1540 HOURS.
SATURDAY, 20 AUTUMNSUS 1441.
GLACIES, YONDEL.
The red and gold uniforms of the Royal Guard stood out like a sore thumb within he command post set up. The red and gold tunics were designed in a bygone era where brightly colored cloths coincided with military doctrine, organization, and planning. As all ceremonial uniforms came to be, only certain units within the RG wore the old-fashioned cloths. Besides, wearing unarmored clothes with the idea that they would survive a direct fight against any peer advisory was a ludicrous idea. The modern day guard wore a grey tunic, the standard military Class B uniform, with metal or leather plating depending on their duty. The only way that these ceremonial guards could stand against a threat is the specialized muskets they carried when on patrol. Only few units in the military had access to the experimental weapons, but fewer within the guard were able to train and use the muskets. Only a select number of specially trained guards, usually those that came from reconnaissance calvary army units were able to apply for the ceremonial position. The muskets themselves could create five fist-sized holes in a body, but the limitations were the reliability of the platform.
The Holy Knights had their own form of muskets, rifles as they called them. The M5 was more than capable of creating 30 plus, precision punctures in a target, and the sheer firepower displayed by one of the men’s “LMG” was able to put hundreds of rounds on target without limitation. Limbs and bone were nothing in the face of invisible bullets and lead. Not even the simplest forms of magic could attain that amount of destruction. Still, despite the over exaggeration the soldiers and knights of Yondel had upon examining the targets, the small hole within the targets in the kill house showed that the Rangers were more than simply trained in their art of war. Lieutenant Andrew Devlin’s voice resonated with Captain Orwell, Maximus. Conflict, and soon war would change. It was just a matter of counting how many seconds until reality would shine upon the kingdom and its misgivings to the greater world.
And then there was another question; how long till the Royal Guard decides to modernize and catch up to the current state of the military, let alone the Holy Knights?
Lecca and Maximus had been intercepted by one Julius Zane, and the Queen, Juna Shaldrecht. It was no coincidence that they had been pulled from their observation post and ordered to meet them at the other side for a critical meeting. The fact that Orwell had called to be airlifted by hot-air balloon was telling enough—and it had been more than enough time for the queen to make her presence amongst military forces.
“I could never get used to that!” Maximus gave his misgivings to flying across the western side of the forest to reach the stand-down camp.
“It takes a special person to fly!” Lecca smiled, “At least you are not in a uncontrolled spell caused by one of those gems.”
“Of course.”
As they walked across the expansive fields that laid beyond the forest, they were met by Grand Grand harbinger Julius. The army Grand Grand harbinger was awaiting them with his collection of four junior officers that acted as his secretaries.
“Princess, captain!” The grand harbinger said with a snobbish grin, “It is time we finally meet!”
Maximus shifted uncomfortably. He had a chip on his shoulder. “We would not want to have it any other way, sir.”
“Well, I would rather you say that to Queen Shaldrecht.”
“Then lead us there, Grand Harbinger.” Lecca demanded.
“Of course, just remember your place, Chieftain.” The princess formed a scowl at the remark of her rank.
Trailing behind Grand harbinger Julius, the group of military officers would soon cut through the vast fields and through the entry to the camp. Compared to the staging area, the tent was a simple collection of leather hides stitched together and propped up on a large wooden stick. This place was temporary, as survival training only occurred three times within the year, once in the fall, summer, and winter. Those stationed within the camp were old-salt veterans that were contracted to run the program with the occasional junior knight for leadership experience. This place was no place of art, and the RGs present made everything fell out of place. Most of the staff present was in civilian attire, and to see the professional guardsmen roaming about the crowds gathered around the premises was odd at best and unnerving at worst. Was the appearance of the queen and princess an incontinence—there was no doubt that some held prune thoughts—it was quite easy to understand that not all appreciated having the queen or princess present, let alone both at the same time. In addition Maximus had opted to remain outside of the tent sporting reasons that he was still in charge of the examination the Rangers were under.
“How many days have you been in the field, chieftain?” Julius suddenly posed the question to the princess.
Lecca answered with suspicion, “In total I’ve been a field-grade officer for ten years. But for the last campaign only a season.”
“So, you have had with dealing with greater conflicts. Do you ever grow old of the constant wars?” Julius turned to her stopping just before the reached Queen Juna. “Why have you not become an intelligence officer, or switched to one of the more luxurious grades?”
“I simply will not. There is much to be done in this kingdom. I will need the Rangers assistance in my future missions as a soldier and the princess of this nation.” She said in clear-cut confident tone.
“Princess, Captain Orwell!” An unfamiliar voice called out to the trio. Turning towards the unknown person that had called out to them, a young man with soft brown hair, clear white skin, and a soft smile adjusted his suit as he approached. “I was wondering when you all would show. Please, come this way!” he was a bright man that held many emotions.
The way he walked it then clicked in the princess’s head; the man that was brought along with Queen Juna was one of her former suitors, Ryan Lennix, the son of one of the great heroes of the kingdom. What had happened to null the attempted matchmaking the hero had tried to play with the Queen had failed in pure disaster as it had almost led to Lecca’s death. It was quite an ironic twist of events when her own cousin had to intervene on her behalf before she went missing. She could’ve sworn that this was going to be a second attempt were it not for the neatly piled documents about the Holy Knights and the tea being served by the gallon without any snacks.
Lennix was the governor of the satellite of Aurelia. That was at least the official name for the occupied territories of Frontier to the northern border. Him being here was at first nothing more than a formality to those that controlled the crown, but in actuality Lennix was here in no doubt to secure further support for a strike back against the resistance he has gained trying to extend further into the Frontier. There have been many reports of both bandits and monsters attacking civilian convoys, thus, the settlements under his control were slowly losing critical resources to keep operations running smoothly. If he couldn’t provide the necessary results to the throne, than his expansion project would be dead in the water and back to square one.
The grand harbinger had come no doubt to discuss material aid, and possible reinforcements to Lennix’s already strained defensive forces. An organization, the Volunteer Corps made up of civilian militia men had put some ease on official soldiers, but their efforts were dwindling as the increasing tempo of attacks were causing more casualties than they could gain in volunteers. Lennix had very little leverage, and his father could only pull so much support. All the power was thrown in the hands of Queen Juna for negotiations, but Lecca had a feeling that grand harbinger Julius would try to pull out all support no matter the result. The stiff air proved as such as the pudgy old soldier sat in his seat right across from the young, fit man.
If there was a place to be a diplomat like her status as a princess had her be, then now was the perfect opportunity to get practice in.
“It is a pleasure to see you again, Ryan.” Lecca began hoping to rid the room of the tension.
The brown-haired man let out a small laugh, “I could only hope that we could have reunited under better circumstances. It was a shame what happened back then.”
“I will remember near untimely death I nearly received. Though, I can say, thank you for your continued support to the throne. Your family has done more than enough already, and you are all welcomed to remain here in the capital as honorary guests and be bestowed the proper rank of Noble.”
Ryan gave a stiff nod. He seemed put off by the way the princess was distancing herself.
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Grand harbinger Julius took this time to force his way into the conversation, “Governor Lennix, I am more than happy to finally have the chance to speak with you. I have heard many things upon the grape vine of your exploits in the Frontier.”
“Thank you, Grand Harbinger.”
“Think nothing of it,” Julius waved his hand to the documents. He held a calculating, cold glare as he picked up the first document from the stack placed in front of him. “The Holy Knights.”
“What of them?” Lennix asked as he himself looked at the paper sheet placed before him. “I have heard that they are magically inept, but they do have value. Soldiers from another world, one without elements of our world that we are familiar with.”
“Worth is subjective.” Lecca simply watched as the Julius let out a small sigh as he reached inside of his cloak and pulled out a small plant. He stuck out his tongue and placed the orange leaf on it before putting it back in and waiting for ten seconds. “King Aldrecht is playing with fire by summoning Holy Knights. Our forces simply don’t need them, and dare I say all we need is to train up the next generation of heroes. At least those that chose to reproduce within our borders.”
“My husband knows what is to come, Grand Harbinger!” Queen Juna snarled at the flag officer, “These men are not here to fight a foolish war, they are here to prevent it!”
“I imagine so, my queen. Still, even if you know more of what he has planned, the fact remains that the proposed expedition will get hundreds killed. Sometimes you need to play defense to win an offensive war.”
The sudden change from introductions and greetings to the talk of war took Lecca completely off guard. She had yet to look at the stack of documents in front of her.
“I was sent a letter from Senator Orpheus about deploying the Holy Knights to the Frontier. The mission details did not specify what mission they would be undertaking, but from the information I have gathered they are acting as a countermeasure to the growing threat of the Demon Lord?” Lennix question with a dubious stare.
“The concept is in place. We are gathering support staff for such a campaign,” Julius cracked an abnormal smile as he leaned back in his seat and stared at the top of the tent.
Leccamaradel snapped. She slammed her hands onto the wooden table.
“Do you lot have no reservations of using the Holy Knights as expendable material!? They are innocent in this conflict and have no obligation to fight on our behalf!”
“They are flexible and will be prime assets no matter where we put them. Embassy security, guardsmen, special reconnaissance, search and destroy, assassinations, force multipliers, they are the people we need. And now, the Frontier needs them.” Of all people Governor Lennix said this.
“What—Lennix,” the princess said hatefully.
“Princess, we are not children anymore. This is the new reality.”
“You left your sympathy and honesty in the military academy! Do not lecture me on being a child.”
“Enough!” Queen Juna had been silent until this moment. Though she didn’t have much sway in politics that delt with the military, the reason why she had chosen to show was to determine if the budget being redirected towards the Holy Knights operational capabilities was worth the deficits that were happening within the already meager budget spent on defense. She had primarily heard the arguments of the war party that wanted to use the Rangers as their personal weapons. It wasn’t that she disagreed that the men were capable soldiers, but she believed there were better uses for the Holy Knights beyond just being tools for the higher ups in the kingdom. “The Holy Knights are not going to be tools of war. They have a much more important mission to undertake, and though it will require them to risk their lives, it will be for the betterment of this kingdom.”
“Yes, my queen,” Julius said sternly. “Do you mind sharing what their mission is?”
“Interference. That is all I permit you to know.”
“Interference? Do you take me for a dullard?” Lennix said with growing fury.
What is going on? Lecca thought. She did not understand anything. Of all people, the commanding officer of the Holy Knights, the princess of the kingdom was not informed of what was going to happen with her unit. She was tasked with overseeing and ensuring that the Rangers returned home safely, yet she wasn’t even aware of what was being planned for them. There was even a chance that the Rangers were informed of what was to come in the future war against the Demon Lord, and here she sat, silent and dumb.
“Has this information leaked out; I hope the State Committee doesn’t know.” Julius said.
“Of course, the information has been restricted from the Senate. We can’t risk them jeopardizing the already weak state of national security.” Lennix snarled as he kicked at the floor.
“Let mother Juna bless you, both of you.” The Queen stated making a small frown before she continued, “We will all need prayers if either of our plans are to come into fruition.”
In a moments notice the meeting had been cut short before any proper topics could be discussed. Or was it that the topics at hand were already spoken of? The void that followed as the three individuals made their exit in the span of a minute. Even the regal RGs had vanished from the camp premises by the time Lecca had adjusted to the empty command tent. She had grown used to being in nothingness; quiet, isolated. It wasn’t that she was trapped in a void. That was left to the Holy Knights who were tasked with navigating through the Forest of Lost Spirits. The name was only ceremonial as it was near a burial site, but there was some truth to the name as the magical crystal reserves deep below the ground was beyond enormous, and it was the primary reason why the original capital of the kingdom was shifted here to Glacies. The image she was presented with was near static with only the occasional shift of one of the staff members drawing her eyes away from the distant horizon. She felt hollow inside. Like she had failed someone. She wouldn’t know if she actually did, there was simply too many variables to make such an assumption, and it would be best for her to work within her restrictive bounds instead of theorizing on possibilities that may, or may not be true. Still, a burning ache in her heat made her feel queasy.
This was nothing than a temporary emotion. Just like the silence, it would be removed in place of her soon-to-be hectic job. She had her duties, and that included taking care of the Holy Knights under her command. The least she could do is learn more about them in order to effectively communicate with the other Rangers besides Sergeant Randall. A day in the office was all that was necessary, so it would be best to do that today or the next.
What she did was wander. The gentle light that broke through the afternoon, clouded skies was warming, and the early morning humidity had faded away leaving a cool wind that whipped across the scattered fields surrounding both the Forest of Spirits and the camp. She had made it to the entrance to the camp and the ripples of wind tossed her skirt and glowing silver hair to the side in gentle waves. There she stood, still. Out in the horizon the endless tree line waited for her, called for her. She had never ventured through the spirit-bound forest. Her magic, nullification, would provide complications. That was the simplest way to put it, and she had learned the destructive ability of her powers when she was just a mere cadet in the military academy. Tension rested in her body; was it that she worried for her men? Of course, I am worried, she answered herself. There was a lingering thought that she needn’t show care for the Holy Knights. They were Rangers, those that went beyond the duties of the average soldier. Was such an elite unit meant to be summoned? No, rather the kingdom would have benefited those that had access to supernatural powers. Yet, their experience and knowledge went beyond even the most accomplished of scholars or soldiers, thus their worth was incomparable.
And just like that, beyond the howling of the wind, cries of the distant birds, and the humming of the occasional bug, she could hear the harsh pattering of the men sprinting across the forest line. She gently closed her eyes imagining the group maneuvering through the crowded trees and under the burnt clouds. They wouldn’t ever be able to see the sun nor the beaming stars high above. All they had was the hope that they would reach the other side during the long night. Brothers, fighters, Rangers. That’s what they were, family. Fighting was just a part of their job and when it was done their burdens were eased; returning to their home, not matter be it where their families waited, or where the next set of orders would be given, the one thing they could always do is sing with hope and march into the future.
Lecca understood why Captain Thompson dared to challenge the throne. He had the hope that his men would return to their homeland safety.
Small dots moved in the tree line. They grew faster-and-faster as the exit from the forest grew closer with each step they took. Dead leaves were crushed under their boots, and more were shaken from the tree canopy as the harsh winds high above shook them loose and sent them to the ground. At the head of the squadron Mike led the Rangers. He huffed and panted as his arms and legs burned. He was carrying around 90 pounds of gear. The run was intense, and Oliver wanted to make up any time they had made navigating through the forest. Thankfully, this wasn’t as intense as some of the long ruck-run paths any of the men did in RASP or Ranger School. With one final gasp of air, Mike pressed through the sweat and heat on his body as he increased his pace, making those behind him do the same. They had another two football fields length to run, and finally seeing pure sunlight was invigorating to the sergeant as he aimed to clear the next patch of shrubs, bushes, and saplings without issue.
Lecca saw the men by mere chance. Their camouflage had worked quite well when she initially scanned over the tree line, but once they silhouette themselves, it was easier to track the earth-colored men sprinting to her position. A smile began to rid the frown from her lips: it was reassuring to know that the men had made it in one piece, and now she would be able to do her job of securing their lives. It was a task that was forced upon her by the king, but now more than ever she felt that it was the proper time to undertake such a challenging responsibility both as the princess of the kingdom, but also as a friend to the Holy Knights.
“Fuck! My legs might fall off!” Jacob screamed.
“Keep going! Time won’t stop till we are all at the line!” Andrew barked as he let out a blood-curling scream. He sprinted ahead of Mike making the sergeant astonished at what the lieutenant was doing.
“You idiot!” Oliver barked.
Running across the expansive fields, the Rangers were spotted by a large number of soldiers moving within the camp. Soon enough, Lecca was surrounded by her fellow fighters as they cheered on the Holy Knights. It then hit her that only several hours had passed. The usual par time for the course was till sun-down.
They had done it again.
Her eyes gently grew wider, and she lifted herself in the wind. Her pearly whites shined in the sunlight as the biggest smile she could ever muster was shown to the world, and she leaned forward while cupping her mouth.
“Don’t stop!”
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Publicly Available Information: Information Brief— File 5, Forest of the Lost Spirits:
Used as a training location for the armed forces of the Kingdom of Yondel, the Forest of the Lost Spirits is said to host the ghosts of many lost loved ones, the spirits of heroes past, and to be the final resting area of all past monarchs.
Many believe the elemental orbs produced by the large mana crystal reserve underneath the forest are the restless souls of the wise ones from the old ages.