I rode up to the bastion that Eli had commissioned in silent awe. Currently waiting on the old runway were over four thousand troops, dressed in the disparate outfits that suited their classes and fighting styles. All wore one thing to identify them as mine. A royal blue cloak with the stylized profile of a snarling coyote head stitched in silver thread. A thin circle surrounded the head while two strips of silver stitching ran down the length of the cloaks.

Every Division had a flag bearer, displaying the same symbol, though under each circle was a roman numeral indicating the brigade, battalion, or company. Platoons carried smaller customized guidons with streamers indicating what type of force or action they focused on.

The scene echoed descriptions I’d read of ancient Greece and Sparta, with the memory of my time in the Army mixed in. Stiff rows of soldiers waiting with patience and discipline for their general to review the troops before mobilization. Families and friends gathered to the North side of the field waving and calling out to their loved ones up until Kaia strode onto the airfield.

As I moved in front of Eli he stiffened, then bellowed out in a voice that seemed to carry the entire length of the formation, “DIVISION! A-TEN-SHUN!” His right arm snapped an up-turned hand to his brow in what I always considered to be the odd British style of saluting. The sound of heels in boots snapping together echoed across the ranks. Even Valkyr, Dwarves, and Daemon’s snapped to attention in their own similar ways.

Then a loud “HARUMPH!” echoed across the land in response to their commander's order.

“UNIT COMMANDERS, REPORT!”

On the left, a dark haired Valkyr woman with gleaming armor stepped forward beside Freya and barked out, “THE VALKYR ARE READY!” Behind her the Valkyr responded to her declaration with another loud “HARUMPH!” Afterwards the woman stepped back to her position in the formation.

Next, a young native man who may be in his mid thirties stepped forward, “FIRST DIVISION IS READY AND WAITING ORDERS, SIR!” Like the Valkyr, the formation shouted their battle cry. In short order the remaining Daemon and Dwarf formations did the same thing. For their credit, having fewer members to the task force, the Dwarves banged weapons against shields or the ground to increase their decibel input.

Eli turned back to face me and saluted in his very British way again, “Task Force Phoenix is ready to march at your order, Sir.”

I rode down the line of assembled troops at a casual pace, all remained locked at attention, despite the draining Arizona heat. Inspecting the troops, I saw determination, anticipation, and even fear in their eyes. When I had made it back in front of Eli I paused before bellowing out to address them.

“Your commanders have briefed you on the mission. They’ve explained it as best as they can with the information given. Some of you might not understand fully why we do this. I think… the System has rekindled something deep in our souls. Something long dormant in our previous lives. The good and the bad have been revealed.”

Everyone’s attention was fully on me. Even the alien refugees were nodding at my words. They understood what I knew in my soul, what I was espousing to the men and women gathered before me was horribly true.

“West, in Kingman, they have turned to cannibalism. In the East I found a man who turned to sacrifice to sate his need for power. In the North, and in the South where we head to now, men take other men as property.” I looked over at Anna where she stood next to my assembled honorguard of imposing looking beastmen in various states of transformation. She shivered at the memory of what her people had been through by the hands of the Navajo to the north.

“Early on I was contacted by an entity who claims to administer the implementation of the System in our small corner of the greater galaxy. He told me that more beings would be coming, not just the Refugees who have taken up arms to join us in our campaign this day.”

The Valkyr, Daemon, and Dwarves as one released another loud “HARUMPH!” Nervous anxious energy flowed through the gathered troops of all races and military discipline was briefly broken before quickly being reasserted by dangerous looks from individual commanders and NCO’s.

“He told me we needed to unify as many of our people, secure our own Kingdom, as quickly as we could. We have less than two months now. I plan to enter into an alliance with Payson, who have given Sanctuary to Princess Junipher’s people. When our business in Payson is concluded, we will march into Mesa and make contact with the people of Phoenix. I suspect that at least one faction will require the excessive and deliberate use of violence.”

The entire Task Force now barked out another “HARUMPH!” in unison. The cracked desert around us shook in response, fragile flagstone rocks cracked and slid into shallow canyons in the near distance.

“That is all, Commanders, prepare to march!”

I wheeled Kaia away from the army and found Junipher with our Anna and our honor guard. One hundred beastmen, all claws, teeth, and thick leather armor formed two lines with a wide gap in the center for myself and any designated VIP’s. Junipher climbed into Kaia’s saddle in front of me with a content smile on her face.

“You did good, my burly Warlord.”

“I figured they should know what we’re really doing. Honestly, it took me a while to put it all together myself. I feel like I’ve been moving on auto-pilot since this shit started. This is actually the first action I feel I’ve enacted from my own will.”

“It has been hectic. And honestly, I don’t think anyone else has done nearly as well as we have. I’ve read the reports and scanned the System Net for information about any other settlement or city out there. None are as secure or organized as yours, my love. You’ve done good. You may not like the steps you’ve taken to get here.”

“The ends justify the means?”

“Indeed, wise King!” She teased as I rolled my eyes, then leaned up to kiss me.

Eli cleared his throat next to me as he rode up on Felix, “We are ready, sir. And if it’s not too out of line to say so, I agree with the young lady.”

I looked behind us and saw that the Task Force had indeed formed up on Highway 87 and were ready to go. Gregor rode up on a large eight horned antelope, while Freya and Shubin walked behind us, engaged in low conversation.

We moved out at a casual trot on our mounts, which became a slow jog for anyone that didn’t have anything but LPC’s, Leather Personnel Carriers, to move them from one spot to another. The runners didn’t complain, everyone that was coming with us was at least in the first few levels of their Advanced class and would have the stamina to keep up our current pace for hours without even breaking a sweat.

Additionally, a supply train of every truck or SUV, military and civilian, that could be scrounged up carried additional boxes of food, potions, bullets for those weapon systems that couldn’t use mana magazines, portable forges and workbenches, and more. Adventurers that weren’t attached to the Task Force were trailing the formation as well, given contracts to provide direct security to the supply train as needed. These people had decided that waiting for the larger force to head out was smarter than trying to make for Tucson or Phoenix on their own.

I had no problem with them tagging along. More bullets and blades on any nasties that attempted to mess with our overwhelming force was never a bad thing. Though, as we marched, it seemed the normally abundant mutated wildlife had taken the day off. So, at least anything that lurked within range of our settlement wasn’t up to the task of facing off against over four thousand soldiers and adventurers.

After about an hour we reached our first major landmark. A pair of massive hills that appeared to have grown taller and wider. These hills were present before the System, though I’d never known their names. On the Winslow side, the hills sloped up gently to flatten out into a pseudo-mesa, where on the south face they dropped off in a steep rocky cliff.

An odd presumably windswept formation even before the System, made more extreme by the effects of mana accelerating the dormant geological processes buried deep in the earth. As we trotted up on what was now being labeled as the Twin Bears. The forest, which normally didn’t start for another ten miles, had encroached on the desert here.

“Oh, look at that.” Eli muttered to my right, I looked in the direction he was looking and quickly called a halt.

Casually munching on the top fronds of a gnarled mesquite tree was a real life Triassic era Triceratops. It stared at our army indifferently as it enjoyed its meal under the rays of the hot noon day sun. It turned to expose its side as it walked over to another more appetizing tree, displaying several dark tiger stripes that ran up from its underside.

“You want one, don’t you?”

Eli looked at me with a slightly sheepish look, “I did bring along some of our animal tamers…”

“What is so special about this creature, Master Karl?” Freya floated down to my left.

“I’m not an expert, but this creature has been extinct for over a hundred million years, give or take. If it’s living now, there could be far more ferocious creatures lurking in the woods. Supposedly these things were made extinct by an ancient asteroid impact.”

“Hmm, my scouts have spotted several other creatures similar to this one along our flanks.”

“Cool, maybe we’ll dine on dino-steaks tonight!”

Eli sent some of his tamers out to see if they could round up some new mounts for the army, then we continued our march. The world was changing, and it would change further. We all knew it, and I felt we were embracing it with nimble aplomb.

Soon we reached the edge of the Coconino National Forest. Before the System it was pretty obvious when you hit the edge of the forest, there was a literal edge. One second you could see as far as your eyes would allow you in all directions, in the next second low rising mesquites began to cluster thickly before giving way to tall pines and firs. It was always an enjoyable drive as soon the highway would wind its way up and then down the mountain.

Now, the delineation between desert and forest was much more stark, and subtle at the same time. New growth choked down the mesquite and struggled to make its presence known. A mixture of Birch, Maple, and Oak cast long light filtering shadows across the landscape. Their branches stretched high above the forest floor that was now littered with the normal detritus you’d find in any other forest. Ivy and thistle grew protectively around the base of the new trees that looked like they had been there for decades.

We wound our way down the highway in silent wonder. This forest had always been beautiful, an oasis of color and shade in a brown landscape. Now, it was alive. Almost like it had a consciousness. One that wanted you to know true peace.

“My people have been hard at work. That’s what you’re feeling. They’ve extended the sanctuary of the grove quite far.” Junipher remarked as we entered the shade of a pair of massive oaks. She slid her hand up behind my neck as we rode forward, Kaia sniffed the air, his head darting from side to side as he identified different smells that demanded his attention.

“They do good work, this reminds me of where I grew up, in Michigan. Lots of green there. Plenty of places to take the pretty girls I would chase and fool around.”

She twisted in the saddle, grinding her shapely ass against my crotch. “Is that so? And yet you don’t chase any of the women that continually throw themselves at you now. I can’t possibly be the only one you desire.”

I only smiled in response, feeling the heat in my cheeks. I didn’t have an answer for my self imposed monogamy. Maybe I had finally grown up at 43 years old. Maybe I was just satisfied with what I had. Or maybe I was just too damn busy surviving this new world we lived in, now trying to conquer it.

“No answer, dear lover? Have I stolen your tongue?”

“No, but maybe my heart.” I leaned in and kissed her hard.

She smiled at me, then leaned back quiet once again. We rode down into a vibrant valley with a newly formed flowing river. A field of lush green grass spread out for several hundred meters with a pair of cabins or barns nestled against the edge of the forest. We moved past this strangely idyllic scene as the highway curled back up the mountain.

Junipher stiffened momentarily, then relaxed in almost the same instant. “We’re here. We’ve reached the Sacred Grove of Oakenheart. My father.”

I followed her gaze and spotted a pair of green people blending against the trunks of a large pair of oaks. They stepped out of the shade to reveal themselves, a pair of spear wielding full on dryads, skin of bark and hair of leaves. They bowed reverently to Junipher who nodded her acknowledgement in response.

“Aspen! Sindra! You survived the ambush!?” Junipher squealed then slid off Kaia’s back and rushed to the pair of waiting willowy dryads.

“We did, however, Graner and Hum’pher did not. We thought you were lost to us as well!”

“Fear not, Karl arrived at the right time and saved me from those vile creatures.”

They eyed me conspiratorially, then leaned in to gossip with their long lost friend and Princess. I slid off Kaia and walked over to Eli.

“I’m told that they have prepared a staging area in Payson for us. Move the Task Force there while I handle my business here.”

“Already on it, Sir. Good luck.”

With that he was moving off to direct the flow of traffic. Columns of cavalry and warriors of all the peoples pledged to my banner. When I turned around, I saw that Lord Shubin, Freya, Gregor, and Anna were waiting for me.

“Uh, hey guys. I take it you want to join me?”

“Well of course. Moral support and all.” Shubin cracked a large toothy grin as he said that.

“That, and I ‘eard they make a strong brew. I wouldn’t be a respectable Dwarf if I didn’t sample me some.” Gregor added.

“Oh, I’m here for Junipher, Master Karl.” Freya smirked and dragged a bewildered looking cat-girl empress behind her to join Junipher and her friends where they were catching up.

“C’mon lad, let's go meet the King of the Dryads. Oh, and remind me before we leave Payson, I have a little something for ye.” Gregor strode off down the side road as Junipher, Freya, Anna, and the two other dryads led us down a side road. An old sign lying on the ground reminded me that this road led to Blue Ridge Reservoir. Shubin, and Kaia walked with me while my honor guard waited on the sides of the main highway.

A dozen more dryad followed along from the treetops, leaping across the thick branches that hung over the quiet road. Several more appeared with flasks and food that was offered to my honor guard that was already in the process of setting up a temporary camp.

“Alright, let’s go meet dad.”