Chapter 18: Into The Forests
July 10th, 2053
Southeast Duremar Plains, Town of Girshan
The wyvern attack on Girshan was not an isolated incident. There were similar attacks reported all throughout southeast Duremar. Luckily, the Rontak Empire put a halt to their scorched earth tactics once they began encountering American rescue teams. They must have retreated once they realized the US was already in the area.
Daniel and the 4th Deep Recon Team spent the rest of the day yesterday helping Baron Rentho and the townspeople recover from the attack. They also, of course, made sure that all the former slaves were released and treated fairly. They got new orders to go deeper into enemy territory and scout out the origin of the scorched earth attacks. But they had to wait for their ‘diplomatic liaison’ to arrive from Fort Roanoke.
The Rontak Princess was going with them, hopefully to broker a ceasefire if the opportunity presented itself. With any luck, they could avoid another massacre like when they first came through the portal. But if not, Lieutenant General Reed was preparing for a full scale assault on the enemy.
Daniel and Liv were discussing the logistics of sending humanitarian aid to Girshan with Baron Rentho at what remained of the town’s farms. They soon heard the familiar sound of an approaching helicopter. A Chinook escorted by four ACD-37s, a variant of light combat drone specialized for aerial combat, set down on the road leading into the town.
Wind from the rotors died down as the pilots powered down the engines. Baron Rentho and Liv went with him to greet the Princess, along with a couple of droids. The rear door opened and two people stepped out.
“It’s good to see you again,” Liv said with a smile.
“Likewise. Though I believe reintroductions are in order, since I am no longer your prisoner.” She paused before continuing in a regal tone. “I am Princess Maribelle Rontus, second in line to the throne of the Rontak Empire and founder of the Order of the Dragon. This is Commander Ralva of the Water Dragon division.”
“It is an honor to welcome you to our humble town, Princess,” Baron Rentho said.
“I trust the Americans have treated you and your people well, Baron?” Ralva asked.
“Oh, they’re the most gracious soldiers I’ve ever met,” Baron Rentho explained. “They haven’t taken any of our food or demanded any tribute at all for protecting us from the wyvern attack. They’ve even helped us repair some of the damage.”
“That’s quite unusual, but not disappointing,” Maribelle said. “Thank you,” she said to Daniel.
“We’re just doing our job,” he replied. “Princess, Commander, if you’ll please follow us to the Rhinos, we’ll get on our way.”
“Good. The sooner we put a stop to these senseless attacks, the better,” Maribelle said.
“You are welcome to return any time, Daniel Ramirez,” Baron Rentho called after them.
As they walked to the vehicles, they passed Elmot who was tinkering with the archwood branch he took earlier.
“You have an elven mage with you? I thought only humans lived in your world?” Maribelle inquired.
“Elmot is a former slave we rescued. His insight into magic has been invaluable to us,” Daniel answered.
“So your people are interested in magic after all?” She asked curiously.
“Yeah, you could say that,” Daniel replied. “You should go talk to David, he’s our resident physicist. He’s going nuts over magic.”
For the Princess of a militaristic and expansionist regime, Maribelle didn’t seem so bad. She seemed to genuinely care about her people. Given her role in previous hostilities, she was surprisingly cooperative. He hoped she would continue to be as forthcoming on the recon mission. Hopefully she would continue to be an asset, rather than a liability. But if not, they’d be ready. He made sure to put Maribelle and Ralva in his Rhino so that he could keep an eye on them; and so that they could advise him when they reached the Kashir Forest.
It would take at least a day and a half’s worth of driving to reach the Kashir forest from Girshan, so they didn’t waste any time. Daniel recalled all personnel from the town. The medevac Rhino stayed behind to treat those injured during yesterday’s attack, leaving just their two standard Rhinos and a logistic truck. They set off to the southeast, towards the Kashir Forest.
July 10th, 2053
Northwest Duremar, Rogh’Hack Forest
After two full days of driving, they had finally reached the Rogh’Hack Forest. Major Mathews was leading a convoy to return minotaur refugees home and open diplomacy with Mintauria. The convoy was made up of a few Abrams X2s, a dozen or so Rhinos, and several logistic trucks retrofitted with seats suitable for minotaurs. The landscape was mostly easy to travel through, but that was about to change.
Thungar, the de facto liaison between the US and minotaur refugees, was sitting next to him in the command Rhino. It was relatively simple to swap out the standard seats for one that fit a minotaur, but it was still cramped. It was pretty lucky that someone designed the model for the minotaur seats so quickly. Even still, their large size did not do them any favors inside an armored vehicle.
“This is one of the roads the Rontak Empire uses to launch slave raids,” he said in his deep minotaur voice.
The dense forest up ahead wasn’t suitable for large vehicles, so they’d have to stick to existing roads. Unfortunately, there weren’t many roads through the forest. The minotaurs actively destroyed as many paths as possible to slow down Rontak soldiers marching through the forest.
“I want everyone on high alert,” Mathews said to the convoy over the radio. “I want constant thermal sweeps of the surrounding area. There could be hostiles and potential friendlies in there, so check your fire.”
All squads reported ready, so Major Mathews gave the order to proceed into the forest. The drones had trouble flying through the thick vegetation, so they had to rely on just the vehicles’ own IR sensors. And, of course, their own eyes.
The forest was alive with the sounds of strange animals, muffled by the sound of heavy vehicles. He saw something that looked like a deer run across the road and disappear into the foliage. Their thermal cameras confirmed that they were surrounded by life
Animals of all sizes moved around them. Packs of rat sized creatures ran up and down trees, birds flew from branch to branch above them, and larger animals stalked their prey. Occasionally they would see a burst of magic particles, indicating some kind of magic flora or fauna. Even for a place untouched by pollution or industrialization, it was incredible how dense and diverse the forest ecosystem was. He had never seen anything like it before.
As he watched a green mana ball float away from the road, the vehicle in front of the command Rhino came to a halt.
“Major, there's a tree blocking the road ahead,” reported the lead Abrams.
The thermal sensors were useless. The forest’s biodiversity was making it hard to tell whether a thermal signature was a hiding enemy soldier or just a group of animals. As if to prove that point, a group of small arboreal creatures jumped down onto the roof of the Rhino from a tree and scampered away.
“Send out a team of droids to clear it,” He replied. “Everyone stay in your vehicles and be ready for an ambush.”
Droids deployed from two Rhinos and ran to the front of the convoy where they assessed the situation. Before they could attach a tow cable from the Abrams, a deep warcry roared all around the convoy. A group of minotaurs fell out of the trees and landed next to the droids, their hooves making a thud sound as they impacted the dirt.
One of them swung a huge ax with one hand and vertically sliced through a droid’s head, halfway down its torso. Another minotaur picked up a droid with one hand and threw it several meters through the air onto the nearby tank with a metal clanking sound. A third pummeled a droid with a mace, and once it was on the ground, crushed it with its hooved foot. Arrows rained down on the vehicles from all sides, making metallic pinging sounds as they bounced harmlessly off the armored hulls.
The radio was flooded with voices.
“It’s an ambush!”
“They’re in the trees!”
“Hold fire!” Mathews ordered. “I repeat do NOT shoot! ADS only!”
Thungar didn’t hesitate. He fumbled out of his seat, despite Major Mathews’s objections, and ran out the rear door.
“What are you doing? Get back here!”
Against his better judgment, he went after him.
Thungar shouted in a thunderous voice, “Brethren, these people come not as conquerors or slavers, but as friends! Cease your attack!”
Minotaurs could be exceptionally loud when they wanted to. The barrage of arrows quickly stopped. Mathews caught up to Thungar and grabbed him by the arm.
“Are you crazy? Get back in–”
Thump
A huge minotaur landed right behind of him. He spun around and instinctively raised his rifle. Then he backed up a few paces. The minotaur stood almost 2.5 meters tall, towering over both him and Thungar. He carried an oversized bow with a glowing green crystal embedded in the wood just above the grip. Oversized for a human at least; it looked about right for a minotaur.
Now that the attack had stopped, the ambushers were coming out of their hiding places; dozens of minotaurs jumped down from the trees and came out of the bushes. The minotaur refugees in the convoy were getting out of the trucks now too. The other attackers lowered their weapons when they saw their own people come out free and unharmed. The large minotaur saw them and then looked Thungar over. Then he turned to Matthews and scowled.
“What is the meaning of this? Why do you lead these humans through the Rogh’Hack Forest and into our lands?” He asked Thungar in a not very friendly way.
“They are enemies of the Rontak Empire,” Thungar replied. “They have come far to return our brothers and sisters, myself included, to our homeland.”
“As you can see, we’re friends,” Mathews said to the minotaur. “If you could not kill us, that’d be great.”
The minotaur stared down at him with an intense gaze. After what felt like hours, but was really only a few seconds, the minotaur finally relaxed and said, “It would seem we owe you an apology. I am Chief Protector Rutglore. It is my sworn duty to protect nearby tribes from the Rontak Empire. It is rare to see humans come through this path who don’t intend us harm. Especially ones who come in armored metal wagons.”
“I understand. You do what you gotta do,” Mathews replied. Then, he reached out his hand. “Major Sean Mathews, United States Army.”
July 10th, 2053
Southeast Duremar Plains
They’ve been driving for several hours now. They had spotted fumes rising in the distance near some mountains. The Princess told them it was an acid swamp. An acid swamp. Daniel did not want to go anywhere near that. Alejandro, on the other hand, was already working on a proposal for a scientific expedition for when they return to Fort Roanoke.
Aside from the acid swamp, there really wasn’t much out here on the vast plains. He was in the command cabin with Benny, Liv and Marcus, passing the time however they could. Commander Ralva and Princess Maribelle were in the crew compartment. There wasn’t much for them to do until they reached the Kashir Forest so they were just talking with the marines and scientists. Agent Vanderhoff seemed to be having a good time weaseling information out of them.
Suddenly an alert beeped on one of the displays, pulling them out of the mundanity of driving through the empty plains.
“I’ve got something coming towards us from the southeast…” Liv said.
“What is it?” Daniel asked.
“Make that four somethings,” Liv corrected as she studied the display screen. “Enemy wyverns!”
They snapped to combat readiness.
“Marcus, ready the .50 cal and fire once they–”
“Wait!” Maribelle exclaimed from the crew compartment.
Daniel turned around in his seat to face her. “These are the same guys who torched Girshan’s farms. We’re not just gonna let them go attack another village.”
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“They might not be,” Maribelle said as she stood hunched over behind the command cabin. “It might be the Order of the Dragon coming to search for me. If it is, we can wave them down.”
“But if its not–”
“If it's not, we will be safe from their fireballs inside your vehicles,” Maribelle said confidently.
“Alright, we’ll give it a shot,” Daniel finally decided. After all, isn’t this why she was here? “Marcus, maintain weapons lock just in case.”
“Yes sir,” the weapons officer replied.
He popped open the front hatch and Maribelle stuck her head out of the Rhino.
“How are you going to get their attention?” Liv asked.
Maribelle looked down and smiled. “Like this,” she said as she raised two fingers into the air and shot a ball of crimson and gold light into the sky, just like a flare. It was accompanied by the usual swirl of magic particles around her hand.
The wyverns saw the signal and turned directly towards them. Maribelle came back inside and they closed the hatch. When the wyverns got close enough, they circled the vehicles in the air a few times. The exterior cameras showed flame patterns painted on the armor’s underside.
“They’re from the Fire Dragon division!” Ralva proclaimed.
“Friendlies?” Daniel asked.
“Yes,” Maribelle replied. “They’re my knights, they will do as I say.”
She eagerly went out the rear hatch. Daniel, Ralva and a few marines followed suit, along with Agent Vanderhoff. They went around to the front of the vehicles.
The wyverns landed a short distance away. The riders dismounted and their armor clinked as they approached. It was a combination of chain mail, leather, and a bit of plate armor. They wore open faced helmets that resembled Roman helmets, but without the plume, and carried swords at their sides. The lead knight was an angry looking woman Daniel did not want to get into a hand to hand fight with.
She drew her sword while briskly approaching and shouted, “Release the Princess NOW!”
The marines immediately readied their weapons.
“Kallia, wait!” Maribelle said. “It’s okay, I’m not their prisoner.”
“What do you mean you’re not their prisoner? What’s going on?” She asked irritably.
“I’ll explain everything, but first you must put away your weapons.”
Reluctantly, Kallia and the others sheathed their swords. Daniel lowered his weapon and ordered his marines to stand down.
The two groups tensely approached one another and introduced themselves. Maribelle and Ralva explained to Kallia everything that had happened to them after the battle of Rontak’s Reach. How they were only briefly prisoners, how they went through the portal and met with the President, and how they came back to stop the Rontak Empire’s scorched earth wyvern attacks.
“It was Prince Cevlion who ordered those attacks, Maribelle, not your father,” Kallia explained.
“I knew my father wouldn’t do such a thing,” Maribelle said, sounding relieved. “So my brother is in command of the Imperial forces at the Kashir Forest?”
“Well, not anymore. The Emperor ordered him back to Ronta, but he refused. We were already on our way to find you, so the Emperor sent us to escort him back to the capital. He won’t be a problem anymore,” she said smugly. “Wait, how did you know the wyverns came from the Kashir Forest?”
“The Americans have their own version of a wyvern corps, made up of incredible flying machines called ‘airplanes.’ They fly higher and faster than any wyvern and give them an uncanny awareness on the ground,” Ralva explained. “It's very difficult to hide anything from them, I’m afraid.”
“I see…” Kallia muttered.
Agent Vanderhoff was quietly listening in on the conversation. The spook was good at his job; he knew when to shut up and just let people talk. Even Daniel knew they were getting lots of juicy intel on the Rontak Empire’s power structure. It wasn’t as unified as previously believed.
“With my brother out of the way, I should have no problem ordering the general in command to agree to a temporary truce with the Americans,” Maribelle said.
“A truce? Why would we submit to an invading force like that?”
“I’ve seen their army in action, and I’ve been to their world,” Maribelle said. “It’s like nothing you could ever imagine, Kallia. We don’t even have the slightest chance of victory against the United States.”
“It’s true,” Ralva affirmed. “They are like no other foe we have ever faced. We were defeated the moment the portal connected our two worlds.”
Kallia stood there, apparently stunned into silence.
“That is why I am here, with the Americans, trying to reach the Kashir Forest and put a stop to this unwinnable war,” Maribelle explained.
“Then we are at your service, Princess,” Kallia said with a slight bow. “Tell us how we can serve you.”
Princess Maribelle had Kallia send one of her knights back to the Kashir Forest to prepare General Ulmok to receive the Princess and the 4th Deep Recon Team. Kallia and the others would escort the 4th Deep Recon Team through Rontak controlled territory. With wyverns from the Order of the Dragon flying above, no Imperial soldiers would attack them.
July 10th, 2053
Northwest Duremar, Rogh’Hack Forest
Thungar had told the new minotaurs about the United States and what had happened since they came through the portal. They were glad to see so many lost faces return home, but saddened that so many others were killed in the battle against the United States.
Fortunately, only a few droids were damaged in the ambush; there were no fatalities on either side. Despite the initial hostility, first contact was going rather well. Chief Protector Rutglore was kind enough to invite Major Mathews as his men to a nearby tribe. They were walking through the forest, off the main road. They left a few squads to watch over the convoy while the rest of them proceeded on foot.
Mathews heard a bush rustle off to the side. He looked over to see a large bear-like animal sulk back into the foliage. It was keeping its distance, but also keeping pace with the group. He jogged up to where Rutglore was walking and asked, “There's some kind of animal stalking us, should we be concerned?”
“You mean the wolf-bear?” He asked. “It's been following us since we left your metal boxes.”
Rutglore stopped and closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The green crystal embedded in his bow seemed to glow brighter for a moment and green particles began to emanate from it. “It's a mother hunting for food to feed its cubs. Do not worry,” he opened his eyes again. “She is seasoned enough to know not to attack a group of this size. She is likely looking for stragglers. Do not wander off and you’ll be fine.”
Two burly minotaurs wielding flanged maces, far too large for a human to use, lumbered by. They snickered something about how clumsy and frail humans were. He didn’t catch all of it, but it probably wasn’t very polite. He fell back into line with his men.
“Are you sure they’re not just leading us into another ambush?” A soldier asked.
“That is not the way of my people,” Thungar chimed in. “We fight however we can to protect ourselves, but only to protect ourselves. My people may not have much love for humans, but they will not harm you without cause.”
They continued trudging through the forest. Finally, they arrived at the village. There were tree trunks stuck vertically into the ground to form a palisade. Thorn bushes were planted along the outer perimeter and thorny vines grew up the logs; an all natural form of barbed wire. That was pretty ingenious of them.
“Welcome to the Horagush tribe’s last major settlement,” Rutglore said, leading the way through the gate house.
The fine dirt road immediately split off in several directions. The buildings were made of wood and built around short, wide trees, the branches from which provided support to the roofs. Vines grew on the sides of every building, but not in an ugly weed sort of way; it was more like a deliberate aesthetic choice.
There was quite a bit of open space inside the walls, filled with berry bushes, fruit trees, and colorful flowers. One of the larger trees had glowing green symbols all over it.
A small stream ran through the center of town with stone bridges spanning it every so often. Irrigated patches of farmland lined the banks. A minotaur, a female based on her more slender appearance, stood over an empty field. Green magic particles flowed from her outstretched hands into the soil.
The minotaurs didn’t wear much in the way of clothes, aside from the ones in armor. Their thick fur combined with leather loincloths seemed to be all the clothing they needed. Some of them wore practical garments though, like tool belts or knapsacks.
The rugged warriors who ambushed the convoy turned into gentle giants as soon as they came through the gate. The tribespeople welcomed them with open arms, offering bread and fruits, which they took eagerly. They set down their weapons and took off their armor as if they were laying down a heavy burden. A few, however, sulked off alone. War took its toll, even on minotaurs, it seemed.
A group of minotaur children ran past, but stopped when they saw Chief Protector Rutglore.
“RUTGLORE” They screamed excitedly!
“Hello, calves,” he said with affection. He scooped two of them up in his arms. “My, how you’ve grown!”
“Tell us about your adventures protecting the tribe!”
“No, tell us about the time you scared away a forest ghoul!”
“I want to hear how you made a troll trip on his own club!”
Rutglore chuckled, “Another time, perhaps, young ones. I must attend to our guests. Run along now,” he said, setting them down.
As the children ran off, a group of older minotaurs stomped through the village, towards them. Their leader had beads and strips of ceremonial red fabric running through his smokey gray fur.
“Rutglore!” He yelled angrily. “How dare you bring humans into my tribe.”
“I will handle this,” Rutglore told Mathews. “Chieftain Arglag, the humans have my blessing. They rescued many of our brothers and sisters from our common enemy: the Rontak Empire.”
Arglag didn’t let up, though. “They are humans,” he said derogatorily. “Nothing good can come of having them here, regardless of their deeds.”
One of the minotaurs next to him said, “Chieftain if it's true, then we should welcome our lost kin and their saviors.”
“This is cause for celebration,” another agreed.
Arglag’s expression seemed to sour even more as murmurs of agreement spread around him.
“Fine,” he spat. “Have your festivities. But I will have no part of it so long as the humans are here.” He stormed off out of sight.
“You must forgive Chieftain Arglag. His mate and calf were killed in a devastating Rontak raid two years ago,” Rutglore explained. “He has not been the same since that awful day.”
“I’m very sorry to hear that,” Mathews said solemnly. “Hopefully we can work together to prevent tragedies like that in the future.”
Rutglore looked at him curiously, but before he could ask for an explanation, a rambunctious roar interrupted them. It was nothing like the war cry when they were ambushed.
“TONIGHT, WE FEAST!” One of the minotaurs yelled, followed by a cacophony of jubilant bull-like howls from around the village.
As the ones who freed the refugees from the Rontak Empire, Major Mathews and his men were of course invited to partake in the traditional minotaur festival.
July 11th, 2053
Kashir Forest
Daniel looked out the periscopes to see the Kashir Forest coming into view. It stretched as far as the eye could see in either direction. Aerial reconnaissance showed that the forest was flanked by the acid swamp in the west and a small mountain range in the east. The Rontak Empire chose their stronghold well; this was the main path deeper into their territory.
As promised, Commander Kallia and two knights were flying low as escorts. Sure enough, the army based in the forest made no attempt to attack them. As they got closer, they could see some half built defensive fortifications.
There were earthen walls and ditches lined with wooden spikes outside the tree line. Recon drones showed catapults and ballistas sitting a bit further back in various stages of completeness. They spotted a contingent of Rontak soldiers waiting for them along the road into the forest.
There were two squares of infantry on either side of the road, at least 100 strong apiece. They rested one hand on their shield and held a spear pointed straight up in the other. Standard bearers held up red and purple flags with the golden insignia of some kind of turtle-like animal on it.
In the middle of the road were twenty or so honor guard soldiers. They wore purple capelets overtop their heavier armor and carried spears whose tips slightly glowed blue; they were made of mithril. A man who must have been General Ulmok stood amidst them. Daniel watched the drone feed as the general looked up at it curiously.
A thermal scan of the forest showed that there were more people nearby, but they were keeping their distance.
“This is quite the welcoming party,” Liv said.
“I guess they don’t trust us any more than we trust them,” Benny said.
He was referencing the squadron of F-41A Lightning IIIs and A-12 Warthogs high in the sky, ready to provide air support if it became necessary. Daniel had called for back up after Kallia sent her knight back to the forest ahead of them. He wasn’t about to lead his team into a potential ambush without any support.
The two Rhinos stopped side by side, with the logistic truck behind them.
“Alright Danny, I guess this is where you go say hello,” Benny said. “Good luck with that.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Daniel replied. “Marcus, stay here with Benny and keep the droids on standby. Liv, you’re with me.”
Daniel led his marines out of the Rhinos, along with Maribelle and Ralva. The civilian scientists stayed inside, but Agent Vanderhoff came as well. Kallia and her knights had already landed and joined General Ulmok. They walked nervously between the rows of Rontak soldiers up to General Ulmok and Kallia.
“I’m relieved to see that you’re alright, Princess,” General Ulmok said with a bow. Turning his gaze to Daniel, he said, “You must be the Americans.”
“Lieutenant Daniel Ramirez, United States Marine Corps,” he replied.
Princess Maribelle didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “General, there are matters of extreme importance we need to discuss at once.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” Ulmok replied.
He dismissed the soldiers assembled for the Princess’s arrival and led everyone to a nearby wooden shack where they could discuss things privately. The guards at the entrance were surprisingly professional and stood rigid as the general and Princess approached, followed by the American marines. Inside, they sat at a table and Maribelle explained the importance of a ceasefire.
“I cannot say much in present company, but, with respect Princess, there is a plan in place. The Emperor received a vision from Gwuardon and now we know how to fight back,” Ulmok said, with a hint of desperation.
“You were at the portal when the Americans first came through, weren’t you?” Maribelle asked him.
“Yes, I was,” Ulmok replied.
“Then do you honestly believe we could be victorious against such a force?” Maribelle asked.
Ulmok took a moment to respond. “No,” he finally said. “I suppose not. But to surrender to an invading army? It has never been done before in the history of the Rontak Empire. Not even when the Jakklobian Empire colonized the western coast.”
“This isn’t a surrender,” Daniel corrected. “We’re only asking for a temporary truce and for you to come to the negotiating table without further bloodshed.”
“Where you will no doubt make excessive demands of us,” Ulmok said bitterly.
“Diplomacy isn’t really my forte, but it looks to me like you don’t have a choice,” Daniel countered.
“He’s right,” Ralva added. “We are lucky they want to negotiate at all.”
“Suppose we do as you say,” Ulmok said. “Where do you propose we hold these negotiations?”
“We’d be happy to provide you with transport back to our base at the portal where you can–” Liv started to say, but she was cut off.
“No, absolutely out of the question,” Ulmok interrupted. “I won’t allow the Princess to go anywhere near your fortress.”
“You won’t allow me, General?” Maribelle asked, annoyed.
“No, I won’t,” he said firmly. “The Emperor would have my head if I let you go back into the jaws of the enemy.”
“I agree with him, Maribelle,” Kallia said. “We can’t let you go back there. The negotiations should take place somewhere neutral.”
“We can hold them here in the Kashir Forest,” Ulmok suggested. “I can have my men prepare accommodations for your emissaries.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible either,” Daniel said. “We won’t be able to guarantee our ambassador’s safety in an uncharted, enemy controlled forest. Plus, we’ve already run into some troublesome wildlife I’d rather not deal with again any time soon.”
“What about Girshan?” Maribelle suggested, being the voice of reason. “They seemed amenable to your presence in their town.”
“A small town on the open plains far from either of our armies… Yes, that would be an acceptable meeting place,” Ulmok said.
“I’ll have to clear it with my superiors, but I think that can work,” Daniel said.
“Assuming Baron Rentho would be a willing host,” Liv added.
“He will serve the Princess as she sees fit,” Kallia told them. Nods of agreement came from all the Rontaks.
Ulmok sighed. “This is all a mute point though. I may be willing to accept the necessity for a truce, but many of the men under my command will not. I was only instated as their general because I witnessed and survived the first battle. They owe me no personal loyalty and have little respect for the unusual tactics the Emperor has instructed me to employ. When Prince Cevlion took command, many were eager to follow him… If only they knew what they were really up against. Perhaps then they would see reason.”
“I think we might be able to help you out there,” Daniel replied.
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“THIS is an ARX-35 standard issue assault rifle,” Daniel said loudly to the assembled group of Rontak soldiers as he held his rifle in the air for them to see. “It fires projectiles called bullets at over 900 meters per second and can be fired accurately from up to 800 meters away. Liv, would you care to demonstrate?”
“A woman?” One of the Rontak soldiers snickered. Murmurs broke out among the enemy ranks.
“Which one of you men would care to take me on?” Kallia taunted, grabbing the hilt of her sword and summoning fire around her fists. The soldiers quickly fell quiet. “Yeah, that's what I thought.”
“These are the soldiers who obliterated the Portal Conquest Army,” General Ulmok added. “I suggest you do not insult them.”
“Go ahead,” Daniel said to Liv. “Show’em what you’ve got.”
The target was a row of imperial armor mounted about 150 meters away. Liv fired all 25 rounds from her magazine one by one into the first set of armor and its accompanying shield. The general sent a few soldiers to bring the armor back for inspection. It was riddled with bullet holes clean through, showing how futile it was to wear into battle. The shield didn’t fare any better.
“Alright, go ahead and show the weapon on full auto,” Daniel instructed.
Liv reloaded and clicked the weapon off of single shot, to automatic. When she fired, the next set of armor was shredded in half by the rapid fire. They didn’t need to send anyone down to fetch the targets; the results were plainly visible from where they stood. She turned around and smiled.
Unease visibly washed over the Rontak soldiers. Whereas before they were proud and confident, they were now unsettled by the display of American weaponry.
One of the officers asked, “That is clearly a formidable device, but how many of such weapons do you have? A mage could destroy those targets just as easily, but they are far and few between.”
“How many?” Liv repeated. “I have no idea exactly how many ARX-35s we have, but enough for every soldier to carry one many times over.”
More uneasy murmurs.
“And these aren’t the only weapons we have.” Daniel radioed the Rhinos. “Marcus, can you show us the 80mm, please?”
“With pleasure, sir,” Marcus answered.
The vehicles were still where they were parked earlier, but they had set up the targets to give them a clear line of sight. Moments later one of the Rhinos’ main turret rotated its 80mm cannon and fired a four burst shot. The HE shells obliterated the remaining targets in a spectacular fireball, sending the Rontak soldiers into a panic.
“This is just what these few Americans have with them right now,” Princess Maribelle said, once the soldiers had calmed down and reformed ranks. “They have many more weapons far more powerful than this.”
“All of you have seen what American weapons are capable of!” Ulmok shouted to his men. “Go now and spread the word of what you have seen here today. Let no soldier of the Empire in the Kashir Forest not know of this!”
They quickly sent riders into the forest and used mana comms to inform their comrades of the United States’ true power. General Ulmok assured them that none of his men would oppose a temporary truce now. If the fighting continued, they would be the first ones targeted by American weaponry. The weapons demo was a complete success.
Author’s Note: So we’ve officially gone off the map of Duremar I provided back in Chapter 7! I’m working on a full map of Kraffnia, but it isn’t finished yet. Kraffnia is so large that it's hard to decide which geographic features are important enough to show at this scale. It’s coming along well though.