Unholy ripples of energy spread across the cloudless blue skies as if the gods were playing in the heavens. Streaks of light fell, leaving countless trails of inky black smoke that barely dissipated under the hot summer sun. Rolling thunder accompanied the falling stars, and despite the massive commotion above, the large group gathered on this barren plain barely paid any attention.
The ground trembled under the hooves of a giant demon beast as the bull-like behemoth galloped into view through the forest. It halted at the forest's edge, standing amidst the shattered ruins of trees and rocks that barely rose to its hackles. The demon beast let out a bellow that momentarily overwhelmed the racket in the heavens and pawed the ground aggressively as it stared down the tiny figures arrayed before its path.
"FIRST COMPANY! PRESENT ARMS!"
"SECOND COMPANY! PRESENT ARMS!"
"THIRD COMPANY!"Commands rang down the rows of nervous soldiers as they raised their fire lances in unison at the demon beast."FOURTH COMPANY!"
The behemoth snorted angrily, lowered its horned head, and charged without warning. Its blood-red eyes locked onto the large, white figure standing tall at the center of the ant-like formation.
"FIRST COMPANY! FIREEE!"
"SECOND COMPANY! FIRE!"
The behemoth ignored the tiny pricks of pain on its thick hide and slammed its head down, horns forward, aiming to impale the white figure. Instead, it came to a jarring halt with a thunderous clang as it crashed into the towering white figure—nearly as tall as itself.
Lady Ariana of House Windfae let out an unladylike curse as the Knight Golem she rode was slammed backward by the full force of the charge. She poured mana into the control orbs in her hands. The Knight Golem responded, digging in its heels, twin trenches forming beneath its feet as it fought for traction.
Metal and gears groaned as the six-ton construct—encased in ivory and steel—finally managed to halt the behemoth's momentum after carving a deep furrow into the ground. Ariana injected more mana and flipped several controls, angling the Knight's shield downward. The demon beast's heavy horns had pierced through the shield, but this maneuver exposed its neck.
It was the opening she needed.
The Knight Golem's lance punched down into the thinner hide, shattering the cervical vertebrae and severing the nervous system. Thick, viscous blood erupted as the lance withdrew, and the demon beast let out a blood-curdling scream that sent nearby troops scattering—before collapsing, lifeless, at the Knight's feet.
Cheers erupted among the soldiers as they recovered from the shock.
Ariana exhaled a deep breath of relief as sweat tickled down her brow. Her long, silvery hair was tied in a ponytail, a thick leather headband keeping her fringe and sweat from her eyes, and protecting her head inside the cramped control pit. As the adrenaline faded, discomfort returned; her thick, white protective doublet stank of sweat and clung heavily to her petite frame.
"Lady Windfae," a hoarse voice came from the hailing horn by her head."The young Lord Atar has requested immediate assistance at the second defense line against the demon horde."
A pause.
"Urgently."
"It's always urgent with that soft lump," another voice replied wearily. "I'm done here. Scouts report no more behemoths in the vicinity."
"No disrespect to the nobility!" Omar's stern voice chimed in. "You should know better!"
"That slop is a disrespect to nobility," Het retorted. "Only our Princess is worthy of respect!"
"Enough banter," Ariana cut in, before the usual squabble escalated. Het wasn't wrong, but since the Star Lords had appointed House Atar as All Commander of Demon Pass, she had no choice but to obey.
"The regulars should be enough to mop up the rest, assuming no more behemoths show up," she said."Omar, Het, on me. We'll assist the young Lord Atar in the back. Let the infantry hold the first line."
"As you command!"
In the distance, two silver-white Knight Golems turned from the battlefield and lumbered toward the city, heading for the second defense line.
Soldiers in the trenches cheered and waved as Ariana's 11-meter-tall Knight Golem passed. She waved back from her open control pit, noticing that it was mostly fresh-faced recruits who cheered—the veterans simply stared, a few nodding or saluting silently.
The slain behemoth was already swarmed by engineer companies. Steam-powered saws worked efficiently, breaking the carcass down: meat for rations, fat for fuel, bone for weapons and armor, and prime parts packed in ice magic for delivery to the nobles.
Ariana soon fell in step with her subordinates. Her golem, adorned more grandly in accordance with her noble rank, bore a battered shield with her house insignia on the left arm and a blood-crusted lance in the right. They followed a rider bearing a command pennant across the wasteland.
"Princess," Het said tiredly over the horn. "Lord Atar's probably up to something again."
Ariana glanced at Het's golem. He preferred spell casting—his golem held a sword-staff in both hands—while Omar's setup mirrored her own: shield and lance.
"I know his intentions," she sighed. "He wants House Windfae."
"If only your lord brother and father were still around," Omar said softly. "House Atar wouldn't dare."
Ariana kept silent, remained of the disappearance of both her elder brother, heir to the House Windfae and her father as well. They both had disappeared into the barren wasteland of the demon plains while on a mission a few months ago.
"If he seeks your hand, it means they want the regional lordship," Het added. "If they merge their influence with House Windfae, they might just claim the seat."
"I still think that lump just wants the Princess for her looks," Het added slyly. "After all, our lady is known as the Flower of the South!"
Before Ariana could retort, a massive boom split the sky. A huge flaming object streaked across the heavens, roaring and trailing thunderous shock waves.
"What in the heavens...?" Het and Omar both climbed out of their Knights and stared upward.
"Is it the end of days?"
Ariana climbed out too, shielding her eyes. The object vanished beyond the plains, and moments later, a huge cloud of dust and smoke erupted into the sky, followed by a ground-shaking boom.
She clung to the Knight as the ground rocked violently. All across the battlefield, everything stopped—still in awe of the event. Then the sky roared again. The air trembled. Her organs felt like jelly.
She looked up, heart pounding.
An arrow-like object tore through the sky, trailing twin white smoke streams.
-----
"ALTITUDE! ALTITUDE! ALTITUDE!"
Neil Bourne cursed, wrestling the controls of his aerospace fighter to avoid pancaking into the ground. The flight control AI kicked in, and so did gravity. His flight suit squeezed impossibly tight, despite his augmented body, forcing blood to his brain.
The Boeing Space Company ASV-81B's wings extended, switching to atmospheric flight. The controls lightened, finally letting him steer rather than fly like a brick.
Before he could breathe easy, the AI shrieked another alert. He jerked back just as compressed energy bolts sliced past. A few hammered his shields, which flared bright blue under impact.
Two East Intergalactic Corporation FS-11N combat drones had locked on, their twin blasters spitting energy bolts relentlessly. The egg-shaped drones closed in, their combat AIs calculating hundreds of firing solutions.
"Motherfuckers!" Neil shouted as the cheerful AI chirped, "Two enemy contacts have locked on."
"Dumbass AI! Aren't you supposed to warn me?"
"Atmospheric interference too high," the AI replied calmly. "Unable to detect enemy energy signatures."
Neil twisted his fighter into a brutal turn. The century-old ASV-81B responded beautifully—designed for both space and atmosphere. The drones, lacking wings or control surfaces, floundered in the dense air.
His 7mm laser Gatling spun up, and seconds later, both drones exploded into smoking wrecks.
Neil scanned the area. Too much interference. Too many burning wrecks falling from orbit. A mushroom cloud loomed in the distance—wreckage from his ship, the Rimworld Alliance super carrier, RAS Merlion.
His ride home.
"There goes my fucking ride." The war wasn't going well. They had been fighting for weeks in the system against the East Intergalactic Corporation without any gains.
The Rimworld Alliance had numbers but couldn't match the Corporations' tech, ships, or AIs.
"Fuck this war. Fuck the corpos."
He took a breath, calming his nerves.
The RAS Merlion, the Alliance's strongest ship, was gone. If so, the rest of the RAS fleet most likely would have jumped out of the system or similarly destroyed.
"DETECTING FRIENDLY SOS SIGNAL," the AI chimed happily. "DETECTING MULTIPLE FRIENDLY SIGNALS."
Neil checked the scanners. A few contacts showed. There should've been more. Interference again.
"Ahh... fuck this," he muttered, turning toward the nearest friendly beacon. "At least I'm not fucking alone on this corpo shit-heap..."