gasped in shock.
Two hundred-?! But where did-?! How could-?! Oh. Right. They travel with the Blue Golems, so they've probably been to Alnus Hill.
"Are you feeling okay?"
The merchant-in-training looked down to his right. Rory was still in her chair, watching him closely, though she still looked bored.
"You're sweating," she helpfully pointed out. "Think you might be running a fever?"
"No, no, I'm fine. Just… surprised, is all." He quickly assured her. "It's not everyday that an elf, a mage, and an Apostle walk into a shop with two hundred wyvern scales. I'm curious to see how Master Ryudo will proceed."
She stared at him a second longer, then nodded, turning back to watch the exchange. Vylus breathed a mental sigh of relief.
I don't even want to KNOW what the Golems did to get Rory Mercury on their side. Something horrendously violent, no doubt.
"Two hundred?!" Ryudo shared his assistant's shock.
"Also, the Empire has given us trader's tax exemption inside the city limits." The mage continued.
Ryudo laughed. "Aha! Privileged merchant status isn't easy to come by! Now, let me see…" He grabbed a quill and a roll of parchment from the table and began crunching numbers. The middle-aged man hummed, frowning as he finished his calculations. "Well, I'd normally give you two hundred gold and four thousand Denari silver for such a prize…" He scratched his forehead with the quill. "The thing is, with the battle we just had in the city, our supply of Denari silver coins is running a bit scarce. I can only give you a thousand Denari now."
"So we're not getting the money?" the elf asked, clearly saddened at the news.
"Shhh. Just wait. This is where Master Ryudo does his own kind of magic," Vylus hushed her.
"You flatter me, my assistant!" the older man chuckled. "However, you unfortunately overestimate my abilities. I can make a draft for two thousand Denari right away, but that's about it, I'm afraid."
The mage closed her eyes to think. When she opened them, she nodded, appearing satisfied. "That'll do. We'll give you a discount for the other thousand." She suddenly leaned closer, and Vylus almost reached for the imaginary sword at his waist out of reflex. "Instead, I'd like to receive some information from you that would be worth that price."
"Ooh, is that right? What kind of information?"
She pointed directly at Vylus. "I want to know what he saw at Alnus Hill."
(Tessaria Highway, Two Hours Later)
Theta Squad had finally left the city of Italica in their wake and were back on the road to Alnus Station. The seating arrangement in both Packhorses was the same as last time, with everyone except Weaver, Hutch, and Gyules riding in the first jeep.
Not keen on the thought of playing "Alphabetical Bones" again, Gyules instead opted to sit on the turret. He should've done that last time, he thought in hindsight – the weather was great, the scenery was beautiful as always, and it gave him the perfect chance to be alone with his thoughts and plan what he'd do next after they returned to base.
Seb's hosting Nerd Night later, if I'm remembering correctly. Man, I can't wait to tell the guys about Italica! It's gonna be FRICKIN' AWESOME! Still no catgirls, but if Alec can find his dream woman, then it's only a matter of time until I find mine!
"I love this world," he sighed in contentment.
He'd just started humming a random tune when his helmet radio received an incoming transmission on a private channel.
"Hey, Private?"
"Sergeant Weaver? What's up?"
"Look, all jokes aside, you did good back in Italica. You put the fear of God into those evildoers. Or maybe the Devil, since he's the fiery one… Just shut up and take the compliment."
Gyules' grin would've looked silly if it wasn't for the helmet. "Wow… thank you, Sarge! That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!"
"I told you to shut up."
The call ended abruptly, but his mood had skyrocketed. First they'd won the battle, then the COG was granted an embassy, and now Sergeant fucking Weaver gave him a compliment? The way things were going, this was shaping up to be the perfect day.
Thirty minutes later, the Packhorse ahead of them slowed to a stop, with Weaver following suit.
Before he could ask what the matter was, the lead jeep's back doors opened and Dalton hopped out. The rifleman wasted no time before jogging out into the open field surrounding them, seemingly headed for a lone hill in the distance.
"Alec! Whatcha doing, bro?" Gyules called out to him.
Dalton looked back over his shoulder. "Nature's calling, dude! The kind that requires privacy!"
"Well you should've gone before we left Italica!"
"Man, you sound like Reynolds!"
Gyules laughed softly at his friend's rebuttal. He spent the next few minutes looking everywhere except the hill; Alec probably went around it to keep hidden, but the otaku wasn't taking any chances. Perhaps because of this, he was the first to see a plume of dust forming further up the road.
He squinted, but couldn't make out any details. He decided to radio Reynolds just in case.
"Uh, Lieutenant? Are you seeing this?"
"I am, Private. Stay on that turret and don't shoot unless I give the order."
"Wilco." He ended the call and waited. The plume was getting bigger with every passing moment. The young Gear drummed his fingers on the turret, growing increasingly nervous as the seconds ticked by.
"C'mon, Alec, can't you do your business any faster…?" he murmured.
Eventually, the dust close grew close enough that he could see its source. When he did, his jaw dropped in pure shock while another part of him went up.
"Ho-ly fuck…"
Women. Seven of them, all mounted on horseback and holy shit they were hot. All of them had armor suspiciously similar to the sets Piña and that Hamilton chick wore, only this group's was thicker and covered more skin. Two of them bore red standards emblazoned with a tri-colored rose: red, yellow, and white.
…Did the blond one in the front have ringlets?!
"Reynolds…?" he squeaked into his radio.
"Keep it together, Private Gyules! The rest of the princess' knights must be on their way to reinforce Italica. Your orders are the same – don't open fire. They don't know about the treaty."
Shit, maybe the COG should've left some of their soldiers there after all. Captain Mayweather had been open to the idea of setting up an embassy – honestly, why wouldn't he be? – though he ultimately needed to wait for the Chairman's approval before stationing a permanent force. Considering how busy Prescott was on a daily basis, that could take days.
Five of the horses stopped when they were a few meters away from the COG's vehicles. Ringlet Girl approached the passenger door of the first LAV and started yelling something at Reynolds. A second knight with short, cream-colored hair guided her horse over to the other jeep, fixing her bright jade eyes on Gyules with an expression of utter distrust.
"Who are you, and where do you hail from?" she barked at him.
"Um… hello?" he said back, trying to sound polite. "My name is Rudy Gyules. I'm from, uh… far away."
"And just how far is 'far away'?"
"Well, you see, the thing is… we, uhh…"
He had to think! What could he say to convince her that he was no longer the enemy?
Turns out, nothing. Reynolds must've accidentally said something to provoke Ringlet Girl, because she suddenly turned to Gyules' own interrogator and yelled over frantically.
"Panache, this woman claims they were just at Italica! They must be the enemy Princess Piña summoned us to fight!"
"Not true! We saved Italica!" he heard Reynolds shoot back in reply.
The jade-eyed knight, now identified as Panache, turned back to Gyules with a thoughtful frown. A second later, she gasped as realization finally struck her. "Bozes, look at their armor! These must be the Blue Golems of Alnus Hill!"
"Now wait just a-!"
He was cut off when Panache drew a very long, very sharp sword and pointed it at his throat. Shaking off the brief surge of fear, he aimed the turret's barrels at her in response, resting his thumbs on the triggers.
"Hold your fire, Gyules!"
The five other knights also drew their swords, ready to step in. The situation had rapidly deteriorated into a standoff, with neither side willing to back down.
Gyules forced himself to stay calm. This could still be fixed – somehow. As long as nothing else unexpected happened, then maybe they could-
"Whoa, what the hell's happening here?"
Rudy's face paled in horror.
Alec Dalton walked at a brisk pace back to the Packhorses, still buckling up his pants. "Are these more of Piña's knights? Wait, what's with all the drawn swords…?"
The Rose Knights were quick to act; all seven of them moved to form a circle around the clueless Gear, surrounding him with a ring of blades.
"ALEC!" Rudy screamed.
Reynolds leaned out the window. "PRIVATE DALTON!"
"Huh? What's happening? Why are you doing this?!" Dalton cried, swiveling around again and again to take in all the angry faces glaring at him.
Bozes struck him across the helmet with the flat of her blade, nearly knocking him into another outstretched sword.
"Quiet, Golem!" she commanded.
Gyules was ready to panic. Alec was completely unarmed, having left his weapons in the jeep. He couldn't use the turret either, since the knights were bunched up around him close enough that he risked friendly fire.
What else could he do, though? There had to be a solution!
"Run!" Dalton yelled, waving his arms at his fellow Gears. "Get out of here! This'll only get worse if you stay!"
"I said quiet!" Bozes boomed, striking him a second time. Even though her blade failed to damage his armor, the blow landed perilously close to his neck.
Dalton grunted, staggered forward and dropped to his knees. Seven steel blades followed his movements.
"We're not leaving you!" Gyules argued desperately.
"You have to! I'll be alright; just get out of here! GO!"
The pyro looked over to Reynolds. She was clutching the side of the open window with a white-knuckled grip, head hung low, blond hair hiding her face. After a few tense moments, he saw her raise a shaking hand to her earpiece.
He didn't hear what she said, and he didn't have to. The Packhorses lurching to life made it obvious what her orders were.
"We'll come back for you, Alec!" Gyules hollered over the engines' roar.
He watched in silence afterwards as the outline of his best friend and his captors gradually shrunk. Only when they were gone from his line of sight did he let the tears start to flow.
"We'll come back for you… I swear on my life; we will get you back…"
Rudolph Gyules had already lost one brother. He'd break the treaty and storm Italica alone if it meant he wouldn't lose another.
Breather chapter for the most part. Seriously, though, how many of you expected Myui of all people to pull a fast one on the Empire?
I know some of you are probably still throwing a fit about me leaving in the kidnapping scene. Here's my rationalization:
1) Itami getting out of the jeep when the Rose Knights were clearly hostile was a stupid move. Dalton wandered off before they arrived, so he didn't know what was going on when he got back.
2) Like Gyules mentioned, he was unarmed and surrounded. Any rescue attempt by the COG or even Rory could've ended up hurting or killing him.
3) Let's face it: Bozes and maybe Panache are too bullheaded to listen to reason at times. They'd likely not believe anything these "Blue Golems" have to say.
4) Again, extra context in the next chapter.
5) I like episode 7. I find it entertaining. Deal with it.
Another two chapters maximum before the crew goes to Sera. I have a plan for that now... This is gonna be gooooood.
Most of the reviews I can answer as follows:
By the time this story takes place in the canonical Gears timeline, the COG Army is mostly made up of former Stranded, pardoned convicts (like Weaver), people with Rustlung… basically anyone who can hold a gun is drafted. Even then, I estimate the army is still too small to hold onto more than one or two major settlements in the Special Region without stretching themselves thin. Now that they have Alnus and Italica, they probably won't be able to expand any farther.
This also leads to situations like Dalton. I know he acts like a timid dork when he "should be a badass Gear, hurr durr". I know he doesn't have a soldier's mindset. There's a reason for that, which I plan to reveal sometime during the Sera arc. Trust me when I say I know what I'm doing going forward with this story.
And good lord, at least try to offer some constructive criticism instead of simply bashing things you don't like. It's childish.