For half a month, waves of refugees had poured into the lands of Ross. Their arrival strained order across the countryside.
Some, starving and desperate, turned to banditry, preying on caravans. Others wandered the streets, begging for scraps.
For Gavin Ward, this was both a problem and an opportunity.
He made a simple decision:
Those who could work would be recruited as laborers. The kingdom needed men to build roads and railways.
Those who turned to robbery would be hunted down mercilessly.
The newly raised Ross units, armed with rifles and machine guns, were dispatched. Against trained soldiers, the so-called "bandits" with wooden clubs and rusted swords barely lasted minutes.
"Wipe them out. Every last one."
And so it was done. Banditry was crushed, order restored.
Meanwhile, refugees pressed into service as laborers soon discovered the work was worth it. Food, shelter, pay—and safety under Ross soldiers' watchful eyes. Under such conditions, men labored eagerly, and the pace of road and railway construction surged.
---
Flight Across the Wall-E Plain
Far away, on the windswept Wall-E Plain, hooves thundered.
Three knights galloped furiously, dust trailing behind them. Behind them, a swarm of hundreds of orc wolf-riders gave chase. The orcs' snarling faces twisted with bloodlust, tusks gleaming, saliva spraying from the maws of their beasts.
"Your Highness, ride ahead! I'll hold them back! Rose City is close—if you can reach Ross's army, you'll be safe!" shouted the rearmost knight.
The young woman in the lead twisted in her saddle. Her crimson cloak snapped in the wind, her delicate armor gleaming. Princess Caroline of the Kiswell Kingdom.
"Mante!" she cried, her voice breaking.
"Your Highness, lower your head!" another knight shouted.
They ducked just in time—two orc arrows hissed past their skulls.
Knight Mante turned his horse sharply, drawing his blade. His eyes blazed behind the visor of his helmet.
"As your knight, I regret nothing. Come, you bastards!"
An orc wolf-rider charged, raising a jagged scimitar. The beast beneath him lunged, fangs gaping wide.
Mante's sword flashed. Steel met steel, then slipped past at a brutal angle, plunging into the orc's throat. Blood spurted. The knight's warhorse lashed out, hooves smashing into the wolf's ribs, hurling it aside.
But more orcs came. One against a hundred.
Mante cut one down, then another. Sparks flew, steel shrieked, but he was swallowed beneath the tide. At last, when the cavalry swept forward again, his body tumbled from the saddle, lifeless.
"Mante!" Caroline's scream tore the air.
---
The Second Sacrifice
Only one knight remained beside her. His name was Korman. He glanced at the charging horde, then at his princess.
"Your Highness, Mante has won honor in death. Now it is my turn. My blade, my soul—they are yours forever."
He spurred his horse, raising his sword in salute.
Caroline's eyes filled with tears. "Korman, no!"
But Korman ignored her, his heart resolute.
At that moment, Caroline's despair turned to sudden hope. Ahead, beyond the last stretch of grassland, she spotted them—a squad of Ross soldiers, resting by the roadside.
Her heart leapt. "Look! Ross soldiers! We are saved!"
---
The Ross Squad
The squad had just returned from crushing a bandit camp. Ten men, uniforms crisp, rifles slung.
"Do you hear that?" one soldier asked, cocking his head. "Hoofbeats."
"Cavalry," the squad leader muttered. His hand went to the MG42 machine gun he carried. "Stay sharp."
A moment later, Princess Caroline burst into view, her armor shining with dust and blood. Behind her, hundreds of orc cavalry thundered, a wall of muscle, steel, and snarling beasts.
The squad leader counted quickly. "…Hundreds."
Caroline nearly collapsed in despair. Ten soldiers. Only ten.
Her voice cracked as she screamed, "Run! Flee! Save yourselves! Tell your king the Orc Empire is here!"
But the Ross soldiers only grinned.
"Ugly bastards, aren't they?" one laughed.
"Hundreds of orcs, all for us. Imagine the commendations after this." Another soldier eagerly checked his rifle.
"Plenty of military merit to be won," the squad leader said, setting up the MG42.
Caroline froze. She could hardly believe her ears. Not only did they refuse to flee, they were excited.
She stared at their rifles, thinking them too short, too few. How can ten men stand against a hundred cavalry?
But the soldiers' confidence was absolute.
---
The Knight's Final Gesture
Korman looked at Caroline. "Your Highness, I'll buy you time. These Ross soldiers and I will stand. You must live."
He struck her horse with the flat of his blade. The beast screamed, bolting forward. Caroline cried out as she was carried away, tears streaming.
"Korman…" Her voice faded as distance grew.
---
The Calm Before the Storm
The Ross squad leader gripped the handles of the MG42, the weapon braced firmly on its bipod. His men knelt beside him, rifles leveled.
Orc cavalry charged, a sea of fangs, fur, and steel. The ground shook under their weight.
But the Ross soldiers did not tremble.
Instead, the squad leader glanced at Korman beside him, voice casual.
"Brother, which kingdom are you from?"
Korman blinked in surprise. The question was so absurd, so out of place on the edge of death, that he almost laughed.
The Ross veteran smirked. "Relax. I fought at Wall-E Plain. I know what this beauty can do." He patted the MG42.
To Korman, it seemed as though the man was simply making small talk to ease his fear. In reality, the Ross soldier's confidence was real.
Because once the MG42 began to roar, the entire plain would drown in fire and steel.
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