Chapter 5: Starting the Campaign

/

Bob's P.O.V.

"Retreat! They're pushing us!" I gritted my teeth as I drew my blade as I sliced a nearby Minotaur warrior's arm off with my long katana like blade before following up with a horizontal slice that cut him and the ogre next to him. The enemy has been close to the walls of Fort Corith, and it has been an uphill battle to push them back. It just seems like endless waves that are slowing wearing down the coalition forces. Mass of meat, muscles and big brutes breaking down defensive lines. Heavy firearms and calibers did some damage, but they were running low from the waves.

I can practically hear the screams of those unlucky enough to retreat in time as I did my best to incorporate my training into this fight. My long sword was great for dealing with many, but even with my speed I could only hold them out for so long. My weapons and theirs clash many times taking more effort to push them back than to deflect. It wasn't long before I made a mistake… and was punished for it by a mace to the back. I practically felt my bones break and crack as I was sent flying into the air and over the battle. By luck I landed ungracefully into the defensive borders of the fort with a sickening splat. Pain rushed through my body as I struggled to get up.

"Bob! Are you okay?" shouted one of the soldiers, "Somebody get a medic here stat!"

"Barely…argh…there is just too many."

"Save your energy sir, we just got noted backup is on the way!"

"What…*cough* kind of back up?"

As if universe wanted to answer the question itself suddenly a loud boom was heard as a large portal opened near the fort. The fighting I heard came to a stop as from my position I could see something coming out of it. I smiled when I realized what it was as the form of the Sphinx drove on through and many screams of the opposing roared up as the large mobile base entered the battlefield. No doubt running over many of the enemy forces were taken by surprise as the large weapon came fully into the fold. It positioned itself in front of the fort, causing many defenders to cease fire as the broadside of the vessel pointed towards the invading army.

*Weapons hot! Mow them down! * Announced a voice from the speaker as the guns of the carrier opened fired and made mincemeat of the enemy army. I couldn't help smiling and chuckling a bit as I was carried off.

"About damn time…hehe."

Nacho's P.O.V.

"Whoa that's a lot of fire power. You're basically reducing them to mulch!"

"There is a reason why the coalition invested so much into the Sphinx, I'm just glad we managed to make it in time," Isabelle looks over the monitors, "We caught them in the middle of their attack…we lost some our own already, but we managed to protect the fort and those inside of it."

"Looks like they're running off now. Let's get down there and check up on them," I was about to walk off until a finger tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hello mon," I turned around to see the smiling Baron himself, "How you doing?"

"Uh hey Baron…where you been?"

"What else? Burying bodies mon, they don't do it themselves. By the looks of it…business is still booming."

"Is it normal for you to disappear like that?"

"Only when it suits me brudda. But don't worry, I respect personal space and always be around when needed. Just don't forget what you promised, and everything be right as rain. Now if you excuse me…I got some business to attend to," Quickly as he appeared the Baron disappeared leaving me and those around me slightly puzzled at what just happened.

Isabelle just shook her head, "Everyone you know the plan, get mobilizing and get some medical teams sent below. I want these defenses fortified while we are here and pushing our attack plan onwards!"

I nodded as I gave Isabelle a small kiss for luck before I headed outside to look for Ankha, so I could do the same before she headed off herself. I managed to catch her at the takeoff platform dressed and ready to go, "Hey Ankhs, just thought I should wish you luck before you go."

She smiled warmly at me, "Thanks Nacho, its…nice hearing that from you. Though I don't think small words are enough for you."

"No of course it's not," I brought her in for short kiss and broke away just as the warlock Johan walked in with the rest of their team. Still in his warlock attire, but with his hood down so his face was visible. It was a gruff looking man who reeked experience with a few scars to show for it on his face. One of which is cutting through his rather well-groomed brown beard. His hair is brushed back, so by all means the man takes care of himself.

"I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

"No, Nacho was just wishing me luck," Ankha explained.

"Hehe of course he was. Don't worry, we know what we're doing beastie. Just focus on not being a liability. Come on guys get on the transport Ankha will be joining us shortly," Johan gave a small head nod to us before stepping onto the transport. I might be crazy, but I felt a bit of a condescending tone from him.

Ankha look back towards me, "Nacho…don't do anything stupid out there. I know you'll find a way…but still it makes me feel better if I tell you directly."

"Don't worry Ankh's, I won't do anything…very very stupid."

She laughed a little, "Good, see you later Nacho. Love you."

"Love you too," I watched her as she got onto the flying transport carrier and, (getting some distance way), watched it take off.

With that done I decided to take the express route off the Sphinx, by jumping off the edge of it and falling towards the ground below. Landing with a loud crash as I dented the earth beneath my feet and taking many disembarking soldiers by surprise, "*Whistles* that was a ride, I should do that more often."

*Uh sir…weren't we supposed to group up?*

I heard the voice of one the soldiers in my communication earpiece. Given to me to talk with the squad I was assigned with, "Oh uh…sorry, got ahead of myself. Meet me in the fort, I'm just checking around to see if there is anything I can help with here."

*Sir, please notify us before you take off. We all can't just jump off the sphinx like you can.*

"Sorry, I'm still new to this. I'll try to keep you guys informed."

*Please do*

I turned off the device and I gave a sigh. Have I really gotten to a point where I have forgotten how to work with normal people? Shaking my head I made my way towards the fort, all the while taking note of the massacred bodies of the enemy forces laid about. Ridden with bullet holes and missing some limbs. My own body felt…somewhat indifferent despite the look of horror on some of their faces. Seeing some of the P'orcs had me feel a bit repulsed as some of their gaping maws had fresh blood drooling out. Whether it was their own or any of the coalition soldiers that were caught up in the battle I do not know. Bloodgorgers really live up to their name regardless and look grotesque to boot. Their gnarled teeth said out loud that dental care is a foreign concept to them. Their obese bodies showed no care whatsoever about how much they ate either. I wonder how the baron would even bury these guys.

"I sure hope the other tribes of P'orcs are easier on the eyes."

I continued to make my way towards the fort wall which was quite great for a fortification. Probably reinforced concrete? Maybe metal underneath the rocky layer…I honestly never investigated it. Seeing the metal doors up ahead though has me leaning on the latter. Though as soon as I got near the checkpoint, I felt a sudden sense every gun on that wall was pointed at me.

*Freeze!*

I stopped in my tracks with my hands raised, "Uh, I am not sure if you guys been informed yet, but I'm with you guys. I'm…the beast."

There was an uncomfortable pause before I heard the guns were taken off my direction. The coalition soldiers eyed me up and down before other soldiers came by and assured them. They resumed their duties as the soldiers that were with me finally caught up to me, "Mr. Nacho, this is another reason why you shouldn't go out on your own without us."

"Noted, let's just check up on this place before heading out."

"That's what we're doing sir, but please fall in line," The elite shock trooper said as he walked past me and led the group. I sighed as I did as he said. Didn't want to cause issues that put me as a liability.

/

Entering the fort walls, we found ourselves greeting the various defenders who shot me odd looks. I still haven't gotten used to that. We checked around throughout the infrastructure and did the checkups. Though Bob, the lead head of defending this wall was out of commission and currently in the infirmary. Finding him was a sight as that purple cat flashed me a smile despite being bandaged up.

"Well well…look who the coalition brought in. How are you Nacho? Changed your hair?" he said cheekily.

"Funny, but in all seriousness Bob how did you end up working for the coalition?"

"Heh…long story, but the short of it is. The Hunter guild sent me as an emissary so they can establish relations with the coalition. As you can see…it's going well."

"I can see that, me…well other than the obvious. I'm following these guys around for now."

"Really now? Got the beast on a leash? Hehe that's funny."

"Okay can we cut to the chase?" The elite shock trooper cut into our conversation, "Bob I was informed that you may have some helpful information concerning Trimongulis's forces."

"Right right, aren't you up and ready to go. What's your call sign?"

"My call sign is Crackerjack. I been assigned to lead this team…and watch him," I heard some resentment in his voice as he pointed at me.

"I see, well then Crackerjack. I have been doing some digging around myself and think I may have stumbled on something that might help you deal with Trimongulis. Check out the map over there, my scouts picked up on something interesting."

Crackerjack, an odd call sign, walked over to the map and picked it up. He gave it a thorough examination, "What the…there is a spot here near the border of his home turf. What's that?"

"That my friends, is a mine, he been digging out for some time now. So far, he has been digging up iron mainly which no doubt is being used to arm his forces. However, some of it is being sent out. I think whoever is sending him commands via those flying birds we have been told about might be doing something with those pieces of iron. I know you guys are sent to help, so when you get there. Shut it down, the last thing we need is an enemy sending supplies to one of their own."

"Roger, looks like it's on the way with our planned route with the forces we are following. We'll take care of it Bob, in the meantime the coalition is resupplying your defenses with more troops and supplies."

"That's good to know since I'll be out for a few days…no biggie. Good luck to you fellas, especially you Nacho. Don't let these guys get you down."

I smiled as Bob gave me a confirming wink before I felt Crackerjack bump into me. Reminding me to follow him as we headed out. This is going to be a long campaign that's for sure.

/

Ankha's P.O.V.

Things been quiet as we flew overhead. The stealth unit on our transport was keeping us undetected as I pondered what outside looked like. We will be mainly dealing with large brutes which is nothing new to me. We just need to disable their fortifications and their supplies at these spots. It will help our main forces in the long run.

"Hey Ankha, thinking about the mission?" Johan asked me.

"I am, we must be giving our best performance. We may be armed, but we don't need that many brutes bearing down on us."

"That's plain as day, quick and efficient."

"That's what I'm best at, I don't plan on changing that anytime soon. Especially since I have two loved ones to return to. I am more determined than ever."

"Heh, got you fired up? I'll be frank, it's still crazy that the beast is one of your lovers."

"Well…he wasn't always a beast. He used to be human."

"So I heard, he was a monster hunter before becoming that?"

"Yes, one of the best…if not reckless."

"I see, just remember you staked a lot in him. If anything with him goes wrong, it's not just him the coalition will be looking at," There was an uneasy pause in our conversation as I gave him a deadpan serious glare. Johan's composure remained, but silently he acknowledged he was pushing his luck.

"I am aware, and I assure you that my faith in him is not unfounded."

"I don't question your faith…it's the faith of the coalition you need to worry about," The coalition, despite being a force for good in this world turned on its side. However, I lived long enough to know when an organization has something behind my back.

*Havoc and Phantom squads, we are arriving at the first location on the planned route. Be prepared to deploy. *

"That's our cue," my suit activated and formed a helmet around my head. The UI lit up as everyone else had their helmets on as well, "Our main goal is sabotage. Havoc squad your goal is to set explosives to destroy the supports of the fortifications and their defenses. My squad will take care of any weapons, supplies, and whatever communications they may have."

"Sounds good to me, they won't know what hit them. Let's show them why we are called Havoc squad!"

*Yeah!*

"Phantom squad no slacking. Let's be quick and efficient!"

*We won't fail!*

I smiled under my helmet as the doors opened and our respective squads lined up. I was the first one out along with Johan as we jumped out and made our feet fall against the ground. Seeing ahead I can see the gate like a fortress a fair distance away. One by one our squad member hops out with us. Brayden brought not only his brand of shock troopers but also a few warlock hexblades for a total of 6 troops. As for me, I brought in my own personal ghost troops, wearing similar suits to my own with different weapon specialties. I had six as well and immediately we headed off. It didn't take us long to reach the edge of the fortress.

"This is where we split princess, be quick and send out your scout to get heads up on the area."

"Already ahead of you," I gave a simple nod to the two ghosts holding a sniper and they immediately disappeared. Johan's squad also split away as I did this as he gave me a hand signal for good luck.

I shook my head as I took the remainder of my squad into the fortress with our invisibility turned on. The number of hostiles was astounding as we witnessed various minotaurs, ogres, P'orcs and even Cerbi walking about and carrying out menial tasks. We wouldn't want a direct fight with any of them at this moment. I made a quick note of the smell around the place and changed our odor to that. The last thing we need is the keenest smelling cerebi to pick us up.

"Weapon caches sighted, set a few charges and we move on."

In a nearby large hut there's boxes and racks of primitive weapons. Clubs, spears, axes and even staffs with some magic power emitting from them. Not strong magic but a good focus for any competent users of sorcery. We carefully place a few remote explosives in key areas to deal the most damage. Moving on from it to find more similar huts along the way, repeating the process on more caches found. Oddly security was relaxed around these huts, but I can only assume it was hubris at work. The supply huts though are another story as there seems to be two distinct huts. One carrying food rations and the other having…whatever the P'orcs stored. A foul odor radiated from those huts and judging by the bone decorations it was going to be unpleasant.

"Ugh…do they keep the dead in there?" One of my troops commented before we headed in. Once inside it became all too clear what these P'orcs are like. I had to hold back my feeling of disgust as I saw what seemed like random pile of meat in a magic circle in the center of the building. All around it I see various bones, skeletons, deceased bodies, and general body parts. There was some dry blood on the floors and walls. Despite the horrid display, I can sense unholy magic power emanating from the circle. "Oh man…sorry I asked…" spoke the same troop as we placed the explosives. I know what this is, and it had to go. Those P'orcs made an empowering circle to increase their magic power for a period. In the worst way possible in the history of magic.

We made sure the explosives would remove any trace of the circle once it went off and repeated it with other buildings we found. So far so smooth as we searched for their methods of communication. Watch towers are an obvious target to pick, but we needed to find out if they have other methods to reach the rest of the army or forces beyond this gate. The only place left to look is inside the fortress itself. Carefully, we made our way inside.

Johan's P.O.V.

"Careful, roaming bull," I whispered on my comns as my team prep themselves among the blind spots of the hallway. We already laid explosives outside and are making our way around the fortress. I was planning to blow the structural points to weaken the building's integrity, so the weight of the structure did the rest. Already we killed some guards along the way and hid the bodies. Being big guys, we had to get creative, as for one I essentially hung a minotaur and broke his neck in one swift motion. Still, I wasn't quite there the entire time. My body has been going on autopilot as my mind was preoccupied with something else entirely. The beast, to have such a dangerous being on board and we only have Ankha's and Isabelle's word that he is here to help.

I had my own experience with a so-called beast of calamity. An amalgamation of a different kind with the same idea of a powerful creature that signals the end times. God I thought that was the end of it, but then the end of our age happens anyways. Fate works in odd ways I guess, take one out another one would take its place in the future. Those women…I remember being miffed initially upon finding out that they knew the beast personally. Especially Ankha who after a while since we met eventually told me what went down. She let him live in hopes of saving him…doomed the world in the process. However, an amalgamation of demons is different than a loved one. She was dealt a terrible decision to make and in the end her heart overtook her duty. I…don't doubt Ankha's and Isabelle's loyalty to the cause since the former is bent on making things right. The beast though is another story, Nacho aka Chimeralis in the prophecy. Five years have gone by and then he appears to help his girls. That's just it…is he really going to help us or is he just doing it for his women? Also what about…

"Hey you still there? Hey!"

"Huh, what?" Hearing one of my squad mates in the comms rouse me from my thoughts. I blinked a couple of times before realizing the minotaur was already dead. Under my foot with me still holding the rope that strangled him to death, "Did it again didn't I?"

"Yeah sir."

"Apologizes, I'll try not to do that again, hide the body. After that we keep moving, another structural point shouldn't be too far from here."

"Roger!"

It was a group effort to move the body, but once it was done, we moved on without any words between us. When we found the key structural point, we planted the explosives and moved on without any issues. Move, kill unpassable guard, move, find defense points, plant explosives and repeat. Before we knew it all the available explosives, we brought for this fortress had been used up. This place was rigged to fall like a stack of cards once it goes off. I rang Ankha through our communications.

"Queen, this is Hardass."

"I copy, I take it you completed your side of the task at hand?"

"Very much so, this place is ready to come tumbling down and whatever defenses they have are primed to be fireworks."

"I am almost done with my task. I am looking for any possible sign of communication they have with the rest of their forces."

"So you're in here too? Well don't take too long, if I was a guessing man, they probably have the bird brains come through the top."

"That sounds too good for a guess."

"Alright you got me, one of my guy's spotted a harpy making her way to a lookout at the top. I suggest you nab the bird brain for future questioning. We might learn a few things."

"Roger, this won't take long. Just hold off from pressing the detonator."

I laughed a bit at hearing this, "Right, we be heading back to rendezvous. Over."

"Over."

Communications ceased as I silently told my men to move out of the fortress. Sneaking by all remaining monsters that remained blissfully unaware. There was a smirk on my face the entire time as my team made it off enemy grounds and ended up at the pickup spot. Smooth as silk, how I like my missions. No fuss, no problem. Doesn't always happen, but it just makes the times it does happen more enjoyable.

We kept our guard up until Ankha's team returned. Coming out of the darkness carrying an unconscious Harpy, "All objectives complete. Give a call to the Sphinx as they are about to receive a new prisoner."

"I already did, one way warp device ready," I primed a small disk like device in my hand and tossed it to the ground. It glowed with some magical energy as Ankha plopped the prisoner on it. In a few seconds the device beeped, and the harpy vanished along with the device.

"As for the detonator?"

I pulled out a small remote, "No need to ask."

Flipping the small covering off, I pressed the red button and in a small symphony a series of explosions went off. In the distance big explosions destroyed building after building, and sections of the fortress. The once proud gate that stood in the way of our army fell onto itself. Reduced to rubble as the monsters' panic in the confusion.

"One down…" Ankha muttered out as our transport came out of cloaking to pick us up.

"About…three more to go."

/

Freya's P.O.V.

I clicked my tongue as my forces drove across the road as we made our way down our planned path to deal with the invading forces. Bringing in tanks, troop transports, and various military vehicles deployed for my group. I stared on ahead as I brought out some binoculars and saw a sizable force of Trimongulis army setting up a defense point. They must have been notified of our arrival, but it won't help them. I came with just enough based on my suggestions. Turning on my comms I told the tanks to drive a bit further and stop in place before telling them to target the catapults fast. Quickly they aimed and fired, much to the surprise of the monsters. Their defenses breaking fast as they started sending their bruisers ahead.

I only smirked as my own troops already got into place and began setting up fire lines and prepping machine guns to fire. Meanwhile the tanks provided some artillery fire against enemies in the back row. It didn't take long until the bullets went flying.

"Aim for their heads or vital zones if you can. We can't be wasting bullets on their bulky bodies, uff das!"

The soldiers under my command focused their aim on the incoming monsters. Many obliterating heads in focused fire with some shooting out knees and sending the monsters to the ground. Some retaliated by firing magic and slinging rocks, but ground was held as the projectiles flew by or very closely missed their intended targets. A few more minutes of blasting and much of their forces that came charging had been decimated and their rear guard blasted to pieces.

"Cease fire!" Using scanners, I looked through the smoke and scanned the area. I smiled as no more hostile enemies showed up in the radar, "We are clear! Pack it up so we can continue onward! Don't get cocky those were the easy ones! Move it move it!"

My forces very quickly gathered their stuff and with some time managed to get it in their vehicles in time for us to continue. I sat in my seat while keeping an eye on the equipment to make sure there were no surprises. I didn't relax as we drove by the bodies as I eyeballed my weapons in the back.

"Any problems ma'am?"

"No, keep us going. Just be ready in case things get hot. We may be leading good men, but when you are dealing with monsters. Be ready for the unexpected."

"Affirmative!"

As we drove my mind drifted to the thoughts of the other parts of our forces. It's too soon to say things will go well for other parts of our army. I only know for now we have a solid start on our campaign.