Part Eleven – The Fort

Oh, hell no! What’s up with the sudden isekai crap!?

I hadn’t really known what to expect. I’d only been inside the one C-Rank Dungeon. So I had prepared myself for just about anything, except this.

“Listen up! You’ve all been drafted into the defense of Fort Aries. We’ve been under siege by an army of monsters for a week and you’re the only reinforcements my men have gotten. So no complaints! Understood?”

The other mercenaries and I were surrounded by ranks upon ranks of soldiers. The sudden development had unsettled many of the others, sending ripples through the crowd. I could hear people whispering about seeing other humans inside a Dungeon.

No, those aren’t humans.

Human Soldier

Rank: D

Description: An NPC. Charged with the protection of Fort Aries, this soldier will lay down their life should the need arise.

Every single one has the same Description. Except the Captain yelling at us.

Commander Argoth

Rank: C

Description: An NPC. The commander of Fort Aries. Has a serious personality that doesn’t allow him to be flexible. Maintains discipline among his troops with an iron fist.

This is all kinds of nuts!

“Starting today, the whole lot of you are now officially under my command. You will live, eat, and sleep when I say so. Have I made myself clear?”

What does he mean by live? Is he going to tell us to fight til we die? This could get ugly.

Most of the others had at least calmed down enough to think rationally. But there was always exceptions. And fools.

“Do you think we’ll stand for this? This is a direct violation of our human rights, and I won’t al-.” He was cut off by an arrow sprouting out of his throat.

Hey, wasn’t that the douchebag that hit on Alicia? Good job mystery archer!

“I believe I said no complaints! You want to whine about unfair treatment? Take a look over the walls and tell me if you still think I’m being unfair.”

Everyone looked to where he pointed and froze. Countless pillars of smoke were rising into the air. It wasn’t something you needed to think about to understand.

“The monsters have us hemmed in on all sides. If you want to make it out of here, then you’ll listen to what I say!”

::Beginning Dungeon Scenario: Destroy the Monster Army besieging Fort Aries. Time remaining until possible retreat: 6 Days 23 Hours 57 Minutes.::

This was when everyone else realized just how hard a C-Rank Dungeon really was.

Allow me to take a moment to elucidate on the current situation. Fort Aries was closer to a small fortified village than a fort. Consisting of two dozen buildings, ranging from barracks to officer quarters to an armory, the fort had everything that a standing garrison would need. The whole thing was about the size of a major league baseball stadium.

The walls were supplemented with watchtowers at the corners and the cardinal directions. A larger tower extended from the command center, but its intended purpose was unknown. Ringing the fort were layers of caltrops and trenches, presumably to slow down any invaders. After that, a field stretched beyond for roughly the length of two football fields, then met with a sprawling forest, which was where the monsters were encamped.

All in all, our new world was multiple rings layered against each other. I attributed this to the fact that we were in a Dungeon. The others were unsettled by the whole thing, but I was fine. After all, the Nightmare Labyrinth was far stranger than this. We were quickly learning that entering a Dungeon was akin to entering the Twilight Zone. You didn’t know what might happen.

“Well this is a fine kettle of fish we’re in. Stuck between a rock and a hard place. Caught like a rat in a trap. Up the creek without a paddle. We-."

“Okay, okay! We get it, we’re in some serious trouble. You don’t have to say every single idiom you know!”

After our…. Orientation, we’d been broken up into groups, then led to our barracks. The strange thing was that there was enough rooms for at least three times as many people. This meant we each got our own room, though they obviously weren’t much to look at. We’d gathered in mine to talk about the current situation.

“I’m not sure it’s as bad as you make it out. We always knew this would be difficult, but we chose to do this. And like you’ve said before, surviving against impossible odds just makes you that much stronger.”

Huh? When did I say that? I mean it sounds like something I’d say, but I don’t remember actually saying it. Maybe I was sleep talking?

“He’s right! We’ve always gone up against difficult situations, so why would this be any different? Its just that this time, we’ll show what we can do and that you’re not just carrying us.”

Oh no, now Alicia’s fired up. Well, maybe I should just go along with them?

“Alright then! We’ll just have to cut our way through every single monster that comes near us! If we fight together, then there’s nothing that can stand in our way!”

“Oh would you calm down. This is no time to be so excited.”

“But you started iiiiiit!”

I can’t believe her! She gets me excited, then let’s me down? Is this similar to something else, or am I going crazier?

“Whatever. What do you think the hardass wants with us?”

“I can’t figure it out. Why did he only send some of the groups those ‘invitations'. Why single us out like that? There has to be some kind of method to it.”

Before we’d gone to our barracks, a soldier had told us to meet in the command center in an hour. I’d seen several other groups be given the same message as we’d gone by, so it probably wasn’t something we’d done wrong. But I had no clue what it could be about.

“Regardless of what this is about, we still have to go. I can only imagine what kind of trouble we’d be kicking up if we ignored it.”

“Yeah, we’ve already seen that they have no problems killing humans. These NPCs are definitely stronger than I would’ve believed. If we aren’t careful, it won’t be the monsters that kill us.”

The Fort was rather large, enough so that we had to ask a soldier for directions to the command center. We were definitely not the first to arrive, but we weren’t egregiously late. Or really at all, as the commander had yet to arrive.

There were representatives from several different groups, including Braddock himself. We took our seats around the large table in the center of the room. Hm, he’s got some nice stuff. That shield in particular looks like it would be a pain to deal with.

Besides him, there were several others who caught my attention. First was the woman sitting beside him. Her armor was even lighter than what Alicia wore and there was a staff propped against her chair. Is she some kind of magic user? How do you learn to use magic and how can I learn?

Beside her was a man with a bow on his back. Its material was something I’d never seen, some kind of wood, with green marbling running through it. It looked interesting at the least.

Next was the brutish looking man wearing armor decorated with unfashionable spikes. Unlike the others who were glancing around the room at everyone else, he was calmly sitting in his chair relaxing. I couldn’t see his weapon, so he either had it in a magic bag, or had left it in his room.

Finally there was a man wearing fancy armor. It had gold ornamentation, so its appearance was rather gaudy. He looked to be sleeping, even when the guy beside him kept trying to get his attention. Is his armor from the System? And if it is, why’s it so flashy? Wouldn’t you want more subdued armor, so you don’t get unnecessarily spotted, or is that just me?

It wasn’t long after that that Commander Argoth arrived. Alongside him were several soldiers carrying documents, which they started to hand out.

“These documents detail the composition of the monster army. Everyone should thoroughly look through them to ensure that you remember the details.”

This is really well put together, but how can I read it? These glyphs aren’t from any language I know of, but I can somehow read them as if they were English. Is this more of the System’s mysterious magic, or something else?

“Our mages have been scouting the area and discovered that the army is divided into three divisions. First is the Demi-Human brigade composed of Goblins, Kobolds, Minotuars, Orcs, and Ogres. This is the largest division of the army and the one that gives the most orders.”

“Second and third are the Beast Brigade and the Winged Brigade. The former is primarily centered around a large wolf pack, while the latter is all winged creatures. We’ve yet to identify the leaders of these groups, but we know they’re out there. Also, we suspect that there is a monster that’s leading the whole group.”

Oh boy, that was an information dump. So there’s three targets besides the Boss we’ll have to hunt down. And what kind of winged creatures? Are they birds or something similar to the Morays? I swear to god that if a Dragon appears, I’m so done with this.

“I’ve gathered you here in order to form an assault squad. If we receive word of valuable or important targets, you’ll be deployed to eliminate them. Now, are there any questions?”

It was the large man who spoke first. “Yeah, what kinda targets we talking bout? “

“Mostly supply caches or the monster’s leaders. While most of the beasts don’t have any real leadership, the Demi-Humans have strict hierarchies that will cause their command to be thrown into chaos if its disrupted.”

That made sense. I’d seen first-hand how effective it was to kill the leaders of monster groups. It would turn them into an orderless mob that couldn’t function as an army. The flashy man was next to speak up.

“So who gets to be in charge on these assaults?”

“That will be decided on an as needed basis. I will pick those who I believe are the most capable and trustworthy to ensure the success of the mission.”

That’s fair. He probably doesn’t want to risk putting someone in who’ll muck up their plans and cause massive losses. Though I can’t figure something out.

Several other people asked questions ranging from provisions to where we’d be stationed, but since I didn’t have any real questions, I stayed silent. Once no one had any questions, the commander called the meeting to an end.

“If that’s all, then I’ll excuse myself. You will all receive your assignments in the morning and will therefore be on duty. You’ll be given more details at that time.”

The commander left then, but the others stayed seated. When a few had made to stand, Braddock had waved them back down. He clearly had something he wanted to discuss.

“Now that that’s out of the way, I’d like to talk about what we’re going to do. We’re going to need some kind of chain of command in order to prevent as many casualties as possible.”

One of the quieter mercenaries spoke up. “Do you really think there’s going to be that many casualties? We’ve all been inside multiple Dungeons, so we’re not inexperienced with fighting. Do you have that little regard for our ski-?”

“What bullshit.” I’d had enough of his naivety. “What happens if a C-Rank shows up? Do you really think every person will hold their ground without some kind of chain of command? If monsters start slaughtering us, it’ll be every man for themselves.”

I’d been silent during the entire meeting, so speaking so suddenly had caught them off-guard. Satisfied that I had their attention, I continued to speak.

“Any fight with monsters could result in death. Anyone who doesn’t acknowledge that is avoiding reality. And since we’re inside a Dungeon, it’s only more so. There’s no guarantees about what could happen here, so we need thorough preparation.”

“Hmph! If you think I’m anything like these riff-raff, then you clearly need your eyes checked. I’ve studied fencing my whole life, so no monster will be able to defeat me. I’m just of a different caliber than the rest of you.”

Wow, I knew from his armor that he was probably narcissistic, but holy cow! This is on an entirely different level. No matter how skilled he is, if something with much greater strength comes after him, he’ll be a sitting duck.

“Ha, such big talk. If you think you’re so tough, why dontcha back it up?” Oh boy, now the big guy’s getting in on this.

“Oh, would you like for me to put you in your place? I’d be delighted to stomp on a pair of rats like you.”

Well this has gotten interesting. I’m more than willing to bring down some stuck-up wannabe.

“Enough! We’ve got more than enough enemies for you to work off your aggression on. We can’t be at each other’s throats if we want to survive what’s coming.”

That cooled me down. I had to keep my temper reined in, or I’d end up in a situation I couldn’t escape. In a worst case scenario, I could even pull Alicia and Cameron with me.

“Fine. I’ll focus on the monsters, for now.”

“Hmph. Well then, I’ll hold off as well.”

“Boring. I’m heading outta here.”

The larger man, along with the rest of his group, left the room. This led to an exodus, as many of the other mercenaries filed out after them, including the narcissist’s group, leaving only us and Braddock and the two who were with him.

“Well that could have gone better. I was hoping to start a discussion on cooperating and coordinating our efforts, but it looks like it’ll be harder than I thought. Too many egos and too many hard heads to allow for easy cooperation.”

“It’s okay Braddock, we’ve still got the support of those who came with us. Surely we can pull through if we all work together.” I wonder what she means by that? Did they arrive here with multiple other groups? What kind of support do they have?

“Kalia's right commander. We’ve got the numbers and the support to ensure as many survive this as possible. There’s no reason to doubt ourselves right now.”

“Heh. I must be getting senile in my old age. A decade ago, I’d never have let something set me back, I’d have plowed straight through it. Time takes away a lot from a man, but I’ve still got enough in the tank. But I do wonder what the three of you will do? Will you try to take the glory for yourselves, or will you work to save as many as you can? No need to answer now, your actions will speak louder than words ever could.”

They took their leave after he’d finished talking. Something about him is bugging me, but I can’t put my finger on it.

“Well we’ve seen the people we’re to work with, been briefed on what’s to come, and had an uncomfortable showdown with those with bigger egos. All in all, a good day’s work.”

“What’s that supposed to mean!”

Why can’t she ever play along with me? Does she enjoy ruining my jokes?