Tristain Academy of Magic, 1745 hours
Julius jumped down from the Challenger II he was riding on, with the rest of his ad hoc platoon following suit. They followed Louise back into the academy and into the courtyard, where the rest of the Lancastrians were currently training in hand-to-hand combat. A large crowd of students were currently gathered on one side of the courtyard, curiously watching the soldiers train. Although crude by the mages' standards, they noted that their style of fighting was on par, if not superior to, with that of the commoners serving in the Tristanian armed forces.
Louise, upon seeing the Lancastrians train, was initially alarmed, but then she remembered that these men have their own methods of fighting up close, so she just watched them with interest.
After thirty minutes, the Lancastrians decided to call it a day and dispersed, either to do some additional training or to prepare for their patrols, with the students heading back inside to their rooms or to the dining hall. It was then that Julius decided to check out the longsword strapped on his back.
As he held the sword in his hands, he cannot help but feel that despite not being able to use a sword before, he felt that he already has the proficiency in using one, and then it hit him.
He stuck the sword in the courtyard's soil and rolled up his left sleeve, inspecting the runes on his arm. So far they looked like nothing more than a tattoo, until he picked up the sword.
What happened next nearly caused him to drop his sword in shock, because upon gripping it firmly in his hands, the runes suddenly glowed. "What on earth?" he breathed.
Curious, he sheathed the sword and noticed that the runes had stopped glowing. He quickly drew his pistol and aimed it at the ground in front of him, and sure enough, the runes glowed again.
He holstered his pistol and repeated the process with his rifle, and just like what had happened, the runes on his arm glowed. He slung his rifle and rolled down his sleeve; by this point he had gone from shocked to curious to excited within the span of a minute. He broke out into a jog, searching for Lionel and Travis.
"Capt. Bristol! Lt. Knight!" the major called out, his men looking on in confusion. Seconds later, the two officers walked up to him and saluted.
"Capt. Bristol reporting as ordered, sir!" Lionel stated.
"1st Lt. Knight reporting as requested, sir!" Travis followed suit.
"Bristol, I want every company and platoon commander and the Hussars assembled before me posthaste. Knight, take four men with you and get professor Colbert here. On the double."
Lionel and Travis looked at the major in confusion. "Sir, what's going on?" the lieutenant asked.
Julius just sighed. "You'll find out soon enough. Get moving."
The two officers saluted, and Travis walked towards the central building of the academy as he keyed his helmet-mounted mic, contacting two noncommissioned officers and two privates.
Meanwhile, Lionel carried out his orders. "All company and platoon leaders, report to Maj. Sickles in front of the main building ASAP. That includes all tank commanders, over."
Within ten minutes, the Lancastrians and the Hussars were assembled in front of Julius, with Colbert looking on in confusion. "Sir Julius, may I ask why I have been called?" the mage asked.
In response, Julius rolled up his sleeve and showed his runes before taking out his sidearm, causing the runes to glow, much to everyone's surprise.
"Professor, I was wondering if you could tell me why these runes glow whenever I hold a weapon in my hand," Julius said.
Colbert stared at the officer's arm. Sure enough, the runes were glowing, and as soon as he holstered his pistol, the glow died down. He held his rifle in his hands, muzzle pointing down, and the glow reappeared. Colbert blinked for a few seconds before he could respond.
"Sir Julius, what you're about to hear must never be known by anyone aside from your men. The runes on your arm signify that you're a Gandálfr, which means the Left Hand of God. A Gandálfr is a legendary void familiar that has the ability to use any weapon proficiently and take on entire armies on their own. It is tasked with protecting its master as it casts void spells. Void magic is supposed to be nothing but a myth, and it is considered a lost element."
It took the Lancastrians and the Hussars a moment to digest this new piece of information as Julius spoke up. "So let me get this straight. Our role is basically to be Louise's personal bodyguard, is that it?" Some of the assembled officers chuckled at this remark.
Colbert nodded. "We never expected Ms. Vallière to be a void mage and you to be a Gandálfr; with that being said, I request that you please not let others know of this, as the reason is that void magic has the ability to destroy anything, and if a void mage falls into the wrong hands, the consequences would be dire."
Julius paced around, with the Lancastrians, the Hussars, and Colbert looking on, before a thought hit the major.
"Alright, we'll stay here. As long as you find a way to get us home," he said.
Colbert nodded slowly. "I'll do whatever I can to find you a way home," the mage declared
The major smiled wryly. "By the way, would you happen to know a spell that enables our weapons to have unlimited ammunition?" he asked.
Colbert hummed in thought before looking up at the officer. "As a matter of fact, I do."
Unknown location, 2348 hours
"Strange soldiers and even stranger weapons? Are you sure about this?" a Tristanian officer asked.
"I saw it with my own eyes. Horseless carriages and muskets than can fire one round after another in quick succession? This is something unheard of," a hooded figure responded.
The officer grunted in annoyance. "This just got a lot more complicated. How do you plan on taking the Staff of Destruction?" the officer demanded.
The hooded figure paused in thought. "A Familiar Exhibition will be held within a few days, and everyone is sure to be occupied by the event. As for the soldiers, they're commanded by a Gandálfr. And you know who the Gandálfr answers to."
The officer drew closer to the hooded figure. "Do whatever it takes to get Louise and the Staff of Destruction. I'll take the next ship to Albion and inform the Lord Protector of these developments. Do not fail this one," he snarled.
"Since when have I ever failed in completing a task?" the hooded figure snapped.
The officer chuckled. "I'm just reminding you of what's at stake here. If we are to succeed, getting a void mage to execute our will is just the first step."
"Leave that to me," the hooded figure said. "It will be only a matter of time before we succeed. Once Tristain falls, we should have a firm foothold on the continent."
The officer turned to leave. "I'll make my preparations, then. Long live Reconquista."
"Long live Reconquista."