Alsilia War Records
Chapter 2: New Orders
"What do you mean you have to go away? Alsilia, you've been home for less than a month, and now you are getting transferred to the special region? Are you kidding me!?"
"Ralia, please calm down. The order came from my superiors, there's nothing I can do. Look, I'm sure it won't be for that long-"
"No! Last time you said the same thing and you were gone for three years! Three whole years!"
"Haah… I'm really sorry you have such an incompetent big sister, Ralia…" Alsilia mutters to herself, her ears drooping forward slightly as her argument with her sister gets replayed on her head again and again.
It's been three days since Alsilia left her home to travel to the majestic capital city of the Sorcerous Kingdom, where she is to hitch a ride through the Gate via carriage, currently sitting at a café to pass time until departure.
'I knew this was coming… I can only hope they won't keep me for that long in the special region…' she thinks as she raises her drink and sips some of it, lazily looking around at the other customers of the café.
'So many different races, you only see this in the merchant district back home… Quite the sight, if I'm honest.'
Werewolves, humans, elves, alraune, so many races altogether and mingling with each other. Chatting, laughing, arguing, it is a very odd sight for Alsilia. Since in her country most of the population is made by kitsune, both humanoid and demihuman, to see so much diversity gathered in a single city, it is really surprising. It almost reminds of her time in the war, minus the bloodshed and constant fear of death.
'It'd be nice if there could be something like this back at home, too. It makes everything so much more colorful and interesting…'
sip
Drinking some of her drink, her thoughts return back to her sister, though this time her mind gets preoccupied with the possibility of bringing Ralia here for vacations, as a gift for being away from home yet again.
'Mmh… I'm sure she'd love it here. So many landmarks, shops, parks, and whatnot to explore. They even have casinos and amusement parks, not to mention the arena… Yeah, I'm certain she'd be so happy if we went a vacation together here, but…'
"Excuse me, Miss."
Looking at her side, Alsilia finds one of the café's waitresses standing next to her, in her hand a piece of paper.
"Your bill," she says with a smile, putting the piece of paper down on the table.
"Ah, thank you very much," Alsilia responds and picks up the bill, only to frown when she reads how much her one drink cost.
'But everything here is so freaking expensive!'
Having taken a walk around just a few hours ago, Alsilia couldn't believe the prices of some of the products in the display windows of the shops. She couldn't deny their quality, it was unlike anything she had seen till now, but some of them cost as much as her monthly salary. And she could maintain a whole mansion and a few maids with it back home.
"Haah… please give me a moment…" she sighs to the waitress, then opens her coin purse to retrieve the required amount and hand it to the short, smiling dwarf girl patiently waiting by her side.
'There goes my travel allowance from HQ…' she thinks as the waitress thanks her for her patronage and goes away, leaving her alone once more. 'Let's just hope things won't be as expensive on the other side, or else I'll have to spend most of my time in the base.'
Drinking the rest of her drink, Alsilia then stands up and grabs her duffel bag, slowly making her way out of the café and towards the Gate.
'Hmm, let's see… after arriving at the other side, I first need to report to the overall commander of the fortress, receive my orders so I know what I'm supposed to do there, and also have him sign the papers for my temporary transfer from the Kitsune Kingdom's Army to the Sorcerous Kingdom's Unified Vassal Army… though I still can't understand why they'd send me of all the possible candidates. Unless they are planning to contribute troops to that front as well…'
Alsilia's face develops a thoughtful expression, many possible reasons for her sudden transfer coming in mind, though none giving her a satisfying explanation.
'Eh, whatever. As long as it isn't an office job or to watch over recruits, it'll be fine. Who knows, perhaps I'll be assigned to a frontline once war breaks up in the special region again. And if I manage to distinguish myself amongst the assigned brigadier generals, I might even be able to get a noble title and have my own family name! Ah, I can already imagine how excited Ralia will be if this happens!'
Alsilia's eyes glitter in excitement for a moment as the corners of her mouth turn upwards into a wide smile, before she quickly shakes her head and her expression becomes neutral.
'No no, don't get ahead of yourself, Alsilia! Do your job first, then daydream about fortune and fame. Humility and duty above else.'
Nodding to herself once, Alsilia looks a little bit around to make sure she's going towards the right direction, only to notice some of the people on the street discreetly glancing at her.
'I guess my uniform is a bit more eye-catching than I thought. Then again, it is my formal uniform… I bet it's all the medals on it. Or maybe it's my rank insignia. It's not everyday you see a high ranking officer walking around the city while wearing a military uniform. Most of the times these guys move around in fancy carriages.'
Paying it no mind, Alsilia keeps walking towards the Gate, and around fifteen minutes later, she finds herself on the outside perimeter wall built around it. Approaching its gate, she finds two soldiers standing guard in front of it, as well two Death Knights on each side.
"Halt. What is your business here?" one of the guards asks Alsilia, before he notices the plentitude of medals on her uniform, as well her insignia on her shoulders. "Brigadier general, welcome to the Gate. May we know what brings you here?" he asks as he snaps a salute at the kitsune, the other guard saluting her as well.
"At ease, soldiers. I'm here to grab a carriage for the special region," Alsilia says after stopping in front of the guards, showing him her transfer orders she had retrieved from her duffel bag a minute or so prior.
"Special region? Ah, you mean Falmart?" the soldier asks a bit confused as he stops saluting and takes the papers Alsilia is holding to check them out.
"Excuse me for asking this, ma'am, but don't you have a personal carriage?" the other guard asks out of curiosity, only for his fellow soldier to whip his head around and glare intently at him.
"You idiot, what are you asking!? Do you want-"
"No, it's fine," Alsilia says as she raises her hand to stop the guard from speaking any further. "I do have one, but I rarely use it. I prefer walking whenever possible."
'And Ralia really loves moving around with it, so I couldn't really get it to come here…' Alsilia sighs mentally as the first guard finishes inspecting her transfer orders, then hands them back to her.
"The papers seem in order, brigadier general. You may pass," he salutes Alsilia, while the second soldier goes to open the gate.
Alsilia nods once and takes her transfer orders, then puts them back inside her duffel bag and makes her way towards the now opening gate.
'Oh wow, so much security…' the kitsune thinks as she passes the gate and enters the inner perimeter, her eyes widening slightly as she sees a multitude of high-level units posted around a dome-like structure that has a greyish cyan color, made of a special, magically resistant stone and adamantine alloy.
'Death knights, nephalem guards… there's even an arch seraphim! Not talking about the patrolling undead and summoned creatures…'
Looking a bit around, Alsilia notices that just behind the outer wall there are tall towers housing rotatable platforms, on top of them an array of magical cannons pointing directly towards the dome and the inner perimeter wall that surrounds it.
"Huh… I didn't notice them from outside. Perhaps there is an invisibility field covering the area?" she wonders aloud as she looks back at the inner perimeter wall, the same tall towers with rotating platforms there as well, though the cannons on them point towards the sky. 'Hmm, anti-air defenses. Also, more people patrolling on the walls, I bet they are mage units. Yeah, anything or anyone decides to attack here, they are getting annihilated in an instant.'
With that thought in her mind, Alsilia then makes her way towards a small area where a few carriages towed by golem horses are parked, some of them loaded with different types of materials, while others are loaded with people waiting to be transferred to the other side.
'Let's see… all look pretty crowded…' Alsilia thinks as she looks at the carriages, until she finds one that she can squeeze herself in.
'Hmhm, that will do. Oh, there's even enough space to sit at its edge, what luck.'
Reaching the carriage in question and walking behind it, Alsilia puts her duffel bag on the back and slightly pushes it further inside, before she jumps up and sits on the edge, all the while the soldiers inside look at her in dumbfounded surprise.
"Hey hey, isn't she…"
"Look at the insignia on her shoulders, she's a brigadier general!"
"Huh!? The hell's she doing here?"
"Did you see all the medals she had pinned on her? Definitely a war veteran…"
"Don't these guys have their own carriages for moving around?"
"You don't think she's a disgraced noble or something similar?"
"What? There's no way such a cutie is a disgraced noble!"
"You say that for every girl you see, Rondi…"
"Wow, dude, now wait a minute! I don't say it for every girl…"
While the soldiers whisper to each other in an attempt to be discreet, having fifteen people doing it inside a cramped carriage at the same time, it quickly gets quite noticeable, and Alsilia can't help but sigh to this.
'Definitely either coming with my own carriage, or wearing my service uniform next time…' she thinks, not expecting to draw that much attention with her uniform. 'But at least this shouldn't be the case on the other side, hopefully. Then again, I won't be using this uniform outside the base most likely, so there's that.'
And with that, Alsilia patiently waits for the carriages to start moving towards the Gate and on to the special region, quietly humming to herself to pass time.
Scene Change: Half an hour later, Fortress Gown
"Hah… it's been quite some time since I saw such a grand fortress," Alsilia sighs in a nostalgic manner to herself, jumping down from the carriage, then grabbing her luggage and walking a few steps away from the back to allow the rest of the soldiers to disembark. Looking around, she can't help but notice all the buildings made from magically enchanted stone, the huge walls of the fortress that rival even the one she had seen back in the last continent when it comes to height, and the amount of soldiers and summoned creatures going around.
'Standard infantry and cavalry units, dragon knights and griffins patrolling the airspace with assistance from nephalem guards… it's almost as if we are preparing for another war…'
Alsilia can't help but smile at everything around her, a warm feeling of familiarity welling up in her chest.
'Heh… it's been quite some time since I last felt like this,' she grins slightly to herself, just as a soldier quickly makes his way towards her.
"Ma'am! Welcome to fortress Gown!" he says as he stops behind Alsilia and salutes her, with the kitsune turning around to look at him. "The general wishes to talk with you and has instructed me to lead you to his office!"
'Huh? I know I'm a brigadier general, but why would the overall commander of the fortress want to speak with me? And especially after just arriving… feels just a bit creepy…' Alsilia thinks as she gazes at the soldier for a few moments.
"Very well. Lead the way, private," she responds and the soldier stops saluting her, then turns around to lead her towards the general's office.
'Well, I need to get my transfer papers signed, so this works out for me too, I guess.'
Alsilia follows the soldier closely, lazily looking around as they head towards a large building made of enchanted stone, most likely where the administrative offices are.
"Well… Private, have you heard any rumors going around the fortress?" Alsilia asks, seemingly trying to ease the tense atmosphere as she shifts her focus towards where they are going, instantly recognizing some of the barriers and enchantments that cover the three-storey tall building, as well spotting two guards at its entrance.
"Rumors, ma'am?" the private asks innocently, glancing over his shoulder at the kitsune for a moment.
"Yes, private, rumors," Alsilia repeats herself.
While it might have sounded strange for someone like her to ask for simple rumors, sometimes simple people or even low ranked officers were great sources of information.
Of course, one should always take such information with a grain of salt, but it generally helped with learning interesting things from time to time.
"Hmm… well, there's been a recent rumor that command has been sending a lot of troops and summons towards the western border of the Saderan Empire. Apparently, one of the countries there has spared no expense at mobilizing, having fielded a massive army to compete with our forces. Not only that, but the surrounding kingdoms are preparing for war against the now weakened Empire. Also, it seems NATO diplomats have been in touch with them for a possible joint operation of some sorts," the man says as they pass the soldiers guarding the entrance of the building, who immediately salute Alsilia upon noticing her insignias.
'Hmm… that's quite weird. Fielding a massive army out of nowhere? That should be quite impossible. It's not like the western kingdoms are any stronger than the rest… Maybe something else is at play here. As for the second rumor, it could be possible, but completely foolish. Even if they cooperate, it's highly unlikely they'll be able to push us back. Hell, I'd say we'll be able to counterattack almost instantly after a war declaration.'
"Another rumor is that quite a few scout parties were sent over the mountains in the West towards the snowy plains after them but… only two or three returned back. Some say they died because of how treacherous the climate is there, but others say they were killed…"
"They were killed? By who?" Alsilia asks in interest as the two start ascending a staircase towards the third floor, where the general's office is.
"No one is sure, but according to the rumor, one of the scouts was mumbling something about shadowy demons when they took him and his team back in the Sorcerous Kingdom."
"Huh…" Alsilia says thoughtfully, this having piqued her interest quite a lot. 'Shadowy demons, eh? That's interesting. Perhaps some kind of unique monster? Or an entirely unknown enemy?'
Her eyes lit in excitement as the two step on the third floor, a small grin appearing on her face.
'Then… what if I was called here to help with that? Ah, an opportunity for fame and recognition! Then again, if that's the case… I screw up and my whole career is over… Maybe I don't want to have been called for dealing with that mystery,' she thinks as the soldier leads her down a hallway and towards a set of wooden doors guarded by two soldiers that wear intricate armor, their weapons made of precious metals and engraved with runes.
'Elite guards, huh? Well, to be expected, since this is a general's office. But the quality of their armor and weapons… it puts my kingdom's best equipment in shame.'
Sighing a little at that, a chilling sensation shoots up through her spine out of nowhere, causing her to look up in the ceiling and spot a few spider-like creatures going back and forth without making the slightest of noises, their eyes affixed on her.
'N-No way… they even have widowmakers? Both guards and summons, this general must be pretty important for the whole army, not just the fortress…'
Gulping audibly and averting her eyes from the ceiling, Alsilia cautiously looks around, suddenly feeling that there might be something more than she can currently see.
'Wouldn't find it weird if there were invisible units here as well…'
But as much as she may try to sense anything hidden from sight, she finds nothing out of the ordinary, which makes her even more suspicious and nervous.
'Calm down, they are with you…' Alas, she can't help but involuntarily shiver.
Reaching the set of doors, the guards immediately stand at attention, with the private opening the door and entering inside the general's office.
"General, I've brought the brigadier general!" the soldier announces and he snaps a salute, just as Alsilia enters inside, the door closing automatically behind her.
'Huh… this place is a lot more conservative than I thought…' the kitsune muses in her mind as she glances around the room, spotting nothing more but the absolutely necessary furniture, such as a desk with two chairs in front of it, a few cabinets and a small water fountain powered by a magic crystal. 'Scratch that, the room looks like it has only the necessary… no paintings on the walls, no bookshelves or glass cabinets…'
Her eyes glance at the few furniture that the room has inside it, then slowly fall on the man that sits behind the admittedly well-made desk, currently signing some kind of paperwork.
A werewolf of big stature, his height probably being around two meters tall, maybe even more, with black fur covering his entire body. Several scars adorn his face and arms that create visible lines on his fur, while instead of the standard military uniform he's wearing a set of metal armor made of a mysterious yet shiny material, heavily enchanted and with runes engraved from the inside - providing a plethora of resistances and buffs to the wearer.
'Wow! Neat stuff!'
If Alsilia thought the armor of the elite guards was putting her country's best equipment to shame, this one could be considered a national treasure of impressive potential.
"Good work, private. Await outside; when the brigadier general has finished here you will guide her back to her dorm," the werewolf orders and the soldier salutes him, then quickly exits the office.
'This voice… it sounds somewhat familiar. Where have I heard it before…'
"General, sir," Alsilia right away salutes the man, before lowering her hand and letting down her duffel bag. "I was told you asked for me."
"That's correct, 'private'," he says with a big grin, finishing signing a document. "Though, I suppose I'll have to call you brigadier general from now on."
Demi-human expressions were most of the times strange, and if not resembling her own kind, the brigadier general wouldn't be able to tell the General's grin from a frown.
"Yo-You…!"
Alsilia's eyes widen in utter disbelief, her mouth slightly agape from the sudden shock, she was right! The general was too familiar, she knew him!
"C-Colonel Wolfpaw!? You became a general?" she stutters in surprise, gazing at the man for a few moments before her cheeks blush slightly in embarrassment. Yet, it is just for a few moments, before she quickly composes herself.
"Khm! Forgive me for this unsightly act, general! I lost my cool for a moment!" she says as she snaps at attention, causing Wolfpaw to chuckle heartily.
"At ease, brigadier general. It was quite the surprise for me to learn you were being transferred here, much more with such a high rank."
Alsilia sighs through her nose and relaxes herself a little, before noticing the general motioning towards one of the chairs in front of his desk.
"Please, take a seat."
Alsilia nods with all seriousness, taking her bag and moving towards the desk to take seat.
"It's good to see you are doing alright. You took quite the punishment last time we met. I really thought you wouldn't make it out alive."
Alsilia chuckles a little at this, moving some of her hair to the side, remembering the exact case.
"I was simply doing my job, general. My survival was of secondary importance."
"Yet look how far you made it. Going from a private to a brigadier general is no simple task. Even more impressive you've done it under just a few years."
"I thank you for the praise, general, but I could say the same for you. Last time I saw you, you were a colonel. Yet not only are you a general now, but also the overall commander of fortress Gown and almost any operation concerning the special region-I mean Falmart."
"Quite funny what difference a few arrows can do, don't you agree?" Wolfpaw chuckles amused, before his expression turns serious. "But enough with the small chat, let us proceed. I believe you have your transfer orders with you?"
"Yes, sir," Alsilia responds and once again retrieves her transfer orders from her duffel bag, then unfolds them and places them on the desk. Wolfpaw takes the papers and quickly scans them, then takes his pen and signs them.
"Welcome back to the Sorcerous Kingdom's Unified Force, brigadier general. I expect great things from you."
"Yes, sir. I won't disappoint you."
"Hmm, a good answer. Now, as for your first orders, you are tasked with creating and leading a five-manned unit from a pool of recruits fresh out of boot camp. The unit's main objective will be the further exploration of the Falmart region, as well carrying out secondary orders, such as patrols, escort missions for high-rank officers, or bandit hunting."
Alsilia looks at Wolfpaw in mute disbelief, not wanting to believe what she just heard.
"General, with all due respect, I refuse to follow these orders," the kitsune responds and the werewolf raises an eyebrow, unable to decide whether to be offended, or amused by the dare of the girl.
"Brigadier general?"
"I did not make it this far to do things meant for lower ranked officers and soldiers. My duties are to assist in overseeing the planning staff during operations, not babysit a bunch of recruits and take them out to picnics."
"The order comes from the top, brigadier general. You do realize what it means to disobey them, no?" Wolfpaw asks and intently gazes at Alsilia, who unfazed gazes back at him.
"Can't you assign someone else? I'm sure a sergeant or a lieutenant would gladly accept such an assignment. Perhaps even a major," she suggests, but Wolfpaw shakes his head.
"The order stated specifically you, brigadier general. The whole reason you were transferred here was solely for this purpose, so there's nothing that can be done."
Alsilia's face scrunches up slightly at this, then sighs in defeat and stands up, not happy at all with how things have evolved in such a short amount of time.
"I understand, sir. Then I'll accept the orders," she says both reluctantly and bitterly, having really hoped for something that would make her distinguish herself from the rest. Yet, she can't help but deep in her subconscious suspect who would do such thing with her.
"Good. I'll send someone with the files of the recruits in your dorm room later. After selecting the members of your unit, have someone bring their files to my office for approval. You may test them or train them after they arrive, if you want, but the unit must be operational within seven days of their arrival."
"Understood, sir."
"Good. You are dismissed. The private will escort you to your room. Until further notice, rest, familiarize yourself with the base."
"Sir," Alsilia says and salutes the general. She then grabs her duffel bag and moves out of the office, with the private that had brought her here now guiding her towards the room arranged for her.
Scene Change: An hour or so later, in the arranged room
"Alright, all done now," Alsilia says as she looks around the room, dropping on the ground her duffel bag after emptying its contents.
"Clothes and spare uniform in the small wardrobe… made sure the bed is properly made… cleaned the bathroom… yep, nothing else to do," she hums going through her small list, then sighs in satisfaction.
Though as she says that, her eyes fall on a small pile of folders next to the desk her room has, and an audible sigh leaves her lips.
'Right, I have to go through the files they brought me as well… I swear to the Supreme Beings and Luneir, if I ever see her in front of me, I'll strangle her with my own two hands…'
With a heavy heart, Alsilia moves towards the desk and takes a seat. Unfortunately, she'll need to find another time to go and explore the town that has been built at the foot of hill Dalnus, even if she doesn't want to stay inside her room doing what's essentially office work, at least in her opinion.
"I also need to contact my sister… who knows how worried she'll get if I'm late even a day…" she mumbles to herself, remembering what her sister did last time when she missed a call. Even the thought made her shudder.
"Let's just start… I don't even want to think about it," she mumbles to herself as she grabs a folder from the pile in the next moment and opens it.
'Let's see… Saldin Moroniv, recruit from the Ardez region specialized in holy magic. Main role is Priest, level is nine… huh, they forgot to write it in difficulty rank here, how careless of them,' the kitsune muses as she looks at the recruit's file, a bit baffled as to why they used levels instead of the standard power measurement in the Sorcerous Kingdom. 'Hmm, if I remember the conversion correctly… it should be a level for every three difficulty ranks. So level nine translates to twenty-seven DR. Impressive, but he's not a good match for team chemistry. While Ardez recruits are very good priests, they are notorious for disliking anyone that isn't a human due to the region being former territory of the now gone Slaine Theocracy… even more so for demihumans and heteromorphs…'
Looking thoughtfully at the file for a second, Alsilia shakes her head and closes it.
'No, he'll create more problems than it's worth to have him in the team, perhaps even go as far as to disobey my orders. I might look humanoid, but he'll most likely consider me a demihuman, maybe even a hybrid… Such a shame; he must be a rather talented individual if he's already such a high level just after exiting boot camp.'
With that thought, Alsilia drops the file in her hand on the floor next to her, then grabs the next file from the pile. She already knows this will take a while, and despite hoping otherwise, she's pretty sure she won't be able to check the fortress, not speaking about the nearby town.
'And I was so thrilled to check them out…'
Alsilia spends the next few hours going through every recruit file and doing a first filtering based on their level, class, and basic background that would benefit her unit, before going through the selected candidates once more, this time reading their files in a more careful and thorough manner. In the end, from the one hundred and fifty files that had been sent to her, she manages to single out four individuals that she believes will work best for the team and its objectives, as well won't cause any major friction between them due to acceptable team chemistry.
"Phew… this took way longer than I expected. It's already night…" Alsilia sighs as she looks outside the small window that's on the wall behind her desk, a great, blue, full moon casting down its gentle light upon the base.
The kitsune can't help but softly gaze at it for a few long moments, before she closes her eyes and bows her head slightly, clasping her hands together in front of it.
"I pray to you, oh great Luneir, goddess of the moon and life, and master of darkness. Let the moon's light bathe this humble follower with your eternal grace, and grant me the strength to continue pushing through the hardships of life, just as you and Sol intended."
Muttering a small prayer under her breath, Alsilia then lifts her head to gaze at the moon one final time, before unclasping her hands to continue with her work.
'Alright, I have selected who I want in my team. Now to read their files one final time just to be sure, then to send them to the general's office and await for them to arrive in the fortress,' she hums in her mind as she grabs one of the four folders on her desk and opens it.
'First member in the unit is Prund, a half-orc half-human from the Minotaur nation. While this could have been a problem since our countries are at odds with each other, he was noted for exemplary behavior, as well having great growth potential. Difficulty Rank is eighteen, weapon used is a warhammer, so he'll be perfect for the team's frontliner and tank. And if he needs any help, I can always switch from ranged to melee.'
Alsilia glances at the right top of the document she's reading, looking at a small photograph attached to it. It depicts a humanoid head with orc-like characteristics, such as pointy ears, two tusks that peek out of the mouth upwards, and skin colored light violet, with a pair of dark brown eyes and medium length hair of the same color tied into a bun.
'He's rather handsome for an orc, I must say. Probably thanks to being half human as well,' Alsilia muses to herself as she turns the document around, where a short summary of Prund's background is written.
'Born in a nomadic orc tribe within the Minotaur nation's borders… human mother, orc father… huh, that's rare. Usually it's the other way around. What else, what else… actually went into a boarding school to receive basic education in the town of Tanallum, then back to his tribe. He volunteered for the army at the age of eighteen, so here he is.'
Placing the file back on its place and closing the folder, Alsilia puts it to the side and grabs the next one to read.
'Next recruit is Antelouse, an arachne from the Sorcerous Kingdom. Noted for great performance in camouflage training despite her size, especially in forest areas. Also trained in using both a spear and a bow, which makes her flexible when it comes to her role in the team. She can be either a ranged support, or a melee support depending on the situation. Difficulty rank is eighteen as well, so she should be more than strong enough for anything that we might come across during our missions.'
Looking at the picture clipped at the upper right corner of the document, the face of a young and upbeat woman is being displayed, a rather wide smile on her face. She has dark green, short hair that barely reach the base of her neck, dark brown eyes with no signs of a pupil or sclera, and chocolate brown skin. Though, looking a bit more carefully at it, she can see three more pairs of smaller, beady eyes on her forehead, neatly covered by her bangs.
'She looks like such a cheerful person… hopefully her positivity will be keeping the team's morale high during long missions.
Turning the document around, Alsilia starts reading her background.
'Born between a human father and an arachne mother in a small village west of Carne… didn't receive any basic education, but does know how to read and write, as well simple mathematics… probably was taught by her parents… helped with the family business… weaving, huh? Fitting, I suppose… volunteered at age fifteen?'
Alsilia raises a brow at this, a single question coming in her mind.
'When do arachne mature? I hope it's earlier than fifteen, or I'll have to question Command about this…'
Shaking her head a little, the kitsune goes back at reading.
'Frequently hunted with her sisters and mother in the nearby woods… that's good, it means we might have an alternative in case we run low on food. What else, what else… mmh, nothing substantial.'
Done with Antelouse's file, she puts it over Prund's and grabs the next folder.
'And our next recruit is… Enerimia Cylon Bellastina, a noble damphir from the house of Bellastina. Noted for excellent use of the sword, crossbow, and tiered magic. Difficulty rank is forty-five, making her the strongest member of the team after me… while she is a noble and could create some problems for me, she's too valuable to simply ignore. Her use of magic will be very advantageous in such a magic-poor environment.'
Looking at the attached picture, Alsilia finds a very young and charming girl in it, a beauty even by the highest standards, especially with her long, silvery hair, pointy ears and slightly pale skin. But, one look in her crimson red eyes and anyone can see the sadness and disappointment hidden in them.
'...Poor girl. You must be carrying a great burden on your shoulders…' she sighs mentally as she stares at her picture for a few seconds, then turns the document around to read her background.
'Fourth daughter and sixth child of Voltimir Bellastina, a very prominent vampire family with a lot of power and influence in the Sorcerous Kingdom… vampire father, human mother, most likely from an affair… she was probably legitimized so as to not lose face… mmh, likely that's the case… she's trying to earn her place in the family, isn't she…?'
Alsilia can't help but feel a little bit pity towards the girl, having seen her fair share of such people under her military career, hunting achievements or to say they have done something for their families.
'Hah… best of luck, I suppose.'
Closing her file and putting it away, the brigadier general grabs the last of the folders and starts reading its contents.
'And for the final member we have Alash, a sentient slime of the healing slime variant. Noted for extremely low mobility, healing properties by ways of secreting and applying some kind of mucus on an injury, as well being able to pass through extremely tight spaces and easily shrug off physical hits… Difficulty rank is twelve, quite low if I'm honest, but it is going to be our healer, so most of the time he… maybe she…? It… uhh, slimes don't have a gender so how do I call it… I don't want to refer to it like it's a thing… Hmm… Alash… A-la-sh… sounds like a boy's name, so I'll refer to it as a he. Anyway, he should be fine since he'll be staying behind us and casting healing and support magic.'
Alsilia then, like she did with the previous members, looks at the attached picture, only to find a slime colored light pink with a deep purple core inside it.
'If I'm honest with myself, I'm curious to finally see one of these guys from up close. They are so rare, people would pay quite the sum to even glance at one of their kind, much more talk with them.'
Turning the document around, the kitsune's eyes widen slightly in surprise, not expecting such 'rich' background from a normally secluded species.
'Lived for twenty years in the Crystal Forest inside the Elven Kingdom before moving to Arwintar, the capital of the former Baharuth Empire… Dragon Kingdom… Minotaur Nation… Kitsune Kingdom… Sorcerous Kingdom… he's been in so many countries… attended university at the city of Mardel, studying the physiology of different species and specializing in kitsune physiology. Huh… he must be a curious slime. Joined the army in the prospect of being assigned in Falmart and exploring the region… would you look at that. Guess it's his lucky day, then.'
Chuckling slightly at this, Alsilia closes Alash's folder and leans back on her chair, raising her arms over her head and stretching them.
"Nngh~! Hah… time to get the files sent to the general's-"
beep
Her eyes suddenly widen as she hears a quiet, beeping sound, slowly craning her head around to look at her bed where a small, aquamarine communication crystal dimly glows, indicating there's an incoming transmission.
"Oh no… oh crap… I completely forgot…"
Sweat starts forming on her forehead as she slowly pushes her chair back and stands up, carefully making her way towards the bed to grab the crystal.
"Dammit… I told her I'd call when I would arrive…"
Step by step, the kitsune slowly approaches the crystal, bending slightly down and reaching to grab it with a trembling hand.
'Please don't be angry with your big sister, please don't be angry with your big sister…'
Slowly raising it in front of her, Alsilia audibly gulps before applying a bit of mana to answer the call.
"H-Hi Ralia…"
"..."
Silence and the sound of slow breathing is the only thing that greet her from the crystal, causing her to start panicking slightly.
gulp
In all seriousness, she'd rather face a shouting Ralia than a silent one - being the latter was a lot scarier than the former.
"Ra-Ralia, I can explain!"
"Explain what, big sister? Explain what?"
Hearing her sister's eerily calm voice, the kitsune starts sweating even more, the tension feeling like an invisible hand that has grabbed her stomach.
"L-Look I-!"
"Just shut up!"
Alsilia flinces the moment she hears the shout from the crystal, her tails quickly tucking themselves between her legs.
"Three days! You've been away for three days! And I only asked you to call me when you'd arrive in the special region! Do you know how worried I was!? I thought something happened to you!"
"R-Ralia, I had-"
"Don't interrupt me!"
The normally firm and apt brigadier general finches again, feeling herself shrinking under her sister's berating voice.
"At the very least, you could have sent me a message letting me now you arrived safe and sound!"
"I-I'm sorry…"
"You better be!"
An uneasy silence fills the room as both sisters remain silent for a few moments, before an audible sigh is heard from Ralia's side.
"Haah… just… just call me in time, alright? It's bad enough you had to leave again despite being back for less than a month…"
"Haah… I know…" Alsilia mumbles quietly, then takes a sit at the edge of her bed, a saddened expression forming on her face. "Look, I'm sure I won't stay here for too long, alright?"
"Hopefully. We still haven't spent any substantial time together… Ah, speaking of that, how was the capital of the Sorcerous Kingdom?"
"Freaking expensive…" Alsilia snorts, feeling a bit better now that the tension between the two has seemingly vanished. "An amazing sight to behold, but way beyond our pay grade. Like, I paid for a single drink the equivalent of 4 sels."
"That much? Sheesh…"
"Yeah… I saw vases that cost more money than what I make. It's ridiculous!"
"Eeeh? Ugh… and I thought it'd be a great place for vacations…"
'Huh? She had the same idea as I?' Alsilia thinks as she hears Ralia sigh audibly yet again.
"Well, putting aside how expensive Carne is, how was the city? It must have been a sight to behold."
"Certainly. Everywhere you looked there were such beautiful buildings, roads paved by enchanted slabs of stone… it was truly something else. Not speaking about the shops. Quality beyond your wildest imagination."
"Wow… it sounds majestic…"
"It was. The pictures certainly don't do the place any justice."
"Mhmm. Ah, perhaps we could-oh, Mirindia. Is something wrong? No, it's fine, I'm talking to Alsilia. Eh? It's already that late? Very well, have them wait in my room, I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Something happened?" Alsilia asks, having overheard her sister's conversation with Mirindia, one of the mansion's maids.
"Nothing bad, just need to get ready. I'll be going out with my fiancé for dinner tonight, and I bought a very lovely dress just for him~"
"Ah, I see…"
"Muu, what's up with the half-hearted response…?"
"You know my opinion on the matter, don't act so surprised."
"Come on, he's not bad. You just need some time to get to know him better."
"We've been over this many times. I don't like him in the slightest. But, I suppose my opinion doesn't matter all that much. It's you who's engaged with him, not me."
"Alsilia…" Ralia says softly, with Alsilia letting out an audible sigh and letting her body fall back on the bed.
"That aside, you two have fun. I'll call you tomorrow evening, alright?"
"Mmh… talk to you tomorrow. Have a good night, Alsilia."
"Have a good night, Ralia," Alsilia says and stops feeding mana to the crystal, which in turn cuts the transmission and stops glowing. Alsilia then lets her hand fall on the bed along with the crystal and blankly stares at the ceiling, no particular thought occupying her head.
"...I'll get the files to Wolfpaw's office myself. Not like I have anything else to do."
Standing up from the bed and walking to her desk, she lets the crystal on it and gathers the folders of the selected recruits, then moves towards her room's door to exit it.
Scene Change: A couple days later, Fortress Gown's training area
"They sure are late…" Alsilia mumbles as she looks up from the book she's reading, glancing at the nearby gate that leads from the fortress' massive training grounds on the second defensive layer to its center, where the army's base along with all the administrative buildings is. "But at least the barrack's roof over here provides a nice shade to sit under."
It has been almost two hours since the brigadier general had arrived in the training grounds to wait for the new members of her newly formed unit, having sat on a chair under the roof of a nearby barracks to read a book she had requested to be provided to her.
'They should have been here almost an hour ago, yet no sign of them… did something happen with the portal?'
Alsilia moves her gaze back to her book, gently scratching the back of her right ear slightly.
'At least this book on arachne anatomy has been very enlightening. Who knew that they had two different types of lungs and hearts thanks to having the lower body of a spider and the upper body of a human. Or that they only need four hours of sleep to be fully rested.'
For the past few days, Alsilia had been reading books like these in an attempt to get to know her new subordinates better, both in body and mind. Books about their races' physiology, anatomy, even culture.
'For the team to work at its best, it is paramount I know as many things as possible. You never know when this knowledge might come in handy.'
Reading one more page, Alsilia's ears twitch slightly as she hears someone walking towards her general direction, so she discreetly glances up from her book.
'Ah, so the first member of the unit has finally arrived,' she thinks as she spots an arachne approach her and stopping only a few meters away from where she's sitting, but seemingly not acknowledging her presence.
'She certainly is huge… I'd say at least two meters and 30 centimeters tall, maybe even more.'
Just like the pictures in the book she's reading, the woman has the shapely upper half of a human female, and the lower half of a spider.
'Now I understand why Antelouse was noted for great performance during camouflage training. Not only her skin's color is dark, the carapace in her spider body has the same color, with some patches being green; she can blend in very well in forests I bet. Her legs also, their ends look like spikes with how sharp they are, definitely for impaling prey. Her armor is pretty standard, shin guards in every leg, metal plates tied under her spider abdomen, a chest plate and a helmet… as for weapons, she has a bow and a quiver on her back, and she's holding a spear… mmhm, just like in the file.'
Alsilia continues gazing at Antelouse for a few more moments as the arachne looks around for anyone else but seemingly not noticing the kitsune or ignoring her.
'Though… why in the name of the Forty-one are her private parts exposed like that!? Is this some kind of cultural thing arachne have?' she thinks as she looks in disbelief at where her human and spider bodies merge, then notices two more figures slowly approaching the spot where Antelouse is.
The first one is a half-orc around one meter and eighty centimeters tall, with a warhammer strapped on his back, while his whole body is encased in the standard Sorcerous Kingdom armor for melee units employing two-handed weapons.
Next to him is the second figure, a rather big slime bouncing up and down to keep up with the half-orc, its core jiggling slightly inside its body.
'Ah, Prund and Alash. Now the only one missing is Enerimia and we can finally start. Can't wait to hear their excuses for being late.'
"Excuse me!"
Alsilia discreetly keeps glancing at the recruits as Prund calls out to get Antelouse's attention, with the arachne turning around to look at the two.
"Good morning! How can I help you?" Antelouse greets the two cheerfully as they stop in front of her, with Prund snapping a quick salute at her.
"Good morning. I'm Private Prund. The slime next to me is Private Alash."
"A pleasure meeting you, Miss," Alash says in a monotone voice, its whole body vibrating since that is the primary way of how sentient slimes communicate.
"A pleasure meeting you, Prund. Alash. I'm Private Antelouse. Oh, right!"
The arachne quickly snaps a salute as to not offend the two recruits.
"We were ordered to come here to meet our new instructor, but we were not told how she looks," Prund explains and Antelouse widens all four pairs of eyes she has in surprise.
"Ah, I was ordered the same thing as well! Though, I haven't seen anyone else around," Antelouse responds, with Alsilia doing her best not to facepalm right there and then.
'No one else around my ass, I am literally less than a dozen meters away from you! Is it because I wore my field uniform and you can't see my insignia? I'd like to say yes, but you aren't even acknowledging my existence!' the kitsune shouts inside her head, her grip on her book slightly tightening.
"Hah… and neither Prund or Alash seem to have noticed me. Or they are simply ignoring me…" she mutters quietly to herself, then shakes her head slightly in disappointment.
At least, she does so until she notices a rather fancy carriage making its way towards where she's sitting, a confused expression forming on her face.
'What the fuck? Were we expecting any high-ranking officials or diplomats?' she wonders as the carriage draws closer and closer, with even Prund, Alash, and Antelouse looking at it confused.
'It's certainly made of high grade materials… being drawn by skeletal horses, having an undead skeleton as it's driver… it's even colored… red and white, huh? And that crest, it definitely belongs to a noble family.'
Alsilia keeps quietly gazing at the carriage as it stops only a meter or two away from her, its door opening and from inside it disembarking a lightly armored woman with an expertly crafted rapier hanging from her waist and a crossbow strapped on her back.
'Bingo, that's Enerimia. Everyone's here now,' Alsilia thinks as she makes eye contact with the damphir for a second, before she averts her gaze back to her book. 'She definitely noticed me, so let's see how much it'll take before any one of the four comes to talk to me.'
Enerimia, after disembarking the carriage, closes its door and orders the driver to go away, then turns around to make her way towards the other three recruits.
"Good morning. I'm Private First Class Enerimia Ceylon Bellastina, of the Bellastina household," Enerimia introduces herself to Prund, Alash, and Antelouse after stopping a few steps away from them and saluting. In response, the others salute Enerimia as well, before introducing themselves.
"I was ordered to come here today in order to meet my new instructor. Is it same for you as well?" she asks and everyone nods, except for Alash who vibrates slightly.
"I arrived first, actually, but didn't find anyone around," Antelouse says and Enerimia looks at her in slight surprise.
"You didn't find anyone? What about the lady over there?" the dhampir asks and turns slightly to look at the still sitting Alsilia, with the rest following her gaze and finally noticing the kitsune.
"Eh? I'm pretty sure she wasn't there when I arrived…" Antelouse hums as she scratches her cheek with one of her clawed fingertips, then shrugs slightly and smiles cheerfully. "Oh well, I'll go ask her. Maybe she knows where our instructor is!"
With this, Antelouse quickly makes her way towards Alsilia, stopping next to the kitsune and lowering herself just enough so that she can talk comfortably to her.
"Good morning! Please excuse me for interrupting you, but may ask a question? We were ordered to come here to meet our new instructor, her name is Alsilia, so I was wondering if you knew where she might be."
Alsilia turns her head to look at Antelouse from the corner of her eye.
"Huh…"
With a rather bored expression, she closes her book and with a single hand raises it in front of the arachne's face.
Antelouse raises an eyebrow at this not knowing what to do, so the brigadier general shakes the book a little to signal her to take it, with the arachne doing so, gently grabbing it and standing up. Alsilia then retrieves a small pocket watch from one of her uniform's pockets and opens its lid to look at the time.
"You are late. To be more specific, you've arrived late by an hour, ten minutes, and forty-seven seconds," she comments as she closes the lid on the watch and pockets it, then turns her face to better gaze at Antelouse.
"Huh?" the arachne says, blinking a few times in confusion before looking back at the others, who have equally confused expressions on their faces as well, now standing around a couple meters away from Alsilia and having heard the short exchange of words.
"Line up, now!" Alsilia orders with a strict glare and stands up to face Antelouse, who upon hearing the kitsune's voice whips her head around and stands at attention, with the other three rushing next to the arachne to line up and stand at attention as well.
"Alright, you bunch of sorry excuses, give me a good fucking reason why you've been so late or I'll send you to the chopping block for insubordination!" she shouts as she starts slowly walking back and forth in front of the recruits.
None of the four makes any attempt to talk, not daring to move a single muscle with how intently Alsilia is glaring at them.
"Private Prund! Care to say why you were late?"
"Yes, ma'am! There was an accident with one of the golem horses in the Gate and all traffic was suspended until it was resolved!" Prund answers loudly.
"What about you, Private Alash? Is what private Prund saying true?" Alsilia asks the slime, which almost instantly starts strongly vibrating, although the voice still remain monotonous.
"Yes, ma'am. It is as private Prund says."
Alsilia then turns her attention at Enerimia and Antelouse, slowly walking in front of them.
"What about you two? Were you caught in that little accident as well?" she asks in a lower tone, which actually unnerves the two women more than if Alsilia was shouting at them.
""Yes, ma'am!""
Must have been a rather big accident if traffic was cut for that long,' the kitsune muses in her mind as she keeps glaring at the recruits.
"Private First Class Enerimia, step forward!" Alsilia orders and the damphir does as instructed. "Let me ask you a question, Private. WIth what did you arrive?"
"With my family's personal carriage, ma'am!"
"Good, good. And where are we right now?"
"At the training grounds of fortress Gown, ma'am!"
"Correct, Private. Fortress Gown. And what is fortress Gown exactly?"
Enerimia remains silent for a few seconds, before she opens her mouth to respond.
"A military installation and a defensive fortification, ma'am!"
"Great answer, recruit! Now remind me with what you came?"
"With my family's-"
"No, you little shit, you came here with a fancy carriage!" Alsilia interrupts Enerimia and gets up on her face, shouting at the top of her lungs. "You came to a military base with a fancy ass carriage! I don't know if you've noticed, but we are here to protect our home, not go for picnics in the countryside! So unless your ass is so soft and tender it needs a pillow underneath it every time you sit, I suggest you cut any pompous bullshit you might have in mind! This is the army, you get treated like everyone else, be it you come from a noble family or not! In fact, you could be royalty for all I care, I'd still treat you like the useless piece of meat and bones you are! Now step back, I wasted enough time with you!"
Stiffened and sweating, Enerimia immediately steps back in the line, while Alsilia turns her attention to Antelouse.
"As for you, Private Antelouse!" she shouts and the arachne shudders in fear, trying her best not show how she's really feeling at the moment. "How many pairs of eyes, do you have?"
"F-Four, ma'am!"
"How many!?"
"F-Four, ma'am!"
"Say it clearer, recruit! I can't understand it with how much you are stuttering!"
"FOUR, MA'AM!"
"Wrong, you waste of oxygen! You have no eyes at all if you couldn't see me sitting in that chair over there, mere meters away from you! So how many eyes do you have!?"
"N-None, ma'am!"
"Louder!"
"NONE, MA'AM!"
While for anyone looking at Alsilia reprimanding and shouting at Antelouse would seem rather comical with their height difference, it is positively the most terrifying thing the arachne has ever witnessed.
Alsilia keeps glaring daggers at her for a bit more, then takes a step back to look at all the recruits.
"Listen up, maggots! From now on, you are under my command! I'm your new instructor and commander, brigadier general Alsilia, war veteran of most of the war in the last continent!"
A small grin forms on her face as she notices their eyes widening in a mix of shock and surprise, though it quickly gets replaced by a serious expression.
"For the next seven days, I'll be making your lives a living hell so shitty, even the Forty-one Supreme Beings won't be able to save you! And if I hear even a single complaint, I'll shove my hand up your asses so far, you'll become my personal muppets, understood!?"
""""Ma'am yes, ma'am!""""
"The fuck was that, a whimper!? Say it louder!"
""""MA'AM YES, MA'AM!""""
"Good! Welcome to the Fifty-first Exploratory Squad, recruits! Expect nothing but pain and agony for the rest of the week!" Alsilia says loudly and all the recruits except for Alash gulp, especially since it looks like a black aura slowly forms around the one-eyed kitsune, promising nothing but the most horrific of fates.
And with this, Alsilia's grueling training regimen started, the four young and naive soldiers being subjected to untold horrors that will probably scar them for life.
A/N: And so the second chapter comes to an end. It was a lot larger than what I expected, but I believe it was worth it. Once again, special thanks to Oblivon2991 for helping with the chapter and suggesting a few ideas used in it. Please do note that English isn't my first language, so expect awkward grammar and misspelled words here and there. At any rate, I hope you all have a good day/night, and I'll see you in the next chapter.
Widomaker: High tier arachnid summon. Casts a barrier that causes most people to ignore its presence, as well makes no sound when moving. It excels at ambushing its prey and killing it in one hit.
Sel: Currency used in the Kitsune Kingdom. One sel is equivalent to two standard silver coins, or 0.25 Sorcerous Kingdom silver coin (4 sel pre 1 SK silver coin).