November 8, 1639

13 Miles Southwest of Le Brias

After defeating the Altaran Royal Navy and the Altaran Wyvern Corps, the Parpaldian fleet landed on an unnamed stretch of beach, close to the capital city of Le Brias. Landing craft shuttled back and forth from troop carriers, offloading men and supplies along the uninhabited and undeveloped strips of beach. Warships and wyvern lords patrolled the perimeter, a precaution against any attempts to deny the construction of the Parpaldian base. Curiously enough, the Altarans never struck.

The rising sun illuminated the newly established tents of the Parpaldian Imperial Army, bathing them in a soft golden glow. The calm sea breeze swept through their encampment, contrasting greatly with the ferociousness of yesterday’s combat. From his flagship, General Cius observed the deployment of his troops, reviewing strategic plans as he did so. Behind him, his officers analyzed their current circumstances.

“The wyvern lords haven’t found any sign of the Altarans?” One man asked, his outfit identifying him as a commander.

“No,” a similarly clothed man replied. “There is no enemy presence from here to the capital itself. Their army seems to have consolidated themselves around Le Brias, and are preparing for combat.”

“Troop count?”

“30,000 men, looks like.”

“But our intelligence departments said 20,000. What’s with this significant deviance?”

Knight Captain Shalsas budged in, describing the information gathered by his scouts, “Le Brias has a garrison of 20,000. They seem to have been preparing for this war for quite some time now. Some of my men have spotted supply caravans traveling from other roads — from nearby cities.”

“So then,” one of the commanders began, “These cities should be weakly defended. I propose an assault on these cities to starve out the Altarans before we lay siege to their capital.”

Another commander scoffed at the idea. “Oh, bother. That would be a sound strategy if we actually needed to weaken the Altarans. Our forces are more than enough to claim their capital; spreading them out would only leave them vulnerable to being picked off.”

“With my strategy, we can reduce our total number of casualties! We can deploy our scouts to ensure that our units don’t get surrounded!”

The debate heated up as the other commander discarded the proposal. “What scouts? We have lost more than 80% of our wyvern lords, most of them due to some unknown sea monster. Our cavalry units are too few in number to reliably protect our troops from ambush!”

“Enough!” General Cius commanded. “Both of your plans have merit, but unfortunately, the Emperor demands immediate results. We will set out for their capital once all troops have disembarked from the fleet!” He declared with fiery determination.

——

Before noon, the Parpaldian Imperial Army was ready to move. General Cius allowed his men to have a quick lunch, after which they immediately began marching toward the forest that stood between them and Le Brias. The dense woods were a peculiar sight for the Altaran environment. Whereas most of the Altaran landscape resembled deserts and other dry biomes, this particular forest seemed tropical in nature. Tall trees, overgrown bushes, and somewhat thick flora obscured vision and hindered mobility.

General Cius and his commanders had considered moving around the forest, but this effectively turned a five mile journey into a thirty mile detour. A deployment along the northern beaches was also considered, but cliffs along the coastline restricted any northern beachhead to a distance of at least forty miles from Le Brias. Finally, they also considered a direct assault on Le Brias’ port, but ruled it out due to the risk of losing transports to heavy fighting.

Almost instantly after Cius stepped foot into the forest, he felt regret — regret derived from a mysterious fear that suddenly permeated the atmosphere. He frowned as he moved along, eyeing his surroundings for anything suspicious. Several screams suddenly struck his ears, making his heart palpitate due to anxiety. “What the hell was that?”

General Cius spotted a crowd up ahead, gathered around something. He made his way forward, curious about the origin of the screams. “Move!”

His men parted to make way for him. He approached the source of the screams and his eyes widened in horror. A few of his soldiers dropped ropes into some sort of chasm, from which groans of agony emanated. He stepped closer and took a peek over the edge, finding six of his soldiers in some sort of pitfall trap, impaled by spikes.

“Make sure word gets out to all units: keep on the lookout for traps and let the land dragons go first!” He ordered. While his magicians were busy relaying the order into their manacomms, he heard several more screams from elsewhere within the forest. He cursed under his breath, frustrated by the Altarans’ unconventional strategies. He estimated that the assault would likely be delayed until tomorrow, assuming they could make it out of the forest by evening. Begrudgingly, he retreated to the rear lines, grimly allowing his infantry to risk their lives figuring out the best path to safety.

As he turned around to walk back, he heard dozens of gunshots pierce the air. Unlike the sound of Parpaldian muskets firing, these gunshots were higher pitched. The frequency of shots also gave the impression that the enemy consisted of a force larger than his own. He had 3,000 of Parpaldia’s best infantry. How were they getting cut down so easily?

Unable to identify the location of their assailants, the Parpaldian men hid behind the land dragons, firing randomly into the forest. Rounds impacted the land dragons, almost enraging them to the point of uncontrollable ferocity. Parpaldian tamers scrambled to get the beasts under control, fearing a firestorm in the forest.

Cius took cover behind a thick tree as he issued new orders to his men. Using whatever cover they could find, they were to push forward. Due to the lack of experience in such combat situations and due to the unpredictability and unconventionality of the enemy tactics, Cius didn’t know what to do. He desperately hoped that his men could eventually find their assailants.

“Over there!” A Parpaldian soldier called out, pointing to a clump of bushy vegetation.

His comrades aimed their muskets at the direction he was pointing at. Finding nothing in the targeted area, they began aiming their muskets around at the general vicinity. With their aim no longer on the intended target, a camouflaged figure hastily got up and ran away. Musket fire trailed after the figure, but all shots missed.

“They’re blending in with the trees!” A soldier said before he was struck by a bullet, causing him to collapse in a pool of his own blood.

Muzzle flashes lit up the shadowy layers of forest cover in the distance, which the Parpaldians quickly fired at. Cius continued moving forward, keeping to the center of his regiment’s formation while his men engaged the enemy. Over time, the frequency of gunfire diminished due to the lower volume of men firing their weapons. Eventually, the gunfire ceased altogether.

“All land dragon units, secure the area! Establish a perimeter. 3rd Platoon, evacuate all wounded back to the fleet.” Cius ran toward a manacomm operator. “Send a message to the fleet; we are sending the wounded and need healers available once they arrive.”

The operator nodded and began contacting the Parpaldian fleet.

While the land dragons created a defensive wall deeper into the forest, Cius organized his commanders to analyze the most recent battle and discuss potential measures against such attacks in the future. “Commanders, how are your units?”

The commanders of each battalion responded, revealing that the Parpaldians had suffered a loss of 10% of their men. Over 300 of the Imperial Army’s most elite infantrymen were killed or injured, with a few unlikely to survive unless they get to the fleet’s healers in time. Many others were injured not physically, but in terms of morale. The enemy they fought was hard to see, and after scouring the nearby area for any bodies, they found nothing. A few patrolling units had managed to find metallic casings, which they deduced to be related to the projectiles fired by the unseen enemy. Bloodied helmets and clothing articles were also found, indicating that some Parpaldian shots did land.

“Do we have any information on the force that ambushed us?” Cius asked.

“Sir, based on the helmet designs, I think they are affiliated with the Altaran Elite Guard — the unit that is assigned to King Taara himself.”

“So he armed the Elite Guard with firearms, and not only that, but they were also given training.”

A commander rubbed his chin, gears clicking in his mind. “I remember that we were warned about Altaran firearms in the briefing. They mentioned that the weapons were purchased from the United States. It might be safe to assume they also received training from these Americans.”

“Of course…” Cius grumbled. “Unfortunately, we can do nothing about it. Hmm… perhaps the warehouses along the harbor still have American goods? If we can secure some of these new weapons, the Emperor would surely be pleased.”

“That is a sound idea, sir. But how will we fight our way into their capital? If the Elite Guard keeps us bogged down in this forest, we may be swarmed by the time we engage their main army.”

A spark of genius struck Cius as he determined their macro strategy going forward. “Hmm… Then I should call for reinforcements. That settles it. Our new objective is to secure this forest and establish a base once we reach the end. We can then clear out a path for reinforcements to come through.”

“Sir, how do we secure the forest?”

Cius pondered on this. The enemy employed hit and run strategies, which have proven to be effective in this forest environment. However, they lacked heavy weaponry, and thus could do no damage to the land dragons. “I’ve seen such tactics before, but never practiced by a professional military force. Usually, bandits would strike like this, preparing ambushes and fleeing quickly, slinking into the shadows. We cannot underestimate the Elite Guard, however. They will not attack if they see the land dragons again; I doubt they have much ammunition to waste,” he sighed as he realized what he had to do.

“Sir?”

With stoic determination, Cius revealed his cold strategy. “We must sacrifice a few forward units and allow them to be ambushed, in order to determine where the Altarans are hiding. It pains me to use our own men as bait, but it must be done if we are to rid ourselves of these pesky barbarians.”

——

Lying prone in a dense stack of leaves and hidden behind bushes, Captain Rial issued new orders to the Elite Guardsmen under his command. “We shall fall back to tertiary position ‘copper’ to regroup and restock. Check your ammunition and ensure that no rifles or bodies are left behind.”

Equipped with cloaks designed to blend in with the leafy green forest, several men rose up from the ground and hurried toward the direction of Le Brias. Rial reloaded his carbine, then got up and shouldered it. As he slinked through the trees, he wiped a patch of dirt off of his weapon, admiring the incredible functionality of it. He was surprised with the tactics he learned from the Americans and how effective they were at both confusing and whittling down the invading Parpaldians. He was also surprised with the sheer quality of the carbines — they fired faster than muskets, reloaded faster, and were more accurate. With this weapon in his and his comrades’ hands, he felt confident in their ability to deter the arrogant aggressors.

“Sir, we’ve spotted a lone group of scouts. What should we do?”

A sinister smile formed on Rial’s face. “Let them pass, but have a man keep track of them. The Parpaldians will think this path is safe, and we can lure them into a trap!”

——

“None of the scouts have found anything?” Cius asked with mild shock.

A commander responded, “No, sir. They might have run out of ammunition from our previous engagement.”

“That is a possibility… but judging by the size of those casings we found and the number of shots fired, there is also a possibility that they’re still somewhere within the forest.” Cius looked around suspiciously, scanning the trees ahead before sighing, “Alright. We shall begin moving out once more. We’re already halfway through the forest. Make sure our men keep to cover and to keep aware of their surroundings.”

With the land dragons leading the way, the Parpaldian forces slowly marched forward, progressing through the forest. As the minutes passed, the weary Parpaldian troops grew more tense. Some became relieved, falling for the false hope that the Altarans had fled after expending their munitions. Others became anxious, in disbelief that they haven’t been attacked already. Eventually, their fears materialized.

The soft sounds of leaves being pressed under boots, land dragons breathing, and cloth swaying were suddenly interrupted by a staccato of gunfire. The front row of brightly colored Parpaldians were immediately gunned down. Diving behind cover, the survivors dragged their wounded allies to safety while the land dragons stepped forward to shield the infantry from the hail of bullets.

“All units, covering fire!” Cius ordered.

The Parpaldian infantry shot into the forest, aiming in the enemy’s general direction.

“All units, fall back to cover. Tamers, release the land dragons!”

At his command, the land dragons were relieved from their orders of maintaining a defensive wall. Enraged by the small wounds and bruises they’ve obediently suffered through, they charged at the hidden enemies.

“Sir,” a commander said, “Why are we doing this?”

Cius watched the beasts run out of sight as he explained, “Most types of dragons and other reptiles are able to hunt for prey, even when said prey is invisible to the naked eye. I know not the reason for this ability, but consider the fact that our land dragons are selectively bred to have improved traits. Isn't it then likely that our land dragons also have improved hunting abilities?”

“Well…” the commander was speechless, impressed by Cius’ brilliance. “That does make sense!”

As if confirming Cius’ theories, several screams echoed from the distance as Altaran soldiers were ripped apart by furious land dragons. A set of flames illuminated the sheltered forest, bringing about a sense of urgency. “Alright,” Cius said. “We need to move quickly while the Altarans are distracted. It won’t be long before the fire spreads and traps us here.”

——

“Captain, our weapons are almost useless against the dragons! Only shots against their eyes and mouth are effective, but even then they’re hard to hit!”

“Don’t worry, Lieutenant.” Rial reached for his manacomm and issued an order to retreat to the final defensive position. “Keep moving. We have a few containers of gunpowder and volatile magic gems waiting for the dragons at ‘diamond’.”

“What about the bodies and rifles?”

Rial shook his head. “There’s not much we can do about that, at this point. Quickly, let’s go,” he said, grabbing his rifle.

As he sprinted to safety, he tried to ignore the horror around him. To his left, a small group of his men were huddled in a circle, surrounded by four land dragons. He looked away just as a merciless firestorm engulfed them. To his right, a man was torn into pieces, with a group of land dragons feasting on his limbs. These horrifying images of war were seared into his mind, almost causing him to lose his composure. Even as captain of the Altaran Elite Guard, Rial had never been exposed to such traumatic events.

Before long, he arrived at the final defensive position, linking up with about 50 other survivors. After a quick headcount, he returned his attention to the rumbling behind them. 32 land dragons charged toward them, unaware of the specter of death looming over them.

Rial spoke to his men, “Once I detonate this, we will retreat to the walls of Le Brias. Only then can we lament the dozens of brave souls we lost today.”

The battered Altarans grimly nodded and prepared to flee.

“Detonation in three… two… one…”

BOOM!