In Another World With A Marine

by Nightmare 6-4

Sgt. James Murphy was a Marine Marksman who did his duty to combat terrorism and protect the homefront, he made the ultimate sacrifice and God revived him in another world, but unfortunately for James the war is not over, because Marines never die, they just go to hell to regroup.

9. Chapter 9: Rest & Reconnaissance

Ch. 9 – Rest & Reconnaissance

In Another World with My Smartphone is owned by AT-X, Tokyo MX, Patora Fuyuhara, and BS11, I only own the OCs. Semper Fidelis, Oorah!

James twisted the knob on his scope as he focused the crosshairs on the guards in red that stood outside of the gates "Whenever you're ready, Touya." James said as he rested his cheek against the stock of his M110. "Right, so Leen will turn us invisible so we can follow Tsubaki into the fortress since she's Kousaka's subordinate." Touya explained, James nodded as he screwed a suppressor onto the muzzle of his rifle. "Bend, O Light. Guiding Curvature: [Invisible]!" Leen said before two circles surrounded Leen and Touya, the circles moved upward and rendered the two invisible.

"You disappeared..." Tsubaki said in disbelief, James glanced over out of the corner of his eye and saw Tsubaki looking around, suddenly an unknown force grabbed Tsubaki from behind and groped her breasts which caused her to yelp in surprise "Fhyaaaaahhh?!" Tsubaki exclaimed. "Hey, Touya! Why are you taking advantage of her just because she can't see you?" Leen asked which caused James to look over at their general direction.

"T-Touya?! Wh-Why...?" Tsubaki asked confused as her face turned red and her breathing became rapid. "It's not me! That's Leen! I'm still in front of you!" Touya exclaimed as foliage shook. "No... Ah, hey, that's... Ahh!" Tsubaki exclaimed as an unknown force continued to grope her. "Hmm... They're unexpectedly big. Are you the type who looks slender in clothing? These are quite the melons..." Leen stated as she seemed to dig into Tsubaki's bust.

"Cut it out already!" Touya exclaimed before the sound of someone getting hit emitted from the ether. "It's okay now, don't worry. I'll give her a good smack and make her stop it if she tries it again." Touya said as Tsubaki breathed rapidly while she clutched her chest and squeezed her thighs together.

"... You're going to smack my ass?" Leen asked in a promiscuous tone of voice, James rolled his eyes as he pressed his cheek against the stock again "Will you two shut up so we can get this done with? I want to fucking sleep." James said in an angry tone of voice, his patience having been completely drained. Tsubaki nodded before she moved down a hill toward the fortress with two sets of footprints following her.

"Fuckin' amateurs." James said with a sigh. James watched placed his crosshairs on one of the guards as Tsubaki approached the main gate. The two guards looked at a scroll that Tsubaki handed to them before they gave it back and opened the large gate doors, Tsubaki passed through the gate before it closed behind her "Alright, they're in." James said as he flicked the safety off, he placed the crosshairs on the heads of the guards before he took a deep breath in.

James placed his finger on the trigger and squeezed it slowly as he exhaled, the rifle bucked before the back of the guards head exploded onto the wall; the second guard was shocked and stared in horror before a .308 ripped through the side of his head and dropped him like a sack of potatoes. "Oooh, nice shot." Ramirez said as he scanned the area. "Rounding the corner, 4 O'clock." Ramirez said before James swept the barrel to the right and hit another guard right between the eyes. The spent .308 casing popped out of the receiver before a new round was chambered by the internal gas-operated piston and rotating bolt.

James scanned the fortress before he found an opening in the wall, he twisted the knob on the top of the scope before he slowly turned the magnification ring followed by the focus ring. The Marine marksman pulled his glove off before he licked his finger and held it up in the air for a moment "Wind direction at 10 O'clock, 2 mph blowing north-northeast." James said before he moved the stock and adjusted his position. The marksman closed his left eye as he focused on the area until he saw an ominous stone that seemed to give off an evil aura, James slowly placed his finger on the trigger before Ramirez nudged his shoulder "Hey Gunny, it's Toyota as well as three dudes, Tsubaki, and Leen." Ramirez said as he pointed to the right side of the opening, James looked over and sure enough saw Touya along with Leen, Tsubaki, and three other people.

James watched Touya use [Modeling] on some metal to craft weapons for the three men, James took a breath in as he steadied his aim and slowly exhaled as he squeezed the trigger; the rifle bucked into his shoulder as a .308 shot out of the rifle and ripped through the air until it hit its target, the ominous stone pillar exploded into shards of concrete and emitted an evil energy wave. Touya looked to his left as James's scope gave off a glint flash, James stood up and collapsed the bipod before the Marines made their way toward the fortress. Gunnery Sergeant Murphy readjusted the scope back to its standard 3.5x zoom "Yuri, breach the door." James said before the Spetsnaz sprinted forward and planted a flat charge on the heavy door, he slowly slid some wires into a clay-like substance before he ran back toward the Marines.

"Shut the ears if you don't want to be deaf." Yuri stated as he ran past the Marines, Ramirez and James looked at each other before they quickly followed behind Yuri. Seconds later, a violent explosion ripped through the front gate and rendered it into chunks of burning wood. The Marines turned around and stared at the devastation "God damn, Yuri." James remarked before a crowd of Oni-Mask soldiers stormed out of the fortress, the Marines raised their weapons and opened fire.

The claps of gunfire echoed through the area as bullets ripped through the Oni-Mask soldiers, the bodies dropped on top of one another as they ran out of the fortress. The Marines pushed inward as the last red soldier hit the ground, necrotic hands reached up from the ground but were swiftly double tapped as the Marines passed through the threshold. James pulled his Shemagh over his nose as the smell of necrosis became too strong, Yuri, Fox, and Ramirez followed suit before they continued their infiltration of the fortress. "Hey Gunny, stop real quick and let me get something from your bag." Ramirez said, James nodded in agreement as they found themselves in the middle of a bunch of buildings.

The Marines stopped as Ramirez reached into James's bag and pulled out the handheld drone control system, he opened the lid and selected a drone labeled 'Wasp III' while Yuri pulled a small glider from his bag, the tiny propeller spun up before Yuri threw it into the air. The small drone flew into the air and circled around the fortress, seconds later a live feed popped up on the drone controller's screen that showed Touya, Leen, and Tsubaki along with the three other men.

The undead soldiers lumbered around the compound along with soldiers in similar armor but they carried themselves upright "Heads up, we got both human soldiers and undead." Ramirez explained, James nodded as he detached the scope from the top rail and slid it into his pocket. "Suppressors on, nice and quiet." James stated as he tapped the suppressor on the end of his DMR, the Marines nodded before they pulled their suppressors out and screwed them onto the barrel of their M4s while Yuri screwed a PBS-1 Suppressor onto the barrel of his AK-12 that he carried on his back.

The Spetsnaz placed his RPK into his [Storage] spell before they pushed into the compound, the fireteam came to a stop outside the first barracks and stacked up against the wall; Fox moved from the back of the group and lined himself up with the door before James silently counted down with his fingers, signaling '0' with a clenched fist. Fox nodded and kicked the door in off the hinges, the fireteam stormed into the room and swiftly took out the undead soldiers in red.

Blood painted the walls and ceramic shards littered the floor, the Marines exited the building to move to the next one when multiple sigils formed in the air, bright rods of light formed in the sky before they screamed down and hit their targets, regardless if they were indoors or outdoors. "Welp, so much for door to door house calls. Let's get to the center." James said before the Marines sprinted through the maze of structures, they rounded a corner but found themselves at a dead end. "Well shit... I'm gonna take to the roof and see if I can find a route." James said before he used [Boost] and leapt onto the roof.

James looked around and found himself looking that the front of a Dojo where a man with an eyepatch stood, the building was no more than 250 yards away. James sat down on the roof and reattached the scope to his DMR before he extended the bipod; Touya, Leen, Tsubaki, and the three unknown men stood outside the dojo as they stared at the one-eyed man. As James sighted in his scope, a samurai wearing a red Oni mask leapt out from the dojo and crossed swords with one of the men from Touya's group 'What the hell? Just cut him down and move on.' James thought as he turned up the magnification to 8x, he could see every detail on the one-eyed man's face "Woah, too close." James said to himself before he decreased the magnification to 6x.

James swapped the magazine of Match Grade .308 rounds for a magazine of .308 220 Grain Full Metal Jacket rounds, he slapped the magazine into the receiver before he pulled back the charging bolt on the side. He rested the bipod on the roof and pressed the stock into his shoulder; as he looked through the scope, he watched Touya pull out his revolver and shoot the samurai in the head. "Jesus Christ, Touya. I didn't think you had the cojones." James said to himself as he placed the crosshairs on the one-eyed man.

The man started to laugh before he pulled out his eye patch and revealed a glass eye that glowed red, he started to make wild hand gestures outward as James unscrewed his suppressor and slid it into his pocket. The marksman took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly as he squeezed the trigger, the rifle bucked before its report echoed across the fortress. The round hit the man in the head and slammed him into the wall with great force, Touya's group turned around but saw nothing.

The man stumbled forward while he gripped his face, James watched as Touya extended his hand and a spherical object materialized in his palm; the one-eyed man took a step forward before James squeezed the trigger and hit him in the forehead. The force of impact knocked him back and through the doorway, Touya tossed the object to Leen who examined it closely before slamming it into a wall; the sphere hit the wall and shattered as the man stumbled out of the dojo again, he watched the sphere explode before he looked at his hands and saw they were drying up, he dropped to his knees as James placed the crosshairs on him and squeezed the trigger, the third shot erupted from the barrel and hit the man in the head, the sudden impact caused him to explode into dust.

James stood up and leapt off the roof as Yuri planted a small C-2 charge on a wooden wall, James turned his head as the charge exploded and reduced the wall to splinters. The Marines stepped through and found themselves in the same area as Touya's group, James rested the barrel of the rifle on his shoulder as the Marines approached Touya's group. "Stand back Touya, we'll handle these thugs." One of the men with Touya said as he raised two short swords.

"Bubba, I suggest you put those toys away before you piss me off... I already have a short fuse, ask the red soldiers out front." James said with narrowed eyes, Touya stepped forward and stood toe to toe with James "James! Those were Takeda soldiers!" Touya exclaimed, James stared at him unfazed "And who's that?" James asked which caused Touya to scoff "Typical Americans, shoot first then ask questions later. If it blocks your path, you'll just blow it up." Touya said as he shook his head.

James clenched his fists before he exhaled "You know what? Go fuck yourself, you gave us ZERO info. We mowed down those red soldiers at the fortress with no problem, we didn't know that these were allies so to speak. Besides, while acting under the orders of Dusty McFuckface over there, they would have cut us and you down with zero regard." James said as he took a stepped closer to Touya and caused the boy to back up.

"He has a point, while I do regret they died; they would have cut you down with no regard." The oldest of the men said as he crossed his arms, James shook his head before he turned around to leave while Ramirez and Fox stared daggers at Touya. "Young boy, you must understand that intel is key to victory. You must also have allies to rely on, if Mother Russia did not have the American's, we would have lost Kursk to the Germans." Yuri said, referencing the Battle of Kursk and the US Lend-Lease Act that supplied the Russians with ammo, food, Studebaker US6s, and the most important item, intelligence.

"James was it? You have our sincerest gratitude for coming to our aid, you too, Touya. My name is Nobuharu Baba, the one who was ready to fight you is Masatoyo Naito, and the one with the big sword is Masakage Yamagata. We are very intrigued with the weapons Touya and you possess as well as your outfit." Baba said as he approached James. "Ahh, well this is our traditional battle uniform. We are elite soldiers called 'Marines' and hail from a distant land called 'The United States of America'." James explained, Baba nodded slowly "Interesting. So what are these weapons?" Baba asked.

"Well, this is called a Rifle. It allows me to fire small rounded arrowheads at targets great distances away, upwards of half a Kilometer away. They have what are called Assault Rifles, they fire the same projectiles but they're smaller and don't travel as far, their better for close to mid range. Ramirez, Fox, target that tree and fire three rounds." James instructed, the Marines nodded before they turned and raised their rifles, they flicked the safety off and fired at the tree while in semi-auto .

The muzzle flashes illuminated the ground as the 5.56 rounds erupted from the barrel and pierced the tree, leaving six bullet holes in the tree bark. "Wow, this is amazing." Naito said as he looked at the weapons. James moved placed his hand on the area where the receiver met the barrel and exhaled slowly "Alright Touya, come find me when you got the location of those ruins." James said as he shifted his weight to his right leg before he opened a [Gate] and walked through it with Ramirez, Fox, and Yuri.

---

The 2nd Battalion Fireteam walked out of the [Gate] and found themselves in the castle courtyard where the other Marines were training. James looked to his right and saw Jones and Foley next to the workshop. "Sergeant Foley, Sergeant Jones. How did it go in Faybell?" James asked as he walked up to the two Sergeants, Jones and Foley looked at each other before they looked back at James.

"They show promise, we weeded out the ones that couldn't make it through a general PT course. We trained them on some dummy guns made out of metal to show them how to disassemble, clean, reassemble, load, and fire the Mondragon Rifle. They are determined to get stronger so we wanted you to come and observe as I drill them through the training course I built." Jones said as a smirk grew across his face.

"Alright, I'm gonna go to sleep and we'll talk in the morning." James said before he made his way toward the castle. He was about to open the door when it opened and Victoria grabbed him by the molle vest, she pulled him inside and closed the door before she ushered him toward his room. "Tori! Slow down, where's the fire?" James asked confused. "It's Yuki, the girl you brought back. I thought Misuki might have trauma but it's Yuki." Victoria said as she opened the door; Ayumi, Naomi, Shelyn, and Misuki were near the bathroom while the door was closed.

"Yuki, come on out. Nobody is going to hurt you." Ayumi said as she stepped closer to the door, there was no response as James walked up. "Yuki, it's James. Talk to me, what's going on?" James asked as he placed his hand on the door, the room was quiet for a moment before the door handle jiggled. James took his hand off the door as it opened slowly but nobody emerged, James opened the door and walked into the dark bathroom "Yuki? What happened?" James asked as he looked at the girl who sat in the corner with her knees pulled up to her chest.

"I... I got scared, there were these men outside and it scared me... and I was looking for you but you weren't here. So... I hid." Yuki said as James sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her. "Yuki, you don't have to fear anyone coming for you, we won't let anyone get near you." James said as he rubbed her upper right arm, Yuki laid her head on his right arm as she relaxed her legs.

"So, you wanna come out. The other girls are worried about you." James asked, Yuki nodded slowly before James stood up and helped Yuki to her feet. James placed his hand on her lower back as he guided her out of the bathroom, Yuki stepped out of the bathroom and was welcomed with open arms by Ayumi, Naomi, Shelyn, and Misuki. James stepped to the side and moved over to the longer dresser that was against the wall and faced the king sized bed, he unsnapped the strap on his holster to withdraw the MR412 that he then placed onto the top of the dresser along with his M45 1911, Ka-Bar, and his dog tags.

He unfastened the Velcro straps on the sides of his molle vest before he pulled it off and draped it over a chair, the stench of sweat and gunpowder wafted up into the air as his BDUs were exposed to the air. The sudden scent caused him to wince as he pulled off his BDUs and coyote brown undershirt that fit snug against his body and added definition to his biceps and chest. James looked down at his shirt and noticed it had blood on it 'How'd that get there?' James thought to himself before he pulled that off. The girls turned around and saw James's bare back, his back was covered with laceration and bullet wound scars from years of combat.

The words 'Semper Fidelis' were tattooed along the top of his back, from shoulder to shoulder along with the emblem of the Marine Corps in the middle of his back that read 'USMC' underneath. James had a tattoo on his upper left arm that had a flaming skull with devil horns biting a banner that read 'Forged From Hellfire' and 'Devil Dog' underneath it. "Alright girls, I'm gonna take a shower. I'll be out in a few minutes." James said as he grabbed a clean uniform and made his way to the shower. James grabbed his phone and used [Speaker] on the roof of the bathroom.

James scrolled through his phone before he selected a song and laid it on the counter, James looked up at himself in the mirror as an acoustic guitar began to play from the roof.

Invictus - Within Reason

I didn't sell my soul for rock n' roll

This is who I am

Lost in a world, out of control

You don't know where I've been

James traced the scars down his chest and felt the trauma that had long passed, the images of combat flashed in his mind as he stared at himself in the mirror which caused him to take a step back.

'Cause I've come back from nowhere

Lost in a world estranged

Like a hard and weathered soul's tattoo, never given anything

James placed his hand on his chest and pushed in slightly as he felt his heart beating inside his chest, James closed his eyes as he felt the sensation of the grenade that brought him to this world. James blinked and suddenly found himself back in Afghanistan.

So rest your easy mind

'Cause I'm not high enough tonight

'Cause I've gone a hundred miles

Lived a thousand lives

And jaded hearts only beat to fool

Cracks of gunfire snapped by his head as Marines returned fire around him, the ground shook as mortars detonated in the distance and F-22's roared overhead. JDAMs detonated in the distance and leveled buildings which caused waves of dust to flood the area like a tidal wave.

You know it just ain't right

Judged a million times

Point the finger like the fool, the fool in you

James started to breathe rapidly as he looked around and took cover behind a car just as an RPG flew overhead and detonated, shrapnel peppered the ground and pierced his flesh. James tried to stand but found himself unable to stand, he looked down and saw that his left leg had a piece of metal in his calf.

So this is my life, this is all I know

At least it's who I am

I can only reap from the thread I've sown

Like a statue I will stand

James reached for his service pistol but found that it was missing, James looked around and found the area around him turned into a barren hellscape as fire rained down from the heavens above and explosions shook the ground violently.

'Cause I've come back from nowhere

Lost in a world estranged

Like a hard and weathered soul's tattoo, never given anything

"James!" A voice called out from the darkened horizon, James looked around and tried to find the source of the voice but came up empty.

'Cause I've gone a hundred miles

Lived a thousand lives

And jaded hearts only beat to fool

James pulled his body across the scorched earth as bullets continued to whizz by and explosions shook the ground near him.

You know it just ain't right

Judged a million times

Point the finger like the fool, the fool in you

James dragged himself over the bodies of his fallen comrades, "James!" The voice called again, this time it sounded soft and sweet, almost comforting. James whipped his head to the left and moved toward the source of the voice as he slowly crawled across the ground.

I didn't sell my soul for rock n' roll

This is who I am

James suddenly felt multiple hands grab him and pull him in another direction, James tried to fight back but found himself enveloped in a warm embrace that caused the pain to melt away.

Another hundred miles

Another thousand lives

And jaded hearts only beat to fool

You know it just ain't right

Judged a million times

Point the finger like the fool, the fool in you

James stared up at the sky that was orange with hellfire and closed his eyes as he felt a warm embrace all over his body, James opened his eyes and found himself staring up into Ayumi's Fuchsia eyes that had tears in them while she held his head on her thighs. Shelyn and Naomi held his arms while Misuki and Yuki had their hands on his chest. "Are... are you okay? We were so scared." Ayumi said while she held his head in her lap.

The fool is you

This is who I am

"I'm... I'm alright." James said as he slowly closed his eyes. "What happened? What was that?" Ayumi asked confused, "It's called PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I kinda slipped into a very vivid memory." James said as he exhaled slowly. "Your embrace made me snap out of it." James said with a weak smile as he looked into Ayumi's eyes. James sat up slowly while Naomi and Shelyn continued to hold his arms close to their chests, "Girls, I'm alright." James said before he kissed them on the forehead. James pushed himself off the floor and walked back into the bathroom.

James picked up his phone before scroll for a new song until one caught his eye, James tapped play before he climbed into the shower and turned on the water.

Popular Monster - Falling In Reverse (I know, it's 2019 but it fits so well)

Yeah

I wake up every morning with my head up in a daze

I'm not sure if I should say this, fuck, I'll say it anyway

Everybody tries to tell me that I'm goin' through a phase

I don't know if it's a phase, I just wanna feel okay, yeah

I battle with depression, but the question still remains

Is this post-traumatic stressin' or am I suppressin' rage?

And my doctor tries to tell me that I'm going through a phase

Yeah, it's not a fuckin' phase, I just wanna feel okay

The hot water hit James's body and hammered away at his tense muscles as the water washed sweat, dirt, and blood from his body. The water hit the marble floor and turned dark red before it was swallowed by the drain, James nodded his head as he started to sing along.

Okay, yeah, I struggle with this bullshit every day

And it's probably 'cause my demons simultaneously rage

It obliterates me, disintegrates me, annihilates me

James lathered shampoo from his tactical surplus he kept in his bag into his hair as he started to sing the chorus.

'Cause I'm about to break down

I'm searchin' for a way out

I'm a liar, I'm a cheater, I'm a non-believer

I'm a popular, popular monster

I break down

Falling into love now

With falling apart

I'm a popular, popular monster

James grabbed a cloth and squeezed body wash into it before he washed his body, he felt the grime get wiped from his body with each scrub. As James was washing the soap from his hair, he heard the door close before the shower door slid open and closed.

I think I'm going nowhere like a rat trapped in a maze

Every wall that I knock down is just a wall that I'll replace

I'm in a race against myself, I try to keep a steady pace

How the fuck will I escape if I never close my case?

Oh my God, I keep on stressin', every second that I waste

Is another second sooner to a blessing I won't take

But my therapist will tell me that I'm going through a stage

Yeah, it's not a fucking stage, I just wanna feel okay

As James rinsed his hair, he felt someone washing his back with the cloth; their touch was gentle yet firm at the same time. He felt them move the cloth down his back before they moved the cloth to his abdomen with both their arms wrapped around his body and their chest pushed into his back.

Okay, motherfucker, now you got my attention

I need to change a couple things 'cause somethin' is missing

And what if I were to lie? Tell you everything is fine

Every single fucking day I get closer to the grave

I am terrified, I fell asleep at the wheel again

Crashed my car just to feel again

It obliterates me, disintegrates me, annihilates me

James washed the shampoo out of his hair and cleaned his face of any soap before he turned around, James came face to face with Ayumi who looked up into his blue eyes before she stood up on her tip toes and pressed her lips into his. Her sudden expression of affection caught him off guard but he quickly placed his hands on her lower back and pulled her closer, she moved her hand lower and took hold of his rifle. The sudden contact caused him to shudder and take a deep breath in, Ayumi moved her hand along his length as she continued to kiss him passionately while he moved his hands to the curvature of her ass.

'Cause I'm about to break down

I'm searchin' for a way out

I'm a liar, I'm a cheater, I'm a non-believer

I'm a popular, popular monster

I break down

Falling into love now

With falling apart

I'm a popular, popular fucking monster, yeah

James moved his hands up her sides and caressed her breasts as their tongues intertwined with one another and fought for dominance, Ayumi felt him harden in her hand as she kissed him slowly. The Kitsune dropped to her knees and kissed the tip before she slowly devoured it inch by inch, James groaned and tilted his head backward while he ran his fingers through her blonde hair. Ayumi bobbed her head up and down along his schlong as she savored the pre-man milk that leaked out.

Yeah, here we go again, motherfucker, oh

We're sick and tired of wondering

Praying to a god that you don't believe

You're searching for the truth in the lost and found

So the question I ask is, oh, where the fuck is your god now?

Ayumi slowly pulled him from her mouth with a *pop* before she stood up, turned around, placed her hands on the wall, and beckoned her ass to James who stood at full mast. He moved behind her and ran the tip of his unit along her papaya before he slowly pushed himself into her love canal, Ayumi gasped in ecstasy as her knees nearly buckled from pleasure. James placed his hands on her hips before he slowly started to thrust himself into her, her breasts bounced with each thrust before he reached underneath her and cupped her breasts as he slowly picked up the pace.

'Cause I'm about to break down

I'm searchin' for a way out

I'm a liar, I'm a cheater, I'm a non-believer

I'm a popular, popular monster

I break down

Falling into love now

With falling apart

I'm a popular, popular monster

James pulled her up and pressed her back into chest as he continued to jackhammer her tunnel of love, he caressed and squeezed her breasts while she placed her hands on the back of his head and kissed his neck. James pinched her nipples and gave her one hard slam, the sensation caused her mouth to fall agape as her lip quivered and her walls tightened around his rod.

I'm a liar, I'm a cheater, I'm a non-believer

I'm a popular, popular monster

The hot water rained down and coated their bodies as James slowly pulled himself from her velvet cave and found her love nectar coated his saber, Ayumi looked down and giggled lightly as she slowly guided it back into her as she faced the Marine, her breasts on full display and ready for his attention. James pierced her veil and pushed in until it became too much for her, he leaned down and pressed his lips into hers as he thrusted into her. Her breasts jiggled lightly as they were pressed against his muscular chest, she placed her hands on his back and dug her nails into his skin as she moaned loudly and panted in pure ecstasy.

"Wait wait wait. I don't want you to finish yet... take me to the bed." Ayumi said before she kissed the Marine, James nodded before he slowly pulled out of her, the sound resembled stirring a pot of Mac n' Cheese with a wooden spoon slowly. James shut the water off and grabbed two towels to dry himself and Ayumi off with before he guided her out of the bathroom; when he opened the door, he came upon a sight straight out of an Ecchi Anime. Naomi, Shelyn, Misuki, and Yuki stood by the bed wearing nothing but a pair of lacey panties and a smile.

"Let me guess, Victoria?" James asked, Ayumi nodded "Yeah, she let us choose from a book of her secrets." Ayumi said, James looked at her confused "Her secrets? What was it called?" James asked confused. "Victoria's Secret. It had pictures of all these cute outfits to choose from." Ayumi said as she gestured to a pair of red lacey panties that she held in her left hand.

"So how do you want to do-" James started ask as he walked toward the bed but he was cut off when Naomi, Misuki, and Shelyn pulled him into the bed and pounced on him. Yuki seemed scared until Ayumi took her hand and guided her into the bed of hot action, Naomi and Misuki took turns devouring his rod while Shelyn presented her yoni for James to explore. Ayumi kissed Yuki slowly and helped her loosen up, the white-haired kitsune finally dropped her defenses as she reciprocated Ayumi's actions and explored her body.

Misuki stood up and placed her knees on either side of his waist before she pulled her panties to the side and slowly lowered herself onto his rod, his flesh rocket pierced her atmosphere and caused her to arch her back in pleasure before she started to move up and down on his pipe slowly. Shelyn moved out of the way as Misuki pressed her breasts into his chest and her lips into his, he placed his hands on her hips before he started to thrust upward into her, the sudden movement caught her off guard and caused her to gasp as waves of euphoria rippled through her body.

Misuki dug her nails into his chest as her walls clamped around him, bliss ripped through her body before she pulled her creamy center off of his love rod. Shelyn brushed her hair behind her ear before she devoured him in one go, James clenched the sheets tightly as she took him into her throat and slowly pulled up with a sloppy *slurp*. Shelyn impaled herself on his rebar and got to work riding his pony like she was in the Kentucky Derby, her breasts bounced up and down every time she bottomed out. The wet pasta sound echoed out amongst the moans and panting of hot, intense sex; Shelyn came to stop as her body shuddered intensely.

Shelyn leaned down and kissed him on the lips before she dismounted his saddle and cleaned it with two bobs of her head for the next girl. Naomi moved toward James but got close to his ear and whispered something that caused him to nod and stand up, Ayumi laid Yuki down on the bed before she pulled her panties down and tossed them to the side while Naomi pumped his rod. "It's alright, he's gentle even if he's got that claymore between his legs. He'll take care of you, I promise." Ayumi said before she kissed the snow-haired Kitsune and guided James between Yuki's thighs.

James lowered himself down and slowly kissed Yuki's hot center, Yuki arched her back as his tongue explored her wet cavern and found the magic fountain that he lapped at. Yuki clamped her thighs around his head as an orgasm rippled through her, Yuki panted heavily as James rose up from her nether regions and moved up to her breasts. He ran his tongue across her right nipple as he caressed the left breast with his right hand, the stimulation caused Yuki to bite her lip as she grinded her wet entrance on James's thigh.

The marksman let go of her breasts and positioned his rod at her entrance before he moved the tip up and down along her sensitive slit, he slowly pushed his rod into her core and pierced her veil which caused her to arch her back while she moaned loudly. James remained still for a minute as she adjusted to his size, he looked down at the snow-haired Kitsune who nodded slowly with lust in her eyes. James slowly pulled out before he pushed back in, Yuki grimaced with each thrust but slowly relaxed as the discomfort turned to elation and ecstasy. James leaned down and kissed her neck lightly as he continued to push into her radiating core, James picked up the pace as he put her legs on his shoulders and hammered into her.

James gave her one last hail mary thrust as she climaxed and her walls clamped around his pipe, James slowly pulled out and watched his rod spring up ready for more. Naomi crawled over and placed her hands on the bed on either side of Yuki's head as James slowly entered her, Naomi shuddered as she felt his sword enter her sheath; Naomi leaned down and pressed her lips into the snow-haired Kitsune's as James started to thrust into her slowly before picking up speed.

Naomi's chest pressed against Yuki's as James thrusted harder while Shelyn went down on Ayumi and Misuki, James felt her walls tighten around him while he felt pressure start to form in his main pipe. Naomi kissed Yuki slowly as James held her hips and thrusted faster until his breathing became rapid, James slowly freed himself from her velvet cavern and beckoned Ayumi over.

Ayumi laid down next to Yuki and watched as James slowly pushed into her pink core that was dripping with her love nectar, the Marine lowered his body as he started to thrust into her and pressed his lips into hers, he savored her essence as he picked up the pace and felt her D-cup breasts pressed against his chest. James sat up and watched as Ayumi's breasts jiggled with each thrust, he picked up the pace and hammered her core until he slammed into one last time as his pipe erupted and filled her with his essence.

Ayumi gasped as she felt his warmth fill her up while her walls clamped down around him, James slowly pulled out of her and watched it drip out of his pipe before Misuki devoured him to get the rest of his essence. Misuki bobbed her head up and down rapidly before he grunted again and coated her throat with his genetic juice, Misuki felt his goop go down as she swallowed each spurt. James looked down and watched as his essence leaked out of Ayumi like a Boston cream pie. Naomi moved down between her thighs and lapped up his milk that leaked out of the blonde Kitsune.

James laid back in the bed before he held Ayumi close to him, his essence still dripping out of her. "That felt amazing. It feels so warm." Ayumi said before she reached down between her legs and scooped some up on her finger before she licked it off and gulped it down. "Jesus Christ, that's hot." James said as he watched Ayumi clean her fingers off while Shelyn went down to clean up the mess between her legs.

James snaked his arm underneath Yuki and pulled her closer while Naomi and Misuki laid on his chest and Shelyn laid between his thighs next to his big iron, she kissed and licked the tip lightly before she laid her head on his right thigh.

"Alright, I definitely need to get a bigger bed if we're all gonna fit in one bed together." James said as he looked down under the sheet at Shelyn who smiled up at him. "But I feel so cozy down here though." Shelyn said as she feigned disappointment and puffed out her cheeks. "I'm saying we need a bigger bed because I get the feeling this harem isn't done growing yet." James said as he held the girls closer. "Ooh, more girls to play with... I like it." Naomi said with a purr in her voice as she placed her hands on Yuki's waist and kissed her neck.

Ayumi laid her head on his chest before she reached up and kissed him on the lips "Good night, my love." Ayumi said as she snuggled into his arm, the other girls got comfortable and found spots of sleep in. Naomi moved over and laid on top of his chest with her head turned so she could listen to his heart beat inside his chest "I'm right here in case you want a little midnight snack." Naomi said as she took his hand and placed it on her left breast.

James ran his fingers through her black hair as he looked into her amber eyes that gazed into his deep blue eyes, James placed his hand on the small of her back before he grabbed a handful of her ass in his hand "So if I woke up harder than ever?" James asked as he played along with her dirty talk. "Just slide it right in, baby." Naomi whispered, her seductive words caused his hair on his neck to stand up and his rod to twitch which caught Shelyn's attention. James sucked in air through his teeth as he felt Shelyn's tongue run along his length, Naomi giggled as she looked back at the covers moving "She sure is cock hungry." Naomi said as she rested her head on his chest and watched the wolfgirl go to town.

"Well, to be faaaaaaaiiiiiiiiirrrr..." James started to say before he felt his torque wrench slip into the Okami's throat. "... You're all a little cock hungry, Yuki's the shy one but I know she'll open up more eventually." James said as he looked over at the snow-haired Kitsune who was sound asleep in his right arm, she looked so beautiful as she slept in his embrace, her ear twitched lightly before she nuzzled into his chest. Naomi pressed her lips into his while Shelyn went to town, James tightened his grip on Naomi's ass as his vein erupted in Shelyn's mouth; the wolfgirl let out a cute noise as the sudden eruption caught her off guard before she drank his protein shake.

James exhaled slowly as he opened his eyes and found Naomi staring at him with a loving gaze "I love you, James." Naomi purred softly before she kissed him on the lips and nuzzled into his neck, James sighed as he felt Shelyn move up and away from his man meat. 'Cool, I won't die of dehydration in my sleep.' James thought to himself as he moved his arm from around Yuki and reached down to run his fingers through Shelyn's hair, Yuki made a cute noise of disapproval before she wrapped her arms around his upper right arm.

James slowly closed his eyes as he went to sleep in pure bliss surrounded by beautiful women, he couldn't help but smile as he thought about all the great things that had happened since he was revived in this new world. 'I was depressed back on Earth. No family, friends were distant, and the only friends I had were all from deployment. I wasn't happy in the slightest, so this a fresh start... a chance to start anew.' James thought to himself as he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

---

The Next Day - 0430 hours

---

James slowly opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling as sunlight slowly crept through the windows, James tried to sit up but found weight on his chest holding him down. The sunlight slowly illuminated the room and allowed James to see the source of the weight, James was surprised to see it was Ayumi who laid on his chest, Naomi laid to his left with Misuki while Shelyn and Yuki were to his right. Ayumi rested her head against his chest and looked so beautiful as she slept, James placed his hands on her waist; the sudden contact caused her Fuchsia eyes to flutter open and look into his deep blue eyes. "Good morning, my love." Ayumi cooed in a seductive tone before she pressed her lips into his.

Ayumi snaked her arms around his neck as she pressed her bust into his chest, she slowly ran her fingers through his shaggy brown hair as she stared into his eyes. James smiled and was about to kiss the kitsune when he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat, James looked down and saw Yuki looking up at James with her lime green eyes. "Uhm... Good morning." Yuki said shyly as she looked up into his blue eyes. "Well, good morning sleeping beauty." James said as he rubbed her head gently and lightly caressed her ears which twitched at the slightest touch.

James looked over to his left and saw Naomi who was nuzzled into his side while she held Misuki close to her, Ayumi laid her head down his chest as she looked at Naomi "You know... she's so happy to have her sister back. She loves you so much, so do Shelyn and I. We're fortunate that you found us that day." Ayumi whispered as to not wake the other girls. "So, how about we go into town... just the seven of us. I know it might not seem AS romantic as a one on one date but it wouldn't be fair to the others." James said as he brushed a few strands of blonde hair out of Ayumi's face. Ayumi giggled before she pecked him on the lips "I'd like that." Ayumi breathed as she got closer to his lips.

"Baby, while I would love to stay in bed, I got to go do some PT." James said as he slowly moved out from underneath her, Ayumi tilted her head confused "What's PT?" Ayumi asked confused, James climbed out of bed and pulled on his boxers, gym shorts, and a coyote brown undershirt. "Physical Training. I'm gonna make the Marines run until they drop." James said as he pulled on his BDU pants and laced up his boots. Ayumi yawned as she pulled the covers over her and the other girls "Alright, we'll see you when you get back." Ayumi said as Naomi and Yuki moved to fill the gap James left.

James walked out of his room and found Azazel laying in front of Camilla, Minerva, and the twins bedroom, Azazel lifted his heads as he looked at the Marine 'Sound asleep, sir.' Azazel said telepathically before he lowered them again. James walked out of the castle and looked out over the field as the sun crept over the horizon. The marksman walked out of the courtyard and made his way to the barracks near the cliff wall, he threw the door open and stepped inside; everyone was sound asleep except for Drill Instructor Jones and Sergeant Foley who looked at the other Marines. "You wanna do the honors, Jones?" James asked as he folded his arms, Jones smirked as he stepped into the middle of the row of beds and cleared his throat.

"ALRIGHT SHIT STAINS! WAKE THE FUCK UP BEFORE I SET YOUR BUNK ON FIRE WITH YOU IN IT! YOU GOT FIVE SECONDS BEFORE I SMOKE YOUR ASSES!" Jones yelled, the roar of his voice shook the windows as the Marines stumbled out of their bunks and formed up on the line with their chests stuck out and hands behind their backs. "Gentlemen, we're gonna do something we haven't done since basic, PT. " James said as he stood at the front of the row, Ramirez looked to his left slightly but Jones moved within three feet of him. "EYES FORWARD, RAMIREZ!" Jones yelled as he looked at the Marine. "Jones, at ease." James said as he called down the DI. "Yes sir, sorry sir." Jones said as he stepped back to James's right. "Now, like I was saying, we're gonna go do some PT. We might have these new capabilities but that's no excuse for us to get soft. I want you out and in formation in ten minutes. Sound good?!" James asked. The Marines responded with a simultaneous 'Yes Sir!' before they moved to get dressed.

---

James, Foley, and Jones stepped out of the barracks before they formed up near the runway "Hey, where did the black knights go?" James asked confused, Jones shrugged before he pointed to a section of the barracks "I think Ramirez said something about them living in the back part of the barracks." Jones said before the Marines exited the barracks and formed up in front of James. "All personnel accounted for, sir." Ramirez said as he stood at parade rest. James looked over the sea of coyote brown until he saw a white shirt with blue stripes "What the fuck? Yuri, we wear the brown shirts." James said as he gestured toward his own shirt.

"Da! Yuri got blood on shirt. I grab Russian shirt in meantime." Yuri said with a smirk. James shook his head before he looked straight ahead again "Right. Fall in!" James said before he started to jog across the runway toward the open field. "How about a little cadence, just like old times." James said as he looked over at Jones who smiled.

Marines For Me (Bold is Jones, Bold and Italicized is the rest of the Marines) (A cadence is a typical call - response song-thing that the military uses with the purpose of keeping soldiers "dressed", moving in step as a unit and in formation, while maintaining the correct beat or cadence.)

A 1, 2, 3, 4

Marine Corps

A 1, 2, 3, 4

Marine Corps

A ARMY, NAVY WAS NOT FOR ME

Marine Corps

AIR FORCE WAS JUST A TOO EASY

Marine Corps

WHAT I NEED WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE

Marine Corps

I NEED A LIFE THAT IS HARDCORE

Marine Corps

PARRIS ISLAND IS WHERE IT BEGAN

Marine Corps

A LITTLE ROCK WITH LOTS A SAND

Marine Corps

I CAN'T FORGET ABOUT HOLLYWOOD

Marine Corps

SAN DIEGO AND IT'S ALL GOOD

Marine Corps

PT DRILL ALL DAY LONG

Marine Corps

KEEP ME RUNNING FROM DUSK TO DAWN

Marine Corps

The Marines ran through the field and onto the dirt road where they then jogged in formation toward Alephis; as the Marines ran, they were passed by the occasional horse and wagon whose driver and passenger(s) looked at them confused.

A 1, 2, 3, 4

Marine Corps

TELL ME NOW WHAT YOU WAITING FOR

Marine Corps

A 1, 2, 3, 4

Marine Corps

MOMMA NOW I'M GONNA SING YOU SOME MORE

Marine Corps

FIRST PHASE IT BROKE ME DOWN

Marine Corps

SECOND PHASE I STARTED COMIN ROUND

Marine Corps

THIRD PHASE I WAS LEAN AND MEAN

Marine Corps

GRADUATION STANDING TALL IN MY GREEN

Marine Corps

TO ANYBODY WHO ASKED ME WHY

Marine Corps

HERE'S THE DEAL I GAVE MY REPLY

Marine Corps

I'LL BE A MARINE TIL THE DAY I DIE

Marine Corps

MOTIVATED AND SEMPER FI

Marine Corps

The Marines came to a stop as they neared the outskirts of Alephis, two guards outside the gate drew their swords and readied them as the Marines walked around and formed up to run back toward the castle "State your business, stranger." The guard said as the Marines started to jog in place.

A 1, 2, 3, 4

Marine Corps

TELL ME NOW WHAT YOU WAITING FOR

Marine Corps

A 1, 2, 3, 4

Marine Corps

LISTEN UP I'M GONNA SING YOU SOME MORE

Marine Corps

The guards stared confused as the Marines jogged back down the dirt road; sweat slowly dripped off James's chin as he jogged along the rock-studded dirt road.

MAKIN HISTORY SO IT'S UNDERSTOOD

Marine Corps

IWO JIMA TO THE GUADALCANAL

Marine Corps

KICKIN BUTT JUST EVERYWHERE

Marine Corps

FROZEN CHOSEN TO THE HO CHI MINH

Marine Corps

I THINK ITS TIME THAT WE DO IT AGAIN

Marine Corps

BEIRUT LEBANON

Marine Corps

I THINK ITS TIME THAT WE GET IT DONE

Marine Corps

A 1, 2, 3, 4

Marine Corps

TELL ME NOW WHAT YOU WAITING FOR

Marine Corps

The Marines arrived back at the castle gates as they finished up the cadence, "Alright Marines, follow me. There's some areas that we haven't explored." James said before he led the Marines past the front gate and around the cliff that formed an 'L' shape and concealed the castle. The Marines discovered a waterfall that flowed down into a sparkling plunge pool, the crystal clear water shined like diamonds as the sun reflected off the surface. James scanned the waters before he noticed it flowed into a river "So this is Jade Falls, that's what the chief of Faybell said. He said he doesn't know exactly where it flowed." Foley said as he knelt next to the water.

"Man, that waterfall is fucking loud! How'd we not hear it from the castle?" Feldman asked before he moved closer to the waterfall. James looked down into the water for a moment before he suddenly dove in, "Woah! Gunny! What is it?" Fox asked as he moved to the waters edge, the Marines watched as the Gunnery Sergeant swam along the bottom of the body of water before he disappeared into the shadow cast by the cliff.

A minute had passed and James hadn't resurfaced, the Marines started to get anxious fearing he might have gotten stuck and drowned. "Fuck it, I'm going in!" Ramirez said as he laid his phone and service pistol on the grass beside the plunge pool. Ramirez dove into the water and started to swim toward the falls when James resurfaced, Ramirez surfaced and stared at James in disbelief "What happened? Why were you under for so long?" Ramirez asked confused.

James chuckled as he pulled a rusted helmet out of the water and showed it to the Marines who stared at it in awe "Dude! That's so cool." Elliott said as James walked out of the water. "Who do you think it belonged to? Like, what faction or family." Fox asked. James pointed to outline that resembled a Lion's head "See that? It's a Lion crest, the same one that was on High Priest Juniper's tomb. This castle used to belong to the Juniper family. I'm guessing this belonged to a soldier." James said as he opened the metal visor and was immediately met with two black soulless pits of a skull that stared back at him.

"Ahhhh!" James yelled as he continued to hold the skull, the black pits slowly glowed blue before it emitted a low growl. "What the fuck? Is it alive?" Fox Elliott asked confused. "Well... technically Undead." The skull stated in a low, raspy voice. "Alright, back in the water you go." James said as he lined his boot up with the skull. "Please... I don't know how long I've been down there... please, hear me first." The skull pleaded.

James lowered his leg and picked up the helmet "First, can you shake my head around in the water?" The skull asked, James looked at it confused before he submerged the skull and shook it, the water became clouded as dirt and silt was flushed from the skull's mouth. "Ahh, that's so much better. Now, tell me, how is High Priest Juniper? I know he must be worried about us." The skull said as the blue orbs darted around and observed the Marines.

"What's your name?" Ramirez asked as he folded his arms. "I am Sir Booker Welter, knight in service of High Priest Juniper, at your service... if I knew where my body was, I'd bow." Booker said. "Wait, so you're aware that you're a skeleton?" James asked. "Mhmm... just imagine I'm nodding. But you didn't answer my question, how is High Priest Juniper?" Booker asked, James sat down on the grass and held Booker in his hands.

"Booker... High Priest Juniper is dead, someone or something turned him into a Lich. The Lich then killed the Juniper family, I discovered the castle and put Juniper to rest." James said as he told Booker the truth. Booker was quiet for a moment as the blue orbs dimmed and vanished. "Booker? Booker, are you okay... is he gone?" James asked. "No, I'm still here... this is like closing my eyes." Booker said before the orbs reignited. "I knew I didn't trust that Court Mage, he seemed to have ill intentions, and I was right, he was a Necromancer this whole time... I should have acted." Booker said as James sat the skull on the ground.

"Snakes hide in the tall grass, don't beat yourself up because you didn't see it hiding." James said as he patted the helmet twice. "So, I have a request. I want you to find my body and bodies of the other knights, please put us to rest." Booker said in a somber tone. "I'm the only one who has retained their consciousness, the others... the others weren't so fortunate." Booker said before he visor slid closed but James lifted it back open.

"So, what happened?" Ramirez asked confused, Booker chuckled as he looked out over the water "What else? We were betrayed and cursed to live for eternity." Booker explained. "Inside this body of water is an entrance to an underwater cave... that court mage sent us to explore it for treasures since he 'found' gold coins near the falls." Booker explained.

"Alright, we'll help but we won't kill you... you can still live... and if you want to serve someone, fight alongside my people." James said as he picked up Booker's head. Booker was quiet for a moment before his eyes moved up to meet James's "You wouldn't mind having a skeleton walking around?" Booker asked.

"Booker, I have the literal Hellfire Monarch sleeping in my castle, you'll fit in just fine." James said before Booker's head slipped out of James's hands and splashed into the water due to the grime on the helmet.

"Shit! Sorry, sorry." James apologized as he picked the helmet up out of the water. Booker chuckled lightly as water dripped off his helmet "Well, thank god I don't have lungs anymore. But I'll do it. I, Sir Booker Welter, will be in service to you and your people. I will strike down any foe that dare lay a finger on you or your kin." Booker said as he pleaded his allegiance to the Marine.

"So, about this helmet-" James started to say before Booker cut him off "It's kind of attached to my skull." Booker said, James ran his finger along the helmet and scraped some of the grime off to reveal silver metal beneath it. "Hang on, this is still in good shape, lemme just... there." James said as he scraped the gunk off the helmet with his shirt. The helmet seemed to be in good condition, aside from a few scratches and dents, it was in good condition.

"Right, so, how do we set your comrades free?" James asked as he sat Booker down. "That bastard of a court mage buried these strange crystals in their chests, that's what's keeping them trapped here." Booker explained. James nodded before he handed Booker to Ramirez and dove back into the water "He's a reckless one, isn't he?" Booker asked. "Oh, you don't even know." Ramirez said as he shook his head.

---

James swam down and passed through the narrow opening that led to the cave, James pulled himself up onto the wet stone and looked around at the mess "Man, it looks like there was a big fight in here." James said as he looked around, he looked down at the ground and found a shortsword that he quickly picked up. James took a single step forward before he heard the sound of hisses coming from the depths of the cave. "Yeah no. [Gate]!" James said before he opened a [Gate] and noped the fuck out.

"Yeah, I found them... I also found this neat sword." James said as he held a rusted shortsword, James turned the sword to examine it but the rust was so bad that the blade snapped in half and dropped to the ground in front of him. "Well, that lasted all of two minutes." James said with a chuckle. "Alright, we'll head back to the castle to arm up and then we'll come back to put these knights to rest." James said as he opened a [Gate] back to the castle. The Marines stepped through with Booker in hand and went to get their gear, James walked inside and immediately realized that he was soaked. Ayumi and Shelyn stepped around the corner to greet the Marine "Welcome back, honey... why are you so wet?" Ayumi asked, James shrugged "Dove into Jade Falls and didn't take off my clothes. I need to dry them." James explained.

"Oh, I can help with that." Misuki said as she overheard his conversation. James moved to a spot in that Misuki pointed at before she stepped in front of him and raised her hands "Come forth, Fire! A Cozy Cloak Scatters Down: [Warming]" Misuki said before an orange glow surrounded James and he felt the water in his clothes evaporate, James felt his clothes and found them bone dry. "Thanks sweetheart." James said before he kissed her on the lips gently. The marksman made his way to his room and grabbed his BDU jacket, molle vest, helmet, and his Scar-H; James walked out of his room five minutes later in his full battle dress, he kept his rifle pointed toward the ground as he walked out into the living room. The girls sat on the couches and looked at him confused "Alright, I'll be back in an hour or so. We found a cave behind Jade Falls and have to clear out the undead within it." James explained.

"Undead? What? But I thought you killed the Lich." Naomi said as she sat up, James nodded "I did, the undead were made that way by the same person that made High Priest Juniper into a Lich. That Necromancer we found dead in the tomb was the Court Mage, the Lich killed him and moved on to the rest of the castle." James explained, Ayumi covered her mouth with her hand as Naomi shook her head. "Go. Go set them free." Shelyn said as she stood up and handed the Marine a magazine that was laying on the coffee table in the living room. James nodded before he turned to leave but stopped "Why don't you girls come with me. Yeah, follow me to the shop and I can make you some armor and weapons so you can accompany me." James said as he turned back around, the girls perked up with excited looks.

The girls followed James out of the castle and over to the shop where Fox's armory was; Ayumi, Naomi, and Shelyn wore the armor James had made them when they first discovered the castle. James modified her leather cuirass with a dragon scale plating and made her arrow quiver slide and lock in place on the back of the cuirass. James also changed the design of her compound bow so it folded into 2 foot by .5 foot rectangle that clipped onto her waist. Naomi's twin swords were modified so they collapsed into one another and fit into one sheath, Shelyn's shortsword was completely changed as James reforged it into a Ninjato, Naomi and Shelyn's cuirass's were modified to be lined with dragon scale armor and chainmail that they wore underneath their cuirass that extended down their arms.

James pulled out his phone and pulled up a diagram of different types of weapons for Misuki and Yuki to choose from, Yuki chose a polearm with a crescent moon halberd blade while Misuki chose a Ninjato that had serrated teeth half way down the razor sharp edge. James used some stainless steel and made the Halberd for Yuki, he wrapped the length of the pole with leather for increased grip strength. He handed the polearm to the snow-haired Kitsune, she took the weapon and examined it slowly before she stepped out into the courtyard.

"We can teach you how-" James started to say before she started to spin and twirl it around with ease, as if it came natural to her. The shy Kitsune seemed to melt away as she spun the bladed weapon, Yuki jabbed and slashed at invisible enemies using moves James had only seen in some video games. Yuki finished her technique with a devastating upward slice and let out a 'Kyah!' as she finished. Yuki panted rapidly but slowed her breathing as she returned to a neutral stance, James and the other girls stared in amazement as she turned around and caught their gaze; her face turned red as she blushed and turned away from James.

"So uhmm... what did you think?" Yuki asked shyly, James chuckled "What did I think? Yuki, that was amazing. I didn't know you were such a capable fighter." James said as he approached the snow-haired Kitsune. Her lime green eyes seemed to sparkle as she gazed up into his blue eyes, he reached out and gently brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "Oh geez, did it just get hot in here?" Yuki asked as she blushed and moved toward the other girls. "Yuki, you're a completely different girl when you've got that polearm in your hand." James said as he lightly patted her head.

"I want to do anything to defend my savior." Yuki said, James thought for a moment before he approached the Snow Fox. "Yuki, where are you from originally?" James inquired. Yuki seemed hesitant to answer before Ayumi and Naomi placed their hands on her shoulders to reassure her. "I'm from Lestia, I used to serve under Princess Hildegard Minas Lestia as one of her royal protectors but... but those animals attacked us, they attempted to kidnap her but we fought them off. The memory is fuzzy, I think I got knocked out but I don't remember correctly." Yuki explained as she seemed to hang her head in shame.

"Yuki, that's amazing. You're such an amazing girl, you don't need to be ashamed. I've been knocked unconscious multiple times, you'll remember it eventually." James said as he clasped her free hand in his, the sudden contact caused her to blush and look away from James. The marksman patted her head lightly before he pulled out his Scar-H from [Storage] and placed it on the workbench. James pulled the magazine from the receiver before he pushed the rounds out of the magazine with his thumb, he stood the .308 rounds up in a cluster before he held his hand over the bullets "[Enchant] Come forth, Fire! Hail of Red Stones: [Ignis Fire]." James said as the rounds glowed, the slid the rounds back into the magazine before he placed his hand over the magazine.

"[Copy]." James said before an exact duplicate popped up next to the original, James did this multiple times until he had eight magazines of enchanted rounds. James made one more copy that he then slapped into the receiver of his Scar-H and pulled back the charging bolt, the bolt slid back and slammed forward, pushing a round out of the magazine and into the upper receiver. James stepped out of the shop, raised the rifle, and pushed it into his shoulder before he took aim at the cliff wall; he switched the ROF [Rate Of Fire] to semi-automatic before he slowly squeezed the trigger. The rifle bucked as a round screamed from the barrel and hit the wall, the round hit cliff face and exploded in a ball of flames that was roughly a foot and a half in diameter.

"Oi! Did you just make fire rounds?" Roman asked as he rounded the corner, James chuckled as he flipped the safety on "Yeah, now I just need to do this with 12 gauge buckshot and I'll have Dragon's Breath shells." James said as he picked up a 12 gauge shell from the workbench drawer. Naomi approached the Marksman shyly before she tapped him on the shoulder, James spun around and met her amber eyes that sparkled as the sunlight shone upon her. "What's up, beautiful?" James asked the Neko who rubbed her arm. "Uhm, could you teach us to use the weapons you use?" Naomi asked as she gestured to the racks of firearms in the workshop.

"Uhh, yeah... yeah, it won't be a problem." James said before he kissed her on the forehead. He used some red dye and [Modeling] to add a red band around the base of the magazine before he slid them into his mag pouches. James led the girls out of the courtyard where the other Marines stood with their weapons in hand; Yuri held his RPK while Elliott inspected a Benelli M1014, Feldman held his M4a1 by the foregrip as he stood with the barrel pointed toward the ground. "Alright Warlords, we're going into an unknown environment so keep your head on a swivel. We're looking for Booker's body so if you see a headless skeleton running around, don't shoot it. Now, we might be fighting skeletons but don't underestimate them." James said before he snapped open a [Gate].

---

The Marines stepped through and found themselves in a dark, damp cave; debris that looked decades old scattered the cave floor as the Marines looked around. They clicked on the tac. lights on the barrels of their weapons and illuminated the surrounding area before they moved into the dark; the Marines pushed through a narrow passage way before they fanned out and swept the area, the sound of unholy hisses erupted from the still darkness. The Marines stopped in place and scanned the area before four silhouettes emerged from the darkness and charged toward the Marines; skeleton warriors charged forward with swords in hand and hisses as their battle cries.

The Marines raised their weapons to fire but were caught off guard by the sound of hisses behind them "Shit, they circled around. Elliott, Feldman, and Jones! Cover our six. Open fire!" James yelled before the sound of sporadic gunfire echoed through the cave, the muzzle flashes illuminated the cave floor as shell casings clanged against it. James carefully fired his Scar methodically as to hit his targets exact, a .308 round hit a skeleton in its rusted chest plate and completely ignited the boney warrior. The skeleton collapsed into a pile with one final hiss, a skeleton charged from the rear but caught a buckshot to the chest and exploded into bones and dust.

Yuki dashed forward and slashed upward at an angle, her Halberd cleaved through three skeletons and vanquished their existence; Ayumi withdrew a steel arrow from her quiver, drew back the string, and let it fly, the arrow screamed through the air and hit a skeleton archer in the head. Its skull exploded into dust and its body fell apart; after a few minutes of gunfire and slashing, they found themselves surrounded by bones and old weapons. Piles of charred bone scattered the area as they pushed deeper into the cave, they found that the cave tunnel led into a wide open chamber; the Marines looked around and found a horrifying sight.

Humanoid figures stood almost like statues but the scent of rotting flesh gave them away "Bozhe moy... my friends, grab your grenades. These are Draugrs. Look." Yuri said as he pointed toward an alter like object that was carved out of stone. A tattered banner draped over the podium that resembled a black sun "That Necromancer bastard. I heard about the group that called themselves 'The Temple of Solare Gothica' but I thought they were just a myth. They attempted to obtain immortality and overthrow the kingdoms... these must be the followers." Booker said as he dangled from James's backpack. Suddenly, the Draugrs awoke from their eternal slumber as a headless skeleton stumbled in and bumped into one with a helmet that had large horns on it.

"James. You know what you have to do right?" Ramirez asked, James nodded as he had flash backs to Black Ops 2. "[Speaker]." James said before he pulled his phone out and pressed play. The sound of a church bell echoed through the cave system, the horned Draugr let out an unholy scream as the others slowly became reanimated.

Shepherd of Fire - Avenged Sevenfold (You know I had to do it)

Loud guitar riffs echoed through the chamber as the other Draugrs brandished weapons and growled with malicious intent.

Let's take a moment and break the ice

So my intentions are known

See I have pity in watching you suffer

I know the feeling of being damned alone

I've got a storybook of my own

James and the Marines sprinted into the fray, James gunned down as many as he could as he made is way toward the bumbling skeleton. James unfastened Booker's skull from his bag before he placed it back onto the spinal column of the headless skeletal body, the skeleton stood motionless for a moment before its movements became more fluid. Ramirez gunned down multiple Draugrs as they charged at him, Elliott leapt into the fray and blew one into a wall with a single buckshot. Yuri put his RPK onto his back before he tackled a Draugr to the ground and thrusted the barrel of his GSh-18 into its mouth before he pulled the trigger three times.

Don't you see I am your pride, agent of wealth, bearer of needs

(And you know it's right)

I am your war, arming the strong, aiding the weak

Know me by name, Shepherd of Fire

"You must fight like Russian Bear!" Yuri exclaimed before he grabbed his RPK and unloaded on the undead; James pulled out his M45 1911 and shot two Draugrs that charged at him, the Draugrs faltered but remained standing before a steel sword sliced through them. "It's good to be back." Booker stated as he moved his appendages carefully.

Well I can promise you paradise

No need to serve on your knees

And when you're lost in the darkest of hours

Take a moment and tell me who you see

Won't tell you who not to be

Elliott blasted holes in three Draugrs as he pushed through the hoard, James shot two more Draugrs in the head as he sprinted toward the horned Draugr. "James! They can use magic!" Yuri yelled as he slammed the stock into a Draugrs head, the horned Draugr raised his hand and unleashed a fireball that screamed through the air toward the marksman, James turned and saw the fireball racing toward him; he clenched his teeth as he braced for impact but felt the heat pass him, James chuckled as he glared at the Draugr until he heard a familiar voice shriek in pain. James turned around and saw Ayumi on the ground with burn marks to her clothes while the Victoria and Foley picked her up to move her to safety.

Now you know I am your pride, agent of wealth, bearer of needs

(And you know it's right)

I am your war, arming the strong, aiding the weak

Know me by name, Shepherd of Fire

James felt an inferno ignite inside him as rage burned with the intensity of a thousand burning suns. He felt a darkness creep inside of him as he raised his rifle and flipped the ROF to Full Auto, "You MOTHER FUCKER!" James yelled before he squeezed the trigger and sent all the hate down range; .308 rounds hit the Draugrs and caused them to combust into walking pyres that burned to ash. James dropped the spent mag from his Scar-H before he slapped a fresh one in and pulled back the charging bolt, the Marines sustained fire dented the Draugr numbers but it seemed as if summoned creatures were coming out of the shadows.

Disciple of the cross and champion in suffering

Immerse yourself into the Kingdom of Redemption

Pardon your mind from the chains of the divine

Make way, the Shepherd of Fire

James was about to run toward Ayumi but Victoria stopped him "She's alright, you have to focus on these undead freaks!" Victoria exclaimed, James nodded before he turned around and rejoined the onslaught. The Marines looked around the chambers until they saw an undead creature who seemed to be wearing ceremonial robes "Another fucking Lich!" James yelled as it summoned Zombies from the ground, the Marines focused their fire on the Lich but were unsuccessful as their rounds pierced its body but didn't hinder it. James's fire rounds hit it but didn't ignite "Fuck! It's warded against fire magic, those are enchanted robes." James said before he kicked a Draugr in the chest as it got too close and shot it in the head.

Through the ages of time

I've been known for my hate

But I'm a dealer of simple choices

For me its never too late

"Yuri, how do we kill this thing?!" James yelled. "We need to find its phylactery. We destroy that, then it'll die." Yuri said through their comms as he unloaded on the approaching Zombies. "What the fuck is a-" James started to say before Yuri cut him off "A book, probably the one used to try and grant themselves immortality!" Yuri yelled, Booker cut down two Draugrs before one loped his arm off with ease. "You fiend!" Booker exclaimed before he stabbed the Draugr in the head. James sprinted through the hoard and made his way toward the podium, he was about eight feet from the alter when a large wall of fire erupted in front of him.

I am your pride, agent of wealth, bearer of needs

(And you know it's right)

I am your war, arming the strong, aiding the weak

I am your wrath, I am your guilt, I am your lust!

(And you know it's right)

I am your law, I am your scar, I am your trust

Know me by name, Shepherd of Fire

James placed his rifle back into [Storage] and withdrew Dragon's Bane, the black sword gleamed in the ambient light as he gripped the handle with both hands as the next song came on.

Requiem - Avenged Sevenfold

Prodigia

Comploratus

Silens, oro

Regnet exitium

"You hurt her, you sonofabitch. I'm going to end your existence right here. RIGHT NOW!" James yelled as intense kick drums and guitar riffs echoed throughout the chaos that was the living vs the undead, James and the horned Draugr seemed to stare at one another before James charged at the creature, he slashed at the Draugr who blocked his attack with an old greatsword.

James tightened his grip as he felt the power swell through his body, the horned Draugr lifted its free hand as it tried to fire off another fireball but James reached up and grabbed a horn of its helmet, the marksman yanked it to the ground before he kicked it in its exposed ribs that cracked without hesitation. James swung the blade down but the Draugr blocked his strike, James placed his boot on the Draugr's sternum and pressed down until it fractured. James knocked the greatsword from the Draugr's head before he slammed the blade into it head.

Days of warning

Night brings mourning

My prayers, wordless

Heaven is burning down

I walk stricken

Pitch-black vision

O'one save me

Caress my weary eyes

Darkest Lord your mercy shall I gain

Strike the match, engulf the earth in flames

In flames, in flames, in flames

Other Draugrs circled around him as he pulled the blade from the undead creature's skull, James sliced through the other Draugrs and Zombies as they tried to swarm the Marine, flesh and bone flew through the air with each slash as he cut them down, Draugrs dropped to the ground with a final hiss as they're life force was extinguished and their souls were freed from the rotting flesh prison.

Nature quaking

Prophets aching

I kneel, faithful

Damnation cracks the sky

My heart, fiction

Superstition

Your grace, deathless

Give life to my last breath

Darkest Lord your mercy shall I gain

Strike the match, engulf the earth in flames

In flames, in flames, in flames

James climbed up onto the alter and searched for a ritual book but only found tattered pages and an old ceremonial knife, James turned around and discovered a large stone sarcophagus that was covered by an old sheet. James ripped the sheet off before he placed his hands on the lid and pushed but found that it wouldn't budge, "[Boost]!" James exclaimed before he shoved the stone lid off with ease and found a petrified corpse clutching a tome that had ceremonial writing on it.

Grant them eternal rest in your honor

Embrace them into an army of undead

Strike with vengeance those who oppose your will

And lay waste to all unsufficently served before you

Walk with them and free them from the blinding light of servitude

And devastate your enemies as they die by your hand

Amen

James reached for the book but was caught off guard when an unseen force slammed him into the wall, the air was knocked out his lungs as he dropped to the ground, James slowly pushed himself up and saw the Lich was gone but now saw a hand climbing out of the sarcophagus. "Guys! I don't think that was meant to keep people out!" Elliott yelled, James looked at the lid and saw what resembled warding. James pushed himself up and sprinted toward the sarcophagus "Oh no you don't!" James yelled as he slammed the ceremonial dagger down into the book and twisted the blade, the petrified corpse screeched in agony as an unseen force pushed back against the Marine. James slowly reached for his molle vest and ripped the pin from an M67 Hand Grenade before he dropped it into the sarcophagus.

Prodigia

Comploratus

Silens, oro

Regnet exitium

James held the blade down and kept the creature pinned as the hand grenade exploded, fire enveloped the podium as the explosion blew James back and slammed him into the stone wall. "James!" The Marines and his lovers exclaimed before they sprinted toward the marksman, James slowly rolled over and groaned in pain as he slowly felt his chest "Oh Jesus, thank god for that dragon scale plate." James thought out loud as he slowly unfastened the Velcro strap and slid the plate out, James was surprised to see the plate was barely scratched as he examined it slowly before he reinserted the plate into his molle vest.

Ramirez extended his hand and helped James up off the floor "You know, you're one reckless bastard." Ramirez said as James stood up and dusted himself off. "James... your arm..." Naomi said in a shocked tone, James looked down and found a piece of shrapnel sticking out of his forearm. "Oh, check that out." James said nonchalantly before he yanked it out and tossed it onto the stone floor. Fox reached into his bag and pulled out a roll of gauze that he tossed to the Gunnery Sergeant, James caught it and wrapped it around the wound before he ripped it from the roll and tucked it in on itself.

"Marines, ready your weapons." James said as he pulled the spent magazine from his Scar and slapped in a fresh mag; James, Ramirez, Fox, and Elliott slowly moved toward the now broken sarcophagus with their weapons raised while the other Marines fanned out and aimed in multiple different directions.

Rise from ashes

Violence clashes

My soul vacant

Cleanse me of all this sin

I stand guilty

I bleed filthy

Born of fire

Savor this final hour

"Booker, where are you?" James asked as he didn't break eye contact with the sarcophagus. "I'm here, missing an arm but still in one piece." Booker said from behind James. "Yeah, Mr. Bones is here." Pearson said as he took a knee and aimed his rifle at a tunnel. James walked up to the sarcophagus and looked inside, the body inside had been reduced to charred chunks of bone and rotted flesh; the book was charred and turned to a pile of ash. "Just to be safe." Ramirez stated before he pulled out his Beretta M9 and pressed the barrel against the petrified corpse's head and pulled the trigger. The slide slammed back as a round ripped through the corpse's head, Ramirez holstered his pistol and stepped back from the sarcophagus.

Darkest Lord your mercy shall I gain

Strike the match, engulf the earth in flames

In flames, in flames, in flames

James ripped a banner off the wall that had the emblem of The Temple of Solare Gothica "I'm gonna bring this to the King and let him know about this cult. Positive that it's now defunct, seeing as the members are all dead." James said as he folded the banner and placed it in his bag. James, Ramirez, Fox, and Elliott walked back to the other Marines but James moved to Ayumi's side, he took her hand in his before he held his other hand over her body "[Recovery]." James said before a white light washed over her body, the 3rd degree burns that were on her body disappeared as her grimaces of pain subsided.

Ayumi slowly opened her eyes and was met by James who had the look of concern across his face "Thank god, you're okay." James said as he held her hand close to his body. "If you want to go on adventures with us, I'm gonna have to make you some armor to prevent this from happening again." James said before he kissed her hand. "Alright, let's get the hell out of here. I'll send Azazel's minions here to clear out the tunnels." James said before he opened a [Gate] back to the castle's courtyard, Booker and the Marines walked through as James picked Ayumi up bridal style and carried her through while the other girls followed behind him. James carried Ayumi through the castle and into the master bedroom where he laid her down in the bed "You just rest here for a bit." James said before he kissed her on the forehead.

The other girls stayed by the bed as James walked out and looked down at Azazel who perked up 'What can I do for you, sir.' Azazel asked telepathically, James gestured for him to follow before he opened a [Gate] back to the chamber under the waterfall. James and Azazel entered the cave where Azazel grew to his full size "And what happened here?" Azazel asked as he looked at the carnage. "Oh you know, just a cult attempting to obtain immortality. I need you to summon a few of your minions to clear out the rest of the cave." James said as he rolled a Draugr over with his foot.

"Sounds good." Azazel said before his left head howled in a demonic tone. Eight black sigils formed on the ground before four Demon Lords, two Silver Wolves, and two Skeleton Warriors rose out of the ground, Azazel's right head growled and caused the summoned creatures to bow to the Hellfire Monarch before they left in different directions with their weapons and fangs at the ready. James snapped his fingers and opened a [Gate] using the ring he had created which was enchanted with the Null spell "I'm gonna go speak with the king, send a messenger if anything comes up." James said before he patted Azazel on the side and walked through the portal.

---

James stepped out of the [Gate] and found himself standing in front of the King's throne "Oh James! To what do I owe the privilege?" The King of Belfast asked as he stood up to greet the Marine. "Hey there, Tristwin. Well, we made an interesting discovery." James said before he pulled his bag off and pulled out the banner of The Temple of Solare Gothica which he presented to the King "Do you recognize this emblem?" James asked, the sight of the banner caused the King to step back in shock "Where did you find that?!" Tristwin asked, obviously somewhat disturbed by the banner.

"So you recognize it?" James asked, Tristwin nodded "Solare Gothica. Those monsters wanted to achieve immortality, but I never heard from them again... but that was nearly twenty years ago." Tristwin explained. "Their leader turned into a Lich and the followers turned into Draugrs, I found this alter like shrine thing that had a sarcophagus, inside of that was a petrified corpse that clutched a ceremonial tome which ended up housing the soul of the leader." James explained.

"I see... so that would mean that Juniper was..." Tristwin started to say before James cut him off "Murdered? Yes, by his Court Mage, who was secretly a member of The Temple of Solare Gothica and a necromancer, here's the thing though... a Lich can only be killed by destroying its phylactery, the item that the person seeking immortality would bind their soul with so the only way the Lich will die is if the phylactery is destroyed. When I encountered the Lich, I used the spell [Banish] which destroyed all malevolent forces." James explained.

"I didn't destroy a phylactery so it's possible that the leader of The Temple of Solare Gothica was Juniper himself seeing as we encountered a Lich inside the cave under Jade Falls, and its phylactery was being clutched by a petrified corpse. When it saw me reaching for the book, the Lich possessed the body and was going to continue attacking but I made sure to destroy the book and the Lich's body." James continued.

"Oh god, so much information to take in. So when the Lich saw you reaching for the book, it possessed the corpse in order to stop you?" Tristwin asked, James nodded "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up." James added as he folded the banner and placed it back in his bag. "You're keeping the banner?" Tristwin asked confused, James nodded with a smirk "Yeah, it's a trophy that I can add to my collection." James confirmed as he placed his arms through the backpack straps.

"Alright, well I'm gonna head back to the Castle. If you need anything, you know where I'll be." James said before he snapped his fingers and opened a [Gate]. "Wait, I want you to have something... stop by the Adventurer's Guild tomorrow." Tristwin said with a mustachey smile.

"Can do, I'll bring the Marines so they can get registered and get paid for doing shit like toppling an autocracy... speaking of coups, what happened with Balthazar or whatever his name was?" James asked as he sat down on a couch in the king's throne room. "Oh, you mean Balsa. We had him executed for acts of Treason and his family was stripped of nobility and exiled from the kingdom." Tristwin explained, James nearly spat out his tea that a butler had poured for him. "Well god damn, Triscuit. If I had known y'all were gonna do that, I'd let Fox disembowel him on the spot." James said as he wiped his mouth. James stood up and walked over to a table "Speaking of which, I had a little something for you." James said as he pulled out some metal and gold.

When James was alive on Earth, he had taken a trophy from when he assisted in taking out Abu Sayyaf in 2015 in Syria, he went in with Army Delta Force and provided his assistance during the raid; after the raid, James did something that could have ended with him being court martialed but since he technically wasn't there, he managed to take home a golden AKS seized from Sayyaf as a trophy that he put on display in his house. The Delta Force members helped him sneak it home by hiding it in the wall panel of their Humvee; James placed the materials on the table and held his hand over them before he closed his eyes

"[Modeling]." James said before the materials took shape and formed into a golden AKS, he then held his hand over the barrel and used [Modeling] again to add the rifling to the barrel. James pressed the mag release and pulled the banana mag from the rifle and pressed thirty 7.62x39mm cartridges into the magazine before he reinserted the magazine and pulled back the charging bolt after flipping the safety off. He flicked it back on and made his way over to Tristwin "Tristwin, I wanted to present you with this, it's an exact duplicate of the one I had back home. I got it from taking out what we call an HVT or a High Value Target, this is called an AKS. This is a very dangerous weapon so only use it if you have to, like if would-be assassins got past your guards." James said as he presented the weapon to the King of Belfast.

"Oh my, this is so beautiful." Tristwin said as he admired the weapons craftsmanship. "This is how you use it: So you look down the top of it through these parts, these are called iron sights. You put the tip on whatever you want to shoot at, flip the safety off which is here, and then squeeze the trigger. Click it down once for single fire which means it fires once with one pull of the trigger, and a second time for full auto which means to fire multiple times with one pull of the trigger which is this part." James explained as Tristwin examined the AKS. "You only have thirty rounds so if you use it, keep it on semi-auto and make your rounds count." James explained.

"My word, James. This is a fascinating piece of technology. Your country is so advanced." Tristwin said as he marveled at the piece of Soviet-Era weaponry. "YOU MUST ONLY POINT IT AT SOMETHING YOU ARE WILLING TO DESTROY." James said as he stressed his point. "I see... I will take good care of it and see that it is used responsibly." Tristwin said before James showed him the basics and how to hold it properly. "I'm going to warn you here and now, Tristwin, should I find your soldiers carrying copies of this weapon, I will come back here and I won't be happy. This weapon is extremely dangerous and should only be used by trained personnel like myself, I trust that you will not show this to just anyone." James said as he moved closer to the King of Belfast. "No sir, this will stay in my chamber on the mantle." Tristwin said with a gulp of intimidation.

"Good, glad we're on the same page. Now, I must be getting back to Fort Juggernaut. Did you want me to send your soldiers back to Alephis?" James asked, referring to the soldiers Tristwin sent during the Sandora Assault but Tristwin shook his head "No sir, those soldiers belong to you now. They are some of my best soldiers, they won't disappoint." Tristwin said before James opened a [Gate] and stepped through and found himself outside the courtyard of Fort Juggernaut. The Marines were in the barracks where they had built a full weight room using modeling, James walked over to the weight room as Fox was standing up from the bench press.

"I got next." James said as he laid down on the bench and placed his hands on the bar evenly "Three 45's and a 10 on either side, please." James said as he steadied his breathing while Ramirez and Pearson placed the plates on the bar. James tightened his grip on the bar before he pushed up and took it off the safety bars that held it up, James slowly lowered the bar down to his chest before he pushed it back up. James repeatedly lowered and raised the weight bar for a total of twenty-four times, he placed the bench press bar on the bar holder before he stood up and stretched his arms. The marksman picked up two 55 lbs free weights and busted out three sets of fifteen reps of bicep curls followed by three sets of ten reps of chest flys.

James placed the weights down and walked out of the barracks back to the castle, James picked up his Molle vest and carried it back to his room, James opened the door and found Ayumi sound asleep in his bed; he placed the vest on a chair before he walked over to the side of the bed. James took a knee before he brushed the blonde hair out of her eyes, the sudden contact caused her to stir and her eyes fluttered open "Hey sweetheart, how are you feeling?" James asked as he caressed her cheek, she placed her hand on his as she sat up slowly. "I feel better now that you're here." Ayumi cooed before she pressed her lips against his.

"I still think about that song you sang for us in Mismede." Ayumi purred as she pulled him into bed and buried her head into his chest. "I meant every word of it." James said before he kissed the top of her head. "Let me grab a shower and then we'll head into Alephis." James said before he stood up and made his way toward bathroom. After thirty minutes, James exited the bathroom refreshed and ready to conquer the rest of the day; he pulled on a fresh pair of BDU pants and a coyote brown undershirt that he tucked into his pants followed by his tac. belt that held his MR412 Rex in a snap holster. He pulled on his BDU top that displayed his rank of Gunnery Sergeant and the name Murphy on the front.

Ayumi walked out of the closet he had built wearing a beautiful black and red outfit that resembled Linze and Elze's "So, what do you think?" Ayumi asked as she spun around to show off the frills of the dress. James was speechless as he admired the blonde Kitsune, James stepped forward and took her hands into his "You look so beautiful, but you always look beautiful." James professed before he embraced her with a kiss, the sound of someone clearing their throat echoed through the room which caused James to look up and see the other girls standing there, Naomi with her cheeks puffed out and Shelyn with her hands behind her back as she twisted in place.

"You all look so beautiful, I truly am a lucky man." James expressed with love in his voice, James's profession caused Yuki to blush while Misuki smiled happily. James was about to move when an idea suddenly popped in his head "Oh, I got an idea. I'll be in the main room when you girls are dressed and ready." James said as he made his way to the door. "Aww, you don't want to watch us strip?" Naomi asked in a flirtatious manner, James chuckled as he placed a hand on her hip "Babygirl, you and I both know we'd never make it to town if that were the case." James said with a smirk before he moved past them.

James walked up to the counter in the kitchen and pulled a ring out of his pocket, he placed it on the counter before he held his hand over it "[Program] start: Cast [Speaker] and play song from user's phone that reflects users mood or situation Condition: When the users mood or situation changes. End [Program]" James said before the ring stopped glowing, he used [Modeling] to make the ring slightly larger before he slid it onto his middle finger. "Alright James! We're ready!" Naomi called out before the girls walked out of the bedroom, James looked over toward the bedroom and watched as if time itself had slowed down while the light of the heavens shone down upon them.

The girls all wore a variation of the same outfit as Ayumi except the color palette was different for each of their outfits, suddenly a sigil formed in the air before the sound of distorted brass echoed through the air followed by someone yelling to 'Turn it up!'.

HandClap - Fitz and The Tantrums

Somebody save your soul 'cause you've been sinnin' in this city, I know

Too many troubles, all these lovers got you losing control

You're like a drug to me, a luxury, my sugar and gold

I want the good life, every good night, you're a hard one to hold

'Cause you don't even know

I can make your hands clap

Said I can make your hands clap

"James? What is that?" Shelyn asked as she looked around. James chuckled "I made a mood ring that plays a song that corresponds to my current mood." James said with a smirk. "What's a mood ring?" Ayumi asked confused. "Oh, they are these rings that change color based on the wearer's mood but it actually changed depending on the wearer's body temperature." James explained

Somebody save your soul 'cause you've been sinning in this city, I know

Too many troubles, all these lovers got you losing control

You're like a drug to me, a luxury, my sugar and gold

I want your sex and your affection when they're holdin' you close (Ha, ha, ha)

"And this song is...?" Naomi started to ask but James cut her off as he moved closer to her "Basically you girls look so beautiful that I want to take back into that bedroom and have you screaming all night." James said before he kissed her lightly on the lips, he pulled away as she attempted to grab onto him. "Eh eh. You gotta be a good girl." James said as he caressed her cheek with his thumb, Naomi moved her head and wrapped her lips around his thumb before she gave him a seductive wink. James exhaled forcefully as he bit his knuckle "Fuck, you girls always win when it comes to being seductive." James said before he turned the music off with his phone.

James led the girls out of the castle and into the courtyard where Victoria and Ramirez were talking next to the CH-53 when James walked up "Yo Murphy, headin' to town?" Ramirez asked as he leaned against the cockpit of the support helo, James nodded as he looked back at the girls "Yeah, I thought I'd take the girls out since the business with Sandora is over." James said as Ayumi and Misuki held onto his arms. "Twenty bucks says he comes back with another girl for his ever growing harem." Victoria said as he cleaned the barrel of the door mounted minigun, Ramirez chuckled as he pulled out twenty dollars "I'll take that bet." Ramirez said as he held the bill between his pointer and middle finger.

Their actions caused James to laugh "I'm sorry I radiate big dick energy." James said before he opened a [Gate] to Alephis. He was about to step through when Ramirez stopped him "You got your sidearms?" Ramirez asked, James nodded before he untucked his shirt and showed the M45 1911 tucked into a waist holster and the MR412 Rex in the holster on his tactical belt, Ramirez nodded before James and the girls disappeared into the [Gate] which closed behind them.

---

Alephis was somewhat busy as James and the girls stepped out into the street, the sun was starting to set as they started to walk through the streets into the shopping district. James flashed one of the medallions to the guards to get into the luxury district before they made their way toward a clothing store, the girls were in aww at the beautiful clothing but Yuki seemed drawn toward a dress in the window. James walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, the sudden contact caused her to jolt before he wrapped his arms around her torso "You like it?" James asked softly as he whispered into her ear, his breath caused her to develop goosebumps as the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

"Mhmm." Yuki murmured, James took her by the hand and led her into the store "Excuse me, how much for the dress in the window?" James called out loudly as he entered the store. "Good evening sir and ladies, may I see your crest? We only serve Nobles." The clerk said in an arrogant tone, James reached into his pocket and pulled out the two he had "Here, take your pick." James said in a dismissive tone, the clerk was stunned as he examined the two medallions "Uh... my apologizes sir." The clerk said before he bowed to the Marine. The sales clerk moved to the front of the store and retrieved the dress from the window before he presented it to the Marine who then handed it to Yuki. Yuki was hesitant to take it but Ayumi and Naomi gave her a reassuring look, the snow-haired Kitsune took the dress before she disappeared into the changing room; the other girls looked around the store while James took a seat in the lush lounge area.

Minutes later, Yuki emerged from the changing room now in the dress that resembled a maid outfit but somehow was different from other maid dresses. James was speechless as the new ring on his middle finger glowed and formed a sigil in the air above them "So, what do you think?" Yuki asked nervously.

I Swear - All 4 One

I swear by the moon

And the stars in the sky

And I swear like the shadow that's by your side

The sudden sound of music playing snapped James out of his trance as he stepped closer to Yuki "You look stunning, I... I can't think of words that can encapsulate how beautiful you are." James said as he took her hands in his.

I see the questions in your eyes

I know what's weighing on your mind

You can be sure I know my part

Cause I stand beside you through the years

You'll only cry those happy tears

And though I make mistakes

I'll never break your heart

James reached into his pocket and pressed pause before the chorus picked up. "This dress looks amazing on you." James said as he admired the dress, the dress was black and crimson with a crimson bow on her right hip, the crimson part of the dress ended with in white frills that lined the bottom of the dress, Yuki also wore a pair of black tights that came along with the dress. Yuki turned around so James could tie the crimson bow that sat on her lower back (see Noelle from Genshin Impact's dress). "You look stunning, absolutely stunning." Ayumi complimented as Yuki turned back around. "Thank you, I remember wearing something like this when I served under Princess Lestia." Yuki explained.

The clerk cleared his throat and got James's attention "Right, that'll be twenty gold coins, can SHE afford it? I doubt it." The clerk said with a smirk, James's demeanor went from one of happiness and love to anger and wrath. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly." James asked as he stood up and slowly stepped toward the clerk. "Well... you see it's just..." The clerk started to say before James held up his hand. "I'm gonna stop you right there, you don't get to make those kinds of remarks and inflate the prices just because she's a Demi-Human which is exactly what you're doing. The price in the window says six gold so that's what I'm paying." James said as he got close to the clerk and stared death down into the man's eyes.

"Ri-Right, six gold." The clerk said petrified. James dropped eight gold coins onto the counter before they walked out into the street, Yuki seemed unfazed by the clerk's words as she was as happy as she could be. James opened a [Gate] back to their room in the castle so they could drop their clothes off, they returned moments later before the marksman took them into the downtown area reserved for Nobles. The moon had risen into the night sky as the lamps flickered to life; as they passed an alleyway, the sound of a shriek caught their attention. James stepped into the alley as four men in royal clothing towered over a woman on the ground who looked terrified.

"You should feel honored to be in our presence, you're just a lowly maid and nobody will miss you. We might as well have a little fun, what do you think?" The pompous asshat asked as he looked at his other cronies, the other men had the look of hungry wolves eyeing a wounded deer; James was about to draw his pistol when he felt air rush past him in a flash. Naomi bolted past the Marine and drove her knee into one of the goon's back, the man gasped as the air was knocked from his lungs and he collapsed onto the floor while Misuki leapt over her sister and kicked the one on the far left square in the jaw. The ringleader spun around to face their assailants but was met with a Halberd pointed at his throat, Ayumi had her bow drawn and an arrow aimed at the third man's head, the man raised his hands in surrender as piss ran down his right leg. James was stunned at what he had just witnessed but Shelyn nudged him and got his attention "Tori taught us how to fight and how to use weapons since we wanted to be able to fight alongside you." Shelyn explained, James smiled before he patted her on the head lovingly.

James wiped the smile from his face and replaced it with a look of evil intent as he started to walk toward the Nobles "Ma'am, are you hurt?" James asked as he looked over the lead Noble's shoulder. She nodded weakly as she stood up and moved past the Marine to where Shelyn stood, James crossed his arms as he stared at the four men in contemplation "Now, what to do with you?" James asked as he looked at their clothes.

---

"Down here!" A guard yelled before five others followed closely behind. "Alright, where are... what the hell?" The lead guard asked as the guards came upon the four nobles who were tied up with a letter pinned to the rope that said 'Hi, we're pieces of shit who tried to rape a maid, please throw us in jail. Thanks :) love, these would-be rapists.' The guards looked at one another before they stood the men up and walked them out of the alley.

---

James and the girls walked down the road toward a café when a voice called from behind "Uhm, excuse me?" A shy voice called out from behind them, James turned around and found the maid they had rescued stood in front of them "Uhm, I was wondering if... if I could come work for you as your maid, that is if you need one...?" She asked as she held her arm nervously. James shrugged "Yeah sure, what kind of skills do you have?" James asked, the maid seemed to perk up as she took a step forward "Well I can cook and clean as well as garden." The girl said as she elaborated on her skills, James shrugged before he waved for her to follow.

---

James and the girls returned to the castle with the maid in tow "What's your name?" James asked as he guided the maid into the castle. "Elvie Remmington." The maid stated, James chuckled as he thought about her last name 'I wonder if there's a Mossberg somewhere in the world.' James thought to himself. Victoria and Ramirez rounded the corner, Ramirez reached into his pocket and handed a twenty to Victoria who chuckled "So who's this?" Victoria asked as she hopped onto the counter, Elvie stepped forward before she bowed to the pilot "Greetings, my name is Elvie Remmington and I will be your maid from this day forward. Please leave the cleaning to me." Elvie stated before she stood up straight.

Camilla, Minerva, and the twins came out of their room to see what was going on "Oh hi, I'm Marilla and this is my sister Zaleria!" Marilla said in a upbeat tone, Minerva was shocked at how open Marilla was. "I'm Minerva and this is Camilla, we're their older sisters." Minerva said as she introduced herself. "It's nice to meet you all, I'm Elvie Remmington. If you need anything, just ask." Elvie said as she knelt in front of the young girls. "Hey Victoria, if you don't mind, can you show Elvie around the castle. I got somethings I've got to take care of in the armory." James asked, the pilot nodded before the marksman left the castle. James walked out into the courtyard and found Booker walking around aimlessly "Oi! Booker, follow me." James called out as he walked into the armory.

The Skeleton walked behind the Marine as the lights of the armory illuminated the walls lined with weapons and ordnances, Booker looked around until James came back with a box of metal "Congratulations Booker, I'm going to give you a massive upgrade. A metal body." James said as he placed a diagram of a T-850 Terminator. Fox walked in behind them out of curiosity "Hey guys what are you do..." Fox started to ask until he saw the diagram. "Oh, so we're doing this?" Fox asked, James grinned as he placed bricks of steel on the table "Yeah we are. Booker, are you ready?" James asked, Booker nodded as Fox picked him up and laid him on the table "I'm ready." Booker said as the blue orbs went dark.

"Alright, let's begin." James said as he picked up a piece of metal and got to work forming a metallic exoskeleton for the skeletal warrior. Little did they know, darkness was on the horizon and they'd need any advantage they could get.

A/N: Hey, hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I've been trying to write as much as possible but having a full time job and streaming on twitch makes it difficult to actually sit down and write, that's why I write while at work. Anyway, I would appreciate it if you left a review on what you thought of the chapter: what you liked and what you didn't like, stuff like that. It really helps me fix what I might be doing wrong like if I'm going to fast in some parts or too slow in others. Anyways, remember to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review, and as always this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.

Happy Holidays, y'all!