There was silence following his words, Erwin was likely the only human alive on Agleon to have such an experience for while the Alliance had been “at war” with the orcs, they were not embroiled in it. The citizens mostly knew peace on their floating cities while the guerrilla forces of the Alliance led small raids on orcish clans, these attacks mostly just an annoyance to the orcs. It was only with the arrival of Erwin, a man who had been raised for war, that the Alliance’s offensive was truly born.

With his knowledge and weapons of another world, he was a beacon of hope for the Alliance, under him they could rally under to fight for their home. And now, these four youngsters, not one of them older than thirty, were face to face with this hope. They had doubts at first, but his last words just proved that he was indeed what the Alliance needed, a master of war.

The boy asked, “Does it suck, having to help us when we are so weak?”

Erwin looked at him and said, “I’ve spent many battles on the weaker side, it’s nothing new to me. As for whether it sucks, it does, it’s never easy to fight on the weak side. But when you win with the weak side, it just makes victory taste that much better.”

Curious, another asked a question, the female elf.

“Were your people weak?”

Erwin asked for clarification, “Do you mean my nation?”

The elf nodded and Erwin thought about how to answer, finally saying, “Well, if a nation isn’t powerful, then how could it force more than half the world to fight against it? However, my nation did lose the last World War and it looked as if we’d lose the second. But, I died before I could see its end.”

This time, the boy asked, “How did you die?”

Erwin remained silent, his face darkening.

Finally, he said, “I think that’s a story for another time. You all should get some rest, I’ll take first watch.”

As Erwin stood, clambering on top of his tank, the boy was swatted over the head by Jormund, Jormund hissing, “Don’t you have any sense Valder?”

Valder rubbed his head, whispering back, “What, I was curious!”

The other two members chuckled watching this, directing several curious gazes to Erwin’s silhouette before retiring for the night. Jormund too looked at Erwin before making himself comfortable for the night, Valder staring longer than most at Erwin. After all, Valder was a boy who was at the cusp of manhood, a boy who was enthralled by tales of battle, war, and bravery. As such, Erwin was sort of an idol to him, a man who made tales of battle, war, and bravery.

But even Valder went to sleep, leaving only Erwin awake in that dark night, with only his thoughts to accompany him. Once more, the ghosts of guilt came to haunt him but this time, their voices were not so loud, not so harsh. No longer did he pursue the orc that was responsible for his failure, he had a new goal in mind. This new goal allowed him to focus on something other than his guilt, something to work for. Work is often the best way to keep one’s mind off of things and it proved correct in Erwin’s case. With a shift in his goals, the voices no longer had so great a power, no longer would they be his primary driving force.

This he told the voices, that while he has not forgotten them, he couldn’t accomplish their revenge, the living held more precedent. The voices ceased their howling when Erwin spoke, for he had spoken with grim determination. He was utterly focused on the success of this mission, a mission which could save the Alliance and many lives. In the face of such a determined man, the voices fell to silence and for the first time, Erwin once more knew what it was to be in silence.

When his watch ended, he passed it onto Jormand, slightly hesitant to sleep, would the voices come back? Were they waiting for him in his dreams? But he pushed such fears aside, a semblance of his old self rising. He hardened his heart, lied down, and closed his eyes, better to meet them face to face than stay awake in an attempt to run. But when his consciousness began to drift, the voices did not come and Erwin slept peacefully for the first time in years.

He woke the next day, refreshed and full of energy, the four seeing the change in him. They weren’t sure what had happened but they were glad that he seemed to be better. Because of his healthier state, Erwin began to busy himself a lot more with things, mostly him teaching the group of four about the behaviors of orcs. They needed the information if they were to infiltrate an orcish city. Over the next three days, when they rode ceaselessly through the forest, Erwin described how orcs were a simple and brutish race, that killing was the easiest and best way to solve problems.

He also had them tell him about the details of their disguise, for he needed to know what they had to work with before he could advise them. He was rather amazed to hear that the disguise actually transformed the flesh, a scroll which had the spell grafted onto its paper, allowing the target of the magic to be turned into a real orc with all the muscle and power. Of course, such a thing was not cheap, the Alliance had to sacrifice an ancient magic tome, a relic that they unwillingly parted with.

This would make things much easier, for they would be better able to enact orcish behaviors, such as a variety of grunts, small movements, and the ferocious way they fought one another. Jormand listened closely as he would be the one changing into an orc and much to the amusement of others, Erwin had him practice walking around and acting as an orc, appearing rather foolish.

But Erwin insisted that he practice, he needed to act naturally as an orc otherwise he may be seen as weak and therefore challenged. Since the other three would be acting as his slaves, he needed to appear strong so that other orcs didn’t challenge him for the slaves. Bluffing was surprisingly effective in orcish society, so deeply ingrained is their respect for power. Of course, this backfires sometimes, for it would mean that stronger orcs would challenge the bluffer but with the distraction that Erwin would be causing, he hoped that this wouldn’t be a factor.

The others weren’t free from his lessons either, he began to prepare them to act as proper slaves, with their heads bowed down, listless motions, and above all, to react instantly to commands. This, in turn, got Jormand to laugh as he began to order them to do rather ridiculous things, although he quickly stopped when Erwin gave him a look. In this way, the four were trained for their mission. The training continued when they passed into orcish territory on the fourth day, although far quieter, Erwin didn’t want to attract the attention of orcs during the evening.

As for the tank, as loud as it was, it could easily destroy or outrun any orcish party it stumbled upon. But, Erwin preferred not to, for the sounds of cannon fire would definitely attract attention. But his worries were for naught, the map and the route the Librarian provided almost guaranteed safe passage if they followed it perfectly. But then again, nothing is absolute in the mortal world, they could still encounter trouble.

Deeper and deeper into orcish territory they journeyed, farther than even Erwin had explored. They were likely the first free humans and elves to walk this land since the time before the Calamity. Three more days passed until they had an encounter with orcs, a small orcish raiding party that was on their way to raid another clan. And these orcs weren’t afraid of the Metal Beast, they had heard tales sure but orcs were the type who saw to believe, and since they didn’t see the power of the Metal Beast, they did not believe.

On that day, Erwin showed them the might of the Metal Beast, with the thunder of cannon and the machine gun fire. Within minutes, the orcish company was gone, all sixty orcs lying on the ground dead. And during it all, the four passengers watched on in awe and fear at the power Erwin commanded, their ears still ringing with the sounds of thunder and raucous gunfire. Not one to waste things, Erwin took as much of the rough iron armor and weapons as he could, just in case if he needed them for repairs and also to bring it back to fuel the war effort.

It was better that these went to be reforged for humans to use than for it to fall into another orc’s hands. Not that taking them did much at all, the orcs still had so much more iron arms at their disposal. It was then that he was struck with the enormity of his task, in order to save the Alliance, to save humanity, he would have to fight against the entire world. A world of orcs whose population numbered in the billions and the majority of which were all combat ready.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He was reminded of his past, of fighting an unwinnable war. He hadn’t been there to witness the fall of Germany but he was sure that it did, the Russian Offensive had failed and the Allies amassed near France... there was no hope for victory. The Führer, for all that he had done for the good of Germany, would ultimately fail. And perhaps Erwin might fail here, but before he did, he was going to do his utmost. He had already given up on one home, he wasn’t going to do the same again.

As Erwin sat there, lost in thought, he was brought back by Jormand who asked, “Is everything alright?”

Erwin nodded slowly.

“Yes... I was just lost in thought.”

Valder then asked, “Were you thinking about your home?”

Jormand gave Valder another smack, about to reprimand him when Erwin held up a hand, saying, “Well, I might as well satisfy his curiosity right now or else he’d keep asking me.”

Turning to Valder, he nodded.

“Yes, I was thinking about my home.”

Valder asked, “What’s it like?”

Erwin smiled with nostalgia, lifting his eyes to the sky.

“Heidenheim, the place of my birth. It was a beautiful place, of soft rolling hills with lush meadows bordered by forest. Then there was Berlin, the capital of my nation, a monument of man’s cities, perhaps to be the greatest as the Führer had new designs for the city, ones that would’ve made it a marvel of the world.”

Valder asked, “Did it become a marvel?”

Erwin’s face became pained as he lowered his gaze.

“No, the war came and ravaged my nation, leaving only burned ruins and scorched earth. The people suffered and the war seemed lost... but what else could we have done? We were only one nation against the world.”

“Against the world?” Valder spoke with fascinated eyes.

Erwin nodded.

“For we had lost the first World War and as such, my people were humiliated and forced into debt by the Allies. Then the Führer came, Adolf Hitler. He promised Germany a greater future and took our fallen nation and stood it back on its feet. The economy flourished under his rule and Germany once more became a nation to be reckoned with. At first, the war was with us, our armies blitzkrieged nations and we conquered them with ease, one nation even fell within eighteen days. But, we were not fast enough. The enemy managed to prepare their armies and when Germany’s momentum failed, they pushed back. I wasn’t there to witness my nation’s fall—for I had died—but of its defeat I am certain, we just couldn’t win with so many enemies around us.”

“Blitzkrieg?” Jormand inquired.

Erwin explained, “It is ‘Lighting war,’ a tactic in which planes and artillery would destroy the enemy position and then soon after, tanks and infantry would rush in to clean out the survivors. It was a tactic never before seen and thus proved to be very efficient. With it, nations fell within a matter of months, not a matter of years.”

This time, Valder asked, “What’s a plane?”

Erwin said, “Planes are similar to my tank, giant metal birds capable of as much if not more destruction as my tank. It flies high in the air, safe from damage and it’s roaring guns and thundering bombs obliterate any target unfortunate enough to be in its sights.”

Valder said, “Isn’t that just a dragon?”

Erwin shook his head.

“No, not a dragon. A dragon is a living, breathing thing but a plane is of metal, with an engine for heart controlled by a man. The only thing living about a plane is its pilot, as the only thing living in my tank is me.”

Valder thought on this for a few more moments before giving up.

“I don’t get it.”

Erwin gave a small smile.

“Well, I suppose you could say they are dragons though, they are certainly almost as terrifying. Especially when there are a hundred of them in the air, with the large bombers raining down death. Not that I ever experienced such a thing, but I’ve seen the destruction they bring, and I can easily imagine the terror one would feel when the planes attack.”

This time, the female elf spoke, saying, “Your world seems to be a very dark one, full of death and destruction.”

Erwin chuckled.

“I suppose you would think that, given all that I had told you. But...”

He looked up into the sky once more.

“Before the wars, the world was beautiful. Much like Agleon, but without elves, orcs, and magic. Green forests, blue skies, and great oceans which stretch endlessly to the horizon...”

He fell silent and the others remained so unsure of what to say.

Erwin suddenly stood, saying, “We should continue moving, the orcs may send a party to investigate and since I cannot disguise the tracks of the tank, it’s best we get moving.”

The four got on, one of them—not having once spoken during the time shared with Erwin—staring at him for a few moments before she climbed up onto the tank next to the female elf. Erwin didn’t notice this, too busy climbing into the tank before shutting the hatch above him.

With him presumably out of earshot, the female elf whispered, “Is something the matter Evaline?”

Evaline shook her head, just saying, “It’s just... it’s just so sad. Why Serilia? Why is there war everywhere?”

Serilia looked at her, finally sighing, “I don’t know Evaline, perhaps some people just enjoy it.”

Jormand looked at them before casting his gaze to the closed hatch, perhaps he knew. But he didn’t ask, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear the answer. Meanwhile, Erwin inside the tank drove on, the conversation playing in his head. It had been deafened but he could still make out the gist of what they said and he pitied them for it. They were naive but good souls, they didn’t deserve to be born during a war. It made him wonder why they were on the mission, did they volunteer, were they chosen, or did they do it because it was expected of them? He shook his head, youths like these shouldn’t be out here, but that’s what war did.

More days passed and now, they were a day’s travel from the capital itself, Erwin tense and anxious. He wondered if he should let them off here or let them off a bit closer, it wouldn’t do for the orcs to see three humans and an elf getting off the Metal Beast. Finally, Erwin agreed to take them a half day’s travel to the capitol in the cover of night, then Erwin would wait until early morning to begin his distraction.

So the tank inched closer to the capitol as the moon rose slowly, stopping perhaps five kilometers from the capital, a mess of roughly built buildings with the Orc King’s palace directly in the middle, this one based on the ruins of the previously human city. There the four were dropped off where they prepared their disguises, Evaline—a mage—casting the spell given to them by the Surveyor. The spell which was grafted onto special paper would physically change Jormand’s body to that of orc’s, a powerful one at that. Of course, the mage herself wasn’t capable of providing enough mana for that, she’d have to burn up all her blood and then some to do so, no, the energy was already within the spelled paper, she just needed to activate it with some of her own mana.

Hushed goodbyes and wishes of fortune were shared, Erwin saying, “Remember Jormand, don’t hesitate to kill any orc that stops you, do it quickly and do it fast.”

Jormand, in the guttural voice of an orc, thanked him.

“Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.”

Erwin also warned, “I will be attacking the other side of the city about thirty minutes before sunrise, use it to enter the city, that way there would be fewer orcs to deal with. Also, let’s try to meet at the gate closest to us right now, once you give the signal with the crystal, I’ll come as fast as I can.”

Jormand nodded, asking, “Will you be alright?”

Erwin patted the top of the tank, saying, “Orcish spears haven’t pierced the armor just yet, I think I’ll manage.”

Jormand then turned to the mage who was resting from casting the magic. Even though it was only an activation, since her blood wasn’t too concentrated with mana, she had more trouble than the normal mages of old. She was a bit drained but still ready for action. She, Serilia, and Valder then changed into more worn clothing, similar to what slaves would wear and with the disguise complete, the orc and his three slaves began to walk towards the city, Erwin spinning the tank around and circling around the city to attack it from the other side.

Just as he had said, he began his attack a half-hour before dawn, firing a shot at the top of the wall before he began to close in, directing his forward-facing machine guns to fire, peppering the side of the wall. Alarms were rung and orcs began to line the walls, only prey for Erwin’s guns. Erwin, in an attempt to lure them out, purposefully made his tank travel slowly, making it seem that the orcs could easily catch him.

That did the job and soon, orcs began to flood out the gates, charging towards Erwin. He smiled, that was exactly what he wanted. He waited as long as possible, moving the tank slowly away, not firing. And then, when he saw the number of orcs leaving the city begin to thin, he suddenly reversed course and thundered right into the enemy, his machine guns, flamethrowers and main cannon blazing with all of Earth’s might. Erwin charged through the orcs, gunning down as many as he could as he barreled right for the gates. He was going to make sure that the orcs knew he was here.