My thoughts were interrupted by the world upending as the air left my lungs.
My stomach tensed for the beating to come. Was this that asshole officer assaulting me again? I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting a foot to the stomach for whatever transgression I may have made. Hoping that he would only punch or kick once or twice as "punishment" for whatever I was doing to piss him off.
As I opened my eyes, they were met not by the permanent scowl from said officer, but by the blonde mop of a girl I knew well.
It is her…
I slipped out of the hug, trying to push myself away from the blonde. As soon as she let go, I was able to get a good glimpse of her face. Unlike the malaise that the soldiers back in the trench displayed, Lesty's eyes weren't gray and dead. Rather, both purple saucers were wide, dampened by tears, as if a puppy were greeting her owner after a long separation.
"Malty!" She exclaimed. "You're here!"
"Y-yea," I replied. Of course I am here! Couldn't she see that?
For the first time since I arrived, a sense of peace filled me. Of all of the people that could have been brought to this battlefield, fate chose Lesty. Lesty is my best...and my only friend since we met a few years back when I was off studying in Faubley. Unlike the common rabble, she was a young woman of good breeding similar to myself, the daughter of a major noble of Melromarc. Mother recognized that it wouldn't do for me to associate with the local riff-raff so deemed her worthy to accompany me to Faubley. I still remember the rush of relief I felt when I found this out, as I feared that I was becoming fast friends with someone that may as well have been a commoner.
Lesty is the only confidante allowed to know my true self. She shared my deep concerns regarding the miserable Shield hero. Concerns that warranted taking the matter into my own hands upon the miscreant's uncouth arrival. Further, she saw that the kingdom would only flourish with a proper heiress. Of course, me being the best and only option. She was quite instrumental in helping during every part of my plan, choosing to follow me as I jumped from each 'hero'. Those were such pleasant days, we lived like Queens, having the heroes and their token party members do the menial labor as we traveled the world, eating only the most exquisite food and buying only the best luxuries each kingdom we traveled to could offer. It was the perfect plan. Daddy would shower my chosen champion with gold and trinkets and we would be lauded as the saviors of the world. And, if things did get out of hand, like the hero ran out of funds for me to use or couldn't rid me of that insufferable Shield, it was a simple matter to take my leave. Honestly, I wish I could see the look on their faces as they read the letters I left behind.
I shook my head. This wasn't just some random woman that I partied and traveled with. She was my confidant, the closest thing I had to an advisor. Hell, she was the one that connected me with others of a similar mind as to the future of the kingdom and my place in it. They were very helpful in opening the way to convince Melromarc that a certain shield wearing fuck kidnapped my sister. Sure, the same shield stymied those plans, but it was a plan that I wouldn't have thought of nor implemented without her help.
"Y-you're alive…" Lesty continued to stammer, her smile appeared forced through whatever hell she had lived through up to this point.
"Yea…" I replied, looking down at the rough grass at my feet. Truly, I was probably just as frightened. We were both women of nobility, cast into a land of commoners amidst a crater filled hell, surrounded by foreign contraptions that neither of us had experienced.
"T-thank god you're here…" I heard myself stuttering out before I could even think of something else to say. I took a step back, slowly realizing that my first thought was not how I could use her, but how relieved I was to see a familiar face.
Was...was this what that "empathy" thing was?
"What the hell are you two doing?" Another, deeper voice roared, breaking the silence that had settled. Pushing myself to my feet, and turning on my heels, my eyes met those of the asshole officer that had escorted me here, his scowl more pronounced.
"I am talking to my friend, filthy pe-" my snarky response died in my throat as I found his cuff raised to strike. "I...s-sir, I found someone I knew, and I wanted to talk to them." I stammered out, staring down at the officer's feet as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
As I realized what I was doing, my blood simmered. Had I truly reached a state where I was subservient to some lowly piece of shit? Surely it would take much longer for royalty such as myself to be ordered around by some ugly peon.
"Oh, I'm sorry, your majesty. I hadn't realized it was social hour. Should I prepare the crumpets for your little tea party?" The officer's fist flattened, slapping me on the side of the head, his face, and thereby his rancid breath, mere inches from my own. "Idiot! There is a war going on out there. The only thing you're here for is to learn to shoot your weapon well enough that you kill more of them than us. You'll have plenty of time for your little chit-chat while you're cleaning out the latrines. Now! You're here to learn how to shoot a rifle!" He responded, a sharp voice filling my ears. As he yelled, he lifted one of his dirty hands, a fat sausage-like finger pointing at something behind me.
When I turned, my eyes fell on a small table. Scars and gouges covered the dirty and rotten wood. Sitting on top of the table were two rucksacks. The table bowed under both of them, legs digging into the grassy earth as the decrepit table creaked ominously.
"Go, put that on." The officer spoke again. His voice quieter, but each word spoken was sharp and rough on my ears.
Seeing no other choice, I began to make my way towards the table, cringing with each step as clumps of dirt and grass clung to my boots. As soon as I reached the table, I grabbed the straps of one of the sacks, throwing it over my shoulder.
The moment I let go of the strap, I instantly regretted putting it on. The rough fabric dug into my shoulders as I turned towards the officer. Each step felt like a herculean effort, as if I was carrying a body on my back. This was much like the packs that Lesty and I forced our former party members to carry. It made sense that they would carry them. Commoners such as them could only dream to be of use to those of nobility. Such tasks were certainly not for the likes of us.
"There's no way you expect us to carry these!" I exclaimed. "I'm royalty, she's a noble. We're not supposed to lug random shit around a mud-filled trench!" My breath felt hot as I spoke. Finally, I was able to let my frustration out. I mean come on, what's the worst that would happen?
The guttural, sharp laugh was certainly not expected.
"Not anymore," he responded, his normal scowl shifting into a parody of a smile. "If you were, you wouldn't be stuck here, now would you?"
My blood ran cold. Did he know? Did this random asshole, who I'm pretty sure isn't even from Melromarc, know how I 'lost' my status? I tried to take a step back, falling on my back as the weight of the sack pulled me earthwards. Something clanged together inside the sack as I fell, the various contents of the sack digging into my back. Tears filled my eyes as my body quivered.
"How...how do you…" I choked out, trying to hold back fearful sobs as I spoke.
That same inhuman laugh was my only response before I heard his boot steps draw closer. I cringed as he lightly toed my side. "Now, get up." .
Dragging myself back up to my feet, I blinked away the salty tears filling my eyes. Just like my first encounter with him, this man did not even treat me as human, let alone how one should properly treat someone of my lineage.
"Oh, I'm sorry…" The officer barked, making the worst imitation of pity that I had seen in my life. "Did I offend Princess Malty...should I kiss her hand to show my remorse?" he paused before speaking again. "No, you little shit. You're going to suck it up until you get rid of that cunt attitude of yours! Understand?"
As he spoke, my eyes trailed down to his neck. My vision began to darken as I thought about how easy it would be to wrap my hands around it, to choke the life out of this rotten piece of shit. As the vision of him begging me to stop flashed through my mind, my fingernails dug into my palms, almost as if I was already committing the act.
"YOU FUCKING SHITHEAD!" I screamed, lunging for his throat as my blood boiled. The weight of the rucksack long forgotten in my haste to rid the world of this disgusting cockroach.
As I reached out, I was stopped by the sharp, icy pain of something metallic pressing into my chest, pushing aside my uniform and breasts as the object collided with my ribs right above my beating heart. My gaze instantly shifted from his disgusting mug to the object, the short barrel nudging my chest. An image of the "handgun" I saw earlier flashed into mind.
"FAST HELLFIRE!" I yelled, forcing my hands out in front of me without thinking. It was a low-level spell, one that wouldn't do a whole lot against anyone of rank back in my world. But I doubted this man had any sort of defense, and it would be satisfying to watch him burn alive before he could fire.
Nothing. The fire that I felt in my veins burned out in an instant as my jaw dropped. Had magic not worked here too?
I was interrupted by the officer letting out a hearty laugh. "And that makes twice now, little missy. I may not have mentioned it, but I have a three strike policy. You so much as step a toe out of line…" The officer spoke as his teeth ground into each other, each word as sharp as a knife. "...' Your majesty', and they'll be using your rotting corpse as a sandbag. I give no shits about this status you say you have. To me, you are as royal as a pile of horseshit and worth half as much." he continued, his weapon nudging me every other word as if to drive the point home. A disgusting mist of saliva drifted over me as he spoke. "If you have any hope of making it through this war alive, you'd best start listening and listening good, Private Melromarc, to me and anyone else that is a higher rank. Am. I. Clear?"
"C-crystal…" I replied, voice quivering. Sure, he was a disgusting bastard who had no right to treat a princess like that, but his twitching hands looked fully ready to carry out those rather vivid threats.
"Good answer, private. If it had been anything else, you'd have met the business end of my 45 Mars. One-click would be more than enough to replace that little problem between your two ears with a nice hole."
As he finished speaking, the officer shoved me away, slipping his weapon back into its holster. Turning, his long strides took him to another soldier, who saluted and handed him two rifles. One was much like the "bolt actions" I saw earlier, with a wooden frame and a metal bar that stuck out of the right of the weapon. The other, which was much more worn out, lacked this metal piece, it being replaced by a large handle which covered the area surrounding the trigger.
"Now," The officer boomed as he shoved the large-handled weapon into my arms. "Where were we...right! This here, sluts, is your only friend. When those Olive fuckers come over the trench, it is the only thing that may save your miserable worthless lives. Unless you care to die right now and save me the painful experience of showing two half-wits how to shoot, shut up and pay attention."
Sluts?! Who does this idiot think he is? How dare he call Lesty and I such demeaning terms?!
I bit down on my tongue, balling one of my fists as I resisted the urge to scream at him. I wanted nothing more but to get back at this disgusting shithead. I'd treat him just like I did the 'heroes', slowly dismantling their reputation. Then, when he's an outcast, I'd relish the opportunity to turn him into a human candle. My vision overlayed the lovely view of his abhorrent figure wriggling amidst my flames' tender mercy. However, this backward world that lacked something so fundamental as magic, put a hamper on my fond dream. It became quite an impossibility especially with his 'three strike policy'.
"S-sir yes sir…" I mumbled out, bile rising in my throat as I voiced each word.
"See? That is respect!" the officer responded, turning to both Lesty and I. "You entitled prissy little whores probably won't last a week, but at least I've managed to get that one golden nugget of truth through your thick skulls. Now, shut the fuck up and move towards that fence. If the gods are smiling, you may even figure out which side of the bayonet is the pointy bit!"
Seeing no alternative, I stepped away from the officer and the truck, hurrying towards the fences as my strides dragged. Sliding down next to it, I leaned towards Lesty.
"Fuck that guy…" She said quietly through labored breathing.
I gave her a curt nod, afraid that if I said anything, the nasty bastard would somehow hear it, and that would lead to a rather...unpleasant situation.
"Alright! Those metal plates beyond the fence, you dumb harlots, are your enemies for today. They stand nice and still and don't return fire. The perfect kind of enemy for fresh meat like yourselves! Now take those guns and shoot them dead!"
Was this asshole going to use every insult in the book?
"Oh, that's right, you dumb shits have no idea how to shoot. Sergeant Pilsduzki! Front and center!" The other soldier from earlier hurried over, moving at a quick trot despite wearing the same field pack as me.
"What do you need sir?" The other man asked with a salute. The quiver in his voice made him sound like a subservient little shit.
"Wimp. I bet he lets that peon mount his wife," Lesty whispered, snickering as she spoke.
I let out a quiet laugh, hoping that neither the officer or the wimpy sergeant heard. I'd never dare to laugh at something like that with anyone else, but Lesty was my best friend, and I knew she had a rather crass sense of humor.
"Are you dumb whores watching?" the officer yelled once more.
"Y-yes, sir!" Lesty replied, grimacing before she spoke.
"Good. Now Sergeant Pilsduzki will demonstrate how to fire your weapons. Hopefully, that will be enough for you thick-skulled idiots to understand."
Before I had a chance to dwell on what the asshole officer had to say, the other soldier raised his rifle, which was a bolt action like those I saw back in the trench. His caress of the trigger was followed by a loud crack as the weapon pushed back against his shoulder. Grabbing the bolt, the soldier pulled it back before shoving it forwards once more and firing another shot, the noise caused my ears to ring. As soon as the noise died down, I was able to make out the aftermath of the blast. My jaw dropped as I realized that the shot left little more than a small hole in the metal plate.
How the fuck am I expected to survive when weapons are that weak? Where I came from, a blast like that would at least light the target on fire or something. But nope, these pathetic excuses for weapons only make little holes…
Guns are weak.
"Now. I want you apes to aim at one of the metal plates and do the same thing. Good thing we loaded these for you, because otherwise I'd have to explain something that probably is too complex for dipshits like you."
I grabbed my weapon, poking the barrel through the gap in the fence as I aligned the sights with one of the metal targets. The butt of the rifle pressed into my shoulder as my hand wrapped around the oversized handle of the weapon. Then I reached out with one of my fingers, caressing the trigger.
The crack that followed was like no other. Sure, the noise from the other soldier's rifle was loud, but the noise from my weapon sounded like lightning striking mere centimeters away from my ears. The rifle bucked against my shoulder as a dull pain erupted down my arm and across part of my chest. I let out a shriek, dropping the rife in the mud as I jumped back. Whatever I just did was far less powerful than most of my fire spells, but it was a hell of a lot louder. I slowly picked the weapon up off the ground, rubbing the stock into my aching shoulder. Since I saw no bolt, I pressed down on the trigger again, bracing for another eruption of sound that would come.
Nothing came. I had to reload after all.
"Private Melromarc! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The officer barked as he stormed over. Shoving me aside, he grabbed the weapon from my hands. He flashed his characteristic scowl. In one fluid motion, he pushed his hand down as part of the handle broke free from the rest of the weapon. The handle swung down and forwards as he continued to push, stopping once the metal piece was directly jutting out from the rest of the gun. Next, he pulled the handle back to where it was before, a clicking sound signifying that it was in the right place.
"Of course I have to show you stupid bitches everything around here!" He yelled once more. "My apologies for not demonstrating something this fucking simple."
As the all too familiar insult left his lips, I cringed, heat flashing down my spine. However, the urge to lash out was far less this time around.
Before I could think much more about it, the officer forced the rifle back into my hands.
"Back to it!" he yelled once more.
Sliding back into the mud, I steadied the gun, resting the barrel on part of the fence, and aimed towards my target. As my finger tightly curled around the trigger, sound erupted once more. The rifle bucked against my shoulder as pain squeezed out of my tenderized muscles. Reflexively, I let the rifle fall out of my hands and splash into the mud. Normally, I would've cringed at the thought of the mud on my weapon getting all over my hands, but all I could think of is the pain that consumed me every time I used this weapon. Tears filled my eyes as the image of me dealing with this pain forever flashed in my mind. Truly, I don't think I could handle this kind of ache, let alone the startling boom, every time I pulled the trigger.
"Hey...are you alright?" A soft voice, Lesty's, interrupted my thoughts.
I gave her a curt nod, blinking away the water in my eyes. "Yea, just...today isn't my day," I replied
"Dipshit number one! You can't keep dropping your gun like that!" The officer's voice boomed once more.
"Fucking...not this again…" I murmured, my expression contorting into a grimace as I looked at Lesty, who was busy aiming her weapon, finger slowly wrapping around the trigger.
Her gun roared much like mine, my heart jumping into my throat when she fired. However, it seemed to lurch less...like I was getting used to it.
Lesty chambered another round, making sure not to drop the rifle as she cranked the bolt back. A goldenrod colored round slipped into the chamber as she aimed at the target once more, another crack roaring out as she pulled the trigger.
I guess she didn't want him to yell at her too.
Just as the sound of Lesty's rifle dissipated, distant booms filled my ears. It was like there was a thunderstorm in the distance. I turned my head to face the sound, only to see flat clouds flowing over the ground. If it wasn't thunder, what was it? Is it…
"Playtime's over harlots," the officer spoke firmly, interrupting my thoughts.
"Can you stop saying that wo-" Lesty began to raise her voice before she was cut off.
"I...we don't have time to deal with your whining, goddammit. Shit's hitting the fan out there."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, having no idea what this sleazy bastard meant.
"Well, let's just say you two better have learned some shit today, or you'll be dead soon enough."
Author's Note: Finally got around to writing chapter two. Hopefully, I won't put off the next one for more than two months. Big thanks to Brindani for helping me edit this chapter.