Chapter Two:

Great Hussars, Advance! Part I

Karlhoff ordered them to stand and to drop the formalities for now, it was an emergency after all. All thirteen Field Marshals, and the rest of the military staff are all present and accounted for, some of the lower positions are in the neighboring room and are being attended by the Electoral Prince, KuckuckRoss.

The Assembly Hall was arranged like a church, the highest-ranking individuals sat along a long vertical table in the font and the rest of the few chairs are arranged into two columns, there sat the junior officers and staff. The neighboring room had the same set-up.

"Gentlemen, your Grace… as the current news that is being spread throughout are most beloved bastion, we—by some form of sick divine punishment—and our entire fortress is magically transported somewhere in foreign lands. This war council was called-in to address current and future issues, we are to calm ourselves down and assess this unexpected situation with caution."

He who started the council was the sixth Field Marshal, EisenbahnFeuerwerk's own custom NPC named Ardent Acksen von Werk. He bore the same colours as his creator; a wool-lined fiery red split hanging sleeved coat and the inner dress was a golden doublet. His face, bears that of an aged man bearing a scar on his left temple and presenting a brunette beard.

Karlhoff, still mildly spooked with talking NPCs was reminded of someone unaccounted for, "Where is the fortress mother? Is Talluh not with us?"

"Her lady is in the botanical tower with the other botmaidens." Addressed the tenth Field Marshal, Boris Gudayev. A large and bulky man and a few centimeters taller than half of the Marshals, wearing a green Kaftan with golden trims and an emblem on his neck bearing the same as his creator's own ensignia. EternalGlo really was a fan of eastern armies.

Now that the council has properly kicked off, the main topic of discussion was regarding the bearings of the fortress itself and the surroundings. KuckuckRoss already ordered a handful of light horsemen to scan the immediate surroundings before the council started, and halfway through the ordeal one of them returned, informing the entire council and the Great Elector where they are approximately on a piece of hastily drawn map.

"Quite a blessing that our fortress is back against the sea." Jon Johann, the eighth Field Marshal stated, followed by grumbles of agreement from the rest of the table.

One of them, Karlhoff's own personal Field Marshal—and technically his son—Friedrich von Luchsaugen pointed towards a marked town south of them.

"Here. What lies here dear hussar?"

"A-A small town or village your grace, we made sure not too get close. There was another town the other men found to the north of the fort!"

"This information is sufficient enough to warrant an action. Good work boy." Karlhoff patted the hussar's shoulder. He quickly bowed, surprised of the response his liege gave him "Y-Your most serene highness, this is not worthy of your praise!"

"Oh nonsense. You played a vital role for our fortress boy, raise your head high."

The young hussar took another deep bow, then gave a salute and left the hall. Some deliberation later and a few worried objections from some of the Field Marshals, the decision has been made for an extensive perimeter reconnaissance some kilometers from the bastion. A three-day mission involving two hussar and one reiter company; the hussars to the north and south and the reiters riding Eastwards. The rest of the council was dealing with other details such as food supply but that was transferred over to KuckuckRoss' council who's dealing with the fort's immediate reorganization.

KarlhoffKlempner and KuckuckRoss met up later in Karl's personal room inside the Golden Bull, as he was being appropriately dressed and prepared by the palace's handmaidens. He switched out from his non-combat garbs which was a golden dress covered up by an intricate split-sleeve coat to his battle dress; a white dress covered up by a brown coat with red cuffs and piping, his pants and a pair of long riding boots. A striking resemblance to cuirassiers of the olden days but that's where the similarities end, as the handmaidens—after calling for some help from the manservants— put on a well engraved breastplate with silver and golden piping and his tasses on his person.

One thing differed when it came to armor in Magdeburgisieren, it offered much protection indeed but there was a weight system and the more armor one puts on the more it weighs one down as well as hampering the player's vision if you decided to wear a helmet.

This system forced the players to either go full armor ala 'tank builds' or go for glass cannon ones. Karlhoff was a compromiser. The handmaidens brought in Karlhoff's signature piece, a single large box came in and as they opened it, revealed a beautifully crafted item of arm armor. It was originally part of an entire set that came from an event but Goldvogel only retrieved the right arm section as the number one clan from the game took the rest.

Still, it was a fine piece of armor that in itself gave a lot of magical protection, it was aptly named "The Right Hand of Gotz" due to the incredible luck and defense stats that it gave to its wearer. A pauldron, rerebrace, couter, vevebrace and gauntlet laden with many leather straps as each piece was slowly and carefully put onto place.

The final few effects that Karlhoff put on himself, his striking yellow belt sash, his rapier on his right and his dagger on the other, then a pistol shoved into the sash. Topping it all off a wide brimmed hat with thirteen feathers and his long leather gloves.

"Good to go?" Kuckuck inquired.

"I just wore this yesterday you dolt of course I am!"

The Electoral Prince took his quick leave after giving Karlhoff a good luck handshake, he had to take over the internal reigns as the Great Elector himself would ride out. Followed by his Guards, he walked to the fortress stables, where three companies of cavalry await him. Leading the hussars was Boris Gudayev and his personal retinue company of eastern hussars the "Green Devils". The other was led by MaresLeg's Marshal Peetr Cavout and his light hussars of exceptionally dressed riders companied by their iconic blue dolman and pelisse. All of them and their horses, except for the field marshals were of level 90

They are not accompanying the Great Elector for this operation, for it is his own personal reiters. The oldest and strongest cavalry formation Goldvogel possesses, Karlhoff's Schwazer Reiters "His Own's Reiter Company, 'Karl's Laughing Death'" and the rider in front of the formation, his Marshal von Luchsaugen. He got off his horse to present himself to the Great Elector.

"Fat- er, Your Serene Majesty."

"Marshal von Luchsaugen."

The Marshal kneeled and kissed the backside of Karlhoff's right arm, this was the proper conduct when meeting with the Prince-Elector but he allowed the due lack of it some hours ago because of the situation. He waved it off and ordered him back on his horse, one of the reiters came with his own personal horse, his "Rolo" a level 90 black horse of excellent breed known for their speed and durability.

Contrast to Yggdrasil, Magdeburgisieren has a level cap of 120 for everyone, 125 for demi-humans and 90 for horses. The reasoning for this is simply due to the small number of players that played the game during the early days, some players would no-life it and get to a hundred in only a few weeks. The developers since then rebalanced the experience system and increased the levels. Each level gained grants each player fifteen points to spend on key stats; Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Cardio and Endurance. These five would affect the ability chart of players which includes their health, mana pool, physical attack and defense, agility, charisma, leadership and talent.

The striking black reiters hanged from their hips, astonishing reiterschwerts and on their horses and selves hanged pistols; two on the animal and two on the rider. Their black and white armor imposed a sense of dread, relating to their passive skill "Intimidation" which induces a morale debuff upon their enemies, which, in the New World's term would be a stronger and area of effect form of the "Fear" skill.

Mounted, Karlhoff takes a look at all his cavalry. In his mind he wished his rider-proficient clan members to be here with him, but there is no time to reflect on the self as he stood upon the back of his horse. He took a deep breath.

"All our riders are here, yes? I know each and every one of you know your mission, but I need to remind you again to not interact nor expose yourselves to the natives of this land." He paused; the inspired, glittering eyes of his subordinates got to him but shortly resumed. "For three days and two nights our goal is to simply know our bearings. Do not express aggression, though if you yourselves are being aggressed upon, I order you to defend yourself and withdraw from the field. Do. Not. Pursue."

His issue was met with great approval, Marshal Gudayev's company released a loud battle cry of which Marshal Cavout's own joined in. The Great Elector and his cavalry prepared to move out, interrupted by a runner boy… it was the second Marshal actually, KuckuckRoss' "daughter" Yekaterine von Ross surprisingly named. One of the three female field marshals came to deliver a message.

She kneeled but the Great Elector dismissed it. "Your Most Serene Highness, His Serene Grace, Prince KuckuckRoss has tasked me to deliver this message before you ride off."

"Continue."

"My dearest friend, I have great news, I have discovered something of great interest and may uncover more from it by the time you return from reconnaissance. After the third day I will ask for your audience in the throne room."

Karlhoff rubbed his beard. "Some discovery related to our predicament I might guess. Marshal Ross you may return to whatever it is your lord has tasked you." He gave a small salute and signaled the riders to move.

"All of you have rations that lasts for three days, and three days only—the return trip rations do not count. No foraging or pillaging. Once you've neared your final rations, return."

The riders nodded. As they approached the main gate of the bastion, a lion demi-human clad in plate armor approached them with halberd in hand.

"Your Most Serene Highness!"

Lucarino as he was named, one of four gate overseers created by HermannHerzlich. He inquired the action of attention, why the Great Elector sallies forth from the protection of the fortress. Karlhoff disclosed a part of the plan, the gate overseer apologized for his ignorance and ordered the gates to be opened.

Creaking and cracking and the sound of metal and wood in friction with each other. Chains and weights moved through the movements of iron gears. Slowly, the wide and reinforced thick gates of Fortress Heaven on Earth opened enough for the three companies of cavalry to let through.

The Prince-Elector drew out his rapier reiterschwert. "Great horsemen of this noble bastion, your deeds today will be noted and rewarded. As your liege, I order you to set forth and return safely to this hallowed place's warm embrace. Hussars and Reiters…. VORMARSCH!"

The impressive battalion of horsemen moved as one, before splitting off into three companies. The assigned field marshals waved their hats and helmets, saluting their Groβer Kurfürst which he returned. The Green Devils of Gudayev to the North, Cavout's dashing hussars to the South, and Karlhoff's dreaded Laughing Death trotting straight East.

Finally out of sight of each other's companies, and a few farther advanced from the other reiters led by them, his Field Marshal Friedrich von Luchsaugen. Beside him was his creator, and the father of the "Kingdom" itself, KarlhoffKlempner. Contrast to his liege, he wore a dark blue almost-black dress with red cuffs and collars, brown cavalry gauntlets and a black sash and belt over a steel cuirass and tasset bound and held together by leather straps. On his head a wide-brimmed hat same as his but decorated with black and white feathers.

"Fath-, Your Most Serene—"

"You are confused as to which title to acknowledge me as? In respect and to maintain courtesy I will allow you to address me as your father when we are in private audience, this includes my personal guard and my reiters. Outside you shall formally address me with my usual superlative."

His face lit up with glee, like a young man who's finally been acknowledged by his proud father. Which in this case was somewhat of a fact, amongst all of the Field Marshals except for the females, Friedrich looked the youngest. This was a decision made by Karlhoff when he was creating his own custom NPC, because he created him to be a splitting image of his late twenty-year-old son in the real world. The fifty-year-old player—except his in-game appearance was a thirty-year-old, escaped to the world of Magdeburgisieren due to the harsh realities of the real world, his creation of von Luchsaugen was a product of grief and cope.

He snapped out of the sorrows when his clan grew in size and talked with the youngsters who joined it. Though the death would still linger he has since moved on.

They evaded the occasional villages but marked them on their crude map and took short shifting naps in the night as the forests did not give them any sort of comfort. The shadowed along the main highway of this supposed native land and stopped and hid whenever they sensed of armed bandits, native soldiers or caravans. It was quite a feat to keep two-hundred horses and men hidden but it was also thanks to their passive skill "Quiet Stalkers" which allowed them to divert their attention but due to the "Intimidation" passive this turned into a hybrid skill called "Looming Fear" that brings a sense of discomfort and slight paranoia to targets that hasn't spotted them yet.

On the third day they were nearing their limit before they had to return. The routine of concealing themselves and avoiding caravans was quite boring to say the least, but their seeds of labor bore fruit as over the plain hills Karlhoff sighted the small but iconic look of castle walls.

As the reiters crested over the hill there it was reveal to them. A grand city situated on a river, a great large castle-palace presided on a hill surrounded by countless homes and buildings.

"Now this is something dearest father, a city just three days away. Granted we moved in shifts during the night but still!" Exclaimed von Luchsaugen, his eyes scanning the city and the area around it.

"I was expecting more tiny villages but this is worth our effort, much more than it is."

Karlhoff led the reiters into a patch of trees and dismounted. The reiters assembled and in standby, waiting for their Prince-Elector's orders.

"Boys, there is a city right ahead of us. This is a land we are not natives of, and we must exercise extreme heedfulness as to not arouse our residence. I am planning to enter their household, and to gather particulars of great importance that will lead to the policy of our fortress to these natives."

Karlhoff ordered the captain of the reiters, Kruss Frundsberg, to set up a small encampment in the woods and gave explicit command to never leave said camp unless their circumstance is in great jeopardy. The reiters prepared their camp, with carbines slung on their backs and pistols at ready to be drawn positions. The Prince-Elector and his son, Marshal von Luchsaugen rode down towards the city.

Riding towards the main gate, he also gave orders to Friedrich. For today, they are merely a noble's guards on orders to buy items from a merchant contact, that is the flimsy excuse Karlhoff materialized for today.

Something big must've happened before Fortress Erden and its inhabitants appeared in this new world, countless caravans and peasants on foot keep coming in and out of the city. Some of the said caravans even carried the wounded and the elderly 'A war?' Karlhoff thought. This is the logical conclusion he reached to, otherwise it might've been a natural disaster or something else.

Trying to blend in as much as they can—which they couldn't with their intrinsic armor, they tried to pass through the gate and to their surprise, the two of them got through just fine. Seems like this crisis is too much of a problem for these guards to pay attention to them and their lie of entry. Their horses trotted along the street and they asked people around where the nearest cartographer or guilds are. To Karlhoff's interest there was an "Adventurers Guild" in the city.

"Pff, an adventurer guild? What is this some shitty RPG?" he muttered under his breath

"Did you say something dearest father?"

"N-Nope, just something I remembered. Now let's go see this guild."

That something he pondered on, was the mere fact he can converse and listen in the same tongue as these natives. A strange thing but he shouldered it off as a positive thing, better speak than to learn a new language.

There lies across the street corner a building, with a small billboard etched onto it; Adventurers Guild. A sizable structure with many a folks and armed individuals walking in and out. Karlhoff originally wanted to only limit himself to procuring a map and gather some basic information on this world but his inquisitive nature compelled him to learn more of the situation, he basically broke his own strict orders.

"The situation has drastically changed Marshal von Luchsaugen. This world's state of affairs has greatly piqued my interest and with it, the Fortress itself."

"What are you going to do then, your Most Serene Highness?"

"I should've brought my [Message Trumpet] … Quickly head back to the reiters, have three of them go back to inform the Electoral Prince I plan to further acquire knowledge of the current circumstances."

von Luchsaugen nodded.

"I will be inside and inquire on said affairs. Come back once you've sent them off."

The Marshal cantered off back towards the Schwarzer Reiters while KarlhoffKlempner entered the Guild.

"Now, what sort of shenanigans am I to be informed about?"