Austronesia Empire, Imperial Majahapit, Jayapura Papua, Jayapura Mining Station

1st Year of God, Monday, 2nd Week, Month Of Abraham.

The celebration party reached its zenith just past midnight. Miners, workers, and off-duty soldiers drank and feasted on alcohol and fresh ant meat. Professor Penelope sat next to Odysseus, listening to one soldier’s version of his experiences in the dungeon. The female researcher dropped the finished piece of ant leg on the side, which looked and tasted remarkably like snow crab, and set the shell aside.

Odysseus happily dug out the fleshy meat and dropped the shell next to a growing pile of empty leg casings. The ant legs had been boiled in seawater and served with soy sauce.

"This is delicious!" he exclaimed, wiping his mouth with a napkin and settling back into his seat with satisfaction.

"Yes," Penelope agreed, before asking, "Haven't your people tried ant meat before?"

Odysseus shook his head. "No, this type of monster cuisine is hard to find in my country." He grinned happily and gave a small burp. "This is my first time trying it. It's really good!"

“Hahaha,” Penelope laughed at his satisfied expression. "This is my first time having ant meat too, but it turned out surprisingly well." She remembered the chef's confidence during the tasting, and him insisting the meat was as tasty as crab. The volunteers had been skeptical until one brave soul confirmed the chef's claim. "It's great that it could add some variety to our food supply in this healing country."

Odysseus chuckled and glanced around, observing how the humans celebrated. Compared to the noble banquets he had attended, this party was more modest and filled with genuine camaraderie.

…without, of course, the whole orgy at the end.

He sighed, shaking his head to dispel the unpleasant memories of all of the nasty hedonism in his head, and turned to Penelope's bright face. For a moment, he couldn't help but admire it regardless, despite having seen countless world-class beauties among the noble female elves.

But with Penelope…

'For a human, she really is beautiful.'

At that moment, the music in the background shifted to a lively cha-cha tune, or perhaps authentic Cuban music.

"Oh, I like this song," Penelope said with a bright smile, turning to Odysseus. "Sir Odysseus, would you care to dance with me?"

Surprised by the invitation, Odysseus smiled at the young woman before him and moved closer to her.

"Sure, why not? If you are inexperienced, I can assist you if you like."

————————————————————

Moments after the music began and the two started a type of dance that humans called "Tango", and Odysseus was taken aback by Penelope’s unexpected dancing skills. He could feel every beat and rhythm through her body as they moved and held on together with their steps perfectly in sync.

As they effortlessly took the center stage, the crowd instinctively parted to make way for them. In an instant, they became the focus of everyone’s attention.

The tempo of the music suddenly quickened, and as Odysseus and Penelope moved faster, the rest of the other dancers seemed to slow down.

In fact, everyone else stopped dancing altogether.

"Everyone is looking at us," Penelope said with a smile, her purple eyes glowing as she stared straight into his blue ones.

"I know."

With that, Odysseus lifted her into the air, his hands firm around her waist as he spun her gracefully. Afterward, he brought her back down and pulled her close to his chest.

The crowd was stunned by Odysseus' flawless execution of a move that only the finest professional dancers could attempt. Thankfully, he was athletic enough, and his body was perfectly in sync with his mind.

He pulled the move off splendidly, and the gasps of claps from people seemed to indicate that he did a good job.

"I didn't think you had this much energy," Penelope said breathlessly, holding onto his shoulders as they continued to dance.

Odysseus chuckled and served for the side, making sure Penelope’s body nearly fell before he grabbed her from behind and paused for a moment

Their eyes met, and he smiled.

"Being a mage doesn't make you lack strength or be unathletic."

He lifted her back up, and they resumed their dance. At this point, everyone’s attention was fully on the two. Even those who had been deep in conversation stopped to watch the captivating performance.

"So, Odysseus, about that conversation I mentioned earlier…" Penelope began.

"Hm?"

Swerving and turning, they continued their movements with perfect fluidity as they were both in sync with each other while the flickering flames cast a warm orange glow on Penelope’s face.

"I apologize if I seemed rude or overbearing, but I'm serious about it," she said in an earnest tone.

"Why do you want to discuss it so urgently?" he asked.

"To learn, obviously! You possess knowledge and power I’ve never encountered. I want to study it, see if I can incorporate it into my existing knowledge."

"Why?" he pressed.

"W-well…" she hesitated.

For a moment, silence echoed between the two of them. Then, right as Penelope twisted her body, with Odysseus holding her hand upward before drawing her closer into his arms, he leaned in and whispered into her ears.

"Come on. If you don't tell me your motivations, how can you expect me to be convinced?"

She smiled at him with her face inches from his.

"I can't lie, can I?"

"Nope."

They resumed dancing at a more relaxed pace, and then she heaved a sigh before continuing.

"Let’s just say it’s an obsession of mine."

"Oh? What kind of obsession?"

"It drives me crazy when there’s something I don’t know, but someone else does."

"Oh?"

"It has to be something I’m interested in, of course, so I’m not losing sleep over politics, war tactics or anything like that."

"Ohhh…" Odysseus murmured softly. "Look, miss…"

"I’m not asking for an answer right now. I already know I have less to offer you than you have to offer me." Her tone seemed especially desperate, but she kept her composure nonetheless. "Just keep it in mind. I’ll find something that will interest you. Once I do, you won’t be able to hesitate this much."

Odysseus felt a smile forming on his lips as he watched Penelope’s determined expression.

"You’re really confident, huh?"

"Yup!" The moment she flashed a smile, Odysseus felt his heart jump a little.

"Just you wait. I'm going to pick your brains to my satisfaction… very soon."

There was something both intriguing and unsettling about the way that human woman narrowed her eyes at him.

The music was slowly fading, meaning the end of the dance was arriving. Bit by bit, they began to detach from each other, yet their gaze remained unmoving.

"Well, I look forward to it," he said.

They finally concluded their dance, and Odysseus bowed while Penelope curtsied. This was followed by cheers and applause from the crowd.

"Come with me to the beach resort," Penelope said, reaching out to Odysseus and planting a light kiss on his cheek.

The moment she did, he caught a whiff of her scent, which was enchanting and unforgettable.

She left shortly afterward, leaving Odysseus standing all alone.

He stood there for a moment, watching her walk away with her hips swaying left and right, while time felt like it slowed down as he felt more heart thumping in his chest.

'I wonder if she’s really single…' he thought, lightly touching his cheek and smiling.

——————————————————

On a grassy hilltop near the seashore, a pair of soldiers stood in a lone watchtower that overlooked the vast ocean.

"Hey, dude."

"Yeah, man?"

"Do you ever wonder why we're here?"

"That's one of life's greatest mysteries, isn't it? Why are we here, exactly? I mean, are we the product of some... cosmic coincidence, or is there really a God up there, watching everything and putting us all here in this world for a reason? You know, with a plan for us and all that? I don’t know, man, but it keeps me up at night."

The first soldier who asked was silent and just stared at his partner, confused, before realizing what he actually meant.

"What?! I mean, why are we here, standing by the beach in the middle of the night?!"

"Oh, that," the second soldier chuckled. "We’re here to guard this beach from external threats."

“Really? Am I the only one who never gets the full brief of this shit? Besides, there are already patrols out at sea.”

Before the other could respond, he noticed something in the distance.

"Look."

"At what?"

"That."

The first soldier followed his gaze and saw some lights flickering on the horizon. It didn’t look like floodlights, more like something natural.

…And they are countless.

“What... is that?”

Just as they were about to grab their binoculars for a closer look, their radio suddenly crackled to life.

[...ar… und..… an…. su..ort…. ow!!]

“What the hell did he say?!” his partner asked urgently.

“Shit, I think we’re under attack!”

—————————————————————

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

“HQ! HQ! HQ! We are under heavy fire and need support now!"

A member of the patrol unit on a small frigate shouted into his radio in a desperate bid to call High Command. But the only response was the static hum of a disconnected line.

"Damnit!" He cursed as he ducked low from a grazing arrow shot that whizzed past his head.

"How's the radio? We're gonna get overrun at this point!" another soldier cried as he frantically reloaded his sniper rifle.

"I can't get a damn response, Private! Something's blocking the signal," the first soldier replied in frustration.

"What? Are we being jammed or something? By what?" a third soldier chimed in, feeling bewilderment.

"How am I supposed to know?" came the exasperated response.

The ocean had been eerily quiet just moments ago, with dozens of patrol boats and smaller warships drifting near the border, their crews finally relaxing after a long night’s work. The soldiers on one of the boats had lazily settled in, expecting a calm night, idly chatting while watching the moon.

But then, a faint horn sounded in the distance, growing louder and closer with every passing second.

Before they could react, a volley of arrows, which were half the size of a grown man, rained down on their boats, killing and wounding dozens of soldiers.

The three soldiers aboard their boat scrambled to grab their weapons out to fight back their attackers, and as their attention was ahead, their eyes widened in horror at the sight before them.

It wasn’t a sea monster or a random ship from any civilized nation.

It was an entire fleet of red wooden ships, crudely constructed, with torn red sails, steel spikes, and prows fashioned into giant, gaping maws resembling a fearsome creature.

These are the Orc fleets.



The Orcs launched their attack through a storm of whistling arrows and the advance of their bizarre ships. Despite the Orc ship's primitive appearance, they moved with shocking speed and resilience. The soldiers watched in disbelief as their warships opened fire and their heavy rounds striking the enemy vessels. But to their astonishment, the Orc ships withstood the barrage, hardly affected by the powerful blasts.

Normally, those wooden ships would have been obliterated by a single round from a modern warship, yet somehow, they survived an entire bombardment without a single one sinking.

Even more alarming was the speed at which the Orc ships moved, faster than they expected for a primitive ship. And when the Orcs returned fire, their cannons, painted a crude yellow, managed to dent, even penetrate, the thick armored steel of the warships!

But the most surprising of all was the complete lack of warning. There had been no intel on any incoming enemy fleets. Their most advanced satellites, radars, and every surveillance technology, which were capable of detecting even the smallest raft or a stealth aircraft, had detected nothing.

Yet here was an entire fleet of crude wooden ships, as if some toddlers crafted with random materials in kindergarten, had somehow evaded every form of surveillance and now threatened to overwhelm them.

At that moment, they noticed the Orcs were beginning to encircle them while constantly firing arrows and hurling projectiles at the soldiers. Among the attackers, some wore distinctive robes and wielded magical staff, unleashing powerful energy blasts at the defenders.

"Keep firing! Keep firing!" one of the soldiers shouted.

However, communication between the soldiers was a mess. Their radios weren't working due to static reception and were forced to yell over the din of battle. The suppressive fire of the enemy archers kept the defenders pinned down to what little cover they could manage to hide from in their ships.

"We're getting slaughtered here! We need a plan!" one soldier bellowed, desperation in his voice.

"We need support now, Private! Call in Command to get... anything over here!" Another soldier stuttered in a hasty exhalation of his venerable breath, his gasps breathing the pistonic gasses his sniper rifle emitted from each shot he took.

"I'm trying, but the radio’s barely working! It’s got to be some kind of magic disrupting the signal," the radio operator replied with frustration edging his words.

"What do we do now? We’re cut off from Command, and these Orcs are kicking our asses!" the second soldier exclaimed.

"Or going to rape our asses if we don’t figure something out!" the first soldier added grimly.

The radio operator quickly assessed their situation. "You said you used to be a professional boat driver, right?" he asked the second soldier.

"Yeah," the soldier nodded.

"Alright, we’re making a run for the Riverine Patrol boats. Tree, I need you on the Gatling gun. We’ll draw as much of their fire as we can and give our guys some breathing room," the radio operator took charge.

The soldier named Tree grinned, hefting his weapon. "Alright. Let’s see how these Orcs handle a taste of .50 caliber rounds coming at their faces."

The radio operator turned to a nearby group of pinned-down sailors. "Hey, you! Cover fire!"

"You got it!" one of the sailors responded. He and four others quickly manned the anti-air guns and opened fire on the Orcs with everything they had.

With the covering fire laying down a barrage, the group of soldiers leaped out of their cover and made a break line speed to the Riverine Patrol boats. They dodged arrows and magical projectiles by mere inches as they made their desperate dash.

Some Orcs and their shamans on one of the ships focused their attacks on the three soldiers, but thanks to the covering fire from the rest of the patrol unit, they managed to reach the armored safety of the Riverine Patrol boats unharmed.

One soldier took the driver's seat, the second rode shotgun, and the third climbed onto the front of the boat, taking control of the mounted Gatling gun.

"Let’s show them what real firepower looks like!" The gunner yelled, mounting the Gatling gun as the driver ignited the engine, and the boat roared to life with a deep, throaty growl as if it prepared to unleash hell on their attackers.

"Floor it!" the soldier yelled.

The driver slammed the throttle forward, and the patrol boat surged ahead like a wild animal freed from its cage.

The boat soon broke through the perimeter, racing past the encircling Orc fleet. The soldier manning the Gatling gun cocked it and opened fire at the Orcs, spraying them in a rain storm of .50 Calibre bullets.

His gunfire was wild, erratic, and a chaotic mess that flew everywhere from out to the sky, into the sea that caused a huge splash of water to kick up from the sea, and into the ranks of Orcs on the surrounding ships.

However, their hastily thought of plan threw a wrench in the plans of the Orcs. The Orc Captain’s initial plans were to surround them in an encircled position similar to how they would control their herds then shoot every single one of them down with their magic and projectiles. But the sudden appearance of a 'Metal Beast' suddenly burst out of their formation in a panic-like state whilst firing wildly invisible arrows with an interesting ‘boom’ ‘boom’ noises that struck several of them down demanded their immediate attention.

Eight of the Orc ships broke formation and chased the patrol boat under heavy machine gun fire.

"We've got a tail, V!" the gunner yelled as he kept firing.

The driver shifted to a lower gear and swung the boat sharply to the side. The boat launched off a large wave, soaring into the air before slamming back down onto the water with a heavy splash. As soon as they landed, the driver executed a hard left turn, giving the gunner the stability he needed to unleash another volley of bullets.

Within seconds, the gunner had taken down over two dozen Orcs on their ships.

"What a fucking roller coaster ride, amirite?" the driver quipped with a grin on his face.

"Nice driving. Let’s keep it up," the radio operator smiled optimistically over their chances of survival.

But their momentary victory was short-lived. As they looked back, they saw the Orc ships abandoning their chase and rallying the remaining forces into one massive horde. The Orcs were preparing for a full-scale charge and intent on breaking through the defensive perimeter by the sheer weights of their numbers.

To the soldiers' shock, the Orcs laughed enthusiastically as they jumped from their ships and landed on the ocean’s surface!



To further their shock, instead of sinking, all the Orcs stood on the water as if it were solid ground underneath!

"WAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!"

"WAAAAGGGHHH!!!!"

"WAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!"

"Jesus H. Christ! They can walk on water?!?!" one soldier exclaimed in utter disbelief.

"Damn it! Defend the perimeter at all costs!" the radio operator barked in urgency as the Orcs began their terrifying advance across the water… literally.

———————————————————————

While the patrol units engaged the Orcs at sea, some enemy forces managed to slip through and began to set foot on the shores of Austronesia.

However, as soon as they landed, many were met with a torrent of gunfire, with armed soldiers of the Liberation Army rushing headlong into the embattled ground, determined to hold the line against the invading Orcs. But despite their efforts, the defenders struggled to prevent a breakthrough.

Killing an Orc was no easy task, as even 7.62 x 39mm rounds struggled to penetrate their skin, which was as thick as concrete. Their strength was also terrifying by human standards, as they are capable of crushing boulders with their bare hands.

Eurylochus opened fire with his LMG, unleashing a storm of suppressive fire that tore through three dozen Orcs, riddling their green-skinned bodies to a bloody mess of ballistic entry and exit wounds. When his belt ran dry, he knelt down to undergo the long reloading of his weapon, which the process was painstakingly slow.

"Watch out!" Odysseus shouted in warning.

At that moment, Eurylochus caught sight of an Orc ship’s cannon aimed in his direction, and a projectile hurtled towards him, exploding nearby and sending him and his machine gun flying several feet. As he struggled to his feet, he saw the projectile on the ground in front him, but the round seemed to be strangely green and alive.

“Kekekeke!”

To his shock, he was met with a goblin, who had somehow survived the impact after being launched from a cannon at incredible speed.

“They’re firing motherfucking goblins?!”

The goblin lunged at Eurylochus with its steel dagger aimed for his throat. But he managed to keep the creature at bay, holding its weapon away from his vital organs for a good arm's length of distance.

Seizing the moment, Odysseus sprang forward and delivered a fierce whip kick to the goblin’s neck, sending it flying across the battlefield.

"Damn, you're strong as hell," Eurylochus remarked, catching his breath. "Where’s that professor you guys dance romantically back there?"

“She’s in the mining station with the others, and my golems are supporting your men,” Odysseus replied, glancing back to where his two Earth Golems were mowing down Orcs with heavy gunfire from their autocannons.

With Odysseus and his Earth Golems rampaging against the Orcs, the Liberation Army gained precious time to reload and a chance to counterattack.

About a kilometer away from the main battle, the soldiers aboard the Patrol Boat were close to finishing off the last of their pursuers. The driver skillfully maneuvered the boat and gained some distance from the Orcs on land, easing the pressure on the defenders. Meanwhile, the static on the radio finally began to clear, much to the relief of the Radioman.

"HQ! HQ! This is Patrol Unit 17," he called out urgently.

[This is HQ. We've been trying to reach your team for about thirty minutes. Has the weather been interfering with your comms? Over.] A voice from HQ Command crackled through.

"Thank Allah it’s working. Listen, we’re under attack. We've got about three hundred-plus tangos and technicals bearing down on us. We need support immediately!" he reported.

[Affirmative. Rolling Strike Package to your A.O. at once.] the voice confirmed. [Interrogative, what caused the communication blackout earlier?]

"I-I’m not sure. Some kind of jamming or interference. We need air support, and we needed it ten minutes ago! Just hurry!"

With a sigh of relief, the Radioman dropped the radio, grateful that help was on the way. He turned to get the attention of the soldier manning the Gatling gun, who had just finished off the last few Orcs who chased them. The gunner’s hands, still gripping the mounted weapon, began to shake violently, matching the rhythm of the gun’s fierce recoil.

"My God, I ain't gonna do another super shooting from now on, I'm shivering like a bad cold," The gunner muttered.

"Yeah, I feel you, but damn good shooting back there, Old Man. I'll buy you a round when we get back 'kay?" the driver called out, keeping his eyes on the horizon.

"Sure thing. Hey, look over at the horizon! 10 'o clock." The gunner pointed urgently.

All the soldiers on the boat turned to look where the gunner was pointing, and saw black dots were slowly but steadily approaching their position. The driver, needing a clearer view, grabbed a pair of binoculars.

“Oh shit, more greenskins up ahead! And there are hundreds of them!!”

“Seriously! Why is there no intel about this?!" The gunner complained.

"Quit whining and start shooting! We've got bogeys on our six!" the Radioman yelled, his voice edged with tension.

The gunner, about to steal a moment of rest, suddenly noticed a growing shadow enveloping him.

He spun around just in time to see a weird massive red creature with an Orc rider riding on its back.

"WAAAGH!!" the Orc roared as his mount burst from the water, with his weapon giant flail raised high, and ready to strike the boat.

Bam!

The spiked, metallic ball slammed itself against the steel frame of the boat, and the sheer force of the impact tilted the vessel sideways for a brief, heart-stopping moment with a large dent on its side.

The soldier manning the gatling gun felt caught in a daze by the sheer surprise, the ferocity, and suddenness of the attack. His rough touchdown to the cabin floor was enough to plum his elbows and his cheeks slightly with bruises.

"Dude! What the hell is tha—" the driver began, but his words were cut off as the Patrol Boat was violently shaken back and forth by a sudden, overwhelming turbulence.

"GGGGGAAAAWWWKKKK!!!!" shrieked the strange red sea creature, thrashing wildly as it tried to tear the "armored bone" from the Patrol Boat.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Drive! Drive! Drive!" the Radioman shouted in panic.

The driver slammed the pedal to the metal, and the armored speedboat let out its own mighty roar. With a burst of acceleration, the boat shot forward with the sharp hull slicing through the water. The sea monster attempted to block the boat’s path, but was instantly impaled by the speeding steel, killing both the creature and its Orc rider.

"HQ! HQ! Mission Update! We’ve got more enemies ahead!" the Radioman frantically relayed into the radio.

[Say again?]

"There’s another whole army of greenskins chasing us! I need an ETA on that air support and reinforcements," he pressed.

[ETA five minutes.]

"Roger that," he confirmed, dropping the radio. "You hear that? Help’s on the way," he reassured the crew.

"They better be! I don’t wanna die out here," the gunner muttered.

"Me neither!" another soldier chimed in as the boat sped across the ocean, making a beeline for the seashore.

The Patrol Boat covered the distance to the approaching Orcs with such inhuman speed that even the enemy was momentarily taken aback. But instead of being discouraged by the deceptively uncanny speed of the "metal beast," the Orcs were only more excited and eager to face this otherworldly foe.

According to the Radioman’s estimates, the reinforcements would arrive at the Mining Station's doorstep in about four to five minutes.

"CHARRRRRRGE!!!"

“FOOORRR DEEE HOOOOOORRRRDDDEE!!!”

After making their way past the Orcs' corpses and the wreckage strewn across the beach, the Radioman spotted Master Sergeant Pice, who was breathing heavily from the intense battle. Alongside him were the rest of the platoons, including Specialist Sergeant Eurylochus, Odysseus, and his two Earth Golems.

As the Patrol Boat came to a halt near the seashore, the Radioman hurried over to his Commanding Officer.

"Looks like you’re alright, sir," he said with a relieved smile.

“What’s your report?” Pice asked, cutting straight to business.

“Well, sir, we just—” the Radioman was about to inform him, but was abruptly interrupted by another soldier’s shout.

"Watch the skies! They’re casting spells!"

Several balls of magical energy made rainfall down on the beach, impacting the ground and exploded in bursts of arcane power. As the dust settled, the soldiers found themselves surrounded by a shimmering dome of magical energy. They turned to see Odysseus and his hands glowing with mystical power by the power of the Draconite Crystal in his hand.

“You’re welcome,” Odysseus said with a hint of pride.

Scanning the horizon, Eurylochus raised his binoculars and spotted a dozen more Orc ships approaching. What shocked him even more were the Orcs literally defying all logic by running across the ocean’s surface like a green wave.

"I still don’t understand how the hell they do that," Eurylochus muttered. "And they’ve brought their own mages too. We need to buy ourselves some time!"

“Contact Command. I need an update on the reinforcements," Pice ordered.

The Radioman quickly picked up his radio and tried to make contact, but all he got was more static.

"Damn it, not now!" he cursed, shaking the device in frustration. “You stupid Radio!”

"The magic is disrupting your comms," Odysseus said calmly.

"What?" The Radioman turned to the elf, confused.

"I don’t fully understand the ‘magnetic waves’ you humans talk about or why my own magic doesn’t interfere with them, but I suspect the high Mana density around us is messing with your signals," Odysseus explained. "If that’s the case, then there’s a powerful Shaman among the Orcs, one strong enough to distort it."

"So it’s some Orc wizard’s fault I’ve been struggling to reach HQ? Damm, what kind of cruel world is this?" the Radioman lamented.

"Focus, soldier. We need to buy ourselves time," Lieutenant Pice rallied his squad. "How long until reinforcements arrive?"

"Three to five minutes, sir," the Radioman replied.

"Then let’s make those minutes count," Pice commanded, preparing his men for the next wave. "Alright, you keep trying to contact Command while we work on slowing down the Orcs. Take the other Riverine Patrol boats too. Priority targets are the enemy mages and hit them with anti-tank rounds! Defensive formations, go!"

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers responded in unison before dispersing.

Eurylochus quickly gathered several soldiers, directing them to board the other three Riverine Patrol boats and man the mounted machine guns. The first armored boat took the lead, with the four Riverine Patrol boats spreading out evenly.

They opened fire on the approaching Orc ships, which responded with crude, yellow-painted cannons. But the barrage of armor-piercing .50 caliber rounds from the patrol boats hit first, cutting down several dozens of Orcs before their ammo reserves were exhausted. Despite running out of ammunition, they have done their duty and managed to slow down the enemy's advance.

On the beach, snipers took aim at the Orc ships, and it wasn't that hard to find the Orc shamans as their dark robes and magical staff marked them as targets. Every shot from their rifles met its mark with the sudden and gradual demise of the enemy’s combative magical capabilities and defenses, including reducing the interference affecting their radios.

"That’s it! Keep it up! I can hear HQ again. Command, come in!" the Radioman called out.

[This is Lieutenant Colonel Ciaphas Cahyono. What the hell is going on out there?]

"Some kind of magic shit is jamming our radios or something. I need the callsign for our airstrike," the Radioman replied.

[Pegasus 3-5.]

"Captain Kardawaiyah? Good to see she’s out now," the Radioman said with a hint of relief.

"You know her?" Odysseus asked.

"Yeah, we shared tables together back at Universiti Putra Malaysia in Imperial Tanah Melayu. Great pilot she is, whenever I call in an airstrike, it’s always her. Pegasus 3-5, again and again," he explained in a reassuring tone. "She’s the best pilot I’ve seen so far."

"Alright, call it in," Odysseus urged.

"Pegasus 3-5, this is Alpha Company. The Mining Station is pinned down by enemy forces. I authorize a CBU strike on hostiles 400 meters east of our position," the Radioman said, pulling an IR signal beacon from his pocket. He activated it and placed it firmly on the ground.

[Affirmative, Alpha Company. Commencing attack run,] a feminine voice responded over the radio.

"Lase your targets! Give them the beam!" one of the snipers shouted, dropping his binoculars and activating the laser designator on his rifle.

Half a minute later, a squadron of F-16 Phantom fighter jets lined up vertically over the massed Orc fleet.

Leading the air assault, Captain Kardawaiyah inched her hand toward the bomb release button, adjusting her altitude to a mere 300 feet. Some of the Orcs, puzzled by the sight of the strange, gray-colored metal birds approaching them as they turned their heads curiously. They couldn’t fathom that these machines could pose any real threat to the mighty ships of the Horde.

“Tucktail!” their general bellowed, urging caution.

"Bomb's away!" Kardawaiyah announced.

"Fox-4! Guns, guns, guns!" her wingman added.

In an instant, they unleashed their payload on the Orc ships, erupting the fleet in a devastating storm of bombs and heavy Gatling gunfire, easily decimating them from a rain of 30mm depleted uranium bullets and fracturing cluster bombs, obliterating the ships and leaving behind a thunderous, inhuman roar as they pass.

Though the F-16s were the size of griffons, they carried the destructive power of dragons within their mechanical souls.

"Puny 'umiez! Mere ‘boom’ ‘booms’ won't kill us! We'll fight an’ take yer scraps! Charge!!" The wounded Orc Captain, who is missing an arm, bellowed and rallied the surviving green warriors.

With a ferocious roar and weapons raised, the Orcs gave out one last charge in an unbreakable display of their thirst for war and bloodshed. Despite losing an arm and a large amount of blood, none of them appeared to be slowing down, not even stopping whatever Magic they had that allowed them to run across the water’s surface.

"No way they’re still coming," Eurylochus muttered in disbelief.

[This is Valkyrie 1-1. Reinforcements have arrived,] the radio crackled.

Then, one of the soldiers on the beach spotted not just one, not few, but dozens upon dozens of warships from the Liberation Navy appearing on the horizon.

Among them was the infamous “ALN Lapu-Lapu”, Austronesia's largest aircraft carrier, which carried thousands of people and hundreds of aircraft of various kinds.

A dozen helicopters launched from the ship and hovered above the battle-weary soldiers on the beach. The powerful downdraft from the rotors whipped the air around them, stirring the dust and sand as Odysseus watched in awe at the overwhelming display of military might.

The next moment, the doors of the helicopters swung open, and fresh-faced soldiers began roping down from the Canaries, while the door gunners unleashed a hail of machine-gun fire to finish off the remaining Orcs.

"We'll fight yer again, 'umiez! An’ Jiak da SkullKrusher’ll be here to—!" the last Orc roared as he was merely four meters from Odysseus, before being torn apart to swiss cheese by the withering gunfire from the reinforcing soldiers.

Cheers erupted from the humans hunkered down at the mining station for their victory against overwhelming odds finally secured.

As the reinforcements hit the ground, they swiftly moved into action, some administering first aid to the wounded, others securing the perimeter and hunting down any stragglers. Odysseus stated they needed to burn their bodies, and they followed his advice as they methodically incinerated the bodies of the fallen Orcs to crisp with flamethrowers to prevent any spores from spreading.

"Sergeant Pice! Sergeant Eurylochus!" came the authoritative voice of Lieutenant Colonel Ciaphas Cahyono as he approached.

"Sir!" Both commanders snapped to attention and saluted.

"Battle report," Cahyono demanded.

"We were ambushed by hostile forces," Eurylochus began summarizing the encounter. “But the problem is that according to Odysseus, what we are facing was just a vanguard and a small force.”

"I see, that would be very problematic. We've also been trying to reach you, but the line kept breaking. Do you have any explanation for this poor communication?" Cahyono pressed.

"Sir, it’s a theory from Odysseus," Pice explained. "He believes that large-scale outbursts of magical energy can disrupt our electronic communications."

Cahyono frowned. "That sounds preposterous. These radios are state-of-the-art. Can this 'magic' really jam them?"

"Trust us, Colonel," Eurylochus interjected. "You should know that for the past several months, we have seen many things out here that only fantasy writers could dream of."

Cahyono nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Well, perhaps I need to report this to His Majesty."