7 Arc 1: Into the Unknown

Disclaimer: I don't own Gate or Nihonkoku Shoukan as it belongs to its rightful owners.

Arc 1: Rodenius:

Into the Unknown

City Of Maihark, Quo Toyne Principality

The main economic center of the Principality, the Trade City of Maihark, is a place of opportunity amongst the nations of the South Orient. A rich melting pot of cultures and races, such as beast-skins, elves, dwarves, and humans had been co-existing for generations. To migrants, it's a place where they can start a new chapter in their lives and make a name for themselves. To merchants, it's a gold mine to elevated their businesses, and for the rest, a loyal and noble city.

Business continued as usual on a sunny day, a chaotic yet organized presence filled in the atmosphere creating a very authentic scene as the citizens flocked to the numerous antiquated shophouses, which were positioned in rows. Horse wagons and carriages dominated the slightly narrow streets of the city. If one from Earth would be there to witness the scenery, one would think that He/She has traveled back in time to the Medieval or Renaissance age. It was a lovely and peaceful atmosphere altogether.

The place had a sense of home and heart for a certain redhead girl. Throughout her adolescence, this was the only place she witnessed Humans and Demi-Humans coexisting peacefully. She had never seen such a place where everything could work together, she spent the majority of her childhood at the Imperial Capital and the Palace, and despite being educated and aware, she never had the opportunity to visit her country's neighboring nations. Even in her own domain, she was never able to see how her people lived, with a few exceptions of several attempts to sneak out from the palace in order to spend more time with the people, in the heart of the streets and villages. For all she knew, her own country had a reputation for discriminating against Demi-Humans and allowing slavery to flourish.

As the princess and member of the Saderan royalty, she wanted to experience that kind of life.

So on her 19th birthday, the curious princess had arranged a secret journey to the main capital of the Principality, without the knowledge of her father nor any one of the higher officials.

Pina stood in the midst of the crowded and busy streets of the Trade City of Maihark. Dressed in a commoner's attire, the young lady observed the ongoing scenery in front of her. She felt like a child all over again, to her this was already an accomplishment and she knew wouldn't be back here so soon, so she had to make the most of her time here and explore the city.

"Milady! Please !"Gasp" Slow down..."

The familiar voice of one Hamilton Uno Ror could be heard all over the place, yet no one paid attention to her pleadings.

A petite young woman, with shoulder-length brown hair and jade green eyes, and two years younger than her red-haired friend. Hamilton, in her own commoner's outfit, struggled to catch her breath as she finally had caught up with the latter.

"Are you alright Hamilton?" Pina asked, showing her concern to the brown-haired teen.

She was beginning to realize that it was a very bad idea for the young girl to accompany her on this secret journey. She should've denied her request in the first place but she just couldn't stop the girl's strong loyalty.

After a few moments, the young page was able to regain her composure, and therefore finally able to speak properly.

"I'm very sorry Lady Pina, I'm just not great at running through big crowds." She explained, giving a slightly embarrassed expression. Despite her strong physique and toughness, she found herself struggling in squeezing herself through the busy crowd.

Pina sighed but gave a smile." It's fine Hamilton, but at least you were able to catch up." She said, giving the girl a pat in the shoulder as a sign of assurance.

The young page understood this and returned the smile to the redhead. For a second, she thought she wouldn't make it through, by just traversing the busy streets, was already a challenge to her.

Compared to the scenario that the two girls were in now, it was very much a different place back in her home. The streets of the Saderan Empire were organized and orderly, though didn't possess the lively and noisy vibe of Maihark.

Yet, it had opened her mind that a rival nation would have this kind of harmony between the races, that her own home did not have.

It was in the early morning when the two, riding their own respective horses, had arrived at the Trade City via traversing the "South Passageway" A shortcut into reaching the southern states of the Empire. They've been in the city for more than two hours now after what was considered a hassle journey. Hamilton still felt the sleepiness taking over her eyes. If not for the princess's aura of vitality, she would now be sleeping on the ground or in a more civilized way of approach, booking a room in a random inn, just satisfy her never-ending drowsiness.

The day went on as the two continued to explore the various areas of the city, led by Pina, who had quickly become absorbed in her surroundings. Hamilton, as usual, acted as her bodyguard, keeping herself vigilant and alert in case they encountered people with bad intentions, according to what she knew, Poor Nations such as Qua-Toyne are considered to be a hotbed for crime and violence, even though they had never been attacked, robbed, or even kidnapped in all the hours they had currently spent in the city.

What's more strange is that not a single person had recognized them yet, though obviously, it was due to their own disguises, that they look far away from nobility.

The young page gave the princess a worried look. She was considered a candidate for or has the potential to be crowned as the Empire's Empress if her father decided to resign from the position. She even remembered the old man jokingly saying during a small gathering of nobles that he would step down once the entire continent was unified. The girl was certain that her friend had a better chance of capturing the throne and leading the Empire into a new prosperous and peaceful era. She could see it in her friend, but it saddens her, the fact that there was a tough competition.

"Your Highness! Where are you going again!"

Pina made a run, shocking the young page as she was forced to use her exhausted legs once again in order to catch up with the Princess in the midst of her own thoughts.

"Hamilton, come on! We must act quickly!" Pina said this as she began to traverse the streets en-route towards the Port area, where a supposed local food stall is located, selling the city's delicious street foods. She learned it from her mentor, Grey Al Coto, who had been into Maihark a number of times before.

For the young page, she was on the verge of breaking down in tears, and the young lady was hoping that this would be the last time the princess made an unexpected change of pace. She was drenched in her own sweat, and the fact that she hadn't packed extra clothes only made her day worse.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The Port Area of Maihark

One of the things that Pina enjoyed is by spending time near the seas and oceans.

It was one of the main reasons she had chosen to go to the Port area. According to what she had previously learned, there was a lovely walkway near the docks. The location was ideal for her to take in the beauty of the ocean. Furthermore, her guess was correct when she noticed a small crowd forming around a small food stall. It was definitely the food stall that Her mentor mentioned before and she wasted no time in purchasing a number of those street foods, which consist of deep-fried seafood battered in flour and flavored with a little lime juice.

As quickly as she bought some snacks, the faster she found herself finding the brown-haired young lady, who was sitting on a nearby bench, resting and gasping for air.

Hamilton, on the other hand, finally got the rest she deserved. She drew out her water leather flask and drank to quench her thirst as soon as she found a place where she and the redhead could spend the rest of their time. She was so exhausted that she drank almost all of it.

She leaned back on the bench and let everything go. At this rate, she was now enjoying the cold breeze of the wind, and she took a nice deep breath, finally relaxing.

Pina, who was present at the time, could only smile. She was often impressed by the young page's determination, and despite knowing that the entire journey would be difficult, the brown-haired girl triumphed.

That certain determination led her to become a member of the Rose Order of Knights.

"Hamilton..." She then called out her name.

Hearing the princess's voice, She quickly stood up straight and gave a mini-salute.

"Milady! Is there something the mat...Oh," Hamilton trailed off as she found herself staring at the redhead, who was holding a round wooden plate filled with a dozen of deep-fried delicacies on sticks, along with a sweet and spicy sauce on top.

As Pina sat beside the younger girl, Pina sighed but smiled. " Feel free to take a stick." She said this while placing the wooden plate on the empty space between them. She took one stick, which contained three massive pieces of deep-fried fish balls, and proceeded to devour them.

Hamilton didn't know what to do with herself, she can't even evaluate her current condition if she was hungry or not, but in respect, she took a stick, which contained adeep-fried squid tentacles. At the same time, she took noticed of a small cup of vinegar mixed with a variety of spices. She followed her instincts and dip her snack on the cup, afterwards, she then took a bite, which ultimately blew her mind.

"This is so delicious!" The young page commented, her hunger finally released and devoured the deep-fried squid tentacles.

Pina chuckled. "I told you this was going to be worth it." She said this before turning her gaze to the view of the ocean.

There was a certain silence that filled the air, Pina took the time to enjoy the quietness around her surroundings. It was like a small meditation for her, to get away from the reality that is the Empire itself. As part of the royalty and nobility, it was often false high expectations. She was stuck in the middle of honoring her mother's wishes to change the tainted image of the Empire, and so as attempting to understand her father, who was still continuing the conquest to unite the continent through questionable actions. Not too long ago, she had come to the conclusion that her father had already been blinded by the ambitions of his ancestors and it was too late for him to get back to his senses. Though recently, there were rumors that her father had plans to step down in the aftermath of invading the remaining nations. The sudden rise of her two siblings, as they each made a name for themselves in this conquest. It was obvious that they were trying to prove themselves worthy of the throne. Though other had signs of giving up, the other one was gaining the lead.

Because of these events, Pina knew she had to at least establish a presence in the political field, and founded the Rose Order of Knights, a knightly order which had the approval of the emperor himself. When Piña was a child, she gathered a bunch of noble girls and started playing soldier. Eventually, she managed to wrangle an actual military commander, Grey Co Aldo, to train them and by the time the events of the series came around, she became their leader. Most of the members are young women from noble families or old veterans who don't want to retire and still wanted to continue their duties of bringing honor to their homeland. Forming the order was also a part of the redhead's goal of elevating her position for the throne, though, in recent events, the order had become something of a decorative purpose for the Empire's army where they are simply "honored guards".

The Emperor's shallow mind led him to think the order was just a mere "Plaything."

Of course, this left Pina disappointed, but now, even more, determined as she tried everything in order for the Order to gain a respectable reputation, searching and taking up vacant slots for the order to volunteer and be included in important missions, to which was a success, but was not enough to get fully recognized.

She gave a sigh at these thoughts, not expecting that the young page would soon call her.

"Milady?" Hamilton called, gathering enough energy to start a conversation.

"Do you think the Empire will reconsider its decision of invading this nation?" The Young Page asked, surprising the redhead.

Pina looked surprised. " Why do you ask Hamilton?"

A brief moment of silence engulfed the brown-haired girl; she didn't know how she was going to explain this to her friend, even though she believed it was appropriate for the Princess to be aware of her recent realizations.

Before speaking, Hamilton took a deep breath. " When we were walking along the city streets, I realized that the Empire's conquests were for naught." She told the brunette. "The people here had been living in harmony." She gave an explanation. "I don't understand why the empire had to invade this place."

"They've done nothing wrong."

Pina could only smile solemnly. "I know." She stated. "That's why I want to keep the promise I made when my mother died." She kept going. "I'm not even sure if I can push myself any further to prove that I'm worthy of the throne."

"What do you mean, Milady?" a perplexed Hamilton inquired.

The redhead inhaled deeply, unable to believe she was about to mention him. "As many missions as the Rose Order of Knights had completed, my brother is still in the lead."

The young page frowned, a great deal of irritation filled her eyes." You mean that good for nothing Zorzal!" She exclaimed, though only to received silence from the redhead.

Zorzal El Caesar, to her eyes, was a scoundrel of a prince, and in the eyes of the nobles, he did little but surround himself with all the gifts surrounding him, he did not even care for his slaves who were either sold to him or captured during his so-called military campaigns.

As of recently, his campaigns were state sanction, and now the prince has wage war against the Warrior Bunny Tribes of the North and was successful of dismantling their community, also capturing their overall queen, who was now but a mere slave to the prince and treated poorly.

"It just doesn't make sense!" Hamilton continued in releasing her frustration." If only the emperor had the eyes to see what kind of a buffoon and cruel that Prince is!"

"He doesn't deserve to be Emperor!"

Pina raised her hand to beckon the young page to stop, as she had finally had enough, though in her own thoughts she didn't want to harbor any bitterness or animosity towards her brother, as he was still her brother regardless.

"I understand what you're trying to tell me, Hamilton.." Pina explained, still gazing at the ocean view." Zorzal is still my brother regardless, and trying to raise conflicts against him would only make the situation worst." She explained, citing the possible outcomes that may happen.

Hamilton nodded in understanding, giving a quite bitter look at the thought of the Scoundrel Prince.

"He was never your brother, to begin with."

Even though the majority of the outcomes were not in their favor, they had to remain strong and persevere, knowing that there was still time and that they had to make the most of it in the coming months.

As Pina tried to continue the conversation, there was a deafening heavy noise heard throughout the city, followed by the ground rumbling.

Both of the girls were startled, Hamilton suddenly grabbing the redhead's arms by instinct." What in the world is happening?" The young page asked.

At this point, they could see a lot of people running in panic, and some stopping to look up as the massive unidentified black object was spotted in the sky.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Qua-Toyne Principality Control Tower

" Emergency Report! This is Sixth Wyvern Squadron! Do you Copy!"

It all began when the Frightened Voice Swept through the Manacoms of the control tower.

Derwin, the man on duty that day, was startled by the sudden announcement and quickly rose from his seat, heading towards the communications area and speaking through the Magical Communication Tube.

"This is control go ahead," Derwin replied as he tried to make sense of the knight's unusual tone of voice.

Moments later, the voice of the Wyvern Knight came through again, and this time he was now yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Contact with an unknown origin! It's too fast for us to catch up!"

Derwin was a bit taken back this time, he could hear the other voices of Wyvern Knights, who were in the same situation as the main knight.

"Calm down sir! What are the identifying features of the unknown origin?" He said back, and this time he got the reply in less than a second.

" White-coloured with stiff appearance! It flies without its wings flapping." The Wyvern Knight replied once again.

By this point, the other Manacom Tubes had come to life, as had the voices of more knights, who bombarded the control room with the same description of the unknown flying object. Furthermore, Derwin's coworkers began to feel threatened. They were now wondering if they were being attacked by enemy forces. Is the Saderan Empire making a move by launching an aerial assault?

"What's going on here!?"

In the midst of this chaos, the head of the communications team known as Aidan arrived at the control room, garnering the rest of everyone's attention as they stood up straight.

Derwin was the first one to approach his superior and explained the situation"It seems that the Wyvern Knights are in pursuit of a unit of unknown origin." He said." And I can't understand what they were saying."

His superior gave off a puzzled and suspicious look." Unknown Origin? Could it be a new species of Wyvern or the Flame Dragon itself?" He tried his best to give a logical conclusion on the situation, but a series of voices yet again emerge through the Manacom tubes.

"It's not a flame dragon! I'm not even sure if it's a living creature!"

"It's no use! The object is heading to Maihark! I repeat! It's heading straight for Maihark!"

The room was then deafeningly quiet, with not a single voice to be heard. The entire control room was paralyzed with fear.

Aidan took a deep breath and regained his cool. He focused his attention on the majority of the employees "Okay, everyone! I'd like you to contact every Wyvern Knight squadron stationed in Maihark or nearby and inform them of the situation! Understood?" He was ecstatic.

"Upon locating the target, shoot it down!"

"Yes sir!" The staff members yelled in unison as they proceeded to their own stations and began to contact every available Wyvern Knight Squadron.

XXXXXXXXXX

The Trade City of Maihark, Defensive Walls

The city was in for a shock.

"Garrison all forces!"

"In your positions men!"

Scores of soldiers from the Mahairk's first three defense battalions rushed through countless corridors of the castle towards the upper areas of the defense walls.

These soldiers, in different ranks and positions, stood in formation as they waited for the supposed massive flying object according to the information they received from the Qua-Toyne control tower. The strange and unusual intel was enough to raise curiousity amongst the soldiers.

The city's finest archers were placed on the front lines to intercept the so-called flying monster. They were part of the 1st defense battalion.

Moreover, they were led by a young woman named "Ine". One of the top archers that the city had. A beautiful black-haired young woman of strong stature, dressed in full combat attire, she waited for the intruder as she readied her bow and arrow.

As they waited for the enemy, they could hear a faint sound, which suddenly became louder until it was considered powerful enough to destroy a person's hearing.

Then it finally came...

A huge white flying object circled the city of Maihark. It had two massive, motionless wings that spread out, revealing a very long wingspan, accompanied by some sort of fast-spinning metal blades in each of the wing fronts. In addition, a symbol in the shape of a red circle was engraved on the wings.

The appearance of the flying object had frightened the citizens. Everyone began to flee for their lives, causing stampedes throughout the area, while others sought refuge inside the shophouses and buildings. Some, on the other hand, chose to remain and gaze in awe.

Meanwhile, Ine had ordered the rest of the archers to prepare their bows and arrows at the top of the defensive walls. It was a different story when it came to aiming at the creature. The flying beast outpaced any normal Wyvern or Dragon.

It was difficult to get a good shot.

"Dammit! What is it doing now!?" One of the archers asked.

The flying beast had apparently flown lower by this point, almost colliding with several buildings and the walls themselves. Furthermore, a small shockwave was directed at the three battalions, causing the soldiers to be sent a few feet away from their respective positions.

"It can use wind magic!?" One of the soldiers exclaimed.

After the certain soldier made that remark, a deafening sound was unleashed from the flying beast.

The majority of the soldiers covered their ears. The sound was so unbearable that they thought that it literally came from the roars of the demon lord himself.

"What kind of magic is this!? "

The rest of the archers were unable to continue their attack because of the mysterious magic that nearly destroyed their hearing. Ine, on the other hand, was able to prepare a single arrow and immediately channel all of her strength directly towards the flying beast. Her attack, however, was ineffective because it missed her target.

At the same time, the majority of the available Wyvern Knight squadrons had arrived in the area.

"Target Located!"

"All Squadrons commence your attack! "

Every Leader of their own squadrons began issuing their orders. The whole squadron immediately proceeded to go about their main strategic formations and spread out.

"Keep your balance men! Don't falter! "

As the large group of Wyvern Knight squadrons finally came face to face with the flying beast, The 12 Wyverns were lined up side by side as a big fireball began to form in each of the Wyvern's mouth.

But in a sudden twist, the flying beast began to soar upwards at a higher speed. The Wyvern squadrons had anticipated this, as they were able to maintain enough distance close to their target.

The squadron's ability to keep up with the massive flying beast became increasingly difficult as it continued to ascend. They had already flown at their highest altitude of 4000 meters, so it exceeded their expectations. The lifeless beast continued to rise in altitude with incredible speed and the Wyvern Squadron's firepower couldn't reach the unidentified object, thus they were forced to disengage.

"This is Captain Edge from the 3rd Wyvern Squadron! We can't pursue the flying beast any longer!"

One of the leaders from the 3rd Wyvern Squadron reported. By this time, the intensity of the atmosphere had died down, though the appearance of the mysterious beast had completely changed the mood of the whole city. Once the beast had left, the citizens started emerging out from their hiding spots.

Back in the city's defensive walls, the soldiers from the 1st to 3rd battalions began to recover.

Ine stood in her spot, still gazing at the flying beast, which now has disappeared into the heavens. The young woman was left baffled, she tried to make sense of what had just transpired before.

"That dragon didn't attack us." She thought to herself.

"Does that mean it doesn't want to fight?"

This was regarded as Qua-first Toyne's encounter with the unknown, despite the fact that many people assumed the Saderan Empire had something to do with the appearance of the flying beast. Not long after, the Qua-Toyne government ordered an increase in patrol force in its waters and airspace, despite the fact that the origin of the unidentified flying object remained unknown. Even the brightest minds in the Principality were unable to identify the mysterious beast.

Only time will tell if there will be more of these occurrences.

XXXXXXXXX

Fort Alnus, Command Center, Special Region

As was expected, another month had passed since the unexpected attempt invasion of the mysterious bandit-like army on Alnus Hill. According to some of the captured soldiers, who managed to survive the massacre, the army hailed from the Volgan Territories, an independent land where various tribes resided. It was apparently, the main base of the Warlord Ruga, a former general of a kingdom that was now part of the Empire.

It was revealed that the man had led instigated a revolt and had successfully taken in a lot of men and soldiers with him in a valiant effort to combat and overthrow the Empire. Though, the only problem was that his methods of dealing with his own campaigns were questionable.

According to what the soldiers had confessed, General Ruga was as ruthless as the Empire itself, seeking to reclaim the once independent lands that the Empire had absorbed through force and violence. As a result, his campaigns had a similar kill count as his main enemies.

It was only a matter of time when news regarding the Gate at Alnus Hill, had reached him, provided by a certain acquaintance, that he immediately led the majority of his army on another quest to gain as much as territory and power as necessary and all of that led to his eventual demise.

His attempt invasion had quite an effect on the coalition's operations.

Impeding Operations such as Land Reconnaissance and rescue operations were postponed in anticipation of possible attacks from rogue armies, or from the Empire itself. Although, in the ensuing weeks ahead, Fort Alnus had not received any invasion attempts, which was a surprise to everybody.

With that comes some good news: the construction of the airfield on the northern side has finally been completed, and long-distance air reconnaissance can now be conducted.

Not too long the first air recon operations commenced and several aircraft were sent to explore the rest of the region to get a better idea of the landscape and structure and one brought an unexpected report.

"So what are we looking at here?"

A series of photos taken by the aircraft were brought in through a certain monitor inside the meeting room.

General Hazama and General Wilkes sat on opposite sides of the table as both of their eyes were fixated on the monitor, showing images of the countryside and the medieval-like layout of several towns. Furthermore, what surprised them was a massive ancient-like walled city located at a bay.

A beautiful blonde woman in glasses stood in front of them as she began to summarized what had transpired.

"As we all know, reconnaissance planes were dispatched to explore more of the land, particularly in the northeast." She elaborated. "These photos were taken an hour ago, but they are the only high-resolution images that the pilot was able to obtain before being pursued by what appeared to be dragons or Wyverns."

The photos themselves show about 12 winged flying reptiles with all of their mouths agape and an orange glow pulsed from their mouths, as if they were to launch an attack on the aircraft.

It was amazing how the images appeared to be taken from a movie scene at first glance, leading one to believe they were computer-generated, but they were not.

"It's not surprising that they would act immediately in self-defense compared to that Saderan Empire that just doesn't care." General Wilkes made his comment, switching to the next photo of the walled city.

"So, is this really the Qua-Toyne Principality that they were talking about?' The Japanese General asked this time." Or just a part of it?"

The blonde woman gave a nod." Well, according to the reports and some new maps obtained, the walled city is just a part of it." She said.

"More like an economic center, judging by the port." She explained, imagining a possible scene on the people of that place reacted upon seeing the aircraft.

"I see." General Hazama nodded in understanding." So where do we go from here?"

A brief moment of quietness followed suit as they pondered on what their next plan of action was going to be after the first unofficial contact with the independent nation.

At that very moment, The American General broke the silence.

"Well, if you were to ask me, I think we should send an envoy to the nation as soon as we can." He explained, a hint of worry in his voice." Going back to all those testimonies from those Imperial soldiers, it would be too late once this Empire invades the place."

"We need at least to establish a proper connection with them and gain their trust."

To many of the staff and officials present in the meeting room, the latter's reason made sense.

If they were to continue forward in this campaign, they have to formally make themselves known at least to the Principality and its only neighboring ally.

It's been another month, and most outside operations, with the exception of patrol drones, have remained stagnant. That was why now was the ideal time for them to discuss the land recon operations, as it was critical to gaining more knowledge and information about the local populace and established territories.

General Hazama slowly nodded. "Very well." He said as he turned his attention to the rest of everyone.

"Contact the rest of the Recon leaders for a meeting."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The morning cold air breeze throughout the dozens of camps situated inside the fort. in one particular camp was home to a certain unit from the Alnus Defense Division. Specifically, the Tank platoon that defended the base from the invaders a month ago.

Yuji had happened to come across the camp as he was taking his usual morning walk around the base before starting the day to interview the last individuals on his list. He was always the early bird and the habit already became a part of his body clock for a long time now.

For the past several weeks since the attempt invasion, the man had been continuously working on his documentation regarding the said event. In fact, it was already considered a major event and a part of history. The only thing he needed to find was the individuals that were a part of and made an impact on that event.

What a better way to start with the tank platoon that eliminated a different group of strong ogres that emerged as quite a little threat.

When he arrived at the camp, he was greeted and met by crew members who were eager to be interviewed for their own reasons. He assumed, however, that they would do this simply to leave their mark on this historical campaign or to reach out and tell what they had experienced during their time here.

One of the highlights of his time at the camp was when he met and interviewed a young man named Dennis. He was a tank gunner in his early to mid-20s. He had natural blonde hair, blue eyes, and was the most upbeat of the bunch.

For a second that ogre gave the "Hulk Smash' thing in the air, I thought, I mean we all thought we're done for."

The young man slightly chuckled as he answered the rest of the questions in line for him. He had to admit, he felt like an old man by just recounting the experience.

"But, luckily, Hal, our tank loader managed to get in the zone and load another shell in seconds, and as quickly as that, I got in the clutch and blasted the bastard away."

Yuji simply nodded, He let out a small smile in return, towards the young man's energetic retelling of his events. This was the first time in months that he had interviewed a soldier that excitedly talked about killing a certain enemy, though it was pretty much common for the marines to sometimes brag about the kill counts. Who does not?

Glancing a bit at his recorder, the Japanese-American went back towards his list of questions written on a small notebook.

"So, what happened next? Was that the last of the ogres?" He inquired.

The young tank gunner nodded." Yeah, I think it was the last them, as soon as they were gone, we then focused back on dealing with those horse riders." He explained." Which took less than 5 minutes to take care of them, I think."

"I see, looks like everyone got out without any taking any damage."

"Well, there is one..." The young man said, pointing to the four tanks. "If you ask me, I believe Green Blood does some damage to our paint, I mean just nasty thick Green blood," Dennis commented as he went on to explain that it took several days to remove the blood from the tanks, leaving them with no choice but to scalped the paint entirely, resulting in some bad scratch marks on some parts of the tanks' bodies.

He even pulled out his phone to show photos of what happened after the battle. He simply described the scene as if when four tanks had been splattered and covered in green liquid sludge.

"Of course, we had to repaint everything again." He sighed as he finished telling the rest of his story.

"And, personally, I'm relieved it's all over." He added, continuing to drink his morning hot chocolate milk.

At the same time, the duration of the interview had ended as the last of the questions were finally answered.

"Alright, I think that's all for the interview." Yuji smiled, closing his notes, before turning off his recorder. A sigh soon emerged from him as he began packing his things up in order to head towards the last batch of interviewees." I'm also sorry for disturbing you guys early."

"Nah It's no big deal sir, We've been actually stuck here doing the boring stuff for a month." Dennis explained." It's kind of nice to have a refreshing activity in these interviews, I guess people back home need to hear our experiences." He paused, gazing at the early sunrise." I mean it's not an easy job being in this alternate world or something and not knowing what else you're gonna encounter next."

At that point, the young tank gunner decided to continue the conversation, wanting to share more of his thoughts on the subject.

Yuji simply nodded." I understand what you meant, and If you're in my situation, things are about to get crazy out there soon." He gave a little chuckle.

"Wait, so you're saying that Land recon operations are going to be in full swing?" The young soldier asked, slightly sitting up straight.

The Japanese-American sighed.' Well...from what I've learned from the meeting, Land Recons probably will start tomorrow." He replied." Or possibly today." His smile slowly disappeared.

The young tank gunner smiled." That's great! I guess you'll be the first ones to meet the locals in this world, I mean a lot of unknown cultures and whatnot." He commented.

"Yup, Something like that," Yuji replied, sensing his own growing uncertainty inside of him." Though, it's gonna be one heck of a big misunderstanding if things go wrong." He added.

"I guess that always happens along the way, but How I wish I could join you guys." The young man hoped.

Yuji simply nodded at the latter's remarks.

"You know, I've been really wanting to ask sir, but how do you feel being in this kind of campaign, and actually getting the opportunity to serve your nation? " The young man asked.

Yuji remained silent for a moment regarding the tank gunner's remarks.

He slowly shook his head." Well, I honestly don't know." He replied, thus receiving a confused look from the man.

"I didn't really have an idea on why I was recruited in the first place." He explained." If they really need to document every operation and activity, they could just hire the best correspondents and reporters out there."

"And I still wonder on how I manage to get myself involved in this mess, to this day." He said, finally packing his things up and sitting on his chair comfortably.

Just a simple trip to his hometown to visit his grandparents, until everything went haywire when the Gate opened in Ginza and the rest is history.

Dennis sadly reacted." I get what you mean." He replied." And I'm sorry to hear you didn't have a chance to visit them again."

"Nah, It's fine." Yuji said, giving a sigh." Chances come and go, and I just gotta wait for the next one." He added, standing up from his seat as he grabbed his bag.

"Well... I guess It's time for me to leave Dennis." He smiled, reaching out to the man for one last handshake.

"Thanks for the time Mr. Yuji." Dennis returns the offer as he shook hands with him.

"I guess good luck on those last batch of interviewees, really hope that my brothers would be on the list hehe." He grinned.

The Japanese-American simply smiled. He did not spoke further as he finally left the premises of the camp. Though, something had told him that this wasn't the final time he was going to meet the young tank gunner.

As for now, He found himself walking towards the quiet pathway leading up to his next destination, which was the interrogation building.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The Mess Hall hadn't been that much lively in weeks since the previous ordeal. It was often more like a library but with food on the go recently.

Even now, at the height of lunchtime, the place would be barely populated by coalition personnel and it gave off a little bit of a mystery as to why the place was looked deserted at times.

To Yuji, It was still a perfect place for him to sit down and concentrate on his work. For the past several hours, the man had been staring at the screen of his laptop, as he continuously typed and organized every information he had attained from the documentation and interviews from the people, who were involved during the previous battle of the hill.

"Alright, I think this goes here."

"And for this one it had to be in this section."

"Man, never expected this was going to be so hard."

For the past hours, his voice had continued to fill the silent atmosphere of the hall. He could even hear his voice echoing across the place as if here in some kind of massive tunnel.

Different thoughts began to take shape as the recent events started to inspire him once again. These new ideas that he would later input on his draft novel.

He needed that certain characters.

Another fact was that he would often visualize or imagine how the scenes would fit in together and work out. If he felt something was missing, then he would look for inspiration which was the trickiest part, though somehow he would find himself at the right place at the right time.

Just like any scenery, the silence would soon end its reign due to the arrival of one familiar group.

Once he heard the voice of his old friend and along with the rest of Third Recon, He knew things were going to be much alive than before. In just one blink of an eye, the long table he was currently at had been now occupied by them.

They were a 12-man unit made up of young soldiers, mostly in their twenties, with Itami and Kuwahara being the oldest and possessing distinct personalities and skills.

Though, unfortunately, The Japanese-American writer only had the chance to meet a few of them, that included Tomita, Kuwahara, and Shino. He had heard that for the past few days, other recon teams including this one had been called out to prepare for the impending operation.

From what he heard from other JSDF personnel, these guys could win hearts and minds, something that he still had to figure it out yet, and Itami had the opportunity to bring all of them in this late breakfast hour.

He took a mental note of the other highlights regarding this team, and it surprised him.

The first one was Takeo Kurata, who was probably the most energetic of them. An obvious Otaku who has some kind of fetish over Nekomimi or Cat ears and Kemono or beast-like humanoids in general. Despite being one of the youngest, the man is best friends with the Lieutenant, due to their shared Otaku culture. Despite that, the guy was all positive and friendly.

The second was Hitoshi Furuta, a regular guy who was more well-known for his cooking abilities and that he was an actual chef before joining the JSDF. He'd prove that statement during a certain mini-cooking event held in the mess hall a few days before, where Coalition personnel could showcase their culinary skills, and the fact that the man had won the contest by a landslide victory was quite a feat.

According to him, he would have had a stable cooking career if not for his passion for cooking caused him to have a quarrel with the second generation owner of his previous restaurant. The reason he joined the JSDF so that he could obtain enough money to open his own restaurant once his contract with the JSDF expired. He was currently reading the most recent Gordon Ramsay book, which had just been released in commemoration of his disappearance years ago.

The last one was Mari Kurokawa, one of the female members of the group besides Shino. He simply describes her as Motherly Ladylike. The kind of person who cares deeply for the lives of her squad, and while the quietest of the bunch, she seemed to be having a good time chatting with the rest.

It had been quite some time since their arrival and the conversations show no signs of ending. Though, it was interesting since Kurata had brought up a certain topic that caught his and everyone's attention.

"So guys, Have anyone one of you met the Marines so far?"

Silence.

"I tried befriending one of them and I gotta say, they're cooler than I thought!"

Silence.

"But it's quite sad they don't know much ab-"

He was suddenly cut.

"Oh, give me a break Kurata, It's not like all of them are Otakus like you," Shino sassily rolled her eyes, though only receiving a grin from the guy.

"Well, I guess the Marines are busy with their own things." Yuji gave his own comment, receiving their attention." But If you were to ask me, they are pretty much a good addition for the Recon teams, as a means of guidance." He explained." Nobody knows what could possibly happen out there.

Most of them nodded.

Kurata widened his eyes." So that means it would be easy peasy for us since they know war and that we could stick right next to them all the time." He commented, giving quite a hopeful look.

"We'll be alright Kurata." Itami sighed but smiled, as he spoke this time." Let's just say that we have all the necessary tools with us, they too." He explained." It's just a matter of working together to beat these guys, we've done it back before and we could do it again."

Memories of the Ginza Incident began to flood their minds, specifically the arrival of JSDF and American forces from Okinawa to counter the Saderan Army that invaded large areas of the district.

Silence befell once again as it was pretty much a sensitive topic to discuss. That's until Kurata managed to change the topic once more as he turned his gaze towards Tomita, who was quietly eating his scrambled eggs.

"Say, Tomita, if I am correct, were you one of the few lucky ones deployed in the middle east or something?" He asked as everyone's attention move towards the man, giving him a bit of awkwardness.

"Wait a sec, You serve with those guys before?'"

The man sighed." Specifically Iraq, Kurata." He replied, adding more details of the activities did there." We did 24/7 vigilance, complacency kills, and the list goes on..." He simply explained.

"That's nice! I bet you got a chance to use some of the latest weapons to date?" Kurata followed a question.

Tomita nodded." Yes, I did." He said, flashing a stern look at the younger man." And you don't have to call me lucky either, there was hardly any action over there. I'm just as blind here as you are." He added.

"Oh..."

"Then I guess, We'll be also relying on your experiences and insights along the way Tomita," Yuji added, giving the man a small smile.

It was at this time that Itami cleared his throat to get everyone's attention once more.

"Well, that's why I brought you guys here to announce some good news." He said.

As the curiosity and anticipation grew, the Lieutenant cracked a grin. "I'd like to inform you all that it's official!"

"We'll be heading out today for our first recon in this world! "

Once he relayed the news, the rest of Third Recon erupted in small cheers, excitement filling the air, with the exception of Tomita, Mari, Kuwahara, Yuji, and Furuta, who maintained a calm reaction while Shino rolled her eyes upon seeing Kurata celebrating in excitement.

Yuji simply smiled at the others, though he chose to remain silent due to the lingering unease. That's when he realized he needed to find a quiet place to be alone in the meantime.

XXXXXXXXXXX

As much how he put his effort into it, the man did find a place where he could deal with himself.

After his time at the Mess Hall, He had decided to head out for a while to take a walk and a little around the Fort. As for the whole of Third Recon, They were called upon by the higher-ups along with the other recon teams in yet for another brief and final meeting.

Knowing that he would be just by himself, Yuji took all the available time he needed. Passing along numerous American and Japanese camps looking for that certain spot. Once he saw a number of planes taking off, he knew he was in the right direction.

Not long after, he had reached his destination, which was revealed to be a small scenic viewpoint overseeing the newly completed Airfield.

It was an open scenic view, so the strong winds were the first ones to greet him once he went to the spot.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh unpolluted air of the New World, which was one of the good things since coming here. Unlike back home, where is much chaotic in terms of the environmental side of things.

He was very much thankful that he had time to reflect back and re-evaluate himself once more.

Truth to be told he still had doubts inside of him. The moment he had signed up for this, he knew there was no going back. There were countless times he had to remind himself that everything was going to be alright.

What happened back at Ginza was just the tip of the iceberg. He did not need to be like Itami, who was hailed as Hero and probably had become a propaganda savior.

What he did back there to contribute and assist as many civilians as he could be already enough for him. He was just another unsung hero from behind the scenes.

Moreover, the incident really bothered him a lot up until now. Because of that experience, it had become some sort of an inner demon that won't go away. Now, he was in a place where that same demon came from.

"Never thought you'd be here." A familiar voice said, breaking the silence.

Recognizing the voice, Yuji turned around to face Itami himself, who was now dressed in his full recon attire.

"Hey man." Yuji greeted back, before adding." How did you know I was here? "

The Lieutenant smiled. "Well...Tomita said you went on a little tour, and I had a feeling you'd like quiet places with good views like this." He explained as he walked towards the location to get a good view of the airfield.

"And of course, I want some time for myself too." He added, giving a sigh, releasing all the pressure inside of him.

Silence befell for a moment.

"Must have been tough being the leader of a team," Yuji said.

Itami forced a smile." Well.. It's all part of the job." He added." Besides, everyone is on board about this, so might as well join it."

Yuji nodded.

"You know, it often bothers me to this day but since arriving here, I'm still not sure on what part am I in all of this." The man shared this thought.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you guys already had big roles to fulfill, I just don't get why an ordinary guy would get selected to be a part of this historical campaign or whatever you call it." He explained.

He gave a slight chuckle." I'm just some aspiring writer, who just wants to visit his grandparents back in his hometown." He added." And right now, I'm on some mission in another world with the responsibility of finding out the truth and bring justice to his fellow countrymen."

Itami remained silent, he understood what the man was trying to tell. He could definitely relate. His actions during the Ginza Incident had pushed him to the spotlight of big media outlets. Photos of him in blood-stain clothes, fighting off evil monsters were still viral even until now.

Heck! Even some big-time magazine company featured him on their cover, with him in his bloody civilian clothes on top of a tank while carrying an M16 rifle. To which was very ridiculous.

To himself, He was no Hero, He was just a confused man traveling to an anime convention to pursue his usual hobbies.

What's so special about that?

And that deep moment of thoughts, something came up into his mind and he looked at his friend.

"You know there's something I wanted to tell you about, That I haven't got a chance to say," Itami informed, catching the latter's attention.

"Yeah, what is it?"

The wind grew stronger than before as the man took a deep breath, still figuring out how he would explain it.

"However, prior to all of this, I'd been having strange dreams or visions whatever you call it." He said.

"Visions?"

Silence befell for a moment.

"Yeah, it may sound ridiculous, but in those dreams, I was in a world similar to this, and I saw visions of these people I don't even know." He went on to explain. "I don't remember their faces, but there were three of them in total."

Images from those visions began to flash before his eyes in a slideshow-like fashion.

In a majestic forest, a beautiful blonde-haired girl gazes at the sun's rays.

An image of a short blue-haired girl wearing white bluish-gold robes as she held a wooden staff in front of a massive waterfall.

The last was a figure shrouded in darkness, which the man couldn't identify but gave him a haunting fear.

The man had been having these haunting visions a day before the Gate in Ginza opened.

Yuji was left intrigued by the visions that his friend had shared. It just fueled the mystery even more. Was it somehow connected those visions somehow connected to this New World?

To the three individuals that Itami had mentioned, Who were they exactly?

There's only one way to find out

"Lieutenant Itami! This Kuwahara! Everything is good to go!"

A static sound immediately interrupted the silence.

It turned to be the Lieutenant's walkie as the voice of Sgt. Kuwahara spoke through the speakers.

"And, sir, the American convoy has already arrived copy."

Itami sighed as he drew out his walkie and replied."

"Thank you, Sergeant! Heard you loud and clear!"

The conversation had to come to an abrupt halt with the announcement that the team was about to embark on their first-ever reconnaissance mission in the New World.

Yuji believed he had just entered the moment of truth. It was a good thing he had brought his trusty strap bag, which contained everything he needed for the journey. As his friend asked one more question, which gave him a small brush of uncertainty.

"Are you ready?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There was an open field near the Fort Alnus gates. Most of the Reconnaissance vehicles were currently parked on the size of a football field, with various teams in brief orientations awaiting the operation to begin.

Though in a much smaller area, surrounded by several trees, a scene was currently transpiring.

Fall in Third Recon!"

"Get Into Your Positions!"

Sergeant Kuwahara gave the order to the rest of the troops. Everyone quickly stood up straight and began to move into their assigned positions.

Discipline had replaced the previously chatty atmosphere.

Third Recon's members drastically transformed from laid-back Cubs to serious Tigers, now awaiting the arrival of their Lieutenant.

Shino, on the other hand, managed to cast a fleeting glance at a certain American soldier, whom she had first noticed when their convoy arrived. She wasn't sure, but she started to wonder if she really did hear her heartbeat for the first time.

Her thoughts too soon ended by the time her Otaku Lieutenant had arrived. Her occasional optimism had lowered down as she was brought back to her reality.

Yuji sat down under the shade of a nearby tree as he witnessed the rest of Third Recon going about their usual routine and introductions. His eyes focused on the main scene while holding a note and pen as he was in the midst of a mini-documentation.

Ideas would come into fruition once more as he took note of the overall scenery.

A Lieutenant from the JSDF finally meeting a Lieutenant from the US Army Rangers.

Something that the man hadn't witnessed for quite some time now.

According to Itami, Third Recon would be accompanied by a trio of Army Rangers serving as advisors. They were, according to his general knowledge, one of the best and toughest soldiers out there.

Though, he hoped that the rest of the team would get along with them.

It didn't take long enough as Third Recon began their routine and introductions.

"Alright, team! Let's start from the left..."

"Sergeant Major Sōichirō Kuwahara, sir!"

"Master Sergeant Tetsuya Nishina, sir!"

"Sergeant First Class Akira Tomita, sir!"

"Sergeant First Class Mari Kurokawa, sir!"

"Sergeant First Class Shino Kuribayashi, sir!"

"Sergeant Takeo Kurata, sir!"

"Sergeant Azuma Hiyoshi sir!"

"Leading Private Tousee Daisuke, sir!"

"Leading Private Daisuke Tozu, sir!"

"Leading Private Wataru Katsumoto, sir!"

"Leading Private Hayato Sasagawa, sir!"

"Leading Private Hitoshi Furuta, sir!"

"Leading Private Higashi Yokohama, sir!"

Quietness took over for several moments.

Just like that, introductions were over, and in turn, it actually impressed the American crew, who quickly sensed Third Recon's intensity and determination.

Yuji's lips curled in a smile, as he, too, was taken aback by how the guys had transformed into serious soldiers.

At that moment, a voice suddenly called out to him.

"I gotta say these fellas are rocking it out!"

It was an Army Ranger from the crew that spoke.

Yuji turned to his right as he met the latter, who had gone over to the spot where he currently was. Surprisingly, the ranger was a young man with a chubby facade, he had short brown hair, dark blue eyes, and a friendly smile.

"Uhmm... Sorry for starting you, I kinda need some shade, it's freaking hot in this place." The Ranger gave a nervous grin, before introducing himself." I'm Carl by the way." He said, offering a handshake as deep down, he had hoped the Japanese person would understand what he was saying.

For a few moments, Yuji stared at the man in amusement. He had never a US army soldier, this quite friendly. Most he had seen so far were hardened serious looking fellas.

Not long after, He returned the handshake." It's alright, You can call me Yuji." He smiled.

"Thanks!" The brown-haired man gave a small grin.

"I have to admit, you're English is quite good!" He commented." It's really convincing to be honest."

Yuji nodded." Thank you for the compliment, Carl! " He replied." I did manage to get used it and the accent, Back when my family was still in the states."

"Ahh I see, which place in the US you and your family stayed before?"

The Japanese-American scratched his chin as he tried to recall the exact state." Well... It's somewhere near the Californian coast, you know... the surfing culture and stuff."

The US Army Ranger's eyes lit up." Cool! That's my Hometown!" He said a bit stoked to see a fellow Californian joining the operation.

"Really?"

"Yup, It's where I grew along with my friend over there. He explained further, referring to the certain brown-haired Lieutenant, who was currently talking to Itami.

"Wait a sec, you personally knew each other ?" Yuji was able to let in a question.

Though the American ranger was about to speak, his walkie roared to life.

"Carl! This is Al." Just then, their conversation was interrupted by a fellow army ranger's voice that spoke through the man's walkie.

"Need your help with some equipment later here, We're about to mount after introductions, copy? " The voice said.

The brown-haired man sighed." Copy that, I'll be on my way." He replied back before leaving the scene.

"Nice meeting ya Yuji!" He said his last words as he left.

Yuji remained silent but made a small gesture. Now realizing the number of people that he has to get to know further. In every journey, one would come across and meet new friends, though as for him in this scenario, it just keeps coming and coming.

"Mount Up!"

The voice of Itami announcing to the rest brought him back from his thoughts. The introductions were finally over.

"We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other soon, so proceed to the vehicles."

It didn't take long for both forces to proceed with their convoys and begin mounting their vehicles.

The Japanese-American man boarded the Third Recon's lead and main vehicle, sitting in the back with Shino, Tomita, and Mari, while Itami and Kuruta were seated in the front. Kuwahara and Nishina were tasked with leading the other two convoys from the rear. As for the US army ranger's crew, their vehicles were positioned alongside the main vehicles of the Third Recon in the front.

The other RCTs have already started moving up and out, shouts in Japanese and American from those passing yells out for individual members of RCT3.

"Alright, guys buckle up!" Itami announced to the group as one by one, the vehicles of the joint Japanese-American recon team, began to roar.

The massive metallic gates of Fort Alnus opened in a matter of seconds, signaling both convoys to finally proceed with their mission.

Yuji sat in the main vehicle with the others. The air was deafeningly quiet, as most of them were lost in their own thoughts. As the rest of the convoy left the main base, the man was able to get a good view of the front. His thoughts returned to his previous conversation with Itami at this point. As he stared at the clear blue sky of the New World, a sense of unease began to creep into his mind. The only thing the man could do was brace himself for what was about to happen next.

The vehicles sped away into the vast countryside, into the unknown...

CHAPTER END