Horses galloped across the overgrown fields that Caspar and his men had marched on earlier today. The light from the dusk sun cast the long shadows of the horsemen over the relatively flat land.
"We are almost there, your highness!"
Proclaims a Lieutenant to Lothar. The small town Caspar and his men were sent to was recently and secretly converted to a forward command base for the Oskiuumen high command.
It was heavily defended, no twelve-man team would be able to take it out alone. But if the Urmacht army does manage to capture the town and with it, whatever commanders in it, that would shorten the war if not end it outright.
As Lothar's mind keeps churning, half about the possibility to end the war and half about the men he sent to capture it. They start seeing their destination, plumes of smoke rising atop it.
Lothar takes a deep breath, readying himself for the battle to come before speaking to his men.
"Alright, men, the enemy is right in front of us. Sergeant Caspar and his men have already started their attack, and from the looks of the town, they have made some progress."
Lothar takes a deep breath, thinking about the words that he and Caspar shared before he sent him on this suicide mission, a tinge of blame creeping on his heart. But he steels himself and continues.
"We currently do not know the status of their team. But we do know that if we capture that town and whoever is in it, we can end the war right then and there. So do not let Urmacht and me down."
The men start getting excited about the prospect of winning this war and returning home. This stupid war began two years back as a conflict between Urmacht and Borpiden farmers.
Due to the tense political landscape between the two nations, a small conflict between farmers about cattle and grazing grounds evolved into a full-fledged war.
Ironically though, it is the farmers and peasants on the border that paid the harshest price. Their homes were destroyed, and their lands scarred by the trenches and ditches created by both armies.
Even if the war ended, it would take a herculean amount of effort just to restore the land, to say nothing of returning to production.
As the men sit there reviling in the prospect of returning home, and musing about the start of this pointless conflict, they reach the fringes of the town.
Lothar soon orders his men to dismount and keep the horses, since attempting to use cavalry within the close confines of a town would be tactical suicide.
The men dismount and ready their gear. The town's entrances seem to be unguarded, and they slowly march inwards.
As they march through the town, the meet pockets of resistance that seem to grow more numerous and fierce, the closer they get to the town center.
The men of Urmacht remain undaunted though and push through the close quarters and the dead angles of the town until they finally arrive at an open square.
In the middle of the square stands a half-collapsed building, from which the cacophony of battle seems rife.
Lothar and his men charge into the building, clearing room after room, using their daggers and rifles as batons to bash enemies that are too close to shoot at.
As Lothar and his men reach one particular room, they slowly open the door and witness a room taken directly out of hell itself.
Bodies were strewn about the room lying in pools of blood, tables were turned over, and debris covered the ground.
On one side of the room are men holding their rifles, pointing them towards the opposite side. While the in the side they were pointing their weapons, there was a bloody man in an Urmacht army uniform sitting atop another, older man, wearing a clean and decorated Oskiuumen uniform.
Lothar immediately recognizes the man covered in blood as he shouts in stunned worry.
"CASPAR!"
Caspar slowly turns his head around, still keeping his dagger on the man's thought, and sees Lothar standing in the doorway.
Lothar's men charge in the room, disarming and capturing the men who are not yet restrained, as Caspar reveals a bashful smile towards Lothar and says awkwardly.
"Umm... I might have just ended the war."
Lothar, relieved that Caspar is still alive and well enough to joke around, bursts into uproarious laughter with tears dripping from his eyes as he replies.
"Indeed, Caspar, You might have ended the war."
---------------------
Lothar, Caspar, and the rest of the men make their way back into friendly territory with the captured Oskiuumen soldiers. Most of Caspar's team did not make it. Nine of his originally twelve-man squad were killed during the battle. The rest, Caspar included, were riddled with injuries.
Caspar himself had received seven bullet wounds and three wounds caused by sharp objects, even with his experience and capability in combat. Soon though, they return to the safety of the trench, and the injured get treated.
Within the trench's command room, Lothar, Carsten, and the now bandaged up Caspar, along with the Colonel and other officers, stand listening to the result of the interrogation of the captured commanders.
"The commander that was captured in the town proclaims himself as General Kalinin Taras Timurovich. Commander of the Borpiden western front and relative of the Oskiuumen emperor."
The crowd in the room stood there stunned by the revelation of their captive's identity. They did not expect to capture the Oskiuumen overall commander of this war.
Lothar smiles proudly as he looks at the man that made it all possible. Had not been for Caspar's near-miraculous victory in the town, the General would have been able to flee, and the war would have continued on.
He smiles, deciding what Caspar's reward would be once they returned to Herzen, then turns to Carsten and orders.
"Send word back to Herzen. Tell them we are suing for peace."