10. Chapter 10(2)

"Quiet, please. I'm talking man to man... you still helped me that day, Son of Tobias, I have not forgotten that, treason or not... what do you say? Do the honorable thing and spare us this bloodshed?"

Dennis stared at the blade on the ground.

Tempting...

"If I do that, you'll keep your word?" Dennis called.

Zorzal said "Indeed, I promise, your... people... will not die here, in fact, I even promise I will let them leave in peace! You have my word."

Deep down, he really didn't want to have a major fight.

Deep down he'd rather avoid it altogether and just get everyone back alright.

He glanced at Rhodes, who was on the radio.

His captain shook his head.

Dennis looked ahead.

Even without his captain, he knew better as his mind went back to the white-haired girl's soft breath as she slept next to him that night.

He said, "Like how you promised Tyuule her people would be spared?"

Zorzal felt the poison behind those words but didn't show it.

Again, a stark silence fell over the area.

No one spoke.

Seconds ticked by.

Zorzal finally said "Her people refused to surrender. If your men refuse to surrender, they'll be killed as well. Simple as that."

"That's not what you promised her."

"Oh, what do you know? You weren't there."

"Even so, I've seen her bruises, I know what you did to her... why would I ever trust such a barbarian with the lives of my people?!"

Zorzal's glare only deepened at the 18-year-old's words.

Dennis didn't let him respond.

"Surrender now, or die! That is your choice, Zorzal El Caesar!"

Zorzal was silent, he glanced behind him at his men.

Some showed no emotion, but some appeared outraged at the prospect.

Calling the emperor, The Emperor... a barbarian?

Demanding they surrender or die?

Madness!

He smiled.

Seconds ticked past.

Zorzal glanced at Dennis once.

"Give me a moment to think about it."

Then he turned and began walking to his horse.

Dennis said, "Emperor, I need an answer right now!"

The second he got on, he glanced at his archers, saying "Well, I tried. Kill them."

The second the bowmen lifted their arrows, Rhodes gave the order.

"Sean, take the shot!"

Sean didn't hesitate, squeezing the trigger on the M1903A4.

Zorzal felt something punch clean through his armor and into his side, knocking him off his horse just as the first arrows were loosed on the enemy.

Borhos was on him immediately, shouting "Emperor, come on!"

Another shot grazed the helmet of the general as he pushed the injured emperor behind a home.

Zorzal looked more confused than anything.

He glanced at his small wound, saying "They... they hit me again... cowards... they hit me again!"

"Get the healer!" Borhos shouted.

Zorzal waved the man away, tearing a piece of cloth from his tunic as he got up and began walking back to the street, looking as archers fell, yelling over the explosions of enemy weapons "Quickly! Get behind cover! Loose your arrows from behind the homes! They are ranged weapons, you are equals here!"

As another enemy projectile slammed into the wall Zorzal was behind, Zorzal screamed "Hold your ground! Make them pay for what they've done!"

Then, the injured emperor rushed out of cover, grabbed a short spear from one of the fallen men, and expertly threw it at the enemy, the well-crafted spear slamming into a wall, knocking a man down, the American being quickly helped up by his comrades.

Zorzal ducked behind cover, shouting "See?! They are but men!"

Borhos sucked in a breath, turning to one of his officers.

"Get more crossbows, bows, arrows, anything ranged! If we stand a chance at drawing them back enough to charge and close the distance it's with ranged weapons. Go!"

Outskirts of Italica

Tuywal picked up another stick from the ground, handing it to the little girl next to her, the child obediently placing it on the small rucksack on her back.

Charlotte walked after the feathered woman, helping her gather firewood.

She glanced down the road. Farmland as far as the eye could see, making the child feel much smaller in a way, having lived her whole life in the confined spaces of the Red-Light district, nothing like the free and almost barren landscape beyond.

A tall man walked over, saying "Ah, excellent job, little one." before pressing his hand onto the top of her head.

She smiled slightly at the gesture.

Tyuwal asked, "Did they speak to you?"

"Yes, they did. The good news is that we don't have to move. We're right on the edge of the territory these men from another world will occupy once the war is over. The better news is that the sales at Italica went better than expected."

"Really?" Tyuwal asked, excited, Charlotte not entirely understanding the importance behind it, but childishly excited nonetheless.

"Yes. Since they lost so many farmers during the... well... raids... there is much farmland being sold. If all goes well, we could have a... a..."

Charlotte's ears perked up and she was looking down the road.

It was Tyuwal who appeared confused for a moment.

"What is it?"

Then she felt the earth beginning to shake ever so slightly.

Before she could think of anything, American tanks rolled down the dusty road. The M48s leaving behind a trail that would normally have taken horses and wagons months to create in a few seconds. Trucks and jeeps not far behind.

A grim look on the soldiers as they drove off.

"Did something happen?" Tyuwal asked.

The man she married only said "I saw them... gathering supplies... I guess this is another big push?"

Above them, the sound of the American helicopters flying in the air was heard.

Above those, American aircraft screeched as they raced towards the capital.

Little Charlotte took a step forward as if considering if she should follow the American trucks.

Tyuwal was quick to pick her up before she got any ideas.

"No, no, little one, your fight is over, you don't have to follow them."

Charlotte reached after one of the trucks that drove away.

She lowered her hand.

"Den... is..." she sighed.

"Hmm? The soldiers?"

The infant nodded, counting her fingers as she counted down the names she remembered "Den-is. Jay-moss. Taw-Uhm. Shay-on. Al-ex. Roads..."

Tyuwal smiled slightly. Despite growing up in one of the deadliest parts of the Empire, the child had retained her innocence.

"I'm sure they'll be fine, little one. They're strong and resilient. No force before has ever been able to truly challenge the empire."

Charlotte smiled slightly.

Imperial Capital

"There!" Sean yelled as he inserted another magazine into the M3.

Dennis and Hastings both fired several rounds down the street in response, a body falling over just it launched an arrow.

Rhodes lowered his head as it wisped past him, missing him by a few inches.

"Yeah, we're holding them here, no wounded yet. How are you guys doing?!" he called over the radio as Alex fired a short burst as yet another brave imperial peered his head out of cover to shoot an arrow at them.

The Green Beret captain garbled back over the radio, "We're holding them at the moment, but keep in mind that these are probably probing attacks."

"Yeah... yeah, I figured as much..." he said, another arrow flying overhead.

Not that different from Itálica. The bright side is that we don't have to hold for much longer...

The sound of rifles firing silenced any orders the centurion could spout as the limp body fell over.

"Tenth house! Left!" a legionnaire shouted.

"Archers!" an officer yelled.

The arrows came then, flying over the homes and landing on the street, some burying themselves in the grabble while others simply bounced uselessly on the ground.

Sean shouted "Reloading!"

Dennis gently squeezed the trigger, sending a burst down the street before pressing the mag release, removing the empty 20 round magazine, and quickly inserting the fresh one he was already holding. He slapped the bolt catch and began firing at the men hiding behind the street corner.

He sucked in a breath when a body fell to the floor where he fired, the injured man writhing on the ground.

A man reached to grab the wounded and Dennis responded by squeezing the trigger and now two bodies were on the quickly reddening street.

"How're we doing on rounds, boys?" Rhodes shouted.

"I'm good, captain!" Dennis yelled back.

"I've got a hundred rounds left!" Tom shouted, glancing at the ammo box on the M60.

Hastings wordlessly moved another box of bullets next to the machine gun.

Rhodes glanced at his watch.

"Thirty minutes!"

Where the hell is that son of a bitch emperor?!

If asked, Dennis could have sworn he could hear the man's obnoxiously pompous voice in the distance, shouting orders and inspirational messages safely from behind cover.

More gunfire.

More arrows.

Dennis reloaded again, not at all intimidated by the screams and shouts the enemy was yelling at them.

"Cowards!"

"Face us directly you sons of whores!"

An arrow flew overhead, another man screaming "Leave this city and never return, you animals!"

Dennis replied by firing another burst, blowing away another piece of the stone wall.

Emperor Zorzal, only a short distance away, angrily stood in place, listening to the ongoing battle.

"Progress, Borhos?!" he demanded.

General Borhos only said "The enemy's ranged weapons are faster and much more accurate than our own. Numbers or not, they have superior firepower and are taking full advantage of the city's streets. We're preparing some of the heavier weapons to-"

"Oh, just charge in! They can't- ah!" Zorzal yelped, grabbing his now bandaged-up injury.

Borhos cared little for it.

"Emperor! These men are cornered animals! If we just charge in, we'll pointlessly lose men! We must advance properly, otherwise-"

"Otherwise, nothing! That... that liar... it's his fault she betrayed me! I want him alive, Bohros!"

The general winced, noticing how Zorzal was muttering to himself now as the thunderous cracks of the enemy weapons continued to spit death.

He noticed how detached the young emperor was from everything.

"...yes... his fault... she was clearly brainwashed... Tyuule would never have tried to hurt me... she belongs to me... it's his fault..." he kept repeating like a mantra.

Like any good general, Bohros kept his opinion to himself but internally wondered if he would be able to do anything about their situation. Zorzal could easily overturn his orders, and his men clearly looked up to the emperor to some extent, and if the American was telling the truth, they were in trouble regardless of what Zorzal ordered.

As another explosion erupted in the distance, Borhos shut his eyes.

He'd only been "general" for a week.

There must be something I can do...

"The homes... why aren't we going through the homes?!" Zorzal demanded.

Borhos said "They homes aren't interconnected, and most alleys around them are too tight to just charge in. We're sending what men we can through them, certainly, but-"

"Yes, yes... of course..."

Then, as if he realized something, Zorzal quickly said "Get me one of the dead or injured!"

"What?"

"A dead or injured soldier, bring him to me now!"

Borhos nodded to his officers, the men quickly rushing to do just that. Zorzal cleared the wooden table they were using to plan the battle, tossing the map and pieces of chalk to the floor.

An injured man was brought in.

Zorzal said, "Lay him here, let me see his injury!"

The men did so, lifting the tunic, the man stifling his pained moans as Zorzal studied the bleeding hole on the man's side.

"Turn him over."

They did.

"No exit wound... whatever they hit him with did not go through his body..."

Borhos frowned.

They knew that after the traitor had used that weapon on the emperor, did they not?

Zorzal said, "How many orcs do we have at our disposal?"

An officer quickly said "Fifty, emperor! Six ogres as well!"

Zorzla grinned, saying "Good... more than good... bring them here and pull the archers back. We will make the orcs and ogres charge down that street and kill the enemy."

Borhos felt his eyes widen.

Yes, the orcs and ogres had far tougher skin and were exceptionally strong, but...

"Emperor, the monsters were intended to be used-"

"Stop objecting, Borhos... I doubt their weapons will be enough to stop a wave of the greens. Even if they do, we shan't relent!"

Borhos nodded, saying "Go, get them organized, quickly!"

Then, to Zorzal, he said "If we break them here, we could flank the others and prevent all escape."

"Great! Get it done!" Zorzal said, grinning.

…

Dennis checked the ammunition in his pockets.

He frowned, as no arrows came forth, but gunfire continued around them.

Rhodes got off the radio, perplexed.

"They're not letting up in the other streets..." he mumbled.

No one spoke, the question in all their minds.

Why did they pull back here?

Rhodes glanced at Tom, the machine gunner taking the chance to reload, Hastings helping him.

He then glanced at his watch.

"Twenty more minutes, boys... then we begin pulling back."

"Hope they chase us... be a shame we waste all this ammo for nothing." Tom huffed, racking a round into the M60.

Dennis didn't say anything.

Over the gunfire, he thought he could faintly hear the imperials shouting orders.

At what exactly, he couldn't tell, but he never liked anything the enemy forces the Americans had faced threw at them, and he doubted this would be an exception.

He tried to think of other things.

The smoke, the sound of gunfire, the occasional explosion made it all but impossible.

He shut his eyes for a second, more as a reflex than anything, his mind tired but knowing it couldn't just stop working now.

He opened his eyes again just as the first green creature moved past the corner, and Sean yelled "Contact!"

"You don't say... what the hell?" Alex breathed.

"Orcs... they're orcs..." Dennis replied.

Rhodes said, "That's... that's a problem..."

They'd read about them. They'd seen a few when the Army broke through at Alnus, but the only experience American infantry had with the orcs had been in Dallas, and all the Rangers knew of that were the casualty reports.

There had been a reason the tanks and artillery had always been tasked with taking care of them.

The green creatures marched relatively in tight formations as they formed at the other end of the street. They stood there, unmoving in a column of ten, completely covering the edges of the street ahead of the Rangers. A single centurion walked ahead of them then, shouting something in a language Dennis didn't understand, the green creatures responding by raising their incoherent weapons to the air and screaming.

Rhodes said "Well... they lined up neatly for us..." and then, pursing his lips, "Light 'em up!"

No other orders were necessary as the M16s and M60 spat smoke and death, the automatic fire roaring then. The centurion barely got out of the way as the bullets slammed into the creatures.

The orcs didn't charge, they simply stood there, taking the bullets, some falling to their knees, but the others behind them stood them back up, continuing their battle cry over the gunfire. Odds were the onslaught had actually killed the entire front column, but it was difficult to judge or how many bullets it had taken.

Then arrows rained again.

Aw, hell...

The Americans ducked, Dennis only keeping an eye on the enemy, already knowing what would follow.

Rhodes appeared to be thinking the same thing as he turned to Tom and yelled "Tom! Hastings! Set that gun up further back.

"Yes, captain!" Tom yelled, quickly picking up the machine gun and bounding behind them.

Dennis heard the centurion, safely hidden behind a house scream in the local tongue "Now!"

He only managed to shout back "Here they come!"

Sean switched to the M1903, a worried look on his face, Alex and Rhodes reloaded, the Ranger's captain yelling "Try to hold 'em back for a second, then pull back to Tom and Hastings!"

The orcs came running like an elephant stampede.

Large, green, muscular; the ground shook with their unified charge as they shoved each other forward defying the renowned onslaught of lead as they began to close the distance.

The 5.56 NATO rounds were barely slowing them down.

Sean fired, dropping an orc with a difficult headshot.

They were still organic, which meant that hitting a vital organ would certainly stop them, but as it was becoming increasingly obvious, the 5.56 NATO rounds were just barely cutting it.

Dennis quickly reloaded and immediately unloaded on an that was getting uncomfortably close to him. The rifle's design and caliber allowing a touch more control on fully automatic than the heavier M14, but even with his careful aim he was sure he missed some shots as the charging monster fell forward, unmoving.

The one behind it wasn't so keen to stop as Dennis reloaded.

"Fall back!"

Dennis inserted the magazine just as the monster closed the distance, lifting the club that had large spikes protruding from it.

He was a bit faster and ducked away as the orc fell dead, courtesy of Rhodes.

They were already falling back, and Dennis fully intended to follow as he slapped the bolt catch.

Then something knocked him aside like a rag doll as he turned around.

Angry at the retreating enemy, one large orc had thrown a massive club, hitting the 18-year-old on the back, unceremoniously knocking him to the floor.

"Orville!" someone shouted just as he hit the ground.

It was pathetic, really.

Ma... ma?

As Dennis was tossed to the ground like a ragdoll, his head impacting the dirty stone road, all he could think about was wanting to call out to his mother for help, or just to hear her voice.

I'm so tired...

A boom behind him, roaring even over the cracks of rifles, like a little kid's nightmare, chilled him to the bone just as he thought he was drifting away. He forced himself to start crawling away as fast as he could before turning around, eyes wide, as if this was too much.

Damn it!

Rhodes stared at the larger monstrosity as he reloaded.

He wasn't entirely sure what it was, but the armor and facial features only screamed "monster" as the creature roared and lifted a massive blade to the sky.

The young ranger rolled away from the blade as it slammed near him.

Rhodes fired into the monster's eyes, knocking it back. It mattered little as a smaller orc ran around it and tried jumping the young American.

Dennis let out a mix between a gasp and a yelp, firing in full auto, four rounds hitting the second orc in the face, one round going into the eye and rolling around in the creature's brain, knocking it to the floor as Dennis tried moving away.

As if the attackers were exclusively trying to kill him then, an arrow landed next to his head, a second one barely an inch away, grazing his face.

At this, Dennis managed to shakily get to his feet, ignoring the bleeding on the side of his face, his eyes burning with a fury that could only come from a soldier as he glared at the monsters readying another strike.

He lost his footing, falling to a knee.

Get up! Get up, God damn it!

He could only struggle to get up as a forty-millimeter grenade slammed into charging monsters, a deceptively underwhelming explosion of smoke knocking down a column.

Rhodes quickly got him up, grabbing his collar and pulling him up, screaming "What are you doin'?! Start running, soldier!"

Dennis shakily regained his footing, watching the creatures charge past the smoke.

"Come on!" Rhodes shouted, dropping a grenade as they ran.

The explosion behind them only caused the orcs behind them to wail in pain as the shrapnel failed to kill many, but painfully wound most of them.

Tom finished readying the M60 as Hastings stood next to him, rifle on hand, ammo box on the ground.

Rhodes and Dennis got to them, the 18-year-old crashing against the nearby wall, sucking in several deep breaths before turning his rifle over to the attackers.

The orcs that hadn't been wounded clearly cared not for their wounded comrades as they charged ahead, trampling some or stealing the weapons of others.

Tom sucked in a breath.

Rhodes growled "Now!"

The M60 roared once more as Tom let out an intensely long burst, the street riddled with lead as the Rangers fired everything they had, the buildings around them shaking to a degree as lead slammed into flesh. Rifle fire backing it, the monsters fell one by one as the heavier rounds weren't anywhere as easy to ignore as the smaller 5.56 NATO rounds the M16s were firing.

It was wholly unforgiving.

Neither was Zorzal.

"The orcs are being slaughtered!" Borhos shouted.

Zorzal only laughed, saying "Yes, but they pushed them back! See?! See that they can be defeated?!"

"Emperor, they're-"

"Now with them taking the brunt of the attack the infantry will charge in and sweep them away!"

Borhos tried to object.

Zorzal didn't let him.

"Now, General! Sound the charge!"

Borhos turned to the young man with the horn.

Unlike most of the legionnaires who had been trained since a young age and were mostly adults, this trumpeter was barely in his early twenties.

The young man looked at the general with uncertainty.

Borhos only nodded, unable to give the order himself.

The horn sounded.

As Zorzal had ordered, the men with crossbows charged ahead.

As the last orc fell dead, the infantry emerged from the corner.

Tom huffed, quickly adjusting his aim and firing again.

Someone got to fire an arrow first, the projectile flying past Dennis.

"Come on, kid!" Rhodes yelled, pushing Dennis ahead.

"Claymores?!"

"Yeah! Go!"

Dennis didn't hear the clicking of the detonator, but he did hear the concussive explosion the mines let out as they erupted to life, sending seven-hundred steel balls the size of a .22 caliber round at a speed of more than 3,900 feet per second at the charging soldiers. Dennis could only imagine the carnage as anguished screams filled the air behind them as they pulled back, Tom continuing to fire in long bursts that were likely straining the machine gun past its limit.

The machine gunner got up then, Hastings covering his retreat just as Dennis reached a street corner, sticking to the wall and aiming his rifle to cover the others.

Like something out of a horror movie, a massive green arm punched through the wall, just above the carry handle on his M16, inches away from his face. It was followed by a shoulder that shattered through, the wall likely weakened from the explosions.

"Damned... human..." he heard it growl in the local tongue.

The orc slammed through with a furious glare directed at the American, its muscular left arm bleeding heavily.

Dennis reacted, firing point-blank on the monster's face, again on full-auto. The image of the creature's skull breaking apart as the 5.56 NATO rounds tore it to shreds at such proximity was burned into his mind as heavier gunfire came from Tom as he lifted the machine gun, firing into the back of the dead monster.

Rhodes stared, dumbfounded as Alex and Sean began firing on the charging infantry.

Dennis shakily spat out something that had stuck to his mouth, taking a step back and trying not to think about what it may have been.

Tom ran past him, shouting "Captain, we gotta go!"

Rhodes was about to agree when an arrow zipped past him and slammed into the machine gunner, knocking him to the floor.

More arrows flew by, another just barely grazing the 18-year-old's helmet.

Rhodes grabbed Tom, seeing droplets of blood on the floor.

The red-haired Ranger said something Dennis assumed was a curse, but he didn't quite catch as he fired several more rounds into the attacking infantry. The bullets stopping them as they took cover behind the empty homes.

"Alex, how are the Berets doing?!"

Alex only shouted, "They're holding, captain!"

"Tell them we can't hold! They're pouring everything into this street and we're about to be overrun!"

He glanced at his watch.

Twenty more minutes...

"Gimme the M16." Tom awkwardly shifted in place as Hastings took the M60.

Distant explosions were felt then as claymores on other parts of the district were either detonated as part of a trap or detonated by an order.

"Captain, Berets are pulling back!" Alex shouted.

"Right... drop some smoke. We're leaving now!"

Zorzal pushed ahead, irritated the glorious charge had been halted as men remained in cover.

He ignored the corpses... well, carcasses at this point, of the slain orcs.

Borhos could only look on in silent horror at the sight.

Of the fifty strong orcs and ogres that attacked the American line, it was clear most had been slain or wounded so they couldn't fight anymore. One still alive simply sat by a corpse with a hole in its side, its right arm completely missing.

Worse, he didn't see a single American body.

Zorzal shouted, "Why have you stopped?!"

"The poisonous mist, Emperor... it impedes our progress!" an officer shouted, an older man, Borhos could tell.

Zorzal pushed ahead, clutching his still bleeding injury and pretending it didn't hurt, he said "These cowards! Tricks and the like can't stop us!"

He stopped at the tip of the legion, staring down the white smoke.

"These men... they use trinkets and machines to wage war, not magic... in that case..."

"Emperor?"

Zorzal sucked in a breath and walked ahead.

"Emperor, wait!"

He raised a hand so his men stood back, marching into the mist.

Tyuule... I'm going to get you... this won't stop me!

He walked closer to the burning white smoke, his skin growing red as he looked around the increasingly burning cloud of smoke.

He saw it and suppressed a grin.

He ran back towards the Legion, his skin still burning as he took someone's crossbow, aiming it at the grayish object, not knowing it was classified as the "M34", colloquially known as the "Willy Pete".

He loosed the arrow onto it, scoring a perfect hit as the grenade was pushed aside, into an open home.

He laughed, saying "See?! Cowards! Shoot the little-"

He began to cough then, having gotten too close to the smoke, unknowingly inhaling some in despite doing his best not to.

Borhos said, "Majesty-"

"I shan't let the enemy escape, Borhos... if I must charge alone then I shall charge alone! I will defend my homeland!"

Several of the legionnaires nodded emphatically.

Borhos said "But the danger to-"

"Great risk, great reward. We learned that lesson with the orcs and with the Warrior Bunnies... these cowards are no different in their cowardly ways... forward, men!"

Other crossbowmen shot their arrows onto the smoke, seemingly knocking the burning objects out of the way. The smoke still burned the men as Zorzal led them through, but they almost seemed unbothered by it.

Borhos could only stare, hoping his Emperor was correct as he pushed the men forward.

…

Dennis froze as he heard the marching footsteps.

"Captain..."

"I know, I know... keep moving! Air Cav's almost here and we'll be gone before-"

"Down!"

Arrows flew over the building, none accurately landing on their mark, but already too close for comfort.

"Oh, come on!"

Tom groaned, supporting himself on the wall, holding the M16, saying "They're pushing past the Willy Pete? How are they even...?"

"Forget it, we're not engaging them further. Keep-"

Rhodes had barely finished his sentence when a man in armor charged out of an alleyway, short-sword in hand as he quickly closed the distance between him and the Rangers. Sean, unable to fire, lifted his rifle, blocking the blade, with Alex firing into the imperial soldier before he could move back and try stabbing again.

Dennis glanced at the opening to the alley.

He hadn't seen it previously as it was incredibly small, with barely enough room to squeeze through.

From it came a second imperial soldier, the man squeezing through relatively quickly, the process only made awkward by the armor he wore.

Dennis didn't hesitate, lifting the M16 and firing at the man, the rounds piercing through the armor with ease.

To his surprise, the man's body was pushed forward by a larger man who wore no armor and appeared to be using the smaller legionnaire as a shield, lunging at Dennis with a short blade, not to stab him, but to slam it over his helmet.

Dennis yelped as the blade made contact with the top of his head, the blow throwing him to the floor as his M2 helmet took the brunt of it.

Again, on the floor, his mind shot painful images to the forefront of his thoughts, attempting to take him out of the battle.

In a split second, he was back at Itálica, surrounded by men about to rip him to pieces as he lay helplessly on the floor.

This time there were no mortars to save him.

Near panic, Dennis fired wildly, trying to both control himself and his fire as he began half kicking, half pulling himself backward as best he could, unable to stand or even make out exactly whether he was killing anyone, as Alex and Hastings were quick to fire on the large man and those behind him, Dennis barely crawling away before Sean ran over and pulled him away from the alley.

A short spear was thrown from the alley then, hitting Hastings, knocking the young man to the floor.

"Hastings!" Rhodes ran over, checking the Ranger over, spear jutting out of his side, right on his stomach.

Without looking down, Hastings replied "Y-yeah, just... grazed me... I think..."

Tom muttered "Oh, Christ..."

Hastings shakily asked "What? How-how bad is... it... Oh, God..."

"Not that bad if you can still talk! Alright, everyone, fall back! Fall back! Alex, Sean, give me a hand here! Orville, watch our six!" Rhodes shouted, already helping Tom move away from the attackers, Alex and Sean quickly picking up the wounded Hastings and the M60, leaving the youngest Ranger to cover them.

Dennis was already up, reloading, glaring at the alley as no one else came through it.

He could hear the marching infantry quickly coming towards them.

An odd sensation came over him as he took a step back.

He forced himself to look at the bodies by the alley, the blood now pooling onto the broken parts of the dusty street.

All of them looked older than him, yet...

His jaw clenched and he quickly whirled around running keeping in step with the others, keeping an eye on the rear, ignoring the droplets of blood he was stepping over.

Get out... get her out... don't die!

He repeated the thought to himself over and over again.

Rhodes, on the radio, yelled "Stalker teams, what's your status?!"

"Pulling back. Heading to your hideout for exfil. Once there, pop red smoke. Medevac will be prioritized."

"Yeah, I'd hope so..."

"Contact!" Dennis hollered then, firing a burst as a charging legionnaire fell over before he could fire the crossbow he carried.

Tom twisted over, saying "Persistent pricks... Orville!"

He passed Dennis a hand grenade, one the 18-year-old was quick to pull the pin on before tossing down the alley as more legionnaires charged down the street, some quickly ducking to cover, one particularly brave one grabbed his helmet and threw himself over the grenade, seemingly hoping to stifle it with his helmet, but even with the resulting explosion only liquifying the man, his sacrifice successfully shielded his buddies.

Dennis angrily and quickly worked to make the sacrifice a pointless one by unloading on the ones who had been shielded from the explosion, the charge halted as the men ducked into the empty homes. He huffed, keeping up with the others, doing his best not to think about what he'd done.

They were getting close to their exfiltration point, and they couldn't afford to let the Imperials get so close.

Granted, he doubted the Air Cav would let them stay close if they did, but still, better to keep the LZ from being at risk, to begin with.

As they were closer to their hideout, Rhodes shouted "Pop smoke now!"

Sean grabbed his smoke grenade, tossing it ahead of them.

"Hold your breath!"

They ran over the quickly reddening area as red smoke began to fill the street behind them, almost like a wave.

They exited the street, stepping onto the clear area of their hideout, the rest of the Stalker teams and other Ranger units arriving more or less at once, some holding positions by their respective entrances, others carrying their wounded.

The Green Beret captain rushed over, saying "Five minutes! Birds are already circling overhead!"

"How bad is-?"

Rhodes fell silent, seeing the captain had an arrow sticking out the back of his shoulder.

The World War 2 veteran huffed, saying "Not as bad as stepping on a land mine, let me give you a hand there. Tell your boys to hold positions there."

Rhodes glanced at Dennis.

The 18-year-old wordlessly nodded, turning back to the street.

"Sean."

The marksman only nodded, turning around, handing a now rambling Hastings to the Beret Captain, joining Dennis on the street.

They silently observed the red smoke that had flooded between the homes in the distance.

Sean finally said, "How's your ammo?"

"Two mags left."

"Well... I'm down to the Grandpa Rifle... can't imagine the others are much better."

"Legend said we had to hold for a few minutes... we can handle that." He said, switching the M16 to semi-automatic fire.

...

Zorzal was rubbing his head, stepping over the corpses in frustration.

Not so much about the dead bodies, no he was expected that, but the lack of enemy corpses was frustrating.

The legionnaires had stopped up ahead.

He asked, "what is-?"

He froze at the massive cloud of blood-red gas blocking their view of the rest of the street.

"These damned tinkerers..." a soldier grunted.

Zorzal said, "Does it burn, too?"

"We don't know... We haven't gone close to it yet."

He huffed, saying "Then what are you waiting for?! The enemy is probably running out of tricks!"

The legionnaire nodded, saying "Yes, but we're low on arrows. We've fired as often and whenever we see them, yet... combat in the city like this..."

"Excuses... charge across that smoke, soldier! If it's deadly then pull back..."

Zorzal felt his breathing become harder.

He unconsciously placed his hand on his wound.

The legionnaire seeing his emperor straining so far just to kill the enemy.

He straightened up and shouted "Forward March!"

Zorzal smiled as the men obediently marched ahead despite the death around them.

He frowned then.

There was the headache, and the pain on his side... but was he hearing things, too?

He could've sworn up above he heard something, but looking at the sky he saw nothing.

He ignored it, his mind going back to what he would do once he got Tyuule back.

It was all the young emperor could think about.

…

It was like something out of a nightmare.

The red smoke was like looking at the legions through hell as they pushed on.

There was an odd second where they were moving slowly, like ghosts in a horror story, and Dennis felt his heart sink as he gripped his rifle tighter.

Sean sucked in a breath, gripping his last grenade, pulling the pin.

After that one second was gone, the legionnaires realizing the smoke wasn't as deadly as the white smoke, suddenly roared in defiance and began charging ahead.

It was like lightning.

Dennis squeezed the trigger, downing one man, then he moved to the other one, squeezing it again.

Sean tossed the grenade, holding it long enough so that once it landed by the charging army it detonated, ripping through several men, knocking some aside. Dennis thought he saw a man's leg fly up in the air like a firework.

He couldn't be sure as he had to fire faster and faster now, the mob getting closer.

A spear was chucked from behind the smoke, slamming into the wall Dennis was standing next to, chipping bits of rock.

Dennis ignored it as best he could, firing another round before reloading.

The Imperial soldiers stopped their charge, some attempting to stick to the walls as well to fire their arrows, something they weren't about to let them do, but ammunition would only hold out for so long.

The range was being closed, as well.

They were killing them, alright, but not as fast as needed.

For every one they downed, there were a hundred more, ready and willing to continue fighting as they tried ducking into cover and closing the distance, shooting arrows and throwing spears, barely missing the two Americans.

But seconds ticked by.

Dennis sucked in a breath.

Then the street ahead erupted in dirt and gore as an even more powerful roar tore the imperial soldiers into what Dennis could best describe as red sawdust mercilessly drowned everything out.

Almost everything.

Dennis let out a relieved breath as he heard the whipping noise characteristic of the American UH-1s. Glancing up he not only saw the shape of the UH-1, but the unmistakable yellow symbol of Custard's old 7th Cavalry, the gunship flying overhead, unleashing several rockets onto the other streets.

Zorzal however, only looked ahead in confusion as the American flying carriage flew overhead, screaming and breathing death, not unlike the flame dragon.

W-what?! But- they're so fragile!

He tried to compose himself when Borhos finally caught up to him.

"Emperor! The enemy is attacking us with their flying machines!"

"I can see that, you buffoon! Where are our fliers?!"

Borhos pointed to the sky above, shouting "What can our fliers do against that?!"

"Stab them, crash into them if necessary, attack, fight, fight, fight! They can do something so they should do something!"

"Do you not think they haven't tried?! Emperor we-"

A nearby building erupted into shattered rock and mortar as another of the horrifying machines of death flew overhead.

Borhos shook his head, yelling "We lost!"

Zorzal felt the words hit him harder than the previous betrayals, attacks, and even injuries. He stared at Borhos in shock.

Shakily, the young emperor said "No... you're... you're wrong! They're the ones losing! This is just a desperate raid, same as the many brigands we once armed! We can fight them off!"

Before Borhos could say anything, Zorzal whirled around and searched through the dead bodies, finding a functioning crossbow and taking it off the still-warm corpse.

He grabbed a pair of arrows and shouted to the soldiers around him "Follow me! We take those traitors, we win!"

He then charged ahead, ignoring the men who were now staring ahead, frozen in place.

Borhos shook his head.

He turned to his men and yelled "Whoever is stupid enough to help me retrieve that moron, follow me! The rest of you seek shelter where you can! You! Pass the word!"

The young legionnaire saluted and quickly ran off, the rest of the men scattering, leaving Borhos with only three others who were looking at him like he was a traitor.

"Come. He'll kill himself if we don't pull him out of the fire..." he growled at them, turning and chasing after emperor Zorzal.

…

Tyuule only stared ahead, the maddening sound she knew came from the "helicopters" Dennis had warned her about causing her to put her hands over her ears. She remembered seeing one up close soon after Molt's assassination, but she'd never heard them in combat, and she no longer had to imagine how the men from another world had dominated the army that had destroyed her people.

Still, she was more concerned with the wounded men lying down on the hideout's floor. The young man with stylish facial hair the Americans called "Doc" tending to them as best he could. The wounds varied from cuts to stabs to arrows the man wasn't ripping out.

Tyuule had no idea how to tend to such wounds, and the fact the man wasn't overwhelmed impressed her further. Even now, over the gunfire and explosions, all she could do was sit in place.

Shameful...

Several men burst through the door then, at least one of them with the red cross on his helmet.

"Stretchers!" he yelled, several other men, carrying long rods that when opened up revealed a fabric that held them together. The Americans placing their wounded on them.

Doc finally said, "Alright, let's take them out!"

"Can I help?" she tried.

He looked at her for a second, as if considering it, finally saying "No, you sit tight, miss."

She only nodded.

I'm in the way...

As she thought this, she thought about glancing out the window as more explosions were heard.

As if the Red-Light District was erupting over a volcano.

As the men took out their wounded, a familiar figure ran in, followed by another.

Dennis briefly made eye contact with her and she went pale.

There was blood coming down the right side of his face, the rest of the youth's features were ashen, covered in dirt and dust. The helmet had a dent on it, and he seemed teary-eyed.

He winced as he ran past her, the older American with the wooden gun not looking much better as he ran after him.

She suppressed the urge to follow in step, clutching the American combat jacket around her a little tighter.

More explosions rang out.

Dennis and Sean got to the second floor.

Rhodes and Alex pushed the larger radios onto a corner, yelling "Good, you boys have any grenades left?"

Dennis said "Yeah, last one."

Alex yelled back "Great, help me out here."

Dennis ran over, helping shove the large battery-powered radio onto a pile with other equipment.

Alex groaned, saying "God... taxpayers are gonna be mighty angry if they find out about this."

"What they won't know won't hurt 'em, now let's move! This place is going to be nothing in a few minutes!" Rhodes yelled, leading Sean back down the stairs.

Alex and Dennis pulled the pins from their grenades and stared at the second floor, the equipment they had no time to dismantle and load onto the choppers forming an odd pile next to the makeshift office of Rhodes as other munitions were placed around it.

Both 18-year-olds were silent for a second.

Alex said, "Never liked this place much."

"Yeah..."

Another moment of silence.

"Fire in the hole!"

…

"By the gods..."

Shaun glanced at the horrified Pina as she peered over his shoulder, staring unblinkingly at the area he knew was the Red-Light District.

It was a little hard to miss as the 7th Cavalry helicopters were strafing the area with their twin M134 machine guns and their unguided rockets.

He could only imagine the terror the Imperial Army below could be feeling.

"Looks like it's not the entire army over there... look by the wall." the pilot said over the radio.

Shaun glanced downward, seeing marching legions rushing quickly, sticking to the city's walls.

...running away from the carnage...

Seemingly, they were trying to keep up with the second helicopter formation.

Either they were trying to catch up to the Americans or they were trying to run away.

Pina didn't really care, saying "We have to hurry up and land... otherwise..."

Shaun only said, "We'll land, princess... whether they surrender or not is up to them."

Pina didn't say anything else.

She felt her heart twist in anguish as the helicopters didn't immediately land within the walls of the city, but just outside the nearby hills by the main gate.

She shakily hopped from the helicopter just as the larger Chinook landed nearby, several of her Rose Knights hopping out of it just as awkwardly and just as quickly.

Pina was quick to get up on the hill, freezing as she saw the purple cape of a General she quickly recognized.

"General Woody!" she called as loud as she could, the man unmoving as he and his legion observed the distant flying machines unleash fire and smoke on the army in the Red-Light District.

The man whirled around, seeing the princess.

He then saw the green men behind her and a look of horror crossed his face.

Before he could react, Pina had already closed the distance, and she shouted "General, where is my brother?!"

Woody only glanced up once, then back at the 19-year-old girl.

"Highness... your brother... Emperor Zorzal is... over there... what is the meaning of this?"

"Are your men marching to assist?!" she shouted.

Noticing the men in green taking obviously defensive positions, Woody tried to ask another question, but Pina snapped him out of it.

"General, are your legions moving there?!"

"I... we was supposed to..." he said quickly.

"Cancel those orders! Recall your men! The war is over, we are not fighting the Americans anymore!"

"W-what?"

"They gave my father and my brother a chance at peace, they didn't take it and that is the result! I want the Senate gathered immediately and I want no more of our men to die!"

As distant explosions rang out, all Pina could do was face the General, who nodded and quickly ran to his officers, shouting orders.

Deep down, Pina knew more would die so long as they remained within the Red-Light District.

She pushed the thought away and turned to Shaun, yelling "He's ordering his men to stand down!"

"Good! I'll pass it along!" came the quick reply.

Not fast enough...

She stared at the bright blue morning sky above and saw the metal birds, just specks in the air.

Not fast enough at all...

…

Zorzal heard a man screaming in agony nearby, but he ignored him, focusing on other, far more important things in his mind.

Such as...

How much did that whore lie to me?!

He angrily ducked under a window once he saw the American flying machine land on the rather cleared-out section of the district.

He saw the men load in wounded and felt a touch satisfied, but his mind quickly went back to the white-haired girl.

Did she really lie to me then?

She had always whispered such sweet things when he had her, and he always considered it proof of her dedication to him but now he wondered if she actually meant all that.

If she had lied about the American losses, then... had she lied about his greatness? Had she lied when she whispered sweet things to him at night? Had she lied when she reminded him of his own greatness?

No, not possible!

She'd been whispering those words at night long before the gate opened!

But what if that's because she feared me?

Immediately he pushed the thought aside.

No! She was brainwashed by that bastard! This is all his fault! Yes, once I kill them all... she'll see... I'll make her see!

He checked the crossbow and grinned cruelly.

Cowardly tactics will be met with cowardly tactics...

At the same time, only a few yards away, Dennis was trying not to focus on Tyuule.

As the first helicopter took the wounded and a second one began to land, he tried not to look at her, but everything else to focus on was a reminder of hell in his mind.

Gunfire, explosions, distant screaming men, the thought about how many he had killed scratching at the edges of his mind like a nail on a chalkboard...

He focused instead on the whipping sound of the Helicopter as it landed in what could be considered a "hot" LZ, but "hot" didn't really apply in this region. The enemy didn't have guns, and while the Imperial Legions were certainly uncomfortably close if the helicopter fire was any indication, they weren't a threat, unlike in other fronts where the enemy had guns.

Dennis finally turned to Tyuule, waving her over, making sure she was in between the Rangers evacuating and not exposed in the front or back.

He tried to ignore her worried face as she got up and ran to him instead of ahead of him.

He didn't correct her much, simply lightly leading her by pressing her forward.

Rhodes stepped out first, aiming his rifle at the area where the enemy would be as he hastily ran to the helicopter, the others following after.

There were Berets still around the area, behind cover, watching their positions.

Dennis pushed Tyuule ahead, the girl covering her ears tightly with one hand as the wind created by the helicopter's rapidly spinning blades blew dust every which way, clutching the Army jacket with the other.

Tyuule was in first, the noise no better inside than outside for her.

Dennis glanced at one of the airmen who opened the chopper doors, the soldier noticing, and reaching over with an uncertain expression as he handed the girl a headset to put over her ears. They weren't made for her ears, but they might work if she placed them on properly.

Tyuule placed the odd device over and under her ears.

It was a touch awkward, but it fit well enough, muffling the noise just enough despite being designed for smaller human ears.

Rhodes turned to Dennis, yelling "Right, get-"

The arrow slammed into the tail of the chopper, bouncing off and crashing onto the nearby wall, barely missing Rhodes, and causing Sean to duck down searching from where the sudden attack had come from.

Dennis however, had seen where the arrow had been shot from and his eyes went wide with hate, shock, and a flurry of emotions as he recognized the attacker.

How are you not dead?!

Zorzal ducked back behind the window. Grabbing a second arrow, angry that he hadn't accounted for the wind just as the window exploded, the enemy projectiles causing far more destruction than his arrow could hope to accomplish against most stone structures, but he didn't care.

He crawled to another window, the enemy magic seemingly following him but not actually hitting him.

He grinned again, locking the arrow into place and pulling it back onto the crossbow, noticing a small ladder on the very corner of the home he was in. He crawled to it, a plan formulating on his mind. Tyuule had clearly been brainwashed! If he could just slay the machine's spirits or mechanisms or whatever helped it fly, he could slaughter these cowards and take her back!

As he began to climb up the ladder with some difficulty, he noticed the American machines were sounding further and further away.

Damned cowards! You won't win so easy-

He didn't actually see the grenades fall into the home, but he certainly felt their heat and shockwave as he was frown off the ladder and back to the hard ground inside the home.

Rhodes shouted "On the chopper! Now! Go!"

He didn't know if it was just Zorzal on his own, and frankly, he didn't care, getting his Rangers on the chopper, Dennis appearing a touch reluctant, but never disobeying, lowering his now empty M16 as he hopped on.

Rhodes let the young man go to the white-haired girl who seemed wholly confused by the sudden gunfire.

She shouted something, trying to ask a question, one he didn't catch as he grabbed a headset and said "Tell the flyboys to hit that house!"

The pilot only said, "No need, this entire area is about to go up in smoke!"

Sean shut the door as the helicopter started going up.

A final one landed, with the remaining Berets quickly piling in.

The instant that chopper was airborne, a few acknowledgments went over the waves.

"Alright, boys, you may want to look to your left, 'cause you're all in for a show!"

Then the bombers dove in.

…

Zorzal was coughing up blood by the time Borhos and two others pulled him out of the smoldering home.

"Emperor, your ability to survive astounds me, I'll give you that much." Borhos sighed.

Zorzal realized how still everything was then. As if everyone had died and the world had gone silent.

He groggily said, "Did... did we win?"

Borhos said, "The enemy flying machines here are leaving, but we saw an even larger formation of them heading towards the main entrance to the city."

Zorzal began to stand up, pushed back by the soldiers.

He quickly slapped them away, yelling "Tyuule! Where is Tyuule?!"

Borhos only said, "Emperor, she's gone."

"Damn! Gather the legions! We have to... to march on Alnus! That-"

"Emperor, first we have to get you to a healer! Your skin is burnt and you're bleeding far too-"

"No, Borhos... I am not defeated! I will still... fight... until I can no more!" he said through labored breaths.

Borhos said "Emperor, you can't even stand up! For the love of-"

Zorzal, ignoring all the pain in his body, shakily sat up, hissing "I said... I am not... defeated!"

Borhos cautiously stepped back as the emperor managed to get on his feet.

He said "We had no fliers... you can thank my father for that... yes, that's why we were unprepared... his moronic... stupid... insane policies! Yes..."

As Zorzal mumbled to himself, Borhos looked around at the Red-Light District.

It was eerily empty.

He didn't quite understand how the enemy from beyond the gate fought, but if the denizens of the district had sheltered them, then... had they killed them all?

No, these men fight differently... but then why is the district empty?

A sickening feeling in his stomach was all the warning he received as he heard the screaming aircraft from above.

He glanced upwards, seeing the machine.

Terrifyingly, the metal bird was still far away as it dropped what appeared to be large eggs.

What madness is...?

Zorzal didn't seem to notice, too deep in thought.

He did notice when the ground shook and the "eggs" punched a hole in an empty part of the district.

Borho's eyes widened, and Zorzal visibly winced.

Around them, the metal birds dropped their payload.

They had no way of understanding exactly what was being done. They had no experience with the concept of strategic bombings, let alone the plan the American military had devised to use its air supremacy to bomb its enemies into submission.

They did understand the firestorm some of these "eggs" could spawn, however.

A wall of fire swallowed up entire streets and Borhos said what anyone in that situation would.

"We must seek shelter, now!"

Zorzal however, was focused on more important things.

"W-why? I don't understand, t-these cowards shouldn't... why did they wait until now to use that weapon? Why-?"

Another metal bird screeched by even closer.

Another massive firestorm, as large if not larger than that of the legendary flame dragon swallowed yet another part of the Red-Light district; a roar that rivaled the worst of monsters in all the land silencing everything else as it spread.

Borhos found his voice and yelled "Go! find shelter!"

"But, the Emperor..." one of the braver men said.

Borhos only said "He's lost it! Move!"

Zorzal whirled around at the insult.

"How dare-?"

He saw the men were already running.

He sputtered out a pair of words, not bothering to limp after them.

His mind was too busy focusing on other things.

Such as who to blame.

And why Tyuule had lied to him.

Was she really just brainwashed?

Did she not love him?

He thought back to her cries, to how he had enjoyed her... surely, she had enjoyed it as well?

An even larger explosion brought his attention back to the present.

He didn't know-how, and he didn't know exactly why, but he did realize one thing.

They'd beat him.

He glanced up and saw a massive black, bird, this one slower than the others.

"Oh."

Then a one-thousand-pound bomb landed fifteen yards away from him and made him think nothing more.

…

Tyuule only looked on, mesmerized by the destruction below.

It really was like seeing a bird drop eggs from above.

While the main part of the capital was untouched, the sheer destruction the Imperial Army was being subjected to was nothing short of a crime.

There was no fighting back against the thunderous explosions from the American bombs.

There was no defeating the hellish flames.

There was no escaping the death the aircraft wrought with them.

The F-105s, the Phantoms, the massive winged thing that kept dropping the bombs as if it had an endless supply of them. The destruction below was something she thought she could only imagine in her wildest fantasies about destroying the Imperial Army without a hint of mercy.

But then...

All she could do was sit and stare as Zorzal's army was mercilessly annihilated.

Yet she felt no joy.

Zorzal had more than likely died a miserable and embarrassing death.

Yet she felt no joy.

Her people, her mother, her father, her brother had been avenged.

Yet sorrowful tears were now streaming down her face.

No one cheered.

She heard some exclaim and comment about the destruction below over the device covering her ears, but no cheers.

This was what she had wanted for so long, this was a total victory, with few casualties... and yet no one celebrated.

Her heart ached and her face twisted in pain.

Why? Why can't I stop crying?

She tried wiping her tears away observing the rising smoke, her eyes slowly turning to the serenely blue sky above, still peacefully the same despite all that destruction, no less indifferent than when it happened to her so long ago.

She couldn't take it anymore so she turned to the American sitting next to her.

And promptly froze.

He appeared disheveled and broken.

His hands were tightly gripping the black rifle he used, staring ahead, shutting his eyes tightly, and opening them again. She could tell his breathing was heavy, and she remembered how distraught he had been after an attack by a single member of the Haryo.

From the looks of it, he'd suffered through a far harsher and far more violent fight than all previous ones and was, like her, barely keeping it together.

Help me again...

Despite her tears, she moved her hand over to his.

Dennis jumped at the contact, turning to her.

She avoided the eye contact, quickly pressing her head on his shoulder and tightening her grip around his left hand scared he might worry about her when she was trying to help him.

He responded by laying back on the seat, holding her hand a little tighter.

Though still shaking, she felt his breathing steady and the thought brought her some comfort.

Maybe she could do one good thing, indeed.

…

Pina and the Rose Knights stared at the maelstrom of death that was all that remained of the Red-Light District.

Perhaps the worst part was knowing that not all of the men there were dead.

A few groans and still moving bodies were a horrible reminder of that.

Pina forced the thoughts aside and pressed forward, an awful task at hand that she needed to complete before going to the senate, but one she figured could be assumed done with at this point.

No buildings stood, dusty piles of burnt and broken rocks were all that remained, most of it still smoking as she looked around.

There was no way her brother had survived.

At least one shaken young man was stumbling through the rubble.

She rushed ahead, shouting "Soldier! Soldier, over here!"

The young man froze, quickly noticing the red hair and saying "P-princess?"

She stopped, noticing the purple tunic.

"You're an officer?"

"G-general... B-Borhos... Eastern Legions..." the man said, shaking.

He appeared unhurt, but he collapsed to his knees.

"I-I beg you, please accept my resignation! I am not fit to lead!"

Pina quickly kneeled with him, trying to reassure him, but he didn't let her even speak.

"I let the Emperor lead my men into death! I let him... and this is the result..."

Pina winced, saying "The Emperor is dead?"

"Emperor Zorzal died... I... I found his remains back... there."

Pina, wanting to help the man, but desperately needing to confirm her brother's death, only said "It wasn't your fault, General... stand up, we need to help you and your men."

"Not my fault... yes... I was just following orders... but I could have objected. I could have..."

Pina didn't have time.

She rushed down the way the man had come, ignoring the scorched bodies as best she could.

She froze as she could quickly distinguish the body.

It hadn't been burnt.

He almost looked peaceful as he lay there, rubble and burnt stone on top of him.

She said nothing.

She looked around.

She saw no one was nearby.

She crumbled to her feet and cried.

Alnus

10:00 AM

The Helicopters landed and Dennis was jolted awake.

Tyuule was still holding his hand.

Tightly.

He gently moved his shoulder up, nudging her awake.

She looked around, seeing the other men getting up to leave.

Dennis helped her out of the UH-1 the airfield full of airmen and medical personnel moving the wounded.

Rhodes said "Come on... doc wants to take a look at those scratches. Same for you, ma'am."

They followed the Captain, Tyuule not letting go of the young man's hand.

She didn't speak as she was led to the building with the red cross.

Dennis however, said a lot.

"These are doctors, they'll, uh... they'll give you a check-up, see if you're okay..."

She nodded.

"Maybe take some blood... see if you're sick."

She nodded.

As they got closer, he quietly said "Thank you..."

She turned to him then, a longing in her eyes.

Before she could speak, before she could figure out what she wanted to say, a dark-haired girl in a white dress walked over.

"Queen Tyuule?"

Both of them turned to look at the nurse.

Tyuule's eyes went wide and Dennis unconsciously got in between the white-haired girl and the nurse whose rabbit ears had clearly been cut by a blade some time ago.

The Warrior Bunny raised her hands in surrender, speaking in decent English as she said "Hey, I mean her no harm, I swear!"

Dennis stared at her, unsure of what to do or say.

Tyuule said "Alright... it's alright."

The dark-haired girl took a cautious step closer.

Dennis didn't look certain.

Rhodes called, "Orville, come on!"

Dennis glanced at his captain, then at the white-haired girl.

Tyuule let go of his hand.

He quickly took it and said, "I'll see you soon, I promise."

She only nodded, watching as he walked away.

The girl said, "Aw, I think he likes you."

Tyuule turned to her former subject.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, where are my manners? My name is Parna. I've been working with the Red Cross since April."

Tyuule opened her mouth to speak, but no words came.

Parna was quick to say "It's alright, come with me... we all had it tough after the war..."

She pursed her lips and said, "I don't blame you, you know?"

Tyuule stifled her cries and only looked at the floor as she was escorted to a room where someone could actually begin patching her up.

Dennis on the other hand was in a near panic.

The doctor slapped the top of his head, saying "Hold still! Stitches will already leave a scar!"

Dennis ignored the doctor as the needle went into his skin.

"An... inquiry?"

Rhodes said, "Yeah, nothing serious. Higher-ups want us to answer some questions is all. You can see it as an excuse to take a break-"

"No, I... I can't leave her yet. I-I haven't even-"

"I know, I know... but relax, remember, I doubt she wants you to be institutionalized. You're not abandoning her."

Dennis nodded slowly, calming down only to get slapped again by the doctor to keep his head straight.

"Right... how long will I have to be gone?"

May 13th, 1964

Alnus

9:00 AM

"I'll see you soon, I promise." he had said before leaving.

She wasn't sure how "soon" he meant, but it was now clear he'd more or less been dragged away elsewhere for far more important things.

Two days he'd been gone.

Two days she'd been dealing with the fallout of the war ending.

Tyuule didn't want to think about it too much so she decided to instead focus on the flag these men from another world carried with them.

The red, white, blue pattern banner with several stars.

An odd choice, in her mind, but one she could ultimately understand. Unlike the Empire's obsession with placing purple over everything, arguably the most expensive color to find and therefore a sign of high status, they'd gone for more simple colors.

In theory.

Really, Tyuule was just looking for a way to distract herself as the man in front of her read several documents.

She understood the basics of it all.

"Your people, those of the Warrior Bunny Race, will be granted citizenship and be permitted to travel across the gate, granted the same rights and protections as all other US Citizens, all laws applicable to US citizens will apply to them, they will be subject to..." the man kept listing the caveats and privileges of her accepting and officializing the offer.

A part of her didn't really care, just wanting to get it over with.

She still nodded and gave a few affirmative huffs.

A while later, he said "Now, Miss Tyuule... Princess Pina has offered to return you the lands her brother conquered, even the role of queen if you so wish. The United States will not get in the way if you choose to rebuild your kingdom."

She didn't have to think about it.

"No... I... I'm not interested in any royalty or official position... just promise me my people will be protected. That's all I asked for, that's all I want." she said, still disinterested.

The man nodded, asking her "Do you have any plans going forward? We plan on educating those who will become citizens and we could use someone that has a grasp of our language."

That proposition was far more of a guarantee of her people's protections than anything she had seen before.

Being asked to help her people transition into the new nation implied they would be allowed to live going forward.

Still...

"I'll think about it..." she replied noncommittally.

The American nodded.

"Do you have any questions?"

"No."

"Do you understand the information we have discussed today?"

"Yes."

"Alright, then sign here, please."

Her handwriting wasn't like the American's typed up letters, as they flowed swiftly on the page, but she noticed someone else had already signed the paper in an equally neat fashion.

She didn't dwell on it as she finished her signature, handing the paper back to the American.

And like that, it was done.

She stood up from the chair, ignoring the "journalists" and their annoying devices, "cameras", that clicked and flashed. She had to give them credit, the men were able to huddle in a room's side and act as if they weren't even there, which in a sense, she guessed was part of what they were supposed to do, and they didn't bother her with any queries as she stepped out, a wolfman of all people walking in after her, speaking his language as he took her seat now that she had left.

Ah... yes... they're making several deals with other people...

In a way, it was comforting that she was but one more individual in an unending sea of them, where she could vanish and be forgotten. Better to be forgotten than hated, after all.

Once out of the building, she took a moment to glance at her new clothes.

It wasn't anything particularly fancy, a simple white blouse with a green skirt, but she couldn't deny it was comfortable and certainly far less revealing than the "uniform" Zorzal had given her.

Don't think about him...

As the morning sun bore down on her, she could only look around, her eyes eventually landing on the structure that connected both worlds.

She stared at it.

Then she walked away, her mind on someone else.

She also forced those thoughts away.

Dallas, Texas

2:00 PM

Dennis walked out of the military building with a perplexed expression, his Class A uniform bright and clean in total contrast with the still uncut hair of the 18-year-old. A few other soldiers in their Class A uniform walked out along him, Rhodes walked in step, saying "See? No big deal."

"I feel like I somehow participated in a crime, captain..." Dennis mumbled, the still perplexed expression in his mind.

"Hey, they only wanted a sequence of events, we gave them the sequence of events. You didn't lie."

"But they didn't really ask much, either."

"Enough for the reporters and politicians... trust me, kid, the Army may not make mistakes, but if you haven't noticed, sometimes we go above and beyond, other times it's the bare minimum."

They turned to the Green Beret Captain, the man's arm in a sling.

Dennis stared at the World War 2 veteran, noting the strange lack of World War 2 medals on his Class A.

He finally asked, "Where did you serve during the war, captain?"

The man chortled, said "Lemetti" and then walked on.

Dennis called "Where the hell is that?! Europe?!"

He got no reply.

Rhodes chuckled, saying "Glad to see you're a bit more energetic today."

"I'm all over the place, captain..."

"Appropriately."

"It's been two days, I didn't want to leave her without..."

"Hey, look at it this way... you have the papers now and your tour isn't over. You'll have plenty of time to talk to her about it."

Dennis nodded, glancing at a speeding Cadillac as they approached the military-controlled part of the city.

As they gave their identification at the gate, the MP asked "Orville, Dennis?"

"Yes."

He handed him a letter, Dennis looking it over as they walked inside.

"It's from home..." he said, uncertainty on his face.

"Family?"

Reading the return address, Dennis only said "No. Neighbor."

"A friend?"

"His kids were kind of my friends when I was younger... haven't talked to them in a while, though... guess I'll..."

He froze.

He stared at the letter and ripped it open.

Rhodes paused, looking at the 18-year-old.

"Orville?"

Dennis swallowed.

"I'm fine, captain. I'll... catch up?"

Rhodes nodded.

Dennis walked aimlessly, staring at the letter in his hands.

Before he knew it, he'd wound up near the appropriated book depository not too far from the Gate itself, sitting by the steps as he read the words over and over again.

He clutched the paper in his hands shakily holding the small object tied to the letter, a mix of sorrow and anger on his face that he quickly hid once he heard someone walking by.

Not yet... not yet...

Alnus

6:49 PM

"Well, you seem alright today... miss!" Parna said, emphasizing that the girl she was speaking to was no longer "royalty".

Tyuule forced a smile as she took her ration.

The dark-haired girl said "Are you really not going to be queen anymore? I'm sure some would support you."

Tyuule only shook her head, saying "I cannot. Even if you don't harbor anger, I... I don't know if I can forgive myself completely."

Parna nodded slowly, changing the subject.

"Is the young man back yet?"

Tyuule only said, "I don't know. I don't even know what he wanted to tell me... maybe it was all a ruse so he didn't fail his mission."

"Oh, come now, the way he looked at you? The way you two stared at each other?"

Tyuule felt her face grow warm again.

Parna only said "Ha! See? I'm sure he'd react the same way!"

I don't want you thinking I don't like you.

Tyuule pushed the memory aside, wrapping her rations into a bag with a huff.

Parna said, "You're such a kid, you know?"

Tyuule said nothing, taking the rations and turning to leave.

"Oh, if you haven't, some jobs are opening up in the town now that merchants from the other world are coming in. Maybe someone will hire you."

Tyuule considered it.

Parna then said, "But odds are that guy will sweep you off your feet and you won't have to work a day in your life... right?"

Tyuule waved her goodbye without another word.

Parna sighed, sitting back on the desk.

I'm just trying to help...

Tyuule walked aimlessly down the town then.

It was, for all intents and purposes, a melting pot.

Across the street, she saw a normal human family sitting inside a shop, eating together in a restaurant. Near them was an American soldier chatting with a quite attractive looking cat girl, near them was a pair of dark-skinned American soldiers walking by, being trailed by a pale girl with blue hair.

And then there she was.

Alone.

She continued walking, overhearing someone saying something on a nearby radio. She turned her head, seeing several Americans playing cards as the large box sat on the table they were sitting on, playing a card game she didn't recognize.

"...hope that with this act we can prove to the world that we as a nation are above the concept of racial divisions, and begin to move forward as we build upon our experiences, preserving freedom, liberty..."

The speech was drowned out by an American loudly saying "As if!"

Another loudly said "Maybe in twenty years. My dad will never sit at a restaurant that has any gringos inside, and I doubt your mom would sit anywhere near a beaner like me."

"Meh, Kennedy's gotten some people to side with him... who knows? Maybe all the war brides will help change folks' minds back home..."

She kept walking.

Eventually, she was out of the town walking up a hill.

Once at the very top, she stopped walking.

Tyuule stared at the setting sun over the distant mountain range.

The wind on her back was soothing, but she still felt a degree of unease.

It was over.

The ones who destroyed her people, her family, and her country were all dead.

Molt, poisoned.

Bouro shot over and over.

Zorzal, apparently with a broken neck after a bomb's shockwave caused him to fall from a building, leaving a mostly intact corpse to be discovered by the Republican forces led by Pina.

That also meant that the entity known as "The Empire" was also dead.

The legions that almost exterminated her people had either been shot, crushed, or burned to death by the American bombs.

Yet she felt no better.

Her mother was still dead, her father was still dead, her brother was still dead, most of her people were still dead.

Yet here she was.

Alive.

Alone.

Perhaps this is the punishment I deserved...

She continued pondering this when she heard the distant leaves crack under the feet of an approaching person.

A part of her could guess who it was, but she didn't want to get her hopes up.

"Hey... how're you feeling?"

She forced herself not to turn and look at him.

She only managed a tired shrug in response, continuing to look on into the horizon.

"I, uh... they told me they saw you walking around here, so I came looking..."

Tyuule said, "My old home is in that direction..."

Dennis stopped walking, saying "Yeah?"

"My people are probably more than happy to leave it behind after everything that's happened."

Dennis went quiet.

She said "It's likely empty now, but maybe some survivors will head over there after what the princess agreed to... it's out of my hands, at least... I can only hope there's a better future for them."

Silence.

Both of them basking in the warmth of the setting sun, not entirely sure of how to proceed.

Dennis didn't approach her, remaining a few feet away.

She didn't speak.

What could she say?

She knew she didn't deserve to see him or anyone that made her happy again.

Still...

"I heard you refused to take the role of queen back."

She didn't speak for a moment, odds being he'd heard the news before arriving back.

She nodded before saying anything, still refusing to look at him.

"I'm a coward to the bitter end, I suppose... I happily accepted he owned my mind, body, and soul despite my intent to obliterate him... they all still dominate my thoughts. I don't feel any better, Dennis, not after I caused so much death and destruction. I have to share some of the blame, yet to escape justice the way I did... cowardly, deceitful, evil... I have no idea what you see in me." she said, trying to ignore her reddening face.

Dennis pursed his lips and looked at what he was holding in his right hand.

He gripped the small box tightly and said "Well, you're a kind person, for starters."

She scoffed.

"It's true."

She didn't reply.

Come on, Orville...

With some determination, and now that she was safely away from a combat zone, he said "A coward wouldn't beg for her people. I heard Zorzal, he made it clear you offered yourself in exchange for your people's safety."

"That man was a liar."

"Was he lying about that?"

Tyuule's lip quivered as she fell silent.

"Broken clock is right twice a day... why would a coward risk all this if it's far more likely to backfire? You put a condition to your surrender to save your people. That's not cowardly, that's noble."

"It's naïve."

"Given the alternative?"

"I still caused all that destruction."

"Did you have a choice given who you were dealing with? Other than rolling over and dying?"

"I could have run away that first night."

"Then the war would probably still be going and more people would have died."

Tyuule fell silent for a moment, Dennis waiting patiently as the sun continued to dip below the horizon.

She finally asked, "You told me that day... you told me there was something important that you needed to tell me... something to ease my... unease... please tell me already."

The hurt behind her words made him wonder if it was appropriate to ask her now.

"Please... you're the only one who... that's... helped... please... do something about this unease." she tried, almost a whimper as she hugged her knees and hid her face.

Dennis sucked in a breath, admiring the setting sun ahead of them.

"Alright... you want to get married?" he asked bluntly.

Tyuule didn't react, continuing to stare at the sunset.

"What, with some noble?" she asked after a moment.

"No, with me."

Her ears perked up.

She turned to face him, eyes wide, asking "What?"

"Captain Rhodes was helping me fill out some paperwork for it, and... well... if you-"

"Why?! You know what I've done!" she cried out, standing up now.

"Yeah, and I don't think it's fair you should suffer for it alone."

"What?"

"I've done awful things, too... I don't know how many I killed in these battles, how many families I left fatherless, childless..."

Like mine...

"But that was in a war! I nearly got my people exterminated!" she cried out.

Wish knowing that helped me sleep better...

Instead, he said, "Would it have been better to just have everyone die fighting?"

Tyuule's throat tightened as she stammered out "That's what was expected! That's-"

"Yeah, that's how this world works. I get it... but here you are, standing against that."

"W-what?"

"Every person I meet here has this... this ancient way of thinking. They're changing, sure, but it's still there in some way... seeing defeat as worse than death, seeing people who surrendered to stop a slaughter as dishonorable somehow... it's alien to me... but here you are, going against it."

"I told you, it's because I'm-"

"Weak? Cowardly? Evil? So weak you gave yourself up and begged for your people? So cowardly you didn't kill yourself after three years of abuse, blame, knowing your own people wanted you dead? So evil you're sulking because you succeeded in getting your revenge?"

"H-how I feel is meaningless! It's what I did that matters!"

"I agree! Actions speak much louder. You tried to negotiate, you begged for the lives of your people, you worked to take down a nation abusing and enslaving others, and you guaranteed the protection of those who survived after you were betrayed!"

She tried to stammer out a response, but Dennis wasn't done.

"You think I didn't notice you never once asked for your own protection? Just the guarantee of protection for your people?"

Tyuule said nothing.

"You're a kind person!"

She felt her jaw clench, her hands balled into fists as the words sunk in.

"You're wrong..." she quietly objected, but she couldn't argue. It was her own internal self-loathing and guilt at how far she had gone that kept her mind as it was. Even if his words were trying to soothe that internal turmoil, she found it near impossible to agree to it.

He spoke directly to defy that insecurity then.

"No, you just don't believe me, but... I'll say it as many times as I need! Being with you... I didn't fall in love with you for no reason, Tyuule."

The words struck her and she turned away.

"Y-you're... you're still wrong... I... I'm not..." she couldn't say anything else, beginning to tremble.

Noticing the tears beginning to flow, Dennis quickly closed the distance and took her shaking hand.

She didn't pull it away, staring at the ground, whether out of shame or fear Dennis didn't know, but he didn't really care.

She'd helped him when he was practically at his breaking point, and he had no excuse to not do the same for her.

More than that, he wanted to bring her out of it.

He took a knee and used his thumb to open the tiny box.

Her already tearful eyes widened.

"I don't doubt you were scared; I don't doubt there was some selfishness behind your decision... but... the reason why you did it shows, at least to me..."

He slowly slid the ring onto her finger, glad the measurements were proper, and he internally smiled as the action startled the girl, her tearful eyes widening further at the gesture.

"...it shows me you're kind."

"B-but what I did..."

"It's not enough to not make me want to marry you." He said, his expression serious, determined, and a touch terrified.

At this, she couldn't contain her cries anymore.

She managed to barely stifle anything louder than her raspy breaths, but the tears flowed without end now, and she couldn't move as she shakily cried and wiped her tears with her free hand.

She couldn't look at him.

She remembered the way he had held her before, the fear of losing her in his eyes, and she tried to understand how that was possible. Then she remembered that the American ultimately had no one at home waiting for him, that, in a way, he was as lonely as she was before his government sought her out. Meaning that she had given him a genuine reason to pursue her if anything to not be alone, but the fact that he wanted something more was clearly not a fantasy or childish hope.

Dennis quickly stood up as soon as her tears began to flow, and in response Tyuule shakily took a step forward, pressing her face against his chest.

He felt unsteady as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He had practically poured his heart out, trying to say everything he could say to save the girl from her own guilt.

It was an odd situation, knowing they were both lost in a way.

He knew that even if he made a successful career in the armed forces, not all his friends would follow, leaving him isolated as he had no one to go home to, and likely no one to relate to. The fighting between the United States and the Empire had resulted in him killing many, the battles haunting him in a way he knew he would be unable to remove from his mind. Left alone, Mister Jones' prophecy about him would have easily come true.