Balos, Luna, and Lucius crouched behind a bush, eyeing the five strangers. They were clad in armor and faded emblems that Lucius couldn't see. However, Balos seemed to identify it.

"What are soldiers from Voxis Kingdom doing here?!" Balos hissed. When Lucius squinted his eyes, the emblem resembled the one on the scouts.

"Maybe they are scouting?" Luna predicted, but there was something off.

The soldiers were clearly worn out. Exhaustion dripped off their face as they stumbled into the town clearing. They had no weapons and their armor was cracked and rusted from travel. There was a desperate look on their face.

"They don't look like they're scouting or attacking. They have no weapons and their equipment quality is poor," Lucius said. "Maybe they aren't hostile."

"I can't be too sure of that," Balos said.

"You can never be sure of anything. Let me try and see what they want. If they get hostile, you guys come out and attack them. But don't try to attack them unless I get attacked," Lucius said. Balos clearly didn't like it, but he nodded.

Lucius put one of his hands on his katana and sprinted into the clearing.

"Halt!" He shouted, startling the soldiers so much that one of the visibly weaker soldiers fell down. "What are you here for?!"

"D-don’t kill us," one of the soldiers trembled. "We aren't hostile!"

"What are you doing here?!" Lucius repeated, keeping his distance. He wasn't sure if it was just a trap.

"We escaped the kingdom to come here!" Another soldier said. This made Lucius surprised and relax his grip on his sword.

"What?"

"W-we ran away from the army to come here," the soldier explained. "We hated how we were treated and they are going to attack this town soon! Please, take us in!"

Lucius paused. What if they are telling the truth? I guess I'm going to take the risk, but I'll have to be careful.

"Alright," Lucius said. "I'll let you in, but if you make any form of trouble, the people in here wouldn't hesitate to kill you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, we do."

"Alright. Stay here until I come and get you," Lucius said and walked to where Balos and Luna were.

"Lucius, we can't just let them in!" Luna said.

"Maybe. They are weakened to a state where if we don't take them in, they'll die. Plus I want to hear their story. Who know; they might really be telling the truth."

"...fine, but if they cause trouble, I'll throw them out. Literally," Luna said.

"Yeah. That's what I said to them anyway," Lucius said and returned to the clearing.

"Come with me," Lucius said to the soldiers. Silently, they obeyed and followed Lucius.

Instead of going through the main entrance, Lucius went through a small, back entrance about the size of a normal doorway. It leads straight to Lucius' house. They stepped inside and looked around at the interior.

"Sit down and make yourself comfortable," Lucius said and gestured to the chairs. Immediately, the soldiers collapsed into the chairs with relief.

"Now, tell me your story," Lucius said. He stayed standing and rested his hand on his katana. Also, Balos and Luna were standing right outside the room where they could hear and also assist if Lucius needed it.

"Well," started one of the stronger soldiers. "Ever since we were in the army, we were treated poorly. Worked almost day and night without stop, giving us no time to go home to our families. My similarly overworked parents contracted the Black Decay and the Generals wouldn't let me go home to treat them. Within half a year, they'll be dead!"

The soldier started sobbing a little bit. Another soldier reached over and patted him on the back.

"For the rest of us, it's the same thing," another soldier spoke. "Overworked and a little underpaid and almost zero time to go back to our family. But when we heard that in a week, they'll be attacking this town, that was the end of it. We..." He trailed off as he saw the expression on Lucius' face.

"What did you say?" Lucius asked, urgency in his voice.

"Um... we were overworked and underpaid?"

"No no. After that."

"That Voxis Kingdom is going to attack this town?"

"Yes. Can you elaborate on that?"

"A little. They didn't give us the full details, but there are a few things us low-rank soldiers know," the soldier shrugged a little bit. "They said that they'll attack this town in a month. But we got that information before we left, so there's only a week left. There going to attack here with about a thousand troops led by the Fourth General."

"A thousand?!" Lucius leaked. "A thousand?!!?!?!"

"Y-yeah. Everyone thinks that they are going overboard, but they seem to want to ensure that this town will get wiped out."

Lucius went silent, thinking about the details.

Can we really defend against a thousand soldiers? We might need assistance from Poris Kingdom, but we have no way to contact them. I need to develop a defense mechanism very soon.

"Do you know why Voxis Kingdom wants to attack us?" Lucius asked. The soldiers shook their heads.

"Only speculation. The most reasonable rumor is that when you guys supposedly killed the soldiers that were attacking those beast men, the kingdom automatically put you as a 'threat' and wants to get rid of you."

Lucius sighed.

"Now, to you guys. Why did you decide to come here?"

"Well, we didn't exactly hate beast men," the other soldier said. "Unlike most of the humans, we don't mind co-existing with them, and when we heard that a town of them was going to be attacked for a not-viable reason, we decided that we didn't want to side with the kingdom and instead help this town."

"Hm..." Lucius thought.

Are they trustworthy?

"I could let you stay here, but..." Lucius shook his head, not knowing how to continue.

"You don't trust us, right?" One of the soldiers grimly asked.

"Exactly. I just don't know," Lucius said.

"How about this?" One of the soldiers started. "We could tell you how the army is going to attack when they come here, and after that, you can do whatever you want with us. But please let us stay here! Please!" The soldiers begged.

Lucius sighed. Then, the door opened next to Lucius and Luna and Balos stepped through.

"That'll be just fine," Luna said and looked at the soldiers. Their eyes brightened up as they heard her.

"Thank you so much!" The soldiers said repeatedly. Lucius waited for them to quiet down before he started talking again.

"However, just because I'm letting you stay here doesn't mean that you'll be able to do whatever you want. Let me get this straight. While you are here, do not leave and go into the village. The beast-men do not know that you're here and will attack you. I will announce it later. You are still free to go into the forest out of the back entrance but make sure you stay out of sight of anyone else."

"Alright," they said.

"Anyway, do you have clothes under your armor?" Lucius asked. It would be quite troublesome for Lucius if there were five people in armor with the Voxis Kingdom crest walking around.

"Yes, we do, but it is probably disgusting at this point."

"It's fine. We'll have someone create clothes for you," Luna asked. Balos hasn't spoken yet and was just eyeing the soldiers. They seemed a little nervous in his presence.

"We'll get your clothes by the end of today. Beastmen are quick at weaving," Lucius said. "In the meantime, I'll get something for you to eat. Just stay here."

"Okay."

Lucius, Luna, and Balos filed out and went outside.

"Are you sure about this, Lucius?" Balos asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Lucius firmly said. "If they are really telling the truth about the situation, they could really be a help to us. Plus, we aren't going to tell them anything about our technology or supplies. If they are spies, they aren't going to get much information out of us. After the battle happens, then I'll see if they're helpful or not."

"That seems... reasonable," Balos admitted. Luna slapped his arm.

"It's fine. Even if they are spies, we can kill them in an instant. And I'm pretty sure that they are fully aware of that," she said.

"True."

"I'm going to get them some food and see if I can salvage the clothes," Lucius said. Luna nodded and said, "I'll come with you."

"I'll keep watch of them," Balos said, an edge in his voice. Lucius and Luna sighed.

"Balos, not all humans are bad," Luna said.

"I know that, but they are still humans. They won't hesitate to pillage, steal, or..." He seemed to remember that Lucius was there.

"Yes yes, I know what human behavior is," Lucius said. "It doesn't matter. Just keep an eye on them, but don't provoke them."

"Alright."

The group separated. Balos went back inside the house while Luna and Lucius went down into the village. The smell of the afternoon meal wafted out of the houses as many people started to cook. Lucius went up to a local bakery that was set up.

"Hello!" Lucius said and waved at the owner. She smiled and waved back as Lucius approached.

The last few incidents made the beast-men comfortable with Lucius. They didn't seem as edgy or nervous around Lucius as when Lucius first housed them. Now, they treated him like their own.

"Hello, Lucius," the Baker said. Her name was Melissa.

"Can I get three loaves of bread?" Lucius asked.

"Make that four," Luna said. Melissa smiled and disappeared into the back.

She returned with four loaves of freshly baked, brown bread. She handed it to Lucius.

"Here you go," Melissa said. Lucius grinned and brought about a small container and put it on the counter.

"This is my payment. I'm sure that you'll like it," Lucius said. Melissa opened up the container, which was full of strawberries.

"What are these?" She asked.

"Try them," Lucius said. Melissa took a bite out of one.

"Delicious!" She exclaimed. She continued to eat the strawberries. "What are these?"

"They are called strawberries. I'm growing them now," Lucius said. "Well, I'm going back. Bye!"

"Bye!"

Lucius walked away while carrying the loaves the bread. Luna took one from his arms and started to munch on it.

"Now for something substantial," Lucius said. He went to a butcher and bought a large piece of meat, paying with strawberries. The Butcher was delighted when he tried them. He also went to a clothing store and picked out some clothes for the soldiers.

Then, Lucius quickly whipped up a pot of stew and brought it into the house.

"Here is your food. Enjoy," Lucius said. The soldiers got up and started putting the stew in bowls and ripping off the bread. Then they devoured the food like a pack of wild dogs.

"Uh, when you're done, just leave the pot outside," Lucius said. Since their mouths were full of food, they just nodded with bulging cheeks.

Lucius stepped outside. Luna and Balos followed him.

"I really hope that we'll be able to fend off against the army," Lucius said. "We need to contact Poris Kingdom as soon as possible."

Balos nodded. "I've already made preparations." He handed Lucius a small vial of a green powder. "Fill a basin of water and pour the powder in. Then, dip your hand in and say 'Queen of Poris Kingdom.' It should make a connection between you two."

"Alright," Lucius said. "Thanks."

Lucius then went inside his workshop and went to his cooling bucket that was meant for him to dunk the heated metal in. He uncorked the vial and poured the powder into the bucket. It didn't dissolve and just stayed suspended in the water.

Then, he put his right hand in it and took a deep breath.

"Queen of Poris Kingdom," Lucius said. Immediately, the powder swirled under his hand and turned the water into a murky green. It continued to form a whirlpool until the color cleared up and revealed the face of the Queen.

"Hello there," Lucius said.

"Ah, hello," Queen Peluna said. "What can I do for you, Lucius?"

"Well, I just received news that we are going to be attacked by Voxis Kingdom a week from now. They are bringing a thousand troops. I was wondering if you could spare some soldiers to help us."

Queen Peluna rubbed her chin. "I'm not sure that we can."

Lucius was shocked. "What?!"

"Yes, we can't afford to give you help. It'll take way too many of our resources to bring more than a hundred soldiers to help you."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," the Queen continued. "You have your strange technology after all."

"Can't you use the Transportation Gems?"

"We do have a limited supply. Those are a little rare."

"Can you at least give us a strong mage or something?" Lucius asked. He was struggling to contain the roar that wanted to come out of his mouth.

"We can do that. I'll have one on the day of the battle," the Queen said. "Best wishes!"

The basin cleared up and made it seem like the powder was never there. Lucius slammed his palm into the edge of the basin, making the water crash against each other.

Only a mage for reinforcements! What is this?!

Lucius stormed out of the workshop and headed to where Balos and Luna were.

"So, how'd it go?" Luna asked.

"Horribly," Lucius growled. "Apparently, it would be a waste of resources to bring more than a hundred soldiers to help us."

"Why don't they use Transportation Gems?" Balos asked. He seemed just as angry as Lucius.

"Apparently, they have a limited supply and they are 'rare,'" Lucius said.

"Absolutely bull shit," Balos said. "They have enough to bring the entire kingdom here. Using a hundred of them is like a tiny little dent in a building. Not noticeable at all."

"Do you have more of that powder?" Lucius growled. "I need to talk to her, again."

Balos looked like he wanted to give more to Lucius, but he shook his head. "The Queen has already made up her mind. She is refusing to give us the soldiers, so talking to her more is pointless."

"I guess that we'll have to rely on our own power," Luna said. "I'm sure that we have enough strength to deal with them."

"I sure hope so," Lucius said. "I need to make something where I or someone can shoot at the army on top of the walls. We need to thin out the army as much as possible before they hit the walls."

"How 'bout something like your handgun but on the walls?" Luna proposed. Lucius thought about that for a moment.

I have no way to make it automatic, but what if I use it in a different way?

"I have an idea," Lucius said. Luna and Balos followed him into his workshop.

Lucius grabbed his sniper and looked at it.

"What if I create something like this, but with stronger, more destructive crystals?" Lucius asked. "What strong crystals do we have?"

Balos and Luna thought for a moment.

"'Course, we have the simple crystals. Fire, Electric, Blast. But we also have a few more , and, the Royal Slimes found this at the bottom of Sorus Bay, we have a single >>," Luna said.

"What does it do?" Lucius asked, but he already had a general idea just from the name.

"It's like a super-charged Blast Crystal. It causes a massive explosion."

"Hm..." Lucius thought. That'll be good against a thousand.

"What else?"

"We have a single ," Balos said. "It dissolves every non-organic piece of matter it touches, which is good against armor, swords, things like that. It won't harm the soldiers though."

"That's fine. We can use that," Lucius said and got to work.

Along with the help of Balos and Luna, Lucius created a turret the size of a table. It used crystals as the ammunition. It used the same concept as the guns and Lucius created a bigger crank to bring the trigger out. He mounted it to the wall and gave it a test. It worked flawlessly.

Then, Balos and Luna worked on the forest part. They cleared out the path that was between Voxis Kingdom so that the army was going to be forced to walk through there. It would help the fire of the > and the .

Then, Lucius just refilled all of his guns and fixed them in any way possible.

It was going to be a bloody battle.