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...

Alan stared at the human before Petr, taking on a cautious stance.

Northern La Ferdina "Člověk?" (A human?) he muttered.

"Hej, je na naši straně!" (Hey, he's on our side!) replied Petr "Uklidni se!" (Calm down!)

"Já vím, ale já myslel, že lidem jde o to, aby si prosadili svou nadvládu?" (I know, but I thought humans are all about asserting their dominance?)

"Všichni takoví nejsou!" (Not all of them are like that!)

"Hey uh, gentlemen?" the human in grey spoke out "Is something the matter?"

"Oh sorry no!" Petr then turned back to him "It's just that our friend here is a little paranoid about humans"

"Z dobrého důvodu, Petr..." (For a good reason, Petr) Alan whispered "Z dobrého důvodu..." (For a good reason...)

"Ah, I see... can't exactly blame him for that..." the man then stand up, putting his hand on his chest "I just want to make it clear that I'm from the FIIA, not from any other Kingdoms Union's organizations"

"FIIA...?" Alan spelt it out in a bewildered tone.

"Federal Investigative and Intelligence Agency? Like from Flashia? Флашия?" (Flashiya/Flašija)

"Jste z té republiky?" (You're from that Republic?)

"Yes, indeed" 'Alexander' nodded.

"Jak jste se tam dostal?" (How did you get in?)

'Alexander' then looks at Petr, not getting the meaning of what he asked. Just to note the only reason he could understand Alan earlier is due to the 'republiky' part which allowed him to fill in the gaps.

"He's asking how did you got into La Ferdina in the first place" Petr translated that for him.

"Ah well... we have our ways, best you do not ask about it..."

"Tak proč jsi tady?" (So why are you here?)

"What's your purpose coming here? He said that"

"Well, I'm here to make a deal with you people... we get information that you could lay your hands on, in exchange for something that could help you in this fight"

"Jako co?" (Like what?)

"He's asking what kind of thing that could help us here"

"You'd see... speaking of which..." he leaned over "Does that satchel there have anything that we want?"

"Ah, almost forgot about that" Petr then turned around to the other sheep "Alan, informance" (Alan, intel)

Alan would then reluctantly get closer, taking off the strap and hand it over to Petr who passed it over to 'Alexander' on the other side of the table.

"Neřekl jsi mi, že to je to, k čemu to je" (You didn't tell me this is what it's for) he whispered to his superior.

"Omlouvám se za to..." (Sorry about that...)

The human then opened up the satchel and reviewed the content inside. He could see the papers and notes taken by the few members of this particular group with some illustrations as well as a document in La Ferdinan. Where and how they got one straight from the La Ferdinan military, he doesn't know, but he's pleased that he got the right one.

He closed the satchel, giving both of the sheep-folk a nod of acknowledgement and then he stood up.

"I guess the deal is sealed" he said "You should check out the storage compartment soon, we'll leave a little gift as payment"

The man then makes his way out of the room, but just as he reached the door.

"Počkej!" (Wait!)

Alan shouted out to him.

"Proč to děláte?" (Why are you doing this?)

"He asked what's your goal doing this" Petr calmly translated to him.

The human stood silent for a short time, then looked up and took a deep breath. 'Alexander' would turn around afterward.

"...Let's just say we share a common goal of making our home a better place to live..." he remarked before proceeding to leave both of them inside the office alone.

Alan just stared at the door that had been closed afterward, trying to process what he just said. Petr just simply sighed.

"...Je to divný chlapík, že?" (He's a strange fellow isn't he?) Petr commented.

...

"Live fire!" the drill instructor shouted "3 standing, 3 kneeling and 3 proning!"

Northern Gladahjuland A platoon of the Foreign Battalion of mostly Berians are now at the firing range in a boot camp located in the North lands of the somewhat familiar cold. There, many assume a high-ready position, some goes low-ready, being the ones who noticed that was possible thanks to the jarringly lightweight and short length of their issued rifles.

In front of this line are their targets of the respective personnel, ranged at 50 meters.

"Target!" the instructed shouted, the soldiers promptly putting their rifle stock into their shoulder pockets, some exercise the chicken wing stance as that's what they're used to. At the same time, they flicked the switch just above the grip with their thumb to the position where it points upward.

BANG BANG BANG

3 shots of each soldier were sent downrange while standing, then kneeling down.

BANG BANG BANG

Again, they all each shot 3 before then they lied down on the ground, using the magazine as an impromptu support to the ground.

BANG BANG BANG

The final 3 was taken afterward.

"Cease fire!"

The polar bears then proceed to clear the weapon, flipping the switch back to safety, releasing the mag by pressing a certain button with the trigger finger (hand still on grip) allowing it to drop to the ground by itself, and then yankimg the charging handle back which disengages the bolt catch, allowing the bolt carrier to slam forward once more.

It should be noted the last part is done differently depending on the soldier. Some let go of the grip and use that hand to pull it back while some just do with their non-dominant hand.

"Standby for assessment"

The Foreign Battalion soldiers then stood up, walked away from the range then forming groups where they would talk about various things, including today's shooting.

"What kind of recoil is that?"

"I don't know, I expected a heavier pushback but instead, I got a baby kicking on my shoulder!"

"It's just simply non-existent compared to our muskets..."

...

"Tohle je to místo?" (This is the place?) questioned a sheepfolk standing right outside a door with Alan who then nodded.

The sheep then creak the door open to the storage. Not much here is all that different except one thing: the crates right in front of the door. Both of them glanced at each other before Alan stepped forward to the really long crates, possibly taller then them if stood upright.

He would then proceed to open it up, revealing muskets to be inside of the them. Not just any, but actual La Ferdinan military patterns.

"Sakra..." (Damn...) swore the other one after having ran up to Alan "...Teď máme zbraně!" (We got guns now!)

Alan's eyes were widened at such a sight, trying to comprehend the fact that he and his groups were given the same guns that were shot at them. Not a soul, at least in here, knows where they got these, but that doesn't really matter right now. It was a surprise, but a pleasant one nonetheless.

He let go of the lid, closing the crate, then turned to the other guy.

"Pořiďte si je uvnitř" (Get these inside) he calmly demanded "Nemůžeme riskovat, že to Fercouzi zjistí" (We can't risk the Ferdies finding out [about this])

The guy solemnly nodded in acknowledgement before he got to work.

...

"Hey, where Aimo at?" asked a 217th to the other walking up to him.

"Still knocked out cold in an AMV" was the answer he got.

Gullður, Svarher, Flashia "Well damn then..." the other soldier then sits down next to him "...Must've been tired eh?"

"You tell me, he has not slept until like 3 AM I think?"

"You stayed awake and kept track around that time?"

"Nope, I hear some of us talking about that, I was getting some shut eye too"

"I see then..."

Both of them would sit quietly, looking around for awhile.

"...So you've heard of the intervention?"

"Huh...? The intervention?"

"Yep"

"I've heard it over the radio so yeah..."

"Do you think that we'll join?"

"We might, we might not"

The infantryman then turned back to him, confused.

"...The hell you mean?"

"8th Division is now on their way here too, and you know how they roll"

And for those who doesn't, much like the 217th Brigade, the 8th Division hailing from Gladahjuland, besides being tasked with national defense also often sends out troops abroad with 3 of their 5 brigades configured this way.

"Fuck me..."

"Yep, we're going to be pushed to the sidelines..."

"And let me guess, we're going back to Gestrae?"

"Probably, yes, if not back to Agevær"

"Oh man... I'm getting a little sick of flying now... I'd rather stay here for longer"

"It sucks, but such is life"

...

"Hmmph" the empress of La Ferdinan scoffed at the paper she was reading "So the Pactstard won against the so-called demon army?"

Greater Jefermai, La Ferdina "As it appears so on the paper you are reading right now, Your Majesty" replied the noble kneeling before her.

"And I am sure a statement was already made?"

"As it should be, Your Majesty. We said that it is all hogwash and propaganda"

"Very well, you surely did your homework"

"...It is honor to receive such a praise, Your Majesty"

"It is only right to do so to someone who done a very good job. Now stand up for me"

The noble then got on his feet with no hesitation whatsoever.

"You are dismissed, continue to do the good work"

"Yes, Your Majesty"

The noble then proceeds to leave.

"...Forgive me if I'm being rude here, Your Majesty..." the military commander-in-chief standing right next to her spoke up "...But I must ask, are we doing the correct thing here?"

"Oh don't you worry dear Chensilbeau" Reine responded "Those barbarians and their collaborators cannot compare to what we have"

The empress sits there on her throne with a smug face of confidence. All the while Chensilbeau (his surname by the way) stands there, looking at her with a tired and increasingly concerned expression.

...

The Geschnokeans normally only stick to their own Dominion Radio Channel, but as it stands here with a pair of Geschnokeans stationed in Flashia, specifically Animaatland, many found themselves getting hooked to the radio frequencies hailing from close by.

The Flash radio channel has garnered such attention is due to the speed that the news break out compared to theirs, which is no surprise considering their proximity with the island next to the Northern Edge. Another reason for this attraction is that one of the people they're interviewing happens to be one of theirs, a naval officer involved in the counterattack and the overall quality.

"The first order of that night we got after getting our flotilla there..." he spoke on the radio "...We were tasked with bombarding enemy positions at Gull-thur, is that right? I don't know... Anyways, as I was saying. we were supposed to send shells at the demons there and... so we did.

I distinctively remember the deafening sound of the entire flotilla firing off all their cannons at the same time for a few times or so. After that, it was largely uneventful... until we got a radio transmission on their way back that we... wiped them out of existence"

"...So how many did you think the flotilla killed?" questioned the interviewer.

"I don't know, there isn't a count yet" he answered "All I know is that we killed a lot and got reprimanded in the process for the damages we caused" the navy officer then chuckled.

"Hey what's going on here?" shouted out an NCO walking up to them.

"Oh!" both of them immediately stood up "Sir, we were just keeping ourselves informed!" one of them responded.

"...Well, it's good that you keep yourselves that way but you two still got works to do so get back on it!"

"Yes sir!" he shouted before they went off with the NCO following behind them, leaving the radio on.

"...So far from my time here, while my flotilla did their job effectively, it seems we still got something to learn about your country and all the things that your military use. I mean... the operation being over an hour later is just mind-boggling, I wouldn't be able to go from the city I live back to my hometown before it ended in any way!"

...

"Oi wake up! Wake up! OI!"

An FIIA agent was then awaken from his nap in his tent by one of his colleagues kneeling beside hime.

"God damn, you're quite a deep sleeper"

Northern La Ferdina Still tired and utterly confused, he took his time to look around his surrounding before looking back to his mate.

"...What time is it?" he asked while rubbing his eyes.

"It's fuckin' dark man, time to go!"

"...Already?"

"What do you mean already?"

"I don't know... it just felt like 30 minutes..."

"You slept like... 6 times that, now come on!"

"Fine! Just give me a bit!"

"I'll be waiting outside yeah?"

"Yeah..."

...

"Sir, with due respect, many of us are freezing our asses here!" said the commander of the Esterrian brigade on the magiphone "We just want to go home!"

"Firstly, please refrain from using such foul language" replied none other than General Belink "Secondly, Her Majesty wanted this, she want to join Flashia to defend the island until the Demon Lord's Army is no longer a threat if you get the gist"

Svarher Island "I'm aware of that but couldn't you just get anyone else to do the job?"

"That is the problem. While I have considered one of the other brigades to rotate you out, your unit has become the most experienced when it comes to winter warfare and I'm afraid that others might not do so well. Plus there is the problem with money, we cannot just pour gold to Flash contractors all the time"

"B-But..." the commander then sighed "...Ugh... fine then, sir..."

"Good, now if you excuse me, I have some works to tend to... not to worry though, you'll go home eventually"

And with that being said, the phone call comes to an end. The commander of the Esterrian brigade took a while for himself, letting out a deep breath.

"...Eventually..."

...

"You know, I'm still wondering how we went so far and yet La Ferdina has not taken notice"

"Well last time I checked, their detector can only pick up magic no?"

"True... I still feel I'm a bit of a risk though"

The FIIA operatives are now in a helicopter flying right above the border between Esterria and La Ferdina, having done their part.

"...Anyways, let's just move on..." said the man in grey "...So how did I do?"

"For me, you did great out there!" replied one of his mates "I mean... what do I expect more from someone who spied on us once?"

"I thought we agreed to not talk about it..."

"Oh come on man, can't a man have a little fun?"

"Please... don't..."

"Haha, whatever you say, Vik"

The sound of the helicopter whirr-like sound fills in the quietness that took place after. Before then, Vik then looked up and let go of a deep breath.

"...Sometimes I wonder when I'd get my citizenship..." he muttered

"Been there before brother, I feel ya..."

Vik looked up to the guy.

"...You moved to Flashia a while ago, Hadir?"

"Yep, had to run away from war back home when I was a kid. Didn't know much better back then, but now I'm just happy being here you know what I'm saying?"

"...Yeah... Perhaps..."

...

With the Demon Lord's Army severely weakened, they scrambled to get defensive positions up across the three Berian islands amidst fears of a pending invasion from whoever wiped them and Verkog out in their disastrous campaign.

Eljeđ, Demonic State, 21/10/1702 A lizardman impales his shovel to the snow of the island to the West of the main one where Hošče is, exasperated from the whole process of digging the position up, something that requires a lot of effort from a lot of the troops in the context of a frozen land... literally.

"Finally..." he hyperventilated "...It's finally done... oh Lord..."

Not being able to support himself even further, he fell to the ground on his bottom, sitting besides his comrades who are also exhausted from the work alone.

"...We did it..." panted one of his fellow lizard "...We got it dug up... what a achievement..."

The lizards laughed along with each other as they would just sit in there, looking around, admiring the trench they have laid out.

"Oh... those humans are probably not going to get past this..." a lizardman scoffed.

"If the worst case scenario happens..." retorted another.

"Yes... yes... but still, it's just great we have something that will stand against the future invaders..."

...

As part of the requirement, the prior military experience means that training will be streamlined for the Foreign Battalions. But that does not mean the Berians will get some rest, but even they're simply not willing to do so if it does not bring Beria back.

Northern Gladahjuland This kind of training was not one they would think of, but as it went on, they soon realize it's their best shot at preparing for the big fight.

"Alpine-3 move forward!"

The troops of Berians fully kitted out would participate in a small live fire exercise in a mix of snow lower and woodland upper as it's partially snowing, and they're in a forest. Unlike their days shooting at the range, they're not just firing some shots of, they're putting their all their skills and tactics to the test in a scenario designed to be like the real deal.

In essence though, they're still shooting targets, just made out of metal and they pop up as they go. As such, the weapons are on live fire which also mean a lot more caution had to be taken lest a disaster happens as the polar bears move from trees to trees.

In this exercise, they learn to ditch the old ways of forming lines and take on a spread out but still coherent formation, fighting in the forest the Flash way.

"Contact right!" shouted an infantryman.

Targets would pop up in series for every meters they take, prompted by the soldiers taking aim then fire until it was hit, causing them to fall down again. They would do this for every meters they take on the pre-planned route until they reached a little something called the trench.

The Berians would promptly jump down into the trench and began the process of clearing it out, starting with splitting up into two groups that go the opposite way from each other. Almost immediately, shots were fired as soon as one laid eyes on the targets.

"Once all clear, regroup at the middle after the trench!"

They'd navigate through the corners and the shelters of the trench, leaning over for every turn they make and pulled the trigger at every 'defenders' they see. All of this is happening while red vests are watching over them... Yes, this is standard procedure for drills with actual bullets.

The bears would slowly but surely take down every single targets in the trench. After this, they'd do another round to make sure it's clear before climbing out of the trench. Usually, it wouldn't be a problem, but considering the added weight distributed on the front and back chest, it took more efforts than the Berians would like.

"Curse this!" shouted one of the Foreign Battalion personnel getting lifted out "Why would it be so heavy here? It's not worth it!"

"Keep that mouth quiet will you?!"

The squad would finally group back up together after a lot of struggling. They consolidated with each other for a short while before then taking on the route. They're only halfway to the finish line of this drill.

...

Meanwhile, back in Gestrae, specifically in the Southern part of Naeslagtlandic mainland, soldiers with Flash weaponry would land back here from their usual garrison at a certain island further South. A decision that has the staffs of the Army at the port baffled.

Korsburg, Naeslagtland "Why would we withdraw our best troops from the island in dangerously close proximity to La Ferdina?" questioned one of them "This does not make sense at all!"

"There must something that resulted in this decision" replied one other "I don't know what that is, but I have a feeling it's not good considering more of ours Flashian military unit is coming here too"

"Oh no, don't tell me we're going to have an armed conflict there..."

"I mean it's a possibility, we're not too sure about it yet, but we can't exactly rule that out either"

"Gentlemen, what's going on here?" asked a figure walking up to them, later revealed to be a man with glasses in a Flash uniform and a beret with his individual equipment and service rifle.

"...You must be commander of the 99th Battalion, Valtteri Valko?" inquired one of the officers.

"That is me, nice to meet you guys"

"An honor to have you here too"

Valtteri nodded as he'd join the two standing here.

"So anyways" he spoke "What are we talking about?"

"Nothing much, just about the ridiculous decision to withdraw from Nyttland... I'm sure you know something about this, yes?"

"Well your guess is as good as mine... I must say this though..." eyebrows from the pair were raised "...Something like is usually when the FIIA being tipped off about something, at least from I've heard"

"Wait, wait... what's FIIA again?"

"Our investigative and intelligence agency, kinda like what you have"

"So spies then?"

"In this case, yeah"

The Naeslagts nodded, unconsciously letting out an "Ah..." in realization.

"So there must be something bad going on there..."

...

In an island to the South and further away from mainland Naeslagtland, a group of top-ranking officials governing the big island held a meeting secret from their supposed allies of the Northern Pact and Aveland.

Nyttland, Naeslagtland(?) "So to begin..." spoke the governor of this island "How are our plans so far?" he looked at one of his aides in military uniform.

"Sir" the military official of the island reported "We have successfully acquired the weapons from the La Ferdinan Empire, we'd have enough to arm more and more of our troops. In other news, Aveland's soldiers have begun to withdraw from Nyttland"

"And why is this the case?" he raised an eyebrow.

"We do not know" the man of military matters shrugged "All I know is that it will help us considerably in our cause"

"That I agree... soon, when that time comes gentlemen, I suppose everyone here knows what to do already?"

To which the other cohorts in the room nodded.

"Good... that King will soon realize his mistakes in following in the footstep of that barbarian republic..."

...

"Give me a SITREP, what's the status on those guys?"

"They haven't make a move yet as far as we know, could be preparing for it"

"When?"

"Unsure but... estimates put it about 3 weeks at least if intels from La Ferdinan insiders are right"

"Are they aware?"

"Doesn't seem so yet. They're sort of spooked but still none the wiser"

"Acknowledged, continue with the task"

"Copy that"

...

Just a little note, South-Eastern Naeslagtland is basically Sweden of Gestrae.