The Elijahian Kingdom,

228 miles from the capital outskirts of the capital bordering the Beglair Kingdom.

October 4th, 2021.

A week had passed since the ban on adventurers was lifted, allowing the Silver Stars to venture into the once-isolated kingdom of Elijah. During the ban, negative sentiment had brewed against the elves, with many viewing them as arrogant and insular, believing they could handle everything on their own. The adventurer community harboured resentment, as the elves had effectively outlawed an entire profession from entering their borders.

Despite the newfound freedom to enter, many adventurer groups chose to stay away. The kingdom offered few facilities for adventurers, and the ongoing war was enough to deter most from getting involved. However, the Silver Stars pressed on—Callam had spotted a lucrative contract he couldn’t resist. Now, the team stood at the border between Elijah and Beglair, facing an old, broken sign that simply read, “Welcome to Elijah Kingdom.”

"Well, here we are," Callam announced to his team.

Caineghis was the first to grumble. "Seriously? We travelled all this way just to see a depressing sign. Talk about being anticlimactic... What's the contact even about anyway?”

“I’ll get to it, Cain... And can you stop complaining for once?”

“Sure…” Caineghis replied.

“As expected from the grumpy beastman,” Rurnyl added, arms crossed.

"I can't believe we had to rescue a flarking landshark," Caineghis grumbled. "What the hell are those things anyway? Aren't they supposed to be in oceans, not lakes?"

"That's how Landsharks work, Caineghis. Cheer up," Mitsuzane said.

"Don't even bother, Mitsi," Mariot chimed in. "Caineghis always wakes up on the wrong side of the bed.”

"This whole idea of Landsharks is stupid," Caineghis muttered. "Whatever… So what's really going on today? And please, tell me it doesn't involve children."

"Your vendetta against kids is going to get you killed someday," Callam said with a smirk. "But you'll be glad to know this job has nothing to do with it. We're heading to Castle Banshlier. The details are a bit unclear, but it involves dealing with soldiers or something along those lines."

"You flark."

"Flackass."

"Enough," Mariot cut in. "Callam, where and how far is the castle?"

"About 120 kilometres east." Callam replied.

"Tch. Too far for me to fly to," Mariot scoffed, shrugging.

"And too far for me to portal us there," Mitsuzane added.

That left them with only one option—travelling on foot. It would take around two days to reach the castle, which wasn't a problem, just a test of patience. But Callam knew that aside from him and Mitsuzane, the rest of the team had gotten too comfortable with portals. So it would only make sense that trekking their way would do them some good. Physically at least.

“That’s why I splashed extra on camp supplies,” Callam said.

“Oh, is that why you took out part of my allowance?” Mariot added, “You prick… But I can't argue with that. Who’s doing the cooking?”

"Who else but me?" Caineghis replied. It was no surprise—after all, his training as an alchemist included learning to prepare food.

“Oh great… Just great.”

“You packed nuts or what?” Mitsuzane asked, her squirrel appetite flaring up.

“Shut the hell up.”

“Can we just get going, please?” Said Rurnyl, her patience for the group running dry.

Without another word, the team pressed on, trekking through an endless forest where the sea of trees stretched as far as the eye could see. It was no wonder Elijah wasn’t a popular destination for adventurers. The kingdom lacked the basic facilities to accommodate them—no preset campsites or anything. Just them and the wildlife. But regardless, Mitsuzane still managed to find her silver lining in the abundance of nuts scattered along the forest floor.

“So, any idea what to expect?” Mariot asked, breaking the silence.

“I heard the so-called Americans are coming,” Callam replied.

The mention of the Americans piqued everyone’s interest. Information about them was sparse, mostly because Elijah wasn’t a place adventurers frequented. And even though Elijah was technically an open country, the war raging within its borders made reliable information hard to come by.

What little they did know about the Americans bordered on rumour. Despite being a nation of only humans, they were said to possess technology that rivalled—or even surpassed—the dwarves. Such a claim was met with zero proof. The dwarves were widely regarded as the technological pioneers. Their ingenuity had even propelled the Beglairans to the top in terms of technology.

Even the kingdoms of Zephyrael held their dwarven counterparts in high regard, as they did with their inventions: their electricity, their science, their airships decorating the skies above—all advancements that had kept the world moving forward. To suggest, let alone imagine, that humans, or any race, could outdo them was not only ridiculous but also an insult to their contributions and pride.

“The rumours say these Americans possess steel ships and iron turtles. Are we really going to find out if that’s true?” Rurnyl asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.

Callam shrugged. “Who knows? This is Elijah, after all. Guess we're just going to find out.”

As if on cue, a sudden roar sound filled the air, prompting them to instinctively look up, catching a fleeting glimpse of what appeared to be a metal dragon streaking across the sky. And despite it only happening in mere seconds, both Mitsuzane and Caineghis’ senses started to flare up.

“What in the world was that?” Mariot muttered, still staring at the sky; her attention quickly diverted to Mitsuzane. “That smell… It's awful,” she complained, her nose wrinkled as she tried to block out the stench. As a part-squirrel beastkin, her heightened sense of smell made it unbearable.

If Mitsuzane was struggling, Caineghis had it even worse, as he was a full beastman himself. And evidently, his census fell short of Mitsuzane’s.

“Damn fucking horrible!” Caineghis remarked, covering his nose.

“So, the Americans really do have some kind of metal dragon,” Mariot said, her voice a mix of disbelief and annoyance. “And it looked like it went faster than I could ever fly... That’s not possible.”

Mariot prided herself on being an exceptional Valkyren. She was faster than most of her kind and even some dragons. To see a metal contraption not only fly but outpace her so easily bruised her pride.

“Sons of larking—how the hell are they able to do that?!” she shouted, as the idea that anything, especially a ‘metal dragon,’ could outfly her was a reality she couldn’t accept.

“Alright people, let’s get moving,” Callam said, rubbing his temple. “All this complaining is giving me a headache.”

“Oh, it’s justified,” Caineghis muttered, still bothered by the lingering smell.

The team pressed forward, winding through the dense forest until they reached an area filled with ancient rock formations. But looming ahead was a massive Forest Barrabear: A towering 12-foot creature that had evolved to the enchanted woods—decades of inhaling the natural magic in the forest—mutated it into something far more dangerous than a normal bear. Unlike typical wildlife, Barrabears were classified as an A+ threat, not only because of their sheer power but also due to their ability to wield magic, much like Mitsuzane herself.

“Guess we're fighting this one out!” Mariot proudly announces to the group, pulling out her dual daggers.

“A Barrabear.” Runeyl added, as she pulled out her bow.

“Caineghis, what does Barrabears taste like?” Callam asked, glancing at Caineghis; Who provided an explanation:

“Well if you want to know, it's kinda a mix of pork and venison,” Caineghis began ever so casually. “The meat is a rich, dark, red colour with a slight sweet taste to it that can vary depending on their diet: If they live off berries, then you're looking at some quality meat. But on the contrary, if they live off fish, you're basically eating the same product that looks like meat but opposite of that taste. In most cases it's similar tasting to salmon.” Caineghis adds from personal experience “But regardless, these Barrabears are very nutritious, especially for mages since they can replenish their mana stores by simply consuming them.”

“So it’s a fifty-fifty chance that we’ll be eating good or we will be eating rebranded fish.”

“Yeah, that’s the fucking point, it's either going to be shit or damn good.” Caineghis replied, as the two ducked from the Barrabear charging its attack, the magical blast splintering the large tree behind them. Clearly, it did not fancy their shit talk

“RAAH, RAWAH, RAWAH, RAWAH!” The Barrabear growled once more.

“Translation: I don’t think this bear is happy of you two talking culinary about him.” Mitsuzane said, as she casted her trusted shield spell, yelling it out, striking her hands forward. “Aegisthar!”

With perfect timing on their side, the shield appeared with a glow. Its manifestation matches the bear’s charge, allowing for Runeyl, witnessing it disoriented by the impact, to shoot a well placed arrow shot that, however, proves ineffective at the bear.

“Crap, I need my magic arrows-” She muttered, but was immediately cut off guard as her and the rest of the group was violently swiped by the bear, sending them tumbling into the ground, piercing through Mitsuzane’s shield, with some of Caineghis’ potions shattering on impact.

“Dammit! My potions!” Caineghis cursed, the liquids soiling the fertile earth.

“Dammit! C'mon people, focus!” Callam exclaimed, parrying an attack from the Barrabear with his double bladed spear, spinning it rapidly to then deflect a magical blast from the bear.

“Hmph…. This bear ain’t smacking me into the ground without a fight!” Mariot snarled, as she leapt into the air, gaining momentum for an attack, her blades striking deep into the bear’s back upon landing.

“RAHHHHHH!!!” The Barrabear roared in deafening pain, Mariot holding onto her daggers for dear life, as it tried to shake her off.

“Mariot’s got it down!!” Callam yelled, before jumping over a thrown log, charging toward the bear.

“This thing is a feisty one!” Said Mariot, still dangling around on the bear’s back.

Mitsuzane sprang to her feet, cracking her neck as she used her long, semi-prehensile tail to propel herself into the air. Mid-flight, she began to cast a spell, her wrists extended forward.

“Vorl — push forth the fury, Astra — burst with starry sound, Rattle the heavens and crack the earth, Raucous Gale, break them down! Vorlastra!”

A powerful shockwave of sound erupted, creating a sonic boom that disoriented and damaged the Barrabear. The shockwaves shattered nearby trees, and the rest of the team recoiled, covering their ears.

“Punching a hole!” Runeyl called out, shooting a fire arrow that struck the Barrabear, setting its fur ablaze.

“Caine, what are you doing? Do something!” Callam shouted, deflecting another swipe from the bear and striking back.

“That thing shattered my bottles, hold on for a second!” Caineghis yelled, pulling out his crossbow. “Now I have to fight conventionally!” Exposed and vulnerable, he quickly dove aside to avoid another of the Barrabear’s magical spears.

“Crap, I can’t return fire! Give me some time to set up!”

“Do something to distract it!” Mariot shouted, clinging to the bear’s back as she stabbed it repeatedly. Her grip finally gave way, and the bear flung her off, unable to stop her rough tumble.

“Ow!”

“Ice arrow away!”

…

The battle raged on, but about 2 kilometers away, a U.S. armored company rumbled into the forest, the ground shaking beneath their tracks. Leading the formation was Captain Ty Wheeler of Hawk Eyes company, United States Marine Corps. He glanced down at his watch, the digital display reading "1600." He knew it was nearly time to wrap up their reconnaissance mission.

“Recon’s almost over, boys.” Wheeler announced as he looked down into his commander’s hatch.

“Thank fucking Christ, man,” McBird was the first to rejoice over the tank’s intercom, as having to maneuver a seventy ton war machine for hours in an awkward sitting position wasn't exactly his love-life.

“Aye, at least we did something out here... If you can even call mowing down wildlife with the coax and the fifty a ‘mission contribution,’” another crew member chimed in.

“Can we just get to the castle already?” someone else piped up into the conversation.

“We will. Just be patient,” Wheeler replied. But as the conversation faded, something caught his eye in the distance. “Huh…” He squinted, trying to make sense of what was ahead.

“What’s up?” Asked Private Bruiser, the loader, his voice tinged with curiosity, as he overheard Wheeler’s muttered words.

“Hand me the binoculars will ya,” Wheeler ordered. Without hesitation, Bruiser’s hands emerged, handing the Captain the military-grade item.

“Driver, halt.” Wheeler commanded.

The entire line of vehicles came to a stop. The tension grew uneasy over them as Wheeler raised the binoculars, scanning the path ahead, attempting to get a good look of what he had seen.

“Jesus Christ, what in the…” he muttered, his eyes finally laying sight of what's happening.

“That thing is like, 12-feet tall,” One of the tank commander’s voices crackled over the radio. “And who-... What is that thing?”

Through the lenses, Wheeler saw it too—a woman with angelic-like wings, launching herself into the air in mere seconds before diving back down, followed by the bear’s growling scream. Just by those observations alone, they came to realise that they drove right into a fight.

“I'm not the only one seeing this, right?”

“Appears to be an angel of sorts, sir.” Another commander replied.

“Well, I'll be damned,” Wheeler remarked.

The rest of Hawk Eyes company watched in stunned silence as the winged woman clung to the bear’s back, her body tossed around violently. It wasn't until then that they only realised the daggers embedded deep into it.

“Holy shit! She's tearing that thing a new asshole!” Their brawl match now turning into a stabbing mayhem for the bear.

It wasn't long till they started to see several more figures emerging from the forest, joining the fight. One of them, a young, white looking man wielding a double-bladed spear, moved smoothly, dodging the bear’s powerful swings. Blood now smeared and soaking in its fur.

Right after, they were greeted by an individual with features strikingly similar to Marvel’s Squirrel Girl, but this seemingly had magic on their side.

Watching from inside of one of several M1A2 Abrams, its 21-year-old gunner glared at the sight display, slowly connecting the dots at what he was looking at. “Is that fucking Squirrel Girl?!”

“The hell? Like from the Marvel franchise?” Their commander said.

“Yup..”

The fight continued on, as the acclaimed Marvel-like character bounced into the air using her tail, releasing a magical air blast that recoiled the wounded bear into the ground. Moments later, they see a black woman—an elf—shoot her bow at the bear, before back handing off the tree she was perched on as it toppled down.

Finally they saw the final member of the group, a furry, equipped with what appeared to be a hybrid between a crossbow and a grenade launcher.

“A fucking furry now!? I knew this place was bad news!” Said McBird.

"Should we..." Wheeler's gunner finally broke the silence.

"Do something? Yeah. I kinda want to see their faces after a sabot dart tears through that thing in seconds," Wheeler grinned.

"You don't have to say that again," Bruiser added, already preparing for what would likely be the most one-sided battle they'd ever experience.

"Fantastic! It's a stretch, but we can totally rock it!"

"You guys are not funny with those Fantastic Four jokes," McBird cut in over the comms. "That hero team hasn't been relevant since 2005, and the 2015 movie sucked! That 'say that again' line wasn't funny!"

“Shut it McBird…” Wheeler hissed, before quickly switching his frequency comms to unit-wide. “Stay in formation fellas. I got that thing zero’d in.”

The gunner straightens up, hands on the yoke and trigger, his eyes glued onto the gunner's sight displaying their animal target in thermal imaging. Only thing left is those impending sequences of orders from Wheeler.

“GUNNER, HEAT… GRIZZLY!”

“IDENTIFIED!... RANGE… 250!

“FIRE!”

“ON THE WAY!”

The Silver Stars were ragdolled across the ground, visibly shocked at how much punishment the Barrabear could take. As they regrouped, Mitsuzane began channeling her magic to analyze the bear’s mana reserves — until...

“Okay so, it has-”

BOOM!

The thunderous roar of the 120mm cannon firing its high explosive armour piercing round rippled through the air, a sound far louder than Mitsuzane’s sonic boom magic. In an instant, the Barrabear exploded, the shockwave flinging the Silver Stars, again, several feet back to the ground, the blood and pieces of their enemy scattered. As they lay sprawled on the dirt, dazed and disoriented, they saw the unbelievable sight in the distance—the metal turtles.

“What the hell was that!?” Caineghis exclaimed, registering what had just happened as he smelled of animal flesh and iron. So did the rest of the group as well.

“My-... My wings! There’s blood all over it!” Mariot yelled in outrage and shock.

“Well, that's certainly a development.” Mitsuzane remarked as she and the rest of the team quickly recovered. Runeyl however, snapped her attention to where the unexpected miracle came from.

“It’s…” Runeyl’s eyes narrowed.

“The Americans it seems.” Callam said, stepping forward in front of the group. “Hopefully it's actually them…”

From just feet away, the group took in the details of the metal turtles before them. Each bore a long, pole-like contraption at the front—undoubtedly a cannon, resembling the dwarves’ gun carriages.Yet, despite the similarities, it didn’t have any wheels. With more questions than answers becoming their predicament, the metal turtles began to move in their direction, prompting Callam to take a defensive stance.

"Are you the so-called 'Americans?'" Callam's voice echoed as he cautiously approached whatever this may be—iron turtle or not. But for a moment, his eyes shifted to someone else: a clean-shaven man peering from atop, his head mostly shrouded in what appeared to be a greenish hood.

“You heard of us?” The man replied back.

"News travels fast around here,” He replied, looking back at the mangled corpse of the bear. “But you didn't have to shoot it, you fucks! I was just about to cook him!” He growled.

“Who does he think he's talking to?...” Bruiser's voice came over.

The situation grew tense as both men stared at each other in silence for what felt like an eternity, only for it to be broken by Callam.

“Hm, not bad of a shot, Mr. American. Thought you guys were just gonna kill us too.”

“Well, we ain't the bad guys around here, and we figured you and your friends needed some assistance.” Wheeler explained. “Anyways, care for an introduction?”

Callam nodded, clearing his throat. "The name's Callam Lancaster, leader of this heroic team—the Silver Stars!" He began. “Over there is my buddy Caineghis the alchemist.” He pointed at the beastman, still in awe at the Abrams.

“Hello.” Caineghis greeted, glancing at Wheeler.

“The assassin, Mariot Sartre, a Valkyren.”

“Hmph.” She grunted, nodding at Wheeler.

“My archer, Rurnyl Midira, a dark elf.”

“Are you sure this is safe?” Mariot whispered to Mitsuzan.

“And my trusty supportive mage, Mitsuzan Ryla.”

“Hello!” Completely disregarding any of Mariot’s concerns.

Turning from the introductions, Wheeler spoke back to his crew.

“I think we’re talking to fantasy adventurers…” He said.

“Yeah, no shit,” McBird responded.

“So what's the plan now?” Bruiser asked. To which was met by a silent Wheeler on the other end, letting their new friends have the floor. But it wasn't long till the topic was swayed elsewhere.

"Say, do you happen to know of a castle? We're trying to reach it—Castle Banshlier," Callam asked. "We have a contract waiting for us there."

Wheeler perked up: Castle Banshlier, the name clicked, and so did his luck. But if these so-called heroes had a mission there and his bosses were, coincidentally, there too, what exactly were they planning to do in the first place?

But at the same time, he knew full well that he was bound to file an incident report on what had just transpired—all while assisting their newfound hero friends. But how?