x
"Nothing?" The king fell to his feet. "Nothing!? You tell me that my daughter was not brought with the frigate!? Are you stupid!? Are you insane!?" He looked up to him with desperate tears, as would a father who's lost his daughter.
"N-no my lord." The captain of the knights. He looked at the king as if he pleaded for his life.
The king looked at him with a derided eyes.
"A-and you say we are being... Invaded?"
"Y-yes my lord. The frigate's captain said so himself."
He stood up. Walked over to the captain of the knights.
He put his hand on his shoulder. Gripping it, tightly.
"the whole army shall be deployed." His stare was as sharp as daggers, the pressure of his hand pressing down on the captain's shoulder made the knight shudder in fear. "See to it that the duke prevails." He slid his hand off.
"Y-yes my liege, I shall be back." He walked nervously to the door.
"Do not be back." He looked on sullenly. "Be at the frontlines."
"A-as y-you wish." He bowed.
The throne room's large door shut behind him. The king's expression was bare, horrified.
( * )
"The waves are beautiful, aren't they?" Hierd turned to look at her. "Princess?"
Sitting inside the manor's dining room. Of the many chairs and tables, Hierd and Marrisse sat in close proximity. The calm light of the afternoon glistening over the sea and illuminating the inside of the manor with the brilliancy of that sun.
"Indeed that they are, your grace." She sipped her tea. "I was quite aweshook when first I came to the city's walls. Or rather, the existance of the non-existing for the walls."
Hierd chuckled. "Those walls were mere wastes, they will provide no further use for me with the weaponry I have, and will have."
"Speaking of;" Marrise put down her cup. "That building I saw at the southern gate, it was... A marvel to look at. And those iron chimneys above it; how did one go by making such a thing?"
"I'd rather not divulge of the fact." Hierd said, groaning internally. "But if you wish, the engineers'd be happy to explain it's go abouts."
The building was finished rather swiftly. Hierd expected it to take two decades but in reality it took more than nine or ten days. But of course it'd be completed that fast; Hierd gave the engineers and architects tons of material, both the materials needed and the material knowledge. Whilst the dwarves, whom knew that the factory was to be theirs, helped treumendously in hastening the construction. It was big, it was raging to be bigger than the manor, but making it any so bigger would make construction longer.
"To my belief, the dwarves should already be working in the factory. I've yet to officially declare that the craft guild be shut down in favor of the newer, better factory in the city." Hierd's other worry died down that being; "That the people wouldn't want the newer factory, but in reality, they've already flocked to it. Even merchants from Easel's been coming to the factory in spite of the 'new' tag placed on it. I'll just post a paper on the community board, I've got more important things to do." He sighed.
"Is there something wrong, your grace?"
"None of the sort." Hierd looked at her. "You, princess, will not be able to leave the Manor without my supervision or of my soldier's supervision. Understand that there will be repurcussions by leaving so."
"'Repurcussions.'" She repeated jokingly. "Your grace, what possibly could happen? I wish to look at the city, to go to it's shops, to look at the soldiers train, to see the trucks drive on the pavement. You can't possibly take that away from I. And, what possibly could you do to punish my doing?"
"You are hostage." Hierd stood up. "Your staying in the manor is my hospitality, when in a normal situation, you'd be treated like a prisoner thrown to brig. Do not make me do that, princess."
She gulped. "Y-yes, your grace."
Hierd walked away.
( * )
In the barrack's war room. The second lieutenants and the majors were discussing upon some business, murmuring to themselves of this and so what. Hierd came in mid-way their discussion. As they saw him, they stood up. "Good Morning, lord." They sat back down.
Hierd made his way to the front most seat and sat. "You have called for my attendance? What is it about?" He looked at Adelheid.
"We expect the king to make it's move." Adelheid said. "We do not know when, at most pretty soon from now. I wish to bring a platoon to scout the Northern highway."
"The northern highway? Is it the road that starts at the north gate?" Hierd questioned.
"Yes, lord." Adelheid glided his finger on the road on the war room's large map. "It starts from the captial of Krimvald, all the way down to Easel city. It connects to three countries as well. And one of them is quite near to our territories." He looked to Hierd.
Hierd nodded. Then, looking at the map. He had never seen the world of Auferstan in all it's glory. And the fact that this was just the kingdom of Krimvald they were looking at, it makes Hierd wonder of what other things, beings, leaders, countries, and... "Are there other people like me? Transmigrated to this other dimension? Because for fuck-sake, I feel lonely being the only man who knows guns, understands memes, anyone, anyone really who knows... Earth."
Hierd sighed. "Well? When is the platoon going to be deployed?"
"By today, lord." He glanced at the map. "At night."
---
Seamless, fast, impenetrable.
Second lieutenant, Heduc was in charge of the platoon heading stead fast into the depths of the night. The northern highway was a long one. It covered nigh almost the entire width of the plain. Trees were as rare as a cat swimming in deep water. The monotony of the grass, which by the harmony of the night's moon; looked like a dark soft green. Was only broken off with the water of small streams and the croaking of frogs.
Lights!? Heduc saw it in the distance. He put his foot on the breaks.
The trucks stopped abruptly.
And the lights were turned off.
"A camp." Heduc said, picking up the telescope he was given. "And they are knights." -He looked at the soldier (Matthaus, the marksman) next to him. "Get up, tell the truck behind that we're off roading."
"Yes, sir." He swiftly opened the door.
The door shut behind the left soldier. In a couple minutes, he was back and climbed in. Heduc cranked the gas and struck the wheel hard to the left, the grass was firm, easy to drive in. From a distance, one couldn't suspect much of the trucks, they were hidden under dark, not even an owl could see them from that far away. They went some ways off before stopping. And Heduc and Matthaus left their seats in a hurry.
"Everyone! Out of their seats!" Heduc shouted. Loud but quiet enough. And just as quick as it was said, the soldiers were out in no time. Wearing their the black Venit Ille suits, had fit in with the black background of the night. They pulled out their guns, which were M1 Garands fitted with a scope. However, Matthaus rocked it out with the PTRS-41. It was heavy, not really something that should or would be used in a scouting mission, but Matthaus was leaps in bounds ahead in marksmanship than anyone in the army most probably. The anti-material rifle was really just the cherry atop the cake.
"We move closer to the camp, see how many there are; account for weaponry, figures, and other notable things."
"Yes, sir." Quietly now.
They were in a crouched position. Moving slowly towards the bright camp of the night. They were about a kilometer away from the site. Their scopes sighted in on the knights, some where out to scout out the surroundings, whilst the majority of them were most definitely in their tents, sleeping. Sleeping heavily too, even from that far away one could swear that their snoring could be heard.
"Let's estimate." Heduc said. "They're probably two thousand strong. That big tent at the middle of it," He pointed his hand to the tent, the soldiers in turn sighted their scopes toward it. "We'd probably meet the commander of this army of two thousand. Their princess is endangered, I expect the best of the best of the knights of Krimvald. So lets excerise caution while going nearer."
"Yes, sir." Said almost in a whisper.
The more nearer they came, the faster their hearts beat. Even Heduc could hear their heartbeats. But it seemed, looking at the two soldiers from Hierd's squad who joined in, they were unphased, going faster really than other soldiers in the line of fifty. Now about five hundred meters from the site, the picture was coming together.
The some knights patrolling were not wearing just normal armor, it was white in color, fully decked out, from that far they could make out that they wore chainmail. And from their helmet, pauldrons to their sabatons, no skin was left to be seen and their eyes were hidden from those small slits.
A scary army, but just that; Heduc, his platoon, the army; they could probably best the army in less than a day, but things should be better resolved in peace than fierce fighting, right? Nontheless, Hierd's victory is cemented, solidified in the future history books. However, what of the mages?
Matthaus looked tempted to fire his weapon, but Heduc turned him down before any aggression could happen. "We're here to scout, to observe rather than fight, Matthaus." He sighed. "Do not fire, fire only if we are in a desperate situation."
"Well, that's what the lord told me." Heduc remembered;
-+-
The lord told him, rather cryptic after the meeting at the war room in the barracks.
"Heduc, you are the one who will be supervising the platoon, correct?"
"Uh, yes, lord." He scratched his head.
"I will have two of my soldiers go in with you, they are hardened men. If you are in a tight spot, please, by all means, rely on them."
"I will lord, but only of course if I was in a really tight spot."
Hierd chuckled.
"Do not fire your weapons." His gaze pierced Heduc's soul, his sweat reinforced the immidiate hit of nervousness he felt as he stared at him. "You will, only if the time calls for it."
"I will, lord." He bowed and Hierd immidiately walked away.
-+-
"An eccentic man, the lord." Heduc laughed in his thoughts. "But I do not argue of his effectiveness."
"Y-yes, sir." Matthaus' hands were then ways off the trigger.
"Now, to scou-"
"Sir." He was interupted by a soldier. "Sir."
"Yes? Yes?" He turned to him. "What is it?"
"Look at the tall tent's doorway, sir." He pointed to it, the man seems to be sweating bullets. And his finger was twitching.
Heduc slowly equipped his M1 Garand, under the reticle of his scope, he made his way to the large tent, and then down to the door.
"THE KING!?" Hierd's eyes jumped out from their sockets.
"Everyone." He said, in a light shout. "The king is the commander of the army."
Their looks were shocked. For the king to be with the knights!? That's insane to think. There should not just be two thousand knights guarding the king, for the king to be there, there should atleast be five thousand! The encampment was too small for the big number. It could only mean one thing.
"There are more camps." Heduc said. "We need to pull back, label this spot in the map, and continue to search ahead them."
"Yes, sir."
Proning, they moved slowly backwards to their trucks.
( * )
"Five camps. About fifteen thousand knights. Knights with great armor. And the king commandeers the army." Hierd then looked at the princess, who too was shocked from the report from Heduc. "What do you think of this, princess?"
"I-I shouldn't be shocked that my father wishes to come for me. But even still, for he to do that." A singular tear rolled down her face.
"Tell us of the king's arsenal."
She looked at Heduc. "Were their armor white? And looked rather fancy?"
"Yes, princess. Why so?"
She looked nervous to say it, "T-they are, most probably, the Mage Knight Battalion."
"The mage knight battalion you say?" Hierd was intrigued. "Magical knights? I've yet to see a magical knight in the two cities I've captured under. These special ed kids called mage knights might probably put up a decent challenge unlike the battles I've scurried under in."
"Y-yes, your grace." She looked to him. "Mages are rare in it of itself, and the majority of such mages need to study, train, their abilities in the kingdom's only magic academy located in our most esteemed capital. And only then, no mage wishes to join Krimvald's army."
"Because it is stupid." Hierd said.
"Yes, your liege, you could say that." She sighed. "My father, he could have had forced the academy's students and lords to give in. But I do not think he knows yet of the power of your guns."
"No, no." Hierd abruptly said. "He knows. How even would he have known that we are here? Because you were gone? Partly that, but of the months we, my occupation has been, they should have some understanding that what I possess is more than what others possess. And that without these mages of theirs, they would just be feeding wheat to cattle."
Hierd sighed and faced the other members in the war room. "We need to prepare defences, some days after, I will be assigning some soldiers to rank up as lieutenants. Today however, we will conduct an excercise."
"An excercise, my lord?" Naturvege piecked intrest.
---
"A live fire excercise to be exact." About a thousand soldiers were lined up at the north gate's outer perimeter. Tents were set up, food was being delivered from this on and there on and the soldiers were being given shovels. Specifically; trench shovels from the second world war.
"This live fire excerise will be also the formation of our defences. So it serves another bigger purpose as well."
About a hundred meters beyond the formation of soldiers were knights with blunted weapons, pikes, spears, shields, and other knightly garments. They themselves have set up their tents. They weren't to do anything anyways for the first day.
"There are approximately three hundred or so knights, they were ex-knights of both Unchean and Easel city." Hierd chuckled. "I could, unfortunately, not bring anymore volunteers."
"That's alright my lord." Said Naturvege. "We just need the essence of a battlefield."
Hierd turned to his behind to look at him. "You are right." He walked to the soldiers.
Assembled alike a huge box, where it was quite cramped and the smell of sweat was too rampant. Hierd stopped and stood as steady as 3 a rock at the front of them all. "Today, we will be conducting our first live fire excercise!" He yelled as loud as he could so his voice could be heard from front to back. "You will be taught how to make trenches! How to defend against the knights! The bows! And most importantly, to protect yourselves! And your families! So first of all, what is a trench?"
---
After a long lesson about trenches, where Hierd had, with a blackboard, labeled the instructions, made small examples and so what and so then. Hierd had set up the soldiers to do what they were taught and shown. With their shovels, they started digging. By the 3rd hour, a trench of fifty meters long had been dug about half a meter deep. And yet, the soldiers were not tired. They kept going and going, and by night; they had rested with a fully complete dug out two meter deep trench.
By the strike of tommorow's dawn; Hierd awoke them up with the intense clash of thunderous bullets. Their faces were bewildered as they hurriedly opened their tents, their uniforms crumpled.
Upon seeing Hierd, they went back in their tents. Coming back out, fully dressed and looking good. Hierd looked upon with amazement. They lined up in a box formation like yesterday. A truck pulled in with hundreds of planks loaded in the back, and with it came a thousand more nails. The soldiers lined up and got planks. Knowing already what to do, they came to the trenches and started lining them up like duckboards. The long night had made the ground cold and a little wet, the duckboards was a big help and made walking on the trench a little ways more easier and comfortable.
To the trench's dirt walls. Longer planks were lined up and stuck to them, if in any case that these trenches were to somehow collapse, these planks would make such a thing not happen. And to shelter against magic or of arrows, wooden ceilings were made with walls supporting it. The shielded places served as rooms to shelter both soldiers and ammunition. Grenades and ammo were stockpiled inside.
It was the afternoon when they finished, if set on a clock it'd be about four P.M. Hierd looked at the trench, delightedly walking beside the edge. The countless tired soldiers at the bottom, upon seeing him, lighted up with energy and started trying to do something to look busy.
"It has stretched for a hundreds of meters now. And the northern gate is fully protected." Naturvege followed beside Hierd.
"Yes, indeed." He looked onward from the trench to that far away end.
"We are not to build a trench all round the city?"
"No, there is no need." Hierd said. "Though there aren't anymore walls surrounding this city of ours, even if they were to encircle, go fucking gung-ho and shoot arrows everywhere, we'd notice the uptake and fuck them up too! Three hundred soldiers'd be stationed in the woods around the city covering a whole lot of green monotonous forest, yes, however with their white, grey, whatever color of armor they have, their horses or their carriages, they wont even get an inch in on the green grass of my lands."
"However, I do still see the fact of failure, even if the odds are not against us."
"So what will we do, lord?" Naturvege intrigued, questioned.
"I took a little fancy to a thing I have found whilst reading through one of my books, something that the artillery platoon will without doubt fancy." They stopped with a thud. "It is called the Pak40?"
"Pak40, lord?" Naturvege smiled. "A new weapon you wish to use?"
"Yes, but I worry it might be a little too overkill."
"Isn't that good, lord?"
Hierd chuckled a little. "Yes. Indeed it is."
---
"What in the lord's dane..." The soldiers said, looking at the montrosity of a gun being pulled next to the trench. Reminiscent of a cannon, they thought. Only longer, thicker, bigger, and more frightnening to look at. Some lots of soldiers, from the artillery platoon, were wheeling in the Pak40 artillery guns beside the trench in intervals of one every twenty meters. The trench was approximately two hundred or so meters, maybe even more.
By Hierd's order, they were set to train to use the Pak40 (the artillery platoon). Some of the Venit Ille black soldiers were also allotted to train to use them. As there was, in the anti-tank manual, supposed to be six soldiers for every Pak40, even the platoon of fifty soldiers were not enough.
The soldiers who were not asked to train with the thing looked at the soldiers being lectured how to use it. They were staring enviously as they wanted to also help fire the thing. But, after a second thought, looking at Hierd and Naturvege teach them the basics of using it. The training soldiers were overburdened with the amount of tasks that was to be done that even they got discouraged in wanting to fire one in the future
*BOOM!
The earth shattering sound was deafening to the ears of the many men. Though the sound of their everyday gunfire had certainly clouded their hearing, the thunderous clap of the Pak40 was something even they couldn't hurt but cover their ears of.
"Well, that's earth shattering." Hierd chuckled.
"This is way too overkill, lord." Naturvege chuckled with.
"Well, as you said, isn't it good that it's overkill?"
"Y-yes, lord."
Adelheid was running to the trenches, checking out the new development, both the adventurer guild's chief had come with him to check upon what that noise was that shattered their eardrums.
Upon seeing Hierd at one of the operating Pak40s, they both ran to him. "Lord!" They both bowed. "This is a new weapon of yours!?"
"Yes, truly." Hierd smiled looking at their bewildered faces. "They work some ways like mortar, but unlike a mortar, this guy, packs more a punch that the puny mortar."
"Unbelievable!" Adelheid admired the intricacy of the machine and the long barrel upfront. "This is no weapon for defense, my lord! This weapon is for siege! To destroy an enemy's castle in mere seconds! The lord has blessed us once more, our kingdom will surely defeat Krimvald!"
"Yes, it will surely do." Hierd chuckled as the man went insane describing the possible things that could be done with such a warmachine.
"Lord." Gerald said. "I fear that this thing'll be disrupting the citizen's lives. It's too loud."
"Well, would they rather die loud or live hearing loud?"
"W-well..."
Hierd, looking at Gerald, came upon a thought. "Say," He walked closer to him. "The guild has mages, right?"
Gerald sighed. "Lord, we of the guild are no able to cooperate with any of the world's military. As we are a free organization."
"I am not asking you and your mages or, your adventurers rather, to participate in the war, no, no, not of that sort. I wish only for some, frankly, all of your mages to cooperate with this live excerise. I do not have a iota of an idea of what these mages can conjure. If I find that these mages can indeed lay waste upon my lands, I wish to find that out now than later."
Gerald looked at Hierd, a sigh of defeat. "If you wish it so. But I'm afraid that the guild doesn't have that much mages, and most of the mages in our guild are adventurers that are ranked lower than that damned academy's mages."
"That is all well." Gerald turned around and walked away, but before he could reach any further. "Oh, Gerald!"
He turned around. "Yes?"
"Can you please relay to Easel's adventurer chief the same thing? That I wish for the mages. There will be a truck readied infront of our adventurer's guild to pick you up."
"Yes, lord." He walked away.
( * )
It had reached night time when the Pak40 training had stopped. During the training, ears were plugged, and men were already nervous awaiting the day that the knights come. By Heduc's estimating. The army would reach the city by five or so days. If it were that the army was indeed resting in normal intervals for their horses.
The reserve knights at the otherside were looking on the trench, terrified. But they were not still ordered to do something so they instead have been training themselves. Marisse, the princess, looked on locked inside the manor. "Their weaponry has certainly increased since last they invaded Easel. If indeed they want war with the mages, this kind of weaponry shall do. I do not care what side I am in. Either I am with Germany or am with Krimvald. Either way, the world needs change. This country needs change. And Hierd and his men, will be the ones to make that change come into fruition."
*Knock Knock
She looked behind her, at the door. Walking up to it; she asked. "Yes? Who is there?"
"I am second Lieutenant, Jeane of the Venit Ille units."
"What is it that you want?"
"Your presence, your grace, infront of Hierd and the rest of the military officials."
She opened the door. Jeane was sweating bullets and was clearly and obviously nervous to confront a member of the Krimvald monarchy, she bowed. She walked out of the doorway and proceeded forth into the hallway. "Well? Where to?"
---
Marisse hadn't been outside of the Manor for so long, and so, as Jeane opened the doors of the front door. Her eyes lit up with excitement to finally be let out of the cold walls of the manor. "Please stick with me, your grace."
"Yes, yes I know." She was clearly disapointed.
The manor's gate was being guarded by two guards (they were knights), upon seeing the two, they opened it without fail and bowed to the two. Exiting, they went a right towards the barracks. There were no soldiers at all to be seen, well, that was to be certain as the soldiers were outside the city training at the northern gate, the princess had not too much information regarding such a thing. And was suprised to see no one inside the barracks as they went in.
A barrage of noise came some ways inside the barracks.
From the distance, one could hear it be about planning for the war of course. As well as a certain ranking up of certain soldeirs to become second lieutenants. Jeane opened the door of the war room, and Marisse was met with the blast of noise. There was a babble of noise, undescribable being so far away from it all. Hierd saw the two enter.
"Everyone!" He clapped his hands. "The princess!"
Their past noise had immidiately stopped, and they stood up. Bowing. "Good evening, Princess."
"Good evening to you too." She made her way to the vacant seat offered by Jeane.
"Why was I-"
"Why were you called, you wonder?" Hierd interupted her.
"Yes, I do wonder." She said, hiding the sarcasticness in her voice.
"We need knowledge of the king and his forces, history maybe inside the walls of the castle?"
"And why would I give such valuable information away?"
"Why wouldn't you?" Hierd looked at her. "The kingdom will be destroyed anyhow. Besides, if you do cooperate, I shall promise you two things you wish."
"Hmm..." She sighed. "That's good enough isn't it? Two promises? Then..."
"I will agree to the terms, so what knowledge do you need even? I have already told you about the mage battalion."
"Yes, indeed you have told that." He said. "But what we want to know is other military forces. Can you strike by air and by sea? Can you strike underground or be invisible? We wonder indeed."
"You have an imaginative mind, your grace." She looked dead on. "However, you are right that there are some forces that are able to strike in the air, not so much underground, and being invisible is more than a myth. However, I do not think the kingdom has in possession of forces that can strike in the air. There have been other kingdoms who can strike by air, but training knights to fly dragoons is expensive, and dangerous."
"Dragoons, you say?" Hierd was intrigued. "What say you of these dragoons?"
"They are a race of Auferstehen monsters that have been tamed. They are known throughout as the first modified race of monster with ample intellect the same as a horse. And can be trained as a horse."
Hierd cleared his throat. "During tommorow's excerise, you will be a mock-general that will be commanding the knights and mages."
"Tommorow's excerise?"
---
"This is hell." Marisse thought.
A barrage of phony bullets were being fired left and right, by the soldiers inside the trenches. And the knights were being set more and more back.
"Fire the arrows!" Marisse yelled at the crossbow men.
The swoosh of hundreds of arrows went flailing into the air, the soldiers, looking at the arrows fall down, ran swiftly into their rooms. The sound of a hundred thuds quickly hitting their post. But they shouldn't be camping in here now, no, no. Right after, they ran outside and continued to fire. The machine guns and the rifles contributing in the mess of fire.
"They're fast. We didn't even get an inch close, and I'm steadily losing knights!" She looked at the mages. "Fire!"
They chanted an incoherent sayance, after, a ball of fire as hot as magma extruded from their long wooden staffs. A couple of them were hit by bullet fire before they could fire the fireballs. The swoosh of fire making it's way, undeterred by the bullets, only absorbing it. *BOOM! A real bullet, pierced the fireball with unbelievable speed. Matthaus's lucky PTRS-41 shot obliterated the fireball.
The defence was a success. Marisse sighed in defeat. Hierd came running towards the knights. "You may come up now! The excercise is over!"
The knights grunted up, it was a one-sided battle, and clearly, they lost. But they were ecstatic at the same time. "You won." Marisse said, rather disapointed of herself.
"Clearly from the start we were destined to win that." Hierd, confidently said.
"Don't be too cocky now, your grace." She said with a smile. "This was just a small battle, imagine with the tens of thousands Krimvald has. I would be less disapointed if it were that the live-fire excerise ended sooner." She walked off. Hierd didn't have a rebuttle to that. He simply sighed, looking at her wander.
"In a couple days from now, war will break. I'm not too sure about my leadership skills, but I have my own determination with my soldiers. Whatever thousand those sons of bitches, we have guns and bombs."
Naturvege walked up to him. "Lord." He did a little bow. "There were no casualties. Only one was hit by arrow fire. And they did not even get close to the mine field."
"Great." Hierd smiled. "May you say my thanks to Pomlik of the craft guild for the phony bullets? They came in handy were rather safe."
"Yes, lord, I will."
"Thank you."
Remembering last night's meeting at the war room. The princess had said something about Krimvald's naval warships. They were, as she says; "Powerful and daunting." And that, "They would bring end the city's houses with the twenty heavy cannons firing at one side as it would the other. I suggest laying some sort of protection at sea, and I see that the military of Germany hasn't cared to bring this place any so what naval protection, or a navy."
"Captain, Jack." He murmured to himself. "It seems the navy will get a spring up here."
( * )
As the night dawned upon the soldiers, they were given the day after for rest. Though of course, they did not want to rest. And instead opted to train lightly.
Morning struck. And before even the sun dawned on the city on that blissful horizon. Three wonderful naval warships were docked on the pier. monsters of steel, one could say. The sleek design was so different to the other ships docked on the pier's wooden boards. They looked out of this world. And indeed they were. The singular funnel, exuding forth into the air like a chimney a black-ish smoke. the big guns situated on it's bow and on it's stern. They were beasts of sorts that one cannot help but look and observe.
"Captain, Jack." Hierd smiled. "She is here for your comandeering."
"O! May the Lord's dane! The lord has blessed me once more! They's a wunder' I tells ye! Lord! O' Lord! Thank to you, thank o' you."
"To think this ship isn't sinking suprises me." Pomlik looked at the intricacy in great detail. "Germany is a wonderful country, lord."
"Yes, yes, I wonder the same, and I too compliment your country lord." Adelheid was stuck admiring her wonderful stern and the armaments onboard remeniscent of the Pak40's guns. "But I can't help but question. This isn't the Z1 Leberecht Maass we were promised."
"Indeed they aren't. They are metal sloops of the K3-Series of sloops, supporting only a hundred and four sailors rather than the hefty three-hundred of the Z1 Leberecht Maass. She's a downgrade, but she's something we can use even in small numbers. And still, she packs quite the power."
"Ze' K3 ye' say, lord?"
"Yes, indeed." He looked at Jack. "Well then? Shall we board?"
The excited Jack and the other children followed behind (Pomlik and Adelheid). "She's already running, you may let her out on a steer after the training sailors are ready."
"She works the same way as the Z1 Leberecht Maass, lord?" Questioned Adelheid.
"In a way, yes. There are some lots of differences. Size, first off."
"Then I will be more aquainted with the inner-workings!" And with twinkling eyes, he questioned. "May I be the one to commandeer the second?!" He pleaded with his two hands making sad almost puppy-like noises.
A sigh of defeat. "There really isn't another person out there that I can trust. So you will do."
"Yes! Thank you so much lord!" He laughed dreamingly in his thoughts, it spilling out and onto the world as well.
"Where are me' sailors even, lord?"
"Hmm?" He looked at him. "They should be here in any second."
"How many are they?" Adelheid questioned.
"Three hundred applied for the position."
And indeed, as the sun rose to light up the whole of the docks. The white of their uniforms, the blue collars with white stripes. It was fashionable, and all white. Marching forth to the pier and boarding the three ships by number of a hundred. "Well I'll be damned, lord!" He said, aweshook by the amount of sailors there were.
"You have gotten your uniform yes?" Hierd asked Jack.
"Y-yes, me lord."
"Then why have you not worn it today?" Hierd pressed-on.
"W-well, me lawd, it's a bit scritchy scratchy to me."
"Well, wear it tommorow." Hierd chuckled.
There were a hundred sailors in the first ship (where Jack commandeers), and all were not new to the rules of the sea as they too have had sailed in it. Hierd, yelled as loud as he could. Teaching the masses about how it operates, it was a brisk training one could say. Even though it took until the dawn of the afternoon to complete for all just one ship. The other two ships docked were just asked to observe the first.
The people of Unchean, the merchants, the olden sailors, looked at the ships with a newfound fancy. They were sleek and clean. And were fanciful and bright. True technologies for a new age. The guns, the sleek iron smacked onto it's tender long hull. One couldn't imagine the weight. But the very fact that it still is floating, confused the sailors, engineers and the curious onlookers. There were a number of journalists from Easel looking that were there, documenting it from afar with aweshook expressions.
Before long, she finally moved. "Yeah, yeah!" Captain Jack yelled excitedly. "We're running!"
They were in the bridge, Adelheid, Hierd, and some of the other sailors. Whilst the rest of the sailors were in the decks below working on with it's blasting furnace. "Captain," Hierd grabbed his attention. "We need to go a quarter a nautical mile, then, we'll blast her cannons."
"About time, lord." He smiled gleefully.
She was a fast one! Eighteen knots to be exact. The sailors and at most everyone aboard were suprised by how fast she was. Even the onlookers were shook with her speed, outrivaling the wooden ships they had. Even the fastest of the seas, the caravel, couldn't outrival the K-3.
In under fourty-three seconds, they reached four hundred meters.
"Great! We've reached." He exited the bridge, Jack and Adelheid followed with. "Where is Pomlik?"
"I believe he's below the deck."
"Alright."
Hierd gathered the sailors to the ship's bow. Where the large two barreled gun was installed in. As the bow was not large enough, the other sailors simply gathered round the deck. "Everyone! Let us show Unchean, to Easel, to the world what this ship can do!"
"Yes, lord!" They yelled.
"There are two twin barreled turrets! These function some ways like our Pak40 artillery guns, however, these are for battling the ships of sea or for bombarding the shore. As I know, you all have some experience with being sailors, so I do not need to elaborate what rule be what she wants. She is propelled not be wind, but by her two propellors, driven by the captain and the furnace below. So even if the wind blows that and this, we can go anywhere, unrestricted by the rules of the wind and of the sea. This, everyone! Is an advantage we cannot pass! During the battle, you will be participating, as well as the two other K-3 sloops we have docked in shore bombardment and battling the kingdom's galleons and similar warships."
He chuckled. "And I doubt that they'll even scratch our hull. Will they!?"
"NO, LORD!"
"Yes, yes! That is correct. Not one of their cannons will scar our ships! By the might of your captain, and the ships many guns, you will not be afraid! You will shoot her guns and straight into the wooden piles of trash they call galleons!"
"YES, LORD!"
---
"The lord requests for us to watch from afar the ship firing." Heduc said.
"No fair." Jeane pouted. "I want to ride on the ship."
"Well are you a sailor, Jeane?" Heduc said, comforting her a little.
"N-no, but still!"
Heduc chuckled. "You'll get your chance to ride one, one day."
The second lieutenants and majors were all gathered at the pier, watching at the ship. The princess, Marisse was asked to watch too. And she looked at these ships with a sort of jelousy. "What in the world are these ships!? They move too fast for their steel hulls! And those turrets! I doubt they're light! So why oh why are they so fast!? And they don't even need sails on masts to manuever! 'Propolsion by propellor' says sir Naturvege to me. What even is a propellor!? God, Germany is frightening."
She gulped. "Sir, Naturvege?"
Naturvege stood up and turned to the princess. He bowed. "What is it, your grace?"
"His grace, Hierd had called for those ships to be brought here, right?"
"Yes, your grace."
"I did not see any German official here."
"We do not ever see the lord's officials. They just leave us with these armaments."
"Strange."
"You do not question it, sir?"
"No, not at all, your grace. We've fully accepted it."
"Hah, I-I see." Seeing her eased, Naturvege sat down once more.
"How can this advanced civilization not be found yet? With the activity they undergo just to help Hierd. I disbelieve that they've yet to be found yet." She looked on, suspicious. "Yet none of his underlings suspect anything of the sort. What are they even? Braindead? How come they've yet to be suspicious of how he gets his technology?" She sighed.
The front turret began to rotate, it was approximately a hundred fourty degrees. It was immidiately spotted by the onlookers. The barrel was facing their direction, even though they'd think that the turret would probably shoot towards them, they were not fazed. Instead, they watched silently, waiting for the blow.
-3-
A clunk!
-2-
It raised.
-1-
*BOOM!
The 'RRR!' of the shell wizzed through the air.
It hit the shore beside the city!
A large plume of water splattered onto the spectators.
"Goodness!" Marisse blurted out. "That was..."
---
"Amazing!" Captain Jack looked at the bombarded shore with excitement. "Neve'er in me years thought I'd be able to witness a cannon wizz pass dat' long a distance! God be darned! This'er turret is power!"
"Yes, indeed!" Said the ecstatic Hierd. "And with all her armaments, she'll be dangerous to galleons, nigh even a whole armada of ships!"
They celebrated the shot like it was the dawn of a new year. The sailors, the onlookers, the soldiers on shore, they were all excited. And war never felt so one-sided looking.
"Now all we'll need to do is to train the other two ships." Sighed Hierd.
---
Night reached and the second ship, Adelheid's ship, had then a fully furnished crew of sailors that were capable enough to operate and fire the ship's guns. It was a long day and Hierd was famished. However, the day after, would be an even busier day.
( * )
"Today is a day of commemoration." Infront of a thousand troops, and a thousand more citizens watching from afar. Family members of the soldiers, journalists, or just causal spectators. Anyhow, they looked, admiring the crowd of soldiers. To the Venit Ille Black units, the Ridge Brown units, and to the Unchean White sailors of the newfound navy. It was a day worth to celebrate.
"I, Chancellor of Germany, Hierd Die Grace, will give thanks to the following soldiers that were seen to have outstanding bravery, acknolowedgements, in both the battle of Unchean and of the battle of Easel. And therefore shall give upon to thee, my appreciation and the ranking up of their title."
'Ranking up!?' They clammored with each other. 'I can be like sir Heduc, and ma'am Jeane!?' They murmured.
"Alright, alright, ease in, everyone."
The soldiers went quiet.
---
Several soldiers had ranked up to sergeant, with only three, more decorated soldiers having the chance of second lieutenant. Heduc, Jeane, Gelmund, and Verdel were promoted to major. With Naturvege and Friedrick being promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Captain Jack stayed captain of the navy.
After the ceremony, and the giving of their new insignias. The soldiers went home, celebrating with their loved ones, and to the ones who weren't given recognition, they went home still with happy family members. Feasts were being done in, and they, because of Hierd's order not to drink wine or beer, were drinking berry juice.
( * )
The next day was thunderous. The sea was enraged, heartbroken and furious. Hierd's heart dropped, recieving a report uncanny. "Lord I fear that the king's Mage Battalion will be arriving soon." He received it while he was staying away from the rain inside the manor's living room. He gripped the moist, cold glass window.
"Prepare the defences, and bring out the ships."
"Yes, lord."
Hierd came quickly outside the manor, his squad behind him, caring not for the rain that shook the streets. Trucks were moving, soldiers were being moved in and out. The sailors were running for the docks, and the people, upon hearing the annoucement, cowered and hid inside their homes. Hierd ran towards the northern gate, and towards the tents. The soldiers were already stationed inside the trench, or outside of it with their mortars, Pak40s, Vicker Machine guns. To the sea, could you spot the two ships moving in close to the shore, even the faint maniacal laughing of captain Jack could be heard. The bow's turrets, turned to the shore.
"Lord!" Naturvege ran to him. "The soldiers in the forest are already station-"
A trumpet! Muffled under rain, was enough signal that the horses were coming in, and the king's battalion was here. The helms of the white knights seen clearly in the distance, and upon seeing the strange forces afoot Unchean, the king's heart could not be shaken. They had his daughter. And clearly, were ready to be sieged.
"Your grace, what are we to do?" Questioned the white knight to the king.
He looked to the seas. "Those ships, are of iron." Then to the trench. "Those weapons are enlarged cannons. I wish to see this leader of theirs, before we start any battle." His eyes caught the attention of a man in full black approaching them with a squad of soldiers behind. His blonde hair clearly visible under his black hat.
"Hmm..." He chuckled. "It seems my wishes have been heard." He dismounted off his horse.
"Your grace!?" Suprised by the king's movements, the knight brought five knights around the king.
Decorated with gold, the king's crown glistened even in the thunderous rain, grey clouds, and raging sea. They two walked slowly to each other, to the soldiers and knights watching from afar, it was a clash of two powers. The aura of two powerful men.
Hierd lifted his chin, facing him, they stopped.
"You have my daughter."
"Indeed. King."
The knights beside him were angered, the man did not bow nor use proper honorifics. Yet the king raised his right hand, they did not make another move.
"Give me my daughter. Or we start a long war."
"What will I stand to gain?"
The king's face stiffened in anger. "What do you want? Power? Money? Influence?"
"I want your kingdom."
A loud silence. Hearts beated and the tensions carefully grew.
"My kingdom? You will not obtain that."
"Then I," He raised his cap and threw it some off place. "I, Hierd Die Grace, declare war to the kingdom of Krimvald!"
The king looked at him with shock. "You will perish. Along with your stupidity. Hierd. Die. Grace."
"I will see to it that your head be staked along with your knights."
"You dare!?" The white knights beside the king acted.
The king laughed. "You have the nerve! You want war!? I give you war! We will destroy this country of yours! And you will never see the light of day, never see the light of fruition ever again! Your country will crumbled within my grasps! You will never defeat me! I, Rafferty Des Kraton, will make your country but a failed dream!" His anger, clearly shown, red was his face. And his fists were clenched.
"You can try, monarch of Krimvald." Hierd said sarcastically, angering the king even more. "You will not defeat me."
"Not ever." Hierd took a step closer.
"And not now." He grinned.
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