The Drums of War

My teammates saw us approaching as we entered the throne room. "We've been waiting for you, Arc," Cutter said, his voice low and steady.

"Any update on the situation, Captain?" I asked, falling into place beside him.

He gave a solemn nod. "There is, but I'll let Princess Aurelia explain." He turned back to face the throne. "Your Highness..."

"Thank you, Captain," she replied, her gaze sweeping over Brielle, Elara, and me. Her expression was grave. "I have urgent news. Five days ago, a rebellion erupted in the Kingdom of Albia, one of our most steadfast allies. The rebels have already seized their capital, Londinium."

The girls gasped audibly. The names meant little to me, just more pieces on a map I was still learning. Londinium? The Kingdom of Albia?

"H-how?" Brielle stammered. "What of the Gilded Circle Knightly Order? And King Alaric himself is a formidable warrior and a strong monarch."

The princess sighed, her gaze drifting away for a moment. "Nearly half of the Order joined the coup. We don't know their reasons for treason, but we have received troubling rumors that they are being aided by the Urk'hai Horde."

"What? The Urk'hai Horde?" The girls gasped again in unison.

"What's the story with these Urk'hai?" Bard interjected, his curiosity piqued. "Are they really that tough?"

Elara nodded, her face pale. "They fielded one of the most powerful armies in the Aethel Continental War. They are larger than humans or elves, and their bodies are as hard as stone."

"Arc, you've seen your share of fantasy anime, right?" Bard asked, a shit-eating grin spreading across his face. "I bet you're thinking these Urk'hai are all muscle and no brains, eh?"

"I wasn't asking for your opinion, Ensign," I replied flatly, pulling rank. He merely shrugged and stepped back. Maybe this promotion wasn't so bad after all.

"So, what is our mission, Your Highness?" Brielle asked, her focus returning to the matter at hand.

"I have dispatched fifty Knights of the Azure Cross to rendezvous with the Albia Royalist Army in Maxton, one of their most fortified cities. An envoy from Albia has confirmed that loyalist generals, including a Sir Bors, are leading the resistance from there. You will proceed to Maxton and join our knights."

Elara and Brielle both nodded in understanding.

"Your objective," the princess continued, "is to gather intelligence on the rebel forces and assist the royalists in their efforts to defeat them. I considered sending a larger force of two thousand regulars, but it is wise to understand our enemy before committing to a larger engagement." Despite her delicate appearance, she understood the fundamentals of warfare: send in the special forces first.

Her gaze then settled on us. "And the G.A.I.A. Squad, will you lend your strength to this battle and help us defeat these rebels?"

Cutter glanced at Bard and me, a question in his eyes. For special operators like us, a look was a full conversation.

Bard's expression was clear: I think we should stay out of another country's internal politics.

I knew what he was thinking, but something else was nagging at me. I know, Bard, I thought back, but doesn't this feel connected? The intel suggested the aircraft might be in Albia. I have a feeling we're on the verge of something big here.

Cutter read us both and nodded once. "Understood. We are in agreement." He turned back to the princess. "Your Highness, we accept. We will fight alongside you."

The princess nodded and rose from her throne. "Arise!" she commanded, and everyone in the room stood to attention. The three of us snapped straight.

"I, Princess Aurelia of Valoria, do this day assign Captain Brielle Vance, Inspector Elara Brightwood, and the G.A.I.A. Squad to the Kingdom of Albia to aid the Royalist cause. I wish you all a safe journey," she declared.

We offered our bows and salutes before departing for our quarters to prepare.

Most of our equipment was already packed. I left my spare explosives, excess ammunition, and my sniper rifle locked away in a chest. Bard, however, decided to bring an AA-12 automatic shotgun in addition to his standard kit, likely in case he ran into mounted cavalry. Dressed in his OSN forest BDU, he was whistling a cheerful tune, looking far too pleased with himself.

"What are you so happy about, Bard?" I asked.

"Why? Because we're about to face a barbaric, evil army, just like in the fantasy clichés!" he said, slinging his assault pack over his shoulder. "Except this time, they have swords and spears, and we have rifles." He grinned. "I hope there's a beautiful princess locked in a tower, waiting for a handsome knight to come rescue her." He practically drooled at the thought. How this man ever passed the Sea Dragon selection process was beyond me.

"What about magic?" I reminded him as I stuffed magazines into my pouches. "That's like them having an infinite supply of grenades."

His drooling stopped. "Well, at least they aren't like those RPG-using rebels we faced before. They have limited aether reserves, and magic takes time to cast," he mused, picking up his CQBR. He glanced at me with a smile. "And lucky for us... we've got the Oni no Ō on our side."

"Shut up," I hissed. Bard just chuckled as we headed out.

The vast wilderness separating Valoria from the Kingdom of Albia was known as the Avani Forest, a place teeming with monsters that made it a popular hunting ground for adventurers. Twenty years ago, a great fire dragon had laid waste to the forest and the surrounding villages. The armies of every nation had tried and failed to stop it. Just as all hope seemed lost, a mysterious mage appeared during a skirmish. Wielding a strange and powerful staff, he cast a single, massive, explosive spell that annihilated the beast in an instant. He was known thereafter only as the Mage of Avani.

This afternoon, at a border checkpoint, a group of renegade Albia soldiers and mercenaries were drinking and laughing. They had captured several local women, whose soft sobs were callously ignored as they were tormented by their captors.

One of the soldiers spotted a covered wagon approaching from the Valorian side, drawn by two horses. He couldn't see who was inside, only two figures in hooded capes driving it. He grinned, imagining the riches—and the women—he could claim.

He waited for the wagon to get closer before stepping out to block its path. As it drew near, he could see the drivers more clearly. A man who looked to be in his thirties was on the left, and a teenage girl sat on the right.

"Halt!" he commanded. The wagon kept rolling. "Hey! I said stop!" the soldier yelled angrily. Still, they seemed to ignore him.

The rest of the mercenaries paused their revelry to watch the unfolding scene.

Growing impatient, the soldier drew his saber and leveled it at the driver. "You will stop! Or I'll—"

He cut himself off as the wagon finally rolled to a stop. The driver's hand moved to his waist, reaching for something.

"What are you doing?" the soldier demanded.

He got his answer when the man produced a pistol and aimed it squarely at his head.

"Surprise," said Captain Marcus "Cutter" Thorne.

BANG!