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Chapter 30: Just One More Boring Day

Armory in Bradley, Ohio

Boris was overjoyed to see the convoy coming down the road towards the Armory. As he had expected and feared, there were people hanging all over the returning vehicles. Taking into consideration what he was seeing, he estimated that Captain Mesquida must have picked up at least an additional 150 refugees on top of the survivors that he had originally gone off to rescue.

Captain Long, who was standing next to him, suddenly drew in a sharp breath. With the vehicles drawing closer it had just become apparent how badly battered many of them were.

The Armory’s utility tractor slowly opened up the compound’s “gate” and the vehicles began driving inside, to the cheers of both the people already in the Armory Compound and those riding in the convoy.

Because of the narrow entrance and what with so many people riding precariously on top of the trucks, it took almost twenty minutes for all the large vehicles to finally pull to stop in the Armory’s parking lot. Sir Khan was alarmed to see how dented and even cracked the armor was on the modified trucks and dismayed to see an actual puncture in the M18 Hellcat. But what caused his stomach to sink was when he realized that the bundle wrapped in a blue tarp, strapped to and riding on the M18, was in fact a body.

He and Captain Long walked quickly over to the Hellcat; Sir George Mesquida was just climbing down from the old tank destroyer. “Welcome back Captain. It looks like you had a rough time of it. Who did we lose?” Boris asked with a sad tone to his voice.

“Hello Boris, hello Captain Long.” Sir George said, sounding exhausted and depressed; he sighed before answering the Lieutenant’s question. “Private Hoops Cooper was killed; we were ambushed by eighteen Dominators.”

“Oh, shit,” muttered Boris.

Barely registering Lieutenant Khan’s small verbal outburst, Captain Mesquida continued. “But luckily for us, this new bunch had converted their smaller coilguns into steam cannons instead of their bigger ones. On the other hand the shells fired from those big 148s travel so slowly that we might have fared better if they had been shooting at us with those things. Anyways, a round hit us at exactly the wrong angle and the thin armor on top of the driver’s compartment wasn’t enough to stop it.” Captain Mesquida shook his head sadly, and let out another sigh while gazing sadly at the blue bundle containing Cooper’s corpse. He then turned to look at Boris. “The trucks all took some damage too and I want to get their armor patched up tonight before we head back to the Stronghold in the morning. When I do get back to home, I’ll be having a talk with Glen and Clyde. I no longer think that six inches of sand and steel armor are sufficient for our APCs and APTs; and the 90mm guns that they’re supposed to be building right now, seem to be inadequate even before we mount the first one.

Anything urgent that you need to tell me about before I tell you what else happened on the journey?”

“Yes, yesterday we were contacted by a fairly large group of survivors that have converted a warehouse into sort of a fort, just eight miles south of here. They were out of both food and black powder. I sent Sergeant Steele in the Scorpion to protect them until you returned. She left towing a trailer loaded with supplies and a few weapons that I requisitioned from our soldiers.”

“Damn it, it never even occurred to me that there might be other groups of survivors living nearby. If it wasn’t getting so late, I would take the convoy and pick them all up right now. As it is, I might just send the Sherman to keep watch on them until morning. So far the M4’s armor has proven indestructible to everything we’ve run into to date. But we’ve got another and bigger problem. Yesterday we saw eight spider-like machines that Appraisal labeled as Annihilators. Those things have 814 millimeters of titanium, ceramic and ballistic gelatin armor. Think of them as being like a modern army’s main battle tanks and Dominators, in comparison, being similar to armored personnel carriers, though both mechanized arachnids are about the same size and armed basically the same. We didn’t have to fight them but they sure as hell, scared the shit out of me.

After our battle with the Dominators we learned something about the snails, they’re slavers! We also learned that ‘Reeze’ is the actual name for their species or people. We freed sixty seven humans that we found trapped within prison cells inside the Dominators that we defeated. But during our battle against those monstrous machines, we probably killed four times as many innocents as we rescued.

Now that I’ve had a chance to breathe for a moment, I think that I am going to send Vargas and the Sherman to meet up with Latisha before we lose all of our daylight. What are your thoughts, Boris?”

“You give me such wonderful fucking news then you ask me a question like that?” Lieutenant Khan took a minute to furiously scratch his head as if he was trying to make his brain work better. “Ah, I guess, I agree with you, I don’t like it but while the M4 might not make a big difference here, considering what we’ve already got, it could be a life saver for Sergeant Steele. But you should order Jeff to be back here by no later than an hour after dawn. You will probably need the Sherman for the trip back to the Stronghold.

I assume that before you depart for home that you’ll gather together Sergeant Steele’s survivors and bring them all back here, so that we only have one location to protect?”

“Let me sleep on that Boris. Captain Long, I hate to impose upon your hospitality but I’ve got nearly two hundred new refugees and we might have to leave a hundred or more with you, until we can get them safely transferred to the Stronghold.”

Captain Long took a deep breath, which caused her bosom to swell enormously but both men were concerned about much more serious matters so they barely even noticed, she then spoke. “Of course Captain. Most of the refugees are American citizens and even if they weren’t, I wouldn’t turn them away. We shouldn’t be too badly overcrowded, though beds will be in short supply.”

The three officers quickly gave orders to their subordinates; following which, they continued their conversation, telling each other what had happened during the intervening two days that they had been apart.

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Jeff didn’t like being out alone in the M4 but if any vehicle in the Hermit’s Guard should be assigned the task, the old Sherman tank was definitely the best that they currently had for the job.

They were following a map to the warehouse/fort that Lieutenant Khan had given them. Luckily they had no encounters on the way, and just as the sun was about to give up its last gasp they arrived at their destination.

Sergeant Steele was certainly glad to see them. It took nearly twenty minutes for the warehouse’s door to be raised, so that the M4 could be brought inside. The watching survivors, especially the traumatized children, who had been living there so long with no hope, were overawed by the old tank.

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The Former Town of Troy, Indiana

High Lord Jaguar sat on his new reclining throne in the large brown brick building that his army had captured. His new female slaves were busily cleaning the blood from the altar left there by the Coyote Priest’s most recent sacrifice. But, the High Lord wished that those stupid, soft women would cease with their crying and wailing, couldn’t they see that he was trying to think here! He was tempted to have them all sacrificed but he had so few slaves and they were fairly attractive even though they were pitifully weak. With the doorway back to his home world now closed, it was even likely that he was going to have to mate and produce some heirs on them. He cringed at the thought. He didn’t mind having intercourse with them, since he had already done that many times but the thought of mixing his noble blood lines with theirs turned his stomach.

Curse it! He had let his thoughts wander once again. He still needed to come to grips with the disaster that had befallen his army since they marched through the rift, almost sixty days ago.

After the rifts had appeared, the Emperor had listened to the portents by his priests and he had ordered armies to be sent through two of them in order to conquer to new lands for the Teeteelan Empire. Lord Jaguar had led an army of 8,000 trained warriors through the rift that seemed the most stable and according to the Priests, the most promising. A mere three days after his arrival on this accursed world, the rift had collapsed. Now he was down to 1432 men and he was on his fourth body! Of course he had none of the memories of his previous vessels. Only the soul was transferred to the designated heir but it was still humiliating to be on his fourth incarnation after only twenty-days!

And while magic might ultimately be more powerful on this new world there were many differences and it was taking time for his people to adapt; and as for the Gods here, they were ridiculous! It was Priests’ and his hope that by offering up sufficient sacrifices that they might be able to draw the Pantheon of Gods from their old world, to this one here. But so far they had only been able to sacrifice a paltry few and not the tens of thousands or more likely hundreds of thousands that such a powerful undertaking would surely require.

He was suddenly distracted yet again from his thoughts but this time by the entry of his senior spy, who quickly knelt by his feet.

“High Lord, this is the second night in a row that those moving metal boxes have not returned to their fortress as they normally do. Those few of us, skilled in both Illusion and Mind Magic have gotten close enough to listen to the thoughts of some of those standing watch on that mighty citadel’s walls. While many of their warriors have been taught to shield their thoughts and thus protect themselves there are some who are careless or untrained. Sadly we are still learning their barbaric tongue so that is also hindrance but I am fairly certain that those formidable metal boxes, will not return until late tomorrow afternoon at the earliest and possibly they won’t return at all.”

The High Lord suddenly sat up straight, with the footrest of his reclining throne folding in with a clunk. He had lusted after that mighty fortress that lay almost 2500 rods to his east (a rod is 7.5 feet), the first time that he had laid eyes upon it. However with his warriors still learning this new land’s ways of magic and those moving metal boxes which reminded him far too much of dragons, he had decided to stay his hand. But what with those boxes now gone and with his skilled Illusionists and that new magic called Teleportation, Jaguar saw an opportunity to secure a new home for his people and perhaps the beginnings of a new empire!

He immediately started making plans. First he needed to determine, how many warriors he had who were sufficiently skilled enough with Teleportation to move from just outside the fortress’s moat to the top of its walls and also had enough Illusionist ability to conceal themselves while doing so? To his disappointment, he arrived at an extremely small number but he did not let that dissuade him, for it might be just enough to pave a path for the rest of his Teleporters, who could then open up that mighty citadel’s gates and let the entirety of his army inside.

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Steel Distributer in Bradley, Ohio

Just before dawn the fort was attacked by a pack of ten Gorgonospidae Inostrancevia. Adam Bitar, who was sort of the group’s unofficial leader, explained things to the two Hermit’s Guard Sergeants. “We’ve been calling them Hell Dogs. They’re jaws and teeth are so powerful that they can actually puncture and rip apart sheet metal. Since we’ve run out of black powder, we’ve been using some big crossbows we made to kill them. Sometimes we wait until they’ve torn an opening in the warehouse and then at close range we shoot through the hole that they’ve made. But we’ve had folks get too close and those monsters can lunge quite a ways inside, with their heads and long necks. We must have lost six or seven people to them. When we do kill one, they don’t even leave their dead behind, they drag off the corpses probably to eat.”

While Adam had been talking, the soldiers had been watching the monsters from the second story windows of the makeshift fort. More than one of the Hermit’s Guardsmen had a fifty caliber rifle in their hands and they were all loaded with enchanted bullets. When Jeff judged the time was right he shouted out “Fuego!” The rifles roared and five of the pack fell. Two of the living Hell Dogs panicked and ran off; while the remaining ones were quickly and easily killed once the soldiers reloaded their rifles.

That morning, Sergeant Vargas stayed long enough at the fort, to help drag the monsters inside the building. The Hermit’s Guard had an official motto, waste not want not and Adam’s group had been hungry for so long that they didn’t want to leave anything to chance either.

Latisha Steele wasn’t very happy though at seeing all those dead monstrous dogs, she wasn’t too fond of the taste of Gorgonospidae.

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Armory in Bradley, Ohio

“Boris, I’ll be leaving you the Scorpion, the T800 and the Priest. Ever since the shop guys swapped engines in the Priest, that thing has become a dog and I don’t mean a greyhound. Mind you, we were lucky to have it on our recent expedition but it was still too damn slow. If I took it with me, we would never be able to get in the two round trips that I hope to make between here and home today.

By leaving it here with you, you’ll at least have a chance against any arachnids that might show up and you can use all three of your vehicles to transport people from the steel fort to this compound here.

With a little luck, I or Lady Night should be back in five or six hours. Take care, Boris.”

“You too, Captain.”

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Hermit’s Guard Detached Armored Unit, M7 Priest Motor Gun Carriage, T800 APC and FV101 Light Tank

Sergeant Derrick Miter was in charge of the mechanized unit transporting the people from fort steel to Captain Long’s compound. On the run to the fort they had stumbled upon a herd of Bison, not wanting to waste any time they simply passed them by instead of slaughtering a few for meat.

Derrick was hoping to be able to make one round trip every ninety minutes or so and it would take at least five such trips to transport all of the refugees while using the T800 alone.

They were able to make three such shuttle runs during the next five hours, with only a minor encounter with some hairy Cape buffalo to mar the experience. Sixty people had so far been transferred. They had stopped for lunch at the Armory with the hope of seeing the return of Captain Mesquida and the convoy.

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Hermit’s Guard Convoy En Route to the Stronghold

As for the convoy they had an uneventful trip. While they had encountered monsters that would have been deadly to most folks, their armored vehicles allowed them to either quickly deal with such threats or just simply ignore them.

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The Stronghold of Hermit’s Forge

Lieutenant Candace Murphy was peddling her bicycle on top of the castle walls, she wished that she had the Boss’s car but that still hadn’t been repaired. She often thought back to that wild ride in his car, with him driving and her shooting.

She was visiting each of the sixteen log guardhouses that had been constructed on the wall walk. The Lady Knight wanted to make sure that everyone was alert and prepared for action. There was a guardhouse at each corner and one in the middle of each of the eight sections of wall. After the attack by the King Mandrills, the Construction Group had clear cut everything within four hundred yards of the Stronghold. From that activity, there had been an overabundance of logs produced. Many of the hardwood logs had been used to construct pillboxes, with walls over eighteen inches thick, after which the Hermit King had enchanted them.

Greeting the three soldiers inside the guard post at the corner between the southwestern wall and the western wall, Candace did her best to hide her fears because she was scared shitless, that the Captain would not return and she would then be the one stuck with the ultimate responsibility for keeping everyone safe. Glancing through a window/port in the bunker which corresponded with a crenel in the parapet, she was startled to see slow furtive moving figures just stepping out of the forest and onto the huge snow covered field surrounding the Stronghold. She focused her eyes on one of the figures. While she blessed the fact that the woods had been cut back since the King Mandrills’ attack, she couldn’t help but wish that there would have been the time and people to cut the trees and brush back even further.

Without turning her head, she calmly spoke to the Guardsmen standing next to her. “I see what looks like five medieval warriors walking out of the woods to our west.” With her eyes on one man in the small approaching group she activated her Appraisal skill.

Name: Crocodile

Class: Warrior

Class: Spy

Title: Warrior of the Teeteelan People

True Sight Level: Two

Teleportation Level: Two

Light & Darkness Magic Level: Five

+5 Percent Increase in Strength.

Lady Murphy blanched when she saw the warrior’s abilities. She recalled the times that the Boss had voiced his concerns about the possibility of encountering enemy Teleporters. But what truly gave her pause was when the soldiers next to her, stated that they couldn’t see any men at the forest’s edge. Quickly she focused her eyes on another person in the slow moving enemy skirmish line.

Name: Wind Serpent

Class: Warrior Priest

Title: Eagle Priest

True Sight Level: Three

Telepathy Level: Five

Light & Darkness Magic Level: Six

Levitation Level: Two

Teleportation Level: Two

Quick Thinking Level: Four

+52 Percent Increase in Strength.

+41 Percent Increase in Dexterity.

+18 Percent Faster Reflexes.

+5 Percent Increase in Stamina.

+5 Percent Faster Healing Rate.

3x Telescopic Vision

Hearing is 2.2 times as acute.

1.4 x Scent/Odor Detection

Candace might have doubts about her own leadership abilities but she was an extremely intelligent and observant person. As a sniper it was frequently a matter of life of death for her to quickly understand the tactical situation, make the correct decision and shoot first. Since the awakening of her Quick Thinking enhancement, she had only improved at doing all of those things. Lady Murphy made an educated guess about why she could perceive the people that were coming and the soldiers with her could not. Glancing into the forest to the rear of the five men, she thought that she could discern some movement back behind the snow covered tree branches however she couldn’t be completely certain of the fact, though it might only be her imagination, she decided that it was better to be safe than sorry and she was out of time.

Lieutenant Murphy turned to the soldiers next to her, she pointed first at a female soldier that stood to her left. “You run to the guard post to our north.” She then pointed at a male Private who was on her right. “And you’ll run to the post to our south. You will both carry this message, ‘there are blue screen Teleporters slowly advancing on the Stronghold from our west; they are apparently able to hide themselves from those who possess only low level True Sight. It is my belief that those approaching are scouts for an enemy attack. In three minutes, I am going to fire upon them. Up until then do not sound an alarm but you will pass this same message to the next guard post on the wall and have them do the same. Once I begin shooting, anyone with Sound Magic is to shout out a warning about enemy Teleporters attacking the Stronghold. We must alert everyone to this specific threat and our air horns and steam whistles simply will not do the job.’ Also tell the other soldiers not to forget to secure the doors to their bunkers. Remember that Teleporters either have to already have been where they are Teleporting to or have their destination in sight. If you both understood what I told you, get moving.”

Instead of moving, all three soldiers in the guard post had confused and disbelieving looks on their faces. The female soldier decided to risk asking a question. “But how are those with Sound Magic supposed to yell out a warning if they lock themselves inside their bunkers?

Lieutenant Murphy had to stop herself from hitting her own head out of frustration. “Private, our wooden bunkers have windows and firing ports on all four sides. Those with Sound Magic simply have to open a window, that faces the interior of the Stronghold, and then yell out of it.”

The soldiers were still looking a trifle perplexed and maybe a tad worried too, like they were concerned that the Lady Knight might have gone a little off plumb.

“MOVE DAMN YOU!” Candace roared.

The soldiers moved.

Candace turned to the remaining Guardsman. “Get the Holman projector ready and load it with steam shells.” The Lieutenant blessed the fact that all of the Stronghold’s Holman projectors had recently been upgraded to the new rapid firing 50mm model. While they fired shells smaller in diameter than the old three inch projectors, in all other regards they were significantly superior.

Looking out the window at the slow moving line of men, she was curious about the reason for their sluggish pace.

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The Tree Line, West of the Stronghold

The High Lord watched his men advance towards the huge fortress only 160 rods away. They’re snail-like speed was nerve wracking but necessary, it required intense concentration for his warriors to remain invisible, the kind of mental focus that forced them to move slowly and deliberately. If only his people had the ability to Teleport over longer distances, then the use of such magical concealment would not have been necessary, but sadly that was not the case. Nor as of yet, could they safely make multiple fast Teleports, hopping to that fortress as a frog might do. Teleporting left a person disoriented and slightly debilitated upon arrival; requiring at least a minute or more before they were ready to Teleport once more or work any other magic. Additionally, Teleportation used up considerable energy, the best of his Teleporters could only use that ability up to three times in quick succession before having to rest, with it taking them at least half of a segment (author’s note: one segment equals three hours) to fully recover their energy.

So, for his men to slowly walk towards the fortress was the only way for his primary plan to succeed. Once those five secured a safe arrival point on the citadel’s walls, the Telepath with their unit would then call for reinforcements. With luck, it should only take him and his remaining sixty-six, Level Two Teleporters, a handful of heartbeats to dash across the open ground and to the fortress’s moat.

Once they had all transported themselves to the wall top, they would then fight their way to the citadel’s gates and open them for the rest of his army. By the time the metal boxes returned that evening, if they ever did return, Lord Jaguar hoped to be in firm control of the fortress. He was well aware from information gleaned by his spies that his own army was several times larger than the number of warriors inside that mighty octagonal citadel. The High Lord was definitely looking forward to acquiring many skilled slaves for himself and captives for the Priests’ altars.

Watching his slowly advancing men, he was shocked to see a bloody hole suddenly burst open in the back of the Eagle Priest, Wind Serpent, which coincided with a crack of thunder. Every one of his warriors was stunned into inaction for just a heartbeat, but that was far too long, their motionless condition ended when the exact same fate befell the Warrior named Hummingbird.

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Western Wall, Bunker at the Southern Corner

Candace was well pleased with her marksmanship and her beloved, Weatherby rifle. Despite rumors, it was totally untrue that she shared her bed with the finely crafted firearm.

While the range had only been two hundred yards she had succeeded in getting a second shot off and slaying another foe before the enemy realized what was happening, now her targets would be much more difficult to hit. The Lady Knight could hear outside the pillbox as the amplified voices of those few on the wall who possessed Sound Magic shouted out the warning as she had ordered them to do.

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The Tree Line, West of the Stronghold

The High Lord debated with himself for less than three heartbeats, over whether he should order a retreat or switch to his alternative plan. Before he could consciously make a decision, he was already running out onto that snowy field towards those immense walls, with all of his skilled Teleporters following right behind him, the alternate plan was in effect!

Of those remaining in the woods, 282 of them began to launch arrows towards the walls of the fortress. While the range would normally be far too great even for such skilled archers as they, those 282 Teeteelans also possessed Wind magic, which they used to boost both the speed and accuracy of their wooden projectiles. It was still a considerable distance and while they didn’t expect to hit any of the defenders stationed on those walls, the archers hoped that their arrows would at least make them keep their heads down and who knows an arrow might get lucky or a foe be unlucky.

Another almost two hundred warriors simply screamed towards the walls, those warriors possessed Sound Magic; and they had been experimenting with their magic since shortly after coming to this new land. Purely by happenstance, they had stumbled upon a way to magically modify their “screams,” such that the shrill sound generated, caused disorientation and even intense nausea in people. While the distance was far for their level of ability, there were a lot of Teeteelan Warriors who were screaming together in unison.

The Teeteelan Illusionists were also preparing to attack but it was taking them several heartbeats longer to get their act together, even though their new so called “Light and Darkness” Magic was similar to their old Illusionist Magic from their home world.

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Western Wall, Bunker at the Southern Corner

Candace had held off shooting for almost three minutes; during that time interval, two guard posts to the north and two to her south had been informed of the impending attack, and messengers were just arriving at the next in the series of bunkers atop the wall, when she did finally fire her first bullet.

Lieutenant Murphy’s first two rifle shots had somehow destroyed the enemy’s ability to remain invisible. The operators of the four Holman projectors on the western wall could now easily see the approaching warriors. The two Privates, who had delivered the Lieutenant’s message, were glad to see that she wasn’t crazy but feared that they might be in trouble for hesitating and so openly doubting her sanity.

Six more projectors mounted on the southwestern and the northwestern walls were forced to hold their fire for almost a half minute as they waited for their running foes to come into range. The soldiers in those strong-points all witnessed as extremely accurate shooting, from a very powerful nonstandard rifle, blew large holes in the approaching enemy scouts, the Guardsmen all suspected that it was Lieutenant Murphy, who was the one who took down those suddenly visible and frantically running men. Other riflemen began to fire their own weapons as well.

A fifty millimeter steam or “Grace” shrapnel shell had approximately half the lethal radius and half the wounding radius of a modern hand grenade or high explosive forty millimeter grenade. In other words, against soft targets a steam shell would normally kill anything within in two and a half to three meters from its point of impact and would inflict wounds on anything within seven and a half to eight meters.

In the bunkers on the western wall, four Holman operators were aiming their weapons at the new and larger group that had just dashed out of the small forest. The medieval warriors were charging in sort of a loose “V” formation with anywhere from six to twelve feet between them. The Guardsmen had a great deal of practice with their projectors, since air was cheap, as were non-magical target shells. In fact, practice times with the Holmans had assumed a game like atmosphere, with bragging rights and bets being made.

Range markers had long since been implanted in the fields surrounding the Stronghold, to aid with aiming of all weaponry. All four soldiers had just gotten off one shot apiece, which hadn’t even landed yet when a “shrill” noise almost literally knocked them off their feet.

Luckily certain factors slightly mitigated the “sound attack”. First off, all of the Guardsmen routinely wore an ear plug inserted into just one of their ears, almost all the time while they were on duty. That had been deemed the best compromise between protecting their hearing in case of a sudden attack and permitting them to hear normally. But in combat situations or just prior to, a second foam ear plug was inserted into their other ear, so all of the soldiers had that going for them. Then too, their helmets offered some slight additional protection, but it was the battlements and the wooden walls of the bunker that perhaps made the second biggest difference after the earplugs. So while the capabilities of the soldiers had perhaps been reduced, they were still in the game.

Two of the western bunkers were lucky enough to have a person who possessed Sound Magic inside; and they immediately and instinctively stopped shouting out their warning about “Enemy Teleporters” and switched to using their magical ability to silence the enemy’s attack in their immediate surroundings.

The other soldiers without that benefit; gritted their teeth against the debilitating sound waves, for they knew that they only had seconds to fire down upon their charging foes before those same people achieved the moat’s edge and got within what the Guardsmen assumed to be their Teleport range to the wall. That’s when the Teeteelan’s Masters of Light and Darkness Magic struck with beams of flickering light that further disorientated and even temporarily blinded the Guardsmen.

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The Field West of the Stronghold

Lord Jaguar was running as swiftly as he could. He heard the shouts of his men behind them, and then almost a wave of noise passed by overhead; it was the “screams” of his Sound Magic practitioners. He and his warriors were prepared for that though; the High Lord and the rest of the Teleporters had their ears stuffed with cloth and in some cases, beeswax so as to protect their hearing and sense of balance. Then too, the magical screams could be directed and they were aimed at the top of those immense walls rather than ground level.

Almost simultaneously with the beginning of those magical screams, Lord Jaguar heard four “booming” noises. Even with wax stuffed into his ears; he heard the unmistakable sound, of brief pain filled screams, coming from behind him. One of those strange booms caused a small eruption of dirt and vapor, far off to his right.

Reacting to those unexpected noises, he tried to speed up his pace even more. More booms came and he heard more brief agonizing screams. Suddenly, there was a boom right in front of him; if he had been a heartbeat faster it surely would have ended his current body’s life. Without deviating or slowing in the slightest, he ran through the flying snow, dirt and steam vapor. Just as unexpectedly, there were three booms in quick succession, right behind him! Circumstances had changed; if he had been barely a heartbeat slower he surely would have been seriously wounded or perhaps even slain.

More booms came, until finally he was at the moat. He stopped, took a deep breath and focused his eyes on a crenel at the top of that formidable wall in front of him, and with a “bloop” he disappeared.

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Western Wall, Bunker at the Southern Corner

Candace cursed, first it was those blasted screams and now a @#$%* LIGHT SHOW! She ducked down below the window/port she had been shooting out of, rubbed her eyes and dug a pair of sunglasses out of her shirt pocket. In conjunction with the enemy’s infernal screams she could hear the Stronghold’s steam whistle alarm being sounded.

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The Stronghold of Hermit’s Forge

There were seven bunkers with lines of sight on the madly charging enemy. The three central ones had been forced to fire their weapons blindly or almost so, because of the enemy’s magical attacks and except for their very first shots the Guardsmen in those three mini-forts had hit none of their foes with their projectiles.

The soldiers in the two guard posts at the northern end and the two at the southern; had to radically angle their weapons in order to aim at the running warriors, which caused both a corresponding loss in range and accuracy. In some cases the soldiers had to actually lean out of the windows of their log bunkers, so as to better aim their rifles at the running warriors. On the other hand those Guardsmen were not nearly so hampered by the enemy’s light and sound attack.

At the end of their mad charge, out of the sixty-seven warriors that had run across that huge field, fifteen had been killed and fifteen had been wounded with six of those being so severely injured that they were out of the fight.

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Southern Section of the Western Wall

Crocodile, the first of the Teetelans to be spotted by Lieutenant Murphy, had miraculously made it to the walkway on top of the western wall. He had been hiding behind the battlements with his ears covered because of the debilitating sounds being generated by his fellow countrymen.

Suddenly both the sounds and the blinding flickering lights had stopped; without those painful and disorientating distractions, he was finally able to look around and take stock of his surroundings.

With a loud “ping” noise, High Lord Jaguar appeared in the crenel right behind him and to his left.

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Inside the Forge’s Underground Factory

I was enchanting some parts that Glen needed for our first Land Cruiser. When I suddenly began hearing loud noises coming from outside and echoing down the passageways, but my mind was busy concentrating on the task at hand. Someone came running inside, screaming about “Enemy Teleporters,” it finally dawned on me that I had been feeling something wrong for several minutes now, a feeling which I had been completely ignoring because of my preoccupation with what I had been doing.

Lady Knight Evonne Sting was with me. Despite my wishes, I now had a swift runner bodyguard either with me or standing outside my personal quarters twenty-four hours a day. She actually had wanted to assign two of her people to me at all times but I had put a stop to that nonsense, one was more than enough. There were far too many other jobs that we needed trained fighters for. I had made her a Lieutenant with Candace’s and Storm’s agreement, and I had enlisted the other two Guardians, as sergeants, I know that they still needed to learn English or rather the odd mixture of languages that were beginning to speak in the Stronghold. But enlisting the three swift-runners as untrained recruits or even privates just felt wrong to me.

Upon hearing the words “Enemy Teleporters” I immediately dropped what I was doing and flung my mind into my conjectures and theories about how to establish a Teleport Block on the Stronghold. I thought I was tantalizingly close to succeeding in that endeavor. Using the Earth stones, I had put into and used to build the Stronghold’s walls; I attempted to weave an enchantment or spell, I guess most would call it, but to my mind it was more like a simple computer program but instead of being run by a microprocessor it being loaded into the very fabric of the Stronghold’s localized area. “If a Teleporter is oath sworn to Vincent Standish, then yes they can Teleport while within his Kingdom. If a Teleporter is not sworn to Vincent Standish than they cannot Teleport while within his Kingdom.” Before I finished setting it up, I could feel someone Teleport to the western wall. Seconds after I finished my incantation, dozens more appeared. Well Crap! I guess I didn’t have it figured out yet but I was sure that I was close, maybe. Did I have a semicolon in the wrong place or did I maybe leave out a parenthesis?

I scooped up my helmet, grabbed my rifle and took off running out the factory door, followed by my faithful caterpillar companion, Evonne-toe. I wonder if the new armor that Scott Blaine and the craftmakers made for me is any good, I guess I’m going to find out, on second thought maybe I should better hope that I don’t find out, especially since I’m not wearing all the pieces. Walking around in chain mail leggings, greaves and bracers all day long; can get rather uncomfortable, even if they do have temperature control enchantments on them.

As I ran and as my now refocused mind could more strongly sense the intruders, I could feel my anger build; because someone had dared to invade MY KINGDOM and ATTACK MY PEOPLE. I needed to get out there and I needed to get out there NOW! I gave a little Telekinetic boost to my movements as I raced down the passageway. I might have grumbled a bit too. But I tried to rein in my language because there were a few children walking along the same underground streets I was taking.

----------------------

The Stronghold of Hermit’s Forge

Lady Knight Evonne Sting was muttering a string of curses, Sir Storm Wind had warned her about their Monarch. It seems that if there is ever trouble or danger then the blasted noble idiot, ALWAYS runs towards it. Well at least she had gotten in a little practice with her new weapons; a 30-06 rifle, a bolt-action fifty caliber rifle and a twelve gauge pump shotgun.

But there were a few odd things that made her more than a little curious and slightly worried. The first anomaly, was that she was actually having to work moderately hard in keeping up with her new King, who appeared to be only touching the floor or sometimes the walls of the passageway every three or four meters. Because of her curiosity she cast Appraisal on her Monarch.

Name: Vincent Standish

Primary Class and Title: Hermit King

Class: Professional Hermit

Title: Sovereign and Absolute Monarch of the Kingdom of Hermit’s Forge.

Title: The Grumpy Hermit King

Title: The Grumpy Hermit

Warning Label: Caution, This is an Insanely Strong Smelling Hermit; It is Extremely Dangerous When Enraged. Please Keep Hands and Feet Away From Its Mouth at All Times.

She also heard a deep rumbling sound coming from him which when translated, read as VINCE SMASH! VINCENT SMASH, HARD! .

-----------------------------

Western Wall, Bunker at the Southern Corner

As soon as the sound and lights stopped, Lieutenant Murphy knew what that meant. “ON YOUR FEET SOLDIERS; THEY’RE ON THE WALLS. IT’S TIME TO INTRODUCE THEM TO HELL!” Candace had already prepared for this moment. During the time while she had been slightly incapacitated, she had gently set down her cherished rifle and drawn her shotgun from its scabbard on her back.

Her keen eyes saw movement outside the gun port on the northern side of the bunker. One or two oddly dressed men, wearing what look liked brass or bronze breastplates, were approximately twenty-five to thirty yards away. She dashed over, stuck her shotgun in the firing slot and fired her weapon twice, just as fast as she could pump the shotgun.

Her first twelve gauge shell, of buck and ball, totally ruined Crocodile’s lucky streak and even succeeded in putting a few pellets into High Lord Jaguar’s left arm and shoulder.

------------------------------

Southern Section of the Western Wall

High Lord Jaguar proved once again why he was HIGH LORD JAGUAR! He heard a boom and then saw Crocodile fall back in a rain of blood. At the same time he felt two stinging sensations in his left arm and shoulder. There was another boom but no pain came that second time. Even though, it was only mere heartbeats after he had just Teleported, he swallowed his nausea and focused his mind. He then blasted off a weak stream of fire at the log house where the booms had originated from.

----------------------------

Western Wall, Bunker at the Southern Corner

Candace jumped back, swearing because of the flames that had suddenly burst through the firing slot; she couldn’t believe that she had missed her second target! Her mother was never going to let her live this down, that is if she lived. Whoever that asshole was out there, he had the reactions of scalded cat! But her reactions weren’t too shabby either. She let go of her shotgun with her right hand, so that only her left was holding it. The enchantments on the log pillbox as well as the Fire Stone that was integral to the structure; were mitigating the damage and sucking the heat from Teeteelan’s powerful flame strike.

A dozen feet away from the slot and where the flames and heat were almost nonexistent, the Lady Knight did a fast draw with her .357 revolver and fired six times through the firing port, at the flame wielding asshole and his brothers who were now appearing all around him.

--------------------------

Southern Section of the Western Wall

High Lord Jaguar was keeping a weak stream of fire on the log house and shouting orders to his warriors that were stepping down from the crenels as he had done just heartbeats ago.

He was puzzled because the log building he was attacking still hadn’t caught fire. Being cautious, he was moving about as if he was fighting an enemy archer. Glancing about he saw that there were over twenty of his warriors nearby. It was time to start moving and to open the citadel’s gate. He had slaves to capture and blood to spill! There was……

Three bullets struck High Lord Jaguar, all caused fatal wounds but the first one was right between his eyes so the next two were completely redundant.

One other warrior was unlucky and killed by a pistol bullet that missed the High Lord.

---------------------

The Western Wall

Once the flames had stopped, Candace and the soldiers rushed back to the firing slots with their shotguns.

At the bunker located in the middle of the western wall, because of not having anyone inside with Candace’s speed of thought or reaction time they were only just now responding to the invaders that had appeared between their location and the southern corner bunker.

---------------------------

High Lord Jaguar had been a mental, magical and physical prodigy, too bad that there were no other Teeteelan warriors on the western wall with anywhere near the same abilities. While Jaguar had cast a spell within heartbeats of Teleporting, the other Teeteelans would be lucky to do the same within a minute and most would need at least three. Unluckily for them, within heartbeats of the death of Lord Jaguar, fast moving lead projectiles began flying into their bodies. That sideways rain of lead did nothing to help those warriors regain their mental balance, in fact quite the opposite.

----------------------

Central Bunker on Western Wall

Private Dominic Jackson, shouted out a warning to the soldiers nearby him who were aiming their firearms out the firing slits on the bunker. “REMEMBER TO BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR SHOTS. YOU DON’T WANT TO ACCIDENTALLY PUT ONE THROUGH A SLOT IN THE BUNKER TO THE SOUTH OF US AND KILL SOMEONE INSIDE. BECAUSE THAT WOULD TRULY SUCK AND YOU WOULD HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.”

While the others had switched to their shotguns, Dominic truly loved his new Forge built 30-06. Sean Murphy himself had taken the time to tweak it for him. Dominic fired sixteen times before the enemy warriors even began to get their shit together and he didn’t miss once. His two companions in the bunker slayed seven foes between them and wounded five more.

--------------------------

Western Wall, Bunker at the Southern Corner

When the other bunker started shooting, Candace was certainly glad for the over eighteen inches of enchanted hardwood that made up her bunker’s walls. She too had issued a warning that the soldiers with her had to be careful with their shots. When the bunkers were originally built, the locations of firing windows/slots/ports on the right side of every bunker were always different from the ports on the left side, in anticipation of exactly the kind of situation that they now found themselves in, though that had been done in expectation of fighting some kind of monster swarm and not sentient Teleporters.

Candace fired the last three rounds from her shotgun. She could see that the enemy was clearly disorganized and she wanted to take advantage of that while she could. So instead of reloading, she put her hand through the port and for the first time ever, she used her magic offensively. The Lady Knight possessed both Fire and Air Magic; the latter does a wonderful job of boosting the other. Both were level three but when used in conjunction with one another, which is something that she had diligently trained to do, her magical flame strike though short lived, was fully the equal of, if not the superior to, a modern flamethrower.

------------------------

Southern Section of the Western Wall

Any thoughts of the Teeteelan warriors continuing on with their attack, were swept from their minds when a prolong burst of flame hit them. Some of the Teeteelans panicked and in their confused state they flung themselves off the wall, a few fell into the deep cold waters of the moat while others hit the hard frozen ground on the inside of the wall.

Many of the warriors could generate similar flame strikes or perhaps even better, they just couldn’t do it right now and with well over half of their number now down, including Lord Jaguar, once any of them felt focused enough to do any magic at all, instead of using it offensively, they instead Teleported back outside to the moat’s edge. Four of them made it.

-----------------------------------

Northwestern, Western, and Southwestern Walls

But soldiers, in the five guard posts that were not engaged in the fight, saw those who were retreating, and those Guardsmen were much more prepared now and mentally focused. The ten Guardsmen who were shooting at those four warriors went half way through their first magazines before the last one fell. Belatedly the enemy’s sound and light show started up once again but it was far too late and it soon stopped once more.

-----------------------

I was a little out of breath by the time I made it outside and to the center of the Stronghold. I heard gunfire coming from the western wall and then I saw a large burst of flame there as well.

I reached for and because of LOTS of practice; I succeeded in quickly connecting myself to the SEA (Stronghold Energy Array). Following that, I once more tried to carefully weave a Teleport Block about the Stronghold. I felt sure that I had it this time.

Well CRUD, I could feel that more outsiders were Teleporting! Not even a minute and already my enchantment/spell/program was proven a failure. But what was happening had me confused. Because there was only a very small number that were Teleporting and they were leaving the Stronghold?

I needed to get to the top of that wall and see what was going on. I called the wind to me and rose into the air.

------------------------------

Evonne Sting saw her imbecilic King be swept up into the air by a miniature whirlwind. He looked a little ridiculous with the way that he was riding on his belly but his mode of travel seemed to be effective. BUT THE MORONIC MONARCH WAS GOING WITHOUT HER! She lowered her front segment and raced for the stairway that led to the top of the western wall. While doing so, she made an oath to diligently practice her new Levitation Ability so that her King wouldn’t be able to escape her again.

-----------------------------

Southern Section of the Western Wall

I arrived on the western wall and saw the bodies of approximately fifty strange humans. They had reddish brown skin tones and they were dressed like I envisaged bronze-age warriors might be. I also saw the shattered remnants of many arrows, so I decided not to release the wind and instead I changed into a brutal downdraft that would hopefully direct any future arrows into the moat.

I wanted prisoners both for information and for experimental subjects. I needed some way to test any Teleport Block that I dreamed up, I guess it would help if I had that ability but sadly I didn’t.

But as for the prisoners, I didn’t want the powerful ones, who might be more than trouble than they were worth to keep; I wanted the weak ones, who we could more easily control.

I went towards the first one that I saw still breathing and used my Appraisal Skill on him.

Name: Kite

Class: Warrior

Title: Warrior of the Teeteelan People

Title: Warrior of the Jaguar Society

Note: This guy is an asshole so he has not been given access to the DDS-assisted Appraisal System or the DDS Universal Translator.

True Sight Level: Two

Teleportation Level: Two

Light & Darkness Magic Level: Five

+11 Percent Increase in Strength.

+8 Percent Faster Reflexes.

My right eyebrow rose when I read that note, I wonder if it made me look like sort of a short pudgy Spock. I focused on the words “Teeteelan People” and activated or invoked Appraisal on them.

The People of Teeteelan, The Nourishers of the Gods. They are the people of the Teeteelan Empire, and they see it as their duty to nourish their gods with blood. The Teeteelan Empire practices slavery and prefers to capture rather than kill their enemies. Since a dead foe cannot be made a slave or sacrificed. They are a people with a long history of magic and their powers have grown since coming to this world.

Well isn’t that truly wonderful news. I next Appraised “Jaguar Society.”

Jaguar Society: a large organization of elite warriors.

I bent down and touched Kite. I put him into a deep coma-like sleep and roughly stabilized him.

Lieutenant Murphy was now at my side. I told her about my discoveries concerning our attackers, then. “Lieutenant, I need only a few of them alive. I hope this doesn’t shock you but I have no reason or urge to allow anyone to live that practices slavery or the ritual sacrifice of sentient beings, especially when they attempt to bring their shit here. I’ll be killing the ones that I don’t want and I will totally understand if that’s too much for you and if you want to reevaluate your relationship with me and this Kingdom.

She looked back at me and met my eyes. “I don’t like it your Majesty but I understand and I will continue to obey your commands. Nor do I wish to change my status with you and the Kingdom of Hermit’s Forge. I hope that you don’t hang me for this, but I must say that you are a cold mother fucker.”

Sometimes the mind is a funny thing. I was surrounded by all of these dead bodies, which thankfully included none of my people. Yet with her words my thoughts instantly reflected back on an old song by Isaac Hayes. It was entirely inappropriate and surely reflected on my own loss of character but I had to stop myself from doing a badass walk as I imagined John Shaft might do, but of course he would do it in far better surroundings that what I was currently in.

There were thirteen Teeteelans still alive. Of them seven were far too badly injured for me to waste our Healers’ time on them since I had no plans to let them live anyways. Three more had magical gifts that I thought were far too dangerous for us to chance keeping them around even for just a few days. Using my magic, I stopped the hearts of all ten of them; I must say that I was astonished to see that my status was still orange after I performed those executions. The DDS must be seriously fucked up, because before all this I had never been a proponent of the death penalty. As for the additional two that I kept alive, I did the same thing for them that I did for Kite. I hope Star returns soon because we need to question those assholes.

As for all the corpses, I was going to dig a hole, through them in and incinerate them with Fire Magic.

While I had been dealing with our foes that were still living, Lieutenant Murphy had ordered the Guardsmen to use four of our old three inch muzzle-loading mortars, to bombard the forest that the attack had originated from. The old mortars had far more range than our Holmans yet used far less powder than the Army’s 105mm howitzers.

-----------------------------------

Stronghold

According to George’s old mechanical pocket watch it was about ten-thirty in the morning when the convoy arrived at the aluminum gate to the outer barbican. Signal flags flying from the Stronghold’s walls alerted him and the rest of the Guard in the convoy, that the Kingdom had been attacked by intelligent foes while they had been away and for them to be prepared for further attacks. It took far longer than he liked for the aluminum gate to be raised.

------------------------

Kite’s peaceful slumber ended when a fierce dragon woman entered his dreams. The woman totally terrified him, threatening to eat his very soul. Then she began asking questions.

---------------------------

The Stronghold of Hermit’s Forge

With the return of Captain Mesquida, we all felt great wave of relief but even more pressure was put upon us, once he told us his news. Even with the risk, we needed to transfer people from Bradley to the Stronghold as quickly as possible. But now we had to prepare the convoy and the Stronghold for new and greater threats.

What Star had learned from our prisoners wasn’t good and in fact as far as she could determine the news couldn’t get much worse. The Teeteelans had taken over a very small village just west of us. We’re almost certain that it’s the town of Troy, Indiana. There are well over a thousand of the murdering scum sucking slavers and most of them have magic too. It seems that their Priests, acting in concert with their Healers and Telepaths have some way of awakening abilities. Because of the language barrier, even in thoughts and dreams, she was forced to rely on what images she could pull up but those bastards are even worse than the Warriors of Sabok in her opinion. While they keep slaves as well, the Teeteelans sacrifice people and also engage in ritual cannibalism. She thinks that they have at least hundred human slaves and she guesses, because she was too horrified to look more closely at our prisoners’ thoughts, that they’ve sacrificed a similar number or greater since coming to our world.

“George, I know you want to go back to the Armory, but you’re beat and so is Lady Night. Since Lieutenant Murphy just dealt with our most recent attack. I want Sir Storm Wind to take out the next convoy; he’s the most rested of any of our officers.”

He looked ready to put up a fight but then he let his shoulders slump. “Okay Vince, I got it. I’ll try and swap out some of the other people too.”

“Good; Glen and Steve are gathering up ear protectors, sunglasses and even welding goggles. I’ve got an idea on how I can magically modify the aluminum visors on our helmets but it will take time. You probably already thought of this but you may want to see how many Sound Mages we’ve got and if you can get one into each of the convoy’s vehicles.”

“I did already think of that. In fact, I have Candace already working on it and Steve is trying to find a few more Sound Mages for us that aren’t actually in the Guard.

Pretty much everyone in the Stronghold is a fighter, they have to be nowadays. But it’s past time for them to get more organized and turn them into something like a town militia so that they can work more efficiently and effectively with the Guard. Maybe Faith and your son-in-law can help with that.

I’ve also been thinking that we need to organize the magic users in the Hermit’s Guard. There are times when we might want to make up a fire team with people that all possess Fire Magic or other times like with a vehicle crew when having a mixture of abilities would be good. For example; someone with Fire Magic to tend the engines, another person with Earth Magic for repairs, maybe someone else with Telepathy for communications and so on.”

“Makes sense to me George, but you’re the expert except when you’re tired. Though you might not get too much rest here, I think those Teeteelan assholes will be back and I would surely like to kill enough of them, so that when we do assault that town it will be easier. I do not like the fact that they’re so close to us and it enrages me that we can’t go there right now and put a stop to them and their practice of offering up human sacrifices.”

----------------------------

Armory in Bradley, Ohio

Captain Long watched as the Lieutenant Khan and his soldiers dealt with a flock of Terror Birds. Before their arrival, her own soldiers could have dealt with the same threat, if they still had any black powder, but not nearly as effortlessly. The Hermit’s Guardsmen didn’t look at the creatures as monsters but as big chickens that they could eat.

In another hour or perhaps two, Captain Mesquida should hopefully return. She was certainly looking forward to that. There were some tensions between the three different groups of people now within her compound, nothing too bad but it was still getting rather uncomfortable and she was worried about fights breaking out.

-------------------------------

Hermit’s Guard Convoy

Lieutenant Storm Wind was feeling a little nervous, he had been sent on his first independent command since joining the Guard, even though he was technically slightly superior to his cousin, Lady Night Storm who had led and been on many such missions.

His forces included the Sherman, the Hellcat, the C500, and two 1070s. A second Oshkosh APT had been completed only last night and even with their Holman projectors the 1070s with their forty foot steel shipping containers, each held fifteen more people than the C500’s armored trailer.

The convoy almost immediately had an encounter with a pack of dire wolves but the animals soon ran off after a few of their number were shot. But the next encounter astonished everyone. A field to the south of the road was filled with many large rolling balls of what looked like water. Perplexed by those balls and what he saw within them, Sir Wind activated Appraisal.

Water Lion, they are similar to a Sea Lion and they can vary in size anywhere from 100 to 1000 kilograms. The one major difference being, that while they are non-sentient somehow they’ve acquired Water Magic, with most of them having the power if not the skill of a level four magic user. Water Lions use their magic primarily for locomotion and to attack. Although they are a silly looking predator while on land, rolling around in their great balls of water, they should not to be underrated.

Initially the balls of water chased after the convoy but the Water Lions soon gave up and returned to whatever they had been doing. While they had been cute looking, no one took them lightly.

Huge angry bears next attacked the convoy. But the bears were unusual in that they possessed natural armor made of tough overlapping plates and even a single rhino-like horn on their heads. Fifty caliber and twenty millimeter enchanted bullets quickly put them down.

Just before entering Bradley the convoy encountered another pack of Water Lions but this time they actually had to shoot half of them in order to dissuade the rest.

-----------------------

Armory in Bradley, Ohio

Barbara Long was happy to see the convoy return and absolutely overjoyed to see a third APT with them. But descending from the C500’s trailer was Sir Storm Wind and not Captain Mesquida or Lady Knight Night.

“Hello Captain Long; hello Boris, I bring you grave news. The Stronghold was attacked and while we fought them off with no loss of life on our part, our new enemy is extremely frightening. They are humans from another world and call themselves the People of Teeteelan. They have prior knowledge of magic and they are all awakened to what magic is in this world. Terrifyingly, they practice slavery, human sacrifice and ritual cannibalism. A group of around seventy of their warriors attempted to attack the Stronghold by using Teleportation. Thankfully their level in that ability was fairly low so they had to get close in order to use it to transport themselves to our walls. Thanks to Lieutenant Murphy and our wooden bunkers, that attacking force was destroyed but prisoners were captured. Lady Star entered their dreams to question them. She found that there are at least a thousand more and that they’ve taken over a small town less than four miles east of the Stronghold.

Captain Long, we think that we have a fair chance of holding them off. My King is even now working on what he calls a Teleport Block for the Stronghold, so that any enemies cannot use their ability to Teleport in and out. But he insisted that I tell you the following. He personally executed ten of the Teeteelan warriors that survived because he deems them to be dangerous to live and what with their accepted cultural practices, he also deems them to have no value to this world or the people that are just trying to peacefully survive on it. He offers you this opportunity to cancel your agreement with him because of his actions. And he warns you that he will probably be forced to do similar things in the future.”

Barbara wanted to take the time to think about her decision or at least act like she needed the time to do so. But with her True Sight she knew that what Sir Wind had just said was the exact truth as he understood it and what with the Reeze and now the Teeteelans she really had no choice but to continue with the move to the Stronghold; that is if she wanted to see any of her people live.

---------------------------

The Stronghold of Hermit’s Forge

Kite had just woken up and he found that all of his wounds had been healed. There was also a terrible lizard woman shouting at him. By her side was a rather short wide man and behind him was an enormous white furred insect holding a spear! For some reason the fools had him still on top of the wall instead of in a proper dungeon cell. Hiding his condescending smirk, he looked out over the parapet and focused his eyes on the ground, a few heartbeats later, he vanished. Kite reappeared just on the other side of the moat and immediately started running. The warrior promised himself that he would be back for his revenge and would sacrifice all three of those …….

I looked towards Lieutenant Murphy who had just terminated our first test subject. Well I still had two more that I could use for testing my Teleport Block. Now what else could I try! I began to review what I had been doing for the enchantment. Maybe I would try working on the new visors for awhile before my next attempt, what I wanted to with the visors was fairly straight forward though still fairly complicated.

We had random patrols now in the Stronghold and on guard against any enemy Teleporters suddenly appearing within but we should be fairly safe for at least a little while since the best of them are level two which means that they only have a maximum range of about three hundred feet. And they can only do that two or maybe three times per hour, according to Star.

-------------------------------

The Stronghold of Hermit’s Forge

The convoy returned prior to dusk with thankfully no unfortunate encounters along the way. I finally got the Teleport Block working on my third attempt, but it is something that I will have to keep an eye on, because I don’t think that it’s entirely stable even with the SEA to support it.

Because of the new threats George, Blender, Glen and Faith are anxious to recruit people for their groups/departments. Faith is worried about mind controlled enemy infiltrators and she’s been talking to Star about that. I personally think that she’s seen one too many episodes of Star Trek but who knows she might be right. Perhaps an orange or green screen person could be controlled with no loss of status, who knows.

George of course wants to make that Hermit’s Guard even bigger, Blender desperately needs alchemists, and Glen needs workers for the factory.

And unless I figure out a way to make a magical aluminum visor that can automatically switch from being transparent to reflective, then we’ll have to go with a two visor system, maybe with the second coated with gold like they did for the astronauts.

I know that some of the craftmakers are working on some ear/hearing protectors. Because I don’t have a clue on how I can help with that.

Many Hours Later…..

“YAWN!” I nearly broke my jaw with that yawn. I was up all night making visors and modifying helmets with the help of some of the guys and girls. I only had twenty done so far but that was the best I could do for now, needed sleep. I looked over at Captain Mesquida who was standing by my side, when did he show up? I yawned in his face.

“George I had to go with a two visor system. The primary visor can switch back and forth from being totally transparent to being semi-reflective only twenty times before it stops working and needs to be recharged by an Earth Mage. It uses A LOT of energy. So there is also an outer visor which can be dropped into place, if or when the primary visor fails and defaults to being totally transparent. The second visor is coated with a thin layer of gold. It seems to work pretty well; Star helped me to test it out. You can give them out to whoever you want to, I’m going to bed.

I stumbled into my room and fell into my bed. I dreamed that someone with some pretty big hooters wrapped their arms around me and held me while I slept.

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

There is one thing that I’ve never mentioned and I should have. Appraisal Screens, Translations, Messages and similar things do not totally block out someone’s vision when they appear. They are almost exactly like a “heads up display” so if you focus on them, you are able to read them with ease and if you focus through them then you can still see what is going on with only minimal distraction. Such “screens of information” normally remain up until the recipient makes a very slight act of will or wish to dismiss them; it doesn’t even have to be a conscious act. To activate Appraisal someone or something must be within the user’s line of sight and within their Appraisal Range, which can vary. Then it requires mental focus and a conscious act of will to invoke this DDS assisted skill. In a melee or an intense combat situation that is not something that is possible for someone to normally do, unless they train for it.

Gorgonospidae Inostrancevia, my version is larger.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inostrancevia

Isaac Hayes – Shaft

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiNwGHHHuMI

Sea Lion

http://www.animalfactsencyclopedia.com/Sea-lion-facts.html

Spoiler concerning the battle with the Teeteelans.

Spoiler :

As many or perhaps all of my readers know, I use a random number generator for encounters and to define the capabilities of new things or entities entering the Defective Universe. For the Teeteelan People, I first used the RNG to create their stats so to speak, then using those stats I created a back-story for them. They are VERY loosely based on the Aztecs. I’ve found it much easier and more believable if I steal things from our own planet’s past when generating things for the Defective Universe.

The battle with the Teeteelans kept surprising me. At first I thought that the Stronghold was in serious trouble. But while this new foe had, had magic longer it was not exactly the same kind of magic and it had not been all that powerful. Most importantly Teleportation was a new magic for them and not all of them possessed that ability. I then had to calculate how many level two Teleporters they had and how many of those possessed sufficiently high level Light and Darkness Magic, which was a very small number.

Next step, did any Guardsman see them on the approach, which when looking at it, I think objectively, there was actually a fairly high probability of that happening since many people in the Stronghold have mid-level True Sight.

Alright, so I figured the Teeteelans were toast. But I like for my characters to play things smart or as smart as my brain can simulate things (chocolate helps). The RNG insisted that Lord Jaguar would continue on with the attack. But unless they had some long range fire support, at least half of their number would be dead before they even got near the walls. I had been planning for the Hermit’s Guard and others to start using light and sound to weaken their enemies, so why not have an enemy do it to them first.

So then I was back to thinking that the Stronghold was screwed. But Teleportation is not an easy ability to use and there are a few drawbacks. Then too, thanks to the King Mandrills, the Stronghold had built all of those wooden pillboxes/bunkers/guard posts. So the enemy warriors basically Teleported themselves into a “kill box” and were too disorientated to respond quickly enough to that situation. I think the ending was rather anticlimactic. Candace absolutely could not have rolled a better “kill shot” on High Lord Jaguar even if she had been using a crooked one hundred sided dice, though she did miss him once with her shotgun. I was beginning to think that he was untouchable after all of those steam shells that almost hit him.

However the introduction of the Teeteelans and the Annihilators is a turning point. The Teeteelans or rather a foe like them and the Annihilators were both low order probabilities that I did not expect to see in the story for at least another couple of months if not longer. I’m not sure if Vince and the Stronghold are ready for such enemies. But they’ve been lucky and they’ve now learned about them early while still suffering few casualties.

Character List

Spoiler :

Version seven of the Defective Hermit Character List; is a work in progress.

Some of the following information is quite detailed and at other times it’s not, sorry. There are probably some errors too. This Character List is a work in progress. I am pulling together information from multiple files and having to decide what I want to reveal. I will keep tacking it on to the end of most chapters until I feel like I’ve got it right. (Which will probably be never, especially since it continues to grow.)

Population of Embassy: 354

Unaffiliated: 17

Total Population of Stronghold (not including embassy compound and unaffiliated): 918

People with assigned jobs: 628

Note: Many people help out wherever they can, like Clyde also being a Healer.

Those under fifteen (217), except for the very young, are now being encouraged to attend classes and apprenticeship courses. Those fifteen and over (38); have part time jobs and also take classes. Those eighteen on up have to work full time, twelve hours a day is quite common.

Unassigned: 73

Partial Character List, Version 5:

Name: Vincent Standish

Primary Class and Title: Hermit King

Class: Professional Hermit

Title: Sovereign and Absolute Monarch of the Kingdom of Hermit’s Forge.

Title: The Grumpy Hermit King

Title: The Grumpy Hermit

Warning Label: Caution, This is an Insanely Strong Smelling Hermit; It is Extremely Dangerous When Enraged. Please Keep Hands and Feet Away From Its Mouth at All Times.

Name: Nina Rivera Standish

Title: Princess

Title: The Survivor

Sex: Female

Age: 11

True Sight Level: Three

Body Augmentation Magic Level: 4

Teleportation Level: 4

Telekinesis Level: 4

Alchemy Level: 1

Hearing is 1.2 times as acute.

1.2x Scent/Odor Detection

Oldest Daughter, Linda (blue screen) married to Attorney James Lopez (orange screen), daughter Angela is six months old when she arrives at compound.

Daughter Sandra (blue screen) married to Jacob Schwartz (green screen, former sales manager for a new car dealership), their son Jonathan four months old when he arrives at compound.

Ex-wife Nancy Connor (blue screen), her boyfriend Steve Griffith (blue screen) is gone and probably dead.

------------------------

Hermit’s Guard (276):

Name: George Mesquida

Primary Class and Title: Knight

Class: Soldier

Class: Combat Officer

Title: Knight Captain

Title: Captain

Title: Husband of Sheryl and Ruth Mesquida

Name: Candace Murphy

Primary Class and Title: Knight

Class: Soldier

Class: Combat Officer

Title: Lady Knight

Title: Knight Lieutenant

Title: Lieutenant

Title: Daughter of Sean and Denise Murphy

Name: Boris Khan

Primary Class and Title: Knight

Class: Soldier

Class: Combat Officer

Title: Knight Lieutenant

Title: Lieutenant

Name: Storm Wind

Primary Class and Title: Chief; Chief of the Terran Long Flight Clan

Secondary Class and Title: Knight

Class: Soldier

Class: Combat Officer

Title: Knight Lieutenant

Title: Lieutenant

Title: Husband of Dawn Song

Title: Father of Mountain Breeze

Note: Mountain Breeze is a very young boy.

Name: Night Storm

Primary Class and Title: Chief; Second Chief of the Terran Long Flight Clan

Secondary Class and Title: Knight

Class: Soldier

Class: Combat Officer

Title: Lady Knight

Title: Knight Lieutenant

Title: Lieutenant

Title: Wife of Metal Grinder

Title: Mother of Smoky Night

Note: Smoky Night is a very young girl.

Sergeant Richard Jacobs (green screen, Vietnam veteran, very attractive man) married to Martha (green screen), surviving with two great grandchildren. Normally he serves aboard the T800 or Hellcat. He is a world class sneak and throat slitter. Additionally he is an unconventional yet effective drill instructor.

Sergeant Jeffrey Vargas (green screen, Vietnam veteran, commanded a M113 during war), now he typically commands the Sherman tank. No magical abilities other than the True Sight Skill but he has a very nice selection of physical enhancements.

Sergeant Derrick Miter, former marine M60 tank driver in Vietnam, green screen, normally drives or commands the Priest. Note: He can levitate, teleport, and use telekinesis. He also has several physical enhancements.

Sergeant Tornado Challenger, green screen, flyer, male, he is a daredevil when only his own life is on the line.

Sergeant Latisha Steele, orange screen, former Intelligence Analyst with the US Army. Always desired to serve aboard a tank but it wasn’t allowed at the time.

Corporal Fish Diver, green screen, flyer female, Tornado Challenger’s fiancée, she is extremely accurate when dive bombing her foes.

Corporal Sticks Spearmaker, green screen, female craft-maker, though she is still making weapons she joined the Hermit’s Guard because she feels that pole-arms aren’t as important nowadays.

Corporal Tammy Harding, green screen, former Army soldier, former INS Agent

Corporal Brandy Zhang, green screen, former US Marshall, normally serves as driver for Hellcat.

Corporal Fall Roar, green screen flyer

Private Dominic Jackson, green screen, sharpshooter, had previously worked as a waiter in a high end restaurant. Few skills but he has been gratified to find that he has the makings of a natural shot.

Private Waxy Candlemaker, green screen, female

Private Feather Fletcher, green screen, female

Private Strings Bowyer, green screen, male

Private Stinky Tanner, green screen, male

Private Net (Nettie) Fisher, green screen, female

Private Stacy Nord, green screen, female

Private Quentin Lee, first member of the Hermit’s Guard to fall. Died defending the Southern Wall from King Mandrills.

Private Hoops Cooper, second member of the Hermit’s Guard to fall, died at the battle of US36, on March third, while fighting 18 Dominators.

----------------------------

Construction and Maintenance (75):

Name: Macallister Smith

Primary Class and Title: Knight

Title: Minister of Construction and Maintenance

Fred Stone: Civil Engineer, picked up at County Building along with his wife, Wendy.

Jean White: Civil Engineer, picked up at the County Building. She is a Green Screen with two children, Brittany is 8 and Peter is 5. Her husband is deceased.

--------------------------

The Shop Crew (93):

Name: Glen Stewart

Primary Class and Title: Knight

Title: Minister of Manufacturing and Production

Note: Released Innocent Prisoner, Mechanic and Machinist

Name: Grace Lee

Former Aircraft Mechanic and Machinist

Note: Oath Sworn, Retired Naval Petty Office, Release Prisoner (technically guilty but extenuating circumstances should have found her innocent, Prosecutor was a jerk, the jury were idiots, and the guy started it.) She now lives in the Hermit’s home.

Ronald Lewis is an expert welder and burgeoning Fire Mage (Ron’s magic wand). (Green screen, released innocent prisoner.)

Andrew Thomas is a former appliance repair man. (Green screen, released innocent prisoner.)

Scott Blaine is an expert machinist as well as a tool and die maker. (Blue screen, alcoholic, is guilty of vehicular homicide, served most of his sentence and is truly repentant.)

Sean Murphy (green screen) is an expert gunsmith, husband of Lady Denise Murphy Minister of Health and father of Knight Lieutenant Candace Murphy.

Rufus Stokes (green screen) former M48 tanker, mechanic and drag car racer. Note: He knows how to link multiple engines together.

Mindy Stokes (green screen) is his wife and pregnant.

David Hu, father, mechanic, True Sight

Linda Hu, mother, office manager, True Sight

Nicolas Silva, father, mechanic, True Sight

--------------------------

Motor Pool (24):

Name: Clyde Jenkins

Primary Class and Title: Knight

Title: Minister of Transport

Note: Farmer, collector of old tractors and former tank crewman.

Chester Fletcher (green screen) Note: He used to own the gravel pit and associated equipment.

----------------------------

Peacekeepers (5):

Name: Faith Harper

Primary Class and Title: Knight

Title: Lady Knight

Title: Minister of Justice

Note: Former Judge

Melissa Kilmer (age: 13), Orange Screen, Squire to Lady Faith.

Sir James Lopez (orange screen and former attorney)

Note: Son-in-law of the Hermit King.

--------------------------

People Who Keep Things Running (6):

Name: Jennifer Boon

Primary Class and Title: Knight

Title: Lady Knight

Title: Chief of Staff and Spokesperson for the Hermit King Vincent Standish

Note: Released Innocent Prisoner and she has two children, Elizabeth is seven and Stephen is four years old.

Name: Star Astrologer

Primary Title and Class: Lady Knight

Class: Wise One

Title: Leader of the Free Craft-Maker People

Title: The Wise One

Title: The Dignified One

Note: Possible Enchanter if abused sufficiently enough by Vince.

--------------------------------------

Food Production (90):

Name: Isabella Gomez

Primary Class and Title: Knight

Title: Lady Knight

Title: Royal Botanist

Title: Minister of Food Production

Note: Released Innocent Prisoner

---------------------------

Logistics and Supply (18):

Name: Stephen Monet

Primary Class and Title: Knight

Title: Castellan

Title: Minister of Logistics and Supply

Note: Released Innocent Prisoner, former owner of a trucking company.

Name: Barbara Monet

Note: Oath sworn to both the King and her husband (his secretary/clerk too).

-----------------------------

Health Department (13):

Name: Denise Murphy

Primary Class and Title: Knight

Class: Healer

Class: Soldier

Title: Lady Knight

Title: Minister of Health and Chief Healer

Title: Wife of Sean Murphy

Title: Mother of Candace Murphy

Note: Nurse and an excellent shot. She and her daughter are equally good with a rifle and better than Sean.

Peggy Barnes; green screen, released innocent prisoner, nurse, possesses healing magic.

Gloria Bennett; blue screen, released prisoner, nurse practitioner; Note: gambling and drug problems, possesses healing magic.

Giovanna Silva, mother, dental hygenist, Healer, True Sight

-------------------------

Black Powder Production and Alchemical Research (29):

Blender Apothecary (green screen) is the Second Chief of the Craft-Makers. Note: Possible Enchanter if abused sufficiently enough by Vince.

--------------------

Flyer Population within Stronghold:

Long Flight Clan

Storm Wind OS, wife is Dawn Song OS, boy child Mountain Breeze

Night Storm OS (Black and Brown Wings), husband is Metal Grinder OS, daughter is Smokey Night OS

Tornado Challenger GS, fiancée is Fish Diver GS (her sister is Autumn Blaze GS and nephew is Star Bright OS)

Dawn Wind

Spring Breeze

Corporal Fall Roar

Winter Wind

Cloudy Day

Storm Cloud

Total Members: 62

Children: 32

Soaring Dawn Clan

Name: Dawn Rain

Title: Chief of The Soaring Dawn Clan on Earth

Title: The Unhappy Survivor

Morning Mist, Second Chief, orange screen

Total Members: 24

Children: 12

Craftmaker Population within Stronghold:

1st Group: 46 Adults, no children

2nd Group: 47 Adults, 17 Children

3rd Group: 7 Adults (Chapter 27)

4th Group: 26 Adults, 8 Children (Chapter 30)

Swift Runner Population within Stronghold: (13)

Tribe of Evening Song

Lady Song, deceased

Evonne Sting, Class and Title: Guardian

Husband 1: Aron

Husband 2: Ralph

Daughter Zuma: 14

Son: Foggy 8

Elva Slayer, Class and Title: Guardian

Husband 1: Long

Husband 2: Del, baby in his pouch

Daughter: Yun 9

Danni Blocker, Class and Title: Guardian

Husband 1: Ned,

Husband 2: Vear, baby in his pouch

Daughter: Su 7

------------------------

Within Stronghold, Unaffiliated but Contributing

Barajas Group (17):

Edith Barajas 42, clothing designer, OS

Healing Level: 3

Alchemy Level: 2

Sydney 40, musician had owned a store selling musical instruments, GS

Sound Magic Level: 3.5

Water Magic Level: 2

Shana 17, student newspaper, GS

Air Magic Level: 3

Sound Magic Level: 3

Adam 20, college student computer programming, OS

Fire Magic Level: 3.5

Denise Strickland 34, mother, gs, meteorologist

Water Magic Level: 2

Gretchen Strickland 57, grandmother, os, retired machinist

Earth Level: 3

Scott Strickland 34, father, gs, sewage plant engineer

Water Level: 3

Jeffrey Strickland 10, son, os

Landon Strickland 60, grandfather, gs, machinist

Earth Level: 2

Karen Strickland 7, daughter, os

Anita Bodo 28, gs, accountant

Earth Magic Level: 2

Markos Bodo 27, os, grocery store manager

Body Augmentation Magic Level: 3.5

Margo Bodo 4, os

Asger Bruun 32, os, auto body painter

Healer Level: 2

Alchemy un-awakened

Wife is deceased, from monster attack

Storm Bruun 8, os

Sameer Said 32, os, High School Athletic and History Teacher (soccer)

Body Augmentation Magic Level: 3

Flora Kulikova 23, os, veterinary student

Animal Trainer Level: 3.5

-------------------------

Captain Barbara Long’s Group of Survivors (630)

Lieutenant Jay Nichols

Lieutenant Kellie Cross, at Stronghold

Sergeant First Class SFC Patrick White

Staff Sergeants SSG

Lindsay Collier

Bernard Ballard

Corporal Julia Lewis

Private Shelly Hines

Howard King

---------------------------

Ervin, Ohio

Name: Sylvia Warren

Title: Mayor of Ervin

-------------------------

Wrenchburg, Ohio

Florian Forester, 38, gs, Bartender, Town Boss

Mathias Forester, 38, gs, Dentist

Susanne Forester 14, gs

Mathias Forester, 12, gs

Nadine Forester, 9, gs

Liam Edwards, 33, gs, concrete and masonry

Kai Edwards, 31, gs, real estate

Jasmine Edwards, 6, os

Lauren Edwards, 8, os

Reuben Moerkens 50, gs

Marian Moerkens, 48, gs

Giorgio Segura, 39, gs, restaurant owner and cook

Nadelina Segura, 37, gs, cook and hostess

Cara Segura, 14, gs

Helene Segura, 12, os

Viola Segura, 9, os

Alex Csorba, 41

Margo Csorba, 40, Dental Hygenist, gs

Judit Csorba, 20, college student, gs

Petra Csorba, 17, gs

Kevin Csorba, 14, os

Bradley Heavy Industrial Group (Originally 208 people, now 97 of which 52 are under eighteen)

William Bujdo, 36 Green

Violet Bujdo, 35 Orange

Andrew Bujdo 13 Orange

Adam Bitar, 35, Orange

Nazeera Bitar, 33 Green

Anisah Bitar, 11 Orange

Mikail Usamov, 28, Green

Albert Osborne, 27, Green

Lin Chang, 62, Orange, Dental Hygenist, Healer, injured

George Chang, 34, Green

Denise Chang, 33, Green

John Chang, 10, Orange

Anna Chang, 8, Orange

Ram Diaz, 26, Orange

Edith Diaz, 27, Orange

Justin Diaz, 3, Orange

Howard Leach, 31, Green, killed on trip to the Armory

Stephen Staton, 34, Orange, killed on trip to the Armory

---------------------

Miscellaneous

Dwight Cobb, GS, 21 members in his group.

Partial List of those, Rescued at the Dominator Battle of US 36

Martin Avis Alchemist Chemist

Michelle “Shelly” Cupples bulldozer operator, daughter

Herbert Cupples Retired Navy, father

Reyna Cupples Watchmaker/repairer, Herb’s sister

Robert Barton Boilermaker

Joyce Gause Paleontologist

Equipment Glossary

Spoiler :

Hermit’s Forge M4 Sherman Grizzly Medium Tank, originally it was a Sherman Grizzly I Cruiser which was the Canadian variant of the American M4A1 Sherman medium tank. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_I_cruiser

It has 75 millimeters of enchanted steel armor and it is 5.8 meters long, 2.6 meters wide, 3 meters tall and weighs 30,000 kilograms.

Tracked Vehicle

One 330 horsepower steam engine; gives this vehicle a top speed of 38 kilometers per hour.

Primary Weapon is one prototype 75mm breech loading cannon built by Hermit’s Forge. Secondary weapons are two bolt-action 20mm rifles also built by Hermit’s Forge.

The original gyroscopic stabilizer for the main gun is no longer operational.

-------------------------

Hermit’s Forge M18 Hellcat Light Tank, it began life as an American M18 Hellcat Tank Destroyer and has been heavily modified by Hermit’s Forge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M18_Hellcat

It has 25 millimeters of enchanted steel armor and a roof has been added to its original turret. This tank is 5.3 meters long (without its main gun), 2.9 meters wide, 2.6 meters tall and weighs 18,000 kilograms.

Tracked Vehicle

One 200 horsepower steam engine, give this vehicle a top speed of 56 kilometers per hour.

Primary Weapon is one prototype 50mm breech loading cannon built by Hermit’s Forge. Secondary Weapon is one bolt-action 20mm rifle built by Hermit’s Forge.

----------------------------

Hermit’s Forge FV101 Scorpion Light Tank, it began life as a British FV101 Scorpion Reconnaissance Vehicle and has been heavily modified by Hermit’s Forge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FV101_Scorpion

It has 12.7 millimeters of enchanted aluminum armor. This tank is 5.3 meters long, 2.1 meters wide, 2.1 meters tall and weighs 17,800 kilograms.

Tracked Vehicle

One 200 horsepower steam engine, give this vehicle a top speed of 79 kilometers per hour.

Primary Weapon is one prototype 50mm breech loading cannon built by Hermit’s Forge. Secondary Weapons are two bolt-action 20mm rifles built by Hermit’s Forge.

-------------------------------

Hermit’s Forge M7 Priest Motor Gun Carriage, started off as an American M7 Motor Gun Carriage but it has since been heavily modified.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M7_Priest

It has 50 millimeters of enchanted steel armor, a roof and heightened full side walls have been added to it. This vehicle is 6 meters long, 2.9 meters wide, 3.2 meters tall and weighs 26,450 kilograms.

Tracked Vehicle

One 200 horsepower steam engine, gives this vehicle a top speed of 30 kilometers per hour.

Primary weapon is one M119, 105mm howitzer which is the US designation for the British L119 105mm lightweight gun. Secondary weapons are two Hermit’s Forge 50mm Holman projectors and one twin-barrel 7.62 x 39 Murphy gun.

---------------------------

Hermit’s Forge T800 Armored Personnel Carrier, originally a 2011 Kenworth T800 Dump Truck, it has since been heavily modified.

http://www.kenworth.com/trucks/t800/

It has 152 millimeters of layered armored made of enchanted steel and sand. Windows are made of transparent aluminum and possess steel shutters. This APC is 7.6 meters long, 2.4 meters wide, 3.5 meters tall and weighs 13,600 kilograms.

It has four wheeled axles and the rear two, are powered.

One 200 horsepower steam engine, give this vehicle a maximum speed of 56 kilometers per hour.

Primary Weapons are eleven bolt-action 20mm rifles, manufactured by Hermit’s Forge.

-------------------------------

Hermit’s Forge C500 Armored Personnel Transporter, started off as a Kenworth C500 and a 27 foot long steel dump trailer, it has since been heavily modified.

http://www.kenworth.com/trucks/c500/

It has 152 millimeters of layered armored made of enchanted steel and sand. Windows are made of transparent aluminum and have steel shutters. This APT is 14.3 meters long, 2.4 meters wide, 3.5 meters tall and weighs 21,319 kilograms.

The total unit has six wheeled axles, the rear two on the truck/tractor are powered.

One 200 horsepower steam engine, give this vehicle a maximum speed of 39 kilometers per hour.

Primary Weapons are seventeen bolt-action 20mm rifles, manufactured by Hermit’s Forge.

-------------------------

Quantity: 2

Hermit’s Forge M1070 Armored Personnel Transporter; started off as an Oshkosh M1070 and a 40 foot long steel shipping container with attendant chassis; it has since been heavily modified.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oshkosh_M1070_heavy_equipment_transporter

It has 160 millimeters of layered armored made of enchanted steel and sand. Windows are made of transparent aluminum and possess steel shutters. This APT is 18.7 meters long, 2.6 meters wide, 4 meters tall and weighs 32,119 kilograms.

The total unit has six wheeled axles, the rear three on the truck/tractor are powered.

Two 200 horsepower steam engines, give this vehicle a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour.

Primary Weapons are eight Hermit’s Forge 50mm Holman projectors. Secondary Weapons are five bolt-action 20mm rifles, also manufactured by Hermit’s Forge.

-------------------------

Hermit’s Forge 590 Armored Backhoe/Loader; originally a Case 590 backhoe/loader and has since been heavily modified.

http://www.casece.com/en_us/Equipment/Loader-Backhoes/Pages/590-SuperN.aspx

It has 40 millimeters of enchanted steel armor. It is 7.3 meters long, 2.4 meters wide, 3.5 meters tall and it weighs 10,800 kilograms.

It has four wheels and all are powered.

One 200 horsepower steam engine, gives this tractor a top speed of 42 kilometers per hour.

Primary Weapon is one bolt-action 20mm rifle, manufactured by Hermit’s Forge.

------------------------------

Armored Utility Trailer, outer dimensions 8.5’ x 20’, inside height is 6’ 6”

-----------------------------

Common Personal Weapons for the Hermit’s Guard

30-06 bolt action rifle with eight round magazine

12 gauge pump action shotgun

20 gauge pump action shotgun

Single shot titanium fifty caliber rifle

.357 magnum revolver

14” bayonet

-------------------------------

Body Armor, Now just being slowly produced and issued. Armor is magically strengthened (2x as strong) and temperature controlled as well as being resistant to heat/fire attacks. For these enchantments to keep on working the various pieces must be periodically recharged by an Earth Mage and a Fire Mage.

Titanium Mail Long Sleeve Shirt

Titanium Mail Leggings

Leather and Titanium Scale Brigandine

http://www.steel-mastery.com/en/brigandine-armour/brigandines/brigandine-with-skirt

Titanium Greaves

Titanium Bracers

Titanium Coal Scuttle Style Helmet with Enchanted Visor

Leather Gloves/Guantlets, Reinforced with Titanium Mail

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