As usual, people in our group are doing the same thing. Scrubbing their clothes, feeding their horses, carrying buckets, cooking. I took a seat nearby and just looked around.
Our flag with the word FFV swaying on the pole. Birds nweeting, people talking, people singing, peopl-
"Vargas! Vargas!"
A man came in a hurry shouting the founder of the groups name. Lorenzo Vargas came out of his what.
"What? Something's wrong? Why are you in a hurry"
"One of our camps in the North! They are getting attacked by*taking deep breaths* by the Calderons!"
Vargas's face is full of shock, then turned into anger
"Gather everyone! The north camp is getting attacked! We need to move, now!"
The camp erupted into chaos. Our men scrambled to grab their weapons, women herded their children into makeshift shelters, and the air was thick with a mixture of fear and determination.
I, Elias Santiago, will join this fight to show my dignity, and bravery. I went inside my hut, grabbed my rifle and went outside. Some people rode on their horses and some walked. I rode my horse and followed.
I went closer to Vargas, I know Vargas very well, a strong and courage man. I saw Vargas as a man who I believed for a cause, a man who wouldn't back down for a fight. Nearly made a duel with Heneral Lucas Alvarez because Leronzo kept pleading to Heneral Alvarez for one last drink but he rejected the offer, they became still friends afterwards.
"You're quiet Santiago, your usually a chatter"
"It's just the Calderon, Vargas. They fought dirty, leave no survivors behind, they don't even take slaves"
Vargas nodded, a grim understanding passing between us. We both knew the stories, all of us in the country. We had heard the tales of Calderon brutality, the whispers of villages burned, families slaughtered, and the land left desolate.
"We won't let them go away this time. We'll teach them a lesson they won't forget. We'll make them pay for what they did." Vargas said, with full determination
I had joined the FFV for a reason. I had seen the oppression, the tyranny, and the despair that the Calderon and The Kingdom Of Aethel had brought to Valoria. I was fighting for freedom, for my family, for the future of my country.
"We will beat them Vargas, we'll beat them back" I said to Vargas
As we rode on, the chatter of the group swelled around us, a mix of anxious whispers and determined pronouncements. They discussed Calderon's tactics, debated strategies, and shared stories of previous encounters with the enemy.
"Heard they use those big iron cannons now. They call them the 'Thunderclaws', and they leave nothing standing." A soldier behind us said, with a shaky voice
"Don't be a fool, we've seen thunder before. We'll weather this storm. We are Valorian." A man he is talking with replied
I looked around at my fellow fighters. They were a diverse group, united by a common cause, their faces hardened by the hardships of war, but their spirits still burning bright.
As we approached the north camp, the air grew heavy with the smell of smoke. The camp was in ruins, buildings burned, and a plume of black smoke rose from the heart of the encampment.
We still have a lot of soldier fighters in the camp. But the Calderons have a lot more.
*Bang*
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One of the Calderon army shooting one of the huts with their cannon, the hut got destroyed quickly, demolishing on the ground. We went behind the camp to avoid getting seen by the Calderons.
We joined the remaining army to aid them by taking cover on the rooftop of the wooden houses and the cover they provided.
"Is that you again Santiago?" A familiar
Voice, I looked to my right. It was Jerome Villa.
"Long time no see my friend" I replied
We both shot back at the Calderons and took cover.
"So how's your beautiful Calinda? You confess your love to her?" Jerome asked
"Not yet, I need more courage to confess to her" I replied
"You have a lot of courage to fight with our enemies but you don't have much courage to confess?"
He burst out laughing
"Hey! Get down! Get down!" I shouted one of the soldiers between us, who is taking a peek at the enemies
*Splat*
Too late, the lad got shot on the head. Pieces flew around, his blood splattered on my face. I wipe the blood on my face.
"Tang ina naman!" I heard Jerome
I looked at Jerome, his whole face is splattered with blood, his face looked hilarious. I burst out laughing.
"Why are you laughing Elias? One of our friends died right in front of us" Jerome d to me as he wiped the blood on his face
He is right, I should be more serious next time.
*Bang*
I ducked down as another cannon fired and hit one of the houses nearby, splintering wood and sending shards of debris flying. Jerome with blood on his face, reloaded his weapon.
"They're using something new, Elias. Something powerful. It's like... like they're tearing through our defenses."
I squinted through the smoke and dust, trying to see what was happening. I noticed a strange, almost unsettling sight a large, metallic contraption perched on a hill overlooking the camp. It looked like a massive, elongated wheel with a series of iron tubes protruding from it.
"What is that?" I asked
Jerome shook his head.
"I don't know. But it's definitely not one of their standard cannons. The sound is different. The power..." He trailed off, a look of dawning dread on his face.
BRRRRRATATATATATATATAT
We took the cover tightly. The sound of a gun but more contious. It felt like endless unlike our gun do one shot per pull of the trigger.
Men screamed, the earth trembled, and the wooden structures of the camp began to splinter and collapse. The air is filled with the smell of burning wood and metal.
"They're mowing us down! We can't hold them off!" A soldier nearby shouted
"We have to find a way to take it out!" I yelled back, scrambling to reload my rifle.
"We need to get to that machine, before it obliterates us all!"
But before I could formulate a plan, a second, even more terrifying roar erupted from the hills. Another massive wheel, this one even larger than the first, began firing, its shots ripping through the camp with a devastating accuracy.
"Vino!" I shouted to one of our men
Vino is one of the best sharpshooters we have, killed a lot of Calderon, and the Aethels. He's the reason why we assassinated their generals.
"Go to that clearing right there and hide on the bushes. Kill the ones who are manning that thing or find a way to destroy it!" I ordered and pointed
He nodded and went on his way, avoiding getting caught. We watched Vino as he crouched to the bushes. He went prone and started scoping, he didn't shoot early. He might be looking at something, patiently. We waited for him to shoot patiently.
Smokes came out of his gun.
*Bang*
A loud explosion can be heard from the Calderons, we took a peek. The machinery burst into flames. Bloody bodies flew around it.
"Hahahahahhahahah! Good work Vino! One more!" I shouted
*Bang*
Vino destroyed the other machinery. We burst out into laughter.
"Long live Valoria!"
We yelled at the top of our lungs. The Calderons army looks smaller than before. They started retreating to the hills.
"Long Live Varolia"
I took our flag and started waving it in the air.
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Our nurses started treating the wounded, but some of the wounded didn't make it. I helped the people to clear the debris, bury the dead, and offer comfort to the families who lost their loved ones.
"Vino, how did you manage to destroy those things?" Jerome asked Vino
"I shoot at the bullets that are loaded on that thing, and it explodes including the inside" he replied
Lorenzo Vargas joined us to sit around the fire.
"I have great news people" he said to us
"You all know the symbols in our Valoria flag right. The Mountain representing the Northen part of the country, Blue Wave representing the west, Red Volcano representing the East and the Golden Sun representing the Southern. They are an archipelago of the country or island groups, you can call it the Quadra-Stella. The 4 archipelagos are named Aurelia on the North, Aetheria on the west, Arcana in the east and Vales in the south. General Lucas from Aurelia sends us a note"
We listened carefully
"He asked us to drive out all of the Aethels and Calderons here in the East as much as we can, he might be planning something but it is the only thing we can do"
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"General Roal Castro!" I shouted at the top of my lungs
His army pointed their guns at me, my army pointed their guns back at them. I waited, he came out with more of his army with him. He came and walked towards face me.
"Buwisit ka Castro! I ordered you to guard Galeje post but when I arrived there you are absent"
"General Alvarez, do you think I would take orders to a shitty General who lost the whole Aetheria because it was poorly lead by you?"
"That was the past, and I changed toda-"
"No, liar, you are just helping the Calderons and Aethels to take over our country and you keep saying you want freedom. That's the reason why we think defeat and thinking about joining forces either the Calderons or Aethels"
"Just as I said that is already the past, I already changed today"
"Then what is it you come here?"
"One law, you disobeyed one of our law. Not helping Generals will be jailed to 4-5 years"
"Well what about you? Why are you not in jail after losing Aetheria?"
"We don't have laws about a punishment losing an island"
"Well, remember that we have a deal General Alvarez. When I disobeyed that law, I rather die than getting jailed. Did you take a coffin?"
*Whistle*
I ordered my men to come in and drop the wooden coffin in front of him, his smile faded.
"Your really are an idiot Alvarez"
"I am just giving you what you wish for"
*Gun cocks*
I took out my pistol and pointed at Castro.
"Not so fast"
He stopped
"With the expression of your face, you don't want to die, I will give you another chance to live. Next time, you will die. Let's go"
My men followed me outside of General Castro's property, this is such a pain in the ass.