The American In Another World
Chapter 29: Blending In
November 8th, 1639
13 Miles Southwest of Le Brias
After defeating the Royal Navy Altaran and Wyvern Altaran Corps, the Parpaldian fleet landed on an unnamed stretch of coast, near the capital Le Brias. Landing ships go back and forth from troop carriers, unloading people and supplies along uninhabited and undeveloped shorelines. Warships and wyvern rulers patrolled the perimeter, a precaution against any attempt to resist the construction of the Parpaldian base. Surprisingly, the Altar never attacked.
The rising sun shone on the tents of the newly established Parpaldian Imperial Army, bathing them with a gentle golden light. A calm sea breeze swept through their camp, in stark contrast to the ferociousness of yesterday's battle. From his mainstay, General Cius observed the deployment of his troops, reviewing strategic plans as he did so. Behind him, his officers analyzed their current state.
"The wyvern rulers have not found any signs of the Altar?" A man asked, his clothes identifying him as a commander.
"No" replied a man dressed similarly. “No enemy presence from here to the capital itself. Their forces seem to have consolidated themselves around Le Brias, and are preparing for battle.”
"Number of troops?"
“30,000 people, like.”
“But our intelligence department says 20,000. What is with this significant deviation?”
Knight Captain Shalsas moved forward, explaining the information gathered by his scouts, “Le Brias has 20,000 garrisons. They seemed to have been preparing for this war for some time now. Some people I have seen supply caravans traveling from other roads - from nearby towns.
“So,” one of the commanders started, “These cities must be defended weakly. I propose an attack on these cities to starve the Altar before we besiege their capitals.”
Another commander scoffed at the idea. “Aduh, repot. That would be a good strategy if we really needed to weaken the Altar. Our strength is more than enough to seize their capital; deploying it will only make them vulnerable to take.”
“With my strategy, we can reduce the number of casualties! We can deploy our scouts to make sure our units are not under siege!”
The debate heated up as the other commanders discarded the proposal. “What scouts? We have lost over 80% of our wyvern rulers, most of them due to unknown sea monsters. Our cavalry units are too few to protect our troops from ambush!”
"Enough!" general Cius' orders. “Both of your plans deserve, but unfortunately, the Emperor demands immediate results. We will leave for their capital after all the troops have descended 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 short lunch, after which they immediately began marching towards the forest standing between them and Le Brias. The dense forest was a strange sight for the Altaran environment. While most of the Altaran landscape resembles deserts and other dry biomes, this particular forest appears tropical. Tall trees, bushy shrubs, and rather bushy plants obscure vision and inhibit mobility.
General Cius and his commanders had considered moving around the forest, but this effectively turned the five-mile journey into a thirty-mile detour. Placement along the northern coast is also considered, but cliffs along the coastline limit each northern coast to a distance of at least forty miles from Le Brias. Finally, they also considered attacking directly into the port of Le Brias, but ruled it out due to the risk of losing transport due to heavy fighting.
Almost instantly after Cius set foot into the forest, he felt regret— regret emanating from a mysterious fear that suddenly permeated the atmosphere. He frowned as he moved, observing his surroundings for something suspicious. A few screams suddenly struck his ears, making his heart flutter with anxiety. "What the fuck?"
General Cius looked at the crowd in front, crowding at something. He walked forward, curious about the origin of the scream. "Move!"
His men parted to make way for him. He approached the source of the scream and his eyes widened in horror. Some of his soldiers dropped ropes into some sort of abyss, from which groans of pain came out. He stepped closer and peered over the edge, finding his six soldiers in some sort of trap, punctured by a nail.
“Make sure word gets out to all units: keep on guarding against traps and let the land dragon go first!” He booked. While his witches were busy relaying orders to their manacomm, he heard a few more shouts from elsewhere in the forest. He cursed softly, frustrated with the unusual Altar strategy. He predicted the assault would most likely be delayed until tomorrow, assuming they could get out of the woods by night. Reluctantly, he retreated to the back line, gloomily letting his infantry risk their lives to find the best path to safety.
As he turned to walk back, he heard dozens of shots piercing through the air. Unlike the sound of the Parpaldian rifle being fired, this shot was higher pitched. The frequency of the shots also gave the impression that the enemy was made up of a force greater than him. He had 3,000 of Parpaldia's finest infantry. How did they get cut down so easily?
Unable to identify the location of their attackers, the Parpaldians hide behind land dragons, shooting randomly into the forest. The rounds impacted the land dragons, almost angering them to the point of uncontrollable ferocity. The Parpaldian tamers were scrambling to control the beasts, fearing the firestorm in the forest.
Cius took refuge behind a dense tree as he issued new orders to his men. Using whatever cover they could find, they had to advance. Due to the lack of experience in such combat situations and due to the unpredictable and unconventional tactics of the enemy, Cius did not know what to do. He was very hopeful that his men could finally find their attacker.
"There!" A Parpaldian warrior called out, pointing to the dense grove of plants.
His comrades pointed their rifles in the direction he pointed. Not finding anything in the targeted area, they began to point their rifles around the common area. With their goal no longer on the intended target, the camouflaged figure hurriedly got up and ran away. A shotgun followed the figure, but all the shots missed.
"They're blending in with the trees!" A soldier said before he was hit by a bullet, causing him to faint in a pool of his own blood.
The muzzle flash illuminated a shadowy layer of forest cover in the distance, which was quickly fired by the Parpaldians. Cius continued to move forward, staying in the middle of his regiment formation while his men fought the enemy. Over time, the frequency of gunfire decreases as fewer people fire their guns. Eventually, the shootout stopped altogether.
“All land dragon units, secure the area! Create perimeter. 3rd Platoon, evacuate all the injured back to the fleet.” Cius ran towards the manacomm operator. “Send message to fleet; we send the injured and need available healers once they arrive.
The operator nodded and began to contact the Parpaldian fleet.
While the land dragon made a defensive wall deeper into the forest, Cius organized his commanders to analyze the latest battles and discuss potential actions against such attacks in the future. "Commander, how's your unit?"
The commander of each battalion responded, revealing that Parpaldian had lost 10% of his men. More than 300 of the Empire's most elite Army infantrymen were killed or wounded, with some unlikely to survive unless they obtained a fleet healer in time. Many others are hurt not physically, but in moral terms. The enemy they were fighting was hard to see, and after scouring the nearby area for corpses, they found nothing. Several patrol units managed to locate the metal shell, which they concluded was related to a projectile fired by an unseen enemy. Helmets covered in blood and clothes were also found, suggesting that some of the Parmaldian shots had indeed landed.
"Do we have any information about the troops that ambushed us?" ask Cius.
“Master, based on the design of his helmet, I think they are affiliated with Altaran Elite Guard — units assigned to King Taara himself.”
“So he armed the Elite Guard with firearms, and not only that, they were also given training.”
A commander rubbed his chin, gears clicked in his mind. “I remember we were warned about Altaran firearms in the briefing. They said the weapons were purchased from the United States. It may be safe to assume that they also received training from these Americans.”
“That's a great idea, sir. But how are we going to fight our way to their capital? If the Elite Guards keep us trapped in this forest, we might be mobbed as we face their main army.”
The spark of genius strikes Cius as he sets their macro strategy forward. “Hmm. Solved it. Our new goal is to secure this forest and establish a base once we reach the end. We can then clear the way for reinforcements to come. ”
“Master, how do we secure the forest?”
Cius pondered this. The enemy implemented an attack and run strategy, which proved effective in this forest environment. However, they lacked heavy weaponry, and thus could not damage land dragons. “I've seen such tactics before, but never practiced by professional military forces. Normally, bandits would attack like this, setting up ambushes and escaping quickly, sneaking into the shadows. However, we cannot underestimate the Elite Guard. They won't attack if they see a land dragon again; I doubt they have a lot of ammo to waste, ”his complaint when he realizes what he should do.
"Sir?"
With stoic determination, Cius revealed his cold strategy. “We have to sacrifice some of the front units and let them be ambushed, to determine where the Altarans are hiding. It hurts me to use our own people as bait, but it has to be done if we want to break away from these annoying barbarians.”
——
Lying on his stomach in a heap of dense foliage and hidden behind bushes, Captain Rial issued a new order to the Elite Guards under his command. “We will return to the tertiary position of 'copper' to regroup and replenish. Check your ammunition and make sure there are no rifles or bodies left behind.
Equipped with a robe designed to blend into the shady green forest, several men rose from the ground and rushed towards Le Brias. Rial refilled his carbine, then got up and shouldered it. As he slipped through the trees, he wiped a patch of land from his weapon, admiring its incredible function. He was surprised by the tactics he learned from the Americans and how effective they were in confusing and reducing the attacking Parpaldians. He was also surprised by the quality of his carbine — they shoot faster than shotguns, recharge faster, and more accurately. With this weapon in his hands and his comrades, he felt confident in their ability to deter arrogant aggressors.
“Master, we have seen the only group of scouts. What do we do?"
A cynical smile formed on Rial's face. “Let them pass by, but have someone keep an eye on them. The Parpaldians will consider this road safe, and we can trap them into a trap!”
——
"No scout found anything?" Cius asked with a bit of surprise.
A commander replied, “No, Sir. They may run out of ammo from our previous engagement.”
"That's a possibility, but judging by the size of the shells we found and the number of shots fired, there's also the possibility that they're still somewhere in the woods." Cius looked around suspiciously, observing the trees in front before sighing, “Alright. We'll start moving once again. We're halfway through the woods. Make sure our people stay sheltered and remain aware of their surroundings.
With the land dragon taking the lead, the Parpaldian army slowly marched forward, advancing through the forest. As the minutes passed, the tired Parpaldian army grew more and more tense. Some became relieved, falling for the false hope that the Altar escaped after depleting their ammunition. Others become anxious, not believing that they have never been attacked. Eventually, their fears were realized.
The soft sound of leaves pressed under the boots, the breath of the land dragon, and the swaying cloth were suddenly interrupted by the gunfire. The brightly colored Parpaldian vanguard was immediately shot dead. Diving behind cover, the survivors dragged their wounded allies to safety while the land dragons stepped forward to protect the infantry from the hail of bullets.
"All units, fire!" cius's orders.
The Parpaldian infantry shot into the forest, heading towards the general direction of the enemy.
“All units, backward. Tamer, release the land dragon!”
On his orders, the land dragon was released from the order of defending the defensive wall. Enraged by the small cuts and bruises they were going through obediently, they attacked the hidden enemies.
"Master," said a commander, "Why are we doing this?"
Cius watched the animal disappear from view as he explained, “Most types of dragons and other reptiles can hunt prey, even when the prey is not visible to the naked eye. I don't know the reason for this ability, but consider the fact that our land dragons are selectively bred to enhance traits. Doesn't our land dragon also have better hunting abilities?”
"Yes .." the commander fell silent, impressed by Cius's brilliance. "That makes sense!"
As if confirming Cius' theory, several shouts echoed from a distance as the Altaran army was ripped apart by an angry land dragon. A series of flames illuminated the sheltered forest, giving rise to a sense of urgency. "All right" said Cius. “We have to move fast while Altaran is interrupted. It won't be long for the fire to spread and trap us here.”
——
“Captain, our weapons are almost useless against dragons! Only shots towards their eyes and mouth were effective, but even so they were hard to hit!”
"Don't worry, Lieutenant." Rial grabbed his manacomm and issued an order to retreat to the last holding position. "Continue moving. We have several containers of gunpowder and volatile magic gems waiting for the dragons in 'diamonds'.
"What about the body and the rifle?"
Rial shook his head. “There's not much we can do about that, at this point. Quick, let's go, ”he said as he grabbed his rifle.
As he ran to safety, he tried to ignore the horrors around him. To his left, a small group of his men clustered together to form a circle, surrounded by four land dragons. He looked away as a firestorm mercilessly struck them. To his right, a man was torn to shreds, with a group of land dragons feasting on his limbs. This terrifying picture of war was ingrained in his mind, almost causing him to lose his composure. Even as the captain of the Altaran Elite Guards, Rial had never experienced such a traumatic event.
Shortly thereafter, he arrived at the final defensive position, joining around 50 other survivors. After a quick count, he again noticed the rumbling behind them. The 32 land dragons charged towards them, unaware of the specter of death looming over them.
Rial spoke to his men, “Once I detonate it, we will retreat to the wall of Le Brias. Only then can we mourn the dozens of brave souls lost today.”
The battered altar nodded grimly and prepared to flee.
"Explosion in three. two.. one..."
THE EXPLOSION!