As a reminder again - I do not have ownership of GATE:JSDF; Franchises of Battlefield, Command & Conquer, Call of Duty, Saint's Row, Tom Clancy's, Starcraft, Borderlands, Ace Combat, Metal Gear; and elements from Frontlines: Fuel of War, Warhammer 40000, Jurassic Park, and Kill La Kill.
(Quite a mouthful, isn't it?)
One week previously outside a town several miles from the east side of the Dumas mountain ranges under a nightly sky...
":Wait... what do you mean the slaves are all gone?!:" asked a person in camouflage armor and clothes that are similar to the other combat outfits worn by four others accompanying him. As well as being surprised by the revelation.
":That's what said in clear sincerity!:," said a handcuffed Imperial official who was once traveling with escorts to the newly reopened quarries... until the ghost-like beings shot the guards and captured the Saderan/Sanderan. ":Thousands of slaves worked and sometimes died there for countless years. But four months ago — on that day in our routine mining inspections for the Empire, my associates and I had found the places to be completely empty of acquired labor from our conquests; not even a dead body of them being discovered! All that's left were the intact corpses of slavers, guards, mine owners, and messengers that somehow didn't warn back the nearby Imperial settlements!:"
":Did your pals died by big swords?:" wondered the supposed leader of the undercover team.
":I seriously don't think such weapons can leave behind a big... bloodless mess. There were throats already slitted open, necks snapped, heads that had been stabbed in the back, suffocation in their beds, and many signs of an assault that was impossibly executed... in silence and no struggle.:" The Imperial stated with a horrified look.
":Like a large-scale assassination?:"
":I cannot say what really happened back then. Now how can I make you outsiders release me?! I got plenty of money for ransom, maybe a piece of land as a bargain? Or a house of female slaves for your pleasures?:" An attempted appeal by the apprehended Falmarian before the covert operative reactively knocked him out to unconsciousness with a hard fist.
"Damn... Rorke. Now there's less certainty on this bastard to remember the poor ladies and their identities when he wakes up," One of the black ops soldier with a rank of lieutenant said.
"I'd be more concerned on the clues this 'Roman' has on kidnapped people from our Earth, Walker. Even so... it roused me to think that these so-called 'civilized' people can continue having thoughts of stealing materials and people as their own; despite witnessing absolute carnage by modern warfare or their 'Achilles' heels' to the Imperial economy."
"Which begs the question of really teaching them to be more... humane or not," Walker noted.
Within a minute, a Blackhawk helicopter arrived at the rendezvous site to pick up the ghostly warriors and the HVT. "This is Dagger-Three-Four to Ghost Four Actual. Get ready to board inside."
Coda Village in today's daytime morning...
It's another regular day for these villagers; tending their agricultural activities for many years. If excluding a visit by strange people in green colors yesterday, the rain in the early morning, and a donkey-driven cart led by an old mage and his apprentice moving casually toward the settlement for supplies; which was done once a month since they moved to a different place on the outskirt of Coda several years ago for lessons and studies on the natural world. As the mages enter the village, the settled inhabitants friendly greet the two like they did many times before. On the way though, the duo stop on the piazza due to the presence of the village chief.
"Good morning, Master Kato and Lelei! Here for the usual resupply?"
"It sure is, Chief! Having a good day for your folks as well?"
"As peaceful as any other past day for our village. Although..."
"Hmm?"
" ...a strange group of travelers came to our settlement yesterday."
"Oh... how so?"
"Well, they came to this place by uh... green metal carriages that were able to move without horses, somehow. After arrival, these visitors wore strange clothes and armor in green color and a different language unknown to us too as they exit the unknown objects. We were afraid at first on the unexpected... guests, but eventually we relaxed since the strangers stated themselves as friendly humans of the Jay-Ess-Dee-Eff or Japan Self Defense Force with no desire for conquest; despite the broken dialogues in our native tongues. I may also add in their golden skin tone and slanted eyes in both men and women of these outsiders."
"Huh, women you say?"
"Yes, two of them being nice ladies it seem. Overall however, the strangers only requested knowledge of the lands and any sign of slave caravans passing by. Thus we told them what we knew; including the elvish village within the Coan Forest. Afterwards, they left without any demands of tributes."
"Really? Sounded as if these foreigners were much more gener-"
"Chief, chief!" shouted a male villager running toward the head of the settlement.
"Yes Irae, what is?" asked the village leader.
"The Men in Green are coming back!"
"Oh, is that true?"
"Yes Chief, they're still far away but their horseless carriages are moving fast in our direction!"
"Come down, come down my friend. We all shouldn't panic about these good visitors. Let them come and learn their new intentions."
"Alright sir," said the man.
"Hmm... I never expected this interesting event to happen," commented the grey-haired wizard.
"Same here, Master. But we do have our list of supplies to buy," reminded the platinum/silver-haired young lady. Without warning, they heard a strange noise coming in.
"Uh... what is that sound?" the old sage wondered.
"That must be the horseless wagons of the people in green clothing, I presumed." Sure enough, three Japanese military vehicles are within sight of almost everyone living in the settlement. Soon, the recon automobiles parked in the middle of the outdoor plaza and drawing attention of the residents' curiosities about their return.
One man exit the Toyota vehicle, which happens to be Lieutenant Youji Itami holding a translation book and a notebook with drawings. Kato and Lelei are looking at the foreign person for the first time. Reciprocally, the JSDF crew and a US Army soldier notice the duo wearing outfits that are different than the regular inhabitants in this settlement with wonders. The village leader said, "Well Sir Itami, this is an unexpected surprise to see your people again."
The Japanese commander replied with help from the dialogues written in the native language on the book being held by one hand, "Eh, eh... apology for our presence. Got important message for your village."
"Oh... then what is the message?"
"Ahh... mite mimashou... We went to forest... met humans of village..."
"Uh, no. Not humans, elves right? We did tell you about the elvish community there."
"Oh... hai," muttered the JSDF otaku who take notes on different words on elves and humans. "Hmm... large bird came... burned down village," Youji stated with some dread as he shows a good drawing of a dragon burning down buildings.
The nearby natives are aghast at what was heard and the hand-drawn art made the point. "Burned... by a dragon?" uttered the local chief who then take the drawing for a closer look. "By the gods... this is an ancient dragon... and a flame beast on top of that!"
The lieutenant continued while recording new meanings, "Um... many burned... we fought back... dragon leave..." Several villagers catch the fact that these strangers had fought and survived an encounter with a fire dragon. "But no damage… and still dangerous." Well — there goes that optimism of being totally safe.
The disappointed chief replied, "Uhh... well, at least you people survived and gratefully told us of this calamity." He soon turn his sight to his fellow neighbors nearby. "Hey, alert everyone! Send messengers to the surrounding areas too!"
"Sir Itami, isn't it!" Kato spoke before the JSDF officer can reply to the number of survivors.
"Uh... yes?" Youji responded at the old man without knowing him as a mage.
"Are you telling us the truth?"
"Um... yes."
"Really? Because I anticipated this flame dragon to be awake in the next fifty years!"
"Eh, ah — nani?!" The lieutenant is confused by that statement due to the apparent suspicion from the elderly person... or the fact that this fire-breathing animal was supposed to be asleep for another five decades.
"As I suspected, you liars are about to lure us to a trap under the pretense of an ancient dragon still napping in reality! You had planned to steal all of our resources when we're all in a false sense of security!"
"Ah, uh, uh — wait, wait! Fire dragon is uh... real!"
"Like that's gonna work me again! Now, let me teach you a les-" Out of the blue comes a tremendous shaking of the ground for seconds, follow by a deep roar-like sound. The tremors causes damage to the structures of the settlement and terrifies many people and animals on the land in sync to the unknown noise.
XXXXXX
At the not-so-distant location of the elvish convoy, the American and Russian escorts are stunned by such phenomenons as some of them are brought to the terrain. The elves are equally shocked by this event as well. "Shit! What the hell was that?!" Redford concerned as he and anybody else get up.
"Is this what an earthquake feels like!?" Haggard shouted.
"Does an earthquake also make a roaring sound!?" Sweetwater asked.
"Short-lived but big vibrations... thundering noises... well that could have sounded like a big bomb being detonated!" Gat commented.
"Oh Jesus, why didn't I think about explosions sooner! But where the bomb clouds then?" said the redneck.
"Comrades! We may have found the source of such mystery," Kamarov exclaimed while Nadaysha uses her sniper scope to spot the cause.
"Where?!" requested the US military sergeant moving towards the Russians.
"Vot, take a look at that mountain range over there." The starshina give the digital binoculars to the African-American soldier and pointed at the very distant series of mountains known locally as the Dumas range.
The Sarge with his usual army cap, instead of the enclosed helmet, view the far away source through the optical gadget. At maximum magnification, Redford can see the mountainous landscape... and the seemingly massive cloud debris that engulfs a sizable portion of the sierra as it goes upward. "Dear god... is that a volcanic eruption?"
"That's a good guess for now, comrade Redford." While the two officers observed the far-flung occurrence, Sweetwater and Haggard walk to where the US Army sergeant is. At the same time, Mirenda and Oleg check on the status of the humanoid refugees.
"RCT3 Actual to Redford and Kamarov, come in!" Itami's voice was heard through the communication devices.
The Russian master sergeant quickly responded, "Kamarov to RCT3 Actual, all units are still operational."
"Uh... anyone hurt by the shaking?"
"Negative, we're still alive. The convoy seemed relatively okay but a few of us are examining any form of damage to be sure."
"Oh... well that's a relief!"
"By the way Itami, have you completed the warning for the Coda villagers?"
"Uh... almost done but the tremors and the weird sound got them really scared before finishing up the dragon reminder."
"Well sir, I think it's sufficient enough to alert the locals there. Additionally, I would recommend your group to leave the town right away and resume the escort for the elves. Ponyal?" Half a minute later — no answer. "RCT3 Actual, did you hear me loud and clear? We currently behind enemy lines and do not have incoming friendlies to help more of the natives, let alone the elvish convoy. Please respond!" Still, there's no reply for several seconds. He then look at the American officer and said, "Serzhant Redford, give it a go."
And so, the Sarge activates his communication device. "Redford to RCT3 Actual, are we still escorting the elves to safety?"
Youji surprisingly answered, "Um... yes, we still do! My team and I will come back to the convoy... eventually. RCT3 Actual out!"
Terrence commented, "Does anybody find it strange at what the JSDF lieutenant has said?"
"Sure! Makes me wonder what is he hiding from us," added the Texan.
"Whatever! We still got a mission to do," recalled the African-American.
Nadaysha noted, "Albeit not authorized by command at the main base."
Redford sigh at the situation until he sees Rios and Kirrlov coming towards him and the starshina. "So, any news on the refugees?"
The Chicana soldier answered, "Well Sarge, everybody looked all healthy despite being a bit scared of the shaken earth."
"As well as the good news on their 'spirit' magic," Oleg stated further.
"And what would that be, comrade?" Kamarov wondered like most of the soldiers.
Johnny guessed, "Killing that red, scaly fucker for good?"
The big Russian clarified, "Net, Corporal Gat. Their magical abilities are not strong enough to crack the dragon's heavy armored scales. But during the escort 'operation' before reaching Coda Village again, the humanoids have managed to made several enchantment that can conceal themselves from dangers while on the move towards safety."
"Like an invisibility cloak you say?" Sweetwater stated.
"Da, similar to that and the elves were already underway to put those spells on all their convoy."
"It's the same things I heard from the refugees while inspecting and talking to them for injuries... and curiosity," added the female American.
"Hmm... Rios, Sweetwater, help me with the translations as I personally talk to the elf leaders for reconfirmation on their... 'stealth' magic," Redford ordered.
"Same goes for you Serzhant Kirrlov, as I want to know how true their claim is," said the Russian starshina. In a short time, the two officers and their translators meet the heads of the elves for verification on magical 'camouflage.' Ultimately, all the humanoid figureheads confirm that they're now able to use spirit magic to hide themselves in their migration. Therefore, the elves are unlikely in need for protection from the foreign soldiers as they travel. The coalition personnel and the elvish refugees wish each other good luck and part ways... with different objectives. "Teper' davayte posmotrim, chto proiskhodit v Coda," Kamarov announced as he and his fireteam enters back inside the BTR-82A.
"Is everyone in Bravo One Charlie all set?!" Samuel reminded. The members of 'Bad Company' responded to the trivial inquiry — except for one. "Preston? Marlowe?! Did you hear me the-... oh goddammit, I didn't realize that he's still with the Japanese medic!" That resulted in chuckles in both Americans and Russians.
"Well, I wonder how the fucking new guy is doing over there!" Johnny Gat noted.
"Ugh... let's just go to the Coda settlement, will ya?!" And so, the Humvee and the APC immediate propel towards the human village where the JSDF group are actually helping the settlers to evacuate.
At the Dumas mountain range however, the clouds of dust virtually dissipate to reveal an upright massive structure that had taken out large chunks of the rocky landscape. This monstrous craft of makeshift metal plates and multiple rocket engines is estimated to have enough space to contain one hundred thousand people.
Or in this case:
Orks...
...and Gretchins coming out of this improvised vessel to build structures, vehicles, and other equipment for the upcoming... Waaagh.
Several minutes forward at Coda Village...
The local people there are in a frantic state as they pack up their possessions onto animal-driven wagons and carts. Simultaneously, the Japanese unit give assistance to them by Itami's commands while the US Army private remain inside the Toyota car for proper recovery as stated by Sergeant Kurokawa. As for Kato's accusation on the self-defense group... it has been mainly toned down due to the sudden physical events, presence of a female 'apothecary,' and visual evidences of photos and videos from a few privates that luckily captured the red-colored beast attacking and the aftermath. So here they are, moving the donkey-driven cart rather composed in the direction of their outskirt residence to pack up their property items.
The magic-using apprentice commented, ":Those life-like paintings are truly astounding, Master.:"
":Quite accurate, I had to admit. But still... why now? The Flame Dragon should have been hibernating for another fifty years, instead of interrupting our supply run!:"
":Honestly, both of us don't know the cause.:" After some time just outside the village boundaries while heading toward their residential house, the silver haired mage ask a question. ":Master, what are we going to load onto the cart?:"
":Isn't it obvious? We're bringing in everything with us!:"
":And risk damaging the wagon permanently?:"
":Eh...:" Kato El Altestan is at a lost on the implications for several long seconds. ":Hmm... then what do you suggest in that case?:"
":Well, we can focus on the most valuable and rare books and scrolls first. Following that would be other possessions necessary in the long term and hard to obtain. The rest can be left behind if there's no room to spare, less we make the wagon too heavy to move.:"
":Huh... sounded like a good plan, Lelei!:" Yet the elderly sage didn't get a gratification from her, but he did notice her paying attention to something else. The bearded wizard look at the direction of what caught her observation and notice a trio of carriages also in green color — but merely outside Coda Village. ":Hmm... more Men in Green coming?:"
":Maybe so, teacher. But first comes our important belongings.:" Lelei La Relani reminded.
Later on, the magic-users are nearing the edge of the small wilderness that surrounded their dwelling when they then heard a strange noise similar to the horseless wagons of the green-covered visitors. The mages turn their sights to the source and see a strange vehicle coming toward them at a medium speed equivalent to a trotting horse. It happens to be an American Humvee with its machine gun in safety lock and Haggard, Rios, and Kirrlov inside. For starters, Specialist Mirenda did receive permission from Redford to assist the academic pairs spotted by herself. Oleg joined in with her out of intuition and curiosity on those two that looked like wizards. As for George... well, he decided to be the driver and keep track of this Russian soldier for any suspicious behavior — excluding himself though. Anyhow, the automobile witnessed by Kato and Lelei is slightly different than the previous three driven by the Japanese. As it get closer to them, the speed of the Humvee gradually slow down to a crawl but not a stop.
":Hello there! You wouldn't mind us helping you evacuate?:" Mirenda said in the Sanderan language.
Both of the master and apprentice are a bit surprised by the voice of another woman inside such mobile contraption. In a moment though, they allow these foreigners to assist them as much as possible. Upon arrival at the destination, the magicians immediately start the transfer of their important stuff to their wooden transport... and what a great pile of numerous items that were so compacted within such a rather small house by 'modern' standards; as the three recon soldiers soon find out while providing help inside.
Haggard noted, "Holy... mother of a uh... hoard. Now that's a lot of uh... stuff in this tiny place."
"Si, Hags. Kind of think about, how about you go back to the Humvee and warn us on cargo overload as they put their belongings on their wagon?" the Chicana service woman suggested.
"Well… why not! I'm not super-good at reading something that kinda looks like Spanish to me!"
At some point during the packing process, Lelei became curious enough to ask something from these strange 'legionaries.' ":Excuse me, madam. I am interested on where you people came from.:"
"Um..." Mirenda is a bit confused for some time. ":Do you mean where we were born... or how we came to your lands?:"
The slightly perplexed student answered, ":Both will do.:"
The female US Army soldier somewhat hesitated until Oleg respond to the young adult's curiosity. ":My birthplace was a motherland known as Russia.:"
"Russia?" said the silver-haired lady.
Specialist Rios clarified, ":Yes young lady. I, on the other hand, was born in the state of California.:" Lelei nodded on the names of the two 'states.'
Haggard, getting the gist of it, then butted in the dialogue. "And I'm a proud Texan from the US of A!"
":Uh... what did he say?:" The magical apprentice didn't understand the foreign language.
"Eh, eh... ahem." Mirenda explained in understandable words, ":That rural man came from Texas, for your knowledge."
":Oh... I see, three different lands. Then how did you-?:"
":Lelei, my pupil! We still have valuable things inside to sort them out. Thus, I appreciate that you resume the effort to help this old geezer here,:" Kato requested.
":Sure thing, Master. Returning to the house right away.:"
It took almost an hour to get all of the most important possessions being placed within the cart... which also makes the donkey-drawn vehicle quite heavy. The redneck noticed a growing issue of the wooden wheels slowly sinking into the ground and warn everybody in English. Lelei still doesn't know the meaning but she did spotted the sunken wheels due to the gestures from Haggard.
":Master, the wagon has its wheels embedded to the dirt. Perhaps it's time to leave since the most crucial belongings were already gathered and the impressions on the earth are still shallow.:"
":Ugh... by the gods, seriously?:" groaned the gray-haired sage who recently put more stuff on the collected pile. After some considerations, he made a decision. ":Hmm... alright my young student, we'll go with your recommendation immediately.:" Soon, a fibrous blanket securely covers the possessions on the cart and the magical scholars give their thanks to the soldiers for the assistance as they're about to leave.
After the mages start moving their vehicle, Rios and Kirrlov head towards the Humvee when they realize something: where's Haggard? Answering that conundrum are noises coming from the magicians' former home, which draws attention to the coalition personnel.
Back to the mages on their wagon in motion meanwhile, the elderly mage exhale in displeasure. ":Aw... I can't believe on the goods not being picked up back at the house.:"
":I wouldn't worry about those short-term, non-essential belongings, Teacher. Though I still find it peculiar on the 'Green people's backgrounds; like the kingdoms those three soldiers said to came from.:" The platinum-blonde lady remarked.
":Same here. I mean... that dark elf has a nice face for being a female soldier. Although her bosoms were not as attractive as the bigger curves of your older sister! Eh, eh, ah, ah!:"
The young apprentice is quite annoyed by her mentor's perverted uh... wishful thinking — again. Reactively, she summons her magic to create a head-sized snowball while the old man continue to giggle... and then smack it onto his face. Altestan groan at what was done.
":Lelei... you really need to be aware that magic is a sacred responsibility and of the real consequences of such abuses.:"
":You should also be more careful with using jokes that can disrupt human relationships... especially those with sexual connotations.:"
":Ugh... look, I'm not the person that I used to be when I was younger. I sometimes wish I wouldn't be this tired when growing older by the years.:"
":Quite the contrary, Master. You're as tough as the hardiest insect ever to exist in the natural world.:"
":Now that's just rude, my apprentice.:"
":Well, this is how you raised me as your student.:"
As they enter Coda Village, the academic pair observe many families removing their possessions from the houses to the carts, satchels, saddlebags, and other containers. Additionally, they saw some of the 'Men in Green' assisting the villagers for the evacuations. Nevertheless, the mages talk about the wisdom of either taking with lots of personal items or just flee to safety when dealing with rampaging ancient dragons. Few minutes later, their cart merge with a growing convoy passing through the village. Suddenly, an overloaded cart broke its axle and crash down to the middle ground of the settlement. Made matters worse by the hoofed mammal reacting to it in fright, which evidently throw the passengers out in the air and themselves hit the dirt rather hard. Every wagon behind the accident halted, including the magicians' vehicle that is one cart away from the unfortunate event.
":Master, should we assess the damage over there?:" asked the young lady.
Before any deliberation, one villager noticed the presence of the magic-users. ":Master Kato and Lelei! Oh how lucky for you two to be here! The family using that cart are hurt by the fall; and the cart itself is now blocking the road. We would appreciate that you can help solve the current situation, can you?:"
":Hmm... okay then, let's see what we mages can do here,:" replied the old sage. Accordingly, they landed their feet on the road and move towards the mishap. Once at the scene, the duo see the parents and the two children lying on the unpaved pathway — and a trapped horse still panicking.
Entering the site are an eyeglass-wearing American with an M60E4 LMG and his fellow soldier who coincidentally witness the abrupt traffic jam and then run towards the source of the suspension. "Uh, this is Private Sweetwater to all units of Third Recon Team. Sanford and I just spotted an overturned horse wagon blocking the road in the middle of the town. Waiting for instructions, over?" Terrence communicated thru the wireless comm device, which caught the attention of the nearby locals.
"This is Itami and uh... roger that. I'll get some of my people to resolve the accident, but that may require a um... go-ahead from the village chief. Until then, keep the villagers away from the danger zone." Youji responded, giving the natives puzzled looks of this strange 'magic.'
"Okay lieutenant, we will uh... technically speaking, there's a family group lying on the ground near the broken as well as the horse going crazy. The people looked hurt though."
"Oh... thanks for the quick update. I'll get Mari to check the injured. Itami, out."
When the talking is done, the US Army privates notice two persons wearing clothes that are in contrast to what the other villagers wore — and making an effort to help the wounded family by starting with the nearby boy. "Huh... that's weird," Sweetwater observed.
"Do you think those persons are real wizards by some chance?" Sanford wondered.
"Could be, though I didn't see any real magic at this time."
":Damn... it seems this boy received a concussion and perhaps a broken arm or leg, as well as needing a safe spot for him to rest. Lelei, get the other wounded back here with great care and watch yourself with the horse too.:" Kato voiced with concern.
The platinum-haired woman agrees and go to examine the apparent father. So far, the man's injury is slightly less severe than his son and Lelei soon carefully drag the person out of harm's way from the unstable animal (with the help of other villagers). When that's done, she proceed to walk to the injured girl while keeping track of the horse.
"Uh... :Lady - be careful! Horse — dangerous! Suggest go back to safe distance, and wait for healer!:" Sweetwater warns her as she gets closer to a more riskier position in relation to the downed creature. Even so, the apprentice reached the young girl and find the child's condition to be as serious as her brother. Conscientiously again, Lelei carries the kid back to a safer gap. By that time, three of the JSDF group (namely Kuwahara, Kurokawa, and Itami) arrived and surprised to see the two once more.
"Oh... :Hello again, Altestan. Not expected to immediately see you here.:"Youji remarked.
":I'm surprised about that as well, Sir Itami.:"
While the Japanese team ask the old man for clarifications and Mari evaluates the health situation on the injured, the silver blonde mage goes to the stunned mother despite Soichiro's warning in broken Saderan/Sanderan and the danger presented by the erratic horse.
"Uh... Sweets, keep an eye on the horse while I help the young lady bring the last wounded to safety. Okay?" Bobby has said to the eye-glassed American as he rearrange the strap of his assault rifle just in case of emergency.
"Um... sure, Sanford. I got your flanks covered here," Terrence agreed to observe the animal for trouble.
With that assurance, Bobby heads for Lelei's position to assist the woman still laid on the floor. ":Need help?:"
The silver-haired woman accept his assistance and together move the unconscious mother to a safe distance; although a worried Kurokawa voiced her concerns on them to be more careful. When all the injured out of the way, the recon personnel now have to deal with the trapped mammal kicking like mad.
In addition, the American redneck shows up and look at the situation. "Howdy, everyone! So uh... what are we going to do with that horse?"
Private Sweetwater said, "Well Hags, perhaps we could try to calm down the poor farm animal with some nice... whistles or something. Or cover its head with a sizable towel or blanket. Now the last thing we want to do wa-" His suggestions were immediately interrupted by the recently freed creature that is now galloping wildly towards Terrence, George, and everybody else behind them. "SHIT!" Instantly, dozens of small arms projectiles are fired at the uncontrolled horse from the M60E4, Mossenberg shotgun, and M4A1 rifle in use by Sweetwater, Haggard, and Sanford respectively. As a result, the animal is riddled with bullet holes and soon goes down to the ground without anybody being hurt. For anything bittersweet about this scene, the hoofed mammal is still alive but crying and hoofing in pain. Along with the terrified faces of several nearby villagers and the confused magicians wondering what just happened that saves them from being stomped to death. Not to mentioned the shocked Japanese seeing a near overkill of the poor thing.
Oh... and add the incoming radio call from the US Army sergeant to that. "Redford to Itami, what the hell was that?! Are we under attack?!"
The JSDF lieutenant answered, "Sergeant Redford, everyone. It's nothing to worry about! There's no enemy in sight. Just um... a stampeding horse that Haggard, Sweetwater, and Sanford shot at many times over before it could harm someone."
"Wait just a sec... three of my squad have killed an out-of-control farm animal?"
"Actually Samuel, the horse is still alive but in really bad shape by the looks of its bullet wounds. And I don't think we can heal this animal to be functional at all."
"Ugh... well... if there's nothing to help the poor thing, then put it out of its misery. Out."
The recon commander exhale in tiredness and turn his attention to Kuwahara. "Chotto poppusu, watashi wa anata ni kono dōbutsu no unmei no saishū kettei o nokoshimasu. Sore wa daijōbudesuka?"
"Watashi wa anata no meirei o ukeiremasu." Afterwards, Soichiro heads for where the severely damaged lifeform had laid while passing by Terrence and George (who are busy in talking to each other on how to 'solve' a dying horse). Once he arrives there, the JSDF sergeant major examine the chances of treating the devastated animal to full health (which are very slim right now), pulls out his sidearm pistol, and carefully aim towards its cerebrum with two hands. "Kami no rei ga anata ga heiwa o mitsukeru no o tasukete kuremasu yō ni," prayed the older veteran before pulling the trigger that launches the bullet straight through the horse's skull; thus ended its unfortunate life. Seeing the bloody action are the mystified natives in shock by the power of an unknown weapon, the duo mages with curiosity, and the Americans having their 'conversations' halted.
Sweetwater and Haggard look back and forth at both the dead horse and the locals standing where they are like statues with somewhat blank expressions. "Um... :Sorry for the mess! We will remove obstacle on road! We appreciate your patience!:" said the eye-glassed private trying to add calm to the situation. Yet unusually, silence follows. "Ohh-kay... guess they're a bit too scared to move. And I hope none of them have developed post-traumatic stress disorder from this gory incident." After hearing that, the dissatisfied Texan hit quite hard on Terrence's head (or rather the Kevlar helmet) with the fore-end/stock of the Mossenberg shotgun. "Ga-OWWW! Why the hell did you do that for, Hags?!"
"Probably because of you being at fault with petrifying the whole town by filling leads inside a horse," claimed the redneck.
"Hey, that was self-defense! And that includes you firing your shotgun at it!"
"Yeah, but you did suggest other ways to solve the problem without shooting the poor steed." And so begins a squabble over firearm usage; which gives headaches to the presented Japanese soldiers and puzzles the Falmarian inhabitants on such 'weird' behaviors.
Over one minute later, an annoyed Kuwahara walk to the bickering allies and shouted, "Anata wa futari damarete kudasai!" It's loud enough to gain the awareness of the two Yankees to stop talking. After a while, he loosely sigh. "Arigatōgozaimashita," said the older serviceman as he stroll back to his leader with the thought that the US personnel will resume working and less arguing.
But not for long.
"Duh... Sweets. What did that old Jap just said?" Haggard asked.
"I think it rhymes with a 'thank you'... or something."
"Thanks... for what?"
"Eh... I don't know for certain. Although I did heard some Japanese that are equivalent to uh... 'shut up' or similar."
"Hold up a sec on those words... shut — up? Sounded like what our Sarge would says to us."
"Funny... I had heard that this Kuwahara guy goes by the nickname 'Demon' Sergeant in Japanese."
The resumption of their arguments despite the loud voice from Soichiro has baffled the JSDF soldiers, as well as adding more mysteries to the wondering villagers with several children being amused at the spectacle. Just as the Japanese sergeant major is about to do something, he felt a few taps on his right shoulder and turn his head on Ms. Kurokawa (who recently finished treating the injured family and checking several nearby residents). "Koko ni tomete kudasai. Watashi wa kore o sewa shimasu." After saying that, she heads for the two Americans still focused in their conversations. Once being up-close in position and out of the blue, Mari pulls the ears of both men upward to turn their concentrations on her. "Mr. Sweetwater and Mr. Haggard. We need more efforts in aiding the civilians and less chatting is highly recommended at this time. Agree?" In response, the two misfits nodded in agreement even though they currently feel the pain from their yanked hearing organs. "Good, now let us get back to work gentlemen." She release her grips on the Americans' ears and resume her duty to analyze any health problem within the village.
With distressed feelings in their audio body parts, the rambunctious pair eventually help move the damaged cart out somewhere to the side of the road with other recon soldiers. Meanwhile, Lelei intuitively got hold of some spent cartridges from the dirt for the sake of understanding these 'magical' tools. Afterwards and with only Gat and Haggard in the picture though, a number of the excessive items from the wreck were uh... 'compensated' without being noticed.
Elsewhere in the settlement however, Kurata has a question for his commander in Japanese. "Commander, don't tell me we're going to be taking care of all of these people forever?"
"Huh?"
"Aren't there any lords or royalty around here?"
"Heh... about that. I talked to the chief about it and what I got was that none of the lords in this region ever came back... after they were sent to fight at Arnus Hill."
"Uh... hey, does that mean that we're responsible for taking away their protections?"
"Well, indirectly from us for sure; but let's not forget the Empire's decision to send more men to the slaughter."
"Yeah, just as stupid as invading our capital city with such barbarity instead of diplomatic envoys on how the Gate really works. Back to the escort thing though, are we still sticking with the Americans and Russians for this?"
"Hah... afraid so. I'm their recon leader as of today and not feeling fond of having my major officers screaming me out for somehow losing control of our allies. Plus, they had said that the spirit magic of the elves has concealed them from a possible dragon attack; which leaves this convoy of ordinary humans more or less exposed. And even if I did orde-"
"Lieutenant Itami!" voiced an African American sergeant with the Russian master sergeant tagging along to meet Youji.
The JSDF officer replied in English, "Oh... kon'nichiwa Redford and Kamarov. What brings you here?"
"Well, me and Kamarov want to be certain that you're actually committed in protecting these fleeing villagers. Is that right?"
"Eh... yes. Doing so will get the civilians love us more than their own leadership... perhaps."
Dimitri added, "With all due respect leytenant, loving the innocent masses don't come with warning labels about refugee freeloaders, overloaded wagons breaking apart, or any other mishaps that can happen. I mean — when comparing the elves to these people with excessive possessions, they're more thoughtful of what to bring in their search for a new home without stressing out their transportation. Kind of wish the same thing for these folks here to be a bit more analytical or possibly innovative on how to evacuate safely. And that doesn't includes the chance of hostile attacks from enemy soldiers, bandits, highly dangerous animals, and so on."
"If that's the case, then I would have ordered your groups to ride back to base with concerns for your lives."
"True, but doing so might provoke interpretations of my unit being dishonorable to authority. As well as having less eyewitnesses on your responsibilities as a reconnaissance leader."
"Huh... guess I wouldn't have to worry about that. What's your mind thinking, Redford? Do you want to go back to Arnus Base?"
Samuel answered, "I would personally like to, sir. The only problem here is my squad's overall decision to be like Good Samaritans for the villagers... and that is something I cannot override."
"Ugh... well let's hope that these people have very high tolerance when 'peculiar' habits from your guys arises."
"Which relates to this question: how long do you think we can continue to provide escort before they have safely reached their destination?"
"Um... probably as long as possible for them to arrive at a uh... safe place."
The American and Russian officers couldn't believe what he just said. "Are you implying that you or the villagers have no idea where they're going?!" asked the starshina.
"Well... maybe not for most of the folks here. Nevertheless, we'll do our best to keep dangers away from the civilians as they travel to a better destination."
"Leytenant, can you please ask the chief or anybody else on the places that they might be heading to at this journey's end? Like right now, sir?!"
"Eh-uh... sure, Starshina. I'll see what information my unit can gather from the villagers. And uh... thanks... for helping us."
"Not a big deal, sir. Just find out for our own sake though!" Redford responded.
"Ah... ryōkai!" In a short time, Youji and Takeo are on the move again to ask the local humans on their safer destinations. At the same time, the international sergeants walk towards their respective subgroups. Before he could start doing the quick inquiries however, the JSDF recon commander received a radio transmission in a feminine voice.
"Mike-One-Juliet to RCT3 Actual, report." Itami stand still as he heard the female dispatch officer. "RCT3 Actual, can you respond?"
After some thoughts, the Japanese lieutenant prepares for a response — if any at all.
"Uh... kon'nichiwa? Lieutenant Itami, soko ni imasu ka?"
Four minutes forward, the US Army Sarge arrives at the grenade launcher-mounted Humvee... and see a rather embarrassing sight.
"You're sure it's okay to eat those food? I mean, they're used to belong to some of the villagers here," Sanford wondered.
"Eh, why not. These are just fruits and nuts for only snack time. But anyway... I'm hungry! And I'm fed up with army rations!" Haggard proclaimed.
"You're quite right, Hags. Several of us staying in Fort Gondor or something are all fed up with eating the basic meals, in small sizes by the way, for many months now," Johnny commented.
Sweetwater added, "Yeah, but he's more fed up 'cause he ate mines as well!"
"Well Sweets, you snooze, you lose when you don't keep track of your food and surroundings a week ago."
"Guys! What the hell are those stuff supposed to be?!" Redford shouted, which redirect the four heads of the rowdy soldiers nearby the relatively stuffed automobile towards their sergeant.
The Texan 'explained' this predicament, "Uh... well Sarge, we did see many wagons fill with lots of stuff that may um... break apart the wooden carts by shear weight at some point. So... for relieving that sort of pressures, me and Gat thought that it would be appropriate to 'empty' some of their goods for the sake of the other cargoes in the long run." (Although most of the 'gathered' merchandises came from the downed cart and the mages' outskirt house.)
The Asian American cooperatively said, "Nonetheless, there just too many of those overburden carts to try to lighten up."
"Which means that these commodities are all that Haggard and Gat could loot!" Terrence clarified.
Sergeant Samuel stares at his squad-mates with dissatisfaction. "Augh... when we come back to the main fort, I would most likely ask one of the higher ups to give you guys something like latrine duties to do... or be locked up in jail for days as consequences for pillaging!"
"Wait, punishing us two for easing some of the heavy wagons? Uh... we don't see any rules against retrieving the people's stuff," stated the redneck.
Sweetwater disagreed, "Actually, there is. It's called the Geneva Convention."
Haggard looks around the landscape that is not 'Geneva.' "Well... we're not in Geneva now are we, college boy?"
After processing the statement, he eyeglass-wearing private said, "He make a sound argument, Sarge."
The African-American face-palm his head in disbelief.
"Bravo-One-Charlie, this is Mike-One-Juliet. Can you quietly respond?" A whispered tone came through the wireless device of the Sarge.
"Mike-One-Juliet, this is-"
"Shh! I did tell you to lower down the volume, sergeant."
Redford soon tone down his voice. "Ah-ahem... alright, ma'am. Is there a reason to be this quiet?"
"Two actually. One is this nationalistic lieutenant of the JSDF who has a uh... 'grudge' with the 'Hero of Ginza' and sometimes come to my worksite in one of the allied command and control centers for updates on Lieutenant Itami; since I'm currently the communication handler for you guys in the Third Recon Team. Second reason is Itami's decision to go radio-silence as indicated by his rather good effort to mimic static buzz; despite me seeing live-footage from one of our high-altitude surveillance drones on your group helping the native evacuees."
"Wait... did you just figu-?"
"Listen Redford. The order for RCT3 to return to base ASAP still stands. If anyone finds out about this 'heroic' operation right now, then all of Recon Team Three could possibly face significant repercussions — and that includes the Japanese lieutenant himself. Even so... who really wants to see that many people and their families to be killed or burned alive by a big clear threat; and who's cold-minded enough to ignore their plea for help other than a group of Japanese and American misfits following their moral compass regardless of the risks involved?"
"Hmm, so you're actually going to assist us then?"
"In secrecy for the moment, sergeant. Anyway, do you have an idea of where these settlers migrating to?"
"Negative, Mike-One-Juliet. I'm actually waiting for the recon leader to provide the answer."
"Dear God... well, if factoring in the Koan Forest incident, the Dumas mountains, and the distance and direction between the two villages; I may guess that they're heading northwest to the Dessria Highway that leads to a crossroad city called Italica or directly go north to the towns connected with the Appia Highway. The catch is that both pathways could take around four to six days to reach their goals by just walking alone."
"Somewhere north, then?" The Sarge then asked, "On the matter of details though, how did you managed to know that much?"
"The information available to me were gathered by our special forces before the multiple activation of straightforward recon teams. But that's all I'm giving to you for today because I need to refocus on the surveillance UAV flying to the source of those recent earthquakes and explosive sounds. Good luck on the escort though, sir."
"Understood, ma'am. Bravo-One-Charlie out."
Gradually, all of the human villagers have their possessions collected in the long train of carriages and proceed to leave their homes to safer locations. The soldiers of the Third Recon Team quickly begin escort duties for the whole convoy, although at the same slow pace as the protected refugees.
Except for one family that hastily left the settlement hours before the rest of them.
Which relates to a place somewhere near the western face of the Dumas Mountain (around one hour before midnight)...
A campfire continues to burn to provide warmth and light for a dozen men encircling it; while the other twelve are either on lookouts or rummaging on the broken wagon for any more valuables. They laugh and enjoy the provisions that used to belong to the mentioned group of a father, mother at age 36, and nineteen-year-old daughter. The fate of the human family is more apparent by the dead bodies on the ground within walking distances: a male corpse with a sword-stab to the neck and the naked females being completely lifeless due to the bandits' relentlessly rapes on them. A minute later, the brigands' chatter change the subject to that of the 'defenseless' caravans coming from Coda Village. They lustfully imagine the bountiful loots to be taken away, the immense heinous crimes the marauders could easily inflict, and perhaps how many people could be captured for the slave markets. Just one problem: there are two dozens of them against over six hundred fleeing villagers. One suggestion is to recruit former legionaries still straggling from the Holy Hill battle that occurred over nine months ago... or other bandit gangs that had been formed or strengthened by the influxes of deserters from the military fiasco. However, the pillaging activities were not as high as they once were; all because of the appearances of bright color-eyed 'demons' that can kill wrongdoers with multiple bolts of light or some sort of dark magic on the Alnus Province and sometimes beyond that. Consequently, the number of plunderers in this sector decreased during the past several month.
As they ponder on how to get the strength to overwhelm the incoming columns of evacuees, one of the bandits on guard alert them. "Boss, we have interlopers coming!"
"What? Are they stragglers, nobles, knights, legionaries, or even the demons?!" the criminal leader asked.
"I'm not sure, boss. But they do look li-?"
"'Ey 'umiez, we Orkz got kwes-chinz for ya!" said a green-skinned humanoid accompanied by five others like him (but wearing clothes and carrying equipment unknown to these 'native' bandits or even anyone on Falmarius/Sandera).
The leading bandit noted, "Oh... orcs... wait, this far right here?"
"So... boss, what do you want us do?"
The head of the raiders contemplated, "Hmm... let them come here. I have a proposition in mind."
With that decision granted, the guarding underlings allow these 'barbarians' to move closer to the campsite.
The chief figure of the human marauders observes the appearances of these 'beast-men': improvised masks, green skins, carnivorous teeth, hunched body frames, warpaint of red, black, purple, and/or brown; knife-shaped blades that are rather big, foliage on their rugged leather clothes, and strange metal objects in different shapes attached to their outfits. "So... what do you animals want from my gang?"
The leader of the green 'orcs' replied, "Dah... nofin' big, just wantin' ta 'noh ware we are right now."
The bandit chief look at them in confusion. "Wait, you orcs got lost or something?"
"Dum... 'eah, we don't 'noh if diz place iz Falmaryaz or not. Or waz it Falmart or wat?"
The human males then laugh in amazement that these 'demi-humans' had no idea where they are, despite being in the right (and recognizably only known) continent. "Ha, ha... of course this land is Falmart, you typical — dumb — beasts!"
The 'orc' mob were surprised at first by the laughter. However, they soon chuckle a bit at the assumptions made by these 'humies' about them...
Considering that they're not just your ordinary 'Orks'... and the greenskins have the tools and the know-how to say otherwise. Still, they got another question to ask.
"O-kay, 'umy. Doz any ov 'u 'noh a city nearby? Or somfin' like dat?"
"Hmm... well, there is a city called Italica that's west of our location. On the other hand, it's going to be several days on foot to travel there. As well as facing its fortified stone walls and their guards if you orcs are interested in getting yourselves killed," answered the leading marauder.
"Uh... wez Orkz ar' not finkin' ov dyin' yet."
"Oh... if that's the case, then I have a deal for you foul creatures!"
"A deal? Wat iz it den?"
"Here's the thing: there is an entire village on run and brought with them loads of valuable possessions just waiting to be taken."
"Huh, stealin' stuff 'u say?"
"Indeed, attacking a big herd of sheep... that can't even fight back!"
"Uh... wait, dey kan't fight bahk?"
"Of course, no risk of getting sword wounds from such weak group of villagers! However, my gang is twenty-four strong in comparison to an entire settlement in the hundreds. Which is what my proposal is all about: helping to plunder the rich goods of those soft-minded people... and that includes killing them, raping their women, and even enslaving lots of these villagers for the slave market as many as us guys and you beastmen want! So, what do you say about that?"
The green-skinned humanoids are puzzled at an assault on a large defenseless convoy... which might turn out to be boring for the Orks. Yet there something on the edge of their minds to find out. "Duh... don't want ta be rude, but wy ar' dey fleeing den?
Astonishment is on the thoughts of the raiding men who heard such question from these strange savages. The higher rank bandit answered, "What silly words coming out from a silly orc! Er... fine, I'll immediately give you heathens the reason for our preys to leave!"
"And dat reazon iz... wat?"
The human boss breathes in before exhaling in annoyance. "A fucking... Fire Dragon!"
The word dragon is actually very rare for the green barbarians to hear. "Eh... watz a fire dragon?"
"Are you beastly scumbags fucking kidding me! It's a very big animal with many scales and two big wings! The ancient dragon eats creatures and people alive! It breathes flames that could incinerate even the best fortress ever made! And... ugh... no mortal sorcerers or warriors had ever killed such calamity and lived to tell about it for many centuries, regardless of their own skills. Get it?!"
After hearing how powerful this creature is, the 'orcs' begin to express glee at something more... challenging. "We get it, 'umy. An' uh... dankz for da anserz ta uz Orkz."
"Eh, hold on. What about your answers to my proposition?"
The green-colored mob leader had already made an 'answer' for that (or any other questions... or none). "Well... wez still finkin' abowt it dowh, but we do got giftz for 'ur boyz ta take az uh... apprecia-chinz for da info first."
"Seriously, presents? And what would that be?"
Soon, all six of the beastly barbarians (the ork commander included) each take out a head-sized metal cylinder attached to a stick for the bandits to see. "Deze dingz right 'ere."
As they gave these devices to the human marauders, curiosity overtaken the men despite the apparent heaviness of all the contraptions. So far, all the appeared metal objects are each beholden by three raiders, which leaves six bandits in sentry work. "So... what does this thing suppose to do?"
Keep in mind that all the visual humanoids are very nearby the human units wondering about the devices... more specifically, the circular metal pin connected to the bottom of the stick part. "I glad 'u asked, 'umy. Now, 'u first put 'ur finger in da metal pin. Den... 'u make a wi-sal an' pull da pin owt." The ork chief whistled that signal the other barbarians to pull the pins out of the contraptions with strings attached. After all the pins are gone, the greenskins immediately move away from the campsite.
Those acts perplexed the raiders holding or being next to the gizmos. "Hey, what's going on here? And where is your answer in joining the slaughter?!"
The 'answer' came seconds later... when the ork-made grenades instantly turn into explosions. The explosive and sonic blasts, along with shrapnel, tear apart the bodies of the humans in gory pieces. The marauders on guard turn their sights at the loud source — only to be shocked at the bloody situation. Unfortunately, the six distracted criminals are killed by the 'sneaky' humanoids behind them with their choppa knives (one beheaded, another stabbed to the back, the next having his throat sliced up, a slash on a head, a slash on a back, and the last one stabbed on the head). Once the killings are over, the orkish kommandoz laugh and roar victoriously.
"Bwah, ha, ha, ha, ha... WAAAAAGH!"
After those war-cries are done, they scavenges the location of the former bandits. Gradually, the green savages reignite the campfire and cook up the human bodies for eating... and that includes the desecrated physiques of the unlucky family.
"Hey, watz takin' da oda boyz on da ship diz long?"
"Might 'ave been too buzy wif gettin' der gearz ready for da Waaagh.
"Or 'avin' too much fun wif dat Fragtrap on board!"
One might expect a demigod to enter the scene as the kommando mob cook and eat the ripped body parts (including the female breasts from the dead ladies) while having some laughs.
XXXXX
That would have been true for an apostle serving the God of War and Darkness, who is wearing a Greco-Roman-style attire reminiscent of Imperial Rome's Vestal Virgins albeit a bit tattered (Except for the black color on the garments; which is also on her gloves, metal forearm guard, breastplate and shoulder armor, medieval armor for her feet, greaves for the lower legs, and not to mention the large halberd (Iron spear with an axe-shaped blade attached near the top point and a fascine-like structure in parallel with the sharp, bulky object)...
If it wasn't for the impact shock made by the gigantic Ork mothership of yellow and green colors, which diverted her attention from other interests on the continent like the Gate on Alnus Hill and many stories of ghostly demons hunting bandits and Imperial soldiers. Now she's a few miles away from the source of the unknown shaking and boom sound. Despite being that far, her supernatural senses as a demigoddess allows her to analyze the commotions from that gargantuan rocket vehicle.
And what a great horde of 'orcs' and bizarre contraptions she saw in front of her while the first sunlight of the morning appears: thousands of green-skinned aliens carrying battle axes, swords, hammers, and clubs; smaller goblin-like humanoids rushing all over the giant place doing something with strange metal 'golems,' iron elephants, horseless wagons, smaller ugly towers, and even some sorts of metallic birds — along with 'orcs' conducting the same thing; countless more holding odd instruments akin to crossbows but without the bow and in different shapes; and then there are the much bigger savages with their own sets of weird weaponry. Yet there are no sign of the stealthy beastmen that she encountered on her way to this enormous structure.
Of course... a whole mob of them were annihilated by her superpowers when both participants asked too many questions — and get too eager to kill. Evidently, she still remembered that 'orcish' ruse as the apostle was given a strange device as a gift. When they began to run away from her, the paranormal female quickly caught up the fact that she's holding an unknown sort of weapon. One second after throwing it in mid-air, it explode and did deep fragment damages on her body. To the surprise of the devious humanoids though, her self-healing was rather quick as shrapnel are expelled out of her anatomy. With the regeneration complete, the suddenly giggling 'teenager' started her swift attacks on the green 'liars' that soon fought back with knives, grenades, and guns. The fierce fight was surprising long enough for one of them to warn the green hordes about this 'killa humie' through a communication gadget; before all of them were dead and their weapons broken apart.
Two hours of examination at a distance goes by, the beastly army are fully geared up and ready for all-out rampage on the surrounding lands. At that moment, the demigoddess move at superhuman speed towards this vast rabble of 'orcs' and then halt about a few yards facing them with a smile. ":Good morning, you orcish gentlemen. Thank you all for putting your lives on the line for this upcoming festival that you warriors had made. Thus, I hereby express my gratitude in the place of my divine master.:"
"Duh... wat did dat 'umy said ta uz?"
"Eh... don't 'noh. 'U?
"Wy should I? I'm mor' finkin' on killin' her or not."
"Same 'ere on wat she'z talkin' abowt."
The black-haired apostle is confused by this... spectacle as the Orks keep wondering on what she is. It dawn on her that these monstrous outsiders are rather illiterate on her native language and the same thing goes for the supernatural character in not comprehending their foreign language, too.
After a few minutes, one of the greenskins got a suggestion. "'Ey, letz get one ov da smart grotz to figur' owt! Dey should 'noh wat shez sayin'!" Half an hour later of waiting, screams of gretchinz resonate the air above the meeting point as they fall to that location. Or close to it since the smaller green humanoids crash next to the black-wearing female figure.
"Ow... ugh..." One of them sighed before looking at the demigoddess. "Ah... ahem... :Who ar' 'u?:"
":Oh, that's wonderful! I am Lori Mercurius, an apostle for Emloy; God of War, Darkness, Violence, and Insanity. My purpose on this day is to start... a party of blood."
The little orkoids translates her message to the nearby mobs and the rest of the hundred-thousand horde by radio.
"Uh... a god ov waaagh... like Gork an' Mork?" an ork asked, which is soon translated by the Gretchins to the demigoddess.
":Not... quite. You see, my divine lord doesn't care about moral values: right or wrong. The only thing matters to Emloy is the motivations behind the actions, like what you 'orcs' are doing.:"
Another ork stated something after hearing translation. "Wateva 'umy! All wez Orkz want ta do iz ta 'ave fun... by killin' anyding in our way!" A burst of laughter is emitted among the war-like humanoids.
One greenskin said, "Speakin' ov party, 'ow ar' 'u suppozed ta start one wif no blood right now?"
As she listen to the language conversions, the black-clothed figure giggles on what they had meant. The gretchins wondering what so funny in her head... but most are instantly decapitated with one fast strike from her weapon. The few of those mini-orkoids still living got shivers in their spines as they look at the carnage made by this 'human.'
":Simple... by spilling your bloods for my god.:"
"Aaah! Run for 'ur lives!" yelled one of the frighten grots running away from her.
For the Orks however... they just laugh at the gretchins' unfortunes with amusement and got a clear message from the demigoddess with excitement.
Very soon though, a more authoritarian voice is heard through the big loudspeakers dotting all over the affected area. "Listen up 'u squakin' gitz! The Warboss ain't 'ere yet, so me, Barrteeff, will be en charge wif da lot of 'u all. Now, from wat I hurd from da runtz, diz 'umy at our doorstep wanted ta fight uz Orkz! Well den, it'z a fight she'z gonna get from uz Greenskinz! An' wen we're done wif her, den we'll chop up any gitz in our way! Oi, Clappy runt! Turn on da Waaagh banner towerz!"
A more optimistic sound followed. "Sure thing, mighty Barrteeff! I will activate the loudest and rockiest ork battle music ever to be unleashed on this magical continent! I think it's called Falmart... or was it Falmaria or Falmarius... uh, maybe Sandera? Eh, I don't think my Terran friends will care about that. They're not quite fond on this particular part of the planet with reasons like 'This place does have real magic, but it gets pretty boring after over one thousand years of people-watching' and 'These so-called gods over there are a bunch of conforming b##ches!' But what do I care about that? I have met a lot of folks during my last time on this stagnant place! Like this nomadic good-looking lady I once met who can use the Power of the Force, or the Orange lady apostle who I... uh, accidentally disintegrate her when I still had my SoulFighter superpowers. Or how about the Imperial soldiers that I magically transported along with myself to Pandora? Oh, and speaking of that chaotic landscape, I wondered what Hammerlock has been doing over there since he's the first mage I had ever met after the explosive fiasco and before me being turned into a superweapon! And let's not forget about Miss Lori over there! She can be quite friendly, although the demigoddess can get very high and scary when being next to a medieval battle... or a fight... or was it also a massacre? Oh, and I should also menti-!" Before saying more of the babbling at the fabricated site on top of the multiple rocket exhausts, a big mechanical arm with claws from the leading meganob's armored exoskeleton grabs firmly on the boxy droid and held it in the air with annoyance.
"'Uza pretty mowfy one, ain't ya Claptrap. 'Ow abowt sendin' 'u ta our mekboyz for more torturin' on ya? Or perhapz a freefall from diz hight and do it all ova again?!"
"No, wait! Not the torturing and fear of heights! I beg you, Barrteeff! I'll do want you want me to do without speaking so much!" Pretty much all the orkoids chuckles at Claptrap's funny chattering and his predicament. The apostle took longer to recognize the robot's voice and find his characteristics changed little from her previous encounters with him; although Claptrap is currently speaking in the Orks' primary language.
"So? Wat ar' ya waitin' for?! Start da Waaagh!"
"Uh-ah-okay! Activating the wild sounds... now!"
Seconds later, the scattered banner structures come alive with electrical statics. Immediately, their towering doors burst open to reveal audio amplifiers/speakers that instantly plays barbaric noises across the very wide area. "Time ta rile up, ladz!" yelled an Ork voice from all of those energetic Waaagh towers with lights, flames, and electric arches coming out of them. Respectively though, Lori is lost on what those sounds coming from the weird constructions suppose to mean as the bizarre music continues on and light displays of white bars stacking up. After thirty seconds reaching their peaks, all the music-emitting structures seemingly 'explode' and unleash volleys of many fireworks in the air.
This got all the nearby orks to simultaneously yell one word: "WAAAAAAAAGH!"
And with that frenzy, the green mass madly charge at the apostle head on. In turn, she swings her big halberd into the ground to unleash a powerful shockwave that sends many greenskins flying backwards... while still giggling at her opponents. Yet thousands more outside the new blast zone are coming closer to excitedly attack this supernatural character. As a response to that, Lori easily free her weapon from the dirt and soon horizontally swing it at the incoming barbarians — causing dozens of Orks to be torn apart in one big slash. Then another swing to decimate more of those savages. And the same styles of attack repeatedly being used for some time on the blade-wielding mobs. On several unexpected occasions, an ork got stuck with the axe-blade of her weapon instead of being sliced open... and still alive. Regardless, the apostle can swing her halberd with ease — but with more blunt force on the attacking orkoids than a clear cut. Another moment was jumping up in the air while dodging close-calls and also having the warlike humanoids piling on her; and then later smash the ork-filled ground with her weapon that produce a big blast of air to push them back.
The next wave of green looks the same as last time... except for their slugga guns and grenades in tandem with their choppa tools. And gretchin-piloted killa kan mechas joining the fray. So instead of letting them come while being shot at, Lori attack the greenskins head on — along with blocking and dodging the bullets. She dice and slice as usual, though the demigoddess does had to be careful with grenades while spinning her bladed tool... and watch out for rare chances of her halberd being stuck inside a killa kan.
"Shoot! Chomp! Smash! Stomp!"
As the 'battle' rages, the chief meganob observe the situation while also keeping track on the yellow bot establishing a relay transmission... for more Orks in ships to come obviously. "Clappy, iz da brohdcast towa ready?!"
"Uh... just a few more adjustments and... here we go!" What Claptrap actually did was... making the tall edifice a receiver to wireless advertisement from intergalactic gun makers instead of being a receiver.
"The following message from Mr. Torgue does not reflect the opinions of the Torgue Corporation itself. — BUY TORGUE GUNS, BABY! THEY MAKES BU##$ EXPLODE! WHAT MORE DO YOU EVER FU%#ING WANT?! Or are you too much of a PU$$Y A$$#*LE to handle a Torgue! TOOOORGUE!"
"Oh, Mr. Torgue. What a funny guy to hear, and I wonder if it's worth meeting him?" said the enthusiastic droid.
"Yeah... wat a fowsand teef I wud give to met dat 'umy... or 'ow abowt meetin' me fist to dat face of yourz if 'u don't rework da gadjit?!" shouted the ork in charge.
"Wah! Ah-ah-alright, alright! I'll re-calibrate the signal stations as soon as possible!"
Back to the ground, the superpowers of the apostle has left a lot of Orks and Gretchins dead and more of them absolutely disabled. Even so, another massive assault that now includes walking deff dreads, nobs, 'ard boys, and flying stormboys is under way towards her location. Once in combat with this horde, the demigoddess slowly adds caution in the fighting as the orkish weaponry, intelligence, and unpredictability are more potent than the last group she dispatched. Things like the wide assortments of buzz-saw blades and mechanical claws in all arms of each deff dread (along with their heavy armor that a sizable halberd can get stuck on); ork nobs with axe choppas, big buzz-saw choppas, big hammers, and hand-held slugga pistols; and the possible malfunctions of the stormboys' rocket packs that could explode in front of Lori. Ultimately though, she completely defeats them despite receiving many cuts and punches from her opponents that heals rather quickly.
The next big wave against her consist of mainly the bigger orks: Nobs, deff dreads, and several close combat-oriented mega dreads. Just as the demigoddess is about to make a move, she suddenly felt the shaking of the ground below her. Then, something burst out of the terrain that the apostle instantly maneuver away. What is being revealed is an orkish walker with two large drills: a mad dread. "Ha, ha, ha! Time ta stomp an' kill!" Oh, and there several more of those contraptions coming out of the ground.
Once again, Lori charge with manic laughter towards the tougher horde while trying to be careful not to underestimate them — and what a big beating she gets as the 'battle' continues further. In the end however, the supernatural character destroys this ork force albeit getting hurt... a lot.
":So... who's next?:" stated the apostle.
The answer came in the form of a very huge volley of rounds coming from many shoota boys and nobs with shootas and big shootas, lootas with deffguns, flash gitz with their customized snazzguns, gretchins manning the gun turrets, grot-crewed Scorpion light and medium tanks (looted or bought from Terrans in Pandora... or sometimes dropped by the interstellar foreigners out of boredom), Ork-modified Marauder heavy tanks, Quad autocannon turrets on wartrukks and 'confiscated' halftracks, mega dreads with cannons for arms, deffcoptas, tankbustas, runt-driven rocket buggies, gun-equipped deff dreads and killa kans, and everything else from their massive ship firing on her now.
Lori Mercurius is still determine to defeat these green-colored humanoids.
It's just that the firepower pouring onto her has made such effort way more difficult to succeed. For examples: having one of her hands blown up by a stray shell from one of the less accurate orkish firearms while swinging her halberd attacks; dealing with burna boys using their flamethrowers; helicopter pilots attack the female figure with their hanging buzz-saws; some orks equipped with electric-shock weapons; armor penetration difficulties on the various tanks and walkers; explosions; and so on. Sections by sections of the mammoth vessel in a vertical path, the demigoddess shattered the shooting resistances — at the cost of more wounds and time being consumed. While the 'firefights' goes on, the painboys or 'mad doks' head for the defeated orks (dead or alive) on the ground to heal the wounded and sometimes do uh... experimentation with their 'stabby bits.' "Ooh, ooh! Fresh meat! I can make so many improvementz!"
Gradually, she arrives at the big metal doors that leads to the power core room. ":Huh? I wonder what this could be?:"
"Hello Miss Mercurius! You just reached the power core compartment!" said the former custodian bot through the in-built speakers (who already finished the signal activation). "This is the place where it generates electricity for every electronic on this ship and powers the ship's big thrusters to the sky! Uh... not right now though since its engines were supposed to be the other wa-"
"Oi, Clappy! Let diz 'umy go fruh! I got someding ta shoh for her!" said an unknown ork on the other side of the entrance.
"Ookey-Dookey! Activating the sliding doors... Aaaand OPEN!" Very shortly, the metal obstructions automatically moves towards the sides.
The apostle see the accessible space in front of her, despite not knowing what they're saying. Also within her sight is a large greenskin — a big mek to be precise.
"Nice ta see ya 'ere, 'umy! I got a new toy ta test on ya!" shouted the large mechanic with a kustom mega blasta on one arm and a powered claw of tools (like wrench and chainsaws) on the other.
The superpowered female chuckles as she position herself for an attack on him. Lori quickly charge at the big ork... only to be stopped all of a sudden. She got yank by her own halberd that didn't move. The demigoddess gets up and looks behind her to see the same metal doors clamped onto her weapon — and she can't free it easily somehow. ":What the... how in the gods' name did this happen?!:"
At Claptrap's location, he is puzzled at what's that sound as the droid was fiddling around the control buttons and keys for 'music' afterwards. "Uh... did I just do something like close a door or what?"
As the surprised apostle tries to get her battle tool out of the doors' grip, the snickering big mek rolls a high-explosive time bomb in a big barrel towards her location. She hears the peeping sound from the large cylinder as it ramps up the frequency of the noise. Her progress on the removal is good but still a bit slow while the big ork has his energy weapon aiming at her. At the last moment, the demigoddess finally liberated her halberd just as the green-skinned mechanic fires his mega blasta. The energy blast obviously miss the target despite how close it was for her. Could have been said for the bomb if it wasn't for the device exploding afterwards. And boy... did she got caught in the bomb blast that sent her flying in the room until her body hit hard on the walls and then fall to the metal floor (with her hands missing due to the explosion). The big mek walks over there to see if she's really dead.
Apparently not, since Lori quickly regains consciousness and kick the up-close ork really hard towards a wall. Due to being fitted with his own forcefield generator however, the big mek looks fine. Not if the demigoddess has something to say as her hands regenerate and grab her signature weapon. Soon, she jump and slam her halberd onto the ork giant with full force. The energy shield still works but the protective device became very unstable and may not survive the next attack. As she prepares her next move, Lori's eyes instantly catches several incoming streams of energy homing on her. She evades the attacks and then see several orks with long staves that each have a skull on top... along with mobs of nobs.
"Okay boyz! Letz get 'urselvez war-pafed!" The weirdboyz then emits surges of psychic energy that goes into the nearby nobs, which they roar in excitement. While the black-haired woman is distracted, the bigger ork mechanic (who goes by the name of um... Magmek) activates his personal 'tellyporta' to teleport out of the room. When she heard the strange zap noise, the lady turn her sight and find the beastly engineer nowhere to be seen. One of the empowered nob charge at the sidetracked apostle... which still fails as she immediately intercept the attack with her weapon. Except that its more of a blunt smash than a clean slice that launch the barbarian in the air and impact a wall... and he's still alive for another go at her thanks to the psychic protection from the weirdboys.
":Well... that was certainly interesting.:" Lori commented as the 'enchanted orcs' began their next assault on her — that she gladly accept.
Back at the beacon station meanwhile, the newly arrived big mek fixes his shield contraption. "Dang, dat 'umy 'az wrek me shield fingy real good wif dat big choppa!"
"Actually Magmek, Lori is holding a halberd made of metal and uh... real magic!" Claptrap clarified.
"Duh... so wat?"
"So... the issue is that the axe-like weapon is only exclusive to her as an apostle of her patron god. And to be such a divine servant, you have to be chosen by one of many different gods of this continent to receive a superweapon."
"Gork an' Mork didn't gave uz somding like dat, but we did make lotz ov invenchinz for killin' instead. And I might add stealin' stuff, too!" exclaimed the leading meganob.
"Yeah... I should mention that her blade tool is very, very heavy for anyone except herself. Not a badass dragon, sorcerer, ork, eldar, human, or even an awesome robot can pick up the finicky thing!"
"Wat... it kan't be stolen?!"
"Yep, it really sucks for us! And even if given any magic weapon from those polytheistic deities, you'd be forever trapped in obeying their commands like 'keep everything here the same for centuries' or 'stop or kill the innovative creators from further developing science' or 'destroy these highly advanced guns that can hurt our existences' or anything else that keep this magical place stagnant and with no inventions forever."
After some pause, the orkish mechanic stated, "So wait... dem godz dizlike invenchinz?"
"Pretty much what the deal is. No more making shootas, deffguns, choppas, power claws, deff dreads, tanks, airplanes, rockets, nuclear warheads, spaceships, and everything all fun and high-tech to the medieval lands."
Barrteef digesting the info concluded, "Dat sounded too borin' for uz Orkz. And wez not gonna take orderz from dem deityz, so zog doze magic trinketz den!" The meganob then look at the gretchins in charge with the machinery. "Oi ya runty mekz, watz on da 'umy gal?!"
The grots manage to put a display showing the 'battle' inside the core room. "Well... itz seem dat our weirdboyz ar' puttin' up a good fight." Seconds later, a green beam came out from the floor that luckily didn't hit anyone. "And dum... tearin' up da place."
Indeed, the collateral damage continues to pile up within the power core section as the psychic orks with their remaining nob warriors and Lori duke it out. The demigoddess uses as much paranormal strength and spells as necessary to obliterate the 'mages' while the weirdboys emit all available psychic powers to smash her up for good. Twenty minutes later, the apostle managed to annihilate half of them. Nevertheless, she unexpectedly feel... tired for some unknown reason. Suddenly, the metal floor fell apart as consequences of the unintended destruction brought on by the fight. Lucky for Lori, she still has the divine gifts to instantly move to a stable platform — while the present greenskins fall with the departed surface. With that being done, the apostle thoughtfully navigate thru the makeshift framework of the entire ship as she climbs up to the top.
Although... it would have been nice for the female character to put more considerations on the nature of the power core that was damaged by the 'battle' and now dangling at a lower height.
With high concentration of energy simmering inside and arches of electricity going haywire on the powerplant's exterior.
Several minutes forward with a scene of the whole crashed ork vessel, a very big, city-wide explosion engulfs the ship and the surrounding areas. Afterwards, a giant mushroom cloud form on the site.
A/N: After looking at the topics in forums related to GATE: Thus the JSDF Fought There for over a year, I made the decision to have the 'Falmart' characters be about 4 years older than canon... and get different names for some. Additionally, the design on the 'oracle' should be more 'older' looking and culturally 'appropriate' to the Roman/Medieval Fantasy environment she lives in. As for further information on that, I got a story element in my head that could explain on why she looks older than a 'girl.'
For aid, the Scorpion and Marauder tanks have the appearances of those in the C&C General series (1, 2, and fan-made modifications).
In the meantime, you readers can say anything about the stories...
Once... again.
Minor edit 8-8-2017: Lelei's new last name and another thing for RCT3 to asked about.
Edits on 8-12-2019: grammar adjustment for the whole chapter and more accuracy... on the Torgue radio commercial.