Alsilia War Records
Chapter 5: Last Day of Training (part 2)
Almost forty-five minutes after leaving the village, inside a forest northeast from its position
"Commander, are you sure we can trust the intel that boy gave us?" Enerimia asks as she lazily looks around, in her vision nothing but trees and shrubs, along with the occasional rabbit jumping around in search of food. "I feel like that was way too easy. Not to mention we haven't seen a single red cloth in any of the trees like he said."
"Yeah, the boy was telling the truth," Alsilia responds back, turning her head to glance at Enerimia for a moment, since she's the one leading her subordinates through the forest.
"Not trying to be disrespectful, Commander, but how can you be so sure about it?" Alash asks, comfily sitting on Antelouse's head, who despite her large size is nimbly moving in-between the trees and their unearthed roots.
"You see, my sister works in the Kitsune Kingdom's army as an interrogator, so most of the time she's tasked with extracting information from individuals, or uncovering and dismantling resistance groups in the occupied territories. As you can understand, she's pretty good at telling when someone's lying, and she's even taught me a few of the more noticeable tricks. Increased heart rate, avoiding eye contact, laughing, there are many ways to tell. Conversely, people tend to tell the truth when they are greatly disturbed or have low sanity, as well when they are cornered and their life is on the line."
"You have a sister, Commander?" Antelouse asks, and Alsilia glances over her shoulder and nods.
"Yeah, a couple years younger than me. I love her dearly, but sometimes she can be rather pushy when it comes to certain things."
"Commander, if you don't mind me asking, was it really a good idea to leave the villagers alone? Especially since we didn't apprehend or restrain the PoWs," Prund asks, and Alsilia nods once again.
"Yeah. We did send a backup request back to the fortress, so a squad or two must have teleported in the village to assist however they can."
"Will they send the villagers back at the town that's been growing on hill Dalnus?" Antelouse inquires curiously.
"No, I don't think so," Alsilia shakes her head. "The village isn't all that big, so they might send a team of engineers to fix and improve it. This should also give us a more positive opinion with the natives."
As Alsilia turns to look back in front, she spots a piece of red cloth tied around the branch of a nearby tree, immediately a small smirk forming on her face.
"Found our trail," she muses and points at the cloth, with the rest of her unit shifting their attention towards the tree.
"Then we must be close to their base. Should I use a search spell, commander?" Enerimia asks, and Alsilia shakes her head.
"Use a ping, better. Given the magic level of this world, they should not be able to even sense it."
Enerimia nods, before she stops walking and kneels down, softly pressing her open palm against the ground.
"[Ping]."
A pinging sound fills everyone's ears as an invisible wave gets shot in every direction, a few seconds passing before the dhampir stands up and dusts off her hands.
"Towards that direction, half a kilometer away from us. The spell returned thirty signatures, levels ranging from one to three, with five being the highest."
Alsilia hums as she looks towards the indicated direction, seeing another piece of red cloth hanging from a tree in the distance.
"Hmm… the biggest level must be their leader most likely."
"Should we engage, commander?" Prund asks, shifting his grip on his warhammer slightly.
"We could, but I want to try something different this time around. For now we should find a spot to camp. Antelouse, the map." Alsilia orders and the arachne immediately retrieves a folded map from her backpack, then hands it to the kitsune who unfolds it and quickly scans it. "We followed this route, so… we should be right here…"
"Commander, can't we use a magic item or a spell to locate our position?" Enerimia asks confused, with Alsilia closing the map and handing it back to Antelouse.
"We could, Private, but it's better if you do the most basic things without magic. That way, if you ever find yourselves unable to use it, you won't be completely useless," Alsilia responds, then turns around and starts walking away.
The members of her unit look at her, then at each other confused. Unable to use magic? What kind of nonsense their commander is babbling about? How can one possibly lose the capability to use magic?
"Now come, there should be a small clearing nearby where we can wait till night falls. Antelouse, you'll be in charge of securing food once we reach it. Prund, you'll gather wood for the campfire. As for you, Enerimia, you'll be on the lookout for any enemies that might get close to our position. Alash, you'll set up a temporary alarm system around the clearing."
"Are you sure about this, commander? The enemy will likely take notice of the other bandits' late arrival and might be alerted, or even worse, move out."
"If that happens, we'll simply pursue them," Alsilia curtly responds. "I can guarantee you that they won't get even a hundred meters away from our position before interception. And should they scatter, we'll simply hunt them down."
"But… they are thirty armed men, commander? Will we really be able to kill them all if they scatter?" Antelouse asks and Alsilia snorts amused.
"Have a little faith in your abilities, Antelouse. Or are you saying I should train you even harder, hmm?"
"A-Ah! N-No, of course not, commander! I'm sure we can respond to any unexpected circumstances flawlessly!" Antelouse quickly responds and almost salutes Alsilia.
"Good answer, recruit. Now go and find some food. You have twenty minutes to bring it to the clearing."
"...Eh?" Antelouse says with a confused expression.
"Didn't you say right now you will respond to any unexpected circumstances flawlessly?"
"Yes, but-"
"No buts, recruit! Now go, or I'll have you hunt unicorns for the rest of your time under me!" Alsilia says and glances back at the arachne, who shoots ahead of the unit in search of prey, expertly moving between the trees and unearthed roots despite her size.
"Commander, I do not condone your actions. You are basically bullying her." Enerimia says with a slightly annoyed expression, the brigadier general simply snorting at the comment.
"Don't worry, Enerimia, I'll equally bully all of you so no one feels left out. Anyway, after we've set camp, instead you'll fly over the enemy base and collect intelligence, understood?"
"Hah… yes, commander."
With that the unit proceeds towards the clearing, their current objective being to set up camp and wait for the night to arrive.
A few hours later, at the clearing
"Hmm… she's sure taking her time…" Alsilia mumbles to herself as she looks up at the sky, having been around an hour since Enerimia's departure to scout the enemy base, currently sitting on a fallen log that has been repurposed as a place to sit around the small campfire Prund had built, in her hand holding a stick that has a dead and skinned rabbit tied, slowly roasting it to perfection.
"Maybe something happened?" Antelouse asks, sitting next to the fallen trunk with her own rabbit, its body being nothing more than skin and bones, while its organs have already liquified and been half-drank.
"Unlikely. If that was the case, she'd have contacted us through the communication crystal, or even using [Message]," Alash comments in its usual monotone voice, the remains of a rabbit slowly getting consumed inside him by his acidic juices. "Still, being away for an hour is concerning."
"Shouldn't we contact her to make sure she's safe?" Prund asks, but Alsilia shakes her head.
"No, that could potentially expose her location if she's very close to the base," she responds, then looks at Prund. "The sun is already setting. If she's not back till it disappears in the horizon, we'll contact her."
"Your call, commander," Prund nods, then takes a big bite from his cooked rabbit.
Alsilia and her recruits wait in silence as they eat their food, and almost ten minutes later the dhampir finally returns, landing near the camp.
"Ah, so you finally decided to return. Any reason why you are so late?" Alsilia asks as Enerimia folds her large bat wings and makes them disappear, before walking next to the kitsune and saluting her.
"Ma'am. There was a barrier covering their base that was altering the perceived image, so I had to crack through it to see what their base really looked like."
"You know, you could have found a million better lies than this," Alsilia shakes her head and sighs. "If your [Ping] spell worked correctly earlier, you would have felt the barrier as well. Unless…"
Alsilia turns her gaze towards the campfire, thoughtfully looking at it for a few seconds.
"Perhaps it was put up after I used [Ping], but that would imply someone who can use magic is colluding with the bandits."
"Which can't be possible, given this world's tech and magic level," Alsilia concludes, before she pulls back her now cooked rabbit and looks at it. "Which means a third party is involved. Hmhm, things are getting interesting. At any rate, grab a rabbit and take a seat; you need to report what you saw."
Enerimia obliges and takes a seat, though she doesn't grab a rabbit and instead elects to take one of her rations from her backpack, a sealed bag full of blood.
"Not interested in some fresh blood, Private? Antelouse went out of her way to get it just for you."
"Uhm, Commander, I didn't…" Antelouse trails off as Alsilia raises her hand and motions her to stop talking, while Enerimia sinks her fangs in the bag and drinks some of the blood.
gulp gulp gulp
"Hah… no offense, Commander, but I'm not drinking blood from something as dirty as a wild animal," Enerimia scoffs, before she's presented with a dead rabbit by the kitsune.
"I insist, Private," she states simply, her eyes gazing straight at Enerimia's.
The dhampir quietly gazes back at Alsilia, before she slowly raises her hand and takes the rabbit, her expression slowly contorting to one of disgust and repulsion.
"...On second thought, I'm not as hungry as I thought. Maybe… I'll save it for later.." she says and puts down the rabbit along with her ration, then grabs a stick from a nearby pile and starts drawing something on the dirt. "As for the bandits' base, it's been set up right at the edge of the forest. There are no defenses to speak of, just tents and a few wagons."
Finishing her drawing, Enerimia puts the stick away and glances at Alsilia.
"I also spotted far more people than with the [Ping] spell, at least fifty. Some were chained, definitely slaves."
"Huh… so the plot thickens. What kind of slaves?" Alsilia asks in mild interest, thoughtfully looking at Enerimia's drawing and finalizing her course of action.
"Both men, women and a few children, mostly humans, but also some humanoid demihumans."
"So labor and sex slaves… What is the punishment for slave ownership in the Sorcerous Kingdom and its vassals, Prund?" Alsilia asks the half-orc, then takes a mighty bite from her cooked rabbit. "Mmh, that hit the spot. Good catch, Antelouse."
"Th-Thank you, Commander!"
"For slave ownership in the Sorcerous Kingdom and their vassals, usually they are heavily fined and imprisoned, unless it's a newly conquered land, where said slave owners are given a chance to free their slaves for monetary or some other kind of compensation," Prund responds, and the kitsune slowly nods.
"Yup, so here's what we'll do. Antelouse, you'll remain in the forest and weave a web to block any and all bandits fleeing towards it. Kill all strugglers, unless I say otherwise or they are non-combatants. Prund, you'll cover the northern side, make sure none escapes. Alash, you'll cover the southern side. Enerimia, you'll be providing support from above and strike any targets I designate. As for me, I'll go from the western side, make sure everyone gets pushed to the directions of you. Any questions?"
"According to military law, shouldn't we give them a chance to surrender, as well as free the slaves?" Enerimia asks, causing Alsilia to snort.
"You seriously expect them to surrender to a lone demihuman, private? Some of their people are missing and they haven't even moved from their spot. Anyway, the only target we'll need to secure from the bandits is their leader. After that, we deal with the rest, rescue the slaves, and call a backup team in our position. We'll be making the round trip on foot, though."
"How do we locate their leader?" Antelouse asks, with Alsilia glancing at her and taking another large bite of her rabbit.
nom, nom, nom, gulp
"Usually, the highest level person is the leader. Other tell-tale signs are better armor and equipment, commanding tone, bodyguards, etcetera. I'll try to capture him myself, or at the very least tag him for you to notice. Remember, we need him alive. If you do wound him, at least provide him with basic first aid so that he won't die."
"Understood, commander."
Alsilia nods to Antelouse, then quickly wolfs down the rest of her meal, until nothing but bones remain.
"Haah~... that was nice. Well then, since we still have an hour or so until nightfall, how about we learn a bit more about each other?"
Everyone looks quizzically at Alsilia, save for Alash who gently vibrates to express his confusion.
"Is there a reason for this, commander?" Prund asks, while Alsilia sits down on the ground and leans back on the log, her three tails gently wrapping around her side.
"Sure is. Starting tomorrow, we'll be a squad, and I make it a priority of mine to know my subordinates, especially with how small of a unit we'll be," the kitsune responds, gently caressing one of her tails. "Now then, why don't we start by telling the reason we all joined the army? Different people, different reasons. Alash, want to go first?"
"I don't mind, commander," Alash gently vibrates, then jumps on Antelouse's head.
"H-Hey, I'm not your podium!" the arachne cries out as she looks at the vibrating mass of slime, but makes no effort to shoo it away.
"I joined the army with the prospect of being assigned to a post in Falmart. My species is naturally curious, and having explored most of the main continent back home, I wanted to see something new. What's better than a completely new world where even magic seems to be completely different than ours? Not to mention being in an exploration unit means I'll be able to see all kinds of places and people."
"Hmhm, indeed you've traveled to quite a few places," Alsilia comments, then makes an inquiry. "I saw in your file that you had been in the Kitsune Kingdom. Have you been to the capital?"
"Yes. I was even able to see the Azure Temple, though it was still under construction when I visited," the slime vibrates gently, then jumps down on the ground. "An impressive temple nonetheless, especially since it is for a religion that's exclusively followed by your species only."
"Oh, so you even know about it, huh? Aren't you quite knowledgeable," she chuckles, before she turns to look at Prund. "What about you, Prund? Why did you join the army?"
Prund thoughtfully looks at the campfire for a few seconds, before he looks back at the kitsune.
"I suppose… it's to prove my worth to my tribe. Being a member of a nomad clan, and an orc one at that, I have to prove myself in battle, and come back home as a warrior. What a better place to do such a thing other than the army?" he says, and Alsilia nods in understanding.
"So your end goal is to fight enough and get a few scars in the process so that you'll be recognized as a warrior in your clan."
"Yes. Though being in an exploration unit might make this a bit more difficult than I thought," Prund snorts amused and glances at the fire, before directing his vision back at Alsilia. "May I ask you a question, commander?"
"What is it, private?"
"The scar on your right eye… was it made by a cursed weapon or something? Such injuries are usually very easy to treat by the medics of the Sorcerous Kingdom's army."
Everyone looks at Alsilia with interest, as the kitsune keeps caressing her tail in silence for a few moments.
"No, nothing like that. It was made by a simple dagger," she shakes her head, which seems to surprise everyone.
"Then why didn't you get it healed, commander?" Antelouse asks, and Alsilia smugly smiles at her, as if amused by the question.
"Because this scar right here is a trophy, recruit," she responds and lightly taps the eyelid of her right eye. "For a kitsune, battle scars are trophies you can openly brag about. They also show you are a strong individual and make you more appealing as a mate."
Alsilia glances at the fire once more, a prideful and nostalgic expression having formed on her face.
"I got this scar during the defense of Rendal. Same with the chipped part of my ear. We had set up defenses just outside the outskirts of the town; trenches, magical artillery, we even had a few golems for support. Our scouting and information stated the enemy wouldn't launch an attack against us for the next few days or so, which had us being rather lax that day. Perfect for a surprise attack, wouldn't you agree?" Alsilia grins, memories of the attack slowly flooding back in her mind.
"Everything started with a few, bright flares in the sky, and then all hell let loose, starting with a magical barrage that I somehow survived in almost one piece," she says and gently taps her ear, right at the cut part. "Then they charged towards our trenches and hand-to-hand combat ensued. I can still remember it as if it happened yesterday…"
Almost twelve years ago, in the last continent of Gown Prime
Just outside the occupied city of Rendal
"This is boooooring, nothing has happened for three days now!" a young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes whines, lazily looking at the vast plains stretching in front of him, the horizon hidden by a huge forest only a kilometer away from him.
"Where's the enemy? The glory? The fame! All I've been doing ever since I arrived here is digging trenches with the skellies or running errands for the commander…" he whines, currently sitting at the edge of said trench with his weapon, an enchanted spear, right next to him.
"Shut up, Royin. The headache I'm having is obnoxious enough, I don't need your whining as well," a young Alsilia growls at the boy annoyed, currently standing next to him with her wooden crossbow at hand, ready to be aimed and shot if the need arises. "Ugh… I knew I shouldn't have drank that much…"
"But it all worked at the end, did it not~?" she hears a voice say from her right, before she feels a hand glide down her butt and squeeze it hard, causing her to yelp in surprise and swing her crossbow on reflex.
"Eek!?"
thunk
"Gwah-!"
thump!
"Hoo boy, that must have hurt," Royin comments with a sly grin as he looks at another human with short brown hair and brown eyes, currently lying on the ground and clenching his stomach. "Should have seen that one coming, Nodlin."
"Fuck… that hurt…" Nodlin croaks as he turns on his belly and slowly sits up, his mage robes now covered in dirt. "How strong… are you…"
"Hmph! That's what you get for groping me, pervert!" Alsilia growls annoyed, snatching Nodlin's staff and inspecting it for a moment..
"Well, I got rewarded… in a different manner yesterday… so I don't mind~... Heheh~!" the man grins at Alsilia as he stands up. "Well, can I get my staff back? Pretty please?"
"I knew I shouldn't have taken your offer yesterday…" the girl mumbles in slight embarrassment and prepares to swing the staff on Nodlin's face again. Oh, she will give him back his staff. She will very much give it back in the most appropriate way.
"Muu, that's enough, Alsilia," a deep, almost masculine, but still female voice echoes behind the kitsune and a massive bear paw grabs the staff, lifting it along with Alsilia up in the air.
"Myridith! It's not my fault, he started it!" Alsilia shouts and whips her head around, coming face to face with a bear demihuman covered in white fur. "Now let me go so I can-!"
"Still, you shouldn't resort to violence so quickly," Myridith responds, then moves Alsilia away from Nodlin and puts her down. "Not to mention the commander will be mad if he sees us fighting each other."
Alsilia gazes at Myridith for a few moments, before she crosses her arms and looks away with a pout.
"Hmph! Then he shouldn't have groped my butt!" With a huff, her tail moves intensely, but Nodlin quickly retorts.
"You didn't have any problems with that yesterday night~"
"Grrr…!"
Seeing Alsilia baring her teeth, the mage quickly lifts his hands up and backs away.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop, no need to bite me!"
"Next time I'll rip your throat to pieces…"
"D-Dully noted…"
Alsilia stops showing her teeth to Nodlin, while Royin chuckles in amusement and Myridith sighs slightly.
"It seems like everyone's having fun," a familiar voice booms and everyone tenses up, turning around to find a lizardman staring intently at them. "Almost as if in an amusement park."
"Commander Adehlmin, sir!" Alsilia says immediately and snaps a salute, the rest of her unit quickly following suit and saluting as well.
"At ease, all of you," Adehlmin nods and everyone lowers their hands. "Royin, Nodlin, go to the secondary line of defense, you'll be manning one of the mortars for the rest of the day. Alsilia, Myridith, you'll stay here until an element from Third Platoon comes to replace you, then you'll move to section D-4's outpost to replace the soldiers there, understood?"
"Yes, sir!" everyone responds and Adehlmin hums in satisfaction.
"Good. Now get moving, the enemy might attack at any moment."
With that, the lizardman turns around and goes away, with Royin and Nodlin sighing audibly after he gets out of earshot.
"Sheesh, he's always so scary…" Royin mumbles, then looks at the rest with his usual amused smile. "Well time to get going, Nodlin. Or we might have to dig more trenches as a punishment for being late."
"Yeah, no thanks," Nodlin responds, not wanting to go through one of Adehlmin's punishments again.
Why do they even force them to do physical labor when it is easier to simply use magic, or even have the undead do it? He didn't waste his time in the academy just to dig trenches! Nonetheless, the young man would rather not complain loudly, or he might get punished again.
"We'll see you two later. Stay safe out there, ladies."
Royin and Nodlin go away, leaving Alsilia and Myridith alone to watch over their part of the trench until their replacements from Third Platoon arrive.
"Hah… I swear, one of these days I'll deck him on the face so hard, he'll spend at least a week in the infirmary," Alsilia sighs, then almost gets pushed to the ground as Myridith "gently" pats her back.
"No need to get violent now, you know how Nodlin can be," Myridith chuckles, though her expression barely resembles a smile. "Not to mention with how advanced healing magic has become, virtually any injury can be fixed in minutes!"
"Ah, no, he'd stay there due to the mental trauma I'll give him," the kitsune corrects her friend, her annoyance clear as the day.
"Sheesh, talk about being ruthless…" Myridith laughs nervously, then leans closer to Alsilia. "Say, how was it yesterday with him~? Hmm~?"
Alsilia's cheeks redden considerably as she whips her head away from Myridith, clearly embarrassed about what happened between her and Nodlin yesterday.
"N-nothing really… just had a few drinks… chatted… y-you know, the usual stuff…"
"Hmm~? Just that~? Surely you jest~..." Myridith says in a teasing manner, putting one of her clawed paws on Alsilia's shoulder. "Then his comment about yesterday night was a lie?"
Myridith moves her face even closer to Alsilia's, with the fox turning her face away even more.
"Uuuu…"
"Come on, Alsilia, we are friends, are we not~? Can't you tell your best friend the scoop? I promise I won't tell anyone about it." Making a zipping motion just makes things even worse, embarrassing the kitsune even more.
"..."
"Pleeeeaaase~..."
"..."
"You kissed, didn't you~?"
"...We did…" Alsilia relents in the quietest voice possible, though still loud enough for Myridith to hear her.
"Ahahaha, I knew it!" Myridith laughs heartily, causing the rest of the soldiers inside the trench to look towards their direction.
"K-Keep your voice down, I don't need everyone here knowing about it!" Alsilia panics for a moment, using both hands to close Myridith's mouth and make her stop her laughter.
"Mmmmn… Mmph mmn, mmmph mmmm."
"L-Look, it's embarrassing as it is, please don't make me feel any worse…"
Unclasping the bear demihuman's mouth, Alsilia sighs slightly, her ears drooping against her cap for a moment.
"Hehe, sorry. I just got excited…" Myridith apologizes, sheepishly scratching the back of her neck. "Then one last question."
"What is it?" Alsilia asks and turns around, only to find Myridith's face a breath away from hers, her eyes almost sparkling in excitement. "Uhm… Myridith…?"
"Did you guys do it?"
"...Eh?" Alsilia blinks several times, her thought process halting for a moment before realization strikes her in the gut like a hammer, her whole face reddening as much as a beetroot.
"N-No we did not! What the fuck, Myridith, I'd never do something like that with a guy like him!" she screams at the bear, who in turn starts chuckling slyly, having already found out the answer.
"Ufufufu~... sure, whatever you say, Alsilia~"
"Uuu… I hate you, Myridith…" She can't help but whine, her tail wrapping around her abdomen as she sits down, feeling way too embarrassed to face her friend.
Her bear friend keeps chuckling with an amused expression, until she spots something from the corner of her eye and looks in the distance. "Huh…? Aren't these flares?"
"Hmm? What are you talking about?" Alsilia asks curiously and looks up from the ground, only to find three bright, red flares high in the sky, almost as if signaling something. "That's weird. Maybe one of the scouting parties got into trouble and sent a signal flare?"
"Wouldn't they use magic to communicate if there was indeed trouble?" Myridith makes an inquiry confused, her fur slightly standing up as a bad feeling creeps up her spine.
"I suppose…" Alsilia muses, before she starts feeling as if something's wrong. "Hey… don't you feel a slight discomfort…? Almost as if-"
"Get dow...!"
BOOM!
Before she can complete her sentence, a giant explosion rocks the whole area, a shockwave hitting both of the demihumans and throwing them down on the trench's ground, a layer of dust and some chunks of stone showering them shortly afterwards.
"Ghk-! Th-That…! Enemy attack! Raise the alarm!" Alsilia shouts as she slightly pushes herself off the ground, only for another explosion to rock the earth, this time the shockwave throwing her away like a ragdoll and showering her body with shrapnel.
Hitting her head quite hard on the ground, Alsilia blacks out momentarily, her vision going black and her body numb, with only muffled screams, shouts, and loud noises, along with an intense ringing, occupying her ears and a throbbing pain occupying her head.
"Guah..."
Letting out a pained groan, yet another shockwave throws her away, her body crashing against something and crashing on the ground face-first, this time around losing consciousness as everything goes black and silent.
"...Hrrng… ow… my head is killing me…" Alsilia groans loudly as she slowly regains consciousness, the numbness slowly washing away from her body and replaced by an aching pain all over it, having a hard time moving her arms and legs as she slowly opens her eyes and blinks a few times, looking at the smoke-filled blue sky for a few moments. "Ugh… give me a break already…"
Squeezing her eyes shut and rolling on her abdomen, Alsilia slowly and painfully stands up, her crossbow nowhere to be found, while the arrows from her quiver have been thrown all over the place.
"Uugh… Myridith! Where are you!?" Alsilia asks confused as she looks around, the trench she had been positioned in having changed into a shallow ditch, with body parts, mutilated bodies and injured soldiers populating it, as well any soldiers that were lucky enough to survive the onslaught.
"Dammit! How did they even bypass our barriers!" she seethes as she keeps looking around, before she spots her battered crossbow, so she quickly goes to grab it. She has neither the time nor the means to check how damaged her weapon exactly is, the only thing she can do currently being to face the already charging enemy.
'Tsk! Even if I have my crossbow back, I have no arrows to reload it! I'll need to make this one shot count, then rely on my mana saber if I want to make it out of this alive…' such thoughts race through her mind as she quickly checks the status of her crossbow.
Thankfully, despite its battered state it is still usable to an acceptable degree. The alarms have already started blaring everywhere as any surviving officers are shouting orders at the survivors of the battered, outer defense line, trying to reorganize its remnants before the enemy attack reaches the front.
'Haah… I can only hope she is still alive… Then again, she's a bear demihuman, I doubt a few artillery shells would take her down,' Alsilia thinks as she turns her gaze towards the forest line in the distance, already seeing people and monsters exiting it, charging towards the defense line like crazed bulls.
"Come on, you bastards! I'll make sure to rip your throats with my own teeth!" she growls loudly and shows her canines, then raises her crossbow and takes aim at one of the charging enemy soldiers. It's not long before several explosions throw the charging ranks of the enemy into disarray, the planted traps along with the help of friendly magical artillery thinning the enemy herd just enough to guarantee the defense line won't be broken through.
"All soldiers, fire at will!" one of the officers orders and all soldiers and magicians equipped with ranged weapons or magic open fire at the approaching enemy, with Alsilia pressing her crossbow's lever and firing her enchanted arrow, hitting a man straight on the neck and killing him, his body losing its balance and falling down on the ground as he starts choking in his own blood.
Alsilia then slings her crossbow on her back and draws her mana saber, grabbing the hilt with both hands and applying enough mana to form a blade.
'Alright… haah… haah… deep breaths, Alsilia… you can make it… you pushed through three years of this shit, just remember your training and you'll be fine…'
It isn't long before the enemy reaches the outer defense line and crashes against it, with both people and monsters jumping inside the trench, frantic hand-to-hand combat erupting instantly between the soldiers of both sides.
cling! cling! clang! shiiin!
The sounds of metal striking metal, flesh ripping, roars and cries of pain fill the air in a chaotic, albeit beautiful way, with a figure jumping before Alsilia, facing her and serving as her first opponent inside the trench, a man with light armor and a fancy spear; most likely a mercenary or an adventurer.
"Haaaaa!" the man shouts as he thrusts his spear square on Alsilia's chest, with the kitsune using her saber to parry the thrust to her left, then gliding her blade along the spear's pole and ending with an upward slash, the sound of shearing flesh audible as the mana blade easily goes through the man's abdomen and chest, his grip on his weapon disappearing and his body limply falling down with a weak cry of pain.
Serving in the front lines since the start of the invasion, Alsilia had already gotten somewhat used to it by now; still, the stench and sight of death was never easy to acclimatize to… see enough dead bodies and hear enough screams, and one will start doubting themselves, whether what they are doing is worth it or not.
Still, hesitation is death on the battlefield, and thus, she doesn't hesitate to raise her own weapon and block an attack from her next opponent, a soldier wielding a pair of daggers.
"Tsk!" Alsilia clicks her tongue as the man jumps back and avoids her counter-slash, spinning his daggers to hold them in a reverse grip and then jumping towards the kitsune with incredible speed. Alsilia does try to evade the lunge by pivoting to her left, but her timing is a bit late, resulting in a shallow cut on her abdomen and a more deep cut on her right thigh.
"Ahhh!" she shouts as her right leg gives in and she stumbles sideways, giving her enemy an opening to swing one of his daggers straight for her neck.
CLANG!
Alsilia barely manages to swing her saber and block the strike, the force of the impact sending both weapons flying off of their respective wielders' hands, and forcing the kitsune to completely lose her balance and crash down on the ground on her back. The enemy soldier immediately takes this chance and jumps on Alsilia, mounting her and raising his dagger above his head.
"Grrrrr!" Alsilia growls loudly as the man swings his dagger straight for her neck, her arms barely getting in its path and blocking it from a clean strike, though in exchange it goes through her right hand's forearm.
The blade hangs mere millimeters away from her throat, eyes wide open as she puts all her strength against the man's arms to stop him from piercing her throat, though bit by bit it inches closer, like looming death slowly sealing her fate.
The searing pain the hole in her forearm causes has already been numbed away by the adrenaline coursing through her veins, her heart throbbing in her throat as fear slowly gets replaced by desperation and a sense of dread.
The smell of her sweat and blood fills her nostrils as she starts pushing her body more and more, her instincts slowly taking over control as she realizes she probably won't make it out of her current predicament alive.
'No, I can't die here! I still have to take care of Ralia!' Alsilia screams in her mind, putting any remaining strength she has in her arms as she feels the dagger pinching her throat, a trickle of blood gently rolling down on her chest, her life slowly flashing before her very eyes as she nears the inevitable. 'Dammit all! I refuse to die here! I refuse to let things end this way!'
"Then, would you like some assistance, my child~?"
'H-Huh!?' Alsilia widens her eyes in surprise, an invisible shockwave passing through her body as everything comes to a halt, she herself being unable to move anything but her eyes. 'Wh-What's this!? I can't move my body at all!'
"Stay calm, my child. I merely stopped time, that's all~" a soothing, soft voice echoes inside Alsilia's head and a woman comes into her field of vision, her eyes widening in mute shock.
Silvery fur, pale skin, and a pair of divine eyes colored red greet Alsilia, along with an amused, if somewhat mischievous, smile.
"Surprised, my child~?" she asks gently, this time the voice coming from her mouth rather than echoing inside Alsilia's head. "Then again, it's not every day you see a goddess in the mortal realm, is it~?"
'I-It can't be! It's impossible! The Goddess of the Moon, residing over life, chaos and darkness…! Have I already died and she's here to collect my soul!?'
Alsilia wants to deny the possibility, but however she twists and turns it there's no logical reason for what she's seeing; from the woman's red and white miko uniform she's wearing, to her facial characteristics and the glowing, golden thread tied on her neck, she is indeed the very goddess Alsilia worships every day, the one she offers her prayers to and asks for protection.
"Ufufuf~, be at ease, my child~ You are neither dead, nor am I here to reap your soul~" the woman chuckles as she walks next to Alsilia's frozen head and kneels beside it, then lifts it and puts it on her lap. "I simply came because one of my precious followers was in great peril~"
Alsilia watches in confusion and fear as the woman starts gently rubbing one of her fox ears, serenity and warmth slowly spreading throughout her body as translucent, black tendrils slowly exit from her body and swim through the air around the woman's arms, coiling around them a few times before getting absorbed by her.
"With that said, I'm here to reward your diligence and faith with a choice~"
'...A choice?'
"Indeed. Do you wish to live, my child? Do you wish to go through more hardship and grief to achieve your goals? Do you wish to walk the thorny path of life, to suffer more in this endless hell you've been born in?" she asks softly, lovingly caressing Alsilia's head over her leather cap, her ruby red eyes still gazing gently at her own brown ones. "Or do you wish to accept the sweet embrace of death and finally find solace, to be done with all the pain and agony you have endured till now?"
'I… I wish to live. I have to live. Even if it means I have to suffer for the rest of my life. I cannot leave my sister alone in this world. Whatever it takes, however much hardship and pain I have to push through… I beseech you, o great goddess… please lend me your strength… so that I may push through this adversity… and I shall pay any price you request of me…'
Despite Alsilia's calm and tranquil voice, the goddess can clearly feel her turbulent emotions, the anxiety, fear, and despair most prevalent as she keeps feeding on them, their sweet taste leaving her craving for more.
"Then let me ask you a question, my child. Do you seek this power for your sister's sake? Are you doing this as an act of selflessness?"
Luneir tilts her head slightly and touches Alsilia's forehead with her index finger, then slowly glides it over her face and where the enemy's knife is pinching her neck and slightly presses the blade down, pushing it further in Alsilia's throat.
"Or do you seek my power out of your selfish desires? Not for the good of those around you, but for your own happiness, so that you may be able to sleep at night with a clear conscience."
The tendrils quickly dilate and become even blacker, Alsilia's emotions getting even more turbulent as she's presented with a dilemma. One wrong word, and her life is forfeit at the hands of the goddess she so religiously worships.
gulp
'I… It is a selfish request of mine, goddess. Me and my sister have gone through so much hardship, I do not wish to see her with nothing else other than a smile on her face. If I fall here, this smile might never appear on her face ever again… So please, I beg you mighty goddess, forgive my insolence and grant this selfish request of mine!'
The black tendrils that continuously feed Luneir Alsilia's negative emotions immediately flare up and turn crystal white, cracks quickly forming on them before they explode into particles of light and gently flow up in the air.
"Very well, my child. I shall grant your request."
Luneir's gentle gaze slowly turns sadistic, her smile changing into an amused grin as she lifts her right hand and an intricate, purple dagger appears on her grip with an engraved blade, depicting a scene of two figures facing each other, with a sphere floating between them.
"My compensation for lending you my power is as follows~ First of all, you shall experience a great hardship in the near future, for life is nothing without strife, nothing without hurdles, nothing without chaos. Second of all, I shall take your right eye as mine and leave a scar in its place, so that you may be marked as mine. And finally, you shall become my apostle. Your body, your soul, your very existence shall become mine. And as my property, you shall do whatever I will, you shall follow my every order to the letter, you shall serve me with utmost devotion."
Lowering her dagger on Alsilia's face, Luneir gently drags its tip from her forehead to her cheekbone, passing the blade over Alsilia's right eye and leaving behind a line made of light that quickly disappears. The dagger then disappears and reappears next to Alsilia's head, then Luneir bends down, planting a gentle kiss on Alsilia's forehead.
Almost instantly, a warm feeling washes all over Alsilia's body as newfound strength fills her aching muscles, with an unbearable, burning sensation briefly appearing on her crotch.
"You've now been marked, my dear apostle, and our contract has been formed~" Luneir says as she moves her head off of her lap, then elegantly stands up and slightly bends over her. "Your first order is to live your life as you see fit~ Show me how you push through adversity, show me how you push through the obstacles that life has prepared to throw at you~! Paint your life with colors and let the chaos reign supreme as you forge your own path~!"
Luneir's grin quickly turns back to its previous smile, her gaze softening considerably as Alsilia starts feeling her heart beating very fast, her previously volatile emotions quickly returning one by one.
"But above all else, make sure you keep your sister smiling. For it is she that gives you the strength to move, and the resolve to persevere."
Blinking once, Alsilia finds herself back into struggling against her opponent, the familiar, stinging pain on her throat greeting her mind as she desperately tries to survive, both her and her enemy's expression showing their resolve to be the one to survive.
"Grrr! I REFUSE TO DIE HERE!" Alsilia suddenly roars and with her newfound strength pushes the man's dagger away from her throat, eyes wide open and full of determination. Despite that though, Alsilia knows she'll die at this rate unless she somehow turns the tables on her enemy, and so she starts desperately looking around for anything she can use as a weapon.
'Come on, anything will do! Even a broken piece of metal, just something to swing at this bastard's neck!'
It's not more than a few moments before she notices a familiar object lying next to her though, its purple, engraved blade shining under the sun.
'Ah! This is-!'
Without further thinking, Alsilia grabs the dagger with her free hand and swings it at the enemy soldier's neck as fast as she can, forcing him to forgo his dagger and roll away, demounting Alsilia in the process. The kitsune grasps this chance and quickly stands up, foregoing her own dagger and pouncing on him like a wild animal.
"AAAAAAGGHHHHH!?"
crunch!
The man lets out a pained croak as Alsilia, with a furious roar, sinks her teeth on his throat and pierces it, the taste of blood and raw flesh flooding her mouth in a gruesome display of savagery. But Alsilia doesn't care in the slightest about it as she yanks her head to the side, ripping a substantial part of her enemy's throat and letting him fall to the ground, silently watching him writhe in pain and choke on his own blood as he futilely cups his fatal wound with his hands, nothing but pitiful gurgling sounds escaping his mouth.
"Ptt! Hah… hah… hah…" Alsilia pants heavily as she gazes at the dying man for a few moments, then removes the dagger lodged in her right arm and turns around to find her next adversary.
swing! slash!
Alsilia barely manages to see a blur coming down her head and steps back from the deadly strike, the feeling of something cold and metallic cutting through her flesh and right eye making her whole face flare up in unbearable pain.
"Aaarrghh!?" she screams as the right side of her face starts feeling as if it has caught on fire, one of her hands immediately shooting up and cupping her wound, while the other is planted firmly to the ground as she falls to her knees, her legs having given up as a throbbing sensation starts pulsing within her head.
'Urrgh! That fucking hurts!' she curses in her mind as she tries to lift her head and look at her enemy, only for a blow on the left side of her head to knock her out completely as everything goes black and an eerie silence greets her.
Back to the present
"...der? Commander!"
Hearing Enerimia's voice calling her, Alsilia snaps out of her reminiscent thoughts and looks at her subordinate, who was slightly waving a hand in front of her.
"Finally you reacted. You've been staring at the fire for quite some time now," the dhampir says as she retracts her hand, while Alsilia lets out a quiet sigh.
"It's fine, Private, just reminiscing about the past," the kitsune responds, before she coughs slightly to clear her throat. "At any rate, let me state why I joined the military. Me and my sister come from the slums, and since we lost our parents at a very young age, we had a very rough upbringing. Had to take part-time jobs and sometimes steal so that I could feed us and be able to attend school. Though, when I was sixteen I dropped out and joined the army since it offered a place to stay and a paycheck that was hard to decline."
Alsilia snorts amused and looks up in the quickly darkening sky, a smirk forming on her face for a moment.
"And then I got dragged into the SK's vassal forces and found myself shipped straight for the invasion of the last continent. Funny how things work out sometimes, wouldn't you agree?"
With a dry chuckle, Alsilia lowers her face and looks at Antelouse.
"What about you, Antelouse? Why did you join the army?"
"Ah, well… it's not like I wanted to join the army, but rather my mom signed me up," Antelouse laughs awkwardly, lightly scratching the back of her neck in embarrassment.
"That's… not what I expected to hear, to be honest," Alsilia muses. "Any specific reason why she did that?"
"It's because arachnes tend to leave their parents' home after they become adults, as was the case with my sisters, but I decided to stay and help my mother with her weaving business. My mom was worried about how I'd survive on my own, given arachnes are solitary creatures, and so here I am," Antelouse explains.
" I see… so, you can weave as well, private?"
"Of course, commander! I can make any manner of clothing with my silk! From scarfs to dresses, nothing's out of the realm of possibilities!"
Seeing Antelouse puff her chest out in pride, Alsilia can't help but smirk slightly, the girl reminding of her and her friends during the first months of the war.
"Good for you, private. I'll be putting your weaving skills to good use in the near future," the kitsune chuckles, then turns to look at Enerimia. "Last but not least, our resident noble. Care to tell us why you joined the army?"
Enerimia straightens herself a little and moves some of her hair to the side, then crosses her hands over her thighs and tilts her head slightly up.
"Very well. My full name is Enerimia Cylon Bellastina, seventh child and third daughter of the Bellastina household. My family has been strong supporters of the Supreme Beings and the Sorcerous Kingdom since its founding, and to show our loyalty to their cause every member of the family has to assist in some way the kingdom. Usually, the women join the army as infiltrators or assassins, while the men join the special forces."
"Then why are you here? Shouldn't you be training as an assassin or infiltrator?" Antelouse asks cluelessly, causing Enerimia to take a deep breath through her nose.
"All Bellastina members are trained for their intended role from childhood, so that they may join the Sorcerous Kingdom's forces upon coming of age. Sadly, due to certain circumstances, I did not receive this training. Furthermore, I'm much weaker than most of my siblings, so it was decided I'd have to join the kingdom's armed forces as a simple recruit, just like most people. Despite that, I shall perform my duty as is expected of me, and return home with achievements befit of my status!" she declares at the end, her posture finally relaxing as she uncrosses her hands and leans back slightly.
'So it is recognition, hmm?' Alsilia hums in her mind as she averts her gaze from the dhampir and towards the campfire, grabbing a stick to stoke it slightly and prevent it from completely extinguishing.
"Well then, now we know a little bit more about each other. We all have our own circumstances for being here and have our own goals to achieve."
Putting down the stick she's holding, Alsilia stands up and pats her uniform slightly to dust off any dirt that has stuck to it, then looks at the sky.
"It's gotten dark enough, so get your gear ready, we'll be moving out in twenty minutes," she orders and everyone complies, standing up from where they are sitting and moving towards their backpacks and weapons to prepare.
Around an hour later, everyone has prepared and has taken their position according to Alsilia's plan, with the kitsune herself sitting prone a few hundred meters away from the bandit camp and looking towards its direction, her communication crystal at hand and feeding it mana.
"Is everyone in position?" she asks quietly, and a few moments later gets a response.
"This is Enerimia, I'm right above the camp. No suspicious movements from the enemy as of now, looks like they really don't care about the missing people."
"I'm all done here, commander! I set up a net with my web at the edge of the forest just as you ordered!"
"This is Prund, standing by at the edge of the camp's northern side, over."
"This is Alash, I've reached the southern side."
"Good. Do not attack until I give the signal. Your highest priority should be to capture their leader, should I somehow fail, then the rest of the non-combatants. Any bandits that surrender knock them out. The rest are to be killed."
Stopping her mana feed to the crystal, Alsilia cuts the transmission and hangs it on her belt, then stands up and slowly starts walking towards where the camp is, which thanks to the barrier that surrounds it looks like just another patch of grassland with nothing of interest on it.
'Alright, let's see if we can pull this off without any major incidents,' Alsilia hums in her mind as she stops just a few meters in front of the barrier and lifts her arm, her open palm facing forward.
"[Barrier Break]."
crack! craaack! crash!
Large cracks start forming out of thin air that quickly snake everywhere, until the very picture in front of the kitsune breaks apart and falls down to the ground, revealing a large encampment of tents and cages, with various men and slaves running around in panic.
"Weren't expecting this, were you?" Alsilia mumbles to herself as she retrieves her crossbow from her back and loads an enchanted bolt, then slowly makes her way inside the camp.
"Hey, over there! We have an intruder!" one of the bandits shouts at his fellows and points towards the walking kitsune, only for an arrow to strike him at the head moments later, causing his body to get knocked to the side and crash on the ground, the sheer force behind the projectile leaving him decapitated.
"Too slow!" Alsilia shouts as she loads another bolt and takes aim and fires, eliminating yet another bandit who was about to fire his bow at her.
Bells start ringing all around the camp as Alsilia slowly makes her way through the first row of tents, each arrow she fires yet another dead bandit that hits the ground.
"What the fuck is wrong with that chick!? She's only a damn demihuman!" one of the bandits shouts as he fires an arrow at Alsilia, the brigadier general deftly leaning to the side and avoiding the flimsy projectile as if trying to avoid an oncoming snail.
"Someone tell the boss! This animal isn't-gwah!"
"I heard that," Alsilia says as the bandit hits the ground with a pierced heart, loading yet another bolt on her crossbow, glancing around for her prey; the bandits' leader.
"Die, you filthy bitch!" a bandit wielding two hand-axes roars angrily and charges towards Alsilia, wildly swinging one of his arms and throwing his handaxe straight for her head.
"Hmph, is this supposed to be threatening?" Alsilia scoffs as she steps to the side and grabs the flying weapon with her tail, then chucking it to the side like a discarded toy. "And you call yourselves men. Maybe calling YOU bitches would be more appropriate with how weak you are."
The enraged bandit lets out another roar and dashes right in front of the brigadier general, swinging his remaining hand-axe down with the intent to slash her chest open.
thunk!
The handaxe strikes Alsilia's crossbow as she uses it to block the strike, a translucent aura appearing around the crossbow for a second as the strike is fully nullified, leaving the man open for a counterattack.
"Lesson number one…" Alsilia says in a strict manner and swings her arm along with her crossbow to the side, pushing the man back and throwing his weapon away. "…never close the distance to an enemy you don't know their capabilities."
Aiming her crossbow at the staggered man and pulling the lever, the enchanted arrow hits him in an instance square on the chest, sending him flying backwards and crashing against another bandit, both of them getting knocked against a tent and completely destroying it.
"Hmph. Aren't these guys supposed to be trained soldiers? Hah, this is so disappointing…" Alsilia sighs and retrieves her communication crystal as a few bandits stop a few meters away from her, all of them brandishing swords or bows, with some even holding spears.
"What's with all this commotion going on!? You specks of dust can't take care of a measly demihuman?" a tall man roars as he quickly walks towards the gathered bandits, resting on his back a massive axe and holding with a hand a chain that connects to a collar, a woman covered in scales being dragged along with him.
'At first glance he looks no different than the rest of the men, but…'
Gazing at the approaching man for a few moments, Alsilia retrieves her communication crystal and gives it some mana to contact Enerimia.
"Enerimia, do you copy?" the kitsune asks as the tall man, most likely the bandit leader, pushes through the small crowd and at the front, towering over Alsilia by at least a few heads.
"Loud and clear, commander."
"So you are the one that has been causing this sorry lot to panic like headless chickens," the man scoffs, a lecherous smirk appearing on his face. "For a demihuman, you look mighty fine, I must say. Mmh~, you'll make for a fine toy~"
The bandits all around laugh slightly at this, evidently their leader's appearance having bolstered their morale against this new intruder that's seemingly invisible.
"I've found the bandit leader. Once I secure him, kill the rest of the bandits in my location with an AoE spell."
"What if they surrender?"
"Try not to kill them, I guess."
Ending the transmission, Alsilia hangs the crystal on her belt, then puts her crossbow on her back and looks at the tall man.
"Are you the leader of these men?" she asks and the man smirks pridefully.
"Indeed I am! Tremble in fear before me, for I am Whirlwind Rundel!" he roars and laughs, though he quickly stops since Alsilia only offers him a bored expression.
"Can't say I've heard of you, not that it'd matter. I'm brigadier general Alsilia of the Kitsune Kingdom's armed forces, currently under command of the Sorcerous Kingdom's vassal forces as an instructor and unit commander." Grabbing her mana saber's hilt, Alsilia takes it off of her belt and starts supplying it with mana. "As per military law and the Sorcerous Kingdom's laws, you'll be granted the chance to release your slaves and seize your banditry, as well swear eternal fealty to the forty-one Supreme Beings. Of course, there'll be monetary compensation for any loss of merchandise. Should you fail to comply, however, you'll be trialed with the Sorcerous Kingdom's laws, and the penalty for banditry and slavery is death."
Silence fills the air as everyone looks at the kitsune, before Rundel starts heartily laughing, followed by the rest of the bandits.
"Ahahaha! You are a funny one, little fox!" Rundel says, before tugging the scaled woman forward and releasing the chain. "I don't know from where you stole the equipment you wear, but you certainly know how to be feisty~ How about entertaining us a little before we beat the shit out of you, hmm~? Nunda, make sure to give her a good beating, or I'll beat you instead."
The scaled woman shudders in fear, before she looks at Alsilia with an apologetic expression.
"As a fellow demihuman, I'll give you a chance to surrender yourself," Alsilia says and lifts her mana saber's hilt, with a mana blade suddenly forming and surprising everyone around her. "Do that, and no harm will come to you. Be warned, however, for if you come with the intent to fight me, I won't hold back."
Releasing a quiet growl, the scaled woman widens her eyes in terror as her body freezes completely, primal fear washing all over it and slowly sliding down on her knees.
"Good choice. As for the rest of you, what's your answer?"
"Tch! I'll deal with you later, you useless lizard," Rundel growls and takes his axe from his back, then starts walking towards Alsilia. "For now I'll deal with-"
slash!
clang!
crash!
Before he can complete his sentence, Alsilia has already stepped behind Rundel, his axe cut into pieces and lying on the ground as he too falls down unconscious.
"To all units, target secured, prepare for combat. Enerimia, the opening move is yours," Alsilia says in her crystal and moments later lightning rains down, hitting every single bandit in the kitsune's immediate vicinity and frying them to a crisp. "Good hit, multiple KIA."
The sight is enough to send the remaining bandits running, trying to flee in any direction other than the one Alsilia is in and evidently finding themselves against her subordinates. Alsilia absent-mindedly looks around as the screams of dying people echo in the night sky, before she contacts Fortress Gown to request a back-up squad to help with rounding the slaves and anyone that has surrendered, as well to secure the area and see if they can figure out who erected the barrier.
All in all, it takes around an hour until everything has been settled and the area has been secured, with Alsilia and her recruits standing at the center of the camp, the kitsune talking with one of the soldiers that came with the backup squad while Enerimia, Antelouse, Prund and Alash stand at attention in front of them, their uniforms and equipment weirdly clean for the bloodshed they had just committed.
"Yeah, I'll leave it up to you. Tell General Wolfpaw I'll be at his office in the morning."
"Understood commander. Will you be returning via teleportation?" the soldier asks, but Alsilia shakes her head.
"No, we'll be returning on foot. Anything else?"
"That's all, commander."
The soldier salutes Alsilia, and after she salutes him, goes away.
"With that out of the way, everyone!" Alsilia says to her recruits and they immediately tense up, the kitsune slowly eyeing them one by one. "At ease."
The recruits visibly relax, while Alash jumps on Antelouse's shoulder.
"With today's operation coming to an end, your training week has finished, and you've all successfully passed. As of now, you four are no longer recruits in training, but members of the Fifty-First Exploration Squad. Once again, I'm brigadier general Alsilia of the Kitsune Kingdom's armed forces, currently employed by the Sorcerous Kingdom's vassal forces and I'll be the commander of the exploration unit. Our main objectives will be the exploration of the special region, especially any territory currently under occupation by the Sorcerous Kingdom, and to locate any resources we may be able to find inside them. Secondary objectives include patrol and escort duties, as well bandit hunting, like what we did today."
Alsilia then takes her helmet off, letting her ears twitch slightly as if trying to stretch them.
"Show me respect, and I'll show you respect. Treat me like shit, and I'll show you what Hell looks like. Since we'll be working together, I believe we should all be in friendly terms, just know your limits."
Combing her hair slightly with her free hand, Alsilia puts her helmet back on.
"Follow my orders, and I'll make sure you all make it back home in one piece, understood?"
The recruits nod in unison, and Alsilia cracks a smile, if only for a moment.
"Excellent. I officially welcome you to the Fifty-First Exploration Squad, ladies and gentlemen! I expect each and every one of you to go above and beyond, understood?'
"Yes, ma'am!" the recruits responds and snap a salute.
"Now get moving, we need to be back at the fortress before the crack of dawn."