Gate: In the Company of Shadows
Chapter 5
First Contact
YOJI ITAMI
CITY OF ITALICA, FALMART
IMPERIAL CALENDAR 687 - 14:15:00
First Lieutenant Yoji Itami sighed to himself in boredom. The only thing keeping him from falling asleep was the sound of the Humvee he rode in driving on the dirt path and the quickly passing scenery.
He glanced over to his driver, Kurata, humming a merry tune to himself as he drove. Kuwahara and Kurokawa sat in the back, having moderate small talk with their three new refugees. A blonde elf girl, a creepy gothic lolita, and a blue-haired archmage sorceress teen. Not exactly who he expected to bump into during a military operation, but then again, no one expected to be in a fantasy world straight from an anime.
When did life get so complicated? He asked himself. Probably when you got promoted to First Lieutenant, dummy. Yeah, so much for staying under the radar…
It was supposed to be a normal day. Play mobile games on the subway while waiting to get off at the Shimbashi stop, after which, he'd make his way past the Ginza district to the doujinshi fan comics exhibit at the convention hall. Cosplays, mangas, fan posters, artworks - the whole nine yards. It was practically an Otaku's wet dream to attend such an event, especially considering that it only happened once a year. Not to mention the fact that such conventions were crowded. People would be packed and bunched together like sardines in a can. But they were all like-minded Otakus, which is what made the conventions so fun. To be in the same space as other people who share the same passions as you.
And then the gate appeared…
A fantasy medieval era army, inspired by the likes of the Roman Empire came through a large and marbled white gate, which spawned in the middle of the road of the Ginza district before said army began terrorizing the people of Japan. Innocent bystanders just going to work, shopping, or even enjoying a day out were being massacred for seemingly no reason. The police were severely underequipped and outnumbered, not able to effectively fend off the surprise attack. Itami, having been trained in Japan's special forces group as a ranger, obviously had to intervene. He shoved and pushed through those unaware of the occurring events to rush into the street. Medieval soldiers, beastmen, and dragons! His main concern at that point?
If we don't put an end to it right now… they'll shut down the comics convention!
The thought devastated him, but nothing could have prepared him for what would happen later. After helping a woman cowering in fear to safety, his attention was caught by the gunfire of one of the city's police officers. On the ground nearby, his patrol partner was lying on the ground, wounded. Behind the officer, were two women he was attempting to shield from any harm. He fired a few rounds out of his pistol at the sky, aiming at the dragons and their riders, managing to shoot one of the riders out of the sky, causing the medieval soldier to harshly roll to the ground. The officer took his eyes off him for a moment, giving the enemy the opportunity to rush to him as he unsheathed a shortsword. Itami tackled him to the ground, putting him into a chokehold as he struggled for control.
Then, he eyed the sword on the ground. The shiny smooth surface of the blade reflected his rich brown eyes back at him. The most effective way to put a stop to the man in his arms… was to kill him. He had to make a choice right then and there. Risk the safety of the people around him, or save their lives, at the expense of another?
Japan hadn't experienced actual combat in so long…
His special forces training suddenly kicked in as he remembered his drill sergeants endlessly screaming at him. Info and tactics were repeated to him so much that he fell back to them immediately. He could question his morals later, at that moment, he had people to protect.
He picked up the sword, aimed it right at the enemy's jugular… and pushed it down. On that day, he took his first human life…
Later, he helped coordinate with local law enforcement to get everyone into a nearby palace as swat arrived. Armed with beanbag shotguns and grenade launchers loaded with tear gas, officers lined up in formation behind rows of riot shields, setting up a defensive line around the perimeter of the palace. Not long after, First Division forces arrived with air support, putting an end to the chaos.
He still remembered the sense of relief that came after the battle. As he walked through the palace, he could hear the distraught cries of children and adults alike. People did their best to comfort each other after the distressing ordeal, calling loved ones over the phone and hugging each other. It almost reminded him of-
"Hey, Lieutenant Itami?"
He was abruptly taken out of his reminiscing when Kurata spoke up, though his eyes never left the passenger side window. The passing countryside was nice to look at…
"Yeah?"
"Look up ahead," Kurata pointed a finger in front of them. "We've arrived at Italica, folks!"
Turning his gaze, Itami was met with the sight of large stone walls. Guard towers divided the walls into segments, overlooking the fields outside as they protected the homes within. But that wasn't what his focus was on.
Instead, his focus was on the chaos just outside of them…
Scattered bodies, arrows, and toppled over broken ladders. The sight meant bad news for the city and it was clear as day that Italica had just experienced an attempted siege.
"Ah, damn…"
From what he could understand from his limited conversations with Lelei, Italica plays a big and vital part in the trade around Falmart. It was in the path to other major cities and kingdoms on the continent, meaning people passing by who had acquired goods would often trade or sell them when going through Italica. If the city was just recently under siege, then selling the wyvern scales that they've acquired would certainly be a lot more difficult than they were expecting…
Looking up top of one of the guard towers, he could see a knight in shiny armor with a cape draped over his back. A bit impractical, but they were in medieval times. Itami was about to tell the convoy to come to a halt when unexpectedly, the knight atop the walls waved at them, urging them to come inside.
Itami and Kurata both looked at each other in similar confusion. They saw several people pulling the gates back, allowing room for their vehicles to drive in.
"Guess we're being welcomed in," Kurata commented. He slowly drove the Humvee past the walls. When they didn't get stopped like they expected to, the recon team parked nearby.
"That's strange…"
Kurata and Itami jumped in their seats. In between them, Lelei was peeking her head as she gazed outside, expression unchanging as usual.
"Jeez, don't do that Lelei," Itami held a hand over his heart. "Anyway, what exactly is so strange? We're in the city now, just like we planned."
"The men that opened the gates for us weren't city guards. They looked like Italica's militia force…"
"Militia?" Kuwahara spoke up from the back of the Humvee. "But I thought Italica was a major trading city? Wouldn't a city such as this, being a part of a vital network, have guards twenty-four-seven?"
"They do… at least, usually." Lelei's comment raised some concern amongst Itami's team.
'Well, maybe we'll get our answers in a moment," Itami said as they eyed the knight making his way down the wall's stairs. He reached for the radio on his flak vest. "Everyone, wait inside your vehicles. I'll do the talking."
"Don't die!" Kurata jokingly shouted as he got out of his seat.
Itami rolled his eyes as he shut the door.
The man in front of him wore scratched armor that shuffled with every step, and as he got closer, he was able to make out more details on his face. A blond head of hair with a tiny ponytail in the back and a slight stubble of facial hair on his chin. "Greetings, I am Norma, a member of the Rose-Order of Knights!"
"Ah, well… I'm Lieutenant Itami, head of the JSDF's Third Recon Team."
Norma inspected his uniform and gear before his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "The jay-es-dee-eff you say?" He pronounced the unfamiliar word slowly, testing it. "That is who you're representing?"
Itami rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness. "Yeah… look, we have a bunch of wyvern scales that some refugees have recently acquired and we came to Italica hoping to trade them."
Norma nodded in understanding. "If you're here to trade, then I'm sure you've seen why such a thing will be difficult to do at the moment."
He must mean the countless bodies outside the walls…
"Kinda' hard to miss such a thing."
Norma looked back at the vehicles that his team arrived in. "So you say you're the JSDF, huh?" At Itami's nod, he continued. "Might I inquire as to how you obtained refugees and wyvern scales? Or even, the horseless carriages that your people ride in as well?"
Itami looked back at the vehicles, seeing those under his command look at him from the windows. "W-well, the truth is… uh." He stammered before clearing his throat. "We've come from Alnus Hill, on the other side of the gate…"
Itami braced himself for an unfriendly response from the man in front of him. A couple of seconds passed when nothing happened, causing Itami to relax slightly. When he looked back at Norma, the man had a steady smirk on his face.
"So you're the men in green that everyone's been talking about!" He laughed out loud, confusing the Lieutenant.
"Men… in green?" He asked in confusion.
"Yes, tales of your exploits have spread like wildfire. Taking down a flame dragon? I won't lie, I still don't believe it, but now that you're here, you can help confirm or deny such a thing!"
"Ah, well that's great and all, but we really need to talk to whoever's in charge here. Important matters and such…"
"Yes, I suppose there'll be time for stories later. You and your people can travel to the center of the city, there you will find the Formal estate. Both Princess Pina CoLada and the Count are inside and are already engaged in talks with your other allies."
Itami was about to thank the man for the directions and walk away, before abruptly pausing mid-turn, causing himself to misstep and trip.
"That looked like a pretty bad fall, are you okay there?"
Itami completely ignored his concern, "What do you mean by our 'other allies'?"
Norma looked at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "The men in black. They're your allies, are they not?"
Itami pushed himself up before freezing again. He felt the ground beneath him through his green gloves. The pattern of the dirt was formed differently, unnaturally so. There was obviously the repeated feeling of decades worth of footfalls and the thin wooden wheels of trading wagons passing through, but this one felt out of place. Looking down revealed tire marks leading into the center of the city, towards the Formal estate like he was told. Tire marks that didn't belong to any of his team's terrain vehicles…
He reached for the radio once more, "Uh team… we might have a problem on our hands…"
"Lieutenant, I thought we were the only people here in the region?" Kurokawa asked.
Itami sighed as they made their way through the Formal estate, "I thought so too, but if what these people are saying is true, then maybe it's time to consider that we're not alone…"
Ever since Itami stepped off that subway car, life decided that it wanted to keep throwing more and more complications his way. Missing the convention, the attack on Ginza, the unwanted promotion to First Lieutenant, and leading a recon team across the gate. It seemed like he wouldn't catch a break anytime soon. Now, he and his team are discovering that another military force was sharing the region with them.
How did this military make its way into the Special Region? Another Gate. That's right, another damned Gate. Turns out, the Saderan Empire thought it was their glorious birthright to emerge from two separate gates into another world to do whatever they pleased. To rape, pillage, and kill…
Now Japan was doing whatever it could to make them see the error of their ways while claiming territory for itself and, if this new info was true, then so was another country.
His mind raced as it scrambled for answers. They mentioned men in black. Who in the world would be wearing black uniforms in this environment? Iraqi special forces? Serbia's CAJ, anti-terror unit? Russian Spetsnaz, FSB Alpha Group?
If it was any of those previously mentioned groups, then not only would running into them be bad because of communication issues but there would also be a major problem with territory disputes, air space control, and trade route logistics. All in all, it would be a paperwork nightmare once they bumped into them, and Itami would be the one doing all of it…
I just wanted to read some manga, why does my life have to be so complicated?!
"So, Miss…?"
The ears of the purple-haired cat lady flickered as she heard him speak, "You can just call me Persia."
"So Persia, who exactly is it that we're going to see?"
"You're going to see my master and Princess Pina CoLada. They're currently engaged in talks with the men in black who managed to peacefully bring master back home safely."
They peacefully returned the Count? But wouldn't he have been leading an attack on the other gate as well?
"What can you tell us about these men in black?" Kuribayashi asked. "What they're equipped with, what they're capable of, any identifying logos of any sort?"
Persia's tail lazily swung around as a curious tone appeared in her voice, "Oh? I thought that you were already familiar with them. They seemed well structured enough to act like your people."
"That's the thing… We have no clue who they are specifically. It could be any foreign military, and there's such a large pool to choose from that we'd have no idea who we'd be running into. It could be a major political disaster for everyone involved."
"That doesn't sound too good. But I, unfortunately, can't tell you all that much about them. You'll be able to get the chance to ask them yourselves in a moment though. We're approaching the throne room now." Persia said as they finally stopped upon a set of double doors at the end of the hall.
The doors weren't anything too grandiose. Just a simple set of dark wooden doors with gold handles. The real significance came from what lie behind it. The cat maid opened the doors, revealing a large room. A deep red carpet lay flat beneath two chairs at the end of the room. In the left seat was a little girl with orangish hair in a pink dress. She looked out of place, having no clue what to really do as she idly swung her legs, which didn't even reach the floor, back and forth. She looked so innocent.
At that moment, Itami's mind recalled the little girl who got separated from her parents during the initial invasion. He helped her find her mother but unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for her father. Right before he entered the Special Region, he remembered seeing her at the Ginza memorial, her mother hunched nearby, weeping over their loss.
So young, she didn't even understand what really happened…
He quickly shook himself out of his thoughts as he tried to focus on something else. Turning to the other seat, he could make out a man wearing a regal set of clothing, complete with a cape as well. Judging by where he sat and how he dressed, this man was no doubt the Count of Italica that everyone was talking about. Standing in front of him was a red-haired woman in lavish armor, accompanied by two others. Another smaller girl in similar-looking gear, and an older, taller gentleman. Everyone looked medieval, which was par for the course at this point and not out of the norm.
What was out of the norm though, was the other men in the room equipped with rifles of all sorts. They wore black uniforms, and most of the gear they had was in tan colors. The men turned around at the sound of the doors opening, revealing that all but one of them was wearing face concealment of some sort. Black balaclavas or neck gaiters left only the eyes visible to him, though some of them wore tinted goggles or glasses to completely deny any chance of personal identification.
Itami's eyes widened at the variety of patches.
Stars and stripes, a Union Jack, and a Hinomaru? At least I can cross off all my previous speculations. But still, what are they doing here? Joint operations maybe?
It wasn't at all unusual to see US forces work alongside their counterparts from across the pond, but the uniforms and gear were really throwing him off. The British man must have been SAS obviously, but the US forces were completely unidentifiable. They weren't wearing any variation of AOR, so not DEVGRU. No Marpat or M81 woodland, so not the Marines. And no Multicam, so not even the army... not to mention the Japanese man. Black definitely was not part of the standard uniform of any of the JSDF.
So who the hell were these guys?
The man in front of the Count, unlike his teammates, was wearing all black from head to toe. A black helmet, uniform, vest, boots, and gloves. He glanced at Itami and his team momentarily before finishing whatever conversation he had with the Count.
"-That's all we ask. Just keep that in mind and we'll be golden, okay? Me and my men are going to step out now. In the meantime, you're free to conduct your business how you see fit. We'll be back later. Good day, Formal."
The operators turned, walking past the group and completely ignoring them as they looked straight ahead. As they passed by, Itami's group was able to get a closer look at them. Their weapons and gear were from very reputable brands. Brands, which were extremely expensive to hand out to just any old soldier. That's when his eyes locked onto the arm patches.
A rook chess piece inside of an ace, sandwiched between a pair of stitched words. Umbra Catervae… Shadow Company.
That certainly didn't sound like any special forces group that Itami was familiar with. Was it new? Were they formed recently because of the gates? Or was it actually a secret society that's been around since the beginning, controlling the globe from the shadows, and formulating a new world order?
Alright, that's a bit too dramatic there, Itami. You've been reading too much manga. He mentally chastised himself. This was real life, not a work of fiction.
But, we basically are living in a manga now…
Damn, he raised a good point.
His thoughts were interrupted again as he felt a jab on his arm. He let out an almost girlish yelp as he rubbed it, looking down to find Kuribayashi lowering hers. Looks like she had to inflict some pain just to get him out of his musings. She frowned up at him before tilting her head to the man on the throne in front of them.
Oh right, business!
Itami looked over at Lelei, "Hey Lelei, you mind translating for me?"
The archmage teen gave a silent nod in response, prompting him to step forward before giving a deep bow, "Your Majesty, I am Lieutenant Yoji Itami of the Japanese Self-Defense Force."
The Count looked at their gear before it slowly trailed to the rifle slung over his shoulder. He asked a question, giving Lelei a moment to translate for him.
"Are you the men from the other gate?"
"Yes, we emerged from Alnus Hill, after the Saderan Empire attacked our people in our streets."
"I see..." Formal closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Tell me, have you come into my domain to kill me?"
When Lelei translated the question for him, Itami nearly shouted in panic. "No! No, we're not here to do any of that! We've only come to trade!"
He leaned back in his chair, relieved, while the knights nearby relaxed their shoulders. "While it indeed pleases me that you say you aren't here to do any harm to us, I have to ask, why trade with us? From what you've told me, you're still at war with the Saderan Empire."
"While that is true to some extent, it's not us that are trading. It's the refugees we have under our care."
"Refugees?" Formal asked.
"Yes," Itami gestured to the people under his care. "Lelei and Tuka here are refugees. They were forced to evacuate their homes due to the arrival of a flame dragon in the area."
At the mention of the flame dragon, a grim look appeared on his face. "I've heard about the dragon. It's a horrible thing and I do indeed feel sympathy for your plight, but trading is the least of Italica's worries at the moment."
"What do you mean by that?"
"What I mean is, the bodies that lie outside the city's walls aren't just bandits. They're survivors of the armies that attacked the gate at Alnus Hill. After what I assume was a crushing defeat, they've decided to turn renegade and fight for themselves. Their first target was unfortunately Italica. And bags of goods won't be of any use to us if we can't hold out for the next few days."
The little girl in the other seat quietly whimpered to herself…
The Count raised a good point. What would be the point of trading the goods if the city was gone come tomorrow? The people of Italica would go through the worst experience of their lives just because of some bandits. He couldn't just let them suffer…
That's when the red-headed knight woman stepped up, "Your Majesty, may I offer a solution to both parties' problems?"
He nodded in response. "Of course Princess, anything would help at this point."
"If the rumors are believed to be true, and you are who you say you are, stay." She stood firm, a stubborn look in her eyes as she looked at Itami's eyes. Red eyes staring into brown. "Stay and fight to protect Italica. Once the bandits are dealt with and the city is safe again, only then can we open up discussions of trade."
Stay and fight? That wasn't even what they came to do! They just wanted to trade! If they stayed any longer, command was going to be on his ass the moment he returned back. Did he even have enough people to protect the city in such a way?
Itami mentally debated with himself before his eyes settled on the little girl again. She looked bored, clueless, anxious… just like the innocent little girl at Ginza. No… he couldn't sit idly by as more people got hurt. At that moment, he made the decision, even if it would come to bite him later.
He turned to the princess, a newly determined look on his face. "We accept, your Majesty. The JSDF will do whatever it can to protect your people."
The Count nodded back, a small smile on his face at Itami's generosity. "Very well then. Princess Pina, you're the better strategist here. Where will you assign the men in green?"
"The South gate has been largely unprotected for the most part. I would like it if your people were to guard there."
"But wasn't that side attacked just recently? Do you really think they'll go for it again?"
"I have reason to believe that if they see not enough guards, they'll prepare themselves there, yes. If you're concerned with the defense of the others, many militiamen are already assembled and prepared. The East gate is our main concern. I'm sure you've already met Norma. He's a member of my Rose-Order. I've entrusted him to oversee the East gate alongside your companions in black."
Itami looked at Kuribayashi and Kurokawa, "Your Majesty, we don't have any allies that wear black…" Kuribayashi said as she stepped forward. "We have no idea who those men that passed us were."
[REDACTED] VALE [REDACTED]
ITALICA EAST GATE, FALMART
IMPERIAL CALENDAR 687 - 05:55:00
"I still can't believe we've actually run into another military here," Angel commented. "What are the chances?"
"At least it was the JSDF. They didn't really seem to mind us completely ignoring them as we waltzed on by." Bristol pointed out as he put his night vision onto his helmet mount.
Viper looked over the walls with a pair of binoculars when he spoke up. "Don't underestimate them, Bristol. I've personally advised some of them back in Okinawa on our side of the gate. There's a couple of diamonds in the rough."
"You were an advisor?" Bristol asked, to which Viper gave a silent nod back. "Forgive me for saying this, but you don't really seem the type…"
"Understandable, but apparently Commander Graves thought otherwise. The man offered me and Ronin contract personally."
Commander Graves gave Viper and Ronin a contract in Okinawa? A military advisor and a... well, nobody really knew what Ronin was beforehand. Vale didn't really care too much. It was up to him if he wanted to share personal details. Though Graves being in Japan was certainly news to him and the rest of the squad. It wasn't too unusual if one really thought about it, Graves traveled a lot for business meetings. The man must have liked what he seen.
"The big boss himself sought you both out? Damn… what was he doing in Japan?"
"I thought the same thing…" Viper sighed to himself, lowering the binoculars as he got tired of small talk. "Damn, I can't see jack shit out there and our nods only got so much range. When is Avatar 1 getting back up in the air?"
Bristol noted the quick change in topic but wisely chose not to say anything about it. "Well, they were bingo fuel only a couple of hours ago, so they should be returning just about-"
Commander Graves' voice interrupted him. "All shadows, Avatar 1 is reentering the AO, UAV is back online."
"Now…"
Viper put the binoculars down, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Finally, I got real sick and tired of looking at nothing."
Ronin chuckled from his position, back resting against the wall as he sat down. "What do you mean, you're in an entirely new world. Aren't you excited to finally see the spectacular sights such as rolling hills, shrubbery, and preserved medieval houses?"
Viper rolled his eyes. "If I wanted to see such a thing, I'd visit the English countryside."
"A gross oversimplification mate," Bristol glared at him. "But I guess you're not wrong…"
"I hope the commander realizes that we're gonna have to talk to them at some point…" Angel said, in reference to the Japanese they passed.
He raised a good point. Graves said to initiate first contact protocol if they were to bump into their Japanese counterparts, but during the meeting, Graves got a transmission from Carnival squad that the Japanese had arrived at Italica. Vale and his men were ready to switch languages again and be all diplomatic, but then Graves decided to have them disregard his previously instated protocol. Instead of greeting the JSDF soldiers, all they did was give a brief look of acknowledgement, before outright ignoring them and walking past.
"Don't worry, he hasn't forgotten, but right now defending the city takes precedence. I'm sure there'll be time for talks later." Viper reassured him. Vale hoped he was right. The idea of remaining unknown to another country's military for the moment didn't sit right with him, but there was nothing he could really do about it.
Their prolonged moment of respite was finally broken as Commander Graves came back on the radio. "All shadows, Avatar 1 is reporting a large force of unknowns converging on our position from the fields!"
"Shit…" Vale hissed to himself before turning around. "All right everybody, get your game faces on! The enemy is returning! Weapons off safe and prep for contact!"
The militiamen below the walls and around them scrambled to reach for their weapons. Norma, who was standing on the wall with them, squinted his eyes at the dark.
"I don't see a single sign of the enemy. How can you be sure that they're truly there?" Norma asked. He paused as he saw Vale lower a device from his helmet. As it snapped into place, it looked like he had gained the vision of four eyes, not unlike a spider. Behind the device, he could see a green light glowing over his eyes as if it was magically enchanted.
"Just trust us, and get your men ready to fight." He said coolly, before aiming his rifle over the wall.
It was eerily quiet as the militiamen and operators stood in wait. The impending battle made hearts beat anxiously as they waited for something to happen. Moments later, distant fires were lit before they rapidly approached their position. Vale's eyes widened as he ducked down, feeling the heat just barely missing him. A scream followed by a thud behind him told him that he got lucky. The same couldn't be said for the militia member though...
"Flame arrows!" Norma shouted. Several of the militiamen looked up, only to get struck down by the volley of fire while some of the quicker or more fortunate ones were able to avoid them. "Get down!"
The peace was broken as cries of death and war broke out and the chaos of battle erupted in moments.
"Archers! Counter volley, now!" Norma commanded.
The militia archers, not to be outdone by the enemy, fired back over the walls. Their attempt to strike back was mostly futile, as the enemy used their shields in turtle formations, protecting every part of their bodies. Several longer turtle formations could be seen throughout the enemy force. Underneath their shields were ladders, which they carried to the walls in an attempt to scale them.
"All shadows, focus fire on those turtle formations!" Graves ordered over the comms. "We can not let the enemy get past the walls!"
Several rounds of varying calibers popped off towards the formations, putting down many of the bandits carrying ladders and slowing the advance just a smidge. It didn't seem to be doing much though, as the stream of bandits was more numerous than they were expecting.
An arrow whizzed overhead before pinging off Bristol's helmet, knocking his head to the side as he flinched and fell over on his back. "Bloody hell!"
"Bristol!" Vale diverted his attention to his fallen squad mate and ran to his aid. "You alright?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine!" He gave a few firm taps with his knuckle on the helmet before pushing him aside. "Mission first, go fight!"
"Vale, how's Bristol?" Ronin asked, "How is he?"
"He's green," Vale replied as he picked up his rifle again. "just focus fire on the enemy!"
"Loading!" Vale turned his attention to Sentinel squad as Boxer reloaded his HK416. He peeked over the wall again before finding a massive sea of figures rushing in the dark. Rows of shields and lit torches bathed the fields in a hue of orange. They were well equipped but with the number of enemies that were advancing upon them, they'd still be outnumbered long after they ran out of ammo.
For every bandit we shoot down, two more take their place…
"Anyone here seen 13 Hours?" Angel shouted as he loaded another mag. "Cause this kinda' reminds me of that!"
"Yeah, but they fought Haji's with AKs! These are medieval soldiers with swords!"
As archers and operators returned fire, Norma realized he needed to alert his superior. "Send a messenger to the princess!" Norma turned around and ordered the militiamen down below. "Tell her we've made contact with the enemy at the Eastern wall!"
"What the fuck is the princess gonna do?!" One of the operators shouted at Norma over the sounds of battle. "I'm empty, cover me!"
The sustained fire, though numerous wasn't nearly enough as the enemy had more bodies than they did bullets. Eventually, ladders started to be raised against the walls.
"They just won't stop coming! We need to fall back!" One of the militiamen near Norma yelled out.
"No! Hold your ground and pick them off the walls! Don't let any arrows go to waste!"
The archers nearby attempted to fire down at the men climbing up. Instead of striking easy targets like they expected, their arrows were suddenly swooped away by a powerful gust of wind.
"What the…!"
"Sir, they've got a magic user!"
Out in the distance, a green-haired siren woman with bird features could be seen, the source of the wind magic that diverted the arrows away from the bandits. From this distance, combined with her affinity for wind magic, there was no way they'd be able to stop the advance.
"Carnival 1, enemy's got someone deflecting the militia's arrows, range five hundred meters. Can you drop her?" Vale would try himself, or have one of his own men do it, but they needed to focus on the ladders and the arrows were making it difficult to look over long enough.
"Negative Bishop 1, we've got visual but my men are preoccupied with preventing enemy foot mobiles from scaling the walls."
One of the nearby militiamen cut a ladder down with his axe, managing to topple it over and send the bandits on it tumbling down.
"Ha! I got some! I managed to-!" His brief moment of celebration was cut off as an arrow found itself lodged into his eye, his body lazily stepped forward before falling over the wall.
"Shadow 1, Carnival 1 here. The militiamen are losing ground! The enemy are going to overtake the walls in a second! How copy, over?"
"Shadow 1 copies, same thing here! All shadows, fall back to our second line and get on those victors!"
"Carnival copies, moving!"
Vale turned to see Norma slashing at bandits as they reached the top of their ladders, some forgetting all of their previous training in favor of aggressively swinging at him. The fire from the tipped over braziers spilled everywhere, silhouetting Norma's figure against the night sky as the flames melted bodies around him, bandit and militia alike. "Norma, we are falling back! We've lost the wall, if you stay up here any longer you're a dead man!"
"No, we must keep fighting!" Norma shouted back. "We can't let them get any further!"
"You fucking moron, they're already getting past! You can't effectively lead your people up here! The Count said you're a Chamberlain right? If they get you, they'll make an example out of you!"
Norma glared at him before conceding. He made a good point. His death would be a huge blow to an already low morale. "Fine, everyone fall back! We've lost the walls!"
Vale reached for his radio as Norma and his squad quickly retreated down the stairs. They fired back at the bandits that attempted to charge at them. "Shadow 1, we're not gonna have enough ammo to deal with all these idiots. We're gonna need to bring the rain on 'em."
"I've already called it in Bishop 1, ETA is five Mikes! just get on that gun and hold out a bit longer!"
Militia screamed in pain and agony as they were countlessly slaughtered above, their bodies falling before they hit the ground. As Bishop squad covered their retreat, the bandits managed to scale over the walls and were opening the gates to allow more of their brethren past.
"Hahaha! Tonight is our night, brothers!" The bandit leader shouted from above as he held a member of the militia in his hands. He took a dagger before slowly dragging it across his throat, causing him to futilely struggle and clutch at the open wound. He gurgled and choked on his blood, desperately gasping for a clear airway before falling limp.
"We lost it all at the gates! But tonight, we loot, dine, and kill not only for ourselves but for Emroy, the Dark Lord of War!" He exclaimed, before tossing the bleeding body down at the crowd. "This is our destiny!"
The bandits down below cheered, pounding staffs against the ground, beating swords against shields, or raising maces in the air. Vale felt himself rolling his eyes. He suppressed political protest turned deadly riots that were more civilized than this. These bandits were more akin to barbarians in their behavior rather than ex-soldiers that served under the will of this worlds most dominant Empire.
Which was all the more distressing due to the fact that they somehow broke through the first line of defense held by ex special forces. The enemy were armed with swords for God's sake!
"All shadows, we can not let the enemy advance any further! If they break the framework of the gates, they'll have free reign of the city! Hold the line, no matter what!"
"Angel, get on that minigun!"
"On it!"
As the operators reached their vehicles, several of them took cover behind the other side as their designated gunners manned the guns on top.
Moments later, a large man emerged from the crowd of bandits with a chained mace. His head was completely covered by a full-face helmet, having only slits for the mouth and eyes.
"Damn, that's a big fella," Vale commented to himself. Moments later, the barrels of the minigun began to rotate, spinning faster and faster until the first rounds came through. An endless barrage of bullets fired out as the minigun and .50 cals began ripping apart the bandits. Screams of pain were drowned out by the sound of gunfire as the bullet casings rolled off the top of the Humvees, the operators manning the guns only letting go of the trigger momentarily to cool their barrels.
Norma tried to run back into the fray of battle before Bristol pulled him back, "What are you doing?! I have to fight, I'm duty bound to defend this city as per Princess Pina's orders!"
"Not at the cost of yourself! stay back you muppet, you'll get in the line of fire!" Bristol spat back before muttering to himself, "Does everyone in this world got a death wish or something?"
The faint thumping of rotor blades sounded out in the distance. Looking up, Vale squinted and held his hand up to block the light as he saw the silhouettes of three Apaches against the rising sun.
Sunrise already...?
"Hey, start popping green smoke on their position! It's gonna be danger close!"
Looks like everyone was gonna get a free show today...
OUTLAW 1-1 GUNNER, AKA COWBOY
ITALICA EAST GATE, FALMART
IMPERIAL CALENDAR 687 - 06:10:00
"Shadow 1, this is Outlaw 1-1. Outlaw teams are on approach and ready for tasking. What's your position?"
"Outlaw 1-1, you've got a sixteen-man team of friendlies West of the green smoke! Enemy forces are attacking East of our position and breaching the walls. Danger close fire mission. you're cleared hot!"
"Roger, Shadow 1, Outlaw is inbound, targets in sight, standby for fire."
The ambient whirring of helicopter blades and the beeping of advanced tech filled the cockpit of Outlaw 1-1's Apache. Before Commander Graves departed, he had Oxide pull the aviation teams together for a briefing. It wasn't anything new or surprising really, as the commander had already briefed the company about the mission to return Count Formal. Cowboy thought he was just going to have another regular day.
Breakfast with coffee, maintenance on the Apaches, and then he just had the rest of the day to himself. Maybe he could finally finish that book he never got around to the other day.
That was the plan anyway, before an urgent transmission came through from Graves himself.
What was supposed to be a simple drop off suddenly became an intense hold out. The Outlaw teams that were on standby were out of their seats, running on the tarmac, and powering up their helicopters within minutes. Some of the others complained about being on standby when they doubted anything would really happen, but Cowboy felt that Graves definitely made the right call. Now he found himself sitting in the gunner seat of his Apache, ready to lay waste.
If only he requested it later. It was way too early to be doing this right now...
"Hey, Cowgirl!" The gunner called out suddenly, grabbing his pilots' attention.
"Mhm, yeah?" She asked, half paying attention.
"You think we should be playing Ride of the Valkyries?"
Cowboy couldn't tell what his pilots' expression was at that moment, but he imagined she was rolling her eyes behind the tinted visor of the flight helmet. "Cowboy, This ain't some cliché 'Nam movie where we fly around in Hueys. I don't want Commander Graves on my ass because you wanted to recreate a stupid scene, stay focused!"
He clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Gotcha…"
…
"Just sayin'... it'd be kinda' cool…"
She gave a disappointed sigh as they arrived closer to the city. "Just do what you're paid for and shoot…"
He quietly chuckled to himself. "Yes ma'am."
The sight of the city got closer, and with it, they could see the large number of hostiles converging through the opened gates.
"All Outlaw teams, we are cleared to engage. Let it rain."
Cowboy took his hand off the flight stick before pulling up the electronic display monitor in front of him.
"Woah, would you look at that! It's like an ant hill down there." He pointed out. From the monitor in front of him, the outline of heat signatures contrasted against the white background of his thermals, revealing hundreds upon hundreds of figures. Many could be seen climbing ladders while the rest funneled in through an open gate in the center of the wall. "Missiles away!"
Large groups of bandits outside the walls practically disappeared in large plumes of smoke. When the smoke cleared, nothing left of them remained. The missiles certainly did a good job at eviscerating them and their gear.
"Boom, those guys are toasted!"
The missiles repeated alongside the other Apaches, bringing forth endless amounts of destruction to the battlefield. Groups upon groups of bandits were decimated several times over before they started to wise up and separate. "Cowboy, we've got runners now. Pick 'em off with the thirty Mike-Mike."
"Yeah, I see 'em." He responded as he aimed at the stragglers. "Guns, guns, guns!"
The bandits that tried to run for cover from the Apaches were immediately hunted down as their gunners picked them off one by one. Just because the chain gun was more precise didn't make it any less deadly.
Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide…
"Oooh," Cowboy winced. "I see lots of little pieces down there!"
"Good effect, good effect!"
Cowgirl looked up from the carnage on the ground to the walls. There, she eyed several bandits rushing to the ballista emplacements, attempting to load their spears inside, and fire at them.
"All Outlaw stations, watch those walls. 2 o'clock, we've got guys tryna' use anti-air on us."
"Roger, Outlaw 1-2 moving to engage."
The sound of missiles propelling through the air could be heard, before the bandits loading the spear into the ballista blew up moments later. There was nothing left other than a massive mark on the wall. "Splash, splash! Good hits 1-2, anti-air is down!"
"All Outlaw stations, this is Outlaw 1-3. We've got unknown aerial victors entering the AO!"
Cowgirl turned the Apache away from the battlefield, turning to face the sun. Heading their way and rapidly approaching were green-colored Cobras and UH-2 helicopters.
"See! What did I tell ya' Cowgirl, it's exactly like a 'Nam movie now!"
"Now isn't the time you idiot!" She barked out. "Shadow 1, we've got unknown aerial victors entering our AO, requesting permission to engage?"
Commander Graves responded immediately. "Negative Outlaw, do not fire upon any aerial victors! Those are friendly forces!"
"Outlaw 1-1 copies. All Outlaw stations, do not engage with any air victors, Shadow 1 has designated them as friendly!"
"This is Outlaw 1-2, roger that."
"Outlaw 1-3 copies."
"Friendly?" Cowboy asked. "They the Japanese we've been hearin' about?"
Cowgirl shrugged her shoulders as she looked out the cockpit, "Judgin' by the camo and their flag decals, I'm assumin' so. Guess there was a development on the ground or something."
"Strange, I thought they covered their helos in anime girls." Cowboy joked, "At least they're late to the party. More target practice for us!"
"I imagine Graves ain't gonna be too happy 'bout them showin' up."
"No… no I imagine not…"
PHILLIP GRAVES
ITALICA EAST GATE, FALMART
IMPERIAL CALENDAR 687 - 06:15:00
"WOOO! Thunder and lightning baby!"
"Hell yeah, they brought the heat!"
"Our flyboys are raining hellfire!"
Cheers of excitement surged throughout the squads as their air support brought the hammer down on the enemy.
"Stay focused shadows, we've still got targets in front of us!" Despite the massive amounts of casualties inflicted on the bandits, they just kept coming in droves, not at all caring for their lives. They were the definition of crazed and bloodthirsty bandits.
"Sir!" Graves turned his attention away from the frontline, facing Boxer as he pointed towards the sky. "A white flare just popped up from the South wall!"
"What?!" Looking up at the sky, Graves could see the white flare that Boxer mentioned, contrasting against the blue sky. Judging from its arc, it was indeed shot from the South side. As he looked past the buildings, a red and black blur quickly leapt from the shingles of the roof. Then, as if in slow motion, gracefully plummeted towards the ground and created an audible impact. Everyone, from bandits to militiamen, to PMC, froze still for a moment as their eyes locked onto the figure standing menacingly in the center.
A little girl in a red and black skirt dress, carrying an overly sized purple halberd. Compared to her, the medieval weapon was comically large and twice her size. Ignoring the fact that it was a child wielding the weapon, it looked mostly heavy and impractical.
Graves' eyes narrowed in recognition as he recalled his earlier meeting with the Count. After returning Count Formal to his throne, Carnival 1 spotted JSDF vehicles entering Italica. If he guessed correctly, which he did, then it was obvious that they'd want to talk to whoever was in charge of the city. And they did. They drove up to the Formal estate to engage in talks about trading wyvern scales, which they found out from asking Formal about it later. When the JSDF soldiers opened the doors to the throne room, only three of them were Japanese while the rest were clearly inhabitants of the region itself. This little girl was one of them… and now she was standing in the middle of an active battlefield, as if she were going to fight off all of the remaining bandits.
"What in the hell…?" He heard Vale whisper to himself through the comms.
"It's the apostle of Emroy!"
"Emroy's oracle is here!"
"Rory Mercury!?"
Everyone was immediately shaken out of their stupor when the newly identified Rory Mercury began hacking and slashing at the bandits. She giggled happily as she cut through the enemy, moving swiftly and gracefully as if combat was a simple song and dance that she had practiced her entire life.
"Get in formation men! Lock your shields together!" One of the bandits ordered. The rest of them complied, stacking together in the familiar turtle formation. As Rory charged straight at them, the bandits attempted to strike her with their spears before she expertly ducked beneath them. One swing of her halberd later, and the whole formation completely fell apart as they got swept aside.
Graves felt as if his eyebrows couldn't rise up any further on his face.
Girl's got strength, I'll give her that…
As she spun a group of bandits around, another larger bandit emerged from the watching crowd, ready to deliver a devastating blow to the little girl who had her back turned.
Graves raised his P90, ready to pull the trigger before another figure clad in green ran past. The green blur was screaming their head off in a war cry as they charged forward, revealing that they were female. He watched as the tiny Japanese woman plunged her bayonet into the bandit's side. The bandit, caught off guard form the attack, slid back and attempted to grab at her before she let loose a burst of fire from her Type 64. Several more bandits attempted to rush her before she began engaging in some sort of Hollywood-esque gun-fu.
The Japanese woman protected Rory from harm, and Rory returned the favor. They stood back to back, smirking at each other in the midst of battle as the bandits began to encircle them.
"These bitches are fucking crazy..." Graves overheard one of his men say aloud.
"All shadows, cover them!"
Round after round entered body after body as the two did a dance of death. Bandits were mowed down by bullets, and those that got too close were cut down by halberd and bayonet. Over the gunfire, his headset picked up the sound of boots approaching his position before coming to a halt beside him. He turned to face their newcomers, finding two Japanese men clad in similar green garbs.
"I'm First Lieutenant, Yoji Itami of the JSDF!" He hurriedly introduced himself, before shouldering his rifle and firing at the bandits along with his subordinate.
He inwardly groaned to himself. He was hoping to put this meeting off until later…
"Nice to meet you, Lieutenant!" Graves shouted over the sound of gunfire.
"Might I ask-?"
"I'm not sure if you've noticed Lieutenant, but we're in the middle of a shootout! Important questions only right now!"
"Uh, y-yeah, got it!"
"Speaking of important questions, was that your white flare in the distance?"
"Yeah, I used a favor to call in air support. Why?"
"Because we've already got CAS units on station if you couldn't tell by the mayhem around us!"
The voice of Outlaw 1-1 interrupted him. "Shadow 1, we've got unknown aerial victors entering our AO, are we cleared to engage them?"
Commander Graves responded immediately. "Negative Outlaw, do not fire upon any aerial victors! Those are friendly forces!"
"Outlaw 1-1 copies."
Graves turned around before looking Itami dead in the eyes. "Lieutenant, tell your air support not to engage with any of my forces. If I lose anyone in this battle, I'll be taking your head as compensation!"
Itami gulped in nervousness as he reached for his radio, "401, this is Third Recon, unknown aviation forces are friendly, I say again, unknown aviation forces are friendly. Do not engage!" He paused for a moment as a partially confused and mostly angry response came through.
"That doesn't explain who the hell they are, Itami!"
Itami glanced at Graves as he focused on firing at the bandits. "I'll have an explanation later, just don't engage them!"
One of the rockets from their Apaches hit the top of the wall above the opened gates. The bandit leader who stood on top was flung off and sent plummeting towards the earth. He fell right on top of Rory's halberd, becoming impaled like a brutal shish kebab. Graves could see the man's mouth move, probably cursing the woman beneath him or begging for mercy. Either way, he wasn't making it out of it alive, especially when he noticed Rory's blank expression of indifference.
"T-the Oracle killed him!"
"He's dead! What do we do now?!"
"Don't just stand there you cowards! We still have a battle to fight!"
The rest of the bandits looked at each other. Their source of leadership was dead once more, and they were completely clueless about what to do. The tide of battle had turned for them so unbelievably quickly.
Immediately after, a JSDF Cobra flew through the smoke, dispelling some of it as they hovered above the city. "Third Recon, Hunter 1 here! You've got ten seconds to clear the area and then we're gonna execute a cleanup of the engagement zone. I say again. We're starting a cleanup of the engagement zone! You need to bug out now!"
"Hey, what the hell is that Cobra doing?!" One of the operators yelled out.
Itami's eyes widened and he said nothing as he turned to his subordinate before they both ran past the framework gate. They rushed to pick up Rory and the female soldier from the battlefield before making their way back to safety.
"All shadows, the JSDF are sanitizing the zone in ten seconds, peel back now!"
"Ten seconds?! Shadow 1, we're not Speedy Gonzales over here! We're not gonna be able to move our gunners in time!"
"Then just get everyone to duck down and hope their aim is good!"
"Do they not see us?!"
Moments after he said that, the pilot finished counting down through Itami's radio and the sound of the Cobra's M197 20-millimeter Gatling cannon could be heard revving up. The familiar vibration of gunfire dominated the battlefield as they fired blindly overhead, cutting through the smoke and at whatever remained of most of the bandit force.
"Get down!"
"Motherfucker!"
"Mierda!"
"Bollocks!"
Graves felt himself gritting his teeth and clenching his fists in anger when he heard his men shout in panic as they ducked under the impromptu fire. These were his operators that the JSDF were haphazardly shooting right above!
The sound of bullets and death screams finally came to a stop after about ten seconds. Ten seconds of continuous overhead fire that could have killed any of his men. To them, it was probably the longest ten seconds of their lives.
Graves looked away from his contractors to find the Huey helicopters hovered over the city battlegrounds, before rappel ropes dropped from the sides and JSDF soldiers did fast rope insertions. He watched as green uniforms planted boots on the ground of the now cleared battlefield.
"Come on, let's move it, people. Let's start setting a staging area for the POWs and a separate one for the wounded!" A JSDF sergeant began barking commands to his soldiers.
Soon enough, the area was filled with JSDF soldiers, finding the scattered remnants of whoever survived the battle on either side.
"Whew… looks like we're finally done!" Itami said in relief as he held Rory in his arms.
"Thank you!" One of the militiamen came up to Graves and Itami. "The city and its people are safe, all thanks to you. The men in green and black… but I must ask, who are you both, and where do you hail from?"
Itami got the gist of the question, but from the look on his face, had no idea how to answer correctly. Immediately after, he had a eureka moment. He turned to the soldier next to him, "Tomita, tell 'em who we are."
Graves had no idea if he should be amused or annoyed.
Of course he delegates it to a subordinate instead...
He couldn't answer a simple question himself?
"We're from Japan…" Tomita said stoically, "The Self-Defense Force."
The militiaman turned to face Commander Graves, "And you are…?"
"Shadow Company…" That was all he offered as a response before the sounds of a difficult struggle approached him. He turned to look at Bishop squad doing their best to hold one of its members back.
"No Angel, I'm pissed too, but you need to calm the fuck down! It's over now, don't ruin a potential relationship for the company just because of a beef you've got!" Vale shouted as they restrained him by his arms. The man they held back kept a furious glare leveled at Itami.
"Hijo de puta! Someone needs to tell these assholes to check their fire! I didn't sign on just to die from some inexperienced morons shooting right above my fucking head! I want a damn warning before I'm nearly killed by friendlies! I had enough of that with General Shepherd!"
Not good. One of his men has just lost his composure, understandably so, and is now lashing out at the one he deems responsible. A soldier from a NATO allied country's military. His grievances could spiral into something much worse if he got his hands on Itami. It would be seen as an act of aggression and if any Japanese higher ups heard about it, they'd be on... less than friendly terms with the company.
"Vale, get your man under control right now. I will not be having a diplomatic incident today before we've even begun talks."
Vale grunted as Angel thrashed around, "We're trying, sir!"
Graves rolled his eyes. Angel was acting the complete opposite to company standards at the moment. "Angel, you will calm down now, or I'll have you and the squad scrubbing toilets for a week with a dock in pay."
The warning seemed to work as he paused before finally calming down. He let out a huff of defeat before shrugging his teammates off. "Fine… but I want it on record that these guys are amateurs. We shouldn't even be wasting our time with them."
"Duly noted, Angel."
With that comment, Angel turned away and walked back to the Humvees. The top of the vehicles received some very noticeable marks from the Cobras' overhead fire, but ignoring that, they looked to be operational. The rest of the squads were checking to see if the guns were still in functional condition. Good... the last thing they'd want is to jam in the middle of another shootout. Hopefully it would be a long time before the next one and preferably after they've restocked on munitions. The rest of Bishop squad followed Angel back to the vehicles. All except one...
Vale turned back to his boss, shoulders sagging. "Sorry about that, sir."
"There's nothing to apologize for Lieutenant, I understand why he's upset, and probably why you are as well."
Vale rubbed the back of his neck, "Was it that obvious, sir?"
"They gave you ten seconds to evac the zone before sanitizing it with no prior warning beforehand. I'd be pretty pissed myself if I were in your position." Graves said, loud enough for Itami to hear before turning to glance back at him. The Japanese man laughed nervously in response.
He laughed… he and his forces put his men in extreme danger, and all he can do in response when confronted with the fact is nervously laugh it off as if he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar? Graves could feel his eye twitch in annoyance…
Maybe I can have a discussion with JSDF brass about him.
Thankfully, his CAS was still around to help distract him. "Shadow 1, this is Outlaw 1-1. All targets suppressed, 200 plus enemy foot mobiles KIA. We're RTB for refuel. Over."
Graves looked up to the sky to see the Apaches hover just above the city, Outlaw 1-1 facing Princess Pina as she overlooked the destruction. "Solid copy, Outlaw 1-1. Thanks for the high heat. Don't be a stranger, ya' hear?"
She chuckled as their Apaches flew off in formation. "Wouldn't dream of it, Shadow 1."
He turned back to Itami, only to find him giving a wide toothy smile down at Rory in his arms. A little creepy… considering that this was a little girl he was bridal carrying. Apparently, Rory thought the same thing as she reared an arm back, preparing to sock him in the face. Graves winced as fist made contact with face and Itami cried out in pain.
That's gonna leave a mark… deserved though.
PRINCESS PINA COLADA
ITALICA EAST GATE, FALMART
IMPERIAL CALENDAR 687 - 06:40:00
How… That seemed like the only question that Princess Pina CoLada found herself asking on repeat throughout her entire week. How did the Empire lose the battle at the gates? How did Count Formal survive the men in black? How did their carriages move without the use of horses? How did the enemy overwhelm her forces?
Now the question was, who were these men in green and black with their flying monsters of steel? How could they have tamed such beasts that brought down such levels of effective destruction, the kind that forced experienced and hardened fighters to quake and quiver in fear?
She looked over the battlefield. The walls of Italica were marred with the horrible visage of battle. Viscera, limbs, and corpses were strewn about the ground, unmoving. The fire their flying beasts unleashed upon the bandits showed no bias, destroying everyone it touched equally. Almost every single bandit was wiped out…
She was alerted to the thumping and whirring of one of the beasts as it floated nearby. She stared the black beast down, shivering from the cold and hugging her arms close to her body as it hovered in front of her. Its maw was frozen wide open, exposing its red interior and gleaming white teeth. For a moment she was afraid that it had wanted to eat her before she looked closer and realized that the teeth weren't real.
That's just an illustration? She asked herself. For intimidation, I'm assuming. but then, how…?
That's when she looked up at the transparent glass. She audibly gasped as she noticed two figures looking straight at her from within, though she doubted it was heard over the sounds it made. Inside of the flying monstrosity, both figures wore similar-looking gear in all-black colors. No eyes or face were visible, hidden behind the darkened glass and masks covering their faces. Just like the men in black... did they work with them as well?
The figures inside both gave her a two-fingered salute before steering the steel monster away, the other two catching up to it and flying in formation as they left.
Is the goddess trying to tell us something? Has she sent these men as punishment? As a warning? Who has the Empire angered to bring forth such wrath and fury…?
Author's Notes
A double post, because I've had chapter 4 and 5 on the backburner for a while now. Can you tell which one was more thoroughly looked at?
Anyway, here we are! The JSDF finally encountered Shadow Company, and right before the Battle of Italica. Both forces call in their fire support which results in the bandit force getting absolutely stomped, because let's be realistic here, they most likely would.
You know, you write and you write, and then it eventually snowballs into so much writing that you end up with over 11,000 words. Man, I really need to pace myself better…
I apologize if this chapter is a little long, but I kind of brought it on myself, wanting to make this chapter good. Lots of dialogue and action. Though one might have been better than the other.
I also apologize if it seems like I'm bashing on Itami a little too much. I don't hate his character, not at all. It's just that he always seemed odd to me. Like, you wanted a job to support your Otaku hobbies, I completely understand that. But then… Why choose to join a military dedicated to the safety and security of your home country and its people? He must have known that militaries are strict and routine beforehand, right?
He complains about the workload he gets, only wanting to do the bare minimum, even though it's to be expected from someone in his position. A position that many others, who put in the effort to work more than him, could only dream of achieving. And yet he got the opportunity as a punishment for being a slacker. Not someone you'd really want in charge of others lives...
That's why I kind of wanted to flesh him out a little bit to be more than just a bumbling idiot that has special forces training with a deeply troubled past that he keeps hidden. I figured the chaos at Ginza, his first kill, and his inexperience in leading a real battle for the first time was a good way to start. Eventually his character will develop, just like everyone else in this story. It'll be good to delve into the mind of a modern outside perspective to Shadow Company.