In Another World With A Marine

by Nightmare 6-4

Sgt. James Murphy was a Marine Marksman who did his duty to combat terrorism and protect the homefront, he made the ultimate sacrifice and God revived him in another world, but unfortunately for James the war is not over, because Marines never die, they just go to hell to regroup.

2. Chapter 2: Shock and Awe

Ch. 2 – Shock and Awe

In Another World with My Smartphone is owned by AT-X, Tokyo MX, and BS11, I only own the OCs. I'm glad y'all like it, I'll try to keep as close to the source material as I can. See you in the Author's Notes.

James stood on top of the carriage and used his rifle to survey the area around them as Touya reassured the young girl and her wounded butler "You've truly saved us. How could we ever thank you…" The butler started to say before he placed his hand on his chest in a formal manner. "But first, introductions. I am Reim, a butler in service to Duke Ortlinde. And this person here is the Duke's daughter, Suushie Ernea Ortlinde." Reim said as he introduced the young woman who curtsied "I'm Suushie Ernea Ortlinde, it's a pleasure to meet you all." Suushie said as she formally introduced herself.

"I thank you, Touya or whatever your name is. You saved Reim, no, not just Reim but all of our lives." Suushie said gleefully. Touya looked at the girl confused before he looked back at Yae and the twins who stared daggers at him "What's wrong?" Touya asked, Elze snapped "What's wrong?! How can you be so calm? Duke! The Duke!" Elze exclaimed, Linze chimed in with a much calmer voice "A Duke is the highest rank a noble can have. Unlike other nobles, the title of 'Duke' is only given to members of the royal family." Linze explained.

"Eh?" Touya said confused until Suushie placed her hand on her chest "Indeed, my father Duke Alphred Ernea Ortlinde is the younger brother of his Royal Highness." Suushie stated as she stood in front of them cordially. Touya rubbed is chin "Which means you're the king's niece. Wow." Touya said as he finally put two and two together. James sighed "And the last horse crosses the finish line, and the crowd goes mild…" James said as he stared into the distance.

Touya looked up at James with a 'dude, what the fuck?' expression before he returned his attention to the young woman before him "Umm Lady… Suushie?" Touya asked nervously, Suushie laughed lightly "Sue will suffice, this isn't a formal setting, no need for formalities." Suushie said playfully.

"As I said before, we all owe you our lives." Suushie said with a smile, James turned around and watched Yae and the twins bowed before the noblewoman. She held her hands up as she tried to get everyone to stand up "In reality, we should be the ones bowing our head, please raise your heads." Suushie said as the three girls rose from the ground. Touya rubbed his chin in thought "But why would the Duke's daughter be in a place like this?" Touya asked confused.

"We're returning from my grandmother's, my mother's mother. There was something we wanted to investigate; we were returning after about one month's absence. To think this would happen, we were completely caught off guard. The attackers were hired for money, but it seems they know nothing of their employer, what their purpose was or under whose orders they were moving…" Suushie explained, James crouched on the roof of the carriage and looked at the noblewoman and her butler.

"My guess is they were gonna kidnap you and ransom you back to the kingdom for a large sum of money, but… it looks they won't be doing shit now." James said as he picked his rifle back up, Touya looked at him shocked at what he said like 'Dude, what the fuck?!'. "Well? Suush… Sue, what will you do from here?" Touya asked, Reim cleared his throat "About that, you see… with over half the guard defeated, in this state, if we were to be attacked again, we couldn't protect the young lady. We would like to ask you and your friends to escort us, would we be able to employ you?" Reim asked the five-person group.

Touya stammered with his words before James leaped down from the carriage and landed in front of Reim and Sue "We'd be happy to escort you to your destination; we'll protect you with our lives." James said before he knelt before them. 'Thank god I played a lot of Elder Scrolls in High School.' James thought to himself.

"There's no need to kneel, rise." Suushie said as she lightly touched his helmet. "Touya, you ride with Suushie, I'll take up the forward while the ladies hold the rear." James said as he climbed back on the roof of the royal carriage.

Within minutes the carriage convoy was on the move as it made its way toward the Royal Capital, James surveyed his surroundings as the carriage moved along the desolate road. James watched the horizon to the right and watched as a few figures poked out of the brush with weapons in hand, James raised his rifle and swiftly put each of them down. The clap of each shot echoed with a thunderous roar that sent birds flying and animals scattered, the rounds hit their targets with devastating effects.

The rounds ripped through their victims and spilt their blood on the forest floor, two were hit in the chest while a third was hit square between the eyes. The fourth attempted to run but James pulled out his revolver and put three rounds into the man's back before he holstered it again. "James, everything alright?" Touya asked as he poked his head out the side of the carriage, James laughed a little "Never better, there's nothing like snuffing out the light of terrorists. It's better than coffee." James said as he replaced the spent shells in his revolver with fresh ones.

James walked to the back of the carriage and called to the ladies behind them "Hey Linze, can you hold up that book of magic stuff we were reading earlier?" James asked, Linze fished the book from her bag and held it into the air. "Aports." James said out loud, the book seemingly disappeared from Linze's hands and appeared in James's hands.

James sat on the carriage and flipped through the book "Oh, this is cool." James said as he pulled out a fresh magazine from his vest and held it in his hand "Copy." James said as he held his hand up, a sigil formed around the magazine as another one formed on top of it. James picked it up and looked at it, he pulled out a round and inspected it thoroughly before he replaced the round back into the magazine.

James stood up and placed the magazines back into his vest, James unzipped his bag and placed the book into it before he replaced it onto his back. After an hour of travel and laughter coming from the carriage, they finally arrived at the Royal Capital "Alright folks, looks like we're here." James announced to the convoy as the horse hooves clicked against the brick road below. James held his rifle pointed toward the ground as he surveyed the area from the roof of the carriage as it pulled up to a large mansion, James let out a long whistle as he looked at everything "Man, this is nice." James said before he leapt from the carriage.

Reim opened the carriage door and guided Suushie out of the carriage, the double doors opened to reveal a large room with giant marble support pillars, maids formed a path to a large staircase as they bowed as a sign of respect. "Welcome back, young lady." The maids said in unison as Suushie strolled in without a care in the world. "Sue!" A blonde male stated loudly as Suushie ran and hugged him "Father!" She exclaimed as she embraced her father in a loving hug.

Touya followed in behind her with the girls in tow, James was about to walk in when the door shut in his face "… What the fuck?" James said as he opened the door and walked in. "Halt! Your highness, there appears to be an enemy soldier here." A guard said as he cornered James with his sword drawn, James held his hands up confused "Seriously, what the fuck is going on?" James asked confused. "No, he's with us." Touya said as he spoke up in James's defense. The guard sheathed his sword and moved away from James while maintaining a glare at the Marine, James took a step forward which caused a few maids to step away from him.

"Alright, I know I look scary, but this is common military attire where I'm from." James said as he shook his head, he hadn't been in this new world a week and it already felt like being back in the streets of Afghanistan. "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Alfred Elnes Ortlinde." The Duke said as he introduced himself.

"Mochizuki Touya, Touya is my first name and Mochizuki is my family name." Touya said as he introduced himself. The Duke shook his hand eagerly "Ah, you must be from Ishen?" Alfred asked as he shook Touya's hand. James clicked his boots together as he stood at attention and saluted the Duke "Sergeant James Murphy, United States Marine Corp, sir." James said as he recited the words that had been beat into him during basic.

"United… States…?" The said unsurely, James chuckled nervously "Yes sir, it's a nation far from here but a fairly large one. Marines are the elite warriors, the best of the best. The few, the proud, the Marines." James said as he repeated the recruitment slogan.

"Oh, fascinating. Well, thank you for protecting my daughter." The Duke said thankfully, James nodded "Just doing my job, sir." James said as he stood with his hands behind his back. "Well, tell me everything. Come." Alfred said as he guided the group up the stairs while Suushie disappeared to her quarters with a maid.

The group explained the entire series of events from first contact to arrival at the Royal Capital "Ah, I see. You all came to the Royal Capital to deliver a letter for a request from the Guild." The Duke said as he analyzed everything he was told. "If you hadn't accepted that request, Sue may have been kidnapped or killed. My thanks to whoever made the request." The Duke said as he thanked the mystery person.

"Do you have any idea who the attackers might have been?" Touya asked as James stared out the window and scanned the rooftops. "I… can't say I don't. I'm sure there are many Nobles who are thinking to inconvenience me considering my position." Alfred said solemnly. "James, what are you looking for?" Touya asked as he noticed James staring intently out the window. "Snipers." James said as he glared at the rooftops.

As he scanned the roofs, he saw a light glint from a dark spot on a roof "Found you." James said as he opened the window and stuck the barrel of his rifle out as he adjusted the mills on his scope, as he zeroed in on the glint, he found that it was a broken mirror reflecting the sun. "Shit, false alarm." James said as he turned the safety back on and closed the window.

"What is that?" Alfred asked curiously, James chuckled "It's like a crossbow, but the arrows are small and fly super-fast, it's hard to dodge them." James said as he placed the rifle's sling over his shoulder. "What's a sniper?" Linze asked confused, James crossed his arms and lowered his head as he recalled his training.

"Long range reconnaissance capable of taking out targets from long distances and completely undetected. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision rifles like this one here and high-magnification optics, and often feed information back to their units or command headquarters." James explained as he recalled his Marine Corps Marksman training.

"We're like Archers but our 'arrows' don't need an arc pattern; they can fly straight." James continued before a young voice called out from a door on the side of the room "Father, sorry to keep you waiting." Suushie called out as she ran into the room and greeted the group. "Did you speak with Elen?" Alfred asked his daughter as she took a seat next to her father.

"Elen?" Touya asked confused. "Ah, my wife. My apologies, even though you saved our daughter, she can't come out. My wife is blind, you see." Alfred explained, the members of the group were taken aback by the sudden news "Blind?" Linze asked as she tried to clear up any confusion. "From a sickness five years ago… Her life was spared, but she lost her eyesight." Alfred explained. "Did you try to heal her with magic?" Linze asked concerned, Alfred lowered his head solemnly.

"We called out to all users of healing magic in the country but… it was no use." Alfred explained as he seemed to become depressed. "If only Grandfather had still been alive…" Suushie said as she looked up at Touya who looked perplexed until Alfred spoke up again. "My wife's father… Sue's grandfather, my father-in-law, could use a special kind of magic. It could remove any irregularity from the body. This was the reason for Sue's trip, we wanted to see if she could understand and learn to use my father-in-law's magic." Alfred explained.

"Grandfather's magic could heal mother's eyes." Suushie stated before she looked down at the floor. "If only we could find someone able to use the same kind of magic as grandfather…" Suushie continued before she trailed off. "Sue, I told you the chances of that are extremely low… The majority of Null magic is personal magic, there are no two people that can use the same magic." Alfred stated as he closed his eyes.

The mention of 'Null' caused James's head to perk up "Excuse me, but did you say… Null?" James asked, Alfred nodded "Yes, it was a spell that was very personal to my father-in-law." Alfred clarified, James nodded "What's the name of the spell and where is your wife?" James asked as he stood up straight, the light came through the window and casted him in a heroic halo of sunlight.

Alfred stood up and led the group into the master bedroom where a woman sat on her bed and stared off into the ether. "Oh my, visitors?" The woman asked as she looked toward the source of noise, James's steel-toed boots thundered across the hardwood floor as he approached the woman. "Hello Ma'am, my name is James Murphy and if you'll allow me, I'd like to try and heal your eyesight." James explained, she tilted her head perplexed "My… eyes…?" She asked. "Honey, who is this person?" Elen asked confused, Alfred approached her and held her hand "This is one of the people who saved Sue and after hearing about you, has come to look at your eyes." Alfred explained as Suushie walked up and grabbed her mother's hand.

"Mother, please relax." Suushie pleaded, the woman nodded as she closed her eyes and relaxed her shoulders. James held his hand over her eyes and closed his own as he focused "Recovery." James said out loud before his hand started to glow white, the light disappeared as he removed his hand and watched as the cloudiness in the woman's eyes dissipated after she slowly opened them.

"Alright, be very careful. Your eyes are still getting used to light and shit like that." James explained as he clenched his hands together. Elen blinked a couple times as she looked up at her husband and daughter "… I can see. I can see. I can see, honey!" Elen stated happily as tears started to stream down her cheeks. Alfred and Suushie swarmed her as they embraced her lovingly, James stepped back and placed his hands behind his back as the girls started to cry and Touya seemed to glare at him.

James looked over at the boy and shrugged his shoulders, silently saying 'Can I fucking help you?'. Touya looked away and addressed the family "Well, I'm glad we were able to help you." Touya stated, Alfred nodded "You all have really done so much for us. We can't thank you enough, not just my daughter, but my wife as well… thank you so much." Alfred stated as he looked at the group.

"It was no problem, sir." James said as he clicked his feet together and stood at attention. "You must let me thank you. Reim, bring what we discussed." Alfred said as he summoned the butler, the butler walked in carrying a tray with a sack and a folded cloth on it. Alfred picked the bag up and held it with both hands.

"First, here. This is my thanks in regard to saving my daughter from her assailants as well as escorting her here. Inside is ten platinum coins." Alfred stated which shook the three girls to their core. "Uhh, is that a lot?" James asked confused. "The denomination above gold coins… One platinum is worth ten gold coins." Elze explained.

"All together, that's like 40 million Yen." Touya whispered to James, the Marine looked down at the kid and raised his eyebrow as he pulled out his phone before he typed the numbers into a conversion calculator. "That's $367,278.00 USD. But seeing as stuff around here is dirt cheap, we should be good for a while." James explained quietly but Touya spoke up "Tha-that's way too much! We can't accept this." Touya said as he held his hands up.

Alfred chuckled "Please, I want you to take it. If you all are going to live as adventurers, you will surely need this money. You can think of it as those funds." Alfred stated, Touya lowered his hands and nodded slowly as Alfred picked up the cloth off the tray.

"Also, I'd like to give you all these. Unfortunately, I only have four." Alfred explained as he presented the medallions to Touya, Yae, Linze, and Elze. Alfred turned to James and bowed to him "I'm sorry I'm not able to provide you with one of my family medals." Alfred apologized, James shook his head "It's perfectly alright, don't worry about it." James said as he reassured the Duke.

"With this, you will be able to freely pass through checkpoints as well as use facilities that only nobles can have access to. It is evidence that you have The Duchy's support in any case, it'll become your proof of identity." The Duke explained, Touya, Linze, Elze, and Yae bowed to the Duke while James saluted the man.

The five adventurers gathered their things before they left the mansion and climbed into the back of a carriage, Suushie called out as the carriage pulled away from the Duke's residents "Come visit again! You better, okay!" Suushie yelled. The group waved back before they disappeared over the horizon, James stood near the front of the carriage and held his rifle pointed downward as he looked ahead of them.

*Several hours later (the manga literally provides no explanation between the two scenes so I skipped ch. 5 of the manga.) 1400 hours*

The carriage moved down the road in the Royal Capital and came to a stop near a strip of buildings "Since we're in the capital, we wouldn't go back right away, right? We have plenty of money, so let's do some shopping." Elze said before the group disembarked from the carriage. James grabbed the bag of money from Touya and fished out two platinum coins along with his Dutchy medallion. "Hey, that's -!" Touya yelled, but James never turned around as he shot him the bird as he disappeared into the crowd.

James approached a man sweeping the ground in front of his store, the man was startled when James approached him "Oh, don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I was wondering where I can find raw material like metal or saltpeter?" James asked, the man relaxed a little bit before he gave the Marine directions "It's in the East Street, but they only service Nobles." The shopkeep explained before the Marine held up the medallion.

"Uhh… Yeah, that'll get you in." The shopkeep said stunned before James moved on down the street. James walked with his rifle on his back as he moved through the crowd of people until he came up the sight of a small girl with golden blonde hair, fox ears, and a fox tail. The Marine walked up to the girl and knelt next to her; he lightly touched her shoulder to get her attention but startled her enough to make her bite her tongue.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you, are you okay?" James asked, the girl wiped her tears "Um, I, I got separated from my companion. We decided on a meeting place if we got separated but, I don't know where that place is…" The girl explained. James pulled out his phone and pulled up google maps on it "What's the name of the place?" James asked the young girl who looked at the Marine with a combination of intrigue and intimidation.

"I think it was a magic shop named 'Luka'." The girl said, James tapped away as he typed the name and pressed 'search', a red blip popped up on the map and gave him turn by turn directions. "I'll take you there. You can ride on my shoulders if you want." The man said, the young girl nodded before she climbed up onto his back and sat on his shoulders, she held onto his helmet for stability as he started to walk. "My name is James, what's yours?" Sgt. Murphy asked the young girl on his shoulders.

"Alma, it's nice to meet you. Umm, why are you dressed strangely?" Alma asked the Marine curiously, James chuckled "I'm from a distance land called 'America' and I'm one of their elite soldiers, called 'Marines'. The mention of our name strikes fear into the hearts of evil and we're effective. This is our traditional battle attire, I'm what's known as a 'Marksman', kinda like an archer." James explained, Alma looked at his helmet before she tapped on his NVG/FLIR goggles.

"What are these?" She asked as they pushed through the crowd, James ran through his mind for an explanation until one popped up "They're a magical item that lets me see at night and a person's body heat in the wilderness." James explained, Alma gasped in wonder as they approached their destination.

A woman who looked about sixteen or seventeen looked around worried before Alma called out to her "Big sister!" Alma called out as James knelt and let her off his shoulders, the young girl ran to her older sister and embraced her in a hug. James smiled before he disappeared into the crowd of people, the older sister looked around and tried to find him but came up empty.

As James strolled through the East Side, he kept his eyes open for a materials shop. "Thief!" A voice shrieked out, James turned to see a man running with a knife in one hand and a bag in another, a woman was on the ground crying as others gathered around to console her. James pulled the rifle from his back and pushed the stock up to his shoulder as he looked down the scope, he took a deep breath before he squeezed the trigger. The rifle bucked as a round erupted from the barrel and screamed through the air until it met its target, the round pierced the man's flesh and dropped him to the ground with a thud.

The Marine placed the rifle on his back before he moved to retrieve the stolen goods from the man who was in agony, he picked the bag up and carried it back to the woman as guards gathered around the thief. James placed the bag down at her side before he once again disappeared into the crowd 'Can't draw a crowd, just get to the supplies shop.' James thought to himself until he found said shop.

The Marine entered the building and was greeted by a male shopkeeper "Greetings. Do you have anything that would prove your identity?" The shopkeeper asked, James fished the medallion out of his pocket and flashed it to the man "Alright, how can I help you?" The man asked.

"Right, what kind of materials do you sell? Steel?" James asked, the man nodded "We have steel, yes." The shopkeeper replied. "Cool, I'll need these items." James said before he started to write down a list of items.

*30 Minutes later.*

"Alright, well, here's everything… I'm not sure what this Uranium is, but other than that, this is everything you asked for." The shopkeeper explained as he gestured to four large crates of supplies. James pulled his bag off and pulled the book of Null spells out before he flipped through it "Ah here it is. Ahem, Storage!" James said as he held his hand out, a large portal formed in the middle of the air that shocked the shopkeeper.

"Gravity." James said as he placed his hand on each box, the weight of the crates lightened as James lifted them with ease and tossed them into the storage portal which closed after the fourth was tossed in. "How much do I owe you?" James asked, the shopkeeper ran the numbers before he held up one finger "One gold piece." The shopkeeper said before James tossed down the platinum piece, the man took the piece and replaced it with nine gold pieces which James placed in his pocket. "Pleasure doing business with you. Gate!" James said before he yelled the Null spell and opened the portal to where they started.

James stepped through and found himself beside the carriage as Touya returned wearing a white coat. "Can I have my medal back?" Touya asked somewhat irked, James chuckled "Sure Tofu. But first, Copy." James said as he held the medal in his hand and produced an exact copy, he handed the original back to Tofu.

"Wait, what?" Touya asked confused, James chuckled as he held up the spell book "Maybe read this sometime." James said before he put it back into his bag. James climbed back into the carriage as Yae snapped the reigns, the carriage took off as the sun was starting to move close to the horizon.

"Gate!" James yelled as large portal opened as the horses pulled the carriage through it, the others looked around and found themselves Leafrett, the first town they started in. The Marine hopped out of the carriage and made his way through an alley to an open field behind the Inn, the Marine ran toward the wooded area and assessed the trees before he took a step back. "Come forth, Water! Feel My Blade, Both Cold and Clear: Aqua Cutter." James said as he made a slicing motion with hand as water blades flew from his hand and sliced through the trees like paper.

Multiple trees fell and hit the ground with a massive thud, he used Gravity on each of the and pulled them back toward the Inn, he deactivated the Null spell as he used Aqua Cutter to make the trees into useable pieces of lumber. "Storage." James called out before the portal formed again and the Marine pulled the crates from the storage portal. He pulled a few blocks of Iron from the crate and tossed it into the pile of lumber, he held his hands up and focused "Modeling!" James yelled before the wood and metal glowed, the materials disappeared before they were replaced by a sizeable wooden garage.

"Yes! Fuck yes!" James exclaimed excitedly as he walked in and looked around. "Concrete." James said before he pulled out his phone and searched 'Earth spells.' A list of incantations popped up on his screen as he flipped through them and walked out into the opening "Rumble forth, Earth! Pulverizing Boulder: Rock Crash." James said before a massive boulder formed in midair and crashed to the ground. "Modeling." James said before the boulder was reduced to multiple stacks of concret plates.

"Levitation." James called out and caused the stacks to float before he pushed them toward the newly formed shed. "Alright, everything is coming together. Modeling." James said as he placed his hands on the concrete, the stacks disappeared before a concrete floor appeared under the wooden shed and anchored itself to the shed.

James moved the crates into the shed and placed them apart from each other before he pulled the lids off "Alright, tools. Modeling." James said as he placed his hand over the materials, the crate glowed as the materials disappeared and replaced by a seven-tier toolbox. The Marine pulled open the drawers and inspected each item "Well, damn. That's good detail." James said as he replaced the wrench.

"Come forth, Light! Tiny Illumination: Light Spheres" James said as he summoned light orbs that hung from the roof and illuminated the new workshop. "Next, the main course." James said as he approached the crate and held his hand over the materials "Modeling." James said before the materials disappeared and was replaced by multiple items, the biggest being a Humvee's frame outfitted with axles, wheels, and all the bells & whistles.

Sgt. Murphy looked to his right and found the other pieces had also formed, the most noticeable being a 6.2-liter V8 engine. "Gravity." James said before he lifted the engine and carried it over to the vehicles motor bay. "Levitation." James called out as he activated yet another null spell and caused the motor to float in the engine bay. James got to work and attached the motor mounts to the engine as well as the other supports.

*Two hours later (a lot of mechanic jargon and needless padding for time) 1700 hours*

After hours of work, James exhaled slowly as he wiped the sweat off his head and backed up to admire his handywork. "Good ol' fashioned American engineering, courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue." James said as he closed the hood and latched it shut. The Marine opened the door and placed a key into the ignition before he turned it, the engine rumbled to life as Murphy revved it slowly.

Touya, Yae, Linze, and Elze ran out to investigate the noise "James, what was… that…" Linze asked as she trailed off as she stared at the vehicle James had built. "But… how?" Touya asked, James chuckled as he held up his phone. "James… You built all this?" Yae asked, Murphy nodded "Yep, I took out a few trees, cut them down to size, and built a workshop." James explained.

"Where did you get fuel?" Touya asked as he looked the Humvee up and down, James chuckled "I didn't, it's called 'Program'. I used it to program each valve to fire a small explosion spell to propel the piston downward and the entire engine is reinforced so nothing will get old or break. I also programmed it so it fires a slightly bigger explosion depending on how far you press the pedal." James explained.

"But…" Touya stuttered, James patted him on the shoulder as he walked past him and climbed into the Humvee before he shifted gears and slowly pulled out of the garage. The sun had set below the horizon and swept the area in darkness as James pulled back on a knob on the control panel. Multiple LED lights clicked on and illuminated the darkness, the blue hue of the lights grabbed the attention of the girls who seemed to fawn over it.

"Oooh, so pretty." Linze said as she admired the lights. James climbed out of the Humvee and walked back to the garage before he reemerged carrying a large gun on his shoulder. The Marine climbed up on the back and mounted the gun that had a long barrel and a large box mag, Murphy lined the large gun up with a pivot joint and placed a large bolt through it to hold it in place. James reached up and pulled back the bolt on the side as he chambered one of the large round from the box mag.

"One Marine Corps issued Humvee with mounted M2 .50 caliber Heavy Machine Gun, fresh off the line and ready for combat." James said as he slapped the side of the Humvee that read 'Marines'. "Anyone wanna go for a ride?" James asked the group; the girls raised their hand before Touya finally swallowed his pride and raised his.

The five adventurers climbed into the Humvee before James shifted gears and hammered the pedal down, the engine roared as the tires dug into the ground and spit dirt out as the Humvee sped through the open field. The girls gripped the sides of the Humvee as the sheer horsepower pushed them back into their seats, James pulled the E-Brake he installed and caused the Humvee to slide into a turn before he drove back to the garage.

He turned the key and cut the engine off after he turned the lights off "Wow, that was… wow." Elze said as she was at a loss for words. James chuckled as he spun the key around his finger before he placed it in his vest. 'Next project: M1a2 Abrams.' James thought to himself as he planned his next vehicle.

The five adventurers entered the Inn as Mika was cooking, a large, burly man stood next to her as he chopped vegetables "Hello stranger, friends of yours?" The man asked as he gestured to Touya and the others, James nodded as he reached out to shake his hand 'Alright, strong grip, power move.' James thought to himself as their hands locked and they seemed to give each other a death grip of a handshake.

"Haha! You got some grip on ya, son." The man said as he slapped James on the back and knocked him to the floor. "The name's Doran." The man said as he helped James off the ground "James Murphy." James said as he shook his head. "Dinners on the house tonight." Mika said as she sat plates of pork roast, carrots, potatoes, green beans, and something that passed for bread down on the table.

Touya, Elze, and Linze ate slowly while James and Yae seemed to devour everything in a flash of hands and cutlery. "Man's got an appetite; I like him already. Mika, he'd make a good husband." Doran said which caused Mika to go red in the face and James to cough on a piece of potato. Doran laughed as he continued to eat his dinner, about an hour later, the group had eaten their fill and moved to their bedrooms to sleep.

James pulled his gear off and sat it on the table before he moved to the bathroom to shower, he emerged minutes later refreshed with clean BDUs and socks. James used a multitude of spells to dry and soften his BDUs before he folded them and placed them on the chair. James climbed into bed and relaxed as slumber swiftly swallowed him up.

*The Next Day 0600 Hours

James climbed out of bed and busted of thirty push ups before he pulled on his combat gear, the Marine left his room and descended the stairs as quietly as possible, the sound of his gear made it hard as it lightly clanged against his molle vest. James slowly opened the door and slipped out of the Inn before he disappeared into his garage that he built the day prior.

As he walked in, the light orbs slowly grew brighter and illuminated the work area and the two tons of American engineering that made James smile. "It's beautiful." James said to himself as he wiped a fake tear from his cheek. Sgt. Murphy cracked his knuckles before he got to work building his weaponry, the Marine laid out five sheets of steel he had turned stainless the night before and held his hand over them.

"Modeling." James said as he focused on an image in his mind, the metals sheets glowed as the morphed into twenty throwing knives. He moved the knives into two separate rows of ten blades before he held his hand over the first row "Program start: Cast spell Mega Explosion upon impact with hostile target. Cast Mega Explosion when user issues command 'detonate' after blade is thrown. End Program." James said as the blades glowed briefly.

James picked up one of the knives and walked out into the field where he lined himself up with a tree, he drew his arm back and spiked the blade into the bark of a large tree. He took a few steps back and readied himself "Alright…. Detonate!" James yelled before a massive explosion eviscerated the forest and charred the grass. James started to laugh as he clapped slowly "Oh these are gonna be fun." James said as he brushed splinters of wood off his gear.

When James returned to his garage, he found that he had visitors who didn't seem pleased to see him "James, it's seven in the morning…" Touya said half asleep, James looked at the boy and chuckled "In the Marines, we wake up at three in the morning to do physical training." James said as he slipped the new frag knives into his molle vest.

James picked up the other ten blades and placed them in a drawer on his toolbox before he laid out more raw materials, he held his hand over the items before he closed his eyes "Modeling." James recited before the materials changed into the components of a Colt 1911, he picked the barrel up and used Modeling to give the barrel its rifling before he proceeded to assemble the pistol with lightning speed.

"Woah. That was fast." Touya said slightly impressed, James stared at him blankly "Well, it's not like I've been a Marine for six years or anything." James said sarcastically before he slapped the magazine that had fresh .45 ACP AP rounds. James stepped out of the garage and chambered a round before he took aim, he took a deep breath and busted out seven rounds before the slide locked back and smoke rose from the breach.

James released the slide lock and put the safety on as he walked back to the garage, he looked up and noticed Elze, Linze, and Yae were holding their ears "Oh shit, sorry girls. Yeah, these things can be loud. Sorry." James said as he apologized sincerely. "So, what is this? Some kind of carriage?" Yae asked as she looked at the Humvee, James chuckled "It's called a Humvee, we use them to get around battlefields quickly and during convoys, there are usually five guys in here who are dressed like this." James explained as he gestured to his battle attire.

Touya seemed to be annoyed by James's presence and silently left the garage as the girls were entranced by James's words "Wow, that's so cool." Elze said as she leaned against the wheel, the rubber nubbins on the tire brushed against the flesh on her thigh and caused her yelp as the rubber points startled her.

"Ahh, what is that?" Elze asked as she backed up, James chuckled "Their rubber flashes from when the tire is produced, their pointless but I like messing with them when I bored." James said as he ran his hand over them.

Linze looked around perplexed as if she misplaced something "Everything alright, Linze?" James asked concerned, Linze nodded "Yeah, where did Touya go?" She asked as she looked around, James shrugged "No clue, I know that guy dislikes me. When I get my gear set, I'll take off so he doesn't have to be 'like that'." James said as he made gestures with his hands. Elze stepped up and looked at the Marine "What do you mean? You're just gonna leave? Why, we make a great team, don't we?" Elze asked with a hurt look on her face.

"Yeah, it's just… the nation he came from, Japan, and mine went to war years ago and the war ended with my nation dropping two massive spells that annihilated everything in its path, killing roughly 146,000 people. It's… a violent past our nations had, but now our nations are the best of friends, me being in the military, I guess he harbors some sort of distain toward me. That, or he's just intimidated by my presence as everyone seems to be." James said as he explained the end of WWII the best he could.

"You had nothing to do with that, you can't be held responsible for something you weren't around for." Linze said as she approached the Marine. "I know that, it's just… it might be better for everyone if I left." James said as he lowered his head slightly.

"James, are you alright?" Linze asked as she placed her hand on his shoulder, he nodded as he slowly looked up "Yeah, just some memories came flooding back like why I joined the Marines in the first place. It was to get away from my family, I hated them and I wanted out, so I joined the Marines and left those assholes behind." James said as he exhaled slowly.

"What do you mean?" Yae asked as she knelt in the traditional Japanese style on the cold concrete, James sighed as he pulled up a stool and sat down "So, everything went to shit when I turned seventeen." James said as he began to tell the story.

*7 Years ago, in Florida*

The sound of Cicadas filled the air as the Florida heat baked the concrete, a young man walked home from school with a black eye and a bloody lip "Hey James, wait up." A male voice called as a man who looked about sixteen ran and caught up with James. "Oh, hey Casey." James said as he looked forward, Casey got a good look at James before he stopped him "James. Did… Did your dad hit you again?" Casey asked concerned, James shook free from his grip and kept walking.

"I don't wanna talk about it." James said bitterly as he kept his pace, Casey shook his head "No, you have to tell someone. He can't do this! James, I've been to your house and frankly, you deserve better." Casey said as he talked to the teen, James shook his head "No, I don't. I just wanna graduate and leave this shithole town." James said as he kept walking.

"You're just gonna leave and do what?" Casey asked, James held up a brochure that read 'Marines: The few, The proud.' James folded the brochure and placed it in his pocket as he walked up his sidewalk to a beaten up trailer that had discolored metal paneling, he grabbed the handle and took a deep breath before he stepped through the threshold. The strong odor of cigarette smoke lingered through the air as the smoke floated out of the trailer and into the humid Florida air.

"Is that the failed abortion?" A gruff voiced called out from within the mobile home, James sighed and walked in before he closed the door behind him. "Yes, I'm home." James said as pulled his shoes off. "Good, get me another beer. It's the only thing you're good at, aside from making your mom walk out on you." James's father said as James walked into the kitchen and grabbed a can of beer from the fridge and brought it to the man in the recliner.

"You need to learn to duck." James father said with a chuckle as he cracked it open and tipped the can back. James pulled out his phone as he stepped out of the trailer and called Casey "Hey bro… you mind if I live with you for a while?" James asked, Casey chuckled "I thought you'd never ask, you're always welcome here." Casey said before they both hung up.

James walked back inside and was met with the sight of a fat man glaring at him "So, you're thinking of moving out? What will I do without my little slave?" James's father asked before he decked him in the face and knocked him to the ground. "YOU'RE WORTHLESS, YOU'LL ALWAYS BE WORTHLESS!" James's father said as he kicked the teen on the ground.

The world around James seemed to slip away as his father yelled at him angrily, the world seemed to snap back to reality as the sound of a shotgun slide being racked echoed through the house. "Step back, you sorry excuse of a father." A kind male voice said from behind James.

"Keith, why the fuck are you in my house?" James's father asked, Keith remained silent as he continued to aim his shotgun at the abusive father. "James, can you stand?" Keith asked as James slowly stood up. "Yeah, something I'm used to." James said weakly as he wiped blood from his mouth.

"Darryl, you are the single biggest waste of human flesh I've ever seen, right there next to Casey Anthony. Now, you're gonna park your diabetes ass right there while James goes and gathers his things." Keith said as he nudged James, James nodded and dashed up the stairs to his room but found it vacant. "If you want your shit, you can fish it out of the burn pile." Darryl said as he laughed.

James sighed as he pried up a floorboard and fished a bag from within the floor, he opened the bag and found his important information like his social security card, birth certificate, medical records, and about eight hundred in cash that James had hid from his father. He grabbed what clothes he had left and placed them in a bag before he left the barren room behind him. He moved down the stairs and walked out the door past Keith, Keith slowly backed out of the house while he maintained sights on the round man.

"You come anywhere near him and I will not call the cops, I'll call the coroner." Keith said as he slammed the door shut, James climbed into Keith's lifted F-350 where Casey sat in the backseat. "Thank you, Mr. Richardson, but how did you get here so fast?" James asked, Keith chuckled as he reversed out of the driveway and drove down the dirt road toward a large ranch in the distance, leaving the doublewide trailer in the distance.

"Well, when Casey got home and told me about what happened, I had enough and grabbed my Mossberg, hopped in the truck and hauled ass here." Keith said as they pulled up to a nice large house that had a large field of cows and field hands tending to them. "Thank you for taking me in, I won't stay long, at least until I turn eighteen." James said as he climbed out of the truck. Keith shook his head "Nonsense son, you've stood up for my boy all through school and helped me out without me asking, you can stay as long as you want." Keith said as they entered a large main room.

Welcome home, Honey. My word, James… Did Darryl…?" Keith's wife asked, Keith nodded "Yeah, he'll be staying with us." Keith said as James seemed to start wobbling in place. "James, are you alright?" Keith's wife asked before James collapsed to the ground.

James awoke on the guest bed thirty minutes later, his wounds had been doctored and wrapped, he slowly sat up and looked around, Keith walked in and swiftly rushed to James's side "Vanessa, he's up." Keith called out, moments later Keith's wife walked in with a bag.

"Hey sweetie, how're you feeling?" She asked as she pulled out a stethoscope, she placed it to his chest and listened to closely as she moved it around "Well, no damage to the lungs." Vanessa said as she started to apply pressure against his body. "Ow." James said as she pressed his side, she shook her head as she looked at the teen. "You need an x-ray, but luckily for you, Keith has an X-ray machine for the cattle." Vanessa said with a wink.

'Thank god for these folk.' James thought to himself as Keith helped him off the bed.

*Current day*

"So, a year later I joined the Marines after I graduated High School, Mr. and Mrs. Richardson were so proud of me." James said as he wrapped up the story, Linze and Elze wiped tears from their eyes and sniffled slightly "That's so sad, I'm sorry you had to go through that." Linze said as she stood up and hugged the Marine.

"Please don't leave, you had a terrible father, but you're nothing like him." Elze said as she wrapped her arms around the man. James chuckled a little bit "Fine, I'll stay." James said as he gave into them. "Yay." Linze said happily as she let go of James. 'Maybe this life won't be so bad, at least Darryl's not here.' James thought to himself as he mentally cursed his father.

James stood up and stretched slowly as Touya rounded the corner "Oh, there you girls are. James." Touya said as he greeted the Marine. "Tofu." James said with a smirk. "James told us about America and Japan's war, if you still hold a grudge, you need to let it go, neither of you were around for it." Linze said to Touya who seemed stunned.

"You told them?" Touya asked, James nodded "Just the part about the end. I wanna know why you hate me." James said as he crossed his arms. Touya blushed a little bit "I don't hate you, I'm just… a little jealous, you're so cool and strong, even before coming here." Touya said as he confessed the truth. James chuckled "Kid, you're what? Sixteen? When I was that age, I could barely lift one hundred pounds, but with a lot of hard work and determination, I became this hunky two-hundred-pound piece of USDA Prime choice sirloin beef." James said before he flexed the muscles in his arms.

"I got like this because I was in combat, so we have to be strong and fast, that's why we're the best of the best. But you don't need muscles to be cool, just be a decent human being." James said before he patted Touya on the head since the teen was much shorter than him. Touya looked around at all the stuff in the shop and mouthed 'wow' in amazement "You made all this with null spells?" Touya asked, James chuckled "And good old-fashioned American muscle." James said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Hey quick, use recovery on me. Don't ask why, just do it." James said as he stepped closer to the teen, Touya shrugged before he placed his hand on James's chest "Recovery." Touya said before James's body started to glow a faint white color. James rolled his arm as the light faded "Ahh, that's so much better. I dislocated it back when I was stationed in Basrah, Iraq. Since then, it always gave me a fucking problem." James said as he jabbed in the air.

Hours had passed since James gave them an explosive wake up call, the members of the group were occupied with their own endeavors: James was building weapons, Touya was inside the Inn studying the magic book like James did, Linze was in her room while Elze and Yae went out shopping.

"Voila! An M240B! Hahaha!" James yelled as he ran outside and unloaded one hundred rounds into a tree as rain fell from the sky, the constant gunfire clap echoed throughout the land as brass casings flew from the ejection port while the sound system that he had built blared Godsmack. "Feels like I'm back with the boys." James said as he rested the smoking LMG on his shoulder as the rain pelted him. Touya came out of the building with his hands over his ears as the metal music blared out "James, what the hell are you doing?!" Touya yelled as he moved into the garage, James's smile changed to an annoyed smirk "Building an arsenal." James said as he extended the LMG's bipod and rested it on the table.

James disconnected the box mag and tossed it onto the table before he attached a fresh one to the gun and fed the chain into the receiver. "So, what did ya want, kid?" James asked as he leaned against the table. "Oh, Yae and Elze just got back from shopping and brought roll cake, I… I was wondering if you'd like to go with me to deliver it to the Duke." Touya asked which surprised the Marine. "Really, well, I guess it's better than building whatever my mind can think up. Shit, I might accidentally build a nuke." James said with a chuckle.

"Alright, so we'll use gate and…" Touya started to say but James cut him off "And we'll get there in this bad bitch." James said as he slapped the side of the Humvee. "I think we should leave it." Touya said before he opened a gate and stepped through. James stepped out and closed the door behind him, he wrapped a chain around the handles and locked it with a pad lock before he followed Touya into the gate.

"Oh Touya, James. What a pleasant surprise, what brings you to the capital?" The duke asked, Touya pulled out a box and placed it on the table before he flipped the lid open. The Duke, Elen, and Suushie admired the beautifully crafted dessert while James seemed to be in his own world and stared out the window into the gloomy grey sky.

'You'll always be worthless! I wish you were never born.' The voice of his father echoed through his mind as the memory played out like a movie, James on the floor as his father kicked and punched him, James shook his head as he mentally spat on the floor 'Fuck you, Darryl. Keith was a better father than you.' James thought to himself as he came to terms with the memories.

The group enjoyed the cake and chatted lightly until the Duke placed his plate down when Touya put a Shogi board on the table. "Oh Christ, this is gonna something." James sighed as he watched Touya and the Duke play against one another. Suushie sat next to James, eagerly waiting her turn.

*Four hours later*

James woke up suddenly and reached for the revolver on his side but stopped when his eyes adjusted, he looked over at Touya who was still playing against the Duke, Suushie had fallen asleep with her head on his left thigh. He slowly lifted her head with one hand and moved his leg from underneath her head and stood up slowly "Alright diptard, I'm leaving. See ya back at the Inn. Gate." James said as a portal opened in front of him and walked through into his workshop, he exhaled slowly before he tried to push open the doors but it wouldn't budge.

"Oh right, the chain. Gate." James said before he stepped through the portal and out the other side of the locked door, he stuck the key into the lock and turned the key before he let the lock and chain fall to the ground. As he walked into the Inn, Yae ran up with a flyer requesting a monster extermination "Wait, where's Touya?" She asked confused as a gate portal opened and Touya stumbled through and quickly closed it behind him as he panted heavily. "You think Shogi's bad, introduce him to monopoly, that shit ends friendships." James said with a chuckle. Yae handed Touya the flyer and let him read over it "A Dullahan. Alright, let's do it." Touya said which seemed to fire James up because he sprinted out of the front door.

A few minutes later, the sound of a V8 engine roared through the silent town as James slammed the Hummer to a stop "Get in! I've been itching for combat!" James yelled as he revved the engine up, Elze ran and jumped into the passenger seat next to James. Linze ran out and got into the back seat before Yae and Touya joined them, James shifted it into gear and slammed the pedal to the floor before the Humvee took off down brick road.

As they drove, James flicked on the radio and turned the volume up which startled the girls "Ahh, what is that?!" They asked confused, James chuckled "It's called heavy metal, it's our battle music in the Marines." James said as he turned a corner and hammered down on the gear. James banged his head along with the beat as he drove the Humvee and swerved in between trees with narrow gaps.

Ready For This – All Good Things

Living breathing for a single moment

We've left everything we had behind

Time to roll brothers out and over

Nothing to lose nothing but time

Are you sure you wanna take this road now?

Are you certain that you're gonna win?

Did they tell you that it could be over?

Over and done before you begin

The Humvee flew through the brush and into an open field, the silhouette of ruins came into view as the Humvee screamed across the grasslands "Alright, we're getting close." James said as he ripped the handbrake and caused the Humvee to drift through the grassland.

Everything you know will not prepare you

Nothing's gonna change if you resist

Everything you got bring it on we dare you

Nothing will compare to this.

It's an avalanche

(are you ready for this?)

It's critical Critical mass

(are you ready for this?)

It's a massive attack

(are you ready for this?)

It will kick your ass

(You're not ready for this)

"So, this is how Marines prepare for battle?!" Elze asked loudly, James laughed "Oh this is nothing. We shotgun Red Bulls and hype ourselves up, it's a nicotine and caffeine addiction fueled nightmare to all who cross us." James said as he ripped the handbrake again and slid the Humvee to a stop outside of the ruins.

The doors opened as Linze, Yae, Elze, and Touya stepped out of the Humvee while James climbed through the back and popped out of the roof behind the M2, he grabbed the charging handle and pulled it back as it loaded a .50 BMG round into the receiver. Elze looked up at James and noticed two patches on his arm: One consisting of a multi-tentacled beast and the other that resembled a three-headed dog.

"James, what are those symbols on your arm?" Elze asked confused, James chuckled "Well three headed dog is Cerberus, hound of hell and Marines are called 'Devil Dogs' and the other is a Kraken, that is, er… was my codename." James explained as he glared at the ruins. Suddenly, a large armored beast emerged from the ruins and roared despite not having a head. James narrowed his eyes as he pressed a button on the armor paneling next to him.

The sound of snare drums echoed from the Humvee as a song started to play

Hard Corps – The Warrior Song

The Eagle born to those who pledged their lives and sacred honor

was smiled upon by God and freed from chains and iron collar.

He is held aloft on unity and by History revered,

for preserving peace through strength his wings now reach across two hundred years

but for each of those, and one year more, God has smiled upon The Corps,

from the Barbary Coast to the Eastern Sand, by sword, by gun, or by bare hand.

So it's been, and shall be weighed: though many are born, few are "made".

Faithful Always, they shall remain… dogs to loose when war is waged.

James seemed to be mouthing the words as he stared down the headless beast as the sound of electric guitar filled the noiseless meadow, the Dullahan roared again before it charged toward them, its feet hit the ground with a thunderous boom. James gritted his teeth as he squeezed the trigger and caused the bullets to erupt from the mounted gun.

I am a Marine on the beach, I'm a killin' machine, with a need to bleed you when the light goes green, best believe, I'm in a zone to be, from my Yin to my Yang to my Yang Tze.

Put a grin on my chin when you come to me, 'cuz I'll win, I'm one-of-a-kind and I'll bring death to the place you're about to be: another river of blood runnin' under my feet

Forged in a fire lit long ago, stand next to me, you'll never stand alone, I'm last to leave, but the first to go, Hard Corps is the only way I know. I feed on the fear of the devil inside of the enemy faces in my sight. Aim with the hand, shoot with the mind, kill with a heart like arctic ice.

The M2's report thundered as the rounds ripped into the armor of the Dullahan but continued to charge forward so James focused fire on the legs and shredded the metal armor.

I am a Devil-Dog I'm marching on, I am a warrior and this is my song

James released the trigger and pulled back the charging handle to eject a jammed casing, Elze ran forward and slammed her gauntlet into the Dullahan which sent the armored beast into a stone pillar.

I bask in the glow of the rising war, lay waste to the ground of an enemy shore, wade through the blood spilled on the floor, and if another one stands I'll kill some more, bullet in the breach and a fire in me like a cigarette thrown to gasoline, if death don't bring you fear then death ain't brought by no Marine.

Come to the nightmare, come to me, deep down in the dark where the devil be, in the maw with the jaws and the razor teeth, where the brimstone burns and the angel weeps, call to the gods if I cross your path and my silhouette hangs like a body bag, hope is a moment now long past, the shadow of death is the one I cast.

James climbed out of the turret and leaped to the ground, he dashed forward and pulled one of his explosive knives from his vest and threw it at the Dullahan. The knife pierced the armor of the beast and exploded in a massive ball of fire and a shockwave that brought the stone pillar down on to it.

The Dullahan erupted from the debris and swung its sword angrily, "Guys! We got horned wolves!" Linze called out, James sprinted back to the Humvee and climbed back into the turret, he turned the turret and opened fire, the .50 cal rounds ripped through the wolves like they were butter and reduced them to heaps of blood, fur, bone, and meat. "Shining Javelin!" Touya called out before a Javelin of pure light formed and pierced the arm of the Dullahan.

James leaped from the Humvee once again and pulled another throwing knife out, he drew his arm back and threw the blade, the knife screamed through the air before it hit the Dullahan again and erupted in a massive explosion that engulfed the metal beast. The Dullahan's metallic body shook as it struggled to stand, James walked up to the headless knight as it struggled to lift its sword.

He pulled a hand grenade from his vest and ripped the pin while he held the spoon down before he dropped it down the hole where the Dullahan's head should have been. James turned and walked away before the Headless knight exploded and sent debris flying every which way.

Now, I live lean and I mean to inflict the grief, and the least of me is still out of your reach, the killing machine's gonna do the deed, until the river runs dry and my last breath leaves. Chin in the air with a head held high, I'll stand in the path of the enemy line, feel no fear, know my pride: for God and Country I'll end your life.

I am a Devil-Dog I'm marching on; I am a warrior and this is my song!

Hell has no demon I won't overcome; I am a warrior and this is my song!

I made the devil himself turn and run, I am a warrior and this is my song!

Into the fire I will keep marchin' on, OORAH, Marine Corps, get some!

James cracked his knuckles as the metal song ended "Oh, it feels good to be back in the action." James said as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it with a piece of burning Dullahan, he took a drag before he tossed it onto the burning corpse of the Dullahan and exhaled slowly.

James looked around the desolate field and slowly closed his eyes before he spoke "Search: Iron." James said, he was motionless for a moment before his head jerked to the left and he glared at a distant mountain. "Found you." James said as he marked the location on his phone. "Boost." James called out before he took off in a blur of motion, he returned a few minutes later with a massive boulder of Iron ore floating behind him.

The Marine placed his hand on the boulder and deactivated the null spell and caused it to drop to the ground with a massive thud. "Modeling." James said as he placed his hand on the boulder, the rock glowed before it was reduced to a stack of Iron ore bricks. The group watched as James loaded the Iron into the back of the Humvee and closed the hatch afterward, he turned around and found everyone conversing near some rubble before an explosion caused the rubble to be reduced to nothing but pebbles.

"What the fuck was that?" James asked as he rejoined the group, Elze and Touya slowly lifted a large concrete trap door and revealed a spiral staircase. "Ooh, interesting. I'll take point." James said as he clicked on a flashlight that was on the strap of his molle vest before he descended the stairs rapidly. Linze, Elze, Yae, and Touya slowly walked down the stairs while James ran off on an adventure, the four adventurers finally made it to the bottom of the stairs while James aimed his rifle all around as he swept the area.

"Clear!" James called out as he took a knee near a fallen pillar, the group approached a large stone wall that seemed to have strange writing on it. "Linze, can you read it?" Touya asked but Linze shook her head. "I know what it says. It says, 'Oh please destroy me James.' Or at least that's what it looks like." James said as he tossed as hand grenade up and down in his right hand. "Hey, there's a magic stone here. It's earth magic." Linze explained. "Touya, do it." James said as he scanned the area behind them.

"What?! Why me?" Touya asked, James turned and glared at him "Who has the rifle?" James asked sarcastically, Touya rolled his eyes before he placed his hand on the stone. Seconds later, the wall of glyphs started to glow as the area shook violently, a section of the stone wall was reduced to sand and revealed a tunnel.

James turned around and immediately dropped to the ground with his rifle pointed down the tunnel "Touya, whatever you do, don't approach whatever is down there." James said as he adjusted his sights. The group looked at the marksman before they entered the tunnel, James sighed as he flicked the safety off and chambered a fresh round. He slowly clicked the mills higher as he zoomed in on the dark tunnel, as his eyes focused; a large light erupted from the tunnel as the area shook violently.

"Touya!? Linze? Elze?! Yae!?" James called out but got no responses, the area started to shake violently as rocks fell from the roof. The Marine gritted his teeth as he stood up and sprinted down the tunnel, he came to a dead end but found it deserted. "Fuck!" James yelled as he turned around and sprinted out the tunnel, he started to ascend the stairs when half of them broke off and created a gap between the Marine and safety.

James placed his rifle on his back as he backed up and got a running start before he leaped across, he grabbed onto the ledge and slowly pulled himself up as the other half collapsed. Sgt. Murphy sprinted up the stairs and pushed through the debris as the dungeon collapsed behind him, James pushed himself up off the ground and found the group fighting a glass beast.

"Aports!" Touya yelled before a large red orb appeared in his hand. "Elze!" Touya yelled as he threw the orb through the air, James withdrew his revolver and quickly shot the orb, the .357 Magnum round hit the orb and shattered it on contact. The sudden destruction caused the beast to turn to a blue sand.

"What the fuck was that?!" James yelled as he holstered his revolver. "Oh James, when did you get here?" Yae asked, James sighed angrily "Oh, well, I actually just got here because I was searching for your four when the cave started to collapses but I guess Touya stargate jumped y'all out and didn't bother letting me know." James said before he stormed off toward the Humvee. "Y'all find your way back." James said before he climbed into the Humvee, he started the engine and tore off into the grasslands, he looked into the mirror and watched the four individuals get smaller as he drove faster.

'The Marines had each other's backs, here… I guess I'm alone.' James thought to himself as he turned on the radio and plugged his phone into it.

Hell To Pay – Five Finger Death Punch

Feels like I'm running in place

A past I can't erase

I'm breaking, breaking apart

(I know they're after me)

It's like I'm fading each day

They took it all away

Left nothing, nothing but scars

(They make it hard to breathe)

James banged his head as he tried to rid himself of the anger he felt in his body.

Don't know where it went wrong

But my love for this is gone

James yelled out loud as he pressed the pedal down further and drove off a hill, the Humvee flew through the air before his slammed into the ground and kept going, the Iron in the rear slammed around as the chassis moaned in agony.

I tried to numb the pain

But I can't get away

Hiding behind this disguise

The games I had to play

The hell I had to pay

Everything comes with a price

"Search: Bandits!" James yelled out; a white light flashed before seventeen figures popped up in a tree line to the North-West of his position. James jerked the wheel and turned the Humvee toward his intended targets.

You're waiting for me to fail

That ship will never sail

Keep pulling and pushing me down

(But I just won't let go)

I know you wish I was dead

I'm stuck inside your head

I'm taking and breaking your crown

(I'm better left alone)

The Humvee pulled up outside of a rundown shack that hand some armed thugs outside of it, James popped out of the roof and opened fire, the .50 cal rounds ripped through the thugs like they were paper, the upper half of one was shredded into a mangled mess of mashed organs, bone, and blood. The wooden structure was shredded and collapsed due to a lack of structural integrity, James pulled a grenade from his vest, ripped the pin, and threw it into the rubble.

Don't know where it went wrong

But my love for this is gone

The grenade exploded and painted a thug onto the grass as others pulled themselves from the wreckage only to be ripped apart by the M2. James pulled a knife from his vest and threw it into the body of one of the thugs before he drove off. James looked into the rearview mirror and watched a mushroom cloud of smoke and fire rise into the sky as it eviscerated the area.

I tried to numb the pain

But I can't get away

Hiding behind this disguise

The games I had to play

The hell I had to pay

Everything comes with a price

"Search: Hostages." James yelled out as he drove back across the plain. The white light flashed again before it illuminated three individuals in an abandoned castle in the distance.

I tried to numb the pain

But I can't get away

Hiding behind this disguise

The games I had to play

The hell I had to pay

Everything comes with a price

As the song ended, James flipped through his phone until he found the perfect song for a hostage rescue, he unhooked his phone from the radio. "Speaker." James said out loud as a glyph formed around his phone and above the Humvee.

America, Fuck Yeah! – DVDA

America

America

James turned the steering wheel toward his next destination as the song started up.

America FUCK YEAH!

Comin' again to save the motherfuckin' day, yeah

America (FUCK YEAH!)

Freedom is the only way, yeah

Terrorist your game is through

'Cause now you have to answer to

America (FUCK YEAH!)

So lick my butt and suck on my balls

America (FUCK YEAH!)

What you gonna do when we come for you now?

As James rapidly approached the castle, he gripped the steering wheel and gritted his teeth before he crashed the Humvee through the side of the castle.

It's the dream that we all share

It's the hope for tomorrow

(FUCK YEAH!)

McDonald's (FUCK YEAH!)

Walmart (FUCK YEAH!)

The Gap (FUCK YEAH!)

Baseball (FUCK YEAH!)

NFL (FUCK YEAH!)

Rock & Roll (FUCK YEAH!)

The Internet (FUCK YEAH!)

Slavery (FUCK YEAH!)

Multiple bandits turned around and were caught off guard by the sudden intrusion, James pushed the door open and opened fire, the rounds ripped through the bandit's leather armor. "Wh-what the hell are you?!" One of the bandits yelled as the sword shook in his hands while he pissed himself. "Your worst nightmare." James said before he put a round through the man's head and painted his brain on the concrete floor.

(FUCK YEAH!)

James walked over to an old table and flipped it, he looked down and found a bandit cowering in fear "Where are the hostages?" James asked as he pointed his rifle at the man. "Oh fuck! They're in the basement." The man said, James grabbed him and pushed him "Good, you're gonna take me there." James said before he shot one of the stragglers. The man scrambled to his feet and guided the Marine to the basement that was well lit.

"There, they're in there." The man said as he pushed the door open. "Good." James said before he shot the man in the head and entered the basement, two large men tried to ambush him but he thrusted his blade into one man's jugular and shot the other in the face. James emptied the spent shells from his revolver before he loaded six fresh rounds into the gun, he looked around and found three women chained to a wall in the corner. As he approached them, they seemed to flinch in fear "Hey hey, it's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you, are you injured? Can you walk?" He asked them as he knelt next to them.

"My leg, I think it's broke." A blonde-haired demi-human said as she gestured to her left leg that was swollen and discolored. James placed his hand over her leg as he closed his eyes "Come forth, Light! Calm of the Goddess: Mega Heal." He said before her leg started to glow, the bruising and discoloration disappeared as her leg returned to normal.

He raised his hand over the three women again "Come forth light, the breath bringing health: Refresh." He chanted before their bodies started to glow a vibrant light color as they were filled with a renewed energy. He fished a keyring from the faceless body and unlocked their shackles, he stood up and helped the women to their feet "Good, let's get your girls home." James said before he looked them over again and noticed they were all demi-humans.

"My name is James." The Marine said as he led them out of the dungeon. "Ayumi." The blonde girl said as a pair of fox ears stood up from her blonde hair. The girl next to her had shoulder length black hair and a pair of cat ears accompanied by a tail that swished around behind her. "Naomi." The cat-girl said politely, the third girl seemed a bit shy as she hid her mouth with her sleeve.

"Umm… I'm Shelyn." The third girl said nervously as James led them to the Humvee. "What is this metal beast?" Ayumi asked confused. James paused for a moment "Uh, I'll explain on the way." James said as he started up the Humvee.

A/N: Wow, sorry to leave y'all hanging for so long. Life's fucking crazy, I graduated and I'm about to get my Class D license. Anyway, remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review, and as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.