(Part Two)
Castle Hark
As the streets of the city were filled with chaos from the retreating Lourian conscripts, the sounds of a whirring NH90 above was barely a distraction for the hastily-trained men.
The helicopter circled around the vicinity of the castle as they could spot guards on the ground, "We can confirm multiple enemy forces by the castle doors. Engaging with suppressing fire," one special forces soldier said. The door of the helicopter slid open and with an aim of the door gun, he opened fired.
The guards below succumbed to the bullets of the on-board machine gun as their armours were no match. The front of the castle was filled with corpses and with that, another spoke, "Infiltration point is clear, make the drop, go go!"
Soon the ropes were dropped and one by one, soldiers from the NH90 grappled down to the courtyard of the castle.
...
Rand stood quietly and patiently at the Grand Pillared Room of the castle. Even through the thick stone of the castle, he could hear gunshots from outside. The same sounds he heard while he watched what happened on the battlefield. He quietly drank a cup of wine in his hand as he knew it could be his last. With the immense power of Italy, he reckoned he could use his wits.
Rand then perked up as he could see two maids panicking on what to do. With a whistle, he called out, "Hey, you two, come here,"
The two maids looked back to see Rand. With his reputation, they did not dare go against his orders as once they went to him, one spoke, "Y-yes sir?"
Rand then placed his hands on the maids' shoulders, "I will be giving you the order of the lifetime... So you better listen carefully,"
...
"Castle gardens, clear!"
"Entrance room, clear!"
"Grand dining room, clear!"
As more special forces got into the castle, every corner was checked, and every stone turned over. One squad reached a drawing room within the castle while the Royal Guards who attempted to ambush them were shredded to pieces from their bullets as one soldier spoke, "Drawing room, clear!"
"Alright let's head upstairs. Up there should be the throne room," Corporal Giorgio said as they started to rush up the grand staircase. With their rifles still aimed at any potential threat, they suddenly stopped to see two women. They both stood shakily, both with tears in their eyes.
"We have civilians in the castle. Stay cautious," Giorgio advised before he called out, "Come on now, we won't hurt you."
A maid tried stepping forward only to stop as she tensed up. A slow clapping sound resonated through the halls as Rand stepped forward.
The corporal eyed him intently. He kept his rifle aimed now once more as Rand stood behind the two maids, his hands on their shoulders.
"Finally," Rand began, "you must be the nation of Italy that has given us so much trouble."
Giorgio barked his orders, "We got no time for your villain monologue bullcrap, where is the king!?" he demanded as he kept his gun aimed at Rand's forehead.
"That is a question I will not answer. But I do have a question for you, sir," Rand said as he then held the maids close together who both whimpered while he smirked, "You kept your sights on our military and not the people. You did not take advantage of any women on the field. You must be... chivalrous."
"I am not asking again! Is the king behind that door!?" The corporal demanded once more.
Suddenly Rand raised two knives as he kept them against the necks of the maid. With a smirk, he spoke, "I am not answering that, sir. Try one move, and the gods will take these two ladies souls."
Giorgio looked behind to his soldiers. With a simple nod, he looked back to Rand.
"What will it—"
With one clean shot, a bullet passed through Rand's head as he fell back towards the ground, "Get over here now!!" Giorgio demanded as the maids ran towards them.
Suddenly the Royal Guards came in full swing. They popped up from behind the walls and pillars as Giorgio yelled, "Open fire!!"
The entire room was lit up by flashes of light as the heavy noises of bullets caused the maids to cower in fear, hands on their ears while they hid behind the soldiers. Despite the guards trying their best to swing their swords and protect themselves with their shields, the bullets penetrated their armour with no resistance. Quickly and easily, the guards were dispatched of as they all laid on the ground dead or dying.
"Advance to the throne room, now!" Giorgio ordered as his men went ahead to the door. With one kick, the doors flew open only to see the throne room empty. "Target is not in the throne room,"
Giorgio then looked back. A guard laid against the pillar with a bloodied abdomen as the corporal then forced the helmet off him and spoke in a demanding tone, "You have two choices here. You either die without seeing your family or you answer my question and we help you live. Where. Is. The. King?"
The guard had a look of defiance at first before he soon broke down as he pointed to a nearby wall. It was open much like a hidden door as the guard muttered, "D-dungeon..."
Giorgio then lets go of the guard. With them hearing the gunshot, another squadron arrived to investigate the commotion before Giorgio spoke, "Get this man healed, pronto. Men, let's head down," he ordered.
The squad then eyed the hidden wall and with their flashlights now turned on, they started to descend the stairs.
...
Hark could hear the oncoming footsteps as he quickly stood up. They were not the sounds of metal boots but of something else. He stepped back in fear, "This can't be... they've defeated my men?" He asked himself before he yelled on the verge of insanity, "I am the King of Kings, the Great Unifier of Rodenius!! The future King of a Superpower!!!"
As multiple lights shined onto him, Hark stood there, devastated as he spoke weakly, "But that was just a dream, was it...?"
Giorgio approached as he quickly held Hark against the wall, "Hark Louria the 34th, on behalf of the Principality of Qua-Toyne, you're under arrest!"
"Target has been secured, repeat target has been secured!"
...
Back in Rome, the meeting room of the Ministry of Defence then erupted in celebration. Giovanni couldn't believe it. He quickly stood up as he spoke, baffled, "W-wait, is that it? The war's finished?"
As he left from a handshake, Silvio then looked back with a little grin as he spoke, "We're almost there, prime minister. The most important thing is we've arrested Hark. Congratulations to us." He said as he shook Giovanni's hand who stood there, baffled.
...
As Giorgio watched his men take Hark away, he suddenly looked to the side as he could hear a whimper. With a cautious aim, Giorgio shined his flashlight into a cell. Nothing but skeletons, but there was someone else as Giorgio went wide eyed.
It was a young woman dressed in nothing but rags. Her hair was long and disheveled. Her body was on the verge of malnourished as she was chained to a wall. Giorgio then yelled, "Men! Find the keys, we have a civilian in a cell!"
Hark looked back as he was being brought upstairs. Wide eyed, he realised what was happening as he yelled, "DON'T YOU DARE LET HER GO! SHE DOES NOT DESERVE THE THRONE, LET HER DIE!"
"Move on, bastard!" One soldier yelled as he pushed Hark upstairs who continued to yell and ramble.
Giorgio went wide eyed. Was this the king's daughter? Or maybe sister? A soldier then approached and quickly unlocked the cell door as he opened it up. Giorgio carefully approached her as he gently shook her, "Miss? Are you okay?"
It took a while but eventually the woman looked up. She then went wide eyed as she shakily whimpered while she backed herself up against the wall as she shook her head, "P-please no! Don't touch me!"
"No wait it's okay! It's okay," Giorgio said as he gently spoke. "It's okay, you're safe now. We're gonna free you, miss."
"Free... me?" She shakily asked.
Giorgio nodded, "What's your name, miss?" He gently asked as another soldier started to remove the chains on her.
"... Hania Louria."
"Okay miss Louria... we're gonna get you out of here. We'll have you clothed, treated, and fed. Okay? Just please trust us," Giorgio said.
Despite his terrifying looking outfit, Hania looked to Giorgio as she could see that he was being honest. With a simple nod, Giorgio then gently carried Hania in his arms as he walked out of the cell with her, and the soldier.
She was finally free.
——————————————————
Outskirts of Lean Nou Forest
The panic for Tommaso soon dissipated as Dante, Meena, and Wol walked through the forest. It was a strenuous four hour journey. Having to carry an unconscious man through thickly, wooded forest took a toll on the three. But the trees started to thin and eventually they were now seeing the vast fields of western Qua-Toyne.
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Dante carried Tommaso along with Wol. Eventually once they got out of the forest, Wol gently sets Tommaso down along with Dante as the elf huffed, "Here it is. This is the furthest we're willing to take you."
Meera nodded, "We would help you bring him to your people, but we have a sworn duty to make sure our forest is safe... We have to head back to Parun and Asha as well," she said.
Dante simply nodded. He looked to Tommaso who looked like he was sleeping soundly as if he didn't suddenly faint. Before long, Dante spoke, "Thank you so much..."
Wol nodded before he looked ahead towards Gim. However he then had a surprised look as he pointed, "Hey, look! The Lourian banners are gone, Qua-Toyne must've taken Gim back."
"That was quick," Meera said in surprise, "Last I heard they were about to reach the capital... It seems like your presence must've helped heavily, no?" She said before she turned to Dante.
"Ah, it was a joint effort..." Dante said sheepishly. With that he gently picked Tommaso up. He let the poor guy hang over his shoulder as he held him like a sack of potatoes. Not the most comfortable for either of them, but definitely the most efficient. "Thank you guys." He said before he walked off to head to base. He could only hope someone would spot them.
Meena and Wol waved at Dante who waved back before he continued on. The two elves stood there for a moment as they watched Dante walk further into the fields before Meera looked to her fellow elf, "I guess with Gim liberated... we should go tell the kids that they can go home, right?"
Wol nodded, "Let's let them stay for a few more days. After that, we can let them go to town just so we can be sure their father would return."
Meena nodded. With that, they both started to make their way back to their cabin.
Dante continued on walking through the grass for a good while. He huffed and panted as he carried Tommaso the best he could before he looked up. A helicopter was circling around. Soon after he looked back to see that multiple were circling the forest and yet somehow he wasn't able hear them.
Dante contemplated the power of the forest for a good while before he gently set Tommaso down. He started to wave towards the helicopter and before long, they were spotted as it started to head towards them.
Dante sighed in relief as he sat on the grass. He looked to Tommaso as he gently nudged him, "We'll be okay, buddy..."
——————————————————
Maihark Castle
"... In just a day, the Italian forces have managed to decimate Louria's army, captured their most prominent men, and even managed to arrest Hark himself. Qua-Toynian soldiers meanwhile managed to make sure our cities were empty of Lourian forces and were there to help with aid efforts. Soon after that an emergency government under Maus immediately sued for peace. For now we're drafting up the reparations they'll have to pay but... safe to say, the war is over," Hanki said with a deep sigh. The room was filled with absolute relief from the news.
"That's just... fantastic!" Kanata said with a bright smile before he turned to Guiseppe who simply smiled to them, "Thank you so much, general... Qua-Toyne is forever in debt to your nation."
Guiseppe nodded, "It was just the right thing to do, prime minister. Last I heard, we are now making efforts to make sure that your people will safely get home across the Rodenius Sea. Hark is under our custody but we will surrender him for your trials."
Hanki scoffed, "I say we hang him, he's too dangerous to be just walking around in a cell," he said with an angered grumbled.
"What that king did was nothing short of atrocious," Haluta said before he sighed, "But for now, we'll have to give him a fair trial. I refuse for us to sink into the same values as he has."
Kanata nodded, "Good choice, your highness. Well, now that things have calmed down... I'll be heading to Italy then with a delegation to discuss Qua-Toyne's recovery. Yes?"
Haluta nodded back, "Indeed, prime minister. But for now, it is time that we announce to the people that war is officially over. General Caruso, may you join me?"
Guiseppe had a look of surprise before he simply stood up, "Well if you insist."
Haluta smiled, "Follow me," he said before he walked out of the room. Guiseppe walked alongside the prince. Despite the silence there was a sense of respect between the two men and while they walked through the halls, Guiseppe could see a crowd gathering somewhere through the window. Haluta took notice and grinned. He then reached a door as he opened it up to reveal a balcony with a plaza below.
The crowd quieted down. He cleared his throat and with a wide smile, yelled, "People of Qua-Toyne, we have defeated Louria and proclaimed peace and victory!"
The crowd then erupted into celebration. Their months long torment was now over. Haluta raised Guisseppe's wrist along with his own fist as he celebrated with tie crowd.
Guisseppe felt a sense of rejuvenation run through his heart. It wasn't often that people showed appreciation for he and his men's work. With a big smile he raised his own fist in celebration.
——————————————————
Palazzo Chigi, 7:43 PM
Giovanni didn't think that he'd already be back in his office so soon. But with the war ending and rebuilding commencing, he had a discussion with his various ministers to assist Louria and Qua-Toyne with their reconstruction.
And with this moment, it was the last order of the day. Silvio sat in his office as he read a comprehensive conclusion to the war, "Louria's armed forces have been reduced to an absolute bare minimum. We estimate that there are only 4,000 men left. Their only real military assets left now are naval assets we missed, airborne wyverns that survived, and soldiers that either survived or didn't receive direct confrontation."
"Absolutely amazing... And to think that our war with them lasted only two days," Giovanni said in astonishment as he sat there to contemplate just how earth-shattering it was.
"If you count our first strike, the entire confrontation only lasted 9 hours. The technological gap is the biggest factor to thank that for," Silvio said.
"They stood no chance... what about on our end? What's the damage?"
"Well, a couple soldiers have been hit with swords and arrows but they since have been treated. Aside from some scraped armour and paint, the only real lost is an AW129 attack helicopter during the siege of Gim. Struck by a trebuchet. Both pilots have been rescued but one remains incapacitated. We have been trying to look for the lost helicopter but to no avail," Silvio said.
"A trebuchet? That guy must've had ridiculously good aim and timing," the prime minister said in amusement.
"I agree. But... there's something else, prime minister," Silvio said in a more serious tone.
Giovanni then had a more nervous look, "What is it?"
Silvio then cleared his throat, "One of the pilots of the AW129 claimed something... major," he said. "They were aided by elves who were guarding some sort of ancient relic. The pilot says that it was a preserved set of Roman Armour from over 10,000 years ago."
Giovanni went wide eyed, "You're joking, right?"
Silvio shook his head. He then pulled up his phone and after he tapped on it, showed a picture of the armour to Giovanni as he looked at it intently, "If it weren't for the images he sent, I would have thought he was mad. But it's clear as day. He also claimed that his gunner passed out when he touched the sword."
"Holy god..." Giovanni said before he looked up, "Then— then this... what could have happened to have a Roman soldier from our world be in this world before us?"
"We're not sure. The pilot said he has an explanation but for now we've decided to let him rest," Silvio said.
"We better get an archaeological team over there to investigate more. This is major," he said, as he rubbed his chin.
"Indeed. It'd be good timing too since you did say you'll send other teams to assess the minerals and oils in Qua-Toyne and Quila," Silvio said.
Giovanni nodded, "Mhm. What about Louria's recovery? How's that going?"
Silvio sat up, "Well so far not much has been done until we can work out a reparations treaty between Louria and Qua-Toyne. But we believe it would likely be a constitutional monarchy now," he said. "Our special forces also said they rescued a woman who could be Hark's daughter. If she is, there are plans to crown her queen just to keep the country stable with a ceremonial figurehead."
"I see. Sort of like Japan after the world war then. I suppose it'd have a minimal military to make sure they don't try anything again?" He asked.
Silvio nodded, "That's the plan. But we heard that there are vassals that are vying for independence so it's a whole can of worms to talk about," he said before he stood up. "But for now that's about it. I'll take my leave now."
Giovanni nodded, "Yes yes. Thank you, Moretti. You and your ministry are heroes," he said. Silvio nodded before he walked out. With that Giovanni took a moment to contemplate. They've only barely managed to convince the public and parliament to intervene. He could only hope it wouldn't happen again.
...
The fire continued to crackle outside an isolated house on a hill. As the night sky glistened with over a million stars, Daenim remembered a better reason why he wanted to be wyvern fighter again. To conquer the skies and feel what's it like to be on top of the world. But that was all gone. And yet it didn't matter.
Daenim looked to the thing he was leaning against on the grass. Saviour laid asleep as both of them were patched up now. With a bandage on Daenim's leg and wet rags on Saviour's burns, the young man could only be relieved that he and his wyvern were okay.
The door then suddenly opened. Daenim then grinned as Saviour woke up, "Oh that smells great, Perim!"
Perim scoffed, "You're lucky I got a surplus of chickens. And that I love you. AND you got hurt in battle. So really, you are very spoiled," she said with a big smile as she carried a big tray of three chickens.
Saviour perked up as he licked his lips. Perim smiled as she gently set two chickens in front of the wyvern before he ate it quickly. Daenim then scooted over for his sister as she sets the chicken down between them. They each grabbed a part as Daenim eyed it. He sighed as he eyed the chicken drumstick. After such a long day, he started to then realise just how much he missed the simpler things before he went to train as a wyvern fighter.
With a simple smile, he took a bite.
...
As Hemloft ate his food in the hospital bed, Bair watched his captain with a bit of concern at how shaky his hand was. He then stood up as he spoke gently, "Captain? Are you okay?"
The man looked to Hemloft. Despite him being so hungry, the captain couldn't bring himself to even take a solitary bite, "I'm not, boy... I just... can't stop thinking about how I failed you all," he said as he sets the spoon down. "If I had just... turned us around, our men wouldn't have died."
Bair frowned in sympathy for Hemloft. He sat back down in his chair and scooted closer to the captain before he spoke, "You really did your best, sir. Even if you told us to turn around, I... don't think the admiral or our other guys would have approved,"
Hemloft nodded, "We got cocky. It was a metal ship and yet we thought we could take it on. But I still feel like... I should have drowned back there. You should have saved yourself, boy."
Bair shook his head, "No sir. You deserve to live just as much as I do. We both did our best despite what happened," he said before he huffed. "Though... I don't think I want to board a boat ever again."
Hemloft then laughed a bit, "Me too, kid... Speaking of, thank you so much for trying to save me. That was much more honourable than whatever all our admirals did combined."
Bair looked up in surprise. But then a smile soon got on his face as he nodded, "You're welcome, captain."
...
Marum stumbled through the quiet streets of Jin-Hark as he used his shield to support himself. The streets were dead silent, and yet the lights in homes remained on. Louria's defeat was evident, and the people were exhausted, confused, and frustrated.
But Marum didn't care. He had one goal in mind and he was soon approaching it. On the outskirts of the city, a single house laid on a field as it too had a glow within its interiors. Marum huffed as he stumbled further. Despite the pain and aching in his body, he pushed through.
Eventually he reached the door and with a shaky knock, Marum waited and waited. Finally the door opened to reveal his beautiful wife who had a look of sadness and then, hope and shock. Marum simply smiled despite the pain, "I'm home..."
The woman shakily broke down as she hugged her dear husband.
...
Meera watched the fireflies circle the strange looking thing in the forest. With a lantern and the fireflies' lights, she read the set of letters on the backside of the strange iron beast as she furrowed her eyebrows. Some of the letters weren't recognisable but it was clear as day. The claims of the Italians being descendants of the War God Emissaries could be true.
Meera then looked back to Wol as he was eating on some leftover pie. After he dusted his hands off and swallowed the last bite, he spoke, "So, what's the prognosis?" He asked as he approached the object.
"It... seems like they are descendants of the War God Emissaries. Look here, same letters as the banner," she said as she pointed to it.
Wol frowned, "Then why do you think they have been summoned again? And in such a very different form? It wasn't just soldiers either but a whole nation."
Meera shrugged, "I'm not sure, Wol. Whatever could be coming must be bigger than Nosgorath... maybe it could be the Ravernal Empire...?"
Wol went wide eyed, "Do you really think so?"
Meera sighed, "I don't know... all I know is that for the War God to summon all this... something terrifying must be coming," she said before she turned to Wol. "But for now... I suppose we shall preserve this. If it is an object of the War God, it is time we make sure to keep it safe."
Wol stood there for a moment as he looked to the side. The thought of something being bigger than a Demon Lord terrified him. And he wasn't easily terrified at all. But for now, he nodded, "Alright, allow me to join then."
Meera smiled. She gently grabbed Wol's hand as the both of them then touched the cold metal of the unmoving iron beast. With chants coming from both of them, the entire object then glowed cyan as the light encompassed it. After their enchantment, both elves stepped back as they watched a mound soon take shape. Eventually, the iron beast was then encompassed in the grass, forever preserved and buried to be protected.