10. Chapter 8 : Pas l'air très amical
Good evening. We're Sunday, November 13th, it's 8 pm and here are the head titles of the today's news.
Special Region first. A rumor has appeared a few days ago saying that civilians were killed while they were under the protection of NATO soldiers. According to an anonymous military source, around one hundred and fifty civilians were killed while they were evacuating their village under the supervision of twelve NATO soldiers of a scouting team. The group of civilians was, still according to this source, originally composed of around six hundred people. This rumor spread so much that it triggered the reaction of politicians. For example, the senator Jacques Retal declared that, and I quote, « if we have such a technological advantage, there shouldn't have been a single victim. »
In the meantime, the defense minister Jean-Luc Le Drian and General LaPointe, commander of the NSRTF, confirmed the death of one hundred and forty-nine civilians and said that those villagers were killed by a wild animal that could best describe as an enormous dragon.
A parliamentary investigation has been opened to figure out what really happened.
General LaPointe's office, Camp Alnus, November 13th, 1125 AT
« Yes… I understand… I'll tell them the date… Yes… Goodbye, mister minister. »
LaPointe sighed as he put back the phone on his basis. He was expecting that one of his soldier would be summoned to answer a few questions, but now they also want to hear the refugees ? It was going to be a real mess to organize.
His thought were interrupted by someone knocking on the door.
« Enter ! » he said, gathering a few papers to give his desk a clean impression.
The wooden door opened, revealing Anthony in his camouflaged suit.
« Oh Lieutenant Moreau ! I was about to send someone to make you come here, but here you are. Please have a seat. »
The young Lieutenant nodded and sat on one of the chair that was directly facing the General.
« But if you are here, you have something to tell me. What is it ? » asked LaPointe.
« It's about the refugees, sir. Lelei, the young mage, told me that the scales of the small dragons we shot down during the battle are really expensive. Apparently, they want to be as independent as possible, so they want to know if they can take the scales from the numerous corpses that are all around the hill and if they can go sell them to a town called Italica, west on the Tessalia Highway. »
« They want to be independent ? » LaPointe was surprised by such a news. He was expecting refugees to remain as passive as possible, food, water and lodging given to them without a work. Maybe it was the morals being different, who knows ? « Hum… Those scales don't have any advantage for us. They're hard, but we can't model them to use them for things like armor or stuff like that, so I don't see why I shouldn't allow it. But how are they going to sell them ? »
« Well, that's the problem. I looked onto the reports of the recon teams sent to the west, and none of them have encountered it yet. According to Lelei, it is one of the most important trade center of the region, so maybe the sale of those scales could be an opportunity to make contact with local authorities. »
LaPointe stood up and made a few steps towards the small window that was behind his desk. Outside, the base was bursting with activity. He had a plain view of the dome that was hiding the Gate and the numerous trucks that had been going through it since the start of the day.
The payload they were transporting ?
EC665 Tigres and UH-60 Black Hawks.
The engineers had finished the day before all the infrastructure needed to host helicopters, and now the ALAT and the US Army airborne cavalry were joining the party.
« And how much time do the refugees need to gather those scales ? » asked the General, still looking through the window.
« From what I understood, it takes a lot of time to gather, to select and to treat the scales. I think that in two weeks they will have a shipment ready… But it could vary. »
« Hum… I can't pass on such an opportunity. When the refugees will be ready, I'll send your team with them to escort them and to make first contact. But now, I have something to tell you, Lieutenant. »
Those last words made Anthony feel really uncomfortable on his chair. The seriousness of whatever was going to be said couldn't be doubted.
« Someone revealed the news of the death of the civilians during the dragon attack, and it ignited some controversy… To make it short, people want answers, and you'll give them. »
« Wha… What do you mean ? » asked a confused Anthony.
« A parliamentary investigation has been opened, and they want you, the three other officers of your team and some refugees to tell what really happened that day. You are all summoned on the first of December, and it'll be broadcasted live on TV. The entire world will be watching. The thing is, I know who is going to ask you the questions, and it's someone who doesn't… how can I say that ?... support the idea of us being here. So I want you to think about every word you will say. Am I clear, Lieutenant ? »
« Yes, sir ! »
« I'll send you the paper. Now go, I believe that you're expected. »
Anthony stood up, saluted and started to make his way towards the door. As he put his hand on the handle, he heard LaPointe say one last thing.
« When you'll go to Italica, please try not to bring any trouble. »
XXXXX
The room he was in was small. It had no furniture except for a metallic table, two chairs, and a mirror built directly inside one of the four grey wall.
Mert was sat on one of those light chairs, his hands tied together by small iron cuffs.
At first, when he woke up, he was in a cell. He didn't had the time to understand what happened to him that a group of men dressed in green-doted clothes grabbed him and forced him to enter this small room. Mert didn't knew how much time had passed since then. A few minutes ? A hour ? A day ? But those questions weren't the most important the King was asking himself. The interrogation that was in his mind was "What were the creatures that attacked me ?"
He remembered that he was eating in his tent, his most important general asking him not to join the night raid of Duran, the sound of his tent's cloth being ripped apart, the small brown cylinder that rolled inside, the bright flash, the loud noise and the leaves hands that grabbed him. After that, nothing.
Suddenly, the door opened.
The man that entered was dressed in unusual clothes. A white shirt, black pants and leather shoes weren't things you could saw at the court of Mudwan. He was holding in his hand some scrolls made of something that definitively wasn't the skin of an animal and a thin cylinder.
With a few steps, the man reached the chair and sat in front of Mert.
« What is your name ? » he asked, pressing a button on top of the cylinder that made a small tip appear at the other side.
« Wha… Who are you to talk to me like that, started to answer Mert as he was standing up in rage. Where am I ? And what have you done to… »
He was interrupted by the look that his interlocutor gave him. It was a look that hit you like a spike, telling you everything that can happen to you if you do something against what he wants. Just thinking of those leaves shaped like men and what they can do with their magic, the king sat back down on the small iron chair and looked down, like a dog that had just been beaten.
« I… I am Mert, third of my name, king of the Mudwan Kingdom. »
To his surprise, the man that was in front of him started to write directly on the scrolls with the small cylinder.
« Where is Mudwan ? » asked the man, as he was writing the last word of his sentence.
« It's at the south east of Alnus, east of The Elbe Kingdom. »
Again, the man took notes on his rectangular parchment.
« What is the link between your kingdom and the Empire ? »
« Well… At the same time we are independent, but under the protection of the Empire. Sometimes, the Emperor can summon the Army of the Allied Nations to fight a common enemy, like you… »
« So the army that was currently south of our position was composed of different countries ? How many countries in total ? »
« Eighteen. Those are the eighteen countries other than the Empire on Falmart. »
For the first time since the discussion started, the man looked surprised.
« Falmart ? What is Falmart ? »
The answer to this question felt obvious to Mert, but he remembered that the invaders are coming from a completely unknown world.
« Falmart is our world, everything we know… Some are saying that there is another continent, beyond the oceans, but they are just mad old men… »
« When you talked about eighteen countries composing the Army, which one is the most powerful and where is it ? »
The tone of the man had changed, his voice wasn't harsh anymore. Now, he was talking to him like a merchant talking to another merchant, and not like a torturer interrogating a enemy general made prisoner.
Was he a torturer in the first place ?
It was only now that Mert really noticed the fact that there wasn't any torture tool in the room.
« The most powerful ? It is without a doubt Elbe, the kingdom directly situated south of Alnus. But Duran tried to attack you during the night and I guess that his whole army was destroyed. The only thing I now is that his brat of a son will inherit. »
The man wrote a few more words on his scroll, but before he could ask another question, Mert dared to confront him.
« Are you not going to torture me ? »
The man smirked, almost like he was expecting that question.
« We don't torture our prisoners anymore. »
The man also expected the reaction of the king.
« Wha… You don't torture your enemies ? »
« We have laws for war in our world. » simply answered the man, putting back the cylinder on top the scrolls.
« Laws of war ? That don't make any sense. Why would you regulate war ? »
« Let's just say that if we not regulate it, it quickly becomes inhuman. »
« In… Inhuman ? What do you mean ? »
« If we wanted, we could have used green clouds that creeps through the enemy lines to kill their soldiers by burning their lungs, but we don't because this kind of weapon is banned and because we are human. »
Just thinking about it almost made Mert puke. He heard the stories of some alchemists experimenting on slaves different potions that could be used in warfare. He remembers seeing the skin of a warrior bunny covered with enormous blisters.
« Then what do you expect me to do ? »
« I will ask you questions, and you will answer. »
Alnus Refugee Camp, East of Alnus Hill, November 28th, 1257 AT
« So we are a delivery service now ? » Marc asked as the three vehicle of Recon Team 3 exited the concrete walls of Camp Alnus.
« It's still technically reconnaissance, answered Anthony. No one made contact with this city of Italica yet, and selling those scales is the perfect opportunity to say "Hey ! We're actually not here to invade your ass" to the local authorities. »
« And the best part is that we are taking civilians with us to that place we don't even know… »
« Hey what do you prefer ? Going there with people who know the place or risk your butt trying to communicate with guys that are convinced that you are going to invade them. »
« Touché. »
The large forest surrounding Alnus Hill had been, in four places, cut down and replaced by trails, allowing every vehicle to cross with ease, instead of having to cross "Bumpy Street", as it was called by some soldiers.
Overhead, a Gazelle was flying at low altitude, going towards the south to accomplish aerial reconnaissance missions. All of Recon 3 remember the first time a helicopter flied over the camp. The loud noise of the two engines, the spinning blades, the size of the helicopter and the fact that it was actually flying caused terror in all of the camp. The only ones that didn't fled to their lodging when the Black Hawk drew near were Lelei and her master, trying to figure out how such a massive machine could fly.
The group of vehicle slowed down and pulled over at the entrance of the refugee camp.
« And who is going with us ? » asked Jenkins, pulling the hand brake lever of the Humvee.
« Lelei is coming, but I don't know who is tagging along. »
« Really hope that we'll not have to support Ro… » started Clark, but he interrupted himself when he saw who got out of the former inhabited lodging that had been transformed into a simple workshop for the refugees to work in.
Lelei, holding a large fabric bag that looked really heavy.
Tuka, holding another bag that was similar to the first one but seemed a little lighter.
And Rory, holding her halberd over her shoulder, the same smile on her face.
« Oh fuck me ! »
Everyone who heard the American officer shared a small laugh while the trio made their way towards them.
The two men of RCT5 that were on duty at the entrance of the camp, a German and a British, saluted as the three passed in front of them.
« Hello there, started Anthony with the warmest smile he could do. There are only two bags ? »
« Yes, answered Lelei. Those are the highest quality scales that we have gathered so far. »
« Well, put them here and hop in. We are leaving immediately. » he continued while opening the back doors of the Humvee and giving a hand to help them climb inside the vehicle.
Everyone got back to their position in their assigned car and waved goodbye to those who observed the departure from behind the camp's fence as the convoy started to roll away.
« So, Lelei, you never actually told us how big this city actually is. What should we expect ? »
As usual, the answer came with the same lack of emotions in the voice.
« Italica is the capital of the Formar county. It is situated at the cross of the Tessalia and Dessria Highways, making it one of the most important trade center of all Falmart. It is governed by the Formar family, but I saw a lot of Formar banners on the battlefield, so I guess that the count was killed. It is certainly Muyi, his daughter, who is around eleven years old, who governs now. »
« Is that me or she is just basically reciting a Wikipedia article by heart ? » asked Jenkins to herself in English.
« What is a Wikipedia ? » Lelei asked, showing that she was now understanding the language of Shakespeare.
« It's nothing… I'll explain it later. » tried to come back Jenkins, surprised that her comment had been understood.
« Anyway… Who are you going to sell those scales to ? » asked Anthony, wanting to quickly change the subject of the conversation.
« My master knows a merchant. His name is Lyudo. He knows a lot of people that could be interested with those winged dragon scales, so he will certainly buy them for a good price. We can trust him. »
« Well here is the Tessalia Highway, continued Jenkins as she made the Humvee slow down and stop at the intersection of the two trails. Ah fuck ! I forgot my compass. Where is the west ? »
Searching in one of her pouches, Trevis quickly pulled out the small green military compass and opened it, revealing the small white capsule and the needle it contains.
After the few seconds needed by the needle to stabilize, the medic pointed her right arm towards the direction wanted by the driver.
« West is over there, so turn left. »
« Ok thanks ! » nodded Jenkins while turning the wheel towards the indicated direction.
« What is that device ? » asked Tuka, wanting to know how can the soldiers know the cardinals points without using a more traditional technique.
« This is a compass, Trevis answered while reopening the compass that had already returned to the pouch it was in. It allow us to know where is the north. »
She turned her head towards Lelei that was listening very carefully.
« Do you know what magnetism is ? Metals that can attract other metals ? »
The silver-haired mage nodded. The fact that some rocks could attract iron was something that gave birth to a debate inside the community of mages about that : was it magic mastered by a non-living thing or not ?
« Explaining the whole thing would take too much time, so to make it simple, a needle made of a certain magnetic material can show the direction of the north. »
« But we have plenty of time until we reach Italica. » giggled Rory, like she knew that it would make Trevis mad.
« Oh great… »
Tessalia Highway, East of Italica, November 28th, 1557 AT
« So that is how our guns work. »
Since they have leaved Alnus, Trevis had been asked a lot of questions about the different technologies used by the NATO soldiers. From the compass to the grenade, without forgetting the engine, almost every question imaginable was asked. The last had been about how bullets work, thus allowing the British officer to explain how every gun and cannon used in modern warfare was functioning.
During the whole improvised lecture, the three girls were amazed. Lelei was holding a 5.56mm casing in her right hand and the remains of the 20mm that she had extracted from the dragon on her other hand, imagining how big the anti aircraft round was. On the other bench of the Humvee, Tuka and Rory were looking at Jenkins' M249 SAW, obviously without any ammunition, under all angles possible.
« Shouldn't take long until we arrive at Italica. » said Anthony, looking at his watch. Based on the time needed to go from Alnus to Italica on foot, the time needed to travel that same distance but with cars going at 50 kilometers per hour had been estimated to three hours.
« Can I keep it ? » asked Lelei towards Trevis, still holding the casing in her hand.
« Sure ! Spent casings aren't useful to us, so yeah, keep it if you want. » answered the Staff Sergeant.
On that word, the mage put the little metal tube in her knapsack that was almost full with objects that Jenkins assumed was magic stuff.
As Tuka started to pull the arming lever of the machine gun, Jenkins raised her voice.
« You see this big ass smoke cloud, right over there ? If we aren't far from Italica, I really think that this is coming from it. »
In the distance, everyone could see a big black cloud, coming from the ground. Actually, it wasn't just one cloud, but instead dozen of small clouds that united themselves to form the giant dark shape that was floating over the plain. The origin of those small clouds was hidden by one of the grove characteristic of the area that surrounds Alnus.
« Well I hope it isn't that fucking dragon again. » commented Cavendish over the net.
In the Humvee, the radio had been put in such a way that everyone in the vehicle could hear everything. It means that Tuka heard the word that designated the beast that was haunting her dreams.
The Fire Dragon.
If everyone heard Cavendish on the radio, everyone also heard the violent noise of the M249's lever returning to its normal position thanks to its spring.
The attention of the group shifted from the fire to the elf.
Her pupils were dilated, her mouth was closed, her skin was pale and her ears were pointed towards the ground. Just like she had saw a ghost.
Just like she had saw the Fire Dragon.
« Hey ! You alright ? » asked Anthony, snapping his fingers in front of her eyes.
In a second, the elf that was often depicted as happy and joyful returned to herself, like if this black out never happened.
« Yes… Yes, I'm alright… I just… thought of something. » she answered, her voice returning to normal.
Anthony and Trevis shared a worried look that said a lot. They witnessed Tuka's PTSD for the first time. When they'll be back at Camp Alnus, the first thing that they'll have to do will be to find the psychologist to help her.
« Well, if everything's alright, we must continue. » he said, while grabbing the radio's microphone.
« Recon 3 Actual to all. We continue towards the objective. Caution is advised. How copy ? Over. »
« Recon 3-2. Solid copy. »
« Recon 3-3. Roger that. »
Italica's East gate, Italica, November 28th, 1621 AT
« Who is there ? If you are not enemies, show yourselves ! » yelled the knight that was on top of the wall.
Around him, men were holding bows and crossbows, pointing them at the three vehicles that had appeared on the road.
« Well… They don't look super happy to see us. » said Anthony towards his men and the refugees.
« It looks like they were under siege or something. Parts of the wall are damaged and there are bodies all around. » commented Jenkins.
« I think we should find another town to sell… »
« No, interrupted Lelei. They are scared because they don't know what your cars are. I will go and show them that we are not dangerous. »
Before anyone could protest, she opened the door and jumped off, the first bag of scales in one hand and her staff in the other. Following her, Tuka also got out of the Humvee with the other bag, Rory behind her.
Shit ! Anthony thought to himself. I don't want them to get killed.
« All, we follow them and we stay in alert. At the first sign of hostility, we grab them and we go back at base, he ordered to the three soldiers that remained with him in the vehicle. Ok ? »
The three nodded and got out after they indicated the plan to the other in the VBL and the P4.
Quickly regrouping with the girls, they all chambered a round in their rifles. The tension that could be seen on the faces of those on the walls was clearly saying that at any moment they could be under a rain of arrows.
Arriving at the stone wall, Anthony took a few steps towards the side door and knocked.
For a moment, there was no response. The silence was just long enough to make him start wondering about how heavy a large wooden door like the one that was in front of him actually was.
He surely didn't expected to have an answer immediately.
In fact, he didn't expected the door to open towards him.
He realized all of that when the door opened violently, and all faded to black.
« Who is there ? If you are not enemies, show yourselves ! » yelled Norma, on top of the wall.
Behind the small side door of Italic's Eastern gate, Princess Pina Co Lada was observing the scene thanks to the small opening on the door.
« What are those strange boxes ? asked Hamilton, the closest advisor of the princess. Armored carriages ? »
« Maybe… But I don't see the horses. » came back the red-haired princess.
Again, for a few seconds nothing happened.
« Norma, tell them that this is the last warn… »
« Wait, someone is getting out of those… things. » It was coming from Grey, former knight of the Emperor, mentor of the princess and the only one that didn't feared interrupting her.
From behind the first green box appeared three people.
A blue-haired mage that was apparently coming from the Lindon school, according to her staff.
An elf dressed in strange clothes made of unknown fabric.
The two were holding heavy bags. It could be anything, maybe something magic that could destroy the walls.
Finally, the last person was…
« Rory Mercury ?! »
Her enormous halberd over her shoulder, she was just walking casually next to the two. The enormous smile made it clear that she was ready to fight. And every knew about the surname of Emroy's apostle.
The Reaper.
« Is this really Rory The Reaper ? » asked Grey, wanting to be sure about such an important news.
« Yeah ! I saw her once before, at a national religious office. » answered Pina, closing the small hatch she was looking through.
« What shall we do, Princess Pina ? »
« If she had joined the bandits, Italica would have already fallen. »
« That's true. » agreed Hamilton. Like all the member of the nobility, she had heard the stories of entire camps of hundreds of men destroyed by the power of the Apostle, and the argument used by the princess made perfect sense.
« But there are no proof they are not our enemies either ! »
Knock knock
They were at the door.
What do I do ? Pina thought to herself. The fate of the entire city was resting upon her shoulders. Open the gates, and risk to let enemies inside the walls, or deny access and certainly unleash the wrath of Rory Mercury ?
« If they are not our enemies, we must get them on our side ! »
Pina was determined. It was the best solution for now.
In a hurry, she threw the wooden bar that was blocking the door on the side and pushed the door.
« Welc… »
On the other side of the door, there was the three girls, as expected. They were looking confusedly at something on the ground.
She looked down to find out what it was.
An unconscious man in green dotted clothes.
Rising her look, she was know facing three other people in similar clothings, pointing their black wands towards her.
Hello Reader that actually reads the notes at the end of the chapter, hope you enjoyed this chapter of OMJ.
It's not my best chapter, I'll admit it. It's basically take the characters from point A to point B, but this is needed for the build up the thing that is coming in the next chapter...
The Battle of Italica... (Or at least the beginnig)
So to "spice things up", I tried to put the beginnig of the summon arc here, and also because it makes more sense than in the source material where they never actually talk about it between them before 2 days before the summon.
Bref, onto the reviews
The Tundra Fox - Good luck if you want to learn french. Even I, that speak french since forever, can make mistake so obvious that when you see them parts of your brain start to melt.
Major Simi - I should have thought about that... I'll correct it later by modifying the "general" in the SF's perspective to "another armed guy" or something.