+++ Lieutenant Hans Hoffman +++

Nomosian Countryside

November 18, 1538 CE

Well…I suppose a recalibration is in order.

Hans could merely stare blankly at his screens as the HUD booted up. Then, it revealed once again the bright and warm morning outside. It was certainly better than blowing his grey matter whenever he lost.

Ironic. At this rate, my pistol will be awarded the highest frequency rate of killing me.

He simply shook his head and took a deep breath. That was a close battle. They already almost won. But alas, an unexpected element showed up. Well, not exactly unexpected. Hans already deduced the possibility of a second demon being nearby. It was strange though.

Why the Calamity of Recklessness? Why not injustice himself?

It was certainly a major question in Hans’ mind. A weird one too, considering that the “wolf” demon called the Calamity of Injustice was its master. Hell, the Calamity of Recklessness even called that demon “her friend’s dog”, or whatever Hans’ mind remembered. That made him question things more.

Regardless, with this in mind, it’s clear that if we take too long, the Calamity of Recklessness will present herself. Or perhaps, she’s already there from the start. Ready to intervene if the first demon is sufficiently injured.

A reserve.

That certainly was bad for Hans. Unlike the Calamity of Desire and most demons in Ygeia, it might be a possibility now for these demons to present tactical acumen. The ability to band together and fight together. On the tactical level. Thus, he was truly at an impasse.

What if it’s worse too? What if the Calamity of Injustice is also watching nearby?

Now that was beyond worrying. Hans didn’t like that possibility. He’d need everyone in their best for today or tomorrow’s attack. His previous run was a masterclass of professionalism and drill discipline. But that was only possible because Captain Strobel’s men were all well-rested and alert.

He imagined it wouldn’t be that smooth if they would conduct a forced march to Presidio today. Hans wanted to whine about it all. He had too many options to consider, and each one of them somewhat sucked. And he had no time to think this through too much. He wondered then…how bad it would all go this time around.

I need more data. Hans concluded. Except for her nature-based magic, I don’t know much about her. And what’s with her hatred of humanity’s recklessness?

Perhaps, she chose to personify a vengeful soul of nature, Hans thought. And perhaps it made sense. Mankind in Terra didn’t exactly have a good track record of treating nature. But this place was hardly industrialized. His mind was heavily boggled by that contradiction.

Whatever. In that case, we’ll do what humanity does best. Burning the crap out of mother nature.

He grinned. He could still win. They just needed to burn that woman to a crisp. Same with the other demon.

+++

“We need rest,” Captain Strobel adamantly demanded. “Look, the boys are all tired by this long march. We’ve been on this thing for days now. Chasing things. It’s easy for most of us. We got horses. Or machines. But to the footsoldier? He has to march with his boots for hundreds of kilometers.”

“Bad sleep, dwindling rations…fatigue,” Hans mumbled about the problems they were facing. “It’s going to take a toll on drill discipline. And morale. As it stands, we’re marching with a force that might as well be glass should it face a demonic threat.”

“Exactly!” Captain Strobel said, crossing his arms. “We’re not fighting a conventional enemy. Sure, I think the regiment’s fine if we face off common infantry. But a demon? In these conditions? We’ve had enough experience in Ygeia already about how extreme fights with them are.”

“But we need to keep going,” the Viceroy said, frowning. “The people of Nomos are waiting down south for aid. The slower we are, the more of them will die without aid. More cities will fall. More towns will fall. More settlements. More…dead…”

“I’m still up for charging ahead if need be,” Adelyn said, nodding. “I agree with her. If we need to form up into a search-and-destroy force that will charge ahead of the 1st Anti-Demon Unit, then so be it.”

“Search-and-destroy? I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Hans said, shaking his head. “I think we need more time to prepare. It’ll be more catastrophic if this expedition fails after all. Then we won’t be able to help anyone.”

“Yeah, but—” Hans cut the Viceroy’s protests when he countered her.

“Look, we’re not delaying that long. We just need a little bit more time. Take a day or two to reorganize and march slowly onward to the Presidio,” Hans said, leaning forward on the table, and pointing to Presidio on the map. “Because I think that city’s going to be our next field of battle.”

Captain Weibel raised his eyebrows.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Is that so? How do you know that?”

“Call it a gut feeling,” Hans leaned back in his seat. “Presidio is a fairly strategic city. There have also been reported demonic attacks and encounters near it. I think it’s very likely that we’ll either arrive in that city while it’s being destroyed or after an attack.”

“Speculations,” the Viceroy countered.

“Yeah, but what other intel do we have to work with than the reports surrounding the city and its position?” Hans asked. “We have to work cautiously with what we have. Hence why we can’t have the rest of the 1st Anti-Demon Unit arriving there half-assed. If it’s under attack, we need to be able to rush in to save it. If not, we need to be ready to form defensive positions around it.”

“Defensive?” The Viceroy turned even more bothered by that proposal. “Lieutenant, we’re charging ahead as the relief force. We’re not on the defensive. We’re on the offensive.”

“Lady Viviani, I think that you should learn more about the recent defeat you suffered at the hands of that demon,” Hans said, shaking his head. “And don’t take that as an insult, but as a recommendation. You cannot be on the offensive when you’re weaker. That’s simply the truth of things. We can only poke them and bait them to our defenses. But otherwise—we’re always on the defensive.”

+++

That’s why…

Hans and Adelyn were now scouring the countryside ahead of them. Their mechs were driving side-by-side, almost racing on the rough dirt road.

“If we can prepare enough defensive emplacements around Presidio, and scout out for good firing positions, we’ll be doing very well for tomorrow’s battle,” Hans said.

There was a hesitant reply from the other side.

“Are you sure? Quite frankly, how do you even know that Presidio is going to be…”

They soon reached the area where the city was visible on the horizon. Hans held himself from reacting. He could somewhat hear the slightly shocked gasp that came from Adelyn. In the distance, the city was freshly destroyed. Smoke and such were still rising from it.

“As I was saying—”

“Lieutenant, look! There are two strange creatures there. One of them is humanoid and flying. T-they’re demons. They attacked the city! We need to intervene now!”

“No, we’re pulling out,” Hans said. “Again, as I was saying, I already expected this. And no, we cannot save anyone in that city anymore.”

“But Hans!” Adelyn shouted, almost a bit triggered. “There could be innocents still inside. What are you even saying?”

“And they’re about to die. All of them. Or dead. Do you want to risk ourselves for a few dozen survivors, that might not even be out there? Nope? Good,” Hans sighed, as he heard Adelyn huff. “We won’t.”

“...”

“What we are focusing on however is in controlling this situation for our attack. Now, we’ve confirmed the location of not one, but two demons. But we still don't have enough thought forces. And we are simply the vanguard party. But that’s what scouting is for. We’re just here to scout.”

“What’s your plan then?”

“I need you to return to our columns and notify Captain Strobel about this. I think he’ll have an idea or two about how to march and protect our forces from two demons anyway while moving here. I need you to guide them here too. But do not make them rush. And do not create panic amongst the ranks.”

“And you?”

“I’m staying here,” Hans declared. “I’ll try to gather more intel about these bastards. Most importantly, I’m going to abuse my superior sensors to keep watch. Should they catch me, I believe my speed will be enough to retreat and withdraw.”

“That’s too risky. You know that. We already struggled with one, and that’s with me and an entire army, and Alizée having your back. Hans…this might kill you if you do this.”

“Risk is a part of warfare, Captain,” Hans replied. “I think you know that well already. Regardless, trust me. I’ll do my best to not die. I won’t leave you alone in this dreary world. You have my promise to count on that one. So just do what I asked for. I’ll do my job.”

“...You always risk yourself too much. For us.”

“Meh,” Hans shook his head. “I think I’m simply assuring a smooth win. And a smooth win is a win for me as well. Now move.”

+++

So there really are two of them.

Hans was now silently observing from a distance the activity of the two demons. They seemed to have returned to the city for a second attack. This time around, he could see beams being fired inside the city as it burned. Meanwhile, outside, it seemed that the Calamity of Recklessness was playing around.

She was chasing civilians who managed to escape. Like those on foot or wagons. And with these gigantic monsters made out of vines, she sliced and murdered them by the hundreds. But Hans only watched. And watched. Until Presidio was completely reduced to nothing.

By the time it had ended, it was already noon. He tried shadowing the Calamity of Recklessness, but it was difficult. Unfortunately, much of the terrain around the city was flat and open. Moving thus was too much of a difficult proposition. And so, he elected to simply continue watching from the treelines and bushes.

Not moving. Not even an inch. Even his turret was barely moving. So much so that he soon lost contact. The two demons seemed to have left. Both disappeared in the woods south of the city. He remained still again for a few more hours, silently observing. Until he felt confident enough to drive out.

Alright, I need to at least confirm that the area around the city is cleared.

He scoured the outskirts and surrounding areas of the city carefully. He needed to ensure that his enemies were at least temporarily gone. After all, they needed to build up defenses for defensive operations here. Hans found it a bit satisfying. On the north side of the city, there were two slight elevations to position their artillery.

It overlooked the flat fields that surrounded the city. Alongside that were the hedgerows that dotted the northeastern and northwestern sides of the city. All directly facing the even flatter southern part. Hans liked it. He could get Captain Strobel to position concealed ambush sites with his musketeers and battle mages.

By the time Hans was done surveying the area, he had already identified some good positions. More importantly, as he had expected, the two demons were temporarily gone.

Unless we chase or hunt them immediately, they shouldn’t be drawn back here immediately. He nodded to himself, as he parked his mech on the side of one of the abandoned houses. This should be good. If this attempt fails, I can just recalibrate it a little bit more.

Fear…it still coursed to him. But he already had a promise to uphold to Adelyn and Alizée.

Everything will be fine. That’s the only story they’ll know.