The American In Another World
Chapter 54: Calamique
28 January 1640
South of Tango Island (Ring Island)
1,300 miles north of Michigan
The fine sand composes a small buffer between the deadly rocks and crashing ocean waves, building up deposits as mountain erosion continues. Uninterrupted by civilization for thousands of years, the waves split as a small fleet of ships approached the strange formation. Maintaining their distance from the rocky coastline of the ring-shaped island, they prepare for an expedition to the sheltered land within.
The USS America, escorted by a squadron of destroyers, awakens as two Ospreys from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit load up on personnel. Selected for their previous combat experience in the Qua Toynian wilderness during the Lourian campaign and at the Siege of Topa, the two platoons departed from the ship. Intelligence gathered from overhead flights and satellite imagery makes it clear that landings will be difficult. There is a safe landing zone within populated areas, but it cannot be secured due to the lack of manacomm on the island. Therefore, the only other alternative was the beaches of the central island, from which the escorted delegates had to traverse miles of dense forest filled with monsters.
As the Osprey approached the shore, the sound of metal whipping through the air quickly frightened the flock, causing them to retreat into the forest. The sand, leaves, and seaweed on the beach are swept away by the strong winds generated by the landing machine. They landed on sandy ground, as close as possible to the solid ground near the forest entrance.
Osprey passengers disembarked, led by Lieutenant Baker who quickly secured the perimeter around the landing zone. With the weapon raised, his men spread out, forming a semicircle. Most were armed with Scar-H combat rifles, a precaution against monsters that the standard 5.56 would have trouble dealing with. They were further supported by an assault squad and heavy machine guns, which packed enough firepower to obliterate the flying wyvern.
"It seems that we are all safe, Mr. Ambassador," Baker announced to the man in the suit and his assistant in Osprey.
“Leading, Lieutenant,” the great Viking of an ambassador announced, emerging from the plane with a shotgun draped over his shoulder.
Baker beckoned his men to move forward into the jungle, wondering how people like Ambassador Meyer got into diplomacy. Representing an adventurous archetype with incredible success, Meyer pushed into the forest beside him. While grumbling with a hint of disappointment, it was clear that the ambassador wanted to lead the formation. Reluctantly, he remained in the middle, obeying the procedures.
Moulting trees and scanty bushes allowed Americans to move relatively easily through the forest. After crossing two miles without meeting anything other than the occasional deer, their relentless expedition is finally interrupted by a girl's screeches. The Marines tensed up, raised their rifles and aimed at the trees.
Meyer acted, pointing somewhere to the north. "It came from there!" He announced, rushing to investigate.
Baker had no time to stop the departing ambassador. Following closely, he condemned the erratic ambassador's action plan. “Master, we don't know if the forest is safe!”
"If not, then we will make it safe" he replied. “This may be our first contact, and I want to make sure that we have a good impression on the natives here.”
"Damn it," complained Baker. “Nakamoto, get the drone into the air as soon as possible,” he said on the sidelines. He and his other men continued to run with the ambassador. "Dude, there's no way this guy's running this fast" he murmured in shock.
After a minute of running, they reached the end of the forest, where they saw a woman running among the trees, dodging the attacks from the large beasts very well. The hexapedal beast had midnight black skin and was the size of a pickup truck. The most distinctive feature of the creature was its twelve horns, from which magical sparks were emitted, destroying the tree the woman passed through.
Ambassador Meyer, upon reaching the scene first, raised his rifle and emptied his magazine into the creature, causing black blood to spill onto the grass that was trampled beneath him. The bullets hit the thick skin of the beast with unexpected ill effects, failing to kill him directly. Enraged, the beast roared, turning towards Meyer. Upon seeing what the beast was capable of, he instinctively slid out from the line of fire, narrowly avoiding the arc of blue light that was emitting the contents of the tree behind him.
"Damn it!" A voice in the forest called out.
Baker and his men emerge out into the open, walking around a destroyed tree to find Meyer sheltering behind a rock and refilling her weapon.
"Shoot horns!" meyer.
Baker raised his rifle, aiming for the monster's head. "Involve!"
The people behind him spread out, taking care to maintain a line of unobstructed fire before releasing their weapons. A barrage of metal hit the animal's head, followed by a burning blue heat from Baker's magic rifle shell. Already wounded from Meyer's previous attack, the monster was easily dispatched, with the first salvo gouging out an evil hole where his head used to be.
Baker raised his hand. "Stop firing!"
The monster hit the floor with a thud, its strong fur still smoldering from Baker's gun. The black liquid continued to come out from the bullet hole, soiling the ground beneath it and making it hiss. Carefully, Baker approached the creature and shot him in the head again, causing brain matter to scatter all over the ground beside him.
"Jeez," Meyer commented.
Baker kept staring at the monster. "Just have to make sure it's dead." He then looked at his men, satisfied with the monster's lack of reaction. "All right! Secure area!”
As Baker walked over to Nakamoto to check the drone's bait, Meyer cleared a trail of dirt from her suit. While he was adjusting, the woman he saved approached him.
“Thank you..” he said with a soft voice and starry eyes, his heart pounding like it was about to explode. "My hero!" Her exclamation, eagerly embracing Meyer, shocked her greatly.
"No problem, ma'am," Meyer politely replied to the gesture. "Are you okay? Do you have any injuries?”
"Yes, I'm fine." He let go after a few seconds, finally realizing the strangeness about this man and his group that he considered to be witches. "You're not from around here, are you?" He looked at Meyer from top to bottom, marveled at her slender suit and the strange black stick in her hand, then looked at Baker's forest camouflage uniform in disdain.
He took off his combat vest and straightened his tie. “No Ma'am, we don't. I am Ambassador Meyer and we are from the United States, a country beyond the mountain barrier. We are here to establish contact with the citizens of this island.”
"Oh." His eyes drifted towards the beach. "I've never heard of an outsider at all before..." He was silent before making his decision. “Alright then! I am Enecy Wysk, daughter of Duke Wysk of the Kingdom of Calamique!” He elaborated with a cheerful attitude. “To express my gratitude, I want you and your men to attend a party at my family home!”
Baker and his men, tired of ship food and seafood, were immediately excited at the thought of fresh food.
"I'm honored to attend, Miss Wysk."
——
Wysk Manor is a beautiful Renaissance-era estate made of polished wood and stone, with pillars in the front and a well-preserved garden with a fountain in the back. Meyer and her sea bodyguards were herded through the estate, encountering decorations and interior design that many consider an explosion from the past. They eventually reached a large dining room, which was large enough to accommodate two platoons under Baker's command.
While waiting for food, Meyer engaged in small talk with the person in charge, Duke Wysk. “I want to convey once again how grateful my people and I are for your hospitality.”
“Oh, on the contrary, Good sir. You are the one who saved my daughter! By the way, ”dia stopped, noticing Enecy walking towards them in a fantastic white dress — dress that previously made her clothes pale in comparison. “Enecy! What did I say about venturing outside the city limits ?! ” She scolds him. "Why are you even out there?"
"I'm sorry, Dad!" He lowered his head in a frown, hoping to reduce his punishment by taking advantage of the sad expression of his puppy's eyes. “I just want to collect some flowers for Founding Festival.”.
His expression suddenly turned into excitement as he looked at Meyer. The Marines, noticing this action, chatted amongst themselves and even took out a few wolf whistles. Meyer looked on with a smile as she felt a push from her right side from Baker.
Enecy read the story from beginning to end, adding exaggeration here and there to emphasize Meyer's heroism. Then, in a judging tone, she concludes the story with the classic "happy forever". Gazing right into Meyer's soul, he stated with a smirk, "I've always wanted a knight in armor, but a shining black-clothed knight is also acceptable."
Meyer continued to smile politely, showing too little to be read by Enecy. “I'm flattered by your words, Miss Wysk.”
“Please forgive my daughter and her fantasies; she is quite interested in stories and fairy tales, ”Duke Wysk barges in.
Meyer chuckles. "I understand. Such stories are also popular in the hometown.”
"On that note," said Wysk, "Can you tell me more about where you came from?" He watches the typical American dress.
“We are from USA. We are in the northeast of the continent of Rodenius, in the east of Philades, in the southwest of this island.”
Wysk looked puzzled, tilting his head as he looked through his memory library to search for the names. “Rodenius? The philades? I've never heard of a place like that. You claim that you are from outside the island?
Meyer replied, “Ya. We want to establish relationships with people on this island.”
"So so. I can help you contact our foreign affairs agency, even though it's a group of outsiders. We have an old story, about the journey of our ancestors to this island. They came from the land across the ocean, but moments after their settlement here, a mountain ring was erected. Unfortunately, most of our historical records are lost in the chaos that followed.”
“Then, I hope we can help reintroduce your people to your ancestral land.” Meyer reached into her bag. “I've prepared a presentation for your diplomats on this device here. I can show you some of them to help give you a better understanding of who we are and where we come from.”
——
29 January 1640
Wysk approached Meyer, who was standing on a balcony, admiring the garden. “Good morning, Mr. Meyer. I once again thank you for saving my daughter.”
"Just do what's right" Meyer replied.
Wysk is amazed by the presence of the man in front of him, unknowingly agreeing with his daughter's attraction to him. “I wish more people thought that way. After all, I have received news from the Royal State Department. They will be ready to accept you tomorrow, once they are done with their consideration.
"Interpretation?" ask Meyer.
“This is an unprecedented unique incident. Generally, we do diplomacy with the other two countries on the island. Never before have we met a delegation that claimed to be from outside. I hope this makes the delay understandable.”
Meyer nodded. "It's okay." He noticed Wysk's nervousness. "Is there any other news?"
"NO."
"Oh okay. I'm sorry, I just think you seem a little worried. ” Meyer let go of that problem.
Wysk breathed a heavy sigh. “It.... something else. A village on our western border was recently attacked by monsters. We lost hundreds of knights who tried to evacuate everyone to a safe place.”
"Congratulations," Meyer offered.
——
The Western Frontier of Calamique
Flames raged in the ancient village, filling the air with smog and the sound of despair. Monsters of various types, from large snake lizards to twelve-horned savage beasts, trampling knights persevered without much resistance. Above the graves of hundreds, only a dozen survivors remained. Poking their swords at the army of ferocious beasts, they unwittingly cornered into the burning residence. With fire on their backs and claws in front of them, they prepared to provide their final defense.
The monsters suddenly stopped, making the battered knights feel relieved. The thoughtless creature then split up, creating an alley where a man was walking. Clad in basalt-colored armor and wearing similar-colored robes, he approached the rebel soldiers. His stern face looks like a villain, especially with his beard. As he got closer to the knights, his face turned into an evil grin.
Noticing the man in armor, several knights lowered their weapons.
“Master Mauli? Mauli Hanmann?” Their commander asked.
“In the flesh,” Mauli smiled, stretching her hands in a regal manner.
"Ap-why ?!" The commander stuttered, his voice saddened by the betrayal. He raised his sword again. "Why are you doing this ?!"
“King is complacent,” sighs Mauli, clenching hands to the sky. “He became content with the little we had, shutting his mind off the glory outside. I warned him that disaster would come if we were forced to stay on this small island. War will emerge from overpopulation and scarcity of resources, I told him. He never listened. So, I acted for the greater good; for the good of all of us!”
"Basic selfish bastard!" The commander pointed his sword at Mauli.
Mauli noticed that the commander's grip on his weapon stiffened and his posture changed, ready to strike. “I wouldn't do that if I were you. Look around!” He pointed towards the monster at his side. “You're surrounded. Outnumbered, outclassed, and out of luck. Well, almost out of luck. Look, you're lucky enough to accept my deal! Put your hands down, subject to interrogation, and your people don't need to be torn to shreds, limbs, for monster food! Mauli grinned like a madman.
"I—" Commander stuttered, looking back. He felt his knuckles turn white due to how tightly he held the hilt of his sword, struggling to make a decision. Is that the right one? "I gave up" he said, releasing his sword and shield.
The sound of metal hitting the ground adorned Mauli's ears as the soldiers dropped their weapons. "It's amazing." He looked to his side. “Come them and prepare them for transportation to the base!” He ordered his men to hide among the ranks of monsters. He then walked away from the terrifying scene, stepping over the body while the alley was closed, monsters filled the open space.
One of his assistants, a black-robed mage, then approached him. "My lord, what should we do after they've been interrogated?"
Mauli grinned, preparing a sociopathic enthusiastic response. "Oh, feed them monsters!"