**Greg**
Goblinhom was a vast city. As Rosita and her pilot approached, we could see the goblin houses sprawled around its vicinity, and it's only the outskirts. Giraud told me that the actual city proper was the one where I could see a bunch of smokestacks, from the factories that were built by successive generations of goblins. As I looked down, I could make out of the cobblestone streets, dissecting the districts with uncanny precision and measurement. In fact, it felt like I was staring at a gigantic chessboard made by an artisan suffering from OCD.
The undead dragon landed in a wide park, as directed by one of the goblins with us. As we sent word that we're arriving, the goblins took their time to show they warmly welcomed us. Colorful banderitas hung all around the place, and there were goblin civilians watching our arrival with their families on picnic mats.
Now that I get a closer look, all the goblins I saw—unlike their counterparts on Earth—wore elegant gowns and smart coats, bows and pants. Heck, they even conduct themselves more like aristocrats, compared to the humans and beastfolk.
"…"
In any case, when we arrived, the Lord Tenguri, Lady Baraquiel and Lady Srexe were already waiting for us, along with some other leaders of the Goblin Legion, the commander of the Orcish Knights who fought with us in the Saint's Tower, and Tama'lee.
"Ah, and here comes the living legend himself!" the goblin lord exclaimed; his loud voice meant to let everyone know my identity. "My kin, allow me the honor of introducing to you Chersea's Commoner General, their solid rock of support, and Cherwind's Great Unifier and Eternal King, the Lord Greg 'Kuro' Santos of Arles, one of the current head scholars of the Conclave."
The Lady Baraquiel also greeted me with a kiss on my hand—like a knight welcoming her lord, "We learned of your victory over the Biornos near Fangborough. It is a brilliant battle! One that we direly need to buoy our sagging morale."
"Err…uhm…t-thanks?" Honestly, I didn't expect they'd know about that battle, nor did I think that it was an important one. If they were aware of the truth, it was more comparable to a skirmish, than a proper fight. I mean, I've fought bigger battles before—or 'Kuro' was—and that one paled in comparison. But then, I guess, as long as it served its unintended purpose, the truth could wait.
"Hey!" it was the Lady Srexe. She wore an intricately-designed gown similar to those worn by 18th century European ladies (which I'm not used to seeing her like that), and nasty smirk was on her lips. "So you're still alive, huh?"
"Yo!" I replied with a similar grin. "It takes more than an army of incubi and succubi to kill me, right?"
"Good!" was her curt reaction. Then, she drew near me and said, "Or I won't forgive you if you die. You're my favorite teacher, after all." Following that declaration, the goblin lady dropped all her pretensions and just held me, much to my—pleasant—surprise.
"More than us, Srex is worried about you the most," Lady Baraquiel revealed.
"I'm not!" she countered.
"Really?" the orc lady teased. "Aren't you the one who kept on looking at the skies when news about the Lord Greg's arrival came?"
The goblin girl fell silent, embarrassed. She then turned and walk away, dragging her cousin, Tama'lee with her.
"Wha—wait, Tama wants to greet her teacher!" the orc girl protested, but it was for naught.
----------
In any case, the Lord Tenguri introduced the goblins who came with him—the leaders of the Goblin Legion as well as elders of their clan. I hadn't notice them at first, but there were also other orcs with us, aside from the Lady Baraquiel's brother (the commander of the Orcish Knights), and they were representatives of the elders of the orcs. The Lord Gracchio was the one who talked with them for the meantime, as the Lord Tenguri and Lady Baraquiel pulled me aside.
"Ah, by the way, Lord Greg!" the goblin lord said, "We finally made a prototype based on the crack horn design you and Lady Ilkes worked on!"
"Oh…?" I couldn't contain my excitement when I heard that. "Can I see it?"
"Well, we made a few adjustments," the Lord Tenguri gestured for me to follow him as he explained. "For the bullet casings, we decided to put a hole just large enough for the firing pin to enter, yet block the hot air from escaping as the crack horn powder ignited. This led an even more powerful punch to the weapon."
Isn't that how the modern gun works?
"We also did the 'rifling' on the barrel, as you suggested, but added a few more and increased its range and accuracy. We tested it before, and based on the results, we can certainly pour accurate fire on the Biorno positions from a safer distance."
"I see…well, have you encountered any problems?"
"There's one glaring drawback. The crack horn powder created residues in the barrel after around 28-30 successful shots, making it impossible to fire, or worst, explosive accidents."
Ah, yes, fouling…that's the disadvantage of black powder compared to the smokeless one. It's one of the reasons being raised for the fatal defeat of the 'modern' British Army—armed with Martini-Henry rifles that used 'black powder' cartridges—against the 'primitive' Zulu warriors at Isandlwana, mostly equipped with a few antiquated guns, spears and oxen-hide shields.
"Our solution to that," the goblin lord continued, "was to make extra barrels. Each goblin legionnaire, or any user, would be required to carry five extra barrels. If the soldier fired 25 bullets, he should change that part, or risk having a malfunctioning crack horn in the middle of a battle."
Not exactly the solution I expected, but I guess that's pretty much workable. However, I had another recommendation to add…
"We can also assign a soldier for every five legionnaires to carry supplies and parts with them during the fights. If there's a crack horn that jammed, it'll be his task to clean it, while the others fired."
"Hmm…we can implement that. But first, let's head to the firing range," the Lord Tenguri opened the door of their carriage for me.
----------
The Goblin Legion's dedicated firing range was within the city limits; yet, it was relatively isolated to any person who was not affiliated with the goblin clan's military. One of their commanders, the Lord Tenguri, reasoned that the risk of their enemies spying on their technological tests was high, so they closed it off to the civilians. Well, I'd have to agree…at least, these folks were aware of some of the basic cornerstones of a modern conflict—espionage, and was working to counter it.
The other officials of the Goblin Legion, some were also the clan elders, arrived a little later after us. By then, the prototypes were being prepared, and the goblin soldiers briefed, to show to me its performance.
"…"
I'm not supposed to be doing this, as I'm just a simple teacher from my old life. But, I got to defend my beliefs and principles.
The goblin soldiers then lined up upon the command of their officer. Then, with another order, they raised their guns in unison. When the officer shouted 'fire!', they all discharged their first shots. The targets place on the other end of the range were hit, fair and square. Another group of goblin soldiers came forward as the first line retreated to the back, ostensibly to cock their guns. The same set of orders, and the same results. The next line of targets were eliminated upon firing.
"…"
In contrast to the matchlock guns (the demon weapon, or crack horn), our prototype was easier to load, as well as to operate. It was also highly-accurate; all the targets for the test were successfully hit by the goblin legionnaires. When the time for them to change barrels, the soldiers simply twisted off the 'dirty' barrel, and fit in a new one, then resumed their shooting.
However, I don't like what I witnessed.
"…"
And the Lord Tenguri was quick to notice that. He asked, "Do you have something in mind, Lord Greg? Is it about the crack horn's performance?"
"No, it's not about that," I shook my head. "Milord, see, now that we have a successful crack horn in our arsenal, I guess we should also update our tactics in fighting."
"Tell me your ideas."
"How about we implement a squad system?" I proposed. "Our new weapons are highly-accurate, and compared to the old ones, faster to fire and reload. Thus, we'll never have to worry on the efficiency of our shots, which is the common problem of the earlier crack horns. What I'm saying is, we can do away with rigid battle lines and officers' orders of when to fire, and train the legionnaires to shoot their enemies when the opportunity presents itself."
"Hm…you make a point," the goblin lord quipped. "But how do we do this 'squad system'?"
"In a regiment or battalion, you can divide your soldiers into smaller and more maneuverable units of around four to six members. There should be a squad leader, which is an officer who determines the 'target' or 'aim' for his squad, depending on the turn of events. This is effective when they are in the middle of the battle, and the senior officers are far out in the rear. The squad members would follow their leader's initiatives, and cover each other while under fire."
"So, meaning, you're recommending that we reorganize the legion?"
I nodded.
The goblin lord had an apprehensive look on his face, "Well, I'd like to try your tactics, Lord Greg. However, it will take time to train and reorganize our armies to comply to your suggestion. Not to mention, there are those who'd surely disagree to it, for it is still unproven."
"I expected it, yes," I took a deep breath and said, "…so, I intend to make a show to prove my point."
The Lord Tenguri's eyes nearly popped out from their sockets when he heard my words, "Lord Greg…you don't mean to say…"
"Milord, can I borrow a few more goblins from your legions?" I gave a bow before him, formally asking for his help. "And at least, some of your prototype crack horns. There is someone I'd like to drop a visit…"
----------
With the entrance of Princess Noir's brother, the Lord Haya, into the picture, there's the realization that we had to rethink our objectives. The Lord Tenguri told me that the demons never liked him, even the Biornos, who hated the House Usarved, anyway. He was considered a deviant, and his belief of 'empowering' the demon people by intermingling with humans, giving birth to children who were 'never be hated' by the heavens, found disapproval among the majority of the clans.
His greatest example was the case of their hero, the Lady Cassandra David. For them, she became a demon after fighting against their old god, the Lord Gaius, though she retained her humanity, enough to give them the education system they were benefiting from nowadays.
"…"
Well, while I don't have any objections on demons having relationships with men, I found his idea that humans should be subservient to demons problematic. I strive to treat all the races equally; and I made it clear to my allies beforehand.
Of course, with the name of Alexa prominently featured in their beliefs, it was easy to convince others that their ideas were right, hence, the 'Knights of Cassandra David'—originally a club of book-lovers in the Conclave—grew to be a force feared by every demon who remembered the wars fought against them.
And now is no different from the past.
After the Lord Tenguri took me to their firing range, I was invited into a 'council' of the allied clans. Well, only the leaders of the goblin and orc clans were present, so I ended up the Usarveds' 'envoy', as everyone knew of my closeness to Princess Noir. As this meeting was sudden, we had no time to invite the Tambara elders, so an officer from the lycanthrope soldiers who came with us stood for his kin, while the Lord Gracchio for represented the Conclave.
The topic was the return of the Lord Haya.
----------
Of course, we didn't keep the situation of the Usarved princess from the allied clan elders. Many of them were shocked, not because of what her brother and his elf guards did to her, but the news that she was captured, when the Usarved army was one of the most powerful—if not the most powerful—militaries in Cherflammen. I explained to them, however, that the elf guards of the Lord Haya, based on the stories of Angelli and Leiver, possessed far more superior weaponry that what we had in stock…including the new gun we invented.
"Then what does the Lord Greg proposes that we do?" they asked me. "The Lord Haya is too dangerous to be left alone. We can't wait for his forces to grow stronger. However, there still this conflict with the Biorno clan for us to resolve!"
The elders were apprehensive when I laid out to them my proposals. See, before we left for Goblinhom, I already drafted plans to create favorable conditions for us to save the Princess Noir, and eliminate the Lord Haya along with his elf guards. It could be summarized into three parts: Negotiate, Reorganize and Assault. First, I recommended that the allied clans conduct negotiations with the Biorno clan, using our mutual hatred for the Lord Haya for a common ground. While we convinced the forces of the Lord Sargdhenerri to side with us, or at least, cease hostilities, we'd reorganize, retrain and re-equip our armies with new tactics formed around the new crack horn. And finally, the centerpiece of my plans…
An assault on Castle Darkmoor itself.
Everyone, including the Lord Tenguri and Lady Baraquiel, thought of my ideas as risky, for they didn't only want their soldiers and equipment wasted on a hopeless endeavor, they also thought that…
"If you got killed, or captured, Lord Greg," the Lady Baraquiel pointed out, "then we'll lost a powerful ally!"
Honestly, the orc lady's words were true. If something happened to me in Darkmoor, then everything we worked so hard for would come crashing down. Not to mention, everyone's morale would fall dramatically…especially now that they're looking at me like I'm some 'magical warrior', or something.
However…
"Honorable elders," I began, "while I agree with the Lady Baraquiel's observations, there is also this matter that I wanted to raise to you. A couple of days ago, I talked to the Lord Tenguri about the need to reorganize your legions to several squads of soldiers operating independently in the middle of the battle. I expected opposition from all, since this is a radical change from what is the usual system. And I understand the concerns about my proposal, which I presented to you written on those papers."
There were murmurs around the elders' assembly; the goblins were debating on my recommendations. I continued…
"Think about this, honorable elders. This is an operation that requires high-investment on the part of your clan. In turn, it can fail spectacularly, or it can succeed and pass on to legends. We can't say, for no one—except perhaps, the Demon Saint—can predict the future. But then, what if we succeed? The House of Usarved will never forget this help from your clan, and they can give preferences to you, especially on economic matters."
Another round of murmurs. I could see some of the elders nodding their heads in agreement. Unexpectedly, though, the greatest opposition to my proposals was coming from the Lady Baraquiel, who didn't hide her concern for my life.
"Are we going to send the Lord Greg—who is a valuable ally to us—in this unproven adventure?" she asked.
"Milady, I wish to show you the effectiveness of the tactics I had in mind," I replied. "And also, we won't launch this operation without thoroughly preparing and training for it first. That's why I'm going; I'm your insurance that this mission will succeed."
"And if it does not?"
"Then you can be sure that Darkmoor will be destroyed, along with me," I let out a small golden-yellow glow from my hands to convince her of my resolve.
----------
And so, weighing on the options available to them, the elders of the Goblin clan—save for the Lord Tenguri (who was neutral), and the Lady Baraquiel (who fiercely opposed my plan)—approved of allowing me to 'borrow' some of their goblins. Together with a few Usarveds, Tambaras and orcs, they were to form the 'core' of the future reorganized army of Cherflammen, under the demon lord, Noir Usarved.
Yes, Noir Usarved, and no one else. For among the demon nobles I encountered so far, she was the only one who could maintain the peaceful coexistence with the humans, led by the Lady Madelaine. The lessons of the 11th Human-Demon War remained in her heart, thus, I could trust that she—and her 'brother', Hurion Devras—would uphold the 'amicable' relationship with all the races that formed Chersea and the four realms.
As such, this operation is merely saving the demons' future leader.
Taking the techniques from the documentaries I watched before on how the Earth's special forces trained their recruits, as well as recalling the histories of both the Imperial German 'Stormtrooper' and Royal Italian 'Arditi' units, I created a course for the soldiers that were 'lent' to me to follow. Well, I'm not a real member of an army before, but I did learn from those I worked with, like the Marquise of Monfort and Sir Loin of Steak (the demons call him 'the Devil of the Grey Parka'). Nevertheless, compared to the 'real' elite forces training of my old world, I'm sure the one I'm implementing now was a 'child's play'.
Good thing our enemies haven't think of a similar tactic, or it'll get bloody.
"…"
Since we're planning an attack on a (potentially) heavily-defended place, I also asked the Lord Tenguri if he could provide us some grenades. Well, the Goblin Legion's arsenal had their own design—a smooth one, shaped like a small ball made of iron, filled with black powder and given a short slow-match for time allowance. It was the same as the 17th-18th century 'iron grenades' of the European armies, which were used by their 'designated' grenadiers to attack defensive positions. However, those kinds of grenades were unreliable, for once it was thrown, there was no guarantee that the slow-match would remain burning.
But as an assault tactic depended on the elements of speed and surprise, a grenade or similar weapon was a must, to stun our enemies. So, I designed a new one, using the concept of 'fragmentation' grenades of Earth's modern militaries. It was still packed with black powder; what set its trigger mechanism apart from the ones in the arsenal of the Goblin Legion was, it was ignited by magic upon impact.
"…"
It was like the 'barrel bombs' employed by the human armies of the Duchess of Malvette back in Cherwind, when they bombarded Lady Konka's refugee camp before. The metal container was filled with gunpowder and etched with magic runes beforehand. Then, a soldier would just 'activate' it by casting a spell and throwing the grenade to the enemy. Once it hit the ground or any solid surface, it would explode, without the several seconds of delay that could allow our foes to pick and send it back to us.
Heh, at these moments, 'Kuro's' memories are really useful!
For their close combat weapon, I had their swords and bayonets taken away, and replaced by daggers. There were a few protests, like the orcs, who were trained to fight with swords and lances. I guess I could understand their sentiments; I mean, they were big people, and a 'normal'-sized dagger for them would look like a toy knife. Nevertheless, assaulting an enclosed area like trenches, castles and palaces would mean that we would fight in close-quarters, so long weapons like the ones I mentioned before would become a liability instead of an asset in battle.
So I explained to them my reasons, and they suggested to be given a dagger that was well-suited for their size. To which, the Lord Tenguri and the Goblin clan elders responded with a 'sword' that had a blade length equal or similar to a Roman 'gladius'.
And to improve further on their skills, I had a soldier who was proficient fighting in daggers teach my small force.
"…"
After all, the changes are not only to improve their efficiency. It's to save their lives as well.
----------
Throw a grenade. Wait for the boom. Close in to kill.
Those were my instructions to my companions. We had them memorized by heart, for we're about to fight against elves—who were renowned for their sharp eyes and uncanny knack to always land a hit exactly where they intended. To add to our woes, they could be armed with assault rifles (according to the maids), and the Castle Darkmoor's corridors were 'filled' with magic spells meant for controlling the mind.
So our goal was to negate the opposition's advantage by, first, using the anti-succubi/incubi amulets the Princess Noir provided for us to fight the Biornos before. And second, stun our enemies, close in on them, and sink the blades of our knives on the elves' throats.
After all, they can't possibly aim their longer rifles at us when we're already choking their necks.
"…"
Then, for our transport, we asked the Lord Vitalis to lend us Rosita and Giraud. The undead dragon, since she was literally 'all bones', was silent whenever she takes flight, which made Rosita perfect for covert movements. And Giraud's skills in flying was best suited for our operation. Good thing the lord of the undead agreed to our request when I told him that we're going to help the Prince Hurion Devras.
My apologies for the lie, Lord Vitalis…I'm sure you'll understand once we return from a successful mission.
And finally, our guns. This was a bit of a problem, for again, we'd fight in close quarters. The new weapon—now called the 'Goblinhom Bolt-Heater Rifle', or simply the 'Bolt-Heater'—was pretty long, well-suited for trench and open-ground warfare. For our firepower needs in tight spaces, we had to make modifications on our arms.
My immediate solution was to saw off the wooden butt of the Bolt-Heater, considerably shortening its size, but might worsen its recoil. I was weighing on my options, when one day…
"Lord Greg," it was the Lady Baraquiel, appearing in our training field. With her was her daughter, Lady Srexe, who had a box in her hands.
"Greetings, milady! Anything I can help you with?"
"I hope you understand my objections for your plan," she told me. "And I still do not approve of it."
"Ah, don't worry about that matter," I reassured her. "I'm aware of your sentiments, milady. And actually, I'd begged off if I can help it. However…"
"Yes, I know. Srex told me before why you are so adamant of going to Darkmoor. Her Highness the Princess Noir is your student, too, right?"
"And I will save her," was my answer.
The orc lady could only shook her head, but she was smiling. Then, she got the box from her daughter and passed it on to me, "Before you leave, Srexe and I wanted you to have that."
Opening the box, what greeted me was a revolver. But unlike the ones found in my old world, this gun had a similar mechanism as the original 'bolt-heater system' installed in every 'Bolt-Heater' we had, only a bit smaller to fit the gun's small frame.
"My husband thought of you fighting in close-quarters," Lady Baraquiel explained. "So, he designed that one based on your weapon system. I hope it serves your purpose well, Lord Greg."
"Thank you for this gift, milady!" I bowed to express my gratitude.
"No worries, milord," the orc smiled. "After all, I'll do my best to protect my daughter's happiness!"
----------
I requested for more copies of the 'Bolt-Heater' revolver for my small army. The idea was, instead of the long and cumbersome 'Bolt-Heater Rifle', we'd be using the revolver for the assault. Short arms were always preferred when conducting combat in close quarters; Cherflammen was no different. And I'm really thankful to the Lord Tenguri and Lady Baraquiel, for they took care all of my logistical needs. Soon, the guns were delivered to us, and trained with it as well.
"…"
While we all wanted to jump to the conclusion of things, I'm dealing with real people. These were goblins, orcs, Usarveds and Tambaras with families, and friends, and that their leaders entrusted their lives to me meant more than simply making them follow my orders. As such, I wanted to prepare them well for the operation, since a simple mistake could lead to tragic consequences.
Princess Noir will have to wait for a bit more…even though I and Angelli would like to help her as soon as possible.
So the training went for four more weeks. During those times, several clashes occurred in and around Orcdwelt, Helfan and Fangborough. Battles between Biorno clan—attempting to weaken the alliance by knocking one clan off the war—raged. Meanwhile, Lady Capaldi and Lady Shevaun's message finally reached us: they rallied the Usarved loyalists (those who sided with Princess Noir), and now an army under the demon chamberlain's command was marching to assault the city of Darkmoor, in coordination to my own attack.
I surmised that the Lord Haya would be distracted in dealing with Lady Shevaun's threat from the north, so he would gather his supporters to bolster his military strength. This was based on the reports of the ghouls we received, telling us of mass movements of the 'Knights' and their armies, converging at Darkmoor—twisted and deranged from their prolonged stay inside the land of the dead. While at first they might be intimidating, I doubt their actual effectiveness on the battlefield.
After all, it's difficult to command an army that has lost its sanity.
As the ghouls would never fight unless they were prodded to, or on the defensive, we sent requests to the Tambaras for their military to intercept this column, and prevent them from strengthening the Lord Haya's forces. The ghouls would still be there though, as they were to serve as the 'medevac' for the expected casualties.
The future of Cherflammen is being decided right now. Naturally, I can't let the opportunity pass.
So, when we finished preparing for our 'operation' and with all the conditions set, I gathered my companions for one last briefing before heading out to sortie.
"Okay guys! This is it!" I told them, "Remember our training: throw a grenade. Wait for the boom. Close in to kill. That's not only to defeat your enemy, it's also for you to survive. After all, a dead foe won't fight back. From here on forward, we shall be the hunters…or as in my old world, the 'Jägers'."
The soldiers answered by giving me a snappy salute. I responded in kind of course; for starting today, I'm one of the Goblin Legion's generals. And the 'Jägers' company was my first command for this legendary army of little, but brave, green demons.
Yes, the 'Jägers'. The German term for their elite light infantry, which meant 'hunter'…because we'd literally hunt for blood. Elf and rapist blood.
"…"
Goodness…I'm worried about the Lady Madelaine with all this violence. But I guess, I have no other choice; the best course of action now is to put an end to this conflict as fast as possible.