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The sea rocked their bodies as the naval skiffs detached from their mothering vessels. Marines, though trained for the harshness of the sea, spilled their lunches and gagged with sheer anxiety as commanding officers above read them their orders. A young Morgan Blu held his helmet over his head as the rain above picked up. What was he doing here? He wondered this as his squad mate, Chase, nudged his shoulder and smirked, “Get yer head outta the clouds, Morgan. I need you sharp.”

Blu groaned and held in his vomit as the skiff shook from the crashing waves of the violent sea. Some of which were so large they took under neighboring boats without mercy. Fresh out of training and eager to fight the bloodthirsty pirates of Umbra, the men tightened their grasps on unsheathed swords and battle rifles respectfully.

This was the first major counter assault the Northern Navy had formed since the island of Umbra had fallen months ago. The people of the island were all but wiped out and any garrison was long gone, be it executed or sent to the sea with no supplies for survival. Blu could only sigh and lean on his rifle with narrow eyes as he fought to keep vile in his stomach from coming up and saying hello to the world.

As the island came in to view, flashes of cannon blasts and gunfire alike graced the night skies as if a lightning storm were ready to swallow the invasion. Fifty-Five Thousand. That’s how many marines they deployed to retake Umbra. Though this wasn’t the entire Northern Navy, it was still plenty of their forces. As Blu spotted dozens of boats joining and racing with theirs, he could only chuckle at the thought that these pirates were in for one hell of an awakening.

“Brace yourselves, lads!” The squad leader shouted as he lifted his arm and fired a flare into the sky. The black ocean hued that of a pink glow and as it did so hellfire rained down on the marines of the North with furious might.

Grapeshot greeted them as screaming echoed around Blu, be them of pure terror or eager battle cries. Crashes and explosions joining into the chaos. He flinched and as his head shot up to get a better view, he could make out the massive naval ship he departed from, The Stein, being swallowed by the sea as its sails burned in a glorious orange and red. Others soon joining as the force rushed at top speeds towards the beaches of Umbra.

“50 seconds, keep rowing men!” The leader followed loudly.

“Shields to the front, riflemen get those sticks loaded and ready to return fire!” His second in command chimed in as he bounced up in his seat, almost catching a wisping bullet from a stray rifle shot.

“Morgan!” Chase shouted as he threw him a bag of ammo and nodded.

Pocketing it into his bandoleer after a quick load, he pulled back the hammer of his service rifle and huffed as the salty breeze kissed his pale face, “Ya told me this was going to fun, Chase!”.

“This isn’t fun!?” Chase laughed crazily as he unsheathed his saber and stood above the other men with fire in his eyes. This lunatic wanted to die. Ever since Blu could remember, Chase was always one for the dangers Terrace offered. Be it facing the local bully for taking Blu’s favorite stuffed animal or fighting off a pack of wild dogs with a simple stick, the man had a habit of dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight. He was nuts. As nuts as they came. But he was like a brother to Morgan Blu, and from their childhood days, Chase had always looked after him with that same mentality. Even now, as their coffin sailed towards Umbra, he still smiled with glee as the opposing force shouted curses and screeches of violence from the beaches.

As the boats landed, boots met the soft silver sands of Umbra. Chase, being the first one off the skiff, twirled himself around and asked the other marines, “What are ya waiting for, boys? Umbra welcomes us!” As he shouted this an explosion went off by another boat that joined them, sending a few men flying into the sea. “Better get a move on!” He laughed as he turned back around and raised his saber in the air, charging into the fray.

* * * * *

“Morgan?” A woman’s voice asked as she knocked over a nearby empty bottle, making Blu jump and whimper as a jolt of pain welcomed him back into the land of the living. The smell of stale wine and spilled rum greeted him as he scratched his head and lifted it from his desk. Right. He was home. Getting back late after reporting to Soma the first thing he did was raid his liquor cabinet. After a quest like the one he had, he needed only alcohol to keep him company that night. With so much blood on his hands and a million regrets to season ichor, Blu could only bite his lip with frustration.

“Yeah. That’d be me. You here for a bounty or are ya a tax collector. Either way, kindly fuck off.”

“Hey there.” Haru was now standing over him as he gathered himself and rested his arm on the rail of his seat. “That healer did some pretty pleasant work. You look. Well, like shit, but your wounds are healed up nicely. How about we go into town and get you a prostatic? My uncle owns a rather dashing black-“ She paused and frowned as Blu reached forward and snagged a half-empty bottle off his desk and took a long drink.

As he wiped his lips, his blue gaze lifted and met her emerald orbs, “What do you want, girl.”

She took the bottle from him and observed it for a moment. Her expression was that of a disappointed mother who had just discovered spice in the coat of her son’s jacket. But with a shrug, she kissed the rim of the bottle and took a swig as well. Just as Blu, she too needed to drown a few demons. Had she not immediately fallen because of exhaustion the night before she would have been in his current position as well? She lost a lot more than him that day. That much was obvious. Still, Blu admired the girl for her keeping up her appearances. Again. Had he been younger, their relationship would have played out differently? But with a grunt, he snatched the bottle from her and took a drink. He wasn’t one for sharing these days, even if it was with a younger, attractive woman.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay, Morgan. Despite Master Grey’s feelings about you, I still consider you an ally. A friend, even. What you did for me back at the mines-“

Blu dismissed her words quickly by slamming the bottle back down on the desk and looking up at her, “We aren’t friends, you and me. I appreciate yer worry, but I’m a grown man I can take care of myself.”

“That’s a load of shit.” She replied as motioned her hands to the mess of a shack the man lived in. With a stern gaze, she rolled her eyes and began picking up bottles, trash, even his dirty laundry that was messily piled from one end of the shack to the other. She was almost like a housewife. He thought this as he tiredly watched her hum to herself as she continued to clean up. She paused and sighed, lifting a small pile of papers with half-naked women on them.

“Those are-“ Be it not for the hangover he’d blush and attack the invader for even touching his precious Elven pornography.

She hushed him and giggled with a wink of her eye, neatly stacking them on top of a cabinet. “I’m not judging. You’re a man after all.” He felt as though he had dodged a bullet there. Most women were, well, far less relaxed when it came to that stuff. He could only shake these thoughts off as guilds were huge and most shared housing. With all the young men around, he was sure she had eventually become accustomed to finding that sort of content just lazily lying around for anyone to find. As she lifted a bag and set it on his bed, she bounced to another topic, “I know you’re hurting right now, Morgan.”

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“What gave you that idea?”

She turned her head and smiled lightly, “I am too. A lot of us are. But you can’t blame yourself for how things turned out.”

Blu tapped his index finger on his desk as he looked up at her, “Is that what you think I’m doing here? I could just be some drunk for all you know.”

She was now facing him and with another one of those ‘motherly looks’ on her face he oh so enjoyed. For someone half his age, she was far more mature than him. This woman had just lost someone precious to her and yet here she was checking up on this washed-up has been that made coin for taking the lives of others. He did what he thought was right. That was it. No personal gain came in saving her life, nor for her by visiting him now. Yet here the two were. One hungover with a million demons screaming in his head while the other stood before him repressing her own. He could tell she wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She probably even wanted to strike him down there and now. But with another smile, she just went back to cleaning.

“Haru. Ya don’t have to...” He got up from his seat and walked over to her, resting his hand on her shoulder. “Look. I’m sorry about what I said a moment ago. Yer a good girl. But you didn’t have to come here and-“

She turned around and just as Blu expected the woman to slap him across the face, she just broke down. Her head buried into his chest and she cried as her arms tightly wrapped around his waist. It took Blu back for a moment. What could he do? Nothing. He could do absolutely nothing. Resting his chin on her head, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “I’m so sorry.”

“Shut up, you idiot.” She cried harder and as he could feel his shirt soak up her tears, the feeling of wetness graced his soft blue eyes, “Just... cry with me, Morgan. Cry with me.”. As if getting fresh orders from his past commanders, he gritted his teeth while it all hit him at once. The emotions overtook his very being and soon he too joined in Haru’s sadness as they both stood there weeping over the senseless loss of life and their failed mission. Phenomenal, he thought, he hadn’t felt like this since...

* * * * *

As the smoke cleared and day broke through, Morgan Blu sat on a cannon that had made its way down the beach after a mortar shell wiped out the last remaining defense of the pirate’s beach fortifications. This was far from over, he thought as he watched countless Northern Marines march through the sands, up the bloody hills, and into the jungles of Umbra to continue their assault on the pirates. Gunfire rang as cannons fired from the fleet, but Blu could only sit there and watch the sunrise over the clouds of smoke and into the baby blue skies of Terrace. It had indeed been a long morning. Not just for him. But for his fellow soldiers and the very pirates, they so desperately fought for attrition.

“What’s with the long face, Morgan? Getting soft for pirates? That ain’t like ya.” Chase sat down next to him and passed him a bottle he had smuggled just before boarding the skiff. Morgan took it without hesitation and took a long, much-needed swig.

“Where’s the rest of our unit, Chase?” Blu asked as he passed the bottle back to his friend and continued to watch the sunrise.

“Billy and Noah are dead. Lucas and the rest are burying em now. We got a solid fifteen until we move out.”

“Shame. They were good fellas.”

Chase got up and corked the bottle, resting it back in his messenger bag. He sighed and relaxed his hand on Blu’s shoulder. With sad eyes, Chase only shook his head, “That they were. But sitting around here feeling sorry for ourselves won’t bring them back. The sooner we retake Umbra, the sooner we can go home and get some much-needed rest.”

“Home, right?” Blu got up and shouldered his rifle.

“Ya don’t wanna go back, do ya?” Chase frowned.

Blu shrugged and walked down the beach. Not that he didn’t want to go home. Gods know he missed his ma and pa. But what was left for him there? He joined the Navy to escape the North and all of its political bullshit. To see the world and all that jazz the recruiters on the market streets spit as they tempted young men and women to throw away their lives and serve. Though it wasn’t as colorful as Blu imagined, he enjoyed it putting the killing aside. The ocean was vast, and the fresh faces he had met so far on his journey were as interesting as they came.

As he finally arrived at the rest of his squad, he watched as they stood over freshly dug graves with his fallen comrades resting in each. The killing, what was it really good for? Why not just leave the pirates be? The North had enough islands under its flag already, didn’t it? What was one island taken fair and square between the pirate factions and the southern/northern garrisons? Be it an act of revenge or whatever Blu couldn’t even imagine what was going through the King’s head as he signed off on the order. Did he even know how many would die after he sheathed his pen and pocketed it? There had to be many more options than this one.

“Morgan.” Lucas, the squad leader, nodded to Blu. In return, Blu did the same and stood with his squamates as they watched their fallen in silence.

To the left, Noah. A heavy-set man who enjoyed nothing more than mead and the company of women. A pig, Blu thought. But a kind man when it came down to it. He would gladly split his bread with you if you were hungry. Then there was Billy. Blu surveyed the body. A sheet covered his lower half as an orc had sliced him in two. The pirates gladly enlisted the war hungry beasts into their ranks with this outcome in mind, he was sure. He was a smaller lad. Always had his nose in books and never cared much for socializing. But he was still Blu’s comrade and had even saved his ass once or twice in basic. Be it most of those times he had just fallen asleep in class. But the military was strict after all, and that probably saved him from a few grotesque cleaning ops.

“Let’s get these holes filled and move out, boys. Umbra isn’t going to retake itself.” Lucas picked up a shovel and tossed it to Blu. Blu looked down at it and for a moment, he could feel tears creeping up behind his eyes. Really. What was all of this good for? With that, he shoveled up dirt and sand and filled the holes as Lucas and another fellow marine joined in. Within minutes they were buried and the group of men walked uphill and towards the jungles ready to avenge their fallen.

“Elder One-Two, halt.” Lucas raised his hand and balled it into a fist. The squad seeing this quickly stopped and readied themselves. Just as Lucas was about to follow up, an explosion tripped off by his leg and sent him flying into the brush.

“Ambush!” Chase shouted as he thrust his saber forward, stabbing a pirate that seemed to appear out of nowhere. As he did so another jumped behind him and swung, but before his blade could strike Chase Blu fired off a shot. Nailing the pirate in the back of the head, his body lifelessly dropped to the ground and Chase’s eyes widened, “Good gods, Morgan. Nice shot!”

The first of many, Morgan loaded another round and pulled back the hammer as he lunged forward and used the butt of his rifle to beat down one of the pirates who were attempting to get back up. As Blu caught himself, he looked up at Chase who was going toe to toe with another pirate. He lifted his weapon with a sickening sensation in his belly, but ignored it and pulled the trigger. He got used to the idea of taking another’s life quickly when it involved saving his own friend’s skin. Another one down Blu launched his body into Chase and tackled him, saving them both from grapeshot that rushed through the jungle like a charging bull and took out two more of their squad mates who were still trying to get a grasp on the situation.

“Fuck. Thanks. Where did they come from?” Chase asked as he got up and yanked his saber out of one of the dead attackers.

“Down there.” Blu pointed at a nearby man-made hole. The pirates, like the moles they were, had become crafty. It seemed they made a series of tunnels to prepare for any counterattack the North or South threw at them. Rage engulfed Blu as he snagged a bomb bag from one of the pirate’s belts and lit it with a match he kept in his bandolier.

“Woah, hey! Careful with that, ya dope!” Chase argued as Blu shoved him out of the way and tossed it into the hole. As the hole shook violently, a few screams erupted, followed by what sounded like a cave-in. There was a lot more to do here, he knew this. But first thing was first. They needed to regroup with anybody that wasn’t a drunken sea rapist and continue to counter. With Lucas out of action and Noah dead, that made him the acting squad leader. But without words, he looked to his men, then forward into the jungle. The thought of pacificism was all but gone. Had it already been wounded on the beaches, it was now mostly dead? This was about survival, and he had a responsibility to his squad mates.

Arous and Bellan, the squad healers, retreated with a near-dead Lucas as the others pushed forward, killing every pirate they could find on the way. That trick wouldn’t work a second time, and as the pirates caught wind of this, it was all but over for them. At least in this theater. Brush cleared up and as green turned to rock they were now faced with a much larger battle that was unfolding. From above, massive airships from the Northern Navy rained hell on the mountain tops of Umbra.

These ships, simply known as God Killers, were a mass of steel and magic designed for two things. One, to scare the shit out of the enemy. And two artillery from the heavens. Blu was surprised. GKs had only been used once since their creation. Fifty years prior during the Great War and invasion of the South. The King was desperate or sending a message. Either way, what a sight to behold.

“Gods! What are those things?” A soldier asked as he joined Blu’s side.

“That there be God Killers, Marine.” Chase chimed in with a wide smile, glee overtaking his being.

As Blu watched the massive airships fire volley after volley into the mountains, he could only think of what overkill this was. His comrades cheered as rocks and bodies slid down the mountains and the enemy were all but crushed.

“That’s quite a view.” Chase crossed his arms as he continued to watch the ordeal with wonder in his eyes.

“Yes, it is.” No impression painted Blu’s face like the others but that of only fear, distaste, and shell shock. “Quite a view.”