It was a sunny day as the troops gathered on the beach for deployment. Thousands of knights, wardens, and sailors gathered to join their new companies. Hephaestus stood alongside the other knights as the company's commander stood in front of them.

  “I’am Major Medrisen Mallek, and starting today, you will all be part of Aspio Company. Some of you have already experienced combat and have Karashian blood under your boots.” Hephaestus could feel Mallek’s gaze on her. “And some of you are combat virgins. Standing behind me is Sergeant Major Koto Uresi, whom some of you might already know if not personally, then through reputation. I’m not sure if you’ve been keeping up with recent events, but the Karashians are launching new offensives with the intent of overwhelming us.” He pointed to the island that was visible from the beach. “In the middle of Lake Almarra is the island of Kreta. If they take that island, then they will no doubt be launching a major offensive on Leibe, our capital. We are gonna hold that island, and then when the Karashians are still licking their wounds, we’ll launch several offensives with the island as our staging ground. I want you all to get your gear ready when we depart tomorrow. In the meantime, I will call you up to assign duties.”

  Each knight prepped their gear as Major Mallek called them up. Hephaestus looked upon the Sethos idol her dad had given her. She looked at the island and wondered if she would see Onyx again. They had been lucky and avoided killing each other, but that would probably soon change.

  “CORPORAL HEPHAESTUS TIMGHAD!” Called the Major as she was still prepping her gear.

  Hephaestus rushed over and saluted him. “Sir! Corporal Timghad reporting for duty.”

  “You went to Croix Military Academy?" Asked Mallek as he towered over her.

  "That's correct, sir." She replied.

  "Then why are you a corporal? That's a good school. You should be a lieutenant."

  "Because the officer courses are fucking hard." Thought Hephaestus as she replied. "I wasn't good enough, sir. I took some officer hybrid courses, though."

  "Topographical engineering class?" Asked Mallek as he looked at her transfer papers.

  "Yes, sir. I had a knack for drawing maps." She answered.

  "You also did some fighting alongside Sergeant Major Koto Uresi... You guys were pulled back..." Said Mallek as he kept reading the transfer papers. "Alright, I'm putting you in third platoon with the rest of the rookies. I'm promoting you to sergeant since I have too many corporals. Lieutenant Asta Olmec will be your superior officer. Go report to her."

  "Sir." Hephaestus saluted Major Mallek as she walked back to get her things.

  Hephaestus saw Koto sharpening a sword. He groaned as he inspected the blade. "Lazy fucks can't even be bothered to sharpen these right."

  Hephaestus smiled as she picked up her things and looked for Lieutenant Olmec. She saw a tent with a sign reading Aspio Co. - 3. She peeked in and saw a woman with markings on her body like her mother. This woman was a Gaericist, no doubt. The sides of her head were shaved, and were inked with scripture. The hair on the top was braided and formed into a small ponytail at the back. Her forearms and hands were painted red like blood, and she had a piece of her left ear missing.

  "Sergeant Hephaestus Timghad reporting for duty."

  The woman walked towards Hephaestus with a knife in hand. She sheathed her blade once she stood in front of her. "How close were you?" She asked as she looked at her.

  "Lieutenant?" Asked Hephaestus, confused by her question.

  "Your eye's a fake, isn't it?"

  "I lost it when I was fighting legionnaires. They shot me with an arrow." Explained Hephaestus as she remembered the incident.

  "Hmph." Grunted Olmec. "See that you don't lose the other one, sergeant."

  Before Hephaestus could answer, someone else entered the tent. "My name's Haldane Noram. I'll be your platoon's combat surgeon."

  "Let's hope you last longer than the last one." Said Olmec as she glanced over to Haldane.

  "What happened to him?"

  "He liked morphine too much. Do you like morphine Haldane?" She asked as she stood before him with a glare.

  "I uh... No, I do not." Answered Haldane.

  "For your sake, I fucking hope so. Because if you do, I will be the one performing surgery on you. Is that clear?" Stated Olmec as she tightened her grip on her sheathed knife.

  "Yes, Lieutenant Olmec."

  "Sergeant Hephaestus, do you require any painkillers to manage the pain in your eye?" Asked Olmec.

  "No lieutenant I do not."

  "Good. It's still early, so go out there and get some downtime, then report back here in an hour once the rest of the platoon's arrived."

  "Ma'am!" They answered in unison.

  As they left the tent, Hephaestus saw several men holding banners. The banners depicted a horse with three snakes for a tail.

  “Raider commandos.” Said Haldane as more of the raider commandos marched across the camp.

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  “You’ve met them?” Asked Hephaestus.

  “Patched them up is more like. Back at the Zibel before I came here. If they’re sending them to Kreta with us, then things must be worse than we thought.”

  Hephaestus felt a sudden sense of dread. The thought of the fighting becoming fiercer than before sent a chill down her spine.

  “You okay?” Asked Haldane as he put a hand on her shoulder.

  “Yeah, it’s just there’s a whole division of them.” Said Hephaestus, trying to reassure him.

  “Yeah, I’d say about six legions maybe.”

  Hephaestsus shook her head and changed the subject. "So where are you from?"

  "I was born in Bagram in Suramis, but my parents then moved to Imara in Dolmar, where I spent most of my life. What about you?" Asked Haldan as they walked towards the mess tent.

  "I was raised on the coast of Suramis. My dad's job in the Navy meant we had to move around a lot. Nowadays, we live in the capital of Liebe."

  "I spent some time in the capital when I was in med school."

  "Is that right? Then why enlist? You could've gotten a waiver to avoid the service." Asked Hephaestus as she started eating from her plate.

  "Because it's a shorter track to become a licensed surgeon. It takes five years alone to complete a residency before you can qualify for a specialization. But as an enlisted man... I can knock off a few years. It's not ideal, but it is what it is."

  "But you're already a surgeon, so what are you still doing here?"

  "I'm one of those people who doesn't think they deserve to be happy." Said Haldane with a light chuckle. "In all seriousness, though, I'm here to get my practice license. You can't open your own clinic or hospital without one."

  “What kind of practice are you gonna open?”

  “Pediatric clinic.” Haldane cut a piece of meat on his plate and brought it to his face. “I’ve been chopping people up for so long now that I just want something different.”

  “You could just be a dentist.”

  “Yeah but do you know how awkward people get when you ask them if you’ve had oral sex?”

  Hephaestus almost spit her food. “Holy shit, what?”

  “When a dentist asks about dental hygiene, it is now required for them to ask if you’ve had oral sex.”

  Hephaestus stifled back her laughter. “Damn, that’s too funny.”

  “Not as funny as having someone come in with an allergic reaction on their crotch because they thought it was a good idea to use gun lube for sex.”

  “If there’s a hole, there’s a way.” Hephaestus replied.

  “Yeah, that’s the problem, there’s always a hole.”

  The duo made their way back to their company’s tent when they saw a banner of a dog with horns biting its own chain. Every knight and warden glared at them.

  “Holy shit.” Said Haldane as more soldiers carrying the same banner came into view.

  “Who are they?”

  "Devil Dogs. They're convicts. I've only heard stories about them."

  "Step aside." Ordered a voice behind the pair.

  They turned around and saw a man wearing ragged clothes. His armor was poorly maintained. He looked disheveled, and his skin looked all wrong, as if he were carrying some illness. His face was wrapped in bandages, leaving only a single eye exposed. The exposed flesh revealed burns, and he smelled like a corpse.

  The man looked at Hephaestus' idol of Sethos. "He won't be able to save you from what's to come, little girl." He growled.

  "Know your place, dog."

  They all turned and saw a man wearing a coat with two sheathed swords and one on his back. He wore a breastplate with a falcon holding a sword on each talon.

  The disheveled man approached him with his cleaver in hand. "I've heard a lot about you. They call you a manslayer where I'm from."

  "I suppose I've killed plenty of people to earn that title. Although most people call me Champion Orven."

  Hephastus was shocked by the sudden revelation. She had heard stories about him from her father and her uncle, Kavasir. It was said that Orven Ulnar was a prodigy with a sword and had the bodycount to match.

  "I wonder if they would make me a champion if I killed you."

  "Plenty of people have tried, and they've all failed. You are most certainly welcome to try." Orven looked at the crowd that had gathered to look at them. "Let it be known that if this man kills me, he will become a champion."

  The man chuckled. "Just like that?"

  "You still have to kill me. So have at you. Mercia!" Suddenly, a woman carrying a large bag with swords approached them.

  Orven pulled out a sword from the bag and turned away from the man as he shouldered the blade. "Whenever you're ready."

  "Is this a joke?" Said the man, looking at Orven's exposed back.

  "Hardly. Now strike me down and claim your title." Said Orven as he waited for the man to make his move.

  The man fumed as he swung his cleaver at Orven's head, aiming to decapitate him. Orven ducked immediately as he swung his sword, hitting the man's leg as the man was still in midswing. The man fell immediately as Orven brought the blade to the man's neck.

  "You bastard! With a fucking sparring sword!?" The man raged as he looked up at Orven.

  "You didn't seriously think you were worthy of me using a real sword, did you?" The woman approached Orven, who took his sword and placed it in the bag with the others. "Know your place, dog. Let's go Mercia."

  "He's the real deal." Said Hephaestus as Orven left with his attendant.

  Haldan looked at the man who was still bitter from his defeat. "Fast and strong. It's no surprise he's a champion. Although that just makes him scarier."

  The duo returned to their tent, where the rest of the platoon stood in formation along with the rest of the company. They joined the others in their formation as Major Mallek was about to give a speech.

  "Now that everyone's here, we can begin. Originally, we were supposed to go with the first wave to secure and fortify the island before the Karashians could launch their offensive. However, because our unit has too many rookies and replacements, we will not be going to Kreta. At least not yet. In the meantime, we will use the time to build up our unit cohesion. Now grab your gear, we'll be running across the beach."

  Hephaestus breathed a sigh of relief.

  "Not that eager to fight, Sergeant?" Said Major Mallek as he approached Hephaestus.

  "Shit!" Thought Hephaestus as Major Mallek stood before her.

  "Are you afraid, Sergeant?" Asked Mallek.

  "I uh... Yes, sir." Replied Hephaestus honestly.

  "Good." Mallek stepped away from her. "You should all be afraid. The enemy will be relentless. Legionnaires, especially, will not hesitate to kill you, but you will hesitate to kill them. Especially, those of you who are fathers and mothers will hesitate before you cut them down or shoot them. Hone your fear because fear keeps you sharp. Now move out!"

  Sethos

  Sethos saw Tanaka sharpen his cleaver. "I can't believe he knocked you flat on your ass."

  "I'd like to see you fight against him." Tanaka seethed as he pointed his blade at Sethos.

  "I've sparred with him many times, and he's beaten me every single time." Answered Sethos. "He's almost as good as my dad was... Without the magic and war beasts. Apollyon could beat him. She was always the best out of all of us."

  "Humph. I thought being your harbinger and having this power would make me the strongest. You wouldn't be holding out on me, would you?" Tanaka slowly approached Sethos with his cleaver in hand, almost ready to strike.

  "Raw power cannot beat pure talent and technique. A lesson I learned a long time ago when I fought my father. It cost me my head. But if you insist..." Sethos then took off his helmet, revealing a face whose veins had blackened. His eyes were completely white. His scalp was patchy. He looked more dead than alive. He opened his mouth and from it emerged a wormlike creature that he pulled out with his hand. "Here, take it."

  Tanaka took the worm and bit down on it. He sucked on its blood, and he could feel the power coursing through his veins. "That's more like it. So about the legionnaires... What do you want me to do about them?"

  "My sister Lamia wants the girl, Embry Essar, alive. As for the boy... I couldn't care less. Kill him, don't kill him, do whatever you want with him. Rape him for all I care."

  "Won't your sister get angry with you?"

  "Let's just say she owes me one for letting dad cut off my head."