Chapter 221: Commander

December 2nd, 625. 

Eric’s eyes widened when he looked up, seeing the three drop-dead gorgeous women walk in.

They all wore the same uniform, one he had only seen once before. They should be a powerful group of soldiers based on their Aura. He wasn’t sure why they were here though. 

Not that he cared much. He looked at the girl in front. Ashy hair, vibrant purple eyes, an intricately crafted ear cuff on her right ear and an enchanted bracer on her forearm. Her face was sharp, halfway between indifference and haughtiness. 

He guessed she was a noble lady. The other two were probably nobles as well if their beauty was anything to go off of. One of them, blonde and tall, a more conventional beauty, and the other, criminally cute, hiding a faint allure behind those big innocent eyes. 

He could hardly imagine how three women of such standards had come to this hellhole, let alone why they had entered their barracks. 

He stood, knowing he had to take this chance. 

“Hello! My name is Eric. Can I help you ladies? Gentleman?”

He stuck his hand out toward the obvious leader of the group with a big smile. He liked cuteness, he liked conventional beauty, but the way this girl looked at everything around her with faint superiority did something for him. 

He needed to get a taste of this girl, even if just a bite. His mind filled with images of her underneath him, dominating this haughty noble lady. 

She refused to shake his hand, speaking plainly, “We’re from 1st Special Operations Company, 2nd platoon, 5th squadron, here to reinforce Charlie Company. Where’s Commander Pollux?”

“Oh…”

His eyes widened, as did many others. 

So she was special operations? That made things difficult. Still, he would try what he could. He refused to believe that she could resist him. He had fucked girls who loved to play hard to get, and a bit of confidence wouldn’t deter him. 

He continued to smile, looking into those stunning purple eyes.

“I believe he’s going to receive the Snow Doves.”

“Do you know when they’ll be back?”

“Shouldn’t be long from now. Shall I give you a tour around the place while we wait?”

“No, thank you. We’ll wait outside.”

They turned, Eric jumping forward. 

“I’ll accompany you then.”

She didn’t respond, simply glancing at him before staring forward. 

Perhaps he should go after her friend first? Eric walked by the cute one as they left the barracks, standing outside as the distant thumps of bombs exploding filled the air. 

He went up to the smaller girl, putting out his hand. 

“I’m Eric.”

“Hi! I’m Jaya.”

She shook his hand, making him smile wider.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jaya. I must say, you don’t look like special operations.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

She questioned, accusingly, a small smile still on her face. Eric shrugged. 

“I just think such difficult and dirty work doesn’t suit such a cute lady like yourself. But I suppose that just speaks to your sheer skill.”

“Hoh, is that right?”

She smiled at him before glancing back forward. Not a good sign. 

Eric picked it back up.

“You’re a warlock, right?”

“Hm, I’m not supposed to say.”

“Really? I get that keeping secrets is valuable, but is knowing such a basic thing that important?”

“It can be. You never know, and we don’t take chances. It’s just protocol.”

“I see. I suppose I’ll apologize then. How about a drink later, for all of you?”

He threw out the bait, Jaya smiling again. 

“Perhaps? We’re about to be very busy people.”

“I’m sure we can find a short time. Since you guys will be working with us, I’d like to make sure you feel as at home as you can be in such an unforgiving place.”

“The sentiment is appreciated.”

A lackluster response, Eric thought. He decided to stop talking, lest he start being annoying. There’d be time later. 

A couple minutes went by like that, Eric glancing over at the lead girl. She was on her Aerial, glancing at it every several seconds. She looked anxious, but he couldn’t imagine why. 

Then, some Steeds came rolling in from the distance. Eric watched them, internally scoffing. All the Snow Doves were pretentious, there because of talent and nothing else. Yet he had never been admitted, even though he went to petition for it himself. Twice. 

It was probably that scum sucking asshole who got his requests denied. That guy was cozy with all the right people, probably fucking that old General lady for favors. Now he was supposed to be filthy rich after inventing the planes. That’s probably why the Brigadier liked him. Classic summoners, using underhanded means to accomplish anything remotely remarkable. 

And there he was, rolling in on the top of the Steed. They came to a halt in front of the barracks, John smiling wide as he jumped down, stepping forward. 

Eric glanced over when he saw the other girl move as well. She was smiling, and he suddenly had a sinking feeling when they walked toward each other. 

Then, John grabbed her waist and pulled her in, the two kissing without so much as a hello. 

His eyes widened, and his gaze turned red. 

How the fuck did that shit stained summoner know her? Since when was he in a relationship with her?! 

He glared at him with hate in his eyes. 

He needed to do something. This summoner had to be rid of. He refused to continue to watch John Cooper get everything he shouldn’t have. Money, influence, power. 

The girl. 

He glanced between him and the girl as they separated. Making his silent vows.

He would take her. If it was the last thing he did, he would take her and fuck her senseless. 

He would show John Cooper who was superior. 

That’s when he saw John looking at him, those golden eyes looking into his own, cold and unfeeling. 

“The fuck do you want, you fucking bug?”

…

I stared at Eric. I could sense the sheer hate in his eyes, the way he looked at Umara with hedonism, the conviction in his gaze. 

I stepped past Umara, walking right up to Eric and looking down on him from mere inches away. I didn’t care that he was an Authority 7 knight. There was nothing he could do to threaten my life, especially now that I had advanced. 

He scowled. 

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Or is your attention elsewhere? Here, let me help you.”

I brought out the P320 chambered in 10mm, pressing the metal up against the soft flesh of his neck, imbuing it with so much Psyka that it stung his nerves. 

I let him sense the sheer power behind it. Let him sense how easily it could kill him. 

He looked down, his body stiffening. I could finally feel a tinge of fear from him, but all it did was fuel his rage. 

Good. 

“Listen to me close, Eric. You’re going to keep your disgusting gaze to yourself. Look at my girlfriend like that again and I’ll find a good place to bury you. I’ve already got ideas, and if you want to stay alive, you’ll refrain from giving me excuses.”

I pressed into the pistol a bit harder, my voice becoming inaudible, yet still entering his mind as if I were whispering, “I know you’re jealous. A revolting piece of shit like you could never get a woman that gorgeous. The closest you could get is a high class whore. So I suggest you go and find one around base somewhere before you get any ideas. Fucking pig.”

I flicked away my pistol, Eric standing stock still as I went back to Umara. 

He eventually turned and walked back into the barracks, and only when he disappeared did I hear Umara.

She was frowning, “Bad history?”

“He’s just an idiot. Feel free to blind him if he looks at you wrong. If I do anything I’d just end up blowing his brains out.”

“Hm, alright. So you advanced huh?”

“I did. So nice of you to notice.”

We smiled at each other and linked arms before I turned to the others. 

“Pollux, Nonnen, these are our reinforcements. Special operators from Stronghold Beta. These three are my friends from the Magisterium, and I don’t know these two but I thank you for being here.”

I stuck my hand out to the two girls, the cute one taking it first. 

“Pleasure to be here! I’m Jaya. I hope you’ll take goood care of me.”

She winked with an alluring gaze, my smile turning weird. Was she flirting or just that friendly?

“Can it, Jaya,” Umara snapped, “Before I kick you to another squad.”

Jaya flailed her arms, “I’m just kidding! Not my fault your boyfriend is a hunk of muscle! I mean, what summoner looks like that?!”

“Ahem, anyway.”

I shook my head and tried to defuse, shaking the other girl’s hand. 

“John.”

“Harsha.”

“Thanks for the support, Harsha. We need all the fucking help we can get. Things are getting extreme out there. Guys, this is Nonnen, Brigadier of the Snow Doves, and Pollux, Commander of the Pathfinders.”

“Pleasure to meet you all.”

The two parties met and shook hands, all of us forming a circle. 

Nonnen smiled, “We’ll get you all set up on the third floor. We have a few spare rooms. Next mission should be coming tonight. We’ll probably leave a couple hours past midnight to set up for the morning. It’ll be cold, so pack heavy.”

“I’ll get them processed at the armory,” I chimed in. They would need to get their gear adapted for not just the snow but the biomat. 

Nonnen nodded, “Take your time, but make sure to get your sleep. I don’t need you sleeping through half the battle again.”

“That was a safety nap.”

“Naps aren’t 6 hours long.”

“It is when I’m still not fully rested. I needed at least 2 more hours but then you went and flipped the Steed.”

“I was in combat and you were practically begging for it. Just be rested please. You’re the last person I need ineffective.”

“Roger roger. Come on, operators,” I waved to the others, “Let’s get you painted.”

……

The battle orders came earlier than expected. 

I woke up in my bed to an alarm on my Aerial. I had a call waiting from Jasmine, which I took half asleep. Umara shifted in my arms, obviously woken up as well.

“Yes?”

“I need Charlie Company to mobilize. Now. I’m about to walk over there for a briefing. We’ve got incoming.”

“…Alright.”

I clicked my Aerial, hanging up the call and turning my head down to Umara. 

“We gotta get up.”

“Now?”

“Unfortunately. Get used to it, darling. I’m gonna go wake everyone. Gather your squad and meet me in the barracks.”

“Mm.”

We gave each other a quick kiss before I dragged myself out of bed, quickly throwing on my coat so I could warm up and isolate myself from the frigid atmosphere. The winter was coming in full force. 

I went down between several rooms, banging on doors.

“All hands on deck! We muster in the barracks in 5 minutes! All hands on deck!”

I passed through those hallways, descending to the main floor where the vast majority of the troops were. 

I kicked the door open and started yelling, my voice piercing into the minds of those asleep. 

“Rise and shine, motherfuckers! The Colonel is on her way! We got 5 minutes!”

People started sliding out of bed without word. We had gotten 6 hours of sleep, which left me groggy but everyone else should be fully rested. I had no sympathy.

Stupid Magi.

Armor went on fast enough, people streaming down from upstairs and gathering in the middle of the barracks. 

Jasmine arrived soon enough. I greeted her at the doorway. 

“What have you got for us? Everything alright?”

“I think you already know it’s not.”

“I was just hoping. Alright, lay it on me thick.”

“In short, we’ve discovered two new species. They wiped out 3 companies before we could respond properly. Here.”

She placed a cradle on a nearby table, dropping in an Orb and projecting the images on it. Everyone gathered around, getting a good look at our new enemy. 

It was cavalry, some odd looking humanoids with small tusks coming from their bottom mandibles riding what looked like a cross between an elephant and a pig. They were brutish, more mass than agility, with heavily armored fronts. They were shown plowing through battle lines and trampling across our troops, causing more than enough chaos for the rest of the Scourge to pierce through and overwhelm their prey. 

Proper cavalry. I stared at their image, taking in their distinguishing features and going into my 7th Star to find a weapon to counteract them, quickly finding a perfect candidate. 

If only I could figure out how to mount it to a Steed…

“We’ve called them Hog Riders.”

“No shit.”

“They show up in numbers between 100 and 300. The riders and their mounts sit between Authority 6 and 8, and they have natural armor that can resist spellfire from up to Authority 9 warlocks long enough to charge into the lines, especially when they have numbers. They’re difficult to take down and even if you kill their riders, the mounts will continue the charge alongside all the others.”

I nodded and asked, “Any behavioral quirks? Weaknesses?”

“Well, they’re softer from behind, but you’d have to flank them. Thankfully they’re also slow to turn or maneuver anywhere but straight. Major terrain obstacles slow them down but those are hard to create on the fly with the biomat resisting magic, according to recent reports. Besides that? The riders are stupid and their mounts eat people. That’s all we have for now.”

“Good enough.”

I formulated some tactics, thinking about how we’d handle these riders both on the move and with fortified lines. 

Jasmine continued. 

“These things move fast and in larger groups until they’re ordered to split off and engage our active forces. We have two helicopters for you all. For now, we want Charlie Company to be a rapid response force to handle these Hog Riders as they divide across the field. We already have two targets for you now. The faster you get out there, the better.”

“Copy that. Are the pilots ready?”

“They are on standby.”

“Good. Nonnen?”

I turned, looking at the highest ranked man here. 

He stared at me, “We leave in 15 minutes.”

“Alright then. You heard the man! 15 minutes! Armor up and be ready to walk in 10!”

A few dozen people started running around, grabbing all their gear and throwing it on, preparing for full combat. 

I turned back to Jasmine. 

“You’ll send us updates in the field?”

“Yes. A major force of these Hog Riders showed up two hours ago, about 7 thousand strong, yet to split off into teams. Many have been killed but they’re hard to hit with bombs and they’ve cost us nasty losses in a short time. We want to nip this in the bud now.”

“Right. I’ll go prep then.”

“Hang on.”

Before I could walk away, Jasmine suddenly placed something down on the table. 

An insignia for Commander. 

“I know you didn’t care to report your advancement but Polly wanted you to have it anyway. You won’t get much of a ceremony but I know you don’t mind.”

“No, I don’t. Give her my thanks.”

I reached out to take the insignia, Nonnen snatching it before I could. 

He yelled, “All troops, at attention!”

His voice snapped most to immediate attention, some others looking up before turning in our direction. 

He raised the insignia, “Under my Authority, John Cooper, now among the 7th Authority of Magi, shall be promoted to Commander! All here, bear witness to his promotion!”

Realizing what was happening, everyone snapped off salutes, some half dressed, others in nothing but undergarments, all of them surprised. I saw Umara, Feiden, and Tana saluting from the side, smiling at me. 

Nonnen stepped forward and took off the old insignia from my collar, pinning on the three stripes and three arrows of a Commander. 

Once it was done, we saluted each other. 

“Congratulations, Commander Cooper.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Our salutes went down in sync, Nonnen looking up as everyone followed suit.

“Back to work!”

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