“So far so good,”

Was the only thought that went through Luc’s head as he stood in silence his eyes peering through a telescope while atop a recently constructed tower not far from the town. All had gone as planned, and already the forward observation posts and the men serving within them had done their jobs well. As predicted, the Orcs had indeed made numerous attempts to figure out what had happened to their slave raids, and each time they did, none would get far as the men who had qualified as being the top marksmen in the regiment had picked them off the moment their large green heads came into range. All was well in that front, though there was still the worry of a large organized force coming to try and take the town, so work was already underway to begin surveying the land to build a fortress from which to defend their new territory.

Defences wise, the Regiment and support staff with the help of the townsfolk had managed to set up a small palisade to keep out wild animals and whatever else might wander around in the cover of darkness. Yet, the dangers of this world were still a mystery to the Cuirassiers, so the need for a more permanent fortification and home was needed. Hence why Demoulin stood surveying the land before him, as he tried to find some ground that provided the Regiment with a substantial area that would allow them to provide security for the town while also holding control of the region they were in. Lowering his spyglass, Luc grumbled with annoyance as how little he really knew of this world, that and all the odd things he had come to learn after little more than a week. There was also the fact that already his Regiment had managed to establish a stronghold of sorts and had already fought back strange creatures with little effort. A smirk soon grew at the thought of how easily they wiped the field of the brutish Greenskins… yet, the grin soon faded as one issue that had presented itself after some skirmishes… their lack of ammo. They were little more than a force of heavy cavalry who were meant for charging down enemies not prolonged engagements at range. Still, with no contact from their homeland, and in a world where gunpowder is seemingly non-existent, the Regiment had to focus entirely on giving their ammo to the marksmen; which were doing an excellent job with it.

Already two issues presented themselves to Luc, and he was left trying to figure out a method to solve the predicament. He wasn’t alone of course, as a majority of his officers and NCO’s were hard at work trying to find the same solutions as their commander. Still, a majority of the administrative stuff was left to Luc given his position as the Regimental commander, and temporary Town Mayor -given how Calondra had devoted herself entirely to leading the force of Elven volunteers. Despite the new responsibilities being thrusted upon him, he still found moments of down time -such as the one he currently enjoyed- to collect his thoughts and come up with some plan of action.

“Sir! Staff Sergeant Labref wishes to meet with you!” Called a voice from down below.

Luc looked down towards the young NCO who stood saluting him. “Right, thank you Private! I’ll go see what he wants.” He replied warmly before snapping off a salute in return.

Labref, the grey-haired old man known for his skill in both the art of craftsmanship and killing. It was thanks to him that the Regiment was able to establish a more fortified position given the limited supplies they had, and he was also the man responsible for drawing up a list of the materials needed to produce, repair, and develop new weapons and ammo for the Regiment. In the short time they’d been here, the old man had gone far above and beyond, working twice as hard as any of the others in the Administrative side; so much so that it actually boosted productivity in the rest. He had earned the right to call on Luc and any of the other officers whenever he had something on his mind, so when the private had made the report, Luc didn’t hesitate to quickly stop what it was he was doing and make ready to meet with the grey-haired NCO.

Give the close proximity the of the supply depot was to the command tent, the Colonel’s walk was short, and upon coming up to the depot, his sea blue eyes were quick to spot the chaos before him. A majority of the civilian personnel –who had been transported along with them due to the baggage train- scurrying about with all manner of tools alongside the supply troops.

“Good to see you’re keeping your unit busy Mr. Labref.”

“Eh? Ah! Figured you’d have ignored my summons, Sir. Most of you young officers would scuff and tell me to fuck off!” The old man barked with a laugh.

Luc raised a brow, but none the less gave the old NCO a smile. “Right… well, I’m not like the rest.”

“Aye, that you are not… you’re still alive.”

That last line gave a reason for the young officer to pause, “Well… *cough*… back to why you’ve called me.”

Labref scanned Luc for a moment before nodding, wiping his hands free from the grim that was on them before throwing the cloth over his shoulder. “Aye, right you are sir.” He replied before walking past the Colonel and towards a nearby work table with some blueprints spread out across it. “See these here?”

Following close behind, Luc noted the blueprints and began to study them before the old man told him what exactly they were. “I see them, but what exactly are you planning with them?”

“Glad you asked!” Slapping Luc on the back which caused him to stumble while the man chuckled before pointing at the designs, “These here are the plans for the fortress you and the rest of those self righ-”

“Watch yourself, Sergeant…” Luc warned shooting the man a glare.

Labref grinned as he felt a cold shiver run up his spin before continuing with his details. “As the rest of command has been looking for. This fortress will be a star fortress made with both earthworks and the trees from the local forest here.” Looking up and towards the woods not far from them, “God knows how these pointy-eared folk could use some more safety.”

Luc rubbed his chin as if he had facial hair, eyes glued to the plans. “I see… well, how long will it take to get it ready?”

“I reckon a month or two at best. These pointy-ears are actually pretty talented with shaping wood. I mean, damn, they built that little wall there in less than a few days… made the rest of the unit look like damned amateurs!” Labref growled before the same slash of a grin appeared across his old features. “And a damn good lesson it was for my boys. They’ve been working doubly hard to make up for the humiliation.” The coy grin soon vanished though as he noted how the Colonel was paying little attention to him.

“Okay… you’ve got a month, but see if you can’t speed it up a little more. Whatever you need I’ll see that you get it.” Luc started to back away, before making his way back to his tent. “In the meantime, I’ll see what I can do about our supply situation! I want some canons on those walls.”

Labref nodded slowly, “Aye sir, I’ll do what I can.”

Within moments, Luc was gone, matching hard towards his tent. Already his mind was beginning to fill with some different scenarios. With an actual functioning fortress with some real defences to speak of, there would be a little worry for him, his men, and the Elven population. Indeed, it seemed to him as though things were starting to look up… that is if he could solve the issue of their supplies. He still needed to figure out where to get metal, gunpowder, and of course weapons. The weapons would come once the regiment managed to secure metal, but that was going to be tricky given how the current area they were in offered little in the way of mining prospects. Yes, with no viable area to mine within their current area of operations, they would need to get the valuable resource elsewhere.

“Hopefully Calondra can give me some intel on people who might have what we need,” Luc muttered softly under his breath.

Slipping through the canvas flap of his tent, he was greeted by none other than the woman in question. She stood tall, confident and painted a rather dashing figure in the spare Curaisser uniform that was given to her.

“Ah! It’s good to see you again Demoulin, I hope you don’t mind my visit, I have a report for you on the progress of my squadron.” She started a warm smile across her face.

Despite little time having passed, Calondra had fundamentally changed into the woman she was now. She had managed to prove herself during a small test of skill nearly half a week ago and had earned the right to join the Regiment, or at least the Foreign Service Squadron which Luc had founded. The blonde haired elven beauty had taken to her new role as a Squadron commander rather well and had managed to gather herself well over a hundred volunteers from the town to begin training. They wouldn’t be armed with any of their rifles, however, preferably they would just be equipped with the crude blades and whatever other weapons that were serviceable. That was until they managed to develop some new weapons for them. For now, they made do with what they had available.

Looking her in the eye for a moment, Luc smiled, “Just the person I was looking for. Captain, I have need of your brain for a bit.”

Calondra tilted her head confused, “Sir?”

“Remember how you told me of the other nations and races in the region?”

“Yes? But… oooh! You’re curious to know if there’s anyone who can help with the supply issue you and the Major keep going on about.”

“Yes… that… is indeed the case.” Shaking his head, “But yeah, first, lets focus on finding us someone or something that can get us metal. Do you have any idea who might be able to supply us?” Luc asked as he walked over to his makeshift desk.

Pulling out his notebook he turned to her, pen in hand. “Hmm?”

The Elf paused a moment as she began to wrack her brain for any such answer. “Well, I do know of a small band of Dwarves that live up near the mountains just North of here?”

“Oh? I take it these Dwarves can provide us with what we seek then?”

“Maybe. To be honest with you, I haven’t actually had the chance to meet with them, and last I heard of them from my father, they weren’t keen on working with my people.” She replied bitterly.

Luc scribbled some notes, “Well, it’s not longer just you Elves. Plus, we have something they would likely want.”

“What’s that?”

“Protection.”

“I… I thought the Regiment was busy guarding our borders?” Calondra pointed out confused for a moment.

“For the most part, yes. But, not all Squadron’s are deployed. Namely, YOUR squadron Captain.” Luc explained.

“B-but we’ve less than a week’s worth of training, we’d be more of a hindrance than an asset!” She protested, trying her best to see what it was Luc was getting at.

Waving his hand to calm her down, “Don’t worry, you won’t go alone, I’ll dispatch the fourth to join you when they get back from recon duty. Plus, you’re all dressed the same as the rest of us, meaning you should at least look the part of a professional force. That little bit of trickery should help us… I hope.” Gently tossing his notebook back on his desk, he walked up to the board which displayed the map. “Either way, for now, we’ll try to get this small band to join us. If we can secure their access to metals –which I hope is iron- we should be able to start production of some real weapons and equipment for your squadron.”

Calondra began to beam with excitement at the prospect of her unit looking as deadly and capable as the French. It was at this display that Luc felt a little pang of guilt. He felt as though he was tricking her into something dangerous, but then again, she did accept the risks associated with the rank she now held. For now, the young officer dismissed the emotion with little more than a swig of his canteen.

“Thanks, Captain. You’re dismissed, see to your squadron and pack all the provisions you’ll need.” Luc added before trying to give her the warmest of smiles he could muster up.

If there was any question in the Calondra’s mind at what her new commander was thinking, she didn’t show it. Instead, she snapped off a quick salute –taught to her by the Sergeant Major- still beaming with excitement as she about-faced out of the tent leaving Luc once again to his thoughts.

Standing now in complete silence, Luc looked down at his canteen before gently resting it back on the table beside the notebook. “Hah… shit… What am I doing?”

Outside Calondra had begun to pack some provisions and other such items for the ride up north towards the Mountains. Her mind filled with the thoughts of how she’d finally be able to do what none of her family had been able to do; fight the Orcs. Yes, there had been many of her ancestors that had managed to blood the brutish race, but none could really honestly put an end to the slaver kingdom. No, instead the elves had only declined while the brutes just grew in power and wealth through the sale of her people. So, when Demoulin had given her the means to fight back against those who would enslave her people she was more than happy to jump at the chance. In truth, she did all she could to try and give off the idea that she was merely trying to help her people, but that was an excuse, really… Calondra was trying to get revenge for the killing of her father. Her father had been killed at the hands of the Orcs that fateful day when the town was attacked, it was then that she had lost all hope in life and was about to accept her fate until she witnessed the retribution brought down upon the slavers by the Cuirassiers. It was then that the light of hope shined brightly for her once again.

“You alright Captain?” Came Luc’s voice who came up behind her on horseback.

Luc couldn’t shake the guilt of sending an inexperienced Squadron on their own, and in the midst of his thoughts had chosen to ride with the group, though he was joined by his friend and Sergeant-Major who came up beside him.

Calondra smiled as she smacked her cuirass “I’m more than alright, I’m excited! This will be my first time out of the town in well over thirty years!”

Luc raised a brow a little curious, while Alexander craned forward, “Oh? What about the rest of your unit ma’am?” the African SNCO asked with a respectful tone, but one bordering on annoyance at the sight he was seeing behind the Elven officer.

Turning to spot how slowly her Squadron was mounting up, she couldn’t help but feel a bead of sweat trail down the side of her pale face, “Umm… as I told the Colonel, we only have a week’s worth of training!” She explained, hoping not to fuel the ire of the Regimental Senior Non-Commissioned Officer.

Luc tried to stay as stoic as he good before he smiled and let slip a chuckle. “Haha, it’s fine Captain, you’ll get used to the Sergeant-Major’s stare the more your around him.” Turning to face his friend he gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

Alexander shot him a glare before sighing and straightening his back. “Indeed… though, if I see any inexcusable mistakes, I’ll be sure to work you and your squadron hard when we get back, ma’am.”

Even Demoulin couldn’t help but feel a small trickle of fear run down his spine at the warning as memories of his time back in basic training flashed before him. “Right… well… uh, Captain, see to your riders, we move out the moment you’re ready.” Luc said trying to change the subject.

“Sir!” Calondra responded with the same tone as usual.

Luc nodded back before riding towards the gate, flanked closely by Alexander who couldn’t help but let out another sigh.

“Are we really doing this? I have to say, Luc, wouldn’t it be better if we just waited for the Fourth Squadron?”

Shaking his head in the negative, Demoulin kept his eyes forward, “I want to give them some experience… God knows how badly I needed it when I was just a junior officer. Remember?”

Alexander nodded, “True, you were like the rest, a bumbling mess on a saddle unsure where your hands began and your rifle ended.”

Luc frowned, “Yes, but! With a few missions I was able to get the experience I needed, and I’m hopeful that the same happens for Calondra.” Pausing he turned to face his friend, “Plus, she’s the only one who really knows how to get to the mountains. I figure it’s best letting her and the other Elves give us an idea so we can get to this band of Dwarves faster.”

Pulling off his helm, Alex scratched his head. “That’s all well and fine sir, but what about the Fourth? They have no idea where this place is, so how are they supposed to rendezvous with us?”

“Don’t worry, I was one step ahead of you. The rider I sent to give them their new orders was one of Calondra’s men. From what she says, he’s a talented rider, tracker, and hunter who's been around the mountains.” He replied, and just as the words slipped out from his mouth did they come outside the gate which was guarded by four Elves who gave the two men light waves.

Both men greeted them back, “Good day.” Luc greeted warmly in the most confident tone he could muster while Alex just gave them a simple nod.

“Well, so long as they reach us in time I’ll trust your judgement on this one. Haven’t led us astray so far.”

“Thanks, and yes… I’m hopeful this works out. If we’re able to get the metals we need, the old man says he’ll be able to start producing some new weapons and gear.”

Alexander strapped his helmet back atop his head before replying, “Still, what even are these Dwarves? From what the elves say, they aren’t like the small folk we have back home.”

Luc shrugged, “I can’t say for sure, I know just as much as you do, though given the shock of seeing the giant hulking green-skinned people called ‘Orcs’ and finding out the fair-haired people we saved weren’t like us but rather ‘elves’ who can live to be well over a millennia… I’d suggest we be prepared for another shock.”

Alex nodded in reply, “Agreed. I wouldn’t be surprised if they look like those bearded things from those fairy tales we were told as kids.”

“Heh, you never know?”

Suddenly, as their conversation ended, Calondra rode up behind the two. “Sir, Sergeant, the Squadron’s ready.”

Luc nodded, “Perfect, lead the way Captain.” He said warmly, waving for her to take the led.

She didn’t need to be told twice as she soon began to ride ahead of them at a slow trot as to allow the rest of her squadron to form something similar to a formation. The sight of the loose formation and ill-prepared cavalrymen made Alex face take on a deep frown.

“Goddammit…”