Lassesanta, Yarian Empire.

  June 17th, 1427.

  A dozen metal dragonflies circling overhead, continuously laying waste to the defensive structures around the settlement with their fire. Men and goblins attempted to fire ballistas at them, only to realize the weapons did not have enough elevation to aim at the metallic beasts zooming above before being quickly targeted and destroyed.

  King Yaria had ordered all the female slaves to move inside an ancient but small Elvish citadel at the center of Lassesanta in hopes of using them to breed as many goblins as possible, to be used as manpower in case of a drawn out siege that could last many months. However, seeing how hopelessly the situation has deteriorated just from the enemy metallic dragonflies above, few Yarians see any hope to make it out alive.

  King Yaria as well as the Generals gathered in a dining room inside the citadel, the silverwares and wooden chairs were removed to be broken down for constructing barricades. In their place, a large paper map was laid out on the table which contained detailed information of the situation. It was beyond hopeless.

  “The enemy has surrounded Lassesanta, my King.” General Hamire explained cautiously, being unable to look at king Yaria directly. His hands were shaking. For the first time in his life, he felt true terror at the thought of dying among those he considered inferiors like goblins and slaves.

  “Their metal beasts and men halted outside, far outside of our catapult range.” He observes whatever's left of the ancient wall surrounding Lassanta, all of the defenses were wrecked with the bodies of men and goblins strewn everywhere among the rubble. “But none of that matters now. All of our defenses are gone. I have tried to contact our reinforcements in Swetall, they said they’re under attack by the same metallic birds flying higher and faster than wyverns that had attacked us the day before. All the wyvern bases and garrisons were destroyed... Looks like we’re it.”

  “Why haven’t they attacked us? They clearly have no problem with turning the landscape into ash and walls to rubble… there must be a reason.” General Pandor contemplated while pacing back and forth, looking for answers.

  “Perhaps there is something valuable inside this place they want?” General Adem pondered. “There are only lowly slaves and goblins! There is nothing else here!”

  “Silence!” King Yaria ordered, his face raging with anger and frustration. “All this time… All this effort… My forefathers and I didn’t come all this way for NOTHING!” He lashes out, channeling his anger on the table, slamming a strong fist into it as he finishes his sentence. He sat down on his throne which he brought with him, covering his face in despair using his hand.

  The room fell into silence, with only the screams of the men outside and the rapid flapping noise of the metal dragonflies filling in for the atmosphere. General Hamire switched his gaze away from the king, towards the outside.

  The large fire burning throughout the town provided more than enough light to see what’s happening. About a hundred men under his order began to surrender, raising their hands up and walking to the Azurians. All of their weapons and armor were stripped, saved for some high ranking officers who willingly handed over their weapons to the enemy. He could see the surrendered men being loaded onto some sort of horseless wagons and moved away towards the Azurian border.

  A messenger burst in to report. “My Lords! The forward goblin and orc garrison has been…” he paused, fearful of what he had to say. “…They’ve been wiped out. The forward headquarters and garrison didn’t respond either, we suspect that they’ve been destroyed also.”

  This wasn’t supposed to happen, General Hamire thought. The Azurians were supposed to be stomped and enslaved just like the Elvish. But their new ally was far more powerful than he expected. “What was I thinking?” Hamire curses at himself. He shouldn’t have joined Adem in his ignorance about Azuria’s new ally. Who were they? The United Federation? Whoever they are, wherever they had come from, it didn’t matter. What mattered to him is that they’ve lost months… no, years worth of preparation in less than a day. The Azurian’s new ally simply cut down the combined goblin and orc armies with ease, their metallic machines seemingly indestructible even with magical attacks by mages. They don’t feel fear, nor feel pain, nothing seems to be working.

  “My King…” General Hamire took off his helmet. “Maybe we should surrender… We cannot go on like this. If we do, we’ll survive.”

  Hearing no response from the king, General Pandor joined in. “I say we should, my King. I’ve lost contact with my wyvern knights in Swetall. No reinforcement will come. If you die, then the Empire would be lost.”

  King Yaria looked up from his palm, his eyes were empty and his face emotionless, finally accepting the inevitable. “So it would seem… barricading ourselves here with these lowly slaves and goblins until we die of starvation is nothing short of madness.”

  General Adem protested, dissatisfaction emanating from his voice. “But my King! If we surrender to these low lives, our honor will be lost forever! What about glory?! What about the treasure you promised to the men?! What happen to your promise with me–”

  “SILENCE!” King Yaria yelled, pulling out a long sword pointing at Adem, prompting the several guards inside the room to do the same. “I have had enough of your insolence. I appointed you as General due to your loyalty to me, I brought your pack of bandits under my banners. Now that you have neither men to lead nor the ability to reason,” He puts away the long sword and walks up to him, grabbing the insignia on Adem’s chestplate and tearing it off. “You are no longer bound to me.”

  “Guards!” King Yaria ordered, turning his back against him. “Drag him away and have him executed.”

  Adem felt betrayed, for years he has given his service to the man before him, now he just tosses him away like nothing? All because he’s no longer useful? No. This cannot be the end for him. Not like this. He pulled out a dagger hidden inside his arm, ready to drag King Yaria down to Hell with him. He launched forward, dagger in hand, running as fast as possible before the guard could react.

  BOOM.

  The window shattered as if something had broken in, faster than the eyes can see. One moment Adem was running, then the next he was splitted in half as a large hole punched itself onto the wall opposite of the window. Causing the guards to recoil back in shock.

  “What the fuck?!” General Pandor yelped as he recoiled back in shock. “What the fuck just happened?!”

  Adem’s upper half was laying on the table where the map is located, while the other half was across the room on the other side. His blood and internal organs were strewn everywhere, painting a section of the wall in a gory mix of dark red and broken armor pieces.

  – –

  “Holy shit! Haha!” Joker watched through the binoculars. “Good fucking shot, Milton!” He let out a devious laugh before realization hit him. “Oh shit.”

  Milton laid on the dirt, emptying the chamber of the shoulder fired AMR-25 anti-material rifle laying on a tripod with a single slide, ejecting the empty casing of a 25mm APFSDS round. “You owed me a night at the brothel in Anzuri, Joker. I have expensive taste so I think I’ll go for the elven lady, better start counting your paycheck, bud.”

  The bullpup anti-material rifle is massive, as long as the 25mm automatic cannon seen on the MT25 Catalina IFV with a hefty 1200mm barrel. The recoil is no less serious, requiring a long reciprocating mechanism to dampen the kick and cycle the round. Due to the size of the ammunition, it is loaded top down feeding from a 4 rounds stripper clip before being ejected, enabling constant ammunition feeding from another operator even when firing.

  “Shit…” Joker curses to himself, lamenting for half the Marine paycheck that will be gone next month. “There goes my two thousand Creds… or two gold Azurian coins? What currency do the Azurians even use? Probably just give ‘em some magic gem.” He puts his hand inside his pocket, grabbing a small blue-colored magical gem looted from a dead Yarian mage. “The wizard wannabes died so easily, I thought they’re gonna launch some fireballs or lightning at us but apparently artillery hit ‘em harder.” He chuckles.

  The Yarian P.O.W, a lieutenant as he said, observed the long range shot with a pair of binoculars. Impressed with the accuracy and deadliness of their weapons, he had no regret in surrendering to the Azurians and these newcomers. “That was General Adem you just shot. Most impressive.” He was flanked by several other Marines, holding their rifles on standby.

  Milton widened his eyes, not believing it. “Wait, really?”

  “Indeed, it appears that his time in this realm has now passed.” The lieutenant returned the binoculars to Joker. Turning over to the mage who also surrendered. The mage sat there on the dirt, eyes glowing a light hue from the scrying spell.

  “King Yaria seemed to be convinced by his generals to surrender, saved for General Adem who was blown up by that long weapon of yours when he tried to kill King Yaria in an act of protest.” The Elvish mage explained, ceasing the spell and stood up, wiping the dirt off his coat. “I have no intention of hurting anyone, the Yarians forced me into service by threatening my family who’s in Swetall with slavery. Only my service could prevent that. I hope you can save them also.”

  “Your help has been valuable, now we just have some questions for you afterwards.” Boris said to him. “We can’t guarantee your family’s safety yet, but rest assured. We’ll do everything we can.”

  “Thank you.” The mage said.

  An MT-CV Canyuza command vehicle drove up to them, dropping off a peculiar individual wearing a red beret. The man walks up, prompting the Marines nearby to salute. “Good morning, sir.” Sergeant Boris gave out a salute.

  “Give me a SITREP.” Eli ordered, allowing Boris to explain what had happened since the start of the operation.

  “I’ll handle the prisoner processing.” Major Eli said. “You can wrap up the fight here, report to the General if anything is out of the ordinary.”

  “Affirmative, Major.” Boris responded before returning to his squad.

  “We will be joining our men on those ‘trucks’ of yours.” The Yarian lieutenant said, walking together with the mage to one of the half-filled UMT trucks where several other Yarian prisoners were present inside, taking his seat.

  “May you find success.” The Elvish mage bid farewell, being escorted by half a dozen more Marines than usual due to his ability to use magic.

  – –

  As the prisoners were driven away, the order of assaulting Lassesanta to secure the small city was given by General Stanford over the radio. “All battalions, you’re clear to engage. Phase one of the assault will begin. Restrict your fire to the outside of the wall only. Headquarters out.”

  Dozens of Casmera light tanks and Catalina IFVs opened fire on whatever’s left of the wall. The firepower was completely overwhelming, lighting up the hills and fields surrounding the city in a mix of red and green tracer rounds. The remains of the wall was no match, quickly crumbling into dust under the constant bombardment of 105mm HESH by the light tanks and 25mm high explosive rounds from the IFVs.

  “Hit ‘em Milton!” Lewis pointed at one of the guard towers, holding several 25mm round clips on his hand ready to load.

  “Copy! Firing!” Milton swung the AMR-25 anti-material rifle around, firing on the tower over and over again while Lewis fed the gun, inserting several clips into the weapon while covering himself from the dust kicking and making sure he didn't stand in the way of the weapon’s hefty recoil mechanism. The wooden tower quickly collapsed, unable to withstand several 25mm high explosive rounds hitting directly on the support beam, taking out multiple orcs who were helping the Yarians to load their medieval weaponry.

  “All units, cease fire. I repeat. All units, cease fire, over.” Major Eli ordered over the radio again, prompting the vehicles to stop firing. “Wait for them to come out, over.”

  As he expected, loud screaming and roaring from Lassesanta could be heard even from a distance. Multiple figures scaled up through whatever is left of the wall and began charging at the Marines.

  “More of those bastards.” Eli mumbles at the charging horde of goblins from the distance, putting down the binoculars and lowering himself down into the command vehicle. “They ain’t getting the message. Let's cut ‘em down.” He said to the command staff, who replied with a nod.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The radio operator switched to the brigade frequency, allowing Eli to give out orders. “All units engage all hostile elements. Weapons free. Over.”

  70mm rockets joined in the carnage from the AH-24 flying towards the massive horde. Several Azurian mages join in, using red magical gems to conjure fire and forming a small wall of flame with several gaps, forcing the charging goblins through the choke points so that tanks and IFVs can concentrate their fire. Thousands upon thousands of tracer rounds crisscrossed along the battlefield, many striking the charging goblins causing them to fall down which were stepped over by other goblins. Despite the hail of fire from the armored vehicles, some goblins made it close enough for rifle and machine gun fire to pick them off, adding to the increasing piles of corpses forming on the hill. The engagement lasted for a short while, only ceasing when the last goblin was obliterated by a 25mm HE round in the chest.

  Major Eli nods, satisfied with the destruction of the enemy, then tuned in the brigade frequency again. “All units. Phase one complete. Begin phase two, breach from the east side. Over.”

  “Let’s move! Go! Go! Go!” Hundreds of Elysian marines and Azurians ran up to the pile of rubble that used to be the wall, scaling over it. Several shots rang out as they picked off a few Yarians who still refused to surrender or were hiding inside houses.

  The smell that had plagued the town still lingered among the smoldering wrecks, but the Marines paid no mind to it, instead focusing on the task at hand. Several special MT-AR Cambria engineering vehicles equipped with dozers moved up, clearing the rubble to allow for armored vehicles to pour inside the tight streets of the previously walled off city.

  Sergeant Boris and his squad formed up against one of the houses that had yet to be burnt by the fire with several Azurian shielders at the front. There were no civilians around, only Yarians soldiers and their few goblins with them as far as he is concerned. They breached the door with a sledgehammer to allow the Azurians to go inside first with their shield, then the Marines who closely followed behind, aiming their rifle and scanning the room for any target.

  “Clear!” Boris shouted a series of confirmations followed as Joker, Milton and Richard finished checking the other rooms.

  Rita stayed outside next to their Catalina, helping to move some unfortunate Azurians who were injured by the Yarians and goblins inside the MT25’s infantry compartment, folding the chairs to make room for the stretchers.

  Boris’s squad moved to the next house, which looks like an old tavern, with many empty cups still lying about across the floor except for the alcohol which Boris assumed had been consumed by the Yarian a long while ago. Large banging sounds can be heard from the back of the bar, prompting Richard to investigate. He saw one of the Azurian with pointed ears, holding up his bulky large shield toward the cellar’s wooden entrance, trying to block it. “We got a goblin nest inside here!” The Azurian shieldman struggled with holding back the door, which Richard assumed to be a cellar.

  Richard ran up to the door, unloading about half of the R-125HB’s assault belt into the wooden entrance, putting more than two dozen holes into it, causing the banging to cease. More Azurian reinforcement poured in, opening the cellar’s entrance while the Elysian marines aimed their rifle into the cellar. Joker grabs an FL-12 flare stick from his chest rig, pulling the pin out before tossing it down the cellar.

  The flare stick’s artificial red-colored flame revealed the inside with its which was relatively empty save for the several goblin corpses, which he presumed was left inside when the Yarians attempted to move the people of the town into the small citadel. Most of the goblins seemed pretty small compared to the regular ones dead outside the field, causing the Eylsians to ponder if these were still yet to mature.

  A small yet light sound of crying rang out from the inside of the cellar, attracting the Azurians and Elysian’s attention.

  “Sounds like a girl.” The Azurian shieldman said, slowly walking down the stairs with his large shield up and readying his short sword.

  “Go.” Boris followed closely behind him, mounting his R-25 on the elven man’s shield. He turns on the flashlight mounted on his rifle, lighting the path down.

  They marched down together, scanning the room for any sign of life. Boris’s flashlight shone over a small figure in the corner of the room, who’s covered by several pieces of cloth.

  It was a human girl. The girl wore a mess of half-torn cloth and broken accessories, her body dirtied and full of bruises. Blood can be seen on the floor, leading to the corner where she is sitting.

  The girl stared at the Marines and Azurians, scared for her life. She covered a piece of cloth over her head, saying nothing. Yet from her posture, Boris knew that terrible things had been done to her. He couldn’t blame her for being scared either, she probably doesn’t know what just happened and who they were.

  “Room clear!” Joker yelled behind him, which helped to relax the situation a bit, knowing that they are safe for now.

  Boris puts away the rifle, flipping it to safe mode. Seeing how scared the girl is, he took off his helmet to reveal his face. “Um… Hey there… don’t be scared.”

  The girl finally spoke, slowly dropping her makeshift blanket to reveal herself a bit. She looked barely adolescent by the look of her face. “Who… are you?”

  “We’re here to save you.” Boris pulled up his sleeves, turning back to his squad. “Hey, Corporal.” He called for Lewis. “We gotta get her to Rita.”

  The girl looked to Boris’s back, struggling to move a bit due to fatigue. Behind him were similarly dressed soldiers, as well as… Azurians? She pondered if Azuria had somehow fought back and pushed all the way here to Lassesanta. Strange soldiers with strange weapons, yet from their worried gaze she knew they have no malice, unlike those of the goblins and Yarians.

  “Am I… safe?” She asked, her voice dry from a lack of water.

  Boris turned back. “Yes, you are. Let’s get you some water.”

  Milton pulls out a plastic bottle of water from his rear pouch, pouring slowly over her mouth. “We gotta get her outta here now, get to the next building to clear.” He said as the gunfire can still be heard even from down in the cellar.

  She let out a breath of relief as her body lumps, going into deep sleep due to exhaustion. “I think we should get her to Rita. She can help.” He said.

  “I’ll carry her.” Lewis said, slinging the R-25C carbine behind his back. As he lifts her up to his arms to carry, he notices something peculiar about her body, but he pays no mind in order to focus on the task at hand. “Let’s move.”

  The squad sprints outside, running towards their Catalina IFV which was parked near a dry fountain, its water flow long extinguished due to lack of maintenance. The 5th Marine has established a perimeter around an abandoned marketplace, machine gun and autocannon fires can still be heard in the distance as they mop up the town of any resistance. The sun began to rise over the horizon, basking the town in the dim morning light.

  They arrived at their Catalina waiting outside, firing off into a building in the distance. Several injured Marines and Azurians were present, taking a quick break from combat. Other civilians left behind by the Yarians were also present, waiting for their turn to be shipped out of the town in trucks. Many of the freed slaves were happy that they were receiving help and medical assistance, while others were distrustful, not believing that their nightmare was finally ending.

  “Come on, set her down here.” Boris points towards an empty stretcher.

  “Corpswoman!” He called for Rita.

  She ran towards him, noticing the young girl and his request. “Right away, Sergeant. I’ll take her.”

  She grabs a pair of scissors and starts cutting whatever’s left of the girl’s clothing while Lewis, Joker, Richard and Milton scour the MT25A’s external storage, taking fresh bandages, clothes and a blanket for the young girl.

  “Found her in the cellar, killed some of them green bastards too.” Sergeant Boris said as he helped Rita with the cutting.

  “Anything else I need to kno-” She finished cutting the girl’s outfit. “Oh shit...”

  The young girl’s belly was slightly swollen, indicating that she’s pregnant.

  “Fuck!” Boris turns away in frustration, leading head first against the Catalina’s flat side hull. How could he have forgotten about this? General Stanford had explicitly mentioned that any women here could potentially be pregnant with a goblin during the briefing. He just didn’t expect a child could be affected too, despite his mind warning him ever since exiting that cellar. He just didn’t want to believe it, he didn’t want to think this world is so cruel as to have a girl as young and innocent as her to go through something so horrendous.

  The four men ran back towards Rita, each holding supplies in hand. Joker noticed his Sergeant leaning against the vehicle, not making a sound. Curious by his superior’s action, he asked. “What going on Sarg-” Richard shuts him up, tilting his face towards the young girl lying on the stretcher, prompting him to sign in realization. “Shit…”

  After a short pause from the group, Richard was the first to speak. “That reminds me… I killed a bunch of tiny little toddler size goblins in that cellar and an older mature one. Probably came from her, too, as there was no one else in the cellar.”

  The Azurians who were attached to their unit stood silently, understanding the severity of the situation. One of them eventually kneeled down to the girl, his helmet’s insignia signifying that he’s a mage. “There is little I can do, but at least let me do this.” He grabs the green necklace slinging on his neck, snapping it and puts it near the young girl’s chest. He began chanting in an unknown language, causing the gem to glow a green hue. The young girl’s wounds began to heal and her signs of fatigue faded away as her eye bags shrunken, then ceased, giving her a look befitting of a girl her age. The light of the gem eventually dies out, having been exhausted of its energy.

  “H-How?” Rita asked, bewildered at the arcane sight.

  “Healing magic. I have also applied a sleeping spell on her, she should be fine for now. You should move her to a better place for healing and to give birth, whatever happens next to her I shall count on you.”

  “Thank you.” Boris said to the Azurian mage, giving him a hug and a small pat on the back. “Let’s get her out of here.”

  They lifted the girl up into an ambulance truck, whose medics quickly grabbed her. “We got her, Sergeant.” One of them turned around, climbing up to the truck’s armored machine gun turret. “Let’s get out of here!”

  As the trucks drove away, a loud horn suddenly rang out from the small citadel, causing the remaining Yarians to stop fighting. The Marines also stopped firing, seeing that the enemy had ceased their resistance along with the goblins.

  King Yaria stepped out of the balcony along with General Hamire and General Pandor, holding a scroll in hand. Puzzled by the sudden appearance of their leader and Generals out in the open, the Yarians couldn’t help but look up at them as they fixed their gaze and prepared themselves for what the King had to say.

  King Yaria stood there, waiting until he had gotten everyone’s attention before announcing. “It is beyond clear to me that our campaign of conquest will have to cease.” He stated bluntly. “Our reinforcement have been crippled by the enemy, continuing fighting is anything but suicidal.”

  King Yaria steeled himself, standing upright. “Soldiers!” He yelled. “You are to cease your resistance and surrender yourself! I have been assured by General Hamire and General Pandor that no harm will come to you by the enemy, but only if you put down your blades and surrender!” Despite what he just said, he was hoping that the Elysians would be as kind to their enemy as they have demonstrated to Hamire’s surrendered men just before, so that he wouldn’t have blood on his hand by ordering them to surrender.

  The soldiers gave a mixed reaction. Evident discontentment, signified by a chorus of jeers, became drowned out by the sound of droppings by hundreds of swords and shields to the ground. A few soldiers still defy order, rushing toward the Marines only to be shot dead and fall to the ground without making halfway towards their target. The few Yarian grunts who were still stubborn finally understood what would have to be done, dropping their weapon and raising their hands up to the sky.

  The gates of the citadel opened, allowing the Marines and Azurians to march inside uncontested as the surrendered Yarians made way for them to march in. The sight of thousands of male and female slaves greeted them, some were missing limbs, others laid dead, all were chained together. The goblins were separated, away from the slaves with their own area to prevent unwanted interaction.

  Boris walked up to a Yarian beast tamer, punching him in the face and threw him against the wall, causing his skull mask to drop to the ground. “What the fuck are you doing here?!” He yelled, pulling out his P-16 pistol, racking and aiming it at the beast tamer.

  The man seemed to be confused about what the contraption in the hand of the camouflaged man is, making a confused expression. “Wha-?”

  Noticing that the beast tamer didn’t get the message, Boris swung his pistol to the side, shooting one of the goblins next to the beast tamer in the head before aiming it back at him to send the message. “You see this? You see what this can do, huh?!”

  The man looks terrified, raising his hand up. “W-wait! You want to free these low li-“ he quickly adjusted, not wanting to anger the man. “people… right? I got the keys, just don’t kill me, please!”

  King Yaria exited out of the door, holding something in his hand. Colonel Stanford suddenly appeared at the citadel’s gate, having been quickly flown from Avatia to Lassesanta via helicopter. He was escorted by his military police company, who quickly took up defensive positions as soon as they entered the citadel.

  Noticing the strange camouflage men saluting the man in the gate who’s wearing a red beret, King Yaria assumed that he was their commander. “It appears that this is over. You must be the commander of these men.”

  “General Stanford.” He introduced himself. “King Hawk Yaria, you and your men are hereby under arrest for crimes against humanity. Handover your men as prisoners and their weaponry for us to process, the Azurians will handle the rest.”

  Yaria bit his tongue, bittered about the shattered goals he had been dreaming for years. “Very well.” He answered, handing Colonel Stanford a scroll and a bottle of some dark liquid in a bottle. “This is my declaration of surrender, and this…” he gestured towards the bottle. “Is an extremely rare disease substance. You must handle it with utmost care. Mix it with goblin blood and it will only affect the goblins, same goes for humans and their blood. Those who are infected with this will soon die depending on their blood. Its effect can be cured using the green magical gems, however, so it’s not world ending dangerous.”

  Colonel Stanford reluctantly accepted the items, carefully putting the bottle inside a protective case before having it sent off. The declaration of surrender was given to a wyvern messenger to be sent off to Swetall, the Yarian’s capital city.