The American In Another World
Chapter 55: Calamique (2)
February 1, 1640
Archieve, Calamique
After days of waiting, the American delegation was finally asked to attend. Meyer and his colleagues boarded the carriage with a team of bodyguards under Baker's command aboard the other carriage. A bumpy, suspension trip to the Royal Castle ensues. Slowly passing through the streets of Archul, the unusually crowded capital, the passengers pick up chunks of conversation outside.
"... so His Majesty sent Dragon's Fang Knights to strengthen the Phoenix ..." said a shopkeeper loudly, lamenting fellow shop owners.
“... good for business, I guess. My accommodation has never been this complete!” Said someone else.
Meyer turned her gaze away from the scenery outside. Intrigued by the commotion, he asked Duke Wysk, who was sitting opposite him, "What happened?"
Wysk continued to look outside, his face looking anxious constantly. “The forces that attacked the village a few days ago were led by Duke Mauli Hartmann, one of the other Calamique rulers. His Majesty ordered the evacuation of Waizer and prepared to fight Hartmann's forces outside the city.”
"Civil war?" meyer asked as she looked at her assistant and gestured her to contact their superior. He hoped the State Department could issue a new order in time, before he reached the castle and began talks with the King and his advisers.
“It seems so,” replied Wysk sadly. He sighed, hanging his head. “Somehow, he managed to gather monsters under his command—twelve-horned creatures, just like you and your men saved from my daughter. The numbers under his command worried me; for the first time in my life, I worried about the security of Calamique.” Wysk spoke honestly, was amazed by the whole situation and hoped that everything would be fine in the end. Recalling the story her daughter described, she wondered if Americans could potentially help Calamique. “Of course, I believe in the strength of our troops, but this is a completely different threat – that we have never faced before.”
Meyer, sensing Duke Wysk's concerns, asks questions that serve to convince him and gain intelligence, if his superior wants to capitalize on Calamique's need for defense. "I understand. Can you tell me more about Mauli and her army? What's the goal?”
Wysk shrugged. “I know nothing more than what I knew before. I'm guessing you can ask for more details if you make a defence agreement, but I can tell you the rumours I've heard. Mauli wants to rule the island and venture beyond the Great Barrier. He stated that his intention is noble — that he is doing this for the good of our people. I doubt this. His army, according to yesterday's scouts, was mostly made up of monsters. They also noticed some fire birds with people riding them. I don't know how they managed to tame such beasts, but this presents a significant problem for our troops.
Meyer became interested in the mention of fire birds. "What are these birds... Are they wyverns?"
“Wyvern? It was only recorded as a legend from the ancestral ground! No, this bird is smaller than a wyvern. Much weaker, in my opinion.”
"Well, that must be a relief" Meyer commented.
Wysk tries to read between the lines of Meyer's statement, wondering if she's speaking out for potential American reinforcements, or whether she's speaking out for Calamique's citizens. Before he could give a response, suddenly a difficulty shook him from his mind.
"Mr Wysk, we have arrived" the driver said.
Wysk looked at the American diplomat as his personal knight opened the door for them. "Please, follow me" he said, descending. "Your bodyguards must wait outside."
Meyer nodded. "I understand. Lynda, Frederick, is everything in order?” He asked his assistant and colleagues.
"Yes" they said in unison.
"All right." He turned towards the tall and slender ginger woman. “Lynda, please let me know as soon as we get an answer.”
"Understand me, sir," he said.
"Mr Wysk," he gestured to the man, allowing him to lead.
They walked into the Royal Room, passing through the magnificent marble and carpet passageways. Towards the end of their journey, Lynda approached Meyer, whispering in her ear. “Master, they want us to sign a defense agreement. Apparently, they caught some strange signals so they wanted full access to all the ruins in the Calamique region in exchange for an agreement, along with any resources you can secure.”
Meyer rubbed her chin. "OKAY. I'm surprised they're willing to disrupt this island without us knowing what they can offer in return.
Lynda repeated, “They seem convinced that the signal is something important. They also mentioned something about the strange barrier of the island, and magic.”
"Can't argue with that" he said. “Tell them that I have received instructions. I'll see what I can do."
Duke Wysk led the way, walking to the door of the towering mahogany room and allowing the guards to open it. The officials in the room and the king in particular were gripped by a sense of urgency, wanting to end the meeting as quickly as possible to bring their attention back to the crisis. Their faces reflected this, their legs were trembling and feet were tapping on the floor impatiently. "Your Majesty," Duke Wysk knelt down.
Meyer and her delegation imitated the greeting.
The king spoke in a grand voice, his articulation of words was suitable for nobles. “You may rise. Duke Wysk, I appreciate you conveying this to me.” He pointed his golden beard towards the Americans, standing from his throne. “I'm King Brandea of Calamique. In all my years in power, I have never met a group of people who claimed to be from the outside. As you may understand, my people are faced with danger from within — parasites that are trying to destroy his attacks. Pray, is your arrival a coincidence, or something else?
"Your Majesty, I think our arrival is better than chance" Meyer said cunningly. Seeing the curious reaction of King Brandea, he continued, “I think our arrival is a blessing!”
"How's it?" Brandea asked.
Meyer placed a hand on her chest, delivering the speech she had prepared. “We have come looking for a friendly relationship, and are willing to sign a defense agreement for this noble cause. I'm Ambassador Jacob Meyer of the United States, and we hope not to bother you of your current predicament. Instead, we hope to help you fight the Mauli uprising.
The room became silent as Meyer strategized her words. He sighed inwardly, relieved that he had the attention of King Brandea. Now, his main concern was to think of the best way to proceed with the offer. In preparation for this moment, he asked Duke Wysk a question about Calamique's economy. It turns out that the material here is quite basic, with no known deposits of rare metals, although locals do not conduct many surveys and prospects. Finally, there is the mysterious origins of the island and a signal that his superiors are in great demand for. “Your Highness, in return for the defense agreement, the United States would like to receive land to establish bases and unconditional survey rights along with the right to any undiscovered deposits. We also want complete access to the ruins and other archaeological sites in the kingdom.
"How quickly can you deploy troops?" Brandea asked.
Meyer remained steadfast in her commitment to securing a treaty, providing a direct answer that answered the kingdom's concerns over the Mauli war. "We can obtain air support in just a few minutes, Your Majesty."
King Brandea gestured for his advisers in the foreign department to come. They huddled together, discussing secretly about Meyer's proposition. After a long whisper session, the group finished their consideration. The small circle dispersed as the advisers formed a row beside the king.
His voice echoed throughout the Royal room, King Brandea announced his final decision. “After careful consideration, we came to a conclusion. The Kingdom of Calamique will gladly accept an offer from the United States.”
“Excellent,” says Meyer.
Right after he spoke, a disheveled and tired messenger entered the room.
“What happened, son? Speak freely.” The King of Brandea said, his brows furrowed concerned over the implications behind the urgency of the envoy.
"Your majesty!" The messenger spoke, panting. He lifted up a series of papers and straightened himself before reading the contents out loud. “Combined forces of General Cladden are involved with the army of beasts Mauli! Officials are still determining the number of casualties on both sides, but they estimate that General Cladden's forces have lost thirty percent of his men. He had ordered a retreat to the Waizer wall and asked for reinforcements!”
The king's expression turned sour, his lips wrinkled as he processed the grim report. He looked to the right, at a tall brunette man with a cleft chin. "Commander Metzil, prepare your Royal Knights to strengthen."
Metzil stiffened, saluted. "Yes, Your Majesty!" He said before rushing to gather his men.
King Brandea then turned his head towards Ambassador Meyer and his comrades. “Ambassador, I would like to request our agreement as soon as possible. My pride is torn to shreds at this request, but my people and cities are not. Are you going to send reinforcements?
Meyer bent. "My people will be honored to help, Your Majesty."
——
USS America
"Mom." A young communications operator reports to his commander.
The black haired woman turned around and looked at the man. "Hm?"
“Ambassador Meyer has just reported back. The Calamique Kingdom asked for help and gave us full access to their airspace.”
"Have you? I think they just signed that deal?
Operator shrugs. "They did it, Mom."
"All right." He said, quickly grabbing the phone. Attention, this is Rear Admiral Keyes. We have received information from Ambassador Meyer regarding the Foxtrot Group, now designated as the Mauli Army. Our goal is to eliminate this hostile target or force a surrender. Prepare all Ospreys to be placed. All Vipers and F-35s will provide immediate assistance to allied forces in the Calamique region. The destroyer will receive targeting data for the Tomahawk attack. Let's get this over with as soon as possible!”
The upper deck of the USS America became riddled with activity as marines, pilots, and logistics personnel worked to unload the aircraft from the aircraft carrier. The F-35 was loaded with AIM-9X Sidewinders while the Viper was loaded with Hydra-70 directional rockets and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. Rotors and engines roared alive, with the F-35 speeding up to take down enemy airmen, satisfied with the relatively clean battlefield due to the lack of friendly Calamiqian airmen. The attack helicopter and Osprey immediately followed, following behind the fighters as they rushed to their destination.
——
Vaizer, Calamique
Mauli stood on a small mound, a dark robe fluttering in the breeze as she scanned the neatly arranged boxes of her legions of monsters. The organization of his army served to further weaken the spirit of the defenders, whom he considered flabbergasted and frightened by the unquestionable control exerted over the wild beasts that were considered untameable. The twelve-horned beasts formed most of the vanguard units, ready to storm the walls and create a gap for a large herd of lizards the size of horses and other loathsome creatures. Wandering in the sky behind Mauli's army, far from the reconnaissance of Waizer's defenders, dozens of firebirds await the signal to attack.
Alone, a legion of land monsters could annihilate an entire army of Calamique. With his firebird and his secret weapon, Mauli is full of confidence, expecting an incredible and undeniable victory. However, he felt a little unnerved by the report from one of his spies.
King Brandea apparently got help from an unknown faction — who claimed to be from outside the island. Although he believed in his military, he hated the unknown. The last people heard from the outside world was thousands of years ago, when the Demon King Army was still conquering the last remnants of civilization. If Brandea receives help, it likely means their ancestors' civilization is safe, and could potentially get an ancient weapon like the one he had. He dismissed that thought, realizing that it would be too difficult to transport weapons like magic fire tanks through the mountains and across the Deep Sea. Even if they did, they would have to contend with the legendary Diobehemoth, an ape-like giant monster that was over six stories tall.
The thought of uncertainty faded from his mind as quickly as they entered. He returned his attention back to his troops, who had just finished assembling the last part of his formation. He smiled, knowing that in the end, the security of Calamique and the other countries on the island would be assured. He lamented the death of his compatriot, but that was the price of a good life. That's the price for ridding the island of overpopulation.
"Ordo," he said, kept staring straight at the wall of Waizer.
A mage in armor like a black knight beside him answered the call. "Yes?"
"Start the assault."