The American In Another World
Chapter 5: The Drums of War

10 June 1639

Washington DC

President Lee twirled the pen on his finger as he listened to Steven's report.

“... and with approval from HHS and CDC, we have issued a green light for our company to start sending construction workers and surveyors to Qua Toyne and Quila.”

President Lee smiled. "That's great. We can finally start our economic recovery....say, did Senator Greene receive my message? I needed his committee to increase the funds available to the construction company. Many of them are still wary of the situation, and we should be able to convince them with our wallet.”

“Yes, he agreed to help and is currently working to push for additional funding, but his committee is struggling to justify the fund-sharing. Everyone is fighting for money, declaring their plan as the most important.”

“What, two trillion is not enough? We don't even spend anything abroad anymore. Why don't they suck money out of that category alone?”

Steven scratched his head. “Err... Senator Jensen has removed anything related to foreign policy, because he thinks we need to maintain isolationism and focus on rebuilding our economy first.”

"What?! Doesn't he realize that's what we're trying to do? Oh kindness. Remind me to call her later. Now, is there more?”

Steven flipped through the reports. “Hmmm Ambassador Hendricks rejected by Louria people. Something about us who already have a relationship with Qua Toyne and Quila.”

"Huh. Why that?”

“They didn't say it. According to the Pentagon, Louria appears to be deploying troops along the Qua Toyne border. They may be planning to fight.”

Lee folded his hands. “So yes..so that's why they desperately need a defense agreement. After all, we cannot afford to lose our only trading partner in this world. We especially can't afford to lose metal and fuel! Have Director Klein see me again. I think we should probably expand our operations..”.

“Of course, Sir. Also, the Missouri and New Jersey emergency reactivation has been approved. They should be up and running in about a few years. About a year if we fully focus on one of them.”

"Good!" Lee exclaimed, excited because he was also a fan of warships. "We might be able to make some more Burke, but man, this is a pretty good reason to get them back on, huh?"

“Indeed right, Sir. The military budget increased by a hundred billion this year, so we have a little more freedom. NASA and DoD also want to use some of this to install new satellites. Because the world is bigger, we need more satellites to compensate for the increased surface area. We also still don't know where we are in the universe, or whether we are even in the same universe!”

“Interesting,” muses Lee, put down the pen. “Make sure they get the resources they need.”

——

U. S. Embassy, Principality of Qua Toyne

Ambassador Anders looked out the window, admiring the beautiful gardens outside. Truly, Qua Toyne is a blessed farmland. Colorful flowers adorn the embassy, creating a dichotomy of Fairy architecture and modern infrastructure. Already, fluorescent lamps are installed in the building, making it shine brighter than other local structures.

Anders' day of peace was cut short when one of his assistants approached him. “Ambassador Anders, diplomat Qua Toyne, Sir Yagou, would like to speak with you. It's important."

"All right."

Anders walked into the lobby and greeted the panicked-looking Yagou. “Mr Yagou, this.. unexpected.”.

Yagou slouches. “I'm sorry, Ambassador Anders. I've come to inform you of the urgent developments along our border: Louria is starting to gather troops. We have seen a rapidly growing tent city near one of our cities, Gim. The sky was full of wyverns. I'm afraid we'll be attacked soon.”

Anders' eyes widened. "Berinsk. What the hell's been going on?"

“Louria is known to mistreat demihumans, especially animal humans. Over the past two decades, they have relentlessly expanded, consuming much of the country of Rodenius, until only we, the Kingdom of Qua Toyne, and the Kingdom of Quila are left.” Yagou buried her face in her hands. His tone darkened, reflecting the helplessness of Qua Toyne. “Their army is huge, dwarfing our army tenfold. We may have to hand over many of our cities.”.

"Berinsk. Our economy will be hit hard if everything goes south.

“The views in the United States are forever imprinted in my mind. Ambassador Anders, please send help! Iron dragon...Steel island!”

"Don't worry," Anders put a hand on Yagou's shoulder. “Seventh Fleet is just a few days away. I will immediately contact my superiors and inform them of the situation.

——

Jin Hark, Kingdom of Louria

"So tell me about the preparation of the war" the king commanded. Hark Louria, the 34th king of the Lourian Kingdom, was a man who, more than his ancestors, wanted to realize the dream of Lourian conquest. His ancestors helped to expand Lourian to such an extent that only three major powers remained in Rodenius.

"King Louria," a muscular knight in silver armor knelt down. “Lieutenant General Adem is almost ready to start his attack. 20,000 of our vanguard troops are stationed at the borders of the Gym, ready to annihilate the defenders of Qua Toynian.”

“Excellent,” replied King Louria as she allowed some servants to take care of her. "And about Qua Toyne's mysterious new ally?"

“From what our spies have heard, the United States is a country as big as Rodenius, potentially bigger. I don't think this makes sense, because there's no way anyone could have missed a land of that size that's so close to us. Most likely the United States is an island nation, located on several island chains northeast of Qua Toyne. They are lands without wyverns, so I doubt they threaten our cause.”

"Then do you think we can win?"

General Patagene smirked confidently. “Rajaku, Qua Toyne is a country full of farmers and demihumans. Their military is at most one-tenth of our military strength. This does not even take into account the wyvern reinforcements we receive from our generous benefactors. Quila is most likely the poorest country in the world. They will surrender after we seize Maihark and cut it off from their important food supplies.”

"good. Soon, our long-planned unification of Rodenius will become a reality!”

——

Gym Edge

The Lourian East Conquest Army

Lieutenant General Adem stood on a hill, admiring the vastness of his army. With the order to attack scheduled in just a few moments, he wanted to look once again at the soldiers and wyverns that were gathering.

“Beautiful, right?” A voice said behind him.

"Yes yes. What will be even more beautiful is the scenery after the battle, where we tore up the demihumans!”

“Hoho, then please, use our gifts to fulfill your earthly desires!”

Adem smiled cynically while pulling a magic communication tool into his mouth. “General Pandour, it's time.”

“Indeed, Mr. Adem. All units, start attack!”

“General Pandour, what should we do with the citizens of the city?” She asked.

"It's so good." He looked at the benefactor with a smile. “All men, you are free to do what you like to the citizens of the city. But be sure to let some of them escape. In any case, we want to instill fear into the hearts of our enemies. Now, go ahead and annihilate!”

With a raucous roar, the Lourian army marched towards Gim, overshadowed by the hundreds of wyverns flying over him.

——

Gym, Principality of Qua Toyne

From what the scouts of Captain Moiji could determine, the Lourian army outside the Gim consisted of nearly 20,000 men. Most were swordsmen and archers, but what worried him was the number of wyvern knights they had. Offering the firepower of 150 wyvern knights, the defenders of the Gim had no chance. The best thing they could do was buy time for the citizens to escape. After hearing the trumpets of the advancing Lourians, Moiji felt despair. The evacuation has just begun, and it is unlikely that all of the Gim residents can escape in time, even if Moiji's men fight until the last man.

“So... they did not respond to our communication request?” Moiji sighed.

“No, Captain,” A communications technician answers while fiddling with which communicator.

"Did the headquarters say something about our reinforcements?"

"No sir. They kept telling me that they were in an urgent meeting.

Moiji observed the approaching wyvern herd. “Maybe Ejei will be able to send reinforcements, but by the time they arrive here it is most likely already too late.” his ears suddenly lifted. “Wait, I heard we have a new ally that is building a base in our region. United States?"

The technician shook his head. “Master, they are a country without magic. Even if we can contact them, I don't expect them to help much.

“Then, send a message to the Capital again. It may be a wasted effort, but we must keep trying.”

The technician nodded and returned to his magic equipment.

Moiji then turned around to greet his men. “Gim Defenders: today we stand against an overwhelming current, which none of us can hope to survive, but this despair does not apply to the inhabitants of the city of Gim! Our brothers, sisters, sons and daughters have not escaped the impending hell, and it is up to us to give them as much time as possible! For each of us who fought valiantly, we give an important minute to our compatriots! Knight Wyvern, wait for enemy attack.”

Moiji wanted to launch his wyvern when the enemy was above them; if he launched it early, they could be overwhelmed by the sheer number of Lourian wyverns. However, if he managed his time properly, he could turn the aerial battle into a brutal melee, in which the Lourian wyvern lost its effectiveness. By sowing such chaos in their ranks, the Lourians would have a hard time avoiding friendly shots.

The enemy stormed his defenses, firing arrows and fireballs at the barricades erected in haste. Now that the wyvern had entered the airspace above, Moiji gave the order to launch his own wyvern knight. The 24 wyverns of the First and Second Wyvern Squadron of the Gim took off, shocking Lourian's forces. Some fireballs find their mark in the stomach of a hostile wyvern, knocking it down.

The chaotic insanity above helped the Moiji people, as the Lourian wyverns were too distracted to continue their incessant bombing. For a while, the Lourian troops were left with minimal air support, inflicting heavy losses among their front lines as they tried to break through the Toynian Qua defenses.

"Dirt!" Shouted Moiji as the wyvern fell beside him. He looked up and noticed the change in the wyvern formation, then looked back at the dead wyvern next to him. “We will not waste a single second of the time they have bought for us..” Poking up his sword, he attacked a group of Lourian swordsmen who came, slashing at them with relative ease, thanks to his increased agility like a ferocious beast.

The impact of Moiji's extraordinary feats soon passed, as the defenders of Qua Toynian were scorched by a barrage of fireballs. With the departure of their own wyvern knights, the Qua Toynians attempted to shoot arrows at the Lourian ferocious beasts but to no avail; wyvern Lourian was too fast, numerous, and armored. In just less than half an hour, the Moiji knights were reduced to ashes. Smoke billowed from the battlefield and nearby houses as Moiji was pushed to his knees, with his hands tied.

A smiling man approached her, laughing. “What a miserable effort! Great tactician, Moiji, kneel before me! It seems that even a mind of your caliber cannot overcome impossible obstacles. Too bad…"

"You fucking bastard!" Moiji. “What are you smiling for?!”

"Oh? Do you really want to know? Well, then,” said Adem while gesturing to one of his men. "I'm planning on doing a show!" Adem walked over to the wheeled tool and tore off the cover, revealing a cage.

Moiji's eyes widened. "No no no no! What are you planning?!”

Aden's impossible big smile seemed to get wider as he felt happy. "I think ... if the woman here can receive punishment without making a fuss, then I'll let your daughter go!"

Moiji roared, "The devil's base!" He stood up to attack Adem but was defeated by a Lourian knight.

"Can aja. As a spectator, you have to show some manners!” Adem tilted his head. “Although, I guess I didn't expect dirty demihumans to have manners. All right, enjoy the show!”

“NO! I'll tear you apart!!”

The Lourian army looted Gim as some of its captured citizens watched in horror, being subjected to rape and torture. Like savages, the Lourian army did not allow women of their passion, even targeting some of the younger demihumans. Those who resisted were beaten to submission. Some of the men who tried to defend his family were either executed on the spot or tortured to death. Eventually, the survivors of the game stopped rebelling, with depression accepting their fate.

——

Principality of Qua Toyne, Capital

The atmosphere of the meeting was cold, full of tension, the audience was waiting for the next report. Everyone leaned over to which communicator was placed on the table.

“Gim has fallen into the hands of the Lourian East Conquest Army. They are now occupying Gim and are building a headquarters there. Our garrison troops were completely annihilated. Several thousand refugees have fled the city, but more than half of the Gim population was unable to escape in time. We don't know their fate.”

Prime Minister Kanata took a deep breath. The other Toynian Qua leaders in the surroundings shared the same exasperated face.

“Sisa of the five hundred thousand Louria strong force is currently mobilizing. In addition, more than four thousand Lourian warships had left their home port, down the northern coast of Rodenius. They are most likely heading to Maihark.”

The report ended and the audience fell into despair. Kanata hides her feelings of hopelessness as best she can; she must display a strong front or her subordinates will be destroyed. How can he convince his people? How could he survive the coming storm? While he struggled to develop a strong speech, someone called out to him.

“Mr Prime Minister,” Foreign Minister Matara raises her hand. "If you can?"

"Yes, please."

"A moment before this report, I was told by Sir Yagou that the American Embassy sent us a response."

Kanata's eyes sparkled with hope. "Oh? What's their response?”

“According to the newly created defense agreement, they will send 'Seventh Fleet' to provide assistance.”

Kanata's heart surged. "What do we see off the coast of Maihark?"

"Yes. They also regret the construction of their headquarters to run slowly. They must ensure the safety of their citizens from unknown diseases before allowing any development. But the good news, as they have stated, is that the Seventh Fleet will arrive in a few days.”

The meeting participants looked at each other, smiles growing on their faces.

"Saving!" Kanata expressed happily. “Work with Americans; we must hasten their arrival. Clean our ports and prepare supplies for their people! Tell all of our knights to cooperate with American forces, and give full freedom of navigation through our territory until the last invader is driven out! Qua Toyne kingdom will not fall!”

Cheers erupted among the audience as they each rushed to their task.