GrimFalcon746

I write things. I also have a twitch and youtube. Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/grimfalcon746 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@grimfalcon746 Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/grimfalcon746

[grimfalcon746]

Kingdom of Graniel: Chapter 7

“I hear you spoke to the enemy commander alone?” Amphion asked Harry.

    “Yes.” Was Harry's simple answer.

    “To what end, may I ask?” Amphion pressed.

    “You need soldiers. RealSoldiers. Those who know how to fight and can help get your men ready. Next time we won't be here, recruiting the captured enemies, those that are willing to enlist at least, is your best option.” Harry explained.

    “So you think I am just going to shrug and let your new best friend out of his cell because he promises to help!” Amphion spat.

    “Lords should have cooler heads than that.” Harry insulted. “I never said anything about releasing their commander. He was captured after attacking your castle, it would be foolish not to execute him. His men, however, were following orders. Recruiting those who are willing will benefit you greatly.”

    “I will not have my men answering to the men they fought to defeat.” Amphion refused. “And you will refrain from any further contact with the captured forces.”

    “You seem to be under the impression I fall under your command.” Harry retaliated. “I choseto help you, only to be returned home. A promise you have yet to uphold.”

    “My mages almost have everything ready. The King is arriving today. Join the festivities, and the mages should be ready to send you back after his departure. Can you avoid causing problems for a couple of days?” Amphion requested.

    “As you wish. However my patience has worn thin.” Harry warned.

    “Is that a threat?” Amphion challenged.

    “Call it a warning.” Harry turned and left.

***

    Most of the men and women of the castle were gathered near the gate, hoping to catch a glimpse of the King and prince. Harry, on the other hand, was enjoying some solitude in the command tower, with a goblet of whisky.

    “You really have a way with people.”  Ciara greeted.

    “It's one of my many gifts.” Harry joked.

    “Ah yes, you and your world is better at everything than us right?” Ciara rolled her eyes.

    “Not everything.” Harry replied. “This whisky is the best I have ever had.”

    “Well glad we excel at something.” Ciara laughed. “My father has been screaming about you to anyone who will listen since your meeting earlier.”

    “I may have been able to handle that better.” Harry admitted.

    “Perhaps.” Ciara acknowledged. “But my father should listen to you a bit more as well. If you and your team had not been here to help us, we wouldn't of lasted the day.”

    “Which is why your father should recruit his prisoners.” Harry explained.

    “I know.” Ciara replied. “His advisors know it too. Once he calms down they might be able to sway him. I came to ask you to drop it. The more youpush for it, the more he is going to dig his heels in and push back.”

    “I will leave it to his advisors from here.” Harry agreed. “Besides, I should be gone in a couple days, right?”

    “Right.” Ciara replied. “Guess I'll have to find a new instructor.”

    “Guess so. Just stay away from the master of arms, he's terrible at teaching combat.” Harry suggested.

    “Will do.” Ciara agreed. “I should get down there. I ama Lady of house Hanover after-all.”

    “I'll stay here. Less chance of causing problems.” Harry replied.

    Harry remained in the command tower with his whisky, as the King arrived and the festivities started. Men and women sang and drank and danced, both inside the castle, and all over the grounds. Several hours went by, as Harry kept his buzz going, without getting too drunk. Eventually, one of Hanover's men came to him.

    “The King has requested your presence.” The unnamed soldier demanded.

    “Well, this ought to be good.” Harry joked, downing the last of his whisky.

    Following the soldier down to the great Hall, where dozens of people were getting the preparations ready for the nights feast. The soldier led Harry to a short scrawny man. Harry doubted this man had ever lifted anything heavier than the crown sitting on his head. Before he could say something he should not, the Man spoke.

    “I am King Szell.” The King introduced. “I hear you are the captain of the forces who played a key role in defeating the attacking army.”

    “Yes sir.” Harry confirmed.

    “You have protected my vassal and his holding, for that you have my sincerest thanks.” The king offered.

    “Wow. That's more hospitality than Amphion has shown me since I arrived.” Harry replied before his brain could tell him to shut up.

    “Well, you certainly come as advertised.” The King chuckled. “I will have a word with Lord Hanover about his hospitality.”

    “Thank-you Sir.” Harry thanked. “I should take my leave before whisky keeps talking for me.”

    “We should see you at the feast.” The King ordered.

    “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Harry confirmed.

    On his way back to the command tower for more solitude, Harry was interrupted by Claire. “You should get some face time in with the lords and ladies visiting the castle.” She spoke.

    “The rest of you have a way of slyly prying for information. I on the other hand, have all the subtly of a hand grenade.” Harry summarized. “It would be best to leave it to the rest of you.”

    “Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t socialize.” Claire pushed.

    “I will be at the feast later.” Harry acknowledged.

    “I guess that will have to do.” Claire relented.

    Harry was almost back at the command tower when Ciara's called after him. “Really! You spoke to the king for all of ten seconds and my father wants your head again! Can you not go five minutes without aggravating someone!”

    “Aggravating people is somewhat of a specialty of mine.” Harry joked.

    “Here’s the thing, after you leave, I will still be here!” Ciara said with exasperation.

    “It wasn’t intentional.” Harry replied.

    “You know, I thought it was charming when you were angering the people I didn’t like. But angering my father will effect me directly.” Ciara responded.

    “Like I said, it wasn’t intentional. I apologize.” Harry said.

    “Just try not to cause too much more trouble. Please.” Ciara begged.

    “I will be on my best behaviour.” Harry promised.

    “Why doesn’t that fill me with confidence?” Ciara sighed.

    “Well, my best behaviour isn’t necessarily good.” Harry joked.

    “Are you going to the feast tonight?” Ciara asked.

    “The King has specifically requested my presence.” Harry confirmed. “Ignoring that would cause more problems than I were to go.”

    “Great. You know if you keep shoving food into your mouth, you can’t say anything to anger anyone.” Ciara suggested, leaving.

    Harry spent most of the evening alone in the command tower, bleeding off his buzz. As the feast drew near, once again, one of Hanover's men summoned him.

    “Lord Hanover requests your presence.” The man stated.

    “Lead the way.” Harry replied, as he was led to Amphion's war room.

    “Leave us.” Amphion ordered his man. Waiting until he left Amphion spoke again. “The King has ordered me to apologize.”

    “Save it.” Harry dismissed.

    “Excuse me?” Amphion replied.

    “You have no desire to apologize, and I have no desire to hear a forced apology. Save your false apology and I will tell the King you gave me a sincere, heartfelt apology. You get him off your back, and neither one of us needs to sit through a fake apology.” Harry suggested.

    “Very well than. See you at the feast tonight.” Amphion dismissed.

**************************************************************************

Read the entire story as it's released on my Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/grimfalcon746

[grimfalcon746]

Kingdom of Graniel: Chapter 6

“Absolutely not. This is no place for little girls, go back inside.” Harry and Claire heard as they were walking through the courtyard talking.

Ciara and a man Harry did not recognize were arguing a short ways away, near a weapon rack. It did not take a genius to figure out what was going on. Ciara wanted to train, and the man was against it.

“I think that is the castle's master of arms.” Claire offered, sensing Harry's thought.

“I see.” Harry replied, heading over to them.

“Maybe it is better if you don't interfere.” Claire suggested.

“I would never interfere.” Harry replied, still heading towards the pair, causing Claire to shake her head.

“You don't want to train with him anyways Ciara.” Harry interjected.

“Why would that be?” The master of arms demanded.

“I have been in battle with the soldiers you have trained. I was not impressed. Clearly you are inept at your duties.” Harry insulted.

“How dare you! I am Thomas Daue, I have been the Master of Arms for Hanover castle for twenty years. I am quite skilled at my job.” Thomas shot.

“Not from what I have seen. By all means, let us spare, and you can prove me wrong.”

“Gladly.” Thomas said red faced. Drawing his training sword he motioned to the weapon rack. “By all means, select whatever weapon you would like.”

“No need.” Harry mocked. “I am quite content taking yours.”

“Ha.” Thomas laughed, as he squared off.

The sparring match did not last long. Thomas swung with his sword, Harry ducked it with ease. Stepping in towards Harry, Thomas thrust his sword. Side stepping it, Harry grabbed Thomas by the wrist with one hand, and above the elbow with the other. Pivoting in, Harry then threw Thomas over his shoulder.

Twisting Thomas' arm, Harry pried the sword away, before pulling on the arm to flip his opponent over onto his stomach. Pressing the dulled blade against the side of Thomas' neck, Harry spoke with an eerie calm. “You just lost.”

“How dare you!” Thomas spat as he scrambled to his feet. “I will not be embarrassed like this!”

“Than you should have fought better.” Harry insulted.

Failing to come up with a response. Thomas stormed off, practically leaving craters with each foot step.

“That was impressive.” Ciara complimented. “You can train me.”

“Alright.” Harry agreed.

Ciara beamed at that. Running over to the weapon rack, she quickly pulled a sword off the rack and squared off against Harry.

“A single, one hand sword and no shield?” Harry asked.

“Well yea, I can't wield a two hand.” Ciara replied.

“Understandable. But what about your offhand. If you are using a single one handed sword, you'll be more effective with either a shield or a second weapon.” Harry inquired.

“Shields are too heavy and bulky for me.” Ciara admitted. “What should I use as a second weapon?”

“Generally, offhand weapons are smaller and lighter than your main hand, used for quicker attacks.” Harry stated.

After thinking for a minute, Ciara went back to the weapon rack. Grabbing a second sword, before heading back and squaring off against Harry. He just eyed her for a minute, before his gaze fell back towards the weapon rack.

“Those swords are probably too long for you, but I don't see shorter ones on the rack, so it will have to do for now.” Harry spoke, squaring off against Ciara.

“You are only using a single one handed sword, and no shield?” Ciara asked, confused.

“Yes.” Harry answered.

Without bothering to answer, Ciara charged in. Swinging hard with the sword in her right hand, she went for the winning blow with her first move. Deflecting her blade, Harry threw a knee into her stomach, forcing her to double over, as all the air left her body. As she dropped to all fours, Harry pressed his sword to her neck, signalling that she had lost.

“Short shallow breaths.” Harry instructed as he stepped away to reset. “Slowly build to deeper breaths.”

Even with instruction from Harry, it took Ciara a bit of time to regain her breath. After she was able to breathe right again, she shot Harry daggers with her eyes, before snapping at him.

“I thought men didn't hit ladies like that!” she said.

“Are you a lady?” Harry asked. “You were holding swords, so I thought you were a soldier. Maybe you should head back inside and pick up a sewing needle then.”

Snarling, Ciara charged again. As Harry prepared for her attack, Claire had charged in. Grabbing Ciara by the throat, Claire slammed her to the ground. Ciara once again had the wind knocked out of her, causing her to release her swords. Grabbing one of her swords, Claire pressed it to her opponents throat.

“You forgot the first rule of combat. Pay attention for other hostiles.” Claire scolded.

Ciara knocked the sword away seething, as she reached up and grabbed Claire by the throat. Without blinking Claire pulled a knife out of her belt. Ciara's face went white as the sharp blade was put to her neck. The girl who a second ago was blinded with rage, was now frozen with fear.

“If you attack with anger you will lose every time. Check you emotions if you don't want to die in combat.” Claire instructed.

“That's enough.” Harry ordered.

Nodding, Claire got off of Ciara and allowed her to get up. Ciara tentatively got up, still working to catch her breath. Picking her swords up, she looked to Harry, then to Claire and back again before speaking slowly.

“How am I suppose to beat someone who is better trained and that much stronger than I am?” She asked.

“By using your head.” Harry answered. “Before we started you pointed out that I was only carrying a single one handed sword. You knew that, yet you made no effort to attack from my off side. You charged straight into me and put all of your strength into a single swing. With your stature, you are not going to win with force, you are going to win with speed and agility.”

“But I don't think I can beat you.” Ciara muttered.

“I have been his friend and comrade for almost six years. We have sparred many times, and I have never once beaten him.” Claire interjected.

“Never?” Ciara asked, surprised.

“Never.” Claire confirmed. “When you train and spar, it's not about whether you win or lose, you are simply looking to improve.”

“What is going on here?” Amphion asked, coming back with the Thomas.

“Sparring match. I figure in two or three sessions she should be ready to replace your Master of Arms.” Harry explained.

“See what I mean?” Thomas spat.

“I will not have my Master of Arms insulted like that.” Amphion cut in.

“Well than he should do his job better.” Harry insulted. “If he was adequate at it, I wouldn't need to be here.”

“That's not funny.” Amphion shot.

“I wasn't joking.” Harry answered. “Although if you had kept your word and sent me home, I wouldn't have been here to insult him.”

“My mages are working on it. In the mean time you will refrain from discrediting my captains and commanders.” Amphion ordered.

“They discredit themselves. I'm just the catalyst that demonstrates it.” Harry said.

“Are we going to have a problem?” Amphion asked.

“Not if you keep your inept captains and commanders away from me.” Harry demanded.

“Fine. They will stay away from you, and you will stay away from them. Also I do not want my daughter training to fight.” Amphion ordered.

“Agreed on the first order. As for you daughter not training, she is going to whether or not I'm involved.” Harry replied.

“While you are in my castle, you will follow my orders.” Amphion shot, as he turned and left.

“I told you not to interfere.” Claire said after Amphion was out of earshot.

“And I told you, I never interfere.” Harry explained.

“So what do you call that?” Claire asked.

“Groundwork.” Harry replied.

“So you can't train me anymore?” Ciara asked disappointingly.

“Why not?” Harry questioned.

“My father said you're not allowed.” Ciara said.

“Your father does not fall within the chain of command I swore to obey.” Harry replied.

They continued to spar for a couple of hours, before Claire gave Harry a nod. Ending the training session, Harry cleaned off the training swords and returned them to the rack.

“Got somewhere you need to be?” Ciara asked, disappointed he cut the session short.

“The shift change for the dungeon is about to happen, I would like to speak to the enemy commander.” Harry answered.

“Why didn't you say so. Let's go.” Ciara replied.

“I'll have an easier time sneaking in with fewer people.” Harry suggested.

“Sneaking?” Ciara asked. “I am a Lady of house Hanover. I will order the guard to let you in.”

Looking to Claire who just shrugged, Harry and Claire followed Ciara to the dungeon. Approaching the door where the enemy combatants were being kept, the guard straightened up, as he opened his mouth to order them to stop.

“Captain Harry would like to speak to the enemy commander, open the door for him.” Ciara ordered.

“I'm not suppose to let anyone in.” The guard hedged.

“As Lady of house Hanover, I order you to open the door for Harry,” Ciara demanded.

“Of course, Lady Ciara.” The guard replied after a short delay, unused to Ciara pulling rank.

Unlocking the door, He pushed it open for Harry. As Harry entered the cell block, the door latched behind him, as Ciara, Claire and the guard all watched the door. As Harry proceeded through the cells, looking for the face of the enemy commander, he heard a voice.

“I assume it’s me you are looking for?” A man asked from a cell near the back.

As Harry approached the cell, he recognized the man as the enemy commander. In the smallest cell, at the back of the dungeon, the only one with a cell to himself. Approaching the cell, Harry spoke to the prisoner.

“Aye. My name is Harry, I am the captain of a small team that helped to defend the castle.” Harry introduced.

“I see. It was your weapons we faced during the battle. They seemed, foreign to me.” The man suggested. “I am commander Odert.”

“You are correct. We were brought here by their mages from another world.” Harry acknowledged, “I was hoping you might speak with me a bit.”

“Well not like I have anywhere to be. What is on your mind?” Asked Odert.

“I am not of this world. Things like magic, real magic, is foreign to me. Hanover's mages have told me they can send us home, but have continued to stall. Is it possible for us to be sent home?” Harry asked directly.

“Magic is not my specialty, my men wage warfare with steel and iron. That being said, based on my limited understanding, it should be possible.” Odert answered. “Having doubts about Hanover's word?”

“Just wanted to ensure he wasn't outright lying. Why did you attack the castle?” Harry asked.

“You came from another world, and defended a castle for the man who brought you here, and you didn't bother to ask?” Odert asked.

“I am a soldier. I was taught to identify an enemy and eliminate them without question. That is what I did. Now the battle is over, and I am curious.” Harry replied.

“For nine years my men have wandered as mercenaries. Lords and Ladies would fire us as soon as they no longer needed us. Luxuries like a warm castle to sleep in and safety of walls was out of our reach for us. We wanted a place to call our own. A home for my men. Hanover's castle was the perfect target, inexperienced warriors and a commander who had never seen combat. Should have been an easy victory. Except you showed up.” Odert answered.

“So you weren't hired by anyone? You attacked for your own benefit?” Harry interrogated.

Odert smiled at that. “I've played politics more times than I care to count. Your subtle, I will give you that. To answer your question, the real one you are asking, not the one you proffered, no there is no lords hiring or backing us, that you could rely on as an ally.”

“Never said I was looking for one.” Harry replied.

“No, you specifically didn't say you were.” Odert smiled. “That being said, Hanover has enemies, you just have to find them.”

“You seem to know more than you are letting on.” Harry suggested.

“Perhaps. I have no obligation to tell you anymore, however.” Odert replied.

“What do you want?” Harry asked.

“What are you willing to offer?” Odert replied. “Iron bars are cold.”

“I can't get you out of here.” Harry responded.

“I attacked a lords castle, and lost the battle.” Odert replied. “My life is forfeit. I can live with that. My men, however, were following orders. Those who remain should be allowed to live. They can either be exiled from the castle to fend for themselves, or be enlisted, as Hanover would prefer.”

“Amphion and I do not see eye to eye.” Harry replied. “I can not promise anything. If you talk to me, I will do what I can to sway him.”

“I suppose that is all I can ask.” Odert agreed. “Hanover's name is not feared, and they have burnt allies before. They were essentially isolated from the Lords around here. While I can not say categorically who is an enemy and who is neutral to them, I would suggest they have more than one outright enemy from the surrounding lords.”

“I see. Thank you for your time.” Harry acknowledged, receiving a nod back form Odert as he left.

***********************************************************************

Read the entire story as it's released on my Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/grimfalcon746

[dinovelvet]

[falcon4949]

"yes boss we used all the concrete"

[grimfalcon746]

when giving instructions, it is always best to be entirely clear, and to remember, that the person you are talking to, might be stupid.

[grimfalcon746]

What happens when space orcs falter?

What happens when the universes Space Orcs falter?

The humans joined the Galactic affairs council a mere 5 years ago, and since then, the GAC has used them put down rebellions, save worlds under fire, and beat back those who would work to subjugate member worlds of the council.

Take for instance their response on Mognerth, where the Bakl'Taan fought against an unrelenting enemy. An entire battalian of the Bakl'Taan's finest were brought to heal over a few weeks by an advancing enemy, only to be thwarted in mere hours by the humans, saving the handful of Bakl's that remained. To the humans it was nothing, they merely saw an opportunity to eliminate a force they already saw as an enemy. To the Baakl'Taan however, it was a rescue from certain death.

The Humans went where they were told and fought who they were told. Their Methods, brutal. Their Equipment, rudimentary. Their actions, viscous. Their results, effective.

So three years ago, when the Zeasrine moved in against Rotiana II, coveting the planet for its tactical position and nearby jump point, The GAC had little choice but to send a response. Given the Zeasrine slaughtered a million Rotianians in less than a day after landing, the decision was made to once again loose the humans into the act of war to beat them back.

After a year of conflict, with the humans losing, the decision was made to evacuate the planet. After all civilians were off world, the humans began using all manner of weaponry, no longer seeking to protect, now hell bent on destroying their enemy. But it appears the Zeasrine can match the same level of brutality and force as the space orcs.

Two years into the conflict, the GAC made the difficult decision to give the world up. They ordered the humans to retreat, leave the world and let it fall. The humans refused. Command continued sending forces, supplies and weapons into a losing fight. Knowing that every day they stopped the Zeasrine here, another world was held from a similar fate. Casualties skyrocketed, destruction was everywhere and the planet looked less like a home and more like sight from the depths of hell itself every day.

Three months ago, the human command structure finally bent. They issued their on world forces to retreat, finally relenting to give up the world. Those fighting on the planet refused. There was chaos, dissent, anger, and even threats from the top brass. Many called it treason, a few saw the honour in their decision. It didn't matter, with no more supplies, those refusing to leave would be left to die.

Still, the humans on Rotiana II fought with everything they had. Forcing their opponent to take losses for every inch gained. But the humans were bloody, battered and broken. Morale tanked, there was dissent, regret and anger among the units who remained. There was talks of suicide, surrender, even switching sides. But still, the humans pressed on, fighting an enemy they knew they could not defeat.

Then, more than two months after supplies and transmissions stopped. The beacon lit. The remaining command structure clambered to the communication beacon. Were they sending reinforcements? Supplies? Evacuation ships? No. Only one sentence from an unknown sender.

help is coming.

A single sentence, three words, from where they knew not. But it was enough. The humans rallied. Fought with a determination they thought they lost. The Zeasrine lost ground, the humans had renewed life. Times were still tough, but for those still on the ground, knowing help of some kind was coming was enough solace to quiet the dissent and improve morale.

That leads us, to the events of today. The humans last stronghold on the brink of collapse. The Zeasrine pressing hard, seeking to finally end the conflict it had fought for years. Excitement present in their veins as they watched the space orcs falter, their gates about to fall, and their last hope about to be snuffed.

The ground quaked, and thunderous booms filled the night air. Drop pods, dozens of them landing behind the front lines. Inside, the Fanged. The special forces of the Baakl'Taan. Arriving to repay a debt humanity didn't even know it was owed. Their armour and weapons nuclear powered. Men six feet tall stood nearly ten when clad inside their near impervious armour.

As the timers hit zero, the Fanged pulled levers at the top. The four sides of each drop pod collapsed at once, as the Zeasrine open fired without pause.

Shields raised, protecting the Fanged as each squad formed up and returned fire. Blue lasers and plasma balls shot across the terrain as the Fanged cut down Zeasrine without mercy, pushing away from the human stronghold, directly into the hardest formations of their enemy.

Anger griped the Zeasrine, how could a mere couple hundred men think they could sway a war they were about to win. Those attacking the human stronghold turned, charging into the Fanged with reckless abandon. When the Zeasrine stepped up their attacks, the Fanged activated their shields, powering a force-field that stopped even the strongest ballistic threat.

The Zeasrine were losing ground quickly as the Fanged advanced with reckless abandon. The Zearine, who had been attacking the human stronghold, however still advanced on the Fanged from their rear, thinking they were going to take them by surprise.

Night was turned to day as explosions tore the battlefield apart. The pods that had dropped the Fanged doubling as weapons as fireballs and shrapnel tore their enemies apart. The Humans, the aforementioned orcs of the GAC, could only watch on, as a couple hundred men did what their entire species could not.

Next came the landing ships. Hundreds of them. Each one carrying over a hundred Baakl'Taan general forces. Their weapons were and armour were less advanced, merely ballistic and hard steel, but they made up for that in sheer numbers.

Tens of thousands of men disembarked the landing ships, as the guns from the ships fired rounds the size of telephone poles, hundreds of them a second. The Fanged had a great view, as these round tore bunkers down, crumbled tanks and blew apart the Zeasrine who were unfortunate enough to be in the path of one.

And whenever the Zeasrine managed to gain a foothold, press the line of the Fanged to maybe launch a counter offensive? The Baakl'Taan General Forces were able to quickly suppress them with their numbers.

Next came the crates. Landing inside the Humans stronghold. Excited men eagerly ripped them open, finding Baakl'Taan weapons, food, and water. Much needed supplies they thought they would never see again. Not to be outdone, the humans donned their new weapons and charged out of their stronghold. Attacking the Zeasrine with a renewed vigour.

Then, it happened. For the first time in the three years since the conflict began, the Zeasrine had no choice but to retreat. It was, of course, the only viable option. But what of the Baakl'Taan, and their special forces, the Fanged? They reinforced the humans. Surrounding the stronghold and building bunkers. A few hundred fanged, and tens of thousands of Baakl'Taan general forces beating back an enemy that had dominated the war in every way.

Then, just now, a mere couple hours after the Zeasrine retreated for the first time, the communication beacon lit again. This time, Human command. Reinforcements are coming. From the humans, of course, and the GAC? Yes. but even more than that. The Baakl'Taan have not forgotten their debt, and will not consider it repaid until the enemy the humans face is defeated.

Five thousand Fanged, and two hundred thousand Baakl'Taan are set to land in a few days. Combined with the GAC and human forces, the Zeasrine called their ships, planning to abandon their conquest. The humans here watched in awe, as the Baakl'Taan shot down the evacuation ships. They won't let them leave. They wont let them live.

[grimfalcon746]

Kingdom of Graniel: Chapter 5

The army advanced slowly, Catapults behind the first wave of shields, cavalry and archers behind them. The sun starting to peak over the tree line made the advancing army difficult to see. The decision to light the torches was demonstrated to Amphion, as his army was now able to see well enough to spot the enemy forces.

    “The catapults should be in range shortly.” Jill advised Jason.

    “well, they are in range now. It would just be difficult shots. Instead I am looking towards the rising sun, adjusting my eyes as much as possible.” Jason replied.

    “Smart.” Jill complimented.

    As the army advanced Jason waited until he was sure he could get all the catapults. Just as the enemy army started to split to surround the castle, Jason took his first shot. The thunderous boom from Jason's rifle caused Hanover's men to duck for cover. The main arm of the first catapult fractured in two. Men from the enemy army also scattered away from the catapult, unsure what just hit it.

    Jason waited several seconds before taking his next shot. The enemy army fell into a defensive formation, as they wondered what just happened. Jason's second round destroyed the support pillar of the second catapult, causing it to buckle and collapse. The invading army looked around, but showed their battle discipline and held their formation.

    Again Jason waited in between each shot. Each bullet disabling another catapult. Still the enemy held their formation. After destroying all the catapults, Jason held his fire. Taking a minute to reevaluate, the enemy commander starting redirecting his troops. Just as the invading army started to move again to surround the castle, Harry gave the order, and the men inside opened the gate.

    The enemy commander reacted with poise and composure, ordering his men back into formation. A few tense minutes passed, before the commander decided what to do. Trusting his battle prowess over Hanover's men, he ordered the assault.

    The shield line advanced towards Hanover's castle, Cavalry behind them, infantry following the cavalry and the archers in the back. Marching slowly, the army intended to wait until they were just outside the range of the archers before sending the cavalry at full speed.

    “This is brutal slow.” Jill complained.

    “Makes sense. They know they are out of range of the archers, why waste the energy charging early.” Jason replied.

    “They are in range of my LMG though.” Jill boasted.

    “They don't know that though.” Jason laughed.

    Still, Jill waited. Drawing the enemy in closer, waiting until it would be too late to retreat before she started shooting. Jill starting shooting without warning, as the enemy horses starting dropping. The enemy commander reacted quickly, ordering the charge. The front shield line split, allowing the cavalry unimpeded access through them.

    Jills LMG made short work of the advancing horses. Jason also helped eliminate the horses, his fifty calibre rifle slaughtering multiple with every shot. The enemy army started to show signs of panic, however they were too far forward for a retreat to be tactically advantageous. So they pushed forward hard.

    Going through belts as quick as she could, Jill had a couple of Hanover's men beside her linking new belts onto the chain for her. Swapping out barrels as needed, they were making good progress on the cavalry with Claire only having to shoot a few times. Then Jill's weapon jammed. Jill started clearing the jam, leaving Jason and Claire to carry most of the load with the advancing cavalry.

    “That lead horse is to close for my rifle to be effective!” Jason barked.

    “Archers target the lead horse!” Claire barked, as she also took aim at it.

    Claire's rounds missed by inches, as she burnt through two magazines trying to hit it. Arches shot at it as soon as it was within range, but none came close to hitting it. One of Hanover's arches pushed Ciara out of the way as she let an arrow loose, knocking it off course. The archer who pushed her then missed the horse by more than she did.

    As Ciara notched another arrow, She pushed her way back into the firing spot, giving the soldier who pushed her a death glare. She then took aim with her bow as the horse neared the gate. Letting the arrow fly, it missed the horse by inches. Taking aim with the second arrow, Ciara made good with that one. The arrow pierced the flesh just above the horses front leg, as it crumpled to the ground.

    The rider was thrown hard forward as the horse tumbled forward. Face slamming into the dirt, the riders sword went flying, as he was unable to keep hold of it. With the horse on the ground flailing around, Ciara finished it with the next arrow, burying it into the heart.

    By this time Jill had just managed to clear the jam, as she open fired once again. The cavalry unit was nearly wiped out by this point, Jill was able to make short work of the remaining horses. The men who had survived after the cavalry horses had fallen, fell back into position behind the shield line.

    Bodies fell quick, as the rounds from the firearms made short work of the shields and the men behind them. With most of the shield carriers down, the archers had a much easier time with the army behind them, although the enemy armour helped substantially.

    By the time the advancing army made it to the castle gate, the army of roughly five thousand had been whittled down to a less than one thousand. Clinging to the castle walls to avoid the archers and shooters, the enemy army made its way towards the open gate. forming up on each-other the army pushed through the gate together hoping they would still be able to overcome the enemy inside.

    A volley of arrows slammed into the dirt, digging in as the shafts protruded, leaving another obstacle for the army to overcome. As the invaders realized quickly they were being hemmed into a kill box, they made a hard charge to the right side.

    The shooters and archers suppressed quickly, killing the men closest to the sides and making it yet more difficult for the invaders to get a good push into the shields there. Realizing the sides were a not a good plan, a group of about twenty made a hard charge for the far side. Arrows pinged off their armour, and rounds dropped many of them.

    One soldier remained of the twenty when he got the to shield line. The first hit caught the shield bearer harder than he thought possible. The whole line buckled with the collision, as the first point of contact crumpled to the ground. Harry finished off that attacker with his assault rifle, getting a clear shot as the shield users went down.

    The next wave advanced on the far line where it buckled, archers eliminated many of them as they approached while the shield line managed to rebuild itself, as the back line moved in to fill the gaps and those who had been knocked down refilled in the back. The charging men collided with the shields, which held much stronger this time, repelling the attackers quickly. This went of for a few minutes as the invading army was cut down without coming close to breaking the defensive line.

    “Enough! Drop your weapons.” The enemy commander barked.

    Throwing his sword down, his men followed suit. The surrendering commander sported several cuts from arrow heads as he moved to the centre of the death box. “We surrender.”

    Hanover's men moved in with caution, restraining the remaining soldiers and taking them to the dungeons. As the morning air once again grew calm, Hanover's men wondered what to do now. Harry's men packed up their gear and headed back for the debriefing.

    “I can't believe that actually worked.” Amphion remarked.

    “It should not have been that difficult. Your men need better training.” Harry scolded.

    “They have never seen combat, what did you expect.” Amphion defended.

    “Not seeing combat is one thing, not being accurate with their weapons is another. Our shield line was in more danger from our own archers then from the attacking army. Get them in line, or the next battle might be your last.” Harry said.

    As Harry's team gathered around him, the castle mages made their way out of their tower, congratulating the army and thanking Harry and his team.

    “You are very welcome.” Harry replied, turning towards Prospero. “Now if you would be so kind, we would like to go home.”

    “So soon?” Amphion asked.

    “That was the deal. We help you win, you send us home.” Harry iterated.

    “Yes. Of course.” Prospero acknowledged. “We just need a day or two, at most, to get everything ready.”

    “That wasn't the deal.” Harry said coldly.

    “We were not aware you would wish to head back that fast. It is my fault, I should have informed you it would take some time to figure out which world to send you too. Rest assured we can and will, we just need some time to make sure we send you to the correct world.” Prospero informed.

    “Doesn't look like it can be helped.” Amphion replied. “Besides, the king will be here in a few days. You should at least remain until then. We would not have won if it weren't for you, if nothing else, you deserve to join us for the feast.”

    “If the battle is over, why is the king and his army going to come to the castle?” One of Hanover's men asked.

    “Why do Kings go anywhere?” Amphion replied. “To eat our food, drink our booze and fuck our women.

    With that everyone dispersed, going back to their day with the battle won. Harry and his team remained gathered in the courtyard. Once everyone was out of earshot, Harry spoke to his team.

    “I think we need to entertain the possibility that we may be here longer than we had anticipated.” Harry said.

    “What do we do then?” Claire asked.

    “The king is coming for a royal party after the battle. That means lords and ladies from the surrounding castles will be here as well. So go to the party.” Harry ordered.

    “That's it. Eat, drink and be merry?” Jill asked.

    “Of course. And try to get the lay of the land. Lords and Ladies, and their men, love to talk when the wine is flowing. Try to gather some intel and see where loyalties lie. We may need some allies if things go sideways.” Harry directed.

    “So prepare to burn Hanover if we need to.” Claire confirmed.

    “Jill what is the state of your barrels.” Harry asked, starting the debrief of the battle.

    “I melted a hole in two of them.” Jill replied. “A third one was white hot before I swapped it out, so it's not going back into my weapon. I suppose someone could still use it as a club or something.”

    “So you are down to seven?” Harry asked.

    “Yes sir.” Jill replied.

    “How is the rest of your ammo supply?” Harry asked.

    “My rifle is probably the lowest.” Jason offered. “I do have around a thousand rounds for it though.”

    “The rest of us burned a few thousand rounds between us, but fortunately we came in with a stack ton, so our ammo supply is still good. Just moving it would be a problem if we needed too.” Claire informed.

    “We do have three RPG's as well, and around two hundred rockets for them.” Matt offered.

    “Understood. Good work everyone.” Harry complemented. “Get geared down and get some rest.”

    With that the team dispersed, getting ready for the party to come.

*****************

Read the entire story as it's released on my Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/grimfalcon746

[grimfalcon746]

Kingdom of Graniel: Chapter 4

The night was quite, as soldiers stood on the wall prepared to defend their castle for the first time ever. The castle and walls were staffed with a skeleton crew, as most men were still sleeping. Harry was checking in on his team, ensuring they were all ready for the inevitable attack.

“You set up well enough?” Harry asked Jill as he approached.

“I do know how to set up you know.” Jill replied.

“I know.” Harry replied, “But we are going have to carry most of the load during the attack. I just need to make sure everyone is ready.”

“I'm ready.” Jill confirmed.

“How many extra barrels do you have?” Harry asked.

“Only ten.” Jill answered.

“Is that not good?” One of Hanover's men asked.

“Given the amount of rounds I am going to be putting down range. It's probably light.” Jill replied.

“It can't be helped. Do what you can and we will just have to make it work.” Harry replied before turning to Jason. “What about you?”

“Set and ready.” Jason acknowledged.

“Remember, don't shoot until all catapults are within range for you. Take your shots slow too. We want them to think your weapon has a slow rate of fire, so they don't hesitate to charge the gate.” Harry ordered.

“Yes sir.” Jason replied.

“Sorry I'm late.” Claire stated as she came up. “Decided to load up a few extra mags. I feel like we are going to need it.”

“You're right. Get set up to support the wall. Any horses that get within range of your assault rifle are your primary target. Thin the heard of men after that.” Harry demanded.

“Understood.” Claire confirmed.

“Matt and Craig, you two set up behind the shield line. The roofs should give you a good angle. I will be set up in the command tower with Lord Hanover.” Harry ordered.

“Yes sir.” They replied as he left for his post.

Climbing into the tower Amphion wasted no time interrogating him. “Why are all of my men not on the walls. We know they are out there and ready to attack.”

“Let your men sleep. They need their rest for the battle.” Harry replied. “They will attack from the west at sunrise.”

“How can you be so sure.” Amphion asked.

“Because, it's what I would do.” Harry stated.

“That does not fill me with confidence.” Amphion indicated.

“Your sun rises in the west. Attacking from the west at sunrise will put the sun at their back, blinding your soldiers but not theirs.” Harry explained.

“But why not attack now? I would use the cover of nightfall to attack.” Amphion asked.

“It's been nightfall for hours. We can see just fine.” Harry noted.

“Because our eyes have adjusted to the light.” Amphion said.

“Exactly. They know we can see now. That is why you attack at dawn or dusk. With the light change. It's also when soldiers will be the most tired.” Harry informed.

“Well you seem to know everything.” Amphion remarked.

“These kind of tactics are page one. I know you are not experienced with war, but you should at least know this much.” Harry vocalized.

The two fell into silence after that, allowing the calm night air to wash over them, waiting for the battle to throw itself at them. Harry hoping Jill, Claire and Craig would be able to stop all horses before they made it through the gate, and that the shield line would hold. Amphion thinking Harry was insane, and braced himself for his first battle.

“Move down.” Jill heard from a familiar voice, as a figure stepped up between her and the first archer beside her.

“Glancing up, Jill spoke to Ciara. “You're supposed to be in the keep.”

“Wow. You are right.” Ciara confirmed. “You should leave your post and drag me back there. Hope the enemy doesn't attack while you are gone.”

“Harry is going to like this one.” Claire laughed.

“If she lives.” Jill confirmed. “Don't come crying to me if you get yourself killed.”

“I wont.” Ciara chuckled.

The night dragged on for everyone. Every minute feeling like an hour as they waited for the attack. Most people disliked the eerie calm before a big battle. Harry, However enjoyed it. There was a sort of peaceful ease he felt in these moments. After what seemed like an eternity to everyone, the sun was preparing to rise. A few flickers of campfires and smoke could be seen in the distance.

“Okay.” Harry said. “Go wake the men, staff the castle and light all the fires and torches.”

“Why now?” Hanover asked.

“They just lit their fires.” Harry explained. “That is so they can get their eyes adjusted to the light before dawn. They want the light from dawn to be as minor of an issue as possible during the attack, so we should do the same.”

“I see.” Hanover replied, giving the nod to his men to follow Harry's orders.

The castle was bustling with life now, as all warriors had woken up and gotten set and ready for the fight. The fires had been lit and there was so much light inside the walls you could have mistaken it for daytime. As the sun started to peak above the tree line, the hostile army started advancing. The battle was on.

*****************

Read the entire story as it's released on my Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/grimfalcon746

[grimfalcon746]

Kingdom of Graniel: Chapter 3

“Do we have to use these huge shields?” One of Hanover's men asked.

    “Yes.” Harry replied simply.

    “It takes both arms to hold these.” The man went on. “I can't carry a weapon with it.”

    “You don't need a weapon. Your job is to hold the line, not kill. The archers on the wall will do the killing.” Harry replied, allowing some irritation to creep into his voice.

    “You think we can stop the horses when they hit our line? ” The man shot back.

    “Horses wont make it to the line. You do your job, and trust your comrades to do theirs. Now form the line. All of you.” Harry said.

    “I understand they have never seen real combat, but they haven't even been training for it.” Matt said quietly to Harry. “It would be the equivalent of letting soldiers practice with Nerf guns before sending them into an actual war.”

    “I'm aware.” Harry shook his head.

    Once the line was formed, Harry called the largest of Hanover's men over and instructed him to try and break the line. Getting further annoyed, as the man pushed against his comrades shield with moderate force.

    “I said break the line!” Harry barked.

    “That's what I'm trying to do!” The man shot back.

    “No, your practically making love to the shield. Not trying to break the line.” Harry remarked.

    “The shield is massive, what do you want from me?” The man asked in exasperation.

    “Matt. Break the line!” Harry ordered.

    Without hesitation Matt charged the line, body checking the shield with all his weight. As the shield bearer recoiled from that, Matt shoved hard, causing the shield bearer to stumble. Body checking the shield one more time knocked the guy down, as Matt tore the shield out of his hands, and used it to charge the second line.

    “Enough.” Harry barked, looking towards the first man he asked to break the line. “That is what I wanted.”

    “The enemy isn't going to be nice about it. They will do everything they can to get through the shield line. You guys need to practice like you life depends on it. Because it does.” Matt followed up.

    “Okay we have 3 lines of shields for a reason guys. Second line should be bracing the first, and the third line should be bracing the second. If you are on the second or third line and the guy in front of you gets knocked down. You step up to fill the spot on the first line. Whoever gets knocked down gets back up and fills in the lines in the back, bracing the front lines as the enemies attack.” Harry instructed.

    “Where are you going?” Harry heard in the distance, turning to see a young lady approaching, with Amphion Hanover behind her.

    “I'm going to ask him what he thinks.” The lady retorted.

    “Family drama?” Matt suggested to Harry.

    “Oh joy.” Harry said, “Take over for me while I try to dodge this bullet.”

    “I want to fight!” The lady said, storming up to Harry.

    “Captain Harry. This is my daughter, Ciara.” Amphion introduced. “My apologies as she appears to have forgotten her manners.”

    “I want to fight.” Ciara stated again. “I'm a better archer than any of his men. I should be on the wall with them.”

    “The women and children will be in the keep, where they can remain safe.” Amphion ordered.

    “And if the castle falls I die anyways.” Ciara shot. “Let me join the wall!”

    “Let's find out.” Harry said, pulling a sword of the nearby weapon rack, tossing it to Ciara.

    As Ciara caught the sword, Harry charged, sword in hand. Barely getting her sword up in time to block his swing, Ciara recoiled hard from the blow. Regaining her balance, she squared off to her opponent. The next blow knocked the sword clean out of her hands. As she reached to try and catch the sword, Harry kicked her in the stomach. Landing hard on her back, Harry pressed the tip of his sword to her neck.

    “You're not ready to see combat. You will stay in the keep.” Harry scolded, withdrawing his sword from her throat.

    “I won't be fighting with a sword. I will be shooting a bow. It's not the same!” Ciara pushed back.

    “You ever see a real battle? Barely controlled chaos, and that is putting it lightly. If you can't keep yourself alive, I can not have you on the field.” Harry ordered.

    “That seemed unnecessarily rough.” Amphion said.

    “I was far more gentle than I should have been.” Harry replied. “A real combatant would have been far more rough. She needed a reality check.”

    “It's my job to teach my children. Not yours.” Amphion replied, a little less calmly this time.

    “Then don't have them involve me.” Harry said.

    As he returned to the training area, Harry saw several men trying to break the shield line with everything they had.

    “Looks like they are making progress.” Harry said.

    “Yes. I think our demonstration a few minutes ago helped considerably.” Matt replied.

    “They aren't going to be ready.” Harry stated.

    “Not a chance.” Matt replied. “We need plan B.”

    “This is plan B.” Harry pointed out. “Plan A is killing everyone before they make the gate.”

    “You really think that's feasible?” Matt asked.

    “Five thousand men. Not a chance.” Harry stated.

    “So what do we do?” Matt asked.

    “We get them as ready as we can. Then we give them a win to get their confidence up. After that, hope for the best.” Harry planned.

    “I don't like it.” Matt replied.

    “Neither do I. It's our best bet though.” Harry admitted.

    One of Hanover's men screamed in agony as he went down causing everyone to stop. Harry went over to see what was wrong. As the soldier was trying to get to his feet, his left leg buckled causing him to collapse again. A couple of his comrades helped him up, holding him up on one foot.

    “Where does it hurt?” Harry asked.

    “Right on the knee.” The man grimaced.

    Taking a second to make sure it wasn't broken, Harry instructed the men to take the man to the infirmary to have it checked out. As they carried him away Matt approached Harry.

    “How bad is it?” He questioned.

    “I think he hyper-extended it.” Harry replied. “Not sure how long it will keep him down. That's up to their medics.”

    “This is why we don't train this hard!” Another man shot.

    “Oh? So you would rather that happen in a real battle. Where the enemy would kill him without a second thought?” Harry interrogated. “If you do not train hard enough your enemies will walk over you with ease. Now get back to it!”

    A tense couple days passed as Harry got the teams as ready as he could. The enemy army moved slower than they thought, buying Hanover and his men an extra day. As the evening was starting on the final day before the anticipated arrival, Jill and Harry witnessed an argument between Amphion and another man.

    “Let me go and look for her. Your men need to rest before the attack.” The man pleaded.

    “You are my master of horses. You are needed here for the attack.” Amphion replied.

    “Whats the situation?” Harry asked as he and Jill approached.

    “Harry, this is my master of horses, Gerald.” Amphion introduced, “My daughter Ciara has sneaked out of the castle grounds.”

    “I have found her before, I can do it again. I will return before the attack!” Gerald promised,

    “The answer is no.” Amphion replied.

    “Does she sneak out often?” Jill asked.

    “Every so often.” Amphion sighed.

    “If it pleases you, I could go out and look. I grew up in a wooded area and have experience tracking people.” Jill offered.

    “You don't fall under my command. That is up to your captain.” Amphion replied.

    “Go.” Harry ordered. “But return before nightfall, with or without her.”

    “Understood.” Jill replied.

    “You really think you can find her?” Gerald asked as Jill was heading for the castle gate.

    “I am adept at tracking and navigating through wooded terrain.” Jill reassured. “However it would go much quicker if you tell me where she is.”

    “What do you mea-” Gerald started to ask.

    “You might have Amphion fooled, but there is no way you could be so sure you would find her in time unless you know where she is.” Jill offered. “Couple that with the fact that she gets out of the grounds often, and I am guessing you are usually the one to go after her. I would bet money you know where she is.”

    “There is a stream that comes in from the pond to the west.” Gerald explained after making sure no one was around to hear. “Follow the stream until you get to the foot bridge over it. From there, follow the path south. The path will end after couple of kilometres. Continue south and you will find an opening a few minutes later. She will be there. Just keep a level head.”

    Wondering what he meant by that last remark, Jill headed out down the path Gerald laid out for her. The path south from the bridge was feint and narrow. If it had not been pointed out to her, she may have missed it. Following the path south, Jill soon came to the end. As promised, a couple minutes later, she came to an opening. At the other end of the opening was Ciara, sitting on a large boulder, 3 hooded figures in front of her.

    “Ciara.” Jill called as she approached, resting her hand on her sidearm. “Who are your friends?”

    Noticing Jill's tense frame, Ciara replied. “You can relax, they are friends of mine. She is friendly guys.”

    “My name is Drusdwards, This is Barfang and Dawnsnow behind me. We are vampires.” The first hooded figure introduced.

    “Actual vampires?” Jill asked. “Well, magic is real. Why not vampires I guess.”

    “You seem surprised at our existence?” Barfang pointed out.

    “She's not exactly from around here.” Ciara cut in.

    “At any rate, Ciara, the enemy army will be at the gate soon, we need you to return to the castle.” Jill instructed.

    “Very well, I knew my father would send someone sooner rather than later.” Ciara replied, hopping off the boulder. “I will see you guys later.”

    “Be careful during the attack.” Dawnsnow instructed, as the trio retreated into the woods.

    “Do me a favour and don't tell my father I was with vampires.” Ciara requested. “He thinks them uncivilized.”

    “Who you spend time with is of little concern to me.” Jill reassured as the pair headed back to the castle.

*****************

Read the entire story as it's released on my Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/grimfalcon746

[grimfalcon746]

Kingdom of Graniel: Chapter 2

It took a minute for everyone to catch their breath as the force of the landing knocked the wind out of them. As they recovered, they started pulling their way out of the twisted scrap metal that remained of their trucks.

    “Everyone alive?” Harry asked his team.

    Matt, Claire and Jill all responded with a grunted yes, while Craig and Jason just groaned as they pulled themselves to their feet.

    “I'll take that as a yes.” Harry acknowledged.

    Before the team could get their bearings, a group of men surrounded them, brandishing shields and swords, all of them barking commands, ensuring none of them could be understood. Harry's team all pulled their rifles up, shouting back for the men to drop their weapons. The stand off raged for about a minute, with neither side giving in, as Harry looked around taking in his new surroundings.

    “Lower your weapons.” Harry finally ordered his men.

    “With respect sir, they drew first.” Matt shot back.

    “Look around, we literally fell out of their sky.” Harry informed Matt, “Lower your weapons.”

    Taking a few moments to look around, Matt and the rest of them saw the after math of what transpired. A stone tower stood next to them, complete with a hole in the wall thirty feet in the air. The rest of their surroundings appeared to be that of a medieval castle. The men that had surrounded them were clad in plate armour and iron shields and swords, completing the look. Confusion overtook the team, as they lowered the barrels of their guns, causing the men surrounding them to relax slightly.

    “Who is in charge here?” Harry asked.

    “I am.” Came a voice from behind the men. As the men parted, the body behind the voice became visible. It was a white male, with mid length brown hair, green eyes and a broad build, standing at 5'll''. “My name is Amphion Hanover, I am the lord of this, Hanover Castle.”

    “My name is Harry, I lead the team you see before you. I am not sure how we ended up in your castle, but based on what I am seeing, and the fact that I have never heard of this place, I am assuming this is a different world from ours.” Harry summed up.

    “These contraptions you were in are not of any I know of in this world.” Amphion replied. “That would support your claim, however the question still remains of how you ended up in my keep then.”

    “I'm afraid that may be our doing.” A man in a grey robe offered. A shorter man, around 5'3'', pale and thin, with no hair to speak of. Overall, he was rather unassuming, Harry thought. “My name is Prospero Dresden, the head mage here at Hanover Castle.”

    “Mage? As in actual magic?” Matt asked, in disbelief.

    “Yes.” Prospero replied.

    “Why did you bring us here.” Harry asked, cutting the conversation off to get the answers he needed.

    “Well we didn't mean too. Well we did, but not exactly.” Prospero replied. “We have a private military advancing on our castle. We are equipped to fight off most threats, however this military is formidable. We were casting a spell to help us defeat them. I guess you are the universes answer to that spell.”

    “If we help you, can you send us home?” Harry asked.

    “Yes.” Prospero promised.

    “What do we do?” Matt asked.

    “Doesn't appear as though we have much choice.” Harry replied. “We help you guys defeat your enemy, you send us home afterwards. Deal?”

    “You have my word.” Amphion agreed.

    “Jason take stock of our weapons and gear.” Harry ordered before turning back to Amphion. “The trucks are no longer of any use to us, however there is plenty of supplies that will be needed. Can you spare some manpower and space to store it?”

    “Of course.” Amphion replied, waving for his men to start helping.

    “Excellent.” Harry replied, “After that, your blacksmiths can have the metal for their needs. In the mean time I need to know what we are up against.”

    “Of course.” Amphion nodded. “Come with me, I will fill you in. After your team shows my men what they need stored, they should join us.”

    “I agree.” Harry replied, nodding to Matt.

    Amphion led Harry through Castle grounds, into the castle, and to what was clearly a war room. Hanover banners hung from the walls, on the table there was a painting of Hanover Castle and surrounding Forrest. The room and table, empty except for the two of them, were large enough for thirty men to stand, or sit, around it comfortably.

    “What I am about to tell you, I must ask that you, and your team, keep in confidence.” Amphion requested. “My men know that a threat is coming, but do not know the severity. I don't want doubt to creep into their minds before the battle.”

    “Understood.” Harry replied. “I will ensure my men keep everything discussed here quiet.”

    “Thank you.” Amphion replied. “The size of the army is roughly five thousand men. It is a private military, that has seen it's fair share of combat. They work for whoever pays them mostly, as well as their own goals.”

    “How does that stack up against your army?” Harry asked.

    “We currently have around two thousand men in the castle, with more on the way. We expect to have around three thousand total, which would put us at capacity.” Amphion replied.

    “Given that you have the castle, and they would be attacking, sounds like it shouldn't be that difficult for you.” Harry replied. “What am I missing?”

    “As I said, the attacking army is used to combat and warfare. They take part in it constantly. My men are not. Most men in my army have not seen real combat at all. As well, this armies siege weapons will make short work of our walls. Even if the siege weapons somehow failed, if they were to hit from all sides with ladders, or even grappling hooks, it would prove problematic. In addition if they siege us to starve us out, our food would run out in less than a fortnight.” The King is also coming with support, but it's more of a token gesture really, roughly five hundred men, and our scouts tell us they won't arrive until at least two days after the army does.”

    “I see.” Harry replied, as his team was led in by one of Hanover's men.

    “Thank-you.” Amphion acknowledged. “Please leave us.”

    After waiting for his man to leave, Amphion continued. “The King is also coming with support, but it's more of a token gesture really, roughly five hundred men, and our scouts tell us they won't arrive until at least two days after the army does.”

    “What are we up against?” Matt asked.

    “An army roughly sixty percent larger, and far more, with siege weapons to knock down the walls.” Harry summed up.

    “How much more experienced?” Matt inquired.

    “Most men in the Hanover camp have never seen actual combat. The enemy does it for a living.” Harry replied.

    “Well, I see why you want help.” Matt replied.

    “What are we dealing with for the siege weapons?” Harry asked.

    “Catapults, roughly twice the size of your average horse.” Amphion replied.

    “Either horses are way bigger in this world than what we are use to, or those catapults seem very small.” Jill chimed in.

    “The catapults are rather small. It means it does not slow the army down that much, and are just big enough, to hit the wall hard enough, to take it down, while being out of range of our archers.” Amphion replied.

    “Clever bastards.” Claire pointed out.

    “That will give us the advantage though.” Harry replied. “Jason, please tell me we have a fifty calibre rifle with us.”

    “Yes we do.” Jason replied. “I know we have some ammunition for it in the crates too, however I'm not sure how much at the moment.”

    “Think you can hit key points in the catapults with it?” Harry asked.

    “Given the size of them, and the fact that they will be a bit closer, should be able to do that.” Jason confirmed.

    “How many catapults do they have?” Harry asked Amphion.

    “Our scouts counted eight.” Amphion replied.

    “Those need to be disabled before they are in range of the walls.” Harry ordered Jason.

    “Understood.” Jason replied.

    “Even with that, if they come over the walls all around us, we are done for.” Amphion replied, a little exasperated. “What is your plan for that.”

    “You're not going to like it.” Harry replied.

    “Well this sounds good.” Amphion replied exhasperated.

    “Open your gate.” Harry said.

    “Are you out of your mind!” Amphion barked after a few seconds. “You want us to give up our entire advantage of being behind walls?”

    “As you said, if they get over the walls on all sides, you are done for. If you open the gate, they have no reason to scale the walls. They will rush the main gate.” Harry planned.

    “And what do you plan to do once they are through the gate. Wish them to death?” Amphion asked.

    “You take your largest men, with the biggest, heaviest shields you have, and you cordon off an area inside the gate to keep the attackers. Make them easy pickings for your archers.” Harry answered.

    “You think we can stop five thousand men? Not to mention how many horses they are going to have charging through as well.” Amphion questioned.

    “Five thousand men are not making it to your gate. And no horses will either. Jill, that LMG of yours is going to get a work out. You can let some stragglers through, target the main force to thin them out, and let no horses get to the castle.” Harry ordered. “Claire, back her up with your assault rifle. The Castle archers will be helping as well. The few who manage to get though the castle gate will have no where to go, and the archers inside the grounds should be able to pick them off with ease. Myself, Matt and Craig will support the inside with our assault rifles as well.”

    “This is insane.” Amphion barked in despair. “I can not allow you to do this.”

    “Then why are we here.” Harry shot. “You abducted us from our world to help you win this battle. Either get out of our way and let us help, or send us home now.”

    “I think you drastically underestimate the size of five thousand men!” Amphion shot back.

    “You have no idea how effective our weapons are.” Harry replied.

    “Our enemies will have armour to protect against your weapons.” Amphion said.

    “Might as well be wearing wet rags for all the good it will do them.” Harry replied. “Armour from your world is ineffective to our weapons.”

    A few tense moments of silence past, as Amphion considered his options. Eventually, with a heavy sigh, he spoke again.

    “I still think you are out of your mind. But I don't really have any other options, so we will do this your way. I just hope you know what you are doing.” Amphion conceded.

    “Glad you are on board.” Harry replied. “How much time do we have before the army arrives?”

    “A day or two at the most.” Amphion answered.

    “Well then, we need to start setting up, and getting your men ready for the fight to come.” Harry replied.

[grimfalcon746]

Kingdom of Graniel: Chapter 1

“We're all set.” Matt told his captain, Harry.

Harry was a tall man, thin as a stick. His skin remained pale, even though he had been stationed in the desert for almost six months. His blond hair had been shaved into a buzz cut after his recruitment.

Matt, his second in command, was a mere couple inches shorter than his captain, with a bit of extra weight, as his beer gut protruded further than you might expect for a soldier. Rocking the same buzz cut all military men have and the same brown eyes as his captain.

“Seven-hundred and fifty thousand rounds of ammunition.” Harry replied. “Enough to make us a juicy target.”

“How did the other base allow themselves to run so short on ammunition that we need to send them half our supply?” Matt asked.

“Most base commanders are useless at their job. Food, weapons, ammunition, soldiers, few of them know what their bases require.” Harry replied.

“So then we get to risk our lives transporting enough ammunition to fight an entire war to them.” Matt said, shaking his head.

“You're a soldier. Risking your life is your job description. No use bitching about it now.” Harry scolded, before turning his attention to the men who had gathered around waiting for their orders. “We have three trucks to transport. My squad will be in the jeep behind the middle truck. I want two jeeps up front, two behind and the remaining jeep between the first and second truck. Keep your eyes out and look sharp. If we get hit, we hit back. This shipment will make it to our comrades intact.”

“Love a captain who is ready for anything. However our enemies here have not hit a single convoy yet. They don't possess the foresight or coordination to pull that kind of an operation off. You can relax a bit.” Jill, another one of Harry's squad mates proclaimed.

Jill's short frame was built better than most men she worked with. With her dark skin and shoulder length dark brown hair, she was the toughest soldier Harry had every had the pleasure of working with. Her Green eyes always stood out, and there were few others he would kick a hornets nest with.

“Underestimating your opponents gets you killed.” Harry responded. “Be ready for anything. That's an order.”

“Yes sir.” Jill replied as she climbed into the passenger seat of their squads jeep.

Once all parties were in their jeeps, the convoy was off, carrying three-quarter million rounds of ammunition towards their destination. For the first ten minutes no one said a word. This was not the first convoy they had sent to their neighbouring base a half a day away, and would not be the last. It was business as usual for them. Finally the boredom overtook him, and Craig broke the silence.

“You would think they would give us a few more bodies for this size of a shipment.” Craig said.

Craig was a muscular man of average height. His blond hair was also cut into the military hairstyle the rest of the guys had. His eyes were almost an unnatural dark shade of green. His white skin was littered with scars, as he had a knack for getting into bar fights in his earlier days. There is a good chance he would have been dead on a bar room floor if the military had not picked him up.

“That would be nice. More guys belching and farting, contemplating shooting at the tumbleweed.” Jill insulted.

“Wow. Who shoved a stick up your ass?” Craig asked.

“I think the problem with her is that she hasn't had a stick in her.” Harry laughed.

“Well, in that case, I will take that bullet for the team.” Craig volunteered.

“Sorry, you're not my type.” Jill dismissed.

“Oh, and what is your type?” Craig questioned.

“The soldier sitting on your left.” Jill replied, as Craig's eyes moved to his left.

Claire, the soldier on his left, was taller than most women, with a toned body. Her long blond hair and fair skin were accentuated by her light green eyes.

“Well, the day is young.” Claire replied. “Who knows what might happen.”

As that was still processing for the rest of them, the final member of the squad, Jason, spoke up. “I'll hold the video camera.”

Jason was a short, heavyset man. With dark hair, his brown eyes matched his light brown skin. His quiet and reserved self image meant he was the last one anyone in the jeep expected to make such a comment.

“Where did that come from?” Craig asked. “We were all thinking it, and the quiet one says it?”

“The quiet ones are the most fun.” Claire announced as everyone chuckled.

“We were scheduled to have triple the size for this convoy,” Harry explained, referring to the comment Craig made about wanting more bodies. “However they needed more bodies to attack the ruined fortress.”

“That death-trap. Again?” Craig asked. “Hundreds of men have already died trying to take that from our enemies hands, now they are wasting more lives?”

“I've been told about eighty percent of the enemy forces there left this morning. They figure it is now or never to take it.” Harry replied.

“Left to go where?” Jason asked.

“We don't know.” Harry replied.

“Maybe they are planning to hit our convoy.” Claire suggested.

A moment passed, before everyone in the jeep burst out laughing at that thought. Their enemies were not so ambitious. In their minds, even an understaffed convoy was safe from attack.

Their laughter was cut short, as the lead jeep exploded into fire and shrapnel, the second jeep slammed their brakes to avoid a collision. The transport truck behind them swerved, without room to stop, as it went around the two jeeps, going into a skid.

Explosions blew out the road in front of the truck, as it slid sideways, nearly tipping over in the process. The truck managed to avoid the hole in the road, as it's two right wheels dropped over the edge, just as the truck came to a stop.

A second set of explosions took the road out behind them, with the steep drop off on on the sides of the roads, they were trapped. Bullets slammed into the windshield of the truck dangling over the hole, penetrating the bulletproof glass and. slaughtering both the soldiers inside before they could hope to defend themselves.

“Contact!” Harry bellowed, as a second RPG slammed into the jeep in the back.

Bullets pinged off Harry's jeep, and buried themselves into the bulletproof glass, as their enemies had open fired. The drivers and passengers of all the transport trucks were killed before ever being able to defend themselves. The squad in the second jeep up front had climbed out of their jeep to return fire. Bullets slammed into their armour, causing them to stumble, before their enemies were able to finish them off with head-shots.

Putting his jeep into gear, Harry hammered the gas pedal, going around the truck in front of him. A third RPG missed him by inches, as the enemies had taken aim at him. parking his jeep beside the jeep stationed between the front and second truck. Using the two jeeps as cover from each side of the road, both teams climbed out of their vehicles into the centre and began returning fire. The final jeep in the rear had also pulled forward joining the other two, parking at ninety degrees behind them. That crew also climbed out of their jeep to return fire.

“RPG high left!” Claire shot, as she reloaded her assault rifle.

Craig and Jason both open fired on the enemy taking aim at them with the RPG. Bullets slammed into the hostile as he fired, causing his body to twist, sending the rocket sailing over the road and into the terrain beyond.

“Radio's have no reception!” Claire barked after trying to call for backup.

“We kill out way out, or we die.” Harry shot back.

A soldier not in Harry's squad rushed for the truck behind them, hoping to retrieve some ammunition. Rounds caught him in the leg as soon as he left cover, burying themselves in the bone. As he dropped, he tried to crawl his way back to cover. A final round to the neck sealed his fate, as he was left to bleed to death on the road.

“Stay in cover. Thin them out before we try to move.” Harry ordered his team.

The battle raged on for what seemed like forever. Before they knew it, almost all their weapons were out of ammunition. Harry's squad still stood, but just one member of the team outside his squad was still alive. They had managed to thin their enemies numbers out, however not by as much as Harry would have liked. Still, they could only survive if they moved.

“We need to move!” Harry ordered. “Jill, take the truck in the back. Claire, take the one in the middle. I will ram the truck in front with the jeep behind us, knocking it into the hole in the road. With any luck it will plug the hole while giving us just enough support to drive the other trucks over.”

“What if we don't have luck?” Jason asked.

“Then we are dead.” Craig answered.

“Comforting.” Jason replied.

“Everyone ready?” Harry asked.

As they all nodded, Harry climbed into the jeep behind them. Putting it into gear, he stomped the gas pedal. Blind to the road with the damage to the windshield, all he could do was point the vehicle towards where he wanted to go, and hope it was close enough to hit his target.

The impact came without warning, slamming into the five ton truck as he was thrown hard against the steering wheel. The force of the collision knocked the truck into the hole, as it tipped onto its side. More and more bullets slammed into Harry's jeep, forcing him to duck his head down, as the rounds started penetrating all the way through the bulletproof glass.

While harry was doing his part, Jill and Claire moved for their respective vehicles, returning fire with their pistols. The remaining soldier outside Harry's squad moved with them providing cover fire. As Jill climbed into her truck, rounds caught the covering soldier in the side. The armour may have stopped the rounds, however each hit felt like a horse kicking him in the chest. Another burst of rounds caught him in the head, as his lifeless body collapsed to the ground.

Slowing down on either side of the jeeps where the rest of the squad was still taking cover, The two drivers picked up the rest of their squad. With everyone keeping their heads low, they pushed forward. Claire honked as she crawled past Harry's jeep, allowing him to climb into the truck as rounds pinged all around him.

The truck Harry knocked onto it's side had plugged the hole, sticking above it by several inches. As Claire pulled over it, the body of the truck buckled, but held. Jill also made it over, the body of the truck had collapsed in, just as Jill's wheels had managed to make it to the road on the other side.

Keeping their heads as low as possible. Jill and Claire kept the pedal down, leaving the area as fast as possible. Coming around the bend, Jill and Claire both slammed their brakes. The enemies had stationed some barricades, along with some mounted heavy machine guns.

Diving as low in the vehicle as possible, Harry and his squad could do little more that wait to die, as rounds slammed into the engine bays, stopping the engines. More rounds shredded the windshield and cab of the trucks above them.

“What do we do?” Claire asked, hoping for a miracle plan from Harry.

“Hope they run out of ammunition.” Harry offered, as he and his team resigned themselves to death.

After a few seconds that seemed like minutes, the shooting stopped.

“Do they think we are dead, or are they trying to bait us out?” Craig asked. “Or maybe they did run out of ammunition.”

“I don't know.” Harry said, grabbing his assault rifle. “But I would rather die a mans death. You guys ready?”

Getting nods back from Clair and Craig, Harry popped up with them, weapons ready to fire on their enemies. All three stopped dead as their heads came above the dash. A swirling ball donning every shade of blue had appeared, a few feet in front of the trucks. No one knew what to do, as this was outside any situation they had ever prepared for.

On the other side, the enemy was just as confused. Most were staring in awe at what they were seeing, as others clambered for cover. The men manning the machine guns took aim towards the mass, unsure if they should shoot at it or not. Confusion reined on the battlefield as everyone tried to make sense of what they were witnessing. Then, while everyone was still making sense of it all, a force started to pull the trucks forward.

“Start the truck, back away from it.” Harry ordered.

“The engines dead from the rounds.” Clare replied.

“In that case it has been nice serving with you.” Harry said.

The force pulling the on the trucks got stronger, pulling them closer and closer towards the mass. Once their wheels were off the ground, it pulled them hard towards the centre. Their field of vision was swallowed up by the blue mass until that was all they could see. Having no sense of how fast or even what direction they were moving, they could only wonder what was happening.

Without warning, the blue mass vanished from their field of vision and the trucks were tossed out the other side. Harry's eyes barely caught glimpses of his surroundings. Vague images of stone and fire as the truck broke through the wall

Gravity took over as the trucks plowed through the wall, pulling the them down. Harry was not even able to get a glimpse of his surroundings this time, as the truck was dropped to the ground below him. With no seat-belt on, Harry and his team where thrown hard against the dash, before the second truck dropped on top of them, and the two trucks and six soldiers were left in a crumpled heap.

*****************

Read the entire story as it's released on my Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/grimfalcon746

[writing-prompt-s]

You are the lead programmer for the hardest and most realistic Military Simulation used by actual Militaries to train their Soldiers. And you just found a No Hit speedrun of the whole sim on youtube.

[grimfalcon746]

"You. You need to run. They will be coming." I commented under the video, hopefully my warning would not arrive too late.

Three days went by, with no response, I figured I was either too late, or they just ran like I told them. Then I got the notification they had responded. Fearing the worst I opened YouTube and checked the response.

"They came. I conquered." Was the only response.

"They will send more. They will never stop." I warned.

"Who are they going to send? There's no one left." The response came within minutes this time.

"....No one?" I asked.

"Frankly this game was harder than that fight. At least the soldiers in this game never run or surrender." The reply came.

Breathing a sigh of relief for them I got up from my computer. Do not really know what I was worried about, they did a no hit speedrun of my simulation after all. As I entered my kitchen to get some water I heard what I thought was knocking at the front door.

As I rounded the corner towards the front door, the door and frame exploded into splinters. Bright lights blinded me as men dressed in all black stormed in, bearing rifles. Before I could even process what was happening, one of them slammed the butt of their rifle into the side of my head. The last bits of consciousness faded from me as everything went black.

[writing-prompt-s]

"I will not fight you, child. You are not an honorable warrior." "You slaughtered my parents. Were they warriors?"

[grimfalcon746]

"Well, who were your parents?" I asked.

"Melissa and Dave Shontile" The girl responded, drawing her sword.

"Ah yes the Shontile's." I recall.

"You expect me to believe you remember the names my parents?" The girl snarled.

"Not their first names, no. I never knew their first name. To answer your question, yes." I replied.

"My Parents were not warriors!" The teenager shot. "They were-"

"A real estate agent and an electrical engineer. Right?" I cut in.

For a moment, the girl stopped, in a stunned disbelief that I knew that. After she regained her composure, she spoke. "You, you knew their professions? And you remember them?" She asked.

"Yes and yes." I replied calmly. "Did you ever consider your parents were not just simple workers?"

"I would have known if they were soldiers!" She snapped back.

"You were but a child then. Maybe ten? Your father used his real estate business as a cover to help the resistance fighters, directing them to abandoned properties, helping the resistance purchase properties under shadow companies as safe houses. Your mother put her engineering degree to work making explosives and detonators for the resistance. And, yes, they both fought like hell when they needed too." I explained.

"The resistance are scum! They kill indiscriminately! They-" The girl scowls

"Think collateral damage is an inevitable byproduct." I finished. "Your parents were no different. So yes, I had to kill them. I tried to reason with them, and the whole resistance, to be honest. We are, after all, on the same side. The government must be toppled. However when your parents slaughtered a 30 man regiment of some of my best, I had little choice." I informed her.

"I would have known if they were resistance fighters!" She shot.

"You think your parents would drag their ten year old daughter into a war? They were callous and careless, not monsters." I replied.

"My parents were good people," She shot.

"Yes." I cut in. "And they died fighting for the cause they believed so heavily in. So yes, they were indeed honourable warriors."

"Stop your lies! I will kill you!" She shouts, charging at me sword drawn.

Swinging without any form or function, pure rage. I was able to easily able to sidestep the attack. Grabbing her wrist, I pulled her past me and off balance. Grabbing the hilt of the sword as she tumbled, I pulled the blade from her hands easily. Falling off balance, she tumbled to the ground, rolling past me.

"In a world full of bullets and bombs, It is honestly nice to see someone embrace the blade." I calmly state. "No stray bullets or shrapnel to cause collateral damage. Direct and silent."

Looking at me defeated, she flinched when I raised the sword, expecting I was about to end her life. It bounced off the pavement harmlessly beside her. It seemed to take a few seconds for the reality to set in for her. As I turned to leave, a single word called after me.

"Why?" She asked.

"You may be honourable, but a warrior you are not. I will not kill you." I call back, walking away.

[byjove]

this is a terrible time to be alive *remembers the latter half of the 14th century* this is a not so good time to be alive

[dragon-in-a-fez]

hey op how do you remember the latter half of the 14th century

[byjove]

not fondly. I do not recall it fondly.

[grimfalcon746]

[thealienfantasy]

coming up with Alien names can be a pretty interesting experience.

I always come up with a name like "Tk'sla" and think: "Actually wait, that sounds like a keyboard smash". So then i try to take a normal word and add a few letters. only to think. "no, that feels too blatant."

..and then i try to mangle it, but then i think "Wait, does that mean something else in a different language"?

If anyone has any tips they'd be willing to share, i'm all ears.

[grimfalcon746]

So what I do when naming things is either a) use a fantasy name generator (which is lazy but gets the job done when im writing short stories/one offs with little mental energy.) or b) i will just type randomly, then modify it into name(s). For instance:

alsdkjflasjlkdasjf - random typing, i find i usually start off pretty similar so i remove the first few letters

dkjflasjlkdasjf - great now we split it up more reasonably

dkjf/lasjlk/dasjf - now we have 3 name bases, we can use for 3 different characters or a beginning middle last name, or 3 separate names we can pick one on. Now we need to fill out the names (need to have vowels, round out letters to make them pronouncable etc)

Dokaf - first name we of course capitalize the first letter, add an o between the D and k and an A after the k. It felt more natural to remove the j than to try and add another vowel/letter to round it out so thats what i did

Lasjalk - this one was a bit easier thanks to good placement of the a. Just added another a after the J and capitalized the L

Dasjuf - oof two with a in the second letter, not always that easy but sometimes it is. Once again capitalize the letter and added a u after the j.

This works well for me, only takes a few seconds once you get used to it and makes your names more unique than a name generator.

[grimfalcon746]

Humans are weird

Just had a thought about how weird humans are. So figure if an being wanted to visit earth but heard all of the "humans are space orcs" stories from his friends. But they still want to visit so they go buy a book on the human species and read how humans have different skin/languages/wear things called clothes (note the hypothetical species does not usually wear clothes.) so formulates an idea.

Cut to the alien visiting earth, wearing clothes that do not cover their fur or scales and their obviously non human eyes. Walking through cities feigning a foreign language. Getting a few odd stares but most people just ignore them and keep walking. Not because they don't notice the difference, everyone just assumes they are a furry.

Cut to the alien back on his ship, proudly telling his friends and colleagues how he managed to fool all the earthlings and no one even noticed.

[glassfrogforest]

[grimfalcon746]

Not gonna lie, feeling a little called out

[falcon4949]

[grimfalcon746]

What if the author is dead?

Well grab a ouija board or learn necromancy, they deserve to know you loved their story!