And here we go again folks. Next few chapters will have some more wholesome moments now that the Falmartian supporting cast is starting to make their appearance. I don't know about you but the near-constant bloodshed and brutality in these past chapters have started to become a little bit old for me.
Also, for relevant bits of the story I'm sure you will figure it out:
"Normal text": German speech
"Bold text": Saderan speech
Two weeks after the Second Battle of Alnus, Sadera, Imperial Palace, Throne Room
"Your Majesty, I am here to inform you; the armies of the vassal states were crushed utterly at Alnus Hill. The number of their dead and wounded exceed 100,000 men, and all the vassal lords were killed. Without their leadership, the vassal armies fractured, most of the survivors are now returning to their homes." The Emperor's personal retainer, Marcus said as he read the parchment of the report he received from the Spy Guild to Emperor Molt, whom acknowledged his words with a nod.
"Good." He spoke. "Our vassals are no longer a threat to the Empire, for the time being." He said as he leaned back on his throne.
"But, Your Majesty, there is still the matter of the Otherworlders at Alnus. They could be on the move soon towards the Capital." The bald retainer voiced his concerns.
"That they could." Molt said. "That is why you will now send riders out to the West. Burn down every village and small town between Sadera and Alnus. Put their fields to the torch, poison their wells and kill whatever livestock we can't haul off. Without any way to forage for supplies, no army, no matter how large or powerful can keep going on campaign."
"Scorched earth… I see…" Marcus nodded. "I worry the loss of tax revenue and discontent that course of action would incur."
"The alternative is worse. We will have to cut expenses in other areas."
"Even so, I'm concerned about burning people's homes and means of feeding themselves would stir popular unrest. Especially with the current state of the Senate…"
"What of the senators?" Molt asked. Marcus hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"There is a growing plot among the Doves in the Senate led by Marquis Casel to depose you, Your Majesty. If he can turn the rebellious populace on his side in addition to the influence, he now has in the Senate…" Marcus said before being interrupted by Molt's laughter.
"That fool hands himself to me on a silver platter! How amusing. Imagine how grateful the Hawks will be when I expose this act of blatant treachery to the Senate. Let the Spy Guild know that I will be in need of their services in the Capital soon."
Before Marcus could bow and carry out the Emperor's instructions, the door to the chamber was swept open as a woman with fiery red hair stormed into the room, her red irises and hair were complemented by the flowing pink toga she wore, which was fastened on her left shoulder with a silver rose broach.
"Your Majesty!" She called out as she made her way towards the Throne with purposeful steps before kneeling in front of Molt.
"My dear daughter, to what do I owe the pleasure?" The Emperor asked.
"Father, our realm is faced with the gravest threat it had seen in ages, yet you are busy playing at politics?! Has your mind gone feeble with your age?!" She said, her loud words echoing in the chamber.
"P-Princess, what are you ta-…?" Marcus asked incredulously at her display of insolence before she interrupted him.
"I'm talking about Alnus Hill!" She exclaimed as she rose to her feet and turned to face the middle-aged retainer. "Did you even break the news to the Emperor, Marcus?"
"Of course I have. Our gallant Legions and the vassal armies have kept the enemy contained on the Hi-…"
"Those are fancy terms to say the foe has fended our attacks off and now have the Gate firmly under their control!" She cut him off again. "What are we to do now that both our and the vassal armies have been destroyed?!"
"O-Obviously we will raise new armies-…"
"We are talking about 15 Legions, Marcus! Raising that many will take years! We barely have months to-!" She nearly screamed in the retainer's face before it was her turn to be interrupted.
"Pina, enough." Molt said calmly, ending the increasingly hysterical back-and-forth between his daughter and advisor in an instant.
"You are right. Time is indeed of the essence. However, information is a highly valued commodity these days and we need to make sure we follow the Otherworlders' movements closely. So, I have a task for you and your Rose Order of Knights. Take them to Alnus Hill and scout out the Otherworlders' activities."
"T-Truly? You're asking my knights' services? For real this time?" Pina asked, her eyes glinting hopefully, almost like that of a child who was told she would get new toys.
"Of course." Molt said, a hint of amusement on his stern features. "You were the one who pestered me for so long that your people can do more than stand in honour guard. So, here is your chance to prove yourselves, unless the Rose Order only plays at soldiery." He added as he looked Pina in the eye, even the small sign of amusement was now gone from his gaze. Pina's expression hardened likewise at her father's thinly veiled insult. She once again went down to one knee in front of her father and Emperor.
"As you wish, Father. We will set out for Alnus today."
Alnus Hill, same time
Since the engagement the Heer took part in defending their position two weeks ago, things have quieted down again, allowing the troops to relax a little and put up more permanent defensive positions on the hill and around the Gate. Concrete bunkers and pillboxes were being built up next to the previously made trenches, foxholes, artillery and anti-air gun emplacements and tank fighting holes, all forming overlapping fields of fire. Behind them were drab tents housing troops, officers, command posts, field kitchens, first aid stations, miniature armouries. Temporary motor pools for the various vehicles were set up by stretching tarps above wooden poles. Karl woke up at first light like he did since coming to this new world, though he was lucky they now had a tent instead of having to sleep in their dugouts. It was harder to sleep in the first days, as there was several hours of difference between here and Berlin, but his body was able to make the switch in a week. No showers were set up yet in the base, so he had to make do for personal hygiene by splashing some water in his face from his canteen and a quick brushing of his teeth with the brush and paste that was in his field pack.
In addition to making their presence into something more permanent around the base, the troops were also busy with corpse disposal. The 'battle' two weeks ago left nearly as many dead as it was for the British at Somme, back in the First Weltkrieg, and that was across a 25-mile-long frontline. Here it was all concentrated around a single hill, so the pyres set a good distance from the Gate were burning almost non-stop. Some of the soldiers on burial duty had to be cycled back to the Berlin side of the Gate due to the psychological toll of it all. As he got ready for yet another day of burning bodies, he was approached by another man with the rank of Oberleutnant, same as Karl, he recognised him as one of Major Adelmar Langer's adjutants.
"Oberleutnant Schmidt? Major Langer wishes to see you in his tent." He spoke.
"Any particular reason, Brauer?" Karl asked as he grabbed his kit and helmet.
"Nothing you should worry about, really. Let's just say that you'll get to stretch your legs a bit." Bauer answered, eliciting a raised eyebrow of confusion from Karl as he tucked his helmet under his shoulder and made his way outside the tent with Bauer.
They walked through the bustling camp in silence, often having to walk on the edge of the narrow streets between rows of tents as trucks carrying supplies from Berlin trundled past them. After a good 10 minutes, they arrived at the Major's tent. Stepping inside, Karl was met by two long tables to either side of him where aides were writing up a myriad reports with typewriters. He could also spot a few radios to his right crammed between the tables and the tent's walls with a few aides operating them, some among them women. But his destination was the smaller desk directly in front of him where a middle-aged man with glasses and a well-kept moustache sat in an officer's uniform. Brauer gave Karl a nod before he took an empty seat in front of another typewriter. Karl walked up to the Major's desk and saluted.
"Oberleutnant Karl Schmidt reporting as ordered, sir!" He said as he stood at attention.
"At ease." He said as he looked up from the report he was reading. "Now, Schmidt, this will be old news for you, but with the recent battles we aren't expecting any new enemy offensives at the moment." He began. "And so, Command sees it fit that we now take the initiative, but in order to do that, we need to know more about the local area. In the Weltkriegs we had it easy compared to here. At least there we knew roughly what a given area we're fighting in looked like and what people lived there. Hope you have kept up studying the language book you were issued because here we need any information we can get our hands on." He said as he gestured vaguely around himself. "The local political systems, religious beliefs, culture, industry, trade, everything we can learn we need to for this whole war to go as smoothly as possible."
"Let me guess, you're sending me out to do that, sir." Karl deadpanned.
"Precisely, Oberleutnant. We are organising several reconnaissance teams, and your mission will be to lead one of them. You are to survey your designated section of the countryside and report your findings. While you are at it, visit the local villages and towns and if they don't try to turn you and your men into pin cushions with arrows, try to form a friendly relationship with them."
"Yes sir." Karl said simply. He had mixed feelings about this reconnaissance mission. On the one hand, he now didn't have to either drag corpses into one pile or carry boxes of supplies coming in from Berlin from one pile to another for the next few days. On the other hand, he would be out in the field for the next few weeks at least, which meant that his chance to keep up with his readings would be practically zero.
"Very well, Oberleutnant Schmidt. You are now in command of Spähtruppe-3 (Recon Team 3)." The Major said as he handed him a paper containing the names and ranks of the recon team members he had just been appointed to command as well as their equipment and his orders. He was a little relieved to see Hans' name on the list. At least it wouldn't be completely boring.
A few hours later
Karl walked up to the entrance of the camp, where the recon team had already made ready to head out, only waiting for him. His backpack was filled with extra food, water, extra ammunition and everything else he might need out in the field for the coming days. He came up to them, 12 men from his company all of whom he knew relatively well, who stood at attention and saluted him, which he returned.
"Spähtruppe-3, ready to head out, sir!" His second-in-command Oberstabsfeldwebel (Sergeant Major) Maximilian Kranz reported. He was an older career soldier from Saxony who joined the Heer way back in the early 20s, just about having 'missed out' on the First Weltkrieg. His experience, evidenced at first glance by the beginnings of wrinkles on his face, made him a close contender for Karl's position as the unit's commander, but Karl's first-hand encounters with Germany's new foes from the first hours of the war 'helped' Karl edge him out. Even though Karl wasn't too keen on being handed the leadership, he was glad that Maximilian was there and as far as he knew, the older man did not kick up much of a fuss for being second-in-command to a younger officer.
"Thank you." Karl nodded to Maximilian before he turned to the rest of the soldiers. "I'm Oberleutnant Karl Schmidt, I'll be your commanding officer. We all know what our job is, so unless anyone has questions…" He said as he glanced at the dozen assembled men before him. Receiving no questions to his half-spoken prompt, he nodded again. "Good. Mount up and move out, then." He finished as he cut the 'introductions' short, not wanting to waste time with military formalities or overly long briefings about things his men already knew.
They mounted up into the three vehicles assigned to them; an Opel Blitz truck, an older . 251 'Hanomag' half-track and an . 222 armoured car, with the spaces not occupied by soldiers in the truck and Hanomag filled with extra provisions. The troops quickly mounted up and soon they were on their way to the camp's northern entrance, with the armoured car leading the way, followed by the truck and the Hanomag. They trundled through the camp uneventfully. The guards at the entrance saluted them briefly as they made their way out from the muddy ground of the German camp and the small convoy was driving along a narrow dirt path criss-crossing through lush green fields in short order. Karl sat in the passenger seat of the Opel truck while Hans drove to his left. He couldn't help but admit to himself that the change in scenery was, indeed, pleasant after so much time spent in either the centre of Berlin, on the body-strewn hill, or inside a tent. He took a deep breath of the fresh air wafting in from the open window by his side.
"The air is clean and crisp, the sky is a beautiful blue, and there's vibrant wilderness as far as the eye can see! This truly feels like a different world…" He said contentedly as they passed a collection of overgrown marble pillars. The team spared it a few glances as they drove by it, figuring it to be a long-abandoned temple.
"We have places like these in Germany too, Leutnant. Honestly, this reminds me of the Black Forest in Baden." Hans remarked to his left.
"Come on, Hans, this is a whole new world! You can even feel it in the air."
"I don't really feel it, sir." He said with a shake of his head. "I guess I just expected something less… mundane. I mean, shit, you saw the things we fought these past months! Where are they now? I thought we'd see a… a herd or pack or something of those beast-men at least. We couldn't have killed them all, right? Maybe that village we are heading towards has some of them."
"Speaking of, Hans, turn to the right at that crossroad. If our maps are correct that will lead us straight to the village in our patrol section." Maximilian said from behind them in the truck's compartment.
"Got it, sir. Karl, what's our strategy for the village?"
"Unless they welcome us with arrows, try to appear non-threatening, try and talk with those who are willing to. Preferably the local mayor or whoever appears to be in charge here." Karl answered. "Remember, no shooting unless we get shot at. We need these people on our side, so this doesn't turn into a bloody guerilla war."
"Leutnant, I may be of help with that, I believe." Another man perked up in the truck. He was Hauptfeldwebel (Sergeant First Class) Sebastian Lang, their assigned medic. He was a Bavarian Catholic priest, who chose to be part of the Heer's Medical Corps instead of becoming a chaplain, even if he sometimes doubled as one for those around him, always having a few kind or encouraging words to the men who needed it.
"I'm listening, Sebastian." Karl said as he glanced back curiously.
"The Church has taught us how to calm and soothe people. Maybe I should be the first to speak to them? Besides, I speak Saderan the best in this team since I already learned Latin before." He explained. "Not to boast." He added somewhat bashfully as he rubbed the back of his head under his helmet that had a red cross on the front.
"That's… actually a good idea. We'll do it your way, Sebastian." Karl said as he looked back on the road as their small convoy passed by what were unmistakably fields used for agriculture, sown with crops that looked hauntingly similar to wheat or barley. They were definitely close to the village. Soon enough, a modest village came into view, surrounded by a wooden palisade for defence. Most of the buildings were of a small size containing one or two rooms at most. They were made out of wood and mud bricks with thatched roofs, though some of the larger ones were built from stone. The dirt road the convoy was following led directly to one of the entrances in the palisade, an elegant wooden archway sported a sign with the words 'Coda Village' written on it in Saderan, though it took Karl to parse the letters out longer than he would have liked to admit. The German vehicles' approach was observed by nearly all of the villagers working out on the fields that day, the noise of the engines could be heard by all of them. They watched the approach of the strange, horseless carriages of iron with an odd mix of fear, incredulity, and curiosity. As the vehicles kept coming closer, the villagers left their tools behind as they quickly scrambled back behind the palisade.
"Looks like we spooked them, Leutnant." Hans quipped. "Should we maybe turn back? I wouldn't put it past them to start gathering weapons at the sight of us."
"No. We can still salvage this. They probably think we are raiders or bandits. Worst case scenario we drop a few smoke grenades to distract them and make a run back for the vehicles." Karl spoke. "Stop 50 meters from the entrance and dismount." He ordered through the truck's radio after mulling over the 'plan' once more. The vehicles came to a steady halt after a few minutes and the soldiers dismounted with practiced ease.
"Right. Arnold, I need your guys to stay here and guard the vehicles. Everybody else comes with Sebastian and me to say hi." Karl ordered, receiving acknowledgments from his men. Karl, Hans, Sebastian and six others began walking down the foot path. Sebastian took uneasy glances at the weapons the soldiers around him held in their hands.
"Leutnant, I would like to advise that we approach without our weapons. Or at least we should put them away." He asked Karl as he gestured at his own MP-40 that he kept hanging by his side, on safe. Karl shook his head.
"Not happening. We don't know how these people will react to us, armed or not. We'll be keeping our weapons, just in case."
"I really do not think it's a good idea to appear intimidating here, sir." Sebastian answered.
"Sebastian, I'd rather have our weapons out and not need them than not have them if we need them." Karl shook his head. "Look, I know where you are coming from, but this is still hostile territory. I'd rather not take any chances."
"Understood, Leutnant." Sebastian said with a small nod. By the time they finished their small conversation they had arrived in front of the village's gate. A few villagers were standing in their way, all men, dressed like how he imagined medieval peasants did, in simple pants and shirts, a few with straw hats on their heads. They were clutching pitchforks, hoes and other farming tools anxiously as they shared concerned looks and hushed whispers between themselves as they eyed the German soldiers anxiously. Glancing behind them, Karl could about make out a woman hurriedly dragging a young boy inside what he presumed to be their home. These people were frightened by him and his men, no doubt about that. Thankfully Sebastian saw that too and quickly stepped forward, his hands held up around his chest to show he had no ill intent, though he kept some distance between himself and the villagers.
"Hail friends! The blessings that are of Christ the Saviour unto you I wish!" He said to them, his tone carefully kept at a strength to make his peaceful intentions clear without sounding overbearing. The villagers shared another look before one of them responded, trying to keep his voice calm.
"Greetings. Who are you men and what do you want?" The man asked. Sebastian quickly translated for Karl.
"He asks who we are and what we want."
"Let's keep things simple. Tell him that we are Germans and we came here in peace." Karl instructed.
"We are Germans. We came to your village in peace." Sebastian answered them.
"I recognise a soldier when I see one, and I do not trust them, nor do I trust you! Tell us what you want, now!" The man said, his voice raised angrily, though Karl recognised the fear it tried to mask. Several more men showed up, all 'armed' similarly as the small group they initially spoke to, all with a fearful look, some shouting some more. Karl did not need Sebastian's translation to decipher their intent.
"He doesn't believe us, Leutnant. I can try to reason with them if you want me to, but something tells me they had bad experiences with men in uniform before."
Karl let out a quiet groan. "Of course it couldn't be easy for once…" He grumbled. "Do what you can, Sebastian, but if they don't budge, we'll just have to move on and try another time if we can." He sighed in resignation. Sebastian turned back to the villagers.
"Friends, please! Our intentions are true and pure. We came here looking for friends, not spoils and victims. We mean no harm to this village or any of you! I swear this to you!"
Sebastian could see that his words were falling on deaf ears, the villagers not easing their stance. But then another voice, old, measured, calm cut through the murmur of people.
"Let me through." The voice said. "I wish to speak with them." The crowd in front of them parted, some reluctantly, some obediently, revealing a man who looked to be on the wrong side of sixty. He was leaning on a cane, dressed in simple clothing like the rest of the village folk; linen pants, a faded grey shirt and a vest. His hair and moustache were grey, nearly white with his age, and his wrinkly face regarded the Germans without expression.
"I am the chief of this village." The old man said. "Who are you people? Why are you here?" He asked.
"We are Germans, brother." Sebastian answered. "We came from far away and wish to know more about these lands and your village."
The old man furrowed his brows in response, silent for a few seconds as he weighed the risks of letting these strange soldiers into the village. After an eternal few seconds, he responded: "Very well, come."
At that, the man who stood in the soldiers' way snapped his head to the elderly chief. "But-!"
"No." The older man cut him off sternly. "They are guests."
"But what if they are dangerous?"
"If they are," The village chief spoke as he glanced at the soldiers. "Then they wouldn't have wasted any time with words, and we would already be at their mercy." He said before he looked at the small group of Germans in front of him expectantly.
"Talk to me, Sebastian. What's going on?" Karl asked as he watched the interaction.
"Looks like we are in luck, Leutnant." Sebastian answered with a smile. "The village chief over here is willing to speak with us."
"Good job." Karl said with a smile as he and his small posse followed the old man as he turned around and walked down the street. Curious and anxious glances from the villagers followed the soldiers as windows and doors were hesitantly opened. The village chief led them to a house near the center of the village. The same thatch-roofed simple construction most buildings in the village were like, though his were just a bit bigger. The man led them inside and over to a simple wooden table, motioning at the chairs inside for the soldiers to sit down. Karl went inside with Sebastian while he told the rest of the men with him to stay outside. He respectfully took off his helmet as he entered and sat down in front of the old man. He fished out a small notebook and a pencil from his pockets. With Sebastian translating for him, he went through the standard questionnaire provided to him before he was sent out on the mission. He quickly jotted down the answers in a few hasty scribbles. He'd have time to format them into more complete sentences later when he would be writing his report. To most of his questions, the answers were as mundane as he expected them to be: Nearly every person here worked in agriculture, food was the main thing the village produced, alongside some crafts and trinkets. People mostly prayed to whichever deity they worshipped in the privacy of their own homes. Traders visited occasionally, mostly during the harvest season in the autumn months. A few questions did lead to more interesting answers, though.
"How is your settlement governed? Do you fall under the jurisdiction of some kind of higher governing body or person?" Karl asked.
"I manage the day-to-day business of the village, as village chief." The elderly man answered after Sebastian translated for him. "I was chosen to be chief by the peoples of the village as one of the oldest men living here. We owe our allegiance to Lord Formal of Italica. The last we heard of him, he and his troops crossed the Gate when it opened. We haven't heard from him since."
"I see…" Karl said as he shared a concerned glance with Sebastian.
"Is… all well?" The man asked.
"Yes, all is well." Karl said with a nod, internally punching himself for that lie. "I'm assuming Italica is a larger settlement nearby, yes?" Karl asked.
"Yes. It is a city half a day's travel from here. Most trade comes from or through the city as the Via Appia highway passes through it." He answered as Karl jotted the answer down in his notes.
"Do you happen to have a map of the nearby area, so we know where exactly it is?" He asked.
At that the old man stood up and wobbled his way over to a nearby cupboard that contained several scrolls of parchment. He picked one up and made his way over to the table, laying the parchment out to reveal that it was a hand-drawn map of the Formal lands.
"Here is the highway, and Italica, next to the Romaria Mountains." The older man said, running his fingers along the length of the road and tapping the spot where Italica was. Karl pulled out his own grid map and unfolded it slightly. He quickly cross-referenced the landmarks and marked the highway and city down.
"I must say, gentlemen, I'm surprised you don't know this. Even travellers from far away know where Italica is at least. It is a rather large city." The chief said as Karl scribbled away on his map.
"We did come from very far away, yes." Karl said as he finished. "Speaking of towns, do you know of any more settlements that are nearby?"
Sebastian translated his question again but seemed confused by the answer as the village chief pointed at another spot on the map. Karl could decipher that Sebastian asked for clarification two times, yet the puzzled expression remained on his face as he turned back to his commanding officer.
"He says that there is a village within that forest, sir, but… he says it is inhabitated by… Nymphs?" He said as he glanced at the old man with a raised eyebrow, who only nodded at his pronunciation. "He says they mostly keep to themselves and handle outsiders with suspicion."
Karl nodded again as he marked down the 'Nymph village' on his map. "Well it is well within our area, so we will check it out as well." He said, closing his notebook and map. He stood up and grabbed his helmet from the table. "Thank you for help." He said to the chief in slightly broken Saderan, receiving a nod from him.
He made his way outside with Sebastian and then back to their vehicles. Most villagers by that time went back to their daily business, though some curious folks, mostly kids stayed around the house, observing the soldiers milling about outside. Once Karl and Sebastian emerged from the house with the chief, they were again followed by the villagers' intrigued stares and glances as they mounted up their vehicles and drove past them. From his seat, he could catch some of the people observing them, mostly kids, waving at him and his men as they left. So far so good.
Several hours later
The small convoy of Spähtruppe-3 had been driving for several kilometers, the slowly setting sun painting the horizon in brilliant orange and red hues. The troops had now fallen into silence, the long drive having exhausted any topic they could talk about and any banter they could have. By now, the novelty of them being in a whole new world had settled down, replaced by boredom. Just the sheer boredom of driving through the countryside. The monotonous drone of their engines, tires and set of tracks only broken up whenever Maximilian had more directions to give for Hans.
"Hans, turn to the right after we cross the bridge ahead and follow the stream. That should lead us to the forest the chief in Coda mentioned."
"Got it." Hans nodded. Soon enough the stream with a small wooden bridge spanning above it came into sight. Hans slowed down a bit in case the bridge could not hold their truck's weight. The sound of the tires rumbling against the dirt was briefly replaced by the sound of wood. The bridge groaned a bit under the weight of the Hanomag behind them, but all the convoy's vehicles managed to cross without incident. Hans turned to the right at the fork in the road in front of the bridge, following the slightly overgrown but still identifiable dirt road along the stream.
"Oberleutnant, a suggestion, if I may." Maximilian spoke up. "We should stop and set up camp for the night on that hill to the left." He said, pointing to the slight bump that just came into view.
"Good call, Maximilian." Karl said with a nod.
"We're not visiting the village right away, sir?" Hans asked as he steadily applied the brakes.
"No. It's getting dark. If we barge in there in the middle of the night, they will likely take us for raiders. The chief back in Coda said that they are wary of strangers. Best not to take any chances." Karl spoke. "Speaking of…" He added as he fished out the small language booklet they were provided with. He figured it would be best to practice his pronunciation before bed at least.
"H-Hello, how are you?" He managed to say somewhat correctly, at least in his opinion.
"You sound like a broken record, Leutnant." Hans said with a cheeky grin. Before Karl could retort or even throw his book in Hans' face, he noticed something glowing in the dark at the edge of his vision. Something large. Turning his head, he saw that it came from deeper within the forest, black smoke billowed high into the sky.
"Ho shit, it's on fire!" Karl exclaimed. "Convoy stop."
A minute later Spähtruppe-3 was standing on top of the small hill, watching the raging inferno.
"It's a big ol' fire alright." Karl muttered, the forest fire illuminating the clearing even from such a distance. "The hell could have caused this?"
"I think I have the answer, sir." Maximilian said, his face slightly pale as he watched the conflagration with his binoculars. "But I think you'll have to see it for yourself. At 11'o clock." He pointed in the direction. Karl reached for his own binoculars, looking in the direction his second-in-command pointed at. At first, he did not see what he meant, but then he saw something moving among the flames and smoke. Something big that he at first thought was a hillside. A pair of wings, leathery, almost like a bat's rose above the treeline. One of them was easily the size of a tennis court. Then came into view a torso the size of a house, it's back covered in red scales that hid muscles the size of their Hanomag. It was followed by an elongated spiky neck, ending in a head covered in thick scales, its mouth, large enough to swallow a buffalo whole was lined with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth. The small, yellow eye of an enormous dragon looked across the destruction with an evil gaze before it let out an ear-shattering roar. Spähtruppe-3 did not need their binoculars to see the several-story tall monstrosity now.
"Mother of God!" Karl said in disbelief as he lowered his binoculars.
"Fuck me!" He could hear Hans exclaim next to him.
"Saint George preserve us…" Sebastian muttered as he clutched the crucifix around his neck.
The gigantic beast opened its mouth, unleashing a torrent of fire at the forest below it. It then let out another, triumphant roar before it flapped its mighty wings and took flight. Karl and many other around him instinctively reached for their weapons, but luckily for them, it seemed the dragon had not taken notice of the soldiers. Hauptfeldwebel (Sergeant First Class) Arnold Siegert stepped over to Karl. He was normally focused; he always kept his MP-40 within arms' reach. The man had somewhat changed since he last saw him before the Gate opened in Berlin. Before, he was more easy-going, always having a good joke or a quip. Now, he did as he was told to the letter and remained quiet and distant from the rest of the unit during the time they were out in the field. "Oberleutnant." He spoke. "What are your orders?"
"So, riddle me this, Arnold." Karl said. "Why would a giant fuck-off dragon burn down a random stretch of forest?"
"I don't know. Maybe you should interview it as well." He said sarcastically.
"Nope. Too scary." Karl said. "But still, there had to be a reason for it…"
"The village." Sebastian spoke up, his eyes wide with realization. "The chief said this village is inside the forest."
"Shit…!" Karl cursed. "Maximilian, looks like we will have to wait with setting up camp."
The next morning
Spähtruppe-3 was unable to enter the forest until morning. Even with a sudden downburst putting the fires down somewhat, the area remained too hot to enter until the sun had risen. They made their way through the charred tree stumps, their boots sloshing and squishing through the ashy, muddy, still warm ground. They cautiously advanced to what they presumed was the centre of the village where the remains of a well stood. They were surrounded by what remained of the village, a few blackened walls, only a few meters of height remaining to them. Karl and Hans passed by a charred corpse, its limbs and body reduced to almost nothing but sticks. Karl glanced at the unfortunate victim. He could make out a few teeth still in its mouth, and the empty eye sockets. The sight, and the smell that reminded him of roasted pork was enough for him to make him nauseous and he quickly tore his gaze away. At least back at the pyres they didn't stop until the body was turned to ash, and every time they approached them, they did it with the wind at their backs.
"Karl… Is that a…" Hans muttered next to him.
"I know, Hans." He said firmly while he pointedly not took further notice of the horrifically still body. "Just keep moving." He added while swearing to himself he will never eat fried bacon again.
They arrived at the well, looking around at the desolated village in grim silence until Karl spoke up again. "Herbert, take your guys and the Hanomag crew to search the north side of the village. Arnold, Maximilian, you and your guys come with me to the south."
"What are we looking for, sir?" Arnold asked.
"Survivors. Or anything not too depressing to report back."
A few hours later their search had largely ended, predictably with not much to show for it, not even a pair of tracks to indicate anyone had managed to flee. It wasn't the first time many of the members saw a town or village erased, yet it was still sobering and the prospect of the dragon returning kept everyone on edge. Karl slumped his back against the edge of the well, his water canteen in his hand as he took a few gulps from it while the soldiers of the recon team milled about in grim silence. Sebastian nearby was performing what last rights he could on the dead. Arnold walked over to Karl to deliver his report.
"Sir, we could identify 37 buildings here, alongside 27 human remains. Given the low number, we believe the rest are under the rubble."
"Even if we just take three people per house, that is more than a hundred dead. Fucking disaster is what this is…" He sighed. "We will definitely need to send this up the chain. Dragons here attack settlements."
"Remember those smaller dragon-like things we fought when we first arrived?" Arnold asked as Karl drunk the last gulps from his canteen. "Our autocannons and the Fliegerfausts were enough to bring them down."
"So, they are like light vehicles. If that thing's size is anything to go about, we'll need bloody tanks or artillery to bring it down." He said as he picked up the bucket next to the well affixed to its rope. "Tell the men to saddle up. There's not much left for us to do here." He ordered Arnold as he tossed the bucket into the well to refill his canteen. He heard the bucket as it came to the bottom, but it sounded like it made a hard impact against something before he heard the expected watery splash.
"The hell?" Karl raised an eyebrow as Arnold shrugged and shined his flashlight down the well. What they saw made their breaths hitch. They could see a body sprawled out on the bottom of the well. A green, intact dress, slender limbs with pale, almost white skin, feminine curves and a girlish face, framed by a halo of long, golden blond hair gently floating atop the water.
"WE GOT A LIVE ONE HERE!" Karl shouted over his shoulders. In their excitement that they found a survivor, the two men barely noticed the pair of long, pointy ears peeking out from the woman's hair.
And with that, we leave our cast, for now. Honestly, I planned to publish this, and the previous chapter separately, but the different tones of the two halves made me upload them in two parts. Thank you for reading and take care until next time!