Chapter 3: Departure

Lewis was sitting on his couch in his living room while captain Edwards and First Lieutenant Jackson stood right in front of him. Some other squad leaders were also present but they were all second lieutenants or below. Finally, a second lieutenant broke the silence.

"So were you the one who started this mess?" There was a moment of silence as everyone in the room waited for a response.

Lewis took a deep breath and responded to the question. "Nope, I received my powers a day before the kobolds appeared," Lewis responded. "Well, the book appeared a day before but they don't need to know that." Lewis thought.

"Alright, we will take your word." Captain Edwards replied before speaking again, "Let us move on to the main topic. I think it's time we figure out what we are going to do now, if you have any ideas, this is the time to share them." The room was filled with chatter most of the soldiers wanted to leave for the closest military base but were quickly turned down by the captain.

Lewis sat in silence pondering over the ideas, and that was when a thought came to him.

"You all remember the national guard base across the bridge, right?" The soldiers then turned their heads over to Lewis and nodded, "alright how about we move to the national guard base?"

They all looked at each other and began to discuss the idea. Captain Edwards then asked Lewis, "You want to go to the airbase? You do remember that everyone had left the base right" Lewis looked to Edwards and nodded.

"Did you forget about how that was the evacuation site and how it got attacked?" Captain Edwards asked Lewis. "Then we should go to the national guard armory instead," Lewis replied.

"That place is probably in the same shape as the airbase. . . What are you planning?" the captain asked Lewis. Lewis responded after thinking for a bit. "You are correct its probably a mess as well, however, there may still be vehicles left behind at the armory such as it has a repair building as well. We could also get more supplies from the buildings as well."

Everyone was silent as they all came to an agreement. The captain saw them nodding and spoke out. "We move out in 15, get the soldiers ready to move, and inform them of the details. Tell them to pack anything they can carry in their packs, food, and water is a must but only if they have space for it. your all dismissed."

The room grew loud as the squad leaders ran out to gather their squads and inform them of the new orders. The captain walked out and left Lewis to himself. Lewis ran outside to gather his summoned gnomes and the dwarf, they were simply watching as soldiers ran around gathering supplies. Lewis looked to the three of them and called out. "You three! Get ready we are leaving." The three looked at each other before nodding to Lewis.

After no more than 10 minutes all of the soldiers were gathered outside. Each soldier was in a small group most likely forming up by squad. They soon went silent as the captain came out, he looked around and said one word. "Begin." once he said the word the soldiers all knew what to do they began to move into their positions. Lewis went in front of the soldiers to take care of any small group of kobolds. The sound of gunshots still rang out in the distance which sometimes was followed by a scream or a yell.

The group walked by bodies and smoldering houses. The roads were filled with dried blood as well as debris. Most of the burning had resolved itself and was now just smoldering, there were still some explosions, but not many. A small number of buildings were on fire but those were caused by the new explosions. The soldiers scanned everything as they walked always keeping their weapons raised.

Lewis and the soldiers were approaching a suburban neighborhood, which meant they were getting closer to the bridge. This also made the group more cautious because civilians could still be residing in their homes and possibly kobolds. This neighborhood was not very damaged there were however bodies but mostly kobolds. Once the group fully entered the suburban they began to scan everywhere. The group was moving as silently. Well besides the sound of the dwarf's armor clanking with every step. Besides that, the group was basically silent.

The first gnome turned its whole body to the left looking at a two-story house. The sudden sound of the crossbow clicking made most of the group look at the gnome. The sight of a bolt being shot out drew everyone's attention to look at where it was shot to. The sudden screech of a kobold sounded as a body fell off the roof dropping its bow in the process. The group of soldiers all turned to the noise as they saw the gnome's bolt had struck the now-dead kobold. The gnome did not wait as it loaded a new bolt. Not long afterward the soldiers shouted "CONTACT ON THE ROOFS!" Followed by the loud sound of different weapons being fired.

The group began to form a circular formation as they began firing at the roofs. On both sides were kobolds holding bows that had been waiting for the group to approach. They began to release arrows at Lewis and the soldiers. The dwarf and the second gnome raised their shields and unsheathed their swords. Lewis went in the middle of the dwarf and gnome who was now covering the other gnome who was loading a new bolt into his weapon. Lewis raised his pistol at the kobolds and let out a burst of bullets.

The shouts of soldiers giving orders were loud as some soldiers shouted "RELOADING!" while others replied with "ENEMY ON THE RIGHT!" the neighborhood was now loud with gunfire and shouting. "ENEMIES APPROACHING FROM THE FRONT AND REAR!" A soldier shouted.

A few squads changed their formation to take on the new enemies as the kobolds charged them wielding melee weapons. the kobolds on the roofs had been nearly taken care of. The dwarf turned to the front as a group of kobolds ran forwards at Lewis's group. The dwarf gave out a strange shout which made every kobold stop in place. It was like they had been stunned by the dwarf's shout.

The soldiers saw this and took the opportunity to shoot at the stunned kobolds, while the dwarf and shield gnome charged the stunned kobolds in front of them. The dwarf swung his sword into a kobold from the right and sliced into the creature. The gnome also stabbed kobold next to the dwarf. The kobolds soon were able to move again, and they all changed their target to the dwarf.

The soldiers saw the kobolds running to the dwarf and began to fire at the distracted kobolds. Soon the only kobolds that were left were in combat with the dwarf and gnome. the soldiers watched as they witnessed the fight. The dwarf bashed one of the kobolds with his shield, making it stumble backwards slightly as the crossbow gnome entered the fray with his sword, finishing the kobold with a horizontal slice into the chest. The shield gnome was shielding himself from a swing as the kobold's weapon eventually got stuck in the gnome's wooden shield. The gnome took one step forwards and stabbed his sword into the side of the kobold making it cry out as its blood began to flow down the gnome's blade.

The sound of a clang was also heard as the crossbow gnome deflected an axe. The dwarf made a grunt as a kobold stabbed its spear forwards and another kobold swung its sword. Both of the kobold's attacks landed on the dwarf's shield. Lewis did not wait and ran over picking up a spear from a dead kobold and thrusting the tip of the spear into a kobold who was trying to go around the shield group. The kobold screeched as it yelled in its language. the kobolds stopped in their tracks and tried to run away but were gunned down by the soldiers.

The dwarf and gnome began to pant slightly as they were physically exhausted from the skirmish. The soldiers handed them some of their water which was guzzled down quickly. The gnomes and dwarf gave the soldiers a simple thumbs up. The three of them began to clean their blades of blood using a towel they took from the apartment building. Lewis was approached by the captain shortly after the fight.

"What have they experienced in order to fight like that?" Edwards asked. captain Edwards then looked at the three of them. Lewis looked at them and then responded "I have no clue." Lewis replied. The captain nodded to Lewis's response and left to check on his soldiers.

Lewis began to think to himself as the Captain left. "I feel bad for lying to the soldiers but I don't want to give away too much information. From what the book said the gnome race was involved in some sort of war, so it makes sense they know how to fight." Lewis began to remember the way they come out of the portal. "They come out as if they have been. . ." Lewis quickly discarded his next thoughts and walked over to the three.

Luckily no solder was killed from the looks of it. However, it seems a few soldiers were grazed by the arrow making cuts in their uniforms. The group waited for Lewis's group to finish wiping the blood off of their gear before the group began to move. The group now knew to watch everything including the roofs as the kobolds will use anything to their advantage.

The group arrived in the middle of the suburban area and saw a large pile of dead kobolds, each one having bullet holes in their bodies. The group came to a halt as they scanned the windows of the houses and soon they spotted a few houses having windows shattered on the second story.

The soldiers took a defensive formation as the squad leaders met with Lewis."We are thinking of checking out the houses over there for the possibility of survivors still being there. While the worst-case scenario is they are all dead. Well, we are going to take any ammo they were unable to use." The second lieutenant who spoke did not look happy with what he had just said.

Lewis looked at the dwarf and gnome who were looking around until they noticed Lewis's gaze. "Alright that sounds good who are you sending?" Lewis asked and the soldier responded quickly, "you and your group with 2 other soldiers" Lewis's head went back in disbelief. "Why my group?" the soldier then replied, "you and your group are far better for this and we are having our teams enter other buildings. You will be entering the middle building with the most damage." Lewis knew that his group can take care of themselves in battle but he felt uneasy for some reason. Lewis nodded as he did not want to waste any more time.

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The soldiers formed defensive positions at the beginning of the street while small teams of five entered five buildings that had signs of struggle. Lewi's group consisted of two soldiers and his original group. the group of six walked up to the door which had been busted into and they got prepared, the two soldiers stood on the side of the doorway as the dwarf went in the middle shield raised. The gnomes took position behind the dwarf. The soldiers began to shout. "This the united states army if you are inside make yourself known!" The same phrase was heard at the other houses as well. There was no response to the shouts. Before the group entered one of the other houses had gotten an answer and a family came out. two Adults and a teenager who were all holding a firearm. The three were followed by two smaller kids which stood behind the two adults making it easy to tell they were the parents. The kids were clearly scared.

The family was brought back to the main force. The captain met the parents and began to speak to them, Lewis soon turned back to his group as every team said the same phrase "We are coming in if you are inside make yourself known!" The teams all entered their buildings. Lewis focused as they also entered their assigned house.

The group began to go through the building calling out the same word "Clear!" as they check every room. The gnomes and dwarf had their swords ready as they too looked in every room saying something in their own language. The house was a mess, furniture was moved around and items were scattered on the ground. The lights were on in some rooms. The first floor was empty which made the group on edge even more. Lewis and his group arrived at the stairs where they saw the body of a kobold filled with bullet holes. While the top of the stairs was blocked by a table that faced towards them.

The dwarf went first followed by the soldiers who were crouching slightly to use the shield of the dwarf as cover. They held their rifles pointing at the barricade. They arrived at the table and the dwarf moved the table out of the way while the soldiers looked down the two hallways. The dwarf looked into one room before whispering the same phrase in the unknown language which Lewis and the soldiers took for his way of saying it was clear.

The soldiers and Lewis found more kobold bodies in front of a door that was closed shut and locked. "This is the united states army is there anyone inside?" a soldier called out. The sound of muffled whispers where heard. Soon the sound of furniture being moved was also audible. The soldiers stepped back taking aim at the door while the dwarf stood in the middle with the shield gnome.

The door opened slightly and stopped before a sigh was heard from the door "thank god it's actually the military." A male voice said, "do you have any weapons?" A soldier asked the voice which replied with a "yes," and a pistol was dropped outside of the door before opening it all the way. The door revealed a man and woman with a small child who looked no more than 8 years old, the soldiers took the dropped handgun. The group[ brought the family outside where there were now a total of three families who were standing in a group. The captain spoke to the two soldiers as Lewis and his group were told to go into a house where a team went inside but has not come back yet.

Before Lewis could deny it the soldier walked away to speak to another squad. Lewis sighed as he waved his group without the two soldiers as they had been told to do something else. Lewis began to walk over to the house with his original group.

Lewis quickly went inside the building and came to a hallway where they saw the first group of soldiers laying motionless against the wall each one having an arrow sticking out of their helmets the soldier's expressions were that of surprise. Lewis turned to the open door about to yell to the main force.

Lewis was only able to open his mouth as an arrow suddenly pierced into his leg. Luckily for Lewis, the pain from the arrow hitting his leg was able to make him scream. The sudden sound of a scream echoed throughout the neighborhood as the nearby teams quickly ran over to respond to the scream.

"GET OVER THERE QUICKLY!" a soldier shouted from outside. The dwarf moved to block the hallway with his shield in front as the group had finally seen their attackers. Three kobolds ducked in and out of doorways firing arrows as two other kobolds held shields blocking the dwarf from advancing. Lewis turned his body over to his back and the sound of the arrow snapping in half was heard. Lewis let out another scream of pain as he felt the arrow dig deeper into his leg. The two gnomes went over to Lewis and began to drag him back to the door slowly.

Lewis was surprised as the gnomes were able to drag him even though they were smaller than Lewis. The thought was cut off as the pain returned.

The dwarf took a couple of steps backwards as he deflected the kobolds attacks. These Kobolds were laughing at Lewis's group as they continued their attacks. A kobold jumped upwards and fired another arrow which made it past the dwarf and struck Lewis in the left leg once more this time in the front of the leg. Lewis fumbled for his pistol before firing at the kobolds. One Kobold was unlucky as it stepped into the inaccurate bullets. The gnomes made it to the front door leaving behind a long trail of blood. A group of soldiers moved Lewis onto the grass of the front yard as they called out for a medic. The dwarf made his exit shortly afterward. Two soldiers ran to the front of the house and threw grenades through the doorway before firing their rifles into the house.

A medic ran over to Lewis but before he could get to him the first gnome ripped out the arrow that was sticking out of Lewis's leg. The shield gnome held his arrow wound with a towel that they had. Then rolled lewis over to his stomach and removed the snapped arrow parts before wrapping the towel around his whole leg. The medic arrived and changed the towels out for proper medical bandages.

Lewis passed out at the shock of the arrows being ripped out. Lewis could only think of how bad his luck is before blacking out.

The gnomes looked to the medic in concern as the medic replied "he will live. However, he will need to take it easy on his left leg." The gnomes sighed before turning to the destroyed house as it began to catch fire. The two soldiers holstered their rifles before lifting Lewis. The gnomes and the dwarf followed.

"Captain what now?" A first lieutenant asked, "we continue forwards we can't go back now." He paused as he looked at Lewis. "Inform the civilians what we are doing and tell them to carry Lewis, we need all able soldiers prepared for combat."

The group continued on the path to the bridge. While Lewis was unconscious the main force only stopped for small skirmishes which did not last long. Lewis eventually gained consciousness and he saw they were already crossing the bridge which was filled with abandoned or destroyed vehicles. Bodies of both races littered the bridge. Lewis lifted his head as he spoke to the man who was carrying him, "could you let me down?" the man paused as he spoke, "ah your awake that's good be careful on your leg you are still recovering." Lewis nodded.

Lewis took a step and the pain came back but it was not as painful as he placed all the pressure on his good leg. Lewis looked to his group and they gave him a nod and a look of concern at seeing Lewis walking. Word had been passed on to the captain that Lewis had awakened and was soon joined by a squad leader. The squad leader informed Lewis of what had occurred while he was out. Lewis learned that they only lost the 5 soldiers back at the house so far and that they were at the end of the bridge. the armory was just a bit further.

Lewis nodded as the group took a break for the civilians so they can regain their strength before they left the cover of the bridge. after a 20-minute break, they began to move once more. It was the same scene across the bridge.

The other side was just as bad with bodies and debris. this was expected though and after another 30 minutes of walking the national guard armory came to view, it was just a few buildings and a wire fence around the perimeter. sure enough, the area was in a bad state with an armed Humvee. The body of the gunner was motionless face down against the mounted machine gun. The other soldiers were spread about the area all motionless. mixed with the dead soldiers were civilians who were trying to flee or took up arms to help the soldiers.

The families covered their children's eyes as they spotted the bodies. One sight stood out to Lewis and that was seeing the bodies of the group that had left his apartment. Lewis felt sick as the bodies had not just wound marks from kobold weapons but also bullet holes.

The group frowned as they saw the bloody scene. There were at least a couple dozen of dead kobolds. The main doors to the buildings were all blown up by the magic-wielding kobolds or so they hoped it was them. The soldiers split into teams of 5 once more with the main group staying with the civilians. Lewis once again walked to the building but was stopped by the soldiers and even his group gave Lewis a look of disapproval. Lewis and his group watched as the soldiers enter the buildings.

The sound of gunfire was heard and grew quiet as the sound of engines was soon heard. Soon enough a few transport trucks came around the buildings. There were seven transport trucks and two Humvees with mounted 50s. They came to a halt on the road before the group. One of the soldiers talked to Edward and soon shouted "LOAD UP!" Everyone began to get on the back of the trucks while the civilians mainly got in the back of the center trucks. The soldiers got in the other four trucks. The vehicles were crowded and Lewis stood and watched before Edwards called out to Lewis.

"hurry up and get in!" Lewis looked to his left bandaged leg before looking to the captain and responding. "I can't come with you." Before the Captain could respond lewis looked to the gnomes and dwarf giving them a smile. the Captain realized what Lewis was implying.

"You can take them with us. All of us here can tell others that they are not bad we can--" Lewis stopped the captain in his track as he spoke. "It's alright captain. . ." The soldiers and the captain all knew Lewis would not change his mind and they simply gave him a wave before leaving.

As the main force left Lewis felt like an idiot for not going with them but at the same time, he knew he could not risk going with them. What would happen if the government used Lewis as a tool for war or used his three companions as test subjects? Sure you only see that in movies but there is still a chance. If anything they may just Blame Lewis as the cause of this.

Lewis soon got out of his thoughts as his companions had looks of surprise as if they were calling him a reckless moron for not going with them. "You can look at me like that all you want but it won't change anything," Lewis said with a chuckle before limping his way to the armory building to look at what was left behind.

After looking through the building he discovered there was nothing left behind. It seemed the main group took anything that was left there leaving Lewis with nothing. All that they left was the Humvee that had the dead gunner.

Lewis opened the door and saw the keys were still inside and the car was turned off. He opened the back door and dragged the dead gunner out of the Humvee taking the soldier's sidearm that the main group had missed. He placed his new M17 into his holster. He removed his G19 and placed it on the Humvee's dashboard before lifting a small ammo case to where the gunner spot is. Lewis turned the ammo case to the side and pointed to the dwarf and then to the position.

The dwarf climbed into the gunner position and looked at Lewis confused. "You should be able to see now right?" The dwarf looked ahead and gave Lewis a nod. "Good you are the gunner you see that there" Lewis pointed to the trigger of the mounted M2 and began to tell the dwarf how to shoot. "You pull the trigger and the gun will begin to fire. To reload you lift this." Lewis said climbing onto the Humvee.

"you lift this. . . You take these and place them here. . . Then you pull this and if it doesn't fire do this . . ." Lewis went on teaching the dwarf and the watching gnomes how to operate the M2 and not long afterward the three of them gave him a thumbs up. The dwarf gave Lewis a look of excitement as he knew what the dwarf wanted to do and so Lewis gave him a nod.

Lewis got down as the sound of the M2 rang out as a burst of high-caliber rounds shot out and into a nearby building. The gnomes fell back and the dwarf immediately stopped firing the machine gun. The three of them looked at Lewis who was now laughing while covering his ears. "So now you know how to shoot, let's get going before someone or something shows up," Lewis said and began to climb into the driver's seat.

The gnomes also got in the back and the dwarf looked at the two of them with a smug look saying "haha I get to shoot the thing that goes boom."

Lewis started the Humvee and began to drive to the outskirts of the city until they were completely out of the city called Hulstern.